William K. Wolfrum’s Morning – June 14, 2010

Was Chuck Liddell getting knocked cold worth it for Dana White and the UFC?

Sports

U.S. ties England: While it’s easy to point to goal keeper Robert Green’s incredible and horrifying gaffe as the reason the U.S. earned a point against England, let’s look on the positive side instead. And the main positive is this – for much of the game the U.S. side was the equal of England. It was a truly professional performance by the U.S. in a huge game against one of the best Europe has to offer. Now comes the big part for the U.S. – not letting down and winning their next two games to advance.

Italy kicks of Cup defense: Italy will take on Paraguay in its first World Cup game since beating France in the 2006 WC. The Azzurri has a tough match on its hand, as Paraguay showed a lot of class in South American qualifying.

Stop the Vuvuzela: Personally, I don’t mind the constant sounding of vuvuzelas during the World Cup. of course, I watch a lot of Brazilian soccer, so I’m used to a little chaos during the broadcast.

NBA Finals: Boston takes a 3-2 edge as they controlled Game 5 and withstood a third-quarter explosion by Kobe Bryant. This thing is going seven games, folks.

Liddell knocked cold: At UFC 115, hopefully Chuck Lidddell learned an important truth – once your chin is shot, it never comes back. Hopefully, Liddell will now never come back and find other ways to cash in on his popularity.

News

Clear skies to bomb Iran: Our allies in Saudi Arabia have opened a bombing lane for Israel’s upcoming attack on Iran.

The Never-Ending War in Afghanistan: They’ve found massive mineral deposits in Afghanistan. At least now we have a reason to be there forever. (Marc Ambinder makes the case it’s a PR stunt, BTW)

More Oil Spill Talk to Come: President Barack Obama will talk this week about the British Petroleum Oil Disaster. And then, likely, talk some more. In other news, BP continues to lie and cover up, and will likely end up getting U.S. tax payers to foot the bill for a disaster that still is likely far bigger than anyone is imagining.

Blogs

Ezra Klein: How much does a gallon of gas cost? A lot more than you’d think.

David Degraw: Will Americans passively accept the slow death of debt slavery?

Intoxination: It sort of seems that humanity is having a hard time keeping oil from spurting all over the place lately. Take a look at Utah.

Also: Mystery Candidate Alvin Greene finds a home on Twitter, Glenn Beck’s love of Nazi supporters, John McCain wants war with Iran.

–WKW

“Don’t tease the panther”

Glenn Beck’s new piece of old-timey fiction is called “The Overton Window.” Media Matters discovers that even a window isn’t big enough to contain the plot holes.

Better yet, is this disturbing look into the mind of Beck’s sexual fantasies:

“Suit yourself, lady. I’m telling you right now, you made the rules, but you’re playing with fire here. I’ve got some rules, too, and rule number one is, don’t tease the panther.”

Don’t tease the panther. What all you do, don’t tease the damned panther.

–WKW

Americans must celebrate World Cup tie with England

They say a tie is like kissing your sister. Of course, those saying that are a bunch of sick, sister-kissing freaks, so it may just be best to ignore them, especially when it comes to the U.S. National Soccer team holding mighty England to a draw in the 2010 World Cup.

You see, the tie versus England was a phenomenal sporting achievement. The world truly expected Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and the rest of English team to swarm over a hapless U.S. squad. But the Americans played with professionalism and grace and kept an exciting game even.

More so than that, even, is the fact that Americans need to learn to accept that a tie is actually a great victory. Face it, the U.S. soccer team very likely had the greatest performance by an American in about two or three years. The U.S. has been on a blistering losing streak, from the economy, to the massive British Petroleum oil disaster, to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Put into historical perspective, the tie with England is massive. It ends a losing streak. Sure, it doesn’t actually start a winning streak, but stop being so cynical. Maybe it doesn’t match up with the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” hockey team’s victory over the USSR in 1980, but honestly, the U.S. doesn’t exactly match up well with the U.S. in 1980, either.

Thus, my fellow Americans, I implore you – start celebrating the Americans’ tie with England. It’s time for America to start seeing the bright side, and the fact that the U.S. team didn’t get beat 6-0 and managed a point out of the match is probably the biggest victory the nation has had in quite some time.

So stop kissing your sister, and enjoy the result. As Americans, it’s time we start enjoying the little victories. Even if they’re only ties.

–WKW

William K. Wolfrum’s Morning – June 11, 2010

A time of great joy turned tragic for Nelson Mandela, as his great-granddaughter was killed in a car crash just prior to the opening of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Read more here.

