Yep. That's a weird title, but as readers to my blog know whenever there's a weird something that happens in my life, I'll report it and this is certainly up there.
As of this writing -- things change -- I'm not dating anyone. So as it happened I was at a cool lounge in Oakland with an interior that looks like you've walked into a Polynesian hut. Awesome place called The Tiki Lounge. Anyway I'm hanging out and chatting and eventually started talked to the woman seated next to me, who was attractive to be sure and quite interested in my name.
Her name's Beverly, which she seems to think is a boring name, but it's not. That and the occasional "I'm Asian" comments were a bit annoying but I could deal with it.
After a good time of talk, it seemed we were both interested in each other, except I had one question, which I'll get to. But then at that point, she starts to involve this guy who seemed all of about 20 years old next to her. He was also with a group of people that, as it turned out, all worked for Beverly.
To make a long story short, Beverly basically tried to use my interest in her to attract this guy who's also her direct employee at a store in Oakland called Transports. I said to her during this difficult period in our talk, "Say, aren't you considering that you are his boss?" She said she's known him for three months and also said that he never did anything in the way of an advance until I expressed an interest. She said this. I'm not kidding.
That's lame.
I also wondered quietly to her if part of her problem was that perhaps she had a preference for White guys. At first, she said I was playing "the race card" -- but then just five minutes later admitted to him, but within earshot of me, that she "was used to White skinny guys." To which I politely called her on it, and you could see her wheels turning as if to say "I got caught."
Geez.
Then I asked Bev about the ring on her finger. It turns out that by her own admission, she's still married, although she says she's in the middle of a divorce. If that's the case, take off the ring.
With all this, and I told her, I lost interest. Plus, the guy was a total dweeb who makes snide remarks and is constantly looking for drama and controversy. and Beverly was egging him on, saying to him "Don't you get into bar fights?" Because she was trying to pit him against me. To which I remarked, "I don't get into fights; I call the cops." At that point, I though Beverly lost it. She would blame the cocktail; I blame her judgement.
Beverly and he also said that "no one would find out about this" -- meaning their planned romance, and using that term is a stretch at best. And they were dumb enough to say it before me, even though I said "Hey, this is so weird I could blog it." To which the guy said "Oh, who reads the blogs! No one reads the blogs."
Okay!
They -- she and he and his friend Dan -- finally left, thank God.
The point here is that no one should play games involving race and sex with anyone. Also, I find a number of women seem conflicted in choising a mate based on race. The bottom line is this: you should not do it. The reason is that if you try to segregate your romances racially, you must -- by default -- be racist to maintain that segregation. Better to judge the person as an individual rather than a type. I find that more men don't seem to care what color the woman is as long as they're hot and nice.
Also, if you're working for a company, don't take up relations with the person who works for you and right under you and you're still married, and it's in front of co-workers!
That's not smart and Beverly was certainly not being smart or nice.
Finally, never ever assume that people don't read blogs and don't tell that to a blogger!
Monday, December 17, 2007
L.I. Couple Guilty In 'Modern Day Slavery' Case- Horrific
Victims Were Beaten, Burned, Forced To Eat Their Own Vomit
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (CBS) ―
A jury found a wealthy Muttonstown couple guilty Monday of enslaving two Indonesian women who they hired as housekeepers, before treating them in a torturous manner with painful physical and psychological punishments.
The millionaire couple, Mahender Murlidhar Sabhnani, 51, and his wife Varsha Mahender, 45, were each convicted of all charges in a 12-count federal indictment that included forced labor, conspiracy, peonage, involuntary servitude, and harboring aliens.
Mr. Sabhnani immediately began stroking his immediately stunned wife and holding her face as the verdict was read.
Mrs. Sabhnani and her daughter Dakshina then both collapsed in the courtroom after the verdict was read and were taken to an area hospital, prompting the judge to postpone remaining court proceedings until Tuesday
The Sabhnanis, who have three other children and who operate a worldwide perfume business out of their Muttontown home on Long Island's Gold Coast, could face up to 40 years in prison, although attorneys predicted the punishment would be considerably less.
During the trial, the two Indonesian women detailed the horrific acts of abuse they were subjected to for even the slighest errors in their ways. Those punishments included being victimized with umbrellas, knives, and brooms.
One of the victims, a 51-year-old woman identified only as "Samirah," claimed that at the hands of Mrs. Sabhnani, she was scalded, sliced, clubbed, cut, and pinched. She said her ears were pulled, fingers bent, body taped, and she said she'd even suffered a broken hand.
As for Mr. Sabhnani, Samirah testified that he and some of the couple's four children at times saw her naked, when "the Missus" ordered her to remove her clothes as humiliation.
The Indonesian servant said for small mistakes such as if she slept late or was tardy when beckoned, Mrs. Sabhnani would use "a club to hit me in the mouth til my teeth fell off," she said.
She added that she would be starved at times and forced to take food from the trash. "I got up at 4 a.m. to scrub and cook for the Missus. I only ate at noon, two slices of bread," she said. And she maintained that she was scalded with boiling water -- if she complained -- until "the skin was cooked."
The visibly distraught woman seemed to claim most of the torture was at the hands of Mrs. Sabhnani, who another time made her vomit when she was forced to eat 100 hot chili peppers.
"Not satisfied that I wasn't dead yet, she ordered me to swallow six spoonfuls of chili powder, mixed with salt and water," she said. After she vomited, she claimed Mrs. Sabhnani made her eat the vomit.
When asked if she fought back, Samirah said: "No, I asked the Missus for forgiveness."
Court observers wonder why Samirah didn't run away sooner, after she was found inside a Dunkin' Donuts in May in an apparent daze, leading employees to call for help. She, along with another Indonesian woman identified as Enung, were taken into custody by police where they told of the alleged abuse.
But defense attorneys contend the housekeepers engaged in witchcraft and may have abused themselves as part of an Indonesian self-mutilation ritual.
The Sabhnanis spent nearly three months in jail following their arrest before a judge signed off on a bail package that required the couple to post $4.5 million and pay an estimated $10,000 a day for round-the-clock security monitoring while they were kept under house arrest.
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (CBS) ―
A jury found a wealthy Muttonstown couple guilty Monday of enslaving two Indonesian women who they hired as housekeepers, before treating them in a torturous manner with painful physical and psychological punishments.
The millionaire couple, Mahender Murlidhar Sabhnani, 51, and his wife Varsha Mahender, 45, were each convicted of all charges in a 12-count federal indictment that included forced labor, conspiracy, peonage, involuntary servitude, and harboring aliens.
Mr. Sabhnani immediately began stroking his immediately stunned wife and holding her face as the verdict was read.
Mrs. Sabhnani and her daughter Dakshina then both collapsed in the courtroom after the verdict was read and were taken to an area hospital, prompting the judge to postpone remaining court proceedings until Tuesday
The Sabhnanis, who have three other children and who operate a worldwide perfume business out of their Muttontown home on Long Island's Gold Coast, could face up to 40 years in prison, although attorneys predicted the punishment would be considerably less.
During the trial, the two Indonesian women detailed the horrific acts of abuse they were subjected to for even the slighest errors in their ways. Those punishments included being victimized with umbrellas, knives, and brooms.
One of the victims, a 51-year-old woman identified only as "Samirah," claimed that at the hands of Mrs. Sabhnani, she was scalded, sliced, clubbed, cut, and pinched. She said her ears were pulled, fingers bent, body taped, and she said she'd even suffered a broken hand.
As for Mr. Sabhnani, Samirah testified that he and some of the couple's four children at times saw her naked, when "the Missus" ordered her to remove her clothes as humiliation.
The Indonesian servant said for small mistakes such as if she slept late or was tardy when beckoned, Mrs. Sabhnani would use "a club to hit me in the mouth til my teeth fell off," she said.
She added that she would be starved at times and forced to take food from the trash. "I got up at 4 a.m. to scrub and cook for the Missus. I only ate at noon, two slices of bread," she said. And she maintained that she was scalded with boiling water -- if she complained -- until "the skin was cooked."
The visibly distraught woman seemed to claim most of the torture was at the hands of Mrs. Sabhnani, who another time made her vomit when she was forced to eat 100 hot chili peppers.
"Not satisfied that I wasn't dead yet, she ordered me to swallow six spoonfuls of chili powder, mixed with salt and water," she said. After she vomited, she claimed Mrs. Sabhnani made her eat the vomit.
When asked if she fought back, Samirah said: "No, I asked the Missus for forgiveness."
Court observers wonder why Samirah didn't run away sooner, after she was found inside a Dunkin' Donuts in May in an apparent daze, leading employees to call for help. She, along with another Indonesian woman identified as Enung, were taken into custody by police where they told of the alleged abuse.
But defense attorneys contend the housekeepers engaged in witchcraft and may have abused themselves as part of an Indonesian self-mutilation ritual.
The Sabhnanis spent nearly three months in jail following their arrest before a judge signed off on a bail package that required the couple to post $4.5 million and pay an estimated $10,000 a day for round-the-clock security monitoring while they were kept under house arrest.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Favre becomes NFL career yards passing leader
December 16, 2007
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Brett Favre became the NFL career leader in yards passing Sunday, overtaking Dan Marino for his latest achievement in a milestone season.
The three-time NFL MVP pulled 1 yard behind Marino with a 44-yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings, catching the St. Louis Rams in a blitz. That put the Green Bay Packers ahead 27-14 with 5:58 to go in the third quarter. He passed Marino on the Packers' next series on the first play, a 7-yard slant pattern to Donald Driver with 23 seconds gone in the fourth quarter.
The game was halted for a few minutes while flashbulbs popped from the stands from a crowd that appeared to be at least half Packers fans, and public address announcer Jim Holder acknowledged the record. Driver hugged Favre, who shook hands with an official.
Marino passed for 61,361 yards in 17 seasons. Favre, who entered Sunday's game needing 184 yards to set the record, also is in his 17th season while enjoying a year comparable to his peak production.
Favre threw his 25th and 26th touchdown passes, also hitting Donald Lee on a 4-yarder early in the second quarter. He had 440 touchdown passes after breaking another mark that belonged to Marino with his 421st at Minnesota on Sept. 30.
He topped John Elway's career record for victories by a starting quarterback with his 149th at New York on Sept. 16.
Favre, 38, entered the game on pace to surpass his personal best of 4,413 yards in 1995 and challenge Lynn Dickey's franchise record of 4,458 yards set in 1983.
Favre was flawless early, completing his first nine passes to eight receivers for 95 yards. The early run ended when Ron Bartell broke up a pass intended for Lee with 5:47 left in the first half.
The veteran quarterback entered Sunday's game needing six touchdown passes in the last three games to add to his own NFL record by throwing 30 or more in nine seasons.
Sunday was Favre's 251th consecutive regular-season start, or 271st counting the playoffs -- both records for a quarterback.
Only former Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Jim Marshall has started more regular-season games (270) in a row.
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Brett Favre became the NFL career leader in yards passing Sunday, overtaking Dan Marino for his latest achievement in a milestone season.
The three-time NFL MVP pulled 1 yard behind Marino with a 44-yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings, catching the St. Louis Rams in a blitz. That put the Green Bay Packers ahead 27-14 with 5:58 to go in the third quarter. He passed Marino on the Packers' next series on the first play, a 7-yard slant pattern to Donald Driver with 23 seconds gone in the fourth quarter.
The game was halted for a few minutes while flashbulbs popped from the stands from a crowd that appeared to be at least half Packers fans, and public address announcer Jim Holder acknowledged the record. Driver hugged Favre, who shook hands with an official.
Marino passed for 61,361 yards in 17 seasons. Favre, who entered Sunday's game needing 184 yards to set the record, also is in his 17th season while enjoying a year comparable to his peak production.
Favre threw his 25th and 26th touchdown passes, also hitting Donald Lee on a 4-yarder early in the second quarter. He had 440 touchdown passes after breaking another mark that belonged to Marino with his 421st at Minnesota on Sept. 30.
He topped John Elway's career record for victories by a starting quarterback with his 149th at New York on Sept. 16.
Favre, 38, entered the game on pace to surpass his personal best of 4,413 yards in 1995 and challenge Lynn Dickey's franchise record of 4,458 yards set in 1983.
Favre was flawless early, completing his first nine passes to eight receivers for 95 yards. The early run ended when Ron Bartell broke up a pass intended for Lee with 5:47 left in the first half.
The veteran quarterback entered Sunday's game needing six touchdown passes in the last three games to add to his own NFL record by throwing 30 or more in nine seasons.
Sunday was Favre's 251th consecutive regular-season start, or 271st counting the playoffs -- both records for a quarterback.
Only former Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Jim Marshall has started more regular-season games (270) in a row.
Miami Dolphins Emerge Victorious- First Win Of The Season
Down by three with 1:56 remaining in the fourth quarter, former Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith guided the reeling Ravens down the field to tie the game.
After Matt Stover's 44-yard field goal attempt was wide right with 9:57 remaining in overtime, the Dolphins took over on downs and sealed their first victory in the last calender year as quarterback Cleo Lemon hooked up with Greg Camarillo for a 64-yard touchdown grab.
The Fins removed the copious monkey off their back this afternoon after not registering a victory in the regular season since December 10th, 2006 at New England. For the Ravens, veteran Matt Stover missed his first field all-time in overtime (5-for-5)and further added to the team's blatant incompetence.
Baltimore has lost eight consecutive games and it now appears highly likely that rookie Troy Smith is the signal caller of the future, not Kyle Boller.
Congratulations to Cam Cameron on his first win as a head coach in the National Football League.
After Matt Stover's 44-yard field goal attempt was wide right with 9:57 remaining in overtime, the Dolphins took over on downs and sealed their first victory in the last calender year as quarterback Cleo Lemon hooked up with Greg Camarillo for a 64-yard touchdown grab.
The Fins removed the copious monkey off their back this afternoon after not registering a victory in the regular season since December 10th, 2006 at New England. For the Ravens, veteran Matt Stover missed his first field all-time in overtime (5-for-5)and further added to the team's blatant incompetence.
Baltimore has lost eight consecutive games and it now appears highly likely that rookie Troy Smith is the signal caller of the future, not Kyle Boller.
Congratulations to Cam Cameron on his first win as a head coach in the National Football League.
Colts Lose Entire Starting Defensive Line to Injuries - AP and NFL.com
Considering the injuries, it's amazing the Colts have done so well.
Indianapolis without five starters against Raiders
Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Colts will sit five starters for Sunday's game against the Oakland Raiders, with injuries to defensive end Robert Mathis leaving the team without any of the first-string defensive linemen it had to start training camp.
The Colts decided Saturday that Mathis and safety Antoine Bethea would not play against the Raiders, Indianapolis spokesman Craig Kelley said. The team had already listed receiver Marvin Harrison (bruised left knee), defensive tackle Raheem Brock (ribs) and right tackle Ryan Diem (knee) as out for Sunday's game.
Mathis (sprains to both knees) and Bethea (sprained left knee) were injured during last Sunday's 44-20 victory in Baltimore. Neither finished the game, in which the Colts pulled most of their starters midway through the third quarter.
The absences of Mathis and Brock follow season-ending injuries to defensive end Dwight Freeney and defensive tackle Anthony McFarland, leaving the Colts (11-2) without any of the defensive linemen they had at the start of the season.
Rookie Ed Johnson has been the starter since McFarland was injured during training camp.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
Indianapolis without five starters against Raiders
Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Colts will sit five starters for Sunday's game against the Oakland Raiders, with injuries to defensive end Robert Mathis leaving the team without any of the first-string defensive linemen it had to start training camp.
