I watched the first hour of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Concert last night and it reminded me of how much I like Paul Simon-and how much I don't like Art Garfunkel.
So Paul Simon came out and did a couple of his solo songs, which were great. Then he introduced Dion and Little Anthony & the Imperials, which were both awesome.
And then, he comes out. With no introduction, like he is Joe Guy. Sporting the same white guy fro that he has had since LBJ was president. Wearing a pajama top, and dirty hippie jeans.
Art Garfunkel. And the elevator music portion of the show began.
The Simon & Garfunkel songs all sound the same to me, pedestrian folk tunes with no drums.
And Garfunkel brings nothing to the table. What took Simon so long to get rid of this dead weight?
Think about it: Simon wrote all the songs, and played guitar. All Garfunkel did was sing along to the words and music provided to him by Simon.
Talk about riding the gravy train.
And his singing sucks. Remember that scene in Animal House during the Toga Party when that guy sang in the stairwell "I gave my love a cherry" and Belushi walked by and grabbed the guy's guitar and just smashed it to pieces?
That guy represents Art Garfunkel to me. They should have gotten Garfunkel to play that role. Why not? It can't be because he was to busy. I mean, what has the guy done in the last 40 years since Paul Simon dumped him?
Is he still working on his album?
Once Simon got rid of that dead weight, he started making songs like "Me & Julio" and "Late in the Evening" music that was rhythmic and bouncy and interesting.
I read somewhere that Garfunkel used to bust Simon's balls, and say things like "I don't want to sing that" or "this song should be placed 2nd on the album, not third".
Talk about a guy who totally misread his position in life.
The guy who plays the triangle in "Earth Wind & Fire" brings more to the creativity table than Art Garfunkel ever has.
So once he came out, I shut it off.
After a hard nights work, Artie can now go back to what he has been doing for the last 40 years-cashing "Scarborough Fair" checks.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Quote of the Day
"You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot further the brotherhood of many by encouraging class hatred. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn. You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves."
- Abraham Lincoln
- Abraham Lincoln
Saturday, November 28, 2009
"I'm Done. Done."
Did you see that Bob Sheppard has announced that he is retiring as the Yankee public address announcer? I wonder, did he make his retirement announcement over the Yankee public address system in the third Yankee Stadium? How cool would it have been to hear that:
"I announce that I quit. I quit".
Talk about things that are past due- the guy is going to be 100 years old next year! That means he has been cashing social security checks since Mickey Mantle was playing.
The guy is so old, he got his last name from his previous occupation.
When Sheppard first started announcing, the PA system wasn't even invented yet. He would open the press box window and yell at the top of his lungs.
Imagine the poor bastard who was Sheppard's backup? Every winter he probably thought, "I'm finally gonna get the job".
That guy probably died years ago.
Bob Sheppard held on to his job for so long, he makes Cal Ripken look lazy.
I tell you, Sheppard was either the most dedicated person who ever lived or outright crazy.
Think about it: Say your 90 years old. Are you gonna travel to the Bronx for ANY REASON WHATSOEVER? And after commuting to the Bronx, you have to work? And since baseball has no clock, you never know when the workday is finished- who would do that?
"I announce that I quit. I quit".
Talk about things that are past due- the guy is going to be 100 years old next year! That means he has been cashing social security checks since Mickey Mantle was playing.
The guy is so old, he got his last name from his previous occupation.
When Sheppard first started announcing, the PA system wasn't even invented yet. He would open the press box window and yell at the top of his lungs.
Imagine the poor bastard who was Sheppard's backup? Every winter he probably thought, "I'm finally gonna get the job".
That guy probably died years ago.
Bob Sheppard held on to his job for so long, he makes Cal Ripken look lazy.
I tell you, Sheppard was either the most dedicated person who ever lived or outright crazy.
Think about it: Say your 90 years old. Are you gonna travel to the Bronx for ANY REASON WHATSOEVER? And after commuting to the Bronx, you have to work? And since baseball has no clock, you never know when the workday is finished- who would do that?
It Can't Do It
If you think that the same government that lets uninvited strangers get by checkpoints and into the White House to attend State Dinners ("Table For Two For The Bin Ladens"), the same government that knew that Major Hassan gave PowerPoint lectures on how awesome suicide bombing is, the same government that has for GENERATIONS failed to educate American children through the public education system, that same government that is the only bookie to declare bankruptcy via the NY OTB, if you really think that same government can deliver health care to all -then you have a faith that in government that is delusional.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Your Average Commute
It was five years ago yesterday. The day before Thanksgiving. They say its the biggest commuting day of the year, and by the looks of the enormous crowd at Grand Central Station that early morning, you wouldn't get an argument from me.
I was on my way to work in Westchester, in the reverse commute from hell: Brooklyn to White Plains.
I went to buy the newspapers and my train ticket fell to the ground. While bending down to pick the ticket up, I heard the unmistakable sound that could mean only one thing: the back of my pants ripped.
Not only did it rip, but it ripped in such a unique way that it looked like I was purposely wearing pants with the ass cut out-like the ass-less pants Prince wore in a video.
I learned that when your pants rip to make your ass hang out on the biggest travel day of the year in the biggest train station in the world- it makes a man immediately consider all available options. It concentrates the mind.
Could I tie my jacket around my waist to hide it? No. Because Baldman has a rule that he does not wear coats/jackets unless it is below freezing. It was about 40 degrees. Please note that Baldman is the only one who follows this rule. So on this day, he was the only one in Grand Central with no jacket and no ass within the pants.
Could I go buy a new pair of pants? No. It was too early in the morning, stores were not open, and I was not about to walk around the city with my ass flappin in the wind.
The only option that made sense was to call it a day and just go home.
But even that had its perils.
It was still rush hour, and who the f **k wants to get on a packed train with ass-less pants?
So the plan was hatched : get on the 4 train, stand with my ass-less pants ass against the door, and get to Brooklyn ASAP.
For the diversity lover in you:
1) I was the only white person on that 4 train;
2) I was the only person with his ass exposed on that 4 train.
Now my plan to stay standing against the door worked until we got to a stop where a ton of people got on, and the mass of humanity shoved me to the middle of the car.
So I had to steel myself for the inevitable: laughter, cat calls etc.
I was ready. Now, I had long been a proponent that the best defense is an offense.
And it worked on that day like a charm.
Right in the middle of that subway car, a man said to me: " You know, your pants are ripped, right?"
I immediately fired back at the guy:
"Two things. One, you think I don't know that? And two, WHAT THE F**K ARE YOU DOING LOOKING AT MY ASS!"
All of a sudden, the guy looked more embarrassed than me, by accusing him of staring at my ass-less pants in front of a packed rush hour train, it brought him more shame than he could possibly bear.
So he slinked away and melted back into the crowd.
And I made it home and threw the ass-less pants in the garbage.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
A Nightmare And A Dream
"Dean Meminger was quicker than the 11:15 Mass at a seaside resort."- Al McGuire
The Stoop was saddened to read that Dean Meminger was in critical condition after a fire broke out in his Bronx apartment. Apparently, crack pipes found by Dean's bed may have played a part in starting the fire.
What a shame.
Dean has been battling drug addiction for over 30 years.
He had it all. And squandered it. What a sad thing to see.
Dean was a basketball prince of New York City. He was a city kid who starred at Rice High School. He went on to have a legendary college basketball career with McGuire's Marquette University.
After that, he was a number one draft pick of his hometown Knicks, and was a member of the 1973 NBA champion Knicks.
The Knicks couldn't have won it in '73 without Dean.
Here's the deal; The Knicks played the Celtics in the 1973 Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics were 68-14, and had the best record in basketball.
The Celtics had Cowens. And Havlicek. And Jo Jo White.
It came down to a game seven. In Boston Garden. From the opposing team point of view, the last place you wanted to play a game seven was in Boston Garden.
Why? Because the Celtics never lost a game seven on their court. Ever. You gotta remember, in 1973, the NBA was less than 30 years old, and the Celtics had won almost half of the league championships.
But all bad things must come to an end, and the '73 Knicks became the first team to beat the Celtics in a game seven in Boston.
And what did Dean do in that game? He shut down the previously unstoppable Jo Jo White. He also had 13 points and six rebounds off of the bench.
''Dean went out and shut Jo Jo down and we won that game,'' Phil Jackson recalled. ''It was a signature performance in our history.''
Dean's NBA career was finished by 1977, and I remember he coached the Albany team in the old CBA, and he also coached Manhattanville College a couple of years ago. He got the Manhattanville job through a recommendation from his good friend -Earl Monroe.
But the drugs always got in the way with Dean.
Its amazing when you look at the post-championship lives of the 12 men who were the 1973 NBA Champion Knicks.
On the positive side, you have examples like Bill Bradley, who was a three term U.S. Senator and ran for President, Dick Barnett, who received his doctorate, legendary icons like Clyde & Pearl, a 10 time NBA champion coach in Phil Jackson.
On the other side of the ledger you have Dean & Hawthorne Wingo, who has also led a very sad post '73 life.
From the Presidency to the pipe.
Dean Meminger knows what it feels like to be a champion in his hometown of NYC.
He also knows what it feels like to be a crack addict.
You ever hear the Marvin Gaye song "Flying High In The Friendly Sky"? Its a song where Marvin reveals his addiction to cocaine:
Flying high in the friendly sky
Flying high without ever leavin' the ground, no
Rest of the folks are tired and weary
Oh Lord, and have laid their bodies down.
I go the place where danger awaits me
and it's bound to forsake me.
If you play that song while watching highlights of Dean Meminger, you will capture everything that is great and sad about the first guard off the bench for the '73 Knicks- Dean "The Dream" Meminger.
The Stoop was saddened to read that Dean Meminger was in critical condition after a fire broke out in his Bronx apartment. Apparently, crack pipes found by Dean's bed may have played a part in starting the fire.
What a shame.
Dean has been battling drug addiction for over 30 years.
He had it all. And squandered it. What a sad thing to see.
Dean was a basketball prince of New York City. He was a city kid who starred at Rice High School. He went on to have a legendary college basketball career with McGuire's Marquette University.
After that, he was a number one draft pick of his hometown Knicks, and was a member of the 1973 NBA champion Knicks.
The Knicks couldn't have won it in '73 without Dean.
Here's the deal; The Knicks played the Celtics in the 1973 Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics were 68-14, and had the best record in basketball.
The Celtics had Cowens. And Havlicek. And Jo Jo White.
It came down to a game seven. In Boston Garden. From the opposing team point of view, the last place you wanted to play a game seven was in Boston Garden.
Why? Because the Celtics never lost a game seven on their court. Ever. You gotta remember, in 1973, the NBA was less than 30 years old, and the Celtics had won almost half of the league championships.
But all bad things must come to an end, and the '73 Knicks became the first team to beat the Celtics in a game seven in Boston.
And what did Dean do in that game? He shut down the previously unstoppable Jo Jo White. He also had 13 points and six rebounds off of the bench.
''Dean went out and shut Jo Jo down and we won that game,'' Phil Jackson recalled. ''It was a signature performance in our history.''
Dean's NBA career was finished by 1977, and I remember he coached the Albany team in the old CBA, and he also coached Manhattanville College a couple of years ago. He got the Manhattanville job through a recommendation from his good friend -Earl Monroe.
But the drugs always got in the way with Dean.
Its amazing when you look at the post-championship lives of the 12 men who were the 1973 NBA Champion Knicks.
On the positive side, you have examples like Bill Bradley, who was a three term U.S. Senator and ran for President, Dick Barnett, who received his doctorate, legendary icons like Clyde & Pearl, a 10 time NBA champion coach in Phil Jackson.
On the other side of the ledger you have Dean & Hawthorne Wingo, who has also led a very sad post '73 life.
From the Presidency to the pipe.
Dean Meminger knows what it feels like to be a champion in his hometown of NYC.
He also knows what it feels like to be a crack addict.
You ever hear the Marvin Gaye song "Flying High In The Friendly Sky"? Its a song where Marvin reveals his addiction to cocaine:
Flying high in the friendly sky
Flying high without ever leavin' the ground, no
Rest of the folks are tired and weary
Oh Lord, and have laid their bodies down.
I go the place where danger awaits me
and it's bound to forsake me.
If you play that song while watching highlights of Dean Meminger, you will capture everything that is great and sad about the first guard off the bench for the '73 Knicks- Dean "The Dream" Meminger.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Making A Kid Happy
I have a friend who wants to take his son to an NFL game. However, the son is under the impression that just like in baseball a fan can catch a foul ball, in football a fan catch a football.
And the father wants to let the kid down gently, by telling him that in football, for the most part, fans don't get a football that's thrown into the stands.
I told him that is nonsense. And gave him a sure-fire way to have his kid catch a football in the stands.
