Reagan & Baseball

Perhaps the most pivotal decision Ronald Reagan made as a young man was to heed Horace Greeley's advice to, "Go west, young man."

In 1937, at the age of 26, Reagan went to California with the goal of breaking into the motion picture business. Reagan achieved his goal when he signed a seven-year contract with Warner Brothers after an audition. Over the next four decades, this journey would take him from Hollywood to Sacramento and, of course, to the White House.

What is most notable about Reagan's life changing decision was that he didn't seek fame and fortune in California because he was down on his luck. Far from it. Reagan had made a name for himself in the Midwest in radio, most notably as a broadcaster for the Chicago Cubs. In fact, when Reagan went for his audition he was accompanying the team to spring training.

If Reagan hadn't secured a spot with Warner Brothers or any other studio it is quite possible he would have gone on to become one of the greatest baseball broadcasters of all time. Reagan's name would have been up there with Red Barber, Mel Allen, Ernie Harwell, Vin Scully and Harry Caray.

A few months before leaving office, Reagan was honored at Wrigley Field. After throwing out the ceremonial first pitch, Reagan joined Caray in the broadcast booth to cover the action between the Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates. (As you might expect, the Cubs lost 10-9.) Then after leaving White House, Reagan shared the broadcast booth with Scully for an inning during the 1989 All-Star Game in Anaheim. Reagan was on hand to call Kansas City Royals outfielder Bo Jackson golf a Rick Reuschel pitch for a monstrous homerun to straight away centerfield.

Here's something you should know about the early days of radio in baseball. There was a lot of resistance to it. Baseball owners thought that if games were broadcast on radio no one would actually come out to the ballpark to see the game. To give you an idea of how ambivalent baseball owners were about radio back then the broadcasters were not actually at the ballpark. Rather they would call the game from a remote location and rely on a ticker tape for the play by play. Color commentary was left to the imagination. Reagan was certainly no exception. He called Cubs games on WHO radio in Des Moines, Iowa.

Suffice it to say, the ticker tape didn't always work as it should and Reagan had to rely on his wit as was the case one afternoon when the Cubs were playing the archrival St. Louis Cardinals who had Dizzy Dean pitching and a unusually long at bat by Cubs shortstop Billy Jurges. Well, I'll let Reagan tell the story as he told it during a White House Luncheon for Members of the Baseball Hall of Fame on March 27, 1981:

What isn't in the record book is Billy Jurges staying at the plate, I think, the longest of any ballplayer in the history of the game. I was doing the games by telegraphic report, and the fellow on the other side of the window wa a little slit underneath, the headphones on, getting the dot-and-dash Morse code from the ballpark, would type out the play. And the paper would come through to me - it would say,"S1C." Well, you're not going to sell any Wheaties yelling "S1C!" (Laughter) So, I'd say, "And so-and-so comes out of the wind-up, here's the pitch, and it's called a strike, breaking over the outside corner to so-and-so, who'd rather have a ball someplace else and so forth and backed out there."

Well, I saw him start to type, and I started-Dizzy Dean was on the mound - and I started the ball on the way to the plate - or him in the wind-up and he, Curly, the fellow on the other side, was shaking his head, and I thought he just - maybe it was a miraculous play or something. But when the slip came through it said, "The wire's gone dead." Well, I had the ball on the way to the plate. (Laughter) And I figured out real quick, I could say we'll tell them what had happened and then play transcribed music. But in those days there were at least seven or eight other fellows that were doing the same ball game. I didn't want to lose the audience.

So, I thought real quick. "There's one thing that doesn't get in the score book," so I had Billy foul one off. And I looked at Curly, and Curly went just like this; so I had him foul another one. And I had foul one back third base and described the fight between the two kids that were trying to get the ball. (Laughter) Then I had him foul one that just missed being a home run, about a foot and a half. And I did set a world record for successive fouls or for someone standing there, except that no one keeps records of that kind. And I was beginning to sweat, when Curly sat up straight and started typing, and he was nodding his head, "Yes." And the slip came through the window, and I could hardly talk for laughing, because it said, "Jurges popped out on the first ball pitch." (Laughter)

Only three days after relaying this anecdote, Reagan took a bullet that just missed his heart. No doubt his good spirits which rested on a foundation of wonderful memories such as the one described contributed to his swift recovery.

