On This Date, President Obama's Pastor Delivers Sermon Justifying September 11 Attacks on USA

There's been a school of thought out there for awhile that President Obama is some sort of clandestine Muslim based on some of his foreign policy statnces as well as his background. I refuse to believe that for a number of reasons- for starters, I actually believe that there are a number of patriotic Muslims in the USA who love this country and have valued the rights and opportunities afforded them and in some cases even served it honorably in some capacity [the Persians who fled Iran during the rise of the Ayatollahs had a firsthand glimpse of what a totalitarian regime based on Islamic supremacy looks like, for instance- NANESB!].

Also, I think the truth is much more sinister that the 'Obama is a seekrit Muslim' claims that have been circulating. Obama is not a secret Muslim, but rather he was simply paying attention to the bigoted, anti-Semitic, homophobic hate-preacher Jerimiah Wright all this time. Paying attention and possibly taking his words to heart.

But you might be asking- Fenway, you bigoted right-wing neocon dupe, this was all settled in the 2008 campaign during the primaries. Why are you bringing it up right now? This came to my attention because of the date of one of the racist preacher's sermons at the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.



The nation just recently observed the 10 year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 that killed nearly 3000 Americans. This sermon, which at times approvingly repeats statements from Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda justifying 9/11 and previous attacks, took place at Obama's Trinity Church on September 16th, 2001; not even five whole days after the single deadliest attack against the United States. Now it goes without saying that this is a free country and that this ebony Fred Phelps is entitled to his opinion, but lets provide a little bit of context- for those of you who were bitching in 2008 about how the sermon was 'taken out of context'.



On September 16, 2001, first responders from the NYPD and FDNY along with other agencies were breathing in God-knows-what and still sifting through tons of still-burning rubble to try and recover remains of Americans who were crushed and incinerated when the towers collapsed. Instead of any sincere condolences or prayers to those who were brutally murdered, Obama's pastor laments that there isn't enough introspection over his version of American history and foreign policy [which seems to have significant overlap with Al Qaeda's- NANESB!].

This begs the question of whether or not then state Senator Barack Obama was in attendance at Wright's church that weekend. It would not be out of character for Obama to appear at the church only occasionally and ahead of an election to try and lobby the parishioners for his vote.

Moreover, if Obama found the content of Wright's sermons so objectionable [apparently the 'God Damn America!' sermon came at a later date- NANESB!], why did he only choose to distance himself from the man and his words some 7 ½ years later during a contentious Presidential primary challenge with New York Senator Hillary Clinton? Maybe it's just me, but if I were one of Wright's parishioners, I don't think it would take me several years to repudiate him or his anti-American sermons. In fact, I'm sure there are other houses of worship in Chicago- if I was truly disagreed with what Wright had to say, I'm sure I could've made my way to another church.

And ten years later, there really seems to be nothing to disprove that Obama hadn't taken the race-hustling Wright's sermons to heart, only distancing himself from the preacher and his words when it was politically expedient. And now that he won the Presidency, all things Jerimiah Wright-related seemed to have gone away aside from the occasional embarrassing flare-ups in the early going.

On April 4, 2011, President Obama announced the start of his 2012 re-election campaign. I was never convinced he deserved a first term, but since he's seeking four more years in the Oval Office, I think this issue needs to be revisited just in case the first 2 ½ years of America under the Obama Administration wasn't enough to convince you.

Georgia Company Offsetting the Trade Imbalance With China, One Pair of Chopsticks at a Time

In a rather curious bit of role-reversal, a Georgia company is exploiting a shortage of wood in China and abundant resources in southern Georgia to export chopsticks to Asia.

“Right now we are making about two million pairs of chopsticks per day but we are increasing," says Jae Lee, president of Georgia Chopsticks. "End of this month, we’ll have seven machines coming in, so it’ll increase to like four million per day. End of this year, we’ll produce 10 million per day.”

Lee, a Korean-American, says the global market for chopsticks is huge because about one-third of the world’s population uses them. Japan alone goes through about 23 billion pairs of the disposable utensils each year.

Most chopsticks are made in China, where several hundred manufacturers turn out 63 billion pairs annually. But they are running short of wood.

Wood is something the U.S. town of Americus - where Georgia Chopsticks is located - has plenty of.

“Rural Georgia and the cities of rural Georgia, they’re blessed with tons of natural resources," says David Garriga, who heads the local economic development council. "The Pacific Rim, especially areas of China and Japan, they’ve run out of wood, but we have an abundance of it.”

The sweet gum and poplars that are abundant throughout southern Georgia are ideal for the production of chopsticks. The straight, pliable and lightly colored wood doesn't require bleach or chemicals to modify their colors.

