Senate Seats

Political Cartoon is by Jeff Darcy in The Cleveland Plain-Dealer.

Utah Screws The BCS - Big Time !

The college Bowl Championship Series (BCS) is not having a good season. It is supposed to use several polls and computer statistics to pick the best two college teams in the nation, and pit them against each other to get a national champion. In most years, it works fairly well. But this year has been a disaster for the system.

The system has been tweaked several times to insure a better result, but this season has made the BCS into little more than a joke. The BCS picked Florida and Oklahoma as the top two teams amid a lot of disagreement. Many people thought Texas should be ranked ahead of Oklahoma, since they had the same record and Texas beat them handily during the regular season.

Others thought Southern California should be considered since it had the same record, especially after they took powerful Penn State apart in the Rose Bowl. But it is Utah that is making the whole system look like little more than a bad joke.

You see, the BCS never really considered Utah to be a contender, even though they finished the season at 12-0. The BCS ranked five teams higher than Utah -- and all of them had lost a game. Even though Utah was undefeated, it was not considered powerful enough by the BCS to play for the mythical national championship.

So they threw Utah a bone, and let them play Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Everyone expected Alabama to roll over Utah and embarrass them. But that didn't happen. Utah easily beat Alabama (who was ranked #1 by the BCS for five weeks this year until they were defeated by Florida in the SEC championship). In fact, Utah defeated Alabama by a bigger margin that #1 ranked Florida did.

Now we are left with a big mess. It doesn't matter whether Florida or Oklahoma wins the championship, that championship will be tainted. How can an undefeated team (Utah) who has shown they can play with the best teams, not be given a shot at the championship? How can Texas (who beat Oklahoma) not be given a shot at the championship? How about So-Cal?

The large-college presidents have a lot of pitiful excuses why they can't have a play-off system and determine a real champion on the field, but it is all bullshit! All of the smaller college divisions have a play-off system, and if they can do it, so can the bigger colleges. It all boils down to money. The current bowl system has been very lucrative -- even for a lot of schools with mediocre teams.

Frankly, I don't even care whether Florida or Oklahoma wins their scheduled game. I would not consider either one to be a national champion, and I believe there are a ton of people who agree with me. The only way I would believe either team is better than Utah or Texas, is if they beat them fairly in a real game.

Thank you, Utah! You have shown us once and for all that NCAA Division I Football needs a play-off system. A real play-off system -- not a one or two game mythical joke.

No Refund

Political Cartoon is by Rob Rogers in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Castro Is Willing To Talk

During his campaign, Barack Obama said if elected, he would allow unlimited Cuban-American family travel and remittances to Cuba. He also said he stood ready to normalize relations and stop the embargo, if Cuba would also take some steps such as releasing political prisoners. I hope he meant that.

I say that because it looks like Cuba is willing to take the first step. Speaking the day after the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, Raul Castro acknowleged the promises made during the campaign, and said he is ready to talk face-to-face without preconditions. The Cubans have also offered to discuss a prisoner release or exchange.

Cuba is taking the first step. I realize it may not be politically feasible for Obama to meet directly with Castro right away, but it is time to normalize relations with Cuba. It is also time to end the embargo (that has failed to accomplish anything for 50 years). The last time the embargo was presented to the United Nations, every civilized country in the world voted against it, except the United States.

Outside of Mexico and Canada, Cuba is our closest neighbor. It is time for our two countries to be friends. Cuba poses no danger to the United States, and it is time we stopped trying to hurt them.

Obama has promised hope and change. It is my fervent desire that this change will include our relationship with Cuba.

Another Madoff Victim

Political Cartoon is by Steve Breen in The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Employer Goes Too Far

A few months ago, both of the major hospitals here in Amarillo banned smoking on their premises, even outside on their grounds and parking lots. Even though I'm a smoker, I think they had the absolute right to do that. Any employer should be able to set the rules for what happens on their property, and for what their employees do during working hours.

But one of those hospitals has now gone too far. They not only want to control employees actions during works hours, but now they want to control what those employees do during their non-working hours in their daily lives. That strikes me as being a little to much like "Big Brother".

Baptist St. Anthony Hospital (BSA) has decided it will no longer hire anyone who smokes -- regardless of their qualifications. They are going to give a blood test to all prospective employees, and one of the things tested for will be use of tobacco products. A positive test will mean the applicant will not be hired.

The hospital says that refusing to hire tobacco users will help them to create "a healthy work environment". Haven't they already done that by banning smoking on their property? Do they really have the right to demand an employee not use tobacco in his/her off-time?

I also have to wonder just what else they will be testing for in the blood tests. How long will it be before they're testing for genetic defiencies and other things? This seems to me to be an invasion of privacy.

An employer has the right to demand an employee show up on time and in shape to work effectively. They also have the right to determine what happens on their property. But they do not have the right to invade an employee's (or prospective employee's) privacy or to dictate what that employee can do in their private lives and time-off.

Where's The Fairness ?

Political Cartoon is by David Horsey in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Airline's Actions Inexcusable

Since 2001, the Bush administration has been waging a campaign of fear in this country in an effort to keep Republicans in power. It didn't work for that purpose, but it does have some Americans and American businesses acting in stupid ways. Take for instance, this incident at Airtran Airways.

