77th Anniversary of the D-Day Invasion

 

Image courtesy of Bill Damon's Flickr page - D-Day: https://www.flickr.com/photos/billdamon/8541704529/in/photolist-e1NtaK-7kZSXr-nHuLZ6-7m4d7q-e1Ntpg-7m4Lo3-nSSHnB-f2Zhe5-NGKWD-9cAbzP-p2NS5L-52aq75-jcPctS-afwiRS-pjgiA1-p2NRDL-e1NtLP-e1NtDz-9uWiUE-7mew3J-o2KwMB-e1NtjF-hHBdWw-7kZMDT-7kZXkp-e1U7j5-7kZ62n-nHtE6S-7kZXgz-7m42jy-7m4mod-nZRMH7-dpKfF-nHtegQ-nXVV6S-vSGJ3h-nHtCoS-e1U7nj-7fFhc3-nZYjMn-nHtVCU-pjibCT-nZSHdW-nHuXS8-nHv6rB-nHu9EA-nHupEn-nZXqeB-9nS9fv-pjgij9

Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

I was not around for D-Day. Hell, my parents were not even born yet for it!

Yet, much like with the rest of World War II, these events grew to the status of legend, so that you kind of grew up under their shadow, even as late as during my own childhood in the eighties, predominately.

There are times when you view these things as history, and it remains relegated to this status. The problem with that, of course, is that you cannot change history, which means that it seems like an immovable object of sorts, like the events were etched in stone.

In truth, of course, that was far from the case.

I remember the first time I watched "Saving Private Ryan:", and just beginning to really appreciate just how incredibly frightening, and far from certain, that day would have been to those who were there. Many of the soldiers were simply mowed down by Germans in what seemed almost impregnable positions (although they were, in fact, overtaken). Others, as the movie so graphically depicted, lost limbs.

All sorts of stories have endured, and lasted many decades now. Again, World War II was one of the most significant events in world history. When I think about it, and just how dramatically, and quickly, the maps changed, and how many millions of people had their lives severely effected (and sixty million people overall were killed!), and you think of all of the major battles that took place, including the bloodiest war in history between the Soviets and the Germans on the Eastern Front! How quickly technology advanced in such a short period, and all of it geared for war, with ever increasing military power, culminating in the detonation of the atomic bomb, and two of those bombs being dropped on Japan. It really is just staggering!

And D-Day was certainly not the least of these! It might sound cliche to say, but soldiers gave their life and limbs to gain a foothold on the western front of the European continent, in the fight against what my father once termed a "truly evil empire".

So, on this, the 77th anniversary of D-Day, I take a moment to recognize the sacrifice of those brave soldiers who were there on the beaches of Normandy on this day, three quarters of a century ago.

Here are some links to the story of the 70th anniversary of D-Day:



70 years after D-Day, she hears dad's stories anew Associated Press By BETH J. HARPAZ

http://news.yahoo.com/70-years-d-day-she-hears-dads-stories-165315997.html



D-Day veterans: The last voices of the longest day

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/history/dday-veterans-the-last-voices-of-the-longest-day-9464306.html



D-day landings scenes in 1944 and now – interactive by Peter Macdiarmid and Jim Powell of The Guardian, June 1, 2014:

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/ng-interactive/2014/jun/01/d-day-landings-scenes-in-1944-and-now-interactive

A Top Georgia Republican Official is Demanding That Trump Rein in Threats of Violence By Supporters

Throughout his four pathetic years in office, King Con Don has tacitly advocated violence, while claiming not to, of course. But he has been heard and seen on video suggesting to supporters to punch people in the face, assuring them that he would pay their legal bills. He glorified violence at another rally, suggesting that in the old days, some of the protesters present would have been taken out on a stretcher. This is a man who called outright Nazis and white supremacists gathered in an American city clearly equipped and prepared for a fight “very good people.” And he “joked” about his nuclear button was bigger and would actually work if he pressed it, in comparison to that of the leader of North Korea. Trump also wanted his supporters to gather at the White House lawn during the Black Lives Matter protests, and the riots that seemed to surround them. And he suggested that his supporters should police voting places in this past election, in what would be a clear example of voter intimidation, the kind of thing that you hear about happening in countries like Russia, and not so much in a country that considers itself a free democracy.              

So yes, Trump has advocated violence plenty.

This has not gone unnoticed. Even some Republicans have spoken out about it. The latest one is Gabriel Sterling, a Republican from Georgia, a state that Trump narrowly lost, and which has two key run-off elections coming up next month.

“Mr. President, you have not condemned these actions or this language. Senators, you have not condemned this language or these actions,” Sterling said, visibly angry. 

