His Songs Will Always Be Played On The Stoop

Imagine you are a famous singer, and you've sold millions of records. Imagine further that at age 31, you are in a car accident that leaves you paralyzed from the chest down. Would you have the courage to make your first public singing appearance since the accident in front of 90,000 fans @ JFK Stadium in Philly, plus a billion or so watching the famous Live Aid Concert on television? The great Teddy Pendergrass, who passed away Wednesday, had that type of courage. Watch the incredibly moving performance below.
Ashford & Simpson with Teddy Pendergrass (Rest in Peace) - Reach Out And Touch (Live Aid 1985) Ashford & Simpson with Teddy Pendergrass Live Aid July 13th, 1985
© 2009 YouTube, LLC 901 Cherry Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066

Heaven Has Its Sports Talk Host

A founding father of sports talk radio has passed on, as Art Rust Jr.-known to his loyal listeners as “Arthur George Rust Jr.”- died yesterday in Manhattan @ age 82.

If you listen to sports radio in New York and don’t know Art Rust, your radio should be taken away from you.

Art Rust was a pioneer. A radio original. From the late 1970’s through the early 80’s, his voice was the only one on the dial talking sports.

He wasn’t loud, or disrespectful or antagonistic. He wasn’t a know it all who belittled his callers. He was a gentleman of the airwaves. He treated his audience with dignity and respect. In that way, he was the anti-Francesa.

Baldman was a beneficiary of Art Rust’s kindness many times as a caller to his show. He never big-timed the teenage Baldman, never was dismissive or impatient. Many times a caller would be in mid- comment and Rust would apologize because they needed to break for a commercial, and Rust would ask the caller: “Could you please hold on and finish that thought after the commercial?” Does that ever happen today?

Like all of us, he liked some sports more than others. His twin passions: baseball & boxing. He adored Joe Louis. He was at his best when a big fight was approaching.

From my view on the Stoop, Art Rust Jr. was like an All Pro fullback; he created holes for the modern day sports talk show hosts to run through.

He was a prince of the airwaves, and he is gone @ age 82.

Learn More

For anyone wanting to learn more about Haiti, the Stoop highly recommends Edwidge Danticat's Brother, I'm Dying.

Danticat is a Haitian-American author who moved to Brooklyn from Port-au-Prince @ age 12.

On one level, its a story about a very common immigrant experience: parents coming to America to start a better life, and while they set up shop in America, their children are raised in the old country by close relatives. When the parents are settled, the kids make the move to America.

The sacrifices made, & the bonding of the extended family are all on display, described by the author in an understated manner. Its a very effective writing style.

At its heart, Brother, I'm Dying is the story of two brothers: Danticat's father & uncle.

When Danticat was four, her parents moved to America. For the next eight years, she was raised by her uncle. Her uncle was an amazing man. He built his own church in Haiti, and did so among the unspeakable violence perpetrated by gangs-putting his own life on the line countless times.

Don't want to give away too many plot lines, so just know that Brother I'm Dying is a fascinating glimpse into pre- earthquake Haiti: the unspeakable level of poverty & unrelenting violence stand side by side with the amazing courage & dedication to family & community that is a common trait of the Haitian people.

Brother, I'm Dying is a worthy read and available everywhere.

Too Much To Bear

Today, no health care analysis. Nothing on Eric Holder. Nothing on the terrorists. Nothing on sports, the Supreme Court, Brooklyn or Ted Kennedy.

Today, just prayers for the people of Haiti.

New Jersey Goes To Pot

Legalize it - don't criticize it
Legalize it and i will advertise it -Peter Tosh

New Jersey just passed a medical marijuana law. The next agenda item for the NJ State Legislature is to impose a huge tax increase on all food classified by the Food & Drug Administration as "munchies."

The smoke that you typically see in Jersey when you look from Manhattan is taking on a whole new meaning.

The NJ Supreme Court has decided that the medical marijuana law is legal. They are calling it a "spliff decision."

The Apple & The Tree

I just read that Governor Paterson's son was arrested for possession of a stolen credit card. We all know that politicians LOVE spending other people's money; but who knew that their children had the same problem?


Gov. Paterson's son arrested with stolen credit card - The Hill's ...

Complections & Inflections

Who knew that back in the day, Harry Reid was a writer for Saturday Night Live? Check out the clip below:
Garrett Morris and Julian Bond on IQ tests IQ test
© 2009 YouTube, LLC 901 Cherry Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066

The Chart Will Tell You

If you want an easy guide to help you determine whether a politician is forgiven or punished when he makes a offensive remark,this flow chart is an excellent guide on how it plays out again, again & again......

chart provided by The Right Coast

The Chilling Effect Of Collective Bargaining

At a time when libraries in NYC are closing down on certain days and lowering the number of open hours on other days, the NYT's has a story (link at the bottom) on a little known provision of union rules @ the NYC public libraries: if the temperature goes below 68 degrees in a library, the union workers get comp time or paid leave to be paid in the future. In Brooklyn, in some circumstances, library workers are even sent home-with pay of course.

Key quote:

Under a little-known contract provision titled “Extreme Temperature Procedures,” unionized workers at branches of the New York Public Library can accrue compensatory time when the temperature inside dips below 68 degrees for a couple of hours. Similar clauses exist for libraries across the city.

What a crock. Have you ever heard of such a thing in the real world? Of course not. But in the world of collective bargaining, this stuff happens all the time.

Who knew that when I cracked a window open in a library, it resulted in 10 library employees getting two additional weeks in paid vacation?

But truth be known, I don't blame the unions; I blame the city.

How can the Bloomberg Administration official in charge of negotiating with the library workers union not make it a priority to get rid of this insane contract provision? Did he even bother to read the contract?

Does anyone believe that the employees that work for Mayor Bloomberg's private business get to go home with pay when the office temperature dips below 68 degrees? Don't be silly.

Milton Friedman was right: when we spend other people's money, we are not nearly as careful as when we spend out own cash.

The Bloomberg official who allowed this to be in the contract is probably the same guy who clips coupons and spends hours in the supermarket to ensure that he gets the best deal.

Remember, this country was founded on a tax revolt.

But do you ever get the sense that anyone in government treats our tax dollars with the care it deserves?

In New York City, a Chilly Library Has Its Rewards

And I Thought He Was Aganist Alan Keyes For Political Reasons

Ryan Frazier is running for Congress in Colorado. Here is his take on Harry Reid's comments about Barack Obama:

"When someone like Reid can insinuate that one group of Americans has a substandard dialect in comparison to the rest of the country, that’s alarming and, frankly, disturbing. This isn’t a Republican or Democrat issue, it’s an American issue, and much broader than being about President Obama. When I first heard the statements, I wondered: What exactly is a ‘Negro’ dialect? Anyone looking at this ought to ask that question. Obviously I’m black, but I’m still not sure what Reid’s talking about. And if the Democratic party is okay with this type of statement from their leadership, well, that speaks volumes.”

We Have To Be Like Iverson In The War On Terror

There is a story that Bill Simmons tells about Allen Iverson in his excellent new book, The Book of Basketball that Obama needs to incorporate in our war against Islamic psychos.

Here is Simmons:

I remember attending a Boston-Philly game when Iverson was whistled for a technical, yelped in disbelief, then followed the referee toward the scorer's table before finally yelling "Fuck You!" at the top of his lungs. The official turned around and pulled his whistle toward his mouth for a second technical. They were maybe 25 feet away from me, so I could see everything up close. And I swear on my daughter's life, the following moment happened: As the ref started blowing the whistle, Iverson's eyes widened and he moved angrily toward him, almost like someone getting written up for a parking ticket who decides it would be easier just to punch out the meter maid. For a split second, there was real violence in the air. The rattled official lowered his whistle and never called the second technical. By sheer force of personality, Iverson kept himself in the game.

