Dubai Firm is anti-Israel

The Orlando Sentinel wishes Jon Stewart well as he embarks on his first stint as host of the Oscars.

The firm that may be taking over the security at United States ports has anti-Israel views.

The Jerusalem Post reported Tuesday that Dubai Ports World examines "certificates of origin" to make sure that products entering Dubai do not originate in Israel.

The Post reported that the U.S. Office of Anti-Boycott Compliance fined at least three companies last year for complying with boycott-related requests received from the Dubai government, which runs Dubai Ports World.

Conclusion of the deal, which had been approved by the Bush administration, has been postponed amid controversy related to security concerns of an Arab-owned company operating part of the ports.

So can somebody please explain why the **** we are putting our security in the hands of people that hate us?!?

Early Posting Today

It's midterms week so postings will be light this week and perhaps even lighter next week. It's became apparent, at least to me, that the video was not well-recieved. Not everything can be a hit. Take a look at Ben Stiller. Did any of you ever see Zero Effect. They showed a sneak in Louisville and...it never was released til it went out on video.

How have I gotten through the ten pages of "I hope you *****" remarks? Uh, (comedic pause) I, uh, listened to the music of the Beatles and some of Paul McCartney's solo efforts and topped that off watching The Tonight Show and found out some volunteers were searching for planes from the civil war. I can do self-depreciation humor. Yesterday proved that. Unfortunately, it's not as good as "Lazy Muncie" and after the first round of reviews came in, I'm not going to promote it any more.

Stephanie Herseth, a Congresswoman from South Dakota, now has competition in her race for re-election.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame will induct their first woman. This email excerpt was sent out by the HOF:

The electees include seven Negro leagues players: Ray Brown, Willard Brown, Andy Cooper, Biz Mackey, Mule Suttles, Cristobal Torriente, and Jud Wilson; five pre-Negro leagues players: Frank Grant, Pete Hill, José Méndez, Louis Santop, and Ben Taylor; four Negro leagues executives: Effa Manley, Alex Pompez, Cum Posey, and J.L. Wilkinson; and one pre-Negro leagues executive: Sol White. Manley, an owner in the Negro leagues, becomes the first woman elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Apparently, there is such thing as the improv guide to happiness.

Yes, we have more criticism for Ernie Fletcher.

Sen. Barack Obama has decided that he will campaign for Bernie Sanders.

Bankrate talks with comedian Al Franken on finances and investing.

America 2000 will host a 3rd District Candidate Forum.

Late Night Update

It's been a long day spent mainly by watching TV, listening to music, and watching Chaos and Creation in Abbey Road.

Anyway, in case you didn't know, the United States Olympic Team finished up with 25 medals.

I agree with HRC on this one. They should be shunned.

Clinton also said U.S. policy on Iran should be "clear and unequivocal: We cannot allow Iran to build nuclear weapons." Clinton, who is rumored to be considering a run for president in 2008, also tried to link security concerns with domestic issues. "It’s a false choice" to separate security issues and "our mutual commitment" to help the poor and needy, she said to the approximately 250 people in attendance.

Speaker after speaker at the event, including Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and several members of New York’s congressional delegation, also spoke about the need to contain Hamas and Iran.

I may be a fan of London the city but not London's Mayor Ken Livingstone.

Karl Rove obsesses with HRC? No wonder she is leading the 2008 polls at this point.

Reacting to a new book quoting Karl Rove as saying she will be the 2008 Democratic nominee for president, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday that President Bush's chief political strategist "spends a lot of time obsessing about me."

The former first lady also said she believed Rove, national GOP Chairman Ken Mehlman and other Republicans are using her to divert attention from Republican problems as the 2006 congressional elections approach.

"Karl Rove is a brilliant strategist. So, if I were thinking about this," she told WROW-AM radio in Albany, "I'd say, why are they spending so much time talking about me?"

Oh, if anyone was wondering Walk the Line comes out tomorrow on DVD. I have to buy that some day.

Jack Carter, a candidate for US Senate in Nevada, is doing some serious fundraising. President Jimmy Carter may be attending one in NYC.

Senator Harry Reid sent the following email out today:

Three times this week the Republican culture of corruption will come to a head before a federal judge.

Tuesday: David Safavian, George Bush's top procurement officer (responsible for billions of dollars in federal spending), will be in court for pretrial motions in his case involving lying to investigators about his dealings with Jack Abramoff.

Wednesday: Michael Scanlon, Abramoff's associate, who pled guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States, will be in court for a status conference on his sentencing.

Friday: Former Republican Representative Randy "Duke" Cunningham who pled guilty on November 28th, will be sentenced.

Jon Stewart and the Night Visitor is an interesting read and is a script. I don't know if it's a sketch that's been filmed or a joke. But a good read nonetheless. It's definitely a satirical script.

Will the president support the bill in South Dakota?

At a news conference Monday, White House spokesman Scott McClellan suggested that President Bush does not support a South Dakota bill that would ban nearly all abortions in the state.

McClellan did not say that Bush opposes the state bill, but reiterated the president's long-standing position on abortion. Bush is "pro-life with three exceptions," McClellan said.

Those exceptions are rape, incest or when a woman's life is endangered. The South Dakota bill only allows abortion in the last case.

Most people support abortions in those instances.

Bill Nighbert will stand trial. I am not surprised at all.

John Mellencamp will headline the first concert in Bloomington's new U.S. Cellular Coliseum.

Headlines

"Volunteers search for civil war planes."

This was on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno just now. I'm gonna wager to guess that they were searching for the Chicago Cubs world series rings as well.

Busch Stadium: Get your tickets fast!

This is the 2,200th post at the Kentucky Democrat. At this rate, number 2199 is not something I am actually proud of at this moment. I'm going to do a lot of soul searching over spring break but seriously, I can be funny. I need actual comedy classes...

I honestly don't know at this point if I will get to a game this season and that was before I read this:

According to team President Mark Lamping, 3,020,500 of 3,531,377 tickets available -- or nearly 85 percent of tickets available for the 2006 season -- already have been spoken for. And those remaining are expected to go fast when they go on sale in a week.

"The opening of new Busch Stadium means the demand for Cardinals tickets, and the scarcity of tickets, have never been greater in the history of the ballclub," Lamping said. "If fans decide to spend some of their hard-earned money to attend games, they need to plan ahead and buy them early or they might be disappointed."

For the first half of the season, the new ballpark will hold 40,713 spectators. By July 13, it should be up to full capacity with room for 46,861. But record season ticket sales have eaten up 27,500 seats to each game already. Group tickets, multi-game plans, party room and picnic area tickets as well as complimentary seats and tickets the Cardinals are required to set aside for players, umpires and baseball dignitaries account for another 9,788 seats per game, on average. That's 37,288 people filing through the turnstiles every time the Cardinals take the field.

Sidney Ponson has begun the long road to recovery:

Everything is new in 2006 for the 6-foot-1, 250-pound right-hander. Not allowed to drive, he is shuffled to and from camp, first by a longtime friend and former Aruban police officer and now by a cousin. He has grown out his brown, curly hair and sideburns after years of shaving his head.

And he is pitching for his career.

"I think it's a good situation for both of us," La Russa said. "We can always use a good, quality pitcher and we have a good supporting cast for him.

"This gives him a real shot, but the key is personal responsibility. At some point, Sidney is going to have to carry this responsibility himself. We're not going to lock him up after the game."

Ponson will compete with rookies Anthony Reyes and Adam Wainwright for the fifth spot.

"If he puts his head straight, I'm telling you he's going to help us out a lot," said Albert Pujols, the NL's reigning MVP.

And Ponson is willing to accept any role, even if it means pitching out of the bullpen for the first time in his career. Ponson has seen how the Cardinals, and pitching coach Dave Duncan, have helped revive the careers of starters Chris Carpenter and Jeff Suppan.

"They asked me where I was with my problems. I told them I'm taking care of my problems. I'm going to put everything in the past," Ponson said. "I told them I'm not going to be drinking anymore. I told them sincerely I'm done with drinking. I'm not going to do it."

Speaking of pitching, there is a nice article on Jason "Izzy" Isringhausen:

"He'd look at the scoreboard to see 99 (mph), then turn around and look at us," said Cardinals lefthander Mark Mulder, Isringhausen's A's teammate in 2000 and 2001. "He'd look in the dugout at me and (fellow starting pitcher Tim) Hudson. He'd also maybe walk the bases loaded, then strike the next three guys out. Obviously, he's become more efficient. He's different. Izzy's not the same as when he first started doing it."

His fifth spring training with the Cardinals represents something different to Isringhausen. He reached camp in shape, in control of his mechanics and pain-free. The preceding seasons in St. Louis included two operations and a realization that less can be more.

"I probably don't throw as hard as I once did. But then again I don't have to," Isringhausen said. "I used to check the gun every pitch to see where I was. That was pretty much it: how hard I could throw it."

Rebuilding the bullpen represents one of the biggest tasks facing the Cardinals this spring. Fretting about the closer is not a part of the mix.

"He got himself into great shape coming into camp," said manager Tony La Russa. "He's not in a situation where he has to slow this down or that down."

Lazy Tuesday: The Kentucky Response

Let me know what you think.

Facebook...

