Petty partisan politics takes center stage once again. A difference in ideologies between Governor Bill Richardson and advisor Fletcher Smith has resulted in Smith switching to the Biden campaign.
COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) – One of New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's South Carolina advisers is leaving the presidential campaign because of Richardson's Iraq plan and signing up with Sen. Joe Biden.
Citing Richardson's liberal stance on Iraq, which would immediately remove all U.S. forces from Iraq, the campaign's South Carolina state co-chair Fletcher Smith said Biden's plan to divide Iraq into three federal regions is a more responsible plan.
"To me it's the only way this problem is going to be resolved," Smith said in a phone interview Saturday morning. "Right now we have a quicksand of a civil war, and I don't believe we can just pull out precipitously in a six month period of time without jeopardizing our interests in the region. We don't need another evacuation that we had in Vietnam."
Smith serves in the South Carolina House of Representatives and is a member of the South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus. Smith has been the co-chair of Richardson's South Carolina steering committee since July.
He said he had spoken with Richardson and his staff.
Smith said he did not consider joining any other Democratic campaign besides Biden's, and noted he was drawn to Biden because he is an Irish-American.
"Irish-Americans faced the same problems African-Americans have faced in this country," Smith said.
The Richardson campaign did not comment on Smith, but defended the Governor's Iraq plan.
"Governor Richardson has a real plan to get our troops out of Iraq," said Richardson spokesman Lachlan McIntosh. "He's the only major candidate who will get all of our troops out quickly and leave no residual forces whatsoever. Our men and women are currently targets in Iraq. The longer we stay, the more will die."
Click here to CNN's new political portal: CNNPolitics.com
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Paris Hilton's Baptism By David Letterman Is Wake-Up Call
I kind of avoided this issue but after reading all of the blogs about it, I couldn't help it. As you know if you follow celebrities, Paris Hilton was on David Letterman last week, Wednesday and was given the royal post-jail baptism by David himself. If you've not seen the YouTube video of the event, it's here:
Now David was totally hard on her, and reportedly she's not going to appear on David Letterman again. Indeed, the Internet headlines don't look good: "Paris Humiliated", "David Letterman Mocks", "David Letterman Grills" , and so on.
What I'd like to learn is how Dave came to decide he was going to treat her that way. I'd like to be in the production meeting when that went down. Well, what he did falls in line with my YouTube video when she got out of jail:
Paris did handle the Letterman episode well, and now -- and on the same day that she was on Letterman -- annouced she was going to travel to Rwanda , saying There's so much need in that area, and I feel like if I go, it will bring more attention to what people can do to help."
So Paris is on the right track. But I'm not sure America will let her get over the "jail" part of her life. Let's face it, she was treated terribly and she's got to feel a little bad right now, but she can fight back by helping people and being successful, and not getting upset about it, because that's what people want to see.
Fred Thompson - "Can I Have A Round of Applause?"
Wow. I think the acting bug's really gotten to Senator and Presidential Candidate Fred Thompson. In this YouTube video that's below and I found over at Wonkette , he's begging for it. I can't remember seeing a Presidential candidate ask for it.
That's a sure sign of a lack of charisma. I used to think actors had it automatically, but now I'm thinking that it's a sign of how good the actor may be that we think he or she's got it.
That's a sure sign of a lack of charisma. I used to think actors had it automatically, but now I'm thinking that it's a sign of how good the actor may be that we think he or she's got it.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Jeffrey Kessler - Michael Vick Can Retain $22 Million Due To New Collective Bargaining Agreement
Jeffrey Kessler, NFL Players Association Lawyer acting in representation of Michael Vick, made the argument that the extention of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement prohibited returning $22 Million to the Atlanta Falcons.
From what I read of the NFL CBA, Kessler's right. Look at this:
Section 9. Limitations on Salary Forfeitures:
(a) No forfeitures of signing bonuses shall be permitted, except that players and Clubs may agree: (i)
to proportionate forfeitures of a signing bonus if a player voluntarily retires or willfully withholds his
services from one or more regular season games; and/or (ii) that if a player willfully takes action that has
the effect of substantially undermining his ability to fully participate and contribute in either preseason
training camp or the regular season (including by willfully withholding his services in either preseason
training camp or during the regular season or willfully missing one or more games), the player may forfeit
the greater of: (a) 25% of the prorated portion of his signing bonus for the applicable League Year for the
first time such conduct occurs after the beginning of training camp until the end of the season for his Club,
and the remaining 75% prorated portion of his signing bonus for the applicable year for the second time
such conduct occurs during that period that year; or (b) the proportionate amount of his signing bonus
allocation for each week missed (1/17th for each regular season week or game missed).
