I could say a lot about the Jack Ryan situation — and I already have, though not here — but I think it was best summed up by the commonsensical explanation I overheard one woman tell her friend outside the Walgreen’s the other day:
“He said he and his wife were trying to keep the records private to protect their son. But what it really was,” she concluded, “was he was a freak.”
Exactly. What a schmuck.
Iraqi “cleric” and gangster Moqtada Sadr announced he’s leaving behind his past as a leader of violent mobs for an even better racket: political office!
Perhaps Iraq really is ready for sovereignty … And with tongue firmly in cheek, here’s the appropriate Dylan lyric to go along with this news:
Steal a little and they throw you in jail
Steal a lot and they make you king
There’s only one step down from here, baby
It’s called the land of permanent bliss
What’s a sweetheart like you
Doin’ in a dump like this?
Yep.
Well, duh!
As I was walking home yesterday, I passed through a crowd of about three or four rambunctious teen-agers on the sidewalk. One girl — probably about 16 or 17 — looked straight at me in my Insurance Journal monogrammed dress shirt (yeah, I know; they make me wear it) and without a moment’s hesitation cooed, “Hey, baby! You an insurance journalist?!”
Stunned by the absurdity of her outburst and unsure of quite how to take it, I responded instinctively. I turned back to look at her and gave the crowd a big goofy open-mouthed grin and a thumbs-up sign.
Am I an insurance journalist? Yes — yes, I am!
Then again, four-game win streaks tend to have that effect on my psyche. Especially when they’re capped by a ninth-inning rally on the road against your main rival’s closer.
Sosa’s close to getting back, Wood says he feels good, Patterson’s starting to figure it out, Lee’s getting hot … things are looking up! (For now.)
That’s pretty much the way to win championships, especially in today’s NBA. While the Lakers were not at full strength considering the injuries of Karl Malone and Horace Grant, the Detroit Pistons truly dominated the series from start to finish.
They deserve the credit for playing great defense, hustling after the loose balls and displaying great team play on the offensive end of the court. I would have loved any team that beat L.A., of course, but I think the Pistons are a team that the NBA can be proud of.
They showed that a team without a single dominant superstar could win a championship , and perhaps more importantly the demonstrated that an Eastern Conference team could win in the Finals without a Jordan on the roster.
Way to go, Pistons! Congratulations also to Larry Brown, a fantastic coach who’s finally getting his due.
After I finished working Friday, I had occasion to watch a repeat of the Reagan funeral on PBS, immediately followed by live coverage of the interment in Simi Valley, Calif. It was truly absorbing TV, absolutely fitting for a president and first lady who made their names in Hollywood and brought an unparalleled sense of the camera to the White House.
From beginning to end, every moment was calculated to provoke a gut reaction from the American people and to honor as much as possible the Reagan legacy. I must admit: It worked for me.
I, like most libertarians, have mixed feelings about Reagan. His leadership helped precipitate the end of the Cold War — and in dubbing the Soviet Union and evil empire he had the guts to call a spade a spade — but it’s likely that the aging machinery of that communist state and its Eastern bloc were due to crumble soon anyhow.
And the cost of his strategy of unprecedented military buildup to push the Soviets to the negotiating table is still with us in the form of a much larger national debt, which will take generations to pay off. Was it worth it? Did it work? The jury, I think, is still out on that.
On the matters close libertarian hearts — lower taxes, less regulation, smaller government — Reagan had a decidedly mixed record. Yes, he pushed through the biggest tax cut in history, but then he pushed through the biggest tax increase in history, along with two other tax hikes.
In the areas of deregulation and government spending, he didn’t do much at all. He folded quickly on Social Security reform and he never proposed a balanced budget to Congress. And as the Cato Institute’s David Boaz points out, after promising to get rid of two cabinet departments, he actually added two. And of course the Iran-Contra scandal will always be a mark on his presidency.
Still, this cursory examination of Reagan’s actual record skirts the importance of his rhetoric, coming at a time when so many seemed to question the existence of the notion of the American dream. He at least really believed and articulated from the depths of his soul a uniquely American conception of freedom. Tim Lee points to Reagan’s farewell address from the Oval Office as a prime example of this soaring and righteous rhetoric.
In this sense, the Reagan funeral was a magnificent encapsulation of his legacy. It hit all right buttons for me. The amazing scene of 4,000 of the most influential, powerful people in the world gathered in that magnificent cathedral to pay tribute to his life, accented by moving renditions of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “Amazing Grace” was really awe-inspiring.
