"Images and Assorted Facts"

The title is an approximate quote from a Dylan song. Just felt like it fit since what follows is not all tied together.

This is a semi-sport/semi-political factoid. I have oh so firmly landed on the side of the Saints in the Super Bowl. Has nothing to do with the cities (though come on New Orleans vs. Indianapolis?). Has nothing to do with the teams (though come on, how can you not hate Peyton Manning). Has to do with Scott Fujita. He is a linebacker for the Saints and one of the Globe writers down there for the game (and it seems like they have dozens) wrote about him this week. Turns out he was born to a 15 year old Caucasian woman who gave him up for adoption. He was adopted by an American born Asian-American couple. I forget where he was raised but he went to college at UCal Berkley. Four items in the article pushed me into the Saints column:

a. He was adopted.
b. He completely supports gay marriage and offered it up in the interview.
c. He loves it when people stigmatize (his word) him for coming from Berkley. Says he loved it there--all the diversity etc.
d. He is totally committed to the culture he was raised in (Japanese) and to the adoptive parents.

So let's go Saints.

Then we have the picture of Scott Brown and his newscaster wife (in full length leather coat) going to DC and filling Ted Kennedy's seat. I was settling in with all this and then last night watched both Keith Olberman and Jon Stewart. He was described by one of Keith's guest as a combative pushy addition to the 40 other Just Say No Republicans. He is likely to be number 41 on 90-100% of their issues. He will be worse than even I had already thought.

Then there is the sweeping oratory of Obama--I love to listen to him speak. I loved his interaction with the Republican Senators. He is just a sweet yet forceful talker who has a firm grasp of the facts. Unfortunately,I am beginning to think he is confusing oratory with winning votes--because those same Republicans are killing his initiatives. The Republicans left the room and will likely begin voting against even more of those initiatives given Scott Brown's arrival. I have consistently wished and hoped for more aggressiveness, more initiative (and less reactivity), and a willingness to stand behind something consistently--not start waffling when Mitch McConnell gets up and bloviates. Wishes and hopes (his or mine) wont make anything happen. The down side of the Olberman show was that all the lefty guests were right on with their comments--but it will change nothing and begins to sound like whining. Somehow, the military (including Secretaries Gates and Powell)ares starting to sound sane with their comments on "Don't ask, Don't tell".

The lottery has incorporated the Powerball game into its array of tickets. This is a multi state game which ends up having hundreds of millions of dollars in prizes. This too will support local cities and towns. Not a peep from the anti gambling folks about the money coming to their town or the addition of this new game. But mention casinos and everyone gets excited (even some of you, kind readers) and starts frothing at the mouth. But there has got to be another source of state revenue and given the anger out there, it likely will not be through taxes--though I for one would hike the tax on tobacco and alcohol anytime in the next five minutes. So if we can have Powerball and all the rest of the Lottery, whats up with the opposition to casinos? And I don't just mean slots--the odds of winning at a slot machine are about as bad as Powerball. I mean casinos as in card games and the rest.

Been looking at studs (as in wall construction!!) for the better part of two weeks. We have killed a few tress what with all the paper plates we have used. But the kitchen is halfway done and the messier parts are over. No very fancy meals for any of you visitors for a month or so.

SPORTS TALK
I was right on (slap me on the back) about the Bruins. They cannot score--miss open nets, miss penalty shots, miss shootout shots. They invariably lose if they don't score 3 or more. They may squeeze into the playoffs but they are already cooked. If they play their cards right, they could end up with 2 picks in the top 10 of the draft--their own if they continue their slow downfall and Toronto's. I am a might worried about the Celtics. They are very inconsistent and I am beginning not to like Paul Pierce with the ball at the end of a quarter, the half, or the game. He forces it too much and thinks he can beat anyone--runs the clock way down and seems to never deliver. I actually thought they played better without him in their recent Miami victory.

Thats all folks. Happy Valentines Day and Sayonara.