Baseball Quiz: 1) Name the top 5 lifetime in ‘at bats.’ [Hint:
Eddie Murray is #6, Rickey Henderson #10] 2) Name the top 5
lifetime stolen bases. Answers below.
[As I did following 9/11, from time to time I may use this link
for speeches and comments.]
President George W. Bush, March 19:
“My fellow citizens, the dangers to our country and the world
will be overcome. We will pass throuh this time of peril and
carry on the work of peace. We will defend our freedom. We
will bring freedom to others. And we will prevail.”
British Prime Minister Tony Blair – March 18 speech to the
House of Commons:
[Excerpts…Blair started out with a recitation of the history of
Saddam and his intransigence.]
The only persuasive power to which he responds is 250,000
allied troops on his doorstep.
And yet when that fact is so obvious that it is staring us in the
face, we are told that any resolution that authorizes force will be
vetoed. Not just opposed. Vetoed. Blocked.
The way ahead was so clear. It was for the UN to pass a second
resolution setting out benchmarks for compliance; with an
ultimatum that if they were ignored, action would follow.
The tragedy is that had such a resolution issued, he might just
have complied. Because the only route to peace with someone
like Saddam Hussein is diplomacy backed by force.
Yet the moment we proposed the benchmarks, canvassed support
for an ultimatum, there was an immediate recourse to the
language of the veto.
And now the world has to learn the lesson all over again that
weakness in the face of a threat from a tyrant is the surest way;
not to peace but to war.
Looking back over 12 years, we have been victims of our own
desire to placate the implacable, to persuade towards reason the
utterly unreasonable, to hope that there was some genuine intent
to do good in a regime whose mind is in fact evil. Now the very
length of time counts against us. You’ve waited 12 years. Why
not wait a little longer? …
Our fault has not been impatience.
The truth is our patience should have been exhausted weeks and
months and years ago. Even now, when if the world united and
gave him an ultimatum: comply or face forcible disarmament, he
might just do it, the world hesitates and in that hesitation he
senses the weakness and therefore continues to defy.
What would any tyrannical regime possessing WMD think
viewing the history of the world’s diplomatic dance with
Saddam? That our capacity to pass firm resolutions is only
matched by our feebleness in implementing them.
That is why this indulgence has to stop. Because it is dangerous.
It is dangerous if such regimes disbelieve us.
Dangerous if they think they can use our weakness, our
hesitation, even the natural urges of our democracy towards
peace, against us.
Dangerous because one day they will mistake our innate
revulsion against war for permanent incapacity; when in fact,
pushed to the limit, we will act. But then when we act, after
years of pretence, the action will have to be harder, bigger, more
total in its impact. Iraq is not the only regime with WMD. But
back away now from this confrontation and future conflicts will
be infinitely worse and more devastating…
…the world is ever more interdependent. Stock markets and
economies rise and fall together. Confidence is the key to
prosperity. Insecurity spreads like contagion. So people crave
stability and order.
The threat is chaos. And there are two begetters of chaos.
Tyrannical regimes with WMD and extreme terrorist groups who
profess a perverted and false view of Islam.
Let me tell the House what I know. I know that there are some
countries or groups within countries that are proliferating and
trading in WMD, especially nuclear weapons technology.
I know there are companies, individuals, some former scientists
on nuclear weapons programs, selling their equipment or
expertise.
I know there are several countries – mostly dictatorships with
highly repressive regimes – desperately trying to acquire
chemical weapons, biological weapons or, in particular, nuclear
weapons capability. Some of these countries are now a short
time away from having a serviceable nuclear weapon. This
activity is not diminishing. It is increasing.
We all know that there are terrorist cells now operating in most
major countries. Just as in the last two years, around 20 different
nations have suffered serious terrorist outrages. Thousands have
died in them.
The purpose of terrorism lies not just in the violent act itself. It
is in producing terror. It sets out to inflame, to divide, to produce
consequences which they then use to justify further terror…
And let us recall: what was shocking about September 11 was
not just the slaughter of the innocent; but the knowledge that had
the terrorists been able to, there would have been not 3,000
innocent dead, but 30,000 or 300,000 and the more the suffering,
the greater the terrorists’ rejoicing.
Three kilograms of VX from a rocket launcher would
contaminate a quarter of a square kilometer of a city. Millions of
lethal doses are contained in one liter of Anthrax. 10,000 liters
are unaccounted for. 11 September has changed the psychology
of America. It should have changed the psychology of the world.
