DON'T CRY OVER SPILLED MILK DAY UPDATES
Oh, How Appropriate A Holiday For A Super Bowl Sunday
-Last night in South Carolina, Ex-President Trump XCI told a typically adoring throng that, if he assumed the Presidency again, he will gleefully tell NATO that, unless they "pay up" to the Federal government for the aid Trump thinks NATO leases from the U.S., Trump will gleefully allow his BFF Vladimir Putin to "do whatever the Hell he wants" with Europe - meaning not only sacrifice Ukraine but all of eastern Europe to give Pooty-Poo the means to try to recreate 19th Century Russia with Putin as Tsar (yes, Putin has discussed this in the past). To the credit of at least a few media outlets, the statement of intent has been getting coverage, including at least with Jake Tapper on CNN this morning ...
-... though the coverage of that substantive news appears to be a shadow of the last 48 hours in which the American news media has hyper-obsessed about the slurs written by Special Prosecutor Robert Hur in which Hur claimed Biden has numerous memory issues - including (and this is how you know it is a hatchet job) Biden could not remember the date of his son Beau's passing. At least five is-Biden-too-old stories clogged the top of the New York Times web site over the weekend, sites including alleged progressive outlets the Guardian and Atlantic ran Biden-is-too-old opinions based off the report (which, remember, was actually an exoneration of Biden's actions with personal notes that had been classified and not stored properly), and in the no-really? department, ABC News ran a poll this morning that said an overwhelming majority of Americans now think Biden is too old to be President (GEE, D'YA THINK?!).
-As other observers scream for coverage of what amounts to a daily menu of Trump misstatements, syntax errors, memory gaffes, and open bullying (in the same speech, Trump sneered about why Nikki Haley's husband was not campaigning with her, not knowing or caring that the answer is that Haley's husband is part of the National Guard and is on duty - not to mention wondering where the heck Trump's nominal third wife Melania has been and is), the legitimate question of age should be asked, as well as wondering why the 81-year old Biden gets virtually all the scrutiny while the 77-year old Trump does not or pointing out that yelling and screaming platitudes and conspiracy theories that homeless people often do does not indicate a vital senior.
-And it's only February 11. (Gah!)
-In other news ...
-Yet another refugee crisis in Palestine is vexing relief agencies and the White House, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "ordering" the exit of over 1.5 million Palestinians currently stuck in the city of Rafah, a city which had a population of just over 170,000 before fighting began elsewhere in the country. Where the refugees can go is unknown, and the relentless attacking by Netanyahu and apparent refusal to do anything but wage complete war against all of Palestine in retaliation for the October 7 HAMAS terrorist attacks (in part, it is believed, to cover up the culpability of the Netanyahu government in allowing those attacks to occur) has led to an escalating humanitarian crisis throughout the legitimate attempt to eliminate HAMAS itself, HAMAS being no friend of the Palestinian people.
-A showdown is brewing between Special Prosecutor Jack Smith and the only Judge that Trump has never belittled, Aileen Cannon. The issue involves Smith requesting that names of potential witnesses in the some day trial of Trump stealing boxes of highly-classified documents and storing them willy-nilly throughout his Mar-a-Lago banquet center not be released to the public, pointing out that threats have been made against a number of people connected to the case (as well as Team Trump's habit of blabbing) - and a refusal by Cannon to grant Smith the request. Hearings this week between Cannon, Smith and Team Trump will determine if Cannon - a neophyte attorney appointed to the lifetime position by Trump after Election Day 2020 and one of the final Trump-appointed judges to be seated - may be at the end of a request by Smith or the full 11th Circuit to recuse herself from the case. Observers have been aggravated that this case, which Smith has said would only take three weeks to take place, has been delayed at every turn to the delight of Team Trump, whose strategy is simply to delay and avoid any potential convictions (which, if you believe polling, would result in a caving in of Trump support - assuming most then won't remember that Biden is old).
-In Halls of Fame news, we first congratulate the seven new members of the Football Hall of Fame: DL Dwight Freeney, LB Randy Gradishar, KR Devin Hester, WR Andre Johnson, DL Steve McMichael, DL Julius Peppers, LB Patrick Willis. The news was particularly good for Chicago Bears fans, as Peppers played for four seasons, Hester got in as what could be the only kick returner in the Hall (with rumors of the demise of the kickoff afoot), and "Mongo" McMichael getting in as perhaps the last of the legendary 1985 Super Bowl championship team, as well as getting in while battling ALS at the same time.
