Pumping Arnold

Mildred Patricia Baena (MySpace)

The weight of disgrace is hanging heavy on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s burly shoulders more than ever today as the blistering trail of his lies and misdeeds are escalating through all media outlets at the pace of a flaming dying comet – something that is bound to reflect Arnold’s future.

With the shady veil lifted on the identity of the woman at the center of this latest collective gasp, it’s typical that people are passing judgment concerning how she looks. Oh my! She’s NOT a “hottie” but has ample attributes. So that’s what caused The Arnold to unfold his dinner napkin and excuse himself from the family table to have dessert elsewhere, eh? Couldn’t be anything else, could it, because the pictures that the public are seeing show a woman of 50 whose current physique is less than dainty.

Would the reaction be different if she had a slim body? A non-obviously-surgically-enhanced face? A Caucasian heritage rather than Hispanic? Oh sure, the bats would still be out to hit a few low-runs against Mildred “Patty” Baena’s duplicity to smile and chat with Maria Shriver year-after-year; however, chances are as strong as the former bodybuilder’s ability to lift humongous weights that many would almost excuse the ruse were we to see a socially accepted vision of beauty. “He couldn’t help himself” some would say. “The temptation was too much for a man who already had trouble keeping his ‘friend’ in check.” And so on.

Such thinking and judging is as shallow as the inside of a Cocoa Puff. (Yes, I’m using that analogy and sticking with it.) The primary point should be, in my opinion, how appalling the entire scenario is, and why “Patty” Baena decided to push Schwarzenegger into a corner where he had no choice but to stop pumping his life with Maria and their children on the public as a happy example of domestic stability.

The details of this full-on scandal are continuing to unfold as I write. TV crews are descending on Baena's upscale neighborhood, interviewing neighbors, shooting footage of her apparently empty home where she has not been seen since Sunday. Who knows what the next discovery may be?

Various “sources” suggest that Maria knew something was up and “should” have “known better.” Right. Let’s blame the victim, as usual. Whether or not the former First Lady of California turned the ole “blind eye” to her husband’s infidelities is none of our business. Nevertheless, in her defense I will say that I sincerely doubt that she knew about the child until recently, or the true nature of her housekeeper's relationship with the man who appears to have used her for his political and social gain for far more than the 25 years of their marriage.

Stay tuned….