Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

 The Patriots are now 3-3 but easily could be 6-0. No team wants to play the Patriots come playoff time. I wish certain fans and talking heads would take a deep breath and shut up... Awesome Live Jump photo... If the Geico commercial that has Gallagher smashing watermelons ended with Gallagher getting shot by a sniper - I'd consider switching insurance companies... I saw a study that said bacon was the best cure for a hangover. I felt like the study validated my whole existence... Most Red Sox fans I know root for Derek Jeter. The most common adjective used to describe him is "classy"... Arlen Specter has died and he took the secret of where Jimmy Hoffa is buried with him to the grave... I think iit would be funny to redo the movie theater scene from Cape Fear with a laughing Joe Biden playing the Robert DeNiro role and Paul Ryan as the Nick Nolte character... Unbelievable tweet of the day:

@realdonaldtrump: Derek Jeter had a great career until 3 days ago when he sold his apt at Trump World Tower - karma?

Elderly Man Falls for Scam

A desperate elderly man wanting to believe in a get get rich quick scheme, falls for the scheme and suddenly finds himself both stripped of all his hard earned equity from 29 years on the job and the object of derision from his co-workers who find it amusing that a person who prides himself on being so smart could be made to look so stupid.

An old man duped by a Nigerian email scam? No - Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania.

Good look at the situation Specter now finds himself in. The get rich scheme is Specter switching parties to avoid his tough Republican primary challenge while getting the full support of the White House and Senate leadership but still retaining his Senate seniority. Oops - sorry! There really isn't $10 million in a Nigerian bank account and now you've lost your 29 years worth of seniority Senator Specter. Respected public servant one moment - punchline the next.

I'm reminded of some lines from the song Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits:

When you can fall for chains of silver - you can fall for chains of gold
You can fall for pretty strangers and the promises they hold
You promised me everything - you promised me thick and thin
Now you just says "Oh Romeo - yeah you know I used to have a scene with him"

Emphasis added. Even though the song I'm reminded of is Romeo and Juliet - Arlen Specter's situation is definitely playing out more like King Lear.

Arlen Specter is a Creep

Arlen Specter's recent actions toward the NFL are nothing more than an attempt to smear the NFL and a disgusting example of abuse of power.

To drag out an old cliche - I question the timing. Specter raises the issue of a Congressional investigation into the so-called Spygate issue on the Friday before Super Bowl Sunday so now all the talk is about some potential cover-up in the NFL instead of about the biggest game of the year. Are you telling me that Specter couldn't have waited until Monday to raise this question if it was a legitimate issue?

What motive would Arlen Specter have to smear the NFL this way? Well if you consider that his second largest campaign contributor was Comcast - the same Comcast who has been in a very public dispute with the NFL over the carrying and cost of the NFL Network - then I think you would have the potential motive. Arlen Specter is giving the appearance of being nothing more than an attack dog for a corporation who gives him big monetary rewards. "Poke the NFL with a stick Arlen. That's a good boy. Here's a wad of crisp twenties as a Scooby snack."

Then you have to ask - the Judiciary Committee? Really? What in the world does the NFL have to do with the Judiciary Committee? Is Roger Goodell up for a spot on the Federal bench? Specter tosses out the NFL's anti-trust exemption as if it is some sort of justification for his smear but wouldn't something like that fall to the Commerce Committee's purview? Isn't this just a clear example of someone using his elected position to carry out some sort of personal vendetta? A clear abuse of power?

Even if the Judicial Committee did hold hearings - wouldn't Specter have to recuse himself because of his relationship with Comcast? If someone was up for a judgeship before Specter and his committee and had this big a conflict of interest wouldn't the committee berate that person for their questionable ethics if the judge did not recuse himself when the conflict of interest was at these levels?

Arlen Specter raises the question of potential improprieties by the NFL. To quote the Senator, "The American people are entitled to be sure about the integrity of the game." Well I believe that the integrity of the US Senate has more bearing and effect on the American people and therefore I would like to see a hearing into the actions of Arlen Specter and how they relate to who gives him cash.