Orrin Hatch has proposed that all people getting unemployment insurance should have to go through drug testing to continue receiving aid.
This must seem fair to the elitist who thinks of himself and his fellow Republicans as masters of the universe.
But a closer look at the situation will elicit a cooler response.
When those of us who are unemployed were working we paid taxes. Most if not all of that money went into a fund to keep our Government running. Part of that Government is Congress.
When those of us who are not currently employed were working we produced products or performed services that were generally needed by others. That which we did helped others live or enjoy their lives a little more.
Members of Congress don't actually produce anything. In fact if we use the criterion of production they could be considered unemployed and on the public dole!
Of course we know better! Congress does have a product - They produce ANGST!
When those of us who worked were employed we paid into Social Security - Congress does not.
When those of us who worked were employed we paid our fair share of taxes - Congress does not.
When those of us who worked were employed we paid into Medicare - Congress does not.
When those of us who worked were employed we were held to standards of decency - Congress is not.
When those of us who worked were employed we paid into our own pensions or retirement funds - Congress does not.
What's good for the goose should be good for the gander!
You no play the game - You no make the rules!
If the good Senator wants to open his hatch and his veins to periodic drug testing so be it but he has to have a better reason to come at me with a needle than the fact that I am unemployed!
If Mr. Hatch wishes to have us pee in a cup fine.
You see in Yiddish KOP pronounced CUP means head. I would gladly pee in or on a cup if the CUP was his!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Hope Springs Eternal?
In order to live we need air to breathe and water to drink.
In order for businesses to make money they must figure out ways to make us pay for the air we breathe and water we drink.
Sadly those two statements are true. But even sadder is the fact that Government is on the side of the businesses.
In the town of Huntington Long Island and more specifically the aptly named area known as Cold Springs Harbor there is a fight going on over one half of our life's needs, water.
For years the people of Cold Springs Harbor have enjoyed that pure cold liquid life emanating from the pipes they set up that tap into a natural spring deep below the town.
Sensing a new revenue stream Suffolk County cut the pipes under the guise of 'health concerns.'
Preying on the fears of the public has become the modus operandi of Government and this is a perfect place to tap into that with the hint that the water is unsafe.
But the glass is not even half empty in this case. By shutting down the natural faucet the County is threatening to further drown the people of Cold Springs Harbor in more taxes.
"The water is unregulated," they stated which is government speak for not taxed.
But their stream of consciousness became more obvious when they added that the tapping of the well was unauthorized! In other words the towns people were stealing? And just how does the local government determine the owner of the natural spring?
Residents at a town meeting claimed that the spring is a historic landmark and should be protected. Unfortunately this time that means from the government.
Town Supervisor Frank Petrone tried to calm the raging rapids of rancor by saying he wanted to get to the bottom of the issue. He went on to say, "Do you think we want to cut this off?"
Uh, yeah! We do think that, yes!!!
How much will it take to reopen the tap?
If we compress the name of the town Cold Springs Harbor into the acronym CSH we see that the issue boils down to only one thing. To reopen the spring add an A just after the C!
In order for businesses to make money they must figure out ways to make us pay for the air we breathe and water we drink.
Sadly those two statements are true. But even sadder is the fact that Government is on the side of the businesses.
In the town of Huntington Long Island and more specifically the aptly named area known as Cold Springs Harbor there is a fight going on over one half of our life's needs, water.
For years the people of Cold Springs Harbor have enjoyed that pure cold liquid life emanating from the pipes they set up that tap into a natural spring deep below the town.
Sensing a new revenue stream Suffolk County cut the pipes under the guise of 'health concerns.'
Preying on the fears of the public has become the modus operandi of Government and this is a perfect place to tap into that with the hint that the water is unsafe.
But the glass is not even half empty in this case. By shutting down the natural faucet the County is threatening to further drown the people of Cold Springs Harbor in more taxes.
"The water is unregulated," they stated which is government speak for not taxed.
