The Associated Press: ‘Opening of The Senate Watergate Committee (1973)’

Source:The Associated Press- U.S. Senator Sam Ervin Democrat, North Carolina) Chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee (93rd U.S. Congress)

Source:The New Democrat 

“(17 May 1973) Scenes from the United States Senate hearing into the Watergate Affair. Senate Watergate Committee chairman, Sam Ervin makes a statement… 

From The Associated Press

Source:The New Democrat- U.S. Senator Sam Ervin (Democrat, North Carolina) Chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee (93rd U.S. Congress)

Without the Senate Watergate Committee, President Nixon doesn’t get impeached at least in that Congress and when he did in 1974. Because of how they and the special prosecutors office were able to get people in the Nixon White House and the Nixon reelection campaign to talk about what they knew about Watergate and the coverup, that is how all of this information came out. To the point that Congressional Republicans both in the House and Senate could no longer support President Nixon.

John Dean, in great detail laid out for the committee under threat of prosecution of course, exactly how the Watergate coverup was conducted. Since he was essentially in charge of managing the coverup.

White House Chief of Staff Bob Haldeman, also played a big role in that. But Dean, was essentially the desk sergeant of this case. And managed all the information that came in, as well as what to do with the information. And what people involved in the Watergate break in either needed to keep quiet, or what kind of legal defense that they needed.

But the disclosure of the taping system, is really what ended the Nixon Administration. Without that disclosure, President Nixon probably survives Watergate. He would’ve been a lot weaker and had a hard time dealing with a Democratic Congress that would’ve expanded their majorities in the House and Senate in 1974 whether he was still President, or not. But he still would’ve been President of the United States for the last two and a half years of his presidency.

And perhaps President Nixon would’ve achieved a few other foreign policy success’. But the taping system is what nailed the President. Where he’s caught on tape ordering the coverup. And the Senate Watergate Committee brought that to the public.

Gustavo Lagos: 'The Best of Ann Coulter'

Source:Gustavo Lagos- Ann Coulter appearing on Fox News.

Source:The New Democrat

I think Alan Colmes had the best line in this video. When he said that he thinks that he has Ann Coulter all wrong. His point was that he now sees her as just a political satirist who says all sorts of insulting if not hateful and certainly ignorant things to make people on the Far-Right look bad. I see her as Far-Right and not as a Center-Right Conservative for obvious reasons. Conservatives, tend to be a lot more intelligent and at least try to back up what they say with actual facts. With Ann Coulter, she speaks her mind and is provocative intentionally and then she tries to explain what she means by that later, if she can. The way I would put Ann Coulter, is that she’s a political satirist at best and a pretty good one at times.

If Coulter is not a satirist, she’s quite frankly a bullshit artist. Someone who speaks out of their ass on a regular basis. Either intentionally to sell her books and columns, or because like most assholes, she doesn’t know what the hell she’s talking about. But because her views are so outer space and light years away from Earth, people are interested in her, because of how different she is. Coulter to me is like a rich women’s Sarah Palin. Sarah Palin, very entertaining and at times a pretty good political analyst and satirist, but not someone you want filling out your taxes for you, or perhaps watching your kids, let alone holding a responsible job in public office. And Ann Coulter, is slightly better than that. Because I wouldn’t want her to watch my kids, but if she did my taxes she could probably find a few tax breaks for me.

Some entertainers and commentators who weren’t very popular in their time, but lets say a generation later they look great. Because they fit that era and then look brilliant and become pop culture heroes and celebrities and so-forth. Have books and perhaps even movies made about them. Lenny Bruce, who was a comedian in the 1950s and was probably twenty-years ahead of his time, because he used a lot of adult language and talked about adult subjects in his act. With Coulter the obvious is true. But she’s not twenty years before her time. More like 80-100. When gays were still locked in the closet. Before it was common for women to work outside of the home. Before women could even vote and I could go down the line.

Ann Coulter, whether she actually believes in what she says and doesn’t have this moment, “gee, did I really just say that? I’m not sure I believe my own words.” Or she’s really as dumb as a brick and makes both Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann look like genius’, knows how to get people to think and talk. And generally it is a lot of negative things about her. But whether this is intentional or not on her part, she’s a hell of a businesswomen. She knows how to sell her books and columns and the more attention she gets about them and generally outside of so-called Fox News and Far-Right publications and even some Center-Right publications, it’s generally bad publicity. But publicity good and bad sells her books and columns. Is she a political satirist, or bullshit artist? If only I was a mind-reader.
Source:Gustavo Lagos

Mysteries & Scandals: Bugsy Siegel

Source:IMDB- Mysteries and Scandals.

Source:The New Democrat 

"Susan Berman (author), Ralph Saierno (NYC mob investigator), Frank Ragano (lawyer), Frank Wright (curator Vegas), W.R. Wilkerson III (author), Rose Marie (entertainer) and Michael Druxman (author) are a few of the people interviewed about the dream that would cost Bugsy Siegel his life.

The 30s and 40s were full of famous gangsters that remain some sort of cult figures today and Bugsy is one of them. He pretty much stole the idea of a casino in the desert and it cost him his life. The story of Bugsy was turned into a very good movie with Warren Beatty and it's pretty interesting to see how badly gambling in Vegas tanked. The interviews here are extremely entertaining and they certainly give you a detailed idea of what was going down and what led up to Bugsy murder... 