Here's how: You take the kid to the next Jet home game. You make the kid wear the opposing team's jersey. Whenever Mark Sanchez drops back to pass, you have the kid stand up and yell "I'm Open!".
If he does that, there's a 50/50 chance that the kid will go home with an NFL used football.
And the father wants to let the kid down gently, by telling him that in football, for the most part, fans don't get a football that's thrown into the stands.
I told him that is nonsense. And gave him a sure-fire way to have his kid catch a football in the stands.
Here's how: You take the kid to the next Jet home game. You make the kid wear the opposing team's jersey. Whenever Mark Sanchez drops back to pass, you have the kid stand up and yell "I'm Open!".
If he does that, there's a 50/50 chance that the kid will go home with an NFL used football.
Monday, November 23, 2009
A Worthy Cause
The 9/11 Never Forget Coalition is holding a press conference tomorrow morning where they will announce a December 5, 2009 rally that will protest Eric Holder's reckless decision to try terrorists in lower Manhattan.
Congressman Peter King, for my money the best anti-terrorist person we have in the Congress will be there. 9/11 families will be there. Andy McCarthy, who prosecuted the terrorists who bombed the Trade Center in 1993 will be there.
The Coalition Message:
New Yorkers to Attorney General Holder:
"We Will Fight You All The Way!"
For more details click here.
Back to Holder. The distinction he has made in deciding to try some enemy combatants in civil court and others in a military tribunal is that the target of the attack determines the type of trial the defendant will receive.
Thus, those who attacked the U.S. Cole, will get a military tribunal. Conversely, the Trade Center thugs get a full civil trial, with all its bells & whistles, because they attacked a domestic target.
That is Holder's argument/rationale.
But that argument holds less water than a man with no kidneys.
Here's why- KSM is the architect of the 9/11 attack. That attack included the Pentagon. Last time I checked, (and admittedly it may have changed under Obama) THE PENTAGON IS THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE UNITED STATES DEFENSE DEPARTMENT.
Since KSM attacked a military target, using Holder logic, why the hell is he receiving a civilian trial?
The answer: There is no logic, no legal rationale, and no precedent for giving KSM a civil trial.
It's purely a political decision made by the President designed to shed light on the CIA, the Army, and all things Bush/Cheney.
Holder has called this the trial of the century.
Remember, the trial of the last century was OJ's.
In the upcoming KSM trial, Holder & his ACLU brethren want to turn the CIA into Mark Fuhrman.
Here's hoping that protests like the 9/11 Never Forgets Coalition will hold will make a difference.
Congressman Peter King, for my money the best anti-terrorist person we have in the Congress will be there. 9/11 families will be there. Andy McCarthy, who prosecuted the terrorists who bombed the Trade Center in 1993 will be there.
The Coalition Message:
New Yorkers to Attorney General Holder:
"We Will Fight You All The Way!"
For more details click here.
Back to Holder. The distinction he has made in deciding to try some enemy combatants in civil court and others in a military tribunal is that the target of the attack determines the type of trial the defendant will receive.
Thus, those who attacked the U.S. Cole, will get a military tribunal. Conversely, the Trade Center thugs get a full civil trial, with all its bells & whistles, because they attacked a domestic target.
That is Holder's argument/rationale.
But that argument holds less water than a man with no kidneys.
Here's why- KSM is the architect of the 9/11 attack. That attack included the Pentagon. Last time I checked, (and admittedly it may have changed under Obama) THE PENTAGON IS THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE UNITED STATES DEFENSE DEPARTMENT.
Since KSM attacked a military target, using Holder logic, why the hell is he receiving a civilian trial?
The answer: There is no logic, no legal rationale, and no precedent for giving KSM a civil trial.
It's purely a political decision made by the President designed to shed light on the CIA, the Army, and all things Bush/Cheney.
Holder has called this the trial of the century.
Remember, the trial of the last century was OJ's.
In the upcoming KSM trial, Holder & his ACLU brethren want to turn the CIA into Mark Fuhrman.
Here's hoping that protests like the 9/11 Never Forgets Coalition will hold will make a difference.
Finally
Did you see the story below over the weekend?
Providence Bishop Thomas J. Tobin has forbidden Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy to receive the Roman Catholic sacrament of Holy Communion because of his advocacy of abortion rights, the Rhode Island Democrat said Friday.
Bishop Tobin has taken a logical step that many other Catholic Church leaders should have done long ago.
We here on the Stoop always wondered how Catholic politicians could write laws or vote for legislation that promoted/endorsed/legalized abortion, and yet remain in good standing with the church.
It would be like during the 1960's, a member of Martin Luther King's church publicly advocating on behalf of segregation.
In both instances, the social justice concerns of the church (abortion/segregation) are incompatible with the individuals beliefs.
Bishop Tobin has told Patrick Kennedy that he should reconsider his membership in the Catholic church.
Tobin's advice makes perfect sense.
If I joined a gym because I wanted to play basketball, and I found out the gym has no basketball court, why would I stay a member?
Would it makes sense to sit and pout and tell the gym owners that I want them to install a basketball court? Or should I just walk across the street to another gym that meets my needs?
Patrick Kennedy wants the Catholic Church to adopt the Kennedy ideas of morality where abortion on demand is legal and just and the taxpayer pays for the "procedure".
I got news for you: it ain't happening.
The Catholic church may have its problems, but making Patrick Kennedy's views on abortion church dogma makes as much sense as accepting an offer from Patrick's dad to drive you over a bridge.
So a salute to Bishop Tobin for his common sense clarity when it comes to Catholic politicians.
Providence Bishop Thomas J. Tobin has forbidden Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy to receive the Roman Catholic sacrament of Holy Communion because of his advocacy of abortion rights, the Rhode Island Democrat said Friday.
Bishop Tobin has taken a logical step that many other Catholic Church leaders should have done long ago.
We here on the Stoop always wondered how Catholic politicians could write laws or vote for legislation that promoted/endorsed/legalized abortion, and yet remain in good standing with the church.
It would be like during the 1960's, a member of Martin Luther King's church publicly advocating on behalf of segregation.
In both instances, the social justice concerns of the church (abortion/segregation) are incompatible with the individuals beliefs.
Bishop Tobin has told Patrick Kennedy that he should reconsider his membership in the Catholic church.
Tobin's advice makes perfect sense.
If I joined a gym because I wanted to play basketball, and I found out the gym has no basketball court, why would I stay a member?
Would it makes sense to sit and pout and tell the gym owners that I want them to install a basketball court? Or should I just walk across the street to another gym that meets my needs?
Patrick Kennedy wants the Catholic Church to adopt the Kennedy ideas of morality where abortion on demand is legal and just and the taxpayer pays for the "procedure".
I got news for you: it ain't happening.
The Catholic church may have its problems, but making Patrick Kennedy's views on abortion church dogma makes as much sense as accepting an offer from Patrick's dad to drive you over a bridge.
So a salute to Bishop Tobin for his common sense clarity when it comes to Catholic politicians.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Happy Birthday
It was the last of the major public works projects that is part of Robert Moses' incomparable resume. At the time it was built, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. It took a mere five years to build, and was opened on November 21, 1964.
Of course, I am talking about the Verrazano Bridge, which turned 45 yesterday.
Think of how pathetic we are now when we have all the advantages of modern technology, and yet we can't build anything. Ever.
The Trade Center- still a hole in the ground-is a travesty.
If you ever think that our society is always moving forward, just remember, everything you see was built by previous generations, and we have dropped the ball when it comes to public works.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Give Us The List & Let's Check It Twice
So little of relevant news actually makes it onto the television/print media that the Internet is a Godsend that gives us the ability to focus on such issues. Thank you, Mr. Gore, for inventing the Internet.
One such story slipped through this week. Did you know that the U.S. Justice Department has a whole bunch of lawyers that work there now, however, prior to joining the Obama/Holder DOJ, they acted as defense counsel FOR TERRORISTS HELD @ GITMO?
Did you know that Holder's prior firm defended 18 such terrorists?
Did you know that Senator Casserly asked Holder during his testimony on the Hill to PROVIDE THE LIST OF DOJ LAWYERS THAT HAVE BEEN RECUSED FROM THE 9/11 CASES BECAUSE THEY PREVIOUSLY REPRESENTED GITMO TERRORISTS?
Did you know that Holder did not commit to providing such a list? He just said that he would consider the request?
Did you know that Holder hemed and hawed in responding to the question saying he could not commit to providing the list because of "attorney-client privilege" considerations?
Did you know that his response was so legally off base, that it would be laughable except for the fact that the Attorney General of the United States does not seem to know that THE ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE SHIELDS COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN THE ATTORNEY AND CLIENT FROM BEING REVEALED, AND THAT THE NAME OF THE LAWYER IS NOT A COMMUNICATION AND THEREFORE NOT COVERED BY THE ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE?
DID YOU KNOW THAT JOE PESCI'S CHARACTER IN MY COUSIN VINNY HAD A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE THAN ERIC HOLDER DOES?
Don't you think the American people deserve to know what lawyers in the justice department acted as counsel for accused terrorists?
Let's close with something that Senator Kyl entered into the record during Holder's testimony.
Here is the partial transcript:
SEN. KYL: Let me just close with this point. You said — and this really bothers me, Mr. Attorney General, with all due respect — "For eight years, justice has been delayed for the victims of the 9/11 attacks." I want to put in the record, Mr. Chairman — ask unanimous consent to insert in the record an article called "Justice Delayed" by Andrew McCarthy.
SEN. LEAHY: Without objection.
SEN. KYL: And I'll just quote two paragraphs from this.
"This is chutzpah writ large," he writes. "The principal reason there were so few military trials is the tireless campaign conducted by leftist lawyers to derail military tribunals by challenge (sic/challenging) them in the courts. Many of those lawyers are now working for the Obama Justice Department. That includes Holder, whose firm, Covington & Burling, volunteered its services" —
ATTY GEN. HOLDER: Hah!
SEN. KYL: — "to at least 18 of America's enemies in lawsuits they brought against the American people."
And it concludes, "Within two years, KSM and four fellow war criminals stood ready to plead guilty and proceed to execution. But then the Obama administration blew into Washington. Want to talk about delay? Obama shut down the commission, despite the jihadists' efforts to conclude it by pleading guilty. Obama's team permitted no movement of (sic/on) the case for 11 months, and now has torpedoed a perfectly valid commission case — despite keeping the commission system for other cases — so that we can instead endure an incredibly expensive and burdensome civil (sic/civilian) trial that will take years to complete."
One such story slipped through this week. Did you know that the U.S. Justice Department has a whole bunch of lawyers that work there now, however, prior to joining the Obama/Holder DOJ, they acted as defense counsel FOR TERRORISTS HELD @ GITMO?
Did you know that Holder's prior firm defended 18 such terrorists?
Did you know that Senator Casserly asked Holder during his testimony on the Hill to PROVIDE THE LIST OF DOJ LAWYERS THAT HAVE BEEN RECUSED FROM THE 9/11 CASES BECAUSE THEY PREVIOUSLY REPRESENTED GITMO TERRORISTS?
Did you know that Holder did not commit to providing such a list? He just said that he would consider the request?
Did you know that Holder hemed and hawed in responding to the question saying he could not commit to providing the list because of "attorney-client privilege" considerations?
Did you know that his response was so legally off base, that it would be laughable except for the fact that the Attorney General of the United States does not seem to know that THE ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE SHIELDS COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN THE ATTORNEY AND CLIENT FROM BEING REVEALED, AND THAT THE NAME OF THE LAWYER IS NOT A COMMUNICATION AND THEREFORE NOT COVERED BY THE ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE?
DID YOU KNOW THAT JOE PESCI'S CHARACTER IN MY COUSIN VINNY HAD A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE THAN ERIC HOLDER DOES?
Don't you think the American people deserve to know what lawyers in the justice department acted as counsel for accused terrorists?
Let's close with something that Senator Kyl entered into the record during Holder's testimony.
Here is the partial transcript:
SEN. KYL: Let me just close with this point. You said — and this really bothers me, Mr. Attorney General, with all due respect — "For eight years, justice has been delayed for the victims of the 9/11 attacks." I want to put in the record, Mr. Chairman — ask unanimous consent to insert in the record an article called "Justice Delayed" by Andrew McCarthy.
SEN. LEAHY: Without objection.
SEN. KYL: And I'll just quote two paragraphs from this.
"This is chutzpah writ large," he writes. "The principal reason there were so few military trials is the tireless campaign conducted by leftist lawyers to derail military tribunals by challenge (sic/challenging) them in the courts. Many of those lawyers are now working for the Obama Justice Department. That includes Holder, whose firm, Covington & Burling, volunteered its services" —
ATTY GEN. HOLDER: Hah!
SEN. KYL: — "to at least 18 of America's enemies in lawsuits they brought against the American people."
