SuperTeam, no more

For all of my lamenting as a sad sack Jets fan, I also have the pleasure of rooting for the New York Yankees in the baseball world. My Yankees fandom started early in the 70's. For some reason my father, a lifelong National League fan, began putting the games on for me on my transistor radio. Many nights of my youth were spent listening to Phil Rizzuto give the play by play as Willie Randolph, Graig Nettles, Mickey Rivers, Reggie Jackson etc, went to the World Series in 1977 and 1978. I was imprinted with the pinstripes at that time and my love of them has never waned.

There have been some lean times. 1982 to 1993 were awful. The Yankees were a pathetic mess. 1994 was ashame because they Yankees were awesome and were on a collision course with the juggernaut Indians in the playoffs. Also, the Montreal Expos had the best record in the National League before the strike and I was very excited for their long suffering fans. 1995 marked the Yankees return to the playoffs and I was lucky enough to witness one of the greatest playoff games of all time which included Don Mattingly's only postseason homerun and a game winning home run by Jim Leyritz in the bottom of the 15th inning. The Yankees ended up losing to the Mariners because Randy Johnson was an assasin and Edgar Martinez and Ken Griffey Junior were absolutely unstoppable, but there was no denying that Yankees were back. The return to glory was imminent.

Joe Torre took over the team in 1996 and the Yankees won the World Series. A fresh faced Derek Jeter was the rookie of the year and it was like Camelot for Yankee fans. 3 more World Series championships followed in 4 years and it was an embarrassment of riches. The New York Yankees were the kings of baseball and all was right with the world as far as me and baseball were concerned.

Yesterday the New York Yankees completed yet another series in which they choked very hard against an opponent they should have dispatched. I am not going in to a deep analysis of the series, but there is no way they should have lost to that Tigers team. The Yankee pitching imploded and their vaunted bats went silent. It has happened to them far too often in recent years at critical times. We have become the Atlanta Braves of the American League and the Yankees need to be fixed.

The Yankees manager in 1995 was Buck Showalter. In 1996 Joe Torre took over and the Yankees got over the hump to win the World Series. 10 years later, with a heavy heart, I think the Yankees have no choice but to part with Joe Torre. There are rumors Lou Pinella would replace Torre and while I don't think he is a great choice, there are worse ones. His personality is almost the diametric opposite of Torre's and I think the Yankees need a kick in the ass.

I am going to try and put together a "Fixing the Yankees" series of posts, but work is as insane as ever and I don't know how much time I am going to have to write.

No 1 of Consequence

The unbearable lightness of being a Jets fan

The Jets lost to the Colts this week in a game that could only be described as exciting. After falling behind early the Jets charged back and tied the game and then held the lead multiple times in the second half before losing in the final moments because Peyton Manning is clutch during the NFL regular season and the Jets just aren't that good.

Here is what makes being a Jets fan so difficult. At no time during the game did anyone who truly understands the Jets think they were going to win. Yet, at various points during the game, glimmers of hope arose in even the most jaded and cynical Jets fans. (Me and my brother for those keeping score at home) In the end our hearts were broken, yet again.

There was a crucial situation. The Jets had the ball near the Colts goal line. They didn't get it in and soon it is 4th and goal. Eric Mangini, the Jets young head coach decides to go for it on fourth down instead of kicking a chip shot field goal to take the lead. They failed. At the time I thought it was a bad move, but as No Brother pointed out to me that wasn't the turning point of the game. The turning point took place late in the 4th quarter when the Jets defense failed to stop Manning and the Colts offense on two consecutive drives despite yeoman performances by the Jets offense and special teams to retake the lead in critical situations.

At one point in the second half when the Jets took the lead my phone rang. (My phone rings about 20 times a game and 18 of those times NoBrotherofConsequence is on the other end of the line. The other two times are usually telemarketers who get an earful. I have even considered learning Hindi so I can annoy these people in their native language, but that is a different post for a different day) My brother starts to say that if the Jets win this game they would be 3-1 and could really be considered a playoff contender. I stop him mid sentence because it is midway through the 3rd quarter and I can't even fathom such an event and even if it were true saying it outloud isn't something you want to do. Football karma can be a difficult thing to navigate.

When the Jets special teams ran a kick back late in the 4th my phone rang again. All I could say after looking at the clock was that there was too much time left and Manning would beat us. There was and he did. It is the lot of being a Jets fan. Not only do you have very little hope of victory you can almost script your own doom before it takes place.

I remember going to see the Jets play the Patriots with my father some years ago. The Jets jumped out to a huge lead, 21-0 in the first half.

At halftime I turned to my dad and said, "Can you believe this?"

He laughed and said, "They have us right where they want us."

Of course, they did, and the Jets blew the game.

J - E - T - S

JETS
JETS
JETS

No 1 of Consequence

American Airlines is anti-gay

Just read this. It is a story about how a flight attendant on an American Airlines flight instructed a gay couple that they were not allowed to kiss or touch each other on an airplane. The couple balked at the racist treatment. The crew threatened to divert the plane if they didn't stop complaining. That they threatened to divert the plane is total crap. Talk about a massive over reaction to what is a customer service problem. Racism disguised as security consciousness. I won't be flying American Airlines anytimes soon.

Have a pluralistic day,

No 1 of Consequence

I guess Bob's wife wasn't that happy.

I just read this story about the CEO of the company that makes Enzyte being indicted for fraud. here is a blurb from the article if you dont have time to read the whole thing.

A federal indictment names Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals, its owner and president, Steven Warshak, and five other individuals, including Warshak's mother, on charges that include conspiracy, money laundering, and mail, wire and bank fraud.

Is anyone surprised? Look, I understand that the public at large is gullible and what guy doesn't want a bigger schvantz, but come on. A pill that you can buy by calling an 800 number and giving your credit card is not going to make you a better lover. As a matter of fact if you were a good lover the size of your penis would not be especially important.

We men are pathetic creatures, truly.

No 1 of Consequence

As a Jew, I would like to thank Pope Benedict

If you haven't seen this nonsense, recently the Pope, when quoting a 14th century text, offended the world's Islamic population.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

The Pope enraged Muslims in a speech a week ago in Germany quoting 14th century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus, who said everything the Prophet Mohammad brought was evil "such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached".

Whoa doggy, talk about grabbing the tiger by the tail.

Why am I thanking the Pope today, you ask?

A reasonable question. I am thanking the Pope because he made history. For the first time in a LONG time Muslims may actually hate Catholics more than they hate Jews.

Have a pluralistic day.

No 1 of Consequence

Jeter for MVP

I recently had this discussion and thought I would migrate it here to the blog because I have zero time to write at the moment and I didn't want the blog to die. For you Yankee haters out there, this ones for you.

Should Jeter win the MVP, I don't know. I think there is a strong argument that there is an east coast bias in the voting and that is why he will probably win. If the Red Sox hadn't complete imploded as the Yankees ass raped them for 5 consecutive games the argument would be moot because the loveable David Ortiz would win hands down.
I will make a couple of arguments on Jeter's behalf because hey, he's da captain and all, plus I have had him on my fantasy baseball keeper league team for ten years.

First thing, he hits in the two slot, while Morneau and Dye (other legitimate candidates for the MVP) hit in RBI slots and Jeter is probably going to drive in over 100 runs. The last player to drive in 100 runs from the 2 slot is Derek Jeter, but the last guy to do it before that was Mike Devereaux in 1992. I think that should get him some bonus points.

