Chad Tracy Becomes Red Sox Full-Time Manager with 3-Year Contract with Option for 2030

 

Nearly five months after he was named interim manager of the Boston Red Sox following the abrupt dismissal of Alex Cora, Chad Tracy has officially become the team's full-time manager.

Tracy has been given a 3-year contract with a club option for the 2030 season. The team has also extended Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow through 2030.

It took a while for the Red Sox to get going but in the space of less than a month went from having the worst record in the AL to climbing their way to one of the AL Wild Card spots. From June 25th through August 7th, the Red Sox went 32-5. During this streak, they tied an 80-year-old club record with a 15-game winning streak.

Now, the team has cooled off considerably. Since August 7th, the team has been treading water with a 20-22 record. But the Red Sox did clinch an AL Wild Card berth over the weekend albeit indirectly with the help of Atlanta Braves slugger Mike Yastremzski, the grandson of Red Sox legend Carl Yastremzski. 

How far the Red Sox will go in the 2026 post-season remains to be seen. But in the grand scheme of things, Tracy has exceeded all expectations much like the recently departed Joe Morgan did when he took over the team midway through the 1988 season. Regardless of what happens in October, Tracy certainly deserves to win AL Manager of the Year. 

Megyn Kelly's Inhumanity Towards Cindy Crawford After Her Son's Death

My opinion of Megyn Kelly has diminished considerably since she started engaging in anti-Semitism.

Generally speaking, it is difficult to descend below anti-Semitism, yet Kelly has succeeded in doing so by publicly lambasting a mother following the death of her child. 

Yesterday, Kelly saw fit to berate Cindy Crawford after the death of her 27-year-old son, Presley, from an apparent drug overdose:

Let’s face it, both kids were commercialized. He said he was signed when he was 15. And Cindy Crawford of all people should have known the dangers of that. She should have known the dangers.

You’ve got a teenage boy being sent over to New York, to Europe, Hollywood, and he remarked several times about how bizarre it was to grow up in Hollywood. And you better watch him. There are predators in that industry, predators in modeling, in music, in Hollywood. I mean, honestly, can you imagine putting your 13-year-old and 15-year-old in modeling?

I just think it’s a reckless decision. The odds are overwhelmingly against them growing up to be well people.

If that wasn't enough Kelly further claimed that Crawford and her husband Randy Gerber are "by all accounts aren’t drug addicts themselves, but we don’t know that to be honest."

What kind of person would say such a thing to millions of people?

I suspect it would be the sort of person who doesn't care what she says and who she harms as long as she draws her attention to herself and that her name is spelled correctly.

There is nothing a parent dreads more than the thought of their child predeceasing them. That Kelly would see fit to kick Crawford while she is going through the worst moment of her life says a great deal more about Kelly than it does about Crawford. Kelly has demonstrated she is devoid of any humanity.

It ought to be said that Kelly has three children of her own. One would think a mother of three children would be the last person to publicly castigate Crawford in her darkest hour. But perhaps Kelly simply believes she is better than Crawford or perhaps simply jealous of her. It would go a long way in explaining her lack of humanity.

I certainly hope none of Kelly's children should die before she does. Were such an awful thing to come to pass, I suspect that Cindy Crawford would be the first to offer her condolences.

Thoughts on German Chancellor Merz Declaring "Jewish Life is No Longer Safe in Germany"

On Sunday, Germany's Christian Democratic Union suffered massive defeats in state elections in both Berlin and in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

In Berlin, the far left Linke Party garnered the most votes while Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania proved to be another triumph for the far Right AfD. Earlier this month, the AfD triumphed in Saxony-Anhalt.

In response to this electoral disaster, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated, “The fact that Jewish life is no longer safe in Germany is the heaviest burden of recent years.” 

As you can imagine, when the German head of state tells the world that his country is no longer safe for Jews then all bets are off.

Merz's pledge that his government will do "everything possible to ensure that Jewish life in Germany, and here in the capital, Berlin, is safe,” is a day late and a Deutschmark short when he has already concluded it is no longer safe to be a Jew in Germany. This reality is reflected in the vote.

Of course, it is less safe to be a Jew all over the world. Yet the declaration of Jews no longer being safe in Germany takes on a whole other meaning. 

Merz's grip on power is on tenterhooks. It is only a matter of time before the Far Left & Far Right rule Germany and Jews will once again be public enemy number one.

No good can come of it. I can only hope it can be stopped but it seems that Germans don't want to stop it. It would seem that Germans are in the mood to kill Jews again.

Just Another Sunday for ICE: Assaulting a U.S. Citizen in Evanston & Shooting a Door Dash Driver in The Back in Austin

For ICE it was just another Sunday as its hoodlums assaulted a U.S. citizen on the streets of Evanston, Illinois while shooting a Door Dash delivery driver in the back in Austin, Texas.

In Evanston (just north of Chicago), the man "resembled" a person sought by ICE and since he was in front of a Mexican restaurant came to the conclusion that he could be wantonly abused. The man in question has not been publicly identified.

Meanwhile, the Door Dash driver has been identified as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a Venezuelan national. Despite being shot in the back, ICE insisted he be placed in custody where he slept on a floor and was denied medical attention until being given a pill before being taken back to the hospital this evening.

What else can be said about ICE which hasn't already been said?

Yet so long as ICE persists in engaging in violence against American citizens and immigrants alike, attention must be paid to their cruelty and inhumanity.

There are certain harsh realities. In any nation has which defined borders there will be circumstances under which people will be deported. Under such circumstances, there must be an agency of the government that will perform this role. 

