Red Soxpouri

The Sox come out winning for the second half. I get the feeling of a Red Soxtober coming up.

They cut their losses with Lugo. Now to make a deal with Toronto for Roy Halliday and Vernon Wells for Clay Buccholz, Manny Delcarmen, and Jacoby Ellsbury.

Wells is a solid center fielder with a big contract and Halliday is the best pitcher in the universe. He goes deep into all his games and could be a Cy Young candidate every year. Create the trinity of Halliday, Jon Lester and Josh Beckett and you have the best Big Three since the Atlanta Braves had John Smoltz, Greg Maddux, and Tom Glavin. With the relief staff that’s there and you are ready for a super October. Jonathan Papelbon, Justin Masterson, Danny Bard, Hidecki Okajima, and Ramon Ramirez, the pen is about the best in the game.

Fourth and fifth starters jobs are there for Tim Wakefield, Brad Penny, John Smoltz, and a return of DiceK Matsuzaka in September you have depth no one else has. One or two of the last group could also be up for trade as well since there are young, solid arms still coming up for Boston.

With David Ortiz hitting well (though not like the Ortiz of old), Mike Lowell looking more healthy, Nick Green having a career year and Jed Lowrie about ready to come back, this team is as solid as anyone, with or without a Halliday trade.

Smart moves and lots of money have made the Red Sox the team to beat this year.

Go Sox!!!

Ciao.......Moe

Kids keep us young.....Especially GRANDdaughters....

1 --- It was great to spend some “quality time”, as the liberals say, with our grandchildren in New Hampshire. I’m not certain who had more fun, them or us. I think us.

2 --- Any thoughts new Minnesota Senator Al Franken is a total and complete jerk embarrassing both Minnesota and the US Senate went by the board. It took him less than a week to demonstrate he is a jackass when he engaged the Supreme Court nominee in a discussion of the brilliant legal mind of Perry Mason.

Sadly Minnesotans who sent him to Washington need to wait 5-½ years to remedy their mistake.

3--- Despite the deceptions on things she has said and positions taken, Sotomayor is the perfect Democrat heading to the bench. It’s funny, a liar being judged by a bunch of pols who lie routinely. How long will it be before she redefines what “is” “is”.

4 --- Are we witnessing the political death and shunning of Hillary Clinton? It could be the end of a dull career which began on the national stage with the attempt to remake our national health policy. I wonder if the same policy will lead to the same fate for President BO.

5 --- I just watched a complete report by a Capitol Police spokeswoman Sgt. Kimberly Schneider who stood before the microphones and in three minutes reported all there is known about the chase and apprehension of a felon in the general vicinity of the Capitol Building where the Sotomayor hearings were being held. She did so without notes or teleprompter. She covered all the salient points without stuttering or stammering.

Someone should send the video of her reportage to BO. He could learn something from her.

6 --- Because of all the oomgalagala concerning oomgalagala queen Nancy Pelosi and whether she received straight information from the CIA, some conservatives think Obama may try to protect Pelosi as many of her serfs in the congress are doing. I doubt it. She’s a roasted lamb already, only she doesn’t know it yet.

Obama knows the only way he can save his presidency is to capture Osama Bin Laden. He will need something big to save what is already a severely flawed and failed presidency. Even the billions he thought he swindled from the congress can be pulled back by them if they fear their reelection is at stake.

7 --- One of the big questions concerning the socialized medicine scheme Obama and the Democrats are planning for us is whether to cover illegal aliens and even legal aliens. If we do cover them that will be just one more magnet to get illegals to come here. It is bad enough we don’t refuse them emergency room care. That has caused holspitals all along the Mexican border to close. Even clinics in small communities have had to close because the regular patients cannot afford to cover the added costs through increased expenses caused for medical services. Illegals simply return home and let us worry about their bills.

How many of the 46,000,000 uninsured are the following?

Legal aliens, illegal aliens, and people who can afford to purchase health insurance but chose not to?

I bet that 46 million dwindles dramatically if you back out those three catagories of uninsured persons.

8 --- I’m beginning to get the feeling there is fire beneath the smoke surrounding the question of Obama’s birth. If he was not born here he should be removed from office instantly and charged with perjury.

