Absolutely no one pins even a sliver of blame on the Liberals, the NDP or the Bloc. Of course not. Faced with the unreasonable and extreme proposal that they raise funds in the same way as the Conservatives have been doing for years — by asking people for their money, rather than taking it from them — they really had no alternative but to seize power. What on earth were they supposed to do? Revamp their moribund fund-raising organizations? Find a message and a leader capable of motivating large numbers of Canadians to click the “donate” button on their websites? Get off their collective duffs? What were the Tories thinking?
No. No, the sensible, restrained, pragmatic thing to do when threatened with the loss of subsidy is to take down the government. The sober, reasonable, moderate thing to do in this time of economic uncertainty is to provoke a constitutional crisis — to cobble together a coalition without a prime minister or a program, propped up by a separatist party, and demand the governor general call upon it to form a new government, replacing the old one we just elected. It’s been six weeks, after all.
Thank God that Canada has such statesmen in this time of peril, willing to put partisanship aside in pursuit of high office. What a contrast to those hyper-partisan, power-mad Conservatives, with their insane demands that the parties make do on the millions in tax credits and reimbursements they receive outside the subsidy.
30 November, 2008
What he said
Andrew Coyne seriously lays the wood to the Liberals and the NDP for their treasonous (look it up) behaviour.
29 November, 2008
The waiting is the hardest part
So for the next fifteen hours we get to imagine Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy, digitized, Tron-like, racing light cycles around those computers, wherever they are. It's just pretty sad. Of course it matters that Texas beat Oklahoma on a neutral field--if you believe that Dallas can be called that--but other things matter too. That game was on October 11. One of the hallmarks of a good (or great) team is that they have become a bettter team by the end of the season than they were at the beginning. The polls are about trying to figure out which team is the best team, not which team was the best team a month ago. I think the Oklahoma team I watched tonight is the best team in the Big 12; simple as that. I also think that if Oklahoma beats Missouri next week then Sam Bradford won the Heisman trophy tonight. And the first twenty (game) minutes of the second half might have been the most fun I've had watching an hour of football in my life. OK, I'm done with Oklahoma/Oklahoma State.
It wouldn't really feel like the Rose Bowl without USC would it? Looks like, thanks to Oregon, that rematch will have to wait. I'm happy. All season we said that we belonged, that we were real contenders. Well now we get to show it. Now we'll get the chance to shock everyone who wagged their fingers when we stumbled in Iowa. Now we get our chance against the golden boys and the media's favourite coach. Bring it on!
My top 5; Alabama, Oklahoma, Florida, USC, Boise State
It wouldn't really feel like the Rose Bowl without USC would it? Looks like, thanks to Oregon, that rematch will have to wait. I'm happy. All season we said that we belonged, that we were real contenders. Well now we get to show it. Now we'll get the chance to shock everyone who wagged their fingers when we stumbled in Iowa. Now we get our chance against the golden boys and the media's favourite coach. Bring it on!
My top 5; Alabama, Oklahoma, Florida, USC, Boise State
27 November, 2008
I'll support who I want, thanks
Some background before the good news: In 2003, on his way out of Ottawa, Jean Chretien pushed through some changes to Canadian campaign finance laws. As part of those changes, any party which draws 2% of the popular vote during the most recent federal election now receives $1.95 in public funds annually for every vote. In otherwords a party which receives a million votes gets $1,950,000 in taxpayer dollars for its coffers.
According to this, part of the government's economic update later today will include killing this subsidy to the various parties. Yay! Making the news even better is the fact that the public funding amounts to 86% of revenues for the Bloc. Double-yay! If they want to advocate for breaking up the country, they can get their money from their supporters. 'But where will we get our money?' Wehhh. As cynically as I might believe he did it, Barack Obama just raised hundreds of millions of dollars from a whole lot of people who didn't give very much. You'll figure it out.
According to this, part of the government's economic update later today will include killing this subsidy to the various parties. Yay! Making the news even better is the fact that the public funding amounts to 86% of revenues for the Bloc. Double-yay! If they want to advocate for breaking up the country, they can get their money from their supporters. 'But where will we get our money?' Wehhh. As cynically as I might believe he did it, Barack Obama just raised hundreds of millions of dollars from a whole lot of people who didn't give very much. You'll figure it out.
26 November, 2008
Precedent
Others have recently made note of the creative Renaissance which Law & Order has undergone during the last few years. This point really hit home for me tonight when we saw two things I can't ever remember seeing before from this series.
The first one is pretty obvious; I can't ever remember a District Attorney walking into open court and shooting down his EADA like McCoy did at the end. The second is much more subtle, I don't think the writers have ever actually tied a legal discussion/argument back to a previous case which we actually saw happen like they did tonight. And they really went into the vault for this one, here's a link to the TV.com summary for the episode in question. That episode originally aired on November 9, 1994. For a TV show which is not serialized--at least not in the way we've come to understand the concept--to take advantage of its history like that is absolutely great.
I may as well mention that it was also a first-rate episode, even without taking all of the above into account.
The first one is pretty obvious; I can't ever remember a District Attorney walking into open court and shooting down his EADA like McCoy did at the end. The second is much more subtle, I don't think the writers have ever actually tied a legal discussion/argument back to a previous case which we actually saw happen like they did tonight. And they really went into the vault for this one, here's a link to the TV.com summary for the episode in question. That episode originally aired on November 9, 1994. For a TV show which is not serialized--at least not in the way we've come to understand the concept--to take advantage of its history like that is absolutely great.
I may as well mention that it was also a first-rate episode, even without taking all of the above into account.
Hope and change: Episode 3
You've got to hand it to Think Progress, these guys can drink Kool-Aid with the best of them. These guys are so blind I feel like I have 20-20 vision after reading posts like this one. Quoting Obama at a presser earlier this morning:
Wow, that's so stupid it's hard to figure out how to decompress it in order to point out just how stupid it is.
I want to start by saying that my objection to putting Tim Geithner at Treasury is more about pulling him out of the New York Fed, something I think is a really bad idea at the moment.
Now, let's get into this unbelievably partisan and mindless statement. So now, anyone that hasn't served in a Democratic administration hasn't served in Washington? Huh? So in other words, a staffer in the Reagan treasury department who left in 1988 when he was 28 years old and spent 20 years in the private sector is totally unqualified, has no experience in Washington, someone the American people would be troubled by. As I said, wow. My point is not to say that Austan Goolsbee (should be chairing the CEA), Christina Romer, and Larry Summers aren't qualified; they are in fact eminently qualified. The point is that this is the man who campaigned against 'the Washington insiders,' against the idea of pulling the same people off the benches when a party comes back into power. He said it was time to do things differently, time to change the way Washington works. His actions since being elected say differently. I'm also disgusted by the implication in this statement that someone who has worked in the private sector isn't qualified to serve at an important government post.
Later during the same press conference, Obama said that the change, the vision will come from him. That's all fine and good, but Obama doesn't have an economics background. In fact I would argue that a lot of his campaign rhetoric demonstrates the presence of a particularly tin ear towards knowing how the American economy actually works. Therefore, he should fill his bench with advisors who both agree and disagree with his economic philosophy. Of course, the idea of having advisors who might disagree with him on any issue goes against pretty much everything I know about President-elect Obama.
It would be surprising if I selected a Treasury secretary who had had no connection with the last Democratic administration because that would mean the person had no experience in Washington whatsoever. And I suspect you would be troubled and the American people would be troubled if I selected a Treasury secretary or a chairman of the National Economic Council…who had no experience whatsoever.
Wow, that's so stupid it's hard to figure out how to decompress it in order to point out just how stupid it is.
I want to start by saying that my objection to putting Tim Geithner at Treasury is more about pulling him out of the New York Fed, something I think is a really bad idea at the moment.
Now, let's get into this unbelievably partisan and mindless statement. So now, anyone that hasn't served in a Democratic administration hasn't served in Washington? Huh? So in other words, a staffer in the Reagan treasury department who left in 1988 when he was 28 years old and spent 20 years in the private sector is totally unqualified, has no experience in Washington, someone the American people would be troubled by. As I said, wow. My point is not to say that Austan Goolsbee (should be chairing the CEA), Christina Romer, and Larry Summers aren't qualified; they are in fact eminently qualified. The point is that this is the man who campaigned against 'the Washington insiders,' against the idea of pulling the same people off the benches when a party comes back into power. He said it was time to do things differently, time to change the way Washington works. His actions since being elected say differently. I'm also disgusted by the implication in this statement that someone who has worked in the private sector isn't qualified to serve at an important government post.
