For some reason I don't think this is an official organization; rather, it seems to be an email from a single person. Regardless, it explains the pain animal rights activists have over the entire Michael Vick Dog Fighting Issue. Here's the email.
Dear Friends of Animals,
We received your comments regarding the recent dogfighting allegations
against Michael Vick and we understand you disagree with our call for
the NFL to suspend the celebrity quarterback as well as our call for
Nike to drop him as a spokesperson. We apologize for the delayed
response. We wanted to take a moment to explain on position.
As you know, in late April Surry County Virginia Sheriff's Office raided
Vick's 15-acre property and massive evidence of animal fighting was
found. There were blood splatters on the floor of one room and a
blood-stained rolled-up carpet in the corner of another. Veterinarian
drugs and, according to one account, syringes were found in the house.
More than 60 dogs were also found, some of them heavily scarred with
gashes on their bodies. One had a severely injured leg that was bent
at a grotesque angle.
Since the raid, Vick has been indicted for charges related to
dogfighting. The indictment cites horrible instances of animal cruelty,
including killing dogs by means of electrocution and slamming one to the
ground several times. The NFL has taken these allegations seriously
enough to bench Vick and he has been dropped by many of his corporate
sponsors, including Nike.
The judicial system will determine whether or not Vick is guilty of
violating state or federal laws against animal fighting, but at the very
least, Vick turned a blind eye to the horrible animal cruelty on his
property. We believe that our nation should have a zero-tolerance policy
for dogfighting. Michael Vick has not been denied his right to due
process and in fact, he even has the means to hire top-dollar lawyers,
which is more than most people can do. He has his day in court.
Regardless, our nation should not just focus on this case, but the fact
that this blood-sport is an epidemic in our society and warrants our
immediate attention.
We appreciate your interest in dogfighting issues and we also encourage
you to contact the NFL to urge them to adopt a zero-tolerance police on
dogfighting.
https://community.hsus.org/campaign/US_2007_dogfighting_nfl
Thank you for your considerate thoughts on this issue.
Animal Fighting & Cruelty Campaign
Interested in taking action online to help animals? Then join our online community! Go to http://humanesociety.org/join
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Yearly Kos Has Endangered Hillary's Nomination - Paul Hogarth in Beyond Chron
Yearly Kos Has Endangered Hillary's Nomination
by Paul Hogarth
http://www.opednews.com
I wrote this for today's Beyond Chron , San Francisco's Alternative Online Daily
With 1,500 delegates at Yearly Kos, I only met two Hillary Clinton supporters. She is the current front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, and is hoping to get it by inevitability. But this doesn’t mean the blogosphere is “out of touch,” although blogger demographics clearly work against her. Hillary Clinton’s current lead in the polls comes from a higher name recognition, and a strategic muddling of her position on Iraq so that progressives don’t hate her.
Hillary was the biggest loser in the Convention’s August 4th Debate, as she defended taking money from Washington lobbyists and argued that we are now “safer” than on September 11th. While Iraq never came up in her pre-debate break-out session, that’s because only five people – including myself – got to ask her a question. Hillary’s response to my question about the Clinton years was the session’s “only moment of tension,” and confirmed she is a ruthless triangulator who will take progressives for granted. If Democrats realize this, she will lose the nomination.
“It is really no mystery why Hillary Clinton’s current lead is not reflected in the netroots,” said Chris Bowers of Open Left, and formerly MyDD.com. “The blogosphere is 60% male, and she does better with women. It’s 45% secular, and her voters are religious. Bloggers are younger, richer and better informed. In every single circumstance, it’s the worst demographic for Hillary Clinton.”
Of course, one media narrative to explain why bloggers don’t support the front-runner is that they are “out of touch” with Democratic voters, a common theme that is often used to marginalize progressive activists. But making the Yearly Kos Convention sound like a gathering of Naderites is absurd. When Dennis Kucinich said at the Debate that voters see “no difference” between the two major parties, he was loudly booed.
Another theory is name recognition – Hillary Clinton is a known quantity that reflects her lead in the polls, and less informed voters are most likely to pick her. Although 64% of New Hampshire Democrats recently said they are “still trying to decide” among the candidates, only 9% mark “undecided” when asked to make a choice. With voters less familiar with John Edwards and Barack Obama, Hillary’s the main beneficiary.
But while that’s a factor, Clinton has also modified her position on Iraq so that bloggers now thinks that she would make an acceptable nominee – though far from ideal. “She’s done a great job blurring on the war,” said Markos Moulitsas. Pandering on this issue is a strategy that’s been used before. In early 2004, when John Kerry was trailing Howard Dean because of the Iraq War, he started shifting his position – and it worked.
Clinton got a tame reception at the Convention – leading most of the media to wrongly conclude that it was favorable. But if the bloggers had been more aggressive in expressing their true opinions about her, Hillary would have called them rude and mean-spirited. Then she would have used that image to marginalize them as disgruntled lefties.
All things considered, I’m glad that the bloggers were polite. When Dianne Feinstein ran for Governor of California, she got booed at the state party convention for supporting the death penalty – and then used that in a commercial to prove she wasn’t a liberal. It is painfully obvious that Hillary wanted to get booed at this Convention; when she finally did, she said, “I’ve been waiting for this to happen.”
Hillary got booed during the Yearly Kos Presidential Debate because she refused to join Edwards and Obama and stop taking money from Washington lobbyists. Incredibly, she rationalized her refusal by saying that lobbyists “represent real Americans – nurses, social workers, and they represent corporations who employ a lot of people.”
Hillary dug herself in a hole with that statement, and all it took to bury her was Obama’s reminder of how the insurance lobby defeated health care reform in 1994. "You can't tell me that money did not have an influence,” he said. “You can't tell me that money was for the public good.” If anyone won that debate, it was probably Obama.
