Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Double Teaming On Hillary

Illegal immigration is perhaps the most complex issue facing America. A hardcore right wing minority would like nothing more than to wave a magic wand and have the millions of illegals disappear from the U.S. Short of a Nazi style regime, that will not happen. Even President Bush to his credit realizes the complexities and has called for a workers' program and some form of legality and citizenship for the illegals.

So it was not surprising that tonight in the Philadelphia Democratic Party debate that this issue would become the focal point. Near the very end, Tim Russert brought up the complicated situation by pointing out the New York Governor Spitzer has just signed off on a program that will allow illegals a modified form of a drivers' license. The question was posed to Hillary Clinton who spoke intelligently on the necessity for each state's governor to deal with this issue in the face of the federal government not moving towards a comprehensive plan that would strengthen border security and find ways to bring the millions of illegals out of the shadows and into the mainstream of American life.

Hillary was forceful but balked at giving a 100% thumbs up to her own governor's plan. Rightly or wrongly she supported the concept but did not want to put herself in the position of the New York chief executive who had to finalize the program. And it was at that moment that first Senator John Edwards and then Senator Barack Obama pounced on Hillary for not giving her full blessing to Spitzer. They had tried all night to corner the frontrunner. In fact things became heated enought that Governor Richardson came to Hillary's defense by pointing out that her opponents were trying to make a character issue out of some of Hillary's nuanced positions.

Things have been going poorly for the second and third place candidates and they showed how desperate they were by looking for any opening to attack Clinton. Richardson's point was that it is okay to disagree with someone's positions but it was going too far to make personal attacks. Hillary is attempting to bypass the nomination process and run as a centrist in a general election. She is trying to be careful not to give the Republican enemy too much fodder. I would venture to guess that the vast majority of Democrats and left leaning Independents know that Mrs. Clinton is a left of center candidate. But they should know that to win a general election your words need to carry beyond Manhattan, Chicago, and Los Angeles and resonate in Little Rock, Peoria, and Bakersfield.

After making hay of Clinton, Russert should have point the onus on her two attackers and put them on the spot over this issue. Instead time ran out and we found out that Obama's daughter will dress up as witch and will be trick or treating with a dad wearing a two-faced Mitt Romney mask. For a candidate who said he would stress the issues, Obama has started down a slippery slope that might lead Romney to wear a two-faced Barrack mask.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

World Series Snoozer


Even out here on the left coast this current World Series has been devoid of competition. With three games now under our belts, there can be no doubt that the Red Sox are utterly superior to the young Rockies. The Sox have a swagger of extreme confidence that has carried them to easy victories in all of the games. The bright eager faces of the Colorado nine are a contrast with the baggy look of Manny, the power of Ortiz, and the bald sea-fearing appearance of Youklis. Even the Coors Field fans seem to pale when one scans the hardened baseball only attitude exhibited at Fenway.

So there seems to be no real drama for television fans to rally around. But what is making things so difficult is the record length of these games. Saturday's game three went well over four hours and holds the dubious distinction of being the longest nine inning Series game in history. Once again I found myself battling slumber and the temptation to check on college football, hockey, and news while the game was going on. And imagine if I was on the east coast!! Fox has done everyone a disservice by having the first pitch thrown after 8:30. What that means is that by 10 pm (around inning four at the snail's pace these games are moving), an entire generation of little leaguers have checked out. By 11 pm (inning six), the die-hard AARPers have given up and gone to sleep. The only excitement in tonight's game came when the Rockies crept to within one run of the Sox in the seventh inning. Of course, how many fans were still around?

Knowing that the boring pre-game talkfest, Chevy and Taco Bell promotions, and longer commercial breaks would push the game to lengths never experienced before, how could Fox not start the games at least an hour earlier. They still would have captured primetime on the east and have westerners plugged in around dinner time. Ratings have been stagnant this year (even with a popular team like Boston). Then again I am not a Fox programmer nor a MLB executive who has sold out the soul of the game. I'm just a small voice (hopefully multiplied by millions of others) who wishes that our national game could be saved from money counting suits who know nothing about baseball.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Extreme Views


We can't agree on anything anymore. How did the Iraq war really start? Were there WMD's? Did the Bushies know that an imminent strike from Al Quaeda was on its way? More recently, does Hillary's support of a Woodstock museum reveal that she was and still is some kind of lesbian, pot smoking, acid dropping hippie (even though she was a straight and true Goldwater girl for most of the sixties)? Was the rapid response to the still smoldering San Diego fires an example of Republican management strengths as seen against the backdrop of local ineptitude in New Orleans? No matter what the issue, there seems to be no sensible, middle ground.