And it concludes, "Within two years, KSM and four fellow war criminals stood ready to plead guilty and proceed to execution. But then the Obama administration blew into Washington. Want to talk about delay? Obama shut down the commission, despite the jihadists' efforts to conclude it by pleading guilty. Obama's team permitted no movement of (sic/on) the case for 11 months, and now has torpedoed a perfectly valid commission case — despite keeping the commission system for other cases — so that we can instead endure an incredibly expensive and burdensome civil (sic/civilian) trial that will take years to complete."
Shut em down
Below is the first paragraph from a New York Times story from earlier this week:
Teachers at W.H. Maxwell Career and Technical Education High School in Brooklyn were among those at 23 high schools citywide awarded a total of $3.5 million in performance bonuses on Thursday, even though the school received a D on its progress report earlier this week.
They got a D for their overall performance. And they get bonuses? What do they get for a "C", a mansion? Talk about rewarding failure. And speaking of failure, only one high school received an F on its report card. Does anyone in their right mind honestly think that only one high school should be deemed a failure in New York City?
Here is the rationale for giving bonuses for getting a D:
“Maybe a school didn’t go from a D to a C, or stayed at a C, but it’s still making progress,” said Ann Forte, a department spokeswoman, defending both the report cards and the awards program.
The monthly statements that Bernie Madoff mailed to his clients were more credible than the New York City High School report cards.
Tenure for life, no real way to fire incompetent teachers, salaries that have gone up 40% over the last four years, and now bonuses that reward failure.
Oh, and don't forget holidays off for days like "Brooklyn-Queens Day."
What a system.
What a failure.
Teachers at W.H. Maxwell Career and Technical Education High School in Brooklyn were among those at 23 high schools citywide awarded a total of $3.5 million in performance bonuses on Thursday, even though the school received a D on its progress report earlier this week.
They got a D for their overall performance. And they get bonuses? What do they get for a "C", a mansion? Talk about rewarding failure. And speaking of failure, only one high school received an F on its report card. Does anyone in their right mind honestly think that only one high school should be deemed a failure in New York City?
Here is the rationale for giving bonuses for getting a D:
“Maybe a school didn’t go from a D to a C, or stayed at a C, but it’s still making progress,” said Ann Forte, a department spokeswoman, defending both the report cards and the awards program.
The monthly statements that Bernie Madoff mailed to his clients were more credible than the New York City High School report cards.
Tenure for life, no real way to fire incompetent teachers, salaries that have gone up 40% over the last four years, and now bonuses that reward failure.
Oh, and don't forget holidays off for days like "Brooklyn-Queens Day."
What a system.
What a failure.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Jayson & Gus
According to news reports, Jayson Williams is expected to accept a criminal plea for the shooting of Gus the limo driver. The plea includes three years in jail.
Methinks Jayson's lawyer dropped the ball. Forensics experts testified that Gus was shot from 8 feet away. As anyone who ever watched Jayson Williams play basketball can attest, Jayson's shooting range consisted of about 5 feet.
On a serious note, the killing of Gus the limo driver is an instructive example of the "good Jayson" " bad Jayson" that have been at war with each other for far too long.
The good Jayson is a man who people love to be around. He is funny, quick witted, charitable, generous to a fault- a poster boy for all that is right about the modern athlete. The good Jayson knew how fortunate he was, and acted accordingly.
The bad Jayson has a history of violence that is chilling. Bar fights, assault charges and crazy gun related incidents are all part of the bad Jayson box score.
The good and the bad that make up Jayson Williams collided the night he met Gus the limo driver. And the bad Jayson won.
Jayson hired Gus, like any other customer. Jayson eventually hooked up with some friends who were on the Harlem Globetrotters, and they went out for a night of partying.
The good Jayson included Gus into the party. Cause that's the kind of guy he is. When the party moved to Jayson's mansion in Jersey, did he leave Gus outside in the limo, as the hired help?
Of course not. The good Jayson invited Gus into his home.
And that is where the bad Jayson tragically takes over.
Whether it was a prank, a mistake or on purpose, we will never know for sure.
But at some point, Jayson had a shotgun and shot Gus in the belly.
And Gus died.
And 8 years later, the criminal case appears to be resolved.
I gotta end with a crazy Jayson story. It perfectly illustrates the duality that exists in this man.
Dwayne Schintzius was a teammate of Jayson's with the Nets.
Here is a transcript of a interview he conducted with a Florida radio station. The prosecution tried to admit this story into evidence, but was blocked by the judge:
I was spending the weekend with Jayson. He had recently suffered a career ending injury, and cashed in his $87 million insurance policy from Lloyds of London. He lived in a 31,000 square foot mansion on 300 acres. It was like a compound. Anyway, one night we are hanging out, and he had this 150 pound rottweiler named Duke. Anyway, Jayson was talking about how tough Duke was, and I bet him $100 that I could drag Duke out the front door by his back legs. The front door was about 15-20 feet away.
Anyway, so he agreed to the bet, and the game was on. Suddenly, Jayson started shouting attack commands to Duke, trying to get him to maul me. I started baby talking Duke, ‘Come on big fella, how are you Duke?’, etc. So Duke lays down on his side for me to scratch his belly, and so I scratch his belly and drag him out the door. I said to Jayson ‘OK now pay up’. Jayson says ‘OK I’ll be right back’ and goes back inside the house and upstairs.
After a minute or two, Jayson comes back down with a double barrel shotgun. Without a word, he pumps a round into Duke’s side and then blows his head off with the next shot. He then reloads, points the shotgun at my head from a foot away and says ‘Schintz, get this ******* dog cleaned up and out of here, or you’re next.’ I said ‘Please Jayson, just don’t kill me.’
His brother and I ended up picking up Duke and taking him to a spot on the property and burying him. Jayson had gone to bed by the time we got back to the house. The next morning I woke up, walked into the kitchen, and there was Jayson wearing a ‘Kiss the Cook’ apron, making pancakes with a big smile on his face, acting like nothing had happened.”
Methinks Jayson's lawyer dropped the ball. Forensics experts testified that Gus was shot from 8 feet away. As anyone who ever watched Jayson Williams play basketball can attest, Jayson's shooting range consisted of about 5 feet.
On a serious note, the killing of Gus the limo driver is an instructive example of the "good Jayson" " bad Jayson" that have been at war with each other for far too long.
The good Jayson is a man who people love to be around. He is funny, quick witted, charitable, generous to a fault- a poster boy for all that is right about the modern athlete. The good Jayson knew how fortunate he was, and acted accordingly.
The bad Jayson has a history of violence that is chilling. Bar fights, assault charges and crazy gun related incidents are all part of the bad Jayson box score.
The good and the bad that make up Jayson Williams collided the night he met Gus the limo driver. And the bad Jayson won.
Jayson hired Gus, like any other customer. Jayson eventually hooked up with some friends who were on the Harlem Globetrotters, and they went out for a night of partying.
The good Jayson included Gus into the party. Cause that's the kind of guy he is. When the party moved to Jayson's mansion in Jersey, did he leave Gus outside in the limo, as the hired help?
Of course not. The good Jayson invited Gus into his home.
And that is where the bad Jayson tragically takes over.
Whether it was a prank, a mistake or on purpose, we will never know for sure.
But at some point, Jayson had a shotgun and shot Gus in the belly.
And Gus died.
And 8 years later, the criminal case appears to be resolved.
I gotta end with a crazy Jayson story. It perfectly illustrates the duality that exists in this man.
Dwayne Schintzius was a teammate of Jayson's with the Nets.
Here is a transcript of a interview he conducted with a Florida radio station. The prosecution tried to admit this story into evidence, but was blocked by the judge:
I was spending the weekend with Jayson. He had recently suffered a career ending injury, and cashed in his $87 million insurance policy from Lloyds of London. He lived in a 31,000 square foot mansion on 300 acres. It was like a compound. Anyway, one night we are hanging out, and he had this 150 pound rottweiler named Duke. Anyway, Jayson was talking about how tough Duke was, and I bet him $100 that I could drag Duke out the front door by his back legs. The front door was about 15-20 feet away.
Anyway, so he agreed to the bet, and the game was on. Suddenly, Jayson started shouting attack commands to Duke, trying to get him to maul me. I started baby talking Duke, ‘Come on big fella, how are you Duke?’, etc. So Duke lays down on his side for me to scratch his belly, and so I scratch his belly and drag him out the door. I said to Jayson ‘OK now pay up’. Jayson says ‘OK I’ll be right back’ and goes back inside the house and upstairs.
After a minute or two, Jayson comes back down with a double barrel shotgun. Without a word, he pumps a round into Duke’s side and then blows his head off with the next shot. He then reloads, points the shotgun at my head from a foot away and says ‘Schintz, get this ******* dog cleaned up and out of here, or you’re next.’ I said ‘Please Jayson, just don’t kill me.’
His brother and I ended up picking up Duke and taking him to a spot on the property and burying him. Jayson had gone to bed by the time we got back to the house. The next morning I woke up, walked into the kitchen, and there was Jayson wearing a ‘Kiss the Cook’ apron, making pancakes with a big smile on his face, acting like nothing had happened.”
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Corrupt Like A Senator
As you may know, former NY State Senate Majority Leader Joesph Bruno is on trial for fraud. There is one fact that has emerged from the trial that should anger any New Yorker.
Every year, Senators must fill out financial disclosure forms that are forwarded to the Senate Ethics Committee. Senators must list their outside business interests/income as well as any conflict of interests that they may have.
Now the State Senators have legal counsel that advise them on how to comply with the requirements.
Here is the fact that makes the blood boil: the lawyers for the Senate advised the Senators to have the completed disclosure forms hand-delivered to the Ethics Committee.
What's the big deal about hand delivering the damn forms?
Well, its huge. Every time the federal government brings a criminal case against a defendant, it has to show WHY IT HAS JURISDICTION OVER THE MATTER.
The feds typically use the fact that for financial crimes, a criminal defendant used the U.S. mail in committing/furthering the crime. It gives the feds the jurisdictional hook they need to bring the case.
Now it the Bruno case, the lawyer who advised the Senate testified that he advised the Senators to hand deliver the financial disclosures specifically because he wanted the feds not to have jurisdiction over the contents of the disclosures.
Think about that: they knew the disclosures were either false or misleading, and didn't want the feds to be able to carve out a case, so they hand delivered the forms instead using a conventional mailbox.
The level of corruption has reached toxic levels when politicians complete conflict of interest forms with the actual intent to avoid federal jurisdiction over the bull**it they admit on the forms.
Rise up, pitchfork brigades.
Every year, Senators must fill out financial disclosure forms that are forwarded to the Senate Ethics Committee. Senators must list their outside business interests/income as well as any conflict of interests that they may have.
Now the State Senators have legal counsel that advise them on how to comply with the requirements.
Here is the fact that makes the blood boil: the lawyers for the Senate advised the Senators to have the completed disclosure forms hand-delivered to the Ethics Committee.
What's the big deal about hand delivering the damn forms?
Well, its huge. Every time the federal government brings a criminal case against a defendant, it has to show WHY IT HAS JURISDICTION OVER THE MATTER.
The feds typically use the fact that for financial crimes, a criminal defendant used the U.S. mail in committing/furthering the crime. It gives the feds the jurisdictional hook they need to bring the case.
Now it the Bruno case, the lawyer who advised the Senate testified that he advised the Senators to hand deliver the financial disclosures specifically because he wanted the feds not to have jurisdiction over the contents of the disclosures.
Think about that: they knew the disclosures were either false or misleading, and didn't want the feds to be able to carve out a case, so they hand delivered the forms instead using a conventional mailbox.
The level of corruption has reached toxic levels when politicians complete conflict of interest forms with the actual intent to avoid federal jurisdiction over the bull**it they admit on the forms.
Rise up, pitchfork brigades.
He Makes Me Miss Janet Reno
Some things have to be seen to believed, and then after seeing it, you still can't believe it. Oprah's boyfriend's, testimony, strike that, my bad, I mean Attorney General Eric Holder's testimony before the Senate below falls into this category. (Video below.) This guy is AG? Watch his response when he is asked prior to KSM, please name any cases where an enemy combatant detained on foreign land received a civil trial. HE DOES NOT KNOW THE ANSWER. (WHICH OF COURSE IS ZERO, IT'S NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE.) Watch him struggle with the question as to if we capture Bin Laden, would he be entitled to Miranda rights before questioning. This is not a first year law student. (Although to be fair to first year law students, most of them, like the rest of the country, would scratch their heads at Erich Holder's decision to give Marc Rich, a fugitive from justice, a pardon. Please keep the Polanski file away from his desk.) Back to Steadman's, I mean Holder's testimony: As the Chief law enforcement official for this country, how could he not be prepared to answer such basic questions? These questions were softballs tossed underhanded to the AG. Yet, he kept striking out so often, he should have been wearing Ryan Howard's jersey. This guy makes Janet Reno look like Clarence Darrow. Roll the tape:
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Wednesday, November 18, 2009
It Would Explain a Lot.....
