....

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Kucinich Decides to Waste Everyones Time

Article 1: Creating a secret propaganda campaign to manufacture a false case for war against Iraq.
Prove it. You can't.

Article 2: Falsely, Systematically, and with Criminal Intent Conflating the Attacks of September 11, 2001,
With Misrepresentation of Iraq as a Security Threat as Part of Fraudulent Justification for a War of Aggression.
Good luck proving criminal intent. It's not what you think you know, it's what you can prove.

Article 3: Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq Possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction,
to Manufacture a False Case for War.

That's funny. Would you like me to post some quotes of Democrats re: Saddam and WMD prior to 2002? The drumbeat for war and removal
of Saddam was going on long before Bush ever slept in the White House.

Article 4: Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq Posed an Imminent Threat to the United States.
See above. A fractured and inefficient intelligence community does not happen over night. Again, I can post numerous quotes from democrats
on this subject.

Article 5: Illegally Misspending Funds to Secretly Begin a War of Aggression.

A war approved by Congress you mean? That war?

Article 6: Invading Iraq in Violation of the Requirements of HJRes114.
It's a solid gold estimate that 99% of the idiots on FARK have never even read HJRES114.

Article 7: Invading Iraq without a declaration of war.
HJRES114 eliminated the requirement for declaration of war. IF this is an issue, then impeaching every member of Congress is required.

Article 8: Invading Iraq in violation of the U.N. charter and international law.
Nope.

Article 9: Failing to provide troops with body armor and vehicle armor.

Yes, because we all know the gutting of the military and intelligence budgets under Clinton were meant to help them and had no direct
bearing on our military capabilities afterwards. Let's impeach Clinton. Oh, wait we already did.....

Article 10: Falsifying accounts of US troop deaths.
What? Pat Tillman. Gee, you got me there. The military lied.
What about falsley accusing soldiers of murder only to see them fully acquitted. Can you say John Murtha and Haditha? Impeach him.

Article 11: Establishment of permanent bases in Iraq.
Not clear on the illegality of this. It's a reality of the war being prosecuted. HJRES114?

Article 12: Initiating a war against Iraq for control of that nation's national resources.

That certainly explains why we have +4.00/gallon here. All of the proceeds of Iraqs oil goes to Iraq.

Article 13: Creating a secret task force to guide our nation's energy and military policy.
Every president has had advisers in energy and military matters. The fact that you don't know what they say behind closed doors
doesn't make it illegal. It just means you're pissed because you aren't in the inner circle. Calling it a 'secret task force' only
give credence to your suspicions.

Article 14: Misuse and exposure of classified information and obstruction of justice regarding Valerie Plame.
Special Prosecutor, a Democrat no less, and several million dollars later, not a single indictment other than Scooter Libby lying to
cover his own ass.

Article 16: Wasting public funds on contracts to close associates, people guilty of government fraud, and awarding of no-bid contracts.
No Bid contracts have been a part of the government fabric since the Civil War. The only people who cry about them are the ones not getting
their perceived share of the pork. There is no question our government is prone to mismanagement and waste. Ask Harry Truman. IF this were
an impeachable offense, then we should have impeached Franklin Roosevelt.

Article 17: Unlawful detainment of prisoners indefinitely and without charge.
Articles of War. Read them.

Article 18: Secretly authorizing and encouraging the use of torture on prisoners in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Can't prove this, whether you think water boarding is torture or not.

Article 19: Rendition, or kidnapping people and extraditing them to other countries to perform torture.
See above.

Article 20: Imprisoning Children.
What? See above.

Article 21: Misleading Congress and the American People about threats from Iran with the goal of overthrowing the Iranian Government.
If you think Iran is NOT a threat, then you're just stupid or not paying attention.

Article 22: Creating "Secret Laws."
I have a Secret Law. But you can't know it and I can't enforce it because it's 'a secret'.

Article 23: Violation of the Posse Comitatus Act (using the military as a domestic police force).
The reality of war is harsh and makes this necessary. It has been violated in every war this country has ever fought. It doesn't make it right,
I merely state the fact.

