A Day Of Executions

Today, Iran will be showing the world just what a backward nation they really are. They will be publically executing 30 people. Executions in Iran are carried out by hanging the person from a large crane (see picture above).

Some of the people being executed have committed serious crimes such as murder, kidnapping, armed robbery and smuggling arms. Sadly though, others are being executed for far less serious crimes such as selling drugs or alcohol. Some will be executed for activity that would not even be considered a crime in most countries, such as adultery.

Last year Iran executed 317 people. Only China executed more people (470). The United States executed 42 people, most of them here in Texas. I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't like the company we're keeping on this issue.

I think it's time we joined the rest of the civilized world, and outlawed government-sanctioned killing.

Republican Dream

Cartoon by Mike Keefe, The Denver Post

Are Cowboys In Trouble At Wide Receiver ?

Yesterday, the Dallas Cowboys released wide receiver Terry Glenn, who they had been counting on to return this season as their number two receiver. Glenn was a great wide receiver, but had missed most of last year because of a knee injury.

The Cowboys wanted him to agree to only a $500,000 paycheck if he was unable to play again because of the knee. Glenn wanted his entire paycheck, whether he was able to play or not. In the end, Jerry Jones decided not to take the chance and released him.

Now many in the media are worried that the Cowboys may not have enough depth at wide receiver, and this might keep them from going as far as they could otherwise. Some are even using words like "desperation". Personally, I think that's going a bit overboard at this point.

It's pretty obvious who the number one receiver for the Cowboys is -- Terrell Owens (pictured above). He's just signed a new contract and is still one of the best wide receivers in the league (if not the best). The number two receiver is Patrick Crayton. He performed well in that capacity last year and there's no reason to believe he won't do as well or better this year.

It's the number three and four receiver spots that is worrying most people. The Cowboys run quite a few plays requiring three wide receivers, and that makes these two spots very important.

There are three returning players that could well fill these slots -- Sam Hurd, Miles Austin and Isaiah Stanback. All are pretty talented and now that they have a little experience, they might be ready to step in and contribute some valuable minutes. I hope so, because with Glenn gone, as least two of them must be productive.

But even if all of them perform as expected, that only makes five receivers, and the Cowboys will probably keep at least six receivers. Right now the two most likely prospects for the sixth slot are rookies Mike Jefferson and Danny Amendola. I'm partial to Amendola.

If you were lucky enough to see some Texas Tech games, then you know what an extraordinary player he is. He may not be the biggest or the fastest receiver, but he's a real "player". He catches everything thrown his way, and when it comes down to clutch-time, there's nobody better to depend on. He reminds me a bit of a past Cowboy with a knack for making third-down plays -- Preston Pearson.

Training camp has only just started, but I believe Amendola has a really good chance of making this team. And if the other receivers don't watch out, he may wind up as the fourth or fifth receiver in his rookie year.

The Cowboys still might trade for a receiver, but I personally don't think it's necessary. I like the crop of receivers they have.

Iraq Banned From 2008 Olympics

In spite of the continuing violence in their occupied country, Iraq had been planning on sending a small contingent to the 2008 Olympics in China. They had two rowers, a weightlifter, a sprinter, a discus thrower, a judoka and an archer that were hoping to make the trip. But it doesn't look like that will be happening now.

The International Olympic Committee has announced that Iraqi athletes will not be allowed to compete in the upcoming Olympics. IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said, "The deadline for taking up places for Beijing for all sports except athletics has now passed. The IOC very sadly has now to acknowledge that it is likely there will be no Iraqi presence at the Beijing Olympic Games, despite our best efforts. Clearly, we'd very much like to have seen Iraq's athletes in Beijing. We are very disappointed that the athletes have been so ill-served by their own government's actions."

Iraq was banned because the puppet Maliki government replaced the duly elected Iraq Olympic Committee with government appointees last May. On June 4th the IOC placed a ban on Iraqi athletes, because a country's olympic committee must be free from government influence accoding to the IOC charter.

The IOC had asked the Iraqi government to meet with them in Switzerland to try and remedy the situation, but the Iraqis ignored that request. Once again the ineffectual puppet government in Iraq has shown it is incapable of completing any task it is given.

It's too bad the Iraqi athletes will not be allowed to compete, but the IOC should not be blamed. The blame rests squarely on the shoulders of the Iraqi government.

Some Parents Are Stupid

What the hell gets into some parents when they choose a name for their child? Do they not care that the child is going to have to live with that name?

A judge in New Plymouth, New Zealand, did an unusual thing in a custody case he was hearing. He made the child a temporary ward of the state so she could change her name. The 9-year-old girl was so embarrassed by her given name that she refused to tell anyone at her school what it was. She just told them to call her "K".

The judge said, "The court is profoundly concerned about the very poor judgment which this child's parents have shown in choosing this name. It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap, unnecessarily."

