🏈🏈 Super Bowl LIV Preview 🏈🏈

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San Francisco 49ers

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Kansas City Chiefs

Super Bowl LIV: San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs   

We are down to it now. The last two teams have survived, and will head off in Miami on Sunday, February 2nd.

It will be the AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs, making their first Super Bowl appearance since the first and only time that they won the big game back in the 1969-70 season, beating a favored Vikings team in the process. They will take on the San Francisco 49ers, who are making their first appearance since the 2012-13 season, which was the unusual power outage game in New Orleans. San Francisco won numerous Super Bowl titles, and have a glorious history in the big game, although the last time that they won one was back in the 1994-95 season, when they still had Jerry Rice, Steve Young, John Taylor, and a bunch of other stars that harken back to an entirely different era in this storied franchise’s history.

Just a couple of seasons before that one, many had hoped – and some expected – these two franchises to meet in the big game. Back in 1994, the Chiefs hosted the 49ers in week 2 of the regular season, and the home team managed to pull off a huge win. It was memorable, because it was the first and only time that former legendary quarterback Joe Montana squared off against his old team, whom he had won four Super Bowl rings with. They both had gone to the Conference Championship Game the year before, but both had lost. The Chiefs would be disappointing that season, finishing 9-7, while the 49ers would win their final title of that remarkable streak of success that they enjoyed through most of the eighties and nineties, crushing the San Diego Chargers in the big game.

Yes, prior to that, the 49ers had continually gone to Super Bowls, and kept winning them, too. They went a while without another appearance until they made it to Super Bowl XLVII, ultimately losing to the Baltimore Ravens.

As for the Chiefs, they came close a few times. They enjoyed some very strong regular seasons, but rarely followed up with serious playoff success deep into the playoffs. They made it to the AFC title game following the 1993-94 season, losing to the Buffalo Bills, in a game where Montana would suffer a serious concussion. They had their ups and downs since, enjoying some very good seasons in the nineties and early 2000’s, before falling upon hard times in the late 2000’s. But then, Andy Reid came on board, and pretty soon, Kansas City became a consistent playoff contender. They made it back to the AFC Championship Game last season, hosting the Patriots, but the Chiefs lost in overtime. They got back to the AFC title game this season, hosting the Titans. Obviously this time, they enjoyed considerably more success.

So, these two franchises never did get to meet in the Super Bowl for a Montana versus Young showdown, but they are here now.

Well, this is a different era. There is no major rivalry between these two teams, although there are historical connections. For a while, it seemed that Kansas City made a point of obtaining former 49ers quarterbacks. From the earliest, Steve DeBerg, to the most famous, Joe Montana, and plenty of others. Steve Bono, Elvis Grbac, and most recently Alex Smith. Smith was eventually replaced by current quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who seems to finally be the best answer for the Chiefs at that position. 

Yet, the Chiefs have more than just a star quarterback. Hell, they have far more than just an explosive offense with a quarterback who can get hot and kill you with his hot arm, although that certainly, undeniably, is a part of their approach. And Mahomes, despite some problems with being plagued with injuries earlier this season, still is very, very capable of hurting opposing defenses with his incredible abilities at the helm.

Kansas City has also shown a strong ability not to be overly deflated when they fall behind in a game, especially big games. Everything was going in favor of Houston in the divisional round game, as the Texans jumped out to a rather stunning 24-0 lead. It seemed like the Chiefs could do nothing right at that point. But they kept their composure, and did what they do the best. The offense got in a rhythm, the defense tightened up, and the Chiefs suddenly were unstoppable. Where everything had gone wrong earlier, everything suddenly began to go right for them, and they finished an NFL playoff record seven consecutive drives with touchdowns. They were already up, 28-24, by halftime. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Chiefs had the game well in hand, and they had managed to mostly put it out of reach for the Texans, ultimately outscoring them 51-7 the rest of the way, following that early 24-0 deficit.

It happened again in the AFC Championship, albeit not quite to the same extreme. The Chiefs found themselves down 10-0, and then 17-7 a short while later. Down 10 points, twice. Yet again, though, once they got going, they really began rolling. Once again, KC’s offense started to find a solid rhythm, and the defense tightened up. Once again, they overcame a fairly sizable hole and took a four-point lead by halftime. The second half belonged to the Chiefs. The defense held the Titans, and the offense got going again in the fourth quarter, once again putting the game out of reach by the time that Tennessee scored again to make the outcome look closer and more respectable than it actually was.

No surprise, then, that KC’s offense is considered the strength of this team. There is explosiveness with the arm of Mahomes, and the receivers he uses, including those powerful tight ends. Plus, Mahomes has incredible mobility, which makes the offense more difficult to predict. That adds an extra dimension of difficulty for any defense assigned to try and stop them, or even to try and slow them down.

Kansas City was one of the leaders on offense all season, which is not exactly surprising. They had the number six ranked offense in the league, statistically speaking, although that figure might be misleading. Their offense got better and better towards the end, and they have looked absolutely explosive in the postseason. Their passing game was the second best in the league, after the Ravens. But obviously, the Chiefs offense was far more effective during playoff time this season, as the Ravens offense, for all of the fireworks that they displayed during the regular season, went missing for the most part in their one and only playoff game. The Chiefs offense was the opposite, looked even more impressive when all of the chips were down, and that should bode well for them in this game, as well.

The 49ers, meanwhile, are an old school kind of team. They rely on a solid running game, and they have a very solid defense. They had the number two ranked defense overall this season, and led the league against the run. Their passing defense was very tough, which could be makes this showdown against the Chiefs very exciting.

San Francisco also had a very solid offense, as well. To be sure, they had a more conservative approach then Kansas City did. Their offense ranked as the best rushing offense in the league. But the passing game can be dangerous, as well, as quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo can get the hot hand at times. He is not as consistent as some of the elite quarterbacks in the league, which includes Mahomes. Kansas City was fairly solid against the pass, but they struggled against the run for most of the season, however. So that likely means that the Niners will try and rely on a conservative, ball approach and try to keep the Chiefs offense off the field as much as possible. They will try to control the clock.           

