God's Own Drunk

Checking In

2007-08-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

So it's been a while since I did some blogging, but things have been hectic. I started a new job in June and have been working long hours, and the commute blows. And next week it's going to get a lot worse. They are completely shutting down about a mile of I-5 northbound in downtown Seattle between Spokane Street and I-90 for 19 days, 24/7. Unfortunately I live in West Seattle and work in Lynnwood, 22 miles north. The West Seattle Bridge enters I-5 right in the middle of that stretch so all of us West Seattle-ites will be taking alternate routes to work. Too bad the choices of routes are basically 2 one-lane surface streets and Highway 99, which will be slammed from all the people who commute from the south end into Seattle. This will be a nightmare, but what is really pissing me off is the flip comments and "suggestions" from our media and government officials. Her are some gems and my response to them-

*"Take a vacation during this period of construction" I'd love to, and I'm sure other people would too, however, most people don't get 3 fucking weeks of vacation, and even if they did probably don't want to use in all up in one chunk just to avoid traffic!

*"Take the bus" Well, I'd love to bus, even when there wasn't construction. Too bad we have such a shit public transportation system here, to commute by bus I have to leave my house over an hour earlier than I do now, make 3 transfers, get home an hour later than I do now, and pay $2.50 each way. So my incentive to bus it is to double my commute time while not saving any money in gas? Um, no thanks. And again, that scenario is when there is no construction.

From Mayor McCheese, Greg Nickles- "Just go to a Starbucks with your laptop, telecommute, and chill!" FUCK YOU NICKLES. Despite what you think, not everyone in Seattle works in the tech industry, and thousands of people do work in this city that requires them to physically be at their office or work site. I have to be at work to do my work. Period

Look, I'm all for safety and infrastructure improvement, but they really could have found a better way to get this done. And even if they couldn't, they don't have to be so goddamn flip about it.

(Belated) NHL Conference Finals Picks

2007-05-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

I know the Conference Finals started yesterday, but I got distracted and forgot to post my picks before the series started, so here they are a little late-

Ottawa Senators(4) vs. Buffalo Sabres(1)
Even though the Sabres lost game 1 at home yesterday, I'm picking them to win the series in 7 games. I'm making this pick mostly for one reason- goaltending. I just think Miller is going to be the difference over Emry. This should be a great series though, both these teams have multiple goal scorers, great speed, good depth and good coaching. Although I'm picking the Sabres, I wouldn't be shocked if the Sens won.

Detroit Red Wings(1) vs. Anaheim Ducks(2)
Although it pains me to say it, I think the Ducks win this series. They have rolled quickly through the playoffs, while the Wings have played 2 very physical series. The Ducks have a great mix of punishing physical play and speed and skill. And the Ducks goaltending has been awesome in the playoffs. I just think the Ducks are going to be too much for the Wings in a 7-game series. Buuuut.... Hasek has never lost a playoff series while playing in Detroit. Ok, never mind, Red Wings in 7.

The NBA is a Joke

2007-05-02T14:17:00.000-07:00

I don't know how people can watch this game anymore. I wrote last year about this time that the officiating ruins the game, and sure as shit, nothing has changed. I tried to watch a little of the Warriors/Mavs game last night in between watching a real sport (NHL playoffs). In a very close game, near the end of the 4th quarter, in Dallas, the refs called a 6th foul on the Warriors best player, Baron Davis. The "foul" they called was non-existent. The NBA is an insult to anyone who actually likes sports and wants the players to decide games. Every year I try and give the NBA playoffs a try, and every year I see something like I saw last night with a referee making calls that decide the game. I don't know if it's a conspiracy from the top, or if the refs are simply that incompetent and self centered, but either way, that's it for me. Fuck the NBA, I'm not watching it again.

In-Game Rangers Blogging

2007-04-25T17:54:00.000-07:00

Stay out of the fucking penalty box Rangers!!!!

It's the end of the 2nd period and the Rangers are down 3-0, after being tied through most of the 2nd. But they keep taking penalties! I think they've looked pretty good 5 on 5, but they've been on the penalty kill so much, they can't get any flow, and it's screwed up their line changes. Also, defenseman Rozsival is injured and gone for at least the rest of the game. The Sabres are a great team, and the Rangers have taken 5 penalties while the Sabres have only taken one. Hopefully, the Blueshirts can have a stellar 3rd period and come back in this game. If not, lets see some message-sending from Hollweg, Orr and Avery for game 2 on Friday.
LETS GO, RAN-GERS!

NHL Playoff Picks- Round 2!

2007-04-24T15:53:00.000-07:00

Well, the first round of the playoffs is over, and my Rangers were the only team to sweep. Went 7 for 8 in my picks in the 1st round, I really thought the Penguins would win, but in retrospect, I might have been expecting too much from a young team. On to my picks for the 2nd round beginning tomorrow, once again linking to Scott Burnside's breakdowns.

Eastern Conference
Buffalo Sabres (1) vs. New York Rangers (6)
This should be a really fun series. The Sabres are fast and skilled with good goaltending, the Rangers are a little slower but more skilled and have great goaltending. The Rangers need to avoid getting in trouble early, and if they can steal one of the first two games in Buffalo, they'll be in good shape. If the Rangers stars can score early, King Hendrick can carry them to victory. Rangers in 7.

New Jersey Devils (2) vs. Ottawa Senators (4)
The Sens really impressed me with the way they played the Pens in round 1. The first game they absolutely owned the Penguins everywhere on the ice, and they didn't let up for the rest of the series. The Devils had a little trouble with the talented scorers on Tampa Bay, but opportunistic goals and great goaltending gave them the win in the series. I'm tempted to pick the Senators, I think they have good depth and their stars stepped up in the last series. But, to be honest, I just can't pick against Brodeur. Devils in 7.

Western Conference
Detroit Red Wings (1) vs. San Jose Sharks (5)
I think this will be a fun series also (ok, I think all playoff hockey is fun). The Wings matched the Flames physical play last series, and have the skill to make things happen. I don't think the Sharks are quite skilled enough to match the skill of the Wings, and the Wings showed last series that they won't be knocked off their game by physical play. Goaltending on both ends is really, really good. I'll take the Red Wings in 7.

Anaheim Ducks (2) vs. Vancouver Canucks (3)
The Canucks are going to be tired going into this one, having just completed a 7 game series yesterday. The Ducks have the monster defensive tandem of Niedermayer and Pronger, plus some very good skill forwards. The Canucks have The Sedein twins, Naslund and Luongo in goal. I just think the Ducks are too deep and too good for the Canucks to beat. Ducks in 6.

1st Round NHL Playoff Picks- Western Conference

2007-04-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

Here are my picks for the West in the first round, again linking to Scott Burnside's analysis.

Detroit (1) vs. Calgary (8)
The Red Wings are in much better shape than they were last year going into the playoffs, and they have been at the top of the West all season. Meanwhile, the Flames barely made the playoffs. I'm looking for Pavel Datsyuk to play a monster playoffs to silence the critics on his past playoff performances. I think the Flames will probably win Game 3 at home, but that's it. Red Wings in 5.

Anahiem (2) vs. Minnesota (7)
I admit I haven't watched any Wild games this season, but I have watched the Ducks and they are dangerous. The Wild will have to stay out of the sin bin to have a chance. Neidermayer and Pronger on the point on the power play are just deadly. Ducks in 6.

Vancouver (3) vs. Dallas (6)
This should be a fun series. Both teams have stellar goalies, but the Stars Turco has struggled in the playoffs (not entirely his fault in my opinion- I've seen his team leave him out to hang in the past). On the other hand the great Luongo is in his first NHL playoffs. I'm taking the Canucks in 7.

Nashville (4) vs. San Jose (5)
This series should also be fun to watch. The Predators were fighting with the Red Wings all season for 1st in the West, and they have playoff monster Peter Forsberg. The Sharks have some very skilled players notably Big Joe Thorton and Jonathan Cheechoo. Both teams have two solid goalies that can be changed in if things aren't going well. I'm taking San Jose in 7.

The Best Time of Year has Arrived!

2007-04-09T14:43:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite time of year, the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Great high-energy games every day just as the weather starts getting nice makes everything around me look that much better. Right to my first round predictions and I'll be linking to Scott Burnside's predictions for ESPN (East today, West tomorrow)-

Eastern Conference

Buffalo Sabres (1) vs NY Islanders (8)
The Sabres have been hot all season, managing to win games during a stretch when they had a lot of players lost to injury. Meanwhile, the Islanders squeaked into the playoffs needing help from other teams on the last days of the season to get in. Add to that the superior speed of Buffalo and the fact that the Islanders starting star goalie is injured and I think the Isles are in trouble. Sabres in 5.

New Jersey Devils(2) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning(7)
The Bolts are a fast team that has some great goal scorers while the Devils are a defensively disciplined team who don't score much, but can make life miserable for offensive minded teams. The big difference maker here is NJ goalie Martin Brodeur. He's had an incredible year, and it's not unheard of for a hot goalie to steal a series by themselves (witness the Ducks Giegre single-handedly sweeping the talented Red Wings a few years ago). Devils in 6.

Atlanta Thrashers (3) vs NY Rangers (6)
The Rangers have played great hockey since the All-Star break, and they added some peices that are really helping this team be able to play 4 lines, getting production from 3 of them. Goalie Hendrik Lundvquist has been a stud in net. Meanwhile, the Thrashers have some good skill players, but are not as good as they seem. They should be the 5th seed based on points, but they won their weak division so get the 3 spot. The way the Rangers are playing, they win in 6 (and I am very biased as a huge Rangers fan).

Ottawa Senators (4) vs Pittsburgh Penguins (5)
This should be a really fun series. Both teams finished the season with 105 points. The Sens have the experience and the Pens have the youth. Both teams have solid goal tending. I didn't see many Sens games myself, so I'm not real familiar with their play personally, but I did watch lots of Pens games, and I have to go with them. Sid "the Kid", Malkin and Staal are 3 exciting young players who can make their own scoring chances and quickly take advantage of mistakes by the other team. Penguins in 7.

A "Real" Conservaitve

2007-03-29T22:07:00.000-07:00

And "real" is only in quotations because I think people who brand in absolutes are assholes, not because I was being smarmy. As usual, Andrew Sullivan succinctly sums up my political viewpoint in response to an emailer.

Like Sullivan, I am not a "pure" libertarian. I think government does have a place in a lot of spheres libertarians don't. However, I do agree that the basic principle of leaving citizens alone as much as possible is an ideal model to follow. A free society should be unsure of itself on its basic assumptions except the Golden Rule. Don't fuck with me and I won't fuck with you. And to me, "fucking with" has to be direct- if you hurt my feelings or make me uncomfortable with your ideas, cool. If your ideas then lead you to physically or legislatively impede what I want to do and I'm not directly harming you, fuck off.

Final Push for the Stanley Cup Playoffs!

2007-03-23T15:28:00.000-07:00

Long break from blogging, lots going on in my personal life, but I'm going to try and start posting more regularly again. Anyway, my Rangers are in the 7th spot in the East with 83 points right now with 8 games left in the regular season. The scary thing is there are only 6 points separating the 11th through 6th seeds, so this one is going to come down to the wire. The Rangers have been playing well recently, and as long as they can get in to the playoffs, I think they can go far.

A few thoughts/observations on the Rangers-

* Picking up Sean Avery was an excellent trade. He immediately added a toughness and edge the Rangers had lacked all season. I've been a fan of his since he was with Detroit, and seeing him antagonize opposing players, annoy goalies and draw penalties for my Blueshirts has been great. He just plays so tough and creates something almost every time he is on the ice.

* Goalie Henrik Lundqvist is awesome. He gives the Rangers a chance to win every night and should be considered in MVP talks. Unfortunately, he started off the season a little off, but has just played incredible in the 2nd half of the season.

* I am thrilled with the young talent on the team. Because of injuries, the Rangers have had to call up some kids, and they have responded well. It's nice to know the Rangers have some young talent for once, and will be able to continue to be good in the near future.

* Final note- the Rangers are a better team than their likely 7th or 8th seeding would imply. They got off to a slow start to the season, and have been playing catchup in the second half. However, their goalie has been playing great in the second half, and a hot goalie can steal a playoff series by himself. Also, I thought the biggest problem with the Rangers early in the year was team defense; they would be sloppy with the puck when on offense and give up a lot of odd-man breaks and if they got out of position on defense they ended up chasing the puck around the zone until they took a penalty or got scored on. The last couple months they have really fixed that part of their game. The Rangers also will be getting healthy heading into the playoffs- Brendan Shannahan came back to the team on Wednesday and was effective, and we should be getting Straka, Tyutin and Hossa back in time for the playoffs. And we now know the Rangers have some young depth if they do go down a few men in the playoffs. All in all, I like the Rangers chances in the playoffs (as long as they get in). I think they can skate with any team in the East, the only one that really scare me is Buffalo.

Go Rangers!

Too Dumb to Walk and Chew Gum at the Same Time?

2007-02-07T09:25:00.000-08:00

Don't worry, the government will protect you! State Senator Carl Kruger from New York wants to ban "using an MP3 player, cell phone, Blackberry or any other electronic device while crossing the street in either New York City or Buffalo." Besides being patently stupid and not really something that needs to be legislated, how is this even enforceable? Would people be required to remove any earpieces and Blue Tooth's prior to entering the cross-walk, or just turn off the banned devices? Just another example of a stupid politician trying to make stupid policy based on a non-problem. All in the name of safety and protecting us from ourselves of course.

Via: Andrew Sullivan

NHL Fun

2007-01-30T10:46:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm finally recovered from the mental trauma of my Seahawks losing to the Bears in a great game. I will now repeat the mantra I have said for 20+ years of being a Seahawks fan- "Wait until next year". (deep sigh). But with football almost over, my full attention can be focused on the NHL and my Rangers.

The Blueshirts are undefeated since the All Star break! Granted, that's only 2 games, but I'm all for a strong start to begin the 2nd half of the season. If the Rangers can pick up a good scoring center to play on the 2nd line with Shannahan and maybe a solid defenseman before the trade deadline, they should be able to make a nice run in the playoffs. They have good goaltending, a few dynamic stars, and a young core getting more and more experienced. Here's to a great 2nd half of the year. Hockey rules!

The Government Hates Sick People

2007-01-18T11:31:00.000-08:00

More evidence of Republicans principles of federalism. Because some asshats don't like weed, they are willing to do what it takes to deny sick people medicine. Medicine that is perfectly legal for these patients to have. California and Washington have both legalized medical marijuana, but the feds continue to pull raids on advocacy groups and people who supply sick people with the weed. Land of the free!

Divisionsal Playoff picks

2007-01-12T09:42:00.000-08:00

Well, I was 4-0 last week, but it's going to be tougher this week. 4 (hopefully) great games on followed by the season premier of 24. I will not leave my recliner this weekend except to refill my beer. On to the picks (home team in caps)

BALTIMORE over Indianapolis- I thought the Colts were lucky last week that the Chiefs couldn't adjust to their defense and couldn't capitalize on Colts mistakes. That won't happen with the Ravens. Manning sucks in January, looked off last week at home in a dome, and now has to go play outside against the (arguably) best defense in the league. Meanwhile, the Ravens offense has a strong running game and, unlike the Chiefs, a winner QB who will make them pay if they just stack 8 men in the box. I foresee another early exit for Payton "Cut-that-meat" Manning.