Hillary lost even further credibility when she said that we are now safer than before September 11th. Everyone knows that the invasion of Iraq has ruined our standing in the world, and her statements that “we’ve made a lot of changes” such as taking off our shoes at airports was both naïve and insulting. Edwards had a great response about how the use of torture and other attacks on our civil liberties has made us less safe.
Besides the Debate, delegates got to attend an individual break-out session with one of the candidates. None of the delegates asked Hillary about Iraq, but that’s because only five people got to ask questions. And unlike Edwards and Obama – who in their sessions blindly called on the bloggers themselves – Hillary had her Internet Director, who has heavily courted the netroots and knew who in the room was friendly, pick on people.
The first person he called upon asked a softball question about education, which Hillary proceeded to answer for nine of the session’s 30 minutes. While I don’t know if that question was a plant (and many people suggested that later), it’s clear that she chose to give a long-winded answer in order to kill time. But because I had strategically placed myself in a visible part of the room – and by dumb luck was wearing a bright red shirt that day – her Internet Director called on me during the last five minutes.
“Senator Clinton,” I said. “My name is Paul Hogarth, and I am from Beyond Chron in San Francisco. First, I’d like to thank you for having gone on the record saying that you would repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell – which passed during your husband’s administration. I want to ask you about four other pieces of legislation that happened in the Clinton years, and whether you would be willing to advocate their repeal – the Defense of Marriage Act, the Telecommunications Act, NAFTA, and the Welfare Bill.”
Her answer to my question was absolutely awful. Like her statements in the Debate, it exposed her as an anti-progressive triangulator – and was the tensest moment of the break-out session. If Democrats wake up and realize that the Bill Clinton years (although far better than the Bush years) had some serious issues and we cannot trust Hillary to be a progressive leader to get us out of the wilderness, she can be defeated.
Here’s what each of the laws did and what Hillary’s answer was to my question:
Defense of Marriage: DOMA, passed in 1996 when Bill Clinton wanted to deprive Bob Dole of a campaign issue, allows states not to recognize an out-of-state gay marriage. “DOMA served a very important purpose,” she said. “I was one of the architects in the strategy of fighting the 2004 Marriage Amendment, and DOMA gave us a bright line to be able to pull back the votes.”
Telecommunications Act of 1996: The Telecommunications Act is one of the main reasons why Clear Channel and Hillary’s new friend, Rupert Murdoch, today own most of the airwaves. “I don’t know,” she said, “ask Al Gore.”
NAFTA: The 1993 trade agreement has been absolutely devastating to labor and environmental standards. “NAFTA did not realize what was promised for a number of reasons,” she said. “We need to have an ongoing evaluation.”
Welfare Repeal: Also passed in 1996 when Bill Clinton wanted to deny Bob Dole a campaign issue, the Welfare Bill denied legal immigrants the right to get Food Stamps and SSI. It was an awful piece of legislation, and her response was that “the positive consequences outweighed the negative.”
You can watch a clip of the break-out session here.
I could have been far more confrontational in asking my question, but that would have played right into her hands because I would have sounded shrill and mean-spirited. Which is why I made a point to thank her for agreeing to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.
Hillary’s campaign was ready to spin the Convention regardless of a warm or cool reception. Either she made peace with an important constituency that makes her nomination “inevitable,” or else she was harshly attacked by a group of extremists who “don’t represent” the party.
The truth – that the bloggers knew better than fall in that trap and were just being polite – is too subtle for the mainstream media to pick up. What’s news here is not what the bloggers said or did, but what Hillary did. She hung herself when asked tough questions, and exposed herself as an anti-progressive triangulator.
Readers of this website know that we are highly critical of the San Francisco Chronicle. In fact, our name – Beyond Chron – derives from the paper’s terrible coverage of state and local politics. But as someone who played a small role in this news story, I have never been angrier at the Chronicle for painting such a rosy picture of Clinton’s support at the Convention.
The Chronicle’s coverage was by far the worst coverage of Hillary Clinton and the Convention that I have read. Most newspapers like the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times led with the Clinton-Obama flap about lobbying money, and the Washington Post said she got “mixed reviews.” None was so uncritically positive about the myth that Hillary made peace with bloggers.
The Chronicle also referred to me as “one blogger with a challenging question” – and failed to mention that I happen to be from their hometown. There was no excuse for the Chronicle to claim ignorance. I stated in my question that I was with Beyond Chron, and the Washington Post mentioned that I was from San Francisco.
Hillary Clinton did not get a warm reception at the Yearly Kos Convention, nor was she attacked by a shrill minority. Through the break-out session and her own ridiculous statements during the debate, she was exposed as an anti-progressive triangulator. And this is what could put her nomination in doubt.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Stay tuned for tomorrow's Beyond Chron, where Paul Hogarth will conclude his report about the Yearly Kos Convention. Send feedback to paul@beyondchron.org
by Paul Hogarth
http://www.opednews.com
I wrote this for today's Beyond Chron , San Francisco's Alternative Online Daily
With 1,500 delegates at Yearly Kos, I only met two Hillary Clinton supporters. She is the current front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, and is hoping to get it by inevitability. But this doesn’t mean the blogosphere is “out of touch,” although blogger demographics clearly work against her. Hillary Clinton’s current lead in the polls comes from a higher name recognition, and a strategic muddling of her position on Iraq so that progressives don’t hate her.
Hillary was the biggest loser in the Convention’s August 4th Debate, as she defended taking money from Washington lobbyists and argued that we are now “safer” than on September 11th. While Iraq never came up in her pre-debate break-out session, that’s because only five people – including myself – got to ask her a question. Hillary’s response to my question about the Clinton years was the session’s “only moment of tension,” and confirmed she is a ruthless triangulator who will take progressives for granted. If Democrats realize this, she will lose the nomination.