Article 24: Warrantless spying on US citizens.
Legal. Sorry. Under the War Powers act, this is legal. Sucks, welcome to 2008.

Article 25: Having telecom companies create illegal database of email addresses and phone numbers.
Huh? You mean the same ones they already have and sell to the highest bidder routinely now? Impeach AT&T.

Article 26: Announcing the intent to violate laws with signing statements and then violating those laws.
Signing statements are a part of the government fabric and have been used by every president since Washington.

Article 27: Failing to comply with Congressional subpoenas and instructing former employees not to comply.
Tough. Firing District judges is the job of the Attorney General, not Dennis Kucinich.

Article 28: Tampering with free and fair elections.
Where? When? Don't give me that Diebold/Gore bullshit. If Democrats had followed the law in Florida and called for a recount of the entire state,
then the Supreme Court would not have sent it back to Florida to begin with because it never would have gone that far. The DNC tried to
re-write standing election law in Florida and was correctly denied by the US Supreme Court. Gore lost, get over it.

Article 29: Conspiracy to violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
This is complete nonsense.

Article 30: Misleading Congress and the American people in an attempt to destroy Medicare.
Destroy Medicare how? It's already, through decades of mismanagement, destroyed.

Article 31: Failure to adequately plan for Hurricane Katrina and failure to adequately respond to the civil emergency.
Clearly the Democratic led state government of Louisana and their decades of corruption, inefficiency and mismanagement is the
fault of George Bush.

Article 32: Misleading Congress and the American people and undermining efforts to address global climate change.
You mean that science where there is no concensus available? Not signing Kyoto? Why not blame Bush for the depletion of hydrogen on the sun?

Article 33: Repeatedly ignored and failed to respond to high-level intelligence warnings of planned terrorist attacks in
the US prior to 9/11.
Oh boy, this one is good. Hate to say it, B-B-B Clinton.....What was he doing? Oh yeah, I remember, he was moistening his cigars and
destroying tents with Tomahawks as his reasonable response, While also turning down repeated offers of Osamas head on a platter.

Article 34: Obstruction of the investigation into the attacks of 9/11.
You mean like stuffing documents into your pants? Let's ask Sandy Berger about this one, he's the expert on obstructing investigations. The 911 Committee would like to talk with him. What did this administration obstruct?

Article 35: Endangering the health of 9/11 first responders.
Yes, the release of dangerous toxic dust and chemicals into the air after the towers collapsed is clearly the fault of George W. Bush.

Friday, June 06, 2008

A Day to Remember the Greatest Generation

The landings

Airborne operations

The success of the amphibious landings depended on the establishment of a secure lodgment from which to expand the beachhead to allow the build up of a well-supplied force capable of breaking out. The amphibious forces were especially vulnerable to strong enemy counterattacks before the build up of sufficient forces in the beachhead could be accomplished. To slow or eliminate the enemy's ability to organize and launch counterattacks during this critical period, airborne operations were utilised to seize key objectives, such as bridges, road crossings, and terrain features, particularly on the eastern and western flanks of the landing areas. The airborne landings some distance behind the beaches were also intended to ease the egress of the amphibious forces off the beaches, and in some cases to neutralize German coastal defence batteries and more quickly expand the area of the beachhead. The U.S. 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions were assigned to objectives west of Utah Beach. The British 6th Airborne Division was assigned to similar objectives on the eastern flank. 500 Free French paratroopers from the British Special Air Service Brigade (S.A.S.) were assigned to objectives in Britanny from June 6 to August.

British airborne landings

Main article: Operation Tonga

East of the landing area, the open, flat, floodplain between the Orne and Dives Rivers was ideal for counterattacks by German armour. However, the landing area and floodplain were separated by the Orne River, which flowed northeast from Caen into the bay of the Seine. The only crossing of the Orne River north of Caen was 7 kilometres (4.5 mi) from the coast, near Bénouville and Ranville. For the Germans, the crossing provided the only route for a flanking attack on the beaches from the east. For the Allies, the crossing also was vital for any attack on Caen from the east.

