Why Does Everyone Love John McCain?

Why does everyone love John McCain? I just don't understand it. Anytime the 2008 election comes up, people make the same comments (that I too am guilty of):

• Hillary Clinton is going to win the Democratic primary.
• Hillary Clinton cannot win the South.
• Barack Obama will win the Democratic primary.
• Barack Obama will be the Vice Presidential candidate (the first African American Vice Presidential candidate).
• John McCain will win the Republican primary and the election.

People seem to have this bizarre belief that McCain is a maverick, that he is not really that conservative, that he'll pick a Democratic running mate, etc. Personally, I think, Stephen Colbert got it right when he said, and I paraphrase, John McCain is such a maverick, he eats his salad with a desert fork.

Here are some, in my opinion, little known facts about John McCain.

• Does not believe in a woman's right to choose and believes Roe vs. Wade should be overturned.
• Voted NO on investigating contracts awarded in Iraq and Afghanistan (because clearly Haliburton deserved all the money for no results).
• Graduated 5th from the bottom of his class at the Naval Academy which is apparently a McCain tradition of sorts (makes you wonder if he is smarter than G.W. Bush or just has better speech writers)
• Voted NO on raising the minimum wage from $6.25 to $7.25 (easy decision when your wife's heir to an Anheuser-Busch distribution dynasty and you haven't worked a day in your life)
• Voted NO on background checks at gun shows (because a criminal would never try to buy a gun at a gun show. who are you kidding??)
• Voted NO on adding sexual orientation to the list of hate crimes and does not believe in gay marriages
• Has limited interest in alternative energy options like ethanol, which are "not worth it" (tell that to the Brazilians who run the majority of their cars on that stuff and are hence less dependent on foreign oil).
• Caved on his anti-torture beliefs to reach a compromise with the president that allowed for reinterpretation of the Geneva Conventions (as a former POW himself, I am sure this must have pained McCain because now our enemies can cite our behavior to rationalize their own, but of all those in Congress McCain had the most leverage to push the administration to obey international rules/norms that have been in place for a half century).

Don't get me wrong for all the McCain "cons" I have listed, I think he is generally a decent person. He has spoken out in favor of campaign finance reform and against pork barrel spending. He together with a few others (e.g. Arlen Specter) have helped check the growing extremism of the Republican party. These are things I can respect. However, unlike most, they do not make me see him as a political savior. McCain has bent over backwards a few too many times to gain entry to the Republican fold. It is hard for me to see him as a straight-shooter now. That being said, I am not convinced that I won't vote for McCain in 2008, nor am I convinced that I will vote for him. He'll have to re-earn my vote!

Weekend Recap

I spent the weekend in Vermont. The middle of nowhere Vermont, but I still managed to keep up with all the important stuff!

College Football
* Michigan State lost again! and this time to Indi-frickin'-ana. I don't know what to say anymore, other than that this sucks big time.
* And just to spite me, the football gods made Princeton lose this weekend to Cornell which had yet to win an Ivy League game this year. Still there is hope. Yale (currently on top) still has to play both Princeton and Harvard.
* Oh happy days. USC finally lost. This day has been a long time coming, and they are lucky it didn't happen earlier this month. But I do take some perverse pleasure in the fact that their loss came to an essentially no name Oregon State. There is justice!

Desperate Housewives
* Oooh that Orson Hodge is a bad apple, and he just keeps getting badder. I liked him a lot better when he was Charlotte's husband on SatC, even though he was impotent.
* This must have been the week of the weak men getting back bones, because finally Carlos got Gabby good. She better watch out because it looks like her soon to be ex- is on the war path.

Nostalgia
* Remember the 'yep, yep' aliens from Sesame Street? They were awesome. Check them out on You Tube.

Things That Make You Go...

Ugh!

• The Tigers for mucking it up yet again to go 1-3 in the World Series. In fact they were so bad that they were accused of playing like the "Michigan State football team". The next game is in Detroit, hopefully they will be able to pull something off.


• Republicans because they exist. In all honesty, it's really hard for me to think of a Republican I actually like amidst all this election year nonsense. Rarely are their ever any positive ads on TV, but I have found a few particularly annoying: Rick Santorum's new ads portraying Bob Casey as an Axis of Evil lover (because clearly all Dems are), Kerry Healey's ad against Devon Patrick is eerily similar to the Willie Horton ad the elder Bush used against Dukakis, the RNC ads against Harold Ford that are clearly in poor taste if not an attempt at race baiting (so much for the Republican outreach, apparently the Southern strategy is alive and well)


• Bill O'Reilly on Oprah! How can the Queen of Talk even consider giving him such a platform. I hope the audience gives it to him good!

Huh?

• Rick Santorum's Lord of the Rings analogy. I am confused. Bush and Cheney are Frodo and Samwise? which is which? Cheney probably bears more of a physical resemblance to Samwise. I wonder if Santorum has heard any of the discussion about Frodo and Sam's "relationship". It could offend his tender sensibilities. Also which character is he? and Ork? Check out Colbert's thoughts on it.

"As the hobbits are going up Mount Doom, the Eye of Mordor is being drawn somewhere else. It's being drawn to Iraq and it's not being drawn to the U.S. You know what? I want to keep it on Iraq. I don't want the Eye to come back here to the United States."

