The End

So this is it. I feel like Charleton Heston at the end of Planet of the Apes, finally spotting the half-buried Statue of Liberty. "They did it. They actually did it, the stupid bastards!"

Nobody's nuked anybody yet, but something more significant has been lost: American democracy. I say 'more significant' because it has, previously, been a cornerstone of our beliefs that liberty trumps life. We were a country founded on the principle of "give me liberty or give me death." New Hampshire, that northern bastion of consevatism, bedecks its license plates with the slogan: "live free or die."

Which begs the question: when do they start passing out the kool-aid in Portsmouth?

The cornerstone of a free society is the principle that the individual has inherent powers over the government. The right to be presumed innocent and the right to resist the power of the government over the individual is the most fundamental right there is. It is what we mean when we say "liberty."

And in the past five years, the extreme right of American political belief has worked to eliminate those rights. Working through the executive branch of government, they've transformed the military and intelligence apparatus of the United States into a torturing police-state force.

But for all their un-American totalitarian efforts to become a big Pinochet, they never had a seal of approval from the other branches of government.

Sure, the ubber-stamp congress went along silently with all the anti-democratic moves. The kangaroo courts set up at Gitmo were never investigated. Indeed, reports of torture and murder at different military and CIA facilities around the world have gone shockingly uninvestigated. The sacred role of oversight has been entirely ignored by this congress, even in the face of immoral and illegal acts by the executive.

But that all changed with the Hamden case. The Supreme Court, by the slim margin of one vote, upheld the Geneva Convention (who ever thought that would have to happen in the US?) and struck down the Kafkaesque 'tribunals.'

So the Fascists went to congress. It's not enough, now, to simply acquiesce by turning a blind eye. Now congress must pass laws allowing torture and illegal imprisonment and an elimination of due process.

And, yesterday, they did it. For the first and only time in American history, the president has the power to arrest you and hold you indefinitely and never try you and never show you any evidence. Americans. In America.

Is there a terrorist in the world that is more frightening than that? The United State House and Senate have both passed laws eliminating habeas corpus. We are all now free at the discretion of the executive branch. We have no recourse to courts or to laws. We are now a lawless country under the dictatorship of the president.

It's clear to me now as never before how Rome moved from Republic to Empire. I'm watching the same thing happen to my beloved United States.

What a sad day.

Week Four

NFL - WEEK 4

Sunday, Oct. 1

Indianapolis 9 NY JETS - I hate to keep making this whole thing about the line, but so often these lines tell us not only where the teams are in terms of quality, but also in terms of perception. The Jets are at home, so the NY dollars will bring the line down. And they're not on the Indy track & field turf. And the Jets are showing a glimmer. I think they'll cover 9 at home, which is why I don't have a big fancy car and absolutely no 'bling' to my name.
Jets (Indy to win).

San Diego 2½ BALTIMORE - The Chargers as road favorites over a hot hot hot Ravens squad? Interesting. The Bolts have everything they need to go all the way this year, with two exceptions: a coach who's won a playoff game, and a QB who's started more than a half dozen games ever. Still, I'm not a believer in Baltimore. I think they're doing it with early-season mirrors.
Chargers

BUFFALO 1 Minnesota - Buffalo is proving to be a tough draw. Any Minnyiss playing with a bit of discipline and fire. This should be the year's most exciting 6-3 game.
Buffalo.

Dallas 9½ TENNESSEE - There goes Tagainin. First, he drew a few hours of honest sympathy for his reported suicide attempt. Now he's saying that it wasn't a suicide attempt. The only thing that's for certain is that the guy needs many hours of psychological help, whether or not he tried to kill himself. Dallas is in turmoil, but it might be the type of media thing that lets all the other players off the hook so they can just play football. Tenny has shown absolutely nothing this year. Jeff Fisher'uncharacteristicic blow-up at Billy Volek was an odd aside to another crummy year. When does this stop being the GM's fault for blowing up the team?
Dallas

KANSAS CITY 7 San Francisco - San Fran on the road is a guaranteed disaster. Of course, KC is still playing without a QB. Their defense at least knows that they have to cover and tackle this year. Under Vermeil, those items were not on the agenda. This could turn into another 6-3 hum-dinger, but I have the feeling that the 49ers aren't good enough to take advantage.
KC

CAROLINA 7½ New Orleans - Talk about no respect. Everybody's pre-season darlings, the Panthers, are horrible right now. The Saints are on an emotional high and are riding a 3-0 start. And Carolina gets 7.5? I'm with New Orleans.

ATLANTA 7 Arizona - The poor Cards still can't get any respect. There's talk of another concussion for Kurt Warner, and the Falcons are going to be looking for a big comeback week after getting their beads handed to them on national TV in the Big Easy last week.
Falcons

Miami 4 HOUSTON - Back to another edition of "who's worse?" Houston is at home, and Miami is not. Miami - the Super Bowl champs in March of every year - is circling the bowl. They need this - but they needed to beat the Bills at home, too.
Houston

ST. LOUIS 5½ Detroit - The Lions are up to their usual Jeckyl-and-Hyde routine. They played well against the Seahawks a couple of weeks ago, so we're supposed to think they're turning things around. Not buying it fominuteutwe. As long as MMilanllan is still in charge, the Lions fans will leave their Bobby Layne and Barry Sanders posters on the wall can continue to wait.
Rams

CINCINNATI 6 New England - The Pats are hurting. They were everythingnged on Sunday Night. They've got more injuries (what's new). But they don't lose two in a row (they're on a record run for that), and Belichick can be counted on when he's being counted out. If that makes any sense. Hey, just taking 6 on the Patriots is a vacation. They haven't been six-point dogs for a while. And they won't be again for a while.
Pats

Jacksonville 2½ WASHINGTON - Jax play good. Washington play bad.
Jax

Cleveland 2½ OAKLAND - So a winless Browns team that's given up 13 more points than the Raiders on the season shows up as a road favorite. I hope Al Davis is on some really really good drugs, because reality is something that he won't want to deal with. His old Hall of Famer Art Shell is just a bad coach, okay?