There's no doubt in my mind that Reagan looked back on his broadcasting days with the Cubs with tremendous fondness and had he not made it in Hollywood he would have enjoyed a Hall of Fame career as the voice of the Cubs.

But then who would have assured us we have a rendezvous with destiny? Who would have dared called the Soviet Union an evil empire? And who would have told Mr. Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall?

On the 100th anniversary of his birth, I think it is safe to say that America is grateful he passed that audition.

Woodie Fryman, 1940-2011. R.I.P.

Former major league pitcher Woodie Fryman has passed away. The cause of death has not yet been disclosed. He was 70.

Fryman, a southpaw, pitched eighteen seasons in the big leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs and had two stints with the Montreal Expos. Nicknamed "Farmer", Fryman was actually a tobacco farmer in his native Kentucky.

When I think of Fryman I think of his days with the Expos when he was the team's closer before they acquired Jeff Reardon from the New York Mets during the 1981 season. I also remember him when I attended my first major league ballgame at Montreal's Olympic Stadium that same year (which as it turned out was the only year the Expos ever made the post-season.) The Expos were hosting the Atlanta Braves and prior to the game there was an egg throwing contest and a cow milking contest. Fryman won the latter contest.

To think that I witnessed this almost thirty years ago. Where has all the time gone?

Thoughts on Foreign Aid

Please go to the AmSpec blog to read my thoughts on this subject.

Thoughts on Rand Paul & Israel

Earlier today on the AmSpec Blog, I made a comment about Senator Rand Paul being the apple that doesn't fall far from the tree.

I made the comment for several reasons. First, Senator Paul's call to end foreign aid to Israel is consistent with that of his father, Ron Paul. Second, because I share Philip Klein's concerns about the younger Paul's derisive use of the term "welfare" as well as his concerns about his father's long standing hostility to Israel.

Third, when you put Dr. Paul's policy prescription against the backdrop of an Obama Administration that has behaved boorishly towards Israel, a regime in Iran pursuing a nuclear program while calling for Israel's elimination and the possible loss of a long standing partner in peace in Egypt strikes me as penny wise and a pound foolish. It sends Israel gives the appearance that its closest ally is wavering and emboldens its enemies. Can you imagine the propaganda value of a U.S. Senator calling for an end to aid for Israel in the Arab and Muslim world? Rand Paul runs the risk of becoming a useful idiot.

Yet Paul's statement raises another question. If he feels so strongly about ending aid to Israel why didn't he say so when he wrote about "The United States Special Relationship with Israel" last April? Paul writes, "In the Senate, I would strive to eliminate all aid to countries that threaten Israel." Apparently, he neglected to mention he would also strive to eliminate all aid to Israel as well. It's the sort of thing one could tend to forget when one is trying to court Jewish voters.

Ground Zero Mosque Looking For New Imam

Well, I guess the folks at Park 51 are looking for a new Imam.

Less than a month after being named the news spokesman for the Ground Zero Mosque, Shaykh Abdallah Adhami is out.

Adhami, of course, had replaced Feisal Abdul Rauf as the face of the Ground Zero Mosque. Rauf's statements shortly after September 11, 2001 that U.S. foreign policy was an "accessory" to the attacks and his refusal to condemn Hamas as a terrorist organization irrevocably damaged his credibility.

No reason was given for Adhami's abrupt depature although he had come under fire for his views on homosexuality.

So where exactly are they going to find a gay friendly Imam who denounces Hamas and doesn't blame the 9/11 attacks on U.S. foreign policy?

Pettitte Set to Retire

New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte is expected to announce his retirement tomorrow.

In sixteen big league seasons, Pettitte won 240 big league games not including the 19 he won in post-season play. The Texas born southpaw also pitched in eight World Series (seven with the Yankees and one with the Houston Astros).

So will Pettitte go to Cooperstown? The jury is very much out on him. Joe Capozzi, a sportswriter for The Palm Beach Post who is a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), said last December he "was leaning heavily against a Hall of Fame vote for Pettitte." One of Capozzi's arguments is that Mariano Rivera saved too many of Pettitte's games.

