Thursday, everything changes. The Superdome lights dim. A banner drops. The Who Dat nation is transformed.
MICHAEL DeMOCKER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE
From pitiful to powerful. Long-suffering to non-suffering. Wannabes to wildebeests.
But don't kid yourself, New Orleans Saints fans. This won't be easy. We've been lovable losers for a long time. After 43 years below sea level -- literally and figuratively -- it can be dizzying to suddenly find yourself cheering from such lofty heights. Seventy-thousand people fainting will not create the hostile environment Coach Sean Payton is counting on when the Minnesota Vikings come to town for Thursday's nationally televised, prime-time kickoff to the 2010 National Football League season.
So it's important to get your mind right. The Aints ain't dere no more. We are now officially fans of the (ahem) Defending Super Bowl Champions. And we must prepare ourselves accordingly.
Herewith, five tips to ease your transition to the new Who Dat normal.
1. Don't change your underwear. Or your socks, your shoes, your shirt, or anything else you wore on Feb. 7, 2010. Whatever game-day routine you followed for the playoffs and Super Bowl, follow it again. Same pre-game meal. Same parking spot. Same seat on the sofa. Same spouse -- if you were divorced during the off-season, I'm sorry, you have 48 hours to reconcile. And for the last time, if you chew gum, it's Juicy Fruit, not bleepin' Spearmint!Two Dat, baby.
2. Parade after the season, not before. With all due respect to the NFL ... a victory parade for a team that is 0-0? Really? Isn't that like going on your honeymoon before the first date? Nice gesture, but the reality is that on game day, True Dats only want to be one of three places: in front of a TV; inside the Dome; or outside the Dome, wishing they were inside. Same goes for the pre-game concert in Jackson Square. Nothing against Taylor Swift and the Dave Matthews Band. It's just that these sorts of slickly produced, made-for-TV concerts, with their carefully rehearsed audiences and crowd control wristbands, lack some essential New Orleans mojo. We're not a follow-the-script kind of town. We're an onside-kick-to-start-the-second-half-of-the-Super-Bowl kind of town. Do something crazy and unexpected and let a little magic happen. No wristbands required. Better idea: TiVo the festivities and join the impromptu parade up and down Poydras Street, where you'll probably find some old guy with a trumpet playing "When the Saints Go Marching In" while strangers in Saints jerseys dance like lovers on the sidewalk. It's hard to imagine Taylor Swift's new single topping that.
3. Be nice to Paw-Paw (not). Trust me, my smack-talking brethren, I know how tempting it is to make wisecracks about how Brett Favre is the only NFL player who wears a Depends jockstrap, how the federal government agreed to refund his entire 2010 salary to the Vikings as part of the Cash for Clunkers program, how he wears a tiara in the locker room so his head coach remembers to genuflect, etc. But that's not Super Bowl Champion talk. That's Sore Loser talk. That's almost as bad as, "No fair! You hit our quarterback too hard!" Or, "Wait a minute! Our quarterback didn't get to play in overtime, you need to change the rules!"
We're better than that. Brett Favre has never done anything to deserve an ungracious welcome from New Orleans Saints fans. He's a warrior (diva), and a Hall of Famer (in the Drama Queen Hall of Fame). We should greet him with all the respect he deserves (boo him till your lungs melt). And as soon as the referees start treating him like a Faberge egg, making "blow to the ankle" a 15-yard penalty, flagging every defender who so much as breathes hard on his Pennzoil-injected joints, and otherwise indulging seven months of the Viqueens' whiny-baby roughing-the-geezer complaints, let him really hear it.
4. Ignore the cliches. You know what I'm talking about -- the talking points that coaches and players trot out after a big win to help them keep it real. These directives do NOT apply to us.
Cliche No. 1: "Forget about last season."
Why? So we can remember the Russell Erxleben era? The memory of last season is the cure for a 40-year case of football fatalism. "Here we go again" is now, "Hey, no problem." "Wait till next year" is now, "Wait till the next play." "I can't bear to look" is now, "Cool. We got this." Bagheads are then. Super Bowl rings are now. Never forget.
Cliche No. 2: "Act like you've been there before." This is how coaches keep exuberant players from getting carried away, but it doesn't apply to New Orleanians. There's no excessive celebration penalty for cities; if there were, they'd have shut this place down centuries ago.Les bons temps rouler is in our DNA. We're genetically incapable of acting like we've been there before. If we approached these moments with more restraint, more circumspection, more maturity, we'd be ... Minnesotans. So, if some killjoy starts blabbing about how "even if we win another Super Bowl it'll never be as special as the last one," just tell him this:
True love always feels like the first time.And then invite him to see for himself on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011, at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, site of Super Bowl XLV.
5. Blow the lid off the joint. Just like we always do. Because some things should never change.
Black & goldly yours,
Mark Lorando, Who Dat
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Football.....one and a wakeup.
By chance did you know the Defending World Champion New Orleans Saints will open the NFL Season this Thursday evening at 730 PM Central Time. I think this guy does.
Darth Vader, leadership and business
Again, I've often posted on Lord Darth Vader's leadership and motivational techniques and his expansion into advertising. Unfortunately I didn't not make this conference but we at least got the highlights thanks to Mike Hammock
Today we offer you a special treat by a very special guest contributor. Darth Vader is a modern-day success story, having risen from humble orphan roots to the second-highest position in the largest corporate body this galaxy has ever seen. Although better-known for his visionary work in the realm of law enforcement, he is also responsible for the day-to-day operation of many of his organization’s most crucial assets. Here, he shares with us some of the lessons he’s picked up along the way as he rose to Galactic prominence. Join us as we welcome Lord Darth Vader to our humble website.
Also, feel free to leave any positive responses in our comment section. Negative views are also welcome, of course, and will be individually… responded to.
Operating a truly effective organization can be daunting. It requires skill, dedication, a willingness and ability to rebound from failure, bloodlust, and a notable absence of mercy. Mastery of the Dark Side of the Force is also useful. You’re probably asking “how did the empire become The Galactic Empire?”
This article gives you a few of my favorite management secrets, some of which I have passed on to my brother, Chad, who manages the Day Shift at Empire Market. In the spirit of Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, here are what we might call “Nine Habits of Highly Sith-cessful People.”
Use Fear. Yoda once said that “fear is the path to the Dark Side.” He couldn’t have been more right; however, his conclusions were wildly off base. Fear can be a great motivator, both for you and for those around you. Fear can help you overcome moral ambiguities by clouding them with the need for action, now. Also, fear is the way to motivate people. You may find their lack of faith disturbing, so you may need to demonstrate your superiority. If someone disagrees with you, Force-choke them until they see things your way.
Don’t Tolerate Dissent. Destroy it. Make sure everyone knows that your word is the last word. Demand unwavering faith in your abilities from your inferiors, and if they display a disturbing lack of faith, choke them.
Punish Incompetence. Many of your subordinates will be as clumsy as they are stupid. If someone has failed you for the last time, Force-choke them to death and promote someone who knows what they are doing. Keep Force-choking people until someone finally learns his or her lesson.
Deal Exclusively On Your Terms. Periodically, you will have to make deals. Alter them at your discretion, and don’t worry about any consequences. I recently had to do this with a mining entrepreneur in the Cloud City of Bespin, who expected to be treated with equanimity. Needless to say, I got what I wanted.
Use Loyalty Judiciously. Only submit to a stronger hand, and then try to destroy it once you are powerful enough. Stop at nothing to get to the top.
Always Look for Talent. Periodically, you will come across a real gem like my wayward son, Luke. Realize that they can be your key to double-crossing your superiors. If they don’t play along, kill them.
Know that Power is what matters. Your ability to assert yourself in a difficult situation depends on your power. If you have power, you can have anything you want. Stop at nothing to get it.
Get Out There and Lead. While Grand Moff Tarkin was prematurely celebrating victory over the Rebel Alliance, I was out there shooting at X-wings. Which one of us survived the Death Star attack? That’s right, me.
Finally, always remember that an elaborate, far-reaching plan, which relies on people reacting exactly how you plan for them to react, is always better than a simple plan. Nothing illustrates your genius quite like a meticulous, detailed, super-plan which will go horribly awry if people don’t react exactly the way you think they will. Just know who to blame when things don’t go the way you expect them to.
Those are a few brief pointers that I have used to make my climb, from defeated Jedi pulling his mangled corpse out of a volcano to Dark Lord of the Sith overseeing the construction of the ultimate power in the universe. With the right effort, you can, too
Darth Vader is a Dark Lord of the Sith and second-in-command in the Galactic Empire, where he is the pupil of Emperor Palpatine. He studied the Jedi arts under Obi-Wan Kenobi and serves a Sith apprenticeship with Darth Sidious. Darth’s brother, Chad, is the Day-Shift Manager at Empire Market. This article was co-authored with Mike Hammock
Trooper First Class Kenneth R. Hall
Connecticut State Police
End of Watch: Thursday, September 2, 2010
Age: 57
Tour of Duty: 22 years
Badge Number: 1231
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Trooper Kenny Hall was killed when his patrol car was struck as he was issuing a summons on I-91.
