Turnarounds

I have never been one to watch college football. It has never been all that big a deal to me. I have been a professional football fan ever since my then brother-in-law got me hooked on watching the only professional football team in New York State, the Buffalo Bills. (The Jets and the Giants, despite their names, actually play in New Jersey. My Grandparent's graves happen to overlook the Meadowlands where those teams play, but that is another story).

So, my brother in law got me hooked on watching the Bills when poor Joe Ferguson was the quarterback. I use the term, "poor" for a reason. The man put up enormous statistics, but had the misfortune of not having a winning team. He should have been in the Hall of Fame, but had very bad luck. So I became a Bills fan when they were having 2 and 14 seasons. But then, one day, Jim said I had to watch a college game with him on television. He had heard really, really good things about the quarterback, a guy named Doug Flutie. It was Flutie's last game playing for Boston College against Miami. And it was one of the greatest games in college football history.

Doug Flutie made a last second, hail Mary pass and won the game.

A few years later, watching the Bills play out a season that would end at the Superbowl, Jim Kelly got hurt late in the season. The backup, Frank Reich, stepped in. In the playoff game against the Houston Oilers. The first half of the game was basically all Oilers and they were kicking the Bills all over the field. At half time the score was Oilers 35, Bills 6. It looked over. When the Bills came out of the locker room after halftime, however, something had changed. And Frank Reich went on into history.

Frank Reich beat heck out of the Oilers and ran up a score of 35 to 3 in the second half alone to beat the Oilers 41-38. It is the greatest comeback in NFL history. (I lived outside of the blackout zone and was able to watch the game. I did not tape the game, however. I could have made gobs of cash if I had - people wanted to see that game so badly!)

Things can turn around in a hurry, can't they?

Just saying. I have no idea how Tuesday will turn out. But things can turn around when they look hopeless.

Major News

According to this article, the latest Pew Research poll confirms that this election just made a very, very sharp break toward the Republicans. I cannot access Pew right now - the server appears to be down. This is enormous news and shows an even harder swerve toward the Republicans than the Washington Post/ABC News poll did.

Republicans were posting higher marks among likely voters on the question of which party should control the House, a shift one poll attributed to the GOP making gains among independent voters and party faithful becoming more engaged. The independent Pew Research Center found that Democrats now have a four-point edge over Republicans, narrower than the 11-point advantage two weeks ago.

This is why this one is a roller coaster. This is now two major polls showing a hard break to the Republicans. If I were John Kerry, I'd be thinking Brazil right now. Because if the Dems lose, it would be best not to be in this country. The (Ittakesa) villagers will have pitchforks. And torches.

UPDATE: Pew is back on line. It's a very big deal. 

See AJ Strata, Crawford's List, The New Editor,

UPDATE: Hotline: It may very well have been Kerry that puts the Republicans over the top. Book that ticket, Hat Boy.

"There also are some indications that Sen. John Kerry’s “botched joke” about the war Iraq may have had a modest impact on the race. Fully 84% of voters say they have heard a lot or a little about Kerry’s remarks – with 60% saying they have heard a lot. By comparison, just 26% say they have heard a lot about President Bush’s statement that he will keep Donald Rumsfeld as secretary of Defense until he leaves office in 2009."

This big a swing isn't a modest impact. This may be the deal breaker. Bigtime.

UPDATE: Thanks to Captain Ed for the link. If you've followed his link over, please do take a look around.

Last Chance To Not Be Another Cuba

There was a huge - and I mean huge - march of the political opposition for (T)Hugo Chavez in Caracas. This march was twelve mile long. If the election is fair (doubtful, unfortunately) then Chavez might well lose his job. Given Chavez's propensity to threaten violence or economic ruin to people who don't support him, this is not likely to be a fair election, especially if Jimmy Carter endorses it.

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of people on Saturday marched in Caracas to support opposition presidential candidate Manuel Rosales, whose populist campaign has focused on reducing crime and redistributing oil wealth.

Rosales, governor of the oil-rich Zulia state, trails leftist President Hugo Chavez by around 20 percentage points in most private polls ahead of the December 3 election.

