He's at it again. As everyone knows by now, judge Samuel Alito has been nominated for the Supreme Court. Of course before this morning I had never heard of the guy, but have read quite a bit on the matter today. Here are a couple of quotes that really point out that this is not the man for the job:
"The president has made an excellent choice today which reflects his commitment to appoint judges in the mold of (Antonin) Scalia and (Clarence) Thomas. Sam Alito, a 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals judge, has consistently embraced the original intent of the Constitution." — Kay Daly, president of the conservative Coalition for a Fair Judiciary.
That is just plain scary. If they really want this guy to get confirmed, why would a conservative even say that?
"Perhaps the most encouraging early indication that Judge Alito will make a great justice is that liberal senators such as Harry Reid and Charles Schumer and leftist pressure groups such as People for the American Way and Planned Parenthood have been lining up all day to scream that the sky is falling. Any nominee who so worries the radical left is worthy of serious consideration." -- James C. Dobson, Focus on the Family
I shivered when I read that one. Maybe we should have confirmed Miers when we had the chance? I just shivered again. Do any of you know who James Dobson is? He may sound familiar, but I had to check him out for myself. As you see in his quote above he is the head of Focus on the Family. Check out that link. This Website and group has to be the Whitest, most Christian, farthest Right Wing Website I have ever seen. The topic of his radio show today was Overcoming Sexual Sin in Marriage: Jennifer Ridgway talks about how her husband's sexual addiction affected their marriage and how God's grace has helped them recover. Fun stuff there. I have no problem with any of the topics discussed, but it's obvious from the Website that they are correct and everyone else is wrong. Think they care about Civil Rights? If by Civil Rights you mean the rights White America, then yes they do!
Sorry, got off on a tangent there, but that site got to me. Anyway, this is going to be quite a battle, and should be very interesting. There is no doubt that Alito is qualified for the post, but there are serious questions about him. Let the scrutiny begin. As of right now, since what I'm hearing that he is in the mold of Scalia and Thomas, I stand strongly opposed.
...As if my opinion matters.
Monday, October 31, 2005
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Picks for College Football Saturday, 10/29
This is going to be quick - on my way out the door to Lincoln to watch the Huskers kick Sooner ass!!!
1 NC St -7 Over So Miss - New QB will bring new life to NC St, and there is a big talent gap here.
2 BYU -7 Over Air Force - Battle of racists, but BYU rolls
3 Ohio St -4 Over Minnesota - OSU rolls easy
4 Tulane E Over Marshall - Marshall just plain sucks
5 Georgia +4 Over Florida - Georgia wins this outright.
I'm putting a big BET THIS GAME on all 5 of these. At least 3 of them will hit - GO BIG RED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1 NC St -7 Over So Miss - New QB will bring new life to NC St, and there is a big talent gap here.
2 BYU -7 Over Air Force - Battle of racists, but BYU rolls
3 Ohio St -4 Over Minnesota - OSU rolls easy
4 Tulane E Over Marshall - Marshall just plain sucks
5 Georgia +4 Over Florida - Georgia wins this outright.
I'm putting a big BET THIS GAME on all 5 of these. At least 3 of them will hit - GO BIG RED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friday, October 28, 2005
Friday
Ah, finally. Tomorrow is Nebraska-Oklahoma! It's not as exciting as it usually is, but I'm still very excited. This is the first time since 1961 that both teams have gone into this game unranked.
It looks like Rove is going to avoid indictments, but he is not out of the woods yet. But Scooter Libby will be indicted, as that is definitely a start. Indicting the VP's Chief of Staff is a pretty big deal, and hopefully is just the start of a huge shake up in the Administration. The only problem with all this is that they were doing such a terrible job before, how bad will the Administration be with these distractions?
OK, it's Friday, now some funnies. I'm just going to direct everyone to the entire Onion Website. My favorite headlines today are "Breaking News: Bush to Nominate Next Person Who Walks Through Door", "Trick-Or-Treaters To Be Subject To Random Bag Searches", "NASA Chief Under Fire For Personal Shuttle Use", and in the Sports Section, "Attempt to delay ejaculation by thinking about baseball ruined by crush on Johnny Damon", "WNBA Draft To Double As Bahcelorette Auction", and "MLB Introduces Todd Zeile Award For Participation".
Last week on my college picks I went 2-1, finally delivering a winning week. However, I still lost money because of my other games. It was the first time I had lost in 5 weeks. Oh well, it happens. Picks will be out here late tonight or early tomorrow, as usual.
It's Halloween weekend. I know what I am going to dress up as, but don't want to spoil it. Ryan Palmer is having a party tomorrow night. He said to invite anyone that knows him. So if you know him, come to his party!
Have a great Friday and a great weekend!
It looks like Rove is going to avoid indictments, but he is not out of the woods yet. But Scooter Libby will be indicted, as that is definitely a start. Indicting the VP's Chief of Staff is a pretty big deal, and hopefully is just the start of a huge shake up in the Administration. The only problem with all this is that they were doing such a terrible job before, how bad will the Administration be with these distractions?
OK, it's Friday, now some funnies. I'm just going to direct everyone to the entire Onion Website. My favorite headlines today are "Breaking News: Bush to Nominate Next Person Who Walks Through Door", "Trick-Or-Treaters To Be Subject To Random Bag Searches", "NASA Chief Under Fire For Personal Shuttle Use", and in the Sports Section, "Attempt to delay ejaculation by thinking about baseball ruined by crush on Johnny Damon", "WNBA Draft To Double As Bahcelorette Auction", and "MLB Introduces Todd Zeile Award For Participation".
Last week on my college picks I went 2-1, finally delivering a winning week. However, I still lost money because of my other games. It was the first time I had lost in 5 weeks. Oh well, it happens. Picks will be out here late tonight or early tomorrow, as usual.
It's Halloween weekend. I know what I am going to dress up as, but don't want to spoil it. Ryan Palmer is having a party tomorrow night. He said to invite anyone that knows him. So if you know him, come to his party!
Have a great Friday and a great weekend!
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
The Onion v White House
Hilarious. The White House is demanding that the Onion take down it's mock Presidential Seal. Can't get much better publicity than that, so good for the Onion! Something tells me the White House has a few more pressing issues than this.
