amonggiants tweets

• 17:49 So, I'm going to DC to not only see two of the greatest gents on the planet, but also to see THE Drive-By Truckers. w00t. #

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• 18:40 Cats and dogs. #
• 20:05 Early to bed is the way to go. This I do not doubt. #

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Ted Turner, Insurgents, Patriots, and Semantics

Here a post from MU-Warrior, a much more influential blog, followed by my comments.

Via Newsbusters, the CNN founder and ageing media mogul lets some of his opinions fly.

Interviewed Tuesday for Charlie Rose’s PBS show, CNN founder Ted Turner argued that inaction on global warming “will be catastrophic” and those who don’t die “will be cannibals.” He also applied moral equivalence in describing Iraqi insurgents as “patriots” who simply “don’t like us because we’ve invaded their country” and so “if the Iraqis were in Washington, D.C., we’d be doing the same thing.” On not taking drastic action to correct global warming:

Not doing it will be catastrophic. We’ll be eight degrees hottest in ten, not ten but 30 or 40 years and basically none of the crops will grow. Most of the people will have died and the rest of us will be cannibals.

Turner ridiculed the need for a big U.S. military, insisting “China just wants to sell us shoes. They’re not building landing craft to attack the United States,” and “even with our $500 billion military budget, we can’t win in Iraq. We’re being beaten by insurgents who don’t even have any tanks.” After Rose pointed out the Iraqi insurgents “have a lot of roadside bombs that kill a lot of Americans” and wondered “where do you think they come from?”, Turner answered:

I think that they’re patriots and that they don’t like us because we’ve invaded their country and occupied it. I think if the Iraqis were in Washington, D.C., we’d be doing the same thing: we’d be bombing them too. Nobody wants to be invaded.

As for the fact that we are “occupying” Iraq: we occupied Germany at the end of World War II. Had there been a Nazi “insurgency” would any Americans have described the insurgents as “patriots?”

One could argue, of course, that Turner’s opinions don’t matter much anymore. But if he had made pro-Nazi statements or racist statements, the media feeding frenzy would last a week.

Instead, these kinds of comments from a rich leftist are just a big ho-hum.

I don't know if the subtle dismissive description of Turner as "aging" is fair or important. One could certainly describe Professor McAdams as aging, but I don't because I respect him and in know way think that his age has affected his ability opine or instruct on an level. This does not mean that I always believe that he is in touch with current affairs, certainly when they are related to distanced generations.

But he was certainly a credible source for his opinions about Ted Turner's comments that labeled insurgents "patriots."

My comments to the above post are below:

Is the insurgency is fighting to get us out? Yes.

The question here is really whether the insurgents are fighting to get us out because they are Iraqi patriots (believe that Iraq's sovereignty is being violated by America's "occupation." And I think we can use the word occupations because we have set up camp and aren't leaving--this is despite the negative connotations of the word "occupation" when used about a country.) or because they have been brainwashed by Al-Qaeda.

That's a puzzler.

From what I've read there are certainly both, but those who have been trained by Iraq are far fewer than those who are simply Iraq citizens disgruntled by the "occupation" (I'm using that word to describe us setting up camp in our country and being responsible for tens of thousands of civilian deaths. Now, whether you think that estimate is correct or not, that's how it's told to the insurgents.)

I view this situation, and what side you fall on, much like I do religion:
All of the faithful Catholics like John here or Dad29, who is linked to from this blog, were they born would have doubtless been Allah-fearing Muslims were they born in, say, the Muslim-majority Nigeria. Because something in their genetic code /or upbringing (nature /or nurture) made them believe in what they did. This is just like why those who are born and raised never hearing of Christianity don't believe in, or know of, it.

While Ted Turner's heart may have been in a place that you, John, are displeased with, it certainly does not mean that insurgents are not patriots.

And this is possibly just semantics, but I feel that this is a critical point toward the US perception of this war and those who resist us--and what that means to our occupation. (I didn't use quotes there for a reason.)

From the dictionary:1. a person who loves, supports, and defends his or her country and its interests with devotion.

