Now that Labor Day, the fifth anniversary of 9/11, and the last of the primaries are behind us, the road is clear to the mid-term elections less than two months away. Be prepared for political ads coming out of the woodwork, charges and rebuttals flying back and forth quicker than the Red Sox’ fall from grace in the American League East, and prognosticators publishing their useless polls that people either breathlessly trumpet or freak out over, depending on their results.

A few observations, helpful links, and things to take note and keep track of as we hurtle our way towards Election Day:

1) The President’s approval rating. The latest from Gallup shows it in the mid-40s, and while this is something the White House can take some satisfaction in and pundits will continue to breathlessly monitor, the fact is, he ain’t running this year! While it is obvious that the President’s speeches over the past several weeks on the Global War on Terror - culminating in his fine 9/11 address last week - have helped improve his ratings, the question is, what effect (if any) will it have on local House and Senate races? My guess is, little.

2) Keep an eye on gas prices. It’s now obvious to everyone that the $3 plus gas prices earlier this year were primarily based on market forces - in this case, speculators anticipating supply problems due presumed reduced refining capacities in the U.S. and the risk of hurricanes. Because neither of which occurred, U.S. home-heating stockpiles are up, and the impact of the Alaska pipeline leak appears to be minimal, gas prices continue to fall. I heard Hannity & Colmes’ Alan Colmes make an off-the-cuff comment the other night about prices coming down “just in time for the election”. While you can guarantee that Democrats will pick up this drumbeat, that dog ain’t gonna hunt. Most consumers are now well aware that oil, like housing, is just another commodity whose prices are dictated by market forces around the world. Last week’s surge in consumer confidence reflects those lower gas prices, and, while it may not help Republican candidates per se, it takes away from Democrats a critical “bread and butter” issue they could have pounded Republicans on.

3) The economy. The Democrats and their cohorts in the dino-media will do all they can to keep you from hearing this, but folks, the economy is humming along nicely, thank you. In the next few weeks, you’ll hear both Republican and Democrat candidates drag out the tired old “are you better off now than you were x number of years ago?”, and for most people, the answer should be a resounding “yes!”. While you’d think good economic news would be sufficient by itself to help Republicans maintain their majority in the Congress, how well they ultimately do will depend on two overriding factors: Iraq and Republican GOTV efforts.

4) Iraq is the 800-lb. gorilla in the middle of every 2006 election living room that won’t go away. The administration up until now has not done a good job publicizing the real progress being made in Iraq, allowing anti-war Democrats to frame the issue politically for their own purposes, as is their right and obligation to their constituents. However, with the latest steps being taken by Iraqis to assume more control over their own security and the new push to reduce sectarian violence in Baghdad, expect the decline in American casualties to continue, and the President’s recent words on the subject to be reflected by improving news on the ground.

5) Republican GOTV. The GOP’s traditional fundraising and get-out-the-vote (GOTV) advantages will be sorely tested this fall, as there are many areas in which the Republican-led Congress has fallen short in the eyes of many conservatives. How the House and Senate’s GOP leadership performs over the next few weeks on spending and earmarks legislation, illegal immigration (funding the wall along our southern border), the President’s anti-terror initiatives (the NSA terrorist wiretapping program and the so-called “torture guidelines” legislation), and Presidential nominees (John Bolton and district court nominees) will have a huge impact on local GOTV efforts.

So what can we expect?

The focus of Democratic candidates between now and November will be on the missteps in Iraq. Politically, that’s really all they have going for them, since just about every other tactic they’ve tried over the past several months has - at least thus far - failed to stick. Because their party has been taken over by Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi, and the far-left, “blame America first” progressive crowd, Democrats are having a very difficult time making voters believe they can be tough and trusted when it comes to national security issues. Don’t believe me - check this out (Hat tip: Hugh Hewitt). If all the Democrats have to run on is Iraq, their chances for taking control of any house of Congress are slim indeed.