All of that might be immaterial, because these teams are different than they were all season long. San Francisco raced off to an 8-0 start, although many people remained skeptical of them. But they recovered from losses nicely, and remained very tough into and now through the playoffs, and it has gotten them all the way to the Super Bowl now. Their defense has held tough, and while there were still question marks at times at quarterback, Garoppolo has mostly been an asset. There were question marks in the beginning of the season about whether he could even hold onto the job, but he has clearly established himself as this team’s main man.           

As for the Chiefs, they also started off with a hot undefeated start, although after going 4-0, they struggled, losing four of their next six games. For a while, they looked like a really struggling team, and there were questions about whether they could even win the AFC West again, and even the playoffs were suddenly in some doubt for a little while. But in the latter stages of the season, they answered all of those questions. They won their final six regular season games, following a loss to the Titans. Since then, the Chiefs have been very tough, with an offense that has been particularly explosive in recent weeks, and a defense that has proved fully up to the challenge when it was needed the most. In the eight games since that loss to the Titans, the Chiefs defense has proven very tough. The Chiefs finished the season where most expected them to be all season: among the elites.           

So, who will win this game?           

In many ways, this game will showcase a decided contrast in styles. The 49ers are apt to use a classic approach, aiming for ball control and a solid running game. The Chiefs rely on an explosive offense that can get hot, and which can strike quickly and with deadly efficiency, which can burn you at any time. The 49ers have a tough defense, but can they keep the Chiefs in check? The Chiefs defense has improved, but can they prevent the 49ers from controlling the clock and limiting KC’s offensive opportunities?           

This should be a very great match-up for the biggest game of the season!


My Pick: Kansas City Chiefs

Taking Another Short Break for the Weekend

Okay, I have grown a bit tired of politics again. It is so repetitive, and right now in the United States, it feels like it is also far from mature. Yes, there is a very immature streak that is running through far too many millions of Americans, and that feels specific to Americans right now. There is a seeming desire to be entertained, and this is not new. Yes, we have someone in the White House who used to be a celebrity, but we had that back in the 1980’s, as well. And Reagan was fixated with his image, with portraying the ideal American president and life, even while his policies actually undermined the country’s best interests. Still, people fell for it time after time back then, even through major scandals that could have undone that entire presidency, from the Savings and Loan Scandal to the Iran-Contra Affair.              

Reagan got away with it, and became known as the “Teflon President.” Clinton was said to have surpassed him for having gotten away with scandals even more seamlessly. As far as I am concerned, George W. Bush took it even one step further, with numerous corporate scandals, a war that he started based on lies, and even an economy that was virtually run to the ground. He should have been reviled, yet all that he suffered, frankly, were low approval ratings during his second term, which also happened to be his final term, of course. Within a few years, his approval ratings soared, proving just how stupid and forgetful Americans tend to be in general.              

Now, we have someone who makes all of that look like amateur work, because Trump seems to get away with everything. He makes a point of pushing the envelope more than anyone else ever has, and he keeps getting away with it. He should be impeached for his crimes, and yet again, it seems he is on the verge of getting away with it.              

It is sickening and tiresome, and beyond frustrating. It is maddening, and every now and then, I feel a need for a break, almost like a need to come up for air after swimming underwater for a little too long.             

So, this is my announcement: I will not post anything political – barring something truly shocking and unavoidable – until sometime next week, probably around mid-week I just need a break, and the Super Bowl always is good for offering that kind of a thing.              

This weekend, I will work, but only one job. I get off at 3pm on Sunday, and will not have to work again until Monday evening, so Super Bowl Sunday will be free. That is a relative rarity, as I usually have either worked during the big game, or immediately afterward, which meant too often leaving earlier than I wanted to, sometimes while the game was still going on. Last year, it was work of a different sort, but I did not even watch that Super Bowl, which was a first for me since I began watching the big game back in Super Bowl XVI.              

Not this year. I am off, and intend to enjoy the big game. I will get my son right after work, and then we will head down to Hillsborough. I will try to get some Buffalo wings and celery and carrot sticks, try to get some root beer and ice cram for floats, and perhaps some other things. Not the healthiest stuff, admittedly, but my son is young, and I am off that night and the next day, so we should both be able to recover, most likely.              

That will be where my focus will be for this weekend. This is a little leeway that I am giving myself, as I just want to be able to enjoy a relaxing weekend for a change.              

Enjoy the weekend yourself, whether or not you care about the big game or not, or whether or not the team you are pulling for wins or loses.              

That’s it for now.  

Go Chiefs!

A Closer Look at the More Controversial Aspects of Martin Luther King, Jr.

'The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.'   

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

A picture of my son in front of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, taken back in the spring of 2013 for the Cherry Blossom Festival. 

Not too long ago, I published some blog entries on Martin Luther King, Jr. for the national holiday in his honor.

At the time, I posted the one and only picture that I thought that I had of the MLK memorial in Washington. But I found a couple more, including the one that was added on the top of this particular post, where it is a straight on shot of the memorial. The one with my son is underneath it.

It seemed  like a good idea to add it to those earlier posts on his holiday, as well as this one, when I write about him again, having been reminded of it by a very recent video from Lee Camp about MLK quotes that too often get buried under the more or less inspiration and largely non-controversial quotes that most Americans (although certainly not all, especially in this age of Trump) can agree with.

Please watch the video below, and perhaps get a better understanding, and hopefully appreciation, of Martin Luther King, Jr.. He and this country at the time faced many of the same dilemmas that we are facing now, and it seems to me a worthy endeavor to remember his wisdom and his moral courage in standing up to what he saw was clearly wrong. We could use a little bit more of that today, especially in Washington.

Alan Dershowitz Once Warned That Trump Would be a Corrupt President, But He's Enabling Blatant Corruption Now

One last post for the day.

Alan Dershowitz really made news when he became part of Trump's defense team, not only because of his big name, but also because he was a harsh critic of Trump just a few years ago.

Now, he is bending over backwards to empower Trump with the ability to abuse his powers with complete impunity.

Times have changed, but in three short years?

I suspect that he is getting paid very handsomely. So much, that he is willing to bury democracy itself, and help institute an imperial presidency.