Later during the same press conference, Obama said that the change, the vision will come from him. That's all fine and good, but Obama doesn't have an economics background. In fact I would argue that a lot of his campaign rhetoric demonstrates the presence of a particularly tin ear towards knowing how the American economy actually works. Therefore, he should fill his bench with advisors who both agree and disagree with his economic philosophy. Of course, the idea of having advisors who might disagree with him on any issue goes against pretty much everything I know about President-elect Obama.
25 November, 2008
Good news
Update: ...And Warner taketh away. The description track isn't on the DVD. No idea why, as there was certainly enough space left over to fit it on the disk.
Just noticed that according to this review, Warner has included the DVS track on the Dark Knight Blu-Ray. Read this if you have no idea what I'm talking about.
As far as I know, the only other movies to be released in HD with these tracks so far have been 'One Missed Call (BD, Warner),' 'The Eye (BD, Lionsgate),' Evan Almighty (HD-DVD, Universal),' and the UK HD-DVD of 'The Prestige (Warner).' There's also the possibility that the HD-DVDs of 'Knocked up,' 'Ray,' and 'Inside Man' (all from Universal) include them since the DVDs did.
Anyway, the point of this was to single-out whoever was responsible for this at Warner for praise. Thanks guys. I'm also encouraging any readers who happen to be blind to send a nice e-mail to Warner customer service. Warner corporate knew they'd sell 3 bazillion copies regardless of whether they included the description, let them know we appreciate it.
Just noticed that according to this review, Warner has included the DVS track on the Dark Knight Blu-Ray. Read this if you have no idea what I'm talking about.
As far as I know, the only other movies to be released in HD with these tracks so far have been 'One Missed Call (BD, Warner),' 'The Eye (BD, Lionsgate),' Evan Almighty (HD-DVD, Universal),' and the UK HD-DVD of 'The Prestige (Warner).' There's also the possibility that the HD-DVDs of 'Knocked up,' 'Ray,' and 'Inside Man' (all from Universal) include them since the DVDs did.
Anyway, the point of this was to single-out whoever was responsible for this at Warner for praise. Thanks guys. I'm also encouraging any readers who happen to be blind to send a nice e-mail to Warner customer service. Warner corporate knew they'd sell 3 bazillion copies regardless of whether they included the description, let them know we appreciate it.
24 November, 2008
Notes from week 12
Monday night: Whoa! Believe it folks, that Packers pass defense was ranked #1 in the NFL as of 8:00PM last night. I said from week 1 that the Titans were a better team without Vince Young, depending on what happens on Sunday in Tampa I might have to sadly extend that thought to the Saints and Reggie Bush. Of course having a team play 5 straight road games (London was considered a Saints home game) probably also has something to do with it. Before last night I couldn't square those gaudy Drew Brees passing numbers with the team I'd watched about 4 times this season, now I get it.
Um, how can I say this? that was the worst day of professional football I can remember. Only 3 games (Giants/Cardinals, Red Skins/Seahawks, Colts/Chargers) were the least bit competitive with 5 minutes left in the 4th quarter. The other 12 games (including Thursday) were complete blowouts. It's no coincidence that the biggest story to come out of yesterday was something that happened on the sideline instead of on the field. Which leads us to...
The Philadelphia Eagles; what the hell happened? This is a perfect example of how one game can make or brake a season. If the Eagles beat the Giants two weeks ago, there's no way they tie with the Bengals and there's no way they perform like they just did against the Ravens. Remember how I've said that the Mets will never recover from what happened in 2007 until they make serious changes to that team? same thing here. McNabb to the Bears for starters. I still think he's always been overrated, but he's a solid quarterback and much more than the Bears need with that defense. And Andy Reid has to go. Benching your franchise quarterback in a 10-7 game? What?! Sending his backup in cold against one of the NFL's all-time intimidating defenses? What?! Not having a plan for 3rd-and-1/4th-and-1 for years? What?! Time for some big changes there.
Were the Patriots really -1 on the boards in Las Vegas? That was the most obvious line screw-up in years, even worse than putting the Ravens -7 against the Raiders last month. The Patriots don't lose games back-to-back, and Belichick sure as hell wasn't going to beat the Dolphins by less than 14 after what happened in week 3. Free money.
If it's possible to be impressive in a loss, the Cardinals were yesterday. Even allowing for the lower than average performance of teams that travel coast-to-coast, Arizona at least looked like they belonged on the same field as the Giants, more than can be said for a few teams this season.
I don't think yesterday says anything about the Bills' playoff chances. 3 of their last 4 games are @Toronto against the Dolphins, @the Jets, and hosting New England in a week 17 game that the Patriot's will probably need to win. They'll be lucky to win 1 of those.
Not sure what to make of the Titans' loss yet. They'll pummel Detroit (or not), and then we'll see. It could turn out to be like those 10-0/12-0 Colts losses and end up not meaning a whole lot. I was actually more impressed by the Jets' win in New England.
Norv Turner should be fired just for calling that time out. I can't believe this team is playing as poorly as it is.
Tonight: Packers@Saints, time to see if those Drew Brees passing numbers are all smoke and mirrors.
Um, how can I say this? that was the worst day of professional football I can remember. Only 3 games (Giants/Cardinals, Red Skins/Seahawks, Colts/Chargers) were the least bit competitive with 5 minutes left in the 4th quarter. The other 12 games (including Thursday) were complete blowouts. It's no coincidence that the biggest story to come out of yesterday was something that happened on the sideline instead of on the field. Which leads us to...
The Philadelphia Eagles; what the hell happened? This is a perfect example of how one game can make or brake a season. If the Eagles beat the Giants two weeks ago, there's no way they tie with the Bengals and there's no way they perform like they just did against the Ravens. Remember how I've said that the Mets will never recover from what happened in 2007 until they make serious changes to that team? same thing here. McNabb to the Bears for starters. I still think he's always been overrated, but he's a solid quarterback and much more than the Bears need with that defense. And Andy Reid has to go. Benching your franchise quarterback in a 10-7 game? What?! Sending his backup in cold against one of the NFL's all-time intimidating defenses? What?! Not having a plan for 3rd-and-1/4th-and-1 for years? What?! Time for some big changes there.
Were the Patriots really -1 on the boards in Las Vegas? That was the most obvious line screw-up in years, even worse than putting the Ravens -7 against the Raiders last month. The Patriots don't lose games back-to-back, and Belichick sure as hell wasn't going to beat the Dolphins by less than 14 after what happened in week 3. Free money.
If it's possible to be impressive in a loss, the Cardinals were yesterday. Even allowing for the lower than average performance of teams that travel coast-to-coast, Arizona at least looked like they belonged on the same field as the Giants, more than can be said for a few teams this season.
I don't think yesterday says anything about the Bills' playoff chances. 3 of their last 4 games are @Toronto against the Dolphins, @the Jets, and hosting New England in a week 17 game that the Patriot's will probably need to win. They'll be lucky to win 1 of those.
Not sure what to make of the Titans' loss yet. They'll pummel Detroit (or not), and then we'll see. It could turn out to be like those 10-0/12-0 Colts losses and end up not meaning a whole lot. I was actually more impressed by the Jets' win in New England.
Norv Turner should be fired just for calling that time out. I can't believe this team is playing as poorly as it is.
Tonight: Packers@Saints, time to see if those Drew Brees passing numbers are all smoke and mirrors.
22 November, 2008
The road to the Rose Bowl and other thoughts
For every Big Ten school, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is the Rose Bowl. And yet it was hard to feel anything but a slight tinge of disappointment this afternoon. Because the fact is Miami was ours for the taking. The history books won't see it that way though. Whatever happens on New Year's Day, this season will be seen as an overwhelming success, and maybe that's how it should be. We settled some scores along the way: avenging recent painful defeats at Michigan State and at the big house; finally breaking through at Columbus; showing that the Nittany Lions can light it up with the best of them. And we put (most of) the rest of the Big Ten on notice. It's been a good year.
Darn. I was really pulling for Arizona to deliver USC for us, it could've been one for the ages. I guess there's always Oregon next week, but it's looking like we'll have a rematch with the Beavers to look forward to.
