Long May He (It) Wave!

Via Blog-Bud Alison... Robin Williams as The American Flag:



Good, innit? And didja catch who produced this vid? Even MORE amazing, that. OK... I won't question their patriotism. For the moment, anyway.

On Joe

So… like many others around the Right-O-Sphere and elsewhere I’m simply appalled at the way the Left-O-Sphere and the MSM have slimed Joe Wurzelbacher, aka “Joe the Plumber.” Jeez… the sheer temerity of this guy, questioning The One, and worse yet… disagreeing with him. You can’t DO that… this is a Brave NEW America! About which, a short video from Fox News Channel:

Regarding that “elsewhere” link, above. This is an excerpt from that link (Jules Crittenden, writing on his blog):

Now they’re investigating the “I am Joe” crowd. CBS:

The Republican National Committee is sending around this Associated Press photo of overall-clad McCain supporters standing outside an Obama rally, clutching plungers and a sign proclaiming “I Am Joe The Plumber”:

The only problem? At least two of the members aren’t quite as similar to the newly famous Joe Wurzelbacher as they might like you to think. As CBS News’ Maria Gavrilovic, who is traveling with the Obama campaign, reports, the man on the right does say he’s an actual plumber – though he is from Melbourne, Australia, and will thus not be casting a vote this November.

And the man on the left, plunger thrust high in the air, is Charlie Smith – the National Chairman of the College Republicans.

Yeah, well maybe it isn’t that they actually are Joe, but that they’re expressing an affinity with Joeness, you morons. Hard to grasp, I know, after all the energy that’s been put into explaining how sitting on boards with people, kicking off campaigns in their living rooms, sitting in their pews for 20 years, doesn’t make you an America-hating, ex-terrorist-palsing bigot or give you any affinity for them.

There’s much more, and here’s the link again. You should go read, if you haven’t already.

Further: Here’s David Burge (aka Iowahawk) on the subject, deviating from his usual and inimitable satirical take on things political:

First, a pre-emptive apology for the intentional non-humor to follow. I promise that all future non-humor will be strictly unintentional.

We've all witnessed a lot of insanity in American politics over the last few years. Up until the last few days, none of it has seriously bothered me; hey, just more grist for the satire mill. But after witnessing the media's blitzkreig on Joe 'the Plumber' Wurzelbacher, I can only muster anger, and no small amount of fear.

Politicians -- Sarah Palin, Bill Clinton, et al. -- obviously have to put up with some rude, nasty shit, but it's right there in the jobs description. Joe the Plumber is different. He was a guy tossing a football with his kid in the front yard of his $125,000 house when a politician picked him out as a prop for a 30 second newsbite for the cable news cameras. Joe simply had the temerity to speak truth (or, if you prefer, an uninformed opinion) to power, for which the politico-media axis apparently determined that he must be humiliated, harassed, smashed, destroyed. The viciousness and glee with which they set about the task ought to concern anyone who still cares about citizen participation, and freedom of speech, and all that old crap they taught in Civics class before politics turned into Narrative Deathrace 3000, and Web 2.0 turned into Berlin 1932.0.

Godwin's Law! you say? if the jackboot fits, wear it.

If it's meta-memes and meta-meta-narratives these media headlice want, so be it. I hope you will join me in expressing a simple bit of solidarity with this guy, Spartacus style. I AM JOE. I am a Wal Mart schlub in flyover country who changes my own oil and unclogs drains without a license. I smoke and drink beer and toss the football in the front yard with my kid, and I figure I can fend my way without handouts from some Magic Messiah's candy bags. Most everyone in my family and most everyone I grew up with is another Joe, and if you screw with them, you screw with me.

Are you a Joe? Say it proud. Leave it on every goddamn newspaper comment section and online forum. Let these pressroom and online thugs know you won't stay silent when they try to destroy the life of a private citizen for speaking his mind -- because for every one of them, there are a million Joe Wurzelbachers. And for that we should all be thankful.

