Conservative Poker Fan in "The Biz"

Some Countries Are Choosing

2005-03-17T15:01:00.000-08:00

In this post, I mention the thought put forward by Hugh Hewitt that countries involved with terrorism will have two choices according the The Bush Doctrine, the Saddam option or the Qadafi option.

Recent events, I believe, show a measurable move towards the Qaddafi option by some countries. Lebanon is actually rebelling against one of the countries that has to decide, and so far Syria is playing ball. True, Hezbollah was able to muster 500,000 "protestors" (I'm of the belief that a lot of those people were brought in from Syria), but the freedom lovers responded with at least 800,000 of their own. Now word is that the Syrian secret service is, indeed, moving out of Lebanon with the armed forces, which is crucial if the elections in May are to be held with any kind of real meaning.

As Jon Stewart of the Daily Show has even acknowledged, the Bush Doctrine for the Middle East is working. Iraq has a parliamentary government in place that is negotiating with words over the makeup of the new government, Syria is pulling out of Lebanon, Qaddafi has disarmed, and the Palestinians are actually talking peace with Israel.

This could get good.

Wow, I Suck

2005-03-17T14:45:00.000-08:00

I knew it had been awhile since my last posting, but 2 months?! That's freakin' ridiculous!

Now, it's back to real life, so see you in another 2 months....maybe. Of course, I know that nobody reads this besides myself, so when I feel like reading something, I'll be sure to write something.

Deal?

Deal.

Culture war in a nutshell

2005-01-13T10:57:00.000-08:00

In Atlanta, a judge has ruled that a sticker inserted in science books proclaiming that evolution was "a theory, not a fact" somehow rises to the level of establishing religion in the school district. Judges have been doing this for years, but we rarely get the details of how many people it takes to make this type of thing happen. Well, the AP slipped this time, and the following paragraph appears in the article.

The schools added the stickers after more than 2,000 parents complained the textbooks presented evolution as fact, without mentioning rival ideas about the beginnings of life. Six parents of students and the American Civil Liberties Union (news - web sites) then sued, contending the disclaimers violated the separation of church and state.

So 2,000 parents complain about there being not a single mention of creationism and get a sticker put in the textbooks explaining that evolution is a theory, and not a fact. Then a whopping 6 parents get the ACLU involved and are able to convince (though I doubt it took much) a judge that the sticker represents the establishment of religion; they may use the term "separation of church and state," but that's not the constitutional basis for challenges, or shouldn't be, at least.

Remember Beta vs. VHS?

2004-12-09T09:46:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if anyone else out there remembers this, but there was a time when Beta tapes and VHS both held about 50% market share among the consumers. Of course today VHS has been declared the winner for over a decade, though DVDs are quickly making VHS tapes as obsolete as Beta tapes. The main reason VHS won out over Beta was because Sony, the inventor of Beta, pulled an Apple Computer on everyone and wouldn't allow anyone else to manufacture Beta tapes. At the same time, VHS tapes could be made by anyone, and were. So what you had was TDK, Maxell, and a dozen other companies pumping out VHS tapes and having to compete against each other. Well, competition leads to lower prices; lower prices lead to more people buying VHS than Beta, which leads to Beta being used only in Hollywood because of it's higher quality image.

Well, get ready for another no-holds-barred media content conflict. High Definition is the land of the new frontier. DVDs today, on a big screen HD TV, look fantastic but actually don't utilize the entire HD capabilities of the TV. Welcome to the world of High Def DVDs.

There are currently two competing standards for this new type of DVD; DVD-HD and Blu-ray HD DVD. DVD-HD was developed by Toshiba and Blu-ray was developed by none other than Sony. Both types of players are expected late 2005/early 2006, so you'd think the studios would want to get together and make a decision as to which type of High Def DVD they'll be using.

Well, the studios have done just that....kind of.

You see, Warner Home Video, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment have all thrown their hats behind DVD-HD. Meanwhile, Disney has just thrown their backing to Blu-ray and joined Sony Pictures (under the Colombia banner) and the soon to be Sony owned MGM library.

In a slight twist on the Beta vs. VHS tale, Sony has actually gotten support from about 90 manufacturers eager to do business the Blu-ray way. DVD-HD has some support as well, but not to that degree.

This story still has many chapters to be written, but as of right now I'd say don't doubt the Mouse House; Blu-ray will win.

RIP

2004-12-09T09:24:00.000-08:00

One of the things that seems to perpetually perplex people about me is my love of heavy metal music. I'm not talking about Bon Jovi heavy metal, I'm talking about Living Sacrifice heavy metal, REAL heavy metal.

The ferocious riffs and unmatched musicianship of the finest heavy metal bands simply speaks to me on some unseen, pure vibe level that can't be described.

Knowing that, it is with sadness that I learned of "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott's death today. Reports I've read indicate that just 30 seconds into a show, a disturbed individual jumped onto the stage and shot Abbott four times, resulting in his death.

Abbott was the guitarist for Pantera and brought the artistry of riffs to a new, heavy level. To my ears, it was the introduction of "crunchiness" to heavy metal and forever changed the course of metal.

His personal life was pretty much unknown to me, though I do know he spoke out against drug use. The other "night life" activities of his are, for certain, not what I'd espouse as an example to follow, but the metal world has lost one of it's brightest, and loudest, voices.

We sell merchandise now!

2004-11-15T21:42:00.000-08:00

I have waited for this day since starting with the company.

My boss has created some really cool projects besides the well known writing he's done for the movies. One of the things many of us have wanted for quite awhile was to have merchandise available of some of those projects.

Well now we do. Click on over to www.oentertainment.com/omart/ and you can check out some pretty cool merchandise.

Yeah, yeah, shameless plug.

Polar Express - In 3D

2004-11-15T21:35:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I was able to take my daughter to see "Polar Express." Luckily for us, there's an IMAX 3D theater close by and they were showing Polar Express in the theater.

The only other time I had seen an IMAX 3D film was 2 years ago when I took my daughter to see the 3D film my boss had created, "Santa vs. the Snowman 3D." The 3D effect generated through the IMAX system was stunning.

They are no less stunning in "Polar Express." Let me put it this way; I saw "Polar Express" Friday night. Saturday afternoon me and the family went to see "The Incredibles" (another great film). One of the previews before "The Incredibles" was for "Polar Express." As I watched the trailer, all I could think was how much better it looked in 3D.

If you have an IMAX theater nearby playing "Polar Express" (3D or not), I can't recommend you seeing it highly enough.

The State Department gets an overhaul

2004-11-15T21:17:00.000-08:00

As you can see, I haven't posted in quite awhile, so that should tell you just how important I feel it is that Colin Powell has resigned as Secretary of State and has been replaced by Condoleezza Rice.

Powell is a great American and true public servant, but his views as Secretary were much too moderate for my tastes given the current state of the world's affairs.

Rice brings an absolutely sterling record to the job and is much less likely to be willing to bend her views towards so-called "internationalism," for which Powell is being given much praise from some European countries.

The one thing I will forever be grateful to Colin Powell for is his remarkable presentation to the U.N. regarding Iraq. Though it appears that much of the information the presentation was based might have been faulty (I actually lean more towards the theory that WMD's were moved), his presentation brought full attention to the danger Hussein posed. I have no doubt if many, many high ranking people in some of the countries in opposition to the war were not on the take in the "Oil-for-Food" program, those countries might very well not have been in opposition at all mostly due to Powell's presentation.

For that, I am grateful Powell was there; for all the praise he is receiving from certain European countries, I am grateful he has resigned.

Hughposium #4

2004-10-20T16:49:00.000-07:00

Another addition to the Hugh Hewitt driven symposium, and this one is much more practical:

Vox Blogoli IV: Why vote for Bush, and what's wrong with Kerry?

Hugh wants to limit responses to 250 words but this election is so clear cut on the issue at hand, I can limit mine even further:

I am going to vote for President Bush's re-election because I have no doubt whatsoever that he will use America's might to fight and kill the terrorists abroad so my family can be safe as possible at home.

What's wrong with Kerry is that I'm not at all sure he'll do the same....

So what did Sadam do, cuddle?!

2004-10-17T14:31:00.000-07:00

I get very, very angry when people ascribe to America those things that it is so obviously trying to fight.

The Powerline folks, in this post, take the appropriate action of highlighting a few people who must live in a parallel universe.

If the U.S. is currently humiliating and causing suffering of the Iraqi people, as this group of Einsteins is apologizing for, what in the world do you call what Sadam did to the Iraqi people?!

The left has, for quite some time now, engaged in using language to describe the opposition that is so far over-the-top as to be funny; except it's not funny. Recent examples include Al Gore's "digital brown shirt" comments (among many others), and now it's manifesting itself in the urge to apologize to the Iraqi people for freeing them from the brutal, despicable dictatorship of Sadam and almost guaranteed suffering for another generation or more under the rule of his psycho sons.

