Bolt is amazing

I know Phelps is getting all the love, but this guy dominated in a way that Phelps didn’t. Yes, Phelps broke lots of world records (and having 97 swimming events and relays helps) but not by this margin and he didn’t dominate like Bolt did (someone can do the math on the percentage improvement in the records and the percentage of his margin of victory). Phelps may have broken a record by a crazy 4 seconds but that’s in a 2 minute race. Oh yeah, and 2 or 3 other guys also broke the record). Bolt is sick.

Guitar Hero ...saving Rock n Roll?

I was talking with another dad at football practice last night about this very subject. The other day in the car, Iron Maiden came on the Sirius and my 10 year old pointed out that it was indeed Iron Maiden. I asked how he knew that and he said “Guitar Hero” and he recognized his voice. It was a proud moment for me. Mostly b/c, despite my efforts, most of the time he seems to believe that Lil Wayne (and his contemporaries) invented Rap and most music for that matter.



And speaking of ROCK. I bought a 3 disc set of Journey at Costco on Sunday. I’ve been rockin’ it ever since…and if “Feelin that way/Anytime” and “Wheel in the sky” don’t get your heart apumpin…you have no soul.

anyone else tired of the phelympics?

I'll give you that Michael Phelps is the greatest swimmer ever. Sure. But this bullshit that he is the greatest athlete of all time must come to an end. Phelps does one thing better than anyone, but he swims. Just swims. Bo Jackson played 2 sports at a professional level and was a great track athlete. Dieon Sanders was one of the best football players of his era and a damn fine baseball player. He also ran track in college. Again, Phelps does one thing, yes he does different strokes, but that allows him opportunities to pile up medals. If track had four different racing styles, I'm sure Michael Johnson or Carl Lewis could have had another 10 or so. Imagine if there was a backwards 200M, or a sideways event. Additionally, many of Phelps medals were in relays. Again, track doesn't have so many events at such close distances.
This doesn't even bring up athletes with crazy diverse skills like Jim Thorpe or even Babe Didrickson. Jim Brown who was the greatest running back in NFL history and was supposed to be the greatest Lacrosse player of his era. So, as NBC is forced to talk about someone besides Phelps, lets restore some integrity to this discussion of ATHLETES. Phelps is the greatest swimmer, maybe the greatest Olympian, but once the hysteria subsides we'll all realize he is NOT the greatest athlete of all time.

and from Darkness...light shown again

Maybe, JUST MAYBE, rule of law is shining it’s head again after years of darkness…(I think it might have been under the drapery that Ashcroft put over the statue of Justice).



No man, no matter how much Divine Authority he believes he has, is above the law in America .

Federal judge rules Bush's aides can be subpoenaed

A federal judge on Thursday rejected President Bush's contention that senior White House advisers are immune from subpoenas, siding with Congress' power to investigate the executive branch and handing a victory to Democrats probing the dismissal of nine federal prosecutors.

WASHINGTON —

A federal judge on Thursday rejected President Bush's contention that senior White House advisers are immune from subpoenas, siding with Congress' power to investigate the executive branch and handing a victory to Democrats probing the dismissal of nine federal prosecutors.

More American media hypocrisy

i read this and it seems like another case of media hypocrisy. America choses beauty over talent every day, but we're supposed to be outraged when China does it? Paris Hilton anyone?

Why do we condemn the Chinese and spin it that they replaced the "ugly girl", when isn't it just as much the case that the girl that was to perform couldn't sing well enough and someone else with talent was used instead.

Does that make it better or worse? Not sure.

As for the "controversy" over the digital fireworks...are you freaking kidding me? it was a performance, did you realize that the ships on that screen and all the other images were not real...GASP. They were actually digital images, OMG the horror.

American media is a bunch of tools.

Where is the Bush name calling now? or Is this Bush's "Chamberlin Moment"?

Is this Bush’s “peace in our time” moment? Is bush going to defend our friends in Georgia or is he just going to say “ Russia is a bully”?

Sanctions? US Troops in Georgia ? Why doesn’t Georgia deserve half as much as Iraq , after all they are being invaded by another nation? Or does Bush still believe that Putin still has a pure soul?

