Today’s
post will feature a lot of links to professional writers; that is clearly to the readers’ benefit. I urge you upfront to read each of the
referenced articles; it’s good stuff.
They are well written and carefully considered. As far as the selection of the topics is
concerned; they are all very timely. Two
of them fall into the sports category; but their content takes them far beyond
simple sports. I’ve never been a
talented athlete; but I have played and followed sports my entire life. These are without a doubt two of the greatest
sports stories I have ever witnessed. Do
not be put off by the age of these events; their significance is timeless. The other two stories are pretty much the common
fare you read on this blog; they involve politics and government. But once again, they address issues of real
concern for any thoughtful American citizen.
We must always remember that our government is for the people and by the people; not the other way around. We have slackened the reins on that
proposition over the last few decades and it is way past time to once again
pull them taunt.
February 24, 1980 was a Sunday. I recall getting up early that morning to
watch something on television. If my
memory serves me well, I was padding around the house before anyone else had
even gotten up; it was real
early. The event I got up to watch was
the 1980 Olympic hockey game between the USA and Finland. For many people, this game was anti-climatic
coming as it did following the monumental upset of the Soviet hockey team by
the USA team. Incredibly, that game was not broadcast live, but
was featured on a tape delayed
basis. Today, it would no doubt be in
primetime; but back then we did not have hundreds of television broadcast
venues. As exciting as America’s upset
of the Soviets was, the fact remained that the USA team had one more game to win in order to gain
gold medal status. That was the Sunday game.
The
format for Olympic hockey that year was round robin and had the Americans lost
to Finland, the Soviets would have
won the gold medal. Given the seismic
impact of the USA victory over the Soviets, it was easy to see how these kids
might not be entirely prepared to win another
game against a strong opponent. They
might have been in for a huge let-down.
After all, they had just pulled off one of the greatest sports upsets in
history. But the spirit of these
wonderful athletes and their great coach Herb Brooks carried them through the
Finland match to Olympic gold and glory.
In my lifetime, I have never seen a greater upset victory than that win
over the Soviets. It was literally boys against men.
It was, and remains, truly inspiring.
It came at a time in history where it was the perfect storm of global
politics, international sports, and worldwide cultural interface. Follow this great story with me…
First
off, a good HBO documentary on the entire episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-K-mm8Bqik
.
Another
great video to help put this tremendous achievement in context: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM7HCm8yGNk
.
A
good article about the recent anniversary of this epic event and a couple of
great clips about it: https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-miracle-40-years-later/
.
Many
times, sports movies fail at recapturing the emotion and power of the events
around which they evolve. But in this
case, Walt Disney’s Miracle does a
tremendous job of transferring the 1980 Olympic hockey gold medal quest to
film. Even if you don’t like sports
movies, you will find this one highly entertaining: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v64ofT1rGOw
.
Next up, let’s switch gears to
government.
To those few that occasionally haunt the pages of this blog; it is no
surprise that I advocate for the termination of the FISA entity and deplore the
growing power and abuse of and by our intelligence agencies. This subject is on the minds of many in WDC
these days and controlling legislation for these agencies and acts is coming up
for reconsideration and renewal. It is hard to overstate the critical
importance that the outcome of these pending legislative actions will have on
the future of our nation. The
writers I reference below are well-versed on these subjects and their words
help to clarify this complex and pressing issue…
A
rehash of my personal feelings about FISA and government intelligence
gathering: http://centerlineright.blogspot.com/2019/12/from-fisa-to-obama-to-trump-to-where-we.html
.
Here
is a good summary on how and why the FBI was originally created: https://www.fbi.gov/history/brief-history
.
This is
why these subjects are so very timely: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/484150-congress-set-for-clash-over-surveillance-reforms
.
And
here are two very good articles on exactly what our Congress should do about
this problem: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/fixing-the-fbi-and-cia
And
how do you think a President should go about cleaning up such a den of
corruption: https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/calm-down-grenell-is-a-strong-choice/
.
Don’t
miss the next post!