Sterling did not stop there, but blasted Trump even more:

“This has to stop. We need you to step up, and if you’re going to take a position of leadership, show some.”  “There’s a noose out there with his name on it. That’s not right,” Sterling said, adding that the contractor didn’t seek the spotlight by taking a high-profile position like Sterling or run for office like Raffensperger. “This kid took a job. He just took a job.”  

Trump last week called Raffensperger an “enemy of the people,” Sterling noted, adding, “That helped open the floodgates to this kind of crap.”  

You know what? Sterling is absolutely right. 

Finally, also, there is some good news: Trump has already publicly declared that if the election results are certified and made official, he will leave the White House. 

Yet, it should be noted that Trump has been guilty of lying countless times in the past, especially as president. Also, his now infamous pettiness, which has grown to virtually epic levels in his four years in the White House, has been visible, as he has declined any offers to have Biden over to the White House, and has also not committed to being at Biden's inauguration in January.

Frankly, that is pathetic, and damages faith in what remains of American democracy. But could we expect any better from Trump, after all that he has shown us in the past four years? Maybe it would be best just for him to fade from the public eye. Maybe his die-hard supporters will try to keep him relevant. For the rest of us, though, it is goodbye to bad rubbish. 

Here is the article that I used in writing this particular blog entry, and from which I obtained the quotes used above:

Georgia elections official urges Trump to rein in supporters by PBS Politics Dec 1, 2020:

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/georgia-elections-official-urges-trump-to-rein-in-supporters?fbclid=IwAR0aZaSQEreVNS27SoWKcE-tFLje2B4_7tkonwu2c9y8K8Wn1DDdpwHR_44

🏈 NFL 2020 Week 13 Preview 🏈

           

  

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Okay, so here we are now, in the final month of the NFL regular season. One of the relatively rare things that we are seeing is one unbeaten team, the 11-0 Pittsburgh Steelers, still undefeated after the first three months, while we also have the last remaining winless team, the New York Jets. To have two such polar opposites this late into the same season really is quite unusual. I can only remember one other season, back in 2007, when there were two teams that went this far in such opposite directions. And back then, the two teams were in the same division! That was the year when the New England Patriots famously completed their perfect regular season, while the Miami Dolphins flirted with a winless season, dropping their first 13 games, before finally beating the Baltimore Ravens for what turned out to be their one and only win of the season. Meanwhile, the Patriots went undefeated right into the Super Bowl, but famously (or infamously, depending on your viewpoint) lost in the final minute of that game to the Giants.  

Can the Steelers also remain undefeated through the regular season? History says no, because only two teams in the Super Bowl era have managed that feat: the 1972 Miami Dolphins, and the aforementioned 2007 New England Patriots. But who will beat them, then? It seems more likely than not that they will lose, perhaps at Buffalo in a couple of weeks, and failing that, maybe in Cleveland in the final week. But they actually might have a tough time this weekend, coming off an unimpressive win against the much weakened Ravens, and now facing a very short week before facing the Washington Football Team this weekend.  

How about the Jets? Will they finally win a game? They will host the Raiders, who looked absolutely awful in last week’s blowout, and rather humiliating, loss to the Falcons in Atlanta. Are they perhaps vulnerable? Can Gang Green end their now historically bad start with an upset over the silver and black?  

Plus, there are plenty of other intriguing games involving teams battling to remain relevant in the playoffs. There are other teams that are trying to win their division titles. Both the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers appear to be on the cusp of exactly that. Then there are other teams that feel their once promising season slipping away, and will fight to try and keep the hope alive, at least for one more week.  

The season is in the final weeks now, and this is where it grows in intensity.  

So, now let’s take a look at the games scheduled for this first weekend in December:  

Las Vegas at NY Jets – The Jets are winless as we enter December. They are off to the worst start in franchise history. And this week might offer a halfway decent chance for them to finally earn their first win of the season. That’s because the Raiders, who looked like a possible division champion contender just a couple of weeks ago, have now lost two games in a row. They are now basically out of the running for the AFC West title, and even their playoff chances have taken a serious hit. They lost last week in Atlanta, but it was not so much that they lost, but how they lost that game. The Falcons absolutely humiliated the Raiders last week, which ad to be absolutely demoralizing. But the Raiders also must feel that this game against the Jets comes at an opportune time, as they were really hurting. Las Vegas has a good offense that should really test the Gang Green defense. Even if the Raiders do not have their best game, they might not need to score a ton of points, because the Jets have the worst rated offense in the league. They have scored 20 points or more only three times this season. Then again, the Raiders defense has hardly ranked among the elites. This should be a close contest, but again, at this point, Gang Green has made it virtually impossible to actually predict them to win any of their games. So that means that I have to go with the silver and black on the road for the win. My pick: Las Vegas