But ICE in its present form cannot go on. It has long ceased to be immigration enforcement agency and has become a domestic paramilitary organization intent on intimidation, injury and death. 

ICE will need to be replaced with another agency and with a new mandate. Of course, even if this comes to pass, it will take years, possibly decades to undo the damage which has been done by the Trump Administration.

Thoughts on The Shooting Outside a Synagogue in Belleville, Ontario on Yom Kippur

When I awoke this morning, I saw a text from my mother notifying me of the shooting which took place in front Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ontario during Yom Kippur services.

No one inside the synagogue was injured although windows were broken. The gunman, who has been identified as Sean Ward, wounded a police officer guarding the synagogue. That officer has been identified as Constable Jeff Smith who returned fire along with another officer who arrived on the scene striking the assailant. 

Belleville is situated on Lake Ontario about halfway between Toronto and Ottawa. When I took trips on VIA Rail between the two cities I would pass through Belleville. Sadly, such violence can happen anywhere at any time.

As such, I could not help but think of the attack on Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester, UK on Yom Kippur last year which claimed the lives of two Jewish congregants. A day later, a mob descended upon 10 Downing Street to cheer the attack. It would come as no surprise to me if there are those who will see fit to publicly praise the attack.

Unfortunately, I believe we can expect more attacks on synagogues not only during the High Holidays, but during Sukkot, Chanukah, Purim and Passover and perhaps this coming October 7th. Of course, for anti-Semites anytime will do when it comes to killing Jews.

I can only hope Constable Smith makes a full recovery and gets every honor that is coming to him. Presuming that Mr. Ward survives his injuries, I hope that he will never see the light of freedom ever again.

Alex Bregman's On Deck Circle Injury Gave Me Flashbacks to Juan Encarnacion

 

During this afternoon's game between the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds, Cubs third baseman lex Bregman was hit in the face with a foul ball near the on deck circle and has been hospitalized. 

In the fourth inning, Cubs first baseman Michael Busch was facing Reds reliever Luis Mey when Busch fouled off a pitch which bounced and struck Bregman in the face. Bregman ran towards the Cubs dugout grabbing his face and was met the team's training staff who took him into the clubhouse. 

When I learned about what happened to Bregman, I immediately thought about one player - Juan Encarnacion. 

On August 31, 2007, Encarnacion, who was playing for the St. Louis Cardinals against the Cincinnati Reds (coincidentally), was standing in the on deck circle to pinch hit for reliever Randy Flores. Sadly, Encarnacion would never get to the plate as his teammate Aaron Miles lined a foul ball to his face off Reds reliever Jon Coutlangus.

Encarnacion's left eye socket was crushed. The Cardinals medical director, Dr. George Paletta, called Encarnacion's injury "the worst trauma I've seen." In an instant, Encarnacion's 11-year MLB career was over.

I can only hope that Bregman can avoid Encarnacion's fate. It is worth noting that Encarnacion was hit by a line drive whereas the foul pitch which hit Bregman bounced first. However, Bregman was standing a lot closer to the batter than Encarnacion who was standing in the on deck circle. 

In the grand scheme of things, I am surprised that these sorts of injuries don't happen more often given the close proximity between home plate and the on deck circle.

While the Cubs beat the Reds 9-1 and could earn the top NL Wild Card berth, it is cold comfort with the possibility that Alex Bregman's 11-year MLB career might have come to an abrupt end. At the very minimum, I would be surprised if Bregman would be able to play in the post-season. And even if Bregman does come back this post-season, he might do himself more harm than good in the long run even if he does earn another World Series ring.

Every Time I See All the President's Men There is a Further Erosion of Freedom of the Press

 

Yesterday, I went to the Brattle Theatre to attend a screening of All the President's Men starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford.

The film was being screened as part of the Brattle's Freedom of Speech Festival which is organized in conjunction with the Foundation of Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).

The screening of All the President's Men was actually part of a double feature with Spotlight, the 2015 film about the Boston Globe's coverage of the sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. However, I opted not to see this film partially because I didn't want to look at Mark Ruffalo's anti-Semitic face for two hours and partially because I planned to observe Yom Kippur a day early. 

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I saw All the President's Men at the Brattle last December during its tribute to Robert Redford. Of course, the anniversary of Redford's passing took place this past Wednesday which happens to be my birthday. So, I wanted to see the film to pay homage to Redford. 

Although truth be told, I don't really need a special reason to see a Redford film. Indeed, I saw The Natural at the Kendall Square Cinema less than a month after the Redford tribute at the Brattle. 

It must be said that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the release of All the President's Men. The film serves both as both a historic reminder of the Watergate scandal and the ongoing erosion of freedom of the press in this country. 

Only hours after I saw All the President's Men in December, Bari Weiss killed the CECOT story on 60 Minutes on the basis the report did not get on air commentary from the Trump Administration. When I saw All the President's Men yesterday, the Trump Administration had revoked the press credentials of CNN, MSNOW and Politico because Trump finds their coverage insufficiently fawning. Trump claims these outlets are "reporting Fake News" with "other Fake News media outlets to follow". 

This is not the first time the Trump Administration has pulled these shenanigans as when then CNN reporter Jim Acosta's press credentials were suspended in November 2018 when the Trump Administration falsely claimed that Acosta put his hands on a White House staffer. In point of fact, the Trump Administration doctored the video evidence. 

A federal judge would order the restoration of Acosta's credentials. As of this writing, CNN, MSNOW and Politico have not sought legal action to restore their press access. It very much remains to be seen if they will do so for fear of further incurring Trump's wrath.

Wyoming Republican Senator John Barrasso has defended Trump's decision claiming it isn't a breach of the Constitution arguing the press has an obligation to be fair. Barrasso also argued that Facebook and other social media entities had banned Trump from their platforms.