From IMDB 

This photo of Benjamin (don't call me Bugsy) Siegel, is from a 1998 or 99 Mysteries and Scandals episode about him. They generally didn't do shows about mobsters, but Bugsy was part of the Hollywood scene and did business in Hollywood and wanted to be an actor himself. 

Source:E Entertainment- Jewish gangster Benjamin Bugsy Siegel.

I saw the movie Bugsy a few nights ago for like the hundredth time, or whatever. It is one of my favorite movies and what I get from Warren Beatty as Bugsy and from what I know about Bugsy, is that Beatty did a great job playing Bugsy. 

And had Bugsy decided to give up the mob, which is almost impossible to do, but let's believe in Santa Clause for a second and say he was able to do that, Hollywood would’ve been perfect for him. As either an actor himself, playing gangsters, but with his personality and humor, he would’ve been able to do other things.

There’s this saying that the friendship between Ben Siegel and actor George Raft, is that Benny, was a mobster that wanted to be an actor. And George, was an actor that wanted to be a mobster. Which is why George Raft got so many gangster roles as an actor and actually got tired of that and wanted to do something else. 

And if you see The George Raft Story, a movie about the life of guess who, that movie makes it clear that Raft was tired of playing gangsters and wanted to do other things. Ben Siegel as an actor, probably would’ve had a similar career as his buddy George Raft. I mean, he was a Jewish gangster and one of the most successful ones.

I believe the legacy, or at least the positive side of Ben Siegel’s legacy is what we see as Las Vegas today. Before Ben Siegel, Las Vegas was essentially a hick Southwestern town of about ten-thousand people or so. 

Today, Las Vegas is a town of over five-hundred and eighty-thousand people and an area of about two-million people. It is one of the biggest and most economically successful cities in America today. And a lot of that has to with the casino and gambling industry. 

Siegel, didn’t put all that together himself. But he had the vision that others used to build Las Vegas in what it could be. A great big city where people from all over the country and even world, could go to and have a great time. All of that got started with Ben Siegel.

Bill Boggs TV: John Dean- Interview With Bill Boggs

Source: Bill Boggs TV- Bill Boggs & Richard Nixon White House Counsel John Dean.

Source:The New Democrat

You could perhaps blame John Dean for a lot of things, but you can also give give him credit for turning his life around. Here’s a young man, who becomes Chief Counsel of the Richard Nixon White House, at the age of thirty. Who becomes the head of the White House Watergate coverup at 33-34 and ends up becoming the chief witness for the prosecution and the Senate Watergate Committee in 1973. And ends up going to jail for his role in the Watergate coverup. Who gets disbarred from being a lawyer and who now is a very successful writer and offer post-Watergate and prison.

John Dean, who considers Mr. Conservative, or Mr. Conservative Libertarian Barry Goldwater, as one his heros. Has now become one of the chief critics of the Republican Party. And was also one of President George W. Bush’s chief critics and Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief critics. A chief critic of the Republican Party and how they’ve become dominated by the Christian-Right and Far-Right in general. Who was a Republican, at least up to the point he got out of prison. And again, who considers Barry Goldwater to be one his heros and even wrote a book about him.

Similar to Chuck Colson, John Dean, is an example of how people can change. That they can be good solid productive people at their core and then perhaps go through a rough period, perhaps meet and work with the wrong people and end up doing some really bad things. Like covering up one of the biggest political scandals in American history, that leads to a President resigning from office. To avoid being impeached, convicted and removed by Congress. Who pays the price for the bad actions and regroups and moves on with their life. And lives a good productive life as a result. And that to large extent is the story of John Dean.
Source:Bill Boggs TV

Michael B. Druxman: The Gangster and The Goddess- Johnny Stompanato & Lana Turner

Source:Purple Clover- Italian Mobster Johnny Stompanato & Hollywood Baby Doll Lana Turner.

Source:The New Democrat

There really needs to be a bio pic of the life of Lana Turner. Lifetime, would be the perfect network for this movie. If the broadcast networks don’t want to show it. Because different, but fairly like Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield, Lana lived the life of many parts that she played in her movies. Her real-life, was about as wild as the roles she played. The movie The Bad and The Beautiful, is an excellent example of that. Where she plays a tiny and baby-faced adorable goddess, who in many ways comes off like a little girl in that movie. Who is supposed to be the next Hollywood starlet and that is how her movie company portrays her. But who drinks way too much, doesn’t like herself that much and dates the wrong men.

I mean, you’re this hot sexy Hollywood starlet, who is actually a great actress, perhaps one of the best ever, who has been in some of the best and most memorable movies ever and you date gangster Johnny Stompanato. When you already have a young daughter to take care of and your personal life isn’t that great to begin with as far as you manage it. That sounds like the role in a Hollywood movie and yet Lana played that role in real-life. Very well to the point if it was just a movie, she would’ve won an Oscar for her role in it. But that is the life that Lana lived and just one example of why people are so interested in her. Including myself.

Someone who is more mature and responsible with their life, who also has a great Hollywood career going for her as an actress, doesn’t get involved with the men that she did. Gangsters, or some of the men she married and was involved with outside, of lets say organized crime. A responsible mature actress, perhaps never even meets Johnny Stompanato, or any other gangster. And especially doesn’t even allow for their daughter to have any contact with people like that. Because they are not only managing their own professional and personal lives well. But raising their kids and taking care of them. But Lana Turner, as great as she was in many ways, lived a different life.
Source:Michael B Druxman