3 years ago, Alan Dershowitz said Trump would be a corrupt president. Now he's part of his impeachment defense team. Rhea Mahbubani Jan 29, 2020

https://www.businessinsider.com/alan-dershowitz-donald-trump-corrupt-president-2016-comment-2020-1?fbclid=IwAR0S2G_wRLTw1HL_AAX1NDBahVHAC2C6jr1JSpIWQI3rvv96n-or64csrW8

Grading the 2020 Democratic Candidates on Their Commitment to Environmental Issues

If you are interested in environmental issues, and are thinking about who among the Democratic field would best protect those interests, there is a link attached that addresses precisely that.

Just in case there is anyone in Iowa or New Hampshire, in particular, who stumble on this blog entry, please take a look at this by clicking on the link below, to see how the major Democrats leading the 2020 primary rank on environmental issues. This has never been more important than now!

ENVIRONMENTAL VOTER GUIDE We graded the 2020 Democratic candidates on four key environmental areas. by Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund:

https://centeractionfund.org/environmental-report-card/?fbclid=IwAR0epqi2Edk1KjeftotIVzsLnQIB5DfXnY6HqALRSA6511_o5FmRjaoQg_Q

The Senate Might Be a Bigger Problem Than President Trump

I thought that this Op/Ed piece in the Washington Post was worth sharing.

David Litt begins by arguing that unofficially, not just the president, but the Senate itself is on trial during this impeachment case:

The Senate is on trial.  

True, individual senators are serving as jurors, rather than defendants, during the impeachment of President Trump. But as an institution, the upper chamber also has something to prove. If ever there were a moment for the Senate to rise to the occasion — to show the American people that, after years of dysfunction, it is still what countless senators have long referred to as “the world’s greatest deliberative body” — that moment is now.

I think he has a point.

Litt is saying that at least so far, the Senate is not passing this test. Where they might, up to this point, have been still regarded as a key element to American democracy, they are compromising their "value as a steady hand guiding our democracy," and that "the impeachment trial is confirming that the Senate has become a place where short-term political concerns beat out careful deliberation, and where partisanship has done away with open debate."

That argument seems spot on.

Litt goes on by discussing the idea and execution of the Senate from it's earliest days to the present. He admits that it is far from a perfect institution. Yet, it had some saving graces, he says:

The Senate was far from perfect. But for the most part, it still functioned as what 19th-century Republican Sen. George Frisbie Hoar of Massachusetts once called the nation’s “sober second thought.”

Now, however, any serious notion that the Senate is an independent institution from this imperial presidency we now have seems almost laughable, given the facts. Again, back to Litt:

Compare that history to what we’re seeing during the impeachment trial taking place today. With the security of our elections and the future of our democracy at stake, the great debate taking place in the Senate is not over how best to protect our republic. It’s over whether — in the face of unprecedented White House obstruction — Senators should call a tiny number of witnesses or no witnesses at all.

He then adds:

When it comes to reaching a final verdict, meanwhile, the institution that once considered itself subordinate to no one is now happy to put the interests of the White House — and by extension, of a national political party — above its own.

That certainly appears to be true. The Senate - particularly the Republicans who lead the Senate and announced well beforehand that they would not be impartial during this process - have transparently put the interests of their party over that of the country, and of the democracy that we are supposed to have. 

The Senate, in other words, has become a thoroughly partisan institution. Majority Leader Mike Mansfield (D-Mont.), who served from 1961 to 1977, famously described his chamber as “100 independent men and women.” Yet at Trump’s impeachment trial, it’s unlikely that votes will be determined according to senators’ individual temperaments, political philosophies or even the states they represent. Instead, the most important factor — by far — is almost certain be the (D) or (R) beside each senator’s name.

This matters, Litt argues, not just because of how unfair and clearly biased in favor of Trump the Senate Republicans have become, but also because of past actions that have undermined any notion of the Senate, and Congress more generally, as being remotely fair or serious about their responsibilities regarding preserving our democratic traditions:

Meanwhile, thanks to rules changes and audacious exploitation of loopholes, the most consequential votes the Senate has been able to take in recent years — approving massive tax cuts for the wealthy and lifetime appointments for judges — have been rushed through with practically no debate at all. The modern Senate may be many things, but the repository of the nation’s wisdom is not one of them.

This matters, because for centuries the Senate’s defenders have justified its unique rules — the filibuster that allows a minority of senators to kill a bill; unanimous consent agreements that give any senator the ability to grind business to a halt; the apportionment of senators by state rather than population — by arguing that these peculiarities are necessary to preserve the institution’s character. If the institution has lost its character, however, those peculiar rules are clearly no longer helpful.

Litt makes a compelling argument, suggesting that America's "democratic institutions are meant (to) ensure that power is derived from the consent of the governed, yet the current design of the Senate ensures the opposite.

Litt concludes this piece by arguing:

In the coming weeks, senators will consider a grave question: What do we do about President Trump’s behavior? Yet if we’re really serious about protecting our democracy, senators — and the Americans they represent — must start to consider another question as well, one that may prove in the long run even more important than the president’s fate:  

What do we do about the Senate?

Good question. 

The Senate has become a threat to democracy itself By David Litt (author of the forthcoming book 'Democracy in One Book or Less,' to be published by Ecco in June, 2020) Jan. 29, 2020:
The impeachment trial proves one thing: It’s time to change the upper chamber

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/01/29/senate-has-become-threat-democracy-itself/?fbclid=IwAR0bRN5bijdJya7gWIOsNpnoGFgwv4ex69eNNm62oyw9qqGXk-5OkyK87PU&utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook

Just Announced: Trump Administration Alters Funding for Medicaid Programs

In very typical fashion, Trump and his White House move so fast and make so many headlines, that you hardly have a chance to catch your breath.

The news surrounding his supposed Middle East peace deal was sharing the headlines for the past couple of days.

Now, it is this change to the way that Medicaid programs will be funded. Hint: it will be different for red states versus blue states.