• The NFL in Los Angeles. The NFL wants a team to move to L.A. in order to keep the number of teams even at 24. Here are the critical questions in my opinions. Which team is going to move? What will their name be? What will their colors be? And what's the price tag? cuz I wanna buy. In all seriousness though, L.A. already has two basketball teams, an ice hockey team, and two baseball teams. They don't need anymore!

Yeah!

• Barney Frank for saying that when a party is in power for too long it tends to become corrupt regardless of whether they are Republican or Democrat.


• 'Ugly Betty' for being funny! My new favorite show
  

Never Again...

At the end of World War II, the "world" (e.g., US, France, GBR, Russia) promised mass genocide would never happen again. Yet now, some 60-odd years later, it is. It is happening again in Africa. Nicholas Kristof has been writing about Darfur in his NYTimes Op-Ed column for months, if not years. The articles make me sad. They make me feel guilty. And perhaps for that reason, I have since avoided reading them. I too am now culpable in whatever small way for heinous events occurring halfway around the world.

Until today, I thought at worst (and it is pretty bad), the US could be accused of turning a blind eye. Other countries like China and Russia are far more culpable as they have leveraged their positions in the UN Security Council to block US-led sanctions against the Sudanese dictatorship. Both China and Russia also have vested interests in Sudan. China's lucrative oil contracts send huge amounts of hard currency to the Sudanese government, which they use to purchase Russian arms and pay the Janjaweed militias. It is a sad testament to our times that the United Nations which was created in part to prevent such crises has ignored the events unfolding in Darfur. The new Secretary General refuses to even use the word genocide in relation to Darfur. Not only that, but there is no one willing to take a principled and moral stand on the issue.

Still, it would be dishonest of me to claim to having given this issue much thought as of late. However, tonight, '60 Minutes' aired a segment on the situation in Darfur. While the human suffering was tragic, it was the connection between the 'War on Terror' and genocide that was the most troubling.

The Sudanese government sheltered Osama Bin Laden for a number of years and as a result has a veritable trove of information on Al Qaeda. So while President Bush has been denouncing Sudan publicly at home and at the UN, where he bandies about the word 'genocide', he has been cozying up to the Sudanese government in secret to gain tidbits of information on Osama and Al Qaeda. Although I disagree with Bush on many things, Darfur was not one of them. I respected him for taking up their cause (albeit late) and taking the moral high ground. But now even that is not true. It is all just posturing. Bush's accusations and proclamations do not scare the Sudanese government, and they already have Russia and China in their pocket. They know the US military is spread too thin between Afghanistan and Iraq. Not to mention the last time the US sent troops into Africa (Somalia), it was a complete and utter disaster that still to this day haunts Clinton. I doubt any American president wants to send troops to Africa.

All in all their seems to be little hope for the people of Darfur. Even if allies in Chad and Eritrea (interesting since it is a Christian country) come to their aid, it will serve no purpose other than to inflame this national crisis into a regional one much like what is happening in Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, etc. But perhaps looking back on this in a few years when the damage has been done, we will tell ourselves, "never again".

Uninspiring Football Weekend

I have got to say this week's football just didn't do it for me. Part of the problem is none of the "good" games are televised out here. At best we get a few ACC games or an occasional SEC game, and I am really not a particular fan of either Bama or Tennessee. USC did not even play this weekend, so I am having a hard time getting my angry football fan spirit up. Hopefully, next week's games will be better!

Sitting Pretty in the Ivy

I never got the chance to see Princeton beat Harvard at home, but apparently this year they did. Not only did Princeton beat Harvard, but Princeton secured a spot at the top of the Ivy League (which despite what some might suggest is better than even Texas high school football). Sadly, they have to share their spot with Yale, but still... Here's to hoping this will be a bonfire year!!

The Biggest Comeback!

Is this an omen for things to come? I must confess that after seeing the first half score, I gave up in disgust and decided to go to a coffee shop to study. Besides which the game wasn't even televised here, so I had no idea what was going on. At least Michigan State should make Sports Center tonight, it'll be interesting to see how they spin this though as a triumph or a defeat (after all it is only Northwestern that they beat, though technically Northwestern has won 3 Big Ten titles since State won their last). Still all and all, I am somewhat happy. At least we are no longer Big Ten bottom dwellers, we are now ranked on par with such Big Ten "powerhouses" as Illinois. Woo hoo!

My full football recap to be posted after the Michigan-Iowa game...

Don't Vote for Dick the Dick

You might think I am talking about Dick Cheney, but no, there is another elephantine Dick - Dick DeVos who is running for the Governor of Michigan. Incidentally, there are a lot of Dicks, and I mean it literally, in Republican politics? I wonder why...

I figured hating Dick for his name alone is not enough. So I scouted around for evidence to prove that he is in fact a dick.

