TOWSON, Maryland, Thursday, September 29, 2017 - It is not a surprise at all. The NFL players have their unity, and the fans who pay their salaries have another spectacle involving the hard left, the same fools who have taken over the Democratic Party. What started as an off-the-cuff little diddy staged by a love-sick second stringer has turned into a league-wide protest about, well, about social injustice. Huh?
The geniuses in the NFL are risking the livelihood of thousands of people because they are protesting social injustice. Social injustice has been around since the dawn of civilization. Really! And it will be with us until Kingdom Come.
The first protests were about police brutality, or so we were told. But if police brutality is the problem, how did the United States National Anthem get dragged into it. Police departments around the country are run by local governments and a few state governments. The federal government - that is, the government of These United States - have no police departments. And their law enforcement officers in the FBI, CIA, and NSA have virtually never been implicated in cases of brutality. So again I ask, why protest during the National Anthem? Tens of thousands of Americans of all races, colors and creeds have died to protect the nation. The Anthem and the Flag are symbols of the Nation and they inspire us to achieve an America that is the pride of everyone on Earth. The screwed up NFL leaders ask military people to carry the flag onto the field while the Anthem is sung by a whole variety of Americans. And there are our heroes, kneeling to protest social injustice. That is about as goofy as someone taking a knee during a funeral.
And now that the Ultra Left Democrats are proudly backing the protests, I don't want to be a party pooper and remind the NFL Players that the Ultra Left Democrats now oppose football as excessively violent. They want to kill the NFL or, in the alternative, bring it down to manageable size. Did you miss the concussion film? Was that a film that backed football? You lads get to wear the latest in protective equipment. When Army played the Carlisle Indians in the mythical National Championship game back just before World War I, the players played the same game without helmets or equipment, save for their uniform jerseys.
But you players just keep making whoopy with the Leftists in the Democratic Party. How many fans will pay to watch touch football or flag football?
If you don't take some time to listen to Limbaugh, Levin and Hannity, you're missing what is actually happening in the world. On the other hand, if the only place you get news is at the 3 TV Dinosaurs (ABC, NBC and CBS) or one of the print anachronisms (NY Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Baltimore Sun) you probably don't know what is going on and need an education. I recommend you start listening to Limbaugh, Levin and Hannity.
Levin was in his glory on this last Thursday night in September. He tied into the hapless Mitch McConnell, reinforcing the litany of trash the very old Kentucky stick in the mud has foisted on These United States. He also had at Arizona Senator Jeff "the fraud" Flake. Flake is one of the RINOs and his story is really sad. He was a thinking conservative for quite some time, then he got elected to the Senate and lost his soul. He has apparently been getting drunk on the money to be had from lobbyists, because he has completely forgot what a Conservative is like. If Flake can duck and run rather than take a hard Conservative stand favored by his constituents, he will always take the easy and cushy monied path to selling out.
Levin also had at Hillary and Nancy Pelosi. He was very critical - as well he should have been - with an interview Charlie Rose did with Buzzy Ginsburg. With all due respect to the aged jurist, she needs to resign. She is no longer on the ball, if you take my meaning. With Rose throwing her one softball after another, Ginsburg could barely get her words out. Yet she is permitted to make decisions on which the future of America ride. Any news organization or commentator worth their salt should play that interview over and over and demand she resign. Don't hold your breath. The ultra Left would rather the country sink in the sea than to cede power to anybody not a dyed in the wool leftist.
Just think about all of the ridiculous nonsense you've heard or read about Donald Trump. Granted, he won't win his way into heavan without some time in the confessional, but that isn't my problem. He has done more than most of the so-called 'ready to serve' presidents. The economy is doing great, he has stood up to the really evil dictators in the world, something Obama wanted nothing of. He wasn't intellectually prepared to deal with evil, and didn't recognize it when he saw it. Some dictators can be effective leaders. Most cannot. There isn't any reason on Earth to give insane Islamic Mullahs all of the cash Obama gave them. He had a plane full of unmarked bills landing in Iran, all of it for the Mullahs. What a leader! What a statesman! Clinton turned down chances to take Osama bin Laden into custody. Because of that God-awful choice, over 3,000 innocent Americans lost their lives. Or did I get something wrong?
But there was the leader of the "Should be in Jail" Society, Hillary Clinton, criticizing Donald Trump on some tired old leftist TV show. Donald might kill journalists, she said. Donald is dangerous. I suppose giving cold-blooded killers tens of billions of dollars in unmarked bills is perfectly sane. Has any journalist asked Obama what he thinks the money will be used for? Or, they can ask him what he will do in ten years, when his daughters are still in their twenties, and those fine Iranian cut throats have a "legal" nuke. Those young women can tell the world that their Daddy helped the Mullahs get the nukes. And, oh, by the way, he helped the North Koreans also. He could've did them in before their Nukes were up and running. Whoops!
The three essential American Conservative Hosts have had some kind words for Hillary Clinton and her ongoing (and ongoing and ongoing) national book-signing tour. I mean, who can argue with a perpetual loser who never admits to making a mistake but manages to lose every race she enters. Well, I'll amend that. She sort of defeated Crazy Bernie, but that was in large part because of the rigged system they ran in, and the admitted fact that the DNC colluded with Hillary to defeat Bernie. I wonder why none of the stodgy old fools who interview her never ask any questions about that.? Does she mention that in her "book?" She doesn't? Well, they are asking her about it when they interview her, aren't they? No? You are kidding?
On Hannity's TV show Thursday night, his special guest was Limbaugh. Pure wonder!
Friday, September 29, 2017
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Hard Realities That Necessarily Come With Protesting During the Anthem
TOWSON, Maryland, Tuesday, September 26, 2017 - There are some things that the folk getting involved in or even taking sides in the 'protests during the National Anthem Controversy" must come to grips with. I mean, you can say, no I don't accept what you say, and that is your right. But I wouldn't be writing about this topic if I wasn't pretty darn sure I am correct in what I am about to say.
First and foremost, if you are an NFL player protesting during the playing of the National Anthem, or if you support the players that are doing the protesting, you have to accept the obvious fact that you are colluding with and supporting the Anti-American Ultra Left.
Huh?
A quick - very quick - history lesson. The Ultra Left are, by definition, fascists. They use violent coercion to get their way. They have used such coercive measures to take charge and absolute control of the Democratic Party. As fascists, they hate capitalism - which, defined in words people understand - is the economic system that allows anyone with a good idea and the ability to work hard the right to get ahead and make an honest dollar. You invent something, or you come up with an idea that will allow an important service to be done for less money. You market or sell the idea or product. The money paid becomes yours. Capitalism has been the system of economics in These United States since its founding in 1776. The Ultra Left supports Marxism and Socialism. As the great Vin Scully once said, "no matter where these systems have been tried, they have failed." Other people have said the same thing. If a leftist gives an idealistic explanation of Marxism's or socialism it sounds wonderful. But it never ever works. The main reason it never works is that it deprives people of incentive and pride and the motivation to work hard. It hinders people's abilities to support their families. Consider these other facts: capitalists give more money and higher percentages of their income to charity than do Ultra Leftists, socialists and Marxists. I don't exactly know why. But it is always true. Socialism and Marxism deprive people of the right of free speech, the right of the free press, and the right and privilege to protect their families and homes with fire arms. You might oppose the right to keep and bear arms. Most Americans do not. Even now. Whenever some Ultra Leftist begins to talk about more and "better" gun control, the sale of firearms rise rapidly. Why this happens is all about citizens perceiving that a Constitutional Right - the right to keep and bear arms - is about to be foreclosed.
I am not saying, because I do not know, whether the Ultra Left had anything to do with the beginning of the Anthem protests. I suspect, but cannot be sure, that Kaepernick acted on his own when he first took a knee. At that stage, the protests were a total farce. Kaepernick suddenly gets a conscience when he is benched? His girlfriend is an ultra leftist times two and I strongly suspect she had a role in his carrying on. I'm told the lad never registered to vote, so spare me the social conscience nonsense.
Once it got going, the Ultra Left sunk its ugly teeth right in the flesh of the NFL Fan Base. It is 100% a publicity stunt. None of these veteran players ever expressed an opinion that they felt rose to the level of knowingly violating league rules. The NFL has rules against political activity during televised games. It has upheld the rule to the T. When members of the Dallas Cowboys wanted to wear something on their uniforms to commemorate the lives of the massacred police officers in Dallas, the league said no. But it is okay to demonstrate for the other side of that controversy? If the Ultra Left isn't involved this nonsense does not get to this level of public acknowledgement.
And here, folks, is the other part of the Controversy. If this whole thing isn't an Ultra Left publicity stunt, why is it taking place during the National Anthem? The federal government has virtually nothing to do with day-to-day operations of local police departments. The people who can be considered federal police - the FBI, NSA, CIA DIA etc. - are virtually never involved in police brutality claims. Almost all allegations of brutality arise when local police act in run down urban neighborhoods.
The National Anthem's entire purpose is to spark a sense of pride and nobleness amongst people who are Americans. No one singing the Anthem, or even standing while it is played, is endorsing the day-to-day operation of government. The Anthem's purpose is to give Americans something to point to that provides a sense of worth, a sense of pride, a sense of unity, and a sense of the values of the American Citizen. When I stand, I do not picture my standing as an endorsement of everything done by American governments of the past or present. Anybody but a fool knows that mistakes have been made. But during the Civil War, units of Union Soldiers composed of nothing but Black People fought with incredible bravery and valor. So, also, is the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen.
It is the principle of America that the Anthem speaks to. Fighting an existing wrong should encourage and give meaning to people engaged in the good fight. The Anthem speaks to every good value we hold. It is those values that cannot be taken away by elements opposed to the nobleness of the idea of America.
When you defile the Anthem, you defile that idea that is America. It is as if you do not think or feel that those high aspirations are achievable or even worth the effort. If most people think that, it is long past the time when we roll up the sidewalks and head for the hills.
I sing or stand solely because those noble ideals are worth the pain it takes to get there.
First and foremost, if you are an NFL player protesting during the playing of the National Anthem, or if you support the players that are doing the protesting, you have to accept the obvious fact that you are colluding with and supporting the Anti-American Ultra Left.
Huh?
A quick - very quick - history lesson. The Ultra Left are, by definition, fascists. They use violent coercion to get their way. They have used such coercive measures to take charge and absolute control of the Democratic Party. As fascists, they hate capitalism - which, defined in words people understand - is the economic system that allows anyone with a good idea and the ability to work hard the right to get ahead and make an honest dollar. You invent something, or you come up with an idea that will allow an important service to be done for less money. You market or sell the idea or product. The money paid becomes yours. Capitalism has been the system of economics in These United States since its founding in 1776. The Ultra Left supports Marxism and Socialism. As the great Vin Scully once said, "no matter where these systems have been tried, they have failed." Other people have said the same thing. If a leftist gives an idealistic explanation of Marxism's or socialism it sounds wonderful. But it never ever works. The main reason it never works is that it deprives people of incentive and pride and the motivation to work hard. It hinders people's abilities to support their families. Consider these other facts: capitalists give more money and higher percentages of their income to charity than do Ultra Leftists, socialists and Marxists. I don't exactly know why. But it is always true. Socialism and Marxism deprive people of the right of free speech, the right of the free press, and the right and privilege to protect their families and homes with fire arms. You might oppose the right to keep and bear arms. Most Americans do not. Even now. Whenever some Ultra Leftist begins to talk about more and "better" gun control, the sale of firearms rise rapidly. Why this happens is all about citizens perceiving that a Constitutional Right - the right to keep and bear arms - is about to be foreclosed.
I am not saying, because I do not know, whether the Ultra Left had anything to do with the beginning of the Anthem protests. I suspect, but cannot be sure, that Kaepernick acted on his own when he first took a knee. At that stage, the protests were a total farce. Kaepernick suddenly gets a conscience when he is benched? His girlfriend is an ultra leftist times two and I strongly suspect she had a role in his carrying on. I'm told the lad never registered to vote, so spare me the social conscience nonsense.
