“It’s astonishing that 50 years of hard work can be trashed in a morning by an accusation,” he said in a Facebook post Wednesday evening. “I always believed in hard work and now it feels sort of meaningless. Only a friend can hurt you this badly. I think I have to leave the country in order to walk around in public and not feel accusing glances.”
There is more to this story. From the Star Tribune article:
Although he stepped away from “Prairie Home,” Keillor retained a producer credit and continued to record his daily feature, “The Writer’s Almanac,” for syndication by MPR’s distribution arm, St. Paul-based American Public Media.
MPR said it would halt that feature. It also will separate itself from the Pretty Good Goods online catalog, which sells Keillor merchandise, and the website PrairieHome.org.
“I’m in shock,” new host Thile wrote on Twitter. “I know nothing beyond what’s contained in the MPR statement but I trust that the proper steps are being taken.”
Minnesota Public Radio wouldn't turn Keillor into a nonperson and disavow his brand entirely if there weren't. If Keillor needs to leave the country, it's not because an ambivalent mob is at his door. Keillor was the biggest cash cow MPR has ever had, and likely ever will have. The people on the MPR board are all highly experienced business executives. The board wouldn't cut ties with someone as important as Keillor has been to MPR based on a hearsay single incident. And Keillor knows that. There's something else going on. We won't find out what it is right away, but we will find out. Stay tuned.
time for a Perve Pool. name 5 creeps who are going down before the end of the year. i'll go... Anderson Cooper Roger Goodell Geraldo Rivera Chuck Schumer Rahm Emmanuel
I'll play. I must say Gino has taken the favorite in the clubhouse. Geraldo doth protest too much lately. I would be more surprised if Geraldo wasn't one.
My five:
Stephen Colbert
Bill de Blasio
Joe Biden (hanging curve ball, amirite?)
Bill Nye
Ted Lieu
You can play, too, in the comment section. Pick your five. We'll post 'em and see what happens. Have at it!
I don't much care about Matt Lauer, but Garrison Keillor getting the pipe is a story:
Garrison Keillor, the force behind the popular “A Prairie Home Companion” show, was fired by Minnesota Public Radio over inappropriate behavior claims.
The radio station received a complaint about improper actions with an employee while he oversaw the popular Saturday afternoon radio show, the station said in a lengthy statement. He retired from it last year.
“MPR takes these allegations seriously and we are committed to maintaining a safe, respectful and supportive work environment for all employees and everyone associated with MPR,” the broadcaster said in a statement.
The station has cut ties with Keillor’s private companies, the statement continued.
Truth be told, I'm not surprised at all. Keillor has been a hateful crank for at least 25 years. The tell for me was the publication of The Book of Guys, which I always assumed was an admission of sins and/or cry for help rather than a work of satire. Misanthropes are the way they are for a reason, and the reason is usually self-loathing. I'm sure we'll learn more about the particulars in the coming days, but Keillor has only intermittently tried to disguise his bile for a long time now. Let's just say this moment has been coming, and in the current environment Keillor was a high-probability target for the tumbrels.
"Don’t get in the elevator with him, you know, and the whole every female in the press corps knew that, right, don’t get in elevator with him."
"Now people are saying it out loud. And I think that does make a difference."
Said newswoman Cokie Roberts, speaking about John Conyers. The question, of course, is why didn't she or any of the other women in the press corps say it out loud? And what are you still not saying out loud?
That's for Cokie to know and you to find out. If she thinks you should. Or you can take the stairs.
North Korea said Wednesday that it fired a brand-new intercontinental ballistic missile into the waters off Japan, ending a more than two-month hiatus by Pyongyang and threatening to ramp up tensions with the U.S. and in the region.
In a nationally televised broadcast, North Korea’s state television said that it had successfully fired a more advanced ICBM, which it dubbed the Hwasong-15 and which it said was capable of reaching any point on the U.S. mainland, in a launch personally ordered by leader Kim Jong Un.
Mr. Kim was quoted by state media as saying that, with the success of the new missile, “We have finally realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force.”
Independent experts said that the launch sent a North Korean missile higher than ever before, demonstrating a trajectory that could put Washington, D.C., in range. It triggered an unusually robust reaction from South Korea, which quickly responded with a battery of missile launches of its own.
So this regime can now reach just about anyplace in the United States they'd like. Then again, there's this revelation concerning a North Korean soldier who defected:
A doctor who operated on him at the Ajou University Hospital after he was rescued by South Korean troops told reporters that "an enormous number" of parasites were found in the soldier’s body, including an 11-inch worm. Oh was also described by medics as a "nice guy" who liked American movies and TV shows and South Korean K-pop music.
The worms are worms, but they are also a metaphor. I suspect the gig is just about up for Kim Jong-Un and his pals, but they are going to give us the full Cagney:
We can go around casting for recriminations until the day the bomb hits. I don't care which former president you choose to blame, because it could be anyone from Bill Clinton forward. Trump gets to deal with the problem. He says he will. We're at the point where it can't really wait much longer.
Demry Croft, the sophomore quarterback who after Saturday’s loss to Wisconsin asked Gophers coach P.J. Fleck for his release from the program, on Monday night said he’ll transfer from Minnesota and that he was falsely accused of damaging a door, which led to a suspension early in the season.
“After this semester ends I will be transferring from the University of Minnesota,’’ Croft posted in a statement on Twitter. “Due to the unfortunate situation I have decided to leave the football program and the University of Minnesota. I was falsely accused of damaging a door. Which I was indefinitely suspended for. The video clearly shows my innocence. Which has created a very uncomfortable environment. Which my family and I have decided to depart from the University and start a new chapter.’’
Croft in his statement also thanked former Gophers coach Jerry Kill for recruiting him and the current staff for this season.
No word on whether the damaged door was caused by Croft not carrying his oar properly. It's far more likely that Croft is getting run off because Fleck is bringing in a new quarterback. It's possible Fleck will succeed here, but his first year has been something less than, well, elite.
The Minnesota Democrat said in one interview it was important "that we listen to women," but then refuted the story of Leeann Tweeden, the USO entertainer who accused him of shoving his tongue down her throat during a rehearsed "kiss." He recalls "a normal rehearsal," but didn't elaborate. On the subsequent allegations of women who say he groped them during photos — specifically, that he grabbed their buttocks — Franken apologized, but for what, exactly?
He said he does not recall groping and said he "would never intentionally" squeeze or grope a woman but often hugs people. Is he suggesting these women could not distinguish between a friendly embrace and groping? Or that at his age he somehow groped unintentionally? Can one credibly apologize for acts without acknowledging they occurred?
Yep. And there's more:
Under such circumstances, Franken's apology is less a statement of accountability and more akin to "I'm sorry for what you think I did."
Don't ask Al what he thinks of you, he might not give the answer that you want him to.
My guess -- the Dems and their allies don't really want Al Franken to be the hill on which they die. I suspect others have done far worse things than Franken, who as always is more of an opportunist than anything else. You can safely assume a lot of other people in the 202 area code have stories that they would prefer are not shared. Franken also does not face the voters until 2020. He's dearly hoping the news cycle will move on. Most likely, it will.