Chavez is a close ally of Cuba and fiercely opposes the Bush administration even though Venezuela provides around 12 percent of U.S. oil imports.

Opposition sympathizers donning Venezuela's signature red, yellow and blue patriotic colors joined the march, which spanned some 12 miles across most of the capital city.

"Rosales is our last hope to prevent this country from becoming another Cuba," said 53-year-old engineer Antonio Romero, who marched with his family carrying Venezuelan flags.

Rosales promises to end Chavez's confrontation with the Bush administration, redistribute bountiful oil revenues and reduce soaring crime rates throughout Venezuela.

Opposition leaders also accuse the Chavez government of drawing up blacklists to intimidate voters and requiring public employees to join pro-Chavez campaign activities.

"Enough of being afraid in this country," said Angela Barrera, 28, a graphic designer whose face was painted with the colors of the Venezuelan flag. "On December 3, what will be heard is the voice of the people who want a future."

A video released this week showed the nation's top energy official saying the government should not employ oil workers opposed to Chavez — statements Chavez himself later backed despite intense criticism.  

When you hear people in this country talk - endlessly - about how awful our government and the administration is, it might be a good idea to look at what is happening in Venezuela. This thug is an object of admiration for the left. Do we as a nation really want to go there? I won't. About the only thing Americans can do is to stop buying CITGO gasoline. Now I am well aware that that hurts the independent retailers - but they should switch to another supplier, I think. Let the money go to someone other than (T)Hugo.

Oaxaca Still Chaotic

Leftists again took to the streets and marched in protest against the Mexican forces trying to restore order in the embattled city. At this point, there is probably very little popular support for these people, but they continue to hold the city hostage.

Masked police officers clutching automatic weapons watched the protesters from rooftops as they marched to a plaza about a block away from the encampments, yelling "Get out federal police!"

The leaders then formed a human chain to keep the crowd of 20,000 from confronting police, but about 400 people broke through and attacked the officers with stones and bottles. The forces raised their shields to protect themselves but did not use tear gas or fire their weapons.

A radio station at Oaxaca's university, where the leftists had set up their base earlier this week, reported that gunmen had fired at some protesters near the university earlier Sunday, injuring a 21-year old student who was taken to a public hospital.

The hospital confirmed a student had been brought in with a bullet wound. There was no immediate government reaction to the report.

About 4,000 federal police swooped into the city on Oct. 29 to restore order following a five-month protest that had rattled President Vicente Fox's administration, scared tourists out of Oaxaca and left at least nine people dead, mostly protesters shot by armed gangs.

After being chased out of the city center, the demonstrators moved to the university. Police surrounded the campus last week and battled hundreds of protesters armed with gasoline bombs, stones and fireworks stuffed with glass and nails, leaving more than 30 people injured.

The average people in Oaxaca just want their city back. Mark in Mexico has a lot of photos showing the people trying to clean the place back up. Now the leftists have undone a lot of those efforts. He also has a lot of other photos of the situation there right now.

Worst Endorsement Ever

This is possibly the funniest thing I have read in this entire election cycle. This is absolutely the most powerful damnation by extremely faint praise I have ever read. John Murtha got the "endorsement" of the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat. But I bet he wishes he didn't.

While we endorse the local congressman in his re-election bid, we fear the spending spree that might result from a shift in power, especially as President Bush attempts to carve out a positive legacy in the final two years of his second term. Our endorsement of Murtha over Republican challenger Diana Irey is done for some reasons that might surprise our readers, and comes with some words of caution for the longtime lawmaker …

Murtha did predict that Bush would be willing to do some dealing during his final two years, especially if the House shifts from Republican to Democratic control. Quite simply, that means spending more money at a time when our federal debt is soaring out of sight.

We urge the congressman, if re-elected, to push for reduced rather than increased spending - even if it means some of the "pork" local folks have come to love is not available. After all, why should we get excited about Murtha bringing our own money back to this area? We'd rather keep it and spend it as we see fit.

