RedSoxLibertarian

foiled terror plot cont.

2006-08-10T17:49:00.000-04:00

I'm hearing on the oversaturated newscoverage of the foiled terror plot that people quickly adapted to the new rules. To this I say: "Freedom is in no greater danger than when people quickly adapt to government instruction"

foiled terror plot

2006-08-10T12:05:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm sure you've all heard by now of the terror plot foiled in the UK. I don't have much to say on this topic except I don't believe a terror plot existed. Things have been fairly quiet on that front for a while and it is a well known fact that in order for a government to keep its subjects under its thumb and willing to bend over on demand they have to be kept frightened. This "terror plot" while quite disturbing if true will surely go a long way toward accomplishing that goal.

Pawtucket street sweeping.

2006-06-09T10:48:00.000-04:00

Pawtucket, RI does street sweeping on Fridays. This started a few years ago, and what it means is that from 8AM - 3PM every Friday from April to November your car has to be off the street or it will be ticketed. Well.......this is fucking bullshit. 1. The street sweepers do NOTHING. They swirl the dirt, that's it. 2. Nobody asked for this to be done, the city decided on its own that this would be a great idea. Of course the assholes pass it off as making the city cleaner, when the truth is it's a revenue generator. It's too bad the average citizen is so desensitized to government abuse that they hardly notice when asked to bend over. 3. It's a huge pain in the ass. I'm lucky, I live in a neighborhood where everyone has a driveway, and it's not a huge inconvenience to put our cars off the street. However, there are plenty of people who really don't have a place to keep their cars. This is just not fair. I know of someone who works 3rd shift and would like to come home and go to bed, but on Friday's he has to stay awake waiting for the street sweeper so he can move the car before he's ticketed. 4. When they started this program their was overwhelming complaints from the residents, yet the program stayed in place. The government works for YOU. Let me repeat that the government works for YOU. Or at least it's supposed to. When the govt. sets up an unnecessary program that is met with an overwhelming backlash, the response in a free country would be to drop the program to satisfy the citizens(ostensibly, the government's employer). But when the government inconveniences it's citizens and ignores their complaints to keep in place a program that helps no one but the officials collecting the ticket revenue we have crossed the line to fascism. I feel that line in America was crossed years ago. This is why I won't stand up for the National Anthem or God Bless America when it's played at a ballgame. Before you criticize me, let me say I love America. But to me America is not the dirt under our feet, or the body of legislators that makes up the government it is an abstract idea. America is principles and ideals. It is the belief that all men are created equal and free to live in liberty and to pursue their happiness. Unfortunately, the people who run our country don't see it that way. Sure, they give the proper lip service to rhetoric about protecting liberty. But it's all bullshit. They don't care about freedom, at least not your and mine. They care about controlling us, collecting our money, telling us how to live our life and putting you in jail if you refuse to toe the line. The city of Pawtucket, Rhode Island with their streetsweeping policy is now a police state.

2006-04-25T16:02:00.000-04:00

Collin Finnerty, 19, appeared in D.C. Superior Court for a hearing in which a judge determined he had violated the conditions of a diversion program he entered after being charged in a November assault in Georgetown. The charges would have been dismissed under the terms of the diversion program once Finnerty completed 25 hours of community service, but the terms also required he not commit any criminal offenses. Correct me if I'm wrong but until he is convicted he has not commited any criminal offenses under the terms of the program. How is it that the state is going to try him for the assault case on the grounds he violated the terms of the diversionary program before the rape case is concluded. Must I remind everyone that the job DA Nifong has done here is not only incompetent but borderline malicious towards the Duke players. There is no DNA, a witness who is selling her testimony to the highest bidder, search warrants executed AFTER the indictment, photos placing the accused somewhere else at the time of the crime and a not very credible complaining witness.

Sheehan arrested at State of the Union

2006-01-31T21:41:00.000-05:00

Cindy Sheehan had a ticket to the State of the Union address and was pulled from her seat and arrested, for an as yet undisclosed "disturbance". The facts are not all out yet, but I will almost guarantee this was a matter of the leader of the free world saying he did not want someone who has been so vocal in her criticism of him to be at his speech and ordered her arrest in the mold of some of history's greatest dictators. UPDATE: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060201/ap_on_go_co/state_of_union_sheehan I am pleased they apologized......but does anyone doubt the order was to get her out of the building using any means possible and then just drop the charges and apologize later. I'm sure this approach was preferable than the potential embarrassment to Bush to have a dissenter anywhere near him. Can't have him made aware of the fact there are some people who don't like him.

I'm proud

2006-01-03T17:14:00.000-05:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060103/ap_on_he_me/medical_marijuana Doesn't happen often, but today I'm proud to be a Rhode Islander. Rhode Island on Tuesday became the 11th state to legalize medical marijuana and the first since the U.S. Supreme Courtruled in June that patients who use the drug can still be prosecuted under federal law. The House overrode a veto by Gov. Don Carcieri, To veto such a law is the same as saying you enjoy human suffering and it gives you pleasure to inflict pain and misery of the worst kind on your fellow humans, and in the case of a public official, on the very people that employ you.

Week 17 picks

2005-12-30T16:13:00.000-05:00

Last week of picking regular season games. Always depressing, as I love regular season NFL Sundays and miss them when they're gone. Broncos at Chargers: SD is eliminated from playoff contention, while this is a tuneup for Denver. The loser will be the team that wants to be there the least. I say that's SD, who will have a bitter taste in their mouths and just want the year over. Bronocs 28-14 Giants at Raiders: The Giants should win this game, and with the NFC East still in doubt, they have something to play for. Oakland gave up on this season weeks ago. Giants 31-17 Bengals at Chiefs: Interesting game, and one of the most important of the week. Cincy is coming off a brutal loss and would really like and need to get into the playoffs on a high note. KC kept their hopes alive last week and get to play at home. The Cincinnati defense has yet to assert themselves, don't look for them to do it this week. Chiefs 35-24 Bills at Jets: Huge win for Buffalo, whom I thought had mailed it in weeks ago, over the Bengals. Don't expect a repeat. NY takes themselves out of the Reggie Bush sweepstakes. Jets 23-17 Panthers at Falcons: Michael Vick in the Pro Bowl? Why? Atlanta has got to be one of the 3 biggest disappointments of the year, along with the Eagles and, in my opinion, the Cardinals. Panthers 24-17 Cardinals at Colts: Will Indy lost 3 in a row to close the season? I don't think so. Colts 35-17 Ravens at Browns: Baltimore has come on a little toward the end. It was a little late, but it's always nice to end the season with a positive. Ravens 16-7 Lions at Steelers: Pittsburgh at home, in a must win, against the most pathetic franchise in the NFL. Anyone smell upset? Yeah, me either. Steelers 27-10 Saints at Buccaneers: New Orleans wraps up one of the most strenuous seasons in NFL history, but not on a high note. Buccaneers 26-7 Dolphins at Patriots: Miami has won 5 in a row, and will be a contender next year. NE has nothing to play for. Last year, in a similar circumstance, Miami shocked NE. Miami is better now than last year. An upset is a possibility but I just don't see Belichick letting that happen. Patriots 21-14 Seahawks at Packers: Intersting game to pick. Seattle has wrapped up the #1 seed. GB wraps up their most miserable season since the '80's. Holmgren returns to Lambeau for what could be Favre's last game. The Pack is actually favored. Seahawks 20-17 Texans at 49ers: Would've been more interesting if both teams had 2 wins. How do you pick a game where everyone wants to lose? Texans 10-9 Titans at Jaguars: Look for Jax to play with more emotion than anyone else who has already wrapped up a playoff spot. It's been 6 years since their last postseason appearance, they think they could be tough, they want to send a message, and they need to get Leftwich some meaningful work. Jaguars 24-10 Bears at Vikings: About 3 weeks ago, this looked like it might be for the division. Disappointing finish for Minnesota after their 6 game win streak. Bears 19-13 Redskins at Eagles: Washington is playing for the postseason, Philly wants to forget this year ever happened. Redskins 28-13 Rams at Cowboys: Dallas' fate might be decided before they play Sunday night. Cowboys 20-17 if they are still alive, Rams 24-20 if Dallas has been eliminated.

Sun Belt officials

2005-12-29T16:57:00.000-05:00

Did anyone see the Alamo Bowl last night with Michigan and Nebraska? First, of all that was an excellent game with one of the most exciting finishes I've seen. Had that final play resulted in a touchdown it would have surpassed Cal-Stanford for the craziest single play in CFB history. Now for the bad.....what the hell was that officiating crew doing working a game of that magnitude played between teams of the talent level of Michigan and Nebraska. To say the least that crew was incompetent. They were unable to keep up with the speed of the players, at times seemed like they weren't clear on basic rules and made several glaring mistakes. Not to mention the replay jackass who cost Michigan 2 timeouts. What the hell was he doing up there? A close play at a pivotal point in a big game is the reason we have replay. Why wasn't he asking for a review before Michigan had to waste timeouts they could've used at the end. Here's a short list of mistakes: Making Michigan waste 2 timeouts Letting 10 seconds run off before starting the clock when Nebraska had the ball with less than a minute to go. Not knowing the halo rule was taken out of the game a few years ago. Spotting the ball for a FG attempt on the wrong hashmark after a delay for a review. Being way too slow to blow the whistle resulting in chaos and a few unneccesary hits.

Week 16 picks

2005-12-22T15:57:00.000-05:00

Falcons at Buccaneers: Atlanta has too much ground to make up after not showing up in Chicago last week. Playing at Tampa against an embarrassed Bucs team, is too much to handle. Expect a low scoring run dominated game. Buccaneers 20-16 Bills at Bengals: Buffalo's season ended about 3 weeks ago. Cincy is on a roll and looking to head into the playoffs on a high note. It's an unfortunate circumstance but I believe with the death of Tony Dungy's son, the door has suddenly opened for some other teams in the AFC. Bengals 34-14 Cowboys at Panthers: I think the bottom fell out for Dallas in Washington last week. On the road against Carolina is not the prescription for saving the season. Panthers 31-13 Lions at Saints: I thought N'awlins might go 0-16 when they started dealing with the Katrina effects. This week, playing the team with the most incompetent front office in football, they have a chance for their 4th victory. That's honestly and impressive feat this year. Saints 23-17 Jaguars at Texans: Ok, Houston proved their point that they weren't intentionally losing last week. Now it's back to business as usual. Jaguars 27-14 Giants at Redskins: Nice win for the Giants last week. However, Washington is suddenly getting hot at just the right time and they have a 36-0 humiliation to revenge. Eli's been living dangerously for about 6 weeks and I have a bad feeling about him in this game. Redskins 24-21 Steelers at Browns: With San Diego breathing down their necks Pittsburgh can't let up. This is a game they should win, if they don't they don't belong in the playoffs. Steelers 21-10 Chargers at Chiefs: After back to back losses this is an absolute must win game for KC. San Diego has suddenly vaulted themselves into the thick of the wild card race with the fantastic win last week at Indy. The game's at Arrowhead. For SD this will be a little bit of a let down, though it shouldn't be. Always take the team that wants it more. Chiefs 31-21 49ers at Rams: A lost season for the Rams started with a stunner in SF on opening day. A win is a must to save face. Rams 27-17 Titans at Dolphins: After being eliminated from playoff contention, this could be a trap game for the hot Miami Dolphins. However, this game is at home and would guarantee them a .500 season. 9 wins is still possible. Nick Saban deserves a pat on the back. This is a top playoff contender in '06. Dolphins 28-17 Eagles at Cardinals: Philly's strength, if they have any left, is in the secondary. That should neutralize the remarkably talented Cardinal receivers. Eagles 23-21 Colts at Seahawks: Terrible week for Indy. First the loss then Tony Dungy's son. With the undefeated season gone and facing a potential Super Bowl team to whom they don't want to show their hand, I think the goal here is just get back to Indiana healthy and in time for Christmas dinner. Seahawks 31-20 Raiders at Broncos: Could be a little bit of a let down game for Denver, but Oakland has played like a team that has given up for so many weeks now, I'm not sure that'll matter. Broncos 20-10 Bears at Packers: It's time for the TV guys to stop making excuses for Favre. He makes more dumb decisions than almost any other QB but it's always someone else's fault. This year has been an embarrassment. Would Aaron Brooks or Drew Bledsoe be getting the same free pass that the national media has given to St. Brett? Bears 24-10 Vikings at Ravens: I think Minnesota will keep their faint heartbeat alive this week. Baltimore is getting their 2nd consecutive prime time game. I'm sure the networks love that. Vikings 27-13 Patriots at Jets: New England has the 4th seed clinched. They have nothing to play for, but they're going to want to avoid last year's debacle at Miami. Patriots 23-14.

Letterman restraining order

2005-12-21T15:00:00.000-05:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051221/ap_on_en_tv/letterman_restraining_order Attorneys for television talk show host David Letterman want a judge to quash a restraining order granted to a Santa Fe woman who contends the celebrity used code words to show that he wanted to marry her and train her as his co-host. A state judge granted a temporary restraining order to Colleen Nestler, who alleged in a request filed last Thursday that Letterman has forced her to go bankrupt and caused her "mental cruelty" and "sleep deprivation" since May 1994. Nestler's application for a restraining order was accompanied by a six-page typed letter in which she said Letterman used code words, gestures and "eye expressions" to convey his desires for her. She wrote that she began sending Letterman "thoughts of love" after his show began in 1993, and that he responded in code words and gestures, asking her to come East. She said he asked her to be his wife during a televised "teaser" for his show by saying, "Marry me, Oprah." Her letter said Oprah was the first of many code names for her, and that the coded vocabulary increased and changed with time. What the hell is wrong with this judge? Apparently there are no standards in New Mexico for what merits a restraining order. This woman seems like a colossal nutjob andI'm sure is more dangerous to Letterman than he is to her.

Damon a Yankee?

2005-12-21T00:50:00.000-05:00

Ok, I've lost all respect for this guy. I love Johnny and absolutely wanted him to re-sign with Boston. But if he had to leave, that's his prerogative. But to go to the Yankees? I always thought of him as a real free spirit and an individual. The Yankees strip their employees of any individuality with their stupid conformist rules. As far as I'm concerned he's sold his soul for a few extra bucks. And when you're dealing with figures around the 40-50 million dollar range, a few million is nothing.

Csonka, Griese, Warfield and company breath easy

2005-12-18T17:14:00.000-05:00

The bid for 16-0 is over. I picked the Colts to win and cover a 7 pt spread so I'm not happy. But that was an impressive game turned in by the Chargers. First, to paralyze the Colts offense for the entire first half and build a 16-0 lead midway through the 3rd quarter. Then, to rebound after the momentum swing that saw the Colts put 17 on the board in 6 minutes and take a lead. Congratulations to San Diego. They certainly deserve to be in the playoffs and I'll be rooting for them the rest of the way.

Bush blames the messenger

2005-12-18T17:08:00.000-05:00

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/17/bush.nsa/index.html In acknowledging the message was true, President Bush took aim at the messenger Saturday, saying that a newspaper jeopardized national security by revealing that he authorized wiretaps on U.S. citizens... A free press.....the arch-enemy of any dictator. the president said that his actions were permissible, but that leaking the revelation to the media was illegal. If that's true, then find the person in your administration who still cares about freedom and string him up by the thumbs. Don't blame the newspaper. The NSA eavesdrops on billions of communications worldwide. Although the NSA is barred from domestic spying, it can get warrants issued with the permission of a special court called the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Court. Any reason he couldn't have followed the normal procedure??