This is nonsense and Barrasso knows it. First, the Constitution says the government shall not abridge freedom of speech. The government doesn't get to decide what constitutes fair speech. Second, Facebook and other social media entities are not the government and are free to choose what appears on their platforms and what doesn't, right or wrong.

It is worth noting that All the President's Men does delve into the tension between media and government with clips of Vice-President Spiro Agnew and White House Press Secretary Ron Ziegler decrying the Washington Post's opposition to President Nixon's agenda. While Agnew, Ziegler and other figures within the Nixon Administration may have not liked the WaPo's coverage of Watergate, they did not attempt to abridge their right to publish the story.

During a speech at Colgate University yesterday, former President Obama made these comments:

My imagination could not foresee some of the stuff that's going on right now. I'm trying to think what would have happened if I had said, ‘You know what, Fox News? You're out of here.

Well, that's not true. In October 2009, during his first year in office, the Obama Administration saw fit to ban Fox News from a press pool interview. Consider this account from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press:

Tension between the White House and Fox News continued to mount this week after broadcast bureau chiefs in Washington refused to go along with the Obama’s administration’s attempt to squeeze Fox News out of an interview.

Despite the administration’s pledge to play nice earlier this week, the White House tried to exclude Fox News – alone among the five White House “pool” networks – from interviewing executive-pay czar Kenneth R. Feinberg on Thursday.

After CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC balked at the plan Tuesday, ABC News’ Jake Tapper asked White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs about the appropriateness of the administration’s saying that Fox News, which he called “one of our sister organizations,” is “not a news organization.”

Gibbs said, “We render an opinion based on some of their coverage and the fairness that, the fairness of that coverage.”

When Tapper asked how Fox News was different than other media organizations, Gibbs invited him to watch the network with him one evening.

On Wednesday, NBC’s Savannah Guthrie interviewed Obama about the propriety of his administration’s stance on Fox News. “We’re going to take the media as it comes,” Obama said. “And if media is operating basically as a talk radio format, then that’s one thing, and if it’s operating as a news outlet, then that’s another. But it’s not something I’m losing a lot of sleep over.”

Robert Gibbs is no different than Senator Barrasso in critiquing the fairness of Fox News' coverage as grounds to hinder press access to the White House. Obama decrying Fox News as "talk radio" is not substantially different than Trump crying "fake news." Again, the White House, whoever the occupant, does not get to decide what is and isn't fair coverage. While it is true that the Obama Administration hasn't gone nearly as far in restricting press freedom than the Trump Administration, it certainly opened the door.

A few words about Watergate are also in order as it pertains to the present day. Back in June, Vice-President JD Vance spoke at the Nixon Library and downplayed Watergate:

If Watergate happened tomorrow, it would be a 12-hour news story. The idea that it would have taken down a presidency is crazy.

If you look at the story of how the deep state took down Richard Nixon, it’s not all that different from what the same groups of people, the same institutions, tried to do to Donald Trump in the first administration. There is a parallel.

Loathe as I am to say it, Vance is partially correct. Then again, Nixon himself believed the break-in at the DNC would be forgotten within a matter of days. Nevertheless, Vance is right to say that if Watergate were to happen now, it would essentially be a footnote. After all, the twice impeached Trump has done far worse things up to and including preventing the peaceful transition of power. I don't think there is any force on Earth that would compel Trump to resign his office. Not if one is building an addition to the White House which is three times the size of the White House.  

But Vance is completely bonkers to suggest the so-called deep state tried to take down Nixon. On the contrary, Nixon and the CIA were in cahoots to coverup the Watergate burglary because it was larger part of covert operations in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War as revealed in the Pentagon Papers.

Nixon was the author of his own demise just as Trump was for both of his impeachments. The only difference is there was no Republican delegation led by Barry Goldwater to tell Trump he needed to leave. Not that Trump would have listened. After all, Goldwater and company were telling Nixon to resign to spare him from impeachment. Trump wears his two impeachments as badges of honor and the country let him get away with it.

While All the President's Men is an important film with historical significance, I am afraid that this country is not good at teaching history much less learning or understanding it. I shudder to think what could happen to freedom of the press the next time I see All the President's Men in a theatre.

Some Thoughts for Michael P. Desronvil, The Holdout Juror in the Lindsay Clancy Trial

 

Michael P. Desronvil, the lone juror who voted to convict Lindsay Clancy earlier this month, has evidently spoken. Or has he?

Desronvil purportedly issued a written statement to NewsNation which reads, "Based on all the physical evidence, key witnesses, and what the prosecution presents, I thought it was enough proof that she knew exactly what she was doing and planned.”

That seems reasonable enough. But this statement is clouded by people who Desronvil has ostensibly hired to speak on his behalf. An attorney Edward Paltzik issued a statement on behalf of Desronvil which reads:

This American Hero and Champion of Justice loves the United States of America as the greatest country in the world; cherishes our sacred Constitution as the pinnacle of human liberty; and supports our amazing leader, President Donald J. Trump, as a fellow defender of common-sense, liberty, and sanity.

Desronvil also purportedly had an off-camera interview with a YouTuber named Ray Marcel who claimed:

We started talking. [Desronvil] thinks he knows why he might be getting targeted. He’s a Republican. He is a black Republican. He has conservative views. 

He believes he might be getting targeted because of that, because the media and the reporters, as you would see, they kind of have left views. He was on a juror panel with people of the Democratic party.

And this is also why some people are shocked that it’s a black guy that stood his ground and not only that the world is going to be shocked now that it’s a black guy who was a Republican.