So today is the day that Facebook decides that they will finally allow college students friend those in high school. I wonder what took them so long.

Gary Kroeger has Iowa on his mind. He used to be on SNL.

Larry Summers' resignation will be a story for quite some time to come.

Law professor Alan Dershowitz has argued Summers was done in by a core group of faculty angered over his support for the military, Israel, and for his comments on women in science - the last of which he apologized for repeatedly.

"I'm clearly in the left 20 percent of the country, nationally. I'm a Ted Kennedy liberal," Dershowitz said. "In the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, I'm in the 10 percent side of the conservatives.

"That doesn't show I'm out of sync with the country," he said. "It shows how out of sync Harvard is."

That is an interesting comment by Professor Alan Dershowitz. I met him a while back. Need proof?

I like Senator Russ Feingold. I won't lie about that. But I will not be supporting him for president in 2008 in the primaries. We are trying to win back the family values debate and I don't think that having two divorces will help him with that cause.

Second City had them laughing for three hours at Purdue.

Christina Anthony and Anthony LeBlanc, at one point, played actors who auditioned for "Roots: The Musical" and sang a song about how black actors get more work during Black History Month.

TJ Miller created vibes reminiscent of Will Ferrell with a little Napoleon Dynamite mixed in for flair. Brad Morris personified the straight man, doing it best in a sketch about animal therapy with an evil ferret.

Oh, and be sure to check out the website of TJ Miller.

Winter Olympics - American Medals Day 16

No medals today.

The closing ceremonies have ended and television programming will resume to normalcy once again tomorrow. I have to commend NBC for their 416 great hours of televsion coverage. I've especially enjoyed the liveblogging of the games even if I had the post fished by 9:00 PM but didn't actually post it til midnight for the fear of spoiling it for others. Was watching The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in reruns during this time worth it? You bet it was.

Avril Lavigne had a great performance singing "Who Knows" from Under My Skin as they previewed the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, in which everything should be live during the day, and not tape-delayed like these games and the Athens Games from 2004. Liveblogging the Olympics will rerun with the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics even if I am studying improv at Second City then...or working for Senator Bayh. We shall see...

Now for the recap of how many hours I actually watched! I would have had a lot more hours of viewing yesterday if I wasn't working. The same goes for Feb. 11th as I went home for part of the day.

February 10, 2006 - 3.13
February 11, 2006 - 4.33
February 12, 2006 - 9.92
February 13, 2006 - 7.00
February 14, 2006 - 9.08
February 15, 2006 - 7.58
February 16, 2006 - 9.67
February 17, 2006 - 8.25
February 18, 2006 - 12.23
February 19, 2006 - 10.25
February 20, 2006 - 8.52
February 21, 2006 - 9.17
February 22, 2006 - 8.50
February 23, 2006 - 9.67
February 24, 2006 - 10.75
February 25, 2006 - 4.08
February 26, 2006 - 4.42
Total Hours Viewed - 136.55

Blogger files ethics complaint

Read here for more.

At exactly 8:25 PM this (Sunday) evening, Mark Nickolas (Chairman of The Foundation for Kentucky’s Future, and publisher of BluegrassReport.org) filed by fax a formal ethics complaint with the Kentucky Judicial Conduct Commission over Governor Fletcher’s appointment last Friday afternoon of two campaign contributors (Circuit Judge Jeffrey T. Burdette of Mount Vernon and attorney Ronald L. Green of Lexington) to sit on the Kentucky Supreme Court as special judges to hear just one case – Fletcher’s own last ditch appeal in the ongoing Merit System criminal investigation.

These appointments became necessary after Chief Justice Joseph Lambert and Justice John Roach removed themselves from the case last December. Citing violations of Canons of Judicial Conduct 1, 2 and 3, Nickolas urged the Judicial Conduct Commission to immediately recuse both special justices, as the oral arguments are scheduled for March 16, 2006 – just 18 days away.

Back to the Closing Ceremonies for the 2006 Winter Olympics only on NBC...

Light Posting Day

I have a paper to get busy on that is due tomorrow so today will be a light posting day.

Redbirds Fun is my newest venture and will be solely dedicated to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Here is your one week warning for your Tivo. Jon Stewart will be hosting the Oscars but that's old news anyway.

Today's Bayh Watch focuses on former Senator and presidential candidate Birch Bayh, the father of current Senator Evan Bayh.

Paul McCartney: Chaos and Creation at Abbey Road debuts at 10 PM on most PBS stations and yes, I plan to watch.

Yes, it is a fear of mine. I want to see a female president eventually but HRC is not the one. It comes down to this: she is too polarizing. Others agree with me on this.

One veteran South Carolina Democratic strategist says she's so well-known — and polarizing — that it's hard to see how she could change any minds.

"We all believe she's wonderful," said Dick Harpootlian, a former South Carolina Democratic Party chairman. "But we also believe that if she's the nominee, it sets up perfectly for the Republicans to win the White House for another four years ... Do we really want to rehash Whitewater and all the stuff we had before?"

Jim Carroll's Notes from Washington take a look at the race down in the second CD of Kentucky.

Kentucky's 2nd District, occupied since 1994 by Rep. Ron Lewis, has been relatively safe Republican territory.

This year, with Democratic state Rep. Mike Weaver of Radcliff, an Army veteran, going after Lewis, the Crystal Ball considers this one of 20 House races worth keeping an eye on -- not in the top 30 yet, but interesting nonetheless.

I'll agree with Sir Paul McCartney on this one.

Iz Fights Fur: Sir Paul McCartney and his wife Heather Mills McCartney have licensed Israel Kamakawiwoole's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." It will be used on a DVD, part of a campaign to stop the slaughter of 2 million cats and dogs a year for their fur. Stars like Elton John, Phil Collins, George Michael, Brian Wilson, Eddie Murphy, Paul Newman and Bryan Adams have all pledged their support for Mills McCartney's anti-fur campaign.

Rep. Ben Chandler attacks the land-sale policy.

Bush administration proposal to sell up to 309,000 acres of national forest land, including more than 4,500 acres in Kentucky, is a "misguided and short-sighted" example of "irresponsible fiscal policy," U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler says.

It's "frightening," he said, that "our very own Daniel Boone National Forest is at risk of having land parcels sold to the highest bidder for private development."

Alright, it's paper time.

Go Ballard!

The pairings are up as high school basketball starts the regional tournaments before heading to the Sweet 16. All the pairings are here. I've posted the 7th region only because of the Ballard Bruins.

SEVENTH REGION
25th at St. Xavier
Tues. – Male vs. Collegiate, 5:30; Manual vs. St. Xavier, 7:30
Thurs. – Final, 7:30

26th at Atherton
Tues. – Fern Creek vs. Atherton, 6
Wed. – Moore vs. Whitefield Academy, 7:30
Fri. – Final, 7:30

27th at Ballard
Wed. – Trinity vs. Seneca, 6; Ballard vs. Waggener, 7:30
Fri. – Final, 7

28th at Eastern
Tues. – Jeffersontown vs. Christian Academy, 7:30
Wed. – Eastern vs. KCD, 7:30
Sat. – Final, 8

Brunch time and then I'll finish up things before typing up a paper on the KDP.

Winter Olympics - American Medals Day 15

Short Track (Men's 500m):
Gold - Apolo Anthon Ohno

Short Track (Men's 5000m Relay)
Bronze - Apolo Anthom Ohno, Alex Izykowski, J.P. Kepka, Anthony Lobello, Rusty Smith

Yet again, Bode Miller was a disappointment in a race for Alpine Skiing.
Speedskater Joey Cheek has been elected to carry the American flag.

What to watch on TV
NBC (8-11 AM): Men's Hockey (Gold Medal Game) - LIVE in ET and CT
USA (11-12 PM): The Olympic Champions
USA (12-1): Mercury of the Mountain (Italy's greatest Winter Olympic athlete, bobsledder Eugenio Monti)
NBC (4-6 PM): Best of Torino
NBC (7-11): Cross-Country Skiing (Men's 50km Freestyle), Closing Ceremonies.

Vancouver 2010

Actor Don Knotts dies at 81

In sad news today, we've lost Don Knotts at age 81 to pulmonary and respiratory complications. May he rest in peace. He was a talented actor-comedian who was in The Andy Griffith Show and Three's Company. We all know him as Sheriff Barney Fife.

Evan Bayh is not the only person who believes the party should take back the security issue.

Evan Bayh gets it. Wes Clark gets it. Hell, John Murtha gets it. Bayh, a very likely and strong Presidential candidate for 2008 challenged Bush, Rove, and the Republicans on the security issue. Saying the Democrats long history of protecting our country from FDR, Harry Truman, to JFK, and the Republicans weakness of 9/11, and Hurricane Katrina shows that we know how to protect America. He knows the fact as we know, but our leaders tend to forget that we are better at protecting the homeland. Bayh has introduced legislation this week increasing oversight of business deals with foreign governments to protect homeland security. He requires the national intelligence to review the case before sending the case to the Foreign Relations Committee. Then when dealing with Iran he provided some tough liberal talk of compellence, sanctions, and diplomacy. He said unlike Bush and the Republicans we should be tough and more importantly smart on how we use our tools of compellence.