2nd, in an era of musclebound guys jack the ball over the wall he consistently hits for a high average and is incredibly productive. If you look at the runs created stat which is (runs+rbi)- home runs you find that Derek Jeter is actually a more productive player than both Morneau and Dye. Morneau has 175 runs created, Dye has 167, and Jeter leads them both with 183.
Jeter is batting .396 with runners in scoring position. Morneau is hitting .333 w/risp. Dye is hitting .356.

Jeter leads in almost every key production staistic. Then you get to the intangibles. They are truly hard to quantify but I will give you an anecdotal example of leadership on the field.

A couple of weeks ago the Yankees were playing a double header against the Tigers and were down by two runs late. They scratched out a couple of hits and with one out they had runners on second and third and Jeter came up to the plate. He scorched the first pitch down the line and drove in both runs to tie the game. Jeter ended up on second.

A-Rod came up and this was right in the middle of him forgetting he was A-Rod and having a period of time where he thought he was Alex Karras. Every time he came up to the plate he would be looking for Webster and totally forgot how to hit for about 6 weeks.

Jeter stole third on the first pitch of A-Rod's at bat, giving his struggling lover & team mate the opportunity to drive in the go ahead run while still being completely incompetent at the plate. Pudge Rodriguez was the catcher at the time, only the most dangerous defensive catcher in my lifetime. (By the way, Jeter has 30+ stolen bases and neither Morneau or Dye are a factor on the basepaths) The inevitable dribbler to short followed the stolen base and Jeter scored on the out.

I can't define intangibles or leadership if you ask me to, but I know them when I see them. I am not saying Morneau and Dye don't have those same qualities, but I am saying that Jeter deserves to be in the discussion whether he wins the MVP or not.

No 1 of Consequence

Where have I been? Working my ass off motherf*****!

I have really wanted to post, but I have just been completely slammed at work. We are very close to a record month and it is incredibly busy. I was recently describing the upcoming situation to my staff and I said something to the effect of, "I am looking at the calendar here... and umm, yeah it is going to get busy next week and not slow down until June of 2007."

I absolutely have no time at all to post but then I saw this article. It is from the Shreveport Times. Apparently some black students were told to move to the back of their bus so some white students could sit up front. I read this. After I threw up I thought about it for a long time.

Racism is right there folks, bubbling under the surface in a lot of different places. Anti-Semitic, anti-black, anti-immigrant hatred is boiling again in a lot of different places. Pat Buchanan has the top selling book on Amazon.com. Suddenly my gut is roiling again.

Real problems are not solved with reactionary responses and protectionist views. Our social problems and our economic problems will never get better unless we begin to look at them in a different way. One that isn't colored by hatred, ignorance, and petulance. We need a new social theory that is unifying, freeing, and collective.

I am going to paraphrase this quote because I can't seem to find it but Buckminster Fuller basically said this, "We are not going to be able to operate our Spaceship Earth much longer if we don't start to look at ourselves as one planet of people and our destiny as collective." Our ideology and strategy needs to be inclusive. It needs to be compassionate and it needs to start now.

No 1 of Consequence

Oh Canada

Victory.... ouch

Yesterday my company received the largest single project it has ever had to process. It is really more than we can handle, but my people are putting in a major effort to get it done. I am trying to help but upon my return from lunch yesterday I was afflicted with some of the worst lower back pain I have ever felt.

It has pretty much crippled me. Walking to the bathroom is an exercise in torture. I really need to spend a couple of days on my back resting, but I am so busy right now I can barely take a breath. I guess this is a good thing because breathing hurts.

Ugh!

No 1 of Consequence

Guess what, the Jets suck

You have to read this article by Dave Hutchinson of the Newark Star Ledger. My best man sent it to me a couple of nights ago and I wrote a really long post about it which blogger promptly ate. Essentially the article talks about how Curtis Martin told the Jets they needed to look at drafting a running back because his knee was a mess and he didn't know if he was going to be able to play this season.

As my loyal readers know, back in May I absolutely lambasted the Jets for not drafting LenDale White with their second round pick. If you read the Hutchinson article three things will become very clear. First, Curtis Martin is a gentleman, the likes of which we don't see often enough in this world. Second, the Jets are searching for a trade opportunity that would land them a starting running back for the coming season. The price of this running back will be a second round draft pick most likely. The same scond round draft pick they could have used to draft LenDale White. One of the opportunities they are considering is Chris Brown who is no longer Tennessee's starting running back. The reason he is no longer Tennessee's starting running back is because LENDALE MOTHER F***ING WHITE is Tennessee's starting running back.

The last thing that is eminently clear from this article is that I wasted 200+ dollars on the NFL Sunday ticket, yet again.

No 1 of Consequence

So busy... and then, not so busy

Work has been kicking my ass the last couple of weeks as we are ramping up for the fall and what will basically be the coming out party of my company on the national stage. My job is as exciting as ever and even though it has been frustrating for me the last couple of months I can still say with much delight that I have never awakened since taking this job with the thought that I didn't want to go to work. In this day in age, that is saying something. So, of course, when I came in this morning everything was so crashed I am going to have about 3 hours to kill. Maybe I should go to the DMV and get my license changed over from NJ to Georgia. I mean, it has only been a year.

No 1 of Consequence

New Link

If you look to the right, you will see I have a new link to a blog called, Someday we'll look back on this and it will all seem funny. It is just that, very funny and an absolutely enjoyable read. I totally recommend it.

Also, NoBrotherofConsequence, who is an extremely funny guy on his own, has been bandying about the idea of starting his own blog. I hope he does. He is a character and a half.

No 1 of Consequence

The Death of an American Hero

I have been super busy with work and haven't had the time to write, but Carl Brashear died and he is someone worthy of our respect. He was the first black U.S. Navy diver. He was a ground breaker. He had a will and drive to succeed that most men can not comprehend.

The guy was so cool they made a movie of his life, which is why you see Cuba Gooding pictured with him. Read his Wikipedia entry here.









No 1 of Consequence

Chess, not checkers...

I absolutely do not have time to get involved in breaking down the terrorist/Israeli crisis that is currently taking place in northern Israel and Lebanon. However, I read something online today that caused me to respond with a comment, which I rarely do anymore. Then the author took the time to respond to me... and rather than keep the discussion going there, I am bringing the whole thing here and stealing it for a blog post. I posted the flag because I don't want there to be any mistake who I support. Feel free to check in on some of my past Arab/Israeli conflict writings here.

Here is what I read. Take some time to read it if you can. It is thoughtful and well written from an informed and educated person about the conflict.

This is what I wrote in response:

While your post is strongly written and certainly somewhat analagous to the situation, I think you are talking about checkers in a chess game.

You are clearly a well informed and insightful person, but take a gander at the whole board.

Isn't it convenient this whole thing started relative moments before the G8 summit? I think it is.

What has overtaken the entire G8 agenda? Israel-Hizbollah

What has been pushed to the backburner for the G8? Iran's impending nuclear capability and proliferation in the region.

What happens if Iran reaches nuclear capability?

Gd only knows, but you are 100% correct that if unconventional weapons are employed, Israel will have no choice but to respond with retaliatory strikes. Damascus and Tehran will in all likelihood be scorched with nuclear fire.

The Hizbollah are nothing but pawns of an Iranian insanity that could kill millions.
If that maniac gains the capability, I believe he will launch. Right now, he is just sacrificing pawns to Israel to buy himself enough time to make a run at check mate.
Maybe I am wrong, but the whole world seems to be falling for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's gambit of "hey look over there."