We would also urge Murtha to sit down with area veterans who clearly have different views on the Iraq conflict than he does.

We are frightened by Murtha's willingness to align himself with California Democrat Nancy Pelosi. Clearly, Murtha is hoping that relationship paves the way for his ascension to a position of higher power in the House. But we don't believe our region's values match well with Pelosi's, and we don't see much good coming for the 12th district — even if the relationship benefits the congressman.

Beyond that, Murtha has endeared himself to liberals on both coasts — raising money for his allies in California, New England and elsewhere. We hope he can keep these "friends" and their spending ways in check if the Democrats retake the House.

We are somewhat impressed with Irey, who presents herself as a thoughtful and articulate candidate. She has some ideas that we're interested in, including reducing federal spending.

That's the all-time worst endorsement ever I suspect. Support Diana Irey!

How To Vote

No, I am not telling people who to vote for. This is about how to go about it if you have trouble at the polls. The important thing is that it both a right and a duty for citizens of this country to vote in an election. People have died to secure that right for you. If you are legally entitled to vote in this nation, you should. (If you are not entitled or are trying to commit fraud, you should be jailed, but that is another discussion). But if you have any difficulties here are a few things you should know:

_KNOW YOUR PRECINCT, YOUR BALLOT AND YOUR MACHINE.

One of the easiest ways to be turned away on Election Day is to show up at the wrong precinct. Many local election administrators have Web sites on which polling places can be found. Independent Web sites such as http://canivote.org/ have state-by-state interactives linking a voter's address and polling site. Often, county Web sites also post ballots online, along with instructions for using the kind of voting machine in your precinct.

_BRING MORE THAN ONE KIND OF IDENTIFICATION.

In recent weeks, a confusing array of court decisions has struck down or let stand strict rules for voter ID. In Missouri, for example, a judge overturned a government-issued photo identification requirement, prompting some election officials to worry about confusion among poll workers about what is required to vote. If you don't have a driver's license or passport, bringing recent utility bills showing your name and address, as well as a voter registration card, may help streamline ID questions.

_WAIT! DON'T PUSH THAT BUTTON.

If you're using a touch-screen machine, make sure you take extra time to thoroughly review your choices. "When you get to the point where you're ready to cast your ballot, make sure you read the review screen slowly," says Doug Lewis, executive director of The Election Center, a national association of election officials. "Because once you press that 'cast ballot' button, there's not a human being on the planet who can help you get that back." In the 2004 election, some voters claimed touch-screen machines converted their choice to the wrong candidate. Without a paper receipt, such claims are difficult to prove. Less than 50 percent of states have paper-receipt equipment.

_YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO A PROVISIONAL BALLOT.

If your name does not appear on the polling site's registration list, or there are other questions about the validity of your registration, you have the right to cast a so-called provisional ballot. Introduced nationwide in the 2004 election, provisional ballots are designed to prevent wrongful disenfranchisement. In 2000, at least 1.5 million voters were turned away because of questions about their registration, according to estimates from civil rights groups. To cast a provisional ballot, you must fill out a form at the polling site, listing your name, address and party affiliation. Your sealed ballot is placed inside the form. If officials find you are indeed registered to vote, your sealed ballot goes into the voting box. If you're not registered, election officials use your information to register you for the next election.

_IF IN DOUBT, ASK A POLL WORKER.

Having a problem with a machine? Don't understand the ballot? Need help in pulling a cumbersome lever? Ask a poll worker. They are ostensibly trained to operate all equipment, and to help a citizen vote. That means pulling the lever, or marking the ballot of anyone too frail or in need of assistance. But sometimes even the poll workers don't know how to operate the newest machines, and sometimes they don't show up to work on time, as was seen Baltimore in the September primary. Still, it is best to ask a poll worker rather than one of the partisan poll watchers who have descended on precincts in recent elections to monitor voters — sometimes injecting themselves into questions that arise at polling places, according to election officials.

"In a lot of cases, they're interpreting it the way they want to interpret it," Lewis said. "And they're wrong." Also, voters sometimes are just too shy about holding up the line, or appearing uneducated, to ask a poll worker for help.