Democrats and Republicans alike will override the veto that the president says he will do. Why is the port security of American ports being turned over to Arab countries? It makes no gosh-darn sense to me.

Hillary Rodham Clinton is ready for more than just 2006.

Senator Bayh's response to Indiana Congressman Steve Buyer:

"Senator Bayh joined the Armed Services Committee in 2002 to support our troops and help protect the country. Using that position, he's worked with Republicans and Democrats to pass legislation to get our troops more armored Humvees and to help military families facing financial trouble at home."

I thought we already had a full court on the Supreme Court. Apparently, it's not good enough for Ernie Fletcher, who announced he would appoint two special justices.

"It is unprecedented for the governor's office to choose the judges in its own case," Attorney General Greg Stumbo said in a statement. "All parties should disclose any prior contacts with the special justices. I will continue to defend the grand jury's right to reveal government corruption."

My beloved St. Louis Cardinals are looking to regain the pulse that they have had in the past.

Only eight players remain from the Cardinals' '04 World Series roster. First baseman Albert Pujols, center fielder Jim Edmonds and closer Jason Isringhausen are the only remnants of the club jarred in June 2002 by pitcher Darryl Kile's death in Chicago. A team that last summer became greater than the sum of its many injured parts must learn itself all over again.

"The thing you don't do is come to a new team and force yourself on people," said shortstop David Eckstein, who joined the Cardinals last spring after four seasons in the American League. "We walk in here as a bunch of guys but over time we're going to develop into a team. It's going to be interesting to see how it ends up playing out."

General manager Walt Jocketty says he considers personalities when putting together a team. Several familiar with the process maintain reservations about makeup caused the club to shy away from combustible free-agent outfielder Milton Bradley last winter.

Conversely, Jocketty thought well-tattooed infielder Scott Spiezio's reputation as unconventional made him a good fit for a team that shed some of its edginess.

"We've got some reports he can be a little bit off the wall, but he's also a good guy," Jocketty said. "We don't want to bring guys in here who are jerks. It's something we research very heavily before we acquire a player. It's a big part of it."

"I just like to have fun," Spiezio said recently. "You've got to remember it's just a game."

La Russa counted only "4 1/2" teams among his 27 that offered a "bad clubhouse."

Juan Encarnacion's versatilitiness is well-liked and he'll likely make the starting line-up. What about the relievers? Make sure to check out John Sickel's top twenty prospects in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.

Joe Lieberman has lined up early endorsements. I hope he had a very happy 64th birthday.

Every statewide Democratic officeholder except Treasurer Denise Nappier, who campaigned with Lieberman the previous day, joined the senator in a union hall in Hartford. Nine politicians and a dozen union leaders took turns singing the praises of Connecticut's junior senator.

Rocco Calo, who leads the Teamsters local on strike at Sikorsky, told the crowd that the house of labor does not forget old friends. Lieberman already has walked the picket line with his members and tried to restart contract talks, he said.[...]

The union hall was full of officeholders who question the U.S. conduct of the war, including Sen. Christopher Dodd and the master of ceremonies, Rep. John Larson. Some shared those concerns with Lieberman, though none from the podium.

"I said to Joe when he came in today, 'Joe, you and I don't agree on the war in Iraq, but you are a great United States senator. You toil every day,' " Lt. Gov. Kevin Sullivan said. "For 99.99 percent of things I think are important in this world, I can stack Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman up against each other and they are both there on the things that count."

It was a common theme.

Dodd, who warmly described Lieberman as a friend and part of the Democratic family, added another reason: Every Democrat who will be seeking office in November is stronger with Lieberman on the ballot.

"You need to have more of a case to make than a disagreement on one issue to justify the kind of effort, expense and cost to divide a candidacy and party," Dodd said. "I don't think that makes a lot of sense."

Bill Henderson of the Communication Workers of America was the only speaker to mention Iraq from the podium. He thanked Lieberman for visiting his son, Sgt. Dan Henderson of the Connecticut National Guard, in Baghdad. The sergeant returned home in December.

Dodd, Sullivan, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, Comptroller Nancy Wyman and Democratic State Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo offered testimonials, as did Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez and the two top legislative leaders, Senate President Pro Tem Donald Williams Jr. of Brooklyn and House Speaker James Amann of Milford.

Others stood by in nonspeaking roles, including Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy, a candidate for governor who opposes the war but supports Lieberman.

"In the Democratic Party, as opposed to the Republican Party, you can actually have differences of opinion and still be in the tent," Malloy said.

The other Democratic gubernatorial challenger, New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr., was missing, but he already has endorsed Lieberman. His campaign notified reporters, including some who didn't ask, that DeStefano was disappointed that a conflict prevented his attendance.

I think I know someone who is working for John DeStefano. I have yet to make an endorsement in the CT race for governor.

There will be a scene with Jon Stewart and George Clooney in the same bed at the 2006 Academy Awards. It is a spoof of Brokeback Mountain.

Kentucky vs. Louisiana State

We lost 71-67, not good.

The loss moves the Cats to 8-6 in the SEC Conference. Florida plays against Alabama tomorrow. Go BAMA!

Winter Olympics - American Medals Day 14

Men's Curling:
Bronze - Team USA (Scott Baird, Pete Fenson, Joe Polo, Shawn Rojeski, John Shuster)

Alpine Skiing (Women's Giant Slalom):
Gold - Julia Mancuso

Speedskating (Men's 10,000m):
Silver - Chad Hedrick

After the first two heats, USA-1 is in 7th behind USA-2, less than a second behind the leader.

What to watch on TV
NBC (1-6 PM): Men's Ice Hockey (Bronze-medal game) - LIVE ET and CT, Speed Skating (Women's 5000km), Biathlon (Women's 12.5km mass start)
NBC (8-11:30 PM): Alpine Skiing (Giant Slalom), Short Track (Men's 500m), Short Track (Women's 1000m), Short Track (Men's team relay), Bobsled (Four-man), Biathlon (Men's 15km mass start)
NBC (12-1 AM): Medals ceremonies and musical performances

Israel Trip Off

Well, registration closed within hours and apparently, I wasn't submitting the deposit til I had the funds so I will not be going through Oranim. I may go during the winter and miss some class but time will tell for that. Had I gone through Oranim, I would have recieved credit. I could go during the winter with them but that would mean no credit due to the fact that the last 30 hours must be sole NKU hours - hence the rush to get out by the summer of 2007.

Mark Powell is the first statewide candidate in Missouri to seek the office of the State Treasurer. He is the current mayor of Arnold, Missouri, a suburb in the southside of St. Louis, Missouri.

The next meeting of the Kentucky Democratic Party State Central Committee is on Monday at 5 PM.

Quick Update

I'm on my way out for lunch and a meeting at 11:30.

A CEO writes about NBC and how "Lazy Sunday" was a rebirth for SNL.

Second City Tour Co. will be at Purdue tomorrow. They are at UK today.

Eric Clapton will tour Europe this summer.

Scott Spiezio is hoping to make the St. Louis Cardinals this season.

Signed just eight days ago as a non-roster invitee, Spiezio has joined the team where his father, Ed, won world championships in 1964 and '67. The Cardinals even gave him his father's uniform number — 26.

"He was there for the opening of the first Busch Stadium," he said, "and hopefully I can be there for the opening of the second."

Spiezio will if he can rediscover the hitting form he had a few years back with the Angels, where he hit.285 in 2002 and.265 in 2003. While he's never hit with much power, he'll long be remembered by Angels fans for his three-run homer in the eighth inning of Game 6 of the 2002 World Series against San Francisco that started Anaheim's rally from a 5-0 deficit to a 6-5 victory.

"He can definitely bring something good to the clubhouse," said shortstop David Eckstein, who along with Jim Edmonds, played alongside Spiezio in Anaheim. "He's a good, fun guy who can keep everyone loose, but he's also a very versatile player.

"He can play a lot of positions very well, and that's kind of what this club has been missing since we lost John Mabry." Spiezio, who played second base in his lone full game with the Mariners last season, will be expected to back up all infield spots.

With a lot of new faces in the Cardinals' clubhouse, Spiezio's good-natured humor might also serve to bring together a team that some feel has yet to find an identity.

"I just like to have fun," he said. "You've got to remember it's just a game.

It's Mardi Gras time in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Endymion One of the "Super Krewes," Endymion marches Uptown this year, but plans a return to Mid-city next year. Celebrity co-grand marshals are Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi who will also perform at the Endymion Extravaganza. The theme of the 40th annual parade is "The Legend & The Lure of Gold," depicted on 33 floats. 3:30 p.m.

Ravi Moss or Cameron Mills? Who do you think is the best walk-on that played at UK? That's what Mark Story asks today in his column.

Expert witnesses
A series of experts address the question: Best Kentucky walk-on, Cameron Mills or Ravi Moss?

Former UK great Kenny Walker: "It's a tough one, but I lean a little bit toward Ravi. Ravi's hit so many big shots, but Cameron hit a lot of big shots, too. But Ravi gives you the all-around game, the toughness. I'd have to give the edge to Ravi."

Former Kentucky head coach Joe B. Hall: "Oh Lord, I'm not sure I'm gonna put my dog in that one. I love them both. But Ravi's had more playing time, shown more production. Cameron hit big shots when given the opportunity, but not as many as Ravi."

