BALTIMORE, Maryland November 28, 2015 - In the 2013 NCAA Soccer Title Game, Notre Dame directly benefitted from one of the worst jobs of officiating ever in so important a game to "defeat" Maryland. How bad was it? A Maryland player took a shot on goal and beat the keeper. A Notre Dame defender, not wanting to allow the score but not thinking clearly in the heat of the moment, stuck his arm out and blocked the shot. Maryland's Patrick Mullins reached up in the air with his arm and hand and pulled the rebound down to his feet, whereupon he kicked it and scored.
The official saw none of this. He allowed the Maryland score by Mullins as it was, despite the two intentional hand balls that happened before it. What's wrong with the result? This happened in the first half. The act by the Irish defender is an automatic red card and Notre Dame should have been playing a man down from that point on. Maryland should have had a penalty kick, to be taken by Mullins, which he certainly would've made, and Maryland would have still been up, 1-0. From that point on, Notre Dame, playing at full strength, scored two goals and won, 2-1. The official, incidentally, missed another obvious hand ball by Notre Dame in the second half and in the box, but by then, what did it matter?
Fast-forward to today in South Bend, Indiana, and Notre Dame's home field. Maryland won the Big Ten Tournament. Notre Dame didn't win the ACC Tournament. The two teams played in Indianapolis on the first day of the current season and tied, 0-0. But Notre Dame was seeded higher in the NCAA tournament. Now, there is 12 minutes left in South Bend and Maryland leads, 2-1. An irish player puts his arms around Maryland's Ivan Magalhaes, a junior defender from Brazil who had earlier scored the Terps' first goal of the game. and wrestled him to the ground. It was that simple and you will see the replay and see that I am not exagerating. But the referee gave a yellow card to Magalhaes, his second of the game, meaning he was disqualified and Maryland had to play a man down for the final twelve minutes.
This time, Maryland won anyway. After Magalhaes scored, Eryk Williamson scored for the sixth straight game and the Terps held on to win, 2-1. The Irish scored in the 42nd minute off of a corner kick to pull back within a goal, but could not score again. In the final minute a close in shot hit off the post for Notre Dame. Maryland had a Mael Korboz shot bang off the cross-bar and David Kabelik barely missed on a back-footed shot that would have made Maryland's journey much easier if it had found the back of the net.
Maryland now awaits the winner of the match between Clemson and UC-Santa Barbara to learn its opponent in the national quarter-finals next weekend. If UC-Santa Barbara should win, the match will be at Ludwig Field in College Park.
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Friday, November 27, 2015
Terps Rout Rhode Island for Cancun Tournament Title
BALTIMORE, Maryland November 27, 2015 - Over the course of three consecutive games, the talent-packed, No. 2 ranked University of Maryland Basketball Team laid down a dangerous precedent. No matter which team, or what kind of team, Maryland was matched up with, the Terps seemed determined to spot their opponent a sizable lead while playing poorly - and from behind - until the closing minutes of the game. Then, and only then, would Maryland display the talent and cohesiveness that most pundits expect from them every time they take the floor. In all three games, this late display was enough to earn them a victory, but no team that plays like that on a consistent basis will be successful over the long haul. Wednesday night in Cancun, Mexico, Maryland was matched up with a talented Rhode Island team in a game that would decide the champion of the Cancun Challenge. Many thought that Maryland would not be able to pull off a win with only a five minute spurt of quality basketball.
Maryland fans were foolish to worry. Instead of waiting for the waning minutes to put together a display of impressive basketball, the Terps broke from the opening whistle with their best game so far, and before the first half was at its mid-point, Rhode Island was finished. The final score was Maryland 86, Rhode Island 63, and anyone who watched the game knows, it wasn't that close.
It is apparent that Maryland's starting back court of sophmore Melo Trimble and Senior Rhasheed Sulaimon is the best in the NCAA. Rhode Island will certainly agree. Against the over-matched Rams, Trimble was 7 for 7 from the floor, while his backcourt mate, Sulaimon, was 6 of 7. Both finished with 17 points, and they had plenty of help from Robert Carter, Jr., who finished with 18 points, Diamond Stone, who had 10, Jake Layman, who scored 9, and Jared Nickens, who chipped in 10 points. With the win, Maryland improved to 5-0.
Maryland's lead was in double figures before the game was five minutes old. Even though Rhode Island has a strong and talented front line, they were no match for Maryland's inside attack on a night that Stone managed to keep away from foul trouble. Carter was also strong inside, grabbing 9 rebounds. Stone had five boards.
The Terps returned to College Park on Thanksgiving Day and will host Cleveland State Saturday Night. On Tuesday, Maryland collides with North Carolina in Chapel Hill. The Terps also host St. Francis and Maryland-Eastern Shore, play Connecticut at Madison Square Garden in New York and Princeton in Baltimore, all before Christmas. The Big Ten Network will televise Saturday's game, while ESPN will carry the game against North Carolina.
Maryland fans were foolish to worry. Instead of waiting for the waning minutes to put together a display of impressive basketball, the Terps broke from the opening whistle with their best game so far, and before the first half was at its mid-point, Rhode Island was finished. The final score was Maryland 86, Rhode Island 63, and anyone who watched the game knows, it wasn't that close.
It is apparent that Maryland's starting back court of sophmore Melo Trimble and Senior Rhasheed Sulaimon is the best in the NCAA. Rhode Island will certainly agree. Against the over-matched Rams, Trimble was 7 for 7 from the floor, while his backcourt mate, Sulaimon, was 6 of 7. Both finished with 17 points, and they had plenty of help from Robert Carter, Jr., who finished with 18 points, Diamond Stone, who had 10, Jake Layman, who scored 9, and Jared Nickens, who chipped in 10 points. With the win, Maryland improved to 5-0.
Maryland's lead was in double figures before the game was five minutes old. Even though Rhode Island has a strong and talented front line, they were no match for Maryland's inside attack on a night that Stone managed to keep away from foul trouble. Carter was also strong inside, grabbing 9 rebounds. Stone had five boards.
The Terps returned to College Park on Thanksgiving Day and will host Cleveland State Saturday Night. On Tuesday, Maryland collides with North Carolina in Chapel Hill. The Terps also host St. Francis and Maryland-Eastern Shore, play Connecticut at Madison Square Garden in New York and Princeton in Baltimore, all before Christmas. The Big Ten Network will televise Saturday's game, while ESPN will carry the game against North Carolina.
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Thankful; An Ancient Ocean, and the Water that was In It, Discovered Beneath Bottom of Chesapeake Bay; College Basketball: Maryland Surges Past Illinois State at Cancun Tournament, Terps to Take-On Rhode Island for Title; Valparaiso Stuns Oregon State
BALTIMORE, Maryland November 25, 2015 - Thanksgiving Day is tomorrow, at least here in the USA. Although the holiday has a secular origin, it is celebrated, especially, by Christians and Jews, because the idea of thanking the Great Good Lord is so much a part of the heritage of both religions. Where I worship, services are held tonight and tomorrow morning. I will be an usher at the service tomorrow morning. I have much to be thankful for.
My Lord has provided me with a loving family. My mother and father are both alive and, at their advanced ages, in amazing physical health. My father is like a rock, unchanging. My mother, although a few years younger than my Dad - who turns 89 on Thanksgiving Day - has suffered the ravages of aging more peculiarly than my dad. Her memory, especially, is curtailed. Her moments of clarity are like brief, passing, breaths of fresh perfumed air. My wife is amazing in so many ways. My three children are sources of unending joy. My grandson is the purest joy. Soon he will have a playmate because his aunt, who is my oldest daughter, is pregnant.
