The Jedi & The Sith?

From The Buffalo News:

     GOP strategist Karl Rove and former Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards will debate the issues of the presidential campaign Sept. 26 as part of the University of Buffalo's Distinguished Speakers Series.

     As surrogates for the parties’ standard bearers, the two also could square off more than once at other locations around the nation.

     Edwards announced his support of Sen. Barack Obama in May after his own primary campaign ended at the end of January.

     Rove, of course, is the former Deputy Chief of Staff to President Bush, and now doubles as a subpoena-dodging private citizen and TV talking head, pretending to be "fair and balanced" on "GOP TV", AKA: FOX News. 

To Tell The Truth.

From Crooks and Liars:

This week US Marines censored an award winning photojournalist – continuing the efforts to make certain we do not see the real results of our actions in Iraq. Zoriah was embedded with a Marine unit documenting the reasons so many soldiers are suffering from PTSD. He was only a block away when another Marine unit was caught up in a suicide bombing in Anbar province:

My hands still shake and my heart pounds despite my fatigue. A combination of depression, fear, and adrenaline makes my thoughts race with the realization that a simple decision was the only thing that seperated me from a body count that grows daily. I look at the images I took on the 26th of June, and realize they do nothing to capture the emotion of being an eyewitness to the aftermath of the Al-Qaeda suicide attack in Karmah/Garma… the smell… the sound of screams and crying.

Zoriah and his unit arrived on the scene shortly after the bombing and he witnessed and photographed the aftermath – including the corpses of 3 US Marines. His photos met all standards set by the agreement embeds sign with the military but he was told to remove the images from his blog. He refused – and he is now being sent out of Iraq.

Please be sure to visit Zoriah's blog at www.zoriah.net, where the accompanying photo was found.

He tells the stories we are only hearing (but never seeing) after they're sanitized and run through the Spin Cycle.

I Found An Accurate Jesse Helms Obit.

"Relying On The Government To Protect Your Privacy Is Like Asking A Peeping Tom To Install Your Window Blinds."

(This post's title comes from John Perry Barlow.)

Some people don't seem overly concerned with our government listening to the phone calls and reading the e-mails of U.S. citizens.

I'm not one of them.

Obama's FISA position will become much clearer after next week's vote. 

Will he side with the telecoms or with you and me?

And if it's the former, can I still vote for him?

From TalkingPointsMemo.com:

Obama comes out against a proposed FISA bill granting retroactive immunity,October 18, 2007:

Obama: "It is time to restore oversight and accountability in the FISA program, and this proposal -- with an unprecedented grant of retroactive immunity -- is not the place to start."

Bill Burton issues a statement, October 24, 2007, reaffirming Obama's position and pledging to support Chris Dodd's filibuster:

"To be clear: Barack will support a filibuster of any bill that includes retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies."

Campaign statement, December 17, 2007, further elaborating on this point in regards to a particular upcoming Senate vote on Dodd's filibuster:

"Senator Obama unequivocally opposes giving retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies and has cosponsored Senator Dodd's efforts to remove that provision from the FISA bill. Granting such immunity undermines the constitutional protections Americans trust the Congress to protect. Senator Obama supports a filibuster of this bill, and strongly urges others to do the same. It's not clear whether he can return for the vote, but under the Senate rules, the side trying to end a filibuster must produce 60 votes to cut off debate. Whether he is present for the vote for not, Senator Obama will not be among those voting to end the filibuster."

Obama issues another statement on the FISA bill, January 28, 2008, saying that the dichotomy between civil liberties and security is a false choice:

I strongly oppose retroactive immunity in the FISA bill.

Ever since 9/11, this Administration has put forward a false choice between the liberties we cherish and the security we demand.

The FISA court works. The separation of power works. We can trace, track down and take out terrorists while ensuring that our actions are subject to vigorous oversight, and do not undermine the very laws and freedom that we are fighting to defend.

No one should get a free pass to violate the basic civil liberties of the American people -- not the President of the United States, and not the telecommunications companies that fell in line with his warrantless surveillance program. We have to make clear the lines that cannot be crossed.

That is why I am co-sponsoring Senator Dodd's amendment to remove the immunity provision. Secrecy must not trump accountability. We must show our citizens - and set an example to the world - that laws cannot be ignored when it is inconvenient.

Obama issues a statement endorsing the bill, saying that security needs are more important than objections, June 20, 2008:

"It is not all that I would want. But given the legitimate threats we face, providing effective intelligence collection tools with appropriate safeguards is too important to delay. So I support the compromise, but do so with a firm pledge that as President, I will carefully monitor the program, review the report by the Inspectors General, and work with the Congress to take any additional steps I deem necessary to protect the lives -- and the liberty -- of the American people."

Obama speaks at a press conference after announcing his support of a FISA bill containing retroactive immunity, June 25, 2008 -- and says that phone company issues don't override the need for security, in blatant contradiction of his January 28 statement:

Well, the bill has changed. So, I don't think the security threats have changed. I think the security threats are similar.

