Things I think I think #4

More much ado about nothing.  A mosque may be built near Ground Zero and of course there are some (quite a few actually) who are upset about the prospect.  So apparently freedom of religion for some only exists if it is their preferred religion and damn everyone else.  Far more embarrassing should be the fundamental question that it took less than 5 years to build the World Trade Center and yet here we are 9 years later with little to show for the rebuilding effort.  Newt Gingrich has been on TV saying that nobody would expect a synagogue or a church to be built in Mecca?  Really, is the religious intolerance of Saudi Arabia now the gold standard that America should follow? 

Don't say I didn't warn you, but when I suggested earlier this year that the numbers didn't back up the Pittsburgh Pirates record, which even then was under .500 but relatively respectable given 17 consecutive years of losing.  Well the numbers have since more than caught up with them, as they now sport the worst record in Major League Baseball (39-78) and have been outscored by 231 runs going into tonight's game.  The Baltimore Orioles, who sport the second worst record  (41-77) and the second worst run differential, have been outscored by 182.  And don't forget that as bad as the Orioles are, their division has 5 teams, and the 4th place team (Toronto) is 7 games over .500, by comparison the competition in Pittsburgh's division isn't nearly as difficult, with 3 of the remaining 5 teams sports losing records.

It was only a preseason game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions but something that may prove problematic, the offensive line looks questionable at best.  When the starters were in the game, the Detroit Lions defensive line spent a large portion of time in the Steelers backfield.  This wouldn't be as big a concern, save for the fact the team has allowed 195 sacks in the last 4 seasons and it looks like history has a chance of repeating itself for a 5th year.

So when did baby strollers get all tricked out?  I seem to remember them as basically being a cloth seat with four wheels attached and a sort of seat belt to keep the toddler from falling out.  Now they are all jacked up, with giant tires and chrome spinny things on the wheels, am/fm radio, side view mirrors, tinted windows.  No joke, I was at work today and I saw one that I swear would have occupied a regular lane of traffic. 

Many thanks to the people at Channel 59.  As some of you know, I have decided to be too cheap for cable TV, instead relying on regular TV and my computer for my TV watching pleasure.  With the advent of digital TV, even the local stations have added extra digital channels.  Usually the content on these channels is suspect at best, though I have mentioned previously that I like what Channel 11 (WPXI TV) has done with a secondary channel, carrying the Retro Television Network.  Time to add to that list with Channel 59, WBGN.  Things is even with one channel, 59 had less than stellar programming.  A few shows that are worth a peek, but mostly just infomercials.  That being said, they managed to get three additional digital channels.  I can't say that I know how digital channels are handed out by the FCC, and technically I don't know what goes into establishing them, but 59 with its weak signal and small coverage area seemed to be the last station that I would think would get 3 additional channels.  Yet they did, and for the longest time it was just three additional channels running infomercials, not all that different than the main channel.  Then a funny thing happened, they took the last one, 59-4, and dumped the infomercials in favor of the Universal Sports Channel.  Universal Sports is a small time outfit tied to NBC, but watching them they are a lot like a young ESPN.  Sure, there are lots of repeats of programs, but in is almost 24/7 programming of things like gymnastics, volleyball, track and field, swimming, sailing, ping pong, etc.  Just an eclectic mix of sports, like I said, not unlike the early days of ESPN, when they would run darts, Australian Rules Football, just anything they could get the broadcast rights to.  I am not saying that Universal is the next ESPN, but I am saying that I like that some sports that otherwise may not get on TV, save for weekends, are on all the time now.

There are times when I loathe being right.  The most recent was in my recent fantasy football draft, where I got stuck with quarterbacks that were so bad (Jay Cutler, Jason Campbell) that I went to the free agent wire to see what was available only to find the highest rated QB was Brett Favre.  On one hand he is better than anything I have, on the other we are now in season #4 of the worst sports drama on TV, the "Will Brett Retire?" show, where prognosticators delve into the Favre psyche to ascertain whether he will play this coming season.  Understanding that Favre is an attention whore and little more, I went ahead and scooped him up expecting him to show up at some point in Minnesota Vikings training camp.  Well yesterday was that day, and I suppose I am smarter for it, after all, nobody in my league actually drafted him, but by the same token I am so sick of his melodrama that if someone came crashing through the Vikings offensive line in Week #1 and snapped Favre's spine in half it may very well ruin any chances I have for a successful season yet I may still find glee in such a moment.

During GW Bush's term in office it was fascist, under Obama the term is socialist and if ever in doubt there is always constitution.  What these words have in common is that they are all what I would call "shut up" words, words that are thrown about by lazy debaters who think that as soon as they get to the requisite buzzword, all conversation should be ended and the point ceded.  Under Bush, anytime the opposition found a policy with which they disagreed, the policy was thereby described as fascist.  Under Obama I think we have all seen socialist bandied about, especially in the health care debate, nevermind that many of our allies have similar health care structures.  And of course when they thought the cause was just, they had no problem with our allies putting their blood and treasure in harms way, and the mocking term "socialist" was conveniently left out of the equation.  And the ultimate is constitution, or more appropriately, unconstitutional as in the minute I disagree with something I can just shout it is unconstitutional and like a magic fairy, then wave my wand and taadaa, it is so.  I saw one of these videos the other day where a person was questioning the health care legislation under the guise that it was unconstitutional, as it violated the 13th Amendment and after posing her question to her representative, Pete Stark of California (who made some noise about his response to the question) I had to laugh and ask just how fucking stupid was the question, as health care has nothing whatsoever to do with the 13th Amendment, which for those not in the know, abolished slavery.  But because the questioner used the buzzword "unconstitutional" even though completely out of context, all of the sheeple in the crowd applauded like this derelict had just discovered fire.  Sure there are issues with health care including whether it would fall under the General Welfare Clause of the Constitution or whether forcing the public to buy into private insurance would violate the Commerce Clause, but none of that really has to do with slavery.  The sooner we weed out the morons who bandy about words just for the sake of killing debate as opposed to enhancing it, the better off we will all be.