But their stream of consciousness became more obvious when they added that the tapping of the well was unauthorized! In other words the towns people were stealing? And just how does the local government determine the owner of the natural spring?
Residents at a town meeting claimed that the spring is a historic landmark and should be protected. Unfortunately this time that means from the government.
Town Supervisor Frank Petrone tried to calm the raging rapids of rancor by saying he wanted to get to the bottom of the issue. He went on to say, "Do you think we want to cut this off?"
Uh, yeah! We do think that, yes!!!
How much will it take to reopen the tap?
If we compress the name of the town Cold Springs Harbor into the acronym CSH we see that the issue boils down to only one thing. To reopen the spring add an A just after the C!
Is We the People?
What does the phrase, "For the good of the people" mean?
On the surface and at its simplest it should be self evident. The people should benefit from whatever it is we are talking about. But just like the age old argument between the letter of the law and the spirit therein it is not that simple.
So when we parse the phrase and delve into it we find it to be as nuanced as anything else these days.
For example, which people are we speaking of and whose idea of good are we after?
Government is in place to ensure the safety and well being of all the people, since that is for whom they work. In this country you should expect to be among the protected people even if you did not vote for the eventual winner of the job. Imagine the chaos if this were not so.
But the people must allow those in power to do their job once in office even when they don't do it to our liking assuming they are not committing any crimes doing so. They are after all and for the most part only human. But that is not to say we must sit by and silently grit our teeth when we are not pleased.
When we see things going badly we must point them out. And if the wrongs are not righted then we must ask why and not go softly into that goodnight.
In America we have only three legal ways to show our disgust for poor leadership; Peaceful protest; Voting the culprits out of office; or in the extreme impeachment. Those who advocate or suggest a more violent method may be considered passionate but they are simply anarchistic-ally wrong! By their own words they are admitting themselves to be committing tyranny.
For the moment the group most often espousing the words of tyranny is the so-called far right. The fringe of the Republican party that is harboring groups such as the 'Tea Party' movement and the 'Oath Keepers' may be made up of good people but they are surely not thinking things through to their logical ends.
For example many of these people who are decrying Government take over of health care and demanding to be left alone are already enjoying the benefits of government-run Medicare and social security.
But by the same token Government is not always right. And unfortunately their mistakes cost the people dearly.
The elected officials are supposed to be taking care of the masses but instead they are answering to a higher court; higher in the sense of tax brackets.
The immensely powerful lobbies and special interest groups that tell our leaders what to do and when to do it have come to expect Congress to say how high in response to their order to jump. If this were not so then the Gulf of Mexico would not be in the midst of the greatest man made environmental disaster in this nation's history.
For the good of the people (their investors) the oil industry said damn the torpedoes; full speed ahead in their efforts to drill for more profits. And out of each dollar they earned Congress received, for lack of a more pristine term kickbacks. Although not as blatant as a wad of cash stuffed into a Senator's pocket campaign donations to use any way they like given during lavish dinners at exclusive restaurants or on outings in the Caribbean can speak volumes.
So the original phrase in question is now more understandable. It has morphed into a more oligarchic meaning.
'The people' are those with enough cash in hand to influence the definition and distribution of 'the good.'
On the surface and at its simplest it should be self evident. The people should benefit from whatever it is we are talking about. But just like the age old argument between the letter of the law and the spirit therein it is not that simple.
So when we parse the phrase and delve into it we find it to be as nuanced as anything else these days.
For example, which people are we speaking of and whose idea of good are we after?
Government is in place to ensure the safety and well being of all the people, since that is for whom they work. In this country you should expect to be among the protected people even if you did not vote for the eventual winner of the job. Imagine the chaos if this were not so.
But the people must allow those in power to do their job once in office even when they don't do it to our liking assuming they are not committing any crimes doing so. They are after all and for the most part only human. But that is not to say we must sit by and silently grit our teeth when we are not pleased.