I’m ask for the neo-con take on this, I don’t know that I have the answers, but consdiering all the chest thumping about freedom by the Bushies I would figure you’d have some pretty strong positions on defending our allies from Russian agression.

After all, Bush called Obama an appeaser while he stood in the Knessett, but isn't he doing just as Chamberlin did with Hitler? Again, the Neocons are the experts on that b/c they love to trot out Chamberlin about once a week to prove how tough they are about freedom (even if NONE of them ever saw a minute of combat)

what a joke

I've read this twice now:

As probable bioterrorists go, Bruce Ivins was a near perfect suspect. Among the hundreds of pages of evidence that the FBI had mounted against him (which were released last week), there were electronic records documenting Ivins' late-night sojourns in the lab, e-mails revealing a mind wracked by paranoia and an inventory of a November 2007 FBI search of his home, which turned up a paperback copy of Albert Camus's novel The Plague.

Seriously? That book's presence is some sort of proof of guilt? Any well read person might have that book, does that make everyone a terrorist? I have a book infectious diseases too, LEVEL 4 is the title, should I toss that? I also own 5 bibles, the Communist Manifesto, Milton Friedman, and dozens more. I wonder what case could be made of me (OR ANYONE) if the FBI pulled one book from me bookshelf.

Idiots

American Media's hypocrisy re: Olympic athletes

The other day MSNBC.com had a story about Chinese gymnasts and the implication was the state forced kids and families to make all kinds of sacrafices and that that it was just horrible. Forgetting of course that American kids do the exact same thing. But as I'm watching this evenings Synchronized Diving, NBC plays one of those vingettes they love to produce. In it, this America girl explains how she left home at the age of 16 to train full time in Indianapolis, how she has NO friends, how she didn't go to high school, about how her whole life is diving. NBC presented this as some noble cause for her to give up her childhood.

Yet last week, when the Chinese kids did it it was sad. Hypocrites.

More of the GOP lawlessness

I can't wait to hear the "law and order" Republicans (who believe the most pressing problems in the world are that two men might obtain a marriage license or that the guy washing dishes or mowing a lawn doesn't have a visa) tell us how it's really ok to LIE about the BRIBES you've been taking.

How more indictments you think will happen after the Bush administration leaves office, unless of course he just pardons the entire cabal for all their crimes as he leaves office. Can he do that? Well, he has proven his disregard for the Constitution, US law and international treaties (not to mention any sense of morality) so why wouldn't he just do it anyway...

Shameful.

Only a Bushie agency could believe a monopoly is in the public interest

Forgetting for a moment that when the Satellite services were established they were forbidden explicitly by law from merging, but how in God's name can the Federal Government claim that when the only two companies in a market merge into one that is GOOD for the public. They even claimed it will lead to more choices and lower prices, when has that ever happened?

What a horrible decision?

Someone on the government even claimed that Sirius and XM don't even compete against each other b/c their customers are loyal...WOW.

yet this is the same government who is going after Intel depsite numerous competitors in every market...

ONLY THE BUSHIES

Bush is now an appeaser like Chamberlin?

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/16/us.iran/index.html

Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: "Lord, if I could only have talked to Hitler, all this might have been avoided." We have an obligation to call this what it is -- the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.
George W. Bush May 15, 2008

I find it interesting that 2 months ago, when Obama suggested the US talk to Iran it was like letting Hitler loose on the Jews, now it's a good idea. Shameful pandering, especially that Bush made this attack while standing in the Knesset.

I'm glad he's decided to at least talk to Iran, after all diplomacy worked with N. Korea and Iraq hasn't turned out so well now has it? So, maybe the grown ups have told the little boys to put their little willies away and act like adults and talk to them. It don't cost nothing to talk and it often provides better results for a hell of a lot cheaper (see N Korea).

I wonder if Bush will be apologizing to Obama for his ridiculous slam or if he will be apologizing to the Bushie faithful for his "appeasement"?