• Dick will quit again. Dick DeVos has a history of "cut and run". In 1990, he was elected to the Michigan State Board of Education. He resigned 2 years into his 8 year term. In 1996, he was appointed to the Grand Valley State University Board and again resigned before completing his term. Will he resign again once elected governor?
• Dick has questionable bedfellows and no, I do not mean his wife, although she is a crazy (see below). Dick and Betsy have personally donated money to the political campaigns of both George W and Tom DeLay, not to mention the $100,000+ they collected for the Bush-Cheney ticket to cement their standing as "Pioneers". This does not even come close to accounting for all their "charitable" giving which includes organizations like Focus on Family, which despite having great names are nothing but Christian Conservative PACs.
• Dick cannot win. When Dick DeVos was CEO of the Orlando Magic (His daddy bought the team. Feel any George W deja vu?) from 1991-1993, the Magic went 21-61 and 41-41. If elected governor will he bring his oh so stellar performance to Lansing?
• Dick doesn't believe in science. Dick DeVos has stated that he believes intelligent design should be taught in high school classes as a legitimate alternative to the Darwin's theory of evolution. Right, teaching intelligent design is a great way to diversify Michigan's economy and bring in more high-tech and bio-tech companies. (DeVos' stance is not entirely unexpected given that he has a degree from the seemingly sketchy "Northwood University" which has campuses in Florida, Texas, and Michigan, huh?)
• Dick is a crazy conservative when it comes to social issues. He does not believe in stem cell research. (Those fetuses were going to be thrown away if they weren't used by scientists.) He does not believe in abortion even in the case of rape or incest. (It really gets me when guys get to legislate what women do their bodies. Why don't mail politicans make sure rapists get their penises cut-off?) Through his foundations, Dick DeVos helped anti-gay groups lead a boycott of Ford Motor Company because of their support for gay rights. So (a) I just think that is wrong and (b) Ford is one of the biggest employers in Michigan and you are boycotting them while simultaneously complaining about lost jobs in Michigan - Hello! get a brain brainiac.
• Dick has married the MidWest version of Marie Antoinette. Just like French Queen's 'let them eat cake' lives down in infamy, Betsy DeVos has maintained that Michigan's economic woes are due to the fact that Michigan workers are overpaid. I thought governors were supposed to increase the number of jobs for workers and their real wages... apparently not...
• Dick is a job uncreator. Through his restructuring of Amway/Alticor, Dick DeVos shed nearly 1,000 Michigan jobs (that he subsequently moved to Asia) and reduced benefits by millions. From the perspective of a CEO, this was likely the right thing to do. However, as Governor of Michigan how will he be able to attract net new jobs to the state given his own track record?

Arrested!?!

I thought all the jokes people were making about the Michigan State football team were just that - jokes! But apparently it is true. The Michigan State program has turned into those of schools I hate like Miami and Nebraska, the only difference is State doesn't have the record that typically goes will such jailhouse programs. I quick look at the Lansing State Journal shows that at least 3 current and former Spartan football players are facing possible charges... Talk about ridiculous. I do not think John L. deserves all the blame for this, but is Michigan State really so desperate for recruits that we have to recruit violent delinquents?

On a side note, why on earth does anyone think Mariucci should become the new head coach (well other than the fact that he and Izzo are buddies)? Mariucci's 15-28 record at the Lions, where he had more stars than the Spartans do, is currently worse than John L's record at Michigan State which is 21-22 (through 2005). I am not suggesting that keeping John L is the answer, but given the speed with which Michigan State churns through coaches, it is hard to imagine anyone taking on the task of trying to rebuild a program that has been in the process of rebuilding for almost 20yrs!!

Unbelievable!

Guess who is No. 2 in the polls. You would think I'd be happy seeing as how it is not Michigan, but strangely I am not. Most bizarre sensation. In any case, the BCS has proven yet again how un-friggin'-believable they are (and not in a good way). What on earth has USC done to merit such fanatical devotion on the part of the BCS? I do not understand how a 28-21 win over a no-name, nothing Pac-10 team should vault anyone to a No. 2 spot. BCS must die! I want the Rose Bowl to be the way it was supposed to be...

Ok. So North Korea has a bomb. In my world, this is a not such a good thing. Call me crazy... my roommate does! You'd think the South Koreans and Chinese might be a bit concerned about the nuclear threat at their doorstep. But apparently not. Instead they are planning to undermine the Security Council's economic sanctions against the North Korean regime. Honestly, I cannot believe we fought a war for this Peninsula. If South Korea wants to play kiss-ass, I say we pull our troops out and let North Korea have their way with them. Also, who wants to guess how many days 'til Iran denotes their bomb, given all the internation uproar and condemation it will bring (*snicker*). 10... 9... 8...

Liberals and the McCain love fest. I do not get it! He is all over Bush (seriously, the hugs and kisses are enough to make you nauseous), and liberals defend with talk of how it is only "party politics". Yet when Lieberman votes for the Iraq War, praises Bush, he is forced to run as an Independent. I just don't get it. McCain voted for the war too! He is against time tables for leaving Iraq. He blames Bill Clinton (remember your god you liberal yahoos) for North Korea; I mean forget that Bush labelled them a core member of the Axis of Evil and then promptly forgot their existence. He is anti-abortion. He spoke at Bob Jones University, which would probably never allow his Bangladeshi daughter to set foot on campus. He was a member of the Keating Five, S&L disaster. For all his protestations, he still voted for a Bush endorsed torture bill. Honestly, McCain to me is dangerous. He is not a moral maverick. He is a hard core conservative, maybe not a Christian conservative, but still a hardcore conservative, and liberals should beware...