When we see things going badly we must point them out. And if the wrongs are not righted then we must ask why and not go softly into that goodnight.
In America we have only three legal ways to show our disgust for poor leadership; Peaceful protest; Voting the culprits out of office; or in the extreme impeachment. Those who advocate or suggest a more violent method may be considered passionate but they are simply anarchistic-ally wrong! By their own words they are admitting themselves to be committing tyranny.
For the moment the group most often espousing the words of tyranny is the so-called far right. The fringe of the Republican party that is harboring groups such as the 'Tea Party' movement and the 'Oath Keepers' may be made up of good people but they are surely not thinking things through to their logical ends.
For example many of these people who are decrying Government take over of health care and demanding to be left alone are already enjoying the benefits of government-run Medicare and social security.
But by the same token Government is not always right. And unfortunately their mistakes cost the people dearly.
The elected officials are supposed to be taking care of the masses but instead they are answering to a higher court; higher in the sense of tax brackets.
The immensely powerful lobbies and special interest groups that tell our leaders what to do and when to do it have come to expect Congress to say how high in response to their order to jump. If this were not so then the Gulf of Mexico would not be in the midst of the greatest man made environmental disaster in this nation's history.
For the good of the people (their investors) the oil industry said damn the torpedoes; full speed ahead in their efforts to drill for more profits. And out of each dollar they earned Congress received, for lack of a more pristine term kickbacks. Although not as blatant as a wad of cash stuffed into a Senator's pocket campaign donations to use any way they like given during lavish dinners at exclusive restaurants or on outings in the Caribbean can speak volumes.
So the original phrase in question is now more understandable. It has morphed into a more oligarchic meaning.
'The people' are those with enough cash in hand to influence the definition and distribution of 'the good.'
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Don't Get Sick! (In America)
In the beginning of May I was told by the company that threw me away that my COBRA coverage expired. It was just another chapter in the ongoing pursuit of more money on their part.
But they were blatantly wrong. They were either lying or showing their stupidity since by New York State
Given those two choices and knowing they will never admit that they are stupid and I don’t like to use that word anyway they therefore must be lying bastards.
On May 10th my wife had a procedure done at an in network medical lab, the Endo Ctr.
Procedures at the Endo Ctr. are covered under the morass that is my current policy.
On June 1st a bill was sent out to us explaining that we must pay for the services since we are not covered.
The bill we received was the first of 3 bills totaling $6,350.
I immediately contacted the old lb's and was told to call their agent to straighten it out.
The agent, a lovely lady in a tough job looked into things and said that Endo Ctr. must have sent the claim to the wrong place.
The Endo Ctr. said they are in network and therefore sent it to the correct location as per the instructions on the insurance card. They have done exactly the same thing in the past without problems.
But you see the insurance company did a very smart thing a while back and created another division between the little guy and claim payments. My carrier is Guardian and they created Magnacare and decided that some of the claims must go there but not all of them.
Don’t bother to ask which because it will change with the need to obfuscate.
If it was a fair system then a claim submitted to either of these two crooked entities would be taken care of by forwarding it to the correct party WITHIN THEIR OWN CORPORATION!
It is clear that the provided service occurred during the days which the lb's had us as not covered.
I discovered that in order to get paid the Endo Ctr. would have to resubmit or call the insurance carrier to straighten it out.
I let the Endo Ctr. people know this and they said I had to do it.
I told them that if they wish to get paid they should do it.
They said it was my responsibility.
I said it was theirs since I paid my insurance to the lb's and I was covered.
They said the insurance company will just consider it a duplicate submission of the same bill and ignore it.
I agreed but stated if you merely send it in without calling or explaining the situation as I am doing now that will happen.
They said then call the insurance carrier and explain it to them.
My reply as any human would give was, “And I should do this SO THAT YOU CAN GET PAID???”
Not only did the lb's throw me away now I must do the work of the medical industry without being paid by them so that all parties involved can get their money???
