Rudy Giuliani for President: He’s Perfect

I remember sharing a church pew with the former mayor of New York as we had the misfortune of speaking at the funeral of a young public school student who died before his time.  I remember thinking to myself, among other things, that Rudy was taller than I anticipated.  I imagined that he and former public schools Chancellor Rudy Crew and Governor Pataki might have had some interesting conversations when standing (each man is at least a solid 6′4″ – unless Rudy was in heels).

To serve as the President of the United States, you have to have some stature - and a presence.  And, it does not hurt to have questionable ethics.  If you’ve used family contacts to avoid military service, marshaled false evidence to execute a war, assassinated your political rivals, violated your constitution and illegally displaced or fired its sworn protectors, you are fit for the job.  Perhaps most importantly, however, you have to have connections to guys willing to get their hands dirty – and if those guys are foreign, it’s even better.

Rudy is that guy.

Don’t let it be said, ever, that Rudy is unwilling to work OR that his ethics aren’t questionable.  Rudy was tough enough to hire a police chief with mob ties – and lie about it.  He was loyal enough to nominate that chief to head Homeland Security – even with his mob ties.  And there is no need to question how Rudy will deal with the “Muslim Question” or “radical Islam.”  In fact, his regime as New York City mayor began with a “sensational” attack by the NYPD on the Nation of Islam’s mosque on 125th Street in Harlem.  That the police were disarmed and bounced down a flight of stairs is secondary – they should have known better.  Rudy, nonetheless, introduced himself to New York (the non-black, non-Muslim, law and order element) as tough on the non-white faces of the city.  Some people mistook this invasion of the mosque as an “anti-crime” stance, but there was no crime at the mosque that evening until the NYPD arrived.  There has been no crime at that mosque since they left.  Giuliani never had an authentic “anti-crime” position.  Ask Bernie Kerik.

At this early juncture, he’s distanced himself from the other candidates and demonstrated that his election would provide a seamless transition with the outgoing administration.  Laissez les bons temps rouler!!

Iran, Kissinger, China, Energy and the Next 8 months

Nothing strikes without a warning.  A warning…

The hour is quickly approaching.   Or is it?  Here we go again with the gas prices.

U.S. Prepares to Invade Iran

Do Russians have a credibility problem or is that only Communists and Soviets who have a credibility problem? Perhaps the US State Department will have a credibility problem if these reports turn out to be accurate.Do you think Hillary Clinton will disavow any knowledge of these reports when she signs on for the War Against Iran? Will she suggest “bad intelligence” was the precursor to her decision-making and that no other course of action was available?

Time will reveal.

clipped from en.rian.ru MOSCOW, March 27 (RIA Novosti) – Russian military intelligence services are reporting a flurry of activity by U.S. Armed Forces near Iran’s borders, a high-ranking security source said Tuesday. “The latest military intelligence data point to heightened U.S. military preparations for both an air and ground operation against Iran,” the official said, adding that the Pentagon has probably not yet made a final decision as to when an attack will be launched. He also said the U.S. Naval presence in the Persian Gulf has for the first time in the past four years reached the level that existed shortly before the invasion of Iraq in March 2003. Col.-Gen. Leonid Ivashov, vice president of the Academy of Geopolitical Sciences, said last week that the Pentagon is planning to deliver a massive air strike on Iran’s military infrastructure in the near future. A new U.S. carrier battle group has been dispatched to the Gulf.

U.S. Sponsoring Kurdish Guerilla Attacks Inside Iran

Don’t be surprised if dead Kurds are used as a pretext for war in about 8 months. I figure, right about the time that the stock market begins it annual October slide, the national media will uncover a story of atrocities against Kurds – which they will have been investigating for “6-8 months.”Full transcript of the interview is on Democracy Now! website

clipped from www.democracynow.org Report: U.S. Sponsoring Kurdish Guerilla Attacks Inside Iran We speak with independent journalist Reese Erlich about his report on Iranian Kurdish guerillas based among their Kurdish bretheren in northern Iraq. Erlich writes, “Kurdish and American sources say the United States has been supporting guerilla raids against Iran, channeling the money through organizations in Iraqi Kurdistan. Reese Erlich, an independent radio producer and journalist. He reports on Iran in the latest issue of Mother Jones and is author of the forthcoming book “The Iran Agenda: the Real Story of U.S. Policy and the Middle East Crisis.”