Watching Oklahoma take Texas Tech to the woodshed gave me lots of time to consider the possible BCS mess. Keep in mind that the following relies on the argument that was used to shut Georgia out last season, namely that you can't play for the BCS championship unless you win your conference. So bearing that in mind, consider the following: Florida loses to Florida State and yet beats Alabama in the SEC game; Oklahoma loses (or not) to Oklahoma State and Texas (or Oklahoma) is defeated by Missouri in the Big 12 game; Oregon State beats Oregon next week and wins the Pac 10; Utah and Boise State remain undefeated. We have just eliminated Alabama, Florida (2 losses, a home loss to Mississippi), Texas, Oklahoma, and USC from the BCS championship. Doesn't a system which even allows for such a possibility deserve to be scrapped?
However much I might enjoy seeing it, there is just something wrong about Michigan going 3-9. It seems to contradict the natural order of the sports universe.
My top 5; Alabama, Oklahoma, USC, Florida, Texas
Darn. I was really pulling for Arizona to deliver USC for us, it could've been one for the ages. I guess there's always Oregon next week, but it's looking like we'll have a rematch with the Beavers to look forward to.
Watching Oklahoma take Texas Tech to the woodshed gave me lots of time to consider the possible BCS mess. Keep in mind that the following relies on the argument that was used to shut Georgia out last season, namely that you can't play for the BCS championship unless you win your conference. So bearing that in mind, consider the following: Florida loses to Florida State and yet beats Alabama in the SEC game; Oklahoma loses (or not) to Oklahoma State and Texas (or Oklahoma) is defeated by Missouri in the Big 12 game; Oregon State beats Oregon next week and wins the Pac 10; Utah and Boise State remain undefeated. We have just eliminated Alabama, Florida (2 losses, a home loss to Mississippi), Texas, Oklahoma, and USC from the BCS championship. Doesn't a system which even allows for such a possibility deserve to be scrapped?
However much I might enjoy seeing it, there is just something wrong about Michigan going 3-9. It seems to contradict the natural order of the sports universe.
My top 5; Alabama, Oklahoma, USC, Florida, Texas
20 November, 2008
Not in my name
This offends me on every level.
First of all, at the very least, if a disabled person 'requires' a second seat then the government should pay for it. Simply ripping the airlines off in this way is grossly unfair. But I would disagree if the court had even gone that far. Simply put: a seat on an airplane is not a right. Period. This ruling does not decree equal access, it calls for plus one. This is forced accommodation to the detriment of a private business. Shame on the CCD for supporting this action, and shame on the SCC.
First of all, at the very least, if a disabled person 'requires' a second seat then the government should pay for it. Simply ripping the airlines off in this way is grossly unfair. But I would disagree if the court had even gone that far. Simply put: a seat on an airplane is not a right. Period. This ruling does not decree equal access, it calls for plus one. This is forced accommodation to the detriment of a private business. Shame on the CCD for supporting this action, and shame on the SCC.
19 November, 2008
Yes, I am an easy mark
So I tune to ABC a few minutes before 10, just after Raptors/Heat has wrapped, and... OK Private Practice, you win. You have me for the rest of the season. See how simple that was? See how easily impressed I am? Other shows take note.
18 November, 2008
Hope and change: Episode 2
The only hesitancy about Holder’s selection was that he himself had reservations about going through a confirmation process that was likely to revive questions about his role in signing off on the controversial pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich. Although there is no evidence that Holder actively pushed the pardon, he was criticized for not raising with the White House the strong objections that some Justice Department lawyers and federal prosecutors in New York had to pardoning somebody who had fled the country.
And if that weren't bad enough, this next bit confirms what we've been saying all along, namely that this whole newness and change act is (and always was) a complete traveshamockery.
The sources said the Obama transition team is still debating over who should serve under Holder in the key post of deputy attorney general. One top candidate .. is Elena Kagan, dean of the Harvard Law School and a former lawyer in the White House counsel’s office under Clinton. Another top candidate .. is David Ogden, a former chief of staff to Attorney General Janet Reno. Kagan brings legal policy credentials; Ogden has more experience in the Justice Department trenches.
From Michael Isikoff at Newsweek
A further note on Holder: he was Deputy AG in 1999 when Clinton commuted both the sentenses of the 16 FALN terrorists as well as those of Susan Rosenberg and Linda Evans, they of... wait for it... the Weather Underground.
Hypocrites? Us?
Update: Well well, Lieberman gets to keep his chairmanship. As an aside, if you want to read the thoughts of some people who need a massive "GET A LIFE!" shout-out, scroll down to the comments in that Politico post. Guys, November 4th was a really great day for you. Whining like spoiled children about something like this is *really* unattractive. And if you thought Harry Reid hated secret ballots before...
So today, Senate Democrats are most likely going to strip Joe Lieberman of his chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Not a particularly noteworthy event, save for the fact that this man was AL Gore's running mate eight years ago. Since then, he made the mistake of supporting the war on terror, including the war in Iraq. This of course lead to him being exiled from his party and being forced to run as an independent two years ago in Connecticut. Anyway, the fun part is that the Democrats will be using secret ballots to vote. Of course these are the same Democratic senators who are going to vote in a few months to push card check via the hideous Employee Free Choice Act. Yet another example of the 'x for we but not for thee' mentality of Congress. Not surprising, merely pathetic.
So today, Senate Democrats are most likely going to strip Joe Lieberman of his chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Not a particularly noteworthy event, save for the fact that this man was AL Gore's running mate eight years ago. Since then, he made the mistake of supporting the war on terror, including the war in Iraq. This of course lead to him being exiled from his party and being forced to run as an independent two years ago in Connecticut. Anyway, the fun part is that the Democrats will be using secret ballots to vote. Of course these are the same Democratic senators who are going to vote in a few months to push card check via the hideous Employee Free Choice Act. Yet another example of the 'x for we but not for thee' mentality of Congress. Not surprising, merely pathetic.
17 November, 2008
Notes from week 11
Monday night: Is there such a thing as a prevent offense? I'm pretty sure that's what the Bills tried at the end of that last drive. I think it's time to shut Trent Edwards down. He hasn't been right since the Arizona game. The Bills might be able to pull a respectable record out of this season, but they're 0-3 in the division, which means they're going nowhere. Send Edwards home to rest so he can hit the reset button next season.
Don't we usually say 'and 1' when referring to another sport? Forget overtime, the Eagles couldn't even beat the Bengals in regulation. Even if it's not true that Donovan McNabb didn't know that there could be ties in the NFL, he and his team certainly played like it. That's the kind of game CFL fans point to when they say how much the NFL sucks every week. Thanks a lot for proving their point guys.
Washington has scored 16 points in back-to-back home games. They've played like the Red Skins team we all expected to see this season.
People are finally starting to notice how stacked the NFC South is this year.
OK, the experts wanted to see Tennessee come back on the road. Next? And holding Jacksonville to 0 points in the second half was pretty impressive too.
Tonight: Browns@Bills, who else is hoping for snow? The team that leaves with the win is still allowed to use the word playoffs, but barely.
Don't we usually say 'and 1' when referring to another sport? Forget overtime, the Eagles couldn't even beat the Bengals in regulation. Even if it's not true that Donovan McNabb didn't know that there could be ties in the NFL, he and his team certainly played like it. That's the kind of game CFL fans point to when they say how much the NFL sucks every week. Thanks a lot for proving their point guys.
Washington has scored 16 points in back-to-back home games. They've played like the Red Skins team we all expected to see this season.
People are finally starting to notice how stacked the NFC South is this year.
OK, the experts wanted to see Tennessee come back on the road. Next? And holding Jacksonville to 0 points in the second half was pretty impressive too.
Tonight: Browns@Bills, who else is hoping for snow? The team that leaves with the win is still allowed to use the word playoffs, but barely.
14 November, 2008
Why we watch
I really, really, really feel sorry for the people who couldn't watch that game last night. That was a playoff game. It was hyped like one, it felt like one, and it ended the way playoff games should end. I could hear Bob Cole shouting "OH, BABY!" when Randy Moss hauled in that insane pass at the end of regulation. What an unbelievable game.
Matt Cassel was 30-51 for 400 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was also the Patriots' leading rusher for the game. No quarterback has ever had 400 in the air and 60 on the ground before. Not bad for a college tight end.
The Jets won that game because Brett Favre is their quarterback. I don't mean that Favre played great, though he did (26-33, 258, 2, 0), I mean that Brett Favre is a winner and so his team believed.