Trooper Hall had stopped a vehicle on I-91 for an infraction and was in his patrol car writing a summons when it was struck by a passing vehicle. The patrol car was pushed into the vehicle he had stopped and Trooper Hall was trapped inside for 45 minutes.
Trooper Hall was transported to Baystate Medical Center where he died from his injuries.
Trooper Hall had served with the Connecticut State Police for 22 years. He is survived by his wife and four children.
Rest in Peace Bro…We’ll Continue The Watch
Day is done, gone the sun,
From the lake, from the hills,
From the sky.
All is well, safely rest,
God is nigh.
LA school named after ALGORE is a hazmat site
ALGORE and Rachel Carson. A school named after two of the greatest con artists in history....and it's a hazmat site. This is delicious!
Los Angeles school named after Al Gore - latimes.com
He's the first vice president to have an L.A. school named after him, sharing the honor with author Rachel Carson. Fittingly, the campus will be devoted to environmental themes. But there's a catch.
...And, fittingly, the school will be devoted to environmental themes.
... Critics say the campus' location poses a long-term health risk to students and staff.
...The $75.5-million Carson-Gore Academy of Environmental Sciences will open Sept. 13 for about 675 students. As he was with Bill Clinton (who has an L.A. middle school named after him), Gore is second on the ticket to Rachel Carson, the late author credited with helping launch the modern environmental movement.
"Renaming this terribly contaminated school after famous environmental advocates is an affront to the great work that these individuals have done to protect the public's health from harm," an environmental coalition wrote in a letter to the Los Angeles Unified School District. Making sure the school is safe "would be an even better way to honor their contribution to society."
Construction crews were working at the campus up to the Labor Day weekend, replacing toxic soil with clean fill. All told, workers removed dirt from two 3,800-square-foot plots to a depth of 45 feet, space enough to hold a four-story building. The soil had contained more than a dozen underground storage tanks serving light industrial businesses.
Additional contamination may have come from the underground tanks of an adjacent gas station. A barrier will stretch 45 feet down from ground level to limit future possible fuel leakage.
An oil well operates across the street, but officials said they've found no associated risks. Like many local campuses, this school also sits above an oil field, but no oil field-related methane has been detected.
Groundwater about 45 feet below the surface remains contaminated but also poses no risk, officials said.
Because the district imported clean dirt, the school is probably safe at the moment, said Jane Williams, executive director of the Kern County-based California Communities Against Toxics. But she and other critics, including Robina Suwol, who heads the locally based California Safe Schools coalition, worry that the pollution sources have not been adequately identified and that the dirty groundwater could recontaminate the soil.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Electronic Privacy on the Job
A good review of a rising issue in modern life. Electronic privacy. Specifically, if a government agency issues an electronic device (cell phone, computer, etc) how far can the department go in insuring the employee is using it only for official business.
Electronic Privacy on the Job - Article - POLICE Magazine
The fact this as a 9-0 ruling from the Supreme Court says something. Hey man, you knew the rules when you received the new top, don't complain when you get spanked. If the department is paying for your electronic device, they have (IMHO) the right to make sure you're not abusing it.
Now there is a case working through the courts were an officer used his personal cell phone during the course of the investigation and defense subpoenaed his records. And the court allowed it. As I recalled (I'm going by memory) the case is working it's way through the courts. I can't agree with that...should they also have access to his home phone records.
Again, good article on a current issue.
Electronic Privacy on the Job - Article - POLICE Magazine
Can a department monitor its officers' use of official devices? by Devallis Rutledge
Increasingly, law enforcement agencies issue electronic communication and information equipment to employees for their use in performing official duties. Such devices may include desktop or notebook computers, mobile digital terminals in police cars, iPads, cell phones, pagers, BlackBerrys, and other products that will come onto the market as the technology develops.
....the U.S. Supreme Court (in a case considering a set of facts from nine years earlier) made a very limited attempt to give constitutional guidance. The issue presented was whether police managers violated a sergeant's Fourth Amendment privacy rights by auditing the sergeant's text messages sent during duty hours over a department-issued electronic paging device.
City Of Ontario V. Quon
Jeff Quon was a SWAT sergeant at the Ontario (Calif.) Police Department. In 2000, he signed a written statement acknowledging that he had read and understood the department's "Computer Usage, Internet and E-mail Policy." This policy specified that the City "reserves the right to monitor and log all network activity including e-mail and Internet use, without notice. Users should have no expectation of privacy or confidentiality when using these resources."
The next year, Quon was issued an alphanumeric pager capable of sending and receiving text messages. Although the computer policy did not specifically mention text messaging, managers notified employees that the policy would also apply to the new devices.
...In the course of ... [an] audit of on-duty texting, management discovered that Quon was using the pager for personal messaging during work hours...
As a result of these findings, Quon was disciplined, apparently for unauthorized personal use of official equipment. He then sued the department, claiming a violation of his Fourth Amendment rights.
...the jury found that the employer conducted the audit of Quon's texts for a legitimate, work-related purpose-namely, to evaluate the need for a new service agreement...On appeal, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed, ruling that Quon had a reasonable expectation of privacy in his on-duty text messages in spite of the computer policy, and that the employer's audit was an unreasonable invasion of that privacy right...The Supreme Court, in a judgment concurred in by all nine justices, reversed the Ninth Circuit and held that assuming Quon had a reasonable expectation of privacy in his texts sent via an employer-furnished pager, management's limited audit of his on-duty texts for the purpose of evaluating the need for a new service agreement did not constitute a violation of the Fourth Amendment.
Takeaway Value
•Public employers are bound by the Fourth Amendment.
•Legitimate expectations of privacy may evolve with changing technology. ...Rapid changes in the dynamics of communication and information transmission are evident not just in the technology itself but in what society accepts as proper behavior."
•It is important for employers to have clear, comprehensive policies that put employees on notice of the conditions of use of department-issued equipment.
•Since police communications may become evidence in a criminal case, officers should realize the risk that their messages may have to be disclosed.
•The ruling in Quon may not apply to all future scenarios of employer access to employee communications made over employer-issued devices.
The Supreme Court emphasized that it was not necessarily finding that Quon had a reasonable expectation of privacy in his texts over departmental pagers but was simply assuming that he did for the sake of argument, since the case could be resolved by finding any invasion of such an arguable expectation was reasonable under all of the circumstances.I recall the case of a field trainer who was using his department issued laptop for porn. He used a scrubber program to clean the hard drive and was shocked when the computer nerds recovered the data...if he wanted to get away with it he should have "lost" i.e. destroyed the laptop and made that report to the department.
Said the court, "Quon was told that his messages were subject to auditing. The search was permissible in its scope. The employer did not violate Quon's Fourth Amendment rights."
Prudent Precautions
...two conclusions seem safe to draw.
Management: In consultation with civil legal advisers, managers should promulgate written policies covering the conditions of employees' use of all issued equipment,
Employees: Officers and others who are assigned communications devices by their employer should be sure they understand and abide by applicable policies regarding personal use and management oversight.
Devallis Rutledge is a former police officer and veteran prosecutor who currently serves as Special Counsel to the Los Angeles County District Attorney. He is the author of 12 books, including "Investigative Constitutional Law."
The fact this as a 9-0 ruling from the Supreme Court says something. Hey man, you knew the rules when you received the new top, don't complain when you get spanked. If the department is paying for your electronic device, they have (IMHO) the right to make sure you're not abusing it.
Now there is a case working through the courts were an officer used his personal cell phone during the course of the investigation and defense subpoenaed his records. And the court allowed it. As I recalled (I'm going by memory) the case is working it's way through the courts. I can't agree with that...should they also have access to his home phone records.
Again, good article on a current issue.
Chicago gangs vs. Chicago cops
I remember a great quote from the 1981 film Absence of Malice when Sally Fields writes a story on the son a local mob boss played by Paul Newman. When getting ready for the story, the paper's lawyer suggest she call Newman for his side of the story and Fields responds "We generally don't call the mob for comment."
Now we have another example of truth being stranger than fiction. In Chicago mob chiefs held a press conference to discuss violence in the city. What a surprise....they think cops are a problem and say don't blame us for it....
OK...the cops have a perception problem but the gang bangers tell it straight...have I woken up on Planet of the Apes...this is a Class A planet with humanoid life but something is just not right! Then again we're talking about an academician...just because you're educated it doesn't make you intelligent.
Now we have another example of truth being stranger than fiction. In Chicago mob chiefs held a press conference to discuss violence in the city. What a surprise....they think cops are a problem and say don't blame us for it....
Chicago gangs vs. Chicago cops
An open feud has erupted over who is to blame for street violence in the cityA community activist...from Chicago...haven't we had enough nightmares from that type...