Glad I'm NOT a Republican
I stumbled across an interesting Website the other day, while looking for information on MBNA and their political campaign contributions (by the way, they give about 80% to Republicans). The site is called Open Secrets and it has tons of information, including every business and industry that contributes money to political campaigns. If you go to the site and click on Who Gives - Industries, you can find all industries that have contributed money. Here is one glaring problem that shows just how badly Republicans only care about themselves, and don't give two shits about anyone else. We'll use the 2004 Elections as an example year:
EDUCATION Industry gave $28,802,497 to Dems, and gave $7,966,429 to Repubs, which means they gave 78% to Dems, 22% to Repubs.
TOBACCO Industry gave $941,672 to Dems, and $2,707,805 to Repubs. That is 74% to Repubs and 26% to Dems.
Even more interesting in the 1992 Elections, TOBACCO gave 56% to Repubs, and 44% to Dems. But by the 1996 Elections it was up to 81% to Repubs and 19% to Dems. Obviously this means that Bill Clinton took a very large stand against the Tobacco Industry. But the Republicans, they sure as hell will take their money and will continue to let the Tobacco Industry go, without being responsible for killing people. In other words, Republicans don't care about the Education of America, they only care about what will put money in their pockets and what will help them and all their friends benefit.
I don't know about you, but I care about the education of American people, far more than I care about the desire of Americans to smoke cigarettes.
EDUCATION Industry gave $28,802,497 to Dems, and gave $7,966,429 to Repubs, which means they gave 78% to Dems, 22% to Repubs.
TOBACCO Industry gave $941,672 to Dems, and $2,707,805 to Repubs. That is 74% to Repubs and 26% to Dems.
Even more interesting in the 1992 Elections, TOBACCO gave 56% to Repubs, and 44% to Dems. But by the 1996 Elections it was up to 81% to Repubs and 19% to Dems. Obviously this means that Bill Clinton took a very large stand against the Tobacco Industry. But the Republicans, they sure as hell will take their money and will continue to let the Tobacco Industry go, without being responsible for killing people. In other words, Republicans don't care about the Education of America, they only care about what will put money in their pockets and what will help them and all their friends benefit.
I don't know about you, but I care about the education of American people, far more than I care about the desire of Americans to smoke cigarettes.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Over the Weekend\Gore Vidal
Hope everyone had a good weekend. The Huskers sure sucked. I did have a fun day however, and the Decemberists show was very good. For those who haven't heard, Jenn Bernard and Scott Zimmerman got engaged while in NYC on Saturday!
Does anyone enjoy reading Gore Vidal? I only recently (about a year ago) have begun reading his stuff, and he is amazing. He is without a doubt one of the smartest historians\political minds. He has been around forever, fought in WWII, and his viewpoints are very insightful. Many times he goes right over my head, but that's OK because his writings that I do understand I love. It is definitely beyond the mainstream, and sometimes goes a little far, but always explains his viewpoints. He recently finished a trilogy of books - first was Perpetual War For Perpetual Peace, second was Dreaming War, and the third just came out recently called Imerial America. I had been meaning to put a post on him the last few weeks but kept forgetting. But there is an interview in The Nation with him this week - definitely check it out. You may need to create an account to read it, but you should have an account on the site anyway, they have great writers. The reason I wanted to bring up Vidal is because I am currently reading Imperial America right now, and one thing stuck out to me. Here is a brilliant excerpt from the book, which is a perfect example of Vidal...
Between the first and second States of the Union, Bush confessed, on January 29, 2002, "As we gather tonight, our nation is at war, our economy is in recession, and the civilized world faces unprecedented dangers. Yet the state of our union has never been stronger." Perhaps the greatest coup of the unelected president and his handlers was, as usual, a dubious metaphor. All on his own he has declared a war on terrorism, a nonsensical notion like a war on dandruff. To resist terrorism is the norm for any government, a response best accomplished by international police and intelligence services. So why was the inappropriate word "war" used? Because only in wartime can the executive gain maximum power over the American people by replacing the checks and balances of the Constitution with an emergency apparatus currently called "Homeland Security". Relying upon ad hoc bits of incoherent legislation, much of the Bill of Rights can be suspended because This Is War, which it is not: at this point, the victims of 9-11 are invariably exploited, but 9-11 was the work of religious zealots and not of a country, and there can be no actual war without a country, particularly when we are faced with criminal gangs given to suicide. To assume wartime powers without a war is something new under the American sun, requiring a blizzard of lies.
Keep in mind he did not write this recently, 3 years after the speech. He wrote this very soon after the speech. In fact, he breaks down the State of the Union every year, and has done so for over 30 years. If you like that little paragraph, you will love his books.
Does anyone enjoy reading Gore Vidal? I only recently (about a year ago) have begun reading his stuff, and he is amazing. He is without a doubt one of the smartest historians\political minds. He has been around forever, fought in WWII, and his viewpoints are very insightful. Many times he goes right over my head, but that's OK because his writings that I do understand I love. It is definitely beyond the mainstream, and sometimes goes a little far, but always explains his viewpoints. He recently finished a trilogy of books - first was Perpetual War For Perpetual Peace, second was Dreaming War, and the third just came out recently called Imerial America. I had been meaning to put a post on him the last few weeks but kept forgetting. But there is an interview in The Nation with him this week - definitely check it out. You may need to create an account to read it, but you should have an account on the site anyway, they have great writers. The reason I wanted to bring up Vidal is because I am currently reading Imperial America right now, and one thing stuck out to me. Here is a brilliant excerpt from the book, which is a perfect example of Vidal...
Between the first and second States of the Union, Bush confessed, on January 29, 2002, "As we gather tonight, our nation is at war, our economy is in recession, and the civilized world faces unprecedented dangers. Yet the state of our union has never been stronger." Perhaps the greatest coup of the unelected president and his handlers was, as usual, a dubious metaphor. All on his own he has declared a war on terrorism, a nonsensical notion like a war on dandruff. To resist terrorism is the norm for any government, a response best accomplished by international police and intelligence services. So why was the inappropriate word "war" used? Because only in wartime can the executive gain maximum power over the American people by replacing the checks and balances of the Constitution with an emergency apparatus currently called "Homeland Security". Relying upon ad hoc bits of incoherent legislation, much of the Bill of Rights can be suspended because This Is War, which it is not: at this point, the victims of 9-11 are invariably exploited, but 9-11 was the work of religious zealots and not of a country, and there can be no actual war without a country, particularly when we are faced with criminal gangs given to suicide. To assume wartime powers without a war is something new under the American sun, requiring a blizzard of lies.
