OMFG! McShame has selected Sarah Palin as his VP. These people are beyond desperate. What are they thinking? Are they thinking? Here they are trying to paint Obama as too young and inexperienced to be president and then they go and select a woman who is younger and less experienced than Obama to be the person who is one 72 year old senile heart beat away from being the leader of the most powerful nation on Earth. WTF?
Have they been drinking their own propaganda kool aid? Did they trick themselves into believing that all of these disgruntled Hillary supporters that they made up really exist? And speaking of Hillary, if she wasn't 100% on board with Obama, she sure as hell is now. Do you think she's going to let this little no name chick from Alaska take her rightful role as first female president of the USA? It's on!
A quick background check of Palin shows that she is currently under investigation for using her office to try to get her ex brother-in-law fired from a state troopers position. Beautiful! Use your political muscle to try to get revenge against your sister's ex. Yep, she's definitely a republican. And she's only been Governor for a little over a year so she didn't waste any time abusing the power of her office to try to settle a family squabble. That's leadership.
If Obama doesn't win this election in a landslide (as I've predicted he will) then there is truly no hope for the American people.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Praying For Rain
Well known homophobe and right wing evangelical preacher, James Dobson, recently hired a guy to make religious right videos. I have no problem with that. However, one of the videos that they made actually asked his "Focus on the Family" cult members to pray for rain on the night of Obama's acceptance speech. But not just rain, no we're talking "abundant rain, torrential rain ... flood-advisory rain."
Why? That's easy, Obama doesn't subscribe to the religious right's stance on same sex marriage and abortion so Focus on the Family wants God to smite Obama with rain. I can't make this stuff up.
So here we are, approaching the three year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, watching fearfully as tropical storm Gustav gains strength while heading toward the Gulf of Mexico and instead of these "christians" praying for the storm to subside and save the people in the storms path, they are praying for it to rain on Obama's speech. How petty and vindictive can you get. Crazy doesn't even begin to describe these people.
Practice what you preach, unless someone disagrees with you. Then try to use your illusionary clout with God to make it rain on your perceived enemy. These people wouldn't recognize a real "christian" if he was nailed to a cross.
And for the record, the weather in Denver for the speech is expected to be clear and 80 degrees. God must love Obama more.
Why? That's easy, Obama doesn't subscribe to the religious right's stance on same sex marriage and abortion so Focus on the Family wants God to smite Obama with rain. I can't make this stuff up.
So here we are, approaching the three year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, watching fearfully as tropical storm Gustav gains strength while heading toward the Gulf of Mexico and instead of these "christians" praying for the storm to subside and save the people in the storms path, they are praying for it to rain on Obama's speech. How petty and vindictive can you get. Crazy doesn't even begin to describe these people.
Practice what you preach, unless someone disagrees with you. Then try to use your illusionary clout with God to make it rain on your perceived enemy. These people wouldn't recognize a real "christian" if he was nailed to a cross.
And for the record, the weather in Denver for the speech is expected to be clear and 80 degrees. God must love Obama more.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Welcome to the 21st Century, MLB
Major League Baseball will begin using instant replay tomorrow to help keep the umpires from making even more mistakes on home run calls. The original time line for instant replay was sometime in 2010 but I guess once the Little League World Series showed MLB how to do it, the time line was reduced considerably. Seriously, Little League Baseball instituted instant replay before the major leagues. Sad. True.
Excuse Me While I Vent
The question the mainstream media keeps asking is, "Why isn't Obama ahead by more?" I have a better question. Why is the white male, former prisoner of war, "maverick", unable to trounce a "muslim" negro american hating terrorist like Obama in racist USA? Seriously, you have to be a complete and utter loser to not be able to beat a black man in an election for President of the United States of America. Right? Maybe the "liberal" media should explore this angle.
Right Wing Sound Check
I haven't even had a chance to sort through today's political fodder but I did want to write a quick update about what I did hear today. I knew from the headlines, "Slam Dunk", "Home Run", "Grand Slam", etc., that Hillary came through in spades last night. I knew that lefty talk radio would be high fiving each other all morning so there was nothing to be learned by listening in. Instead, I tuned in to our old friend Laura Ingraham, hoping that she would give me the right wing talking points for the day. Jackpot.
First, apparently Hillary wore the wrong color outfit. That was the first thing Laura found to ridicule this morning. She called it something clever like a threat level orange pant suit. I don't know, at least she tries to be funny.
Next, she talked about how the PUMA's were "accosting" her everywhere she went. Funny, but all the left wing talk show hosts and bloggers couldn't find a PUMA anywhere in the entire city. Hmmm...strange. Only right wingers seem to attract these fictitious characters. Basically, her talking point was that the PUMA's weren't buying Hillary's speech or any of that "unity" crap. Right.
Moving right along, she talked about how Hillary's speech was all about ME, ME, ME. I guess she ignored the part of the speech where Hillary said something along the lines of, "Were you in this campaign just for me? Or were you in it for the Marine fighting in Afghanistan...the mother with cancer who doesn't have health care...the single mom trying to make ends meet on minimum wage..."
Finally, she talked about Michelle Obama's "eyes that don't smile." Oh, that must be because she is a black, muslim, american hating, terrorist. Yeah, I get it.
That's pretty much a wrap. That's all the republicans had this morning. More of the same. Nothing as usual. Yawn.
First, apparently Hillary wore the wrong color outfit. That was the first thing Laura found to ridicule this morning. She called it something clever like a threat level orange pant suit. I don't know, at least she tries to be funny.
Next, she talked about how the PUMA's were "accosting" her everywhere she went. Funny, but all the left wing talk show hosts and bloggers couldn't find a PUMA anywhere in the entire city. Hmmm...strange. Only right wingers seem to attract these fictitious characters. Basically, her talking point was that the PUMA's weren't buying Hillary's speech or any of that "unity" crap. Right.
Moving right along, she talked about how Hillary's speech was all about ME, ME, ME. I guess she ignored the part of the speech where Hillary said something along the lines of, "Were you in this campaign just for me? Or were you in it for the Marine fighting in Afghanistan...the mother with cancer who doesn't have health care...the single mom trying to make ends meet on minimum wage..."
Finally, she talked about Michelle Obama's "eyes that don't smile." Oh, that must be because she is a black, muslim, american hating, terrorist. Yeah, I get it.
That's pretty much a wrap. That's all the republicans had this morning. More of the same. Nothing as usual. Yawn.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Un-"real"
Here's exactly what I was talking about earlier. These women are not democrats. These are republican plants sent out there to make trouble and create false news stories. Kudos to Chris Matthews for the smackdown. Unfortunately, too many people won't understand that what they are seeing is not reality. Republicans are an evil bunch.
Jackpot!
I always scan the $1 books that are for sale at the library. Usually, nothing jumps out at me but every once in a while I find a keeper. Today, I found a first edition, hardcover copy of The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell. It is the actual interview transcripts from his PBS series with Bill Moyers. Happy, happy, joy, joy!
Lions and Tigers and Bears, OH MY!
OMG! The Democratic National Convention is about to break down into utter and complete chaos. The Clinton camp is taking to the streets. They're totally pissed that Obama snubbed her for VP. The Clinton Democrats are breaking rank in droves and voting for McCain. It's the end of the world as we know it.
Yeah, not really. But the republican propaganda machine sure is trying hard to drive that wedge, aren't they? They've done a masterful job of pushing that non-story over the past couple of days. However, it is sure to backfire when Hillary takes the stage at the convention and rallies the troops around Obama.
But, wow! If you weren't paying attention to the sources of the story you might really think that Hillary supporters were actually dumb enough to vote for McCain out of spite. Now I'm sure there are a few of them out there who might not vote for Obama but certainly no where near the number that the republican propaganda machine is floating. Just sit back, shake your heads, and smile when Hillary comes through live on stage.
Yeah, not really. But the republican propaganda machine sure is trying hard to drive that wedge, aren't they? They've done a masterful job of pushing that non-story over the past couple of days. However, it is sure to backfire when Hillary takes the stage at the convention and rallies the troops around Obama.