Apparently saving John Conyers and Al Franken is more important than defeating Roy Moore; that's the best conclusion I can draw from this weekend's latest political machinations. Sexual misconduct of varying degrees brings the ick factor, but it's not good form for Conyers to end his long career with his pants around his ankles. And, apparently, Al Franken does enjoy the droit du seigneur and can get by with the random grope because his followers were able to manufacture enough votes in 2008 to get him over the top, so to speak. The Dems were hoping to steal a seat in Alabama, but if they have to protect their own people from accusations over their sexual conduct, they aren't going to be able to attack Moore's long past predations. It's a tough gig to go full-on Victorian when your entire party is about smashing conventions most of the time.
I usually leave the football ranting to Benster, but I am amused at the transparent machinations of College Football, Inc., LLC, in trying to keep a lid on the Wisconsin Badgers. The Badgers don't play a particularly marketable style of football but are nonetheless undefeated, a claim no other team in the so-called Power 5 can make. From what I can tell, the only team in the Big Ten that is allowed to be discussed in polite company is Ohio State, who must stop the Badgers to prevent them from gaining a national audience. It would not do for the vaunted Committee to leave the Badgers on the outside if they win the Big Ten Championship, so something must be done. ESPN has invested a lot of coin in the Southeastern Conference, and their prerogatives must be at the forefront. The Big Ten is in bed with Fox, so a representative that isn't Ohio State is a problem.
Time sells itself to a company associated with the Koch Brothers. It will be interesting to see if we see a change in how Time Magazine (yes, they are still in business) operates now.
All right, I have returned from Galesburg and I am fully prepared to be elite!
So that wasn't you who made the air smell like manure on Monday?
No, but I can see how you were confused. You're easily confused these days. D does stand for dementia, right?
Not yet. But it gives me something to shoot for.
As we get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving today, I always think of the feast to come:
Bon Appetit!
Tasty.
If you don't like being with your family today, remember, it could be worse. You could be a Lions fan!
I wouldn't wish that on anyone. How cruel.
Be thankful for you life, Geritol Fan. Be thankful for the HYYYYYYYYPPPPE! And watch me work!
Minnesota Vikings (-3.5) vs. Detroit LOLions. Well, the Vikings have been having a season that has been going much better than many observers would have expected. They are in control in the NFC North and show no signs of letting the Lions back into the driver's seat. There is one problem, though. Case Keenum is getting a lot of credit for the success of the Vikings; some of this credit is unwarranted. More credit should be given to the organizational stability of the Vikings; Rick Spielman has made some good personnel decisions and the Vikings defense has been quietly playing very well. The Lions are a team that gets by on their ability to rally in the 4th quarter. While that's an impressive trait, it's hard to sustain. I expect this game to be close, but I think the Vikings should not plan on coming home with a victory. Lions 31, Vikings 29. The Lions are a pretty good outfit, but if you line them up they don't really match up well in this game. Darius Slay needs to take Adam Thielen out of the game, but I'm not sure he can do that. Neither team runs the ball that well, so I expect a lot of passes. That should favor the Lions, but not today. Vikings 27, Lions 23. That School in Columbus (-12.5) vs. Michigan Harbaughs. The Champions of the West are currently 3rd in the East, so if you're confused, ask Jim Delaney. We will talk a little more next week about That School in Columbus, but this is a game they can't overlook. Michigan looked pretty good in Madison last weekend, but eventually the Badgers wore them down. This game is Michigan's Super Bowl. As is my custom, I will pick against the Buckeyes and hope that the administration sees fit to remove Urban Meyer after the season is over. Michigan 24, That School in Columbus 12. There was a famous quote attributed to Henry Kissinger, when he was discussing the 1980s era war between Iran and Iraq. He said the best outcome would be if both sides lost. That's generally how most Big Ten fans feel about this game. On balance, I prefer Michigan as a school and a program, but on the field you have to assume the Buckeyes will get it done this time. Ohio State 31, Michigan 27. Beloved Wisconsin Badgers (-17.5) vs. Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat. P.J. Fleck is the gift that keeps on giving, but lately his Elite Rowers of the Boat have been capsizing with alarming frequency. So he's gone back to the source of great inspiration:
You want to get some, you'd better bring some, there, P.J.! The Badgers will not be looking ahead to the Big Ten Championship Game. I freely admit this game is going to be difficult, because the Badgers have not started well in most games this season. I also expect the Elite Rowers of the Boat to jump out quickly. But the Badgers should wear them down, like they've done to every other opponent on their schedule. The Badgers should win and might get some help this weekend. Badgers 31, Row Row Row Your Boat Elitely 17. The Gophers aren't bereft of talent, but it doesn't add up to much. I think the Badgers are going to force Gophers quarterback Demry Croft to win the game. I don't think he can. And while the Gophers have some talent, especially on their defensive line, the typical Badger attrition strategy will work as designed. Badgers 38, Gophers 14. Glorious Green Bay Packers (+14) vs. Pittsburgh Stillers. Packers fans, I have good news for you. I'll be going to Green Bay next Sunday to whip them into shape. Meanwhile, the Pack has an unpleasant trip to Pittsburgh to deal with. As strange as this may sound, this is going to be a difficult game for the Steelers. The long break they had might have sapped some of their momentum. And as bad as the Packers looked against the Ravens, I know they can play better. Let's just hope my trip to Lambeau is going to have a less of a hostile feeling. Packers 24, Steelers 7. Uh, no. Are yinz nuts? I love my Packers, but as this photo from last week's game indicates, things aren't so great:
If you look carefully, you'll see Davante Mays fumbling
The NFL being the NFL, I could see this going weird, but the Pittsburgh defense will have our guy Hundley even more befuddled than he was last week. Not sure what you do about that. I'm just hoping he doesn't get injured, because if Joe Callahan gets into the game, it will look like this:
I remember the bad old days. Yes, I do. Steelers 28, Packers 10.
Oh, ye old dude of little faith! Have a Happy Thanksgiving. And if you don't like your family, watch football! Ben out!
A woman says Al Franken pulled her in tightly and put his hand on her buttocks in 2010 while posing for a picture at the Minnesota State Fair, the second allegation of improper conduct against the Democrat and first involving his time as a senator.
Lindsay Menz told CNN last week for a report broadcast Monday that the interaction with the Minnesota senator made her feel “gross.” She said she immediately told her husband that Franken had “grabbed” her bottom and that she posted about it on Facebook.
It's not particularly difficult to figure out that a guy who treats people badly for a living, as Franken repeatedly demonstrated during his comedy career, would not place a lot of value on human dignity.
Franken’s office did not respond to repeated Associated Press messages seeking comment.
With the Capitol empty due to Thanksgiving break, reaction to the latest allegation against Franken were muted compared to an outcry last week — and Democrats nationally and in Minnesota were silent.
Of course. There will be other accusers, though. And the silence won't be sustainable forever.
I was five years old in the summer of 1969. If you watched the news then, and I did, you would see plenty of amazing things. I didn't understand them all that well, but in the midst of the Apollo 11 triumph and the euphoria of Woodstock, the one guy I remember the best was Charles Manson, who died yesterday at the age of 83.
Manson was the monster under my bed personified. I was convinced that he was coming to Wisconsin to kill me and my family. My parents tried to reassure me that I was almost certainly wrong about my belief, but it stuck with me. It was lurid stuff:
Manson did not commit the murders himself; instead he persuaded his group of followers to carry out the killings. The crimes received frenzied news coverage, because so many lurid and sensational elements coalesced at the time — Hollywood celebrity, cult behavior, group sex, drugs and savage murders that concluded with the killers scrawling words with their victims’ blood.