FOX screws its viewers

2005-12-15T20:10:00.000-05:00

http://www.tv.com/tracking/viewer.html&ref_id=32270&tid=80827&ref_type=101 Fans of Fox TV's mystery series, "Reunion", will never find out who killed Samantha, it was reported Monday. "The show was intricately plotted over 22 episodes to tell the full story of our characters' lives (and deaths)", Feldman said in a statement. "Because the events of Samantha's murder are partially reliant on characters we haven't yet met -- and events we haven't yet seen -- there is no way to solve the mystery of her murder without being able to complete the full arc of our story through present-day." This is ridiculous. Ok, I know it's not the most popular show, but I've watched every episode. How can they just leave the hardcore fans hanging? Put it on FX, put it on at midnight, put it out on DVD, do anything but get those final 9 episodes made and available to fans. If this isn't done I'd suggest a boycott of all things FOX. If I'm watching the Pats on FOX Saturday and it's 28-0 at the half do I have to worry they're going to cut me off??

Week 15 picks

2005-12-15T18:02:00.000-05:00

Buccaneers at Patriots: Should be an interesting game. Brady is questionable, but I think that's just Belichick being a jerk about injury reports. Tampa's a pretty good team this year, but I can't take them in Foxboro in December. Patriots 24-17 Chiefs at Giants: Another excellent game on Saturday. For the Giants to win Manning needs to settle down and cut down on the mistakes he's been making with alarming frequency over the last month and the Giants front needs to clamp down on Larry Johnson. I think they can do that. Giants 28-24 Broncos at Bills: Buffalo has been pathetic over the last 2 weeks. I think it's safe to say they have signed, sealed and stamped their season and placed it in the mail. Broncos 30-10 Cardinals at Texans: Given the rumors Houston threw last week's game to get Reggie Bush you have to believe they're going all out this week to prove something. But I don't think they'll be able to stop Arizona's passing game. Cardinals 27-17 Panthers at Saints: Carolina has 2 reasons to be ready for this game, they lost a key division game last week at home to Tampa and New Orleans embarrassed them at home in the opener. That won't happen again. Panthers 26-17 Cowboys at Redskins: Both teams are hanging around the bottom of the wild card race, but this is still the most important matchup between these long time rivals this late in a season in years. Dallas had a huge win last week, but I see Washington on a roll and ready to stake a claim at a possible playoff berth. Redskins 21-14 Jets at Dolphins: Miami's rolling and the Jets win last week was more about the Raiders quitting on Norv Turner than about them. Dolphins 24-10 Steelers at Vikings: This is one hell of a game and impossible to pick. Minnesota is at home and is the hottest team not located in Indiana over the last 6 weeks. Pittsburgh is a good team coming off a potential season saving game against Chicago. Pittsburgh will run on the Vikings and will cause enough problems for Brad Johnson to hand him his first loss. Steelers 23-14 Chargers at Colts: I have a voice in the back of my head telling me this is the upset of the year. But I just can't believe it will happen in the RCA Dome. Colts 31-17 Seahawks at Titans: Tennesse will stick around in this game. Seattle is ready for a let down and are travelling across country. They'll still win though. Seahawks 27-20 49ers at Jaguars: Not much to say about this one. Jaguars 24-9 Bengals at Lions: Detroit is one of several truly pathetic teams in the league right now. How about this fact: Cincy's first Super Bowl was in Detroit, this year's SB is in Detroit. This game is in Detroit. Is it a dress rehearsal? Bengals 34-16 Browns at Raiders: Nice matchup of two teams that couldn't care less. How do you pick this? Go with the home team. Raiders 20-19 Eagles at Rams: I refuse to pick Philly, especially on the road, the rest of this season without TO. Rams 30-20 Falcons at Bears: Watching how the Chicago defense handles Michael Vick should be interesting. Falcons 20-10 Packers at Ravens: Wow, ABC and ESPN have had some clunkers the past few weeks(Packers/Lions, Saints/Jets). Take Brett Favre. Packers 24-10

More on Corey Maye

2005-12-15T17:53:00.000-05:00

Radley Balko has created a special page at the Agitator to host his Corey Maye posts. Go here: http://www.theagitator.com/archives/cat_cory_maye.php It is vital that everyone stay on top of this one.

NY monitoring diabetics

2005-12-14T22:27:00.000-05:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051215/ap_on_he_me/tracking_diabetes New York adopted a health code regulation Wednesday that will make it the first American city to keep track of people with diabetes in much the same way it does with patients infected with HIV or tuberculosis. The city will occasionally use its database to prod diabetics to take better care of themselves. Oh my god, somewhere George Orwell is doing somersaults in his grave. New York's health commissioner, Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, said the program's potential to save thousands of lives outweighs what it gives up in medical privacy. Yeah, keep shoveling it Dr. Frieden. The old "saving lives is more important than liberty/freedom/independence/individuality/fun/privacy" theory. most medical laboratories in New York will be required to electronically forward the results of thousands of blood-sugar tests to the city Health Department, which will then analyze the data to identify people having trouble controlling their diabetes. Some patients might then get letters or phone calls from their doctors, prodding them to take medication, come in more frequently for checkups, or change their diet. Is there anyone would argue that it's that such a stretch to imagine the United States government forcibly hospitalizing people who aren't taking care of themselves the way our mommies in Washington would like?

Bush admits he was wrong?!?!

2005-12-14T16:42:00.000-05:00

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/14/bush.iraq/index.html "It is true that much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong," Bush said during his fourth and final speech before Thursday's vote for Iraq's parliament. "As president I am responsible for the decision to go into Iraq. And I'm also responsible for fixing what went wrong by reforming our intelligence capabilities. And we're doing just that." Wow, I thought he had a medical condition that prevented him from uttering any words that remotely resemble "I was wrong". "My decision to remove Saddam Hussein was the right decision," the president said. "Saddam was a threat and the American people, and the world is better off because he is no longer in power." But, then he goes and ruins a good thing. This was not the right decision. He wasn't a threat to the American people. You said he was a threat because of WMD's. You just got finished saying you were wrong about that. So in what way was he a threat?

House (Reichstag) renews Patriot Act

2005-12-14T16:31:00.000-05:00

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10467408/ President Bush urged against any delay in Senate action. “The Patriot Act is essential to fighting the war on terror and preventing our enemies from striking America again,” he said in a statement. “In the war on terror, we cannot afford to be without this law for a single moment.” Let me translate: In our efforts to completely trample American civil liberties, independent spirt and individuality we can't affored to be without this law. “The consequence of letting the Patriot Act expire will be a boon to terrorists, because they will be able to exploit all of the vulnerabilities of our legal system that allowed them to pull 9/11 off,” said Judiciary chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis. “And as a result, I don’t think that’s the responsible thing to do.” Bullshit. This is a textbook example of the government getting people to willingly give up freedom out of fear that is manufactured by the government itself. To the extent the legal system was vulnerable it was due to stupid pissing contests between the CIA, the FBI and other agencies. The Patriot Act allowed agencies to pass information. To that end, it did its job and I don't have an issue. There is no reason why agencies should not only be allowed but should be required to work together. I have no problem with that. But the rest of this freedom stomping Act wasn't necessary to achieve that goal.

4 hours to live

2005-12-12T23:08:00.000-05:00

http://rhodeisland.cox.net/cci/newsnational/national?_mode=view&_state=maximized&view=article&id=D8EF3C488 As of this writing Tookie Williams has 4 hours to live. I cannot support the death penalty as it is carried out in this country. If you have someone on video raping and murdering a child and he's convicted I have no problem with a mob dragging him onto the courthouse lawn and stringing him up. For that reason, I do not say I am anti-death penalty. However, to lethally inject someone, who by all accounts has done tons of good in the past 20 years, 25+ years since the crime is simply cold-blooded murder. Even if he was still a complete asshole, to coolly put him to death is nothing but pre-meditated murder. No one is helped, no one is brought back to life, no one feels better. As hurt as the victims families still must be if after all this time they still have that fire of revenge burning they are pretty heartless themselves. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger refused to block the execution of Stanley Tookie Williams, rejecting the notion that the founder of the murderous Crips gang had atoned for his crimes and found redemption on death row. I think being nominated for Nobel Prizes and preaching against gangs is in the realm of atonement. What the governor really meant was Williams continues to profess his innocence of this particular crime and refuses to bend down and kiss the ass of our all-knowing justice system that never makes mistakes. Schwarzenegger also noted that there is "little mention or atonement in his writings and his plea for clemency of the countless murders committed by the Crips following the lifestyle Williams once espoused. Excuse me??? He's putting to death for a specific murder. He has renounced gang life. This sounds dangerously close to the governor condemning him for murders committed by people who proclaim to be members of the Crips although they never met Williams and he had absolutely no responsibility for any of these senseless murders, nor was there really anything he could do to bring them to an end, other than the preaching he has been doing. How can anyone order Williams' death and live with themselves? I couldn't.

Corey Maye update

2005-12-12T22:02:00.000-05:00

Remember to check TheAgitator.com every day for Radley Balko's latest updates on this story. It's an infuriating story and he's done a great job staying on top.

Red Sox deals

2005-12-12T21:54:00.000-05:00

I've been lax in covering the Red Sox winter deals. 1. I already gave a lengthy post on Josh Beckett. Still haven't changed what I said then. I will assess this trade around mid-May 2. Mirabelli for Loretta = Call me a cynic but this makes me nervous. On paper it's fantastic, we get an All-Star 2nd baseman who's a good major league hitter in the mold of a Todd Walker, decent(.290 range) average, hits to all fields, doesn't hit many homers but will pile up doubles, and by all accounts is a good fielder. The obvious problem is who catches Wakefield? But I'm sure that can be taken care of. What really concerns me is why SD would make this trade? I can't help but have a feeling that they have some indication Loretta is ready to take a nosedive in his production. Who ever heard of taking a backup catcher for your 2nd baseman. 3. Renteria = Don't agree with this at all. Unlike most residents of Red Sox nation, I was not infuriated with Edgar. Sure, he performed at less than the level we would have all liked. His fielding was, at times, atrocious, and his hitting(though his final numbers weren't all that bad) was too streaky. But he's a proven player(Gold Glover, 4 All-Star games) and was at least competent last year. They signed him for 4 years and gave up Cabrera. Why give up on him after only 1 year????? And for just a prospect???? I don't like this.

Happy Holidays v. Merry Christmas

2005-12-09T11:57:00.000-05:00

What the hell is the big deal? Why is such a fuss being made about this, this year? Political correctness is to me as Lex Luthor is to Superman, but this doesn't particularly bother me. This is the holiday season, while Christmas may be the centerpiece, there is New Year's Day and Eve, my birthday(though I suppose that's celebrated by a very, very small minority), Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Saturnalia and I would suspect thousands of people, if not more, who give presents, gather with their family and have parties simply because its a festive time of year without celebrating any specific holiday. Christians may be the majority, but if you're working at a store you have no idea if your customer is celebrating Christmas. Why would you say "Merry Christmas"? Happy Holidays or Seasons Greetings is just a way of wishing the person you're addressing it to a good season. I consider the time from Thanksgiving to New Year's to be the holiday season. It is certainly not insulting to Christians or diminishing the spirit of Christmas to use the all-inclusive Happy Holidays. Look at like this; most, but not all people celebrate Christmas, but there's pretty much no one who doesn't celebrate something at this time of year. By going for the more generic phrase you can be pretty sure you're not alienating whoever you're speaking to. As for Christmas and its secularization, this is a particular annoyance to me. Every year I'm forced to listen to a homily in church about the tarnishing of Jesus' birthday with commercials and presents and etc.... Well, to the Catholic Church in which I was born, raised, and still for some reason patronize: Christmas was a secular holiday first. The early Christians STOLE the winter solstice celebration that came complete with indoor trees, presents, candles, parties, and other Christmas staples and declared Dec. 25 to be Jesus' birth even though there was NO evidence to back that claim up. It was just convenient since the day was already being celebrated and they had the added bonus of squashing the pagans' fun. For the record, best indications are the historical figure of Jesus Christ was probably born in September.

Airplane shooting

2005-12-09T11:02:00.000-05:00

http://news.yahoo.com/fc/business/aviation_security I hadn't posted on this story, because I wasn't particularly bothered by it. I've always been of the belief that asinine rules about grandmas not being able to bring knitting needles on a plane wasn't the way to handle security. We'd all be better off if we were all armed. 9/11 wouldn't have happened if someone on the plane had a gun. That being said, I didn't have a problem with the air marshals shooting first when a guy said he had a bomb and was acting like he was about to detonate it. Then I see this: One passenger said he "absolutely never heard the word 'bomb' at all" during the uproar as the Orlando-bound flight prepared to leave Miami on Wednesday. I was afraid this was a case of a power hungry sadist thirsty for blood who took advantage of the first opportunity he got. But for once, I was giving the government the benefit of the doubt. Seems I was wrong.

Week 14 picks

2005-12-09T10:37:00.000-05:00

Bears at Steelers: I was wrong about Chicago. They have convinced they me they are a legitimate contender. With that defense they may even make some noise in the playoffs and with a lucky break or two, it's not inconceivable they will be making their 2nd SuperBowl appearance. However, they aren't going to be Pittsburgh on the road. The Steelers need a win to bolster their suddenly sagging playoff hopes. Steelers 21-14 Browns at Bengals: Cincinnati officially arrived last week with their big win over Pittsburgh. Now its time to do what winners do, beat up on the weaker teams. With Denver losing the Bengals have a shot to be the 2 seed in the AFC, now's not the time to go backward. Bengals 34-13 Colts at Jaguars: This was the game I said Indy would lose, until Leftwich got hurt. Colts 28-17 Patriots at Bills: The AFC East is by far the worst division in football. I don't think I'm the only one surprised by that development. Patriots 26-16 Raiders at Jets: Just 3 years ago these teams were meeting in the playoffs for the 2nd straight year. Now they'll be lucky if they win 8 games between them. I have questions about Oakland traveling cross country after an embarrassing loss. But, the Jets are just too bad right now. Raiders 27-20 Rams at Vikings: I don't think the win streak ends Sunday. Vikings 31-24 Buccaneers at Panthers: Huge divisional matchup in what has become arguably the toughest division in football. 3 teams with at least 7 win who all can pound the ball. Home field is the difference here. Panthers 16-10 Giants at Eagles: I smell an upset here. Philly's season is over, they were humiliated on national TV and the Giants have a tendency to deliver a stinker just when it looks like they're ready to take some control in the NFC. But I just can't picture this year's Eagle team beating this year's Giants team. Giants 24-21 49ers at Seahawks: For the second time in a month I'm going to annoint Seattle the best team in the NFC. The last time I did that SF almost upset them. This one's in Seattle. Easiest game to pick this week. Seahawks 31-14 Redskins at Cardinals: A playoff spot is probably out of reach, but the win at St. Louis got Washington back to .500 and kept them mathematically alive. They should win against a very disappointing Cardinals team that I felt would contend. Redskins 23-17 Ravens at Broncos: Denver shouldn't have any trouble getting back on track after last week's loss to KC. Broncos 20-3 Chiefs at Cowboys: Game of the day. Dallas, at home, will keep their heads above water. Cowboys 20-17 Texans at Titans: 2 original AFL nicknames doing battle in this week's Irrelevant Bowl. Who cares about this one? Watch for Houston to pull the mini-upset and pick up win #2. Texans 19-14 Dolphins at Chargers: San Diego is a damn good team. After fading a little from the playoff picture they have taken care of business to get themselves back in the running. This is a game they have to win. And they should unless they ease up after last week's shellacking of archrival Oakland. Chargers 28-17 Lions at Packers: Another Sunday night classic. Detroit has seen their season go from possible playoff contender to straight in the toilet. GB gets revenge for opening day humiliation. Packers 21-6 Saints at Falcons: Shouldn't be trouble for Atlanta, trying to keep pace in the NFC South. Falcons 34-17

Cory Maye

2005-12-07T17:39:00.000-05:00

http://www.theagitator.com/archives/025962.php#025962 Read Radley Balko's account of this tragic story over at the Agitator. This is sickening. Police storm this guys home while he's sleeping(they had the wrong house), don't announce themselves, he shoots and kills one and he's on death row.