The Woes of College Football - Week 6

Heisman Watch
Checking up on the Indiana - Iowa game early this afternoon, I noticed an interesting discussion on the ESPN GameDay message boards. The message was clearly left by a crazy, PAC-10 fanatic. According to the PAC-10 loon, Troy Smith is a mediocre quarterback at best who is only up for a Heisman because the field is so weak, and Smith can in no way compare to the USC QBs of late (e.g., Leinhart). I was tempted to reply to the joker, but decided it best not to dignify such nonsense with a response. Honestly, if Leinhart only had two interceptions (and he actually had 8 last year - I checked) it is because USC plays the weakest schedule of any "top" NCAA football team in the country. Leinhart is doing alright down in Arizona now, but I think Troy Smith will be a phenomenal pro-QB. He can run, move in the pocket, throw, I bet he can even tackle. I am a huge fan! And I dare anyone to come up with a better Heisman candidate.

Something about the Big, Blue, D
Michigan pulled out a 17-10 win in (Un)Happy Valley. And while the game seemed locked up at 17-3, with under 5 in the 4th quarter, Penn State and their 3rd string quarterback tried to make a game of it. But in the usual case of too little too late, it was simply not enough.

Sadly, in my opinion, this game will likely catapult UMich to a No. 2 ranking with the new polls are released. Something I find deeply troubling. Even more disturbing in my opinion though is the notion that Ohio State is a 1A team and Michigan is a 1B team (at least according to the ABC commentators who are clearly on some form of narcotic). I remain unconvinced that Michigan has been tested enough to be a No. 2. Likewise, I would be loathe to see USC in that position. Frankly, I would like to put Florida or another SEC team into the No. 2 slot. Their schedules are crazy hard and far more competitive. But since when do pollsters listen to me?

Also with regards to Michigan's defense, I get that they are good. (Holding Penn St. to negative rushing yards is pretty amazing.) But does that mean they need to become the decapitation squad? I understand that QBs have to take some pain. But the "bear hug of love" that Morelli received was clearly a late hit. Michigan deserved a penalty for it. I forget who made the tackle, all I remember was that he was big. Ok. So it was hard for him to stop... but he shouldn't have had his arms around the QB. I have less to quibble about the hit on Clark. But I think the Michigan defense could and should exercise a little more care in not winning by eliminating players. They seem to be doing it a lot lately, and it takes the luster off of their wins.

Invincible No More
Finally, the sports pundits have tired of the fad that is USC. The past couple years of USC adulation have been painful for this PAC-10 hater to watch. But the commentators are finally, finally calling it like it is. USC scraped by in this game. Booty call interceptions. 21 unanswered points by Arizona St. And this was the easy part of their schedule. With Cal, Oregon, and a revitalized Notre Dame still on their schedule, Pete Carroll & Co. should start worrying just a bit.

Crazy in the MidWest
Indiana over Iowa? You have got to be kidding me. At least that's what I thought. But at 31-28, Indiana pulled out a win to break into the top half of the Big Ten rankings at 2-1. I cannot remember the last time this happened. Sadly though, given they face Ohio St next weekend, their euphoria will be short lived. It will however be interesting to see what No.15 Iowa's response to this game will be. Iowa's next game entails a visit to AA. I am personally hoping they'll want some revenge after getting stomped on by Indiana. And here's to hoping they get it!
Random Aside
Surprisingly, the Ohio State/Michigan State game did not depress me as much as I had expected. In fact, it was a rather existential, out of body type experience. That said, there is a lot about Drew Stanton that reminds me of Troy Smith. And watching Ohio State play, reminded me of what I aspire for MSU to be. And I really believe they could be, if they could only stay healthy and play a clean game.

They also showed a clip of Lorenzo White during the game. Oh Lorenzo, how I loved thee. The last time (and technically the only time in my life) that Michigan State went to the Rose Bowl was when Lorenzo White was the star RB. This was back in 1988, well before the BCS turned the Rose Bowl into an utter travesty. It has been almost 20yrs since Michigan State's last trip to Pasadena. Even Northwestern has gone more recently. The only schools who have had to wait longer are Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, and Iowa. But Iowa did go to the Orange in 2003 and Illinois to the Sugar in 2002. So bottom line, State fans are due a good bowl game!

A Little Slice of Happiness

Go Tigers!

I don't like baseball much at all... but I am still really excited about the Tigers winning. The last time the Tigers went to the World Series I was 5 years old. That was a long time ago. Something is finally going right in Detroit. If only Ben Wallace hadn't left the Pistons (that bastard) and if only Lions would get their shit together... sigh...

Such Sadness

I should be used to this, but four game slides are horrendously painful. In all honesty, I had mentally prepared myself for Michigan State to lose this game. Javon Ringer is out. Matt Trannon is out. Stanton has a bruised thumb, ribs, and now a bruised back. But to be shut out at home sucks (let's face it the TD at the end of the game was a mercy touchdown).

I guess this means that the season is essentially over. Illinois and Indiana both have better Big Ten records than Michigan State. I can't remember the last time that happened, and it certainly does not bode well for the Michigan State regular or post-season opportunities.

This loss also, in my opinion, seals the deal on John L's stay at Michigan State. I do agree with the commentators that this is not entirely his fault. Too many offensive players have been hurt. Only like five starters from the first game against Idaho suited up against Ohio State. For god's sake, there are defensive linemen lining up at the tight end position. State is literally starting 3rd and 4th stringers. That is not way to win against the No. 1 team in the country. I wonder if John L is kicking himself for leaving Louisville (No. 7). I wonder if Stanton wishes he went pro last year. I wonder...