NEW ORLEANS over Philadelphia- Ok, I'm rooting for the Eagles, I've always liked them, but I don't see them beating a rested Saints team at home. They've gutted out some wins and Garcia has played way better than anyone could have expected, but they've also been taking a beating getting to this point. Meanwhile the Saints had the bye week, are playing at home and are a Cinderella story that most football fans will be rooting for. I have to pick the Saints.

Seattle over CHICAGO- Take this for what it's worth, I'm a die-hard Seahawks fan. HOWEVER, consider this- when these teams met last in a spanking by the Bears, the Seahawks were missing MVP Shaunn Alexander and Jerrammy Stevens who has been playing awesome the last few weeks. Also, Grossman was looking like a good quarterback at that point in the season. Now we have a Bears team that is 1)missing two big parts of their defense, Harris and Brown 2) a QB who has looked god-awful the last few weeks 3) a city with no confidence in said QB who will boo him as soon as he makes a bad pass of any kind and 4) has not played a game that means anything in a month. I'm not saying it will be easy, but if the Seahawks go in there and play a good game, they get the win. And I think they will be looking for revenge from the last game.

CHARGERS over New England- I'm a fan of the Pats and the Brady/Billichick team has a certain mystique in the playoffs, but the Chargers are just so good on both sides of the ball, I think their talent will be too much for the Pats. Unless they can confuse Rivers early and get some turnovers, LT will take over the game. I know Marty is like 5-12 in the playoffs and Billickick/Brady are 11-1, but the Pats have just lost too much talent this year, and the Chargers are solid on both sides of the ball.

Last week: 4-0

Seahawks vs. Dallas Wrap Up

2007-01-09T15:11:00.000-08:00

Ok, tell me there is no east coast media bias. After the Hawks won a nail-biter on Saturday, all the attention was on the Pats/Jets blow out, the Chiefs/Colts snoozer and what will become of Romo, Parcells, TO and the Cowboys. How about some love for the northwest team that won?

The consensus seems to be the Seahawks were lucky to win (and luck certainly had a part), but no attention is being given to the positives for the Seahawks and the fact they gutted out a tough win. For example-

*Despite having a guy who was a loan officer and one who was a hunting guide last week starting at cornerback and having to cover two elite receivers with a pro-bowl QB (what a joke that is) throwing, the Hawks defense allowed only one offensive touchdown.

*Jerramy Stevens- 5 catches, 77 yards, 2 TDS. Stevens has had a good stretch the last few weeks and is becoming a solid offensive weapon.

*Bobby Engram- 4 catches, 88 yards. Great game to keep the chains moving, at least 2 clutch 3rd down conversions. You're crazy if you don't think the Hawks missed Mr. 3rd Down during the long stretch when he was out with a thyroid problem.

*Return of the hustling chase-the-ball defense. Last year the Hawks lead the league in sacks and were up there in the rankings of points allowed. A lot of this was due to a bend-but-don't-break style. They would give up a big play here and there, but their constant pressure and aggressive pursuit of the ball carrier made the opposing teams pay. That style of play has seemed to return the last few weeks.

All this is to say, the Seahawks are a good team that won a tough game. Let's not forget, without the kick return TD by the Cowboys, they probably wouldn't have been in a position to botch the final field goal in the first place. Add that to a great stop by Lofa Tatupu on 3rd down to prevent a TD or first down and Babineaux making a great tackle to keep Romo out of the end zone and kept him from getting the first down, well that's pretty cool. Bottom line- the Seahawks made the plays that mattered and the Cowboys didn't. Give respect where respect is due.

Wild Card Weekend Picks

2007-01-05T10:12:00.000-08:00

Not a bad week for picks last week, and we are finally at the playoffs. Wooo! My Seahawks went out with a win, but boy did it cost them on defense. No delay, right to the picks (home team in CAPS)

INDIANAPOLIS over Kansas City- This should be an interesting game. The Colts defense can't stop anybody on the run, and the Chiefs don't have just any back, they have Larry Johnson. The only way the Colts can win this game is if Manning has a perfect game and they can limit the Chiefs time on the field. I'm picking the Colts only because they are undefeated at home this year. I expect the final score to be something retarded like 45-49.

SEATTLE over Dallas- Okay, my Hawks are decimated at the cornerback position. We will have a guy who was an INS agent last week and a guy who ran a hunting business covering TO and Terry Glenn. However, the Cowboys have looked terrible the last few weeks, the Seahawks look like they're finding their groove on offense and Tony Homo is a first-year QB in his first playoff game having to play on the road in the loudest stadium in the NFL. If the Hawks can get some pressure on Romo and disrupt the passing game, the injuries at corner should not have a big impact. Plus, Alexander missed a bunch of games this season, so he is nice and fresh. I expect him to have a huge day.

NEW ENGLAND over New Jersey Jets- Two average teams, two great coaches, one great QB. I give the edge to the team that has one a few Super Bowls playing at home. The Jets had a nice over-achieving year, but I don't see them beating Bilicheck this year, just not enough talent or experience.

PHILADELPHIA over New Jersey Giants- So I guess I'm picking all home teams. The Giants have looked off their game for weeks now, the players an fans aren't too thrilled with Coughlin, Tiki is a distraction with his retirement and Eli has no grace under pressure. Meanwhile, Garcia is playing great for the Eagles, their defense is solid and Westbrook can dominate games. I don't see the G-men going into Philly and winning this game.

Last week: 11-5
Regular season final: 154-102 (66.2%)

Why is Offense King in American Sports?

2007-01-03T10:44:00.000-08:00

Something has been bugging me for quite a while in the state of American sports. Why is offensive production the only thing leagues and, I guess, fans are interested in? Every time a league makes rule changes or equipment changes, it is always to the benefit of the offense and to increase scoring. I understand the arguments that scoring is exciting, and fans want to watch an exciting product, but I would argue that this focus on scoring/offense is beginning to destroy the games that make these changes.

For example, the NHL made a bunch of rule changes after their lockout to open up the ice and speed up the game, and for the most part I like the new rules. However, because of the tight calling of games, especially hooking calls, the opposite of what was intended often happens in games. Instead of speeding up the flow, you get a choppy game as every ticky-tack hook is called, stopping play. I like the idea of freeing up skaters to do their thing, but the defense should be able to at least make it tough on these wingers. Now the NHL has been considering making the nets larger for more goals. Sorry, but I'm not excited by more scoring when it's done artificially. You could have hockey scores look like NBA scores, just make the whole icing line the net! C'mon, it would be "exciting"! Really, they need to keep the integrity of the game. Some of the best games I've ever seen have been 1-0 games. Yeah, some of those are boring too, but if you're not entertained by two great goaltenders shutting down the opposing team, you have no pulse and are not a fan of the game.

Moving on to the NFL, the way they call pass interference is ridiculous. If a defender breathes on a receiver, flag and ball at the spot of the foul. They really need to let defenders defend, and they should change the PI call to a 15-yard penalty from line of scrimmage. That would at least alleviate the horror of having a numb-nuts ref throw a flag on a bullshit PI call costing your team 80 yards. Also, the protection of quarterbacks has gotten out of control. I understand protecting the most important player when he's in a defenseless position, but now players can only tackle him in the chest?!? No legs, and don't even sneeze at his head! Sorry, but if I'm a 275-pound linebacker, I have 2 choices when rushing the QB- play at full speed at the best of my ability OR hold back so I don't take the chance of a 15-yard personal foul if I can't stop my momentum in time to avoid bumping into the golden by. These are football players for Christ's sake, protect them from cheap shots, but not from actually playing the game. Or, we could make the NFL like backyard pickup- the defenders count to 5 alligators, at which point they are allowed to chase the QB, and he's down if the defender touches him with 2 hands.

Finally, the bitch-ass NBA. I have all kinds of problems with this league, mostly with officiating and the amount of time-outs the teams each get, but let's put those aside for the moment. The new ball introduced this year was partly put into play to increase scoring. In the NBA, when scores are regularly in the 80-100 point per team range, you need more scoring?!? Are you fucking kidding me? They've already eliminated traveling and carrying the ball, and any star that gets looked at funny when he's driving the net gets sent to the foul line for free throws. You're trying to tell me that the thing that really needs to be improved on to make this gutter-sport exciting is more baskets? You know, they could also lower the rim to 6 feet high and make it the diameter of a garbage can, that would increase scoring too.

The point is, give some love to the defense, and quit screwing with the integrity of my sports!

NFL Week 17 Picks

2006-12-29T16:27:00.000-08:00

Well, I had a good week last week, and my Seahawks almost beat the best team in the NFL. Hopefully they're getting things together for the playoffs. On to the picks, home team in caps.

Last week: 12-4
New Jersey Giants over WASHINGTON- As bad as the Giants have been playing, I have to think they'll win a desperate game against an average team. Run Tiki till he drops, and the G-men have this one.
PHILLY over Atlanta- Garcia has been great for the Eagles, and the Falcons have been falling apart.

BALTIMORE over Buffalo- The Ravens look great and should win at home to close out there season.

NEW ORLEANS over Carolina- The Saints have had a great year, and Carolina has been really disapointing.

HOUSTON over Cleveland- A real "who cares" game, so I'll take the home team.

DALLAS over Detroit- The Cowboys really have to win this one, they look terrible. Fortunately for them, they get to play the Lions.

Green Bay over CHICAGO- The Bears have nothing to play for, the Pack has to win to have a chance at the playoffs, and it could be Favre's last game.

KANSAS CITY over Jacksonville- The Jags are so up-and-down this year, and Arrowhead is a hard place to win.

INDIANAPOLIS over Miami- The Colts look like they're going out early in the playoffs, but I think they'll win over the Dolphins.

TENNESSEE over New England- All Vince Young does is win football games! Seriously, they're finishing at home and have been playing good ball. Also, the Pats know they're in the playoffs.

NEW JERSEY JETS over Oakland- The Jets can make the playoffs, and the Raiders obviously suck.

CINCINNATI over Pittsburgh- Just a hunch, I think the Bengals will win their closer at home with the Steelers only playing for pride.

Seattle over TAMPA BAY- Despite losing, my Hawks looked good last week. They have to get a win going into the playoffs though.

St. Louis over MINNESOTA- Rams are an ok team and the Vikings just suck. Have a nice long offseason Hutchinson!

SAN DIEGO over Arizona- Although it might be a letdown game for the Chargers with nothing to play for, they're still better than the Cardinals.

DENVER over San Francisco- The Niners made some strides thi year, but Denver is still playing to get into the playoffs.

Last week: 12-4
Season: 143-97

Things Not to Say When the Police Come to Arrest You

2006-12-22T14:46:00.000-08:00

It's really not going to help your innocent plea when you say this to the cops-

"What? I thought I stuck him like a pig," Marshall N. Byers, 28, of Monroe, was quoted by Snohomish County prosecutors as saying after he was arrested. "What do you mean he's alive?"

Also, if you're on the run, you probably shouldn't tell random truck stop clerks that fact.

NFL Picks Week 16

2006-12-21T10:00:00.000-08:00

Well, I made it back over .500 last week, but what a shitty week for my Seahawks. They'll still (probably) make the playoffs, but unless they quickly turn things around, they'll be a one-and-done team. On to the picks (home team in CAPS).

GREEN BAY over Minnesota- Farve in possibly his last game at Lambeau Field, are you kidding me? End of an era (if true). No way the Pack lose this game.

Kansas City over OAKLAND- My god the Raiders are bad. We're talking a whole new level of suckdom. Just high comedy this season.

Baltimore over PITTSBURGH- I'm not super confident in this pick, the Steelers have been playing pretty well, and the Ravens have clinched the division and might not be as up for this game as normal. They just look so good right now. I'm really hoping for a Ravens/Chargers AFC title game.

ATLANTA over Carolina- The Falcons win every other week and they lost last week. The Panthers have lost 4 straight. Vick will make the 1000 yards rushing mark in the 1st quarter.

Chicago over DETROIT- Actually, the Lions can win this game, the Bears have clinched everything and will probably mail it in. I just can't bring myself to actually pick the Lions to win.

Indianapolis over HOUSTON- The Colts still have something to play for, fighting it our for home field advantage, and they looked pretty sharp last week. The Texans could have had Reggie Bush, but don't.

New England over JACKSONVILLE- I have no idea what to think of the Jags. They look awesome one week, then get spanked the next. Meanwhile, the Pats will get into the playoffs with an amazing depleted team. Brady and Bilichick are awesome.

New Orleans over NEW JERSEY GIANTS- The Saints look really good despite their loss last week, and the Giants are really inconsistent. Also, I hate Eli Manning.

Tampa Bay over CLEVELAND- I sometimes forget the Browns exist. I never see any highlights, and I don't think I've actually seen them play a game in the last couple of years.

Tennessee over BUFFALO- All Vince Young does is win football games! (have you heard that enough?)

ST. LOUIS over Washington- Coin-toss game for me, neither of these teams is very good.

SAN FRANCISCO over Arizona- The Niners are feisty, but I'll be rooting for the Cardinals to take some pressure of my Seahawks.

DENVER over Cincinnati- The Bengals pretty much blew last week, and things won't be any easier at Mile High.

San Diego over SEATTLE- I hate to say this, but the way the Seahawks are playing, no way they beat LT and company. My family and I will be at the game in full force though!

DALLAS over Philly- I'm taking the Cowboys at home, but Garcia and the Eagles are looking good. I'd love to see the Eagles win out and win the division.

New Jersey Jets over MIAMI- 2 inconsistent teams playing. I predict either a blowout or a 10-13 game.

Last week: 9-7
Season: 131-93

NFL Picks Week 15

2006-12-14T11:00:00.000-08:00

I took a beating last week, 6-10, but Jesus what a bunch of weird games! The Jags made the Colts look like a high school team, the Pats get blanked by the Dolphins, the Chiefs got spanked at Arrowhead and my Seahawks lost in the desert. Who knows anymore..... on to the picks (home team in CAPS).

SEATTLE over San Francisco- I'm off to the game tonight, and we're expecting a windstorm for the ages here in Seattle, projected winds 70 MPH. I expect a steady dose of Alexander and Gore, but the Seahawks have to view this as a revenge game after losing to the Niners earlier.

Dallas over ATLANTA- I expect the Cowboys to bounce back against the inconsistent Falcons, but I didn't like the quit I saw in the Cowboys last week.

BALTIMORE over Cleveland- The Ravens might be the best team in football right now, close between them and the Chargers. They should beat the Browns as long as they don't fall into the trap game after the win on the road last week.

GREEN BAY over Detroit- Really, the Lions are just awful, and the Pack can play well, especially against bad teams. Big day for Favre.

NEW ENGLAND over Houston- I have to assume the Pats will bounce back after the spanking they took last week. They're at home in the cold against a Texas team.

Jacksonville over TENNESSEE- The Titans are much improved with Young at QB, but after the beating they applies to the Colts, I can see this being a letdown game for the Jags. I still think they'll win, but not by a lot.

Miami over BUFFALO- Miami's a good team, and if they had made the right call to start the season at QB, they would be challenging the Pats for the AFC East title.

New Jersey Jets over MINNESOTA- The Vikings just look terrible, and the Jets aren't that bad. Really, they're not.

NEW JERSEY GIANTS over Philadelphia- I'm rooting for the Eagles, but I think the Giants gained back some confidence last week, and they're at home.

CAROLINA over Pittsburgh- The Panthers are average, but the Steelers are having a bad year, and are pretty banged up.