Chicago cops to gangs: Stop the killing — or else
CHICAGO — The number of police officers shot in Chicago is escalating, most recently two wounded early Wednesday, and gang leaders here say they are being unfairly blamed for the escalating violence that has rocked the city this year.
In an unusual move, gang representatives held a press conference Thursday on the city's far West Side to tell their side of the story - in the face of law-enforcement threats to come after them via a federal statute that targets organized crime. Their point: They can't put a stop all street violence, and Chicago police themselves have a lot to answer for in their own behavior.
Street violence "is not always organized. It's spontaneous," community activist Wallace Bradley, a former member of the notorious Gangster Disciple gang, told the Sun-Times Thursday.
The press conference follows on the heels of an explosive weekend report from the Chicago Sun-Times about an Aug. 17 secret meeting between local gang leaders and federal, state, and local law-enforcement agencies - including Police Superintendent Jody Weis. At the meeting, authorities reportedly said that if one more gang member shoots another, they would prosecute the gangs' members and leaders - not just the assailants - under the federal RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act. Gang members were also told to expect more parole visits and traffic stops in their neighborhoods, according to the newspaper's report.Gee...letting the target of your investigation know what you are going to do...not too bight...then again we're talking politicians.
The revelation about the meeting has touched off a ferocious debate over how best to address the rising violence and the gang problem in Chicago. Mayor Richard M. Daley has defended the summit. But many local alderman criticize the approach. It's an "admission" that Chicago police "can't control the streets," said Alderman Bob Fioretti. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (D) said a more sound approach is better enforcement of assault weapon bans...How about this...put the people who commit the crimes (sometimes know as criminals) into jail for a while...while they are in jail they cannot commit crimes. Let's try that.
...For their part, gang leaders on Thursday said they were coerced into meeting with law enforcement officials last month, and they complained that authorities' efforts to blame them for the rising violence - and threats to dog their members - verge on violating their constitutional rights.Good to know the gang bangers are concerned about being constitutionally violated.
Police Superintendent Weis "is not interested in solving [violence] from a community perspective," Mark Carter, a former gang member who helped organize the conference, told the Sun-Times on Wednesday. He criticizes the police department and Mayor Daley for using techniques that gang members feel are harsh and unjust.
The police will continue to have a perception problem here until Weis speaks out about the systemic abuse revealed in the Burge trial and roots out others who support it, says John Hagedorn, who researches gangs at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
"You don't torture people for decades and get away with it and have the consent of silence within the police and not expect it to have an effect," says Mr. Hagedorn. "This accountability thing should cut two ways."
OK...the cops have a perception problem but the gang bangers tell it straight...have I woken up on Planet of the Apes...this is a Class A planet with humanoid life but something is just not right! Then again we're talking about an academician...just because you're educated it doesn't make you intelligent.
Football.....two and a wakeup.
Yes, it's getting better
BBQ and apple pie today and picking up the sirloin tip roast soon for Thursday night. Looking forward to Thursday.
Comments on the opening game between the defencing World Champions New Orleans Saints and the Vikes.
Hey, the beer is chilling and we're counting down.
BBQ and apple pie today and picking up the sirloin tip roast soon for Thursday night. Looking forward to Thursday.
Comments on the opening game between the defencing World Champions New Orleans Saints and the Vikes.
Hub Arkush on Dan Hampton's Katrina comment: "We won't be ignoring it"OK, I get it. Favre is a great football player and even greater man and but like the NFC Championship last year, every idiot in the media wants to write a story about Brett Favre with a few words about the NFC South Champion Saints. You know, the winner of Superbowl 44. I think Favre is a class act and has eared his place in the Hall of Fame. But guys, will you finally get your heads out of your asses when you write on this and actually prepare a preview of the game...not only both QBs, but also the running backs, line, defensive ends, receivers, linebackers....I think this is a team sport.
Hall of Fame Bears defensive lineman Dan Hampton recently created an uproar by saying that, on Thursday, "The Vikings need to go down [to New Orleans] and hit that town like Katrina."...Personally I say get over it...people have worse about teams then this. It's part of the game and most of my friends in NOLA don't care...we will wipe the AstroTurf with Vikes.
...The remark came on the Pro Football Weekly television show, and so we contacted PFW publisher Hub Arkush, who said that the decision-making process regarding the situation is ongoing but, "We won't be ignoring it."
Meanwhile, several of you have complained about an arguably half-hearted (hoof-hearted) apology from Eric Edholm of PFW, who offers up the kind of excuses that Hampton should be offering up for himself.
Now I'm seeing a pattern in previews on Da Game
In case Brett Favre(notes) needed any extra motivation entering his 20th NFL season, watching the New Orleans Saints raise a championship banner should provide it.
After the Saints eliminated Favre’s Minnesota Vikings in overtime of the NFC title game en route to their first Super Bowl victory, the 40-year-old quarterback has returned and hopes to spoil New Orleans’ party at the Superdome on Thursday night.
Hey, the beer is chilling and we're counting down.
The Many Iterations of William Shatner - NYTimes.com
The life of William Shatner is complete…he now has a six page bio in NY Puke Magazine. Gotta love his work ethic…he kept slugging at, working cheap and making money by making fun of himself fun in over dramatic fashion. Remember Buck Murdock in Airplane II The Sequel:
It's a bit long but worth the read. For his shortcomings (and there are many) he is a working actor who has gotten around (won't say gotten over) the great ego and makes fun of himself to get to success. His shows like Raw Nerve are great...actually asking intelligent questions of celebrities and hitting them again and again. What a concept. If Newweak would have adapted that concept they may not have been sold for a buck...and that multi billionaire paid way too much for that.
Again to Darren at ROTLC for the link
Buck Murdock: Oh, cut the bleeding heart crap, will ya? We've all got our switches, lights, and knobs to deal with, Striker. I mean, down here there are literally hundreds and thousands of blinking, beeping, and flashing lights, blinking and beeping and flashing - they're *flashing* and they're *beeping*. I can't stand it anymore! They're *blinking* and *beeping* and *flashing*! Why doesn't somebody pull the plug!
Buck Murdock: We'd better get to the tower, Lieutenant.
Lt. Pervis: We have no tower, sir.
Buck Murdock: No tower?
Lt. Pervis: Just a bridge, sir.
Buck Murdock: Why the *hell* aren't I notified about these things?
The Many Iterations of William Shatner - NYTimes.com
He calls to explain. “A mix-up,” he says, and then, “I read all your stories.” Pause. “You. Are. A. Grrreat. Writer.” Another pause. “What’s your name?” I tell him. He says, “Of course it is.” I ask what his name is. “MY NAME? I. Am. William. Shatner!”McQueen, Newman, Redford, Shatner....in the imortal words of the Robot from Lost in Space, "It does not compute!"
Well, yes, but which William Shatner? The child actor from Canada, descended from Eastern European rabbis? The 23-year-old Shakespearean whom Sir Tyrone Guthrie called the Stratford Shakespeare Festival’s most promising actor? The young actor who made his debut on Broadway two years later, in 1956, in “Tamburlaine the Great,” then appeared in his first Hollywood film, “The Brothers Karamazov,” with Yul Brynner in 1958 and starred on Broadway in “The World of Suzie Wong” that same year and “A Shot in the Dark” in 1961? That actor was mentioned in the same breath as his contemporaries Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Robert Redford — until, without explanation, his career faded before it bloomed.
At 35, he was a working actor who showed up on time, knew his lines, worked cheap and always answered his phone. In 1966, he accepted a starring role in a sci-fi series called “Star Trek,” joining a no-name cast, some of whom later accused him of being pompous, self-aggrandizing, clueless and insufferably William Shatner, which became his greatest role once he finally accepted the fact of it.
After “Star Trek” was canceled in 1969, he appeared in more schlock movies — “Big Bad Mama,” “The Devil’s Rain” — and as the lead in a TV series, “Barbary Coast,” that never caught on. So he guest-starred on game shows: “The Hollywood Squares,” “Celebrity Bowling,” not even a regular among C-listers. But during the ’70s, “Star Trek” became a cult phenomenon in syndication. Conventions. Star worship. He fought it at first — in a skit on “Saturday Night Live” years later he told the Trekkies to “get a life” — but finally succumbed to the adulation. From 1979 to 1994, he starred in the first seven “Star Trek” movies, on which he capitalized by later cranking out (with co-authors) a basketful of “Star Trek” novels.
After he was killed off from the “Star Trek” movies, he began doing commercials, because, he said, “every day I realized I would not be a star.” He was 66, beefy, no longer matinee-idol handsome. As always, he worked cheap. In 1997, he took a modest salary (and stock options) to become a spokesman for a little-known online discount-travel company, Priceline. As the pompous Priceline pitchman, he became an Internet sensation among the hip-and-cynical blogger set, which thought he was hilarious in spoofing himself. He didn’t know who this William Shatner character was, but he played to it anyway, which helped lead him to a role in the mid-2000s on the television series “The Practice” and its spinoff, “Boston Legal,” that earned him two Emmys and a Golden Globe. He played the pompous, clueless, self-aggrandizing 70-something lawyer Denny Crane, suffering from the onset of Alzheimer’s, which Crane calls “mad cow.” William Shatner the man was playing William Shatner the character playing the character Denny Crane, who was playing the character William Shatner. Shatner has said he once wore a William Shatner mask on Halloween — “Nobody knew who I was.”