After the 'Rooney Rule' made it mandatory for a 'minority' coach to be interview for every head coaching position in the last 15 years or so, Shell has been the interview of choice for the teams who knew which white coach they wanted to hire. And there is a reason that after all those interviews, he was never considered a serious candidate - even over guys who's never been Coordinators, never mind former head coaches with winning records.

Art can't coach.

Browns

CHICAGO 3½ Seattle - In the Windy City where they play no offense, there always seem to be turnovers and odd plays that work in the Bears' favor. The Cleprechauneuchaun must use this venue for his pre-season. Well, he hasn't been in Boston since #33 retired, so we really don't know where he is these days. Alexander has a hole in his sock or a painful wedgie or something, so the Hawks will be one-dimensional on offence. The Bears defense sees a one-dimensional offense in practice every day (although a different dimension). I'm not really a believer, but I do think it's time for the Super Bowl hangover to kick in.
Bears

Monday, Oct. 2

PHILADELPHIA 11 Green Bay - This will be a tough game to watch. Neither texactlyxcactly tearing things up right now. The Eagles should have beaten the Giants, and should be in a better spot right now. They're definitely headed in a better direction than the Bay.

You have to wonder if Brett Favre is going to out a loser. Will he work a trade to a contender in the off-season? I could see a team like Tampa taking a flyer on him. The warm weather and tough D might produce a winner with him throwing 20 times or fewer, with one or two games where he brings them back throwing 40. Chicago might be a team that would shoot to the top with a quality starter. But would Favre join a division foe?

More likely a team like Miami (after they get some of their Cuban friends to dispose of Culpepper), the Jets (after all their QB's implode like Spinal Tap drummers again), KC (if Trent Green can't get rid of the tweety birds), or even Dallas after Bledsoe throws his inevitable playoff end-zone INT in the middle of the field to a linebacker from the two while trailing by two points with the wind at his back and five seconds to play.

Oh - Philly.

Stress Over

Event complete. Stress over for the moment. Unexpectedly large success (I'd forgotten what those were like).

A day to recover, and then back to the Junta. And football. Or, as the Patriots are taking on water rather quickly, possibly NBA.

How about that Paul Pierce?

Stress

Major stress day for me. My boss is retiring after 36 years, and I'm hosting the formal retirement event tonight. That means saying a few words, working through a presentation, and then introducing speakers. It'll be a bunch of VP's and Directors as well as staff. Fortunately, the CEO is in London or Australia or something so I won't have him to worry about.

I really needed the Pats to win to get me through this, but that didn't happen.

I'm going over my notes, and I should be okay. My biggest fear is that I'll be reading too much and not be spontaneous.

Whatever will be will be, I guess. Que sera sera.

Torture

The lawless murdering torturer - excuse me - the president of the United States has apparently reached a compromise with the obsequious rubber-stamp enablers - excuse me - the Senate. This 'compromise' is just that: a compromise of everything we believe in and stand for as Americans. So good for them.

It strikes me, from everything I've read about the Junta's approach to terror, that the hallmark of their evil reign of terror - excuse me - administration is not hatred and ignorance. Those are just side-effects.

No, the real hallmark of this administration is laziness. They are the most shiftless bunch in the history of American government.

Here's what I mean; they prefer to take the easy way out of every difficulty, no matter how bad that makes the outcome. And they subscribe, at least pay lip service, to a political philosophy that bars homework.

small government' - so you should do nothing and prevent others from doing anything. No need for all that careful disaster planning - government doesn't work anyway. How about levees? No need to check those - too much work.

How about policy research? No need - we know what we want, and no 'fact' will get in the way.

And that's how we became Syria. My guess is that when we captured a few bad guys after 9-11, they laughed at us. "You're Americans - what are you going to do to me? Cut my credit rating?"

When faced with difficult, intractable problems like that, a rational person would find a way to get to the bad guy's head without compromising the whole point of having America in the world. If it's Bubba or Gore in charge, they start looking for options and new non-torture methodologies.

But for this bunch there was never a question. They won't talk? Beat 'em. Waterboard them. Use stress positions, humiliation, anything goes. That's the easy answer. And really, what other answer is there?

Take the One Percent Rule of Dick Cheney's (from the recent book). Cheney says that if there's even a one percent chance that a thing could happen, than they have to take it as a certainty. They can't play around with those odds.

But instead of meaning that they'll address these one percent notions with any seriousness (research, options, expertise), the one percent doctrine is an excuse not to do any homework at all. If any of their NeoCon hatchetmen come up with any wild concept - itching powder in water coolers! - they react as if it just happened.