This strikes me as a rather silly argument. Would Capozzi have denied Catfish Hunter entry into the Hall of Fame because Rollie Fingers saved too many of his games? Let's not forget that Sparky Lyle and Goose Gossage also saved some games for Hunter.

Speaking of Catfish, Pettitte's numbers are reasonably comparable to Hunter who pitched in six World Series (three with the Oakland A's and three with the Yankees). Their strikeout to walks totals are very similar. Pettitte struck out 2,251 batters while walking 962. Hunter struck out 2,012 while walking 954. Hunter's ERA is more than a half point lower (3.26 to 3.88) but Pettitte has more wins (240 to 224). Granted, Hunter did win 20 or more games in five consecutive seasons and won the AL Cy Young Award in 1974. Pettitte only won 20 or more games twice in his career and never won a Cy Young although he did finish runner up to Pat Hentgen of the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1996 AL Cy Young balloting.

Hunter was voted into Cooperstown in 1987 in his third year on the BBWAA ballot. Now I don't think Pettitte is a first ballot Hall of Famer and Pettitte will certainly be penalized for appearing in the Mitchell Report although he did come clean. If Pettitte does get enshrined he'll probably go in with either Rivera and/or Derek Jeter who are (pending an unforeseen scandal) a lock to get into Cooperstown in their first year of Hall of Fame eligibility.

U.S. Naval Academy Professor retaliated against for exposing school's race-based admissions

U.S. Naval Academy professor Bruce Fleming went public about the school’s two-tiered, race-based admissions system. Some time after publicly criticizing the academy, Fleming said he was denied a raise as retaliation.

“The result, he said, is a watered-down officer corps that weakens the military. Navy leaders haven’t fully articulated their reasoning for wanting more minority officers, he said.”

Read the full article at ACRI

No reason to continue Voting Rights Act Section 5 anymore; discrimination ended

Excellent piece by La Shawn Barber on why the Voting Rights Act Section 5 needs to be discontinued.

“The lack of sufficient evidence that the covered jurisdictions currently engage in the type of discrimination that underlay the enactment of §5 undermines any basis for retaining it. Punishment for long past sins is not a legitimate basis for imposing a forward-looking preventative measure that has already served its purpose. Those supporting §5′s reenactment argue that without it these jurisdictions would return to the racially discriminatory practices of 30 and 40 years ago. But there is no evidence that public officials stand ready, if given the chance, to again engage in concerted acts of violence, terror, and subterfuge in order to keep minorities from voting. Without such evidence, the charge can only be premised on outdated assumptions about racial attitudes in the covered jurisdictions. Admitting that a prophylactic law as broad as §5 is no longer constitutionally justified based on current evidence of discrimination is not a sign of defeat. It is an acknowledgment of victory.”

Read the entire article at ACRI

Al Gore's Snow Job

Paul Chesser is no doubt correct in his observation that The New York Times did not intend to state "humankind has no dominion over nature" in response to today's nearly nationwide snowstorm.

The same, however, cannot be said of Al Gore. The former Vice-President replying to a question put forward by Bill O'Reilly states that this deluge of winter weather is "a consequence of man-made global warming."

It's good to know that we can rely on Gore to blow in hot air on a cold day.

Mubarak Won't Seek Another Term

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has announced that he will not seek another term in office.

I agree with Michael Rubin when he says that won't be good enough.

Do you think Egyptians are prepared to put up with Mubarak for six more days much less six more months?

Besides how often do we find Mitt Romney and John Kerry in agreement? Not to mention Omar Sharif and that 8-year-old Saudi girl.

Conservative Pessimism About Egypt

I have been reading the discussion amongst John Guardiano, John Tabin and Jim Antle concerning the ongoing political turmoil in Egypt with great interest. Independent of this discussion, I have also expressed my own concerns.