Dang. What he SAID! Mr. Burge also included a link to the graphic displayed at the top of this post… suitable for insertion in your sidebar, if you have a blog. I’m just gonna include it here… coz my sidebar leaves NO doubt as to who I support and what I think of The One… and his policies. With any luck this whole “Joe” flap might be the event that allows Senator McCain to turn the corner. One can always hope…

And now… it’s Saturday, so it’s All Football, All The Time. For the rest of the day and well into the night.

Just Watch It. You'll Be Glad You Did.

McCain at his VERY best… last night in NYC at the Al Smith Dinner:

This clip isn’t the entire speech, as it’s missing the final three minutes. You can see the entire 13+ minute speech here, if you have a mind to do so. I watched it in its entirety and was most impressed. Not to mention the fact that I laughed my ass off. Yeah... it's that funny!

Hat tip: Lex, for the WCBS link.

Update, 1245 hrs.: OK… equal time, if only for the contrast in style and content. Here’s The One, at the same event.

Your mileage may vary, but I think Senator McCain won THIS one, hands down.

And These People Vote...

From a Yahoo! news article yesterday (Americans Flunk Simple 3-Question Political Survey):

Some news audiences are more politically savvy than others, according to a new poll, with readers of The New Yorker and similar high-brow magazines being the most knowledgeable.

The survey, conducted between April 30 and June 1 by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, measured the political knowledge of 3,612 U.S. adults. Participants were asked to name the controlling party of the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. secretary of state and Great Britain's prime minister.

Overall, just 18 percent of participants answered all three questions correctly.

Think about that last number… 18%. Fewer than one in five could answer three simple civics questions correctly. OK, I’ll give you the Gordon Brown question, as few Americans are politically aware where furriners are concerned. But I’d venture a guess that the results would have been the same had the survey asked respondents to name the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court instead of the UK’s prime minister… possibly lower, even. Lest you think it’s all about ed-u-ma-kay-shun… think again:

However, several news audiences with relatively low proportions of college graduates also scored well on the news quiz. Just 31 percent of regular "Hannity & Colmes" viewers are college graduates. Even still, 42 percent Hannity viewers got perfect scores on the political knowledge quiz, compared with 44 percent of NPR listeners.

Which, of course, substantiates the thought that some sort of intellectual “means testing” should be required of all voters. That’s not elitist sort of thinking… it’s merely prudent. Coz uninformed voters could possibly elect a glib someone with a great smile and not much else. Like this guy…

I never get tired of this image, btw. This is the third time I've posted it.

Joe's 15 Minutes

Via Blog-Bud Phlegmmy:

The man does make sense, doesn’t he? I’m bettin’ The One wishes he’d NEVER had that conversation out on the trail, eh?

While we’re on the subject of last evening… however indirectly it might be… I think Senator McCain scored a thin win last night, on points. But I also believe his (McCain’s) performance was/is too late to change anything, as the “undecideds” are largely a myth at this point in time. In other words… if I were a Lefty I’d be telling anyone/everyone who would listen that I’ll be off to Canada pretty soon (think: Dubya/2004). But I’m NOT a Lefty, and I intend to stay right where I am, thankyouverymuch. The Republic will survive an Obama presidency… maybe even in a form we’ll recognize, four years on. I’m hopeful.

Oh yeah… I should ALSO add I’m not giving up. Stranger things have happened in American politics than a McCain win, ya know.

This Bugs Me

Thirteen and a half minutes, 22 page views… and not a single comment. Perhaps I’m overly sensitive but this bugs me, Gentle Reader. I dunno exactly WHY this is, but it does have a lil something to do with politesse. As in: a general lack of.

But... as it's said: if this is all I have to worry/bitch about, then life is good. Well, sorta... if you discount the upcoming election.