Detroit at Chicago – The two bottom teams in the NFC North square off. Neither of these teams are likely going to the playoffs, barring some kind of a miracle. But one of these teams is bound to win this one. The Bears have lost five straight games, going from a seemingly powerhouse team at 5-1, to a team that is very much on the outside of the playoff picture, looking in, and needing a lot of help. But first, they have to help themselves by actually snapping their present losing streak. In come the Detroit Lions, who are used to perennially being a disappointing team, and this year is no different. They could win this, because they seem to play well at unexpected times. But sooner or later, the Bears will snap this streak, and my guess is that it will be this week at home against the lowly Lions. My pick: Chicago              

Cleveland at Tennessee – Two of the better teams in the AFC square off. The Browns have finally obtained a solid record at 8-3. The Titans are coming off a huge road win and now have taken over first place in the AFC South, so they are fired up and surely brimming with confidence. Cleveland has been impressive, too, of course. But they also have been having some problems on their offensive end lately, and it feels like the Titans are recovering from an earlier bad streak themselves, and finding surer footing. So, my pick will have to be with the home team in this one. My pick: Tennessee              

Indianapolis at Houston – Last week’s home loss to the Titans had to be a crushing loss for the Colts. But they have to get back up and keep fighting, because they still are very much in the running for a playoff spot, and even still could win the division. The Texans have recovered from a very poor start to the season, and have looked much better in recent weeks. But this game is too important for the Colts, who should emerge with the win here. My pick: Indianapolis              

New Orleans at Atlanta – The Falcons just earned a huge, blowout win against the Raiders last weekend, and have looked good since a really bad start to the season. But right now, few teams can match how hot New Orleans has gotten. Indeed, the Saints seem to be running on all cylinders right now, having pulled off eight straight wins. They have basically locked up the NFC South title, and also enjoy the best record in the NFC right now. Yet, they still need to win to secure home field advantage. Historically, the Falcons have enjoyed frustrating the Saints many times during their history together, but I think that this Saints team should be better than those past failures. So, my pick goes with the Saints. My pick: New Orleans              

Jacksonville at Minnesota – The Vikings had one bad miss in the last month or so, when they lost to the Cowboys. But otherwise, they have won four of five games and look hot. They host the Jaguars, who have lost ten straight and just look awful right now. This one should be a win for the Vikings. My pick: Minnesota              

Cincinnati at Miami – This is kind of a mismatch. The Bengals are really struggling this season, while the Dolphins are soaring towards the playoffs. Depending on what happens on Monday Night between the Bills and 49ers, the Dolphins could earn a tie atop the AFC East this weekend, but they obviously must win this one first, which they will. My pick: Miami              

NY Giants at Seattle – Oh, man! As a Giants fan, I am happy that they have won three in a row and managed to climb their way to a first-place tie with Washington in the NFC East. But going on the road to Seattle? That’s rough. They actually have a shot to pull off a major upset, but that is exactly what it would be. The G-Men are hot, so that helps. But the Seahawks have been one of the best and most consistent teams in the NFC this year, and they tend to be especially tough at home. So while I hope this guess is wrong, it is hard to pick against the home team in this one. My pick: Seattle              

LA Rams at Arizona – The Rams just got swept by the 49ers for a second year in a row, and lost their share of the NFC West lead. Yet, here they are in another big division showdown, this time against the Cardinals. The Rams seem like an up and down, fairly inconsistent team this year. But then again, so does Arizona, as they have dropped three of their last four after an impressive 5-2 start to the season. This should be a tight, close game, and it could go in either direction. But in the end, I think the Rams should be ever so slightly be better. My pick: LA Rams              

Philadelphia at Green Bay – The Eagles feel dangerously close to being in a free fall. And this game at Green Bay is not a good way to try and bounce back from a bad streak. The Packers might not be invincible. After all, they did struggle against the Jaguars at home not long ago, and outright lost to the Vikings at Lambeau. Still, Green Bay is not usually an overly friendly place for road teams, especially ones who have not been playing well, like the Eagles. Hard to picture Philly pulling this one off, so I have to go with the home team. My pick: Green Bay              

New England at LA Chargers – Well, the Patriots might not be the same team that they have been in recent seasons. Yet, they are 5-6, and if they can manage to defeat the Chargers on the road, they will get back to even, with an outside chance at making a run at the playoffs. The postseason might seem unlikely, but the Pats are still capable of winning some games, especially against a relatively weak team, which the Chargers are. Belichick will likely have something cooked up for this one. My pick: New England              

Sunday Night Football: Denver at Kansas City – Things are going very well right now for the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, thank you very much. They have one of the most explosive offenses in the league, and even their defense ranks among the relative elites. Of course, how much of that is just that their offense jumps ahead in such a big way early, making other offenses more predictable when they have to rely on throwing to try and mount a big comeback, is anyone’s guess. But right now, the Chiefs just look great, and possibly might be the best team in the league still. Plus, they have to try and keep winning, to keep in the race for home field advantage, as they trail Pittsburgh by just one game. The Broncos continue to have offensive problems, and their defense will have their hands full, to say the least. This should be a win for the champs. My pick: Kansas City              