2. a person who regards himself or herself as a defender, esp. of individual rights, against presumed interference by the federal government.

The main point I am making here is to the very heart of why there is an insurgency, particularly since Al-Qaeda does not train the majority of it. It's about patriotism, propaganda, and idle persons.

If were invaded and occupied, I can promise you I would be in the streets. Not because of some blind loyalty, but for my own personal sovereignty.

I haven't sided with the insurgency. My point is simply to understand why we are so hated by many.

Is it because they hate freedom? No, that's bs and always has been, at least for the majority of those who resist us. There are certainly those who want to maintain control over segments of the Iraqi population.

I guess I wonder whether these people are evil or simply pawns for those who are evil. Are the simply good people who have been manipulated and thus can attain salvation (I'm very forward looking) or are they evil for the side they've chosen, and thus, eternally damned for where they were born?

I also think the subjectiveness of where one is born is particularly important when we decide how we are going to handle the situation.

Force, violence, those while not end the insurgency, because it is fluid, it can incorporate anyone, and because it is an idea, and you cannott destroy an idea.

For, I think, a well-put defense of my last sentence I recommend everyone to this clip from a (I know) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode where the captain has a vision where he lives in the beginning of the 20th century. In this timeline he is a science fiction writer who writes about the captain's actual reality in the 24th century.

It may be fiction, but I think it makes a great point.

"Patriot" has been confused with democracy or the American way and it certainly does not, and should not, mean that. It is a very clear description of someone's allegiance to their homeland.

It's not a matter of anti-freedom, it's a matter of how can we defeat Al-Qaeda and the tendrils they used to infiltrate Iraq.

(Also, seriously, that's my favorite Star Trek episode for a reason.)

amonggiants tweets

• 16:03 I just caught my librarian listening to DragonForce (www.dragonforce.com/main.html) in the library during 4th hour. What? #

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Tom Crean leaving Marquette for Indiana.

Marquette University's men's basketball coach leaves for Indiana.

According to a report late this afternoon, Tom Crean will be the man to take over the head coaching job at Indiana University. We’re working to confirm this story but it has been reported by Andy Katz of ESPN. According to Katz, Indiana was still awaiting a signed agreement from Crean as of 5:30 PM EST.

Crean is in his ninth season as the head coach of Marquette. In 2003, behind the play of Dwyane Wade, the Golden Eagles went to the Final Four and lost to eventual runner-up Kansas. This past season, Marquette beat Kentucky in the first round before falling to Stanford.

More on this as it develops.

I'm indifferent. (We lose overpaid coach who hasn't gotten us terribly far since someone else recruited DWade. But who will replace him?)

UPDATE:
This from ESPN, which was just relayed by Andy Katz of ESPN:

Trying to put a tumultuous few months behind it, Indiana University is on the verge of naming a new coach, Tom Crean of Marquette, a source with the school told ESPN.com's Andy Katz on Tuesday.

The Hoosiers have to hope that the hiring goes more smoothly than the awkward parting with former coach Kelvin Sampson.

Indiana is awaiting a letter of agreement from Crean before a deal is finalized, and a tentative news conference has been scheduled for Wednesday to make an announcement.

Sampson resigned amid allegations of NCAA violations. Dan Dakich, an assistant under Sampson and a former Indiana player and assistant under Bob Knight, took over as interim coach for the rest of the season.

The university first contacted Washington State coach Tony Bennett late Saturday night, but he withdrew from consideration.

Crean, who took the Dwyane Wade-led Golden Eagles to the Final Four in 2003, just completed a 25-10 season. Marquette lost to Stanford in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Crean is 190-96 in nine seasons at Marquette and has taken the Golden Eagles to the NCAA tournament five times. Before that, he was an assistant at Michigan State,
Pittsburgh and Western Kentucky.

UPDATE II:
Texts from my friend Phil:

4:53pm: I hate the guy, but we'll never have such a good recruiter.
4:57pm: Well marquette should probably go back to the C-USA now...


UPDATE III:
I've been a pretty harsh critic about coach Crean. Largely for chasing off my year's recruiting class, not being the person who spotted DWade, being so highly paid, yet leading us to some first round exits in the NCAA and the NIT while I was there.