The tactical objectives of the British 6th Airborne Division were (a) to capture intact the bridges of the Bénouville-Ranville crossing, (b) to defend the crossing against the inevitable armoured counter-attacks, (c) to destroy German artillery at the Merville battery, which threatened Sword Beach, and (d) to destroy five bridges over the Dives River to further restrict movement of ground forces from the east.

Airborne troops, mostly paratroopers of the 3rd and 5th Parachute Brigades, including the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, began landing after midnight, June 6 and immediately encountered elements of the German 716th Infantry Division. At dawn, the Battle Group von Luck of the 21st Panzer Division counterattacked from the south on both sides of the Orne River. By this time the paratroopers had established a defensive perimeter surrounding the bridgehead. Casualties were heavy on both sides, but the airborne troops held. Shortly after noon, they were reinforced by commandos of the 1st Special Service Brigade. By the end of D-Day, 6th Airborne had accomplished each of its objectives. For several days, both British and German forces took heavy casualties as they struggled for positions around the Orne bridgehead. For example, the German 346th Infantry Division broke through the eastern edge of the defensive line on June 10. Finally, British paratroopers overwhelmed entrenched panzergrenadiers in the Battle of Bréville on June 12. The Germans did not seriously threaten the bridgehead again. 6th Airborne remained on the line until it was evacuated in early September.

American airborne landings

Main article: American airborne landings in Normandy

US troops of the 3rd Armored Division examine a knocked out German Sturmgeschütz III with a dead German crewman on the gun barrel.

The U.S. 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, numbering 13,000 paratroopers and delivered by 12 troop carrier groups of the IX Troop Carrier Command, were less fortunate in quickly completing their main objectives. To achieve surprise, the drops were routed to approach Normandy from the west. Numerous factors affected their performance, but the primary one was the decision to make a massive parachute drop at night (a tactic not used again for the rest of the war). As a result, 45% of units were widely scattered and unable to rally. Efforts of the early wave of pathfinder teams to mark the landing zones were largely ineffective, and the Rebecca/Eureka transponding radar beacons used to guide in the waves of C-47 Skytrains to the drop zones were a flawed system.

Three regiments of 101st Airborne paratroopers were dropped first, between 00:48 and 01:40, followed by the 82nd Airborne's drops between 01:51 and 02:42. Each operation involved approximately 400 C-47 aircraft. Two pre-dawn glider landings brought in anti-tank guns and support troops for each division. On the evening of D-Day two additional glider landings brought in two battalions of artillery and 24 howitzers to the 82nd Airborne. Additional glider operations on June 7 delivered the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment to the 82nd Airborne, and two large supply parachute drops that date were ineffective.

After 24 hours, only 2,500 troops of the 101st and 2,000 of the 82nd were under the control of their divisions, approximating a third of the force dropped. The dispersal of the American airborne troops, however, had the effect of confusing the Germans and fragmenting their response. In addition, the Germans' defensive flooding, in the early stages, also helped to protect the Americans' southern flank.

Paratroopers continued to roam and fight behind enemy lines for days. Many consolidated into small groups, rallied with NCOs or junior officers, and usually were a hodgepodge of men from different companies, battalions, regiments, or even divisions. The 82nd occupied the town of Sainte-Mère-Église early in the morning of June 6, giving it the claim of the first town liberated in the invasion.

Amphibious landings

Sword Beach

Main article: Sword Beach

British troops take cover after landing on Sword Beach.

The assault on Sword Beach began at about 03:00 with an aerial bombardment of the German coastal defences and artillery sites. The naval bombardment began a few hours later. At 07:30, the first units reached the beach. These were the DD tanks of 13th/18th Hussars followed closely by the infantry of 8th Brigade.