Monday Night Football Game 1: Washington at Pittsburgh – The leagues sole remaining unbeaten team has a short week before facing Washington, but the extra day helps. Washington is tied with the G-Men for first place, but that is in the lowly NFC East. This is a tough challenge for any team, going to Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field. Frankly, I think it is a bit too much for Washington, although I will say that the Steelers look ripe for an upset loss. They did not look great against the Ravens, and maybe, this could be the game where it all catches up to them. But based on what we have seen from these two teams thus far, it would be crazy to pick against the Steelers. My pick: Pittsburgh              

Monday Night Football Game 2: Buffalo at San Francisco – A tough challenge for both teams. If this were in Buffalo in the month of December, then my pick would be with the Bills, fairly easily. But it will be in San Francisco – or rather, Santa Clara – and the 49ers looked good last weekend against the Rams. They still have an outside chance at the playoffs. Meanwhile, Buffalo is clinging to a narrow first place lead that the Dolphins clearly want a piece of, as well. But my guess is that this is a gut check for the Bills, and that they pull off an impressive road win here. My pick: Buffalo              

Tuesday: Dallas at Baltimore – Neither team looks good right now, and both teams are in disarray, having lost numerous starters. But the Ravens, despite almost appearing like they are in free fall, held tough at Pittsburgh just a few days ago. If they play that tough again, they should be able to get past the ‘Boys in this one. My pick: Baltimore

🏈 Steelers Hold Off Ravens to Stay Unbeaten, But Don't Look Especially Great Doing It, According To Coach Tomlin🏈

          

  

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The Pittsburgh Steelers became the 13th team in the history of the NFL during the Super Bowl era to start off a season 11-0.

They did it by holding off the Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on a rare Wednesday game, which had been postponed multiple times because of an outbreak of Covid-19 among Ravens players. 

Still, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was not pleased with his team's performance yesterday against a weakened Ravens team. He went so far as to suggest that his team had sucked out there. Indeed, they really did not seem to play their best game, to be sure.

Yet, it was enough to keep the team perfect, at least for now.

To be sure, it should be noted that Baltimore's head coach, John Harbaugh, was very displeased with the officiating towards the end of the first half. The Ravens were very close to their end zone, and they fell just short of a touchdown. Yet, they did not get any points, either from a touchdown nor a field goal, and Harbaugh clearly felt that a delay of game penalty should have been called on Pittsburgh, which either would have given the Ravens another shot at a touchdown from just a few years out, or at least would have allowed them to get a field goal, which would have made the game a lot closer, and perhaps changed the complexion of the game in the second half.

In any case, all of that it basically a moot point now, after the fact. The officiating was not impressive. But at the end of the day, the Steelers won to improve to 11-0 for the first time in franchise history.

Two teams back in the eighties and early nineties, Miami in 1984 and Washington in 1991, also started their season 11-0 before ultimately losing their 12th games. The other teams to reach that mark since then all won beyond that point. Miami advanced to the Super Bowl after their 1984 season, but lost. Washington went to the Super Bowl, and dominated Buffalo. Both teams had finished the regular season with 14-2 marks.

Going back a bit in history, here are the fortunes of some of the other teams to have started off the season this long with undefeated marks. The 1985 Chicago Bears went 12-0 before suffering their only defeat of the season. They went on to win the Super Bowl, and are often still considered the most dominant team in NFL history. The 1998 Denver Broncos were coming off a Super Bowl championship season with hopes of repeating, when they raced off to a perfect 13-0 start, before losing to at the Giants and then at Miami in consecutive weeks. But they finished the season 14-2 and ultimately repeated as Super Bowl champs.

However, teams that got off to undefeated starts in the 21st century have not fared so well. In 2005, the Indianapolis Colts got off to a 13-0 start, and finished the season at 14-2. But they lost to the Steelers in the divisional round of the playoffs. Two years later, the New England Patriots actually became only the second team in NFL history to complete an undefeated regular season. They did advance to the Super Bowl and very nearly won, but were thwarted by a brilliant final drive by the New York Giants, ending their bid for a perfect season. In 2009, two teams started off with long undefeated streaks. The Colts went 14-0, before dropping their last two games, yet they still made it to the Super Bowl. There, they met the New Orleans Saints, who had also begun the season with a long 13-0 unbeaten mark, before dropping their last three regular season games, but they went to the Super Bowl and beat the Colts once there. In 2011, the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers started off 13-0, and finished the regular season with an impressive 15-1 mark. But they lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Giants in the divisional round. In 2015, the Carolina Panthers raced off to a 14-0 start, finishing the season at 15-1, and reached the Super Bowl. Once there, however, they played the worst game of the season, as the Denver Broncos dominated in the big game.

