Friday, February 26, 2010

On "The Road to Serfdom


56 % of Americans think the Federal Government posses a threat to the rights of Americans this according to a new CNN poll.

Yes, CNN not Fox News or Rasmussen but CNN ! The breakdown based upon party is interesting. Only 37% of Democrats agree but 63% of independent and almost 70% of Republicans agrees with the growing fear of big government. (click on the title for a link to the poll)

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."......

" If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on Earth. And this idea that government is beholden to the people, that it has no other source of power except to sovereign people, is still the newest and most unique idea in all the long history of man's relation to man. This is the issue of this election. Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves."....

"The kind of government that is strong enough to give you everything you need is also strong enough to take away everything that you have."

RONALD WILSON REAGAN

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Oregon Baseball Games We will NOT get in Southern Oregon



The University of Oregon announced the TV schedule for the coming baseball season and none of the games will be broadcast in Southern Oregon with the exception of a few cable subscribers in the city of Ashland. The games will be aired on Comcast SportsNet Northwest a cable outlet which has failed to come to terms with Charter Cable which has the franchise for most Southern Oregon cities such as Medford, Grants Pass, Roseburg and Klamath Falls. A large number of people in Southern Oregon get their TV from the satellite providers such as Direct TV and The Dish and Comcast has also failed to come to terms with those satellite providers. The University of Oregon gets a big check each year from Comcast so they don't seem to care or have the ability to change things. As Joe Giansante, assistant Oregon AD, said in August of 2008: "But when networks like these grow, these are the growing pains. If we lose 8,000 alums in Medford, we’re picking up 50,000 alums in Seattle.”

The games you will NOT get:


OSN Baseball TV ScheduleDate Opponent Time (Venue)

Tuesday, March 2 Washington 5 p.m. (PK Park)
Sunday, March 14 Seattle 1 p.m. (PK Park)
Saturday, April 3 Arizona State 1 p.m. (PK Park)
Friday, April 23 USC 7 p.m. (PK Park)
Tuesday, April 27 Oregon State 6 p.m. (PK Park)
Friday, April 30 Washington State 7 p.m. (PK Park)
Sunday, May 2 Washington State 1 p.m. (PK Park)
Tuesday, May 4 Portland 7 p.m. (PK Park)
Saturday, May 22 at Washington 2 p.m. (Husky Ballpark)
Sunday, May 23 at Washington 1 p.m. (Husky Ballpark)
Tuesday, May 26 vs. Oregon State 6:30 p.m. (PGE Park)
Saturday, May 29 California 6 p.m. (PK Park)
Sunday, May 30 California 1 p.m. (PK Park)


Update:

There's a hearing today at 3:30 p.m. in Salem about the absurd Comcast Sportsnet Northwest situation that has left a lot of Trail Blazers and Ducks fans without the ability to watch their teams.

The Oregon House Consumer Protection Committee is conducting the hearing on the problems fans face with Comcast’s refusal to reach agreement with many cable and dish providers.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Three Cheers for Coach Chip Kelly


Oregon Football Coach Chip Kelly just went toe to toe with a sports columnist for Portland's major newspaper, on the columnist radio show, and put him in his place. Not many coaches would be willing to expose themselves to such a program but not our Chip Kelly. He "stood" there and exchanged blow for blow in a verbal "heavy weigh" fight. Kelly is not afraid of anyone and I love the guy. He is a real fighter and I always want him on my side. I agree with the comments of someone on a forum today "I wouldn't trade Coach Kelly for any coach in the country or in the universe" Three Cheers for Coach Kelly !!!! (Click on the title for a link to another review of the debate)

Bill Moos to Washington State


It looks like Washington State has hired former Oregon Athletic Director Bill Moos as their new AD. It was Bill Moos who alienated Phil Knight, Oregon's major donor, which led to a long delay in the building of a new basketball arena at Oregon. Bill Moos did a good job at Oregon as long has he had Phil Knight's backing and money. It will be interesting to see how he will do without a big donor backing him. I wonder how many of WSU's big donors he can alienate?

