Blaming

This is just pathetic.

The US women's gymnastics team blamed stadium officials Wednesday for distracting one of their athletes who went on to make crucial mistakes that destroyed their gold medal hopes.

China won its showdown with the United States after Alicia Sacramone fell off the balance beam then slipped over during the floor exercise, opening the way for the home team to post a narrow 2.375 point victory.

US team coordinator Martha Karolyi said officials at Beijing's National Indoor Stadium had disrupted Sacramone's preparations for the beam.

"First they called her name up, then they did not even put her name up even though the Chinese had finished ... (it was) totally unusual holding," she said.

"She was mentally prepared and then she had a mental break, then after not doing the job, the beam, on the floor exercise her concentration was bothered."

Karolyi insisted the world champion US team would have won gold if Sacramone had not become unsettled.

As an American, I'm embarrassed.

Grumble

We decided to get a new Kinetico water softener. When I got the contract (1) it stated that under no circumstances could the terms be modified, (2) I had to pay 100% in advance, (3) omitted any representation that the installation would be successful, and (4) contained untrue statements (e.g., that we had already been given the owners' manual). When I attempted to discuss these issues, I was advised that was a "big red flag" (their exact words) that I could be a problem customer and they didn't want my business. Surreal.

Stop it

These types of headlines make me want to hit my head with a hammer.

Does No One Care About Matt Jones' Cocaine Arrest Because He's White?

Are you kidding? First of all, most of us who are even sports fans have never heard of Matt Jones. Second, try this one: "Did Everyone Care About Gary Condit Because He is White?"

Racism is real. Feigned indignation about imagined racism makes a mockery of the issue.

Edwards

I have never understood the appeal of John Edwards. To me, he has always come across as a complete narcist phony. It never computed for me that he could gain political traction in a presidential race, but a guy like Chris Dodd could not. Michael Kinsley, in an email to Micky Kaus, opines that the MSM should issue a formal "correction" to its past Edwards' reporting.

AS for your laundry list of reasons to cover it, I think there's one more much simpler: the MSM told a story about Edwards—they told it often and loud—it was probably one of the best-known and totally accepted stories of the 2008 campaign: John loyally standing by his loyal wife as she deals with cancer. If the story isn't true, they should run a correction. My god, look at the things they run corrections over—the spelling of people's names, and so on. Yet they're leaving this huge story uncorrected, and leaving their readers misinformed. No?

I never bought the story, but the liberal Kinsley still makes an interesting point.

Oh, and if I were an Edwards' campaign contributor, I would sue him for fraud.

(For cross-post at Centerfield and comments posted there, click here.)

08/08/08

Reasons to enjoy this date:
1. It is my daughter's birthday; she is now 7 (going on 15).
2. The Olympics start.
3. The weather here is perfect.

Unlikely cause

Link.

Bill Clinton made a plea yesterday for a new emphasis on monogamy . . .