Keep in mind he did not write this recently, 3 years after the speech. He wrote this very soon after the speech. In fact, he breaks down the State of the Union every year, and has done so for over 30 years. If you like that little paragraph, you will love his books.
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Quick Picks for Saturday 10/22
This needs to be quick. I'm only taking 3 games because I love 3 games, and like a bunch of others.
1 North Carolina -1 Over Virginia - Love the home team in this game, better defense, and it is the Game of the Month for my favorite betting publication.
2 LSU -6 Over Auburn - Auburn still isn't at the LSU - they are flying in 3 hours before the game, making me love the fact that LSU has a better offense, defense, and home field. LSU rolls by 3 TD's.
3 Louisville -22 Over Cincy - Louisville lost last week and will bounce back in a big way today over a terrible Cincy team.
1 North Carolina -1 Over Virginia - Love the home team in this game, better defense, and it is the Game of the Month for my favorite betting publication.
2 LSU -6 Over Auburn - Auburn still isn't at the LSU - they are flying in 3 hours before the game, making me love the fact that LSU has a better offense, defense, and home field. LSU rolls by 3 TD's.
3 Louisville -22 Over Cincy - Louisville lost last week and will bounce back in a big way today over a terrible Cincy team.
Friday, October 21, 2005
It's Friday, Laugh!
We'll go funny at the end of this post. First I want to mention DeLay. How sweet is this? He just keeps playing it off like it's nothing. You know what they say, the one who is guilty is the one who is not nervous. That is DeLay. Just check out his booking photo. Who the hell smiles for that? Prick.
OK, that was funny. But this is better. This is a bit done by Andy Dick and is a hilarious video. It is a spoof on how Bush doesn't exactly have a grasp on the English language. Dick pretends to be a speechwriter\adviser for Bush. This is absolutely hilarious.
Ahhh, the weekend is almost here. I'm going to see Everything is Illuminated at Dundee tonight - it looks very good. Tomorrow morning the Huskers play at 11:30 - we'll be at Barrett's if anyone wants to come watch. Tomorrow night the Decemberists play at Sokol - I'm really looking forward to that show. Everyone have a great weekend!
For those interested, I promise to do better than 2-3 for you on my college picks this week. The crazy thing is I've been on fire with my other picks. I took 13 games Saturday and the only 3 I missed were the ones I posted. Let's do a little better tomorrow.
OK, that was funny. But this is better. This is a bit done by Andy Dick and is a hilarious video. It is a spoof on how Bush doesn't exactly have a grasp on the English language. Dick pretends to be a speechwriter\adviser for Bush. This is absolutely hilarious.
Ahhh, the weekend is almost here. I'm going to see Everything is Illuminated at Dundee tonight - it looks very good. Tomorrow morning the Huskers play at 11:30 - we'll be at Barrett's if anyone wants to come watch. Tomorrow night the Decemberists play at Sokol - I'm really looking forward to that show. Everyone have a great weekend!
For those interested, I promise to do better than 2-3 for you on my college picks this week. The crazy thing is I've been on fire with my other picks. I took 13 games Saturday and the only 3 I missed were the ones I posted. Let's do a little better tomorrow.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
An Insider View of the Bush Administration
There was a recent interview in which Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, chief of staff to Colin Powell until last January, made harsh comments about Cheney, Rumsfeld, and many others in the Bush Administration. Unfortunately it's too little too late. Although the American public probably will not pay any attention to it anyway - if they didn't pay any attention to Richard Clarke, why would they pay attention to this?
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Saddam on Trial
The Hussein trial began yesterday, and was just as quickly continued until late November. What I find interesting is the reason for the trial - he is charged with ordering the killings of more than 140 Iraqis in Dujail in 1982 following an attempt to assassinate Hussein when he was visiting the town.
OK, so Hussein is charged with killing 140 Iraqis. 140? Let's look at someone else - President Bush. This is his war in Iraq...
U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq = 1979
Iraqi Civilian Deaths = 26,661
Total = 28,640!
So Bush is responsible for 28,640 while Hussein 140 (yes, I know he may have killed more, but I'm making a point). When does the Bush trial begin? I'd like to see this.
OK, so Hussein is charged with killing 140 Iraqis. 140? Let's look at someone else - President Bush. This is his war in Iraq...
U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq = 1979
Iraqi Civilian Deaths = 26,661
Total = 28,640!
So Bush is responsible for 28,640 while Hussein 140 (yes, I know he may have killed more, but I'm making a point). When does the Bush trial begin? I'd like to see this.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
College Picks for Saturday, 10/15
OK, I need to hit at least 3 of these, otherwise I suck. My goal is 4. Could I possibly have the same top pick 3 weeks in a row???
Tomorrow I am going to the Chiefs game! So I will try to get up early enough to get my NFL picks posted, but can't promise anything. Here we go with my top picks for today. You'll see the ones I truly advise betting...
1 Colorado +17 Over Texas - Yes, they made my top pick 3 straight weeks! I've never had this happen, but I can't believe CU is not getting any respect. They have the athletes, experience, and coaching to hang in this game, and they will NOT be intimidated one bit. I expect a very close game in Austin today. BET THIS GAME!
2 UL-Monroe +1` Over Troy St - I was trying to decide between CU and this one which would be my top game. The only reason CU won is because they worked for me as top pick the last 2 weeks. UL-M has played great within conference this year. Troy has a solid defense but their offense is horrible. Monroe wins easily at home. BET THIS GAME!
3 Arizona -4` Over Stanford - Stanford has been a very bad football team this year, and Arizona has played well at times, especially at home. The last 2 weeks AZ has seen Cal and USC, and this step down in talent they are facing translates into an easy win. BET THIS GAME!
4 UAB -3 Over Marshall - Marshall is one of the least talented teams in the conference this year, UAB is the most talented. We get serious line value because UAB lost at home to SMU on a hail mary, and Marshall posted a somewhat respectable score despite getting destroyed statistically at VT. Remember, UAB damn near won at Tennesse earlier this year, and this team will come out hungry and play up to their talent level, rolling by 2 TD's or more.