Monday, February 22, 2010

Oregon's John Wayne: Football Coach Chip Kelly




John Wayne as Sergeant Stryker in "Sands of Iwo Jima":
"You gotta learn right and you gotta learn fast. And any man that doesn't want to cooperate, I'll make him wish he had never been born."



I watched coach Kelly's press conference twice last Friday and I really like the guy. Last February he came to Medford and spoke after" letter of intent day" and I got to see personally the kind of guy he is. At football games my seat is in section 13 behind the Oregon bench and I like to watch Coach Kelly run the team. He is a disciplinarian with a heart of gold. He cares about his players but they must tow the line. He is not as smooth as coach Bellotti or as glib but he gets his point across. I believe he is more of a disciplinarian then Coach Bellotti! He reminds me of some of the drill sergeants I had in army. They were tough but not because they were sadistic ( there were some of those too) but because they wanted you to be tough so you could survive in combat. The type of drill sergeant as exemplified by John Wayne as Sergeant Stryker, in "Sands of Iwo Jima." I think the Oregon Ducks are very lucky to have Chip Kelly as our football coach and I have a great deal of confidence in his ability to handle all types of adversity both on and off the field. A leader with character and guts. "SADDLE UP" it's going to be a rough ride for the Oregon Ducks in the weeks and months ahead; but, we have just the coach we need! I feel sorry for any Oregon player that doesn't 'learn right" and "learn fast" Go Ducks!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Statement of Coach Chip Kelly


Statement by Oregon Football Coach Chip Kelly, issued today, after news reports of the arrest of star running back Lamichael James on domestic abuse charges.

We are concerned anytime a student-athlete is mentioned in a police report. We do not condone any behavior that doesn’t meet University standards or our football program’s standards, and we go to great lengths to actively educate our student-athletes regarding appropriate conduct.

“We have the utmost confidence in the local law enforcement authorities to determine the facts in all instances involving our student-athletes, and will reserve further judgment or comment until further information is available.”

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Ronnie Lee Comes Home


I have seen a lot of athletes in my life but the one that stands out the most was Ronnie Lee one of the original "Kamikaze Kids" who played basketball for coach Dick Harder at the the University of Oregon in the early 1970's. Thursday night when Oregon plays Stanford at Mac Arther Court Ronnie Lee will be Oregon's honorary captain. It's hard to explain to those were not there what Oregon Basketball was like back then. Click on the title above for a link to a newspaper story in today's Eugene Register Guard that does a good job. During that time I had returned to the University of Oregon for law school, after two years in the U.S. Army, and it was a magical time. As I have posted below this is the last Pac-10 season to be played at "The Pit" before Oregon moves to it's new basketball area, "Matt Court." I would love to drive to Eugene just to see Ronnie at "The Pit" one more time. To watch Ronnie Lee drive toward the basket in his acrobatic way was a thing of beauty. He symbolised the expression "They don't know what hustle is until they play Oregon." As I type this I have his autograph on a poster hanging on the wall of my office. He would wear out his game sneakers in one game ! I have never seen a community fall so hopelessly in love with an athlete like Eugene, Oregon in the first half of the 1970's. For those of us who were there the love has never died ! Welcome home Ronnie.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Presidents Day 2010


GEORGE WASHINGTON
(Birthday: February 22)

ABRAHAM LINCOLN
(Birthday: February 12)


The American people owe much to each man. One,kept the fight for our Independence alive when all appeared lost and set the mold for the Presidency. The other prevented the disintegration of the Union and removed the stain of slavery from our country. May we always be able to find such men when we need them the most.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Happy Valentines Day !



"....Two drifters,
Off to see the world,
There's such a lot of world
To see....."

Monday, February 08, 2010

The future..... The Green Police !