CHICAGO over Tampa Bay- Grossman is back! It's the '85 Bears again! Nobody can stop the Bears! (sarcasm) The over-anointing of the Bears has come back after last week, but I do expect them to beat a pathetic Bucs team.

NEW ORLEANS over Washington- The Saints look really good. The Redskins, not so much.

DENVER over Arizona- Jay Cutler is 0-2, not the savior the Broncos were looking for. I still think they're better than the Cardinals though.

SAN DIEGO over Kansas City- The Chargers are just rolling right now, firing on all cylinders, and the Chiefs had the wind knocked out of them last week.

St. Louis over OAKLAND- This is just a guess, both these teams are having a terrible year.

Cinncinatti over INDIANAPOLIS- The Bengals have been playing really good the last few weeks, and their defense has really improved. Meanwhile, the Colts look like they're in free-fall. Of course, since I said that, Manning will have a 5 TD, 400-yard performance on Monday Night Football.

Last week: 6-10
Season:122-86

NFL Picks Week 14

2006-12-07T16:12:00.000-08:00

Well, I had an ok week last week, but some upsets screwed me up again. I really didn't thing the Titans had a chance over the Colts, and same goes for Browns over Chiefs. That's why they play the games. On to the picks (home team in CAPS).

Cleveland over PITTSBURGH- The Steelers are really banged up, and the Browns are just playing for fun. I probably won't watch much of the game tonight, I'm taping the NY Rangers game and will watch that after work.

Atlanta over TAMPA BAY- The Bucs just look sad on offense, and the Falcons seem to have righted the ship (for now at least).

KANSAS CITY over Baltimore- I think the Ravens are the better team over all, but the Chiefs play way better ball at home, and Arrowhead is a tough place to go to and win.

NEW JERSEY JETS over Buffalo- Surprisingly the Jets are not a half-bad team this year. Not surprisingly, the Bills are a bad team.

Indianapolis over JACKSONVILLE- This might be a wrong call, the Jags always seem to play the Colts really tough, and the Colts look quite a bit less than invincible right now. But, I have to err on the side of the good Manning brother.

DETROIT over Minnesota- I'm taking the home team, but who really cares about this game?

New England over MIAMI- The Dolphins looked like they might make a nice run at the end of the season, but they lost at home last week, and I don't think the Pats are an easier task for them than the Jags were.

DALLAS over New Orleans- This was a tough one, so I took the home team. I think the Cowboys D will give them the edge.

CAROLINA over New Jersey Giants- Can we quit calling Eli a good QB until he looks like one? I think Smith will win this one for the Panthers.

CINCINNATI over Oakland- It's the Raiders on the road. Not a tough call.

Philadelphia over WASHINGTON- Garcia looked pretty good last week and the Eagles still have a shot at the playoffs, I think they'll play a good game.

Tennesee over HOUSTON- The Titans are looking good since Young has taken over, and the Texans still suck.

SAN FRANCISCO over Green Bay- A steady dose of Gore plus Favre interceptions = Niners win.

Seattle over ARIZONA- The Seahawks are ready to make their stretch run, and the next to games will clinch another division title.

SAN DIEGO over Denver- A steady dose of LT plus Cutler turnovers = Chargers win.

Chicago over ST LOUIS- Despite how bad Grossman has looked, the Rams are in free fall right now. Da Bears will win another.

Last week: 9-7
Season: 116-76

King Prig is an Ignorant Liar

2006-12-06T10:29:00.000-08:00

The annoying Parents Television Council released another dumb-ass press statement. A couple of quibbles I have with Brent Bozell's quotes-

ÂNot a single major cable distributor offers an a la carte option for its own customers, which forces families to subsidize some of the most graphic content imaginable Â including rape, murder, torture, incest and even bestiality. All the while, cable prices continue to outstrip the rate of inflation by 3 to 1.Â

Families are not "forced" to subsidize anything. If you are not happy with cable options or prices, don't buy it.

ÂHe [FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell] claims his children are ÂshockedÂ at the idea of having to wait until 8:00 to watch a certain show, but where is his shock that the American families he is charged with protecting are left holding the bag to subsidize the cable industryÂs raunch?

Despite what King Prig and his group thinks, the FCC does not have jurisdiction over cable, only over the broadcast airways. McDowell is not charged with protecting anyone from cable content.

God I hate the PTC.

American academy of Pediatrics Hates Choice (and America)

2006-12-04T16:28:00.000-08:00

While I shouldn't be surprised, I am. The AAP wants the government to limit free speech from networks and advertisers to protect children from, well, everything. Won't someone please think of the children?!?!?

The linked story is just full of bizarre statements that show an appalling lack of respect for the individual and the responsibilities of parents-

** "Inappropriate advertising contributes to many kids' ills, from obesity to anorexia, to drinking booze and having sex too soon, and Congress should crack down on it, the American Academy of Pediatrics says"

So advertising is responsible for kids being both too fat and too thin? Neat trick.

** "The statement also is critical of alcohol ads that feature cartoonish animal characters;..."

I watch a lot of sports on TV where most alcohol ads are aired, and I can't think of any ads that feature cartoon animals, maybe I've just missed those ads.

** "These pervasive ads influence kids to demand poor food choices, and to think drinking is cool, sex is a recreational activity and anorexia is fashionable, the academy says."

The problem with this passage (besides the fact that I personally think drinking is cool and sex is a recreational activity) is the idea that because a kid "demands poor food choices" they are going to get what they want. Kids don't have money, parents do. I remember demanding things when I was a kid. I didn't often get them though.

** "limit commercial advertising to no more than 6 minutes per hour, a decrease of 50 percent;"

So they want government to limit what revenue private broadcasters can earn from their advertisers. Nice.

** "While hard scientific data linking advertising with children's health ills is lacking, Strasburger said there's compelling circumstantial evidence suggesting there's a connection."

That's great, lets pass laws that will affect billion-dollar businesses on no scientific data. Real good idea. And finally, my favorite quote from the article-

** ""I'm hopeful that policy-makers will listen," Linn said. Self-regulation in the food industry, without a nudge from government, won't work, she said."

It's not "self-regulation" if the government makes you do it! For Christ's sake the word "self" is right there! March on nanny state. This wouldn't bother me if I didn't think legislators will actually consider this garbage.

NFL Picks Week 13

2006-11-30T15:26:00.000-08:00

I've been slacking on the blogging, too busy. After going 8-8 in week 11, I returned to form with a 11-5 Week 12. Yea me! Anyway, on to the picks before the game starts! (home team in caps)

Baltimore over CINCINNATI- The Ravens look awesome right now, but the Bengals are desperate to win this game. It should be a good one, I can't wait to get off work!

ST. LOUIS over Arizona- The Rams are struggling, but even they should be able to beat the pathetic Cardinals.

Atlanta over WASHINGTON- Although the Redskins are showing a little life, I have to think the Falcons will bounce back after Vick's "dirty bird" tantrum last week.

Dallas over NEW JERSEY GIANTS- 2 teams heading in opposite directions. The Giants are falling apart, and since Romo took the helm, the Cowboys are looking pretty tough. Lets see if Gramatica is the answer to their kicking.

NEW ENGLAND over Detroit- The Pats looked good beating the Bears, and the Lions suck!

Indianapolis over TENNESSEE- Despite the Titans stunner win over the Giants, they can't roll with the older Manning.

MIAMI over Jacksonville- I think the Jags are looking awfully shaky, and the Dolphins are getting better week to week.

Kansas City over CLEVELAND- Larry Johnson will mow down the Browns. No love in Cleveland.

CHICAGO over Minnesota- The Vikings have just gone in the toilet after beating my Seahawks and the Bears are still a good team.

New Jersey Jets over GREEN BAY- Just a hunch, but I think this one can go either way.

San Diego over BUFFALO- The other LT should continue his amazing year against a sad Bills team.

NEW ORLEANS over San Francisco- The Saint are looking good this year, and I hope they can knock off the threatening Niners at home.

PITTSBURGH over Tampa Bay- Both teams are struggling, so I have to take the home team.

OAKLAND over Houston- See above.

Seattle over DENVER- The Broncos are starting a rookie on national TV, and the Seahawks are finally healthy and ready to make their stretch run. Plus, I think they'll want to make a statement after their embarrassing loss on the last Sunday night game they played.

Carolina over PHILADELPHIA- You have to fell sorry for Mcnabb, but Steve Smith and the Panthers won't.

Last week: 11-5
Season: 107-69

NFL Picks Week 11

2006-11-17T10:40:00.000-08:00

Well, I stayed at .500 for last week, but it's just a pain in the ass making picks recently. Atlanta lost to the Browns last week, the Dolphins are on a 2-game win streak, the Jags lost to the Texans and I just don't know who's really good anymore besides the obvious teams.

One note on my Seahawks- where's the respect from the national media? Our pro-bowl quarterback is out, the league MVP has missed 8 weeks, the offensive line has changed week to week do to injury, last years #1 receiver has been out for 4 weeks and the Seahawks are 6-3. This team is going to be a monster once they're healthy. And quite frankly, I don't think the "elite" teams could have withstood what the Seahawks have and kept winning. How many games do you think the Colts would win if Manning went down for a long stretch? That's what I thought. On to the picks (home team in CAPS)

BALTIMORE over Atlanta- After a couple of weeks of looking good, Vick and the Falcons looked bad the last 2 weeks. Add that to playing on the road against an excellent defense and a confident Ravens offence and I think the Falcons are cooked.

HOUSTON over Buffalo- 2 fairly bad teams, but the Texans have been improving, so I'll give them the nod at home.

Chicago over NEW JERSEY JETS- The Bears spanked a decent Giants team last week in Jersey, and I expect them to do the same against the Jets, assuming Grossman doesn't return to his Arizona-game form and take care of the ball.

NEW ORLEANS over Cincinnati- Both teams lost last week, but the Bengals defense blew a big lead and ended up giving up 49 points at home. The Bengals just seem to be headed in the wrong direction.

Indianapolis over DALLAS- God I hate the Cowboys, Bill Parcels and T.O. That team is like the perfect shit-storm for me, I can't wait until the inevitable implosion. Anyway, I'm not picking against the Colts as long as Manning is at the helm and it's still the regular season.

MIAMI over Minnesota- The Dolphins have looked good recently winning 2 straight, one of which was an upset of the Bears in Chicago. Meanwhile after upsetting my Seahawks a few weeks ago, the Vikings have lost 3 straight, and only one of those to a team with a winning record.

New England over GREEN BAY- I'm not real confident in this pick, the Pats are coming off 2 straight losses, and Favre and the Pack are looking better. But, I have to think Bilichik (sp?) and Brady simply won't let that team lose 3 in a row.

KANSAS CITY over Oakland- The return of Trent Green at home in Arrowhead against the Raiders. You do the math.

Pittsburgh over CLEVELAND- As bad as the Steelers started, they can still climb back into the playoff picture because of the mediocrity of records outside division leaders in the AFC. A win at Cleveland is a good way to start.

CAROLINA over St. Louis- The Panthers looked really sharp in the 2nd half on Monday, and if they can keep the Rams from scoring early, they should be able to knock out their 2nd win in a row.

PHILADELPHIA over Tennessee- The Titans play tough, but the Eagles seemed to right their ship last week and should win on Sunday.

Washington over TAMPA BAY- The Bucs offense looked terrible last week, but their defense still makes plays. I just think the Redskins are just good enough to pull this one out.

Detroit over ARIZONA- Just a guess, I have no idea with these 2 bottom feeders.

Seattle over SAN FRANCISCO- The Niners are playing better recently, but they can't hold my Seahawks down! Not with the MVP making a return!

San Diego over DENVER- The Chargers have some defensive problems right now, but who cares when you have the machine that is L.T.? I think this will be a shoot-out, and unless Plummer has a perfect game, the Broncos lose.

New Jersey Giants over JACKSONVILLE- The Jags don't seem to be able to play consistently, and I think the Giants will bounce back from last weeks loss, even though they're pretty banged up on defense.

Last week: 8-8
Season: 88-56

NFL Picks Week 10

2006-11-10T12:11:00.000-08:00

Well, I got back to .500 after a couple of bad week, but there have been some strange upsets the last few weeks. The Bears losing at home to Miami? The Lions beating the Falcons? Weird couple of weeks. On to the picks, home team in CAPS,

Baltimore over TENNESSEE- Baltimore is looking really good on defense, solid on offense and facing a rookie QB on a young team. Ravens roll.

INDIANAPOLIS over Buffalo- The Bills suck, and the Colts are coming home after a big win on the road. Look for Manning to have (another) huge game.

NEW JERSEY GIANTS over Chicago- Yes, I think the media darling Bears are going to lose 2 in a row. They've looked bad on offense the last few weeks, and the Giants have a pretty good defense.

ATLANTA over Cleveland- The Falcons are so up and down it's hard to know which team will show up, but I have to assume they can beat the lowly Browns at home.

MINNESOTA over Green Bay- After looking really good against the Seahawks, the Vikings got dismantled by the Pats, then lost to a pathetic Niners team. But who knows, they might beat the erratic Pack at home... I just don't know about this game.

JACKSONVILLE over Houston- The Jags beat the Titans handily last week, so I expect them to stay sharp at home over a bad Texans team too.

Kansas City over MIAMI- After a tough start, the Chiefs have been looking pretty good. Their defense is a little suspect, but the Dolphins aren't exactly a offensive powerhouse.

New Orleans over PITTSBURGH- I keep picking the Steelers and Big Ben keeps killing them. 2 teams headed in opposite directions right now, I think the Saints beat the Steelers at home (and yes, I am enjoying the Steelers collapse this season).

NEW ENGLAND over New Jersey Jets- Tough loss for the Pats last week, but I expect Brady to bounce back against a team quite a bit worse than the Colts.

San Diego over CINCINNATI- I like the Bengals, but I think they have a few too many flaws to beat what may be the best all-around team in the league right now.

DETROIT over San Francisco- Toss-up game with 2 bottom feeders, but I think Kitna has been putting up enough points to beat the Niners at home.

PHILADELPHIA over Washington- The Eagles coming off a bye week should be set to roll over what is a mediocre team at best.

Denver over OAKLAND- The Broncos are looking pretty sharp and the Raider suck. 'Nuff said.

Dallas over ARIZONA- The Cardinals look like they still haven't recovered from the heartbreaking loss to the Bears, and I think that even with all the drama, the Cowboys should be able to win.

SEATTLE over St. Louis- Biggest game of the year for my Seahawks, and I think they pull it off. It would be awesome to be sitting at 6-3 even with all the injuries we've suffered so far.

CAROLINA over Tampa Bay- The Panthers have been pretty inconsistent, but I expect them to win on MNF at home against an inferior team. But the Bucs have been lucky....

Last week: 7-7
Season:80-48

NFL Picks Week 9

2006-11-03T16:53:00.000-08:00

I'm on a downward slope the last few weeks, but there have been quite a few surprising games. I'll try and pick it back up. On to the picks (home team in caps)

Atlanta over DETROIT-Vick is playing great, the Falcons are rolling, and while Kitna is a fantasy stud, the Lions just can't seem to win a game.

BALTIMORE over Cincinnati- The Ravens looked good last week with Billick making the calls, the defense is still great and they're at home. Ochco Cinco will have to have a huge game for the Bengals to pull this one out.

Dallas over WASHINGTON- Romo looked good in his first start, and the Redskins are struggling. Portis might run big, but the Redskins are in trouble.