If these are Desronvil's views, then fine. I would just hate that someone claiming to speak on his behalf ends up misrepresenting those views. This isn't to say that Desronvil might hold conservative views and support President Trump. But if this is the case, then how does Desronvil know he is being targeted for being a Republican? And how does he know the remaining jurors are all Democrats? The only way his fellow jurors could know that he is a Republican is if he told them during jury deliberations and those political differences became part of the jury deliberations.

The best thing Desronvil could have done was to stick to his statement to NewsNation and that he voted to convict because he thought the prosecution had proved the case against Clancy beyond a reasonable doubt. Period. Bringing politics (whatever his ideological inclination) into it only darkens already muddied waters. 

And what if Desronvil wasn't a Republican? Would a pro-Trump attorney still call him an American hero and a champion of justice? Would that YouTuber have given him the time of day? I cannot help but think that these pro-Trump folks are just using Desronvil for their own ends even if he happens to be pro-Trump.

As I previously argued last week, I identify with Desronvil because of my own unpleasant experience as the lone holdout on a jury and have a strong admiration for him for sticking to his guns.

There is no question that Desronvil has been through an ordeal given how criminal allegations which were never substantiated have been used against him. This despite the fact at least one juror who voted to acquit Clancy was also charged with an offense which was not substantiated without being dragged through the mud.

So, I can understand how Desronvil wants to tell his side of the story. But had I remained a holdout juror in my own case and my decision to holdout led to a public outcry, I would tell my own story rather than let others tell it for me. I would write my own account of what had happened with the hope that account could be told in a publication with a reach far wider than this modestly kept blog. 

Of course, that is easy for me to say. After all, I did end up voting convict. 

Right or wrong, Michael P. Desronvil has the courage of his convictions.

JD Vance Does Tucker Carlson's Bidding With US Foreign Policy "Cannot Be Subservient to The State of Israel" Claim

During a speech in Los Angeles yesterday, Vice-President JD Vance did Tucker Carlson's bidding with this remark:

[We have] a lot of important relationships, a lot of important partnerships in NATO, but that doesn’t mean we’re gonna completely make our European foreign policy subservient to NATO, in the same way that we cannot let our Middle Eastern foreign policy be subservient to the State of Israel.

Well, that's an anti-Semitic dog whistle if I ever heard one. 

At the very minimum, it is a straw man argument. Because during the course of his remarks, Vance maintained of President Trump:

I think that more than frankly any president in the last 40 years, he has shown a willingness to actually part ways with Bibi Netanyahu when he feels like the interests of the American people are different from the interests of the government of Israel.

For starters, although Netanyahu is the longest serving Prime Minister in Israel's history, he has not held that office for 40 years. Vance also seems to have a short memory where it concerns President Obama's relationship with Bibi particularly concerning Iran. If U.S. foreign policy was subservient to the State of Israel, then how did the Iran nuclear deal ever come to pass?

But it is also interesting that Vance did not see fit to use the phrase "we cannot let our Middle Eastern foreign policy be subservient to the State of Qatar". 

You know, the country which donated Trump his new Air Force One. 

The country which several current and former members of the Trump Administration worked as lobbyists for Qatar and has twice as many registered foreign lobbyists in this country than Israel. 

The country which has long harbored Hamas. 

The country with which the Trump Administration was happy to discuss Israel's future along with Egypt and Turkey while conveniently ignoring Israel in the process. 

Vance stating the U.S. foreign policy must not be "subservient" to Israel is a small step removed from Carlson's claim that this country (and specifically President Trump) is a "slave" to Israel. 

This is merely Vance's effort to legitimize anti-Semitism as part of our mainstream political discourse including denial there is an anti-Semitism problem in this country. Let us not forget that Vance went along with Joe Rogan's unsubstantiated claim that Jeffrey Epstein was part of Mossad.

Needless to say, we can expect more of this from Vance especially if he makes a White House bid in 2028. While it is certainly disturbing that Democrats are falling all over themselves doing the genocide gig, Republicans cannot claim the high ground against anti-Semitism if they insist on nominating someone whose dog whistle is every bit as loud if not louder.

Trump is No Position to Call The EU's Associate Member Invitation to Canada "A Hostile Act"

When the EU formally offered Canada the newly created status of associate member to its body yesterday, President Trump reacted with his usual lack of dignity and grace declaring the invitation to be "a hostile act".

For his part, Trump says he is considering more tariffs or to stop trading with the EU in some areas altogether.

Yet Trump is hardly in any position to decry the EU's offer to Canada as "a hostile act" when his entire political career, and for that matter, his entire business career has been a long series of hostile acts. 

These hostile acts include but are not limited to threats to annex Canada, seize Greenland from Denmark, tear down the Kennedy Center if his name is not on the building, launching missiles on boats in international waters and giving ICE license to murder American citizens in broad daylight. 

In the specific case of Canada why shouldn't its government explore other trade opportunities when Trump persistently declares, "We don't need Canada,"?

Trump's claim the EU invitation to Canada is "a hostile act" is a classic case of projection if I have ever seen one.

Well, with all the hostile acts that Trump has committed the time has come for him to get a taste of his own medicine.

Artists for Anti-Semitism: Thoughts on The Macklemore Incident

 

(Macklemore dressed up as a Jew with a hook nose in 2014)

Yesterday, hip-hop performer Macklemore was dropped from Ed Sheeran's tour following an incident which took place at the Meadowlands on September 4th. During the performance, Macklemore declared, "A big part of the ​reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could ​stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: 'Free ‌Palestine,'"

When I hear Free Palestine, I hear Kill Jews. It means more October 7th attacks.