Show your papers or you WILL be arrested

2005-12-06T13:53:00.000-05:00

http://www.reason.com/sullum/113005.shtml [Deborah]Davis, who is scheduled to be arraigned on December 9, is risking 60 days in jail to show her fellow Americans that they don't need to blindly obey every dictate imposed in the name of security. And what did this threat to our national security do to warrant criminal charges? The public bus that Davis took to her office job in Lakewood, Colorado, crosses the Denver Federal Center, a 90-building complex occupied by agencies such as the U.S. Geological Survey, the Interior Department, the General Services Administration, and the Bureau of Land Management. "The facility is not high security," says Davis. "It's not Area 51 or NORAD or the Rocky Mountain Arsenal." Guards nevertheless board buses as they enter the complex and demand IDs from passengers, whether or not they're getting off there. Show your papers on demand. Land of the free?!?! I can understand, though don't agree with, ID checks for people entering federal buildings or those who got off the bus at this complex. But this was a public bus that just happened to have a federal complex on its route. Why should regular people going to their jobs or wherever, be treated like this simply because the bus is crossing federal property. I can't recall any legal justification for demanding ID's of people if it is not in the context of either a criminal investigation or some sort of random check in a situation like entering the White House. Ahmad Taha, supervisory special agent with the Federal Protective Service, which is in charge of security at the Denver complex, said guards there have been checking the IDs of bus passengers since 9/11. He declined to explain the security rationale for this ritual or to comment on Davis' case. I hate to be rude, but based on this "supervisory special agent's" name alone I'd be more suspicious of him than Ms. Davis. As for failing to explain the security rationale - first, I think he's obligated to provide that. But it doesn't really matter because we know the rationale: keeping us under the ruler's thumb. Wake up people we are living under an oppressive, conformist, totalitarian rule that expects us all to toe the line and bend over on command to receive whatever the government wants to shove up our ass.

BCS doesn't deserve credit

2005-12-05T15:33:00.000-05:00

What's up with these analysts and experts patting the BCS on the back and giving them all kinds of credit for getting it right this year? Does it really take a complicated and complex system like the BCS to figure out USC and Texas are the 2 best in the country?? A random of poll of drunk fans with mustard on their shirts leaving stadiums across the country this weekend would've gotten you the same result. The BCS has failed in 4 of the 8 years it's been in existence(Fla St. in'00, Nebraska in '01, no USC in '03, no Auburn in '04). In only 2 years has the issue been cut and dry(Miami - OSU in '02 and this year). Not a very good record for such a huge system that has so much cash riding on it.

Keep Manny

2005-12-03T11:03:00.000-05:00

The Red Sox cannot let Manny go. He is a very dumb person, but he's not malicious and isn't in any respect a bad person. He is not a cancer in the clubhouse like other guys can be when they decide they want out. He is one of the best pure hitters in baseball. He has put up monster numbers without a whiff of the stink of steroids. And without him I dread what will happen to Big Papi's production. Go here to sign the petition to keep him: http://keepmanny.com

Congress and the BCS

2005-12-03T10:56:00.000-05:00

http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/9073697 Calling the Bowl Championship Series "deeply flawed," the chairman of a congressional committee has called a hearing on the controversial system used to determine college football's national champion. Don't get me wrong, I completely agree the BCS is deeply flawed. However, THIS IS NONE OF CONGRESS'S DAMN BUSINESS. "College football is not just an exhilarating sport, but a billion-dollar business that Congress cannot ignore," said committee chairman Joe Barton "Can not ignore" and "sticking our noses wherever the hell we want" apparently means the same thing to Congress.

T-shirt banned in Boston

2005-12-03T10:49:00.000-05:00

http://www.sploid.com/news/2005/12/banned_in_bosto.php Boston mayor Thomas Menino has called for city Inspectional Services Division officials to seize all t-shirts bearing the message "Stop Snitchin'." "It’s wrong," Menino said. "We are going into every retail store that sells the shirts and remove them." The mayor's patience was apparently pushed beyond its limit when the mother of gang member wore one of the shirts to her sons trial for the death of 10-year-old Trina Persad. Ummm.....Mr. Mayor, I think when you go into retail stores and remove merchandise it's called theft. What could possibly justify a move like this legally???????? Menino and other critics say the shirts are an attempt to intimidate witnesses into silence. I'm sure they'll spin this into a way to defend their actions in this case. However, since this is a shirt being sold in stores across the country and not directed at any one individual I would not buy this. City government storming retail stores and stealing shirts with messages they disapprove of. Citizens of the United States I give you your "land of the free."

Jim Rice for the Hall

2005-12-02T09:41:00.000-05:00

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10283403/site/newsweek/page/2/ Excellent article detailing Rice's candidacy for the HoF. Ballots have gone out this week for next year's elections. For a long time, even as a lifelong Sox fan, I wasn't on board with this idea because I was jaded by the hitting numbers of the last 10 years and wrongly influenced by Rice falling short of some benchmarks like 400 HR and a .300 average(he hit 398/.298). His career hit a wall as suddenly and completely as anyone in history. And that has hurt his candidacy. However, the truth is for 12 years he was arguably the best all around hitter in baseball. Had he suffered a sudden injury and been forced to retire early, as Kirby Puckett did, I don't think there would have been much of an argument against him. I think it's time, I and all the voters, forgave his steep 3 year decline and just look at the first 12 years. Over the span of his first dozen seasons in the majors, Rice led all American Leaguers in 13 different categories including hits, runs, RBIs, home runs, slugging percentage, total bases and even outfield assists. And on top of his power production, Rice hit .304, trailing only three Hall of Famers—Wade Boggs, Rod Carew and George Brett. That is phenomenal. Over a 12 years span he led all American Leaguers in every major offensive category except average, and he still hit over .300. I had no idea this was the case. I am also surprised by the assists thing, I don't think anyone ever thinks of him as an all around player but that's an impressive stat. Rice is one of only 25 players in the history of the game—and the only one of his era—to maintain a .300 average while hitting 300 home runs over 10 consecutive seasons. (For Rice, you can take your pick of three decades—’75-’84, ’76-’85 or ’77-’86.) None of his contemporaries already ensconced in the Hall, not Mike Schmidt nor Reggie Jackson nor Dave Winfield, can match that. Of the 25 players who have, 10 did so recently in a period of inflated hitting stats. But check out the baseball who’s who that managed the feat before Rice: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmy Foxx, Mel Ott, Hank Greenberg, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Duke Snider, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson and Billy Williams. Does anyone still want to keep him out of the Hall????

Joseph Smith execution

2005-12-02T09:29:00.000-05:00

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/12/01/smith.sentenced/index.html Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse in Sarasota, [Brucia's mother] said she was pleased with the decision, but she expressed distress that the justice system would allow Smith so many appeals before being executed. "It should happen today. It's not going to, but it's a step in the right direction," she said. "He couldn't be dead fast enough for me. I want him dead. I want him dead now." How do you feel about this? Cause I'm not sure. I understand why she feels like that, I think anyone other than a complete bleeding heart would. But her statements just sound so vindictive, and not unjustifiably so, that it makes me a little uncomfortable with the American justice system. My opinion on the death penalty is I don't believe in it as it exists in America. After all the appeals by the time someone is put to death it seems like nothing more than a premeditated, cruel murder of someone who often isn't the same person he/she was when they committed the murders. If you want to drag someone like this, who's on videotape, out of the courthouse and string him up on the front lawn in front of the whole city I'd be more able to live with that. But when the victim's family makes statements like this it makes me nervous that there have been or will be cases where an innocent person is railroaded so the family can simply feel some sense of justice. ***I'm not saying that's what happened here, it's pretty clear they got the right guy. Again, I'm not saying the mother is wrong for feeling that way or that Smith doesn't deserve to die. Just that I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with these statements and was curious what everyone else's opinions was? [The defense attorney] also asked the judge if Smith could address the jury, a request Sarasota County Circuit Judge Andrew Owens denied because it would have required cross-examination. Smith did not testify during the trial. Now, this I have a real problem with. The guy's life is on the line and he's not allowed to speak for himself????? How the hell is that due process.

Week 13 picks

2005-12-01T13:35:00.000-05:00

Packers at Bears: 2 teams headed in opposite directions. Could the season get any worse for Brett Favre? If this is his last year this certainly isn't the way he deserved to go out. As for the Bears, when they were 6-3 I said that was a hollow record and they would end up with no more than 8 wins. After beating the Panthers and Bucs I believe they are for real. Bears 21-17 Buccaneers at Saints: Could a team have ever felt better about a 3-8 record than this year's Saints? If they had gone 0-16 under the circumstances no one would've been shocked. Tampa needs to rebound after the setback to the Bears and they will. Buccaneers 24-13 Cowboys at Giants: The game of the day. Not many people would've thought a week 13 Dallas-NY game would be for the NFC East lead. But that's whats happened. The game they played in Dallas was a thriller. Both teams are coming off overtime 24-21 losses in which they played well against better teams. I believe NY is the class of this division. Giants 20-17 Bills at Dolphins: Hard game to call. Miami has been inconsistent, at times looking like a team that could or should challenge for a playoff spot and at others looking worse than the team that lost 12 games last year. Buffalo played well against the Panthers last week but this one's in Miami. Dolphins 23-13 Bengals at Steelers: Pittsburgh won the first matchup fairly easily. Cincy proved themselves by playing very well against Indy(better than Pitt did) but they still need a win in what many would consider to be a big game against a quality opponent. I think Carson Palmer may be the league MVP this year and is going to open some eyes this week. Bengals 28-17 Falcons at Panthers: Huge game in the NFC South. If Carolina can win at home it will just about crush Atlanta's hopes to win the division. Panthers 24-16 Titans at Colts: If this game is in doubt after 1:30 EST time on Sunday I'd be surprised. Colts 38-21 Vikings at Lions: Jeff Garcia regains his starting job as the Lions take the field without Steve Mariucci for the first time(the fact I blame Matt Millen for this whole mess is a matter for another day). Minnesota has won 4 in a row and is the hottest team in the conference. A win today would go along way toward keeping their once nonexistent playoff hopes alive. Vikings 27-21 Texans at Ravens: Houston played a very nice game against the Rams but still lost. This game is one of those irrelavant late season games that no one cares about that can sometimes be unpredictable. Ravens 10-6 Jaguars at Browns: I apologize to Jacksonville for picking the Cardinals to hand you the upset of the week last week. Don't hold it against me this week. This is their first game without Leftwich, always nice for the backup to have his first game be against a weaker team. Jaguars 17-10 Cardinals at 49ers: Their first game was in Mexico and on ESPN. Not as much attention around this one. Who the hell is SF's QB this week again??? Cardinals 31-17 Redskins at Rams: Where has Washington gone? They have completely collapsed over the last month. St.Louis has been to the playoffs 5 times in the last 6 years and I'm sure wants to stave off elimination as long as possible. Who's their coach? That makes for one of the more interesting subplots of the season. Rams 27-13 Broncos at Chiefs: Denver win gives them a stranglehold on the division. KC needs to win to keep things interesting. This will be a good, pounding game. The extra 3 days of rest for Denver will be the difference in the 4th quarter. Broncos 24-21 Jets at Patriots: Finally a team the NE defense might be able to hold down. And they damn well better do it. Patriots 28-7 Raiders at Chargers: Classic old AFL rivalry. San Diego is a personal favorite of mine. LT is maybe the best player in the AFC and Drew Brees has come on like a tornado the last two years rendering Philip Rivers and the whole Eli Manning fiasco irrelevant. Chargers 35-20 Seahawks at Eagles: The MNF stage might just be the place to get Seattle some long overdue national respect. They are a fantastic football team. When was the last time a guy with numbers like Shawn Alexander's was so anonymous? Seahawks 21-13

More fines for free expression

2005-12-01T09:46:00.000-05:00

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20051201071609990025&ncid=NWS00010000000001 Police officers assigned to the schools have fined about two dozen students for cursing in a new program to curtail unruly behavior. It's called free speech assholes. The whole point of free speech is to protect the crass, controverisal, annoying and low class speech. We're sending a message to the parents and to the teachers," said Sandy Cruz-Serrano, senior adviser to Superintendent of Schools Robert Henry. "We are trying to bring back order to the schools." Sorry, the message is that American citizens are subservient to the state and it will be helpful to getting people to toe the line if they are taught at a young age they either bend over and let the government stick it up their ass or they will punished.

Luuucccyyyy....you've got some 'splaining to do

2005-11-30T12:48:00.000-05:00

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10263996/ Direct from the I Love Lucy files Gregory Peck's star is stolen from the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Bush speaks

2005-11-30T09:47:00.000-05:00

Bush is speaking on Iraq today. This should be good. Hopefully I'll get a chance to hear it. If I can I'll post later on my reaction. UPDATE: Nothing but more bullshit. A lot of rhetoric about complete victory and not giving up and finishing the mission, etc..... Still nothing about why this mission is important to America or why it was undertaken in the first place. Also some crap about the terrorist central front. If that is true it is our fault by taking the war to Iraq and turning it into a magnet for the terrorists. What was the reason for this war? Even if you accept Saddam was one of the worst people on the planet and the average Iraqi citizen was miserable, he had been in power for 25 years and there have been, are now and will always be plenty of terrible despots. But America has not, for the most part, made it our business to remove unpopular governments and leaders and replace with what we want. For one thing, it's not our business to do that, for another it's pretty bad foreign policy to make that a habit. Now, while critics of Saddam in Iraq might have been miserable, from what I've seen the average citizen, pre-American occupation, had the best quality of life of any of those middle eastern countries. More freedom for women, most educated, most westernized, among other things. 9/11 was the springboard for this war to happen. And that being true the question that has not been answered is, WHY? Iraq had no connection to 9/11. Had that not happened does anyone really think we'd be there now? It is unconscionable that America would start a war simply because they didn't like another countries leaders. But that is what happened. The present administration preyed on the fears of Americans and exploited them to get the support necessary to mount a war that was burely political in nature.