What was the name these wayward parents chose? The name was "Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii". I don't know what would make the parents choose such a ridiculous name, but I think it's very close to being child abuse.

I don't know the girl's new name, but whatever it is it has to be better than the one her parents gave her. I applaud the judge's action.

The Bush Flip-Flop

Political cartoon is by Nate Beeler, The Washington Examiner

Southwest Airlines Bucks The Trend

Recently several airlines have revealed that they are experiencing millions of dollars in losses. They blame this on the rising costs of jet fuel. But this week, Southwest Airlines bucked that trend by reporting a second quarter profit of $321 million. In spite of the rising fuel costs, their profits are actually larger than the second quarter profits they posted last year ($278 million).

In an effort to try and cover their huge losses, most other airlines have initiated a host of extra fees their customers must pay. These include charging for checked luggage, aisle seats, extra leg room and beverages. But Southwest hasn't added any of these fees, and they still turned a nice profit. How did they do it?

They were able to do it by contracting to lock in lower fuel costs with their suppliers. A little planning and foresight can go a long way. They are currently raising ticket prices gradually at some locations, and are instituting a more expensive business fare.

This is just the difference between an airline who's leadership plans for the future, and other airlines who are constantly trying to catch up with what happened yesterday.

The Cowboys Are Back !

It's that time of year again. The time when Dallas Cowboys football gets started. As readers of this blog know, there is no sports team I love as much as my Dallas Cowboys. Since they started in 1960, I have never missed a game either in person, on TV or on the radio.

Well, except for one -- the day I was shot. That day, the Cowboys played while I was in the operating room. But even then, the first question I asked when I woke up was, "Did the Cowboys win?" That will give you some idea of how big a Cowboys fan that I am.

The team arrives in training camp today. Their first practice is tomorrow afternoon. The first pre-season game (and yes, I even love the pre-season games) is on August 9th against the San Diego Chargers. I can hardly wait.

What a great time of the year!

Birds Of A Feather

Cartoon by Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune

Sorry, John - It Wasn't The Surge !

The last few days have not been good for John McCain. After casting his lot with an extended war in Iraq and staying until a final victory is achieved, it seems like everyone, even his friends have turned against him.

Obama has been saying for some time that he would withdraw all the troops from Iraq within a general timetable of 16 months. A few days ago, the Iraqi leader (Maliki) also began to press for a timetable for withdrawal. He even went further and said Obama's timetable sounded about right to him. Then George Bush succumbed to pressure from the Iraqis and agreed to "time horizons" -- he couldn't bring himself to call it a timetable.

The American public is further from McCain's position. Over 63% of Americans would like to see the troops withdrawn within a year. This left McCain out in the cold on the withdrawal situation. So for a few days he's just been repeating that the surge was his idea and it worked, and Obama should admit that. But is it the truth?

In the first 6 1/2 months of 2008, over 220 Americans and more than 4,000 Iraqis have been killed. That is a long way from victory, but it does reflect a cut in the number of deaths. McCain would have us believe the troop surge was responsible for the smaller number of deaths. Some of the media are buying his argument.

But the truth is that two other things happened in Iraq about the same time as the troop surge, and both of them probably had more to do with the drop in deaths than the troop surge did. First, many of the Sunni tribal chiefs stopped supporting al-Queda and began to fight them. Second, al-Sadr declared a truce and ordered his Shiite brigades to not attack American troops.

Without those two things happening, it is highly doubtful that the troop surge would have had any effect at all. Also, with the two things occuring, the drop in the number of deaths would have happened even without a troop surge.

I realize that McCain is grasping at straws to try and maintain his credibility regarding the Iraq war, but his argument that the troop surge worked just doesn't hold water.

Chesapeake Energy Attacks Texas Blogger

For the last few months, one of our blogger friends has been exposing the shenanigans of Chesapeake Energy and others as they drill the Barnett Shale. TxSharon of the excellent blog Bluedaze, has written posts and posted pictures of gas drilling companies who have left unsightly messes, and poisoned the land and groundwater in violation of state rules (even though the Republicans on the Railroad Commission choose to ignore the transgressions).

I have been very proud of TxSharon's actions in exposing these egregious violations. But it looks like she's getting to the company, because in their latest newsletter, Powell Barnett Shale Newsletter, they attack her by calling her a "radical" and saying she has no right to be doing what she is doing.

If exposing illegal and unethical behavior by a corporation is "radical", then we need a lot more radicals here in Texas. I was particularly offended by the following:

"...we find it disturbing that outsiders who have no stake whatsoever and are often ill-informed somehow think that they have the right to influence public policy. These policies could result in the minerals owned by law-abiding citizens not being developed, in clear violation of the law of the State of Texas.

In these United States of America we are granted freedom of speech and freedom to assemble. However, in our opinion outsiders who have no legal stake in an area and often don’t have all the facts have no right to try to influence public policy that only impacts someone else. Not in My Backyard is everyone’s right. Not in Someone Else’s Backyard however, is absurd and cannot be tolerated."

