The good for this week-I am officially done with all the prelicensing requirements and exams. I start my new job on Monday. The bad-the Cubs lost last night to the Brewers, 6-0. The ugly-the Cubs are now 19 games under .500-and it's only JUNE. As you probably know, I'm not a fairweather fan (kind of a hard thing to be if you root for the Cubbies), but frankly, this team stinks. We are currently 12-20 at home, definitely no better on the road. The only time we can seem to pull it together is when we play the Cardinals-we stand at 7-2. This is one of the worst-looking teams in recent memory-even by Cubs standards. Let's start with the pitching. Of our 4 "best" pitchers (Zambrano, Prior, Wood, Maddux) ONE is performing well. Prior is looking rough, Wood may be done for the season, and Maddux had a month of brilliant pitching before falling apart.
The offense (or rather lack thereof) is even worse. The Cubs now lead the major leagues in number of times shut out. We strand runners on base left and right. Our "leadoff hitter" is batting .248 with a .293 OBP. Meanwhile, Nomar Garciaparra (hey, who did he used to play for? Wait, it was US...) leads the NL in BA and has an OBP of .427...It's time for some BIG changes, people.
Dusty Baker is a good place to start. I've put off saying that for a while, but it's time. Let him finish out his contract this season, and then find someone who can really lead. There is a great Chicago Sun-Times column that makes some compelling arguments on why Dusty should go. Sure, there is some fault that can be attributed to Jim Hendry and the rest of the front office, but Baker is the decision-maker on the field. Payroll has nothing to do with whether or not the players decide to show up and give it some real effort-the manager does.
So there you have it, folks. My unbridled glee for the first month or so of the season has given way to the reality that this may be the first Cubs team to drop 100 games in forty years. So, in true Cubs fashion...there's always next year.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Monday, June 19, 2006
Another Reason Kim Jong-Il Is Nuts...
It has been reported today that the North Koreans have completed fueling of a Taepodong-2 missile, which has a range of up to 3700 miles-placing the United States within striking distance. Although North Korea has not announced immediate intentions to test-fire this new weapon, the implication is certainly there. Which makes a lot of people nervous. The Japanese, in particular, have some cause for concern: in 1998 (coincidentally, the last time North Korea test-fired a long range missile), a Taepodong-1 was fired over northern Japan. If something like that happens again, the Japanese aren't inclined to take it lightly. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi promised "stern actions" if the test were to take place. More telling is his government's policy should the launch happen-if any piece of the missle falls on Japanese soil, it will be interpreted as an attack. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice today stated that it would be a "provocative act" on the part of Pyongyang.
With all that being said, my money is on a test launch happening sometime within the next few weeks. Why, you may ask? Kim Jong-Il is insane. And not in a "crazy uncle" sort of way. More of a "paranoid sociopath" sort of way. Let's look at his track record so far. He assumed power in 1994 following the death of his dictator father, Kim Il-Sung. In the time period from 1994 to 1998, North Korea experienced one of the worst famines in recent history. The actual number of deaths attributable to the famine are hard to pin down, but various estimates place them between two and three million. During that time, instead of asking the international community for help, Kim Jong-Il was content to let that many of his own people die. Everyday life there is no better. There is nothing we would associate with freedom present. All aspects of life are government-controlled. People are routinely executed for things such as "ideological divergence," according to this State Department report. Citizens also have a tendency to disappear, often finding themselves in a secret labor camp. Stop me if you've heard this before. Remind anyone else of Russia under Stalin, complete with gulags? To call Kim Jong-Il dangerous is an understatement.
The facts are the facts. He has defied the international community before. He's bought into his own cult of personality and fancies himself infallible. Everything points to this launch taking place. If that missile is test-fired, the international community must come down hard and fast. No weeks of debate by the U.N. Security Council. No strongly worded resolutions. No sanctions. Action. Kim Jong-Il with missiles that can reach the United States is far more pressing than Saddam and his conspicuously absent WMDs. I can only hope I'm wrong, and that Kim Jong-Il can see the handwriting on the wall.
With all that being said, my money is on a test launch happening sometime within the next few weeks. Why, you may ask? Kim Jong-Il is insane. And not in a "crazy uncle" sort of way. More of a "paranoid sociopath" sort of way. Let's look at his track record so far. He assumed power in 1994 following the death of his dictator father, Kim Il-Sung. In the time period from 1994 to 1998, North Korea experienced one of the worst famines in recent history. The actual number of deaths attributable to the famine are hard to pin down, but various estimates place them between two and three million. During that time, instead of asking the international community for help, Kim Jong-Il was content to let that many of his own people die. Everyday life there is no better. There is nothing we would associate with freedom present. All aspects of life are government-controlled. People are routinely executed for things such as "ideological divergence," according to this State Department report. Citizens also have a tendency to disappear, often finding themselves in a secret labor camp. Stop me if you've heard this before. Remind anyone else of Russia under Stalin, complete with gulags? To call Kim Jong-Il dangerous is an understatement.
The facts are the facts. He has defied the international community before. He's bought into his own cult of personality and fancies himself infallible. Everything points to this launch taking place. If that missile is test-fired, the international community must come down hard and fast. No weeks of debate by the U.N. Security Council. No strongly worded resolutions. No sanctions. Action. Kim Jong-Il with missiles that can reach the United States is far more pressing than Saddam and his conspicuously absent WMDs. I can only hope I'm wrong, and that Kim Jong-Il can see the handwriting on the wall.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
The continued misadventures of "W."
I don't really know what to say about this one, other than "wow." In case you weren't paying attention today, the President gave a press conference this morning. Of course, there were the usual questions on Iraq, the economy, and the upcoming elections. What will most be remembered from today, more than likely, is the following exchange:
THE PRESIDENT:
Yes, Peter. Are you going to ask that question with shades on?
Q I can take them off.
THE PRESIDENT: I'm interested in the shade look, seriously.
Q All right, I'll keep it, then.
THE PRESIDENT: For the viewers, there's no sun. (Laughter.)
Q I guess it depends on your perspective. (Laughter.)
Looks innocent enough. Until I point out one more thing. The reporter is Peter Wallsten, of the Los Angeles Times. Wallsten has a degenerative condition that has left him legally blind, which in no way makes that comment awkward... For those of you so inclined, here's a link to the video.
Granted, the President apparently wasn't aware of the reporter's condition and later issued an apology. That being said, I have to confess that I found it hilarious. In that "I'm going to hell for laughing at this" sort of way. Further proof that only with "W" can this stuff happen...truth really is stranger than fiction sometimes.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Ding, dong, Al-Zarqawi's dead...
And I couldn't be happier about it. Anyone who knows me realizes that I've never been what you'd call a fan of the Iraq war, but this counts as some real progress in my book. Not only will this (hopefully) reduce the insurgency there, it is a tangible victory in the battle of us vs. Al Qaeda.
That being said, we still have a long road ahead of us. The insurgents in Iraq are not going to disappear overnight, even with him out of the picture. CNN's Jeff Greenfield quotes an unnamed Jordanian intelligence officer who had earlier said, "if Zarqawi is captured or killed tomorrow, the Iraqi insurgency will go on." Even though that's not an assessment I particularly like, it's one that I tend to agree with. The real question here is how the insurgency will respond. Will Zarqawi's death provoke heightened fanaticism and an increased wave of violence? Or will this help to crush their morale?
Regardless of what may happen, I can say two things with certainty. First, Al-Qaeda has lost an important leader. Second, the world is a better place without him. This was a man who was directly and indirectly responsible for the killings of countless innocent men, women, and children. He plotted with saboteurs and homicide bombers. I don't use the word "suicide" here because that implies the intent to kill only oneself. These bombers want to kill as many others as they can, because the twisted brand of Islam they learned from Zarqawi and others like him tells them that they will receive a reward in heaven. Despite what the radical Islamists might say, he is not a martyr, nor are any of the others like him. I think that Paul Bigley, whose brother, Kenneth, was beheaded by Zarqawi, put it best: "...he can rot in hell, because that's where he is. He's not in paradise, that's for sure." Paul and the families of all Zarqawi's victims can take comfort in that. Matter of fact, I think I can, too.
That being said, we still have a long road ahead of us. The insurgents in Iraq are not going to disappear overnight, even with him out of the picture. CNN's Jeff Greenfield quotes an unnamed Jordanian intelligence officer who had earlier said, "if Zarqawi is captured or killed tomorrow, the Iraqi insurgency will go on." Even though that's not an assessment I particularly like, it's one that I tend to agree with. The real question here is how the insurgency will respond. Will Zarqawi's death provoke heightened fanaticism and an increased wave of violence? Or will this help to crush their morale?
Regardless of what may happen, I can say two things with certainty. First, Al-Qaeda has lost an important leader. Second, the world is a better place without him. This was a man who was directly and indirectly responsible for the killings of countless innocent men, women, and children. He plotted with saboteurs and homicide bombers. I don't use the word "suicide" here because that implies the intent to kill only oneself. These bombers want to kill as many others as they can, because the twisted brand of Islam they learned from Zarqawi and others like him tells them that they will receive a reward in heaven. Despite what the radical Islamists might say, he is not a martyr, nor are any of the others like him. I think that Paul Bigley, whose brother, Kenneth, was beheaded by Zarqawi, put it best: "...he can rot in hell, because that's where he is. He's not in paradise, that's for sure." Paul and the families of all Zarqawi's victims can take comfort in that. Matter of fact, I think I can, too.
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