During yesterdays Super Bowl there was an Audi commercial that was intended to be funny but was a forecast of the future and I found it very disturbing! It caused the hair on the back of my libertarian neck to stand on end. In the commercial a cashier in a grocery store asks a customer the question: "plastic or paper?"... and when he says "plastic" a Green Police officer grabs him and handcuffs him and puts him under arrest. Another person is arrested for putting a flashlight battery in his trash and a third is arrested for having the wrong type of light bulb in his porch light.

In the last few month I, in fact, have become very sympathetic to the goals of using less of the worlds resources. We have been switching over our light bulbs and have been using cloth bags at the grocery store. We drive a small fuel efficient car and our next car will probably be a hybrid.... no, it will not be an Audi. However, I believe the best policy is education and voluntary compliance. The State of Oregon is already considering outlawing plastic bags and I can see the day when the green police will be regulating our lives in ways we never expected ! So don't laugh it's coming and it will result in less freedom.

"Bye Bye Ernie"


That is what the Oregon State students were chanting at the end of the Oregon vs Oregon State Men's basketball game in Corvallis on Saturday.They know that Oregon coach Ernie Kent is in the "Hot Seat" and must win this season to keep his job. It's not often I agree with Oregon State fans but this time I do ! Oregon lost the "Civil War" game 62 to 42 in the worst defeat in 28 years. This season Oregon State has swept the two game between the instate rivals for the first time in 17 years. Oregon looked pathetic against a bottom of the barrel Oregon State team that wanted it more. The Pac-10 is not very good this year and Oregon and Oregon State are tied for 2nd to LAST ! Yes, Bye By Ernie ! There should be a rule for Oregon basketball coaches.......lose two games in a row against Oregon State and you are gone !

Pac 10 Men's Basketball Standings
California 7-4 .636 15-8 .652
Washington 6-5 .545 16-7 .696
Arizona State 6-5 .545 16-8 .667
USC 6-5 .545 14-9 .609
Arizona 6-5 .545 12-11 .522
UCLA 6-5 .545 11-12 .478
Washington State 5-5 .500 15-8 .652
Oregon 4-6 .400 12-10 .545
Oregon State 4-6 .400 10-12 .454

Stanford 4-7 .364 10-13

Friday, February 05, 2010

The Battle of Midway

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I was talking to a family member last night who attended a lecture last night on the War in the Pacific during World War II, and in specific the Battle of Midway. I therefore thought it would be fun to re post several articles I have posted before on this blog on the battle and to reedit it into a new posting since I am fascinated with this battle.


First a brief summary of the battle from Wikipedia:

The Battle of Midway was a naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II. It took place from June 4, 1942 to June 7, 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea, about five months after the Japanese capture of Wake Island, and six months after the Empire of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor that had led to a formal state of war between the United States and Japan. During the battle, the United States Navy defeated a Japanese attack against Midway Atoll, losing one aircraft carrier and one destroyer, while destroying four Japanese carriers and a heavy cruiser.

The battle was a decisive victory for the Americans, widely regarded as the most important naval engagement of the Pacific Campaign of World War II

The Japanese plan of attack was to lure America's remaining carriers into a trap and sink them.[4] The Japanese also intended to occupy Midway Atoll to extend Japan's defensive perimeter farther from its home islands. This operation was considered preparatory for further attacks against Fiji and Samoa, as well as an invasion of Hawaii
(To read more click on the title for a link)

HEROISM OF TORPEDO SQUADRON 8

All members of Torpedo Squadron 8 who flew from the USS Hornet during the battle perished in the action, with the exception of Ensign George Gay.

From Wikipedia:
The squadrons first and best-known combat mission came during the Battle of Midway on 4 June 1942. Flying the vulnerable Douglas TBD Devastators, Commander John C. Waldron's 15 planes were all shot down during their unescorted torpedo attack on four Japanese aircraft carriers. The squadron did not destroy any enemy aircraft with their rear .30-caliber machine guns, nor did they damage any of the Japanese carriers.

