Spin, spin, spin
Elise Labott is a foreign affairs correspondent for CNN. She was suspended by the network for a controversial tweet. The question is, which tweet was it? According to the Huffington Post, New York Daily News, Politico.com and CNN Money (most telling), it was for this tweet.
House passes bill that could limit Syrian refugees. Statue of Liberty bows head in anguish@CNNPolitics http://cnn.it/1O5IS6b
But if we are to believe some of the more "out-there" conservative blogs and websites, her suspension doesn't stem from that tweet, but from tweets sent out when she allegedly colluded with one of then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's aides during her 2013 testimony on Benghazi.
Spin, spin, spin. How about accuracy? MintPressNews wrote "Elise Labott, a foreign affairs reporter for CNN, is now serving a two-week suspension from the Atlanta-based global news network for posting a critical tweet of Senator Paul during the hearing."
* * *
Donald Trump continues to insist he saw thousands of Muslims in New Jersey celebrating the 9/11 attacks, on television. No one can find any evidence of this footage. There are no police reports or other documentation of these so-called celebrations. At least not within the borders of the United States.
This shouldn't be surprising. No matter what he says, he apparently never backs off of something he said.
That particular characteristic is not presidential in any way. Given the polarization of the two parties in Congress, a president has to be a maker of consensus to get anything done. Trump's agenda would be dead on arrival due to his complete intransigence about admitting he was wrong about anything.
* * *
Kobe Bryant has announced this will be his last season of NBA basketball. It isn't that big a surprise to anyone. One of the best swingmen to ever play in the NBA, he was an amazing player. However, his body simply can't perform at the level it once was able to.
I'm a big fan of Kobe. He is one of the best clutch shooters in the history of the game. But can you make a comparison between Kobe and Magic Johnson? Or between Kobe and Jerry West?
More than ever, I am convinced that comparisons of players from different eras, especially the eras that did not immediately precede the current one, suffer from a bias. A bias toward the players from the current era. If asked to consider which NBA guard was the best ever, the discussion gets extremely complicated. The arguments develop into whether someone was a shooting guard, a point guard or a swingman. Most of the young people asked this question might well not consider some of the following names.
Bob Cousy - point guard
John Havlicek - swingman
Sam Jones - guard
Oscar Robertson - guard
Bill Sharman - guard
I limited that short list to only players who appeared on the list of the 50 Greatest NBA Players of all time. There were others I could have listed. Younger people do know about Magic, Michael Jordan, John Stockton, Jerry West and others.
But what makes someone the best of the best? Championship titles? John Havlicek has eight, more than Jordan, Magic or Kobe. Sam Jones has ten. Regular season MVP awards? Jordan has five.
Those who broadcast and/or comment on basketball make a big deal anytime a player records a triple-double (reaching double-digits in three metrics in one game, usually points, rebounds and assists). As an NBA rookie he nearly averaged a triple double for the entire season. He averaged only 9.7 assists that year. The following season he did average a triple double for an entire season. That's a feat that will never be equaled. Never.
The truth is that professional sports change from era to era. If you put 22 year old Bob Cousy into the NBA in 2015, he'd be a solid player. He'd be a superior playmaker. But he wouldn't be able to dominate the way he did during his era. The players are much more gifted physically today than they were back then. Taller, stronger, faster. This is why era vs era comparisons are hard.
I'll miss Kobe. But I'm glad he finally reached the conclusion that it was time for the next phase of his life. I'm sure he'll be successful at whatever ventures he chooses to pursue.
* * *
As the multiple Republican candidates debated about whether or not to discuss the shooting at a Colorado Planned Parenthood facility, Hillary Clinton rolled out her plan to spend more than $200 billion on the nation's infrastructure.
One drive on the Los Angeles system of interstate and state highways should make it clear that this is perhaps the best idea that any of the candidates has advanced thus far this campaign cycle. Money spent on infrastructure creates middle class jobs. It's an investment in the nation at the federal, state and local level. It will more than pay for itself over time.
It's a good idea. Her plan may or may not be ideal (I haven't had a chance to delve into the details) but it is the first time someone's addressed this vital issue.
* * *
An opinion piece in the L. A. Times claims that the younger you are, the less likely you are to support free speech. In fact, a survey shows that 21% of current college students find the First Amendment to be "outdated." I find that frightening.
There is a difference between expression and action. I don't give a damn what the members of the KKK say to one another, or in public. It's when they take action like assault, rape and murder that they cross the line from legal expression to criminal behavior. Because I am Jewish, I heard all sorts of slurs aimed at me as I grew up. But until the slur-slingers crossed the line from words to throwing punches, it wasn't an issue.
