Good Idea

The cancel culture often hurts the people it claims to want to help. Well, some of the people recently cancelled have decided to fight back.

Just the News posted an article on Monday about a lawsuit brought against Major League Baseball by a group of Atlanta business owners.

The article reports:

A small business group on Monday evening sued Major League Baseball, its commissioner Rob Manfred and the head of professional baseball players union Tony Clark alleging their efforts to move this summer’s All-Star game from Atlanta to protest Georgia’s new election integrity law unlawfully inflicted “staggering” damages on businesses in the region.

The suit filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan by the Job Creators Network alleges MLB violated the Klu Klux Klan Act of 1871 and committed “tortious interference” in business by canceling the game over a political matter.

It seeks damages of at least $100 million for the businesses of Atlanta as well as an order to restore the game this summer to the Atlanta Braves home stadium, Truist Park.

“MLB Defendants intended to punish Georgians because their state enacted a reasonable ballot-integrity statute and to coerce Georgia and its duly elected government to surrender Georgia’s sovereignty in our federal system,” the lawsuit charged.

It said the true victims were small businesses who spent money and made plans for two years to host the All-Star Game based on MLB’s promise, only to see it canceled.

Please follow the link above to read the entire article which includes a link to the complaint. The decision by Major League Baseball was based on faulty information and should be met with a lawsuit.

Rules For Thee, But Not For Me

Yesterday Just the News posted an article about the double standard that seems to be rampant in the ‘woke’ culture. Obviously voting is one of the most important things we do as American citizens. We all want every legal vote to count. We also are aware that every illegal vote cancels out a legal vote. Therefore it makes sense to protect the voting process. Well, the woke culture got very upset recently when Georgia passed a law to do just that. However, there is a bit of inconsistency in the actions of those protesting the law.

The article notes:

Leaders of major corporations have come out swinging against a Georgia election reform law with an ID requirement for absentee ballots — even though those same companies require valid photo ID to access the services their companies provide.

After Georgia Republican Governor Brian Kemp on March 25 signed into law the bill passed by the state’s Republican legislature, heads of corporations headquartered in the Peach State – including the leaders of Delta Airlines and Coca-Cola — came out against the law, which is fervently opposed by national and state Democratic leaders.

Democratic messaging against the law centers around the allegedly racially discriminatory implications of requiring valid voter ID in order to vote by mail. President Joe Biden blasted the law as an “atrocity,” likening it to “Jim Crow in the 21st century.” Seventy-two black executives, meanwhile, signed an open letter calling on their corporate brethren to stand up to the Georgia voting law’s “un-American” “assault” on the “fundamental tenets of our democracy.”

The article notes:

But if you want to hop a Delta flight to Atlanta — or anywhere else — you will need to show unexpired, government-issued ID to board any of the carrier’s flights.

Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey told CNBC last week that Georgia’s new law is “unacceptable” and “a step backwards.”

However, Coca-Cola required a valid photo ID for admission to its annual shareholders meeting last year. “We will verify your registration and request to see your admission ticket and a valid form of photo identification, such as a driver’s license or passport,” said the company in reference to its early 2020 annual meeting of the shareholders.

…But if you want to take in a Major League Baseball game now that many ballparks are once again readmitting fans on a limited basis, you will need a picture ID to pick up tickets from an MLB will call office.

Even Arlington National Cemetery requires valid photo ID for those aged 16 and older who wish to visit the graves of the war heroes buried there. 

UPS, another company headquartered in Georgia that is currently facing tremendous pressure to condemn the bill, requires valid photo ID when entering a UPS Access Point.

It’s interesting to me that Coca-Cola is interesting in validating the votes at its annual shareholders meeting, but not in a national election. Wow.

Major League Baseball Strikes Out

John Hinderaker posted an article at Power Line Blog today about the moving of the baseball All-Star Game out of Georgia because of the changes to Georgia’s election laws. He asks one very relevant question, “What about boycotting the Beijing Olympics?.”  We have video evidence that the Chinese are running concentration camps for minorities, they have taken most of the freedom away from Hong Kong (in violation of the treaty they signed), and we are worried about Georgia’s voting laws? Makes no sense.

Meanwhile, a lot of what has been reported about the Georgia voting laws is false. On Tuesday, Heritage Action posted the following:

Myth vs. Fact: The Georgia Election Law

The Left and their media allies have used the new Georgia election law (SB 202) signed into law last week as a pretext for their election takeover with HR. 1, leaning heavily on misconceptions, half-truths, and flat-out lies about the bill to make their case for a massive federal takeover of state election systems. Here are the facts:

Myth 1: The Georgia election law discourages voting/suppresses votes

FACT: The bill actually preserves or expands ballot access in several important ways: It requires that large precincts with lines more than an hour long take steps like adding voting machines and election personnel for the next election to reduce wait times. It does not change the number of total early voting days, and actually increases the mandatory days of early weekend voting. Compared to 2020, 134 of 159 counties will offer more early voting hours in future elections under the new law. It codifies election drop boxes, which did not exist prior to 2020. Voters can continue to vote absentee with no excuse(unlike states like Delaware, New York, and Connecticut, which require an excuse to vote absentee).