But, wow! If you weren't paying attention to the sources of the story you might really think that Hillary supporters were actually dumb enough to vote for McCain out of spite. Now I'm sure there are a few of them out there who might not vote for Obama but certainly no where near the number that the republican propaganda machine is floating. Just sit back, shake your heads, and smile when Hillary comes through live on stage.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Value Drafting
I helped my son draft a fantasy football team this morning. It was a lot of fun for both of us and he ended up with a pretty great team. I just took a few seconds to analyze the team based on value. Value drafting is the key to success in fantasy football. It's all about getting the best player at a particular draft position. For example, if a player's average draft position is 15th overall and you grab him with the 25th pick then that's a +10 value. I'll list his team along with value info for skill positions.
1. Frank Gore RB SF 8th overall 6th average draft pick +2 value
2. Clinton Portis RB Was 13, 10, +3
3. Tori Holt WR St. L 28, 26, +2
4. Anquan Boldin WR Ari 33, 28, +5
5. Roy Williams WR Det 48, 42, +6
6. Brandon Jacobs RB NYG 53, 23, +30
7. Donovan McNabb QB Phi 68, 60, +8
8. Tony Gonzalez TE KC 73, 68, +5
9. Jay Cutler QB Den 88, 63, +25
10. New York Giants Defense
11. Pittsburgh Steelers Defense
12. Jerry Porter WR Jac 113, 92, +21
13. Owen Daniels TE Hou 128, 89, +39
14. Adam Vinatieri K Ind
15. Vince Jackson WR SD 148, 87, +61
As you can see, we were able to get positive value at every position in every round including some outright steals, like Brandon Jacobs in the 6th round, Jay Cutler in the 9th, plus Porter, Owens, and Jackson in the late rounds. Super sweet draft.
1. Frank Gore RB SF 8th overall 6th average draft pick +2 value
2. Clinton Portis RB Was 13, 10, +3
3. Tori Holt WR St. L 28, 26, +2
4. Anquan Boldin WR Ari 33, 28, +5
5. Roy Williams WR Det 48, 42, +6
6. Brandon Jacobs RB NYG 53, 23, +30
7. Donovan McNabb QB Phi 68, 60, +8
8. Tony Gonzalez TE KC 73, 68, +5
9. Jay Cutler QB Den 88, 63, +25
10. New York Giants Defense
11. Pittsburgh Steelers Defense
12. Jerry Porter WR Jac 113, 92, +21
13. Owen Daniels TE Hou 128, 89, +39
14. Adam Vinatieri K Ind
15. Vince Jackson WR SD 148, 87, +61
As you can see, we were able to get positive value at every position in every round including some outright steals, like Brandon Jacobs in the 6th round, Jay Cutler in the 9th, plus Porter, Owens, and Jackson in the late rounds. Super sweet draft.
Biden, Baby!
Obama made the perfect choice for VP with his selection of Joe Biden. So we have Obama-Biden vs Bush-McCain. Click here for a quick video featuring Joe Biden and I'm sure you'll think he's great. Go ahead, click it. Do it! You'll be glad you did.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Vegas Odds
Here are the odds for the Olympic Men's Marathon. Lel is the obvious favorite but if you're a gambling man, put some cash down on Cheruiyot and Hall. Especially if you can get some win, place, show action. Boy, I'm just full of predictions this week. I actually (ahem) "raced" against Cheruiyot in Boston. He beat me by a good 95 minutes on his way to winning Boston for the 4th time.
ie: 4.0Means 10 dollars pays $40.00
Martin Lel 4.00
Sammy Wanjiru 5.00
Mubarak Shami 5.50
Abderrahim Goumri 10.00
Tsegaye Kedebe 10.00
Deriba Merga 11.00
Robert Cheruiyot 11.00
Ryan Hall 13.00
Jaouad Gharib 15.00
Viktor Rothlin 17.00
Satoshi Osaki 21.00
Stefano Baldini 21.00
Yared Asmerom 21.00
ie: 4.0Means 10 dollars pays $40.00
Martin Lel 4.00
Sammy Wanjiru 5.00
Mubarak Shami 5.50
Abderrahim Goumri 10.00
Tsegaye Kedebe 10.00
Deriba Merga 11.00
Robert Cheruiyot 11.00
Ryan Hall 13.00
Jaouad Gharib 15.00
Viktor Rothlin 17.00
Satoshi Osaki 21.00
Stefano Baldini 21.00
Yared Asmerom 21.00
Pop Quiz
Which of the following better describes the "typical" american?
a) Born into a lower middle class home. Worked hard, studied, put himself through college and law school. Worked his way to success through hard work. Owns a home and understands that a person who makes $250,000 or more per year is in the top 3-4% of income earners in the country.
b) Born into a family of Navy Admirals. Was *wink, wink* accepted into Annapolis where he finished at the bottom of his class. Abandoned his first wife to marry a "Sugar Mama" who bought him influence and power. Wears $500 shoes, owns 7 or more houses worth over $13 million, believes that wealthy is defined as someone with an annual income of over $5 million.
a) Born into a lower middle class home. Worked hard, studied, put himself through college and law school. Worked his way to success through hard work. Owns a home and understands that a person who makes $250,000 or more per year is in the top 3-4% of income earners in the country.
b) Born into a family of Navy Admirals. Was *wink, wink* accepted into Annapolis where he finished at the bottom of his class. Abandoned his first wife to marry a "Sugar Mama" who bought him influence and power. Wears $500 shoes, owns 7 or more houses worth over $13 million, believes that wealthy is defined as someone with an annual income of over $5 million.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Prediction
For VP, I'd like to see Joe Biden or Christopher Dodd. But I just noticed something and I'll make a bold prediction right here, and remember you heard it here first. If Biden is the VP, the right wing fear mongers will have signs and bumper stickers out in no time flat that look and say something like this:
Obama Bi(n La)den.
Obama Bi(n La)den.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
How To Talk To A Browns Fan
It's football season and if there's one thing I've learned as a Steelers fan living in Ohio for the last 20+ years, it's how to talk to a Browns fan. Here are three pointers that are sure to be effective.
1. When you find yourself in a conversation with a Browns fan, it won't take long for them to tell you that they hate the Steelers. They're Browns fans, it's what they do. It's taught at an early age. Anyway, when they say anything negative toward the Steelers, simply smile and say, "I love the Browns!" This usually catches them off guard and they ask a silly follow up question and then you hit them with, "yeah, 2 easy wins every year." BAM.
2. When someone tells you they are a Browns fan, get a perplexed look on your face and then ask, "do you mean the "real" Browns who moved to Baltimore and won a Super Bowl or are you talking about that expansion team that never wins any games?" BIFF.
3. Before parting company with said Browns fan, politely say, "hang in there, someday Cleveland will have a professional football team too." POW.
1. When you find yourself in a conversation with a Browns fan, it won't take long for them to tell you that they hate the Steelers. They're Browns fans, it's what they do. It's taught at an early age. Anyway, when they say anything negative toward the Steelers, simply smile and say, "I love the Browns!" This usually catches them off guard and they ask a silly follow up question and then you hit them with, "yeah, 2 easy wins every year." BAM.
2. When someone tells you they are a Browns fan, get a perplexed look on your face and then ask, "do you mean the "real" Browns who moved to Baltimore and won a Super Bowl or are you talking about that expansion team that never wins any games?" BIFF.
3. Before parting company with said Browns fan, politely say, "hang in there, someday Cleveland will have a professional football team too." POW.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Cone of Silence
How about the big Saddleback Church forum over the weekend where Obama and McShame were asked the same questions by Reverend Rick Warren? That was pretty telling, right? Yeah, not really. Although one telling point came to light.
McShame is a cheater. I know, I know, he's a republican therefore being a cheater is a given. But is he really that desperate and pathetic that he couldn't even answer the questions honestly without knowing in advance what the questions were going to be? Yes, he is.
It seems Mr. McShame was not in the agreed upon "Cone of Silence" during the Obama portion of the interview. No, McShame was in his motorcade where assuredly his people were using their Blackberries to send McShame the questions as they were being asked to Obama. I would say, "for shame", but we're talking about McShame here.
He actually got busted when he said something like, "let's go back to the supreme court question", except that, oops!, the reverend hadn't asked McShame the supreme court question yet. Shame, shame, my "christian values" friend.