Things That Make Ya Go "Hmmmm"

-->

From the AFA’s Daily Report… “Not Your Father’s Air Force” Department:

A Shower for Every Mobility Airman: Air Mobility Command officials say the construction of new dormitories for single airmen at Dover AFB, Del., MacDill AFB, Fla., and Scott AFB, Ill., is expected to be completed before 2010. These dorms are being built to the new "Dorms-4-Airmen" standard, meaning each airman will have his own bedroom and bathroom in a quad-bedroom set-up that otherwise features a common living room, kitchen, and washer and dryer. "This is a higher standard than previous [dormitory] configurations that didn't provide either a private room or a private bath, or both," said Anthony DeSimone, AMC's chief of integrating planning. The new kitchen set up will make it easier for airmen to prepare their own meals as opposed to having to eat in a dining hall or off base. And the dorm common areas will offer cyber cafes and recreation areas with amenities like pool tables, dartboards, and big-screen TVs. In addition to the new dorms, AMC also plans to renovate existing ones, with improvements including new furnishings, upgraded heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, and new cyber cafes and exercise rooms. (Scott report by Desiree Mahr)

No word if there’ll be maid service… but I wouldn’t bet against that.

Further… There’s SO much to say about this, and SO many approaches one could use to say it. The first thing that hit my mind falls into the “I walked two miles to school every day, barefoot in the snow, and it was uphill both ways” category. I spent a few years living in the barracks dorms (sorry; lost my head there) during my career, even after I married (remote tours, TDYs, etc.). I always had a room mate or two, and we always shared a common latrine (dang. Lost it again!) bath. Always… at least until I hit the senior NCO ranks. I ate in the chow dining hall (why does this keep happening?) and I did my laundry in Laundromats run by the Exchange, there were no “free” washers and dryers (except at remote sites). I can’t comment on big-screen teevees and cyber cafés, for what should be obvious reasons. We usually had one wonky color teevee in our day room, albeit with flesh tones more commonly associated with psychedelic drugs. And so it went…

Finally… Here’s one other approach I thought about taking: “Eatcher HEARTS out, Navy!”

Today’s Pic: SN2’s living quarters aboard ship in the way-back. What ya see is SN2 in his “quarters” aboard the USS Rodney King M Davis. Sam was a full Lieutenant at the time, or the equivalent of an Air Force captain (O-3). I don’t have pics of how the Navy’s enlisted swine live, unfortunately. You may draw your own conclusions, based upon how their ossifers live. The junior ossifers on Davis lived three to a room and shared a common head. (See... I can speak "Navy!")

Trivial and Mundane

Before

After

Today’s Pics: Yesterday’s major accomplishment: I finally got around to defrosting my fridge and it needed it... badly. It needed defrosting two or three months ago, actually, but procrastination is my way of life. This particular task takes about an hour of mind-numbingly boring work, mostly consisting of holding a hair dryer running on “high” about two inches from the accumulated ice and watching it melt and fall into the catch tray below the cooling fins (you can see the residual ice in the "after" pic). What fun. And then there’s the general mop-up following the actual defrosting. More fun, even.

There are only a handful of people in these United States who still have to defrost their refrigerators manually… and I’m one of ‘em. Someday I’ll graduate into the Middle Class and get a frost-free fridge like Mom had back in the day. And a washer and dryer of my very own, too. (My tongue is firmly planted in my cheek as I write…)

Frontline

The biggest complaint from most of us who oppose The One is his demonstrable lack of experience, his opaque track record, and the fact he seemingly hasn’t done anything of consequence during his four years in the Senate — and that would be the US Senate, not the Illinois State House. Well… it’s come to light that this didn’t just happen, it’s by design. Here’s Tom Daschle, speaking about His Boy Barack:

In 2006 ... he talks to you about the possibility of running for the presidency. What do you tell him?

I tell him he should do it. We went to my favorite restaurant and took the kitchen table in the back where nobody could see us. We had a bottle of wine and a great meal and what was supposed to be a conversation that lasted about an hour I think went over three.

