Nobody 684

Sunday, February 4, 2007
Nobody # 684

Nobody Asked Me But:

"We were up by a lot, and (Howland) was still standing," UCLA guard Darren Collison said. "That shows a lot. That's why we're a good team, because of him. He was trying to tell (walk-on) Matt Lee to jump stop. That shows how he keeps striving for perfection."

The amount of information, past and present, available on the web is deliciously overwhelming. . I could spend every waking hour (except food time) and still not read all that I found interesting.<<<

As the multitude of Democratic candidates are forced to face up to their original positions on going to war in Iraq, it seems to me that they divide into three camps.

1. Against it. This is the best position. It was the wrong war against the wrong enemy at the wrong time.

2. For it and was admits he/she was wrong. Also honorable. Any of us can make a mistake – even a bad one.

3. “If I had known then what I know now.” – Hillary’s less than satisfying position.<<<

Still on Iraq: So the National Intelligence Council acknowledged Friday that “Iraq is spiraling downward.”

Big surprise! Our President has put us into a lose/lose situation. Our presence contributes to the instability. Our withdrawal would contribute to the instability.

I’m for putting our young men and women in a win/win situation by setting a timetable for withdrawal. It is immoral for them to face death for no good reason.<<<

And from our Book Of Answers

Answer: “Ask your father.”

My question: “Mom, why are men such narcissistic pigs?”

Your questions?<<< T

he liberal world lost one of it sharpest and pointedly funny voices this past week when Texas columnist Molly Ivens died from the rare and aggressive form of breast cancer she had been battling since 1999. I remember reading the column the year in which she announced that she was taking a leave of absence to fight this insidious enemy and wondering if this would be her last. It wasn’t. She fought back for 7 years. I am sorry she finally lost – and so did we.

Perhaps the most fitting way to remember her voice is by repeating one of her famous dagger-like lines:

On Patrick Buchanan’s speech at the 1992 Republican Convention in which he pronounced that the U. S. was engaged in a cultural war. Molly wrote that his speech “probably sounded better in the original German.”

Actually, I can’t resist including a second and third.

On one of her favorite targets, her home state of Texas, she wrote: When the Legislature is set to convene, “every village is about to lose its idiot.”

On another texas politician: "If his IQ slips any lower, we'll have to water him twice a day." Thanks, Molly. I will miss you.<<<

Osama blows it. It all started with a dumb but innocent quote from a Speech by Joe Biden. He called Barack O “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.”

Obama’s first reaction, his instinctive one, was to make nothing out of nothing - “I didn’t take it personally and I don’t think he intended to offend.”

But later, with black pressure mounting, he issued a second statement that approached a condemnation. “I didn’t take Senator Biden’s comments personally, but obviously they were historically inaccurate.”

Trust your instincts, Barack, and ignore the temptation to be a political kiss-ass.<<<

As for the two black “leaders” who were most vocal in their indignation – Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton - one has only to consider the source. They are both political yesterdays who are power dead but won’t admit it.<<<

Harry’s coming, and I can hardly wait.<<<

Israel: A three-judge panel convicted Haim Ramon, a founder of the prime minister's Kadima party and an architect of his ruling coalition, of violating Israel's sexual harassment law by committing an "indecent act" while he was justice minister.

His offense – he kissed a 21-year-old female army first lieutenant without her consent. Oh, for the good old days when that would have gotten him a slap in the face, which would have been the end of it.

Sexual harassment is too serious to be trivialized by something like this.<<<

News item: “Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales provided laugh lines for comedians and fodder for outraged bloggers when he told senators recently that the Constitution does not specifically grant individuals the right to habeas corpus.”

First let’s try follow Alberto’s convoluted logic. Here’s what he said:

"The fact that the Constitution — again, there is no express grant of habeas in the Constitution. There is a prohibition against taking it away."

I know his fallacy is obvious but I will state it anyway. How can there be a prohibition against taking away something we don’t have?

A laughing matter, perhaps but I’m not laughing. We are allowing the administration to violate our Constitutional rights with impunity. The prevailing American attitude seems to be – since I have done nothing wrong, I am not concerned with the government listening to my telephone calls or checking my library records.

What they are forgetting can best be summarized by the famous story of the Protestant minister in Nazi Germany.

First they came for the gypsies. I said nothing because I wasn’t a gypsy.
Then they came for the Jews. I said nothing because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics. I said nothing because I wasn’t a Catholic.
Then they came for me.

As I wrote after our trip, Stonehenge left me with a feeling of awe. So I was especially interested in the discovery last week of a village of small houses that may have sheltered the builders of the mysterious Stonehenge. One thing in particular fascinated me. They found indications of bed frames along the side walls and of a dresser or storage unit of some sort on the wall opposite the door. The latter, I am sure, allowed them to provide some order for their fashion wardrobe – Sunday dress-up hides over here, work skins on the other side and a change of underskins in the top drawer.<<<

Barb ran across this in Linda fairstein’s new book, “Bad Blood,” which she read on our recent trip. Audits from 2000 through March of 2006 found that 198 sex offenders in New York received Medicaid-reimbursed Viagra after their convictions.

Yes, Dorothy, we are back in OZ again.<<<

Saving the best for last – UCLA

I hate misleading headlines. This morning the Times led their story about the Bruins 82-35 win yesterday over Oregon State with “Bruins Show No Mercy In Blowout.” Of course they showed mercy. Coach Howland took his starters out with 10 ½ minutes left in the game and none of them returned.

I’m wild about this year’s team but will be in Love with next year’s squad - Kevin Love that is. Last night on television we watched Love’s Lake Oswego (Oregon) team play Mater Dei in the latter’s new Orange County gym. Mater Dei is the number one ranked team in California and, in the USA Today poll, number three in the U. S. By the middle of the forth period, Mater Dei had scored 41 points and Love 36. He finished with 36 points, 15 rebounds and 4 blocks.

Next year, with Kevin at the center position, we should have a much better team than this year’s bunch with their lousy 20-2 record.

Actually, we may be better than great if Aaron Afflalo returns for his senior year. Here’s Aaron’s attitude toward losing:

"We don't accept losing. Losing hurts more than winning feels good."<<<