Cleaving The Site In Two

After a week or two of careful consideration, I will be changing platforms and posting at the new WordPress site Friday morning. While Blogger has been very good to me these past ten years, it's woefully outdated and does not offer the features I need. So I'm loading up the truck and moving to Beverly... Hills, that is.

Support Your Local Gunfighter will remain here unmolested. I am not about to delete ten years of work.

I'm posting this now to give everyone a heads up. The new site isn't ready yet - I'm still playing around with the template and the colors - but The O.K. Corral will be open for business Friday morning.

I'd appreciate if y'all followed me there.

UPDATE: We're open for business!

Cruisin' With Leah Remini

The "Church" of Scientology has a pretty dubious reputation. Whether or not that reputation is justified is up for debate; unless you're smokin' hawt actress Leah Remini.

Remini left the "church," and was smeared for it. Now, she is revealing what goes on behind the scenes of Hollywood's foremost place of worship.

Want to know the real story of Scientology? Leah Remini breaks it all down, right to its Midi-chlorians.

“Being critical of Tom Cruise is being critical of Scientology itself… you are evil,” Remini told ABC’s Dan Harris. Remini, 45, describes how she and her family joined the Church when she was a young girl, built a successful acting career in Hollywood while being a diligent Scientologist, and how she eventually decided to sever ties with the Church.

“As time goes on, you start to lose touch with the real world. The mindset becomes ‘Us against them.’” “The decision to leave is you are giving up everything you have ever known and everything you have worked for your whole life.” (H/T - Kari)

The Church of Scientology was founded by god-awful science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. Soon afterward, it became the premier place of worship for Hollywood actors and actresses, with Tom Cruise being recognized as the figurative top dog.

Now, while I like Tom Cruise the actor (see Edge of Tomorrow), I am not a fan of Tom Cruise the person (see Jumping on Oprah's Couch). I can easily believe Remini's Cruise tales, and not only because she is easy to look at.

Marco? So Low!

Politically speaking, Marco Rubio has been dead to me for a very long time. Turns out, he has been playing dead in the Senate for a long time, too.

This year, as Rubio runs for president, he has cast the Senate — the very place that cemented him as a national politician — as a place he’s given up on, after less than one term. It’s too slow. Too rule-bound. So Rubio, 44, has decided not to run for his seat again. It’s the White House or bust.

“That’s why I’m missing votes. Because I am leaving the Senate. I am not running for reelection,” Rubio said in the last Republican debate, after Donald Trump had mocked him for his unusual number of absences during Senate votes.

So, four years into a six-year term, Marco Rubio is not just taking his ball and going home. It's worse that that. Rubio is calling out sick his final two years, and refusing to represent the very people who elected him in the first place. This is the man who wants your vote for president? Seriously?

Marco Rubio is the Republican version of Barack Obama. If you're okay with that, feel free to vote for him in the GOP primary. I will never vote for this man. Ever.

Love Rollercoaster

There is nothing I love more than a good, old-fashioned roller coaster. When I'm at an amusement park, you cannot keep me away.

Hills, loops, stomach-turning barrel rolls, I'm in.

Of course, I usually ride with my clothes on, but when in Rome...

A group of people rode naked on a rollercoaster in England Sunday to try to break a record. They fell short, but still attracted plenty of attention and raised more than $15,000 for charity.

Fifty-seven uninhibited amusement-park patrons hopped aboard Adventure Island's Green Scream ride in Southend-on-Sea. While their flesh was willing, participation was relatively weak. The existing Guinness World Record dates back to 2010 when 102 people rode the same ride.

The Southend Hospital's Keyhole Cancer Appeal was still a winner nonetheless.

It is my sincere hope the seats were burned after the world record attempt concluded.

Axe Me Anything (Answers)

So Friday I had you guys ask me anything your little hearts desire. There were five responses - not bad, since it is so difficult commenting on Blogger - and since I am stuck in court all day, I have ample time to throw out some answers.

Loki asks, "What do you do to relieve stress ... that would not shock those of delicate constitution?"

Loki, I don't have stress! *Tries to quell involuntary muscle spasms* I'm assuming you mean besides complaining to my therapist, my psychiatrist, my pharmacist, and strangers on the street?

I can't - and won't - stress eat anymore, and since I lost all that weight, I get hammered on one beer now. So my go-to stress reliever is walking/jogging. I try to do at least four miles four times a week, right after work when I need it the most. Blogging helps, too, but as we've all seen lately, that can be more stressful than my job.

Mike, aka Proof asks, "Do you use the screen name 'Wyatt' because of the restraining orders, or the witness protection?"

