The Memorial Day Weekend Hangover

I'm at a loss trying to come up with an interesting post on a single topic so this is going to be one of those "random thoughts" posts I like to make:

Nothing To See Here, Move Along: An investigation concluded that Former Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Ian Brodie's conversation with CTV reporters was "probably" the source of NAFTAgate, but Brodie did not disclose classified information. And like our Republicans, the Tory Party in Canada swept this under the rug, too.

Hillary Clinton's RFK Comments: When the sun comes up, don't count on me wasting my breath and long distance minutes calling the DNC to denounce Hillary Clinton. If those spineless assholes cared, they would have done something already, if not by the time you read this post.

The Craziness Continues: If you think we can relax once June 3rd comes around, think again. I'm sure it's the same 300 posters from HillaryIs44 cross-posting at demsforjohnmccain.com. Well, then again maybe not. Whomever the webmaster is doesn't know shit about designing a web site, and the funny part is it was done in Microsoft's Front Page, which is easy to use.

To Geraldine Ferraro: Enough already.

To Paul Krugman: Stick to economics.

What About Bob Barr?: I'm glad the Republicans have their own Ralph Nader to deal with. Barr's candidacy may be the difference between victory and defeat for Barack Obama in November.

The March to 2026: Last week, I said Barack Obama would have this many delegates by May 31st. That's four more days for the superdelegates to make me look like a genius, and if I get this prediction right please don't come to me for gambling advice. Ask Charles Barkley.

Useful Trivia: Conservative talk show host Kevin "Appeasement" James was a male cheerleader when he attended the University of Oklahoma? I don't think it's a big deal, but I'm sure someone might find that tidbit useful the next time James goes on television and shouts "appeasement" five hundred times to make a senseless point.

A Good Idea, But...

I s it me? Or do you think a Raiders fan might use this Oakland Raiders can shaft cooler as a weapon the next time the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders play each other at Qualcomm Stadium?

I don't care that it's made of foam. I saw what Sean Penn did with a pillow case and a few RC Colas in the movie Bad Boys, and I wouldn't put anything past my fellow members of Raider Nation on game day when push comes to shove.

To The Ladies Out There...

I f you're thinking about voting for McCain in November, think about the men you'd be aligned with. Like Open Blog over at that same place where the proprietor who thinks pleasing you is like an artist working with bacon and Play-Doh. They don't sound too thrilled about, um, "doing their duty":

Seriously - ladies? Get a grip. I've bedded many women in my life, and none of them ever even talked about an orgasm, much less a "multiple" orgasm. Their concern was solely for my well being, as it should be.

Their tender words were almost always something to the effect of "what else can I do to help you achieve sweet release?".

Actually I think it was more like "are you done yet?". Same difference.

And you call us sexist? Heh...

Ignorance Isn't Bliss. It's Still Ignorance.

S ome people, no matter how many times you tell them, just don't understand everyday life for a person of color. It doesn't matter how much or how little money we make, what we down, or what we aspire to be. Things are quite different for us.

Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals won't begin for a few more minutes, so I did my best to stop the bile from my stomach flowing up into my esophagus and checked out the stupidity we all know as No Quarter. Yes, they're still posting some of the most ridiculous arguments to keep Hillary Clinton's candidacy alive but Larry Johnson went one step further in his ignorance and attacked Michelle Obama:

Then there is the angry woman problem. Here’s Michelle–living in a $1.6 million dollar home, graduate of America’s most prestigious universities, and pulling a six-figure salary–and she was not proud of the United States until Barack ran for President. Know what? The average angry, bitter white person. who is clinging to God and guns and not living in a mansion, not able to afford college, and making less than $50,000 a year, does not know what her damn problem is.

For those of you out there who choose to be ignorant like Larry Johnson, walk a mile in a person of color's shoes. Think of how we seem to be excluded from the board rooms of major corporations, passed over for promotions, the unequal pay, unfair mortgage lending practices, voter suppression tactics, Gerrymandering district boundaries, etc.

I'll break it down into two easy words for you to remember: prejudice and racism.

What Michelle Obama has experienced in her lifetime is not her problem. It's America's problem until we choose to meet it head on and do something about it. So for those of you who live in rural Appalachia or identify with them, the ball's in your court. What is your problem? What are you willing to do to bring change?

Have You No Decency, Mr. Morton?