Integrity Pays on Wall Street

According to Forbes magazine:

“Companies that score well by Audit Integrity have shown higher equity growth and are far less exposed to costly shareholder litigation and regulatory sanctions. The shares of the 100 on its list had a 33% total return in 2006, double that of the market overall.”

Audit Integrity published its rankings and it is somewhat surprising. Then again, free market advocates consistently talk about the idea that the market will tend to reward integrity.

Check out this Slide Show for the Top 10! Eliot Spitzer would be so proud.

Maybe greed isn’t so good…

or is it??

Shooting the Lights Out – Remembering Chris Jackson

Every year, the NCAA tournament rolls around and it’s another case of March Madness across the nation.  Scouts drool, or not, over the next “crop of prospects.”  And every once in awhile, some announcer raves about the prowess of some player who is alleged to be the best thing since sliced bread – or the best shooter since Larry Bird or the best passer since Magic Johnson or the best ball handler since Isiah Thomas or the most prolific scorer since Lew Alcindor.

I’m here to tell you that player who fit that bill best was born in Gulfport, Mississippi on March 9, 1969.  He stood only 6 feet and 1 inch tall.  He played point guard in the deep south, at LSU.  His name at birth: Chris Wayne Jackson.  His name today: Mahmoud Abdul Rauf.

I love a good basketball argument, but honestly - in this case, it’s not even close.  There simply has not been another collegiate player who was as dominant in all phases of the offensive game as Chris Jackson at LSU.

He was the fastest with and without the ball.  He had the most range on his jumper.  He had hops…he had a killer crossover and didn’t have to palm the ball like most guards to get separation.  He was an awesome free throw shooter (91% as a sophomore).  He attacked the lane fearlessly, and was still able to score consistently from deep.  He was also an excellent passer.

I suspect that in many respects, he has been erased from the memory of most sports announcers because of his ill-fated professional decision to sit during the singing of the national anthem.  There was no way for him to win by taking that position.  His home was firebombed as a result of that decision.  His NBA career did not end immediately, thanks to consideration from those Vegas gamblers: the Maloof brothers and owners of the Sacramento Kings.  But, after his stint with the Kings ended, Abdul Rauf played in Turkey, Russia, Italy and Greece.

He also suffered from Tourette’s Syndrome.  He became a Muslim over the course of his career and fasted during Ramadan.  Hakeem Olajuwon did the same thing during his playing days, but his frame and stature seemed to handle the weight loss much better.

I’ve thought about many of the offensive superstars and compared their games to LSU’s mighty-mite.  Allen Iverson (possibly my favorite NBA small guy of all-time and alum of my favorite Hoya squad): Jackson was a better shooter (by far); a better ball handler, just as fast, and a much better free throw shooter.  Chris Paul: please.  Bobby Hurley: different universe.  Gary Payton:  nope; dominant on the box, but he had to work harder for his…offensive game improved tremendously in the pros.  Tim Hardaway: much, much slower, not as dominant from the line in late game situations…but awesome.  Kevin Johnson: explosive hops, great J, tremendous wheels and great free throw shooter – but can’t compare to Jackson’s quick release.  Terrell Brandon: close again – all the tools, but 30 ppg from a frosh in the SEC is tough to match.  Sam Cassell:  all the old school tools any hooper could ever ask for…one of my favorites – better as a pro; not a speedster, but super-duper clutch.  Nash: great player, but not comparable collegiately…apples and oranges.  Pearl Washington: hmm.  Aside from the speed, free throw shooting and jump shot range, they’re about even.  Pearl could get streaky from outside, but that was not a reliable source of points for him.  Sherman Douglas:  hell no.  Stephon Marbury: not from the outside.  Kenny Anderson: not from the outside.  Mark Price: everything – including the speed (if not the quickness in tight spaces and the hops)  and the free throw shooting…gotta think about this kid from Enid, Oklahoma.  He put it down back in the day.  I’m not going to talk about guys like Chris Corchiani or Rumeal Robinson or others…it’s simply not the right conversation for them.