There are a couple things that could redeem this football Saturday. (1) Michigan losing to Penn St. If Penn St. can pull out the win, I will bite my tongue for every time I said Joe Pa needed to get the hell out of Happy Valley. (2) The Tigers shut the door on Oakland.

The Beginning of the End... of YouTube

This week has been an absurdly long week, and for that reason, I simply haven't kept up with my TV watching. For example, 'Smallville'. I missed the entire episode. My plan had been to watch it on YouTube, which I have done in the past. But imagine my surprise when I clicked on the video and found it was "removed for copyright infringement". How annoying! I don't use YouTube to watch people's lame attempts to recreate America's Funniest Home Videos. I use it to catch up shows that I miss. Next thing you know the 'Daily Show' clips will be gone too... I wonder if Google knows what it bought...

When...

When the stars align crazy things happen, like the Tigers winning two straight games in Oakland. To all you sports reporters who thought it couldn't be done... yeah well... it could!

When the UN nominates someone from South Korea (Ban-Ki Moon) as their next secretary general, you might expect someone who would take action against nuclear proliferation. Perhaps, dare I even say it, take a "hard-line" against rogue states. Apparently, from the looks of things, that is the farthest thing from the truth...

• Ban will not use the word "genocide" to refer to the situation in Darfur. While Darfur may not have reached Rawandan-like proportions, it is fast getting there. His sadness over the "overwhelming human suffering" is really quite meaningless. Actions always speak louder than words.


• One of Ban's most prominent roles was as negotiator in the six-party talks involving North Korea's nuclear program. In his opinion the North Korean and Iranian situation are different because North Korea "promised to give up all nuclear weapons and programs in return for economic and security assistance from the other five participating countries". Umm. Right. That's why North Korea tested their nuclear weapons earlier this week.

As a side note, I understand that the US, Russia, UK, and France (though slightly questionable here depending on your belief in the strength of the Resistance) gave them self veto rights in the UN. After winning WWII, they probably felt justified. But how on earth did China secure themselves veto power? I can almost guarantee, China is one of the countries casting a vote against Shashi Tharoor for the secretary-general position, just as they block India's entry into the Security Council.

Some Kind of Crazy

Divine Intervention (e.g. Punishment)
I have never quite forgiven Nick Saban for leaving the Spartans right when he was at the cusp of turning them into a real program. He left for LSU where he had a grand ole time stomping over the SEC, while State slowly sunk deeper and deeper into the Big Ten morass. But finally, it appears that Saban too will have to face the pain of mediocrity. Saban thy punishment is a PAC-10 quarterback, and to fans from the state of Michigan, not one held in particularly high regard. Maybe Joey Harrington can work some of his Duck magic down in Miami because he rarely showed it up in Detroit. But it is doubtful. Saban will have his comeuppance as he watches the Dolphins season turn into mush!

Sweet Revenge
Personally I think Manningham is a fabulous player and fun to watch and I will certainly cheer for him when he goes pro. But for now he is a Michigan player and I rather despise him. Although I generally take joy in the Wolverine's pain, it seems rude to smile over potentially injured players. Still the reports of Manningham's injury seem strange. I do not recall any really hard tackles. Yes, Hart was a little roughed up, but Manningham? Maybe I missed it. Looks like Penn St. may have their chance for some sweet revenge after all. And if they in fact get some, I think I may smile just a little wider.

Mushrooms
Generally, I hate mushrooms. Mushrooms in pizza, mushrooms in risotto, mushrooms in Thai food - I just can't stand it. 'shrooms, I have never tried. That being said, I do find the mushrooms and toadstools that grow in my mothers garden interesting in a clinical sort of way. But mushroom clouds are not interesting especially when being created by a silly, little, despotic man in the Korean Peninsula with a fixation on buxom, Swedish women.

How could Bush let this happen? Saddam for all his wonderfully, heinous qualities was quite nicely contained in the Middle East. All he wanted to do was lord over his own people and make occasional proclamations about his fabulousness. Kim Jong-Il is a bit of a psycho and no one knows what he wants. With Saddam, we kind of knew what he wanted. And now in North Korea gets to join the nuclear club as the most unstable member since Pakistan. Honestly, Saddam never scared me. But North Korea does. The Bush administration made a nice mess of this one by not talking to the Kim Jong-Il, and now there is really nothing to be done.

Buying YouTube
Everyone knows Google has money pouring out of its ears. And if I had money like Google had money, I too would go on a crazy, over-priced shopping spree. But I would like to think I wouldn't buy something, like say a baby pit bull, that could grow up to bite me in the ass.

As much as I love YouTube and trust me I do, it is a Napster waiting to happen. And with Google's deep pockets you better believe the media/content providers will be getting in line to get a piece of the pie. I feel rather bad for Google's internal counsel, they are going to be busy! And talk about a windfall for external council. If only I had gone to Law School. Instead of being an ambulance chaser, I could have been a Google-victim chaser.

In Response to Comments - Simmer Down Michigan Fans

So I can admit that perhaps I slightly exaggerated the events of the Minnesota-Michigan game. My bad. Although in fairness Michigan was a little sluggish in the second half of the game.