Look I'm not condoning what happened. It was a frightening moment. I specifically remembering thinking, "I am frightened." But I have not seen a basketball player bully a referee like that before or since, it was like playing an intramural hoops game against the football team and watching the biggest offensive lineman intimidate a 130-pound freshman ref.

We have to be Iverson-like in the war on terror. Like the referee afraid to call the 2nd technical foul on Iverson, we have to make the terrorists afraid to get on that plane or do anything else that would bring us harm. We have to make them think twice about the ramifications of their actions.

Now some my say how do you intimidate someone willing to kill themselves as long as it brings us harm? But every man is afraid of something. Every man. Whether it is his family being harmed/killed, his city being flattened or something else, we have to get to the point where they are the ref about to blow the whistle, but then they realize what would happen if they did blow the whistle, and that realization and fear of what would happen if they went through with it makes them put that whistle down.

America needs to project an Allen Iverson image to the world.

Let's do it.

Bill Clinton: First Black President?

From Game Change, a new book on the 2008 Presidential campaign, on why Ted Kennedy was offended about the conversation he had with Bill Clinton about Presidential Candidate Barack Obama : (Page 218):

"Recounting the conversation later to a friend, Teddy fumed that Clinton had said, A few years ago this guy would have been getting us coffee."

Is it really any surprise that Clinton said that? What do you expect from the man who as governor of Arkansas signed a law that made Robert E. Lee Day a state holiday?

Ike Started It

Now that the college football season is over, the Stoop wants to tackle the Mike Leach/ Adam James story before it gets cold.

Up until December 29, 2009, Leach was the head football coach @ Texas Tech. James was a wide receiver on the team. Leach was fired after James' father, ESPN football announcer and ex college/NFL star Craig James, complained to Tech officials that after his son suffered a mild concussion, Leach banished him to an electrical closet while the rest of the team practiced. Texas Tech fired Leach one day before he was to receive an $800,000 bonus.

I saw this so- called electrical closet. It is BIGGER than the average NYC apartment. You can fit a couple of cars in there, and there was an ice machine and football dummies-and by that I don't mean Dallas Cowboy fans.

So what is really happening here?

The other day I looked up Adam James' statistics. He had 17 catches for the whole season. 17 catches in an offense that throws the ball like crazy.

I think that is what's driving the bus here. Craig James is acting like a stage Mom here. He reportedly complained often to the coaching staff on how Adam was being used in the offense.

If Leach ordered Adam James into a so-called electrical closet before every game and James had 80 catches, do you really think any complaint would have been made?

Leach's firing is just the latest symptom of a large disease that ails America.

And what is that ailment? Its the pussification of America. Everybody has a grievance. Everybody wants to tell you how much their feelings are hurt. This whole country if filled with people who see themselves as perpetual victims.

And now that disease has caught on in football, and its almost too much to bear.

You see, football is one of the last bastions of bravery in America. You have to be tough to play football. Physically tough. Mentally tough. In ain't for the faint-hearted.

But the Leach firing is a huge cannon ball shot by the grievance police into the belly of traditional American football.

Leach didn't even put his hands on James! And he got canned. Because of the brutal nature of football, a coach often uses unique/innovative methods to motivate men in order to properly prepare them for what happens on a football field.

But with the pussification of America, pretty soon most football teams are going to be coached by the Dr. Phil's of the world.

Its already happening. When Craig James played for SMU more than 25 years ago, if a player missed a blocking assignment, he might have received a cattle prod to his privates. And now he complains cause his kid was sent to a room by himself. Wow.

Again, it's happening throughout society. Back in the day, Baldman was taught by nuns who had perfected the Deacon Jones head slap. Trust me, it was a good motivating tool. Nowadays, the only thing you can hit a kid with is praise.

I blame General Eisenhower for unintentionally starting the pussification movement in America. When he made Patton apologize for slapping a cowardly soldier, (see the video link below) it was the "Patient Zero" moment that began infecting America with this awful malady.

From Patton to Leach- Baldman sees a straight line.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cqj3V-L5M4

It Will Be Different

Question for Jet fans: what's it going to be like playing a team that is actually trying to win the game? Lately, the teams you have played have taken more dives than Michael Phelps.

No Need 2 Go

Question: Why were there no Jet fans at Times Square on New Year's Eve?

Answer: Jet fans see the ball drop every time it's thrown to Braylon Edwards.

Know What's Going On

This week's New Yorker has a glowing profile of the newest Supreme Court Justice, the self-proclaimed wise one, Sonia Sotomayor.

Check out the following exchange, which took place when the President met with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus:

(Nydia) Velázquez gripped Obama by both hands. “Mr. President, you have an opportunity, here in your hands, to shape the United States Supreme Court for years to come.”
Obama whispered into Velázquez’s ear and smiled. “I know—there’s a Puerto Rican woman.”

I love it. The President couldn't even recall her name, but he sure committed her ethnicity to memory.

When liberals tell you how important someone's nomination is because of their ethnicity, here is exactly what's going on:

They want to frame the issue in the following way: If you oppose the nomination, you are racist/prejudiced against that particular ethnic/racial group.

And they use that strategy because it works. It works in the same way that old question When did you stop beating your wife works.

Just know what's going on. And know they are full of sh*t.

Why does Baldman say that?

Just look what happened when Baby Bush nominated Miguel Estrada to the DC Court of Appeals.

The same people who lectured us on how important Sotomayor's nomination was led the charge to kill Estrada's nomination.

And the methods they used to kill Estrada's nomination were historic; the libs filibustered it in the Senate. Never before had the filibuster been used to kill an Appellate Court nominee. But it was used against Estrada. And as a result, the man did not even get a chance to have the full Senate-a majority of which supported his nomination- vote on his nomination.

Big lessons we have learned on the Stoop: (1) ideology always trumps ethnicity; and (2) when we are lectured/pressured on how important a nomination is because of the nominee's ethnic/racial background, always remember what these same people did to Miguel Estrada.

All Bark, & No Bite

Here's the Prez, talking about the Christmas Day attempt to blow up the flight to Detroit:

“I will accept that intelligence by its nature is imperfect, but it is increasingly clear that intelligence was not fully analyzed or fully leveraged,” Mr. Obama said. “That’s not acceptable, and I will not tolerate it.”

Typical Obama, where the words never meet the deeds. He's not going to tolerate it? Every person he appointed to Homeland Security failed here. Every one. And not one of them has been fired or demoted. So how exactly is Obama not tolerating their failure?

The father of the terrorist read the signals correctly and told Obama's people that his son would bring harm to the U.S. And those people did nothing with that info. And those people have suffered no consequences for their monumental failure.

But its good to know that it won't be tolerated.

The Terminator

Check this out. It's Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the NYT Magazine from last summer. She comments on a Supreme Court case which upheld a law (the Hyde Amendment) which prohibited Medicaid funds from being used to pay for abortions. Basically, the case stands for the proposition that a woman may have a constitutional right to have an abortion, but that right does not extend to the government paying for it.

JUSTICE GINSBURG: Yes, the ruling about that surprised me. [Harris v. McRae — in 1980 the court upheld the Hyde Amendment, which forbids the use of Medicaid for abortions.] Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of.

Populations we don't want too many of? Concerns about population growth? Who is she looking to get rid of? It seems that Baby Ruth missed her first calling-as an exterminator.

Abortion has always been framed as an individual right, but Ruthie seems to think it is a collective right (notice the use of the term "we").

Ruthie let her guard down when she told the NYT Magazine her true thoughts on abortion.

And when you realize that those comments are coming from one of the most powerful person's in our government, and that person can hold power for life, it makes those comments very scary.

Hit The Bricks, Pal

The Giants today fired defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan. As far as I'm concerned, the Giant owners should have pulled a Mike Leach and thrown Sheridan and the whole Giant defense into an electrical closet.