Green Bay over BUFFALO- Favre is having fun playing, Green is back and the Bills suck.

NEW JERSEY GIANTS over Houston- The G-men are looking good, they fixed their defense and the Texans kind of suck.

Kansas City over ST. LOUIS- I just don't think the Rams are that good, and after watching what Larry Johnson and Tony Gonzales did to my Seahawks last week, I think the Rams are in trouble.

CHICAGO over Miami- Da Bears are rolling and the Dolphins suck.

New Orleans over TAMPA BAY- Although this might be a trap game for the Saints, the Bucs are a couple of fluky plays from being winless. The Saints should bounce back from last week's loss.

JACKSONVILLE over Tennessee- I think the Jags will win at home, although the Titans have been playing teams pretty tough, and we don't know what Gerrard will do at the helm of the Jags offense.

Minnesota over SAN FRANCISCO- Although the Vikings got spanked on Monday, they are playing the Niners.

SAN DIEGO over Cleveland- The Chargers roll at home, and the Browns suck. LT will have his way with the Browns.

PITTSBURGH over Denver- I'm not real confident in this pick the way Big Ben has been playing, but I just thing the Steelers will win this must-win game at home.

NEW ENGLAND over Indianapolis- I take the Pats until the Colts show they can beat them. Plus, the Colts can't stop my mom from running the ball. Dillon will have a huge game, and if he doesn't, it will be because Brady took the Colts apart.

SEATTLE over Oakland- MNF at home, I think the injury-depleted Seahawks will win this one, even though they're missing a lot of key players.

Last week: 6-8
Season: 73-41

Iraq vs. Kerry's Muffed Joke

2006-11-02T10:50:00.000-08:00

Glenn Greenwald has an important post today about the military's report of the increasing chaos in Iraq being reported, the reaction of the Bush cultists, and the fact that this important report was largely ignored by the MSM. From the post-

Two weeks ago, Dick Cheney said (while visiting with Rush Limbaugh) that things in Iraq were going "remarkably well" -- the same thing we have been hearing for several years now from the administration and their most rabid and dishonest followers. Yesterday, The New York Times published a chart prepared by the United States Central Command which demonstrates precisely the opposite -- namely, that the situation in Iraq is steadily deteriorating, not improving, and is close to full-blown chaos (this report received little attention because the media was focused on the much more important matter of John Kerry's joke).

What's really depressing to me is the fact that the media plays right along with the right-wing noise machine. Bush, McCain, Rush, Hannity and friends willingly misconstrued the obvious intent of Kerry's botched joke, made a bunch of noise and statements about it and the MSM diligently reported it ad nauseum. Meanwhile, our military has a report that says Iraq is on the edge of chaos, and that gets very little play. We wouldn't want the voters to actually be informed about the Republicans failed war execution going into election day, would we?

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-31T12:50:00.000-08:00

Here's a list in no particular order of movies that scare the shit out of me, enjoy!

Poltergeist (1982) I saw this movie when I was 7 years old. I think my mom thought it would be ok for me since it's rated PG. I didn't sleep for a week. That movie still scares me.

The Evil Dead (1981) Gory, scary, creepy, this movie terrified me. I think I was in middle school when I first saw it, and it gave me nightmares. Especially the possessed demon in the basement. By the way, the two sequels are great too, but not nearly as scary.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) This is just a classic. The thought of a monster that gets you when you're asleep is just the ultimate scary premise. Most of the sequels sucked, but the original is awesome.

The Ring (2002) This movie is the last movie I can think of that really scared me. The premise is good, nice twist at the end and the evil girl is creepy as hell.

NFL Picks Week 8

2006-10-27T16:36:00.000-07:00

No picks last week, blogger went down when I tried. I've been a little sick, and super busy at work, so (as usual) light blogging. I'm coming off my worst week in picks (5-8) but I can't be totally blamed. KC beating San Diego, my Hawks losing their star QB, Houston beating Jacksonville, Tampa beating Philly? As Chris Berman says, "That's why they play the games." On to the picks (home team in caps).

GREEN BAY over Arizona- The Pack has been showing a little spark recently, and I think the Cards will not recover from the stomach-punch game against the Bears any time soon.

CINCINNATI over Atlanta- Vick had a great game last week, so he's due for a stinker this week. Plus, the Bengals are coming off a big home win against the Panthers, and should continue to roll.

NEW ORLEANS over Baltimore- This should be a good game, decent offense going against a great defense. I just don't see the Ravens putting up enough points on the road to win.

TENNESSEE over Houston- The Titans are playing tough in the last few weeks, and I think they'll edge out the Texans at home. I'm not real confident in this pick though.

PHILADELPHIA over Jacksonville- The Eagles will come back strong at home after the heart-breaking loss last week. After losing to the Texans, how good can we think the Jags really are? They're a mystery team.

KANSAS CITY over Seattle- As much as it pains me to say it, the Seahawks are in trouble this week. We're missing our starting QB and RB to injury, 3rd receiver to illness and starting guard to suspension. And playing at Arrowhead. This could be ugly. I'm just hoping the defense can win this one for us.

CHICAGO over San Francisco- Grossman will get his mojo back against a soft Niners D, and the Bears D won't give up many points.

NEW JERSEY GIANTS over Tampa Bay- The Bucs are a bad call and fluky field goal away from being 0-6. The G-men just slapped around Dallas on MNF. You do the math.

SAN DIEGO over St. Louis- The Chargers often look like the best team in the league, but have a knack for blowing big games (like last week). But they'll win at home over an average Rams team (and they better to keep my Seahawks in first in the division)

Indianapolis over DENVER- I have to pick the Colts until they lose, but this could be the game. Denver's a good team, and playing at Mile High is always tough.

New Jersey Jets over CLEVELAND- The Browns are just a bad team, and as long as they don't make mistakes, the Jets can hang with most teams in the league.

Pittsburg over OAKLAND- The Steelers are the best 2-4 team in the league! No way they lose against the Raiders, coached by a wax figure that looks suspiciously like Art Shell.

CAROLINA over Dallas- After the spanking the evil Parcels-led Cowboys got last week on MNF, I just know we're this close to the T.O. meltdown that destroys that team. I just can't wait!!!

MINNESOTA over New England- I'm not confident in this pick either, just because it's Brady and the Pats, but I watched the Vikings last week, and they play decent defense, have a good offensive line and a QB who knows how to manage a game and no make mistakes, so I'm taking the home team.

Last week: 5-8
Season: 67-33

Hockey Blogging

2006-10-14T15:47:00.000-07:00

It's almost time for Hockey Night in Canada, although I'll actually be watching the Rangers on Center Ice for the first game. By the way, Center Ice is the coolest shit on the planet. $149 gets you almost every game. If I only watched all the Rangers games, that averages out to paying $1.82 per game. And I watch a lot more games than that. It's the best deal around, I can't recommend the purchase enough.

My Blueshirts haven't looked good in the last 2 games. In Tuesday's loss against the Flyers, they didn't play for shit in the first half of the game, and looked really sluggish the whole game.

On Thursday's loss against the Penguins, they looked ok on offense, but I don't think their defense is quite there yet. They are missing Ozolinsh and Kasparaitis, but beyond that, they have given up too many position goals where Lundqvist is not able to do anything to stop a shot. The defense needs to stop allowing opposing players to gain position for easy one-timers and redirection shots.

One more note before I watch the games- I like most of the new rules, but the NHL really needs to relax the hooking calls. There are just too many penalties being called when a player barely touches another with his stick. I agree that the league needed to crack down on hooking, but they should limit the calls to when there is an actual pulling motion by the offending player, or when the victim of the hooking has his progress impeded. Not whenever a stick comes up to the midsection. I know some people who like the rule say the players just need to learn to keep their sticks on the ice, but come on. This is hockey! It should be physical and players should have to fight a little for position. Just my opinion. Go Rangers!

NFL Picks Week 6

2006-10-13T14:50:00.000-07:00

Busy week or so, didn't get last week's picks up because my internet was out last weekend. I've been super-busy at work, and went to the casino last weekend. I basically broke even, ahead if you discount drinks, dinner and cab ride. Not bad, 11 hours of fun and no money spent! On to the picks (home team in caps).

Buffalo over DETROIT- I'm not real confident in this pick, the Lions are due for a win. I do think the Bills are the better team though, but it's going to be a close game.

BALTIMORE over Carolina- The Ravens will win, they're coming off a tough loss on the road to their friendly turf, and will take their revenge on the Panthers for last week's loss.

Cincinnati over TAMPA BAY- The Bucs are struggling, and the Bengals got embarrassed last week. Revenge game is stamped all over this one. Watch for the Johnsons (Chad and Rudi) to both have huge games.

DALLAS over Houston- Another big game for a Cowboy's team coming off a big loss. After T.O.'s meltdown last week, watch for Parcell's to have spent the week figuring out how to protect Bledsoe. It helps that they get to play the lowly Texans (with the #1 draft pick on defense!)

ATLANTA over New Jersey Giants- I just hate the Giants, and the Falcons have had 2 weeks to prepare. Plus, the Giants defense has looked pretty soft, and won't have an answer for the Dunn/Vick 1-2 punch.

Philadelphia over NEW ORLEANS- The Eagles look sharp right now, and Westbrook is supposedly pretty healthy. The Saints are a lot better than I expected, but they won't be able to stand up to a resurgent Eagles team.

SEATTLE over St. Louis- Although my Seahawks are missing Alexander and maybe Engram, they've had 2 weeks to rest and prepare for the Rams, plus they need a statement game after being embarrassed on national TV by the Bears. Plus, I think the Rams are much worse than their 4-1 record would suggest. Remember, 3 of their wins are against the Packers, Lions and Cardinals, and they didn't look great against any of those bottom feeders.

WASHINGTON over Tennessee- Run Portis, RUN! As long as Brunell plays ok, this is a good team with Portis in the line-up. And the Titans have yet to show any spark this year.

PITTSBURG over Kansas City- The Steelers NEED a win, and I think they'll get one this week over a banged up Chiefs. Even though the Steelers are hurt on defense, Cower's system will keep the Chiefs in check, and Big Ben will finally have a big game.

NEW JERSEY JETS over Miami- The Dolphins just look like shit, and even though the Jets got spanked last week, if Pennington plays well, they're a decent team.

San Diego over SAN FRANCISCO- Assuming the Chargers don't underestimate the Niners, and don't play Marty-ball, the Charges should win this one handily. Remember, I said if.

DENVER over Oakland- Um, yeah. The Raiders might not win a game this season, they are God-awful.

Chicago over ARIZONA- Leinart says he's not worried about the Bears because he's been in big pressure games before. But, he hasn't seen the Bears defense before. I think he's going to have nightmares after this game.

Last week: 11-3 (you'll have to take my word for it)
Season: 45-15

The NHL is Back!

2006-10-04T09:19:00.001-07:00

I bought my NHL Center Ice package last night and am ready for another great season! I like the pick-ups my NY Rangers made, getting the great Brendan Shanahan and adding Aaron Ward. Shanahan and Jagr will each make their 600th goals this season, and my hopes are high that they will go far in the playoffs. The NHL is simply the best sport in the world to watch, too bad Americans just don't watch it enough!

The Libertarian Democrat?

2006-10-02T15:22:00.000-07:00

Kos has an interesting article at Cato analyzing the ways Democrats and libertarians can be allies. I tend to agree with most of his points, although I think he overstates the case, simply because the basic principles of the 2 groups are fundamentally opposed. It's a good read though.

Did Bush just call America the enemy?

2006-09-29T16:57:00.000-07:00

My God he's a fuck-up. From the linked story-

The classified National Intelligence Estimate, parts of which Bush declassified earlier this week, suggests the Iraq war has helped recruit more terrorists.
"Some have selectively quoted from this document to make the case that by fighting the terrorists -- by fighting them in Iraq -- we are making our people less secure here at home," Bush told the Reserve Officers Association. "This argument buys into the enemy's propaganda that the terrorists attack us because we're provoking them."

So the United State's National Intelligence estimate, that he partially de-classified is "enemy propaganda"?

NFL Picks Week 4

2006-09-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

Not much to say, but the Madden curse struck again, Shaun Alexander has a broken foot. Fortunately, it looks like he won't be out too long. I'm not to worried about my 'Hawks though- last year we lost our #1 receiver Darrell Jackson, and went 10-0 in the games without him. The Seahawks are just too good to be derailed by one missing piece of their offense. On to the picks, home team in caps.

ATLANTA over Arizona- The Falcons will return to their rushing ways against a struggling Cardinals team

Dallas over TENNESSEE- Why do I get the feeling that after last week's "suicide" attempt by T.O., he'll play and have 100+ yards?

Indianapolis over NEW JERSEY JETS- Indianapolis struggled last week, but I think their high-powered offense will bounce back and be too much for the J-E-T-S, JETS! JETS! JETS!

Miami over HOUSTON- I'm not real confident in this pick, the Dolphins just look too shaky on both sides of the ball, and you have to assume the Texans will win at least a couple of games. But I still think the 'Fins are better

BUFFALO over Minnesota- The Bills have been in the games they've played, and the Vikings have won through some luck. Look to the Bills to have a big game at home

CAROLINA over New Orleans- The Saints are coming off an emotional win at home, and the Panthers have Steve Smith back. The Saints get their first loss

BALTIMORE over San Diego- This is the Charger's first real test this season, and I think the Ravens will throw everything that killer D has at Rivers and get him rattled early.

KANSAS CITY over San Francisco- The Chiefs are struggling, good thing they play at home against a team with no D.

ST. LOUIS over Detroit- Another low confidence pick, I can't really figure either of these teams out. They both look pretty good for stretches, then look god-awful. So I picked the team that's actually won a game.

Cleveland over OAKLAND- I swear to god, I think the Raiders might not win a single game this year, they are god-awful. It will be fun to watch Randy Moss go even crazier than he already is as the season goes on.

Jacksonville over WASHINGTON- The Jags are tough, and I just don't see the mediocre Redskins beating them, unless Brunell has a perfect game, and Leftwich falls apart.

CINCINNATI over New England- The Bengals are rolling right now, and the Pats are starting a free-fall. You can't lose that many good players and remain competitive in the NFL.

Seattle over CHICAGO- You saw what the Seahawks did to the Giants, right? Look, the Bears have a great D, but they also have played Green Bay, Detroit and Minnesota. Those teams are not even close to the same league as the Seahawks offense. Add that to the Bears having an average (at best) offense going against a very good, healthy Seahawks D and I don't see Da Bears winning.

PHILADELPHIA over Green Bay- Green Bay sucks and Philly is good. End of story for Monday.

Last week: 11-3
Season: 34-12

Land of the Free!

2006-09-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

So New York wants to follow Chicago's nanny-state lead and ban restaurants from using trans fats in their cooking. That Stallone movie Demolition Man is looking less far-fetched every year. Paraphrasing Sandra Bullock's character- "Alcohol, tobacco, butter, salt, foul language and sex have been determined to be bad for you and therefore, illegal."

Why does government feel the need to interfere in our most basic choices?

NFL Picks Week 3

2006-09-22T10:17:00.000-07:00

Another light blogging week, work has been super busy with month end. Anyway, right to the picks (home team in caps).

Carolina over TAMPA BAY- Big divisional battle with one of these teams going 0-3. The Bucs QB Simms has looked god-awful in the first two games, and it looks like the Panthers pro-bowl receiver Smith will be back. Poor Bucs, they looked so promising before the season started.

