pappajacks

Most of the Reagan Idolatry is just political hyperbole from the right. He was pretty much a caretaker president with his major impact being large tax cuts and big deficits and the cost/benefit of that policy is dependent on your place on the political spectrum. His impact on the Cold war is IMO vastly overstated but if you want to give him the credit for ending it than to be fair you really should blame him for creating Osama Bin Laden as a paramilitary political entity and encouraging Saddam Hussein to commit genocide and use poisonous gas. Either way a pretty unremarkable President whose competence is either greatly exxagerated or diminished in a period of overheated punditocracy much like Clinton.

Forwards: Dany Heatley (Atlanta), Joe Thornton (Boston), Joe Sakic (Colorado), Brenden Morrow (Dallas), Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby and Steve Yzerman (Detroit), Ryan Smyth (Edmonton), Simon Gagné (Philadelphia), Shane Doan (Phoenix), Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh), Patrick Marleau (San Jose), Brad Richards and Martin St-Louis (Tampa Bay) and Jarome Iginla (Calgary). Defense: Rob Blake and Adam Foote (Colorado), Eric Brewer (Edmonton), Scott Niedermayer (New Jersey), Wade Redden (Ottawa), Chris Pronger (Saint Louis), Ed Jovanovski (Vancouver) and Robyn Regehr (Calgary). Goaltenders: Roberto Luongo (Florida), Martin Brodeur (New Jersey) and Ed Belfour (Toronto). ___________________ I can't believe players like Vincent Lecavalier, Rick Nash, Keith Primeau, Paul Kariya and Jose Theodore were left off the team. The World Cup starts on August 29 and the USA is the defending champion.

Baseball could thrive in Montreal once again if the team is run properly. If we were talking about contraction 20 years ago, teams like Atlanta, Cleveland, Seattle and San Francisco would be long gone. Look how those markets flourished with a winning team and a new stadium. Montreal is no different. Montreal has a population of 3 million, and that doesn't include the potential of the market, which included in the past Quebec City, Ottawa and northern Vermont. The 1994 strike killed the franchise. Instead of investing in the team, the owners decided to hold a firesale and trade away Walker, Grissom, Hill and Wetteland. Pedro Martinez and Moises Alou soon followed. For years the owners in Montreal pocketed revenue sharing money instead of spending that money on players. They filled their pockets with revenue sharing money and I'm glad MLB stepped in and decided to toss them aside. There is a reason the team drew an average of 10,000 a game the last few years: firesale after firesale, crappy stadium not located downtown and constant relocation threats have made thousands of fans turn away from the game. Don't get me wrong, baseball isn't as popular as hockey in Montreal and Montreal isn't and will never be as baseball crazy as St-Louis, Chicago, Boston and New York. But, if run properly with committed owners, it's no worse a baseball town than most MLB cities.

...that he is Pat Patterson's real life partner? Or is it just a rumor started by the IWC?

Uh...because Grenier doesn't deserve the time he gets on TV and I was wondering the possible reason behind it. In A-Train and Batista's cases, we all knew that Vinnie mac had a fetish with hosses.

People are right when they type that you are too white.

