Blog @ MoreWhat.com

Another slight departure for typical posting on this blog courtesy of a story one simply cannot ignore. There are serious and dangerous implications in this bit of news. And there is the entertainment value from the fact that the scenario is so stupid as to be categorized under stranger than fiction. In other words, you cannot make this stuff up. Well, certainly you could. But would it be believable? Would it provide the suspension of disbelief most fiction writing requires? The sad truth is conditions on this planet have deminished to a point where this kind of story is all to common.

The man who oversees Texas’ criminal justice system called Wednesday for a shake-up as authorities searched for a prisoner in a wheelchair who escaped on foot Monday from two armed guards as he was being transferred between prisons.

That’s right! An inmate escaped on foot from a wheelchair. The report suggests this may have been a hoax conjured by the inmate relating to the claim he had a stroke and needed the wheelchair for mobility. Oh yes, mobile he is.

Now for the serious part. The 6-foot, 200-pound Comeaux was serving a life sentence for aggravated sexual assault and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Now for the strange part. This is what his Mom had to say. “I’m trying to find out what the heck happened,” she said from her home in Houston. “How did my son come in contact with a gun inside the prison? I know he didn’t leave and go shopping. I’m looking at a corrupt system here.”

And there’s more.“His record is bad, and I admit that. I’m not hiding that.”

She said she hopes he returns to his parents’ house “so that I can talk to him, give him a good meal, a good bath, and send him back where he come from.”

She is also concerned that this may be a state conspiracy to set up her son for execution during the ensuing manhunt.

Wow, we actually have more problems to solve than those they are creating in Washington. Who’d a thunk it?

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Are you simply being a voyeur or surrendering to morbid curiosity by following the current Tiger Woods saga? Maybe. The real question that seems to be ignored in this story as well as those of John Edwards, Mark Sanford, Elliot Spitzer and others in similar situations is the other element in the equation. It takes two to tango. And the secondary consideration of ‘the other person’ rarely rates much commentary.

Understandably, a tryst involving well-known personalities or a ‘celebrity’ is rich fodder for all media sources. Especially when the celeb is married to someone else. Then comes the role model discussion and the righteous indignation from some corners of the public mindset. Whether Joanna Jagoda, Rachel Uchitel, Jaimee Grubbs or someone else in the Tiger story or the co-conspirator in other such stories the ‘other woman’ in these scandals is ‘exposed’ to little downside.

In Jaimee Grubbs Tiger is it a simple case of a gold digger of sorts exploiting the celebrity of Tiger Woods? No doubt Tiger Woods regrets this publicity. Who knows if he regrets the choices that brought it to bear? One thing seems certain. Someone like Jaimee Grubbs stands to benefit financially from the story. Some media sources pay well for the details. It feeds the frenzy. It prolongs the agony. And it really serves no worthwhile purpose.

The debate will continue on whether or not ‘celebs’ should be held to a different standard. How much privacy is a celeb entitled to after choosing the public spotlight as a career choice? But what about the creepy crawler whose only intention from the start may have been the chance for fame, fortune or other benefits at someone else’s expense? Not the least of which may be Tiger’s wife, children or other family members.

Save the righteous indignation. If it were someone obligated to honor the public trust as in elected or appointed officials in government the outrage is warranted. If you cheat on your spouse it raises other ethical questions about a public official. Perhaps that is the only time the standard should be applied. Celeb scandals may be propped up by this foolish notion that it matters only to serve the profit incentive of those who stand to gain by it.

Anyone can make a mistake. Anyone can have character less stellar than we perceive. We are all human and subject to failures. In this case, it may be righteous to give Tiger and his family a break. The same could not be said for Edwards, Sanford or Spitzer. Their professional lives involved a public trust beyond any personal obligations to others. That is a significant difference. Enough said.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Tiger Woods is an idiot (Michelle Malkin)

Does this inspire you to ask any questions?

“I do realize that those types of things shouldn’t happen,” Adams said in that statement. “I need to specifically apologize to the Bills, their fans, our fans and the NFL.

That may be. But the goofy NFL makes little sense in handing down this fine. $250,000 from an owner for flippin’ the bird. At least two players have been fined for the same ‘offense.’ One at $7,500 and one at $10,000.

