I'm not really a McCain fan, but I just find Obama's latest string of attack ads annoying and hypocritical. You know what I'm talking about. The ones about special interests and lobbyists.
Turns out Obama has had his share of dealings with lobbyists (more than McCain has actually)
Check out these links:
http://thehill. com/leading-the-news/lobbyists-on-obamas-08-payroll-2007-12-20. html
http://blogs. abcnews. com/theblotter/2007/07/despite-rhetori. html
http://www. boston. com/news/nation/articles/2007/09/23/in_illinois_obama_dealt_with_lobbyists/?page=full
http://www. boston. com/news/nation/articles/2007/08/09/pacs_and_lobbyists_aided_obamas_rise/
http://www. usatoday. com/news/politics/election2008/2008-04-15-obama_n. htm
http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/26/AR2008082603894_pf. html
http://abcnews. go. com/Blotter/Story?id=5640118&page=1
http://ap. google. com/article/ALeqM5gEqDQB17ei0NLxILZfrpxXaQmnMAD935GVQG0
http://voices. washingtonpost. com/fact-checker/2007/10/obama_edwards_and_the_lobbying. html
VOTE FOR LIBERTY!!! BOB BARR 2008!
www. bobbarr2008. com
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Braman Lawsuit Threatens More Than Marlins Stadium
We are an overly litigious society whose nuisance suits and frivolous suits keep lawyers in expensive suits.
Sometimes the plaintiff is a person who scalds himself with hot coffee but decides suing McDonald's for millions is nobler than cursing his own carelessness.
And sometimes the plaintiff is a 75-year-old Miami multimillionaire who got rich selling cars but now wants to slam the brakes on progress.
Norman Braman does a lot of good around here. Let's admit that first.
He is a philanthropist whose generosity has touched education and breast-cancer research. He was instrumental in realizing a Holocaust Museum in Miami Beach.
It doesn't mean he always is right, though. And it doesn't look like he is right in Braman v. Miami-Dade County, his lawsuit that goes to trial Thursday in Miami-Dade Circuit Court.
Braman's effort, if successful, would derail the county's $3 billion redevelopment ''megaplan'' for Miami -- the area's long-needed and most ambitious public-works initiative in decades, one that includes a new Marlins baseball stadium.
Here is local government, for all of its history of scandal and inefficiency, trying at last to think big and be big, and finally haul Miami into the 21st Century in terms of urban revitalization and renewal.
And here are the Marlins, after 11 years of trying, through three ownership groups and several evolutions of county and city commissions, finally on the cusp of breaking ground on a ballpark all its own.
Only to have the whole grand package jeopardized by one guy's nuisance suit.
This continues Braman's dubious track record of suing over how local government spends money.
In 1982, he led a campaign to defeat a city sales tax that would have renovated the Orange Bowl for the Dolphins. It was what led Joe Robbie to soon after announce he would build a stadium and move the team north. It was a harbinger of years of OB neglect that would lead to the Hurricanes also moving out and the old stadium being demolished.
With that, Braman had drawn his line against public dollars for stadiums. Yet barely a decade later, in 1993, he owned the Philadelphia Eagles and offered to build a stadium only if the city would donate the land. Evidently, Braman had by then developed a moral distinction between getting public money and getting public land.
In 1999, Braman helped defeat a one-cent sales tax earmarked for a $1 billion mass transit plan for Miami. Hmm. Imagine that. A car dealer fighting mass transit! No vested interest there, right?
Now Braman is aiming his slingshot at big government again, but unlike the Biblical David, the little guy is no hero. He is just a rich little guy with a slingshot and a team of lawyers, slinging a lawsuit because, well -- because he can.
(And perhaps because part of the Miami megaplan includes streetcars. Imagine! The car dealer is against mass transit again! What a coincidence!)
This trial's judge will rule against Braman (it says here) because so much of the suit's premise is on shaky legal footing. For example, he claims the megaplan should have been subject to a public vote, and yet the courts already have ruled the county/city vote was legal and not requiring a public referendum. He also claims it is unconstitutional to pledge public credit to a private enterprise (such as a baseball team), and yet the Florida Supreme Court ruled otherwise in the 1990s, allowing $318 million in public money to build a stadium for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and explaining the expenditure would be ``substantially beneficial to the public.''
''Beneficial to the public'' is fundamental here.
This is about our civic responsibility to see the larger picture and put the public good over individual wants.
A Marlins fan should support a new, 37,000-seat retractable dome stadium (even if not thrilled about the OB site in Little Havana), but even nonfans should appreciate the benefit of how a thriving big-league sports team can knit a community.