Manson's lethal followers looked a lot like the young adults I'd see walking the streets of Appleton, Wisconsin. While they never made it to Appleton, they were on our family television at 5:30 every afternoon:
Manson and four of his followers — Susan Atkins, Leslie Van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkel and Charles “Tex” Watson — were convicted of murdering actress Sharon Tate, the wife of movie director Roman Polanski, in their Bel-Air home on Aug. 9, 1969, along with four others.
Watson had been a high school football star. Krenwinkel a former Sunday school teacher. Van Houten a homecoming princess from Monrovia. And Atkins once sang in her church choir. Linda Kasabian, a pregnant 20-year-old with a baby daughter, who said she was asked to go along that night because she was the only one with a valid driver’s license, testified against the others in return for immunity from prosecution. Atkins died in 2009 in prison; the others remain incarcerated.
As I left my childhood behind, I didn't fear Manson and his followers, but the wild-eyed image of Manson himself, compared with the dead eyes of his acolytes, is still jarring:
Cold blooded
As is the description of their crimes:
Tate, 26, who was eight months pregnant, pleaded with her killers to spare the life of her unborn baby. Atkins replied, “Woman, I have no mercy for you.” Tate was stabbed 16 times. “PIG” was written in her blood on the front door.
It's difficult to understand evil of this sort. You can lay out all manner of rationales and explanations for what caused Manson to become the monster he was -- the linked obituary from the Los Angeles Times lays out the horrific events of Manson's childhood in detail -- but as always, there's the matter of free will. Manson chose his path, and while he was able to control his acolytes, they chose their paths as well. The childhood fears I had of Charles Manson weren't his responsibility -- Manson didn't ask Walter Cronkite to discuss his case every night, although he surely didn't mind it, either. But it became part of who I am today. And as I chose my own path, I had to put such fears away. They don't arise that often any more, but they will always remain.
Old dude, the Badgers may be playing the most important game in their history this weekend against Michigan.
I can think of at least six Rose Bowls I've seen in the last 25 years that might have been a smidge more important, but as for regular season games, this is a biggie.
And if one Harbaugh is bad enough, Jim's less annoying brother is going to be in Green Bay this weekend as well. Will their brother-in-law Tom Crean come to Wisconsin to coach AAU ball this weekend so we have the full Harbaugh coaching experience in Wisconsin?
I hope not. I would think air quality warnings are already in effect.
All I know is, this weekend is going to be interesting. I get to come back to Minnesota to make sure that the HYYYYYYYPPPEEE! levels in the state return to normal for a bit.
It will be good to have you back. P. J. Fleck can't handle the job alone, you know.
It is going to be fun, and time to watch me work!
Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boating (+7.5) vs. Northwestern Wildcats. The Gophers still have a chance to do some things to give Gopher Nation some hope, but they better not look ahead to next weekend too early. Northwestern is a tough minded outfit that gives good teams fits, and are always well-coached. P.J. Fleck may sound like Billy Mays trying to convince you to take an elite rowing class on a bad infomercial, but the guy can coach. I think the Gophers pull the upset on the road to secure a bowl game and then they can focus on rowing. Row Row Row Your Boat Elitely 24, Wildcats 9. Northwestern has played quite well lately, so I'm not so sure about this. If the Wildcats keep winning, an outside shot at a New Year's Day bowl is not out of the question, so I suspect they'll keep their eyes on the prize. Northwestern 27, Gophers 20. Michigan Wolverines (+7.5) vs. Beloved Wisconsin Badgers. This might be the biggest game that Camp Randall has ever hosted in the 100 years that football has been played here. The Badgers got through Iowa, but Michigan offers another test. The Wolverines have been a thorn in the Badgers' side for many years, and the Khaki Man can coach his guys up. The Badgers will not be caught looking ahead since they have no margin for error, especially with the national media giving them a whole lot of love, with College Gameday in Madison, and Fox airing the game live on network television from coast to coast. The Badger defense will be the key, but I feel it is time that Alex Hornibrook proves the doubters wrong. He needs to take care of the ball and make enough plays so that the Badgers get another huge win against a ranked team, and a win here would set things up nicely for next week's game in Minneapolis and two weeks from now in Indianpolis against that one school located in Columbus. Badgers 17, Wolverines 8. You like low scoring football? You may love this one. The Wolverines will bring the best defense the Badgers have faced this season to Madison, but the performance the Badgers gave last week was otherworldly good. Michigan will get on the board, but not much. And the Badgers will wear them down. Badgers 21, Michigan 10. Los Angeles Rams (+2) vs. Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings continue to stay the course, and before this week would have liked getting the Rams at home. It turns out that the Rams are very good, and the Vikings are doing something I do not like. What I don't like is why are they talking about bringing back Teddy Bridgewater. Look, I get that Teddy should get a look, and that Vikings fans would love to see him pick up where he let off, but Case Keenum is playing very well this year, and has done nothing to warrant losing his place. You do not want to tempt fate by making a switch, especially because the Lions and the Packers still have to play the Vikings head to head a second time. Stick with Keenum, and stay the course. I do think that the Vikings are due for a loss, and they better hope that the Ravens win because if the Packers keep it close, then Aaron returns. You do not want Aaron back if you are a Vikings fan. Rams 45, Vikings 19. This is a tough one. The Rams have been outstanding as of late, but I'm still not convinced they are a great team. I like the Vikings at home, but it's going to be a tough one. The Vikings may worry about Aaron Rodgers down the line, but if they're smart they'll worry about Aaron Donald now. Vikings 27, Rams 21.
Baltimore Ravens (-2) vs. Glorious Green Bay Packers. Speaking of the Packers, they finally won last week, and Brett Hundley demonstrated that he can make you pay throwing down the field, which may have turned the tide. The Ravens are a team that either looks really good, or looks flat out terrible. Jamaal Williams is going to have to step up and carry the load at running back, but he looked very competent against the Bears, and I expect the Packers get another big win and stay within striking distance to allow Aaron Rodgers to come back and make Vikings and LOLions fans nervous again. Packers 27, Ravens 20. Most important game of the season, because this game is the hinge of the season. If the Packers win, they could reasonably expect to be 8-6 going into the Christmas game with the Vikings. If not, forget it. Ravens aren't great and if the Packers keep Terrell Suggs out of the backfield, they'll be fine. Packers 24, Ravens 17.
That is it, because there are no other games we deemed worthy of consideration. Enjoy the football this weekend and stay out of trouble. Ben out!
Minnesota Supreme Court Justice David Stras’ candidacy for a seat on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals received new life on Thursday, when a key U.S. senator said he would do away with a long-standing tradition that allowed home state senators to stall nominations.
After months of speculation, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said Thursday he would proceed with Stras’ confirmation and scheduled a Nov. 29 hearing for Stras and a Fifth Circuit nominee.
Stras was nominated in May by President Donald Trump, but his candidacy has been in limbo since September, when Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., said he was withholding his “blue-slip,” a document that by Senate tradition grants home-state senators the courtesy of approving a hearing for a jurist’s nomination.
Grassley told senators Thursday that the blue slip could not be used by home-state senators as “veto power” over nominees.
While I'm guessing the timing of this announcement was coincidental, it's yet another sign that Franken's clout as a politician continues to wane.