And then Nicolle Wallace, a spokesperson for McShame said, "the insinuation from the Obama campaign that John McCain, a former prisoner of war, cheated is outrageous." Did you get that? Apparently, if you were a prisoner of war you are somehow incapable of cheating. I'm pretty sure McShame's first wife would beg to differ. You know, given the adultery and all. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's referred to as "cheating".
McShame is a cheater. I know, I know, he's a republican therefore being a cheater is a given. But is he really that desperate and pathetic that he couldn't even answer the questions honestly without knowing in advance what the questions were going to be? Yes, he is.
It seems Mr. McShame was not in the agreed upon "Cone of Silence" during the Obama portion of the interview. No, McShame was in his motorcade where assuredly his people were using their Blackberries to send McShame the questions as they were being asked to Obama. I would say, "for shame", but we're talking about McShame here.
He actually got busted when he said something like, "let's go back to the supreme court question", except that, oops!, the reverend hadn't asked McShame the supreme court question yet. Shame, shame, my "christian values" friend.
And then Nicolle Wallace, a spokesperson for McShame said, "the insinuation from the Obama campaign that John McCain, a former prisoner of war, cheated is outrageous." Did you get that? Apparently, if you were a prisoner of war you are somehow incapable of cheating. I'm pretty sure McShame's first wife would beg to differ. You know, given the adultery and all. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's referred to as "cheating".
Monday, August 18, 2008
Fantasy Draft #2
Last night was the fantasy football draft for my marathoner's league. I finished 2nd last year in a 14 team league, losing the championship by 1/3 of a point. Ouch! I lost 2 RBs to injury during the championship game so I felt lucky just to have still been that competitive. Anyway, this year I expect to win.
Draft order was chosen randomly and I got stuck with the 14th pick. No strategy here, just sit and wait and hope someone falls to you. I was pretty happy to grab RB Ryan Grant (GB) and WR Andre Johnson (Hou) with the 14th and 15th picks. Grant was #10 on my draft board and Johnson was #13, so I felt like I got good value. I actually passed on McGahee, who was #12 on my list, due to injury questions. Time will tell if that was the right decision.
This league starts 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 RB/WR, 1 TE, 1 K, 1 DEF, 1 D. My strategy leading up to the draft was to stock up on RBs and WRs in the early rounds, grab a top QB if one fell far enough, draft a TE late, draft a kicker very late, get the Packers defense (or better), and try to choose the right time to grab Linebacker Patrick Willis.
Here's how my picks played out:
1. (14) Ryan Grant RB GB
2. (15) Andre Johnson WR Hou
3. (42) Anquan Boldin WR Ari
4. (43) Jonathan Stewart RB Car
5. (70) Dwayne Bowe WR KC
6. (71) Rashard Mendenhall RB Pit
7. (98) Jake Delhomme QB Car
8. (99) Patrick Willis LB SF
9. (126) Tony Scheffler TE Den
10. (127) Matt Schaub QB Hou
11. (154) Vincent Jackson WR SD
12. (155) Ray Rice RB Bal
13. (182) Pierre Thomas RB NO
14. (183) Indianapolis DEF
15. (210) Chris Perry RB Cin
16. (211) Philadelphia DEF
17. (238) DeMeco Ryans LB Hou
18. (239) John Kasay K Car
I'm second guessing the Jonathon Stewart pick in round 4 because I could have gone with a safer choice like Thomas Jones, but if Stewart turns out to be half the RB he is expected to be, then it was a great pick. Delhomme in the 7th round was a bit of a reach, but again, if his arm is healed then he is a great value in this position.
Rounds 9 and 10 were stressful. I knew exactly who I wanted and this was the perfect time to grab them. Truly great value if I could get them this late in the draft. My six year old was sitting beside me in fidgety anticipation as I explained that these 2 players were by far the best available at their positions and that if I didn't get them then there would be a pretty significant drop off in talent at both positions after those two players were drafted. We both shouted for joy as my turn came and both players were still available. Scheffler and Schaub!!! Mark my words, great value picks at #126 and 127 overall. Sweet.
By this point, all of the quality RBs and WRs were long gone so it was time to start honing in on my sleeper candidates, guys who are currently flying under the radar but could turn out to be stars this year. For RBs, I had 3 sleepers and I managed to draft all three of them. Ray Rice is a rookie for the Ravens who could steal snaps from McGahee and could also be the week 1 starter if McGahee's injury is still an issue. Pierre Thomas is a sneaky pick from the Saints. If Reggie Bush's knee continues to be a problem, or if Bush just isn't as good as his hype (like last year), then Thomas has a real opportunity to step up for New Orleans. The last guy I was targeting was Chris Perry, of the Bengals. With Rudi Johnson's career on the skids and Perry finally getting healthy, this could be the steal of the draft. Some experts are predicting that Perry will be the week 1 starter for the Bengals. Time will tell for all 3 of these picks but I did my homework and hopefully it will pay off.
This took me to the final 2 rounds. There were a couple of WRs on my draft board who were still available but I figured with the top notch receivers that I had already drafted, a fifth receiver was going to be nothing more than a bench warmer. Then I noticed that no one had drafted linebacker DeMeco Ryans. This guy is easily a top 5 defensive player for fantasy purposes and I had him at #2 at the position on my draft board. So I grabbed him with the intention of trading him for a quality RB or something once the other managers in my league realize how valuable this guy is.
For my last pick I simply chose the best remaining kicker on my draft board and called it a night. Overall, I think I landed a pretty solid team with good depth at the skill positions. I think that grabbing the 2 top LBs was pretty huge. It doesn't look like the other managers did their homework when it came to drafting defensive players. A good defensive player can add 15-18 points to your total score each week. That's huge! It's like having an extra RB on your squad. You win championships by paying attention to detail.
Draft order was chosen randomly and I got stuck with the 14th pick. No strategy here, just sit and wait and hope someone falls to you. I was pretty happy to grab RB Ryan Grant (GB) and WR Andre Johnson (Hou) with the 14th and 15th picks. Grant was #10 on my draft board and Johnson was #13, so I felt like I got good value. I actually passed on McGahee, who was #12 on my list, due to injury questions. Time will tell if that was the right decision.
This league starts 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 RB/WR, 1 TE, 1 K, 1 DEF, 1 D. My strategy leading up to the draft was to stock up on RBs and WRs in the early rounds, grab a top QB if one fell far enough, draft a TE late, draft a kicker very late, get the Packers defense (or better), and try to choose the right time to grab Linebacker Patrick Willis.
Here's how my picks played out:
1. (14) Ryan Grant RB GB
2. (15) Andre Johnson WR Hou
3. (42) Anquan Boldin WR Ari
4. (43) Jonathan Stewart RB Car
5. (70) Dwayne Bowe WR KC
6. (71) Rashard Mendenhall RB Pit
7. (98) Jake Delhomme QB Car
8. (99) Patrick Willis LB SF
9. (126) Tony Scheffler TE Den
10. (127) Matt Schaub QB Hou
11. (154) Vincent Jackson WR SD
12. (155) Ray Rice RB Bal
13. (182) Pierre Thomas RB NO
14. (183) Indianapolis DEF
15. (210) Chris Perry RB Cin
16. (211) Philadelphia DEF
17. (238) DeMeco Ryans LB Hou
18. (239) John Kasay K Car
I'm second guessing the Jonathon Stewart pick in round 4 because I could have gone with a safer choice like Thomas Jones, but if Stewart turns out to be half the RB he is expected to be, then it was a great pick. Delhomme in the 7th round was a bit of a reach, but again, if his arm is healed then he is a great value in this position.
Rounds 9 and 10 were stressful. I knew exactly who I wanted and this was the perfect time to grab them. Truly great value if I could get them this late in the draft. My six year old was sitting beside me in fidgety anticipation as I explained that these 2 players were by far the best available at their positions and that if I didn't get them then there would be a pretty significant drop off in talent at both positions after those two players were drafted. We both shouted for joy as my turn came and both players were still available. Scheffler and Schaub!!! Mark my words, great value picks at #126 and 127 overall. Sweet.