Similarly, you do not need to be a connoisseur of opera or ballet to see that a performing arts center improves our overall quality of life, just as you do not need to be a parent to support better schools. This $3 billion initiative, now on trial, would rejuvenate Overtown and transform Bicentennial Park into a waterfront jewel, among many other projects.
As for the new Marlins ballpark, the club would pay roughly $155 million of the $515 million cost, and the rest would come from tourists' hotel bed-tax dollars. That is a pretty painless deal for us locals, wallet-wise.
So let's get out of the courtroom and into the future, shall we?
Let's swat this silly trial that sits on our ambition like a mosquito.
Let's get to building a better Miami.
By Greg Cote - Miami Herald
Sometimes the plaintiff is a person who scalds himself with hot coffee but decides suing McDonald's for millions is nobler than cursing his own carelessness.
And sometimes the plaintiff is a 75-year-old Miami multimillionaire who got rich selling cars but now wants to slam the brakes on progress.
Norman Braman does a lot of good around here. Let's admit that first.
He is a philanthropist whose generosity has touched education and breast-cancer research. He was instrumental in realizing a Holocaust Museum in Miami Beach.
It doesn't mean he always is right, though. And it doesn't look like he is right in Braman v. Miami-Dade County, his lawsuit that goes to trial Thursday in Miami-Dade Circuit Court.
Braman's effort, if successful, would derail the county's $3 billion redevelopment ''megaplan'' for Miami -- the area's long-needed and most ambitious public-works initiative in decades, one that includes a new Marlins baseball stadium.
Here is local government, for all of its history of scandal and inefficiency, trying at last to think big and be big, and finally haul Miami into the 21st Century in terms of urban revitalization and renewal.
And here are the Marlins, after 11 years of trying, through three ownership groups and several evolutions of county and city commissions, finally on the cusp of breaking ground on a ballpark all its own.
Only to have the whole grand package jeopardized by one guy's nuisance suit.
This continues Braman's dubious track record of suing over how local government spends money.
In 1982, he led a campaign to defeat a city sales tax that would have renovated the Orange Bowl for the Dolphins. It was what led Joe Robbie to soon after announce he would build a stadium and move the team north. It was a harbinger of years of OB neglect that would lead to the Hurricanes also moving out and the old stadium being demolished.
With that, Braman had drawn his line against public dollars for stadiums. Yet barely a decade later, in 1993, he owned the Philadelphia Eagles and offered to build a stadium only if the city would donate the land. Evidently, Braman had by then developed a moral distinction between getting public money and getting public land.
In 1999, Braman helped defeat a one-cent sales tax earmarked for a $1 billion mass transit plan for Miami. Hmm. Imagine that. A car dealer fighting mass transit! No vested interest there, right?
Now Braman is aiming his slingshot at big government again, but unlike the Biblical David, the little guy is no hero. He is just a rich little guy with a slingshot and a team of lawyers, slinging a lawsuit because, well -- because he can.
(And perhaps because part of the Miami megaplan includes streetcars. Imagine! The car dealer is against mass transit again! What a coincidence!)
This trial's judge will rule against Braman (it says here) because so much of the suit's premise is on shaky legal footing. For example, he claims the megaplan should have been subject to a public vote, and yet the courts already have ruled the county/city vote was legal and not requiring a public referendum. He also claims it is unconstitutional to pledge public credit to a private enterprise (such as a baseball team), and yet the Florida Supreme Court ruled otherwise in the 1990s, allowing $318 million in public money to build a stadium for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and explaining the expenditure would be ``substantially beneficial to the public.''
''Beneficial to the public'' is fundamental here.
This is about our civic responsibility to see the larger picture and put the public good over individual wants.
A Marlins fan should support a new, 37,000-seat retractable dome stadium (even if not thrilled about the OB site in Little Havana), but even nonfans should appreciate the benefit of how a thriving big-league sports team can knit a community.
Similarly, you do not need to be a connoisseur of opera or ballet to see that a performing arts center improves our overall quality of life, just as you do not need to be a parent to support better schools. This $3 billion initiative, now on trial, would rejuvenate Overtown and transform Bicentennial Park into a waterfront jewel, among many other projects.
As for the new Marlins ballpark, the club would pay roughly $155 million of the $515 million cost, and the rest would come from tourists' hotel bed-tax dollars. That is a pretty painless deal for us locals, wallet-wise.
So let's get out of the courtroom and into the future, shall we?
Let's swat this silly trial that sits on our ambition like a mosquito.
Let's get to building a better Miami.