“It is really no mystery why Hillary Clinton’s current lead is not reflected in the netroots,” said Chris Bowers of Open Left, and formerly MyDD.com. “The blogosphere is 60% male, and she does better with women. It’s 45% secular, and her voters are religious. Bloggers are younger, richer and better informed. In every single circumstance, it’s the worst demographic for Hillary Clinton.”
Of course, one media narrative to explain why bloggers don’t support the front-runner is that they are “out of touch” with Democratic voters, a common theme that is often used to marginalize progressive activists. But making the Yearly Kos Convention sound like a gathering of Naderites is absurd. When Dennis Kucinich said at the Debate that voters see “no difference” between the two major parties, he was loudly booed.
Another theory is name recognition – Hillary Clinton is a known quantity that reflects her lead in the polls, and less informed voters are most likely to pick her. Although 64% of New Hampshire Democrats recently said they are “still trying to decide” among the candidates, only 9% mark “undecided” when asked to make a choice. With voters less familiar with John Edwards and Barack Obama, Hillary’s the main beneficiary.
But while that’s a factor, Clinton has also modified her position on Iraq so that bloggers now thinks that she would make an acceptable nominee – though far from ideal. “She’s done a great job blurring on the war,” said Markos Moulitsas. Pandering on this issue is a strategy that’s been used before. In early 2004, when John Kerry was trailing Howard Dean because of the Iraq War, he started shifting his position – and it worked.
Clinton got a tame reception at the Convention – leading most of the media to wrongly conclude that it was favorable. But if the bloggers had been more aggressive in expressing their true opinions about her, Hillary would have called them rude and mean-spirited. Then she would have used that image to marginalize them as disgruntled lefties.
All things considered, I’m glad that the bloggers were polite. When Dianne Feinstein ran for Governor of California, she got booed at the state party convention for supporting the death penalty – and then used that in a commercial to prove she wasn’t a liberal. It is painfully obvious that Hillary wanted to get booed at this Convention; when she finally did, she said, “I’ve been waiting for this to happen.”
Hillary got booed during the Yearly Kos Presidential Debate because she refused to join Edwards and Obama and stop taking money from Washington lobbyists. Incredibly, she rationalized her refusal by saying that lobbyists “represent real Americans – nurses, social workers, and they represent corporations who employ a lot of people.”
Hillary dug herself in a hole with that statement, and all it took to bury her was Obama’s reminder of how the insurance lobby defeated health care reform in 1994. "You can't tell me that money did not have an influence,” he said. “You can't tell me that money was for the public good.” If anyone won that debate, it was probably Obama.
Hillary lost even further credibility when she said that we are now safer than before September 11th. Everyone knows that the invasion of Iraq has ruined our standing in the world, and her statements that “we’ve made a lot of changes” such as taking off our shoes at airports was both naïve and insulting. Edwards had a great response about how the use of torture and other attacks on our civil liberties has made us less safe.
Besides the Debate, delegates got to attend an individual break-out session with one of the candidates. None of the delegates asked Hillary about Iraq, but that’s because only five people got to ask questions. And unlike Edwards and Obama – who in their sessions blindly called on the bloggers themselves – Hillary had her Internet Director, who has heavily courted the netroots and knew who in the room was friendly, pick on people.
The first person he called upon asked a softball question about education, which Hillary proceeded to answer for nine of the session’s 30 minutes. While I don’t know if that question was a plant (and many people suggested that later), it’s clear that she chose to give a long-winded answer in order to kill time. But because I had strategically placed myself in a visible part of the room – and by dumb luck was wearing a bright red shirt that day – her Internet Director called on me during the last five minutes.
“Senator Clinton,” I said. “My name is Paul Hogarth, and I am from Beyond Chron in San Francisco. First, I’d like to thank you for having gone on the record saying that you would repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell – which passed during your husband’s administration. I want to ask you about four other pieces of legislation that happened in the Clinton years, and whether you would be willing to advocate their repeal – the Defense of Marriage Act, the Telecommunications Act, NAFTA, and the Welfare Bill.”
Her answer to my question was absolutely awful. Like her statements in the Debate, it exposed her as an anti-progressive triangulator – and was the tensest moment of the break-out session. If Democrats wake up and realize that the Bill Clinton years (although far better than the Bush years) had some serious issues and we cannot trust Hillary to be a progressive leader to get us out of the wilderness, she can be defeated.
Here’s what each of the laws did and what Hillary’s answer was to my question:
Defense of Marriage: DOMA, passed in 1996 when Bill Clinton wanted to deprive Bob Dole of a campaign issue, allows states not to recognize an out-of-state gay marriage. “DOMA served a very important purpose,” she said. “I was one of the architects in the strategy of fighting the 2004 Marriage Amendment, and DOMA gave us a bright line to be able to pull back the votes.”
Telecommunications Act of 1996: The Telecommunications Act is one of the main reasons why Clear Channel and Hillary’s new friend, Rupert Murdoch, today own most of the airwaves. “I don’t know,” she said, “ask Al Gore.”
NAFTA: The 1993 trade agreement has been absolutely devastating to labor and environmental standards. “NAFTA did not realize what was promised for a number of reasons,” she said. “We need to have an ongoing evaluation.”
Welfare Repeal: Also passed in 1996 when Bill Clinton wanted to deny Bob Dole a campaign issue, the Welfare Bill denied legal immigrants the right to get Food Stamps and SSI. It was an awful piece of legislation, and her response was that “the positive consequences outweighed the negative.”
