Media Matters: KEITH OLBERMANN REINSTATED, FIRST AMENDMENT WINS!!!

A Bright Sunny Day For Keith Olbermann

Not even one business day after suspending MSNBC's Countdown host, funnyman and anchor Keith Olbermann, the ties at NBC have capitulated to the clamor for Keith's immediate reinstatement.  He will be back for his post-suspension debut on Tuesday evening at 8pm -- real must-see TV!

Keith was alleged to have exercised his Constitutional rights by making small campaign contributions to three Congressional candidates.  And exercising his rights under U.S. labor laws as well.  MSNBC President Phil Griffin said that a two-day vacation and massive support and love demonstrated for Mr. Obermann, who has risen to the top of MSNBC ratings as an anchor and was beating Anderson Cooper of the AC 360 circus on CNN in his rebroadcasts just one hour after their original airings at 10pm[until Lawrence O'Donnell recently took over that time slot] and was threatening Fox dominance, was "punishment" enough.  Olbermann went from astute sports anchor to leading and often controversial news anchor and commentator. He took the industry by storm, to say the least, and this event can only catapult his career even further.  No harm there!

The two days of punishment was no doubt suffered Saturday and Sunday--a very long two-day weekend, no doubt-- by classless suit and tie executives Griffin, NBC News President Steve Capus(who shamed my own first name in this scheme) and NBC Universal(as if any silly little gang of Manhattan execs like this can claim the Universe--the nerve of them) CEO Jeff Zucker.  Hundreds of thousands flooded the 30 Rock phone lines, their mail room, email, facebook, Twitter, blogs and more; haranguing these petty profiteers into caving in to the bottom line.

The bottom line is NBC profits, and Olbermann's mass appeal, and the appeal of his issues.  Health care for every American.  Peace in the Middle East and South Asia.  Infrastructure spending.  Jobs, jobs, jobs.  Funding for the poor.  Continuing Social Security and Unemployment Compensation.  Expanding Education opportunity for kids, not abolishing the U.S. Department of Education, such as has been proposed by Rand and Ron Paul.  Civil Rights.  Disability rights. Justice. Waterboarding is torture.

The bottom line is that the NBC execs showed their true colors and wound up *blushing* big time.  Thanks for another belly laugh at another board room, Keith. :D LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOL

Media Matters: KEITH OLBERMAN SUSPENDED BY REACTIONARY NBC! SUPPORT KEITH NOW, HE SUPPORTS YOU!

Keith Olberman of MSNBC's "Countdown With Keith Olberman" aired weeknights at 8pm, has been unfairly suspended by NBC for small campaign donations.  In exercising his constitutional rights Keith may have made a technical violation of NBC personnel rules.  No laws have been violated, only NBC's own rules are alleged to have been slighted.

Mr. Olberman, a one-time ESPN broadcaster and astute analyst and observer of sports in this nation has catapulted to the top of the nations news media in recent years due to his perceptive and often humorous commentary, insight and observations.  During the endgame of his father's life recently he inspired millions with his sensitive portrayals and self-revelations of his feelings and his openness about the aging process and of dying and of real family values.  Thank you so much for that Keith.  Each Friday night he concludes his broadcast all this time later with dramatic, or comedic or ironic readings from James Thurber as promised at the time of his father's death.  These readings are always touching and evidence of Keith's commitment to his own commitments, a value I've benefited from greatly.

His sense of humor and his occasional sense of outrage delight me almost nightly.  I recently assisted an 83 year old friend transitioning from her home of 50 years to her new life in a skilled nursing facility here in CT.  I enjoy watching Keith at night with her in her private room before bed, and it is an anchor for her, especially during this difficult period of transition in the endgame of her own inspiring, touching life rife with public service, like Keith's in many ways, of her own.  Her favorite part of Countdown she always tells me is "The Worst Person In The World" segment he does satirically each night.  She loves, in particular, when Newt Gingrich makes the list.

NBC profiteers from having 4 liberals in prime time on MSNBC opposing their own reactionary Wall Street broadcasts opposite Keith, Rachel and the others on their "money, money, money" network CNBC, NBC and their other members of their mostly right-wing "family of networks."  That's what Rupert Murdoch's Fixed news network calls liberal media bias when they are inciting racial hatred by calling Attorney General Eric Holder's Justice Department racist by committing slander and claiming that Holder's Justice Department dropped the case against the idiot handful of "New Black Panthers" who intimidated voters a few years ago when the case was actually dropped 11 days before President Obama's inauguration.

Keith is a great satirist and astute guy, and an advocate for commonsense liberalism, that's just flat-out honest.  We need him on-air, the First Amendment demands it.  We'll boycott NBC and MSNBC if we must, but maybe we won't need to if NBC comes to its senses, especially NBC exec Phil Griffin( phil.griffin@nbcuni.com is the email address for that suit and tie) and ends this suspension and offers a sincere and public apology to one of the funniest, most astute, gentlest, and most decent satirist and social observers on cable or anywhere.  Also a great commentator and anchor as the times require.

Under the new ROBERT'S Supreme Court RULES OF election ORDER, unlimited anonymous Wall Street executive cash bought the US House speakership for John Boehner.  Keith's relatively small, constitutionally guaranteed and 100% legal donations affected the results of Tuesday's election by not one iota. Probably an error in judging the truly reactionary nature of NBC greed on Keith's part.  Let's back Keith to the hilt on this one guys!  Let's get him back on the air ASAP, PLEASE!!!  We love you, man--and I'm 100% behind you Keith!  For whatever that might be worth, because you've been 100% behind the USA for years, sir.  Thank you for your continuing service.  Flood this email:  phil.griffin@nbcuni.com

Political Pearls: ELECTION SPECIAL: BREAKING NEWS--DAN MALLOY WILL BE CERTIFIED THE WINNER IN CT

DAN MALLOY HAS WON THE GOVERNOR'S RACE IN CT!  It is now 12:55 pm and Dan Malloy has enough votes, even without those who voted after 8pm in Bridgeport. He's won a very close election against Tom Foley, the Republican candidate.  Democrat Dan Malloy, Dick Blumenthal and all the statewide candidates and 5 congressional district candidates on the Democratic side appear as of this hour to have won!

IT'S A CLEAN SWEEP FOR CT DEMOCRATS!  The right candidates won in the Nutmeg State, the way too-lengthy Rell/Rowland Administration in Hartford is finally over in January.  Yesterday the U.S. House delegation was 4 Democrats and 1 Republican, now it's 5 Democrats.  I spoke with a happy Rosa Delauro last night at her victory party, but it was certainly a subdued gathering given the other events of the day.  I thanked her for all her amazing help to my home town, Wallingford, and she was, as usual, responsive, available and eager to communicate with her district on the busiest political night of the year.  THANK YOU ROSA!

The State House and Senate went Democratic as well.  I want to thank the hardest working State Representative I know, Mary Mushinksy from the 85th District and congratulate her on a well-deserved victory.  THANK YOU MARY!

Denise Merrill will be the new Secretary of the State in January, also a much-deserved win by her, replacing a great incumbent, Susan Byszewitz.  A complete and thorough investigation of yesterday's election, especially the ballot shortage, especially following the Y2K fiasco in the count, recount and one vote party line victory revolving around Florida's Presidential vote(remember "hanging chads,"  Al Gore's victory in the popular vote totals, Jeb Bush and Florida Secretary of the State Kathryn Harris' nonsense, resulting in the 5-4 party-line Supreme Court 1 vote margin giving George W. Bush the Presdency in the 2000 election) is obviously necessary and I am confident that Susan and Denise will give us the facts.  THANK YOU SUSAN AND DENISE!

Dan, a misdiagnosed former special ed student with a visual impairment has climbed to the highest elected office in the state of Connecticut(West Haven was the proud home of the World Special Olympics a few years ago under the leadership of then-Mayor Richard Borer--THANKS RICHARD) from a special ed classroom.  THANKS DAN!  Many are misdiagnosed, and many people, including myself, tend to live both up or down to others' expectations.  Dan apparently made the difficult choice to choose not living down, but only to live up to, and surpass, the expectations of others.  What an inspiring story for the state, nation, and the species, regardless of your politics!