Every pair of chopsticks made at Lee's Cochran, GA based company is exported to Japan, China or Korea where they are sold in supermarkets. Sumter County Chamber of Commerce head David Garriga said that he has been contacted by other businesses from the Pacific Rim interested in doing business in and around Americus, GA. The most recently available figures list the unemployment rate in Sumter county in the neighborhood of 12.5% (contrasted with Georgia's 9.7%).

In recent years, there has been something of a trend where businesses from China and elsewhere in the Pacific Rim have been looking to do business in the Southeastern USA. While labor costs are higher than in China, this is offset by lower costs for the property, utilities and certain tax credits that Chinese entrepreneurs are taking advantage of. Industrial real estate in the USA can be fetch not even 25% the costs in China while maintaining a presence in the USA also helps them respond more rapidly to any number of supply-chain issues.

Korean model in cheongsam

While exporting chopsticks to the People's Republic of China is somewhat ironic and good news for the people of Sumter county, Ga, I feel that the trade imbalance with China hasn't truly been adressed until the United States begins exporting cheongsams to mainland China.

Happy 4th of July From Not Another New England Sports Blog!

Well...whaddaya know? Turns out the main streets of small town USA aren't the only think I like to see draped in the American flag. Looks like Stargate SG-1 actress Amanda Tapping has done a fine job of wrapping herself in the stars and stripes. I'm told this is what the kids call 'Rule 5' these days, although I'm simply familiar with it under the category of 'Eye Candy'.

	United States Marine Band - The Stars and Stripes Forever .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

However, before there was an Amanda Tapping and even before there was a Gil Elvgren, there was Rolf Armstrong.

This 1943 print by Armstrong is called Yankee Doodle Girl. While many other pin-up artists hadn't even started out by that time, Armstrong had amassed an impressive resume of magazine covers, theater posters and print ads to his credit. You might recognize another of his works- 1945's A Winning Combination. It apparead on the cover of some scholarly publications and was more recently mimicked by comedienne Tina Fey on a 2009 Vanity Fair cover.
But before I get any more distracted, I wanted to wish the visitors to Not Another New England Sports Blog! a safe and happy 4th of July. Personally, I didn't think it mattered whether or not you were Republican or Democrat to be able to enjoy the 4th of July, but apparently the folks at Harvard feel otherwise.

Jack of all trades- 4th of July as seen from a California citrus grove

Unfortunately it seems that a number of municipalities out west are unable to have a fireworks display this Independence Day because of either wildfire dangers, lack of funds or nuisance lawsuits.

Meanwhile up the road, a California Northern GP15-1 takes in a fireworks display in Tracy, CA. Railpictures.net photo- Eddie P Sarber

With that in mind, I hope that all of you have a good time with your family or friends this Independence Day- try not to blow off any fingers!

Best Wishes!
Fenway_Nation

Happy Flag Day From Not Another New England Sports Blog!

And really- what could be more all-American than a member of the British Royal family at play on a beach in Thailand, clad in nothing but a star spangled bikini? This is the stuff of Norman Rockwell paintings, I tell ya!
I came across these 2009 images of Princess Eugenie (the kid sister of Princess Beatrice of the Doorknocker hat fame) while doing a cursory search of Beatrice without the hat and thought it was an interesting choice of apparel for the the 6th in line to the throne of Great Britain.

Apparently, the London tabloids and paparazzi considered her swimwear 'Very unpatriotic', seemingly a more pressing issue than the £100,000 tab for her security detail whilst cavorting in Thailand as the Asian nation was rocked by a series of violent antigovernment protests in the capital of Bangkok. That said, the vexilologist in me feels compelled to point out that if it were a simple red/while/blue swimsuit, the colors would've been appropriate for Thailand, Great Britain or the USA.

Photo courtesy MinneMom

But heading back to the USA, there isn't much else out there that I'm as happy to see as the Main Street of a small town adorned with the stars and stripes for any number of occasions such as Patriot's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day or even Flag Day itself. It's something that can't be obligingly summarised into a few short sentences, but I'm sure many of you reading this feel the same way.

For those of us with a worn or tattered flag- or one with not enough stars- that we need to part with, there is a certain etiquette involved in the proper retirement of the flag.

1. The flag should be folded in its customary manner.

2. It is important that the fire be fairly large and of sufficient intensity to ensure complete burning of the flag.

3. Place the flag on the fire.

4. The individual(s) can come to attention, salute the flag, recite the Pledge of Allegiance and have a brief period of silent reflection.

5. After the flag is completely consumed, the fire should then be safely extinguished and the ashes buried.

6. Please make sure you are conforming to local/state fire codes or ordinances.

A number of organizations are more than willing to properly retire any worn, faded or torn American Flags that are turned in. More often than not, your best bet your nearest Veterans of Foreign War Post- some VFW posts even have a drop box where you can leave the flag even when the post isn't open.