Truth be known, I was down on Sheridan early in the season when he would wear a white NY Giant sweat suit on the sidelines. It looked like he raided the closet of Evil Knievel or Al Davis.

Make no mistake about it: the 2009 Giant defense was the worst Giant defense of Baldman's lifetime.

Hiring Sheridan to coach defense is like McGraw-Hill giving Tiger Woods a million dollar advance to write " The Joys of Monogamy".

Sheridan is so bad at defense, it wouldn't surprise me if he was the runner-up to Janet Napolitano to Head Homeland Security.

The man makes Ray Handley look like Vince Lombardi.

If Isiah Thomas was reincarnated as a football coach, he would come back as Bill Sheridan.

When you ask Sheridan about tackle, he thinks you are referring to fishing equipment.

The man's defensive game plans consisted of: (1) not rushing the passer; (2) not covering any receivers; and (3) acting as if offensive players carrying a football were lepers that needed to be avoided at all costs.

NBA teams give up less points than Sheridan's defense.

If Sheridan was ever arrested, he would undoubtedly be found guilty.

Why?

He would have no defense.

Good riddance.

Misplaced Priorities

The two stories below scream out how local governments can get their priorities ass-backwards.

The first story is on New York City's decision to close 14 library branches in Queens. It's a bad move. Bloomberg has enough loose change in the couch cushions in Gracie Mansion to fund these libraries. I wish Bloomberg would apply the same dedication to libraries that he does to banning smoking in public places or the use of trans fats. If I was granted five minutes of Mayor Bloomberg's time, I would urge him to spend his post-mayor life emulating Andrew Carnegie. When he was a young kid, Carnegie was a poor Scottish immigrant who tried to gain entry to a private Pittsburgh library. Pittsburgh had no public libraries at that time. Carnegie was denied use of the library because of how he was dressed. And he never forgot the sting of that moment. When he made his billions, he wanted to do his part to ensure that poor people who wanted to read books in libraries were never turned away like he was. So he funded/started OVER 3,000 PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN THE U.S. Mayor Bloomberg, you have a good role model in Andrew Carnegie.

The second story is the one that has me scratching my head on the Stoop. NYC has spent taxpayer dollars on printing a booklet that teaches heroin users how to properly shoot dope.

What's next, a guidebook on how to successfully rob a bank?

Let me get this straight: we close down libraries, places where people can read & educate themselves, but we print pamphlets, which people can also read, on the proper way to inject heroin? WTF?

Something you should know about Baldman: While he is a foot soldier in the Goldwater/Reagan/Buchanan/Scalia/Thomas pitchfork brigade, he is also very liberal when it comes to government funding of public libraries. Other than the use of tax dollars to build bombs to kill those who want to kill us, the public funding of libraries is Baldman's favorite use of the taxpayers cash.

As the noted philosopher Roddy Piper used to say: "Just when they think they have the answers, I change the questions."

14 Queens Libraries to Close on Weekends

NYC-funded guide for heroin users draws DEA's ire

Obama Says Yes To Profiling

From The NYT tonight:

U.S. Intensifies Screening for Travelers From 14 Nations Citizens of 14 nations including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Nigeria who are flying to the United States will be subjected indefinitely to the intense screening at airports worldwide that was imposed in the aftermath of the Christmas Day bombing plot, Obama administration officials announced Sunday.

Obama must have read the copy of "National Security For Dummies" that I sent him for Christmas. Or perhaps he got hit in the head with a surfboard in Hawaii, and when the cobwebs cleared, he found his inner Dick Cheney. Whatever the reason, I applaud the move. But as my liberal friends always say when the feds increase spending on social programs by the billions: THIS IS ONLY A GOOD FIRST STEP. WE HAVE SO MUCH MORE TO DO IN THIS AREA.

For example, doesn't common sense dictate that if we are subjecting citizens of these 14 Nations to higher scrutiny when they fly to the United States, why doesn't this policy apply when they are flying within United States?

Give me some more change I can believe in.



.

Quick Jabs

I just read where Elton John says that he has been helping rapper Eminem overcome his battle with drug addiction. Not for nothing, isn't this revelation bad for Eminem's street credibility? It would be like 50 Cent overcoming anger management issues with the help of James Taylor. What happened to keeping it real?

Next topic: Did you see the story on how Gilbert Arenas & his teammate pulled guns out on each other? Its the first time Arenas has ever been known to pass up a shot. Arenas has always been known to be a gunner, but who knew he was really a gunner? But then again, the guy gets paid millions to be a shooting guard, so maybe this is not such a surprise.

Carlos Is Teaching You The Mambo?

To me, the greatest local New Year's tradition is the Honeymooners marathon they show all day on television every January 1st. I still laugh like I'm seeing each episode for the first time, and in my view from here on the Stoop, the show has never been topped.

Two quick observations from watching yesterday:

1) Norton's apartment. It's so god-damned modern when compared to Ralph's. It has state of the art appliances & furniture, cool wallpaper, & that unbelievable record player where you can make your own record like Ralph did when he apologized to Alice for yelling at her mother. All of this on a sewer worker's salary? Norton must have been taking bribes. If Norton's apartment was around today, it would be featured on MTV cribs.

2) If the Honeymooners were a new show with its premiere episodes shown in 2010, it never would have made it. It would be the focus of protests, and its advertisers would have been pressured to drop the show. Why? Well of course the show is smut-free, and they never even show you the Kramden's bedroom. But Ralph's threatening to send Alice to the moon every episode would have made liberal women's groups like NOW froth at the mouth. And Gleason did not have the proper liberal credentials to survive it. So while Charlie Sheen in real life can threaten women, and Chuck Schumer can go around calling women bitches, they are shielded by having the proper liberal views. But Gleason, they would have went after hard. Real hard. And somehow, I think he would have rather shut down the show than submit to demands for diversity training.

The Gift

We know what Maureen Dowd received for Christmas-a brain. Even she get it:

If we can’t catch a Nigerian with a powerful explosive powder in his oddly feminine-looking underpants and a syringe full of acid, a man whose own father had alerted the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, a traveler whose ticket was paid for in cash and who didn’t check bags, whose visa renewal had been denied by the British, who had studied Arabic in Al Qaeda sanctuary Yemen, whose name was on a counterterrorism watch list, who can we catch?

Give em Hell Ed.....

If you click on to the link below, you will learn in 29 seconds why Ed Koch endeared himself to so many New Yorkers. The man can sit on my Stoop @ any time.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmYHVHQhFv4

Tick Tock.....

A Good Friend from the Stoop came up with the following scenario:

The terrorist that tried to blow up 300 civilians on Christmas day (and who violated just about every major rule of war ever created) was Mirandized and indicted in federal court instead of being treated like an enemy combatant. As Spock from Star Treck would likely say, "Logic dictates" that in the future any terrorist who intends to commit mass murder will not be treated as an enemy combatant, but will be arrested and given all Constitutional rights of a US citizen. Now I pose the following scenario:

Terrorist arrested in New York City with the nuclear trigger.
FBI: "Where's the bomb!!!?"
Terrorist: "I want my lawyer."
FBI: "Uhmmmm"
Tick...tick...tick....

The nightmare continues.....

The Mayor & The Cardinal

For anyone interested in NYC history, check out this interview with three-time NYC Mayor Ed Koch. Koch reveals that during his mayoralty,there was a time when he was clinically depressed to the point where he could hardly get out of bed, but a call from Cardinal O'Connor lifted his spirits and broke him out of his depression. Koch calls Cardinal O'Connor a "true brother". Check it out:
Ed Koch with Budd Mishkin at the 92nd Street Y In a wide-ranging discussion on his life and career, former New York City Ed Koch sits down with NY1's Budd Mishkin at the 92nd Street Y on September 8, 2008.
© 2009 YouTube, LLC 901 Cherry Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066

The Lying King

Remember that scene in Scarface where Sosa says to Tony Montana:

I like you, Tony. There is no lying in you.