The author of the blog, responded:

No1ofconsequence... You may be right. What the heck, you are probably right. But that doesn't negate the fact that Israel has to respond to the source of the attacks. If We were to attack Syria or Iran right now and ignore Hezbollah, the world would (justifiably) condemn us for an unprovoked attack. Yes, this is likely a proxy war... but just because the G8 are preoccupied don't think for a minute that Israel has taken its eye of Syria or Iran.
_____________________________________

Here is the problem with that response. Of course Israel has not taken its eye off of Syria and Iran. I am sure Israel is poised to deal brutal and crippling blows to Syria right now should they even blink in Israel's direction, however, Israel does not have ability to bring Iran's nuclear program to a halt. Only the G8 and the UN can do that.

Of course the questions remain, what should Israel do, or what should they have done? There is no easy answer. Israelis are prepared for dead soldiers. They are hardened by years of conflict. Israelis are not prepared for missing or kidnapped soldiers. The unresolved nature of a kidnapping gnaws at the collective soul of a people that have been fighting for survival since the 40's. They had no choice but to respond with overwhelming force, because not to, would have most likely brought down the Olmert government.

However, I believe that to continue to meet each poke with a sledgehammer blow is not prudent to the long term security of Israel when faced with the possibility of a nuclear Iran within 2 years. Doing everything possible to make sure the G8 doesn't lose focus on Iran is the key. Hizbollah could have kidnapped those soldiers at any time. Why do it on the eve of the G8?

To disconnect from the emotion of the loss of these brave young men is difficult, unbearable. However, wouldn't the chess move, the strategically victorious move be not to act. To say Kaddish (the prayer for the dead) for their souls and cry out to the UN, the G8 and anyone else who would listen and say, "We sacrifice for peace and choose restraint. We leave it up to the world community to disarm Iran and choke off their support of terror. Iran and Syria support Hizbollah. Iran and Syria acted against our sovreignty. Iran is building nuclear weapons as we speak. You must act against Iran, you must act against the threat of nuclear terror, because if you don't, we will. We don't have that many young men to sacrifice for the greater good. This act of restraint will be the last act of restraint."

How could the G8, which already had nuclear proliferation in western Asia and IRAN on the top of their agenda, fail to act in the face of Israel's sacrifice? Iran's misdirection play may have failed.

Maybe I am wrong. Maybe it wouldn't have worked and those brave boys would have been lost in vain. However, if I am right, I think there could have been major movement from the world community. Chess requires seeing the whole board and thinking 12 moves ahead. If Iran puts a nuclear warhead on a Shahab 3 missle Israel will only have one move and Gd help us all if they are forced to make it.

No1ofConsequence

Happy National Ice Cream Month

In 1984, because he really had nothing better to do, Ronald Reagan declared July National Ice Cream Month. Yesterday, the third Sunday in July was declared National Ice Cream Day. In commemoration I enjoyed a scoop of chocolate oreo from my local Brusters.

Yes, while Reagan was dottering through his presidencies, selling guns to Saddam Hussein and arming the Taliban as well as fostering the cocaine economy in all of South America he took time out and said hey, "We need to recognize the creamy goodness that is ice cream."

Enjoy National Ice Cream Month... go out and support you local ice creamery today!!

:-)

No 1 of Consequence

The Unintentional Comedy Meter lies twitching in the corner

The World Cup is annoying

I will admit to you, I watched the World Cup after the Ivory Coast was eliminated, but not until the semi finals. I enjoyed the games. I have come to appreciate the strategic nature of soccer and have always known that these guys are amazing athletes. Their conditioning is really unmatched. The NBA athlete is the only thing that comes close and even then basketball games are half as long.

I am not a fan of France under any circumstances, but I even found myself rooting for them against the Italian team. I found the Ribery/Zidan relationship touching, Ribery having idolized Zidan as a youth and then being able to play with him in his final World Cup.

Also, I am a fan of Thierry Henry, actually knowing who he was before the World Cup. He and many of the ethnic minority players that play in Europe are forced to deal with indescribable prejudice and horrifying treatment from the Neo-Nazi fan groups that permeate the circuit.

So all those little human interest stories actually had me rooting for France. What happens? Not only do they not convert in overtime after totally outplaying a tired Italian squad, Zidan turns out to be a jackass and Ribery and Henry are subbed out right before the penalty kick phase.

Zidan's headbutt has to be one of the worst things I have ever witnessed in sport. Blunt trauma to the sternum can result in a loss of heart function. What that means? Hitting an already exhausted guy in the chest like that is basically attempted murder.

The French lose on penalty kicks. Not because the Italian goalie made some spectacular save or anything, but because one of the French guys hit the crossbar. What an anti-climactic finish.

I said finishing the World Cup on penalty kicks was like the NBA finals being decided on a free throw shooting contest.

Annoyed said it was like deciding the Super Bowl on a football tire throwing contest.

Jon Stewart said it was like deciding the NBA finals on a game of horse. (Editor's Note: Sorry, it was Stephen Colbert who made the horse comment)

Include your own "deciding the world cup on penalty kicks is like," analogy in the comments. I will publish any and all of them later in the week and include a link to your website if you like.

No 1 of Consequence

Because if you can't make fun of C list celebrity suicide...

One of the actors from As the World Turns committed suicide. I don't watch As the World Turns and have never heard of this particular guy, but I have to relate a conversation that surrounded his untimely demise.

Me: Hey, did you see this actor from As the World Turns shot himself?

No Brother of Consequence (without missing a beat): He'll be back

That, my fine friends, is comedic timing.











No 1 of Consequence

NASA loves me too.

Back in space, as it should be.

Anyone who knows me, knows I love NASA. They are a bureaucratic mess, I know this, but they are incredibly important to our world standing and they are part of the vision for the future that we need for this country.

I watched NASA TV today as the Discovery went through its final paces before liftoff. I don't care if you are a fan of space travel or not, but listening to the mission control people go through all the departments and get a go or no go for launch you can't help but get excited. I found myself sitting forward on my couch watching the tail assembly of the shuttle as the steam and exhaust began to increase. My heartbeat quickened as I heard "we have main engine start" and the flames blasted out of boosters and main engines of the shuttle. I cheered as "we have liftoff" came into my living room and I held my breath because it is the first 10 minutes or so when everything can go wrong. The NASA pilot Mark Kelly (from West Orange, NJ, right next to my hometown) completed the roll maneuver that is required for the shuttle to reach orbit. I was yelling "Go baby go! GET UP THERE!" to the TV. Up there they went, into the wild blue yonder, returning the US to space on Independence Day. Very fitting.

Next stop Mars! For thos of you who say we shouldn't go there, I give you the words of the great Aaron Sorkin, through Sam Seaborn.

Sam Seaborn: There are lots of hungry people in the world, Mall, and none of them are hungry because we went to the moon. None of them are colder and certainly none of them are dumber because we went to the moon.
Mallory O'Brian: And we went to the moon. Do we really have to go to Mars?
Sam Seaborn: Yes.
Mallory O'Brian: Why?
Sam Seaborn: Because it's next. Because we came out of the cave, and we looked over the hill and we saw fire; and we crossed the ocean and we pioneered the west, and we took to the sky. The history of man is on a timeline of explorations and this is What's next.

Have a great day!!

No 1 of Consequence

Happy Birthday USA

Many of you have never read the Declaration of Independence. I thought you might enjoy it.
















When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

One blade, two blades, a red blade a blue blade

And now, something completely pointless

I hate shaving. I really hate it. It is one of the truly sucky things about being a guy. I don't want to hear a bunch of whining about how women have to go through incredible bouts of torture with tweezers and wax and the like to look pretty for us evil men, I concede the point. I am just saying, shaving sucks.

