The Daily Beast: 'Gore Vidal's- Fighting Words'

Source: The Daily Beast- Writer Gore Vidal, on The Dick Cavett Show in 1971.

"Watch our video mashup of the notoriously strident author's most explosive comments."

From The Daily Beast

What I respect probably most about both Gore Vidal when it came to debating and their senses of humor was the way he was able to make points without stating the obvious. He could say things similar to Margaret Thatcher on the right. Where she said that the problem with socialism, is that you eventually run out of other people's money, when a lot of other anti-Socialists would say things like, the problems with socialism is that it spends, taxes and controls too much, that sort of thing.

Whereas someone like a Margaret Thatcher would use humor and get right to the point of it. Gore Vidal and Bill Buckley had similar styles when it came to debating, even though they came from the opposite side of the political spectrum. They could put someone down or crack a joke at their expense, not to destroy them or hurt their feelings but even make them laugh as they were doing it. They could punch their opponents without calling them names. Ron Reagan same thing. He didn't call his political opponents as he called them, not political enemies which is different. He didn't call them idiots, he just said that they know so much that isn't actually true. They believe their own hype and rhetoric and actually take it seriously, which can be a problem in politics.

That's the style of humor and debate that I prefer and practice even though I'm not perfect at it. I try to stay as close to facts as possible, especially when I'm critiquing the opposition, which for me would be right-wingers, whether they are Republican or not. And lately when I'm critiquing the Right, it's been Neoconservatives for the most part unfortunately. Classical Conservatives the Bill Buckely's of the World, seem to be MIA in the Republican Party, which is unfortunate.

But it's not just the right that I critique but I write satires about the, lets say farther left, ( to not offend any of my oversensitive Socialist friends ) while right-wingers have a tendency to call Progressives Communists or Islamic Fascists or any of these labels that aren't true. When it comes to so-called Progressives, ( locked in the closet Socialists, in actuality ) Socialist is accurate except for the Barack Obama's of the world who actually is a Progressive and not a Socialist. ( Newsflash for the Tea Party ) More of a RFK or FDR classical Progressive than anything. I say things like Socialists want to take care of people by spending their money for them.

I try not to make it personal, especially when I'm critiquing the opposition and you can do that by staying as close to the facts as possible. By not name calling, not making it personal, instead of calling someone and idiot or ignorant, try saying something like they would make a great fiction writer. Which is a great way to describe most of the speeches of Sarah Palin or Michele Bachmann, rather than trying to insult them by name calling.

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RT America: Alex Wahl & Alex Chance- 'Porn Stars Choose The Next U.S. President'

Source:RT America- RT is at least partially funded by Vladimir Putin's Russian Federation Government.

“As the November elections on the doorstep more and more porn stars are having their say on who they want to be the US next president. President Obama has a whole support team made up of porn actors while Mitt Romney has at least one supporter as well. With porn having a dramatic impact on the US economy it’s no wonder so many folks whithin the adult film community have opinions on how it’s regulated. Alex Chance, a xxx-rate movie performer joins RT’s Liz Wahl from Los Angeles for more.”

From RT America

"RT (formerly Russia Today or Rossiya Segodnya) (Russian: Россия Сегодня)[9] is a Russian state-controlled[1] international news television network funded by the Russian government.[16][17] It operates pay television and free-to-air channels directed to audiences outside of Russia, as well as providing Internet content in Russian, English, Spanish, French, German and Arabic.