By Greg Cote - Miami Herald
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Sports and Jesus
This morning, on my way to work, I clicked on my favorite Sports Radio Station: 790 the Ticket.
As usual Sid Rosenberg was on the air and rambling as usual about Sports and nonsense. Now, I like Sid Rosenberg. I liked listening to him back when he was on the air in the afternoon with OJ McDuffie. However, ever since he has moved to the morning slot, he has taken an approach to his show that I do not like. This morning, Sid Rosenberg's co-host had mentioned that UF quarterback Tim Tebow was doing some sort of missionary work somewhere and helped with ceremonial circumcisions. Where Sid Rosenberg mentioned was cool seeing as Sid is Jewish. His co-host then said, "Well, I doubt that he was spreading the word of Judaism." This goes without saying as Tim Tebow's parents were Christian missionaries who home-schooled all their children. After that, Sid says: "Well, he should have [been spreading the word of Judaism.] It's the right thing. In fact, if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you're on the wrong boat. 'Cause the last time I checked, the Jews were the chosen people."
Sid Rosenberg
This gets me a little upset for a few reasons. First of all, where does he go talking about that on a SPORTS radio show? I mean, why is he talking about how Jews are right and Christianity is wrong on a show where he should be talking about the Marlins, the Heat, the NBA playoffs, Dolphins training camp, the death of Eight Belles (the racehorse), etc. What gets me even more upset, though, is that he is going to get away with it. It's a freedom of religion/speech issue. However, I would like to see what would happen if a sports radio host, or a host of another secular show, were to say: "If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you are on the wrong boat." I bet you that there will be a tremendous uproar about that. Critics will be saying how this radio host was forcing religion down their throats and soon afterwords, he will be fired.
Not Sid Rosenberg, though. You know why? Because freedom of religion in this country only applies if you are Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Atheist, Confucianist, etc. It does not apply if you are a Christian, despite the fact that this country was founded by Christians of all denominations. I cannot believe Sid would say how he is one of the chosen people, a week after he spent an entire segment talking about how humans were not meant to be monogamous, and how masturbation was a beautiful, natural element of being human.
I would like to close with a quote that has to deal with Christianity, Judaism, and choseness. I went to my girlfriend's church for Easter service this year, before she went to Easter mass with me, and her pastor said something that has stayed with me: "Christianity is Judaism fulfilled!" Ain't it the truth?
Therefore, who are the chosen people, really?
DISCLAIMER: I'm not racist or anything, but if you want to be politically correct, might as well be towards all people, not just for the minorities. This blog was not intended as a bigotry or racism, because as many people who know me can say, I am very tolerant of everyone. But freedom of speech also applies to me. And I believe that everyone should be treated equally.
As usual Sid Rosenberg was on the air and rambling as usual about Sports and nonsense. Now, I like Sid Rosenberg. I liked listening to him back when he was on the air in the afternoon with OJ McDuffie. However, ever since he has moved to the morning slot, he has taken an approach to his show that I do not like. This morning, Sid Rosenberg's co-host had mentioned that UF quarterback Tim Tebow was doing some sort of missionary work somewhere and helped with ceremonial circumcisions. Where Sid Rosenberg mentioned was cool seeing as Sid is Jewish. His co-host then said, "Well, I doubt that he was spreading the word of Judaism." This goes without saying as Tim Tebow's parents were Christian missionaries who home-schooled all their children. After that, Sid says: "Well, he should have [been spreading the word of Judaism.] It's the right thing. In fact, if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you're on the wrong boat. 'Cause the last time I checked, the Jews were the chosen people."
Sid RosenbergThis gets me a little upset for a few reasons. First of all, where does he go talking about that on a SPORTS radio show? I mean, why is he talking about how Jews are right and Christianity is wrong on a show where he should be talking about the Marlins, the Heat, the NBA playoffs, Dolphins training camp, the death of Eight Belles (the racehorse), etc. What gets me even more upset, though, is that he is going to get away with it. It's a freedom of religion/speech issue. However, I would like to see what would happen if a sports radio host, or a host of another secular show, were to say: "If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you are on the wrong boat." I bet you that there will be a tremendous uproar about that. Critics will be saying how this radio host was forcing religion down their throats and soon afterwords, he will be fired.
Not Sid Rosenberg, though. You know why? Because freedom of religion in this country only applies if you are Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Atheist, Confucianist, etc. It does not apply if you are a Christian, despite the fact that this country was founded by Christians of all denominations. I cannot believe Sid would say how he is one of the chosen people, a week after he spent an entire segment talking about how humans were not meant to be monogamous, and how masturbation was a beautiful, natural element of being human.