O n what should be a day to honor our fallen soldiers and our troops serving here and abroad, Mr. Morton used this occasion to pander to the Latino population for their vote. Here's his latest attempt to make the GOP a more welcome place per CNN's Political Ticker:

John McCain’s campaign continued its pitch to Hispanic voters on Memorial Day in a new web ad paying tribute to the service and sacrifice of Hispanics serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

“When you go to Iraq or Afghanistan today, you're going to see a whole lot of people who are of Hispanic background,” McCain says. “You're even going to meet some of the few thousand that are still green card holders who are not even citizens of this country, who love this country so much that they're willing to risk their lives in its service in order to accelerate their path to citizenship and enjoy the bountiful, blessed nation.”

The minute long ad called “Memorial Day,” shows images of the various war memorials in Washington D.C., with phrases superimposed highlighting the military service of Hispanics throughout U.S. history.

I don't know how many times I have to say this, but the GOP is not an inclusive party for Latinos. All of us are lumped together and branded as Mexicans and their most rabid supporters love to tell us to go back to where we came from while hiding behind their American flags, their camcorders, and in some cases their high-powered rifles. It doesn't matter that I'm a legal, third-generation citizen of the United States. I'm one of "them" in their eyes, and even though I may be welcome within their tent I'll never be seen as an equal.

If Mr. Morton really wants the Latino vote, then he should explain to us why he voted to make English the official language of the United States. Until he does, this is nothing more than white noise in my ears. No pun intended.

Manu Is The Man

D idn't I say there was nothing to worry about? At home, the San Antonio Spurs are a completely different team. On top of that, I knew Manu Ginobili wasn't at 100% when the Spurs were in Los Angeles for the first two games of the Western Conference Finals. Last night, he looked like his old self again and I'm sure the Lakers understand this series is going six games. If it goes seven, we'll take that game, too.

Expect the Spurs to even this series tomorrow. You can take it to the bank like a Bruce Bowen three-point shot from the baseline.

In Honor Of Our Fallen Troops

When I visited my mother's grave at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery the day before Mother's Day, I also took several pictures of the monuments on the eastern and western sides of the cemetery. On this special day, I want to honor our troops and remind every one why, despite the best efforts of the Bush Administration, we have our freedoms. Click on the thumbnail images below to view the wallpaper-size image in a separate window, and feel free to right-click and save any images you like.

	This is the monument dedicated to the servicemen who lost their lives on the USS St Lo (formerly Midway) (CVE-64). Click here to visit the official website.
	This monument honors the servicemen who lost their lives on the USS Wasp (CV-7), which was sunk on September 15, 1942.
	This monument is for the USS Ommaney Bay (CVE-79), which was struck by a kamikaze and scuttled on January 4, 1945.
	This is where the larger funeral ceremonies are performed, and this picture is not an optical illusion. Some parts of this are not level.
	This memorial is for the Taffy 3 group, which was overmatched by the Japanese navy at Leyte Gulf during World War II. Were it not for their sacrifice, our country's greatest naval battle would not have happened. Eric Margolis has a brief but excellent writeup of it here.
	The monument for the USS Hoel, USS S.B. Roberts and the USS Johnston. All three ships played a vital role in the Battle off Samar.
	This monument is for the USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73) which was also involved in the Battle off Samar along with the Hoel, S.B. Roberts and Johnston.
	This is the memorial for the 3rd Infantry Division of the US Army, whose sacrifice was instrumental in the Allies's victory in World War II. You can check out Sgt. William Heller's World War II Memoirs for more information on them.
	These four men died on a training flight in 2004 when their Navy S-3B Viking jet slammed into Kita Iwo Jima. They had departed from the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, one of several ships my father was aboard during his post-Marines career.
	This is one of several crematoriums in the cemetery. If you take a close look at the wallpaper-size image, you'll notice a couple of laminated tags signifying that the spouse has recently died and the marker will be updated in the near future.
	Even though 9/11 happened over 3,000 miles away, we were all affected by it.
	I don't know who Sgt. Benjamin Berkstresser is, but this is an example of the history Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery holds within its walls. It's because of the sacrifices of men and women like him that we can live our lives in a free world. To all of them, I'm eternally grateful.

Hillary's Assassination Meme Takes Off

"..somebody knock off Osama. Um, Obama. Well, both if we could."