Hilary Clinton proves the worst about herself

For years before Hilary officially ran for the Dem nomination, I contended that her negatives were too high with the radical right for her to win a general election. (that is of course before the "other choice" became a black man and the far right GOP and Bushies embraced Clinton b/c apparently she's better than a black man in office). When they hated Hilary they claimed she was power hungry and didn't care about making America better as much as she wanted the power and in her efforts to win the Delegates of Florida and Michigan, this side of her has come out.

She and the other candidates agreed not to campaign in Mich/Fla b/c they knowingly broke the rules of the DNC and were warned of the consequences. By not running there, she agreed that they broke the rules, so she can't claim ignorance. The fact that she didn't remove her name from the ballot while others did, is now used by her to claim she has some right to all the delegates and that is extremely distasteful and shows a lack of principle on her part.

She is shouting about disenfranchisement, when she knew in January that this was going to happen when the states violated party rules. Now, that she is losing she has decided that the rules should be changed now to benefit her, even though she agreed to them when she looked like the winner and that is very sad and shows a thirst for power over principle.

I've always liked Hilary, but in this campaign she has reinforced to me what the Clinton-haters used to say...she is power hungry. It appears that she will pander(shots anyone?) and change her principles when it's politically expedient. We've had 8 years of abandoning principle for the sake of securing power, we don't need that any longer.

Michigan and Florida Dem Parties "disenfranchised" their states, not the DNC, not Obama. And lets not forget this isn't "an election", the selection of a nominee is a party matter. The use of Super Delegates, Caucuses and various backroom deals through the years in all parties should make it clear that this is not "an election", it's a party matter. Directly electing the nominee is probably a good thing for the party, but they don't even do that today. The winner of the popular vote is not guaranteed the nomination, which is why there are delegates and super delegates. No one is "disenfranchised" in Florida or Michigan and if Hilary had class and principle she would stop claiming that is happening.

Frankly the DNC should stick to their guns and not seat a single delegate from either state. That is what was threatened, that is what was agreed to and the rules of the game shouldn't change because your team is losing.

America is great IN SPITE of fundementalism and fear of change

This was sent in response to an email about some guy who wishes he lived in the 1950's. Specifically about the California same sex marriage decision.

Everything great that America ever achieved happened by the force of will of free-thinkers challenging the status quo. The Bushies would have you believe in these supposed "American values" of hating change and social evolution (as well as being educated). Fortunately this desire to preserve the status quo has been overridden by those willing to make change happen.
It's those Intelligent open-minded challengers of the status quo that have made America great, while the GOP wants to claim that "real Americans" are those that embrace stasis and hate education. Again, fortunately it's the stupid, lazy and closed-minded that are cast to the dustbin of history.

In a word, "Progress".

Myth of Voter Fraud

The whole political philosophy of the Bushies is based on these myths. The myth of illegal immigrants voting en masse, the welfare mother who has 8 kids so she can get more money, Mexicans stealing jobs from hard working Americans (doing the jobs you wouldn’t do when you lose your job), gay people “recruiting”, suppression of a vast Christian majority in America…on and on it goes.

Just because you continually claim “everybody knows” to make yourself feel less detached from reality, doesn’t make it real. Saying that “people are smarter than this” is another of your rhetorical ticks. “Most people” don’t read newspapers, most people don’t know where Canada is on a map. Most people don’t know shit about voter fraud. But they believe the lies spread by politicians.

They are the imagined bogeymen of the fear mongers and you eat it up. I guess it makes sense b/c the Bushies have spent nearly 8 years trying to scare you into every single thing they want to have happen. Living is fear is a hell of way to live, especially when the fears are not based on the real world.

Chad Johnson is a tool

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/23782681/

I hate these prima donna’s who bitch and moan for a long term deal then they complain a year later they want to renegotiate or want to be traded. Let them all rot on the bench. Or better yet, tear up the contract AFTER the player returns all the money under the contract and then the team can pay them at the league minimum for those seasons. Then let them go wherever they want.

