Ultimate Impudence

Ahmadinejad wanted to visit Ground Zero and “lay a wreath”, and he seems surprised that NYC officials have denied the request (at least for now).Columbia University, however, will allow this maniacal ruler of an extremest, terror sponsoring state to address faculty and students at the University’s World’s Leaders Forum. In defense of his decision to allow Ahmadinejad to speak, Columbia President Lee Bollinger said,

[This is part of] Columbia’s long-standing tradition of serving as a major forum for robust debate.

Men like Ahmadinejad are not interested in debate. They have one goal: to spread propaganda. This will not be an intellectual exchange of ideas. No one will convince Ahmadinejad that Israel has a right to exist, that the Holocaust was not an elaborate pro-Zionist fabrication.

It’s enough that we let the man into the country. No US organization or institution should provide this fool with a pulpit.

Baseball History

On this day in baseball history Ken Griffey and Junior Griffey hit back-to-back homeruns. That’s right. Father and son playing for the same team, at the same time, in the same lineup, back-to-back in the batting order, hit back-to-back homeruns.

Back to back wackety wacks are special, but they are not unique. Likewise, there have been plenty of father/son tandems in MLB. Rarely, however, have the two played simultaneously; let alone for the same team. An athlete’s career span is normally such that one would never expect to see a father and son actively playing a sport at the same time. In 1989, Ken Griffey and Junior Griffey made baseball history as the first father and son to play simultaneously in MLB with Senior playing for the Atlanta Braves, and Junior playing for the Seattle Mariners. It is at once a testament to Senior’s longevity and to Junior’s unusual early entry into the big leagues. Seattle signed Senior the following year, and on this date in 1990 the two made history again when they became the first father-and-son team to hit back-to-back homers.

Daddy Daycare

I know that this is two consecutive posts featuring a Varvel cartoon, but I thought this one was exceptionally well done. Not only will I provide you with the cartoon, But I’ll also quote the cartoonist:

Taking for granted that a lot of what is seen in these televised hearings is just grandstanding for constituencies, it’s still annoying to watch these politicians act like spoiled brats. Some of the questions were legitimate and deserved to be asked. But the arrogant tone and bullying tactics in which they were shot at General Petraeus was uncivil and rude. He is a four-star general for heaven’s sakes. He’s earned some respect. Most of these Congressmen just want their face time and they try to Bogart the interrogation by talking over the general’s answers. So yes I drew them as babies.

Whether or not one agrees with the President’s handling of the War, it is frustratingly obvious that the majority of our elected leaders, from both sides of the aisle, are more interested in politics than in leading this nation. Pointing fingers and bemoaning the inadequacies of others is always easy. Working with others for the good of all involved is a lot harder.

Remembering September 11

How could we ever forget?

September 11 was “the moment” in of my lifetime that I will always remember, not only the event but what I was doing, where I was, how I and all those around me responded. Well do I remember my pain. I hurt for those people who felt that plummeting to their death was preferable to being burnt alive. My heart grieved for the families who endured sleepless, stress filled nights wondering if their loved one(s) had miraculously escaped; only to eventually discover what they already knew but hated to realize. I burned with anger that anyone would have the audacity to attack us on our soil, and to do so in such a cowardly manner was nearly more than I could bear.

I remember pulling my wife and my boys close to my side. Even though I regularly tell my wife and my boys that I love them, I remember using that phrase with a greater frequency, and hugging and kissing them with each use of it.

I remember the respect I had (and have) for the emergency workers who tirelessly worked, and in many cases sacrificed their lives, doing their duty.

There is so much more. Memories that are as fresh and vivid today, six years later, as they were on that beautiful September day in 2001, and that is another memory. I’ll never forget how gorgeous September 11, 2001 was. It was a clear, bright, clean, crisp day. The temperature was wonderfully comfortable. It was the type of day in which it is easy to sit back and think, “All is well in the world.”

But all is not well.

That is what I hope I never forget. I hope that, as a Christian, I will never be lulled into complacency. That I will never be so comfortable in this present world that I will be immune to the fact that every day, every breath is a gracious gift of the Father; an opportunity, not only to smell the roses and enjoy His majesty, but to reflect the glory of His Son and to proclaim the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I pray that I will never forget that God the Father commands all people everywhere to repent. That He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a Man whom He has appointed. That Man is Jesus Christ, God the Son, and we may be assured that this will happen because God has raised Him from the dead.

You’re Under Arrest for Too Much Salt!

Talk about your offended palates.

Kendra Bull is a McDonald’s employee at a Georgia McDonald’s. Over the past weekend she was arrested for heavy hamburger saltage. At least, that is how I term the charge, but the official charge is:

City public information officer George Louth said Bull was charged because she served the burger ”without regards to the well-being of anyone who might consume it.”

It’s about time the police cracked down on those McDonald’s hamburgers!

Let the Season Begin!

Nepalese Airline Maintenance

I am no mechanic. I am not mechanically inclined. There are not too many things that I do well with my hands beyond throwing and catching a ball or turning the pages of book. Because of that I am not usually critical of folks who are mechanically inclined. I like those people. I need those people.I think I could qualify for an airline maintenance position with the Nepalese airline system. What you are about to read is an actual Reuters news story. I am not making this up:

Officials at Nepal’s state-run airline have sacrificed two goats to appease Akash Bhairab, the Hindu sky god, following technical problems with one of its Boeing 757 aircraft, the carrier said Tuesday…The goats were sacrificed in front of the troublesome aircraft Sunday at Nepal’s only international airport in Kathmandu in accordance with Hindu traditions, an official said.

Now that’s reassuring.

You can be sure that I will never fly on that airline!

Neutered Wolverines

That giant “thud” sound you heard was the furious fall of the neutered Michigan Wolverine football program. They have fallen from a pre-season rank of #5 to…well, let’s just say you’d need a good P.I. to find them now. If you follow sports at all you have heard about the University of Michigan’s humiliating home loss to Div. 1-AA Appalachian State. I love their ignoble defeat for a couple of reasons. First, it’s great to see these powerhouse programs who schedule teams from the lower divisions get upset. With all due respect to the Appalachian State program – they have won the 1-AA crown multiple times – D1 teams have no business scheduling 1-AA programs. Too bad Youngstown State didn’t do the same thing to the Luckeyes…I mean Buckeyes. Second, it’s always good to see these arrogant programs receive their comeuppance.

Yesterday I received an email which had the following pictures attached. I enjoyed them so much I thought I’d share them with you. Enjoy!

(P.S. I have a good friend who, for some odd reason, is a Michigan fan. The fact that he routinely revels in the less than stellar play of my beloved Hoosiers was a huge motivating factor for this post. By the way, if you life posters, maybe you should visit this site.)