Posted by: Frank G ||
04/01/2011 10:03 Comments ||
Top||
#4
The coaches...
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/01/2011 10:03 Comments ||
Top||
#5
I read a while back that there has been a lack of decorum in the stands at even the highly rated tournaments, but much of it is the fault of promoters who want to "popularize" the sport. They want box office, and are less concerned about tradition.
That said, golf and tennis make a big deal about absolute quiet so they can concentrate. Last time I looked shooting free throws or batting take at least as much concentration. How can BBallers (both kinds) do it in the din?
#9
Last time I looked shooting free throws or batting take at least as much concentration.
Basketball and baseball players get paid regardless of whether they 'clank' a basket or swing a strike (yeah, I know - unless their stats get too low or they have a performance clause...).
[MEMRI, from Qatari daily al-Arab] "After helping his wife Michelle assist the kids with their homework and make them sandwiches for school, U.S. President Barack Obama had trouble falling asleep... He sat by himself in the White House garden and contemplated the situation of the world he is supposed to defend. He realized he had abandoned some of his fellow leaders, leaving them all alone to face the uprisings of their peoples... Gazing at the twinkling stars, he started to think. He picked up his mobile phone, which was lying on the table, and began to call these leaders.
"First he called [former Tunisian president] Zine El 'Abidine Ben 'Ali, to assure himself that [Ben 'Ali] and his wife Leila were well and that the billions were still [safe] in their bank account... Next he called [former Egyptian president Hosni] Mubarak and said to him in a contrite voice: 'I'm sorry I said the transition in Egypt had to begin now, if not yesterday. You are old enough to be my father, so I just wanted you to lay down the burden of government, of providing for the Egyptians and of coping with their enormous birth rate, of which you complained at length. But Mubarak only replied...: 'Go away, son. Go play [somewhere else,] far away from me. I deserve [my fate], because I believed the talk of someone like you about the strategic relations between us,' and slammed down the phone.
"Finally, Obama called [Libyan ruler] Mu'ammar Al-Qadhafi, but the latter ignored him, because he was busy delivering a long speech to his people that lasted till morning. [Al-Qadhafi] was promising [his people] to halt the sacred onslaught [of his armed forces] against them, [but only] after he purged the country of every last rat, and to renew [the military] onslaught after he exported a [new] people, consisting of mercenaries under his control.
"After Al-Qadhafi finished his speech, Obama tried calling again, and was surprised when [the Libyan leader] replied angrily: 'Who do you think you are?! Allah and millions of people are on my side. Forward! We shall not turn back! Alley by Alley!'[2] He went back to his revolution and did not hear President Obama's apology... nor his acknowledgement that Al-Qadhafi, the Commander of Nations and the Leader of Leaders, was his superior.
"As Obama finished his calls, he felt all choked up. He rushed to his wife's bedroom and woke her up. Alarmed by his agitation, Michelle asked: 'What's the matter? Has Bin Laden attacked our mansion? Has China attacked us with chemical weapons? Are the so-called North Koreans threatening us with nuclear bombs?' Obama assured her: 'None of these things have happened. The thing is that I abandoned Ben 'Ali, Mubarak, Al-Qadhafi, and others. I did not defend them.' He then went on to scold himself: "Obama, did you lose your senses to such an extent that you forgot the service Ben 'Ali had rendered [the U.S.] in North Africa? How could you overlook the fact that Mubarak, that source of wisdom, served as the constant defender of Israel's and America's interests, after taking part in besieging Gaza and destroying Iraq? Why did you ignore Al-Qadhafi's [decision to] give up his nuclear program... and to refrain from turning his country into a superpower threatening our presence in the region? How could you forget that the man's outrageous actions all served to strengthen our influence there?'"