It is worth noting that during this concert, Macklemore performed a song called "Hind's Hall" which he dedicated to Hind Rajab, a 5-year-old girl allegedly killed by the IDF in Gaza in January 2024. For its part, Israel has launched a criminal probe of her death along with relatives and paramedics killed during the incident. The proceeds of which go to the UN Relief Works Agency (UNRWA), an organization long known for its support of Hamas and Islamic Jihad and which at least 9 staff members were involved in the October 7th attacks.

Let's keep in mind that Macklemore has a long history of engaging in anti-Semitic behavior such as when he dressed up as a Jew with a hook nose during a concert in 2014. Pink commented on this incident in the context of the incident at the Meadowlands noting Macklemore's apology for the former:

Every Jew I know knew exactly what it was. But he apologized, and I let it go, because that’s what we do. We let it go. Then last weekend he stood in front of a stadium full of music-loving families, with violent images from a war on the screens, dedicated a song to the movement of his choice, and then took the mic to tell all of the Jews in the stadium that it wasn’t about them. You don’t get to decide that for us.

It is very clear that Macklemore has a deep-rooted hatred for Jews. One does not wear a hook nose, donate song royalties to organizations whose employees were involved the single deadliest attack against Jews since the end of WWII and chant "Free Palestine" absent such attitudes.

Yet perhaps the most disturbing thing is how the other supporting acts on this tour are backing Macklemore and have withdrawn from it in support of him and his views. 

Perhaps Macklemore, Aaron Rowe, Beoga, and Lukas Graham could start their own tour and call it "Artists for Anti-Semitism". Roger Waters and Kanye West could make a special guest appearance.

Of course, had Macklemore saw fit to target African Americans, Latinos, the LGBTQ community or Muslims, I don't think anyone would have batted an eyelash were he removed from Sheeran's tour. But evidently denigrating Jews in the name of Palestine is what sends you to the top of the charts these days.

And because Macklemore targets Jews, AOC will stick up for him while bashing New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft (who is Jewish) in the name of perpetuating the lie of "the genocide in Gaza." Perhaps Abdul El-Sayed and Hasan Piker will go on a reunion tour in support of Macklemore.

Of course, with the increasing social acceptability of anti-Semitism, such a tour might end up selling out arenas all over the country. Arenas full of people who hate Jews and wish us dead does not bode well.

In The Absence of a High IQ President, AI Will Need Guardrails - Now

Over the weekend, Anthropic co-founder Dario Amodei called for the development of AI to be slowed down.

This comes only days after Jacob Coxon resigned from Anthropic and expressed dire concerns about how the pace at which both Anthropic and ChatGPT are advancing AI. In an interview Coxon stated, "It's doing God knows what, and producing stuff that could kill everyone."

Today, President Trump saw fit to weigh in on Truth Social stating in part:

The only control or “guardrails” that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!

Needless to say, Trump's flatulent self-flattery does not inspire confidence. 

If we did have a High IQ President, that President would be smart enough to be on board with reining in AI. But this is Trump with whom we are dealing. He doesn't care if AI could kill everyone. He certainly didn't give a damn about stopping COVID from killing over a million Americans. It was Trump who said, "If we stop testing right now, we'd have very few cases, if any." These are not the words of a President with a High IQ.

In the absence of a High IQ President, governments and tech sector will need to collaborate to implement AI guardrails as soon as possible. And by as soon as possible, I mean now. We might only have a matter of weeks to get a handle on it. Time is at hand.

Trump does raise the matter of China and its development of AI. If we restrain ourselves, it doesn't mean China will. But Trump advances this argument as if Amodei hasn't thought it through. Indeed, I doubt Trump actually read what Amodei wrote. Had he done so then he would know that Amodei calls for us to refrain from selling China AI chips and semiconductor manufacturing equipment and chip smuggling operations. But since when does Trump operate in good faith?

I must admit that I have written precious little about AI. Perhaps I have been avoiding the inevitable. But it is a part of most workplaces including my own and will soon involve nearly every facet of life. My Dad talks to AI about baseball. The AI genie is out of the bottle and cannot be put back in. So, either we control AI or AI will control us 

In Praise of Jean Chretien's Message From Canadians to Americans on 25th Anniversary of 9/11

 

Canada observed the 25th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, in part by gathering in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador. 

Of course, Gander, the former site of a Canadian military base, welcomed 38 planes diverted out of U.S. airspace and made the passengers and crew feel like they were at home.

At the time, Jean Chretien was Prime Minister of Canada. The previous year, his Liberals were elected to a third consecutive majority government. Something both Pierre and Justin Trudeau could only dream to achieve. It was Chretien's government that suggested that NATO invoke Article 5. An attack on one is an attack on all.

Chretien has largely been out of the limelight for the better part of two decades. But when he speaks, people listen. Given how relations between Canada and the United States have deteriorated since last year, the 92-year-old Chretien addressed the elephant in the room:

I have seen a few things in my lifetime, and I know the people from coast to coast to coast. 

I have a message for our American friends. 

Yes, Canada is generous open country, and Canadians are tolerant and kind. 

But never mistake our generosity for weakness!!!

Never mistake our tolerance for lack of determination.

And never, never mistake our kindness for softness.

We know who we are and we are proud of it.

Building a country like this with this climate and this geography is a sign of toughness, not of weakness. 

Welcoming people from all over the world. Caring for each other including the weakest in society is a sign of strength.

We embrace our friends and we help them in their moment of need. 

But we bow to no one.

And the more we are insulted, threatened and abused, the more we will stand up for ourselves and stand united.

And I say that not in anger but as one friend to another. 

Friends need to be honest with each other.