And during that time I told him that I thought his lack of Washington experience was one of his greatest assets. And I argued that windows of opportunity for running for the presidency close quickly. And that he shouldn't assume, if he passes up this window, that there will be another. I had that experience, and I wouldn't want him to see the same thing happen to him.

Why the 2008 window for Obama?

I think the window is important for a couple of reasons. One, it was an open opportunity -- that is, he wasn't running against an incumbent; and secondly, because the longer he's in Washington, the more history he has, and the more history he has, the more he's going to be explaining his votes and his actions and his statements and his positions that undermine his message. His message is one of change, his message is one of new direction, and it's harder to do that after you've been in Washington for a long time.

The passages above were taken from the PBS/Frontline web site, specifically from the text of the interview with former senator Daschle. The web site is an adjunct to the Frontline program “The Choice 2008,” a two-hour show that ran last evening. I watched the whole thing and was more than a little surprised at the even-handedness and objectivity of the program. Frontline tends to have a decidedly Left point of view, and I expected the program to be a puff-piece for The One. And it wasn’t… much to my surprise.

But… back to the main point. There was also another interview during the program last evening where a Talking Head claimed a conscious decision was made by Obama and his staff to keep the junior Senator from Illinois away from any and all issues that might be the least little bit controversial. I looked high and low for that quote, but it’s either been edited out of the interviews, or eliminated entirely. But… the point remains: The One’s track record is thin, by design. I find that particularly troubling.

I really liked “The Choice 2008.” Frontline usually re-runs its Tuesday show on Thursday evenings (in my market, anyway) and oftentimes again on Saturday. I heartily recommend watching the show if you haven’t made up your mind about who you’ll vote for on November 4^th. MY mind has been made up for months now, and I think it’s a testimony to the quality of the Frontline presentation that I felt my decision was reinforced by watching that show. In other words, Frontline’s “The Choice 2008” validated my judgment… and that’s no small feat for a bunch of left-wing documentary producers. You can also watch the program in its entirety on the web site… but I don’t know anyone who has the patience to watch two hours of teevee on a computer screen. I certainly don’t, but your mileage may vary.

Then and Now

Digital cameras are wonderful things… and one of the major reasons is the metadata included with each and every photo you shoot. What this really means is you know the exact date and time you took a particular shot (among a lot of other techie-type info), so there’s no wondering “where/when was THIS taken?” as you browse through your archives. Which is quite unlike going through an old shoebox full of photos, believe me.

So… the foregoing is an intro to a minor celebration of sorts: The Green Hornet is eight years old today. I’ve owned one other car longer than the Green Hornet and that was my Baby Beemer…which I kept for ten years. I obviously liked that Beemer and I really like the Miata, too. Both cars have served me well, both cars were/are great good fun, and I see no reason why the Green Hornet won’t tie my personal record for auto longevity and maybe even break it. So… in celebration, here are a few “then and now” pics… both of the Green Hornet and her driver.

Top to bottom: (1) GH on the day I bought her, in the Oakland Hills above... you guessed it... Oakland, CA. (2) GH a couple of months ago after a wash and wax. (3) YrHmblScrb in his place of business at 44 Montgomery Street, SFO (October 12, 2000). (4) YrHmblScrb with Blog-Buddy Lou and husband Toby, taken last month (the latest pic I have).

I think the car has held up better than its owner over the past eight years, nu?

You Can't Make This Shit Up...

Ah, San Francisco:

On October 12, 2008, traditional Columbus Genocide Day, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., the Navy’s Blue Death and the Canadian Snowbirds terrorized San Francisco, with the Blue Death criss-crossing the City from San Francisco General Hospital to the Bay, flying over St. Francis Hospital repeatedly, and low enough to read the words on the bottom “US Navy.“

For 25 years, it has been impossible to enjoy Aquatic Park’s beach or swim in the bay during Columbus Genocide weekend as the criminal air show and the deafening noise from the radio station broadcasting at Aquatic Park make enjoying this area impossible for those who love to swim and sunbathe. The beautiful 60 degree very clear sunny days are shattered by the deafening, nerve-wracking noise of these death machines, all brought to us courtesy the Democrat-Republican Parties. The fact that anyone, much less hundreds of thousands of Americans can find this madness entertaining is a sign of both a profound lack of education and widespread criminal insanity in this society. The only sane response is outrage at the utter contempt the Democrat-Republican Parties have for us, and to never vote for any of their candidates at any level.