The NFL fined former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo $1 million after he pleaded guilty to a felony and suspended him for the 1999 season.

Since then, the biggest fine handed down by the NFL to an individual was $500,000 to New England coach Bill Belichick for the Spygate scandal. The league also fined the New York Jets and former coach Eric Mangini $125,000 in September for violating its rules on injury reporting with Brett Favre last season.

NFL logic apparently dictates one million for a felony, half a million for elaborate cheating, a quarter mil for flippin’ someone off and half that for breaking reporting rules.

This strategy does not seem to be working given all the ‘infractions.’ But then it’s just about the money. Nevermind the ‘bird’ infraction should not equal half of that for cheating or a quarter of what a felony raises for the league.

How much should the league be penalized for extorting the public for stadiums, overcharging for tickets and limiting viewing as they move to pay per view everything? And the college ranks are following suit. Unless you do it their way, you can watch any team but your own on traditional network broadcasts.

None of your tax dollars go to the schools featuring the college football teams, right?

The trends in sports programming combined with the feeble offerings in television overall allow one to drastically reduce if not eliminate old viewing habits. Eventually, only true couch potatoes who would watch anything as long as food and drink are available will be the revenue for the industry. But they probably know that already. Which is why they offer what they do…. too little for too much.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Powers of observation may be a bit lacking with Somali pirates. Ya think? Brings to mind a minor quip, ’sucks to be you’. Had to be a large collective ‘oops’ from the pirates upon realizing their error in a recent target selection. But after all it was a ‘French warship’ (okay, refueling vessel) so you can understand the confusion. Do you suppose this story has any effect on the warship deal the French are offering the Russians?

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

France says its navy has captured five Somali pirates who attacked a French naval vessel, after apparently mistaking it for a commercial boat.

Military spokesman Christophe Prazuck says pirates on speedboats attacked the La Somme, a refueling ship, off the Somali coast early Wednesday.

He says crew members repelled the attack and then chased the pirates, seizing one boat and taking five men into custody.

French officials say no one was injured in the incident.

France is a key member of Operation Atlanta, the European Union’s anti-piracy operation in the Gulf of Aden.

Somali pirates have made tens of millions of dollars over the past two years hijacking ships and holding them for ransom. The number of hijackings has dropped in recent months as foreign navies patrol the coast and provide protection to commercial vessels.

The video above from local TV in Green Bay provides a reasonably balanced albeit timid account of fan reaction to Brett Favre facing his former team of 16 years wearing the uniform of a division rival. The Packer/Favre saga has been adequately documented in print and broadcast accounts but often fails to present the fact this one player is responsible for delivering more quality football in Green Bay, Wisconsin than had occurred in several decades before his arrival.

Mowed Down in the Showdown: Packers 23, Vikings 30
Aaron Rodgers was sacked eight times by the Vikings defense, while Brett Favre makes history as the only player to win against all 32 NFL teams.

Protecting the pocket is sure to be a major project for the Packers during the bye week, and so may be pressuring the quarterback. There were many times Favre wasn’t pressured at all. He was calm, cool, and exceedingly efficient.

In the first half of his last game before turning 40, Favre had a quarterback rating of 143.8 — 14-for-17, 154 yards, and two touchdowns. In the third quarter he was absolutely perfect, a QB rating of 158.3.

Sacking the current GB QB eight times sums up conditions in Titletown this season. In retrospect Favre’s departure from GB may be a blessing in disguise for the future Hall of Famer given his tenure and perhaps diminishing ability to absorb punishment from opposing defenses. But let’s not forget that Favre’s former protege did reasonably well given the lack of assistance he received from the team he was leading. Something Favre’s nemesis, Ted Thompson, may be hearing more about in the week(s) ahead.

Aaron Rodgers, who replaced Favre as Green Bay’s starting quarterback in 2008, threw for a career-best 384 yards. He went 26-of-37 with a pair of touchdowns and was picked off once.

Clay Matthews returned a fumble 42 yards for a touchdown and Jermichael Finley had six catches for 128 yards and a score for the Packers (2-2), who faltered thanks to Minnesota’s defense.

