NFL legend, broadcaster and actor Merlin Olsen died yesterday of mesothelioma. He was 69.
Olsen played his entire NFL career with the Los Angeles Rams. He was a defensive tackle comprising one quarter of the "Fearsome Foursome" which also included Rosie Grier, Deacon Jones and Lamar Lundy. Olsen was NFL Rookie of the Year in 1962, named to 14 Pro Bowl teams and was the NFL MVP in 1974. He would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982. Olsen also served as a color commentator alongside Dick Enberg for NFL telecasts on NBC from 1977 to 1988.
But perhaps Olsen is best known for his work as an actor. Olsen joined the cast of Little House on the Prairie in 1979 and would later star in Father Murphy, another NBC series produced by Michael Landon, which ran from 1981 to 1983. His Little House co-star Melissa Gilbert, writing on Twitter, described Olsen as "the personification of the Gentle Giant. Forever now, a guardian angel." This scene from Little House is how I remember Olsen best.
In recent years, Olsen had kept a lower profile. But last year after being diagnosed with mesothelioma he sued NBC, 20th Century Fox, Sherwin Williams and Lennox Industries for exposing him to asbestos. The lawsuit is still pending.
Olsen is the second Los Angeles sports legend to pass away within 24 hours. Willie Davis, a mainstay with the Dodgers in the 1960s and early 1970s, died on Tuesday.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
New Chilean President Greeted With 7.2 Aftershock
An aftershock of 7.2 has hit Chile the same day its new President, Sebastian Pinera, is set to take office. The aftershock struck 77 miles southwest of Santiago.
Of course, Chile is already reeling from earthquake that measured 8.8 on the Richter scale back on February 27th. It has claimed the lives of nearly 500 people and has caused billions of dollars in damage.
Pinera was elected in January ending more than two decades of left of center rule in Chile. Most new Presidents have a grace period with their electorate. But under the circumstances I don't think Pinera is going to have that luxury. On the other hand, Pinera has been a successful entrepreneur. Where most people see problems successful entrepreneurs see opportunities. One can only hope that Pinera's entrepreneurial skills will serve him well in what is Chile's greatest crisis since the dark days of the Pinochet regime.
Of course, Chile is already reeling from earthquake that measured 8.8 on the Richter scale back on February 27th. It has claimed the lives of nearly 500 people and has caused billions of dollars in damage.
Pinera was elected in January ending more than two decades of left of center rule in Chile. Most new Presidents have a grace period with their electorate. But under the circumstances I don't think Pinera is going to have that luxury. On the other hand, Pinera has been a successful entrepreneur. Where most people see problems successful entrepreneurs see opportunities. One can only hope that Pinera's entrepreneurial skills will serve him well in what is Chile's greatest crisis since the dark days of the Pinochet regime.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Nomar Retires
Nomar Garciaparra signed a one-day minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox for the purpose of announcing his retirement.
He made the announcement at the Red Sox spring training facilities in Fort Myers, Florida.
Garciaparra made his MLB debut with the Red Sox late in the 1996 season. He would be named AL Rookie of the Year in 1997 when he collected a league leading 209 hits while batting .306. Nomar would be an instrumental part of the 1998 and 1999 AL Wild Card champion Red Sox. He finished runner up to Juan Gonzalez in the vote for the 1998 AL MVP. He would capture back to back AL batting titles in 1999 and 2000 hitting .357 and .372, respectively.
Nomar was part of a triumvirate of power hitting shortstops along with Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. Although he missed nearly the entire 2001 season with his wrist injury he would hit over .300 and have 100 plus RBI seasons in both 2002 and 2003.
However, Nomar would fall out of favor with the Red Sox ownership team of John Henry and Tom Werner for his propensity to swing at the first pitch, his declining range at short and the injury bug. The Red Sox would trade Nomar to the Chicago Cubs on July 31, 2004 in a four team deal which brought Orlando Cabrera to Boston. Many believe this was the turning point in the Red Sox season which would result in their first World Series title since 1918. Indeed, came the equation 1918 + 34 + 33 + 24 - 5 = 2004. Translation: 1918 plus David Ortiz plus Jason Varitek plus Manny Ramirez minus Nomar equals 2004.
Nomar's post-Red Sox career was spotty although he was named NL Comeback Player of the Year in 2006 with the Dodgers when he hit .303 with 20 home runs and 93 RBI. However, the injury bug returned and he would finish his career last season with the Oakland Athletics. Last July, nearly five years after being traded away, Nomar returned to Fenway Park with a warm standing ovation.
Nomar finished his big league career with a .313 lifetime batting average, two AL batting titles, six All-Star Game appearances (five in the AL & one in the NL) and five post-season appearances. He will join ESPN as a baseball analyst.
He made the announcement at the Red Sox spring training facilities in Fort Myers, Florida.
Garciaparra made his MLB debut with the Red Sox late in the 1996 season. He would be named AL Rookie of the Year in 1997 when he collected a league leading 209 hits while batting .306. Nomar would be an instrumental part of the 1998 and 1999 AL Wild Card champion Red Sox. He finished runner up to Juan Gonzalez in the vote for the 1998 AL MVP. He would capture back to back AL batting titles in 1999 and 2000 hitting .357 and .372, respectively.
Nomar was part of a triumvirate of power hitting shortstops along with Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. Although he missed nearly the entire 2001 season with his wrist injury he would hit over .300 and have 100 plus RBI seasons in both 2002 and 2003.
However, Nomar would fall out of favor with the Red Sox ownership team of John Henry and Tom Werner for his propensity to swing at the first pitch, his declining range at short and the injury bug. The Red Sox would trade Nomar to the Chicago Cubs on July 31, 2004 in a four team deal which brought Orlando Cabrera to Boston. Many believe this was the turning point in the Red Sox season which would result in their first World Series title since 1918. Indeed, came the equation 1918 + 34 + 33 + 24 - 5 = 2004. Translation: 1918 plus David Ortiz plus Jason Varitek plus Manny Ramirez minus Nomar equals 2004.
Nomar's post-Red Sox career was spotty although he was named NL Comeback Player of the Year in 2006 with the Dodgers when he hit .303 with 20 home runs and 93 RBI. However, the injury bug returned and he would finish his career last season with the Oakland Athletics. Last July, nearly five years after being traded away, Nomar returned to Fenway Park with a warm standing ovation.
Nomar finished his big league career with a .313 lifetime batting average, two AL batting titles, six All-Star Game appearances (five in the AL & one in the NL) and five post-season appearances. He will join ESPN as a baseball analyst.
Corey Haim, 1971-2010. R.I.P.
Actor Corey Haim died this morning of a suspected accidental drug overdose. He was 38.
Haim's acting career began in his native Canada on the 1980s CBC TV show The Edison Twins.
He would eventually make his way to Hollywood where he made a strong impression with a starring role in the 1986 film Lucas with Winona Ryder and Charlie Sheen. Film critic Roger Ebert was effusive in his praise Haim's performance in Lucas:
He creates one of the most three-dimensional, complicated, interesting characters of any age in any recent movie. If he can continue to act this well, he will never become a half-forgotten child star, but will continue to grow into an important actor. He is that good.
After starring in the short-lived NBC comedy series Roomies, Haim appeared in his best known movie The Lost Boys with Kiefer Sutherland, Dianne Wiest and Corey Feldman. Haim and Feldman would then star in a series of low budget teen movies becoming known as "The Two Coreys." However, Haim's career would be sidetracked by drug abuse and he never became the important actor Ebert thought he would become.