You don't think coaching is what matters in the NFL? Watch that Patriots drive with 1:04 left, and then watch the 49ers on the 1 yard line with 50 seconds left on Monday night. Earlier this season I joked about the Steelers absurd injury situation. Who's left on the Patriots? Does Belichick even know who's playing for him every week? Whatever you think of him as a person, and I don't think much, this man will be remembered as the coach of his generation.
I'm happy that game ended the way it did. If it had ended with the Patriot's losing by that last Jets touchdown, everyone in New England would have complained about the referees and the holding penalties. This way the Jets won clean.
Matt Cassel was 30-51 for 400 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was also the Patriots' leading rusher for the game. No quarterback has ever had 400 in the air and 60 on the ground before. Not bad for a college tight end.
The Jets won that game because Brett Favre is their quarterback. I don't mean that Favre played great, though he did (26-33, 258, 2, 0), I mean that Brett Favre is a winner and so his team believed.
You don't think coaching is what matters in the NFL? Watch that Patriots drive with 1:04 left, and then watch the 49ers on the 1 yard line with 50 seconds left on Monday night. Earlier this season I joked about the Steelers absurd injury situation. Who's left on the Patriots? Does Belichick even know who's playing for him every week? Whatever you think of him as a person, and I don't think much, this man will be remembered as the coach of his generation.
I'm happy that game ended the way it did. If it had ended with the Patriot's losing by that last Jets touchdown, everyone in New England would have complained about the referees and the holding penalties. This way the Jets won clean.
10 November, 2008
Bailout bullets
Update: Megan has a trilogy of very good posts on the subject. Wow. You know, some people are so good at this sort of thing, it's like they should do it for a living. And here's Professor Bainbridge, who somehow manages to say so much more than I did in even less space.
Talk has really picked up in the last few days regarding a bailout of the U.S. auto industry in the foreseeable future. You know what I thought of the last bailout, so here are my reasons for opposing this one. I'll either expand on these later myself or link to someone who will doubtless discuss them more coherently than I am about to.
Apples and Oranges
'Hey, you bailed out the banks, why not the autos?' Of course I'm about to make an economic argument, and we know how well those do in Washington. Banks don't actually do anything. They take your money, hold a bit of it for when you ask for some of it back, and then give the rest to people who then use it to do something in the real world. When the banks don't have money or they decide to keep more of it than usual, it tends to screw up pretty much everything. This was the argument for bailing out the U.S. banking industry. The auto industry isn't like that. They take money and use it to buy up resources which they then turn into cars. And, in the big three's case, cars Americans currently don't seem very interested in buying. It's worth noting that Ford and GM (think Opel) each have two of the top ten best selling cars in Europe. I'll discuss the corporate failings of the autos as applies to America in a moment.
Radiator Springs
'Forget the autos, we've got to save Detroit/Michigan.' Do we? America is littered with small towns which have seen industry come and go. Was it the government's job to always try and save them?Should the government keep a product out of the American market if a lot of people work at a company somewhere which makes a competing product? I say know, others disagree. Times change. It's a very sad thing to drive across America and see empty factories and towns that have seen their time come and go. But this is the price of progress. People move on. The computer industry wouldn't be what it is today if low-cost Japanese machines hadn't flooded the market during the 1980s. And there are a thousand other examples I could point to. What do you think will happen to all the coal towns in Ohio and Pennsylvania when Senator Obama follows through on his plan to 'phase out' the coal industry?
Scarcity
At it's core, economics is about figuring out which is the best way of organizing society so that finite resources are distributed in a way which allows them to do the most good. This bailout illustrates the concept. Should the government intervene so that resources (steel, labour, money) are directed towards the U.S. auto industry in place of some other endeavor? The market clearly doesn't think it should happen. These businesses are failing; they are producing products their potential consumers are not interested in consuming. I'm not even going to touch the idea that the bailout would force someone who works at a Toyota plant in Indiana to pay to keep a GM plant open in Detroit. These resources could be bought up by businesses which could use them to make products people do want to buy. I think it's right for the market to decide who should get the resources the autos want to use to make cars.
Curing the Disease
A government bailout--and specifically a Democrat driven government bailout--is unlikely to actually fix the problem. The autos are currently buried under mountains of union pention costs, which yes, they did agree to pay. However, these contracts were agreed to in a different age, an age when GM and co. were pretty much thought to be the only game in town, which meant they could pass on whatever costs they wanted to on the consumer. Brave new world, really, really bad old contracts. Any bailout the Democrats are inspired to come up with will absolutely depend on the idea that nothing, but nothing, be done about these contracts. The only hope the autos have of getting out from under these crushing retiree benefits is to carry them into bankruptcy court.
Silver Lining
There is one thing about the American auto industry that a bailout *might* be able to fix. If you say that GM's management is also to blame for this current mess, you're right. 'Why don't they just make cars people want?' you ask. Well, they can't for a few reasons. First of all, to offset the costs I've already discussed, these companies need to make cars which have a high-marginal return. Over the last decade or so, that has meant making SUVs with goodies for the American market. Now, here's the problem: dealers were still ordering SUVs from Detroit, even as the market was clearly tanking. In their own way, GM's dealers sort of hold as much over GM's head as the unions do. Hopefully, any bailout would result in the powers car dealers have been given by several States being relaxed or slashed out all together. Once that happens, the companies might be able to execute needed changes quicker than they can at present. Then they'll have to hire designers who can make cars people want. Because the models they do have on the market aren't selling, which is on management.
Talk has really picked up in the last few days regarding a bailout of the U.S. auto industry in the foreseeable future. You know what I thought of the last bailout, so here are my reasons for opposing this one. I'll either expand on these later myself or link to someone who will doubtless discuss them more coherently than I am about to.
Apples and Oranges
'Hey, you bailed out the banks, why not the autos?' Of course I'm about to make an economic argument, and we know how well those do in Washington. Banks don't actually do anything. They take your money, hold a bit of it for when you ask for some of it back, and then give the rest to people who then use it to do something in the real world. When the banks don't have money or they decide to keep more of it than usual, it tends to screw up pretty much everything. This was the argument for bailing out the U.S. banking industry. The auto industry isn't like that. They take money and use it to buy up resources which they then turn into cars. And, in the big three's case, cars Americans currently don't seem very interested in buying. It's worth noting that Ford and GM (think Opel) each have two of the top ten best selling cars in Europe. I'll discuss the corporate failings of the autos as applies to America in a moment.
Radiator Springs
'Forget the autos, we've got to save Detroit/Michigan.' Do we? America is littered with small towns which have seen industry come and go. Was it the government's job to always try and save them?Should the government keep a product out of the American market if a lot of people work at a company somewhere which makes a competing product? I say know, others disagree. Times change. It's a very sad thing to drive across America and see empty factories and towns that have seen their time come and go. But this is the price of progress. People move on. The computer industry wouldn't be what it is today if low-cost Japanese machines hadn't flooded the market during the 1980s. And there are a thousand other examples I could point to. What do you think will happen to all the coal towns in Ohio and Pennsylvania when Senator Obama follows through on his plan to 'phase out' the coal industry?
Scarcity
At it's core, economics is about figuring out which is the best way of organizing society so that finite resources are distributed in a way which allows them to do the most good. This bailout illustrates the concept. Should the government intervene so that resources (steel, labour, money) are directed towards the U.S. auto industry in place of some other endeavor? The market clearly doesn't think it should happen. These businesses are failing; they are producing products their potential consumers are not interested in consuming. I'm not even going to touch the idea that the bailout would force someone who works at a Toyota plant in Indiana to pay to keep a GM plant open in Detroit. These resources could be bought up by businesses which could use them to make products people do want to buy. I think it's right for the market to decide who should get the resources the autos want to use to make cars.
Curing the Disease
A government bailout--and specifically a Democrat driven government bailout--is unlikely to actually fix the problem. The autos are currently buried under mountains of union pention costs, which yes, they did agree to pay. However, these contracts were agreed to in a different age, an age when GM and co. were pretty much thought to be the only game in town, which meant they could pass on whatever costs they wanted to on the consumer. Brave new world, really, really bad old contracts. Any bailout the Democrats are inspired to come up with will absolutely depend on the idea that nothing, but nothing, be done about these contracts. The only hope the autos have of getting out from under these crushing retiree benefits is to carry them into bankruptcy court.