Emergency Law Introduced in America
"Obama then turned to his wife and said to her firmly: 'What is broken can be mended. I need to take decisions that will improve my image in the eyes of these mighty leaders.' He then slept a few hours, and when the cock crowed, he summoned the National Security Council for an urgent meeting to discuss a matter of supreme importance... Everyone expected a dramatic [declaration] from Obama when he stated, hoarsely and directly: 'I have received alarming news that threatens the future of the entire American nation. The Japanese Red Army is working to [establish] sleeper [cells] on our territory. Now it has awoken and wants to overthrow our free regime and to spread abominable communism in our beloved homeland.' The [council] members asked him: 'How shall we confront this conspiracy, Mr. President?' Obama replied: 'After a long debate, the experts and I have come to the conclusion that the Red Army means to spread its conspiracy by exploiting the climate of democracy and openness in the U.S. Therefore, the solution is to close this door to it. I have come to a decision that I hope you will approve: to declare a state of emergency, [pass] emergency laws, change the constitution, revoke the [law] that limits the president to two terms in office... and outlaw the submitting of questions regarding the president's [policy]. He added: 'I swear on the heads of my children that I take these steps not out of lust for power, but in order to protect the state against a conspiracy that would destroy it and rob it of its dollars. If I lie, may the World Trade Center collapse on my head, and may the New York subway run me over...
"The members of the National Security Council heaved a sigh of relief. It transpired that they too had been holding similar conversations with their counterparts in the regimes of Ben 'Ali, Mubarak, and Al-Qadhafi. 'Of course we agree to any [idea] hatched by the mind of the president,' they said, and then shouted loudly: 'With Blood and Spirit We Shall Defend You, Oh Obama.'
"The constitution was amended, and the U.S. became a police state, just like Ben 'Ali's Tunisia. It matched Mubarak's Egypt in oppression, plundering and hereditary rule, and matched the regime of General [Al-Qadhafi] in populism, blood-thirstiness, and insanity.
"Obama ruled for 50 years, during which the U.S. lost its global status, its economy collapsed, and it started to receive [financial] aid. The land [crawled with] highway robbers and pirates, and the Americans wandered the length and breadth of their country looking for work. Many drowned trying to reach Somalia illegally in rickety boats.
"Just when the world was ready to write off the Americans as a dead nation, it was surprised by a comprehensive revolution that broke out in all the [American] cities and states, with millions marching on the White House crying 'The People Says Down with the Regime!' They were unintimidated by the police bullets, and were not afraid to answer the Wise Men of America,[3] who urged them to go back to their homes in return for Obama's promise that he would not run for another term in office and would not pass the presidency to his daughter, Sasha. [The people] cried: 'We will not go, he will go.' Obama found no way to confront the protesters other than summoning his relatives from Kenya, along with African mercenaries, whom he sent out to the streets to suppress the [rebellion] while shouting 'Allah, Obama, the U.S., Nothing Else!'"
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
04/01/2011 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
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#1
Political satire or predictive analysis? Many scenarios or crisis have the potential to lead to paragraph six. This is an example of just one. I see no humour at all, none!
#5
Maybe Obama [and his ilk] would sleep better at nights if they didn't have so much on their minds. We can help them by sending them packing in 2012. BO will have more time for basketball picks and golf. A win-win situation for all.
#6
Is the purpose of this article to make me feel sorry for this clueless pompous narcissistic empty suit under his desk in the oval office?
Memo to author:
It didn't work, if this were satire, it would be funny, since it is not satire, I just gnash my teeth and circle November 6, 2012 on my calendar. I wouldn't miss watching the election returns that night for anything.
Thank you Chris Matthews, Thank you New York Times, Thank you Daly Political corruption, Thank you Washington Post, Thank you incompetent boob Democratic National Committee for hanging this complete and utter disgrace around our collective necks for four years.
The Republican we elect in 2012 will unfortunately have four years of catastrophic damage to repair. It will be hard work and no fun I actually pity the next President for what he will have to deal with...not to mention the Republican Secretary of State, who in their right mind would take THAT job after the mess this man has created.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
04/01/2011 10:25 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Believe me Sir..Many are ready and know the oath
Posted by: armyguy
AMEN! Too bad none of our politicians nor bureaucrats take the oath - OR the Constitution - seriously. A housecleaning, down to the GS-12 level, is long overdue.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/01/2011 13:06 Comments ||
Top||
#8
"The constitution was amended, and the U.S. became a police state, just like Ben 'Ali's Tunisia. It matched Mubarak's Egypt in oppression, plundering and hereditary rule, and matched the regime of General [Al-Qadhafi] in populism, blood-thirstiness, and insanity.