Haim would reunite with Feldman for the reality series The Two Coreys which aired on A&E in 2007 and 2008. However, the series was discontinued due to Haim's ongoing problems with substance abuse. At the time of his death, Haim had been working on a horror film called The Dead Sea. He also had recently completed the film The Science of Cool with Mischa Barton, another troubled thespian.
Haim's acting career began in his native Canada on the 1980s CBC TV show The Edison Twins.
He would eventually make his way to Hollywood where he made a strong impression with a starring role in the 1986 film Lucas with Winona Ryder and Charlie Sheen. Film critic Roger Ebert was effusive in his praise Haim's performance in Lucas:
He creates one of the most three-dimensional, complicated, interesting characters of any age in any recent movie. If he can continue to act this well, he will never become a half-forgotten child star, but will continue to grow into an important actor. He is that good.
After starring in the short-lived NBC comedy series Roomies, Haim appeared in his best known movie The Lost Boys with Kiefer Sutherland, Dianne Wiest and Corey Feldman. Haim and Feldman would then star in a series of low budget teen movies becoming known as "The Two Coreys." However, Haim's career would be sidetracked by drug abuse and he never became the important actor Ebert thought he would become.
Haim would reunite with Feldman for the reality series The Two Coreys which aired on A&E in 2007 and 2008. However, the series was discontinued due to Haim's ongoing problems with substance abuse. At the time of his death, Haim had been working on a horror film called The Dead Sea. He also had recently completed the film The Science of Cool with Mischa Barton, another troubled thespian.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Willie Davis, 1940-2010. R.I.P.
Willie Davis, the man who patrolled centerfield for the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 1960s and early 1970s, was found dead in his Burbank home today. He would have turned 70 next month.
Davis appeared in three World Series with the Dodgers in 1963, 1965 and 1966. When people think of the Dodgers who played under Walter Alston in the 1960s they think of the pitching duo of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. If you think offense on those Dodger teams it is Maury Wills' NL MVP season in 1962 when he set a then NL record with 104 stolen bases. Davis finished a distant second with 32 swipes. Wills led the NL in stolen bases for six consecutive seasons.
But iin Game 5 of the 1965 World Series t was Davis who became the first player in MLB history to steal three bases during a World Series game. On one of the stolen bases he stumbled and fell yet somehow crawled safely into second base. Unfortunately, Davis had a forgettable World Series the following year. He committed three errors in one inning during Game 2 of the 1966 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles.
It was an ironic performance considering Davis would win three consecutive Gold Gloves for his play in center between 1971 and 1973. Davis would also be named to two NL All-Star teams in 1971 and 1973.
After spending 14 seasons with the Dodgers, Davis was traded to the Montreal Expos prior to the 1974 season for pitcher Mike Marshall. Unfortunately for Davis, the Dodgers would win the NL championship in 1974. Marshall would play a key part on that championship team winning the NL Cy Young Award.
Meanwhile, Davis lasted only one season in Montreal. He had stints with the Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres before playing two seasons in Japan. He returned to the bigs in 1979 as a bench player with the AL West Division champion California Angels.
Davis finished his career with more than 2,500 hits, nearly 400 stolen bases, a respectable .279 lifetime batting average and two World Series rings. As Ronald Reagan would say, "Not bad. Not bad at all."
Davis appeared in three World Series with the Dodgers in 1963, 1965 and 1966. When people think of the Dodgers who played under Walter Alston in the 1960s they think of the pitching duo of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. If you think offense on those Dodger teams it is Maury Wills' NL MVP season in 1962 when he set a then NL record with 104 stolen bases. Davis finished a distant second with 32 swipes. Wills led the NL in stolen bases for six consecutive seasons.
But iin Game 5 of the 1965 World Series t was Davis who became the first player in MLB history to steal three bases during a World Series game. On one of the stolen bases he stumbled and fell yet somehow crawled safely into second base. Unfortunately, Davis had a forgettable World Series the following year. He committed three errors in one inning during Game 2 of the 1966 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles.
It was an ironic performance considering Davis would win three consecutive Gold Gloves for his play in center between 1971 and 1973. Davis would also be named to two NL All-Star teams in 1971 and 1973.
After spending 14 seasons with the Dodgers, Davis was traded to the Montreal Expos prior to the 1974 season for pitcher Mike Marshall. Unfortunately for Davis, the Dodgers would win the NL championship in 1974. Marshall would play a key part on that championship team winning the NL Cy Young Award.
Meanwhile, Davis lasted only one season in Montreal. He had stints with the Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres before playing two seasons in Japan. He returned to the bigs in 1979 as a bench player with the AL West Division champion California Angels.
Davis finished his career with more than 2,500 hits, nearly 400 stolen bases, a respectable .279 lifetime batting average and two World Series rings. As Ronald Reagan would say, "Not bad. Not bad at all."
What Happens When Liberals Speak Kindly of Palin
I came across this blog post by Ilana Angel, a self-described pro-choice, pro-gay marriage Jewish Democrat. While she would never vote for Sarah Palin in a million years it just happens she likes Sarah Palin as a person.
Ms. Angel had a chance encounter with Palin when the former Alaska Governor was in Los Angeles last week meeting with reality show producer Mark Burnett.
Needless to say, the fit hit the shan. Angel writes:
I did not write a political blog yesterday. I wrote about having a chance encounter with someone in the public eye, who I happen to think is interesting. Just because I think her politics are scary, does not mean that I can’t think she is a nice human being.
Conservatives wrote fast and furious to let me know they respected the bravery of my article, considering I was not a supporter of Sarah as a politician. I think it’s a sad day in America when people feel the need to commend you for being decent.
Liberals wrote to say that I took my picture with Hitler, was fraternizing with the enemy, and should be ashamed of myself. Six of my “friends” were so disgusted with my blog, that they decided to “un-friend” me on Facebook.
Listen to me people, just because you talk to a woman about glasses, purses, children, and dating, does not mean that you are going to sit down for a glass of Kool-Aid, and give up on everything that you believe in. Liking Sarah Palin is not a sin. Judging her as a politician, rather than a human being, is.
I noticed that in the feedback section a reader named Leigh made reference and included an excerpt from my column, "Sarah Palin is the Israel of American Politics" which I wrote shortly after the 2008 election:
If Sarah Palin were a member state of the UN she would be condemned daily by the General Assembly for transgressions both real and imagined.
Those who hate Israel are prepared to believe any unkind word said about it. If Israel-haters are told that Israelis use the blood of Palestinian children to make Purim pastries they accept it as the gospel truth. Those who hate Sarah Palin are prepared to believe any unkind word said about her. When unnamed sources from the McCain campaign were alleged to have said that Palin didn’t know Africa was a continent, the Palin haters accepted it as an article of faith. Never mind that Palin led an effort to have Alaska divest its holdings in the Darfur region of Sudan. Those who hate Palin are not interested in the truth. They are interested only in seeing grievous harm come to her.
Apparently, they also wish ill will upon anyone who speaks kindly of Palin especially amongst their ideological comrades. Ilana Angel is an increasingly rare example of liberal tolerance amongst liberals.
Ms. Angel had a chance encounter with Palin when the former Alaska Governor was in Los Angeles last week meeting with reality show producer Mark Burnett.
Needless to say, the fit hit the shan. Angel writes:
I did not write a political blog yesterday. I wrote about having a chance encounter with someone in the public eye, who I happen to think is interesting. Just because I think her politics are scary, does not mean that I can’t think she is a nice human being.
Conservatives wrote fast and furious to let me know they respected the bravery of my article, considering I was not a supporter of Sarah as a politician. I think it’s a sad day in America when people feel the need to commend you for being decent.
Liberals wrote to say that I took my picture with Hitler, was fraternizing with the enemy, and should be ashamed of myself. Six of my “friends” were so disgusted with my blog, that they decided to “un-friend” me on Facebook.