Dick Blumenthal made some campaign mistakes early, but won by double digits because he is the right and moral man that should have won. Because he's right on the issues.  Because he's had a career of public service that's made him the most popular political candidate of either party within the state during my lifetime.  THANKS SENATOR-ELECT BLUMENTHAL!  He holds the promise of being the best CT Senator ever, and the promise of future advancement(one day the White House will have a vacancy again, Ned Lamont, Dan Malloy, and Dick Blumenthal).

Ned Lamont ran a good campaign against Dan for the nomination, and then threw his full weight behind Dan for this election(hear that Joe Lieberman?).  THANK YOU NED LAMONT.  Joe Lieberman needs to be replaced and the most competent, most qualified, most hard working and dedicated next US Senator elect for the state of CT in 2012 is Ned Lamont. RUN, NED, RUN, PLEASE!

But more importantly, thanks to all the candidates nationwide, poll workers, volunteers from any and all parties and to all who took the time to register and vote.  The real winner was little "d" democracy, which has been evolving and growing stronger for 234 straight years in this melting pot of an experiment in this portion of North America they chose in 1776 to refer to as the United States of America.  Despite occasional steps backwards at times in this long journey, we did it again.  We had a largely peaceful election.  So the people won, yet again.

Let's just not try to export our experiment agressively overseas the next two years I ask all those elected to federal office, I plead.  And please talk to each other, reason things out, be respectful, civil, even cordial and friendly in your discussions and afterwards.  No name calling or threats, implied or otherwise would be nice.  Compromise, please.  Let laws be passed, budgets be passed, and friendships with opponents happen, please.  At all levels;state, federal and local.  And in the 2011 election and following let's please just be friendly and "loyal" in our opposition please boys and girls.

And thanks to all, regardless of what your opinons may be,in both the private and public sectors for engaging in one of the highest callings I can possibly imagine: Public Service.  And congratulations to Leader Reid, and to House Minority Leader, and likely U.S. House Speaker and third-in-line to the Presidency, John Boehner.

Political Pearls: BARACK OBAMA/BILL CLINTON UNITE IN CT TO ENTHUSIASTICALLY SUPPORT DAN MALLOY FOR GOVERNOR AND DICK BLUMENTHAL FOR SENATE!!!

AT RALLIES IN BRIDGEPORT AND HARTFORD PRESIDENTS BILL CLINTON AND BARACK OBAMA STOOD AS ONE TO THROW THEIR FULL AND ENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORT BEHIND DAN MALLOY FOR CT GOVERNOR AND ATTORNEY GENERAL RICHARD BLUMENTHAL FOR US SENATE!!  THE PARTY IS COMPLETELY UNITED FROM 2008 BEHIND THE STRONGEST TICKET CT DEMOCRATS HAVE EVER PRODUCED!

DEMOCRATIC HEADQUARTERS ON CENTER STREET IN WALLINGFORD IS A BEEHIVE OF ACTIVITY AS DEMOCRATS ARE PRIMED FOR A LANDSLIDE VICTORY IN CT TOMORROW, PROVIDED TURNOUT IS HIGH AND THEY ARE MISSION ORIENTED, HAVE DIRECTION AND THE GOAL IS VICTORY.  GET OUT AND VOTE.  POLLS OPEN AT 6AM EASTERN TIME IN CT AND CLOSE AT 8PM.

IN WALLINGFORD DEMOCRATS ARE FANNING OUT CANVASSING DOOR TO DOOR, MAKING CALLS AND WORKING HARD, AND UNHERALDED FOR THE PEOPLE OF OUR TOWN, STATE AND NATION.  ROSA DELAURO SUPPORTERS ARE IN WALLINGFORD TODAY EN-MASSE TO SUPPORT THIS GREAT TOWN.  THANKS ROSA!!!

THE HARDEST WORKING AND NICEST STATE LEGISLATOR I'VE EVER MET, REPRESENTATIVE MARY MUSHINKSY HAS BEEN TIRELESS AND EFFECTIVE FOR THE 85TH DISTRICT AND NEEDS AND REQUESTS YOUR SUPPORT AND ESPECIALLY YOUR VOTE TOMORROW, TUESDAY NOVEMBER 2, 2010--ELECTION DAY 2010.

IF YOU LOVE YOUR COUNTRY, AND WANT LOW TAXES, A GOOD ECONOMY, PEACE AND HONEST OPEN GOVERNMENT GET OUT AND VOTE.  TURNOUT IS ALL THAT MATTERS ON ELECTION DAY, NOT CAMPAIGN FINANCE, NOT WEBSITES, NOT CALLS, NOTHING IN OUR DEMOCRACY MATTERS MORE THAN VOTING TOMORROW!!!  IF YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A PATRIOT, PLEEEEEEEZE VOTE!

OURS HAS BEEN AN IMPERFECT HISTORY, I KNOW MINE HAS.  I BELIEVE OVER THE COURSE OF TIME MISTAKES HAPPEN, AND NO 0NE IS PERFECT.  SAME GOES FOR DOCUMENTS, COMMUNITIES, STATES, NATIONS, POLITICAL PARTIES AND CANDIDATES.  BUT LAST TIME A DEMOCRAT WAS PRESIDENT(BILL CLINTON) WE WERE AT PEACE.  NO TERRORISM HAD YET HAPPENED IN THE HOMELAND, THE BUDGET WAS BALANCED, AND THE ECONOMY WAS BOOOOOOMING!!!! 

UNDER BARACK OBAMA IN 20 MONTHS MORE HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED TO END "THE GREAT RECESSION" AND END WAR IN THE POST CHENEY/BUSH MOP-UP THAN ANYONE COULD HAVE IMAGINED.

INSTEAD OF INCREASING UNEMPLOYMENT MONTH AFTER MONTH UNTIL IT HIT DOUBLE DIGITS, ITS GONE DOWN 10 SUCCESSIVE MONTHS AND IS IN SINGLE DIGIT TERRITORY.  COMBAT OPERATIONS ARE ALREADY OVER IN IRAQ.  A PEACE AGREEMENT AMONG ALL PARTIES IS AT HAND IN AFGHANISTAN. A START TREATY HAS BEEN SIGNED WITH RUSSIA.  BARACK HAS ALREADY WON THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE.

IF YOU LOVE THIS COUNTRY AND GOOD GOVERNMENT AND WANT TO HAND A SAFE, PROSPEROUS AND PEACEFUL WORLD TO THE NEXT GENERATION TOMORROW, VOTE FOR MALLOY, BLUMENTHAL, DELAURO, ALL THE CT CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES AND CONSIDER ALL YOUR LOCAL CANDIDATES CAREFULLY AND VOTE DEMOCRATIC IF YOU POSSIBLY CAN!  REGARDLESS, DRIVE PEOPLE TO THE POLLS WHO MIGHT NOT GET THERE OTHERWISE!

WEATHER IN CT SHOULD BE LIKE TODAY, NO RAIN, SUNNY, COOL, BREEZY.  SEEYA AT THE POLLS AND SIDEWAYS MOON TOYA. :-)

Momcat's Vegan Project: NFL Sunday: The Score: The Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles, NFL Boycott Against Immorality In Sports And Against Animal Cruelty Snowballs. Morally Error-Prone People Such As Tiger Woods, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Vick May Be Realizing They've Forsaken Their Rights To Role Modelling For Our Nation's Children In This Lifetime Finally! Wake Up Major Leagues! MLB, NBA, NHL, US Olympic Committee, NCAA Too!

         One of my many canine heroes-14 year old pound pup, Augie, taking    
                             a well-deserved nap as I blog. MR. VICK.



It's Sunday in the U.S. of A. and it is now a tradition to watch the NFL on this day.  More people do that now than populate our churches Sunday mornings.  When I spent time on the alter a few years ago as a lay minister for the Episcopal church of my choice, my friend and Pastor spoke from the pulpit often about her frustration with low attendance, and spoke privately about the dip in plate receipts during the NFL season, even though services were in the morning and we were here on the East Coast where the sun rises first in the nation in this time zone.