The problem is exasperated by pundits and media intent on making names for themselves. Books need to be sold. Ratings run television. Pairs of eyes and the touch of a keyboard bring surfers to blog sites. An intelligent discussion does not impassion nor enrich anyone. So on both sides of our great divide we have conspiracy theorists and hate mongers.

A great example is the old KABC radio in Los Angeles. A ratings behemoth in the 1980's, the station's signature talking head was the smooth always informed Michael Jackson (obviously not that Michael Jackson). Jackson had an afternoon show where all ideas were welcome and where few would actually know where the host stood. His job was to draw opinion and fact from his guests. Unfortunately, as right wing radio began to sprout in the later part of the decade, hordes of listeners (i.e. white males) began migrating towards Rush Limbaugh and others of conservative ilk. Quickly Jackson became a dinosaur and the entire station by the mid-nineties became a bastion of red meat.

We applaud those who have bravely started Air America and similar liberal talk stations to counteract much of the misinformation of the righties. But still, that leaves little room for the middlemen who want to discuss things in a more nuanced way. Viewers, listeners, and surfers have so much options that they tend to get their news from sources that they perceive (rightly or wrongly) to be friendly to their ways of thinking. So as issues develop and events take place, everything is put into a he said/she said dynamic and the truth suffers. Politicians see this phenomenon and follow a Karl Rove triangulation strategy of appealing and representing only those who vote and support them and ignore the large minority in their districts whose voices need to be heard so our nation can move forward in a positive manner.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

California Fires

FIRE!!! We here at Inland Echoes are safe. For those outside of Southern California the reality is that the great majority of damage takes place in hills and mountains that have an incredible amount of dry brush. When you consider the vast amount of land from San Diego to Santa Barbara and from the Pacific well into the desert, most areas are pretty much immune from the embers that have ignited so much trouble. Most of us are not happy about the ashes that have taken over the sky and the pollution that is engulfing much of the region. Beyond that, schools and offices and freeways have remained open except for where the true hot spots are. We have been getting inquiries from all over the country about the fire and we tell most folk that we know as much as they do because of the excellent television reporting.

Having said all the above, our hearts do go out to those several thousand who have had their homes and memories completely wiped out. With freedom to move about the freeways, it was not that difficult for many to get over to San Diego Qualcomm Stadium and deliver food and other necessities for the displaced. No one should compare this situation to New Orleans where almost all manner of transportation was blocked. Already it is a bit disheartening to see Bushites point to this disaster as an example of the administration's new rapid response. Once again we thank all who are helping to contain the fires and help the victims. But as large as this problem seems to be it pales in comparison to the New Orleans debacle. Other problems will arise and we will see if Bush and FEMA have truly learned their lessons.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Woodstock & The Rat Pack


Joey Bishop passed away today. The versatile comedian was perhaps the least known of the late 50's/early 60's original "Rat Pack" quintet which also included Sinatra, Davis, Martin, and Lawford. The high flying five set up shop in Vegas and have become synonymous with Kennedy era/pre-Vietnam Americana. As the Pack (and Elvis) faded a bit from view, the Beatles ushered in a new season of youthful music and rebelliousness which reached its height with the festival at Woodstock, New York. That both Woodstock and Mr. Bishop would be spoken of in the same newscasts today speak volumes to the cultural divide that still haunts our nation. Senators Schumer and Clinton (both from New York) had attempted to use approximately $1 million in federal funds to help develop a Woodstock museum to commemorate the watershed event. Chicken feed in federal budget realities, conservatives in the Senate seized upon the request to defeat the proposal and to paint Clinton as some sort of drug popping senior citizen hippie. There should be no doubt that the majority of the same GOP senators would have been happy to pass the funds for a "Rat Pack" museum that would celebrate what they would consider a more placid time. That the "packers" were involved in drinking, illicit sex, and gambling would not phase these Senators who still look askew at the drugs, open sex, and revolutionary music that was on stage at Woodstock. Clinton and Schumer both pointed out that their job is to bring jobs and funds to their state (in this case tourism). But just as the "Swift Boaters" painted the decorated war hero, John Kerry, as a radical Vietnam vet, today's Republican cowards were trying to make a similar affront upon Ms. Clinton's image. Perhaps to appease her critics, Clinton should move to Tennessee and ask for funds for the Grand Ole Opry.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

