stuff happens, and sometimes i write about it

[rone]

I wanted to remark on two things that happened in the past ten days:

• Shysterball analyzes George Mitchell's report on the use of performance enhancing substances in baseball.  It is impressive that the sport thrives despite the persistently incompetent leadership displayed by the Players Association and Major League Baseball.
• The Lakota have officially withdrawn from the treaties they signed with the United States and have technically seceded.  I have no idea what's going to come of this; there doesn't seem to be any traction on this story in the mainstream media, but i suppose that it is the holiday season.  I am personally curious about this because it seems that this is the only way a legal secession could happen in the US; also, i'm wondering just how far Russell Means and the other activists and leaders have thought this through in regards to logistics, how much due diligence was done, and so on.  I wonder how well South Dakota will take this, given that Lakota territory is effectively the western half of the state.

In other events that occurred this month, i've attended, for the first time, a Hanukkah party (hosted by cda and crisper) and a Solstice party (hosted by deirdremoon and tronpublic).  All i need now is a Kwanzaa party to complete the set.

Comments

[dr-memory.livejournal.com]

The Lakota have officially withdrawn from the treaties they signed with the United States and have technically seceded.

Actually, they haven't (http://cos.livejournal.com/52318.html?nc=4&style=mine).

[joepro.livejournal.com]

I read most of the 409 page mitchell report, and my conclusion is that it's a $30 million college term paper, and not a great one, either. First, it explains to us that steroids are bad for you. Then it tells us that lots of baseball players used steroids in the 90's. (This exonerates barry bonds by naming lots of other players, including pitchers and his counterpart roger clemens.) The mitchell report calls for no punishment and has no solution for "non-detectable" substances like hgh. (So, if the steroid era is over, the hgh era is in full swing.) Also, the report points out that bud selig and donald fehr are jackasses. Thanks, mr. mitchell, for fixing baseball. Now go retire.

[kawgirl.livejournal.com]

What about an Eid celebration?

[frosch.livejournal.com]

well, you know, the National Guard is in Iraq, because it's so, um, important, or something. So Washington might not do anything at all.

which is probably the right tack to take until Means and the three other names associated with this can demonstrate that they represent more than four people. It looks to me like Means' credentials to speak on behalf of the Lakota are suspect, considering they've never elected him.

whether or not the elections were fair isn't likely to make a difference, as long as Washington has a compliant, supportive chief to point to.

[mdyesowitch.livejournal.com]

Yum! Latkes!