If I Could Ask Tiger

I'd like to know if his recent troubles and the new found humility they have brought to Tiger Woods have him re-thinking his use of the gallery to remove a boulder which was in his way during the 1999 Phoenix Open?

You see, I did not feel that the one-ton boulder which Tiger directed the gallery to move out of his way fell within the spirit of the term "loose impediment", even though the rules, when strictly interpreted, provide that it could be so considered. A thousand pound chunk of granite doesn't just blow onto the course, it didn't fall out of a tree or from the sky or off a nearby cliff in the night, Mighty Mouse did not leave it behind; no, it was a part of the course design, in bounds, clearly visible, intentionally left in place. Perhaps not embedded, it set atop the sands, but not overlooked by the staff as debris either.

In the same way that Tiger felt he "deserved to enjoy the temptations" which led him to cheat on his wife, I believe he inwardly knew that what he was asking Rules Official Orlando Pope to acknowledge that he, Tiger Woods, did not deserve to get a bad break at that crucial point in the tournament. After all, we might imagine him thinking, 'I deserve a chance to go for the green', even though it was his own previous act which put him in the position which limited his choices.

Well, not to put too fine a point on the matter, but I do wonder if he was asked to reconsider the situation; would he feel today that he was entitled to the relief he took back then?

Are Dems Doing A Tonkin Bay Incident To Legislation Opposition?

Consider, President Lyndon Baines Johnson (D) Texas escalated the United States' involvement in Vietnam under the pretext that the North Vietnamese had assaulted one of our Naval vessels. The, so-called, Tonkin Bay Incident of 1964 remains more a myth than a fact to this day. While less discussed than the Kennedy Conspiracy Theories, it is nonetheless a matter of dispute. We may not agree on who shot President Kennedy, but we all know he did die that day in November. With Tonkin bay we are ncertain there was a when, much a who dun-nit. Did it even happen?

The larger war that ensued is not a matter of debate, in spite of LBJ's claim to not want a wider war that is exactly where he took this nation. And, over something that may have never happened.

Consider, this week, when Nancy Pelosi strutted in front of citizens protesting the, so-called, health care reform legislation and after-wards accused those same citizens of various forms of assault against her and others.

Do the charges meet the actions? Is the Democratic Party leadership intentionally doing a Tonkin Bay Incident slander against citizens who are protesting as a last resort in an effort to be heard by those they hired to serve them? Did Pelosi take that just to set up the Tonkin Bay-like charges so that it can be used as a pretext for future expanded action against who oppose the actions of those in positions of power?

Consider, last year, when a war hero was spit upon and virtually nobody noticed. Or, when, at the same gathering, war protesters defaced government property and the police were ordered to retreat and allow the thugs to do their foul deed and escape unknown and uncharged.

Consider that many Americans are sincerely worried that recent political events and tactics signal the twilight for Constitutional government in this country. Consider that for many Americans joining a protest group such as the TEA party is a last gasp effort to retain a voice in how this country carries on.

Consider too, do you want to live in a country where the government reinforces its control over the citizenry by means of personally demonizing those who oppose policies? For, if it can happen to your neighbor, or your family member; if you open your mouth it can happen to you too.

Update: 11:14 3/26/10 Sent email to Rush Limbaugh with link to this page. Looking to see if he agrees with my comparison. I titled the email as The TEAkin Bay Incident.

Chunky Monkey Manatee

Say What

So, a Canadian and a free man are visiting a restroom......

Oh, never mind. It seems that north of the border we'd not be allowed to get the poop on who took a shit in the sink unless the crap had a voice.

What's that you say, you can't make any sense of what this crazy American is saying? I feel the same way about Kenyon Wallace and the National Post. Take the last two paragraphs, for instance, they seem to be intended to relate to one another, yet seem contradictory. As I read them, it would be outlandish for a foreign national to exercise rights guaranteed them in a landmark Canadian Supreme Court decision? I'm not up on the inside baseball curling on how the law works in Canada but it seems odd to this outsider when a foreigner is afforded protection under the CC of R and F, yet is ridiculed for exercising those same rights.

I Haven't Been Sick Since Health Care Passed

Unless you count that sinking feeling emanating from my stomach and coursing through every fiber of my formerly free body.

Rather Racist, Isn't He

"he's a nice person. he's very articulate. this is what's been used against him, but he couldn't sell watermelons if you gave him a state trooper to flag down the traffic" -

Dan Rather on President Obama's inability to influence the American people, or the Congress, that his health care plan is good for us.

Louisville Cardinals Say Goodbye To Freedom Hall

At 2pm today the U of L basketball team plays its final game at the storied Freedom Hall in Louisville. Often credited with making the Final Four an event, the old arena will continue to serve as venue for other events, but after 54 years as home to the Cards they meet the number one team in the land today in their final game at that site.

An entourage of old players is expected for the big send off. I wish I could be there in person. I will watch the game on TV, and I hope the coverage includes much of the pregame fanfare.

The Cards need a W to secure an NCAA tournament berth, and they'll have to take it by beating, now #1, Syracuse for the second time this season.

GO CARDS!

Update: The Cardinals won by ten, beating the number one team in the land and giving Freedom Hall a fitting farewell.