The Colts decided Saturday that Mathis and safety Antoine Bethea would not play against the Raiders, Indianapolis spokesman Craig Kelley said. The team had already listed receiver Marvin Harrison (bruised left knee), defensive tackle Raheem Brock (ribs) and right tackle Ryan Diem (knee) as out for Sunday's game.
Mathis (sprains to both knees) and Bethea (sprained left knee) were injured during last Sunday's 44-20 victory in Baltimore. Neither finished the game, in which the Colts pulled most of their starters midway through the third quarter.
The absences of Mathis and Brock follow season-ending injuries to defensive end Dwight Freeney and defensive tackle Anthony McFarland, leaving the Colts (11-2) without any of the defensive linemen they had at the start of the season.
Rookie Ed Johnson has been the starter since McFarland was injured during training camp.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Clinton Library Gets 10 Percent of $165 Million Cost From Mid East
Wow. It seems The Clintons got funding help from the Mid East regarding the $165 Million William Jefferson Clinton Library. According to the Washington Post,
"Bill Clinton's presidential library raised more than 10 percent of the cost of its $165 million facility from foreign sources, with the most generous overseas donation coming from Saudi Arabia, according to interviews yesterday.
The royal family of Saudi Arabia gave the Clinton facility in Little Rock about $10 million, roughly the same amount it gave toward the presidential library of George H.W. Bush, according to people directly familiar with the contributions.
The presidential campaign of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) has for months faced questions about the source of the money for her husband's presidential library. During a September debate, moderator Tim Russert asked the senator whether her husband would release a donor list. Clinton said she was sure her husband would "be happy to consider that," though the former president later declined to provide a list of donors."
It's one thing for Bush I to raise money from the Saudis, but in Clinton's case, he's on the campaign trail again, this time for Senator Clinton. It calls into question to what degree the Clinton's White House policies will be effected by who gave money to them.
"Bill Clinton's presidential library raised more than 10 percent of the cost of its $165 million facility from foreign sources, with the most generous overseas donation coming from Saudi Arabia, according to interviews yesterday.
The royal family of Saudi Arabia gave the Clinton facility in Little Rock about $10 million, roughly the same amount it gave toward the presidential library of George H.W. Bush, according to people directly familiar with the contributions.
The presidential campaign of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) has for months faced questions about the source of the money for her husband's presidential library. During a September debate, moderator Tim Russert asked the senator whether her husband would release a donor list. Clinton said she was sure her husband would "be happy to consider that," though the former president later declined to provide a list of donors."
It's one thing for Bush I to raise money from the Saudis, but in Clinton's case, he's on the campaign trail again, this time for Senator Clinton. It calls into question to what degree the Clinton's White House policies will be effected by who gave money to them.
Des Moines Register's Endorsement Of Clinton Is Criminal and They Forgot About The Iraq War!
DMR CHOICE - BIG MISTAKE. But the seeds in the DMR selection of Clinton over Obama, sadly, are summed up in the second paragraph of the editorial: "No fewer than three candidates would, by their very identity, usher the nation to the doorstep of history. Should the party offer the nation the chance to choose its first woman president? Or its first black president? Or its first Latino president?"
In other words gender and ethnicity -- not talent or experience -- played a major role in the selection of Clinton. Three women -- all White -- selected a White Woman who's running for President, then had the wrong-headed action of referring to the choice of picking a Woman over someone Black or Latino. Wow!
The editorial never mentioned the need to get out of Iraq and bring our troups home. In fact, it doesn't even mention Iraq at all!
Senator Barack Obama has been focused on this from day one -- Senator Clinton says she'll do it just to get a vote. The DMR editorial board gave a most criminal endorsement.
Criminal, because according to the New York TImes, the DMR Editorial Board allowed itself to be wined and dined by The Clintons. Normally, journalists don't accept dinner, gifts, and favors at all as it taints their ability to make a reasoned decision about news coverage.
Not this time!
Look at this excerpt from the NY Times:
Only nine days earlier, the Clintons had played host to a few top editors for drinks and appetizers at one of Des Moines’s fashionable new restaurants. But on this visit, Mr. Clinton was the closer in the exhaustive campaign of persuasion. Even after an hour he had not made his full case to Laura Hollingsworth, the new publisher, so he called back later in the day.
“Hi, it’s Bill Clinton,” he said, speaking slowly after reaching only voice mail. “I’m just calling to thank Laura for the meeting today. There was one more point I wanted to make, but I’ll keep trying to find her. Anyway, I enjoyed it, and I appreciate the time. Thanks.”
Two days after the former president dropped by, Ms. Hollingsworth smiled as she played the recorded message for a reporter during an interview in her office.
“It was humbling and I was honored to meet with him, but I wouldn’t say it sways me at all,” she said. “In this whole process, star-struck is the least of it.”
What is this? TMZ? Nuts!
In other words gender and ethnicity -- not talent or experience -- played a major role in the selection of Clinton. Three women -- all White -- selected a White Woman who's running for President, then had the wrong-headed action of referring to the choice of picking a Woman over someone Black or Latino. Wow!
The editorial never mentioned the need to get out of Iraq and bring our troups home. In fact, it doesn't even mention Iraq at all!
Senator Barack Obama has been focused on this from day one -- Senator Clinton says she'll do it just to get a vote. The DMR editorial board gave a most criminal endorsement.
Criminal, because according to the New York TImes, the DMR Editorial Board allowed itself to be wined and dined by The Clintons. Normally, journalists don't accept dinner, gifts, and favors at all as it taints their ability to make a reasoned decision about news coverage.
Not this time!
Look at this excerpt from the NY Times:
Only nine days earlier, the Clintons had played host to a few top editors for drinks and appetizers at one of Des Moines’s fashionable new restaurants. But on this visit, Mr. Clinton was the closer in the exhaustive campaign of persuasion. Even after an hour he had not made his full case to Laura Hollingsworth, the new publisher, so he called back later in the day.
“Hi, it’s Bill Clinton,” he said, speaking slowly after reaching only voice mail. “I’m just calling to thank Laura for the meeting today. There was one more point I wanted to make, but I’ll keep trying to find her. Anyway, I enjoyed it, and I appreciate the time. Thanks.”
Two days after the former president dropped by, Ms. Hollingsworth smiled as she played the recorded message for a reporter during an interview in her office.
“It was humbling and I was honored to meet with him, but I wouldn’t say it sways me at all,” she said. “In this whole process, star-struck is the least of it.”
What is this? TMZ? Nuts!
Jodie Foster Thanks Her Female Partner In Public, Thus Highlighting a 14-Year Lesbian Relationship
Jodie Foster received the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award and in giving her speech matter-of-factly thanked her partner of 14 years Cydney. In doing so Foster said indirectly what I thought many knew anyway, so I'm suprised it's news.
I've always thought Ms. Foster was not just a terrific actress, but a true lady. I actually met her in 1993 when she walked into a crowded and sunny Pier 23 in San Francisco unknown to the throng, then there was me. Foster walked by and through the crush of people, then stopped; as she did, I took notice.
So I whispered "Ms. Foster. May I have the honor of buying you a cocktail?" Her response was very nice: "Thanks so much. But we're not staying long at all; I'm just looking for a friend. Thanks." And with that, they left -- her and another woman -- after just 7 minutes of time.
I've always thought Ms. Foster was not just a terrific actress, but a true lady. I actually met her in 1993 when she walked into a crowded and sunny Pier 23 in San Francisco unknown to the throng, then there was me. Foster walked by and through the crush of people, then stopped; as she did, I took notice.
So I whispered "Ms. Foster. May I have the honor of buying you a cocktail?" Her response was very nice: "Thanks so much. But we're not staying long at all; I'm just looking for a friend. Thanks." And with that, they left -- her and another woman -- after just 7 minutes of time.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Cloverfield Widget | Get "Cloverfield Widget" Here!
In the latest part of what is just an amazing marketing process for a film, J.J. Abrams, the producer of the upcoming movie "Cloverfield" has invited people like you and me to grab a widget for themselves. You can get one here below this and every post. It contains a brief by Abrams and some great scenes from what promises to be an awesome movie.
Click on the widget below, and grab one for your blog or website!
Click on the widget below, and grab one for your blog or website!
New England Has Record Snowfall Of Over 10 Inches
According to Reuters , New England's facing a record snowfall of over 10 inches and all that while I am in sunny, warm Oakland, California, where the residents complain that it's cold when the temp drops to 50 degrees.
"Spolied" is the word that comes to mind.
"Spolied" is the word that comes to mind.
After Iowa Debate Obama Rises Both In Focus Groups And Iowa Poll
The last Presidential Debate before the Primaries and caucases was held today and by the Dems. It's a contest that caught the West Coast off-guard as it happened during working hours.
What we missed was a performance which featured Senator Barack Obama getting in what turned out to be the ultimate sound-bite.
It started as Senator Obama was asked why he had so many former Clinton advisors on his foreign policy team and how would that cause him to really bring change. But before Obama could talk, Senator Clinton was heard with her now-famous cackle stating "answer that" and Obama did; he got in this zinger:
"And Hillary, I'm looking forward to you becoming my advisor as well."
Pow. Right between the eyes. You could say she walked right into that one.
The debate overall was a good policy exchange which saw Obama emerge as a leader. Plus, Senator Clinton did not make enough of a difference to change her sagging fortunes before the Iowa Caucus. Senator John Edwards performed well, but it's not believed well enough to turn the tide totally in his favor. It's still a close race, but vastly different than even a month ago.
Now, Senator Obama's top dog in the Des Moines Register's latest poll. Plus, in another poll, the Newsweek Poll shows Obama's lead actually increased to 35 percent versus 29 percent for Clinton.
Meanwhile, Mike Huckabee's leading amoung Republicans and my guess is because he's the one that seems less threatening. Giuliani's off-politics antics make him seem less presidential. Ron Paul's still a bit too extreme for Republicans. And Mitt Romney - in my view -- comes off as both way too high-brow and mean-sprited. Huckabee seems to be the mostly likeable candidate for the Republicans.
What we missed was a performance which featured Senator Barack Obama getting in what turned out to be the ultimate sound-bite.
It started as Senator Obama was asked why he had so many former Clinton advisors on his foreign policy team and how would that cause him to really bring change. But before Obama could talk, Senator Clinton was heard with her now-famous cackle stating "answer that" and Obama did; he got in this zinger:
"And Hillary, I'm looking forward to you becoming my advisor as well."
Pow. Right between the eyes. You could say she walked right into that one.
The debate overall was a good policy exchange which saw Obama emerge as a leader. Plus, Senator Clinton did not make enough of a difference to change her sagging fortunes before the Iowa Caucus. Senator John Edwards performed well, but it's not believed well enough to turn the tide totally in his favor. It's still a close race, but vastly different than even a month ago.
Now, Senator Obama's top dog in the Des Moines Register's latest poll. Plus, in another poll, the Newsweek Poll shows Obama's lead actually increased to 35 percent versus 29 percent for Clinton.
Meanwhile, Mike Huckabee's leading amoung Republicans and my guess is because he's the one that seems less threatening. Giuliani's off-politics antics make him seem less presidential. Ron Paul's still a bit too extreme for Republicans. And Mitt Romney - in my view -- comes off as both way too high-brow and mean-sprited. Huckabee seems to be the mostly likeable candidate for the Republicans.
Reddit Web 2.0 Party Gallery Lounge San Francisco
This is a "slice of life" video that gives you an idea of what people actually do at these "Web 2.0" parties. It features a brief talk with Reddit founder Steve Huffman, and a look around an all too crowded Gallery Lounge in San Francisco. We meet programmers arguing and someone who shows us how to make an impromptu NDA in a crowded place. Finally, San Franciscans who get around may recognize a certain person.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Ron Paul - ABC News Fix Has Interview Only On Web
This is a terrible bit of news I got from Andrew Sulivan and which he got from The Huff Post's Matt Simon. Apparently Congressman Ron Paul gave an interview to ABC News' John Stossel -- one that ABC didn't show on television, but confined to the World Wide Web.
This is the latest and ultimate example of a mainstream media fix that has been in the works in different forms, from polling to television coverage. New Media to the rescue as bloggers and vloggers uncover a fix that would have determined the election in the past.
No more.
According to Matt Simon, Stossel wrote this:
Despite relatively low poll numbers, Paul has had a big influence on the presidential campaign. That's in part because he's raised a ton of money, and in part because of the passionate following he has on the Web. It's one reason we're posting my interview with Paul only on the Internet, where the debate about Paul is very active. In fact, he's the most Googled presidential candidate.
Yeah, right.
Any Internet expert know that television drives web searches. If the interview were shown on ABC, it would have compelled many undecided viewers to go to their computers and search for news on Ron Paul.
ABC either knew this and punted, or didn't know this, and still worked to deny the Paul interview full disemenation. In either case, it's wrong what was done. Here's the ABC interview.
This is the latest and ultimate example of a mainstream media fix that has been in the works in different forms, from polling to television coverage. New Media to the rescue as bloggers and vloggers uncover a fix that would have determined the election in the past.
No more.
According to Matt Simon, Stossel wrote this:
Despite relatively low poll numbers, Paul has had a big influence on the presidential campaign. That's in part because he's raised a ton of money, and in part because of the passionate following he has on the Web. It's one reason we're posting my interview with Paul only on the Internet, where the debate about Paul is very active. In fact, he's the most Googled presidential candidate.
Yeah, right.
Any Internet expert know that television drives web searches. If the interview were shown on ABC, it would have compelled many undecided viewers to go to their computers and search for news on Ron Paul.
ABC either knew this and punted, or didn't know this, and still worked to deny the Paul interview full disemenation. In either case, it's wrong what was done. Here's the ABC interview.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Falcons Press Conference On Bobby Petrino's Departure - NFL Network Today
I'm watching the Atlanta Falcons Press Conference right now on The NFL Network. It features two speakers, Falcons GM Rich McKay and Falcons Owner Arthur Blank, and the mood is at best somber.
What's stood out is that the Falcons were misled not just by Bobby Petrino but by Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long. It's also very obvious from the discussion that Petrino could not communicate well with the players, and -- I'll say this -- may have had a hard time adjusting to the modern pro Black athlete.
Whereas in college a coach has a lot of power and is dealing with kids, in the NFL a coach is called by his first name, and can't throw a man off the team for misbehavior. But what's most obvious is that many in the Falcons organization were lied to and thrown into a huge organizational tailspin.
The people most negative impacted are the assistant coaches, one of which who's already left. They are in the position of having to worry about their futures anew.
Nice job Bobby.
Barack Obama and Ron Paul Win National Presidential Caucus
I just saw this on my Facebook profile news update, and clicked on the headlines, reveling this press release below. Let's see how CNN and Fox and the other main stream news outlets handle this news. It flies in the face of their polls and adds ammo to the idea that some news people there are trying to steer the election toward Hillary Clinton.
For example, in New Jersey, the finish was Obama, Edwards, and Kucnich -- yep. See it here:
Stay tuned.
Video on The National Presidential Caucus:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
National Presidential Caucus Announces Results From First-Ever National Caucus
--
Washington, DC (December 12, 2007) -- On December 7, 2007 in cities and small towns across the country, Democrat, Republican and "Open" Caucus groups formed independently online and Caucused face-to-face on National Caucus Day. The first-ever National Presidential Caucus is now history and the results are in.
Barack Obama wins over Democrat voters generating 40% of Democrat Caucus voter preferences. Obama was followed by a three-way tie for second, with John Edwards, Bill Richardson and "Undecided" each generating 20% of Democratic Caucus preferences.