I am very fortunate to have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit and with it, the understanding and comprehension of my faith in Christ. It is as if a new and wonderful gift is presented to me every day of the year. It is a precious gift, and I understand its precious nature.
I am thankful for these United States. I have learned that the gift of a wonderful country is never to be taken for granted. We have suffered through a spate of years with a President who loathes the nation and citizens he governs. Our Great God knows why this is so and I know that I do not understand those reasons. I trust that the Lord knows why things happen as they do. I will always be thankful for the gift of a beautiful and timeless Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. I will always be thankful for the men who drafted those documents. There were times when I was overly critical of these Founding Fathers. Maturity has enabled me to understand that these men are human beings, born with gifts of intellect that I can only dream about, but also born with faults that are obvious. I have also come to understand that they were citizens of a different time. Almost all of them were haunted by the institution of slavery even though some held slaves. Most knew if they tried to abolish slavery at that time the nation would not have been able to break free from England. As a citizen, I thank God for all these men and all they did to provide these United States with a framework born of idealism and formed in such a way that good would always win out over evil. As a Christian, I thank God for each of them and ask God to forgive them their sins. I also thank God for the sureness that he will forgive them and, in fact, already has.
I am also thankful for the folks who read these essays. You cannot know the joy you bring.
An Ancient Ocean is Discovered One Thousand Feet Beneath the Floor of the Chesapeake Bay
The folk at the United States Geographical Survey were doing core samples beneath the floor of the Chesapeake Bay. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the geography and topography of these United States, the Chesapeake Bay is a body of water that runs inland from the Atlantic Ocean, beginning in southern Virginia and extending northwest through Maryland almost to Pennsylvania. The Susquehanna River empties into the Bay at Havre de Grace, not far from the most northern and western edges of the Bay. The Bay is saltwater, although there are times when the salinity of the Bay is challenged when the Susquehanna's flow is increased due to melting snow and rain.
The USGS scientists conducting the core sampling made an amazing discovery. Some thousand feet below the bottom of the bay is a gigantic deposit of what was once the nascent Atlantic Ocean. But the remnant of the Atlantic discovered by the USGS is a far different ocean than the one that today laps up against what Marylanders call the "Eastern Shore" or Delmarva Penninsula. The Eastern Shore is, as the other name suggests, a penninsula of land that juts out from Pennsylvania and Maryland into salt water that, to the west, is the current Atlantic Ocean, and to the east is the Chesapeake Bay. The Atlantic Ocean that is represented by the deposit below the Chesapeake is far saltier than today's Atlantic Ocean. The reason, the USGS says, is that the Atlantic was actually far smaller than it is today, and, most amazing, was actually landlocked. Says the USGS:
"Twice as salty as modern seawater, the ancient seawater was preserved like a prehistoric fly in amber, partly by the aid of the impact of a massive comet or meteorite that struck the area about 35 million years ago, creating Chesapeake Bay."
The asteroid or comet that created the Chesapeake is not the same one that killed the dinosaurs. The huge space rock responsible for that deed crashed into the Gulf of Mexio some 65 million years ago. That event marked the end of the Cretaceous Period and the beginning of the Tertiary Period. This geographical boundry is called the "K-T Boundry.
College Basketball: Maryland Beats Back Illinois State, 77-66, after trailing by 8; Valparaiso Stuns Oregon State, sending Beavers to First Loss
Watching Maryland play Illinois State Tuesday night was not a pleasant experience, at least not until the final five minutes. For the third straight game, the No. 2 Terps, now 4-0, struggled just to stay within striking distance of the fired-up Redbirds. The MAC opponents spread the taller Terrapins out, ran, gunned, and then ran some more. Maryland Coach Mark Turgeon admitted after the game that he was still learning how to coach this supremely talented bunch. And, to be fair, the Terps are not making the coach's job an easy one.
Melo Trimble, the preseason Big Ten MVP, was nearly scoreless at halftime before exploding in the second half. Rasheed Sulaimon, the Duke transfer who has been embraced by Turgeon and his Terrapin Teammates, also took a while to get started. With about seven minutes left, Maryland trailed, 57-52. They couldn't hit the side of a barn door from three-point range. Diamond Stone got himself in foul trouble. And then, just like that, Maryland rallied. Trimble and Sulaimon started to find their range. So did Jake Layman and Jared Nickens. Damonte Dodd had a career high 13 points (but thank the Lord that Maryland doesn't have to depend on his free throw shooting).
Sulaimon ended with 16 points, Trimble with 15. Layman had 12 points and Robert Carter chipped in with 11. Nickens had 6. Mikyle McIntosh had a game-high 17 to lead Illinois State, and Paris Lee added 15. The championship game between Maryland and Rhode Island - which defeated TCU - is tonight at 8:30 pm.
Out west, meanwhile, Valparaiso improved its record to 6-1 with a convincing 63-57 victory over Oregon State at Corvallis. Shane Hammink and Tevon Walker, from the Netherlands and Canada, respectively, led the Crusaders with 15 points each. Valpo had suffered its first and only loss of the season on Sunday night when it was upended by Oregon after leading at the half and at the mid-point of the second half. Despite the loss, the Crusaders continued to collect votes in this week's AP Top 25.
My Lord has provided me with a loving family. My mother and father are both alive and, at their advanced ages, in amazing physical health. My father is like a rock, unchanging. My mother, although a few years younger than my Dad - who turns 89 on Thanksgiving Day - has suffered the ravages of aging more peculiarly than my dad. Her memory, especially, is curtailed. Her moments of clarity are like brief, passing, breaths of fresh perfumed air. My wife is amazing in so many ways. My three children are sources of unending joy. My grandson is the purest joy. Soon he will have a playmate because his aunt, who is my oldest daughter, is pregnant.
I am very fortunate to have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit and with it, the understanding and comprehension of my faith in Christ. It is as if a new and wonderful gift is presented to me every day of the year. It is a precious gift, and I understand its precious nature.
I am thankful for these United States. I have learned that the gift of a wonderful country is never to be taken for granted. We have suffered through a spate of years with a President who loathes the nation and citizens he governs. Our Great God knows why this is so and I know that I do not understand those reasons. I trust that the Lord knows why things happen as they do. I will always be thankful for the gift of a beautiful and timeless Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. I will always be thankful for the men who drafted those documents. There were times when I was overly critical of these Founding Fathers. Maturity has enabled me to understand that these men are human beings, born with gifts of intellect that I can only dream about, but also born with faults that are obvious. I have also come to understand that they were citizens of a different time. Almost all of them were haunted by the institution of slavery even though some held slaves. Most knew if they tried to abolish slavery at that time the nation would not have been able to break free from England. As a citizen, I thank God for all these men and all they did to provide these United States with a framework born of idealism and formed in such a way that good would always win out over evil. As a Christian, I thank God for each of them and ask God to forgive them their sins. I also thank God for the sureness that he will forgive them and, in fact, already has.
I am also thankful for the folks who read these essays. You cannot know the joy you bring.