Random ID checks in Miami

2005-11-29T12:35:00.000-05:00

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/11/28/D8E5RPBO5.html This is so over the top I am a little suspicious that this might be a satire in the vein of "the Onion" but I am posting my comments anyway. If this is some sort of a joke I apologize in advance for my gullibility. Miami police announced Monday they will stage random shows of force at hotels, banks and other public places to keep terrorists guessing and remind people to be vigilant. Deputy Police Chief Frank Fernandez said officers might, for example, surround a bank building, check the IDs of everyone going in and out and hand out leaflets about terror threats. Are you kidding me? Surrounding a building(presumably private property) and checking the ID's of everyone going in? I'm sure in the name of safety some moronic judge would find a way to justify this but I don't see how. I don't agree with the logic that permits random road blocks for drunk driving, but at least there there is a shred of real danger from a public menace. In this case we are talking about checking the ID's of people simply entering a building(and not a government owned building like a courthouse). This had better be a joke or a satire, otherwise I am declaring this the moment we, as a country, have finally tipped over that line we have been treading for quite a while and have officially become a police state. People are definitely going to notice it," Fernandez said. "We want that shock. We want that awe. But at the same time, we don't want people to feel their rights are being threatened. We need them to be our eyes and ears." Let me tell you something. If I'm on vacation and am heading back to my hotel or trying to deposit my paycheck in my local branch of Citizens Bank and the police stop me and demand my papers before I enter the building I'm not going to feel like my rights are threatened. I'm going to feel like they have been forcibly stripped from me, spit upon, and thrown in my face. Howard Simon, executive director of ACLU of Florida, said the Miami initiative appears aimed at ensuring that people's rights are not violated. The ACLU isn't immediately up in arms about this? I really hope this is a tip off that this story is a joke. I don't agree with the ACLU all the time(especially when they take a stand against the practice of religion - I think with the concern about protecting the establishment clause we have forgotten the second part of the 1st amendment's take on religion which is the right to freely practice religion, and not just in a church or the home. But this is a story for another time.) but I know that the ACLU, at its heart, is trying to protect all of us from real government intrusion. If ever a govt. idea warranted ACLU involvement, this is it.

Colorado University doesn't believe in due process

2005-11-27T16:46:00.000-05:00

http://cbs4denver.com/topstories/local_story_330091228.html I was watching the CU-Nebraska game on TV and was very curious in this situation. Took me till today to find an article about it. With Colorado trailing 27-3, water bottles and other junk came flying from the student section in the southeast corner of the stadium. There were no reports of injuries. Play was halted for about five minutes while officials conferred. Before play resumed, the public address announcer said sections 116 and 117 would be cleared.Security staff came to the area to escort fans out of the stadium, although the process took a while and there were still a handful of fans remaining in the sections when the game ended. Now, obviously you can't have people throwing things on the field and the people that can be proven to have participated in these activities deserve whatever they get. However, I saw them clearing the entire section on TV and wanted to get confirmation before I posted on it. I have a huge problem with this. Clearly there were hundreds of students in that section who were not participating in these actions. You can't kick an entire section out of a stadium because some unknown person acted inappropriately in the section. Think about that, would the Boston Red Sox get away with kicking an entire section of, say 250 people, out of Fenway Park because a water bottle was thrown onto the field? Absolutely not. They could do what they could to find and punish who threw the bottle but that's it. I wonder if the fact these were students had anything to do with the illegal way their right to sit in the seats they had tickets for was revoked. I don't know how student tickets work in Boulder, but it's possible you get a free ticket with a student ID so the people in that section didn't pay to get in the stadium and therefore the university felt within their rights to kick them all out for the actions of a few. If this weren't a student section and everyone had paid for their seat I wonder if the university would've acted this way in retaliation and if so, would we have heard about this on the news from angry CU fans threatening to sue. You aren't going to hear any complaining from students because college-age students today were still in high school when 9/11 happened and have been raised to bend over on command and be subservient to those claiming a higher authority.

Massachusetts Blue Laws

2005-11-27T11:01:00.000-05:00

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/11/25/bustling_stores_ask_what_blue_laws/ At the Quincy location on Hancock Street, they found out at 11:30 a.m. yesterday, when police, acting on a tip that the store was abuzz with customers, ordered it to close. ''We sent one officer up there. We told them they had to shut down. And they did," said Quincy police Sergeant Agnus McEachern. Sending cops to shut down businesses in order to force compliance with arcane blue laws is something that you would associate with a country that belongs on a list of enemies of the US, not something being done within the United States itself. Once again for those of you who haven't gotten the message: THIS IS NOT A FREE COUNTRY. ''Every employer should know the law," [the AG's spokesman] said. ''If these stores want to open, there's a way to do it: Change the law." No, that is wrong. The law shouldn't have to be changed. There shouldn't be a law at all. No law should ever be passed that is not designed to protect an innocent 3rd party from actions they are unwilling to participate in such as being murdered or robbed. Reilly told the Globe this week that tradition, and giving workers a day off, outweighs shopper convenience. ''Thanksgiving is a time when people should be with their families, not working," he said. That is not a decision that should be made by lawmakers. That is something the free market needs to sort out for itself. Massachusetts AG Tom Reilly: Telling you how to live your life and celebrate your holidays for your own benefit. Don't you love how the only people that get into power positions are the ones who know what's best for you?

University of Miami shoots the messenger

2005-11-24T00:17:00.000-05:00

http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/9059397 The chain of events leading to Munzenrieder getting booted out of campus housing began last week when he blogged a nine-minute song - featuring current University of Miami football players - on the Internet. Munzenrieder's blog, which included a link to the song, got picked up by ESPN.com. The rap song included several males describing lewd sexual acts in detail, including group sex references. Many of you who are sports fans will have heard of this story by now. I haven't posted on it and that has been my oversight. Anyway, there was a development today: Administrators at the University of Miami ordered the student who blogged a raunchy rap song recorded by members of the football team to leave campus housing for the remainder of the semester Now those of you who are regulars to this site now my stance on free speech. Obviously I don't think anyone should be punished here. However, I can't sit idly by while this kid gets kicked out of the dorm and the football players go about their daily routine. If we start with the premise(which, again, I don't support) that this was a punishable offense then the people participating in creating the song are responsible. It is ridiculous to say a student who made a song that is considered inappropriate by the school available to a mass audience is wrong, but the students who created the song in the first place are blameless. That's like arresting the UPS driver because the package he delivered had illegal contraband in it. The University of Miami needs to answer for these actions and I hope this kid gets himself a good lawyer and sues the shit out of them.

Teacher in sex scandal sentenced

2005-11-22T23:19:00.000-05:00

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/11/22/teacher.sex/index.html I don't care what all the obnoxious do-gooders who want everyone to be a victim so they can help them "work through it" say, look at this woman, the 14 year old boy involved is no victim.

Week 12 picks

2005-11-22T15:40:00.001-05:00

Picks are a little early this week because there are 2 games Thursday afternoon. Falcons at Lions: This game scares me a little. I'm convinced Atlanta is the better team, but they have lost 2 in a row including an embarrassing home loss to Green Bay. Meanwhile, Detroit traditionally is tough on Thanksgiving no matter how bad they are that year. Falcons 24-17 Broncos at Cowboys: Probably the best Thanksgiving matchup of this century. This should be a hell of a game. You have two solid quarterbacks, each having Pro Bowl caliber seasons, who are both prone to self destruction at times. The QB who makes the biggest mistake loses this game. 10 games in the books and I'm still waiting for Plummer to choke up a game. This will be it. Cowboys 20-19 Ravens at Bengals: Cincinnati proved something to me last week. Though they lost and gave up 45 points(not too much shame in that when you're playing the Colts) they scored 37 of their own and refused to go away no matter how much momentum was shifting toward the Colts. I have some trepidation this could be a trap game for them, but if they are a playoff team they will get the job done at home. Bengals 28-14 Panthers at Bills: What happened to Carolina last week? Either Chicago is really good, Carolina isn't as good as people think, or that was a bump in the road. I'm going for the third option(though the first one is certainly a possibility). Panthers 23-13 Bears at Buccaneers: If Chicago wins this they're going to the Super Bowl. Buccaneers 19-10 Browns at Vikings: It's unbelievable, but Minnesota may be the hottest team in the NFC right now. Look for the winning streak to go to 4. Vikings 20-10 Patriots at Chiefs: This is a tossup. The game's at Arrowhead which is a real advantage for KC, if it was at Foxboro I think I'd pick NE in a second. KC's offense isn't as good as people think, but let's see if they light up NE's secondary like everyone else. Patriots 35-30 Chargers at Redskins: Washington is in a slide right now and have been exposed. They are just not as good as they started out. San Diego needs to win to stay alive the way Denver is rolling. Chargers 27-16 49ers at Titans: One of two games this weekend featuring a matchup of 2-8 teams. I have nothing to say about this one so go with the team at home. Titans 16-10 Rams at Texans: St. Louis is a mess this year. But Houston is worse. The Texans just looked awful on Sunday night. Rams 28-14 Jaguars at Cardinals: Upset of the week. Every year the Cardinals seem to put together a decent stretch after they've fallen out of the playoff race. They also seem to always come up with 2-3 huge wins against playoff contenders. This is one of them. Cardinals 24-21 Dolphins at Raiders: I don't know where Miami is going. They looked solid when the year started beating Denver at home, got 3 wins early and played NE very tough. Then they lose to Cleveland. Raiders 27-20 Packers at Eagles: When the schedule came out FOX probably thought this was the game of the weekend. Now it will be seen in Wisconsin and eastern Pennsylvania. Most fans would've thought these teams would've won 6 combined games by October. Eagles 26-17 Giants at Seahawks: Marquee game of the week. Two division leaders and a matchup of the two teams I have named as the best of the NFC over the past 2 weeks. This would be a nice road win for Eli to have under his belt. I think the Giants are the slightly better team all around, though Seattle has the best player in the game(Alexander). Giants 31-24 Saints at Jets: ESPN must be thrilled to have this game. The Jets are in chaos at the QB position. The Saints have Aaron Brooks, who despite his faults isn't a half bad QB. The Saints just perenially underachieve, and Haslett has to take a lot of blame. Always take the team that's stable at QB. NO's second visit to the Meadowlands this year. Saints 29-23 Steelers at Colts: ABC must feel better about this than they did about Vikings/Packers last night. Many think this will be a great game. I think Indy is going to roll. On the record I'm saying right now the Colts best chance to lose is on the road against Jax. Colts 41-21

Red Sox get Beckett

2005-11-22T15:00:00.000-05:00

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/9055619 The Marlins fired the first shot in what is expected to be a major roster restructuring by agreeing to send pitcher Josh Beckett and third baseman Mike Lowell to Boston for shortstop Hanley Ramirez, pitcher Anibal Sanchez and an unnamed minor-league pitcher, sources told CBS SportsLine.com. This is an interesting trade and the first big news of the offseason. I don't mean to sound wishy-washy but I'm not sold on this trade one way or the other. First of all, I like that they've added Beckett. The last 3 years he's had fewer hits than innings pitched and 3 straight seasons with an ERA below 4. Last year he won 15 with a 3.38. He has had some injury problems and has never pitched more than 178 innings or started more than 29 games in a season. I think when you acquire a big name pitcher in a semi-blockbuster deal like this it would be good if you could count him to be a little more of a workhorse. But the bottom line is he will be an asset to the rotation. Oh yeah, one more thing on Beckett......he's only 25. Mike Lowell raises some concerns with me. He's not that old, will only be 31 next season, but is coming off an awful season(.236 8HR). In the previous 5 seasons he averaged around .280/25/94 so I guess we have to hope last year was an aberration and not the start of a career decline. If last year was not an aberration this guy will prove to be more of a liability than Millar was. The other problem I have with Lowell is this probably means Mueller is done in Boston. I really like Bill Mueller. He won a batting championship, is a consistent hitter, and produces tremendously for a bottom of the order hitter. Last year I thought he played a Gold Glove caliber 3rd base. I have a little more faith in him than in Lowell. Mike Lowell in a good season is a better hitter than Mueller but after last season do we want to take the chance? As for the players Boston gave up. I'm not that upset with Hanley Ramirez leaving. The guy's been the top organizational prospect for about 3 years but his numbers don't knock you over and they went out and signed Edgar Renteria for 4 years at Ramirez's position. That should tell you something about the Red Sox' opinion of him. But I'm sorry to see Anibal Sanchez go. He never pitched above Double A but I was really looking forward to seeing him in Pawtucket. His numbers in the low minors were just sick. Something like 1.6 ERA, 120 innings, 80 hits, 160 K's.(these numbers aren't accurate, they are based on my memory of what I saw following his stats in the paper each week.)

Punter apologizes for doing job

2005-11-22T14:51:00.000-05:00

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/football/nfl/11/21/bc.fbn.rams.barker.ap/index.html?cnn=yes St. Louis Rams punter Bryan Barker apologized Monday for disrupting a halftime tribute to the armed forces by kicking the ball over bands and color guards. The Rams recognized more than 200 soldiers from various branches of the service as part of their annual "Veteran's Day Salute" at Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals. Toward the end of halftime, when players typically return to the field to warm up, Barker began his preparation routine. I'm sure Barker was under pressure to apologize because people were offended by this disrespect to our armed forces so I don't want to be too hard on him. But, Bryan, why did you apologize? He had a job to do. Is he supposed to say I'm going to forego by traditional routine I've been following since Pee-Wee football that gets me warmed up to help our team win a football game(which is what he's paid for) for the ridiculous sideshow of venerating the "real heroes" that passes for patriotism in this country? These staged ceremonies to honor America, or any country for that matter, are the antithesis of a free country that values individuality, liberty and freedom. In a truly free country the individual comes before country.

Forced education

2005-11-21T15:38:00.000-05:00

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/11/21/nh_mulls_raising_age_for_school_exit/ [NH governor John Lynch] is proposing to raise the mandatory age for students to stay in school from 16 to 18, hoping to make it tougher for teenagers to give up and drop out. I don't believe in forced education at all. High school and college degrees have been devalued over the years by the emphasis on education and the attempts to make sure everyone goes to college. The fact is not everyone should be in college. There is nothing wrong with the trades if that is what you are skilled at. Edcuation has been made needlessly important in our society. I would be very interested to know who is helped by Governor Lynch's asinine idea. The students who really want to be there and to learn who have to slow down while the moron who's only there because he's being forced tries to catch up on basic math or reading? The student who's being forced to be there who's not going to get a damn thing out of it? The truant officers who now have more children and parents to chase around? The taxpayers who are going to bear the added cost of more people in the schools and more enforcement of stupid laws?(and yes, I can already hear the voice of those in govt. looking to suppress us saying these students are more of a drain if they drop out and go on welfare. To them, I say I don't believe in welfare). Public education is nothing more than a government indoctrination teaching children what to think and how to be a "good American". In Massachusetts, where last year's 3.7 percent dropout rate was the highest in 14 years, officials have not discussed whether to raise the mandatory age to stay in high school as a remedy, How is that a remedy? Good students don't drop out. Smart students don't drop out. Disciplined/hardworking students don't drop out. The drop outs are the dregs of society that only pull everyone else down with them. The students that are there because they want to be or because they have a solid family background benefit by their absence. But some Bay State educators -- such as Maria Cunha, who works with students at risk of dropping out at Lowell High School -- say they believe the age should be raised, pointing out that teenagers have to wait until they are 18 to make other important decisions, such as buying cigarettes or voting. ''I personally think 16 is too young," she said. ''At that age, many young people don't know what's best for them." Of course when they commit a crime 16 isn't too young to try them as an adult. And 16 isn't too young to listen to the lies of an army recruiter.