Church meetings at the evangelical church I enjoyed and continue to support always decline in attendance during playoffs, of whatever sport is in season.  My United Church of Christ pastor often noted that churches were far more populated during the Advent season prior to Christmas in the days of old. Since the super popularity of the NFL following their years[and now decades] of marketing after the very first Superbowl between The Kansas City Chiefs and the Green Bay Packers[and especially following the fusion of the old NFL and the AFL] and their morphing into the NFC and the AFC under the one conglomerate umbrella of the multinational marketing giant--the new and not-at-all improved National Football League--that emerged from of the NFL/AFL merger.

I was a fan in the AFL days.  Rooted for Coach Vince Lombardi's Packers against the upstart Dallas Cowboys in the real championship game both years of the first two Superbowls.  I crossed my fingers as Bart Starr led the greatest team of all time against Dallas, and then walked over their first two AFL opponents in the first two Superbowls--two versions of the Kansas City Chiefs.  When the biggest upstart of all time, panti-hose and all(it was his secret, rumor had it, to keep him warm in the coldest of games), Joe Namath, with his hair hanging out of his helmut, generalled his New York Jets to the AFL's first victory in inter league play in the next Superbowl, he won me over and opened my mind up to the possibilities of the AFL.  He reminded me of another sports hero of mine in those days, Joe Pepitone of the NY Yankees, whose long locks were also visible beyond his batting helmet.  Playing in Mickey Mantle's shadow must have been rough on Joe, a great player. :)

And what about Reggie Jackson, hitting 3 home runs in one world series game.  Most exciting TV sports event I ever witnessed, except, of course the whole Munich Olympics tragedy involving Israeli athletes and Palestinians that sports broadcaster Jim McKay brought to us reluctantly with such passion and feeling. :(  And Cassius Clay/ Muhammad Ali giving me so much to root for besides his boxing!

I don't watch much TV sports anymore.  I admit to being riveted to the Master's stop for the PGA this year, because it was Tiger Wood's first time back(way too soon--that "press conference" with his mother in the front row and the hug following it was a nasty media event--in my book you don't invite your Mom to that one when you're justifying your sexploits like his and his marital infidelity).  The right couple won that tournament, Phil Mickelson and his wife.  Her battle with breast cancer, and his clawing in that tournament and final win by several strokes clearly put a Tiger into the tank, that he deserved to dwell in this year.  Mickelson's searching the gallery for his beautiful wife after his final putt on the 18th and the "hug heard 'round the world" spoke more volumes than anything ever written about marriage vows of fidelity ever have! Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Mickelson for one of the TV highlight films of all time!

Now, back to Michael Vick and the current NFL.  The rules of the game have changed.  Its boring now to begin with.  "Fetus ball" at the end of a game when a team is ahead and the quarterback is allowed to curl up with the ball and fall, untouched by the defense, can be ruled in such a way that the backs' safety and the progress of the game and everyone's integrity can be maintained.  The TV time outs, and all the time outs have slowed a 60 minute game to a crawl.  Boring.  Some games take 10 years to finish, it seems to me.  But who really cares at that point.  Lets force offenses to get plays off a lot more quickly.  There is more time between plays in NFL football now than in any sport I've ever watched.  Inter-Conference play between NFC and AFC is bad.  A lousy concept completely.  The notion of some teams having weaker schedules than others is a turn-off for everyone.  And get rid of the instant replay rule.  Refs are supposed to make bad calls.  They're human, that's the whole point.  And home fans are supposed to get livid at bad calls against the home team.

Ever been to the Bronx and witness a Bronx cheer when an umpire makes a bad call against the New York Yankees?  "Kill the ump!"  They say, but it's not a real physical threat.  To this day, no ump at any MLB game has yet been assassinated for a bad call.  An occasional beer bottle maybe(how 'bout no beer at games?).  The real Bronx Bombers are in the stands, the fans who chatter and make every opposition pitcher who dares strut out to the Yankee Stadium mound shudder and think twice with each pitch home.  The Yankee fans are the ones who are primarily responsible for their dozens of world series victories.  I wound up at Fenway for a couple of years, and the mood in the crowds there is much different.  More polite, genteel almost.  But they're getting there.  Louder, and a bit more aggressive.  They're winning more seasons now, and broke that Bambino curse finally! Lol.  Having been raised 70 miles from the old stadium that Ruth built, and spent 5 years in Boston, I publicly proclaim my permanent neutrality.  I feel very strongly both ways when it comes to the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. :)  About the only major controversy in life that I profess neutrality about whatsoever.  And in the northeast of the U.S. of A. that debate is far more controversial than War versus Peace.  Just mention George Steinbrenner in Connecticut and see what happens.  If you do it in the Bronx and have an opposing view, I advise football hardware for protection. :-D

How about a shot clock for the NFL.  Ball has to be hiked every 10 seconds on the game clock, and only 3 timeouts a game.  And halftime, and a minute at the end of the first three quarters and that's it for stopping the clock.  And just eliminate the 2 minute time-out.  That was the beginning of the end of good football.  In what the rest of the world calls football[and only we call soccer(ethnocentricity on our part--the rest of the world also likes the metric system instead of yards--even increments of 10, instead of 12 inches in a foot, 3 feet in a yard, 100 yards in a football game, and 5,2 hundred and how many feet in a mile???)], time-outs are few and far between, and substitutions almost non-existent.  Once you're on the field you play and that's pretty much it.  Unless you're carried off the field on a stretcher.  Now there's some action for you.  Football, to the rest of the world, is that game.  I propose a new name for the game played by the NFL.  How about Assaultball.  Those guys have to wear so much padding they remind me of 5 year olds bundled up to play in the snow.  A bit agressive a game, dontcha think?  Only spread as far as North America.  Wonder why, and wonder why our national psyche is so fascinated with so violent a "sport." 

And I get a kick out of the symbolic sexual suggestivity implied in the "huddles," the quarterback patting the center's behind and wiping his hand on that center's buttocks towel when barking out the play, the celebretory bumps following a 'score', the dancing in the end zone and what-not.  At ths point the game is a testosterone-ridden phenomenon reflective of our entire culture; dominating the world with ICBM phallic symbols, to say the least.  No homophobia intended or implied, just an observation about a game that prides itself in it's appeal to heterosexual males(just look at their sponsors' advertising--lol).

Have you seen the "cage" type of fighting that's allowed to be marketed now?  It's just assault with the gloves off. Ridiculous.  Connecticut senatorial candidate Linda McMahon on the Republican side took the WWF and molded it into the WWE, allowed metal chairs, non-wrestlers, bikini-ed models and such to be utilized as part of her assault "comedy" shows and marketed it to kids.  Those are her "family values."  Thanks for contributing massively to the violence and sexploitation in our culture Linda!  More Americans are behind bars in this nation per-capita than anywhere on earth, including Stalin's Soviet "Union" of the cold war days.  Thank you CEO McMahon!!  BY THE WAY, VOTE FOR CHARM-FREE(IN IT'S ENDORSEMENT OF MR. BLUMENTHAL, THAT'S WHAT THE NY TIMES CALLED HIM) SENATE CANDIDATE ATTORNEY GENERAL RICHARD BLUMENTHAL OVER THE WRESTLING MILLIONAIRE(SHE'S THE
$50 MILLION DOLLAR WOMAN, SPENDING $50 MILLION OF HER OWN EASILY-EARNED CASH ON HER EGO CAMPAIGN FOR THE U.S. SENATE) AND DAN MALLOY FOR CONNECTICUT GOVERNOR, PLEASE.

But the worst thing the NFL and people who have already had their personal scandals, such as Vick, Beck, Limbaugh, and Tiger Woods, are doing is making the mistake of thinking that there isn't a clear point at which your personal bungles are so morally bad that you can never serve in your prior public capacity.  Vick's torture of dogs was so recent, and his summertime involvements with his co-conspirators so recent, and his actions so morally corrupt that neither he nor the NFL should even consider him playing ever again.  The NFL markets products and services to kids.  He is a role model and a bad one!  It really is that simple. Boycott, football fans, boycott!