No Bull - University of South Florida


The University of South Florida Bulls are currently ranked second in the BCS football standings. Halfway through a turbulent college football season, the little known Bulls of the Big East Conference are undefeated and pointing towards a national Bowl Championship Series January game. The commuter college located in Tampa-St. Pete has come from literally nowhere to be counted as one of the top teams in college sports' prestige athletic division. Kudos to the school's administration, athletic department, football staff, and top notch players. Yet one must wonder how such an unglamorous, ordinary, state funded school is being listed with the icons of a sport so steeped in history and legend. Beyond starting a football program in the 1990's, how did USF gain admittance to the renowned Division One Big East Conference. Further, with most top Florida high school athletes opting for Florida, Florida State, and Miami, how did the school round up enough high caliber graduates to join their program. In an era when such stellar football powerhouses such as Notre Dame and Stanford are struggling along, here comes USF (and Rutgers, Louisville, Cincinnati, etc.) into the void. Part of the answer might lie in the unquenchable thirst for big time football conferences to move their membership into heavily populated areas for television revenue. So when the Atlantic Coast Conference raids the Big East for Boston College and Virginia Tech, the Big East responds by taking Louisville and Cincinnati from the lesser Conference USA. Universities are throwing away time honored rivalries and regional affiliations as they chase ever bigger bucks. Since Miami left the Big East, the Conference wanted to keep an imprint in population rich Florida and replaced the Hurricanes with the now successful Bulls. Hoping to gain national prominence through sports, USF has poured the requisite amount of money into a nascent program that is now astounding the college world. Having broken the mold as an "expansion franchise" there should be little doubt that other schools will follow suit and throw money into a sport that seems to be following a pot of gold that continues to runneth over.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Congratulations Al


Global warming. It is serious, it could become catastrophic, it is real. And it now has been officially recognized by the world community as a group of UN scientists and former Vice-President Al Gore have been named this year's Nobel Peace Prize winners. Since the Friday morning (USA time) announcement, sales of An Inconvenient Truth (Gore's DVD) and his companion book have soared. This focus on the message that Gore has been trying to get across to so many is taking place while the media spend their precious airtime speculating on whether Gore will place his name into the Democratic presidential field. None of us are devoid of reality so there should and will be some emphasis on the political angle. Unfortunately, too much time has been spent on this. What an opportunity for the news machines to tap their little used science editors and reporters to explain the global warming phenom and how all of us can help to make a difference. In the midst of this wonderful accomplishment, it must be a bit frustrating for Gore to continuously have to spend his interviewing time talking about his non-planned run for president. That people are reaching beyond the news surface and buying items that can educate them about their dying planet is a refreshing revelation. Thank you Al for your commitment to our planet and to all of us too busy or too lazy to see what ill effect we are having as we use up the finite resources here on Earth.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Move On With Dignity


A GUEST POSTING BY BIG V:

The Yankees have lost and many feel sad. The fans would have loved for them to have gone all the way. But a close look reveals that this Yankees team was always playing to a survival mode. There is no doubt that every game in the Cleveland series reflected that truth.

The Yankees needed to lose this series to move on from the World Series Dynasty nostalgia of the late 1990's. No longer can they expect to use Andy Petite, Roger Clemens, and Mariano Rivera to dominate the new baseball league that is emerging in cities like Denver, Phoenix and Cleveland. A best-of-5 series favors the pitchers. And even when the Yankees had their pitching on track, they couldn't put together the hitting side of their game. Johnny Damon had a great series. He is the lead off guy, the one you look to get things started. Although when he caught on fire, no one else did. His four RBIs were the difference in game 3. No one else on the team was a difference maker in any other game. The last inning of the series we saw why this Yankee team is to be feared with Bobby Abreu hitting a home run and Jorge Posada almost finding the same spot Abreu did. But it was too little too late and the Yankees lost. Even nature was out to make sure that the Yankees faced reality (or did you forget those nasty bugs?).