Has Oprah's boyfriend been acting as the Attorney General of the United States?
You be the judge:
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You be the judge:
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Upside Down Justice
The Stoop was a happy place to be when we read that Lynne Stewart's conviction for providing material support to terrorists was upheld by a 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel.
Do you remember Lynne Stewart? She is a self-described radical revolutionary. She worships Mao and Castro. She was the lawyer for the blind Sheikh and got caught sending messages from the Sheikh to his terrorist group in Egypt. They were the choirboys who assassinated Anwar Sadat.
Stewart was sentenced to only 28 months, which one judge on the panel described as "astonishingly low". But the good news is that the trial Court has been ordered to examine whether Stewart committed perjury in her trial and to re- sentence her to a harsher prison term if she lied under oath.
Stewart was convicted in 2005. The appeal had been pending for 4 years, and all the while Stewart was free as a bird. I occasionally would see her in the Streets of Windsor Terrace/Park Slope, in a supermarket, or on a bus and each time it was like getting hit with cold water in the face; it was a stark reminder that we as a nation still do not treat terrorism as serious as we should.
When she originally was sentenced, Stewart bragged outside the court room to her rag tag supporters that she could do 28 months standing on her head.
In an upside down world where KSM gets a civilian criminal trial and Major Hasan gives PowerPoint presentations praising suicide bombers, maybe, as part of the re- sentencing, they should make Stewart do time standing on her head.
I will be glad when she is locked up: the country will be safer, the bus will be less crowded, and the line in the supermarket will be shorter.
Conviction of Sheik’s Lawyer for Assisting Terrorism Is Upheld
Do you remember Lynne Stewart? She is a self-described radical revolutionary. She worships Mao and Castro. She was the lawyer for the blind Sheikh and got caught sending messages from the Sheikh to his terrorist group in Egypt. They were the choirboys who assassinated Anwar Sadat.
Stewart was sentenced to only 28 months, which one judge on the panel described as "astonishingly low". But the good news is that the trial Court has been ordered to examine whether Stewart committed perjury in her trial and to re- sentence her to a harsher prison term if she lied under oath.
Stewart was convicted in 2005. The appeal had been pending for 4 years, and all the while Stewart was free as a bird. I occasionally would see her in the Streets of Windsor Terrace/Park Slope, in a supermarket, or on a bus and each time it was like getting hit with cold water in the face; it was a stark reminder that we as a nation still do not treat terrorism as serious as we should.
When she originally was sentenced, Stewart bragged outside the court room to her rag tag supporters that she could do 28 months standing on her head.
In an upside down world where KSM gets a civilian criminal trial and Major Hasan gives PowerPoint presentations praising suicide bombers, maybe, as part of the re- sentencing, they should make Stewart do time standing on her head.
I will be glad when she is locked up: the country will be safer, the bus will be less crowded, and the line in the supermarket will be shorter.
Conviction of Sheik’s Lawyer for Assisting Terrorism Is Upheld
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
And Justice For All (Terrorists)
Since Obama/Holder have told us that KSM has a right to a jury of his peers, methinks the entire jury pool will consist of anyone in NYC who has donated money to the ACLU.
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How Dumb Is He?
Chris Matthews has set the bar pretty low for dumb comments-but this one takes the cake. You know how in baseball they have the "Mendoza Line" as a barometer for weak hitters? They need to come up with the "Matthews Line" for idiotic comments by political talk show hosts. Check it out: | |
Sorry Chris Matthews but Im pretty sure the last time I checked with Homeland Security it was a crime to call Al-Qaida. Call me paranoid but something tells me its a really bad thing to do. Seriously do you really have to be on LSD to work at MSNBC? | |
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Why They Support It
Andrew Sullivan, below, loves the fact that the KSM criminal trial will also reveal the torture tactics of Bush/Cheney. The reason why the left celebrates the decision is because in their own warped way of thinking, the 9/11 terrorists and the CIA alleged torturers are both "evil doers" who must be brought to justice.
From my view on the Stoop, it seems pretty twisted.
But what an open civilian case will also do - and it's why a war criminal like John Yoo is so apoplectic - is reveal the extent to which the brutal torture of KSM was unnecessary, and led to the government's inability to prosecute him to the full extent of the law.
It will be a civic lesson to America and the world. It will show the evil of terrorism and the futility and danger of torture. It will be a way in which Cheney's torture regime can be revealed in all its grotesque excess at the same time as KSM's vile religious extremism is exposed for its murderous nihilism. That all this will take place in New York - close to where the mass murder took place - is a particularly smart touch.-Andrew Sullivan
From my view on the Stoop, it seems pretty twisted.
But what an open civilian case will also do - and it's why a war criminal like John Yoo is so apoplectic - is reveal the extent to which the brutal torture of KSM was unnecessary, and led to the government's inability to prosecute him to the full extent of the law.
It will be a civic lesson to America and the world. It will show the evil of terrorism and the futility and danger of torture. It will be a way in which Cheney's torture regime can be revealed in all its grotesque excess at the same time as KSM's vile religious extremism is exposed for its murderous nihilism. That all this will take place in New York - close to where the mass murder took place - is a particularly smart touch.-Andrew Sullivan
Monday, November 16, 2009
The Answer is the Answer
Now that Allen Iverson & Memphis have parted ways, doesn't it make sense for the Knicks to sign him? I see no downside with bringing him to the Garden. First, there are no salary cap implications beyond this year. Next, you get to tell Chris Duhon that it's time to get that Master's Degree back at Duke. And finally, you give your fans someone to watch this winter. I am almost at the point of feeling sorry for Knick fans. Most of them think the good old days were the Ewing years. Memo to Knick fans: that was not basketball, that was rugby with an orange ball that the Reily/Van Gundy Knicks were playing. All that grabbin and holdin set the game back to the Peach Basket days. The Knicks-Heat playoff games from the 90's are particularly unwatchable now. The scores of those games 75-73, etc. reminded me of my high school transcript. But back to Iverson. Sign him up, give him the ball and let him run. Just don't expect him to practice. | |
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Its A War
(Pat Buchanan has been against both wars from the beginning. However, he recognizes that once a nation is at war, you don't use criminal courts to deal with the prisoners of war. Every question Pat raises below are relevant and need to be answered by Obama/Holder.)
Are we at war – or not?
For if we are at war, why is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed headed for trial in federal court in the Southern District of New York? Why is he entitled to a presumption of innocence and all of the constitutional protections of a U.S. citizen?
Is it possible we have done an injustice to this man by keeping him locked up all these years without trial? For that is what this trial implies – that he may not be guilty.
And if we must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that KSM was complicit in mass murder, by what right do we send Predators and Special Forces to kill his al-Qaida comrades wherever we find them? For none of them has been granted a fair trial.
When the Justice Department sets up a task force to wage war on a crime organization like the Mafia or MS-13, no U.S. official has a right to shoot Mafia or gang members on sight. No one has a right to bomb their homes. No one has a right to regard the possible death of their wives and children in an attack as acceptable collateral damage.
Yet that is what we do to al-Qaida, to which KSM belongs.
We conduct those strikes in good conscience because we believe we are at war. But if we are at war, what is KSM doing in a U.S. court?
Minoru Genda, who planned the attack on Pearl Harbor, a naval base on U.S. soil, when America was at peace, and killed nearly as many Americans as the Sept. 11 hijackers, was not brought here for trial. He was an enemy combatant under the Geneva Conventions and treated as such.
When Maj. Andre, the British spy and collaborator of Benedict Arnold, was captured, he got a military tribunal, after which he was hanged. When Gen. Andrew Jackson captured two British subjects in Spanish Florida aiding renegade Indians, Jackson had both tried and hanged on the spot.
Enemy soldiers who commit atrocities are not sent to the United States for trial. Under the Geneva Conventions, soldiers who commit atrocities are shot when caught.
When and where did Khalid Sheikh Mohammed acquire his right to a trial by a jury of his peers in a U.S. court?
When John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln, alleged collaborators like Mary Surratt were tried before a military tribunal and hanged at Fort McNair. When eight German saboteurs were caught in 1942 after being put ashore by U-boat, they were tried in secret before a military commission and executed, with the approval of the Supreme Court. What makes KSM special?
Is the Obama administration aware of what it is risking by not turning KSM over to a military tribunal in Guantanamo?
How does Justice handle a defense demand for a change of venue, far from lower Manhattan, where the jury pool was most deeply traumatized by Sept. 11? Would not KSM and his co-defendants, if a change of venue is denied, have a powerful argument for overturning any conviction on appeal?
Were not KSM's Miranda rights impinged when he was not only not told he could have a lawyer on capture, but that his family would be killed and he would be waterboarded if he refused to talk?
And if all the evidence against the five defendants comes from other than their own testimony under duress, do not their lawyers have a right to know when, where, how and from whom Justice got the evidence to prosecute them? Does KSM have the right to confront all witnesses against him, even if they are al-Qaida turncoats or U.S. spies still transmitting information to U.S. intelligence?
There have been reports that in the trials of those convicted in the first World Trade Center bombing, sources and methods were compromised, weakening our security for the second attack on Sept. 11.
If the trial is held in lower Manhattan, how much security will be needed to protect against a car bomber who wants the world to see a mighty blow struck against the Great Satan? And if, as some suggest, the trial should be held on Governor's Island, would that not make the United States look like a nation under siege?
What do we do if the case against KSM is thrown out because the government refuses to reveal sources or methods, or if he gets a hung jury, or is acquitted, or has his conviction overturned?
In America, trials often become games, where the prosecution, though it has truth on its side, loses because it inadvertently breaks one of the rules.
The Obamaites had best pray that does not happen, for they may be betting his presidency on the outcome of the game about to begin.
Are we at war – or not?
For if we are at war, why is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed headed for trial in federal court in the Southern District of New York? Why is he entitled to a presumption of innocence and all of the constitutional protections of a U.S. citizen?
Is it possible we have done an injustice to this man by keeping him locked up all these years without trial? For that is what this trial implies – that he may not be guilty.
And if we must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that KSM was complicit in mass murder, by what right do we send Predators and Special Forces to kill his al-Qaida comrades wherever we find them? For none of them has been granted a fair trial.
When the Justice Department sets up a task force to wage war on a crime organization like the Mafia or MS-13, no U.S. official has a right to shoot Mafia or gang members on sight. No one has a right to bomb their homes. No one has a right to regard the possible death of their wives and children in an attack as acceptable collateral damage.
Yet that is what we do to al-Qaida, to which KSM belongs.
We conduct those strikes in good conscience because we believe we are at war. But if we are at war, what is KSM doing in a U.S. court?
Minoru Genda, who planned the attack on Pearl Harbor, a naval base on U.S. soil, when America was at peace, and killed nearly as many Americans as the Sept. 11 hijackers, was not brought here for trial. He was an enemy combatant under the Geneva Conventions and treated as such.
When Maj. Andre, the British spy and collaborator of Benedict Arnold, was captured, he got a military tribunal, after which he was hanged. When Gen. Andrew Jackson captured two British subjects in Spanish Florida aiding renegade Indians, Jackson had both tried and hanged on the spot.
Enemy soldiers who commit atrocities are not sent to the United States for trial. Under the Geneva Conventions, soldiers who commit atrocities are shot when caught.
When and where did Khalid Sheikh Mohammed acquire his right to a trial by a jury of his peers in a U.S. court?
When John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln, alleged collaborators like Mary Surratt were tried before a military tribunal and hanged at Fort McNair. When eight German saboteurs were caught in 1942 after being put ashore by U-boat, they were tried in secret before a military commission and executed, with the approval of the Supreme Court. What makes KSM special?
Is the Obama administration aware of what it is risking by not turning KSM over to a military tribunal in Guantanamo?
How does Justice handle a defense demand for a change of venue, far from lower Manhattan, where the jury pool was most deeply traumatized by Sept. 11? Would not KSM and his co-defendants, if a change of venue is denied, have a powerful argument for overturning any conviction on appeal?
Were not KSM's Miranda rights impinged when he was not only not told he could have a lawyer on capture, but that his family would be killed and he would be waterboarded if he refused to talk?
And if all the evidence against the five defendants comes from other than their own testimony under duress, do not their lawyers have a right to know when, where, how and from whom Justice got the evidence to prosecute them? Does KSM have the right to confront all witnesses against him, even if they are al-Qaida turncoats or U.S. spies still transmitting information to U.S. intelligence?
There have been reports that in the trials of those convicted in the first World Trade Center bombing, sources and methods were compromised, weakening our security for the second attack on Sept. 11.