I don't know who will replace him, and though I'm no Crean fan, we'll have to see what kind of coach we're going to be able to replace him with. Hopefully one that's a better bang for the buck, and they've got to be better than my roommate's coach.

So, yeah, Tom Crean is leaving Marquette. It's being announced tomorrow.


UPDATE IV:
(All the updates? This is a big deal for Marquette.)
Perhaps I wasn't clear enough earlier.

But here is someone who, much like the new Al Gore ads, I agree with on this topic despite not agreeing with him on much else.

One particular gem:

And in response Marquette posted this at monster.com: Wanted: Over-paid and over-rated basketball coach to take over Marquette’s soon to be floundering program.

Qualifications: Must be willing to accept top dollar to end season outside of top 25. Win 1-2 Big East Tournament Games and 1-2 NCAA tournament games ever 3-5 seasons.Able to be a ‘big –time recruiter’ by recruiting under-developed 3 and 4 star guards, 2 star big men, and fill bench with unsuccessful 5’9’’ catch-and-shoot 3 point guards.

Have odd affinity for Diet Pepsi.

Etc.

Liar!

Hillary Clinton's pants are on fire about NAFTA. This is an example of more lying from the Clinton camp.

Now, whether you agree with NAFTA or not, it must be acknowledged that either side of the NAFTA issue in Ohio or Pennsylvania or anywhere else could be disturbed by this latest news in relation to her original stance.

Not that anyone can't change their mind, but perhaps we should mention that change.

Things Even Out.

Jack Handy is wonderful.

"Eventually, I believe, everything evens out. Long ago, an asteroid hit our planet and killed our dinosaurs. But, in the future, maybe we’ll go to another planet and kill their dinosaurs.

Even in the afterlife things probably even out, although I can’t imagine how.

Still don’t believe that things even out? Try this simple test: flip a coin, over and over again, calling out “Heads!” or “Tails!” after each flip. Half the time people will ask you to please stop. "

And what kind of results are we seeing?

Well, we are certainly seeing the results of a bloated military budget here in education, you know the thing that shapes the future minds of America--the military, conversely, is what gets those young minds blown out of their cozy homes inside skulls. (Whether you agree with my stances on the military and military spending-- and I see a military as necessary--you have to agree that education never got anyone killed.)

This is part of an article in the Washington Post today about the over budget and behind-schedule weapons systems (editor's note: some of which are completely unsuited for combating guerrilla warfare, ie the insurgencies in the Middle East.)

Government auditors issued a scathing review yesterday of dozens of the Pentagon's biggest weapons systems, saying ships, aircraft and satellites are billions of dollars over budget and years behind schedule.

The Government Accountability Office found that 95 major systems have exceeded their original budgets by a total of $295 billion, bringing their total cost to $1.6 trillion, and are delivered almost two years late on average. In addition, none of the systems that the GAO looked at had met all of the standards for best management practices during their development stages.

Auditors said the Defense Department showed few signs of improvement since the GAO began issuing its annual assessments of selected weapons systems six years ago.

"It's not getting any better by any means," said Michael Sullivan, director of the GAO's acquisition and sourcing team. "It's taking longer and costing more."

Chris Isleib, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a written statement, "We'd like to look at what GAO has said, and then at the appropriate time make an informed comment."

The Pentagon has doubled the amount it has committed to new systems, from $790 billion in 2000 to $1.6 trillion last year, according to the 205-page GAO report. Total acquisition costs in 2007 for major defense programs increased 26 percent from first estimates. In 2000, 75 programs had cost increases totaling 6 percent. Development costs in 2007 for the systems rose 40 percent from initial projections, compared with 27 percent in 2000. Current programs are delivered 21 months late on average, five months later than in 2000.

"In most cases, programs also failed to deliver capabilities when promised -- often forcing war fighters to spend additional funds on maintaining" existing weapons systems, the report says.

Ferengi Rule of Acquisition number 34: "War is good for business."

America's Game.