Beck and Limbaugh have had their personal scandals as well, and need to stay off the D.C. Mall and not give right-wing speeches on historic civil rights' anniversaries in the shadow of real Republican Abraham Lincoln's Memorial.  And potential Republican Presidential candidates(hi Ms. Palin) need to not be seen with, nor behind, nor involved in any way with recovering alcoholics and addicts who admit they're no longer in recovery(hi Glenn, hi Rush).  Tiger Woods needs to hang up his Izods.  You're washed up and for good reason.  I don't think you'll ever golf the same again.  Too bad though.  You rushed it.  That media event/press conference involving Mom and no questions blew it for you.  Then jumping right into the Master's so quickly.   A bit too greedy, my friend.

But let's spread the NFL boycott for now.  Boycott Michael Vick.  Boycott the Philadelphia Eagles.  Boycott the NFL.  Please.  And please tell your friends.

And remember that former BP CEO Tony "Wayward" Hayward killed more dogs and cats with his Gulf of Mexico oil spill(he's hiding from U.S. extradition and potential courtroom and Congressional testimony in former KGB-er Putin's Russia right now, politics and economics sure does make for some strange bedfellows, don't they indeed) than Michael Vick did, so donate today and always to http://www.la-spca.org/ .  Either click on that link, type it into your browser or click on the title of this post and get out your credit/debit card please.  The Louisianna chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals continues to do awesome work for the domestic animal victims of the botched post-Katrina phenomenon, and all the damage done by the BP executives for profit when they skipped safety measures and killed 11 workers on that oil platform in March and with their stonewalling ever since.  How can they possibly "Make this right" when dead people and animals are involved.  At least change the slogan for your PR campaign new BP CEO Doug Suttles, who ran away to Texas the day the video of leaking oil ended.  Again the tax-deductible link is:  http://www.la-spca.org/       :)  Peace to one and all....

Sociological Stuff: The Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge overlooking the Hoover Dam opens and the NFL still needs to fire Michael Vick and End Animal Cruelty!

                  Sideways Moon To Ya--Let's Keep It Available For The Kids
                                 Shame On You Tony Hayward And BP!!!
    

                   Augie Patrolling The Yard In August And Keeping Me Safe 


The NY Times reported yesterday on the opening of the new Colorado River Bridge, an engineering marvel including a bridge for vehicular traffic and a pedestrian footbridge overlooking the Hoover Dam, another technological marvel itself.  The article, composed by Marc Lacey and entitled "Come For The Highway. Stay For The View" is a nicely written piece about a bridge chock full of symbolism of all sorts.

Officially the "Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge," the structure overlooks an infrastructure project from decades ago that contributed hugely to bringing us out of another rough economic time in our American life, and a massive hydroelectric dam that proved the functionality of hydroelectric as an alternative to the carbon-spewing coal power plants we, China, and many others are still overdependent upon.  Climate change has rendered the value of this lesson all the more poignant in this century and millennium.

Governor Mike O'Callaghan of Nevada was also a Korean War veteran and newspaper editor.  Hard copy papers are dying fast(the loss of the Christian Science Monitor hard copies is still hard to take) and the First Amendment matters far more than the widely misconstrued Second Amendment, especially this campaign season.  Perhaps one possible "Second Amendment Remedy" would be to repeal it, and start that "right to bear arms" notion from scratch again once Democrats are again firmly in power.

Pat Tillman was the Arizona Cardinals NFL football player killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004 fighting for the U.S. government run, at the time, by Dick Cheney, George W. Bush, and Donald Rumsfeld.  Attempts to con his family and the nation into the belief that he was killed by the enemy have been widely reported this year, and his family is still seeking answers on that one.  And our efforts to expand the boycott of the NFL and force Michael Vick's resignation or firing and to boycott the Philadelphia Eagles, in particular, continues!!!

The O'Callaghan/Tillman Bridge unites Nevada, where a "Second Amendment Remedy" Tea Party candidate named Sharron Angle is trying to unseat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.  Her ludicrous campaign, including running away from a press conference she actually called, avoidance of mainstream press, raising money hand over fist on Fox news without shame, and absurd and inciteful and ignorant comments on issues has rendered her vulnerable to loss against the Majority Leader despite the attacks by the right on his character and competence.

The other side of the Bridge connects to Arizona, home of Governor Jan Brewer, author of what I have come to label the "Brown Bill"-- if you're Brown you're busted.  Giving probable cause to pull people over that even police officers don't want.  Seat belt laws, bad lights, moving violations, registrations, and more are enough probable cause for any competent law enforcer to pull someone over without forcing them to profile ethnically, and no competent cop wants it.

Following the attacks on September 11, 2001, traffic was diverted away from the Hoover Dam because it's been thought a likely terrorist target for scumbags like Bin Laden.  The O'Callaghan/Tillman Bridge rectifies that situation.  President Obama's only been in office for 21 months and is still doing the post-Cheney/Bush economic/civil liberties/foreign policy/defense/terrorism mop-up operation he's been stuck with since January 20, 2009.  And a fine job he, Speaker Pelosi and Leader Reid are doing indeed.  The Tea Partiers are griping about mentioning Bush and the prior administration, and we can well understand why.

It's called "The Great Recession" now already.  A peace agreement is finally at hand after 7 years of incompetent prosecution of the war in Afghanistan.  Wires were tapped again illegally for the first time routinely since Nixon, another incompetent Republican "President."  Roberts was named to the Supreme Court and the new "Roberts Rules of Order" for elections are a nightmare!  And please lets not forget that Rumsfeld, Cheney and Bush were in office and responsible for national security for 9 months when they botched it and enabled 4,000 or so American souls to perish with 4 airliners on 9/11!!!  They hit the Pentagon of all things!!!  Only the bravery of the passengers prevented the White House from being hit, and the incompetence of the boobs who "masterminded" this plot is typified by the fact that Bush himself was in Florida that morning.

Condoleeza Rice has said that she had to yell at Bush and hang up on him because he didn't have the sense to know that he needed to stay out of the District of Columbia that fateful day.  And the American voters are going to consider voting Republican again at all??? Amazing!!!  The classic American Electorate ADHD I suppose.  But NOT.  They are too smart, and the House and Senate will be in the good hands of the Democrats come January once again I  am certain.  Thanks to the likes of silly candidacies such as the pro-meatball, anti-masturbation candidate for Senate in Delaware Christine O'Donnell; Rand Paul the libertarian extremist Senate Republican candidate in Kentucky; and Sharron Angle the way-too-radical Senate candidate in Nevada who threatens armed insurrection by talking about "Second Amendment Remedies."

So the good news is that THE DEMOCRATS WILL RETAIN BOTH HOUSES IN NOVEMBER!!!  YIPPPEEEEEE!!!

And remember, please to donate today to la-spca.org as generously as you can.  Peace[and I do believe it is at hand in Afghanistan--mark my words, maybe before the dawn of 2011].

Momcat's Vegan Project: Football And Torturing Dogs--Michael Vick

Our 14 Year Young Family Member Augie the Doggie, Mr. Vick!

Word has it that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL television affiliate is boycotting the Philadelphia Eagles games this year due to opposition to puppy torturer Michael Vick being allowed to earn millions and pretend he has anything to offer the kids the NFL targets for merchandising as a role model.  We will investigate and get back.  Suffice it to say that such a  move would reflect well on any station participating in the boycott, particularly given corporate mentality today, as exemplified by the NFL's money grubbing materialistic cash at all cost philosophy.

Who cares about the Eagles this year.  Lets spread this boycott!  Boycott Michael Vick, the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL now!!!  And please donate to: la-spca.org today as generously as possible.  Peace...

Momcat's Vegan Project: BOYCOTT THE NFL AND MICHAEL VICK--END ANIMAL CRUELTY NOW!!!

FORTEEN YEAR OLD POUND PUP AND HERO AUGIE THE DOGGIE ENJOYING A COLD DAY IN AUGUST BY THE POOL THIS PAST AUGUST MR. VICK.