Once it got going, the Ultra Left sunk its ugly teeth right in the flesh of the NFL Fan Base. It is 100% a publicity stunt. None of these veteran players ever expressed an opinion that they felt rose to the level of knowingly violating league rules. The NFL has rules against political activity during televised games. It has upheld the rule to the T. When members of the Dallas Cowboys wanted to wear something on their uniforms to commemorate the lives of the massacred police officers in Dallas, the league said no. But it is okay to demonstrate for the other side of that controversy? If the Ultra Left isn't involved this nonsense does not get to this level of public acknowledgement.
And here, folks, is the other part of the Controversy. If this whole thing isn't an Ultra Left publicity stunt, why is it taking place during the National Anthem? The federal government has virtually nothing to do with day-to-day operations of local police departments. The people who can be considered federal police - the FBI, NSA, CIA DIA etc. - are virtually never involved in police brutality claims. Almost all allegations of brutality arise when local police act in run down urban neighborhoods.
The National Anthem's entire purpose is to spark a sense of pride and nobleness amongst people who are Americans. No one singing the Anthem, or even standing while it is played, is endorsing the day-to-day operation of government. The Anthem's purpose is to give Americans something to point to that provides a sense of worth, a sense of pride, a sense of unity, and a sense of the values of the American Citizen. When I stand, I do not picture my standing as an endorsement of everything done by American governments of the past or present. Anybody but a fool knows that mistakes have been made. But during the Civil War, units of Union Soldiers composed of nothing but Black People fought with incredible bravery and valor. So, also, is the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen.
It is the principle of America that the Anthem speaks to. Fighting an existing wrong should encourage and give meaning to people engaged in the good fight. The Anthem speaks to every good value we hold. It is those values that cannot be taken away by elements opposed to the nobleness of the idea of America.
When you defile the Anthem, you defile that idea that is America. It is as if you do not think or feel that those high aspirations are achievable or even worth the effort. If most people think that, it is long past the time when we roll up the sidewalks and head for the hills.
I sing or stand solely because those noble ideals are worth the pain it takes to get there.
Monday, September 25, 2017
UPDATE: What the First Amendment Really Says About Players Who Protest During the National Anthem; and What All of This Says About America in 2017
TOWSON, Maryland, Sunday, September 24, 2017 - This is what the First Amendment means, at least to me: The First Amendment is in the United States Bill of Rights. This "subsequent" part of the Constitution enumerates the basic rights possessed by every American. The First Amendment provides every American with the absolute right to say what is in his heart and on his mind. At any time he chooses, he can attack the government. He can attack the institutions of government and the institutions of our national culture. And he can do so without the fear that an arm of the government will move to silence him or to abrogate this right in any way. Because of the First Amendment, I can stand in front of the Supreme Court and scream to the top of my voice that every one of the justices are ingrates. And no matter how much I get on people's nerves, the government cannot try to stop me. For the government to move against me for what I am saying would be a violation of the First Amendment.
Understand, however, that every American has this same identical right. If I do what I suggested I could do, by right, in the paragraph above, any other American can stand in front of me and scream, as loud as they can, that I am as wrong as one can be and should shut up. Or he or she can scream out loud that I am a total jerk, or worse. The government cannot and will not place this person under arrest.
If I am at work, if I am on the clock for an employer and am saying things or distributing leaflets that hurt or embarasses my employer, I can be disciplined or fired. The employer has no right to prevent me from saying what I want to say. But he does not have to tolerate my behavior on this dime. I have the right to say that my boss is a jerk. My boss has the right to fire me for saying what I said, or other things that are contrary to the business that the boss operates. The law is that a person can be fired for any reason, or no reason, as long as the reason for my firing is not against the law or a policy that is endorsed by the Constitution.
How does all of this apply to the NFL and the current controversy involving players who carry on during the National Anthem? The players who want to protest by kneeling during the National Anthem have the legal right to do so. The police cannot come and place those players under arrest; they've broken no law. In fact, it would be illegal to try and pass a law that makes protesting illegal.
But, a team owner - the owner of the business that is that football team - may, if he chooses, fire the players who are protesting. The owner may have served in the military and feels that the players are disrespecting the nation by the things they are doing. What's more, he may feel that the controversy surrounding the protests is distracting the players, and as a result, they are playing far below their capabilities. Before members of the Baltimore Ravens joined the protest Sunday in London, they were undefeated and almost unscored upon. After participating in the protest, they lost to a lesser team by the humiliating score of 44-7.
A lot of people don't much care what the owners do. Well, that isn't exactly true. President Trump cares. He says the owners should "fire" the players who participate in the protests. He has the right to sat that. But I wish he'd shut up about it. I think he is playing into the Ultra Left's hands with what he is doing. It seemed that public opinion was coalescing against the players doing what they were doing.
And while we're on the subject of what big wheels have to say, I also think Lebron James is all wrong. He is critical of Trump - well, lets be honest - like most folk aligned with the ultra left elite, Lebron hates the idea of a working chap being president, and, hence, he hates Trump. Lebron says Trump is using sport to cause disunity.
When I heard him say that, I almost laughed. He supported Obama and Hillary. That is why I'd like to ask him what Obama was up to when he called the police "stupid" for arresting a Harvard Professor who slipped off the deep end one night. That professor was acting really stupid, and when his stupidity broke the law, he was arrested. Was Obama stupid for saying what he said?
Many people who fought in wars, or had parents or grandparents who fought, are really really angry about protests taking place during our national anthem. It isn't just a few people who are upset. It is a whole lot of people.
The players are biting the hand that feeds them. I don't think they've come to grips with that just yet. Maybe they think they are so wonderful that they can do or say pretty much whatever they want, without getting in trouble for it. And it is true, they can do whatever they want. But they cannot force people to pay to see it.
During a call in at a Baltimore radio station on Monday morning, no small number of Raven ticket holders got on the phone to say they won't be using their very expensive NFL tickets any time soon. They said they won't mail them back to the Ravens because they don't want the press or the team saying that the stadium was full when, in fact, it isn't.
The Courts, I believe, are not going to prevent the players from protesting. That would be a violation of the First Amendment.
Mike Tomlin, the outstanding coach of the Steelers, kept his team in the locker room during the national anthem. He reasoned that it was a way to keep the entire team out of the controversy. But one of the Steelers, Alejandro Villanueva, is a veteran who was a member of the United States Army Rangers. He came out of the locker room, and stood just a bit out on the field, for the Anthem. As word of what Villanueva had done spread around the country, sales of his Steeler Jersey skyrocketed, and by days end had become one of the top five jerseys being purchased from NFL vendors.
But then, adding to the wacky nature of the controversy, Villanueva called a press conference to apologize to Tomlin and his teammates for breaking solidarity with them. He said he never intended to act differently from the rest of the team. He said he was right with them, but they were a bit further back the tunnel than he was, and he was in the TV picture with his hand over his heart, and the rest of the team was not.
I think, in summary, we can say that the players have the legal and constitutional right to protest during the National Anthem.
But saying that the players have the legal right to protest doesn't end the controversy. Were that it was that easy.
People who are offended by players who protest during the anthem can stage counter-protests, including not going to the games, turning their backs toward the players, booing, etc. And the owners, if they choose, can fire the players. So far, most owners are supporting the players. We'll see what happens when attendance plunges and TV viewership plunges.
The truth is this: Millions of football fans - most of whom are Americans - are very upset by the actions of the players. The money that is spent by the fans - for tickets, for jerseys and pennants etc. - make possible the lavish lifestyle that the players enjoy. Most of the people who spend their money to buy tickets and jerseys don't live nearly as well as the players.
With this being the case, you would think that the players would care a bit about what the fans are upset about.
Does the fact that fans strongly disagree with players protesting during the national anthem mean that the fans don't care about rogue police beating up innocent citizens? I don't think it means that at all. I don't know one soul who feels it is okay for police to beat up or harass innocent people. Where the difference is lay in how serious the problem is. Somebody has told the players that the problem is intractable. Many fans don't live in the high crime districts, where police, almost necessarily take the most liberties with constitutional rights. On the other hand, most players have little concept of what it is like to try to police in areas where they are viewed as enemies of the people. In Baltimore, riots broke out after Freddie Gray - a heroin dealer - died in police custody. The State's Attorney and the Mayor - partly to diffuse the civil unrest - made statements to the effect that the police would be punished for "killing" Gray. It turned out that the officers involved - half of whom were black - did nothing wrong. They were totally exonerated by a judge, who was a very good judge, better than the knuckleheaded writer of this column gave him credit for. But after the riots in Baltimore, the Baltimore Police became far less aggressive in fighting crimes. The arrest rate is way down in Baltimore, and crime has skyrocketed, especially the crime of murder. The people who suffer far more than anyone else when crime grows to the rate it is in Baltimore are the countless innocent people who live in the high crime areas, and the other people who attempt to run businesses in these areas.
It is an awful situation. But unless you live through it, you might not know that. We had a really great Mayor in Baltimore. His name was William Donald Schaefer. He turned around a city that was going to hell, and made it great again. People started coming down town. Businesses started to open. People started to move back downtown. Schaefer was a confirmed bachelor who devoted every minute of the day to improving the City. He almost singlehandedly convinced voters to authorize a huge project at the inner harbor of the City. He worked very hard to get the NFL to replace the Colts. He rejuvenated neighborhoods. He found ingenious ways to finance rejuvenation.
The Mayors that came after Schaefer - with the exception of Clarence 'Du' Burns - haven't been as talented and dedicated as he was, even though some of them tried.
Our City stands in the balance right now. The runaway murder rate is draining the lifeblood out of it. People are again afraid. The City reached an agreement with the Obama Justice Department that compels the police to run around Robinhood's Barn before they can arrest anyone. It is brainless to do this to a City that is dieing. But the City signed the agreement. Trump - who LeBron James hates - tried to hold up the agreement, but a judge said no. This was a bad judge.
Is there a "problem" with police brutality against minority citizens? Anytime an officer beats up an innocent person it is a problem, a very big problem Such an act is contrary to all of the ideals that the police stand for. But crime statistics indicate firmly that police brutality is not a big problem, and certainly not in the same degree of seriousness as crime and urban decay, both of which are fueled by the drug craze. Police Departments around the country, especially in the large urban areas, react strongly when brutality is proven to have occurred. No matter how hard police departments try, there will always be rogue officers. But there aren't a whole lot of these and it is not a "growing" problem. Polls indicate that most people strongly support the police. The Ultra Left try to say that the people who support police are "white supremacists" and "racists." Are most Americans "white supremacists" and "racists?"
They are not.
This controversy with protesting football players is completely off base and out of touch with what is going on in our cities. Police Behavior is not a major part of the crime problem. Do drug dealers operate because they are opposed to police brutality. Do people murder each other because of police brutality. Of course not. Police are human beings. They are compelled, as part of their jobs, to come into daily intimate contact with the worst members of society. They cannot be nice or even "decent" to such people. But we ask them to try. We ask them not to brutalize these societal dregs, and 98% of them comply with this request. When an officer goes over the line, society and his agency put the hammer down. Once in a while, a bad officer gets away with being mean. More than once in a while, a criminal is not caught, or caught and not prosecuted, or prosecuted and found not guilty when he was guilty, or found guilty and given a criminally light prison sentence. Police brutality is very rare, even in the worst urban areas. A malfunctioning criminal justice system is anything but rare.
Government screws up far more often when it comes to prosecuting criminal behavior than police brutalize innocent citizens. The numbers aren't even close. A woman by the name of Heather McDonald wrote a book documenting these kinds of statistics, and the players ought to read it before they carry on during the national anthem.
All of this sounds like America in 2017. I don't know if that is a good thing. In fact, I'm pretty sure it isn't.
Understand, however, that every American has this same identical right. If I do what I suggested I could do, by right, in the paragraph above, any other American can stand in front of me and scream, as loud as they can, that I am as wrong as one can be and should shut up. Or he or she can scream out loud that I am a total jerk, or worse. The government cannot and will not place this person under arrest.
If I am at work, if I am on the clock for an employer and am saying things or distributing leaflets that hurt or embarasses my employer, I can be disciplined or fired. The employer has no right to prevent me from saying what I want to say. But he does not have to tolerate my behavior on this dime. I have the right to say that my boss is a jerk. My boss has the right to fire me for saying what I said, or other things that are contrary to the business that the boss operates. The law is that a person can be fired for any reason, or no reason, as long as the reason for my firing is not against the law or a policy that is endorsed by the Constitution.