You can watch a clip of the break-out session here.
I could have been far more confrontational in asking my question, but that would have played right into her hands because I would have sounded shrill and mean-spirited. Which is why I made a point to thank her for agreeing to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.
Hillary’s campaign was ready to spin the Convention regardless of a warm or cool reception. Either she made peace with an important constituency that makes her nomination “inevitable,” or else she was harshly attacked by a group of extremists who “don’t represent” the party.
The truth – that the bloggers knew better than fall in that trap and were just being polite – is too subtle for the mainstream media to pick up. What’s news here is not what the bloggers said or did, but what Hillary did. She hung herself when asked tough questions, and exposed herself as an anti-progressive triangulator.
Readers of this website know that we are highly critical of the San Francisco Chronicle. In fact, our name – Beyond Chron – derives from the paper’s terrible coverage of state and local politics. But as someone who played a small role in this news story, I have never been angrier at the Chronicle for painting such a rosy picture of Clinton’s support at the Convention.
The Chronicle’s coverage was by far the worst coverage of Hillary Clinton and the Convention that I have read. Most newspapers like the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times led with the Clinton-Obama flap about lobbying money, and the Washington Post said she got “mixed reviews.” None was so uncritically positive about the myth that Hillary made peace with bloggers.
The Chronicle also referred to me as “one blogger with a challenging question” – and failed to mention that I happen to be from their hometown. There was no excuse for the Chronicle to claim ignorance. I stated in my question that I was with Beyond Chron, and the Washington Post mentioned that I was from San Francisco.
Hillary Clinton did not get a warm reception at the Yearly Kos Convention, nor was she attacked by a shrill minority. Through the break-out session and her own ridiculous statements during the debate, she was exposed as an anti-progressive triangulator. And this is what could put her nomination in doubt.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Stay tuned for tomorrow's Beyond Chron, where Paul Hogarth will conclude his report about the Yearly Kos Convention. Send feedback to paul@beyondchron.org
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
AFL-CIO Democratic Candidates Forum - Huff Post , Daily Kos Bloggers Score It For Barack Obama
I missed the AFL CIO Democratic Candidates debate to have dinner with my Mom and friends, but figured that I could get a great recap via the Huff Post Live Blog, and I was not disappointed.
The Huff Post writers seem to give Senator Barack Obama the best marks with Senator Clinton and Dennis Kucinich close behind.
And this is reflected in a Daily Kos poll , where Barack Obama is the winner, but followed by John Edwards, and then Senator Clinton.
The Huff Post writers seem to give Senator Barack Obama the best marks with Senator Clinton and Dennis Kucinich close behind.
And this is reflected in a Daily Kos poll , where Barack Obama is the winner, but followed by John Edwards, and then Senator Clinton.
Zennie's Vlog Of The CNN Roland Martin Show
This is a vlog not so much of my trip to New York to be on the CNN Roland Martin Show, but of the time leading up to the show in the green room and the show itself. It features all of the CNN / YouTube Stars who appeared on the show: CNN / YouTube debate stars, Kim Friedrich, Lucas "Brown Eyes", and Lori Harfenist aka "The Resident" and me. (Almost forgot about me.)
This video's for anyone who wonders how a person comes to be on a TV program and how they're taken care of by a network. It was a great experience. I have a lot of people to thank which I do in the video. This is also for the others who were on the show, but may not have gotten a copy of their segment.
This video's for anyone who wonders how a person comes to be on a TV program and how they're taken care of by a network. It was a great experience. I have a lot of people to thank which I do in the video. This is also for the others who were on the show, but may not have gotten a copy of their segment.
USA Today Gallup Poll Rigged To Favor Clinton
I've written this before and it bears reminders that the USA Today / Gallup Poll can't be trusted in the wake of the June "redo." That was an outrage and should not go unnoticed.
Frank Newport of Gallup openly admitted he redid the poll because he could not believe Senator Barack Obama was tied with Senator Hillary Clinton.
Frank Newport of Gallup openly admitted he redid the poll because he could not believe Senator Barack Obama was tied with Senator Hillary Clinton.
Senator Mike Gravel Pissed Of Over Not Being Invited to AFL-CIO Debate Forum
Senator Mike Gravel's on MSNBC now on their "Super Tuesday" program, and is really pissed off over being passed over for the AFL-CIO debate forum. "They said I didn't answer a certain question on time," he explained. Gravel then said it was basically a kind of trick to keep him out of the program, and it's not fair.
Given that this is a presidential campaign and not an application for graduate school, I agree with Senator Gravel. There are too many attempts to "fix" this presidential race and make it less than authentic.
Given that this is a presidential campaign and not an application for graduate school, I agree with Senator Gravel. There are too many attempts to "fix" this presidential race and make it less than authentic.
Bob Allen - Sick-In-The-Head Florida Senator Says Fear Of Black Men Cause For Sexual Behavior - TampaBays10.com
Here's one sad sick man who Floridians elected to office.
Titusville, Florida - An audiotape reveals new details about the arrest of a state lawmaker in the men's room of a public park. Investigators say State Representative Bob Allen offered an undercover officer 20 dollars, if he could perform oral sex on him. The Merritt Island Republican says its all a big misunderstanding.
In an audiotaped interview with Titusville Police, Allen says he was intimidated after a man offered a sex act for money. He says he went along with the conversation, because he was afraid of becoming another crime statistic.
On the audiotape, Allen said, "Listen. A public park. I got my name on the damn building. I'm not gonna do that. You know, maybe I said it in the wrong order, but this was a pretty stocky black guy, and there were a lot of other black guys around in the park, and, you know..."
Titusville Assistant Chief John Lau said, "If you were nervous, then how come you went back into the stall? Not in the stall, the bathroom?"