On the Republican side, Ron Paul obliterated the field for the GOP generating the preference of 50% of GOP Caucuses. Mike Huckabee and Fred Thompson follow, generating 33.3% and 16.6% of Republican Caucus preferences, respectively.
Among votes in Open Caucuses, Ron Paul wins with 62.5% of Open Caucus votes, followed by Barack Obama (18.75%), Fred Thompson (12.5%), and Hilary Clinton (6.25%).
Results were tallied from 19 independently formed Caucus groups (Republican, Democrat, and Open) that met on Friday, December 7th, 2007 in Dallas, TX (2D); Sarcoxie, MO (O); Boise, ID (R); Needham, MA (D); Carthage, MO (O); Manhattan, KS (D & R); Pineville, MO (O); Richmond, MO (O); Costa Mesa, CA (O); Springfield MO (R); Winston-Salem, NC (O); Overland Park, KS (R); New York City, NY (O); and Joplin, MO (R), Warrensburg, MO (R), Roselle Park, NK (D), and Philadelphia, PA (O).
Some caucuses used multiple voting rounds with minimum vote thresholds to give citizens a chance to change their minds and switch candidate preferences, but all meetings were built on a first round of issue discussion and deliberation. Multiple rounds of voting were not prohibited and each group was encouraged to create the most engaging caucus format possible. However, threshold voting eliminates all but the top vote-getters. While that may have been the intention for some groups, the NPC feels obligated to recognize the efforts and opinions of all caucus goers.
Issue results reflected opposition to Iraq involvement, foreign intervention in general, and health care, immigration and erosion of civil liberties rounding out the top concerns of all caucusers.
Self-organized and independent, most gatherings were small, informal discussion sessions, while others attracted hundreds of participants including party officials and campaign operatives in a raucous bid for supporters. The NPC feels that the results at each caucus is of greatest importance and relevance to those in that caucus room and to that local community where those ideas were exchanged, relationships were created, passions were shared. We believe this is social capital formation at its finest.
The NPC was previewed by major media from CBS News, The Washington Post and The New York Times, among others. The actual Caucuses are receiving a fair amount of local attention from the mainstream media, including front page newspaper coverage in Greensboro, NC and TV coverage by WNBC news in NYC, the largest NBC affiliate in the nation.
But even better, people reported on their own caucus events. Using numerical reports, commentary, pictures & video, and through a growing number of blogs, each caucus tells its own story. Some reports from those who participated, include Kansas City: "Wow, what a great evening it was in Kansas City!"; New Jersey: "It was a fun night with close to 200 people participating in this exercise."; Chicago: "It was a very informative experience."; Boise, Idaho: "It was an extremely fun event..." Video footage is being compiled on the official National Presidential Caucus channel on YouTube. Visit http://www.youtube.com/NationalCaucus to view.
"The NPC wants to applaud everyone who took the time and made an effort to engage their neighbors in this evening of passionate civic discourse, said Don Means, NPC's primary organizer. "You have just ushered in a new era of participatory democracy in America. Your country should be proud of you!"
National Presidential Caucus is the product of a consortium of partisan, bi-partisan and non-partisan interests who seek to demonstrate how local, self-organized, web-enabled face-to-face gatherings is the new basis for participatory democracy. To view National Caucus endorsers visit: http://www.nationalcaucus.com/endorsements . For more information about the National Presidential Caucus vision visit: http://www.nationalcaucus.com/about
CONTACT:
Myles Weissleder
National Presidential Caucus
myles@nationalcaucus.com
Office: 415-332-3205
Mobile: 415-990-0970
# 30 #
For example, in New Jersey, the finish was Obama, Edwards, and Kucnich -- yep. See it here:
Stay tuned.
Video on The National Presidential Caucus:
National Presidential Caucus Announces Results From First-Ever National Caucus
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
National Presidential Caucus Announces Results From First-Ever National Caucus
--
Barack Obama Wins Democrat Caucuses; Ron Paul Dominates Both GOP And "Open" Caucuses
--Washington, DC (December 12, 2007) -- On December 7, 2007 in cities and small towns across the country, Democrat, Republican and "Open" Caucus groups formed independently online and Caucused face-to-face on National Caucus Day. The first-ever National Presidential Caucus is now history and the results are in.
Barack Obama wins over Democrat voters generating 40% of Democrat Caucus voter preferences. Obama was followed by a three-way tie for second, with John Edwards, Bill Richardson and "Undecided" each generating 20% of Democratic Caucus preferences.
On the Republican side, Ron Paul obliterated the field for the GOP generating the preference of 50% of GOP Caucuses. Mike Huckabee and Fred Thompson follow, generating 33.3% and 16.6% of Republican Caucus preferences, respectively.
Among votes in Open Caucuses, Ron Paul wins with 62.5% of Open Caucus votes, followed by Barack Obama (18.75%), Fred Thompson (12.5%), and Hilary Clinton (6.25%).
Results were tallied from 19 independently formed Caucus groups (Republican, Democrat, and Open) that met on Friday, December 7th, 2007 in Dallas, TX (2D); Sarcoxie, MO (O); Boise, ID (R); Needham, MA (D); Carthage, MO (O); Manhattan, KS (D & R); Pineville, MO (O); Richmond, MO (O); Costa Mesa, CA (O); Springfield MO (R); Winston-Salem, NC (O); Overland Park, KS (R); New York City, NY (O); and Joplin, MO (R), Warrensburg, MO (R), Roselle Park, NK (D), and Philadelphia, PA (O).
Some caucuses used multiple voting rounds with minimum vote thresholds to give citizens a chance to change their minds and switch candidate preferences, but all meetings were built on a first round of issue discussion and deliberation. Multiple rounds of voting were not prohibited and each group was encouraged to create the most engaging caucus format possible. However, threshold voting eliminates all but the top vote-getters. While that may have been the intention for some groups, the NPC feels obligated to recognize the efforts and opinions of all caucus goers.
Issue results reflected opposition to Iraq involvement, foreign intervention in general, and health care, immigration and erosion of civil liberties rounding out the top concerns of all caucusers.
Self-organized and independent, most gatherings were small, informal discussion sessions, while others attracted hundreds of participants including party officials and campaign operatives in a raucous bid for supporters. The NPC feels that the results at each caucus is of greatest importance and relevance to those in that caucus room and to that local community where those ideas were exchanged, relationships were created, passions were shared. We believe this is social capital formation at its finest.
The NPC was previewed by major media from CBS News, The Washington Post and The New York Times, among others. The actual Caucuses are receiving a fair amount of local attention from the mainstream media, including front page newspaper coverage in Greensboro, NC and TV coverage by WNBC news in NYC, the largest NBC affiliate in the nation.
But even better, people reported on their own caucus events. Using numerical reports, commentary, pictures & video, and through a growing number of blogs, each caucus tells its own story. Some reports from those who participated, include Kansas City: "Wow, what a great evening it was in Kansas City!"; New Jersey: "It was a fun night with close to 200 people participating in this exercise."; Chicago: "It was a very informative experience."; Boise, Idaho: "It was an extremely fun event..." Video footage is being compiled on the official National Presidential Caucus channel on YouTube. Visit http://www.youtube.com/NationalCaucus to view.
"The NPC wants to applaud everyone who took the time and made an effort to engage their neighbors in this evening of passionate civic discourse, said Don Means, NPC's primary organizer. "You have just ushered in a new era of participatory democracy in America. Your country should be proud of you!"
National Presidential Caucus is the product of a consortium of partisan, bi-partisan and non-partisan interests who seek to demonstrate how local, self-organized, web-enabled face-to-face gatherings is the new basis for participatory democracy. To view National Caucus endorsers visit: http://www.nationalcaucus.com/endorsements . For more information about the National Presidential Caucus vision visit: http://www.nationalcaucus.com/about
CONTACT:
Myles Weissleder
National Presidential Caucus
myles@nationalcaucus.com
Office: 415-332-3205
Mobile: 415-990-0970
# 30 #
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Le Web 3 - A Video Brief On What's Happening There - Day 1
This is a segment of videos on the goings on at Le Web 3 in Paris, France. For more information on Le Web 3, see my video interview of Cathy Brooks , the event's producer.
Le Web 3 - Preparations:
Le Web 3 - Day One
Le Web 3 - Preparations:
Le Web 3 - Day One
More On Petrino's Sudden Departure From The Atlanta Falcons
Well, for some reason, I'm not surprised at this.
Petrino quits Falcons to take Arkansas job
By STEVE WYCHE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 12/11/07
Falcons coach Bobby Petrino, in a move that was said to have blindsided team officials, resigned Tuesday evening to take the head-coaching job at the University of Arkansas, the team confirmed.
Team owner Arthur Blank and the Falcons brass were caught so off guard that they are still trying to figure out who will coach the 3-10 team over the final three games.
Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson and defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer are likely candidates to coach the Falcons on an interim basis.
Each could be under consideration for the permanent job.
Before the Falcons' 34-14 loss to New Orleans Monday, Blank said that he had heard rumors that Arkansas had targeted Petrino to replace Houston Nutt as head coach. So he said he asked Petrino if he was considering that job.
Petrino, who was signed from the University of Louisville to a five-year, $24.5 million contract Jan. 8, told him Monday afternoon that he definitely would be back to coach the Falcons in 2008.
It was the second time Blank had asked Petrino about his commitment to the team and the second time Petrino told him he would be back next season.
Blank was not available for comment Tuesday evening.
The Falcons were off Tuesday and Petrino did not hold his typical day-after, post game news conference. It is not known if he spent the day talking to officials from Arkansas.
Petrino's abrupt departure puts the Falcons in position of trying to find a second head coach in less than a year. Blank fired Jim Mora Jan. 1, 2007 after three seasons.
Atlanta is in a tenuous situation because a new head coach with a radically different philosophy could require a rapid change in direction from plans already put in place to augment the roster for Petrino's scheme.
Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall, one of several players with a frosty relationship with Petrino, said he was surprised by the news, which he heard about from a team officials around 5:30 Tuesday.
"We felt like Petrino was going to be around for the long haul, like he had as much invested in this as we did," Hall said. "For him to jump ship is disheartening. Arthur Blank and the city of Atlanta, they deserve to win and we thought Petrino was going to be the guy to help us get there. He was a winner and wasn't used to losing.
"Maybe he didn't feel he could win at this level. I disagree with that. If he doesn't want to be a part of it, fine. We'll move on and get better and we will games without him."
It was thought that Petrino could take the Falcons offense, led by Michael Vick, and create an exciting, winning brand of football.
But Petrino's troubles in Atlanta began soon afterward, starting when Vick was questioned by security at Miami International Airport on Jan. 17 about a water bottle with a hidden compartment. Test results indicated that were no illegal substances in the bottle, and Vick was cleared of wrongdoing.
Vick's troubles continued in April when police found evidence of a dogfighting operation at a home he owned in rural southeastern Virginia.
Vick was indicted on felony charges in July of operating an illegal dogfighting operation, known as Bad Newz Kennels.
Vick was indefintely suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in August.
The Falcons are 3-10 following Monday's 34-14 loss to New Orleans. They are tied for the second-worst record in the league.
In the wake of Vick's suspension, the team has used three different starting quarterbacks, and its offense has struggled. They are 30th in the league in scoring (14.2 points per game) and 24th in yards per game (301.1 ypg).
Fan reaction was much like that at Falcons headquarters: surprised.
Brian Daniels, president of Louisville's Atlanta Alumni Club said, "I'm just absolutely floored.
"I really believe he came here to coach the best athlete in football. I think he was just at a point where he'd had enough. You can't blame a man for wanting to drive a Porsche and being handed a Cadillac."
Petrino has a history of short stays as a coach.
During his four seasons at Louisville, Auburn, LSU and the NFL's Oakland Raiders talked to him.
In an attempt to keep him, the school signed him to a $25-million extension in July, 2006.
He signed a deal with the Falcons six months later.
Petrino's coaching career started in 1983 as a graduate assistant at Carroll College in Wisconsin. He became offensive coordinator there in 1985. It was the start of a long-time career in the college ranks that saw him work as an assistant at eight colleges before being named head coach at the University of Louisville in 2003. He compiled a 41-9 record at Louisville.
Petrino previously worked in the pro ranks as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 1999-2002.
Petrino also has a previous stint in the SEC, as offensive coordinator for Auburn University in 2002.
Petrino quits Falcons to take Arkansas job
By STEVE WYCHE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 12/11/07
Falcons coach Bobby Petrino, in a move that was said to have blindsided team officials, resigned Tuesday evening to take the head-coaching job at the University of Arkansas, the team confirmed.
Team owner Arthur Blank and the Falcons brass were caught so off guard that they are still trying to figure out who will coach the 3-10 team over the final three games.
Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson and defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer are likely candidates to coach the Falcons on an interim basis.
Each could be under consideration for the permanent job.
Before the Falcons' 34-14 loss to New Orleans Monday, Blank said that he had heard rumors that Arkansas had targeted Petrino to replace Houston Nutt as head coach. So he said he asked Petrino if he was considering that job.
Petrino, who was signed from the University of Louisville to a five-year, $24.5 million contract Jan. 8, told him Monday afternoon that he definitely would be back to coach the Falcons in 2008.
It was the second time Blank had asked Petrino about his commitment to the team and the second time Petrino told him he would be back next season.
Blank was not available for comment Tuesday evening.
The Falcons were off Tuesday and Petrino did not hold his typical day-after, post game news conference. It is not known if he spent the day talking to officials from Arkansas.
Petrino's abrupt departure puts the Falcons in position of trying to find a second head coach in less than a year. Blank fired Jim Mora Jan. 1, 2007 after three seasons.
Atlanta is in a tenuous situation because a new head coach with a radically different philosophy could require a rapid change in direction from plans already put in place to augment the roster for Petrino's scheme.
Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall, one of several players with a frosty relationship with Petrino, said he was surprised by the news, which he heard about from a team officials around 5:30 Tuesday.
"We felt like Petrino was going to be around for the long haul, like he had as much invested in this as we did," Hall said. "For him to jump ship is disheartening. Arthur Blank and the city of Atlanta, they deserve to win and we thought Petrino was going to be the guy to help us get there. He was a winner and wasn't used to losing.
"Maybe he didn't feel he could win at this level. I disagree with that. If he doesn't want to be a part of it, fine. We'll move on and get better and we will games without him."
It was thought that Petrino could take the Falcons offense, led by Michael Vick, and create an exciting, winning brand of football.
But Petrino's troubles in Atlanta began soon afterward, starting when Vick was questioned by security at Miami International Airport on Jan. 17 about a water bottle with a hidden compartment. Test results indicated that were no illegal substances in the bottle, and Vick was cleared of wrongdoing.
Vick's troubles continued in April when police found evidence of a dogfighting operation at a home he owned in rural southeastern Virginia.
Vick was indicted on felony charges in July of operating an illegal dogfighting operation, known as Bad Newz Kennels.
Vick was indefintely suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in August.
The Falcons are 3-10 following Monday's 34-14 loss to New Orleans. They are tied for the second-worst record in the league.
In the wake of Vick's suspension, the team has used three different starting quarterbacks, and its offense has struggled. They are 30th in the league in scoring (14.2 points per game) and 24th in yards per game (301.1 ypg).
Fan reaction was much like that at Falcons headquarters: surprised.
Brian Daniels, president of Louisville's Atlanta Alumni Club said, "I'm just absolutely floored.
"I really believe he came here to coach the best athlete in football. I think he was just at a point where he'd had enough. You can't blame a man for wanting to drive a Porsche and being handed a Cadillac."
