PSU Kicks Butt; Time For A New Arena $$?

With this state's Pac-10 men's basketball contingent ranging from inept to mediocre, local college basketball fans may want to turn their attention north away from Corvallis and Eugene. If you haven't noticed, the Portland State Vikings men's basketball team is kicking butt and taking names in the Big Sky Conference, heading into the league tournament as regular-season champions.

The Vikings have posted a 20-9 mark and set a new school record for wins at the Division I level.

Unfortunately, the Vikings' latest victim was my hometown (Missoula) Montana Grizzlies. PSU didn't just beat the Grizzlies, they crushed and embarrassed them 108-56 in front of a Montana home crowd that included my father. The Vikings led the game 57-25 at halftime and could have won the game without scoring a single point in the second half. (Of course, they weren't that merciful). From The Missoulian:

The runaway locomotive that is the Portland State men's basketball team flattened the Montana Grizzlies on Saturday night.

The Big Sky champion Vikings put up the highest point total by a visiting team in Dahlberg Arena in nearly 40 years in humbling the Griz 108-56 in front of 5,013 fans on senior night.

Portland State beat the Griz in every way imaginable. The Vikings shot 62.5 percent from the floor, made 14 of 25 3-pointers, outrebounded the Griz 45-23 and swatted away eight shots. In short, the Griz ran into a buzzsaw.

The 52-point margin of victory is the largest over a Division I opponent in Portland State history and it came fresh on the heels of another whipping, this time against Montana State (coached by my former Little League teammate Brad Huse), whom they beat 96-68 two nights before in Bozeman. In fact, the 28-point win over the Bobcats was the previous biggest win by PSU in a Big Sky game in its 12 seasons as a member. That mark lasted just two days.

Surprising but true, Oregon's best shot for representation in the March Madness NCAA Tournament could be the little known team from Portland's Park Blocks. Get used to it!

Maybe the Vikings could benefit from a $200 million arena?

Novick Nets More National TV Time

He's not quite reached the levels of Obamania, but Steve Novick, the fighter with the hard left hook, is building momentum. Good press has been coming in from all across the country. On Friday, Novick made his second appearance on Fox News. Enjoy!



What does more than four minutes of national cable television advertising cost these days, anyway?

Nothing Subliminal Here! No, Really!

Memo to campaign staff: DO NOT let the candidate be photographed with a picture of the devil over her shoulder. (See John McCain/John Hagee photo in previous post)

Grandpa 'Straight Talk' Appears With Lunatic Fringe, Collects Armageddon Endorsement

Straight Talk Express conductor John McCain embraced the rapturous hug of lunatic fringe pastor John Hagee Wednesday, just before turning around and throwing him under the "Straight Talk" bus:

"Yesterday, Pastor John Hagee endorsed my candidacy for president in San Antonio, Texas. However, in no way did I intend for his endorsement to suggest that I in turn agree with all of Pastor Hagee's views, which I obviously do not.

And what are some of the views that Grandpa "Straight Talk" so desperately wants to distance himself from (while at the same time basking in the warm glow of Hagee's evangelically Rapturous Armageddon-yearning hug)? Let's take a look. From Sarah Posner's article in The American Prospect:

Hagee, who serves as head pastor of the 18,000-member Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, hosts his own television program that is seen twice a day on TBN. He argues that the United States must join Israel in a pre-emptive military strike against Iran to fulfill God's plan for both Israel and the West.

He speaks simultaneously to two audiences about Iran's nuclear capabilities: one that fears a terrorist attack by Iran and another that embraces a biblically mandated apocalypse.

...When addressing audiences receptive to Scriptural prophecy, Hagee welcomes the coming confrontation. He argues that a strike against Iran will cause Arab nations to unite under Russia's leadership, as outlined in chapters 38 and 39 of the Book of Ezekiel, leading to an "inferno [that] will explode across the Middle East, plunging the world toward Armageddon."

...In Hagee's telling, Israel has no choice but to strike at Iran's nuclear facilities, with or without America's help. The strike will provoke Russia -- which wants Persian Gulf oil -- to lead an army of Arab nations against Israel. Then God will wipe out all but one-sixth of the Russian-led army, as the world watches "with shock and awe," he says, lending either a divine quality to the Bush administration phrase or a Bush-like quality to God's wrath.

But Hagee doesn't stop there. He adds that Ezekiel predicts fire upon those who "live in security in the coastlands." From this sentence he concludes that there will be judgment upon all who stood by while the Russian-led force invaded Israel, and issues a stark warning to the United States to intervene: "Could it be that America, who refuses to defend Israel from the Russian invasion, will experience nuclear warfare on our east and west coasts?" He says yes, citing Genesis 12:3, in which God said to Israel: "I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you."