UPDATE- As soxfan4life pointed out, I neglected to mention that today also happens to be the US Army's 236th Birthday. Apparently the US Army decided to celebrate by reverting to the patrol cap in leiu of the black beret that has been the Army standard for the last 10 years. When I first heard of Gen Shinseki's proposal to have all members of the United States Army to be issued black berets as the default headgear for soldiers, I was against it because issuing it would diminish the significance of the berets issued to Special Forces, Airborne and Ranger units. Soldiers had complained that the standard black beret was difficult to adjust, was too hot (particularly in a desert climate) and appeared out of place while engaging in such tasks as filling sandbags or policing up trash.

Happy Armed Forces Day from Not Another New England Sports Blog!

Just a quick reminder that today is in fact Armed Forces Day here in the USA. And as demonstrated in Abbotabad earlier this month, they are pretty awesome- aren't they?

Standard and Poor's Lowers Outlook on Long Term U.S. Government Debt to 'Negative'

Credit rating agency Standard & Poor's downgraded the long-term outlook for US Soverign debt from 'neutral' to 'negative', putting the government on notice that it is at risk of losing it's AAA credit rating (the agency's highest possible rating).

S&P said there’s a one-in-three chance that the rating might be cut within two years and that its “baseline assumption” is that Congress and the Obama administration will come to terms on a plan to reduce record deficits. Treasuries and the dollar rebounded from early losses following the statement, while stocks declined. Moody’s Investor Service, which has a stable outlook on U.S. debt, today said the U.S. budget debate is “positive” for the country’s credit.

Today’s announcement marks the first time the U.S. credit outlook has been questioned since 1995 and 1996, when a dispute between then-President Bill Clinton and House Speaker Newt Gingrich led to government shutdowns. Fitch Ratings put U.S. debt on a “negative ratings watch” in November 1995 until spring 1996, and Moody’s put some U.S. government bonds on review for a possible downgrade in January 1996.

“We believe there is a material risk that U.S. policy makers might not reach an agreement on how to address medium-and long-term budgetary challenges by 2013,” S&P said in its statement today.

To harldy anybody's surprise, the announcement from S&P was seemingly dismissed by White House press secretary Jay Carney on Tuesday.

White House spokesman Jay Carney says Standard & Poor’s action Monday is a welcome call for a bipartisan agreement to reduce the deficit. He adds that the White House believes the political process will outperform the agency’s expectations because the president and Congress recognize the problem, have proposed confiscating the assets and property of Americans making above an arbitrary number picked by the Obama Administration cutting $4 trillion and will begin negotiations toward a deal soon

Stocks plunged after the agency’s announcement.

Carney highlighted S&P’s positive comments about the U.S. economy [which A) are only applicable in the short-term and B) it's 'positive' by virtue of the unrest in the middle east, natural disasters in Japan as well as Greece, Portugal and Ireland's soverign debt issues bogging down the European Union- NANESB!].

More of the same- either deny that there's a problem (or tell us that this problem will actually be the 'new normal') or redistribute the money and assets of somebody else by invoking the 'anybody who has more money than you probably doesn't deserve it' rhetoric of class warfare.

Unemployment Rates 'Unexpectedly' Rise, Sun 'Unexpectedly' Sets in the West

I'd say that we all should make a drinking game out of the most recent batch of economic news being classified by our media or government as 'unexpected', but I wouldn't want to be held liable for somebody ending up with alcohol poisoning.

An unexpected jolt in people applying for unemployment benefits last week raised the number of applications to a seasonally adjusted 412,000.

It was the first increase in three weeks, and could be a sign that people who stopped looking for work are coming back, but the 27,000 additional requests for assistance for the week ending April 9 put the jobless aid figure at its highest point since mid-February.

Applications near 375,000 are consistent with a sustained increase in hiring. Applications peaked during the recession at 659,000.

The four-week average of applications, a less volatile measure, rose to 395,750. Applications have dropped by about 6 percent over the past two months.

Companies added more than 200,000 jobs in March for the second straight month, the first time that has happened since 2006. The unemployment rate fell to a two-year low of 8.8 percent and has dropped a full percentage point since November.

However, a more sobering reason for the drop is that the number of people who are either working or seeking a job is surprisingly low for this stage of the recovery. People without jobs who aren't looking for one aren't counted as unemployed. Once they start looking again, they're classified as unemployed and the unemployment rate can go back up.

It's like I said back when this blog was only a few weeks old- insist that higher unemployment numbers will be the 'new normal' from here on out and that we're in a robust economic recovery nonetheless. Even some of the Wisconsin state Democrats who fled to Illinois attempted to justify their tactics by saying that Gov. Walker's budget proposal limiting public employee collective bargaining and requiring public workers to pay more towards their retirement and healthcare plans was unnecessary because the nation was supposedly in the midst of an economic recovery.

Yes- apparently LOTS of economic recoveries feature soaring unemployment, a cratering housing market, record high food, fuel and commodity prices and the dollar plummeting in value with each passing week.