When did it become necessary to apologize for freeing a nation of 25 million from a homicidal tyrant? I'll tell you when; when the French and Germans don't say it's okay to do so. This is what will happen should we allow America to be subject to "global tests." We'll end up apologizing for spreading liberty.

Hughposium the 3rd

2004-10-15T22:40:00.000-07:00

Before I get to Hugh Hewitt's question for the weekly symposium, I'm sure anyone that visits the site and looks around will notice that the last time I posted was in response to Hughposium #2 (I think that's what these weekly questions should be called, at least). I have made no secret that this blog was created because of the great work that Mr. Hewitt has done on his blog and radio talk show. This is also another indicator of the power of the blogosphere, I believe. This is a new incarnation of sending a letter to the editor, except almost every letter can get published without a filter. I don't know about you, but I always sense a trend in the letters chosen to end up in the newspaper or magazine every week. There's two letters published supporting the left's view (isn't it interesting that center-left just doesn't sound right? For another time, perhaps), and then there's a churlish, often angry reading letter supporting the center-right's view. It never fails to end up with this type of formula of "two left, one angry right" letter. With the advent of and current surge in popularity of blogs, those letters can now be written with a guaranteed form of distribution. More importantly, the information will get to the world unfiltered; however many right leaning letters are written will be "published," and the same on the left. You'll never convince me that the dead tree media will ever be happy about this situation.

On to this week's question:

Weekend Symposium 3: How deep a hole have John Kerry, Mary Beth Cahill and the Edwards dug for themselves? How lasting the damage?

My feeling is this; the initial hole dug by Kerry was probably not that deep. He definitely crossed the line but if all he had done was make mention of the Cheney's daughter in the debate then, after hearing some huffing and puffing from certain media outlets, made an apology for offending anyone, I don't think it would have had much staying power as an issue.

But Kerry, and those around him being the condescending, arrogant group that they are, decided it was a good time to bust out some shovels and keep digging. First was Cahill's simply unbelievable edict that somehow a candidate's children were "fair game" in a campaign; since when!? This is simply not done, and for Cahill to proclaim that it is and will be done was astonishing. So she decided to join Kerry and jumped in the hole, shovel in hand.

And then there was, in my mind, the most cynical moment of this whole ordeal. After Lynne Cheney spoke out about what a cheap shot the remark was, Elizabeth Edwards got on a radio show and in a very (do you see it coming?) condescending way opined that Mrs. Cheney's reaction sadly shows how "ashamed" the Cheney's are of their daughter. In a word; WHAT?! The Cheney's reaction (Dick Cheney responded later on) was wholly unrelated to their daughter's situation and was entirely focused on the despicable remarks made, now not just by Kerry but also Cahill and any other apologists out there (hello Josh Marshall). What I find particularly galling, and I think this is where the lasting damage is going to occur, is that the Kerry campaign decided to use the wife of their vice-presidential candidate to try and shift the focus from Kerry's out of line remarks and onto the Cheney's reaction to those remarks (and don't try to tell me using Elizabeth Edwards in this way wasn't the plan that was come up with and was a coincidence of an interview gone awry....everything in these campaigns is planned and re-planned). How cynical do you have to be to weigh the political fall out and decide using the aggrieved wife's counterpart on the opposition ticket is the best way to try and throw up a smoke screen?

This is where the Kerry campaign brings out the Earth moving equipment and stays in the hole for good. As has been noted by Mr. Hewitt, an overwhelming majority of Americans, 64% as polled by the Washington Post, felt that Kerry bringing up the Cheney's daughter was out of line. Even 4 out of 10 voters voting for Kerry said it was out of line. With that many people understanding what a cheap stunt it was, how do you think those people are going to feel when they find out Elizabeth Edwards considers their reaction, which matches Lynne Cheney's reaction, actually reveals how ashamed they are of the Cheney's situation, not how out of line Kerry's remarks were?

Symposium the 2nd

2004-10-08T09:01:00.000-07:00

In what I think can turn into an invaluable source of opinion on the major issues of the day, Hugh Hewitt has sent out another question in what appears will be a weekly symposium on his blog. This question again involves John Kerry's answers to questions, but the question Mr. Hewitt is asking is much less political and much more philosophical, but philosophical in a way that will shed light on the politics of John Kerry.

"What do Kerry's answers to today's press inquiries tell us about Kerry's worldview and character?"

For a list of the questions Mr. Hewitt is referring to, go here (it's a long post, so keep scrolling).

Where to begin, really. The first answer Kerry gives has three distinct points; 1)That President Bush fired a General of the Army for having a dissenting view, 2) that Iraq might someday become analogous to Lebanon of the early-mid '80s, and 3) that Kerry has a better plan for dealing with Iraq.

The first point, if you read the Hugh Hewitt link above, is obviously a falsehood so easily checked that it amazes me Kerry would try and sneak it in to an answer that had very little to do with the lie he's trying to pass off. What we can take from this, in regards to Kerry's worldview and character, is that he has no problem in peddling falsehoods and/or conspiracy theories (remember his oil comment in the first debate?) in order to win. Not a good start.

His second point, in which Iraq could become another Lebanon, is a crucial view into John Kerry's world. Retreating from Lebanon is widely considered one of the few foreign affairs mistakes that President Reagan made. In essence, the U.S. gave in to terrorists, which helped embolden them much as President Clinton's later retreat from Somalia brought forth the now infamous "paper tiger" analogy for the U.S. from bin Laden. What Kerry has now done is set up a situation in which he can simply proclaim that we are in the same situation in Iraq as we were in Lebanon, use Reagan's name to try and deflect any criticism, and proceed to withdraw the troops despite his recent proclamations that he will hunt down and kill terrorists. This comment, compounded with his nuclear bunker-busting comment in the first debate, shows that Kerry is not just living in a 9/10/2001 world but is actually closer to living in the 9/10/1971 world. Kerry did not trust American might back in 1971 (witness his Senate hearings testimony), he did not trust American might during the Cold War (he voted against virtually every weapon system that was brought up), he did not trust American might during the first Persian Gulf war (he voted against it), and he still doesn't trust American might.

The third thrust of Kerry's answer gives us a very disturbing look at his character. I don't know if anyone will remember this, but in a long ago "Peanuts" comic strip, Charlie Brown walks up to a child and screams at them "BELIEVE IN ME!" He then walks up to another child and screams "BELIEVE IN ME!" He walks up to a third child and screams "BELIEVE IN ME!" In the final panel of the strip, he's talking with Snoopy (if my memory is correct) and asks, "Why won't anyone believe in me?" You can almost hear Kerry demanding that people understand just how much smarter he is than the rest of us and that, doggone it, he has a plan for Iraq that we should let him implement; don't you understand?!!? He has a plan! BELIEVE IN HIM!

The other answers he gives continue the theme of Kerry as 1971 Man. His almost childish response, "Al Qaeda is in 60 countries. Are we invading all 60 countries?" simply teems with condescension and shows an utter lack of understanding as to exactly what type of war we're currently engaged in. I think Hugh Hewitt put it best; "The Bush Doctrine is simple: If you are a nation with WMD or an ambition to have WMD, and you have a relationship with terrorists, you have the Saddam option or the Qaddafi option. Pick one." If more countries pick the Qaddafi option, then no, Mr. Kerry, we won't have to invade all 60 countries; but the question is, will you wage war against even one of these countries, or will you instead try to turn them all into Lebanon and simply turn tail and run?

A little something for everyone....

2004-10-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

The issues regarding the debate and who won and why the won have been circulating for sometime now, but I want to bring to everyone's attention this article from Dennis Prager that is so powerful in it's simplicity. I don't think I've read an opinion on the debates like this one before, and it makes complete sense upon reading it.

Congrats to the Dodgers....It's about time!!!

2004-10-04T14:49:00.000-07:00

The Dodgers are in the playoffs after one of the most unbelievable comebacks I've ever seen, which happened to be topped off with a game ending grand slam from Steve Finley.

Congrats go to the Dodgers and their newest owner, Frank McCourt. I bring up McCourt to make a point and spotlight the guy in a positive. I, like almost everyone else, was a little wary of McCourt when he was buying the team. Rumors of finance problems persisted throughout the entire process and the Dodgers were basically handcuffed during the offseason because of it (can you imagine Vladimir Guerrero as a Dodger?!). But the sale was finally completed and McCourt took over the team.

Over the past two weeks, as the season was winding down and the playoff drive was in full gear, I have become a huge fan of McCourt's. What solidified my respect was a shot of him at PacBell Park when the Dodgers took 2 of 3 from the hated ones (otherwise known as the Giants to those non-Dodgers fans). It wasn't just the fact that he was at the game in the first row, but there's a great shot of him obviously yelling "Aw, c'mon!!" when a call on a close play at first went against the Dodgers.

