TresSugar

Berlusconi's Mistress Tells Us More Than We Need to Know

TresSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:30:23 -0800

Italians really take their sex scandals to the next level. Today, Patrizia D'Addario, former call girl mistress to Italy's "I'm no saint" prime minister, adds a "lesbian dimension" to her tale of sex, power, and retaliation.

Patrizia has a book coming out and excerpts reveal that she has been the target of threats, robbery, and violence after going public about her affair with Silvio Berlusconi. But that's not stopping her. Describing a party held at Berlusconi's home, Patrizia shares the prime minister's preference for white silk pajamas and women who like other women. To see an excerpt, read more.

Patrizia writes:

"Other girls arrived, including a pair of lesbians, and a few other escorts. . . My first thought was that I'd found myself in a harem. He was on the couch and all of us, 20 girls in all, were at his disposition."

While the presence of lesbians probably seems relatively inconsequential, it might upset Italian citizens who were otherwise willing to dismiss heterosexual escapades. And as the Guardian reports, Berlusconi can say good-bye to a recent break from bad press: "The publication of D'Addario's book will divert public attention back to the affair after a period in which the focus had been on another sex scandal involving the former center-left governor of the region around Rome. Piero Marrazzo resigned after being filmed taking drugs and having sex with a transsexual." Mama mia.

Serial Cheaters: Sex Addicts or Just Jerks?

TresSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:10:00 -0700

I'm not a big sports fan, but I sure did hear about the big scandal with ESPN sports analyst Steve Phillips. He cheated on his wife with a young production assistant who became unhinged, messed with his family, and the result, not surprisingly, is that he lost his job, and his wife has filed for divorce.

Now that Phillips's life is in a shambles, he's checked into a rehab clinic for sex addiction. People are divided on whether or not this is a real affliction. Some say it's just a way for serial cheaters to hide their sociopathic behavior under a rubric - addiction - that may garner more sympathy from others.

Some therapists, on the other hand, think it's on par with gambling or drug and alcohol addictions. They say that sex addicts use sex for the same reasons other addicts use their drugs: to numb emotional pain or feelings of emptiness, to feel attractive or powerful, or to engage in high-risk behavior that masks underlying depression.

What do you think about serial cheaters who subsequently claim they're sex addicts? Are they sex addicts, or just jerks?

Front Page: Mackenzie Phillips Reveals Incest With Star Father

TresSugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:00:45 -0700

In an episode of Oprah that will air today, Mackenzie Phillips reveals that she was raped by her father, John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas. - People
The FDA has banned flavored cigarettes that taste like vanilla, chocolate, clove, or other flavors that might lure children. - New York Times
Sarah Palin made her first overseas speech today, telling investors in Hong Kong that government interference is to blame for the financial crisis. - Wall Street Journal
President Obama addressed the UN General Assembly for the first time today, saying that he understood "reflexive anti-Americanism" but believes that every country should help America solve the world's problems. - MSNBC

For Elizabeth Edwards, Resilience Means Sticking by Her Man

TresSugar — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:00:00 -0700

Elizabeth Edwards has hit the talk show circuit to promote her new book Resilience and to explain why she didn't leave her unfaithful husband John. On the Today Show this morning, she said of her husband's infidelity: "He made this one mistake."

Elizabeth isn't the only wife to stick by her cheating politician after he made her suffer public embarrassment. Hillary Clinton and Silda Spitzer made similar decisions to stay around publicly after their husbands chose to stray from them. Last week, New York's former first couple Eliot and Silda Spitzer went out on the town with smiles and handholding, as if the prostitution scandal that kicked Eliot out of power never happened. As for Hillary, her choice to stay with Bill has often been boiled down to a politically motivated decision, rather than one of love and forgiveness.

Elizabeth Edwards says that her marriage vows, the fact that she promised to be with John for better or worse more than 30 years ago, made her want to stick it out. NY Times columnist Maureen Dowd has a different take on why Elizabeth stayed: "She had put so many quarters in the shiny slot machine of their mutual ambition."

