On the political front, Rudy Giuliani fired the first major salvo from the GOP side of the battlefield across the bow of the Hillary Clinton campaign accusing her of flip-flopping on the War in Iraq. (See the full web-ad here at JoinRudy2008.com.) This is not the first ad against Hillary, but it is the first from the other side of the political battlefield. (If you'll remember, there was the mysterious Apple ad that made the rounds last March, purported to be put out by an Obama supporter.)
Like our own U.S. forces, the Brits have had their own run-ins with the Islamic radicals. This tragic tale is yet another reminder of the nature of the enemy we face. As I've suggested before, the possibility of diplomatic solutions to this struggle seem unlikely in the face of such atrocities.
And in other political news, comedian and liberal talk show host, Al Franken, has decided to run for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota. And no, this is not just a publicity stunt--he's serious and he has the money to be a contender. The real question is whether or not he will be taken seriously by the Minnesota voters (Of course, this was the state that elected Jesse "The Body" Ventura as their governor, so anything's possible.)
Controversy at the Emmys last night? The encouraging "controversy" of the whole thing is that they actually censored somebody coming out of Hollywood (Did you hear the one about Kathy Griffin and Jesus? Don't miss Lauren Green's very insightful column about it over at FOX News. It deserves a TDD blog post all its own.)
What a week of sports highs and lows! The Portland Trailblazers are lamenting a serious setback to their rebuilding plans, as they found out that #1 NBA draft pick, and Indianapolis native, Greg Oden is expected to be out for the whole season. In the coverage on ESPN Radio last week I heard someone talking about what a blow this is for the Blazers franchise. On the one hand, I agree. It certainly puts a huge rain cloud over the next season. On the other hand, even if Oden had to theoretically sit out for two whole seasons to get his knee fully rehabilitated, he would be, what, 21 years old? In this sports culture where the college and pro scouts are eyeballing little leaguers for future glory we have lost a lot of our perspective. What's it gonna take to get it back?
In the "battle of the bums" (only implied because up until Saturday these two football powerhouses were winless this season), Michigan reestablished their dominance over "Notre Doomed". Charlie Weis, the head coach for the fighting Irish, is certainly feeling the pressure as the vice of performance is increasingly tightened with each loss of this once-deified football dynasty.
These are the kinds of stories that make my day. Have you heard the latest about the "senior" citizen who is playing Division III college football? He suited up but was not put into the game. Bummer! Imagine getting laid out by someone old enough to be your grandpa. That hurts your body and your pride.
And don't miss this mascot smackdown. Gotta love football season! :)
Finally, if you've got $5,000 you can enter the bidding to win a cameo role on Will Farrell's next movie. It is part of his creative fund-raising effort on behalf of Cancer for College. No better way to start a budding acting career than for a good cause. The bidding is already at $12,600, so you'd better start saving your pennies. :) Until next time... 
When I read Lauren Green's comments last week, my immediate reaction was 'Wow, I see her sense of humor is about as good as her on-air banter...not very.'
I can't stand Kathy Griffin. If you've ever had the unfortunate luck to watch her reality show, you will quickly realize that she has made a living making fun of other people (poorly). What's amazing is that she's extremely thin skinned and can't take a joke herself. I find this contradiction irritating for the same reason I find Lauren's comments annoying. People really need to learn to laugh at themselves.
90% of comics make a living offending different groups of people. The idea that Christians should somehow be immune to this is ridiculous. Was Kathy's comment funny? Mildly, but only because she could count on someone writing an article like Lauren Green's.
Posted by: Resident Atheist | September 18, 2007 at 11:51 PM