Stras is a conservative, but no one familiar with his career as a jurist in Minnesota thinks he's a hack. As the linked article from the Star Tribune mentions, he has received support from across the legal community in Minnesota. He's clearly qualified. And he'll be headed for the 8th Circuit soon.
Before you consider the fate of Al Franken, it's worth looking what the accusation was, directly from the his accuser, Leeann Tweeden:
When I saw the script, Franken had written a moment when his character comes at me for a ‘kiss’. I suspected what he was after, but I figured I could turn my head at the last minute, or put my hand over his mouth, to get more laughs from the crowd.
On the day of the show Franken and I were alone backstage going over our lines one last time. He said to me, “We need to rehearse the kiss.” I laughed and ignored him. Then he said it again. I said something like, ‘Relax Al, this isn’t SNL…we don’t need to rehearse the kiss.’
He continued to insist, and I was beginning to get uncomfortable.
We are talking about events in 2006. We are talking about a man who had been married for 31 years and was 55 years old at the time. Back to Tweeden:
He repeated that actors really need to rehearse everything and that we must practice the kiss. I said ‘OK’ so he would stop badgering me. We did the line leading up to the kiss and then he came at me, put his hand on the back of my head, mashed his lips against mine and aggressively stuck his tongue in my mouth.
I immediately pushed him away with both of my hands against his chest and told him if he ever did that to me again I wouldn’t be so nice about it the next time.
I walked away. All I could think about was getting to a bathroom as fast as possible to rinse the taste of him out of my mouth.
I felt disgusted and violated.
Not long after, I performed the skit as written, carefully turning my head so he couldn’t kiss me on the lips.
55 years old, remember. Franken wasn't done:
Other than our dialogue on stage, I never had a voluntary conversation with Al Franken again. I avoided him as much as possible and made sure I was never alone with him again for the rest of the tour.
Franken repaid me with petty insults, including drawing devil horns on at least one of the headshots I was autographing for the troops.
But he didn’t stop there.
The tour wrapped and on Christmas Eve we began the 36-hour trip home to L.A. After 2 weeks of grueling travel and performing I was exhausted. When our C-17 cargo plane took off from Afghanistan I immediately fell asleep, even though I was still wearing my flak vest and Kevlar helmet.
It wasn’t until I was back in the US and looking through the CD of photos we were given by the photographer that I saw this one:
I'm your handyman
Tweeden's reaction? Well, what do you think?
I couldn’t believe it. He groped me, without my consent, while I was asleep.
I felt violated all over again. Embarrassed. Belittled. Humiliated.
How dare anyone grab my breasts like this and think it’s funny?
Franken: And, "I give the pills to Lesley Stahl. Then, when Lesley's passed out, I take her to the closet and rape her." Or, "That's why you never see Lesley until February." Or, "When she passes out, I put her in various positions and take pictures of her."
The punchline became reality, I guess. You'll notice that the source of this anecdote is City Pages, from back in 2008. It's worth remembering, my fellow Minnesotans saw fit to elect this guy in 2008, and once again in 2014. Yes, the 2008 election was probably stolen, but we don't get to unring that bell, and Franken won a second term comfortably in 2014, when he ran against a painted sheet metal office credenza. I don't think that's exactly who he defeated, but it's been a number of years. It wasn't close, though.
So what do we make of it? My preliminary thoughts:
Even before I heard of this incident, or read the City Pages piece back in '08, I was pretty sure Franken was a creep. He's always had that vibe. As we entered this time of tumbrels, if I'd had to predict which senators were most likely to be sexual miscreants, Franken would have been in my top 5 choices.
The continuing saga of Roy Moore complicates Franken's career prospects. If the Democrats needed Franken, they'd have circled the wagons around him by now. They don't need him, though. If Franken were to leave tomorrow, Mark Dayton would have a replacement ready, most likely Lt. Governor Tina "Madame Abbatoir" Flint Smith, who was an executive with Planned Parenthood before she went into the retail side of politics. She would easily have use of the hagiography brigade that has served Amy Klobuchar so well over the years.
The reason Moore matters is simple -- for the Democrats to claim any moral high ground, they need to appear tougher on their reprobates and more full-throated in their denunciations than the professional Republicans have been with Moore. It's more difficult to tut-tut Moore if you're simultaneously protecting Franken. Once Franken gave the Democrats the 60th vote for Obamacare, he's always been living on borrowed time. The moment you are no longer valuable to Chuck Schumer et al., you get this action:
But wait -- doesn't Franken have value to the DFL? Not as much as you'd think. He ran well behind Barack Obama in '08 and he did nothing to lift the overall ticket in 2014, as Dayton and everyone else in the DFL won their races comfortably. And while it hasn't been fashionable for the DFL rank-and-file to bash Franken, there are more than a few people in the party who view him as something less than a team player. Some of the Metrocrats are hyenas, too.
If I were to bet, I'd say Franken only survives if no one else comes forward. But if I were to bet, someone else will come forward. Franken was a reprobate long before he became a politician and if there's value in dropping on a dime on him now, and there's every reason to imagine there is value, we'll have more accusers. Some may even have pictures.
Get your Götterdämmerung on. And getcha popcorn. If anyone deserves a trip through the sex creep spin cycle, it's our self-satisfied, sanctimonious junior senator. In the meantime, forgive me for a post with more tags than text.
Back in 1980, when Mugabe first came to power, I was in high school. The album that I listened to incessantly that year was London Calling, by the Clash. One of the many great songs on that album was one called "Clampdown," which made reference to the spate of repressive regimes that were beginning to fall for various reasons.
In these days of evil Presidentes Working for the clampdown But lately one or two has fully paid their due For working for the clampdown
That was 37 years ago. Now, news comes from one of the places that Mick Jones and Joe Strummer had in mind. Ha! Gitalong, gitalong:
HARARE, Zimbabwe — Residents along the streets of this capital city grappled with a new reality Wednesday after the military sidelined President Robert Mugabe, its leader for the past 37 years.
Once heralded for seizing power from British rule and the nation's white elites, the 93-year-old's tenure in recent years has been marked by human rights abuses and economic collapse in what was once one of the African continent's most promising and prosperous nations.
"Mugabe was president since I was born," said Kudakwashe Gore, 32, a mechanic. "He was spoiling his legacy by failing to pass on the baton."
Military forces detained Mugabe, the world's oldest head of state, and his wife, Grace Mugabe, 52, and placed them under house arrest early Wednesday after weeks of political tumult rocked the nation.
Not long before London Calling was recorded, Zimbabwe was known as Rhodesia and was an apartheid state similar to South Africa. The people in this nation never have been free; once Mugabe took over, courtesy of Jimmy Carter, he took over:
Mugabe wanted the government to himself, he told everyone who would listen that he would turn the country into a single party, Marxist state. The Carter administration knew this but refused to admit it in public. In public, he said that Mugabe was just the sweetest of guys. But American pressure eventually forced [Abel] Muzorewa to call for new elections in which the despot Mugabe was elected.