Silver Lining
There is one thing about the American auto industry that a bailout *might* be able to fix. If you say that GM's management is also to blame for this current mess, you're right. 'Why don't they just make cars people want?' you ask. Well, they can't for a few reasons. First of all, to offset the costs I've already discussed, these companies need to make cars which have a high-marginal return. Over the last decade or so, that has meant making SUVs with goodies for the American market. Now, here's the problem: dealers were still ordering SUVs from Detroit, even as the market was clearly tanking. In their own way, GM's dealers sort of hold as much over GM's head as the unions do. Hopefully, any bailout would result in the powers car dealers have been given by several States being relaxed or slashed out all together. Once that happens, the companies might be able to execute needed changes quicker than they can at present. Then they'll have to hire designers who can make cars people want. Because the models they do have on the market aren't selling, which is on management.
Notes from week 10
The Jets were up by 40 by the half. Think they wanted to tune-up for someone?
Remember that Bills team I said was playing a complete game of football every week? yeah, I barely do either. Cleveland couldn't be limping in at a better time.
Speaking of the Browns, that was the second significant fourth quarter lead they had given up in five days. When you give up leads of 17 to the Ravens in Baltimore and 10 to the Broncos at home, you have bigger problems than who your quarterback is. This team is not going 6-1 in their last 7, which means their season ended Thursday night.
I know, I mention Matt Ryan every week. That's because every week we hear that 'team x is finally going to prove that Matt Ryan isn't really ready for the NFL.' I hope this week finally settles it.
The Chargers nearly (sshould have?) lost to the Chiefs at home. I know not having Shawne Merriman is a huge loss. But a performance like that at home against a division doormat is completely unacceptable. I'm repeating myself, players performing below their ability is a coaching issue. OK, I've teased you by actually discussing the game enough; "You play to win the game!" He certainly did.
I'm not sure what to think about the Colts. On-the-one-hand they beat a team which soundly took it to a good Red Skins team on Monday night, in the process winning in Pittsburgh for the first time in 40 (yes, 40) years. But I still don't trust that offense this season. And that defense is one injury away from crisis.
I might have been wrong about something. Last December, I said that Bill Parcells would have the Dolphins in the playoffs by 2010. I don't think it's going to take that long.
How is it possible for a team in the NFC East to not have a dependable fullback on its roster? As much as the Eagles shouldn't have been in that game, they were, and they could've won if they had been able to convert for short yardage. Having said that, remember that the Giants walked into a hostile environment and won a divisional game in primetime.
Tonight: San Francisco@Arizona, an average division leader against...one of the three far below average teams in that division. Or I can watch the Raptors take on the Celtics in Boston.
Remember that Bills team I said was playing a complete game of football every week? yeah, I barely do either. Cleveland couldn't be limping in at a better time.
Speaking of the Browns, that was the second significant fourth quarter lead they had given up in five days. When you give up leads of 17 to the Ravens in Baltimore and 10 to the Broncos at home, you have bigger problems than who your quarterback is. This team is not going 6-1 in their last 7, which means their season ended Thursday night.
I know, I mention Matt Ryan every week. That's because every week we hear that 'team x is finally going to prove that Matt Ryan isn't really ready for the NFL.' I hope this week finally settles it.
The Chargers nearly (sshould have?) lost to the Chiefs at home. I know not having Shawne Merriman is a huge loss. But a performance like that at home against a division doormat is completely unacceptable. I'm repeating myself, players performing below their ability is a coaching issue. OK, I've teased you by actually discussing the game enough; "You play to win the game!" He certainly did.
I'm not sure what to think about the Colts. On-the-one-hand they beat a team which soundly took it to a good Red Skins team on Monday night, in the process winning in Pittsburgh for the first time in 40 (yes, 40) years. But I still don't trust that offense this season. And that defense is one injury away from crisis.
I might have been wrong about something. Last December, I said that Bill Parcells would have the Dolphins in the playoffs by 2010. I don't think it's going to take that long.
How is it possible for a team in the NFC East to not have a dependable fullback on its roster? As much as the Eagles shouldn't have been in that game, they were, and they could've won if they had been able to convert for short yardage. Having said that, remember that the Giants walked into a hostile environment and won a divisional game in primetime.
Tonight: San Francisco@Arizona, an average division leader against...one of the three far below average teams in that division. Or I can watch the Raptors take on the Celtics in Boston.
08 November, 2008
The big picture
Now for some unfinished business. Mr. Williams, Mr. Royster, you're excused. Good job today. Let's see here... bad play in the red zone, bad tackling, bad coverage, bad blocking, bad pass rush, bad clock management, bad play calling, did I miss anything? Yes, that wasn't pass interference. Yes, there was offensive holding on the same play. No, this team's level of play today did not earn them the right to complain about the above. Deal with it.
Graham Harrell's line for the night: 40-50, 456, 6, 0. This was against a highly rated defense. There was an interesting question put forward at the end of the game, what happens if Oklahoma beats Tech in two weeks? How do you break a 3-way tie in the Big 12 South?
At this moment Les Miles is really, really, really wishing he still had Matt Flynn playing for him. This feeling is probably counter-balanced by the fact that he's also really, really, really happy that he didn't take the Michigan job. The SEC championship is now set, it's Alabama vs. Florida. Be there.
USC has allowed 23 points since the Oregon State loss on September 25.
My top 5; Alabama, Texas Tech, USC, Florida, Oklahoma
Graham Harrell's line for the night: 40-50, 456, 6, 0. This was against a highly rated defense. There was an interesting question put forward at the end of the game, what happens if Oklahoma beats Tech in two weeks? How do you break a 3-way tie in the Big 12 South?
At this moment Les Miles is really, really, really wishing he still had Matt Flynn playing for him. This feeling is probably counter-balanced by the fact that he's also really, really, really happy that he didn't take the Michigan job. The SEC championship is now set, it's Alabama vs. Florida. Be there.
USC has allowed 23 points since the Oregon State loss on September 25.
My top 5; Alabama, Texas Tech, USC, Florida, Oklahoma
Guess they were right (A.K.A.) dashed dreams
Though some games are easier than others, there are no easy games.
Sound familiar?
This team won a hard fought game against a hated rival in enemy terratory.
This team then took two weeks off and listened to the national media spern them and bury their conference as unqualified, average, ordinary, undeserving.
This team saw itself jumped in the polls by Texas Tech, a team which appears to play its games in some sort of bizarro video game conference.
This team had two weeks to game plan.
This team needed to win one road game before coming home to two average conference opponents and then a glorious trek to Miami.
This team had everything to play for.
...And this team put up 23 points in a crap effort from start to finish against a 5-4 Iowa team. Oh, I'm sorry, excuse me, a 6-4 Iowa team. Doesn't that sound so much better?
There will be no happiness in the valley on November 22. There will be no storming of fields and tearing down of goal posts. But there will be a trek. It will be a much longer one than we all thought was likely at the time. It will be a journey to Pasadena, which I've heard is very lovely this time of year, but it will be a disappointing journey none the less. Because as well as this team played on so many other Saturdays this year, this is now the only Saturday that matters.
More later.
Sound familiar?
This team won a hard fought game against a hated rival in enemy terratory.
This team then took two weeks off and listened to the national media spern them and bury their conference as unqualified, average, ordinary, undeserving.
This team saw itself jumped in the polls by Texas Tech, a team which appears to play its games in some sort of bizarro video game conference.
This team had two weeks to game plan.
This team needed to win one road game before coming home to two average conference opponents and then a glorious trek to Miami.
This team had everything to play for.
...And this team put up 23 points in a crap effort from start to finish against a 5-4 Iowa team. Oh, I'm sorry, excuse me, a 6-4 Iowa team. Doesn't that sound so much better?
There will be no happiness in the valley on November 22. There will be no storming of fields and tearing down of goal posts. But there will be a trek. It will be a much longer one than we all thought was likely at the time. It will be a journey to Pasadena, which I've heard is very lovely this time of year, but it will be a disappointing journey none the less. Because as well as this team played on so many other Saturdays this year, this is now the only Saturday that matters.
More later.
07 November, 2008
Hope and change: Episode 1
Senator Obama, on December 27 2007 in Iowa.
[Insert Hollywood-style dissolve as we... cut to:]
From Brian Ross.
Wow. That was too easy.