-We then give a tip of the hat to the 15 artists and acts that have been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Cher, the Dave Matthews Band, Eric B. and Rakim, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Jane's Addiction, Kool & the Gang, Lenny Kravitz, Oasis, Sinead O'Connor, Ozzy Osbourne, Sade, and A Tribe Called Quest. Five to seven from this list - including from a fans' poll - will be enshrined in April, and reactions have been all over the map. Ozzy - who once derided co-Rock hall founder Jann Wenner (who was forced to leave last year over charges of sexism) - applauded his nomination, while Cher said the Hall could "you-know-what-yourself" with her nomination. And Frampton may have had the best reaction of all, posting "That's really great! Wait, you mean I'm not already in the #rockhall?" Congrats to all (except for Foreigner, they're kind of hacks if you ask me).
-FINALLY, as a way to graduate into Punditry Big-Time, I offer you my unsolicited SUPER BOWL PICK! Whether you put money on this or not is on you - I wouldn't - but I am picking Kanas City over San Francisco 27-23. The score will be closer with Kadarius Toney likely not playing for the Chiefs, but I'm going with the playoff trends: the Chiefs limped into the playoffs but found that other gear thanks to Mahomes, a defense that calmly dispatched the three best AFC QBs not named Mahomes (two on the road), and Travis Kelce being, well, y'know by now ... meanwhile, the Niners rolled into the playoffs but had to scramble twice at home to eke out wins to get to Las Vegas, and now get to find out (IMHO) that Mahomes is no Jordan Love and Andy Reid is no Dan Campbell.
-Now to get some pizza dough ready to pop in the oven and avoid a halftime show that is now rumored to include (for reasons well beyond me) Justin Bieber. Ick ...
-On this date in 1945, the Yalta Conference ended. On this date in 1990, Nelson Mandela was released from prison. Also on this date in 1990, one of sports' biggest upsets occurred when Buster Douglas knocked out the then-seemingly-invincible Mike Tyson. On this date in 2011, Hosni Mubarak stepped down as President of Egypt after the first of a series of uprisings that became known as the Arab Spring took place. And on this date in 2013, Pope Benedict XVI resigned the position - the first to leave without being dead first since 1415.
-Debuts: the first hospital in the United states (PA, 1753, co-founded by - who else? - Benjamin Franklin), the first UAW contract (1937), the first televised science-fiction program (an adaptation of Karel Capek's R.U.R., 1938), Japan's first satellite (1970), the first female Anglican Bishop, Barbara Harris (1989).
-Happy Birthday to Thomas Edison, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Max Baer, Sidney Sheldon, Eva Gabor, Lloyd Bentsen, Leslie Nielsen, Paul Bocuse, Conrad Janis, Larry Merchant, Mary Quant, Tina Louise, Gene Vincent, Burt Reynolds, Boris Pickett, Gerry Goffin, Sergio Mendes, Archie Andrews, Otis Clay, Vangelis, George Winston, Carey Lowell, Sheryl Crow, Tammy Baldwin, Ken Shamrock, Jennifer Aniston, Damian Lewis, D'Angelo, Brandy Norwood, Kelly Rowland, Natalie Dormer, Taylor Lautner, and Daniil Medvedev.
-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Rene Descartes, Sergei Eisenstein, Charles Scribner III, Sylvia Plath, Whitney Young Jr., Lee J. Cobb, Frank Herbert, Sorrell Booke, William Conrad, Roger Vadim, Peter Benchley, Alexander McQueen, Whitney Houston, Bob Simon, Jerry Tarkanian, Vic Damone, and Joseph Shabalala.
-Feed the Worms: Panamanian Dictator Manuel Noriega, Alaskan IQ-reducer Sarah Palin, and vile hate-speech murder-enabling smegma Alex Jones entered Earth on this date.
-Was-Supposed-To-Be President Jeb! "Please Clap" Bush was born on this date. You decide if he gets a Happy Birthday or if he Feeds the Worms.
-The Number One Song In America On This Day ... in 2024, "Hiss" by Megan Thee Stallion ... in 2014, "Dark Horse" by Katy Perry featuring Juicy J ... in 2004, "The Way You Move" by OutKast featuring Sleepy Brown ... in 1994, "The Power of Love" by Celine Dion ... in 1984, "Karma Chameleon" by Culture Club ... and in 1974, "Love's Theme" by the Love Unlimited Orchestra.