I’ve been busy however I have noticed a few things. We have a new president and a new secretary of state. If nothing else I feel infinitely safer in the knowledge that they are not going to do something incredibly stupid or try and manipulate events in order to speed up the second coming.
In other news, I got a phone call the other day which allowed me, if I chose to, join a live “town hall” meeting being run by my congressman Scott Garrett. Basically it was a conference call which allowed people to queue up to ask questions which Garrett addressed in real time. Creative huh?
I don’t particularly care for Garrett but I give him credit for a pretty creative gimmick here. He isn’t going to listen to anyone that doesn’t share his right wing outlook but it is a creative gimmick.
In other news, my wife and I sometimes watch Wheel of Fortune while scoffing down dinner. The other night there was a young fellow who when asked the obligatory introduction questions said something to the effect of “I’m engaged to a wonderful person.”
Person? My radar went up immediately as that struck be as a strange way of describing one’s fiancée unless…
As luck would have it the guy came out on top and advanced to the bonus round which is where the contestant gets to introduce the significant others that accompanied him to the show. His fiancée did in fact turn out to be another young fellow.
And the zeitgeist moves forward again, kudos to ABC and Wheel of Fortune for not being squeamish about presenting gay fiancées to the world. What makes it impressive is that the homosexual aspect was all in passing rather than the central focus.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
It Could Have Been Worse
Hey, I was half right. I got the Cardinals but blew it on Pittsburgh. Aw well, at least Franky didn’t do any better.
So now it’s on the Super Bowl 43. Cardinals and Steelers, offense against mean steel defense, noobies against traditional NFL powerhouse, decisions, decisions.
All logic says Pittsburgh. Defense usually trumps offense and the Steelers have the experience and the winning tradition.
But I’m going with Arizona. Why? Because I keep hearing in my head “Warner throws DEEP, Fitzgerald makes a circus catch, TOUCHDOWN!!!!”
So now it’s on the Super Bowl 43. Cardinals and Steelers, offense against mean steel defense, noobies against traditional NFL powerhouse, decisions, decisions.
All logic says Pittsburgh. Defense usually trumps offense and the Steelers have the experience and the winning tradition.
But I’m going with Arizona. Why? Because I keep hearing in my head “Warner throws DEEP, Fitzgerald makes a circus catch, TOUCHDOWN!!!!”
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Franky is Gloating
I got one, count 'em, one out of four of the divisional playoffs right and the one I got right I would have preferred to have been wrong about.
The insufferable sound you hear is my pet goat Franky gloating because he got two right selecting team logos randomly with his hooves!
Bah, I might as well continue to embarress myself.
In the AFC, Baltimore takes Pittsburgh.
In the NFC, Kurt Warner leads the Cardinals into the Superbowl for the first time. Go Redbirds!
The insufferable sound you hear is my pet goat Franky gloating because he got two right selecting team logos randomly with his hooves!
Bah, I might as well continue to embarress myself.
In the AFC, Baltimore takes Pittsburgh.
In the NFC, Kurt Warner leads the Cardinals into the Superbowl for the first time. Go Redbirds!
Friday, January 09, 2009
More Skirmishes on Proposition 8
There have been two recent developments. The first was that Jerry Brown, the Attorney General of California, after first declaring that he would defend Proposition 8 against a court challenge by opponents has reversed his position.
Brown has now joined the chorus of voices calling for the California Supreme court to overturn the ballot initiative. The San Francisco Chronicle explains Brown’s argument as follows.
“Because the court's May ruling equated a person's right to marry with the rights to liberty and privacy, it should be recognized as an inalienable right that voters can't generally overturn, Brown said in his brief.
It would be ‘tyranny of the majority’ to allow such rights to be taken away by a simple majority vote, he said, arguing that such an action is ‘inconsistent with the guarantees of individual liberty in the state Constitution.’”
Predictably proponents of Proposition 8, including Kenneth Starr, ex-special prosecutor and Dean of Pepperdine University, have claimed that Brown is "profoundly wrong" and has "invented an entirely new theory."
Duh, you will excuse me, but whether you agree with it or not, the “tyranny of the majority” issue has been around since the eighteenth century and is most certainly one of the responsibilities of the court through its function of judicial review. Allow me to suggest that Starr should go back to law school.
Madison, de Tocqueville and J.S. Mills all addressed the problem of the “tyranny of the majority” in their writings. The separation of powers in the Constitution of the United States was one strategy established by the framers to hold in check a potential “tyranny of the majority”. Judicial Review, as expounded in Marbury vs. Madison, established the process under which that strategy is enforced.
The other development is that the Proposition 8 campaign has filed suit in U.S. District Court claiming that the California statues requiring the disclosure of campaign donors is unconstitutional.
The driving forces behind this suit are allegations that donors have been harassed by threatening phone calls, e-mails and postcards. Apparently the suit also alleges acts of vandalism, property destruction and threats to ruin the businesses where donors are employed.
This is a tad hypocritical. I mean, the Christian organizations that support Proposition 8 have been threatening boycotts against business’ that recognize gay rights for years so to that extent turn around is fair play.
As for the threats and harassment, I know the politically correct thing to say is that everyone has a right to their opinion and that right should be respected. But, seriously, why should a bigot expect to be treated politely? Sometimes you just have to punch the other guy in the nose because the dumb twit deserves it.
Let’s face it, there is a line that once you cross it you have abdicated any right to expect your body to be safe from a thorough pounding. One might argue that the supporters of Proposition 8 haven’t crossed that line. I’m not so sure about that.