Petrino has a history of short stays as a coach.
During his four seasons at Louisville, Auburn, LSU and the NFL's Oakland Raiders talked to him.
In an attempt to keep him, the school signed him to a $25-million extension in July, 2006.
He signed a deal with the Falcons six months later.
Petrino's coaching career started in 1983 as a graduate assistant at Carroll College in Wisconsin. He became offensive coordinator there in 1985. It was the start of a long-time career in the college ranks that saw him work as an assistant at eight colleges before being named head coach at the University of Louisville in 2003. He compiled a 41-9 record at Louisville.
Petrino previously worked in the pro ranks as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 1999-2002.
Petrino also has a previous stint in the SEC, as offensive coordinator for Auburn University in 2002.
While Obama Offers Solution To Preditory Credit Cards, Clinton Has Flip Flopped On Issue
Today, in Iowa, Senator Barack Obama offered a solution to the growing problem of credit card debt:
Obama called for new restrictions on "predatory" credit card companies he says deceive consumers into piling up massive debt they have little hope of repaying.
"The truth is, our middle-class families are not going to be secure so long as they can't get out of debt," Obama said Monday, sharpening the populist rhetoric of his presidential campaign. "If we're serious about stopping Americans from falling deeper in debt, we've got to crack down on predatory credit card companies that are pushing them over the edge."
Obama pointed to studies showing that consumers have an average personal debt of more than $8,000, a load driven higher by credit cards. He said soaring credit card debt could turn into a crisis as big as the one in the subprime mortgage industry.
"The larger risk is that what's happening in the housing market could lead to a slowdown in the entire economy," he said.
While Obama takes the issue head on Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has a history of flip-flopping on the matter. Take what Harvard Professor Elizabeth Warren said on Frontline regarding how Clinton first had President Bill Clinton reject, then turned around and as Senator supported the same banruptcy legislation that would have forced credit card companies to change their policies...
And Sen. [Hillary] Clinton?
Sen. Clinton, when she was first lady, [was] responsible for stopping the proposed bankruptcy legislation. The White House had been quietly supporting it, and it was First Lady Clinton who talked with her husband and persuaded him that the bankruptcy bill was hard on women, hard on families, hard on older Americans, and was a bad idea in general. And the last act that President Clinton took with Congress was to veto the bankruptcy bill. Mrs. Clinton took credit for that in her autobiography, and by golly, she deserves it. She stood up --
And today?
Sen. Clinton, when she was elected, the financial services industry brought this bill back. And so one of the very first bills that came up after Sen. Clinton had taken office was the bankruptcy bill. Oh, [there were] a couple of cosmetic changes to it, ... but it was the same bill that had been there at that point already for four years. And Sen. Clinton voted in favor of the bill.
Better bill?
No.
Why?
The financial services industry is a big industry in New York, and it's powerful on Capitol Hill. It's a story of how much influence this industry group wields in Washington that ... they can bring to heel a senator who obviously cares, who obviously gets it, but who also obviously really feels the pressure in having to stand up to an industry like that.
So it's clear the credit card lobby "got to" Senator Clinton, making it doubtful Americans will see any real advance or relief in this area if she's elected President.
Obama called for new restrictions on "predatory" credit card companies he says deceive consumers into piling up massive debt they have little hope of repaying.
"The truth is, our middle-class families are not going to be secure so long as they can't get out of debt," Obama said Monday, sharpening the populist rhetoric of his presidential campaign. "If we're serious about stopping Americans from falling deeper in debt, we've got to crack down on predatory credit card companies that are pushing them over the edge."
Obama pointed to studies showing that consumers have an average personal debt of more than $8,000, a load driven higher by credit cards. He said soaring credit card debt could turn into a crisis as big as the one in the subprime mortgage industry.
"The larger risk is that what's happening in the housing market could lead to a slowdown in the entire economy," he said.
While Obama takes the issue head on Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has a history of flip-flopping on the matter. Take what Harvard Professor Elizabeth Warren said on Frontline regarding how Clinton first had President Bill Clinton reject, then turned around and as Senator supported the same banruptcy legislation that would have forced credit card companies to change their policies...
And Sen. [Hillary] Clinton?
Sen. Clinton, when she was first lady, [was] responsible for stopping the proposed bankruptcy legislation. The White House had been quietly supporting it, and it was First Lady Clinton who talked with her husband and persuaded him that the bankruptcy bill was hard on women, hard on families, hard on older Americans, and was a bad idea in general. And the last act that President Clinton took with Congress was to veto the bankruptcy bill. Mrs. Clinton took credit for that in her autobiography, and by golly, she deserves it. She stood up --
And today?
Sen. Clinton, when she was elected, the financial services industry brought this bill back. And so one of the very first bills that came up after Sen. Clinton had taken office was the bankruptcy bill. Oh, [there were] a couple of cosmetic changes to it, ... but it was the same bill that had been there at that point already for four years. And Sen. Clinton voted in favor of the bill.
Better bill?
No.
Why?
The financial services industry is a big industry in New York, and it's powerful on Capitol Hill. It's a story of how much influence this industry group wields in Washington that ... they can bring to heel a senator who obviously cares, who obviously gets it, but who also obviously really feels the pressure in having to stand up to an industry like that.
So it's clear the credit card lobby "got to" Senator Clinton, making it doubtful Americans will see any real advance or relief in this area if she's elected President.
On Fox, Tom Tancredo Says That Republican Debate For Spanish Speaking Americans Is For Those Who Aren't American
I could not believe what I was hearing when I heard it today, but out of the mouth of Republican U.S. Presidential Candidate Tom Tancredo was a series of very bigoted statements which essentially add up to this:
If you're speaking any language other than English, you're not American.
That was the message he sent and it was totally ugly. So much so that Fox's Shepard Smith could not resist grilling him with a set of "setup" questions on this.
I'll call him "Tom The Terrible" from now on!
If you're speaking any language other than English, you're not American.
That was the message he sent and it was totally ugly. So much so that Fox's Shepard Smith could not resist grilling him with a set of "setup" questions on this.
I'll call him "Tom The Terrible" from now on!
Vick receives 23-month sentence on dogfighting charges
Richmond, Virgina judge Henry Hudson sentenced embattled Atlanta Falcons quarterback
Michael Vick to nearly two full years in prison Monday morning.
Since the disgraced star has already spent three months behind bars, it is probable to assume that with good behavior the sentence will be reduced to 19 months. Either way, it will have been three years without playing professional football and the likelihood of Vick acclimating himself back into the league is very minimal.
Michael Vick to nearly two full years in prison Monday morning.
Since the disgraced star has already spent three months behind bars, it is probable to assume that with good behavior the sentence will be reduced to 19 months. Either way, it will have been three years without playing professional football and the likelihood of Vick acclimating himself back into the league is very minimal.
Petrino reportedly phones in resignation to Falcons
Petrino's departure from the hapless Falcons continues to further the notion that college coaches that immediately embark upon the NFL fail miserably.Outside of Jimmie Johnson leaving the University of Miami to coach the Dallas Cowboys, the line of success is minimal.
ESPN.com news services
Bobby Petrino abruptly resigned his position as coach of the Atlanta Falcons on Tuesday and is negotiating an agreement to become the new coach at the University of Arkansas, multiple sources told ESPN.
Petrino and his agent had been talking with the Falcons about his preference to return to the college ranks. The former Louisville coach was looking for an opportunity to break into the Southeastern Conference ranks, and Arkansas was a natural fit.
Citing the team as its source, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on its Web site that Petrino phoned the Falcons about 5:45 p.m. Tuesday and resigned. Petrino and the team agreed he would not coach the Falcons' remaining three games, a source told ESPN.com's John Clayton.
Negotiations between Petrino and Arkansas are ongoing, the sources told ESPN. Once a deal is in place, Petrino is expected to be paid around $3 million a year, the sources said.
Petrino signed a five-year, $24 million contract to be the Falcons head coach, so he will be taking a pay cut to re-enter the college ranks. The Falcons are 3-10 and have had their season torn apart by Michael Vick's involvement in a dogfighting ring and subsequent 23-month jail sentence, which was levied Monday.
NFL sources said there was no buyout in Petrino's contract with the Falcons.
Petrino will succeed Houston Nutt, who was hired by Mississippi immediately after resigning at Arkansas. Tommy Tuberville and Tommy Bowden were both linked to the Arkansas opening, but they remained as coaches at Auburn and Clemson, respectively.
Arkansas flirted with hiring Jim Grobe -- a private fundraising arm for the Razorbacks approved a salary supplement for the Wake Forest coach -- but Grobe stayed with the Demon Deacons.
ESPN.com news services
Bobby Petrino abruptly resigned his position as coach of the Atlanta Falcons on Tuesday and is negotiating an agreement to become the new coach at the University of Arkansas, multiple sources told ESPN.
Petrino and his agent had been talking with the Falcons about his preference to return to the college ranks. The former Louisville coach was looking for an opportunity to break into the Southeastern Conference ranks, and Arkansas was a natural fit.
Citing the team as its source, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on its Web site that Petrino phoned the Falcons about 5:45 p.m. Tuesday and resigned. Petrino and the team agreed he would not coach the Falcons' remaining three games, a source told ESPN.com's John Clayton.
Negotiations between Petrino and Arkansas are ongoing, the sources told ESPN. Once a deal is in place, Petrino is expected to be paid around $3 million a year, the sources said.
Petrino signed a five-year, $24 million contract to be the Falcons head coach, so he will be taking a pay cut to re-enter the college ranks. The Falcons are 3-10 and have had their season torn apart by Michael Vick's involvement in a dogfighting ring and subsequent 23-month jail sentence, which was levied Monday.
NFL sources said there was no buyout in Petrino's contract with the Falcons.
Petrino will succeed Houston Nutt, who was hired by Mississippi immediately after resigning at Arkansas. Tommy Tuberville and Tommy Bowden were both linked to the Arkansas opening, but they remained as coaches at Auburn and Clemson, respectively.
Arkansas flirted with hiring Jim Grobe -- a private fundraising arm for the Razorbacks approved a salary supplement for the Wake Forest coach -- but Grobe stayed with the Demon Deacons.
Clinton People Who Mention Obama's Past Cocaine Use; Must Answer For Clinton's Alledged Involvment In Cocaine Trafficing
According to a Huffington Post blogger , Clinton cronies are set to mention Senator Barack Obama's past and his use of cocaine, but this proves how the Clinton Camp is starting to panic and for two reasons:
1) It opens up the question of Senator Clinton and any past drug use she may have done. (Important, because Senator Obama is not covering up his past; what about Clinton?)
2) Now Senator Clinton has to answer -- again -- for the MENA controversy, which is expresses in this video:
Part One:
Part Two:
Part Three:
Part Four:
The video's description reads:
An independent group of researchers in Arkansas are charging that Governor Bill Clinton is covering up an airport used by the CIA and major cocaine smugglers in a remote corner of the Ozark mountains. According to Deborah Robinson of In These Times, the Inter mountain Regional Airport in Mena,Arkansas continues to be the hub of operations for people like assassinated cocaine kingpin Barry Seal as well as government intelligence operations linked to arms and drug smuggling.
In the 1980's, the Mena airport became one of the world's largest aircraft refurbishing centers, providing services to planes from many countries.Researchers claim that the largest consumers of aircraft refurbishing services are drug smugglers and intelligence agencies involved in covert activities.In fact, residents of Mena, Arkansas, have told reporters that former marine Lt. Colonel Oliver North was a frequent visitor during the 1980's. Eugene Hasenfus, a pilot who was shot down in a Contra supply plane over Nicaragua in 1986, was also seen in town renting cargo vehicles.
A federal Grand Jury looking into activities at the Mena airport refused to hand down any indictments after drug running charges were made public.Deborah Robinson says that Clinton had "ignored the situation" until he began his presidential campaign." Clinton then said he would provide money for a state run investigation of the Mena airport. But according to Robinson, the promise of an investigation was never followed up by Clinton's staff. In fact, a local Arkansas state prosecutor blasted Clinton's promise of an investigation, comparing it to "spitting on a forest fire."
...and in this Salon article , where the makers of the video "Citizens for Honest Government" paid their sources, which taints their claims, but one of the allegations is of President Clinton's cocaine use and the person behind the story is sticking to it.
Here's the article below, in full:
Among the allegations spread by Citizens for Honest Government's paid "expert witnesses" was that Bill Clinton, as governor of Arkansas, provided protection for the cocaine trade.
Beginning in late 1993, Nichols and three other individuals who received payments from Citizens told the press that Clinton, while governor of Arkansas, ordered state law enforcement officials to turn a blind eye to a cocaine trafficking ring operating out of Mena, a small Arkansas airport 120 miles west of Little Rock. Nichols and the group's other paid "witnesses" alleged that Clinton protected the cocaine operation because one of the ring's backers was a Clinton campaign contributor. They also alleged the drug smuggling ring was connected to a covert U.S. intelligence operation in Central America.
The allegations quickly found their way to talk radio programs and onto the Internet and began moving into the mainstream via articles in the American Spectator and the conservative Washington Times.
But what ultimately legitimized the allegations was a series of editorials and articles on the subject that appeared in 1994 on the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal.
Rep. Jim Leach, (R-Iowa), chairman of the House Banking Committee, acknowledged in an interview in the fall of l996 that he had directed his committee staff to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the Mena allegations after first reading about them in the Wall Street Journal.
"I read the Journal editorial page with great interest," Leach told Salon. "They raised some very serious and interesting issues. And I made the decision that it should be an appropriate subject of a committee investigation."
Two committee sources told Salon that House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., also had read about the Mena allegations on the Journal's editorial page and had learned more about them from conservative supporters of his political action committee, GOPAC. Gingrich personally urged that Leach investigate the matter, the sources said.
David Runkel, a spokesman for the House Banking Committee, said that despite an exhaustive two-year investigation, the committee found absolutely no evidence showing any Clinton involvement in Mena drug-smuggling operations. "We engaged in an appropriate inquiry that uncovered valuable information about money laundering and other issues," said Runkel. "Regarding the president, we found no evidence of wrongdoing."
An investigation by the CIA Inspector-General also concluded last year that there was no evidence that Clinton had any role in protecting the Mena cocaine ring. Leach's House Banking Committee requested the CIA investigation.
Rep. Henry Gonzalez, D-Texas, the House Banking Committee's ranking minority member, was highly critical of the investigation. Gonzalez said it took up more than 13,000 staff hours at the Department of Justice -- "the equivalent of about one year's worth of work by eight full-time employees," said Gonzalez.
The request by Leach to have the CIA Inspector-General investigate, Gonzalez said, led to "six [additional] full-time [CIA] people reviewing over 40,000 pages of documents." In addition, four banking committee staffers worked on the probe at the expense of other important committee business, Gonzalez said.
Among those who were cited as sources about the alleged Mena operation in the Wall Street Journal's editorial page -- and received generous payments from Citizens for Honest Government -- was John Brown, a former deputy sheriff of Saline County, Ark. In l994 and l995, Brown received more than $28,000 from the organization, according to the accounting records. Brown also appeared on a Citizens-produced video about Mena.
"I did investigative work for them," Brown told Salon, adding that Citizens paid him while he worked as a private investigator and not as a police officer.
On Sept. 21, l996, Brown received at least one additional payment of $1,000 from the joint bank account controlled by Matrisciana and Ruddy, according to a copy of the canceled check obtained by Salon.