(b) If a player with a signing bonus forfeiture clause voluntarily retires and misses the remainder of
the season, and the player then reports back to the Club in the subsequent season, then the Club must either
(i) take the player back under his existing contract with no forfeiture of the remaining proportionate signing
bonus allocation, or (ii) release the player and seek repayment of any remaining proportion of the signing
bonus allocated to future League Years.
(c) No forfeitures permitted (current and future contracts) for signing bonus allocations for years
already performed, or for other salary escalators or performance bonuses already earned.
(d) A player’s right to receive and/or retain a signing bonus may not be conditioned on the player’s
participation in voluntary off-season programs or voluntary minicamps, or for adverse public statements,
provided that the Club may have non-proratable participation bonuses for its off-season workout program.
(e) Player Contracts may not contain individually negotiated provisions for forfeiture relating to
violations of the Policy on Anabolic Steroids and Related Substances or the NFL Policy and Program for
Substances of Abuse (which policies will address this issue), or for failing any drug test.
(f) Except as provided above, existing contract forfeiture provisions entered into before the end of
the 2005 regular season will be in full force and effect for the duration of the current contract, and any
extensions resulting solely from effectuation of existing contract provision (e.g., option years). If a Player
Contract with a forfeiture provision entered into before the end of the 2005 regular season is otherwise
extended or renegotiated, the amount of Salary agreed to in the contract prior to its extension or
renegotiation shall be subject to forfeiture to the same extent as provided prior to such extension or renegotiation.
(g) For purposes of this Section 9, the terms “proportionate forfeitures” and “proportionate amount”
mean 1/17th of that year’s signing bonus allocation for each regular season week or game missed.
If you take a look at this, there's a particular section that could doom the Falcons attempts to recover the $22 million signing bonus. It's this:
(c) No forfeitures permitted (current and future contracts) for signing bonus allocations for years
already performed, or for other salary escalators or performance bonuses already earned.
The issue is over bonus money Vick's already made based on performance, not money he's due to collect. So the Falcons are going to lose this round. Indeed, I personally think they're being terrible in their pursuit of this money he deservedly earned under the CBA.
From what I read of the NFL CBA, Kessler's right. Look at this:
Section 9. Limitations on Salary Forfeitures:
(a) No forfeitures of signing bonuses shall be permitted, except that players and Clubs may agree: (i)
to proportionate forfeitures of a signing bonus if a player voluntarily retires or willfully withholds his
services from one or more regular season games; and/or (ii) that if a player willfully takes action that has
the effect of substantially undermining his ability to fully participate and contribute in either preseason
training camp or the regular season (including by willfully withholding his services in either preseason
training camp or during the regular season or willfully missing one or more games), the player may forfeit
the greater of: (a) 25% of the prorated portion of his signing bonus for the applicable League Year for the
first time such conduct occurs after the beginning of training camp until the end of the season for his Club,
and the remaining 75% prorated portion of his signing bonus for the applicable year for the second time
such conduct occurs during that period that year; or (b) the proportionate amount of his signing bonus
allocation for each week missed (1/17th for each regular season week or game missed).
(b) If a player with a signing bonus forfeiture clause voluntarily retires and misses the remainder of
the season, and the player then reports back to the Club in the subsequent season, then the Club must either
(i) take the player back under his existing contract with no forfeiture of the remaining proportionate signing
bonus allocation, or (ii) release the player and seek repayment of any remaining proportion of the signing
bonus allocated to future League Years.
(c) No forfeitures permitted (current and future contracts) for signing bonus allocations for years
already performed, or for other salary escalators or performance bonuses already earned.
(d) A player’s right to receive and/or retain a signing bonus may not be conditioned on the player’s
participation in voluntary off-season programs or voluntary minicamps, or for adverse public statements,
provided that the Club may have non-proratable participation bonuses for its off-season workout program.
(e) Player Contracts may not contain individually negotiated provisions for forfeiture relating to
violations of the Policy on Anabolic Steroids and Related Substances or the NFL Policy and Program for
Substances of Abuse (which policies will address this issue), or for failing any drug test.