Bush throws out the first pitch of the year at the new and beautiful Nationals' stadium. What's that sound?

amonggiants tweets

• 20:54 Ellis Marsalis Quartet at Snug Harbor tonight. #
• 22:19 Sold out. Plan b is beers. #

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Obama = Teflon?

(Except if you scratch him you won't get slow-moving cancer, but a quick smiting by his pops, God.)

According to a report by the Pew Research Center, Obama has been unharmed the Rev. Wright controversy that so many people like to make a big deal about.

Support for Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) appears undiminished by the controversy over his former pastor's statements — even though many voters say they were personally offended by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's comments, according to a Pew Research Center poll.

The poll also gauged public opinion about the economy — which is increasingly negative — and provided some positive news for another presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).

Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center, tells Robert Siegel that about 80 percent of the survey's 1,503 respondents said they had heard about Wright's comments; a similar number had followed Obama's response.

Slightly more than half characterized Obama's response as excellent or good, and he emerges with the same numbers he had before the controversy in both his race against his Democratic rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), and McCain.

The poll also takes an in-depth look at the way white Democrats feel about their party's two candidates.

Kohut says the poll found that Obama has a "glowing" image.

"He has a better image on almost all personal dimensions, save patriotism, than Hillary Clinton," he says.

To read or listen to the whole breakdown on NPR, click here.

Obama Considered Prof by U of C Law School

More rubbish in the Democratic primary. Many have said that Obama wasn't a professor, only a lowly lecturer, despite his claims to the contrary. They claimed he was exaggerating his status with the prestigious school.

Apparently he wasn't.

Here is the press release given by the University of Chicago law school today:

The Law School has received many media requests about Barack Obama, especially about his status as "Senior Lecturer." From 1992 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004, Barack Obama served as a professor in the Law School. He was a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996. He was a Senior Lecturer from 1996 to 2004, during which time he taught three courses per year. Senior Lecturers are considered to be members of the Law School faculty and are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure-track. The title of Senior Lecturer is distinct from the title of Lecturer, which signifies adjunct status. Like Obama, each of the Law School's Senior Lecturers have high-demand careers in politics or public service, which prevent full-time teaching. Several times during his 12 years as a professor in the Law School, Obama was invited to join the faculty in a full-time tenure-track position, but he declined.

amonggiants tweets

• 09:27 I remember a dream every few months or so. Last night I was on an ABA basketball team coached by Richard Nixon. #
• 11:03 Clinton giving speech right now. Her people trying to make her look younger with a new hair syle. Bangs down rather than up. #
• 23:24 Soul rebels on magazine. Dope. Though dopes not cool this is cool. Corned beef ruled. #

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Now I'm going to post another on Obama.

Amen.

Many people are attributing a veritable lock on Barack Obama’s nomination, which seems to make sense but is not a foregone conclusion at this point. Regardless, I think it is fair to say that the Obama campaign has already had a substantially positive impact on American politics, insofar as it has created a space in which to draw out and talk about important nuances in the country’s political thought process.

Hearing self-professed conservatives like Andrew Bacevich and Douglas Kmiec talk about the potential that Obama brings to the table helps to counter-balance an all too pervasive perception about Conservatism and the state of American politics that is promoted and reinforced by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Anne Coulter. The unconventional tone of Obama's campaign finally allows some of the more level headed and intelligent proponents of the political right a chance to step around the outrageous and bitterly partisan discourse that has plagued American politics for so long and present a useful and, indeed, vital discussion about possible ways forward. There isn't another campaign out there that has contributed to this measured dialectic of views and values, which is greatly to merit, whether he in fact becomes the nominee or not, of Barack Obama, and to the benefit of Americans as a
whole.

That this dialogue is starting to occur at all lends weight to what Obama may be capable of achieving in the White House, and serves to undercut many of the "empty change" allegations leveled at his campaign.

ht: Letters in Bottles

Obama's Secret

White, liberal guilt? Not me. I just don't think he's as big of a shill--and that's largely because he has less experience in Washington. Look at what happened to Hillary after spending more time there (Not that she has much experience, either. The selling out of your idealism can happen very quickly, and it can happen to anyone.).