On Sword Beach, the regular British infantry came ashore with light casualties. They had advanced about 8 kilometres (5 mi) by the end of the day but failed to make some of the deliberately ambitious targets set by Montgomery. In particular, Caen, a major objective, was still in German hands by the end of D-Day, and would remain so until the Battle for Caen, August 8.

1st Special Service Brigade, under the command of Brigadier The Lord Lovat DSO, MC, went ashore in the second wave led by No.4 Commando with the two French Troops first, as agreed amongst themselves. The 1st Special Service Brigade's landing is famous for having been led by Piper Bill Millin. The British and French of No.4 Commando had separate targets in Ouistreham: the French a blockhouse and the Casino, and the two German batteries which overlooked the beach. The blockhouse proved too strong for the Commandos' PIAT (Projector Infantry Anti Tank) weapons, but the Casino was taken with the aid of a Centaur tank. The British Commandos achieved both battery objectives only to find the gun mounts empty and the guns removed. Leaving the mopping-up procedure to the infantry, the Commandos withdrew from Ouistreham to join the other units of their brigade (Nos.3, 6 and 45), moving inland to join-up with the 6th Airborne Division.

Juno Beach

Main article: Juno Beach

The Canadian forces that landed on Juno Beach faced 11 heavy batteries of 155 mm guns and 9 medium batteries of 75 mm guns, as well as machine-gun nests, pillboxes, other concrete fortifications, and a seawall twice the height of the one at Omaha Beach. The first wave suffered 50% casualties, the second highest of the five D-Day beachheads. The use of armour was successful at Juno, in some instances actually landing ahead of the infantry as intended and helping clear a path inland.^[15]

Personnel of Royal Canadian Navy Beach Commando "W" landing on Mike Beach, Juno sector of the Normandy beachhead. June 6, 1944.

Despite the obstacles, the Canadians were off the beach within hours and beginning their advance inland. The 6th Canadian Armoured Regiment (1st Hussars) and The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada achieved their June 6 objectives, when they crossed the Caen–Bayeux highway over 15 kilometres (9 mi) inland.^[16] The Canadians were the only units to reach their D-Day objectives, although most units fell back a few kilometres to stronger defensive positions. In particular, the Douvres Radar Station was still in German hands, and no link had been established with Sword Beach.

By the end of D-Day, 15,000 Canadians had been successfully landed, and the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division had penetrated further into France than any other Allied force, despite having faced strong resistance at the water's edge and later counterattacks on the beachhead by elements of the German 21st and 12th SS Hitlerjugend Panzer divisions on June 7 and June 8.

Gold Beach

Main article: Gold Beach

At Gold Beach, the casualties were also quite heavy, partly because the swimming Sherman DD tanks were delayed, and the Germans had strongly fortified a village on the beach. However, the 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division overcame these difficulties and advanced almost to the outskirts of Bayeux by the end of the day. With the exception of the Canadians at Juno Beach, no division came closer to its objectives than the 50th.

No.47 (RM) Commando was the last British Commando unit to land and came ashore on Gold east of Le Hamel. Their task was to proceed inland then turn right (west) and make a 16-kilometre (10 mi) march through enemy territory to attack the coastal harbour of Port en Bessin from the rear. This small port, on the British extreme right, was well sheltered in the chalk cliffs and significant in that it was to be a prime early harbour for supplies to be brought in including fuel by underwater pipe from tankers moored offshore.

Omaha Beach

Main article: Omaha Beach

U.S. Army troops wade ashore on Omaha Beach during the landings, 6 June 1944. They were brought to the beach by a Coast Guard manned LCVP.

Survivors of a sunken troop transport wade ashore on Omaha Beach.