Listen to me people, just because you talk to a woman about glasses, purses, children, and dating, does not mean that you are going to sit down for a glass of Kool-Aid, and give up on everything that you believe in. Liking Sarah Palin is not a sin. Judging her as a politician, rather than a human being, is.
I noticed that in the feedback section a reader named Leigh made reference and included an excerpt from my column, "Sarah Palin is the Israel of American Politics" which I wrote shortly after the 2008 election:
If Sarah Palin were a member state of the UN she would be condemned daily by the General Assembly for transgressions both real and imagined.
Those who hate Israel are prepared to believe any unkind word said about it. If Israel-haters are told that Israelis use the blood of Palestinian children to make Purim pastries they accept it as the gospel truth. Those who hate Sarah Palin are prepared to believe any unkind word said about her. When unnamed sources from the McCain campaign were alleged to have said that Palin didn’t know Africa was a continent, the Palin haters accepted it as an article of faith. Never mind that Palin led an effort to have Alaska divest its holdings in the Darfur region of Sudan. Those who hate Palin are not interested in the truth. They are interested only in seeing grievous harm come to her.
Apparently, they also wish ill will upon anyone who speaks kindly of Palin especially amongst their ideological comrades. Ilana Angel is an increasingly rare example of liberal tolerance amongst liberals.
Biden Condemns Israel Over Settlements
Vice-President Joe Biden has blasted Israel over its plan to construct an additional 1,600 housing units in East Jerusalem.
Biden said, "I condemn the decision by the government of Israel to advance planning for new housing units in East Jerusalem." He went on to say, "We must build an atmosphere to support negotiations, not complicate them."
The Vice-President is traveling in the Middle East in an effort to reignite peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. In other words, he's there to pressure Israel into making concessions.
It would be nice if Biden were to have "condemned" the Palestinian Authority when they postponed presidential and parliamentary elections indefinitely last November. But that would have been meddling now. Elections in the Palestinian territories are anyone's guess. Apparently it is of no concern to Biden or President Obama.
Biden said, "I condemn the decision by the government of Israel to advance planning for new housing units in East Jerusalem." He went on to say, "We must build an atmosphere to support negotiations, not complicate them."
The Vice-President is traveling in the Middle East in an effort to reignite peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. In other words, he's there to pressure Israel into making concessions.
It would be nice if Biden were to have "condemned" the Palestinian Authority when they postponed presidential and parliamentary elections indefinitely last November. But that would have been meddling now. Elections in the Palestinian territories are anyone's guess. Apparently it is of no concern to Biden or President Obama.
Lindsay Lohan Files The Most Ridiculous Lawsuit Ever
Actress Lindsay Lohan has filed a $100 million lawsuit against E*Trade.
Lohan alleges the ad they ran during the Superbowl which included a "milkaholic" baby named Lindsay improperly used her "likeness, name, characterization, and personality" without permission.
She also argues that she has instant single name recognition like Oprah or Madonna. Um, when I hear the name Lindsay I think of the late British film director Lindsay Anderson. Especially when he slaps Malcolm McDowell with a script at the conclusion of O Lucky Man. Too bad Mr. Anderson isn't around to slap some sense into Ms. Lohan.
I can tell you that when I watched that ad Lindsay Lohan was the furthest thing from my mind. Hopefully, a New York judge will see things the same way and throw out her case out of court. For good measure, the judge should order Lohan to pay E*Trade's legal costs.
Then again given Lohan's history of childish behavior I can see how she could be mistaken for a baby.
Lohan alleges the ad they ran during the Superbowl which included a "milkaholic" baby named Lindsay improperly used her "likeness, name, characterization, and personality" without permission.
She also argues that she has instant single name recognition like Oprah or Madonna. Um, when I hear the name Lindsay I think of the late British film director Lindsay Anderson. Especially when he slaps Malcolm McDowell with a script at the conclusion of O Lucky Man. Too bad Mr. Anderson isn't around to slap some sense into Ms. Lohan.
I can tell you that when I watched that ad Lindsay Lohan was the furthest thing from my mind. Hopefully, a New York judge will see things the same way and throw out her case out of court. For good measure, the judge should order Lohan to pay E*Trade's legal costs.
Then again given Lohan's history of childish behavior I can see how she could be mistaken for a baby.
Betty White to Host SNL in May
It's what the people want. Actress Betty White will co-host Saturday Night Live in May alongside former SNL alumnus Molly Shannon.
After White's appearance in a Snickers commercial during the Super Bowl, Facebook users petitioned SNL producer Lorne Michaels to include her as a guest host. In all more than half a million people signed on. Now if only the Obama Administration were this responsive with regard to health care.
At 88, White will become the oldest person to host SNL. Miskell Spillman was 80 years old when she hosted SNL in December 1977. Spillman was the winner of the "Anyone Can Host" SNL contest. She died in 1992 at the age of 94.
As baseball legend Satchel Paige often said, "Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."
After White's appearance in a Snickers commercial during the Super Bowl, Facebook users petitioned SNL producer Lorne Michaels to include her as a guest host. In all more than half a million people signed on. Now if only the Obama Administration were this responsive with regard to health care.
At 88, White will become the oldest person to host SNL. Miskell Spillman was 80 years old when she hosted SNL in December 1977. Spillman was the winner of the "Anyone Can Host" SNL contest. She died in 1992 at the age of 94.
As baseball legend Satchel Paige often said, "Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."
The Sean Penn Freedom of the Press Award Goes To....
It's good to hear that Sean Penn believes in freedom of the press.
In an interview with Bill Maher on Friday, the Academy Award winning actor said that journalists who described Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez as "a dictator" should be sent "to prison for these kinds of lies."
This from a man who less than three years ago referred to former President George W. Bush as "our country’s and our Constitution’s most devastating enemy."
So in Penn's book calling Chavez a dictator earns you prison time while calling Bush an enemy gets you an Academy Award.
Come to think of it I wonder how Penn thinks photographers who take unflattering pictures of Hugo should be disciplined.
In an interview with Bill Maher on Friday, the Academy Award winning actor said that journalists who described Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez as "a dictator" should be sent "to prison for these kinds of lies."
This from a man who less than three years ago referred to former President George W. Bush as "our country’s and our Constitution’s most devastating enemy."
So in Penn's book calling Chavez a dictator earns you prison time while calling Bush an enemy gets you an Academy Award.
Come to think of it I wonder how Penn thinks photographers who take unflattering pictures of Hugo should be disciplined.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Police Investigate Dehydration Death in UK Hospital
This is absolutely bloody awful.
Last May, a 22-year-old man named Kane Gorny was admitted to St. George's Hospital in South London for hip replacement surgery. Hospital staff would never bother to administer him with any medication much less water. Three days later Gorny would die of dehydration.
The coroner investigating Gorny's death has now referred the matter to the police who may charge the hospital with manslaughter. Ironically, Gorny contacted police during his stay at St. George's in an effort to get a glass of water. Unfortunately for Gorny, hospital staff were able to convince the police that Gorny was receiving the proper care. Gorny would die less than 24 hours later.
To add insult to injury Gorny's mother said, 'When I went back to the hospital I was told that all the nurses had been offered counselling as they were so traumatised, but nothing was offered to me."
I came pretty close to moving to Britain. Thank goodness I didn't because I wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of Britannia Hospital. It doesn't exactly inspire confidence in Britain's National Health Service. So why does President Obama want to import it here?
Last May, a 22-year-old man named Kane Gorny was admitted to St. George's Hospital in South London for hip replacement surgery. Hospital staff would never bother to administer him with any medication much less water. Three days later Gorny would die of dehydration.