5th amendment illegal in RI

2005-11-18T18:06:00.000-05:00

http://www.turnto10.com/politics/5358103/detail.html Lawmakers plan to introduce O'Neill's bill at the start of the legislative session in January. If the bill passes, the penalty for refusing a blood alcohol test would double to six to 12 months for a first offense. Suspected drunken drivers would face up to six months in jail the second time they refuse a test and up to one year in jail for additional refusals in a five-year period. the 5th amendment prevents suspected criminals from being forced to incriminate themselves. In the case of drunk driving that right has been taken away because people are so concerned for "safety" that they allowed this to happen. It will now be a criminal offense in RI to refuse to incriminate yourself. We are now officially living in a totalitarian state. I defend rights for the child molestors, drunk drivers and Craig Prices of the world because no one else does. They are the rocks upon which your freedom rests. They are the dregs of society, very unpopular with the general population and easy marks for politicians looking to score points. No one cares and most are happy when the law goes tougher on them, even when its contrary to the Constitution, because who really cares about child molestors, drunk drivers or Craig Price? But it is upon these rocks that government turns into power hungry fascists. They strip rights away from these people with little or no objection. Once this is accomplished the foundation of liberty has been eroded and is now just a little closer to you. One of these days your rights will be violated and I don't want to hear any whining because you kept your mouth shut when the government came for the drunk drivers.

Sheehan convicted of exercising free speech without a permit

2005-11-17T16:26:00.000-05:00

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/11/17/peacemom.ap/index.html Iraq War protester Cindy Sheehan was found guilty Thursday of demonstrating without a permit outside the White House, a misdemeanor carrying a $50 fine I, as you know, do not believe in laws requiring permits for demonstrations, speaking, etc.... When the government requires govt. issued permits for such things it is inherent that they have the power to deny said permits. When they have that power they can then exercise it unfairly and for the purpose of stopping speech they don't agree with. This is not how the founding fathers planned for the exercise of free speech to be carried out.

Week 11 picks

2005-11-17T11:34:00.000-05:00

We're back to a full 16 game slate for the next 7 weeks. I love it. Cardinals at Rams: Arizona is one of my biggest disappointments in the NFL. I really thought Denny Green had a decent nucleus in place and the Cardinals would be competitive. I didn't think they were a playoff team but I predicted 8 or 9 wins, staying in the playoff hunt until the last quarter of the season and being in every game. Rams 27-24 Panthers at Bears: Chicago took care of business with their soft 1st half schedule winning 6 games and opening up a 2 game lead in the NFC North. This game begins a brutal 7 game stretch to end the season that might see the Bears win twice if they're lucky. Panthers 21-10 Lions at Cowboys: These two teams gear up for the traditional Thanksgiving games 4 days later against each other. Parcells has his work cut out for him this week. He can't allow Dallas to be flat after their huge win on Monday because they have Denver next Thursday and losing back to back games at home at this time of the year could kill their playoff chances. Cowboys 20-10 Colts at Bengals: This is a huge test for Cincinnati. It's their chance to prove to the football world they have arrived. I don't think they have to win this game just play competitive football, if they do they will have a ton of confidence down the stretch. Look for the offense to give Indy trouble. Colts 28-21 Jaguars at Titans: What has happened to Tennessee? From '99-'03 they made 4 playoff appearances, were the #1 seed in '00, played in the conference championship in '02 and the Super Bowl in '99. With Cincinnati likely losing this week, Jax has a great chance to gain ground on the wild card. Jaguars 27-14 Dolphins at Browns: Both teams are 3-6. Cleveland seems like a 3-6 team, Miami doesn't. Dolphins 24-10 Saints at Patriots: It is imperative that NE put together a well rounded effort and win a game by more than a touchdown at some point this season. All hell will break loose on the local sports radio shows if New England wins by less than 20 Patriots 31-20 Raiders at Redskins: The Raiders and especially Randy Moss have been very quiet on the national scene this year. Don't expect a repeat of the 37-35 classic from October '83 but this should be a fairly good game. Redskins 24-20 Eagles at Giants: Both teams are coming off horrendous efforts in losing efforts. The Giants are surprisingly tied with the Cowboys at the top of the division. I don't know if anyone noticed but Andy Reid looked like he was going to cry as the clock ran out Monday. I've never seen an NFL coach look so helpless. I think Philly's season officially ended around 12:15 AM Tuesday November 15. Giants 27-17 Buccaneers at Falcons: Atlanta was embarrassed by Green Bay last week. This is a huge divisional game and they are at home. They better win. And they will. Falcons 26-17 Seahawks at 49ers: Last week I declared the Giants the best team in the NFC. Then they went out and laid an egg against Minnesota. This week I'll jinx Seattle and say they are now the best of the NFC. Seahawks 34-14 Bills at Chargers: After a week off in the beautiful San Diego weather the Chargers should be well rested and ready to play. LT could have another 4 TD game. Chargers 31-20 Jets at Broncos: I could think about this game all day and not come up with a single way NY could win. Broncos 38-17 Steelers at Ravens: Upset of the week. This one has all the signs, Maddox is going to start for Pittsburgh, Baltimore still has one of the best defenses in the NFL but have only won 2 games. They are due. This is the week. Ravens 16-13 Chiefs at Texans: KC hasn't been awful but they sure haven't been as good as I thought they'd be. In an interesting sideplot we have the original Texans playing the current Texans. Chiefs 30-16 Vikings at Packers: Minnesota has won 2 in a row and with Chicago heading into the teeth of their schedule they are back in the divisional race. GB had an enormous win last week. It's a long shot but if they could win on Monday they may have a window for creeping back into the playoff hunt in the atrocious North. Packers 24-21

Year in jail but no crime

2005-11-17T11:20:00.000-05:00

http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4242013,00.html "You were incarcerated for a case that was not a crime," said Mesa County District Judge Brian Flynn, who presided over the case. Flynn, the prosecutor and Isaac's defense attorney were unaware last year that the offense she was charged with was not a violation of the law. No one had noticed that a prescription drug found in Isaac's possession, an anti-anxiety medication called Buspirone, is not a controlled substance. What does one even say about this. Obviously this will be ignored in your mainstream media which is in the business of spreading government propoganda and lies about drugs and the drug war. It will also be ignored by the drug zealots. She spent a year in jail and the substance she was charged with having wasn't illegal to have. Sure am glad America is the land of the free. District Attorney Pete Hautzinger said he had "no idea" why Isaac had been charged with and convicted of something that wasn't a crime. No idea? I'll tell you why. You and your damn warriors are so gung ho about wasting time and money while trampling civil liberties to stamp out drugs you long ago stopped giving a shit about the innocent people that caught in your nets. The defense attorney who represented Isaac in the first case was also baffled. "I don't have an answer," assistant public defender John Burkey said. "Nobody caught it. The police were saying it was a controlled substance." First, let me say I blame the defense attorney as much as anyone. This is malpractice if you ask me. How much trouble could it be whenever he has a client charged with a drug offense to just look at the list of illegal substances and make sure it's at least on the list. 10 minutes?? There's no excuse for allowing this to slip past. Second, who gives a shit what the police said. The police say a lot of things that come out of their ass. If the cop charged her with mowing her lawn on a Thursday and said it was illegal, would Mr. Burkey just roll over and assume that was a crime?

Hurricanes are people too

2005-11-15T15:30:00.000-05:00

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10048523/ Time magazine’s 2005 Person of the Year may not be a person after all. A panel of notables has made a strong case for awarding the distinction this year to Hurricane Katrina. That's just stupid.

A-Rod is AL MVP

2005-11-14T18:19:00.000-05:00

Obviously, I'd have loved for Big Papi to win, but I can't complain too much. The problem is that we have the Cy Young for the best pitcher but no equivalent award for hitters. Why the hell they didn't come up with an equivalent award for hitters when the Cy Young was invented is beyond me. If we had that then we could confidently give that award to the best player in the league and save the MVP for the player who was truly most valuable to his team. This year we had a guy, A-Rod, who is pretty clearly the best player in the AL. We also had a guy, Ortiz, who is pretty clearly more valuable to his team than any other player in the league. Since the MVP has no clear parameters the award goes to the best player, as it did this year, more often than not. As I said I can't complain too much about A-Rod getting it, but I'd be willing to bet if he received the position players equivalent of the Cy Young he wouldn't have.

Pats v. Dolphins

2005-11-14T15:36:00.000-05:00

Talk about a narrow escape. We have to accept this is the way it is now, we have a good, but without Dillon not great, offense and an atrocious defense that would give up 17-20 points if they were playing a pre-teen powderpuff football team. Still, in that division where 9 wins could get you the title(remember, if the Pats had lost we'd have had a 3 way tie for 1st at 4-5) NE should still go 10-6 but they're not going anywhere in the playoffs. Memo to Asante Samuel: Stop beating your chest, the throw on the last play was right there, Chambers had in his chest and should've caught it. He just couldn't hang on, you didn't make a play.

Bush reacts to criticism

2005-11-11T19:11:00.000-05:00

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,175296,00.html President Bush on Friday shot back at critics claiming his administration misconstrued or lied about pre-war intelligence showing that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, saying "it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began." Let me get this straight, you went on national TV, told the country about Saddam's weapons of mass destruction, how critical it was for our safety that he be stopped, started a war over these claims, found out you were wrong about the weapons of mass destruction, and now are accusing those who criticize the basis for war as being irresponsible. Let me tell you what's irresponsible - starting a war for personal or politically motivated reasons and lying to the people who elected you about the reason for that war. Iraq is the central front against this war on terrorism, Bush repeated, noting that Zarqawi himself has said that country serves as "the greatest battle" in Al Qaeda's war against humanity. If Iraq is the central front in this war it's only because you made it that way. There is no evidence Iraq was involved in September 11 and there was no legitimate reasons grounded in the fight against Al-Qaeda to invade Iraq. Now that the war is going on there it's a magnet for extremists from all surrounding countries and in that respect it has become a central front. "As our troops fight a ruthless enemy determined to destroy our way of life, they deserve to know that their elected leaders who voted to send them to war continue to stand behind them," the president said. "Our troops deserve to know that this support will remain firm when the going gets tough. And our troops deserve to know that, whatever our differences in Washington, our will is strong, our nation is united and we will settle for nothing less than victory." The simple fact is our nation in not united about this war. Our country is danger of seeing some of the deepest fractions in history. And as for the elected leaders, I think many who originally supported the war are now realizing they made a mistake. For those leaders who now stand up and admit it was a mistake and withdraw support from the war I say good for you. Those leaders at least have some ounce of integrity. Bush convinced these leaders to support the war with lies. Is he now saying the reasons for war are irrelevant, just the simple fact we now have troops engaged in combat is sufficient to demand the complete support of leaders in Washington. Even Kerry, Bush's 2004 election opponent, said he believed Saddam and his weapons posed a "grave threat to our security" Yeah, because you convinced him. Had you been telling the truth there would still be those who never supported war, but some who were against it at the beginning may have come around and I'll bet you nobody who was originally for it would have withdrawn support. But now these lawmakers who were convinced by your lies are admitting their mistake and you can't or won't face up to what you did. While it's perfectly legitimate to criticize my decision or the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began." Who's rewriting history? I don't think any Democrat that originally supported the war is denying that fact. I think any current opponent of the war who voted for it in 2003 would admit to that. They are simply saying they realize they were wrong, they made a mistake and they'd like to correct it.

Movie censored after shooting

2005-11-10T21:51:00.000-05:00

http://rhodeisland.cox.net/cci/entertainmentnews/national?_mode=view&_state=maximized&view=article&id=D8DPVV703 The new 50 Cent movie "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" has been pulled from a theater where a man was fatally shot even though officials said Thursday they do not know whether the film was a factor in the slaying. Would they have done the same thing if the movie was Chicken Little, The 40 Year Old Virgin or Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. Shelton Flowers, 30, had just watched the rapper's movie Wednesday when he got into a confrontation with three men in the bathroom. A fight ensued and spilled out into the concessions area, where Flowers was shot, police said. Seems they just don't like this particular movie, possibly for racial reasons. Banning the movie over this seems beyond extreme.

Week 10 picks

2005-11-10T13:22:00.000-05:00

Arizona at Detroit: A matchup of 2 of the biggest disappointments in the NFL. These teams also have gotten some of the most underachieving performances from their QB's in NFL history. If Joey Harrington doesn't turn in a decent performance soon, he may find himself being chased out of town by an angry, torch wielding mob. Lions 17-13 Ravens at Jaguars: Game of the week for fans of defense and low scoring games. Baltimore isn't quite the worst team in the NFL but they, long ago, clinched the title of most boring team. Jaguars 17-7 Texans at Colts: Indy needs to watch out for a letdown after the big Monday night win over their nemesis. Just kidding. The only way the Colts lose this game is if Manning, James and Freeney all come down with pneumonia on Saturday night. Colts 38-17 Chiefs at Bills: I was stunned to see Buffalo favored in this one even with the game in Buffalo. I was going to say watchout for an upset here, but if the Bills are favored it wouldn't be that much of an upset. I just think KC has too much offense to lose to Buffalo. Chiefs 28-21 Vikings at Giants: The Giants are probably the best team in the NFC right now. How much hype would there be in the weeks leading up to a Manning v. Manning Super Bowl. Giants 27-20 Patriots at Dolphins: The Patriots begin the 2nd half of their season this weekend. After surviving the toughest 1st half schedule in NFL history with a 4-4 record, this game will be an indicator how their season will go. 7-1 in the 2nd half isn't an unreasonable expectation. If they don't get it done against Miami, however, they might not be able to salvage the season. Patriots 34-20 49ers at Bears: Chicago is my surprise team in the NFC. They're 5-3 and starting to gain a stranglehold on the NFC North. SF is the worst team in the NFC. Bears 21-13 Redskins at Buccaneers: Tampa started 5-1 but the SF game started a 2 game slide. This will be a pivotal game for them. If they win they'll have righted the ship and will be back in postition for a playoff run. If they lose the season might be lost as well. Buccaneers 21-20 Broncos at Raiders: Classic old school rivalry. This is my upset special of the week. Jake Plummer is due for a stinker one of these weeks. Raiders 31-24 Jets at Panthers: Brooks Bollinger isn't about to beat the Panthers on the road. Panthers 30-10 Packers at Falcons: Most people forget but this a homecoming for Brett Favre who actually began his NFL career as a Falcon. Unfortunately, this homecoming shouldn't be pleasant as Green Bay's nightmare season continues. Falcons 42-21 Rams at Seahawks: It may not have caught on nationally but this is becoming a pretty good rivalry in the NFC West. Shaun Alexander is having an MVP caliber season. Seahawks 28-27 Browns at Steelers: Charlie Batch gets his 2nd straight start for the black & gold. Lucky for Pittsburgh the games were against Green Bay and Cleveland. Look for the Browns to stay close and make this a tough game for Pittsburgh but Pitt will prevail. Steelers 20-17 Cowboys at Eagles: As the only fan in America defending Terrell Owens I am rooting for Philly to lose every game that he sits out. Cowboys 24-14

San Francisco: Erasing the Constitution, one vote at a time

2005-11-09T21:28:00.000-05:00

http://www.nraila.org/News/Read/Releases.aspx?ID=6839 Even with opposition from San Francisco law enforcement and major media outlets, Proposition H -- a measure banning the lawful possession, sale and manufacture of handguns and ammunition within city limits -- passed yesterday What is going on in the mind of the nutjobs who live in California.

Monday night disappointment

2005-11-09T14:57:00.000-05:00

I am very disappointed with the Patriots performance Monday. I didn't expect a win, and didn't think a win was necessary, but I thought it would be close. New England made 2 mistakes which allowed Indy to run away. One was Dillon's fumble late in the 1st half when they were driving and about to tie the score at 14. The second was Belichick's decision, which I won't criticize because I understand why he did it, to onside kick after cutting the lead to 28-14 in the 3rd quarter. The Colts just weren't going to be stopped. It was the first time I have watched a Colts game from start to finish this year. To say I was impressed would be an understatement. That team is a juggernaut, I still don't think 16-0 is possible, but I see no reason why Colts fans shouldn't book their hotel rooms now for Detroit the weekend of February 5th.