Chicago over MINNESOTA- The Vikings won a couple of wacky games, but the Bears are just rolling right now... until next week when my Seahawks will come to the windy city to deliver them their first loss.

PITTSBURG over Cincinnati- The Bengals got banged up last week, and I think Big Ben will bounce back from last week's loss. It will be a close game though.

DETRIOT over Green Bay- The Packers just look awful, and the Lions D plays pretty tough with the pass rush.

INDIANAPOLIS over Jacksonville- The Jags are coming off a big emotional win with a short week. I just don't see them holding the Colts offense down enough to win.

New Jersey Jets over BUFFALO- Just a hunch, although the Bills have played pretty tough the first two weeks.

MIAMI over Tennessee- The Titans just look bad right now, and if Culpepper plays decent and doesn't make any bad decisions, the Dolphins should win handily.

WASHINGTON over Houston- See above, but substitute the Texans for the Titans and Brunell for Culpepper. Plus, Cliton Portis is back in the line-up, so that should give the Redskins a boost.

BALTIMORE over Cleveland- The Ravens look really good right now, but they've also only played two teams with no wins, this game will be the third. Next weeks game against the Chargers should show us how good the Ravens really are.

SEATTLE over New Jersey Giants- The Giants are coming off an emotional come-from-behind OT win, and returning to the thundering noise of Qwest Field, where they fell apart last year. Look to the Seahawks to get new receiver Branch involved early too. I'll be there screaming with the rest of the fans, Eli won't be able to hear himself think!

Philadelphia over SAN FRANCISCO- While the Niners are better than last year and playing teams tough, I think the Eagles will bounce back from their collapse last week.

St. Louis over ARIZONA- Again, just a hunch, I think the Rams are a little better than the Cardinals.

Denver over NEW ENGLAND- The Pats barely won their first two games, and I think Denver is on an upswing. The Pats are going to regret letting so many of their veterans go.

Atlanta over NEW ORLEANS- While the sentimental favorite will be the Saints playing their first home game, I don't think they have the talent to beat the Falcons the way they're playing (unless they knock Vick out of the game, which will happen to him one of these games the way he's been running).

Last week: 12-4
Season: 23-9

NFL Picks Week 2

2006-09-15T16:11:00.000-07:00

Light blogging (as in none) this week, been super-busy at work, and the CEO was in town, so too much on my plate. Anyway, on to the picks (home team in caps). My internet went down this weekend, so I didn't get this posted before the games, but I swear, I did no editing after the games were played.

MIAMI over Buffalo- I thought the Dolphins played a decent game last week. Remember, they were winning against the Super Bowl champs on the road into the 4th quarter, until Culpepper fell apart at the end. No way they lose at home to the Bills.

MINNESOTA over Carolina- The Panthers are a little too banged up, Delhome can't find any receiver except Smith, and they're on the road. Meanwhile, the Viking looked decent last week (although they were playing the Redskins, who I just don't think are very good).

CINCINNATI over Cleveland- The Browns suck, and the Bengals don't. I hope Chad Johnson does some fun stuff for their home opener.

CHICAGO over Detroit- Final score- Bears 5, Lions 3

INDIANAPOLIS over Houston- No brainer, the Texans suck, Colts don't (until the playoffs).

New Orleans over GREEN BAY- Last week was horrible for the Pack, and the Saints have improved into an average team. I think it will probably be a race to the bottom between the Raiders and Packers.

PHILADELPHIA over Giants- I think the Eagles are playing this season with a chip on their shoulders, and they looked pretty slick last week (I know, it was against the Texans). I think they will see this as a statement game, playing a good team at home, and a chance to make division rival start 0-2.

BALTIMORE over Oakland- Raiders are going 1-15 this year, and the Ravens will be good as long as McNaire stays healthy.

ATLANTA over Tampa Bay- I thought Simms looked terrible last week, and Vick and Dunn are a great 1-2 punch

SEATTLE over Arizona- Come on, it's my NFC Champs Seahawks against the perennial basement dweller of the West

St. Louis over SAN FRANCISCO- The Niners are a little better this year, but I still think the Rams will win (assuming they remember how to score a touchdown)

DENVER over Kansas City- Denver at home against a Chiefs unit without Trent Green. Unless Larry Johnson has hell of a game, the Chiefs are in trouble

New England over NEW JERSEY JETS- Pennington looked good last week, but I think Tom Brady is on a mission this year

SAN DIEGO over Tennesee- The Titans suck, and Tomlison can damn near win games by himself. I'm looking forward to seeing the Chargers play the Ravens in two weeks though, see how they hold up against a good team.

DALLAS over Washington- I just don't think the Redskins are very good, and Portis is not going to play, the Cowboys D will roll on the Skins

Pittsburg over JACKSONVILLE- Don't bet against the Super Bowl champs, plus the Jags are banged up defensively

Last week: 11-5
Season: 11-5

NFL Picks- Week 1

2006-09-08T14:12:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again, and man have I been jonesing! Pre-season just doesn't do it, it's like craving a Black Butte Porter and having to settle for a Miller High Life. Anyway, on to Week 1 picks (home team in caps).

Steelers v. Dolphins- Wow did Culpepper look bad in that game! Steelers D looked tough though, the Bengals are going to have a tough battle to win the AFC North

Atlanta over CAROLINA- The Panthers seem to be a favorite among the pundits to win the NFC title, and they'll beat Atlanta. Vick is an erratic quarterback (though fun to watch) and the Falcons have had shit for team chemistry before the season.

TAMPA BAY over Baltimore- At least the Ravens have a decent quarterback in McNaire (until he goes down for the season in Week 5). Both teams have good, though aging, defenses but the Bucs have the edge offensively.

NEW ENGLAND over Buffalo- Poor Bills. Quick, who's the QB? Brady will take them apart.

Cincinnati over KANSAS CITY- I'm not sure about this one, just because it's so hard to play at Arrowhead, but I think the Bengals are the better team, although their offseason trouble are a little worrisome. And I love watching Chad Johnson.

Denver over ST. LOUIS- Despite what Bill Simmons thinks, the Rams ain't that good, and Denver is a solid team. Hey Bill, there's a reason your bandwagon isn't crowded.

CLEVELAND over New Orleans- This was a coin-flip for me, 2 bad teams that improved themselves to possibly average in the offseason. So I went with the home team.

New Jersey Jets over TENNESSEE- I have no idea about this one either, both these teams look bad to me this year, but the Jets have had more recent success than the Titans.

Philadelphia over HOUSTON- The beginning of a long, painful season for the Texan fans who will all develop ulcers from obsessing that they didn't get Reggie Bush. Also, I'm picking the Eagles as my sleeper team, and they'll win the NFC East after the Dallas Parcels/T.O./Bledsoe shitstorm happens and the injury bug bites the Giants. Oh, and the Redskins are going 6-10.

Seattle over DETROIT- I know the Lions are supposed to be better, but come on, they're playing the NFC champs! Screw Peter King and Bill Simmons who both picked the Lions to win, both those guys freely admit they can't pick games!

Chicago over GREEN BAY- I'm already wincing thinking about that Bears D using Favre as a tackling dummy.

JACKSONVILLE over Dallas- Low scoring game, good defenses, I went with the home team. I've always hated the Cowboys, I've always hated Parcels, and I hope if nothing else, T.O. fucks up that team so bad, their recent playoff drought gets extended another 10 years.

ARIZONA over San Francisco- Battle of the Basement, but the Cardinals are better. It will be interesting to see James running behind the worst line in the NFL though.

Indianapolis over NEW JERSEY GIANTS- The Manning Bowl! Did you know they are brothers, and Archie Manning is their dad? Anyway, the Colts are the better team, and god I can't stand Eli. No way Peyton loses to his little brother on national TV.

WASHINGTON over Minnesota- The Vikings are a mess of a team, playing on the road. The patchwork team the Redskins have should be able to beat the the Vikings.

San Diego over OAKLAND- Wow the Raider looked bad last Thursday. My Seahawks had held them to 50 total yards by the half, and they were in danger of not breaking 100 in the game. LT will destroy them.

Go Seahawks! Step one on the path to the Super Bowl!

Bush Lied, What a Shocker

2006-09-07T09:34:00.000-07:00

Andrew Sullivan has a nice breakdown of Bush's speech here, here, and here. Good thing we have such a moral, upstanding Christian leader who can authorize torture and lie about it to our faces. WWJD?

As if I really need a reason....

2006-09-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

Modern Drunkard Magazine's "40 Rock-Solid Reason's to Get Drunk Tonight"

A couple for all the Bush-loving neocons out there-

13. Churchill and FDR got drunk, Hitler didn’t. So what are you, some kind of Nazi?

28. Al-Qaeda forbids drinking and since when did you start taking orders from Al-Qaeda?

Parents Television Council "Celebrity" Advisory Board

2006-09-06T15:07:00.000-07:00

Take a look at this photo array, and name one person who has been relevant in entertainment in at least the last 15 years, and I'll send you your very own copy of Pat Boone's metal album!*

The PTC annoys the living hell out of me, mostly because they are so disingenuous. Their stated goals sound fine-

"We are a nonpartisan organization that works with elected and appointed government officials to enforce broadcast decency standards. Most importantly, the PTC produces critical research and publications documenting the dramatic increase in sex, violence and profanity in entertainment. This information is provided free of charge so parents can make informed viewing choices for their own families.... The PTC agrees that parents have the greatest responsibility when it comes to monitoring the viewing habits of their children..."

However, their website and campaigns repeatedly target cable television (not covered by the FCC and not available unless you choose to pay for it), encourage the government to legislate to control cable as well as broadcast channels and complain that the industry solutions to parents concerns (parental controls, TV ratings and the V-chip) don't do enough to empower parents. Therefore, it must be the government's job to protect your kids for you. Who cares if millions of adults are deprived entertainment they want to see? Don't you know the children are watching?

*offer not valid anywhere, as I'm sure someone will claim that Cheryl Rhodes is an amazing cultural influence

Hypocritical weasel

2006-08-30T16:49:00.000-07:00

I heard Michael Medved yesterday questioning whether we should "spend millions of dollars and possibly ruin a man's career" for only lying under oath, referring to the prosecution of Scooter Libby in the Valerie Plame case. Seems to me, Medved and his ilk were really upset about Clinton lying about his blowjob, not the act itself. Remember how concerned those folks were about integrity and values, how they should be paramount in our public officials? Apparently those standards should be only held to Democrats.

To recap- Lying under oath about a blowjob is necessary to spend millions investigating and worth impeaching a president. Lying about blowing the cover of a CIA agent is not that big a deal. Good thing the Republicans are the ones who are "serious" about national security.

Bush vs. Ahmadinejad

2006-08-29T09:07:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't that debate be freaking AWESOME to see? Crazy anti-Israel/Allah-is-great/the-West-is-evil screeds, followed by Bush's platitudes, half-formed sentences and tough talk. I'd pay to watch that.

SuperBowl-bound Seahawks off to a weak start

2006-08-14T16:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the Seahawks sucked it up in their pre-season opener, but I honestly am not too worried. Jackson and Stevens didn't play on offense, and defense was missing Tubbs and Winstrom. I thought the 1st unit played sloppy, and for all the expectations, I was really disappointed to see the way Senaca Wallace played. But, it's a pre-season game so I'm not too worried about the players. What does disturb me is Mike Holmgren's play calling. On Wallace's first series, they called 3 straight runs, resulting in a 3-and-out. Huh? Wallace's first series and you don't let him throw? Then, end of the half, 4 seconds on the clock, 4th down and they send out the field goal team. WTF?!? It's a pre-season game, you're losing and our kicker can barely make a 55-yard field goal even if the snap is good (which it wasn't). Why not try out one of your desperation/4th down plays and see how it works instead of trying a long field goal? What's the downside?

Anyway, it was great being in the stadium again, I just love the atmosphere. I took my father-in-law to his first NFL game and he had a blast. It was cool seeing the NFC championship banner raised as well. Here's to a repeat!

"Freedom is on the march" (apparently away from here)

2006-07-12T08:31:00.000-07:00

Radley Balko has a nice nanny state and police state round-up. Land of the free and home of the brave!

Don't leave Thunderbirds!

2006-06-30T12:14:00.000-07:00

Say it ain't so! I love hockey, and living in Seattle since we don't have an NHL team, the Thunderbirds are my outlet for live hockey. Right now they play in Key Arena which is perfect for me since I can hop the bus in front of my home and a 10-minute ride drops me off at the arena. It's always been a perfect evening for me to bus down, grab a bite and cocktail at the sports bar then watch some fun hockey while downing a few beers, and the bus takes me right back home.

Now they're considering moving to Kent? So, to see live hockey I'll now have to drive 25+ minutes each way and not have beers during the game. Somehow I think I'll be at way fewer games when the move happens. Very sad. Thank god for NHL Center Ice.

Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter are batshit crazy

2006-06-30T11:38:00.000-07:00

I rarely actually watch Fox News, but I happened to come across Hannity & Colmes last night with Ann Coulter as a guest. I wish I could find a transcript, but trust me, these two are completely disconnected from reality. Coulter claimed that somehow the recent Supreme Court ruling about Gitmo detainees and putting some checks on presidential powers is a gross violation of the presidents wartime powers, and would lead to Congress insisting on consulting on troop movements. WTF? It amazes me to see the contorting these Bush ball-lickers go to to defend this administration's gross over-reaching of powers.

The question here in my mind, is that since Bush does not feel he is bound by the laws he signs from Congress (as witnessed by his insane amount of signing statements), will he feel bound to abide by a ruling from the Supreme Court? He obviously has no respect for the Constitution and our system of government and has repeatedly stated through these signing statements that ha can ignore one branch of government, so why not the other?

Fuck the NBA

2006-06-18T21:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, first off, I like watching basketball. I like the athleticism, the teamwork and the fast action. That being said, I HATE the refs, and I really hate the amount of time outs teams get. I just watched Game 5 of the playoffs, and the 5 minutes of overtime play took a half an hour to get through in real time. Really, each team gets 3 time outs for a 5 minute period? What a fucking joke. How about you just play the goddamn game?

This is why I just can't consistently watch the NBA. Every time the game is getting exciting with end to end action, they get to stop the game. "Oh, my teams not playing well, stop the game!" It's crap, and annoying as hell. Add the time out bullshit to the fact that the refs (ALL of them) completely suck ass, can't call the right player for a foul, can't call the rules correctly (like traveling), just guess who the ball goes out of bounds on and change the rules for the stars, and you have a product that is almost unwatchable for someone who enjoys the sport. Fuck the NBA.

And that being said, go Heat! And as us Sonics fans used to yell- "GP ARE YA WITH ME?!?!"

NHL Finals

2006-06-07T21:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, we moved offices and all my spare time has been taken up with hockey, boozin' and Hitman: Blood Money. Anyway, on to the Finals....

Before the series started, I picked the Oilers. They were the 8th seed in the West and knocked off every team that, on paper, were better than them. Goaltender Roloson played amazing throughout the playoffs, and the entire Oilers team played gritty, but skilled hockey.

Then, the Finals started. I thought the Oilers outplayed the Hurricanes through the first half of the game, then Carolina stormed back. After leading 3-0 in the 2nd period the Oilers gave up 4 unanswered goals. Roloson played great, but Cam Ward was amazing. The Oilers were pressuring and tied the game, then the nightmare happened. Roloson, Conn Smythe candidate, out for the Finals in Game 1. Oilers lose on a misplayed puck by an inexperienced goalie thrown into a tied Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals with less than 5 minutes left.