Trump administration announces Medicaid program funding overhaul This overhaul would likely be attractive to red states that want to limit spending, maintain greater flexibility, limit the size of the overall program and share in cost-savings with the federal government.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-administration-announces-medicaid-program-funding-overhaul-n1126501?cid=sm_npd_ms_fb_ma&fbclid=IwAR08_UpHc__shErt1UJxDZSf3fa8TkDBL7W6eP9s5IrStg7nlQcinFTFoV0

Trump's Lawyers Champion an Imperial Presidency

When Alan Dershowitz was hired for the Trump team in what seems to be an indefensible case legally (even though acquittal by the Republican-dominated Senate is a virtual lock), it raised some eyebrows. And Dershowitz promised that he would have some surprises once he finally gave his public defense of Trump.

Well, he was not kidding. His defense is the talk of the entire country right now. In fact, it basically redefines the presidency.

So what did he argue?

Basically, he did not deny the Quid pro quo. What he argued, however, was that a president can pursue Quid pro quo without it being an impeachable offense, because a president's interests in being re-elected is in the national interest.

For all intents and purposes, it erases any real chance of maintaining some semblance of a balance of powers between the branches of government. There are no checks and balances, when anything that a president does can be classified as in the national interest. If it is in the public interest, as defined by the president, then it cannot be illegal. This is not completely dissimilar to Nixon's argument which lost, back when members of Congress had some actual standards of decency, legality, and patriotism over party interests. Back in Nixon's day, he argued that if a president does it, it is not illegal. Trump's team is basically taking a slightly different spin on this same argument. Nixon did not get away with it, but that was a different time. It was a ridiculous argument, and seen as such, because most everyone agreed that Nixon had abused his power. Yet, similar arguments are being made now, for Trump, who is truly starting to feel like the real "Teflon President," far more than any of his predecessors.

What is even more amazing is that this defense will likely be regarded as a successful one, because Senate Republicans have already signaled that they will acquit Trump, come what may. Regardless of whatever preposterous notions that Trump and his team have of the presidency, they are going to win the day, because Republicans either are too cowardly to stand up to this obvious perversion of the principles of our Founding Fathers, or they are too corrupt (or possibly even both). 

I suspect that the Trump team figured that their fellow Republicans in the Senate would acquit no matter what, and so they decided to be bold in their arguments. To advocate for sweeping new powers for the presidency, so that Trump is given exactly what he clearly wanted, expects, and sought after: unlimited power.

This is exactly the reason that staying true to your party - over the country's interests - can lead to a disaster. The country is suffering yet another blow to what was once a functioning democracy. Once again, it feels less and less like a democracy, and much more like an oligarchy. Trump truly feels that he should be dictator, in action, if not in name. 

Donald Trump’s ‘Defense’ Would Make the President a King The argument against impeachment by Trump’s team proposes a super-presidency—an unlimited and fully imperial leader—that could rarely if ever be checked and balanced. By John Nichols, January 30, 2020:

https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/philbin-imperial-presidency-impeachment/?fbclid=IwAR1GQGAs6vm4bajSykQBo4l0_hvOnGze43BGSB-gfxnNhRQMWdBsQ7FEawQ


Trump's lawyers rolled out a breathtaking new defense Zach Wolf Analysis by Zachary B. Wolf, CNN  Updated 11:13 PM ET, Wed January 29, 2020:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/29/politics/impeachment-watch-january-29/index.html?fbclid=IwAR0Aq73_5BJwHSmtFfQ4Rqkj6vk0ZoHY6zZp_MU0dOslJTC3ZjsvSg4mtlk

Trump's Middle East Plan is a Fraud, Much Like Everything Else From This Presidency

Amidst the impeachment proceedings in the Senate, Trump unveiled his long awaited (at least by his supporters) Middle East peace plan yesterday.

In typical fashion, Trump applauded his own efforts, and called it the "Deal of the Century."

Many experts, however, feel that it is something else entirely. 

In this short video, BBC's Jeremy Bowen summed it up quite succinctly:

"It is not a peace negotiation. It's a set of terms which the Americans, with very strong Israeli backing, are effectively dictating to the other side in a very long-running conflict."

That was how I felt about it as well. It just felt eerily reminiscent of the terms dictated to Germany following the end of the "Great War, and which sparked the lust for revenge in Germans which would eventually manifest into the rise of Hitler and what then became an inevitable march to yet another world war, which was even more devastating than the first, in many respects.

Palestinians were not even invited, and they already viewed Trump as transparently biased in favor of the Israelis. Nor are they wrong in that assessment. And as Bowen also puts, quite aptly, in this video, the Palestinians do not see a "deal of the century" as Trump puts it, but they see something else entirely: a surrender document. 

Indeed, the Palestinian response has been to label this, for all intents and purposes, a "conspiracy." Frankly, though, who could be surprised if they feel insulted by this?

Within a few days, Bowen states, Israelis will begin to implement parts of this deal, which is to say that they will effectively prepare the grounds to annex parts of what were formerly Palestinian lands and make them into part of Israel proper.

Bowen suggested that the chance that this will become an actual framework for peace is virtually zero. However, he added, it does advance the cause of the vision for the future envisaged by Trump and Netanyahu. 

Here is the link to the BBC video on the so-called Trump Peace Plan:


Why Trump's Middle East plan is so divisive US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan has been welcomed by Israel, but Palestinians have dismissed it as a "conspiracy".  The BBC's Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen explains why the proposal is so divisive. January 29, 2020:

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-middle-east-51299125/why-trump-s-middle-east-plan-is-so-divisive

Muslim Leaders From Saudi Arabia Come Together With Children of Holocaust Survivors at Auschwitz

There is so much bad news to make our world outlook feel very grim these days. It just seems that the world is getting worse, not better, with each passing year sometimes.

Every now and then, though, you hear some positive news, and this can feel good, like the first warm beam of sunlight after a long and particularly dreary rainstorm or snowstorm. Suddenly, the world looks and feels a lot less grim, if only for a short while.

A few days ago, I posted three blog entries about the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, a date which is now recognized as Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Yet, I missed this particular article by Tim Wyatt, which was published on the 24th, by The Independent. Here, Muslim leaders got together with Holocaust survivors on the grounds of the former Auschwitz death camp to pray together with Jewish advocacy groups and children of the survivors of the Holocaust. 

The delegation was led by Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, the secretary general of the Saudi Arabia-funded Muslim World League, and is thought to be the most senior group of Islamic faith representatives to ever visit a Nazi death camp.