In two of his posts, Guardiano invokes former President George W. Bush. Now I happen to believe that Bush was at his most eloquent during his Second Inaugural Address. A couple of years ago, when I was engaged a kitchen table debate with my roommate's father (who is a TV reporter in Hartford) about Bush he asked me to cite anything meaningful he ever uttered. I replied by quoting from that speech, "When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you."
President Obama ought to have heeded Bush's wise counsel after the Iranian "elections" in 2009.

But do we really want to stand with people who stand for these sentiments? We need to think long and hard about it.

There is no doubt that Egyptians want a better lot in life and want to be able to determine their own destiny and that has been all but impossible under Mubarak. Yet I think it is most imprudent to downplay the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood. They are, after all, the largest opposition group in Egypt and the Obama Administration appears comfortable with the idea of working with them. Yet what is there to distinguish the Muslim Brotherhood from Hamas? Thus under the circumstances I think conservative pessimism about Egypt is entirely warranted and well grounded in reason.

Did Jordan's King Abdullah Push the Panic Button?

This morning, Jordan's King Abdullah replaced his Prime Minister.

This move comes amid protests of rising food prices in the Hashemite Kingdom, the same grievances which have plagued both Tunisia and Egypt. The $64.37 question is whether King Abdullah has nipped unrest in the bud or if he has rashly pressed the panic button? If it is the latter it might very well serve only to intensify protests as has been the case in Tunisia and Egypt.

As with Tunisia and Egypt, Jordanians should be able to improve their lot in life and determine their own destiny. We must wonder though if Jordanians will soon call for the ouster of King Abdullah. Should Abdullah be ousted with what and whom will he be replaced?

Although the situation in Jordan has not escalated to the level it has in Egypt, I am certain Israel is surely as uneasy with the developments in Jordan as it is in Egypt. The prospect of renewed hostilities with both Egypt and Jordan at a time when the regime in Iran is bent on Israel's destruction (along with Syria and Hezbollah controlled Lebanon) and not to mention its ongoing troubles with Hamas in Gaza could result in the worst crisis in Israel's six plus decades.

Assange: Secrecy for Me But Not for Thee

Last night, I watched Steve Kroft's interview with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange on 60 Minutes.

I was struck by a couple of exchanges between Assange and Kroft. First, there was the discussion about Assange not redacting names of Afghans who had assisted U.S. and Coalition forces:

Kroft: The most persistent criticism from within the press has been that you have behaved recklessly from time to time. And the example that they cite is the fact that you've decided to release Afghan documents without redacting the names of people who had provided intelligence to the U.S. government.

Assange: There's no evidence, or any credible allegation, or even any allegation from an official body that we have caused any individual at any time to come to harm in the past four years.

Kroft: The Pentagon said that they've gone through all of these documents and they found the names of 300 people.

Assange: Well, that's new public information to us. It's possible that there are 300 names in the publically released Afghan material. We don't pretend that that process is absolutely perfect. We did hold back one in five documents for extra harm minimization review and we also improved our process. So, when Iraq came around there was not even a single name in it.

Kroft: I mean, there have been reports of people quoting Taliban leaders, saying that they had the names of these people and that they were going to take retribution.

Assange: The Taliban is not a coherent outfit. But we don't say that it is absolutely impossible that anything we ever publish will ever result in harm. We cannot say that.

Yet let's consider Jonathan Foreman's recent article in Commentary on Wikileaks where he cites Assange telling The Times of London that Afghans who had assisted U.S. and Coalition forces had behaved "in a criminal way." Foreman writes, "They were, in other words, on the wrong side, mere collaborators who had put themselves in danger of reprisal. It would seem that, in Assange's worldview, the Taliban is the legitimate government of Afghanistan, resisting imperialist invaders."

Then, of course, there is the clandestine nature of Wikileaks:

Kroft: For somebody who abhors secrets, you run a pretty secret organization.

Assange: That's not true. What we want is transparent government, not transparent people. We are an organization who one of our primary goals is to keep certain things secret to keep the identity of our sources secret so secrecy is an inherent part of our operation.

Kroft: The State Department would make the same argument. They have...doing very sensitive work that they're trying to make peace and negotiate situations around the world. Very delicately. It's very important that they do this in secrecy. What's the difference?