For years I suffered the indignity of dragging a blade across my face or suffering massive razor burn from a variety of different electric shaving products. At one point, my face would routinely be so irritated from shaving I would run ice over it to reduce the pain and swelling.

Also, the tools for shaving they had out there were terrible. I am very fair skinned, so I don't have to shave incredibly often, but when I do, I want the blade to work. I found the dual blade razors that were all the rage when I began shaving sucked, because the hair from my beard would get caught between the blades and if you didn't have a power washer in your bathroom it very difficult to clear the blades for the next pass of the razor. This annoyed me beyond belief. Then Gillette came out with the Mach3. I was still sore as anything when I was done shaving, but at least the blades were spaced out nicely so I could rinse the razor in between passes without having to get the damned garden hose.

Of course, after the Mach3 they came out with a 4 blade razor and then a 5 and now they even have a six with 5 on the front and one on the back for "trimming." These inferior products to the Mach3 have the same problem as the 2 blade razor, the blades are too close together and rinsing them take water pressure similar to that generated by the Grand Coulee Dam.

I have found a solution to the whole irritated face situation as well. I shave in the shower. All the steam and hot water opens up the pores on my face VERY nicely and when I am done shaving my face is soft and smooth.

What grooming rituals do you hate?

No 1 of Consequence

Southern fried physician, stop cooking your customer base

One interesting phenomenon I have noticed about my new state is that there is a significant lack of urgency from people, who quite frankly, need to get their collective acts together. I am talking about the rarified medical profession. As someone who visits doctors on a fairly regular basis I am acutely tuned in to the office experience and how badly it seems to suck here in the heartland. I categorize this as a wholly southern problem because I rarely experienced this sort of crap in the great state of New Jersey, whereas the simplest appointment here in GA can take two hours or more.

Recently I arrived at my doctor's office for a 9:30 AM appointment that should have taken about 15-30 minutes to complete. I fully expected to be out of his office by 10 and in mine by 10:30. I reached my office just in time for lunch.

After having suffered through this same scenario at a number of different doctor's offices here in Dixie I have decided to open my own medical practice. True, I never went to medical school, but I figure I can hire doctors to work for me. All I would need to do is make sure there was adequate staffing and that things ran on time. This seems so simple it is almost laughable, but the inefficiencies I routinely witness here absolutely kill the customer experience.

What happens if you have a bad experience with your doctor? Invariably you will change doctors and a practice that could grow and flourish with great customer service stagnates and dwindles because people don't like to be kept waiting and/or treated like they don't matter.

My current GP is a super nice guy. I really like him as a person, but his staff and the inefficiency of his office are causing me and No Wife to really evaluate if we want to be his patients any more. When expressing this to some of our neighbors, we were informed that many of them had similarly poor customer experiences and had since moved on from this particular physician despite his personally likable nature.

Understanding the customer experience and making it something special is the only way to grow a business, any business. Not paying attention to it and making it hard for people to do business with you is the dumbest thing any business can do.

Any docs in the area of Atlanta that would like me to consult on their customer experience and show you ways to improve it and grow your practices should contact me at no1ofconsequence@gmail.com

No 1 of Consequence

MySpace, your space, your stuff please.

I love this story about two teenaged girls who set up some older guy to get robbed. It is a pleasant turnaround to all the teenagers who have been killed. MySpace is a social networking phenomenon and turned out to be a huge cash cow for the person who invented and now Rupert Murdoch and his band of reknown, but you can't argue with the severe drawbacks to a site like this. Check this site out to see what some of those drawbacks are. It chronicles the "Dead Kids of MySpace."

If you have kids, pay attention to what they are up to, please.

No 1 of Consequence

The king of TV is dead.

Aaron Spelling has passed away. Read this article if you are interested in a synopsis of his many accomplishments and successes, building a television empire and becoming one of the richest men in America from scratch through hard work and creativity. The man contributed to society entertaining literally billions of people around the globe.

When I was in college Beverly Hills 90210 and later Melrose Place became event television. The campus was a ghost town for two hours every Wednesday night and 15,000+ televisions were tuned in to these shows in a 10 square block area in Philadelphia.

He produced over 200+ movies and shows for various networks & studios employing thousands of people and creating billions in revenue.

May he rest in peace.

No 1 of Consequence

Begrudging credit where it currently appears to be due.

Anyone who reads this space knows I am no fan of the current President of the United States and could never, under any circumstances, be considered a republican. However as an American I have an understanding of the organizing priciples of this country, one of which is land ownership. To that end, the latest trend of abuse of "eminent domain" has been especially apalling to me. The condemnation of land for uses other than the public good (public transportation, power generation, parks etc) is a sick abuse of power by corporate demagogues who have no interest in helping the public and significant interest in exploiting the public.

Today, President Bush issued an executive order that would effectively prohibiting the use of eminent domain for uses other than those described above. It is strongly worded and unabiguous as I understand it. As I describe myself as an open minded individual I must give credit to this administration for taking steps to protect the public.

Well done.

(I reserve the right to shift position on this if I find out it was total crap and there are secret loopholes that continue to let the American people get screwed)

***UPDATE*** Once again it is important to have readers who are smarter than you are. What No Best Man of Consequence pointed out in his comment is that this executive order does nothing to stop the proliferation of state and local governments stealing land from the general population. I hereby exercise my reserved right to shift my position and say this executive order, as well as this post, were nothing but a complete waste of time and energy. Apologies.

No 1 of Consequence

Sense of urgency... or not.

In the first incarnation of this space I used to bitch about my job all the time. As a matter of fact it was the dominating theme of the blog. I worked for a company with a great concept but was a massive failure in terms of execution. After they unceremoniously canned me and tried to cheat me out of money they owed me, I found my way here, to Georgia.

The company I work for now has perfected the concept the the other company botched. I LOVE my job and I am very good at it. I work ALL the time. My company is on the cusp of breaking into the big time in our industry and I find it very rewarding. The problem I have is that I don't see the same sense of urgency from some of the other people that work here.

One of these people seems to have his own agenda. He is already two months late on something that is critical to our growth and it looks like he is going to miss the latest deadline. He has brilliant tools. He is creative, he is technically adept, he is charismatic, but at the end of the day there is no sense of urgency. He doesn't seem to care about the big picture. I am growing increasingly frustrated with him. Why am I giving maximum effort when others are not? It is a little demoralizing.

In my opinion, if you are one of the senior members of a company, and you have your own agenda, you should not be with that company anymore. For a low level grunt, I think it is different, you have the right to look out for yourself, because your future may or may not be tied to that of the company. However, as a member of the executive staff, who holds equity in the company, to not show a significant sense of urgency in your work, is absolutely disturbing.

No 1 of Consequence

The finance industry is a bunch of hooey

Some people a lot smarter than me did a study that told them that when a country's soccer team loses an important match it has a negative effect on their markets. What does this tell you?

The financial markets are completely artificial. They artificially rise and artificially fall based on a herd mentality that serves no one.

Manchester United lost, so there goes 11.5 billion dollars in wealth, vanished from the world.

Consumer confidence rules everything. When we believe that things are going well, they are. When we believe they are going poorly it becomes self fulfilling. Does this make any sense to you? It doesn't to me. You end up asking the question is anything at all real?

No 1 of Consequence

The Ivory Coast, disappointing me.

If you have been watching the FIFA World Cup with any interest at all you would know that the Ivory Coast fell to the Dutch today 2-1 despite outshooting them significantly.

Why do I care?