But no one can honestly tell say that Arrington's first TD in the game was good. Please, please watch the instant replay before commenting. His foot never came in in bounds. The commentators were talking about this play the whole game! And the point is John L. did not even have a chance to throw down the red flag because (a) the refs were not looking at him and wouldn't have seen the flag in which case nothing would have been reviewed and (b) Michigan lined up its field goal team in like 2sec. It reminds me somewhat of the LSU-Auburn game two weeks ago. In any case, the play was clearly questionable, and if the refs were taking it upon themselves to review Stanton's TDs' later in the game they certainly should have reviewed Arrington's TD. As a Michigan State fan, it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth...

Any how, you have to let us State fans blather on a bit. It's the only outlet we have in a very trying part of the year. I'll understand if you feel the need to do the same during the basketball season...

The Agony of Defeat

Unless you are a moronic Michigan, USC, Florida, or Arkansas fan, today was a bloody, f-ing, awful day. It's painful to watch the teams you love lose and the teams you hate win.

After today, I have come to the conclusion that sports commentators are utter idiots. I mean pick a team/pick a position and stick with it, I can respect that. Or at least have some sort of rational thought process. But no, that would be asking for too much. These guys just sit there blowing hot air and getting paid millions. I wish I could get a gig like that.

Michigan 31, Michigan State 13
Honestly don't know what to say here, other than, did Michigan buy off the refs? If you read the ESPN game summary, you'd think that Michigan won all nice and clean. All I can say is hardly. I have seen Michigan cheat before, especially in basketball (remember the Fab-5 who got paid on the side?), but this was something else.

Michigan's first touchdown of the game wasn't even good. Arrington never came down in bounds. Did the refs review it as they should all questionable plays? No, of course not. Who are they to question the "Victors"? And did John L. get a chance to ask for a review? No. Because UMich decided to snap the extra kick ball, literally 2 sec later. And then the commentators have the nerve to talk about how great Michigan's play was. Puhleeze! That is cheating! Since when did ABC endorse cheating? Actually, scratch that. They do endorse lying. Remember the 9/11 docu-drama based on real events and the occasional Republican lie.

To add insult to injury, the refs called every single penalty conceivable against Michigan State. Roughing the kicker, offsides, etc. etc. As if! If the Michigan players weren't such drama queens this could have been a game. At some point though the refs decided to get some religion, which you might think would be good for State. But no, instead it just meant they would review every single offensive play State made. Including both of Stanton's touchdown attempts. Finally, finally, they let one count.

Aside from the bad calling, the other major downer was hearing all the talk about Michigan potentially getting a No. 2 ranking (and potentially being a National Championship contender) and Trannon getting hurt. He got hurt bad enough for the go-cart to come on the field. Not good. I swear the Michigan players were trying to kill our players. Their were some extra hard tackles against Stanton. Talk about blast from the past, it's how they won 2yrs ago. And they say cheaters never prosper... Michigan seems to be doing just fine.

John L. is looking increasingly embattled. I bet at this point he wishes he never left Louisville. They are ranked No.9 right now!

The commentators seem to think it is the players fault MSU is where they are, and not John L's. I am not sure I agree. The fumbles and the penalties, those are certainly the players fault. But things would be so different right now if Michigan State hadn't lost to Notre Dame. If they hadn't lost to Notre Dame, MSU would have ended the season 4th/5th in the Big Ten. They certainly would not have lost to Illinois and would have been significantly more competitive today.

The blame for the Notre Dame game lies squarely with John L. There was no reason to run down the clock the entire 2nd half against Notre Dame. You never ever count a team like that out, and you always, always try and put points up on the board. Especially when you are weak defensively. And today, with Ringer out, you don't run the ball against one of the best rush defenses in the country. Pass the goddamn ball. Let your quarterback and wide receivers put up yards and points. John L decided not to. I do feel bad for him, but I do blame him. If only, if only we hadn't lost to Notre Dame. This could have been the year.

Ohio State 35, Bowling Green 7
This isn't altogether unexpected. But with all the upsets today, it looks like Ohio State has solidified itself at the No. 1 spot. Honestly, I could care less about Ohio State. But given the level of hate and bitterness I feel for Michigan and USC, I'll be a Buckeye fan. No questions!

Elsewhere in the Big Ten
Penn State held on to beat Minnesota in overtime 28-27. Next up, Joe Pa's squad faces Michigan. I bet you can guess what I hope will happen! You gotta feel for Minnesota though. They put up 350yds in passing alone today and are still 0-3 in the Big Ten. It really doesn't do them justice considering the scares they have been giving everyone. Michigan barely got by them last weekend!
Indiana edged Illinois with a last second field goal 34-32, thus killing any chance Illinois had for back-to-back wins this decade. Kind of ironic that Illinois should lose on a last second field goal, since they beat Michigan State on one last weekend.
Northwestern gotten beaten by the guys from the Cheese State to keep MSU company at 0-2.
Iowa beat Purdue 47-17. Sadly for Iowa and Michigan-haters like me, they have to play UMich in AA. But here's to hoping they can pull some sort of hat trick.


The SEC Upsets
Tennessee 51, Georgia 33
SEC football is great. As much as I love Big-10 football, I think the SEC wins hands down. I wish I had been able to watch this game, but the pain of the Michigan State vs. cheaters game was too painful and the martinis were calling. Maybe Tennessee is back to its Peyton Manning, glory days.

