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The Libloggery
. . . blogging creative writing, photography, opinion, and random fun.

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November 28, 2006

Whatever happend to "Mission Accomplished"

Today President Bush stated that "There's one thing I'm not going to do, I'm not going to pull our troops off the battlefield before the mission is complete." (See the CNN article.) While I do think that we have created a mess that we must clean up, the problem is that the mission has never been properly defined. At first it was Saddam's weapons of mass destruction, then it was remove a tyrant, or was it because of the imaginary link between Iraq and Sept. 11, or was it to build a democracy for others in the region to see? It is apparent to anyone with the ability to think for themselves that we were misled into the Iraq war, that Bush and his cohorts have/had reasons for going to war that they still have not disclosed.

Mr. President, we have been in Iraq long enough without any defined goals. We removed Hussein from power, perhaps the only positive from the entire mess. But at what cost? Thousands of American lives and casualities, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives, and the creation of a civil war. Let's set a timetable with specific goals that pressure the Iraqi government to begin taking responsibility for their own security.

posted at 11:59 by Alvin | permalink | | Comments - 1

November 22, 2006

Another example of successful fear-mongering

On Monday of this week, six Muslim imams were removed from a flight. It seems the reason was that a passenger gave a note to an attendant after witnessing them perform their normal evening prayers.

At that point, the airline had a choice. Display a bit of religous tolerance and dismiss the note. Anyone with at least some amount of education should know about the prayer rituals that are an important part of Islam. The same passenger that passed the note thought the imams had made anti-US statements before boarding. Thus, the fear-mongering that Bush and Cheney have been spreading since Sept. 11, 2001 led to the successful violation of these six men's rights.

The only defense I can see that US Airways has is the report that the men split into groups of two and did not sit in their assigned seats. However, how full was this plane? I've been on a nearly empty plane before and in such a case it's common for people not to sit in their assigned seats.

I believe the most disturbing news from this incident is a statement made by Russ Knocke, a spokesman fo the Department of Homeland Security. "We do not criticize anyone who errs on the side of security." That's right folks, that's your civil liberties being destroyed in the name of security. The unthoughtful and nonchalant manner in which this statement seems to have been made provides evidence that basic civil rights and liberties are being sacrificed. Especially coming from the Department of Homeland Security.

So, anytime someone prays before boarding a plane, anytime someone makes an anti-US remark, anytime someone criticizes our nation's policies or the President, are they going to be removed from a plane? Are they going to be detained and questioned for hours? Remember, this country was founded on the principles of individual freedom, that one could exercise his/her religion and express his/her opinions without government interference. It seems too many of us have forgotten that due to the blinding fear spread by our current leaders.

posted at 16:03 by Alvin | permalink | | Comments - 2

November 15, 2006

A little late, but still relevant

Keith Olbermann has given several very good "comments" about liberty, freedom, and the attempts by the Bush administration to take those freedoms from us. Here is a comment he gave before election day last week.

"this Country Was Founded To Prevent Anybody From - video powered by Metacafe

posted at 04:01 by Alvin | permalink | | Comments - 0

November 13, 2006

Football Update Seven

It's been awhile since I've updated this (or anything else for that matter). The glamorous lifestyle that is the early 21st century graduate student has interfered. But enough about me, let's see how my teams have been doing.

K-League September 23, 2006 Pohang 3 - 2 Seongnam
September 30, 2006 Incheon 1 - 1 Pohang
October 10, 2006 Pohang 4 - 1 Busan
October 15, 2006 Daejeon 2 - 1 Pohang
October 21, 2006 Pohang 2 - 0 Gyeongnam
October 25, 2006 Daegu 1 - 1 Pohang
October 29, 2006 Pohang 2 - 0 Suwon
November 5, 2006 Ulsan 0 - 1 Pohang

So since my last update Pohang went 5-1-2 collecting 17 points to finish the second stage of league play with 7 wins, 2 losses, and 4 draws and 25 points. Although they did not win either the first or second stage, they did finish with a combined 47 points, good enough to join stage 1 winner Seongnam, stage 2 winner Suwon, and Seoul (39 points) in the playoffs.

The said playoffs began yesterday with Seongnam defeating FC Seoul 1-0. Today Pohang had the tough task of playing Suwon on the road, losing 1-0. Seongnam and Suwon will play a 2-leg final, the first leg on Nov. 19 and the last Nov. 25.

Carnegie Premier League September 23, 2006 Dungannon Swifts 1 - 2 Newry City
September 30, 2006 Newry City 0 - 0 Lisburn Distillery
October 3, 2006 Crusaders 8 - 0 Newry City (CIS Insurance Cup quarter-final)
October 7, 2006 Larne 0 - 4 Newry City
October 13, 2006 Newry City 1 - 1 Donegal Celtic
October 21, 2006 Loughgall 1 - 1 Newry City
October 28, 2006 Newry City 1 - 1 Coleraine
November 4, 2006 Newry City 3 - 1 Limavady United
November 11, 2006 Glenavon 1 - 2 Newry City

Despite being knocked out of the CIS Insurance Cup competition in a most embarassing fashion, Newry City has played fairly well in league competition. After dropping their opener at Dungannon Swifts, they have yet to lose another match. They are currently 3-1-4, good for 13 points and 6th place with their +6 goal differential. Their next match is Nov. 18 at home against Glentoran, currently the first place team in the league.