I don't really, but I did pick them in my World Cup pool. I decided that they would be highly motivated to succeed and keep playing past the first round because if they didn't they would have to go back to ethnically cleansing each other off the streets of Yamoussoukro. Not a bad strategy, just didn't work out and now I am a casual observer instead of having a vested interest.

Some observations about the world cup:

First, soccer is not nearly as boring to watch on TV as you might think. It is actually a very strategic game, probing areas of the defense and fighting for position without violating the rules. As long as the camera shots are wide enough you can really see things develop.

Second, and this is the strangest thing about it this time around. The World Cup pool in my office actually got more interest than the NCAA which is very strange seeing as we are in SEC country and my office is filled with young SEC alumni. Does this mean we will se a resurgence of the MLS in the US? I doubt, more likely a sociological anomaly, but those can be fun too.

Third, I don't really have anything else. The first two were the important points.

It has been a tiring week. I am looking forward to resting this weekend.

No 1 of Consequence

Don't forget it is Flag Day!!

Some flag related links:

History of the American Flag

The Betsy Ross Homepage

A dedicated flag site

All the above sites have histories of the flag and flag etiquette in case you aren't sure how to properly display your flag.


No 1 of Consequence

Dumb Democrats, failing their base (meaning me), yet again

Look at this nonsense. Joan M. Quigley and Linda Stender, two democrats, assemblywomen from NJ have called for retailers in NJ to boycott Ann Coulter's book. Defacto calling for corporate censorship of someone because they didn't like what she said. I realize that they are trying to generate publicity for themselves by piggybacking on Ann Coulter's publicity, but come on. Can they find a smarter way to do it? Can they rise above the muck and take the high road, please? Saying the book should be banned just drags the debate to Ann Coulter's level and she succeeds because of democratic failure to think strategically. Saying it should be banned gives that hate monger credence because now all that skeleton with bad extensions has to say is, "See, look at the left, they are afraid of my words, my truth (insert propaganda here)." Those two idiots from my home state probably did more for her book sales than they did to hurt them. Once again piss poor democratic strategy hamstringing the entire cause.

As the great Aaron Sorkin wrote in The American President "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating, at the top of his lungs, that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours."

I believe in free speech for everyone, not just people that agree with me.

For anyone in our government, Democrat or Republican, to stand up and say that people shouldn't be allowed to say what they want offends me at a core level. Healthy debate on issues is good. Disagree with someone's policy ideas and disgaree with their beliefs, combat them with facts. Saying they shouldn't be allowed to give their opinions is facism and calling for them to be censored by the government or by corporations is just wrong and not what this country is supposed to be about.

Ann Coulter is just an opportunist looking to profit off something republicans care about. She doesn't care about what they care about. She cares about money and fame and will do anything to get either. She is a media whore. Republicans should be ashamed to have her in their corner. Her sort of infantile, "look at me," tantrum style anti-journalism is an embarassment to humanity and drains credibility from their cause. The best way to combat her is to ignore her. You ignore her and all the tantrums become background noise as she fades into the background as a has been know nothing who used to be famous.

Can someone in the democratic party read Macchiavelli or The Art of War before it is too late and Jeb Bush gets elected President of the United States?

No 1 of Consequence

Response to a comment

If you take a look at the BioMacabre post you can see that we had a response. someone joined our little community:

I agree that the desecration of these people is horrible - I'm on the other side. I have some of the tissue/bone in my body from one of Mastromarino's 'patients'. I was told by my dentist that it was traced back to this NY doctor, and now I'm stuck with who-knows-what in my system for the rest of my life. There are many victims on both sides of this tragedy.

First of all I say welcome. Thank you for posting your comment. Secondly, I am so sorry you have to suffer through this terrible ordeal. If you feel for a moment that I didn't sufficiently address your side of the issue as well I deeply regret it. Feel free to compose a guest blog which I will happily post on your behalf.

I am not an attorney and this should not be constituted as legal advice, but I would advise you to consult a lawyer ASAP. You probably have a civil action against Mastromarino (who will end up judgement proof and most likely behind bars) the funeral directors who allowed his company to perform these heinous acts and most importantly the state that gave a business license to a felon. There has been a lot of action on my blog today. A lot of it has come from the IP address of:


*Author's note, I was mistaken, the law firm formerly listed in this post was not a personal injury firm, but a referral to one has been posted in the comment section.

They are a personal injury firm and I am sure they are chomping at the bit to find out who you are, mysterious commenter, so they can represent you and others in what I am sure will be a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the State of New Jersey, or whoever the certifying body was that put this alleged bastard into business. Call them. Let us know how it turns out.

My flippant remarks aside. I have the deepest sympathy and compassion for someone who has to walk around with this type of uncertainty. You have been wronged on a level that is unfathomable and I wish you nothing but the best. Please feel free to comment here anytime and as I mentioned earlier, consider this an open forum to your guest writings on this terrible occurence. Just be aware that you will occasionally be forced to share the space with knucklehead posts about poker and Screech. :-) Hang in there.

No 1 of Consequence

Screech, homeless in Wisconsin

And now, for something terminally unimportant:

Remember this smiling face from your adolescent Saturday mornings? Well if you don't, this is Screech aka Dustin Diamond, from the series Saved By the Bell and all of it's further incarnations (The College Years, The New Class) While his classmates went on to fame and fortune as strippers, strumpets, mid level celebrities and Mario Lopez, Screech toiled as a chess champion and mildly successful stand up comic. After suffering the fate of many child stars (his parents ripping him off and ruining his credit before his 18th birthday) he managed to enter into a bad land deal in Wisconsin and buy himself a house. Screech, who is credited for having the longest running unrequited interracial affair (with actress Lark Vorhies) on Saturday morning television had achieved the dream of all Americans, a lifetime of debt. Now, it appears, our beloved Screech is in need. His bad land deal has gotten worse and there is a chance he could be foreclosed upon by the unscrupulous and evil. So I say to you, my loyal few, help Screech, help him restore himself to good standing in the community and save his homestead. Buy a tshirt from him and you too can help Save Screech's House!!

You can thank the Howard Stern Show for this post. If you haven't purchased Sirius Satellite Radio let me tell you that you are missing one of the most entertaining shows ever to be broadcast anywhere. Doing 5 hours a day 5 days a week will produce some schlock as well, but for the most part Howard has never been wittier or more free to be his creative self. I laugh driving to work every day and because they replay the show all day long so you can catch parts you missed, I laugh driving home from work every day. Sirius and Howard have the No Entertainment of Consequence seal of approval. Worth the .43 cents a day, without question.

No 1 of Consequence

Do you watch poker on TV?

After my morbid post earlier I decided to lighten things up a bit.

I watch poker on TV and I like to play, both live and on the internet. Tonight on GSN, formerly the Game Show Network I watched a different kind of poker. They launched their second season of High Stakes Poker. High Stakes is a different kind of poker TV show because all the players are professionals and they have to buy in with at least $100,000 of their own money. Also, it is a live game, not a tournament, which totally changes the mentality at the table. It also lends itself to kind of crazy stuff. When players are all in they will sometimes cut wacky side deals, like running the river card twice to give a player with virtually no chance of winning the hand double the chance to draw out and earn a split pot. Also, a lot of the niceties you find on the tournament poker shows is gone from this game. All the players know each other and some of their personal issues bleed right over onto the table. It is compelling and at times there is serious money on the table. Pots routinely contain $50,000 and many times there is as much cash in the pot as there are chips. As someone who plays for .10 cents at a time it is amazing to watch these guys bluff $10 or $20 grand into a pot and shrug if they lose.