Wolfrum’s Word

With politicians complaining about “ragheads” in the White House and Americans having little remorse when they hear about an al Qaeda leader killed with his family, on thing is for sure – the rules of political correctness just don’t apply to Muslims, or the Muslim-ish, in the United States. See more of my take on this in my latest post at Alan Colmes’ Liberaland.

News

Brazil’s Rapid Growth: While the rest of the world worries about recession, Brazil now has to worry that its economy is growing too fast.

Oil Spilling more than ever: Fact: Since 2000, the number of oil spills in the U.S. has quadrupled.

World Cup

Mandela’s Loss: With a flurry of injuries, the World Cup run-up has been a tough one for African Nations. Now the nation of South Africa mourns along with Nelson Mandela, as the former leader struggles with the loss of his great-granddaughter.

Kaka’s Way: I’ll forgive Kaka for being a member of one of Brazil’s most corrupt evangelical church’s, because let me tell you, his heart sure seems pure. And luckily for Brazil, so is his game.

South-Africa vs. Mexico Preview: The NYT looks at today’s World Cup opener. There’s always at least one African nation that makes some noise in the World Cup, and this year, why not the Home team?

NBA Finals

In a lackluster game, Boston’s second team totally took over the game in the second half, helping the Celtics tie the NBA Finals at 2-2 with a 96-89 victory over the Lakers. While much praise to Nate Robinson and Glenn Davis for their stellar Game 4 work, the Lakers go into the final game in Boston with one thing going for them – they’ve split two away games and Kobe Bryant hasn’t really shown up yet.

Politics

John McCain – Not a Learner: If there’s one thing John McCain didn’t learn in the 2008 election, it was that “common man” Joe the Plumber was one of the final straws of his failed campaign. Ah, screw it, maybe he’ll have better luck with “Jersey Shore” star Snooki.

Also: Rod Blagojevich – on trial, Obama not a music video star, Sarah Palin & faux feminism.

–WKW

Republicans: Time to socialize the oil spill

Republicans have again shown their hand, as House Majority Leader John Boehner is the latest Republican to float out the theory that tax payers should pay some of the bill for British Petroleum’s oil disaster clean up.

“I think the people responsible in the oil spill–BP and the federal government–should take full responsibility for what’s happening there,” said Boehner.

That the same people who bemoaned extending unemployment benefits as government waste are now standing up saying that American taxpayers should pay for a private industry’s losses.

In other words, the same as it ever was.

–WKW

William K. Wolfrum’s Morning – June 10, 2010

Some times you just have to rub the lion. More on this story (in Portuguese) here.

News

BP Spills on Wall Street: No one could have anticipated that spilling billions of millions of oil into the Gulf of Mexico could hurt your stock prices.

More Oil, Less News: Meanwhile, BP may have little luck stopping its oil geyser, but they are doing considerably better in slowing down news from the Gulf.

Autism Genes: Researchers find an autism gene. Skeptics say they’ll get excited when someone replicates their research.

Obama and the Democrats: A long-ish look at how Democrats could be affected by Obama’s Presidency.

Sports

Bradley’s The Man: At ESPN, Wayne Drehs takes a deeper look at U.S. National Team coach Bill Bradley, who knows he will be judged by what happens at the World Cup.

Chicago wins Stanley Cup: Yes, you’re asking “They still play the Stanley Cup?” Well yes they do, and Chicago won it for the first time in 49 years. If the Cubs win the World Series, I believe sports fans should demand an investigation into Barack Obama.

Reaching Out to Venezuela: The State Department applauds Armando Gallaraga’s class and sportsmanship in a minor “smile from across the room” bit of diplomacy with Venezuela.

Random Movie Review

Date Night: C -

You’ll see it because Tina Fey and Steve Carrell are in it, and that’s fine. But be aware, the premise drags down the action and humor like an anchor, and Fey and Carrell have the chemistry of BP CEO Tony Heyward and humanity. The two, however, do provide for enough laughs to make it watchable for fans.

Blogs

Joe.My.God.: Teacher gets married. School finds out she got pregnant before her marriage. Fires her. Theocratic Fascism ensues.

Alternet: Why are Americans the only ones that give Ayn Rand the time of day?

Truthdig: A look at Noam Chomsky’s latest work.

–WKW

William K. Wolfrum’s Morning – June 9, 2010

(Soldiers rescue survivors during D-Day, 66 years ago today. Click here for more photos.)

News

More UN Sanctions for Iran: The UN is prepared to deal out more paper-cut-like sanctions to Iran. They never really accomplished anything before, but this one might be the one that works.