Blix: Iraq war was illegal Blair's defence is bogus, says the former UN weapons inspector By Anne Penketh in Stockholm and Andrew Grice 05 March 2004 The former chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix has declared that the war in Iraq was illegal, dealing another devastating blow to Tony Blair. Mr Blix, speaking to The Independent, said the Attorney General's legal advice to the Government on the eve of war, giving cover for military action by the US and Britain, had no lawful justification. He said it would have required a second United Nations resolution explicitly authorising the use of force for the invasion of Iraq last March to have been legal. His intervention goes to the heart of the current controversy over Lord Goldsmith's advice, and comes as the Prime Minister begins his fightback with a speech on Iraq today. An unrepentant Mr Blair will refuse to apologise for the war in Iraq, insisting the world is a better place without Saddam Hussein in power. He will point to the wider benefits of the Iraq conflict, citing Libya's decision to give up its weapons of mass destruction, but warn that the world cannot turn a blind eye to the continuing threat from WMD. But, in an exclusive interview, Mr Blix said: "I don't buy the argument the war was legalised by the Iraqi violation of earlier resolutions." And it appeared yesterday that the Government shared that view until the eve of war, when it received the Lord Goldsmith's final advice. Sir Andrew Turnbull, the Cabinet Secretary, revealed that the Government had assumed, until the eve of war in Iraq, that it needed a specific UN mandate to authorise military action. Mr Blix demolished the argument advanced by Lord Goldsmith three days before the war began, which stated that resolution 1441 authorised the use of force because it revived earlier UN resolutions passed after the 1991 ceasefire. Mr Blix said that while it was possible to argue that Iraq had breached the ceasefire by violating UN resolutions adopted since 1991, the "ownership" of the resolutions rested with the entire 15-member Security Council and not with individual states. "It's the Security Council that is party to the ceasefire, not the UK and US individually, and therefore it is the council that has ownership of the ceasefire, in my interpretation." He said to challenge that interpretation would set a dangerous precedent. "Any individual member could take a view - the Russians could take one view, the Chinese could take another, they could be at war with each other, theoretically," Mr Blix said. The Attorney General's opinion has come under fresh scrutiny since the collapse of the trial against the GCHQ whistleblower Katharine Gun last week, prompting calls for his full advice to be made public. Mr Blix, who is an international lawyer by training, said: "I would suspect there is a more sceptical view than those two A4 pages," in a reference to Clare Short's contemptuous description of the 358-word summary. It emerged on Wednesday that a Foreign Office memo, sent to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on the same day that Lord Goldsmith's summary was published, made clear that there was no "automaticity" in resolution 1441 to justify war. Asked whether, in his view, a second resolution authorising force should have been adopted, Mr Blix replied: "Oh yes." In the interview, ahead of the publication next week of his book Disarming Iraq: The search for weapons of mass destruction, Mr Blix dismissed the suggestion that Mr Blair should resign or apologise over the failure to find any WMD in Iraq. But he suggested that the Prime Minister may have been fatally wounded by his loss of credibility, and that voters would deliver their verdict. "Some people say Bush and Blair should be put before a tribunal and I say that you have the punishment in the political field here," he said. "Their credibility has been affected by this: Bush too lost some credibility." He repeated accusations the US and British governments were "hyped" intelligence and lacking critical thinking. "They used exclamation marks instead of question marks." "I have some understanding for that. Politicians have to simplify to explain, they also have to act in this world before they have 100 per cent evidence. But I think they went further." "But I never said they had acted in bad faith," he added. "Perhaps it was worse that they acted out of good faith." The threat allegedly posed by Saddam's WMD was the prime reason cited by the British government for going to war. But not a single item of banned weaponry has been found in the 11 months that have followed the declared end of hostilities. Mr Blair will argue that similar decisive action will need to be taken in future to combat the threat of rogue states and terrorists obtaining WMD.

There are many other dictators out there. Why doesn't the US go after them? If our attack on Iraq was something you'd oppose, why would you support an attack on somebody else? What is it about Saddam that makes him such a martyr for you? My question was rhetorical. I know why the US went into Iraq (and spent $87 billion) and not into other countries with dictators. Iraq possessed a resource that the US wants (oil). Let's not be foolish and believe that the US went into Iraq primarily to eliminate a threat or to "liberate" the Iraqi people. Those were secondary factors. The US gov lied to its citizens, just like the French gov lied to its citizens. The French didnt oppose the war for moralistic reasons, they opposed it because the US and US companies would get to the "resource" quicker. The French are just as guilty (or innocent, depends on how you look at it) as the US. Both countries acted for their own benefit. As for Hussein, no one answered my question yet. Why would Hussein even consider attacking the US? The guy might be evil and despises the US with a passion, but even he isn't that dumb to attempt to attack the most powerful country in the world and give the US sympathy from the international community like it had after the 9/11 attacks. The last thing he wants is to give a reason for the most powerful country in the world to attack him and consequently remove him from power. The last thing he wants is to give a reason for the UN and ally nations to support the US in a war. He saw what happened to Bin Laden, who now has to hide in a cave for the rest of his life. Hussein would gladly remain President of his country and live as a king for the rest of his life than to give a reason for the world to remove him from power. Hussein knows his limits: he could torture his own citizens. The day where he attempts to attack anyone else (whether the US or neighbouring countries), is the day he stops living as a king and has to hide for the rest of his life (because the international community will come after him). Like I mentioned, the man might as evil as they get, but he isnt stupid. By the way, did Hussein attack anyone outside his country since Kuweit? He learned his lesson and was warned that if he did it again, the allies will go all the way next time and invade his country instead of merely chasing him out of another country. I dont blame Hussein to have weapons (not WMDs though). Hell, he has a resource, and if he doesnt protect it (or give the impression that he has the means to protect it), neighbouring countries will take advantage of his weakness (lack of defense) to get to the resource.