An Ancient Ocean is Discovered One Thousand Feet Beneath the Floor of the Chesapeake Bay
The folk at the United States Geographical Survey were doing core samples beneath the floor of the Chesapeake Bay. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the geography and topography of these United States, the Chesapeake Bay is a body of water that runs inland from the Atlantic Ocean, beginning in southern Virginia and extending northwest through Maryland almost to Pennsylvania. The Susquehanna River empties into the Bay at Havre de Grace, not far from the most northern and western edges of the Bay. The Bay is saltwater, although there are times when the salinity of the Bay is challenged when the Susquehanna's flow is increased due to melting snow and rain.
The USGS scientists conducting the core sampling made an amazing discovery. Some thousand feet below the bottom of the bay is a gigantic deposit of what was once the nascent Atlantic Ocean. But the remnant of the Atlantic discovered by the USGS is a far different ocean than the one that today laps up against what Marylanders call the "Eastern Shore" or Delmarva Penninsula. The Eastern Shore is, as the other name suggests, a penninsula of land that juts out from Pennsylvania and Maryland into salt water that, to the west, is the current Atlantic Ocean, and to the east is the Chesapeake Bay. The Atlantic Ocean that is represented by the deposit below the Chesapeake is far saltier than today's Atlantic Ocean. The reason, the USGS says, is that the Atlantic was actually far smaller than it is today, and, most amazing, was actually landlocked. Says the USGS:
"Twice as salty as modern seawater, the ancient seawater was preserved like a prehistoric fly in amber, partly by the aid of the impact of a massive comet or meteorite that struck the area about 35 million years ago, creating Chesapeake Bay."
The asteroid or comet that created the Chesapeake is not the same one that killed the dinosaurs. The huge space rock responsible for that deed crashed into the Gulf of Mexio some 65 million years ago. That event marked the end of the Cretaceous Period and the beginning of the Tertiary Period. This geographical boundry is called the "K-T Boundry.
College Basketball: Maryland Beats Back Illinois State, 77-66, after trailing by 8; Valparaiso Stuns Oregon State, sending Beavers to First Loss
Watching Maryland play Illinois State Tuesday night was not a pleasant experience, at least not until the final five minutes. For the third straight game, the No. 2 Terps, now 4-0, struggled just to stay within striking distance of the fired-up Redbirds. The MAC opponents spread the taller Terrapins out, ran, gunned, and then ran some more. Maryland Coach Mark Turgeon admitted after the game that he was still learning how to coach this supremely talented bunch. And, to be fair, the Terps are not making the coach's job an easy one.
Melo Trimble, the preseason Big Ten MVP, was nearly scoreless at halftime before exploding in the second half. Rasheed Sulaimon, the Duke transfer who has been embraced by Turgeon and his Terrapin Teammates, also took a while to get started. With about seven minutes left, Maryland trailed, 57-52. They couldn't hit the side of a barn door from three-point range. Diamond Stone got himself in foul trouble. And then, just like that, Maryland rallied. Trimble and Sulaimon started to find their range. So did Jake Layman and Jared Nickens. Damonte Dodd had a career high 13 points (but thank the Lord that Maryland doesn't have to depend on his free throw shooting).
Sulaimon ended with 16 points, Trimble with 15. Layman had 12 points and Robert Carter chipped in with 11. Nickens had 6. Mikyle McIntosh had a game-high 17 to lead Illinois State, and Paris Lee added 15. The championship game between Maryland and Rhode Island - which defeated TCU - is tonight at 8:30 pm.
Out west, meanwhile, Valparaiso improved its record to 6-1 with a convincing 63-57 victory over Oregon State at Corvallis. Shane Hammink and Tevon Walker, from the Netherlands and Canada, respectively, led the Crusaders with 15 points each. Valpo had suffered its first and only loss of the season on Sunday night when it was upended by Oregon after leading at the half and at the mid-point of the second half. Despite the loss, the Crusaders continued to collect votes in this week's AP Top 25.
Monday, November 23, 2015
Maryland Stops Virginia in NCAA Second Round; Terps Move Now to Showdown with Notre Dame in Round of 16; Williamson Scores Match's Only Goal; Niedermeier Turns In Another Clean Sheet
COLLEGE PARK, Maryland November 21, 2015 - Week-long layoffs can do funny things to sports teams. Football teams learn to deal with it because there is almost always a week between games. But basketball, baseball and soccer teams virtually never have to deal with such prolonged periods without competition. When your team is playing well, a layoff is the last thing a coach wants. But Sascho Cirovski got a week without competition because his University of Maryland soccer team earned it. They won the Big Ten Title by advancing past Michigan, Indiana and Ohio State in succession. There was less than 48 hours between the end of the semi-final against Indiana and the start of the final against Ohio State, and the second game, the championship game, was played at Ohio State because the Buckeyes won the Big Ten Regular Season Crown and then, when they beat Penn State in overtime in the quarter-finals, became the highest surviving seed in the semi-finals.
By winning the Big Ten Tournament, Maryland was awarded the Number Ten Seed in the NCAA Turnament. By earning the seed - only the top 16 of the 48 schools in the tournament were seeded - Maryland also earned a first round bye and a home game in the second round. Because of all of this, Maryland stayed in College Park while Virginia hosted Rider in the first round. The Cavaliers defeated the Broncos in a dramatic match, 2-0. The teams were dead even, 0-0, at the half. But Virginia broke through 23 minutes into the second half and looked for all the world like they would take a two goal lead when the referee awarded the Cavaliers a penalty kick near the midway point of the second half. But Virginia could not convert as Bronco Keeper Ryan Baird made the save, one of seven he turned in for the match, and Rider had life. The match moved into the late stages with only one goal separating the teams. Finally, with Rider pushing a large number of players forward, searching for an equalizer, Virginia found an opening for a counter-attack and put the match away.
Now Cirovski had to prepare his team after a seven-day layoff for a Virginia Eleven that had already cut its teeth in the NCAA tournament. No one needed to remind Maryland about the dangers of facing such a team. Just last season, UMBC stunned Maryland in the exact same circumstances and used it as a catapult to the College Cup. Although many of the present team weren't on that team - Maryland has eleven freshmen on its current roster - enough of the squad did remember and they didn't let anyone forget. The result was Maryland coming out and taking immediate control of the game. Although the final score was only 1-0 Maryland, it was one of those soccer games where the score is totally deceiving. The Terps outshot Virginia, 9-3 in the first half and 23-8 for the game, and even those figures are misleading. A veteran onlooker told Credible and Incisive that Virginia really hadn't come close to scoring at anytime in the first half or in the first 20 minutes of the second half. And Credible and Incisive did not see the Cavaliers come close either in the final 25 minutes of the second half. At the other end, Maryland was firing away and had at least three opportunities to bust the game open that for some reason did not result in a goal. One of those shots was cleaned off of the goal line, according to the game official, after it had easily beat the Cavaliers' keeper.
Now Cirovski will have to repeat the feat. Next Sunday, in the round of 16, Maryland will have to travel to South Bend to take on Notre Dame. Maryland will have a current memory to hold on to as it prepares for the Irish. Way back in late August the Terps and Notre Dame collided in Indiana - in Indianapolis to be exact - with the match ending in a scoreless deadlock. It was the opening match for both squads.