9:00 PM Mondays on GSN. If you haven't seen it, I recommend it. Try it once, you might like it. Besides, it is the summer, what else are you going to watch on Mondays at 9:00?

No 1 of Consequence

BioMacabre - Would you like a lymph node with that?

This story is so deeply disturbing that I almost don't know where to begin. In brief, a company in Fort Lee, NJ has been harvesting human tissue from people who did not choose to donate without the knowledge of their families or doctors. They harvested tissue from people who were not suitable donors and that tissue may have been implanted in patients in need.

Some of the deceased may have had acute infections at the time of death, meaning whatever killed them would still be present in the harvested tissue and could infect the recipient.

Every medical research or biomedical company like this should be federally required to have an ethical compliance officer. Someone who is bonded and certified by the FDA and who has the authority to shut down any program or activity he/she were to deem ethically questionable. This sort of heinous violation of the dead and the aggrieved is so morally repugnant that it enrages me beyond reason. You have the right not to be carved up after your death if that is your choice.

Whether you believe in an afterlife or not, believe in Gd or not, you should be able to go to your final resting ground without some ethically bankrupt death profiteer hacking off bits of you that may or may not result in the untimely demise of other people. Not only were these poor folks butchered like cattle but then may have been used in any number of negligent homicides. If these charges prove to be correct I hope everyone involved in this from the top down get locked away forever.

My deepest most heartfelt condolences go out to the families of these people who will once more have to relive the deaths of their loved ones and now be saddled with the knowledge that their loved ones were violated after their deaths.

No 1 of Consequence

Cruise: Wacky? Yes. Legitimate action hero? Also, yes.

Mission Impossible III :

I just got back from the movies. Guess what I saw? I know Tom Cruise is a bit of a lunatic and has a tendency to make a spectacle of himself when not on the movie screen, but I have to tell you, this movie is incredibly enjoyable. For the third movie in the series I was sufficiently impressed. The action sequences were excellently choreographed and there was just enough story to keep the whole premise plausible. Since J.J. Abrams wrote it (also the writer of Lost and Alias) there were sufficient turns and some mystery. Definitely a fine way to spend a 95 degree afternoon.

No 1 of Consequence

JFK teaches us, every day.

If this nation is to be wise as well as strong, if we are to achieve our destiny, then we need more new ideas for more wise men reading more good books in more public libraries. These libraries should be open to all-except the censor. We must know all the facts and hear all the alternatives and listen to all the criticisms. Let us welcome controversial books and controversial authors. For the Bill of Rights is the guardian of our security as well as our liberty.

- John Fitzgerald Kennedy

I just watched a compelling documentary called Unconstitutional: The War on our Civil Liberties.

I highly recommend it, whatever your political viewpoint.

No 1 of Consequence

Ann Coulter was spawned from hell

I believe in free speech for everyone. What I mean by that is I don't think only people that believe what I believe should be allowed to say whatever they want. My belief in freedom for everyone means that sometimes I have to stomach some pretty heinous rantings. Normally, I don't say anything about it. I spent ages 3-12 in a town (Bloomfield, NJ) that was so hate filled and vicious pretty much anything I see or hear rolls off my back with little more than a shrug. However, after reading what this shrill opportunist said a couple of days ago I had a physical reaction. I was enraged. I don't get angry all that easily anymore. I seem to be more temperate with my advancing age. Also, when I do get angry, it passes almost immediately. This skeleton with a wig's maniacal rantings have just stayed with me. She makes me want to vomit.

If you don't have time or the inclination to click the link and read the story. Ann Coulter a.k.a. The Incubus viciously and with calculated malice attacked a group of 9/11 widows who have become known in the media as the Jersey Girls.

While it is true I am a Jersey boy and have an affinity for my former home, this has absolutely nothing to do with my defense of these women or my vitriol towards this soulless psuedo-pundit.

The Jersey Girls have been outspoken opponenets to the war in Iraq, anti-President Bush and tireless crusaders to find out any bit of information they can about what actually transpired on 9/11. I don't know if there is anything to find out really, but if these women need to do that to help them through the tragedy they have suffered who am I to judge.

How devoid of human compassion are you when the only way you can get press for yourself is to suggest these women were happy about their husbands violent deaths and are basically dancing in the streets about what happened? How devoid of talent are you?

Ann Coulter has intentionally attacked these women to create controversy for herself and sell books. The worst part about it is that, of course, it worked. Her book is atop the Amazon list right now. All that means is that next time she spews something onto paper we will be treated to her ranting like a facist, attacking someone who doesn't deserve it, drumming up controversy for herself.

Here are some Ann Coulter quotes from the past in case you need more proof that she is basically evil. These are copied directly from NNDB.com without permission:

"If you don't hate Bill Clinton and the people who labored to keep him in office, you don't love your country."

"Liberals love America like O.J. loved Nicole."

"In this recurring nightmare of a presidency [the Clinton administration], we have a national debate about whether he 'did it,' even though all sentient people know he did. Otherwise there would be debates only about whether to impeach or assassinate."

"I think we ought to nuke North Korea right now just to give the rest of the world a warning. ... They’re a major threat. I just think it would be fun to nuke them and have it be a warning to the rest of the world."

"I think [calling Clinton a scumbag] is factually correct. ... I don't think you could win a slander suit on that. Truth is a defense."

"When contemplating college liberals, you really regret once again that John Walker is not getting the death penalty. We need to execute people like John Walker in order to physically intimidate liberals, by making them realize that they can be killed, too. Otherwise, they will turn out to be outright traitors."

"There are no good Democrats."

"I take the Biblical idea. God gave us the earth. We have dominion over the plants, the animals, the trees God says, 'Earth is yours. Take it. Rape it. It's yours.'"

"I think, on the basis of the recent Supreme Court ruling that we can't execute the retarded, American journalists commit mass murder without facing the ultimate penalty. I think they are retarded."

"My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times Building."

"Whether they are defending the Soviet Union or bleating for Saddam Hussein, liberals are always against America. They are either traitors or idiots, and on the matter of America's self-preservation, the difference is irrelevant."

"Even if corners were cut, [Iran-Contra] was a brilliant scheme. There is no possibility that anyone in any Democratic administration would have gone to such lengths to fund anti-Communist forces. When Democrats scheme from the White House, it's to cover up the President's affair with an intern. When Republicans scheme, it's to support embattled anti-Communist freedom fighters sold out by the Democrats."

"[Canadians] better hope the United States doesn't roll over one night and crush them. They are lucky we allow them to exist on the same continent."

"A central component of liberal hate speech is to make paranoid accusations based on their own neurotic impulses, such as calling Republicans angry, hate-filled, and mean."

"[Liberals] are always accusing us of repressing their speech. I say let's do it. Let's repress them. ... Frankly, I'm not a big fan of the First Amendment."

"I think the government should be spying on all Arabs, engaging in torture as a televised spectator sport, dropping daisy cutters wantonly throughout the Middle East, and sending liberals to Guantanamo."

Isn't she a doll folks? Let's give her a big round of applause.

No 1 of Consequence

****AUTHOR'S NOTE**** Further proof of Ann Coulter's evil powers. It took me a day and a half and three attempts to get this posted.

Shattering the unintentional comedy meter

Tilapia our tasty fish friend!!

Those of you who know me, know that NoWifeofConsequence can throw it together in the kitchen. Even when up against the wall with no real prep time we end up eating well because of her vast culinary skills. She puts together delicious recipes off the cuff, trying out different mixes of spices and trimmings and is really creative. We have a Kosher style hime so this really restricts her when it comes to what I will and will not eat and despite my complicated needs she still cooks things that make you say, "YUM!"