Florida 23, LSU 10
Technically, this may not have been an upset. Unbeknownst to me, Florida is No.5 and LSU is only No. 9. That was shock No. 1. Shock No. 2 was seeing LSU play like hapless, bumbling fools. I expect better from a former Saban squad. But I guess they were down in the Swamp which can't be easy. It is however sad to see their national title chances slip away, especially after seeing them get the shaft the past couple years.

Arkansas 27, Auburn 10
Now this actually was an upset. I am not a huge fan of Auburn especially after all that academic nonsense. But it is mildly irksome to see Arkansas pull a 2-game lead in the SEC West. They may be good, but I do not think they are that good. And at this point is may be an impenetrable lead. Auburn and LSU are still better in my book.

As an aside I am starting to like SEC football more and more. I may have to become a conference switcher...

PAC-10 Drivel
USC 26, Washington 20
Does this mean we are going to see USC in the Championship game again? God, how I hate BCS. I wonder which Hilton sister Booty is dating. God his name is funny. I wonder if girls ever get Booty-calls. USC has had it easy so far. The real test comes when they face Oregon, Cal, and Notre Dame in back to back contests which are conveniently at home, as was their only other ranked opponent Nebraska. Interesting...


Notre Dame 31, Stanford 10
La ti da. So Notre Dame beats Stanford. Who really gives a shit? It is a well established fact that PAC-10 teams suck at football, and Stanford is certainly no exception. If Brady Quinn wins a Heisman for this, I swear I will give up college football for life!

Cal 45, Oregon 24
Why are these teams even ranked? Oregon is #11 and Cal is #16. It is ludicrous. Oregon has one "legit" win against Oklahoma and Cal beat the barely even-ranked powerhouse of Arizona St., after being bumped off by a stellar Tennessee. Once again the powers that be in the world of football have shown their pro-PAC-10 bias. If Cal manages to crack the top-10 with this win, all I can say is un-friggin'-believable!

Happy Days in Detroit.
God knows Detroit needs something to be happy about these days. Go Tigers! I love seeing the Yankees lose, but I especially love seeing the Tigers win. And win well! Sadly, their win wasn't enough to take the edge off of the day.

Friday Night and Only YouTube for Company

It's Friday night and I am stuck at home with the sniffles and a fever. Lovely, no? But with all this free time on my hands I decided to explore the lovely world of YouTube. I gotta say I just love this website! Here are some of favorite clips...

John Stewart on Mark Foley, the blame game, and Democrats
John Stewart is a funny man! I particularly liked his story on Republican Senator Mark Foley. I had to bold the word Republican because apparently Bill O'Reilly *forgot* that Senator Mark Foley was a Republican. Also while I am on a roll with regards to Bill O'Reilly can I just say the man is totally nutters!?! He calls George Soros the "most dangerous man in America". Um, hello? What about the men in all those alleged sleeper cells that Bush/Cheney keep talking about, surely they are at least a little worse? Personally, I think O'Reilly is just jealous that Soros has more money than he does. But I digress. Watch the clip. You will laugh or your money back!

Iraq is but a comma in history
Only our great President George Bush would be foolish enough to say something like that. But if it is only a comma, then why do we need to spend $20mn to celebrate our victory there? Especially, with the "Mission not Accomplished".

This clip has great lines including, "9/11 changed everything into punctuation".

The Singhsons
Funny, although I was a little disappointed with Marge's (Marji's) hair. This one is also funny, the robber gets "cheesed".

Neither Here nor There
Other interesting discoveries while on YouTube. I can watch the entire season premiere of Smallville. Fantabulous! Bad Lex. Love it! Chlarky kiss. Awww... ever wondered why people merge TV couple's names? I don't get it. Especially when the word doesn't make sense. I mean Bennifer? At least, TomKat sort of made sense.

On the topic of TomKat, they are allegedly getting married in November. I guess by then she will have dropped the baby weight, but it is unclear that Tom Cruise will have gained any inches. Also to complete the whole creep factor, just days after he met her (1) had her car totally overhauled, apparently it was too beaten up and (2) invited her to Rome and gave her a credit card with a $100,000 limit... weird...

Also on YouTube, the entire Sept. 22nd episode of Bill Maher. It's worth watching just to listen to the crazy woman from Fox News. She is quite possibly crazier than Ann Coulter and clearly out of her league!

The Twins crashed and burned against Oakland this week. Shut out 0-3 in the series. While I am annoyed that the Twins managed to edge the Tigers (and as I result the Tigers are stuck with the Yankees), I feel for them as a MidWest team. But honestly, the Twins sucked. Big Time! And their owner looks utterly asinine, "I’d rather play the Yankees because I know we can beat them." Please! You couldn't beat Oakland, but you can beat the Yankees? Senile much?

Potpourri

Grey's Anatomy

Quite frankly, I am not sure why I even watch this show. Meredith and Derek annoy me. They are both so dirty and I hate their goo-goo eyes. Yes, yes, Addison cheated on Derek, and it was awful and bad of her, but when they decided to try again, he should have really tried. Instead, he kept undressing Meredith with his eyes. Nastiness. And I don't like his hair. I bet he uses more product than I do and that is just wrong!

Meredith reminds me an awful lot of Ally McBeal. They both have this birdy look going on. And they are both whiny (e.g., Meredith does a "poor me" every episode, even the episode in which Izzy's fiance died) and selfish (e.g., can't own up to the lost panties, sleeping with a married man, etc., etc.). Worst of all she was mean to George. Poor, clueless, socially inept George. If anyone deserves niceness it's him. Although he does seem to be awfully rude to girls who aren't Meredith. I felt bad for Callie today when he told her to move out. Is it just me, or is Callie being like twice the size of George kinda freaky?