Myth 2: The Georgia law eliminates voting on Sunday to suppress African-American votes

FACT: Georgia law was silent on Sunday early voting days prior to SB 202, and in 2020 only 16 of 159 counties offered early voting on Sundays. The new law explicitly provides the option of holding early voting on two Sundays for all localities. It actually increases the mandatory days of early weekend voting across the state.

Myth 3: The Georgia election law suppresses the vote with onerous voter ID requirements

FACT: The law requires a driver’s license or free state ID number, which 97% of registered voters already have. Anyone without a valid ID can easily obtain one for free. The voter ID requirement replaces the state’s controversial signature match program that led to the disqualification of thousands of votes in 2020.

The law’s voter ID requirement for absentee ballots is overwhelmingly popular in Georgia across the board. According to an AJC poll in January, 74% of Georgia voters support it, including 63% of black voters, and 89% of those making under $25K/year.

Myth 4: The bill eliminates drop boxes for absentee voting

FACT: The drop boxes used in the last election did not exist a year ago. They were first utilized in 2020 as a pandemic precaution. This bill makes them an official part of Georgia elections, and they will be available in all 159 counties in Georgia and under supervision to protect against tampering.

Myth 5: The bill lets Republicans throw out any county votes they don’t agree with

FACT: The bipartisan State Election Board can do performance reviews of local election supervisors who fail their area’s voters with things like long lines and unfulfilled absentee ballot requests. The board will not overturn election results; the law simply provides a process to review and ensure officials are technically competent and complying with state laws and regulations . This process requires a high burden of proof over multiple elections, and the State Elections Board may only suspend up to four election supervisors at any given time, which guards against using this process to try to influence election outcomes.

Myth 6: The bill bans drinking water for voters while waiting in line

FACT: Like the countless other states that have very specific laws against electioneering near polling places, Georgia has codified rules preventing political groups from handing out food or water to voters in line as an incentive to vote, but specifically allows poll workers to make water available to anyone who wants it. The law will also directly cut down wait times, meaning refreshment for people waiting in line will be less necessary.

The facts about the law were totally misrepresented and the cancel culture reacted. It would be in the best interests of our country to end the cancel culture quickly.

An Interesting Twist On The Game Of Baseball

Fox Business reported yesterday that Major Leage Baseball has announced that the New York Yankees will plan the Chicago White Sox at the “Field of Dreams” stadium located in the cornfields of Dyersville, Iowa. The temporary stadium seats 8,000. This will be the first ever Major League Baseball game played there.

The article reports:

“As a sport that is proud of its history linking generations, Major League Baseball is excited to bring a regular-season game to the site of Field of Dreams,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said. “We look forward to celebrating the movie’s enduring message of how baseball brings people together at this special cornfield in Iowa.”

This won’t be the first time that Major League Baseball has built a temporary stadium for just one game. Iin 2016, a 12,500-seat stadium was erected at Fort Bragg in North Carolina to give military members and their families a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

What a great idea!

 

 

This Is Ridiculous

WCVB Channel 5 in Boston is reporting that Boston has approved a plan to change the name of Yawkey Way, the street outside Fenway Park named in honor of a former Red Sox owner some have said was racist. Tom Yawkey owned the Boston Red Sox for 43 years, from 1933 to 1976. The Red Sox were the last baseball team to hire an African-American player, and Tom Yawkey is supposed to have screamed out racial slurs at black players at a tryout. In 1977 Jersey Street was renamed Yawkey Way.

Channel 5 reports:

Yawkey’s supporters opposed the change, saying the foundation named for him has provided millions of dollars in charitable contributions that have benefited all city residents.

“As we have said throughout this process, the effort to expunge Tom Yawkey’s name has been based on a false narrative about his life and his historic 43-year ownership of the Red Sox. The drastic step of renaming the street, now officially sanctioned by the City of Boston (and contradicting the honor the City bestowed upon Tom Yawkey over 40 years ago), will unfortunately give lasting credence to that narrative and unfairly tarnish his name, despite his unparalleled record of transforming the Red Sox and Fenway Park and supporting the city he loved through his philanthropy,” the statement read.

I have no idea whether or not Tom Yawkey was a racist, but that was then and this is now. Mr. Yawkey has done a lot of good things for the city of Boston, and it is ridiculous to rename a street named after him because of non-proven accusations of inappropriate actions which unfortunately were reflective of the time and community he was part of. We need to remember that there was a time in our country when racism was acceptable. Thank goodness, it is no longer acceptable although it does still exist. Isn’t it time to move forward rather than to hold on to old misdeeds?