If you are keeping score, that means that six teams have reached unbeaten records of at least 11-0 (in fact, in each case, the teams went all the way to 13-0), but there is only one Super Bowl winner among them: the 2009 New Orleans Saints. The 2007 New England Patriots came very close, again, but fell just short. Otherwise, only the 2009 Colts and 2015 Panthers actually reached the Super Bowl. The 2005 Colts and 2011 Packers did not even win a playoff game.

To his credit, Ben Roethliberger became only the fourth NFL quarterback to have multiple winning streaks of at least 11 games in his career. He also achieved that with the 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers, who ended that regular season with 14 straight wins. They would add one more win in the postseason, as well. Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have also done that multiple times each in the 21st century, with Manning having done it in 2005, another such streak from the end of the 2006 season and into the 2007 season, and then again in 2009. Brady managed to do that, from the late 2001 season through the beginning of the 2002 season, then again with a winning streak that still ranks as the longest of any team in NFL history when the Patriots won their final 15 games of the 2003 season, including the playoffs and the Super Bowl, and then won the first six games of the 2004 season. The Patriots also started off 18-0 in 2007, before losing the Super Bowl. Finally, he and New England won the three playoff contests, also including the Super Bowl, in 2014, and started the next season by winning their first 10 games. It should be noted that Joe Montana managed to do it, as well, winning the final eight regular season games in the 1984 season, and then sweeping their way through the playoffs and winning the Super Bowl. Montana's 49ers did that again by winning their last five regular season games and three playoff games, including the Super Bowl, in 1989, and then starting the 1990 season off with ten straight wins, for what was then an NFL winning streak of 18 straight games, tying two other teams for the most consecutive wins at the time. 

So, that is where the Pittsburgh Steelers stand right now. They next host Washington, then go up to Buffalo to face the Bills in what might be their biggest test in hopes of remaining undefeated. Then, they go to Cincinnati, before hosting the Colts. Their final game of this regular season could be a tough test as well, as they visit the Browns in Cleveland.

Let's see what happens!

⚽️ ⚽️ PSG Update for Early December ⚽️ ⚽️

  

⚽️ ⚽️ Paris Saint-Germain   ⚽️  ⚽️ 

I last posted about PSG in late November, following a surprising loss to Monaco, hwere PSG squandered a two goal lead and suffered a somewhat shocking loss that ended an eight game winning streak that seemed to have them soaring.              

Well, since then, PSG defeated RB Leipzig, 1-0, at the UEFA League Group Stage game, their fourth such game. They played the game on Tuesday the 24th, and played Manchester United yesterday.   

Against Manchester U, PSG was able to take the early lead after a Neymar goal in the 6th minute. However, Marcus Rashford managed to tie the game back up with a goal for Manchester United in the 32nd minute. The two teams were tied at halftime. 

But PSG was not to be denied. Marquinhos was able to give them the lead once again with a goal in the 69th minute. PSG held Manchester U off for the duration of the regulation time, and then, Neymar put the final nail in Manchester United's coffin with another goal in the first minute of extra time, icing the win for PSG. It was revenge for a loss back in October to Manchester United, and PSG managed to win this one by more goals, which would give them the tiebreaker advantage. 

A solid effort.

In Ligue 1 play, however, PSG played Bordeaux on Saturday, settling for a 2-2 tie. This was not the best results, under the circumstances. After all, Bordeaux has hardly been a powerhouse this year, ranking 13th of the 20 teams in Ligue 1.             

Still, for now, PSG remains ahead in Ligue 1 standings, with 25 points accumulated over the course of their 12 games to date. Four teams – Lille, Lyon, Monaco, and Montepellier – are tied for second place with 23 points, while Olympique Marseille is technically sixth, although they have only played 10 games to date.

Attorney General William Barr Admits Lack of Evidence of Widespread Voter Fraud To Turn Results of 2020 Election

While Trump and Giuliani, and legions of their loyal, largely mindless supporters remain absolutely convinced that they lost the 2020 presidential election only because of massive, widespread fraud of a historic level, reality is intervening. That kind of thinking is, after all, fantasy, not supported by facts in the real world. As of right now, every single battleground state that Trump lost – Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia – have certified the election results, and made clear that he lost the election.              

Of course, the Trump administration's official position has been to dispute the legitimacy of these results, claiming widespread voter fraud. Trump himself has gone so far as to suggest this happened on a scale that is astonishing, and will shock the American people. Yet so far, they have failed to seriously provide any evidence of such widespread voter fraud. They have brought some isolated examples of problems, and even many of these cases have been dismissed by the courts. And Trump's lawyer, Giuliani, has made a point of stating to the courts in official cases that they are not officially alleging widespread fraud. Now, nearly a month since Election Day, the promised evidence of irrefutable examples of massive voter fraud that the Trump team keeps insisting they have, and will unveil soon, have yet to be revealed, either to the general public, or to the courts. Almost anyone with any objectivity and common sense realizes that this means that such evidence does not exist, that the Trump team does not actually have anything substantial that could even begin to alter the results of a single battleground state, let alone reverse the entire election.