Just ask the people in Gander and anywhere in Newfoundland and Labrador.

They will give you the shirt off their back like they did 25 years ago.

But they will always show you the respect of telling you the truth.

So, my friends, here is to truth, to respect, to friendship and to good neighbors.

Vive le Etat-Unis and Vive la Canada!!!

Under normal circumstances, remarks such as these would not have been appropriate for such a solemn occasion. But these are not normal circumstances. Chretien's bluntness was in order.

Of course, these remarks are directed not at the Americans who found safety in Gander, but to the Trump Administration.

Yes, Canada will help Americans and anyone else in need when the time comes. But show us the friendship, honesty and respect that we show for you.

When I lived in Canada, I never supported Chretien or the Liberals. But I cannot disagree with anything he said. 

After Chretien finished his remarks, he was hugged by American Ambassador Pete Hoekstra to whom Canadians have taken a strong dislike.

One can only hope that Hoekstra took what Chretien said to heart and give Trump his message. 

Mind you, I'm not holding my breath and even if Hoekstra does convey Chretien's message, I cannot imagine that Trump will listen.

And if Trump does not listen and continues to insult, threaten and abuse then Canadians will continue to follow the lead of both Chretien and Mark Carney and stand up to him. 

My Thoughts on The 25th Anniversary of The Attacks of September 11, 2001

I would be remiss if I did not write something concerning the 25th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001.

At the time of the attacks, I had been living in this country for just under 18 months having moved to Boston from Ottawa the previous year. 

On the day of the attacks, it was the fourth day of a new job I had started working for a non-profit vocational rehabilitation agency in Lynn, Massachusetts, a few miles north of Boston.

As it happened, the organization was having a company picnic at their headquarters in Beverly about another 10 miles north. It was during the drive from Lynn to Beverly that we learned what had happened listening to Peter Jennings on the radio. Under the circumstances, it was far from a festive mood belying a beautiful sunny afternoon. 

The picnic was cut short. I spent some time walking around the shore trying to make sense of things taking a little comfort at the sight of a beautiful woman tanning on the beach apparently without a care in the world.

That evening, I walked from Boston to Cambridge up Mass Avenue to attend the open mike at Club Passim in Harvard Square and a read a poem. The crowd was sparse. But I wanted to be out and about. I wanted to live my life. I wasn't denying what had happened. Just the opposite. What had happened was all the more reason to exercise my freedom.

But it was at Club Passim where I would get rumblings of conspiracy theories of the act being an inside job accompanied by the pillorying of President Bush. It left a bad taste in my mouth.

At the time, I still identified as a democratic socialist. But I was so turned off by the anti-American and anti-Israel rhetoric that my politics turned rightward. By 2003, I was writing for conservative websites and by the end of the decade, I had begun writing for The American Spectator.

Then just over a decade ago, along came Donald Trump who claimed he saw thousands of Muslims cheering on the attacks. And we elected Trump President. I wanted no part of Trump and The American Spectator didn't want anyone who wasn't all aboard the Trump Train. So, I parted ways with them and have never regretted the decision.

After all, Trump is still lying about 9/11. Scarcely 72 hours ago, Trump claimed he was at Ground Zero and was escorted away by two firemen because they thought the building would collapse. Despite the lie, there are no doubt millions of Americans who will take him at his word. Because we elected him President again. You can indeed fool some of the people all of the time.

While my political perspective has moved leftward over the past decade, it will never return to the democratic socialism I espoused in my teens and twenties. For people like Minnesota Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar the attacks of September 11, 2001 were nothing more than "some people did something". 9/11 is something to be minimized. Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is happy to speak alongside 9/11 conspiracy theorists. Then there are deleted tweets such as this one:

Today, I mourn the 3K lives, 6K injuries, & infrastructural devastation in NYC, perpetuated ignorantly in the name of my faith. Tomorrow, I'll mourn ~1M lives, millions of injuries, & infrastructural devastation in 3 countries, perpetuated ignorantly in the name of my country.

El-Sayed is essentially saying that those who served in the U.S. military are morally equivalent to al-Qaeda. This I cannot abide or accept. 

The fact that El-Sayed is prepared to share a stage with 9/11 conspiracy theorists means he is working to absolve al Qaeda for their actions. He and those who support him are no better than someone like Trump who lies writ large about Muslims while engaging in stolen valor.

To borrow a phrase from Stealers' Wheel there are "clowns to the left me, jokers to the right". Simply put, I am surrounded by morons. As I get older, I am more inclined to trust my own counsel than accept the words of charlatans and demagogues. In so doing, I accept the fact that we haven't learned much and will probably never truly understand the consequences of the events of September 11, 2001. Frankly, many of us don't want to learn or understand.

I shudder to think how our knowledge and understanding will further diminish on the 50th anniversary of the darkest day in American history come September 11, 2051. That is assuming I am still inhaling and exhaling five days before my 79th birthday.

Charlie Kirk's Legacy: Conspiracy Theories or Dialogue?

A year ago today, Charlie Kirk lost his life to an assassin's bullet. Here is a portion of what I wrote in response to the news of his death:

Charlie Kirk did not deserve the manner of his final fate while speaking on a university campus in Utah. A young man struck down a month shy of his 32nd birthday leaving behind a widow and two small children.

Even if one believed his views to be repugnant, the First Amendment permits such speech. A free people can choose to accept, reject or ignore it. 

What happened to Charlie Kirk today is every bit as wrong as what happened to Minnesota Democratic State Senator Melissa Hortman last June. No one should lose their life for expressing their point of view, right or wrong.