That alleviates any need to carefully study anything. And if everything is an emergency, than nothing is an emergency. So every preventative measure that we should take is lost in the white noise of the one percent doctrine.

That means that when Democrats chime on about port security - a real demonstrated need - that's just one other thing for NeoCons to consider along with the water cooler thing. Hey - we'll get to it.

But port security is also hard. You have all those containers and all the technology and all those monied interests that make the question too tough to deal with. So they don't deal with it.

Iraq was the same way. Don't do the homework, just hit the sand. And now - uh oh. How do we get out? Well, don't bother researching anything or studying the situation. If the answer isn't provided by the ideology - which has, as usual, failed miserably - than just 'say the course' until it solves itself. Nixon tried that strategy with Vietnam, resulting in the memorable images of the helicopters lifting people from the roof of the American Embassy in what was then Saigon.

Election campaigns are the same thing. It's too hard to argue actual facts and stuff. So just make everybody scared, yell insults at your opponent, and if fact are required just go and make them up.

The only thing this laziness accomplishes is the financial enrichment of their backers. The people who would cut and burn and despoil the earth for their own selfish pleasure are firmly in charge, and their well being is the only ideology that this government believes in.

Except for full slothful laziness.

Week Three

Week Three:

BUFFALO 5½ N.Y. Jets 34½ - Oh, the line people. The smoke-filled room guys. The big cigars. "Let'stick the line on the Bills, Louie. Let the suckers taste the action." Actually, it's probably some 120-pound post-doc in chaos theory with a used Cray Supercomputer. Either way, Buffalo is getting 5.5 at home after scaring New England and beating Miami -both on the road. The Jets got two very fluky TD's in a game that was more hotly contested in the stands than on the field. They did beat Tennessee, but that was way back in the Billy Volek era.
Bills.

PITTSBURGH 2 Cincinnati 41½ - The Steelers looked bad against Jax last week, but Jax is going to make a lot of teams look bad. The Steelers D will be all over this one, but I still like Marv Lewis better than Coach Spittle.
Cincy.

INDIANAPOLIS 7 Jacksonville44½ - They shouldn't let Indy play home games, because their carpet lends itself to the sort of track meet that they do well in. Go figure. But I have the feeling that the Jags are going to be ready for them. Indy is not going to like the speed, power, and intensity that Jax will hit them with.
Jags.

MIAMI 11 Tennessee36 - Miami finally gets to win one against a Titans squad that has moved into a different universe beyond (beneath?) the hard-hitting playoff team they used to be. And Jeff Fisher is still there running it. Remarkable. And yet. And yet, don't think Miami is ready to beat a JV team by 11. They'll win, but Tenny will cover.

Washington 4 HOUSTON37½ - Four points seems small, until you consider that it's in Houston and Washington has shown absolutely nothing at all this year. Bizarre costume-wearing freakshow Clinton Portis may play, so that's a pretty safe and tempting four to get.
Washington

Chicago 3½ MINNESOTA 34½ - Minny isn't ready for prime time, despite their gaudy 2-0 record. Chicago plays for-real defense, and their offense is threatening to be half decent for the first time in years. 3.5 is way to low a line here - another gift. - Chicago

Carolina 3 TAMPA BAY 34½ - Two playoff teams from last year, both struggling to regain form. Always look to the coaching - but in this case, both teams have Super Bowl coaches. Tampa's at home, but it's still grits country .
Panthers

DETROIT 6½ Green Bay Packers - The Pack a dog at Car-town? Say it isn't so. No, really: go on. The Pack has been scoring, even when they lose. The Lions are just losers. Take the points.
Pack

Baltimore 6½ CLEVELAND33½ 6.5 seems like a lot, but the Ravens are coming back to life with Steve McNair playing QB on sense memory. Unfortunately, both Lewises are hurt (Ray and Jamal). The Brownies are tough at home. Okay, I'm pretending that the Brownies are tough at home. Same thing. For me.
Browns

ARIZONA 4½ St. Louis 44½ - Those Whimpy Western teams just insist on playing each other week in and week out. And they do like to make one another look good by stacking the offense and forgetting to pay their defensive players. Should the Cards be favoured by 4.5 at home? Why not. Except that they're still the Cardinals until they prove that they are not.
Rams

SEATTLE 3½ N.Y. Giants 44 - Good tight game between the best of the "B" Conference. Give the points - Eli's not ready for big road games yet.
Hawks

Philadelphia 6 SAN FRANCISCO 42 - With Westbrook out, this will be a tough - oh, never minmind. The 49ers might be able to beat the under-coached Rams, but not the over-coached Iggles. And if the Igs weren't so hurt and pathetic, this line would be at about 13.
Iggles.

NEW ENGLAND 7 Denver39½ - Tom Brady might be looking for revenge, but it's going to be Corey Dillon that gets it for him. The Pounding Pats will put it where the sun will never shine.
Pats

Monday, Sept. 25

Atlanta PK NEW ORLEANS 42 - Pick? I like New Orleans. I really do. Never been there, but they're one of my all-time favorite sad-sack franchises. Nothing ever seems to work out for them. They couldn't even keep Jake Delhomme. They are perennial losers, but somehow more likable than the Cardinals, who have taken losing to a whole new level.