Allen responded, "I went back the second time around because >>unintelligible<< I says, 'I gotta use the bathroom.' But, I said, 'The building is safer than standing out here,' so I went back in, and sat down, and that's when he came back the second time, and that made me very nervous."
Allen says he will not resign, and may still run for the state senate.
Titusville, Florida - An audiotape reveals new details about the arrest of a state lawmaker in the men's room of a public park. Investigators say State Representative Bob Allen offered an undercover officer 20 dollars, if he could perform oral sex on him. The Merritt Island Republican says its all a big misunderstanding.
In an audiotaped interview with Titusville Police, Allen says he was intimidated after a man offered a sex act for money. He says he went along with the conversation, because he was afraid of becoming another crime statistic.
On the audiotape, Allen said, "Listen. A public park. I got my name on the damn building. I'm not gonna do that. You know, maybe I said it in the wrong order, but this was a pretty stocky black guy, and there were a lot of other black guys around in the park, and, you know..."
Titusville Assistant Chief John Lau said, "If you were nervous, then how come you went back into the stall? Not in the stall, the bathroom?"
Allen responded, "I went back the second time around because >>unintelligible<< I says, 'I gotta use the bathroom.' But, I said, 'The building is safer than standing out here,' so I went back in, and sat down, and that's when he came back the second time, and that made me very nervous."
Allen says he will not resign, and may still run for the state senate.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin Gets First Win Of Preseason Over Saints 20-7 - ESPN
Mike Tomlin's first game as Steelers coach is 20-7 win over Saints
ESPN - Associated Press
CANTON, Ohio -- Mike Tomlin is a no-nonsense guy. So he didn't seem particularly interested in all the extracurriculars surrounding his debut as coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Oh, he got a kick out of being interviewed by Deion Sanders before the game. And out of meeting the five new Hall of Fame members who were on hand for the preseason opener: Michael Irvin, Thurman Thomas, Bruce Matthews, Roger Wehrli and Charlie Sanders.
Otherwise, it was a business trip to Canton for only the third head coach of the franchise since 1969.
"I took myself out of it. I tried to create an environment for the coaches and players to do their jobs," Tomlin said Sunday night after a 20-7 victory over the New Orleans Saints. "You do that, you get involved in the process."
The process of getting the 2005 NFL champions back to the top began well. Less than three minutes into the game, the Steelers were ahead to stay under the man replacing the retired Bill Cowher.
Ben Roethlisberger was sharp in his only series, going 2-for-3 for 73 yards to Cedrick Wilson. On a 55-yard play, Wilson got behind safety Kevin Kaesviharn, then he beat New Orleans' top cornerback, Mike McKenzie, on an 18-yard crossing pattern.
"This was the start of all of us getting repetitions with a new coordinator (Bruce Arians) and new coach," Roethlisberger said. "There's going to be some new things, of course, but I think we made adjustments and did well first time out."
Najeh Davenport, starting for 1,400-yard rusher Willie Parker, bulled in from the 4 for a 7-0 lead.
Pittsburgh's first-stringers were so much more efficient than New Orleans' starters, who missed blocks and dropped passes on offense and couldn't handle Roethlisberger or Charlie Batch when they threw. And that was just in the first quarter.
In the first half, Pittsburgh outgained New Orleans 305-56, including 205-32 in the air. Overall, it was 413-214.
"I thought we gave up some big plays -- I could point to 15 things. We've got to look at our preparation coming into this weekend," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "I thought we were lethargic, especially in the first half. You're always looking to see how your first group does."
Pittsburgh's second group didn't fare badly, either. Nor did the third-string.
The Steelers made the Saints look inept in coverage at times, an unfortunate carry-over from last season for New Orleans, which allowed 16 plays of more than 40 yards in 2006 -- a league high.
Along with Wilson's big gainer on the game's second play were a 38-yard screen pass to Carey Davis and a 41-yard completion from Brian St. Pierre to Santonio Holmes. St. Pierre hit Holmes on a 3-yard fade for a 14-0 edge.
"It was back to business for us," Steelers tackle Max Starks said. "We have some new coaches, but a lot of players here have been together and know what to do. So it wasn't that surprising that we got some good yardage."
The lead grew to 17-0 on Jeff Reed's 28-yard field goal set up by Davis' 58-yard run.
"In the first preseason game, you are finally getting a chance to go against someone else, and see where you have progressed," Saints quarterback Drew Brees said after going 1-for-6 for 6 yards. "Obviously, we still have some work to do."
But the Saints' third-stringers staged a 16-play, 72-yard drive capped by a fourth-down, 1-yard TD pass from Jason Fife to Kevin Dudley to open the second half. Pittsburgh's subs answered with a 13-play, 44-yard march to Reed's 39-yard field goal, taking up the remainder of the third period.
Not on hand for the game was the ailing Gene Hickerson, the sixth hall inductee this year.
ESPN - Associated Press
CANTON, Ohio -- Mike Tomlin is a no-nonsense guy. So he didn't seem particularly interested in all the extracurriculars surrounding his debut as coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Oh, he got a kick out of being interviewed by Deion Sanders before the game. And out of meeting the five new Hall of Fame members who were on hand for the preseason opener: Michael Irvin, Thurman Thomas, Bruce Matthews, Roger Wehrli and Charlie Sanders.
Otherwise, it was a business trip to Canton for only the third head coach of the franchise since 1969.
"I took myself out of it. I tried to create an environment for the coaches and players to do their jobs," Tomlin said Sunday night after a 20-7 victory over the New Orleans Saints. "You do that, you get involved in the process."
The process of getting the 2005 NFL champions back to the top began well. Less than three minutes into the game, the Steelers were ahead to stay under the man replacing the retired Bill Cowher.