“To be here, among the children of Holocaust survivors and members of the Jewish and Islamic communities, is both a sacred duty and a profound honour,” Mr Al-Issa said during the ground-breaking visit.  

“The unconscionable crimes to which we bear witness today are truly crimes against humanity. That is to say, a violation of us all, an affront to all of God’s children.”

During a time when many young people seem to be forgetting that there even was a Holocaust, we should 

The extent of the Holocaust, and especially of the horrors at Auschwitz in particular, are still unbelievable. Here is another snippet from Wyatt's article that illustrates this point:

The network of concentration camps in Auschwitz, situated in southern Poland – then occupied by Germany during the Second World War - held 1.3 million people, of whom 1.1 million were killed.

Most of those who died in the camps were Jews, including 865,000 who were immediately gassed to death on their arrival.  

David Harris from the American Jewish Committee said the trip led by Mr Al-Issa was “the most senior Islamic leadership delegation to ever visit Auschwitz or any Nazi German death camp”

At a time when hatred seems to be on the rise all over, and when there also appears to be a forgetting of history that is, frankly, not all that long ago, it is an encouraging sign that there are leaders among groups of people who traditionally have not gotten along who nevertheless put aside their differences in order to recognize just how important it is to remember this history in an effort not to repeat it.

Muslim leaders join Holocaust survivors to pray at Auschwitz in ‘groundbreaking’ visit Muslim World League chief says marking anniversary of liberation of death camp ‘sacred duty and profound honour’  Tim Wyatt, January 24, 2020:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/auschwitz-holocaust-muslim-jewish-pray-a9299941.html?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR3mc-ed_yjHQwz9nUNXuITAgDp_AO9r8zlu3DwlxxfnxSWxMT80WLCgCog#Echobox=1579872803

⚽️ PSG Blanks Lille to Stay Comfortably Atop Ligue 1 Standings ⚽️

⚽️ ⚽️  0 Lille - Paris Saint-Germain 2  ⚽️  ⚽️ 

 Lille - Paris Saint-Germain ( 0-2 ) 

PSG needed to defeat Lille to keep their momentum going, and edge ever closer to another Ligue 1 championship.

They managed to do that, relying on a solid defense, and some scoring by their Brazilian superstar Neymar.

Neymar scored in the 28th minute to give PSG the lead, and they kept the 1-0 lead into halftime. They added to it shortly in the second half when Neymar netted his second goal of the game in the 52nd minute, giving PSG a 2-0 lead.

They managed to hold onto that for the win.

The results from this game expanded PSG's lead in the standings. They now have earned 52 points in 21 games played thus far. The second place team, Olympique Marseille, has also played the same amount of games, but earned 42 points thus far, fully 10 points behind PSG. Barring some truly unforeseen circumstances, it appears that the defending champions will win the Ligue 1 championship yet again. 

The More Trump Gets Away With Things, the More Emboldened He Becomes

If the stakes were not quite as high as they are, it might be funny that many of the same Republicans who supported the invasion of Iraq a decade and a half ago are now bending over backwards to forgive Trump all of seemingly countless trespasses. Yes, many of these Republicans argued for war with Iraq on the principle that we should have learned the lessons from World War II about the dangers of appeasing a power-hungry tyrant. Now, they make a habit of appeasing a home-grown tyrant right here at home, and American democracy and the Constitution are likely only the first casualties.

How did the party that kept praising Ronald Reagan for standing up strong to the Russians and taking a hawkish approach towards perceived enemies of America suddenly grow so spineless and weak when faced with a transparent threat by this business tycoon who clearly knows nothing - and cares even less - about American democracy?

Trump is growing ever more bold, as he keeps getting away with things, time and time again. He ran a campaign of hatred and lies in 2016, and won the White House. He got away with covering up Russian ties with the Mueller investigation, and so he sought help from the Ukrainians via quid pro quo literally the day after the Mueller investigation ended. He keeps promoting hatred and division within the country, and again, he is allowed to get away with it.              

This man is dangerous, and the threat that he poses is growing ever more serious with each passing day.              

I have said this before, and will say it again now: this was the last man Americans should have trusted with this highest office in the land. Once he got in, he was not likely to give it up too willingly. And it has become clear now that he intends to keep it for as long as people will let him get away with keeping it for. He has already hinted at the possibility of being there for a third term, and even hinted at a presidency of 20 or more years.              

Of course, presently, that is against the law. But this man is so outrageous, and so transparently knows no limits to his hypocrisy and lust for more power and attention, that it would not feel at all surprising if he actively sought to maintain power even beyond two terms. And frankly, I am not entirely sure that he will give up power even if he loses the upcoming election. I wish that I was joking, but another thing that he has hinted at is the possibility of a civil war. Do you think that he was joking?              

The thing is, he always seems to “joke” about things like that, and he always seems to be the one to gain power in all of this supposed joking, whether it’s becoming “president for life” or attaining the level of respect from his countrymen that Kim Jung Il, the dictator of North Korea, forces his people to pay him in that country.

Once again, Donald Trump is tacitly inciting violence, being careful to do it in just such a way as to be able to plausibly deny that this was what he actually meant, should Something indeed happen (as it has happened in the past with this man’s tweets).              

I mean, really, let’s be serious for a second: let’s say that someone – some trigger-happy rightwing lunatic who idolizes Trump and follows all of his tweets, and takes them all seriously and quite literally – decides to go ahead and do this president’s bidding. Let’s say this guy goes out and finds some way to harm, and perhaps even kill, Adam Schiff tomorrow, or the next day. Would it even be plausible for a minute that Trump’s tweet was somehow not inciting some retribution in the form of violence, and that this guy, lunatic or not, would feel that he was merely obeying some indirect orders, or some command. Perhaps believing that he is doing his patriotic duty to “make America great again,” the way that Trump sees it?              

Now, these days, we have legions of self-identified conservatives who indeed would like explain away how Trump “didn’t really mean” this tweet literally, and was not calling for Schiff to be physically harmed or even killed.              