Assange: We don't say that the State Department should have no secrets. That's not what we're saying. Rather, we say that if there are people in the State Department who say that there is some abuse going on, and there's not a proper mechanism for internal accountability and external accountability, they must have a conduit to get that out to the public. And we are the conduit.

In other words, it's secrecy for me but not for thee. I don't buy Assange's claim he believes the State Department is entitled to its secrets. If anyone from the State Department or somehow has access to State Department information sends him documents is he going to reject them? Hell no. Assange accepts whatever he receives at face value. Given the sheer number of documents Wikileaks has received how can he and his organization have verified the veracity of the information? How do we know someone who has an axe to grind hasn't falsified these documents or made them up out of thin air?

Clearly, Assange does not care about such things. His objective is to weaken, if not to destroy the United States. And if that means providing aid and comfort to our enemies then so be it. Yet perhaps the only way to discredit Assange and Wikileaks is if it can somehow be conclusively demonstrated the State Department cables, documents pertaining to the Wars in Afghanistan and Ira and other documents he has received and disseminated contains false information.

John Barry, 1933-2011. R.I.P.

John Barry, the noted Academy and Grammy Award winning film composer, died suddenly yesterday of a heart attack. He was 77.

The British born Barry is best known for arranging the James Bond theme and scored the music in a dozen of the Bond films. He also scored the music for films such as Born Free, The Lion in Winter, King Kong, Out of Africa and Dances with Wolves.

I think Barry's finest work was done in Midnight Cowboy especially the "Midnight Cowboy Theme" featuring Toots Thieleman's unmistakable harmonica.

Exiled Muslim Leader Returns to Tunisia

While much of the world's attention is focussed on Egypt the political situation in Tunisia is far from settled.

Matters became more complicated today when Rachid Ghannouchi, the leader of Tunisia's Islamist movement, returned after nearly two decades of exile in London.

Ghannouchi has been portrayed as a Muslim leader who favors democracy. Indeed, in 2001, Azzam Tamimi wrote a book about Ghannouchi titled, Rachid Ghannounchi: A Democrat within Islamism. (On a side note, it was Tamimi who in January 2008 said during a debate on Iranian TV that Israeli Jews should go back to Germany. So perhaps it was Tamimi who gave Helen Thomas her inspiration. But I digress.)

For his part, Ghannouchi insists he's no Khomeini. Yet no less an authority on the Middle East than Martin Kramer notes the Sunni cleric has long admired the Iranian Revolution. Gabriel Schienmann also warns us not to be fooled by Ghannouchi citing his support for Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and the destruction of Israel.

Now there are those such as California State University political science professor Asad AbuKhalil who argue that the Tunisian protests are entirely secular in nature while others such as Daniel Larison at The American Conservative argue the Islamists enjoy little influence in Tunisia and thus there is little chance they will rise to power. The Tunisian uprisings might well be secular in their inspiration. Yet Islamists like Ghannouchi know an opportunity when they see one. Even if an Islamist government doesn't come to power in Tunisia they could play a key role in shaping a future government. A future government that might very well be more repressive than the Ben Ali regime and a future government that might also be quite anti-American.

Are The Camp David Accords Doomed?

With the political unrest in Egypt intensifying by the day it is important that we think about the implications it could have for the Camp David Accords which established peace between Egypt and Israel in 1978.

Caroline Glick of The Jerusalem Post has certainly given the matter some thought and she is not optimistic. While Glick does not see Hosni Mubarak being overthrown she does think he will soon choose his successor:

But the same observers are quick to note that whoever Mubarak selects to succeed him will not be the beneficiary of such strong support from Egypt's security state. And as the plight of Egypt's overwhelmingly impoverished citizenry becomes more acute, the regime will become increasingly unstable. Indeed, its overthrow is as close to a certainty as you can get in international affairs.

And as we now see, all of its possible secular and Islamist successors either reject outright Egypt's peace treaty with Israel or owe their political power to the support of those who reject the peace with the Jewish state. So whether the Egyptian regime falls next week or next year or five years from now, the peace treaty is doomed.