(f) Except as provided above, existing contract forfeiture provisions entered into before the end of
the 2005 regular season will be in full force and effect for the duration of the current contract, and any
extensions resulting solely from effectuation of existing contract provision (e.g., option years). If a Player
Contract with a forfeiture provision entered into before the end of the 2005 regular season is otherwise
extended or renegotiated, the amount of Salary agreed to in the contract prior to its extension or
renegotiation shall be subject to forfeiture to the same extent as provided prior to such extension or renegotiation.
(g) For purposes of this Section 9, the terms “proportionate forfeitures” and “proportionate amount”
mean 1/17th of that year’s signing bonus allocation for each regular season week or game missed.
If you take a look at this, there's a particular section that could doom the Falcons attempts to recover the $22 million signing bonus. It's this:
(c) No forfeitures permitted (current and future contracts) for signing bonus allocations for years
already performed, or for other salary escalators or performance bonuses already earned.
The issue is over bonus money Vick's already made based on performance, not money he's due to collect. So the Falcons are going to lose this round. Indeed, I personally think they're being terrible in their pursuit of this money he deservedly earned under the CBA.
Pittsburgh Steelers Receiver Hines Ward Out - Knee Injury
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward will miss his second game in a row Sunday because of a right knee injury.
The Steelers star has been unable to practice since he was hurt Sept. 23 against San Francisco. Before sitting out last weekend’s 21-14 loss at Arizona, Ward had missed only three games to injury in his 10-year NFL career.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Bionic Woman - Second Episode Reveals Great Show
Ok, I admit I've developed a love for the show Bionic Woman. It's sexy, smart, hip, and thick. It's got interesting characters and being a kind of sci-fi geek, I'v always found the subject of bionics fascinating. But all that aside, Bionic Woman has the makings of a classic show.
It certainly started off with a bang, the first pilot episode got ratings not seen by NBC since "The West Wing." But can it continue? I think it's going to go beyond it. Why? Well, the technical issue of the pacing I pointed out is gone this time.
But more to the point, the writers and director really get the idea of this normal person trapped in an extraordinary situation, but unable and unwilling to totally lose herself in it and give up her normal life.
Michelle Ryan's doing an excellent job not just playing stranger in a strange land, but with a glint for the dangerous. My favorite scene being a bachelor was when she pulls this guy into a bathroom and starts making out with him, only to break his ribs. I wished I were him, even with the rib problem!
But the whole scene segment was so real and that's what I like about the Bionic Woman. It is grounded in the now and so we have many cultural reference points to draw from, and not get lost in the "super woman" aspect of the program. If the makers of the show can keep that balance, they've got a cult hit on their hands.
Michael Vick Takes PETA Course in Respect for Animals
This article was obtained from www.peta.org
In August 2007, NFL quarterback Michael Vick pleaded guilty to federal dogfighting charges. The 18-page indictment gave gruesome details of the operation, which shocked the nation.
Vick Meets With PETA President
On September 7, 2007, Vick made an arranged visit to PETA's headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, for a private meeting with PETA president Ingrid Newkirk. Newkirk told Vick that PETA advocates an end to all exploitation and needless violence based on prejudice, including the prejudice against other species, and that PETA believed that arming himself with information and materials would allow Vick to better live up to his responsibility to counsel children not to engage in cruelty to animals. Newkirk also explained that although PETA realizes that it is in his legal interests to take PETA's course in basic animal empathy, our position that he deserves jail time and a lifetime ban on animal contact remains firm. During their meeting, he expressed his willingness to learn and his belief that everything in life happens for a reason, and he offered an apology to PETA and to "everyone" for "what I have done to dogs."
Initial Lessons in Empathy
Vick left PETA that day with some initial reading materials for empathy development, including Animals, Nature & Albert Schweitzer, edited by Ann Cottrell Free, which contains a particularly moving passage from the kind doctor:
I must interpret the life about me as I interpret the life that is my own. My life is full of meaning to me. The life around me must be full of significance to itself. If I am to expect others to respect my life, then I must respect the other life I see, however strange it may be to mind. And not only other human life, but all kinds of life: life above mine, if there be such life; life below mine, as I know it to exist. Ethics in our Western world has hitherto been largely limited to the relations of man to man. But that is a limited ethics. We need a boundless ethics which will include the animals also.