RT is a brand of TV-Novosti, an autonomous non-profit organization founded by the Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti in April 2005.[8][18] During the economic crisis in December 2008, the Russian government, headed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, included ANO "TV-Novosti" on its list of core organizations of strategic importance to Russia.[19][20][21] RT operates as a multilingual service with channels in five languages: the original English-language channel was launched in 2005, the Arabic-language channel in 2007, Spanish in 2009, German in 2014 and French in 2017. RT America (2010–2022),[22][23] RT UK (2014–2022) and other regional channels also produce local content. RT is the parent company of the Ruptly video agency,[5] which owns the Redfish video channel and the Maffick digital media company.[6][7]

RT has regularly been described as a major propaganda outlet for the Russian government and its foreign policy.[2] Academics, fact-checkers, and news reporters (including some current and former RT reporters) have identified RT as a purveyor of disinformation[58] and conspiracy theories.[65] UK media regulator Ofcom has repeatedly found RT to have breached its rules on impartiality, including multiple instances in which RT broadcast "materially misleading" content.[72]

In 2012, RT's editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan compared the channel to the Russian Ministry of Defence.[73] Referring to the Russo-Georgian War, she stated that it was "waging an information war, and with the entire Western world".[17][74] In September 2017, RT America was ordered to register as a foreign agent with the United States Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.[75]

RT was banned in Ukraine in 2014 after Russia's annexation of Crimea;[76] Latvia and Lithuania implemented similar bans in 2020.[77][78] Germany banned RT DE in February 2022.[79] After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Poland and then the entire European Union as well as Canada announced they were formally banning RT as well, while independent service providers in over 10 countries suspended broadcasts of RT.[80][81][82] Social media websites followed by blocking external links to RT's website and restricting access to RT's content.[83][84] Microsoft removed RT from their app store and de-ranked their search results on Bing,[85][86] while Apple removed the RT app from all countries except for Russia." 

From Wikipedia

As the so-called Family Values Party heads to the adult entertainment capital of America, (which is Tampa, Florida) where the Grand Old Party meaning the Republican Party will hold their convention, (you can have all sorts of fun with this) I thought it would be fun to look at how the so-called porn industry could affect Mitt Romney and his potential Republican vice presidential candidates.

I guess we can drop Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee and Michele Bachmann, from the list since they all support a constitutional amendment to outlaw pornography. And since the GOP is the Family Values Party, they’re not going to nominate someone for vice president who would outlaw porn. And risk getting kicked out of Tampa. And being forced to hold their convention in West Virginia, or somewhere else in the Bible Belt where they would all have to rent helicopters to get to the convention because there aren’t enough roads.

One of my favorite jokes is that you would have better luck finding a prostitute, or some other adult entertainer at a Southern Baptist Convention, then you would see the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series, or Detroit Lions winning the Super Bowl. But the problem with that joke is the Republican Party is in Tampa this year and there might be all sorts of adult entertainers at their convention looking for potential clients and showing them a whole new way of living.

In Tampa, the Christian-Right could see what it’s like checking out women other than your wife, (in public) or what its like to have sex, (with someone other than your wife) that not all women wear long dresses everywhere they go and aren’t afraid to show their legs and even butts in public. Tampa, is about as Bible Belt and Christian-Right of a city, as Seattle is in the Southeast. Seattle is a  very friendly, individualistic of a city, where people are free to be themselves.

It’s funny enough that today’s modern Republican Party is in Tampa in the first place. I guess they’ll be in Sin City Las Vegas in 2016, where you’ll have thousands of Republicans who perhaps have never seen a casino on TV before, let alone actually been to one.

If an adult entertainer endorses Mitt Romney for president in Tampa, it could cost Mitt twenty points in the GOP, even if his approval rating goes up with the rest of the country. And you may see Mitt trying to convince people that he was never endorsed by an adult entertainer, or the person had him confused with another Mitt Romney. Like the Mitt Romney from 2002, or 1994.

I mean a party where you got a certain percentage of its members, maybe 1/3 who believe pornography should be illegal everywhere in the country, having their convention in the porn capital of the country, there’s a lot that’s ironic about this picture.

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David Pakman: 'STUDY: Obesity Depleting Earth's Resources?'

Source:David Pakman Show- talking about this one particular fat man. Actually, I have no idea who this guy is?

"A recent study published in the BMC Public Health Journal suggests that obesity could lead to the depletion of Earth's resources.