By winning the Big Ten Tournament, Maryland was awarded the Number Ten Seed in the NCAA Turnament. By earning the seed - only the top 16 of the 48 schools in the tournament were seeded - Maryland also earned a first round bye and a home game in the second round. Because of all of this, Maryland stayed in College Park while Virginia hosted Rider in the first round. The Cavaliers defeated the Broncos in a dramatic match, 2-0. The teams were dead even, 0-0, at the half. But Virginia broke through 23 minutes into the second half and looked for all the world like they would take a two goal lead when the referee awarded the Cavaliers a penalty kick near the midway point of the second half. But Virginia could not convert as Bronco Keeper Ryan Baird made the save, one of seven he turned in for the match, and Rider had life. The match moved into the late stages with only one goal separating the teams. Finally, with Rider pushing a large number of players forward, searching for an equalizer, Virginia found an opening for a counter-attack and put the match away.
Now Cirovski had to prepare his team after a seven-day layoff for a Virginia Eleven that had already cut its teeth in the NCAA tournament. No one needed to remind Maryland about the dangers of facing such a team. Just last season, UMBC stunned Maryland in the exact same circumstances and used it as a catapult to the College Cup. Although many of the present team weren't on that team - Maryland has eleven freshmen on its current roster - enough of the squad did remember and they didn't let anyone forget. The result was Maryland coming out and taking immediate control of the game. Although the final score was only 1-0 Maryland, it was one of those soccer games where the score is totally deceiving. The Terps outshot Virginia, 9-3 in the first half and 23-8 for the game, and even those figures are misleading. A veteran onlooker told Credible and Incisive that Virginia really hadn't come close to scoring at anytime in the first half or in the first 20 minutes of the second half. And Credible and Incisive did not see the Cavaliers come close either in the final 25 minutes of the second half. At the other end, Maryland was firing away and had at least three opportunities to bust the game open that for some reason did not result in a goal. One of those shots was cleaned off of the goal line, according to the game official, after it had easily beat the Cavaliers' keeper.
Now Cirovski will have to repeat the feat. Next Sunday, in the round of 16, Maryland will have to travel to South Bend to take on Notre Dame. Maryland will have a current memory to hold on to as it prepares for the Irish. Way back in late August the Terps and Notre Dame collided in Indiana - in Indianapolis to be exact - with the match ending in a scoreless deadlock. It was the opening match for both squads.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Comparing Paris Massacres to Pearl Harbor; The Shock is in the Here and Now
BALTIMORE, Maryland November 19, 2015 - It is admittedly unfair to seriously compare the events of November 13, 2015, in Paris, France, to the terrorizing blood bath of December 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii, which marked the USA's entry into World War II. Will the Paris Massacres and Pearl Harbor be considered to be similar by historians? Will the Paris Massacres be deemed, in the pantheon that is world history, somehow or in some way, to be more important than Pearl Harbor? Could the Paris Massacres be the pivotal event in the thousand-plus year conflagration between Islamics and Christendom? Could it somehow be the spark that forced the West to confront the meglamania that runs through the Islamic World? Or will the evil visited upon Paris last Friday now fade into history, considered, in the big scheme of things, to be nothing more than an isolated outburst in a brief and meaningless episode of such incidents, carried out by a garish but ultimately insignificant collection of crazed Islamic lunatics?
I believe the answer is crystal clear; crystal clear, that is, if you are Barack Obama. The meaning is far less clear if you are among those Western Christians who see Islamic Extremists making gains everywhere with precious little resistance from the governments of the west. The meaning of Paris and the Massacres taking place there are quite clear if you are an Islamic Terrorist, who sees the events of less than one week ago as proof that the battle against the west can be expanded, made more violent, and made more, well, telling, without drawing too much of a response from the west. If you are a Muslim who sits somewhere in the middle, aware of the blood-letting requirements of the Koran, aware that a moderate approach to the religion is not tolerated well by the authors of the Islamic Holy Books or by modern day mullahs, aware that at some point the sleeping giant that is the west will come to life and begin to fight back against the Islamics now inflicting horror on this giant. If you are this person in the middle you are in conflict. Your ability to live comfortably is coming to an end even if you don't want it to. A growing number of your fellow Islamics are heeding the call to Jihad. You hear the leaders of the west who keep calling your religion one of peace. You don't see that anywhere in the writings of your leaders or those who came before. Even if you want peace, you wonder aloud if it is even possible now.
The current American Regime has already begun to downplay the significance of the Paris Massacres. On Monday, even as the French President, still shaking with anger, called the Friday massacres an "act of war," and continued to ramp up his nation's already vigorous military response, Barack Hussein Obama, the USA President, held a news conference at which he characterized the massacres, not as an act of war but merely a "setback." and he announced that the tepid and toothless air campaign being conducted by the USA and a few of its allies will continue to be the sum and substance of America's efforts against the absolutely evil ISIS. (How tepid and toothless is the USA strategy? Consider these few facts: The USA is averaging 7 air sorties per day in the Iraq-Syria theatre. The number of sorties per day during the Iraq War and the Kosovo Campaign was well over 300. 300! Two weeks ago, when Obama wanted to tell the world he was getting tough on ISIS, he announced that he was sending more troops to Syria. In the make-believe world that Obama lives in, 'more troops' means less than 100 soldiers. And even the figure of 7 air sorties per day is greatly misleading. Many of the fighter planes sent out on the bombing runs return with all of their munitions still attached to the wings of the jets. This is because the 'rules of engagement' imposed by the former community agitator and his functionaries prevent using the weapons if even one non-combatant could be injured.) Obama grew angry at reporters - imagine getting mad at the doorman or the person who does your laundry - when they asked him why he wasn't 'taking them (ISIS) out.' And he insisted that this measley response was absolutely the only one that had a chance of working. In the face of the bloody massacre of well over 100 innocents on the streets of Paris on an autumn evening, even saying something that absurd has to raise questions.
In this light, the original proposition becomes oh so poignant. Peart Harbor was a well-planned sneak attack designed to wipe the USA's entire Pacific Fleet off the face of the Earth. It came very very close to working. The Paris Massacres were a bloody and explosive statement by an evil, crazed group of Islamics that may or may not be a statememt by a majority of Muslims. We are all assured that most Muslims oppose such violence. Yet, surveys of groups of Muslims believed to be the most peaceful and the ones with the most reasons for remaining peaceful - like those living in the United States - continually find high percentages, sometimes approaching a majority of respondents, favoring imposition of Sharia Law and sympathizing with violent acts carried out by those in favor of imposing Sharia Law. What sets the Paris Massacres apart from other terroristic acts is the promise by ISIS that it is the beginning of a new phase of actions against the West which will culminate in the worldwide imposition of Sharia Law. The plan of attack has a second purpose, and that is to show the relative impotence of the west in responding to the violence. In today's social environment, where political correctness seems to rule the day, many Leftists seem to almost favor imposition of Sharia Law as a way of demonstrating how sorry Leftists are, speaking for all Westerners - as they seemed determined to do - for overlooking the rights and aspirations of people the world over. Meanwhile, the pro-Islamic President Obama plots to bring unvetted Islamics to the west by the tens of thousands.
Pearl Harbor was a warning bell heeded by all Americans. Everything changed for Americans at once. Everything was thrown in to defeating those who visited the evil and destruction upon these United States.