Let us not forget that there was a time when Egypt was Israel's greatest enemy. They thrice went to war during Israel's first quarter century. Of course, that can be easily forgotten considering Israel and Egypt have been at peace for a period longer than when they were adversaries.

However, just because Israel and Egypt have been at peace for more than three decades doesn't mean they are friends. When I spent a good part of the summer of 1988 in Israel, the tenth anniversary of Camp David Accords were approaching. People who talked about Egypt generally said something along the lines of, "We're at peace but it's a cold peace."

Indeed, there have been times during Mubarak's long reign where it has been downright frigid. In 2002, Egyptian TV broadcast a 41-part mini-series across the Arab world based on the "Protocols of Elder Zion" despite protests from both the United States and Israel. The following year, "Protocols" was put on display next to a Torah in the Library of Alexandria. It was only last month that Al-Liwaa, Al-Islami, an Egyptian government weekly, published an article proclaiming Jews have no right to be in Israel and that Israel will cease to exist by 2025. Earlier this month, Abdullah Al Ash'al, a former Deputy Foreign Minister accused the Mossad of involvement in the bombing of the Alexandria church. While Egypt has not fired a shot at Israel in nearly forty years, the Mubarak regime has been content to tolerate anti-Semitic sentiments and outright hostility towards Israel.

Nevertheless, Mubarak has kept the Camp David Accords in tact. Israel and Egypt are not at war. Yes, Mubarak has governed his people very poorly and he has no one but himself blame for the current state of affairs. But after Mubarak, who can say Egypt won't rip up the Camp David Accords and go to war with Israel? Couple that with a regime in Iran bent on Israel's annihilation and we could see the Middle East explode like it never has before. Lord help us.

Joe Biden's World

With the success of Sarah Palin's Alaska, perhaps TLC should embark upon another series with a prominent American politician. They could call it Joe Biden's World.

Vice-President Joe Biden's assertion in an interview with Jim Lehrer that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is not a dictator has to rank amongst the daftest things that have crossed the threshold of his lips.

It certainly ranks up there with his assertion during the 2008 Vice-Presidential debates that the United States and France had "kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon." That would certainly be news in the streets of Beirut.

Or how about when he told Katie Couric during the '08 campaign that FDR had gone on television to talk to the American people after the 1929 stock market crash despite the fact that Herbert Hoover was President and television didn't exist? Ms. Couric didn't even bat an eyelash.

And yet they call Sarah Palin stupid.

Romney: GOP Hopeful Should Have "Extensive Experience in the Private Sector"

Over at NRO's The Corner, Robert Costa draws our attention to a Boston Globe story on Mitt Romney's interview with Sean Hannity last night.

I was struck by one of the quotes Costa highlighted concerning Romney's position on the merits of a prospective GOP presidential hopeful having a background in business:

I don't know who all is going to get in the race, but I do believe that it would be helpful if at least one of the people who's running in the Republican field had extensive experience in the private sector - in small business, in big business.

Somehow I don't think Romney was referring to Herman Cain.

But I'd put up Cain's private sector experience against Romney's private sector experience any day of the week. I also think Cain resonates with conservatives in a way Romney never will no matter how much money he spends.

Ward Connerly: “We’re more obsessed with diversity than competence"