Vick Returns to PETA for Basic Course
On September 18, 2007, Vick returned to PETA to take the "Developing Empathy for Animals" course, a one-day seminar including who animals are, alternatives to cruelty, animal protection philosophy, and humane lesson plans. PETA has now made the course available online, in the hope that it will be adopted by the NFL for all players to take and used as a means to teach children across the nation the values of empathy, compassion, and nonviolence.
Continuing to Stop Violence
Although the Vick story served as the first glimpse for many people into the gory details of dogfighting, the abuses detailed in Vick's indictment are as widespread as they are horrific. In the last year alone, PETA has responded to more than 14,000 calls and e-mails regarding other dogfighting and individual cruelty-to-animals cases. The crucial step now is to urge policymakers and law enforcement officers to treat all cases of dogfighting and cruelty to animals the same way that they prosecuted Vick's high-profile case. To that end, please join PETA and ask the NFL to require all its players, some of whom have been involved in a series of cruelty-to-animals cases, to attend PETA's "Developing Empathy for Animals" course.
In August 2007, NFL quarterback Michael Vick pleaded guilty to federal dogfighting charges. The 18-page indictment gave gruesome details of the operation, which shocked the nation.
Vick Meets With PETA President
On September 7, 2007, Vick made an arranged visit to PETA's headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, for a private meeting with PETA president Ingrid Newkirk. Newkirk told Vick that PETA advocates an end to all exploitation and needless violence based on prejudice, including the prejudice against other species, and that PETA believed that arming himself with information and materials would allow Vick to better live up to his responsibility to counsel children not to engage in cruelty to animals. Newkirk also explained that although PETA realizes that it is in his legal interests to take PETA's course in basic animal empathy, our position that he deserves jail time and a lifetime ban on animal contact remains firm. During their meeting, he expressed his willingness to learn and his belief that everything in life happens for a reason, and he offered an apology to PETA and to "everyone" for "what I have done to dogs."
Initial Lessons in Empathy
Vick left PETA that day with some initial reading materials for empathy development, including Animals, Nature & Albert Schweitzer, edited by Ann Cottrell Free, which contains a particularly moving passage from the kind doctor:
I must interpret the life about me as I interpret the life that is my own. My life is full of meaning to me. The life around me must be full of significance to itself. If I am to expect others to respect my life, then I must respect the other life I see, however strange it may be to mind. And not only other human life, but all kinds of life: life above mine, if there be such life; life below mine, as I know it to exist. Ethics in our Western world has hitherto been largely limited to the relations of man to man. But that is a limited ethics. We need a boundless ethics which will include the animals also.
Vick Returns to PETA for Basic Course
On September 18, 2007, Vick returned to PETA to take the "Developing Empathy for Animals" course, a one-day seminar including who animals are, alternatives to cruelty, animal protection philosophy, and humane lesson plans. PETA has now made the course available online, in the hope that it will be adopted by the NFL for all players to take and used as a means to teach children across the nation the values of empathy, compassion, and nonviolence.
Continuing to Stop Violence
Although the Vick story served as the first glimpse for many people into the gory details of dogfighting, the abuses detailed in Vick's indictment are as widespread as they are horrific. In the last year alone, PETA has responded to more than 14,000 calls and e-mails regarding other dogfighting and individual cruelty-to-animals cases. The crucial step now is to urge policymakers and law enforcement officers to treat all cases of dogfighting and cruelty to animals the same way that they prosecuted Vick's high-profile case. To that end, please join PETA and ask the NFL to require all its players, some of whom have been involved in a series of cruelty-to-animals cases, to attend PETA's "Developing Empathy for Animals" course.
Clinton Cackle Annoying This Four Year Old Kid - No Kidding
I saw this over at the blog Wonkette :
BY SEANIBUS AT 10/01/07 07:30 PM
I just played Slate's recording of the laugh and my four year old came tearing over to my desk and said "Please don't play that Ha Ha Ha thing again, daddy. It is annoying me."
I am not making this up.
BY SEANIBUS AT 10/01/07 07:30 PM
I just played Slate's recording of the laugh and my four year old came tearing over to my desk and said "Please don't play that Ha Ha Ha thing again, daddy. It is annoying me."
I am not making this up.
Hillary Clinton - Clinton Cackle? - Cackle Can Lose Elections
Barack Obama does not cackle, he's too presidential for that.