A soldier refused an order indirectly issued by Barack Obama to be deployed again to Afghanistan on the grounds Obama is not the lawful president of the USA, thus his order is not a lawful order. He was originally going to be charged with disobeying an order but he would have been able to force the president to prove the place of his birth.

Strangely, then again maybe not so strangely, his orders were rescinded and charges dropped.

Could it be Barack is not serving legally? If so how many people helped him carry out the fraud along the way? By virtue of his candidacy Barack Obama has proffered that he is a legal born citizen in and of the United States. If he was indeed born in Africa his presidency is illegal and would have to be removed immediately from office. Joe Biden would ascend to the office of president.

President Biden. Oh my…..

9 --- Ed D. supplied the following gem. I think it is absolutely accurate as an historical document:

A history lesson from me to you............................

History 101

For those that don't know about history ... Here is a condensed version:

Humans originally existed as members of small bands of nomadic hunters/gatherers. They lived on deer in the mountains during the summer and would go to the coast and live on fish and lobster in the winter.

The two most important events in all of history were the invention of beer and the invention of the wheel. The wheel was invented to get man to the beer. These were the foundation of modern civilization and together were the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two distinct subgroups:

1. Liberals, and
2. Conservatives.

Once beer was discovered, it required grain and that was the beginning of agriculture. Neither the glass bottle nor aluminum can were invented yet, so while our early humans were sitting around waiting for them to be invented, they just stayed close to the brewery. That's how villages were formed.

Some men spent their days tracking and killing animals to B-B-Q at night while they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is known as the Conservative movement.

Other men who were weaker and less skilled at hunting learned to live off the conservatives by showing up for the nightly B-B-Q's and doing the sewing, fetching, and hair dressing. This was the beginning of the Liberal movement.

Some of these liberal men eventually evolved into women. The rest became known as girlie-men. Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the domestication of cats, the invention of group therapy, group hugs, and the concept of Democratic voting to decide how to divide the meat and beer that conservatives provided.

Over the years conservatives came to be symbolized by the largest, most powerful land animal on earth, the elephant. Liberals are symbolized by the jackass.

Modern liberals like imported beer (with lime added), but most prefer white wine or imported bottled water. They eat raw fish but like their beef well done. Sushi, tofu, and French food are standard liberal fare.

Another interesting evolutionary side note: most of their women have higher testosterone levels than their men. Most social workers, personal injury attorneys, journalists, dreamers in Hollywood and group therapists are liberals. Liberals invented the designated hitter rule because it wasn't fair to make the pitcher also bat.

Conservatives drink domestic beer, mostly Bud. They eat red meat and still provide for their women. Conservatives are big-game hunters, rodeo cowboys, lumberjacks, construction workers, firemen, medical doctors, police officers, corporate executives, athletes, members of the military, airline pilots and generally anyone who works productively. Conservatives who own companies hire other conservatives who want to work for a living.

Liberals produce little or nothing. They like to govern the producers and decide what to do with the production. Liberals believe Europeans are more enlightened than Americans. That is why most of the liberals remained in Europe when conservatives were coming to America . They crept in after the Wild West was tamed and created a business of trying to get more for nothing.

Here ends today's lesson in world history:

It should be noted that a Liberal may have a momentary urge to angrily respond to the above before forwarding it.

A Conservative will simply laugh and be so convinced of the absolute truth of this history that it will be forwarded immediately to other true believers and to more liberals just to tick them off.

And there you have it. Let your next action reveal your true self.
　
See you tomorrow….

Ciao…….Moe

We're home and will post later today....

Greetings from the White Mountains

Imagine if this was George Bush's first three nonths in office:

Presidential comparison quiz


If George W. Bush had made a joke at the expense of the Special Olympics, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had given Tony Blair a set of inexpensive and useless (to Tony Blair's UK video formatting) DVDs, when Tony Blair had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had visited Austria and made reference to the non-existent "Austrian language," would you have brushed it off as a minor slip?

If George W. Bush had filled his cabinet and circle of advisers with people who cannot seem to keep current on their income taxes, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had ordered the firing of the CEO of a major corporation, even though he had no constitutional authority to do so, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had proposed to double the national debt, which had taken more than two centuries to accumulate, in one year, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had then proposed to double the debt again within 10 years, would you have approved?