Elements of the 1st Infantry Division and 29th Infantry Division faced the veteran German 352nd Infantry Division, one of the best trained on the beaches. Allied intelligence failed to realize that the relatively low-quality 716th Infantry Division (static) had been replaced by the 352nd the previous March. Omaha was also the most heavily fortified beach, with high bluffs defended by funneled mortars, machine guns, and artillery, and the pre-landing aerial and naval bombardment of the bunkers proved to be ineffective. Difficulties in navigation caused the majority of landings to drift eastwards, missing their assigned sectors, and the initial assault waves of tanks, infantry and engineers took heavy casualties. The official record stated that "within 10 minutes of the ramps being lowered, [the leading] company had become inert, leaderless and almost incapable of action. Every officer and sergeant had been killed or wounded […] It had become a struggle for survival and rescue". Only a few gaps were blown in the beach obstacles, resulting in problems for subsequent landings. The heavily defended draws, the only vehicular routes off the beach, could not be taken and two hours after the first assault the beach was closed for all but infantry landings. Commanders (including General Omar Bradley) considered abandoning the beachhead, but small units of infantry, often forming ad hoc groups, supported by naval artillery and the surviving tanks, eventually infiltrated the coastal defenses by scaling the bluffs between strongpoints. Further infantry landings were able to exploit the initial penetrations and by the end of the day two isolated footholds had been established. American casualties at Omaha on D-Day numbered around 3,000 out of 34,000 men, most in the first few hours, while the defending forces suffered 1,200 killed, wounded or missing. The tenuous beachhead was expanded over the following days, and the original D-Day objectives were accomplished by D+3.

Pointe du Hoc

Main article: Pointe du Hoc

The massive concrete cliff-top gun emplacement at Pointe du Hoc was the target of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, commanded by James Earl Rudder. The task was to scale the 30 metre (100 ft) cliffs under enemy fire with ropes and ladders, and then attack and destroy the German coastal defense guns, which were thought to command the Omaha and Utah landing areas. The Ranger commanders did not know that the guns had been moved prior to the attack, and they had to press farther inland to find them but eventually destroyed them. However, the beach fortifications themselves were still vital targets since a single artillery forward observer based there could have called down accurate fire on the U.S. beaches. The Rangers were eventually successful, and captured the fortifications. They then had to fight for two days to hold the location, losing more than 60% of their men.

Utah Beach

Main article: Utah Beach

Casualties on Utah Beach, the westernmost landing zone, were the lightest of any beach, with 197 out of the roughly 23,000 troops that landed. The 4th Infantry Division troops landing at Utah Beach found themselves in the wrong positions because of a current that pushed their landing craft to the southeast. Instead of landing at Tare Green and Uncle Red sectors, they came ashore at Victor sector, which was lightly defended, and as a result, relatively little German opposition was encountered. The 4th Infantry Division was able to press inland relatively easily over beach exits that had been seized from the inland side by the 502nd and 506th Parachute Infantry Regiments of the 101st Airborne Division. This was partially by accident, because their planned landing was further down the beach (Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt Jr, the Asst. Commander of 4th Division, upon discovering the landings were off course, was famous for stating "We will start the war from right here.") . By early afternoon, the 4th Infantry Division had succeeded in linking up with elements of the 101st. American casualties were light, and the troops were able to press inward much faster than expected, making it a near-complete success.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Remember Them

Friday, March 14, 2008

Who's Flushing the Toilet Doesn't Matter when the Crap is Backing Up.

Dear Arianna,

Is it any wonder more liberals are on anti-depressants than anyone else? My God, you people are internally conflicted. You got 'the mandate" in 2004 and have provided what? Squat. 100 hours? 100 days? Puhleeze. Your people in Congress couldn't bake a cake in 100 months. Congress spends less time in session now than ever before. Check the numbers. Failure.

You are as they say down here, all hat and no cattle. One minute it's "the surge won't work", the next it's 'it's working, sort of", the next is 'it isn't, we told you so'. You enable clowns like Murtha to add more swill to the punch. Yea, let's relocate to the Pacific to support things in Iraq. What? "Petraeus/Betray us?". OMFG. Party hacks is all you have. I can't tell if there's one damned patriot amongst you. Well, there is one, his name is James, and he's the only correct minded liberal I know, to a point. His ideas about taxes are pure socialism. But, I digress.....

