Supreme Court Ends Term With a Bang

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The just-concluded term of the United States Supreme Court was marked by the retirement of one justice (John Paul Stevens), the all-but-certain confirmation of another (Elena Kagan), and by a ruling granting corporations permission to spend as much money as they want to influence political campaigns.

Now the Court has confirmed what everybody else has believed for years, given all the headlines about violence in the streets:  America has become a shooting gallery.  In a 5-4 vote split among predictable ideological lines, they overturned stringent gun laws in Chicago and its suburb Oak Park, IL.  In their view, the Second Amendment of the Constitution (which is the right to keep and bear arms) restricts governments from prohibiting firearms use in their jurisdictions.

Gun laws, which have been in place since the assassinations of the 1960s, have succeeded in requiring responsible citizens to register their weapons.  However, the majority of crimes involving guns are committed not just by those who don't bother to register, but also by kids who think it might be fun to play with their parents' guns--with disastrous consequences.

One of the biggest winners in all this is the National Rifle Association, which has been championing the rights of every law-abiding citizen to own a firearm for decades.  The NRA has also beaten back every attempt by Washington to enact tougher gun laws, even when some lone wolf shoots up a school or a military base.  They have become so powerful that even the White House, regardless of party, won't touch them.

So does this mean that America will become a more violent nation than it already is, or a more peaceful one because every man, woman and child is packing heat?  Only the Supreme Court knows for sure.

New General, Same War

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Under the rules of military conduct, no soldier or ranking officer can make disparaging remarks against the commander-in-chief or any other civilian official.  Instead, he/she is expected to suck it up and take orders whether they agree with them or not.

General Stanley McChrystal, the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, did not do that.  In the current issue of Rolling Stone magazine (the one with Lady Gaga on the cover, if you're interested), you will find McChrystal ripping into everyone from President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden to other government officials concerning the conduct of the war.

That is why Obama decided to replace McChrystal with General David Petraeus, the man credited with turning around a losing situation in Iraq.  He and the President seem to be on the same page as far as what they believe the objective to fighting the war in Afghanistan ought to be:  Defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda, help Afghan president Hamid Karzai set up a legitimately democratic government, then start getting the heck out in 2011.

Afghanistan?  You mean there's still a war there?

Yes Virginia (and every other state), there's still a war there, even though you haven't heard much about it lately.  It began nearly a decade ago as a response to the 9/11/01 attacks, with the original purpose being to get as many members of Al Qaeda as possible--and that included Osama bin Laden, dead or alive.  Then President George W. Bush decided to start another war in Iraq, and you know the rest.  Only when things quieted down there did the emphasis shift back to Afghanistan.

So what do we have now?  The Taliban is keeping the fight going, corruption mars Karzai's government, and what's left of Al Qaeda (including Bin Laden, assuming he's still alive) have fled to the relative safety of the mountains of Pakistan.  Also, at least a thousand American soldiers have been sent home in body bags to date.

No matter who is in command, the real challenge for President Obama is not in motivating the soldiers to continue fighting, but in convincing the public that the war in Afghanistan is still necessary even after its original meaning has been lost.  At this point, people just want the war over with.

BP: Beyond Pollution, Part 3--Spinning The Spill

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While what remains of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig owned by BP is still spewing out tons and tons of the black stuff into the Gulf of Mexico, more toxic sludge of the verbal kind is being created in Washington and on your video screen.

At congressional hearings last week, leaders of the major oil companies who are not BP were trotted out like the leaders of tobacco companies and Wall Street financial firms before them.  And they all said that, had the spill happened on their watch, they would have handled the cleanup better than BP has so far.

Next came BP's CEO Tony Hayward, who cemented his reputation as a man who still has no idea what hit him by giving bland answers to the committee's questions.  Then Hayward spent the weekend sailing.

Let's pause here to remind one and all that televised congressional hearings are pretty much a dog-and-pony show for your entertainment.  The really interesting stuff takes place either behind closed doors or in a court of law, where the media is usually not allowed.

Having said that, something truly amazing came from the mouth of Republican congressman Joe Barton of Texas.  He apologized to BP by characterizing their agreement with the White House to set aside $20 billion for a cleanup fund  as a "shakedown", as if President Barack Obama were a loan shark and his staff were a bunch of Chicago gangsters.  Horrified GOP leaders forced Barton to apologize for the apology.