Another recipient of Citizens funds was Jane Parks of Little Rock. Shortly before the l996 presidential election, the American Spectator published a story by the magazine's editor, R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr., that quoted Parks as saying that she had personally witnessed Clinton using cocaine in 1984, while he was governor of Arkansas. At the time, Parks said, she had been resident manager of an upscale Little Rock apartment complex. Parks claimed that her office was subdivided by a flimsy temporary wall. Parks told Tyrrell that she worked on one side of the partition while on the other side, the president's brother, Roger Clinton, maintained a bachelor pad.
"Mrs. Parks observed cocaine being brought into the apartment," Tyrrell wrote. "She also had to relay complaints to Roger about noise from his parties ... She stated: 'Once when I opened the door, Bill Clinton was sitting on the couch. He was staring straight ahead, looking stoned ... There were lines of cocaine on the table in front of him."
Later, she told the London Daily Telegraph that her husband, a private investigator who once did security work for the l992 Clinton presidential campaign, was killed because he had been involved with drug smuggling at the Mena airport. Parks also claimed she found hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash in the trunk of her late husband's car. She said that her husband had told her that Vincent Foster had directed him to smuggle drugs at Mena.
In l994 and l995, Parks and other members of her family received more than $16,000 from Citizens for Honest Government, according to the organization's accounting records. In 1995 Parks received an additional $6,000 from the joint bank account maintained by Nichols and Patterson, according to records and individuals with direct knowledge of the transactions.
Parks declined to comment for this article, but her son told Salon that she stands by her stories.
A former employee of the American Spectator told Salon that Tyrrell had several conversations with conservative activists in the closing days of the l996 presidential race to discuss ways to publicize Parks' charges against Clinton. The former employee said in an interview that "a lot of us had serious questions about the 'the president is a cocaine addict story,' and [Tyrrell's] sources ... But he does believe in these things, and it is his magazine."
Tyrrell did not return several phone calls from Salon.
A massive can of worms.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Hillary Clinton's Trading Of Money From Developers For Bill "Earmarks" Draws LA Times Article' - John McCain Calls It Corrupt
It's about time this matter was given the attention it so needed.
YRACUSE, N.Y. — It's a real estate developer's sugar-plum dream: a mega-shopping mall complete with 10 Broadway-style theaters, an indoor river, a Tuscan village and a 39-story luxury hotel sheathed in green solar panels shaped like giant blades of grass. Plus as much as $1 billion in government-backed financing, thanks in part to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Not everyone thinks the plan, known as Destiny USA and still in the early bulldozer stage, is a good idea. Many on the Syracuse City Council consider its tax breaks a waste of public money. Others fear it could damage the struggling downtown area. Others question whether all its dazzling features will ever be built.
One thing is clear, however: Destiny is a classic example of how New York's junior senator has embraced old-fashioned pork-barrel politics, first to build power in the state, then to extend it nationwide as she becomes a leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.
And to fuel her rise, Clinton has relied on the controversial funding device known as "earmarking." The earmarks enabled her to win favor with important constituents, many of whom provided financial support for her campaigns.
In the case of Destiny, she teamed up with other New York lawmakers to secure federal backing for the private investment project. And she collected tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the developer and others associated with the project.
Nor does the Syracuse project stand alone. From the beginning of her Senate career, Clinton saw earmarks -- which enable lawmakers to bypass the normal budget process and insert narrowly drafted spending provisions directly into legislation -- as a key to funneling aid to a depressed area and building political power among normally Republican-leaning voters.
Since taking office in 2001, Clinton has delivered $500 million worth of earmarks that have specifically benefited 59 corporations. About 64% of those corporations provided funds to her campaigns through donations made by employees, executives, board members or lobbyists, a review by the Los Angeles Times shows.
All told, Clinton has earmarked more than $2.3 billion in federal appropriations for projects in her state since her election to the Senate, much of it for public works projects funded in conjunction with fellow Democratic Sen. Charles E. Schumer and others in the New York congressional delegation.
A different scale
Clinton is not the biggest earmarker in Congress; senior congressional leaders and members of the appropriations committees can and do write many more such provisions into the huge spending bills they draft. But Clinton does significantly more earmarking than most others with her relatively low level of seniority.
Clinton's staff said she used the earmark privilege effectively for her constituents and denied any connection between her legislative action and campaign contributions.
Her record stands in contrast with others in the Senate seeking the presidency, particularly John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.). McCain, who has long opposed earmarks, does not write them. Obama has used the device, but now declines to earmark funds for private companies; he uses earmarks only to secure funds for government projects such as road building and hospital construction. Other senators seeking the presidency provide earmarks to home-state constituents and collect donations from recipients of the federal largesse. But The Times review found that Clinton does it on a different scale.
For example, in the appropriations bills that have passed the Senate so far this year, Clinton earmarked 216 separate projects for a total of $236.6 million. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) secured $112.8 million; Obama earmarked $90.4 million, and Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) earmarked projects totaling $70.8 million.
Since Clinton arrived in the Senate, she has collected in excess of $1 million from earmark beneficiaries and their associates.
"This pattern shows that Clinton has made aggressive use of the pay-to-play earmark game," said Keith Ashdown, research director for the Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan research organization in Washington.
The practice of congressional earmarking has a long history. But in recent years, its use has skyrocketed, and earmarking has emerged at the center of high-profile scandals, including the one that sent former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham of Rancho Santa Fe and former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, both Republicans, to prison. Those scandals involved earmarks that led to the personal enrichment of lawmakers. There is no evidence of that in Clinton's case.
Because of the scandals, the practice of earmarking has become the subject of a heated debate among politicians, watchdog groups and good-government advocates.
Critics of earmarking object that it remains a relatively closed process that adds billions in spending directives, often over the objection of the president and Cabinet departments.
Democrats made earmark reform a priority when they took over Congress in January. The Senate passed rules making it easier to identify the authors of the once-secretive practice.
Clinton supported those basic reforms, but she and other Democratic senators running for president balked at a proposal by Obama that would have required members to disclose their proposed earmark requests, not just those that were enacted into law.
More...
YRACUSE, N.Y. — It's a real estate developer's sugar-plum dream: a mega-shopping mall complete with 10 Broadway-style theaters, an indoor river, a Tuscan village and a 39-story luxury hotel sheathed in green solar panels shaped like giant blades of grass. Plus as much as $1 billion in government-backed financing, thanks in part to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Not everyone thinks the plan, known as Destiny USA and still in the early bulldozer stage, is a good idea. Many on the Syracuse City Council consider its tax breaks a waste of public money. Others fear it could damage the struggling downtown area. Others question whether all its dazzling features will ever be built.
One thing is clear, however: Destiny is a classic example of how New York's junior senator has embraced old-fashioned pork-barrel politics, first to build power in the state, then to extend it nationwide as she becomes a leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.
And to fuel her rise, Clinton has relied on the controversial funding device known as "earmarking." The earmarks enabled her to win favor with important constituents, many of whom provided financial support for her campaigns.
In the case of Destiny, she teamed up with other New York lawmakers to secure federal backing for the private investment project. And she collected tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the developer and others associated with the project.
Nor does the Syracuse project stand alone. From the beginning of her Senate career, Clinton saw earmarks -- which enable lawmakers to bypass the normal budget process and insert narrowly drafted spending provisions directly into legislation -- as a key to funneling aid to a depressed area and building political power among normally Republican-leaning voters.
Since taking office in 2001, Clinton has delivered $500 million worth of earmarks that have specifically benefited 59 corporations. About 64% of those corporations provided funds to her campaigns through donations made by employees, executives, board members or lobbyists, a review by the Los Angeles Times shows.
All told, Clinton has earmarked more than $2.3 billion in federal appropriations for projects in her state since her election to the Senate, much of it for public works projects funded in conjunction with fellow Democratic Sen. Charles E. Schumer and others in the New York congressional delegation.
A different scale
Clinton is not the biggest earmarker in Congress; senior congressional leaders and members of the appropriations committees can and do write many more such provisions into the huge spending bills they draft. But Clinton does significantly more earmarking than most others with her relatively low level of seniority.
Clinton's staff said she used the earmark privilege effectively for her constituents and denied any connection between her legislative action and campaign contributions.
Her record stands in contrast with others in the Senate seeking the presidency, particularly John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.). McCain, who has long opposed earmarks, does not write them. Obama has used the device, but now declines to earmark funds for private companies; he uses earmarks only to secure funds for government projects such as road building and hospital construction. Other senators seeking the presidency provide earmarks to home-state constituents and collect donations from recipients of the federal largesse. But The Times review found that Clinton does it on a different scale.
For example, in the appropriations bills that have passed the Senate so far this year, Clinton earmarked 216 separate projects for a total of $236.6 million. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) secured $112.8 million; Obama earmarked $90.4 million, and Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) earmarked projects totaling $70.8 million.
Since Clinton arrived in the Senate, she has collected in excess of $1 million from earmark beneficiaries and their associates.
"This pattern shows that Clinton has made aggressive use of the pay-to-play earmark game," said Keith Ashdown, research director for the Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan research organization in Washington.
The practice of congressional earmarking has a long history. But in recent years, its use has skyrocketed, and earmarking has emerged at the center of high-profile scandals, including the one that sent former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham of Rancho Santa Fe and former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, both Republicans, to prison. Those scandals involved earmarks that led to the personal enrichment of lawmakers. There is no evidence of that in Clinton's case.
Because of the scandals, the practice of earmarking has become the subject of a heated debate among politicians, watchdog groups and good-government advocates.
Critics of earmarking object that it remains a relatively closed process that adds billions in spending directives, often over the objection of the president and Cabinet departments.
Democrats made earmark reform a priority when they took over Congress in January. The Senate passed rules making it easier to identify the authors of the once-secretive practice.
Clinton supported those basic reforms, but she and other Democratic senators running for president balked at a proposal by Obama that would have required members to disclose their proposed earmark requests, not just those that were enacted into law.
More...
Obamas and Oprah Wow New Hampshire - Give Access To Bloggers
On top of the rallies in Iowa and South Carolina, Senator Barack Obama and his wife Michelle joined again in New Hampshire, with a crowd estimated at 9,000 people who came out in the snow to hear the trio. But what's equally amazing is the full access give to bloggers and student newspapers to cover the event, a fact pointed out by DailyKos writer JHutson.
I can't remember this much excitement ever in politics and I do believe it will translate into victory for Senator Obama, and a new direction for America.
I can't remember this much excitement ever in politics and I do believe it will translate into victory for Senator Obama, and a new direction for America.
Oprah Winfrey and Senator Barack Obama Draw 29,000 In South Carolina - NY Times
COLUMBIA, S.C. — It was a staggering sight. Upwards of 29,000 people at a political rally. And the Democratic primary in South Carolina is not until Jan. 26.
The Double O Express — Oprah for Obama — drew what is easily the biggest crowd at a campaign event, for any candidate, so far this season. It may have helped that the day was unseasonably warm, above 70 degrees, and gorgeously sunny. But this size crowd is rare even for a general election in the fall. (JFK drew about 35,000 for a Labor Day rally in 1960; get to work, Caucus readers, and tell us if you know of a bigger campaign rally without an incumbent president.)
This event, which was moved to the University of South Carolina’s football stadium to accommodate the crowd, drew mostly African-Americans and, it seemed, more women than men.
About half of the state’s Democratic primary voters are black, and more than half of them are women. So Oprah Winfrey certainly seems to have reached the intended audience, one who will be pivotal to the primary.
And Ms. Winfrey knew her audience. From the moment she stepped on stage — to Aretha Franklin’s “Think” — she established a connection. Referring to her upbringing in Mississippi and Tennessee, she said: “I know something about growing up in the South and know about what it means to come from the South and be born in 1954.”
She did not spell out that 1954 was the year of the landmark Supreme Court decision in Brown vs. Board of Education that desegregated the public schools, but it is a year with resonance in American racial history.
Nor did she explicitly acknowledge that she was addressing a largely black audience about a black candidate. Rather, she spoke, in a somewhat raspy voice, with understood aspiration. “It’s just amazing grace that I get to stand here on this South Carolina stage to talk about the man who’s going to be the next president of the United States,” she said. Mr. Obama, she said, “speaks to the potential inside every one of us.”
Ms. Winfrey noted that some say Mr. Obama should “wait his turn.” But, she said, “I wouldn’t be where I am if I waited on the people who told me it couldn’t be.” The audience erupted with applause.
Her low-key approach to the fact that Mr. Obama is black reflected in his own low-key approach to the issue. This was very different from the much more explicit rallies for Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton, African-American candidates for the Democratic nomination in past elections.
Those who saw Ms. Winfrey speak in Iowa on Saturday said that she appeared more comfortable here, even though the venue was a giant stadium that seats 80,000. She made a remark about what Southern humidity can do to a girl’s hair. And when she spoke of “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,” there was a knowing response from her listeners.
In perhaps her most overt racial reference, and a diversion from the Iowa script, Ms. Winfrey said here: “Dr. King dreamed the dream. But we don’t have to just dream the dream anymore. We get to vote that dream into reality.”
While the crowd went wild for her, they were subdued for moments of her 18-minute speech, when she read from a prepared text from behind a lectern. She reflected the awkwardness of delivering the necessary but canned lines and read through them quickly.
The big question remains whether she can transfer her own popularity to Mr. Obama, which may never be known.
Her appearance today coincides with a new McClatchy-MSNBC poll that puts Mr. Obama and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, his chief rival, in a statistical tie in South Carolina. But a rally as large as this, and with its extensive publicity, could prove reassuring to Obama supporters who are worried that a black man cannot win.
For her part, Ms. Winfrey at once downplayed her influence but pointed to the special nature of Mr. Obama’s candidacy.
“People are thinking, is this going to be like my book club?” she said. “I’ve got some sense,” she said, suggesting to the crowd that she was not expecting them to follow her blindly. At the same time, she added: “I know the difference between a book club and this seminal moment in our history.”
Most people here to whom the Caucus spoke said they were already Obama supporters.
Michella Troy, 36, a programmer analyst, said she came for both Ms. Winfrey and Mr. Obama. “He’s making sure that things are being addressed,” she said of Mr. Obama. “He’s focused on the middle class and not on the rich.” Ms. Winfrey, she said, can help motivate people.
Ms. Troy and her friend, Deitra Golson, 39, who works at the post office, said they were both eager to vote for an African-American. “We’re excited about making history,” Ms. Golson said.
Vernelle Heyward, 51, a homemaker who drove from Beaufort, said she was already supporting Mr. Obama, saying “he has our interest at heart.” Like many others, she said she was glad Ms. Winfrey was here for Mr. Obama but she doubted she would influence many votes.
Among white voters, Elizabeth Montgomery, 55, a teacher who drove almost three hours from Pawley’s Island, said she had been a volunteer for Mr. Obama long before Ms. Winfrey announced her endorsement. “He’s the only one who will bring real change, and I trust his judgment,” Ms. Montgomery said, adding that he had won her over with his opposition to the war in Iraq.
And David Clyburn, 75, a retired United Methodist clergyman, said he respected Ms. Winfrey for supporting a senator from her own state, Illinois. “She’s not a hired Hollywood gun,” he said. But he, too, had already made up his mind to support Mr. Obama, and had already persuaded his daughter, Debra Lyles, 49, director of child and family services at a community mental health center, to support him, too.
Among the undecideds was A. Jewell Moore, 61, a project manager for public schools. She said she liked Mrs. Clinton, too, and would have a tough time making up her mind. She said Ms. Winfrey would not influence her decision. But she came today to show her daughter, Savannah, 14, who wants to be a lawyer, that she could be up on a stage like Ms. Winfrey and Mr. Obama some day herself.
