Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Charles Douglas Langford

Charles Douglas Langford was born on December 9, 1922, in Montgomery, Alabama.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from Tennessee State University and a law degree from the Catholic University.
A civil rights lawyer whose best-known client was Rosa Parks.
Charles Langford died on February 11 at the age of 84.
Mr. Langford was prominent Alabama Democrat, serving five terms in the State Senate and before that in the State House of Representatives. He retired in 2002.
Fred Gray and Charles Langford represented Mrs. Parks after she her arrest on December 1, 1955. The arrest was for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus in Montgomery. At that time, Gray and Langford were the only two black lawyers in Montgomery.
In response the the arrest, blacks boycotted city buses for more than a year, as legal challenges to Jim Crow laws in Montgomery were started. Another ruling on November 13, 1956, Browder v. Gayle, the United States Supreme Court affirmed a district court’s ruling outlawing segregation on the city buses.
Mr. Langford’s also represented Arlam Carr, whose suit in 1964 desegregated Montgomery public schools.
In 1993, representing a group of black legislators, Mr. Langford helped end the flying of a Confederate battle flag over the State Capitol in Alabama.

Chicken Legs

Thanks to PJMS!

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

2007 Baseball Hall of Fame Revisited

The elections were announced on January 10th and the results were hardly surprising.

Elected:
Cal Ripken Jr. 537 (98.5 percent) 8 voters did not agree
Tony Gwynn 532 (97.6) 13 voters did not agree

Not elected:
Rich Gossage 388 (71.2) , close, I predicted YES and it should happen
Jim Rice 346 (63.5) , I predicted YES and it should happen
Andre Dawson 309 (56.7) , I predicted YES and it should happen
Bert Blyleven 260 (47.7) , do not understand the voters, not HoF material
Lee Smith 217 (39.8) , I predicted YES have some doubt
Jack Morris 202 (37.1)
Mark McGwire 128 (23.5) , cheaters should not be allowed in
Tommy John 125 (22.9)
Steve Garvey 115 (21.1)
Dave Concepcion 74 (13.6)
Alan Trammell 73 (13.4)
Dave Parker 62 (11.4)
Don Mattingly 54 (9.9)
Dale Murphy 50 (9.2)
Harold Baines 29 (5.3)

Received less than 27 votes (less than 5 percent) and no longer eligible for election:
Orel Hershiser
Albert Belle , tough shit Joey
Paul O'Neill
Bret Saberhagen
Jose Canseco
Tony Fernandez , cheaters not allowed
Dante Bichette , don't the Red Sox have open tryouts for fat bastards?
Eric Davis
Bobby Bonilla
Ken Caminiti , 2 writers voted for this self-acknowledged cheater
Jay Buhner
Scott Brosius , rightfully, here and below received NO votes
Wally Joyner
Devon White
Bobby Witt

Monday, February 19, 2007

Otis Lee Crenshaw



Name: Otis Lee Crenshaw
AKA: Rich Hall
Born: 1954 in Waxhaw, NC
Occupation: Writer and comedic country music singer
Experience: Fridays, Saturday Night Live, Not Necessarily the News
Otis has become very popular in the UK, an English version of France's Jerry Lewis.

McCain Avoids His Own Rules

John McCain with Democrat Russ Fiengold designed a bill that was intended to control the manner in which campaigns for public office are financed. The bill became what is popularly known for its authors "McCain-Feingold/Shays-Meehan" officially bill H.R. 2356.
Just before assured passage, the Senator made his case to the president:
"Mr. President, I am grateful to my colleagues and the many, many people who have brought us to this point. This legislation will provide much needed reform of our federal election campaign laws. With the stroke of the President's pen, we will eliminate hundreds of millions of dollars of unregulated soft money that has caused Americans to question the integrity of their elected representatives. This is a good bill, it is a legally sound bill, and it is a fair bill that benefits neither party, but that profits our political system and that will, I hope, help to restore the public's faith in government. "

There was a much more, the bill passed 60-40.

Now it would appear that Senator McCain's attack on free speech has come full circle. Now has elected to forgo financing and spending limits established by his own creation. This will give him the freedom to collect the "soft money" needed to finance a presidential race. The DNC has much to say on this topic.
McCain's campaign "is still studying whether to forgo the public financing and spending limits" and have said that he "will not behandicapped by restrictions his competitors will not face in 2008."

The choice seems to be a pragmatic one, if not an insight on the man.

Speak the Truth

John Howard, Australian Prime Minister, has no trouble speaking his mind. When asked about Barack Obama's plan for withdraw by March 31, 2008, Howard made the statement:
"If I were running al-Qa'ida in Iraq, I would put a circle around March 2008 and pray as many times as possible for a victory not only for Obama, but also for the Democrats."

When criticized by America media for meddling, PM Howard affirmed his position by:

"If I hear a policy being advocated that is contrary to Australia's security interests, I will criticise it."

Thank you sir.

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Chris Mathews, Class of the Democratic Party

On the Imus morning show, Wednesday the 7th, Chris Mathews had this to say:

...and I'm so sick of Southern guys with ranches running this country. I want a guy to run for president—-that doesn't have a f**king, I'm sorry…a ranch…

This was part of a discussion about Rudy G and his attractiveness as a big city politician.

Offensive on many levels.

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Electric Lunch - Beatles

Forty-three years ago today the Beatles arrived at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, beginning their first American tour.

Monday, February 5, 2007

Tony Dungy

I am not inclined toward glorifying any sportsmen, but this man deserves acknowledgement.
Mr. Dungy, now the first black man to coach a Super Bowl winner is religious, contemplative, organized and sucessful.

Friday, February 2, 2007

F-15 Eagle


What military aircraft are you?

F-15 Eagle

You are an F-15. Your record in combat is spotless; you've never been defeated. You possess good looks, but are not flashy about it. You prefer to let your reputation do the talking. You are fast, agile, and loud, but reaching the end of your stardom.

Personality Test Results

Click Here to Take This Quiz
Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

Black History Month

Started yesterday. How many times do I have to read or hear about the hundreds of products GW Carver derived from the peanut?

Quisling

On this day in 1942, Vidkun Quisling, a collaborator with the German occupiers of Norway, was installed as prime minister of a puppet government.

Thus the term we so often see applied to politicians.

Wikipedia says:
In contemporary usage, "Quisling" is synonymous with "traitor", and particularly applied to politicians who appear to favour the interests of other nations or cultures over their own.