Yet, if such a scenario happens (and admittedly, it seems inlikely right now, even though in this country’s present political climate, it cannot be discounted as impossible), then it would feel just a little too coincidental to be merely a fluke, right? Clearly, the lunatic would believe that Trump was asking someone to make Schiff pay, and pay dearly. In this case, probably to make him pay with his life, quite literally. Sure, the man himself would be responsible in a literal way, and Trump supporters would surely harp on that fact. But again, I already mentioned that this theoretical guy has some serious mental issues, and is prone to violence. That would not be in question. The question, then, would be if this man acted upon what he felt were instructions, or some kind of indirect order to hold “Shifty Schiff accountable for perceived crimes against the country, or if he was about to do harm to Schiff already, and there would be some strange coincidence in timing between Trump’s tweet and this man’s actions.              

Frankly, that notion would be preposterous.              

Yes, this is all theoretical, but it feels like something that could actually happen these days. It feels frankly not as strange and as impossible a scenario as maybe it once did, say 10 or 20 years ago. Or hell, even five years ago.              

What has changed?              

Well, the man in the Oval Office, and the circumstances that this has created, of course. That is why that scenario, while literally seemingly unlikely, is not completely unthinkable any longer these days.

Nowadays, as a result of the relentless appeasement of a bona fide American tyrant by his weak-willed fellow party members, another scenario that seemed almost impossible, and certainly unlikely, not long ago, seems almost probable, perhaps even inevitable, these days: the end of democracy and Constitutional law in America.

WHY TRUMP, FACING IMPEACHMENT, WARNS OF CIVIL WAR  By Jelani Cobb  October 5, 2019

https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/why-trump-facing-impeachment-warns-of-civil-war?fbclid=IwAR2W4j677PzCeYNKNHoevkPC-VqNDhgCO9m1N6eVOd6i_R4RY6ogj8eGgLg

The Reason Republican Senators Are Not Open to Impeaching Trump? Cowardice.

The evidence against President Trump really is overwhelming, and that despite the fact that the White House held back as much evidence and documentation as they could.              

How do we know that the White House held back? Well, because Trump boasted about doing so. Of course he did.              

Still, it is clear that what Trump did was wrong. No, not merely wrong, actually. Criminally wrong. A clear abuse of power. And coming as it did literally one day after the Mueller investigation ended, it also showed a clear willingness – even enthusiastic energy – to engage in more abuse of his power, because he feels emboldened. When he gets away with something, as he has done time and time and time again, the lesson that this miserable excuse for a man, and even poorer excuse for a so-called leader, gets is to push the envelope even further. To see how much more he can get away with.              

It is all based on his loyal following, which is approximately 35 percent of the population, who will support this man regardless of whatever stupid or even criminal things he says or does. Whatever their motivations, it is, frankly, a mind-numbingly stupid approach to take, to simply remain obedient and loyal to a leader, and to not only avoid any criticism of that leader, but to try and shut anyone up who dares criticize that leader, to boot.              

They try to shut down any and all criticism of their man, who in case we have forgotten, is supposed to be a public servant, rather than a king, or a dictator. He is supposed to represent the American people, and is also supposed to embody the very best ideals and principles of Americans, and not merely pursue selfish interests.        

But instead he remains openly and transparently, perhaps even enthusiastically, partisan and divisive, and more and more Americans are finally waking up to that fact. As inconvenient as these poll numbers are for Trump supporters and self-identified conservatives, they nonetheless are impossible to ignore. Here, according to Fox News, are some of the numbers that stack up against the Trump White House:      

According to the poll, “On impeachment, by a 50-44 percent margin, voters think the Senate should vote to convict Trump and remove him from office. Most Democrats say remove (81 percent) and most Republicans disagree (84 percent). Among independents, more say Trump should be removed by a 19-point margin (53-34 percent).”

Frankly, those poll numbers should be much, much higher.

It is also clear that Republican members of Congress, both in the House and in the Senate, were scared to move against President Trump. Most likely, they are afraid of that base of loyal support that he has, and perhaps they were also afraid of what Trump might say about them in tweets or his ridiculous political rallies. Obviously, Trump is quite known for his mean-spirited tweets and comments in order to try and fire up his political base. It must be hard to belong to a party where such a small minority of the American people are calling the shots, and to be paralyzed by fear to the point that they are, collectively, unable to do much of anything.       

Is this just some made up thing? Or is Trump really threatening Republican members of Congress behind the scenes? 

Well, according to numerous sources, some used by Adam Schiff, as well as simply using common sense and connecting the dots with what's likely to happen based on Trump's past actions, then of course he is trying to be as menacing as possible towards them. And it is not just Trump, but his whole White House. Here is a snippet that illustrates the point, taken from a recent article in Rolling Stone magazine (see link below):

That sentiment was echoed by the White House’s director of legislative affairs, who told reporters, “I can’t wait for the revenge.”     

There are some Republican Senators who apparently may be considering a more moderate stance, and who are taking these proceedings seriously.              

Most, however, are not. Most had their minds made up long before this trial ever even began.              

Yet, according to former Republican Senator Jeff Blake, the number of Republicans in the Senate who actually would vote against Trump would number something like 30 to 35, which would be plenty enough to remove Trump from office altogether, if indeed these numbers are accurate.   

Indeed, if these reports by the former Republican Senator Jeff Blake are to be believed, if the vote was held in secret, there would be enough Republicans voting against Trump and in favor of impeachment that Trump would indeed be removed from office (see link below):

Speaking at the 2019 Texas Tribune Festival Thursday, Flake was responding to comments made by Republican political consultant Mike Murphy on MSNBC who said that if there was a secret vote, at least 30 GOP Senators would back impeachment.  

“That's not true. There would be at least 35," Flake said.        

Instead, they are too afraid to stand up to the Trump machine, even though, in fact, they might be the last line of defense before Trump outright grabs more power, and becomes even more difficult to stop, particularly for Republicans.     