Ms. Winfrey, Mr. Obama and his wife, Michelle, exited the stage to an interesting tune: Stevie Wonder singing “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.”
Sunday, December 09, 2007
DailKos Writer Attacks Netroots For Positions On Obama
This is an interesting presentation of how some "netroots" don't support Barack Obama, but also a window into why some have changed to now back Barack Obama. I do agree with Senator Obama that it's easy to predict what the Daily Kos writers are goiing to bring to a discussion; all too predictable.
The blogosphere's problem with Barack Obama
by PsiFighter37 [Subscribe]
Sun Dec 09, 2007 at 11:06:28 AM PST
In the past couple of days, there have been some particularly incendiary pieces written about Barack Obama by prominent bloggers within the netroots community. First, Jerome Armstrong over at MyDD decided to post two entries that attacked Obama - one for what his spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said about Paul Krugman; the other was about how Oprah Winfrey allegedly helped George W. Bush in 2000. Both were off-base, and they're fairly indicative of the decline in quality at MyDD that's occurred since Chris Bowers and Matt Stoller left the site to start Open Left. The other piece, penned by Taylor Marsh, speaks of Obama's 'progressive cannibalism' - which becomes a completely digressive attack on just about any straw she can reach for.
One thing to highlight, though, is that it's Obama - and only Obama - that has been the target of these kinds of irrational attacks. Neither Hillary Clinton or John Edwards have been targeted in the same manner. Why?
PsiFighter37's diary :: ::
I don't think that the vast majority of the netroots has a vested dislike of Obama. As I wrote in a diary a few months back about my disappointment with Obama:
Obama was a cipher - in all manners, including ones that the magazine skipped over. His rhetoric can be seen in many different ways, and what he believes can also be subject to interpretation. And the problem is that after his speech in 2004, he became everything to everyone. It was inevitable as the primary campaign aged, Obama would become something less of a cipher to some of us. Unfortunately, what I've seen is a letdown. Some might call it pragmatism, but he's been very cautious with his rhetoric. His calls for 'change' ring fairly hollow, as it's become quite clear that Obama has been the consummate politician since he entered the Illinois State Senate. He has an amazing base of support, but the campaign is afraid to let anyone else have control.
That being said, times have changed since September, when his campaign was in a malaise and he could get no traction. His rhetoric has become better, highlighted by his speech at the Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner in Iowa. One part of his platform - about modernizing our technology infrastructure - was well-received, even swaying Stoller (who had previously written off Obama) to say that such proposals were pushing him to lean towards supporting Obama. And there is no doubting that of the serious candidates, Obama is the most liberal of them all - and he has the ability to convey progressive themes that will attract people of all political stripes to his candidacy. No one else has demonstrated they can do or will do that. With an election coming up that could arguably swing the direction of this country for a generation, it's important to have someone who can effect real reforms in Washington.
There are a couple of reasons that Obama is taking a couple of hits. First, the blogosphere is once again stepping into the trap of becoming little more than a group of purity trolls. None of our candidates are perfect, but we're letting that be the enemy of pretty damn good. Some of our candidates are better than others; there's no doubt about that. But I feel that people have such astronomical expectations of what Obama - a person who has lived and breathed the American dream his entire life, a politician who was the most liberal state senator in Illinois, and was probably one of the only Democratic senators to get something useful passed when Congress was controlled by the GOP (the Coburn-Obama bill that increased government transparency) - can do. But they're inevitably let down because he doesn't meet those standards. It's clear that he's his own person and always has been, though. Whether you've read his books or listened to him speak, it's clear that he has his own way of going about politics. His stump speeches can at times resemble that of a fiery pastor or a college professor. But he's not going to be the firebrand (in the verbal sense) that Howard Dean was in 2003. I get the feeling that many in the netroots are very easily swayed by people who talk the talk, but walking the walk doesn't get much credit.
For those of you who weren't around back then, Obama actually came to Daily Kos and made two posts more than two years ago (seen here and here). There was obviously a lot of passion within these entries, but I think there was a great deal of disillusionment from Obama after the experience. As he later said about Daily Kos:
Obama’s first year in office, he voted for cloture on the nomination of John Roberts to the Supreme Court (though not for the nomination itself), earning dozens of angry posts on Daily Kos, a hugely well-trafficked liberal blog. Obama responded with a polite but stern four-page note.
"One good test as to whether folks are doing interesting work is, Can they surprise me?" he tells me. "And increasingly, when I read Daily Kos, it doesn’t surprise me. It’s all just exactly what I would expect."
While the netroots have traditionally played the role of attack dogs, they have demonstrated little, if any, willingness to play a serious role in partnering with the Democratic Party when it comes to governing. Sure, we'll raise money for candidates who talk a good game but are by no means progressive, but we rarely take action unless someone panders to our sense of self-importance (see Chris Dodd in the past couple of months). Obama doesn't do that; it's fairly clear that he walks to the beat of his own drummer and won't become someone he's not just to win a few nice words.
The netroots needs to understand this about Obama: he's not going to ever be the person who comes out and says he's sick of listening to religious fundamentalists running the country. That's not his style. But that doesn't mean he's not the most progressive candidate with a serious chance of winning the presidency in a generation. Netroots activists need to stop fooling themselves into believing in a definition of 'progressivism' that is false. Howard Dean would not have governed as a liberal if he were elected, and he certainly didn't govern as one when he was Vermont's governor. Hillary Clinton is no liberal, either in rhetoric or in governance. But I have trouble with folks like Jerome Armstrong, a self-described libertarian, telling us that Obama isn't progressive enough. I have trouble with people like Taylor Marsh, as transparent a shill for Hillary Clinton as there is without stating so, telling me that Obama isn't progressive enough. Why? Because in the end, they're about tooting their own horn. Armstrong is hardly involved in the netroots anymore and has effectively abandoned the movement he helped to create. He was working for Mark Warner, who is nothing if not the personification of the DLC. Marsh abused MyDD's 'Breaking Blue' feature for months on end to simply post links to her own blog. Certain bloggers are simply nothing more than self-promoters - not people truly interested in pushing for a new brand of transformative progressive politics. I don't like impugning people's motives, but especially with these two, it is extremely difficult to accept their words at face value.
In the end, the blogosphere needs to accept Barack Obama for who he is. He is not going to pander to you, nor is he going to work within the frameworks that are already set up by the netroots for how outreach on the Internet is supposed to be done. But he's doing a pretty damn good job of setting up a movement of hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country that want something different. Just because he may not be doing it our way doesn't mean he's not a progressive. It just means that his belief about what progressivism is - in the political sense and in the activist sense - are different.
And maybe, just maybe, he's right.
The blogosphere's problem with Barack Obama
by PsiFighter37 [Subscribe]
Sun Dec 09, 2007 at 11:06:28 AM PST
In the past couple of days, there have been some particularly incendiary pieces written about Barack Obama by prominent bloggers within the netroots community. First, Jerome Armstrong over at MyDD decided to post two entries that attacked Obama - one for what his spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said about Paul Krugman; the other was about how Oprah Winfrey allegedly helped George W. Bush in 2000. Both were off-base, and they're fairly indicative of the decline in quality at MyDD that's occurred since Chris Bowers and Matt Stoller left the site to start Open Left. The other piece, penned by Taylor Marsh, speaks of Obama's 'progressive cannibalism' - which becomes a completely digressive attack on just about any straw she can reach for.
One thing to highlight, though, is that it's Obama - and only Obama - that has been the target of these kinds of irrational attacks. Neither Hillary Clinton or John Edwards have been targeted in the same manner. Why?
PsiFighter37's diary :: ::
I don't think that the vast majority of the netroots has a vested dislike of Obama. As I wrote in a diary a few months back about my disappointment with Obama:
Obama was a cipher - in all manners, including ones that the magazine skipped over. His rhetoric can be seen in many different ways, and what he believes can also be subject to interpretation. And the problem is that after his speech in 2004, he became everything to everyone. It was inevitable as the primary campaign aged, Obama would become something less of a cipher to some of us. Unfortunately, what I've seen is a letdown. Some might call it pragmatism, but he's been very cautious with his rhetoric. His calls for 'change' ring fairly hollow, as it's become quite clear that Obama has been the consummate politician since he entered the Illinois State Senate. He has an amazing base of support, but the campaign is afraid to let anyone else have control.
That being said, times have changed since September, when his campaign was in a malaise and he could get no traction. His rhetoric has become better, highlighted by his speech at the Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner in Iowa. One part of his platform - about modernizing our technology infrastructure - was well-received, even swaying Stoller (who had previously written off Obama) to say that such proposals were pushing him to lean towards supporting Obama. And there is no doubting that of the serious candidates, Obama is the most liberal of them all - and he has the ability to convey progressive themes that will attract people of all political stripes to his candidacy. No one else has demonstrated they can do or will do that. With an election coming up that could arguably swing the direction of this country for a generation, it's important to have someone who can effect real reforms in Washington.
There are a couple of reasons that Obama is taking a couple of hits. First, the blogosphere is once again stepping into the trap of becoming little more than a group of purity trolls. None of our candidates are perfect, but we're letting that be the enemy of pretty damn good. Some of our candidates are better than others; there's no doubt about that. But I feel that people have such astronomical expectations of what Obama - a person who has lived and breathed the American dream his entire life, a politician who was the most liberal state senator in Illinois, and was probably one of the only Democratic senators to get something useful passed when Congress was controlled by the GOP (the Coburn-Obama bill that increased government transparency) - can do. But they're inevitably let down because he doesn't meet those standards. It's clear that he's his own person and always has been, though. Whether you've read his books or listened to him speak, it's clear that he has his own way of going about politics. His stump speeches can at times resemble that of a fiery pastor or a college professor. But he's not going to be the firebrand (in the verbal sense) that Howard Dean was in 2003. I get the feeling that many in the netroots are very easily swayed by people who talk the talk, but walking the walk doesn't get much credit.
For those of you who weren't around back then, Obama actually came to Daily Kos and made two posts more than two years ago (seen here and here). There was obviously a lot of passion within these entries, but I think there was a great deal of disillusionment from Obama after the experience. As he later said about Daily Kos:
Obama’s first year in office, he voted for cloture on the nomination of John Roberts to the Supreme Court (though not for the nomination itself), earning dozens of angry posts on Daily Kos, a hugely well-trafficked liberal blog. Obama responded with a polite but stern four-page note.
"One good test as to whether folks are doing interesting work is, Can they surprise me?" he tells me. "And increasingly, when I read Daily Kos, it doesn’t surprise me. It’s all just exactly what I would expect."
While the netroots have traditionally played the role of attack dogs, they have demonstrated little, if any, willingness to play a serious role in partnering with the Democratic Party when it comes to governing. Sure, we'll raise money for candidates who talk a good game but are by no means progressive, but we rarely take action unless someone panders to our sense of self-importance (see Chris Dodd in the past couple of months). Obama doesn't do that; it's fairly clear that he walks to the beat of his own drummer and won't become someone he's not just to win a few nice words.
The netroots needs to understand this about Obama: he's not going to ever be the person who comes out and says he's sick of listening to religious fundamentalists running the country. That's not his style. But that doesn't mean he's not the most progressive candidate with a serious chance of winning the presidency in a generation. Netroots activists need to stop fooling themselves into believing in a definition of 'progressivism' that is false. Howard Dean would not have governed as a liberal if he were elected, and he certainly didn't govern as one when he was Vermont's governor. Hillary Clinton is no liberal, either in rhetoric or in governance. But I have trouble with folks like Jerome Armstrong, a self-described libertarian, telling us that Obama isn't progressive enough. I have trouble with people like Taylor Marsh, as transparent a shill for Hillary Clinton as there is without stating so, telling me that Obama isn't progressive enough. Why? Because in the end, they're about tooting their own horn. Armstrong is hardly involved in the netroots anymore and has effectively abandoned the movement he helped to create. He was working for Mark Warner, who is nothing if not the personification of the DLC. Marsh abused MyDD's 'Breaking Blue' feature for months on end to simply post links to her own blog. Certain bloggers are simply nothing more than self-promoters - not people truly interested in pushing for a new brand of transformative progressive politics. I don't like impugning people's motives, but especially with these two, it is extremely difficult to accept their words at face value.
In the end, the blogosphere needs to accept Barack Obama for who he is. He is not going to pander to you, nor is he going to work within the frameworks that are already set up by the netroots for how outreach on the Internet is supposed to be done. But he's doing a pretty damn good job of setting up a movement of hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country that want something different. Just because he may not be doing it our way doesn't mean he's not a progressive. It just means that his belief about what progressivism is - in the political sense and in the activist sense - are different.
And maybe, just maybe, he's right.
John McCain - In TV Ad Claims A Backbone Of Steel - But Do Voters Care?
U.S. Senator John McCain, a person I admire very much even though I don't back him for president, has come out with a new campaign ad with Red Sox pitcher Curt Shilling stating that McCain has "a backbone of steel" -- but will the 30 second spot translate to votes?
I think the basic error is really in that not a lot of people who vote know who Curt Shilling is without a proper annoucement; that wasn't in the video.
Stay tuned.
Oprah's Backing Of Barack Obama Timely; So What If He's Black? If it Were White On White, Would You Question It? Isn't That Racist?
Yesterday, Oprah Winfrey came out of her entertainment world to back Senator Barack Obama for President. It's a development that sent shockwaves through the country, and also tilted the election more in Obama's favor.
But it's also brought out an element of racism that must be adressed and slapped down. Those people would would see two African Americans of prominent nature together and think that in this case, Oprah's backing Barack just because he's Black.
Well, if that's the case, Oprah should have backed another illinois politician when she ran for President: Carol Mosley Braun. But she didn't. Oprah could have supported Al Sharpton when he ran for the highest office in the land -- but she didn't.
She came out for Barack because she knows and man, and while being African American's a plus, it's not the only reason.
But what bothers me is those Americans who would fear seeing Black success supporting, well, Black success. Hey, we're seen White success backing White success for decades. It's an obvious hallmark of a country headed in the right direction that we can have a person who's both female and a billionaire back a person's who's the most popular politician in America, and who happens to be Black.
As to why Oprah didn't back Hillary. I think she said the reason in her speech: "The Amount Of Time You Spent In Washington Means Nothing Unless You Are Accountable For The Judgments You Made"
But it's also brought out an element of racism that must be adressed and slapped down. Those people would would see two African Americans of prominent nature together and think that in this case, Oprah's backing Barack just because he's Black.
Well, if that's the case, Oprah should have backed another illinois politician when she ran for President: Carol Mosley Braun. But she didn't. Oprah could have supported Al Sharpton when he ran for the highest office in the land -- but she didn't.
She came out for Barack because she knows and man, and while being African American's a plus, it's not the only reason.
But what bothers me is those Americans who would fear seeing Black success supporting, well, Black success. Hey, we're seen White success backing White success for decades. It's an obvious hallmark of a country headed in the right direction that we can have a person who's both female and a billionaire back a person's who's the most popular politician in America, and who happens to be Black.
As to why Oprah didn't back Hillary. I think she said the reason in her speech: "The Amount Of Time You Spent In Washington Means Nothing Unless You Are Accountable For The Judgments You Made"
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Oprah Winfrey In Iowa Introduces Senator Barack Obama
I think this is going to help Barack Obama go over the top more than many realize. It's great in that it gives more people a reason to go out and see Barack Obama -- more than for a normal speech by far. Just that exposure alone is remarkable.
Colts Reggie Wayne Steps Up As Marvin Harrson Sits Out
I don't know what's wrong with Marvin Harrison's knee, but it's good in a way, because Gonzalez can get more reps. Thus, when Harrison does return, the Colts will have the best set of receivers -- Harrison, Wayne, Clark, and Gonsalez -- in the NFL.