George Steinbrenner doesn't realize that he can make a great show out of this defeat. He showed little class to Joe Torre by sending Torre a warning message through the media. He could have congratulated the great Yankee core that has been there for all these seasons and send off guys like Torre, Posada, Rivera, and Clemens with dignity. These guys brought home rings and they won the division time and time again. Even this year with such an odd team, they overcame and made it to the playoffs as the Wild Card. Now it's time for some of them to move on to other places as they leave behind a legacy and standard of greatness. Don Mattingly now knows what is expected of him because of Joe Torre...but is it fair for Mattingly to expect to win with Torre's team?

The Yankees have new blood in their pitching, a true ace in Wang, a true leader in Jeter and now they have a new stadium being built for a new era of Yankee baseball. The torch must be passed because the Yankees can no longer live in the past.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Kingdoms

The only true kingdom should be the one that belongs to the Lord. We who follow Jesus are his servants working to bring a message of reconciliation, love, and acceptance to a world in great need. Whether as a lay person, missionary, lower church official, or one blessed with a higher position, all are just caretakers of the Lord's church. No family should attempt to establish an earthly kingdom in Jesus' name. Too often the originating minister grooms his son and other family members to take the reins of the ministry when he is too old to continue. Thus we have a Robert Schuller handing his church over to his son, Jerry Fallwell's son Jonathan now pastors his Virginia church, and of course there is the current hot story: Richard Roberts. Richard took over the presidency of Oral Roberts University from his namesake dad. Now the accusations from three former professors are coming out in full public view. Stories of preferred treatment for family members and friends and misuse of precious school funds for personal use are rocking the ORU campus and causing embarrassment via cable news and other media sources. All of these ministries were started with the best intentions. But if those who build them realize that they are just God's instrument and not the owner, so many problems would not materialize. Perhaps the Catholics do have something in that priests, bishops, cardinals, and popes are forbidden to marry. There is no pressure to earn money for a family and to find cushy jobs for spouse and offspring. On the other hand, a married Protestant minister should thank God for all he (or she) has and pray even more for God's help in discerning the difference in performing ministry and providing for a family. The more one is given the more one must depend on Jesus.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Cackle


New World Dictionary definition of "CACKLE":

to make the shrill broken sounds of a hen

The hidden enemy for Hillary Clinton is her gender. She is a she. All of our presidents have been a he. The intelligence, experience, and coolness that Clinton exhibits in debates, news interviews, and in public appearances is not enough for many in the media. Led by FOX News and echoed by such a mainstream voice as MSNBC's Chris Matthews, Clinton has been brought to task for her slightly long laughs while being interviewed. Instead of praising her for a bit of humor or maybe being a little critical as the laughter might mask a sign of nervousness, the TV pundits are calling her laughs a "CACKLE". Once again we are getting down to coded language. Hillary is just another air headed woman who never ever could stand up to the potential threats that our country faces from countries such as North Korea and Iran. She messed up on health insurance (of course no one mentions that fourteen years later Congress still doesn't have the balls to truly take this issue on) and as a meddling woman she must not have any real handle on Wall Street, the mortgage crisis, and other economic problems. Barring a total collapse, Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic nominee in 2008. Defeating the Republicans will be difficult enough but now the real adversary is rearing its head: wimpy men who twist and turn when they think of a woman having true power and authority. All campaigns end up the same: the vital issues and ideas are pushed to the side as personality and appearance become preeminent. In the end we all become losers no matter who the ultimate winner is. Hillary was just hitting her stride wowing everyone with her debating skills. Enjoying her position and relaxing a bit, a bit of the real person was allowed to leak out with her laughing episodes. Now with all the critical comments, her handlers will reign her in so that she no longer can be loose and be the real person that everyone desperately wants to see.

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Swarming


The pitcher from central casting came into the seventh inning of a must win situation. The large stocky flame thrower from the plains of Nebraska was called on to bail out the heroic veteran starting hurler. With a man in scoring position, rookie phenom Joba Chamberlain, throwing for baseball's most storied franchise, put out the fire and kept the New Yorkers up by one run. The script called for Joba to pitch the ninth and then turn the game over to the ultimate finisher, Mariano Rivera. Oh, if life was just a script, the Yankees would be heading back to their fabled Bronx ballpark with the series tied one to one. Unfortunately, life threw the Bombers a curve ball.