While we can and must condemn the act which ended the life of Charlie Kirk, we must not whitewash his legacy. As previously mentioned, I did not write a great deal about him but when I did write about him it was not to lavish him with praise. However appalling the circumstances of Charlie Kirk's death, it doesn't change the fact that he judged African Americans by their color of their skin instead of the content of their character. I will lament his death, but I won't ignore his bigotry and hatred of others. R.I.P.

With this in mind, let me draw your attention to an editorial in the Boston Globe written by Kara Bettis Carvalho which focuses on college students who are involved with Kirk's organization, Turning Point USA:

Yale’s chapter is one of dozens across the country that have launched since Kirk’s death. Turning Point’s website claims to currently sponsor 1,500 college chapters, including at 69 campuses around New England. A CNN report found that the organization had grown by 64 percent over the past year.

Students I spoke to say they want to promote dialogue — especially about economics and foreign policy — expose students on liberal campuses to opposing viewpoints, and at the very least, not be condemned for having a different political opinion that puts them in the small but not insignificant minority.

In many cases, conservative student groups meet to discuss politics, the news, and — what nearly every student told me — to have a “safe space” to talk honestly about their beliefs. Most of them had good relationships with the Democratic clubs on campus but had experienced harassment from far-left groups and individuals, including having their posters covered up.

On the surface, there is nothing wrong with wanting to promote dialogue and I am glad to hear that these students involved with Turning Point USA have cordial relationships with Democrats on campus.

It reminds me of my days as an undergraduate at Carleton University more than 30 years ago. At the time, I was involved in the campus NDP. Every year, there would be a Model Parliament. The first year, I attended it was organized by the campus Tories, and it was not a good event for those involved with other political parties. 

Not wanting a repeat experience, I took it upon myself to work with the other campus political parties to organize an all-party committee to organize the next Model Parliament. With a focus on cooperation, the event was much more successful.

Of course, we disagreed. That is the essence of political parties and democracy at large. We just disagreed in an orderly manner. If Turning Point USA can co-exist with left-wing organizations on campus, then this is a good thing. 

Nevertheless, I cannot help but wonder what these Turning Point USA campus groups discuss. After all, Kirk built his brand on conspiracy theories - COVID and election denialism with overt hostility towards African Americans and the LGBTQ community. If this is the sort of thing Turning Point USA talks about then I can see why it would turn off a great many people who would not be inclined to associate with it. 

Let us also consider that in the year since Kirk's death, there have been several conspiracy theories hatched concerning his demise namely that his assassination was carried out by Israel and that his widow Erika was involved in his murder. In the grand scheme of things, we should not be surprised that someone who promoted conspiracy theories in life would be the subject of them in death.

While I have no doubt that there are those who joined Turning Point USA in good faith wishing to promote dialogue, I suspect that Charlie Kirk's legacy rests on an endless cycle of conspiracy theories and diatribes.

Things Aren't So Smiley in Providence As Mayor Ousted By Anti-Semitic Challenger

(Providence Mayor Brett Smiley (L) & David Morales (R))

In Providence, Rhode Island, incumbent Mayor Brett Smiley was ousted in the Democratic primary by 27-year-old State Representative David Morales,

With 85% of the votes tabulated, Morales earned 54% of the vote while Smiley tallied 46% of the vote. Smiley was seeking his second term in office.

What is disturbing about Morales is that much of his campaign was centered on his hostility towards Israel and to the Jewish community at large. Not only has Morales pledged to use his platform as mayor to oppose "unconditional military aid" for Israel but he objected to Smiley attending a conference sponsored by the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement. It should also be noted that Smiley converted to Judaism during his term in office.

Morales is widely expected to prevail against Republican mayoral candidate David Talan in November. Providence hasn't had a Republican mayor since the late Buddy Cianci who eventually became an Independent.

I suspect Morales will campaign on a local referendum which calls upon the city to not invest in “foreign countries conducting ethnic cleansing, apartheid, illegal military occupation, or genocide.” No countries are named in the referendum question, but its organizers are clear in singling out Israel.

In retrospect, this turn of events is not entirely surprising. In May 2025, the Palestinian flag flew over Providence City Hall over Smiley's objections. 

It would seem that Morales is more interested than advocating for Palestinians than he is in advocating for Providence. But if the people see fit to elect Morales in November, then they will get the government they deserve.

Thoughts on The Holdout Juror Who Wanted to Convict Lindsay Clancy For Murdering Her 3 Young Children

I generally tend not to follow trials which occupy space in the news cycle. There is too much of a tabloid element for my taste. 

This also applies to trials which occur here in Massachusetts such as the two murder trials of Karen Read nor the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy - that is until it resulted in a mistrial due to a holdout juror.

As you may recall, I served on a federal jury last December concerning a drug case and ended up on the wrong end of an 11-1 vote until I reluctantly voted to convict. 

Given the circumstances, I must say that I have a great admiration for that holdout juror for sticking to his guns. There is a big part of me that wishes I had done the same. 

Now as you can imagine, the other jurors in the Clancy case do not share my admiration. I know full well that the jurors with whom I served could not stand the sight of me because they wanted to go home. 

The juror in question has not come forward since the mistrial as of this writing. Whether he will choose to speak his peace in public remains to be seen and is entirely up to him.

Notwithstanding my admiration, it is quite possible that if I had served on that jury, I might have very well stood with the other 11 jurors who voted to acquit Clancy. While I am inclined to believe that Clancy knew what she was doing and willfully killed her children, I did not sit in that jury box and did not hear all the evidence. There are certain things to which a jury and those in the courtroom are privy. It is possible there were mitigating factors that would warrant a not guilty verdict despite the fact Clancy killed her children.