Caveat: Emanuel is strong on Israel/AIPAC/terrorism, though time will tell whether Obama is tipping us on his middle-east policy (good) or throwing a red herring (bad).
...The real gamble in this election is playing the same Washington game with the same Washington players and expecting a different result.
[Insert Hollywood-style dissolve as we... cut to:]
President-elect Barack Obama's newly appointed chief of staff, (Congressman) Rahm Emanuel, served on the board of directors of the federal mortgage firm Freddie Mac at a time when scandal was brewing at the troubled agency and the board failed to spot "red flags," according to government reports reviewed by ABCNews.com.
From Brian Ross.
Wow. That was too easy.
Caveat: Emanuel is strong on Israel/AIPAC/terrorism, though time will tell whether Obama is tipping us on his middle-east policy (good) or throwing a red herring (bad).
05 November, 2008
Lost for words
Michael Crichton has died.
I'm really not sure how to begin. Looking at his bibliography makes me feel kind of dizzy. The list is just staggering. Forget the books, the man created both ER and Westworld. And now the books, which to see them stacked beside each other this way is almost beyond belief: The Andromeda Strain, Terminal Man, Congo, Sphere, Jurassic Park, Rising Sun, Disclosure, Timeline, State of Fear, Next. Even his John Lange pulp novels still hold up. As I say, the idea of trying to summarize this man's career with any sort of pithy description seems insulting.
My admiration for this man goes beyond him simply being an author who's books I enjoyed reading, with fourteen words he became one of my personal heroes. "I have a lot of trouble with things that don't seem true to me," he said. When he wrote State of Fear four years ago, he gave a voice to how I had felt for years. Today, his lesson that data is data and that it can be understood by anyone who cares enough to learn, is valuable beyond measure. And it has to be said, given yesterday's election results in America, the fact that those who believe what I believe have lost one of our most perceptive and charasmatic advocates simply deepens the sadness of today's news. So if you haven't read it, I urge you to pick up State of Fear and give it a read. And I also recommend Next, a book which may turn out to be even more important. I believe that Crichton's warnings about the ways in which science and the law have found themselves interacting behind the scenes recently may be just as valuable to us in the future as what he had to say about the crisis culture has proven to be in the present. This man will truly be missed. Michael Crichton, rest in peace.
I'm really not sure how to begin. Looking at his bibliography makes me feel kind of dizzy. The list is just staggering. Forget the books, the man created both ER and Westworld. And now the books, which to see them stacked beside each other this way is almost beyond belief: The Andromeda Strain, Terminal Man, Congo, Sphere, Jurassic Park, Rising Sun, Disclosure, Timeline, State of Fear, Next. Even his John Lange pulp novels still hold up. As I say, the idea of trying to summarize this man's career with any sort of pithy description seems insulting.
My admiration for this man goes beyond him simply being an author who's books I enjoyed reading, with fourteen words he became one of my personal heroes. "I have a lot of trouble with things that don't seem true to me," he said. When he wrote State of Fear four years ago, he gave a voice to how I had felt for years. Today, his lesson that data is data and that it can be understood by anyone who cares enough to learn, is valuable beyond measure. And it has to be said, given yesterday's election results in America, the fact that those who believe what I believe have lost one of our most perceptive and charasmatic advocates simply deepens the sadness of today's news. So if you haven't read it, I urge you to pick up State of Fear and give it a read. And I also recommend Next, a book which may turn out to be even more important. I believe that Crichton's warnings about the ways in which science and the law have found themselves interacting behind the scenes recently may be just as valuable to us in the future as what he had to say about the crisis culture has proven to be in the present. This man will truly be missed. Michael Crichton, rest in peace.
Let me make this clear
Reading over the opinions of certain geniuses this morning, it has become obvious to me that something has to be set straight right now. SARAH PALIN SAVED THIS CAMPAIGN!!! And print it!
Sarah Palin is the reason this election wasn't over on Labour Day. Sarah Palin is the reason the Republican National Convention wasn't a death dirge. While virtually no one was going to watch Senator McCain speak compared to Senator Obama, Governor Palin was an arena act. She energized the Republican base, and as we saw yesterday that was pretty much all we had. If it weren't for Palin the Democrats might have picked up 10 Senate seats yesterday.
Sarah Palin is the reason this election wasn't over on Labour Day. Sarah Palin is the reason the Republican National Convention wasn't a death dirge. While virtually no one was going to watch Senator McCain speak compared to Senator Obama, Governor Palin was an arena act. She energized the Republican base, and as we saw yesterday that was pretty much all we had. If it weren't for Palin the Democrats might have picked up 10 Senate seats yesterday.
Turn the page
In 77 days Barack Obama will stand on the capital steps and take his oath of office as the 44th President of the United States. On that day, all who believe in the greatness of America will celebrate this most unlikely of events. Ironically, Mr. Obama has disproved his own argument, that America is no longer the land of hope and opportunity so many of us believe it to be. I take back none of the doubts I expressed during the campaign regarding my perceptions of Senator Obama's ability to lead America. However, I know that no man who has ever entered the White House has left that house the same man. I am hopeful that I will come to admire Mr. Obama after he leaves the White House in either four or eight years much more than I do today.
President Obama could more than earn my respect by focusing on and improving three policy areas during his term education, culture/family, and government reform. As I've said, I don't have a lot of confidence in him to do what I suggest, but I can dream.
By any objective measure the American education system is in crisis. This is especially true for inner-city schools. School systems around the world are producing more students capable of succeeding in knowledge economies than America is. This is a serious problem because America is in the process of shifting away from being a country which exports manufactured goods towards one which exports ideas. This poor performance is not due to a lack of funding. For example, the city of Atlanta spends nearly $15,000 per student per year and achieves miserable test scores. President Obama must put an end to the lowering of standards and the careless grade promotion which has swept through America's education system. And dare I say it, President Obama *must* make it clear that school choice, through vouchers or otherwise, is the civil rights issue of the twenty-first century.
For me, the best moment of the Democratic Convention was finding myself smiling as Senator Obama's daughters stood with their mother on stage and talked to their father via satellite. It vividly underscored the fact that this would be a first family unlike any we had ever seen. It also demonstrated the contrast between this family and so many others around America. Now that he's been elected, President Obama will have the responsibility of following through on his father's day speech. It goes with out saying that he now occupies a unique position which he can use to affect change within the black community, change which is desperately needed. Strengthening families is also the best way by far to reduce crime in minority communities. President Obama should also use his bully pulpit to attack the entertainment industry for making a culture that denigrates women and glorifies violence so pervasive.
The most lasting impact President Obama could have would be to reform America's massively overgrown federal entitlement programs. This isn't even an argument for reducing spending, we'd all be happier if these programs simply accomplished what they were intended to. Unfortunately, these days it seems that the main function of these programs has become perpetuating dependence. If President Obama can transform these programs into ones which help people to the point they no longer need them, he will have moved mountains indeed.
President Obama could more than earn my respect by focusing on and improving three policy areas during his term education, culture/family, and government reform. As I've said, I don't have a lot of confidence in him to do what I suggest, but I can dream.
By any objective measure the American education system is in crisis. This is especially true for inner-city schools. School systems around the world are producing more students capable of succeeding in knowledge economies than America is. This is a serious problem because America is in the process of shifting away from being a country which exports manufactured goods towards one which exports ideas. This poor performance is not due to a lack of funding. For example, the city of Atlanta spends nearly $15,000 per student per year and achieves miserable test scores. President Obama must put an end to the lowering of standards and the careless grade promotion which has swept through America's education system. And dare I say it, President Obama *must* make it clear that school choice, through vouchers or otherwise, is the civil rights issue of the twenty-first century.
For me, the best moment of the Democratic Convention was finding myself smiling as Senator Obama's daughters stood with their mother on stage and talked to their father via satellite. It vividly underscored the fact that this would be a first family unlike any we had ever seen. It also demonstrated the contrast between this family and so many others around America. Now that he's been elected, President Obama will have the responsibility of following through on his father's day speech. It goes with out saying that he now occupies a unique position which he can use to affect change within the black community, change which is desperately needed. Strengthening families is also the best way by far to reduce crime in minority communities. President Obama should also use his bully pulpit to attack the entertainment industry for making a culture that denigrates women and glorifies violence so pervasive.