Sadaam isn't the only dictator in the world guilty of those crimes. Many are still running their countries the same way and yet the good ol' USA doesn't give a damn about them. To think that the US attacked Iraq to "liberate" the Iraqi people is naive. To also think that Sadaam was a threat or would be a threat to the US is also naive. The man isn't as stupid as you think. The last thing he wants is to give a reason for the most powerful country in the world to attack him and consequently remove him from power. The last thing he wants is to give a reason for the UN and ally nations to support the US in a war. Sadaam might be evil, but even he knows his limits.

There are many other dictators out there. Why doesn't the US go after them?

Says who? That's what they said in 1987 when Rene Levesque passed away. 8 years later, 49.6% voted yes to sovereignty. Sovereignty will never die as there will always be at least 40% of sovereignists in Quebec.

Is it possible (just for one night) to have RAW and Smackdown go head to head on a Monday Night? Both shows are on different stations, the question is if the WWE can convince UPN to have the Smackdown show on Monday for a one night shot. I think it would be an idea worth exploring, and who knows, could help the WWE is the long run by further distinguishing both brands and creating real competition between the bookers. Something has to change at this point because the ratings have been stagnant for almost 2 years now.

There was a time where WWE was getting 6.0 and the WCW 4.0 rating every week. The WWE was making the most $ when it had a real threat. Create that threat again and you never know. I sincerely believe if the product is good, there is enough wrestling fans out there to support it. Think long-term more than short-term. 2 brands (feds) going against each other means 24 PPVs every year. Like I said, try it once and see what happens. It's worth the risk considering that ratings haven't picked up since 2002.

I dont live in the USA, but from what I've been reading in the last few months, it seems like Hilary Clinton is a lock for the 2008 election. It's her election to lose. Which begs the question: can she actually pull it off?

Is there any free online poker sites? Where I can play with others just for fun.

Was watching some of his work on tape. Anyone know if he is still alive? Someone told me the actor who played Pussy in The Sopranos was Magnificent Muraco. I have a feeling he is pulling my leg.

I guess they must of searched his beard for those elusive weapons of mass destruction, eh? Freedom and democracy is so beautiful.

ACTUALLY, the ironic thing is that guys like this DON'T tend to off themselves. They will ask and expect their supporters to do it --- but they won't. He didn't. Hitler didn't. When we find him, bin Laden will be alive, too. -=Mike That's because Hussein wants to give his side of the story, the relationships he had with the US, France, Russia and Germany throughout the last 2 decades. A lot of politicians will end up looking very bad. I think they should go even further and find out who entrenched him in power and supplied him with his arsenal.

Well, if idiocy was a WMD, God knows they could find a treasure trove with you. -=Mike Mike, what segment of my post was idiotic? Good to know that opposing views are welcomed in this forum. Resorting to name calling was very mature. Congratulations.

The invasion of Iraq was just a smokescreen for the US not finding bin Laden and throwing Americans a bone to chew on while they failed miserably at protecting their own people. A great day indeed. I feel bad for Americans who continue to be played by their government and media.

There is an interview and nice pics of Summer in Stuff magazine. After reading her comments, it seems like she is playing her real self on the show. Very stuck up.

You should borrow the "Sex, Lies, and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and the WWF" book. It has all the answers you need if you're doing a research paper on the WWF.