Unfortunately, I do not feel the same about the rest of your organization.

Sosa would have never uttered those words to Obama. Because Sosa would have seen Obama as a liar.

Lets look at Obama's lies about Health Care.

The link below is the Teleprompter Man on the 2008 campaign trail. Watch him tell the assembled sheep how horrible John McCain's health care plan is because of the way its funded. Watch him mesmerize the Kool Aid drinkers by hammering away saying how horrible it would be to fund health care reform by cutting Medicare and taxing existing health care plans.

But look at the Senate bill that Obama supports, sports fans. How is it paid for? By cuts in Medicare & taxes on existing health plans!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zO3jCmfPDA


The next lie Obama told the people is the following:

So let me begin by saying this: I know that there are millions of Americans who are content with their health care coverage - they like their plan and they value their relationship with their doctor. And that means that no matter how we reform health care, we will keep this promise: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period. If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan. Period. No one will take it away. No matter what.

Here's the skinny on Obama's promise: above: he has broken it. Millions of Americans won't be able to keep their existing health plans. Here's why: (1) under the Senate bill, restrictions in Health Care Flexible Spending Accounts will cause people to pay thousands of dollars more in taxes which, if they cannot afford, will force them to choose another plan; and (2) certain so-called "Cadillac Plans" will be taxed at a 40% rate which will force employers to offer less expense plans with less benefits.

Another lie: that illegal aliens will not be covered. The President does not believe that anyone is an illegal alien. He calls them "soon to be registered Democrats". If you ask the man about borders, he thinks you are talking about a book store. If the man is on the record for granting amnesty to illegal aliens, how can you believe him when he says illegal aliens won't be covered?

Change we can believe in, huh?

The System

From today's NYT:

“The system has worked really very, very smoothly over the course of the past several days,” Janet Napolitano, the Homeland Security secretary said, in an interview on “This Week” on ABC. Robert Gibbs, the White House spokesman, used nearly the same language on “Face the Nation” on CBS, saying that “in many ways, this system has worked.”

Looks like the next Nobel prize winner is going to be Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano. She was all over the Sunday talk shows yesterday bragging that "the system worked" with regards to the terrorist attempt to blow the Nigeria to Detroit plane out of the sky.

Think about the sheer arrogance in that statement. "The system worked." Napolitano should hang her head in shame at Homeland Security's actions in this case. But I guess some people are beyond shame.

The system worked?

Think about this. The system was warned about this terrorist by his own father. Think about how dangerous you have to be that your own father is dropping dimes on you, warning a foreign government that the kid is a nutjob terrorist. By the way, by this act alone, the old man has proven to be more concerned with our safety that Napolitano ever has.

The system knew this man was a terrorist and allowed him to obtain a visa to travel to the United States.

The system put him on a terrorist watch list that we now know means nothing. The New York Public Library system can tell you that I never returned a biography of Willis Reed that I took out in 1974, but the Homeland Security computers in 2009 can't track known terrorists that want to board U.S. bound planes. They guy didn't even have to use a fake name.

You would think that once someone on the terrorist list wants to obtain a visa and/or fly to the U.S., as soon as you put his name in the computer, bells and whistles would start going off, much like a slot machine that was just hit for a big jackpot.

But if you thought that, you would be wrong.

Dead wrong.

But the system worked.

You want to know how incompetent Napolitano really is? Did you know the Napolitano the HOMELAND SECURITY CHIEF, has a policy of not using the word "terrorism"?

Check it out:

This is an interview Napolitano gave to the German magazine Der Spiegel:

SPIEGEL: Madame Secretary, in your first testimony to the US Congress as Homeland Security Secretary you never mentioned the word “terrorism.” Does Islamist terrorism suddenly no longer pose a threat to your country?

NAPOLITANO: Of course it does. I presume there is always a threat from terrorism. In my speech, although I did not use the word “terrorism,” I referred to “man-caused” disasters. That is perhaps only a nuance, but it demonstrates that we want to move away from the politics of fear toward a policy of being prepared for all risks that can occur.

Can you believe that this person is in charge of keeping you safe from terrorists? She won't even use the word! Its like having a police chief refusing to use the word "arrest".

She is afraid to hurt the feelings of those who are willing to kill themselves as along as they are able to kill you and your family in the process. So she calls them "man-caused disasters."

Napolitano as Homeland Chief is a man- caused disaster. And Obama is the man that caused it.

Watch Your Back

From the NY Daily News:

The terror suspect who tried to blow up a Detroit-bound plane is the son of a Nigerian banker who alerted U.S. authorities to his "extreme religious views" months ago, it was reported Saturday.

The father, Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, a former minister and chairman of First Bank in Nigeria, is shocked that his son was even was allowed to fly to the U.S., family members told the Nigerian newspaper This Day.

So our government knew about this terrorist and did nothing. And allowed him to board a plane headed to our country. Can you say you're surprised? I mean, Major Hasan gave power point presentations on the joys of suicide bombing and all our government did was promote him up the military chain.

Regarding the terrorist on the flight to Detroit, thank God for the passenger who subdued this vermin. Bottom line lesson folks: if you rely on the federal government and the federal government alone to shield you from religiously inspired maniacs who want to kill you, your faith in your government may lead to your death.

If they couldn't stop a Major Hasan or the Nigeria to Detroit terrorist, -and they were on CLEAR NOTICE that both were jihadists- what makes you think they can capture others?

Hasan and this new terrorist were fish that jumped into the boat. And our government threw them back into the ocean.

If you see something, you better do something, cause the feds see something and do nothing.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

I just read that Susan Saran Wrap and Tim Robbins broke up after 23 years. Questions: When limousine liberals break up, who gets the limo? Does Jesse provide counseling? Who gets the kids on Earth Day? Who ends up with the velvet autographed portrait of Fidel Castro?

Billy

“In 1980, the A’s hired a new manager that I would look up to for the rest of my life, one of the best teachers and managers anyone could ever play for, Mr. Billy Martin. Billy always got the most out of me. He taught me to compete at the highest level and respect the game of baseball. Billy, I miss you very much and I wish you were here with me today.”-Rickey Henderson-Hall of Fame Induction Speech, July 2009

In the time flies department, Billy Martin died 20 years ago today, in a car crash in upstate New York, Christmas Day 1989.

See the link below on how Billy is remembered by Rickey Henderson, Rod Carew, Willie Randolph, George Steinbrenner & Whitey Ford.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIUh4nLJ5pI

Know Your Audience

This is from Andy McCarthy over @ National Review:

To All My Liberal Friends:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or explicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2010, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.

To All My Conservative Friends:

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Old KKK Members Don't Die, They Live On To Vote For Socialized Medicine

Buried deep within the 2,000 page monstrosity of the socialized medicine bill in the Senate, the bill that the country does not want, there must be a provision where the government subsidizes the costs of white sheets for KKK members. How else would they get the support of Senator Byrd-Brain?


Despite Fragile Health, Byrd Is Present

A Most Unusual Christmas Tree

The White House has a Christmas tree. Strike that, a Holiday tree, I do not want to face a hate crime indictment so close to Christmas, I mean the holidays. Just to show that Obama is like everyone else, the tree has ornaments. One ornament is Mount Rushmore, with Obama's face added to the existing monument to Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln & Teddy Roosevelt. Hey, the President has a very high opinion of himself, just ask him, and what's wrong with using a Christmas tree to brag about your alleged accomplishments? I mean, didn't the Reagan's superimpose Ronnie's face on the Lincoln Memorial on a Christmas tree ornament? (Somehow, I don't think so.) There also is an ornament of some famous drag queen, but hey, I guess its a way to reach out to the "undecided" voters. The best ornament has to be the one they have of Chairman Mao on the White House Christmas Tree. How awesome is that? I'm surprised that they don't have tinsel that looks like Hitler's mustache up on the tree. All of the above is true. See the video below.
White House Radical Christmas Tree Ornaments found .wmv White House Radical Christmas Tree Ornaments found. Such as Mao Tse Tung..
© 2009 YouTube, LLC 901 Cherry Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066

The Weather Report From The Stoop

So the world's leaders met last week in Copenhagen to discuss the weather. Out of this most solemn of meetings, the group consensus was that the United States is a pretty messed-up country. The current President of the U.S, Barack Obama, did not deny that the U.S. is a horrible country, he actually agreed with the assessment, but he assured the leaders of both the free & the un-free world that because of him, Barack Obama, the U.S. is going to be a country that they will look favorably upon.

