By now many of you are aware of how Jesse Jackson makes a living. Shaking down corporate America. It has been well documneted by people like best selling author Kenneth Timmerman in his book Shakedown as well as here and here.
When the Boston Herald ran an article about the state’s unclaimed property list there were naturally some pretty interesting names,
- Former Gov. Michael Dukakis of Brookline: Department of Revenue check for $312; $230 check from the state’s Delta Dental plan.
- Ben Affleck and brother, Casey Affleck: joint account for less than $10.
- The New England Patriots: uncashed check for $1,974.
- Fidelity’s Peter S. Lynch: more than $6,000 from a CD that matured in 2000; and a 23-cent check from Fidelity.
The last name I ever thought I would see on a list of people who were leaving money on the table was,
- Jesse Jackson: $5000 from the Trustees of Boston College.
Pundit Review Flashback
Celebrity A-Hole of the Year 2001: Jesse Jackson
How are the liberals responding to the fast-moving developments in Lebanon, not to mention Egypt and Iraq?
It seems as though they have two basic responses.
#1: Bush deserves no credit.
It just happened on his watch, thatâ??s all. This is the same thing they said when Libya cried uncle and agreed to voluntarily give up their weapons program. In that instance, it was the years of sanctions that did it, not the Bush Doctrine, Afghanistan or Iraq.
Ed Kilgore writing on Talking Points Memo shows us the way,
Now I am aware the State Department made the appropriate noises, as its
predecessors would have done, after the Hariri assassination, about Syrian
dominance of Lebanon, and I also know the Bush administration has been
generally hostile towards the Syrian government, as has been U.S. policy for
as long as I can remember. But it literally never crossed my mind that
Bush’s fans would credit him with for this positive event, as though his
pro-democracy speeches exercise some sort of rhetorical enchantment.
#2 Disgust that good things are happening on George Bushâ??s watch. Retired blogger Andrew Sullivan has an example,
I had lunch today with a friend – a really smart, knowledgeable, accomplished
guy, who also happens to be very liberal and is active in state Democratic
politics. I mentioned to him that Lebanon’s government had just fallen. You
would have thought I told him his dog had died. He chewed his sandwich slowly,
thought for a while, and finally said, “You know, Assad’s a bastard, but he was
right when he said the problems in Iraq are the fault of America, not
Syria.”There wasn’t any happiness that Lebanon is marching toward freedom.
This kind of sulky non-sequitur, to me, exemplifies well why the Democratic
Party cannot be trusted right now with our national security.
That sums it up nicely.
For those actually excited by these developments,
Dean Esmay: We see you, we hear you
Michael Leeden: Freedom, our most lethal weapon against tyranny
Today’s NYT editorial,
Still, this has so far been a year of heartening surprises – each one remarkable
in itself, and taken together truly astonishing. The Bush administration is
entitled to claim a healthy share of the credit for many of these advances. It
boldly proclaimed the cause of Middle East democracy at a time when few in the
West thought it had any realistic chance. And for all the negative consequences
that flowed from the American invasion of Iraq, there could have been no
democratic elections there this January if Saddam Hussein had still been in
power. Washington’s challenge now lies in finding ways to nurture and encourage
these still fragile trends without smothering them in a triumphalist embrace.I would say to the Times, it’s a surprise to some. Instapundit points us to this analysis from blogger Dale Franks,
Finally, the NYT is on board with Democracy promotion in the Mideast. Glad
to have you aboard, guys.They are certainly hedging on the side of pessimism,
and only giving grudging credit to the Bush administration, but it seems to be
getting into their heads that they may have been on the wrong side here, it
seems to me.And that bit about the Bush Administration taking a “healthy” share
of the credit? Nice understatement. Without the Bush Administration, none of
this would be happening. They deserve the primary share of the credit, along
with the governments of Tony Blair, John Howard, Alexander Kwasniewski and
others.
George W. Bush, Republican National Convention, September 2, 2004,
Others understand the historic importance of our work. The terrorists know. They know that a vibrant, successful democracy at the heart of the Middle East will discredit their radical ideology of hate. (Applause.) They know that men and women with hope and purpose and dignity do not strap bombs on their bodies and kill the innocent. (Applause.) The terrorists are fighting freedom with all their cunning and cruelty because freedom is their greatest fear — and they should be afraid, because freedom is on the march.