Former Kentucky assistant coach Doug Barnes: "I'd have to say Ravi. Because of his all-around play. Where Ravi doesn't get credit is defense. He's pretty much our stopper. Cameron is the best shooter. But basing it on all-around play, it's Ravi."

A surprise witness
We ask the mystery man, Best Kentucky walk-on, Cameron Mills or Ravi Moss?

"As far as who had more talent, more athleticism, who was more consistent in the game, I think you'd have to say Ravi," says Cameron Mills.

"It's no secret, I could do one thing and do it really well. It was sort of understood that as long as I wasn't turning the ball over and I wasn't killing the team on defense, I was in there to shoot.

"So, if you want to say who was the best walk-on, I'd say Ravi. But if you're asking who played on better teams, I do have two national championship rings and I played on three Final Four teams."

The verdict
The Court of Never-Ceasing Big Blue Basketball Debate has reached its decision.

Ravi Moss will leave UK this spring with the mantle Best Kentucky Walk-On of All Time.

Cameron Mills retains the designation of one of the classiest ex-Cats you'll ever meet.

Most, if not all, of Kentucky's delegation is against the sale of port security to Dubai.

Coldplay in Louisville

Coldplay played last night at Freedom Hall in Louisville, KY.

Here's the set list:
1. Square One
2. Politik
3. Yellow
4. Speed of Sound
5. God Put a Smile Upon Your Face
6. X & Y
7. How You See the World
8. Don't Panic
9. White Shadows
10. The Scientist
11. Til Kingdom Come
12. Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash cover)
13. Trouble
14. Clocks
15. Talk
(encore)
16. Swallowed in the Sea
17. In My Place
18. Fix You

In Olympics news, Sarah Hughes will leave her options open for Vancouver 2010. As will Shani Davis.

Check out this interview with CCR's John Fogerty. Yep, he's a Democrat.

Wildcat for Wildcat. Derek Anderson joins Pat Riley's Miami Heat as Gerald Fitch joins Chuck Hayes on the Houston Rockets.

Bob Dole's role as a lobbyist has become an issue as of late.

Does Facebook have a dark side?

Winter Olympics - American Medals Day 13

Figure Skating (Ladies):
Silver - Sasha Cohen

Snowboarding (Women's Parallel Giant Slalom)
Bronze - Rosey Fletcher

I'll say it right now that Emily Hughes was my dark horse. I wanted at least one American to medal. Here was a preview of what to have expected tonight.
Jeret "Speedy" Peterson finished 7th in the men's aerials in freestyle skiing.

What to watch on TV
MSNBC (7 AM-1 PM): Men's Curling (Bronze-medal match, USA vs. Great Britain) - LIVE, Men's Ice Hockey Semifinal
USA (11 AM-6 PM): Men's Curling (Gold-medal match, Canada vs. Finland) - LIVE, Men's Ice Hockey Semifinal
USA (6-7): Olympic Ice
CNBC (5-8 PM): Men's Curling (Gold-medal match, Canada vs. Finland)
NBC (4-5 PM): Cross-Country Skiing (Women's 30km freestyle)
NBC (8-12): Figure Skating (Champions Gala), Alpine Skiing (Women's Giant Slalom), Bobsled (Four-man), Speed Skating (Men's 10,000m)
NBC (12:30-2): The Olympic Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Medals Plaza

Fantasy Baseball Preview

I am in at least three leagues so far. One of which is the Cardinals Diaspora league that was started by Ryan of Cardinals Diaspora. I thought I'd give my readers a brief rundown of why I picked the players that I did. My team is the St. Louis Cardinals. Ironic, eh?

Draft Order:
1. Chris Carpenter - I had to make sure that I chose at least one of the St. Louis Cardinals and Carp is coming off one of his best seasons having won the Cy Young award this past season. Plus, Albert Pujols was already taken.
2. Scott Rolen - Healthy or not, I wanted the Jasper native in my infield and I was surprised that he was around in the second round.
3. Jason Isringhausen - The first of my relief pitchers and a closer for St. Louis. In a league of Cards fans, for Izzy to go in the third round is a disappointment.
4. Nomar Garciaparra - I had to pick Nomar with the hopes of a healthy season. He'll put up good numbers if he stays healthy and he's not with the Cubs anymore so I can root for him.
5. Matt Morris - He was my favorite pitcher with the Cardinals so I had to pick him even though Walt Jocketty didn't want him back this year.
6. Paul Lo Duca - Lo Duca has put up some great numbers for a catcher in prior years and he's platooned at 1B as well in the past.
7. Junior Spivey - I had to pick up a 2B and most of the better ones had been selected by this point. Spivey should start with St. Louis this season and should put up some decent numbers.
8. Jeremy Hermida - a non-Cardinal who is one of the early favorites for the 2006 National League (NL) Rookie of the Year award. He had impressive numbers in 23 games during the 2005 season.
9. Darin Erstad - A former Rookie of the Year winner who had a not-so-impressive season last year but should put up decent numbers this year.
10. Anthony Reyes - the top prospect in the organization and he gets picked in the tenth round. It's a sleeper pick as no one knows as to whether or not he will start since the 5th position is between him, Sidney Ponson, and Adam Wainwright.
11. Austin Kearns - he should see a lot of playing time and I had to select at least one player who was a Kentuckian and a Wildcats fan.
12. David Eckstein - a Cardinals player who was a steal in the 12th round. I may start him at the utility position if Scott Rolen and Nomar Garciaparra can stay healthy this year.
13. John Rodríguez - I needed another outfielder and who else but J-Rod. He'll likely win the battle for left field.
14. Adam Wainwright - Another top Cardinals prospect who is battling for the 5th pitching position.
15. Braden Looper - my other relief pitcher who was still alive in this round. He is expected to see a lot of playing time with setting up in the late innings for the closer Jason Isringhausen.
16. Yadier Molina - again, another player who I will have on the bench or rotate with Lo Duca since I expect to have Paul Lo Duca as my number 1 catcher.
17. Juan Encarnación - A Cardinals outfielder who I did not think would make it to this round. I selected him anyway and will platoon him with the rest of the outfield.
18. Brian Anderson - White Sox outfielder who is an early favorite for the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year award in 2006.
19. Jason Kubel - a non-Cardinal as well who is a leading contender for the 2006 National League (NL) Rookie of the Year award and what I would call a sleeper pick.

Just FWIW, here are the top rookies per Fox Sports.

Non-Olympics Thread

Good news for Natalie Portman means bad news for a lot of her male fans like myself.

Shame on Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Blago did not get the memo apparently.

Governor Rod Blagojevich wasn't in on the joke.

The Democratic governor says he didn't realize The Daily Show was a comedy spoof of the news when he sat down for an interview with the show.

The interview focused on his executive order requiring pharmacies to fill prescriptions for emergency birth control.

The Daily Show interviewer referred to Blagojevich as "Governor Smith" and asked if he was -- quote -- "the gay governor."

Also, some news regarding John Yarmuth and a misunderstanding with regards to a quote he made.

When I was interviewed by Kay Stewart of the Courier after I decided to enter the race, she asked about whether I was going to spend my own money in the campaign. Because there is a perception that I could finance the entire campaign without any outside contributions, I wanted to make clear that I was not going to do that, but that I thought I could raise enough money so that I would not have to. She took that statement to mean that I was not going to put ANY money in, which is not the case, and never has been. In a campaign-related story the next day, I said that I intended to put "something in the six figures" into the campaign, but most people did not see that article.

Here is the reality: I have committed at least $100,000 of my own funds to the primary, and at least that much for the general election. By law, I cannot put more than $350,000 into the campaign without then allowing Anne to accept two and three times the current limits from anyone. That is the range of my personal investment. Since the entire campaign will cost somewhere between $1.5 and $2 million, I will be investing at least 10 percent of the entire cost.

Okay, so this is Olympics related if you want the skating results. I won't spoil it for you but currently, I like what I see so far. I'll be checking that page until I leave for dinner.

Tonight on NBC!

Emily Hughes

Kimmie Meissner

Sasha CohenAll photos from the AP

Tonight is sure to have large ratings! Now let's bring home that gold medal!

The weekend is here

It's here again come 2:55 PM!

Let's get down to business.

Will Rachel Dratch leave SNL? She has been cast in a pilot and time will tell for that. She's been on since the 2000 season.

A UK student has a music-focused weblog that is a hit. I don't link to any music blogs. Official sites of musicians, yes. A lot of the blogs I link to relate to comedy, sports, or politics.

We have some exciting news from Jupiter, Florida. Mainly dealing with the 5th starting position for pitching and the battle for left field.

Pitching coach Dave Duncan got a close-up comparison of the two top candidates for the fifth starter job on Wednesday. In succession, right-handers Sidney Ponson and Anthony Reyes threw live batting practice to the same group of hitters. In both cases, starting catcher Yadier Molina was doing the receiving.[...]

La Russa cautioned that the battle for the starting left-field job features more than three contenders. The most obvious candidates are Taguchi, Larry Bigbie and John Rodriguez. But according to the manager, plenty of other names are in the hat -- Skip Schumaker, John Gall, Chris Duncan and Rick Ankiel among them.