And the thing that will make these countries look favorably upon the U.S. is prior U.S. Presidents. Specifically, a couple of dead ones. More specifically the dead Presidents that appear on U.S. currency. And the transfer of such currency to the countries that are at this moment, not real big fans of the USA.

Out of the weather meeting in Copenhagen came the idea that dictators like Castro & Chavez and Communist countries like China need cash from the U.S. so they don't chop down too many trees.

The actual dollar amount is $100 billion. A year. And that is just a start, a minimum commitment.

Now one of the big problems is the undeniable fact that the U.S. does not have the cash on hand. We are more busted than a blackjack player who hits on 16 and draws a king. So the U.S. has to borrow the money. From China. And part of the money we borrow from China, we will give back to China as a gift. So we will pay back all of the money we borrow from China with interest, and also throw them many billions of dollars that we borrow from them as a gift. If you think this sounds like you borrowing $100,000 from a bank and you pay the whole thing back to the bank at 6% interest, plus you give the same bank $40,000 for free as a gift, you would be correct.

So that is one problem.

Another problem is the billions of dollars we will be pouring into the bank accounts of Chavez, Castro, etc. We are essentially bribing Third World dictators to not chop down trees, build windmills and bicycle lanes, and build 40 foot Al Gore statues for their people to worship.

But, say they decide to take the money and not do what they agree to do? I mean part of the cool thing about being a dictator is that you do not have to listen to anybody. Nobody can tell you what to do, that is why you got into the dictator business.

So what happens then? Do we send in peace keepers, lets call them green peace keepers, and chain them to the trees in Zimbabwe so that Mugabe does not chop them down?

Do we have a Bay of Pigs II where we send in the green peace keepers to storm Cuba to furiously paint bicycle lanes in the streets of Havana?

Bottom line: the idea that a broke America will send $100 billion a year to dictators to bribe them into doing the right thing is insane.

Bernie Madoff's scam was more acceptable than this one.

Send Them A Christmas Card

A Stoop pal of mine gave me this idea, and I think it is a good one. There are only a couple of days left, but it is not to late. I'm talking about sending a Christmas card. To the ACLU.

Let me explain. These petty little people see a Christmas tree in the public square as the biggest threat to America. (What do you expect from vermin who go around taking photos of brave CIA agents & then show the pics to terrorists in GITMO in an effort to bring criminal cases against our brave people?)

When the ACLU gets mail, they hope it is a donation. When they see that instead it is a Christmas card, the level of disappointment in the ACLU office must be like the time that these so-called privacy advocates tracked down Robert Bork's movie rentals and it included such salacious titles as "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington & Miracle on 34th Street".

The more Christmas cards the ACLU receives, the more disappointment we can bring to these Scrooges.

So do your part and wish the ACLU Merry Christmas.

Here's hoping that they receive mountains of Christmas cards.

The Bell That Won't Ring

As I write, my Stoop, like every other Stoop in Brooklyn, is covered in snow, as NYC just got hit with a major storm. And I am wondering: When is my bell gonna ring? Where are the young kids going door to door ringing bills trying to make some cash by shoveling snow?

I ain't holding my breath. I don't think it will happen. I think Al Gore should put these kids on the endangered species list, there are so few of them.

From my early teens until my early 20's, me and my pal TG would work every snow storm. We would ring every bell from 7th Street to Carroll street, between 8th avenue & the Park in Park Slope. I would take one side of the street, TG would take another. If we made the sale, we would yell to the other guy to come over and we would begin shoveling. We wouldn't even count the money until we were done, when we would go to a local bar, empty our pockets of cash on a table in the back, and throw back a few (or more than a few) cold ones.

We weren't the only kids doing it, there were lots of them hitting the pavement.

Its inconceivable to me that 5 days before Christmas in this rotten economy there are no young kids that need some extra money in their pockets.

I look out my window and see although there is a foot of snow, there are men on bicycles delivering Chinese food. And young kids can't go shoveling?

Memo to the young ones: Put down the video game and pick up a shovel. Go door to door. Its a good workout, plus you learn a valuable lesson: you have to work to get money in America.

Stoop Laughter

Warning: The link below will cause you to burst with laughter.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRYAqekvj4I

Mr. Excitement

I may be shouting from the Stoop, but I have a friend who is definitely yelling from the hallway. He makes me laugh more than anybody, and his political instincts are right on the money. For the hell of it, let's call him Robbie.

We got to talking about the charismatic one, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. I told him what Dennis Miller says about Al Gore, that he has so little charisma that Gore's vanity license plate is a bunch of randomly selected numbers, also applies to Reid.

Robbie's reply:

"Harry Reid reminds me of a creepy librarian that is so odd that the other librarians say, 'keep this fu*king guy away from me', so they lock him in a separate room. When he sneezes, dust from his attic flies all over the library. I thought Nevada was one of the coolest states? How did they end up with this guy? He must be from that part of Nevada that is nothing but desert and tumble weeds for miles & miles."

I laughed like a loon.

Rude & Dangerous

Not only is Chuck Schumer a rude & arrogant human being, he also is a danger to our free speech rights. I say that because he is on the record for supporting the "Fairness Doctrine". (See video below.) What is the Fairness Doctrine? It basically states that the airwaves are the property of the government, and thus the government has the right to tell television stations and radio stations what to broadcast, all in the name of so-called "fairness." Liberals, who by definition only like speech that they agree with, want to use this Stalinist tactic to get rid of right-wing talk radio hosts. Think about that: we actually have elected officials, POWERFUL elected officials, that want to pass LAWS that give them the power tell radio stations exactly what kinds of political views they can broadcast on the air. It truly is a dangerous threat to our freedoms. And Schmuck Schumer is the ringleader of this modern day Stalinist brigade. Can BALDMAN help it that the only thing more boring than left wing radio is left wing television? In fact, left wing Air America almost got their first major sponsor, Ambien, until the sleeping pill manufacturer realized that the 10 listeners the station has fall asleep from sheer boredom before the first commercial break. If you count the total number of hair plugs on Chuck the Shmuck's head, it would be more than the number of Air America listeners. If you want to see Baldman's full take on this issue, type "fairness doctrine into the search engine above.
Schumer compares Fairness Doctrine to regulating porn America's Newsroom.
© 2009 YouTube, LLC 901 Cherry Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066

Of Course There Is A Double Standard

Did you see NY Senator Chuck Schumer called a flight attendant a bitch? (See below.) Chuck was flying from Washington to NY, courtesy of the taxpayers of this country. Apparently, Chuck thinks that FAA rules prohibiting talking on cell phones only applies to people who actually pay for their plane trips, and deadbeat freeloader Senators who don't pay a dime for their travel are above the law.

How shocked Chuck must of been when the flight attendant had the audacity to ask him to comply with the law. His hair plugs must have stood on end.

If a Republican Senator called a woman a bitch, Schumer would be the first one to exploit it to the high heavens. In fact where are the liberal women's groups like NOW on this one? Where are the picket signs from the progressive women of Park Slope where Schumer lives? We all know the deal. Because Schumer supports abortion and even EXTREME procedures like partial birth abortion (which the late NY Senator Moynihan called "infanticide"), Schmuck Schumer could beat a woman unconscious with a cell phone and NOW would blame the cell phone maker for manufacturing a product that could be used as a weapon against women.

