This wonderfully sunny Monday finds the week-long battle against my head cold all but over. The critical day was Thursday, when I was able to beat back its attempt to settle in my chest. Yesterday was the somewhat ghastly clearing of the sinuses and today I have just a few sniffles left. It's good to be able to smell the spring air again. Now if I could only get used to this daily shaving thing.
We've had good rainfall here that last few weeks and after our extremely dry winter that's good news. The timing hasn't been the greatest though. This weekend was once again pretty much a washout for getting stuff done in the yard. I should be able to get a few hours in this evening and tomorrow before the rains return.
John Huntsman(Sore Loser-Utah) is whining about the GOP again. After losing the GOP base with the brilliant strategy of disagreeing while being disagreeable, the ever arrogant and entitled-feeling Huntsman is shocked, shocked!, that the GOP shunned him for calling for a third party to go against, at least in part, the GOP. The man is so self-absorbed that he cannot even grasp the consequences of his own actions.
And Huntsman can spare us the regurgitation of this stupid meme that's going around that Ronald Reagan couldn't get the GOP nomination today. If he truly believes that, he can start by showing me the page in Reagan's playbook where he wins the nomination by telling the base essentially to "shut up you stupid gits." Then he can show us how Reagan would love a federal government that feels entitled to dictate to us even to the point of telling us the kinds of light bulbs we can or cannot buy. Good luck with that. Finally, Reagan would be horrified at a Democratic party that has gone far beyond assuring a societal safety net and now openly espouses redistribution of wealth. He would be pounding Democrats with that far harder than Romney or Huntsman ever will. Don't kid yourself otherwise.
Over the weekend I read this depressing piece on the Trayvon Martin case from a man named Mansfield Frazier(via Bob Owens). Apparently Frazier has convicted George Zimmerman in the court of his mind and now, "The paramount concern has to be to avert a large-scale racial calamity." Frazier goes on to urge Zimmerman's attorney to arrange a plea bargain that would see Zimmerman back on the street within eight years. Otherwise:
"America can only dodge so many racial bullets, and a not-guilty verdict in this case could very easily turn the racial cold war into a very hot one."
Given Frazier's mention of the Rodney King riots it's not difficult to see what he means here. Anything less than jail time for Zimmerman at this point means rioting in the streets. Is that just an accurate reading of the situation or a threat? I don't know. It may be both. I've seen enough threats of violence on the web not to discount it.
This spring has already seen a small group of black young people attack passersby(white?) half a dozen times in downtown Minneapolis, culminating in some arrests after increased police patrols. So called "flash mobs" have also been on the rise across the country. My gut tells me that our urban black underclass was getting primed to explode even before the Martin killing. I can't believe that has made things any better.
Regardless, it's depressing to see someone like Frazier warn of a mob and then declare it must be appeased, or else. Whether Zimmerman decides to take a plea, is found guilty, or is acquitted, it is no matter to me as long as the system is allowed to work without threats of violence.
The Twins return home tonight against Boston. They managed a 2-2 split in New York and avoided a sweep in Tampa Bay over the weekend. Not bad as far as I'm concerned. I figured they had a good chance of going 0-7. And since I've been ragging on the $23 million/year man for his pathetic 2011 effort, it's only fair to note that Joe Mauer has played in all 16 games so far this season. He's not putting up $23 million/year numbers just yet, but the first step is just being there. Credit where due.
A just missed weekend for Gopher baseball on the road at Michigan State. They went 1-2 with both losses coming in extra innings. The series win earned Michigan St. a tie with the Gophers for second in the Big Ten.
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