Although Joba had his second consecutive year with an ERA of 4+ in 2010, the 25 year-old hurler pitched a clean inning today in the Bronx. The 8^th inning saw the Yankee debut of Rafael Soriano, last year’s AL saves leader with the Rays. He too, made quick work of the Tigers and handed the ball to the greatest reliever of all-time. No surprise, Mariano Rivera ended the game easily, although he did showoff his new fashion with high socks, a la Alex Rodriguez.

Joe Girardi’s decision to start Russell Martin paid off, as the new catcher compiled a single and two runs scored. However, young stud Jesus Montero should not be forgotten in this equation, as although he was sent to Triple-A, Montero is regarded as the future catcher of the Yankees.

So for Opening Day, the Bombers’ pitching looked formidable and its hitting seemed acceptable, after all, Earl Weaver’s philosophy of, “Pitching, hitting and the three-run homer”, seemed to work today.

The answer is an obvious no. First, the tea-party movement is not as uniform as one may think. Certainly, some groups do communicate with one another and plan gatherings, but there is no single national movement, and most importantly to this debate, no Tea Party political party. So the claim that thousands, if not millions, of Americans are uniting to create a neo-nazi inspired crusade against black America is absurd and insulting.

I will concede however, that some Americans do possess racist beliefs. Whether it is a poster here, or a fiery town hall meeting there, racism is present in our society. We must remember these people are the fringe. So far right, or so far left that they hold no allegiances to political parties. With them, we have little to worry about. They will marginalize themselves and expose everything that is wrong with discrimination.

But there may be more to the racism debate in America. Does anyone remember the 2008 presidentia

l election? Yes. Does anyone remember the voter intimidation exercised by the New Black Panthers? No. Here’s why. If that story  broke two years ago, the liberal movement would have suffered a serious blowback. Organizations like

these, focused on hate and bigotry are the disease rotting away at America. We must do everything we can to push these radicals away from the mainstream and into a region where the public will immediately disregard their actions.

So in the long run, I do not expect to see race wars across the United States. After all, we recently elected our first African American president. As Americans we must remember to retain a bit of skepticism with everything we hear in an effort to prevent misinformation, one of the many reasons for discrimination and wrongdoing. As we expose these radicals it will become more evident to the American people that prejudice is not welcome in a democracy and every effort to isolate it will be encouraged.

President Ahmadinejad and his cronies belong to the longstanding conservative moment in the country. It is ruled by the Ayotollah with an iron fist, complete with the Gestapo-like henchman who compose the Revolutionary Guard. Secondly, we have the reform movement, which has been spearheaded by Mr. Mousavi. Lastly, we have nearly everyone else, who are lumped into the group called, “Regime Changers”, these are the brave youths running around the streets of Tehran in protest. Until recently, the conservatives and reformers were nearly identical (Mr. Mousavi was the PM of Iran twenty years ago and was close friends with the Ayotollah). The interesting thing happening now, is that the conservative leaders are becoming marginalized by the vast majority of the population. What we have here is the fracturing of Iran, a nation whose people overwhelmingly oppose the government.

Let me transition to the American state of mind in which Iran is considered an enemy. Iran’s nuclear ambition is simply one of the most dangerous issue facing American foreign policy. We, or President Obama, have tough decisions to make, and I am here to analyze the outcomes of each.

First, we must acknowledge that a nuclear Iran not only bolsters its status as a rogue nation, but increases the chance that terrorists may acquire nuclear technology.I doubt Iran would ever launch a missile at the United States (maybe Israel), but stateless actors (Al Qaeda, etc) certainly possess the stubbornness necessary to attack the US via dirty bomb, suicide attack, or however they wish. That’s why the United States must be involved in nuclear non-proliferation, not because of the “Axis of Evil”, but beacuse of the inforamtion those states may share with terrorist counterparts. You may say, “Ok then, what about North Korea”? Well friend, North Korea does not have ties with Islamo-fascist militias, nor does it play an important role in geopolitics. However, Iran’s relationship with these savage militias makes me unconfortable, and for this egotistical regime to obtain nuclear capabilitis would be dangerous for all mankind.

Option 1 – US stays out of Iranian Affairs and Tries to Contain Movement

This may seem to the be least violent of the upcoming options, but it may prove to the most hazardous to world peace. If the Obama administration allows this dictatorship to flourish and revel in its self-perceived rightousness, the tyrant that is Iran will only become more deadly. How is it possible to contain terror? How can jihadists be prevented from spreading their ideas? They have the internet, they have political leverage, they have a wanna-be hollywood director filming Osama bin Laden. Containment here will be like containment during the Cold War. Containment is unattainable. (Nice play on words huh).

Option 2 – US warns Iran of Nuclear Development. If it is not stopped, let the Air Assault begin.

This method would be conducted in a similar fashion to the 1998 US attacks on Iraq and the 1981 Israeli destruction of Iraqi nuclear plants. In no way possible should Iran develop nuclear capabilities, and the US and its allies must do everything it can to prevent the construction of such dangerous weapons. This option, however, may further infuriate the Islamo-fascists across the Middle East, leading to even greater amounts of hatred towards the US. This plan may include an ultimatum, say a year or to to cease nuclear production.