Supreme Court Changes Arizona’s Elections: If there’s one thing you can say about today’s Supreme Court, it’s that they will do just about whatever it takes to ensure that corporations and the wealthy receive their fair shake. Case in point – making a ruling that seriously affects Arizona’s upcoming elections.

Whitman buys Calif. GOP: So for Governor of California, it will be Meg Whitman vs. Jerry “Hey, I’m Back! Again! Seriously” Brown. Whitman has thus far spent $71 million on the race. That $300k (or whatever) Governor’s salary must really come with some good benefits.

Sports

Lakers take 2-1 NBA Finals lead: First off, Game 3 of the 2010 NBA Finals belonged to Derek Fisher. The limited-but-loved little guy took over the game, putting a dagger in the Celtics’ heart in the Lakers’ 91-84 win in Boston. While the Lakers were in charge, throughout, it’s hard to imagine Ray Allen going 0-for-infinity again. More turns await.

Strasburg, eh?: Ok, I admit that I didn’t know much if anything about Stephen Strasburg until recently. That said, it seems the kid can pitch that rawhide.

Blogs

Crooks & Liars: It’s still far too hot.

White Collar Fraud: Sam Antar tells you how a kind word is a fraudster’s best weapon.

Bold Prediction

Rod Blagojevich and his brother Robert will one day have a reality show. It may even be shot in prison.

Wolfrum’s Word

If you think you’ve seen a lot of Twitter “Fail Whales” lately, you haven’t seen anything. Once the World Cup gets going, it’s quite possible Twitter will literally collapse into a black hole from the amount of traffic it receives.

Tweet of the Day

Breaking: @AndrewBreitbart & James O’Keefe discover Census workers get “Two-ply” toilet paper. Untold Taxpayer money wiped out.

–WKW

William K. Wolfrum’s Morning – June 8, 2010

Wolfrum’s Words:

By definition, Birthers are Conspiracy Theorists. And after more than 500 days since Barack Obama was sworn in as President of the United States, their persistence means they have now equaled 9/11 Truthers as the most obnoxious of conspiracists.

As the Truthers have their unanswerable “Steel don’t melt” question, Birthers have the “Where’s his Birth Certificate?” blather. And Jesus himself could not convince them otherwise. Any presentation of fact is met with a nod and a repeat of the question.

Once you’ve reached a point where reality needs to be changed for your beliefs to make sense, you’ve become a member of the nutty fringe. Or a Libertarian.

News

Less Oil!: Well, at least British Petroleum is now destroying the Gulf of Mexico a bit more slowly. Next plan: Shoot tons of mud into BP PR department.

A Surprising Hamid Karzai: Methinks not all are on the same page in Afghanistan.

U.S. Detainees in Iran:

Say what you will about avoiding war with Iran (and I will), but, dear Lord, they are a pain in the ass.

Van Der Slooted: When a girl finds out that you were a suspect in the disappearance of another girl, don’t kill her.

TV Timeout

If you aren’t watching “Breaking Bad” you’re missing some great television. Go out an rent the first season and get started on this brilliant tale, which is preparing for it’s Season-Three finale.

Blogs

Balloon Juice: Helen Thomas has retired. And we, as a nation, can once again be proud. In other news, Patrick Buchanan still has a job.

Jesus’ General: Support the Gospel of Teaparty Jesus

Glenn Greenwald: Our sad, sad Washington press corp.

Wolfrum’s Words II

Should Harry Reid manage a victory in November, the Nevada U.S. Senate race will be the the epitaph of the Tea Party movement.

–WKW

Just Two Years Ago, George W. Bush Promoted “National Homeownership Month”

While time has and most certainly will continue to whitewash the incredible stupidity of his presidency, it’s important to remember just how Republicans govern when put in charge. Because it was just two years ago that then-President George W. Bush proclaimed “National Homeownership Month.”

National Homeownership Month, 2008

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

For many Americans, owning a home represents freedom, independence, and the American dream. During National Homeownership Month, we highlight the benefits of owning a home and encourage our fellow citizens to be responsible homeowners.

My Administration is committed to helping Americans achieve their dreams of homeownership. We have worked to ensure that the mortgage industry is more transparent, reliable, and fair, and in order to sustain homeownership, we have launched initiatives to help responsible homeowners keep their homes. The FHASecure program has given the Federal Housing Administration more flexibility in refinancing mortgages for homeowners who have good credit histories but cannot afford their current payments. In addition, the HOPE NOW Alliance connects struggling homeowners with lenders, loan servicers, and mortgage counselors to help families stay in their homes. Homeowners deserve our help, and these initiatives assist those in need.