The coroner investigating Gorny's death has now referred the matter to the police who may charge the hospital with manslaughter. Ironically, Gorny contacted police during his stay at St. George's in an effort to get a glass of water. Unfortunately for Gorny, hospital staff were able to convince the police that Gorny was receiving the proper care. Gorny would die less than 24 hours later.
To add insult to injury Gorny's mother said, 'When I went back to the hospital I was told that all the nurses had been offered counselling as they were so traumatised, but nothing was offered to me."
I came pretty close to moving to Britain. Thank goodness I didn't because I wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of Britannia Hospital. It doesn't exactly inspire confidence in Britain's National Health Service. So why does President Obama want to import it here?
Andrée Peel, 1905-2010. R.I.P.
Andrée Peel, an instrumental figure in the French Resistance during the Second World War, died on Friday due to complications from a fractured hip in Britain. She was 105.
Risking her life to help Allied pilots she became affectionately known as Agent Rose.
Indeed, she spent time in the Buchenwald concentration camp and was literally moments away from being shot by a firing squad when American troops arrived to liberate the camp.
Peel would later remark, "You don't know what freedom is if you have never lost it."
It is difficult to appreciate freedom if you haven't had to fight for it. And what I mean is by fighting for freedom you have the knowledge that you might lose and not live to fight another day. I can definitively state I have never been in such a precarious position. Sometimes our blessings are a curse.
Risking her life to help Allied pilots she became affectionately known as Agent Rose.
Indeed, she spent time in the Buchenwald concentration camp and was literally moments away from being shot by a firing squad when American troops arrived to liberate the camp.
Peel would later remark, "You don't know what freedom is if you have never lost it."
It is difficult to appreciate freedom if you haven't had to fight for it. And what I mean is by fighting for freedom you have the knowledge that you might lose and not live to fight another day. I can definitively state I have never been in such a precarious position. Sometimes our blessings are a curse.
The Difference between Clinton and Obama
Clinton held his thumb up to the wind to test the direction of the polls and let them govern his administration. Obama holds his thumb up to the wind to test the direction of the polls to tell him how to spin his "Bolshevik plot" and mask its true intent.
Obama is a Liar and a Fool!
and he takes us all for chumps!
He says doctors and nurses should make medical decisions, not insurance executives. I agree!, except his plan would replace government bureaucrats for insurance execs. If you do not believe me, read the 2400 page Senate health bill. It is chock full of examples of what treatments and protocols must and must not be offered in health plans. It gives the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the President’s political appointee, unprecedented authority to decide treatment protocols, not just for plans offered within the insurance exchanges, but for ALL insurance plans offered throughout the United States. If you do not believe me, read the bill! Sarah Palin was ridiculed for claiming the bills contained ‘death panels’. If you are dying of cancer and some government bureaucrat decides you cannot get life-saving medicine because they would rather spend the money on some government subsidy, you tell me what to call it!
Obama repeated his claim, ‘if you like your plan, you can keep your plan.” THAT IS A LIE!!!!, an outright baldfaced lie! There are many plans currently in existence that will not qualify under all of the new regulation. If you are on ANY of those plans and you like it, tough luck! Obama claims you will get a better deal in the health exchange. Maybe, maybe not. That is hardly the point! Obama’s claim is patently false! and he knows it! He admitted it publicly at the health summit last week. OBAMA DOES NOT CARE! He repeated the patent baldfaced lie today! right at the top of his speech. If we cannot trust the President of the United States to tell us the truth when he is selling health reform, how can we trust him to deliver on his promises after it has passed?
Obama claims health reform money is “not spent wisely” and his plan will do a better job. For anyone who ever had any doubt, Obama is telling you straight up! He knows how to spend your money better than you do!
Obama claims his plan is “paid for.” Through massive tax increases both direct and indirect in an economy with double digit unemployment, yes. If anyone thinks that the taxes levied on the insurancecompanies, the pharmaceutical companies and the medical device companies will not be passed on to them, they are dreaming! That is not even mentioning the revenue double counting and other accounting gimmicks including treating the “doctor’s fix” separately in order to arrive at this fictitious number. It is shocking that Bernie Madoff goes to jail for 100 years but Obama, Reid and Pelosi walk the streets for the same sham accounting!
Obama claims his plan will strengthen Medicare. If taking $500 billion dollars strengthens a program that is currently broke, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. Further, Obama’s plan does NOTHING! to deal with the over-billing that occurs in the private health insurance market because Medicare does not reimburse medical service providers for the actual cost of providing care.
Obama claims Republican proposals “tinker at the edges.” If opening the insurance market to REAL interstate competition so if your insurance company raises your rates you can shop for a new policy is “tinkering at the edges,” then the nicotine from all those cigarettes Obama smokes is destroying his cognitive abilities. That is to say nothing of the “tinkering” that his malpractice reform studies will perform as compared to REAL malpractice reform.
Obama is not lying about two things though. This vote, unlike any that Congress has ever taken, is about both “life and death decisions” and “what country we want to be.” If we want to become the country where the federal government MANDATES what insurance we must buy and how much we must pay for it, where government bureaucrats ration care in order to lower cost, then Congress should support the President’s proposal. However, if Members of Congress want to STAND UP and say we live in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and are not some socialist or communist dictatorship! they should STAND UP AND BE COUNTED!
Obama asked incredulously if we think his health plan is some “Bolshevik Plot?” Yes Mr Presdient, we do!
http://eyeonfreedom.com/index.php/obama-is-a-liar-and-a-fool/
He says doctors and nurses should make medical decisions, not insurance executives. I agree!, except his plan would replace government bureaucrats for insurance execs. If you do not believe me, read the 2400 page Senate health bill. It is chock full of examples of what treatments and protocols must and must not be offered in health plans. It gives the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the President’s political appointee, unprecedented authority to decide treatment protocols, not just for plans offered within the insurance exchanges, but for ALL insurance plans offered throughout the United States. If you do not believe me, read the bill! Sarah Palin was ridiculed for claiming the bills contained ‘death panels’. If you are dying of cancer and some government bureaucrat decides you cannot get life-saving medicine because they would rather spend the money on some government subsidy, you tell me what to call it!
Obama repeated his claim, ‘if you like your plan, you can keep your plan.” THAT IS A LIE!!!!, an outright baldfaced lie! There are many plans currently in existence that will not qualify under all of the new regulation. If you are on ANY of those plans and you like it, tough luck! Obama claims you will get a better deal in the health exchange. Maybe, maybe not. That is hardly the point! Obama’s claim is patently false! and he knows it! He admitted it publicly at the health summit last week. OBAMA DOES NOT CARE! He repeated the patent baldfaced lie today! right at the top of his speech. If we cannot trust the President of the United States to tell us the truth when he is selling health reform, how can we trust him to deliver on his promises after it has passed?
Obama claims health reform money is “not spent wisely” and his plan will do a better job. For anyone who ever had any doubt, Obama is telling you straight up! He knows how to spend your money better than you do!
Obama claims his plan is “paid for.” Through massive tax increases both direct and indirect in an economy with double digit unemployment, yes. If anyone thinks that the taxes levied on the insurancecompanies, the pharmaceutical companies and the medical device companies will not be passed on to them, they are dreaming! That is not even mentioning the revenue double counting and other accounting gimmicks including treating the “doctor’s fix” separately in order to arrive at this fictitious number. It is shocking that Bernie Madoff goes to jail for 100 years but Obama, Reid and Pelosi walk the streets for the same sham accounting!