Sadly, it does not look like the Paris Massacres will have a similar effect. Obama's plot to brings unvetted Islamics to the shores of these United States moves ahead. Today, the House of Representatives voted, by a veto-proof majority, to enact a bill to ban such immigration. But the feckless Harry Reid says he will use available Parlimentary procedures to block the bill from coming to a vote in the Senate. Like Obama, Reid cares little about American Security. Like Obama, the only thing that matters to Reid is the Democratic Party and its total devotion to the uber Left. In 1941, such men did not walk the Halls of Congress. Nor did such men sit in White House. Therein lies one huge difference between then and now. The leaders then realized that they either reacted to Pearl Harbor as if the future of America depended on it, or America would cease to be. In 2015, a clarion call like the Paris Massacres falls on the ears of leaders who think America is nothing worth saving. Roosevelt, Truman, and Eisenhower were Giants of History, Giants of the glory and the nobility of free people. Obama and Reid are small, arrogant, narcistic men, unable to comprehend the Rights of Man or their roles in seeing that freedom and liberty are preserved.
I believe the answer is crystal clear; crystal clear, that is, if you are Barack Obama. The meaning is far less clear if you are among those Western Christians who see Islamic Extremists making gains everywhere with precious little resistance from the governments of the west. The meaning of Paris and the Massacres taking place there are quite clear if you are an Islamic Terrorist, who sees the events of less than one week ago as proof that the battle against the west can be expanded, made more violent, and made more, well, telling, without drawing too much of a response from the west. If you are a Muslim who sits somewhere in the middle, aware of the blood-letting requirements of the Koran, aware that a moderate approach to the religion is not tolerated well by the authors of the Islamic Holy Books or by modern day mullahs, aware that at some point the sleeping giant that is the west will come to life and begin to fight back against the Islamics now inflicting horror on this giant. If you are this person in the middle you are in conflict. Your ability to live comfortably is coming to an end even if you don't want it to. A growing number of your fellow Islamics are heeding the call to Jihad. You hear the leaders of the west who keep calling your religion one of peace. You don't see that anywhere in the writings of your leaders or those who came before. Even if you want peace, you wonder aloud if it is even possible now.
The current American Regime has already begun to downplay the significance of the Paris Massacres. On Monday, even as the French President, still shaking with anger, called the Friday massacres an "act of war," and continued to ramp up his nation's already vigorous military response, Barack Hussein Obama, the USA President, held a news conference at which he characterized the massacres, not as an act of war but merely a "setback." and he announced that the tepid and toothless air campaign being conducted by the USA and a few of its allies will continue to be the sum and substance of America's efforts against the absolutely evil ISIS. (How tepid and toothless is the USA strategy? Consider these few facts: The USA is averaging 7 air sorties per day in the Iraq-Syria theatre. The number of sorties per day during the Iraq War and the Kosovo Campaign was well over 300. 300! Two weeks ago, when Obama wanted to tell the world he was getting tough on ISIS, he announced that he was sending more troops to Syria. In the make-believe world that Obama lives in, 'more troops' means less than 100 soldiers. And even the figure of 7 air sorties per day is greatly misleading. Many of the fighter planes sent out on the bombing runs return with all of their munitions still attached to the wings of the jets. This is because the 'rules of engagement' imposed by the former community agitator and his functionaries prevent using the weapons if even one non-combatant could be injured.) Obama grew angry at reporters - imagine getting mad at the doorman or the person who does your laundry - when they asked him why he wasn't 'taking them (ISIS) out.' And he insisted that this measley response was absolutely the only one that had a chance of working. In the face of the bloody massacre of well over 100 innocents on the streets of Paris on an autumn evening, even saying something that absurd has to raise questions.
In this light, the original proposition becomes oh so poignant. Peart Harbor was a well-planned sneak attack designed to wipe the USA's entire Pacific Fleet off the face of the Earth. It came very very close to working. The Paris Massacres were a bloody and explosive statement by an evil, crazed group of Islamics that may or may not be a statememt by a majority of Muslims. We are all assured that most Muslims oppose such violence. Yet, surveys of groups of Muslims believed to be the most peaceful and the ones with the most reasons for remaining peaceful - like those living in the United States - continually find high percentages, sometimes approaching a majority of respondents, favoring imposition of Sharia Law and sympathizing with violent acts carried out by those in favor of imposing Sharia Law. What sets the Paris Massacres apart from other terroristic acts is the promise by ISIS that it is the beginning of a new phase of actions against the West which will culminate in the worldwide imposition of Sharia Law. The plan of attack has a second purpose, and that is to show the relative impotence of the west in responding to the violence. In today's social environment, where political correctness seems to rule the day, many Leftists seem to almost favor imposition of Sharia Law as a way of demonstrating how sorry Leftists are, speaking for all Westerners - as they seemed determined to do - for overlooking the rights and aspirations of people the world over. Meanwhile, the pro-Islamic President Obama plots to bring unvetted Islamics to the west by the tens of thousands.
Pearl Harbor was a warning bell heeded by all Americans. Everything changed for Americans at once. Everything was thrown in to defeating those who visited the evil and destruction upon these United States.
Sadly, it does not look like the Paris Massacres will have a similar effect. Obama's plot to brings unvetted Islamics to the shores of these United States moves ahead. Today, the House of Representatives voted, by a veto-proof majority, to enact a bill to ban such immigration. But the feckless Harry Reid says he will use available Parlimentary procedures to block the bill from coming to a vote in the Senate. Like Obama, Reid cares little about American Security. Like Obama, the only thing that matters to Reid is the Democratic Party and its total devotion to the uber Left. In 1941, such men did not walk the Halls of Congress. Nor did such men sit in White House. Therein lies one huge difference between then and now. The leaders then realized that they either reacted to Pearl Harbor as if the future of America depended on it, or America would cease to be. In 2015, a clarion call like the Paris Massacres falls on the ears of leaders who think America is nothing worth saving. Roosevelt, Truman, and Eisenhower were Giants of History, Giants of the glory and the nobility of free people. Obama and Reid are small, arrogant, narcistic men, unable to comprehend the Rights of Man or their roles in seeing that freedom and liberty are preserved.
Monday, November 16, 2015
Maryland Seeded Tenth in NCAA Soccer Tournament, Receive First Round Bye; Terps To Host Winner of Rider v. Virginia Match; Terps to Take Pitch Sunday Evening
BALTIMORE, Maryland November 16, 2015 - The NCAA Selection Committee Gave Maryland the Number Ten Seed in the 48-Team 2015 National Championship Tournament. All 16 of the seeded teams receive first round byes. In Maryland's case, it means that the Terps will face-off against the winner of Virginia and Rider, a game to be played Thursday. Maryland's first tournament match will be Sunday Evening at Ludwig Field, at 5 pm,
Maryland will go into the tournament with a 10-5-5 record, the 22nd straight season Maryland finished with at least ten wins. As for Maryland's draw, well, to be honest, it stinks. Virginia, like Maryland, is a traditional national power. This wasn't their best season, but their record, 9-4-3 isn't bad at all. And just to play Maryland, the Cavaliers will have to beat Rider, an under-the-radar team with a gaudy record of 14-5-1. How did this happen? Might it be that somebody is tired of seeing Maryland and Virginia in the College Cup?
Maryland will go into the tournament with a 10-5-5 record, the 22nd straight season Maryland finished with at least ten wins. As for Maryland's draw, well, to be honest, it stinks. Virginia, like Maryland, is a traditional national power. This wasn't their best season, but their record, 9-4-3 isn't bad at all. And just to play Maryland, the Cavaliers will have to beat Rider, an under-the-radar team with a gaudy record of 14-5-1. How did this happen? Might it be that somebody is tired of seeing Maryland and Virginia in the College Cup?