"If you're getting at-bats, you can win the job," La Russa said. "All you've got to do is play better than the other guys."

Taguchi is considered the favorite, thanks to his contributions over the past two years and his defensive and baserunning abilities.

J-Rod is likely to be platooning with Larry Bigbie and who knows, maybe Rick Ankiel will start producing over spring training and bring his rookie card back up in price value.

Chris Regan speaks in Richmond. Does he offer any advice for comedians?

Q. Can you learn to write funny? Or is that something you've either got or you don't?

A. I think there's a degree to which you either have it or you don't. But there are some classes that teach you some discipline in terms of how to be a writer. A lot of writing is just sitting down and writing. So, if you're in a class and given a deadline, it helps.

But if it's been five years and you've been taking one comedy class after another because you think you need to improve, it might not be the genre you should be exploring.

Regan just left a job with The Daily Show with Jon Stewart for a development deal he has with FOX.

Can someone please explain why South Dakota's legislature prefers rape and incest to happen? You know, I believe in safe, legal, and rare. I do think that people should have the choice to do what they want with their bodies as long as it is not illegal. However, when it comes to the touchy issue of abortion, doctors should have no choice when one is forced into sex due to rape, incest, and definitely when the mother's life is in danger. Unfortunately, South Dakota does not see it that way. They'd rather there be more cases of rapes and incest causing births. Did they ask the opinion of female legislators? Rape and incest is wrong.

The measure, which passed the state Senate 23 to 12, makes it a felony for doctors to perform any abortion, except to save the life of a pregnant woman. The proposal still must be signed by Gov. Mike Rounds (R), who opposes abortion.[...]

"The momentum for a change in the national policy on abortion is going to come in the not-too-distant future," said Rep. Roger W. Hunt, a Republican who sponsored the bill. To his delight, abortion opponents succeeded in defeating all amendments designed to mitigate the ban, including exceptions in the case of rape or incest or the health of the woman. Hunt said that such "special circumstances" would have diluted the bill and its impact on the national scene.

If Mike Rounds signs this bill, he endorses RAPE AND INCEST! I don't care what party he is. Contact Mike Rounds and give him your thoughts.

State Rep. Peter Sullivan, already a candidate for Congress in the 1st District of New Hampshire, released the following:

"I welcome Jim Craig to the race. I hope that he will be able to articulate an agenda for change, and I hope that he will join Carol, Gary and me in a vigorous debate on the issues.

"That said, I want to remind Jim that this is a nomination, not a coronation. Jim needs to talk to voters, not just old-line party activists and state house insiders.

"Jim also needs to understand that his record is now fair game for discussion. His cozy relationship with lobbyists and his support for a job-killing sales tax are legitimate issues, and we should not hesitate to have a spirited discussion".

U.S. Rep. John Salazar has endorsed Bill Ritter for Governor in Colorado.

David Yepsen, a name I regularly find over at Drew Miller's blog or the Political Forecast, writes about Sen. Evan Bayh.

Last week, he made his third trip of this cycle. On paper, he might just be the sort of presidential candidate who could win a general election — if the party's far left doesn't chew him up.

That's because instead of pandering, the 50-year-old former governor is telling Democrats some things the left doesn't like hearing: That offering an angry message won't attract votes. And that the party's weak image on military defense and anti-terrorism issues is a political loser.

"The deep antipathy many Democrats have toward this administration is in many ways justified, but in itself is not productive," Bayh said in an interview. "Just as the whole impeachment issue was a diversion we couldn't afford during challenging times, anger by itself toward this administration is not going to improve America.

Mr. Yepsen, we shall see what happens in 2008.

Winter Olympics - American Medals Day 12

No medals today.

The USA Hockey team lost in the quarterfinals.
Apolo Anton Ohno will be in the 500m quarterfinals on Saturday.
Team USA lost to Canada in the Curling semifinals and will play for the Bronze.
After recieving their medals, Chad Hedrick extended his hand to Shani Davis and Davis accepted it.

What to watch on TV:
USA (6-8 AM): Biathlon (Women's Relay) - LIVE
USA (11-2:30): Curling (Women's Gold Medal Game) - LIVE
USA (6-7): Olympic Ice
MSNBC (7-10 AM): Curling (Women's Bronze Medal Game) - LIVE
CNBC (5-8 PM): Curling (Women's Bronze Medal Game)
NBC (4-5): Snowboarding (parallel giant slalom)
NBC (8-12): Figure Skating (Ladies' free skate with Sasha Cohen, Kimmie Meissner, and Emily Hughes, Freestyle Skiing (Men's aerials)
NBC (12:30-2): The Olympic Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Figure Skating (Ladies' free skate analysis), Snowboarding (parallel giant slalom), Medals Ceremony

Kimmie Meissner is not Jewish

American figure skater Kimmie Meissner, the silver medalist at the 2006 United States Figure Skating Nationals, is not Jewish despite popular rumors that she may be. I think Wikipedia needs to update their listings to show that.

If you're just tuning in for the first time today, scroll down for an exclusive interview with State Rep. Mike Weaver.

America Online is going to start an email tax apparently. I don't know if this is true or not but if it is, I'd recommend signing it.

The late Vic Hellard will recieve the Bert T. Combs Award for Excellence in Kentucky Government and Politics on March 9th in Frankfort.

Coldplay announced that "The Hardest Part" will be the next single to be taken from X&Y.

The next two SNL DVD's will be The Best of Cheri Oteri and The Best of Commercial Parodies. Both are expected to be released on May 23, 2006.

Just in case you needed to know five things about the St. Louis Cardinals:

1. Cardinals pitchers led the National League with a 3.49 ERA last season, and St. Louis relievers ranked first in the NL with a 3.17 ERA and second in the league with 48 saves.
2. Carpenter went 21-5 with a 2.83 ERA in winning the Cy Young and yes, his life changed.
3. Though the rotation remains stable from last season, GM Walt Jocketty spent a good deal of time over the winter rebuilding his bullpen, which lost Ray King, Cal Eldred, Julian Tavarez and Al Reyes. Among the newcomers: Braden Looper, the former Marlins and Mets closer, and Ricardo Rincon.
4. Biggest battle in camp: Left field, where So Taguchi, Larry Bigbie and John Rodriguez are the three leading candidates.
5. Among the reasons why the Cardinals went 100-62 last season: They were 37-15 in series openers and 9-2 in road-trip openers.

Click that link for more as I only summarized it. Expected Starters: Chris Carpenter, Mark Mulder, Jeff Suppan and Jason Marquis. The 5th starting position will be a battle between Adam Wainwright, Anthony Reyes, and Sidney Ponson.

Even more problems with visas for players. This time in the Dominican Republic!

The St. Louis Cardinals dispatched a team official this week to the Dominican Republic to expedite the return of four players to the U.S., the club said Wednesday.

Juan Encarnacion, Deivi Cruz, Hector Luna and Juan Mateo are expected at spring training camp on Thursday.

General Manager Walt Jocketty dispatched assistant general manager John Mozeliak for a rare 24-hour trip to learn the status of the players' visas.

Former congressmen including former Senator Birch Bayh, the father of current Senator Evan Bayh, are hoping to get an amendment to the Constitution.

The bipartisan group plans to announce its proposal Thursday and begin a state-by-state effort to amend the Electoral College so the winner reflects the view of the country instead of an individual state or two with a close vote on Election Day. The plan would seek to eliminate the possibility of a candidate winning the popular vote but losing the election, as happened to former Vice President Al Gore in 2000.

"The time is long past to not play Electoral College roulette every four years," former Sen. Birch Bayh, D-Ind., said in an interview. "It is a throwback to 1887."

The plan, called the Campaign for the National Popular Vote, will be unveiled in Washington by Bayh; former Rep. John Anderson, R-Ill.; and other former members of Congress. The effort begins in Illinois, where legislation has been introduced in the General Assembly, followed by California and other states.

Even supporters, however, concede it's an uphill battle. Democrats may stand to gain more from enacting such reforms, considering candidates could increase their margins in heavily populated urban areas that typically favor their party. The reforms also could lend an advantage to independent candidates.[...]

"It's not going to be ready by the 2008 election, but I think it's certainly going to be ready by 2012," said Bayh, whose son Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., is exploring a White House bid in two years. "That sounds like a long period of time, until you start to think how old the country is and how long the founding fathers worked."

Ed Helms will star in an animated series on Comedy Central with Jenna Jameson. Don't bother doing a google search at work if you have not heard of her.

Kentucky vs. Mississippi

I caught the game as soon as I got back from class around 8:16 PM.

The University of Kentucky Wildcats just dominated against the Ole Miss Rebels.

FINAL SCORE: KENTUCKY 80, MISSISSIPPI 40

The Wildcats move to 18-9 overall and 8-5 in the conference standings. A Florida Gators loss means a tie for second in the SEC East.

Preston LeMaster has 12 points with FOUR 3's!! Joe Crawford led with 17 points. Randolph Morris had 10.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Dwayne Curtis, the star player of Ole Miss, who lost a brother due to complications from an automobile accident.