So, tell me again, what is it about Obama that makes him so brilliant and impressive?

Can't think of anything? Don't worry. He did all this in three months -- so you have three and a half years to come up with an answer.

Ciao.......Moe

Getaway Sunday...Will post during the week...

1 --- Did the nearly $800 billion stimulus package work. As the numbers of unemployed continues to rise those who supported and voted for it in the Senate say it is indeed working.

Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Ohio says it is indeed working and that we need to spend it faster to work.

The hole is getting deeper and the foreman of the construction site says shovel faster.

I’ve got it now. Ronald Reagan was right, “When the plans fail, the planners plan some more”.

2 --- If it was his teenage daughter would he have thought it OK for an adult male to check out her bum? Somehow I doubt it.

3 --- Ah the thrill of the Running of the Bulls. Heck we have a running of the bull each day congress is in session and we get gored by them.

4 --- Is Sears getting nervous? You bet it is. They are starting their Christmas sales now. Take that Wal-Mart.

5 --- Public positions on issues...

Democrats
Republicans

Health Care
46%
42%
Economy
41%
46%
Education
41%
38%
Iraq
41%
45%
Nat'l Security
40%
49%
Abortion
39%
46%
Social Security
37%
42%
Taxes
36%
52%
Immigration
34%
40%
Gov't Ethics
33%
34%

6 --- Now this is must listen to radio.....from Howie Carr's program.... Click on the link.

7 --- In baseball there is something called a suicide squeeze. Here’s how it works: A runner on third base sprints toward the plate the moment the pitcher begins his delivery of the ball to the plate. The batter pivots into a bunting position and attempts to get the ball “down”, thus, (assuming the runner gets to the plate before a fielder can recover the ball and make a play on the runner at the plate) allowing the runner to score. It is called a suicide because of the batter does not strike the ball, the runner is “dead” at the plate where the catcher presumably would await him with the ball in his mitt.

In politics, a bold lie is considered a suicide play. If you cannot convince enough people of the veracity of your statement which is in actuality a lie, you are dead politically. The bigger the lie and the issue and the greater likelihood of political death for the prevaricator.

In today’s world, a good example of a suicide play is Nancy Pelosi’s whopper of telling the world the CIA had lied to her and other members of congress in 2003 about the use of waterboarding. She has signed up seven other sacrificial lambs to stand by her remarks the CIA lied and she’s telling the truth.

In baseball we would call the runner out if the bunt fails to allow safe passage to the plate for him. In this case the Congresswoman’s wheels are spinning everywhere and the public (umpire) in this case is about to call her out.

8 --- Since I grew up first as a Boston Braves fan, later a Red Sox fan, Patriots fan, Bruins fan and except for the Cetlics, the fan of teams that broke your heart time after time. I guess my sentiments are instinctively with the underdog.

We hear always from politicians how they are for the underdog, how they respect the person who overcomes personal handicaps, who perseveres when others are content to quit when facing seemingly overwhelming odds.

Dr. Martin Luther King was attacked by conservatives because he was shaking up social order. He was called a communist fellow traveler and worse. The FBI and other Federal agencies including the then attorney general listened and made jokes about tapes made by the Bureau and other fed agents of King involved in uncompromising situations with young women. The fact was what they were doing was smearing his character in order to overshadow his excellent and necessary work in civil rights.

Smearing the opposition has been a blood sport in Washington. When Judge Robert Bork was nominated to the Supreme Court he was smeared by the brother of the attorney general who smeared Dr. King along with J. Edgar Hoover. Later Clarence Thomas faced the same sort of smears.

President Obama has nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. She presided over a case now overturned by the Supreme Court concerning the promotion of firemen in New Haven, Connecticut. Her judicial judgment has been called into question in that case. One of the central figures in the case, a New Haven firefighter Frank Ricci. He is a dyslexic man who needed to do far more than most to prepare for the promotion exam in New Haven and was the lead in the case recently decided by the high Court.