The goal of Republicans is to try and convince the voting public of what the impact of Democrats taking over one or more houses of Congress would mean: less control over illegal immigration, increased taxes, a less-vigilant war on terrorism, withdrawal from Iraq, and activist judges. The next few weeks will be crucial to motivating the base to come out and vote, and it will be up to House and Senate Republicans to give their base something worth coming out and voting for.

How well both parties can get their message out and energize their respective bases to take the time to go and vote will determine the makeup of Congress as we point our way towards the 2008 Presidential election season.

—

One final note: The ‘X’ Factor. The one caveat anyone trying to predict what will happen in the upcoming elections is that thing called the “X factor. What would happen if the Iraq government collapses, or terrorists blow up subways trains in Washington, D.C., or something happens to the President, Osama Bin Laden is captured and/or killed, or something else unthinkable happens to change the status quo. That’s why, dear readers, the pundits you will hear happily chatting away on the cable networks between now and November are just that - pundits.

So, this this is what the U.N. has come to, eh? The president of Venezuela calls the leader of the country that kicks in five billion (that’s billion with a ‘b’) dollars a year - far more than any other country on this planet ever would - for its very survival a devil. Great. Not exactly what Eleanor Roosevelt and the original crew had in mind, I’m sure. One need only compare the comical, hysterical tone of Chavez’s speech today with the dignified, measured tone of one of the U.N.’s biggest champions. Ah Eleanor, no wonder you’re one of my heroes!

Is it just me, or does it seem as if more and more world leaders are losing touch with the whole idea of decorum and quiet diplomacy? I mean, you can despise a nation and even it’s leader, but in a U.N. General Assembly, with representatives of every sovereign nation represented, shouldn’t the U.N. be above this? That this institution, once-high-minded and respected, now largely irrelevent, ineffective, and scandal-ridden does not and cannot shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. One look at the U.N.’s incompetence and corruption, and the abominable behavior that’s been allowed to transpire under Annan’s reign would tell you that.

Of course, if you invite skunks to a party, don’t be surprised if the place stinks afterwards. A thug dictator like Chavez calls the U.S. president a devil and complains about American dominance in the world? This coming from the leader of a country awash in oil profits and poverty at the very same time?

Then, later on, a podium is provided to a country’s president who has repeatedly called for the annihilation of another sovereign nation? Here, as NRO’s Anne Bayefsky writes, Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, didn’t exactly color himself in glory, either:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad outdid himself in the pathological-liar category. He talked about truth, though he disputes the Holocaust. He talked about peace, though he supplied Hezbollah with the 3,900 missiles shot into Israel less than two months ago. He talked about justice, though the Iranian criminal “justice” system includes crucifixion, stoning, and cross-amputation of the right hand and left foot. He talked about the dangers of nuclear weapons, though he is hell-bent on their acquisition. And he talked about the evils of Zionism, though he doesn’t have a problem with self-determination for non-Jews.

Hugh Hewitt found the way the Iranian president closed his speech chilling:

He closed with a disturbing heartfelt appeal/prayer, which is a warning to the West: “I am emphatically declare that today’s world more than ever before longs for just and righteous people with love for all humanity, and above all longs for the perfect, righteous human being and the real savior who has been promised to all peoples and who will establish justice, peace and brotherhood on the planet. [The Twelfth Imam] Oh Almighty God, all men and women are your creatures and you have ordained their guidance and salvation. Bestow upon humanity that thirst for justice, the perfect human being promised to all by you, and make us among his followers among those who strive for his return and his cause.”

Ahmadinejad is setting up Iran to defy the Security Council, and is establishing a precedent for all future rogue regimes. If the Security Council does not rebuke this challenge and impose sanctions, the organization, teetering on the brink of irrelevance, will fall over that cliff.

Back to Chavez for a moment. He did get one thing right during his speech today - calling for the dissolution and relocation of the U.N., something I am 100% in full agreement with. As he said during his speech:

I don’t think anybody in this room could defend the system. Let’s accept — let’s be honest. The U.N. system, born after the Second World War, collapsed. It’s worthless.