It's a bit long but worth the read. For his shortcomings (and there are many) he is a working actor who has gotten around (won't say gotten over) the great ego and makes fun of himself to get to success. His shows like Raw Nerve are great...actually asking intelligent questions of celebrities and hitting them again and again. What a concept. If Newweak would have adapted that concept they may not have been sold for a buck...and that multi billionaire paid way too much for that.
Again to Darren at ROTLC for the link
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Football.....three and a wakeup.
It's almost here...you can feel the change in the weather. You know things are going to get better on Sundays soon...as they used to say in the Sport Illustrated commercial it's that time of year again
Update on America's Team, the defending World Champions, New Orleans Saints.
Update on America's Team, the defending World Champions, New Orleans Saints.
Brad Childress is still complaining about the Saints defense
WAAAAA...I remember that game. No arguement the Saitns D was going for Favre. But you go for the leader on the most important game of the season. And a few months ago Favre was saying how he wanted to beat New Orleans if any team this season. Minnessota, come out and play!
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on September 5, 2010 4:44 PM ET
More than seven months ago, Vikings coach Brad Childress intimated that he thought the Saints were intentionally trying to injure Brett Favre in the NFC Championship.
And with the Vikings season opening in New Orleans in four days, Childress is being asked about the Saints' tactics once again. (Editor's Note: Only four days. Finally. Hell yes.)
"I understand a quarterback's going to get hit, people are going to get hit. It's football. I don't have any illusions about that. What I hate to see are late hits or attempts to hurt anybody. I don't think there's a place for that in the game," Childress said Sunday.
As our friend Bob Glauber of Newsday points out in an article behind a paywall you don't pay for, Chilly is likely just trying to get the attention of officials and perhaps a few Saints players.
Brett Favre doesn't sound too worried about it.
"I've heard that from a lot of people and you no what my response is? It's football," Favre said.
Drew Brees said nearly the same thing: "I don't think they hit him illegally in any way. Do I think they hit hard? Yeah. . . . Everybody loves hitting the quarterback."
And with that, we'd like to retire the dirty hit theme for the week. Four days.
Now this sucks!
The Saints cut 19 players on Saturday, but the most surprising news to come from the team was that linebacker Jonathan Casillas will miss the rest of the season with a foot injury.Damned, we can use him...but I guess life is unfair like that. At least he will have a great spot to watch the team.
Casillas earned himself drinks for life in New Orleans by recovering the onside kick to start the second half of last Super Bowl. But the special teamer surprisingly earned the starting weakside linebacker job in training camp
I have a sirloin tip roast ready for Thursday and getting beer for the game. This will be an awesome competition. Here is to a great season!
Saturday, September 4, 2010
What's going on in the World Today 100904
HYPERLINKS MAY REQUIRE AN EMAIL:
USAU.S. Naval Update Map: Sept. 1, 2010
Dispatch: U.S. Pressure Drives Middle East Peace Talks
EUROPE
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
RUSSIA
Russia: Decisions for Stability in the Caucasus STRATFOR
Russia: Bulava Missile Tests Resume September 3, 2010
Russia will resume test launching the Bulava ballistic missile between Sept. 9 and 12, a defense industry source said on Sept. 3, adding that postponement is unlikely, RIA Novosti reported. If the launch is successful, at least three other test launches will be conducted before the end of the year, the source stated.
IRAN
Israel, Palestinian Territories: A Possible Iranian Hand in Attacks STRATFOR
Iran: Forces Surround Karroubi's Home September 3, 2010
For the second straight day, Iranian Basij and Revolutionary Guard forces surrounded the home of opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi on Sept. 3 to prevent him from joining an annual government-sponsored Palestinian solidarity rally, Karroubi’s website stated, AFP reported. Forces gathered in front of Karroubi’s home reciting mourning prayers that are usually recited on the day of Ashura, the Shiite religious commemoration, samahnews.org said. Karroubi’s guards fired in the air when Basij forces entered the building, the website stated, adding that attackers opened fire, threw Molotov cocktails and injured Karroubi’s chief bodyguard.
Iran: To Conduct Anti-Air Force Exercise Next Spring September 4, 2010
A high-ranking Iranian military commander said Sept. 4 that his country is scheduled to conduct a large military anti-air force exercise next spring, Fars news agency reported. Iranian Brigadier Ahmad Miqani said the training exercise will be conducted at the beginning of spring in various parts of the country.
IRAQ
Iraq's Security Forces After the U.S. Withdrawal STRATFOR
Iraq: Leader Disowns Those Harming Iraqi Security Forces September 3, 2010
Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr said he would disown anyone who harms Iraqi security forces and called on the forces to unite in defense of the country, Aswat al-Iraq reported Sept. 3. Al-Sadr also warned against helping the “occupation forces” and stressed the importance of preserving Iraq’s dignity.
ISRAEL
Israel: Hezbollah Puts 15,000 Rockets On Lebanese Border September 3, 2010
Hezbollah has located some 15,000 rockets along the Lebanese border with Israel in violation of U.N. resolutions, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren said Sept. 3, AFP reported. Oren said the rockets, numbering four times more than during the 2006 Lebanon war, could strike any Israeli city, including Eilat. The weapons are also more accurate and contain larger payloads, Oren said.
Israel: Tactics in the West Bank Attack STRATFOR
Israel: Political Motivations and the West Bank Attack STRATFOR
AFGHANISTAN
A Week in the War: Afghanistan, Aug. 25-31, 2010 STRATFOR
Afghanistan: Why the Taliban are Winning STRATFOR
Afghanistan: ISAF Captured 500 Insurgents In August September 1, 2010
Hundreds of Taliban and Haqqani network leaders were rounded up by Afghan and NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops in August, the ISAF said Aug. 30 in a news release. The release said more than 500 insurgents were detained and 160 were killed, including the capture or death of 23 Haqqani network and 53 Taliban leaders. These leaders included shadow governors, commanders, sub-commanders and weapons facilitators. U.S. Army Col. Rafael Torres, ISAF Joint Command Combined Joint Operations Center director, said August was “extremely successful” for coalition forces.
SOUTH OF THE BORDER
Mexico: 32 Suspected Zetas Killed September 3, 2010
Mexican soldiers killed 32 suspected members of Los Zetas in two firefights in the municipalities of General Trevino and Juarez, Nuevo Leon state, El Universal reported Sept. 3. Soldiers killed 27 gunmen in the first incident, which occurred on a farm in the municipality of General Trevino on Sept. 2, and freed three hostages. Five suspects were killed in the second firefight, which occurred on the highway between Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, and Reynosa, Tamaulipas state.
MISC
Dispatch: Succession and Economics in North Korea STRATFOR
Kuwait: Patriot Missile Purchase Planned September 1, 2010
Kuwait plans to buy U.S. Patriot missiles for $900 million but will not allow its territory to be a launch pad for attacks, Defense Minister Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah said in statements published on Sept. 1, Middle East Online reported. The purchase is aimed at boosting the Kuwaiti military’s capability and should not be “misunderstood,” he stated, adding Kuwait does not purchase arms to launch attacks on others and does not accept attacks to be launched from its territories against other countries.
Turkmenistan: Converging Crises STRATFOR
Source: http://www.stratfor.com/
What has happened to a once great industry
One of the greatest problems our heavy industry have in this country is unfounded pensions and other payroll problems, such as those in our car industry. Where else do laid off worked get most of their income to sit on their ass...then again we're paying "diversity coordinators" and "multicultural affairs" personnel, but I digress. Now last year B Hussein Obama and his idiots stopped the orderly reorganization of GM and Chrysler to save the UAWs make work jobs and pensions, screwed over the preferred bond holders and had the government purchase two of our three major auto companies. One of the results is idiots who can't put gas in a car running our major industries and spending a fortune of taxpayer money into boondoggles like Chevy's version of the Edsel, the Volt.
Now we've heard that the head of GM's is tired of being called "Government Motors" or "Obama Motors" and wants and IPO to get back into the business of being a business. Good luck. You screwed over the large bond holders who were your preferred investors. And (hearing this again) the taxpayers are on the hook for billions.
Now we've heard that the head of GM's is tired of being called "Government Motors" or "Obama Motors" and wants and IPO to get back into the business of being a business. Good luck. You screwed over the large bond holders who were your preferred investors. And (hearing this again) the taxpayers are on the hook for billions.
NEW YORK/DETROIT, Sept 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. government is likely to take a loss on General Motors Co [GM.UL] in the first offering of the automaker'sIPO said.