Ben Roethlisberger was sharp in his only series, going 2-for-3 for 73 yards to Cedrick Wilson. On a 55-yard play, Wilson got behind safety Kevin Kaesviharn, then he beat New Orleans' top cornerback, Mike McKenzie, on an 18-yard crossing pattern.
"This was the start of all of us getting repetitions with a new coordinator (Bruce Arians) and new coach," Roethlisberger said. "There's going to be some new things, of course, but I think we made adjustments and did well first time out."
Najeh Davenport, starting for 1,400-yard rusher Willie Parker, bulled in from the 4 for a 7-0 lead.
Pittsburgh's first-stringers were so much more efficient than New Orleans' starters, who missed blocks and dropped passes on offense and couldn't handle Roethlisberger or Charlie Batch when they threw. And that was just in the first quarter.
In the first half, Pittsburgh outgained New Orleans 305-56, including 205-32 in the air. Overall, it was 413-214.
"I thought we gave up some big plays -- I could point to 15 things. We've got to look at our preparation coming into this weekend," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "I thought we were lethargic, especially in the first half. You're always looking to see how your first group does."
Pittsburgh's second group didn't fare badly, either. Nor did the third-string.
The Steelers made the Saints look inept in coverage at times, an unfortunate carry-over from last season for New Orleans, which allowed 16 plays of more than 40 yards in 2006 -- a league high.
Along with Wilson's big gainer on the game's second play were a 38-yard screen pass to Carey Davis and a 41-yard completion from Brian St. Pierre to Santonio Holmes. St. Pierre hit Holmes on a 3-yard fade for a 14-0 edge.
"It was back to business for us," Steelers tackle Max Starks said. "We have some new coaches, but a lot of players here have been together and know what to do. So it wasn't that surprising that we got some good yardage."
The lead grew to 17-0 on Jeff Reed's 28-yard field goal set up by Davis' 58-yard run.
"In the first preseason game, you are finally getting a chance to go against someone else, and see where you have progressed," Saints quarterback Drew Brees said after going 1-for-6 for 6 yards. "Obviously, we still have some work to do."
But the Saints' third-stringers staged a 16-play, 72-yard drive capped by a fourth-down, 1-yard TD pass from Jason Fife to Kevin Dudley to open the second half. Pittsburgh's subs answered with a 13-play, 44-yard march to Reed's 39-yard field goal, taking up the remainder of the third period.
Not on hand for the game was the ailing Gene Hickerson, the sixth hall inductee this year.
Rudy Giuliani's Daughter Backing Barack Obama - Member of Facebook Group
Here's the whole story from SFGate
Giuliani's Daughter Backing Obama
By LIBBY QUAID, Associated Press Writer
Monday, August 6, 2007
(08-06) 13:00 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --
The daughter of Republican hopeful Rudy Giuliani has signaled she's backing Democrat Barack Obama for president.
According to her Facebook profile, Giuliani's 17-year-old daughter, Caroline, belonged to Democrat Barack Obama's Facebook group "Barack Obama (One Million Strong for Barack)." She left the group Monday morning after the online magazine Slate sent an inquiry.
Her profile can be viewed by Facebook users who have access to New York City's Trinity School or Harvard University networks. Caroline, who is Giuliani's daughter with his second wife, Donna Hanover, recently graduated from Trinity and will attend Harvard in the fall.
Slate posted a screen shot of her profile, which uses a slightly different last name. She lists herself as having liberal political views.
Giuliani, campaigning in Iowa, declined to comment on his daughter's political preference.
"My daughter I love very much," he told reporters outside an Italian restaurant in Clear Lake. "I have great respect for her, and I'm really proud of her, and I don't comment on children, because I want to give them the maximum degree of privacy.
"The best thing to do, if you want to ask the press to leave the children alone, the best way to do it is not to comment on them one way or the other, except to say you're very proud of them, and you love them very much, which I do," he said.
The Obama campaign did not have any comment.
Giuliani, a leading Republican candidate, has asked for privacy to deal with strained relationships in his family. Son Andrew, 21, has said their relationship became distant after Giuliani's messy divorce from the children's mother and his marriage to third wife Judith Nathan.
"There's obviously a little problem that exists between me and his wife," Andrew Giuliani told The New York Times earlier this year.
In May, Giuliani attended his daughter's high school graduation but kept a low profile, sitting in a last row balcony seat with his wife and leaving without speaking to his daughter, the New York Daily News reported.
Giuliani's Daughter Backing Obama
By LIBBY QUAID, Associated Press Writer
Monday, August 6, 2007
(08-06) 13:00 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --
The daughter of Republican hopeful Rudy Giuliani has signaled she's backing Democrat Barack Obama for president.
According to her Facebook profile, Giuliani's 17-year-old daughter, Caroline, belonged to Democrat Barack Obama's Facebook group "Barack Obama (One Million Strong for Barack)." She left the group Monday morning after the online magazine Slate sent an inquiry.
Her profile can be viewed by Facebook users who have access to New York City's Trinity School or Harvard University networks. Caroline, who is Giuliani's daughter with his second wife, Donna Hanover, recently graduated from Trinity and will attend Harvard in the fall.
Slate posted a screen shot of her profile, which uses a slightly different last name. She lists herself as having liberal political views.
Giuliani, campaigning in Iowa, declined to comment on his daughter's political preference.
"My daughter I love very much," he told reporters outside an Italian restaurant in Clear Lake. "I have great respect for her, and I'm really proud of her, and I don't comment on children, because I want to give them the maximum degree of privacy.
"The best thing to do, if you want to ask the press to leave the children alone, the best way to do it is not to comment on them one way or the other, except to say you're very proud of them, and you love them very much, which I do," he said.