The insurance industry and the doctor’s offices and medical centers around this country play this game day in and day out. It is called pass the buck. And they are aided and abetted by the lying bastards of the business world. And it is the little guy, the individual who constantly gets pushed around and shat upon.
The bottom line in this is simply that I paid all the bills and followed all the rules and checked beforehand to make sure that everyone involved was ready to go and all were covered and no problems would arise and still I GET F**KED.
I have to correct all of their ON PURPOSE MISTAKES!!!
I have to make all the calls to GET THEM THEIR MONEY!!!
And if I cannot succeed I will be held liable for the full amount of their inflated medical bills!
And all the time I am going crazy raising my blood pressure they are sitting in their ivory towers with their golden reins watching us run around like the idiots we are!
Healthcare reform?
BULLSHIT!
Bottom line – After five phone conversations and twelve e-mails I received this:
As previously stated Guardian has not received this claims and issued any denials. I reached out to MagnaCare to inquire if an error occurred on their end. MagnaCare did confirm they received the claims and had been denied by them in error. MagnaCare stated they will resubmit the claims to Guardian for processing.
So in other words they are finally admitting that they lied and will NOW start the process of trying to deny a legitimate claim. The fun continues and we the people are the pawns in this high stakes cluster f**k designed to kill off the poor and take as much money from the middle class as possible.
I will no doubt receive a notice that some if not all of the claim will be denied because there was a full moon at the time of the procedure and page 496 – paragraph 14 – lines 7 and 8 of the insurance bible clearly states that...
Think I am alone? OF course you don't! According to this linked article I am in the majority!!!
One more thought - In no way do I feel Rwanda is a better country than the U.S. but did you know that they make it a point of covering every citizen with health insurance for the exorbitant price of $2 per year?
Anyone believe that our representatives in Congress are unaware of the goings on?
Think I am alone? OF course you don't! According to this linked article I am in the majority!!!
One more thought - In no way do I feel Rwanda is a better country than the U.S. but did you know that they make it a point of covering every citizen with health insurance for the exorbitant price of $2 per year?
Anyone believe that our representatives in Congress are unaware of the goings on?
Saturday, June 5, 2010
E-Opinion
Earlier this week it was reported in our local newspaper that electric cars may be coming back into favor. It is not altogether hard to figure out why the issue was brought up again what with the BP mess.
By the way they were number 5 on the list citing the most profitable companies in the world last year. And lo and behold numbers 1 through 4 were also oil companies. Exxon, those wonderful folks who brought you the second worst oil disaster ever continue to hold the top spot so I guess that whole Valdez thing didn't hurt them much!
I responded to the e-car articles and Newsday was once again silly enough to reprint my words. And as always I hope I won't incur any pun-ative damages for the letter. (Mine is at the bottom of the linked page.)
By the way they were number 5 on the list citing the most profitable companies in the world last year. And lo and behold numbers 1 through 4 were also oil companies. Exxon, those wonderful folks who brought you the second worst oil disaster ever continue to hold the top spot so I guess that whole Valdez thing didn't hurt them much!
I responded to the e-car articles and Newsday was once again silly enough to reprint my words. And as always I hope I won't incur any pun-ative damages for the letter. (Mine is at the bottom of the linked page.)
Friday, June 4, 2010
Shop AND Drop
I had the pleasure of going shopping for groceries today. The lucky venue was Waldbaum's of East Meadow.
The chore began with a visit into the small smelly sticky-floored cubicle known as the 'bottle return' area. Funny how we return bottles to help the environment and get back our five cents while BP is taking care of things for us in the Gulf.
But I digress, so back to the store.
As far as I can tell the four machines in that room from Hell have never been in working order at the same time. The only reason the store even offers the service is because in New York we have a deposit law and people must either return cans and bottles or lose the nickel per item that was taken upon original purchase.
What a surprise when I entered purgatory and found four people on line ahead of me. You know the old phrase, 'it's the quality not the quantity?' Not when you're waiting behind people in this room! A quick perusal of the wet and slimy black plastic garbage bags these people were toting offered an estimate of just under one thousand bottles to be returned.