It could take more than three years for the Treasury to sell down its remaining stake in GM after the IPO, one person said. That would push a final accounting into the next presidential term.Good luck....the liberals have changed a rock solid investment into a junk bond rating....thanks guys.
GM plans to begin a roadshow for its IPO immediately after the Nov. 2 U.S. midterm congressional elections, paving the way for a stock debut on Nov. 18, sources have said.
GM in August filed paperwork for an IPO that could potentially be worth as much as $20 billion, making it one of the biggest IPOs of all time.
Analysts and potential investors have projected a market value for GM of between $50 billion to around $90 billion, based on projections for the automaker's cash flow, comparisons with rival Ford Motor Co (F.N) and trading in bonds in the old GM which are convertible into shares in the new company.
A market value at the high end of that range would be above the roughly $70 billion in market capitalization that GM needs to achieve for the U.S. government to break even on its $43 billion remaining investment in the automaker.
But IPOs typically price at a discount of 10 percent to 15 percent to theoretical fair value to reward investors for taking a risk on a new issue and pave the way for future stock floats. In tough market conditions, that discount can be even larger.
"You have to sell people on the notion that there is an upside to what they are buying," one of the sources said.
...GOVERNMENT STAKE IN 'GOVERNMENT MOTORS'I thought they paid everything back...that's what the media said four months ago...
The U.S. government pumped $49.5 billion worth of taxpayer money into the automaker and took nearly 61 percent of its common stock.
GM has paid back $6.7 billion in debt to the Treasury and returned another $700 million in interest and dividends. The U.S. government also holds $2.1 billion in perpetual preferred shares in the automaker.
That leaves the government with a roughly $40 billion investment in the GM common stock that will debut in an IPO along with a new class of preferred shares that will convert into common shares under a mandatory provision.
...GM eliminated about $40 billion in unsecured debt and other obligations in bankruptcy, but the automaker still needs to address a pension shortfall estimated at about $26 billion.Finally they get to the problem...a pension shortfall that is almost half the total value of the company. Such poor management and planning is generally only in government personnel operations but we are talking a union shop. Until that is handled (i.e. change it from a defined benefit plan to a defined contribution plan, cleaning the payroll of people who have been laid off but still collecting paychecks, etc) this will never work. If they had a Chapter 11 bankruptcy they could have gotten the reorganization they need at lower cost to the company and bond holders and no cost to the tax payers. Of course, the leftist screwed this up.
A successful IPO would be a political victory for the Obama administration and would help GM distance itself from critics who dubbed it "Government Motors" after its bailout.
Obama voters, how's that hope and change working out for your..
Friday, September 3, 2010
Afghanistan and the War Legend
September 3, 2010
STRATFOR Readers,
As many of you know, Robert Merry joined STRATFOR as publisher in January. While primarily focused on our business (bless him) he is also a noted reporter (years with The Wall Street Journal as Washington correspondent and head of Congressional Quarterly). Bob knows Washington well, while STRATFOR has always been an outsider there. Since Bob brings a new perspective to STRATFOR, we’d be foolish not to take advantage of it. This analysis marks the first of what will be regular contributions to STRATFORs work. His commentary will be titled “Washington Looks at the World” and will focus on the international system through the eyes of official Washington and its unofficial outriders. In this first analysis, Bob focuses on the thinking that went into President Barack Obama’s Aug. 31 speech on the end of U.S. combat operations in Iraq. As with all of STRATFORs pieces, it treats political leaders as rational actors and avoids ideology and advocacy. Both are in ample supply in this country, and there is no need to add to it. Bob is not trying to persuade, praise or condemn. Nor is he simply providing facts. He is trying to understand and explain what is happening. I hope you find this of value. I learned something from it. By all means let us know what you think, especially if you like it. Criticisms will also be read but will not be enjoyed nearly as much.
— George Friedman, STRATFOR CEO
By Robert W. Merry
U.S. President Barack Obama’s Aug. 31 Oval Office speech on the end of U.S. combat operations in Iraq had many purposes: to claim a measure of credit for largely fulfilling one of his major campaign promises; to thank those who have served and sacrificed in the cause; to spread the balm of unity over any lingering domestic wounds; to assure Americans that it has all been worth it and that no dishonor was attached to this foreign adventure, which was opposed by many in Obama’s own party and by him from the beginning.
Of all those purposes, and any others that might have been conceived, the need to express assurance of the war’s validity — and honor in its outcome — is by far the most important. Any national leader must protect and nurture the legend of any war over which he presides, even those — actually, particularly those — he has brought to a close. The people need to feel that the sacrifice in blood and treasure was worth it, that the mission’s rationale still makes sense, that the nation’s standing and prestige remain intact.
In terms of America, nothing illustrates this more starkly than the Vietnam experience. This was a war that emerged quite naturally out of a foreign policy outlook, “containment,” that had shaped American behavior in the world for nearly two decades and would continue to shape it for another two decades. Hence, one could argue that the Vietnam War was a noble effort entirely consistent with a policy that eventually proved brilliantly successful. But the national pain of defeat in that war spawned an entirely different legend — that it was a huge mistake and a tragic loss of life for no defensible purpose. The impact of that legend upon the national consciousness could be seen for decades — in war-powers battles between the president and Congress, in a halting defense posture often attributed to what was called the “Vietnam Syndrome,” in the lingering civic hostility engendered when the subject emerged among fellow citizens, in the flow of tears shed daily at Washington’s Vietnam Memorial.
So the presidential responsibility for the legend of war is no trivial matter when young Americans begin returning home in body bags. A wise president will keep it well established in his mind in selling a war, in prosecuting it and eventually in explaining it at its conclusion.
This important presidential function posed two particular challenges for Obama during his Oval Office speech: First, his past opposition to the war in Iraq created a danger that he might appear insincere or artificial in his expressions, and second, it isn’t entirely clear that the legend can hold up, that the stated rationale for the war really withstands serious scrutiny. Yes, America did depose Saddam Hussein and his regime. But the broader aims of the war — to establish a stable, pro-Western regime in the country and thus maintain a geopolitical counterweight to the regional ambitions of Iran — remain unfulfilled. The president handled the first challenge with aplomb, hailing the war’s outcome (so far) while avoiding the political schisms that it bred and delivering expressions of appreciation and respect for his erstwhile adversaries on the issue. Whether he succeeds in the second challenge likely will depend upon events in Iraq, where 50,000 American troops remain to support Iraqi security forces and help maintain stability.
But Obama’s effort to preserve the war’s legend, which was ribboned throughout his speech, raises the specter of an even greater challenge of preserving the legend of a different war — the war in Afghanistan, which Obama says will begin to wind down for America in July of next year. It remains a very open question whether events will unfold in that nettlesome conflict in such a way as to allow for a reassuring legend when the troops come home. That open question is particularly stark given the fundamental reality that America is not going to bring about a victory in Afghanistan in any conventional sense. The Taliban insurgency that the United States is trying to subdue with its counterinsurgency effort is not going to go away and, indeed, the Taliban will likely have to be part of any accommodation that can precede America’s withdrawal.
Thus, the Obama administration has become increasingly focused on what some involved in war planning call “the endgame.” By that, they mean essentially a strategy for extricating the country from Afghanistan while preserving a reasonable level of stability in that troubled land; minimizing damage to American interests; and maintaining a credible legend of the war that is reassuring to the American people. That’s a tall order, and it isn’t clear whether the nearly 150,000 U.S. and allied troops in Afghanistan, under U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, can affect the magnitude of the challenge one way or another.
Very quietly, top officials of the Obama administration have initiated a number of reviews inspecting every aspect of this endgame challenge. Some involve influential outside experts with extensive governmental experience in past administrations, and they are working with officials at the highest levels of the government, including the Pentagon. One review group has sent members to Russia for extensive conversations with officials who were involved in the Soviet Union’s ill-fated invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s. Others have traveled to Pakistan and other lands, including the United Kingdom, Germany and France, to master the diplomatic implications of any Afghan exit strategy.
It’s too early to determine just what impact these review groups will have on administration thinking, which appears to remain in a state of development. But it can be said that at least some of these outside experts are pressing hard for an endgame approach that moves beyond some earlier thinking about the war and its rationale. For example:
• The need to involve Afghanistan’s neighbors in any accommodation that would allow for at least a reasonably graceful American exit. In addition to next-door Pakistan, these likely would include Russia, India and perhaps even Iran. All have a stake in Afghan stability, and all have their own particular interests there. Hence, the diplomatic game will be extremely difficult. But it is worth noting that during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, Russia served as a facilitator of U.S. cooperation with the northern ethnic tribes, and Russians even provided personnel and vehicles to America’s Northern Alliance allies. Iran also helped facilitate the invasion by suggesting security for American pilots faced with ditching over Iranian territory.
• The necessity of working with local power centers and finding a way of developing a productive discussion with the different ethnic groups that need to be part of the Afghan endgame. How to do that reportedly was one question posed to Russian officials who were involved in the Soviet Union’s Afghan experience and who had to deal with insurgent leaders on the way out.