Your two candidates dine on each other like so much sushi in the primaries and everyone sits back and wonders "what the hell just happened?" when the polls dip or sway based on the latest confusing soundbite from your laughable "leadership". You're going to have to do much better than 'we're not George Bush, vote for us' if you want to win this election.

I'm a conservative, but I am willing to listen to reason. I don't vote straight tickets. Never have. You have a plan for unity? Sure. You don't have unity amongst yourselves. Quit pissing down my back and telling me it's raining. Tell me how we can extricate from Iraq without it crumbling into dust? Tell me how you are going to save Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, secure our borders, create more jobs, and remove the dependency on OPEC. I am not interested in how you champion special interests. I don't give a flying fuck about special interests. I care about the big picture. 9-11 was real. Is real. What is "the plan" to deal with an obvious threat like that going forward? Leaving Iraq asap is not "a plan". It's a white flag.

I am not totally enamored with John McCain but at least Republicans are on message more consistently. Security of this country overrides all other considerations. PERIOD. OK so Saddam was not sleeping with Osama, fine. We got it. Doesn't change a damn thing now for liberals to keep harping that tune just to gain office. Deal with TODAY.

Right now, about all I know about Obama is that he looks good on the news, gets middle aged womens panties wet, he had a pastor who thinks we're evil, has the endorsement of a bigoted Muslim "preacher", and did not vote for going into Baghdad, and yet provides no details on how his miracle "change" is going to occur to end the infighting and get this country on track. His race means nothing to me. I want leadership that is decisive, honest, and forthcoming with details. I don't care if an Eskimo is the only guy who can do that, he's for me. Barack is riding a groundswell of '"aint he purty?" horseshit. Dance with that mule in November and see what you get.

All I know about Hillary is that she will do anything to gain power, even if it means bitch slapping down her own disloyal husband in public, destroying her own party unity and flopping enough political pancakes to make IHOP jealous. She cries? Oh my. There's no crying in the Oval Office. She voted for the war, she is against it. Our government has done a horrible job managing Social Security but should be trusted to run Universal Health Care? *phew*. I divorced one confusing woman, I don't need another who has her finger on the button while she's on a hot flash and her husband is lubricating his cigars with the latest intern.

These are the choices your party offers?

Conflicted. Confusing. Depressing.

I'm not on Prozac or Zoloft and want to stay that way. Believe it or not, there are more people like me in the conservative south than you think. Yet, we are disparaged by your party. It's NASCAR, it's KKK, it's dumb country hicks. Heard them all. This country works best when everyone sits at the table and the whole checks and balances thing is done right. One mans mandate is anothers WTF are they talking about? Get your shit in one sock. Quit attacking each other, quit attacking your opponents and tell us something positive we can believe in beyond, "they suck give us a chance" and nothing else.

It's a binary question come Nov.2 and right now, you people are still talking in hex16. Given my apparent choices in November, it will be John McCain. Convince me I'm wrong, logically, rationally and without the special interest pandering that the politicians on both sides are so damn good at.

I trust both parties about as much as I trust a plumber. When the toilet flushes, everything is fine. He did his job. When it doesn't I at least know the conservative one won't tell me that the reason there is so much crap backed up is because the other plumber wouldn't let him pull the handle.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Disgusting and Shameful ExxonMobil and SCOTUS

At the High Court, Damage Control - washingtonpost.com

The SCOTUS is "ruling" on the punishment damages assesed to ExxonMobil for the Valdez disaster. It is absolutely disgusting and shameful this ever got this far.

Exxon has payed a miniscule amount in compensatory damages and has not finished the clean up.

They destroyed lives, wildlife and something 'sacred' and have fought paying punishment tooth and nail while every year they report bigger and bigger profits.

Damn them. Damn them all straight to hell. It will be a legacy of George W. Bush to have a SCOTUS that is beholding to big corporations and oil cronies and it allowed this crime to continue. It is disgusting.

I'm Sorry, but I'm not Sorry

So, let me get this straight. This generation is going to apologize for something we did not do, was not responsible for and eventually, we're probably going to pay back 'reparations' to the families of people long dead for something that was done 100 years ago?