But Barton's sentiments are shared by a number of prominent conservatives, including radio commentator Rush Limbaugh and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.  And then there's Minnesota's own Michele Bachmann, the quote machine that just won't stop even when she should.  The Republican congresswoman has called the cleanup fund "extortion", and has been quoted in the Washington Post as saying that, had she been running BP, "(w)e're not going to be chumps, and we're not going to be fleeced".

Democrat Tarryl Clark, who's running against Bachmann in the Sixth District, didn't miss the opportunity to use the incumbent's defense of BP in a TV ad currently airing on Twin Cities stations.

BP is running its own charm offensive with ads featuring Hayward telling us how sorry he is about the spill, and pledges to "make it right" for the wildlife and Gulf residents affected.  However, they're not helping their already damaged reputation by (a) restricting media access to the spill site, and (b) purchasing space on search engines such as Google so that all queries about the oil leak lead to BP's website.  It's as if the company is trying to own the story.

Try spinning this:  Eleven dead in the Deepwater Horizon blast.  Oil washing ashore from Louisiana to Florida (and possibly beyond).  Wildlife doused in toxic muck.  People who work in seafood and tourism can't make a living.  We can't break our addiction to oil.  Government can only do so much.  And BP and other oil companies will be rolling in the dough no matter what happens.

Another Lakers Championship In The Calm Before The Storm

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The Los Angeles Lakers have won their second consecutive NBA championship and 16th overall (five in Minneapolis), with an 83-79 victory over the Boston Celtics at the Staples Center.  And for once, they defeated their hated rivals in a Game 7 after having lost four other times.

Kobe Bryant, as usual, led all Lakers scorers with 23 points and 15 rebounds.  This is his fifth championship, as well as his second consecutive playoff MVP title (named for former Celtic Bill Russell, of all people).

Ron Artest, who scored 20 points in the game, has a championship he can claim as redemption.  You see, as an Indiana Pacer, he was previously known for his involvement in a brawl with the Detroit Pistons that came to be known as the ugliest incident in NBA history.

Coach Phil Jackson won his 11th NBA title, more than anybody else, with the blessings of having Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and Michael Jordan at his side during his career.  One wonders if this might be it for him.

But now the real season begins, with questions everyone from ESPN on down have been asking.  Is LeBron James staying in Cleveland or not?  If he's not, then where will he go?  What about all the other high-profile free agents, who can expect to make insane amounts of money no matter where they go?  And will those lucky teams be standing where the Lakers and Celtics are a year or two from now?

The President Expresses Himself--Sort Of

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On a day when it was announced that two and a half million gallons of oil a day is currently choking the life out of the Gulf of Mexico, President Barack Obama used the occasion to make his first Oval Office speech.

Ever since the runaway oil spill caused by one of BP's damaged rigs became a national crisis, critics have been calling for the President to show some emotion instead of his usual calm demeanor to express his displeasure in the way the situation has been handled (or mishandled) by the oil company and the government.  Other than telling NBC's "Today" show he was looking for somebody's rear end to kick, Obama's emotions have so far ranged the gamut from A to B.

Tuesday night's speech was not much different.  It wasn't so much a call to action as it was a national pep talk, saying nothing we haven't already heard..  The President said BP will pay for all cleanup and damages, which will be handled by an independent third party.  He also called for a new clean energy policy to pass Congress.  And he asked his audience to pray for the victims of the Gulf Coast disaster, both human and otherwise.  Good luck with all of that.

But let's not wish BP too much ill.  They have made so much money in recent years that they could well afford to pay for the damages.  The government had better hope so, because what's going to happen if the company goes bankrupt?  Will Shell or ExxonMobil be as willing to pay for something that they claimed they could have done a better job on?

The only other time an Oval Office speech was devoted to the topic of energy, it was delivered by President Jimmy Carter in 1979.  Carter was defeated for re-election the following year.  Unless the Gulf cleanup shows some significant progress, history might repeat itself for President Obama.

Governor Pawlenty's Moment of Zen

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Following in the footsteps of nearly every politician who wants to be taken seriously here in the 21st century, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty made an appearance on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" Thursday.

Stewart, whose Comedy Central show runs four nights a week (as compared to, say, Brian, Katie and Diane), has for some reason become the oracle of a new generation that doesn't watch the evening news.  He has replaced Walter Cronkite as the most trusted news anchor on TV.  But this is a comedy program disguised as a news broadcast.  Even Stewart has said "The Daily Show" is a fake news program.

