Speaking yesterday on KUOW’s The Conservation, Gov. Chris Gregoire stated that she has “no reason to disbelieve that” Sonics owner Clay Bennett is negotiating in good faith.
Uh-huh. Me, I’m more of a cynic. In fact, I’m not convinced that Bennett has actually negotiated at all. Perhaps its a cultural thing, but I’ve always thought of “negotiation” as a back-and-forth process, in which the two sides haggle until they reach a mutually acceptable compromise. Laying out plans for a half-billion dollar hoops palace, and then declaring “I’m out of ideas” upon its inevitable rejection? Well, that sounds to me more like an “ultimatum.”
Whatever. The point is, an Oklahoma City kajillionaire — who has long dreamed of bringing an NBA franchise to his city — bought the Sonics, and from the moment the sale was announced, we all understood how unlikely it was to keep the team in Seattle under his ownership. To look at this as just another business deal would be naive, as bringing the team home has a value to Bennett and his partners that far exceeds simple monetary considerations.
The Storm on the other hand, well, Bennett really couldn’t give a shit about bringing a WNBA team home to Oklahoma City, and from what I understand, the feeling is mutual: Storm star Lauren Jackson has already said she wouldn’t follow the team to Oklahoma, and faced with all the uncertainty, Sue Bird only signed a one-year contract.
For Bennett, the Storm is little more than an afterthought, and likely a money-losing one at that, moved to a smaller market and missing its two biggest stars. But in Seattle, the Storm has built a devoted and profitable following.
So if Bennett really wants to show Washingtonians a little “good faith”, the least he could do is divest himself of the Storm before packing up the Sonics and heading East. Besides, the Storm is worth more to us than it is to him, both monetarily and otherwise, especially in the absence of the Sonics. Rumor has it that a group of local investors is willing to put up the estimated $10 million fair market value of the team, and if Bennett is the “stand-up guy” Gov. Gregoire says he is, he’ll entertain a reasonable offer.
All that’s required is a little good faith negotiation.
I really don’t care if Seattle and Wasington have ANY major league sports teams. They can all pack up and go to Rwanda for all I care!
I finally found a liberal who served in Iraq:
Man who lied about actions in Iraq admits faking forms
By David Bowermaster
Seattle Times staff reporter
Jesse MacBeth stoked opposition to the Iraq war in 2006 when he spoke out about atrocities he committed as a U.S. Army Ranger serving as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
MacBeth, 23, of Tacoma, claimed to have killed more than 200 people, many at close range, some as they prayed in a mosque. He spoke at an anti-war rally in Tacoma and appeared in a 20-minute anti-war video that circulated widely on the Internet.
Trouble is, none of MacBeth’s claims was true. He made it through only six weeks of Army basic training, was never a Ranger and never set foot in Iraq.
Conservative bloggers exposed MacBeth’s lies in May 2006, destroying his credibility and embarrassing the Seattle company that produced the video about his exploits.
MacBeth’s comeuppance continued Thursday, when he pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Seattle to one count of making false statements to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Before becoming a public figure, MacBeth admitted, he filed a bogus claim for VA benefits in 2005 that included a fraudulent military-discharge form.
MacBeth said on the forms that he had been in the Army for more than three years and had achieved the rank of corporal. He also claimed he had been awarded a Purple Heart and that he was discharged because he suffered from post-traumatic-stress disorder.
None of those assertions was true, MacBeth acknowledged in a plea agreement. MacBeth spent 44 days as a private at Fort Benning, Ga., in 2003 but was released “for issues related to entry-level performance and conduct,” according to court papers.
PepperSpray Productions in Seattle produced the video titled “Jesse MacBeth: An Iraq Veteran Speaks Out.”
In the film, MacBeth told nuanced tales of brutal killings he carried out at the behest of his commanding officers.
“They would actually feel the hot muzzle of my rifle on their forehead,” he reportedly said on the video, which is no longer in circulation.
The production company, which describes itself as a “video activist collective” of volunteers formed after the World Trade Organization protests in Seattle in 1999, has a link to a “Jesse MacBeth Retraction” on its home page.
The statement reads, in part: “Jesse Macbeth misrepresented to PepperSpray Productions and others his military service and was never deployed in Iraq. When we learned that Macbeth’s service records were fraudulent, we immediately pulled the video and are no longer distributing it.”
MacBeth, a skinny 23-year-old with close-cropped hair and a goatee, said little as he entered his guilty plea before Magistrate Judge James Donohue.
U.S. District Court Judge Robert Lasnik will sentence him Sept. 21. The maximum penalty for making false statements to the government is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Fuck Off Rather!
Goldy, as much as it’s a near parody of our left coast Subaru-driving sensibilities, you’re completely right. (and it’s something I’ve said before.) The Storm should stay here; they mean a lot more to us than they would to the Okies; our substandard arena is WNBA-ready right now.