To be more specific, the Yankees did not lose to the Cleveland Indians on Friday night. No, they were done in by a Biblical host of swarming gnats that picked the eighth inning as their chosen moment to emerge from the depths of nearby Lake Erie and descend upon the Yankees. The two all time superstars on the left side of the infield - Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter - were no match for the tiny Mayflies (aka Canadian Soldiers). There they were in front of a huge television audience, using their gloves in a futile effort to get the flies off of them. Luckily, the position players were just innocent bystanders. The same could not be said for the young Mr. Chamberlain. Apparently, the Mayflies are attracted to sweat. The huge pitcher's neck was a repository of perspiration and viewers could see dozens of the little pests hanging on the neck of the Yankee pitcher as he attempted to find the plate sixty feet away. The flies would have their way, as Joba uncorked two wild pitches, hit a batsman, and yield a walk and ultimately a tying run.

Not even the Yankees can fight fate. It was inevitable that once the Mayflies opened the gates, the Indians would find a way to prevail (which they did in inning number eleven). The amazing thing is that the Mayflies live on the bottom of Lake Erie and only come up a few times a year to buzz around for a few hours before returning to their watery home, where the females drop thousands of eggs, and then die. The question all will ask is how did these innocent creatures know to swarm when the Yankees took the field in that fateful eighth inning and zero in on a pitcher who had been overpowering against the entire league for the past two months? An Oriole, a Tiger, and not even an Angel had bettered Joba Chamberlain. Who would have figured there was a team of Flies in the American League?

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Who Can We Help?

Last week we focused on Burma. Off and on for the past few years it has been Darfur. When his videos pop up attention turns to Osama. As rich a nation as the United States is, we do have limits to our resources. There are pressing needs abroad and here at home. Who can we send to Burma and Africa to make a difference? It will take a committed and focused effort to bring bin Laden to justice. Our children cry out for humane medical coverage but our president is spooked by his fear of creeping socialistic medical practices and a belated desire to keep a tight budget.

Obviously, the problem lies with Iraq. It is sucking everything out of our country. It is a boat that has too many leaks. It is a football team that is weak on defense, has a sore armed quarterback, and questionable coaching. Because of our incredible use of funds in the Iraqi theater and our stretching thin of an all-volunteer military, we can only pay lip service to a world and nation at great risk. Our highways and bridges need upgrading, our schools need new infusions of energy and money, and our citizens need help with the rising tide of medical financial disaster. People around the world cry out for our help but we can only give them quaint slogans and no real help. Bush is attempting to run out the clock but will he be able to dodge any more potential disasters and permanent damage to the physical and emotional foundation of our great nation?

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

The Search For A Moral Candidate

Good afternoon sir. I'm James Dobson of the Council For National Security. Well, I'm not supposed to let you know what organization I represent seeing how we are a secret group. But heck, I heard you have some solid credentials and we are looking for a candidate to run on our morality ticket.

Thank you sir. Actually I'm not sure that I want to be president but some folks urged me to come and see you.

Okay, that's fair and good. So fill me in on your positions. You know, on the big issues.

Where should I start?

Obviously, on this war in Iraq. Surely you are for national security.

National? I'm really focused on international. Shouldn't we see all folks as our neighbors and work to meet one another's needs?

Philosophically I could agree with you. But come on, we are facing the fanatical Islamic radicals and this is the war to end that threat once and for all.

I've heard that this war has been going on for many years now. What has been the cost in lives and funds?

Why are you answering my questions with your own queries? Okay, let's try a different tack. How about guns? I, we here at the Council are big proponents of gun freedom. Surely, you agree on that.

Who do I want to kill? I really don't see why I would need such protection if we all can be moving in the direction of love and compassion. I mentioned the international scene. Well, we could boil that down to respecting those who live on our streets.

You know, maybe you were steered towards the wrong political group. Love? Are you from the sixties? Maybe, you should be over at the left wing Democrats. Let me throw out one more issue to you. What about those weird gay people? You would not want them to get married? And while I'm at it, what about all those illegals from Mexico way, who come across our borders and pollute our cities and culture?

Sir, you are probably right. I must have come to the wrong place. I was told that this was a group of people who were looking for cleanliness and decency in society. But all of your viewpoints seem about warmongering, hatred of other peoples,and an intolerance towards those you perceive to be different. Why would I be against the poor and unfortunate who are coming to this country for a chance to better their lives. Isn't that a noble goal?

Man, you are really weird. Hey Grover, Rev. Wildmon, and DeVos, we better cross this guy off of our list along with McCain, Giuliani, and that Mormon Romney. Let's keep praying for the perfect candidate who wants to rid our world. . .