"Obama ruled for 50 years, during which the U.S. lost its global status, its economy collapsed, and it started to receive [financial] aid. The land [crawled with] highway robbers and pirates, and the Americans wandered the length and breadth of their country looking for work. Many drowned trying to reach Somalia illegally in rickety boats.
I actually thought this was pretty funny. Biting, but funny.
#9
As I tell my future Son-in-Law who will soon be Honorably Discharged from the Marines. "You took the oath when you enlisted, nothing on your discharge releases you from that oath - it is for life, just like my was".
Posted by: retired LEO ||
04/01/2011 16:04 Comments ||
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#10
sorry -just like mine was - gotta proof read, d'ow
Posted by: retired LEO ||
04/01/2011 16:07 Comments ||
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#11
"You took the oath when you enlisted, nothing on your discharge releases you from that oath - it is for life, just like my was".
Thank you both, sir, that I and mine live both safe and free.
#12
Zero's main support resides in just a few big cities - as New Orleans proved, major cities are easy to kill with just a little concerted effort. No internal power supplies, most lack internal water supplies, and none have over a week's worth of food. So he had better not even consider a martial law scenario or the cities will die in the process.
#4
Michelle Obama even said a few weeks ago on "Live With Regis and Kelly" that, "if I get invited, I'll go," as close to begging as this regal First Lady gets
*gag*
really? That nagging hypocritical wookie in clown clothes and boob belts? Regal?
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/01/2011 16:21 Comments ||
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#5
Because Her Majesty has class.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
04/01/2011 16:42 Comments ||
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#6
Michelle Zerobama gives these nasty friendly pats on the back. Elisabeth II is still bruised.
#8
Why weren't the Obamas invited to the Royal Wedding?
Prince William is merely third in line to the throne, not the heir, so this is not a state affair. Therefore only friends and family are invited, not heads of state. It is unseemly to be fussing over such things, especially when Mrs. Obama's husband has made it clear he loathes the British ruling class for the sins of their fathers against his.
Therefore only friends and family are invited, not heads of state.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/story_print.html?id=4315992 Then there will be 200 members of government, parliament and the diplomatic corps, as well as 60 governors-general and prime ministers from Commonwealth countries, and 30 members of the British military.
Hey, didn't America once have a king with a last name suspiciously like the one in Britain? And Kenya too.
Takes the Hammer to Sec. Pantsuit's characterization of Assad and Obama's fecklessness on both the anti-Syrian demonstrations and last year's anti-Mullah demonstrators. In both cases, We treat our enemies better than our friends. All due to Oblahblah's narcissist belief that he can talk the enemies out of their behavior
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/01/2011 15:16 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
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#1
Yeah, Hillary, Assad is a reformer. If he can't reform you to his way of thinking, he kills you.
The obama (he's such a lightweight, I'm not capitalizing his name anymore) administration has no foreign policy. There is no consistency, no coherence, no logic or rationale to anything the administration does.
I am not a fan of Hillary as a SecState but she probably has a better grip on international affairs than obama. John Kerry does also but the overarching theme is that the obama administration is a fractured dysfunctional mess in foreign policy. Otherwise the French and the Brits would not have grabbed the initiative. They knew obama wasn't going to do anything.
So much for being complex and nuisanced. It's just an excuse to obviate and procrastinate.
It is tragic, the next President will have to work very hard to fix the damage. We will need a SecState with an iron will and iron balls to make it work. Who's out there that matches that description?
Where are the hard nosed no nonsense negotiators and representatives of American foreign policy?
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
04/01/2011 20:06 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Who's out there that matches that description?
John Bolton. He's got the stones AND the mustache.