I just watched Game 2, and I have to say, although they were spanked, I thought the Oilers played well in the 1st period, and Markkanen played pretty good for a guy who hasn't seen game time in over 3 months. But Cam Ward was great again, and the Oilers just couldn't score. In my opinion, the reason the Oilers lost tonight was the fact that they wouldn't shoot on the power play. They looked aggressive to start the game, everyone taking shots, but on the power play, they just looked like they were looking for a "pretty" goal. You can say what you want about the goalie in a 5-0 loss, but if you want to be real, a goalie who makes 55 saves and loses a game 1-0 was AWESOME. Too bad his team didn't score. Carolina won Game 1 5-4, but both goaltenders were great. The Oilers failed to score tonight, so the loss is not all Markkanen's fault.

Anyway, I'm hoping the Oilers win both games at home, and that McTavish starts Conklin (he was the original backup for a reason [3-0 to close the season at the end of April; Markkanen hadn't played since March 1st]). He probably won't, but I think this Oilers team can come back. Go Oilers! Saturday, 5:00 Pacific, CBC and NBC (I recomend CBC).

NHL Conference Finals!!

2006-05-19T16:40:00.000-07:00

The conference finals are here! As we learned in the last 2 rounds, anything can happen, and I don't know shit. The Sharks/Oilers series was great fun to watch, and we have 2 mirror-matches to decide who gets a shot at the Cup.

Ducks vs. Oilers- both teams are getting great goaltending, both play similar styles of hockey, both were underdogs to start the playoffs (6th & 8th seeds respectively). Will the time off get the Ducks off to a slow start, or will the rest have them fresher than the Oilers coming of a bruising series with the Sharks? This series should be a physical battle from start to finish, but I'm picking the Oilers in 7. Roloson makes the difference, Pronger and Smythe are playing great, and it looks like Peca is heating up

Sabres vs. Hurricanes- another pair of teams whose style mirror each other with fast, skilled skating and solid goaltending. I haven't watched many Hurricane's games (screw Southern hockey), but what I have seen has been impressive. However, watching the Sabres beat the Senators, I have to say I'm impressed. Sabres in 6.

Bush(league) Immigration Speech

2006-05-16T12:33:00.000-07:00

I was listening to Bush's big immigration speech on the way home from work yesterday, and was struck by the total lack of leadership (not that I was that surprised). He obviously parts with his base on the immigration issue, yet didn't have the character to tell them where to stick their "deport 'em all" mentality, but he also doesn't embrace the Left's interests on immigration (worker's rights, path to citizenship, etc.). So instead, he gives a speech that high-lights his failures on this issue, inflamed his base and annoys his opponents as much as ever? This president never ceases to amaze me with the unmitigated incompetence that never seems to stop flowing.

Also, anyone else confused and concerned with the plan to put the National guard on the border to "help support" the INS? Why not provide more INS agents, more technical support and the support of local law enforcement rather than having the military operate domestically? By far, my favorite line in the speech was this one-

"It is important for Americans to know that we have enough Guard forces to win the war on terror, to respond to natural disasters, and to help secure our border."

Really? Because as far as I can tell, the "war on terror" is not exactly in it's "last throes" and the last natural disaster response was, to put it nicely, less than stellar. And now some of these soldiers are going to re-deployed doing back-up work for INS? Good, they should be in place just in time for hurricane season. Unfortunately, in the Southwest, not Southeast. Really, Bush is amazing in his delusions and contempt for the public's intelligence. Does he really still think he has any credibility with us?

Although, I have to admit to a small amount of admiration for a team that can so consistently piss off equally the left and the right simultaneously.

NHL Semifinals

2006-05-05T12:53:00.000-07:00

As we found out last round, anything can happen in the NHL playoffs. The western conference teams that made the 2nd round are the 5-8 seeds, who all knocked off their "betters". The east went a little more as expected, but after a wild first round, I'm salivating for the Semis that begin tonight. My picks for round 2-

WEST

Anaheim vs Colorado- Both teams have solid goaltending, and Theodore from the Avs looked stronger as the series with Dallas went on. Both teams have some veteran stars on their teams. I think Colorado has the edge in a deeper bench, and they've had some time to rest after beating Dallas in 5. The Ducks just played a tough 7-game series and are playing game 1 after 1 day off. Avalanche in 6 games.

San Jose vs Edmonton- I really haven't watched much of the Sharks this year, and only caught 1 playoff game, but they have Big Joe Thorton and Patrick Marleau who are playing great, and like the Avs, they've had some time to rest. However, I'm picking Edmonton right now just based on Roloson's play. If he plays like he did against Detroit, San Jose is in trouble. Oilers in 7.

EAST

Ottawa vs Buffalo- I have no idea, both these teams play a fast-paced skill game, both have solid goaltending. Coin toss, but I take the Senators in 7.

New Jersey vs Carolina- Tough call as well. Marty Broudouer makes the difference, Devils in 6.

My blogging comeback and the NHL

2006-05-01T16:23:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while since I wrote, and I'm going to try and start posting regularly again. In the meantime the greatest sporting event of the year is going on right now, the NHL playoffs. Pretty much all my spare time is spent watching games on the Center Ice Package or at my local bar, Rocksport. I just have a few things to say about the playoffs, and my picks (I know it's cheesy to make picks halfway into the first round, but too bad).

First I must say, I'm a huge Rangers fan and am bitterly disappointed in the way they ended their season- swept by the Devils, entering the playoffs on a 6-game losing streak, the league MVP getting injured in the first game, super-sloppy play in the playoffs. That being said, most sports analysts had picked the Rangers to finish around 30th out of 32, so overall I'm happy with their season.

Having not had a season last year, it has been a pleasure having it this year, and the playoffs are still even better than the regular season. I even bought the Center Ice package this year, and I highly recommend it, worth every penny. Because I had the package, I watched a lot of the "new rules" hockey, and overall like the changes in the game. The only bad rule is the goalie trapezoid area, I don't understand limiting a players skills. Minor complaint though. My only problem with the new rules is here in the playoffs. The refs have been instructed by the league to call the games as strictly (if not more) as the regular season. This is killing some of the intensity of previous years playoffs, when the refs tended to let a lot more go, the games were ferocious, and refs basically put their whistles away in close games. With the amount of penalties they are calling this playoffs, almost half the total goals scored have been on the power play. This kind of defeats the reason for most of the new rules, which was to speed up the game and make it more exciting and have better flow end to end. When teams are constantly playing their special teams lines, the game slows way down, and some of the best players are kept off the ice for long stretches. Kind of defeats the purpose of the new rules, don't ya think? Anyway, minor bitch, I'm just glad hockey is back.

My picks (and again, I know it's weak to pick more than halfway through the first round, but I'll be honest where I was wrong too)

EAST
Rangers vs. Devils- Besides being a fan, I had picked the Rangers over the Devils, I really didn't think NJ was very good. They sure have been hot the last few weeks though... (Devils 4-0 sweep)

hurricanes vs. Canadians- I picked the Canadians, mostly because I firmly believe there should be no hockey in the South, at least until Seattle has an NHL team (Carolina leads 3-2)

Sabers vs. Flyers- Picked Philly, I love Forseberg and Hatcher, good coach, solid goaltending. Too bad I didn't watch many Sabers games this season, I didn't realize how fast they are (Sabers lead 3-2)

Senators vs. Lightening- Picked Sens, so did everyone, Tampa was not a real threat (Senators win 4-1)

WEST

Red Wings vs. Oilers- I pick(ed?) the Red Wings, but they might be having flashbacks of a couple years ago right now, back when a Ducks goalie single-handedly beat the entire Red Wings team (JIGGY WITH IT). Roloson has looked amazing in this series, and has the Oilers in position to upset, but I'm sticking with the Wings (Oilers lead 3-2)

avalanche vs. Stars- I picked the Stars, even though I hate them and was rooting for the Avs. Fortunately, the Avs kicked Dallas's ass, Sakic is awesome (Avs win 4-1)

Flames vs. Ducks- I pick the Flames because I hate the Ducks (except Giegre [sp?]) and like Inginla and Simon on the Flames. Plus, you have to root for a Canadian team over an Anaheim team in hockey, right? (Flames lead 3-2)

Sharks vs. Predators- I picked the Sharks because they looked good when I watched them, and I hadn't seen a single Predators game. Also, see above, screw hockey in the South. (Sharks win 4-1)

New picks next week, more regular posting coming!

Schiavo & the "conservatives"

2005-03-24T11:37:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know the blogosphere is blowing up about this case, so I'll throw my 2 cents in.

The biggest problem I have in this case is the highjacked Republican party abandoning all their supposed base principles of federalism and states rights. Whatever your view on this particular case, the basic fact of the matter is that under our system, family disputes are settled in state court. That has happened over the course of many years. For the federal government to now intervene, led by the party that is supposed to be for states rights and limited federal powers, is truly depressing- and dangerous.

The fact is, there really is no "conservative" party anymore in the true sense of the word. The Republicans have shown themselves to be perfectly ok with federal intervention and "judicial activism" if it coincides with their beliefs (medical marijuana, indecency legislation, gay marriage, the list is long). I think there are going to be a lot of disenfranchised conservative Republicans who are unfortunately going to end up not voting at all soon. If you're a real conservative, and by that I mean a believer in limited government and a strong supporter of Constitutional restrictions on powers of the state, what party are you supposed to vote for? The Republicans have abandoned those values, and the Democrats never had them. I think this factor will become a major factor for Republicans in the near future.

Busy, busy!

2005-02-25T16:10:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the lack of posts, life has been hectic recently. I got a promotion at work, and it's the end of the month, so I'm learing a new job at the busiest possible time. Meanwhile, I'm working on my MBA degree, so yeah, I'm kind of busy! I'll try to get back into the blogging swing of things soon. Meanwhile, Radley Balko's blog has had some great posts recently on nanny laws and has been riling up some corners of blog land. Good times, good times.....

A Letter to the PTC

2005-02-16T12:45:00.000-08:00

You anti-American people disgust me. The only thing worse than nannies like you are the spineless politicians who kowtow to your kind. This legislation only gives the government more regulation on people’s freedoms. Your whole website is disingenuous, your tactics are dishonest, you obviously have no respect for the Constitution and you are morally bankrupt. All in the name of “the children”. The only thing that keeps me smiling when I read things like this is that technology will continue to stay ahead of you prudes. Let me reiterate- you disgust me.

Where there's smoke, there's.... politicians

2005-02-10T09:15:00.000-08:00

Here in the great state of Washington, legislators are following the nanny lead of California, New York and others and trying to ban smoking virtually everywhere. The fact that tobacco is still legal, businesses should be able to decide their own practices, employees can choose where to work and much of the "science" behind secondhand smoke health effects is flawed doesn't seem to matter much to politicians. From the linked article-

"Sen. Paull Shin, D-Edmonds, said the proposal was prompted by a group of fifth-graders from Terrace Park Elementary in Edmonds who said last year that they could smell smoke from people smoking around their school."

Well, lord knows, nobody is a better judge of how policy should work than freaking fifth graders! Are these people serious? Sadly, yes.

Damn right!

2005-02-08T15:01:00.000-08:00

Radley Balko's post for the Super Bowl here makes the point that Boston fan are NOT long-suffering, and should quit whining. Pertinent quote-

"Even before the Red Sox won the World Series, Boston had two Super Bowl victories. And before that, two Super Bowl appearances. Even brushing those aside, Boston had the little matter of sixteen NBA titles. Where in the world does the suffering come from? Because the Red Sox couldn't beat the Yankees?"

He goes on to propose that you can only be considered "long-suffering" with no titles in 30 years and no respect from the national media. Can you say Seattle boys and girls? I knew that you could. One title ever for our pro sports (and no, the WNBA title from last year does NOT count). And as well as the Sonics are doing, how often do you hear more than a score update about them?

NHL CBA

2005-02-08T13:44:00.000-08:00

Get your shit together NHL, or you may end up in the scrap heap of sports history with the folded ABA and AFL..... I NEED HOCKEY!!!!

Go Thunderbirds!

History repeating itself?

2005-02-02T07:24:00.000-08:00

My dad sent me this little nugget from 1967-

U.S. Encouraged by Vietnam Vote Officials Cite 83% Turnout Despite Vietcong Terror
by Peter Grose, Special to the New York Times
WASHINGTON, Sept. 3-- United States officials were surprised and heartened today at the size of turnout in South Vietnam's presidential election despite a Vietcong terrorist campaign to disrupt the voting.
According to reports from Saigon, 83 per cent of the 5.85 million registered voters cast their ballots yesterday. Many of them risked reprisals threatened by the Vietcong.
....A successful election has long been seen as the keystone in President Johnson's policy of encouraging the growth of constitutional processes in South Vietnam. The election was the culmination of a constitutional development that began in January, 1966, to which President Johnson gave his personal commitment when he met Premier Ky and General Thieu, the chief of state, in Honolulu in February.

Of course, we were in 'Nam 8 more years after this story came out. Hopefully, this was a history lesson learned by Bush and his crew.

King Prig misses the point.... again

2005-01-27T13:21:00.000-08:00

The Parents Television Council head honcho L. Brent Bozell, III has a new column upset that reporters don't give graphic enough descriptions of what is being complained about by his group to the FCC. He uses that, and the fact that newspapers refused to run ads like this in their paper as proof that the reporters know this stuff is indecent, and defend it anyway. He then calls this censorship.

"If the media are going to cover the decency debate, they need to do a better job of explaining exactly what the FCC is deciding. They should not have it both ways, implicitly or explicitly displaying their disdain for "censorship," and then censoring out the most controversial parts of televised raunch. Instead of being offered fair and thorough journalism, the American people have been cheated out of a complete understanding of the "censorship" controversy."

Hey moron, private publishers can choose what they want to publish or not publish. What your group wants is to have a government agency enforce restrictions on speech. That is censorship, the other is free market choice.

Save the NHL!!!!!

2005-01-27T09:29:00.000-08:00

The two sides are meeting, but time is running out to save the season. I think the players need to suck it up and give the owners what they want in this one, and fight the good fight a few years down the road when the health of the league is more solidified. The players aren't going to be making any money if the league folds, or if they are gone for a season or two and the fans don't come back. Especially in markets that hockey is relatively new, like the South, fan retention will be a problem. Don't kill the goose that lays the golden egg players! You'll still make good money, and you'll be remembered as the ones who saved the league. Just accept the leagues CBA proposal and give me my hockey back!

In the meantime, Go Thunderbirds! (Seattle's minor league hockey team)

Wait until they come for you...

2005-01-27T08:37:00.000-08:00

Radley Balko has a good article up at Fox about the erosion of our rights in the name of the drug war and DUI/DWI laws. Best quotes-

"The drug war has been eating at the Bill of Rights since its inception. Asset forfeiture laws, for example, allow law enforcement to seize the assets of suspected drug dealers before they're ever convicted of a crime. Even if the defendant is acquitted or the charges are dropped, the mere presence of an illicit substance in a car or home can mean the loss of the property, on the bizarre, novel legal principle that property can be guilty of a crime.
Thanks to mandatory minimum sentencing laws, a judge in Utah recently had no choice but to sentence a first-time marijuana dealer to 55 years in prison (he had a pistol strapped to his ankle during the one-time deal, though he never brandished it). Frustrated but hamstrung by drug laws, the judge in the case noted that just hours earlier, he had sentenced a convicted murderer to just 22 years for beating an elderly woman to death with a log."

and-

"the Court could allow "random sobriety checkpoints" in which cops stop motorists without probable cause and give them breath tests, a practice that would otherwise again violate the Fourth Amendment.
The Court has since ruled that the urgency of the drunken driving problem gives states the option to legislate away a motorist's Sixth Amendment (search) right to a jury trial and his Fifth Amendment (search) right against self-incrimination."