Big lesson that we have learned on the Stoop: as long as you are a Democrat, and have that "D" in front of your name, you can get away with ANY behaviour. You could have been a member of the KKK, a domestic terrorists group that kills black people, and as long as you are a Democrat, you too could become a Senator like Robert Byrd. That "D" in front of your name allows you to kill a woman in a lake, like Ted Kennedy. You can cheat on your taxes to the extent that would make Wesley Snipes shake his head in dismay, and still be in charge of drafting the nation's tax laws like Charlie Rangel. You can have your boyfriend run a male whorehouse out of your apartment and claim you had no idea what the hell was going on, like Barney Frank. You can have the title "Reverend" in front of your name, and that combined with the "D" allows you to have a kid out of wedlock like Jesse Jackson, or give speeches like Al Sharpton complaining about "white interlopers" in Harlem. And on and on.

But always remember that these men represent the party of the people.

er - page 1 Sen. Schumer Lashes Out At "Bitch" Flight Attendant

Blowing Smoke

Idiot wind blowing every time you move your teeth
You're an idiot babe
It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe- Idiot Wind-Bob Dylan

I remember about 8 years ago, I read a book about the cultural history of the United States during the 1970's. (The title escapes me.) It was no dry recitation of facts, instead it covered what movies people watched, why the divorce rate skyrocketed, the birth of the health foods movement etc.

The book also covered climate change. The major scientists of the 70's warned of climate change. They told us the effects would be devastating. And the world as we knew it would be changed forever.

So we were warned as early as the 70's, right? Wrong. You see, the climate change the scientific community in the 1970's warned us was coming was a new ICE AGE. How did that prediction turn out?

Now these white coats tell us that global warming is a done deal.

Please excuse the Stoop for being skeptical.

Global warning is the perfect liberal cause.

Here's why:

1) It makes you feel good about yourself. Just ask one of your earth-day celebrating friends.

2) It costs trillions of taxpayer dollars.

3) You don't need to show any results after spending the trillions. You can always rely on that tried and true liberal formula "we need to spend more to get results." It doesn't matter if the predictions are wrong, you always get to say "we're doomed if we don't do x" and x always involves spending a crazy amount of cash. It called moving the goal posts.

When I think of climate change, I close the window.

But I do have a great plan to help the environment. Here it is: Lets kill/capture as many terrorists as possible. They are bad for the environment. Their presence on this earth is toxic. That's why I think our soldiers are the best environmentalists we have in America.

As for my take on global warming, I defer to the expert on the link below:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjmtSkl53h4

Random Notes

There is no truth to the rumour that in the wake of Baldman's lapband surgery, several local pizzeria's have declared bankruptcy and Snapple had to close a couple of plants.

Hey, you see the Prez told Oprah that he gives himself a "solid B +" regarding his first year job performance? Isn't it great that America has a President with such high self esteem? What would it take for the President to give himself an "A"? A couple of more million on the unemployment rolls? Indictments of our brave CIA agents for roughing up some terrorists? Or perhaps the day KSM takes the stand in lower Manhattan?

Isn't it nice that the President gives himself a grade but refuses to reveal his actual college and law school grades? I say that not because I believe there is a correlation between grades and Presidential performance, but in response to those who called baby Bush dumb and ridiculed his college grades, the same people that belittle Sarah Palin for attending 5 colleges.

By the way, in the time it took me to write the last paragraph, Palin just sold a 100,000 books. The woman sells books faster than the Beatles sold records.

Real Defense

For you Giant fans that were disgusted watching Desean Jackson stroll into the endzone backwards on Sunday, the video below will remind you of how defense used to be played by Big Blue. Its the 1990 NFC Championship Game, and the hit by Leonard Marshall that ended Joe Montana's 49er career. Watch Marshall come off the ground TWICE and never give up, which resulted in one of the greatest plays in Giant history.
Giants vs 49's 1990 NFC championship game The Footage in this game belongs to Americas game, i do not own it. I am only using it for entertainment.
© 2009 YouTube, LLC 901 Cherry Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066

Its On The Way Out

On the Stoop, we are fond of using clear, direct language. We pride ourselves on using language that lets the listener/reader know what we are saying and where we stand. We don't water it down, or muddy the waters.

In that same vein, the late George Carlin had a routine on how euphemisms get in the way of what we really mean. Carlin used the example of how in World War I the term used to describe soldiers who were mentally scarred by WAR was "shell shock". It was direct, it was lively, and everyone knew exactly what the hell you were talking about. In World War II, the same condition was described as "battle fatigue". Not as direct, the word "fatigue" is mushy when compared to "shock", and it takes a lot of the power away from what you are describing. From Vietnam and until the present day, the condition originally know as "shell shock" had a pit stop at "battle fatigue" and is now known as "post- traumatic stress disorder".

Post traumatic stress disorder is dry and technical and robs the reader of the power that is conveyed by "shell shock." Its used to soften the blows, but some blows need to be stiff.

Which brings me to another term that is on its way to euphemistic hell. (I forgot we can't use the word "hell", I should have said the "post- tropical dwelling of the damned").

What do you call someone who resides in a country illegally? I have always called such people "illegal aliens". For the most part, so have you. Whether you believe that amnesty should be granted to illegal aliens or not, its clear that the people we are talking about meet the two-prong test: (1) they live in America; and (2) they do so illegally.

But using the term illegal alien/immigrant is on its way out. In due time, it will be a hate crime to say it.

What is it being replaced by? The purposely ambiguous "undocumented immigrant".

I remember in early 2002, Baldman attended a law school conference and the topic had to do with the aftermath of 9-11. If you think they talked about how to stop us from getting attacked again, you would be wrong. If you think they talked about how to help our government meet the challenges of fighting world-wide religiously-inspired maniacs, it would indicate that you have no idea how hopelessly and dangerously liberal the mindset is in American law schools.

With the smoke from the towers still evident in lower Manhattan, the topic on this day was the inevitable backlash that would occur with Americans inflicting violence upon "undocumented immigrants."

Baldman was astounded. Here we had thousands of Americans murdered on an unprecedented scale, by a REAL enemy that would give their lives to kill us all, and we were talking about some hypothetical scenario that was the figment of the law school mind?

They were concerned that American lynch mobs would go around rounding people up. Of course, it never happened.

Always remember this: the ultra liberal among us always believe the worst about their own country, and the best about all other countries.

At the conference the first time the first lecturer used the term "undocumented immigrant" my hand immediately shot up. "What do you mean by undocumented immigrant? I'm confused. Do you mean "illegal alien"?

You should have seen the look the speaker gave me. At that moment, I could tell she hated me more than I hated Bin Laden. And she never would say "illegal alien."

Anyway, I bring up the illegal alien thing because for the first time, the dreaded term "undocumented immigrant" has surfaced in a Supreme Court opinion. The author: the self-described wise one: Justice Sotomayor.

Prediction: within 5 years, if you say the words "illegal alien" you will receive a tougher penalty than actually being an illegal alien.

Painful To Watch

It pains me to say it. It kills me to watch it. But it cannot be denied:

My beloved Giants SUCK on defense. They can't rush the passer. They can't cover any receivers. And they can't tackle. Other than that, they do everything alright on defense.

The Giant defensive coordinator, Bill Sheridan is a dead coordinator walking. Hiring Shaq to teach free throw shooting makes more sense than having Sheridan coach defense in the NFL.

Last night's game against the Eagles was the last straw. Desean Jackson was running around so open and free, I'm surprised that immediately after the game Obama did not name Sheridan the Head of Homeland Security.

Remember how after Johnny Carson retired, he would send jokes to Letterman and Letterman would use them in his monologues?

Can't the Giants set something similar up with the Great Spagnuolo? His Rams aren't doing anything, have him come up with the defensive game plans.