So naturally when the first guy was halfway through his ritual the machine stopped working!
Fifteen minutes of kicking and banging and running to the customer service desk for help later I decided I needed air. I went into the store and deposited my empties on the floor in front of that oxy-moronically name desk only to be told that someone is going to fix the machine and I have to go back and wait!
"Lady, there are two broken machines and the entire population's worth of Dubuque waiting to put there bottles in!"
"Jes, I know dat but you hab to wait there becuz I'm busy."
You see I was not yet a customer! I was merely a returner and stores don't want any of them.
I controlled myself and found a manager walking the floor and related my tale of woe. I further suggested that I might never step foot into the place again unless he took the empties from me and gave me a credit with which to shop for my needed junk.
"Or not. I can just as easily drive down the road and shop at Pathmark!"
What do you know? He took care of me. But first he had to check with three other people to see if they knew the machines were, as usual not working properly. He then went into the room itself to make sure that they were telling the truth. And only after returning and undergoing the necessary CPR from the visit did he take care of me.
The shopping part went easily and quickly and now I had the final pleasure of waiting on line to pay. Unfortunately when you shop during the day you feel as though the others in the store may pass away at any moment! In fact a few of the shoppers appeared to have already done so but did not get the memo.
But finally I hit the register and found myself behind the only other under 90 person there.
This lady must have gone shopping alphabetically because on the conveyor belt to the cashier was the following:
A can of beets - A can of beans - bread and a six pack of bottled beer (not necessarily in that order.)
But the fun had not started because there seems to be a new law in the area. This obviously at least 30 something woman (I am being kind) was asked for proof!
Seriously!
And when she said she didn't have it with her they removed the beer!!
When she begged that she left it home and really really didn't want to have to go home and get it the manager, a different one asked her if she drove to the store.
"Yes, why?"
"And you don't have your driver's license?"
At this point she started laughing and said just keep the beer.
They eventually let her have the item, hey money is money but the cashier explained to me that you must be FORTY to buy beer in Waldbaum's and if she didn't proof the lady she would be fired.
FORTY??? FOR BEER???
The final insult came when I the cashier told me she wouldn't have bothered me if I had bought the beer.
I suggested she visit the bottle return room and take deep breaths. Okay I didn't but I wanted to!
Peg Bracken may hate to cook - But I'm going her one step further - I hate to shop!
The chore began with a visit into the small smelly sticky-floored cubicle known as the 'bottle return' area. Funny how we return bottles to help the environment and get back our five cents while BP is taking care of things for us in the Gulf.
But I digress, so back to the store.
As far as I can tell the four machines in that room from Hell have never been in working order at the same time. The only reason the store even offers the service is because in New York we have a deposit law and people must either return cans and bottles or lose the nickel per item that was taken upon original purchase.
What a surprise when I entered purgatory and found four people on line ahead of me. You know the old phrase, 'it's the quality not the quantity?' Not when you're waiting behind people in this room! A quick perusal of the wet and slimy black plastic garbage bags these people were toting offered an estimate of just under one thousand bottles to be returned.
So naturally when the first guy was halfway through his ritual the machine stopped working!
Fifteen minutes of kicking and banging and running to the customer service desk for help later I decided I needed air. I went into the store and deposited my empties on the floor in front of that oxy-moronically name desk only to be told that someone is going to fix the machine and I have to go back and wait!
"Lady, there are two broken machines and the entire population's worth of Dubuque waiting to put there bottles in!"
"Jes, I know dat but you hab to wait there becuz I'm busy."
You see I was not yet a customer! I was merely a returner and stores don't want any of them.
I controlled myself and found a manager walking the floor and related my tale of woe. I further suggested that I might never step foot into the place again unless he took the empties from me and gave me a credit with which to shop for my needed junk.
"Or not. I can just as easily drive down the road and shop at Pathmark!"