Based on information on Ricci’s past, he is a fighter for his rights. He doesn’t appear to accept being told he is unable to achieve certain things because of his handicap. To the contrary he accepts obstacles to his success as challenges to be met.

Ricci has been asked to attend the senate hearings of Judge Sotomayor next week. What makes all this so unnerving is the trained guns of the smear makers on Capitol Hill are aimed directly at Ricci. His character is now being called into question because he , in 1995, fought for his rights in a case concerning Ricci and Middletown, Connecticut.

This from McClatchy Newspapers in Connecticut:

"Frank Ricci's troubled and litigious work history," the liberal advocacy group People for the American Way drew reporters' attention to Ricci's past. Other advocates for Sotomayor have discreetly urged journalists to pursue similar story lines.

"Specifically, the advocates have zeroed in on an earlier 1995 lawsuit Ricci filed claiming the city of New Haven discriminated against him because he's dyslexic. The advocates cite other Hartford Courant stories from the same era recounting how Ricci was fired by a fire department in Middletown, Conn., allegedly, Ricci said at the time, because of safety concerns he raised.

"The Middletown-area fire department was subsequently fined for safety violations, but the Connecticut Department of Labor dismissed Ricci's retaliation complaint.

"No People for the American Way officials could be reached Friday to speak on the record about the press campaign."

Of course the courageous People for the American Way couldn’t face questions about their partisan hatchet job.

9 --- Democrat congressman Charles Rangel failed to pay taxes on at least $75,000 in rental income from his luxury beachfront villa in the Caribbean because he was confused. Gee, what a bright bulb Mr. Rangel is. He’s perfect fro the tax writing committee in congress. He ranks up there in integrity with Barney Frank and Massachusetts congressman Ed Markey.

Rangel is chairman of the powerful tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, one of the three most powerful men in the US House of Representatives, even more powerful than the flame of my existence, my congressman Bawney Fwank.

Yes, old Rangel (and he is old at 82 though he has a trophy wife who is a felon) is now pushing for a half trillion in tax increases next year. Oh what a man. He promises it will only come from the rich. Problem there is every Democrat in Washington wants to increase taxes on “the rich”. Hell, before they all get in on the act there will be no rich to tax and fleece or invents or be creative and begin the process of helping the economy recover.

Talk about the guy who ate the hen laying the golden eggs.

10 --- What’s the difference between Sonia Sotomayor and Harriet Miers? Not much.

11 --- To listen to Obama suck-ups the meeting between Barack Obama and Pope Benedict XVI was one of only slight differences. The reports from the press in Rome is the Pope was unbending in his defense of the unborn.

President Obambi tried to get the Pontiff to agree on many social issues. I suspect he ws trying to get what seemed like a meeting where friends only disagreed on peripheral subjects. Not so fast, fast talker. The Pope takes the abortion issue very seriously, unlike the mamby pamby Jesuits at Notre Dame.

You’re simply lucky the Pope will not disclose just how badly he ate your lunch you faker. On the subject of abortion I could et your lunch but the dim bulbs surrounding you would never let you face even the likes of menial old me. I would loe to see you face off with Dr. Mildred Jefferson, who made it on her own without a bunch of phonies paving her way at Harvard Medical to become a top notch surgeon. After she finished with you he would call Sarah Palin to find some place to hide in Alaska.
By the way, we keep hearing Americans favor abortion on demand. That a lot of bull.

Here’s some of the findings of th latest Moral Compass survey:

*** 86% of Americans would significantly restrict abortion.
*** 60% of Americans would limit abortion to cases of rape, incest or to save the life of a mother – or would not allow it at all.
*** 53% of Americans believe abortion does more harm than good to a woman in the long term.
*** 79% of Americans support conscience exemptions on abortion for health care workers. This includes 64% of those who identify as strongly pro-choice.
*** 69% of Americans think that it is appropriate for religious leaders to speak out on abortion.
*** 59% say religious leaders have a key role to play in the abortion debate.
*** 80% of Americans believe that laws can protect both the health of the woman and the life of the unborn. This includes 68% of those who identified as strongly pro-choice.
Additionally, the data showed that since October nearly every demographic sub-group had moved toward the pro-life position except for non-practicing Catholics and men under 45 years of age.

