Michael Moore is a sicko

I sometimes go to Michael Moore's website just to see how the left are spinning things and what they are whining about today. Moore sometimes has postings about the current wars we are engaged in. Often times the hyperlinks to these stories contain crude statements of one sort or other. Sometimes these statements almost contradict the actual story.

Lately one of the geniuses who run his web site, or perhaps Moore himself, have taken to calling our Soldiers militants. I saw it the other day when the hyperlink read Three Foreign Militants killed in Afghanistan. When you click on the link however the story was of three American Soldiers who were killed.

I thought it was just a one time thing, until I saw today's. Words can express it alone, so I captured the web page. This has been up since at least 9:00am this morning, Memorial Day. For those who find it tough to see, the caption underneath the picture reads, "Remember our Militants: They were only following orders."



Michael Moore parades around saying he cares about the troops. Well I don't know anyone who says they "care" about the troops who would call them militants.

Do me a favor Mike, next year be sure to go down to Fort Bragg during All-American week and tell all the Soldiers assembled for Division Review they are militants. I bet you don't get out alive, and the world will be a better place.

The truth about Bin Laden, a Brief History

I posted this as a response a a post from one of the blogs I follow. To date there's been no response. I can't say I'm surprised since this writes a bunch of entries in one day. He probably doesn't go back and check to see if any comments have been posted. Anyway I thought I'd post my response in full:

Why does everyone insist on spreading the lie that Bin Laden is some sort of CIA creation.

A brief history:

Bin Laden went to Afghanistan in late 79 early 80 in order to assess the situation with the new Soviet-Afghan war. There he met a man by the name of Dr. Abdullah Azzam. Azzam had connections with the Jordanian based Muslim Brotherhood. Azzam became a mentor of sorts for Bin Laden and together they begin a group based in Pakistan which would facilitate muslim fighters who were coming in from all over the world in order to take part in the war in Afghanistan. The name of that group at the time was Maktab al Khidmat lil Mujahidin al-Arab (MAK)

In two books by Peter Bergen, "Holy War Inc." and "The Osama Bin Laden I Know" as well as the book "Inside Al Qaeda" by Rohan Gunaratna both authors say there is absolutely no evidence, I say again ZERO evidence, Bin Laden ever met with CIA officials the whole time he was in Afghanistan or Pakistan, and that the group MAK he and Azzam started, which was eventually re-named Al Qaeda ("The Base") ever received funds from the CIA. The fact is Bin Laden's hatred of American goes alot further back then just the past 10 or 20 years.

Just to finish the story, once the Soviets had been defeated, Azzam was interested in keeping Al Qaeda as a quick response force for other oppressed Muslims worldwide. Bin Laden was more interested in using Al Qaeda as more of a terrorist organization targeting the west. Eventually in 1989 Azzam was killed by a car bomb along with some of his sons. It is widely suspected Bin Laden played a hand in killed his former mentor. With Azzam out of the way Bin Laden was able to take full control of Al Qaeda and steer it in the direction you know it as today.

I hope this was helpful to you in shedding some light on the history of Bin Laden and Al Qaeda.

A little more on Cindy Sheehan

I'm not a big fan of Cindy Sheehan by any stretch, but recently she had really gotten close to the fine line between protester and treason in my book. Also at the same time she makes her case against the war in Iraq she is trashing the memory of her dead son Casey who I thought she loved, but now believe she sees him as more of a tool.

A few months back on her blog (I can't seem to find the exact entry at the moment) she talked about the day Casey died, at least the way her mind sees it as she nor I were actually there. She started her popularity talking about Casey as a victim of the Bush regime etc etc. But one post in particular talked about Casey's actions that day. Basically she says he was dragged kicking and screaming to his death by superiors as they board Humvees to help out other Soldiers who were in trouble.

Now protesting the war and your son's death is one thing, but making him out to be a whinny, punk bitch in the moments leading up to his death is just about the most awful thing a parent can do. It's likely in Cindy's delirium she has lost sight of the fact how her words about her sons are seen by others and in what light they paint him. It's my hope Casey went out like a Soldier.

Before I get into the next part of why I have problems with Cindy Sheehan, a brief word about the memory of Soldiers and how they are shaped by the people left behind. As I mentioned the memory of Casey Sheehan will live on through his mother (his father has been noticeably absent for most of the aftermath). The same is true in most respects with Pat Tillman. Those who have spoken about Tillman since his death have taken on an anti-war attitude with regards to Iraq and have put those same words in Tillman's mouth. I wonder if that's how he really felt? He certainly joined the Army with a wealth of patriotism behind him and interviews given right before 9/11 show he was keenly aware of the sacrifices made by family members in other wars. I just wonder now that he and Casey are gone, and people who may have taken on a negative attitude about war and military life speak for them, if their words and beliefs are now forever twisted.