Muzorewa played the Kerensky role in this particularly morality play. A familiar formula -- one man, one vote, one time. There's more:
Robert Mugabe’s iron-fisted rule has subjected Zimbabwe to a reign of terror directed toward all of his people, both white and black. Not long after taking power in 1980, he began his reign of terror by killing about 20,000 people belonging to a minority tribe, the Ndebele. He uses rape as a political weapon against his opponents and critics. Mugabe has been killing people ever since, perhaps as a tribute to Jimmy Carter:
In 2005, Mugabe ordered a raid conducted on what the government termed “illegal shelters” in Harare, resulting in 10,000 urban poor being left homeless from “Operation Drive Out the Rubbish.” The authorities themselves had moved the poor inhabitants to the area in 1992, telling them not to build permanent homes and that their new homes were temporary, leading the inhabitants to build their own temporary shelters out of cardboard and wood. The UK’s Telegraph noted that Mugabe’s “latest palace”, in the style of a pagoda, was located a mile from the destroyed shelters. The UN released a report stating that the actions of Mugabe resulted in the loss of home or livelihood for more than 700,000 Zimbabweans and negatively affected 2.4 million more. (Source: Moore, Charles (6 March 2005).”Mugabe’s raids leave townships in tatters”.
It's not clear what will happen next, but Mugabe deserves more than being "sidelined," whatever that means.
What caused this societal meltdown among our Boomer custodians?
It was not material want. Our inheritance ensured we were the most affluent and leisured generation in history. Rather, excess led to hubris. We masked incompetence with snazzy technology and the elite’s ability to travel and acquire at will — and to sound hip and “with it” in speech and diction.
Our generation also, inevitably, became divorced from both nature and the muscularity of the physical, desperate ordeal of surviving. The result was a vicarious romance about the wild and an ignorance of and disdain for those who must fight the wild to produce our food, wood, steel, concrete, and fuel. The result, again, is a vicarious life. Silicon Valley grandees pontificate about open borders, “undocumented migrants,” and “sanctuary cities,” but beneath their noses are streets lined with tightly parked Winnebagoes in which thousands of poor Mexican nationals sleep, live, eat, and prep for another day servicing the masters of the universe. To suggest that the geography of the Bay Area is still vast and its open spaces ripe for affordable housing is the heresy of “how dare you even suggest getting near my Portola Valley estate”?
Our culture and financial elite are primarily a coastal tribe, cut off from both the poor and the material conditions that face the poor. They find penance and exemption for their privilege in loud but empty virtue-signaling and in easy contempt for the supposedly grasping middle class. But what we wanted from them was excellence, competence, and leadership; yet they had neither the education nor character for any of that.
And I'm one of them. In both cases, hit the links.
Keurig found itself in the midst of a brewing controversy after it removed its advertising from Hannity in response to the Fox News host's comments that Senate candidate Roy Moore — accused of sexual misconduct with teen girls — should be given the benefit of the doubt.
Met with calls to dump its advertising from the highly-rated show, Keurig and a handful of other retail companies over the weekend quickly responded on Twitter that they would. But fans of Hannity responded with their own #KeurigBoycott, featuring fans destroying their coffee machines.
By Monday, the maker of coffee machines and disposable flavor pods was trying to back out of the social media storm.
A memo to Keurig Green Mountain employees from CEO Bob Gamgort, obtained by The Washington Post, said the Waterbury, Vermont company did not mean to appear as if it was "taking sides" in what had already been a heated cultural discussion about Moore. The company’s move to make its announcement on Twitter “was done outside of company protocols,” he said in memo to employees Monday.
It's either worth advertising on Hannity or it isn't. The only appropriate response to an online mob is for a company like Keurig to say "we'll review the matter" and say no more. Go ahead and pull the advertising if it makes sense, but the ostentatious displays of piety aren't useful or very smart.
Writing for the New York Post, Michael Goodwin explains what Donna Brazile is really doing:
If it sticks, Brazile’s searing indictment of Hillary’s persona, ethics and political skills could prove fatal to her hopes for a 2020 comeback.
In fact, I believe that is the ultimate point of the book: to clear the Democratic decks for desperately needed new leadership and messages.
And it does need new leadership and messages. That's also the point of the bit on Saturday Night Live that they uncorked later in the show, after they'd done the usual Republican bashing in the cold open:
It's not gonna work for the Democrats if they trot out Hillary yet again, or Joe Biden, especially in the current context where unwanted sexual advances are in the news. I predict Biden will have a formal accuser eventually in order to clear him from the decks. The entire party reminds me of the old classic Sunset Boulevard:
Of course, the comparison to Gloria Swanson hardly seems fair, as she was much more vital in 1950 than Hillary Clinton is today.
I did a little pruning of the blog roll, trying to get rid of blogs that no longer exist or that I can no longer recommend. While it's sad to see that some stalwarts are no longer with us, there's no point in maintaining a portal that leads nowhere, or to a place not worth going.
Old dude, the Packers are facing a game where they have to beat the Bears to stay alive for a playoff spot and keep hope that Aaron can come back.
Beating the Bears is reward enough most years, but yeah, if this doesn't happen, it's probably a lost season. Which we aren't particularly used to.
Maybe they should try and sign Matt Saracen, or else go back to some retread of the 1980's which you tell me were not exactly Hall of Fame worthy players.
A fictional high school quarterback might be better than Randy Wright was. It's difficult to explain how bad they really were in those days. You needed to see it, but fortunately for you you weren't born yet.
Youth has its advantages, Geritol Fan!
That's true. You never saw Paul Ott Carruth play.
I'm glad for it. It is time to feel they HYYYYYYYYPPPPPEE!, and watch me work!
Nebraska Cornhuskers (+2.5) vs. Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of Boating. For the Cornhuskers, they have an important decision to make in the offseason, which is what they should do with Mike Riley. If I were Nebraska, I would fire him and replace him with either Dan Mullen or Bret "My Chart Said Go for 2 up 25" Bielema. My reasoning is that Dan Mullen has done wonders at a Mississippi State program that is not known for winning, and Bielema is a proven winner in the Big Ten conference who would bring back the old school power running game that I feel Nebraska has gotten away from. I like the Gophers in this game, because even though P.J. Fleck has not gotten as good results as I would have thought, he will start to get his guys in the program, and beating Nebraska at home would be a good start. Row Row Your Boat Elitely 25, Nebraska 9. Bielema in Lincoln? Heh. That would be amusing. These two teams are both pretty disappointing. I guess you pick the home team, but with little enthusiasm. Gophers 24, Nebraska 20. Iowa Hawkeyes (+12.5) vs. Beloved Wisconsin Badgers. This game all of a sudden became a very important game nationally after Iowa beat up on Ohio State like this:
That was a very nice win for Iowa, and because of that win it now means the Badgers finally get to play a ranked team. The issue I am seeing for Iowa is that they looked very impressive against Ohio State. That was last week and this time they are facing one of the 5 best defenses in the country, and will not have the aid of a very loud home crowd. All the Badgers have to do is stay the course, and the so called experts will continue to eat crow. Also, if the Badgers win again do you think that the Big Ten office is going to start lobbying for the Badgers? I doubt it, but winning close games is all the Badgers can do. Wisconsin 27, Iowa 20. This will be a good game. I think Wisconsin can exploit the Iowa defense and they have enough defensive backs to stop Iowa from getting plays down the field. It's going to go down the 4th quarter and I suspect the Badger offensive line will wear the Hawkeyes down. Wisconsin 26, Iowa 23. Lawrence University Vikings (NL) vs. Knox College Prairie Fire. It's Championship Week in the Midwest Conference, which means that schools play a crossover game against a school from the other division. The Vikings come down to the Knosher Bowl, and they are normally pretty decent in football. I am going to pick Knox, because that is what I do, and I am biased in their favor. Knox 45, Larrys 9. I have no idea. I just hope my beloved Beloit Bucs can get off the schneid and beat woeful Grinnell. Knox 31, Lawrence 27. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-3.5) vs. The U (Otherwise Known as the Miami Hurricanes). We normally do not talk much about the Irish or the Hurricanes for two reasons; neither program has been nationally relevant in recent years, and the Old Dude does not like Notre Dame football that much. But, this game has important significance for both the Badgers and the playoff scenario, since the loser is going to be in danger and the winner could be competing with the Badgers for the last playoff spot. Miami has quietly been having a great year under their second year coach Mark Richt. Notre Dame also has a strong argument to being for the top 4 as they have won all their games but for losing at home to a very good Georgia team. In the interest of the Badgers, you would like to see The U knock out the Irish. The U 30, Irish 9.