“The data shows that the American people are placing an ever increasing value on human life,” said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. “Far from the great divide that most people think exists when it comes to the abortion debate, there is actually a great deal of common ground. Most Americans are unhappy with the unrestricted access to abortion that is the legacy of Roe vs. Wade, and pundits and elected leaders should take note of the fact that agreement on abortion need not be limited to the fringes of the debate and issues like adoption or pre-natal care. The American people have reached a basic consensus, and that consensus is at odds with the unrestricted access to abortion that is the legacy of Roe.”

The survey of 1,223 Americans was conducted May 28 – 31 and has a margin of error of +/-3%.

May I admit, that when Roe v. Wade was announced, based on the commentaries in most of the newspapers of the day, I was pro-choice. I agreed with the Supreme Court.

The original decision was sold to us as a dealing only with first trimester babies. That they were not viable or fully human yet. What a bunch of bull I believed.

I met Dr. Mildred Jefferson, the only woman outside my wife I can say I love with all my heart and soul since Helen feels as strongly about her as do I. Jeff taught me how drastically wrong I was. It was tough for an old chauvinist to accept just how wrong he was on this issue. She taught me how life begins the moment of conception.

Please accept this old chauvinist’s confession Mildred Jefferson was right from the beginning on the issue of abortion and she is by far my superior on most issues.

I love you Jeff. Thank you for your faith in me and your patience. Dealing with this, as my grandfather used to refer to me as a, “Tête de pioche“. Head of genuine granite.

12 --- Just a random thought --- With all the spending on a million things does Barack Obama really believe we are dumb enough (or even our congress) to believe we can afford his joke of a medical policy? Do we really think the government can somehow insure fifteen million illegal aliens along with possibly another fifteen million who would rather spend their own money on other things. Those without the assets to pay for their own insurance get whatever care they really need and will never be squeezed to pay for it.

It’s time to put our own house in order and make certain we are not paying for those who chose not to be covered.

There is no reason we should be paying for those who chose not to pay or for those here illegally. Health care here is the best in the world, even for the poorest of our Americans. There is no reason for us to emulate the phony policies of Europe and Canada.

(Parenthetically, we have friends from Canada who return home each year long enough for them to have free medical care here in the USA. They acknowledge our care si far superior to anything they could receive in Canada.

13 --- NY Times says it may charge for access to its web site. Bye, bye, NYT.
　
Noe it's off to the White Mountains for a couple of days.

Ciao…….Moe

Is the world going nuts???????

1 --- According to CNS News, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D.-Md.) laughed on Tuesday at the idea that members of Congress should pledge to actually read the entirety of a health-care reform bill before voting on it.

Hoyer said that reading the bill before voting on it is irrelevant and laughable. Democrats are not voting on the merits of any bills but on what they have been ordered to do by the White House and the Democrat leadership of Hoyer and Queen Nancy Pelosi.

2 --- If the above didn’t make you sick, maybe I can upset you with this:

Not only did CNS News report the above, they had this as well. Obama’s assistant attorney general told the senate terrorists captured on battlefield have constitutional rights. U.S. constitutional rights.

John McCain asked Assistant Attorney General David Kris about his remarks on the appropriateness of administering the Miranda warning to terrorist suspects captured abroad. Kris responded, "It is the administration's view that there is a serious risk that courts would hold that admission of involuntary statements of the accused in military commission proceedings is unconstitutional," Kris said in his opening statement.

There’s more. If you have a strong stomach click on the above hyperlink.

3 --- At about 11:30 AM, the price of crude dropped below $60 per barrel. That’s good not only for our pocket books but devastation for Venezuela which needs the price over $60 to make money on it. Maybe Joey Kennedy can pray for a spike in prices so his pal the dictator won’t cut him off from free oil.

4 --- So BO is planning to visit the Pope and discuss their differences. I hope he doesn’t think his schmoozing will get points with the Pope and get him to back off the opposition to abortion. Surely the Pope is aware that when a state senator and later as a US Senator Obama voted for a form of abortion where the baby is brought out of the woomb partially and killed before it has a chance to escape. Obama is the most extreme of all US Senators.