English Premier League September 20, 2006 Scunthorpe 1 - 2 Aston Villa (English Carling Cup match)
September 23, 2006 Aston Villa 2 - 0 Charlton
September 30, 2006 Chelsea 1 - 1 Aston Villa
October 14, 2006 Aston Villa 1 - 1 Tottenham
October 21, 2006 Aston Villa 1 - 1 Fulham
October 24, 2006 Leicester 2 - 3 Aston Villa (English Carling Cup match)
October 28, 2006 Liverpool 3 - 1 Aston Villa
November 5, 2006 Aston Villa 2 - 0 Blackburn
November 8, 2006 Chelsea 4 - 0 Aston Villa (English Carling Cup match)
November 11, 2006 Everton 0 - 1 Aston Villa

Since September 16 (my birthday), Villa went 3-1-3 in Premiereship, adding 12 points to their tally. Their overall 5-1-6 record gives them 21 points, which along with their +6 goal differential puts them in fourth place in the table.

They also made it into the final 16 of the English Carling Cup before Chelsea knocked them out of the tournament. They lost more than that match and a chance at the Carling Cup, however, as defender Martin Laursen went down with medial ligament damage and is out for three months. Aston Villa's next match is Nov. 19 at Wigan.

Bundesliga September 23, 2006 Stuttgart 1 - 1 Eintracht Frankfurt
October 1, 2006 Hertha Berlin 2 - 2 Stuttgart
October 14, 2006 Stuttgart 3 - 0 Bayer Leverkusen
October 21, 2006 Wolfsburg 1 - 1 Stuttgart
October 24, 2006 Babelsberg 2 - 4 Stuttgart (German DFB Pokal match)
October 29, 2006 Stuttgart 3 - 0 Schalke 04
November 4, 2006 Alemania Aachen 2 - 4 Stuttgart
November 7, 2006 Stuttgart 2 - 0 Hamburg SV
November 12, 2006 Hanover 96 1 - 2 Stuttgart

When I last wrote about Stuttgart, the had a 2-2-0 record and were in 11th place in the 18 team Bundesliga. They have since gone 5-0-3, gathering 18 points to add to the six they already had. Thus, with 24 points and a +8 goal differential, they are in first place, 1 point of ahead of both Werder Bremen and Schalke 04. Their next match is Nov. 18 at Bayern Munich.

La Liga September 24, 2006 Barcelona 1 - 1 Valencia
September 27, 2006 Werder Bremen 1 - 1 Barcelona (UEFA Champions League)
September 30, 2006 Athletic Bilbao 1 - 3 Barcelona
October 15, 2006 Barcelona 3 - 1 FC Seville
October 18, 2006 Chelsea 1 - 0 Barcelona (UEFA Champions League)
October 22, 2006 Real Madrid 2 - 0 Barcelona
October 25, 2006 Badalona 1 - 2 Barcelona (Spanish Copa del Rey)
October 28, 2006 Barcelona 3 - 0 Recreativo Huelva
October 31, 2006 Barcelona 2 - 2 Chelsea (UEFA Champions League)
November 4, 2006 Deportivo La Coruna 1 - 1 Barcelona
November 8, 2006 Barcelona 4 - 0 Badalona (Spanish Copa del Rey)
November 12, 2006 Barcelona 3 - 1 Real Zaragoza

The most active club that I'm following, Barcelona played a total of 12 matches, 7 of which were league games. In league play, they went 4-1-2, gaining 14 points. They are now 7-1-2 in league play, occupying the first place position in the league table with 23 points and a +14 goal differential. They have a 1 point advantage over FC Seville and are 3 points ahead of Real Madrid. Their next league game is Nov. 19 at Mallorca.

Three of the matches Barcelona played were in the UEFA Champions League, where they went 0-1-2, making their overall record 1-1-2 for 5 points, good for 3rd place in their four team Group A. They are 2 points behind Werder Bremen and 5 behind Chelsea, so their upcoming matches against group doormat Levski Sofia and the second place Werder Bremen side are must wins if Barcelona is to defend their title. Their next UEFA league match is at Levski Sofia on Nov. 22.

Two of Barcelona's matches were for the Spanish Copa Del Rey competition, with Barcelona winning both with an aggregate 6-1 score. Thus Barcelona is into the round of 16.

Serie A September 20, 2006 Torino 1 - 2 Siena
September 24, 2006 Reggina 1 - 1 Torino
September 30, 2006 Torino 0 - 4 Lazio
October 15, 2006 Torino 1 - 0 Chievo Verona
October 21, 2006 Cagliari 0 - 0 Torino
October 25, 2006 Torino 0 - 1 Fiorentina
October 29, 2006 Catania Calcio 1 - 1 Torino
November 5, 2006 Torino 1 - 1 Messina
November 12, 2006 Palermo 3 - 0 Torino

Torino played 9 matches posting a 1-4-4 record and gaining only 7 points. They now own a 1-5-5 record, 8 points, a -10 goal differential, and 15th place in the Seria A table. It looks as though they are in fast danger of relegation as likely AC Milan, Fiorentina, and Reggina will soon surpass Torino, putting them into 18th place. So, if Torino is to remain in Serie A after this season, they need to get things turned around, and fast. A home win against Sampdoria on Nov. 19 would be a nice start.

posted at 05:33 by Alvin | permalink | | Comments - 0

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