The Canadian Snowbirds, the Canadian military’s death machines, have had many accidents, with the latest being October 9, 2008.

[…]

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO STOP THE NAVY’S BLUE DEATH

1. CINDY SHEEHAN FOR CONGRESS

The nightmare Navy’s Blue Death flights and Fleet Week represent the obvious contempt the Democratic Party machine of San Francisco has for the people of San Francisco and our response must be to support a peace candidate for Congress, Cindy Sheehan.

OK, everyone in SFO isn’t as addled as the twits at SFO Indymedia. But common sense in SFO is heavily outweighed by the presence of the nation’s most concentrated population of moonbats, literally hundreds of thousands of ‘em. Which, of course, is one of the main reasons I left there back in 2002. About which: Great restaurants and the best city-vistas in the Free World cannot begin to make up for an ugly population.

The hat tip goes to Lex for this one.

The Winter of Our My Discontent

So… today is the season's first “heating day” here on The High Plains of New Mexico. It was 44 degrees when I awoke this morning (I use the term “morning” quite loosely) and it’s supposed to hit a high of 58. I don’t think we’re gonna make that, but I could be wrong. It’s been known to happen. One thing I DO know: no beer and cigars on the verandah today. Nosiree, Bob.

―:☺:―

I’ve been wrong about a lot of things in my life, as noted above, but it appears I wasn’t wrong about the McCain campaign. Here’s Bill Kristol, writing in yesterday’s NYT (“Fire the Campaign”):

It’s time for John McCain to fire his campaign.

He has nothing to lose. His campaign is totally overmatched by Obama’s. The Obama team is well organized, flush with resources, and the candidate and the campaign are in sync. The McCain campaign, once merely problematic, is now close to being out-and-out dysfunctional. Its combination of strategic incoherence and operational incompetence has become toxic. If the race continues over the next three weeks to be a conventional one, McCain is doomed.

He may be anyway. Bush is unpopular. The media is hostile. The financial meltdown has made things tougher. Maybe the situation is hopeless — and if it is, then nothing McCain or his campaign does matters.

But I’m not convinced by such claims of inevitability. McCain isn’t Bush. The media isn’t all-powerful. And the economic crisis still presents an opportunity to show leadership.

Mr. Kristol goes on to lay out a roadmap of sorts for a McCain recovery and come-from-behind win. It’s really late in the game for Mr. Kristol’s prescription (or anyone else’s, for that matter) to work, but God knows the current campaign isn’t working… at all.

I was looking for the transcript of yesterday’s Fox News Sunday panel discussion, in which Mr. Kristol gave the closing remarks… all about the sorry state of the McCain campaign. Those remarks were short and to the point, whereas Mr. Kristol’s op-ed in the NYT tends to wander a bit. But the op-ed will have to do, in the absence of a published FNS transcript. I’ll keep watching for those remarks and will post them when and if they become available.

In the same vein (kinda-sorta), here’s Victor Davis Hanson, writing at Real Clear Politics (“Jumping Ship…”):

Obama, as I have said ad nauseam, has brilliantly prepped the battlefield to such a degree that a Farrakhan endorsement or surrogates calling Palin a quasi-Nazi or a bimbo, or smearing McCain as near senile is irrelevant; yet one screamer in a crowd of tens of thousands is proof of McCain's and Palin's racism and hatred.

Again, most conservatives know this paradox, but for some being outraged, as the conservative voice of reason, at McCain's supposed low road ensures a CNN spot, or some future rehabilitation during the expected Obama regnum of the next eight years. I think should I write a column suddenly taking the "high road", praising Obama's wit, taste in books, and metrosexuality, I would be dubbed principled rather than cynical, 'even-handed' rather than self-serving, and a maverick rather than toadish.