America...devolution

Last week some folks ("Christians") were bitching about the attention that the Dalai Lama received in Seattle, they made the claim that Christianity was responsible for ALL of the good of Western Civilization and that NO OTHER religion advanced civilization. I think I blogged about that bullshit at the time, but here's the latest.

http://www.voanews.com/english/AmericanLife/2008-04-22-voa57.cfm

I’ve been informed by "Christians" that AMERICA RULES in healthcare and yet large parts of America ’s population is getting WORSE in life expectancy? Especially ironic that the geographic areas mention are those in the most “Christian” parts of the country. I believe last week we were informed how Christianity made people live longer and have better everything. So, this can’t be true. Stupid Facts.

Over the last 20 years, life expectancy has either declined or stagnated for one
of out every five women compared with four percent of men. Ezzati finds this a
grim statistic for an industrialized nation. "We don't associate worsening of
health, worsening of life expectancy with something that happens in a developed
high-income country."

Christianity RULES Part III

Did anyone note the irony of these comments with the Pope’s comments at the same time? Is this the “level of civilization” he spoke of?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080417/ts_nm/pope_usa_dc_27

For the third consecutive day of his trip to the United States , Benedict
mentioned the scandal that rocked the Church in 2002 and cost U.S. dioceses $2
billion in damages, demonstrating his resolve to deal with the issue and make
sure it does not happen again.

"No words of mine can describe the pain and harm inflicted by such
abuse," he said in the sermon of a Mass at Nationals Park , a new stadium
hosting its first non-baseball event.

Christianity RULES Part II

Western society advanced DESPITE Christianity. Christian superstition led to Galileo being imprisoned for defying the “God-given truth” that the earth was the center of the Universe. Yet, science advanced despite those impediments imposed by Christianity (both cultural and legal). Even today, as “Christians” try to stop medical research on religious grounds, science marches on.

Western Civilization didn’t thrive b/c of Christianity, it prospered in spite of it.

I did get a chuckle after work when I thought about how much your disdain for the rest of Western Civilization faded away during this here attack on non-Christian societies. You’re always going on and on about how much Canada , France , Germany , etc. all suck.


And South America ? That’s just about as poverty-stricken as N. Africa and the Middle East . What’s up with that?

I guess that goes to show (considering oil-rich Arab countries incredible wealth and “progress”) that economics drive societal prosperity, not religious doctrine. And a few hundred years of colonialism doesn’t do a society any favors either.

Christianity RULES

My Bushie friend hit me with this:

North Africa and the Middle East were part of the Greco-Roman world
and yet did not develop with the rest of Western Civilization.
Explain.

My response:

Saying Western Civilization is Western Civilization b/c it is Christian isn’t an argument.

As for North Africa and Middle East . Have you ever been to Egypt ? Abu Daubi?

How about Gary , Indiana or Detroit , Michigan ? Seems like Christ must hate the Midwest and love UAE.




More eye-rolling at the Dalai Lama from newly merged social-conservative groups...

Given who's on the board, expect to hear more from the newly merged Family Policy Institute of Washington and the Spokane-based Washington Family Foundation.
The two groups will now be known as the Family Policy Institute of Washington, which describes its work as "to introduce and influence Washington state laws and public policy in support of human life and the institutions of marriage and the family." The group will keep its Spokane office and staff, as well as an Eastern Washington Advisory Board.
The group, which is unhappy with the attention the Dalai Lama is getting in Seattle this week, is no stranger to politics. Its board members include:
The group yesterday criticized as "the very height of absurdity" the notion that the visiting Tibetan Dalai Lama should be seen by "liberal Seattle elites, media, politicians and educrats" as a source of spiritual guidance and real-world solutions:
"Never in history has this part of the world achieved a fraction of the sustained level of civilization and prosperity as is commonly found in the Christianized West,"
said the group's executive director, Larry Stickney. He maintains that: "Wherever eastern religions have taken hold, superstition, backwardness, abject poverty and misery has been a common denominator of its practitioners and peoples."

McCain and Clinton call Obama "elitist"

I especially love it when multi-millionaires are calling Obama an “elitist”. McCain sits in his $4 million dollar house (one of 4 they own) and calls Obama elitist. His wife is one of the richest women in Arizona …you can’t buy those kinda balls.