I’m not sure how this will all play out yet. Well, no one is. But it looks like some good news from where I’m standing.
From: Michael
Subject: A win for Liberty!
At long last, some good news regarding American Liberty!Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the court, said, “The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times.”
ap.google.com
Extraordinary times indeed. Reminds me of this fine line commonly (and often incorrectly at that) attributed to Benjamin Franklin:
“Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
I’ve love an opportunity to tell that to the likes of Dennis “Everything changed after 9/11” Miller. Nothing changed on 9/11. You just forgot what this country stands for.
More from the article linked above:
The justices handed the Bush administration its third setback at the high court since 2004 over its treatment of prisoners who are being held indefinitely and without charges at the U.S. naval base in Cuba. The vote was 5-4, with the court’s liberal justices in the majority.
…It was not immediately clear whether this ruling, unlike the first two, would lead to prompt hearings for the detainees, some who have been held more than 6 years. Roughly 270 men remain at the island prison, classified as enemy combatants and held on suspicion of terrorism or links to al-Qaida and the Taliban.
This is completely ridiculous. Six years we’ve held some of these guys. If they committed crimes, put ’em before the Court, present your evidence, convict and sentence. Let the chips fall If they haven’t committed a crime, and you have no evidence to present (either because there isn’t anything to talk about or what you have is a product of torture sessions and inadmissible) you’re going to have to come up with a whole lot more than “they’re bad people” to explain it.
More at WaPo and NY Times. Dot coms, both of ’em don’t cha know.
I called Celtics in five. No money on the line with anyone as no one I know wants to be caught cheering on the Lakers. Dangerous squad, but they just squandered a 24 point lead at home. There is a special place in hell for those in Laker yellow. And I hope they implode again on Father’s Day. Best. Gift. Ever.
I don’t know where this comes from, but I’ve heard it time and time again. “Jonny’s so much different after he got hitched” and other variations on the same theme.
This guys from flagstaff: drunkcyclist.com
and a real ‘safe cycling’ advocate as well as an exceptional blogger. His blog used to be a lot funnier, but then he got married and had a kid.
Source: atheism-vs-christianity.blogspot.com
I was married before I started this website. The wife precedes the blog. The kids came later, sure, but why group ’em together? Ya’ll have only known me as “married”. Why reminisce about the glory days that never existed?
Sorta like when I used to race and was young and fit. Never. Fucking. Happened.
More on Boonen’s nose candy issues over at cyclingnews.com:
“It is not easy to be Tom Boonen: the pressure on him is great,” according to Patrick Lefevere, team manager of Team Quick Step. “Tom has made a mistake,” he acknowledged on HLN.be, “but there is a difference between the person Boonen and the cyclist Boonen. The man Boonen has made a mistake.”
That is Quick Step’s position in a nutshell: Boonen’s positive test for cocaine is a personal matter and they will not allow it to interfere with his cycling career. Cocaine use is a sporting violation only when used during competition, and this was an out-of-competition control. Therefore, according to the team, there is no doping violation and thus no reason to sanction their star sprinter.
Not everyone agrees with that philosophy…
I for one am pretty much on the fence about it. Really. KG, you can start flaming immediately.
So he apologized without ever mentioning the word “cocaine”. And the Tour excluded him.
ASO would have liked the Belgian team to decide to leave Boonen at home in July. However, the team’s different decision forced the organization to ban the winner of Paris-Roubaix from the July Grand Tour…
However, ASO is not considering last year’s green jersey winner as a doping cheat. “We are not confronted with a doping case,” Prudhomme said about ASO’s outlook. “He didn’t take forbidden substances in order to win races. It’s a private affair. But Boonen is a great and emblematic champion. He has to behave in an irreproachable way.”
With all the shit sportsmen are doing these days, I’m just not sure I care that much what a guy does on his own time. Sort of tuning up his wife or molesting children, something along the lines of recreational drug use might just be his own business. Or, her own business, if we’re talking about female athletes.
Of course, one can also argue that this would suggest he’s not above drug use all together. It’s more of a question if he can separate “party” from “cheating”. A good question, and one I do not have an answer for.
And, please remember, I was a big fan of Frank Vandenbroucke back in the day. That guy was off the hook. And, assumedly, still is. Or at least off his rocker.
So here I am, sitting no this fence railing… And it seems I have some company.
Today’s video offerings:
Late of The Pier – Space and The Woods
Late of The Pier – Bears Are Coming
O snap… that Bears are coming vid is hella chill.
Here’s the best thing about VDB.
In August 2006, he was caught racing on an Italian amateur circuit, with a license made out to “Francesco del Ponte” (a badly Italianized version of his name, “del Pantalone” being correct) and bearing a photo of the then reigning World Road Cycling Champion, Tom Boonen.
Kinda fitting now knowing how much they each like to ski.
OI. I’ve been stopping by here since the turn of the century. I used to come back for the boobs, but now I stay for the views of the news. sure, we all miss the porn, but the last thing that happened to BJ since the old site started and the new site came online is him getting smeared by an auto. I’m just glad that both him and the site are still around, in whatever condition. wordup.
Let Boonen ride!
Guys-
Shoot, I’d love to party with Tomeke and VDB, even without the coke, just the extra horny babes hanging around would be pretty worthwhile.
Jonny is right, nothing changed on 9/11. Like the Drive By Truckers said, “Living in fear is just another way of dying before your time.” I’m not afraid of terrorists and I’m not afraid of my government. Even with the sucky performance of the equities market lately, I’m having a high old time here in the US of A. I’ll be on the Trophy Bike in one hour and I feel it’s likely the lads won’t burst me like an overripe grape, so I’ve got that going for me.
Keep the rubber side down.
Mikey
Check it: letboonenride.com
…dennis ‘self righteously delusional’ miller used to be funny but ‘everything changed after 9/11’…
…ahh, who am i kidding ???…he’s only ever been mildly amusing…
…booneski is the biggest belgian sports hero to come down the ‘pike since eddy & somewhere in flanders a kid is thinking “my man tommeke’s down w/ the drugs so i’m good w/ that shit” & that kid may end up dead because what he doesn’t understand is that his wealthy hero has a whole support system to help save him from himself…
…but hey, let’s look at the bright side…maybe the kid will only end up in jail…
Late entry into the comments here… and not really related, but I can’t say it deserves its own post.
Veto Every Beer.
What the fuck is THAT? As a loyal reader and irregular poster, that slip-up is enough for me to say HELL-FUCKING-NO to McSame.
What ? No mention of Boonen playing hide the Belgian sausage in Theun Van Vliet’s 16 yo daughter ? I thought you were setting up for that when you mentioned molesting children :)
http://www.hln.be/static/FOTO/pe/16/14/13/large_175063.jpg
That image is worth posting.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Tom Boonen.