Whom did Arnold Screw?

Willie Brown has been defending his position that Arnold Schwarzenegger deserves some compassion because he was trying to protect his family from the fallout over his affair with a house keeper. Brown has a point that after the affair became public many people were hurt. In his Chronicle column last Sunday, Mayor Brown describes a confrontation with a woman on Market Street who takes him to task for defending the former governor. The woman was outraged by Arnold's conduct as well as Willie's defense.

From my point of view this is much ado about nothing and we must ask the question, “Whom did Arnold really screw?” I have come to the conclusion that he screwed me, as well as many others. Several years ago there was an initiative on the state ballot to establish a Canadian style health care program in California. It was leading in the polls. Arnold Schwarzenegger campaigned against the measure saying, “It will be bad for buseeeness in Caleeeforneeea.” The initiative lost and we have no statewide health care program. At the time I was covered by my employer's health care plan, but I knew that I may not be able to count on this so I voted for the proposal. Sure enough, my company eventually cut my hours and eliminated my benefits. I have several years to go before Medicare or Obamacare and HIPAA extensions may be so expensive that they would wipe out my retirement savings as easily as a hospitalization.

The criticism of Schwarzenegger is off base and most people should rethink, or maybe even begin to think about, their attitudes towards politicians and the policies they propagate.

Bob Geren's Judgment Day

Oakland Athletic pitcher, Brian Fuentes, criticizes his manager, Bob Geren, for his handling of the pitching staff over the last several games. Specifically, Fuentes is upset about being brought into non save situations on the road. Hall of Famer, Dennis Eckersley, comments, “'From the outside looking in, just pitch.'” This episode, along with questions regarding double switches and bunting bring Geren's judgment into question. It is hard to question his handling of the pitching staff. They have about the best ERA in baseball. Although he makes some mistakes with regard to the offense, it is hard to lay much of the blame on Geren. Take for instance, the other night the one of the post game talking heads scolds the A's for not bunting and playing “small ball.” The problem here is that when the A's bunt, they just move the runner 90 feet farther along to be stranded. The A's do not hit and this is well known.


The rebuke belongs to Billy Beane. It appears as though he has fallen in love with Eric Chavez, even though he is no longer part of the team. Chavez is a good hitter when in the order with a couple of great hitters like Jason Giambi and Miguel Tejada or Frank Thomas and Milton Bradley or with the Murders Row in New York. He is never going to be the guy to carry the lineup. Beane finds three new hitters for this year and so far they have not produced. It looks like they may have been productive hitters in other lineups but the sum of the parts is less than what they have been. Beane needs to find a really good hitter or two, or fans are condemned to watching a great pitching staff in frustration and a boring team hovering around five hundred.

Osama bin Laden's Trial

There has been much jubilation over the death of Osama bin Laden. Although he is no loss, I would prefer to have seen him captured and then tried for his crimes. However, I always thought that he may be killed but never caught, which was the end result. On one level bin Laden is now an Islamic martyr enjoying his 72 virgins in heaven, instead of being the virgin in some Federal super max prison. I am not certain who would want him as a prison bitch, though. If he had been captured and I were the prosecutor I would plea bargain with him to provide us with information about whom in this county he was helping. I know that some in the United States have benefited from his actions and I suspect that was the plan. The bombings of the African embassies and the U.S.S. Cole were a blow to President Clinton and therefore weakened Al Gore in the next election. President George W. Bush took office under the cloud that about half the nation did not think his election was legitimate. The attacks on September 11, 2001 were a Pearl Harbor moment and the U.S. population united behind the president in the face of foreign attack. Also, there have been well documented business connections between George W. Bush and the bin Laden family.

Even though they are members of different political parties, Presidents Bush and Obama are part of the American power structure and to that extent Obama will protect Bush and see that there is no trial. For his part Obama has been Lincolnesq in this matter. President Lincoln needed a significant military victory to insure his reelection in 1864. He got together with his generals and came up with a multiple pronged attack on the Confederacy. The result was Sherman's triumph in Atlanta and Lincoln's electoral victory. The killing of Osama bin Laden protects Bush, Cheney et al and it gives Obama a needed military success.

Apocalypse When?

A pastor from Oakland, Harold Camping, has gained some media traction by claiming that Judgment Day will be tomorrow. He predicts that a great earthquake will start in New Zealand and work its way around the world. It is silly to even try to place a date and hour on such a thing. In the Matthew chapter 24, Jesus' disciples ask Him when He will return and the timing of the end of the world. Jesus enumerates the various events that will occur. Then He says in verse 36, “'But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angles of heaven, but my Father only.'” So, these apocalyptic preachers should take a clue from the leader of their church and their followers had better educate themselves.

Setup for IMF Chief?

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the head of the International Monetary Fund, is charged with sexual assault of a housekeeper at his hotel in New York. Sexual assault is a serious issue, but, as is usually the case, this gets down to a he said she said matter. A complication is that Strauss-Khan is a leading socialist candidate for President of France. When men in such positions are charged in this manner it is a concern that he may be the victim of a setup. He is challenging Corporate Scumbagery in France. The powers that be will not allow this. Their predecessors were even more extreme. When it looked like a socialist government might take control of the country in the 1930s, the leading families managed to surrender control of their nation to the Nazis. To these traitors it was more important to maintain their ill gotten gains. To set up a man for sexual blackmail is nothing to these people. Why would the victim cooperate with these forces? The usual reasons: money, blackmail, threats to family or some combination thereof. There are hints that Strauss-Kahn's defense will be that sex was consensual or he said she said. Although crimes of this nature should not be taken lightly, the charge of setup up needs to be given proper consideration.