The 2008 Indianapolis 500 Post Mortem

S cott Dixon had the best car all day, so I'm not surprised he won today's race. I didn't expect Victor Meira to finish second, though. Panther Racing hasn't been a force in the IRL since Sam Hornish Jr. left the team four years ago, so I was surprised to see Meira ahead of the likes of Helio Castroneves.

And the Andretti Curse™ is still alive and well. Not only did Marco finish third, but he may have played a role in teammate Tony Kanaan's crash. The family is still 0-for-my lifetime at Indianapolis, depending on whether or not you're pro-choice.

My favorite moment of the race happened when Sports Illustrated cover girl Danica Patrick had a Tony Stewart moment in the pits, and for a good reason:

Danica Patrick had just failed to finish for the first time in four Indy 500s, and she was ready to fight.

She climbed out of her car and still wearing her helmet strode angrily toward the pit crew of fellow driver Ryan Briscoe, who had knocked her out when he slammed into her leaving the final pit stops of the race.

She ripped off her gloves before a security official intercepted her and steered her away.

I was laughing from the moment she climbed out of the car, strolled down pit road and peeled off her racing gloves. The head of security, who stood at least a foot taller than her, stopped her from reaching the Target/Chip Ganassi pit, which was too bad because she likely would have whooped Ryan Briscoe's ass if she found him.

Sorry, Helio. I think I have a new favorite IRL driver after today's race. :)

Why I Hate DailyKos (And Some Liberals)

If there's one thing I'll agree with Clintonistas on, it's that DailyKos is The Great Orange Satan™. I'm not a big fan of megalomaniacs that control A-list blogs, or their rabid surrogates who will eviscerate you for not following in lock-step with every far-left liberal position.

This post on DailyKos got under my skin because it wasn't funny and it invoked the painful memory of Swede Savage's horrible accident in Turn 4 during the 1973 Indianapolis 500. As a child, I remember Swede's accident and subsequent death were one of the first things ABC Sports announcers Jim McKay and Jackie Stewart discussed during the pre-race show for the 1974 race:

Today at the Indianapolis 500 Danica Patrick, IndyCar's premiere Female Driver, insisted that she would keep driving around the track affectionately known as the Brickyard even if she lost today's race.

"You can't win it unless you are in it," she said. When questioned on what was the point of driving around a track after you've lost the race Danica responded,  "Well, see the race isn't over until all the cars cross the track at 550 miles." Then she insisted that the Indianapolis 500 was actually the Indy 550 according to crew chief, Terry McAuliffe's own map of the racetrack.

"You know a lot of people want me to get out of the race," Danica Patrick said, "I can't really figure it out. I don't know why...In 1995 Jacques Villeneuve didn't win until the last lap of the race and in 1974 Swede Savage died before he could finish the race. So I couldn't answer -- Couldn't tell you why people want me to get out."

Danica Patrick refused to answer speculation that she would be joining Team Alegre - MYDD Racing next year.

At minimum, this was a poor choice of words and a great example why many auto racing fans (many of whom are conservative) don't like liberals. It was insensitive to use Swede's accident as part of a joke, especially for those of us who remember the days when a handful or more drivers died every year in NASCAR, F1 and open wheel racing here in the States.

To be fair, I'll give the author credit for not saying something like "François Cevert (pictured above) was sliced in half by a guardrail during practice for the 1973 US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. Why should I drop out of the F1 championship?"

A warning to liberals: These drivers are still my heroes. Don't desecrate their memories for your sick jokes.

Sports Illustrated Has Nothing On Hillary Clinton

The Hillary Clinton curse just struck again. During the first caution period in today's Indianapolis 500, the third place car of Sarah Fisher spun out. She was weaving back and forth on the track to warm up her tires and then her car took a hard left into the infield grass and stopped on the access road coming from the pits. The car stalled, so Fisher had to be towed back to the pits for a new set of tires.

Thanks, Hillary. Now her chances of winning today are the same as Eight Belles's chances of winning the Belmont Stakes: none.