I remember reading years ago about a season ticket holder leaving a pair of tickets under his windshield wipers because he was too disgusted to go to the game. When he got back to his car, there were 10 more tickets there. And the story that a burglar got off scott free because all he had taken were a pair of Saints tickets and they "had no value."

Apocryphal stories, to be sure, but indicative of the franchise itself. But there has been so much fun had in that town (unfortunately, once again, not by me), you can feel the party atmosphere all the way up here in Toronto.

Also, I played the Saints vs, the Falcons on Xbox this morning (with updated rosters of course). I put McAllister and Bush in the backfield together, and that offense really clicked. Most of the rushing carries went to McAllister, who had over 100 yards, but I threw frequently to Bush who ended up with over 100 yards receiving. Final score: 31-10 Aints.

I'll take the Saints here as well.

Week 2

Let's try that again...

Sunday, Sept. 17

BALTIMORE 11½ Oakland 34 - 11.5 is a big spread, but Baltimore absolutely dismantled a supposedly good Bucs team last week, and the Raiders just looked lost. There was one play, early in their shutout loss to SD, where Art Shell was yakking with Randy Moss on the bench, and Moss had to point to the field to remind Shell that we was still coaching a football team. Give the points.

INDIANAPOLIS 13 Houston 47 - 13 is another big spread, but the Colts at home are a pretty tough matchup. They have some fatal flaws (like the running game) but none that Houston will be able to exploit. Give more points.

CINCINNATI 10 Cleveland 42 - And here we go again - 10 points in week two? The Browns will get better every week, as RAC's coaching takes hold, Willie's leadership makes a difference, and Frye gets more comfortable in his role. Take the points and the Brownies, but Cincy still wins.

MIAMI 6½ Buffalo 37 - Buffalo looked good on the road last week, and Miami looked dreadful against Charlie "Football Magic" Batch. I'd like to get a whole TD here, but I'll settle for 6.5 and take the Bills.

CHICAGO 9 Detroit 32 - Can Chicago's offense score 9? Detroit held their own with Seattle last week, but now they're on the road. I think there are some over-reactions in these high spreads, so I'll take the points again with the Lions.

Carolina 1 MINNESOTA 37½ - But here's the other side of the coin. One point for Carolina? Everybody's Super Bowl darling? Give me the Panthers.

PHILADELPHIA 3 N.Y. Giants 41½ - Can Philly do it against a good team? I thought the Jints looked good last week and had some bad officiating help out the wrong Manning. Philly has trouble at RB and WR. I'll take the FG and the Jints.

ATLANTA 5½ Tampa Bay 35½ - Is Tampa as bad as they played last week? That's what the bookies are asking with the line - between a TD and a FG. I'll give the 5.5 and take the Falcons at home because I think they're handling Vick better, and their D is improved.

New Orleans 2½ GREEN BAY 37½ - The Aints favoured at Lambeau? There has to be something deeply wrong with this picture. Yes, the Pack is a Division II team right now, and the frozen tundra isn't what it once was. Still. I'll take the 2.5 point - having absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Favre and Ahman Green are both on my fantasy team.

St. Louis 3 SAN FRANCISCO 43½ - I think this line is too small - thwe Rams will be better this year. The 49rs showed some offense against the Cards, but it won't be enough against the Rams D which should be solid.

SEATTLE 7 Arizona 47 - The Cards are improved for sure, and will continue to get better. Dennis Green is a for-real coach and Arizona is turning into Minnesota West. But Seattle is the defending conference champ for a reason, and they're home in rainy Seattle, so I'm willing to give the TD and take the Hawks at home.

NEW ENGLAND 6 N.Y. JETS 37 - Pats in a romp. Belichick shows Mangini how it's done. And when the other coaches get this game tape, they'll know exactly how to stop Pennington & Co.

SAN DIEGO 11 Tennessee 38 - Yet another double digit line. But for San Diego at home, it's warranted. Give the 11 and take the Bolts.

DENVER 10½ Kansas City 39½ - Yee gads - 10.5 points for the Donkeys? What madness is this? Herm Edwards must have done something seriously wrong. It may be that the New York betting dollars want to go against KC because Herm stabbed them in the back. Still, the line is too high - take the points and KC to cover, but the Donkeys will win.
Of course, I stu[pidly forgot that professional manequin Todd Collins will be starting at QB for KC after Trent Green got aced last week. Duh. I might still take the 10.5 and see if Harm can rally the troops.

DALLAS 6 Washington 36½ - There are a lot of people on both teams' bandwagons, which mean a lot of people will be let down. I think the Tuna is not happy with his whole situation now - Jerry Jones got a bag of TO groceries without Bill's consent. Both teams look very 8-8 to me. But Washington loves to spoil the party at Texas Stadium, so I'll take 6 and Washington.

Monday, Sept. 18

JACKSONVILLE 1 Pittsburgh 36½ - Jax sure looked good against Dallas, and the Steelers weren't too convincing on opening night. Without the big Doofus at QB, take Jax and sacrifice the point.

WWII

I just remembered what I wanted to write about today before I was distracted by the impending nuclear bombing of Iran.

World War II. The Big One. Rummy and Rice and Cheney and Georgie have been running around comparing the fight against a rag-tag bunch of psychopathic religious fanatics to the defining global conflict in human history. Moreover, they've unabashedly compared themselves to Winston Churchill. Besides being entirely comical at any viewing angle, there is a glimmer of truth to it.