How does all of this apply to the NFL and the current controversy involving players who carry on during the National Anthem? The players who want to protest by kneeling during the National Anthem have the legal right to do so. The police cannot come and place those players under arrest; they've broken no law. In fact, it would be illegal to try and pass a law that makes protesting illegal.
But, a team owner - the owner of the business that is that football team - may, if he chooses, fire the players who are protesting. The owner may have served in the military and feels that the players are disrespecting the nation by the things they are doing. What's more, he may feel that the controversy surrounding the protests is distracting the players, and as a result, they are playing far below their capabilities. Before members of the Baltimore Ravens joined the protest Sunday in London, they were undefeated and almost unscored upon. After participating in the protest, they lost to a lesser team by the humiliating score of 44-7.
A lot of people don't much care what the owners do. Well, that isn't exactly true. President Trump cares. He says the owners should "fire" the players who participate in the protests. He has the right to sat that. But I wish he'd shut up about it. I think he is playing into the Ultra Left's hands with what he is doing. It seemed that public opinion was coalescing against the players doing what they were doing.
And while we're on the subject of what big wheels have to say, I also think Lebron James is all wrong. He is critical of Trump - well, lets be honest - like most folk aligned with the ultra left elite, Lebron hates the idea of a working chap being president, and, hence, he hates Trump. Lebron says Trump is using sport to cause disunity.
When I heard him say that, I almost laughed. He supported Obama and Hillary. That is why I'd like to ask him what Obama was up to when he called the police "stupid" for arresting a Harvard Professor who slipped off the deep end one night. That professor was acting really stupid, and when his stupidity broke the law, he was arrested. Was Obama stupid for saying what he said?
Many people who fought in wars, or had parents or grandparents who fought, are really really angry about protests taking place during our national anthem. It isn't just a few people who are upset. It is a whole lot of people.
The players are biting the hand that feeds them. I don't think they've come to grips with that just yet. Maybe they think they are so wonderful that they can do or say pretty much whatever they want, without getting in trouble for it. And it is true, they can do whatever they want. But they cannot force people to pay to see it.
During a call in at a Baltimore radio station on Monday morning, no small number of Raven ticket holders got on the phone to say they won't be using their very expensive NFL tickets any time soon. They said they won't mail them back to the Ravens because they don't want the press or the team saying that the stadium was full when, in fact, it isn't.
The Courts, I believe, are not going to prevent the players from protesting. That would be a violation of the First Amendment.
Mike Tomlin, the outstanding coach of the Steelers, kept his team in the locker room during the national anthem. He reasoned that it was a way to keep the entire team out of the controversy. But one of the Steelers, Alejandro Villanueva, is a veteran who was a member of the United States Army Rangers. He came out of the locker room, and stood just a bit out on the field, for the Anthem. As word of what Villanueva had done spread around the country, sales of his Steeler Jersey skyrocketed, and by days end had become one of the top five jerseys being purchased from NFL vendors.
But then, adding to the wacky nature of the controversy, Villanueva called a press conference to apologize to Tomlin and his teammates for breaking solidarity with them. He said he never intended to act differently from the rest of the team. He said he was right with them, but they were a bit further back the tunnel than he was, and he was in the TV picture with his hand over his heart, and the rest of the team was not.
I think, in summary, we can say that the players have the legal and constitutional right to protest during the National Anthem.
But saying that the players have the legal right to protest doesn't end the controversy. Were that it was that easy.
People who are offended by players who protest during the anthem can stage counter-protests, including not going to the games, turning their backs toward the players, booing, etc. And the owners, if they choose, can fire the players. So far, most owners are supporting the players. We'll see what happens when attendance plunges and TV viewership plunges.
The truth is this: Millions of football fans - most of whom are Americans - are very upset by the actions of the players. The money that is spent by the fans - for tickets, for jerseys and pennants etc. - make possible the lavish lifestyle that the players enjoy. Most of the people who spend their money to buy tickets and jerseys don't live nearly as well as the players.
With this being the case, you would think that the players would care a bit about what the fans are upset about.
Does the fact that fans strongly disagree with players protesting during the national anthem mean that the fans don't care about rogue police beating up innocent citizens? I don't think it means that at all. I don't know one soul who feels it is okay for police to beat up or harass innocent people. Where the difference is lay in how serious the problem is. Somebody has told the players that the problem is intractable. Many fans don't live in the high crime districts, where police, almost necessarily take the most liberties with constitutional rights. On the other hand, most players have little concept of what it is like to try to police in areas where they are viewed as enemies of the people. In Baltimore, riots broke out after Freddie Gray - a heroin dealer - died in police custody. The State's Attorney and the Mayor - partly to diffuse the civil unrest - made statements to the effect that the police would be punished for "killing" Gray. It turned out that the officers involved - half of whom were black - did nothing wrong. They were totally exonerated by a judge, who was a very good judge, better than the knuckleheaded writer of this column gave him credit for. But after the riots in Baltimore, the Baltimore Police became far less aggressive in fighting crimes. The arrest rate is way down in Baltimore, and crime has skyrocketed, especially the crime of murder. The people who suffer far more than anyone else when crime grows to the rate it is in Baltimore are the countless innocent people who live in the high crime areas, and the other people who attempt to run businesses in these areas.
It is an awful situation. But unless you live through it, you might not know that. We had a really great Mayor in Baltimore. His name was William Donald Schaefer. He turned around a city that was going to hell, and made it great again. People started coming down town. Businesses started to open. People started to move back downtown. Schaefer was a confirmed bachelor who devoted every minute of the day to improving the City. He almost singlehandedly convinced voters to authorize a huge project at the inner harbor of the City. He worked very hard to get the NFL to replace the Colts. He rejuvenated neighborhoods. He found ingenious ways to finance rejuvenation.
The Mayors that came after Schaefer - with the exception of Clarence 'Du' Burns - haven't been as talented and dedicated as he was, even though some of them tried.
Our City stands in the balance right now. The runaway murder rate is draining the lifeblood out of it. People are again afraid. The City reached an agreement with the Obama Justice Department that compels the police to run around Robinhood's Barn before they can arrest anyone. It is brainless to do this to a City that is dieing. But the City signed the agreement. Trump - who LeBron James hates - tried to hold up the agreement, but a judge said no. This was a bad judge.
Is there a "problem" with police brutality against minority citizens? Anytime an officer beats up an innocent person it is a problem, a very big problem Such an act is contrary to all of the ideals that the police stand for. But crime statistics indicate firmly that police brutality is not a big problem, and certainly not in the same degree of seriousness as crime and urban decay, both of which are fueled by the drug craze. Police Departments around the country, especially in the large urban areas, react strongly when brutality is proven to have occurred. No matter how hard police departments try, there will always be rogue officers. But there aren't a whole lot of these and it is not a "growing" problem. Polls indicate that most people strongly support the police. The Ultra Left try to say that the people who support police are "white supremacists" and "racists." Are most Americans "white supremacists" and "racists?"
They are not.
This controversy with protesting football players is completely off base and out of touch with what is going on in our cities. Police Behavior is not a major part of the crime problem. Do drug dealers operate because they are opposed to police brutality. Do people murder each other because of police brutality. Of course not. Police are human beings. They are compelled, as part of their jobs, to come into daily intimate contact with the worst members of society. They cannot be nice or even "decent" to such people. But we ask them to try. We ask them not to brutalize these societal dregs, and 98% of them comply with this request. When an officer goes over the line, society and his agency put the hammer down. Once in a while, a bad officer gets away with being mean. More than once in a while, a criminal is not caught, or caught and not prosecuted, or prosecuted and found not guilty when he was guilty, or found guilty and given a criminally light prison sentence. Police brutality is very rare, even in the worst urban areas. A malfunctioning criminal justice system is anything but rare.
Government screws up far more often when it comes to prosecuting criminal behavior than police brutalize innocent citizens. The numbers aren't even close. A woman by the name of Heather McDonald wrote a book documenting these kinds of statistics, and the players ought to read it before they carry on during the national anthem.
All of this sounds like America in 2017. I don't know if that is a good thing. In fact, I'm pretty sure it isn't.
Sunday, September 24, 2017
A Beautiful and Stunning Pennsylvania Sunset; Burnley and Huddersfield in Scoreless Draw at Turf Moor
LOGANVILLE, Pennsylvania, Saturday, September 23, 2017 - Even though the temperatures are above the norm in these parts, at least for the last week, not even this kind of air can keep away the evening chill. The nights are longer now than they were back during the middle of the summer. On a beautiful ridge just south of Loganville, the sun is setting just below the horizon and leaving, in its wake, a sky of brilliance and enchanting colors. Almost a dozen folk who had parked their vehicles here to shop in a farm store, instead whipped out their cell phones and activated the camera apps to record the heavenly show. Almost all of them were reacting to what they were seeing; none had plans to make a recording.
But when they saw the sky, they could not resist. I, like a dummy, left my phone home. My daughter did not, and her pictures were nearly as stunning as the sky itself. On a clear night like this one, the orange dominates the sky above the setting sun, but mixes with just enough red and yellow, with cool purple highlights, to produce a brilliant and shining celestial masterpiece. Profound thanks to God Almighty.
Sports: Burnley and Huddersfield in Cagey Scoreless Draw; But Gaining a Mere Point Causes Claret to Slip From 7th to 9th on Premier Table
Burnley Coach Sean Dyche told the BBC after his Claret and Huddersfield battled to a scoreless draw at Fortress Turf Moor this Saturday afternoon, that he was pleased to take a hard-earned point from a quality opponent. And I am sure the masterful Dyche was exactly that. But one point instead of three when playing at home is not something that will pay dividends when the Table is calculated.
In this case, Burnley slipped all the way down to 9th on the Premier Table. The Claret have played six matches so far this season, and have 9 points to show for it. Not bad, but not great. Scoring some would help lots. Nick Pope started for the second straight game and has yet to allow a goal while substituting for the injured All England Keeper, Tom Heaton.
Burnley's fixture list gets tougher. Their next match is at Everton, and the Manchesters follow after that.
But when they saw the sky, they could not resist. I, like a dummy, left my phone home. My daughter did not, and her pictures were nearly as stunning as the sky itself. On a clear night like this one, the orange dominates the sky above the setting sun, but mixes with just enough red and yellow, with cool purple highlights, to produce a brilliant and shining celestial masterpiece. Profound thanks to God Almighty.
Sports: Burnley and Huddersfield in Cagey Scoreless Draw; But Gaining a Mere Point Causes Claret to Slip From 7th to 9th on Premier Table
Burnley Coach Sean Dyche told the BBC after his Claret and Huddersfield battled to a scoreless draw at Fortress Turf Moor this Saturday afternoon, that he was pleased to take a hard-earned point from a quality opponent. And I am sure the masterful Dyche was exactly that. But one point instead of three when playing at home is not something that will pay dividends when the Table is calculated.
In this case, Burnley slipped all the way down to 9th on the Premier Table. The Claret have played six matches so far this season, and have 9 points to show for it. Not bad, but not great. Scoring some would help lots. Nick Pope started for the second straight game and has yet to allow a goal while substituting for the injured All England Keeper, Tom Heaton.
Burnley's fixture list gets tougher. Their next match is at Everton, and the Manchesters follow after that.
Friday, September 22, 2017
The Ultra Left Knows No Bounds; No. 3 Maryland and No. 6 Michigan State in Scoreless Draw at East Lansing
TOWSON, Maryland, Friday, September 22. 2017 - Over and over again, I've had to remind readers that I am a liberal. For as long as I remember, I've been that way.
But I am not a Leftist. And I am definitely not an Ultra Leftist like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. I love my country. I want my country to survive and prosper. I really really want my country - These United States - to be the very best it can be. And time and again, I've laid out what I believe constitutes 'being the best it can be'.
I believe that adhering to the United States Constitution, even when it hurts or doesn't benefit you as an individual, will ensure that the United States remains the best nation it can be.