[Asharq al-Aswat] When the events [Moslem Brüderbund uprising against the Syrian regime] broke out in Hama in February 1982, the revolutionary leadership in Iran found itself facing a difficult test, being forced to choose between supporting the ruling (secular) Baath Party, or championing the armed Moslem Brüderbund revolutionaries, whose beliefs were closer to the ideology of the radical mullahs. The al-Assad's regime and the Moslem Brüderbund were amongst the first to recognize the Iranian revolution, and Syria provided logistical support to Iran in its wars in Iraq and Leb. Damascus ...The City of Jasmin is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti... had also put itself forward as an ambassador for Iranian interests, particularly towards the Soviet Union and the Arab States. As for the Moslem Brüderbund, they considered the Islamic theocracy in Iran to be a sign of the region's thirst for an Islamic model of rule, and a number of Moslem Brüderbund advocates tried to use the Iranian Revolution as a tool for support and pressure in their confrontation of the Arab regimes. However, The punctuational However... the phase of reconciliation and harmony between the Moslem Brüderbund and the Iranian regime ended when on the eve of the events in Hama, former Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati announced that Iran was standing alongside President Hafez al-Assad, describing Syria's Moslem Brüderbund as "agents of America and Zionism". Since then, Tehran has stood by President al-Assad during even more difficult circumstances, and even when competition was mounting between followers of the two sides in Leb, Tehran remained sensitive to its special relationship with Syria.
Today, Syria is facing a major challenge to its legitimacy, in the form of massive popular demonstrations in a number of cities. The question that is preoccupying observers today relates to the future of the Iranian-Syrian axis, which has existed since 1979, and whether this will be able to continue in the event of regime change.
What is happening in Syria represents a genuine challenge to the legitimacy of hereditary President Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad One of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators. Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor. Also head of Syria's Baath Party, an old-fashioned fascist operation that's seldom described as one in the press... , and the Syrian Baath Party, and the survival of the regime will depend on its ability to contain the popular discontent. However, The punctuational However... what is certain is that if violent demonstrations continue, and spread to the capital Damascus, this will only increase the likelihood of the president's departure and regime change. At the present time, Syrian authorities are trying to use a mixture of security force on the ground, whilst offering unprecedented concessions, in order to alleviate the spread of civil disobedience. It has been stressed on more than one occasion that the demonstrations have a "sectarian" nature, and this is true. The Syrian Baath party previously included, and still does, a large proportion of the Sunni community; however its leadership ranks include many who belong to different sects. It must also be noted that the sectarian pluralism within the Baath party has tended -- particularly over the past two decades -- towards the Alawite sect, which is the same thing that happened in the Iraqi Baath Party, which became extremely Sunni during the mid-1980s. There were objective reasons for this change, perhaps the most important was the repeated coup attempts by Sunni officers, either being instigated by the Iraqi Baath party in the 1970s, or as a result of a sectarian rift between the Sunnis and the Alawites, which led to the armed Hama uprising [by the Moslem Brüderbund against the Syrian government].
The Syrian regime, which has been in power for over four decades, was able to overcome a number of challenges, such as the 1973 [Yom Kippur] war, and even internal divisions between key figures in the regime, as occurred in 1984, 1991, and 1999. However, The punctuational However... the regime's legitimacy internally has always been questionable, and the regime has resorted to severe measures in the management of its internal affairs. The government disrupted any attempts regarding the development of political parties, and quelled the emergence of views outside the umbrella of the authority. The main weapon of the regime was, and remains, the use of the "resistance" card to oppose peace agreements, as well as the exploitation of Paleostinian and Lebanese groups to influence Arab public opinion. It could be argued that Syria was able to draw a realistic picture of "Arab nationalism", and impose great respect for President Hafez al-Assad as a strong and influential political figure in the region. Thus, some experts argue that Syria could not sacrifice its external positions, and sign peace agreements, without compromising its regional legitimacy.
