For a sports commentator, DeFord doesn't actually seem to like sports very much.

Actually, I think DeFord loves sports, which is why he is so incensed when it gets mired in dreadful behavior.

My father came to the U.S. in 1965 on a tourist visa and never left. He legalized his status around 1968, with assistance from his employer, and became a citizen five months after my birth in 1974.

My family has been in the US for a few generations, but my FIL is a naturalized citizen. I think about him a lot when I'm at work. He came here with nothing, worked hard, and now supports his own family here and much of his family back home. He has established businesses in his home country to provide the family living there with both jobs and income. His four children have all graduated from college. He and I have had issues in the past, but I wholly admire him for how he has provided for his family.

I think if it were my own parents, I would probably not be able to engage in calm immigration discussions with people who hold opposing views. Since I usually end up talking about my FIL it's a bit easier. I think most parents would do anything for their children or their own parents and so on. I just can't find it in myself to criticize people who are willing to do what it takes to provide for their families. I have met so many people who tell me that they know their lives will always be hard nad just on the edge, but they hope that their children will grow up "American", meaning they will have a semi-middle class life.

Huh, I kinda took that whole commentary as serious sarcasm, like society has its priorities in the wrong place.

I got that, from the way he was talking about "Why are athletes supposed to be 'good' role models?", and I agree with that, more or less.

But Deford talked about the fact that, since athletes *are* held up as role models, they are held to "higher standards," and he used Roethlisberger as an example. It was the wrong example, in my opinion, because that implies that expecting athletes to NOT commit sexual assault is a "higher standard."

Two different things were going on in that piece, and unfortunately, one of them all but excused sexual assault. And I am not okay with that.

I thought that he was saying that Roethlisberger is a role model, just a role model for evil, like Dracula.

like Dracula

His passer rating wasn't high enough to overlook the blood sucking fetish.

I thought that he was saying that Roethlisberger is a role model, just a role model for evil, like Dracula.

Again, I got that from his piece. I heard the whole thing. I still think it conflated "higher standards" with "do not commit sexual assault."

I've really got nothing good to say about my local legislators right now(I could say more, but it's too early here to be writing from the Milch playbook.) One of our city councilmen was very good on the Maddow show yesterday. She didn't even have to do that thing where she asked him "a few more questions" and cheerily handed him his testicles back at the end of the interview. So that is heartening. Although I think he exaggerated Phoenix's cosmopolitan appeal just a skosh.(Although I wish he was right, and we're coming along, in our own special-ed-helmet sort of way.)

Daily dose of happy. We've all seen this? [link]

Straying away from political/immigration talk to ask a question of our naturists. We have these lovely birds in our back yard-- about the size of a raven with a glossy black front end and an iridescent cobalt blue tail end. They're also crested, like a blue jay or cardinal (little higher crest, actually).

They appear to be building a nest in one of our trees, which would be good if it weren't for the fact that the tree is right beside a ramp that we and the dogs traverse several times a day. I'm concerned about how territorial these birds might be, especially since the dogs have been getting verra curious about activity in the tree.

Any suggestions on what they might be?

Is it wrong I enjoy this as a song in its own right? It's like ESPN Sportscenter for pop songs.

Axis of Awesome 4 chords

Warning, there is one naughty word in there.