The man showed that he really cared about my Dodgers, and that's a great thing to have in an owner.

Dreamworks hits another homerun

2004-10-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

Casting away fears that the Shrek franchise would be the only hits to come from its animation division, Dreamworks came up with the biggest October opening weekend in history with "Shark Tale." As noted in this article, Dreamworks is working towards an IPO offering for its animation division (a $650 million offering, at that), and the performance of "Shark Tale" should do nothing but help that endeavor.

Hey, when Hugh asks, you gotta respond...

2004-10-02T09:23:00.000-07:00

Hugh Hewitt, Lawyer/Pundit/Talk Radio Host/Really Smart Guy extraordinaire has sent a call out to the blogosphere to take a look at the ramifications of Kerry's passionate statements questioning why we have a new nuclear weapons program under development involving nuclear bunker busters. Since Mr. Hewitt is what I'd consider the driving force behind the explosion in popularity of blogs in general, and was the sole impetus for the blog you read now, I feel a certain obligation to respond. Mr. Hewitt asks the following questions for what he's calling his First Virtual Symposium:

"Did Kerry blunder in denouncing nuclear bunker busters? If so, why? If so, how great the damage to his candidacy?"

With each question logically leading to the next, it would appear that they should be taken in order and individually, but it seems to me that the answer to the first question answers the second question at the same time. My reasoning for this is that, on it's face, Kerry's questioning of the bunker busting program, in an almost "As if we didn't already have enough nukes, now we're making more?!" way, will probably sound very much like common sense to a majority of people out there. It's my experience that most people know, to a certain degree, the mantra "We could blow up everyone on Earth 50 times over." Knowing this, I don't think it's unrealistic to think that many, many people could have an "As if we didn't already have enough nukes..." reaction when told of another nuclear weapons program.

This is why I think the answer to question 2 (if it did hurt Kerry, why?) is dependent upon getting the word out, through sites like Mr. Hewitt's, that the nuclear bunker busting weapons may be the only way to pre-emptively end a nuclear program by some of the world's rogue states, such as North Korea. In short, if question 1 is answered yes, it will only be because it was pointed out as a blunder, which is the answer to question 2 (why did it hurt Kerry; because it was pointed out as a blunder).

How much damage this would do to Kerry (question 3), relies on the degree to which question 1 is shown to be a blunder. I think the damage level will depend on how much word gets out to the masses. If the blunder is hammered home on a consistent basis, with some of Kerry's past voting records that would have shut down many other weapons systems (especially those that were non-nuclear), but is confined to the center/right blogosphere, I think the damage will mainly be done with those who already know Kerry distrusts American might. If, however, the question enters a news source my parents could get a hold of (that's my litmus test; if my parents find out about it, anyone can), then the damage could become devastating. In the past, this would have necessitated one of the MSM news networks getting a hold of the story (which would be unlikely); today, The New York Post, Fox News, and countless smaller middle America newspapers with web savvy can all be used to point out Kerry's almost pacifist like instincts. The damage could be especially devastating, ironically, if people find out about this after having seen Kerry's "tough talk" during the debate (specifically mentioning killing terrorists, etc).

A great commercial could be Kerry talking about how he'll hunt down terrorists, cut to a trustworthy source explaining that many rogue states use deep underground bunkers for protection, then cut back to Kerry's impassioned disbelief that we're "actually thinking" of using nuclear bunker busters?!

I think the vast majority of America, at that second, would see that Kerry's speaking in the first clip shown is much, much less passionate than his speaking in the second clip.

And passion counts these days.

The Media Cracks Me Up

2004-09-30T10:22:00.000-07:00

The MSM (mainstream media for those not accustomed to "blogspeak") has the reputation, I think rightly earned, of being liberal in large part. There are many examples of this bias, but I find this one most telling:

Fox's rise to prominence has been viewed with alarm by its detractors who see the network as the flagship of a resurgent right-wing media machine, backed on the radiowaves by ultra-conservative talk show hosts and in print by newspapers like the Murdoch-owned New York Post.

Now, not only does the article show it's bias by using terms like "right-wing media machine" and "ultra-conservative," it uses these terms in regards to the Fox News Channel! What is hilarious is the assumption that the dinosaur MSM makes up the center; a neutral, fact collecting group of organizations. Their bias to the left makes it inevitable that they'd see anything, anything, more centrist then they are as being part of a vast right wing conspiracy, to use a certain Senator's term.

The fact that Fox tilts center-right in it's reporting isn't what the problem is; the problem is that the rest of the MSM is tilted so far left, yet considers itself centered, that the slight leanings to the right of Fox are seen as evidence that Fox is somehow illegitimate, their news gathering assumed to be handouts from the Bush administration.

When a news organization can't even report on another news organization's strength without bias, there are serious problems that need fixing.

Wahoo, Dodgers!!!

2004-09-29T22:37:00.000-07:00

The Padres just beat the Giants tonight so, even though the Dodgers lost also, the Dodgers have basically sewn up a playoff spot. They have a 3 game lead with 4 to play, so all the Dodgers need to do is win one more game and have the Giants lose a game, and they're in!

Finally, post season baseball for the Dodgers.....seems almost to good to be true.

What's that frequency again?

2004-09-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

CBS News was, well...caught by surprise recently when some memos they had used on 60 Minutes II turned out to be fakes. Actually, it turns out CBS are the only ones that aren't sure the memos are faked; they have their crack two person blue ribbon panel investigating the "incident."

I think Mark Steyn came up with the best possible explanation for Dan Rather risking his career and reputation on a bunch of Microsoft Word documents; maybe Rather's noggin' took a slightly harder blow than we all thought when he was mugged back in the mid '80's. You remember, Rather told everyone he was mugged and the assailant kept asking "What's the frequency, Kenneth?!"

In this case, the frequency of attacks on President Bush by the mainstream media and their absolute willingness to believe the worst about the President has finally caught up with them.

In short UB....what the hell?!

2004-09-25T20:38:00.000-07:00

As of this writing, UltimateBet has been having "server issues" for about 2 days. Apparently, "server issues" means "nothing works around here." Right now, I'm very happy I tried out Poker Stars, as that site is up and running full speed, so my poker fix is being tended to at least.

A different problem I had earlier in the day is something I'm pretty sure I'll have bad dreams about. I've got pocket 5's, I raise and get three callers. The flop brings out the other two 5's, so I've flopped quads. As I begin to make plans for all the money I'm about to collect, I realize that noone has made a bet or checked in awhile. I pay closer attention; ack, my wireless router has bummed out!!!

You see, my daughter was playing on the "good" computer (thanks Dad!), so I was playing on our old computer that I retrofitted with a wireless network adapter, so we could share the internet connection. And the doggone thing craps out when I flop quads!!!

Just for your future information, buy a Linksys wireless router, not D-Link. My dad has a Linksys and that thing has just run and run and run. I got a D-Link, and it crapped out on me holding quads!!!

My first live tourney

2004-09-14T09:47:00.000-07:00

I entered the $100+$20 buy in tourney on Saturday September 11 of the Heavenly Hold Em Tournament at the Commerce Casino.

Let me first say that I love playing live. Having the cards in hand, messing with the chips, seeing the flop of actual cards....I love it all.

Except. When. People. Play. Stupid. And. Get. Lucky!

It's not that I have any problem with someone playing the way they want to and getting lucky against all odds...everyone plays their own style for their own reasons. What's different that I'm not quite able to handle yet is when someone plays so unbelievably badly and gets lucky online, I can curse, stand up, throw my hands up in the air, ask to noone in particular, "How in the hell can someone that plays that badly get so doggone lucky?!"

Let's just say that kind of reaction would be....not appreciated during a live game.

When my aces get cracked by his 4 5 offsuit, which he had to call a 3 bet before the flop to play, all I could think to do when he turned over his cards was to show my aces and say "I guess that makes these no good." The whole table saw what happened, and I did appreciate the sympathy, but 4 5 offsuit?! In second position?! After a 3 bet?!?! And you chased a straight to hit on the river?!

The only thing that made that worse was that bad/lucky player kept playing badly, except now he wasn't getting lucky, so I watched with some despair as all of what I considered "my" chips were badly played and given to all the other players at the table....not a single one came back to me. The only joy I got out of the situation was watching Mr. Bad/Lucky get bounced from the tourney before I did. He took about 40% of my stack on that lame play and couldn't even last longer than I did....and I didn't last very long, either.

Well, there's always next time. Besides my very unlucky day that day, I still had a great time. Heck, I got to play poker live.

Big tourneys last a long time

2004-09-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in an earlier post, I've been trying Poker Stars for the past 3 months, mainly because their multi-table tourneys are huge.