Maryland Wins Big Ten Title; Niedermeier Shines as Terps Advance Past Indiana and Shut-Out Homestanding Ohio State; Williamson Scores Winning Goal in Title Game
BALTIMORE, Maryland November 16, 2015 - When Maryland lost to Ohio State on Halloween Night, just two weeks ago, things looked about as dire as they could be for the Defending Big Ten Champs, With that loss, Maryland had lost all hope of a regular season title. They had even put an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament in real jeopardy. It was a sobering place to be for Coach Sascho Cirovski, after a mind-numbing 20 straight appearances in the national championship tournament. Would his talented, but, so far, under-achieving 2015 squad be the ones to break the streak?
They would not.
With All-American Keeper Zack Steffan having turned pro after last season, his replacement, Cody Niedermeier, rose up like no other Maryland Keeper ever had - which is saying something - and by doing so guided Maryland past Indiana and then regular season champ Ohio State, and into the NCAA tournament, most certainly, now, with a first round bye that seemed absolutely out of the question when Maryland left College Park for Columbus late last week. Against the Hoosiers - which stood tied with Maryland after 90 minutes of regulation play and 20 minutes of sudden death overtime - Niedermeier made an incredible four straight saves on penalty shots (even one such save is spectacular) to allow the Terps to advance on penalty kicks, 3-2. Given a breath of life and a trip into the title game, Niedermeier then put a clean sheet on the Ohio State Buckeyes, which, coupled with decisive shooting by Eryk Williamson and Tsubasa Endoh, lifted Maryland to a 2-0 victory and the Big Ten Title.
The Title earns Maryland the conference's one automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. The remander of the 48 team field, the 16 seeded teams earning first round byes, and the match-ups for all entrants, will be announced today at noon.
Cirovski and his charges have now won a stunning four straight conference titles, an accomplishment that is made all the more breathtaking when one considers that none of the four winners were juggernauts with gaudy records. It proves that Cirovski is a coach for the ages, able to out-coach, out- maneuver, and out motivate other coaches whether they are experienced, young and 'innovative' or whatever other adjectives they attach to their reputations.
Take the case of Eryk Williamson, whose heroics in the weekend matches left everyone awestruck, everyone, that is, except Cirovski. The coach stuck with Williamson even though he was scoreless through the first 16 games of the season. Now, with everything on the line, Williamson has scored in four consecutive games. Yesterday, he ripped a shot into the back of the nets ten minutes into the game to put Maryland ahead to stay. Then, as time ticked away, and Ohio State was pushing everyone forward. Willaimson made a long and strong run through the teeth of the Buckeye defense before taking a powerful shot at the right side of the net. Ohio State Goal Keeper Chris Froschauer, a first team All Big Ten Selection, managed to block the shot, but he could not control it. Endoh, hustling up the field just to the left of Willismson, was exactly where he needed to be to bang home the rebound. At that point, the celebrations started.
None of the title game heroics would've been possible if Maryland hadn't pushed past Indiana in an unbelievable match that left both teams drained. Endoh put the Terps on the board in the tenth minute, but Indiana struck back just three minutes later. And that is how it remained through 90 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime. Cirovski picked the first five shooters for the Terps in the shoot-out. Indiana inserted their second-string keeper, Christian Lomeli, even though he hadn't played all season. He was spectacular, also, saving three of the six Maryland shots. The three Terps who scored were Mael Corboz, Emmanuel Korvah and Connor Smith. Smith's was the winner. He wasn't in the original group of shooters fielded by Cirovski, but when the mandatory five rounds ended, the score was tied, 2-2. Maryland actually trailed after the second and third rounds, 2-1, but Korvah, who didn't play during the match (let that sink in for a minute) tied the score in the fourth round. Both teams failed to score in the fifth round, setting up the first extra round. Niedermeier saved Indiana's shot and Smith converted, setting off a tired by jubilant celebration.
They would not.
With All-American Keeper Zack Steffan having turned pro after last season, his replacement, Cody Niedermeier, rose up like no other Maryland Keeper ever had - which is saying something - and by doing so guided Maryland past Indiana and then regular season champ Ohio State, and into the NCAA tournament, most certainly, now, with a first round bye that seemed absolutely out of the question when Maryland left College Park for Columbus late last week. Against the Hoosiers - which stood tied with Maryland after 90 minutes of regulation play and 20 minutes of sudden death overtime - Niedermeier made an incredible four straight saves on penalty shots (even one such save is spectacular) to allow the Terps to advance on penalty kicks, 3-2. Given a breath of life and a trip into the title game, Niedermeier then put a clean sheet on the Ohio State Buckeyes, which, coupled with decisive shooting by Eryk Williamson and Tsubasa Endoh, lifted Maryland to a 2-0 victory and the Big Ten Title.
The Title earns Maryland the conference's one automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. The remander of the 48 team field, the 16 seeded teams earning first round byes, and the match-ups for all entrants, will be announced today at noon.
Cirovski and his charges have now won a stunning four straight conference titles, an accomplishment that is made all the more breathtaking when one considers that none of the four winners were juggernauts with gaudy records. It proves that Cirovski is a coach for the ages, able to out-coach, out- maneuver, and out motivate other coaches whether they are experienced, young and 'innovative' or whatever other adjectives they attach to their reputations.
Take the case of Eryk Williamson, whose heroics in the weekend matches left everyone awestruck, everyone, that is, except Cirovski. The coach stuck with Williamson even though he was scoreless through the first 16 games of the season. Now, with everything on the line, Williamson has scored in four consecutive games. Yesterday, he ripped a shot into the back of the nets ten minutes into the game to put Maryland ahead to stay. Then, as time ticked away, and Ohio State was pushing everyone forward. Willaimson made a long and strong run through the teeth of the Buckeye defense before taking a powerful shot at the right side of the net. Ohio State Goal Keeper Chris Froschauer, a first team All Big Ten Selection, managed to block the shot, but he could not control it. Endoh, hustling up the field just to the left of Willismson, was exactly where he needed to be to bang home the rebound. At that point, the celebrations started.
None of the title game heroics would've been possible if Maryland hadn't pushed past Indiana in an unbelievable match that left both teams drained. Endoh put the Terps on the board in the tenth minute, but Indiana struck back just three minutes later. And that is how it remained through 90 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime. Cirovski picked the first five shooters for the Terps in the shoot-out. Indiana inserted their second-string keeper, Christian Lomeli, even though he hadn't played all season. He was spectacular, also, saving three of the six Maryland shots. The three Terps who scored were Mael Corboz, Emmanuel Korvah and Connor Smith. Smith's was the winner. He wasn't in the original group of shooters fielded by Cirovski, but when the mandatory five rounds ended, the score was tied, 2-2. Maryland actually trailed after the second and third rounds, 2-1, but Korvah, who didn't play during the match (let that sink in for a minute) tied the score in the fourth round. Both teams failed to score in the fifth round, setting up the first extra round. Niedermeier saved Indiana's shot and Smith converted, setting off a tired by jubilant celebration.