Pats v. Colts

2005-11-07T18:26:00.001-05:00

Less than 3 hours till kickoff of the most anticipated game of the season. I'm psyched. This game means more to Indy than it does to NE. The Pats can lose and it shouldn't matter in terms of their hopes of capturing another division title. If the Colts lose again to the Patriots there's no telling how damaging that could be to the mental psyche of Manning, Dungy and the team as a whole. For Indianapolis this is their hump game. They win and they should cruise to the Super Bowl. They lose and they have psychological scars that might not heal. This game won't be a blowout either way. It is vital to the Colts effort that they prevent the Patriots from getting ahead early. If New England can get up 10 or 14 early that might finish the Colts. My prediction: A back and forth game with the Colts taking a 10 point lead into the final quarter and then coasting to a 24-21 win. If they stay in front Manning should be fine. If Indy falls behind, Manning and company might be in serious trouble.

Pats v. Colts

2005-11-07T18:26:00.000-05:00

The Rose doesn't fall far from the bush

2005-11-07T18:24:00.000-05:00

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/9029181 I think this is pretty funny. But, though I'm finding amusement in this story, I feel I must say that I don't think what he did should be a crime and that despite feeling his father is a jerk I firmly believe the HoF is a joke without him in it.

TO done for year

2005-11-07T15:46:00.000-05:00

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2216703 TO is done for the year. Andy Reid said the players union has already filed a grievance. Good. I hope they win the grievance and I hope the Eagles go 5-11. They are going to stink without Owens. Again let me reiterate my stance for the 3rd time. TO comes off like a complete ass but if you look beyond that, a lot of what he is complaining about has some validity. For those McNabb defenders I suggest you watch the end of last night's game when he had the ball inside the 15 with a chance to tie and blew it, ending the game by throwing a ball right to a Redskin defender. He is overrated. I don't care how much he and Owens hate each other McNabb can not win without him. People are wondering what team will take Owens after all this. I don't doubt there will be opportunities available to him. If I owned a team I'd sign him.

TO suspension

2005-11-06T11:07:00.000-05:00

Terrell Owens is out indefinitely. I hope he doesn't take this lying down, files every grievance possible and fights this. Owens certainly comes off like an asshole and going back to training camp probably hasn't handled his issues with the organization the right way. However, if you look behind the demeanor and think about the issues he's raising I think he's got a point. On the contract issue, I normally would say once you sign a contract you must live up to it. However, in the NFL contracts are unilateral. Players are supposed to live up to them but teams can cut a guy without fulfilling the contract, due to unguaranteed contracts, at any time. On McNabb - everyone knows he choked, literally and figuratively, in the Super Bowl. Maybe you shouldn't talk about a teammate publicly like Owns has, but his criticisms aren't totally off base. It now appears Owens risked his career by playing in the Super Bowl, he claims the Eagles made him sign a waiver. Had they won he would've been the MVP. What public recognition or reward did the Eagles give him for risking the rest of his career. He sacrificed a HofF career for the team. That's noteworthy. On the team not recognizing his 100th receiving TD. He was only the 4th player to reach that mark. Don't tell me the Eagles wouldn't have recognized anyone else. They say they don't recognize individual achievments. Bullshit. Unlike Keyshawn, Randy Moss, Carl Everett, and others who have been off field distractions to their team no one, I repeat no one, can question the effort and heart Owens has when he sets foot on a football field. The object is to win games. Owens probably needs a new environment but while he's under contract to them I think the Eagles are just shooting themselves in the foot by not letting them play. I hope Philly doesn't win a game without him. It will serve them right.

NFL jerseys in the stands

2005-11-04T21:42:00.000-05:00

What has caused the exponential increase in jerseys worn by fans at games over the past 20 years. Last Monday John Madden even commented at how many Steeler fans were wearing Steeler jerseys for the Ravens game. Probably 60% of the fans were wearing them. Today I was watching an old Cowboy-Packer game played at Texas Stadium in 1984 that I have on DVD. I didn't see a single fan wearing a jersey. What is the reason for this? I'm not immune to the epidemic of jersey wearing fans. I have a Tom Brady jersey that I only bring out for the really big games. Right now the Pats are 5-0 when I wear that jersey. Come to think of it I may need it Monday night against the Colts.

TO apologizes after criticizing Eagles.....again

2005-11-04T21:13:00.000-05:00

http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/9023316 Owens said in a prepared statement. "It has been brought to my attention that I have offended the organization and my teammates. Therefore, I would like to apologize for any derogatory comments toward them." These fake public apologizes bother me. If you apologize it should be because you feel sorry for your actions. If you are apologizing simply because someone wants you to then what's the point? If someone wrongs me I don't want a rote apology just because I ask for it. I want them to feel sorry for what they did, if they don't then so be it. Now, as for what he said: Owens apologized to the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday, one day after blasting the organization for not publicly recognizing his 100th career touchdown catch two weeks ago. I have to say I am not a TO fan, but I'm going to have to back him up on this. He may have said some things he shouldn't have and probably went off the deep end but I think he had a right to feel insulted. Owens said: "I've had an opportunity to talk with the Eagles organization and I have learned that the team does not recognize individual achievements," I think that's bull. Do the Eagles want me to believe that if McNabb spends his whole career in Philly that when he hits 40 or 50 thousand passing yards they aren't going to have a ceremony for him. Owens is only the 4th player in history to catch 100 TD's and 16th to score 100. No matter how big an ass you think he is that is worthy of recognition and for his own team to ignore it is crap, and I'm not buying the "team doesn't recognize individual achievments" shit.

Miami chief's son busted

2005-11-04T13:38:00.000-05:00

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/11/03/chiefson.arrest.ap/index.html [Police Chief Timoney] does not have all the details and he's not going to comment on it publicly because it's a private family matter," spokesman Delrish Moss said. When it's anyone else it's a great victory on the war on drugs. With anyone else this would be an opportunity to parade them in front of the news cameras so everyone can see what a great job as chief. When it's your son suddenly it becomes a "private family matter." Well, Chief Timoney not only are you failing in your archaic, brutal, militaristic and unfair war on drugs, apparently you've failed as a father as well.

Speeding cameras in RI

2005-11-04T12:27:00.000-05:00

http://www.projo.com/news/content/projo_20051104_cr4speed.2c053a5.html Cranston yesterday became the first municipality in New England to use an automated speed-enforcement system, a laser-and-camera based technology that allows the police to issue speeding tickets without actually chasing down drivers. Take a guess how I feel about this latest atrocity in the war on freedom. "We have a lot of speeders in Cranston," said Mayor Stephen P. Laffey. "I thought this was a great idea. [An officer] would normally have to pull out his speed gun, check the speed, hop into his car, race off, pull the guy over. That takes time." Yeah, why bother making cops do their job, and speak to the driver, and provide some semblance of due process. Speeding tickets are meant to deter the driver, why bother speaking with the driver to find out who is actually behind the wheel(Cranston might not realize this, but the registered owner is not always the person driving the vehicle.). Why bother giving cops discretion to speak with the driver and find out if his wife is in labor in the backseat or there is some other emergency that might get the cop not to write a ticket. This is a big problem with traffic cameras that is never addressed by the people who advocate them. Though the law might be written in black and white there is all kinds of gray that cannot be assessed by cameras. People who advocate the use of these cameras are pushing for a society where there is a rigid enforcement of law. Justice is not simply writing a law and then punishing those who violate the letter of that law. It is reviewing facts and circumstances and deciding on an appropriate action. Unfortunately, that method of law enforcement disappeared from your "land of the free" a long time ago. The key, [Laffey] said, is safety, and he believes the deterrent effect will lead to safer roads. I'm starting to think politicians are just robots who are programmed to say a small selection of sentences like: "it's for the children", "it's all about safety", etc.... "So? If the people are speeding, once again, I would say, so what?" to charges of overaggressiveness, Grimes said. He added that the system will self-correct if the city is too strict. "If we start getting overzealous, there will be a backlash, and people won't want it." I'm going to guess the people don't want it now, the backlash is already occurring. http://www.projo.com/perl/common/surveys/vote_now.pl Here are some comments from a Projo survey on the topic. Pretty overwhelming against this idea. In case you aren't clear I think this idea is complete bullshit.

Law criminalizing police complaints struck down

2005-11-03T23:24:00.000-05:00

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9918102/ A federal appeals court on Thursday nullified a California criminal law adopted after the Rodney King beating that made it unlawful for citizens to knowingly lodge false accusations against police officers. Good. I know you police defenders out there will say "but, people shouldn't be allowed to lie to get a cop in trouble." Theoretically, I see the logic in this statement and in a perfect world would agree. However, let's look at how this law was applied. A federal appeals court on Thursday nullified a California criminal law adopted after the Rodney King beating that made it unlawful for citizens to knowingly lodge false accusations against police officers. Why the hell didn't the state legislature consider lying cops a serious enough issue to include in this law? Darren Chaker, 33, of Beverly Hills, challenged the law after he was convicted in San Diego County in 1999 of making a false complaint against an El Cajon police officer. “It was up to the police department to determine if the speech was false,” Chaker said. “I made a complaint against a police officer for twisting my wrist and was charged as a criminal.” And herein lies the problem. I don't know what happened between the cops and Chaker the night this incident occurred. It's certainly possible he made it all up simply to get back at them. However, the way this law is written a person makes a complaint, its investigated by the cops(certainly the fact the cops are investigating themselves isn't a conflict of interest here) and then if they find no merit(how often are the cops going to find merit in these complaints simply out of loyalty) they can charge the complainant with a criminal offense. Pretty simple way of cutting down complaints. Remember, not all cases of police abuse result in serious, visible injuries. Chaker said his wrist was twisted. If no bones were broken there may not have been any physical evidence. So it was his word against the cops, the cops took their own word over his and then charged him criminally. That seems fair.

Mike Brown e-mailing fool

2005-11-03T17:53:00.000-05:00

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/11/03/brown.fema.emails/index.html What a complete ass. This is your government at work people. It is an abomination that this guy had a job of such importance on your(and my) dime. Two days after Katrina hit, Marty Bahamonde, one of the only FEMA employees in New Orleans, wrote to Brown that "the situation is past critical" and listed problems including many people near death and food and water running out at the Superdome. Brown's entire response was: "Thanks for the update. Anything specific I need to do or tweak?" Brown is still on the federal payroll at his $148,000 annual salary. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, saying Brown's expertise was needed as he investigated what went wrong, agreed to a 30-day extension when Brown resigned. Chertoff renewed that extension in mid-October. I find it disgusting that my tax money, at this very second, is being used to pay this guy. What are we paying him for?!?! Incompetence in government is to be expected, but this guy takes the cake. We were all outraged when we found out he was still on the payroll after resigning, but this extension in mid-October seems to have slipped by everyone. Before joining the Bush administration, Brown spent a decade as the stewards and judges commissioner of the International Arabian Horse Association. I used to be a nightwatchman at a city pool, maybe the Red Sox will hire me to replace Epstein. Can I quit now? Can I come home?" Brown wrote to Cindy Taylor, FEMA's deputy director of public affairs, the morning of the hurricane. A few days later, Brown wrote to an acquaintance, "I'm trapped now, please rescue me." Everyone that was trapped on a roof in the broiling sun, with no water should be made aware of these comments.

Week 9 picks

2005-11-03T15:08:00.000-05:00

Lions at Vikings: It will be interesting to see how the Vikings respond without Culpepper for the first time. Even at 2-5, playing in the NFC North, they are still in the playoff hunt. Probably a make or break game for them. For Detroit they need this game to keep their confidence up. Jeff Garcia hasn't been a savior, he's 1-1 and the Lions have just 26 points in his 2 games. Lions 24-20 Raiders at Chiefs: Classic AFC West battle. Oakland has won 2 in a row but that was against the Bills and the Titans. KC has to have this one after losing to San Diego. The game's at Arrowhead. Chiefs 28-23 Falcons at Dolphins: Ricky Williams finally produced last week. Williams and Brown are going to make a fine backfield tandem. For fans of running the football this is the game of the week. I'm putting the over/under for completed passes at 25(combined). Falcons 19-10 Titans at Browns: Doesn't get much more exciting than this. Cleveland is at home and very embarrassed, if Crennel is any kind of head coach they'll be prepared to win this won. Browns 14-13 Panthers at Buccaneers: Huge game in the NFC South. Winner will be in 1st place(either alone or in a tie with the Falcons). Tampa was humiliated last week. Carolina is hot. The game's in Tampa, they'll be fired up. Potentially a classic, hardhitting defensive struggle. Buccaneers 17-16 Bengals at Ravens: Things sure are changing when Cincinnati can go into Baltimore and be favored. Ravens might as well have given up after Monday's loss. Bengals 21-10 Texans at Jaguars: Houston won last week, I don't see 2 in a row. Jaguars 23-9 Chargers at Jets: San Diego did a lot to raise their playoff prospects with the win over KC. Can they go cross country and beat the Jets? I think so. Chargers 24-14 Giants at 49ers: The Giants are rolling right now. They have to be the favorite in the NFC East. SF is coming off a huge upset. Like with Houston I don't see 2 in a row. Giants 31-10 Seahawks at Cardinals: They go unnoticed way up in the pacific northwest but the Seahawks are a damn good football team. Seahawks 27-21 Bears at Saints: Chicago could be halfway to 10 wins and potentially open up a 2 game lead in the division if they win today. I don't think New Orleans will win another one. Bears 20-17 Steelers at Packers: This game is on national TV due to the fact its the only game CBS has scheduled for the 4:15 slot, think they regret that scheduling decision? This game has upset written all over it. Pittsburgh is coming off a big win and a short week. GB is sucking right now, but had Favre not thrown 5 picks they would've had a win on the road over the Bengals. If Brett controls the ball I think GB can win. Packers 23-17 Eagles at Redskins: Battle for 2nd place in the division. In the preseason who would've thought the Eagles would be the underdog in this game. Both teams are coming off absolutely atrocious efforts last week. The deciding factors will be the 'skins are at home and have the better running game. Redskins 28-21 Colts at Patriots: Probably the most anticipated game of the year. NE is playing with less pressure than they would've had if they'd blown the game to Buffalo. Can Peyton Manning shake the curse of Bill Belichick. If NE can get a 10-14 point lead early the ghosts of Foxboro games past might haunt Peyton. Colts 24-21

Joplin, Missouri runs out of toilet paper, uses 1st amendment

2005-11-03T09:28:00.000-05:00

http://www.joplinglobe.com/story.php?story_id=210728&c=&PHPSESSID=6aaec20830733608d30ebbf4a377dfc6 When Destiny Corkle walked into the Social Security Administration office in Joplin last week to get a new Social Security card, she wasn’t surprised when the security guard approached her.After all, the guard, James Talley, approaches everyone for security reasons. But this time, Corkle said, that was not the case. He wanted her to leave.The Joplin woman was wearing a shirt with photos of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, with the words “Meet the f------” below the photos.“He told me that wasn’t the appropriate way to talk about the president,” Hey, James Talley - you might not share Ms. Corkle's opinion. That's fine. But there's this silly little thing called the 1st amendment that allows people to express opinions that differ from yours. You are a piddly little security guard, and an employee of the government. In other words your a little piss ant who probably washed out of the police academy and are now paid by the people. What the hell gives you the right to decide what is and isn't appropriate to say when discussing the president, or any other topic for that matter. “A visitor to our office wore a T-shirt bearing a message generally considered to be offensive to the community we serve,” the statement said. “We offered this individual expedited service and were able to quickly transact her business without disrupting others.” There's 2 ways to look at this. The first is anytime you go into a govt. building like this the service always sucks. The fact she got expedited service was actually probably a break for her, though it's quite unfair to everyone else. The second is why should she be treated differently because these government employees, who supposedly work for her didn't like her opinions. Karen Brown, the Social Security Administration’s district manager, said Corkle’s claims that she was served outside the building were untrue.“It’s not like she was out in the lawn or anything,” Brown said. She would not comment further on the incident. Well, that doesn't exactly instill confidence that she was treated fairly. I hope there's a lawsuit, but I'm not exactly sure what she could receive in damages.