Oh, yes, it’s good to bring us together once a year, see each other, make statements and prepare all kinds of long documents, and listen to good speeches, like Abel’s (ph) yesterday, or President Mullah’s (ph). Yes, it’s good for that.

And there are a lot of speeches, and we’ve heard lots from the president of Sri Lanka, for instance, and the president of Chile.

But we, the assembly, have been turned into a merely deliberative organ. We have no power, no power to make any impact on the terrible situation in the world. And that is why Venezuela once again proposes, here, today, 20 September, that we re-establish the United Nations.

…And maybe we have to change location. Maybe we have to put the United Nations somewhere else; maybe a city of the south. We’ve proposed Venezuela.

That, Mr. Chavez, is a great idea. And one whose fruition can’t come soon enough for many in the U.S. who can think of far better ways to spend five billion dollars than wasting it on a broken, worn-out institution like the one your presence and overblown rhetoric polluted today.

Aaaaarggghhhh! Did you know September 19th is (was) “International Talk Like A Pirate Day”? A great day to hoist a few rums and beers with friends, grab yourself a good pirate nickname, cover one’s eye with a patch, and basically make a fool out of yourself.

Come to think of it, with the exception of the eye patch, you could be talking about a traditional Goodboys Invitational weekend….

As Quint would say, this isn’t like chasing bluegills or tommycocks, this is the real thing! So, rather than have my morning coffee I made myself a boat drink (Myers’s Rum, OJ, Bacardi Light Rum, Three Palms Pineapple Rum), then went here to and got my own pirate nickname (mine turned out to be “Sharkbait Doug Grimm”). I think I like The Great White Shank better…

BTW, my favorite Pittsburgh Pirate was Willie Stargell.

I felt a kinship with Jimmy Buffett when he sang his song “A Pirate Looks At Forty”:

Mother, mother ocean, I have heard you call
Wanted to sail upon your waters since I was three feet tall
You’ve seen it all, you’ve seen it all

…Yes, I am a pirate, two hundred years too late
The cannons don’t thunder, there’s nothin’ to plunder
I’m an over forty victim of fate
Arriving too late, arriving too late

Of course there’s nothing wrong with the pirate mentality. Out here in “Pleasant Valley Sunday” Gilbert, AZ, where “rows of houses are all the same and no one seems to care”, I think it’s an absolute necessity to keep one’s self from going mad. Especially when your neighbor is pi$$ed at you ’cause you refuse to trim your bouganvillea that’s making eyes at his driveway and a lemon tree that - gasp!- has crossed a whole 8″ over the wall our properties share. What an a$$. Now there’s someone who needs to be hung from the poop deck in his skivvies and left to the sharks!

Aye, that’ll suit him fine. Aaaarrrghhhh!!!

September 18 thoughts while sitting outside and enjoying the break we’ve gotten the past few weeks from the usual high-90s / low 100s temps typical for this time of year:

* The pool is down to 81 degrees and feels, well - dare I say - almost chilly. I can see why people in Arizona say you only use your pool between May and September, and every pool supply place has these big mama heater units standing watch outside. Ah, it’s all relative, isn’t it? If the ocean at Wingaersheek Beach in Gloucester were 81 degrees it’d feel warmer than toast and there wouldn’t be a spot on the beach to be had.

* Right on cue, the local Fry’s had the first cases of Samual Adams Octoberfest. My favorite beer in all the world, and I savored it in a freezer-chilled Coastal Extreme Brewing Company (sorry, no link - their website is down) Newport Storm pint glass. Wonderful. And I’m not alone in that assessment - Brian’s Belly concurs.

* Which reminds me, we’re only two months away from the arrival of Samuel Adams’ Winter Lager, which is no slouch either. It just feels weird to be drinking a “winter lager” around here when there’s no winter.

* Boy, you can tell all the restaurants, merchants and golf courses around here are just counting those days down on the calendar. In just a few weeks the snowbirds from the Dakotas, Minnesota and the Midwest will start trickling down here and priming the business pump.