I've hit the money in a couple of them, but my best finish was 3rd out of about 1,200 entrants. The only downside is that it was a lousy $1 buy in tourney, so I only ended up winning $160, but part of the reason for playing these huge tourneys is simply to get experience playing the big tourneys where serious money can be made. In the couple dozen big tourneys I've played, I've really learned to become patient, to play quality hands, and to always spot for what I like to call "free money," which is basically any situation in which you may not have the best hand, but everyone else is pretty weak also, so just by showing strength you take down a pot that you may not have won otherwise. The downside to this occurs when someone is showing weakness when they actually have a hand and were looking to trap someone; in this case, you. So long as you don't let ego get in the way and you're able to drop those hands that will probably not be able to win, you should be fine.

Yes, it's been awhile

2004-08-17T23:37:00.000-07:00

I haven't been blogging for about a month now, and unfortunately there's not really a "cool," or "good" reason for that.

I guess I could claim I was in Cambodia, receiving a magic hat from a spy......

For more on the Kerry....mistakes?....no, worse than that.....lies?....well, we don't want to be mean.....embellishments....yeah, that's it, embellishments about what he was doing while serving in Vietnam, just check out Hugh Hewitt and Power Line; they are, by far, your best resources for this story.

WSOP coverage thoughts

2004-08-17T23:30:00.000-07:00

The one thing that keeps coming to mind as I watch ESPN's presentation of the World Series of Poker is how bad beats happen to everyone; the cards don't care if you're an online player or if you are a multi-year pro. I keep this mind anyone types at a poker site "That's UB for ya," or "Online poker is a joke." These types of random, seemingly impossible suck outs and bad beats happen to everyone, whether live or online.

I'm gonna try and remember that before getting too angry at my next bad beat.

That's right, hate me

2004-07-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

A common refrain we here from opponents to the war on terror is something like, "Well, now look what you've done, France and Germany and a bunch of other countries don't like us anymore."

My response; so what?!

Well, in this piece, Dennis Prager puts that basic feeling in a much more eloquent way, along with his point by point reasoning behind this feeling.

It all comes down to this; I want to be hated by the terrorists. If France and Germany (the countries that tried to stand in the way of doing battle against Saddam, who was his own agent of terror) want to hate me as well, then so be it.

I knew Michael Moore was dangerous, but damn....

2004-07-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

I, as most of you probably have as well, heard that the terrorist organization Hezbollah offered it's support to Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, but in this fantastic post, the Powerline guys highlight to what extent Moore and the terrorists think alike, and not in a distant made up way (like Moore's film), but rather uses actual quotes from Moore and the Hezbollah leader to make the point.

To be honest, I had no idea Moore was this far gone, but then I haven't seen his movie yet, either (which is why you don't see any analysis of it here). The reaches made in order to make almost everything a conspiratorial plot is simply mind-boggling.

Nothing to see here....

2004-07-08T09:30:00.000-07:00

Except, well, 1.8 tons of radioactive material that was in Iraq!

What's Fahrenheit 9/11's response to this?

To those who say it won't - rather, can't - work

2004-07-05T08:29:00.000-07:00

If I told you that the world's largest Muslim country was holding free elections for it's president right now, what would you think?

Well, this story would seem to indicate that all those nay sayers, using what I consider a quasi-racist argument that "Maybe Muslims aren't ready for democracy," are absolutely wrong.

Look at the facts behind Indonesia's history; a dictator took over the country soon after it's inception and ran it for 30 years with the expected corruption and human rights abuses in tow. After 30 years the dictator was ousted and now, six years later, the people are voting for their president directly.

Hmmm, sounds a little familiar, doesn't it? No, it's not like Iraq at all...after all, presidential elections for Iraq will occur less than two years after it's dictator was overthrown.....

Happy Birthday America

2004-07-05T00:02:00.000-07:00

This is how my young daughter currently celebrates Independence Day, and it seems a very simple, yet wonderful, way of doing so.

You have got to be kidding me

2004-07-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

My disbelief while reading this story is not directed so much at those Iraqis professing their admiration of Saddam (though they are missing quite a few boats on this one), but is much more directed at the way this piece is presented. Of course there are some Iraqis that want Saddam back; for those favored few in Hussein's Iraq, life was really good. The fact that Reuters felt it necessary to go out of their way to find these Iraqis and make them the focal point of a story which can only be trying to hurt the effort in Iraq is remarkable to me.

Once you have a taste of freedom....

2004-07-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

This is what freedom is all about, as the people of Hong Kong know full well. It must be realized that many of the citizens of Hong Kong have relatives that live in mainland China and know the differences that exist between the democratic island and communist mainland.

I fear that Hong Kong will be turned into another Taiwan by the Chinese, considered a rogue "property" of China, and another headache that will have to be addressed at some time. At this point, I'm not sure how we could stop that from happening for, as Tiananmen Square showed us, the Chinese government has no problem crushing, through force, those dissenting from the government's view.

What we can do, however, is support the movement to keep Hong Kong a democracy in all diplomatic and financial ways.

A new poker site...well, "new" to me anyway

2004-06-30T17:15:00.000-07:00

I usually play poker using the Ultimate Bet software. The interface is really easy to use, they have constant tourneys and sit n gos, and Krazy Kanuck is just fun as hell to watch play.

I recently gave Poker Stars a shot, mainly because they have huge (I'm talking HUGE) tournaments that run throughout the day. To give you an idea, Ultimate Bet has the Krazy Kanuck special tournament every Sunday. It's a $500 buy in tourney which usually attracts a little more than 100 entrants. Top prize usually ends up around $20,000. No small potatoes, for sure, but get a load of this. The last Sunday of every month, Poker Stars has it's own $500 buy in tourney; this past Sunday, over 700 entrants were involved with the top prize hitting over $97,000!!

Now that's a big tourney. The size buy in tourneys I pay ($5-$20) usually attract over 1,000 entrants at Poker Stars, making the paydays pretty substantial, thus worth a look. :-)

I'll let you all know how I end up doing.

The Right Way To Deal With Terrorists

2004-06-30T17:07:00.000-07:00

To be honest, it's really simple; kill them before they kill you. All the terrorists are interested in doing is killing as many of us as possible; to stop them, we must kill or, if possible, capture all of them. This is not some group that has any demand other than the complete rule of Islam over the Earth. There is no room for compromise, no offer that can be tendered; it is our submission or our death that is wanted.

I for one refuse to give into these demands and, to show that, refuse to vote for any politician that does not take this threat as the serious matter that it is.

An Interesting Piece with Michael Moore

2004-06-29T23:13:00.000-07:00

Evan Coyne Maloney runs the great web site Brain Terminal. Evan has the most unique take in blogging in that much of his site actually has videos that he has taken himself then edited for presentation on his web site. This video, in which he scores a coup by interviewing Michael Moore on the street, asks a very interesting question up front, yet in the end the realization that Evan comes upon, strangely enough with help from Michael Moore, is surprisingly simple, yet powerful.

Conservatives need to stop whining about the liberal bias in Hollywood and instead work through that bias and create conservative films and TV shows that are so good, not even the liberals running Hollywood can turn them down. Moore actually agrees with this and uses his own experience of just going out there and making a good film to help Evan come to this realization.

Moore's views are so out of whack as to be dangerous, which is a shame because, judging from this video, he would appear to be a pretty nice guy otherwise. When it comes to world affairs, however, you simply cannot tolerate the "nice" guy that will do the country damage, a la Jimmy Carter.

The Good News Series Continues

2004-06-24T11:25:00.000-07:00

I'm sure if you're reading this, you've already heard about the "Good News from Iraq" series of posts. If not, you owe it to yourself to check out volume 4, then go back and read the other 3. Some amazing things are being and have been done in Iraq, and the fact that the mainstream news media isn't covering even a sliver of these events is outrageous.

A little late, but it deserves a look

2004-06-24T11:17:00.000-07:00

I've provided a link to the Day by Day cartoon series on the right side of the blog, but even I'm not able to check it daily (which is a shame because it's so good).

One day of the strip, here, has a very poignant reminder of why Reagan (The Great Communicator) will always be more revered than Clinton (The Communicator without a message). Clinton may be the Democrats Reagan, but he will never, ever reach and effect the American public the way Reagan did.

Well that's no fun

2004-06-23T14:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday playing poker, I ran into a classic situation of a very, very bad play beating me due to luck.