Option 3 – The US must beg, borrow, and deal with other nations to ensure they will not help Iran build nuclear weaponry.

A path was taken in the right direction today, when President Obama and Dmitri Medvedev  agreed on stricter sanctions when dealing with Iranian trade. We must not let sanctions get in the way however, as they hurt all Iranians, not only the ruling regime. This route will must likely include other neutral nations at the roundtable. To avoid war, the West must be able to make some concessions- only however, if Iran halts its nuclear ambitions.

I seriously hope war can be avoided. Israel however, has its trigger finger ready. The new task at hand may not be preventing the Iranians from getting weaponry, but preventing Israel from prematurely attacking Iran. If that were to happen, their is little the US can do. It seems the only way to avoid war would be to concede something to Iran, but wouldn’t that be appeasement?* If Iran wants a greater share of Caspian oil revenues, so be it. It it wants more trade with the West, fine. The US must do everything it can to avert nuclear proliferation in Iran, but it must not become a push-over. This is the greatest nation in history, and I would like to see it live on into eternity. Peace and diplomacy must always come before aggression. However, the Iranians are giving us little choice. 

*By no means do I believe the US should admit its wrong (I do not) , or act as Britain during the 30s and appease Mahmoud like what was done with Hitler. No, the US must stand strong and put all options on the table. The most important thing is preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear technology, which they may then pass off to terrorists.

We all know about Pan Am Flight 103 being blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988. We also know 270 people were killed on that innocent Wednesday morning. What I don’t know is how in the world can Scottish authorities release the mastermind behind the tragedy. 

Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was convicted of murdering those 270 people almost a decade ago. The trial was presided over by Scottish officials in an international tribunal located in the Netherlands. Obviously this was done to appeal to the human rights/ amnesty international crowd. 

Flash forward to 2009. Megrahi is set free on humanitarian grounds. According to the Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny McAskill, compassion is key when dealing with mass murderers. You see, Megrahi has terminal cancer, and his lawyers think it acceptable he be allowed to return to Libya, the nation run by terrorist sympathizer Muammar al-Gaddafi. Did those terrorists show any sympathy? Did his victims get to see their families for a final time? Megrahi should be rotting in a cell, instead of galavanting around and making a mockery of justice.

Not to mention, Gaddafi formally admitted to and apologized for the Lockerbie bombings only a few years ago. Ah, don’t we like it when the terrorists are so straightforward with their admissions?

Oh yeah. President Obama shook hands with “Colonel” Gaddafi at the G8 summit. What’s next, dinner with Chavez, tea with Mahmoud, or Madden with Kim Jong Il?

Let’s think deep, real deep. The planet as we know it is merely a temporal breeding ground for our species, and our ideals. I doubt the world will end in 2012 as many theorists postulate, but in the long run, Earth will not be able to survive. The scientific community supposes the Sun will explode in five billion years, furtheremore, an asteroid could hit our planet at an given moment. Then, life as we know it will end. That is not what I want. Humanity must find a way to expand its reach across the Universe and promote peaceful democratic ideals. The gist of it is this, when Earth becomes ruined via some gargantuan phenomena, I do not want humanity to perish alongside it. Either in 2012 or 1,000,000,000,000 AD, life must go on. It would be a tragedy to consider humanity a species that must stay with Earth.

Everything we now know must be preserved and passed on to further generations, be it literature, history and to spice it up a bit, Earth’s creatures. Earth is the root of humanity, but we must expand ourselves and blossom into benevolent, charitable beings.

I think I may start to write little snippets every now and then expanding on this entry.

I was expecting a full blown critique of American culture, or as Mrs. Jacoby refers to it: infotainment. (I can’t believe the computer recognizes that as a word). Besides telling me, just like Barack Obama, that parents need to take control and turn off the video games, I learned very little. Futhermore, when I asked the author what my generation can do about the so called “culture of junk” she failed to give me a decent answer. Once again, I had hoped for a vibrant discussion on common sense in America, possibly incorporating chats on absurb legal matters and how it is rational to think the opposite of certain American norms. Didn’t happen.

Actually, something interesting did happened. A gentleman asked if Mrs. Jacoby agreed with Ayn Rand’s objectivist school of thought, as he thought the two had much in common. Mrs. Jacoby responded, “I think it’s a crock”. The crowd cheered. Wow, openly lambasting Ayn Rand requires courage. The other thing that is needed when attacking one of the foremost capitalist authors of our day is a strong, detailed opinion that can persuade the audience to believe you. Mrs. Jacoby did not provide any “ensightful” (EM shoutout) information to help me understand the contemporary American fascination with “unreason”.

Disclaimer: If you did not see the speech, therefore you do not understand what I’m getting at, check it out on C-SPAN.