5 BYU +1 Over Colorado St - Last week BYU got a nice win, taking the lead late, at New Mexico last week. CSU got a nice win over Utah. This one I like the amazing BYU passing game, the home field, and the slight underdog, sending CSU home with a loss.
Well, those are my picks. I advise betting all 5, but highly advise betting the top 3. Good Luck!
Tomorrow I am going to the Chiefs game! So I will try to get up early enough to get my NFL picks posted, but can't promise anything. Here we go with my top picks for today. You'll see the ones I truly advise betting...
1 Colorado +17 Over Texas - Yes, they made my top pick 3 straight weeks! I've never had this happen, but I can't believe CU is not getting any respect. They have the athletes, experience, and coaching to hang in this game, and they will NOT be intimidated one bit. I expect a very close game in Austin today. BET THIS GAME!
2 UL-Monroe +1` Over Troy St - I was trying to decide between CU and this one which would be my top game. The only reason CU won is because they worked for me as top pick the last 2 weeks. UL-M has played great within conference this year. Troy has a solid defense but their offense is horrible. Monroe wins easily at home. BET THIS GAME!
3 Arizona -4` Over Stanford - Stanford has been a very bad football team this year, and Arizona has played well at times, especially at home. The last 2 weeks AZ has seen Cal and USC, and this step down in talent they are facing translates into an easy win. BET THIS GAME!
4 UAB -3 Over Marshall - Marshall is one of the least talented teams in the conference this year, UAB is the most talented. We get serious line value because UAB lost at home to SMU on a hail mary, and Marshall posted a somewhat respectable score despite getting destroyed statistically at VT. Remember, UAB damn near won at Tennesse earlier this year, and this team will come out hungry and play up to their talent level, rolling by 2 TD's or more.
5 BYU +1 Over Colorado St - Last week BYU got a nice win, taking the lead late, at New Mexico last week. CSU got a nice win over Utah. This one I like the amazing BYU passing game, the home field, and the slight underdog, sending CSU home with a loss.
Well, those are my picks. I advise betting all 5, but highly advise betting the top 3. Good Luck!
Friday, October 14, 2005
Friday's Funny
Happy Friday to all! Not a whole lot going on this weekend. Of course there is a Husker game and that is all I really care about. As always, my top picks will be posted.
Now to comedy. We are going to once again turn to the Onion. On this day in Onion History in 1991, Supreme Court Nominee Clarence Thomas claimed: "The Ass-Slapping Was Never Done In An Inappropriate Manner". Funny shit.
Everyone have a great weekend!
Now to comedy. We are going to once again turn to the Onion. On this day in Onion History in 1991, Supreme Court Nominee Clarence Thomas claimed: "The Ass-Slapping Was Never Done In An Inappropriate Manner". Funny shit.
Everyone have a great weekend!
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
The Weekend and a Must Read Article
This last weekend was very good. It's rare that I've even been in Omaha on the weekends lately it seems. Friday my brother came over and we caught up on Family Guys and Arrested Developments. Saturday morning we went over my dad's to help with yardwork - more like replacing his yard. We pulled the sod, layed dirt, and layed new sod. It was tough, but it made the beer later taste even better. How brutal was that Husker game? I don't want to talk about it though. We did have a blast over at Clint's house. Sunday I recovered and watched football. Oh yeah, we had a poker game over at Joel Kozisek's - I was 2nd out, so it wasn't much fun. Justin Kozisek pulled a card on 4th street for 2 pair to beat my Kings.
As for my games, Sunday I went 2-3 again, but worse my top pick missed. Luckily when I win on Saturday, I throw some crazy NFL Parlays out there. I had a $5 7-teamer that pays $475. There were 6 Noon games and 1 3:00 game in it. Well, all 6 Noon games hit. The 7th was the Broncos -6`. So I hedged my bet, taking the Redskins +7. Good thing I did because the Redskins covered, so I ended up around even for Sunday.
Now to that must read article. I'm sure all of you know the story of Pat Tillman. There was an interesting twist this week, and there is an article in The Nation discussing it. Since you need a login for thenation.com I will copy and paste it for those of you that don't have a logon - if you don't, you should anyway because they really have some great articles. This one doesn't come out in the magazine until next week, but they have it on-line now...
Pat Tillman, Our Hero
by DAVE ZIRIN
[from the October 24, 2005 issue]
"I don't believe it," seethed Ann Coulter.
Her contempt was directed at a September 25 San Francisco Chronicle story reporting that former NFL star and Army Ranger war hero Pat Tillman, who was killed in Afghanistan last year, believed the US war on Iraq was "f***ing illegal" and counted Noam Chomsky among his favorite authors. It must have been quite a moment for Coulter, who upon Tillman's death described him in her inimitably creepy fashion as "an American original--virtuous, pure and masculine like only an American male can be." She tried to discredit the story as San Francisco agitprop, but this approach ran into a slight problem: The article's source was Pat Tillman's mother, Mary.
Mary and the Tillman family are relentlessly pushing for answers to the questions surrounding Pat's death in Afghanistan. They want to know why it took the Pentagon five weeks to tell them he died in a tragic case of friendly fire. They want to know why they were unwitting props at Pat's funeral, weeping while lies were told by eulogizing politicians. Mary is now hoping that a new Pentagon inquiry will bring closure. "There have been so many discrepancies so far that it's hard to know what to believe," she said to the Chronicle. "There are too many murky details."
The very private Tillmans have revealed a picture of Pat profoundly at odds with the GI Joe image created by Pentagon spinmeisters and their media stenographers. As the Chronicle put it, family and friends are now unveiling "a side of Pat Tillman not widely known--a fiercely independent thinker who enlisted, fought and died in service to his country yet was critical of President Bush and opposed the war in Iraq, where he served a tour of duty. He was an avid reader whose interests ranged from history books...to works of leftist Noam Chomsky, a favorite author." Tillman had very unembedded feelings about the Iraq War. His close friend Army Spec. Russell Baer remembered, "I can see it like a movie screen. We were outside of [an Iraqi city] watching as bombs were dropping on the town.... We were talking. And Pat said, 'You know, this war is so f***ing illegal.' And we all said, 'Yeah.' That's who he was. He totally was against Bush." With these revelations, Pat Tillman the PR icon joins WMD and Al Qaeda connections on the heap of lies used to sell the Iraq War.