"People get there, and they think 'I'm a bad citizen. I shouldn't ask a question, I should know this,'" said Doug Chapin of the nonpartisan group electionline.org. "It's not unusual for things not to go 100 percent right during an election and it's perfectly OK to ask for help. That's what poll workers are there for."

So get out there and cast your ballot. Do not dishonor those who paid with their lives to give you that right.

Fraud Writ Large

I did not comment on this when it came out, but it needs to be spread far and wide. Vanity Fair issued a press release saying that a lot of "Neocon" Iraq war supporters now were against the war. The left blogosphere went totally off the wall on that. There was much celebrating and virtual high-fives all around about that press release.

AND THE PRESS RELEASE IS A COMPLETE LIE.

Ed Morrisey is the one who linked this, so here's part of his take on it:

The article has much more, especially in conveying a sense of betrayal and abandonment of ethics at Vanity Fair. All of them had been told that their interviews would not be published until January, and more than one of them said they raised their concerns about their words being taken out of context before agreeing to the interview. Vanity Fair, it seems, has much more interest in partisan politics than in honest analysis and journalism — which is hardly surprising, given the track record to which Michael Ledeen alludes.

The attempts to skew the election will come back to haunt the media.

Me(di)a Culpa?

Bruce Kesler at Democracy Project has an interesting roundup of several media outlets suddenly acting almost contrite for their slanted and one-sided news coverage on this election to date. Is it because they realize it may not be quite the lock they have been predicting?

Perhaps embarrassed by allowing themselves to be so used by Democrat smear operatives, and so many among the MSM actively collaborating, pre-election mea culpas are appearing in some MSM quarters. Or, perhaps, with their Dem sweep less probable, they are just coweringly covering their bets (and butts) a bit.

The George Soros-financed CREW organization has effectively focused particularly on spreading unproven allegations and ancient nitpicks, to be headlined against Republican candidates. The Arizona Republic’s article, “Inquiry on Renzi: Real deal or campaign trickery?” described how such attacks work:

The scenario is a familiar one to state and federal prosecutors during election season:

As the day for casting ballots draws near, a political operative files a complaint alleging criminal misconduct by the opposing candidate. Investigators, with a responsibility to determine whether the allegations have merit, open an inquiry.

The operative then tips off journalists that the candidate is the target of a criminal inquiry.

And, finally, reporters find a law enforcement official, usually anonymous, who confirms that the candidate is under investigation.

However, as the Arizona Republic article points out,

A Justice Department official in Washington, D.C., confirmed a "preliminary inquiry" of allegations about Renzi. The official also cautioned Wednesday that initial media reports contained significant inaccuracies. The official said the Justice Department contacted at least two newspapers Wednesday about "chunks of stuff in their stories that's wrong."

But, the political damage is done, as smear artists intended.

There are other examples from the New York Times and the Washington Post. Even though I have always maintained the position that I am of two minds about the possible outcomes of this election on a political basis, I would like to see the Republicans win if only for one reason. The mainstream media credibility would virtually cease to exist in a flash and they would have to clean up their collective act. That alone would be worth it.

An Inconvenient Voice

Christopher Monckton writes an article in the Sunday Telegraph that will surely get a mob with pitchforks and torches forming up near his house. Because he simply tears apart much of the UN data that is used to justify the global warming hysteria that is spreading all over the planet.

In 1988, James Hansen, a climatologist, told the US Congress that temperature would rise 0.3C by the end of the century (it rose 0.1C), and that sea level would rise several feet (no, one inch). The UN set up a transnational bureaucracy, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The UK taxpayer unwittingly meets the entire cost of its scientific team, which, in 2001, produced the Third Assessment Report, a Bible-length document presenting apocalyptic conclusions well beyond previous reports.

This week, I'll show how the UN undervalued the sun's effects on historical and contemporary climate, slashed the natural greenhouse effect, overstated the past century's temperature increase, repealed a fundamental law of physics and tripled the man-made greenhouse effect.