FBI harrasses Muslims for praying at football game

2005-11-02T21:53:00.000-05:00

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/11/02/football.muslim.ap/index.html Shaban said he and four friends had just gotten to the September 19 New York Giants-New Orleans Saints game when they left their seats to pray. Around halftime, 10 security officers and three state troopers approached the men and told them to come with them, Shaban said. The men were questioned and then were not allowed to return to their seats, but were instead assigned to seats in another section, Shaban said. Three guards stood near them, and escorted them to their cars when they left the stadium, he said. Ok, this pisses me off. First of all, if it was me I would've left after that humiliation, not returned to any seat. And they damn well better have given me more than a full refund. Second of all, I understand people get suspicious when they see Muslims praying in public. But in a truly free society people will recognize others right to pray. If the exercise of that right makes someone uncomfortable it is their right to leave or stay but allow the people to exercise that right. My other questions are why did they have to move seats? Because they made the people around them nervous? Why should they have to move because someone else is uncomfortable? They didn't do anything wrong. Next, where they moved to better or worse seats? And why did the guards stay near them? All the did was pray. Is that a crime????? And what did they do to warrant an escort to their cars? I would not have put up with that. Admittedly, I would've made the situation worse because I would've been uncooperative, put up a huge fight and been demanding names, money and anything else I could think of for the hassle. FBI agent Steven Siegel, a spokesman for the bureau's FBI office, said the men had aroused suspicion because they were congregating near the main air intake duct. I've never been to Giants Stadium so I don't know how its designed but since the article doesn't say they were in an area that was off limits to fans I'm going to imagine this air duct is just out in open space where tens of thousands of fans walk by it during each game. I could be wrong, if anyone is familiar with Giants Stadium feel free to leave a comment. "We do not profile anyone that comes into our arena, stadium or racetrack on any basis," said George Zoffinger, president of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which operates the stadium. "There was no profiling of our customers. I want to make that clear." .......unless they are obviously Muslim and then we will harass any customer of our arena, stadium or racetrack if our more typical customers(white, middle class, etc....) get nervous.

New steroid legislation

2005-11-01T15:44:00.000-05:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051101/ap_on_go_co/bbo_congress_steroids Like the earlier bills from Bunning and McCain, this one is based on the Olympic model, calling for a two-year suspension for an athlete who fails a steroids test for the first time and a lifetime ban for a second offense. Athletes would be tested at least five times a year, three during the season and two in the offseason. These draconian punishments are outrageous, but typical of the way Congress acts. This is NONE of Congress's damn business. As a libertarian I certainly think steroids should be legal for private use. In the world of sports if individual leagues want to ban them I'm ok with that simply because there are players who are scared for their health but feel pressured to do them. This pressure should be taken off them. No one should have to choose between a career and a life. But this is a matter for the private business of sports. If Congress should pass this law it would probably pass constitutional muster under some stupid "insterstate commerce garbage" but I'm sure this isn't the kind of thing the founding fathers thought should be legislated. The new Senate proposal has a provision urging leagues to erase records achieved with the help of performance-enhancing drugs. Now how are they going to do that. May I remind them that there is NO proof and can NEVER be proof of any specific players steroid use prior to the implementation of testing(short of a player's admission).

Woman drinks and dies, bar owner sent to prison

2005-11-01T10:17:00.000-05:00

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9852592/ This is about par for the course in "the land of the free." Scott was convicted of involuntary manslaughter last month in the alcohol poisoning death of Goodpasture, 31, who had a blood alcohol content of .430 when she was found dead at her home in July 2004 after a night of drinking with her mother and sister. After reading this story i'm confused about what exactly the bar owner did wrong. He served a drink. Isn't that how he makes his living. Are they saying that 1 stoplight(?) got her BAC over .4? The article doesn't say how much she drank, if the bar owner had a reason to stop serving her or even if she continued to drink after she went home. I'm outraged by the story, but I'd be more so if this story included some more facts. "A lot of us are at fault, including myself," Goodpasture's mother, Bev Brown, told the court. "But he took a life and I think he should be punished for it." No, he didn't take a life you bitch. You were drinking with your daughter that night. Maybe she's be alive if you'd acted like a mother and taught her how to act responsibly, if you'd cut her off that night and if you didn't participate in drinking games with your daughter.

Judge overrules CPS dictators

2005-11-01T10:07:00.000-05:00

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/10/31/medical.custody.battle.ap/index.html Child Protective Services removed Katie from her family after her parents stopped her cancer treatment. Her father, Edward Wernecke, worried that a move to radiation treatment could put his daughter at heightened risk for breast cancer, stunt her growth and cause learning problems. This horrible story was in the news a while back. CPS down in Texas took this 13 year old cancer patient away from her family because they believed they knew better than the parents what was best for her. This wasn't a case where the family was ignoring her illness, they simply had a difference of opinion with CPS over the best treatment. Land of the free,my ass. Why aren't there more people out there concerned with the fact we live in a country where the government can take a 13 year old cancer patient away from her family over a difference of opinion. I'm sure Katie is so much better off thanks to her months in state custody. The assholes. Faced with her deteriorating health, state district Judge Jack Hunter said Katie Wernecke would be better off with her family in Corpus Christi than in the custody of the foster parents she was assigned by Child Protective Services. A judge with a brain and common sense!!! Why can't we get him nominated for SCOTUS.

Epstein out

2005-11-01T00:56:00.000-05:00

Well, Theo Epstein is no longer the Sox GM. They couldn't get a deal done and I'm not sure why. The Red Sox offered deals that certainly seemed more than fair to me, I don't think anyone can point fingers at the team and say they didn't negotiate in good faith. Theo now says he might not even stay in baseball. My gut tells me this guy, unlike most guys in his position, does not view baseball as providing the ultimate career opportunity. I think he's curious to try new things. I sure hope he knows what he's doing. If his intention is to stay in baseball he still has a lot to prove. He had a chance, at 31, to be one of the highest paid GM's in the game. He did a good job and, assuming higher ups didn't have a big say in things, proved at the very least he had a knack for knowing which players fit into holes. He has not proved, as Billy Beane and Terry Ryan have, that he can build an organization from the ground up with very limited resources. If he thinks hcan go to a place like Pittsburgh and be successful without an unlimited payroll I'm afraid he's in for a rude awakening. This is a bad start to the offseason.

Pats survive

2005-10-31T15:39:00.000-05:00

New England should've done more than survive against Buffalo. The good news is they got the W, are in 1st place and playing with Miami, the Jets and Buffalo they should be division champs simply be winning their division games. The bad news is they were outplayed by the Bills, shouldn't have any chance against the Colts and even though they should be in the playoffs they will be lucky to survive even the first round. It was nice to see Bruschi back on the field. I think he squelched any doubts about his return by playing about 80% of the snaps and playing very effectively.

Happy Halloween

2005-10-31T15:34:00.000-05:00

The post title says it all.

This is outrageous

2005-10-30T11:18:00.000-05:00

http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1648/a01.html?999 This is courtesy of Radley Balko at the Agitator.

UPDATE....

2005-10-29T10:54:00.000-04:00

.....on Vitale murder suspect's mom. http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/10/28/vitale.slain/index.html Harold Jewett, the deputy district attorney for Contra Costa County, said he addressed her directly in the hearing and asked if she would agree to testify "truthfully" in her son's trial. She said "yes" and he agreed to drop the charges, Jewett said. This whole incident in the context of a major murder investigation smells bad to me. I still don't understand why what they claim the mom told her son warranted charging her in the first place and subjecting to the humiliation and embarrassment she endured. This looks like a strong arm tactic to make sure a mother testifies against her son.

Theo Epstein's contract

2005-10-28T13:25:00.000-04:00

This is a major story here in New England. Epstein's contract is up on Halloween and he has yet to sign an extension. The last offer from the team I am aware of was 3 years at a million per year. That last offer certainly seems fair to me. Brian Cashman with the Yankees recently signed for 3 years and less than 2 million. And John Schuerholz, the man who has built the Braves dynasty, makes (correct me if I'm wrong) only about $500,000 a year. Boston offered Billy Beane 2.5 million a year before they hired Epstein but that was a ridiculous amount, no GM has ever earned anything close to that. Theo has only worked for 3 years as a GM and, as successful as he has been, has not proven himself as a guy who can build a team. He took over a solid team with extensive resources, much easier situation to build a champion than with what Beane and Terry Ryan were given when they took over the A's and Twins and built them into perennial contenders. Give Epstein credit: He knew what spare parts to turn the Sox from a good team into a great one. His first offseason with Boston he signed Millar, Mueller, Ortiz and Todd Walker(who a year later was replaced by Bellhorn, another Epstein signing). All 4(5) of these guys were solid major league players, not superstars, but good hitters who were priced out of the small market budgets but would barely make a dent in the payrolls of the Red Sox and Yankees of the world. All of these guys were big contributors on the World Series team. Mueller won a batting title in '03 and Ortiz has been an MVP candidate all 3 years he's been in Boston(and he didn't even play regularly till June of '03). He also engineered the Schilling deal and signed Foulke. While these 2 moves put the Sox over the top, remember he couldn't have done them with Oakland, KC or Pittsburgh. He also pulled off the Nomar deal and got Dave Roberts for nothing. Epstein has also restocked a depleted minor league system(Pedroia, H. Ramirez, Shoppach, Lester, Papelbon, DelCarmen, Alvarez, Hansen.....) He's had some bad moves and a lot of luck that prevented him from making more bad moves(the A-rod trade falling through), but overall he has done a superb job. But he needs to wake up and realize the Sox are making him a very fair offer. He has a great setup here in Boston. He could be one of the highest paid GM's in the game at 31 years old, in the best baseball city in America, playing with house money. The fans in Boston aren't known for their patience but I think Epstein has earned himself a lot of rope to play with before Red Sox Nation would ever be screaming for his head. I hope this deal gets done, and Epstein comes to his senses before committing career suicide.

Vitale murder suspect's mother arrested

2005-10-28T13:17:00.000-04:00

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/10/27/vitale.slain/index.html According to an affidavit, the suspect's mother, Esther Fielding, allegedly told her son about the police presence in the area on the night of the slaying and advised him to spend the night at his girlfriend's house because the road had been blocked off. I'm going to hold off on a final opinion because I feel there are more facts out there that I'm not aware of, however, if this is the basis for arresting her this is bullshit. If all she did is say spend the night at your girlfriend's because the road was blocked off, what's wrong with that? That in and of itself doesn't imply she knew what he had done. If my road was blocked off like that I would also tell my kid to stay at his friend's house because I wouldn't want him subjected to an intrusive interrogation by cops when he is simply trying to get home. Of course in such a circumstance I would just assume my kid had no involvement in the murder that was being investigated. Now maybe she knew he had murdered Vitale and actively helped hide evidence. I certainly hope she did something more than innocently tell her kid to stay at a friend's because she didn't want him to have to deal with the bullshit that comes with a police presence on your street.

If we ignore it maybe they're not really dead

2005-10-28T10:59:00.000-04:00

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001390217 Going against the expressed wishes of the Pentagon, several top U.S. newspapers treated the tragic arrival of the 2,000th American military death in Iraq as a major milestone Wednesday. 2,000 people are dead, people are supposed to ignore that because it makes our government look bad??? And, by the way, where the fuck does the Pentagon get off even asking newspapers to print or not print a factual news item?????? U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steve Boylan, a military spokesman in Iraq, wrote in an e-mail to reporters, "The 2,000 service members killed in Iraq supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom is not a milestone. It is an artificial mark on the wall set by individuals or groups with specific agendas and ulterior motives." Hey, asshole. 2,000 are dead......that's not an "artificial" mark. It's a real number. 2,000 human beings are dead.

Yale issues rules to ruin fun

2005-10-27T18:55:00.000-04:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051027/ap_on_re_us/yale_harvard_drinking I hope Yale students take this opportunity to boycott the biggest athletic event in any sport on the Ivy League schedule.

Week 8 picks

2005-10-27T18:08:00.000-04:00

Cardinals at Cowboys: A matchup of 2 former, longtime division opponents. You can be sure Parcells is going to have his team ready for this game after their choke job in Seattle last week. Cowboys 21-13 Browns at Texans: Houston played very well against the Colts for a half. With Carr only throwing 9 passes they may have learned what I have known since day 1, this should be a run first team. If they stick to that philosophy this week I believe they will pick up their first win of the year. Texans 17-10 Jaguars at Rams: The Rams are slipping out of the playoff picture in the NFC West. Jaime Martin picked up the win last week, but lets see how he does against a quality opponent. Jaguars 28-20 Raiders at Titans: 3 years ago this was the AFC championship game, now they are a combined 4-9 Oakland is coming off their best game of the year. Norv Turner hopes the offense has found its rhythm. I think they have, for another week at least. Raiders 24-10 Packers at Bengals: After their collapse in Minnesota last week even playing in the horrid NFC North might not save the Pack's season. Cincy is ready to bounce back after being put in their place by Pittsburgh. This could be a changing of the guard game in the NFL as Palmer's rise is coinciding with Favre's fall. Bengals 28-17 Vikings at Panthers: Minnesota better not get too comfortable after their win against Green Bay. Panthers 22-12 Redskins at Giants: A throwback game to the mid'80's when this matchup was perenially crucial to deciding the division title. It's been 15 years since both teams were this good at the same time. Eli Manning is coming off back to back 4th quarter comebacks. This could be a statement game from him. Giants 23-21 Bears at Lions: The winner will be in first place in the NFC North with......(drumroll please)......an above .500 record(4-3). The Bears won the last meeting 38-6. Jeff Garcia gave Detroit the change they needed, but don't be too fooled. They only scored 13 points against Cleveland. Bears 27-17 Chiefs at Chargers: A survival game, the winner will be in position to catch Denver while the loser will be fading from the playoff picture. Tomlinson will certainly be looking to get back on track after being shut down in Philly. Chiefs 35-28 Buccaneers at 49ers: Tampa can, surprisingly, be the first NFC team with 6 wins. SF is easily the worst team in the NFL(including Houston). Buccaneers 24-6 Eagles at Broncos: A marquee intra conference matchup. Big game for Denver as they show the world if they're for real or ready for their annual mid-season malaise. Broncos 26-21 Dolphins at Saints: For a matchup of two 2-4 teams, this one has a lot of intriguing story lines(Ricky Williams against his former team for the first time, the first Saints game in Baton Rouge). New Orleans has a track record this season of winning emotional games(winning the opener and then the first game in San Antonio). Look for it to happen again. Saints 19-9 Bills at Patriots: Flying under the radar this is for 1st place in the AFC East. Bill Belichick has had 2 weeks to prepare for an unspectacular Buffalo team, watch out. Patriots 35-7 Ravens at Steelers: Roethlisberger proved last week, how important he really is to this offense. This game could drive a stake through Baltimore's season. Steelers 17-7

Chisox win!