Then I hear: When doesn't the United States stay faithful to its own Constitution? Well, under Obama, it oftentimes abandoned its Constitution in favor of some expedient outcome. Were you comfortable, as the days dwindled down to the big vote on Obamacare, with the rank skulduggery being engaged in by President Obama and his minions? You don't remember? Obama needed a handful of Democrat Senators to change their votes to get the bill passed. Senators said they needed assurances that public money wouldn't be used for abortions. Obama replied: No problem. That senator changed his vote on the President's assurances. Once the bill passed, public money certainly (and quite quickly) was spent on abortions. And I missed any complaints by that "outraged" Senator. A leftist will always lie to get where he wants to be. Lie and be a hero if it achieves the desired end. The dog who penned the Ultra Left Playbook, This is true even when that person is the President. You'll also recall the one about "if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor." That is what Obama said. But it wasn't even slightly true, and, as it turned out, Obama knew it wasn't true when he said it. Obama literally sold his soul to get that bill passed. Now, he is acting and speaking all high and mighty about his noble legislation, which isn't even a little bit noble. Nor is it even slightly good for America. But not a single Democrat will vote for health care. Not one. Why? Most of them are Ultra Leftists. They hate America with a raw passion.
America's only chance of surviving this age of the Raging Ultra Leftist is if most of America comes to grip with this ultimate truth. The Democratic Party has been completely overtaken by the Ultra Left. The Ultra Left hates everything about America. They hate the military, they hate liberty for the people, free speech for the people, all manner of equal rights for the people, and so on. Were it left to the Ultra Left, anyone not an Ultra Leftist would be incarcerated. You doubt that? What about the lad at the DNC who was, God Forbid, a Bernie Supporter, and then he was a dead man. Forgot that one, didn't you?
Obama, the Clintons, L'il Dick Durbin, George Stephanopoulos and so on. It has become clear that two of Obama's top operatives - Samantha Powers and Susan Rice - spent the last six months of Obama's term unmasking American Citizens to further Obama's aim of monitoring what Donald Trump was doing. The Ultra Left screams blue murder about a bogus Russian Collusion Story, they brow beat Trump into appointing a top Obama Operative as a Special Counsel. Trump, wisely, tells the hound dog that he'd best confine himself to federal matters and leave his personal finances alone. But Mueller blows him off and still Trump doesn't fire the Ultra Left Grim Reaper.
Even though America has virtually voted the Ultra Left Democrats out of power at the federal, state and local level, the Ultra Left keeps on keeping on for almighty power.
A recent and very disgusting Ultra Left ploy is getting a boot licker like Big Jim Kimmel - remember what he pulled on the conservative Minnesota Congresswoman? - to bash Trump during his monologue. But lil Jiim won't even admit he actually colluded with Chucky the Jerk Schumer. Very Good.
Sports: No. 3 Terps Get Away Point In Scoreless Draw With No. 6 Michigan State; Refs Tried Hard to Screw Terps at the End But Couldn't Pull It Off
Not even a pile on by the Game Officials Could Help Michigan State, as the home standing Spartans Failed to Beat Visiting Maryland. The match was moving right along when the officials tried to help the Spartans as time ran out.
Maryland hasn't been scored on anytime recently. Going into the game, it was some 379 scoreless minutes according to Maryland's Sports Information Office. As the game clock ticked under five minutes in the second and final overtime, with the teams still locked in a scoreless draw, the officials, unsure of who to penalize, instead called a foul on the entire Maryland team. Them, with 51 seconds left and Maryland having stopped Michigan State's run, the game officials intervened again and gave the entire Maryland team a yellow card. This is with 51 seconds and after 109 minutes-plus of soccer.
Maryland had several wonderful chances, but barely missed. One of the best was a header by Gordon Wild that the Michigan Keeper got a hand on. A hard shot by Eryk Williamson was barely wide. Williamson also had a good shot in the overtime.
Dayne St. Clair was again spectacular. He had six saves.
But I am not a Leftist. And I am definitely not an Ultra Leftist like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. I love my country. I want my country to survive and prosper. I really really want my country - These United States - to be the very best it can be. And time and again, I've laid out what I believe constitutes 'being the best it can be'.
I believe that adhering to the United States Constitution, even when it hurts or doesn't benefit you as an individual, will ensure that the United States remains the best nation it can be.
Then I hear: When doesn't the United States stay faithful to its own Constitution? Well, under Obama, it oftentimes abandoned its Constitution in favor of some expedient outcome. Were you comfortable, as the days dwindled down to the big vote on Obamacare, with the rank skulduggery being engaged in by President Obama and his minions? You don't remember? Obama needed a handful of Democrat Senators to change their votes to get the bill passed. Senators said they needed assurances that public money wouldn't be used for abortions. Obama replied: No problem. That senator changed his vote on the President's assurances. Once the bill passed, public money certainly (and quite quickly) was spent on abortions. And I missed any complaints by that "outraged" Senator. A leftist will always lie to get where he wants to be. Lie and be a hero if it achieves the desired end. The dog who penned the Ultra Left Playbook, This is true even when that person is the President. You'll also recall the one about "if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor." That is what Obama said. But it wasn't even slightly true, and, as it turned out, Obama knew it wasn't true when he said it. Obama literally sold his soul to get that bill passed. Now, he is acting and speaking all high and mighty about his noble legislation, which isn't even a little bit noble. Nor is it even slightly good for America. But not a single Democrat will vote for health care. Not one. Why? Most of them are Ultra Leftists. They hate America with a raw passion.
America's only chance of surviving this age of the Raging Ultra Leftist is if most of America comes to grip with this ultimate truth. The Democratic Party has been completely overtaken by the Ultra Left. The Ultra Left hates everything about America. They hate the military, they hate liberty for the people, free speech for the people, all manner of equal rights for the people, and so on. Were it left to the Ultra Left, anyone not an Ultra Leftist would be incarcerated. You doubt that? What about the lad at the DNC who was, God Forbid, a Bernie Supporter, and then he was a dead man. Forgot that one, didn't you?
Obama, the Clintons, L'il Dick Durbin, George Stephanopoulos and so on. It has become clear that two of Obama's top operatives - Samantha Powers and Susan Rice - spent the last six months of Obama's term unmasking American Citizens to further Obama's aim of monitoring what Donald Trump was doing. The Ultra Left screams blue murder about a bogus Russian Collusion Story, they brow beat Trump into appointing a top Obama Operative as a Special Counsel. Trump, wisely, tells the hound dog that he'd best confine himself to federal matters and leave his personal finances alone. But Mueller blows him off and still Trump doesn't fire the Ultra Left Grim Reaper.
Even though America has virtually voted the Ultra Left Democrats out of power at the federal, state and local level, the Ultra Left keeps on keeping on for almighty power.
A recent and very disgusting Ultra Left ploy is getting a boot licker like Big Jim Kimmel - remember what he pulled on the conservative Minnesota Congresswoman? - to bash Trump during his monologue. But lil Jiim won't even admit he actually colluded with Chucky the Jerk Schumer. Very Good.
Sports: No. 3 Terps Get Away Point In Scoreless Draw With No. 6 Michigan State; Refs Tried Hard to Screw Terps at the End But Couldn't Pull It Off
Not even a pile on by the Game Officials Could Help Michigan State, as the home standing Spartans Failed to Beat Visiting Maryland. The match was moving right along when the officials tried to help the Spartans as time ran out.
Maryland hasn't been scored on anytime recently. Going into the game, it was some 379 scoreless minutes according to Maryland's Sports Information Office. As the game clock ticked under five minutes in the second and final overtime, with the teams still locked in a scoreless draw, the officials, unsure of who to penalize, instead called a foul on the entire Maryland team. Them, with 51 seconds left and Maryland having stopped Michigan State's run, the game officials intervened again and gave the entire Maryland team a yellow card. This is with 51 seconds and after 109 minutes-plus of soccer.
Maryland had several wonderful chances, but barely missed. One of the best was a header by Gordon Wild that the Michigan Keeper got a hand on. A hard shot by Eryk Williamson was barely wide. Williamson also had a good shot in the overtime.
Dayne St. Clair was again spectacular. He had six saves.
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Trump In Masterful Speech at UN: USA President Lays Down the Law for Baby Un, Fake Mullahs
TOWSON, Maryland, Tuesday, September 19, 2017 - When spelunkers first explored certain caves that had long been devoid of all manner of light, in certain places they found fish that still had the markings of functioning eyes, but where normal creatures had functioning eyes, these fish had only the places where, many thousands of years before, eyes used to be. The spelunkers would shine lights on the blind fish, but the fish didn't "see" the light. In his wisdom, the Good Lord had led the cav-dwelling fish to over develop other senses to make up for their lack of sight.
Something like that took place on Tuesday at the United Nations in New York. Donald Trump, who is not and never will be a politician, marched up to the podium at the hall where the UN General Assembly meets, and did the same thing to the assembled multitude of dictators and other bonzos and their functionaries that the spelunkers did to Blind Fish: He Shined the Light of Reality on Those Who Spend Their Time Deluding Themselves.
Calling North Korean 'leader' Kim Jung-Un, "Rocket Man" and selecting other choice descriptive words for the mad Mullahs of Iran - remember, these are the so-called religious leaders who are funding evil violent terrorism around and about This Earth - Trump used his relatively brief talk to stake out the moral high ground for These United States.
Trump told the gathering - including tens of millions on various video feeds throughout and around This Earth - that his first responsibility is to These United States. Leaders of other nations should have the same priority, he explained. That duty and priority involves putting the nations they govern at the very top of their own priority lists. Under such a system, the mullahs in Iran would be obligated to use the money they 'take in' for causes and needs of the people of Iran. Implicit in Trump's talk was the fact that the Mullahs are instead using this money to fund their whacky campaign of world wide Islamic Terrorism.
Oh so radical, that Trump. Oh so radical. Goodness Gracious!
Many of the gathered looked shocked and stunned. Never had they heard such words, especially at the UN. But when the panning camera stumbled past Mr. Netanyahu of Israel, he looked utterly happy. Mr. Limbaugh; that is, the Essential Rush Limbaugh, said on his nationwide and even worldwide radio show, just after the Trump speech, that Mr. Netanyahu was so elated by what he was hearing that he was reminded of a jack-in-the-box about to jump through the lid and out of the box in which he was ensconced. Talk about creating a vivid picture in your mind!
During his presidential campaign, Trump was very derisive of the UN. He noted that in the most recent years the UN budget doubled, the number of 'employees' doubled, but things around This Earth had not improved at all. So where had all of the extra money made its way to? Unknown. And yet despite these morally based quandaries, Trump conceded that the UN does have "a lot of potential."
Not long ago, and before his untimely (or was it overdo?) demise, the former Venezuelan Dictator and fan of Fidel, Hugo Chavez, said during his UN "speech" that when he arrived at the UN that morning, he could smell sulphur. He speculated that the smell emanated from the presence of former United States President George W. Bush, who had spoken not long before Chavez. So, you see, Trump's oratory didn't exactly have to soar to outdo the speeches formerly given at the UN.
Nevertheless, Trump's speech was compelling for its frankness and candor. I am unable to recall laughing so long and hard during any other speech at the UN as I did when our President referred to that fat little nut over in North Korea as "Rocketman."
A decade from now, anyone still living in North Korea will remember the Rocketman when they look around their part of the world and see, no matter which way they look there are missiles with nuclear war heads aimed at the ground on which they stand.
In their mind, they will all repeat these words: "Thank you, Rocket Jerk." (Adjustment to moniker courtesy of Credible and Incisive.) Who else is so twisted and purely evil that they have everybody on This Earth ready to blow him and his nation to 'smithereens?'
It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's Rocket Jerk!!!
Something like that took place on Tuesday at the United Nations in New York. Donald Trump, who is not and never will be a politician, marched up to the podium at the hall where the UN General Assembly meets, and did the same thing to the assembled multitude of dictators and other bonzos and their functionaries that the spelunkers did to Blind Fish: He Shined the Light of Reality on Those Who Spend Their Time Deluding Themselves.