Yet for a self-acclaimed conservative to vote Obama would mean that higher taxes, larger government, more entitlements, more of a UN-centered foreign policy, dialogue with an Iran, less coal, oil, and nuclear energy production at home, more "oppression" studies and "reparations", leftish Supreme Court judges, open borders (I could go on) were the truly conservative positions, or perhaps suddenly truly the 'right' positions. And as far as ethics go, in fact, a cursory review of the past Obama campaigns would reveal a ruthlessness never seen in any of McCain's efforts. Obama's record is far more left than McCain's is far right. Obama the healer has proven to be the most partisan in the Senate, McCain one of the most bipartisan.

The foregoing isn’t so much a treatise on the failures of the McCain campaign as it is a warning to conservatives who have jumped ship for The One. Yeah… I’m looking at you, Doc and Barry. Just imagine… for a moment… The One, Pelosi, and Reid discussing tax policy over dinner, mmm-kay? Or, Hell… discussing anything else of import for the nation, for that matter. That doesn't scare ya?

―:☺:―

Good news… the Dow Jones Industrials are up 700 points or so about a half hour away from the market close; the other indices are also up. So, we’re spared a ninth consecutive down day on Wall Street. We certainly needed a breather, eh?

―:☺:―

And finally… a new, self-explanatory, tongue-in-cheek video of that ol’ ‘80s hit “Take on Me” has surfaced and is making the rounds of these here inter-tubes. It’s pretty cute, so I thought I’d pass it on. Me and about 379 other people, according to ViralVids. Here we go…

Pretty good, innit?

Some People Have NO Business Voting...

Via Blog Bud Mike…

Yup. Some people SHOULD stay home rather than exercising their right to vote. What on earth gives you the right to vote if, like in the video, you can’t recognize a photo of Joe Biden? My gut tells me the majority of those hopeychange voters don’t have a frickin’ CLUE what their candidate stands for… or doesn’t stand for. Not all, mind you, just the majority. Particularly those people who were most recently registered by ACORN. Yep. Now there’s a real case of “civic involvement” and “doing the right thing,” even if that Right Thing kinda-sorta violates the law, yanno? But, Hey! Whatever it takes.

Sarah Drops the Puck...

…and here’s the vid:

From the LA Times:

The world's most famous "hockey mom" can now join the ever-growing list of icons booed by Philly fans. Move over, Santa Claus and Mike Schmidt, Sarah Palin was booed tonight in front of Willow and Piper as she was introduced to drop the first puck at the Flyers' home opener against the New York Rangers.

Despite pleas from the scoreboard at the Wachovia Center, which read "Flyers fans, show Philadelphia's class and welcome America's No. 1 hockey mom, Sarah Palin," ABC News' Jake Tapper reports that the booing was so prevalent that the music had to be cranked up to "deafening" levels in order to compete with the fans from the city of Brotherly Love.

Yeah… the Flyers fans are a tough crowd, if one wants to be kind. I can think of other descriptive phrases, but I won’t go there… mainly coz I try and keep EIP clean, ya know? There’s more at Sports Illustrated and various Lefty blogs… if ya wanna go there. I, personally, don’t. Go to the Lefty blogs, that is. Not today.

Vive La Difference!

Via Blog-Bud Morgan... a video he claims is old, but it's new to me. And hopefully you, as well, Gentle Reader. A helpful lil animation about men and women and the differences between us. I especially find the bit about shopping to be as true as true gets. The other stuff? Well, maybe...



Good, innit?

A Banner Evening...

From The Detroit Free Press…

The old guard delivered the banner to the new guard, the grizzled champions meeting the fresh ones on the ice.