We Will All Miss Yogi Berra

Yogi Berra was a major part of an era when baseball was a wonderful sport and most of its players were positive role models. My husband talks about the days when Whitey Ford used to play basketball with the neighborhood children at the local elementary school. Those were the days.

Everyone who remembers those days is saddened by the news that Yogi Berra has died at the age of 90.

Newsmax has posted fifty-three Yogi Berra quotes. Here are a few of them:

  • “I never said most of the things I said.”
  • “It ain’t over till it’s over.”
  • Mickey Mantle was a very good golfer, but we weren’t allowed to play golf during the season; only at spring training.”
  • “If the people don’t want to come out to the ballpark, nobody’s going to stop them.”
  • “Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.”
  • “I can see how he (Sandy Koufax) won 25 games. What I don’t understand is how he lost five.”
  • “In baseball, you don’t know nothing.”
  • “I never blame myself when I’m not hitting. I just blame the bat and if it keeps up, I change bats. After all, if I know it isn’t my fault that I’m not hitting, how can I get mad at myself?”
  • “I think Little League is wonderful. It keeps the kids out of the house.”
  • “I wish everybody had the drive he (Joe DiMaggio) had. He never did anything wrong on the field. I’d never seen him dive for a ball, everything was a chest-high catch, and he never walked off the field.”
  • “It’s deja vu all over again.”
  • “I usually take a two-hour nap from 1 to 4.”
  • “Never answer an anonymous letter.”
  • “We made too many wrong mistakes.”
  • “You can observe a lot by watching.”
  • “The future ain’t what it used to be.”
  • “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.”
  • “You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you are going, because you might not get there.”
  • “It gets late early out here.”

Other articles about Yogi Berra note that he won 10 World Series as a player and three more as a coach. Today’s New York Post quoted the players that knew him and their comments.

Here are two of the quotes from The New York Post:

Derek Jeter

“To those who didn’t know Yogi personally, he was one of the greatest baseball players and Yankees of all time. To those lucky ones who did, he was an even better person. To me he was a dear friend and mentor. He will always be remembered for his success on the field, but I believe his finest quality was how he treated everyone with sincerity and kindness. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

Hal Steinbrenner, Yankees general partner

“Yogi Berra’s legacy transcends baseball. Though slight in stature, he was a giant in the most significant of ways through his service to his country, compassion for others and genuine enthusiasm for the game he loved. He has always been a role model and hero that America could look up to.

“While his baseball wit and wisdom brought out the best in generations of Yankees, his imprint in society stretches far beyond the walls of Yankee Stadium. He simply had a way of reaching and relating to people that was unmatched. That’s what made him such a national treasure.

“On behalf of my family and the entire Yankees organization, we extend our deepest condolences to Yogi’s family, friends and loved ones.”

Yogi Berra’s quotes and observations on life will be missed.

 

Do We Actually Have A Southern Border?

On Saturday, the Washington Times posted a story about the latest Congressional oversight report on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This was Senator Tom Coburn‘s final oversight report. CBN News also reported a similar story today.

The article in the Washington Times points out a few highlights in the report:

Less than 3 percent of illegal immigrants will ever be deported, and more than 700 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border remained unsecured as of 2014.

…The report also said corruption is a serious problem in the Border Patrol, but said agency officials actually told internal affairs investigators to cut down on the number of cases they were pursuing, according to the former division head.

In another finding Mr. Coburn’s staff on the Senate Homeland Security Committee found mission creep to be a problem: agents at one immigration agency spent time cracking down on women’s lingerie that they believed infringed on Major League Baseball’s officially licensed logos. The agents raided a lingerie store in Kansas City, Mo., flashed their badges and confiscated 18 pairs of underwear marked with an unauthorized Kansas City Royals logo, Mr. Coburn’s investigators found.

The article at CBN News reported:

“Ten years of oversight of the Department of Homeland Security finds that the Department still has a lot of work to do to strengthen our nation’s security,” Coburn explained. 

“Congress needs to review the Department’s mission and programs and refocus DHS on national priorities where DHS has a lead responsibility,” he added.

Coburn also says 700 miles of the southern border is still unsecured.

The agency also has problems protecting itself from online attacks, even though it’s supposed to protect the country from them.

Needless to say, the DHS had a different take on the oversight report (as reported in the Washington Times):

Homeland Security Department spokeswoman Marsha Catron thanked Mr. Coburn for his report, but said it didn’t capture the extent of the work her department does.

Dr. Coburn’s report on DHS overlooks much of the concrete and recent progress we have made over the past year to improve homeland security and the manner in which DHS conducts business,” she said.

You will have to excuse my skepticism. I think it’s time to reevaluate the mission and success of the DHS and consider more effective ways to guard America’s security.