The most lasting impact President Obama could have would be to reform America's massively overgrown federal entitlement programs. This isn't even an argument for reducing spending, we'd all be happier if these programs simply accomplished what they were intended to. Unfortunately, these days it seems that the main function of these programs has become perpetuating dependence. If President Obama can transform these programs into ones which help people to the point they no longer need them, he will have moved mountains indeed.
04 November, 2008
Ends and beginnings
"In a democracy, the people get the government they deserve."
There is no fire and brimstone in me tonight. No anger, just disappointment. I'll get to that in a minute though. Right now I'm thinking of someone who I care about a lot. I know that at this moment she's happy on a level I'm not sure most of us will ever be able to really understand. And you know what? for some reason that's enough. Tonight I can be happy simply because I know that she's happy, and in some bizarre way that's enough. But there are still some things that need to be said, and the sooner the better.
To Conservatives
We need to face facts here. We never had any right to expect anything positive from this night. Ever since 1994, those whom we placed our faith in by sending them to Washington have largely let us down, and time after time we failed to hold them responsible. Somehow, we let ourselves believe that since it was our guys who were in charge, the abuses we saw really weren't that bad. We deserved better from our leaders and so did the country. It's time to take the Republican party back, time to once again take it away from the moderates and the blue bloods. If they want to throw their lot in with the Democrats then they're welcome to them. Conservatism has never been about saying that government is bad unless we're in charge of it. Conservatism has never been about deciding how much is enough and then using the tax code to take away the rest in order to pay for do-gooder schemes that we know don't work. Conservatism is believing that a dollar can always do more good when it is spent by the person who earned it rather than when it is taken away and spent by the government. Conservatism is about knowing that freedom and individualism and capitalism are the forces which have created more prosperity and happiness in America than in any other place in the history of planet Earth. It is not about politicians distorting the free market by over-regulating and threatening businesses they don't like. Conservatism is about admitting that there is evil in this world, and that it can not be reasoned with or negotiated with. Conservatism is not about telling people how big a car they can drive or how big a house they can live in or how much electricity they can use because of something that may or may not happen in a hundred years. And conservatism is not about giving the poor just enough money to allow them to crawl by until they need their next welfare cheque. It is about charity and helping people to learn how to take care of the lives and their money so they won't need their welfare cheques anymore. And it is about taking people off the street who are too mentally ill to function, while treating them with compassion and dignity. Remember, liberals obsess over government while conservatives just want it to stay out of our way. Conservatives believe that government is a means to an end, liberals believe that the people are the means to government's end.
Now then, time to analyze what happened today. It's high time Republicans end this stupid practice of saying 'it's his time' every decade or so. John McCain should've gotten his chance in 2000. That he didn't might be a shame, but it was no excuse to make him the nominee this year. That's what you get for listening to 'independents'. At least McCain/Feingold and public financing will be a memory after this campaign, that's irony for you. Our side (McCain) ran an honourable campaign, what ever that means. I don't think he ever truly understood that Barack Obama and David Axelrod laugh at that concept. When the other side took the gloves off, we danced around and were determined to be the good guys. Nice guys finish... Lastly, we're going to take this loss with class, unlike how the Democrats would have taken it. Over the next few years, we're stil going to fight for what we believe in, but may we never stoop to the same level of despicably childish conduct we saw from the Democratic Party over the last eight years.
The sun will come out tomorrow. America will be alright. If America could survive LBJ and his great society and Nixon and Jimmy Carter, then it can survive Barack Obama. The next few years will not be easy. Today was a very bad day for liberty, for individualism, for freedom, for free speech, for so many of the things that make America the greatest country in the world. But America will be alright. Never forget that it always seems darkest before the dawn. Never forget that if not for Jimmy Carter, we may never have known a President Reagan.
To the Liberals and Their Fellow Travelers
Well, I hope you're happy. I hope you're proud of yourselves. In order to win the White House, you just spent a year prostituting yourselves in service to all you claim to oppose. And for what? For this man? Honestly, couldn't you have done better? A privileged prep-school Chicago-machine marxist, that's who you sold out your principles for. You are outraged when anyone questions your patriotism and yet you defended and spun for William Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn. You claim to be for tolerance and harmony and understanding, and yet you covered and spun for Jeremiah Wright. You claim to be friends of Israel, and yet you did your best to bury his decades long friendship with Rashid Khalidi, a known PLO agent. And I could go on. Bravo. Hail to the victors. Of course some of us believe that there are victories which come at too high a price.
There is no fire and brimstone in me tonight. No anger, just disappointment. I'll get to that in a minute though. Right now I'm thinking of someone who I care about a lot. I know that at this moment she's happy on a level I'm not sure most of us will ever be able to really understand. And you know what? for some reason that's enough. Tonight I can be happy simply because I know that she's happy, and in some bizarre way that's enough. But there are still some things that need to be said, and the sooner the better.
To Conservatives
We need to face facts here. We never had any right to expect anything positive from this night. Ever since 1994, those whom we placed our faith in by sending them to Washington have largely let us down, and time after time we failed to hold them responsible. Somehow, we let ourselves believe that since it was our guys who were in charge, the abuses we saw really weren't that bad. We deserved better from our leaders and so did the country. It's time to take the Republican party back, time to once again take it away from the moderates and the blue bloods. If they want to throw their lot in with the Democrats then they're welcome to them. Conservatism has never been about saying that government is bad unless we're in charge of it. Conservatism has never been about deciding how much is enough and then using the tax code to take away the rest in order to pay for do-gooder schemes that we know don't work. Conservatism is believing that a dollar can always do more good when it is spent by the person who earned it rather than when it is taken away and spent by the government. Conservatism is about knowing that freedom and individualism and capitalism are the forces which have created more prosperity and happiness in America than in any other place in the history of planet Earth. It is not about politicians distorting the free market by over-regulating and threatening businesses they don't like. Conservatism is about admitting that there is evil in this world, and that it can not be reasoned with or negotiated with. Conservatism is not about telling people how big a car they can drive or how big a house they can live in or how much electricity they can use because of something that may or may not happen in a hundred years. And conservatism is not about giving the poor just enough money to allow them to crawl by until they need their next welfare cheque. It is about charity and helping people to learn how to take care of the lives and their money so they won't need their welfare cheques anymore. And it is about taking people off the street who are too mentally ill to function, while treating them with compassion and dignity. Remember, liberals obsess over government while conservatives just want it to stay out of our way. Conservatives believe that government is a means to an end, liberals believe that the people are the means to government's end.
Now then, time to analyze what happened today. It's high time Republicans end this stupid practice of saying 'it's his time' every decade or so. John McCain should've gotten his chance in 2000. That he didn't might be a shame, but it was no excuse to make him the nominee this year. That's what you get for listening to 'independents'. At least McCain/Feingold and public financing will be a memory after this campaign, that's irony for you. Our side (McCain) ran an honourable campaign, what ever that means. I don't think he ever truly understood that Barack Obama and David Axelrod laugh at that concept. When the other side took the gloves off, we danced around and were determined to be the good guys. Nice guys finish... Lastly, we're going to take this loss with class, unlike how the Democrats would have taken it. Over the next few years, we're stil going to fight for what we believe in, but may we never stoop to the same level of despicably childish conduct we saw from the Democratic Party over the last eight years.
The sun will come out tomorrow. America will be alright. If America could survive LBJ and his great society and Nixon and Jimmy Carter, then it can survive Barack Obama. The next few years will not be easy. Today was a very bad day for liberty, for individualism, for freedom, for free speech, for so many of the things that make America the greatest country in the world. But America will be alright. Never forget that it always seems darkest before the dawn. Never forget that if not for Jimmy Carter, we may never have known a President Reagan.
To the Liberals and Their Fellow Travelers
Well, I hope you're happy. I hope you're proud of yourselves. In order to win the White House, you just spent a year prostituting yourselves in service to all you claim to oppose. And for what? For this man? Honestly, couldn't you have done better? A privileged prep-school Chicago-machine marxist, that's who you sold out your principles for. You are outraged when anyone questions your patriotism and yet you defended and spun for William Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn. You claim to be for tolerance and harmony and understanding, and yet you covered and spun for Jeremiah Wright. You claim to be friends of Israel, and yet you did your best to bury his decades long friendship with Rashid Khalidi, a known PLO agent. And I could go on. Bravo. Hail to the victors. Of course some of us believe that there are victories which come at too high a price.