Tillman's transition from one-dimensional caricature to critically thinking human being is a long time coming. The fact is that in death he was far more useful to the armchair warriors than he had ever been in life. When the Pro Bowler joined the Army Rangers, the Pentagon brass needed a loofah to wipe their drool: He was white, handsome and played in the NFL. For a chicken-hawk Administration led by a President who loves the affectations of machismo but runs from protesting military moms, this testosterone cocktail was impossible to resist. The problem was that Tillman wouldn't play their game. To the Pentagon's chagrin, he turned down numerous offers to be its recruitment poster child.
But when Tillman fell in Afghanistan the wheels once again started to turn. Now the narrative was perfect: "War hero and football star dies fighting terror." The Abu Ghraib scandal was about to hit the press, so the President found it especially useful to praise Tillman as "an inspiration on and off the football field, as with all who made the ultimate sacrifice in the war on terror." His funeral was nationally televised. Bush even went back to the bloody well during the presidential campaign, addressing his team's fans on the Arizona Cardinals' stadium Jumbotron.
We now know, of course, that this was all a brutal charade. Such callous manipulation is fueling the Tillman family's anger. As Mary Tillman said this past May, "They could have told us up front that they were suspicious that [his death] was a fratricide, but they didn't. They wanted to use him for their purposes.... They needed something that looked good, and it was appalling that they would use him like that." A growing number of military families, similarly angered, are criticizing the war in Iraq through organizations like Military Families Speak Out.
As for Chomsky, whom Ann Coulter would undoubtedly label "treasonous," Mary Tillman says a private meeting was planned between him and Pat after Pat's return--a meeting that never took place, of course. Chomsky confirms this scenario. This was the real Pat Tillman: someone who, like the majority of this country, was doubting the rationale for war, distrusting his Commander in Chief and looking for answers. The real Pat Tillman, the one with three dimensions, must stick in the throat of the Bush-Coulter gang, a pit in the cherry atop their bloody sundae.
As for my games, Sunday I went 2-3 again, but worse my top pick missed. Luckily when I win on Saturday, I throw some crazy NFL Parlays out there. I had a $5 7-teamer that pays $475. There were 6 Noon games and 1 3:00 game in it. Well, all 6 Noon games hit. The 7th was the Broncos -6`. So I hedged my bet, taking the Redskins +7. Good thing I did because the Redskins covered, so I ended up around even for Sunday.
Now to that must read article. I'm sure all of you know the story of Pat Tillman. There was an interesting twist this week, and there is an article in The Nation discussing it. Since you need a login for thenation.com I will copy and paste it for those of you that don't have a logon - if you don't, you should anyway because they really have some great articles. This one doesn't come out in the magazine until next week, but they have it on-line now...
Pat Tillman, Our Hero
by DAVE ZIRIN
[from the October 24, 2005 issue]
"I don't believe it," seethed Ann Coulter.
Her contempt was directed at a September 25 San Francisco Chronicle story reporting that former NFL star and Army Ranger war hero Pat Tillman, who was killed in Afghanistan last year, believed the US war on Iraq was "f***ing illegal" and counted Noam Chomsky among his favorite authors. It must have been quite a moment for Coulter, who upon Tillman's death described him in her inimitably creepy fashion as "an American original--virtuous, pure and masculine like only an American male can be." She tried to discredit the story as San Francisco agitprop, but this approach ran into a slight problem: The article's source was Pat Tillman's mother, Mary.
Mary and the Tillman family are relentlessly pushing for answers to the questions surrounding Pat's death in Afghanistan. They want to know why it took the Pentagon five weeks to tell them he died in a tragic case of friendly fire. They want to know why they were unwitting props at Pat's funeral, weeping while lies were told by eulogizing politicians. Mary is now hoping that a new Pentagon inquiry will bring closure. "There have been so many discrepancies so far that it's hard to know what to believe," she said to the Chronicle. "There are too many murky details."
The very private Tillmans have revealed a picture of Pat profoundly at odds with the GI Joe image created by Pentagon spinmeisters and their media stenographers. As the Chronicle put it, family and friends are now unveiling "a side of Pat Tillman not widely known--a fiercely independent thinker who enlisted, fought and died in service to his country yet was critical of President Bush and opposed the war in Iraq, where he served a tour of duty. He was an avid reader whose interests ranged from history books...to works of leftist Noam Chomsky, a favorite author." Tillman had very unembedded feelings about the Iraq War. His close friend Army Spec. Russell Baer remembered, "I can see it like a movie screen. We were outside of [an Iraqi city] watching as bombs were dropping on the town.... We were talking. And Pat said, 'You know, this war is so f***ing illegal.' And we all said, 'Yeah.' That's who he was. He totally was against Bush." With these revelations, Pat Tillman the PR icon joins WMD and Al Qaeda connections on the heap of lies used to sell the Iraq War.
Tillman's transition from one-dimensional caricature to critically thinking human being is a long time coming. The fact is that in death he was far more useful to the armchair warriors than he had ever been in life. When the Pro Bowler joined the Army Rangers, the Pentagon brass needed a loofah to wipe their drool: He was white, handsome and played in the NFL. For a chicken-hawk Administration led by a President who loves the affectations of machismo but runs from protesting military moms, this testosterone cocktail was impossible to resist. The problem was that Tillman wouldn't play their game. To the Pentagon's chagrin, he turned down numerous offers to be its recruitment poster child.
But when Tillman fell in Afghanistan the wheels once again started to turn. Now the narrative was perfect: "War hero and football star dies fighting terror." The Abu Ghraib scandal was about to hit the press, so the President found it especially useful to praise Tillman as "an inspiration on and off the football field, as with all who made the ultimate sacrifice in the war on terror." His funeral was nationally televised. Bush even went back to the bloody well during the presidential campaign, addressing his team's fans on the Arizona Cardinals' stadium Jumbotron.