I don't even know where to begin with the Izzy story line. They should have just kept her with Alex. They work. The whole Denny, dying patient, I love you thing made no sense at all. She stole a heart! Stole a man's life, and they are going to reinstate her? What kind of hospital is this? Remind me not to ever go there.

I like Addison. Yeah, she cheated on her husband. But at least she cheated up! Mark is hot! And he is in the previews for the next episode. I like Addison because she has red hair. Sadly, red hair does not work on Indian skin. Trust me. I tried!

Peace in the Middle East?

I have nothing to offer on this topic other than that it seems like a land far far away. Perhaps someday the story will end with "and they lived happily ever after". But that seems like a long ways away.

Republican Perverts...

Personally, I think the e-mails Foley sent to teenagers in the Page program are despicable. But it does bother me that this news story has replaced other more serious stories on the front page. Yes, Foley is a bad bad man, but at the end of the day, no one was hurt. Yes, there should be an investigation, since most of the teenagers were underage, but it isn't a front page story.

Is America obsessed with sex? The Bill/Monica episode was like a circus freak show with all the coverage it got. TomKat's sex life was grist for the entertainment magazines. It's all quite ridiculous in my opinion. How about a little less sex and a little more "is North Korea going to explode an atom bomb over Japan" or "is Iraq's US-led self-destruction complete yet" or "will the US ever balance it's budget again"? (You know it really bothers me that the government made it hard for people to file for personal bankruptcy - wonder how much in political contributions the credit card companies make - yet the government relies on China to keep it from declaring bankruptcy... hmmm... makes you wonder).

Last but not Least

Anna Nicole Smith. Gross much? I remember when she was the svelte Guess girl. I used to love Guess! And now she is a trashy, trailer-park looking, bottled blonde. She's like Marilyn Monroe on meth, crack, and heroine. She's like the "here's your brain on drugs" commercial they used to do with an egg on a skillet. Yikes!

A Chance at Redemption?

Quite frankly, I have been too better over the Notre Dame game to update my blog. I hate those bloody, f-ing, Domers. While MSU's defense was clearly on vacation, and John L. was trying to make the offense burn the clock for the entire friggin' 2nd half, I know in my heart (and in my mind) that Notre Dame cheated. And the sad thing is they used to be my 2nd favorite team. I mean what more does a girl want than a team that beats UMich every year and loses to Michigan State every year. It's like a dream come true. Except I got a nightmare this year. And now with Stanton injured things are looking more grim than usual. Still MSU may have a shot at redemption down in good old AA.

Factoids of note:

• MSU hasn't won at Ann Arbor since 1990. All winning streaks must come to an end. If Michigan can finally beat Notre Dame and Touchdown Jesus, surely Stanton can miraculously get well and save State fans.
• State has lost four in a row to Michigan. That's a dry spell if I ever heard one. And I can't remember having to go this long without a win in years!
• History suggests a loss in Ann Arbor would cause MSU to end the season with a record 4-8. Ouch! Typically, after losing to UMich, MSU takes a nose dive, and only wins one of their remaining games. If they beat UMich, they typically take 2 or 3 games, thus ending with a record of 6-6. Bowl game anyone?

So what does this all mean? If Stanton and the Spartans manage to beat UMich, I for one will be cheering. But don't expect the party to last that long. State is still plagued by the inconsistency of years past.

2005: MSU loss, 34-31 (OT) @ East Lansing
MSU was 4-0 entering the game. MSU then went 1-5 in their last six games. Talk about dismal. But this year, we have a better kicker... please no wide to the rights.

2004: MSU loss, 45-37 (3OT) @ Ann Arbor
MSU was doing just find until UMich decided to take a peice out of Stanton. bloody cheaters. MSU went 1-3 in their last four games. Ach so!

2003: MSU loss, 27-20 @ East Lansing
MSU was 7-1 entering the game, with wins over teams like Iowa and Notre Dame. But after succumbing the the vile AA-ers, went 1-3 the rest of the season. Although the sole win was an awesome spanking of Joe Pa's club.

2002: MSU loss, 49-3 @ Ann Arbor
Oh the pain. I cried that day. Oh, Smoker why did you have to start popping pills. To lose like this to a real Michigan QB is one thing, but John Navarre. Does anyone even remember who he is anymore? State ended the season going 1-2.

2001: MSU win, 26-24 @ East Lansing
Can you believe it? I hardly can. Sure the maize&blue complain about time calling nonsense. But a win is a win I say, and I'll take this one! Although, MSU won more than one game after beating down UMich, they lost to such spectacular teams as Indy-f-ing-ana. Consistency, where arth thou?

2000: MSU loss, 14-0 @ Ann Arbor
A shut-out. No way! Poor T.J. Duckett. He was robbed I tell you. Robbed. MSU ended the season 2-2.

1999: MSU win, 34-31 @ East Lansing
Plaxico what can I say. I loved you then, now if only you would score me some points for my ff team! The Tom Brady years, a boon for us State fans, who woulda thunk he would make it in the pros. MSU ended the season 4-2 with wins over Ohio State, Penn State, and Florida in the Citrus Bowl. This what MSU football was supposed to be about!