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Putrid Mainstream Media in Lame and Detestable Attempt to Shame a Good Man
BALTIMORE, Maryland, November10, 2015 - As many already know, the DNC's on-line outlet, Politico, on Friday printed an entirely false 'news story' about the GOP candidate that has Hillary Clinton and the rest of the DNC actually shaking in their boots: the retired Johns Hopkins Neurosurgeon Ben Carson. The article contained a veritable roll call of bald, putrid and outright lies about the Renowned and Noble Doctor. In an interview later, Dr. Carson - who is credited with saving hundreds and maybe thousands of lives in his role as head of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore (repeatedly called the best hospital in the world by rating organizations) - said that he has expected such a barage all along and was not surprised in the least by the Politico article. Others of us - and 'us' in this case is most of American society - might also have expected it. But the utterly horrid set of falsehoods combined with the strident vitriol with which they were set forth, took many of us aback. Even when called on the falsehoods running throughout the article, Politico and its so-called reporter, Kyle D. Cheney - he makes George Stephanopolous seem downright objective - would not pull the article. Instead, it tried to incrementally walk it back, only taking back the exact parts of the story the newest revelation laid bare. Soon enough, however, it became clear that nothing about the article and its tired allegations were even slightly accurate.
Even on Saturday morning, the ABC network couldn't resist the low-brow and quite creepy temptation to include another related zinger in its 9 am radio newscast. According to the announcer, Dr. Carson, for no known reason, sometime on Friday evening made another series of comments about the idea that everybody in the media was out to get him. The announcer wanted listeners to believe that he just blurted those comments out, with no context and no prompting. Sadly, today's media has abandoned all pretense at objectivity, something most Americans already know, unless they are the most uninformed low information voter on the face of the earth.
This is what the Politico hit piece said: Ben Carson, while still a teen, accepted an invitation from General William Westmoreland to attend the Naval Academy on scholarship. The article went on to allege that Dr. Carson then lied about the entire set of facts. There is nothing wrong with going to 'Navy,' mind you. It is the lying that Politico wanted to drive home. But Dr. Carson did not lie. People who know Dr. Carson know he doesn't have it in him. He is too good of a person to tell such lies. He did talk to General Westmoreland as a teen. At the time the General was commander of all United States forces in Vietnam. But when the conversation took place, Dr. Carson had already made the decision to go to college to study medicine. He went to Yale to get his Bachelor's Degree and the University of Michigan for his medical degree. He did not go to Navy.
Dr. Carson was called on to comment on the witch hunt carried on by Mr. Chaney and other operatives for the DNC in the mainstream media, and he stated that because he was a black conservative, he expected such an onslaught and was, to the degree anybody can be, prepared for it.
And a word about Kyle D. Cheney: he is not the objective and truth-seeking 'typical' reporter that you may have been led to believe he is. Kyle Cheney actually has quite the history of writing such articles. The moderate news site, Breitbart, wrote an article providing background material on Cheney, and that article makes it crystal clear that calling him an uber leftist is an extremely accurate thing to do. The site for the Breitbart article is: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/11/08/author-of-ben-carson-hit-piece-i-was-in-guantanamo-for-12-hours/
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Maryland Announces 2016 Baseball Schedule, Opponents Include Alabama, Tennessee, Cal State-Fullerton and Anteaters of UC-Irvine; Best-Ever Recruiting Class Lands in National Top 20
BALTIMORE, Maryland November 4, 2015 - A baseball schedule that opens in the middle of February with a three-game series at SEC powerhouse Alabama, and also includes a three-game set on the west coast against another national power, California State at Fullerton. That same west coast trip also includes a game against the powerful Anteaters of the University of California at Irvine.
The schedule - molded by Maryland's highly successful head coach, John Szefc - is designed to expose the team to the kind of pressure the team will face should they again qualify for the NCAA tournament. After a long long drought, the Terps gained entry to the NCAA tourney in 2014, and against all of the odds, Maryland emerged from the four-team regional tournament at the University of South Carolina
The schedule - molded by Maryland's highly successful head coach, John Szefc - is designed to expose the team to the kind of pressure the team will face should they again qualify for the NCAA tournament. After a long long drought, the Terps gained entry to the NCAA tourney in 2014, and against all of the odds, Maryland emerged from the four-team regional tournament at the University of South Carolina
Accomplished as Federal Prosecuter, Hollywood Actor, United States Senator and Presidential Candidate, Fred Thompson Succumbs to Lymphoma
BALTIMORE, Maryland November 2, 2015 - He was selected by former Senator Howard Baker to lead the Senate Watergate Committee's Investigation into the Watergate Conspiracy. His relentless behind-the-scenes work helped bring down a corrupt president. He was the DA in the long-running Hollywood Drama Law and Order, and also appeared in a number of Hollywood movies. For nine years (1994-2003), Fred Dalton Thompson was a United States Senator from Tennessee. Then, in 2008 he was a candidate for the Presidency of these United States.
On Sunday, he succumbed to cancer.
Fred Thompson was the kind of person who demanded respect, not in the sense of beating a person into submission on the issue, but in a dignified manner: when he entered a room or submitted a manuscript, the immediate impression witnesses took was to respect the man, whether he was present himself was irrelevant. A television interviewer once asked him why - during his presidential run when he was openly 'spat' upon by co-candidate John McCain - he did not strike back. Thompson's answer was so typical of the man: "I just cannot criticize that man," he said, "I just cannot." McCain, for all of his bluster since returning to these United States, had endured, with extreme dignity, a long run as a POW in a hell hole of a prison camp in Hanoi, North Vietnam. In Thompson's view, McCain had earned eternal respect, not just from him but from all Americans.
One of the most obvious and remembered characteristics of Fred Thompson was his reputation for thoroughness. It is nearly ironic that this is so. With so varied a career, it would be almost expected that Thompson would cut corners or skimp in order to complete all of the assignments that were necessary for a person performing so many roles. But Fred Thompson never skimped and certainly never cut corners. In 1973 and 1974, Thompson was the minority chief counsel of the Senate Watergate Committee. During his relentless questioning of then CIA Chief, Alexander Butterfield was forced to reveal the existence of the audio taping system that led directly to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon, still the only United States President to resign in disgrace.
Despite vigorous opposition, Thompson won the Senate Seat formerly occupied by Al Gore, Sr. and Al Gore, Jr. The man he defeated, Harlan Matthews, had been appointed to the Senate when Gore the Junior assumed the vice-presidency of these United States. Six years later, Congressman Jim Cooper took on Thompson in a very contentious election fight. According to the Los Angeles Times, "Cooper blasted away at what he suggested was a huge gap between Thompson the good ol' boy and Thompson the politician. Cooper called him "a Gucci wearing, Lincoln driving, Perrier-drinking, Grey Poupon spreading millionaire Washington special-interest lobbyist." In fact, Thompson was a highly successful lobbyist, representing clients including the Teamsters Union pension fund, Westinghouse, GE and Toyota. Still, his constituents in Tennessee liked his style and he handily won" both the 1994 and 1996 elections (the 1994 election was for the purpose of completing the Gore term. Thompson then ran for election on his own to a six year term in 1996). In the 1996 election, Thompson collected a stunning 61% of the Tennessee vote.
From 2002 to 2007 he was cast as DA Arthur Branch in the long-running NBC Law and Order crime drama series. Thompson also portrayed authority figures in a number of hit Hollywood big screen productions. Included in his credits are "The Hunt for Red October" and "Cape Fear." In a 1997 interview with the New York Times, Thompson recalled playing in a travelling stage production with the late screen star Paul Newman.
According to the LA Times, Thompson was born in 1942 in the small Alabama Town of Sheffield. He grew up in Tennessee, however, when his father obtained work as an automobile salesman in Lawrenceburg. History buffs may recall that Lawrenceburg is the birthplace of legendary American frontiersman Davy Crockett.