I had 6 7 of spades in the big blind. It was checked to me, so I checked to see a flop. Out came Kc 10c 8d. For those of you not that "into" poker, this was a pretty darn good flop for me. I had an inside straight draw (if a 9 came out, I would hit it) and a flush draw. There were four of us in the hand; we all checked to the button, who made a pot sized bet. I wasn't about to fold, figuring him for a pair of K's or 10's at this point. I thought I'd pay to see one more card, and if I didn't hit get out of the pot. Well the turn comes the 5c. So now I've hit my flush and have a possible straight flush going. I decide to check to try and extract a few more dollars from him, and, like clockwork, he makes another pot sized bet. I go over the top and raise it by about the pot amount. He doesn't even think and calls. The river brings the Jc; this is one of those situations where, even though you know you're beat, you have to call simply because of the pot odds involved. Sure enough, he shows the Ac with a 10d (pair of 10's on the flop, just like I thought), and he collects a pretty large pot.

In thinking about the hand, there was nothing I could have done differently except perhaps raised on the flop when I only had my draws. This may have kept him from leading out on the turn, figuring I had the flush, but I have a feeling he would have called regardless and gotten lucky anyway.

There's always next time.

Moore's latest lies

2004-06-22T13:59:00.000-07:00

I haven't seen Michael Moore's new film, so I can't say whether it's any good or not, but Christopher Hitchens seems to make many points I think I would make if the scenes he describes are even close to correct in this devastating piece. And remember, this is coming from Christopher Hitchens. (Hat tip to Powerline).

Brother suffers a bad beat

2004-06-18T17:39:00.000-07:00

There are few things in the world more annoying than a really, really bad poker player getting extremely lucky. One thing that is more annoying than that is when that really, really bad player thinks they are really, really good.

My brother was in a poker tournament just yesterday and was one of the chip leaders with about 60,000 in chips. To his right was the overall chips leader with about 75,000 in chips. After the chip leader limped in, my brother posted a huge raise before the flop. The chip leader called. The flop came out, and my brother bet another 15,000 in chips. The chip leader thought for a second, then called. The turn came out and my brother went all in for the remaining 19,000+ chips he had. The other guy is sitting there thinking and thinking, and both my brother and I knew he was on a draw. The guy calls.

My brother shows his hand - K K. The guy shows his hand - 5 6 of hearts. Guess what happens next? The river brings a third heart to the board and my brother is out of the tournament holding K K against 5 6 suited.

What really burned me up was the guy exclaiming, "Yes!" after his suck out was complete. That told me he thought it was a calculated risk that paid off.

In reality, if you had seen the hands my brother played during the tourney and paid attention, you'd see he was playing only premium hands, most often pocket pairs of Jacks or higher. The guy should've folded before the flop, then on the flop, then on the turn, but he didn't, risking almost his entire stack on nothing more than a draw.

We'll get him next time, bro.

For all the talk of empires....

2004-06-18T17:33:00.000-07:00

One of the most annoying charges you hear from the people opposed to the war in Iraq is that it's just another example of American imperialism (Michael Moore went so far as to call the terrorists in Iraq the "minutemen" of today, fighting against the bad imperialists.)

For an example of what imperialism looks like, read this. In less than 10 years, China has taken Hong Kong from being a free state with popular elections for all public offices to a state in which the populace can not vote for their leader, first, followed quickly with the inability to vote for ANY lawmakers.

But handing over power to the interim government of Iraq and forging ahead to meet our stated goal of having nationwide free elections in that country by early next year (LESS THAN TWO YEARS AFTER THE FALL OF SADDAM!) is being called imperialism.

The dividends, in full view

2004-06-18T13:41:00.000-07:00

It was only 60 years ago when Japan was a powerful enemy that had struck America on it's own soil. Today, the Japanese have pledged to keep their troops in Iraq in a show of solidarity with America.

Before the warlords of Japan were defeated in World War II, you would have been called a fool by the American public if you said that one day, during their lifetime, they'd see the Japanese and American militaries working together towards a common goal.

Think of what you're hearing today about the prospects of a free Iraq becoming a model for the rest of the middle east; you'll hear that it's a utopian vision that can never come about (to which I say we're not looking to recreate Eden, we just want a stable, democratic Iraq to come out of all this), or even the statement that "the people of the middle east don't want/can't handle democracy (which strikes me as a borderline racist viewpoint)."

If the words that have been spoken recently by the interim Prime Minister of Iraq are any scale of what the majority of Iraqis believe, I think the dividends of this fight will become as apparent as have the dividends of dispatching with the warlords of Japan. We will, in time, gain a friend in the middle east that will shine the example of liberty and freedom for all other middle easterners to view.

It just means we're winning

2004-06-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

By all accounts, the violence will get worse the closer we get to the June 30th transition of power in Iraq, and this story is just the first of many more we'll hear about. It must be remembered that in all wars, the last ditch efforts of those about to perish always makes the situation look bleaker than it really is. What we have here are some desperate terrorists trying to derail the transition process by any means. So long as we stand firm and do not let these cowards dictate the fate of the country, you will see a stabilization of Iraq after June 30th, until it is time for the general elections scheduled for early next year, when we'll again see an uptick in attacks. This type of thing will occur for years and years, have no doubt, but with firm guidance and a resolve to finish the job, Iraq will become much more like Afghanistan than it is today.

Weekend Poker Update

2004-06-14T15:04:00.000-07:00

I'm going to try and present a weekend poker update every Monday, considering the weekend is when I'm able to play the most poker (I do have a "real" job, you know). This weekend was pretty successful in that I finished 4th in a rebuy tourney which netted me about $400 (1st was $2,000....next time, next time). Other than that I entered some satellite tourneys which could have gotten me in the big tourney that the site runs, a $500 entry on Sunday nights (1st prize for that tourney is usually about $20,000). My best showing in the satellites I entered was 16th, but only 6 places paid an entry unfortunately (next time, next time). I'll keep you updated whenever a significant event occurs.

If you had any doubts

2004-06-14T14:58:00.000-07:00

In this story, the methods used by the terrorists in the world are shown to have come to our shores. Blowing up shopping malls, with kids aplenty, is exactly what this scum would love to be able to do. Do not ever forget; this is a war in which our enemy has sworn to kill each and every last one of us. For those that don't believe we should be on the offensive in this war, I ask you to consider how many of these "blow up a mall" type plots will slip through the system now, and how many do you think would slip through if we weren't actively chasing down terrorists in the Middle East right now?

New name, same blog

2004-06-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

For anyone that has read this blog, of which I think I am the only one, I just wanted to point out the new name of the blog will not really change the blog at all. What I've found is that when people learn you're a Dodger fan, that doesn't make them want to talk about the Dodgers. However, when you say you're a poker fan, people like talking about it whether they actively play or not. Thus the name change, plus you can expect more poker related news, obviously.

A toy maker that DOESN'T want a deal with Disney?!

2004-06-11T13:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, this has caught everyone off guard in "The Biz." As the article mentions, companies are usually tripping over themselves to be able to manufacture and distribute toys for Disney.

Either Disney was asking for way, WAY too much money and/or control over the products, or Applause has just made a really big blunder. My instincts tell me Disney is pushing hard to up its bottom line to cover for some of it's other divisions (TV being the biggest problem at the moment).

There they go again

2004-06-11T12:45:00.000-07:00

I would love to get the real story behind this story.

If the sentiments from the people of Iraq match those given in the story, then I can't help but believe that the Iraqi people are an ungrateful bunch. However, if, as I firmly believe, most Iraqis are more prone to think along the lines of their interim prime minister, Allawi, then this is yet another case of the media trying to do everything they can to undermine the effort in Iraq.

I personally can't believe that most people in Iraq think America is responsible for their current power woes; simply being from the Middle East doesn't negate common sense in people, no matter how hard the American media tries to put things in that light.

To all those naysayers of the '80's

2004-06-08T11:16:00.000-07:00

Of all the wonderful tributes being written about Ronald Reagan, this has to be among my favorites. What I really like about this article is how it points out how very wrong President Reagan's detractors in the 1980's were, to the point of re-printing articles from these detractors from the 1980's and showing how they are now trying to cover their respective bums. As Rush Limbaugh said today on his program, this week is going to incense President Reagan's detractors because their failure at revising the history of Reagan's presidency will be shown over and over and over for the entire week.

Farewell, Gipper

2004-06-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday brought sad news of the death of Ronald Reagan. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Reagan family.

If any one man deserves credit for showing America and her people of the greatness they could achieve, he is that man.

Coming on the heels of President Nixon's resignation and President Carter's apologistic incompetence, President Reagan gave America new hope in a very troubled time of it's history. He led the charge against the Soviet empire at a time when appeasement and detente (at the least) were the fads of the day. He never wavered in his unbridled support of freedom the world over.

I feel a personal connection with President Reagan because I fervently believe my family was able to accomplish what it has because of his policies and belief in the American people. Neither of my parents went to college, but through good old fashioned hard work and discipline have been able to give to their family the opportunities for success that America promises to anyone willing to work for it. My parents, of course, get all the credit for working hard to make their dreams a reality, but I have felt, for quite some time, that the policies instituted by President Reagan had an absolutely direct impact on my parents ability to reach their dreams.