Two brothers, Atif Irfan (an attorney) and Kashif Irfan (an anesthesiologist), their wives, a sister and their three young children were traveling from Washington (D.C.) to Orlando for a vacation. As they boarded their Airtran Airways flight, one of the wives asked another family member where the safest place to sit was on the plane. That's a perfectly reasonable question, and one I've discussed with my family while choosing a seat.

But evidently, this is a discussion you can have only if you're not, or don't look Arabic. A fellow passenger overheard the innocent conversation, jumped to the wrong conclusion and reported their fears to the flight attendant. The flight attendant reported it to the pilot, who in turn reported it to air marshalls who were on board. I'm sure the story got worse every time it was retold.

The families were finally removed from the flight, along with another passenger with whom they had a short conversation -- Abdul Aziz ( a Library of Congress attorney). Even though they were unfairly accused, the family cooperated, left the plane and answered questions put to them by the FBI. They were quickly cleared by the FBI.

But when they tried to rebook for another flight with Airtran, they were refused. The FBI spoke to the airline on their behalf and assured the airline they had been cleared and were not dangerous in any way. Unbelieveably, the airline still refused to rebook them!

Let me make that clear. This family had passed thru security and been searched like everyone else, and then went thru the extra step of being questioned and cleared by the FBI, and the airline still would not honor the tickets they had sold them and let them fly. The FBI had to finally book them on a different (unnamed) airline so they could complete their trip.

It was bad enough that they were removed from the plane in the first place, but it is inexcusable for the airline to refuse to rebook them after the FBI cleared them. Mr. Aziz says he is considering a lawsuit against the airline. I don't blame him. If it was me, I'd be looking for the greediest attorney I could find.

Can't Come Soon Enough

Political Cartoon is by Gary Brookins in The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Palin Denies The Truth

I am always amazed by right-wing politicians like Sarah Palin. They are quick to make accusations about other people, even when the facts don't back-up those accusations. But when it comes to their own families the rules are changed, and they want to gloss over the facts. The truth doesn't matter nearly as much as what they wish the truth was.

Take for instance, the definition of a "high-school drop-out". In my job, I work with troubled kids. If one of those kids stops going to high school before he has earned a diploma, I can assure you that no one has any problem labeling that kid as a high school drop-out, especially the right-wing nuts who love to label disadvantaged kids.

But that doesn't seem to be true if that kid is white and connected to a right-wing hero like Sarah Palin. The boyfriend of Palin's daughter (and father of her child), Levi Johnston, stopped going to high school before graduating and got himself a job in the oilfield. If he was anyone else, that would make him a high school drop-out.

But evidently the truth embarrasses Palin, because now she is upset at the press for calling Johnston a drop-out. According to Palin, he is not a drop-out because he is taking some correspondence courses. If he really is taking the courses, I commend him for it and I hope he can get his GED someday, but that doesn't change the truth.

The truth is that he stopped going to school before he graduated with a diploma, and that makes him a high school drop-out -- even if it embarrasses Palin. He fits the definition, and all the excuses in the world won't change that.

Blago's Intent With Pick

Political Cartoon is by Daryl Cagle at MSNBC.com.

Panhandle Swingers - Who Knew ?

I've only lived in Amarillo for two years now and I thought I'd gotten to know this city pretty well, but it looks like I've still got a lot to learn. I had no idea that Amarillo had a group of "swingers" who have their own club -- the Route 66 Swingers Club. That's pretty amazing for a city that seems to have a church on every street corner.

How do I know this? Well, a group of ultra-fundamentalists (pictured above) spent their New Year's Eve picketing the group, instead of partying with their family and friends like normal people do. The fundies were a group called Repent Amarillo. This group was joined in their picketing by another group from the Arena of Life Cowboy Church (I swear I'm not making that up -- that's the church's real name).

It seems the Route 66 Swingers Club had rented a building in downtown Amarillo so their members could get together for a BYOB New Year's Eve party. According to the Potter County Sheriff's office, the group was not breaking any law, and had gotten all the necessary licenses and inspections. They are not investigating the group for anything at all, saying, "We have no indication of any criminal violation at this point."

The party's organizer said, "Anybody can rent a building and have a BYOB dance. We're doing everything by law. What else could be happening? There's no place to (have sex there). That's not going to happen." She went on to say if some of the participants wanted to go to a hotel and have sex after the party, then that is their personal business.

Personally, I don't know what all the fuss is about. This group is very low-key (I doubt if 99% of Amarilloans even knew they existed), and they are not breaking any laws. They should have the right to live their lives as they wish, without being harrassed by jealous fundamentalists.

Why do these fundie nuts think they have the right to run everyone else's life? It reminds me of a quote on a fellow blogger's masthead (Badtux, the Snarky Penguin) that says, "Religious fundamentalists are motivated by the sneaking suspicion that someone, somewhere, is having fun -- and that this must be stopped."

These people need to get a life of their own, and leave everyone else alone.

Teaching An Old Dog A New Trick

Political Cartoon is by Etta Hulme in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

2009 - Year Of Hope And Change

jobsanger wishes a happy and prosperous new year to all of this blog's readers. You are all deeply appreciated.