Giant fans take pride in their defense more than you can imagine. Even more than Yankee fans take pride at having a half a billion dollar payroll.

I would rather see the Giants lose 7-3 every week than to see what happened last night.

Leading The Way

Its been a while since we have seen any, so it might be interesting to see what it looks like. I'm talking about leadership. Presidential leadership. Watch the video below on Lyndon Johnson and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and pay particular attention to the description of the meeting that took place in the White House between LBJ and Alabama Governor George Wallace.

Compare it to what passes for Presidential leadership today.


American Experience . The Presidents . Lyndon B. Johnson Video ..

A Sick Idea

Every time Congress passes legislation, we all have to ask one fundamental question: "Where do they get the authority to do so?"

Congress does not have a blank check or magic wand to enact whatever it wants upon the American people. It can only act accordingly to the powers granted to Congress in Article I of the U.S. Constitution.

Now with the socialized medicine bill that Congress wants to inflict upon the American people, when we ask where Congress gets its authority, the answer we get from our Socialist friends is the commerce clause.

Now, to be sure, the Commerce Clause in Article I does give Congress the authority to pass legislation that concerns interstate commerce.

But this monstrosity of a bill goes beyond interstate commerce. It actually compels American citizens to engage in commerce whether they want to or not.

Let me explain. If European-style social medicine is imposed upon us, there is a provision in the bill that REQUIRES all Americans to buy health insurance.

You do not have a right to opt out. You will be punished for opting out.

You will in effect, be punished for deciding to NOT engage in interstate commerce.

Leave it to our liberal friends to always be 180 degrees from the correct answer.

How can you use the commerce clause to justify Congressional constitutional authority to pass laws effecting Americans that choose to NOT ENGAGE IN COMMERCE?

Its as if they suffer from "Constitutional Dyslexia"- when it comes to the Constitution, you can count on liberals arriving at at answer that is backwards.

Never before has the U.S. Government required a citizen to buy a stand-alone product or service. (Yes, you are required to obtain car insurance, however that requirement takes place only after you have Voluntarily decided that you want to own and operate an automobile on public roads.)

Not only will socialized medicine make us sick, it will also be a terminal illness inflicted upon the U.S. Constitution.

Funny Stuff

Nothing wrong with coming in from the Stoop on a cold day to watch something that will make you laugh. See the Shaquille O'Neal Comedy Roast below. Accordingly to Bill Simmons and his best seller "The Book of Basketball", Shaq's reaction to comedian Guy Torry's jokes about the size of Jason Kidd's son's head caused a deep chill in the relationship between Shaq & Kidd. The whole routine is funny, but the J-Kidd stuff starts around the three minute mark.
Guy Torry - (Shaq's Comedy Roast 2) Guy Torry Roasts Emmitt Smith - Shaq's Comedy Roast 2
© 2009 YouTube, LLC 901 Cherry Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066

Two Approaches

So far, the Mets GM Omar Minaya has signed TWO backup catchers on the free agent market. We needs arms & bats, and the first thing on Omar's agenda is signing TWO backup catchers? Have you ever heard of such a strategy? It would be like a football GM going into the off season saying "our top priority is signing someone to hold on extra points & field goals."

Unbelievable.

As for Yankee management, every winter they start off with the same bullspit, telling the public that they have a strict budget that they must adhere too, and they will protect their beloved farm prospects. And then they go and trade their so-called untouchable prospects in the Detroit salary dump of Curtis Granderson. The Yankees spend so much money every off season, is it any surprise they have a General Manager named CASHMAN?

You Have To Know Your Place In Life

Don't you hate it when someone cuts the line? So does Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. And who cut her off? The rookie, Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

See below, from law.com:

In the midst of a lively oral argument at the Supreme Court, the justices' questioning of the attorneys at the podium sometimes overlaps, with several justices jumping in with different queries at the same time and talking over each other. The situation usually resolves itself fairly seamlessly and subtly, with one justice trailing off or explicitly deferring to the other. But a somewhat tense moment at the Court on Tuesday indicates that Justice Sonia Sotomayor may still be getting used to the rhythm of the questioning and the etiquette of sharing argument time with her more seasoned colleagues on the high court bench.

During arguments in United Student Aid Funds v. Espinosa, a case involving the discharge of student loans during bankruptcy, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg asked Michael J. Meehan, counsel for the respondent in the case, about the petitioner's interpretation of a provision of the Bankruptcy Code at issue.

Meehan began his response to Ginsburg, and Sotomayor -- who has already established herself as an active and assertive questioner during her short time on the Supreme Court bench -- jumped in during the middle of Meehan's second sentence to engage him on a different topic.

"Counsel, may I interrupt for just one moment, because I -- there is something needling at me that I do need an answer to ..." Sotomayor said.

Justice Stephen Breyer, who sits next to Sotomayor, turned toward her as if to say something or intervene -- but Ginsburg was ready with a quick and forceful response.

"And I'd like him to answer the question that I asked him first," Ginsburg said.

"I'm sorry," Sotomayor said, looking slightly chagrined.

An Extremist

If the thought ever passes your mind that the President seems like a moderate man, a man of reasonable judgment, a man who embodies traditional mainstream American values, all you ever have to do is examine his choice of national school safety czar.

School safety involves keeping our kids safe right? Yet, the man Obama appointed does not seem to me someone you would want around your kid, never mind being in charge of your kid's safety.

As we posted before, the man Obama put in charge of school safety, Kevin Jennings, once was told by an underage student of his that he had sex with a man he met in a bus station bathroom.

Did Jennings report this to authorities as required by state law?

Of course not.

What the school safety czar to be instead did was tell the kid "I hope you used a condom".

Now comes the word that Jennings started an organization that advised 14 year olds on things such as "fisting" & "spitting/swallowing" (See below).

This is the man in charge of keeping our children safe in school.

And that decision was made by the President.

And if that does not tell you everything you need to know about Obama's judgment and values, I don't know what to tell you.

Keep drinking the Kool Aid.

UPDATE: Year After Reprimand, Obama 'Safe School Czar' Run Seminar Handed Out 'Fisting Kit'...

Here They Go Again

In an effort to impose socialized medicine on an America that does not want it, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid just did what all liberals do when they are desperate: he played the slavery/racist card. He's Harry:

"Instead of joining us on the right side of history, all the Republicans can come up with is, 'slow down, stop everything, let's start over.' If you think you've heard these same excuses before, you're right.

When this country belatedly recognized the wrongs of slavery, there were those who dug in their heels and said 'slow down, it's too early, things aren't bad enough.'"

When this body was on the verge of guaranteeing equal civil rights to everyone regardless of the color of their skin, some senators resorted to the same filibuster threats that we hear today."

Its that old and tired tactic that liberals can't get enough of: "If you do not agree with us, you are racist."

They play it more often than WNEW used to play "Stairway to Heaven."

Lets put aside the fact that Harry is just flat out wrong on history (Lincoln was a Republican, the Southern block of Senators who filibustered civil rights legislation were all Democrats, etc.).

Lets also put aside the fact that the party that endorses racial preferences is the Democratic Party.

Lets put aside the fact that the party who endlessly lectures us on the importance of diversity filibustered and denied the nomination of Miguel Estrada to the federal bench.

Lets also put aside the fact that liberals in the Senate sing endless praises for Robert Byrd, their former majority leader and the current Senior Senator from West Virginia who just happened to be a former member of the KKK. (I guess liberals explain that one away as a "youthful indiscretion". I guess that youthful indiscretion extended to when after Martin Luther King was assassinated when Byrd gave a speech on the Senate floor blaming King for his own death. Byrd was 51 years old at the time. By the way, if I googled the phrase "Liberals politicians praise Robert Byrd" my computer would explode from the amount of hits.)

If we put all of that truth aside, it seems that Reid and his fellow liberal legislators actually believe that the rights Americans have under the U.S. Constitution (free speech, religion, the right to bear arms etc. (I put that one in there to drive liberals batty) extends to socialized medicine.