Jared Allen led the relentless attack with a career-high 4 1/2 sacks, one forced fumble and one safety. Minnesota had eight sacks of Rodgers, bringing the total times he’s been sacked to 20 this season.

Jared Allen, the one man wrecking crew, was absolutely on fire trashing the Packers’ hope to avoid embarrassment at the hands of their former field general who may have extracted extreme satisfaction to say the least with last night’s victory. Although it appeared the Vikings’ took the rest of the night off late in the game the Packers were unable get closer than 7 points by the end of regulation.

Minneapolis - After 16 years with the Packers and one with the New York Jets, Brett Favre got his wish and started the game tonight in Minneapolis for the Vikings against the Green Bay Packers, getting the 30-23 win.

After the Packers started with the football, and Aaron Rodgers completed five of his first six passes, the Packers current quarterback fumbled when sacked by the Vikings Jared Allen, bringing Brett Favre and the Vikings offense on the field. In a drive that included a fourth down conversion, Favre hit Visanthe Shiancoe from one yard out for the first score, giving the Vikings a 7-0 lead.

Above is the last excerpt presented from GB media sources and below is a regional account mirroring what seems the defacto conclusion in Packerland. Right now Brett Favre is doing better than those leading the Packers. There’s trouble in river city. And last night’s game makes a Viking/Packer rematch later this season more of a headache for some than others. At worst, Brett Favre insured the outcome will be no worse than a horse apiece. While his former team contemplates the consequence of a repeat result on their home turf.

Brett Favre extracted a smile this evening as the Vikings beat the Packers 30-23 but more importantly, Favre was brilliant. Revenge against Ted Thompson, according to Favre, it’s not about revenge but I’m sure Brett’s giggling inside at the thought of Ted and Mike McCarthy’s misery and the ire of the fans that they’re about to face.

There is no shortage of opinions either pro or con on matters involving Brett Favre especially those related to his departure from Green Bay. The view from here suggests the Packer organization is guilty of unsportsmanlike conduct for their handling of regime change with Favre and Rodgers. Favre certainly could have selected a better course of action in response. But again, the view from here credits most of the blame on Thompson and McCarthy. With all Brett Favre contributed in more than a decade and a half for this franchise for which he was more than adequately compensated financially better business decisions were available.

This Wisconsin resident, for one, took great pleasure from the game last night. This is not an isolated reaction. Some of us recall the legacy in Titletown is littered with less than stellar performance from the brain trust behind the organization known as The Green Bay Packers. Maybe the occasional load of dirty laundry is what caused the last 29-year drought in Superbowl appearances. And then there was the follow up loss shortly thereafter. Brett Favre was present for those games.. And after all these years, he’s still got it.

The frosting on the cake last night was the fact that Adrian Peterson was not the story as would have been expected. It was number four. You could almost hear a voice calling out Ted Thompson…..’how do you like me now’?

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Are you ready for some football? If yes, then you have to be ready for the whining, complaining, hype and tabloid treatment of teams and players usually reserved for the ‘celeb’ gossip columnists for Hollywood who make their living airing dirty laundry.

Two stories this week are on point. The continuing saga that is Brett Favre and a familiar episode from the college ranks illustrating ‘pro’ and ‘amateur’ are not that far apart.

This blogger’s viewpoint focuses on other topics in college and professional sports dealing with marketing and squeezing every last dollar out of the viewing public, otherwise known as fans, who seem to accept without even so much as a small debate, restricted viewing and the future of everything ‘pay=tv’ for their favorite venues. Sports programming, not unlike the ‘team’ organizations they present, have an obsession with the business model which largely ignores the primary purpose and loftier goals of athletic competition. For the purist as well as the ordinary spectator sport has lost some of its luster.

All the talk surrounding the first sports topic mentioned above, the Brett Favre saga, is full of fan opinions and sports writer analysis which comes in two forms as one might guess. Those who support and those who oppose the future hall of fame QB and his choices over the last couple of years. A piece from the online presence of radio station WTMJ 620 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin does a respectable job putting the story or stories in perspective.

He may not lead the Minnesota Vikings to the promised land. At his age, there’s always the chance he may not even finish the season.