Calling North Korean 'leader' Kim Jung-Un, "Rocket Man" and selecting other choice descriptive words for the mad Mullahs of Iran - remember, these are the so-called religious leaders who are funding evil violent terrorism around and about This Earth - Trump used his relatively brief talk to stake out the moral high ground for These United States.
Trump told the gathering - including tens of millions on various video feeds throughout and around This Earth - that his first responsibility is to These United States. Leaders of other nations should have the same priority, he explained. That duty and priority involves putting the nations they govern at the very top of their own priority lists. Under such a system, the mullahs in Iran would be obligated to use the money they 'take in' for causes and needs of the people of Iran. Implicit in Trump's talk was the fact that the Mullahs are instead using this money to fund their whacky campaign of world wide Islamic Terrorism.
Oh so radical, that Trump. Oh so radical. Goodness Gracious!
Many of the gathered looked shocked and stunned. Never had they heard such words, especially at the UN. But when the panning camera stumbled past Mr. Netanyahu of Israel, he looked utterly happy. Mr. Limbaugh; that is, the Essential Rush Limbaugh, said on his nationwide and even worldwide radio show, just after the Trump speech, that Mr. Netanyahu was so elated by what he was hearing that he was reminded of a jack-in-the-box about to jump through the lid and out of the box in which he was ensconced. Talk about creating a vivid picture in your mind!
During his presidential campaign, Trump was very derisive of the UN. He noted that in the most recent years the UN budget doubled, the number of 'employees' doubled, but things around This Earth had not improved at all. So where had all of the extra money made its way to? Unknown. And yet despite these morally based quandaries, Trump conceded that the UN does have "a lot of potential."
Not long ago, and before his untimely (or was it overdo?) demise, the former Venezuelan Dictator and fan of Fidel, Hugo Chavez, said during his UN "speech" that when he arrived at the UN that morning, he could smell sulphur. He speculated that the smell emanated from the presence of former United States President George W. Bush, who had spoken not long before Chavez. So, you see, Trump's oratory didn't exactly have to soar to outdo the speeches formerly given at the UN.
Nevertheless, Trump's speech was compelling for its frankness and candor. I am unable to recall laughing so long and hard during any other speech at the UN as I did when our President referred to that fat little nut over in North Korea as "Rocketman."
A decade from now, anyone still living in North Korea will remember the Rocketman when they look around their part of the world and see, no matter which way they look there are missiles with nuclear war heads aimed at the ground on which they stand.
In their mind, they will all repeat these words: "Thank you, Rocket Jerk." (Adjustment to moniker courtesy of Credible and Incisive.) Who else is so twisted and purely evil that they have everybody on This Earth ready to blow him and his nation to 'smithereens?'
It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's Rocket Jerk!!!
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Pundits Assist RINOs in Keeping Low Profile; Sports: Ravens Smash Browns, 24-10; Orioles in Trouble After Losing 4 of Last 5; Burnley Gains Road Point After Draw at Anfield; No. 3 Maryland Wins at Penn State
TOWSON, Maryland, Monday, September 18, 2017 - Alright, here we go. Trump is pussyfooting with the ultra left legislative cabal, people with the spurious names of Schumer and Pelosi and whatnot, in fact, there are a whole bunch of whatnots. None of this would be a big problem if the people who knew names would name names. There are a bunch of unethical jelly-spined "republicans" in the Congress who take gobs of money from the types who buy votes and souls using, you guessed it, gobs of money. But they skate around without being named.
I can name some of the names. The elected folk I am about to name are registered Republicans. They ran for either the House of Representatives or the United States Senate as Republicans. But they are not real Republicans. They are beholden to groups like the Chamber of Commerce and similar groups who give away great big gobs of money. The people who take this money vote just like the people giving the money away want them to vote.
Isn't that stunning!
The GOP does not have a monopoly on legislators who are loyal to people filling their pockets with greenbacks. The entire Ultra Leftist Democratic Party gets its pockets good and full thanks to upstanding people like, well, you know who I am talking about. His name is George Soros. George, groomed personally by Nazi operatives when he was still a teen, has learned from the very best, that is, if you want to learn from people overly familiar with what pulsating evil will get you. And with all the green Soros has to throw around, the evil Ultra Left Dems just can't do enough for him. We're on board on this fact, right? Nobody is fooled by any talk of idealism on the left. There is no idealism, only an overwhelming desire for pure power.
But for now, back to the GOP and the RINOs within it. They have the United States Congress at a virtual stand still these days. Who is "they?" That is the big question.
If you wanted to know the names of the people in the GOP who take the money and then betray the people who voted for them, you can, as they say, "follow the money." They will be the Senators and Congressmen and Congresswomen who try to keep the President from doing what he promised to do before he got elected. They will be the ones trying to keep Obamacare afloat. They will be the ones who are against President Trump's tax relief package. But they also will be the ones screaming blue murder when the President cuts a deal with the Ultra Left Democrats.
So, come on now, who are these people? It is very easy to identify the RINOs in the Senate. They are very brazen about what they are up to. The easy names are Maine Senator Lisa Collins, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, Arizona Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake, West Virginia Senator Shelly Moore Capito, Alabama Senator Luther Strange, Kentucky Senator and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Utah Senator and Senate President Pro Tempore Orrin Hatch; and, oh yeah, lets not forget the always marginal Lamar Alexander, a Democrat who mistakenly registered with the wrong party. RINOs each and everyone. But the Senate is not the house where all of the RINOs ply their snarky and really awful trade. There are some much better hidden RINOs in the House of Representatives.
The "RINOs" in the House of Representatives are far more difficult to identify. RINO Congressmen, generally, are more ubiquitous, less well known and more 'hidden' from pubic scrutiny. The conservative publication "Human Events," back in 2009, named their "Top 10" House RINOs. Their Top 10 actually included 11 Congressmen and Congress Women. The reason for this is that the publication devised a method of scoring their RINO-ness (which I understand is not a word, but you know what they are talking about), and the No. 10 position ended in a tie between Mike Rogers of Alabama and Peter King of New York. Also, the list includes one elected official, Shelly Capito of West Virginia, who is now in the Senate. I have named her in my list of easy RINO picks in that August Body. The Human Events House RINOs include Chris Smith of New Jersey, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, Fred Upton of Michigan, Shelly Moore Capito of West Virginia, Mike Rogers of Alabama and Peter King of New York. The publication also named others, but funny thing is, a whole bunch of the ones identified as RINOs are not in the Congress anymore. How'd that happen? Might the voters have figured out they were being taken for a ride?
It is quite audacious for the GOP to beg people to vote for their legislative nominees as an alternative to the Ultra Left Democrats, and then allow the folks to figure out that the people who are running as conservatives aren't conservatives at all. Take the Senate President, good old Mitch McConnell. In his tough campaign for re-election, he ran ads that promised he would lead the fight against Obamacare. Every single day as the election approached the people in Kentucky were subjected to ads wherein old Mitch promised - and I do mean promised - to do everything he could to get rid of Obamacare. It was a noble thing that McConnell was promising, since Obamacare was taking a whole lot of normal hardworking Americans broke.
But it seems that old Mitch had no intention whatsoever to throw Obamacare under the bus (which is where it should be put). The very next day after the polls closed on a McConnell victory, he gave interviews where he said that Obamacare could not be repealed because, well, it just couldn't be.
Which was a lie. A flat out humdinger of a lie. The truth was that McConnell didn't want Obamacare repealed because groups that gave Mitch a lot of money didn't want it repealed. Mitch said he would not do anything that would risk shutting down the government, even if such a step would lead to a repeal of that awful Marxist Obamacare thing. Once he said that, the Dems knew McConnell wasn't down for the fight to do away with Obama's "signature" legislation. Who cares what is his "signature" anything. It was a really bad and very Marxist piece of stinking legislation that should never have seen the light of day.
And now, here it is the end of September, and since January the GOP has controlled the White House and the Capitol and Obamacare is still the law of the land, even though 99% of the folk who voted for McConnell and Ryan and Trump hate Obamacare and all it stands for. It stinks so bad that even people in places like Baltimore can smell it, and we are miles away from Washington.
Folks, you know, we're only chatting about Obamacare. What about that Wall we all voted for? And what about that tax cut package? I was hoping against hope that the President would let it be known which Republicans were stabbing him in the back. But apparently he is making his peace with the Democrats, a fact that a bunch of us are not too comfortable with. We know he isn't a practiced politico, but did FDR chat with the evil Adolph once the war started? The answer for anyone historically challenged is "no." Schumer doesn't look like a used care salesman for nothing.
As it turns out, the people who were stabbed in the back were the citizens of America, at least the ones who went to the polls and put the GOP in charge of the government. We were betrayed. Yes we were. And the next time around, we will not be taking prisoners.
Weekend Sports:
Ravens Blitz Browns, 24-10; Defense Harvests Five More Turnovers; Flacco Comes Out Slinging; Buck Allen Has Second Straight Solid Performance; Yanda Injured, and Lost for Season
On the opening weekend, the Cleveland Browns gave the vaunted Steelers one whale of a game. While they succumbed in the end, everybody came away thinking they could give the Ravens a real good game come week 2.
Turns out the Browns were not ready to challenge the Ravens. Not even a little bit. Joe Flacco completed 25 of 34 pass attempts for 217 efficient yards and two touchdowns to lead the Ravens past the overmatched Browns, 24-10.
While Flacco was, indeed, on his game, it was once again the Raven defense that had fans blinking in disbelief. People were saying they had seen this before. And they had. It was the 2000 season, when a Raven defense led by Ray Lewis and Tony Siragusa manhandled and intimidated NFL opponents as the Ravens marched all the way to a Super Bowl victory. Yesterday, for the second straight game, the Ravens caused five turnovers in yet another one-sided victory over a division opponent. In Week One, the Ravens blitzed home-standing Cincinnati, 20-0. Yesterday, with five more fun filled turnovers, the Ravens ran roughshod over the Browns.
Four of the turnovers came via the interception route. After just two games, cornerback Brandon Carr and safety Ladarius Webb already have two interceptions apiece. But they are not the whole show by any means. Four other Raven defenders have one interception.
On the offense, Flacco is getting a great deal of help from his running backs. Surprisingly, no. 2 halfback Buck Allen is shining the brightest. He had 60 more yards yesterday after getting 71 against the Bengals. Allen also caught 5 Flacco passes for 35 yards and a key touchdown. Another bright light yesterday was the play of Ben Watson, the veteran tight end who the Ravens were looking to for big things - but that was last season. In the final exhibition tuneup, Watson tore his Achilles Tendon and was lost for the season. This season, he came out of training camp as the no. 2 tight end even after Dennis Pita was hurt and lost for the season and, really, the rest of his career. Watson did not catch a pass in the first game, but he performance in Jeremy Maclin's long touchdown catch was one of the most important in the game. Watson and Maclin ran a criss-cross pick play, and Watson's execution was so perfect that Maclin was able to waltz into the endzone he was so wide open. Watson ran the pick for Maclin and completely cleared the middle of the field for the wide receiver. Raven coach John Harbaugh saw what Watson did and singled him out for the way he executed his assignment and sprung Maclin for the touchdown.
Things get very interesting for the Ravens as far as their schedule is concerned. Next week, they fly to London, England to play the Jaguars. They fly home immediately after the game and travel the following weekend to Pittsburgh to challenge their longtime rival the Steelers for divisional supremacy. Both teams are currently 2-0. The game after they travel to Pittsburgh they fly all the way to the West Coast to play the Raiders. If the Ravens are 5-0 after the Raider game, you might be safe in planning to purchase playoff tickets. But don't tell Harbaugh I said this.
Yankees Take Three of Four From Struggling Orioles, Who Stand 5.5 Games Behind in the Race for the Final Wild Card Playoff Berth
The pit the Orioles have dug for themselves is so deep that only a miraculous finish can save them and their playoff hopes. After losing three of four to the Yankees in New York over the weekend, the Orioles stand five and one-half games behind the race for the second and final American League Wild Card Berth.
As I write this post, the Orioles are home against the Red Sox, and the game is tied, 8-8, as the Orioles bat in the bottom of the tenth inning. Austin Hays, the Orioles Rookie Outfielder, has knocked in two of the Orioles' runs, and veteran Pedro Alvarez has hit a home run. Dylan Bundy started for the home team, but could not make it out of the fifth inning. Miguel Castro is pitching now for the Orioles and has restored order after Boston fought back from what was once a 6-1 Orioles lead.