I was only 10 years old when President Reagan took office, but it was when he took office that I started to pay attention to the greater issues in not just politics, but life.

I know I am not alone.

Reality vs. the Liberals

2004-06-04T12:40:00.000-07:00

There's enough evidence of the left's desire to paint Iraq as an unqualified disaster from which there is no return to choke a horse, which is why reading this article from Victor Davis Hanson is a must.

In bullet point fashion, he brings up the major issues always pointed to by the left as failures, then calmly and almost poetically shows why these arguments are wrong.

Hanson expands on the new Tet thinking that is permeating the media these days, and it is a welcome expansion indeed.

Psychological Explanations

2004-06-03T14:49:00.000-07:00

In this article, Victor Davis Hanson tries (and succeeds, in my opinion) to explain what many people, including myself, have wondered for some time; how can so many people change their views on whether the war in Iraq was a good and moral decision? You've seen the polls, and Hanson mentions some numbers in his article.

This article helped me understand the "swing" voter and make logical sense of it; Hanson has a way of doing that to me.

Tiananmen 15 years later

2004-06-03T13:51:00.000-07:00

Not everyone has forgotten the brutality unleashed at Tiananmen Square. Please read the entire article, as the main point of this anniversary isn't explained until the final line:

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, were killed on the night of June 3-4, 1989 when People's Liberation Army soldiers backed by tanks shot their way through intersections blocked by Beijing residents and wrested control of the square.

Shooting people block by block, for wanting a say in their government.

How about $5.79....per gallon!

2004-06-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

When I first read this article I thought they goofed, but there it is, $5.79 per gallon for gas in England. In reading the article, I was amazed to see that the government has a $3.30 per gallon (PER GALLON!) tax on fuel. They tax gas in a higher amount than I pay, and I live in Southern California where prices have hit $2.40 per gallon.

So for all those wanting to socialize everything under the sun....don't buy an SUV.

The Reality of Fallujah

2004-06-02T14:31:00.000-07:00

An excellent point in the presentation of the war by the administration has been written by Robert Kaplan. For the short form, must read part, visit Powerline here.

By focusing on Fallujah, which is what the media would hope to make the poster child for all the reasons why President Bush shouldn't be re-elected, Kaplan makes a very compelling argument for the need in the military of, in essence, a P.R. division that would be able to explain clearly why we are succeeding in the various missions being carried out. Remember watching the images of the SMART bombs being seemingly driven into a specific building? I know I was in awe, and it made it very easy to believe the reports we heard of less than usual civilian casualties, etc. That kind of presentation should become the norm.

Tet revisited

2004-05-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

Only after many, many years went by did it become known that the Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War, though characterised by most in the media (especially by Walter Cronkite) as having been a disastrous loss for U.S. forces, was actually a huge military victory. But because of the media's attempts to hold it up as an example of why America couldn't win in Vietnam, popular opinion for the war took a nosedive leading to the eventual withdrawal of American troops in a less than victorious ending.

Ann Coulter has a great article here that asks whether the media's coverage of Iraq hasn't veered towards Tet like coverage.

Nail on the head

2004-05-28T13:31:00.000-07:00

James Lileks is a wonderful writer and is a master of showing just how absurd certain things in this world are. This article is a prime example of that mastery.

Not since Reagan....

2004-05-20T13:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the guys at Powerline pointing the way, this wonderful speech by President Bush to an AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) gathering was found to be a most insightful read.

Please note the entirety of the speech addresses one issue; freedom. Freedom in terms of politics, freedom in terms of religion, freedom in terms of economics, simply the issues of freedom and all it is good for.

As the title of this post probably gives away, I haven't felt this way about a president before; well, not since Reagan.

Why we fight

2004-05-20T12:47:00.000-07:00

Bill Bennett gave a speech at the Claremont Institute last week (Victor Davis Hanson was a speaker as well; wish I could've been there).

Here's the transcript of what Bennet had to say. My only reaction is, "Exactly."

Dodgers slide

2004-05-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

The Dodgers have now lost 5 in a row. In the series against Cincinnati, they couldn't hit themselves out of a paper bag. Yesterday's game was one of those flukes, what with back-to-back-to-back homeruns for the Phillies coming at a not so good time. Even with this recent skid, the Dodgers are still ahead in the west by 1.5 games over the Padres, so no reason to get nervous just yet.

He's still no Jerry Lewis

2004-05-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

You know what really bugs me about Michael Moore? It's not that he's a buffoonish, leftist, publicity seeking twit; it's that he could be insanely funny and moving if he weren't so psychologically damaged.

Despite being wrong approximately 95% of the time (and no, I can't think of the 5% of things he's right on at the moment), he is a gifted documentarian in a purely technical sense. What I mean is that he makes documentaries that are not only watchable but enjoyable to watch (of course, remember this was a heavily French audience who believe, in great numbers, that a plane that blew up in mid-air due to mechanical failures was actually shot down by the U.S. military).

Where the problem comes in is that he doesn't really document anything; there are several reports of Moore basically making things up in "Bowling for Columbine" (this being my favorite report as it originated on an NPR station; that's right, even National Public Radio has a problem with "Bowling for Columbine"). If you don't believe me, just do a Google search for Bowling for Columbine discrepancies; there's too many links to click in this lifetime.

If Moore weren't so unbalanced, he could be a comic genius in the mold of Eddie Izzard (a lefty with a brain and my personal favorite stand up comic right now) or even Chris Rock, with the obvious differences in style being set aside for the time being.

Instead, he's left with standing ovations from French audiences...at least Jerry Lewis is trying to do something positive with his telethons; Moore simply wants more ovations.

But they don't count because...

2004-05-18T13:27:00.000-07:00

Hugh Hewitt guides us to this article regarding the recent discovery of an artillery shell containing sarin nerve gas.

It also mentions another homemade bomb that used mustard gas that was found 10 days ago; I don't know about you, but I didn't hear anything about that finding from anyone in the media.

I'm sure we'll be told how this doesn't count as a finding of WMD's because...well, I can't think of any excuse worth using, but I'm sure we'll hear them at some point.

Taking a political look at this, which is not something I usually like to do with items such as WMD but feel a need to do at this time, why isn't the administration holding this evidence up for all the world to see? I don't care how "little" we found (sarin can kill in very small doses), we found evidence of illegal WMD's in Iraq. Not only were they found, they were in the process of being used against our troops! That's not a story worth getting out?

Sadr will fall soon

2004-05-14T07:39:00.000-07:00

I find this to be a very good development in our battle with Sadr's forces and a sort of light version on what I explained I thought we should be doing in my post just previous to this one. After weeks of taking mortar fire from a supposed sacred cemetary which includes the Imam Ali shrine. The shrine is the reason Najaf is so revered as Ali was basically the reason the Shi'ite form of Islam came to be.

Like I stated earlier, we need to be less worried about why something in the past is so significant to our enemies and instead worry about what we need to take the bad guys down. If it is possible to take them down without pounding the shrine to pebbles, great. But if the insurgents want to kill Americans from the shrine and make it impossible to stop their lawlessness without taking the shrine, the shrine must fall and we must make it clear that it is on the heads of the insurgents that it had to fall.

They'll like us when we win

2004-05-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I like the TV show "The West Wing." Yes, I know it has ultra liberal Martin Sheen as the President (which does send shivers down my spine if I think about that too long), but the show is very finely crafted and Aaron Sorkin, before quitting the show, is an unbelievably gifted writer, even if he's almost always wrong politically.

A quote from the show has stayed with me for many, many years.

"They'll like us when we win."

It was a line used by one of the show's characters to explain why it was okay to say some pretty harsh words about some Middle Eastern countries who would, of course, take offense to the harsh words.

It seems almost prescient now.

I believe this should be the driving idea behind our efforts in Iraq.

Taking Fallujah will upset the populace - Tough, they'll like us when we win.

If we get too close to their holy shrines, they'll get upset - Tough, they'll like us when we win.

If we crack down too hard, international reaction will be firmly against us - Tough, they'll like us when we win.

We should not appease, in any degree, large or small, any insurgents or their apologists. I'll know we are doing our job right when the French and German governments start condemning us. When talks of reprisals against we "infidels" begin to flow through the Arab media en masse, I'll know we are on the right track.

This belief did not come about easily. I am not a huge fan of iron fisted justice, not because those on the receiving end may be upset, but because that use of force can sometimes lead to a worse problem; a military too strong to be stopped from taking control. The world over, there are many examples of the military staging coups and seizing power from the citizens (which is what happens when the military runs a country; the people's voice is no longer heard).

I have no such fears with our forces in Iraq. They have shown a measure of discipline and self-control that one cannot dismiss. The prison guards let their discipline slip with predictably horrible results, but Fallujah could have easily been removed from the world's maps if we decided that was necessary. Yet there it sits, awaiting the first joint patrols of American Marines and Iraqi forces. Unfortunately, I do not believe these joint patrols will solve anything. We do need to get the Iraqi forces involved, but I feel this is the wrong time.