It is easy to see why the Republicans are not standing up to Trump. Again, they know that so doing may inevitably get them booted out of office, as they lose ground to candidates who are more extreme in their brand of conservatism. But it is difficult to understand how they are not seeing the risks of giving somebody as transparently power hungry as Trump exactly what he wants. Trump continues to bully people, to act like he is immune from any ramifications for his ridiculous, and often criminal actions. If there ever has been a president in our lifetimes who has been the very definition of the need to control someone from growing too powerful because he is clearly too dangerous to be trusted with enormous power, it is Trump. Apparently, secretly, most Republicans - even the spineless sort who occupy Congress - recognize that in private. However, because of specific political concerns of the moment, they keep bending and bending to his power and influence, playing the same game that Republicans kept playing back during the 2016 election, when they were too afraid of his money and his reach to attack him and take him down, because of what it would do to their own careers. He has only grown more powerful - and more dangerous with that power - as a result. Clearly, it is not a winning strategy for the country, or even for today's Republican party. Yet, they keep on doing it, time and time again, and there is a growing impression by some that Trump is unstoppable.     

Trump knows that Democrats are not afraid to criticize and even take action, by and large. There may be some, like Democrat Joe Manchin, who seems to like Trump personally. But most of them are no fans, and they try to take their responsibilities with checks and balances and trying to keep him under some measure of control seriously.

So, he is relying on intimidation over Republicans, over members of his own party. If he gets away with this, the most serious offense of his crime-ridden presidency, then the message will predictably be that he can get away with anything. After all, a second attempt at impeachment would indeed seem to reinforce that the Trump haters truly just have it out for him, and there is less guarantee of success then, too, even if the Democrats would hold a majority.

Of course, that might not matter if Trump loses this coming election, and loses it very soundly, to boot. There is really no way otherwise that I see this guy leaving office peacefully, without making a lot of noise, and potentially, without possibly inciting violence, even possibly a second civil war, which he has warned about (as have others). That scenario might seem improbable, and hopefully, it is. But unfortunately, it still feels like a possibility. We are more divided now as a nation than it seems we ever were before. That includes the divisive sixties, as well as the early 2000's, during the lead-up to the Iraq invasion.

It is a war. And we all know that the first casualty of war is truth. Perhaps the second casualty of this particular war might be American democracy itself.

Here are the links to the articles I used in writing these blog entries:

GOP Senators Face Threat: ‘Vote Against the President and Your Head Will Be on a Pike’ by Peter Wade,  

That sentiment was echoed by the White House’s director of legislative affairs, who told reporters, “I can’t wait for the revenge”  The tone set with this report was echoed by the White House’s Director of Legislative Affairs Eric Ueland, who told reporters on Thursday, “I can’t wait for the revenge.”

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/vote-against-the-president-and-your-head-will-be-on-a-pike-942631/?fbclid=IwAR2pHFW-UjHAW3AT9SYgSb1U0jppFHknVDuTbnDiucpEDSJ5TaM6CGPzmw0

  

Jeff Flake: 'At least 35' GOP senators would vote to remove Trump if vote was private by Savannah Behrmann of USA TODAY, September 30, 2019:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/09/27/jeff-flake-at-least-35-gop-senators-would-impeach-trump/3792866002/?fbclid=IwAR20NMbiWXp6ozPUSOQXik50v2cTqnMCmkFL2J4FSkwaLwCSY3gf67JCcuI

Fox News poll delivers devastating news to Trump on Senate impeachment trial Written by Tom Boggioni / Raw Story January 26, 2020: 

https://www.alternet.org/2020/01/fox-news-poll-delivers-devastating-news-to-trump-on-senate-impeachment-trial/?fbclid=IwAR03jQjISkdqYeiXgp9QIt4yUrFiwsxr9u9g4z-zo7jOtYU1UtZpCtCFfpg

More Americans Believe Trump Should Be Removed From Office Than Not, According To FOX News

FOX News is hardly regarded as a liberal bastion.              

Sure, there has been friction between Donald Trump and FOX News, because he was whining when not all of the news coming from the rightwing propaganda station was bending over backwards to try and appease him. But for the most part, they are on the same page, and seem almost to need one another.              

Well, FOX News just recently reported over this weekend that more Americans believe that Trump is indeed guilty of what he is being charged with in his impeachment trial, and deserves to be removed from office as a result.              

These results are beyond the margin of error, which means that even in the case of inaccuracy, more Americans believe that he is guilty and deserves punishment than believe that he is innocent, and that his claims of having done nothing wrong, the perfect phone call, and that he is a victim of some gigantic and highly complex conspiracy.              

Here is some more from this news story:

Fox News poll delivers devastating news to Trump on Senate impeachment trial Written by Tom Boggioni / Raw Story January 26, 2020: 

https://www.alternet.org/2020/01/fox-news-poll-delivers-devastating-news-to-trump-on-senate-impeachment-trial/?fbclid=IwAR03jQjISkdqYeiXgp9QIt4yUrFiwsxr9u9g4z-zo7jOtYU1UtZpCtCFfpg

Bernie Sanders is Now Ahead by 9 Points in New Iowa Poll

I saw this article last night, and just thought that it was worth sharing.

Bernie Sanders has a lead in Iowa at the moment, and he has a real chance in this Democratic primary this time around.

He is a strong contender in Iowa and in New Hampshire, and is also strong nationally in the polls. Many of these polls have him soundly defeating Donald Trump in the general election, to boot.

Maybe, hopefully, this is actually happening.

Ahead by 9 in Iowa Poll, Sanders Says His Campaign Is Trump’s “Worst Nightmare” by Jake Johnson, Common Dreams PUBLISHED January 27, 2020:

https://truthout.org/articles/ahead-by-9-in-iowa-poll-sanders-says-his-campaign-is-trumps-worst-nightmare/

RIP Kobe Bryant

This took too long for me to write, admittedly.

All I can say in my defense is that this has been an extremely busy time. I worked both jobs this weekend, both days, and so I had not heard about Kobe's untimely death until I came on for my Sunday night shift, during which time, there is little access for me to this blog.

Yesterday was Holocaust Remembrance Day, and I kind of wanted to keep that as the one subject discussed on that particular day, even though there were actually three different, separate posts on the subject.

But now, having woken up early in order to get ready for jury duty (on my day off), and trying to sit in such a way as to alleviate problems with my back, not to mention still fighting the lingering effects of the worst cold that I had in a number of years, it seemed like it was time.

So yes, Kobe Bryant and his daughter were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. The conditions were far from ideal, as there was heavy fog, which likely contributed to the reasons that the helicopter crashed. 

All 9 people on board died in the crash.