What would you do: walk away, or stay married for better or for worse? What do you think about the decision these women have made to stay?

Source

John Edwards and Family Are Back in the Headlines

CitizenSugar — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:00:27 -0800

John Edwards admitted to having an affair last August, assuring that his invitation to the Democratic Convention got lost in the mail, and that the National Enquirer would get off his case. But it doesn't seem that all the Edwards want to let the story go away. John's wife, Elizabeth, is set to release Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life's Adversities, a self-help book that will reflect on her struggle with losing a son, battling cancer, and confronting her husband's infidelity.

The other woman, Rielle Hunter, hasn't given interviews, or asserted publicly that her daughter Frances Quinn is John Edward's daughter - although in her first birthday picture, Frances looks more than a little like Edwards. In his "I'm sorry" interview, John said he knew he wasn't the father, based on the timing of the the affair.

Since Elizabeth seems willing to share her experience, do you have any interest in knowing the details of the affair from either John, Elizabeth, or Rielle?

Source

What Is Your Favorite Political Scandal of 2008?

LibertySugar — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:30:22 -0800

Salacious behavior always makes the headlines in America, and this year was no exception. After a strong, yet unsuccessful push for the Democratic nomination John Edwards, revealed what would have been his October surprise: he cheated on his cancer-stricken wife, and may have produced a love child. In other child-related scandals, only days after social conservative Sarah Palin splashed onto the national scene, we found out that her teenage daughter Bristol was pregnant.

Way back in the beginning of the year, two scandals made the headlines, one proving to be half-baked and the other leading a powerful politician's downfall. The New York Times tried to link John McCain to lobbyist Vicki Iseman, insinuating that he cheated on his wife, while New York Governor Eliot Spitzer resigned after news of his involvement with a call girl broke.

Of course, don't forget about the sex, drugs, and oil scandal that rocked the US Department of the Interior! An investigation revealed that officials “frequently consumed alcohol at (oil) industry functions, used cocaine and marijuana, and had sexual relationships with oil and gas company representatives." Since we're asking for your opinion on everything that happened this year, which 2008 scandal should be entered into the political hall of shame?

Source

US Department of the Interior: Sex, Drugs, and Oil

LibertySugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0700

The Interior Department, which controls oil and gas collected from US taxpayer-owned coastal waters, has been plagued with shocking ethical abuses, according to a government investigation. Violations range from giving contracts to a retired employee instead of allowing for competitive bidding to substance abuse and promiscuity.

The report states that officials “frequently consumed alcohol at (oil) industry functions, used cocaine and marijuana, and had sexual relationships with oil and gas company representatives.” Officials also allegedly accepted gifts from energy companies that exceed ethics rules, such as golf, meals and drinks, and tickets to a Toby Keith concert. In addition, oil companies were allowed to purchase oil and gas at a lowered price, after they had won contracts.

The alleged ethics mayhem took place in the Mineral Management Service (MMS) and Royalty In Kind Programs. The MMS brings in $10 billion for the federal government each year. It's the second biggest revenue maker after taxes. To find out what the investigation recommends now, read more.

The investigation strongly recommends that the Bush Administration either fire those who accepted gifts, or ban them from certain positions. Many have been transferred to other government jobs. The high-ranking officials retired during the investigation. Thus they could only face consequences if the Justice Department pursued suggested charges, which it has declined to do.

Since the department in charge of taxpayer oil seems to be a free for all, do you think we should hold off putting more oil and money in their hands through increased offshore drilling, or is this just the immoral and illegal behavior by a few bad apples?

Source

Jesse Jackson Also Used the OTHER N Word! Hypocritical?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:30:47 -0700

Thought last week's Jackson nuts heard round the world was a slip of the tongue? According to Michelle Malkin, the camera kept rolling - and recorded right over Jackson using the far more inflammatory N word. He said:

Barack . . . he’s talking down to black people . . . telling n*****s how to behave.