We now know, of course, that this was all a brutal charade. Such callous manipulation is fueling the Tillman family's anger. As Mary Tillman said this past May, "They could have told us up front that they were suspicious that [his death] was a fratricide, but they didn't. They wanted to use him for their purposes.... They needed something that looked good, and it was appalling that they would use him like that." A growing number of military families, similarly angered, are criticizing the war in Iraq through organizations like Military Families Speak Out.
As for Chomsky, whom Ann Coulter would undoubtedly label "treasonous," Mary Tillman says a private meeting was planned between him and Pat after Pat's return--a meeting that never took place, of course. Chomsky confirms this scenario. This was the real Pat Tillman: someone who, like the majority of this country, was doubting the rationale for war, distrusting his Commander in Chief and looking for answers. The real Pat Tillman, the one with three dimensions, must stick in the throat of the Bush-Coulter gang, a pit in the cherry atop their bloody sundae.
Sunday, October 09, 2005
NFL Picks Week 5
Another rough 5 picks for me yesterday, but hopefully you listened to me on the Buffs, as they rolled again. My picks were 2-3, but amazingly enough in games I bet yesterday I went 10-3. Nice profit, obviously. Once again there is really only one NFL game I really like, and suggest betting it. There are a couple other games I kind of like.
RAMS -3 Over Seahawks. I love this game. The Hawks are missing their top 2 receivers, and the Rams simply have Seattle's number. Rams will win this one by 2 TD's. BET THIS GAME
Other games I like are the Cardinals, Ravens, the Packers Over, and the Browns Under.
Good Luck!
RAMS -3 Over Seahawks. I love this game. The Hawks are missing their top 2 receivers, and the Rams simply have Seattle's number. Rams will win this one by 2 TD's. BET THIS GAME
Other games I like are the Cardinals, Ravens, the Packers Over, and the Browns Under.
Good Luck!
Friday, October 07, 2005
College Picks for Saturday, 10/8
Last week I hit exactly 50% in my picks, but I emphasized only 2 games and I hope you took those. This week I have 5 college picks, all of which I love. The first game is very familiar, the second not many people will like to see. But here they are...
1 Colorado -3 Over Texas A&M - Back to back weeks the Buffs are my top pick of the weekend. They are a better team than A&M, A&M is not good on the road, and it is tough going into that home field of CU, especially with that altitude. CU showed just how good they were last week, and I truly don't understand this line. If the line was 8 I would still love CU as my top pick. At 3 I love it even more. I said it last week and I'll say it again, as they are my favorite game of the day. BET THIS GAME!
2 TEXAS TECH -4 Over Nebraska - Sorry. I'm a huge Husker fan, but reality takes precedent. I will absolutely be cheering my ass off to lose money in this one, but here is my take. The only weak spot on the NU defense is the secondary, which has not been tested this season. Last week ISU passed for over 300, and that was a bad pass offense. TT has a great pass offense. NU has 3 decent cover DB's. Well, what will happen when TT goes 5 wide and our 5th DB has to go man to man? Getting a pass rush on TT is tough, and though we have some of the best pass rushers in the country, the coverage by the DB's will not be good enough so there won't be much pressure. I see TT scoring a lot of points, winning this one 48-30. Hate saying it, but that's how I see it.
3 Air Force +1` Over Navy - Navy has won the last few games against AF and have the home field. However Navy has struggled somewhat this season, losing most of their good players from last year, and haven't found the key components yet. AF has been tested all year and has been very solid, but very underrated. The talent differential is huge here leaning towards AF, and they will be hungry to beat another Military Academy, especially since they haven't in a few years, winning this one by 10.
4 SDSU -9` Over UNLV - UNLV has one of the worst teams in the country this year. Their defense is terrible, offense terrible, special teams terrible. SDSU has very few weaknesses, has played one of the toughest schedules in the country (and competed well), with an outstanding defense and balanced offense. SDSU is one of the most underrated teams in the country and should put up 40 points easily, and despite laying almost 10 on the road, I love this game.
5 Missouri -5` over Oklahoma St - I told you last week how bad OSU is, and I think you believe me after that game. OSU has no offense at all, which bodes well because Mizzou's defense is weak. However, Mizzou's offense has been very good, and with Brad Smith going from a Texas defense last week to an OSU defense this week, I see them bouncing back in a big way, winning this game by 2 TD's.
Those are my picks. There are other games I really like - Wyoming, Kansas St, Washington St, Pitt, Louisville, and Tulsa to name a few. Keep an eye out for Sunday. As of right now there is only one game I really like but have my eye on a few others and will decide on them Sunday morning.
Good Luck!!!
1 Colorado -3 Over Texas A&M - Back to back weeks the Buffs are my top pick of the weekend. They are a better team than A&M, A&M is not good on the road, and it is tough going into that home field of CU, especially with that altitude. CU showed just how good they were last week, and I truly don't understand this line. If the line was 8 I would still love CU as my top pick. At 3 I love it even more. I said it last week and I'll say it again, as they are my favorite game of the day. BET THIS GAME!
2 TEXAS TECH -4 Over Nebraska - Sorry. I'm a huge Husker fan, but reality takes precedent. I will absolutely be cheering my ass off to lose money in this one, but here is my take. The only weak spot on the NU defense is the secondary, which has not been tested this season. Last week ISU passed for over 300, and that was a bad pass offense. TT has a great pass offense. NU has 3 decent cover DB's. Well, what will happen when TT goes 5 wide and our 5th DB has to go man to man? Getting a pass rush on TT is tough, and though we have some of the best pass rushers in the country, the coverage by the DB's will not be good enough so there won't be much pressure. I see TT scoring a lot of points, winning this one 48-30. Hate saying it, but that's how I see it.
3 Air Force +1` Over Navy - Navy has won the last few games against AF and have the home field. However Navy has struggled somewhat this season, losing most of their good players from last year, and haven't found the key components yet. AF has been tested all year and has been very solid, but very underrated. The talent differential is huge here leaning towards AF, and they will be hungry to beat another Military Academy, especially since they haven't in a few years, winning this one by 10.
4 SDSU -9` Over UNLV - UNLV has one of the worst teams in the country this year. Their defense is terrible, offense terrible, special teams terrible. SDSU has very few weaknesses, has played one of the toughest schedules in the country (and competed well), with an outstanding defense and balanced offense. SDSU is one of the most underrated teams in the country and should put up 40 points easily, and despite laying almost 10 on the road, I love this game.