I'm all about Notre Dame losing. It should be a good game. I don't like the team, but I think the Irish are the better squad. Notre Dame 31, Miami 30.
Minnesota Vikings (-1.5) vs. Washington Gridlocks. The Vikings suddenly have taken control of the NFC North, and Teddy Bridgewater is going to be dressing for the first time in over a year. Things are looking up for the Vikings, and already the local media, especially the Vikings approved commentators on KFAN like Paul Allen and the guys on Bumper to Bumper are dreaming of the Vikings making history. These are the Vikings though, a team that has struggled to get over the hump. Washington is going to be a tough out in Landover, as Kirk Cousins is an underrated quarterback, and the Vikings are due for a letdown. Gridlocks 24, Vikings 10.
I see it the same way. Based on my observations, the best team in the division is (gulp) the Lions. I think the wheels are going to start coming off the wagon for the Vikings on Sunday. This is not a great team. Redskins 31, Vikings 24.
Glorious Green Bay Packers (+6) vs. Bear Down Chicago Da Bearz. Last Monday night was about as bad as I have seen the Packers play in the last couple of years. There was no passion, a very disappointing defensive effort, and a horrible lack of execution. However, they do get to play the Bears, who are not exactly lighting things up in Chicago as desperate homers like Hub Arkush convince themselves that Mitch Trubisky will be the long awaited elite quarterback, just like they did with Smokin' Jay, Kyle Orton, Sexy Rexy, Craig Krenzel, Cade McNown, and so many others. All the Packers need is one win, and I think they get it, making this year a good year no matter what. Call me a delusional and desperate homer, but the Bears will lose, and that is always a good thing to beat the Bears twice. Packers 24, da Bearz Still Suck 0.
I'm more concerned about the defense than the offense. I suspect Brett Hundley will play a little better this week, but the defense needs to get better. Trubisky has a chance to be decent, but he's not there yet. It's down to the defense to carry the team for a change. At least this week, I think they can. Packers 20, Bears 17.
Enjoy your football this weekend and thank a veteran for their service. Ben out!
I can't keep up with all the scandals at the moment. I have limited experience in such matters, but there has never been a time where I thought it would be a good idea to tell a woman about my genitalia, much less provide a product demo, unless she had expressed an interest in the topic.
The biological imperative is strong and it can be unruly, but we've established norms concerning such matters that are long-standing. We've always had libertines among us, but until about 1963 or so, when the Pill first became available, there were obvious consequences to pursuing a libertine approach to one's sex life. The past 50+ years have been a great time for libertines, but it's beginning to look like that might be over, and quite suddenly.
Back in the middle of it all, in 1983, I remember listening to a record by T-Bone Burnett called "The Sixties." There's an audible sneer in Burnett's voice:
It's a little tendentious, but his description of a shmuck trying to play the game brought me up short back then:
When he was younger and out struggling to climb the ladder He used to fight with his wife Or have a night out with the boys And he'd maybe go to a bar and try to pick up some strange If you get my drift And after a while, he started hearing about free love And he felt left out And he tortured his imagination dreaming of pot parties With those suntanned girls in halter tops with their cutoffs Slit up to their belt loops Then he saw a picture in Playboy of Ursula Andress On the arm of some hippie And that did it He began his rebellion late But now he's got a designer camper And one time he even got to sleep in it with One of those girls in the cutoffs But it made me feel awful Cause he had to pay her fifty dollars And it was twenty for anybody else
Glamour is seductive. And our glamour factories haven't been working so well lately. I don't know what rough beast's hour has come 'round at last. But it's here.
Following the election results of yesterday, I can safely say two things about municipal government in New Brighton:
The city council will get along splendidly and will be spending a lot of time congratulating itself for its wisdom and courage in investing in a brave new future for our fair city; and
The city council will be a rubber stamp for the person who actually runs things, City Manager Dean Lotter.
After 12 years fighting the powers that be, Gina Bauman will not be part of the council next year. Gina was the one person on the council who would regularly challenge the logrolling and "what am I signing, Radar?" ways of the rest of the council, especially in the last two years. Because she was regularly outvoted 4-1 on fiscal matters, Bauman hasn't been able to effect needed changes for a while now, but her efforts have meant that some of the more dubious ideas get at least a touch of scrutiny. That's gone now. You can expect a lot of 5-0 votes on the council going forward -- the incoming council members, Graeme Allen and Emily Dunsworth, are both DFL operatives and while their positions are nominally nonpartisan, there's little question they will defer to Lotter's wishes and pose for a lot of photo opportunities. I'm sure they'll have a great time.
There's more to say about this election, especially the role of the successful school board levy vote in driving the results, but the lesson is obvious -- if you go along, you get along. And as the citizens of New Brighton look at their property tax bills in the coming years, they'll understand the refrain of Joni Mitchell's song "Big Yellow Taxi":
Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.
I mostly stay out of the gun control debate. I don't think additional gun control laws are needed, at least until we get around to enforcing what's already on the books. In the case of Devin Kelley, the guy who shot up a church outside of San Antonio over the weekend, we have an apt illustration:
The Texas church shooter shouldn't have been able to legally own a gun.
But an Air Force officer failed to enter Devin Patrick Kelley's domestic violence court-martial into a national database that would have barred him from buying weapons, the Air Force said Monday.
Top Air Force brass ordered a full review of how the service handled Kelley's conviction at a general court-martial in 2012, Ann Stefanek, a spokeswoman for the Air Force, said in a statement Monday.
Based on what we're learning, Kelley was an all-around bad dude:
Kelley, 26, of New Braunfels, Texas, joined the Air Force after graduating from New Braunfels High School in 2009. He trained at Lackland and Goodfellow Air Force bases in Texas, before reporting to his assignment in logistics readiness at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico.
In 2012, Kelley was convicted at general court-martial on two charges of assault, the Air Force said. A retired Air Force colonel who supervised prosecutors when Kelley was tried said Kelley was convicted of fracturing his baby stepson's skull and assaulting his first wife, Tessa, at Holloman.
Records show his first wife divorced him in 2012 in New Mexico. "She's very upset," her mother told NBC News, adding that she did not want to speak about him until she was interviewed by law enforcement.
Kelley remarried in Texas in 2014. The status of that marriage was not clear, but authorities said there was a "domestic situation" with his in-laws.
"The suspect's mother-in-law attended this church," Freeman Martin, regional director of the state Department of Public Safety, said at a Monday news conference. "She has received threatening texts from him."
And more still:
Two ex-girlfriends told NBC News that Kelley stalked them after breakups.