Can't Buy Me Blog Love: A Hillary Clinton Production

W ith everything that's happened in the blogosphere during the past twenty-four hours, I had to lurk over at Democratic Underground to see if the Clintonistas I once sparred with still inhabited its forums. Not only is it a much quieter place, but SoCalDem found a gem of a cached blog entry that might explain why Hillary Clinton has some of the most desperate trolls on the Internet:

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Get paid to post positive comments about Hillary

Vote for Hillary Online is so dedicated to making sure Hillary Clinton wins this election that we've started a program that rewards those of you who post positive replies about Hillary on political blogs. By the way, we can't take credit for this idea, thanks Richard Sears! Our main premise is this: the opposition has the media by the collar. They are one in the same. One thing they don't have control over however is the internet. And we're not doing nearly as well as we could be doing at using this tool effectively.

Folks, we have monitored the traffic on our website. We see thousands pouring in daily, yet we only get a couple hundred e-mails from grassroots supporters wanting to help out in the cause. We know a lot of you just don't know where to begin. You've never participated in politics before. And that's fine! Gotta start somewhere, might as well be with Hillary.

We're giving you an easy opportunity right now to become part of the political process. I've come to find that a lot of bloggers who talk about Hillary in a negative tone simply don't know all of her positions on the issue. They've been caught up in the character assassination game that the media started. They simply need to be educated, and it's our job to correct them. Then you have other bloggers who are so caught up in other candidates, they haven't taken the time to look into Hillary and have simply ignored her out of ignorance. We can't get mad at these people, it's easy to understand how the opposition has made the United States a nation of sheep. It's not the people's fault however. And we won't be effective communicators if we approach them with that attitude.

But enough about that, you want to know about getting paid to write positive comments about Hillary. The way it works is this: in your spare time, you visit several political blogs. Whether they're for a specific candidate, undecided, or even a downright Hillary hater, your job is to post comments that portray Hillary in a good light. Each time you post a comment like this, make a note of the website's address in a text file (we recommend notepad)

Although this particular program was discontinued and the blog's proprietor stated that they are not connected with Hillary Clinton's campaign (wink,wink), it would not be surprising if there are similar programs that allowed the likes of Texas Darlin at Taylor Marsh to cross post their filth over at Democratic Underground during the past two to three months.

How pathetic is that? Click here and see for yourself.

Hillary Clinton: Pendeja of the Week

I have an unwritten rule around here that once someone is chosen as Pendejo of the Week, they cannot be selected again for the rest of the year. What Hillary Clinton said two days ago was so hideous and inhuman that I had to bend the rules, just like the DNC and their superdelegates may do on May 31st if she gets her way.

Hillary Clinton has officially crossed the "Cunt Rubicon" and I find that troubling. I have never, ever called a woman a cunt before because I have a lot of respect and admiration for the ones I personally know, and I hope to God I never have a reason to use that word again. That's how upsetting and offensive her comments were not only to myself, but to my friends in the progressive community, the AfroSpear and offline.

If Hillary does not apologize to Barack Obama and his family, then don't be shocked if there's a "Tuesday Surprise" awaiting her and the DNC because we're not taking this lightly.

To be continued...

California Governor Mitt Romney in 2010?

F ormer Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is purchasing a home in swanky La Jolla, and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger must leave office in 2010 due to term limits. Let the speculation on his political future begin.

Saturday Night Blog Update (Or Why Specialize?)

M y buddy in West Virginia (aka Riverside County) didn't call me. In this economy, I didn't want to waste approximately $30 in gas for the "chance" to see him, so I'm watching Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals in the comfort of my home. He's not ducking me. He's just absentminded when it comes to returning messages. And he wonders why he usually has to call me to talk to me. (laughs)

Anyway, I spent this afternoon fixing the categories on my posts so I can get away from using Technorati's tags. Now you can click on the label on a post or in the sidebar and every post in my archive will come up. Let's say for example you want to see every evil thing I've ever written about Taylor Marsh and Larry Johnson. Just click the link labeled Menopause Mafia™ and you're there. Simple, huh?

The reason why I did this is because I'm intrigued with Francis L. Holland's recent posts on why the DNC didn't seat a single blogger of color for the Democratic Convention in Denver. It's a valid question on his part, and in response I've read some of the lamest excuses such as "They went by Technorati ratings", which mean nothing to me because about 20% of my ratings are coming from news gathering web bots.

It also made me think about my place in the blogosphere. I'm definitely a square peg because there's no round hole like the Whiteosphere or the AfroSpear for Latinos like myself to join. We're kind of like a rogue army with a language barrier between some of us and there's no organization or affiliation to take us in. That's fine. I don't mind being an Uppity Latino for Obama or a one-man army.