Still, Trump officials are insisting that they do have the evidence:

In the campaign statement, Giuliani claimed there was “ample evidence of illegal voting in at least six states, which they have not examined.”  

“We have many witnesses swearing under oath they saw crimes being committed in connection with voter fraud. As far as we know, not a single one has been interviewed by the DOJ. The Justice Department also hasn’t audited any voting machines or used their subpoena powers to determine the truth,” he said. 

Yet, while initially, the media, and most of the nation, was paying attention and even alarmed by this resistance by the Trump team, that interest has waned considerably due to a complete lack of evidence, and the farcical approach by the Trump team that resembles yet another of their trademark scams. The only people who still seem to feel that there is a real pathway to another term for Trump are the die hard Trump supporters. Frankly, they have shown a transparent willingness to believe and swallow whatever nonsense the supreme leader of Cult 45 feeds them. Everyone else has moved on and accepted what has become obvious: that Trump lost the election, that he did so without it even being really close enough to warrant the controversy that Trump and his team have tried very hard to generate, and that Joe Biden is the President-elect, and will be moving into the White House in late January. In other words, Trump is a lame duck president right now. And he clearly feels humiliated, as this pathetically needy man, normally addicted to media attention and news headlines, has been uncharacteristically quiet and remained out of the public view since the election results were revealed.

Now, in what surely must yet be only the latest demoralizing blow to Cult 45’s hopes for this election  - which, in fact, was over and decided a long, long time ago for most of us (it has almost been a full month since the actual election day, and it was the day after that it became crystal clear that Trump was likely the loser of the election) – Trump’s own Attorney General, William Barr, has now admitted that the evidence of massive voter fraud that would overturn the official election results just are not there. They do not exist.   

Barr said that "to date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.”  

He went on:

“There’s been one assertion that would be systemic fraud and that would be the claim that machines were programmed essentially to skew the election results. And the DHS and DOJ have looked into that, and so far, we haven’t seen anything to substantiate that.”  

In other words, the election results will stand.              

In addition, Barr took a thinly veiled swipe at his boss, Trump, suggesting that some people (he never outright named Trump) felt that the Justice Department was the cure all for any problems or prejudices that they saw.     

Here, specifically, is what he said:

“There’s a growing tendency to use the criminal justice system as sort of a default fix-all,” he said, but first there must be a basis to believe there is a crime to investigate.    

There are still many Trump supporters who will, of course, refuse to accept the election results, just like the leader of Cult 45, King Con Don. Frankly, though, it does not matter. In the end, we have to have faith in reality. And the reality is that despite his four years in office, most Americans reject Trump and everything that he stands for. After all, let us remember that despite his claims of a historic landslide win in 2016, he lost the popular vote by 2.7 million people then. And he lost the popular vote by over six million this time around in 2020. This time, he also lost the electoral college race, convincingly. He lost it by the same margin that he won it back in 2016, in fact, which he claimed was a historic landslide.              

In fact, this election was not even all that close. It was close in some of those key battleground states, sure. But the results have been clear now for a long time, and no unsubstantiated claims of massive voter fraud are going to change that. For that to happen, there has to be serious evidence. But Trump’s closest allies are not even taking this seriously anymore. And for all his bluster during ridiculous press conference, even Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, admits that the court cases are not about massive voter fraud.              

In other words, all of this is a hoax, which is what we should expect from King Con Don. And the only people buying it are the legion of mindless morons who encompass Cult 45, which is what we should expect from them. And what we should expect now, frankly, is to move on as a country already. Leave this nightmare behind us.              

Trump could have made this defeat easier for himself, and more importantly for the country, simply by accepting it, however reluctantly. Instead, he characteristically made this far more painful for the losers than it had to be. He could have ripped off the band-aid, and his supporters, and himself, frankly, would likely have gotten over it much more quickly. Instead, they did it slowly, examining all the wounds, and making their own agony that much worse. And it is all on them at this point, because the rest of the country, and indeed the rest of the world, has moved on and accepted reality: Joe Biden won the election, and is now officially the President-elect.              

Turn out the lights…the party’s over.

Below is a link to the article I used in writing this particular blog entry, and from where I got all of the quotes used above:

Disputing Trump, Barr says no widespread election fraud by Michael Balsamo, November 30, 2020:

https://apnews.com/article/barr-no-widespread-election-fraud-b1f1488796c9a98c4b1a9061a6c7f49d

🏈 NFL 2020 Thanksgiving Week 12 Review 🏈

         

  

🏈🏈🏈🏈

Some big games and surprising results this weekend! Every game involving an NFC East team has potentially very important ramifications for the division race. There was a big showdown between the two top teams in the AFC South. And plenty of other teams played in big games that either kept them hot, or not.              

