reyonthehill

This is a little off topic (from the usual politics) and I am a bit biased (being a Syracuse alumnus), however, let's take a look at the dire situation in the Big East and propose a fix.

First, let's pretend -- that when Penn State asked to join the Big East back in the early nineties and the Big East (i.e., Mike Tranghese) said, "No, we are not looking to expand at this time," and Penn State subsequently becomes the eleventh member of the Big Ten -- that all didn't happen. So Penn State is in.

We know University of Miami (Florida) and Virginia Tech are gone. That helps with basketball by eliminating dead weight but kills football. VaTech is basically a two-year vocational school anyway. (Obviously I am not biased about the McNabb-Vick situation.)

So in football we look like this: Syracuse, Boston College, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Connecticut, Rutgers (with Temple exiting to the obscurity of Division 1-AA), and the newly acquired Penn State. That makes 7 schools -- we need a few more.

The basketball division right now can be broken down into three categories:

(1) Football schools: Syracuse, Connecticut, Boston College, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Rutgers, and (all new) Penn State;

(2) Basketball only schools: Providence, Villanova, St. John's, Seton Hall, and Georgetown; and

(3) Notre Dame.

That makes 13 schools in the Big East -- 7 football, 5 basketball only, and Notre Dame.

Eventually Notre Dame caves in and decides to become a full member; now we have 8 football schools but let's not stop there. The Big East then steals Louisville and Cincinatti from Conference USA and Xavier as a basketball only school from the Atlantic 10. Finally -- 16 teams: 10 football, 6 basketball only.

The conference will be split into two divisions, North and South, for football:

North -- Syracuse, B.C., Notre Dame, Connecticut, and Rutgers;

South -- Pitt, Penn State, West Va., Louisville, and Cincinatti.

The conference will be split into two divisions, East and West, for basketball:

East -- Connecticut, Boston College, Providence, Villanova, St. John's, Rutgers, Georgetown, and Seton Hall;

West -- Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, West Virginia, Louisville, Cincinatti, and Xavier.

With this line-up, the Big East continues to be the most dominant top-down basketball conference and becomes a balanced football conference.

Now for this to happen...

Nine democrats are currently vying for the democratic nomination for President. This list may expand by 2 or 3 in the (near) future. Let's take a look at the nine candidates and determine whether they should continue their earnest campaigns or bow out gracefully.

Fourth in the series: Dick Gephardt should stay in this race... for now.

Dick Gephardt is well respected, relatively well known, and has the full support of labor across this country. He will win the Iowa primary (unless Dean continues his suprising surge there or he withdraws). Gephardt was close to being Al Gore's running mate in 2000 and is well aware and a veteran of the Congress and it's politics. If things do not pick up for him elsewhere outside of Iowa or Missouri (his home state) he should pack his things and run for re-election to the House. Gephardt did resign his post as Minority Leader in the House to make this run, though it will end up being a brief jog around the block. Dick Gephardt does have the advantage of looking "like a president" (along with Dean and Clark).

(Visit Dick Gephardt's campaign website.)

I have made countless remarks about the necessity for Democratic Senators to run for re-election. Here is the list of Senate seats that are on the ballot in 2004:

Democrats

Arkansas - Blanche Lincoln; California - Barbara Boxer; Connecticut - Christopher Dodd; Florida - Bob Graham; Hawaii - Daniel Inouye; Indiana - Evan Bayh; Louisiana - John Breaux; Maryland - Barbara Mikulski; New York - Charles Schumer; Nevada - Harry Reid; North Carolina - John Edwards; North Dakota - Byron Dorgan; Oregon - Ron Wyden; South Dakota - Tom Daschle; Vermont - Patrick Leahy; Washington - Patty Murray; Wisconsin - Russ Feingold

Republicans

Alabama - Richard Shelby; Alaska - Lisa Murkowski; Arizona - John McCain; Colorado - Ben Nighthorse Campbell; Idaho - Mike Crapo; Iowa - Chuck Grassley; Kansas - Sam Brownback; Kentucky - Jim Bunning; Missouri - Christopher Bond; New Hampshire - Judd Gregg; Ohio - George Voinovich; Oklahoma - Don Nickles; Pennsylvania - Arlen Specter; Utah - Robert Bennett

Open Seats

Democrats Zell Miller (Georgia) and Fritz Hollings (South Carolina) and Republican Peter Fitzgerald (Illinois) are not seeking re-election.

Overall

Democratic seats: 19; Republican seats: 15

Nine democrats are currently vying for the democratic nomination for President. This list may expand by 2 or 3 in the (near) future. Let's take a look at the nine candidates and determine whether they should continue their earnest campaigns or bow out gracefully.

Third in the series: John Edwards should jump out of this race.

Edwards is still in the single-digits in polls in New Hampshire and Iowa. He is young and is possibly abandoning a vital Southern Senate seat. I can not stress this enough: keeping Edwards' Senate seat is crucial to gaining the majority. Edwards is neither as well spoken as Dean nor as experienced as fellow colleague Senator Kerry. Edwards is "Clintonesque" but it's time to nominate a Northern Democrat who will stand up to Texan Bush. Edwards should halt his campaign for President and start campaigning for re-election.

(Visit John Edwards' campaign website.)

Retired Gen. Wesley Clark, former Vice President Al Gore, and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York are three people who may, at one time or another, jump into the fracas of the Democratic primaries.