--On the Bonus Show: Woman superglued to Walmart toilet, Texas GOP calls for end to critical thinking, Chinese dog meat market, more." 

From David Pakman 

I'm not going to make the argument that obesity is the reason for climate change (as I call it) but only because I'm not a doctor, or scientist, and I have better things to do. But, the bigger (meaning heavier and more overweight) you are, the more resources, including food, drink, health care, and perhaps energy resources that you use, perhaps because of more frequent trips to the convenient store, gas station check out, fast food joints that you make, and the less walking and exercise that you get, simply because you don't have the energy to live healthy, because you are so overweight.

The Young Turks: Ana Kasparian, Cenk Uygur, Ben Mankiewicz- 'O.J. Simpson Is Innocent According To New Book'

"Via The LA Times: "In the new book "O.J. Is Innocent and I Can Prove It," author-investigator William C. Dear asserts that he knows who killed Nicole Brown Simpson. As you can guess from the title, he believes it was not O.J. Simpson: He claims it was Jason Simpson, the former football star's son...".* Ana Kasparian, Cenk Uygur and Ben Mankiewicz discuss on The Young Turks." 

From The Young Turks 

"In the new book "O.J. Is Innocent and I Can Prove It," author-investigator William C. Dear asserts that he knows who killed Nicole Brown Simpson. As you can guess from the title, he believes it was not O.J. Simpson: He claims it was Jason Simpson, the former football star's son." 

From the Los Angeles Times 

"It's often said that the only certainties in life are death and taxes. But you can add "rehashing of the O.J. Simpson case" to that list -- at least for the last 18 years.

So it should come as no surprise that a new book has been published about the 1994 murders of Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman." 

From The Huffington Post 

Ben Mankiewicz: "O.J.'s blood, O.J.'s glove, at the crime scene and house. It's a very strong case against O.J. Simpson that he's the murderer here."

Ana Kasparian: "Maybe this guy is a retired LAPD detective who doesn't give a shit about his reputation anymore, so he's just cashing in now." 

Cenk Uygur was essentially playing the devil's advocate here, in I believe in an intentionally humorous way. I don't the man as well as the people he works with over at The Young Turks (obviously) but I have to believe from what I've seen from his own commentary, that he's too smart to believe that O.J. Simpson is actually innocent here. 

Both Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian have taken on fake racism in the past and have argued that minorities shouldn't be acquitted simply because they're minorities. That you have to go with the facts and evidence, as well as the individuals in each case, to determine whether defendants are guilty or not. 

Randall Swearingen: 'Mickey Mantle Interview by Bob Costas

Source:Randall Swearingen- New York Yankees Hall of Fame outfielder Mickey Mantle, being interviewed by NBC Sports anchor Bob Costas.

"Books can't come close to matching the depth of this touching and revealing interview of Mickey Mantle by Bob Costas.  Mickey discusses why he drank, when it became a problem and why he checked himself into the Betty Ford Clinic and so much more about his inner self.  This is a "must see" for any fan of "The Mick"!" 

From  Randall Swearingen 

I don't put Mickey Mantle in the same what if category as Darryl Strawberry and Jose Canceco and argue the same way about Mantle, as I do with Strawberry and Canceco and say: "How good could've Darryl Strawberry and Jose Canceco been, had they just been responsible with their lives and taken care of themselves, while they were playing." 

I don't put Darryl Strawberry and Jose Canceco in the same class as Mickey Mantle for the simple fact that Mickey Mantle is already in the Hall of Fame and Strawberry and Canceco will never be. Even playing on one leg and very little if not sleep, probably hangovers, Mickey Mantle still had one of the best careers of any MLB outfielder ever. With Strawberry and Canceco you're talking about 5-6 years for both of them where you can say they were one of the best players in the game today at their position. 

If Mickey Mantle played 15-16 years playing most of his career healthy, without all the drinking and wild parties, I don't think there's any question that he's the best all around center fielder in the history of baseball and perhaps the best player ever. 