For me, only Isiah Thomas is comparable because ”Zeke” could have scored at will for Bob Knight’s Indiana teams.  He was an excellent free throw shooter, though not as good as Jackson.  He was a prolific passer.  Both players had lightning quick hands and were terrors for opposing point guards to beat off the dribble – but Isiah was a better defensive player.

I’ve been hoping to track down some archival footage of those LSU days - perhaps that amazing battle between LSU and Illinois when “Lou-Do” (Illini coach Lou Henson) put Kendall Gill and Steve Bardo on Jackson.  Jackson had just lit Payton and Oregon State up for about Fiddy – and he only hit the Illini for about 28 – but he demonstrated that elite 6′5″ defenders couldn’t touch him.  He ran Gill and Bardo ragged for 40 minutes, but the Illini were loaded and won easily.  Great game, 127-100.

Great player.  Abdul-Rauf, whose records were approached by Texas frosh Kevin Durant, is still the all-time leading NCAA freshman scorer.  He was a consensus All-American as a freshman and a sophomore.  He is someone who may be forgotten in some quarters, but certainly not by those with broken ankles slow to heal or top-notch defenders with dented pride.  If you can find some video, pass it on, and let’s keep this thing going.  LSU’s media guide refers to him as the “most celebrated freshman of all time.”  It’s been almost 20 years, but I haven’t seen anything like him since then.

Argue-Argument-Argumentation-Argumentative

Prometheus 6 says it all.

“Do not make the mistake of thinking that because my conclusion is the same as another person’s that my reasoning is the same.”

In the realm of online debate where the use of inexact words and vague connotations can intrude upon the best intentions, this maxim makes a great deal of sense to me.

 

El Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, master debater.

Take the case of the NAACP.

For most Americans, the NAACP is a liberal-radical organization with deep, deep roots in the civil rights struggle born in the 1900’s. For others, the organization is a beleagured anachronism trodding along gasping to inhale its last breath. There are many more views of the organization: that it is a vehicle for social integration financed by whites to undermine independent black groups.

Some maintain that it is the preeminent social justice organization in the entire nation. Whatever your conclusion, your method for reaching that conclusion is important. It does matter how you arrive at your conclusions.

Some might argue that it makes no difference how you arrive at the same conclusion as a scoundrel, but I believe it makes all the difference in the world – sometimes.

Take the case of the American War for Oil and Currency Hegemony in Iraq.

Is it really the Iraq war? Whatever your point of view on this or WMD’s or anything else, you have a method or process by which you’ve come to believe what you’ve come to believe.

I am considering P6’s comment as a way of saying that what you believe is as important as why you’ve chosen to believe what you believe.

Geaux Hoyas!!!

G-town took out Carolina to get back to the Final Four for the first time since 1985. They did it with defense, rebounding and killer offense in the post down the stretch. They outscored the Tar Heels 15-3 in overtime; they erased an 11-point deficit in the second half. At one point, UNC missed 17 of 18 shots. Great game for the Hoyas. JT III is on the rise.

Post script: Jeff Green is a baller.

My Personal Police State: New York

The New York Times is reporting that members of the New York City Police Department conducted surveillance operations across the country and in Europe prior to the 2004 Republican National Convention. The purpose of these activities was to assess and control the likelihood of a terrorist-type event during the RNC.Nothing of consequence happened during the convention.

Nonetheless, the practice of unchecked (at the time of the initiative) state surveillance is proceeding forward. May you live in interesting times…

clipped from www.nytimes.com “Activists are showing a well-organized network made up of anti-Bush sentiment; the mixing of music and political rhetoric indicates sophisticated organizing skills with a specific agenda,” said the report, dated Oct. 9, 2003. “Police departments in above listed areas have been contacted regarding this event.” Police records indicate that in addition to sharing information with other police departments, New York undercover officers were active themselves in at least 15 places outside New York — including California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montreal, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and Washington, D.C. — and in Europe. To date, as the boundaries of the department’s expanded powers continue to be debated, police officials have provided only glimpses of its intelligence-gathering.

Down Right Hospitable – Mama Cheney

Did you know that Mama Cheney has a book out which highlights Southern Hospitality by focusing on PLANTATIONS?  Oh my.  Maybe she feels like she really missed the party.  I stumbled across the book in a school not too long ago.  I hope it’s part of the “critical thinking” curriculum where they assist the youngsters in understanding Lynne’s bullshit for what it is.