In spite of myself, I did tear up a couple of times. And then there was the interment ceremony in California, with that wonderful backdrop of the sun sinking behind the hills. The touching personal eulogies of Reagan’s children shed light on the life of an intensely private man. All through this, the camera was an all-seeing witness of the importance of Reagan to all of these people, and to the world. That is how it was intended, and that is how it was effected. It was a process fit for a king, and I half expected Ron Reagan to be coronated when it was all over.
The ultimate moment, however, came when the flag had draped Reagan’s casket was presented to Nancy. She slowly walked to the casket and laid her cheek upon it as she had done several times during the week. But then, knowing this was her last moment with her beloved Ronnie — for better or worse, the country’s last moment with their beloved president — she hesitated. She teared up and didn’t want to let go — nobody did. That’s when I lost it completely, and started blubbering like a baby. I wonder how many others did.
It took the coaxing of her entire family to get her to step away. And yet the country, and certainly the alleged Reagan heir Dubya — deserted Reagan’s legacy if not his casket long ago. Reagan may never have proposed a balanced budget, but Dubya’s never even vetoed a single bill. I guess every dollar Congress has appropriated in the last three years was perfectly justified.
From foreign policy to trade to civil liberties to just plain decency and honesty, Dubya’s no heir to Reagan’s memory, he’s a traitor to the man’s legacy. But he’s worse, because in mid-treacherous stride, he has the gall to pretend that he has inherited the Reagan mantle.
Reagan said his greatest accomplishment was that he made Americans believe in themselves again. At the ineffable, intangible level at which we live our public life that may have been true, as grandiose a claim it is for a politician to make. Dubya didn’t fumble the ball after 9/11, but what has he done since then? A long chain of abuses culminating in Abu Ghraib have shattered the country’s sense of faith (however misguided it was to begin with) in his leadership.
Where Reagan appealed to Americans’ sense of optimism and love of liberty, Dubya’s appealed to their fears. At least Reagan’s heart was in the right place, and at least he tried. At least he tried.
I must admit that I have often had occasion to wonder, after Sport‘s left a pile on the ground, what might ever become of that cute little turd were I not to scoop it up. Now, finally, the answer has come in the form of a Korean animated film being adapted for American audiences. The film is called “Doggy Poo.”
According to the Official Doggy Poo Web site:
Once upon a time, a little doggy poo lived on the side of a road. He felt all alone in the world. He believed that nobody needed him for anything, and that he had no purpose in life. If only Doggy Poo had a reason for being, then he wouldn’t give up on his dream to be useful to the world.
One day, Doggy Poo meets a lovely dandelion sprout. Will she explain his purpose in life? Will she help make his dream come true?
Of course, Doggy Poo learns about his vital role in the cycle of life. Or, as the film so memorably puts it: “Sometimes dreams really do come true.”
Here’s a trailer for the movie, and here’s a trailer for the DVD with 80 minutes of special features. The latter trailer is really the one to watch for outright hilarity.
Of course, you mustn’t forget to buy the 15-song Doggy Poo CD or download your Doggy Poo wallpaper …
Scoop up these treasures today!
We’ll miss you … Ray.
The Cubs may yet contend for a playoff spot this year, though games like today’s — which I had the gross misfortune of attending — make it very difficult to see how that’s possible. But you never know how this team could turn around once Sosa and Wood come back.
Certainly, the mediocrity of the Central Division could make it easier for the Cubs to stay in the thick of things for quite some time. But the hopes some Cubs fans may have had that their team could not only repeat as division champs but win 100 games for the first time since 1935 have long since faded away.
Now we hope only that they’ll finish above .500 in consecutive years for the first time since 1971-72. After today — when even Prior stuck up the joint — it’s tough to stay positive.
On the other hand, I’m glad that though I’ve kept score of many of the hundreds of Cubs games I’ve attended over the years, I have not kept any ongoing log of wins and losses. The Cubs cannot have won more than 40 percent of those games. It certainly doesn’t feel like it. But I’m relieved to not know for sure the exact nature of their terribleness in my presence.
Sometimes ignorance really is bliss.
After an incredible six innings of two-hit, eight strikeout, shutout ball from Mark Prior in his first major-league outing of the year, Joe Borowski blew his second save of the year.
He now has an 8.02 ERA this year. I like the Borowski as much as anyone, but right now he is costing the team games, and there doesn’t seem to be any sign that will change soon. I think Hawkins is too valuable to waste as a closer, but at this point I’d certainly rather see Farnsworth or Remlinger out there in the ninth inning. Baker needs to make a change.
In the meantime, as glas as I am to have Prior back, he cannot win games alone. The Cubs should just be hoping to be at .500 by the All-Star Break. There’s still no firm return date on Wood or Sosa (not to mention Grudzielanek), and right now this team sorely needs Sosa’s bat back in the lineup. The Cubs are now in fifth place, five games out. The season is slowly slipping away.
kboreilly.com 