To fill the power vacuum left by God's decimation of the Russian army, the Antichrist -- identified by Hagee as the head of the European Union -- will rule "a one-world government, a one-world currency and a one-world religion" for three and a half years. (He adds that "one need only be a casual observer of current events to see that all three of these things are coming into reality.") The "demonic world leader" will then be confronted by a false prophet, identified by Hagee as China, at Armageddon, the Mount of Megiddo in Israel. As they prepare for the final battle, Jesus will return on a white horse and cast both villains -- and presumably any nonbelievers -- into a "lake of fire burning with brimstone," thus marking the beginning of his millennial reign.

Now that's entertainment.

But lest you think Hagee is in it simply to guide into the Rapture as many of the flock as he can, he also uses his, eh-hmm, ministry to take pretty good care of himself right here on earth.

Hagee the businessman -- along with friends like Hinn, Meyer, Parsley, and other TBN televangelists, including the network's top executives, Paul and Jan Crouch -- has come under fire for excessive compensation derived from his nonprofit ministries. According to his organization's tax returns, Hagee has earned more than $1 million annually since 1999 in salary and deferred compensation from his nonprofit Global Evangelism Television and Cornerstone Church. In 2004, the San Antonio News Express reported that he was the highest-paid nonprofit executive in that city; his pay was nearly twice that of the next best-paid executive.

So yes, Grandpa Straight Talk, lap up as much of that Apocalypse-seekers endorsement as you can, but be sure to tell everyone the very next day that you don't necessarily "agree with all of Pastor Hagee's views." How sweet! But that's not exactly a rejection or a refutation, is it? I'm sure Tim Russert will hop right on this one.

Brand New Obama Music Video: We Are The Ones

Fresh on the heels of the will.i.am video "Yes We Can," a viral sensation that has garnered more than 5 million hits on YouTube.com alone, the Black-Eyed Peas front man today released another star-studded video in support of Barack Obama:

The Oregon Coast Really Blows

We've all read the stories and seen news reports about the early December 2007 windstorm that devastated Oregon's North Coast and claimed Oregon's largest living thing, the Klootchy Creek Giant, one of the largest Sitka Spruce in the World.

But, much like the "Devastation Zone" on Mount St. Helens, it's pretty difficult to appreciate the extent of the damage and the awe-inspiring force of nature required to wreak such havoc if you haven't seen it for yourself. I recommend a trip down Highway 26 and up the coast. Here are a couple quick snapshots that represent less than a speck of the entire damage done.

This is a broken stand of timber across the Highway and up the road from the Klootchy Creek Giant. The stand of relatively young trees had recently been exposed to the wind by a clearcut.





But don't get the wrong idea here; although the debris and evidence of damage are still visible, the coast is cleaned up and ready for business. And given the recent unseasonably spectacular weather, a trip right now is "awesome" all the way around.

Fox News Scoop: Bankers Closing In On Jacko's Shacko

Count on the top-notch journalists at Fox News to be on top of this (heart)breaking news. From Reuters:

Michael Jackson's famed Neverland Valley Ranch in California will be foreclosed and sold on March 19 unless the pop star pays a balance of nearly $25 million, property records showed on Tuesday.

FoxNews.com celebrity columnist Roger Friedman reported on the Web site (www.foxnews.com) that Michael Jackson has been formally apprised of the foreclosure and that legal documents have also been filed with the Santa Barbara County Recorder's office.

The onetime "King of Pop" has owned the 2,800-acre (1,133-ha) ranch in the rolling foothills above the California coast since 1988, naming it after the whimsical island where children never grow up in J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan stories.

Jackson, 49, famously outfitted the property with a private zoo and amusement park and festooned it with statues of Peter Pan characters.

I'll bet Bill O'Reilly will have a lot to say about this.

Greg Oden; Endorsement Rookie Of The Year

Former Ohio State basketball star and current Blazers No. 1 draft-pick Greg Oden may be out for the season recovering from knee surgery, but he gets my vote for rookie of the year when it comes political endorsements.

From Oden's blog:

Today I got a phone call from Senator Barack Obama. ...The conversation was quick - like two minutes but I got to talk to him like a real person. What I got from talking to him is that he is a real sports fan and he knew about the Blazers. He said that when I come back Brandon, LaMarcus and I will be a force next year. He also asked me about my knee, and he said he wasn't feeling my mohawk - lol. I laughed and explained to him that it's just a haircut to me and he told me he liked how I handle myself as a young man - "Thanks Mom." I did not talk politics with him. He talks about that stuff all the time and I'm going to keep learning more about the issues.

He is a very nice man and I am a big fan. I got the chance to go to his website (www.barackobama.com) and read up on some of his beliefs and there are things he is doing that I really support like his plan with education, civil rights, and health care. That's why Senator Obama is getting my vote.

...If the person I vote for wins it's gonna be because of my one little vote, at least that's what I'm gonna think. I think everyone should think that way. This will be my first presidential election to participate in as a voter and I hope that you younger voters will get involved. I think that our votes can really influence the outcome so go out, register and vote for who you think is the best candidate to be the best leader for this country and make sure you and your family will feel good about the new president that is elected in November.