BEIRUT, Lebanon Feb 28, 2005
Pro-Sryian Gov’t Resigns
(ABC) With shouts of “Syria out!” 25,000 protesters massed outside Parliament in
a dramatic display of defiance that forced out Lebanon’s pro-Syrian prime
minister and Cabinet Monday, two weeks after the assassination of a popular
politician touched off increasing unrest.Syria remained silent about the rapidly changing atmosphere in Beirut, where it ruled unopposed for years, even deciding on the Lebanon’s leaders, after deploying troops ostensibly as peacekeepers during the 1975-90 civil war.
Pro-democracy agitation sweeps ex-Soviet states
The Christian Science Monitor, Feb 24, 2005
From Kyrgyzstan on the Chinese border to Moldova, where Europe’s only ruling
Communist Party faces elections next month, opposition parties are eagerly
studying Georgia’s “Rose Revolution” and Ukraine’s “Orange Revolution,” which
led to the triumph of pro-democracy forces.Georgian President Mikhael Saakashvili and newly inaugurated Ukrainian
President Viktor Yushchenko were clearly addressing their former Soviet
colleagues last month when they hailed their revolts as the leading edge of “a
new wave of liberation that will lead to the final victory of freedom and
democracy on the continent of Europe.”
Bill at INDCJournal points us to Jeff G. at Protein Wisdom who has his own unique take and Captain Ed’s great post
Retired blogger Andrew Sullivan points us to the latest in the unbelievably bitter feud between Susan Estrich and Michael Kinsley. By unbelievable I mean vicious, obnoxious, “meanspirited” and cruel.
Estrich referring to Kinsley’s Parkinson’s,
“your illness may have affected your brain, your judgment, and your ability
to do this job. “
If you have followed the New England Patriots these last few years you know what a special group of men this team is. They are not special because of their athletic abilties or because of their wins on the field. What makes this group so unique, so special is that they are humble and defer all credit to the TEAM.
They are the most unique team in pro sports. No out of control egos here, they would not be tolerated. This is the kind of team coaches across the country can point to to show kids how they game should be played and how a professional should carry themselves.
Tedy Bruschi is the heart and soul of the team. He is a fantastic player, a great leader and a strong force in the community. He embodies everthing that you would want your child to be. Strong, proud, dedicated to his craft, his team and above all his family.
In the week before the Super Bowl, I was struck by an answer Bruschi gave to a routine media question. He was asked,
“What motivates you after having so much success, winning two Super Bowls in
the past three years, and now playing for a third?”
Most players would say something along the lines of being a champion, personal validation of their career, etc. Not Tedy Bruschi. Here is how he responded,
“I play for my wife and my kids, to make them proud.”
That was it. That was the whole answer, period, case closed. It was as genuine an answer as I have ever heard from a pro athlete. Frankly, it was touching and incredibly impressive although it was not surprising having listened to Bruschi for all these years.
How special is Tedy Bruschi? He is one of the only players in professional sports that is his own agent. He negotiates his own contract. After last season, he was a free agent and could sign with any team in the league. Instead, he worked out a deal with the Pats for $2M per year, about half of his value on the open market. When aksed why he settled for so much less than he could have got, the response was typical Bruschi.
“How much is enough? I couldn’t stand the thought of the kids that wear my
jersey to the games seeing me palying for another team.”
Many of you probaby saw the shot of Bruschi playing on the field before the Super Bowl with his twin boys. Maybe you saw him after the game sitting on the bench with his wife and boys in the middle of the victory celebration.
This week came shocking news that Tedy Bruschi, a 31-year old All Pro linebacker, suffered a minor stroke. The media is saying it was a mild stroke and that his prognosis for a full recovery is excellent. Many are speculating that he could continue playing.
These people haven’t been paying attention. Family comes first for Tedy Bruschi and I am certain that he will retire because watching his kids grow up is far more important to him than any game.
No one in New England will begrude him for it. He has brought so much to this area. Three Super Bowl victories and countless examples of class, dedication and priorities that a generation of New England sports fans will remember for a lifetime.
Tonight I’m watching O’Reilly and he does a segment on the GoDaddy.com SuperBowl ad and interviews the CEO. On Hannity & Colmes, they had the actress from the commercial. The Super Bowl was five days ago!
A Google search of “godaddy.com ad” has 107,000 results and 1040 news stories.
This is ridiculous. Is everyone that gullable? I guess so.
This ad/pr campaign is one of the most brilliant of all time. They make a “racy” ad mocking the FCC. They then get a series of stories speculating if it would be aired. Then it airs once and gets pulled in the second half. They get triple the expoure for half the price.