Conference Scores Tonight:
LSU 77, Vanderbilt 66
Auburn 75, Mississippi State 71
Tennessee 76, Florida 72

Exclusive Interview with State Rep. Mike Weaver

DS: First, thank you for joining the Kentucky Democrat for an interview today. How are things going in Frankfort/Western Kentucky?
Mike Weaver: Frankfort takes the majority of my time while we are in session and prevents me from doing the intensive fundraising that is essential to a successful campaign. We are having a major fundraising event in Bowling Green on March 11, 2006. My daughter Cyndi Crocker is leading the charge; Jody Richards is the chair; and Senator Max Cleland will be the guest of honor. My wife Lois will organize and lead the charge for a fundraiser in Elizabethtown with a guest of honor that we have not selected yet. Lois and Cyndi will organize the charge in Owensboro with Wesley Clark as the guest of honor. We will have a date from Clark this week. We will also have a fundraiser in Louisville after the other three. The DCCC has this race as a top tier and is very supportive with arranging guests of honor.

DS: You're a veteran who has honorably served our country and now, you are running for Congress. What are your thoughts on the fact that there are so many veterans running this year?
MW: On Wednesday, February 8, 2006, I stood on the Mall looking up at our nations Capital with forty of the fifty-two Democratic Veterans who are running for Congress. Max Cleland was the featured speaker and the center of attention as the Band of Brothers rallied around this American hero. Max gave so much of himself for his country only to be branded as a non-patriot during his last campaign for the Senate. It is true that not many veterans have run for congress in the past because veterans, especially those who made the military a career, find the profession to be less honorable than being a professional soldier. Additionally, fundraising is a huge obstacle for a professional soldier who has never had to ask anyone for donations. Personally, I would rather do some of the most dangerous and uncomfortable things that I did as a soldier again than ask for money for my campaign. I, along with fifty-one other veterans, am willing to endure this arduous process because I am convinced that our country needs more combat veterans as part of the decision making process. There are hard questions that should be asked and answers demanded before this country ever engages in war again. I think combat veterans are qualified to ask the questions and bold enough to demand the answers.

DS: You're running against Ron Lewis. How is that looking right now? Any idea as to what the latest polls are saying?
MW: I have respect for Ron Lewis but he is not a person of action. I bring experience in leadership, decision making, taking care of soldiers, and wisdom from age and experience. I have asked hard questions and made difficult decisions. I can and will do the same in the Congressional environment. A poll commissioned by the DCCC that covered all counties in the Second Congressional District convinced me that this seat is winnable. According to the poll, when my military experience and General Assembly record are communicated to the voters, I will win. Again, fundraising is the key to telling the story.

DS: Do you believe that the state party is heading in the right direction in order to take back the state senate and keep control of the house?
MW: Based on the election results in Louisville last week and the low popularity rating of the governor, I think the House is not only safe in the fall elections, I think we stand a good chance of gaining more seats.

DS: Any thoughts as to the current image of the national party? It seems that from the past few elections, many people want to know what Democrats stand for.
MW: In my opinion the current image of the national party is that the party is too far to the left. That image is a combination of the Republican Party emphasizing our left wing and our party remaining silent on our diversity. We have allowed the Republican Party to claim faith and family values exclusively as their own and many from our own party accept this. It is time for anyone running for office as a Democrat to change that image. It is important that a candidate be a person of faith and have the courage to defend it. My faith was taught and nurtured at home, in private school, in church and confirmed in a foxhole. It is important to discuss religion because every decision we make is influenced by our beliefs.

DS: Have you heard anything about Governor Julian Carroll's plan for 2007? If so, do you endorse it?
MW: Governor Carroll has traveled with me supporting my campaign. He has mentioned his concern for a good candidate but has never mentioned himself.

DS: I know 2008 is a few years away but are any potential candidates that you see having a good chance to reach the White House? It seems like a lot of Kentuckians support Sen. Evan Bayh including myself.
MW: For a democrat to have a chance of reaching the White House, he or she must appeal to people like me. In the Army, a good officer was one who could crawl in the foxhole with a private, talk to an elected official at the highest level, and communicate with everyone in between. It appears to me, the candidates from New England have not given the impression they can do that; they appear to support only the liberal wing of the party. A candidate who can communicate a message that includes faith, family and freedom can win. A serious candidate will also have to evaluate southern democrats. A presidential candidate should look to a state like Kentucky where Democrats, the majority party, have elected two Republican senators and five Republicans to Congress. Evan Bayh could be the one who can do that.

DS: What three issues in your opinion should be priorities for Congress? What about for your fellow state legislators?
MW: The top three priorities should be the war on terror, education and healthcare. The war on terror affects the other two and influences the economy.

DS: Speaking of the legislature, do you think that the General Assembly will pass legislation dealing with expanded gaming so the revenues don't head to Indiana? Is a statewide constitutional referendum likely?
MW: We are now halfway through the legislative session and the gaming issue has not been openly addressed. I think we will discuss the issue in caucus within the next two weeks. If casino gambling had stayed in Las Vegas, Reno, and Atlantic City, it would not be an issue in Kentucky. However, there are too many opportunities to gamble on the other side of the border for the commonwealth to ignore the economic impact any longer. Gamblers are crossing the border, dropping their money at the tables and slots and bringing the problem home. Kentucky has the problem but not the revenue.

DS: How are things looking with the funding for higher education? Will funding be generally high or too low? I know that the Student Body Presidents have set March 8, 2006, as a rally date down in Frankfort.
MW: Education will always be a priority for the Democratic Party and will always be a high priority for me.

DS: What about the Military Veterans Families' Bill of Rights? How much legislation do you think will pass?
MW: My primary reason for running for the open House seat in 1996 was because I did not think enough was being done for veterans. We now have standing committees in the House and the Senate that address the issues of veterans and their families. We have added two Veterans Nursing Homes; built a State Cemetery at Fort Campbell, have one under construction at Fort Knox; opened a Homeless Veterans Transition Facility; created the Troops to Teachers program; passed free tuition legislation for veterans and their families; and created the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs. As a Vietnam Veteran who arrived home to a country that blamed the soldier for an unpopular war, I am thankful for the change. The attitude of the country, regardless of support or non-support for the war on terror, appears to be to honor and respect the soldier while he or she is fighting and welcome them home when they return. We will continue to pass legislation that makes life better for the returning soldier transitioning from war to peace and we will continue to be supportive of the military family.

DS: It looks like Democrats will field candidates in all 6 districts. How do you think the party will do?
MW: If I can raise the money to tell the story of private to colonel and a conservative ten year voting record in the House, I will win. General George S. Patton once said, "When everyone is thinking alike, someone is not thinking." To me, General Patton was describing the present Congress. When one political party controls all there branches of our government, it has proven to be unhealthy for our country. There is no one in Congress to ask the hard questions and demand answers. Returning the House to Democratic control is within reach; doing so will be healthy for the nation. I think it is time for a change and the mood of the country appears to agree.

DS: Is it likely that Democrats will take back both the US Senate and Congress?
MW: My focus is on my race.

DS: This is a question that I have asked every political candidate so far. Do you have a campaign song yet? If yes, what is it? If not, I play guitar.
MW: I would like a song but I do not compose and do not play the guitar. Are you offering?

DS: What makes you feel qualified to be a United States Congressman?
MW: The Congress should have diversity in background and experience. Our country has been involved in the war on terror longer than we fought in WW II. There is a prevailing question out there concerning our reasons for being at war and how long it will last. I think the time has come when voters will place trust in someone who has been there. I know what it is like to carry the lifeless body of a young soldier off the battlefield; I know what it is like to carry a wounded soldier to the medical evacuation helicopter; and I know that the lives of the families who love them will never be the same again. I carry that with me every day and I will not forget where I came from when I get to Congress. It is time for a change.

DS: In light of the Jack Abramoff scandal, what do you think needs to be done with lobbyist reform in Washington?
MW: The reason it is so difficult to form a winning campaign is because of the money. The incumbent has the ability to far out raise a challenger because of the money available inside the beltway. In my case, we will have to break the cycle with numerous small donations from a concerned democratic base. Supporters should visit my web site, www.weaver2006.org, where they can make a difference with their donations. There will also be large donors and PAC money but nothing compared to what an incumbent can muster.

DS: Jon Stewart or Bill O'Reilly?
MW: Jon Stewart.

DS: Thank you again for joining us and keep up the good fight. I hope to call you Congressman Weaver come next January.
MW: Danielle, it's been my pleasure; because I am in session, this is the first in-depth interview I have given. Thank you for your questions, support and patience. I too look forward to hearing "Congressman Weaver" soon.

Late Update

My apologies for the late update but they had a bunch of kids at the university which delayed lunch for half an hour so I'm getting down to things NOW. I do have another exclusive interview which will be posted immediately after this.

The St. Louis Cardinals invited a former Red to spring training.

The St. Louis Cardinals have invited former Cincinnati pitcher Josh Hancock to spring training, pending the results of an exam on the right-hander.

Hancock, 27, was released by the Reds last week, reportedly for coming to camp overweight. He was 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in 11 games for Cincinnati last year, and has a career mark of 6-3 with a 4.40 ERA in 32 games (12 starts) for Boston, Philadelphia and the Reds.

What's up with Chad Hedrick and Shani Davis and the rivalry? Are they friends or rivals? This is America and I root for all of our athletes in the Olympics. Apparently, it has to do with not shaking Shani's hand. Chad Hedrick says it has to do with Shani not participating in a team event.