"Years after dating me he would try to bribe me to hang out with him," Landry, who met Kelley in church as a teenager, told NBC News in a Facebook message. "He ended up assaulting me. He would stalk me by repeatedly calling me — even prank calling me, saying really weird stuff.
"That was another thing about him — he was very sick in the head...He would tell me very sick strange things," she said, without providing details.
Other people provided details, though:
Brittany Adcock, 22, said she dated Kelley for two months when she was 13 and he was 18.
"At the time I didn't think much into it being so young but now I realize that there's something off about someone who is 18 with someone who is 13," she said.
More than something, although Jerry Lee Lewis might disagree. There's more:
When she broke it off, he continued to harass her, she said.
"He somehow would always find out my number although none of my friends talked to him and he would constantly call me until I blocked his number," she said. "Then I'd get calls from an unknown number so I've had to change my number quite a bit.
"He would offer me money to hang out with him quite a bit. There has been one point that I called the police because he was just calling me so much I wanted to report harassment," Adcock said.
And if you keep reading the linked article, you find out about animal cruelty charges and a host of other offenses. So, this is a dude who didn't have a right to own a gun, but he had one. The argument I'm seeing is that another overlay of laws would have made a difference, but do you really believe that? If so, why?
The election in New Brighton is tomorrow. I honestly have no idea what will happen. For the better part of a dozen years, the dynamic in the New Brighton City Council has been Gina Bauman vs. the Machine. For a few years, I wrote for a blog called Truth vs. the Machine. The underlying premise of that blog was to detail how Republican candidates had to fight against the political machine that is the DFL. The guy who ran the blog, Gary Miller, has long since left conservative politics and is now something of a anarcho-capitalist, which historically are not two great tastes that taste great together, but back then he was on to an important notion -- the left is machine-like, especially in Minnesota.
The way the dynamic plays out in New Brighton has been fairly predictable. The key player in New Brighton isn't anyone in elected office, but rather the city manager, Dean Lotter. Lotter, like most city managers, wants to ensure he has all the money he wants to pursue whatever agenda he deems necessary, so his goal is to find citizens who will serve in municipal government as rubber stamps. There's nothing particularly unusual about this dynamic; you see it in a lot of suburban enclaves. For the past dozen years, Gina has refused the ceremonial role and has been digging into how things are run. She asks tough questions and often challenges the prerogatives of the city government and its employees. Not surprisingly, these folks dislike Bauman for it.
The other politicians who serve on the city council are lefties for the most part. The mayor, Val Johnson, is very nice as long as you agree with her, but if you don't, she gets nasty and personal in a hurry. I posted the video of her outburst at a recent city council work session last week, but a repeat seems in order:
While Val Johnson isn't running against Bauman directly, that's the actual dynamic involved. The other members of the council include Brian Strub, who shares a similar mindset to Johnson (with more emotional control). He is not running for reelection. The machine has its candidates, Graeme Allen and Emily Dunsworth, who if elected would ensure that Dean Lotter's life would be much easier. Bauman is running as part of a de facto opposition slate, along with Susan Erickson and Sharon Doffing, who is Johnson's actual opponent. If elected, Doffing and Erickson would shake things up. The other two members of the city council, Mary Burg and Paul Jacobsen, aren't up for election in this cycle, but both have grown comfortable being Lotter's pal.
If I'm reading the tea leaves correctly, the machine is set to prevail this time. While Mayor Johnson's behavior has raised a few eyebrows, most of her supporters see the world the way she does and don't mind it much if she calls people racists without justification. It adds a little flavor to the stew and makes them feel better about living in Trumpland. Bauman has fought this machine for over a decade and deserves a chance to continue the fight. I hope she gets it. And further, I hope she gets some reinforcements in Erickson and Doffing. The city is a better place if we don't let it run on autopilot.
Old dude, it seems like the powers that be have a real beef with the Big Ten. They should have read my Very Special Comment.
I'm not certain they can read. They were taking their coursework in Roy Williams Hall at North Carolina.
They should listen to me. I call it like I see it, and I certainly am not biased. Heck, I even think Ohio State got a raw deal in the rankings.
I can see your point. But it's not the end of the world if the Big Ten has to prove it on the field. I think they can and will.
Well, the good news is that there is another major college game going on, one that is the most important rivalry game in Knox County.
Is it time for the Turkey Bowl?
Wait and see, Geritol Fan! It is time to pick some games, and maybe add some hard hitting analysis. So feel the HYYYYYYPPPEE! and watch me work!
Battle for the Little Brown Jug: Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat (+15.5) vs. Michigan Hail To the Victors. So P.J. Fleck takes his Gophers out to Ann Arbor to face a very young and scuffling Michigan team. Jim Harbaugh is getting paid a lot of money for not a lot of good results. He has not beaten his main rivals consistently, and as a Badger fan I am conflicted. On the one hand, you want Michigan to win so that they could be ranked when they come to Madison. On the other hand, if the Gophers win then maybe the Gophers could gain confidence. I am going to go with my heart here, and think that P.J. Fleck will pull a big win that will get him some momentum going forward, even if this win won't be the signature Gopher win that he is going to need in year 2. Elite Rowers 36, Fire Jim Harbaugh 17. The Gophers are a mess right now. I'm not certain Michigan is very good, either, but I don't see it happening this time. Michigan 33, Gophers 19. Beloved Wisconsin Badgers (-9) vs. Indiana Wants Me, Lord I Can't Go Back There. It's been a while since we have had a chance to bust out this song, but tradition demands it.
The Badgers are up against it this weekend, with getting zero respect from the powers that be, possibly no Jonathan Taylor, Quintez Cephus, or D'Cota Dixon, and will be facing a very game Indiana team that has played better opponents very tough. This game is the type of trap game that every contender will face at some point, and I think this game is going to come down to Alex Hornibrook having to make some key plays. The Badgers probably won't blow the Hoosiers out like they have in the past, but should do just enough to escape and live to fight another day. Badgers 24, Hoosiers 10. Bucky needs some style points. This is an opportunity. Bucky will find a way to make it less interesting than it should be. Wisconsin 34, Indiana 14. The Bronze Turkey Bowl: Knox College Prarie Fire (NL) vs. Monmouth College Scots. This is by far the biggest and most important rivarly game in college football. Anyone that goes to either of these schools knows that this game is personal, and I consider Monmouth to be more annoying and almost as bad as Ohio State in my book. Monmouth has owned this game for a decade plus, but this year is going to be the year we go over there and steal back what is rightfully ours. And yes, since I go to Knox, I can drop the we. Knox 1835, Monmouth=Safety School -90. Knox has had a nice season, but Monmouth is a lot better in football. Maybe not anything else, but football for sure. Monmouth 45, Knox 24. Detroit LOLions (-2) vs. Glorious Green Bay Packers. The Packers are facing a game that they must find a way to win in order to keep on the Vikings's tail, and stay close enough in order for Aaron Rodgers to come back and get his revenge in December. The Packers need to do a couple of things in order to win; first, let Hundley use the full playbook, and give him some help. I was not happy with the coaching staff going too conservative against the Saints, and the Lions have a potent offense just like the Saints. Hundley does not have to win this game on his own, but will need more of Aaron Jones and needs Randall Cobb, Jordy Nelson, and more specifically Martellus Bennett to combine for 150 receiving yards and 2 scores. This game will not be easy, but if the Packers stay together and Hundley makes enough plays and gets help from the other guys in all three phases, then the Packers win and send a message to the Vikings that they have to stay the course. Packers 27, LOLions 17. I think the Packers can win this game. In fact, they'd better. Packers 24, Lions 19.