By this point, all of the quality RBs and WRs were long gone so it was time to start honing in on my sleeper candidates, guys who are currently flying under the radar but could turn out to be stars this year. For RBs, I had 3 sleepers and I managed to draft all three of them. Ray Rice is a rookie for the Ravens who could steal snaps from McGahee and could also be the week 1 starter if McGahee's injury is still an issue. Pierre Thomas is a sneaky pick from the Saints. If Reggie Bush's knee continues to be a problem, or if Bush just isn't as good as his hype (like last year), then Thomas has a real opportunity to step up for New Orleans. The last guy I was targeting was Chris Perry, of the Bengals. With Rudi Johnson's career on the skids and Perry finally getting healthy, this could be the steal of the draft. Some experts are predicting that Perry will be the week 1 starter for the Bengals. Time will tell for all 3 of these picks but I did my homework and hopefully it will pay off.
This took me to the final 2 rounds. There were a couple of WRs on my draft board who were still available but I figured with the top notch receivers that I had already drafted, a fifth receiver was going to be nothing more than a bench warmer. Then I noticed that no one had drafted linebacker DeMeco Ryans. This guy is easily a top 5 defensive player for fantasy purposes and I had him at #2 at the position on my draft board. So I grabbed him with the intention of trading him for a quality RB or something once the other managers in my league realize how valuable this guy is.
For my last pick I simply chose the best remaining kicker on my draft board and called it a night. Overall, I think I landed a pretty solid team with good depth at the skill positions. I think that grabbing the 2 top LBs was pretty huge. It doesn't look like the other managers did their homework when it came to drafting defensive players. A good defensive player can add 15-18 points to your total score each week. That's huge! It's like having an extra RB on your squad. You win championships by paying attention to detail.
Friday, August 15, 2008
More Political Posturing, etc.
Just another quick round up.
A month after McShame claimed to have fired his chief economic advisor, Phil Gramm, for being caught saying that the U.S. was in a "mental recession" and that we had become a "nation of whiners", Gramm was back by McShame's side yesterday for a series of briefings in Aspen, Colorado. McShame just can't quit you, Gramm.
In other news, McShame, in an effort to look "presidential", has sent his drones to Georgia to interfere with their conflict with Russia. Wow! Imagine if the uppity negro had done this. The Fox propaganda channel would be on red alert talking about how "presumptuous" Obama is and how he doesn't know his place. Seriously, Magoo, we already have a so called "president" who is supposed to be in charge of these matters. Stop fronting, already. Go back to sleep and your handlers will let you know when it's your turn to read from the teleprompter.
Limbaugh, the official oxy-moron, said the following, "It just seems to me that Edwards might be attracted to a woman whose mouth did something other than talk." Can you expand on that, Rush? I don't quite follow. Can you possibly be more of a sexist piece of shit? I didn't think so.
Since we're talking John Edwards, just let me say that this guy totally let me down. At first, I was just disgusted that he turned out to be just like all of the other scumbag politicians, socially. Then, after I took some time to digest the situation, I became really pissed off. This asshole ran for president knowing full well that this was in his closet and destined to come out. He could have very easily turned over the next four years to republican fascism at a time when our country is on the brink of permanent devastation. Dickhead.
Kudos to the Obama camp for issuing a 41 page rebuttal to that scumbag Corsi's book. This is the guy who authored the "swift boat" book about Kerry in '04. Forty one pages of lies rebutted. Way to counter punch, Obama. Keep on swinging. Also, Media Matters has a HUGE list of dirty laundry about Corsi. Check it out. Crap, I can't find it right this second, I'll link it when I have a minute.
Finally, Hillary...LET IT GO! Just say it...Obama won. Why do you have to keep playing politics and have your name placed in nomination at the Democratic National Convention? We get it. You were the first woman to come this far. Now drop the ego and let's work toward regaining control of our country. Stop giving people reasons to call you a bitch. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
A month after McShame claimed to have fired his chief economic advisor, Phil Gramm, for being caught saying that the U.S. was in a "mental recession" and that we had become a "nation of whiners", Gramm was back by McShame's side yesterday for a series of briefings in Aspen, Colorado. McShame just can't quit you, Gramm.
In other news, McShame, in an effort to look "presidential", has sent his drones to Georgia to interfere with their conflict with Russia. Wow! Imagine if the uppity negro had done this. The Fox propaganda channel would be on red alert talking about how "presumptuous" Obama is and how he doesn't know his place. Seriously, Magoo, we already have a so called "president" who is supposed to be in charge of these matters. Stop fronting, already. Go back to sleep and your handlers will let you know when it's your turn to read from the teleprompter.
Limbaugh, the official oxy-moron, said the following, "It just seems to me that Edwards might be attracted to a woman whose mouth did something other than talk." Can you expand on that, Rush? I don't quite follow. Can you possibly be more of a sexist piece of shit? I didn't think so.
Since we're talking John Edwards, just let me say that this guy totally let me down. At first, I was just disgusted that he turned out to be just like all of the other scumbag politicians, socially. Then, after I took some time to digest the situation, I became really pissed off. This asshole ran for president knowing full well that this was in his closet and destined to come out. He could have very easily turned over the next four years to republican fascism at a time when our country is on the brink of permanent devastation. Dickhead.
Kudos to the Obama camp for issuing a 41 page rebuttal to that scumbag Corsi's book. This is the guy who authored the "swift boat" book about Kerry in '04. Forty one pages of lies rebutted. Way to counter punch, Obama. Keep on swinging. Also, Media Matters has a HUGE list of dirty laundry about Corsi. Check it out. Crap, I can't find it right this second, I'll link it when I have a minute.
Finally, Hillary...LET IT GO! Just say it...Obama won. Why do you have to keep playing politics and have your name placed in nomination at the Democratic National Convention? We get it. You were the first woman to come this far. Now drop the ego and let's work toward regaining control of our country. Stop giving people reasons to call you a bitch. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
As McShame Turns
Lest we forget our good buddy McShame, here is a quick round up of things he has been up to this week.
"In the 21st century nations don't invade other nations." Nice quote there, Magoo. Can you sing us another chorus of your famous "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" song that you thought was so funny? You're going to give Duh some competition for that hypocrite of the century prize.
How about a nice little fundraiser sponsored by Jack Abramoff's partner in crime. Truly despicable Magoo. Not only that, but McShame actually invited the guy to join his campaign. Oh yes he did.
Next, we have your campaign accepting $2300 in campaign contributions from the owner of the gay web site, "Manmeat". Classic christian and family values there. Good luck explaining this one to your good buddies on the religious right.
Another day, another lobbyist entrenched in the McShame camp. Turns out McShame's top adviser, Randy Scheunemann, was a registered foreign agent for the government of Georgia and received hundreds of thousands of dollars from them while helping McCain formulate policy towards their country. No conflict of interest re: Russia vs Georgia, right?
McShame received a "D" grade from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, for his record of voting against veterans. Also, according to the Vietnam Veterans of America, McShame voted against the groups position 15 times while voting for their position 8 times. Obama voted with them 12 times and only 1 time against their position. Now remind me, which candidate is pro troops and pro veterans, again?
I'm just scratching the surface here. If I have time I'll continue later.
"In the 21st century nations don't invade other nations." Nice quote there, Magoo. Can you sing us another chorus of your famous "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" song that you thought was so funny? You're going to give Duh some competition for that hypocrite of the century prize.
How about a nice little fundraiser sponsored by Jack Abramoff's partner in crime. Truly despicable Magoo. Not only that, but McShame actually invited the guy to join his campaign. Oh yes he did.
Next, we have your campaign accepting $2300 in campaign contributions from the owner of the gay web site, "Manmeat". Classic christian and family values there. Good luck explaining this one to your good buddies on the religious right.
Another day, another lobbyist entrenched in the McShame camp. Turns out McShame's top adviser, Randy Scheunemann, was a registered foreign agent for the government of Georgia and received hundreds of thousands of dollars from them while helping McCain formulate policy towards their country. No conflict of interest re: Russia vs Georgia, right?
McShame received a "D" grade from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, for his record of voting against veterans. Also, according to the Vietnam Veterans of America, McShame voted against the groups position 15 times while voting for their position 8 times. Obama voted with them 12 times and only 1 time against their position. Now remind me, which candidate is pro troops and pro veterans, again?