Joe Lieberman opposes the Broadway Energy proposal, thus removing a potential campaign issue from his opponent.

Dr. Condi Rice wants Arab allies to pressure Hamas. I want Hamas to be pressured.

UK takes on Ole Miss today which pits father against son.

Jim Edmonds expects to be in better shape this season. Jim Edmonds is a must have on any fantasy baseball roster.

Edmonds wants to remain a cardinal for the rest of his career. The Cardinals have an option through the 2007 season. So, does he want his agent to call Cardinals owner Walt Jocketty and close the deal?

Edmonds says, "I don't want my agent to call Walt, I want Walt and the owners to call my agent."

And the question that must be asked: What would Edmonds be doing if he didn't play baseball? Says Edmonds, "I'd probably be a newscaster."

I give major kudos to Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana. He proposed a bill requiring port security oversight. It should be noted that Democrats and Republicans alike are against the President on this proposal. Even Sen. Frist has come out against the idea. Geoff Davis as well. The President has said he will veto any bill but I find it likely that there will be over 2/3 of the Senate that would overrule that veto.

Indiana Senator Evan Bayh has proposed legislation to increase oversight of business deals with foreign companies to help protect homeland security.

His proposal will require the director of national intelligence to approve any deals made with foreign companies before their handed off to the committee on foreign investment.

The legislation reveals Bayh's doubt in the committee's effectiveness.

He says it's only blocked one foreign purchase of a US company since it formed in 1988.

Bayh's announcement comes as lawmakers from both parties question whether it's safe for a company with the United Arab Emirates to take over operations at six major US ports.

See Bayh's press release here.

A new TV show for sketch comedy will have no script. The name of the show is Not Quite Right and was created by Lee Godden.

With half a dozen episodes complete, Godden is now focusing on finding a network home for Not Quite Right. Meanwhile the show is being cablecast on Charter Communications’ Channel 3 in the Los Angeles area. In addition to Godden, current Not Quite Right cast members include Bret Calvert, Dan Jablons, Eve Savona and Elvis Winterbottom. In 2005 Godden and his Telsius Productions company received Charter’s top new producer of the year award.

"I’ve been a stand-up comic and a comedy writer," said Godden, "but nothing makes me laugh harder than well-executed improv. Let’s hope a lot of other folks feel the same way."

Larry Walker did arrive for spring training at the St. Louis Cardinals camp. Only this time, he arrived as an instructor.

The Cardinals' former right fielder now makes his residence in Florida and plans to split time between the Cardinals' clubhouse and helping out at home this March. He and former Redbirds reliever Cal Eldred -- who like Walker retired in the off-season -- will serve as special instructors alongside Hall of Famers Bob Gibson, Lou Brock and Red Schoendienst.

"I told Tony it won't be an everyday thing," Walker said. "My wife's going to need some help with the kids before and after school, and I don't want to drop everything on her. I want her to have a life as well."

In the offseason, Walker thought briefly about coming back to play another season, but tasks around the home told his body otherwise.

Some interesting news about Sir Paul McCartney.

McCartney also raised eyebrows when he performed at the Grammy Awards earlier this month. He sang a version of "Yesterday" with Jay-Z and Linkin Park.

The reason is simple, the source said. When mash-up artist DJ Danger Mouse created the infamous Grey Album, he chose to mix the vocals from Jay-Z's The Black Album and the Beatles' The White Album.

Though the remix was subjected to a cease and desist order by EMI, the move did win Danger Mouse one interested potential fan - Paul McCartney, who listened to the album in his car.

"McCartney remains really interested in what's going on in the creative world," the source explained, "He likes to know what's going on."

This interest in modern music culture also led McCartney to take UK DJ, remixer and musician The Freelance Hellraiser (Roy Kerr) along with him on his tour.

Improvisers trust each other and have fun.

Harvard President Lawrence Summers, a former secretary in the Clinton administration, has resigned his position at Harvard.

Among the many controversies that dogged Summers during his five-year tenure were his outspoken remarks opposing efforts by college campuses to divest from companies that did business with Israel. He called these and other selective sanctions against the Jewish state "anti-Semitic in their effect if not their intent."

Writing in an Op-Ed for JTA last year, Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz said, "It’s no coincidence that so many of the professors leading the campaign" against Summers "were in the vanguard of the campaign to divest from Israel and boycott Israeli academics."

I don't know about you but this makes me very angry.

Little noticed in the kerfuffle over the takeover of major US ports by Dubai Ports is the key role being played by former Democratic Party leaders. Lobbying firms associated with ex-Democratic Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and Madeleine Albright (Clinton’s Secretary of State) have been working (paid subscription only link) to secure approval of the purchase by Dubai.

Second City will be at UK on Friday.

Winter Olympics - American Medals Day 11

Speed Skating (Men's 1500m):
Silver - Shani Davis
Bronze - Chad Hedrick

Bobsled (Women's):
Silver - USA-1 (Shauna Rohbock and Valerie Fleming)

This brings the USA to 18 medals (7, 7, 4) in the Turin/Torino games so far.

Bobsleds weigh 600 pounds.
The Team USA Curl Girls will not be in the semifinals while the men's team will be.
The figure skating results are promising for the Americans as Sasha Cohen leads after the ladies' short program with 66.73. Kimmie Meissner is 5th with 59.40 and Emily Hughes is 7th with 57.08. The free skate is Thursday and the medal is awarded then.
The men's hockey team lost to Russia and will face Finland.

How did it feel for Kimmie? "It's unbelievable!"

And for Emily?: " went out for my warmup and they were cheering my name. That's the first time that's ever happened. After the double axel, it was a great feeling to know I landed all the jumps and I could just focus on the spins and footwork. The program went really well."

What you can see tomorrow night on TV
USA (8 AM-2 PM): Women's Curling Semifinals - LIVE, Men's Hockey Quarterfinals - LIVE
USA (3-6): Men's Hockey Quarterfinals - LIVE
USA (6-7): Olympic Ice
MSNBC (10 AM-1 PM): Men's Hockey Quarterfinals - LIVE
MSNBC (2:30-5): Men's Hockey Quarterfinals - LIVE
CNBC (5-8): Men's Curling Semifinals (USA vs. Canada)
NBC (4-5): Snowboarding (Parallel giant slalom), Cross-Country Skiing (Men's Sprint)
NBC (8-11:30): Alpine Skiing (Women's slalom), Freestyle Skiing (Women's aerials), Speed Skating (Women's 1500m), Snowboarding (Parallel giant slalom), Short Track (Women's 3000m relay, Men's 500m), Figure Skating (Ladies' preview)

The schedule works out so well that I can watch tonight's Daily Show tomorrow at 2 PM and not miss anything!

HUGHES GOTTA BELIEVE!

2006 Ford Frick Award goes to

Gene Elston.

Elston was a broadcaster for the Houston Colt .45s and Astros from the franchise's inception in 1962 through 1986. He began his baseball career with the Waterloo White Hawks of the Three I League in 1946, broadcast radio for the Chicago Cubs in 1954 and was an announcer for Mutual's "Game of the Day" from 1958-60, working with Bob Feller.

He was on the broadcast team for CBS Radio's "Game of the Week" from 1987-95 and CBS Radio's postseason coverage from 1995-97.

"Gene Elston's soothing voice and knowledgeable broadcasts helped educate and entertain generations of budding fans as baseball headed south," Hall of Fame president Dale Petroskey said. "Today, the Houston area is one the real baseball hotbeds in the country, and Gene's influence for a quarter of a century is largely responsible."

Reliever Bruce Sutter will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 30 along with anyone elected at the special Negro Leagues and pre-Negro Leagues selection meeting on Feb. 27. Also to be honored at the induction is Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News, winner of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award, given to a writer for meritorious contributions to baseball.

Non-Olympics Thread

Anyone catch Alonzo Bodden on The Olympic Tonight Show with Jay Leno last night, er, early this morning? He was hilarious!

Okay, so this isn't an Olympics thread but Ben Agosto is Jewish.

Why did Georgetown University host a divestment forum? Please remind me...

"I’m not surprised that they would attempt to create a false veneer of legitimacy by promoting their cause through the mouths of Jews and Israelis," said David Friedman, the regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, one of several organizations that had helped organized counter-events. "It doesn’t matter who is speaking; what matters is the content of the message, and that message of an analogy between South African apartheid and Zionism is false and extreme."[...]

"What was so depressing was that all the speakers I heard, many of whom seem highly intelligent, reduce all the problems in the region to Zionism," said David Sinkman, a law student at Georgetown Law Center.

Sinkman was one of a small number of pro-Israel Georgetown students to attend the conference. Jonathan Aires, chair of the school’s spring pro-Israel festival, said that many pro-Israel students were not planning to attend. Instead, the university sponsored an open house for pro-Israel students on Saturday. Aires said 40 attended the informal event.

Friedman lauded the Georgetown administration’s efforts in making the atmosphere comfortable for Jews and the conference open to the public. "I think they did a very masterful, responsible job at every level in ensuring that Jews felt safe and secure in their membership in the Georgetown community throughout this time," he said.

Kentucky State Auditor Crit Luallen has called for a state takeover of local jails.