Mantle was that good when you are talking about a man 6'0, strong as a horse, could run like a horse, was a great outfielder, great power hitter who hit for average. I think he's ever better than the great Willie Mays, at least when he was healthy. But with anyone's career it's only as good as anyone allows for their own career to be. We all make our own choices and have to live with them.

NBA-TV: 'The History of the Lakers vs Celtics Rivalry

Source:NBA-TV- Larry Legend vs. Magic Johnson: the two NBA players of the 1980s.

"A brief video which talks about the Lakers vs Celtics rivalry that began in the early 1960s and continues today." 

From Arch 91 Reborn

To say the Los Angeles Lakers Boston Celtics rivalry is great is a huge understatement. (What's next: water is still wet?) As former Oakland Raiders head coach John Madden said, for a rivalry to be great, two teams have to be good at the same time. The games that the two teams play against each other have to mean something. Championships and playoff positioning has to be at stake. 

The two worst teams in a league or two of the worst teams in the league may hate each others guts but so what. And they may play very close games against each other but so what. Bad teams tend to play close games against each other. And one reason for that, is a lot of times when they play each other, neither team is good enough to actually win the game. It's the team that makes the most mistakes that loses the game, which is different from actually winning the game. And I know that looks different in record books but thats how it is. 

What separates the Lakers-Celtics from everyone else in the NBA, as well as most rivalries in the pro sports, including the long 45 year rivalry between the Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers, is their history that goes back to the early 1960s. 

The Lakers-Celtics rivalry in the 1980s represented the best of the NBA, with the two best head coaches in the NBA in Pat Riley and K.C. Jones, the three best players in Kareem, Magic, and Larry Legend, and the two best franchises of that decade as well. 

When the Lakers played the Celtics and vice-versa, it wasn't about just winning that particular game or NBA Finals, but about beating the best and remaining the best in NBA basketball. Knowing that the other team was always in their way when they played each other. 

When the Lakers beat the Celtics and vice-versa, they knew that they were the best, because they just beat the best. That's why this was the best rivalry in all of pro sports in the 1980s, because they were always playing each other to be the best that the NBA had to offer. 

Don Mattlingly: Career Highlights

Source:Sports Productions- Donnie Baseball in New York City.

"All rights go to Major League Baseball

Follow me on Twitter @justin__stewart... 

From Sports Productions 

What a lot of people I don't believe understand about the 1980s New York Yankees is that they weren't losing and they weren't losers. They won 2 AL East titles, they won the American League in 1981, they had 8 winning seasons, including 6 straight from 1983-88. 

If the wild card was around in the 1980s, especially with two wild cards for both leagues, the Yankees would've made the AL Playoffs at least 2-3 more times. They won more games in 1985 than the AL West champion Kansas City Royals. The same thing in 1984. They won more games than in 1987 than the AL West champion Minnesota Twins. 

The Yankees were still very good, at least offensively in 1980s and Don Mattingly was their best all around player in that decade. Certainly was their best hitter on  teams that included Rickey Henderson, Dave Winfield, Ken Griffey, Reggie Jackson, Don Baylor, and others. From 1984-88, the Yankees were about as good as anyone else in the American League offensively and Don Mattlingly was their leader. 

The reason why I believe Don Mattlingly doesn't get the respect that he deserves as one of the best all around 1B ever, is because the back injury in 1989 not just shortened his career, but robbed him of his bat speed and power. And he didn't play of a playoff team in New York until 1995 the first season of wildcard baseball in MLB. 

But without the back injury, I think there's no question that Donnie Baseball is in the Hall of Fame today. And even with the shortened career and numbers that are not as good as they would've been had he stayed healthy in what should've been the prime of his career in the early 1990s, I think he should still get serious consideration as a Hall of Famer today. Because there's no question that he's one of the 3 best all around 1B certainly in the 1980s to go along with Eddie Murray and Keith Hernandez. And one of the best all around players from that decade.