I'm just scratching the surface here. If I have time I'll continue later.
Wii Fit
In an effort to encourage our 6 year old to practice writing over the summer break, we resorted back to a trick that worked with potty training. We made a chart and every time he completed a writing assignment to our satisfaction (using his teacher's guidelines) he was allowed to add an X to his chart. When each box was marked he was to receive a reward. The reward was a Wii game, the gold standard among 6 and 7 year old boys.
My fear was that we were going to have to spend $50 on a game that he liked for a week and then got tired of. As luck would have it, the day before he placed the final X on his chart he was at a friends house who had just bought Wii Fit. He came home raving about it and decided that this was the game he wanted as his reward. Knowing that my beautiful wife was also interested in Wii Fit, it was a win-win situation. The down side was that it was $90 rather than the $50 we were hoping to spend, but hey, we got the kid to practice writing all summer so what's a few extra bucks.
The hard part was going to be just finding a copy of the game in stock. At least that's what we thought was going to be the hard part. Again, luck was on our side and the very first store I went to had 2 copies in stock. Jackpot.
So we spent yesterday afternoon playing Wii Fit. I let my kid play for about an hour and then I took a turn while he took a break. I started by playing the Hula Hoop game. Nice abs work out. Then I did the running game. I nailed it on my first try and the game told me I was a "fantastic runner." Well...thank you very much. About a half hour later, my six year old discovered that all you had to do was shake the remote at the proper cadence and the Wii would think you were running. So much for being a fantastic runner. On the bright side, I worked up one heck of a sweat just by playing for about thirty minutes.
Before the day was through, everyone had some Wii Fit time and the verdict was unanimous. This game is a keeper. Today, my abs are quite sore from the Hula Hoop. And in retrospect, it was probably a bad idea to play Wii Fit a couple of hours before I had to run a 14 miler. Live and learn.
So my kid is still in front of the Wii for two hours a day but at least he's actively participating instead of sitting on the couch. Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.
My fear was that we were going to have to spend $50 on a game that he liked for a week and then got tired of. As luck would have it, the day before he placed the final X on his chart he was at a friends house who had just bought Wii Fit. He came home raving about it and decided that this was the game he wanted as his reward. Knowing that my beautiful wife was also interested in Wii Fit, it was a win-win situation. The down side was that it was $90 rather than the $50 we were hoping to spend, but hey, we got the kid to practice writing all summer so what's a few extra bucks.
The hard part was going to be just finding a copy of the game in stock. At least that's what we thought was going to be the hard part. Again, luck was on our side and the very first store I went to had 2 copies in stock. Jackpot.
So we spent yesterday afternoon playing Wii Fit. I let my kid play for about an hour and then I took a turn while he took a break. I started by playing the Hula Hoop game. Nice abs work out. Then I did the running game. I nailed it on my first try and the game told me I was a "fantastic runner." Well...thank you very much. About a half hour later, my six year old discovered that all you had to do was shake the remote at the proper cadence and the Wii would think you were running. So much for being a fantastic runner. On the bright side, I worked up one heck of a sweat just by playing for about thirty minutes.
Before the day was through, everyone had some Wii Fit time and the verdict was unanimous. This game is a keeper. Today, my abs are quite sore from the Hula Hoop. And in retrospect, it was probably a bad idea to play Wii Fit a couple of hours before I had to run a 14 miler. Live and learn.
So my kid is still in front of the Wii for two hours a day but at least he's actively participating instead of sitting on the couch. Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Words
Let's just change the first word of the following quote by Duh from "Russia" to "America" and see if Duh can't win the hypocrite of the century award.
"Russia has invaded a sovereign neighboring state...Such an action is unacceptable in the 21st century...We have no doubts about it. This is a deliberate attempt to destroy an entire country and change the regime."
And don't get me started on how Duh looked into Putin's soul...
"Russia has invaded a sovereign neighboring state...Such an action is unacceptable in the 21st century...We have no doubts about it. This is a deliberate attempt to destroy an entire country and change the regime."
And don't get me started on how Duh looked into Putin's soul...
What Are You Doing In This Race? WINNING.
Have you heard the news? All the republican pundits are talking about it. Yep, the big question on everyone's minds these days is, "Why isn't Obama ahead by more?"
You see, if it was McShame who was leading the polls, God forbid, the story would be something like, "McShame maintains comfortable x% lead." But since it is the uppity negro who is winning, the story is, "Golly Gee, Why Isn't He Ahead By More?" and "What's Wrong With Obama That He's Not Ahead By More?"
Oops, I went and let the cat out of the bag. Here's what the corporate media doesn't want you to realize. Obama is winning. Here's something else the corporate media doesn't want you to know. Obama's poll numbers are most likely at the lowest point that they will be for the duration of the campaign. Conversely, McShame's poll numbers are likely at their zenith.
So rejoice! Laugh when you see the McShame campaign selling tire pressure valves online. Because that's all they've got. Hmm. I wonder if anyone has researched what country those valves were made in? I bet the "patriotic" neocons would be upset to hear the truth about that story. But I digress.
We have 12 weeks to go. Don't let the corporate media and the McShame camp frame the race (no pun intended). We're smarter than that. We deserve better than that. Speak up. Let's not get "swift boated" again. Let's take our country back. Let McShame go negative as often as he can stay awake for. But let's counterpunch effectively, and intelligently, and turn this ship around.
You see, if it was McShame who was leading the polls, God forbid, the story would be something like, "McShame maintains comfortable x% lead." But since it is the uppity negro who is winning, the story is, "Golly Gee, Why Isn't He Ahead By More?" and "What's Wrong With Obama That He's Not Ahead By More?"
Oops, I went and let the cat out of the bag. Here's what the corporate media doesn't want you to realize. Obama is winning. Here's something else the corporate media doesn't want you to know. Obama's poll numbers are most likely at the lowest point that they will be for the duration of the campaign. Conversely, McShame's poll numbers are likely at their zenith.
So rejoice! Laugh when you see the McShame campaign selling tire pressure valves online. Because that's all they've got. Hmm. I wonder if anyone has researched what country those valves were made in? I bet the "patriotic" neocons would be upset to hear the truth about that story. But I digress.
We have 12 weeks to go. Don't let the corporate media and the McShame camp frame the race (no pun intended). We're smarter than that. We deserve better than that. Speak up. Let's not get "swift boated" again. Let's take our country back. Let McShame go negative as often as he can stay awake for. But let's counterpunch effectively, and intelligently, and turn this ship around.
Happy Birthday, Heynee!
Just over twenty three years ago, I met a girl. She was beautiful, but didn't realize it. She was beyond intelligent. She had attitude. She liked good music. She was exactly what I was looking for in a woman.
Somehow, I didn't screw it up. Twenty three years later, she is still all of those things and more. She is the mother to my amazing children. She is my (still) beautiful wife.
Today is her birthday. Happy birthday, Heynee! After all these years I can honestly say that I got this one right and I wouldn't trade my life for any other.
I won't mention your age, but for those of you who are good at riddles, it rhymes with shorty.
Ah, crap. I had to go and screw it up.
Somehow, I didn't screw it up. Twenty three years later, she is still all of those things and more. She is the mother to my amazing children. She is my (still) beautiful wife.
Today is her birthday. Happy birthday, Heynee! After all these years I can honestly say that I got this one right and I wouldn't trade my life for any other.
I won't mention your age, but for those of you who are good at riddles, it rhymes with shorty.
Ah, crap. I had to go and screw it up.
Be Very, Very Quiet
OK, gang. Huddle up. Here's how it's going to be. Duh and his cronies are going to get away with it, for now. And by "it", I mean an entire litany of wrong doings from war crimes all the way down to just short of forgetting to put the toilet seat down. It's OK. Let it go. For now. Let's not cause a fuss. Let's pick our battles carefully.
Here's the deal. If we show our cards too early, he's just going to pardon all of the evil doers before he leaves office. So let's keep our mouths shut, concentrate on exposing McShame as the fraud of a candidate that he is, and once the monkey is out of office, let's show him what it really means to be an American.