My view on FISA has always been that the issue of the phone companies per se is not one that overrides the security interests of the American people.

Stay tuned...

(The bill is HR 6304)

Meanwhile, Back In The Land That Time Forgot...

What Brett Gardner Envisioned As He Bested Jonathan Papelbon At Yankee Stadium Tonight:

Yanks win 5-4 in 10 on rookie Gardner's RBI; split 4-game series with BoSox.

The last All-Star Game in this Yankee Stadium is a week from Tuesday, and the Home Run Derby is the night before.

My pre-season "Grand Plan" to trade for the Indians' C.C. Sabathia fell through tonight, when the Tribe dealt him to Milwaukee.

But the Yanks pitching hasn't been the main problem thus far; it's the sticks that need to perk up. 

Lots of time left (but those Rays are for real...)

The White Stuff.

     I read about a blog (now a book!) called "Stuff White People Like" on Salon.com.

     Check out this link for some stereotype/class/social status humor.

     Best read over some organic oatmeal...

     http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/full-list-of-stuff-white-people-like/

Come On Down!

Yanks 2, BoSox 1.

Surge? Purge.

Yankee Doo-Doo Deux.

Yankee Doo-Doo.

Hey, Baby, It's The Fourth Of July...

"I believe in compulsory cannibalism. If people were forced to eat what they killed there would be no more war."

This post's quote is attributed to Abbie Hoffman.

Happy 4th.

Bring 'em home.

Pray At The Pump.

CNSNews.com is a nutty little fringe website, and I found this item via the Drudge Report:

     As the price of oil continues to rise, some are turning to God and prayer for an answer to their financial troubles.

     The Pray at the Pump Movement, founded by Rocky Twyman, has been holding prayer vigils at gas stations across the country. On Monday, Twyman decided to take his movement from Exxon and Shell stations straight to the steps of the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C., hoping to encourage the oil-rich country to raise the amount of barrels they release each day from 200,000 to 1.2 million. 

     Twyman, who is a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, spent the afternoon outside of the embassy praying and asking passersby to sign his petition for the release of more oil, which he hopes to deliver to the Saudi oil minister. 

     I never thought I'd have anything in common with Seventh-day Adventists, but just the other day, I said, "Jesus Christ!" when I pulled up to the pump. 

Phone Call Or Last Call?

The People Of Iraq Concur.

THIS JUST IN!

     "America's Newsroom"--AKA:FOX News--insinuated the Barack/Michelle Obama fist-jab from a few weeks back may, in fact, be "terrorist" in nature.

     Now comes photographic proof that real terrorists do seem to have an affinity for the "bump".

     (Hint: it's the guy with the flag on his lapel...)

     Will FOX expose our homegrown terrorist?

DON'T STAY TUNED!   

The Shot Heard 'Round The World May Have Come From A Syringe.

From the AP:

Now branded with an asterisk, the ball Barry Bonds launched for his record 756th home run nearly a year ago landed Tuesday night in the Hall of Fame.

The souvenir arrived in Cooperstown, N.Y., after a strange day of back-and-forth statements between its owner, fashion designer Marc Ecko, and the shrine.

"We are very happy to receive the baseball as a donation, and not as a loan," Hall spokesman Brad Horn said. "We look forward to adding this ball to our permanent collections."

Ecko paid $752,467 for the prize in an online auction in September. Soon after, he asked fans to vote in an Internet poll on what he should do with the ball.

Bonds called Ecko an "idiot" when the designer announced plans to hold the vote. The slugger later said he would boycott the Hall if it displayed the ball with an asterisk.

It seems likely that Barry Bonds juiced. It's a fact that he didn't need to. 

Bonds was already Hall of Fame-bound before his prickly personality and rampant jealousy apparently got the best of him. Fellow (alleged) juicers Mark McGwire's and Sammy Sosa's single-season home-run chase in 1998 is thought to have (allegedly) caused Bonds to reach for the syringe.

Unlike McGwire and Sosa, Bonds was an actual 5-tool ballplayer before he (allegedly) juiced. I don't think McGwire or Sosa belong in the Hall, even if they were steroid-free. They were both one-trick ponies, and their gaudy home run numbers don't make them Hall of Famers to me.

Bonds? Tough call, because he was a lock for first-ballot honors before he (allegedly) lost his mind and potentially threw it all away in the name of ego. 

Baseball will have to figure out how to deal with the "Steroid Era". From the commissioner, to the owners, to coaches, managers, and players, it's been a pumped-up ride on the homer gravy train. More fannies in the seats were watching Paul Bunyan-like freaks shatter legendary records, resulting in more money for everyone. 

Except the fans, of course.

Baseball fans can curse the players all they want. Curse the commissioner and the owners while you're at it, though. Don't pretend to be shocked that the game isn't pure; players were puffing up to cartoonish proportions right in front of us, from the box seats to the bleachers.

But it's hard to notice when turning a blind eye to everything but a tape-measure home run.      

  

But I Thought Pigs Were Supposed To Be Smart?