Republican Senator Punches Democrat
GOP Blames Violence on Democrats for Blocking ‘Election Reform’ Bill
“MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Session-long tensions in the Alabama Senate boiled over Thursday as Republican Sen. Charles Bishop of Jasper punched Democratic Sen. Lowell Barron of Fyffe in the head before the two were pulled apart. …
Bishop, a coal mining executive from Walker County who once challenged another senator to a fistfight, said he … would not immediately apologize to Barron. …
Barron … said Bishop approached while he was sitting in his chair in the Senate chamber. ‘He said ‘you better watch your back,” and used a foul expression, Barron said. … Barron said he then started to get up and Bishop hit him. …
“The fight came on the final day of the 2007 regular session of the Legislature as Republican senators were using delaying tactics to force Democratic leadership to bring up an election reform bill …. Barron is chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, which sets the chamber’s work agenda, and Republicans were angry that he had not put the election reform bill in a position to come up for debate.
“The Senate had just recessed Thursday afternoon when Bishop approached the chair where Barron was sitting. Moments later security officers rushed to separate the two senators. Alabama Public Television tapes showed Bishop taking a swing at Barron. …
“Several Democratic senators urged senators to take disciplinary action against Bishop. … But some Republicans said the whole Senate is to blame because of the tensions brewing all session and asked that Bishop not be punished severely. ‘It’s indicative of how much tension is in the Senate right now,’ said Sen. Larry Dixon, R-Montgomery.
Quoted under fair use; for complete story and/or copyright info see http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,279352,00.html
Roger Rabbit Commentary: So it’s come to this: If Republicans can’t get their way by lying, smearing, gerrymandering, election stealing, bullying, and/or manipulating, they’ll throw punches. Fuck, bring it on!
ARE YOU READY TO RUUUUMMMMMBBBBLLLLE?!!!!!!!!!!!
Some people may be shocked that Republicans are now throwing punches, but I see it as an opportunity to clean the moss out from between my claws.
Actually, I don’t find this very shocking, because that’s the way things are in mining country. The miners are real Democrats, let me tell ya! If labor negotiations stall, they blow up the mine! They know what bricks and pipes are for! We wouldn’t have so damn many CHEAP LABOR CONSERVATIVES running amok if we had more old-time union Democrats! Oh, for the good old days!*
* Just kidding! Brickbat humor patented by Ann Coulter & Co., and used without permission — if she doesn’t like it, she can fucking sue me!
Did ya notice how the Republicans blamed the Democrats for a Republican punching a Democrat? Man, do these guys have class, or what. About as much class as a bunch of tribesmen in Afghanistan, that is. Just when anthropologists thought the Cossacks were all dead, the GOP is reviving an ancient Asian culture!
I think we should humor Bennett’s desire to move the Sonics to a market one-third the size of Seattle’s. I’ve never been against the idea of millionaire businessmen giving away their money.
The Storm is worth more to Seattle in the long run, and I would rather watch them play than the Sonics any day.
Assuming Bennett moves the Sonics to Sagebrush County Open Air Concert Amphitheater (with seating for 275 fans), why doesn’t he simply leave the Storm in Seattle? The Key Arena is plenty big enough for the Storm, or if it isn’t, they could play in the Tacoma Dome. This way, the profitable women’s team can subsidize the men’s team. It’s a win-win for Bennett.
Hhhhmmmmm…all OK with one exception. ‘Gov. Chris Gregoire’ needs some fixing. As much as that vile woman wants to be a man, she’s not. Chris is a man’s name thank you very much. At least refer to her correctly. Better yet Queen Crissy will do too. Haha.
http://existentialistcowboy.bl.....untry.html
HOW DO YOU LIVE WITH IT WHEN YOUR COUNTRY BECOMES THE FOURTH REICH!?
“Through the general fog of censorship, official bullshit and one-sided reporting, revelations about US-led forces killing Iraqi civilians just keep coming. It’s all verifiable. Much of it is admissable in court. Bush is the new “Fuhrer” and US troops are routinely ordered to commit war crimes. If you are in the armed forces and reading this, I suggest that you sober up, grow up and consider the implications of what you have been ordered to do.”
Poster child said,
“left coast Subaru-driving sensibilities”
==
Poster, you forgot:
1. Birkenstock wearing,
2. Stabucks sipping,
3. Look-down-their-noses-at-anything-BUT-King-County-and-Seattle-because-it’s-the-center-of-the-universe,
4. Granola eating,
5. Yuppy-wannbee,
Seattle liberals.
If you’re gonna do a stereotype, do it up right! No sense being half-assed about it!
14 Huh? I thought Limbaugh accused us of driving Volvos.
@11 Man I love to watch these righty pussies get de-balled by a strong woman.
Sure, Bennett’s “negotiating”….with the NBA brass, for permission to move the team to another city earlier than the league rules would otherwise allow. Gregiore doesn’t seem to realize that she’s only a pawn in this game. This is not to say that Rossi wouldn’t be doing the same thing at this point–except he’d probably be trying to slash education and social services to foot the bill.