(The last of Torpedo Eight's planes take off from the USS Hornet,on June 4,1942, flown by squadron commander John C. Waldron with Horace Franklin Dobbs, CRMP, in the rear seat, a short time later they would both be dead along with the rest of the squadron)

Famous Academy Award wining Director John Ford ("The Grapes of Wrath" & "How Green Was my Valley") was in the navy and at Midway during the battle. A few year ago for Christmas I received the "Ford At Fox" collection of his movies on DVD and it had as a "special feature" the documentaries John Ford made during World War II while he was in the U.S. Navy. They include the well know Academy Award winning documentaries on "Pearl Harbor" and the "Battle of Midway." It also included a little known, and not distributed, documentary called "Torpedo Squadron 8" a documentary made only for the family's of the squadron members who died in the Battle of Midway. Torpedo Squadron 8 (VT-8) was a United States Navy squadron of torpedo bombers operating from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet. It is an emotional experience watching this color documentary, showing these young American navy flayers taken shortly before their deaths. So young ... so alive....so "boy next door" joking and smiling." I've seen a few excerpts from the documentary in the Documentary "John Ford Goes to War" but until now no one has seen the entire film except the producers and a few families on the home front.

Ford was on the island of Midway during the battle in 1942 and personally supervised, or himself filmed, the action there. Others of his crew were at sea aboard carriers. A good deal of color footage was shot. By happenstance, some of the footage focused on the pilots and crew members of Torpedo Squadron 8 who all except one died a few hours later. Some of the shots showed them as a group, and others showed them as individuals, going about their business, laughing and joking around their airplanes. The Navy men flew obsolete torpedo planes, called Devestators. Because of what Clausewitz called "the fog of war," they arrived at their targets unescorted by fighters and all of the torpedo planes were shot down. There was only one survivor. Of course, Ford knew this when he was assembling the film, so among the opening credits is a plaque reading, "In Memoriam." Releasing a film like this for general distribution was out of the question in wartime, so, as I understand it, Ford saw to it, or tried to see to it, that copies of the film were only given to the families of Torpedo Squadron 8. (from the IMDB)

Now 65 years later it's available on DVD in the Ford At Fox Collection.


A List of Fallen:

Lt. Commander John C. Waldron
Lt. Raymond A. Moore
Lt. James C. Owens, Jr.
Lt.(jg) George M. Campbell
Lt.(jg) John P. Gray
Lt.(jg) Jeff D. Woodson
Ens. William W. Abercrombie
Ens. William W. Creamer
Ens. Harold J. Ellison
Ens. William R. Evans
Ens. Henry R. Kenyon
Ens. Ulvert M. Moore
Ens. Grant W. Teats
Robert B. Miles, Aviation Pilot 1c
Horace F. Dobbs, Chief Radioman
Amelio Maffei, Radioman 1
Tom H. Pettry, Radioman 1
Otway D. Creasy, Jr. Radioman 2
Ross H. Bibb, Jr., Radioman 2
Darwin L. Clark, Radioman 2
Ronald J. Fisher, Radioman 2
Hollis Martin, Radioman 2
Bernerd P. Phelps Radioman 2
As well L. Picou, Seaman 2
Francis S. Polston, Seaman 2
Max A. Calkins, Radioman 3
George A. Field, Radioman 3
Robert K. Huntington, Radioman 3
William F. Sawhill, Radioman 3

From Wikipedia:

Failure of the Hornet's captain and air group commander to provide proper coordination led to the disaster, though in fairness, VT-3 from Yorktown (CV-5) and VT-6 from Enterprise (CV-6) fared little better. Of all 41 torpedo planes which sortied that day, only six survived. However, it is possible that the act of drawing away the Japanese Zero fighters during the doomed attack allowed a subsequent wave of American dive bombers to later sink three of the four Japanese carriers.