* When it comes to surfing the ‘net, (to quote the old Beach Boys hit) “I’m getting bugged driving up and down the same old strip, I’ve gotta find a new place where the kids are hip”. So, I found this nice blog (thanks, Anchoress!). Well designed, soothing to the eyes, and eclectic and thoughtful in its content - what more could one want?

* And I like Big Lizards as well - here, they’re keeping a close eye on the political doings jez’ a little further south o’ here. Definitely worth a look, and tell ‘em you said hi.

* I was gonna blast Michelle Wie for her continued struggles trying to make the cut in a men’s professional tournament but thought the better of it. But why pile on, I ask? Besides, with monster numbers like the 77 and 81 she put up at last weekend’s 84 Lumber Classic, she’d be perfect for next year’s Goodboys Invitational. Warning to Michelle - if you’re even thinking about it, better bring your purse - “Vegas” Clark will have no problem taking your money.

OK, so let me get this straight: Muslims worldwide believe Pope Benedict XVI dissed them in a speech, and to show their disapproval they kill an elderly nun by shooting her in the back numerous times, firebomb churches, and kidnap priests. But that’s OK as far as the mainstream dino-media goes - after all, Anna Nicole Smith’s son is dead and no one knows how he died.

Muslims worldwide keep calling for Benedict’s personal apology (something he’s attempted to do twice, neither to their satisfaction), but frankly, I’m in agreement with John at Power Line - enough is enough, get over it and take what the pontiff had to say in the spirit in which it was meant. Of course they won’t, because they can’t. There is a violent response underway worldwide that will only get worse in the days ahead, but don’t expect to hear anything about it from the anti-Christians in the mainstream media.

I am outraged. Not just at the Muslim extremists worldwide who use their so-called “religion” as a cover for every vile and evil act they commit in the name of their so-called God, but at the media who, rather than report their despicable actions and behaviors, cower behind their flat-screen monitors and mahogany desks in fear of retribution for telling the truth as it really is. Well I won’t.

The religion of Islam has been hijacked by a group of vicious, diabolical, evil, and vindictive fundamentalist wackos who have no other goal or purpose in life other than to intimidate non-Muslims and spread death wherever and whenever they can, using any preceived insult or affront as an excuse to perpetrate this goal.

And their anti-Christian sympathizers are no different. Last week, Rosie O’Donnell on “The View” equated Christianity with radical Islam. Not only is she bitch-stupid, but she ought to be unemployed after her first week on the job. Hey Rosie, how many Christians do you know of that would kill elderly nuns, or a young college student simply for the crime of converting from Islam to Christianity, or sentence to death women who fight back after being raped, or target tourist areas with bombs for the sole pupose of killing and maiming innocent people.

And did I mention that fuel-laden jetliner filled with innocent men, women, and children thing? Oh yeah, Rosie, we’re all alike.

And then we have RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) like John McCain, Lindsay Graham and John Warner more concerned with defending the rights of terrorists and those accused of plotting terrorist acts than they are of defending America.

Some are afraid to call Islam a religion hijacked by death and violence-loving extremists. I am not. And I’m not the only one who sees this religion as a excuse for those who have no soul and whose hearts are full of evil. The creed of this website says it better than I ever could:

On the other hand, however, Islam is clearly not a religion of peace. The ridiculous level of violence committed in the name of this religion is staggering, despite the many billions of dollars that are spent each year to prevent attacks.

Nor should Westerners continue to think that the solution to the violence is greater understanding and tolerance for Islam, as Muslim apologists often imply when commenting on high-profile terror attacks. It is the killers and their supporters who need to learn understanding and tolerance, not their victims.

Islam will be a peaceful religion when Muslims stop preaching hate, stop killing in the name of Allah, and stop remaining apathetic to the violence. Until this happens, we will faithfully document each of the reasons why this is anything but a “Religion of Peace.”