Ron Dellums Endorses Sen. Clinton - After The Mayor Gets A Bone From Her
Mayor Ron Dellums made the massive error of backing Senator Hillary Clinton in the Presidential race, a sure sign that Barack Obama will win the nomination.
Of course, this didn't come as just a simple endorsement -- it came as yet another Clinton deal. In this case, Hillary placed Mayor Ron Dellums in some role in her campaign.
How many times she's done this in some form makes one dizzy. But what's really wild is that Dellums would back someone who's flipped-flopped on so many issues and supported the Iraq War that it's not funny.
Plus, Dellums apparently can't bring himself to back a young Black Senator named Barack Obama. It's funny with some older African Americans in Oakland. They're so afraid of anyone Black who can be in charge that they'd back someone White. I'm serious about this, and would not write it if it were not true.
The real mental slaves are those who say to me -- who are Black -- that Barack can't win because he's Black. I tell each person that they're afraid of Black success. They're not comfortable. They're also some of the same people who gave me problems when I worked to bring the Super Bowl to Oakland.
Former Oakland City Manager Robert Bobb said it best to me in 1999: "Oakland is a crab-barrel city. You (speaking to me). You're young. Black. Smart. You're a threat."
I guess the same could be said for Barack Obama, which makes me fight harder all the more for him. Dellums will wind up on the wrong end of this race, because we're going to win.
But the message Dellums is sending is one I find terrible. It says the endorsement Oakland's African American leaders can be bought and that's a terrible sign. I say to anyone young and Black, pay this no mind, and continue to back Barack Obama.
Dellums Endorses Clinton - After The Mayor Gets A Bone From Her
Mayor Ron Dellums made the massive error of backing Senator Hillary Clinton in the Presidential race, a sure sign that Barack Obama will win the nomination.
Of course, this didn't come as just a simple endorsement -- it came as yet another Clinton deal. In this case, Hillary placed Mayor Ron Dellums in some role in her campaign.
How many times she's done this in some form makes one dizzy. But what's really wild is that Dellums would back someone who's flipped-flopped on so many issues and supported the Iraq War that it's not funny.
Plus, Dellums apparently can't bring himself to back a young Black Senator named Barack Obama. It's funny with some older African Americans in Oakland. They're so afraid of anyone Black who can be in charge that they'd back someone White. I'm serious about this, and would not write it if it were not true.
The real mental slaves are those who say to me -- who are Black -- that Barack can't win because he's Black. I tell each person that they're afraid of Black success. They're not comfortable. They're also some of the same people who gave me problems when I worked to bring the Super Bowl to Oakland.
Former Oakland City Manager Robert Bobb said it best to me in 1999: "Oakland is a crab-barrel city. You (speaking to me). You're young. Black. Smart. You're a threat."
I guess the same could be said for Barack Obama, which makes me fight harder all the more for him. Dellums will wind up on the wrong end of this race, because we're going to win.
But the message Dellums is sending is one I find terrible. It says the endorsement Oakland's African American leaders can be bought and that's a terrible sign. I say to anyone young and Black, pay this no mind, and continue to back Barack Obama.
Of course, this didn't come as just a simple endorsement -- it came as yet another Clinton deal. In this case, Hillary placed Mayor Ron Dellums in some role in her campaign.
How many times she's done this in some form makes one dizzy. But what's really wild is that Dellums would back someone who's flipped-flopped on so many issues and supported the Iraq War that it's not funny.
Plus, Dellums apparently can't bring himself to back a young Black Senator named Barack Obama. It's funny with some older African Americans in Oakland. They're so afraid of anyone Black who can be in charge that they'd back someone White. I'm serious about this, and would not write it if it were not true.
The real mental slaves are those who say to me -- who are Black -- that Barack can't win because he's Black. I tell each person that they're afraid of Black success. They're not comfortable. They're also some of the same people who gave me problems when I worked to bring the Super Bowl to Oakland.
Former Oakland City Manager Robert Bobb said it best to me in 1999: "Oakland is a crab-barrel city. You (speaking to me). You're young. Black. Smart. You're a threat."
I guess the same could be said for Barack Obama, which makes me fight harder all the more for him. Dellums will wind up on the wrong end of this race, because we're going to win.
But the message Dellums is sending is one I find terrible. It says the endorsement Oakland's African American leaders can be bought and that's a terrible sign. I say to anyone young and Black, pay this no mind, and continue to back Barack Obama.
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