Here's the deal. If we show our cards too early, he's just going to pardon all of the evil doers before he leaves office. So let's keep our mouths shut, concentrate on exposing McShame as the fraud of a candidate that he is, and once the monkey is out of office, let's show him what it really means to be an American.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Exotic, Elitist, Foreign Vacations
This morning on ABC's This Week, Cokie Roberts criticized Sen. Barack Obama, who was born in Hawaii, for "going off this week to a vacation in Hawaii," which she said "does not make any sense whatsoever." Roberts stated: "I know his grandmother lives in Hawaii and I know Hawaii is a state, but it has the look of him going off to some sort of foreign, exotic place." Roberts continued: "He should be in Myrtle Beach, and, you know, if he's going to take a vacation at this time."
That a girl, Cokie. Keep working that word "foreign" into your talking points. And an "exotic place" must be where an elitist would go for a vacation. Honest to God, the man can't even take his family to visit his grandmother and childhood home without these whack jobs taking shots at him. Yeah, going to visit your grandmother "makes no sense whatsoever."
That a girl, Cokie. Keep working that word "foreign" into your talking points. And an "exotic place" must be where an elitist would go for a vacation. Honest to God, the man can't even take his family to visit his grandmother and childhood home without these whack jobs taking shots at him. Yeah, going to visit your grandmother "makes no sense whatsoever."
Three Hours Later
This was week 8 of the 18 week training cycle for this fall's marathon. This morning was my first 20 miler of the training cycle. The weather was great for August, mid 60's, humid (as always) but with a cool breeze. I was hoping for a great run but was nervous because of all the mileage I've been putting in lately. Over 100 miles over the last 12 days, which is a lot for me.
Sure enough, I had very little energy and bonked by mile 12. At that point, I could have made things more miserable for myself by sulking but instead I decided to use the run to practice running when I'm on fumes. I toughed it out and actually caught a second wind around mile 14 but by mile 17 it was the survival shuffle. I clocked in at 2:58:54, an 8:56 pace and my slowest 20 mile training run ever, by far.
On the bright side, I set a personal best in weekly mileage and my other hard workouts this week went extremely well. So I won't let one bad run bother me. Plus, I checked my training log from last year and sure enough, I bonked on the exact same run last year, only on that run it was much hotter and I actually had to cut the run short.
It must be the accumulation of miles that catches up to me at this point in the training cycle. This is where mileage peaks and then I maintain the peak mileage up until 3 weeks before the race when I start to taper. The idea is to get the mileage up high early in the cycle, then maintain that level of mileage while shifting into more race specific training, speed work, tempo runs, vo2max runs, marathon pace runs, etc. If I make it through all of that injury free then I'm ready to race.
Sure enough, I had very little energy and bonked by mile 12. At that point, I could have made things more miserable for myself by sulking but instead I decided to use the run to practice running when I'm on fumes. I toughed it out and actually caught a second wind around mile 14 but by mile 17 it was the survival shuffle. I clocked in at 2:58:54, an 8:56 pace and my slowest 20 mile training run ever, by far.
On the bright side, I set a personal best in weekly mileage and my other hard workouts this week went extremely well. So I won't let one bad run bother me. Plus, I checked my training log from last year and sure enough, I bonked on the exact same run last year, only on that run it was much hotter and I actually had to cut the run short.
It must be the accumulation of miles that catches up to me at this point in the training cycle. This is where mileage peaks and then I maintain the peak mileage up until 3 weeks before the race when I start to taper. The idea is to get the mileage up high early in the cycle, then maintain that level of mileage while shifting into more race specific training, speed work, tempo runs, vo2max runs, marathon pace runs, etc. If I make it through all of that injury free then I'm ready to race.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Ignorance Is Bliss
I've already covered the great tire pressure debate of '08 but since the republican smear machine is still rolling (i.e. lying) on this story days after they've been proven wrong and even after McShame flip-flopped and said it's a good idea, I thought I'd bring Popular Mechanics into the debate. Let's read what they have to say on the subject:
"According to the Department of Energy, underinflated tires alone cost the country more than 1.25 billion gal. of gasoline annually—roughly 1 percent of the total consumption of 142 billion gal. According to the Annual Energy Outlook 2007, published by the Energy Information Administration, offshore drilling would increase domestic production of crude oil by only about 1 percent. "
So there you have it, the party of ignorance is still out there mocking and smearing while anyone with half a brain is acknowledging that what Obama said is true. To review, by keeping our tires properly inflated, we can, without spending or investing a single penny, and without causing any additional harm or damage to the environment, conserve roughly the exact same amount of oil that the republicans would be able to produce through off shore drilling. But the oil companies don't make money off of the air that goes into tires so obviously the republicans are against tire inflation.
"According to the Department of Energy, underinflated tires alone cost the country more than 1.25 billion gal. of gasoline annually—roughly 1 percent of the total consumption of 142 billion gal. According to the Annual Energy Outlook 2007, published by the Energy Information Administration, offshore drilling would increase domestic production of crude oil by only about 1 percent. "
So there you have it, the party of ignorance is still out there mocking and smearing while anyone with half a brain is acknowledging that what Obama said is true. To review, by keeping our tires properly inflated, we can, without spending or investing a single penny, and without causing any additional harm or damage to the environment, conserve roughly the exact same amount of oil that the republicans would be able to produce through off shore drilling. But the oil companies don't make money off of the air that goes into tires so obviously the republicans are against tire inflation.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
DHL or No DHL part 2
Still no word about the campaign stop yet but here is something from the NY Times (Mr. Davis is McShame's campaign manager):
In the meantime, the Ohio Democratic Party has released a web ad showing a woman emotionally asking Mr. McCain about the anticipated DHL job losses at a town hall-style meeting in Portsmouth, Ohio, last month. The ad then flashes this paragraph from the Plain Dealer story:
“Those jobs are on the chopping block because Senator McCain and his campaign were involved in a deal that resulted in control of those positions being shifted to a foreign corporation, and there’s no getting around that,’’ said Joe Rugola, president of the Ohio AFL-CIO.
The ad, citing the Plain Dealer, also broadcasts that Mr. Davis’s firm made $185,000 lobbying Congress and then $400,000 after the deal was approved.
In the meantime, the Ohio Democratic Party has released a web ad showing a woman emotionally asking Mr. McCain about the anticipated DHL job losses at a town hall-style meeting in Portsmouth, Ohio, last month. The ad then flashes this paragraph from the Plain Dealer story:
“Those jobs are on the chopping block because Senator McCain and his campaign were involved in a deal that resulted in control of those positions being shifted to a foreign corporation, and there’s no getting around that,’’ said Joe Rugola, president of the Ohio AFL-CIO.
The ad, citing the Plain Dealer, also broadcasts that Mr. Davis’s firm made $185,000 lobbying Congress and then $400,000 after the deal was approved.
Mocking Duh's Daddy
OK. One more.
After all the grief that Obama has taken from the RNC and from rival John McCain this week over the Democrat's comment that motorists could save some more oil if only they put some more air in their tires, it turns out a search of the clips has found that the administration of President Bush -- George H.W. Bush -- was telling Americans the same thing back in 1990.
Americans could save 50,000 barrels of oil a day with a little more air in their tires, said the public service announcements of that Bush administration, calling on Americans then to save fuel with a "Do Your Part, Drive Smart'' advertising campaign.
The folks at Americans United for Change were more than happy to point this out, of course, as the great tire gauge debate of 2008 reached full tilt this week -- with the RNC passing out gauges in mockery of Obama, and Obama accusing the party of taking pride in its ignorance on a simple matter of conservation.
After all the grief that Obama has taken from the RNC and from rival John McCain this week over the Democrat's comment that motorists could save some more oil if only they put some more air in their tires, it turns out a search of the clips has found that the administration of President Bush -- George H.W. Bush -- was telling Americans the same thing back in 1990.
Americans could save 50,000 barrels of oil a day with a little more air in their tires, said the public service announcements of that Bush administration, calling on Americans then to save fuel with a "Do Your Part, Drive Smart'' advertising campaign.