Sadly, the Red Sox struck for two runs in the top of the 11th inning to beat the Oriole, 10-8.
In Sunday's game, unpredictable Ubaldo Jimenez struck out ten Yankees as the Orioles salvaged the final game of the series by winning, 6-4.
Even With Heaton Injured and Out of the Burnley Line-Up, Claret Gain Draw at Liverpool
At Anfield, Burnley's All England Goal Keeper, Tom Heaton, could not play in the wake of the shoulder injury he sustained in last week's victory over Crystal Palace, but backup Nick Pope did a fine job and the Claret made a goal by Scott Arfield stand up in a 1-1 Draw with Liverpool.
In fact, the Telegraph and other sources say that Burnley came oh so close to getting a three point victory. An outstanding pick off the goal line by Liverpool's Joel Matip denied what looked like sure score by Ben Mee of Burnley.
The really important fact for Burnley and their fans is the number of points the Claret are collecting away from Fortress Turf Moor. In five Premier League matches, Burnley stands in 7th place with 8 points. Scott Arfield scored the Burnley goal yesterday,
Tuesday Night the Claret take on Leeds in the Carabao Cup. The match is at Fortress Turf Moor.
NCAA Soccer: Maryland In 2-0 Shutout Win at Penn State
Sebastian Elney and Eryk Williamson each scored, and Dayne St. Clair recorded yet another shut out in Maryland's 2-0 Big Ten Conference Win at Penn State. Maryland is now 6 wins, 0 defeats, 1 draw on the season and 2 wins, 0 defeats, 1 draw in the Big Ten. At the moment, the Terps are in second place in the Big Ten Standings with 7 points. Ohio State has 9 points.
In the current Top 25 Poll, Indiana is No. 1, Notre Dame is No. 2, Maryland is No. 3, Wake Forest is No. 4, Stanford is No. 5, and Michigan State is No. 6. Maryland received two first place votes. A new poll is due out tomorrow.
I can name some of the names. The elected folk I am about to name are registered Republicans. They ran for either the House of Representatives or the United States Senate as Republicans. But they are not real Republicans. They are beholden to groups like the Chamber of Commerce and similar groups who give away great big gobs of money. The people who take this money vote just like the people giving the money away want them to vote.
Isn't that stunning!
The GOP does not have a monopoly on legislators who are loyal to people filling their pockets with greenbacks. The entire Ultra Leftist Democratic Party gets its pockets good and full thanks to upstanding people like, well, you know who I am talking about. His name is George Soros. George, groomed personally by Nazi operatives when he was still a teen, has learned from the very best, that is, if you want to learn from people overly familiar with what pulsating evil will get you. And with all the green Soros has to throw around, the evil Ultra Left Dems just can't do enough for him. We're on board on this fact, right? Nobody is fooled by any talk of idealism on the left. There is no idealism, only an overwhelming desire for pure power.
But for now, back to the GOP and the RINOs within it. They have the United States Congress at a virtual stand still these days. Who is "they?" That is the big question.
If you wanted to know the names of the people in the GOP who take the money and then betray the people who voted for them, you can, as they say, "follow the money." They will be the Senators and Congressmen and Congresswomen who try to keep the President from doing what he promised to do before he got elected. They will be the ones trying to keep Obamacare afloat. They will be the ones who are against President Trump's tax relief package. But they also will be the ones screaming blue murder when the President cuts a deal with the Ultra Left Democrats.
So, come on now, who are these people? It is very easy to identify the RINOs in the Senate. They are very brazen about what they are up to. The easy names are Maine Senator Lisa Collins, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, Arizona Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake, West Virginia Senator Shelly Moore Capito, Alabama Senator Luther Strange, Kentucky Senator and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Utah Senator and Senate President Pro Tempore Orrin Hatch; and, oh yeah, lets not forget the always marginal Lamar Alexander, a Democrat who mistakenly registered with the wrong party. RINOs each and everyone. But the Senate is not the house where all of the RINOs ply their snarky and really awful trade. There are some much better hidden RINOs in the House of Representatives.
The "RINOs" in the House of Representatives are far more difficult to identify. RINO Congressmen, generally, are more ubiquitous, less well known and more 'hidden' from pubic scrutiny. The conservative publication "Human Events," back in 2009, named their "Top 10" House RINOs. Their Top 10 actually included 11 Congressmen and Congress Women. The reason for this is that the publication devised a method of scoring their RINO-ness (which I understand is not a word, but you know what they are talking about), and the No. 10 position ended in a tie between Mike Rogers of Alabama and Peter King of New York. Also, the list includes one elected official, Shelly Capito of West Virginia, who is now in the Senate. I have named her in my list of easy RINO picks in that August Body. The Human Events House RINOs include Chris Smith of New Jersey, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, Fred Upton of Michigan, Shelly Moore Capito of West Virginia, Mike Rogers of Alabama and Peter King of New York. The publication also named others, but funny thing is, a whole bunch of the ones identified as RINOs are not in the Congress anymore. How'd that happen? Might the voters have figured out they were being taken for a ride?
It is quite audacious for the GOP to beg people to vote for their legislative nominees as an alternative to the Ultra Left Democrats, and then allow the folks to figure out that the people who are running as conservatives aren't conservatives at all. Take the Senate President, good old Mitch McConnell. In his tough campaign for re-election, he ran ads that promised he would lead the fight against Obamacare. Every single day as the election approached the people in Kentucky were subjected to ads wherein old Mitch promised - and I do mean promised - to do everything he could to get rid of Obamacare. It was a noble thing that McConnell was promising, since Obamacare was taking a whole lot of normal hardworking Americans broke.
But it seems that old Mitch had no intention whatsoever to throw Obamacare under the bus (which is where it should be put). The very next day after the polls closed on a McConnell victory, he gave interviews where he said that Obamacare could not be repealed because, well, it just couldn't be.
Which was a lie. A flat out humdinger of a lie. The truth was that McConnell didn't want Obamacare repealed because groups that gave Mitch a lot of money didn't want it repealed. Mitch said he would not do anything that would risk shutting down the government, even if such a step would lead to a repeal of that awful Marxist Obamacare thing. Once he said that, the Dems knew McConnell wasn't down for the fight to do away with Obama's "signature" legislation. Who cares what is his "signature" anything. It was a really bad and very Marxist piece of stinking legislation that should never have seen the light of day.
And now, here it is the end of September, and since January the GOP has controlled the White House and the Capitol and Obamacare is still the law of the land, even though 99% of the folk who voted for McConnell and Ryan and Trump hate Obamacare and all it stands for. It stinks so bad that even people in places like Baltimore can smell it, and we are miles away from Washington.
Folks, you know, we're only chatting about Obamacare. What about that Wall we all voted for? And what about that tax cut package? I was hoping against hope that the President would let it be known which Republicans were stabbing him in the back. But apparently he is making his peace with the Democrats, a fact that a bunch of us are not too comfortable with. We know he isn't a practiced politico, but did FDR chat with the evil Adolph once the war started? The answer for anyone historically challenged is "no." Schumer doesn't look like a used care salesman for nothing.
As it turns out, the people who were stabbed in the back were the citizens of America, at least the ones who went to the polls and put the GOP in charge of the government. We were betrayed. Yes we were. And the next time around, we will not be taking prisoners.
Weekend Sports:
Ravens Blitz Browns, 24-10; Defense Harvests Five More Turnovers; Flacco Comes Out Slinging; Buck Allen Has Second Straight Solid Performance; Yanda Injured, and Lost for Season
On the opening weekend, the Cleveland Browns gave the vaunted Steelers one whale of a game. While they succumbed in the end, everybody came away thinking they could give the Ravens a real good game come week 2.
Turns out the Browns were not ready to challenge the Ravens. Not even a little bit. Joe Flacco completed 25 of 34 pass attempts for 217 efficient yards and two touchdowns to lead the Ravens past the overmatched Browns, 24-10.
While Flacco was, indeed, on his game, it was once again the Raven defense that had fans blinking in disbelief. People were saying they had seen this before. And they had. It was the 2000 season, when a Raven defense led by Ray Lewis and Tony Siragusa manhandled and intimidated NFL opponents as the Ravens marched all the way to a Super Bowl victory. Yesterday, for the second straight game, the Ravens caused five turnovers in yet another one-sided victory over a division opponent. In Week One, the Ravens blitzed home-standing Cincinnati, 20-0. Yesterday, with five more fun filled turnovers, the Ravens ran roughshod over the Browns.
Four of the turnovers came via the interception route. After just two games, cornerback Brandon Carr and safety Ladarius Webb already have two interceptions apiece. But they are not the whole show by any means. Four other Raven defenders have one interception.
On the offense, Flacco is getting a great deal of help from his running backs. Surprisingly, no. 2 halfback Buck Allen is shining the brightest. He had 60 more yards yesterday after getting 71 against the Bengals. Allen also caught 5 Flacco passes for 35 yards and a key touchdown. Another bright light yesterday was the play of Ben Watson, the veteran tight end who the Ravens were looking to for big things - but that was last season. In the final exhibition tuneup, Watson tore his Achilles Tendon and was lost for the season. This season, he came out of training camp as the no. 2 tight end even after Dennis Pita was hurt and lost for the season and, really, the rest of his career. Watson did not catch a pass in the first game, but he performance in Jeremy Maclin's long touchdown catch was one of the most important in the game. Watson and Maclin ran a criss-cross pick play, and Watson's execution was so perfect that Maclin was able to waltz into the endzone he was so wide open. Watson ran the pick for Maclin and completely cleared the middle of the field for the wide receiver. Raven coach John Harbaugh saw what Watson did and singled him out for the way he executed his assignment and sprung Maclin for the touchdown.
Things get very interesting for the Ravens as far as their schedule is concerned. Next week, they fly to London, England to play the Jaguars. They fly home immediately after the game and travel the following weekend to Pittsburgh to challenge their longtime rival the Steelers for divisional supremacy. Both teams are currently 2-0. The game after they travel to Pittsburgh they fly all the way to the West Coast to play the Raiders. If the Ravens are 5-0 after the Raider game, you might be safe in planning to purchase playoff tickets. But don't tell Harbaugh I said this.
Yankees Take Three of Four From Struggling Orioles, Who Stand 5.5 Games Behind in the Race for the Final Wild Card Playoff Berth
The pit the Orioles have dug for themselves is so deep that only a miraculous finish can save them and their playoff hopes. After losing three of four to the Yankees in New York over the weekend, the Orioles stand five and one-half games behind the race for the second and final American League Wild Card Berth.
As I write this post, the Orioles are home against the Red Sox, and the game is tied, 8-8, as the Orioles bat in the bottom of the tenth inning. Austin Hays, the Orioles Rookie Outfielder, has knocked in two of the Orioles' runs, and veteran Pedro Alvarez has hit a home run. Dylan Bundy started for the home team, but could not make it out of the fifth inning. Miguel Castro is pitching now for the Orioles and has restored order after Boston fought back from what was once a 6-1 Orioles lead.
Sadly, the Red Sox struck for two runs in the top of the 11th inning to beat the Oriole, 10-8.
In Sunday's game, unpredictable Ubaldo Jimenez struck out ten Yankees as the Orioles salvaged the final game of the series by winning, 6-4.
Even With Heaton Injured and Out of the Burnley Line-Up, Claret Gain Draw at Liverpool
At Anfield, Burnley's All England Goal Keeper, Tom Heaton, could not play in the wake of the shoulder injury he sustained in last week's victory over Crystal Palace, but backup Nick Pope did a fine job and the Claret made a goal by Scott Arfield stand up in a 1-1 Draw with Liverpool.
In fact, the Telegraph and other sources say that Burnley came oh so close to getting a three point victory. An outstanding pick off the goal line by Liverpool's Joel Matip denied what looked like sure score by Ben Mee of Burnley.