Now my second part about Cindy. a post from a couple months ago urged Soldiers who were in combat support roles to refuse service. Really? In some ways it's a good thing her 15 minutes of fame ended with her attempt to run for U.S. Senate which crashed and burned. Otherwise this may have actually gotten some press. Urging Soliders to refuse combat orders is walking a mighty fine line around treason if you ask me. Certain the case could be made that by fomenting distrust among the military you are giving aid and comfort to the enemy. One of the cornerstones of treason. She also basically calls everyone who served in Afghanistan or Iraq murders in some many words, and that these combat support people are accessories to murder. She also mentioned Lt. Ehren Watada as an example of someone who refused to go and faced no punishment. What a fucking joke. One day I will probably blog about what a piece of shit Lt. Ehren Watada really is so using him as an example is a joke.

I guess what it comes down to is, Cindy is shitting on the memory of her son and the military in order to get her name out there. I hope one day she finds peace and goes back to the family she has abandoned for the sake of popularity.

Tiger and the Media

It's been a real long time since I have had the type to post anything, and over that time alot has happened. Somethings have pasted, some haven't. One thing that has been lingering with me for awhile is Tiger Woods and the continued media pressure that has been swirling around him these past few months.

I have heard a number of times what Tiger "owes" the public. He "owed" them a public press conference in which he answered all the questions everyone has about his personal life, starting with the car crash on Thanksgiving. The press had said that his silence was deafening after the crash and how he shunned the media and practically everyone for months. Then when he finally held his press conference, albeit highly control ed, everyone initially said he did well. He didn't offer excuses, he accepted all the blame and defended his family.

Once people had a few days to digest the press conference however, it was like it never happened. People, or should I say the media, said it wasn't enough. And with the media its never enough. Now they are all gearing up fro the first tournament he plays, outside of the controlled environment that is the Masters, so they can pepper him with questions. The circus that will follow will make sports writers more like TMZ writers.

I can say this about the whole situation. Tiger doesn't "owe" me a thing. The only thing I want to see Tiger do is play golf and win majors and beat Jack Nicklaus' record. Now I have to admit, my feelings towards Tiger have changed and I'm not really going to know how I real feel about him until he's leading on the back nine on Sunday at a major tournament and then my gut will tell me how I really feel.

The one thing I hate about the media, and believe me there's more then one thing, is how they circle the wagons when one of them is attacked by the person they cover. Everybody in the media took acception to the comment Tiger made during his press conference which attacked those members of the media aka paparazzi who photographed his daughter going to school. The reaction from the media was, "Well that's the price of fame." But does it really have to be that way? I wonder how some of these media folks would feel if their kids were the subject of stalking by photogs? I bet they wouldn't like it one bit.

Just release the damn list already.

Well one of the other shoes in the steroid era dropped the other day when is was reveled that Manny and Big Papi tested positive for PED's during the now infamous 2003 steroid test that was supposed to be secret but now isn't. This is the same test which has also gotten A-Rod and Sammy Sosa. Of the 104 players who supposedly tested positive, only about seven names have come out, depending on your source. But of those seven, four have been blockbusters, some of the biggest hitters and most famous players of the past 15 years.

This whole thing has been a nightmare scenario for baseball and the players association. The whole reason these names are out is because the players association kept the test results in the hopes of getting enough false positives on retests to throw out testing altogether in baseball. Instead they somehow lost control of the list and that list was matched up with the players names.

Who ever knows the names seems to be leaking them out a little at a time. Everytime it happens it drags baseball back into the discussion no matter what else is going on. It's death by a thousand cuts.

So the answer is simple, if baseball has this list, release it all at once. Take out an add in every sports page in the country and lets just get past this. If baseball doesn't have control of the list they need to sue to get it, or sue to keep anymore names from coming out. Now I prefer the former rather then the later, but at this rate, what ever works.

And finally, who ever has been definitely linked to steroids should have all there records during the time the were taking wiped out. I'm ready to recognize Roger Maris as the single-season HR champ with 61 and Hank Aaron the all-time champ with 755.

Wanted: Black Cops and Black Firefighters

I've been thinking a bit about the recent incident with Henry Louis Gates being arrested inside his home after police were called after a report of two black men attempting to enter his house. It has really dominated the news for the past 48 hours being highlighted even more by President Obama during his prime-time news conference last night. The purpose of the news conference, even though it wasn't specifically stated as such, was to push the staled health care initiative. As usual Obama was long on promise and short on detail, but I digress. The last question was about the Gates incident. Gates is a friend of Obama and whether it was meant to be a trap question or not Obama paused, and then jumped in with both feet. He said he didn't know all the facts, BUT Gates' had a a right to mad and that the Cambridge police department acted "stupidly".

The police Officer in question, Sgt James Crowley appears to have a great record with no apparent incidents of racial profiling in his past. The facts of the case are in doubt, depending on whose side you fall on. Sgt. Crowley maintains Gates' did not produce ID when asked and became vocal at Sgt. Crowley for entering his home. Gates' maintains that he did show ID and that Sgt. Crowley became angry when Gates' did not follow his orders.