Dan Borsch, who has recently taken the job of campaign manager of John Yarmuth's congressional campaign, will step down as president of the Louisville-Jefferson County Young Democrats. While I tried to, but didn't quite have the time, attend meetings, I've met him once and spoken many of times on the phone with him. He's got a great future ahead of him and should be commended for his service to the Democratic Party.

Not surprising. But what else would you expect from Jon Stewart?

Tom Delay will be brought down.

Hollywood celebrities and prominent corporate executives have poured thousands of dollars into the campaign of former Rep. Nick Lampson (D-Texas) to knock off Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas).

Screenwriter and producer Norman Lear, director Rob Reiner, actress and singer Barbara Streisand and musician Don Henley have written checks to Lampson, according to politicalmoneyline.com, a website that tracks campaign contributions.

Reiner and Streisand kicked in $1,000, and Lear and Henley sent Lampson $4,200.[...]

Lampson also has scooped up money from the chief executives of major corporations. Andrew Rappaport, a major investor and philanthropist, and his wife, Deborah, donated $2,100 each. Lawrence Tesler, CEO of Yahoo; Arnold Hiatt, CEO of the Stride Rite Foundation; and Richard Thalheimer, CEO of the Sharper Image; and George Zimmer, CEO of Men’s Wearhouse, wrote $1,000 checks to Lampson.

Former politicians, such as, Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), have helped out as well.

Daschle directed $10,000 from his leftover campaign chest to Lampson, and Sen. Dennis DeConcini (D-Ariz.), Rep. Vic Fazio (D-Calif.) and Rep. John LaFalce (D-N.Y.) each sent $1,000 checks. President Clinton’s first chief of staff, Mack McClarty, gave $500.

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) have contributed $10,000 each from their leadership PACs, and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has donated $5,000.

Republicans have fans in Hollywood, too, including Kelsey Grammer, Drew Carey, Bruce Willis, Tom Selleck, Bo Derek, Johnny Mathis, Dennis Miller and Shannen Doherty. But besides appearing at GOP conventions, they have made no contributions for this cycle, a search of records found.

What did that say?

Just as the season is winding down, Ramel Bradley breaks his hand during practice. I don't know what this means for Kentucky basketball but it's not good.

Bush promotes alternative energy but who gets the money here?

Scott Rolen passed the audition down in Jupiter, Florida, for spring training.

Have you been following the situation in Indiana? Well, a judge upheld prayer limits in the state of Indiana. The Indianapolis JCRC sent the following message out:

Last Tuesday, the Indianapolis JCRC’s Jewish Lobby Day was held. Around 40 Jews from around the State of Indiana came to Indianapolis to lobby our state senators and representatives on a number of issues.

The day ended with a private meeting with Speaker of the House Bosma meeting our group in the beautiful House chambers. We asked questions about full day kindergarten, about the clinics, and a young member of the delegation asked about providing sexuality education in public schools that is more than abstinence based. He responded to everything we asked. Sometimes we liked what he said and sometimes we didn’t. Speaker Bosma wondered why we hadn’t discussed the controversy surrounding the issue of prayer in House chambers. He told us his version of what happened and what he believes, and a passionate exchange took place. The end of this exchange left us, the Jewish delegation, in shock. Speaker Bosma, defending the prayer issue, asked, "How many Jews are there in Indiana? About 2%? There are at least 80% Christians in Indiana." The implication of this statement was that our minority community doesn’t and shouldn’t have any say or any voice. It is about the majority and what the majority wants. The jaws of the delegation dropped to the floor. We were speechless. Everything we believed about this country had just been trampled. Gone was the belief of the constitutional protection of minorities. Gone was not feeling marginalized. Gone was the belief we were not strangers in this country. I am sure that Speaker Bosma is a fine man, but in that moment, for the first time in my life as a citizen of this country, I was scared. It is what I now call the 2% solution (and Jews are much less than 2% of this state) that if you are only 2% don’t even bother to speak up as the "Tyranny of the majority" will prevail.

I am sorry to bring such a depressing message as we prepare for Shabbat, but it needs to be said and addressed. I have been reminded about why we need to be vigilant. So I come to you on this Friday, February 17, 2006, to ask you to use this Shabbat to think about joining me and others at times to raise our voices. We might not agree on all the issues, but we agree that as Jewish residents of this State we should have a voice. 2% or less shouldn’t matter. It is not about the majority. It is about us.

Speaker Bosma has now apologized for his inappropriate comments.

Speaker Bosma (R) met with about 50 Jewish leaders last week and after the meeting a rabbi sent an email to his congregation. In it, Rabbi Jon Adland said, "Everything we believed about this country had just been trampled. For the first time in my life as a citizen of this country, I was scared."

The rabbi's e-mail is now the subject of several blogs including one that carries a cartoon showing Bosma blocking minorities from a gate labeled "freedom." It all stems from a discussion regarding prayer in the Indiana House where it was pointed out that two percent of the population is Jewish and 80 percent is Christian.

"I asked the group what percentage of the population in Indiana for demographic purposes was of Jewish tradition and faith and it was them who provided me with the two percent," said Bosma.

Rabbi Adland saw that as disregard for minority rights and said as much in an email sent to his congregation, which is now posted on several blogs.

On Monday afternoon Bosma held a second meeting with the rabbi and other Jewish leaders "and I gave a heartfelt apology if the implication of my words were offensive to him," said Bosma.

David Orentlicher (D), the only Jewish member of the General Assembly echoed the rabbi's concern about what he calls the "tyranny of the majority. That we are a democracy where the majority prevails but we're also a constitutional democracy where the majority prevails but important rights have to be protected for even small minorities," he said.

Speaker Bosma says he wanted the group to know that he values his ties to the Jewish community "and that they are very valued citizens and that anything that had said to cause them to think anything differently that I sincerely apologized for that and he accepted that."

"One of the most important things we can do as a state is assure that any minority is welcome in Indiana and that if we're gonna grow as a state we have to have that message," said Orentlicher.

Rabbi Adland referred questions to the Jewish Community Relations Council. Bosma considers the matter closed. "I did indicate to Rabbi Adland that I'd drop him a note and he said he would be happy to include that in his weekly missive on this coming Friday," said Bosma.

Did anyone see the Bridge last night? Apparently, the party may have a strong candidate running against Mitch McConnell in 2008 but we'll have to get through 2006 and 2007 before any of that happens.

Pennsylvania congressional candidate Chris Carney has called for an investigation of the outsourcing of port security. We need an investigation on this issue.

Best wishes to Don Haskins as he recovers from pneumonia.

Since I didn't watch 24 and Dave Barry did, was there any ice dancing in it?

OK, I read through the comments on last night's episode. Many of them were about ice dancing. I don't recall there being any ice dancing in 24 last night, but I am not ruling it out, either, because the spisode was very confusing (to me, anyway).

Winter Olympics - American Medals Day 10

Women's Hockey:
Bronze - Team USA (Caitlin Cahow, Julie Chu, Natalie Darwitz, Pam Dreyer, Tricia Dunn-Luoma, Molly Engstrom, Chanda Gunn, Jamie Hagerman, Kim Insalaco, Kathleen Kauth, Courtney Kennedy, Katie King, Kristin King, Sarah Parsons, Jenny Potter, Helen Resor, Angela Ruggiero, Kelly Stephens, Lyndsay Wall, Krissy Wendell)

Figure Skating (Ice Dancing)
Silver - Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto

In the giant slalom, Bode Miller finished sixth.
In freestyle skiing, Jeret "Speedy" Peterson will participate in the men's aerials final on Thursday.
One of the two USA teams in women's bobsledding is in the top 3 after two runs.

What you can watch on TV:
USA (6-8 AM): Biathlon (Men: 4x7.5km relay)
USA (2-5): Men's Hockey (USA vs. Russia) - LIVE
USA (6-7): Olympic Ice
MSNBC (6:30-4:30): Men's Hockey - LIVE
CNBC (5-8 PM): Men's Curling (US Medal Round Preview)
NBC (4-5): Nordic Combined (Sprint)
NBC (8-11:30): Ladie's Figure Skating (featuring Sasha Cohen, Kimmie Meissner, and Emily Hughes), Speed Skating (Men's 1500m), Freestyle Skiing (Women's aerials), Women's Bobsledding (final two heats)
NBC (12-1:30): Olympic Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Figure Skating (Analysis)

Non-Olympics Thread

Well, Gov. Fletcher is suffering from E.coli. The story comes from WKYT in Lexington. I don't wish ill health on anyone (okay, so I commented anonymously on another blog since I was on a public computer). I hope he gets through this latest bout okay.

Doctors now say that infection is E. Coli. Doctors say the strain of E. Coli was resistant to traditional antibiotics, though they believe they have those infections under control.

Doctors say the Governor is looking and feeling better and they hope that's a sign that the sack is not infected. An infection in that area could require one or more surgeries and could lengthen the Governor's hospital stay for weeks.

Last Monday, the Governor had a gall stone removed and on Tuesday had his gall bladder removed.

Paul McCartney will duet for Tony Bennett's 80th birthday.

Scott Rolen is ready for 2006.

A Gentile for Governor of Louisiana? Pardon the pun...

Regardless of this, I still support Senator Joseph Lieberman.