Thompson attended Memphis State University on a basketball scholarship, no doubt in part because of his 6-foot, 6-inch frame. He had already married his high school sweetheart and fathered, with her, two children. He was able to graduate from Memphis State even though he had to quit school one semester in order to work. The employment he found in that time was in a church pew factory, a drive-in movie and a bicycle factory. After Memphis State he applied to and was accepted at Vanderbilt University Law School. Thompson graduated from there in 1967. Thompson returned, then, to Lawrenceburg to practice law. He also founded a Young Republicans chapter and worked in various political campaigns. Notable GOP stalwarts such as Baker and Lamar Alexander took notice of Thompson during this time.
Alexander released a statement on Sunday after learning of Thompson's passing. "Very few people can light up the room the way Fred Thompson did...He used his magic as a lawyer, actor, Watergate counsel and United States senator to become one of our country's most principled and effective public servants."
After his Watergate work, Thompson again returned to Tennessee to practice law. One case he handled successfully - for his client - was the representation of Marie Ragghianti, an assistant for then Tennessee Governor Ray Blanton. Ragghianti alleged that she had been unfairly fired from her job with Blanton. In the trial that the case led to, revelations emerged about corruption in the Blanton administration. A corruption probe followed and Blanton and other Tennessee officials were sent to jail.
Fred Thompson, who said that his name was not appropriate for Hollywood, had his first movie role in 1985 when he portrayed Sissy Spacek's attorney in the film "Marie: a True Story." Other movie roles included Die Hard 2, Fat Man and Little Boy (with Paul Newman), In the Line of Fire, Aces: Iron Eagle III and "The Rise and Fall of RJR Nabisco."
Despite all of the notoriety he earned, Thompson retained a humble air about him. In fact, his death caught many of his friends and admirers by surprise. Counting himself among those friends was Mark Levin, who spared no effort in praising Thompson effusively during his Tuesday broadcast. His ability to have a pulse on America and the challenges facing it was one of the things the essential Mr. Levin recalled in describing his friend. Most poignant of all, Levin said, was Thompson's grave concern about illegal border crossers - illegal immigrants in the current vernacular - and his equally grave concern about the amount of damage resulting from the uber Leftist policies of Barak H. Obama.
On Sunday, he succumbed to cancer.
Fred Thompson was the kind of person who demanded respect, not in the sense of beating a person into submission on the issue, but in a dignified manner: when he entered a room or submitted a manuscript, the immediate impression witnesses took was to respect the man, whether he was present himself was irrelevant. A television interviewer once asked him why - during his presidential run when he was openly 'spat' upon by co-candidate John McCain - he did not strike back. Thompson's answer was so typical of the man: "I just cannot criticize that man," he said, "I just cannot." McCain, for all of his bluster since returning to these United States, had endured, with extreme dignity, a long run as a POW in a hell hole of a prison camp in Hanoi, North Vietnam. In Thompson's view, McCain had earned eternal respect, not just from him but from all Americans.
One of the most obvious and remembered characteristics of Fred Thompson was his reputation for thoroughness. It is nearly ironic that this is so. With so varied a career, it would be almost expected that Thompson would cut corners or skimp in order to complete all of the assignments that were necessary for a person performing so many roles. But Fred Thompson never skimped and certainly never cut corners. In 1973 and 1974, Thompson was the minority chief counsel of the Senate Watergate Committee. During his relentless questioning of then CIA Chief, Alexander Butterfield was forced to reveal the existence of the audio taping system that led directly to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon, still the only United States President to resign in disgrace.
Despite vigorous opposition, Thompson won the Senate Seat formerly occupied by Al Gore, Sr. and Al Gore, Jr. The man he defeated, Harlan Matthews, had been appointed to the Senate when Gore the Junior assumed the vice-presidency of these United States. Six years later, Congressman Jim Cooper took on Thompson in a very contentious election fight. According to the Los Angeles Times, "Cooper blasted away at what he suggested was a huge gap between Thompson the good ol' boy and Thompson the politician. Cooper called him "a Gucci wearing, Lincoln driving, Perrier-drinking, Grey Poupon spreading millionaire Washington special-interest lobbyist." In fact, Thompson was a highly successful lobbyist, representing clients including the Teamsters Union pension fund, Westinghouse, GE and Toyota. Still, his constituents in Tennessee liked his style and he handily won" both the 1994 and 1996 elections (the 1994 election was for the purpose of completing the Gore term. Thompson then ran for election on his own to a six year term in 1996). In the 1996 election, Thompson collected a stunning 61% of the Tennessee vote.
From 2002 to 2007 he was cast as DA Arthur Branch in the long-running NBC Law and Order crime drama series. Thompson also portrayed authority figures in a number of hit Hollywood big screen productions. Included in his credits are "The Hunt for Red October" and "Cape Fear." In a 1997 interview with the New York Times, Thompson recalled playing in a travelling stage production with the late screen star Paul Newman.
According to the LA Times, Thompson was born in 1942 in the small Alabama Town of Sheffield. He grew up in Tennessee, however, when his father obtained work as an automobile salesman in Lawrenceburg. History buffs may recall that Lawrenceburg is the birthplace of legendary American frontiersman Davy Crockett.
Thompson attended Memphis State University on a basketball scholarship, no doubt in part because of his 6-foot, 6-inch frame. He had already married his high school sweetheart and fathered, with her, two children. He was able to graduate from Memphis State even though he had to quit school one semester in order to work. The employment he found in that time was in a church pew factory, a drive-in movie and a bicycle factory. After Memphis State he applied to and was accepted at Vanderbilt University Law School. Thompson graduated from there in 1967. Thompson returned, then, to Lawrenceburg to practice law. He also founded a Young Republicans chapter and worked in various political campaigns. Notable GOP stalwarts such as Baker and Lamar Alexander took notice of Thompson during this time.
Alexander released a statement on Sunday after learning of Thompson's passing. "Very few people can light up the room the way Fred Thompson did...He used his magic as a lawyer, actor, Watergate counsel and United States senator to become one of our country's most principled and effective public servants."
After his Watergate work, Thompson again returned to Tennessee to practice law. One case he handled successfully - for his client - was the representation of Marie Ragghianti, an assistant for then Tennessee Governor Ray Blanton. Ragghianti alleged that she had been unfairly fired from her job with Blanton. In the trial that the case led to, revelations emerged about corruption in the Blanton administration. A corruption probe followed and Blanton and other Tennessee officials were sent to jail.
Fred Thompson, who said that his name was not appropriate for Hollywood, had his first movie role in 1985 when he portrayed Sissy Spacek's attorney in the film "Marie: a True Story." Other movie roles included Die Hard 2, Fat Man and Little Boy (with Paul Newman), In the Line of Fire, Aces: Iron Eagle III and "The Rise and Fall of RJR Nabisco."
Despite all of the notoriety he earned, Thompson retained a humble air about him. In fact, his death caught many of his friends and admirers by surprise. Counting himself among those friends was Mark Levin, who spared no effort in praising Thompson effusively during his Tuesday broadcast. His ability to have a pulse on America and the challenges facing it was one of the things the essential Mr. Levin recalled in describing his friend. Most poignant of all, Levin said, was Thompson's grave concern about illegal border crossers - illegal immigrants in the current vernacular - and his equally grave concern about the amount of damage resulting from the uber Leftist policies of Barak H. Obama.
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