The Obama campaign did not have any comment.
Giuliani, a leading Republican candidate, has asked for privacy to deal with strained relationships in his family. Son Andrew, 21, has said their relationship became distant after Giuliani's messy divorce from the children's mother and his marriage to third wife Judith Nathan.
"There's obviously a little problem that exists between me and his wife," Andrew Giuliani told The New York Times earlier this year.
In May, Giuliani attended his daughter's high school graduation but kept a low profile, sitting in a last row balcony seat with his wife and leaving without speaking to his daughter, the New York Daily News reported.
Arizona Cardinals Coach Ken Whisenhunt Like Scrimage
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) -- The Arizona Cardinals wound up their first week of training camp under new coach Ken Whisenhunt on Saturday with a workout that started badly but ended well.
Several thousands lined the practice field on autograph day and, for a while, especially for the offense, it was not a pretty show.
"You know what? I hope they understand it's one day of practice," Whisenhunt said. "We built a pretty good week. A lot of people have seen that and recognize that."
After Whisenhunt broke up the controlled scrimmage and had a few words with the players, the defense played better and the offense finished strong, capped by a pair of touchdowns in a full-contact goal-line drill.
"Something was missing," Whisenhunt said. "I didn't see the intensity. We didn't have the same level as we had before."
Matt Leinart's touchdown pass to wide-open tight end Troy Bienemann and a pair of crunching runs up the middle by Marcel Shipp for scores ended the workout as a thunderstorm rumbled nearby.
"The defense picked it up," Whisenhunt said. "The offense picked it up at the end. We had a good goal-line session, so I'm very pleased with the way it resolved itself."
For the enthusiastic fans, most of them clad in Cardinals red, the goal-line success made up for the fumbled snaps, false starts and assorted other miscues earlier in the session.
"The challenge for a good football team is one that can respond to that," Whisenhunt said. "I think I saw that at the end of practice, and that's hard to do, to change that attitude during practice. So I was very encouraged with that."
Leinart was visibly upset with the mistakes.
"He should be angry," Whisenhunt said. "I think he showed some good leadership today because he was upset with the offense, and that's what we need."
The offensive line remains a critical work in progress.
"The line's playing physical. Our problem is just working together," Whisenhunt said. "Our defense is throwing a lot of blitzes at us. What we have to get better at is working together and picking those things up."
Whisenhunt said his biggest concern going into next week is resolving the competition for a few starting jobs. Oliver Ross and recently signed first-round draft pick Levi Brown are competing at right tackle, and there are several players in the mix for tight end and cornerback.
He hasn't decided on punt or kick returners, either. Decisions will be easier, Whisenhunt said, after the Cardinals play their first preseason game, next Saturday at Oakland.
The organized autograph session came before practice. According to Northern Arizona University, four fans spent the night in sleeping bags to be first in line. A few others slept in cars or RVs.
"Unbelievable," Whisenhunt said.
Larry Fitzgerald has had a standout first week of camp, catching virtually everything thrown to him and working hard at improving the details of his game, Whisenhunt said.
Fitzgerald said it's normal for the defense to be ahead of the offense this early in camp. The difference is magnified, he said, because it's a new offense but the defense remains largely the same under the same coordinator, Clancy Pendergast.
As for the big crowd?
"This is nice right here," Fitzgerald said after signing dozens of autographs. "And as soon as we get in the playoffs, it's going to be like this every year."
Buffalo Bills' Marshawn Lynch and linebacker Paul Posluszny Sit Out Scrimmage
From http://www.buffalonews.com
Bills swap some paint
Updated: 08/05/07 7:37 AM
Fans got a little extra treat Saturday as coach Dick Jauron ended practice with a 10-minute, full-contact scrimmage with most of the rookies and young veterans. Some rookies, such as running back Marshawn Lynch and linebacker Paul Posluszny sat out, and no prominent veterans participated.
The Bills do very little hitting and no tackling in practice, so the brief but hard-hitting scrimmage was intended to give the coaches a better look at young players in a more physical setting.
“With a lot of the guys we don’t know, we need to see them and see where they are,” Jauron said. “We ran about 14 or 15 plays and that was good. Now we’ll look at the tape. At least it will help us evaluate them under live conditions. That’s not like a game will be for them, but at least it gives us a look at them.”
Neufeld hurt
The injury bug continues to plague the Bills. Tight end Ryan Neufeld suffered a hyperextended knee on a running play during an 11- on-11 segment of practice. He walked off the field under his own power and was examined by head trainer Bud Carpenter, but was held out the rest of the day.
Jauron doesn’t think the injury is severe, but isn’t sure how long Neufeld will be sidelined. Neufeld suffered a season-ending foot injury a year ago.
Starting left tackle Jason Peters got very little work because of a sore calf muscle he hurt during last Thursday’s night practice. The injury isn’t serious and he’s expected to practice Monday.
Meanwhile, defensive tackle John McCargo’s strained oblique kept him from practicing Saturday. Cornerback Jason Webster (hamstring), offensive guard Brad Butler (hamstring), running back Josh Scobey (calf) and defensive end Anthony Hargrove (hamstring) also didn’t practice.
Sideline views
The defense clearly got the better of the offense during the short scrimmage. Two of the best hits
Mark Mulville/Buffalo News
Linebacker Coy Wire has been making his presence felt during practices. were delivered by linebacker Kevin Harrison. After catching a short pass, running back Fred Jackson juked linebacker Josh Stamer off his feet, but Harrison leveled Jackson with a jolting tackle. Harrison also forced a fumble with a blow to running back Dwayne Wright in the backfield.… Josh Reed turned in the best catch of the day, making a one-handed grab after beating safety Ko Simpson over the middle.… Linebacker Coy Wire had another good day, blowing up a pass to Wright and intercepting rookie quarterback Trent Edwards to end a drive during a two-minute drill.… Linebacker John DiGiorgio (hip flexor) and offensive lineman Christian Gattis (knee) returned to practice, but both were limited to mostly individual work.… Punter Brian Moorman was the only absentee from practice. He was excused to tend to a personal matter.