The full richness of the Red Wings’ fabled hockey empire bloomed in red and white Thursday night at Joe Louis Arena, as the 2007-2008 Stanley Cup champions were crowned again, this time with a banner that made a long, slow, spot-lit journey from the ice to the rafters to celebrate the franchise’s 11th Stanley Cup.

The banner was brought out by Production Line alums Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay and fellow former Wings Alex Delvecchio, Johnny Wilson, Dennis Hextall and Doug Brown. Captain Nicklas Lidstrom grabbed hold; his alternates – Pavel Datsyuk, Kris Draper and Henrik Zetterberg – joining him.

“That was special to see the old players, the former players come out for the celebration and handing over the banner to the current players,” Lidstrom said. “It was enjoyable and fun to be a part of.”

The ceremony lasted barely 20 minutes; a blink, really, compared to what it took to earn it.

Yep… a short ceremony to cap off a quest that began in September of 2007 and culminated in the Wings winning the hardest fought, most cherished trophy in sports… nearly ten months later (June 4, 2008). I watched the entire ceremony, from beginning to end, and Versus did a very good job of televising the event. Good on ‘em.

If you want to see an amazing photographic image of the banner-raising (and Joe Louis Arena — in high-definition), you should go to this Detroit News web page: “Panoramic image: A 360-degree view of the Stanley Cup championship banner raising.” The image is truly spectacular in full-screen mode. Almost…but not quite… like being there.

Oh, yeah. There was a game, too. And that lil event was much less impressive than the banner-raising ceremony. From The Detroit News:

DETROIT -- One loss doesn't qualify as a Stanley Cup hangover, but the Red Wings could use a couple aspirin.

The supposedly inept Toronto Maple Leafs negated the Wings' puck possession with their young legs and determination, stunning the defending champions, 3-2, Thursday night at Joe Louis Arena.

The night started with the Wings raising their 11th Stanley Cup banner and it ended with a disappointing upset.

"We were set up to have a real nice night here," Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "We didn't do our part."

The Red Wings, who never had the lead, turned the puck over a whopping 19 times to five giveaways by the Maple Leafs.

Well, now. This isn’t the way to begin a new season, especially a season where you’re the defending Stanley Cup Champions. But… there are 81 games left to play, and the Wings ARE the Wings. A loss in the opener hurts, but it ain’t fatal, by any means.

And the Wings weren’t the only home team to lose last night. Versus did a double-header last evening, and the B’s beat the Avs in the nightcap by a 5-4 score… which, all things considered, was the better game of the evening. Both teams played hard, the lead changed hands more times than I can remember, and the game was close… right up to the very end. Most entertaining, that was.

And then there’s this…

NEW YORK – President George W. Bush will honor the 2008 Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings during a ceremony in the East Room of The White House on Tuesday, Oct. 14, at 2:30 p.m., ET.

Members of the 2008 Red Wings, led by team captain Nicklas Lidstrom, will gather at The White House for the ceremony. National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman, Red Wings Owners Mike and Marian Ilitch, General Manager Ken Holland and Detroit Head Coach Mike Babcock also are scheduled to attend.

Cool, eh?

Going After the NHL Hockey Fan Vote...

Doubtless you’ve seen this… IF you’re a hockey fan. So that makes three of us, nu? But, for the rest of all y’all… a lil blurb from the Philly Flyers’ web site:

World's Most Popular Hockey Mom Sarah Palin to Drop Puck
Palin to Join Flyers Hockey Mom Contest Winner on Ice Before Game

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the nation’s most popular hockey mom, will join the winner of the Philadelphia Flyers regional search for the “Ultimate Hockey Mom” contest and drop the puck at the ceremonial opening face-off as the home team Flyers host the New York Rangers at the Wachovia Center on Saturday, October 11 at 7 p.m.

“Because of the tremendous amount of publicity she has brought to our sport, we invited the most popular hockey mom in North America to our home opener to help us get our season started,” said Comcast-Spectacor Chairman Ed Snider who founded the Flyers in 1967. “We are very excited she has accepted our offer and we are very proud of the publicity she is generating for hockey moms and the sport of hockey.”