Not that Obama (or any Democrat) has my general election vote locked up. The longer that this primary mess goes on and the pettier it gets, the less I'm going to like the party and its candidates.

amonggiants tweets

• 19:22 Cajun music and art at noma. I love this state. #

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amonggiants tweets

• 21:30 Out in NOLA at the Maple Leaf with Letters in Bottles' Brad V to see Rebirth brass band. If you ever have a chance, see them. #
• 23:43 1 million wisconites here. Rebirth tearing it up. #

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Hillary Clinton, who cares?

Hillary said today that she would have left Obama's church.

GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday she would have left the church that Barack Obama attends if her minister had talked about America the way Obama's pastor has.

Clinton's comments to reporters marked a clear shift in her handling of the Obama church controversy, which she had generally avoided until now. Some Democrats see Obama's refusal to dissociate himself from the Chicago church and its recently retired minister, Jeremiah Wright, as his stickiest campaign challenge so far.

"I think that given all we have heard and seen, he would not have been my pastor," Clinton said at a news conference in Greensburg, Pa., after being asked if Obama should have left the church. She declined to say what Obama should have done, or whether the subject is now a legitimate topic for her appeals to Democratic superdelegates, the party leaders who will decide whether she or Obama will be the presidential nominee.

Question: Who gives a shit?

It isn't important how Hillary says she would have acted in this situation--and I would be saying the same thing if Clinton was in this situation and Obama suddenly decided to speak-up (formulating a position weeks after the fact).

This is like Obama in class, being asked the answer to a true/false questions, being told his answer is wrong--one beat, two beats, three beats passing--then Clinton chirping in with the other option.

This is not a question of health care or the Middle East, this is a question of how Obama handled and is handling this situation--whether you agree with him or not. It's an unimportant hypothetical, and I feel that I've heard Clinton side-stepping a question or two by saying how she doesn't like to speak in hypotheticals.

Like here and here and here. (Here is an article from Slate about how Obama doesn't dodge hypotheticals about topics that actually matter for a leader of our country. And this whole Wright thing--like some one running for the nomination of one of the two incredibly bland parties would really believe that America isn't great place or, even more unlikely, govern like that.)

My comments come in light of not her fallibility, but her credibility to not make things up.

In her speech last week, Mrs Clinton said: "I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base."

But a video clip played by CBS on Monday showed Mrs Clinton and Chelsea walking across the tarmac smiling and waving before stopping to shake hands with Bosnia's acting president and meet an eight-year-old girl.

This isn't misremembering, this is a case of "the make-ups" to improve the perceptions of her foreign policy commitment and experience.

amonggiants tweets

• 21:42 Watching Salt 'n Pepa at Orpheus. I've met all these people/was at these places. The wardrobe lady liked my hair. No Logan, yet, though. #
• 21:50 Sean Payton didn't send us pizza on our float! But WE didn't run out of beads. #

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Bill Simmons on the Milwaukee Bucks.

And, of course, it's hilarious:

I spent the weekend lounging around the Sports Guy Mansion, watching college basketball and waiting for the Milwaukee Bucks to contact me about their suddenly vacant GM job. You're not going to believe this, but they never did. And you know what? I can't spend the next few weeks checking my e-mails 300 times a day and jumping every time the phone rings waiting for the Bucks to come to their senses and interview the one guy who'd actually generate some interest in the franchise and kick-start dinner-table conversations across Wisconsin like this one:

"Hey, did you hear that the Bucks finally interviewed Simmons for their GM job?"

"Who's that?"

"Bill Simmons, the guy who writes the 'Sports Guy' column for ESPN."

"No, I know who Simmons is -- who are the Bucks?"

Just kidding. I'm almost positive that more Sconnies know about the Bucks than me. But if you're a Bucks fan, here's what should scare you a little:

(A) Not only are the 2008 Bucks headed for the lottery again, but there isn't a single player on their roster who could be the best player on a championship contender.

(B) If you're expecting the lottery to change things, know that there isn't a prospect in the 2008 draft who could be the best player on a championship contender with the possible exception of Michael Beasley (who has a little too much Glenn Robinson/Derrick Coleman in him for my liking).

