FlaSoxxJim

That is the FRC I was referring to ('sinister toilet training for Christian hatemongers'), and I assume it is teh group Brando was speaking of as well. If, on the other hand, he was getting all bunged up over Field Reversed Configuration, I'll beg to differ. In my book there's nothing wrong with an elongated plasma-ellipsoid conducting an azimuthal current to reverse the direction of externally applied magnetic fields. But that's just me. On the FRC subject… you won’t find a bigger backer of the importance of family than I. But Dan Quayle pretty much ensured that “family values” would fully become code words for a lot of intolerant Christian conservatism ideology. Quayle, FRC, and similar groups insist that faith in God is a prerequisite for having family values. I find that distasteful and know it to be untrue, elitist, and self-serving. Science and humor writer and Susan McCarthy has noted that these blueprints for family values typically include nothing about actual kindness, nothing about tolerance, nothing about not burning others at the stake for holding different viewpoints.

The people that run and buy into FRC are certainly frightening enough. But I don't see their policies as much more than a sinister toilet training manuel for Christian hatemongers. The problem with the powers behind PNAC are exactly that -- these jokers have frighteningly real power. Cheney, Wolfowitz, Rummy, Zalmay Khalilzad... it doesn't get much heavier than that. Throw in I. Lewis Libby, Steve Forbes, Jeb Bush, Neocon "Godfather" William Kristol, and others, and you have a group of very dangerous people who are on record as wanting to bring about their vision for a "unipolar world" (Pax Americana, American Empire, etc...). The fact that, well before 9-11, the Project directors slavered over the possibility that a 9-11 type event might occur that would speed up their planned transformation of the world should keep sane people awake at night. Folks who would rather not think about such things (our leaders couldn't possible be bad people, could they?) are usually quick to dismiss these concerns as some left-wing lunacy, but these guys have signed and published their vision for all to see. For anyone who wants to get it from the horse's mouth here's the link to a pdf download of "Rebuilding America's Defenses -- Strategy, Forces, and Resources for a New Century" (Project for the New American Century, September 2000). This is the "book" Apu referenced earlier, or at least the most recent incarnation of ideas the boys have been kicking around in published form since at least 1992. Here's a juicy part from page 51 "...the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event – like a new Pearl Harbor. " File that in the 'be careful what you wish for' category. The Bush Doctrine of preemptive attack is right there in the road map. There was a need to justify it in whatever way possible/convenient - WMDs, liberating an oppressed people, national security, whatever sells - but this war has been on the to do list for a long time and not for the sake of the Iraqi people.

I would love to add Nelson to the pen. Odd that there hasn't been much talk surrounding him if the Yanks hadn't clearly stated their intentions to bring him back.

Welcome to the New American Century. WMD has nothing on PNAC in terms of striking fear in my heart.

One would also question why that same rookie manager has yet to even talk to Frank even (though he presumably had the chance to do so face to face last month in Vegas), and is already spouting off to the media moving him down in the lineup without even meeting with him. I know it usually blows up in Frank's face when he tries to talk to the media, but I'd sure like to hear him comment on all this, confirm or deny the alleged trade demand, etc. People wanted some off-season excitement - here it comes.

Dooda-dit-dooda, Dooda-dit-dooda! Everybody sing along... Brandy wears a braided chain Made of finest silver from the North of Spain A locket that bears the name Of the man that Brandy loves

Here's a quick AP rundown of the Iraqi Tribunal, which was just OK'd this week and details are still to be worked out. Apparently still unclear was whether the death penalty would be an option for those tried. I guess the US couldn't exactly sign an International Tribunal since it violated the Nurenburg Charter and UN law with the initiation of a preemptive war.

Wow, Well Done! Better late than never.

Not on any official team sites or Rotoworld, but ESPN made it sound like a done deal yesterday.

I was at Tropicana for that miserable game, and I still can't see straight when I think about it. The momentum of the entire team disappeared with a swing of the bat from freaking Carl Crawford of all people. Making it worse was the smug satisfaction my Florida-born wife threw in my face afterward.

Jones to AZ for Mantei.