If the trial is held in lower Manhattan, how much security will be needed to protect against a car bomber who wants the world to see a mighty blow struck against the Great Satan? And if, as some suggest, the trial should be held on Governor's Island, would that not make the United States look like a nation under siege?
What do we do if the case against KSM is thrown out because the government refuses to reveal sources or methods, or if he gets a hung jury, or is acquitted, or has his conviction overturned?
In America, trials often become games, where the prosecution, though it has truth on its side, loses because it inadvertently breaks one of the rules.
The Obamaites had best pray that does not happen, for they may be betting his presidency on the outcome of the game about to begin.
The People vs. The Terrorists
On first glance, Obama's decision to try Khalid Shiekh Muhammad in the Southern District in downtown Manhattan makes no sense at all. After all, didn't KSM already plead guilty in a military tribunal? Yes. Is KSM an American citizen, entitled to all of the protections of the U.S. Constitution? No he is not.
Then what gives?
Think about it: what have Obama/Holder been emphasizing since they took office? Torture. Oh, how they hate it. And oh, how they would love to go after the Army & the CIA for the torture of scumbag terrorists. (With no disrespect to bags that are filled with scum.)
But they can't do it. Every time they raise it, the American people let it be known that they would not stand for it. Holder if given the chance, would go after the CIA like Giuliani went after squegee men.
So what do they do? They grant KSM a criminal trial. And what will happen during the trial? KSM's ACLU lawyers will put the conduct of the CIA & Army on trial.
The fact that they tortured KSM so many times that he thought he was Brian Wilson will be heard in open court. All of the tricks of the CIA trade will be exposed.
In effect, Obama/Holder will use the defense attorney's for KSM to do their dirty work. Think about it: everything that will come to light will be stuff that happened when Bush was President.
They will hope that the exposure in open Court will turn the tide of public opinion so they could prosecute these CIA/Army heroes.
No other explanation makes sense.
The fact of the matter is that KSM and his cohorts have lived high on the hog for too long. They get to kick the soccer ball at Gitmo, they are fed Islamic appropriate meals, and breathe Caribbean air 24/7. They also get to hang with their ACLU lawyers who show them photos of CIA agents that they can frame. It's not 72 virgins in heaven, but its not bad, no?
If Scorsese was to make an updated Goodfella's, using religious fanatics instead of the Mafia, then KSM and his crew would have a better time in jail than Henry Hill and Paulie.
As soon as we squeezed them for all available information, they should have been executed and fed to Michael Vick's dogs.
But instead, Obama is giving this savage a forum in New York City. Who knows, maybe they give him bail and an ankle bracelet and you might run into KSM in J & R Music World or Century 21. Its not like he doesn't know his way around lower Manhattan.
Ideology makes people/presidents/attorney generals do dangerous things sometimes.
Like trying war criminals in NYC.
Heaven help us.
Then what gives?
Think about it: what have Obama/Holder been emphasizing since they took office? Torture. Oh, how they hate it. And oh, how they would love to go after the Army & the CIA for the torture of scumbag terrorists. (With no disrespect to bags that are filled with scum.)
But they can't do it. Every time they raise it, the American people let it be known that they would not stand for it. Holder if given the chance, would go after the CIA like Giuliani went after squegee men.
So what do they do? They grant KSM a criminal trial. And what will happen during the trial? KSM's ACLU lawyers will put the conduct of the CIA & Army on trial.
The fact that they tortured KSM so many times that he thought he was Brian Wilson will be heard in open court. All of the tricks of the CIA trade will be exposed.
In effect, Obama/Holder will use the defense attorney's for KSM to do their dirty work. Think about it: everything that will come to light will be stuff that happened when Bush was President.
They will hope that the exposure in open Court will turn the tide of public opinion so they could prosecute these CIA/Army heroes.
No other explanation makes sense.
The fact of the matter is that KSM and his cohorts have lived high on the hog for too long. They get to kick the soccer ball at Gitmo, they are fed Islamic appropriate meals, and breathe Caribbean air 24/7. They also get to hang with their ACLU lawyers who show them photos of CIA agents that they can frame. It's not 72 virgins in heaven, but its not bad, no?
If Scorsese was to make an updated Goodfella's, using religious fanatics instead of the Mafia, then KSM and his crew would have a better time in jail than Henry Hill and Paulie.
As soon as we squeezed them for all available information, they should have been executed and fed to Michael Vick's dogs.
But instead, Obama is giving this savage a forum in New York City. Who knows, maybe they give him bail and an ankle bracelet and you might run into KSM in J & R Music World or Century 21. Its not like he doesn't know his way around lower Manhattan.
Ideology makes people/presidents/attorney generals do dangerous things sometimes.
Like trying war criminals in NYC.
Heaven help us.
A Good Bye Week
Sometimes in a horse race, its not how fast your horse is, but how slow the other horses run. Which brings me to yesterdays NFL results. The Giants had a bye week, but the Cowboys, Eagles & Falcons lost.
It was the best week for a Giant fan since September.
The bye week came at the right time. Hopefully, guys like Chris Canty (can't he play?) and Aaron Ross will grow a pair and suit up-finally.
The Giants have two games in five days: Sunday at home against the Falcons, and Thanksgiving Night @ Denver. Now, as Tony Montana might say "that's not no duckwalk, Frank" but both games are very winnable.
Remember, the way the NFL works nowadays, its the team that peaks in December/ January that gets the prize.
So let the Colts and Saints go undefeated.
Let them peak during the season.
Everybody loses.
Ask Tom Brady.
It was the best week for a Giant fan since September.
The bye week came at the right time. Hopefully, guys like Chris Canty (can't he play?) and Aaron Ross will grow a pair and suit up-finally.
The Giants have two games in five days: Sunday at home against the Falcons, and Thanksgiving Night @ Denver. Now, as Tony Montana might say "that's not no duckwalk, Frank" but both games are very winnable.
Remember, the way the NFL works nowadays, its the team that peaks in December/ January that gets the prize.
So let the Colts and Saints go undefeated.
Let them peak during the season.
Everybody loses.
Ask Tom Brady.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Dont Know Much Geography....
Did you see this story from last night: Bruce Springsteen bellowed "Hello, Ohio!" to his fans at the Auburn Hills Palace. That's in Michigan. The 60-year-old rock legend referred to the neighboring state several times Friday night until E Street Band guitarist Steve Van Zandt whispered in his ear. I guess the great man of the people sometimes doesn't know where the people are, or where he is. I mean, Sinatra was in his eighties before stuff like this started happening. Perhaps long-term exposure to Clarence Clemons' grating horn can lead to early onset Alzheimers? On the bright side, maybe next time he could campaign in all of America's 57 states that Obama refers to below. | |
At a campaign event in Beaverton, OR, Obama claimed to have visited 57 U.S. states during the campaign. | |
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Saturday, November 14, 2009
Pointless Guard
I see the Knicks are off to the worst start in franchise history. And its not like they will have the most ping pong balls if they tank- their pick belongs to Utah by way of Phoenix courtesy of Isiah Thomas and the Marbury trade. You know how in Vietnam 30-40 years later, there are still old hand grenades that were discarded in the jungles but can still explode decades later? That is sort of like Isiah's effect on the Knicks.
But enough about Isiah and Vietnam.
I want to talk about the worst point guard in the NBA. I want to talk about Chris Duhon.
Now to play for Mike D'antoni is a point guard's dream. You get to push the ball. You have a lot of latitude to make decisions. The coach won't micro- manage your decisions. Remember, Nash did not become the Nash we now know until he ran D'antoni's offense.
But look at Duhon. Every time I see him, he plays like he still has Coach K barking into his ear telling him what to do. There is no spontaneity or creativity coming from this Dukie.
He dribbles when he should pass. He passes when he should shoot. He pretends like he is setting up the offense ACC style, while ignoring two quick cutters to the hole.
The man has no feel for the position. And 99% of the requirements for a point guard comes down to a feel for the game. For what's needed. But he is way too scripted.
When you watch great fast break basketball, its like a bunch of musicians jamming together and going wherever the music takes them. When you watch Duhon, he is like the kid with the tuba in a high school band struggling to read the sheet music.
I would hate to play with a guy like Duhon. You would never know when you would get the ball,there would be no rhyme or reason to his decisions, and ultimately it would be a joyless experience.
Helen Keller buying an ipod makes more sense than Duhon running an NBA offense. Even Rory Sparrow says that he sucks.
Enough.
Sign Jamal Tinsley.
But enough about Isiah and Vietnam.
I want to talk about the worst point guard in the NBA. I want to talk about Chris Duhon.
Now to play for Mike D'antoni is a point guard's dream. You get to push the ball. You have a lot of latitude to make decisions. The coach won't micro- manage your decisions. Remember, Nash did not become the Nash we now know until he ran D'antoni's offense.
But look at Duhon. Every time I see him, he plays like he still has Coach K barking into his ear telling him what to do. There is no spontaneity or creativity coming from this Dukie.
He dribbles when he should pass. He passes when he should shoot. He pretends like he is setting up the offense ACC style, while ignoring two quick cutters to the hole.
The man has no feel for the position. And 99% of the requirements for a point guard comes down to a feel for the game. For what's needed. But he is way too scripted.
When you watch great fast break basketball, its like a bunch of musicians jamming together and going wherever the music takes them. When you watch Duhon, he is like the kid with the tuba in a high school band struggling to read the sheet music.
I would hate to play with a guy like Duhon. You would never know when you would get the ball,there would be no rhyme or reason to his decisions, and ultimately it would be a joyless experience.
Helen Keller buying an ipod makes more sense than Duhon running an NBA offense. Even Rory Sparrow says that he sucks.
Enough.
Sign Jamal Tinsley.
Army Diversity
"What happened at Fort Hood was a tragedy,” but I believe it would be an even greater tragedy if our diversity becomes a casualty here.” Gen. George Casey, the U.S. Army's Chief of Staff
What a crock from the General. How does a guy like this rise to Army Chief of Staff? Shouldn't his concern lie with making sure another Hasan is not within the Army ranks? But no, he feels now is the time to remind us that the Army must be committed to diversity?
The adherence to diversity, U.S. Army-style, led to the deaths of 12 Americans. Diversity in the Army means this: Sure this guy endorses suicide bombing, of course he has supported terrorists on Internet postings, and yes, we know that he is in contact with the same imam that the 9/11 hijackers were down with. But, he is a Muslim. And how would it look if we singled him out?
Once behaviour is excused because of someones background-you open yourself up to a Ft. Hood situation.
Memo to the General: You know what would be worse than Ft. Hood? If your adherence to diversity blinds you to the fact that there may be more Hasan's in the Army.
What a crock from the General. How does a guy like this rise to Army Chief of Staff? Shouldn't his concern lie with making sure another Hasan is not within the Army ranks? But no, he feels now is the time to remind us that the Army must be committed to diversity?
The adherence to diversity, U.S. Army-style, led to the deaths of 12 Americans. Diversity in the Army means this: Sure this guy endorses suicide bombing, of course he has supported terrorists on Internet postings, and yes, we know that he is in contact with the same imam that the 9/11 hijackers were down with. But, he is a Muslim. And how would it look if we singled him out?
Once behaviour is excused because of someones background-you open yourself up to a Ft. Hood situation.
Memo to the General: You know what would be worse than Ft. Hood? If your adherence to diversity blinds you to the fact that there may be more Hasan's in the Army.
Friday, November 13, 2009
They Make Excuses-For Some
There is a question we should ask those who are making the terrorist Hasan out to be a victim of post traumatic stress disorder. And let's leave aside that the word "post" means that you had to actually have been in combat in order to qualify for the disorder.
The question is, why didn't these same people offer up the same rationale when American soldiers were alleged to have engaged in torture in Abu Ghraib? I mean, they were actually in combat. No doubt they were in a high stress environment: a jail full of Islamic terrorists, who would think nothing of blowing themselves up in order to blow you up. We can agree that situation is no spring day in Prospect Park, no?
Yet the Hasan excuse-makers, they were the ones who wanted these guys prosecuted to the full extent of the law. They were the ones that wanted all photos to be publicly released, regardless of the harm it would cause our soldiers still on the battle field.
The New York Slimes ran Abu Ghraib stories for 40 straight days. Did any of these stories talk about the trauma our military personnel suffered in these wars? Of course not. They wanted vengeance against the alleged perpetrators.
The big lesson: When an Islamic inspired terrorist slaughters innocent Americans, lets look for every reason we can to try to "understand" his behaviour. However, when military personnel are accused of crimes,throw the book at them, no excuses accepted.
The question is, why didn't these same people offer up the same rationale when American soldiers were alleged to have engaged in torture in Abu Ghraib? I mean, they were actually in combat. No doubt they were in a high stress environment: a jail full of Islamic terrorists, who would think nothing of blowing themselves up in order to blow you up. We can agree that situation is no spring day in Prospect Park, no?