(C) You can't sign a free agent who could be the best player on a championship contender because your previous GM killed your cap space for the rest of the decade.

(D) Of the available GM "candidates," there isn't a single one that could get their fans excited or even somewhat interested in any conceivable way.

(E) As tragic and depressing as this sounds, other than winning the 2008 lottery, framing LeBron James for a crime or bringing Don Nelson back to Milwaukee, the only realistic way that the Bucks could generate some local and mainstream buzz would be to make me a candidate.

Think about it. They interview me and "Bucks Interview Sports Columnist for GM Job" becomes a national story, not because it's me, but because it would lead to a weeklong debate about whether a sports columnist could successfully run an NBA team. Name me another realistic move that the Bucks could make right now that would crack the first 10 minutes on "PTI," generate 100 comments on a sports blog or lead a sports radio show. You can't.

Now here's why points A through E should scare you if you're a Bucks fan: If your team had a creative, enterprising, thinking-out-of-the-box bone in their lottery-ridden body, it would have jumped on my "candidacy" quickly and tried to milk a few weeks of P.R. out of it. Why?

BECAUSE IT'S THE ONLY WAY THEY WOULD EVER GET A CASUAL FAN REMOTELY INTERESTED IN THE DAY-TO-DAY PROCEEDINGS OF THE MILWAUKEE BUCKS!

They could have made me think I had a real chance at the job, put me through the interview process, added me to the final list of candidates, then given the position to someone else in the end. That's a savvy move, right? Throw in the one-in-a-thousand chance that I'd impress the hell out of them and somehow get the job and it's the proverbial no-brainer -- just to get their fans chattering, they should have contacted me and thrown my name in the mix, even if they didn't really mean it. That's why the average Bucks fan should be thinking to themselves right now, "Wow, we're such a mess right now that we couldn't even figure out how to cash in on some easy P.R."

Anyway, since the Bucks refuse to acknowledge my candidacy, it looks like I'm going to have to shift to Plan B: Openly and frequently torturing them. Stay tuned.

The Orpheus Parade

So, the parade I was in during Mardi Gras, Orpheus, will be on the Salt N Pepa Show tonight on VH1. 10/9c.

They filmed a bunch at the Captain's Party the night before. If you watch you may see a very underdressed Logan in the background. Look for the long-hair with the black hoodie.

Under Bush, Endangered Species Decline

Who benefits from this?

With little-noticed procedural and policy moves over several years, Bush administration officials have made it substantially more difficult to designate domestic animals and plants for protection under the Endangered Species Act.

[...]

Developers, farmers and other business interests frequently resist decisions on listing because they require a complex regulatory process that can make it difficult to develop land that is home to protected species.

Environmentalists have also sparred for years with federal officials over implementation of the law.

Nevertheless, Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton added an average of 58 and 62 species to the list each year, respectively.

One consequence is that the current administration has the most emergency listings, which are issued when a species is on the very brink of extinction.

And some species have vanished. The Lake Sammamish kokanee, a landlocked sockeye salmon, went extinct in 2001 after being denied an emergency listing, and genetically pure Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits disappeared last year after Interior declined to protect critical habitat for the species.

Administration officials -- who estimate that more than 280 domestic species should be on the list but have been "precluded" because of more pressing priorities -- do not dispute that they have moved slowly, but they dispute the reasons.

[...]

Bush officials say they are struggling to cope with an onslaught of litigation, but internal documents and several court rulings have revealed steps the administration has taken to make it harder, and slower, to approve listings.

[...]

In court cases, however, a number of judges have rejected decisions made by Hall's agency and have criticized its slow pace. On March 5, a U.S. district judge in Phoenix ordered Interior to redesignate bald eagles in Arizona's Sonoran Desert as threatened after the agency delisted the entire species last summer.

And I think it's very clear who does benefit. Because when governmental offices are bought rather than voted upon -- and they're all bought now -- we need to be honest with ourselves about who really holds the ear of our elected officials. When it comes to the economy, health care, or endangered species.