The really important fact for Burnley and their fans is the number of points the Claret are collecting away from Fortress Turf Moor. In five Premier League matches, Burnley stands in 7th place with 8 points. Scott Arfield scored the Burnley goal yesterday,
Tuesday Night the Claret take on Leeds in the Carabao Cup. The match is at Fortress Turf Moor.
NCAA Soccer: Maryland In 2-0 Shutout Win at Penn State
Sebastian Elney and Eryk Williamson each scored, and Dayne St. Clair recorded yet another shut out in Maryland's 2-0 Big Ten Conference Win at Penn State. Maryland is now 6 wins, 0 defeats, 1 draw on the season and 2 wins, 0 defeats, 1 draw in the Big Ten. At the moment, the Terps are in second place in the Big Ten Standings with 7 points. Ohio State has 9 points.
In the current Top 25 Poll, Indiana is No. 1, Notre Dame is No. 2, Maryland is No. 3, Wake Forest is No. 4, Stanford is No. 5, and Michigan State is No. 6. Maryland received two first place votes. A new poll is due out tomorrow.
Monday, September 11, 2017
Hurricane Irma Comes to Florida; Damage is Massive But Storm Lost Power on Final Approach; Sports: Ravens Humble Bengals; Orioles Fall 3 Back in Wild Card After Being Swept in Cleveland; Burnley Shuts Out Crystal Palace But Loses Keeper Heaton; Maryland Draws With Indiana; Football: Terps Rout Towson, 63-17
TOWSON, Maryland, Monday, September 11, 2017 - On this 16th Anniversary of one of the most fearsome days in the entire history of These United States, allow me to quickly report the events of recent days so that everyone will be on 'all fours' going forward.
While Texas continues the awesome task of recovering from Hurricane Harvey, Florida now begins the 'digging out' phase of recovery from Hurricane Irma. Irma struck the Florida Keys as it crossed over them, and then, after another brief spell over the ocean, struck again near Naples, Florida. But in truth, the massive size of the Hurricane, coupled with the reality that Florida is nothing more than a peninsula jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean north of the Equator, means that what really happened is that Hurricane Irma made a single massive hit on the entire state of Florida. From the southern tip of the Florida Keys to Miami to Jacksonville, floods, destruction, untold power outages and other sequelae of the massive storm played out to bewildered witnesses hunkered down in public shelters and other places where residents sought respite from the storm. There has been news of casualties, but the numbers have yet to be collected and processed. There is massive damage to all kinds of transportation systems, including roads and highways, airports, railroad tracks and railroad stations, and, of course, marine traffic that travels over the high seas. There is damage to the power grid that will necessitate repairs that are far more complicated than merely patching together some downed lines. Industries - even those not actually flooded to the point of non-existence - will be out of commission for many days and even weeks as owners and employees seek ways to become viable after such a massive storm.
But with all of that having been said, some witnesses, including on-site government officials, are admitting that the damage was not nearly as awful as was expected. One reason for this is that Irma quickly lost much of its destructive power as it wandered over land. By late last night the storm had been downgraded to a Category 2 Hurricane after spending much of its run up to the impact with the Florida Coast as a Category 5 storm. But before Irma could throw itself at the Florida mainland, it impacted the edge of Cuba, then the Florida Keys. Both of these slide bys cost Irma power and destructiveness. By this morning, word came that Irma wasn't even a hurricane anymore, but instead was now a Tropical Storm, lacking hurricane-force winds.
In Miami, Sarasota, Naples and other Florida cities, the massive clean up required to put this nightmare behind them is already underway. One of the first tasks for rescue workers is canvassing flood-ravaged neighborhoods to make sure no one is trapped or otherwise unaccounted for. It is this attempt to muster the citizens that will inform authorities how bad the storm was in terms of loss of human life.
Even Sunday night was full of discussions among local authorities about certain die-hard citizens who attempted to ride the storm out without evacuating. Unofficial efforts to stay in touch with these certain citizens allowed locals to know in advance of official head counts who had survived and who had not. These efforts at canvassing local residents also allows first responders to know where to go first as access to inundated areas is re-established.
Major resort destinations across Florida had announced last Friday that they would be closed through today. Places like Disneyworld and Universal Studios have already made it known that they intend to re-open tomorrow around 9 am.
SPORTS: Ravens Humiliate Bengals, 20-0; Orioles Swept in Cleveland; Maryland and Indiana Play to Scoreless Draw While Burnley Defeats Crystal Palace, 1-0, On Second Goal From Chris Wood In As Many Matches; Terps Crush Towson, 63-14
Joe Flacco threw 48-yards to newcomer Jeremy Macklin, and Terrence West scored on a three-yard plunge, and Baltimore's swarming and determined defense intercepted Andy Dalton four times, and also recovered a Dalton fumble, as the Ravens Shut Out the hapless Bengals in Cincinnati, 20-0.
The Ravens prevailed despite losing starting running back Danny Woodhead on their first scoring drive, and starting linebacker Zadarius Smith later in the first half. Justin Tucker kicked two field goals and two conversion scores, and West and Buck Allen combined for 151 rushing yards for the Ravens, who dominated the home standing Bengals for the full 60 minutes, Flacco, who missed the entire preseason with an injured back, threw only 12 passes, but completed 9 as the Ravens raced to a 17-0 halftime lead. After Flacco hit Macklin to put the Ravens ahead, 10-0, Ladarius Webb intercepted a deflected Dalton pass and returned it to the Bengal 3 yard line, setting up West's TD run. The Ravens scored both of their touchdowns in a crucial 24 second span.
But the story of the game was the smothering Raven defense. Dalton was intercepted four times, and his fumble deep in Ravens territory eliminated a golden opportunity for the Bengals to get back in the game. On that play, Terrell Suggs, who had two sacks and a number of pass deflections and other fine plays, swatted Dalton's arm as the Bengal QB tried to throw a pass. The ball squirted free and was recovered by the Ravens' Defensive Lineman, Michael Pierce.
Besides the five turnovers the Ravens caused, they limited the Bengal running game to less than 100 yards. No Bengal runner gained more than 40 yards for the game.
After the Ravens recovered the Dalton fumble early in the third quarter, they went on a long sustained march down the field that took nearly ten minutes off the clock. The drive culminated in Tucker's second field goal of the game, a score that put Baltimore ahead by the game's final score, 20-0.
Baseball: Cleveland Completes Three Game Sweep of Orioles, Winning its 18th Straight Game in the Process; Orioles 3 back in race for final Wild Card Playoff Berth
Trevor Bauer scattered six hits over 6 and one-third innings to improve his record to 16-8, and the Indians used back-to-back home runs by Roberto Perez and Francisco Lindor to edge the Orioles, 3-2, winning their 18th straight game in the process.
After falling behind, 1-0, the Orioles struck for a run in the 6th inning to tie the Indians, 1-1. Manny Machado doubled, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Jonathon Schoop's single. The Indians put their two home runs on the board in the bottom of the inning. Chris Davis hit a home run for Baltimore in the seventh to end the scoring.
Now three games behind Minnesota in the race for the last wild card berth, the Orioles begin a 3 game set in Toronto tonight. The three game sweep the Indians put on the Orioles over this past weekend allowed several teams to squeeze past them in the standings. Now, in addition to the Twins, there are three other teams the Orioles will need to pass to get into the MLB playoffs. The Angels trail the Twins by one game, and Kansas City and Texas trail Minnesota by two and one-half games. The Orioles are 71-72 with 19 games left to play.
They must begin a run to the playoffs immediately if the season is to end in or after the playoffs.
Soccer: Burnley makes early score by Chris Wood stand up in 1-0 win over Crystal Palace
The record-setting investment in Chris Wood has paid off for the second straight match for Burnley. The New Zealander scored in the third minute at Turf Moor, and the Claret defense took over from there, holding off snake-bit Crystal Palace, 1-0.
Burnley improved to 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat, while Crystal Palace fell to 0 wins, 0 draws and 4 defeats. Burnley now stands 7th on the Premier Table, tied with five other teams with 7 points apiece.
But the win may be extremely costly for the Claret. Their Team England Keeper, Tom Heaton, fell awkwardly on his shoulder in the 36th minute, an injury preliminarily diagnosed as a dislocation. The BBC says Heaton could be out for "months." Nick Pope took over for Heaton and kept Palace off the board for the remainder. Palace has failed to score this season.. Pope will be backed up by Burnley's third keeper, Adam Legzdins. Actually, it is a bit unusual for a team to have such an experienced keeper on their roster as a third reserve. Legzdins is 31 years old and has made countless appearances over the years for Burnley rivals like Derby County, Leyton Orient, Birmingham City and Halifax Town. This is his first season under contract to the Claret.
No. 3 Maryland and No. 4 Indiana battle to scoreless draw in College Park
In a tense struggle in front of nearly 7,000 in College Park, it was Maryland's Keeper, Dayne St. Clair, who came up huge in overtime to preserve the draw and earn the Terrapins a critical point in their first Big Ten Conference Match of the 2017 season.
Indiana took two shots in the first overtime that looked for all the world like certain scores. Each time, St. Clair dove head long to block the shots. One of those shots was deflected just before it got to the goal, and St. Clair still stopped it. Even though both saves resulted in corner kicks for Indiana, his Maryland mates came back to congratulate him before play resumed.
St. Clair also made two spectacular saves during regulation time. Maryland had several good shots, but none ended up being on goal.
The Terps return to the pitch tomorrow against Rutgers in a match to be televised nationwide on BTN. Maryland will be under great pressure to win and garner three points, otherwise an opportunity to gain six home points in four days will have been squandered.
NCAA Football: Maryland improves to 2-0 with 63-17 drubbing of Towson
Freshman Kasim Hill, making his first college start, completed 13 of 16 passes for 175 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead Maryland to a 63-17 drubbing of Towson. Maryland, which upset then No. 23 Texas in Austin last week, improved to 2-0. Towson fell to 1-1.
Hill stepped in last week when Maryland starter Tyrrell Pigrome torn his ACL. Pigrome has been declared out for the season. Hill ran for one touchdown against Texas and set up that score with a crucial 40-yard completion on third down. That TD busted a budding Texas comeback in Maryland's 51-41 win. The Terps have now scored 114 points in two games.
The Terps host Central Florida next week in College Park, before going to Minnesota the following week to open their Big Ten Season.
While Texas continues the awesome task of recovering from Hurricane Harvey, Florida now begins the 'digging out' phase of recovery from Hurricane Irma. Irma struck the Florida Keys as it crossed over them, and then, after another brief spell over the ocean, struck again near Naples, Florida. But in truth, the massive size of the Hurricane, coupled with the reality that Florida is nothing more than a peninsula jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean north of the Equator, means that what really happened is that Hurricane Irma made a single massive hit on the entire state of Florida. From the southern tip of the Florida Keys to Miami to Jacksonville, floods, destruction, untold power outages and other sequelae of the massive storm played out to bewildered witnesses hunkered down in public shelters and other places where residents sought respite from the storm. There has been news of casualties, but the numbers have yet to be collected and processed. There is massive damage to all kinds of transportation systems, including roads and highways, airports, railroad tracks and railroad stations, and, of course, marine traffic that travels over the high seas. There is damage to the power grid that will necessitate repairs that are far more complicated than merely patching together some downed lines. Industries - even those not actually flooded to the point of non-existence - will be out of commission for many days and even weeks as owners and employees seek ways to become viable after such a massive storm.
But with all of that having been said, some witnesses, including on-site government officials, are admitting that the damage was not nearly as awful as was expected. One reason for this is that Irma quickly lost much of its destructive power as it wandered over land. By late last night the storm had been downgraded to a Category 2 Hurricane after spending much of its run up to the impact with the Florida Coast as a Category 5 storm. But before Irma could throw itself at the Florida mainland, it impacted the edge of Cuba, then the Florida Keys. Both of these slide bys cost Irma power and destructiveness. By this morning, word came that Irma wasn't even a hurricane anymore, but instead was now a Tropical Storm, lacking hurricane-force winds.
In Miami, Sarasota, Naples and other Florida cities, the massive clean up required to put this nightmare behind them is already underway. One of the first tasks for rescue workers is canvassing flood-ravaged neighborhoods to make sure no one is trapped or otherwise unaccounted for. It is this attempt to muster the citizens that will inform authorities how bad the storm was in terms of loss of human life.