No Sir. Not gonna happen. You'll have better luck holding up a liquor store. I'm not paying for squat.

This subject has long been a sore one for me. Yes, Slavery was Bad. Get the Key word? WAS. It does not exist any longer in this country. What has happened has happened.

What my ancestors may or may not have done has no direct bearing on my responsibilities or any kind of perceived debt I owe. I am not sorry for Slavery, BECAUSE, WAIT FOR IT, I was not responsible for it!

I regret that it happened. I regret the inhumanity that man can impose on his fellow man. But I'm NOT SORRY FOR IT! I didn't do it. You want reparations? How's about going to Europe and start with the Belgians, or the Dutch or the Germans? There's a good deal of guilt to go around for the terrible things the Roman Empire did to people. Don't forget the Greeks, or the Spartans, or the Persians or Chinese empires of old. The Mesopotamians have alot to answer for their slave trade in 1800BCE, go after them!

I expected this issue to come up, with the surge in popularity of Barack Hussein Obama. That is his name, isn't it? I'm not going to apologize for using that either. If Barack Obama wins the presidential election this November, more power to him It speaks volumes about our country and its strengths when a black man or a white woman can actually run for the single most powerful office on the planet and win it. But Barack Obama must remember, he will be there to represent all americans, not just blacks. It is a tough sell.

His recent debate kerfuffle on the issue of Louis Farakhan and public support of Obama's campaign speaks to many of the fears that people have. Farakhan is an evil bigot, pure and simple, and his support of Obama is political baggage that can hardly be toted.

Farakhan represents an element of black voters that have little problem with blaming all of their ills and problems on others, even if it takes a little anti-semitism or bigotry to do it, and yet, Obama could not immediately and openly denounce Farakhans' support when confronted by Tim Russert. Why? Votes, of course. Farakhan's supporters are just one more block of voters that Obama cannot afford to ignore. Democrats typically win the majority of black voters, but an energized black voting base is absolutely necessary for Obama to capture the White House. Al Gore had the majority of black votes, and so did John Kerry. It was not enough.

When you become president, you become all colors, all races, all genders. You cease to exist as an individual. The grand fear amongst the conservative base, is of course, that Obama will tend to things with a race agenda first and this country's agenda second. That really is at the heart of the matter for this election. Obama has to sell himself and make people believe that he sees the world through unbiased eyes, and not through any kind of filter. John McCain and Hillary Clinton have their own sales jobs to perform along these same lines. The questions is, Who do you believe can best pull it off?

I look at this apology proposal in Congress and can't help but see it as nothing more than a money grab, pure and simple. People like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton will be at the head of the line, keeping the Guilt Gravy Train Alive, hands out and wallets open. And as long as they continue to harp on race issues, begging for equality and yet acting as unequals, they will reap what they sow:

Division and guilt.

I'm Sorry, But I'm not Sorry.

Go shake down the Mesopotamians.

Monday, February 04, 2008

Less than Perfect and More than Enough

Well, the season is now officially over and I am happy to report that the Dallas Cowboys have beaten this year's Super Bowl champion twice. In fact, the last team to beat the Giants on the road was Dallas. After that one, I am afraid there are darn few losses for NY on the road. In fact, there are none. 10 straight road wins, 3 straight playoff wins on the road and one Super Bowl later, the New York Football Giants are the Champions of the National Football League of the United States of America, for Country, God and Family. Amen. When do pitchers and catchers report? *sigh*.

I had my doubts about any of the possible matchups following the divisional games a few weeks back, and I guess those crocodile tears were for a Dallas team that had the #1 seed, home field advantage and so much going for it, that when they blew it all against the Giants, I was pissed. I guess I still am. Alas, fate had other designs. Character is revealed in adversity, not built in it. Dallas showed little. The NY Giants showed a character and a heart no one believed they had in going into the playoffs. But the Giants believed in themselves however, and while I guess that makes for rather cliche` prose the following day of such a big game, it is indeed most apropos.