When news came out that Kobe had been killed, it obviously went viral. Everyone was devastated by the news.

Kobe had enjoyed a very successful 20-year career. He was one of the greatest payers in basketball history, He was an All-Star 18 times, won five NBA Championships and made two other NBA Finals appearances, and was the NBA MVP in 2008. Additionally, he won two gold medals in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

Indeed, his list of accomplishments was great, as e undeniably ranked among the very best players in NBA history, and indeed as one of the most decorated and accomplished athletes in history, more generally. He was a face and a name who was instantly identifiable.

RIP, Kobe and daughter, as well as the other people on board the helicopter.

We Are Allowing the Holocaust to Be Forgotten...:Literally

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Yes, it was on this day 75 years ago that the Soviets liberated  the Auschwitz Death Camp, and so it came to symbolize the Holocaust and the need to remember the tragedy, in hopes that it would never be repeated again.

Unfortunately, it is being forgotten. Not even one century has yet passed, and the numbers are staggering, attesting to the fact that young people all over the world do not know or really understand the Holocaust.

Here are some snippets from a recent article (see link below) that reveal just how seriously this plague of forgetfulness is getting:

On the eve of Monday's 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, a new study has found that a quarter of French millennials haven’t heard of the Holocaust, while an earlier study of American millennials found that 66 per cent did not know what Auschwitz was.  

More than 1.3 million people were murdered at Auschwitz, 90 per cent of them Jews. By the time the genocide of the Jews across Europe had ended, more than 3 million Jews had been wiped from existence in the death camps. The total Jewish dead stood in the vicinity of 6 million. They died in all corners of Europe, from disease in ghettos, from poison gas, mass shootings, live burial, beatings, incineration.  

Seventy eight per cent of the Jews who had lived in territories that fell to the Nazis, perished. In comparison, between 1.4 per cent to 3 per cent of the non-Jewish population in the same territory was killed. Dynasties and entire families, great sages and common workers, Nobel laureates and humble students, whole villages and communities, all disappeared. Thriving Jewish intellectual and cultural centres like Krakow and Vilnius that had bustled with Jewish life, now reduced to rude husks, urban memorials of human depravity.     

Scary stuff. Particularly when hate and violent acts and sentiments against groups of people appear to be on the rise.





Here is the link to the article I used in writing this sad blog entry about how we have allowed young people to not remember the Holocaust and the lessons that we should have learned from it:

Lest we forget? 75 years after Auschwitz, too many do by Alex Ryvchin, January 26, 2020:

https://www.smh.com.au/national/lest-we-forget-75-years-after-auschwitz-too-many-do-20200124-p53ugv.html?fbclid=IwAR1WMnIptPpNMu7_vSfL_qNKp5ML__7gJssiqQ0rNiBjZe9vW9FO7v8NQu8

Understanding How Auschwitz Death Camp Turned Into Centre of Nazi Holocaust

During the Holocaust, six million Jews were killed, not to mention millions of others who were deemed "undesirable" by the Nazi regime. It is estimated that over one million people were killed at Treblinka. Hundreds of thousands were killed at Sobibor, and tens of thousands were killed at Dachau. In addition, almost one million Jews were killed in that other, often lesser known and discussed part of the Holocaust on the Eastern Front, when local Jews were simply rounded up, taken into a gigantic mass grave in the woods, and brutally killed on the spot.

And yet, the symbol for the Holocaust, the brutality mixed with chilling bureaucratic efficiency, was and remains to this day Auschwitz. Auschwitz was so big, that it was actually three separate camps. Unlike some other death camps, particularly Treblinka and Sobibor, Auschwitz physically survived and remained intact as a testament to the brutal history that transpired there. It is estimated that over one million Jews were killed there.

Below is a link to a fascinating article by the BBC on just how Auschwitz in particular came to be the center of the Holocaust, and how it now symbolizes that terrible chapter in history in ways that none of the other places can.

Auschwitz: How death camp became centre of Nazi Holocaust by BBC News, 23 January 2020:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50743973

January 27th is Holocaust Remembrance Day

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Every year on this day, the people of Israel stop what they are doing to remember the victims of the Holocaust decades ago. Roughly six million Jews were killed by the Nazis during the Holocaust, with millions of them being killed in manmade factories that produced death. These are known as the death camps, and they are, thankfully, unique in history. No other nation has ever built such places specifically to kill a portion of it's population.

The victims are remembered today, lest we ever forget the suffering that they went through. Forgetting will likely doom us to repeat these ugly, inhumane chapters in history.

This video clip was from two years ago, although it is a great clip that shows that people have not forgotten the victims of the Holocaust:



Australia Day

January 26 - Australia Day

It was on this day in 1788 that 11 British ships commanded by Governor Arthur Phillip, and carrying convicts, arrived on the banks of Port Jackson in New South Wales. Phillip also raised the Union Jack, and the beginnings of what is now modern-day Australia came to be.

Initially, Australia was designed as a penal colony, as an agricultural working camp for British convicts.

It was rough going early on, but the colony eventually managed to survive.

In 1818, January 26th was honored as the anniversary of the founding of Australia. Once Australia gained independence, this date was recognized as "Australia Day", a national holiday honoring the arrival of Phillip and the British.

Understandably, this holiday is recognized in different ways, particularly along the color lines. While whites in Australia generally celebrate in a similar manner as Americans celebrate Independence Day and the French Celebrate Bastille Day, Aborigines generally recognize it as a day of mourning, not all that dissimilar to native Americans regarding Thanksgiving. For them, the day marks the beginning of the end of their traditional way of life, as the British began the process of spreading out across the continent.

January 26th is the Anniversary of the Republic of India

Today marks the 69th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of India on January 26, 1950. The constitution went into effect, which qualified India as the world's biggest democracy in terms of population. 

It was a struggle to come up with a solution, and unfortunately, Gandhi was not successful in keeping the peace in the region. While he was successful in using methods of nonviolent activism to gain India's independence from Great Britain, Pakistan soon broke off, and religious tensions remained very strong, even militant. 

Yet, this is a date that should be recognized, as one of the world's biggest countries (projected to become the biggest in a few decades) and already the biggest democracy celebrates 66 years since the Republic of India was established on this date.