This afternoon, I thought about having separate blogs for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Oakland Raiders and progressive politics. Then I quickly remembered that I tried to do that a couple of summers ago and it was a tremendous failure because I couldn't contribute to them on a regular basis. Instead, I'm going to post everything in one place and let my readers skip through the entries they don't care about.

UPDATE 7:38pm: Check out what Francis is up to. I'll be disappointed if Field doesn't put him on his sidebar for this. That was fierce.

I Still Might Get My Wish A Year Early

I 'm holding out hope that the Leafs won't do anything drastic between now and the beginning of training camp in mid-September, but things are already happening behind the scenes. Fourth-line center and unrestricted free agent Johnny Pohl won't be back, and rumors persist that Anaheim Ducks general manager Brian Burke may soon be on his way to Toronto:

There might still be an escape tunnel for Brian Burke to hack his way out of Anaheim, though it's one he would prefer not to exercise. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has filed a civil complaint in California accusing Ducks' owner Henry Samueli and three others of securities fraud by allegedly backdating 232 million stock options to make them more valuable in the chip-making company Samueli co-founded, Broadcom Corp.

<snip>

Former U.S. federal prosecutor Robert Mintz suggests Samueli has reason to be concerned. "The Department of Justice is clearly taking a very close look," he says. "The amount of money involved, the length of the scheme and their ability to link Samueli to the alleged backdating of the options will drive their decision as to whether they should pursue this as a criminal matter."

And therein lies Burke's path to expedite the inevitable, which is one day becoming the Toronto Maple Leafs' super boss.

Sorry, Ducks fans. We need a competent general manager as bad as Jason Giambi needs his gold lame, tiger-striped thong.

35

That's how my neighborhood rated on Walk Score. And that's without subtracting points for hearing police sirens wail and/or helicopters hover overhead every night. As for a guy like TBogg who will do well regardless if a Democrat or a Republican gets elected in November, his score is likely much higher, even if you subtract points for college students getting arrested for drunk driving, public intoxication and urinating in public.

(h/t Atrios)

Technorati Tags: fun stuff

The Black Friday Post Mortem

Yesterday was a horrible day to be a liberal, let alone a San Antonio Spurs fan. I've had a full night's rest to sleep on yesterday's events and although the shock's gone, I'm still pissed off at Hillary Clinton. On the other hand, the Spurs will bounce back because history is on their side. They're undefeated at home, and they've come back from 0-2.

Remember the last series against the New Orleans Hornets? I thought CP3 (Chris Paul) was unstoppable and I was resigned to the fact that we weren't going to win it all this year. Then the Spurs made adjustments and won Game 7. The Spurs can do it again as long as they regain their confidence and take both games in San Antonio.

I needed a reason to smile this morning, so I posted this image of George "Iceman" Gervin for y'all. Finger rolls. The 1978 scoring championship battle with David "Skywalker" Thompson in which he scored 33 points in one quarter and 63 points in one game --all while sitting out some of the third quarter and all of the fourth. Now those were good times in my childhood and young adulthood, and I honored him by wearing his jersey number in my old hockey league when #44 was available.

Technorati Tags: San Antonio Spurs,NBA Playoffs,basketball

It's Party Time, Peeps!

T he rain arrived, but it wasn't quite as bad as advertised. It was light, so I was able to do all of my chores around the apartment so I could literally take the next three days off. I even did the laundry once the Lakers took a thirty-point lead on my Spurs, and I freaked out when I watched my breath billow into the air. That's only supposed to happen in December and January, when temperatures are at freezing or below just before sunrise, not in late May.

Anyway, weather permitting I'll be traveling into Southern California's version of West Virginia later today. If all goes well, I'll be frolicking in my best friend's pool, hitting a bucket of golf balls at the driving range, and if we're home at a decent time we'll catch part of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. And if one of his neighbors is home I may do a Heineken beer bong just like last year. Honest.

For those of you traveling, have a safe Memorial Day weekend.

Technorati Tags: holidays,travel

In Case You Missed Countdown With Keith Olbermann Tonight

Technorati Tags: Hillary Clinton,Keith Olbermann,Countdown with Keith Olbermann,Robert F. Kennedy,1968,California,Barack Obama,2008 Elections,DNC scandals