5 --- Since Monday BO has gone from a minus 2 on the Rasmussen (35% strongly disapprove to 33% approve) to a minus 8 today (38% to 30%).

His personal approval numbers have fallen as well and he is now, according to Rasmussen: Overall, 51% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President's performance so far. Forty-eight percent (48%) now disapprove.

6 --- I recall images of George Bush the 1st riding in a fishing boat off the Coast of Maine while out troops gathered along the border of Iraq and Kuwait in Saudi Arabia. It was old Bush’s idea to annoy Saddam Hussein. His son later landed a jet on an aircraft carrier as a show. Now we have the regal approach with the wife and children of the president while they are in Europe.

Appearances often have the same affect as reality. The squeaky clean image of Obama is losing some of its luster.

7 --- Is Barack Obama planning to end Medicare as we know it. Dick Morris says yes! As usual, the real Obama is beginning to show itself. If you are depending on Medicare, you’re cooked by his proposals if he gets his way. He is starting to look like the biggest weasel in the White House since Tricky Dick Nixon.

8 --- Phase 2 of the Iranian revolution is now taking place as people are returning to the streets. They originally took to the rooftops of buildings in the major cities and staged protests from there. It will be interesting to see how badly the government will attempt to turn its guns on civilians. It will come down on whether their army will turn on the people.

In 1978, the army would not do iut when ordered by the shah to do it. Will today be any different?

9 --- Interesting USA Today piece on where the stimulus dollars a re going. It seems states that voted Obama are being rewarded. Cook County Illinois politics played on a national stage.

More tomorrow.

Ciao…….Moe

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY....Please.....

1 --- The latest The Rasmussen Reports has Barack Obama dropping like a lead balloon in the polls. He now has a negative approve versus disapprove rating. He’s a minus 3 with 32% thumbs up and 35% thumbs down. If that is not bad enough, the numbers on a 2nd stimulus has a 60% negative.

In January Obama’s approval-disapproval numbers were 62-34. They have slid consistently to where they are 54-45 for the month of June. This is far worse than President Bush at the same point in their tenure. The early returns for July indicate more problems for the president. That is the weakest performance by Obama since the tracking began when he took office.

It will be interesting to see what his trip to Russia will do for him.

2 --- Regarding the president’s trip to Russia, his meeting with the Russian president lost in the TV ratings to a soccer game re-run. Ooops.

3 --- As most any observer of how Massachusetts and California are being run would find it hard to believe there is a state which is more messed up that the above pair, combined, by a wide margin. That state is New York.

Let’s begin with the fact the governor is a prisoner of his state. He (Governor David Paterson) cannot afford to leave. Being a captive in New York is akin to being in prison.

Huh! Yeah, I know it sounds nuts. According to this morning’s NY Times, “He has turned down an invitation to attend the National Governor’s Conference’s annual meeting in Mississippi later this month and even scuttled plans in late June to attend a wedding just across the Connecticut line.”

The New York State Constitution provides no process for filling a vacancy of the lieutenant governor’s office, so it has been empty since Paterson was unexpectedly elevated to the governor’s office when Eliot Spitzer resigned.

The NY Senate is 37-37 so there is not even a majority leader.

And you thought Massachusetts and California are bizarre.

4 --- South Carolina Republicans wimped out when the time came to deal with wandering Governor Mark Sanford. They issued a censure (whatever that means). Is the Republican party trying to imitate the Democrat Party where sexual missteps are treated as business as usual.

5 --- Vice President Joe Biden recently said, “Israel can determine for itself, it’s a sovereign nation, what’s in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else.” That was in response to Israel possibly making aggressive moves to destroy Iran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons. Israel is not alone in its concern the Iranians having “the bomb”. Many of the Mid-East nations, such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq are concerned about Iran’s ability to use nuclear blackmail in conducting its affairs with neighboring nations.

Why Biden made that public is beyond understanding. His boss denied what Biden said is US policy. That and the motivation of the Saudis releasing information to a British newspaper it had granted Israel permission for over flight in an Iran bombing mission strains credulity.

6 --- Today’s CNS News reports today, “Most of the fireworks used in this year’s Independence Day festivities on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., were made in the People’s Republic of China, according to the company that produced the fireworks show.”

