Thoughtful, intelligent, entertaining, progressive discussion about politics, sports and whatever...

Sergio versus Tiger

Posted on: May 23rd, 2013 by ecthompsonmd No Comments

 

Sergio Garcia

As many of you who follow my blog know, I picked up golf about three years ago. Prior to picking up a club, I called golf a stupid game which I really didn't understand. Now that I've taken lessons and have played, it is still a stupid game which I really don't understand but I find enjoyable. :-) For some reason, in golf just like in many other sports, we look for something more. We look for something exciting. We look for something titillating. We couldn't get enough of Tiger Woods is scandal. This brings me to two weeks ago at the Players Championship. Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia had words. Tiger Woods who was some 50 yards away from Sergio pulled a club out of his bag and that caused the gallery to gasp. This noise occurred right in the middle of Sergio's backswing. The golf ball sliced to the left off into the woods (to be honest, that golf shot look very similar to many of my except, I don't quite get that kind of distance). This simple incident caused the kind of petty back and forth that we regularly see in stupidly contrived reality shows like survivor.

This brings us to the latest in the Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia saga. Sergio Garcia was at a European tour awards dinner in London when he was asked by a reporter whether he would ever invite Tiger Woods over for dinner (I'm paraphrasing). Sergio Garcia said, "We will have him round every night. We will serve fried chicken." fried chicken? Really? You do not have to be a linguistic expert to understand that this is a problem. Tiger Woods, who really has no love for Sergio Garcia and who has had more than his own share of media fiascoes, was happy to take the high road and watch Sergio cause his own implosion. Tiger Woods stated through his Twitter account, "The comment that was made wasn’t silly. It was wrong, hurtful and clearly inappropriate. I’m confident that there is real regret that the remark was made. The Players ended nearly two weeks ago and it’s long past time to move on and talk about golf."... Read More →

The Nerve of the IRS

Posted on: May 23rd, 2013 by ecthompsonmd No Comments

 

The craziness of the IRS "scandal" cannot be underlined or emphasized enough. The fact that the IRS decided to scrutinize a group of Americans who basically state that they hate paying taxes and would go to any means to avoid paying taxes should not be a surprise to anyone. In my mind, scrutinizing tea party groups is a little like asking Willie Sutton why he robs banks. (His famous answer, "because that's where the money is," may be an urban myth but I like it nonetheless.) Since the disastrous, thoughtless Citizens United decision, the number of 501(c) 4 organizations has skyrocketed from a little over 1700 to well over 3300. The majority of these 501(c) 4 groups were, wait for it… conservative, tea party groups.

More from Vanity Fair:

Unfortunately, given the way this I.R.S. scandal slid so easily into ideological definitions, I fear that few non-politicos are recognizing the real disgrace here: that the federal government—Congress, the White House, the tax agency, and the Supreme Court—has created a situation where blatantly political organizations are able to legally break the law by pretending they’re something that they’re not.

The key to this obscene state of affairs is an entity known as a 501(c)(4), named for the section of the tax code that created it. Supposedly, these are civic associations or organizations devoted to social welfare, which can operate tax-free, but whose donors aren’t allowed to deduct their contributions. Fair enough.... Read More →

Huge Tornado in Oklahoma (Update)

Posted on: May 21st, 2013 by ecthompsonmd No Comments

 

 

So sad...

From MSNBC:

Rescue teams combed through pulverized buildings and splintered homes early Tuesday after one of the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history blasted through the suburbs of Oklahoma City, killing at least 51 people — including 20 children.

Officials warned that the death toll from Monday’s mid-afternoon twister was almost certain to rise significantly when dawn broke in the devastated city of Moore, and as more bodies were taken to the Office of the Medical Examiner. Elementary school children were among the many missing.... Read More →

  • Errington C. Thompson, MD
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