Why oh why has the NFL allowed Michael Vick to model his role for the nation's children.  The NFL is misguided in so many ways it should be boycotted.  It happens to be my belief that dogs are spiritual beings having a temporary canine experience just as I am a spiritual being myself having a temporary human experience.  The latter is one of the pillars of the Judeo/Christian/Islamic tradition.  Regardless, the central pillars of morality with any value whatever are such values as mercy, charity, love, compassion and care.  Michael Vick is none of these.  His all too short "debt" to society was purchased with his ridiculously large NFL salary[and what about those salaries and profits, NFL?].

Many of the wonderful pups Vick mercilessly abused, tortured and maimed for profit[already the highest paid multi-millionaire in the NFL] are still alive and living lives without the severe physical pain inflicted by Vick, but suffering the emotional consequences of his horrors with loving families and organizations such as Best Friends Animal Society which are still picking up the pieces from his selfish reign of terror against helpless canines.  He admitted to his crimes!

Just this year, before the beginning of this foolish NFL season, which should be boycotted by anyone who shares their life with a dog, ever did, or ever loved one, Vick was again in the news.  The terms of his parole reportedly included terms preventing him from associating with known ex-felons altogether, and specifically as well as especially his own co-conspirators.  At a Virginia Beach bar where a birthday party was being held in his "honor" words were allegedly heard being spoken between Vick and a "co-conspirator guest."  A felon.  If this were in fact the case, in and of itself a violation of his parole.  This man was shot outside the bar by another party-goer allegedly.  WAKE UP NFL AND NFL FANS!!!  BOYCOTT THE NFL NOW!!!  GET VICK OFF THE PAYROLL AND OFF THE GRAVY TRAIN HE ROBBED HIS CANINE VICTIMS OF!!!

Face it NFL, players are role models, otherwise don't sell advertising, and products to kids.  No matter how you wrap him up, even reformed one day, God willing, is no role model for the kids you target for profit.  He blew it for life in that regard.  If you're reformed or reforming, face it Vick.  You're no role model for kids ever in this particular life.  Resign today!  Now there would be an example for kids!  What a lesson for us all you could teach, sir.  And NFL, if you don't fire him for good then you are a bunch of[as Jesus said to the clergy in Jerusalem] hypocrites!!!  NFL, you are in a unique position to stop the abuse of animals, and of the long decline of American culture that you've so richly been participating in for years.

BP's oil spill earlier this year killed thousands of kittens, cats, dogs and puppies, probably more than wildlife.  Unemployed families had to give up these loved ones.  The cover story on the August 16th 2010 edition of Time magazine, beautifully written and thoughtfully researched by Jeffrey Kluger is mandatory reading for any animal lover and and NFL fan.  The cover photo is of a beautiful black pug.  The higher mammals all think and they all feel emotion.  They all also feel physical pain, many far more acutely than you and I.  Elephants are ingenious and emotional.  Primates intelligent and nimble, and creative tool inventors.  Dogs can anticipate seizures, and do for humans so afflicted, guide the blind and assist the deaf and routinely save human lives.

The only mammal to threaten life on the planet is the one called Homo sapiens.  The primary threats currently are our nuclear weapons[those of America being among the two largest arsenals on Earth], of course, and now climate change caused primarily by our greedy laziness resulting in carbon emissions beyond what our thin coat of oxygen can take, and it is likely too late to repair that damage, but let's please not give up hope.  U.S. economic and foreign policies have resulted in taking the carbon emission issue out of our own hands and placing it in so many others worldwide[for example, the Communist regime in Beijing is responsible for the largest tonnage of pollution in the world now, surpassing America's own, thanks to our policies--and India is coming up fast and so are so many others].

Dogs are man's best friend, so let's please be theirs.  And all the others, felines included(dontcha just love 'em all?).  In any long-term relationship I've cherished, I've owed amends.  And amends, in my book, are not just saying you're sorry, but proving, one day at a time, that you'll never do it again.  And not profiteering off your mistakes, nor pretending to be a role model for people not to abuse dogs once you've been convicted of abusing dogs, for example.  And giving up on the notion that you are any sort of role model afterward by returning to a hypocritical NFL for ego and cash.  Who cares whether the Philadelphia Eagles win or lose as long as a filthy rich spoiled dog abuser is in charge of that offensive offense?  Not I.  Nor should any dog lover, or anyone who ever was or loved a kid, for example.

I recommend a visit to the http://www.la-spca.org/  today!  Donate please as much as you can.  They did and continue to do awesome work for the domestic-animal victims of the likes of Tony Wayward Hayward and his BP cronies(Hayward, now hiding from US extradition in Vladimir Putin's Russia at last check).  If you click on the title of this essay, you'll get to the site.  Thanks to you Deborah, I hope you like this one.  You are an inspiration and a gentlewoman indeed.  ABSOLUTELY. 

I want to conclude this essay by inviting Michael Vick, NFL execs and all its employees, and all my readers to check out the awesome poem to be found at:  http://www.rainbowbridge.com/

You'll be very glad you did, I do believe.  Thanks to Augie, Meow, Momcat, Bluebelle, Iggie, Gout, Trixie, Lennie, Mollie Brown, Cricket, and many, many other unconditionally loving felines and canines who contributed to the research for this article.  :)

If there has to be an NFL season with Michael Vick involved, how about we all root for a New Orleans Saints repeat, and for the Philadelphia Eagles to stumble to the bottom of the heap this season.  Nothing against the City of Brotherly Love, just the NFL and Michael Vick's audacity at pretending to be some kind of example for the city's kids to emulate.  Dontcha think?

Medical Matter: Taking a Day or Two Off

An illness in the family precludes blogging for a day or two.  Be right back and stay tuned to Unabashed Left for all your political, social, military affairs and comedic needs. :-)  Prayers are invited for myself and my family's health.  And, of course are always welcomed.  And are offered right back atya this very instant, Lord bless this reader and all those in his/her life with great health, emotionally, physically and spiritually.  Thy will, not mine, be done. Amen. :-)

Please remember to donate to la-spca.org as generously as you can as often as you can.  Also, please look at the post on this website, entitled "Boycott the NFL and Michael Vick: End Animal Cruelty"

WEATHER MATTERS: HOW DARE YOU BRITISH PETROLEUM, BP! BEYOND PETROLEUM INDEED!!!

Photos taken 10/15/10 on Long Island Sound on the Milford, CT Shoreline

During the nor'easter that never was.

Missile Madness: OPEN LETTER TO CHILEAN PRESIDENT SEBASTIAN PINERA

Dear Mr. President:

I have never been as inspired by an incumbent head of state nor head of government, nor by any leader playing both roles in any nation during my lifetime as I have been by your courageous actions resulting in the safe deliverance of the 39(33 trapped miners and the 6 below ground hero rescuers)individuals yesterday and the worldwide focus on love and peace during the past 48 to 72 hours especially, but throughout the crisis.  Viva Chile, Sir!  Thank you for your faith, compassion and leadership.  The only other national head of state/government that comes to mind is the great President Nelson Mandela of South Africa, and yet most of his awesome accomplishments for his nation, the world and life on this precious planet had already been accomplished prior to his tenure as President of that great nation.  The other non-national leaders of my lifetime who come to mind this morning sir, are Mahatma Gandhi, the likely-soon to be canonized Pope John Paul II, and my own nation's great leader and prophet the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., sir.

The New York Times much-abridged biography describes you as the first "right-wing" President of your awesome nation in 20 years who has promised to maintain the social policies of the prior "left" administration.  I'm not exactly sure what the NY Times means by right and left here, sir.  I believe that if you have adopted the more humane policies of your predecessor socially, and have such compassion as you've demonstrated here, the NY Times is barking up the wrong tree altogether by making the effort to label your politics right, left, center or to derogatorily characterize another's views such as yours in any such manner whatever.  In my nation division, right and left reigns in Washington, DC.  This happens to be a liberal political blog, and my name "Unabashed Left" is itself a parody of the name calling mud-slinging that currently prevails here, Mr. President.  As a liberal I confess that the NY Times, MSNBC and other "liberal" outlets, including myself, frequently bark up wrong trees in this regard.  Not you, sir, I do believe.

This is a media event, and has clearly been orchestrated by your administration as such.  Thinking outside the box, because media events have a bad rap because they are typically orchestrated by individuals, groups and governments for the wrong reasons and in wrong ways, I believe your motives are clearly good and planned + implemented flawlessly, and obviously the results have already benefited billions of humans the world over.

