This was the worst-kept secret in basketball. A painful and embarrassing episode that, due to the club’s decision not to pay Larry Brown, will hang around tainting the club for months. Add to this the decision not only not to fire Isaiah Thomas but to make him coach, and you can see why New York basketball fans have given up on the franchise.
Author: hankkalet
Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie.
No surprise here, Part 1
From todays’ New York Times:
WASHINGTON, June 22 — The Senate voted today against measures calling for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, after a long and emotional debate that was in some ways reminiscent of the Vietnam War era.
The votes, 86 to 13 on one measure and 60 to 39 on the second, reflected not only deep divisions between Republicans and Democrats but within the Democratic ranks as well. The bitterness of the debate, and some comments afterward, made it clear that Iraq would be a dominant issue in this year’s Congressional elections, and perhaps in the 2008 presidential race.
The first measure was an amendment to a military-spending bill offered by Senators John Kerry of Massachusetts and Russell D. Feingold of Wisconsin, both Democrats. It would have set a July 2007 withdrawal date. But with a majority of Democrats voting “no,” its lopsided defeat was assured.
The second, more generally worded measure was also intended to scale down the American commitment in Iraq. It declared that it was “the sense of the Senate” that redeployment of United States troops from Iraq begin by the end of this year.
Only 12 Democrats and the lone independent, Senator James M. Jeffords of Vermont, voted in favor of the Kerry-Feingold proposal. The second measure was supported by 37 Democrats, Mr. Jeffords and one Republican, Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island. Six Democrats joined 54 Republicans in opposing it. They were Mark Dayton of Minnesota, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut, Bill Nelson of Florida, Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Mark Pryor of Arkansas.
More battles on the budget
It is now nine days and counting until a state budget must be adopted. It does not look good.
A culture of corruption
Public service for private profit — we all should work in Washington.
Random thoughts on the Senate race
I’ve not paid real close attention to the U.S. Senate race being waged between Democrat Robert Menendez, who was appointed to fill the governor’s unexpired Senate seat, and state Sen. Tom Kean Jr., a Republican. Granted, I have been leaning toward Sen. Menendez but without much conviction.
Two recent votes by the Hudson County Democrat, however, have me feeling a bit better about him.
The minimum wage:
Sen. Menendez voted in favor of increasing the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour this week, announcing on the Senate floor that “nine years is far too long” for low-wage workers to wait for the federal government to boost the wage, which currently stands at $5.15 an hour.
Nine years is too long for those who work round the clock, hoping to save a little extra for groceries, for those working so they can buy schools supplies or clothes for their children, or for those saving so one day they can live in a place they are proud to call home. I ask members of Congress who receive a cost-of-living adjustment, how can they vote to not give those hard working Americans earning minimum wage the first increase in nine years?
The Senate defeated the wage hike, sponsored by Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and cosponsored by Sen. Menendez.
In Contrast, state Sen. Kean voted against New Jersey legislation increasing the state’s minimum wage to $7, legislation that passed and was approved by then-Gov. Richard Codey in 2005.
Iraq:
The senator is backing legislation calling for American troops to leave Iraq.
Here’s what he said on the Senate floor (from a release issued yesterday):
Clearly, it is time to change the course,” Menendez said. “We need a new direction in Iraq. That’s why I am supporting the Levin and Kerry amendments today.
Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki supports a transfer of responsibility for 16 out of 18 provinces by the end of this year and his security advisor believes that we can reduce coalition forces to less than 100,000 by the end of this year with most of the multinational force gone. The Iraqis are clearly saying that they are ready for this transition to happen. If the Iraqis are to be respected as a sovereign government, as many argued on the floor of the Senate a few days ago, shouldn’t we respect their knowledge and wishes on the future of their country?
I voted against the Iraq war when many on the other side tried to falsely characterize those of us who didn’t believe the evidence that the administration presented, who thought we should work through the international process, who didn’t believe the administration had done any post-war planning. For standing up for what we believed in, they tried to mischaracterize us as anti-American and unpatriotic. I was willing to take a difficult stand, and stand up for what I believed was right for the country and for the people of New Jersey. That’s why I voted against the war.
Today, with over 2,500 lives lost, almost $320 billion spent in national treasure, with $8 billion used each month, I know I made the right decision.
The Senate has an opportunity to act now, to enact a policy worthy of the sacrifice of our soldiers.
Hank Kalet 