I think the time has come to call Islamic extremists the evil, vile murderers for what they are, and I am outraged that the mainstream dino-media (who would, BTW, be the first to criticize any attempts by Christians in this country to pray in public schools or at any kinjd of assembly) refuses to expose the absence of humanity and morality in these thugs and creeps.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again - the West better wake up to the evil and hatred at the root of Islam fundamentalism. These people are not interested in freedom of speech. They’re not interested in freedom of expression. They could care less about the Geneva Convention. They only want to destroy the civilization and way of life you and I hold most dear, and take as many of us with them as they can.

And if you don’t believe me, ask Tilly.

A few housekeeping items associated with the Goodboys Nation weblog I’ve been meaning to get to:

The Great White Shank finally discards dial-up and enters the world of high-speed internet! All I can say is w.o.w. - now I know why we got this rockin’ Dell XPS 400 back in May. I can safely say its performance lives up to its reputation. BTW, my e-mail contact will stay the same (through AT&T) as they offer a very nice $6-a-month service for customers who don’t have access to their own DSL service but want to retain their AT&T e-mail and personal web pages (which I use for the Goodboys-only section). A good deal.

Given this weblog’s association with Blogs About Hosting, Goodboys Nation is proud to be included in their new “Blogs About Buddies” blogroll provided to all their customers. Blogs About is a very fine web-hosting company whose design and support services I can’t say enough about - and you’ll see by the number of “buddies” that I’m not alone in that assessment. The “Buddies” group is quite a diverse and eclectic collection of weblogs, and I invite you to check them out.

Of course, one of the benefits of being included in “Blogs About Buddies” is the increased exposure this site is getting. To that end, I’d like to welcome those who have found Goodboys Nation via Just My Garden (a gardening blog), Uptown Girls (a fashion blog), Domesticated Diva (kinda like a blogging Home & Garden Show!), Blogs for Rudi (supporting a Rudi Giuliani Presidential run), Elections Blog (anticipating the 2008 Presidential sweepstakes), and American Bride (a wedding resource blog). Thanks for coming, everyone. I hope you enjoy what we do here at the Nation; feel free to leave a comment (positive or negative) about what you see here.

My friend AZ rapper Dollar Bill’s website was down and got snapped up by the Go Daddy thieves, but he assures me he’ll be up again soon as soon as he can get his files transferred and rebuilt under his new internet provider.

There’s still time to join my blog-friend Rob in guest-blogging here at the Nation while I’m on vacation from Sept. 24 through Oct. 2. It’s a perfect way to try this blogging thing out on your own, bring more exposure to your own site, or simply write about your interests. And don’t worry - the WordPress software is VERY easy to use. If you’re interested, please leave a comment below or drop me a line at darichard@att.net.

Anyone who knows the dino-media shouldn’t be surprised when it: a) gets a news story wrong, and/or b) does all it can whenever it can to paint Christianity in a negative way and Islam in the most positive light possible. For example: someone wants to say a prayer before a graduation ceremony or comes out against same-sex marriage? Why, the media and the ACLU go ape-$hit over right-wing extremists threatening the separation of church and state! On the other hand, when Muslim women insist they be allowed to wear headscarves for their drivers license pictures and the state resists, it’s an affront to their religion!

Consider the issue of offensive religious cartoons. Remember those Danish cartoons published earlier this year depicting Islam and the prophet Mohammed in a negative light (covered extensively, BTW, by Michelle)? The Muslim world exploded with outrage, riots and even deaths, and the media was all over it like white on rice, with nary a discouraging word. Two weeks ago, cartoons derogatory to Christianity appeared in a student newspaper at the University of Virginia, but do you hear a peep from the dino-media? Of course not.

…and don’t even get me started on the lack of media coverage on Rosie O’Donnell’s comments on “The View” this week, when she compared radical Christianity to radical Islam. What a jerk.

So there’s a double standard at work here. Why that is, I’ll leave it up to you to decide for yourself, but it’s something to keep in mind as your hear and read those reports about Muslim reaction worldwide to Pope Benedict XVI’s recent speech in Germany about religion, faith, and reason as they apply to historic and modern-day Christianity and Islam.