Offer a new $15 million contract to The Rock tomorrow morning, with a clause restricting him from going to Hollywood more than 4 months a year. There is no excuse not to have that man on RAW every week. If i was running a company, i'll do everything in my power to keep the employee that makes me the most money. The Rock is still a draw and people like him cannot be duplicated.

Why isn't there OC in Canada tonight?

World Wrestling Entertainment Contract of Employment Terms of Contract: (as Agreed Upon by Bill Goldberg, World Wrestling Entertainment, and Hunter Hearst Helmsley) 1. Welcome to World Wrestling Entertainment. In order to break you in and trim your learning curve, we've attempted to become as much like World Championship Wrestling as possible. 2. In WCW, they kept your aura strong by limiting your talking, avoiding comedy, and keeping you off TV until your scheduled match. That is what got you over, but this is WWE, and we don't let people get over. Forget the aura; with us, it's silly promo's with you, Goldust, and blond wigs. Anything else might actually draw money. 3. In WCW, you were given an undefeated winning streak that was eventually ended by Kevin Nash, at which point business began to crumble. There is no reason to expect the same thing won't happen this time around, either. 4. In an interview with WWE.com, HHH mentioned you were fed a bunch of easy wins to put you over. In WWE, we have 2 sets of jobbers to feed our stars. The set of faces we use to feed easy wins to HHH consists of the following: a) Jeff Hardy b) Rob Van Dam c) Chris Jericho d) Spike Dudley e) Booker T f) Hurricane g) Maven h) Everyone else will get their turn, eventually For you, we have a set of heels we'll use to feed you easy wins too, consisting of the following: a) Christian 5. When you eventually lose to HHH, you are not to attempt any of the following (doing so will result in either immediate termination or transfer to SmackDown): a) kicking out of near falls b) getting in any sort of offense whatsoever c) putting your leg on the rope d) pinning HHH after a ref bump e) no-selling f) jackhammer, spear, or anything else the crowd will want to see g) reversing the Pedigree h) absolutely no run-in's, unless they're heels coming to doubleteam you i) sticking out your tongue and growling at the crowd for babyface heat j) wrestling without a shirt, which may diminish the aura of HHH's physique For help on losing convincingly without putting up a fight, please consult with road agents Terry Taylor, Arn Anderson, Dean Malenko, and HHH's manager, Ric Flair. They've been there, done that. 6. Aside from your impending squash to HHH, please show off your physique as much as possible. At WWE, we're very understanding of the fact you may not have trained hard in the gym for awhile. We're willing to help you get back into peak form in as little time as possible. For help in obtaining "suddenly huge physiques," please consult with Scott Steiner, HHH (do not look or speak directly at Him), Nathan Jones, Bob Holly, Kevin Nash, and Vince McMahon. 7. Remember the nerds and geeks you beat up in grade school and became cool because of it? One of those geeks is now our top writer. Goldberg, meet Gewirtz. 8. Our developmental graduate, Dave Bautista, started to get over with a shaved head. After too many "Goldberg" chants, we made him grow his hair short, and he has since flopped. Since you'll be getting "Goldberg" chants too, it would make sense for us to do the same with you. Free combs are provided, paid for with deductions from your paycheck. 9. We'll be designing several merchandise items with your likeness. All revenues generated by these items are yours to keep! There is no need to check the printed receipts of these items, we'll take care of that. We repeat, DO NOT check the printed receipts. If any of the receipts from your merchandise ring up under HHH's name, trust us, it's a mistake. Really. Any revenues of yours that get accidentally transferred into HHH's paycheck are, again, simply a mistake. Trust us. 10. WWE has a strict, fool-proof steroid policy. You'll be tested on April 1, 2004 (the last day of your contract). We're giving you 12 months advance notice, so there isn't much time. We're serious about these tests, Buster, so your system better be clean by then. 11. Do not object to any angles that may involve you smashing a limousine window with your bare triceps. Yeah, yeah, we know that's how you injured yourself severely in WCW. Who cares. Nothing you did in WCW counts, and that goes for everyone else on the roster except Kevin Nash. 12. We're well aware that you ended Bret Hart's career by giving him a concussion at Starrcade '99. Lots of fans know it, too. But if Bret ever comes back to WWE, don't expect us to create a feud based on your history with him. As stated elsewhere in this contract, you are not permitted to do anything that might actually draw money. 