Bills host young Backers
The Jr. Bills Backers were special guests of the team Saturday. About 400 kids, ages 3 to 14, attended practice and received gifts such as cameras and autograph books. They also were treated to a postpractice autograph session with several players. Brothers Stephen and Nicholas Phillips (ages 9 and 12, respectively) of Kenmore won a contest to interview Lynch and
Posluszny for feature
stories that will appear
on the Bills’ Web site in the future.
From Buffalo take the Thruway to Exit 47. Take Route 490 East for 25
miles to Exit 25 (Fairport
Directions
Road — 31F). Turn right or left and follow signs to fan parking. Shuttle buses take fans from the nearby lots to the practice fields.
Schedule
After 10 consecutive days without a break, the players have today off. The Bills return to work on Monday with a night practice from 7 to 9:05 p.m. There are no tickets available and you must have one to attend. The team will work out Tuesday from 1 to 3:05 p.m.
Bills swap some paint
Updated: 08/05/07 7:37 AM
Fans got a little extra treat Saturday as coach Dick Jauron ended practice with a 10-minute, full-contact scrimmage with most of the rookies and young veterans. Some rookies, such as running back Marshawn Lynch and linebacker Paul Posluszny sat out, and no prominent veterans participated.
The Bills do very little hitting and no tackling in practice, so the brief but hard-hitting scrimmage was intended to give the coaches a better look at young players in a more physical setting.
“With a lot of the guys we don’t know, we need to see them and see where they are,” Jauron said. “We ran about 14 or 15 plays and that was good. Now we’ll look at the tape. At least it will help us evaluate them under live conditions. That’s not like a game will be for them, but at least it gives us a look at them.”
Neufeld hurt
The injury bug continues to plague the Bills. Tight end Ryan Neufeld suffered a hyperextended knee on a running play during an 11- on-11 segment of practice. He walked off the field under his own power and was examined by head trainer Bud Carpenter, but was held out the rest of the day.
Jauron doesn’t think the injury is severe, but isn’t sure how long Neufeld will be sidelined. Neufeld suffered a season-ending foot injury a year ago.
Starting left tackle Jason Peters got very little work because of a sore calf muscle he hurt during last Thursday’s night practice. The injury isn’t serious and he’s expected to practice Monday.
Meanwhile, defensive tackle John McCargo’s strained oblique kept him from practicing Saturday. Cornerback Jason Webster (hamstring), offensive guard Brad Butler (hamstring), running back Josh Scobey (calf) and defensive end Anthony Hargrove (hamstring) also didn’t practice.
Sideline views
The defense clearly got the better of the offense during the short scrimmage. Two of the best hits
Mark Mulville/Buffalo News
Linebacker Coy Wire has been making his presence felt during practices. were delivered by linebacker Kevin Harrison. After catching a short pass, running back Fred Jackson juked linebacker Josh Stamer off his feet, but Harrison leveled Jackson with a jolting tackle. Harrison also forced a fumble with a blow to running back Dwayne Wright in the backfield.… Josh Reed turned in the best catch of the day, making a one-handed grab after beating safety Ko Simpson over the middle.… Linebacker Coy Wire had another good day, blowing up a pass to Wright and intercepting rookie quarterback Trent Edwards to end a drive during a two-minute drill.… Linebacker John DiGiorgio (hip flexor) and offensive lineman Christian Gattis (knee) returned to practice, but both were limited to mostly individual work.… Punter Brian Moorman was the only absentee from practice. He was excused to tend to a personal matter.
Bills host young Backers
The Jr. Bills Backers were special guests of the team Saturday. About 400 kids, ages 3 to 14, attended practice and received gifts such as cameras and autograph books. They also were treated to a postpractice autograph session with several players. Brothers Stephen and Nicholas Phillips (ages 9 and 12, respectively) of Kenmore won a contest to interview Lynch and
Posluszny for feature
stories that will appear
on the Bills’ Web site in the future.
From Buffalo take the Thruway to Exit 47. Take Route 490 East for 25
miles to Exit 25 (Fairport
Directions
Road — 31F). Turn right or left and follow signs to fan parking. Shuttle buses take fans from the nearby lots to the practice fields.
Schedule
After 10 consecutive days without a break, the players have today off. The Bills return to work on Monday with a night practice from 7 to 9:05 p.m. There are no tickets available and you must have one to attend. The team will work out Tuesday from 1 to 3:05 p.m.
ABC Debates Video - Disney Is Looking - Disney Worldwide Services Captured On Traffic Report
Well, someone from Disney Worldwide Services in Burbank, Ca, has seen my video at least from the Valleywag point of view. The person went to Valleywag, then clicked through to my blog and looked at the same blog page seven times! That means they were listening to the video more than once. Which also means the may be trying to see if I made a statement I should not have.
I did not.
But before I get to that, the photo of the traffic report are presented here. The Disney person -- or persons -- visited at 12:06 PM PST and looked at the page repeatedly until 12:20 PM PST. Nice. Page view traffic!
First, what I stated was indeed my opinion, and I do use that term in my video.
Second, Disney and ABC are for all practical purposes public institutions which can be openly criticized in this free speech nation.
But my real hope is that Disney puts Amanda Congdon in charge of running the ABC Debates. I really hope they give her more juicy assigments regarding politics!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)