Given my recent experiences, had I been on that jury and voted to acquit, I would like to think that I would have possessed sufficient empathy to try to reason with this juror without belittling him. Such an intervention might not have changed his mind but if I were in a such a situation I can only hope to convey an understanding for his position and an understanding why his conscience told him he could not vote with everyone else.

Perhaps this juror did gain an understanding of post-partem depression during the trial. Yet this juror probably thought this was not sufficient to justify the murder of three children - Cora Clancy, 5; Dawson Clancy, 3; and 8-month-old Callan Clancy. Perhaps he believed the victims had been forgotten and deserved justice. For this juror, it meant Lindsay Clancy was guilty of murder.

Thoughts on Canadian Counter-Tariffs on U.S. Goods Taking Effect

 

Today, Canada's dollar-for-dollar counter-tariffs went into effect on more than $20 billion of U.S. imports following the breakdown in trade talks between the Canadian government and the Trump Administration last month.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the matter in both English and in French. True to form, Carney spoke intelligently and in complete sentences. He also spoke of the opportunities and the costs. While Canada is pursuing greater trade relationships within Canada and with partners in Europe and Asia, the United States remain a large market and there will be pain. Carney didn't tell Canadians there would be so much winning. 

Canadians have braced for impact and this evening the Trump Administration has announced bans on the import of Canadian alcohol and motorcycles along with 50% tariffs on molasses and motorboats to take effect at the end of the month. Canadian access to the U.S. government procurement programs will also be restricted.

But, for the moment, Carney has goodwill on his side as reflected by an approval rating of 70%. This isn't to say that approval won't fall if Canadians lose their jobs in earnest. But as long as Trump insists on saying "I don't want Canadian anything", demanding Canadian companies do business in the U.S. that already do business in the U.S. and renaming the Great Lakes and being the jerk he is then Canadians will stand with Carney.

Let me put it this way, Canadians are more likely to put up with the pain than Americans and this intolerance could soon be reflected in mid-term election results which will weaken Trump considerably. Should this come to pass, it will strengthen both Canada's stand and its resolve. 

Pat Putnam Was a Small Part of My Baseball Childhood

Former MLB first baseman Pat Putnam passed away on August 25th of natural causes, but his death was not made public until yesterday. He was 72.

Born and raised in Vermont, Putnam's family moved to Florida when he was 8 years old. Putnam would attend Miami Dade College on a baseball scholarship and would be selected by the New York Mets in the 12th round of the 1974 MLB Draft. However, Putnam opted to transfer to the University of South Alabama where he played under former MLB player and manager Eddie Stanky.

In 1975, Putnam was drafted once more this time by the Texas Rangers and in the first round and the 22nd overall pick in the nation. Putnam quickly became a man on the move. In 1976, while playing for the Single-A Asheville Tourists in the Western Carolina League, Putnam batted .361 with 24 HR and 142 RBI winning the league's Triple Crown and MVP honors. On the strength of this performance, he was promoted to the Triple-AAA Tucson Toros of the Pacific Coast League batting .301 with 15 HR and 102 RBI.

This would earn Putnam a September call up to the Rangers. When he made his big league debut, Putnam was batting cleanup collecting his first big league hit off future Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins who was pitching with the Boston Red Sox at the time. A year later, Jenkins would rejoin the Rangers and become Putnam's teammate.

In 1979, Putnam would become the Rangers' everyday first baseman. That season, Putnam hit .277 with 18 HR and 64 RBI. Those numbers were good enough for him to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place in AL Rookie of the Year balloting with Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Ross Baumgarten and New York Yankees reliever Ron Davis. That year, AL Rookie of the Year honors were shared by infielders Alfredo Griffin and John Castino of the Toronto Blue Jays and the Minnesota Twins, respectively.

Unfortunately, Putnam's offense would decline in both the 1980 and 1981 seasons. By 1982, Putnam had lost the starting first base job to up-and-comer Dave Hostetler who had been acquired from the Montreal Expos along with third baseman Larry Parrish in exchange for Al Oliver. Putnam spent much of the 1982 season in Triple-AAA which by this time was in Denver. 

Following the 1982 season, the Rangers would trade Putnam to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for pitcher Ron Musselman. Putnam responded positively to the trade by hitting a career best 19 HR and 67 RBI along with 126 hits and 23 doubles in 1983 and was voted the team's MVP by his teammates.

However, the Mariners brass was not fully confident in Putnam. In 1984, Putnam would lose the first base job to Ken Phelps in spring training. However, when Phelps went down with an injury, the Mariners chose to go with Alvin Davis who ended up winning AL Rookie of the Year honors. 

Putnam hit .200 in limited action with the Mariners but did catch a break when he was traded to the Minnesota Twins late in the season. Alas, Putnam did not acquit himself well as he went 3 for 38 (.079) in 14 games with the Twins. 

Prior to the 1985 season, Putnam would sign with the Kansas City Royals who would win that year's World Series. But with Steve Balboni ensconced at first base, Putnam would spend the entire season in Triple-AAA with the Omaha Royals of the American Association. 

In 1986 and 1987, Putnam would play in Japan with the Nippon Ham Fighters. He would return to baseball once more in the short-lived Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1989 and 1990 where he played in his adopted Fort Myers with the Sun Sox. In parts of 8 MLB seasons, Putnam played in 677 games collecting 508 hits for a lifetime batting average of .255 with 63 HR and 255 RBI.  

For me, Pat Putnam is one of those guys who I remember from baseball cards, NBC's Game of the Week and Zander Hollander's 1980 Complete Handbook of Baseball. It sounds cliche, but Putnam was a small part of my childhood which is getting smaller each and every day. R.I.P.