• A probable requirement that the United States relinquish any hope that a strong central government in Kabul will form and bring about stability in the country. Afghanistan has never had a strong central government, and the various ethnic and religious groups, local warlords, tribes and khans aren’t going to submit to any broad national authority. Their mountainous homeland for centuries has afforded them plenty of protection from any invading force, and that isn’t going to change.
• A probable need to explore a national system with a traditionally weak central government and strong provincial actors with considerable sway over their particular territories.
Underlying all this is a strong view that the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force cannot impose an endgame. The Taliban are not going to submit to U.S. blandishments for negotiation as a result of any fear of what will happen to them if they don’t. That’s because they are winning and possess the arms, wiles, knowledge of terrain and people and insurgency skills to keep on winning, irrespective of what Petraeus does to thwart them. Besides, the tribes of Afghanistan have demonstrated through the centuries that they have the patience to outlast any invader.
If the Taliban won’t negotiate out of fear of what the U.S. military can do to them, the question becomes whether they will negotiate out of a sense of opportunity — as a means of bringing about the U.S. exit that American government officials increasingly seem to want as well. There are indications the Taliban might be interested in participating in such a negotiated American exit, perhaps in exchange for some kind of international recognition. At this point, however, there is no firm evidence that such an approach could prove fruitful, and hence this question remains one of the great imponderables hovering over America’s presence in Afghanistan.
But, if that does prove possible, the question of America’s war legend will loom very large indeed. Those involved in the review groups reportedly are well aware that the nature of the U.S. departure will inform the legend, and they are intent on crafting an outcome that will honor America’s Afghanistan war dead and U.S. war veterans. In other words, in this view, there must remain a narrative that explains why America was there, what was accomplished, and why the departure was undertaken when it was. It must resonate throughout the nation and must be credible.
This poses another fundamental question: Is there an inherent inconsistency between the outlook emerging from these governmental review groups and the recent pronouncements of Petraeus? Many of the review-group participants seem to be working toward what might be called a “graceful exit” from Afghanistan. Yet Petraeus told The New York Times on Aug. 15 that he does not see his mission in such small terms as a “graceful exit.” Rather, he said his marching orders were to do “all that is humanly possible to help us achieve our objectives.” By “our objectives,” he seemed to mean establishing, through military force, a sufficient degree of stability in the country to allow a negotiated exit on American terms, with his Iraq record serving as the model. Even if that is possible, it certainly will take considerable time. The general made clear in the Times interview and in others that he fully intended to press Obama hard to delay any serious troop withdrawal from Afghanistan until well beyond the July 2011 time frame put forth by the president.
Thus, the nature and pace of withdrawal becomes another big question hovering over the president’s war strategy. Many high-ranking administration officials, including the president, have said the pace of withdrawal will depend upon “conditions on the ground” when July 2011 arrives. Obama repeated that conditional expression in his Iraq speech the other night. But that leaves a lot of room for maneuver — and a lot of room for debate within the administration. The reason for delaying a full withdrawal would be to try to apply further military pressure to force the Taliban to become less resistant. That goal seems to be what’s animating Petraeus. But others, including some involved in the review groups, don’t see much prospect of that actually happening. Thus, they see no reason for much of a withdrawal delay beyond the president’s July deadline — particularly given the need to preserve the country’s war legend. The danger, as some see it, is that an effort to force an outcome through military action, given the unlikely prospect of that, could increase the chances of a traditional military defeat, much like the one suffered by the Soviets in the 1980s and by the British in two brutal military debacles during the 19th century.
Many of the experts involved in the Afghanistan review effort see a link between the departure of U.S. combat troops from Iraq, as described by Obama in his Oval Office speech, and the imperative to fashion an Afghanistan exit that offers a war legend at least as comforting to the American people. Certainly, the importance of the war legend was manifest in Obama’s Iraq speech. First, he repeatedly praised the valor and commitment of America’s men and women in uniform. Even in turning to the need to fix the country’s economic difficulties, he invoked these U.S. military personnel again by saying “we must tackle those challenges at home with as much energy, and grit, and sense of common purpose as our men and women in uniform who have served abroad.” He expressed a resolve to honor their commitment by serving “our veterans as well as they have served us” through the Department of Veterans Affairs, emphasizing medical care and the G.I. Bill. And he drew an evocative word picture of America’s final combat brigade in Iraq — the Army’s 4th Stryker Brigade — journeying toward Kuwait on their way home in the predawn darkness. Many Americans will recall some of these young men, extending themselves from the backs of convoy trucks and yelling into television cameras and lights, “We won! We’re going home! We won the war!”
But, as Obama noted in his speech, this is “an age without surrender ceremonies.” It’s also an age without victory parades. As he said, “we must earn victory through the success of our partners and the strength of our own nation.” That’s a bit vague, though, and that’s why Obama’s speech laid out the elements of the Iraq success in terms that seemed pretty much identical to what George W. Bush would have said. We succeeded in toppling Saddam Hussein. We nurtured an Iraqi effort to craft a democratic structure. After considerable bloodshed, we managed to foster a reasonable amount of civic stability in the country so the Iraqi people can continue their halting pursuit of their own destiny. Thus, said the president, “This completes a transition to Iraqi responsibility for their own security.” He added, “Through this remarkable chapter in the history of the United States and Iraq, we have met our responsibility. Now, it’s time to turn the page.”
That’s probably enough of a legend to fortify the good feelings of those young men yelling of victory from the backs of Stryker Brigade vehicles on the way out of Iraq. But getting to even that degree of a war legend in Afghanistan will be far more difficult. And, as the endgame looms in that distant land, the administration will have to grapple not only with how to prosecute the war and foster a safe exit but also with how to preserve a suitable legend for that war once the shooting stops.
This report is republished with permission of STRATFOR
Thursday, September 2, 2010
CBS actually calls it right
A bit of an update on my comments on James Lee, this is a check on how the national news media handled it...and CBS actually said he was inspired by ALGORE,
Again if this guy was a Tea Party member or a known Republican it would be blamed on Sarah Palin already...but I gotta appreciate it when the media does do good work. Thanks CBS for saying it straight.
Again if this guy was a Tea Party member or a known Republican it would be blamed on Sarah Palin already...but I gotta appreciate it when the media does do good work. Thanks CBS for saying it straight.
Miracle on West 57th: CBS Ties Lee to Gore
Wednesday’s CBS Evening News, without Katie Couric, uniquely amongst the broadcast network evening newscasts tied Discovery Channel hostage-taker/bomber James Lee to Al Gore and...Reporter Wyatt Andrews relayed in his story on the incident in suburban DC:
In an anti-corporate protest two years ago, Lee was arrested while throwing cash outside of Discovery’s offices. He said in court he had been moved to save the planet, partly by Al Gore’s documentary, An Inconvenient Truth.
Neither ABC nor NBC mentioned Gore’s inspiration. (ABC’s Pierre Thomas on World News: Lee “has protested at the Discovery Channel repeatedly, raising concerns about the environment and over-population.” NBC’s Tom Costello on Nightly News referred to Lee “handing out a rambling leaflet that called on Discovery to devote more programming to global warming and animal extinction.”)
Gee Mr ALGORE, are you responsible for this person taking hostagesges
UPDATE: 1700hrs Central
Mr Lee has done the best thing for the environment and died. Thank God the hostages are OK and so are the cops who handled this. Great work guys, thanks for saving the tax payers millions on the trial and incarceration of this waste of sperm.
As I still in my easy chair I am watching Fox News showing the James Lee hostage situation. Some of his beliefs, from his website , which I found on the MSNBC site report:
Question....when did we have a nuclear war? I must have missed that.
Gee, I wonder why this dumb ass won't bump himself off....like Bobby Kennedy Jr, Sheryl Crow, Barbara Streisand Leonardo DiCaprio and the chief hypocrite of them all, ALGORE for some reason wants me to loose my truck and AC'ed home, but they can be driven in limo's and fly in private jets.
But to the original point. If this guy were to have a copy of a Glen Beck or Rush Limbaugh book or a Bible wouldn't every idiot on TV be going up to every Republican on the Hill and asking "Why did you inspire this man with such hate!...Don't you think you've done too much to inspire radicals..."
I really don't think I'll see ALGORE on TV anytime soon.
Mr Lee has done the best thing for the environment and died. Thank God the hostages are OK and so are the cops who handled this. Great work guys, thanks for saving the tax payers millions on the trial and incarceration of this waste of sperm.