And, what exactly has the Muslim world all hot and bothered? In his speech, the Pope recounted a conversation that took place back in 1391 between Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus and “an educated Persian”, documented at that time by a professor Theodore Khoury of Muenster. The Pope used Khoury’s report to make a point about “jihad” and forced conversions of people to Islam by way of the sword (a contemporary topic, as it turns out, given the forced conversions experienced by FOX News reporter Steve Centanni and cameraman Olaf Wiig during their recent captivity). Here are Benedict’s actual words:

“In the seventh conversation (”diálesis” — controversy) edited by professor Khoury, the emperor touches on the theme of the jihad (holy war). The emperor must have known that sura 2:256 reads: “There is no compulsion in religion.” It is one of the suras of the early period, when Mohammed was still powerless and under [threat]. But naturally the emperor also knew the instructions, developed later and recorded in the Koran, concerning holy war.

“Without descending to details, such as the difference in treatment accorded to those who have the “Book” and the “infidels,” he turns to his interlocutor somewhat brusquely with the central question on the relationship between religion and violence in general, in these words: “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”

“The emperor goes on to explain in detail the reasons why spreading the faith through violence is something unreasonable. Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul. “God is not pleased by blood, and not acting reasonably (”syn logo”) is contrary to God’s nature. Faith is born of the soul, not the body. Whoever would lead someone to faith needs the ability to speak well and to reason properly, without violence and threats…. To convince a reasonable soul, one does not need a strong arm, or weapons of any kind, or any other means of threatening a person with death….”

Human rationality both inspired and invoked by the love of God to in turn reflect God’s love for us towards each other, then (as opposed to, say, force and the threat of violence), is the raison d’etre of religion itself, and the Pope restates and invokes this same philosophy as closes his speech:

“The West has long been endangered by this aversion to the questions which underlie its rationality, and can only suffer great harm thereby. The courage to engage the whole breadth of reason, and not the denial of its grandeur — this is the program with which a theology grounded in biblical faith enters into the debates of our time.

“Not to act reasonably (with logos) is contrary to the nature of God,” said Manuel II, according to his Christian understanding of God, in response to his Persian interlocutor. It is to this great logos, to this breadth of reason, that we invite our partners in the dialogue of cultures. To rediscover it constantly is the great task of the university.”

So here we have the Pope, recounting a conversation that supposedly took place over 6 centuries ago, trying to make a point about the role of human reason and faith and trust in God as a means to reconcile religion, philosophy, and Western thought against the current and historic backdrop of Islamic practice. So how does the media report this? The AP headline on Yahoo! news - “Pope’s comments on Islam unite Iraqis” - includes no actual content of the Pope’s remarks (no surprise there), just a report on Muslim cleric outrage in response to those remarks. Same thing at Reuters - again, without any actual words (or even context) of Benedict’s speech included. Truly great reporting.

Unlike the AP and al-Reuters, Europe News gets it right by reporting German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s correct defense of the Pope’s words:

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday weighed in on the controversy caused by Pope Benedict XVI in Germany earlier this week with his remarks about the concept of holy war in the Islamic faith.

In the Saturday edition of the mass-circulation Bild newspaper, Merkel defended the pope against accusations of blasphemy and provocation, saying: ‘Those who criticize the pope have misjudged the intention of his speech.’

Benedict had issued an invitation to inter-faith dialogue, she said.

‘The pope has expressly championed this dialogue, which I also support and consider to be urgently needed.’

What Benedict XVI was seeking was ‘a decisive and uncompromising rejection of all use of violence in the name of religion,’ she added.

(Hat tip: NRO’s Corner)

As you might expect, a number of bloggers have got the Pope’s speech and world reaction to it covered from beginning to end:

* Thomistic at Roman Catholic Blog not only has the Pope’s speech in full, but links to practically every angle on the story you could ever want.

* Michelle says we shouldn’t be surprised at Muslim outrage - after all, they’re always outraged about something.