Hey, Mark…if you want to make cracks about gender-ambiguous nicknames, go bring it up with Pat Buchanan. Better be prepared to duck.
goldy your penis called…it wants its balls back.
rogergoldy……..”I’m gonna be stepping back from HA for a couple weeks, to give me time to work on some other pressing projects. I’m kinda addicted,”
oh…uh huh. you even lie to yourself on your own blog. what a joke!
why don’t you write about jesse macbeth????? [and what an appropriate name for him…maybe it will be used as a “twinkie” defense]
i guess that would be just too REAL for you huh ,goldy?
pressing projects….HAH!
what??? the city finally told you to clean your yard or you could be doing your exercises along the highway with the other losers?
Mr. Roger Rabbit,
I’ve been reading your comments for many,many months now, and I know that you hate Republicans with an intense passion. How do you feel about the Democrats? Do you love them with the same intensity that you hate the Republicans?
re 20: The whole right-wing hate-fotainment schtick is about spewing hatred, bile, and resentment against liberals. Any plan for the betterment of mankind that doesn’t involve propping up the Paris Hilton elite is met with blabbering, slathering , xenophobic hatred.
There is nothing more hilarious than seeing O’Reilly popping his cork with insanely blazing eyes insisting that liberals are “haters”.
“Bush is the new “Fuhrer” and US troops are routinely ordered to commit war crimes. If you are in the armed forces and reading this, I suggest that you sober up, grow up and consider the implications of what you have been ordered to do.”
This is how the far left extreme liberals as well as the extreme muslim terrorists think. Exactly the same…..
Why do you hate your country so much? How is it that the only way that your ideology “wins” is if the USA fails?
I say this in reponse to your post.
If you are in the armed forces and reading this…(which I highly doubt) Thank you for your brave service and sacrifice. The mission you are embarked on is noble and historic. You humble me with your duty and patriotism. God speed to a succesful completion of your mission and a safe return home…I support, and respect your service.
that your ideology “wins” is if the USA fails?
IF THE USA “FAILS” TO CREATE MORE TERRORISTS THEN THAT’S A FAILURE I’M ALL FOR!
Libertarian @ 13
you forgot: recycling, conservationist, book-reading, and state-wide net tax-exporting… I don’t need you to correct my stereotypes for me. I’d love it if you had the sophistication to grok the nuance of that one word Subaru, but apparently you don’t.
Oh, and passive agressive.
Poster,
Good job of showing the stereotype. Do you say things like the above on your own, or so you get help from the bums in Pioneer Square?
You liberals in Seattle are so arrogant that it’s unbelievable.
@15:
Poor ‘lil bunny. How does it feel to pee sitting down?
re 22:
http://hlrp.blogspot.com/
ARKANSAS GOP HEAD: WE NEED MORE ‘ATTACKS ON AMERICAN SOIL’ SO PEOPLE APPRECIATE BUSH
If I was the City I would negotiate with the team to keep the Storm and lose the Sonics. For example tell the team that the City will let the Sonics out of their lease early if the Storm agree to stay for say 10-15 years. The Storm can easily play in Key Arena and would provide a nice tenant for that building.
@28,
No. Tell them someone will buy the Storm from him, but he’s still going to owe us if he breaks lease. Business is business, and this guy is a punk. Maybe cut him a deal if he agrees to drop the Sonics name and colors, like what happened when the Browns left Cleveland. I think the key is to sever the link between the Sonics and the Storm, and deal with both entities seperately.
@20 I don’t hate anyone. I do my Ann Coulter impressions for fun, although I’d do it for money if someone would pay me. My underlying motivation is that I’m nostalgic for the good old days when Republicans were merely as bad as Democrats, and Perot looked better than either. (This should not be interpreted as praise of Perot.)
@20 (continued) Since reading Roger Rabbit comments is a voluntary activity, apparently you find my comments entertaining and educational, as you’ve been reading them for many months. I just want you to know I appreciate all of my fans, even useless trollfucks like you.
@21 Don’t they just hate it when I take their bile, turn it around, and shove it back up their asses? Fun, fun, fun!!!
To listen to some of these wingnuts, you’d think I invented bile rhetoric! Nope, I’m just a lowly rodent plagiarist. I steal their best techniques and use them against THEM!!! Drives ’em crazy. They don’t know how to cope with that. Their trainers told them liberals are doormats. They have no game plan for dealing with a gang of liberal toughs like our HA crowd.
@22 Why should we cheer for your efforts to turn America into Nazi Germany?
I don’t know where the hell these wingnuts ever got the idea they own the “USA” brand name.
@26 The only animal that pees standing up is you stupid humans.
Guess which animal sometimes pees on its own leg?
@27 Wishing for terrorist attacks on American soil is a common wingnut talking point. Locally, GOP legislative candidate Mark Griswold, who got thumped 85%-15%, posted the following on the sucky little competing blog (you know which one I mean):
“Congratulations Speaker Pelosi, now let the bombs fall where they may. My prediction: terror attack on domestic soil passenger aircraft within the next six months. Casualties in the 2-300 range. And, unfortunately, maybe that’s just what we need. It’s obvious people don’t remember what happened 5 years ago. Posted by FullContactPolitics at November 8, 2006 10:52 AM”
http://blog.usefulwork.com/cgi.....ry_id=7430
(Note: HorsesAss sleuth Richard Pope fingered “FullContactPolitics” as Griswold.)