INDIANAPOLIS (ESPN) -- Having averaged 78.5 catches, 1,103.3 yards and 8.3 touchdowns in the past four seasons as a starter, wide receiver Reggie Wayne wasn't quite sure how much more he could do to further establish himself as one of the NFL's premier playmakers.
And then eight-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Marvin Harrison suffered a debilitating knee injury in the Colts' victory over the Denver Broncos on Sept. 30, and everyone found out.
That's because when Harrison went down, Wayne's production went up. And the player considered by many to be the best No. 2 wideout in the league demonstrated that he is more than just a complementary component in the Indianapolis passing attack. He's no longer the "other" guy for quarterback Peyton Manning.
"He became the absolute biggest piece of our passing offense," tight end Dallas Clark said. "Right now, everything revolves around him. I mean, Marvin, with everything that he's done and accomplished, and probably going into the Hall of Fame some day, he casts a big shadow.
"But the past six or seven games, or whatever it's been, Reggie has shown that he doesn't have to play in anyone's shadow."
In every NFL season, there are players who step up to compensate for the loss of injured or departed teammates, or who simply seize the opportunity for quality playing time and then emerge as standouts in their own right. This year is no different.
The 2007 season has produced potential stars, such as running backs Justin Fargas (Oakland), LenDale White (Tennessee) and Ryan Grant (Green Bay), safety O.J. Atogwe (St. Louis), defensive end Trent Cole (Philadelphia), weakside linebacker James Harrison (Pittsburgh) and wide receiver Brandon Marshall (Denver), among others.
Wayne, though, was already well-known. He was a first-round draft choice in 2001 (from the University of Miami), and he posted three straight 1,000-yard seasons and went to his first Pro Bowl in 2006. So based on his résumé alone, Wayne was expected to have a good season. But no one expected such a big season, especially without Harrison lining up across the formation from him.
For the season, Wayne, 29, has 76 catches for 1,169 yards and eight touchdowns. At his current pace, he would finish with 101 receptions, 1,559 yards and 11 scores. That would be 15 more catches and 200-plus more yards than his career bests.
And if he indeed reaches those numbers? Consider it remarkable, simply because there is basically no other viable wide receiver in the lineup to draw the coverage away from him.
Clark has enjoyed a career season, too, and his versatility creates matchup problems for every Colts' opponent, because he can align in the slot or as a traditional in-line tight end. But with Harrison out of the lineup, and rookie first-rounder Anthony Gonzalez just now getting up to speed after rehabilitating from a broken finger, secondaries have focused their efforts on stopping Wayne.
And, for the most part, have failed.
"No doubt about it, he has stepped up his game, gone to another level with [Harrison] out of there," said Jacksonville cornerback Brian Williams, who was torched for a 48-yard touchdown catch by Wayne on Sunday. "He's taken [it] on himself to get better, and he has. He just keeps getting open. It's kind of frustrating not being able to stop him, because you know on the big downs that Manning is looking his way."
Stepping It Up
Besides Reggie Wayne, here are five other veterans who, given more playing time and responsibility, have dramatically increased their production and raised their profiles in 2007:
Trent Cole, DE, Philadelphia: Always an effective situational rusher, the three-year veteran (in photo above) moved into the starting lineup this season when the coaches decided that Darren Howard and Jevon Kearse were in decline. Cole has 9-1/2 sacks.
Justin Fargas, RB, Oakland: Pretty much an afterthought when the season began, he was buried behind LaMont Jordan and Dominic Rhodes on the depth chart -- Fargas has rushed 181 times for 863 yards and three touchdowns, and has four 100-yard outings.
James Harrison, LB, Pittsburgh: Took over the weakside vacancy created by the offseason release of Joey Porter and has been a monster in the Steelers' 3-4 front, with 75 tackles, 8-1/2 sacks and seven forced fumbles.
Brandon Marshall, WR, Denver: With star wideout Javon Walker sidelined much of the year by a knee injury, the second-year speedster from Central Florida has flourished, and has 65 catches for 914 yards and four touchdowns.
LenDale White, RB, Tennessee: Out of shape, overweight and frequently injured as a rookie in 2006, the former Reggie Bush running mate at Southern Cal started the year on the bench, and no better than No. 3 on the depth chart. But when starter Chris Brown was injured, White became the Titans' power back, and he's rushed for 754 yards and six scores.
-- Len Pasquarelli
In the eight games since Harrison was injured, Wayne has 55 catches for 862 yards and five touchdowns. In the seven games that Indianapolis has played without Harrison -- the Colts' star played a limited number of snaps in the Oct. 22 contest at Jacksonville, but mostly as a decoy, catching only three passes for 16 yards -- Wayne has 46 receptions for 731 yards and five touchdowns.
"I think I've always been a hard worker," Wayne said. "But, if possible, I've forced myself to work even harder the past month or two. We're the defending Super Bowl champions, and we want to repeat.
"Sure, it's a little harder with Marvin not out there, but we've got guys who can make plays. You don't want to let guys down. I'm just trying to play my part, that's all."
In terms of production from the Indianapolis wide receivers, though, Wayne is virtually playing all the parts.
He has registered three 100-yard outings in the seven games in which Harrison has not played. In fact, three of the six career games in which Wayne has more than 140 receiving yards have come in the past six weeks with Harrison out of the lineup. In that same stretch, all the other Indianapolis wide receivers have totaled just 34 catches and 350 yards -- and no touchdowns.
Wayne is blessed with deceptive speed and has matured as a technically solid route runner. Manning loves to throw the ball to spots and counts on his receivers to get there, and Wayne has become increasingly polished at finding the open spaces. He isn't quite as precise as Harrison but is adept at double-move routes, and he works well off the sleight-of-hand play fakes at which Manning is so adroit. Oh, and Wayne has excellent burst to the ball when it's in the air.
On his 48-yard touchdown reception Sunday, which came one snap after Manning had absorbed a sack and faced a third-and-16, the Colts' quarterback was just trying to get some yardage back so that Adam Vinatieri would have a makeable field goal. But then he spotted Wayne streaking past the Jacksonville secondary. For a second or so, it appeared Manning's pass might be a stride two long, but Wayne accelerated and caught it on his finger tips.
It was, Manning acknowledged, the kind of play the Colts have come to expect from Wayne on a regular basis. And have come to increasingly rely on, since Harrison remains out of the lineup while rehabilitating for what the Colts hope will be a late-season return.
Time was when Wayne was viewed as the sidekick part of the Indianapolis wide receiver equation. Now he's the one kicking the butts of opposition cornerbacks when the Colts need a big, vertical play.
"He's definitely a playmaker," Manning said. "You can see how much he wants the ball and how much confidence he has. There's a big element of trust involved in our passing game, and we all trust that Reggie is going to keep making plays for us."
Senior writer Len Pasquarelli covers the NFL for ESPN.com.
INDIANAPOLIS (ESPN) -- Having averaged 78.5 catches, 1,103.3 yards and 8.3 touchdowns in the past four seasons as a starter, wide receiver Reggie Wayne wasn't quite sure how much more he could do to further establish himself as one of the NFL's premier playmakers.
And then eight-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Marvin Harrison suffered a debilitating knee injury in the Colts' victory over the Denver Broncos on Sept. 30, and everyone found out.
That's because when Harrison went down, Wayne's production went up. And the player considered by many to be the best No. 2 wideout in the league demonstrated that he is more than just a complementary component in the Indianapolis passing attack. He's no longer the "other" guy for quarterback Peyton Manning.
"He became the absolute biggest piece of our passing offense," tight end Dallas Clark said. "Right now, everything revolves around him. I mean, Marvin, with everything that he's done and accomplished, and probably going into the Hall of Fame some day, he casts a big shadow.
"But the past six or seven games, or whatever it's been, Reggie has shown that he doesn't have to play in anyone's shadow."
In every NFL season, there are players who step up to compensate for the loss of injured or departed teammates, or who simply seize the opportunity for quality playing time and then emerge as standouts in their own right. This year is no different.
The 2007 season has produced potential stars, such as running backs Justin Fargas (Oakland), LenDale White (Tennessee) and Ryan Grant (Green Bay), safety O.J. Atogwe (St. Louis), defensive end Trent Cole (Philadelphia), weakside linebacker James Harrison (Pittsburgh) and wide receiver Brandon Marshall (Denver), among others.
Wayne, though, was already well-known. He was a first-round draft choice in 2001 (from the University of Miami), and he posted three straight 1,000-yard seasons and went to his first Pro Bowl in 2006. So based on his résumé alone, Wayne was expected to have a good season. But no one expected such a big season, especially without Harrison lining up across the formation from him.
For the season, Wayne, 29, has 76 catches for 1,169 yards and eight touchdowns. At his current pace, he would finish with 101 receptions, 1,559 yards and 11 scores. That would be 15 more catches and 200-plus more yards than his career bests.
And if he indeed reaches those numbers? Consider it remarkable, simply because there is basically no other viable wide receiver in the lineup to draw the coverage away from him.
Clark has enjoyed a career season, too, and his versatility creates matchup problems for every Colts' opponent, because he can align in the slot or as a traditional in-line tight end. But with Harrison out of the lineup, and rookie first-rounder Anthony Gonzalez just now getting up to speed after rehabilitating from a broken finger, secondaries have focused their efforts on stopping Wayne.
And, for the most part, have failed.
"No doubt about it, he has stepped up his game, gone to another level with [Harrison] out of there," said Jacksonville cornerback Brian Williams, who was torched for a 48-yard touchdown catch by Wayne on Sunday. "He's taken [it] on himself to get better, and he has. He just keeps getting open. It's kind of frustrating not being able to stop him, because you know on the big downs that Manning is looking his way."
Stepping It Up
Besides Reggie Wayne, here are five other veterans who, given more playing time and responsibility, have dramatically increased their production and raised their profiles in 2007:
Trent Cole, DE, Philadelphia: Always an effective situational rusher, the three-year veteran (in photo above) moved into the starting lineup this season when the coaches decided that Darren Howard and Jevon Kearse were in decline. Cole has 9-1/2 sacks.
Justin Fargas, RB, Oakland: Pretty much an afterthought when the season began, he was buried behind LaMont Jordan and Dominic Rhodes on the depth chart -- Fargas has rushed 181 times for 863 yards and three touchdowns, and has four 100-yard outings.
James Harrison, LB, Pittsburgh: Took over the weakside vacancy created by the offseason release of Joey Porter and has been a monster in the Steelers' 3-4 front, with 75 tackles, 8-1/2 sacks and seven forced fumbles.
Brandon Marshall, WR, Denver: With star wideout Javon Walker sidelined much of the year by a knee injury, the second-year speedster from Central Florida has flourished, and has 65 catches for 914 yards and four touchdowns.
LenDale White, RB, Tennessee: Out of shape, overweight and frequently injured as a rookie in 2006, the former Reggie Bush running mate at Southern Cal started the year on the bench, and no better than No. 3 on the depth chart. But when starter Chris Brown was injured, White became the Titans' power back, and he's rushed for 754 yards and six scores.
-- Len Pasquarelli
In the eight games since Harrison was injured, Wayne has 55 catches for 862 yards and five touchdowns. In the seven games that Indianapolis has played without Harrison -- the Colts' star played a limited number of snaps in the Oct. 22 contest at Jacksonville, but mostly as a decoy, catching only three passes for 16 yards -- Wayne has 46 receptions for 731 yards and five touchdowns.
"I think I've always been a hard worker," Wayne said. "But, if possible, I've forced myself to work even harder the past month or two. We're the defending Super Bowl champions, and we want to repeat.
"Sure, it's a little harder with Marvin not out there, but we've got guys who can make plays. You don't want to let guys down. I'm just trying to play my part, that's all."
In terms of production from the Indianapolis wide receivers, though, Wayne is virtually playing all the parts.
He has registered three 100-yard outings in the seven games in which Harrison has not played. In fact, three of the six career games in which Wayne has more than 140 receiving yards have come in the past six weeks with Harrison out of the lineup. In that same stretch, all the other Indianapolis wide receivers have totaled just 34 catches and 350 yards -- and no touchdowns.
Wayne is blessed with deceptive speed and has matured as a technically solid route runner. Manning loves to throw the ball to spots and counts on his receivers to get there, and Wayne has become increasingly polished at finding the open spaces. He isn't quite as precise as Harrison but is adept at double-move routes, and he works well off the sleight-of-hand play fakes at which Manning is so adroit. Oh, and Wayne has excellent burst to the ball when it's in the air.
On his 48-yard touchdown reception Sunday, which came one snap after Manning had absorbed a sack and faced a third-and-16, the Colts' quarterback was just trying to get some yardage back so that Adam Vinatieri would have a makeable field goal. But then he spotted Wayne streaking past the Jacksonville secondary. For a second or so, it appeared Manning's pass might be a stride two long, but Wayne accelerated and caught it on his finger tips.
It was, Manning acknowledged, the kind of play the Colts have come to expect from Wayne on a regular basis. And have come to increasingly rely on, since Harrison remains out of the lineup while rehabilitating for what the Colts hope will be a late-season return.
Time was when Wayne was viewed as the sidekick part of the Indianapolis wide receiver equation. Now he's the one kicking the butts of opposition cornerbacks when the Colts need a big, vertical play.
"He's definitely a playmaker," Manning said. "You can see how much he wants the ball and how much confidence he has. There's a big element of trust involved in our passing game, and we all trust that Reggie is going to keep making plays for us."
Senior writer Len Pasquarelli covers the NFL for ESPN.com.
Does President Bush Determine What Is Constitutional?
According to this blog post, President Bush determines what is constitutional:
Sen. Whitehouse Reveals Secret DoJ Legal Memos: Bush Determines What Is Constitutional
This morning, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) delivered an impassioned floor speech to help frame the debate over FISA reform. Using his privilege as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Whitehouse said he has “spent hours poring over” secret opinions issued by the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) — and he took notes.
Whitehouse is a lawyer, a former U.S. Attorney, a former legal counsel to Rhode Island’s Governor, and a former State Attorney General. He said he sought and received permission to have his notes declassified because he wanted to show the public “what the Bush administration does behind our backs when they think no one is looking.”
“To give you an example of what I read,” Whitehouse said on the Senate floor, “I have gotten three legal propositions from these secret OLC opinions declassified. Here they are, as accurately as my note-taking could reproduce them from the classified documents”:
1. An executive order cannot limit a President. There is no constitutional requirement for a President to issue a new executive order whenever he wishes to depart from the terms of a previous executive order. Rather than violate an executive order, the President has instead modified or waived it.
2. The President, exercising his constitutional authority under Article II, can determine whether an action is a lawful exercise of the President’s authority under Article II.
3. The Department of Justice is bound by the President’s legal determinations.
Watch it:
Sen. Whitehouse Reveals Secret DoJ Legal Memos: Bush Determines What Is Constitutional
This morning, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) delivered an impassioned floor speech to help frame the debate over FISA reform. Using his privilege as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Whitehouse said he has “spent hours poring over” secret opinions issued by the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) — and he took notes.
Whitehouse is a lawyer, a former U.S. Attorney, a former legal counsel to Rhode Island’s Governor, and a former State Attorney General. He said he sought and received permission to have his notes declassified because he wanted to show the public “what the Bush administration does behind our backs when they think no one is looking.”