During National Homeownership Month and throughout the year, I encourage all Americans to take advantage of financial education opportunities to explore homeownership. My Advisory Council on Financial Literacy is finding ways to help educate people from all walks of life about matters pertaining to their finances and their futures. By practicing fiscal responsibility, Americans can contribute to the strength of our neighborhoods and our country.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2008 as National Homeownership Month. I call upon the people of the United States to join me in recognizing the importance of homeownership and building a more prosperous future for themselves and their communities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-second.

GEORGE W. BUSH

Keep in mind, when Bush made this proclamation, home foreclosures were already up 112 percent. But that didn’t stop Bush’s grand plan of creating an “Ownership Society.” It was June 2008. People were getting kicked out of their homes. Everyone recognized that an economic tsunami was about to wash across the land. But Bush was telling people to go out and buy homes.

It’s hard to know if the Bush Administration was just trying to get the last few bucks out of an economic bubble, or if they were so disinterested in the housing collapse that they forgot to cancel the promotion. But it is a distinct example of how Republicans govern. Because a couple months later, Bush was telling the world that the U.S. economy was about to collapse completely. And two years later, thousands and thousands of American citizens have lost their homes or are still in jeopardy of losing them. But the bankers surely got paid.

–WKW

Originally posted at Alan Colmes’ Liberaland

William K. Wolfrum’s Morning – June 7, 2010

News

BP Makes Progress – No One Believes Them: The news from British Petroleum is increasingly positive, but at this stage of the game, everything they say must be taken with an oil-soaked grain of sand.

Exxon speaks out for BP: Dear Exxon – you aren’t helping. Love, Tony Heyward.

Americans Arrested on Terrorist Charges: Two Americans were busted at JFK in New York on terrorism charges. The silence you hear is the Obama Administration not making a bid deal about it.

Anarchy in the UK: Conservative David Cameron is in and the fire sale will be on soon as he promised wicked bloody cuts in the budget to keep Britain from collapsing in a giant sinkhole. I mean, Piping Feature.

WikiLink video bust: The leaker has been revealed. And he’s in big, big trouble.

Sports

Celtics top Lakers: Well, this looks like it could be a classic Celtics-Lakers NBA Finals after all. Ray Allen was nullified in Game 1, but after eight threes, reminded everyone about Jesus Shuttleworth. After the way the Lakers looked in Game 1, it seemed like a 2-0 lead was destined, but Allen, Rondo and the rest showed up like champs. Good stuff awaits in Boston.

Cotto beats Foreman: The Miguel Cotto – Yuri Foreman fight turned out much more interesting than normal as Foreman spent the last couple rounds gimping about after injuring his knee. Foreman seemed overcome by the moment for the first part of the fight, however, so whether Miguel Cotto is “back,”we’ll see.

From the Blogs

Daily Dish: Why, asks Ezra Klein, is no one looking long-term on the budget?

DagBlog: Israel’s latest videotape of the Flotilla massacre shows that clearly Nazi zombies were involved.

That’s Why: Lisa Holden says to knock it off.

Tweet of the Day

“Let’s see, Health insurance Corps get a pass. Banks get a pass. Oil industry gets a pass. Socialism is weird.”

–WKW

An Act of God – McDonalds recalls millions of ‘Shrek’ cups

AMERICA — McDonald’s will recall about 12 million “Shrek” drinking glasses because federal regulators found they contain the toxic metal cadmium, which poses health risks.

Immediately, U.S. Congressional Republicans placed blame.

“From time to time there are going to be things that occur that are acts of God that cannot be prevented,” Texas Governor Rick Perry said.

“There’s still a lot that can be done. But again, acts of God are acts of God,” said Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK).

McDonalds nor God could be reached to comment on this story.

–WKW

The Impeachment of Barack Obama

A while back, my friend Sam Antar – a former key player in the infamous and egregious “Crazy Eddie’s” fraud – told me that it was just a matter of time before Barack Obama faced impeachment charges.

“With all the stimulus money going out, the Republicans will eventually find some corruption charge they think will stick,” said Antar, now a corporate whistle-blower who tends to view things from a non-partisan prism. “It’s just a matter of time.”

While Antar may have had his finger on the pulse of American politics, he did make one minor error – assuming the Republican Party will need a valid reason to begin impeachment charges against Obama. Recently, we’ve gotten a glimpse of just how little the GOP will need to begin destroying the Obama Presidency, as Liz Cheney called for a federal investigation into the complete non-scandal of Joe Sestak getting a job offer from the White House so he’d drop out of the Senate race in Pennsylvania.

