Hi everyone,

Welcome back, and a happy Saturday to you all.  It's almost time for me to head off to Dad Clutter's to help him park cars during this weekend's NASCAR race in New Hampshire.  I've gone over the rules of the house with BDH and Little Buddha.  They tell me they just want to relax for the weekend, so maybe they'll read a book.  We'll see how that works out.  For now, help yourself to a nice medium iced DD, and let's clear out some Saturday Clutter.

There's no verdict yet in the George Zimmerman case, yet it's impossible to escape the fact that Trayvon Martin would be alive today if Zimmerman had listened to the police when they told him to mind his own damn business.

Texas Republicans continue to reveal their utter terror of women, as security guards were instructed not to allow women to bring tampons into the state senate gallery while the latest anti-choice bill works its way through the legislature.  I'll bet you not more than 10% of the Republican senators would be able to say the word "tampon" with a straight face in public, and the best the rest of them could come up with would be, "a lady's unmentionables."

Meanwhile, the all-male Iowa Supreme Court says firing a woman because you're afraid you'll want to have an affair with her is totally fine.  Sorry, what?  A woman loses her job because a man can't take any personal responsibility?  Where are we?  The Court says it's not discrimination because it's about feelings instead of gender.  So, does that mean a white man could fire a black woman because he's afraid he'll say something racist? Can a homophobe fire a gay employee because he's afraid he'll utter an anti-gay slur and offend the guy?  This reads like a story from The Onion.  Oh, and also, what are the odds that this dentist is still married this time next year?  Or will his wife forgive him as long as the other woman was attractive, because then it clearly wouldn't be his fault?

Conservative New York Times columnist David Brooks urged the House GOP to pass an immigration reform bill, arguing that the reasons against doing so don't make any sense.  Good luck with that.  This group has no interest in passing anything.  They'd be wise to listen to the final words in the column, but you know that's not going to happen:

"Whether this bill passes or not, this country is heading toward a multiethnic future. Republicans can either shape that future in a conservative direction or, as I’ve tried to argue, they can become the receding roar of a white America that is never coming back."

Congratulations to Patrice Bergeron who signed an 8-year/$52 million contract extension with the Boston Bruins yesterday.  Bergeron's stock continues to soar with Bruins fans, particularly after his great performance in this year's post-season, including playing with a cracked rib, dislocated shoulder, and punctured lung.

Well-deserved.  (pic via bruins.com)

Derek Jeter's comeback from a broken ankle has already been put on hold, as the New York Yankees shortstop now has a strained right quad.   

My Twitter feed and Facebook news feed were both hijacked on Thursday night by something called "Sharknado."  There's a small part of me that is sorry I missed the actual movie, but I'm pretty sure that it couldn't have been as entertaining as reading all of the snarky comments.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Let's have the guys from Metallica close things out with a little "Fuel" for today's, "Song of the Day."  Gentlemen, start your engines:

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  Enjoy the rest of your day, and like I said earlier this week, if someone could check on my two friends at some point, that would just be awesome.  For now, that's today's Clutter, and we are outta here.