Just Another Reason Not To Feel Guilty For Not Donating $$$ To NPR
Listened to NPR again this a.m. (do I need to explain why I subject myself to this torture on a regular basis again?). In discussion on the Iraqi vote, their expert on the situation, Rachel Bronson, director of Middle East and Gulf Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, was asked if, in her opinion, any of the neighboring countries were “frightened” by the successful vote. It was obvious that the host, Steve Inskeep, was asking if the Syrian, Iranian, etc. governments were uneasy that democracy was being birthed next door. Instead of replying to the obvious intent, Ms. Bronson went on a seemingly unrelated tangent, stating that of course the neighboring countries were frightened by all the chaos and uncertainty in Iraq.
Excuse me? That wasn’t the question. But Steve let her slide, and asks a follow-up question, to the effect of, do any of the Arab countries think of this vote in Iraq as a seminal event, with impacts beyond the Iraq borders? No, says Ms. Bronson, she does not feel she can make that statement. She finished up by concluding that the neighboring countries attitude can be summed up as “if this is what democracy looks like, we don’t want anything to do with it”.
Okay, so first she answers the wrong question, then next she makes a blanket statement which dismisses the impact of the Iraqi vote in the Arab world. How then does she explain
this story, reported in the NYT, of all places?
NPR is the voice of the liberal left, and donating money to them is no different than donating to the DNC. NPR’s partisanship is a disgrace, and at the least it should be acknowledged, so that the unwary public does not donate to a cause they do not necessarily believe in.
Rant over, breath deeply…
How Dumb are Democrats?
Yep, still a day late and a dollar short, but this issue has been bugging me to the point where I have to blog about it just to put it to rest.
Recently, John “I served in Viet Nam” Kerry was quoted as saying that, during the presidential elections, voters in some states/districts were being disenfranchised. He said something to the effect of (paraphrased quote follows):
“There were Democrats who waited 6, 7, 8 hours or more to vote, while the Republicans were in and out in 10 minutes.”
Well, how dumb are democrats? All you had to do was say, “I’m a republican”, then vote the way you wish – democrat or otherwise.
Just goes to show you how stupidly asinine John “I served in Viet Nam” Kerry really is – explain to me, how were the voting precinct pollers able to determine who were the Dems or Repubs? Have you ever been asked your party affiliation at a voting station? Can you imagine what would happen if one group of people were waiting around for hours to vote, and suddenly someone shows up and is immediately able to vote? It defies the imagination at how lucky we were to have avoided a John “I served in Viet Nam” Kerry presidency…
Feel My Pain – Virginia Tech Hokies Lose…
I stole this concept from a collegefootballnews.com sportswriter, who offers his talking points as recorded during a particular football game, which he calls his "Stream-of-Consciousness Notes" (example here).
2005 Nokia Sugar Bowl – 3 Jan 05
Va Tech Hokies vs. Auburn University Tigers
New Orleans, LA
1st Qtr: Early on – 3rd & 16 for the Tigers. 3rd & 16! SIXTEEN!! AU gets a 1st down. They score another field goal. Shit…
End of Qtr: VT - 0 AU - 6
– no shot of Wild Turkey
[Note: Wild Turkey shots are required after each Hokies touchdown. Why, you ask? Tech is the home of the Fightin’ Gobblers – that’s why!! And after each shot, you must also give your best rendering of a turkey call – "gobble, gobble, gobble", and all that…- Ed].
2nd Qtr: 4th and goal for the Hokies – less than a yard! Ya gotta go fer it!! Great call! Except for the drop…
Well at least you’ve left them at the 1 FOOT line, with over 99 YARDS to go. I turned to the Angry American Wife, and I said, "You know, whenever my football teams – the Browns, the Vikings or the Hokies – puts their opponent inside their own 1 yard line, they always score. ALWAYS!! Most famous example is the ’86 AFC championship game, Browns vs. Broncos".
It’s true. Don’t take my word for it – just do a Google search for "Elway "the Drive"".
So true to form, the Tigers take the ball the length of the field, or thereabouts, and score. Consolation prize? It was just a field goal.
End of 1st Half: VT – 0 AU – 9
3rd Qtr: I can’t believe it – it’s like some sort of bad dream/sick joke. Early on – 3rd & 16 for the Tigers. 3rd & 16! SIXTEEN!! AU gets a 1st down; a MASSIVE 53 yard gain – they HAD him (Campbell)!! Shit, shit, shit…
AU scores a TD; there’s 10:39 left in the 3rd Qtr and ya gotta feel like it’s over. Unless Tech comes up with a big play on D or special teams…
8:48 left in the game. Tech has the ball, and gets a 1st down. Next play, they get a false start penalty. Terry Bowden: "Virginia Tech senses they’re losing their grip on the game". Nice Terry – why don’t you just tell us to change the channel? Producers must’ve thought the same thing, cuz Terry shuts right up, and there’s a palpable moment of silence in the booth (that never happens with these paid mouthpieces).
INTERCEPTION!! Jimmy William, with approx. 2:30 left in the 3rd Qtr.
End of Qtr: VT – 0 AU – 16
4th Qtr: Begins with Tech threatening. Bryan Randall upended at the 5!! Arrgh!! 14:00 left in the game, and 4th and goal, down by 16. Do you go for the field goal?
Tech goes for the FG, and – MISSES! From inside the 10 yard line!! NOOOoooooooooo!!
FUMBLE!! With approx. 8:30 left – still hope?
TOUCHDOWN!! Randall threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Josh Morgan with 6:58 left in the game. Finally – the SHOT of Wild Turkey (
Gobble, gobble, gobble!).
2 point conversion fails. Damn missed FG… and TD pass… and… shit.
After holding AU, Tech gets the ball back. Not much time, and…
They score! Morgan somehow got behind AU’s prevent defense, and catches another TOUCHDOWN!
[*swigs shot of WT* Gobble, gobble, gobble!!] There’s just over 2 minutes left…
What happened? Why hasn’t the clock been stopped? Failed the onside kick, but AU shouldn’t be able to end this by taking a knee, should they? The Hokies have been
robbed of a last chance!! Crappy, crappy, CRAPPY timekeeping by the officials. They might not have been able to do a damn thing (I figured they should’ve got the ball back with under 10 seconds left), but they were robbed of the chance by a lackadaisical officiating crew. Guess they wanted to hit the parties on Bourbon Street. Shit…
And that’s how it ended:
VT – 13 AU – 16.
After I was losing hope, the Hokies storm back – just to fall short. Crap…
Give us that missed FG (or dropped TD pass), and Tech wins. Ah, well –
c’est la vie…
Till I rant again…
[Wrote this during the game; posted next day - Ed]