And from my wonderful state-

"The state of Washington just passed two laws remarkable in their disdain for everything our criminal justice system is supposed to represent. The first instructs juries in drunk driving cases to consider the evidence "in a light most favorable to the prosecution," an evidentiary standard that's unheard of anywhere else in criminal law. The second mandates that breath test evidence be admissible, no matter what even if the defense can prove that the breath test machine was broken, or jiggered toward higher readings."

But common sense and liberty will never prevail in the case of drug law, because any politician who comes out on the side of relaxing drug laws, or at least protecting our liberties from being violated in the name of the drug war, will be labeled as "soft on crime". Who cares if our rights are eroded, as long as those damn addicts are kept locked up! I just hope nobody accidentally leaves a joint in one of these legislators cars....

I want a political license plate!

2005-01-24T13:54:00.000-08:00

Actually, I don't. But I do think in this case if you're going to offer plates with one side of an issue, you have to offer the other side the same option. Otherwise, it's state-endorsed promotion of an agenda, which is clearly un-Constitutional. And I'm pretty sure the pro-lifers would go apeshit if you could buy license plates that said "Choose Aboriton" and the revenue of sales went to abortion clinics.

I've never understood the need to declare your religion/politics/musical tastes/etc. on the back of your car anyway. Especially controversial views. Do these people think anyone really cares that the person driving in front of you is pro-choice? That someone might be sitting in rush hour traffic behind your Darwin "fish" and think, "Gee, maybe I won't believe in Creationism anymore..."? I think the best bumper sticker I ever saw was the one that said "In case of the Rapture, this vehicle will be unoccupied". That person is awfully sure of their place in heaven! But it was nice of her to give warning I suppose....

I also think their should be a law that you can only have a personalized plate if it is 1) obvious what you're attempting to spell, and 2) that it makes sense. I hate trying to figure out the bizarre spelling of some plate, deciphering it, then having no idea what they mean. Just a pet peeve...

A wishy-washy win

2005-01-24T10:39:00.000-08:00

The Supreme Court decided not to intervene on behalf of Terri Schiavo's parents in their bid to keep her alive through the use of a feeding tube. However,the court declined to make any sort of comment on the case, which I find a little cowardly.

I still see it as a win for those of us on the "quality" side of the right-to-die/quality-of-life arguments. This woman has been in a vegetative state for 14 years. Shouldn't she be allowed to leave this life at some point? While there is some disagreement on whether it's even possible for her to improve, at what point do the efforts to keep her alive become cruel? I feel very sorry for her parents (who are fighting to keep her alive), but the quality of life for this woman is just depressing.

As an aside, one of the arguments the "pro-life-no-matter-what" crowd makes is that we should never hasten death, but allow it to occur naturally. Well, how natural is it to be kept alive for 14 years with a feeding tube? If you've seen any video of this woman, you know how depressing her life is. Shouldn't we allow nature to take it's course at some point?

So wrong...

2005-01-21T08:16:00.000-08:00

This verdict is wrong on soooo many levels. The parents of a girl paralyzed by a drunk driver successfully have sued the driver and the vendor for the stadium to the tune of $135 million. $75 million of that is the responsibility of the vendor to pay.

This is just wrong. The person who should be held responsible is the driver. Period. Anyone who has been to a pro sports game knows there is no way to control the drinking of fans. First of all, fans can drink before they even enter the stadium, giving them a head start on getting drunk. Secondly, there are multiple stands at a stadium. If one vendor tells me I appear too intoxicated to have another beer, I can try my luck at another stand. I can also go to a different stand each time I get a beer, so the server doesn't have any idea how many beers I had. Or, I can send my buddy to grab the beers. Or, stock up early and get lots of beers before the game. I went to the Seahawks/Cowboys Monday Night Football game this season, and because it was Monday, beer sales stopped at the end of halftime instead of the end of the third quarter. I still got pretty buzzed by drinking before the game, buying 2 beers before the game, 2 at the end of the first quarter, and 2 at halftime. I had a nice supply for the second half. Then, after the game, I TOOK A BUS HOME!!!

My point being, there isn't a lot the vendors can do to curb drunkenness at a game. And to hold a vendor responsible for the actions of a customer after they have left the establishment is simply asinine. I can also just imagine what kind of precedent this will set. Alcohol- The New Tobacco. Just think of all the things we can sue big alcohol for. Politicians can make political hay of this and big bucks for lawyers.

Great.

Goddamn queer cartoons....

2005-01-21T07:48:00.000-08:00

What the hell is wrong with these people? They spend entirely too much time worrying about the "gay agenda" and looking for evidence. I think it's a very strange obsession. Cartoons are going to brainwash your kid into being gay? Weird idea.....

The Onion on Iraq's elections

2005-01-19T11:08:00.000-08:00

"How are Iraqi citizens preparing for their Jan. 30th election?"

My favorite-

"Providing covering fire while friends run for office"

NOW they seal the borders....

2005-01-18T14:30:00.000-08:00

Last week I asked how Iraq can hold elections with the security problems there. Well, now there's more evidence that Iraq is not ready to hold legit elections. The AP reports that 3 candidates have been assassinated in the last couple of days. Favorite quote-

"With insurgents trying to ruin the election, officials announced that Iraq will seal its borders, extend a curfew and restrict movement to protect voters during the balloting. "

I seem to remember a whole lot of discussion not too long ago about the hordes of foreign fighters pouring across the borders to attack our troops. Apparently we just didn't think it was important to stop them. Of course, I'm being sarcastic, but the larger point stands; how can there possibly be legit elections in Iraq with the chaos that continues there? I think one of the most damning facts is this-

"Lieut. General Thomas Metz, the commander of U.S. ground forces, said last week that four of Iraq's 18 provinces remain too unsafe for many to vote. These insecure areas -- which include portions of Baghdad, Fallujah, Mosul and Saddam's hometown of Tikrit -- are home to as much as 40 percent of Iraq's population. "

Now, wouldn't that be like saying "Hey, 46 of America's 50 states are set to have an election. The states that won't be participating are California, New York, Texas and Florida. Sound good?"

The Left's racism

2005-01-14T15:25:00.000-08:00

The above link is from Michelle Malkin, a sample of the hate mail she receives. While I'm no fan of Malkin's, this kind of crap from the left really pisses me off. The thinking that all minorities should be liberal is plainly racist. The underlying thought behind that idea is that all people in a group think the same way. But would anyone ever suggest that a middle class, middle aged white Christian was a "sell-out" if they are liberal instead of Republican? Of course not, but that is the message of some people on the left toward minority conservatives.

Personally, I think a growing population of minority conservatives in our country is a sign of good things. It means that some minorities are moving towards the more admirable tenets of conservative thinking, namely self-reliance. When some people get to a point in society where they see the dogma of the left in regards to race as outdated, isn't that a good thing? Why should minority conservatives be castigated, just because they are conservatives and minorities at the same time? Certainly debate their ideas, but once you bring race into the argument as a factor, you're only revealing your own racism.

Are the left monsters?

2005-01-13T14:56:00.000-08:00

Douglas Kern at Tech Central seems to think so. His article (amusingly) points out that with lower birth rates than conservatives, lefties will die out without a way to replace their ideology. He then makes Bride of Frankenstein/Dracula analogies (immigration/brainwashing) for how lefties can reproduce.

The problem I have with Kern's premise is that he is against sending kids to "elite" lefty institutions to be schooled.

"every year, conservative families spend outrageous sums in order to send their smartest, most capable children to elite colleges, wherein radical leftists brainwash them into newly-minted blue-staters"

Ahhhh! The evil radical leftists with their horrible mind-bending abilities! Kern looks forward to the days that red-staters can send their kids to internet universities, community colleges and trade schools, and receive an education that is just as respected as a degree from a current 4-year college. Shouldn't college be a place where you are challenged? Why would he advocate sending your kid to a school that simply validates what you've been taught your whole lives? If "elites" ideas are so bad, why do the red-staters children succumb to them so easily? Brainwashing works on weak minds.

While the article is interesting, I think Kern's solution of further segregating people with different values is very bad for America.

The other quote I really hated was this stereotypical right-winger pap-

"...and in the red states generally - greatly outpace the reproduction rates of our over-educated latte-sipping superiors"

This "elites" and "over-educated" bullshit just drives me insane. The O'reillys and Hannitys of the right wing have actually decided to make being educated sound like an insult. What the fuck is wrong with their values if learning is something to be mocked? "Over-educated"?!? There's no such thing!

How can Iraq possibly have legit elections....

2005-01-13T13:29:00.000-08:00

when this is going on? I simply don't understand why the Bush administration is insisting on holding elections in January, when it is obvious to the most casual observer that the security and logistics are going to render any election results a joke. The international election observers are going to be observing from another country for Christ's sake!

Can he do that?

2005-01-13T13:13:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry, but I don't see how you can join the Army in the first place, and serve for nine years, and then decide you're a conscientious objector. I can see how actually being in combat might change your perspective on things, but I don't think you should be able to just refuse deployment after serving for nine years. The entire purpose of a military is to fight wars. You know that going in. You can't decide once you're in one that you don't like it and won't play anymore.

Billy Grahm's advice

2005-01-11T11:36:00.000-08:00

Just out of curiosity, why would anyone write to Grahm for advice? His advice is always the same, regardless of the problem- accept Jesus as your savior and do what the Bible says.

And for that matter, why do papers run his column? Are there people who actually read it every day, just to see what problem Grahm will "solve" by telling them to get right with Jesus? Seriously, in the last few days he has solved the problems of porn, a bad temper and drug use. All with the same advice. Really, who reads this?

Armstrong Williams scandal

2005-01-11T09:18:00.000-08:00

By now you've heard that Williams was a paid shill for the Bush administration. What I can't fathom is why the administration would feel the need to pay off a commentator in the first place! Right-wing radio is filled with hosts who pimp for Bush for free (Hannity, Rush, etc.). Why feel the need to pay off one of them, and for one specific issue?

Which begs a larger point- while Williams certainly should have disclosed his paid spokesman status when appearing on other news shows, is it really wrong to accept payment for promoting something you believe anyway? Why not get an extra paycheck for saying something you were going to anyway? However, as a "conservative", he probably should have turned down the money on principle- you know, waste of taxpayer money, big government, blah, blah, blah.

Sports blogging

2005-01-10T09:11:00.000-08:00

What a disappointing season. What a disappointing end. Once again, the Hawks couldn't get it done in the clutch. And to lose again to the Rams.... It's going to take a lot of booze to get over this season.

It's one thing when you know going into a season that your team kind of sucks. You're ready for it. You root for them anyways, but you kind of see the wins as a bonus, and you take losses with a grain of salt. But when your team is expected to be really good, when national sportswriters are picking your team to go to the Super Bowl, when you start 3-0, well, then it's really painful to watch your team fall apart. I've been going to Seahawks games for over 20 years. I can probably count on one hand the home games I've missed in the last 10 years. And it would be so nice to not finish a season saying "wait 'till next year, we have a really good core".

All the teams I was rooting for on Wild Card Weekend lost. Next weekend should be fun though.

But there is no NHL to take the edge off.

So..... Go Sonics!!

Why make fun of the South....

2005-01-10T09:02:00.000-08:00

When they're so good at lampooning themselves? My favorite quote-

""I've been a librarian for 40 years and this is the only book I've objected to so strongly that I wouldn't allow it to circulate," said Robert Willits, director of the Jackson-George Regional Library System..."

Really? Of all the books published in the last 40 years, the most offensive thing in any of them is fake nude pictures of the Supreme Court? REALLY?!?!

Update: The Library Board reveresed it's decision, America: The Book will now be available in libraries in Mississippi.

But everyone knows the undead are Democrats....

2005-01-07T13:09:00.000-08:00

Washington state governors race update- While the Democrat seems to have won, there have been many voting irregularities, including dead people voting. While in principle I want every vote counted and a fair election, I must admit some satisfaction in the Republicans having to be the ones challenging the election. Especially after they kept calling for the Democrats to concede when their boy was ahead. C'mon Republicans, just concede, accurate vote counts aren't that big a deal!

King Prig, acting a little defensive

2005-01-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

L. Brent Bozell, III, the head prude behind the Parents Television Council, felt the need to defend himself against a paper by CATO analyst Adam Theirer. Too bad that Mr. Bozell can't even defend himself without lying and mis-characterizing what was said about him. My favorite paragraph in an essay filled with defensive whining-

"Mr. Thierer believes that parental responsibility should be limited to keeping children away from those polluted airwaves. Does he also believe people should be allowed to put obscenities on their license plates and if parents don't approve they should just keep their children off the roads? If a drug dealer is peddling his wares in a school parking lot, is keeping the child out of school the only solution? Such is the incoherence of the libertarian thought process."

Well Mr. Bozo, while we can't put obscenities on license plates, we can have a license plate holder that says "THE PTC ARE COCKSMOKING BITCHES" and have a bumper sticker that says "FUCK OFF KING PRIG". But I'm sure in your ideal world, people would not be able to wear what they want, as well as not watch what they want. And the drug analogy is absolutely asinine; there is no Constitutional right to peddle dope, but there is one that guarantees freedom of expression.

What's good for the goose.....

2004-12-29T09:30:00.000-08:00

So here in Washington state, there has been a razor-thin margin in the governor's race. Republican Dino Rossi won at first count by 261 votes, later changed to 42 after a mandatory machine recount. Now, Democrat Christine Gregoire has won after a hand recount by 129 votes. And the Republicans are now crying foul and considering challenging the whole election.

These are the same Republicans who were calling for Democrats to just accept the election results a few weeks ago, when their guy had appeared to have won. You know, "move on, you're damaging the process, you're sore losers, you're trying to manipulate the election, etc." Now that the tables have turned, it's apparently in the interests of democracy and justice that we have more recounts, or toss out the entire election.

Not that it's any surprise. The Republican Party is the party of hypocrisy.

Football whining

2004-12-28T09:34:00.000-08:00

I'm just pissed after last night's Monday Night Football game- the Rams played against the Eagles, but with a playoff first-round-bye, and homefield advantage clinched, the Eagles had nothing to play for and held most of their starters off the field. Don't they know my Seahawks needed them to beat the Rams for us to clinch the division? Selfish bastards.

Meanwhile, I heard on ESPN's pregame show that the Falcons, who are basically in the same boat as the Eagles, are planning to start Michael Vick against the 'Hawks next Sunday. So the Rams get to play 2nd-stringers in their must-win game, but the Seahawks are going to have to face the best athlete in the NFL for our possible division-clinching game. That just sucks....

The only upside is that the Rams have to play a Jets team who is fighting for their playoff lives in the AFC next week, so maybe the Seahawks will have the division wrapped up before their game even start. Then it's the playoffs baby!