“To give you an example of what I read,” Whitehouse said on the Senate floor, “I have gotten three legal propositions from these secret OLC opinions declassified. Here they are, as accurately as my note-taking could reproduce them from the classified documents”:
1. An executive order cannot limit a President. There is no constitutional requirement for a President to issue a new executive order whenever he wishes to depart from the terms of a previous executive order. Rather than violate an executive order, the President has instead modified or waived it.
2. The President, exercising his constitutional authority under Article II, can determine whether an action is a lawful exercise of the President’s authority under Article II.
3. The Department of Justice is bound by the President’s legal determinations.
Watch it:
Speed Racer Trailer - Like "Dick Tracy" Movie Blends Cartoon Cinematography With Live Action
If you remember the "Dick Tracy" live action movie of the 80s, then you'll appreciate the trailer you're about to see presenting the movie "Speed Racer", starring John Goodman and Emile Hirsch. it is an attempt to blend live action with a kind of simple, four colors, cartoon cinematography, much as "Dick Tracy" did when it was made.
I'm not sure if this is going to translate into a winning formula at the box office, because I think many people expected to see a real live action rendition of the movie -- at least I did.
Here's the trailer:
I'm not sure if this is going to translate into a winning formula at the box office, because I think many people expected to see a real live action rendition of the movie -- at least I did.
Here's the trailer:
Huckabee wanted to isolate AIDS patients
The comments and suggestions Huckabee conjures up are appalling.
By ANDREW DeMILLO, Associated Press Writer
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Mike Huckabee once advocated isolating AIDS patients from the general public, opposed increased federal funding in the search for a cure and said homosexuality could "pose a dangerous public health risk."
As a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in 1992, Huckabee answered 229 questions submitted to him by The Associated Press. Besides a quarantine, Huckabee suggested that Hollywood celebrities fund AIDS research from their own pockets, rather than federal health agencies.
"If the federal government is truly serious about doing something with the AIDS virus, we need to take steps that would isolate the carriers of this plague," Huckabee wrote.
"It is difficult to understand the public policy towards AIDS. It is the first time in the history of civilization in which the carriers of a genuine plague have not been isolated from the general population, and in which this deadly disease for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights issue instead of the true health crisis it represents."
The AP submitted the questionnaire to both candidates; only Huckabee responded. Incumbent Sen. Dale Bumpers won his four term; Huckabee was elected lieutenant governor the next year and became governor in 1996.
When asked about AIDS research in 1992, Huckabee complained that AIDS research received an unfair share of federal dollars when compared to cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
"In light of the extraordinary funds already being given for AIDS research, it does not seem that additional federal spending can be justified," Huckabee wrote. "An alternative would be to request that multimillionaire celebrities, such as Elizabeth Taylor (,) Madonna and others who are pushing for more AIDS funding be encouraged to give out of their own personal treasuries increased amounts for AIDS research."
Huckabee did not return messages left with his campaign.
When Huckabee wrote his answers in 1992, it was common knowledge that AIDS could not be spread by casual contact. In late 1991, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were 195,718 AIDS patients in the country and that 126,159 people had died from the syndrome.
The nation had an increased awareness of AIDS at the time because pro basketball star Magic Johnson had recently disclosed he carried the virus responsible for it. Johnson retired but returned to the NBA briefly during the 1994-95 season.
Since becoming a presidential candidate this year, Huckabee has supported increased federal funding for AIDS research through the National Institutes of Health.
"My administration will be the first to have an overarching strategy for dealing with HIV and AIDS here in the United States, with a partnership between the public and private sectors that will provide necessary financing and a realistic path toward our goals," Huckabee said in a statement posted on his campaign Web site last month.
Also in the wide-ranging AP questionnaire in 1992, Huckabee said, "I feel homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle, and we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk."
A Southern Baptist preacher, Huckabee has been a favorite among social conservatives for his vocal opposition to gay marriage. In 2003, Huckabee said that the U.S. Supreme Court was probably right to strike down anti-sodomy laws, but that states still should be able to restrict things such as gay marriage or domestic partner benefits.
"What people do in the privacy of their own lives as adults is their business," Huckabee said. "If they bring it into the public square and ask me as a taxpayer to support it or to endorse it, then it becomes a matter of public discussion and discourse."
By ANDREW DeMILLO, Associated Press Writer
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Mike Huckabee once advocated isolating AIDS patients from the general public, opposed increased federal funding in the search for a cure and said homosexuality could "pose a dangerous public health risk."
As a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in 1992, Huckabee answered 229 questions submitted to him by The Associated Press. Besides a quarantine, Huckabee suggested that Hollywood celebrities fund AIDS research from their own pockets, rather than federal health agencies.
"If the federal government is truly serious about doing something with the AIDS virus, we need to take steps that would isolate the carriers of this plague," Huckabee wrote.
"It is difficult to understand the public policy towards AIDS. It is the first time in the history of civilization in which the carriers of a genuine plague have not been isolated from the general population, and in which this deadly disease for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights issue instead of the true health crisis it represents."
The AP submitted the questionnaire to both candidates; only Huckabee responded. Incumbent Sen. Dale Bumpers won his four term; Huckabee was elected lieutenant governor the next year and became governor in 1996.
When asked about AIDS research in 1992, Huckabee complained that AIDS research received an unfair share of federal dollars when compared to cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
"In light of the extraordinary funds already being given for AIDS research, it does not seem that additional federal spending can be justified," Huckabee wrote. "An alternative would be to request that multimillionaire celebrities, such as Elizabeth Taylor (,) Madonna and others who are pushing for more AIDS funding be encouraged to give out of their own personal treasuries increased amounts for AIDS research."
Huckabee did not return messages left with his campaign.
When Huckabee wrote his answers in 1992, it was common knowledge that AIDS could not be spread by casual contact. In late 1991, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were 195,718 AIDS patients in the country and that 126,159 people had died from the syndrome.
The nation had an increased awareness of AIDS at the time because pro basketball star Magic Johnson had recently disclosed he carried the virus responsible for it. Johnson retired but returned to the NBA briefly during the 1994-95 season.
Since becoming a presidential candidate this year, Huckabee has supported increased federal funding for AIDS research through the National Institutes of Health.
"My administration will be the first to have an overarching strategy for dealing with HIV and AIDS here in the United States, with a partnership between the public and private sectors that will provide necessary financing and a realistic path toward our goals," Huckabee said in a statement posted on his campaign Web site last month.
Also in the wide-ranging AP questionnaire in 1992, Huckabee said, "I feel homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle, and we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk."
A Southern Baptist preacher, Huckabee has been a favorite among social conservatives for his vocal opposition to gay marriage. In 2003, Huckabee said that the U.S. Supreme Court was probably right to strike down anti-sodomy laws, but that states still should be able to restrict things such as gay marriage or domestic partner benefits.
"What people do in the privacy of their own lives as adults is their business," Huckabee said. "If they bring it into the public square and ask me as a taxpayer to support it or to endorse it, then it becomes a matter of public discussion and discourse."
ESPN's Melrose Eats His Words About Newark
While Newark may be dangerous, comprehensive safety measures are in place.
Hockey Analyst Visits 'The Rock,' Does 180 On Area
NEWARK (CBS) ― He said on national television that walking around in Newark was a extremely dangerous thing to do.
But he had never even been there.
On Friday night, the popular ESPN hockey analyst Barry Melrose decided to see the city first hand.
And he got an earful.
At the Arena Bar, hockey fans and the city's self proclaimed welcoming committee taunted Melrose as payback for badmouthing the city the Devils call home.
"My job is talking, and I talked and didn't do the research I should have done," a contrite Melrose said.
During last month's opening of the Prudential Center, or "The Rock," Melrose raved about the Devils' new facility, but said hockey fans might be in physical danger once they walked onto the streets outside the arena.
Melrose said that the area around the arena is "awful," that "the inside and the outside where it's built is pretty humorous" and warned those who dare see a game to not "go outside if you have a wallet or anything else."
But on Friday Melrose sang a different tune, one the fans said should never have been necessary in the first place.
"What it said is it showed his ignorance on his part being an upstate New Yorker," Devils fan Matt Hughes said. "Not knowing what was going on and opening up his mouth before knowing all the answers to the questions."
Added fan Christina Ortiz: "I hope he changes his mind. I hope being here tonight is enough to make him know better."
After a tour of the city with local officials and Devils owner Jeff Vanderbeek, Melrose was waxing poetic about all things Newark.
"I've been very impressed with the area and very, very impressed with what they have planned for the area," Melrose said.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker looked at the night as a win-win for the Devils, their fans and New Jersey.
"By Barry coming here tonight he's showing he's a gentleman and he's giving the world the chance to see what he sees, which is a positive city, a safe and secure city, city that's moving forward," Booker said.
Melrose said the entire episode has been a learning experience.
"I did apologize and again it's a good lesson for me not to listen to second hand information," Melrose said. "And before you say something see it for yourself. That's why I came here."
After Melrose saw the light, the Devils went out and won their ninth straight game, 3-2 over Washington.
Hockey Analyst Visits 'The Rock,' Does 180 On Area
NEWARK (CBS) ― He said on national television that walking around in Newark was a extremely dangerous thing to do.
But he had never even been there.
On Friday night, the popular ESPN hockey analyst Barry Melrose decided to see the city first hand.
And he got an earful.
At the Arena Bar, hockey fans and the city's self proclaimed welcoming committee taunted Melrose as payback for badmouthing the city the Devils call home.
"My job is talking, and I talked and didn't do the research I should have done," a contrite Melrose said.
During last month's opening of the Prudential Center, or "The Rock," Melrose raved about the Devils' new facility, but said hockey fans might be in physical danger once they walked onto the streets outside the arena.
Melrose said that the area around the arena is "awful," that "the inside and the outside where it's built is pretty humorous" and warned those who dare see a game to not "go outside if you have a wallet or anything else."
But on Friday Melrose sang a different tune, one the fans said should never have been necessary in the first place.
"What it said is it showed his ignorance on his part being an upstate New Yorker," Devils fan Matt Hughes said. "Not knowing what was going on and opening up his mouth before knowing all the answers to the questions."
Added fan Christina Ortiz: "I hope he changes his mind. I hope being here tonight is enough to make him know better."
After a tour of the city with local officials and Devils owner Jeff Vanderbeek, Melrose was waxing poetic about all things Newark.
"I've been very impressed with the area and very, very impressed with what they have planned for the area," Melrose said.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker looked at the night as a win-win for the Devils, their fans and New Jersey.
"By Barry coming here tonight he's showing he's a gentleman and he's giving the world the chance to see what he sees, which is a positive city, a safe and secure city, city that's moving forward," Booker said.
Melrose said the entire episode has been a learning experience.
"I did apologize and again it's a good lesson for me not to listen to second hand information," Melrose said. "And before you say something see it for yourself. That's why I came here."
After Melrose saw the light, the Devils went out and won their ninth straight game, 3-2 over Washington.
Four Ravens fined for improper conduct relating to officials
The numerous fines are unjust and uncalled for.
National Football League
Four Baltimore Ravens players have been fined for violating league rules prohibiting the abuse of game officials, the NFL announced Friday.
Bart Scott was fined $25,000 for verbally abusing game officials and throwing an official’s flag into the stands during last Monday night’s Baltimore-New England game.
Samari Rolle, Chris McAlister, and Derrick Mason were fined $15,000 each for publicly questioning the integrity of the officiating in last Monday night’s game.
“This is about the importance of sportsmanship and respecting the integrity of our game,” said NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Ray Anderson. “We do not tolerate inappropriate conduct between teams and game officials. This includes reminding game officials that they are to conduct themselves at all times as professionals in their dealings with players, coaches, and other club personnel.”
Anderson went to Baltimore this week to speak directly with Scott and Rolle before issuing the fines Friday.
“Last Monday night’s game was well officiated,” Anderson said, “and it is the obligation of both players and coaches to maintain proper respect for game officials at all times.”
In addition to prohibiting physical contact with game officials, league rules also bar team personnel from verbal or other non-physical abuse of officials and from public criticism of their integrity.
"As I said earlier this week, our actions were not appropriate near the end of our game against the Patriots," said Ravens coach Brian Billick in a statement. "We, our players and coaches, understand and accept the fines levied by Commissioner Goodell. We believe in the integrity of NFL officials and don't believe they, in any way, favored the Patriots with their calls.
"As a team, we've discussed a number of times about not speaking publicly about any unhappiness we have with the officials. As emotional as the end of Monday's game was, I should have reminded the players of that in our post-game meeting. That's my mistake. We do appreciate the extra step taken by the Commissioner's Office when Ray Anderson came here yesterday to talk with some of our players."
National Football League
Four Baltimore Ravens players have been fined for violating league rules prohibiting the abuse of game officials, the NFL announced Friday.
Bart Scott was fined $25,000 for verbally abusing game officials and throwing an official’s flag into the stands during last Monday night’s Baltimore-New England game.
Samari Rolle, Chris McAlister, and Derrick Mason were fined $15,000 each for publicly questioning the integrity of the officiating in last Monday night’s game.
“This is about the importance of sportsmanship and respecting the integrity of our game,” said NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Ray Anderson. “We do not tolerate inappropriate conduct between teams and game officials. This includes reminding game officials that they are to conduct themselves at all times as professionals in their dealings with players, coaches, and other club personnel.”
Anderson went to Baltimore this week to speak directly with Scott and Rolle before issuing the fines Friday.
“Last Monday night’s game was well officiated,” Anderson said, “and it is the obligation of both players and coaches to maintain proper respect for game officials at all times.”
In addition to prohibiting physical contact with game officials, league rules also bar team personnel from verbal or other non-physical abuse of officials and from public criticism of their integrity.
"As I said earlier this week, our actions were not appropriate near the end of our game against the Patriots," said Ravens coach Brian Billick in a statement. "We, our players and coaches, understand and accept the fines levied by Commissioner Goodell. We believe in the integrity of NFL officials and don't believe they, in any way, favored the Patriots with their calls.
"As a team, we've discussed a number of times about not speaking publicly about any unhappiness we have with the officials. As emotional as the end of Monday's game was, I should have reminded the players of that in our post-game meeting. That's my mistake. We do appreciate the extra step taken by the Commissioner's Office when Ray Anderson came here yesterday to talk with some of our players."
Friday, December 07, 2007
Barack Obama Wins Kansas Straw Poll - Obama Rising
Barack Obama seems to be peaking right at the time an eventual front-runner in Presidential races does.
From LJ World.com
Topeka — U.S. Sen. Barack Obama won the Kansas Democratic Party email straw poll, party officials announced today.
Obama tallied 692 votes out of 1,904 votes cast for 36.3 percent. The poll was held this week and ended last night.
Second place went to U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton with 504 votes, or 26.5 percent. Former senator John Edwards had 355 votes or 18.6 percent.
After Edwards came U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, 6.8 percent; U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, 6 percent; New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, 4.7 percent; U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd, 0.7 percent and former U.S. Sen. Mike Gravel, 0.3 percent.
The state Democratic Party plans to have its party caucuses on Feb. 5.
From LJ World.com
Topeka — U.S. Sen. Barack Obama won the Kansas Democratic Party email straw poll, party officials announced today.
Obama tallied 692 votes out of 1,904 votes cast for 36.3 percent. The poll was held this week and ended last night.
Second place went to U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton with 504 votes, or 26.5 percent. Former senator John Edwards had 355 votes or 18.6 percent.
After Edwards came U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, 6.8 percent; U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, 6 percent; New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, 4.7 percent; U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd, 0.7 percent and former U.S. Sen. Mike Gravel, 0.3 percent.
The state Democratic Party plans to have its party caucuses on Feb. 5.
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