For the cause
Boy, have I looked forward to this day. Not because I foresee a certain outcome, but because I want this damned contest to finally be over already. To that end, my responses for tonight are already written, both the one I'd like to post as well as the one I'm pretty sure I'll need to. But that's in twelve hours.
For now, whether you are an undecided voter or one whos mind was made up months ago, I'd like to ask you to let me borrow ten minutes of your time this morning. The fact is, Senator John McCain has been a national figure for more than 35 years. He has been a Senator for more than 20 years. He has given thousands of speeches, voted on hundreds of bills, given more than fifty comprehensive television interviews. Many times he has demonstrated great public humility, the failure of his first marriage, the Keeding Five scandal, his return from Vietnam. We know who Senator McCain is. We know his record. The same can not be said of his opponent. In an interview with Charlie Rose last Thursday, Tom Brokaw himself admitted that, 'we still really don't know who this man (Barack Obama) is.'
So there are two things I would like to show you this morning, things which have shaped my view of who I believe Senator Obama to be, both as a person and as a politician. Here is the first, I believe it to be the best comprehensive profile of Senator Obama's political career and philosophy that I have yet read. It was written by Daniel J. Flynn for Taki's Magazine last April. Flynn's main point is that, as Senator Obama once stated himself, calling something new and change does not make it so. Flynn reminds us, "to know the future, study the past." His conclusion states,
Finally, I'd like you to watch this, a compilation of Senator Obama's various statements during this campaign. To me, this illustrates that none of us can be sure what kind of leader Senator Obama would be. This is because he has constantly been guilty of telling certain audiences what he believes they want to hear, even when these statements eventually conflict directly with each other. This raises a problem, because governing is at its heart about making decisions, about priorities, about sometimes needing to take action. A man who tries to be all things to all people is a man who can not lead. Senator Obama has never shown the ability to make the hard decision, to do what he believes to be right but may be unpopular, and to put that decision forward honestly. Whenever controversy has threatened Senator Obama during this campaign, he has denied, he has side-stepped, he has deflected. He has never, not once, stood up in front of the American people and said the words, "I'm sorry. I Apologize. I was wrong."
For now, whether you are an undecided voter or one whos mind was made up months ago, I'd like to ask you to let me borrow ten minutes of your time this morning. The fact is, Senator John McCain has been a national figure for more than 35 years. He has been a Senator for more than 20 years. He has given thousands of speeches, voted on hundreds of bills, given more than fifty comprehensive television interviews. Many times he has demonstrated great public humility, the failure of his first marriage, the Keeding Five scandal, his return from Vietnam. We know who Senator McCain is. We know his record. The same can not be said of his opponent. In an interview with Charlie Rose last Thursday, Tom Brokaw himself admitted that, 'we still really don't know who this man (Barack Obama) is.'
So there are two things I would like to show you this morning, things which have shaped my view of who I believe Senator Obama to be, both as a person and as a politician. Here is the first, I believe it to be the best comprehensive profile of Senator Obama's political career and philosophy that I have yet read. It was written by Daniel J. Flynn for Taki's Magazine last April. Flynn's main point is that, as Senator Obama once stated himself, calling something new and change does not make it so. Flynn reminds us, "to know the future, study the past." His conclusion states,
The illusion of newness propels the Left. Forgetting allows the Left to disassociate themselves from past failures and appear forever fresh and vibrant.
Finally, I'd like you to watch this, a compilation of Senator Obama's various statements during this campaign. To me, this illustrates that none of us can be sure what kind of leader Senator Obama would be. This is because he has constantly been guilty of telling certain audiences what he believes they want to hear, even when these statements eventually conflict directly with each other. This raises a problem, because governing is at its heart about making decisions, about priorities, about sometimes needing to take action. A man who tries to be all things to all people is a man who can not lead. Senator Obama has never shown the ability to make the hard decision, to do what he believes to be right but may be unpopular, and to put that decision forward honestly. Whenever controversy has threatened Senator Obama during this campaign, he has denied, he has side-stepped, he has deflected. He has never, not once, stood up in front of the American people and said the words, "I'm sorry. I Apologize. I was wrong."
Ah men!
Bill James' Fielding Bible site just ranked Derek Jeter as the 22nd best defensive shortstop in baseball, something I and many others have said for years. Worse/even better, the panel, based on analyzing the trajectory of every hit ball last season ranked Jeter as 'probably the least effective defensive player in baseball, shortstop or not. Hallelujah! Now, any of you Yankee apologists want to call Bill James a hack? didn't think so.
03 November, 2008
Notes from week 9
What happened at Giant Stadium yesterday should make it clear to everyone that there are bigger problems on this Dallas team than an injured quarterback. That score of 35-14 was very flattering.
Well look at this here AFC East, a three-way tie with the Dolphins only one game back. The magic seems to be off the Bills. They're 1 and 3 in their last 4 and in my opinion didn't look that great in the 1 win against San Diego. Weeks ago I said they looked like a complete team, recently they're not doing anything very well.
It would be easy to call Titans/Packers boring. Some of us can appreciate a good tight game once in a while.
Jacksonville...sigh. How many survivor players got killed yesterday on that one? Regular readers of this blog should know better. This team has disappointed/baffled me all season.
The kids, still alright. Flacco and Ryan are both 5-3. And speaking of Matt Ryan, here are a few entries from the box score yesterday. Let's just stick to the first half: score F24/R0; first downs F20/R0; yards F309/R-2. Seriously. Has anybody looked into the possibility of sending the Raiders to the Arena league? the CFL? I am not joking.
Sorry, I'm just not ready to start believing in the Cardinals yet. They host the Giants in three weeks, talk to me after that one.
Tom Brady wins that game last night. I'm not trying to slam Matt Cassel, but Randy Moss is wasted on that team without a quarterback capable of executing the vertical passing game that makes him so dangerous.
Tonight: Steelers@Red Skins. If you believe in this sort of thing, then it's root root root for the home team.
Well look at this here AFC East, a three-way tie with the Dolphins only one game back. The magic seems to be off the Bills. They're 1 and 3 in their last 4 and in my opinion didn't look that great in the 1 win against San Diego. Weeks ago I said they looked like a complete team, recently they're not doing anything very well.
It would be easy to call Titans/Packers boring. Some of us can appreciate a good tight game once in a while.
Jacksonville...sigh. How many survivor players got killed yesterday on that one? Regular readers of this blog should know better. This team has disappointed/baffled me all season.
The kids, still alright. Flacco and Ryan are both 5-3. And speaking of Matt Ryan, here are a few entries from the box score yesterday. Let's just stick to the first half: score F24/R0; first downs F20/R0; yards F309/R-2. Seriously. Has anybody looked into the possibility of sending the Raiders to the Arena league? the CFL? I am not joking.
Sorry, I'm just not ready to start believing in the Cardinals yet. They host the Giants in three weeks, talk to me after that one.
Tom Brady wins that game last night. I'm not trying to slam Matt Cassel, but Randy Moss is wasted on that team without a quarterback capable of executing the vertical passing game that makes him so dangerous.
Tonight: Steelers@Red Skins. If you believe in this sort of thing, then it's root root root for the home team.
Dalton and Dwight Awesome Show, Great Job!
Whatdayaknow? For the first time in more than a generation Ontario has become a 'have not' province according to the federal government. That means we'll be getting equalization payments for fiscal year 2009 to the tune of $347 million. This is in addition to the projected $500 million budget deficit that was announced two weeks ago. Now there's a legacy Premier M can be proud of.
02 November, 2008
39-33
It's funny just how much tonight's game reminds me of the '07 Fiesta Bowl (Boise St/Oklahoma). Both were games that were over, then not so over, then over again, then not quite over, then what the hell just happened?! In short, it was the game of the year so far. If you somehow didn't know the names Leach, Harrell, and Crabtree before, you know them now.
Georgia, thanks for playing. Two big game blowouts is the limit I'm afraid. Seeya next year.
You people think the Big Ten is bad? look what's been happening in the Pac 10 the last few weeks. USC has won their last 4 games 170-10, and that 10 was all Arizona.
My top 5; Alabama, Penn State, Texas Tech, USC, Florida
Georgia, thanks for playing. Two big game blowouts is the limit I'm afraid. Seeya next year.
You people think the Big Ten is bad? look what's been happening in the Pac 10 the last few weeks. USC has won their last 4 games 170-10, and that 10 was all Arizona.
My top 5; Alabama, Penn State, Texas Tech, USC, Florida
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