Proof, um.. both? Vica Kerekes needs to take a joke. I wasn't really coming to Hungary to interrupt her wedding... mostly because I am on the no-fly list.

One of my favorite films is "Tombstone," and back in 2005, I thought the name was a good fit, what with the law enforcement angle and all.

There is more below the fold...

A Royale With Sleaze

I have always been a fan of Quentin Tarantino's films. Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and Inglourious Basterds are, in my opinion, almost perfect movies. While Tarantino is an awful actor, and usually goes over the top in his directing, I always enjoyed his work.

Then this happened.

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Quentin Tarantino has joined hundreds of people rallying and marching through the streets of New York City to protest police brutality. The group rallied Saturday in Manhattan's Washington Square Park before marching about 2 miles along Sixth Avenue.

Speakers at the protest say they want to bring justice for people killed by police. Tarantino flew in from California to march alongside academic Cornel West at the RiseUpOctober event.

The protest comes days after a police officer was fatally shot while chasing a theft suspect.

Police officers are almost treated as the bad guys in Tarantino's films. They are always referenced in derogatory ways, and usually seen being shot and/or killed. I assumed Tarantino was no fan of the police, but I put that aside for the sake of the entertainment. That said, attending an anti-police rally (and make no mistake, that is exactly what this was) the same week as yet another NYPD police officer was murdered is not just bad optics, it's downright despicable.

Tarantino's film, "The Hateful Eight," premieres on Christmas. I will not be attending.

The Great Salt Lake Of Tears

Meet Mindi Jensen. Mindi is a middle school teacher in Utah, who almost lost her job after posting photos like the one above on her Instagram account. Because, Utah.

A middle school teacher in a tiny, rural Utah town who says she almost got fired this week for posting smoking hot photos of herself on the Internet will be able to keep her job after all. The teacher is Mindi Jensen, who is on the faculty at North Sanpete Middle School in Moroni (pop.: 1,280).

The fracas that Jensen says threatened to cost her job began when an enterprising student discovered photos of Jensen on Instagram (@minscakes). The photos show the part-time fitness model and competition-level body builder wearing skimpy swimsuits, working out and singing pop songs.

Local parents complained, calling Jensen’s photo stream inappropriate. School officials responded by asking Jensen if she could maybe remove some photos or set her Instagram account to private.

As a commenter at the link opined, these are probably the same parents who have no problem with Miley Cyrus.

Jensen started working out and lost 100 pounds after a bout of depression. She is proud of what she accomplished, and posting photos of herself on Instagram increased her self-esteem. The fact some prudish parents flipped out is immaterial, and the fact Jensen almost lost her job over this is ridiculous. *drops mic, leaves stage*

Meet The New Boss

Same as the old boss, but with less communism, and more force-ism.

Vladimir Lenin is not very popular in Ukraine. There are still lots of statues left over from the Soviet days, but they're slowly being taken down — or in this case, retrofitted into more inspirational figures from the capitalist mythos. With Vader-interest peaking as Lenin-interest tails off, it's hard to say it's not an improvement.

This particular statue was originally erected in the now-defunct Pressmash factory on the outskirts of Odessa. But when the city moved to tear down the statue, local artist Alexander Milov stepped in with an alternative proposal, transforming Lenin's billowing coattails into the billowing cape of Darth Vader himself. As a bonus, Milov installed a Wi-Fi hub in Vader / Lenin's capacious helmet, providing free connectivity to all who cower in his presence.

Milov has motivated me to do the same with Kosovo's Bill Clinton statue. Sure, Vader was a liar, but at least he didn't receive oral from stormtrooper interns inside the Death Star.

Our Polls Are Rising

I mentioned before I am not a fan of Blogger. To me, it is archaic, and its options are severely limited. Some readers are having trouble commenting, and the comment system itself is awful. Personally, I want to make you guys happy here, so I was wondering if anyone wanted me to go back to WordPress, or if Blogger was still a suitable platform for you.

So, I have a poll.

I'd appreciate your input. I know I keep bouncing all over the place, and that bothers me, but I want to make sure everyone is comfortable, no matter where I land.

Channing The Globe

In an effort to please my female readers, I was scouring the interwebz for some eye candy. I came across Channing Tatum, who was crowned People's 2012 "Sexiest Man Alive." The 35-year old from Cullman, Alabama has possesses all the qualities admired by the superficial woman. I'm also sure he can break into a Southern accent at any moment, for those of you who believe an accent is sexy.

For those who don't, you'll have to suffer through his washboard abs. Again, if you're into that sort of thing. Have a great day, ladies!