You now, I believe have succeeded, perhaps beyond your wildest dreams my dear Mr. President.  Your non-scripted speech following the 33rd miner's rescue was an inspiration and I heard your shout-out to world leaders[I must confess that I wish a leader or two without a "conservative" reputation might have been helpful to our cause] and welcomed that.  For the first time in my life I feel motivated to invite a world leader I know little about to follow-up on a good deed and take the world stage.  I confess to not follow Chilean politics.  I confess to having caught the contagion of ethnocentricity that reigns in this nation which threatens the rest of the world with nukes and shouts down any other that dares to even consider doing the same.

The world stage, sir, happens to be in this nation on an island called Manhattan in New York City.  It is called the United Nations.  Please solicit an invitation to speak there as soon as possible.  I believe they have no choice but to accept this week.  And a carefully considered and well delivered speech by you there very quickly will also capture the world's imagination I believe, sir.  The window of time is narrow, because our species has ADHD sir.  Time is of the essence I do believe.  A request quickly submitted for a speech asap can certainly happen right now.

You have created a golden opportunity for yourself, for Chile, for the world, and for every person in my life that I love.  I am a person of passion too, sir, such as yourself.  I cried with joy frequently yesterday sir.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  I do believe your great people of the inspiring Chilean nation are in no way selfish.  They will make the sacrifice of allowing you to seize this opportunity I do believe.  The opportunity, sir, is to advance and even do a slam-dunk(or score a header goal) for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who's cause was Unconditional Love.  I submit this request genuinely and lovingly myself, and have considered it and these words carefully, but much consideration wasn't really necessary.  Peace and love are worth any risk.  The notion that American drilling experts were diverted from their aggressive task in Afghanistan aimed at killing, to saving lives in Chile-by a liberal U.S. administration that I agree is misguided in these particular efforts(in both Afghanistan and Iraq) provides a great opportunity.

Only a "conservative" like President Nixon(whose Administration in general I continue to deplore) could talk to Mao Tse Tung.  Only a "hawk" like Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel could sign a peace treaty with an awesome Arab President like Anwar Sadat of the great nation of Egypt.  And, ironically, right now the current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyau has a similar opportunity.

Please sir, come to the States and speak in Manhattan as soon as your schedule permits.  I promise to do everything in my power to acquire a ticket, but by whatever means necessary to listen with rapt attention to whatever wisdom you may have to impart.  God bless you Mr. President, and God bless Chile, indeed.  ABSOLUTELY.  Sincerely, Steven M. Alexander  Wallingford, CT  U.S.A.

Miner Matter: RESCUE IN CHILE COMPLETE, LAST HERO SAFE!!!

AT 11:34PM EDT, THE LAST HEROIC RESCUER OF THE 33 TRAPPED CHILEAN MINERS EMERGED FROM THE FENIX CAPSULE AND ALL ARE SAFE, ALIVE AND WELL TONIGHT!!  THANK YOU LORD, AND GOD BLESS THE MINERS AND THEIR FAMILIES TONIGHT, MAY THEY CELEBRATE WITH JUBILATION AND THANKS TO THE RESCUERS AND THEIR FAMILIES FOR THEIR SACRIFICES!!  THE MINE MAY NOW BE SEALED AND WILL BE PERMANENTLY!

Miner Matter: 33 MINERS LIVE!!!! THE DAY LOVE CONQUERED THE WORLD!

AT   8:58PM EDT  THE 33RD OF 33 MINERS TRAPPED FOR 69 DAYS IN A MINE IN CHILE WAS SAVED FROM ALMOST CERTAIN DEATH BY LOVING HEROS, A PRAISEWORTHY GOVERNMENT, AND A PRESIDENT WHOM EVEN THE OPPOSITION PARTY IS PRAISING TONIGHT.  GOD BLESS CHILE TONIGHT--A HERO NATION AND A SHINING BEACON ON THE HILL!!!  BILLIONS WATCHING!!  HIP HIP HOORAY FOR CHILE, THE MINERS, THE FAMILIES, THE RESCUERS, AND FOR THE HUMAN SPECIES.  WE CAN TURN OURSELVES AROUND, IF ONE PERSON, ONE GOVERNMENT, ONE NATION AND BILLIONS OF PEOPLE CAN DO IT, THEN LOVE WILL TRIUMPH!!!  PEACE WILL PREVAIL! REJOICE! REJOICE!  PRAISE THE LORD! THANK YOU! AMEN!

Miner Matter: 29 MINERS SAVED 4 TO GO!!! YAYYYYY!!! LOVE DEFEATS HATE!!!

IN A RARE STORY THAT NEEDS LITTLE IN THE WAY OF COMMENT, 29 OUT OF 33 MINERS AS OF THIS HOUR(7:18PM EDT) HAVE BEEN SAVED WITHOUT SERIOUS INJURY FROM 2000 FEET DOWN IN BEDROCK AND NO MAJOR INJURIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   THE CHILEAN GOVERNMENT AND ALL INVOLVED HAVE CARRIED THE RESCUE OUT WITHOUT A HITCH THUS FAR AND WELL AHEAD OF SCHEDULE!  ALL SHOULD BE FREE BY MIDNIGHT!!!

THE WORLD MEDIA FOCUS ON A POSITIVE STORY ALL DAY HAS BEEN DRAMATIC AND TOUCHING PICTURES OF FAMILY, ROMANTIC AND UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND JOY HAVE BEEN VIEWED BY BILLIONS!!!!!!  UNBRIDLED JOY ALL DAY INSTEAD OF WAR!!!  PRAYERS INSTEAD OF BOMBS!!  COOPERATION INSTEAD OF CONFLICT!!!!  YIPPPEEEEEEE!!!!

CNN LED THE WAY WITH ALMOST WALL TO WALL COVERAGE ALL DAY, ABOVE AND BEYOND ANY NETWORK!  KUDOS TO THEM!  THE ENTIRE WORLD UNITED IN THE DESIRE TO SEE PEOPLE LIVE INSTEAD OF DIVIDED BY THE DESIRE TO ADVANCE AGENDAS AND KILL!  LOVE BEATS HATE!  UPDATES TO FOLLOW! WHAT A WONDERFUL STORY, WHAT A WONDERFUL DAY FOR PEACE AND LOVE!

TO THOSE ON THE RIGHT, "ALL WE ARE SAYING IS GIVE PEACE A CHANCE."  A LINE BORROWED FROM JOHN LENNON, BUT A SENTIMENT ALL PAY AT LEAST LIP SERVICE TO AT SOME POINT OR OTHER, LETS JUST GET IT DONE PLEASE.  WAR IS ALWAYS THE PROBLEM, NEVER THE ANSWER.  DISARMAMENT NEVER KILLED ANYONE.

Media Matters: Christine O'Donnell, Rick Sanchez, Lady Gaga, Elliot Spitzer, Bill Maher, Jon Stewart, Lou Dobbs, Campbell Brown, Larry King, Unabashed Left, Steve Alexander

Larry King, Rick Sanchez, Lou Dobbs, Campbell Brown out, Elliot Spitzer in.  Larry King separates from his young wife and children for two weeks and asks Lady Gaga for a dinner date several times Live On Larry King at least twice in 10 minutes and gets a golden handshake weeks later.  Rick Sanchez is interviewed by a radio comedian(Pete Dominick) about Jon Stewart, less than a month after CNN grants him a prime time hour in addition to the two he already has in the afternoons, and annoyed at free publicity offered by TV comedian Jon Stewart, calls Stewart a bigot and derogates his Jewish heritage.  Sanchez further compounds his troubles by declaring that "everybody that runs CNN is a lot like[the comedian] Stewart."  He further offered the opinion that " a lot of elite Northeast establishment liberals" look at Sanchez as someone "who belongs in the second tier and not the top tier."  Really, Rick?  Top tier?  Rick appeared on Dominick's show as part of his tour to pump his new book "Conventional Idiocy."  No, this is way to easy Rick.  Please. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.  :-D

CNN's brief statement was merciful and may be easily be produced in its entirety for your comedic use, please feel completely free to utilize it as you see fit:

"Rick Sanchez is no longer with the company.  We thank Rick for his years of service and wish him well."