Frankly, this sounds like intimidation to me. They are trying to make it sound like TxSharon is breaking the law by exercising her right of free speech. Poisoning groundwater is illegal (or at least should be), but informing the public about it is definitely not.

And since when do citizens not have the right to try to influence public opinion, regardless of who's property is being discussed? When was our free speech restricted to matters only relating to our own property? Can we not also try to warn our neighbors and fellow citizens when we see wrong being done? Of course we can!

I applaud the excellent blogging on Bluedaze. I urge everyone to go over there and read it. This is information everyone needs to know. As for the gas company, maybe they'd better re-read our Constitution.

(Above picture is of sludgepond - courtesy of Bluedaze)

Progress In Afghanistan

Political cartoon by Moir, Sydney, Australia, The Morning Herald

Court Ruling Puts Davis On Ballot

It looks like the lackluster senator from District 10 in Fort Worth is going to have to beat his opponent in the November election if he wants to keep his seat. Kim Brimer, a Republican state senator with ethical concerns (he charged the state for "rent" he said he paid to his wife), has lost the court case he filed against his Democratic opponent.

Brimer had filed the court challenge in an effort to keep his opponent, Wendy Davis, off the November ballot. He claimed she could not legally run because even though she had resigned her city council seat before declaring her candidacy, she had to serve until her replacement was chosen (as the law required).

The court ruled that the Davis candidacy did not violate the rules, and she should be on the November ballot. That's bad news for Brimer. Davis was a very popular council-member, and a 2008 poll of District 10 voters showed only a minority of them even know who Brimer is. There is a very good chance he will lose in November.

Because of this, there is a very good chance Brimer will appeal the decision. His best chance of winning is to not have an opponent. I doubt if the appeal will help him much though. Davis did everything she could do to follow the rules.

Upon hearing of the ruling, Wendy Davis said, "I'm very very confident in the law and I'm very confident, that regardless of the appellate level that hears this case, we are legally on the ballot. I hope it sends a message to my opponent. That message being that it's time to start debating the issues that are important to the voters of Senate District 10 and put aside these petty legal obstacles."

The Slow Death Of Newspapers

Princeton Survey Research Associates International recently did a survey of newspapers in the United States. The survey included 50% of newspapers with a circulation of over 100,000 and 30% of newspapers with a circulation between 50,000 and 100,000. What they found was not encouraging.

They found that newspapers are containing less news than in the past, especially national and international news. What little national and international news they do carry is probably pulled off one of the wire services. That's because nearly all the papers are reducing their staff of reporters.

The dwindling pool of reporters are being used to cover mainly local stories, and even then they must cover more stories than in the past. This results in shorter, more superficial stories. In-depth coverage is becoming a thing of the past.

Most of the editors surveyed blame the internet for their problems. More and more people are getting their news from the internet. Even though the papers have established their own sites on the internet, they have yet to figure out how to make as much money off their internet ads as they do on their lucrative print ads. Less money means less reporters, and that translates into fewer and more superficial stories in the paper.

I believe this is true. The internet has to be affecting newspapers. But I believe this survey is ignoring another factor that is having just as big a negative effect on newspapers as the internet -- corporate ownership.

It is getting to be almost impossible to find a home-owned newspaper. Almost all newspapers, especially those with less than a 100,000 circulation, have been bought by large corporate conglomerates. A prime example of this is my own home-town newspaper, the Amarillo Globe-News. It is now owned by a Georgia-based corporation.

Ask yourself, what is the primary concern of this Georgia corporation? Is it to inform the Amarillo public of the news that is important to them? If you answered yes to that, then you're a very naive person. Their primary concern is the same as any other corporation -- to maximize their profit.

If a corporation can make more money by firing reporters and getting their stories off the wire, then that is what they'll do. If they can get more profit by firing reporters and increasing the load on the remaining reporters, then that is what they'll do. The quality of the product is of little concern as long as the bottom line shows a healthy profit.

And while most newspapers would be loathe to admit it, the corporate interest in the bottom line affects the newspaper in other ways. You simply will not see a negative story about a business or business-owner, especially if they're heavy buyers of newspaper ads. If it is a big story that cannot be ignored, it will be very superficial. You won't get the in-depth dirt on that person or company.

And most editorial pages have long-ago gave up any pretense of fairness. They are little more than corporate-Republican propaganda pages. I don't even go to the editorial page of my home-town newspaper anymore, because I know from experience it'll contain nothing but corporate-friendly right-wing crap.

Most of the editors in the Princeton survey are worried about the future (and they should be). About 95% of them said they had no idea what their newsroom would look like even 5 years from now.

I don't know if the profit-driven newspapers as we know them can survive or not. But sadly, the news-driven papers of the past are dying fast. Quality in-depth reporting and fairness belong to another era.