Remembering Pat Tillman

Hey Sports Fans! Momento Moron has mounted a campaign to make Pat Tillman "Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year". Perhaps there are other deserving candidates, but as an observer from afar, Mr. Tillman stands head and shoulders above the thugs and preening, self-indulgement adolescents who seem do dominate sports news coverage today. It is time to select an example of that chartacter which participation in sports is claimed to create. Vote Now and pass it on. (Read the header at "Momento Moron". It captures well part of the reason we fight the battle.)

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is!

Sola-Man recruited me to join Team Northern Alliance of Blogs in the Friends of Iraq Blogger Challenge. This is a fundraising competition, sponsored by the very worthy Spirit of America, to support the rebuilding of Iraq. This is one more way to support our effort in Iraq. Make a donation, join the team!

Thanksgiving For the French

Our friends at ?No Pasaran! bring us Art Buchwald's explanation of Thanksgiving for the French. They won't get it, as they don't understand gratitude to begin with. Instead of gratitude, their response is more likely to be The Impudent Finger.

Mencken On Turkey

Muzzy over at Blogizdat touches on things gastronomical and historical. He has been reading Mencken again!

Solablogola: Erasing God

Sola-Man ponders the banning of The Declaration of Independence from a public school on the grounds that its use violates the Establishment Clause. Open book quiz for the luminaries at Stevens Creek Elementary School: If The Declaration of Independence violates "the seperation of church and state", what might that tell us about our understanding of the Establishment clause?

Thanksgiving Proclamation

My mother requested that I find President George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation. I found it among The Papers of George Washington.

The History of Thanksgiving by Liberal Larry

Thanks for Nothing is LL's recounting of the Thanksgiving story. Unfortunately, it is also history as taught at PS182.

As If Rather's Departure Wasn't Enough,

Professor Bainbridge gives us the good news that it is Three weeks and counting.

A Prescient E-Mail: Strange Times At CBS

In response to an e-mail announcing the debut of my blog, a friend from a southern state sent me the following e-mail, dated 11/17/04 (edited to remove personal information):

"I had the executive producer of the (edited: local) CBS station as a patient. They were and are upset by Dan Rather's handling of the election night coverage. They were ready to come on air and give Ohio and Florida to Pres. Bush. They called National CBS executives before hand as well as several other CBS affiliates and they actually forced Rather's hand. He just did not want to give the election to Bush."

I replied to ask him if it would violate any confidences to post this. He responded as follows on 11/22/04:

"Actually I think that they would not mind. I wouldn't use his name. His feelings are pretty universal within the CBS affiliate members. Primarily they think that:
Dan Rather is biased, liberal, old and his decision not to give states to Bush was driven by personal bias not questions related to numbers. This was driven quite a bit by the 60 Minutes issues. Most affiliates would love to see Rather gone. CBS News has gotten older with no young talent in the stable. This worries the affiliates. They will need fresh young blood if they expect to compete with FoxNews and the others. Many affiliates were getting ready to go on air and give the states to Bush and call the election if Rather had chosen to keep from calling the election. This angered most of the affiliates because it made them seem unable to make a call or simply "out of the loop". They felt pre-empted by FoxNews and the other majors. This will affect future viewers, which is directly related to money."

Concerned that this second e-mail may reflect inferences drawn from the conversation instead of being a paraphrase of that conversation, I queried him on that point. I also requested permission to use his e-mails in an upcoming post and suggested that this would make an excellent first post on a blog of his own. Events have now overtaken us. He replied today with the following:

"This was a paraphrase with some inference. The fact that Dan Rather is now stepping down confirms the conversation and the affiliate's distress with Rather and his policies. From the conversation the affiliates wanted Rather out and fresh blood in. Remember the affiliates pay the bills and it looks like CBS is headed in that direction."

He followed up later with another e-mail granting permission to use his e-mails and included a link to "Dan Rather to Step Down as CBS Anchor", a Fox News story. Strange Times at CBS.

(A big Thank You to my sunshine loving Friend.)

Views On France: A Travelog

If you find the French to be absolutely baffling, you must visit �No Pasaran!. This is not an official "I HATE FRANCE" blog, quite the contrary. The stupidity in Le Monde isn't really all that different from that in the LA Times. Only occasionally do I leave this site thinking "My great-uncle died for this?" Today's posts range from politics to culture, with a heavy emphasis on "The Religion of Peace". Scalpel sharp and far more tasty than escargots! A very prolific group of writers, so visit often.

Sola-Man Follows the Money

to here.

Whither the Bush Cabinet?

Liberal Larry asks "Could Bush Be Filling His Cabinet with Republicans?" Larry fears they are Republicans of the worst kind. Naughty Shrub, Naughty!

Professor Steyn's Civics Lecture

The Kingdom of Tonga committed 45 Royal Marines to the war in Iraq. Mark Steyn ponders what this tells us about Canada, France and the Democrats. (A Lecture in 2 Parts)

1) In the next war, Canada will send The Pipes and Drums of Thunder Bay. Professor Steyn's lecture, Part 1, can be found here. (scroll down to "Speak Softly and Carry a Small Twig")

2) When you hear the Democrats laugh at the mighty sword of the Kingdom of Tonga, consider the second lecture. (scroll down to "The New American Firsters")

Reading The Local Talent

1) The very prolific Muzzy at Blogizdat waxes elequent on topics cultural and technical. The following caught my eye:

a) Snoop-Talk: "Somizzle an Englizzle tizzle wizzle cry thizzle to slizzle tonizzle!" (Somewhere, an English teacher will cry themself to sleep tonight!) No doubt Muzzy also knows where to find a Klingon Translator.

b) Geek Stuff: This is why I listened when he said "Mozilla".

c) Mind Out of Time: Muzzy has been reading Mencken again. Read this post and then proceed to #2 below.

2) Sola-Man at Solablogola catches Ms. B. Spears (a future Poet Laureate) In Flagrante Delicto. (Nudge, Nudge - Wink, Wink!)

Arafat's Rotting Corpse, Part 1

The French and English are at it again! This may be one more reason to hate the French, but our favorite British Socialist (that would be MR. Hitchens to you) conducts an autopsy and finds the disease that is Arafat's legacy.

Grenada After Hurricane Ivan

My wife and I honeymooned on the Island of Grenada and have many fond memories of our time there. Hurricane Ivan The
Terrible hit hard and devestated much of the Spice Island. The rainforest we hiked through to Seven Sisters Falls
is gone. To see the damage done, go here. To see Grenada before the hurricane, go there. Listen to The Grenada Broadcasting Network.

What Would Wellstone Do?

Liberal Larry answers The Question. Positive Vibes for everyone! ( I apologize to all non-Minnesotans for the Wellstone reference. If you lived in my neighborhood, you would understand.)