5 Missouri -5` over Oklahoma St - I told you last week how bad OSU is, and I think you believe me after that game. OSU has no offense at all, which bodes well because Mizzou's defense is weak. However, Mizzou's offense has been very good, and with Brad Smith going from a Texas defense last week to an OSU defense this week, I see them bouncing back in a big way, winning this game by 2 TD's.
Those are my picks. There are other games I really like - Wyoming, Kansas St, Washington St, Pitt, Louisville, and Tulsa to name a few. Keep an eye out for Sunday. As of right now there is only one game I really like but have my eye on a few others and will decide on them Sunday morning.
Good Luck!!!
Today is Friday
Happy Friday, all. What's going on this weekend? I'll take it easy tonight. I'm going to help my dad with some yardwork early tomorrow morning. After that is NU - Texas Tech, which will be a brutal game. But it will be fun because I'm going to Clint's, who is finally off probation and now drinking again, to watch the game. Plus Justin and Mackenzie are in town so they will be there too. So if you are looking for somewhere to watch and want to go let me know.
All right, I promised something funny on Fridays. The Onion now has a Sports Section! Here it is. I think my favorite headline this week is "Joe Namath Guarantees He'll Lose Battle With Alcoholism".
If you're not a sports fan, that may not be that funny though, so here's one for you non-sports fans. Our good friend Tom DeLay really knows how to make idiotic, implicating quotes. Here are a few...
From Daniel Kurtzman, Your Guide to Political Humor--
10 Mind-Numbingly Stupid Quotes by Tom DeLay:
1) "So many minority youths had volunteered.that there was literally no
room
for patriotic folks like myself." --Tom DeLay, explaining at the 1988
GOP
convention why he and vice presidential nominee Dan Quayle did not fight
in
the Vietnam War
2) "Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?" -Tom Delay, to
three
young hurricane evacuees from New Orleans at the Astrodome in Houston,
Sept.
9, 2005
3) "I AM the federal government." -Tom DeLay, to the owner of Ruth's
Chris
Steak House, after being told to put out his cigar because of federal
government regulations banning smoking in the building, May 14, 2003
4) "We're no longer a superpower. We're a super-duper power." -Tom
DeLay,
explaining why America must topple Saddam Hussein in 2002 interview with
Fox
News
5) "Nothing is more important in the face of a war than cutting taxes."
-Tom
DeLay, March 12, 2003
6) "Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes
of
youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare, the
teaching of evolution in the schools, and working mothers who take birth
control pills." -Tom DeLay, on causes of the Columbine High School
massacre,
1999
7) "A woman can take care of the family. It takes a man to provide
structure.
To provide stability. Not that a woman can't provide stability, I'm not
saying that... It does take a father, though." -Tom DeLay, in a radio
interview, Feb. 10, 2004
8) "I don't believe there is a separation of church and state. I think
the
Constitution is very clear. The only separation is that there will not
be a
government church." -Tom DeLay
9) "Emotional appeals about working families trying to get by on $4.25
an
hour [the minimum wage in 1996] are hard to resist. Fortunately, such
families do not exist." -Tom DeLay, during a debate in Congress on
increasing
the minimum wage, April 23, 1996
10) "I am not a federal employee. I am a constitutional officer. My job
is
the Constitution of the United States, I am not a government employee. I
am
in the Constitution." -Tom DeLay, in a CNN interview, Dec. 19, 1995
Again, my top 5 games will be out here late tonight or early Saturday. Everyone have a great weekend!
All right, I promised something funny on Fridays. The Onion now has a Sports Section! Here it is. I think my favorite headline this week is "Joe Namath Guarantees He'll Lose Battle With Alcoholism".
If you're not a sports fan, that may not be that funny though, so here's one for you non-sports fans. Our good friend Tom DeLay really knows how to make idiotic, implicating quotes. Here are a few...
From Daniel Kurtzman, Your Guide to Political Humor--
10 Mind-Numbingly Stupid Quotes by Tom DeLay:
1) "So many minority youths had volunteered.that there was literally no
room
for patriotic folks like myself." --Tom DeLay, explaining at the 1988
GOP
convention why he and vice presidential nominee Dan Quayle did not fight
in
the Vietnam War
2) "Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?" -Tom Delay, to
three
young hurricane evacuees from New Orleans at the Astrodome in Houston,
Sept.
9, 2005
3) "I AM the federal government." -Tom DeLay, to the owner of Ruth's
Chris
Steak House, after being told to put out his cigar because of federal
government regulations banning smoking in the building, May 14, 2003
4) "We're no longer a superpower. We're a super-duper power." -Tom
DeLay,
explaining why America must topple Saddam Hussein in 2002 interview with
Fox
News
5) "Nothing is more important in the face of a war than cutting taxes."
-Tom
DeLay, March 12, 2003
6) "Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes
of
youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare, the
teaching of evolution in the schools, and working mothers who take birth
control pills." -Tom DeLay, on causes of the Columbine High School
massacre,
1999
7) "A woman can take care of the family. It takes a man to provide
structure.
To provide stability. Not that a woman can't provide stability, I'm not
saying that... It does take a father, though." -Tom DeLay, in a radio
interview, Feb. 10, 2004
8) "I don't believe there is a separation of church and state. I think
the
Constitution is very clear. The only separation is that there will not
be a
government church." -Tom DeLay
9) "Emotional appeals about working families trying to get by on $4.25
an
hour [the minimum wage in 1996] are hard to resist. Fortunately, such
families do not exist." -Tom DeLay, during a debate in Congress on
increasing
the minimum wage, April 23, 1996
10) "I am not a federal employee. I am a constitutional officer. My job
is
the Constitution of the United States, I am not a government employee. I
am
in the Constitution." -Tom DeLay, in a CNN interview, Dec. 19, 1995
Again, my top 5 games will be out here late tonight or early Saturday. Everyone have a great weekend!
Monday, October 03, 2005
Good Weekend
I hope everyone had a good weekend. Friday night was fun - I went to La Buvette and then went to the 2 Gallants show at Sokol, which was very impressive. There were even some famous people hanging out with us (well, somewhat famous) - Dave Foley (Kids in the Hall, Celebrity Poker host) and Leah Thompson (Caroline in the City, Back To The Future - MJ Fox's mother). Leah sure seemed to like Denver, she was all over him. Pretty funny.