Yet the Hasan excuse-makers, they were the ones who wanted these guys prosecuted to the full extent of the law. They were the ones that wanted all photos to be publicly released, regardless of the harm it would cause our soldiers still on the battle field.
The New York Slimes ran Abu Ghraib stories for 40 straight days. Did any of these stories talk about the trauma our military personnel suffered in these wars? Of course not. They wanted vengeance against the alleged perpetrators.
The big lesson: When an Islamic inspired terrorist slaughters innocent Americans, lets look for every reason we can to try to "understand" his behaviour. However, when military personnel are accused of crimes,throw the book at them, no excuses accepted.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
It Don't Add Up
SHOCK: 90% of City University students in NY can't do basic algebra...
Check out the Daily News story above if you would like. When interviewed, one CUNY student said we should look at the bright side: "At least that means that 3 out of 10 of us can do basic algebra."
Mr. Bloomberg- tear down these schools.
Check out the Daily News story above if you would like. When interviewed, one CUNY student said we should look at the bright side: "At least that means that 3 out of 10 of us can do basic algebra."
Mr. Bloomberg- tear down these schools.
The Best & The Brightest
Nice little Veteran's Day interview below with three men whose lives intersected at West Point in the mid 1960's: Bob Knight, Bill Parcells & Coach K. Knight was the head basketball coach, Coach K played for him, and Parcells was the assistant football coach. Can you imagine some kid playing for Knight in basketball & Parcells in football at Westpoint? The way they drove their players, Vietnam must have seemed like Disneyland in comparison. I remember years later, Parcells would bring Knight into the Giant locker room before games, and LT would yell "you ain't throwing any chairs in here." Oh, no Coach Knight post would do justice without this after practice classic tirade. Caution: STRONG LANGUAGE. | |
Former my coaches Bob Knight, Bill Parcells, and Mike Krzyzewski share memories of West Point. | |
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Quote of the Day
According to numerous eyewitness accounts, Hasan denounced the "war on terror" as a war against Islam, said Muslims should attack Americans in retaliation for the war in Iraq, defended suicide bombers and said he was "happy" when a Muslim murdered a soldier at a military recruiting center in Arkansas earlier this year.
Stranger still, he wasn't auditioning for his own show on MSNBC when he made these statements. - Annie Coulter
Stranger still, he wasn't auditioning for his own show on MSNBC when he made these statements. - Annie Coulter
Wish List
I just read that the Bloomberg Administration is spending a lot of cash to revitalize Coney Island. Good idea. Coney Island is like Bill Walton when he was on the Celtics-still great, but in need of a little help.
After reading about the Coney Island project, it got me thinking what else I would want for Brooklyn. Here goes:
First and foremost, I want the goddamn Nets in downtown Brooklyn. I love that the new Net owner, the Russian billionaire, has enough money to make Bloomberg middle class.
Its a travesty that Brooklyn doesn't have a pro sports team. Its like Ireland without Guinness: hard to conceive.
All these opponents of the Nets moving to Brooklyn, give them their own commune in Gravesend or something.
When the Nets break ground in Brooklyn, Baldman will be the fat guy at the photo-op with a shovel in the ground. Or he may be the guy with the super-duper sized scissors at the ribbon cutting ceremony. Either way, afterwards, we go to Juniors to celebrate.
Once we get the Nets, we get Lebron. I don't care if we have to give him the Williamsburg Savings Bank building -which I think Magic Johnson owns- to get him. Maybe we can get Magic to trade it for the Park Slope Food Co-op. It would be his greatest assist ever.
If Jay Z gets Lebron to come to Brooklyn, I will fill my Ipod with his songs?, if that is what they are called, and will sing his praises for the rest of my days. In fact, it will be easy to sing his praises, I just will learn the lyrics to his "songs" where he sings his own praises.
Now I also want Bernard King to have a no show job with the Nets. For life. Cash for nothing. Cause we still owe him.
After we get the Nets, I have some other things on my wish list.
I want the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library open 24 hours. Non- stop learning for those who want it. What can be wrong with that?
Next, I want the subway platforms in Brooklyn to be air conditioned. Even if it takes going into Bloomy's pockets to get it done. As was once said about Evander Holyfield: "He has enough money to air condition hell."
I would never be classified as a tree hugger, but get rid of the cars in Prospect Park. Just make those 565 acres off limit. Cars can have the rest of Brooklyn.
I would limit the number of strollers per households in Park Slope to 1. Nowadays, the average family in Park Slope has 1.2 kids and 3.8 strollers, plus a West Indian nanny. The math is killing me. Ever get on a bus with a bunch of strollers? Its like the Berlin Wall was rebuilt on the B-67.
In the 70's I could probably name at least one family on each block from 11th Street to President Street that had at least 5 kids in each family. And no strollers. And when you said "Nanny" it meant somebody's grandmother, not "the woman who is severely underpaid to perform motherly duties."
So that's the interim Brooklyn wish list. It's non-negotiable.
Unless Lebron says otherwise.
After reading about the Coney Island project, it got me thinking what else I would want for Brooklyn. Here goes:
First and foremost, I want the goddamn Nets in downtown Brooklyn. I love that the new Net owner, the Russian billionaire, has enough money to make Bloomberg middle class.
Its a travesty that Brooklyn doesn't have a pro sports team. Its like Ireland without Guinness: hard to conceive.
All these opponents of the Nets moving to Brooklyn, give them their own commune in Gravesend or something.
When the Nets break ground in Brooklyn, Baldman will be the fat guy at the photo-op with a shovel in the ground. Or he may be the guy with the super-duper sized scissors at the ribbon cutting ceremony. Either way, afterwards, we go to Juniors to celebrate.
Once we get the Nets, we get Lebron. I don't care if we have to give him the Williamsburg Savings Bank building -which I think Magic Johnson owns- to get him. Maybe we can get Magic to trade it for the Park Slope Food Co-op. It would be his greatest assist ever.
If Jay Z gets Lebron to come to Brooklyn, I will fill my Ipod with his songs?, if that is what they are called, and will sing his praises for the rest of my days. In fact, it will be easy to sing his praises, I just will learn the lyrics to his "songs" where he sings his own praises.
Now I also want Bernard King to have a no show job with the Nets. For life. Cash for nothing. Cause we still owe him.
After we get the Nets, I have some other things on my wish list.
I want the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library open 24 hours. Non- stop learning for those who want it. What can be wrong with that?
Next, I want the subway platforms in Brooklyn to be air conditioned. Even if it takes going into Bloomy's pockets to get it done. As was once said about Evander Holyfield: "He has enough money to air condition hell."
I would never be classified as a tree hugger, but get rid of the cars in Prospect Park. Just make those 565 acres off limit. Cars can have the rest of Brooklyn.
I would limit the number of strollers per households in Park Slope to 1. Nowadays, the average family in Park Slope has 1.2 kids and 3.8 strollers, plus a West Indian nanny. The math is killing me. Ever get on a bus with a bunch of strollers? Its like the Berlin Wall was rebuilt on the B-67.
In the 70's I could probably name at least one family on each block from 11th Street to President Street that had at least 5 kids in each family. And no strollers. And when you said "Nanny" it meant somebody's grandmother, not "the woman who is severely underpaid to perform motherly duties."
So that's the interim Brooklyn wish list. It's non-negotiable.
Unless Lebron says otherwise.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Doing The Right Thing
The Honor Flight Network is a non-profit group that provides World War II Vets free travel to visit the WWII Memorial in DC. Far too many of these heroes have not had the chance to visit the Memorial, and the Honor Flight people are doing a great thing by providing a chance for these heroes to see how much their country loves them. (See video below.) If you would like to donate to Honor Flight, or submit an application on behalf of a WWII veteran, click on the link below. Oh, by the way, Honor Flight accepts donations from everyone except WWII Veterans-because they gave enough. | |
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Ted Was Red (Teddy KGB)
Until recently, if you called Ted Kennedy red-faced, you were referring to the man being a booze bag, a drunk, or a lush.
But once the KGB starting declassifying its documents, red- faced Ted took on a whole different meaning.
You see, Ted did not like Ronald Reagan's policies toward the Soviet Union. So he sent one of his message boys to deliver a communication to Soviet chief Yuri Andropov. The message: I side with you against Reagan. Let's work together to ensure that Reagan is not re-elected. Let's get a Democrat in office that is more friendly to the Soviet Union.
With the 20th anniversary of the falling of the Berlin Wall, don't you think its important to note who was on the right side of history, and who worked to maintain the status quo?
Funny that this wasn't mentioned at all in any of the Teddy eulogies.
I knew that Teddy was down with the Soviets, but until I read the KGB memo below, I never knew that he was, really down with the Soviets.
What's worse, letting a woman to drown in your car, or selling out a nation?
Below is the declassified KGB memo on the Kennedy communication. It's from Paul Kengor’s book "The Crusader – Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism."
TEXT OF KGB LETTER ON SENATOR TED KENNEDY _________________________________________
Special Importance Committee on State Security of the USSR 14.05. 1983 No. 1029 Ch/OV Moscow
Special Importance Committee on State Security of the USSR 14.05. 1983 No. 1029 Ch/OV Moscow
Regarding Senator Kennedy’s request to the General Secretary of the Communist Party
Comrade Y.V. Andropov
Comrade Y.V. Andropov:
On 9-10 May of this year, Senator Edward Kennedy’s close friend and trusted confidant J. Tunney was in Moscow. The senator charged Tunney to convey the following message, through confidential contacts, to the General Secretary of the Center Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Y. Andropov.
Senator Kennedy, like other rational people, is very troubled by the current state of Soviet-American relations. Events are developing such that this relationship coupled with the general state of global affairs will make the situation even more dangerous. The main reason for this is Reagan’s belligerence, and his firm commitment to deploy new American middle range nuclear weapons within Western Europe.
According to Kennedy, the current threat is due to the President’s refusal to engage any modification on his politics. He feels that his domestic standing has been strengthened because of the well publicized improvement of the economy: inflation has been greatly reduced, production levels are increasing as is overall business activity. For these reasons, interest rates will continue to decline. The White House has portrayed this in the media as the "success of Reaganomics."
Naturally, not everything in the province of economics has gone according to Reagan’s plan. A few well known economists and members of financial circles, particularly from the north-eastern states, foresee certain hidden tendencies that many bring about a new economic crisis in the USA. This could bring about the fall of the presidential campaign of 1984, which would benefit the Democratic party. Nevertheless, there are no secure assurances this will indeed develop.
The only real threats to Reagan are problems of war and peace and Soviet-American relations. These issues, according to the senator, will without a doubt become the most important of the election campaign. The movement advocating a freeze on nuclear arsenals of both countries continues to gain strength in the United States. The movement is also willing to accept preparations, particularly from Kennedy, for its continued growth. In political and influential circles of the country, including within Congress, the resistence to growing military expenditures is gaining strength.
However, according to Kennedy, the opposition to Reagan is still very weak. Reagan’s adversaries are divided and the presentations they make are not fully effective. Meanwhile, Reagan has the capabilities to effectively counter any propaganda. In order to neutralize criticism that the talks between the USA and the USSR are non-constructive, Reagan will grandiose, but subjectively propagandistic. At the same time, Soviet officials who speak about disarmament will be quoted out of context, silenced or groundlessly and whimsically discounted. Although arguments and statements by officials of the USSR do appear in the press, it is important to note the majority of Americans do not read serious newspapers or periodicals.
Kennedy believes that, given the current state of affairs, and in the interest of peace, it would be prudent and timely to undertake the following steps to counter the militaristic politics of Reagan and his campaign to psychologically burden the American people. In this regard, he offers the following proposals to the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Y.V. Andropov:
1. Kennedy asks Y.V. Andropov to consider inviting the senator to Moscow for a personal meeting in July of this year. The main purpose of the meeting, according to the senator, would be to arm Soviet officials with explanations regarding problems of nuclear disarmament so they may be better prepared and more convincing during appearances in the USA. He would also like to inform you that he has planned a trip through Western Europe, where he anticipates meeting England’s Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and French President Mitterand in which he will exchange similar ideas regarding the same issues.
If his proposals would be accepted in principle, Kennedy would send his representative to Moscow to resolve questions regarding organizing such a visit.
Kennedy thinks the benefits of a meeting with Y.V.Andropov will be enhanced if he could also invite one of the well known Republican senators, for example, Mark Hatfield. Such a meeting will have a strong impact on American and political circles in the USA (In March of 1982, Hatfield and Kennedy proposed a project to freeze the nuclear arsenals of the USA and USSR and pblished a book on the theme as well.)
2. Kennedy believes that in order to influence Americans it would be important to organize in August-September of this year, televised interviews with Y.V. Andropov in the USA. A direct appeal by the General Secretary to the American people will, without a doubt, attact a great deal of attention and interest in the country. The senator is convinced this would receive the maximum resonance in so far as television is the most effective method of mass media and information.