Brown has now joined the chorus of voices calling for the California Supreme court to overturn the ballot initiative. The San Francisco Chronicle explains Brown’s argument as follows.
“Because the court's May ruling equated a person's right to marry with the rights to liberty and privacy, it should be recognized as an inalienable right that voters can't generally overturn, Brown said in his brief.
It would be ‘tyranny of the majority’ to allow such rights to be taken away by a simple majority vote, he said, arguing that such an action is ‘inconsistent with the guarantees of individual liberty in the state Constitution.’”
Predictably proponents of Proposition 8, including Kenneth Starr, ex-special prosecutor and Dean of Pepperdine University, have claimed that Brown is "profoundly wrong" and has "invented an entirely new theory."
Duh, you will excuse me, but whether you agree with it or not, the “tyranny of the majority” issue has been around since the eighteenth century and is most certainly one of the responsibilities of the court through its function of judicial review. Allow me to suggest that Starr should go back to law school.
Madison, de Tocqueville and J.S. Mills all addressed the problem of the “tyranny of the majority” in their writings. The separation of powers in the Constitution of the United States was one strategy established by the framers to hold in check a potential “tyranny of the majority”. Judicial Review, as expounded in Marbury vs. Madison, established the process under which that strategy is enforced.
The other development is that the Proposition 8 campaign has filed suit in U.S. District Court claiming that the California statues requiring the disclosure of campaign donors is unconstitutional.
The driving forces behind this suit are allegations that donors have been harassed by threatening phone calls, e-mails and postcards. Apparently the suit also alleges acts of vandalism, property destruction and threats to ruin the businesses where donors are employed.
This is a tad hypocritical. I mean, the Christian organizations that support Proposition 8 have been threatening boycotts against business’ that recognize gay rights for years so to that extent turn around is fair play.
As for the threats and harassment, I know the politically correct thing to say is that everyone has a right to their opinion and that right should be respected. But, seriously, why should a bigot expect to be treated politely? Sometimes you just have to punch the other guy in the nose because the dumb twit deserves it.
Let’s face it, there is a line that once you cross it you have abdicated any right to expect your body to be safe from a thorough pounding. One might argue that the supporters of Proposition 8 haven’t crossed that line. I’m not so sure about that.
Just Missed!
Hey, I got three out of four of the Wild Card weekend games right. That puts me one ahead of my pet goat Franky.
You realize that if I had gotten all four I would have been impossible to live with. That brings us to this weekend.
In the AFC:
I like Tennessee over Baltimore. Kerry is going to teach young Flecco a couple of quarterback lessons. But next year...
I like San Diego over Pittsburgh. I'm building a considerable amount of faith in Phillip Rivers ability to lead this team. I like the bolts to make it all the way to the big game.
In the NFC:
I hate to say it, but I think the Eagles upset the Giants. Big Blue hasn't looked sharp over the last month and has too many players with iffy physical status. In the meantime the Eagles still appear to be in the middle of their late season surge.
I think Carolina is going to wipe the floor with the Cardinals. Kurt isn't going to be able to will himself to victory over the Panthers. I like the Panthers to go all the way to the big game. Which kind of sucks because no one cares about the Panthers.
In the meantime I hear Franky clacking his hooves (why isn't it hoofs?) on the floor in the next room so he must be making his picks.
You realize that if I had gotten all four I would have been impossible to live with. That brings us to this weekend.
In the AFC:
I like Tennessee over Baltimore. Kerry is going to teach young Flecco a couple of quarterback lessons. But next year...
I like San Diego over Pittsburgh. I'm building a considerable amount of faith in Phillip Rivers ability to lead this team. I like the bolts to make it all the way to the big game.
In the NFC:
I hate to say it, but I think the Eagles upset the Giants. Big Blue hasn't looked sharp over the last month and has too many players with iffy physical status. In the meantime the Eagles still appear to be in the middle of their late season surge.
I think Carolina is going to wipe the floor with the Cardinals. Kurt isn't going to be able to will himself to victory over the Panthers. I like the Panthers to go all the way to the big game. Which kind of sucks because no one cares about the Panthers.
In the meantime I hear Franky clacking his hooves (why isn't it hoofs?) on the floor in the next room so he must be making his picks.
Friday, January 02, 2009
Wild Card Weekend
Ok, I mulled it over and now I can embarress myself.
In the AFC:
The Chargers will beat the Colts. Both teams are hot but I like the Chargers more balanced attack with a healthy LT.
The Ravens will end the Dolphins miracle season. Defense wins championships and the Ravens are going to make Chad's life miserable.
In the NFC:
The Cardinals will beat the Falcons. This game could go either way but I think Kurt Warner is going to pull this one out with sheer willpower.
The Vikings will beat the Eagles. The Eagles are too inconsistent and after last weeks huge win I'm betting they have an off game.
I guess we shall see what we shall see. My mythical goat would be expected to get two of these right.
In the AFC:
The Chargers will beat the Colts. Both teams are hot but I like the Chargers more balanced attack with a healthy LT.
The Ravens will end the Dolphins miracle season. Defense wins championships and the Ravens are going to make Chad's life miserable.
In the NFC:
The Cardinals will beat the Falcons. This game could go either way but I think Kurt Warner is going to pull this one out with sheer willpower.
The Vikings will beat the Eagles. The Eagles are too inconsistent and after last weeks huge win I'm betting they have an off game.
I guess we shall see what we shall see. My mythical goat would be expected to get two of these right.
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