Not the Churchill part, other than (hopefully) his post-war election defeat. And certainly not the 1938 part. No, I was thinking more of the 1946-50 era.

In that period (and I can't do the research right now so this is from memory), we won the war in Europe and the Pacific, and FDR passed away, making Harry S. Truman our new president. With Europe still smouldering and in ruins, and a new adversary emerging as the Soviet Bloc, Truman had some decisions to make.

And he made the right ones. Over the opposition of a "Do-Nothing" Republican congress.

Having won the war, Truman set out to win the peace. The most important project was the Marshall Plan (which could just as easily have been called the Truman Plan), in which the US spent billions of dollars to rebuild Europe, even offering assistance to Soviet Bloc countries (which was at first accepted then refused).

That was the key to victory in the Cold War: support of our friends, both militarily and economically. Like the Truman Doctrine - where we were pledged to support friends like Greece - we took care of our interests. We joined forces with our friends and did not dominate the relationship just because we were so much stronger.

The fact that we were that much stronger was obvious. And we got our way most of the time. What else do you need?

Fast forward to today. We've destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan, with promises of rebuilding both countries. But the promises were empty. We didn't build - we continue to destroy. Instead of creating friends for a millennia like Germany and Japan and England, we've created enemies who hate us more than ever.

It's always been an open question of history: if the do-nothing Republican party had won election in the 1945-50 period, what would have happened? Or, what would not have happened? They were against the Marshall plan and were for a new isolationism. Instead of the internationalism of Truman that won the Cold War, they would have put us on an isolationist, unilateral course against an international Soviet opponent.

It's clear to me that the Cold War would have been lost. Eisenhower was a non-ideological Republican who saw the wisdom of the Democratic approach and extended it to JFK and LBJ. By the time Nixon clawed his way to power (with his "secret plan to end the war" - more Republican secrecy), it was clear that internationalism - NATO et.al. - was the only way to safety.

And here we are at another of those historical moments. The post-9-11 world was begging, crying out for a Truman. But what we got was the unreconstructed unilateralist failure that was the 1946 Republican Congress. What would have happened then without a Truman? Probably something like what's happening now.

Abject unadulterated failure.

Welcome to the future

"Outrageous and Dishonest"

Here we go again. Junta operatives on the House Intel Committee have written a report on Iran's nuclear program that fulfills all the fondest wishes of the coldest of cold-blooded NeoCons. Iran is bad! It is on the verge of creating a nuclear threat to everyone, including babies and puppies!

Of course, it's all fiction. It's typical of the NeoCon's perverted thinking: start with a conclusion and work backward to gather the evidence.

One object of their ire is the IAEA, because those bastards have had the temerity to be right every time they say something. Like about the Iraqi WMD - so there was nothing there. Why let that spoil a war? What good is being right if it doesn't get thousands of people killed?

Officials of the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency said in a letter that the report contained some "erroneous, misleading and unsubstantiated statements."

Of course it does! This isn't freakin' Europe. Junta loyalists don't walk around spouting facts. They don't want facts - they want conclusions.

And they've concluded that Iran must be dealt with. But not talked to - talking to people is some how rewarding, like when you visit your sister in prison - or the other way around. You can feel the love, even across prison bars - and Iran must know that we don't love them.

So we need to get our best guy on this right away. How about the lone staffer who hates Iran the most and is willing to say anything to get us to nuke them?

Privately, several intelligence officials said the committee report included at least a dozen claims that were either demonstrably wrong or impossible to substantiate.

"This is like prewar Iraq all over again," said David Albright, a former nuclear inspector who is president of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security. "You have an Iranian nuclear threat that is spun up, using bad information that's cherry-picked and a report that trashes the inspectors."

The committee report, written by a single Republican staffer with a hard-line position on Iran, chastised the CIA and other agencies for not providing evidence to back assertions that Iran is building nuclear weapons.

What if that same lunatic was the guy writing the report on North Korea? Wouldn't that rock? Would it not?

The committee is working on a separate report about North Korea that is also being written principally by Fleitz. A draft of the report, provided to The Post, includes several assertions about North Korea's weapons program that the intelligence officials said they cannot substantiate, including one that Pyongyang is already enriching uranium.

The intelligence community believes North Korea is trying to acquire an enrichment capability but has no proof that an enrichment facility has been built, the officials said.

Thank goodness these guys are making us safer and safer every day. The more countries they lie about, the more we can invade!

Branch

The Pats finally got rid of disgruntled WR Deon Branch. Branch had outperformed his contract significantly, and wanted a big raise. Since the Pats had (have) no other decent NFL WR on their roster, it was a good bet that he'd get his way.

After all, as the perplexingly anti-Patriots local media will be quick to tell you, the Pats had lots of salary cap room. "Eleventy billion dollars" worth, according to one (no, not Ron Borges).

The spin on this is that Belichick was, once again, cold and heartless and business-first enough to cut off his nose to spite his face. He wouldn't pay Branch, even when he had no other football alternatives and lots of money. Bad Bill!

Now the precedent has been set that you can pout your way out of town. If you're a veteran with some juice, you can hold your breath until you turn blue and that will get you out.