Now I've watched Cops enough to know that you don't argue with the police even if you think you are right. Sgt. Crowley needs to control the situation, and when he can't or the suspect won't allow it he needs to take control, by force if needed. Right now I have no reason to doubt Sgt. Crowley's version of the incident. If Gates had maintained his cool I think the whole thing would have blown over. Unfortunately Gates showed his racism towards whites.

Now interestingly enough none of the other cops on the scene that day have offered their opinions. I'm not sure who this favors maybe no one. But this incident and the New Haven firefighters case has lead me to the crux of my argument and the title of this blog, we need more black cops and firefighters.

Think of it, a call comes in saying two black men are breaking into a house and a black cop shows up and one is arrested does anyone bat an eye? If a black cop had shown up at Gates' house what would his argument have been if he got arrested? This would put the Al Sharpton's of the world out of business. I like to think of Al Sharpton as a racial ambulance chaser. When ever this a possibility of a problem between blacks and whites, he there. Most often to fan the flames then to offer a real solution to the problem. If we had more black firefighters there wouldn't have been a New Haven Supreme Court case.

Now I know this sounds quiet radical and is really almost a step back to a form of segregation, but I'm getting tired of all these racial incidents involving law enforcement and the like. Not ever minority who is arrested is a miscarriage of justice. I'm glad to see the Cambridge Police Department is circling the wagons around Sgt. Crowley. I'm sure there will be an internal investigation, I'm hoping Sgt. Crowley will be exonerated. Then the ball will be in Gates' court. I can certainly see him continuing to make a big deal out of this and Obama's endorsement won't help him or Obama. Perhaps Obama will call him and tell him to forget it because it is taking away from Obama's real issues. Anyway the next few days will be key.

P.S. Don't read the "interview" by Elizabeth Gates of her father about the incident. It is the worst piece of "journalism" I have ever read. And it's really making me reconsider reading the Daily Beast ever again.

The Last Domino, It was still illegal and time to right a wrong

The title of this entry my seem long but it all has to do with the same topic and that is baseball. These days I'm barely hanging on as a baseball fan. And it's not just because the Mets are in a rough stretch right now. I've never really come all the way back from the 1994 strike. The strike was also around the time my personal baseball career came to an end. Those two events lead to my deceased interest in baseball. I kinda came back a bit in 1998 with the great McGwire/Sosa homerun chase, and about that time the Mets started to awaken once again, but it still wasn't the same as it was.

Now we come to today. Most of what we have learned about the great sluggers of the past 15 years is that they cheated. Or at least had some help. Even those that we don't have proof of are pretty much dismissed as having cheated. This is the category McGwire falls into in my opinion. So I began asking myself what's next, who's next? Is there really anyone left who has not been implicated in steroid abuse that would really shock me. Maybe Griffey, or Thome maybe even Sheffield even though I'm not really a big fan of him. Then I thought there is one person. This player has not even been mentioned in the same paragraph as steriods but since these revelations have had a way of coming out of left field you could never be sure.

The player is Cal Ripken Jr.

Now let me be clear. I am NOT saying Cal Ripken did steroids. I'm just saying he is the last person left who would truly shock me if his name came out as being linked to steroids. Now the time frame in which Ripken plays leads me to my next point. One of the common defenses is that it was not against MLB's rules at the time, or they weren't testing for it. Well I'm pretty sure that steroids were illegal in the regular world so it would stand to reason that you would still be breaking rules, or in this case laws by using them. Also the IOC (International Olympic Committee) has had steroids on its banned list for years. At least since 1988 (see Ben Johnson).

The scariest thing to me about steroids and other PED (Performance Enhancing Drugs) is how well they work. The dramatic increases in these players statistics is proof of how well they work. if these chemists spent as much time on real medical problems like cancer as they do making the perfect steroid that can not be detected during testing, we would be well on our way to curing or treating many terrible diseases.

Last but not least one of the biggest crimes with all these players using steroids is how the record book has been forever tainted. It has been said by many fans and writers that baseball is more linked to "hollowed" numbers then any other sport. Numbers like 714, 755 for homeruns, 56 for hits and lifetime records like 3,000 hits, 500 homeruns and 300 wins. So I think now there is no better time then to bring one of the owners of some of the best all-time numbers, Pete Rose.

Looking back on what Pete Rose did and what is happening now, there is really no comparison. Pete Rose broke a baseball rule no doubt about it. However, there is no question that what he did on the field is legit. The rule against betting on baseball while involved in the game was a knee jerk reaction to the Black Sox scandal of 1919. While I'm not condoning what Rose did, he did always bet on his team and not against while he was manager so it would stand to reason he used his maximum effort to see that they won. Rose has been his own worst enemy over the years but with everyone's numbers in question over the past 15 years and the fact that few people from this era will make it to the Hall of Fame, I think it is time to lift the ban on Pete and welcome him into the Hall for his accomplishments on the field which no one has any reason to question.