Straight to the point.  Pretty fair and balanced if you ask me(yuk, yuk).

Lou Dobbs, let go for ego.  Mr. Independent makes occasional guest shots on daytime Fixed News and works at a radio station somewhere.  A run for Senate?  Really Lou.

Campbell Brown, Lou's replacement, gone in under a year for being really boring, having no contacts, personality or reason for being on air.  And for having a name that sounds like a soup you wouldn't really want to eat.  Smooth move CNN.

And please.  Anderson Cooper.  OMG.  CNN has certainly sunk a fortune into trying to create a celebrity out of this one, haven't they?  Last I checked the ratings, AC, after CNN has spent millions pumping this guy was third in a three man race to former ESPN sports guy and really funny man Keith Olberman in his repeats at 10pm.  God only knows what the repeats of the 360 circus are doing against the competition at 11pm, but Unabashed Left has learned that he is right behind the Wallingford, CT Community Schedule and coming up fast-- and recently actually beat a rerun of "Storm Stories" on Atlanta rival The Weather Channel.

And Spitzer.  The former Governor and john from New York(customer #...  , now which number was he?) premiers as the second bill to a woman I've never seen before on CNN tomorrow night as Lou and Campbell's replacement at 8pm.  Unabashed Left now has CNN scorecards available to keep track of their Anchor line-up for the low-low price of $500, just send us an email. 

Not sure, but last I checked an Entertainment Tonight anchor was going to be trying to fill Larry "The King of Come On's" slot at 9pm.  The Cable -What- Network is it?  Oh yeah, that's right, the Cable News Network.  That's what its supposed to be, I forgot.(Hehehe).  Thought I was watching Days Of Our Lives for a second instead.

So anyway, getting back to Rick Sanchez for a moment, and why not?  Sanchez, currently(oops, not currently, until Thursday) the only Hispanic anchoring any major news broadcast was certainly an up and comer, wasn't he?  First one hour, then two during the day.  Then an hour in prime time.  Despite a brash personality that was evidently grating to so many despite the two dimensional window between us, the one way nature of the communication and the thousands of miles in between.  Even when he was on camera with meteorologists talking about snow storms and such you could see his own colleagues bristle.  But it was working for him.  No doubt his former pretty side-kick Brooke Baldwin and not so pretty former side-kick Ali Velcher are looking at 7pm, and all the other prime time hours lustily tonight. :)

Rick gave up the whole ball of wax to dis a comedian.  Pumping a book called "Conventional Idiocy."  Was it worth it Rick.

Since minorities are once again out of the prime time lineup on all the major news shows, we recommend a bit of out-of-the-box thinking.  Spitzer was some good out of the box thinking.  MSNBC's decision to open up 10pm and go live then was a bit out of the box for them and wise, indeed given the AC numbers.  Nerdy Lawrence O'Donnell was neither out- of-the-box nor wise, and will be dispensed with quickly.  Perhaps Lawrence could be called AC's last great hope. lol

Anyone with a brain will offer whatever cash it takes to get Eugene Robinson, Washington Post Pulitzer Prize winner, to take 5 days a week in prime time--and look for either CNN or MSNBC to do so in the not too distant future.  And anyone with a brain would package AC(I actually think he's AC-DC) tightly and store permanently on a dark shelf in a basement in the farthest corner and leave him there, feeding him often, but soundproofing the basement first. :p

Unabashed Left is available evenings, 7 nights a week and on weekends.  Keith Olberman lost an hour last week to Lawrence at 10 pm on MSNBC.  The nature of Elliot's scandal bringing him down politically was amusing at times but he's not funny.  Larry King's funny looking but he's gone.  Rachel Maddow is good, but not as funny as me.  The redheaded guy who tries to do comedy on her show sucks.  Chris Matthews:  funny haircut(I think he uses Campbell Brown's soup bowl as a template for that do), that's it.  So hire me.  I'm pretty, smart, funny, no current scandals, and quite available at a bargain price.  And I will consider either Atlanta or Manhattan.  Much more funny is needed in the news networks prime time line ups and I want some hours.  Put 2 plus 2 together please. 

That's another thing.  I'm flexible.  I'll even use whatever set you're using in the time slot now, not even new furniture necessary.  And the logo comes with me--sideways moon--it's great, took the picture myself, no need for a Madison Avenue firm to dream one up.

Oh yeah.  Christine O'Donnell.  LOLOLOLOL!  The Anti-Masturbation, Pro-Meatball, non Hare Krishna, former Witch, Tea Party Republican Senate candidate from Delaware.  Learned her name faster than any pol in U.S. history.  She's the gift to U.S. comedians that just will never end even after this asterisk attempt at the Senate.  I do believe Bill Maher is finally coming around to finding God.  Or, rather, God finding him, because God was not the one who was lost there. 

Having a collection of old tapes of Christine O'Donnell putting her foot in her mouth from the old days(her comments were funnier than his hair--almost) has made his job so easy that he is just brimming with gratitude every night so much that he's nearly busting at the seams.  Who wouldn't.  QUICK OFFER TO CHRISTINE O'DONNELL FOR AN UNABASHED INTERVIEW ANYTIME ANYPLACE FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME NOW, REPEAT NOW. I WILL TRAVEL ANYWHERE FOR AN INTERVIEW WITH YOU.  I LOVE YOU AND WANT TO TALK TO YOU.  PLEASE EMAIL ME AT  unabashedleft@gmail.com  TODAY, PLEASE!!!    I'll be glad to fork over as many Dunkin' Donuts munchkins and as much coffee as you can handle.  If you want champagne, no problem.  Let's talk, on tape please!

So, back to Rick Sanchez, again, why not?  A bit of advice, Rick.  In the future if a comedian like Jon Stewart or Bill Maher makes fun of you, laugh and enjoy it.  It can only boost your ratings.  That's why Maher's, Stewart's and your name are in the title of this blog.  To Bill Maher, Jon Stewart, Pete Dominick, Jay Leno and David Letterman:  MAKE FUN OF ME PLEASE.  I AM UNABASHED LEFT AND AVAILABLE 7 NIGHTS A WEEK FOR YOUR COMEDIC CONVENIENCE!!!  LOLOLOL

Weather Matters: Whether We Weather The Weather Underground or Above?

I posted yesterday about weather, and the torrents of rain in southwestern Mexico.  Fortunately the casualty rate due to the mudslides was less than feared, but the region has been devastated and as many as 300 homes buried.

Tropical Storm Nicole is barreling up the east coast, and should entertain us on Long Island Sound tomorrow with a bit of wind and rain.  Storms are beautiful, casualties and damage not so.  Meteorology does matter indeed, in that it can save lives.  However a larger point is at hand.

Two man-made disasters threaten ours and many other species.  Nukes and global warming.  Nukes are unfortunately only in the hands of policy makers(not a reliable place for them, to say the least-how 'bout eliminating them--the Obama administration has set that as official U.S. policy for the first time since the civilian targets Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed by the U.S. in 1945).

Global warming was indeed put on the map by Al Gore.  He may not have invented the internet, as he once claimed, but he did have an election stolen from him by one vote(5-4 party line US Supreme Court vote) and he did win the Nobel prize for advancing the facts of climate change.  To the point that even conservatives no longer try denying it's reality.

Generally speaking, those in the scientific community go unrepresented staff-wise in the news media, especially the broadcast media.  They are usually represented by meteorologists who wind up doing all kinds of other science duties, since hard science does not result in the desired demographic numbers NBC, Rupert Murdoch and Ted Turner's successors desire.

Prominent meteorologists, both local and national, tend to know their science and tend to advance certain causes when given the opportunity.  One such cause is the reduction of carbon emissions asap, because they know the damage already done and the damage being done and the damage that will be done.  As a group, these people have done much to advance many good causes.  Including investment in tsunami warning devices since the last devastating one a few years ago.  Also in tornado warning devices and systems in areas prone to twisters.  Advocating for scientific research funds.  Improving relief capabilities during disasters, especially post-Katrina.  And persistently reminding us of the imminence of the climate change threat.

