Atlanta's Midtown Music Festival Cancelled Because City & Organizers Cannot Prohibit Guns

Organizers of the annual Midtown Music Festival at Atlanta's Piedmont Park have cancelled this year's event which was scheduled to take place in September because they are not permitted to prohibit concert goers from carrying firearms to the event. Georgia Republicans passed a law in 2014 expanding gun rights on both private property and publicly owned land. The law was further clarified through a Georgia Supreme Court ruling in 2019:

The festival, launched in 1996 by Atlanta-based music promoters Alex Cooley, Peter Conlon and Alex Hoffman, had long barred attendees from bringing guns into the event. In general, most major companies will not host a festival in a location that permits gun owners to carry their weapons into an event, with an exception sometimes made for law enforcement. Some artist riders actually have specific language saying that artist will not perform in cities or states where gun laws grant attendees the right to bring weapons inside of a concert venue.

While the 2019 ruling by the Georgia Supreme Court made it more difficult for private companies to deny licensed and armed citizens access to events on publicly owned land, it did not give the city of Atlanta the authority to enforce this decision or force the festival to allow guns into the event. Instead the law created a pathway for gun carrying individuals, who had also purchased tickets to the festival, to successfully sue event organizers if they were denied entry to an event taking place on public property.  

Additionally local authorities are typically involved in security for large scale events and likely would not have been able to enforce an illegal gun ban, so the festival would have had little to no backup to keep firearms out. 

Under the circumstances, I don't blame the organizers one bit for cancelling the festival. Such conditions would carry tremendous legal liability for both them and the City of Atlanta as the likelihood of a Las Vegas like mass shooting would be quite probable. Somehow I doubt the City of Atlanta and the Midtown Music Festival organizers have $800 million to compensate victims families as MGM Resorts International did. 

Such sheer stupidity makes me glad I no longer live in Atlanta.

President Biden Announces U.S. Drone Strike Killed al Qaeda Leader al-Zawahiri

Tonight, President Biden announced a drone strike by the CIA over the weekend killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. 

Let no one shed a tear for al-Zawahiri who played a significant role as Osama bin Laden's right hand man in the terrorist attacks against the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 and, of course, during the attacks of September 11, 2001. After bin Laden was killed in 2011, al-Zawahiri succeeded him. 

Of course, it is worth noting that al-Zawahiri was killed in Kabul which tells the world the Taliban is reviving its alliance with al-Qaeda contrary to their assurances. For his part, Biden said the United States would "never again allow Afghanistan to become a terrorist safe have because he is gone." The President added, "We're going to make sure that nothing else happens--you know, it can't be a launching pad against the United States,"

While I certainly hope President Biden is right, I also know that never is very, very long time and the Taliban and al Qaeda play the long game. The killing of al-Zawahiri will destabilize al Qaeda in Afghanistan in the short term. But the Taliban will likely rule for decades to come which gives plenty of time for al Qaeda to regroup.

Of course, other terrorist groups can fill the void as was the case with the emergence of ISIS following bin Laden's death. Former President Obama derisively referred to ISIS as the "JV squad" but it would not be long before this "JV squad" would behead Americans and control parts of Iraq, Syria and Libya.

Again, I shed no tears for al-Zawahiri. An opportunity presented itself to President Biden and he gave the order. This battle has been won, but the war against Islamic terrorism will never truly be over.

MLB Notes for July: Can The Guardians or Chisox Topple The Twins in AL Central?

As July draws to a close, the tightest divisional race in MLB is in the AL Central where the Minnesota Twins currently lead the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox by 1 and 2 games, respectively. The Guardians and Chisox also find themselves 1.5 and 2 games back of the Tampa Bay Rays for the third AL Wild Card berth. 

The Twins have led the AL Central for a majority of the season. Should they hold on then they will have gone from first to worst back to first. But they will have their work cut out for them. The winner of the division will most likely be the team which can beat up on the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals. The Twins begin August hosting a series against the Tigers while the White Sox will host the Royals. Meanwhile, the Guardians host the Arizona Diamondbacks who are in a virtual tie for last place in the NL West with the Colorado Rockies. It will be interesting to see if the Tigers and Royals will sell off any parts before the August 2nd trade deadline. Last week, the Royals dealt outfielder Andrew Benintendi to the New York Yankees. 