What a joy, fireworks factories cannot be high priority manufacturing and the workers in Red China in such factories are usually what we would describe as slave labor.

7 --- When you’re in a hole how do you get out? Keep digging of course. Sure.

Advisors to President Obama are suggesting he press fort more stimulus dollars to deal with the recession. Over the last few months the attitude of the advisors is if the original advised ideas have not yet worked we need to advise and spend more. Now that’s some kind of advice.

Ronald Reagan once pointed out, “The more the plans fail, the more the planners plan.” Amen to that.

I wonder if The Gipper can see what’s happening here from his Heavenly perch.

8 --- Any doubts about Al Gore’s sanity have been dispelled with his latest remarks on global warming:

In today’s Times Online he compared the battle against climate change with the struggle against the Nazis. He’s gotta be kiddin.

I used to think he is a charlatan because he’s become a multi-millionaire peddling his global warming nonsense. Is he now starting to believe his oomgalagala?

9 --- Red China learned a public relations lesson at Tiananmen Square twenty years ago. Back then the whole world saw the grizzly results of what happens in Communist China when protests against the government occurs. They’re at it again and this time they have had a media and even Internet blackout.

156 Chinese citizens have been slaughtered by the government to put down demonstrations in Uighur areas where people dared challenge the authority of the government. From the skimpy information allowed to escape the region it appears the Chinese government has reacted in an even more violent way than the Iranian government a couple of weeks ago.

Sadly, the President of the United States, who couldn’t wait to hammer the government of Honduras when it deposed a president who is a close ally to many of our enemies including Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, has yet to comment on what the dictators in China are doing to religious dissenters.

We did send four Uighurs who were el Qaeda terrorists detained at Guantanamo to live a life of luxury in a Caribbean resort. The president then said they could not safely return to China sionce the government there is not very good to Uighurs.
I guess I’m easily confused.

10 --- At one time I admired Pete Rose as a workmanlike baseball player who played the game with a zest of players of old. He was a hustler on the field and took his average skills to extraordinary heights. Pete had no fear and was willing to sacrifice his body to take an extra base, seldom slowed down in pursuit of a fly ball heading to the stands, and even sprinted to first base after a base on balls.

Pete Rose was a scrapper.

Pete Rose had a Hall of Fame type career. Only one problem, he gambled on baseball. After the Black Sox scandal of 1919, Major League Baseball determined it was never to tolerate gambling on the game by players.

Because of the gambling Pete Rose was prohibited by the Commissioner of Baseball from being elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. His playing career certainly would have had him there possibly by a unanimous (or at least nearly unanimous) vote. He is not there and will likely never be there because he violated the most important rule a player must follow.

Simply, never, never, never gamble on the game. You will lose if you do.

Baseball is so serious about the gambling rule the great Willie Mayes was not, for a few years, permitted to participate in any Major League sanctioned function because of his affiliation with an Atlantic City casino. The game is serious about gambling.

OK, what’s the point here.

Michael Jackson is the point here. He was one of the great artistic performers in our lifetime. He ranks with the very best. He’s there with Sinatra and Presley, and all the Beatles.

As with Rose, Michael Jackson violated some basic things which cannot be overlooked. His predilection with children is an overwhelming flaw. As I watched the celebration of his life today I could not get past that which most normal people find totally reprehensible in the character of Jackson.

We can rationalize all we want about he was never tried. However, his payments in the $20 million range to alleged victims and his own words acknowledging his pleasure of sleeping with children cast a long shadow over his artistic accomplishments.

As with Pete Rose, we can tip our hats to his talent. We are reminded of the words conductor Arturo Toscanini, who famously said, "To Strauss the composer I take off my hat; to Strauss the man I put it back on again."

It is out of our hands now. May God forgive Michael Jackson and may he RIP.

11 --- The worst joke I’ve heard in a while is the one where the EPA is considering banning pickled eggs to reduce the amount of flatulence in the atmosphere. After all, they’re considering controlling the diet of cows for that reason.

You’ve got to be kidding, Moe. Yes I am, but for a fleeting moment you thought it was possible.

Ciao…….Moe