Putting aside the almost other-worldly hypocrisy of someone named Cheney demanding a federal investigation into the Executive Branch, the Sestak screwiness should open the eyes of the liberal establishment, if they aren’t open already. Republicans will impeach Barack Obama – on any charge they can find – just as soon as they have better numbers in Congress.

We’ve been through this before, of course. When faced with a popular, charismatic Democratic President in Bill Clinton, Republicans showed absolutely no shame is slamming the brakes on the Federal Government in order to impeach or, at very least, humiliate Clinton. In the end, the plan worked brilliantly, as George W. Bush was promoted as a great “moral leader” and won the Presidency over Al Gore in 2000. And while many will still dispute the outcome of the 2000 election, the simple fact is that it would have never even been close if not for the impeachment of Clinton.

In a purely Machiavellian sense, Republicans have always seemed to understand the game in ways Democrats don’t. Because while American Conservatism is an ideology with few new ideas or plans, it is also an ideology that understands that power is the only thing that really matters. And they have proven extremely adept at regaining power, regardless of past performances in governing.

Republicans can not beat Obama at the ballot box. But you can be assured that they will do all they can so that his legacy is terribly tainted in scandal. There is just no way the GOP will allow Obama to serve out eight years and leave office with a strong record of liberal accomplishment that he can hand over to a Democratic successor. Simply put, for Republicans, Barack Obama must be destroyed and completely invalidated before his term or terms are over.

Republicans will attempt to impeach Barack Obama. The “why” of the matter is completely insignificant. They’ll find something and work overtime to make it appear to be the Greatest Scandal Ever. It’s just a matter of time. Provided, of course, that they have the numbers.

–WKW

Originally posted at Alan Colmes’ Liberaland

Nikki Haley affair accusers Will Folks & Larry Marchant are family-wrecking whores

Another man – Republican lobbyist Larry Marchant – has come forward admitting to an affair with Republican gubernatorial front-runner Nikki Haley.

Honestly, I just don’t care one way or another about this “Scandal.” But, being that it would have been said already if the genders were switched, let me just make this proclamation:

Will Folks & Larry Marchant are family-wrecking whores.

–WKW

Chuck Norris to take over Al Qaeda No. 3 Job

AFGHANISTAN — American actor and martial arts enthusiast Chuck Norris will take over as the No. 3 man in Al Qaeda, sources say. Norris, known for his hyper-conservative views and Internet Facts, will join the terrorist organization in a private ceremony later today.

While many have voiced confusion about the move due to Norris being an unapologetic Christian, an Al-Qaeda spokesman said it all made perfect sense.

“Listen, whether he’s Christian or Muslim is just semantics,” said the spokesman cowering in a cave. “We all want the same thing, really, whether it’s subjugating women, killing homosexuals or despising American culture. We’re on the same page.”

The job became open earlier this week when former No. 3 man Mustafa al-Yazid was killed along with his family in a U.S. missile strike. Reached for comment, Norris said he was excited about his new job and looked forward to “raining death upon America’s sinful infidels.”

“I love America. I’ve always loved America. I just hate all the people in it, how it’s ruled, and the freedoms it allows,” said Norris. “And you know, these Al Qaeda folks really seem to get me.”

For Norris, the No. 3 job will entail basic terrorist planning, pep talks to future suicide bombers and occasional cooking chores. The Al Qaeda source said his team was thrilled to have Norris on board for a multitude of reasons, but one especially.

“I believe he is unkillable, at least from what I’ve read on the Internet,” said the Al Qaeda source. “More than anything, what we need from our No. 3 man is life on a continuing basis.”

With his new job, Norris will become the highest-ranking American in the history of Al Qaeda, surpassing Donald Rumsfeld who was the No. 5 man for the terrorist group for many years.

–WKW

Readables …

Ok, go read these and report back, stat …

• Village Voice: Sex and the City II – Conservatives love it (though most haven’t seen it).
• Osborne Ink: SpongeBob and his friends found dead in the Gulf of Mexico.
• Media Matters: Why would James O’Keefe and Andrew Breitbart need to selectively edit a tape showing only that O’Keefe was overpaid by 3.5 hours for his Census work?
• The River Wanders: Helping BP CEO Tony Hayward get his life back.
• The Political Carnival: If you’re a Black person in Missouri, we strongly advise that you not drive a car.
• CFO Magazine: Fraudsters and crooks still running amok on Wall Street.
• Oliver Willis: The myth of the Liberal Media.

–WKW

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