So, let’s take a look.              

Buffalo 27, LA Chargers 17 – The Bills stayed hot by winning this game that they were supposed to win, and needed to win, really. Yes, the Chargers are not exactly a great team, but that is why a game like this was so important. With this victory, Buffalo improves to 8-3 on the year and stays ahead in the AFC East race, leading the Dolphins (who also won) by the margin of a single game. They did not have an explosion of points, or a disastrous showing either on offense or defense. Rather, this was exactly the way that most would have figured this game would go. My pick: Accurate              

New England 20, Arizona 17 – Both teams played fairly well, and it felt like it was anybody’s game even very late. It was a back and forth kind of a game, with the Cardinals racing off to a decent lead early on, then the Pats coming back with 17 unanswered points to take the lead in the third quarter, only to see the Cards tie it in the fourth. But a late field goal secured the win for New England, and they cling to flickering playoff hopes with their 5-6 mark. Arizona, meanwhile, falls to 6-5, having dropped three of their last four games now. My pick: Accurate              

NY Giants 19, Cincinnati 17 – A very close game, although some of those calls against the Giants towards the end of the game – calls that really helped the Bengals stay in this game and even give them a chance to win – were weak calls. But the G-Men survived, which feels good as a fan. After all, the Giants have a history of having a difficult time against the Bengals, from a 35-30 loss in 1985 when the Giants enjoyed a great offensive game, to a shocking loss that effectively ended their playoff hopes following a Super Bowl championship season in 1991 when the Bengals entered the game with a 1-11 record, to another loss in Cincy back in 2012, when again, the Giants were the defending Super Bowl champions. So, this was going to be a tricky game, and indeed, Cincy had some chances. But Big Blue hangs on to earn their third straight win and a share in the NFC East lead for now, depending on what happens in the Eagles game tonight. This was the first time since the 2016 season that the Giants actually managed to win three straight games, which was the longest active streak in the league before their win here today. My pick: Accurate              

Miami 20, NY Jets 3 – Another ugly loss for Gang Green. They had their chances, but obviously, produced miserable results. The Dolphins are a better team, to be sure. But right now, you can probably say that about every team in the league. Fact of the matter is that the Jets have to play a lot better than this if they hope to actually win a game this season, because an 0-16 season, while not guaranteed, is looking more and more like a distinct possibility. They are averaging less than 14 points per game. This was the sixth time this season that they were held to 10 points or less, and no one will win many games like that. In the case of Gang Green, which has one of the worst and leakiest defenses in the league, it is a recipe for the disastrous season that they are now going through. My pick: Accurate              

Cleveland 27, Jacksonville 25 – The Browns did not exactly obliterate one of the weakest teams in the league in this one. Yet, they managed to win their third straight game, and improve to an impressive mark of 8-3 on the year. They have not been blowing many teams out so far this season, yet given their normally disappointing results in a typical year, I suspect that Cleveland fans will gladly take it. The Browns will have a tough game next weekend at Tennessee, but they then play the Ravens, visit both the Giants and Jets at MetLife Stadium in consecutive weeks, before closing their season out at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers. This team could and should get at least a 10-6 mark on the season, and hopefully, the playoffs will be in their future. As for Jax, this was their 10th straight loss, the second longest active losing streak in the league, after the winless Jets with their 11 straight losses. My pick: Accurate              

Minnesota 28, Carolina 27 – This was an entertaining game, even though I only saw the very end of this game. The Vikings were flirting with a disastrous home loss that very likely would have ended what mostly slim playoff hopes they still had. But they got it going when they absolutely had to late in the game, puling off an impressive come from behind win, their fourth win in the last five games. With this win, coupled with the Bears loss at Lambeau Field, the Vikings are now tied with Chicago for second place in the division. A solid win. As for the Panthers, this was a demoralizing loss, but honestly, that does not feel like anything new. My pick: Accurate              

Tennessee 45, Indianapolis 26 – Well, I got this one wrong. The Titans were very impressive on the road, dominating the Colts in a game that was not even as close as the score would suggest, even if it suggests a convincing Titans win. The Colts rallied late, but the Titans had such a big lead, that there was little chance of the Colts actually pulling this one off. A rather stunning result that elevates the Titans once again to the ranks of the elites in the AFC. Right now, they would be the third seed at 8-3, with the tie-breaker over the Bills, who they crushed earlier this season. As for the Colts, this was a sobering loss, but they are still very much in the playoff picture, and could still even win the division, even if they no longer fully control their own destiny heading into the final five games. My pick: Inaccurate              