The folks at Americans United for Change were more than happy to point this out, of course, as the great tire gauge debate of 2008 reached full tilt this week -- with the RNC passing out gauges in mockery of Obama, and Obama accusing the party of taking pride in its ignorance on a simple matter of conservation.
Bundler Blunder
This is from the Washington Post. The NY Times and others are also following this story. It looks like more than just a little bit of campaign contribution fraud on the McShame side of the fence. Should be interesting to see where this leads. Follow the money, boys and girls.
"A new question has surfaced this morning surrounding the bundling activity of Harry Sargeant, the Florida Republican who has raised more than $500,000 for the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain -- was it legal for his foreign co-worker to solicit political contributions?
The Post first reported on Sargeant's efforts on behalf of McCain and other political candidates earlier this week. McCain's campaign has credited Sargeant for collecting dozens of $2,300 and $4,600 checks, many of them from ordinary families in California. The manager of several Taco Bell restaurants, an auto mechanic, and the one-time owners of a liquor store all wrote big checks, even though many were not registered to vote."
"A new question has surfaced this morning surrounding the bundling activity of Harry Sargeant, the Florida Republican who has raised more than $500,000 for the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain -- was it legal for his foreign co-worker to solicit political contributions?
The Post first reported on Sargeant's efforts on behalf of McCain and other political candidates earlier this week. McCain's campaign has credited Sargeant for collecting dozens of $2,300 and $4,600 checks, many of them from ordinary families in California. The manager of several Taco Bell restaurants, an auto mechanic, and the one-time owners of a liquor store all wrote big checks, even though many were not registered to vote."
DHL or No DHL
From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:
"Also on Wednesday, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown called on McCain to send his campaign manager, Rick Davis, to Germany to lobby Deutsche Post World Net to keep operating its DHL Express air hub in Wilmington. Davis was a lobbyist who helped Deutsche Post overcome objections in Congress in 2003, when the company was acquiring Airborne Express and its Wilmington airport, as The Plain Dealer reported...And McCain, then the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, fought back proposed legislative language in a defense spending bill that would have made the deal less attractive -- language favored by lawmakers and DHL competitors that wanted to keep the foreign firm out of the air express business in this country."
The end result here is that because of the wheeling and dealing that McShame and his campaign manager did to help this overseas company take over DHL, the town of Wilmington, Ohio will now lose over 8000 jobs.
McShame is speaking in Wilmington today and I'm sure the shit is going to hit the man. Can't wait for the youtube video of this little gem of a campaign stop. The best part is that the McShame staff was clueless about the job losses and McShame's personal role in the losses when they scheduled the appearance. Now it's too late to cancel it. Oh, Magoo, you've done it again. Let's just go ahead and add 8000+ votes for Obama in Ohio.
"Also on Wednesday, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown called on McCain to send his campaign manager, Rick Davis, to Germany to lobby Deutsche Post World Net to keep operating its DHL Express air hub in Wilmington. Davis was a lobbyist who helped Deutsche Post overcome objections in Congress in 2003, when the company was acquiring Airborne Express and its Wilmington airport, as The Plain Dealer reported...And McCain, then the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, fought back proposed legislative language in a defense spending bill that would have made the deal less attractive -- language favored by lawmakers and DHL competitors that wanted to keep the foreign firm out of the air express business in this country."
The end result here is that because of the wheeling and dealing that McShame and his campaign manager did to help this overseas company take over DHL, the town of Wilmington, Ohio will now lose over 8000 jobs.
McShame is speaking in Wilmington today and I'm sure the shit is going to hit the man. Can't wait for the youtube video of this little gem of a campaign stop. The best part is that the McShame staff was clueless about the job losses and McShame's personal role in the losses when they scheduled the appearance. Now it's too late to cancel it. Oh, Magoo, you've done it again. Let's just go ahead and add 8000+ votes for Obama in Ohio.
Any Way You Slice It
McShame was in Ohio yesterday. There is a photo of him on the front page of today's Columbus Dispatch, bringing pizza to a fire station. Just your typical photo op, except that I thought it was symbolic in that he brought 2 pizza's for 24 firefighters. That's a true republican. Something for some of the people and nothing for the rest of the people.
Again, it's not really a story, just an observation. But if he was truly interested in bringing the firefighters lunch, wouldn't he call ahead and see how many people he needed to feed and make sure he brought enough food? You betcha. But this was a photo op. But again, the symbolism is there. Inability to plan ahead to meet the needs of the future.
Again, it's not really a story, just an observation. But if he was truly interested in bringing the firefighters lunch, wouldn't he call ahead and see how many people he needed to feed and make sure he brought enough food? You betcha. But this was a photo op. But again, the symbolism is there. Inability to plan ahead to meet the needs of the future.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Slick
I just came across this NY Times article from June 19, yes JUNE 19. It seems that there is a global shortage of drill ships which makes any new offshore oil drilling almost impossible for the next few years, and possibly up until at least 2012.
So all of this political back and forth about the "need" to lift the ban on offshore drilling immediately to help lower gas prices is an even bigger load of b.s. than originally reported. It's just another wedge issue to help get McShame elected while at the same time giving another freebie to the oil companies.
Highlights from the article:
In recent years, this global shortage of drill-ships has created a critical bottleneck, frustrating energy company executives and constraining their ability to exploit known reserves or find new ones. Slow growth in oil supplies, at a time of soaring demand, has been a major factor in the spike of oil and gasoline prices.
“The crunch on rigs is everywhere,” said Alberto Guimaraes, a senior executive at Petrobras, the Brazilian oil company that has discovered some of the most promising offshore oil but has been unable to get at it.
“Almost 100 percent of the oil companies are constrained in their investment program because there is no rig available,” he said.
Transocean believes the deepwater market will continue to be constrained until at least 2012. Over three-quarters of the drill-ships currently under construction have already been contracted to oil companies eager to benefit from triple-digit oil prices, Mr. Long said.
So the NYTimes reported this almost two months ago, yet no other news source has followed up on it as the mainstream media sits back and allows offshore drilling to be a campaign issue. Where have all the real journalists gone?
So all of this political back and forth about the "need" to lift the ban on offshore drilling immediately to help lower gas prices is an even bigger load of b.s. than originally reported. It's just another wedge issue to help get McShame elected while at the same time giving another freebie to the oil companies.
Highlights from the article:
In recent years, this global shortage of drill-ships has created a critical bottleneck, frustrating energy company executives and constraining their ability to exploit known reserves or find new ones. Slow growth in oil supplies, at a time of soaring demand, has been a major factor in the spike of oil and gasoline prices.
“The crunch on rigs is everywhere,” said Alberto Guimaraes, a senior executive at Petrobras, the Brazilian oil company that has discovered some of the most promising offshore oil but has been unable to get at it.
“Almost 100 percent of the oil companies are constrained in their investment program because there is no rig available,” he said.
Transocean believes the deepwater market will continue to be constrained until at least 2012. Over three-quarters of the drill-ships currently under construction have already been contracted to oil companies eager to benefit from triple-digit oil prices, Mr. Long said.
So the NYTimes reported this almost two months ago, yet no other news source has followed up on it as the mainstream media sits back and allows offshore drilling to be a campaign issue. Where have all the real journalists gone?
You Call Yourself A Christian?
Another week, another Obama smear from the "christian values" candidate. This time the claim is that the uppity negro is in favor of killing babies. Yep, the smear of the week is infanticide.
Chip, chip, chip away at Obama's character, unleash the mainstream media to play the smears over and over and over again without revealing the falsity of the claims, then sit back and watch the poll numbers shift, all while never having to talk about a single relevant issue. Genius.
Why is it that the politicians who wear religion on their sleeves are always the most evil, vile, despicable bastards you've ever seen? But I guess as long as they call themselves "christians" then it doesn't really matter what they actually "do". Saying you're a christian is apparently enough for the masses who don't pay a damn bit of attention to what the people they vote for actually do versus what they say.
I can't imagine how anyone can look at a candidate who is willing to stoop so low and then even consider casting a vote for him. McSame should have been ashamed of himself weeks ago. But infanticide? I think I'm going to throw up. Seriously.
Chip, chip, chip away at Obama's character, unleash the mainstream media to play the smears over and over and over again without revealing the falsity of the claims, then sit back and watch the poll numbers shift, all while never having to talk about a single relevant issue. Genius.
