Can you believe we are already at the beginning of August of 2008?  It seems the older I get the faster time flies.  Several things come to mind this week that I would rather not get into deeply, but they are good for a quick mention…

On Pride and Politics

I mean is it me or does Senator McCain just get on your nerves with his constant obsession with Barack Obama.  All this guys does on his “campaign” trail is rail against Barack.  In his latest tirade he is airing a commercial that compares Barack’s canidacy and appeal to that of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.  Can this old white dude get MORE tired than he already is?  I find this reminiscent of the kind of things one Hillary Clinton used to say about Obama before he spanked that ass in the Dem primary.  In that campaign she constantly belittled and underestimated Obama’s message to Americans.   Next thing you know she is askin Obama for some loot to get out of campaign debt.  I see the same with McCain.  He thinks that because Obama is not white, that he can pretty much say anything about him including the dumb statement that Obama would rather lose the war if he can win an election.  Keep it up John.  Your making this easy.

Speaking of Obama, I hear that his campaign is all in a tizzy over Ludacris’ political rap in which he has a thing or two to say about the likes of Hillary, McCain and Jackson.  An example:

On special perks:‘Said I handled his biz and I’m one of his favorite rappers, well give Luda a special pardon if I’m ever in the slammer. Better yet put him in office, make me your vice president.’

On Hillary Clinton: ‘Hillary hated on you, so that (expletive) is irrelevant’

On Republicans: McCain don’t belong in any chair unless he’s paralyzed, Yeah I said it cause Bush is mentally handicapped

Obama’s campaign came out with statements against the song, and others are even calling on Obama to denounce Luda.  Memo to the Obama campaign, please do NOT go Tipper Gore on us!  Leave it alone.  The best thing you can say in this situation is nothing!  Let MTV be the judge as to whether the song sucks or not.

Artest Gives Yao Culture Lessons

While getting ready for the Olympic games in his home country for the Chinese national team in Beijing,  Yao Ming got wind of the acquisition of his American team of Ron Artest from the Sacramento Kings.  Ron Ron was glad to go to a team with the likes of Yao and Tracy McGracy.  But Yao didn’t seem as enthused.  Asked what he thought of the oft troubled reputation of Artest, Yao said: “Hopefully, he’s not fighting anymore and going after a guy in the stands.”  This of course references the brawl that took place in Detroit a few years ago when Ron Ron was with the Pacers.   When Ron Ron heard this, he wasn’t upset but instead decided that Yao needed a little lesson on ghetto culture:

“I understand what Yao said, but I’m still ghetto.  That’s not going to change.  I’m never going to change my culture.  Yao has played with a lot of black players, but I don’t think he’s ever played with a black player that really represents his culture as much as I represent my culture. Once Yao Ming gets to know me, he’ll understand what I’m about.”

 I’m glad Ron Ron said his culture was “ghetto” and not black or African-American.  He may have meant the two interchangeably, but I’d just assume leave it be.  I’ll take the same advice I gave Obama on this one. 

On Sports/Non Olympic

Memo to Brett Favre – Please go away!  I have been one of the few who have voiced my displeasure with this spoiled brat’s “on again off again” rants over the last several years regarding whether or not he was going to retire.  Certainly if he were Steve McNair or Warren Moon, hell Donovan McNabb he wouldn’t garner all of this sympathy nor would this behavior be tolerated.  That being said the Packers made total fools out of themselves by offering #4 20 million to stay in Mississippi as opposed to playing for some other team.  This is stupid on a couple levels.  First of all why?  If you don’t want this dude simply trade him, or release him.  Second what makes them think #4 would have taken the cheddar anyway?  If he did he would look even MORE selfish than he does now; as if all of this was about money.  Even #4 isn’t that stupid!  I don’t think so anyway.

 

 Speaking of trades and what not.  How about my man Manny Ramirez formerly of the Boston Red Sox.  Much has been said over the past several weeks by this disgruntled employee.  Manny is definitely his own man and lives in Manny World.  Sort of like Darryl Dawkins did back when he lived on Love Tron.  But Manny, the ever clever one took advantage of the news of his and #4’s trade rumors gossip.  And in the spirit of Chad Johnson broke with this clever sign in the Red Sox dugout a couple nights ago. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How good is that?  Well Manny was traded on Thursday but not to the Packers.  Instead he will wear Dodger Blue and play for old Yankee skipper Joe Torre.  I met Manny in St. Louis the day he won the World Series MVP against the Cardinals.  The guy was totally cool even as I interrupted his lunch with his wife for a picture.  Say what you want but Manny plays, and he MASHES the ball.  He will always be cool with me.  He should fit right in with other Tinseltown notables.

Quick Notes

Juno has to be one of the funniest, most clever movies I have ever seen!

Speaking of movies, finally I was able to copy The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh a DVD that a friend of mine loaned me in December.  Sorry it took so long man!  There were several failed attempts!

God By Any Other Name

In my Christian circles I often hear that Jesus is the only way to the Father.  I tend to debate that in its strict religious forms.  My theory has always been that God knows what His name is – and that it’s not what you call Him by name but what one means in his/her heart.  I believe God recognize a sincere heart that searches Him out.  Case in point – In reading the book, “Shake Hands With The Devil,” LT. Gen. Romeo Dallaire spoke about a divine experience one of his men had during the genocide in Rwanda:

Major Diagne… while transcribing minutes from meetings – “… as he sat at his desk transcribing, he felt the sudden need of prayer and slid off his chair to his knees on his prayer carpet, his head toward Mecca, as required by Islamic faith.  At that exact moment, a huge piece of shrapnel smashed through his window from a mortar explosion, flying through the space he had just vacated, bouncing off the walls and landing still red-hot near his feet.  He came within a hair’s breadth of certain death.  Always dignified and composed, Diagne reported the damage to his window and then returned to his desk to complete his tedious but essential transcribing.  (P. 313)

Say what you want, Jesus, Allah, whatever.  The man sensed his spiritual master calling and because he obeyed that voice to pray his life was spared. 

Speaking of prayers, big prayers for my man John Bass.  Pull on through!  “In Jesus name!”

Ya’ll make it a great weekend!