The ol' Human Piñata, huh? Reminds me of the Jack Handy rumination, "If I ever fell off a skyscraper I think I would go limp and try to look like a dummy because someone on the ground might try to catch me because, hey, free dummy."

For most teams wh make the playoffs I believe that -- anything can happen in a short series. The Sox seem to be the exception to the rule, however, and beat themselves in the first round regardless of who they are playing or how good they played in the regular season. I don't know the way to fix it, I just know this team has yet to rise to the occasion in playoff competition since 1983. No, make that since Game 1 of the '59 WS. Still, we gotta get there first.

If you mean a 'descent' hitter as in one who hits alright in AAA but whose batting average descends in the majors, the Borchard's your guy. If you meant 'decent' hitter, then I don't think that can be applied to Borchard yet. I'm also in the camp that wants nothing to do with a trade involving waste of space Weaver. Welcome aboard, btw.

"Do they still play the blues in Chicago when baseball season rolls around? When the snow melts away do the Cubbies still play in their ivy-covered burial mound?"

No.

You can't get crawfish from Patout's or a Hurricaine at Pat O'Briens by cell phone.

I'm frustrated at what the team has lost, but I don't expect a fix by the end oof the winter meetings. Whe signed Colon in January last year. We didn't announce the Lofton signing the year before until the Saturday of SoxFest. The Wells and Ritchie deals were all completed after the winter meetings. That said, if we go to ST with anything resembling the half-team we have now, I'll be ticked.

Back... and to the left... back... and to the left....

Big F***ing deal! Did you ever sell a hot dog to Casey Kasem?? I thought not.

You are correct about the supply of currently tapped sources running out. 50 years, give or take a decade, and depending on how well we pursue alternative fuels. The oil will likely disappear before the world's dependency on it does. We'd certainly be farther along on the road toward realistic alternatives if the major energy interests of today were not engaged in the difficult juggling act of trying to keep us hooked exclusively on oil today, trying to stifle the emergence of real altternatives today, and jockying into position to be the sole purveyors of thos alternatives down the line when the oil does dry up. I understand the motive of corporate self-preservation, and I expect most of the western world's key players in today's energy economy will also be the key players in tomorrow's energy economy. I just wish they would get on with it already, let the new technologies develop, fund them like crazy, and do their best to profit from them (somebody has to). As far as OPEC looking for an international bailout, I don't know much about it but I don't think the world ever promised eternal oil-dependency to the oil-producing nations. And you're right, those countries had better save up now. The world doesn't come in and provide subsidies to US industries when they can't compete on the world market, we do. I expect it would be the same in the case of the OPEC nations. I actually think that OPEC has been urged to raise a stink by us and other anti-Kyoto nations at a pivotal point in the ratification process to help ensure ratification does not happen. Like I have said before, I think International pressure through WTO actions against anti-Kyoto member nations will become important sources of pressure. Encouragingly, the Inuit nations have begun to explore another novel pressure avenue. They are looking into the possibility of claiming that nations contributing to climate change/global warming are guilty of human rights violations. Once the Pacific Island nations most endangered by sea-level rise sart to pursue similar paths, the US has to worry about potentially b eing labelled as a human rights violator if we don't pursue clean energy strategies.

That's a really great one-liner, Tex (Fair warning, I'll probably steal it). Sounds like a rough ordeal to go through though. For us, the couch used to be a place of self-exile where we would go on our own if it at times was better than the alternative of sleeping uncomfortably in the same bed. Curiously, I seemed to make the move a lot more than my wife, so maybe she was telling me without actually telling me. Now, we either have one or both of our little ones crawling into the bed with us, so If I'm getting crowded out I'll regularly end up on the couch or in one of the kids beds just to get some sleep.

Hopefully it'll happen. That's one Sox Killer I'd like not to have to face 19 times a season. Who'd close for AZ, Valverde?

Tony G is the one FA we apparently couldn't do anything about, he's looking for more playing time. There's not a better, more versatile utility guy around though, and that's a heck of a lot rarer than ane average everyday player, which is what he'd be. I miss him already.

Yse it was. Good find, thanks for sharing.