To people like Reid, they think Patrick Henry actually said "Give me a government subsidized colonoscopy or give me death!"

To people like Reid, Harriet Tubman ran the underground railroad to help black women get government sponsored mammograms.

Most people know better.

I hope.

Eric Holder Is No Broken Clock

The guy who came up with the saying "Even a broken clock is right two times a day" never would have come up with that phrase if Eric Holder was Attorney General at the time.

The latest: ACORN

After the massive abuses/corruption in ACORN was uncovered, Congress passed and Obama signed a law disallowing federal funds to be distributed to ACORN.

So far so good, right?

But the legal lightweights in the Holder Justice Department have taken the position that the feds should continue to pay ACORN for existing contracts between the federal government and ACORN.

Let's get this straight. The feds enter into a contract with ACORN. The feds pay ACORN taxpayer dollars, and in return ACORN provides services. Just like any other contract.

OK, unless the services that the federal government asked ACORN to perform included signing up massive amounts of illegal aliens to the voter rolls, engaging in tax fraud, and providing advice to a couple on how to evade taxes and receive federal benefits from their child prostitute business, (ROLL THE TAPE) it seems to me that ACORN has breached the contract it has with the federal government.

And accordingly, the federal government is under no legal obligation to continue to give ACORN our tax dollars.

Think of it like this: If you hire someone to paint your house, and he comes back to you and says "I provided advice to your neighbor on his child prostitute business" and your house remains unpainted, DO U THINK YOU SHOULD PAY HIM?

Of course not.

Not only is the federal government under no obligation to continue to pay ACORN, it should sue it to get back monies already paid.

As well as launch a criminal investigation into ACORN activities.

But we have Eric Holder as AG.

And under his leadership, the Justice Department has become a rubber stamp/facilitator for all ultra-liberal causes.

The Justice Department is supposed to enforce existing laws.

There was no existing law that compelled KSM to receive a federal trial in lower Manhattan.

And there is no legal justification for providing ACORN with taxpayer dollars.

And there was no legal justification for giving a fugitive from justice (Marc Rich) a pardon while the guy was still on the lam.

Whenever I come across a broken clock, I will shake my head and think of Eric Holder

A Nice Win

"It's the biggest play of my career," Jacobs said of taking a short pass from Eli Manning and going 74 yards for a touchdown that put the Giants in front to stay. "It's extra special against Dallas. That's absolutely a team I can't stand. I've been hating Dallas ever since I knew anything about football."

Criticize Brandon Jacobs all you want, but with his statement above, the man was born to wear a NY Giant uniform.

Giant fans hate the Cowboys more than any other team. No other team comes close. The root cause: Giant fans see so many Cowboy fans in the tri state area and see them as sports traitors. Its the whole "root for the home team" thing.

So to beat the Cowboys is always fun for Giant fans. (And it has happened twice this year.)

Did the Giants play great? Hardly.

They let Romo-Witten play catch far too much.

But the run defense was solid, turning Marion Barber into the Washington DC Mayor I always confuse him with, as well as manhandling Felix Jones.

Big plays by Kiwi, Osi, Smith, Jacobs & Hixon made the difference.

Survive and advance, Jim Valvano used to say.

Giants-Eagles next Sunday night.

Stoop Renovation

A man walks down the street
He says why am I soft in the middle now
Why am I soft in the middle
The rest of my life is so hard -Paul Simon- "You Can Call Me Al"

Baldman will be undergoing minor surgery this morning. Years from now, I will tell my grandchildren that I lived in an America where the people got to choose their own doctors and surgeons, and they will look at me as if I had full blown Alzheimer's.

By the way, do you know where that phrase "Simon says" comes from? It comes from the fact that Art Garfunkel has no talent, and Paul Simon had to tell him what to do.

The Obama Math: Addition Followed By Subtraction Which Leads To Division

Remember the Naked Gun Movies? They were hilarious, with waves of jokes. Lots of wit and dry humor. The movies were based on a short-lived television show called "Police Squad."

Watching the President's speech at West Point last night reminded me of this old line from Police Squad:

Lieutentant Drebin: We are not going to stop until we solve this crime. OK, lets go get some lunch.

Talk about a mixed message: the President is committing 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, yet he tells us at the same time they will begin leaving in July 2011?

The President calls Afghanistan a war of necessity, and claims that his resolve is unwavering, yet he starts making withdrawal plans on the day he increases troop levels?

Chastity Bono has a better sense of identity than Barack Obama.

Putting Obama in charge of a war is like making Shaquille O'Neal play point guard or Tony Randall play Oscar- there's no natural fit there.

Imagine Lincoln at Gettysburg saying the following: "We need to insure that those who died here did not do so in vain. We will fight until the end. Accordingly, I resolve to draft 100,000 more men into the army. And, oh yeah, I will begin sending troops home in May 1864."

What if Tom Coughlin told Bill Belichick prior to the Super Bowl: "We will blitz Brady with everything we have, but beginning in the second quarter, we will stop blitzing."

Does Obama think that the Taliban cannot interpret English? Why else would he tell the enemy exactly when we will begin leaving?

Have you ever heard of anyone telling your enemy your exit strategy while maintaining with a straight face that you are committed to fighting a war?

This is a classic example of Obama trying to be all things to all people.

By increasing the troop levels, he is appealing to lets call it the "Merry Christmas" crowd. By announcing withdrawal dates, he gains points with the "Happy Holidays" cabal.

I am surprised that Obama did not split the baby further:

"I am sending in 30,000 additional troops. 15,000 will be used to kill & capture the enemy. The other 15,000 will give out Korans, prayer mats, and humanitarian aid. And all wounded enemy combatants will be eligible for free health care under the public option."

By the way, notice the withdrawal date- July, 2011. Just in time to shore up the Happy Holidays base for his 2012 campaign. Dates will tell you a lot- if passed, the Socialist Health Care proposal will not take effect until 2013, one year after Obama's reelection campaign, which does not allow the people to judge Obama at the ballot box on the actual implementation of socialized medicine.

Clearly, we have a President who has no idea on what to do in Afghanistan.

By trying to be all things to all people, he is in reality being nothing for nobody.

Won't Get Fooled Again

I have to admit, I was a believer. I bought into it. I was fooled by the cool sunglasses, the walkie talkies, and the ear piece thingy. I believed they were competent. And I was wrong.

I'm talking about the Secret Service. The secret is out. And the secret was a lie.

How in the world can two uninvited, unlisted, unknown people stroll right into the White House and get FACE to FACE with the President of the United States?

Jesus & Mary, help us all. Who knew breaking into the White House was as easy as an illegal alien crossing the Mexican border? (My bad, for liberals on the Stoop, please think the words "undocumented persons" whenever you see the words "illegal alien". Don't want to upset you. And happy holidays to you as well.)

Great Dennis Miller joke: Borders Book Store has better security than our borders.

You see the Secret Service tried to play it down by saying that they were checked for weapons, so no harm could have occurred?

Please. You don't need a conventional weapon to be a danger to the President. What if they picked up a lamp and bashed the President's head? What if they went Tyson and bit his ear off? Hit him with a Chinese star? Punched him in the throat like Gerry Cooney did to Ken Norton in the Garden? Head-butted him, like John Starks did to Reggie Miller? The possibilities for violence are endless, and for the Secret Service to shrug it off speaks to their incompetency.

Here is what should happen:

1) The Secret Service should be replaced by the people who provided security to Led Zeppelin in the 70's. Those bastards were ruthless, and no one got close to Page/Plant unless they had prior clearance.

2) This couple should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Lying to a federal official, etc.

3) After they pay their debt to society, they should be hired as security consultants by the federal government. I'm serious. The government needs more creative types within its ranks, the motivated criminal minded people who might be able to tell where the next scam/scheme is coming from.