I would like to close with a quote that has to deal with Christianity, Judaism, and choseness. I went to my girlfriend's church for Easter service this year, before she went to Easter mass with me, and her pastor said something that has stayed with me: "Christianity is Judaism fulfilled!" Ain't it the truth?
Therefore, who are the chosen people, really?
DISCLAIMER: I'm not racist or anything, but if you want to be politically correct, might as well be towards all people, not just for the minorities. This blog was not intended as a bigotry or racism, because as many people who know me can say, I am very tolerant of everyone. But freedom of speech also applies to me. And I believe that everyone should be treated equally.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Yankees Bury Bernie Williams Under Yankee Stadium for Good Luck
NEW YORK—Citing a need for physical and spiritual cleansing after a Boston Red Sox fan entombed a David Ortiz jersey in the floor of the new facility, the New York Yankees buried former centerfielder Bernie Williams under 4,650 pounds of concrete Wednesday in the foundation of the new Yankee Stadium for good luck.
According to team sources, the instant the 39-year-old Williams was completely submerged in the rapidly setting structural material, stopping his voice as his lungs and mouth filled with concrete, the sun broke through the clouds and shone on the yet-incomplete field. Yankees part-owner Hank Steinbrenner called the occurrence a sign indicating that the "Curse Of A Red Sox Fan's David Ortiz Jersey" had been reversed, and that God was once again on the Yankees' side.
"Any attempt to put a hex on the New York Yankees has been successfully averted," Steinbrenner told reporters while standing over the still-wet concrete slab beneath which, judging by the sluggish ripples and lopsided bubbles in the hardening agglomerate, Williams still struggled. "Not that this organization believes in curses. We're the Yankees. We believe the success of our team is based purely on our players and their on-field performance. And we act accordingly."
"However," Steinbrenner continued, "Bernie was on our last World Series team in 2000, so we figured burying him under our new home certainly couldn't hurt. Also, he was available, and his appearance fee was quite reasonable."
The burial ceremony, which delayed the completion of the stadium approximately three weeks and cost roughly $1.5 million—$1,000 of which will go to Bernie Williams' family—involved placing Williams into a six-foot-deep concrete hole directly where the tattered Red Sox jersey was found.
Dressed in his full Yankees uniform and batting helmet, and clutching an autographed ball signed by all members of Yankees' 1996 World Series team, Williams was lowered into the ground and then covered with a combination of concrete, fly ash, slag cement, and coarse aggregate consisting mostly of gravel limestone.
Though Yankees officials did not allow Williams' family to attend the burial, citing the fact they were not "true Yankees," they permitted the former centerfielder to take with him a picture of his wife and three children after Williams provided video evidence proving that all of his family members were present and cheered during the Yankees' championship run between 1996 and 2000.
"Now, we're not necessarily hoping that having him in the foundation will mean our outfielders will start throwing like Bernie, our hitters will begin hitting like him, or our faster baserunners will start running like him," Yankees first-year coach Joe Girardi said. "Most of our guys are already better than he was. We just know—and this is what I told Bernie's family—that the good deed of letting a former Yankee permanently come home will be recognized by the baseball gods and will translate into Yankee victories, which will be good for the entire human race."
Williams, who was smiling from the moment he arrived at the new stadium until his face could no longer be seen, was grateful for the opportunity.
"I would do anything to help this ballclub win another World Series," Williams shouted up to reporters while standing in rapidly filling pit. "Just to be part of this organization again in some capacity is an honor and privilege. And even though I haven't received a thank you from the Steinbrenner family, I know they are appreciative."
"This is what it means to be a lifelong Yankgluh [sic]," Williams attempted to add.
According to Yankees president Randy Levine, the organization had been discussing various ways to exorcize the curse of the buried Red Sox jersey, under which the Yankees went an "unacceptable" 4-4. Levine said that it was Hal Steinbrenner who suggested submerging a former or current player in concrete as a good luck charm.
Interoffice e-mails confirm that players who made the short list were Yogi Berra, Paul O'Neill, and current Yankee outfielder Shelley Duncan.
"Truth be told, we didn't even think of Bernie," Levine said. "But then we got a call from his agent. It took a bit of convincing on their part, but in the end it seemed like this fulfilled both of our needs."
"By giving Bernie this chance, we have once again proven why we are the classiest organization in all of sports," Levine added. "Lesser teams would have overreacted to this whole curse thing and buried Derek Jeter."