So here comes Pawlenty, who in his spare time has been roaming the countryside gauging interest in a possible 2012 presidential run, even though the Republican governor hasn't formally announced his candidacy yet.  The polls show that he's well below the radar in terms of recognition outside of his home state, so that's why he's here.

Pawlenty could have chosen a better time to go on TV.  At the same time the show is broadcast, over 12,000 nurses were out walking the picket lines in a one-day strike against some Twin Cities hospitals over staffing and salary issues.  Then again, the governor cut funding to state-run medical programs, so it's not as if he cares what the nurses think.

The governor succeeded in not being funnier than Stewart.  His one attempt at humor that was broadcast was his announcement that he was running for president . . .of his daughter's soccer league.  Otherwise, he reiterated his philosophy about limiting government and cutting taxes, something Minnesotans know all too well.  His record isn't much to smile about, unless you happen to be a taxophobic conservative.

Stewart got off some pointed questions, as well as recalling the time he and his crew had at the 2008 GOP convention in St. Paul, in which he noted that the protestors were the nicest he's ever seen.  And being a true New Yorker, he referred to cabins as lake houses.

Only time will tell whether Governor Pawlenty's "Daily Show" appearance raises his profile to the level of Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney in the eyes of conservatives.  If the reviews are positive, Pawlenty can turn his fake candidacy into the real thing.  If not, he can go back to being governor for the next few months.

Hidden Goal Wins Stanley Cup for Chicago

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The Chicago Blackhawks have won the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1961, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 in overtime in Game 6.  The winning goal, scored by Patrick Kane, wasn't caught right away until somebody noticed that the puck leaked through the Flyers' netminder and into the goal.  Video confirmed it, and the Blackhawk players started dancing around the Wachovia Center ice with the Cup.

This was not your typical National Hockey League final.  There was lots of scoring in the six-game series.  The goaltending wasn't as scintillating as it usually is.  The Flyers' Chris Pronger made a habit of stealing the Blackhawks' final game pucks, only to see the favor returned when a Chicago newspaper put out a poster-sized image of him suggesting that he played like a girl.  That probably went over real well with the women's ice hockey teams who competed at the Olympics in Vancouver a few months ago.

The Flyers deserve credit for the surprising run they had during the playoffs, highlighted by being only the third team to come from behind a 3-0 deficit to win their series.  Which is what happened when they defeated the Boston Bruins in an earlier round.  This would not have been possible, however, had they not scored the winning goal in a shootout against the New York Rangers on the final day of the regular season just to get into the playoffs.

The Blackhawks have been one of the best teams in the NHL all season, with contributions from Kane, Jonathan Toews, Martin Hossa and Dustin Byfuglien.  That's quite a contrast to a few seasons ago when the Hawks were so bad, you couldn't give away a ticket to a game at United Center.  Now, in winning the Stanley Cup, the Windy City cheers and former player Jeremy Roenick, who was an analyst for NBC during the playoffs, was brought to tears.

Like we said, the Blackhawks and their fans have waited since 1961 to hoist the Cup.  That was back when John Kennedy was President, and Bobby Hull, Glenn Hall and Stan Mikita roamed the ice of Chicago Stadium.  Forty-nine years later, under another Democratic president, the wait is over.  Now it's the Toronto Maple Leafs' turn.  They haven't won the Cup since 1967, which happens to be the final year of the six-team NHL before that league started expanding.

John Wooden (1910-2010): The More Things Change . . .

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John Wooden, who passed away at age 99 last week, was the college basketball coach other coaches looked up to.  His style of play, philosophy of life and the way he handled his players from Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) to Bill Walton were factors in his UCLA teams winning 10 NCAA titles between 1964 and 1975.

Since Wooden retired from coaching after a 27-year career in 1975, college basketball has changed plenty.  It is no longer possible to do what he and his players did, whether it's all those championships, or the 88-game winning streak.  Here's why:

• How many coaches stay at the same school 27 months, let alone 27 years?  If they're not coaching, then they usually go on TV as game analysts.
• Players aren't required to stay in school and graduate, like they did in Wooden's day.  Now if they happen to be phenoms and their families need the money, they could go into the NBA after one year.  LeBron James, Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant are NBA stars who never bothered with college.
• After Wooden, the most national championships in men's basketball ever won by a coach is 4.  That's shared between Adolph Rupp of Kentucky and Mike Krzyzewski of Duke, who just won his fourth title this past spring.
• Players (and sometimes coaches) aren't always on the straight-and-narrow.  This can sometimes lead to recruiting violations and legal problems.
• The NCAA men's tournament is a much bigger deal than it used to be when Wooden was coaching, with the field now expanded to 68 teams and a new TV contract with Turner and CBS.  Which makes all those regular season and conference tournament games rather meaningless, doesn't it?