Obama claims his plan will strengthen Medicare. If taking $500 billion dollars strengthens a program that is currently broke, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. Further, Obama’s plan does NOTHING! to deal with the over-billing that occurs in the private health insurance market because Medicare does not reimburse medical service providers for the actual cost of providing care.
Obama claims Republican proposals “tinker at the edges.” If opening the insurance market to REAL interstate competition so if your insurance company raises your rates you can shop for a new policy is “tinkering at the edges,” then the nicotine from all those cigarettes Obama smokes is destroying his cognitive abilities. That is to say nothing of the “tinkering” that his malpractice reform studies will perform as compared to REAL malpractice reform.
Obama is not lying about two things though. This vote, unlike any that Congress has ever taken, is about both “life and death decisions” and “what country we want to be.” If we want to become the country where the federal government MANDATES what insurance we must buy and how much we must pay for it, where government bureaucrats ration care in order to lower cost, then Congress should support the President’s proposal. However, if Members of Congress want to STAND UP and say we live in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and are not some socialist or communist dictatorship! they should STAND UP AND BE COUNTED!
Obama asked incredulously if we think his health plan is some “Bolshevik Plot?” Yes Mr Presdient, we do!
http://eyeonfreedom.com/index.php/obama-is-a-liar-and-a-fool/
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Thoughts on the 82nd Annual Academy Awards
The telecast of the 82nd Annual Academy Awards concluded a short time ago.
The Hurt Locker won six of the nine awards for which it was nominated including Best Picture and Best Director for Kathryn Bigelow. It marks the first time a woman has won in that category.
There weren't any surprises of note. Jeff Bridges won Best Actor for his portrayal of an alcoholic country singer in Crazy Heart. I haven't seen the movie but it reminds me of an updated version of Tender Mercies where Robert Duvall plays an alcoholic country singer. Duvall won a Best Actor trophy for that role more than a quarter century ago. Interestingly, Duvall is also in Crazy Heart. Still, it was nice to see Bridges recognized. He is a vastly underappreciated actor as were his parents whom he thanked posthumously.
Sandra Bullock won Best Actress for The Blind Side. Last night, Bullock was the recipient of the Golden Raspberry Award (or Razzie) for Worst Actress in All About Steve. Bullock accepted the award in person. It marks the first time an actor or actress has won an Oscar and a Razzie in the same year albeit for a different performance. A few years back Halle Berry won a Razzie for her performance in Catwoman and accepted the award in person. The Razzie came four years after she won Best Actress for Monster's Ball.
As widely expected, Christoph Waltz won Best Supporting Actor for Inglourious Basterds while Mo'Nique won Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Precious. I'm not sure what she meant when she said during her acceptance speech, “I would like to thank the Academy for proving that it can be about the performance and not the politics." It could be she was referring to reports about her behavior with regard to promoting the film. But by the time she won the Golden Globe for best supporting actress back in January she was the clear favorite at the Oscars. So methinks she doth protest too much.
Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin were not as annoying as I thought they would be. Still, I would have preferred if Neil Patrick Harris had hosted. Harris did host The Tony Awards last June. He opened the Oscars with a comedic musical number.
Most Oscar shows have live performances of the nominees for Best Original Song. But this was absent from this year's Oscar telecast. The music on this year's show was sparse. Aside from the opening number from Harris there was a dance montage for Best Original Score and a performance of the Beatles "In My Life" by James Taylor during the In Memoriam segment. I thought that was particularly unusual. In previous years, the orchestra provides the musical accompaniment to the In Memoriam section as it does for the Grammys and the Emmys. As much as I like Taylor his performance seemed out of place for that particular segment.
I did, however, like the tribute for John Hughes.
There wasn't much in the way of political content this year. Of course, Hollywood is Obama Central so they were comfortably mum. With regard to The Hurt Locker both Bigelow and script writer Mark Boal made a point of giving thanks to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
When The Cove (a film about dolphin hunting in Japan) won for Best Documentary Feature, Ric O'Barry unfurled a banner instructing viewers to text the word "dolphin" the cameras quickly cut away to the audience. I'm not sure what suprises me more. That Fisher Stevens was once Michelle Pfeffer's boyfriend or that is he is now an Academy Award winner (Stevens co-produced the documentary.)
Ben Stiller came out dressed as a Na'vi from Avatar to present the award for Best Makeup. However, contrary to what was reported in USA Today, Stiller wasn't speaking Na'vi he was reciting a Hebrew prayer. This is the second year in a row, Stiller has come out in a funny get up. Last year, he dressed up as a disheveled Joaquin Phoenix on the heels of his infamous appearance with David Letterman.
But perhaps the weirdest moment of the show came at the end of the night was when Tom Hanks came out and instead of naming the ten movies nominated for Best Picture simply announced that The Hurt Locker had won. Bigelow, who had won her Best Director statuette moments earlier, had to scurry back on stage. Not that I minded looking at her. I don't know if she's had plastic surgery done but she looks fantastic at 58. Was she wearing high heels or is she like six foot, three? Either way tonight Kathryn Bigelow stands tall.
Still, if time can't be found to name all ten movies nominated for Best Picture when it comes time to present the award then I think the Motion Picture Academy should reduce it back to five films next year. Paradoxically, expanding the number of films from five to ten actually generated less buzz for most of those movies. The only two movies nominated that I saw were Up and An Education. Yet they merited almost no discussion. It was basically the battle between The Hurt Locker and Avatar and mainly because Bigelow and James Cameron were once married to each other (although they have an amicable relationship.)
The Academy Awards ceremonies have had declining viewership in recent years. I don't know if this year will stem the tide. If not I'd give fresh blood like Neil Patrick Harris a shot or find a way to persuade Billy Crystal to host one more time.
The Hurt Locker won six of the nine awards for which it was nominated including Best Picture and Best Director for Kathryn Bigelow. It marks the first time a woman has won in that category.
There weren't any surprises of note. Jeff Bridges won Best Actor for his portrayal of an alcoholic country singer in Crazy Heart. I haven't seen the movie but it reminds me of an updated version of Tender Mercies where Robert Duvall plays an alcoholic country singer. Duvall won a Best Actor trophy for that role more than a quarter century ago. Interestingly, Duvall is also in Crazy Heart. Still, it was nice to see Bridges recognized. He is a vastly underappreciated actor as were his parents whom he thanked posthumously.
Sandra Bullock won Best Actress for The Blind Side. Last night, Bullock was the recipient of the Golden Raspberry Award (or Razzie) for Worst Actress in All About Steve. Bullock accepted the award in person. It marks the first time an actor or actress has won an Oscar and a Razzie in the same year albeit for a different performance. A few years back Halle Berry won a Razzie for her performance in Catwoman and accepted the award in person. The Razzie came four years after she won Best Actress for Monster's Ball.
As widely expected, Christoph Waltz won Best Supporting Actor for Inglourious Basterds while Mo'Nique won Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Precious. I'm not sure what she meant when she said during her acceptance speech, “I would like to thank the Academy for proving that it can be about the performance and not the politics." It could be she was referring to reports about her behavior with regard to promoting the film. But by the time she won the Golden Globe for best supporting actress back in January she was the clear favorite at the Oscars. So methinks she doth protest too much.
Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin were not as annoying as I thought they would be. Still, I would have preferred if Neil Patrick Harris had hosted. Harris did host The Tony Awards last June. He opened the Oscars with a comedic musical number.
Most Oscar shows have live performances of the nominees for Best Original Song. But this was absent from this year's Oscar telecast. The music on this year's show was sparse. Aside from the opening number from Harris there was a dance montage for Best Original Score and a performance of the Beatles "In My Life" by James Taylor during the In Memoriam segment. I thought that was particularly unusual. In previous years, the orchestra provides the musical accompaniment to the In Memoriam section as it does for the Grammys and the Emmys. As much as I like Taylor his performance seemed out of place for that particular segment.