Of course Iraq is not the only part of this threat. But it is the test
of whether we treat the threat seriously…
We must face the consequences of the actions we advocate. For
me, that means all the dangers of war. But for others, opposed to
this course, it means – let us be clear – that the Iraqi people,
whose only true hope of liberation lies in the removal of Saddam,
for them, the darkness will close back over them again; and he
will be free to take his revenge upon those he must know wish
him gone…
What will Saddam feel? Strengthened beyond measure. What
will the other states who tyrannize their people, the terrorists who
threaten our existence, what will they take from that? That the
will confronting them is decaying and feeble.
Who will celebrate and who will weep?
And if our plea is for America to work with others, to be good as
well as powerful allies, will our retreat make them
multilateralist? Or will it not rather be the biggest impulse to
unilateralism there could ever be. And what of the UN and the
future of Iraq and the Middle East peace plan, devoid of our
influence, stripped of our insistence?
This house wanted this decision. Well it has it. Those are the
choices. And in this dilemma, no choice is perfect, no cause
ideal.
But on this decision hangs the fate of many things:
Of whether we summon the strength to recognize this global
challenge of the 21st century and meet it.
Of the Iraqi people, groaning under years of dictatorship.
Of our armed forces – brave men and women of whom we can
feel proud, whose morale is high and whose purpose is clear.
Of the institutions and alliances that will shape our world for
years to come.
To retreat now, I believe, would put at hazard all that we hold
dearest, turn the UN back into a talking shop, stifle the first steps
of progress in the Middle East; leave the Iraqi people to the
mercy of events on which we would have relinquished all power
to influence for the better.
Tell our allies that at the very moment of action, at the very
moment when they need our determination that Britain faltered.
I will not be party to such a course. This is not the time to falter.
This is the time for this house, not just this government or indeed
this prime minister, but for this house to give a lead, to show that
we will stand up for what we know to be right, to show that we
will confront the tyrannies and dictatorships and terrorists who
put our way of life at risk, to show at the moment of decision that
we have the courage to do the right thing.
—
Announced countries supporting the United States against
Saddam:
Afghanistan, Albania, Australia, Azerbaijan, Colombia, the
Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia,
Ethiopia, Georgia, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, South Korea,
Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, the
Philippines, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, the UK
and Uzbekistan.
It may be tough to find a product from Eritrea, but I for one will
do my best to buy products from those nations that stand behind
us.
—
Oscar, Oscar…Best Picture Winners
1960 – The Apartment
1961 – West Side Story
1962 – Lawrence of Arabia
1963 – Tom Jones
1964 – My Fair Lady
1965 – The Sound of Music
1966 – A Man for All Seasons
1967 – In the Heat of the Night
1968 – Oliver!
1969 – Midnight Cowboy
1970 – Patton
1971 – The French Connection
1972 – The Godfather
1973 – The Sting
1974 – The Godfather, Part II
1975 – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
1976 – Rocky
1977 – Annie Hall
1978 – The Deer Hunter
1979 – Kramer vs. Kramer
#1 Billboard tunes for the date March 20 [Something for each
generation]
1940 – In The Mood…Glenn Miller Orchestra
1941 – Frenesi…Artie Shaw
1942 – Moonlight Cocktail – Glenn Miller Orchestra
1943 – I’ve Heard That Song Before – Harry James Orchestra
1944 – Besame Mucho…Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra
1945 – Rum And Coca-Cola…Andrews Sisters [You go girls!]