Speaking of the Yankees, both they and the Houston Astros continue to hold double digit leads in their respective divisions. The Yankees have an 11.5 game lead over the Toronto Blue Jays. If you see the Jays these days you wouldn't know there were 11.5 games out as they have won 8 of their last 10 games and are 11-3 under interim manager John Schneider. Toronto has the top AL Wild Card berth followed by the Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays despite the fact they have dropped 7 of their last 10 games. The Baltimore Orioles finish July at .500 and are 3 games back of the Rays for the third AL Wild Card berth with the last place Boston Red Sox 3.5 games back though they now have a losing record. Which makes one wonder if the Red Sox will be buyers or sellers during the trade deadline? Could they move both Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers rather than lose them to free agency?

The Astros lead the Mariners in the AL West by 12 games. The Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels and Oakland A's are all 20 games plus back of the Astros and are likely to trade for prospects in the next couple of days. The Angels could move last year's AL MVP Shohei Ohtani while the A's appear ready to move ace Frankie Montas. Although the A's have won 7 of their last 10 games they still own the worst record in the AL.

Over on the Senior Circuit, while the NL East and NL Central isn't nearly as tight as the AL Central it is plenty competitive. The New York Mets hold a three game lead over the Atlanta Braves in the NL East and finished July with six straight wins and wins in 7 of their last 10 games. To make matters better, Jacob deGrom makes his 2022 debut next week. Still, the Atlanta Braves have the top berth in the NL Wild Card race while the Philadelphia Phillies have the third berth with a one game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals. As for the Miami Marlins, GM Kim Ng is likely planning some trades while the big question is where will the Washington Nationals send Juan Soto. The Nats, less than three years removed from a World Series title, are 30 games back of the Mets and have the worst record in MLB.

The Milwaukee Brewers also hold a three game lead in the NL Central with the Cardinals on the outside looking in on the post-season. The Chicago Cubs have won 7 of their last 10 games but are not ready to be a contender. Although the Cincinnati Reds have parted ways with both Tyler Naquin and Luis Castillo in recent days for the first time this season they are not in last place in the NL Central. The Pittsburgh Pirates finish July with seven straight losses and are 1-8 since the All-Star Break. 

In the NL West, the Los Angeles Dodgers have a 12 game lead over the San Diego Padres who have the second NL Wild Card berth. The Padres could land Soto but the Dodgers might beat them to it. The San Francisco Giants are at .500 but on fumes having lost 7 of their last 10 games and are four games back of the Phillies for the third NL Wild Card berth. The Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks are in a virtual tie for the cellar and are likely to bare their cupboards with the D'Backs having just sent veteran outfielder David Peralta to the Rays. 

It is very difficult to predict where MLB will be at the end of August as there will be a proliferation of trades over the next 48 hours. But we can ask questions? Can either the Guardians or Chisox topple the Twins? Will the Red Sox be buyers or sellers? Will the Angels unload Ohtani? Where will Juan Soto go? Can the Cardinals catch the Phillies for the third NL Wild Card berth? Or will the Giants grow tall? See you in a month.

Bill Russell, R.I.P.

Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell passed away today of natural causes. He was 88.

The Louisiana born Russell initially struggled with basketball when he started playing it in junior high school in Oakland, California. But Russell dedicated himself and played well enough in his senior year to earn a spot playing at the collegiate level at the University of San Francisco. Russell would lead the team to back to back NCAA titles in 1955 and 1956 and was the captain of the U.S. Olympic basketball team which would win the Gold at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. 

While Russell wasn't a big scorer, he was without peer when it came to defense whether it was man to man or blocked shots. He was also an incredible rebounder. The only player who rebounded better than Russell was his friend and rival Wilt Chamberlain. While Chamberlain had greater offensive stats, Russell led his teams to championships. In Russell's 13 years with the Celtics, they would win 11 NBA titles including eight consecutive titles between 1959 and 1966. When the Celtics won the NBA Title in 1968 and 1969, Russell was also the team's head coach having succeeded the retiring Red Auerbach. Russell was the first African-American to be a head coach or manager in professional sports.

Sadly, Russell did not have a good relationship with the Boston media nor its fans unable to accept his African-American heritage. Russell would say that he played for the Celtics, but would not say that he played for Boston. With 11 NBA rings and 5 NBA MVPs, Russell declined to attend his induction to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975. 

Following his playing career, Russell would serve as the head coach for the Seattle Super Sonics and later the Sacramento Kings though he would not attain the success with those organizations that he did with the Celtics. Russell occasionally worked as a broadcaster and did some acting. I remember Russell appearing in a 1986 episode of Miami Vice in which he played a corrupt judge.

