TailOverTeaKettle.com

I find few things quite as stupid as the P.C. police infiltrating the NCAA and demanding that schools eliminate native American mascots. Why the NCAA is involved at all is beyond me. But the Florida State Seminoles can get an exemption for their team because of a casino-tribe writes a letter saying it’s OK. But the University of Illinois can not get an exemption for Chief Illiniwek because the Illiniwek indians no longer exist. So no luck. At least the NCAA was nice enough to say that we do not have to rename the state of Illinois because it’s offensive.

And then there are those who believe that the Chief should go, just because someone complains. Take Mike Imrem writing in the Daily Herald (To be among the elite, Illini must lose Chief, 8 May 2006). He advocates drppoing the Chief so that Illinois does not antagonize the NCAA:

The Illini don’t need to give the NCAA any more reasons to scrutinize their basketball and football programs more closely.

If the NCAA wants to investigate any school, for whatever reason, chances are they’ll find some rule was broken somewhere at some time.

Illinois can’t afford to prod the NCAA, and extending the fight over Chief Illiniwek would be like flinging a flaming tomahawk at the organization’s enforcers.

So if Illinois administrators want, they can go to court, continue trying to keep the Chief and further irritate the NCAA.

Give me a break. The NCAA hates the Illini anyway. This is kind of like saying that if we appease them, maybe they’ll leave us alone. Never works.

              

Today we hear that David Blaine, the idiot sitting in a bubble in New York City, is unconfortable. Or so says the Associated Press David Blaine says he’s in ‘pretty bad shape’.

Raise your hand if you think this is a real news story. This is simply some buzz for his TV show on ABC tonight. Give me a break.

              

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has started negative ads already against Republican candidate Judy Barr Topkina. Topkina served under corrupt Governor George Ryan’s as State Treasurer. If Blago wanted to criticize Topinka’s qualifications, or her position on any issue, or actually accuse her of corruption… then fine. Go to it. But that’s not really the case. Instead, there are two 15-second ads (that seem to run over and over all of the time) that are very misleading.
The voiceover from the first commercial:

Judy Baar Topinka was state treasurer under George Ryan while the deficit grew to a record $5 billion and the pension debt doubled. Topinka didn’t do her job as treasurer and now she wants a promotion? What’s she thinking?

The voiceover from the second commercial:

Under George Ryan, the deficit grew to a record $5 billion. State Treasurer Topinka either knew about the mess and failed to do her job, or she didn’t know and was asleep at the switch. And now she wants a promotion?

Now… how exactly was the State Treasurer going to influence the state’s budget or it’s surplus/deficit?

Asleep at the switch? Failed to do her job?

Spending money is up to the General Assembly. And I know that Governor Blagojevich knows how to propose budgets and spend money very well.

I wonder if the current State Treasurer now signs off on all of this spending ideas? I wonder what that would mean?

Oh wait, Judy Barr Topinka is also the State Treasurer under Blagojevich. This is an elected position.

Asleep at the switch? Didn’t do her job?

Total B.S. — if this is the best that Blagojevich has, he’s way off base.

              

Or so says the local headline writers. Can someone please, please explain exactly what rights are being seeked here? It’s an interesting coalition that’s ‘demonstrating’ here.

I do feel sorry for families that are torn apart because some of their members are here in the USA, trying to make a better life. I feel sorry for families that may also be torn apart because one of the members is deported back to their homeland because they are caught as “undocumented” workers. I feel sorry for the many immigrants who having spending years going through the legal process who have to see others demand their “rights” when they have not followed the correct process. I feel sorry for all of the people who are trapped in jobs with below-market compensation because they can not produce a valid I-9 form.

This is not “an immigration battle”. This is not a difference of opinion about immigration law. This is about enforcing the laws that exist. And putting teeth into the policy surrounding border security.

“I want people to know that I’m not a murderer. I don’t steal. I pay my taxes, and I’d just like to be like any other American,” said Andrzej Srebro, 25, an undocumented Polish worker who took the day off from his job at an auto body shop to attend the rally.

“This is a civil rights struggle. The same struggle the African American community started 40 years ago, we are continuing today,” said Jorge Mujica, an organizer for the March 10 immigration rally. “It’s a population looking for recognition.”

I don’t feel sorry for people who want to turn Mexican immigration into the next “racial” issue. I don’t feel sorry for people who are unable to take advantage of government services because they don’t qualify for them. I don’t feel sorry for people who assumed that they could have free citizenship just because there have been two amnesty programs in the past. And I don’t feel sorry for those who are looking to use these assemblies to consolidate and build their own imagined politcal power.