To that end I convinced her to share a couple of recipes with you.






Tales from No Kitchen of Consequence

by No Wife of Consequence

Tilapia Two Ways

For those of you who have not yet discovered Tilapia, it is a great fish. Very mild, nice and flakey, and reasonably priced. You can get it in most grocery stores, so you don't need to make a special trip to the fish monger. I have two recipes that I created for this fish. The first, Parmesan Crusted Tilapia, is a real family friendly dish. Kids love it and even my father, who does NOT eat fish, eats this recipe. The second, 'Crab' Stuffed Tilapia, is a bit fancier and makes a great dinner party recipe. One nice thing about this recipe is you can make it up ahead of time and just pop it in the oven whenever, which is nice if you have guests so you spend time with them instead of prepping dinner. I make this recipe with imitation crab meat because No1ofConsequence keeps Kosher and crab is not Kosher. If you don't have any shellfish issues you can use real crab.

____________________________________________

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

You will need 6 Tilapia fillets for this recipe
Lay the tilapia in one layer in a baking pan sprayed with Pam
Drizzle the fish with Lea & Perrins Marinade for Chicken (This used to be called White Wine Worcestershire)
In a small bowl combine, 1/2 cup of fresh grated Parmesan Cheese, 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon of dill, 1 teaspoon of Tarragon, and 1 teaspoon of Thyme (you can use whatever herbs you like)
Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the top of the fish
Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes
Before you remove it from the oven, put it under the broiler for a couple of minutes to crisp up the cheese topping.

______________________________________

'Crab' Stuffed Tilapia

You need 4 Tilapia Fillets for this recipe
In a small bowl combine 2 cups of chopped imitation crab meat and 1 cup of spreadable garlic and herb cheese (you can use the light version of the cheese to cut calories)
Spray a baking pan with Pam
Take each fish fillet and top it with baby spinach. Then spread 1/4 of the crab mixture onto each piece of fish. Roll the fish up as best as you can and secure with a toothpick.
Place fish rolls in the baking pan and drizzle with lemon juice
Sprinkle each roll with Paprika
Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes

No Wife of Consequence

Georgia gay marriage ban, struck down.

Well, let's hear it for Fulton County Superior Court Judge Constance C. Russell who struck down the 2004 ballot measure that banned gay marriage in the State of Georgia. I would say give her a standing ovation if it had been struck down because it is inherently racist and discriminatory. Unforutnately she struck it down because there was some sort of Constitutional technicality involved that forced her hand.

Freedom and equality for all Americans, including gay Americans. Read my thoughts on homosexuality here.

No 1 of Consequence

Telecommunications, The Fourth Amendment, The Death of Freedom

U.S. Constitution: Fourth Amendment

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.





The National Security Agency is and has been building a database of records of phone calls made and by whom. In order to achieve this they have demanded and received millions upon millions of phone records from the major telecommunications providers in the US. Most of the providers turned over the records. Qwest Communications refused & Bellsouth now denies they provided records.

Before we get in to the horrifying invasiveness of this let us first acknowledge that the NSA is currently operation outside the law. The Justice Department was trying to investigate domestic wiretapping being conducted by the NSA and were forced to shut down the inquiry because the NSA would not grant the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility security clearances to view the files of the wiretapping program. When you have government agencies operating extra-legally, without oversight, you are living in a tyrannical state. Checks and balances were built in to The Constitution to prevent exactly these kinds of abuses. When we break our own laws we are nowhere. They have a word for that kind of government, Facist.

The problem as I see it is not that the NSA wants to have this data. The problem is that they feel they have no need to go through Due Process of Law to obtain the information they believe they need. They threatened Qwest's government contracts when Qwest failed to capitulate. This sort of brazen coercive tactic reeks of an agency that has gotten too powerful for its own good, as did the F.B.I. under J. Edgar Hoover. The Fourteenth Amendment says, "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." What this means in the context of law enforcement requesting information from companies is, THEY HAVE TO GET A WARRANT TO LEGALLY OBTAIN THIS INFORMATION. The NSA wouldn't go before a judge and request a warrant, they just demanded the info. They wouldn't even go before the secret FISA courts. There is a word for that, facism.

Any evidence gleaned from this data that produces a domestic arrest would be thrown out of court because if the beginning of your investigation happens because of illegally obtained data that illegal act taints your entire investigation. The legal concept is called "fruit of the poisonous tree." Theoretically the information obtained through this program is legally valueless because it is unusable in a court of law. This leads one to believe that the information is not to be used in a court. Domestically obtained evidence to possibly be used against people living within the borders of the US, possibly its own citizenry. The word for that, my fine friends, is facism.

If you read this story, or this one, or this one, you will get a general understanding of what is happening with the telecommunications companies and our government right now.

They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security.

-Benjamin Franklin

The sacrifice of freedom, even in an age of terrorism, is not a viable option for the self determination of the American people. Our government must work within our own laws to fight the evils that threaten us.

To those of you who say, "Freedom isn't free," I say it shouldn't be lazy either. Work differently, work smarter, work legally. Do not oppress the very people you are charged with protecting by violating their Constitutionally protected rights.


No 1 of Consequence

Guest Blog: No Best Man of Consequence

While I was head down today, pounding out work product I engaged in a back and forth with my best man about a variety of things. I have been working on a post about wire tapping and the major telecommunications companies, but it isn't ready yet. With all the news today about putting troops on the southern border something he wrote was especially poignant. He essentially laid out the GOP strategy for the mid term elections, step by step.

Here it is:

Here's my take on Bush's stupid idea to put NationalGuardsmen on the border with Mexico:

1) Bush proposes stupid idea knowing full well it hasnumerous obvious flaws. Are the Guardsmen gettingn approval to shoot illegal immigrants? No, of course not. So what are they going to do? "Stop, or I'll say stop again!" Are there going to be enough Guardsmen to cover the entire border? No, they're all in Iraq. So, aren't the immigrants going to just find another way to get across? Of course. Wouldn't it make more sense to spend money beefing up the Border Patrol? Yes. But will we? No.

2) Media correctly reports this as a stupid idea with obvious flaws. Democrats get on board.

3) Bush defends plan, says he will not kill it despite this fierce opposition.

4) Bush kills plan.

5) Republicans campaign in November on illegal immigration, blame media/Democrats for Bush's plan failing.

____________________

Watch the coming days, weeks and months. If it doesn't play out exactly this way. I will be shocked. If you have any question at all about it, look at what happened with the gay marriage issue and the last presidential election. It is the Karl Rove playbook being run all over again.

Look for a post on the death of freedom later this week.

No 1 of Consequence

Follow up on the Jets draft day follies.

I know most people don't care about the Jets, but I just wanted to follow up with this little tid bit of information. Sportsbook.com has released their odds for the Rookie of the Year award in the NFL. Look who is one of the favorites. If you read my draft day recap. You will see that I believe passing on Mr. White was a HUGE error in judgement.