I did, however, like the tribute for John Hughes.
There wasn't much in the way of political content this year. Of course, Hollywood is Obama Central so they were comfortably mum. With regard to The Hurt Locker both Bigelow and script writer Mark Boal made a point of giving thanks to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
When The Cove (a film about dolphin hunting in Japan) won for Best Documentary Feature, Ric O'Barry unfurled a banner instructing viewers to text the word "dolphin" the cameras quickly cut away to the audience. I'm not sure what suprises me more. That Fisher Stevens was once Michelle Pfeffer's boyfriend or that is he is now an Academy Award winner (Stevens co-produced the documentary.)
Ben Stiller came out dressed as a Na'vi from Avatar to present the award for Best Makeup. However, contrary to what was reported in USA Today, Stiller wasn't speaking Na'vi he was reciting a Hebrew prayer. This is the second year in a row, Stiller has come out in a funny get up. Last year, he dressed up as a disheveled Joaquin Phoenix on the heels of his infamous appearance with David Letterman.
But perhaps the weirdest moment of the show came at the end of the night was when Tom Hanks came out and instead of naming the ten movies nominated for Best Picture simply announced that The Hurt Locker had won. Bigelow, who had won her Best Director statuette moments earlier, had to scurry back on stage. Not that I minded looking at her. I don't know if she's had plastic surgery done but she looks fantastic at 58. Was she wearing high heels or is she like six foot, three? Either way tonight Kathryn Bigelow stands tall.
Still, if time can't be found to name all ten movies nominated for Best Picture when it comes time to present the award then I think the Motion Picture Academy should reduce it back to five films next year. Paradoxically, expanding the number of films from five to ten actually generated less buzz for most of those movies. The only two movies nominated that I saw were Up and An Education. Yet they merited almost no discussion. It was basically the battle between The Hurt Locker and Avatar and mainly because Bigelow and James Cameron were once married to each other (although they have an amicable relationship.)
The Academy Awards ceremonies have had declining viewership in recent years. I don't know if this year will stem the tide. If not I'd give fresh blood like Neil Patrick Harris a shot or find a way to persuade Billy Crystal to host one more time.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Troubling resemblance
Why has the radical fringe left wing group MEChA chosen to use as their symbol something closely resembling the Nazis' emblem?
Re: My video interview with Phyllis Schlafly
Rachel, I think it is wonderful you had an opportunity to interview a conservative icon like Phyllis Schlafly.
However, I was unable to hear most of her responses with all the noise in the background. Not your fault. I can imagine you were in a crowded room and had to make due with those conditions. Furthermore, I'm sure you weren't the only interviewer put in that position.
What you might suggest to the CPAC organizers for next year's conference is if they were to set aside smaller rooms for these interviews. It would be you, your guest and the camera guy. No background noise.
The Phyllis Schlafly's of the world will not be around forever. In a small but important way your interviews contribute the preservation of the American conservative movement and the people who helped shape its past, present and future. However, unless Phyllis Schlafly can be fully heard those efforts towards preservation will be lost.
However, I was unable to hear most of her responses with all the noise in the background. Not your fault. I can imagine you were in a crowded room and had to make due with those conditions. Furthermore, I'm sure you weren't the only interviewer put in that position.
What you might suggest to the CPAC organizers for next year's conference is if they were to set aside smaller rooms for these interviews. It would be you, your guest and the camera guy. No background noise.
The Phyllis Schlafly's of the world will not be around forever. In a small but important way your interviews contribute the preservation of the American conservative movement and the people who helped shape its past, present and future. However, unless Phyllis Schlafly can be fully heard those efforts towards preservation will be lost.
Thoughts on the Possible KSM Trial About Face
It would appear that the Obama Administration will do an about face and recommend that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed be tried before a military tribunal rather than in civilian court.
A decision is expected before President Obama leaves the country on March 18th before an overseas visit of Indonesia and Australia.
A couple of observations.
First, Dana Perino and Bill Burck don't have a lot of faith in Lindsey Graham and fear that the trial of KSM and other Gitmo detainees before military tribunals will come at the price of shuttering Gitmo for good. Back in the beginning of the year I wrote an article about the six stupidest things President Obama had done in 2009. At number two, I listed trying KSM in NYC. At number one? Closing Gitmo. There's no reason to do it apart from mollifying a bunch of bleeding hearts who hold Islamic fundamentalist terrorists in higher esteem than our own soldiers.
Second, there's a connection to Obamacare. Given that Robert Gibbs announced that March 18th would be the deadline to pass Obamacare the fact there would be an announcement on KSM at almost the same time is a strong indication they don't think it will pass the House. The embarrassment of not passing Obamacare on the White House would be offset by an about face on KSM. And, of course, there's nothing preventing Obama from trying to pass another version of Obamacare after March 18th. Since when has President Obama let his own words impede him?
A decision is expected before President Obama leaves the country on March 18th before an overseas visit of Indonesia and Australia.
A couple of observations.
First, Dana Perino and Bill Burck don't have a lot of faith in Lindsey Graham and fear that the trial of KSM and other Gitmo detainees before military tribunals will come at the price of shuttering Gitmo for good. Back in the beginning of the year I wrote an article about the six stupidest things President Obama had done in 2009. At number two, I listed trying KSM in NYC. At number one? Closing Gitmo. There's no reason to do it apart from mollifying a bunch of bleeding hearts who hold Islamic fundamentalist terrorists in higher esteem than our own soldiers.
Second, there's a connection to Obamacare. Given that Robert Gibbs announced that March 18th would be the deadline to pass Obamacare the fact there would be an announcement on KSM at almost the same time is a strong indication they don't think it will pass the House. The embarrassment of not passing Obamacare on the White House would be offset by an about face on KSM. And, of course, there's nothing preventing Obama from trying to pass another version of Obamacare after March 18th. Since when has President Obama let his own words impede him?
Thursday, March 4, 2010
The Return of Fidel
Newsweek has an article about the re-emergence of Fidel Castro in Cuba. Having recovered from his intestinal problems Fidel has reasserted his authority despite having formally relinquished it to brother Raul more than three and a half years ago. I think the article paints Raul almost like a Gorbachev figure. That I can assure you he isn't. Nonetheless, the piece clearly states the return of Fidel is not a good thing for Cuba:
But as long as Fidel is calling the shots, the Cuban economy will remain unproductive, the youth will remain restive, and relations with the U.S. will remain at an impasse....Which leaves everyone, on and off the island, pretty much where they were three and a half years ago: waiting for Fidel to die.
That I am afraid pretty much sums things up.
But as long as Fidel is calling the shots, the Cuban economy will remain unproductive, the youth will remain restive, and relations with the U.S. will remain at an impasse....Which leaves everyone, on and off the island, pretty much where they were three and a half years ago: waiting for Fidel to die.
That I am afraid pretty much sums things up.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Did Bunning Throw a Brushback Pitch?
Over at The American Spectator, Jeri Thompson praises Senator Jim Bunning's recent (and I might I add successful) filibuster on unemployment benefits, COBRA and other federal programs.
Fortunately, Bunning's objections were specifically focused and this filibuster lasted only a couple of days. If it had lingered it would have hurt Republicans in the long term. The reason I make this point is because Bunning is not seek re-election this fall. If Bunning were running again Democrats would seize on this from now until November. Simply put I don't think Bunning would have taken this stand if he were seeking re-election. What does a politician gain from going after people's pocketbooks? Unless he's not going before the voters then absolutely nothing.
