I might be making a complete fool of myself, but

[murielm99]

here goes....

For many years, I have been friends with a guy who was an original American Bandstand kid. We have had many conversations about Bandstand, Dick Clark's predecessor, and Clark's career in general. I became interested enough to do some research. I ended up having a very low opinion of Clark and how he operates. In fact, I concluded that he was downright evil. I felt that he could not have accomplished all that he has without help from some very dark sources. I decided that he had sold his soul to the devil. My friend from Bandstand, a good Catholic boy, thought I may have been on the right track with that theory.

That brings us to Dick Cheney. My daughter called to talk to me about the shooting. She had never realized before that Cheney is only a couple of years older than her father. My husband does show his age, but he has a nice face. And he does not look nearly as old and raddled as Cheney.

I told my daughter about the pictures I had seen of Lynne and Dick when they were in college. They were rather pretty people. I told her that I did not think that Dick in particular had become so horrid-looking only because of his health. He looks like he has been eaten from the inside out by evil. He looks like he has sold his soul to the devil.

My daughter and everyone else in my family is used to hearing my theory about Dick Clark. Usually, they laugh. But as we discussed what we know about Cheney and his rise to power, my daughter did not laugh.

Some people seem to ally themselves with evil. They obtain wealth and power, even though they have no more, and sometimes have less talent than others seeking the same rewards. Sometimes those they are competing with seem just as ruthless, but those allied with evil always seem to prevail.

When I was a child, I was taught that Satan was real. As I grew older, I thought he was a symbol. I don't feel completely comfortable with the idea of a dude with horns and hooves tooling around the universe. But what about Dick and Dick? And what about other evil people who seem just as uncanny?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

1. I don't believe in a literal devil, but it's clear that if you're ugly

inside, pretty soon your ugly thoughts will be reflected in ugly facial expressions, and those ugly facial expressions will leave their lines on your face.

[lavenderdiva]

2. I do believe in Satan as an entity...

and believe that what is going on in one's spiritual life and internally, manifests itself in one's face and outward appearance.

I agree that this is so apparent when you look at Cheney. However, I am befuddled by your reference to Dick Clark. Are you able to share a bit of what you know?

[murielm99]

3. Dick Clark replaced the original host of Bandstand.

The original host was older and not very photogenic. Reportedly, he was not a network quality personality. The kids liked the guy, though. He was part of what made Bandstand work.

There were allegations that the original guy was messing with the little girls. Clark replaced him just before Bandstand was syndicated. Later evidence cast doubt on the allegations.

I can't remember what Clark's job was before Bandstand. But it was not something that qualified him for his new position on Bandstand. Many people were mystified that he got the gig.

Clark was heavily invested in some early artists and their records. When the Payola scandal came out, and he had to testify, he sold all his interests in music. He left some lifelong friends holding the payola bag. Some of them never spoke to him again. One may have died as a result of the stress, or from a broken heart. But he seemed to know that he had to get out before the shit hit the fan.

Clark admitted that he did not know anything about popular music. He just followed trends. So why did he have a job that required an understanding of popular music?

Clark looked like he was 30 for so many years that it was unnatural. And he had shows on all three networks. They were stupid shows, too, like Pyramid, and all those blooper shows. How many other people have done that? How many other no-talent people have done that?

I can't swear to it, but I think I read that he was worth close to a billion dollars. I don't remember where I read it.

Things I read and heard about him made me think he was inherently evil. He stepped on a lot of people. It made no sense that he rose to the top with so little natural ability. Why one success after another? Most people fail once in awhile, even if they are very talented. It seems abnormal for him to be so lucky.

There are some books out there about Bandstand and Clark. After I read them and talked to my friend, I started to think that Clark had sold his soul to the devil. It may sound foolish to some people, but I think he exudes evil, just like Dick Cheney.

Before Cheney, Clark was the only person that I thought might have sold his soul to the devil. I am not sure if I believe this literally. But some people do seem to be totally in thrall to evil, and they profit from it. If people do sell their souls, they are few and far between. They are rare standouts, like Dick and Dick.

[lavenderdiva]

4. Have you ever seen the classic movie 'The Portrait Of Dorian Gray'?

I think you would enjoy it. The story goes that Dorian Gray is a wealthy young, very attractive man. But how did he come by his wealth? The story follows his life, and his dealings with others, which show him to be pretty selfish, and sometimes evil. Meanwhile, upstairs at his house, in a closeted room, is a portrait of him. Somehow, Dorian always remains youthful, beautiful, and vital. Meanwhile, all of his friends are aging. How is this possible? His friends are wondering. You the viewer know the answer. The portrait is taking on all of Dorian's evil ways, and aging for him, leaving him young.

Watch the movie, and you'll wonder if Dick Clark has a portrait somewhere doing freaky things!!

[Kerrytravelers]

5. I have a personal thing against Dick Clark. Now, it may sound silly...

... but when he and Ed MacMa(sp) were doing those stupid Publisher Clearing House commercials, my Grandpa had Alheizmer's. He actually thought they were waving to him, which broke my heart. But then, he signed up for every magazine ebcause he really thought they were going to give him money. Then, the news reported that many elderly people believed they were "winners" in the sweepstakes because of the very carefully worded message on the envelopes. I just felt they were leanding their names and creditability to a fraud.

I know, I know. I sound silly. but it was so hard to get those damn magazines stopped. My 80 year old Grandparents were getting porn in the mail. It was unreal. The Publisher's Clearinghouse sold their information and they were literally getting so much junkmail, the mailbox was overflowing.

Even though the years have passed, I still can't bear looking at Dick and Ed. I get so angry.

[leftyladyfrommo]

6. I don't think that 's stupid. It is very sad.

I think most people who have a lot of money have probably sold their souls several times over.

I don't believe in a literal devil but I do think you can sell your soul out. And you pay for it. If you have destroyed your spirit life isn't worth very much.