But there are other precedents here that have been established. First, you can't tear up the final season of your contract with the Pats. They offered Branch an extension - that would have kicked in after the final year of his original deal. Branch said "nope." Pats said: "okey-doke."

The other precedent is that when the Pats want compensation, they get it or no deal. How many disgruntled players have walked away from their teams for nothing? Terrell Owens - what did the Eagles get for him? Nothing. Steve McNair - nothing. Most of the time, other teams realize that the original team is going to cut the guy anyway - so why trade? Just wait for him on the market.

The Pats will be okay without Branch this year. They'll have to play offense differently - more short TE/RB passes, more running game. And defenses will play closer and tighter, which will put more pressure on Brady and the running game. Defenses can play eight in the box and risk the downfield throw if there's no reliable deep threat.

But - and this is a big butt - rookie Chad Jackson and veteran Doug Gabriel will be available at WR this Sunday at NY. They may answer some questions.

But however it works out, Belichick and Pioli have set a tone for the future of the organization, and that's good. With an extra #1 pick, that's better.

More Lies

Here's something I really don't understand and probably never will: Republicans. And I don't mean the general idea of selfishly wanting everything for yourself and believing that others should just starve and die if they make the grave mistake of being born into the wrong economic strata. Fine. Selfishness, I get.

But what I don't get is the lies. So you believe that gay people are - and should - go to hell. Why not just say so? If you think that the government should support church and deny science, why not live up to those beliefs, instead of lying about them all the time? If you think you can't get elected on your beliefs, well, isn't that the whole point? Do you want power under the force of a lie?

The Junta certainly does. Andreally, for them, this is a moot question. They don't have any core beliefs - only an enslaving lust for power. Conservatives are supposed to believe in small government, business fending for itself, and no foreign adventures - as prominant conservatives like Sen. Taft railed against fighting Nazi Germany.

Instead, we get big government, giveaways to business, and crazy unlimited war-fighting. And more lies.

Let's take the recent 9-11 thing on ABC. You've no doubt read how shameful a pack of rightist fiction it is. My question is: why?

I mean, okay, you hate Clinton and blame him for 9-11 (among other things). Fine. Then show us, in as partisan a way as you like, the basis for your ire. Where did the Clinton administration go wrong? What did they miss? What did they screw up?

Instead, the schlock film-makers made up a bunch of stuff (also known as 'lies'). Why? If they had a story to tell, they could have told it. But they didn't.

Wouldn't that cause you to questionyour whole worldview? I hate Bush and everyone in his administration, and his current apologists in the media. And for verifyiably good reasons. If I had to make stuff up - "I hate Bush because he punched my mother in the stomach in 1985" - it would certainly cause me to suspect that I needed to re-think things.

But not for the Junta. They exist on the power and money generated by the propaganda machine. Lies are rocket fuel for them.

And I suppose, to my own point, that if they know they're lying and making money that's at least understandable.

But why do Americans put up with it?

September 11

Today is the fifth anniversary of the September 11 2001 attacks on New York and Washington by al Qaeda terrorists. It's a struggle to know what to say, because so much has happened since that day.

On that day, I was at work in Toronto on the 11th floor of a 15-story building. There was a presentation room just around the corner from my area and there was a cable TV showing the building burning. I'll never forget it.

It was a human tragedy. It was an assault on everything our society believes in. It was mass murder.

The free world circled its wagons. The French said: "we are all Americans today." We knew who our friends were by their reactions. Palestinians danced in the streets. Iran was surprisingly subdued.

Air traffic was halted. Some people made new friends for life, as stranded passengers were welcomed into the homes locals in places like Newfoundland and Bangor Maine (both emergency stops on the transatlantic corridor).

We were all ready to fight. It was time. It was Pearl Harbour. We were unified and we were angry and we were sad and we were afraid.

And then something terrible happened.

Great events show what people are made of. WWII made icons out of FDR, Churchill, and Truman. Not so much for Neville Chamberlain and Robert Taft. Or George W. Bush.

It's incredible to be writing these words, almost a surreal experience, but the truth must be told: This administration is the worst collection of human beings in American history. They represent all the Deadly Sins (and most of the non-lethal ones). They've done exactly the wrong things every step of the way and for every moment since the attacks.

They are the worst of America. They are what America has expressly set out not to be. They are the living embodiment of everything America's enemies believe about us. And, now, how can we deny that we're that bad?

Where we've made the world safe through alliances and inter-dependencies, they've broken pacts and made us alone. Where we've respected human rights they've trampled them and tortured people. Where we've been a beacon of enlightenment and scientific rationalism, they've made us a religious state and deny science. Where we've been governed by democracy with open government, they've stolen elections and keep everything in total dark secrecy.

And their unifying theme is 9-11. You are safer from the threat of terrorism by giving your rights and freedoms away. You are safer if you stay uninformed - do not question your government. You are safer when your government tortures helpless prisoners and when it keeps them indefinitely without charges or access to any justice. You are safer when your sons and daughters are sent to a pointless war to die and to kill.

With all this safety, you must still be afraid. Fear should run your life and inform all your decisions. FDR was wrong to install Social Security so our elder citizens are not condemned to poverty, and he was wrong to say: "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

Wrong. Be afraid.

For as great as FDR was as a social reforming and war fighting president, Bush has been equally abysmal in his great failure.