Ideally, Al Gore will remain on the sidelines and support Dean for President (who has the best chance at this time). Likewise Clinton should also sit this one out, support Dean, and plan for a run in 2008 or 2012 (depending on the success of the Dean 2004 campaign). Gen. Wesley Clark would be an ideal candidate for President, drawing in on the moderate centrists of the electorate. His greatest asset may be as running mate to Dean or Kerry which would greatly enhance the ticket and viability to unseat (the growingly unpopular) Bush.

Nine democrats are currently vying for the democratic nomination for President. This list may expand by 2 or 3 in the (near) future. Let's take a look at the nine candidates and determine whether they should continue their earnest campaigns or bow out gracefully.

Second in the series: Carol Moseley Braun should drop out.

Carol should focus her attention on the soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat in Illinois (that she formely held) with the retirement of Republican Senator Peter Fitzgerald. The fight for control in the Senate (like the fight in the House but more plausible) should be the prime focus for Dems. There are many sitting Senators running for the nomination. Fortunately a few will be not be toughly contested (e.g., Massachusetts). Braun has a chance to bring one back for the Dems. Braun has a slim-to-nil chance of earning the nomination, and may be a good choice for a running mate in the general election, but stealing a Senate seat from the GOP is quintessential to the future of the Dems in Congress.

(Visit Carol Moseley Braun's campaign website.)

Nine democrats are currently vying for the democratic nomination for President. This list may expand by 2 or 3 in the (near) future. Let's take a look at the nine candidates and determine whether they should continue their earnest campaigns or bow out gracefully.

First in the series: Dennis Kucinich, Cleveland's famed "boy mayor," should drop out immediately.

He has had more than his share of deplorable and embarrassing interviews. Dennis should concentrate on retaining his seat in the House which is more critical than him dangling on to this race for a few more months. The House will become even more GOP-dominant with every seat they can grab (e.g., Texas), and the Dems should take every considerable action to retain the one held by Kucinich. The new Kucinich campaign slogan should be: "Stay Dennis Stay (in the House)"

(Visit Dennis Kucinich's campaign website.)

The EPA is not supposed to cover up for the President, and hide realities, dangers, or environmental atrocities they know to exist. This is what has happened though since Mr. Bush has taken his oath of office.

Bush appointed a horrible administrator in Whitman, who had a horrific environmental record as Governor of New Jersey. She wasn't allowed to do her job however. The President controlled the EPA, using the agency as a stepping stone for his policies. The EPA has been forced to bury environmental report after report concerning global warming, and hide the realities of the air quality dangers in Manhattan after the terrorist attack.

The newly appointed Mike Leavitt's chief role as head of the EPA will be to dismantle the entire agency and leave the remains for the states. (Too many states are willing to forgo many environmental regulation for sake of industry and economy.)

When two 100+ floor towers fall in an urban center, dust fills the air, containing hazardous particulates. It is the job for the EPA to determine the dangers and to report to the people their findings. The President did not allow the EPA to report their findings, putting hundreds of thousands of people at risk.

"EPA was convinced to omit from its early public statements guidance for cleaning indoor spaces and tips on potential health effects from airborne dust containing asbestos, lead, glass fibers and concrete." (CBS News, 8/22/03)

The President gone beyond his power by lying to the American people what the goverment has known about environmental concerns from the 9/11 terrorist attacks and it's aftermath to the reality of global warming.

In light of the ignorance of Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore (who surprisingly has the full support of Sean Hannity), let's have a brief moment of silence.

Roy Moore: "My oath of office to the Constitution requires an acknowledgment of God." Maybe the Alabama Constitution does assert this, but it shouldn't. And as a judge, he should comprehend the necessity for separation of the court and god. Maybe he's planning a run for Senate and this is a publicity stunt.

Sean Hannity's ignorance: "Our Founding Fathers... were really religious men." INCORRECT Sean. You haven't done your reading: Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Ben Franklin (among countless other Founding Fathers) were deists. Jefferson believed in Nature's God, not the intervening God of Judeo-Christianity. Jefferson believed in science and knowledge. The Founding Fathers were not religious men.

The Declaration is sure to always state "Nature's God" and "Creator," never plainly "God." The Constitution never mentions God, Nature's God, or Creator. And it declares that no law respecting an establishment of religion shall be made.

I suggest Roy and Sean read America Declares Independence by Alan Dershowitz, an investigative look at the Declaration and the men who wrote it.

Almost all wars, and nearly 99% of all the deaths of men and women in this world, are due to this god-forsaken hellhole quaintly titled "the Holyland." What is so holy about it? It's in the desert: that ain't holy.

The Jews declare this their land. The Muslims declare it as theirs too. The Christians left it along time ago (but not without a massive fight). The atheists don't give a damn (and they're right).

The holyland is not worth fighting over, first of all, let alone dying for. If the Palestinians want it so bad they are willing to blow themselves up, they may just do about anything to get back this "holyland."

We have ties to Israel simply because we made Israel a country again (after World War Two). We've protected them and armed them. We have given one hundred percent of our support for their cause. Maybe it's time Israel give a few (thousand) acres to the Palestinians and we call it a day.

The holyland may be the "center of our universe" but that is because we allow it to be. We could just forget about the holyland bullshit and go on with our lives.