As I still in my easy chair I am watching Fox News showing the James Lee hostage situation. Some of his beliefs, from his website , which I found on the MSNBC site report:
The Discovery Channel MUST broadcast to the world their commitment to save the planet and to do the following IMMEDIATELY:
1. The Discovery Channel and it's affiliate channels MUST have daily television programs at prime time slots based on Daniel Quinn's "My Ishmael" pages 207-212 where solutions to save the planet would be done in the same way as the Industrial Revolution was done, by people building on each other's inventive ideas. Focus must be given on how people can live WITHOUT giving birth to more filthy human children since those new additions continue pollution and are pollution. A game show format contest would be in order. Perhaps also forums of leading scientists who understand and agree with the Malthus-Darwin science and the problem of human overpopulation. Do both. Do all until something WORKS and the natural world starts improving and human civilization building STOPS and is reversed! MAKE IT INTERESTING SO PEOPLE WATCH AND APPLY SOLUTIONS!!!!
2. All programs on Discovery Health-TLC must stop encouraging the birth of any more parasitic human infants and the false heroics behind those actions. In those programs' places, programs encouraging human sterilization and infertility must be pushed. All former pro-birth programs must now push in the direction of stopping human birth, not encouraging it.
3. All programs promoting War and the technology behind those must cease. There is no sense in advertising weapons of mass-destruction anymore. Instead, talk about ways to disassemble civilization and concentrate the message in finding SOLUTIONS to solving global military mechanized conflict. Again, solutions solutions instead of just repeating the same old wars with newer weapons. Also, keep out the fraudulent peace movements. They are liars and fakes and had no real intention of ending the wars. ALL OF THEM ARE FAKE! On one hand, they claim they want the wars to end, on the other, they are demanding the human population increase. World War II had 2 Billion humans and after that war, the people decided that tripling the population would assure peace. WTF??? STUPIDITY! MORE HUMANS EQUALS MORE WAR!
4. Civilization must be exposed for the filth it is. That, and all its disgusting religious-cultural roots and greed. Broadcast this message until the pollution in the planet is reversed and the human population goes down! This is your obligation. If you think it isn't, then get hell off the planet! Breathe Oil! It is the moral obligation of everyone living otherwise what good are they??
5. Immigration: Programs must be developed to find solutions to stopping ALL immigration pollution and the anchor baby filth that follows that. Find solutions to stopping it. Call for people in the world to develop solutions to stop it completely and permanently. Find solutions FOR these countries so they stop sending their breeding populations to the US and the world to seek jobs and therefore breed more unwanted pollution babies. FIND SOLUTIONS FOR THEM TO STOP THEIR HUMAN GROWTH AND THE EXPORTATION OF THAT DISGUSTING FILTH! (The first world is feeding the population growth of the Third World and those human families are going to where the food is! They must stop procreating new humans looking for nonexistant jobs!)
6. Find solutions for Global Warming, Automotive pollution, International Trade, factory pollution, and the whole blasted human economy. Find ways so that people don't build more housing pollution which destroys the environment to make way for more human filth! Find solutions so that people stop breeding as well as stopping using Oil in order to REVERSE Global warming and the destruction of the planet!
7. Develop shows that mention the Malthusian sciences about how food production leads to the overpopulation of the Human race. Talk about Evolution. Talk about Malthus and Darwin until it sinks into the stupid people's brains until they get it!!
8. Saving the Planet means saving what's left of the non-human Wildlife by decreasing the Human population. That means stopping the human race from breeding any more disgusting human babies! You're the media, you can reach enough people. It's your resposibility because you reach so many minds!!!
9. Develop shows that will correct and dismantle the dangerous US world economy. Find solutions for their disasterous Ponzi-Casino economy before they take the world to another nuclear war.
Question....when did we have a nuclear war? I must have missed that.
10. Stop all shows glorifying human birthing on all your channels and on TLC. Stop Future Weapons shows or replace the dialogue condemning the people behind these developments so that the shows become exposes rather than advertisements of Arms sales and development!
11. You're also going to find solutions for unemployment and housing. All these unemployed people makes me think the US is headed toward more war.
Humans are the most destructive, filthy, pollutive creatures around and are wrecking what's left of the planet with their false morals and breeding culture.
Gee, I wonder why this dumb ass won't bump himself off....like Bobby Kennedy Jr, Sheryl Crow, Barbara Streisand Leonardo DiCaprio and the chief hypocrite of them all, ALGORE for some reason wants me to loose my truck and AC'ed home, but they can be driven in limo's and fly in private jets.
But to the original point. If this guy were to have a copy of a Glen Beck or Rush Limbaugh book or a Bible wouldn't every idiot on TV be going up to every Republican on the Hill and asking "Why did you inspire this man with such hate!...Don't you think you've done too much to inspire radicals..."
I really don't think I'll see ALGORE on TV anytime soon.
Security Weekly : Militancy and the U.S. Drawdown in Afghanistan
This report is republished with permission of STRATFOR
By Scott Stewart
The drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq has served to shift attention toward Afghanistan, where the United States has been increasing its troop strength in hopes of forming conditions conducive to a political settlement. This is similar to the way it used the 2007 surge in Iraq to help reach a negotiated settlement with the Sunni insurgents that eventually set the stage for withdrawal there. As we’ve discussed elsewhere, the Taliban at this point do not feel the pressure required for them to capitulate or negotiate and therefore continue to follow their strategy of surviving and waiting for the coalition forces to depart so that they can again make a move to assume control over Afghanistan.
Indeed, with the United States having set a deadline of July 2011 to begin the drawdown of combat forces in Afghanistan — and with many of its NATO allies withdrawing sooner — the Taliban can sense that the end is near. As they wait expectantly for the departure of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) from Afghanistan, a look at the history of militancy in Afghanistan provides a bit of a preview of what could follow the U.S. withdrawal.
A Tradition of Militancy
First, it is very important to understand that militant activity in Afghanistan is nothing new. It has existed there for centuries, driven by a number of factors. One of the primary factors is the country’s geography. Because of its rugged and remote terrain, it is very difficult for a foreign power (or even an indigenous government in Kabul) to enforce its writ on many parts of the country. A second, closely related factor is culture. Many of the tribes in Afghanistan have traditionally been warrior societies that live in the mountains, disconnected from Kabul because of geography, and tend to exercise autonomous rule that breeds independence and suspicion of the central government. A third factor is ethnicity. There is no real Afghan national identity. Rather, the country is a patchwork of Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara and other ethnicities that tend also to be segregated by geography. Finally, there is religion. While Afghanistan is a predominantly Muslim country, there is a significant Shiite minority as well as a large Sufi presence in the country. The hardcore Deobandi Taliban are not very tolerant of the Shia or Sufis, and they can also be harsh toward more moderate Sunnis who do things such as send their daughters to school, trim their beards, listen to music and watch movies.
Any of these forces on its own would pose challenges to peace, stability and centralized governance, but together they pose a daunting problem and result in near-constant strife in Afghanistan.
Because of this environment, it is quite easy for outside forces to stir up militancy in Afghanistan. One tried-and-true method is to play to the independent spirit of the Afghans and encourage them to rise up against the foreign powers that have attempted to control the country. We saw this executed to perfection in the 1800s during the Great Game between the British and the Russians for control of Afghanistan. This tool was also used after the 1979 Soviet intervention in Afghanistan and it has been used again in recent years following the 2001 U.S. invasion of the country. The Taliban are clearly being used by competing outside powers against the United States (more on this later).
But driving out an invading power is not the only thing that will lead to militancy and violence in Afghanistan. The ethnic, cultural and religious differences mentioned above and even things like grazing or water rights and tribal blood feuds can also lead to violence. Moreover, these factors can (and have been) used by outside powers to either disrupt the peace in Afghanistan or exert control over the country via a proxy (such as Pakistan’s use of the Taliban movement). Militant activity in Afghanistan is, therefore, not just the result of an outside invasion. Rather, it has been a near constant throughout the history of the region, and it will likely continue to be so for the foreseeable future.
Foreign Influence
When we consider the history of outside manipulation in Afghanistan, it becomes clear that such manipulation has long been an important factor in the country and will continue to be so after the United States and the rest of the ISAF withdraw. There are a number of countries that have an interest in Afghanistan and that will seek to exert some control over what the post-invasion country looks like.
• The United States does not want the country to revert to being a refuge for al Qaeda and other transnational jihadist groups. At the end of the day, this is the real U.S. national interest in Afghanistan. It is not counterinsurgency or building democracy or anything else.
• Russia does not want the Taliban to return to power. The Russians view the Taliban as a disease that can infect and erode their sphere of influence in countries like Uzbekistan and Tajikistan and then move on to pose a threat to Russian control in the predominately Muslim regions of the Caucasus. This is why the Russians were so active in supporting the Northern Alliance against the Taliban regime. There are reports, though, that the Russians have been aiding the Taliban in an effort to keep the United States tied down in Afghanistan, since as long as the United States is distracted there it has less latitude to counter Russian activity elsewhere.
• On the other side of that equation, Pakistan helped foster the creation of the Pashtun Taliban organization and then used the organization as a tool to exert its influence in Afghanistan. Facing enemies on its borders with India and Iran, Pakistan must control Afghanistan in order to have strategic depth and ensure that it will not be forced to defend itself along its northwest as well. While the emergence of the Pakistani Taliban and the threat it poses to Pakistan will alter Islamabad’s strategy somewhat — and Pakistan has indeed been recalculating its use of militant proxies — Pakistan will try hard to ensure that the regime in Kabul is pro-Pakistani.