Here's what hasn't changed.  John Wooden may have been an old-fashioned basketball coach, but winning was the one thing that never got old.  And college basketball is all the better for it.

Nobody's Perfect

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We are now into the third month of the Major League Baseball season, and already two pitchers have thrown perfect games.  One was by Dallas Braden of the Oakland Athletics, the other by Roy Halliday of the Philadelphia Phillies.  They both succeeded in giving up no runs, no hits, no errors and no bases on balls through nine innings.

Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers almost became the third Wednesday night, had it not been for Jason Donald of the Cleveland Indians.  With two out in the top of the ninth at Detroit's Comerica Park, Donald hit a ground ball to the Tigers' first baseman Miguel Cabrera, who then threw the ball to Galarraga for the apparent putout.  But first base umpire Jim Joyce ruled that Donald was safe.

Joyce later told reporters that, having seen the replay indicating Donald was actually out, he thought he blew the call and cost Galarraga his perfect game.  He just called it as he saw it.

Despite screaming from sports pundits and bloggers that Galarraga was robbed, MLB commissioner Bud Selig declined to reverse the call.  Which is as it should be, because why open up a can of worms of historical proportions?

Umpiring is a tough job.  For 162 games a year plus the playoffs, they are expected to make quick decisions not just on balls and strikes, but also whether a catch is a catch and a home run is fair or foul.  And they are expected to get it right 100% of the time.  Anything less than that brings the wrath of players, managers and fans.  Adding video replay (which MLB has done this season for home run calls) just makes the umpires' job tougher, as well as prolonging an already slow moving game.

In this case, the outcome wasn't affected.  The Tigers won the game 3-0 with Galarraga getting credit for a one-hitter.  But had this been a World Series game with millions of people watching on TV, and the same call was made, Joyce wouldn't be heard from again.

Right now, everyone needs to take a step back.  This is baseball.  It's just a game.  Tomorrow is another day and another game.  Let it go.

BP: Beyond Pollution, Continued

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Ladies and gentlemen, we are witnessing the worst environmental disaster in American history.  So far, at least 20 million gallons of crude oil has spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, which is nine million more than the Exxon Valdez dumped on Prince William Sound, Alaska in 1989.

BP, the oil giant that owned the Deepwater Horizon rig that exploded and sank in April, killing 11 workers, has tried and failed to cap the continuously spewing black stuff.  If they don't find another way soon, this could go on until August.

It also happens to be hurricane season.  Any Category 3 or higher storm has the potential to make Katrina look like a thundershower by comparison.

Normally, the United States government would take the lead in a situation like this.  As we learned from Katrina, that's not necessarily so.  And they're not doing it here, either.  With lack of the type of equipment and other resources needed to clean up the mess, the government has been forced to depend on BP to get the job done.

Instead, the Obama administration is wringing its hands and making empty threats while BP officials mumble something about doing all they possibly could.  Meanwhile the spill goes on, threatening wildlife, marine life and possibly human life from Louisiana to Florida.

This disaster has been made possible because BP and the rest of the oil industry has Washington over a barrel with favorable policies and treatment, plus campaign contributions to certain politicians.  The problem didn't begin with President Obama, nor with noted oil men George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, and it won't end there either.  Not as long as business calls the shots.

Besides, BP will find a way to face down any criminal or civil penalties that might come its way.  That means the people who made their livelihoods on the Gulf Coast will likely get stiffed.  And any fines levied at BP will simply be passed along to the consumer, so taxpayers will be paying for this disaster one way or another.

Caught in the fallout from the oil spill are those who work in BP's convenience stores and service stations.  It's hard enough trying to keep a job in this economy without customers avoiding you because your employer screwed up.

Meanwhile, the price of regular unleaded gasoline currently sits at $2.73 a gallon.  Wonder how long that will last?

As we watch video of the oil that billows from the depths with no end in sight, perhaps the time has come to resist the notion to tar and feather those responsible and help save what's left of what man has yet to spoil.