Next week, I'll demonstrate the atrocious economic, political and environmental cost of the high-tax, zero-freedom, bureaucratic centralism implicit in Stern's report; I'll compare the global-warming scare with previous sci-fi alarums; and I'll show how the environmentalists' "precautionary principle" (get the state to interfere now, just in case) is killing people.

So to the scare. First, the UN implies that carbon dioxide ended the last four ice ages. It displays two 450,000-year graphs: a sawtooth curve of temperature and a sawtooth of airborne CO2 that's scaled to look similar. Usually, similar curves are superimposed for comparison. The UN didn't do that. If it had, the truth would have shown: the changes in temperature preceded the changes in CO2 levels.

Next, the UN abolished the medieval warm period (the global warming at the end of the First Millennium AD). In 1995, David Deming, a geoscientist at the University of Oklahoma, had written an article reconstructing 150 years of North American temperatures from borehole data. He later wrote: "With the publication of the article in Science, I gained significant credibility in the community of scientists working on climate change. They thought I was one of them, someone who would pervert science in the service of social and political causes. One of them let his guard down. A major person working in the area of climate change and global warming sent me an astonishing email that said: 'We have to get rid of the Medieval Warm Period.' "

The entire piece is well researched and should be read. The supporting data is included in a pdf file. Monckton postulates that what is happening here is an attempt to force a world government under the guise of controlling global warming. He's quite probably right, too. 

Dead Deer Stabs Man

Texas appears to have an outbreak of zombie deer. A man hit a buck with his pickup truck. When he got out to check the damage and clear the wreckage of the dead deer off the road, he was stabbed in the side by the deer.

RATCLIFF, Texas - A freak accident left a man hospitalized on Friday after he was apparently stabbed by antlers. Authorities say Paul Nash, 45, and girlfriend Gayla File were driving on Highway Seven from Ratcliff when they hit a deer.

File called 911 as Nash got out of their pickup to check the vehicle's damaged headlight and clear debris from the roadway.

Officials believe another vehicle came along and hit the dead animal or part of the mangled remains. The antlers apparently flew up and stabbed Nash in the side.

An official at East Texas Medical Center in Tyler said Nash is in fair condition in the intensive care unit.

Oh, sure. Blame it on another vehicle. One that conveniently disappeared. The authorities are just hushing the truth up! Those of us who have been following the animal uprising know all about the zombie problem. It's not like this is the first incident. Just wait until the dead armadillo legion shows up. Texas will be in real trouble - there's bazillions of those things!

Politically Inept, Politically Dead

Newsweek declares John "Broken Hat" Kerry politically dead. Following close on the heels of the Associated Press and its story that pretty well discounted Kerry's non-apology, this indicates the media will not help him at all if he tries another run.

Now, he faces even longer odds. For the moment, at least, Kerry is simply radioactive among Democrats. Publicly, some activists were still sticking by him. Mark Gorenberg, his former finance chair for California, told NEWSWEEK he would definitely be with Kerry if he ran in ‘08. The influential Daily Kos blog tried to make the best of the gaffe with a post saying, “I haven’t been shy to pile on Kerry when warranted, but what a load of bulls— this is. And showing that he has learned from his Swiftboating days, Kerry hit back hard.” But not everyone was feeling so generous. On the ground in New Hampshire, some activists who’d been open to him pre-blunder, were now shutting their doors and turning out the lights. “It’s not that this gaffe was so bad,” says Ann McLane Kuster, a prominent New Hampshire activist, “But it plays into all the traits he has that are out of touch, like using intelligence as a way to distinguish himself rather than compassion. The underlying joke wasn’t funny.”

If the Democrats do not win on Tuesday, Kerry will be blamed. Bet on it. This article telegraphs that very clearly.

UPDATE: The Anchoress has linked the last word from Austin Bay.

Be Very Afraid

The animal uprising's air force - the birds - have unleashed the most terrible weapon yet. This one should strike fear into the hearts of every human on the planet. This is the mother of all terror weapons.

Flammable bird droppings.