But judging from his first real work of the preseason, the old guy with the aching ribs might have been well worth the wait for both the Vikings and their long suffering fans.

As long as he doesn’t try to block anyone, that is. Turns out there are some things you can’t teach old quarterbacks.

That’s a representative snippet from the report that covers most salient points regarding the former Green Bay Packer star QB. Everyone has an opinion. And this blogger will not bore you with another one. But assuming all remains as it is right now watching the next meeting between Green Bay and Minnesota should be quite entertaining. That impression may be shared by many as ticket sales have been a popular subject as well.

The other story this week from the college ranks raises similar talking points as does the Favre story. The short version is one player punches another player and the one landing the punch faces an uncertain future regarding a career in college or professional sports. Seems pretty much small potatoes when one considers other examples like the recent Michael Vick or Plexico Burris ’sagas’. And rather than hop on the holier than thou bandwagon of those suggesting extreme consequences for such outbursts of unnecessary action, it is worthwhile to suggest that public displays like this one by LeGarrette Blount is a reflection of current society at large. Road rage would be the societal example rather than the hyped political examples from this year’s August recess of the US Congress.

So LeGarrette Blount landed a ‘devastating punch’ to the jaw of Byron Hout at a Ducks/Broncos game. Right at this moment Byron Hout may be regretting the episode more than LeGarrette Blount. Nonetheless, college or pro, the macho stuff flares up from time to time. But it certainly would be appreciated by fans everywhere if we could get back to the ‘business’ of sports for competing participants and spectators alike in a fashion that elevates athletics to a place in which it once resided. A little more respect for what is really at stake in sports would improve the experience.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

08/25/2009

Pelosi: Fiscal Discipline Must Be the Order of the Day

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today on the updated deficit forecast:

“Today’s deficit projections are a legacy of Bush Administration fiscal policies that turned our surpluses into deficits and led the way toward an economic and financial crisis that has required historic short-term intervention. If pay-as-you-go principles had been in place for the last 8 years, this deficit would be $5 trillion smaller over the next decade.

“We are working with President Obama to restore fiscal responsibility and to ensure that statutory pay-go, already passed by the House, is signed into law. Under President Obama’s leadership, we have ended the Bush-era practice of hiding the costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – gimmicks and accounting tricks that have no place in our budget process. And working with the President, Congress has laid out a budget blueprint that reduces our deficit, lays a new foundation for job creation and economic growth, and invests in more broadly shared prosperity for all Americans.

“But we cannot reduce the deficit in the long-term without getting health care costs under control. Nor can health care reform add to the challenge. That is why our health insurance reform is fully paid for and will not increase the deficit.

“These deficit projections send a clear message: fiscal discipline must be the order of the day as we come out of this recession. Our economic recovery efforts are starting to pay dividends for America’s families. Today’s announcement that consumer confidence and home prices are on the rise represent new signs that our economy is moving in the right direction. And now, we must remain on-track to tackle our fiscal challenges, advance policies to promote job growth, reinforce the foundation of our prosperity, and return the United States to the days of financial stability.”

from MoreWhat.com:

How much proof does one need to conclude Nancy Pelosi does not reside on planet Earth? Fiscal responsibility? Pay-go? Wow!

Trillions in debt, deficit and spending with no end in sight and Nutjob Nancy publishes a press release like this. Nancy, get back on your meds! The press release above should be grounds to have her adjudged incompetent in any court. No sane person could make such statements given commonly available financial data for the US, especially the government,  which Pelosi is a current elected official though she may not be aware of that.

Stanford Matthews

U.S. President Barack Obama hosted a get-together at the White House Thursday with an esteemed African-American professor and a white police officer. But this was more than a social occasion: it was a chance to talk about a controversial arrest that sparked a national debate on race relations.

But the fascination with the story exploded after President Obama told reporters he thought the Cambridge police “acted stupidly” by arresting Gates.

Sgt Crowley had said the meet allowed two men to agree to disagree on the situation and when asked about President Obama said ‘he supplied the beer’.