Now is the time, especially after being re-awakened to the vile nature of our foe, to unleash the strength and fury of the U.S. military against those that would harm us. Allow the Marines to do their job; if a shrine is being used as a bunker, destroy the shrine. I don't care if it was built by Allah himself in whatever year, at this moment in time it is a tool of war being hidden in by cowards who feel we are too weak to come and get them in such a structure. Let us prove them wrong. If Sadr will not willingly come forward and turn himself in, it is our obligation to allow our forces to conduct operations and bring him in, dead or alive.

We can allow our forces this type of leeway because we know once the fighting is over, there will be no power grab by the military, no subjugation of the populace, no atrocities committed simply because they can be committed. As proof of this reality, I simply point to the vast U.S. nuclear warhead stockpiles...all present and accounted for.

The cacophony of condemnations, grievances, and calls for revenge will eventually cease once it is shown that all of these things do not bring about a cessation in our efforts, but an even swifter justice to those deserving of it.

And, at some time years from now, they'll like us because we won.

Go Dodger Blue!

2004-05-13T10:15:00.000-07:00

I'm sure there's going to be sometime during the season that the Dodgers aren't spanking everyone they play, but that time is not now!

They took another one from the Cubbies yesterday and are looking for the sweep this afternoon.

Man I love baseball...especially when the Dodgers are actually fielding a good team.

And I want this, and I want that...

2004-05-13T09:51:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you have socialism run amok. When I first read this article, I thought it was a prank, after all whoever heard of out of work actors complaining that there's not enough unemployment benefits; get a job as a waiter like all the other actors out there.

Then I actually read the headline mentioning Cannes. "Ahh," I thought to myself, "they're French actors!"

That's how bad the socialist society is in France; a bunch of freakin' actors (actors for crying out loud!) are able to threaten the biggest film festival on the planet because no one will hire them.

And this money quote just ices the cake for me.

"Daily Variety quoted a spokesman for one group of workers as saying that it planned to 'denounce the system and its treatment of cinema as merchandise.'"

Its treatment of cinema as merchandise? You mean movies making money, right? How else do you expect to get the employment you're whining about if they're not allowed to treat cinema as merchandise, Pierre?!

This is the extended, logical conclusion that awaits any society that wishes to extend ridiculous amounts of entitlements to its citizenry instead of setting up a system in which that citizenry has the opportunities necessary to make a go of it themselves.

As if that's a bad thing...

2004-05-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

The French would make me laugh if their decisions weren't so costly to real live human beings. The Foreign Minister of France, as presented in this article, proclaims his worry about all the bad things happening in Iraq...ya know, death and all that other stuff that happens when people go to war.

This has been a growing problem among most of the Western European countries for some time; they don't see the good guys and the bad guys, they just see "a total loss of bearings" in the whole sordid affair.

A loss of bearings...yeah that's it, it has nothing to do with a group of people wishing the Dark Ages back upon all of us, who use children as weapons, who cheer and proclaim martyrdom for a couple of monsters that slaughter a pregnant woman and her four small children; none of that is reason for concern, it's just the overall not niceness of it all, on both sides, that has the French Foreign Minister worried.

He then felt it necessary to proclaim that "There will be no French soldiers in Iraq, not now and not later."

What's the old joke that can be applied to any conflict anywhere in the world?

How can you quickly end the war in Iraq?

Send in the French; they'll surrender the next day.

Hooray for the Red Sox

2004-05-11T16:37:00.000-07:00

I love hearing about stories like this.

Finish what you start

2004-05-11T16:00:00.000-07:00

Both President Bush and John Kerry have made statements echoing the sentiment that we must finish what we started in Iraq (Kerry wants the U.N. to come in and finish the job, which is like bringing in a gas can to put out a fire, but we'll put that point aside for now). What is to be made of a situation in which both parties are calling for the job in Iraq to be finished?

What we can undoubtedly infer is that whatever was started was a good thing; after all, why would you want to finish something bad?

With that point in mind, what can we make of some people's beliefs that the American public will react in much the same way as the Spanish or Italians, calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal from Iraq?

There are several reasons I don't believe that will happen; no matter how hard the left and their helpers in the media try to paint Iraq as another Vietnam, the American public is just not buying it. The left seems to forget that most people from the Vietnam decade are still around and can debunk most or all of the hysterical calls for labelling this "Another Vietnam."

But the main reason I don't believe the American public will call for us to abandon our cause in Iraq is because, put simply, we are not Spain or Italy. Italy and Spain were run by tyrannical dictators and outright fascists until the last half of the 20th century; America has had a functioning democracy for over 200 years. Because of our long, fruitful history under democracy, the American people have an almost genetic disposition to opposing tyranny...liberty good, fascism bad, freedom the ideal worth fighting for, tyranny a scourge which must be opposed and crushed.

Some will point out, correctly, that both Spain and Italy were finally able to push out the dictators and establish democracies of their own. That is, to simplify things, the equivalent of fighting for one's life. Well, anyone can fight their own life; it is a distinctly American trait to fight for someone else's liberty. From WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Persian Gulf I, etc. we have shown a willingness to stand up for the liberties of those that could not otherwise stand up for it themselves. With the exception of Pearl Harbor, none of those conflicts were the result of America's homeland being in immediate danger; yet we went, willingly, to fight against the enemies of our allies; to fight for our allies; to fight for freedom.

It is this belief in American's hatred of tyrannies that makes me believe we will not leave Iraq in turmoil, but will hunt down those that are opposed to peace and destroy them.

After all, we have to finish what we've started, right?

Who hijacked the dictionary?!

2004-05-11T14:17:00.000-07:00

Suddenly, some frat hazing level abuse of Iraqi prisoners is being called torture. All this coming from Italy, the birthplace of fascism, of all places.

You want torture? Try this on for size. These animals have the audacity to declare that they performed this act of barbarism in retaliation for some photos of naked Iraqi men being piled on top of each other with hoods over their heads.

As has been said over and over, what the American Guardsman did was stupid and embarassing. To compare what they did with the treatment that so many hundreds of thousands of people suffered at the hands of Saddam Hussein is simply appalling.

And the most appalling of all those decrying the United States at this time is the American Left. Not only are the wrong in equating this latest "scandal" with torture, they are doing so in order to win political points. Putting our troops in harms way so they can grab some power is disgusting.

And the next target is....

2004-05-11T13:57:00.000-07:00

Well, it appears this may be the first step towards making Syria accountable for it's longtime support of terrorism. The article mentions the fact that these sanctions were probably delayed because of the immediate intelligence help provided by Syria, but that should have been viewed as too little too late, even back then; it was the least they could do, in other words.

The boy king is a monster in the mold of his father and must be dealt with. For those people that say removing Saddam from power didn't really help against terrorism, ask yourself this; given all the reports of how much worse Saddam's sons were than Saddam, is it really a stretch to believe, once Saddam died and they took power, that they wouldn't want to collaborate with Al-Qaida or Hamas?

Cover your TV's, because I'm gonna be on it

2004-05-10T18:39:00.000-07:00

I mentioned earlier being in "The Biz," i.e.. the entertainment industry, but not being famous as I'm a finance guy. I also happen to be a very large person with a very long goatee. How long, you ask? Think ZZ Top but only the goatee. There ya go.

Well, it turns out my boss thought my particular look would fit well in a new animated series we're starting...as a villain. Only my face will be used, and someone else is going to do the voice, but my mug will be all over the TV as early as later this year.

I'll keep everyone up to date on that.

The few, the proud...the downright studly

2004-05-10T18:35:00.000-07:00

Hugh Hewitt brought this to all of our attention. An extraordinary tale of courage is presented here...and it just happens to be true.

Odd how we never hear these stories, isn't it?

Dodgers still on a roll

2004-05-08T18:42:00.000-07:00

Top of the 9th and the Dodgers up by a run, which means Eric Gagne time, which means game over. The Padres had already won today, so with this win, the Dodgers will stay in first place by 1 game, although it's a weird 1 game. The Padres and Dodgers will have both won 19 games, but the Padres have lost 12 while the Dodgers have lost 10. So the Dodgers have 2 games in hand on the Padres, which is a good thing. I'm liking this season more and more every day.

"Van Helsing" opens pretty well

2004-05-08T18:28:00.000-07:00

I was just able to get on the computer and checked the Friday box office takes....$19 million for "Van Helsing." This will probably mean about $55 million for it's opening weekend. Not bad, but not an obscenely large opening either. As always, it will be interesting to see how it holds up in the weeks to come.

You're skeptical?!