1946 – Oh! What It Seemed To Be…Frankie Carle
1947 – Heartaches…Ted Weems Orchestra / Elmo Tanner
1948 – Manana (Is Soon Enough For Me)…Peggy Lee
1949 – Cruising Down The River…Russ Morgan
1960 – The Theme From “A Summer Place”…Percy Faith
1961 – Surrender…Elvis Presley
1962 – Hey! Baby…Bruce Channel
1963 – Our Day Will Come…Ruby & The Romantics
1964 – She Loves You…The Beatles
1965 – Eight Days A Week…The Beatles
1966 – The Ballad Of The Green Berets…SSgt Barry Sadler
1967 – Happy Together – The Turtles
1968 – (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay…Otis Redding
1969 – Dizzy – Tommy Roe
1980 – Another Brick In The Wall (Part II)…Pink Floyd
1981 – Keep On Loving You…REO Speedwagon
1982 – I Love Rock ‘N Roll…Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
1983 – Billie Jean…Michael Jackson
1984 – Jump…Van Halen
1985 – Can’t Fight This Feeling…REO Speedwagon
1986 – These Dreams…Heart
1987 – Lean On Me…Club Nouveau
1988 – Man In The Mirror…Michael Jackson
1989 – The Living Years…Mike & The Mechanics
Top Ten Albums…3/18/67
#1 More of the Monkees…The Monkees
#2 Between the Buttons…The Rolling Stones
#3 The Monkees…The Monkees
#4 Doctor Zhivago…Soundtrack
#5 S.R.O….Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
#6 The Supremes sing Holland-Dozier-Holland…The Supremes
#7 The Sound of Music…Soundtrack
#8 The Temptations Greatest Hits…The Temptations
#9 That’s Life…Frank Sinatra
#10 The Spirit of ’67…Paul Revere & The Raiders
Top Ten Albums…3/18/72
#1 Harvest…Neil Young
#2 America…America
#3 American Pie…Don McLean
#4 Fragile…Yes
#5 Nilsson Schmilsson…Nilsson
#6 Paul Simon…Paul Simon
#7 Baby I’m-A Want You…Bread
#8 Music…Carole King
#9 The Concert for Bangla Desh…George Harrison
#10 Hot Rocks 1964-1971…The Rolling Stones
[Source: Joel Whitburn’s “Billboard Top Ten Album Charts,
1963-1998”]
Stuff
–Arnold Palmer is playing at Bay Hill this weekend against the
big boys!!! I’m looking for a top ten finish.
–I forgot to give my exclusive Women’s Final Four picks.
[People pay good money for these, but I’ve included them as
another free service of StocksandNews.]
Kansas State, Stanford, Penn State, Mississippi State.
Stanford vs. Miss. St. in the Finals. Stanford champion!
[Now I expect to hear from the UConn crowd.]
–March is National Women’s Month so I thought I’d
acknowledge Edith Nourse Rogers (1881-1960), a former
congresswoman who served about 35 years in the House, the
longest-serving woman in the history of Congress. During this
time of war, it is interesting to note that Rogers was a major
sponsor of the G.I. Bill of Rights, which many consider the most
important single piece of legislation signed in the 20th century.
So quaff an ale to the memory of Edith Nourse Rogers.
–As I write this I’m listening to WCBS-FM in New York, the #1
oldies station in the country, but today is a sad day because it is
the last broadcast on CBS of Harry Harrison, a legend in New
York radio for 44 years (he worked at WMCA and WABC, too).
But there is something mysterious about his departure as he’s
announced he is not retiring, so I’m going to have to snoop
around. It’s tough getting old, friends. Those of us who grew up
in the 60s (which I define as 1963-74), the best era ever for pop
music, have some great memories of that exciting age and the
huge role radio played. Back then DJs were huge personalities.
Today, it’s all so homogenized and you can’t tell one from the
other.
–Update: I mentioned last chat that former pitcher Tug McGraw
was struggling with brain cancer. The latest word is that his
prognosis is good.
–Also, just a little update on the condition of my brother, our
Lamb in Command creator. He’s doing much better and we
hope to get him back to work around April 1st, if he can handle a
pen.
–One of the insects our troops in the desert have to face is the
“camel spider,” also known as a wind scorpion. “Unique to the
desert, they can measure up to six inches across. They come out
of their burrows at night to feed, and race across the sand at
lighting speed. Can inflict a nasty bite.” [Times of London]
Sounds like a MOAB is in order to take care of this problem.
–We note the passing of Joseph Coors Sr., grandson of the
company’s founder, Adolph Coors, former president / chief
operating officer of Coors, and a great conservative. Mr. Coors
was a key supporter of Ronald Reagan and helped guide him into
the White House.
By the way, Joseph Coors was a chemical engineer by trade
(Cornell grad) and he helped introduce the aluminum beer can.
Just as importantly, Coors began offering a penny for each can’s
return in 1959, long before recycling became a nationwide
priority.
Top 3 songs for the week of 3/23/74: #1 “Dark Lady” (Cher) #2
“Seasons In The Sun” (Terry Jacks) #3 “Sunshine On My
Shoulders” (John Denver)
Baseball Quiz Answers: 1) At bats: Pete Rose – 14,053; Hank
Aaron – 12,364; Carl Yastrzemski – 11,988; Cal Ripken, Jr. –
11,551; Ty Cobb – 11,434. 2) Stolen Bases: Rickey Henderson –
1,403; Lou Brock – 938; Ty Cobb – 892; Tim Raines – 808;
Vince Coleman – 752.
Next Bar Chat, Tuesday. It could be a little racy…but you’ll
have to tune in to find out why. Hint: It’s the 50th anniversary of
….?