Not organized in any sense, this loose confederation of on-air and off-camera weather experts are doing much to save the world, quietly, subtly and every day.  So to this small army of motivated experts, I say thank you.

Weather Matters: Whether Weather Matters?

It flat out does.  Meteorology is the only segment of local and national news broadcasting[if what transmits electronically through cables nowadays may be called broadcasting] that can either routinely save lives or cause lives to be lost.

Tragically today, as of this posting, as many as 1,000 people may be buried under tons of mud in southeastern Mexico due to landslides caused by as much as 30 inches of rain that has fallen from the remnants of the tropical cyclone Matthew which assaulted central America late last week.  The Weather Channel, despite NBC's many blunders since acquiring the Atlanta based network, continues to do awesome work in the area of saving lives routinely.  And today's reporting by them and their reporting of Matthew since it hit Central America, and of the tropics in general this season is emblematic of the staff's commitment to helping people who find themselves in the cross hairs of all types of weather phenomenon.

Unabashed Left has become somewhat of a recreational meteorologist this year, and has been blessed with many opportunities to meet some wonderful people dedicated to saving lives through weather reporting and forecasting.  Thanks to a now very dear friend, we ordered and acquired a wall-sized hurricane map and began charting tropical systems.  At the NOAA[the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration is the umbrella federal agency which includes both the National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Center] website blank charts are available free for the printing.

Sally, my wife, just bought me an updated weather station for our 3rd anniversary earlier this month[hi honey, I love you].  In Wallingford, CT it is currently(3:48pm Tuesday September 28, 2010 according to the atomic clock based in Colorado) 74.1 degrees Fahrenheit; relative humidity is kind of stifling at 95%; the dew point is 73.4 Fahrenheit; wind chill equivalent is 74.1; heat index also 74.1; winds are light and variable out of the Northwest at present @ 2mph; the barometric pressure is on a slow downward trend at 1005 millibars right at this moment, skies are overcast and should continue be the next few hours, with the rainfall for the previous 24 hours at slightly less than one half inch.

On-air weather reporting done accurately and well, without what we've come to call the "one eye on the radar and one eye on the ratings" syndrome, can actually prevent lives being lost, injury and property damage.  Most obviously, for example, is the risk involved in hyping storms routinely, resulting in a 'crying wolf' scenario in which people in those areas prone to tropical cyclones are inured to weather events and choose to ignore evacuation orders or even protect property[board windows, batten down hatches on boats, secure lawn furniture, etc.].

Over the years our observation has been that The Weather Channel and its newly updated weather.com has been responsible in its reporting in general.  That's not to say that some individuals haven't been prone to exaggerate and enhance their own careers by doing so, even on TWC, but in general, the net effect of TWC I believe is to have saved many injuries, deaths and at least $millions in property damage. 

Since joining NBC's "family" of networks, the media conglomerate has botched some things at TWC, especially personnel-related matters.  They've dispensed with some on-air people who are highly responsible and competent at the expense of cosmetics such as youth, appearance, celebrity and demographic appeal.

In the long run, NBC will learn that these moves will not improve TWC ratings at all.  At weather.com, we've been privileged to participate in two online chats.  One involved the recent anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the other about Hurricane Earl as he posed a threat to the U.S. east coast.  These events included on-air personalities such as Jim Cantore, Jeff Morrow, Mike Seidel, Dr. Rick Knabb, Stu Ostro and Brian Norcross as well as out of camera range experts. 

As an aside, I was privileged to participate in an online chat at the White House recently with NOAA administrator Dr. Lubchenko through the whitehouse.gov website.  That chat surrounded the safety of seafood following the BP oil spill, and is a clearly indicative of the transparency of this White House and of the Obama administration in general(I was also privileged to participate in a chat 2 weeks ago at the White House involving a member of the Council of Economic Advisers following a major economic speech by the President).

These online events were informative, accessible and fun, to say the least.  Young people with interests in meteorology are stimulated by these types of events, and there is much more available at weather.com.  Kudos go out to all involved on-air and off for performing a very valuable and unheralded public service.

Of the news networks, CNN deserves a rare pat on the back these days for it's commitment to meteorology.  It is the only network with a stable of full-time meteorologists who do much more than meteorology.  In particular, Chad Myers did an awesome job on an ongoing basis explaining the technology involved in capping the oil spill sponsored by BP, and Rob Marciano + producer John Murgatroyd[husband of TWC reporter and graduate meteorology student Julie Martin-Murgatroyd] did a great service with a prime-time special recently on the people employed cleaning up after BP.  Also, Jacqui Jeras performs admirably as do several other meteorologists for CNN.

I've found that on social media, meteorologists from the two networks are accessible, real and encouraging.  One day, for example, early this hurricane season, I was wanting to chart then tropical storm Alex, and Samantha Mohr of TWC was on-air.  I facebooked her requesting that the coordinates be posted, and 15 minutes later and for the rest of the weekend there were the coordinates.  Thanks Sam!  On another occasion we observed reporting one morning on TWC of a potentially world-record breaking 8 inch hailstone submitted by photo through an I-reporter's lens.  We facebooked Jacqui Jeras at CNN about the story, she thanked us and put the story on CNN then and there and it became an almost viral report for the next 48 hours.  Thanks Jacqui!

The interactions between the on-air meteorological/scientific communities there in Atlanta is actually quite heartening.  I especially want to thank former TWC veterans Dr. Steve Lyons and Bill Keneely for their years of valuable service and their accessibility and enjoyable chats.  Dr. Steve is now performing valuable work for the NWS on the Texas Gulf coast, and enjoying mountain biking, fishing and other outdoor pursuits, his fans might be interested in knowing.

A special shout-out to a very special young aspiring on-air meteorologist who goes by the name Marina Carpenter.  She is a uniquely knowledgeable high school freshman, who has designed a facebook fan page called The Weather Explorers.  We recommend that everyone go there now!  ABSOLUTELY!  It is full of accurate weather information, safety tips, updates, essays and input from fans. 

Her mission is the most beautiful part of the whole thing.  Her mission statement is posted at TWE and can be pretty much summarized as having the sole purpose of "keeping YOU safe."  This Weather Explorer, Marina Carpenter, is an inspiration to me in so many ways I can't begin to recount them all.  Technologically savvy, she intends to begin live broadcasts via Skype soon, has begun a setup on Twitter and here on blogspot.com with her new blog page.  All in addition to her school studies.  If you visit The Weather Explorers on facebook you won't want to leave.  She is my technological advisor for Unabashed Left in all its manifestations, on blogspot, facebook, twitter, gmail, hotmail and more.  Thanks Marina!

By the way anyone may email us now at either unabashedleft@hotmail.com or at unabashedleft@gmail.com anytime.  Our Twitter page is under construction.  And of course we are always here at unabashedleft.blogspot.com for your political, sociological and comedic convenience. :)

Weather forecasting is an art ever inching towards science, and I encourage young people to consider it as a career--especially the engineering aspects.  Doppler radar, satellite imagery, oceanic buoys detecting wave motion and so much more has done much in the last 20 years to save lives, and much more remains to be done.  I am inspired by the great men, women and kids I've met in this journey who are almost all inspired well to do service to people and I wish the same could be said to the same extent of those on the other side of the news desk and those holding office.

Some simple advice.  If severe weather of any sort threatens you locally, tune in to local TV, radio or online.  Heed any and all official warnings, watches and especially orders.  Highly recommended websites include: hurricane.com, noaa.com, The Weather Explorers on facebook, theweatherexplorers.blogspot.com and, of course, unabashedleft.blogspot.com for all your political and military needs. :)

A quick prayer, if you would.  Lord, please bring Your peace to those affected by the rains in Mexico today, and if it be your will, that casualties be minimal.  And that for those who may have perished that You welcome them into your blessed arms and give them the eternity of joy for which we all yearn. And for the survivors, please grant them comfort and faith in the conviction that You are the Creator, the Prince of Peace and that Your peace, which certainly surpasses my understanding, be granted unto them.  Amen.