By contrast, I wonder if former Jail Blazer Zach Randolph even knows this is an election year?

WMD Stockpiles: Red Rover, Red Rover ...

(November 10, 2004)

Novick For Obama, Merkley Follows Suit

Oregon's Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Steve Novick has endorsed Barack Obama. From his statement:

So why am I voting for Barack Obama?

I’m voting for Barack Obama largely because I wonder whether Hillary Clinton is willing to take the political risks she’d need to take to act on what she knows.

...But Barack Obama has been willing to take risks. He did, in fact, oppose the war from the beginning. No, he wasn’t in or even running for the Senate in 2002, but I bet he was already thinking about it. He recently made some dangerously sensible remarks about Iran, “I think it is important for us to send a signal that we are not hellbent on regime change, just for the sake of regime change, but expect changes in behavior. And there are both carrots and there are sticks available to them for those changes in behavior.” He’s been willing to risk the Republican battle-cry of “no new taxes” by emphasizing the need to start applying the Social Security tax to incomes above $100,000 (though perhaps with a sort of doughnut hole for incomes below $200,000.)

Finally, I think the very fact that he has inspired such an impassioned following increases the likelihood that he will take the risks that have to be taken. People from cross-sections of society that have been disillusioned by conventional politics are inspiring by his campaign. Leaders respond to their followers. If Obama’s elected, he’ll know that millions of voters are counting on him, not just to do a decent job, but to make a big, thumping difference. He won’t want to let them down.

WMD Stockpiles: A Patriot Act?

(December 15, 2004)

Remembering Malcolm X

Malcolm X was assassinated on this day in 1965 in Manhattan's Audubon Ballroom. He had just begun delivering a speech when a disturbance broke out in the crowd of 400. A man yelled, "Get your hand outta my pocket! Don't be messin' with my pockets!" As Malcolm and his bodyguards moved to quiet the disturbance, a man rushed forward and shot Malcolm in the chest with a sawed-off shotgun. Two other men charged the stage and fired handguns at Malcolm, who was shot 16 times. Angry onlookers in the crowd caught and beat the assassins as they attempted to flee the ballroom. Malcolm was pronounced dead on arrival at New York's Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. -- Wikipedia

Proof The Terrorists Are Winning?

I like the muscle cars of the late-60s and early 70s as much as any red-blooded middle-class American kid who attempted to grow up in that era. I still remember riding in my Dad's '69 Chevy El Camino with its roaring re-built 327. But is this really what the world needs right now?

The Dodge Challenger SRT makes its debut during the Chicago Auto Show on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2008. Unlike the original, which had a jaw-dropping nine powertrain options, the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 has just one: a 6.1-liter, HEMI V-8 with 425 horsepower. Chrysler says the new Challenger can go from zero to 60 in around 5 seconds and from zero to 100 in less than 17 seconds.

Sure it's absolutely motherfreakin' awesome, but notice that there's no mention of miles per gallon.

The Nation Notices Kroger

Oregon attorney general candidate John Kroger got some high-profile national publicity this week from The Nation magazine's Associate Publisher Peter Rothberg, who featured Kroger's campaign on his Act Now! blog.

What this blog will attempt to do over the coming months is to feature worthy candidates you may not have heard about who are animated by a commitment to social and economic justice and who have a real chance to win a state race.

Up first is John Kroger, running hard in the Oregon Democratic primaries, in a contest that will determine the next state Attorney General.

...I'm convinced that he's someone most Nation readers would find well worth supporting.

From everything I've read in the local press and blogs, the Oregon AG's office has not been an aggressive or effective force for law enforcement under previous administrations. In fact, the office seems to have functioned as much as the corporate counsel for the State as an independent office that can bring lawsuits on behalf of the state's people to accomplish important social ends. Kroger's opponent, Greg McPherson, is squarely within this business-as-usual tradition. Kroger says he will bring the full weight of the office to bear on real things that matter to real people and will never be the tool of the local business class.

Read the entire post HERE.

I Really Miss This Guy (freshly updated with more fantastic facts)

UPDATE: This should help provide a little context

In a just-revealed notation on a 2002 memo about interrogation tactics, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld indicated that making terrorism detainees stand for up to four hours was no biggie in the physical stress department. "I stand for 8-10 hours a day," Rummy scrawled. "Why is standing limited to four hours?" Yesterday, underlings were happy to confirm that their 71-year-old boss does, indeed, toil for hours without sitting. Evidently he enjoys it. "There is no chair at his desk in his office," spokeswoman Hollen Wheeler told us. "When he works, he stands. When he reads or writes, he uses a stand-up desk all day. . . . Maybe that's a tribute to his health. He's in great shape." -- Donald Rumsfeld, A Real Stand-Up Guy. Washington Post, June 24, 2004; Page C03

standupdesks.com