SPARC speaker rejects affirmative action policies

Written by Elliott Burr - Town Crier Staff Writer

WEDNESDAY, 26 JANUARY 2011

Photo Elliott Burr/Town CrierWard Connerly makes a point at last week’s SPARC meeting in Los Altos Hills. Promoting diversity over qualification is degrading California and the country, according to Ward Connerly, chairman of the American Civil Rights Coalition and former University of California regent. “We’re more obsessed with diversity than competence,” said Connerly, who spoke at the South Peninsula Area Republican Coalition (SPARC) meeting Jan. 19 at Fremont Hills Country Club in Los Altos Hills. “We all pay a tax when we’re more concerned about diversity than merit. … And you wonder why California can’t balance its budget.” Connerly, an African American political activist who opposes racial and gender preferences, suggested that discriminating on the basis of immutable traits such as gender, color and ethnicity to forward a group creates a separate class of people who are treated differently. He said policies like affirmative action – an effort to balance race, gender and ethnicity inequities in universities and businesses – promote social stratifications. Work ethic, he said, should drive success, not discriminatory policies. Proponents of affirmative action argue that certain populations’ qualifications exist, but they lack the economic means to attain higher education. “If you wonder when the time to pull the plug on affirmative action is, the time is now,” Connerly said. “There have been more preferences installed in the last two years than the last 10 years.” Connerly also touched on illegal immigration and the need to tighten national borders. California, he said, is overrun with residents who are part of an “underground economy.” “Look at our hospitals, look at our schools, our prisons, our employers, look at our taxes,” he said of undocumented workers. “These people are part of an underground economy. … People who work but pay no taxes … increase the burden on the rest of us.” If California doesn’t do something about illegal immigration, the state is “going to drown,” Connerly said. “I hope and pray (newly elected California Governor) Jerry Brown can get a hold on this,” he said. Contact Elliott Burr at elliottb@latc.com SPARC is a local organization that aims to energize the Republican base in support of GOP goals. For more information, visit www.sparcgop.org.

Get Your Kids a Good Education & Go to Jail

This is truly an injustice.

Earlier this month, Kelly Williams-Bolar has been sentenced to ten days in prison and three years probation for sending her daughters to get their schooling in a district in which they do not live. Williams-Bolar, who lives in a poor section of Akron, Ohio, sent her daughters to a school in a neighboring district where her father resides. Williams-Bolar registered her daughters at her father's address rather than her own.

Williams-Bolar served nine days of her sentence and was released today. She should have never been incarcerated for a second. But since this is a felony conviction, Williams-Bolar will now be unable to obtain her teaching degree.

So I guess this means Williams-Bolar's daughters will be kicked out of school? Is this justice served?

If Williams-Bolar had access to vouchers to send her daughters to the school of her choice she would not have suffered the indignity of being arrested, put on trial and deemed a convicted felon. Kelly Williams-Bohar is no criminal. I hope Ohio Governor John Kasich sees fit to pardon Williams-Bohar.

Well At Least He Didn't Insult The Supreme Court

However, I found President Obama's SOTU address a paradox. President Obama spoke of investing in biomedical research, information technology, clean energy technology and education as well as the merits of Obamacare only to say we were under "a mountain of debt" and thus had to freeze spending.

How exactly does Obama think we got under a mountain of debt in the first place? At one point, President Obama noted that countries in Europe invested more in roads and railways than we do. Modeling ourselves after Europe isn't exactly a sound strategy when you consider the fiscal state of Europe is more perilous than our own.

President Obama spoke of innovative American individuals such as Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers and innovative American companies like Google and Facebook. But innovation comes from the individual and entities established by individuals. Did Edison, the Wright Brothers, Google and Facebook seek government handouts?

I might have given greater weight to President Obama's remarks about education had he spoken about school choice rather than more federal control of education. When it came to illegal immigration, Obama was downright shrill when he said, "And let's stop expelling talented, responsible young people who can staff our research labs, start new businesses, and further enrich this nation."

The President gave short shrift to foreign affairs. He spoke of how our troops in Iraq leave with their head held high. They do so because of the President Bush's surge, a policy vigorously opposed by the White House's current occupant.

Speaking of the current occupant, I am not sure how he can say our reputation around the world has been restored when the Chinese openly mock us at a White House state dinner.

It was nice of President Obama to say he supports the aspirations of the Tunisian people. But what of the aspirations of the people of Egypt, Lebanon and, for that matter, Iran?

I did applaud, however, when President Obama called upon colleges and universities to allow military recruiters and the ROTC to their campuses now that DADT has been repealed.

Of course, no one will remember a word of this speech in a day or two. After all, President Obama's actions in the coming weeks and months will speak much louder.

Deadline to enter the Sammies political awards is Friday!

2010 was the year activists redrew the battle lines in American politics, erasing "R" and "D," fusing red and blue, blurring conservative and liberal, and creating bright contrast between political professional and citizen.

The Sammies celebrates ordinary Americans who take extraordinary steps to advance our freedoms.

This year, SAM will recognize their achievements with new categories, more prizes, and the best party we've ever thrown!