2004-05-07T14:54:00.000-07:00

According to this report, the Arab world is skeptical about America's reasons, namely freedom and liberty, for invading Iraq because of a bunch of numbskull Guardsman who humiliated and abused some Iraqi prisoners.

Is that right.

This from an area in the world in which the cold blooded, despicable murderers of a pregnant woman and her four children (all girls, ages 11, 9, 7, and 2) are celebrated as martyrs. Let me cite the children's ages again; 11, 9, 7, and 2. They were gunned down in their car and, just to make sure everyone was dead, were then shot in the head at close range. A 2 year old posed that much of a threat to these animals.

The treatment of the Iraqi prisoners in this case was unwarranted, stupid, and cruel, but why is that front page news while a 2 year old, her sisters, and her pregnant mother getting gunned down in cold blood for being Jewish (gasp!) is nothing more than a continuing event in the "struggle" of the Palestinian people?

And Arabs are supposed to be skeptical?

Get the bad guys and move on

2004-05-07T11:34:00.000-07:00

Victor Davis Hanson, in this piece, puts an eloquence to an idea I've thought would further our cause in Iraq for quite some time. Basically, ignore world opinion (who wants to be liked by the French anyway?), obliterate the bad guys wherever they may seek cover by letting it be known a holy shrine is no longer holy when an element of terror is granted refuge within it's walls, give the new Iraqi government much of the accolades for doing so ("invaluable help," etc.), and move past this sort of self imposed drawing out of the conflicts; simply end the bad guys and move on.

If only I could articulate that in the way Hanson does; here's a snip:

We have to return to an audacious and entirely unpredictable combat mode; put on a happy, aw-shucks face while annihilating utterly the Baathist remnants and Sadr's killers; attribute this success to the new Iraqi government and its veneer of an army for its own 'miraculous' courage; ignore the incoming rounds of moral hypocrisy on Iraq from Europe (past French and German oil deals and arms sales), the Arab League (silence over Iraqi holocausts, cheating on sanctions), and the U.N. (Oil-for-Food debacle); explain to an exasperated American people why other people hate us for who we are rather than what we do; and apologize sincerely and forcefully once — not gratuitously and zillions of times — for the rare transgression.

Read the whole article; good stuff in there.

The measure of a man....

2004-05-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite sayings is "To find out the true nature of a person, watch how they treat a waitress." It's the old notion that anyone can be a moral, righteous giant when everyone's watching, but their true character will be shown in those moments when the person has nothing to gain by being moral and righteous. This story, which comes from the Cincinnati Enquirer and is presented here by the Powerline guys, is one of many, many reasons I'm so impressed with our President. Remember, no reporters were around to see this; the picture was taken by the father of the girl in the picture.

Excellent Job Creation News

2004-05-07T07:56:00.000-07:00

In this story, it would seem to indicate a permanent turnaround for the economic woes caused by 9/11 are slowly coming to fruition. Many people, especially Democrats, will still point to the 1.5 million net jobs that have been lost since Bush became president. What these people fail to bring up is the devastating effect 9/11 had on an economy that was already in a downturn. That's right, Clinton's luck was running out just at the right time for him to still be able to claim one of the greatest peace time economies ever. Well, is it just me, or did it just happen to be the time of the dot coms getting stock prices soaring despite huge losses on their books, the initial period after most of Eastern Europe was finally able to do business with the rest of the world, and the end of the Cold War that could have helped the economy along. Then, lo and behold, the dot com bubble didn't just burst, it exploded and took out more than just the dot com companies with it....computer makers, network infrastructure manufacturers, etc. were all hit hard by the explosion, not to mention the trickle down effects of all those dot com employees suddenly being without jobs (and yes, I am a proud adherent to the Reagan beliefs in trickle down economies).

Add on top of that 9/11, and it's a wonder that America didn't enter a depression; it may well have but for the quick action the Bush administration took in lowering taxes for EVERYONE, not just the rich as the Democrats would have you believe. The tax relief gained by everyone, including those nasty, large corporations we hear about, is what kept this country from suffering twice for 9/11; once in a physical way, and once in a fiscal way.

Eight straight months of jobs gains....sounds like something a campaign could use to it's favor.

Dodgers are rolling

2004-05-06T22:54:00.000-07:00

I came into the season with very, very low expectations. The Angels just down the street (boo American League ball) were making move after move, and my Dodgers were stuck in the middle of a sale to a guy that nobody was certain had the cash necessary to buy the team.

Well, McCourt did buy the team, then fired just about everybody involved with the team in the past 8 years....not a bad move, I'd say, considering 8 years ago was the last time we were in the playoffs. The one firing I didn't like was that of GM Dan Evans. I thought the guy did well with what he had to work with, and he seemed nice enough. This DePodesta guy seems to have the magic touch, however, as my Dodgers are #1 in the west, albeit by .190 percentage points over the crummy Padres.

I'll take it.

$%(@!# Viruses

2004-05-06T22:51:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I have every piece of protection on my computer I can think of. I have ZoneAlarm, I have Norton System Works, I have Automatic Virus Detection turned on, I have AdAware, I update my virus definitions regularly...I think you get my point.

Then how in goodness name did I end up with a fleet of Adware viruses on my machine?!?!

Just spent the better part of 3 hours in pitched battle with the little buggers, and I think I have finally vanquished them. We'll see.

Links explanation

2004-05-06T17:13:00.000-07:00

I figure I should put some kind of explanation for the links I've provided somewhere, so here at the beginning of my journey seems like a fine place for that....

Hugh Hewitt - A conservative with an all too rare quality; practicality. He calls it as it is, then explains how it's going to affect you. Great radio show as well. You can listen online from anywhere by visiting his site, clicking the "listen online" link, then head over to 870am KRLA; they provide 24 hour repeats of the previous day's show.

Victor Davis Hanson - The only way to describe the man is utterly brilliant. He combines an unbelievable grasp of the world and an uncanny ability to write about it in a way that keeps your interest. His writing is very often inspiring and always right on the money.

Dennis Prager - Dennis is obsessed with right and wrong; he wishes to praise right and condemn wrong at every possiblity. Less political than most radio hosts, he is always thoughtful and is constantly surprising me with a new take on the issues of the day. His radio show can also be heard through the KRLA 870am web site.

Mark Steyn - A real international writer, he writes for no less than 5 publications on an ongoing basis and covers America, Canada, Great Britain, and Australia. He brings a sharp, funny wit to his sharp, insightful commentary.

Powerline - A trio of bloggers whose takes on issues of the day are often the final word on said issues. They have an uncanny ability to look at polls and extract information from them that I have yet to see on any other site. They also bring a passion for their love of freedom and liberty that is infectious.

Showbiz Data - I know, I know, a bit of a curveball in the links starting with this one. I work in the entertainment industry (no, I'm not famous, I'm a finance guy), and as such like to keep up on the latest news. I chose to highlight this site because it's front page, every day, will have an article that illuminates an area of the industry. It is not filled with the gossip that Variety and Hollywood Reporter fill their pages with, and bring a business sense of presenting the news in this highly creative industry.

O Entertainment - Actually, this is who I work for....go ahead, take a look at the front page and come right back, I'll wait.....
I know, weird, huh? That is actually my boss' face on the front page (brain was borrowed from somewhere else). He's been an A-list writer/director for about 7 years now (Bruce Almighty, Patch Adams, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls and much more); haven't heard of him? That's okay, not many people have. Just remember the name, because you will know it, whether you want to or not, in the years to come.

Day by Day Cartoon - This is a cartoon I found through Powerline, actually. I find it funny, and to find a political cartoon that isn't hard left made me happy, so I make sure to check it out.

Micro League Baseball Association - Forgive the indulgence, but I couldn't resist including a hobby of mine that is one of my favorite things ever. I've been involved for about 10 years now. We basically draft our own baseball team based on the player's stats from the previous season. We then load those teams into the Strat-O-Matic computer game and "play" a full 162 game schedule with our teams. Basically, every week a batch of 7 games is run automatically. What's fun about that? Well, every month all of us geek owners get together at one of our homes and play the games "live," meaning we act as the manager for every play of the games for that week. I've loved baseball since I can remember (where were you when Gibson hit his homerun, or Reuss threw his no-hitter?). It's great fun, and it's a great group of guys, so I had to share it with everyone out there.

That's my link rundown....for now. More to come when I post more links; seems logical.

Welcome to my blog

2004-05-06T15:58:00.000-07:00

This blog will be an attempt to get out all those arguments worth arguing without talking the ear off of anyone that doesn't care. I believe what I believe and I am usually very passionate about those beliefs. We've all run into those folks that just want to talk about what they want to talk about because "that's what's REALLY important." Well, to some it is important, to others it's not. I've slowly come to realize this and, instead of talking my wife's ear off about things she couldn't possibly care less about, I figured I'd use a blog to vent.

Just FYI.....