Saturday we had people over for the Husker game, which was great. It was nice to see the offense finally show up. Next week they better put a few more in the end zone. After the game I went over to Dave Mullin's to watch the Irish game on his new HD TV - the problem I have with HD is that every time I watch a game on it I feel like I need to buy one. After the Irish game I went to the ODB then over to Jenna's for after hours. Up the street from her house there was a huge fight and 3 cop cars showed up, but of course not until the fight was over. Really it was just a bunch of drunk idiots screaming back and forth at each other - but there were a good 25-30 people involved.
I hope you took my advice over the weekend on my 2 favorite picks. Colorado shut out Oklahoma St, and last night Arizona dominated the 49ers, throwing for almost 400 yards. SF had 2 TD's, but both were by the defense, but despite that the game still came in easily. Tonight I see the game as a toss up, but in the NFL the teams that are down always seem to come back up, so I kind of like Green Bay +7 at Carolina.
The baseball playoffs start tomorrow, the Cardinals play at Noon! I'd love to see a rematch with the Red Sox in the World Series!!!
Everyone have a great week.
Saturday we had people over for the Husker game, which was great. It was nice to see the offense finally show up. Next week they better put a few more in the end zone. After the game I went over to Dave Mullin's to watch the Irish game on his new HD TV - the problem I have with HD is that every time I watch a game on it I feel like I need to buy one. After the Irish game I went to the ODB then over to Jenna's for after hours. Up the street from her house there was a huge fight and 3 cop cars showed up, but of course not until the fight was over. Really it was just a bunch of drunk idiots screaming back and forth at each other - but there were a good 25-30 people involved.
I hope you took my advice over the weekend on my 2 favorite picks. Colorado shut out Oklahoma St, and last night Arizona dominated the 49ers, throwing for almost 400 yards. SF had 2 TD's, but both were by the defense, but despite that the game still came in easily. Tonight I see the game as a toss up, but in the NFL the teams that are down always seem to come back up, so I kind of like Green Bay +7 at Carolina.
The baseball playoffs start tomorrow, the Cardinals play at Noon! I'd love to see a rematch with the Red Sox in the World Series!!!
Everyone have a great week.
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Sunday Night Game
Well, I went 2-3 yesterday, not so good. But if you listened to me and bet Colorado you bet the easiest win of the year so far. I didn't like many NFL games today, just the Redskins, which I wish I had posted earlier - they did get lucky covering today.
Tonight is the NFL game I love. This is my favorite NFL game of the season so far - so nice weekend with my favorite college and pro games to this point. Here it is:
Take Arizona -2 Over the 49ers. The 49ers have 2 starters in the secondary out, the Cardinals are far better than their 0-3 record to this point, and are a better all around team.
Tonight is the NFL game I love. This is my favorite NFL game of the season so far - so nice weekend with my favorite college and pro games to this point. Here it is:
Take Arizona -2 Over the 49ers. The 49ers have 2 starters in the secondary out, the Cardinals are far better than their 0-3 record to this point, and are a better all around team.
Saturday, October 01, 2005
College Picks for Saturday, 10/1
I've gone 3-2 in my picks each week. This week was tough, there are so many games I like, but only one that I love. Here they are...
1 Colorado -3 Over Oklahoma St - OK St has played one of the easiest schedules in the country and they still have had trouble moving the ball. Colorado has more talent, better coaching, and have played a tough schedule and they are tested and ready to go. There is some revenge for last year where OK St rolled in Boulder, thanks to numerous CU turnovers. BET THIS GAME
2 Texas Tech -18 Over Kansas - TT is playing their first real game of the year, but KU hasn't exactly played great teams. KU has struggled somewhat in those easy games, and TT has one of the best passing games in the country. The TT defense is improved this season as well, and I love how Leach likes to run it up.
3 Army +11 Over UConn - UConn is a pretty good team, but I like an Army team that should be able to move the ball on an average defense, and I'll take those double digit home points.
4 Penn St +2 Over Minnesota - I've liked Penn St all year. This is going to be a tough test for the defense with a fantastic Minnesota rushing offense, but I think that the defense will be up to the task. Penn St has so many athletes on offense, that even if Minnesota controls the clock, Penn St will get stops and score often, winning this game by a TD.
5 West VA +10 Over VA Tech - Tech has struggled in the past against WV. WV has a very good defense and a balanced offense. Vick hasn't gone into an atmosphere like this yet. We also get great line value with WV struggling last week against East Carolina, while VT rolled over an injury ridden Georgia Tech last week. Again, give me those 10 points at home.
Other games I like are Arizona St, Alabama, Hawaii, and Wyoming.
GOOD LUCK!
Oh, and go Arizona St!
1 Colorado -3 Over Oklahoma St - OK St has played one of the easiest schedules in the country and they still have had trouble moving the ball. Colorado has more talent, better coaching, and have played a tough schedule and they are tested and ready to go. There is some revenge for last year where OK St rolled in Boulder, thanks to numerous CU turnovers. BET THIS GAME
2 Texas Tech -18 Over Kansas - TT is playing their first real game of the year, but KU hasn't exactly played great teams. KU has struggled somewhat in those easy games, and TT has one of the best passing games in the country. The TT defense is improved this season as well, and I love how Leach likes to run it up.
3 Army +11 Over UConn - UConn is a pretty good team, but I like an Army team that should be able to move the ball on an average defense, and I'll take those double digit home points.
4 Penn St +2 Over Minnesota - I've liked Penn St all year. This is going to be a tough test for the defense with a fantastic Minnesota rushing offense, but I think that the defense will be up to the task. Penn St has so many athletes on offense, that even if Minnesota controls the clock, Penn St will get stops and score often, winning this game by a TD.
5 West VA +10 Over VA Tech - Tech has struggled in the past against WV. WV has a very good defense and a balanced offense. Vick hasn't gone into an atmosphere like this yet. We also get great line value with WV struggling last week against East Carolina, while VT rolled over an injury ridden Georgia Tech last week. Again, give me those 10 points at home.
Other games I like are Arizona St, Alabama, Hawaii, and Wyoming.
GOOD LUCK!
Oh, and go Arizona St!
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