Atlanta 43, Las Vegas 6 – Speaking of games that I got wrong…Whoa! Man, I did not see this one coming. Sure, the Raiders losing was a distinct possibility. After all, the Falcons have been playing much better in recent weeks. But damn! This was a devastating loss for the Raiders, the kind of loss that could really shake their confidence the rest of the way. They sure did not resemble a playoff caliber team. Did they overlook the Falcons? Are the Falcons that much sharper and better? It almost makes you wonder how lucky the Raiders have gotten in their wins this season, since they have looked quite shaky in some of those losses. But none of them had them looking as pathetic as this one, which has to be one of the worst losses in franchise history. The offense did not show up, and apparently, neither did the defense. Atlanta did everything right, to their credit, and they continue to show improvements, even if the playoffs seem too far removed to be a real possibility. As for the Raiders, you have to wonder how good they are after getting their butts kicked in such an embarrassing manner. My pick: Inaccurate              

New Orleans 31, Denver 3 – The obvious story here was the absence of any Broncos quarterbacks available for this game. Yes, literally all four QB’s on the Broncos roster were unavailable, which obviously made things extremely difficult for them. Kendall Hinton made his NFL debut, and not surprisingly, had a rough day, completing one pass in nine attempts, for just 13 yards and two interceptions. The Saints stay hot with a convincing, blowout win, their eight straight win, and they stay atop the NFC playoff picture. Right now, they would be the top seed. As for Denver, this loss just inches them closer to being officially eliminated from the playoff race in the AFC. My pick: Accurate              

San Francisco 23, LA Rams 20 – The Rams simply cannot beat the 49ers. Not sure what it is, or why they cannot seem to beat them. But yeah, San Fran clearly seems to have LA’s number. They swept the Rams last year, and with this win, they manage to do it again. The 49ers still find themselves one game behind the Cardinals and two behind the Rams, and it remains to be seen whether the first-place Seahawks win or lose. So, San Francisco still has their work cut out for them, to be sure. Still, this was an impressive win, one that has to feel satisfying in what has been a disappointing and frustrating season. As for the Rams, they just appear to be too inconsistent, and hard to figure out at this point. My pick: Inaccurate              

Kansas City 27, Tampa Bay 24 – This game was the highlight of Tyreek Kill’s career. He had 13 receptions for a whopping 269 yards and three touchdowns, and just looked unstoppable. Mahomes passed for an impressive 462 yards, and those three touchdowns to Hill, while the Chiefs once again defeat Tom Brady, who was a thorn on their side in the playoffs two years ago when he was still with New England. The Chiefs keep flying high with their sixth win, and improve to 10-1 on the season, the second best record in the league. As for the Buccaneers, a season that appeared very promising a few weeks ago, when they were 6-2, now looks a lot more shaky, as they fall to 7-5, suffering their third loss in a span of four games. My pick: Accurate              

Green Bay 41, Chicago 25 – As I mentioned in the preview, the Packers just always seem to have Chicago’s number dating back to Brett Favre, and now, Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers was on fire last night, especially in the first half, as the Bears fell behind farther and father, until they found themselves down 41-10 at one point in the second half. They managed to score a couple of touchdowns to make the results look a bit more respectable, but they were never seriously in this one. At one point this season, Chicago was 5-1, and looked like a force to be reckoned with in the NFC. Right now, though, this was their fifth straight loss, and some people hardly even consider them a serious playoff contender anymore. They have to do something, and quickly, to stop the bleeding, because this is getting out of hand. Despite the late, largely garbage time touchdowns in this one, their offense has looked like a liability in recent weeks. And in this game, their normally tough defense hardly looked much better. A disastrous result for Chicago, and a solid win for Green Bay, who have the NFC North unofficially locked up, and have a relatively easy schedule the rest of the way. My pick: Accurate

Seattle 23, Philadelphia 17 – The Seahawks stayed hot and managed to earn a very important, even crucial, road victory on the East Coast to pull ahead of the Rams in the NFC West. They did it against the struggling Eagles, who had held onto first place in the NFC East until this weekend. But they have now lost three games in a row, and appear to be sinking at precisely the moment when the other teams in their division are starting to be, if ever so slightly, on the rise. Washington won, and the Giants won, and now, with the Eagles losing, they find themselves half a game behind those two teams in second place in the division, and half a game up on the last place Cowboys. That’s bad, but Philly’s fortunes have not been improving. To be sure, the Eagles kept it close for most of the game. And even when the Seahawks seemed to have locked the game up and put it out of reach, to their credit, the Eagles did fight back, making a game of it. Still, at the end of the day, it was another loss, dropping them to 3-7-1. The Seahawks, meanwhile, improve to 8-3 on the season, tied with the Packers for the second best record in the NFC, while they both trail the Saints in the race for home field advantage. My pick: Accurate