What do you know? He took care of me. But first he had to check with three other people to see if they knew the machines were, as usual not working properly. He then went into the room itself to make sure that they were telling the truth. And only after returning and undergoing the necessary CPR from the visit did he take care of me.
The shopping part went easily and quickly and now I had the final pleasure of waiting on line to pay. Unfortunately when you shop during the day you feel as though the others in the store may pass away at any moment! In fact a few of the shoppers appeared to have already done so but did not get the memo.
But finally I hit the register and found myself behind the only other under 90 person there.
This lady must have gone shopping alphabetically because on the conveyor belt to the cashier was the following:
A can of beets - A can of beans - bread and a six pack of bottled beer (not necessarily in that order.)
But the fun had not started because there seems to be a new law in the area. This obviously at least 30 something woman (I am being kind) was asked for proof!
Seriously!
And when she said she didn't have it with her they removed the beer!!
When she begged that she left it home and really really didn't want to have to go home and get it the manager, a different one asked her if she drove to the store.
"Yes, why?"
"And you don't have your driver's license?"
At this point she started laughing and said just keep the beer.
They eventually let her have the item, hey money is money but the cashier explained to me that you must be FORTY to buy beer in Waldbaum's and if she didn't proof the lady she would be fired.
FORTY??? FOR BEER???
The final insult came when I the cashier told me she wouldn't have bothered me if I had bought the beer.
I suggested she visit the bottle return room and take deep breaths. Okay I didn't but I wanted to!
Peg Bracken may hate to cook - But I'm going her one step further - I hate to shop!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
I Regret that I have But One * For My Country
The asterisk has often been used throughout history but not always in an intelligent way.
As a child I remember the bastardization of Nathan Hale's one life speech as noted in the title above.
An asterisk anywhere in a book or publication generally directs our attention to the bottom of the page upon which it appears. The explanation thereby given is thus known as a footnote.
This week another footnote should be added to that most imperfect game of Baseball.
One of the supposedly better umpires of the game, or as some might say less bad, made an obviously wrong call.
There is nothing new about umpires making bad calls in fact there are probably a few made every single game. But this one changed history. It took a perfect game away from the pitcher and turned it into what will soon become the most famous one hitter ever.
When a bad call happens in the third inning or the fifth inning it is bad but once the game proceeds thee is nothing that can be done to change things back. But when it is made with two outs in the ninth inning of a perfect game, well that's really *#%*.
First base umpire Jim Joyce admitted after the game that perfect game candidate Armando Galarraga had the ball in his glove and his foot on the bag before the runner touched the base.
That simple fact means that the game is over and the celebration begins. Three straight outs in the ninth to be added to the twenty four consecutive outs in the previous eight innings is perfection.
But baseball is not perfect nor are the humans who play it or the umpires who control it!
Jim Joyce apologized after the game and hugged Armando but unfortunately while nice it is not enough.
So unless commissioner Bud Selig goes against tradition and opens up the can of worms that would be an overturn of the clearly wrong 'safe' call Mr. Gallaraga will have to live with the knowledge that he threw a perfect one hitter.
Of course there is also the fact that another more historic perfect game was tainted by a bad call for the final out and there was no replay to overturn that one.
Don Larsen's 27 outer in the World Series ended on a third strike call of a clearly outside pitch. Babe Pinelli, the umpire who was later seen crying over his error claimed that it was close enough for the batter to have tried to hit it! Personally I am happy it was not overturned - I have the scorecard and ticket stub to that game! :-)
A good umpire should be unbiased, fair and as accurate as humanly possible but not clairvoyant.
However when clearly visible mistakes are made that we can prove with replay technology and they do not interfere with the game, too much we should correct them. We do that for home runs down the line, why not for game ending close plays of historic magnitude?
Mr. Commish how about dusting off the old Roger Maris asterisk? And this time do it before the recipient of the correction passes away! (Gallaraga is only 28 so you have time.)