Christians vs..... well, nobody really

2004-12-23T09:41:00.000-08:00

Jullian Sanchez at Reason magazine has a wonderful deconstruction of the Christmas-under-attack, Christians-are-being-persecuted crowd. Money quote-

"So are we really seeing an unprecedented wave of hostility toward either Christmas or Christianity? Or is it, rather, that the waning of the cultural hegemony to which some Christians have come to feel entitled is perceived as an attack? Many of the most loudly trumpeted complaints in this vein are, after all, complaints about the absence of special treatment: no special spot for the Ten Commandments in the courthouse rotunda; no pride of place for Christmas among those happy winter holidays; no exceptions for the Christian charity.
Since "special rights" has been a term of aspersion among conservatives for decades, would-be theocrats have at least the decency to be too ashamed to demand them explicitly. Instead, they've learned the power of the victim narrative, of framing the debate to cast themselves as underdogs."

And-

"The stratagem is so perverse as to be almost admirable: Take a holiday associated with sentiments like peace and goodwill, mix in some well-intentioned attempts to acknowledge it in an inclusive way suited to a pluralistic society, and then use the combination to generate fear, divisiveness, and high ratings.... [W]e can all breathe a little easier knowing that the anti-Christmas "jihad" is no more real (sorry kids) than Santa Claus. Happy holidays."

To me, the problem in all the Christ-back-in-Christmas battles is the simple fact that government not putting the Baby Jesus on the town square is NOT a banning of religion, and not a precursor towards throwing Christians to the lions. It is simply keeping government OUT of religion. I think that is a good thing, not just because I resent religion having a strong voice in law-making, but because I think it soils religion to get down into the dirty world of politics.

Who's Drugs are Safer?

2004-12-23T08:19:00.000-08:00

Ok, so the Bush administration won't allow us to go up to Canada to purchase affordable prescription drugs. The reason Bush gives is that it is up to the American government to vouch for the safety of the drugs it allows its citizens to take. So, with the recent cases of Vioxx, Celebrex and Alieve, just how good a job is the FDA doing? For that matter, how much worse a job does Canada do than us at screening drugs for their citizens?

Everything is catasrophically good

2004-12-20T15:15:00.000-08:00

Doesn't the Bush administration remind you of that Saddam spokesman who was on the air during the Iraq invasion? You know, the guy who would say that the infidel Americans were being defeated by the Republican Gaurd, while you could see US tanks rolling into Baghdad behind him? Regarding Rumsfeld, Bush said today "...memembers of the Senate and the House will recognize what a good job he's doing" in response to the growing criticisms of the SoD. I know it's been written to death, but when are people going to become sick of hearing this blindly-push-on, everything-is-rosy rhetoric and demand some accountability?

Sports Blogging

2004-12-16T09:23:00.000-08:00

Just a few thoughts-

NHL LOCKOUT-

Being a huge hockey fan, this just kills me. Just as hockey was becoming more popular, and making inroads in the south with Tampa winning Lord Stanley's Cup, the CBA expired, and the NHLPA and owners have refused to come to a new agreement, costing us fans a season. Now, I usually side with players in labor disputes in professional sports; they're the ones who put their bodies on the line, they're the ones who bring in the fans and revenue, they should get the dough. But in this case, they players need to realize the reality- NHL teams are losing money, and cancelling a season only hurts the popularity of the sport. Hockey is already the least popular of the 4 major sports in the U.S.A. When the NHL is as popular and profitable as the NBA, then the players can have some bargaining power, but right now, they should suck it up, take the owners proposal, and keep the sport itself growing.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS-

They've given me fit this season, but they are in good position to make the playoffs. Unfortunately, with no run defense or pass rush, I think we'll have an early exit from the playoffs, but oh well. But here is a optimistically delusional scenario, courtesy of my Dad-
Philly finishes 15-1 BYE in 1st round
SEAHAWKS win out and finish 10-6 - win the division BYE in 1st round
ATL loses out against CARL/SEA/NO and wins division at 10-6 (Hawks have tie breaker)
MINN wins out against DET/G.B./WA and wins division at 10-6 (Hawks have tie breaker)
G.B. finishes 9-5 JAX-W/MINN-L/CHI-W - Wild Card
CARL wins out and finish 8-8 (ATL/TB/NO) - Wild Card
NFC 1st round CARL @ MINN? MINN wins
G.B. @ ATL ? G.B. wins
NFC 2ND roundG.B. @ Philly G.B wins (Philly is ready for a fall)
MINN @ SEA SEA wins (Hawks are finally hungry)
Championship GameG.B. @ SEA Hawks in the Superbowl as Holmgren delivers

Never say die!

SEATTLE SUPERSONICS-

They are playing really fun ball. Friday's game against Phoenix should be great. They are playing like a unit, playing good defense and making their shots. They seem to be having fun together, and assuming they stay healthy, could be the team to beat in the West. We'll see if they're still rolling in February, but for now, I'm enjoying the ride.

More "zero tolerance" nonsense

2004-12-08T15:04:00.000-08:00

Zero tolerance has been taken to retarded ends since it started, and here is just the latest example- An 8-year-old was caught and suspended for bringing what appeared to be jello shots to school. The mother is a bartender who makes jello shots at home to sell at the bar, and gave her daughter the jello to sell at school. They don't know if there was alcohol in them or not, but the zero tolerance policy includes a "lookalike" rule-

"The girl was suspended for violating school rules against possessing or trying to distribute a "lookalike," or something that appears to contain drugs or alcohol.
Under the lookalike rule, the girl's suspension will stand no matter what the sheriff's department finds.
"The school system's position is, it doesn't matter if it had alcohol in it or not," Nowakowski said."

So, this little girl can be suspended for bringing Jello to school. Ridiculous.

In addition, the school is requiring the girl to get a hair follicle test to check for drug use. I know there is a huge epidemic of 8-year-old crackheads out there, and we must get tough. But really, shouldn't there only be a punishment if the girl did, in fact, bring alcohol to school?

Sex ed and faith

2004-12-08T13:09:00.000-08:00

So, the AMA has shown that abstinence-only sex ed does not work, and have stated that public monies should be used on programs that are "evidence-based". Shouldn't that be common sense in a country that has separation of church and state? Of course, this puts the AMA at odds with the Bush administration, and the Christian right, who want to continue to fund failing programs, just because those programs teach their morality. Screw facts or effectiveness, we need to indoctrinate these kids with our distaste and hang-ups about sex. Who cares if the information in these abstinence programs is wrong, or if along with abstinence, they promote social arrangements and sexist stereotypes? As long as kids know that sex is wrong, deadly, and will ruin your life (unless done in a marriage, missionary-style, for procreation), who cares about facts.

This reminds me of the case of the girl who tried to have her birth control prescription refilled, and was refused by the pharmacist because she wasn't married. If you want to moralize, become a preacher, not a fucking pharmacist! I wonder if said pharmacist would refuse to fill a prescription for herpes medicine? You know, if the herpes victim hadn't been screwing around, they wouldn't have gotten herpes, they should suffer.

As a society, we really need to draw lines between faith, science and education.

Libertarian vs. Neocon

2004-11-18T08:27:00.000-08:00

Radley Balko, Cato analyst, Fox New Columnist and libertarian blogger has a great collection of predictions about the Iraq War from the architects of said war and libertarian writers. The first part of the piece is some internal fighting between libertarians, but the quotes about the war compiled is great. It is amazing to me just how wrong (or delusional) the Bush administration was leading up to the war. And the American people rewarded that wrongness with a second term. Amazing.

Mandatory minimums

2004-11-17T10:37:00.000-08:00

Here's just the latest example of just how screwed up our courts can be. Legislators really need to correct the problems with mandatory minimums, it is insane how we sentence first time offenders, and non-violent drug offenders. Judges are frustrated because they have no leeway to impose appropriate sentences that fit the crime. Prosecutors could be fair and charge people with lesser crimes, or ones that don't carry mandatory minimums, but then they are seen as "soft on crime", the cardinal sin for politicians. So, to keep their jobs, they prosecute, or offer plea deals, but rarely drop any charges, or amend them to fit a more fair penalty phase.

Accross the board, our policies in the drug war are insane and evil. The property siezures, the huge prison sentences, the anti-drug ads all are draconian responses to an un-winable war. Here in the "land of the free", we lock up more of our citizens than any other country, and around half of those prisoners are non-violent drug offenders. Money quote from the linked article-

"...Angelos, 25, will serve more time than rapists, murderers or airline hijackers -- and won't be eligible for release until he's 70."

For dealing pot and carrying a pistol.

I'll have a grilled Jesus sandwich, extra Jesus

2004-11-16T13:16:00.000-08:00

You've probably seen this story, but I just find it too funny not to mention. The Virgin Mary appeared in a grilled cheese sandwich- Bwahahahahaha! The Blessed Virgin, taking form once again on Earth as a lunch item! Hallelujah! My favorite part of the story is that the person has kept the holy sandwich for 10 years, but decided they wanted to "share it with the world", so they auctioned it on ebay. The highest bid was $22,000.00. God bless America, it's got to be the only country somebody could sell a 10-year-old sandwich for as much as a car.

A voice of reason from, well, Reason

2004-11-12T13:03:00.000-08:00

Brian Doherty makes a good case for the lefties to calm the hell down. Money quote-

"Even though Bush only pulled a 3 percent margin over Kerry, the winner-take-all aspect of our two-party system makes people feel, unjustly, that the values of the winner have swept the nation. But that isn't true.
More importantly, these results have little, ultimately, to do with the warp and woof of life as it is lived by actual Americans, as opposed to those who let their minds be violently colonized by TV news and radio and political blogs and magazines. The fact is, most Americans don't know much about public policy—which is ultimately a rational choice for them, not some sin, because most of them don't care that much about it, and usually couldn't do much to affect it on the individual level even if they did. "

Money quote II (after talking about a bunch of fun stuff he did recently)-

"Only in America? I don't know, but in America, yes, whoever is president. We are rich, richer than any people in history. (Yes, even most of our poor.) The possibilities of a joyful life are all around us. I say sincerely to people whose political ideologies I find sometimes horrifying: it's a damn shame to let something like the results of an election ruin your chance to enjoy the myriad possibilities of life—real life, not political life—in these United States."

Screw these people

2004-11-12T10:42:00.000-08:00

This whole attitude by some on the left of "If Bush wins, I'm moving out of the country" disgusts me. It's as stupid as the "America- love it or leave it" crowd. Just because the country is moving in a direction you don't personally like, does not mean you should give up on it. The pendulum swings, and one of the great things about our country is that the government is set up to be a self-correcting system. People like Barabara Mitchell just annoy the hell out of me with quotes like this-

""I'm profoundly saddened by the results of the election more than anything," she said from London. "I almost feel like an exile. I feel a disconnection with the vast majority of the geographical citizenship of the United States."

Well sorry Barbara, but that's bullshit. There were millions of Americans in the red states who voted for Kerry, and even ones who didn't share more common values with you than you'd care to admit. Real Americans stay and fight for what they believe in. These people should at least have the intellectual honesty to admit they have a problem with the American system in general. Almost every person in the linked article are planning to move to somewhat socialist countries. Overall, most Americans do not support that kind of government.

A wonderful view of North/South relations

2004-11-10T15:09:00.000-08:00

Really, too funny!

Thank god the election is over- now back to what's REALLY important!

2004-11-10T13:52:00.000-08:00

I only posted the link to have a reference, but come on! Who really gives a rat's ass about Laci Peterson, Michael Jackson, that Mormon chick, Kobe and Kate Faber, that other Mormon chick, etc. (beside their families of course)?

The fact that the media drools over these stories and gives us daily/hourly updates, dissect it all before charges are even brought, it's all just so... pathetic really. I just don't understand the interest- but maybe it's simply interest created by the media, I don't know. What I do know is that it is NOT NEWS! It is sensational bullshit that distracts the people from important matters. It's easy work for lazy journalists. It's mindless drama for bored housewives. And the "news" covers it more than they cover, say, Social Security reforms, senior drug benefits, the list goes on.

I know, I know, that stuff is BO-RING!

States rights? Conservatives? I think not...

2004-11-09T13:57:00.000-08:00

So, Bush and Ashcroft are appealing Oregon's "Death With Dignity Act". Now, anyone is free to correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't Republicans and conservatives supposed to be the big defenders of states rights? That's how they always campaign, yet somehow when elected, the principle changes to "the states should decide for themselves... unless they disagree with our positions".

For example, several states have passed measures legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes. Bush and Ashcroft's reaction has been to raid smoke houses, arrest cancer and AIDS patients and trample all over the laws that the states voters passed. Now, Ashcroft is appealing assisted suicide. But the best part is the grounds they are appealing on-

"At issue for the court now would be the bounds of a federal law declaring what drugs doctors may prescribe. Traditionally states, not the federal government, regulate medical practices."

So not only are they trampling on states rights, they are doing so on a technicality! It's the drugs they are worried about! How is this hypocrisy reconciled by the right? I would really like to know, but I am suspicious it would come down to "moral values", ie: life is good, and drugs are bad, mmmmmkay?

Of course, shouldn't that be up to the states to decide, my two-faced, hypocritical, arrogant Republican friends?

Teaching creationism....still?!?

2004-11-08T15:45:00.000-08:00

It's amazing to me that this discussion is still going on. I can't believe we are still in a country where people are trying to get belief taught as "science" or a valid theory in 2004. Can't we as a society all agree, there has to be valid evidence for something before it's taught in our schools?

What I would love to see is every religious group sue to have their creation myths all taught with equal time. Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Wiccans, New Agers and voodoo priests all get to have their religions myths get equal time with Christian creationism and evolution. That part of the curriculum could then take a month to get through. Fun!

Not to be an insensitive asshole but....

2004-11-08T11:39:00.000-08:00

How come 9/11 victims families receive so much money? I realize it was a unique tragic event, but the victims of say, the Oklahoma City bombing didn't receive this kind of cash (on average $3.1 million per/victim). The money is billions of dollars from government and insurance companies. This is not "free" money, it comes from somewhere, taxes or premiums. I just don't see how the poor survivors of 9/11 are entitled to any more money than the victim of a car jacker. Both people were robbed of their lives by a violent asshole(s); why is the person who was in the towers life worth more?

Will we pay the victims of the next attack this kind of cash when (if) it happens? Will we all pay more in insurance because of what it costs the insurance companies to prepare and save for these kinds of events? Can the survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing come back and ask for more dough from the government? Just something to think about.....

What the Democrats better do

2004-11-05T09:29:00.000-08:00

Now that the elections are over, and the Dems lost, they need to live up to their responsibilities as the counter-balance to the Republicans. With all 3 branches of government controlled by one party, the Dems absolutely must stand firm, and use the filibuster when necessary. They completely let us down after 9/11, rolling over on just about everything the Bush camp introduced. Doing so also put them in a weak position during the elections, trying to explain why Iraq, the Patriot Act, No Child Left Behind, etc. were bad ideas and wrong, and at the same time, explain why they voted for them.

The Dems must find their backbone now. No trying to be moderate, no trying to appeal to the swing voters for the mid-terms. Bush is going to appoint at least one Supreme Court Justice, and the Dems need to insure that he is not a neocon, far-right ideologue. Those choices are ones that effect the country for years, and the Dems have to vet the candidates well. They also need to really scrutinize what the Bushies try and do with the War on Terror, and in Iraq. I think they completely let us down and abdicated their responsibility. They need to return to the idea of being the loyal opposition, or our country is in trouble.

One more thing- this should be recognized by Republicans as well. One party government is never a good thing. A democracy needs checks and balances to work. If Republicans think it's grand to have won everything, just remember, you might not recognize your own country in a few years.