Lakotas Secede

The Lakota Indian Tribe seceded from the Union today. That's right, the Tribe most well known for their legendary leaders Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, announced to the State Department that they "are no longer citizens of the United States of America..." The Tribe's spokesperson and Indian activist, Russell Means, also encouraged others to join them. Tribe members are scattered across Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming

The announcement comes after a 33-year campaign, during which time the tribe worked to, "get their ducks in a row" while drafting its "declaration of continuing independence." The final form of which was delivered to the US Federal Government today.

According to Means, the new country would be tax-free and they would issue their citizens passports and driver's licenses-- all this for the low, low price of renouncing your US citizenship!

The Latokas claim they've been oppressed by the US, which has led to their tribe's overwhelmingly high unemployment, teen suicide, and infant mortality rates. (According to various news articles, this claim is made on the "Latoka Freedom Movement" website, but after repeated searches, I was unable to find the site.) Naturally, creating their own country will solve these problems....

Logistics and legality aside, what's the over/under on a group of mostly unemployed people building and sustaining their own country within a country that has in tact for more than two-hundred years? Anyone?

Let Them Eat Cake

A Dutch inmate received a tasty treat with side effects recently. The AP reports that officers accidentally gave a man, who is serving time for growing cannabis, a hashish cake for breakfast. The cake, seized in an unrelated case, was being stored near inmate meals. Hmmm... perhaps they should buy a mini-fridge for their perishable evidence....

In case you're thinking to yourself, "I thought it was legal in the Netherlands" here are a few archived articles you might find interesting...

Netherlands Drug Policy (Wikipedia)

Dutch Cannabis Law Challenged (BBC 2006)

Marajuana Myths and Facts (drugpolicy.org)

Presidential Love Child

It seems it's not just teenagers like Jamie Lynn Spears who are having unprotected sex these days. Presidential hopeful John Edwards has a love child of his own on the way. The National Enquirer is reporting in their exclusive article that Edwards knocked up Rielle Hunter, a woman connected to a scandal reported months ago that he had been cheating on his cancer-stricken wife. Senator Edwards denied the affair then, as he is now with his denial that he fathered this child. And in a strange yet interesting twist, Edwards' former chief of staff and long-time friend, Andrew Young has stepped forward to claim that he is the father of the unborn child. Young is a married father of three who some are speculating has made the announcement in an attempt to cover-up Edwards' affair and perhaps save his scandal-ridden presidential campaign. Somebody get Maury on the line!

Disfunction Junction

It seems there's more trouble in the Spears family. Sixteen year-old Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant! Looks like the gossip mags had the wrong sister. She apparently told her parents over Thanksgiving dinner, but let her big sis find out through the gossip mags like the rest of us.... What impact does JL's announcement have on the Spears family? Mom Lynne is postponing her parenting book indefinitely. Awe... come on Mom, we all want to know how NOT to raise children!

Another One Bites the Dust

The latest celeb coupling to go belly up is Pam Anderson and Rick Soloman. It lasted a little over 2 months. Not suprising...look at their track records (Tommy Lee and Kid Rock for her, Shannon Doherty and Paris Hilton for him). How long until a sex tape is "leaked"? Might as well max the publicity, right?

UPDATE: Pam has announced on her fan site that she and Rick are giving it another try. Hmmm. Maybe this time it will last....

That Didn't Take Long...

So, the news about Pam and Rick got me thinking....

Shoes Read: HELP ME

Not counting Britteny Spears' hours-long knot-tying with that kid no one cares about or remembers anymore, because let's face it, it really doesn't count, could this be a new record for shortest Hollywood Marriages? Let's see....

Drew Barrymore and Tom Greene: married five months. They made it through his battle with testicular cancer and her house fire but they couldn't make their marriage last.

Jennifer Lopez and Chris Jude: married four months. Chris Jude who?

Lisa Marie Presley and Nicolas Cage: married three and a half months. Must be his creepy obsession with her father became apparent after a few months.

Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman: married nine days. Oh yeah, they were married.

Dennis Hopper and Michelle Phillips: married eight days back in 1971. So it isn't just today's young Hollywood... Further proof...

Cher and Greg Allman: married nine days in 1975. We've all had rebound relationships, but Cher actually married her rebound guy three days after divorcing Sonny!

Ernest Borgnine and Ethel Merman: married 32 days in 1964. Apparently she couldn't take his "dutch ovens"-- gross!

Rudolph Valentino and Jean Acker: married just six hours way back in 1919 before they separated. Wow.

Sad, but true, a two-month Hollywood marriage is actually a long one! Still yearning for more celeb marriage gossip? Check out this list of celebs and other semi-famous people who've tied the knot repeatedly.

A Few Christmas Carol Facts

Quick. Name five Christmas Carols!

I bet you had at least one of these classic tunes in your list... White Christmas, Jingle Bells, Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Silver Bells, Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, and You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch. So, what do these carols have in common? The folks over at Mental Floss say they were all written by Jewish songwriters. Interesting.

Did you know that Silent Night was originally written in German around 1816 and not translated into English until 1863?

Did you know the verses to Away in a Manger were written by multiple people all at different times?

Did you know there's a carol entitled, Christmas Shoes? In 2001, it became number one on the Billboard Charts...

Did you know Deck the Halls was Mozart's favorite song to play?

Did you know Little Drummer Boy was written in 1958?

So you think you know Christmas? Find out just how well you really do with these fun quizzes at FunTrivia.com.