Author Herman Wouk in his novel "War and Remembrance" has listed the members of torpedo squadron 8 and two other torpedo squadrons from the U.S.S. Yorktown and U.S.S. Enterprise and said this about the naval aviators that attacked the Japanese aircraft carriers that day


"So long as men choose to decide the turns of history with the slaughter of youths--- and even in a better day, when this form of human sacrifice has been abolished like the ancient superstitious, but no more horrible form--- the memory of these three American torpedo plane squadrons should not die. The old sagas would halt the tale to list the names and birthplaces of the men who fought so well. Let this romance follow the tradition. These were the young men of the three squadrons, their names recovered from an already fading record."

Wouk then lists the names and home town of all of the crew member in the three squadrons with those who died outlined in black. It is the most haunting section of his great novel.

All together, these three torpedo Squadrons lost 33 pilots and 45 radiomen-gunners that day. The slow obsolete American torpedo planes were slaughtered by Japanese Zeroes and AA fire. Herman Wouk had this to say:


"In a planned coordinated attack, the dive-bombers were supposed to distract the enemy fighters, so as to give the torpedo planes their chance to come in. Instead the torpedo planes had pulled down the Zeroes and cleared the air for the dive-bombers. What was not luck, but the soul of the United States of America in action, was this willingness of the torpedo plane squadrons to go in against hopeless odds. This was the extra ounce of martial weight that in a few decisive minutes tipped the balance of history."

The Japanese lost four aircraft carriers and the U.S. lost the Yorktown in this naval battle fought from the air.

Thursday, February 04, 2010

The Emperor Has No Clothes





Arkansas Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln to President Obama:


"there's no one in your administration that understands what it means to go to work on Monday and have to make a payroll on Friday."



Exposed by a member of his own party!

The Democrat Senator is running far behind in the polls in her reelection campaign in Arkansas and is trying to put distance between herself and the President.

I guess the Demo "rats" are starting to jump ship!

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Oregon Football: 23 "Letters of Intent"


Click on the title for a link to the list of students who today signed Letters of Intent to play football for Oregon . It has been described as the best class on paper in Oregon Duck football history.

Summary:

Star Rating:

2 (5 Star*****)
9 (4 Star****)
10 (3 Star***)
2 (2 Star**)

5 U.S. Army All-Americans

BY POSITION

Offense (9):
Bryan Bennett (QB), Ryan Clanton (JC OL), Hroniss Grasu (OL), Keanon Lowe (WR), Nicholas Rowland (OL), Lache Seastrunk (RB), Curtis White (TE), Dontae Williams (RB), Brandon Williams (JC TE)
Defense (10):
Erick Dargan (S), Isaac Dixon (S), Ricky Heimuli (DT), Troy Hill (CB), Derrick Malone (S/LB), Dior Mathis (CB), Terrance Mitchell (CB), Isaac Remington (JC DL), James Scales (S), Tony Washington (DE)
Athletes (2):
Josh Huff; Eric Dungy
Special Teams (2):
Drew Howell (LS), Alejandro Maldonado (K)

BY STATE
California (10), Texas (3), Arizona (2), Florida (2), Oregon (2), Illinois (1), Michigan (1), North Carolina (1), Utah (1)

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Oregon Football: "Letter of Intent Day"


The future of University of Oregon, Duck Football starts tomorrow, Wednesday February 3, 2010, with Letter of Intent Day. Tomorrow Star athletes in their Senior year of High School and Junior College Transfers will sign Letters of intent to play football for the Oregon Ducks. I will post the results tomorrow.... this almost as much fun as following election night returns.
As the signed letters of intent are faxed to the Oregon "boiler room" , at the Cas Center, the results will be posted . Oregon should get approximately 22 letters of intent counting the 3 they have already received from junior college transfers. And you thought college football was over !

(Click on the link above to the official Oregon website where the results will be posted as they come in on Wednesday)

GO DUCKS!!!