BIRD droppings may have caused a fire that partially destroyed Brisbane's 88m landmark tower, Stefan Sky Needle. The Sky Needle's owner, Queensland celebrity hairdresser Stefan Ackerie, said he had been told by investigators that droppings may have short circuited its electrical system.

The fire began about 4pm (AEST) yesterday in the 18-year-old heritage listed tower in Manning Street, South Brisbane and could be seen more than 1km away.

But firefighters could only look on after they found it was too difficult to organise aerial equipment to reach the blaze at the top of the tower.

It burned itself out in about half an hour.

Mr Ackerie today vowed he would restore the tower and make it “better than it was originally”.

“With today's technology it will be better than it ever was. It will be made state-of-the-art in every possible way,” he told ABC Radio.

Queensland Fire and Rescue spokesman Tom James said the tower had not suffered any structural damage.

With the current drought in Oz right now, this could be the end!

The Bad Example

Jules Crittenden from the Boston Herald examines life in the wilderness. Being a conservative in Massachusetts has to be a very, very difficult existence. But it does have one bright side:

But to view the national stage from Massachusetts is to know the bitter truth that our state plays an important role in America’s political theater. Every two years, bluest blue Massachusetts sends in the clowns. We show America what could be and America generally sees it and acts accordingly: runs in the other direction.

Sometimes being a bad example is the only reason for one's existence. It could well be Massachusetts' role in America. Read the whole thing.

“Tom DeLay In A Liberal Skirt”

Debra Saunder's description of Nancy Pelosi, posted over at Real Clear Politics. Her column examines Pelosi's record and what a future with her as speaker looks like.

SAN FRANCISCO — It is a sign of how out-of-touch San Francisco is from the rest of the country when most voters here consider House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi a moderate. No, make that: too moderate.

Pelosi's positions are those of a classic liberal. She voted against the welfare-reform bill signed by President Bill Clinton and supports same-sex marriage. She wants choice for children who don't want to notify their parents to have an abortion, but not for poor District of Columbia parents who need vouchers to send their children to private school. Pelosi voted against the war in Iraq and the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

Her 2005 liberal rating by Americans for Democratic Action was 95 percent.

She is happy to dismiss President Bush as an idiot — or, as she said in 2004, Bush "has no judgment, no experience or knowledge of the subjects that he has decided upon." From the other side of her mouth, she promises to restore "civility" to the House if she becomes its first female speaker.

It's worth taking the time to read. Saunders makes a number of good points. If she reins in the worst of the excesses of some party chairmen, it will only be with an eye to 2008. But each year she remained speaker would see a leftward drift in her stance. That's probably a good assessment.

“I Cannot Spare This Man - He Fights”

President Abraham Lincoln once said those words in response to criticism of Ulysses S. Grant. Much the same can be said of Rudy Giuliani (in fact, The Anchoress once said exactly that). Today Giuliani has a column up at Real Clear Politics that tells Republicans not to give up in the face of the conventional wisdom.

For the past six months, I've been traveling across the country campaigning for Republican candidates. Conventional wisdom from Washington predicts a tough year for the party. By playing offense, solidifying our ranks and reaching out to Reagan Democrats and Independents, I believe that Republicans have reason to be optimistic. Because on the big issues Americans care about - from national security to the economy to the Supreme Court - Republican leadership has delivered time and again on its promises.

Republicans are united by our belief in going on offense to win the war on terror. Five years ago, our nation learned a painful lesson about the dangers of an inconsistent approach to dealing with the evil of terrorism. In his speech to Congress on September 20th, 2001, President Bush declared that we would go on offense against terrorists, and he has made good on that promise. Terrorists have been destabilized and put on defense around the world - including Afghanistan and Iraq.

….

Finally, let's look at the Republican record on judges. Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito are models of what judges should be in this country. They are principled individuals who can be trusted to defend the original intent of the Constitution rather than trying to legislate their own political beliefs from the bench. The successful appointments of Justices Roberts and Alito are signs of promises kept.

This one is a must read. Perhaps it would be well to remember some words that Ulysses S. Grant himself spoke: "I purpose to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer".