20060331

Red blogule to Bud Selig's National Pushtime

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig named George J. Mitchell to lead an investigation on steroids in baseball.
Even if former Senate Leader Mitchell did a nice job as the chairman of another investigation team (the Salt Lake City 2002 case for the IOC), many wonder how far he will go considering his position in the Bossox board and yet another chairmanship, that of The Walt Disney Company, owner of ESPN, owner of the MLB broadcasting rights*.
Mitchell should be under the fire of journalists, but let's not forget Selig himself.
He did a not so lousy job as a Commissioner, bringing the National Pastime back on the sports map. But at which cost ? MLB became hot again when Jose Canseco turned 40-40 seasons into a commodity, when Mark McGwire suddenly made ballparks look smaller, when Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds joined the ride, when good guys became big guys... when steroids became hot.

It took Selig too many years to start this controversial investigation. Meanwhile, the younger generations learnt what to do in order to make it into major league superstardom. Those who couldn't accept the idea of steroids turned to other competitive sports : athletics and Human Growth Hormone, business and cocain...

* ESPN will air "Bonds on Bonds" as scheduled - these 10 part series are not about Disney's value at the NYSE but about the rise and rise of Barry Bonds.

20060319

White blogule to David Gregory - Welcome to the House of Fun

NBC News' chief White House correspondent denounced Operation Swarmer in Iraq as a political show made up as a military action. 40 so-called Qaeda members were caught but released a few hours later, and witnesses doubt seriously about the violence of the offensive. I must confess I was a little bit surprised by the target (an area without any previous history of intense rebellion), the images of the Iraqi soldiers preparing for the battle (all smiles), the publicity made around the Operation and its timing. To me, this looks like vintage War Propaganda, Fallujah style*. Look how swiftly did the Red Army react, carpet bombing poor David "Stretch" Gregory with all their Weapons of Mass Disinformation and lobbying for his firing. For them, the mother of all battles since march 2003 isn't "Operation Swarmer" but "Saving Private Bush".
Just like Michael Moore, David Gregory can be a clown and his caricatural attacks can be used by the defense to turn around the proof of credibility gap. But I don't like the idea of the palace's buffoon being sacrificed as a scapegoat. The joke should remain on the Bush Administration.


* remember that old 2004 blogule "Red blogule to the bombing of Fallujah - Bombing, for image's sake - Bush is only targeting the US audience" (20040429) ?

20060316

White blogule to Sen. Feingold - Saving private eye Bush

Senator Russell D. Feingold (D-WI) eventually dropped the "I" word. Impeachment, at last !
Senator Arlen Hannibal Specter countered and The Red Machine seized the opportunity to wake its gloomy base up : hey, you ! Something to fight for, don't let your majority lose, save private eye Dubya !
A noble cause worth the fight : your beloved Duce needs you. If you want your Administration to keep insulting democracy, vote Republikan. Don't listen to these no gooders who claim being Republicans but don't support Our Dear Compassionate Leader. You want to feel the same pride as you did while crushing that flip-flopping weasel ? You want to feel like a winner again ? You want to say "Mission Accomplished" one more time, even for a day ? You want to forget you elected the worst US president in History ? Vote Amerika. And oh, impeaching Dubya would send a wrong message to the world and to our Middle East friends. Instead, we should keep broadcasting snapshots from our Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib Club Meds, where people smile happily while playing Mr Hyde and Sick.
Far away from this noise, the Bush Administration keep doing their job, and mass destruction of the independance of justice remains at the top of their agenda : they intend to teach U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema how to do justice this side of the Rio Grande. The Law shouldn't work for that Zacharias Moussaoui guy ; the people wants blood, hang'im up !

Excuse my French, there is a word for what they're doing to your country and that's "fascism". Do you want the US to confirm the choice of infamy ?
Dear Americans*, don't let this happen, spread the word around ! And don't let the Dems flunk once again : that's a grassroot thing - if you leave it up to them, you leave it to Ken Mehlman and your beautiful country is lost for good. Speak out loud !!! Remind your fellow citizens which values they used to stand for.
This time, don't you dare miss the opportunity.


* ... or at least my dear hundred daily visitors from the US ! You come from 50 states, over 700 counties, and over 1,600 cities (including Midland, TX). That's a far cry from the RNC's e-mail to 15M supporters but hey, you have to start somewhere - anywhere and everywhere...

20060311

White blogule to Dr. Wafa Sultan - moderate Muslims, at last

She comes from Syria but lives in LA.
She spoke out loud but quietly on Al Jazeera.
The kind of words I've been expecting for 5 years (and calling from this excuse of a blog for 3 years) : the key war is waged by radical muslims against moderate muslims, Middle Age vs XXIst Century. Time for moderate muslims to wake up and make themselves heard.
She's been threatened but it may be too late : media must make this kind of positions mainstream. Radicals cannot keep overflowing airtime with their hatred while they just represent a minority.

Since she dared a parallel between Jews and Muslims, she's been invited in Israel. Good point, but beware of traps, be careful not to weaken your stature within the Muslim community.

20060306

Pink blogule to Hollywood - followers at best

Ang Lee truly was the best director around. To me, it means even more than the best picture award : he won on the human side, and anyway "Brokeback Mountain" has already become an all time great.
"Crash" won't reach that level. That movie reminds me of "Boyz n the Hood" : a "sign 'o the times" flick with a clear message and an interesting twist, but a little bit too much arranged and caricatural... just like Haggis' scenario for "Million Dollar Baby". You can enjoy it on the spot (good parts, great actors) but unlike Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing", the effect doesn't last. I guess Hollywood voters* were touched by the painting of the L.A. clamors reaching almost the top of their Beverly Hill fences.
That was a nice year for indies, but Hollywood didn't go all the way for their 2006 Academy Awards. George Clooney nailed it quite well by saying Hollywood "reflect society, not truly lead it".
Hollywood was two years too late because the majors accepted a deal with the Devil : our Administration passes the laws you want, don't attack us before the elections. Last year, it was as if the majors offered more playtime to their independant arms. But come moneytime or the All Star Game, only the big names did get their chances.


* (as Jon Stewart put it) "the first time many of [which] have ever voted for a winner".

20060302

Red blogule to the imPOTUS - America vs Amerika class action lawsuit

Since nobody dares impeach the man who put the shame on his country, lied to his people, waged an illegal war, implemented illegal taping and abductions, promoted torture, replaced scientists with revisionists..., (and so on and so forth*), I suggest the good citizens of Louisiana to launch a class action lawsuit against George W. Bush.
As Michael Brown puts it, the tapes of the FEMA briefing about Katrina speak for themselves : thousands of people died and this man is guilty.
Let's not wait for the elections, nor for the Dems to wake up. The US citizens must stand up and right now. Let's call this case America vs Amerika.


* see
all previous blogules since 2003.

20060224

Red blogule to the DP World - P&O deal's Architects and winners

When Karl Rove claims total transparency and George W Bush puts his veto in the balance, something pretty vital for the Bush Administration must be under way.
We're just talking about a takeover of the P&O Group (The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company), which happens to operate all major US ports on the East Coast, New Orleans, Florida and Texas included. Some are worrying because national security is at stake and the new owner, DP World (Dubai Ports World), is wholly owned by the government of the United Arab Emirates.

As far as I'm concerned, I'm sure DP World will do as good a job as P&O - if not better. The issue lies elsewhere and quite a few questions burn my lips :
. why are the Bush Administration so eager to push the takeover, defend DP World and take as many risks in an election year ?
. what can they get in exchange for DP World's new entry points, and not only in North America (ie Asia - including Russia, India, Indonesia and China -, France, the UK, not to mention P&O Estates' 25 million ft² of property in Western countries and Australasia ?
. what role did Dave Sanborn play during his one year of service at DP World (as a Director of Operations for Europe and Latin America) to deserve a nomination by Dubya himself as MarAd (Maritime Administrator - under Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta) ?
. why was the recent replacement of Russ Peters by Helen Deeble as P&O's CEO announced by, among all the company's top guns, Sir John Parker* ?
. what promises were made by Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman of DP World and so much respected by the Haves More of the world (also Chairman of Nakheel, the owner of The Palm and The World luxury resorts) ?
. why did DP World overpay so quickly and overwhelmingly for P&O, far beyond what PSA could ever consider realistic (this Singapore-based competitor also coveted the UK operator and immediately gave up), and to the point they even had to admit by themselves the price was excessive ?
. ...
Looks like DP World's takeover of P&O was not only accepted by, but made possible by the Bush Administration. If not how, time will tell why.


* An advisor to the Defense Academy and a President of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects, Sir John has been cruising in the naval circles for ages (Carnival Corporation, National Grid Transco, P&O...), claims a few prestigious memberships or chairmanships (Court of the Bank of England, General Committee of Lloyds Register of Shipping, Lloyds Technical Committee...), but also seems to know quite a lot about lobbying in the US :
- Brambles Industries plc (support services for heavy industries),
- Babcock International Group plc (technical services and engineering, aerospace and defense, a major contractor in Afghanistan and Iraq),
- Chairman of the RMC Group plc (alias Cemex, the leader of concrete in the US)...

20060217

Red blogule to Wal-Mart's H. Lee Scott Jr. - "Can I hate you ?"

I suggest a new 10-foot rule to Wal-Mart's employees : if CEO Lee is less than 10 feet away, you're compelled to ask "can I hate you ?"

Judging by "Lee's Garage" worst of as selected by yesterday's NYT ("On Private Web Site, Wal-Mart Chief Talks Tough"), you can easily tell how this man made it to the top : his blog just reeks of the retailer's awful corporate culture ; XIXth century capitalism at its ugliest.

Everyday low, period.

20060214

White blogule to Dick Cheney - Shooting Star vs silver star

Unlike John Forbes Kerry, NRA fave Dick Cheney didn't get any silver star for his courageous behavior during the Vietnam war*.
So I'm pleased to unanimously award Richard B. Cheney a white blogule for his almost perfect shot at his hunting pal in Texas**.
This white blogule rewards Mr. Cheney's creativity and dedication to invent new reasons why he should be the most hatable, abhorrent and repulsive man in the US.
Training all day long with the toughest emulators does help. For an Administration to reach this level of ignominy, it takes more than one Architect.


* Mr. Cheney courageously supported the said war while serving the Nixon and Ford administrations, and later proved his courage by voting against the Martin Luther King, Jr day, against the creation of the Department Of Education, against the overriding of Reagan's veto (protecting South Africa from sanctions for maintaining apartheid) or against the liberation of Nelson Mandela. Even after joining the private sector, he lobbied against the US boycotts of Iran & Lybia because they didn't help the eradication of terror, nor the development of Halliburton.

** Despite 10 pellets in the torso, neck and face, 78 year old Attorney Harry Whittington shall survive and remain at the Texas Funeral Services Commission as a chairman - not a commodity.

20060204

Red blogule to New New Orleans - the bleach blitz

The Federal authorities are in no hurry to allow Louisiana citizens back to what's left of their homes : the area is enjoying a 2/3 white supremacy very much different from the 3/4 pre-Kathrina black rule. As in neighboring Texas, pro-Bush Hispanics may get their share of the cake, were this situation to last till next elections.
They'd be right to stick around : according to many wheather forecasts, greenbacks are supposed to start pouring soon over the region. I'm not sure they will land in the pockets that most deserved them.
One could recycle the tactful words the Queen of Diplomacy Condi Rice once uttered about another massive disaster, "I do agree that the tsunami was a wonderful opportunity to show not just the US government, but the heart of the American people, and I think it has paid great dividends for us".
Praise Lord Dubya and his clerical clique ; always fighting against Evil and defending the Haves and the Haves More. Let their followers enter the kingdom of whealth. O when the Saints go marchin in...
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