WHO WILL WIN 2006-07 AP NFL OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
--------------------------------------------------------
Reggie Bush 2-1
Joseph Addai 5-1
LenDale White 5-1
Santonio Holmes 5-1
Laurence Maroney 7-1
Greg Jennings 12-1
Jason Avant 12-1
Vernon Davis 20-1
Maurice Drew 22-1
DeAngelo Williams 25-1
Mercedes Lewis 25-1
Joe Klopfenstein 25-1
Vince Young 25-1
Matt Leinart 30-1
Derek Hagan 30-1
Brian Calhoun 35-1
Jerious Norwood 35-1
PJ Daniels 35-1
Leon Washington 35-1
Jerome Harrison 35-1
Wali Lundy 35-1
Quinton Ganther 35-1
Cedric Humes 35-1
Jeremy Bloom 40-1
Sinorice Moss 40-1
D Brickashaw Ferguson 50-1
Jay Cutler 50-1
Devin Hester 50-1
Chad Jackson 50-1
Willie Reid 50-1
Maurice Stovall 50-1
Brandon Williams 50-1
Travis Wilson 50-1

For complete NFL odds please visit sportsbook.com

No 1 of Consequence

Muddled Meanderings

I haven't had even a second to write lately. I hate that. I love that I have this outlet open to me and at the same time I hate looking at it as time slides by and I neglect it. I love that some of my loyal few come and check it every day, waiting and hoping that I write something. That means a lot to me. I want to make a commitment to write every day, at least a small amount, but the 60-80 hour work weeks I have been enduring don't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

I am heading home to the Garden State at the end of the month. I am excited about it in some ways and not in others. No Best Man of Consequence and his wife had a baby girl, so I am really looking forward to meeting her. Seeing friends and family will be pleasant, but at the same time sad. I have been a fish out of water my whole life, in almost every situation I have ever been in. Now, the trend continues, except I will be a fish out of water in NJ, the only place I ever felt any sort of comfort at all. It is a strange feeling, like you don't truly belong anywhere outside of your house. Now, that house is in Georgia, a small blue island in a sea of red.

I am incredibly excited about the possibility of playing poker live in a casino. I haven't felt the heavy casino quality chips in a long time, coming up on two years. We have been hosting a live game in our sub-division pretty regularly as of late, but there is nothing like the feeling of staring down a stranger over the felt and turning over a better hand when he calls you. You feel bad beating your neighbors out of twenty, thirty bucks every time they come over to your house. Well, I don't feel bad, because I have pretty much broken even, but No Wife of Consequence feels bad. She has been kicking their collective teeth in.

I was going to write about George Bush endorsing his brother for President of the United States and saying Jeb would make a great candidate, but the task is too daunting to even consider.

Then I figured I would take a shot at David Blaine for passing almost drowning off as magic. Is he a curiosity for abusing himself like that? I guess. There are people who cut themselves with razor blades too, but I am not interested in watching them on TV. Either way, Annoyed summed it up pretty well, so I won't go into it further.

The US showed up near the bottom of the infant mortality charts for industrialized nations, again. I will say this, a black life continues to be worth less than a white one in the US. We really need to evaluate why that is. The infant mortality rate in this country is absolutely staggering. Too many Americans without health insurance. Too many of them children.

On that significantly depressing note, I will return to the grind.

No 1 of Consequence

I only live 4 hours away from Nashville, TN

Maybe I can be a Titans fan. Being a Jets fan is an exercise in futility. They have opportunity after opportunity to do the right thing for their fans but in the end, they screw us. In my opinion drafting D'Brickashaw Ferguson instead of Matt Leinart is a mistake. It is a mistake from a football perspective and a mistake from a PR perspective as well as a mistake from a fan perspective. The Jets are really second class citizens in NY. They actually play their games in Giants Stadium. Matt Leinart would have propelled them to the back page. He raises their stature by the sheer force of his stardom. He is a better player than Eli Manning right now as well as a bigger star. On top of which they have two quarterbacks that if fused together might be something interesting, but on their own, suck.

Patrick Ramsey can throw the ball a mile, but you really have no idea where it is going to land. Chad Pennington is very accurate but his shoulder is held together by angel hair pasta and wishful thinking. Chad is smart, Ramsey, well, not so much. Neither one could be considered mobile.

When the Jets passed on Leinart I flipped. I know The Brick is going to be a stud and he was the safe pick, but I knew that about Blair Thomas too and look at how that turned out. The "BT Express" was derailed before it ever got out of the station. By the time the Jets second first round pick came around I had calmed down and rationalized that if the Jets drafted LenDale White (the other running back from USC , meaning not Reggie Bush, and the only power back in the draft) I would forgive them for passing on Leinart. In my opinion White has Eddie George, Larry Johnson type ability and could be that significant an addition to the team. What do they do? The draft a center, Nick Mangold, to replace Kevin Mawae who was a salary cap casualty and was aging anyway. Now, for a moment, I am livid, but in the back of my mind I know the Jets draft again in just a few picks and there is a better than average chance they can get LenDale White with their next pick, high in the second round. So now I actually start to feel encouraged. I think to myself, yes, this makes sense, rebuild the offensive line to protect the mediocre quarterbacks we have and then draft a stud running back to follow them into the end zone. I feel that warm sensation that Jets fans feel occasionally, hope. Yes, I say to myself, this CAN work... Chad won't make mistakes and if they give him a a lot of protection it won't matter so much his arm sucks. White will bash defenses and make crucial first downs and we have two young offensive lineman to protect them,

YES, THIS CAN WORK!!!

J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS

What happens now?

The inevitable.

Crushing despair.

The Jets trade the pick. THEY TRADE IT AWAY!! For what? An extra pick in this draft and a 2nd rounder next year. They don't draft LenDale White. (rookie of the year in my mind at this point) They draft a quarterback from Oregon. A school whose mascot is a duck.

Quack! Quack! Quack!

What does this do?

This, aside from adding insult to injury, unleashes a raging bile soaked rant from me at the television. Roars of pain and anguish spew forth from me.

"IF YOU ARE GOING TO DRAFT A (expletive deleted)ING QB, WHY NOT DRAFT THE (expletive deleted)ING QB THAT IS A (expletive deleted)ING ROCK STAR!?!?! YES, YOU STUPID MOTHER (expletive deleted)ERS PASS ON THE ONLY POWER BACK IN THE (expletive deleted)ING DRAFT AFTER NOT HAVING THE BALLS TO DRAFT LEINART AND DRAFT A MOTHER (expletive deleted)ING QB FROM WHERE?? (expletive deleted)ING OREGON!!! OREGON??!!??? QUACK (expletive deleted)ING QUACK YOU STUPID MOTHER (expletive deleted)ERS"

I turn off the TV at this point and refuse to even look at the rest of the player they drafted until this morning. (They drafted a running back from Florida State that has 12 total touchdowns in college. LenDale White had 59 FIFTY NINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I left a series of enraged messages on my brother's answering machine ensuring that his new girlfriend thinks I am a raving lunatic. Some people think I am a reasonably well informed and intelligent individual. Listening to me after watching the Jets draft would lead someone to believe I was a completely insane person. Honestly, reliving it now has caused my blood pressure to spike and for me to start seeing spots.

Why not be a Falcons fan, you say? I mean, after all, I am in Atlanta now. I have a good reason. Falcons fans are about the rudest fans I have ever come across in sports history. They absolutely have no fan etiqutte whatsoever. I attended the Jets-Falcons game last year at the Georgia Dome. The fans stand up the whole game. I mean the ENTIRE game, from opening kick until we left. It was ludicrous.

Say what you want about New York fans, we understand the concept of fan eitquette. Long pass down the sideline, everyone stands up and screams. Play over? We sit our asses back in the seats until the next exciting thing happens. 2 and 8 and a two yard run up the middle we remain seated. We get excited when there is something to get excited about. We act as if we have been to a game before. The people here have no concept of how to behave at an NFL game. So I can't be a Falcon fan because there is almost no chance I will ever attend another game or have a desire to.

After this entire debacle I now have to consider whether I will get the NFL Sunday ticket again. Currently. the thought of paying a couple of hundred dollars to watch the Jets this season makes me physically ill.

No 1 of Consequence