• This is exactly why India wants to play a big part in Afghanistan — to deny Pakistan that strategic depth. In the past, India worked with Russia and Iran to support the Northern Alliance and keep the Taliban from total domination of the country. Indications are that the Indians are teaming up with the Russians and Iranians once again.
• Iran also has an interest in the future of Afghanistan and has worked to cultivate certain factions of the Taliban by providing them with shelter, weapons and training. The Iranians also have been strongly opposed to the Taliban and have supported anti-Taliban militants, particularly those from the Shiite Hazara people. When the Taliban captured Mazar-e-Sharif in 1998, they killed 11 Iranian diplomats and journalists. Iran does not want the Taliban to become too powerful, but it will use them as a tool to hurt the United States. Iran will also attempt to install a pro-Iranian government in Kabul or, at the very least, try to thwart efforts by the Pakistanis and Americans to exert control over the country.
A History of Death and Violence
It may seem counterintuitive, but following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, the casualties from militancy in the country declined considerably. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies Armed Conflict Database, the fatalities due to armed conflict in Afghanistan fell from an estimated 10,000 a year prior to the invasion to 4,000 in 2002 and 1,000 by 2004. Even as the Taliban began to regroup in 2005 and the number of fatalities began to move upward, by 2009 (the last year for which the institute offers data) the total was only 7,140, still well-under the pre-invasion death tolls (though admittedly far greater than at the ebb of the insurgency in 2004).
Still, even with death tolls rising, the U.S. invasion has not produced anywhere near the estimated 1 million deaths that resulted during the Soviet occupation. The Soviets and their Afghan allies were not concerned about conducting a hearts-and-minds campaign. Indeed, their efforts were more akin to a scorched-earth strategy complete with attacks directed against the population. This strategy also resulted in millions of refugees fleeing Afghanistan for Pakistan and Iran and badly disrupted the tribal structure in much of Afghanistan. This massive disruption of the societal structure helped lead to a state of widespread anarchy that later led many Afghans to see the Taliban as saviors.
Following the Soviet withdrawal in 1989, the communist government in Kabul was able to survive for three more years, backed heavily with Soviet arms, but these years were again marked by heavy casualties. When the communist government fell in 1992, the warlords who had opposed the government attempted to form a power-sharing agreement to govern Afghanistan, but all the factions could not reach a consensus and another civil war broke out, this time among the various anti-communist Afghan warlords vying for control of the country. During this period, Kabul was repeatedly shelled and the bloodshed continued. Neither the Soviet departure nor the fall of the communist regime ended the carnage.
With the rise of the Taliban, the violence began to diminish in many parts of the country, though the fighting remained fierce and tens of thousands of people were killed as the Taliban tried to exert control over the country. The Taliban were still engaged in a protracted and bloody civil war against the Northern Alliance when the United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001. During the initial invasion, very few U.S. troops were actually on the ground. The United States used the Northern Alliance as the main ground-force element, along with U.S. air power and special operations forces, and was able to remove the Taliban from power in short order. It is important to remember that the Taliban was never really defeated on the battlefield. Once they realized that they were no match for U.S. air power in a conventional war, they declined battle and faded away to launch their insurgency.
Today, the forces collectively referred to as the Taliban in Afghanistan are not all part of one hierarchical organization under the leadership of Mullah Mohammad Omar. Although Mullah Omar is the dominant force and is without peer among Afghan insurgent leaders, there are a number of local and regional militant commanders who are fighting against the U.S. occupation beside the Taliban and who have post-U.S. occupation interests that diverge from those of the Taliban. Such groups are opportunists rather than hardcore Taliban and they might fight against Mullah Omar’s Taliban if he and his militants come to power in Kabul, especially if an outside power manipulates, funds and arms them — and outside powers will certainly be seeking to do so. The United States has tried to peel away the more independent factions from the wider Taliban “movement” but has had little success, mainly because the faction leaders see that the United States is going to disengage and that the Taliban will be a force to be reckoned with in the aftermath.
Once U.S. and ISAF forces withdraw from Afghanistan, then, it is quite likely that Afghanistan will again fall into a period of civil war, as the Taliban attempt to defeat the Karzai government, as the United States tries to support it and as other outside powers such as Pakistan, Russia and Iran try to gain influence through their proxies in the country.
The only thing that can really prevent this civil war from occurring is a total defeat of the Taliban and other militants in the country or some sort of political settlement. With the sheer size of the Taliban and its many factions, and the fact that many factions are receiving shelter and support from patrons in Pakistan and Iran, it is simply not possible for the U.S. military to completely destroy them before the Americans begin to withdraw next summer. This will result in a tremendous amount of pressure on the Americans to find a political solution to the problem. At this time, the Taliban simply don’t feel pressured to come to the negotiating table — especially with the U.S. drawdown in sight.
And even if a political settlement is somehow reached, not everyone will be pleased with it. Certainly, the outside manipulation in Afghanistan will continue, as will the fighting, as it has for centuries.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Dealbook Column - Why Wall St. Donors Are Deserting Obama - NYTimes.com
Good to know you're finally getting it. Maybe you should have questioned him before you gave him millions for his campaign....and you reap what you sew
Dealbook Column - Why Wall St. Donors Are Deserting Obama - NYTimes.com
Good to know your head is out your ass. Now think next time before you open your mouth and wallet. It amazes me that you oversea multi billion dollar businesses. An interesting point made.
Reminds me of something I've said often. Just because your educated doesnt' make you intelligent.
Dealbook Column - Why Wall St. Donors Are Deserting Obama - NYTimes.com
Why Wall St. Is Deserting Obama
Daniel S. Loeb, the hedge fund manager, was one of Barack Obama’s biggest backers in the 2008 presidential campaign.
A registered Democrat, Mr. Loeb has given and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Democrats. Less than a year ago, he was considered to be among the Wall Street elite still close enough to the White House to be invited to a speech in Lower Manhattan, where President Obama outlined the need for a financial regulatory overhaul.
So it came as quite a surprise on Friday, when Mr. Loeb sent a letter to his investors that sounded as if he were preparing to join Glenn Beck in Washington over the weekend.
“As every student of American history knows, this country’s core founding principles included nonpunitive taxation, constitutionally guaranteed protections against persecution of the minority and an inexorable right of self-determination,” he wrote. “Washington has taken actions over the past months, like the Goldman suit that seem designed to fracture the populace by pulling capital and power from the hands of some and putting it in the hands of others.”
Over the weekend, the letter, with quotations from Thomas Jefferson, Ronald Reagan and President Obama, was forwarded around the circles of the moneyed elite, from the Hamptons to Silicon Valley. Mr. Loeb’s jeremiad illustrates how some of the president’s former friends on Wall Street and in business now feel about Washington.
Mr. Loeb isn’t the first Wall Streeter to turn on the president. Steven A. Cohen, founder of the hedge fund SAC Capital Advisors and a supporter of the Obama campaign, recently held a meeting with Republican candidates in his home in Greenwich, Conn., to strategize about the midterm elections, according to Absolute Return magazine.
Other onetime supporters, like Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, also feel burned by the Obama administration, people close to him say...
...Less than two years ago, Democrats received 70 percent of the donations from Wall Street; since June, when the financial regulation bill was nearing passage, Republicans were receiving 68 percent of the donations, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan research group.
Good to know your head is out your ass. Now think next time before you open your mouth and wallet. It amazes me that you oversea multi billion dollar businesses. An interesting point made.
Why so personal? The prevailing view is that bankers, hedge fund mangers and traders supported the Obama candidacy because he appealed to their egos.
Mr. Obama was viewed as a member of the elite, an Ivy League graduate (Columbia, class of ’83, the same as Mr. Loeb), president of The Harvard Law Review — he was supposed to be just like them. President Obama was the “intelligent” choice, the same way they felt about themselves. They say that they knew he would seek higher taxes and tighter regulation; that was O.K. What they say they did not realize was that they were going to be painted as villains.
Reminds me of something I've said often. Just because your educated doesnt' make you intelligent.
Federal Judge Dismisses Officer's Challenge to Arizona Immigration Law
Pal welcome to the job. I don't agree with every law passed by the city/state or federal government, but it's my job to enforce them. I'm glad this judge got her head partially out of her ass.
FOXNews.com - Federal Judge Dismisses Officer's Challenge to Arizona Immigration Law
U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton says the lawsuit by Officer Martin Escobar alleged an injury that was based on speculation.
Escobar alleged he would be subject to civil liability for violating the rights of others in enforcing the law.
Gov. Jan Brewer's lawyers asked for the dismissal.
Two of the seven challenges to the law have been dismissed.
Last month, Bolton put the law's most controversial elements on hold in a case filed by the U.S. Justice Department.
The other five lawsuits remain alive.
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