For his civil rights work, Russell was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama in 2011. Upon learning of his passing, Obama said, "Today, we lost a giant."

In recent years, Russell had something of a rapprochement with Boston as he was honored with a statue outside Boston City Hall in 2013.

I leave you with an interview Russell did with Dick Cavett in 1972. The two did not discuss basketball. At the time Russell was doing a talk show out in Los Angeles and discussed interviews he had with George Wallace and Lester Maddox. They also discussed Amos and Andy, All in The Family and played the word association game. R.I.P.

Nichelle Nichols, R.I.P.

Actress and singer Nichelle Nichols, best known for her portrayal of Lt. Uhura on Star Trek TV series and in the Star Trek movies, passed away last night of natural causes. She was 89. 

Nichols began her career as a singer and dancer who worked with both Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton. Later she would turn to acting. She had but a handful of acting credits including a guest spot in Gene Roddenberry's The Lieutenant when Roddenberry cast her as Lt. Uhura on Star Trek. Roddenberry's casting of Nichols was groundbreaking in that no African-American woman had ever been part of the main cast of a TV show much less portrayed in a non-stereotypical role.

However, Nichols had her sights set on Broadway and had intended to leave the show after one season but would remain at the urging of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Nichols would remain for the balance of the series and reprise her role in Star Trek: The Animated Series and in the first six Star Trek movies. 

Aside from Star Trek, Nichols mostly did voicework but would return to the small screen in the 2000's with a recurring role on Heroes as well as a handful of episodes of the long running soap opera The Young and The Restless in 2016.

Nichols also had a four decade association with NASA and worked with the agency to recruit female and minority community astronauts. In recent years, Nichols health had declined suffering a stroke in 2015. She would be subsequently diagnosed with dementia and this would result in an ugly conservatorship battle between her son, her former manager and one of her closest friends.

With the passing of Nichols, there remain three surviving members of the cast of the original Star Trek - William Shatner, Walter Koenig and George Takei. On Twitter, Takei tweeted:

I shall have more to say about the trailblazing, incomparable Nichelle Nichols, who shared the bridge with us as Lt. Uhura of the USS Enterprise. For today, my heart is heavy, my eyes shining like the stars you now rest among, my dearest friend.

I leave you with some of Nichols' best moments as Lt. Uhura as compiled by MeTV a few years back. R.I.P.

President Biden Tests Positive for COVID Again; No Symptoms & Working in Isolation

Less than 72 hours after coming out of isolation, President Biden has tested positive for COVID for a second time. 

The President is among the the minority who has tested positive for COVID after taking a regimen of Paxlovid. The same thing happened with Dr. Fauci a month ago. Biden has resumed isolation, but is experiencing no symptoms and is continuing to work. Hopefully it will stay that way.

But if President Biden is diagnosed with COVID for a third or fourth time then the knives will sharpen further. As it stands there is already blood in the water. Three out of four Democrats do not want Biden to run for re-election in 2024. Only yesterday Minnesota Democratic Congressman Dean Phillips said Biden should not seek a second term. A recurring issue with COVID won't help matters even if he experiences little or no symptoms. 

Democrats should be careful for what they wish because we could end up with Donald Trump again.

Lufthansa Whitewashes Anti-Semitism in Not Allowing Orthodox Jews to Board Flight

Back in May, the German airliner Lufthansa refused to board over 100 Orthodox Jews off a flight bound from Frankfurt to Budapest because a handful of passengers were not wearing masks on the original flight out of New York. Of course, at the time of the flight, mask mandates for travel in the U.S. had been lifted, but had not been lifted in Germany. Yet the vast majority of Orthodox Jews on the flight were in fact masked. Despite this fact all Orthodox Jewish passengers were removed from the flight prompting accusations of anti-Semitism.

Although Lufthansa subsequently apologized for the incident, it has denied their actions were motivated by anti-Semitism. At the time of the incident, the company stated, “We find the claim of anti-Semitism unwarranted and without merit,” This despite the fact a Lufthansa employee who said, "It was Jewish people who made the mess, Jewish made the problem."

Now Lufthansa continues to whitewash anti-Semitism. Lufthansa conducted a subsequent "investigation" and claimed,  “The thorough investigation did not reveal any sentiments of antisemitism, prejudice or premeditated behavior by Lufthansa representatives.”

If a Lufthansa employee loudly proclaiming Jews made the mess and made the problem isn't anti-Semitic sentiment then what is?

Not that I have any plans to travel to Europe anytime soon. But one thing is for sure I certainly won't be flying Lufthansa.