If the proposal is recognized as worthy, then Kennedy and his friends will bring about suitable steps to have representatives of the largest television companies in the USA contact Y.V. Andropov for an invitation to Moscow for the interview. Specifically, the president of the board of directors of ABC, Elton Raul and television columnists Walter Cronkite or Barbara Walters could visit Moscow. The senator underlined the importance that this initiative should be seen as coming from the American side.
Furthermore, with the same purpose in mind, a series of televised interviews in the USA with lower level Soviet officials, particularly from the military would be organized. They would also have an opportunity to appeal directly to the American people about the peaceful intentions of the USSR, with their own arguments about maintaining a true balance of power between the USSR and the USA in military term. This issue is quickly being distorted by Reagan’s administration.
Kennedy asked to convey that this appeal to the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union is his effort to contribute a strong proposal that would root out the threat of nuclear war, and to improve Soviet-American relations, so that they define the safety of the world. Kennedy is very impressed with the activities of Y.V. Andropov and other Soviet leaders, who expressed their commitment to heal international affairs, and improve mutal understandings between peoples.
The senator underscored that he eagerly awaits a reply to his appeal, the answer to which may be delivered through Tunney.
Having conveyed Kennedy’s appeal to the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Tunney also explained that Senator Kennedy has in the last few years actively made appearances to reduce the threat of war. Because he formally refused to partake in the election campaign of 1984, his speeches would be taken without prejudice as they are not tied to any campaign promises. Tunney remarked that the senator wants to run for president in 1988. At that time, he will be 56 and his personal problems, which could hinder his standing, will be resolved (Kennedy has just completed a divorce and plans to remarry in the near future). Taken together, Kennedy does not discount that during the 1984 campaign, the Democratic Party may officially turn to him to lead the fight against the Republicans and elect their candidate president. This would explain why he is convinced that none of the candidates today have a real chance at defeating Reagan.
We await instructions.
President of the committee V. Chebrikov
President of the committee V. Chebrikov
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Heaven Is A Playground
After reading and reviewing The Book of Basketball (the previous post) it made me think of a friend who if he were around today, would have loved it. A little more than a year ago, I put pen to paper to and described what it was like playing basketball with him.
Here it is:
Finally, how can we have a time machine basketball game at 51's without Wheatley? IT COULD NEVER HAPPEN. Was there anybody more natural with a ball and bat in his hands? You know how some comedians can do uncanny voice impersonations? Wheatley could watch a great pro once, see him make great move, and then replicate that move the next time he stepped on the court. With no practice. Trying it for the first time with defenders draped all over him. No one had better hands, no one had better feet, no one had better body control. It's weird, he couldn't jump high, but he could jump twice before most people jumped once. He wasn't fast, but he was quick. He would get a half step on a defender-and it was over. He would use his body to gain leverage, and it was over. He wasn't tall, but fu*k, he could post people at will, using his ass to create distance. He knew ever angle, on every court, before Tim Duncan brought in back, Wheatley was the last guy to consistently use the bank shot as a weapon. His was a 1970's game, with a healthy dose of 1980's trash talk. I loved playing with him. He had total confidence in my game, which was an unbelievable boost. Whenever we were on a fast break and someone turned the ball over, he would say "Just give the ball to Baldman!" Whenever I would feed him on the break, right after he scored or even while he scored he would yell STOCKTON! as a way of acknowledging my pass. Trust me, I did not write the last two sentences to brag about myself; I wrote them to show how much this praise meant to me at that time. Getting Wheatley to praise your game is like Bill Gates coming up to you and saying "That's a hell of a computer you're building." It's something you notice, you know? I had a dream about Wheatley last week. Recently, I was hospitalized with an infection. In the dream, Wheatley entered my actual hospital room, gave me a cake, and left without saying a word. That's some weird sh*t, right? OK, let's end this section by saying if there ever is a time-machine game at 51's and Wheatley is not playing, I want to be notified. I will bring a class action lawsuit against the game's organizer, on behalf of all those who loved playing with him.
Here it is:
Finally, how can we have a time machine basketball game at 51's without Wheatley? IT COULD NEVER HAPPEN. Was there anybody more natural with a ball and bat in his hands? You know how some comedians can do uncanny voice impersonations? Wheatley could watch a great pro once, see him make great move, and then replicate that move the next time he stepped on the court. With no practice. Trying it for the first time with defenders draped all over him. No one had better hands, no one had better feet, no one had better body control. It's weird, he couldn't jump high, but he could jump twice before most people jumped once. He wasn't fast, but he was quick. He would get a half step on a defender-and it was over. He would use his body to gain leverage, and it was over. He wasn't tall, but fu*k, he could post people at will, using his ass to create distance. He knew ever angle, on every court, before Tim Duncan brought in back, Wheatley was the last guy to consistently use the bank shot as a weapon. His was a 1970's game, with a healthy dose of 1980's trash talk. I loved playing with him. He had total confidence in my game, which was an unbelievable boost. Whenever we were on a fast break and someone turned the ball over, he would say "Just give the ball to Baldman!" Whenever I would feed him on the break, right after he scored or even while he scored he would yell STOCKTON! as a way of acknowledging my pass. Trust me, I did not write the last two sentences to brag about myself; I wrote them to show how much this praise meant to me at that time. Getting Wheatley to praise your game is like Bill Gates coming up to you and saying "That's a hell of a computer you're building." It's something you notice, you know? I had a dream about Wheatley last week. Recently, I was hospitalized with an infection. In the dream, Wheatley entered my actual hospital room, gave me a cake, and left without saying a word. That's some weird sh*t, right? OK, let's end this section by saying if there ever is a time-machine game at 51's and Wheatley is not playing, I want to be notified. I will bring a class action lawsuit against the game's organizer, on behalf of all those who loved playing with him.
Go Get It
I have a friend who loves Led Zeppelin. Can't get enough of their songs. And he has been listening to them since he had ears. Recently, he told me that he wished he had never heard one Zeppelin song. I was puzzled, and asked him why. He responded:"Because you know how great it would be to discover them now for the first time?"
I just finished reading the #1 book on the New York Times best seller list, "The Book of Basketball" by Bill Simmons.
And what I think/feel about this book is how my pal feels about Zeppelin: I wish I never read it so I could experience again the joy I got out of reading it for the first time. (Not that I won't ever read it again, it will be on my book shelve and within arms reach as long as I have breath.)
Its a book about the NBA. The players & teams that mattered. And why they mattered.
The book is about the Secret. The Secret Bill Simmons learned from Isiah Thomas-the same Isiah that Simmons rightfully has trashed as an NBA executive- at a chance encounter with Isiah at a Vegas topless pool with blackjack tables.
Its about the players & teams that lived the Secret. And those that did not.
If you love the NBA now, or loved it in your past, you need to run a Magic Johnson- like Laker fast break with Worthy & Cooper on the wings to the nearest bookstore and start devouring this magnificent book.
The analysis is first rate, and filled with the unmatched passion Simmons has for the NBA.
Check out his analysis of Julius Erving. After stating that as time goes on, some will say that Doc didn't have a reliable jump shot and didn't post many players, Simmons chimes in with this:
As the years pass, I'm sure people will pick Doc's resume apart with everything mentioned in the first paragraph, his star will fade, and that will be that. All I can tell you is this: I was there. I was young, but I was there. And Julius Erving remains one of the most gripping, terrifying, and unforgettable players I have ever seen in person. If he was filling the lane on the break, your blood raced. If he was charging toward a center and cocking the ball above his head, your heart pounded. Over everything else, I will remember his hands-his gigantic,freak-show, Freddy Krueger fingers-and how he palmed basketballs like softballs. One signature Doc play never got enough acclaim: the Sixers would clear out for him on the left side, with Doc's defender playing five feet off and forcing him to the middle as always, only every once in a while, Doc would take the bait, dribble into the paint like he was setting up a baby hook or something... and then, before you could blink, he'd explode toward the rim, grow Plastic Man arms and spin the ball (again, which he was holding like a softball) off the backboard and in with some absurd angle. He did it easily and beautifully, like a sudden gust of 110 mph wind, like nothing you have ever seen. His opponents would shake their heads in disbelief. The fans would make one of those incredulous moans, followed by five seconds of "Did you just see that?" murmurs. And Doc would jog back up the court like nothing ever happened, classy as always, just another two points for him.
I will not forget watching Julius Erving play basketball. Ever.
I tell you, the book is a slam dunk, and please don't forget to read the Epilogue, where Simmons pays a visit to a man who knows the Secret, and cherished it and lived it more than anybody.
I just finished reading the #1 book on the New York Times best seller list, "The Book of Basketball" by Bill Simmons.
And what I think/feel about this book is how my pal feels about Zeppelin: I wish I never read it so I could experience again the joy I got out of reading it for the first time. (Not that I won't ever read it again, it will be on my book shelve and within arms reach as long as I have breath.)
Its a book about the NBA. The players & teams that mattered. And why they mattered.
The book is about the Secret. The Secret Bill Simmons learned from Isiah Thomas-the same Isiah that Simmons rightfully has trashed as an NBA executive- at a chance encounter with Isiah at a Vegas topless pool with blackjack tables.
Its about the players & teams that lived the Secret. And those that did not.
If you love the NBA now, or loved it in your past, you need to run a Magic Johnson- like Laker fast break with Worthy & Cooper on the wings to the nearest bookstore and start devouring this magnificent book.
The analysis is first rate, and filled with the unmatched passion Simmons has for the NBA.
Check out his analysis of Julius Erving. After stating that as time goes on, some will say that Doc didn't have a reliable jump shot and didn't post many players, Simmons chimes in with this:
As the years pass, I'm sure people will pick Doc's resume apart with everything mentioned in the first paragraph, his star will fade, and that will be that. All I can tell you is this: I was there. I was young, but I was there. And Julius Erving remains one of the most gripping, terrifying, and unforgettable players I have ever seen in person. If he was filling the lane on the break, your blood raced. If he was charging toward a center and cocking the ball above his head, your heart pounded. Over everything else, I will remember his hands-his gigantic,freak-show, Freddy Krueger fingers-and how he palmed basketballs like softballs. One signature Doc play never got enough acclaim: the Sixers would clear out for him on the left side, with Doc's defender playing five feet off and forcing him to the middle as always, only every once in a while, Doc would take the bait, dribble into the paint like he was setting up a baby hook or something... and then, before you could blink, he'd explode toward the rim, grow Plastic Man arms and spin the ball (again, which he was holding like a softball) off the backboard and in with some absurd angle. He did it easily and beautifully, like a sudden gust of 110 mph wind, like nothing you have ever seen. His opponents would shake their heads in disbelief. The fans would make one of those incredulous moans, followed by five seconds of "Did you just see that?" murmurs. And Doc would jog back up the court like nothing ever happened, classy as always, just another two points for him.
I will not forget watching Julius Erving play basketball. Ever.
I tell you, the book is a slam dunk, and please don't forget to read the Epilogue, where Simmons pays a visit to a man who knows the Secret, and cherished it and lived it more than anybody.
They Got It All Wrong
Check out this AP story:
Homeland chief warns against anti-Muslim backlash
(AP) – 1 day ago
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — The U.S. Homeland Security secretary says she is working to prevent a possible wave of anti-Muslim sentiment after the shootings at Fort Hood in Texas.
Janet Napolitano says her agency is working with groups across the United States to try to deflect any backlash against American Muslims following Thursday's rampage by Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a Muslim who reportedly expressed growing dismay over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The shootings left 13 people dead and 29 wounded.
Napolitano was in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday for talks with security officials and a meeting with women university students in Abu Dhabi.
They just don't get it. Homeland Security is working to prevent anti-Muslim attacks in the U.S.? Is that where the threats to security are coming from? Does the woman have any shame? The reg flags were waving in a Wrigley Field type wind with Hasan, and where was Homeland Security when the soldiers at Ft. Hood needed it?
If Homeland Security's immediate reaction to the Hasan terrorist act is to print brochures on tolerance instead of weeding out the next Hasan, then their priorities are wrong.
Dead wrong.
Homeland chief warns against anti-Muslim backlash
(AP) – 1 day ago
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — The U.S. Homeland Security secretary says she is working to prevent a possible wave of anti-Muslim sentiment after the shootings at Fort Hood in Texas.
Janet Napolitano says her agency is working with groups across the United States to try to deflect any backlash against American Muslims following Thursday's rampage by Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a Muslim who reportedly expressed growing dismay over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The shootings left 13 people dead and 29 wounded.
Napolitano was in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday for talks with security officials and a meeting with women university students in Abu Dhabi.
They just don't get it. Homeland Security is working to prevent anti-Muslim attacks in the U.S.? Is that where the threats to security are coming from? Does the woman have any shame? The reg flags were waving in a Wrigley Field type wind with Hasan, and where was Homeland Security when the soldiers at Ft. Hood needed it?