* And, as she often does best, The Anchoress compresses the whole brouhaha down into something easily understood by everyone, so to her goes the last word:

Just so we’re straight - Pope Benedict made a speech in which he invited Muslims to dialogue, criticized terrorism as a means of movement and then quoted a 14th Century Byzantine to make the point that Islam and the West have had rather a long history of struggles. Three paragraphs of the speech covered all of that. The rest of the speech was about faith and reason, and a criticisim of secularism in the West. The pope was basically doing the job of the pope, and doing it the way a scholar, teacher and theologian - that would be Benedict - would do it.

Couldn’t have said it better myself - just don’t expect the dino-media to have the smarts and the talent to report it that way.

“Hi everyone! Troy Donahue here, coming to you from the Great Beyond. The Great White Shank asked me to guest blog under his name ’cause he’s out in the pool right now chillin’ and tryin’ to figure out how best to trim the lemon tree his neighbor complains is extending a whole 8″ - can you imagine that! - over the wall their properties share.

“Which is cool, ’cause nobody ever has asked me to guest blog for anyone. Sure, I had my time as a teenage heart-throb in A Summer Place and Surfside 6, but this gig - especially since I thought my time was up when I crossed over five years ago - is something special for me, and I hope you too.

“The Way We Were? …no I’m not talking about the Babs Streisand movie (never saw it), or that “blockbuster blab-fest” on Princess Diana the ‘Shank posted on the other day (never read it). Nope, I’m talking about the tune sung by the immortal Gladys Knight and the Pips so many years ago. Before actually singing the song, Gladys started out in a wistful groove, as follows:

Hey, you know everybody’s talkin’ about the good old days
Everybody, the good old days, the good old days…
Well, let’s talk about the good old days
Come to think about it -
As bad as we think they are
These will become the good old days of our children

Why don’t we try to remember
The kind of September
When life was slow and oh so mellow
Try to remember
And if you remember
Then follow

“You see, Gladys is singing to me, you, and everyone in Red Sox Nation (yes, there is another “nation” besides the Goodboys, so I hear!) willing to listen in these darkest of days, amidst the follies and failures of this year’s Red Sox team. Remember, this was a team that a scant seven weeks ago was riding high atop the American League East, thrilling cats and chicks alike with their timely hitting, exceptional defense, and able-bodied pitching. The same team that, since the All-Star break, has gone 6-18 to sink and run with the mudders and also-rans of Major League Baseball. With a $140 mil budget, no less. Personally, from channeling with TGWS, I know the cat blames Theo ‘N.Ept’stein and Manny, but I’m sure he’ll get back to you on that another time.

“Because, like Gladys sings, September is not supposed to be like this…

“September should be a month for scoreboard watching, wondering who the Sox will be playing in the ALDS’ first round, and how Tito is gonna get his starting rotation in order for the crucial first games of the division playoffs. September should be the month for debating the Big Papi/Derek Jeter MVP controversy as the teams go to-to-toe down to the wire. And, more than anything else, September should be the month for stocking up on every kind of mind-numbing alcoholic beverage you can think of - anything to make those Yankee butt-kissing, toe-sucking announcers on FOX and ESPN at least tolerable.

“September is NOT for watching a rotation of Beckett, Snyder, Tavarez and God-knows-who else pitch in the Yankees series this weekend. Hell, even I know it could be Moe, Larry, and Curly, or Rodan and the cast of Hawaiian Eye (they were OK, but not as good as our ‘Surfside 6′ cast), for all the good it would do.

Memories like the corners of my mind
Memories
Misty watercolor memories
Of the way we were
Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another
For the way we were

“Here in the Great Beyond, the ocean breezes are always fresh, the surf never stops, and there’s always Myers’ Rum to go with your OJ in the morning. I’m sure Mr. Shank will be driving home tonight on the 202, A/C cranked, sunglasses firmly in place, wondering: a) when he’ll be able to drive home on the 202 WITHOUT needing his A/C cranked and his sunglasses firmly in place, and b) whether its worth it or not to catch the end of the Sox game on his Direct TV, knowing it no longer matters whether the Sox win or lose, and that there’s so many other options on the tube, like “Backyard Japanese Gardens Made Easy!” and “Cold Case Files - Michelle Wie’s Golf Game“. Dude knows this is a sad time, and I hope you’ll join me in comforting him and every other Sox fan you know, given the sad state of their baseball team this month.