There isn't exactly any love lost between Bunning and Senate Minority Leader (and fellow Kentuckian) Mitch McConnell. So Bunning doesn't exactly care if McConnell sweats a little. He does not have any stake in the outcome of this fall's elections regardless of his conservative credentials. Bunning would have held out for as long as it was going to take. It would have been of no consequence to him. The Hall of Fame pitcher was throwing brush back pitches to McConnell and Harry Reid alike. Bunning established his part of the plate and they got the message - for now.
Fortunately, Bunning's objections were specifically focused and this filibuster lasted only a couple of days. If it had lingered it would have hurt Republicans in the long term. The reason I make this point is because Bunning is not seek re-election this fall. If Bunning were running again Democrats would seize on this from now until November. Simply put I don't think Bunning would have taken this stand if he were seeking re-election. What does a politician gain from going after people's pocketbooks? Unless he's not going before the voters then absolutely nothing.
There isn't exactly any love lost between Bunning and Senate Minority Leader (and fellow Kentuckian) Mitch McConnell. So Bunning doesn't exactly care if McConnell sweats a little. He does not have any stake in the outcome of this fall's elections regardless of his conservative credentials. Bunning would have held out for as long as it was going to take. It would have been of no consequence to him. The Hall of Fame pitcher was throwing brush back pitches to McConnell and Harry Reid alike. Bunning established his part of the plate and they got the message - for now.
Michael Foot, 1913-2010. R.I.P.
Michael Foot, leader of Britain's Labour Party from 1980 to 1983, died today after a lengthy illness. He was 96.
Foot had the unenviable task of being leader of Her Majesty's Official Opposition during the early years of Margaret Thatcher. While the Tories quickly became unpopular many Britons still had unpleasant memories of the Labour governments of Harold Wilson and James Callaghan leading up to the winter of discontent.
No sooner that Foot succeeded Callaghan than four prominent Labour MPs (Roy Jenkins, Shirley Williams, David Owen and Bill Rodgers) defected and formed the Social Democratic Party (now known as the Liberal Democratic Party.) Foot's leadership culminated with the disastorous 1983 general election. The Labour Manifesto consisted of planks such as the nationalization of all industry, unilateral disarmament and withdrawal from the European Economic Community (granted he did have support from some Tories on that front.) While that might appear straight out of the Obama playbook a generation ago it cost Labour 51 seats. It was Labour's worst electoral showing in half a century.
With Thatcher's triumph in the Falklands and Britain's economy in recovery fellow Labour MP Gerald Kaufman referred to the Labour platform as "the longest suicide note in history." Foot resigned the party leadership following election and was succeeded by Neil Kinnock who continued Labour's journey in the wilderness.
Yet it would be foolish to dismiss him as mere foil for Thatcher. Despite Foot's radicalism he came across as an affable human being who came by his opinions honestly. Although he was an avowed socialist he rejected Soviet communism and was outspoken against Soviet repression in Hungary and Czechoslovakia. He served as a parliamentarian for more than four decades. His eloquence and integrity earned him the respect of friend and foe alike.
A journalist by trade, Foot wrote biographies about Jonathan Swift, Bertrand Russell, H.G. Wells and Aneurin Bevan (the man who established Britain's National Health Service). He was a lover of both Plymouth Argyle (a football club) and poetry.
Socialism in Britain has come a long way since Foot led the Labour Party and I'm afraid not for the better. It's probably just as well he won't witness what will come to pass.
Foot had the unenviable task of being leader of Her Majesty's Official Opposition during the early years of Margaret Thatcher. While the Tories quickly became unpopular many Britons still had unpleasant memories of the Labour governments of Harold Wilson and James Callaghan leading up to the winter of discontent.
No sooner that Foot succeeded Callaghan than four prominent Labour MPs (Roy Jenkins, Shirley Williams, David Owen and Bill Rodgers) defected and formed the Social Democratic Party (now known as the Liberal Democratic Party.) Foot's leadership culminated with the disastorous 1983 general election. The Labour Manifesto consisted of planks such as the nationalization of all industry, unilateral disarmament and withdrawal from the European Economic Community (granted he did have support from some Tories on that front.) While that might appear straight out of the Obama playbook a generation ago it cost Labour 51 seats. It was Labour's worst electoral showing in half a century.
With Thatcher's triumph in the Falklands and Britain's economy in recovery fellow Labour MP Gerald Kaufman referred to the Labour platform as "the longest suicide note in history." Foot resigned the party leadership following election and was succeeded by Neil Kinnock who continued Labour's journey in the wilderness.
Yet it would be foolish to dismiss him as mere foil for Thatcher. Despite Foot's radicalism he came across as an affable human being who came by his opinions honestly. Although he was an avowed socialist he rejected Soviet communism and was outspoken against Soviet repression in Hungary and Czechoslovakia. He served as a parliamentarian for more than four decades. His eloquence and integrity earned him the respect of friend and foe alike.
A journalist by trade, Foot wrote biographies about Jonathan Swift, Bertrand Russell, H.G. Wells and Aneurin Bevan (the man who established Britain's National Health Service). He was a lover of both Plymouth Argyle (a football club) and poetry.
Socialism in Britain has come a long way since Foot led the Labour Party and I'm afraid not for the better. It's probably just as well he won't witness what will come to pass.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Winston Spenser Churchill, 1940-2010. R.I.P.
Winston Spenser Churchill, the grandson of the legendary British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, died today after a two year battle with prostate cancer. He was 69.
Churchill was born less than six months after his grandfather moved into 10 Downing Street. After a stint in journalism, Churchill would follow in his grandfather's footsteps and was elected to the House of Commons in 1970 and would remain there until 1997. Like his grandfather, he found himself out of favor with the Conservative Party. Unlike his grandfather, he never ascended to higher office. He never held a ministerial portfolio.
His grandfather was not taken seriously by the British establishment when he warned them of the evils of Nazism. Sadly, his grandson was not taken seriously by the British establishment when he warned them of the evils of Islamic fundamentalism. While visiting the United States in 2006, Churchill warned America against losing our resolve against evil:
Precipitate withdrawal is the counsel of defeatism and cowardice, which, if it holds sway, will immeasurably increase the dangers that today confront, not just America, but the entire Western world. It is something for which we shall pay a terrible price in the years ahead. When great nations go to war — and they should do so only as a last resort — they must expect to suffer grievous losses and must commit to war with an unconquerable resolve to secure victory.
In Iraq the United States has lost some 2,200 men and women, Britain just over 100. Compare that to the first day of the Battle of the Somme — 1 July 1916 — when the British Army in a single day, nay, before breakfast, lost 55,000 men killed, wounded or missing in action. Did we talk of quitting?
Of course, Churchill speaks a language that President Obama cannot understand. But what would you expect of someone who returns a bust of Sir Winston back to the Brits? Alas some people will never learn.
Churchill was born less than six months after his grandfather moved into 10 Downing Street. After a stint in journalism, Churchill would follow in his grandfather's footsteps and was elected to the House of Commons in 1970 and would remain there until 1997. Like his grandfather, he found himself out of favor with the Conservative Party. Unlike his grandfather, he never ascended to higher office. He never held a ministerial portfolio.
His grandfather was not taken seriously by the British establishment when he warned them of the evils of Nazism. Sadly, his grandson was not taken seriously by the British establishment when he warned them of the evils of Islamic fundamentalism. While visiting the United States in 2006, Churchill warned America against losing our resolve against evil:
Precipitate withdrawal is the counsel of defeatism and cowardice, which, if it holds sway, will immeasurably increase the dangers that today confront, not just America, but the entire Western world. It is something for which we shall pay a terrible price in the years ahead. When great nations go to war — and they should do so only as a last resort — they must expect to suffer grievous losses and must commit to war with an unconquerable resolve to secure victory.