Most of you EM loyalists, that is to say, the six of us who regularly visit the site, know about my Slavic heritage, and to that effect, my extreme aversion to many things Russian. For the most part, this is a consequence of my amazing satirical skills, however, sometimes I?m just not kidding. Recently, as in last week and through today, there was a profound gas shortage in many districts of The Continent, including the redheaded stepchild of the EU, Turkey. Upon hearing this I immediately slammed Russia as the antagonist, but that was just my usual bias. Subsequent articles in the New York Times (eloquent and vivid I might add, as always) revealed to me that Ukraine, not necessarily Russia, was the culprit. Ukraine has had a troubling, yet often inspiring, period of reconstruction after the collapse of the Soviet Union. During the famous Orange Revolution, the leading candidate for the Presidency (who is now in office), Victor Yushchenko was poisoned and left with large amounts of scarring on his face (and we thought the US primaries were brutal!). Fighting through this national dilemma, Ukraine has emerged for the better, inching closer and closer to becoming an industrialized western nation, with hopeful bids for NATO and EU membership.

So let?s get to the point. Gazprom, the Russian gas extraordinaire, ceased its oil shipments to Europe, which equals roughly 36% of all European fuel imports. Before we get upset and say somethings we don?t mean, let?s also explore the Russian inquiry that claims the Ukrainians to be oil thiefs. Supposedly gas was being illegally siphoned from the Druzbha pipelines that are found throughout Eastern Europe.

It seems as if Ukraine is playing hardball with Russia, which may not be such a splendid idea. As Ukraine looks to the future, it sees the NATO, the EU, maybe prosperity, but definitely not mother Russia, or the Soviet Union as many remember it ? and I still call it. Could the fledging democracy known as Ukraine, or to some of us as ??????? (seriously, I may be a self-proclaimed linguist but, come on, can people really decipher these Eastern European symbols) be instigating a battle royal with Russia, or maybe a duel at the world?s strongest man competition (actually, Poland always dominates, sorry guys)? Let?s put it this way. If Ukraine opposes Russia to such an extent that it encourages companionship with the west, it may have a better shot at NATO and the EU, which would make mother Russia weep like a stada baba. The increased isolation of Russia can only benefit us freedom seekers, as the kingdom of Putin is not entirely passive in suppressing basic human rights, and it must develop a more tolerant domestic policy if it wants western friends.

Across Europe, gas shortages have led to increased panic and national states of emergencies. The Czech Republic lost 75% of its imported gas, while the ever-tumultuous Balkans fared little better, Turkey lost everything it had coming from Russia via Ukraine. If the piracy ensues, Putin?s Police State, that?s Russia for you reds, intends to halt all shipments going through Ukraine, regardless if it is to be re-routed to Western Europe.

Fortunately, for us EU lovers anyway, Jose Mannuel Barroso, the President of the European Commission, took a hard line with comrade Putin and treatened major consequences for Russia?s relationship with The Continent. Once again, we are not sure if Ukraine actually stole Russian oil, or if they purposefully restricted gas pipelines coming from Europe, but we do know Austrain and Slovak engineers confirmed Ukrainian pipelines were shut down for a two nights. The European Union can learn a few things from this crisis: 1. Find another source for your energy needs. You cannot depend on Russia, your enemy for decades, to deliver fuel. 2. Ukraine is still a developing nation, and it cannot be counted on to act responsibly (that is the situation with many developed nations also, ironic huh). Germany has already realized this and is currently constructing a gas route from Russia, across the Baltic, to the fatherland.

All in all, this has been just another day in the ever-interesting wide world of Slavs. I hope I have informed you non-Slavs of the world across the Atlantic, one that is still controlled by ancient tribal discrepancies and fueds.

Politicians around the globe are obsessed with being “green”. Are they doing it for the future of mankind, or simply just to arouse potential voters? Treaties like Kyoto are seen as a great leap forward by the average person, they view it as an example of humanity’s passion and courage- but to me and the rest of the intelligencia, they are lilliputian.

Earth’s grim fate lies in the ability of mankind to resist technological innovation and disgraceful politics. Not one method of obtaining alternitive energy has proved to be worthwhile- they merely reduce emissions and prolong our search and suffering. The fallacy of emission cuts is leading us to our grave. Such diminutive reductions will not improve our (and the Earth’s) situation. The industrialized world has already stained Earth for the time being and burgeoning nations like India and China won’t help the least bit. Let’s get real people, these emission cuts are implemented to appease the public and pull the wool over our eyes. Big business will continue to grow (yes, yes, I’m a libertarian) and decimate our planet’s biodiversity.

Earth’s clean, healthy future must become a reality. However, to achieve such a goal would mean widespread deindustrialisation and, most importantly, depopulation. Humans are the culprit, therefore we must rethink our role in the biosphere and act accordingly. Devolution into primitivism is the only way to rebuild (or regrow) Earth. If that fails, or isn’t attemped, we must colonize another planet. We cannot continue to live on a planet that has fallen ill to our machines and selfishness. These are the routes humanity can take. So, where do you stand?