This is surely not the test for Obama forecasted by VPOTUS Biden some months ago but it ranks right up there with the VP’s own gaffe history. And the only teachable thing about this moment is those who ‘acted stupidly’ at the ballot box last November.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

This is a follow up to a recent post on OMG, Idol, and Paula Abdul leaving over some conflict perhaps about, go figure, $$. The remaining question in that meaningless saga was who cares? Even in the pic above it appears Perry is gesturing a ‘heart’ with her hands but both her hands and arms could be gesturing ‘ZERO’. Draw you own conclusion.
Now the report is Katy Perry is the replacement. How’s that for cloning? Same gender, similar hair color and a marginal talent. But at least one video is entertaining as well as a parody video also presented here.

For obvious reasons the content of the video may at least be entertaining to some degree. Perry’s vocals, if this isn’t a Milli Vanilli thing, are decent. Adequate range demonstrated with an effective use of falsetto. So now, on to the parody with similar qualities.

The parody vid was reviewed in an effort to insure the absence of tasteless content. American Idol should have chosen the Venetian Princess for Abdul’s replacement. Besides, Abdul may translate into English as ‘the slave’. So how does Paula the Slave justify accepting any $$ for her role on Idol?
Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Reports suggest American Idol may be seeing the end of the product life cycle. Producers, cast and others involved may be milkin’ the show for all it’s worth in the time that remains. Abdul could have been demanding more than those in conrtol were willing to pay. She has announced leaving Idol. The question that remains…. who cares?

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Couch Potatoes Don’t Watch Obama

More than 70 percent of votes in a TVGuide.com poll are from people who say they would rather watch their regular shows in prime time than watch President Barack Obama.

Like this is a suprise.

And we wonder why the state of the nation is troubling and why elections turn out the way they do. If the couch potato is a large enough component of the US population it may explain why we have so many public issues to resolve. Would a couch potato be concerned about healthcare? Would a couch potato care if we were headed toward socialism? If you remember the civics literacy test results couch potatoism may be responsible for the miserable results.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Sen. Chuck Hagel Joins Faculty
Former U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) will join the Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS) faculty this semester as Distinguished Professor in the Practice of National Governance.

Hagel will teach undergraduate and graduate student courses in U.S. foreign policy in the fall.

“Senator Hagel brings great expertise on important foreign and domestic issues facing our nation,” said Georgetown President John J. DeGioia. “He is a great addition to our community of distinguished scholars, and I look forward to his contributions to Georgetown.”

In addition to his teaching commitments, Hagel also will conduct seminars and other educational activities for SFS students and the broader university community.

“I am honored to become part of this respected institution and look forward to contributing to the important efforts that Georgetown continues to make in educating our next generation of leaders,” said Hagel.

First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996, Hagel served two consecutive terms. He also served as chair of both the Senate Global Climate Change Observer Group and the Senate Oversight Task Force and as co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. Hagel has been a member of four Senate committees — the Committee on Foreign Relations; the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; the Select Committee on Intelligence; and the Committee on Rules and Administration.

“I am pleased to welcome Senator Hagel to the School of Foreign Service and know he will offer valuable insight and understanding on critical issues in foreign policy and on the policymaking process,” said SFS Dean Robert L. Gallucci.

Hagel has authored “America: Our Next Chapter: Tough Questions, Straight Answers” (Ecco 2008), in which he explores domestic issues — including the health care crisis, immigration and Social Security and Medicare reform. He also examines foreign policy problems, including China’s growing economy, India and Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities, and Iran’s aggressive political, ideological and nuclear stances.

Source: Blue & Gray (February 5, 2009)

If you want to know what happens to has been POLS after they leave the government, here’s an example. And no report was found of Hagel also working as a lobbyist but that would be no suprise.

Is Hagel being a ‘distinguished professor’ at Georgetown have any relationship to actually having credentials to teach or is this just a perk of being a former short term senator?

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

By LAURIE KELLMAN –

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid became the latest Democrat to stray into rhetorical trouble Tuesday, botching statements on three subjects in one news conference — including the fragile health of the chamber’s most senior members.

The Nevada Democrat reported that one of them, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., was absent because he was receiving a new round of treatment for his brain cancer. Asked if the cancer was in remission, Reid replied, “As far as I know, it is, yes.”

Kennedy’s office refused to confirm Reid’s comments or make any statement in response, the public silence a classic Washington disavowal.