Even with a World Series victory in 2005 the Chicago White Sox management and some players (not to mention a large portion of the fan base) cannot seem to get over their jealousy and inferiority feelings towards their cross town rival Chicago Cubs. A Chicago Sun-Times article today relays more of the same whining we have heard from Sox manager Ozzie Guillen since his hiring in 2004. He claims it is all about repsect but it is obviously far deeper than that. I used to respect Guillen because he actually manages instead of going with pitch counts and conventional match-ups. He knows his players and their abilities and applies them accordingly. That said, his unholy preoccupation with the Cubs has shown the little-mindeness of his character and the immaturity within. All he needs to do is worry about himself and his team and the respect he is looking for will be there. It was in 2005 and has been since, despite the crying and insecurity exhibited by the manager, GM and some of the players of the South Side Ballclub. Grow up guys, just play ball and the rest will take care of itself. For heaven’s sake you sound like my kids.

Posted by Biloxi in Biloxi Says at 11:51 AM EDT

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Is this the change the people are asking for? The Barakstar announced today that he will forgo public financing for his campaign. Such a statement made in February of 2007 might have been unique and refreshing but uttered now it only makes the cynical more so and shows the true lack of substance and character of Barack Obama.

Obama officials said they decided to take that route because McCain is already spending privately raised funds toward the general election campaign. Obama has vastly outraised McCain, however, and would likely retain that advantage if McCain accepts the public money.

Obama had no idea what kind of reception he would get on his lighter than air campaign back then so he kept the option in his hip pocket, claiming to support the public financing of campaigns while he does the exact opposite.

“It’s not an easy decision, and especially because I support a robust system of public financing of elections,” Obama told supporters in a video message Thursday. “But the public financing of presidential elections as it exists today is broken, and we face opponents who’ve become masters at gaming this broken system.”

Broken, how? I thought McCain-Feingold fixed all of that. The system as currently structured actually stifles the voices of many by restricting their ability to use their voice (and/or money) within 30 days of the campaign. Later in the day Obama stated that he would need the money to fight “attack ads” from McCain supporters since the good Senator won’t do so himself. This is not only preposterous, it is an outright fabrication made with a straight face. McCain has repeatedly refused to use or support these supposed attacks to his own detriment. He called for the North Carolina Republican Party to pull a primary ad that criticized Obama for his relationship with his former Pastor Jeremiah Wright and has gotten himself sideways with the party for doing so. This is one of the many reasons I can’t stand McCain but it certainly runs contrary to the tripe put out daily by Obama and his campaign. Plain and simple, Obama has become a money raising machine and has come to like it, his new style of campaigning will include spending that money with abandon and filling the air with his fluff filled platitudes at a pace of 3 - 1 over the McCain campaign.

At the moment I’m more annoyed than usual with Barack for forcing me into a half-hearted yet necessary (at least for those who value truth) defense of John McCain. The luster continues to dull on this plastic candidate with each passing week, each stultifying speech and press conference. Flowery words that are devoid of meaning and substance, words with the consistency of cotton candy, sweet but lacking body and essence. Something that goes down good but leaves you hungry for something with some weight to it. Cloud words. Change, hope, opportunity, togetherness. For those with the ability to look beyond the soaring speeches that lead to nowhere there is more familiar political territory in the offing. Cynicism, partisanship, posturing and incompetency.

The “post racial” candidate disses his Muslim supporters in Michigan by refusing to allow them to sit in view of the cameras then blames it on his volunteers. Nonsense, those volunteers didn’t come up with the image idea out of whole cloth. This is a scripted campaign from the get go, it has a terrific ground organization as judged by his success in Iowa and other states yet it tasks two “volunteer” nincompoops to make seating decisions affecting image?

Mr. Togetherness isn’t as squeaky clean as he would like us to believe. Another chink in his armor revealing an empty suit is his refusal to accept even 4 or 5 town hall style debates with McCain. Senator Genuine can’t talk when he gets off the teleprompter or and cannot use the carefully written cloud words provided by the staff. His much publicized gaffes concerning health care and Iraq War funding are evidence of that which I speak. His togetherness message stands in contrast with his close associates known for their propensity for racist ranting. People like Jeremiah Wright, Michael Pfleger and Louis Farrakhan were not just passing acquaintances but 20 year associations. Finally, his claims of bipartisanship and reaching across the aisle have proven to be as without foundation as the rest of him. Look at the record, he has voted in lock step with the liberal party line at every level of career, rarely if ever crossing the aisle yet he criticizes McCain for being a third Bush term. The reason McCain is in hot water with much of the conservative electorate is for his over-willingness to get in bed with the Dems yet Barack wants to claim the upper hand on this issue and the media will probably let him get away with it.

Embrace Barack at your own risk. Grabbing onto the foundations behind his platform is like hugging a smoke filled suit, a little pressure and it crumbles to floor revealing its emptiness.

Posted by Biloxi in Obamastan, Politics at 10:45 PM EDT

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I was following a Toyota Prius yesterday that was going slow enough to cause a hazard. As my car does not even idle at those speeds I was forced closer to the environmentally conscious driver’s rear bumper than I really wanted to be. I was close enough to read the Free Tibet bumper sticker and since I was not going to get to my destination in a hurry it gave me time to think.

Why is it that the leftisits who are so vocal in support of Tibetian soverignity and their right of self determination are so often critical of The United States Government support of Taiwan? Like Tibet, The People’s Republic of China considers Taiwan (Formosa) to be a province within their soverign territory. The big difference between the two is that Taiwan has built a strong economy and a military presence over the years. Why then is one territory the darling of the left and the other is at best, ignored?

I believe the answer is that the American left is enamoured of the helpless and resent strength. Tibet as the conquered state engenders sympathy due to the brutal occupiers, while Taiwan is considered a militaristic rabble rouser. Democracy is not always the romantic story but it is the picture of freedom. It can grow but it must be fought for and protected, even to the death. Taiwan flies under the radar in the eyes of the left because they refuse to be victims and stand up for their independence from those that would oppress and enslave them. There has been saber rattling from both sides but as long as Taiwan stops short of a verbal decree of independence they have been left alone. President Clinton nearly upset the apple cart during his second term by accepting China’s concept that Taiwan was indeed legitimate Chinese territory. A liberal misconception is that peace exists merely by the abscence of war or open hostility. Ask Tibet or even the average citizen of the PRC how that has worked out. Taiwan has thrived and overcome its early authoritarian roots because it has shown strength in the face of threat. The United States has been a force in helping them build that strength and should remain a staunch ally. While international diplomatic concerns are obvious we must support the Taiwanese right to a Democratically elected government even if it stops short of a declaration of independence.

Any discussions our next President may have with the Chinese Communists should have a pre-condition that recognizes Taiwan’s right to free elections. Perhaps the left can consider our image abroad that they seem to be so worried about. What would it look like if we abandon a democratically elected government to the totalitarian oppressors? I know it is much more romantic to support the lost cause that is Tibet but reality is that a show of strength is far more effective.

If Tibet has a right to be free (and they do) then why not endorse the same right in Taiwan and even mainland China? So the next time we see a greenie driving down the street with a “Free Tibet” placard on their bumper maybe we ought to offer a Preserve Democracy in Taiwan one to go with it. Because we care.

Posted by Biloxi in Foreign Policy, Liberal Illogic at 2:28 PM EDT

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