Syria enjoyed participation in a tripartite axis (Soddy Arabia -- Egypt -- Syria) since the mid 1990s, and this strengthened Syria's position, and opened it up economically to Gulf investments. However, The punctuational However... when Bashir al-Assad came to power Syria began to fluctuate in its positions, and the 2003 Iraq War played a significant role in directing Syria towards extremism, and intransigence in its regional positions. The Syrian regime felt that it was the target of US pressure, and consequently began an intelligence war to destabilize Iraq, and Prime Minister [Rafik] Hariri was assassinated during the Syrian occupation of Leb. With the rise of the conservatives and the Revolutionary Guards in Iran, al-Assad became a strategic pawn in the Iranian plan, and Syria transformed over time from Iran's equal partner to nothing more than a junior partner, equivalent in value to an gang such as Hezbullies. Some Arab countries tried to isolate Syria in order to pressure it to reduce its ties to Mahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad's project. Between 2007 and 2010, many initiatives were offered to Syria to urge it to change its thug and uncompromising positions, but to no avail. President al-Assad was quick to accept the initiatives, but without offering anything in return and only after agreement with Iran, prompting many to believe that his regime did nothing but provide its visitors with lengthy lectures, and that the real solution was to be found in Tehran, rather than Damascus.
At the beginning of the recent unrest, President Bashir al-Assad was quick to conduct an interview with the Wall Street Journal, in which he talked about styles of governance -- in a manner of offering advice -- in which he criticized the Tunisian and Egyptian presidents. He described them as not being responsive to the will of the people who sought "resistance", saying that Syria is immune to what happened because the regime did not abandon resistance in confronting Israel, as other [Arab] states did. However, The punctuational However... just six weeks later al-Assad has found himself facing the same fate, which means that the "resistance" is not immune to the demands of change. Currently, the Syrian regime is seeking support from some Arab states, and these are the same states which al-Assad previously described as "half-men" [for criticizing Hezbullies]. At the same time, the Americans, the Europeans and some Gulf states have quickly moved to confront Qadaffy in Libya, yet they do not exercise the same enthusiasm in criticizing the abuses of the Syrian regime when dealing with protestors and riots. Here, [US Secretary of State] Hillary Clinton ... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another Dean Rusk ... has said that the United States does not intend to carry out any sort of military intervention, and that "Syria is not Libya", even going as far as to describe al-Assad as a "reformer."
There can be no doubt that there are flaws, and double standards, with regards to how crises affecting the region are being dealt with, for during the past decade even Qadaffy's regime was described as moving towards reform, but we have clearly seen the result of the regime's insistence on remaining in power, and the same applies to the Syrian regime in Hama in 1982. It seems that for the first time the United States and Iran -- and possibly even Israel -- all agree on the necessity of the Syrian regime's survival, for the collapse of the regime could harm everybody's interests, for as the saying goes, "better the devil you know."
In his book "Assad: The Struggle for the Middle East" (1998), Patrick Seale states that President Hafez al-Assad was suffering from depression in the late 1980s. Seale claims that al-Assad hardly appeared outside of his well-guarded office, and only dealt with his generals and ministers over the phone. He would sometimes call his foreign ambassadors in the middle of the night, talking to them about the history of Syria until the early hours of the morning, and asking his guards to prepare cups of tea. At this time, an armed Iranian group kidnapped a Syrian intelligence officer in Tehran. Al-Assad was disturbed by the incident, particularly the Iranian group's affiliation to Leb's Hezbullies. Tehran threatened to sever relations [with Hezbullies] unless the officer was returned within 48 hours, and this is indeed what happened. President Hafez al-Assad benefited from this lesson, and made moves to open up to some Arab countries and reduce Syria's dependence on Iran. He supported the Taif Agreement, despite Iranian reservations and Hezbullies's non-participation. Damascus moved closer to the Clinton administration, to the point that in 1998 the Iranians feared that al-Assad was on the verge of sacrificing Syria's relations with Tehran.
Today, Syrian-Iranian relations are experiencing a major test, but it is certain that these will witness major transformations.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
04/01/2011 00:00 ||
Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[MEMRI, from Qatari daily al-Arab] "After helping his wife Michelle assist the kids with their homework and make them sandwiches for school, U.S. President Barack Obama had trouble falling asleep... He sat by himself in the White House garden and contemplated the situation of the world he is supposed to defend. He realized he had abandoned some of his fellow leaders, leaving them all alone to face the uprisings of their peoples... Gazing at the twinkling stars, he started to think. He picked up his mobile phone, which was lying on the table, and began to call these leaders.
hereditary President Bashir 
Mahmoud 
Hillary Clinton