The old adage about sticks and stones can and does apply in such situations. If college students on the campus of a public university want to use racial slurs, like it or not, that's protected speech. When 40% of people between the ages of 18 and 34 believe that offensive statements should be outlawed, that isn't progress. It is the exact opposite.
House passes bill that could limit Syrian refugees. Statue of Liberty bows head in anguish
But if we are to believe some of the more "out-there" conservative blogs and websites, her suspension doesn't stem from that tweet, but from tweets sent out when she allegedly colluded with one of then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's aides during her 2013 testimony on Benghazi.
Spin, spin, spin. How about accuracy? MintPressNews wrote "Elise Labott, a foreign affairs reporter for CNN, is now serving a two-week suspension from the Atlanta-based global news network for posting a critical tweet of Senator Paul during the hearing."
* * *
Donald Trump continues to insist he saw thousands of Muslims in New Jersey celebrating the 9/11 attacks, on television. No one can find any evidence of this footage. There are no police reports or other documentation of these so-called celebrations. At least not within the borders of the United States.
This shouldn't be surprising. No matter what he says, he apparently never backs off of something he said.
That particular characteristic is not presidential in any way. Given the polarization of the two parties in Congress, a president has to be a maker of consensus to get anything done. Trump's agenda would be dead on arrival due to his complete intransigence about admitting he was wrong about anything.
* * *
Kobe Bryant has announced this will be his last season of NBA basketball. It isn't that big a surprise to anyone. One of the best swingmen to ever play in the NBA, he was an amazing player. However, his body simply can't perform at the level it once was able to.
I'm a big fan of Kobe. He is one of the best clutch shooters in the history of the game. But can you make a comparison between Kobe and Magic Johnson? Or between Kobe and Jerry West?
More than ever, I am convinced that comparisons of players from different eras, especially the eras that did not immediately precede the current one, suffer from a bias. A bias toward the players from the current era. If asked to consider which NBA guard was the best ever, the discussion gets extremely complicated. The arguments develop into whether someone was a shooting guard, a point guard or a swingman. Most of the young people asked this question might well not consider some of the following names.
Bob Cousy - point guard
John Havlicek - swingman
Sam Jones - guard
Oscar Robertson - guard
Bill Sharman - guard
I limited that short list to only players who appeared on the list of the 50 Greatest NBA Players of all time. There were others I could have listed. Younger people do know about Magic, Michael Jordan, John Stockton, Jerry West and others.
But what makes someone the best of the best? Championship titles? John Havlicek has eight, more than Jordan, Magic or Kobe. Sam Jones has ten. Regular season MVP awards? Jordan has five.
Those who broadcast and/or comment on basketball make a big deal anytime a player records a triple-double (reaching double-digits in three metrics in one game, usually points, rebounds and assists). As an NBA rookie he nearly averaged a triple double for the entire season. He averaged only 9.7 assists that year. The following season he did average a triple double for an entire season. That's a feat that will never be equaled. Never.
The truth is that professional sports change from era to era. If you put 22 year old Bob Cousy into the NBA in 2015, he'd be a solid player. He'd be a superior playmaker. But he wouldn't be able to dominate the way he did during his era. The players are much more gifted physically today than they were back then. Taller, stronger, faster. This is why era vs era comparisons are hard.
I'll miss Kobe. But I'm glad he finally reached the conclusion that it was time for the next phase of his life. I'm sure he'll be successful at whatever ventures he chooses to pursue.
* * *
As the multiple Republican candidates debated about whether or not to discuss the shooting at a Colorado Planned Parenthood facility, Hillary Clinton rolled out her plan to spend more than $200 billion on the nation's infrastructure.
One drive on the Los Angeles system of interstate and state highways should make it clear that this is perhaps the best idea that any of the candidates has advanced thus far this campaign cycle. Money spent on infrastructure creates middle class jobs. It's an investment in the nation at the federal, state and local level. It will more than pay for itself over time.
It's a good idea. Her plan may or may not be ideal (I haven't had a chance to delve into the details) but it is the first time someone's addressed this vital issue.
* * *
An opinion piece in the L. A. Times claims that the younger you are, the less likely you are to support free speech. In fact, a survey shows that 21% of current college students find the First Amendment to be "outdated." I find that frightening.
There is a difference between expression and action. I don't give a damn what the members of the KKK say to one another, or in public. It's when they take action like assault, rape and murder that they cross the line from legal expression to criminal behavior. Because I am Jewish, I heard all sorts of slurs aimed at me as I grew up. But until the slur-slingers crossed the line from words to throwing punches, it wasn't an issue.
The old adage about sticks and stones can and does apply in such situations. If college students on the campus of a public university want to use racial slurs, like it or not, that's protected speech. When 40% of people between the ages of 18 and 34 believe that offensive statements should be outlawed, that isn't progress. It is the exact opposite.
posted by me at 7:36 AM
<< Home