From Editor & Publisher:

     The Fox News channel has gained wide attention today in the blogosphere for airing photos of two New York Times staff that appear to have been doctored to portray the Timesmen in an unflattering light.

     The photos depict New York Times reporter Jacques Steinberg with yellowed teeth, "his nose and chin widened, and his ears made to protrude further," according to a statement today by Media Matters for America. The other image, of Times television editor Steven Reddicliffe, with similar yellow teeth, as well as "dark circles ... under his eyes, and his hairline has been moved back," according to the Media Matters statement.

     The photos appear to have been flattened or extended using photoshop tools.  On Wednesday morning's edition of Fox & Friends, co-hosts Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade aired the photos while discussing a piece in the June 28 edition of the New York Times. The piece pointed out what the newspaper called "ominous trends" in Fox News' ratings.

     Times Culture Editor Sam Sifton called the Fox photo work "disgusting," and the criticism of the paper's reporting "a specious and meritless claim." "It wasn't a hit piece," Sifton told E&P. "It was straight news. This was a hit piece by Fox News. It is beneath comment." 

     Asked if the paper planned to respond to Fox's actions, he said no: "It is fighting with a pig, everyone gets dirty and the pig likes it."

What's The Latest?

From CNN:

With just over four months remaining until voters weigh in at the polls, the CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey out Tuesday indicates that among registered voters nationwide, Sen. Barack Obama Obama holds a 5-point advantage over Arizona senator John McCain, 50 percent to 45 percent.

That represents little change from a similar poll one month ago, when the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee held a 46 to 43 percent edge over McCain.

In a four-way matchup that includes independent candidate Ralph Nader and Libertarian candidate Bob Barr, Obama's lead over McCain dwindles to 3 percentage points, 46 percent to 43 percent. (Nader registers 6 percent, and Barr gets 3 percent.)

But it remains unclear just how much effect Nader and Barr will have on the election, as summertime surveys often overstate the eventual Election Day showing of third-party candidates.

"A useful rule of thumb is that third-party candidates in November get no more than half the support polls show them having in June or July," CNN polling director Keating Holland said.

What's Up, Doc?

From the Boston Globe:

     Senator Edward M. Kennedy's office has begun convening a series of meetings involving a wide array of healthcare specialists to begin laying the groundwork for a new attempt to provide universal healthcare, according to participants.

     The discussions signal that Kennedy, who instructed aides to begin holding the meetings while he is in Massachusetts undergoing treatment for brain cancer, intends to work vigorously to build bipartisan support for a major healthcare initiative when he returns to Washington in the fall.

     Those involved in the discussions said Kennedy believes it is extremely important to move as quickly as possible on overhauling the healthcare system after the next president takes office in January in order to capitalize on the momentum behind a new administration.

     Kennedy was an early endorser of Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee who is also a member of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, which Kennedy chairs.

     My COBRA plan runs out before the end of the year. I've tried to get individual health insurance coverage previously, but have been denied due to my "pre-existing condition". That makes me just one of millions.

     I'm hoping that Senators Kennedy and Clinton will combine forces to craft legislation that finally covers us all. Maybe a President Obama could also find a role for Elizabeth Edwards in this fight.

     Don't dilly, don't dally; just get the damn thing done.    

      

"The Issue Of Economics Is Not Something I've Understood As Well As I Should."--John McCain.

Celtic Pride.

It's time for JackRabbit Café to think about runs, hits, and errors, but not before Senior NBA editor and one-time North Country hoops legend "The Best-Looking Man In Show Business Today" files his last hardwood report before firing up the blender: 

  

Celtics Lakers Rematch?

 

Already talked about the Hollywood Swingers and the high likelihood that they’ll be back in the Finals, but how about that Green Team? What do they need to do to get back to the finals?

 

The core of the team is more rock solid than any other in basketball and now that the Truth, KG, and Ray Ray have a championship under their belts, they have stripped off the albatross of self-doubt. Not good news for the rest of the league.

 

The Celtics need to solidify the bench again. Get free agents James Posey and Eddie House locked up. Keep giving Leon Powe minutes. Let’s hope Tony Allen can bounce back from injury and find his game again. These things happen and the Celts are 9 deep.

 

With PJ Brown headed to retirement (after some huge plays in the finals), the big need is going to be on the frontline where the Celtics need to find two more players who can contribute supporting the center and power forward duties. If you are Glen Davis, it’s time to get serious about conditioning and desire or start packing.

 

Draft pick J.R. Giddens could surprise despite his problems at Kansas and in his junior year at New Mexico. He straightened out his head and became conference co-player of the year under Steve Alford. Tremendously gifted athletically and already a defensive beast he’s an acceptable project. The fact that he played all four years, is mature at 23 years of age, and that Alford (not an easy guy to please) loved his play and senior leadership bodes well for the 30^th pick in the draft.

 

Bottom line: let’s not forget that the Celtics are the defending champs and are definitely a cut above what is becoming a tough pack in the East.

 

Look for a Celtics/Lakers final again next year.

 

TBLMISBT