These extra-ordinary Americans help all of us relate to citizenship on a personal level, and inspire us all to re-imagine how we can engage in our democracy.

CATEGORIES & SUBMISSIONS INFO

The official deadline for the 4th Annual Sammies is January 28, 2011.

We strongly encourage you to nominate the work of others, as well as your own work. To enter, click here to fill out our submission form.

AWARD CATEGORIES

Modern Day Sam Adams:

Prize: $20,000

Like the original Samuel Adams, this strategist sparked a revolution, redrawing the lines of the political landscape. The Strategist united people behind a vision that successfully acted as both change agent and connector.

the Messenger:

Prize: $10,000

In the spirit of Paul Revere, who warned the colonists and, more importantly, knew which doors to knock on, The Messenger is a master of the media, awakening the American people to the principles and cause of liberty.

the Public's Servant:

No cash prize as the award goes to a public official

This honoree holds themselves and their institution to a higher level of responsibility. From school board leader to congressman, the public servant awardee has enacted or helped to enact tangible improvements to their district or community from their elected or appointed position.

the Reformer:

Prize: $10,000

The Reformer is a leader in their community who works to improve and make more responsive-and responsible-the institutions of government. The Reformer is someone who organized reform measures that contributed to better government.

the Watchdog:

Prize: $10,000

Government without watchdogs is like a free all-you-can-eat-buffet. The Watchdog is a citizen who took risks by blowing the whistle or effectively making known information that promotes good government, good citizenship, or both.

the Rookie:

Prize: $10,000

In 2010, newcomers to the political scene accomplished what professional politicians couldn't. The Rookie is someone who engaged in politics for the first time. Please submit an inspiring story about how you engaged and what you accomplished.

Please direct all questions to Nic Hall at nic@samadamsalliance.org

Thoughts on Oscar Nominations

Nominations for the 83rd Academy Awards were announced this morning in Los Angeles.

The King's Speech, True Grit and The Social Network were amongst the ten films nominated.
The only film amongst those nominated that I have seen is Toy Story 3. Since the Academy resumed nominating ten films rather than five it seems they will include one animated film in the mix. Last year, they nominated Up (and yes I saw that one as well).

I'm not sure having seen only one of the ten films nominated says more about me or the films. Although I could probably be persuaded to see The Black Swan to observe the delicate interaction between Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis.

Hariri Ousted as Lebanese PM

Lebanon's Parliament has ousted Saad Hariri from his post as Prime Minister. They have chosen Najib Mikati, a candidate backed by Hezbollah. Mikati briefly served as Prime Minister in 2005 during the days of the Cedar Revolution.

This development comes scarcely a fortnight after Hezbollah ministers resigned en masse from Hariri's cabinet while he was visiting President Obama at the White House. It was widely believed that Hezbollah members were going to be indicted by a UN tribunal for the assassination of Hariri's father, Rafik, in February 2005. It was, of course, the Hariri assassination which sparked the Cedar Revolution resulting in the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon two months later.

I cannot say that I am surprised by this turn of events especially when Druze leader Walid Jumblatt announced last Friday that he would back Hezbollah.

Following Jumblatt's endorsement of Hezbollah, Samir Geagea, a leading figure amongst Lebanon's Maronite Christian community, predicted that a Hezbollah controlled would turn Lebanon "into Gaza."

So how will the Obama Administration going to respond to this development? Yesterday, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley gave some indication when he said a Hezbollah controlled government would be "more problematic" and supporting it economically "would be a difficult for the United States to do." Well, stating the Hezbollah would be "more problematic" and "difficult" is a far cry from stating the United States will not recognize a Lebanese government controlled by Hezbollah. I mean it's not like Hezbollah is building housing in East Jerusalem.

Jack LaLanne, 1914-2011. R.I.P.

Bodybuilder, handcuffed swimmer, health club and TV fitness pioneer and juicer pitch man Jack LaLanne died yesterday of complications of pneumonia. He was 96.

I remember ESPN Classic broadcasting a marathon of LaLanne's old programs when he turned 90.

Well, I am sure LaLanne now has a whole new audience he can show the finer points of fingertip pushups.