Even Sunday night was full of discussions among local authorities about certain die-hard citizens who attempted to ride the storm out without evacuating. Unofficial efforts to stay in touch with these certain citizens allowed locals to know in advance of official head counts who had survived and who had not. These efforts at canvassing local residents also allows first responders to know where to go first as access to inundated areas is re-established.
Major resort destinations across Florida had announced last Friday that they would be closed through today. Places like Disneyworld and Universal Studios have already made it known that they intend to re-open tomorrow around 9 am.
SPORTS: Ravens Humiliate Bengals, 20-0; Orioles Swept in Cleveland; Maryland and Indiana Play to Scoreless Draw While Burnley Defeats Crystal Palace, 1-0, On Second Goal From Chris Wood In As Many Matches; Terps Crush Towson, 63-14
Joe Flacco threw 48-yards to newcomer Jeremy Macklin, and Terrence West scored on a three-yard plunge, and Baltimore's swarming and determined defense intercepted Andy Dalton four times, and also recovered a Dalton fumble, as the Ravens Shut Out the hapless Bengals in Cincinnati, 20-0.
The Ravens prevailed despite losing starting running back Danny Woodhead on their first scoring drive, and starting linebacker Zadarius Smith later in the first half. Justin Tucker kicked two field goals and two conversion scores, and West and Buck Allen combined for 151 rushing yards for the Ravens, who dominated the home standing Bengals for the full 60 minutes, Flacco, who missed the entire preseason with an injured back, threw only 12 passes, but completed 9 as the Ravens raced to a 17-0 halftime lead. After Flacco hit Macklin to put the Ravens ahead, 10-0, Ladarius Webb intercepted a deflected Dalton pass and returned it to the Bengal 3 yard line, setting up West's TD run. The Ravens scored both of their touchdowns in a crucial 24 second span.
But the story of the game was the smothering Raven defense. Dalton was intercepted four times, and his fumble deep in Ravens territory eliminated a golden opportunity for the Bengals to get back in the game. On that play, Terrell Suggs, who had two sacks and a number of pass deflections and other fine plays, swatted Dalton's arm as the Bengal QB tried to throw a pass. The ball squirted free and was recovered by the Ravens' Defensive Lineman, Michael Pierce.
Besides the five turnovers the Ravens caused, they limited the Bengal running game to less than 100 yards. No Bengal runner gained more than 40 yards for the game.
After the Ravens recovered the Dalton fumble early in the third quarter, they went on a long sustained march down the field that took nearly ten minutes off the clock. The drive culminated in Tucker's second field goal of the game, a score that put Baltimore ahead by the game's final score, 20-0.
Baseball: Cleveland Completes Three Game Sweep of Orioles, Winning its 18th Straight Game in the Process; Orioles 3 back in race for final Wild Card Playoff Berth
Trevor Bauer scattered six hits over 6 and one-third innings to improve his record to 16-8, and the Indians used back-to-back home runs by Roberto Perez and Francisco Lindor to edge the Orioles, 3-2, winning their 18th straight game in the process.
After falling behind, 1-0, the Orioles struck for a run in the 6th inning to tie the Indians, 1-1. Manny Machado doubled, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Jonathon Schoop's single. The Indians put their two home runs on the board in the bottom of the inning. Chris Davis hit a home run for Baltimore in the seventh to end the scoring.
Now three games behind Minnesota in the race for the last wild card berth, the Orioles begin a 3 game set in Toronto tonight. The three game sweep the Indians put on the Orioles over this past weekend allowed several teams to squeeze past them in the standings. Now, in addition to the Twins, there are three other teams the Orioles will need to pass to get into the MLB playoffs. The Angels trail the Twins by one game, and Kansas City and Texas trail Minnesota by two and one-half games. The Orioles are 71-72 with 19 games left to play.
They must begin a run to the playoffs immediately if the season is to end in or after the playoffs.
Soccer: Burnley makes early score by Chris Wood stand up in 1-0 win over Crystal Palace
The record-setting investment in Chris Wood has paid off for the second straight match for Burnley. The New Zealander scored in the third minute at Turf Moor, and the Claret defense took over from there, holding off snake-bit Crystal Palace, 1-0.
Burnley improved to 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat, while Crystal Palace fell to 0 wins, 0 draws and 4 defeats. Burnley now stands 7th on the Premier Table, tied with five other teams with 7 points apiece.
But the win may be extremely costly for the Claret. Their Team England Keeper, Tom Heaton, fell awkwardly on his shoulder in the 36th minute, an injury preliminarily diagnosed as a dislocation. The BBC says Heaton could be out for "months." Nick Pope took over for Heaton and kept Palace off the board for the remainder. Palace has failed to score this season.. Pope will be backed up by Burnley's third keeper, Adam Legzdins. Actually, it is a bit unusual for a team to have such an experienced keeper on their roster as a third reserve. Legzdins is 31 years old and has made countless appearances over the years for Burnley rivals like Derby County, Leyton Orient, Birmingham City and Halifax Town. This is his first season under contract to the Claret.
No. 3 Maryland and No. 4 Indiana battle to scoreless draw in College Park
In a tense struggle in front of nearly 7,000 in College Park, it was Maryland's Keeper, Dayne St. Clair, who came up huge in overtime to preserve the draw and earn the Terrapins a critical point in their first Big Ten Conference Match of the 2017 season.
Indiana took two shots in the first overtime that looked for all the world like certain scores. Each time, St. Clair dove head long to block the shots. One of those shots was deflected just before it got to the goal, and St. Clair still stopped it. Even though both saves resulted in corner kicks for Indiana, his Maryland mates came back to congratulate him before play resumed.
St. Clair also made two spectacular saves during regulation time. Maryland had several good shots, but none ended up being on goal.
The Terps return to the pitch tomorrow against Rutgers in a match to be televised nationwide on BTN. Maryland will be under great pressure to win and garner three points, otherwise an opportunity to gain six home points in four days will have been squandered.
NCAA Football: Maryland improves to 2-0 with 63-17 drubbing of Towson
Freshman Kasim Hill, making his first college start, completed 13 of 16 passes for 175 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead Maryland to a 63-17 drubbing of Towson. Maryland, which upset then No. 23 Texas in Austin last week, improved to 2-0. Towson fell to 1-1.
Hill stepped in last week when Maryland starter Tyrrell Pigrome torn his ACL. Pigrome has been declared out for the season. Hill ran for one touchdown against Texas and set up that score with a crucial 40-yard completion on third down. That TD busted a budding Texas comeback in Maryland's 51-41 win. The Terps have now scored 114 points in two games.
The Terps host Central Florida next week in College Park, before going to Minnesota the following week to open their Big Ten Season.
Saturday, September 9, 2017
Beware of Anti-Fa Carrying Weapons
TOWSON, Maryland, Thursday, September 7, 2017 - Some events in a life stab the bearer in the heart, digging and driving so deep that the tip of the knife can no longer even be imagined.
To occur, the wound had to be a total surprise, so much so that the victim never saw it coming; in fact, the victim never so much as imagined such an attack would ever occur ever. Ever! One might proffer that he was in exactly the opposite situation.
Living a life, going forward, resolute, confident, sure; then suddenly and without any kind of warning whatsoever, a hellacious and stunning mortal blow is inflicted on the victim. Suddenly. No warning. Not even an inkling. Out of the blue; so absolutely unexpected that no defense of any kind - any kind at all! - was raised or put forth by the victim.
When the Christians attacked Jerusalem at the climax of the First Crusade, it was not such an attack. A huge army had been marching for the better part of a year, on foot, originating from the wilds of pre-renaissance Europe. An age had been spent at the City that the Crusade forced a surrender from before it even turned toward Jerusalem.
When the Christian Army finally left Antioch and turned their horde toward Jerusalem, everybody in the Northern Hemisphere knew they were on their way.
Even the Nazi attack on Poland at the outset of World War II was not a surprise. There had been so-called negotiations, and there had been all manner of diplomatic wrangling. And there had been the protracted treaty negotiations between Stalin and Hitler. The German Monster believed that if he did not get some kind of deal with the Russians, he would leave his flank wide open to attack from them the minute he marched on Poland. There was no surprise here. It wasn't if - in that case - it was when.
But the consequential attack of which I write here is one that comes without even the slightest hint. The victim has no hint of danger. His guard is down. All the way down.
When he is struck, the blade of the knife is through to his heart before he even knew he had been stabbed. History is replete with stories like this. Caesar was mortally wounded before he really knew what hit him. At the very last he realized a man he fervently believed was his friend, right to the very end, had in fact struck the mortal blow. Caesar then muttered those famous last words, "Et tu, Brutus."
Kennedy - John and Robert - were dead before they learned who their murderer was. Lincoln, too, did not know that a sinister stage actor was his murderer.
Trump lives on despite the tremendous hate mustered against him by the ultra left, or the ultra evil left, as many Americans have begun to call them. The foot soldiers of this bunch, the so-called "Anti-Fas," as it turns out, are fooling not a soul with their funny name. The Anti-Fas calling themselves anti-fascists would be like the tea party calling itself "No More 4 pm," or something else equally dumb and unimaginative.
Assassins are on the loose everywhere. Many of them are card-carrying members of the Ultra Left. As if most of America didn't know that. For America to survive such an evil concoction, it will have to be vigilant for Anti-Fa foot soldiers with guns or knives. They are out there and they are looking to do America as much harm as possible. Don't shut your eyes, don't look away. Those knives are coming your way and you will have but an instant to block their thrust.
To occur, the wound had to be a total surprise, so much so that the victim never saw it coming; in fact, the victim never so much as imagined such an attack would ever occur ever. Ever! One might proffer that he was in exactly the opposite situation.
Living a life, going forward, resolute, confident, sure; then suddenly and without any kind of warning whatsoever, a hellacious and stunning mortal blow is inflicted on the victim. Suddenly. No warning. Not even an inkling. Out of the blue; so absolutely unexpected that no defense of any kind - any kind at all! - was raised or put forth by the victim.
When the Christians attacked Jerusalem at the climax of the First Crusade, it was not such an attack. A huge army had been marching for the better part of a year, on foot, originating from the wilds of pre-renaissance Europe. An age had been spent at the City that the Crusade forced a surrender from before it even turned toward Jerusalem.
When the Christian Army finally left Antioch and turned their horde toward Jerusalem, everybody in the Northern Hemisphere knew they were on their way.
Even the Nazi attack on Poland at the outset of World War II was not a surprise. There had been so-called negotiations, and there had been all manner of diplomatic wrangling. And there had been the protracted treaty negotiations between Stalin and Hitler. The German Monster believed that if he did not get some kind of deal with the Russians, he would leave his flank wide open to attack from them the minute he marched on Poland. There was no surprise here. It wasn't if - in that case - it was when.
But the consequential attack of which I write here is one that comes without even the slightest hint. The victim has no hint of danger. His guard is down. All the way down.
When he is struck, the blade of the knife is through to his heart before he even knew he had been stabbed. History is replete with stories like this. Caesar was mortally wounded before he really knew what hit him. At the very last he realized a man he fervently believed was his friend, right to the very end, had in fact struck the mortal blow. Caesar then muttered those famous last words, "Et tu, Brutus."
Kennedy - John and Robert - were dead before they learned who their murderer was. Lincoln, too, did not know that a sinister stage actor was his murderer.
Trump lives on despite the tremendous hate mustered against him by the ultra left, or the ultra evil left, as many Americans have begun to call them. The foot soldiers of this bunch, the so-called "Anti-Fas," as it turns out, are fooling not a soul with their funny name. The Anti-Fas calling themselves anti-fascists would be like the tea party calling itself "No More 4 pm," or something else equally dumb and unimaginative.
Assassins are on the loose everywhere. Many of them are card-carrying members of the Ultra Left. As if most of America didn't know that. For America to survive such an evil concoction, it will have to be vigilant for Anti-Fa foot soldiers with guns or knives. They are out there and they are looking to do America as much harm as possible. Don't shut your eyes, don't look away. Those knives are coming your way and you will have but an instant to block their thrust.
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