Follow on Twitter @
centerlineright or Just Google centerlineright.
Returning to sports once again, I
turn to what is perhaps the second
greatest sporting event performance that I ever witnessed. To a lot of folks in my native Kentucky,
horse racing is at the pinnacle of the sports world. Admittedly, it has had its share of
controversies over the last decade with doping issues nationwide and horse
mortality out west. But it remains a
truly great sport and the people who manage it appear to be taking significant
steps towards addressing some of their problems. If you have never been to a horse race, you
need to put it on your bucket list. One
of the great experiences in life is having a bet on a horse when they turn for
home, seeing your horse make a move for the lead, experiencing the rush of the
crowd who all have common or competing interests, and feeling that all too rare euphoria of cashing in a
winning ticket. The gambling aspect
aside, there are few more beautiful sites than Keeneland Race Course (https://www.keeneland.com/)
in
Lexington, Kentucky on a beautiful spring or fall day. It is like a trip to a national park and the
majesty and elegance of thoroughbred racehorses is literally beyond
description. If you have never been, you
really should go.
The
greatest racehorse I ever saw in my lifetime was without a doubt Secretariat, a.k.a.
Big Red. Much like the great Seabiscuit
(and that is another great movie), he
captured the affection and imagination of the public in a way that was
infectious. But unlike his predecessor,
Secretariat was a beautiful and awe-inspiring physical specimen whose
appearance was simply breath-taking. His
stature was huge and his stride was unprecedented. When he was competing, he was poetry in
motion. He arrived in horse racing at a
time when the industry was in dire need of something rejuvenating; and boy, did
he deliver. His crushing victory in the
Belmont Stakes left no doubt that he was the greatest of his kind. In combination with his previous victories in
the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, the win placed his name on that hallowed list
of Triple Crown Winners and cemented his status as a legend. Here is his story and a chance to relive one
of the greatest sports events ever in his Belmont Stakes win…
But
you need to know exactly what preceded
the Belmont Stakes to put it in proper context: https://www.al.com/sports/2018/06/watch_secretariat_win_the_1973_1.html
.
And
of course, there is always the story behind
the scenes. Walt Disney once again
presents a great sports event on film that truly transcends the subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKmuvjL2cVw
.
The 2020 Presidential Election
Campaign is upon us.
Soon, we will be unable to watch anything on television without the
constant interruptions of political ads.
We will be so bombarded by the hypocritical messaging of modern day
messiahs that we will plead for the first Tuesday in November to be over with
and done. Here are some notes on some of
what we can expect in this silly season
of national politics.
Many
in the Democratic Party are feeling the Bern. Whether or not he ends up as the 2020
Democratic nominee for President, there is no doubt that Bernie Sanders is now
on the short list of those with a good chance to achieve it. Just as the Republicans grappled with the
advent of Trump in their nominee selection process; the Democrats are likewise grappling
with the Sanders issue in their primary.
The upcoming Democratic nominating convention will be must-see TV for anyone remotely
interested in politics. And aside from
the obligatory candidate selection and promotion for their own party, what
might the Democrats have in store for President Trump in the coming campaign? Let us consider the possibilities…
The
Bernie train is rolling, but there may be chaos at the station: https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/02/bernie-sanders-democrats-have-already-conceded-to-front-runner/
A
very interesting article from a Dane about how the liberal government in
Denmark that is being promoted by Sanders is doing these days and how it might
work in America: http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0220/danes_reality_check.php3
.
And
just how does taxation work in those Scandinavian countries: https://taxfoundation.org/how-scandinavian-countries-pay-their-government-spending/
.
Once
their nominee is finally determined, the Democrats will no doubt initiate
operation Moderation Transformation;
which will be intended to morph their left-wing liberal positions into
something somewhat more acceptable to American moderates: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/economy/fearful-of-losing-key-bargaining-role-unions-hope-sanders-medicare-for-all-will-leave-room-for-private-coverage
.
Of
course, we cannot discuss Presidential politics without mentioning the Russia factor: https://spectator.org/the-next-coup-against-trump-has-begun/
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