13. You're Jewish, and we're WWE. In other words, expect to have your roots & religious heritage exploited as much as humanly possible. For help in dealing with the unrest this may cause you and your family, please consult with Teddy Long, Jazz, Rodney Mack, D-Lo Brown, Booker T, General Adnan, the Iron Sheik, Tiger Ali, Faarooq, Mr. Fuji, Eddy Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero, and the 2,000 other people listed on the attached document (see Appendix KKK). If any of the planned controversy draws criticism from the media, we'll just apologize like we always do. 14. Expect to be made a fool of on television. We've had Jonathan Coachman dance and sing like a fool for the Rock, and we'll likely do something similar for you. Your open invitation to the Kiss My Ass club will be honored at a time of our choosing. Expect this to happen in your hometown, and with your family in the front row. 15. We're aware that you love to sign autographs for sick kids. We welcome such generosity in WWE, but do NOT do so unless our cameras are rolling and capturing it all. Acts of kindness are welcome here, but never behind the scenes. And whatever financial contributions you make, be sure to get a receipt in Vince McMahon's name, and artificially inflate the value of the tax write-off. 16. Kick Chris Jericho's ass, please. We won't reprimand you, honest. He had a more entertaining feud with Shawn Michaels than HHH did, and frankly, that pisses us off. Just throw him to the ground and throw some punches that don't land, and we'll have our agents break it up. As with most political feuds, Kevin Nash will instigate it. Leave the rest to us. 17. Should you ever go to SmackDown, try not to Jackhammer the Big Show. I know you did it in WCW, but that was 5 years ago. He's packed on quite a few pounds since then, and you're not as strong as you used to be. Performing that move would be a health hazard for you both. Besides, it will put a damper on our plans to push Big Show to the moon, which we always do when business fails, and it surely will after you see the way we screw up your arrival. 18. There are absolutely no plans for you to do any sort of matches or angles with Steve Austin or Brock Lesnar, which the public is interested in most. Remember, that drawing money thing. 19. If you disobey items #1-18 and actually start to really get over, we're going to turn you heel. Whenever you, Austin, or Flair turn heel, all facets of business seem to die. We're going to use that to our (HHH's) advantage. We'll put ourselves out of business if we have to. That'll show you! Don't tempt us. And finally... 20. Regardless of what you and 100% of straight males really think, you are to pretend Stephanie McMahon is the most beautiful woman on Earth. Scott Steiner did this upon his arrival, when he pretended to choose Stephanie over the Godfather's Ho's. Forget the fact Stephanie is slowly morphing into Chyna. Forget the fact that in her commercial with Carrot Top, we can't tell who's whom. Forget the fact that her increasingly deep voice makes the Black Scorpion sound like Abdullah the Butcher. You are to treat her like the Goddess she isn't, even when she is as old as Mae Young. That is, if we're still in business by then. And given that we're 100% determined to see you fail, you can bet we sure as Hell won't be. Please recite 4 "Hail Stephanie's" and chant "The HHH's Prayer" 6 times. In the name of the Vince, the Shane, the Stephanie, the Linda, and the Hunter, Amen. Now sign below, in your own blood. There are plenty of pre-owned, used razors in Vince's office for you to blade yourself with. After signing, make photocopies for yourself using the Xerox machine in Pat Patterson's office (never mind the smears of ring boys' buttocks that have stained the inside of the machine). The Xerox only accepts $100 bills, and no change is given. Rinse your blade under running water and return to Vince's Used Blades Bin. We'll FedEx you your New Employee kit, and paid postage will be required upon receipt of the package, so we advise you keep some cash on you. If you need to use the restroom on the way out, please use our pay toilets down the hall, and wrap your doodie in paper towels. We're hording a bunch of that stuff for future pranks on Sable if she ever gives us attitude (or even if she doesn't). Thank you, and welcome to WWE! x______________________________ Bill Goldberg x_______________________________ Vince McMahon, approving Bill Goldberg's signature x_______________________________ HHH, approving Vince McMahon's signature Credit: WrestlingProfessor.com