The Flyers have been searching for the ultimate hockey mom in the Greater Philadelphia Region through an on line contest which asked hockey players or hockey moms themselves to submit their hockey mom poster to the team.

Hockey moms and players were encouraged to submit posters showing their hockey mom pride and their loyalty and dedication to the sport via the team’s website, philadelphiaflyers.com, by October 7. The team will award all hockey moms entered into the contest with a free "puck-er peach" lipstick and four tickets to a Philadelphia Phantoms hockey game. The winner will appear on the ice with Palin for opening face-off.

Well, now. This item sorta flies (ahem) in the face of what I posted below… which goes to prove (I hope) that it’s really NOT too late. Good On the Flyers, for making the move… blatantly political as it is... and Good On Governor Palin for recognizing an opportunity, especially in Pennsylvania... an important battleground state.

A Rational Defense of HopeyChange... and a Rebuttal, of Sorts

Blog-Bud Doc put up a thoughtful post earlier this week entitled “Why I’m Leaning Toward Obama.” His very first line is this:

“Leaning, mind you. Much can change in the next few weeks.”

And then Doc launches into a well-reasoned explanation for his leanings, which basically involve contrasting Senator McCain’s character with that of Senator Obama’s. And Doc obviously finds flaws with Senator McCain, or rather with Senator McCain’s campaign, and to a much greater extent, some of Senator McCain’s idiot supporters… the sort of people who send out idiotic rants like this in the hope of swaying opinion.

(Short parenthetical digression: people who send out videos like the one at the link aren’t so much McCain supporters as they are Obama haters… and there are a LOT of haters out there, sad to say. I’ve noticed there’s a tremendous amount of bad information — which is to say info that is factually inaccurate or outright lies, as in the “Obama is a Muslim” meme — being circulated via e-mail, and I’ve received way too much of it. But the point is… the “hate” stuff is out there and it’s having a NEGATIVE effect on some of the undecideds.)

This, I suppose, plays into my point that McCain is running a very inept campaign. I’ve not articulated that point in a main blog-post here at EIP, but I’ve left comments to that effect in my friends’ blogs when the subject comes up. One such comment:

I'm of the opinion that the McCain campaign has been... to date... one of the most inept, tone-deaf, and incompetent presidential campaigns... ever. One expects this sort of thing from the Dems (witness: Dukakis and Kerry), but from the GOP? McCain's descent into faux populism ("Greed and corruption on Wall Street!") turns my stomach, and the "handling" of Palin has simply been a disaster... of incredible and potentially devastating proportions.

I'm thinking it's too late to save it, but I HOPE to God I'm wrong.

So. Back to Doc. If I’m reading him correctly, Doc believes Obama has run a more principled campaign while McCain has opted for traditional mud-slinging. Or… McCain is doing the classic “whatever it takes” maneuver so common to our politicians (especially when they fall behind), thereby sacrificing his principles. Doc does have a point with the direction he’s taking here, and that point is “character matters,” where the tone of a campaign is concerned. This is something of an explanation as to why otherwise rational people might choose to vote for The One. I’m sensing there’s a lot of disgust over the state of our political process, but I’m of the opinion that The One is most certainly NOT the answer. But to give the Devil his due, Obama has played this discontent like a freakin’ Stradivarius. And McCain has not.

It ain’t over ‘til it’s over… and The Fat Lady ain’t gonna sing until the wee small hours of November 5^th. Doc, in closing to this particular post, makes the point that American politics has (seemingly) always been about choosing the lesser of two evils. I’ll agree with that. You have to go back to Reagan to find an example of someone worth voting for, rather than someone to vote against. But… that said, McCain is the lesser of two evils in this election cycle, which is obviously one of the more important elections of our time. The One is just be SO wrong and SO detrimental to the success and prosperity of America it’s scary.

Your mileage may vary. But I hope not.

(Image from NY Magazine)