It's hard to believe that America has become such a despicable pariah nation in just five years, but Bush/Cheney have proven that it's easier to destroy than to create. They've destroyed the greatest nation on the planet in a way that no external enemy ever could.

Friday

It's the Friday before the start of the NFL season, and that is a reason for happiness. These professional athetes and coaches bring a lot of much needed relief for a lot of people who frankly can't handle the prospect of another Monday without the pay-off of Monday Night Football at the end of it.

I don't normally endorse the work of millionaires. There are so few rich people in the world who've actually earned their fortunes. Most wealth is inherited, and the captains of industry were born to their positions like little princes. The best schools, the closest connections, family and friendship ties with other elites - and then the miracle of an executive job! Shocking.

Even the dot-com millionaires were the result of a well-timed market. Was Bill Gates a visionary, or just at the right place at the right time? What has Mark Cuban or Paul Allen really done that the marketplace didn't do for them?

But I digress. The millionaires that earn it are the football players and coaches. Theirs is a physically and mentally demanding profession that, at it's highest levels, still doesn't pay as much as the comparatively recreational games of basketball and baseball.

Football means jarring collisions and life-shortening tackles. It means practicing all week and then playing a game and taking, all told, hundreds of shots that are harder than other people have ever been hit in their entire lives.

Coaches spend long greulling hours in the office, the pressure to win overwhelming. If they don't produce, they have literally millions of people calling for them to be fired. Imagine if you had a disappointment at work and five million people screamed for your ouster.

And it's an entertainment product. In the end, they do it for me. And in return, I watch the commercials on their broadcasts (sometimes) and I buy the media that covers them and sometimes I buy their shirts and hats. And they get rich. Some of them get never-work-again rich. Others simply get buy-a-dry-cleaner-and-live-well rich. If they get good financial advice (which they seem to these days) post-career players need not bag groceries, wash cars, or put up with the crap that I put up with every day.

So here's to the millionaires who earn their millions. And to the only real "must see TV."

Insult to...

It may be time to look at the 800-lb gorilla and ask if he wants a banana. Because it's Bill Belichick's seventh season in New England (where did the time go?) and once again we're entering the season with a long injury list and a bunch of second- and third-stringers starting for us. What's happening?

Since I'm on the company nickel as I write this, I won't attempt a statistical breakdown of the Pats vs. other teams' injury rate, but I note that year in and year out - including Super Bowl years - the Pats lead the league in number of different starters. It's always in the 40's, and the runners-up are always teams that have single-digits in the win column.

So what's up? Why can't Bill keep them on the field? Certainly his coaching and personnel savvy have saved the day more than once. I think the roadblock to a fourth Super Bowl victory last year was Tom Brady's sports hernia more than anything else.

But why do we constantly have to go so deep into the roster? Why did we start rookies Nick Kazcur and Logan Mankins on the OL all year? Why was Cory Dillon off the field so much? Why did we start Hank Poteat so much?

Where have all the linebackers gone?

I don't really know the answer, and I don't begin to quibble with the results. But why is 60-year-old Junior Seau playing ILB for us? Why do we have to carry like 35 DB's on the roster just to field four - often including WR Troy Brown?

It may have to do with run support. One of the keys to stopping a running game - particularly in a 3-4 defense - is to have the safeties and corners stand up to the run. But when 185 to 200 lb players start messing with 260 lb TE's and 300 lb OL's, bad things are going to happen. Ask Rodney Harrison.

Is there an answer? If the system - and its success - is predicated on 11-man run defense, the only answer may be to keep 35 DB's on the roster and burn through them. But why is DL Ty Warren out for the opener? And rookies Laurence Maroney and Chad Jackson?

I guess the fundamental question is this: does Bill Belichick take unnecessary risks in practice? Does he work his guys too hard and too violently in practice? Does he take too many chances - starters playing special teams, all-universe DL Richard Seymour getting hurt playing FB?

Dunno. I know his way works. But I must admit to some disappointment in the injury lists.

And one more thing - I don't have any problem in their keeping a lid on injury information. They are not the government, there is not 'freedom of NFL information act.' If they get a competitive edge from running things that way, so be it. It's one thing for the Bush administration to declare everything down to the president's boogers a state secret, it's another thing entirely for a sports organization to keep things quiet.

Week 1

Interesting that the major annuals (including Lindy's that I didnm't list yet) all have the Panthers going to the Super Bowl. Which I did as well - having done my picks before reviewing the others (you'll have to take my word on that).

I don't know if that's good karma or bad. They certainly have everything it takes to go all the way. Last year it was the injuries at RB that held them back, and this year they're returning with pretty much the same group: DeShaun Foster, Nick Goings, and Rod "He Hate Me" Smart. That's a pretty thin group for a team with championship aspirations.

Week 1:


Thursday, Sept. 7
PITTSBURGH
1
Miami
34½

- Steelers win the opener with Charlie Batch at QB, hoping it's the only one they'll have to play without Big Dumb Ben.

Sunday, Sept. 10
Denver
4
ST. LOUIS
46

Broncos, in a close one.

TENNESSEE
2½
NY Jets
36

Titans show they're slowly getting back into form. Jets show that Eric Mangini is just not ready for the job.

NEW ENGLAND
9
Buffalo
41

Pats in a laugher. We might see Matt Cassel in the fourth quarter.