In Iraq the United States has lost some 2,200 men and women, Britain just over 100. Compare that to the first day of the Battle of the Somme — 1 July 1916 — when the British Army in a single day, nay, before breakfast, lost 55,000 men killed, wounded or missing in action. Did we talk of quitting?
Of course, Churchill speaks a language that President Obama cannot understand. But what would you expect of someone who returns a bust of Sir Winston back to the Brits? Alas some people will never learn.
Muslim Cleric Issues Fatwa Against Terrorism
Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri, a prominent Sufi Muslim cleric based in Pakistan, today issued a 600-page fatwa against terrorism and suicide bombing during an appearance in London.
The highlight of this fatwa is Qadri's edict that terrorism is not an act of matyrdom and that suicide bombers are destined for hell rather than for a rendezvous with 72 virgins.
The folks at Jihad Watch however received Qadri's fatwa with much skepticism. In addition to inquiring about Qadri's definition of terrorism and what constitutes an innocent person the edict comes under criticism for not getting to the root of jihad itself:
But here, as ever, the question remains: What about jihad? Without addressing the ideology and its roots in the Qur'an, ahadith, and Sira, acts of violence in the name of jihad -- offensive or "defensive" (jihad in search of an excuse) -- remain untouched by this edict. Thus, even despite the ruling on suicide attacks, this fatwa is not a game-changer, so to speak. There is more than one way to wage a jihad.
A good indication of whether Qadri's words will mean anything is if threats of violence by Islamic fundamentalists are directed towards him and his followers. Should such threats bemade one must wonder how and he and his followers will respond to them. If Qadri sticks by his words and is prepared to lay down his life for them in the face of intimidation then they deserve our attention.
But how many times have we seen a Muslim spokesperson condemn all forms of terrorism unless it is Muslims "exercising their right of resistance" against Israel?
The highlight of this fatwa is Qadri's edict that terrorism is not an act of matyrdom and that suicide bombers are destined for hell rather than for a rendezvous with 72 virgins.
The folks at Jihad Watch however received Qadri's fatwa with much skepticism. In addition to inquiring about Qadri's definition of terrorism and what constitutes an innocent person the edict comes under criticism for not getting to the root of jihad itself:
But here, as ever, the question remains: What about jihad? Without addressing the ideology and its roots in the Qur'an, ahadith, and Sira, acts of violence in the name of jihad -- offensive or "defensive" (jihad in search of an excuse) -- remain untouched by this edict. Thus, even despite the ruling on suicide attacks, this fatwa is not a game-changer, so to speak. There is more than one way to wage a jihad.
A good indication of whether Qadri's words will mean anything is if threats of violence by Islamic fundamentalists are directed towards him and his followers. Should such threats bemade one must wonder how and he and his followers will respond to them. If Qadri sticks by his words and is prepared to lay down his life for them in the face of intimidation then they deserve our attention.
But how many times have we seen a Muslim spokesperson condemn all forms of terrorism unless it is Muslims "exercising their right of resistance" against Israel?
Monday, March 1, 2010
If You Jam it Down Our Throats, We Will Stick it Up Your A…
Pictures of tee shirts with the above title (or some variant) on them have been circulating on the Internet since last summer. I saw one at the 9/12 event in Washington. Yet the defiant complaint still has legs—I saw a fresh posting last week. I think its popularity and longevity signal two important points.
1. It expresses the widespread sentiment—as much as 60-65% in some polls—that a strong majority of the American people is vigorously opposed to Obamacare. Americans have a very clear view of the issue and the conclusion they have arrived at is overwhelmingly at odds with the content of the two monstrosities that have passed the houses of Congress. People recall that whenever truly major changes to American society were enacted by Congress, the changes were supported by substantial majorities of the people. One can call into question the wisdom of the opinion of those majorities, but there is no denying that Social Security and Medicare were passed with the support of the people. One is hard pressed to think of an instance in which Congress voted and the President approved a major society-changing law that did not enjoy the support of a significant majority. Even the illegal immigrant amnesty of the 1980s was widely popular. Not this time. Despite the clear and vocal opposition of most segments of the population, the Obama-Pelosi-Reid gang is intent on ramming their budget-busting, pork-laden, guaranteed to diminish the quality of health care version of socialized medicine down our throats. Which brings me to the second point.
2. The less than polite tone of the message reflects the increasing dismay and frustration the American people feel about a federal government that they see as totally out of control. History is catching up with the liberal philosophy that has steered our government for most of the last century. Outraged by the perceived excesses of "robber barons" during the Industrial Revolution; seduced by progressive ideas imported from Europe; assaulted by a Depression whose magnitude and length were exacerbated by the progressive methods deployed to combat it; wary of Nazi and Soviet thrusts toward world domination; and further seduced by a 1960s movement, which preached that tradition is stultifying and progressive change is liberating and equitable; the American people succumbed to leftist propaganda and went along with radical changes to our society. But the failures of the radical philosophy are now too glaring to ignore. They are legion, but the one that the people seem to care most about is the profligate and irresponsible manner in which the federal government is bankrupting our country. At a time when the budget deficit, national debt and unsustainable financial obligations have us speeding toward a brick wall, Barack Obama has stepped on the accelerator. It is no wonder that people are angry.
Regarding Obamacare, the people have spoken clearly—they don't want it. Nevertheless, the Obama-Pelosi-Reid gang insists that they are going to jam it down our throats. They will richly deserve their reward at the next two elections when we stick it up their a….
1. It expresses the widespread sentiment—as much as 60-65% in some polls—that a strong majority of the American people is vigorously opposed to Obamacare. Americans have a very clear view of the issue and the conclusion they have arrived at is overwhelmingly at odds with the content of the two monstrosities that have passed the houses of Congress. People recall that whenever truly major changes to American society were enacted by Congress, the changes were supported by substantial majorities of the people. One can call into question the wisdom of the opinion of those majorities, but there is no denying that Social Security and Medicare were passed with the support of the people. One is hard pressed to think of an instance in which Congress voted and the President approved a major society-changing law that did not enjoy the support of a significant majority. Even the illegal immigrant amnesty of the 1980s was widely popular. Not this time. Despite the clear and vocal opposition of most segments of the population, the Obama-Pelosi-Reid gang is intent on ramming their budget-busting, pork-laden, guaranteed to diminish the quality of health care version of socialized medicine down our throats. Which brings me to the second point.
2. The less than polite tone of the message reflects the increasing dismay and frustration the American people feel about a federal government that they see as totally out of control. History is catching up with the liberal philosophy that has steered our government for most of the last century. Outraged by the perceived excesses of "robber barons" during the Industrial Revolution; seduced by progressive ideas imported from Europe; assaulted by a Depression whose magnitude and length were exacerbated by the progressive methods deployed to combat it; wary of Nazi and Soviet thrusts toward world domination; and further seduced by a 1960s movement, which preached that tradition is stultifying and progressive change is liberating and equitable; the American people succumbed to leftist propaganda and went along with radical changes to our society. But the failures of the radical philosophy are now too glaring to ignore. They are legion, but the one that the people seem to care most about is the profligate and irresponsible manner in which the federal government is bankrupting our country. At a time when the budget deficit, national debt and unsustainable financial obligations have us speeding toward a brick wall, Barack Obama has stepped on the accelerator. It is no wonder that people are angry.
Regarding Obamacare, the people have spoken clearly—they don't want it. Nevertheless, the Obama-Pelosi-Reid gang insists that they are going to jam it down our throats. They will richly deserve their reward at the next two elections when we stick it up their a….
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