If Homeland Security's immediate reaction to the Hasan terrorist act is to print brochures on tolerance instead of weeding out the next Hasan, then their priorities are wrong.
Dead wrong.
Monday, November 9, 2009
A True Visionary
We all know with the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall upon us, the famous Reagan speech calling for the tearing down of the Wall is getting some airplay. (By the way, President Obama was invited to participate in the festivities, but he declined. I guess the decline of East European Soviet-style Communism isn't big on his celebration list.) Anyway, here is private citizen Reagan in 1964-some 24 years prior to the speech he gave as President-calling for the destruction of the Wall. | |
Ronald Reagan First Call for the Fall of the Berlin Wall 1964 | |
| © 2009 YouTube, LLC 901 Cherry Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066 | |
Quote of the Day
The general media reaction to the Ft. Hood massacre reminded me of an old joke. It’s about modern American liberals. One reason I feel secure in telling it is that I learned it from a liberal — from the commentator Mark Shields, who told it on television many years ago. Two liberals are walking down the road and they come to a person in the ditch. He has been beaten, and lies moaning, broken, bleeding. One liberal says to the other, “Quick, we have to find the people who did this: They need help.” -Jay Nordlinger
Saturday, November 7, 2009
When Political Correctness Kills
As I write here is what we know about Major Hasan:
1) that he praised suicide bombings on Internet postings;
2) that he told people in the army that a suicide bomber was equal to someone diving on a grenade to save innocent people;
3) that he told people that a Muslim cannot go to war against a fellow Muslim;
4) that some of these actions were reported to Army officials;
5) Army officials continued to let Major Hasan serve in the military;
6) Major Hasan took up arms not against the enemy in Iraq & Afghanistan, but against his fellow American soldiers, killing 12 and wounding 38.
7) Hasan shouted"Allahu akbar!" ("God is great!") while he killed our unarmed soldiers.
Now what is happening in the wake of Hasan's carnage increases the likelihood of it happening again and again and again.
First, the President, who knows all of the above and even more,has reminded the American people that people from diverse backgrounds serve in the military.
It was his "Sooth the American Savage Beast" teachable moment. Don't jump to conclusions he admonishes us.
Hear me out: The President is certifiably delusional. He is the Commander in Chief, but the job he thinks he has is Social Worker in Chief.
He is the commander. He needs to command. It is his Army. He needs to tell us that he will find out how Hasan was able to leave so many clues that he was going to go on a religiously inspired rampage, that heads will roll over the ignoring of the fact that Major Hasan was the enemy within.
But the President hasn't done that.
Why not? Because he never will admit that Hasan committed an act of terror. Why would he never admit the undeniable? Because in post 9/11 America, every President feels he has to say NO ACTS OF TERROR TOOK PLACE ON U.S. SOIL ON MY WATCH.
Think about it: what is every President's primary responsibility? No, its not to run car companies, or takeover banks, or government provided health care. Its national security. Securing Americans from attack.
So they will bend and twist and contort so they can say, "Hasan was under a lot of stress, that's why he killed." NEVER Mind his praise for suicide bombers. Never mind that his ideology & Actions match EXACTLY with the ideas, motivations and actions of the very enemy we are fighting today.
If we use the Post 9/11 definition of terrorism and apply it to pre 9/11 actions, than 9/11, the Kohbar Towers, the Navy ship in Yemen, the embassies in Kenya & Tanzania were not terrorist acts inspired by religious fanaticism. Here would be the argument: Where do you get that from? None of them left notes explaining why they did it. These had to be mentally ill people whose socio-economic background and experiences led them to this desperate call for help. Its highly irresponsible and reckless of you to jump to the conclusion that they did it for religious reasons.
You see how easy it is to play that game?
So don't expect the President to ever admit to a domestic act of terror-unless of course some right-wing nut kills an abortion provider. That's a terrorist act he would love to publicize.
Now other than the President never admitting that Hasan committed a terrorist act, something else is going on as well.
Its the Army's fault. No, not in the sense that they should have seen the red flags and removed Hasan from the Army, but more in the sense that Hasan's fellow soldiers drove him to act this way, that he was taunted, teased etc.
Here is the New York Slimes who ran a story getting reactions from people at the mosque that Hasan attended:
But some of the men who had befriended Major Hasan at the mosque said the military should examine the policies that might have caused him to snap....
The spin is on folks. And this spin is better than Curly Neal twirling a basketball on the tip of his finger.
Here is the formula:
1) Never admit that a terrorist action took place;
2) Have the media blame American institutions such as the Army or American foreign policy decisions to explain the "underlying cause" that is the primary reason why the person murdered;
3) Use the media to vilify anyone who would even dare to suggest that such actions are religiously inspired acts of terror.
So what happens when the formula is implemented?
1) Americans ignore red flags that may indicate potential terrorist activity. They don't want to be labeled a"racial/ethnic profiler". So it doesn't get reported.
2) When a terrorist act takes place in America, people are afraid to call it just that, because if you do so publicly, the media will destroy your reputation.
And that is how political correctness kills.
1) that he praised suicide bombings on Internet postings;
2) that he told people in the army that a suicide bomber was equal to someone diving on a grenade to save innocent people;
3) that he told people that a Muslim cannot go to war against a fellow Muslim;
4) that some of these actions were reported to Army officials;
5) Army officials continued to let Major Hasan serve in the military;
6) Major Hasan took up arms not against the enemy in Iraq & Afghanistan, but against his fellow American soldiers, killing 12 and wounding 38.
7) Hasan shouted"Allahu akbar!" ("God is great!") while he killed our unarmed soldiers.
Now what is happening in the wake of Hasan's carnage increases the likelihood of it happening again and again and again.
First, the President, who knows all of the above and even more,has reminded the American people that people from diverse backgrounds serve in the military.
It was his "Sooth the American Savage Beast" teachable moment. Don't jump to conclusions he admonishes us.
Hear me out: The President is certifiably delusional. He is the Commander in Chief, but the job he thinks he has is Social Worker in Chief.
He is the commander. He needs to command. It is his Army. He needs to tell us that he will find out how Hasan was able to leave so many clues that he was going to go on a religiously inspired rampage, that heads will roll over the ignoring of the fact that Major Hasan was the enemy within.
But the President hasn't done that.
Why not? Because he never will admit that Hasan committed an act of terror. Why would he never admit the undeniable? Because in post 9/11 America, every President feels he has to say NO ACTS OF TERROR TOOK PLACE ON U.S. SOIL ON MY WATCH.
Think about it: what is every President's primary responsibility? No, its not to run car companies, or takeover banks, or government provided health care. Its national security. Securing Americans from attack.
So they will bend and twist and contort so they can say, "Hasan was under a lot of stress, that's why he killed." NEVER Mind his praise for suicide bombers. Never mind that his ideology & Actions match EXACTLY with the ideas, motivations and actions of the very enemy we are fighting today.
If we use the Post 9/11 definition of terrorism and apply it to pre 9/11 actions, than 9/11, the Kohbar Towers, the Navy ship in Yemen, the embassies in Kenya & Tanzania were not terrorist acts inspired by religious fanaticism. Here would be the argument: Where do you get that from? None of them left notes explaining why they did it. These had to be mentally ill people whose socio-economic background and experiences led them to this desperate call for help. Its highly irresponsible and reckless of you to jump to the conclusion that they did it for religious reasons.
You see how easy it is to play that game?
So don't expect the President to ever admit to a domestic act of terror-unless of course some right-wing nut kills an abortion provider. That's a terrorist act he would love to publicize.
Now other than the President never admitting that Hasan committed a terrorist act, something else is going on as well.
Its the Army's fault. No, not in the sense that they should have seen the red flags and removed Hasan from the Army, but more in the sense that Hasan's fellow soldiers drove him to act this way, that he was taunted, teased etc.
Here is the New York Slimes who ran a story getting reactions from people at the mosque that Hasan attended:
But some of the men who had befriended Major Hasan at the mosque said the military should examine the policies that might have caused him to snap....
The spin is on folks. And this spin is better than Curly Neal twirling a basketball on the tip of his finger.
Here is the formula:
1) Never admit that a terrorist action took place;
2) Have the media blame American institutions such as the Army or American foreign policy decisions to explain the "underlying cause" that is the primary reason why the person murdered;
3) Use the media to vilify anyone who would even dare to suggest that such actions are religiously inspired acts of terror.
So what happens when the formula is implemented?
1) Americans ignore red flags that may indicate potential terrorist activity. They don't want to be labeled a"racial/ethnic profiler". So it doesn't get reported.
2) When a terrorist act takes place in America, people are afraid to call it just that, because if you do so publicly, the media will destroy your reputation.
And that is how political correctness kills.
Truth On The Floor
The video below is Congressman Paul Ryan speaking on the House floor today on the health care bill. In just two minutes, Ryan nails it. This bill goes way beyond health care. It fundamentally changes the relationship between the citizen and the government.
| |
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) took the floor minutes ago and gave one of the best talks of his young career urging House members not to socialize the nation's health care system. | |
| © 2009 YouTube, LLC 901 Cherry Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066 | |
Is It Too Much To Ask?
"As a matter of practice, we don't carry weapons here, this is our home." Lt. Gen. Cone, Ft. Hood
Were you as surprised as I was to learn that an Army base like Fort Hood, the largest Army base in the nation, does not have weapons? That the weapons are locked away, and only a few MP's carry arms?
Were you surprised to learn that a civilian cop had to come and save the day by shooting Major Hasan? Think about that: an army base had to be rescued from an attack by a lone police officer.
Sweet Jesus in Heaven above, is it too much to ask that our Army bases BE ARMED?
Were you as surprised as I was to learn that an Army base like Fort Hood, the largest Army base in the nation, does not have weapons? That the weapons are locked away, and only a few MP's carry arms?
Were you surprised to learn that a civilian cop had to come and save the day by shooting Major Hasan? Think about that: an army base had to be rescued from an attack by a lone police officer.
Sweet Jesus in Heaven above, is it too much to ask that our Army bases BE ARMED?
Don't Be Hood-Winked
After watching the video below, the reaction I had is the following: It's over. We're doomed. Think I'm overreacting? Hear me out and then check the video out. Some table setting: Its Larry King. He's put together a panel to discuss the Ft. Hood massacre. Its a three person panel: Dr. Phil, a former POW, and a current JAG officer. The topic: Possible motives for Major Hasan's killing of 12 and wounding of 31 of his Army brothers & sisters. Dr. Fraud/Phil and the POW are in perfect harmony: they think its post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that pushed Hasan to slaughter his own. But the JAG officer has a different theory: as long as we are speculating, we should consider if Hasan was motivated by religious ideology, specifically Islamic fundamentalism. Watch how Dr. Fraud and the POW go after the officer. How dare you speculate in innuendo! How irresponsible! You can't do that! This type of talk will lead to vigilantes and innocent people being hurt! They had more animus for the officer than the man who slaughtered the innocent. Think about that for a second. Dr. Fraud & the POW smelled blood when the officer said that Hasan might have acted out of religious ideology. They knew the gods of political correctness were looking after them. So they went for the jugular. Never mind that THEIR THEORY was a sham, PTSD by very definition can only occur after one is engaged in combat. Hasan had NEVER been deployed in combat. Ever. But he did choose to turn Ft. Hood into a combat zone. Never mind that the idea that Americans will engage in vigilantism if you mention that a mass killing may have been motivated by Islamic fundamentalism has been proven FALSE again and again. We heard it after 9/11 and several times since. Where are these American lynch mobs? It never happened. In reality, Americans who say that their fellow Americans will engage in vigilantism against Muslims when there is not a shred of evidence of it occurring are the same Americans who are always willing to believe the worst about their country while always assigning the best of motives to every other country. Have you met such people? I know you have. So we now know that Hasan told other soldiers that Muslims have a right to rise up against aggressors. That he equated suicide bombers to someone who jumps on a grenade and saves his fellow soldiers. Excuse me, but don't those beliefs sound exactly like the beliefs of, you know, the enemy? But did the Army look into these allegations? Did anyone report it? Probably not. Why? Most people don't want to be on the other end of the Dr. Fraud/POW argument. So they don't report it. And they go on with their lives. And if they do report it, the people investigating don't want to be on the wrong end of a "religious profiling" charge. And what happens? Hasan at Ft. Hood happens. But please, I'm just engaging in speculation. Here's the video. You make the call. | |
CNN - Larry King Live - November 5th, day of Ft. Hood Attack - Dr. Phil & Shoshana Johnson accuse JAG officer of being dangerously "ignorant" for his well articulated argument that the Islamist ideology was appearing more probable as a main component of Major Hassan's motivation for the shooting. | |
| © 2009 YouTube, LLC 901 Cherry Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066 | |
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