2005-10-27T00:55:00.000-04:00

Congratulations. To the fans in the South Side: We had our chance last year now it's yours. Enjoy this, the feeling won't go away until your team is offically eliminated next year. The fact you actually won a World Series won't sink in for a while but when it does it's a great feeling. Soak up every second, the parade, the postgame ceremonies, the ring ceremony next year, looking at the banner that says "Chicago White Sox, World Champions 2005", being introduced at every home game next year as "the defending World Champion Chicago White Sox." First the Red Sox, now the White Sox. Cub fans have to be wondering when their turn is going to come.

McCarver's an idiot.

2005-10-26T12:57:00.000-04:00

We all know Tim McCarver's a jackass, but last night he came up with a first ballot statement for the incompetent sports announcer HoF. In the bottom of the 12th Houston was running very low on pitchers and had the pitchers' spot due up 4th. After the leadoff man was retired, McCarver said(and forgive me for not remembering the exact wording of this statement) "If Houston can't score here they would rather go 1-2-3 so the pitcher won't have to bat and they can keep Qualls in the game." WHAT????????? Ummm..... wouldn't getting guys on base increase your chances of scoring and ending the game. It was after 1AM here in the East and I was tired, but I swear to God he said that. Someone fire this guy.

White Sox up 3-0

2005-10-26T12:50:00.000-04:00

I haven't really blogged on this year's World Series, because once the Red Sox got bounced I lost a lot of interest in this year's postseason. However, I have been watching it and even though the Series is 1 game away from a sweep, which usually indicates a boring Series, this has been one hell of a World Series. Game 1 was a good solid baseball game but nothing spectacular. Game 2 was a fantastic ballgame at any time let alone in the Series. Konerko's 7th inning go ahead grandslam after the questionable HBP on Dye, the game tying 2 out pinch hit by Vizcaino in the 9th and then a walk off homer in the bottom of the 9th by a guy who hit 0 during the regular season. Last night was another phenomenal game. I was rooting for Houston since I wanted the Series extended. Credit to them for tying it up after Oswalt self destructed but they shot themselves in the foot countless times. First, Garner was way too patient with Oswalt in that 5th inning. I don't care how good he's been this year. It's the frickin' WS, if he doesn't have it you need to yank him. Then they blew chance after chance from the 9th inning on. You can attribute that to the fact they had exactly 1 hit over the last 10 innings. ***I want to acknowledge Jason Lane, who was previously unknown to me. Houston had 2 hits after the 3rd and he had both(a home run in the 4th and a game tying double in the 8th). It is going to be fun seeing Chicago clinch the WS, not as much fun as watching Boston, but this has been an 88 year drought(2 years longer than Boston).

Halloween curfew for sex offenders

2005-10-26T12:43:00.000-04:00

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/10/25/sex.offenders.ap/index.html The offenders must be indoors by 7 p.m. on Monday and cannot answer their doors when trick-or-treaters knock. They can't attend parties where children are present, nor can they take children -- including their own -- in search of treats. How about instead of violating people's rights, we tell parents to have some damn responsibility and not let their kids go out alone. If kids are taught well and go out with either their parents or a large group of kids there shouldn't be too much of a problem. I guess making parents responsible for their kids safety would be too easy. Let's just let the government handle it.

The war on freedom

2005-10-26T12:37:00.000-04:00

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/10/26/odd.onion.reut/index.html The White House is not amused by The Onion, a newspaper that often spoofs the Bush administration, and has asked it to stop using the presidential seal on its Web site. Freedom is wonderful and something we should be sending kids to die for, except when it's used to make fun of us. Assholes.

Sex offender locked up secretly

2005-10-26T12:20:00.000-04:00

http://www.projo.com/news/content/projo_20051026_todd26.698b7a3.html As Todd McElroy's release date comes closer Rhode Island is doing whatever they can to keep him locked up. I've already posted on my feelings on this. But now the story takes a sinister turn. Last week, Corrections Director A.T. Wall talked openly about the state's plan to seek court permission to have McElroy committed to a locked ward in the Eleanor Slater Hospital rather than be released Friday after 16 years behind bars. But Wall says now that the plan has moved from the hypothetical to the actual, state privacy laws designed to protect the mentally ill from stigma prevent him from discussing the matter. Wall cited a section of the mental-health statute that says it is unlawful to disclose whether someone has been admitted or committed for mental-health treatment. The law also states that any records compiled or held in the course of providing treatment services shall be secret. Said Governor Carcieri's spokesman Jeff Neal yesterday: "As state officials, we have certain obligations under the law. The law bars us from discussing certain matters." The administration's new no-comment position left Neal struggling to explain how the governor -- who publicly ordered state officials to find a legal way to ensure "that Todd McElroy does not re-offend" -- would tell the public what happened with his directive. This has been a big story on local talk radio. While, as expected, there's plenty of support for violating this guy's rights (because, of course, who wants to defend a sex offender) there has been more outrage than I would have thought. So, another way to interpret the above quotes would be: The citizens of RI aren't 100% behind our efforts to place safety above liberty so we're just not going to tell them about it. Privacy laws are nice and all but they are to protect the mentally ill patient. In this case I don't see any reason why McElroy would want his privacy protected. The more open this is the better for all of us, especially him. Therefore, he has every reason to want to waive his privacy. If that's the case the state has no excuse for keeping this shut up. If the state won't talk about their efforts to keep a man locked up beyond his lawful sentence how different are we from the days when Jews would disappear from their neighborhoods in Germany and no one questioned it? His prison psychiatrist, Martin Bauermeister, has diagnosed McElroy over the years with numerous disorders, including sexual predation, schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, body dysmorphic disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. So a state employed psychiatrist has diagnosed McElroy in a way that fits neatly into the state's plan to keep him locked up. Isn't that cozy.

Impersonating NFL player a crime

2005-10-25T15:37:00.000-04:00

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2005-10-25-notes_x.htm?csp=34 A man pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was fined $300 for pretending to be two different Pittsburgh Steelers players. How is this a crime? I admit it's a sleazy way to pick up women, but don't most guys pretend to be something they're not at some point to impress a woman? This wasn't a case of identity theft where he was using their identity to take money or anything. Better tell all those little 8 year olds in Pittsburgh who bought Roethlisberger uniforms for Halloween to get something else because wearing it is a crime.

Income tax crusader convicted

2005-10-25T09:26:00.000-04:00

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/10/25/taxrebel.convicted.ap/index.html He promoted his theories in lectures, radio appearances and books, including "The Federal Mafia: How the Government Illegally Imposes and Unlawfully Collects Income Taxes" and "The Great Income Tax Hoax: Why You Can Immediately Stop Paying This Illegally Enforced Tax." The government obtained an injunction banning Schiff, Cohen and Neun from selling the books and tax advice at Schiff's Las Vegas business, Freedom Books. Whether we accept that his teachings were illegal or not, they espoused a theory. But the government suppressed his thoughts anyway. Pretty blatant 1st amendment violation if you ask me. The government said Schiff failed to report income on federal tax returns from 1987 to 2002, and evaded payment of $1.3 million in taxes, penalties and interest from 1979 to 1985. What Schiff actually failed to do was pay his extortion money. The federal government is no different from the neighborhood thug demanding tribute from the local store owners.

Civil commitment for sex offenders

2005-10-25T09:11:00.000-04:00

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/10/25/push_is_on_to_keep_sex_criminals_locked_up/ [Massachusetts]Governor Mitt Romney greatly expanded the pool of offenders who could be committed to the Bridgewater facility to include people convicted of such offenses as possession of child pornography, propositioning a minor, and ''open and gross lewdness and lascivious behavior." I've warned you this would happen. Once you eliminate the civil rights of the most unpopular group, a new group will take their place. First they went after people who hurt children, now they want to keep people locked up who only looked at pictures of children. What's next? People who drive drunk? They may be alcoholics which is a disease that can be controlled but never eliminated. The same argument used to lock up sex offenders could be made for alcoholic drunk drivers that is made for molestors who claim to be rehabilitated. The bottom line is if you justify throwing away civil rights for the lowest members of society by saying they are despicable, undeserving, etc... then a new group will take their place at the bottom of the food chain and eventually YOU are the targeted group. First they came for the Jews,............

MLB has no sense of humor

2005-10-24T09:37:00.000-04:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051024/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/baseball_got_milk Poking fun at the league's steroid scandal, the television ad for the California Milk Processor Board talks about a player getting pulled from a game "after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance." There is nothing humorous about steroid abuse," said Tim Brosnan, executive vice president for business for the league. "I would think that the California Milk Processor Board and their advertising agency would know better regarding an issue that threatens America's youth." Obviously, Mr. Brosnan is incorrect when he states there is nothing humorous about steroid abuse. First of all, this ad seems pretty funny to me and I have heard many comedians make jokes about the issue. Second of all, do you notice how it always comes back to the youth. When we say something is hurting our children we are really saying something is standing in the way of molding our children into being conformist robots with no individuality who think exactly the way we want them to.

Man sues for right to pay online tax

2005-10-24T09:23:00.000-04:00

http://www.projo.com/opinion/contributors/content/projo_20051024_ctonlin.8859926.html A frequent online shopper, Diamond noticed that many online retailers failed to charge him state sales taxes -- apparently in violation of an Illinois law that requires collection of taxes on Internet purchases if the retailer has a store location in the state. While most states forgo collection of Internet taxes, Illinois requires retailers to add its state tax to online orders if they maintain a physical presence in the state -- narrowly defined as just one store where shoppers can return online purchases. That was more than enough to spur Diamond to action. Using a whistle-blower law that allows private citizens to share up to 25 percent of the financial damages the state recovers from tax scofflaws, Diamond has filed almost 100 lawsuits in Cook County since 2002 and raked in more than a half-million dollars. Get a life, pal. Because this dipshit is trying to get rich quick we all will suffer. The tax commissioners of Tennessee and Virginia looked askance at what they essentially viewed as a northern carpetbagger attempting to misuse their laws for self-enrichment. They promptly persuaded their state legislatures to outlaw such practices. I'm proud of the way these states handled this guy, but I'm shocked that a state government would turn down any plan that would land more money in their pocket.

Sex offender's baby kidnapped by authorities

2005-10-22T12:29:00.000-04:00

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/10/22/sexoffender.custody.ap/index.html This is a horrible story. This kidnapping by Pottsille, PA authorities will be allowed because no one has the stones to step up and assist sex offenders. Was there anything in his sentencing prohibiting him from having children? I doubt it. I want to know where they get the authority to do this. And what about the mother? She was only 11 when this guy was convicted. She had nothing to do with that. And now she has her baby taken from her because the state doesn't like the father. You might hate sex offenders and don't believe they deserve our support, but remember: your freedom extends only so far as that of the lowest member of society. The 53-year-old father, DaiShin WolfHawk, did not attend the hearing but said he was "just shocked" by the judge's decision. "I thought I was living in America," he said. You are living in America, your mistake was believing the lies that America is the land of the free.

Boston police ordered to ticket

2005-10-22T12:20:00.000-04:00

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/10/22/police_warned_to_ticket_drivers/ Dunford said yesterday that there are no new ticket quotas and that he issued the stern warning to captains in a meeting Thursday to better serve the public and make the city's roads safer. The effort is not a way of boosting city coffers, he said. Why bother reporting stories like this? It's a farce. Cops have quotas and "traffic laws" are about revenue not safety. Dunford, who supervises all 1,300 patrol officers, said he will measure the performances of the captains by monitoring how many tickets their officers issue a month compared with prior months. This is wrong. That implies that there are definitely going to be traffic violations for the cops to ticket. If tickets go down, why do police administrators ignore the possibility that maybe people are obeying these "laws." All this does is encourage cops to write questionable and undeserved tickets to protect their own ass. And when they do this, what recourse does the alleged scofflaw have? We all know in court a person who carries a badge is granted more credibility.

Mass. treasurer silences employes

2005-10-20T15:42:00.000-04:00

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2005/10/20/cahills_cloak_of_silence/ state Treasurer Timothy Cahill sometimes requires people leaving his employ to sign confidentiality and final payments agreements that include ''nondisparagement" clauses. This muzzling of individuals who might best be able to inform the public about any shortcomings in Cahill's operations interferes with the transparency needed for democracy to work. How is that legal and why would these people sign? They're entitled to whatever pay is owed them whether it be from a pension or accrued vacation time, an agreement prohibiting them from speaking about Cahill doesn't seem to be within his power to enforce. If I were a Massachusetts resident this would certainly raise my eyebrows about what was going on in the state treasurer's office. I think a review of this policy is in order.

Iraqi woman's house raided

2005-10-20T15:20:00.000-04:00

http://www.projo.com/news/content/projo_20051020_wraid20.1867ddf1.html The way she tells it, she was the one who eventually turned the handle, but as she did, U.S. marshals and other police officials rushed into her Cass Avenue apartment, their guns drawn. "They were right in my face with the guns, they forced me to stay behind the door and every time I asked what was happening, they told me not to say anything, Alsultani, 28, said last night, as her sister translated. The marshals searched the apartment, she said. One pointed a gun at her 4-year-old daughter's head as she lay on the living room floor. Yep cops sure are heroes. Big, trained men with guns and they felt threatened by a 4 year old. And then, as quickly as it all began, it ended, probably less than 10 minutes in all. The marshals raced across the hall, where they found Edward Burton, the man they were looking for, a convicted sex offender who they say had violated state probation on first-degree child molestation charges as well as breaking and entering and marijuana possession. They arrested him. They were looking for a sex offender with no known connection to the Alsutani family except he lived in their building. Why did they terrorize this family? If it's going to become acceptable to raid any home in an apartment building in which a wanted person lives it's going to drive the rental market out of existence. Asked about the incident yesterday Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal David Remington described a very different chain of events. What a shock. They came into the building and saw two apartments, one on the right and one on the left," Remington explained. "They knocked on the door of the one on the right and a woman answered. They entered the apartment, had a brief conversation with her and after not much time, they realized it was the wrong apartment and they left." "I think the big thing here is that she was not thrown against a wall nor was the apartment searched. I know that may sound contradictory, but that's what I'm getting from those who were there," he said. Reached late last night, Remington reiterated those statements, again reporting that the task force was only in the Alsultani apartment for several minutes and retreated as soon as they realized they were in the wrong place. The big thing is that an innocent woman and her children felt terrorized by authority figures. The cops claim to be there to protect us but when they throw their weight around like that all they do is breed disrespect for themselves. And then they wonder why people hate cops. Morons. And just because she or her children weren't physically assaulted that's a good thing? I, for one, don't want the police setting foot on my property for any reason even if it's to ask me about a neighbor. He said he planned to speak with the marshals who were involved, but did not plan to launch any formal investigation into yesterday's events. Remington added that once they'd arrested Burton, two members of the team returned to the Alsultani apartment to apologize for the mistake. But Shaima Alsultani said that the marshal who returned never apologized, he informed her that they'd been looking for a different man and departed. If someone feels they have been terrorized by the police I think it should be mandatory an investigation be opened whether the cops feel they did anything wrong or not. That might have been all that anyone ever heard of the early-morning raid yesterday except that this wasn't the first time this happened to the Alsultani family. Last year, when Ayid Alsultani had returned from his first tour as a translator, the family had a similar run-in with authorities. Back then, Woonsocket police came to their door saying they had information about someone in the apartment recently returning from the Middle East. The detectives asked to search the home. The city of Woonsocket and their police dept. are apparently not comfortable with having middle eastern people living in their city.