When asked if burial in the new stadium guaranteed that Williams' No. 51 would be retired in the new Monument Park, both Steinbrenners had no comment, saying only that they appreciated Mr. Williams' commitment to the team.
According to team sources, the instant the 39-year-old Williams was completely submerged in the rapidly setting structural material, stopping his voice as his lungs and mouth filled with concrete, the sun broke through the clouds and shone on the yet-incomplete field. Yankees part-owner Hank Steinbrenner called the occurrence a sign indicating that the "Curse Of A Red Sox Fan's David Ortiz Jersey" had been reversed, and that God was once again on the Yankees' side.
"Any attempt to put a hex on the New York Yankees has been successfully averted," Steinbrenner told reporters while standing over the still-wet concrete slab beneath which, judging by the sluggish ripples and lopsided bubbles in the hardening agglomerate, Williams still struggled. "Not that this organization believes in curses. We're the Yankees. We believe the success of our team is based purely on our players and their on-field performance. And we act accordingly."
"However," Steinbrenner continued, "Bernie was on our last World Series team in 2000, so we figured burying him under our new home certainly couldn't hurt. Also, he was available, and his appearance fee was quite reasonable."
The burial ceremony, which delayed the completion of the stadium approximately three weeks and cost roughly $1.5 million—$1,000 of which will go to Bernie Williams' family—involved placing Williams into a six-foot-deep concrete hole directly where the tattered Red Sox jersey was found.
Dressed in his full Yankees uniform and batting helmet, and clutching an autographed ball signed by all members of Yankees' 1996 World Series team, Williams was lowered into the ground and then covered with a combination of concrete, fly ash, slag cement, and coarse aggregate consisting mostly of gravel limestone.
Though Yankees officials did not allow Williams' family to attend the burial, citing the fact they were not "true Yankees," they permitted the former centerfielder to take with him a picture of his wife and three children after Williams provided video evidence proving that all of his family members were present and cheered during the Yankees' championship run between 1996 and 2000.
"Now, we're not necessarily hoping that having him in the foundation will mean our outfielders will start throwing like Bernie, our hitters will begin hitting like him, or our faster baserunners will start running like him," Yankees first-year coach Joe Girardi said. "Most of our guys are already better than he was. We just know—and this is what I told Bernie's family—that the good deed of letting a former Yankee permanently come home will be recognized by the baseball gods and will translate into Yankee victories, which will be good for the entire human race."
Williams, who was smiling from the moment he arrived at the new stadium until his face could no longer be seen, was grateful for the opportunity.
"I would do anything to help this ballclub win another World Series," Williams shouted up to reporters while standing in rapidly filling pit. "Just to be part of this organization again in some capacity is an honor and privilege. And even though I haven't received a thank you from the Steinbrenner family, I know they are appreciative."
"This is what it means to be a lifelong Yankgluh [sic]," Williams attempted to add.
According to Yankees president Randy Levine, the organization had been discussing various ways to exorcize the curse of the buried Red Sox jersey, under which the Yankees went an "unacceptable" 4-4. Levine said that it was Hal Steinbrenner who suggested submerging a former or current player in concrete as a good luck charm.
Interoffice e-mails confirm that players who made the short list were Yogi Berra, Paul O'Neill, and current Yankee outfielder Shelley Duncan.
"Truth be told, we didn't even think of Bernie," Levine said. "But then we got a call from his agent. It took a bit of convincing on their part, but in the end it seemed like this fulfilled both of our needs."
"By giving Bernie this chance, we have once again proven why we are the classiest organization in all of sports," Levine added. "Lesser teams would have overreacted to this whole curse thing and buried Derek Jeter."
When asked if burial in the new stadium guaranteed that Williams' No. 51 would be retired in the new Monument Park, both Steinbrenners had no comment, saying only that they appreciated Mr. Williams' commitment to the team.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Open the Doors
"Are we not perhaps all afraid in some way? If we let Christ enter fully into our lives, if we open ourselves totally to Him, are we not afraid that He might take something away from us? No! If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. No! Only in this friendship do we experience beauty and liberation....When we give ourselves to Him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ – and you will find true life."
- Benedict XVI
- Benedict XVI
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Tita
I love you with all my heart. I dunno how I'm gonna hold up tonight when I see you for the first time...and you won't be breathing. I'll see what happens. I ask God to stregnthen your family and all of us as we try to live without your loud voice sticking out amongst chaos...and your spunkiness brightening up everyone's mood.
I cannot wait to see you one day again.
RIP
1/31/1962 - 3/3/2008
:'(
I cannot wait to see you one day again.
RIP
1/31/1962 - 3/3/2008
:'(
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