“Well, it’s time for me to be off. See you again soon. Adios, everyone!

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“One final note: If you’re interesting in guest-blogging for The Great White Shank while he’s vacationing in Hawaii (Sept. 24-Oct. 2), please let him know. Rob’s already on board, and it’s a perfect way to try this blogging thing out on your own, or bring more exposure for your own site and interests. And, the WordPress software is VERY easy to use. If interested, drop him a line at darichard@att.net.”

1. Caught today’s “Your World With Neil Cavuto” on Fox News and heard a representative from Human Rights Watch passionately express her concerns over the possibility of the U.S. using torture as way to gain information from captured suspected terrorists.

2. Last night, I watched the Discovery Channel’s “The Flight That Fought Back”, and wondered what kind of human rights the passengers on Flight 93 were given.

‘Nuff said. Any questions?

This article from last week’s Washington Times should give everyone pause for concern. It talks about the recent rash of incidents involving disruptive or suspcious-acting airline pasengers over the past several weeks. Some key sections:

At least 23 incidents worldwide since the Aug. 10 arrests of two dozen suspects have led to 11 emergency landings or flight diversions, four of them escorted by military jets, and 16 arrests.

The majority of disruptions occurred on domestic and inbound international flights. The number of publicly reported security incidents peaked on Aug. 25, with eight incidents on that day, Mr. Hagmann said.

One passenger was removed from an international flight after it was diverted to Bangor, Maine, when his name reportedly was discovered on a terrorist or no-fly watch list. A Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to India returned midway, escorted by a military jet, and 12 Muslim men were arrested but released. The men boarded moments before takeoff and immediately began passing around cellular phones. The disruption frightened passengers, and the men were subdued by U.S. air marshals.

And there’s this:

Federal air marshals, who reveal their presence only when an aircraft is in danger, have done so twice in as many weeks — against only once previously in the almost five years since the September 11 attacks. A Pakistani woman was detained by screeners Aug. 17 at a West Virginia airport after baby formula tested positive for explosives. The airport was closed for several hours while the FBI searched her home, where explosives residue was detected, Mr. Hagmann said.

Homeland Security officials will say only that the matter remains under investigation.

Just the other day, a man traveling to Yemen was arrested after attempting to board a plane with a knife hidden in a book, and another man had to be subdued by passengers and air marshals after trying to open a plane door during flight.

What the hell is going on here?

All of which, of course has led to a state of heightened awareness by the TSA. And its not only airports paying closer attention to security, but the trains as well, as Michelle reports:

I’ve taken several trips on Amtrak over the past few weeks, and have noticed a lot of extra security lately. Increased police presence inside the station. Increased police presence at the entrance before you get on the tracks. Foot patrols on the trains. Warnings that luggage is not allowed on empty seats next to passengers. Repeated announcements to notify authorities of any suspicious activity. I thought it was a pre-9/11 precaution last week. But the extra security is still out today.

There’s no question in my mind that there are people out there testing our air and rail security systems for vulnerabilities and weaknesses. Are they terrorists-in-waiting or those in sympathy with them? Or, are these people who are simply mentally troubled in some way and seeking attention? Perhaps both. Either way, I find these incidents intriguing and not just a little disconcerting, and hope the Department of Homeland Security is paying close attention.

Sooner or later, our airport and rail security apparatus is going to have to follow Israel’s lead and become a lot more sophisticated in the way traveling passengers are screened. And the time to start doing so is, like, yesterday. After all, as President Bush has often said, when it comes to protecting our nation we have to be right all the time; the terrorists only have to be right once. And he’s right. The only question is whether or nation has the stomach and fortitude to worry less about lawsuits and offending people and more about ensuring the safety of our nation and its people.