I suspect right about now, New England QB TOm Brady is soaking a ton of bruises and an aching sore ankle, all the while seeking something more for his bruised psyche. In a game where the NY defense ruled the day, set the tone and rhythym, Brady was a man hunted throughout. The giants tatooed Brady every chance they could. Sacked 5 times, he was rushed countless others and that led to further pocket gun shyness, which surely made Brady miss a wide open Moss in the endzone late in the game. He eventually found Moss for a TD to take the lead but it wasn't going to be enough. The rushing game was gone after one quarter. The long ball just was not going to be allowed and Randy Moss drew double coverage almost all night. When he wasn't double teamed, the Giants pass rush made sure there wasn't enough time for Brady to find him.

Which, ironically enough led Brady to Wes Welker, my pre-game choice for MVP. Welker was the New England offense last night. At 5'9" and 180 lbs. soaking wet, he played as if this was a Super Bowl. 12 catches, over a 100 yards. He played as if a man possessed. The rest of the Pats played as if this was something else. Had NE held on and won, Welker was clearly the MVP choice. The Pats and Tom Brady were less than Perfect. History denied. Perfection denied. I suspect for the first time people will remember who lost a Super Bowl for just about as long as they remember who won it. The '72 Dolphins better be sending a few cases of the reserve bubbly to New York. Their legacy lives on another year. I am pretty sure it will be a very long time before their unbeaten season is challenged again.

Alas, for New England, there was another QB in this game who did find his rhythym and could set a tone. And he did it with 2:46 left on the clock and his team down by 4 points. Eli Manning shook off years of media and fan doubt and NY spotlight pressure and led his team down the field on one of those Super Bowl Drives they will talk about for years. David Tryree made one of those catches they will replay over and over and over. Manning gave fate a couple of chances to spit the bit, throwing up wounded ducks under pressure, but each one fell away, just barely out of reach of Pats defenders. The fine line between hero and goat is measured in less than inches it seems.

In the future, Tom Coughlin should consider simply running his offense in a continous state of two minute drill status from here on. Manning is a pretty good qb when things are calm. But too much information seems to sometimes confuse the lads wiring. Somehow, he managed to elevate his game when all things about him were chaos and time was slipping away. Less time to think meant more time to react and that seems to be the strength in Eli Mannings game.

The Giants, having beaten the Patriots defensively every way you can, finally found an offensive stride when it mattered most, with the game on the line. And when Eli Manning found Plaxico Burress on the sluggo route in the corner of the endzone with 36 seconds left, the revelation of Eli Manning and this NY Giants teams character was consumated. It was pretty cool to witness, even if I did have to constantly check myself into not saying that could have been a Romo to T.O. fade to win it. Burress cried in his sideline post game interview with Pam Oliver. Clearly, the enormity of what they had done was beginning to set in. Ordinarily a brash kind of jock without loss for words, Burress gave it the proper amount of hubris and let us peek under the covers a bit. Humbled and happy, awed and amazed. I loved every minute of it.

The end of the game was fittingly chaotic and less than perfect. One second left, the crowd rushing the field, referees struggling to maintain control, clear the field so the last second could tick off the clock. 2/3 of the Patriots were already down the tunnel, licking their wounds. An abject dejected Bill Belichick was already long gone. Character once again revealed in adversity.

The Pats were less than Perfect for a place in history, and the Giants were More than Enough of a team to accept it.

As for the rest of the Superbowl hype, ads and entertainment, I have little to add. Jordin Sparks was very good with the national anthem. The ads were ok I guess, nothing too annoying. Nothing really outstanding. And Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were adequate, while hardly spectacular. The Fox broadcast of the entire affair was spot on. The A Team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman have the good sense to know when words are not needed and when they are, which ones to use. Understated intensity allows the viewer to glean from the broadcast that which is most important. Trust me, it isn't some guy in the booth struggling to find the dramatic enough words while the drama plays out. Phil Simms, this means you. Top Notch coverage from Fox. All in all, it was all more than enough.