OK, I've heard rap, I get that the term is used colloquially. . . but the Rev. Jackson is the same man who condemned the usage of the word for all when he said this following Seinfeld's Michael Richard's n-word meltdown:

Its roots are rooted in hatred and pain and degradation. And whether it’s hatred toward African-Americans or whether it’s self-hatred, a concession toward it is still wrong.

Who are we to believe? The Jesse Jackson who drops the N bomb, or the one who despises it? Though the Fox event may be rooted in campaign rhetoric, the bigger, and more important, question is illustrated in Jackson's second quote: where he asserts that the word be retired from all usage. Should anyone use it - or is its power too great and negative connotations too deep to ever utter in modern society? Is a some-can, some-can't approach so hypocritical that it negates any cries of protest when instances like the Richard's explosion occur?

Source

Internal Report: Liberals Need Not Apply to Justice Department

LibertySugar — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:00:43 -0700

A new report reveals that the US Justice Department denied employment to new lawyers based on liberal resume buzzwords, information making it more likely that Bush's legacy will include the politicalization of federal prosecution.

The Justice Department's inspector general reports that many well qualified candidates were rejected from the elite recruitment program for perceived liberal bias, and such rejection “constituted misconduct and also violated the department’s policies and civil service law that prohibit discrimination in hiring based on political or ideological affiliations.” The hiring practice took place under both Attorney General John Ashcroft, and AG Roberto Gonzales.

So which resume items signaled a leftist agenda? To find out, read more.

Words like "social justice," or "environmental" proved problematic, along with membership in organizations like Greenpeace, American Constitution Society, or the Poverty and Race Research Action Council, reports the New York Times. Instead, those with Republican credentials got the interviews and internships.

The investigation regarding the firing of nine US attorneys in 2006 is still underway. Are you looking forward to that outcome? What should citizens do with this information?

Source

Sick of Politics? Israelis Feel Nauseous Just Hearing the Word

CitizenSugar — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:00:16 -0700

Think you're tired of politics? A survey by the Israel Democracy Institute, an independent research group, found that a third of Israelis felt nausea, revulsion, or depression when they even thought about the word "politics."

In the survey conducted earlier this year, 1,201 adults were questioned in Hebrew, Arabic or Russian, and researchers found that only 60 percent expressed any interest in politics, a drop of 15 percentage points from their 2006 survey. When asked to make a list of trustworthy institutions, the army topped the list with political parties lurking on the very bottom.

One possible cause of the scorn? Israel's political scene has been rocked by scandal after scandal. From Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s troubles involving cash stuffed envelopes, a former justice minister convicted of forcibly kissing a female soldier, to 15 of the 120-seat parliament having been indicted, convicted, or are under investigation, the public’s trust is eroding quickly. The survey Institute’s president supported this, “The rise of antipolitical sentiment reaches the point of deligitimizing the political system and decision-making processes. It is not only about this person or that – it is the entire system. The Israeli public is turning its back on politics.”

Do you feel their pain? To see the affect of the government scorn, read more.

Voter turnout has dropped to an average of 63 percent in 2006 from an average of 77 percent over the last 50 years. Some expect that turnout in the next election may not exceed 50 percent (for comparison, the US saw 64 percent turnout in 2004.) One newspaper columnist says, “The irony is that Israel as a society is the most democratic I know. It is open and free, yet politics went into such decay.” This glum attitude comes at a time when pressure in Israeli politics when is mounting - negotiations with Palestinians, talks with Syria, the looming threat of Iranian nuclear power, and the continual presence of Hezbollah - require more involvement, not nausea and revulsion.

Can political scandal cause a mass denouncement of politics? Wouldn't unhappiness with the current political system inspire more involvement, instead of less? Do you feel a touch of the Israelis' pain in your own political arena?

Source