Why is it that the politicians who wear religion on their sleeves are always the most evil, vile, despicable bastards you've ever seen? But I guess as long as they call themselves "christians" then it doesn't really matter what they actually "do". Saying you're a christian is apparently enough for the masses who don't pay a damn bit of attention to what the people they vote for actually do versus what they say.
I can't imagine how anyone can look at a candidate who is willing to stoop so low and then even consider casting a vote for him. McSame should have been ashamed of himself weeks ago. But infanticide? I think I'm going to throw up. Seriously.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Celebrity Has Been
This is from The Jed Report:
In another edition of you can't make this up. McCain's own website referred to him as a "political celebrity".
A political celebrity, McCain is considered a top contender for the nomination.
But...since this is self-defeating and contrary to their line of attack against Obama, they thought they could just delete from their website and it would disappear. Don't these folks know about Google Cache?
What a hypocrite. You see, it's OK for McSame to be the political celebrity but when the new kid in town steals your spotlight, suddenly being a political celebrity is a bad thing. It just gets sadder and sadder.
In another edition of you can't make this up. McCain's own website referred to him as a "political celebrity".
A political celebrity, McCain is considered a top contender for the nomination.
But...since this is self-defeating and contrary to their line of attack against Obama, they thought they could just delete from their website and it would disappear. Don't these folks know about Google Cache?
What a hypocrite. You see, it's OK for McSame to be the political celebrity but when the new kid in town steals your spotlight, suddenly being a political celebrity is a bad thing. It just gets sadder and sadder.
What Would Jesus Do?
Another day, another pathetically immature McSame ad. This one seems to be mocking religion and asking if Obama is ready to lead. Let's see, who seems more ready to lead, the guy who is out there meeting with leaders of nations, the guy who is out there talking about issues and solutions to problems, the guy who has energized the nation and returned hope to the American people?
No, if the republican smear machine has their way, you're supposed to think that the real leader is the senile old man who can't seem to remember his position on key issues. The guy who is so starved for attention that he puts out junior high ads on an almost daily basis to try to divert attention from the fact that he has no solutions, no plan, no clue. The guy who votes against the G.I. Bill and then claims he supports the troops. The mere fact that he puts out an ad like this should be enough to show that McSame is not a leader. Is this what you want from your leaders?
This is so lame. Is this really how we're going to chooses a president...again?
No, if the republican smear machine has their way, you're supposed to think that the real leader is the senile old man who can't seem to remember his position on key issues. The guy who is so starved for attention that he puts out junior high ads on an almost daily basis to try to divert attention from the fact that he has no solutions, no plan, no clue. The guy who votes against the G.I. Bill and then claims he supports the troops. The mere fact that he puts out an ad like this should be enough to show that McSame is not a leader. Is this what you want from your leaders?
This is so lame. Is this really how we're going to chooses a president...again?
Good Old Boys
It looks like the Neo-con campaign strategy is starting to take shape. We knew it was coming. We knew it would be ugly. We knew the mainstream media would do the republicans dirty work in lock-step. The only thing we don't know yet is whether or not the people will fall for it again. Let's have a look at the latest tactics.
First, the "surge" worked. Did it really? Maybe, maybe not. Who knows what will happen once the warlords stop receiving their monthly bribery checks to keep them from fighting each other. And if it did work? Congratulations! You got one thing right in the history of this five year (and counting) invasion and occupation of a sovereign nation. It still doesn't change or excuse the fact that this "war" was started based on lies that the Duh Administration floated and the media fueled, and never once stopped to question.
But here's where they are going with this. They get the media to go on and on about the "surge". Then they can paint Obama as "wrong on Iraq", even though he was the one who rightly said they never should have invaded in the first place. So even though this whole "war" has been one giant clusterfuck, as long as they can say that this one tiny piece "worked", they can paint the war as a success, with the mainstream media's help. Next, Duh starts hinting that maybe, just maybe he can start sending some troops home. Happy days are here again! Do you see where this is heading? Pay no attention to the largest fiscal deficit in the history of the world behind that curtain.
Next, they use offshore drilling as a wedge issue to try to paint Obama on the wrong side of high gas prices. This one is just beautiful. You see, they are framing the debate in such a way as to try to make people believe that the oil companies are trying to do something to lower the cost of gas. So if you are against allowing the oil companies to drill offshore then you must be in favor of high gas prices. It's so pathetic that it will probably work.
Never mind that it would take at least a decade to see any impact from offshore drilling, that is if it does actually lower oil prices at all. And pay no attention to the millions of acres of land that the oil companies are already leasing and not drilling on. Maybe if the oil companies really cared about trying to lower the cost of gas they would be drilling in these areas already. Except that the oil companies have no interest in changing the way things are going. They are making $1500 per second. They quite like the way things are. But hey, it makes a nice wedge issue and there are a lot more stupid people than there are smart people in this world, so you do the math.
Finally, we have the race card. The neo-cons have to use race in this election. It's what they do. So the first thing they did was try to paint Obama as an "elitist". When that didn't stick, they changed it to "arrogant". I'm sure one of the right wing talk show hosts will just come right out with it soon and say, "that uppity nigger just doesn't know his place".
But first, before they can really play the race card to it's full potential and advantage, they have to claim that Obama started it. And that's what they did yesterday. It's so junior high. It's so despicable. It's so typical.
So yes, it's going to get ugly. McSame has hired the Bush/Rove team to run his campaign. We can expect more of the (Mc)same over the next 100 days. On the bright side, I'm confident that Obama's team will do a much better job stopping the smears than Kerry did, and Gore before him. Let's just hope the people have wised up just a little bit this time around.
First, the "surge" worked. Did it really? Maybe, maybe not. Who knows what will happen once the warlords stop receiving their monthly bribery checks to keep them from fighting each other. And if it did work? Congratulations! You got one thing right in the history of this five year (and counting) invasion and occupation of a sovereign nation. It still doesn't change or excuse the fact that this "war" was started based on lies that the Duh Administration floated and the media fueled, and never once stopped to question.
But here's where they are going with this. They get the media to go on and on about the "surge". Then they can paint Obama as "wrong on Iraq", even though he was the one who rightly said they never should have invaded in the first place. So even though this whole "war" has been one giant clusterfuck, as long as they can say that this one tiny piece "worked", they can paint the war as a success, with the mainstream media's help. Next, Duh starts hinting that maybe, just maybe he can start sending some troops home. Happy days are here again! Do you see where this is heading? Pay no attention to the largest fiscal deficit in the history of the world behind that curtain.
Next, they use offshore drilling as a wedge issue to try to paint Obama on the wrong side of high gas prices. This one is just beautiful. You see, they are framing the debate in such a way as to try to make people believe that the oil companies are trying to do something to lower the cost of gas. So if you are against allowing the oil companies to drill offshore then you must be in favor of high gas prices. It's so pathetic that it will probably work.
Never mind that it would take at least a decade to see any impact from offshore drilling, that is if it does actually lower oil prices at all. And pay no attention to the millions of acres of land that the oil companies are already leasing and not drilling on. Maybe if the oil companies really cared about trying to lower the cost of gas they would be drilling in these areas already. Except that the oil companies have no interest in changing the way things are going. They are making $1500 per second. They quite like the way things are. But hey, it makes a nice wedge issue and there are a lot more stupid people than there are smart people in this world, so you do the math.
Finally, we have the race card. The neo-cons have to use race in this election. It's what they do. So the first thing they did was try to paint Obama as an "elitist". When that didn't stick, they changed it to "arrogant". I'm sure one of the right wing talk show hosts will just come right out with it soon and say, "that uppity nigger just doesn't know his place".
But first, before they can really play the race card to it's full potential and advantage, they have to claim that Obama started it. And that's what they did yesterday. It's so junior high. It's so despicable. It's so typical.
So yes, it's going to get ugly. McSame has hired the Bush/Rove team to run his campaign. We can expect more of the (Mc)same over the next 100 days. On the bright side, I'm confident that Obama's team will do a much better job stopping the smears than Kerry did, and Gore before him. Let's just hope the people have wised up just a little bit this time around.
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