Place this perfect game in the record books and give the man his due! You'll also be taking Mr. Joyce off the hook.
Baseball's record breaking third perfect game in one year was pitched by Armando Gallaraga of the Detroit Tigers when he notched 27 consecutive outs from the start of the game against the Cleveland Indians. *
* The last out was originally called safe by first base umpire Jim Joyce but overturned later by everyone with eyesight.
As a child I remember the bastardization of Nathan Hale's one life speech as noted in the title above.
An asterisk anywhere in a book or publication generally directs our attention to the bottom of the page upon which it appears. The explanation thereby given is thus known as a footnote.
This week another footnote should be added to that most imperfect game of Baseball.
One of the supposedly better umpires of the game, or as some might say less bad, made an obviously wrong call.
There is nothing new about umpires making bad calls in fact there are probably a few made every single game. But this one changed history. It took a perfect game away from the pitcher and turned it into what will soon become the most famous one hitter ever.
When a bad call happens in the third inning or the fifth inning it is bad but once the game proceeds thee is nothing that can be done to change things back. But when it is made with two outs in the ninth inning of a perfect game, well that's really *#%*.
First base umpire Jim Joyce admitted after the game that perfect game candidate Armando Galarraga had the ball in his glove and his foot on the bag before the runner touched the base.
That simple fact means that the game is over and the celebration begins. Three straight outs in the ninth to be added to the twenty four consecutive outs in the previous eight innings is perfection.
But baseball is not perfect nor are the humans who play it or the umpires who control it!
Jim Joyce apologized after the game and hugged Armando but unfortunately while nice it is not enough.
So unless commissioner Bud Selig goes against tradition and opens up the can of worms that would be an overturn of the clearly wrong 'safe' call Mr. Gallaraga will have to live with the knowledge that he threw a perfect one hitter.
Of course there is also the fact that another more historic perfect game was tainted by a bad call for the final out and there was no replay to overturn that one.
Don Larsen's 27 outer in the World Series ended on a third strike call of a clearly outside pitch. Babe Pinelli, the umpire who was later seen crying over his error claimed that it was close enough for the batter to have tried to hit it! Personally I am happy it was not overturned - I have the scorecard and ticket stub to that game! :-)
A good umpire should be unbiased, fair and as accurate as humanly possible but not clairvoyant.
However when clearly visible mistakes are made that we can prove with replay technology and they do not interfere with the game, too much we should correct them. We do that for home runs down the line, why not for game ending close plays of historic magnitude?
Mr. Commish how about dusting off the old Roger Maris asterisk? And this time do it before the recipient of the correction passes away! (Gallaraga is only 28 so you have time.)
Place this perfect game in the record books and give the man his due! You'll also be taking Mr. Joyce off the hook.
Baseball's record breaking third perfect game in one year was pitched by Armando Gallaraga of the Detroit Tigers when he notched 27 consecutive outs from the start of the game against the Cleveland Indians. *
* The last out was originally called safe by first base umpire Jim Joyce but overturned later by everyone with eyesight.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
David V Goliath - Act 50
Normally when you have a fight between two combatants you can figure out who threw the first punch Unfortunately that is not possible or at least much harder when that fight turns into a long running feud.
The classic example of an endless ongoing monotonous absurd fight is known as the Hatfield McCoy feud.
But another more pressing one has been ongoing far longer and threatens to do real damage to all, whether directly involved or not.
This fight is between the Jewish state of Israel and, well just about every Arab state on the face of the Earth.
It is hard to say who threw the first punch but it is clear that whoever it was is long gone.
And the constant retaliation scenario we now see played out on a daily basis is never going to stop unless and until cooler heads prevail.
Cooler heads in the Middle East?
Can you say oxymoron?
But one fact remains, Israel is the tiniest country in the area and it is surrounded by countries that want it destroyed for various self serving reasons.