TAMPA BAY
3
Baltimore
34

Bucs at home. As long as fragile Chris Simms stays healthy, the Bucs will be dangerous.

KANSAS CITY
2½
Cincinnati
46

Cincy wins a close one, with parole officers doing a head count on the team bus - coming and going.

Seattle
6
DETROIT
45½

Seattle continues to prove that Matt Millen should have been fired long ago.

CAROLINA
6
Atlanta
40

Panthers D makes Vick look silly - again.

Philadelphia
4
HOUSTON
37

Philly shows that they're returning to form as well. McNabb starts to re-establish himself. But will Philly's complete lack of a running game start hurting them from the get-go?

CLEVELAND
3
New Orleans
36

Browns show why they picked up Big Play Willie and a LB in both the first and second rounds of the draft. Bush runs for 300 yards (wishful thinking based on my fantasy team).

JACKSONVILLE
2½
Dallas
36½

Jax is too tough at home. Will TO and the Tuna come to blows on the sideline?

Chicago
3½
GREEN BAY
35

Favre squeeks out a victoy and one week of Green Bay Super Bowl stories consume the airwaves.

ARIZONA
7½
San Francisco
42½

New-look Cards start their playoff run.

Indianapolis
3½
NY GIANTS
48½

Colts lose on a Vinateiri FG miss with one second on the clock. Karma is a nasty thing.

Monday, Sept. 11
WASHINGTON
5
Minnesota
35

Washington starts strong.

San Diego
3
OAKLAND
43

Chargers retaliate for the three-point betting line by winning 30-0.

Predictions

AFC:

Indy over Cincy
Denver over Jax

Pats over Indy
Denver over Pitt

Pats over Denver

NFC:

Dallas over Tampa
Seattle over Chicago

Carolina over Dallas
Seattle over NYG

Carolina over Seattle

Super Bowl:

Pats over Carolina (again)

The Sporting News:

Fins over Broncos
Pats over Chiefs

Steelers over Fins
Colts over Pats (right)

Steelers over Colts

Steelers over Panthers

Seahawks over NYG
Washington over Bears

Panthers over Washington
Cowboys over Seahawks

Panthers over Cowboys

Pro Football Weekly:

Division winners:

Pats, Steelers, Colts, Broncos
Washinton, Bears, Panthers, Seahawks

Wild Cards:
Fins, Bengals
Cowboys, Vikings

Super Bowl:

Panthers over Colts

Athlon Sports:

Division Winners:
New England, Pittsburgh, Indy, Denver
Dallas, Chicago, Carolina, Seattle

Wild Cards:
Jax, San Diego
Philly, Atlanta

Championship Games:
Indy over New England
Carolina over Chicago

Super Bowl:
Indy over Carolina

NFC

NFC East:
NYG - 12-4
Dallas - 10-6
Washington - 9-7
Philly - 8-8

NFC North:
Chicago - 11-5
Green Bay - 4-12
Minnesota- 3-13
Detroit - 1-15

NFC South:
Carolina - 12-4
Tampa Bay - 9-7
New Orleans - 8-8
Atlanta - 7-9


NFC West:
Seattle - 11-5
St. Louis - 4-12
Arizona - 3-13
San Francisco - 1-15

Football

AFC East:
New England - 13-3
Miami - 9-7
New York - 5-11
Buffalo - 4-12

AFC North:
Pittsburgh - 11-5
Cincinnati - 10-6
Cleveland - 8-8
Baltimore - 6-10

AFC South:
Jacksonville - 11-5
Indianapolis - 10-6
Tennesee - 4-12
Houston - 3-13

AFC West:
Denver - 10-6
San Diego - 9-7
KC - 8-8
Oakland - 6-10

Story

I love this. It's a story that's emblematic of the failure of our national media over the past six years, as a Neo-Fascist cabal has taken over the federal government - without their noticing.

There are so many stories to be told, so many things they are doing without the knowledge or consent of their employers - the American people. And with any sort of active media, those stories would start to be told now. Sadly, that's not the case. The NF's (Neo-Fascists) are clamping down on whistle-blowers, and without people actively forcing their stories on a disinterested media, nothing gets told.

Except when a journalism student decides to do a term paper. Then - guess what? You got it. She finds a story worth telling.

The Department of Education was sharing confidential student information with the FBI.

The effort was reported yesterday by a graduate student, Laura McGann, at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, as part of a reporting project that focused on national security and civil liberties.

Were are the 'real' journalists to tell these stories? McGann apparently noticed a mention of the program in a GAO report. Yes, she read a GAO report - don't we have journalists at the WaPo and NYT or anywhere else that read this stuff?

"Operation Strikeback" (yes, that's really what they called it) is, apparently, over. That's according to a document in the FOA file that McGann got - a document dated 10 days after she intervied an Education official.

“This operation Strikeback confirms our worst fears about the uses to which these databases can be put,” said David L. Warren, president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, which represents 900 institutions. “The concentration of all this data absolutely invites use by other agencies of data that had been gathered for very specific and narrow purposes, namely the granting of student aid to needy kids.”

It's like the fish are junping into the boat, but nobody wants to pick them up and put them in a net. The NF's think "privacy" and "civil liberties" are for governments, not people.

And until we get more journalism students on the job, we're not going to learn anything else about what our government is doing to us.

To the mainstream media: WAKE THE HELL UP!