We would pick more games, but no other college games interest me, and both the Vikings and the Bears are taking the weekend off. Enjoy your football this weekend, and Ben out!
Don't have much to say, so we will call this an open thread. I would call your attention to this article from the Atlantic. Pull quote:
The most popular public forum at Reed is Facebook, where social tribes coalesce and where the most emotive and partisan views get the most attention. “Facebook conversations at Reed bring out the extreme aspects of political discourse on campus,” said Yuta, a sophomore who recently co-founded a student group, The Thinkery, “dedicated to critical and open discussion.”(The Atlantic used first names for students out of concern for online harassment.) Raphael, the founder of the Political Dissidents Club, warned incoming students over Facebook that “Reed’s culture can be stifling/suffocating and narrow minded.”
It can also be bullying. When the parent of a freshman rebuked RAR for derailing a lecture, a RAR supporter tagged the parent’s employer in a post. In mid-April, when students were studying for finals, a RAR leader grew frustrated that more supporters weren’t showing up to protest Hum 110. In a post viewable only to Reed students, the leader let loose:
To all the white & able(mentally/physically) who don’t come to sit-ins(ever, anymore, rarely): all i got is shade for you. [... If] you ain’t with me, then I will accept that you are against me. There’s 6 hums left, I best be seein all u phony ass white allies show-up. […] How you gonna be makin all ur white supremacy messes & not help clean-up your own community by coming and sitting for a frickin hour & still claim that you ain’t a laughin at a lynchin kinda white.
The RAR leader proceeded to call out at least 15 students by name. One named Patrick defended himself, saying in part, “I didn’t realize this was [your] opinion of me as a friend. … I will not give you my support simply because you are leading a noble cause.” The leader referred to that defense as “white supremacy.” Another leader used a vulgar insult, followed by “White tears white tears.”
That's a long pull quote, but it's a long article. Stay with it, though. Perhaps the fog is lifting, just a little.
Before I called Bernie Sanders, I lit a candle in my living room and put on some gospel music. I wanted to center myself for what I knew would be an emotional phone call.
So begins the excerpt from Brazile's book, which purports to explain why Hillary Clinton's campaign and the ineptitude of the Democratic National Committee delivered us Le Grand Orange.
Say amen, somebody:
The Saturday morning after the convention in July, I called Gary Gensler, the chief financial officer of Hillary’s campaign. He wasted no words. He told me the Democratic Party was broke and $2 million in debt.
“What?” I screamed. “I am an officer of the party and they’ve been telling us everything is fine and they were raising money with no problems.”
The candle Brazile lit wasn't the only thing burning:
That wasn’t true, he said. Officials from Hillary’s campaign had taken a look at the DNC’s books. Obama left the party $24 million in debt—$15 million in bank debt and more than $8 million owed to vendors after the 2012 campaign and had been paying that off very slowly. Obama’s campaign was not scheduled to pay it off until 2016. Hillary for America (the campaign) and the Hillary Victory Fund (its joint fundraising vehicle with the DNC) had taken care of 80 percent of the remaining debt in 2016, about $10 million, and had placed the party on an allowance.
If I didn’t know about this, I assumed that none of the other officers knew about it, either. That was just Debbie’s way. In my experience she didn’t come to the officers of the DNC for advice and counsel. She seemed to make decisions on her own and let us know at the last minute what she had decided, as she had done when she told us about the hacking only minutes before the Washington Post broke the news.
And then there was the matter of financing itself:
I wanted to believe Hillary, who made campaign finance reform part of her platform, but I had made this pledge to Bernie and did not want to disappoint him. I kept asking the party lawyers and the DNC staff to show me the agreements that the party had made for sharing the money they raised, but there was a lot of shuffling of feet and looking the other way.
When I got back from a vacation in Martha’s Vineyard I at last found the document that described it all: the Joint Fund-Raising Agreement between the DNC, the Hillary Victory Fund, and Hillary for America.
The agreement—signed by Amy Dacey, the former CEO of the DNC, and Robby Mook with a copy to Marc Elias—specified that in exchange for raising money and investing in the DNC, Hillary would control the party’s finances, strategy, and all the money raised. Her campaign had the right of refusal of who would be the party communications director, and it would make final decisions on all the other staff. The DNC also was required to consult with the campaign about all other staffing, budgeting, data, analytics, and mailings.
There's more, much more, at the link if you're interested, but a few observations are in order:
Is anyone who was really paying attention surprised that Barack Obama didn't give a damn about sustaining anything other than his own brand? Or that his campaign was quite good at spending other people's money?
Is anyone surprised Debbie Wasserman-Schultz is a clueless hack? Or that she would prefer to ask for forgiveness over asking for permission?
Is anyone surprised Hillary Clinton would be more interested in the money than in helping Democrats down the ticket?
I'm amused, to say the least, that Donna Brazile of all people wants to be the whistleblower. I've been paying attention to politics for over 40 years -- my Dad had my brothers and me helping out the congressional campaign of Harold Froehlich way back in 1976 -- and from what I've observed, there have been few people in public life who are more hacktastic than Donna Brazile. She was the person who was feeding debate questions to Hillary Clinton in advance. And we are now to believe she wanted to expiate her guilt with ol' Bernie?
Any time a Democrat tells you they ought to be running the country, consider who they actually are and what they actually do.
One of several Twin Cities protests four days after the fatal police shooting of Philando Castile 16 months ago may have been organized in part by Russian hackers, according to national media accounts, before skeptical local organizers took over.
The reports by CNN and the Wall Street Journal alleged that Russian agents were behind eight Facebook accounts that publicized or financed at least 60 rallies in the United States, including one in the Twin Cities on July 10, 2016. The Journal said it examined archived versions of now-deleted Facebook posts and interviewed activists familiar with the events.
The locals are "skeptical":
Some local activists said Tuesday they didn’t believe it was Russians promoting the demonstration. Instead, they said, out-of-state protesters were trying to meddle.
One of the Facebook pages, hosted by a group called “Don’t Shoot,” publicized a demonstration scheduled for that day outside St. Paul police headquarters, recalled Michelle Gross, president of Communities United Against Police Brutality. She and other organizers were suspicious, saying St. Paul police were not involved in the Castile shooting, and that no one had heard of the group. “This was pretty crazy,” Gross said. “Who was calling this?”
The local General Defense Committee (GDC) of the International Workers of the World (IWW) and Gross’ group worried that protesters might not be safe, and both posted notices urging people not to attend.
The IWW would know. Everyone knows the Wobblies have nothing to do with the Russians.
A truck-driving terrorist carved a mile-long path of carnage through lower Manhattan, killing eight innocents Tuesday as he plowed down helpless victims on a bike path.
The rented white pickup hopped the curb at W. Houston with ISIS-inspired suspect Sayfullo Saipov drawing a bead on bicyclists as screams filled the Halloween skies and blood stained the pavement.
“God is Great!” The Uzbekistan native shouted in Arabic before a hero cop pumped a bullet into his abdomen, ending the deadly assault on a bright holiday afternoon.
Authorities said he was hospitalized after the shooting, underwent surgery and was expected to survive.
I'm glad he survived. It would be useful to actually interrogate one of these guys to find out why they do what they do and who is doing the actual ISIS-inspiring.