These reasons run the gamut from religion to tradition. They make no sense in the real world of the 21st century. And yet their one true aim is to finish the job the Nazis were not able to do. Perhaps that is why some of these, beings deny that the Holocaust ever happened.
Every story has many sides and the current blockade of Gaza by the Israelis proves that to be true as well.
But one thing is clear and that is rockets red glare can be seen firing from that area into Israel on a regular basis. No cease fire piece of paper seems to be able to stop the destructive ways of the poor put upon Palestinians.
If they were to be set free to establish their own homeland nothing would change. First of all the homeland they would claim as their own would be Israel and they would ask the Israelis to get the hell out or be murdered.
Hopefully the above thought will not be put to the test but one must remember that given the opportunity to have their own homeland half a century ago they demurred. Better to continue killing Jews than to settle alongside them. Just think back to the wonderful days of Yasser Arafat.
And today we see once again the propaganda machine working its inexorable movement of hate against that smallest of countries.
The Gaza blockade was about to be breached by an armada of boats. The Israelis asked the boats to stop so that they could be searched.
This is unfortunately a normal thing in this type of situation as the guards have the duty of making sure no rockets or other deadly armaments are being smuggled in.
The search led to a confrontation and some people were killed.
The United Nations and the World immediately condemned the Israelis before bothering to go to the video tape.
But knowing that the world always looks to censure them the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) taped the raid.
This video clearly shows the IDF being beaten by the peace loving people out to bring aid and comfort to the poor peaceful Palestinians.
Once again the World is being asked to condemn the Israelis for hitting their opponent in the fist with their Jewish chins!
Clearly this feud will not end without outside interference.
But just as clearly and as usual the numbers are stacked against Israel.
The classic example of an endless ongoing monotonous absurd fight is known as the Hatfield McCoy feud.
But another more pressing one has been ongoing far longer and threatens to do real damage to all, whether directly involved or not.
This fight is between the Jewish state of Israel and, well just about every Arab state on the face of the Earth.
It is hard to say who threw the first punch but it is clear that whoever it was is long gone.
And the constant retaliation scenario we now see played out on a daily basis is never going to stop unless and until cooler heads prevail.
Cooler heads in the Middle East?
Can you say oxymoron?
But one fact remains, Israel is the tiniest country in the area and it is surrounded by countries that want it destroyed for various self serving reasons.
These reasons run the gamut from religion to tradition. They make no sense in the real world of the 21st century. And yet their one true aim is to finish the job the Nazis were not able to do. Perhaps that is why some of these, beings deny that the Holocaust ever happened.
Every story has many sides and the current blockade of Gaza by the Israelis proves that to be true as well.
But one thing is clear and that is rockets red glare can be seen firing from that area into Israel on a regular basis. No cease fire piece of paper seems to be able to stop the destructive ways of the poor put upon Palestinians.
If they were to be set free to establish their own homeland nothing would change. First of all the homeland they would claim as their own would be Israel and they would ask the Israelis to get the hell out or be murdered.
Hopefully the above thought will not be put to the test but one must remember that given the opportunity to have their own homeland half a century ago they demurred. Better to continue killing Jews than to settle alongside them. Just think back to the wonderful days of Yasser Arafat.
And today we see once again the propaganda machine working its inexorable movement of hate against that smallest of countries.
The Gaza blockade was about to be breached by an armada of boats. The Israelis asked the boats to stop so that they could be searched.
This is unfortunately a normal thing in this type of situation as the guards have the duty of making sure no rockets or other deadly armaments are being smuggled in.
The search led to a confrontation and some people were killed.
The United Nations and the World immediately condemned the Israelis before bothering to go to the video tape.
But knowing that the world always looks to censure them the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) taped the raid.
This video clearly shows the IDF being beaten by the peace loving people out to bring aid and comfort to the poor peaceful Palestinians.
Once again the World is being asked to condemn the Israelis for hitting their opponent in the fist with their Jewish chins!
Clearly this feud will not end without outside interference.
But just as clearly and as usual the numbers are stacked against Israel.
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