Overzealous Fireflies

Last night, I beamed aboard the Firefly (no, not the tv series) caravan heading to Cedar Key. For those of you who don't know, it's about 45-50 mins West of Gainesville, straight shot on Archer. It's a small, but scenic place. Some have called it the "poor man's Key West." Perhaps apt-- some of the restaurants are very good though. In particular, I enjoy Seabreeze and recommend the Mariner's Feast. For the moment, a clash between Seabreeze, Hurricane Katrina, and insurance claims adjusters have the place shut down, but it'll be back and better than ever. Wonderful atmosphere and with a view of the sea that stretches as far as you can imagine.

The Fireflies class, led by the world's leading expert on them, Dr. James Lloyd, who I know as "Uncle Lloyd," went to a little known park and took in the scenery before scrounging around really sharp flora for firefly larvae.


This is where you can take your boats in... tide's out


A dock that stretches out for several dozen yards, sometimes into mud, sometimes into deep water

If you'd like to catch a firefly without going anywhere, get a penlight or make one (parts at radio shack), and mimic firefly mating flashes by watching their timing as they wait on the ground and keeping your thumb/finger over the light while you do it.

For more on the legendary James Lloyd, well, look him up on the UF directory and give him a call. For more on his life's work, you can get a good start here.

Overzealous Serenity

[Editor's note: OP was invited to an advance screening of Serenity in the Fashion Square Mall's Premiere 14 in Orlando on 9/27. Serenity is a movie taking place in the same universe with the same characters as the short-lived Firefly series, which ran 11 episodes on FOX and went largely unnoticed until DVD sales surged, leading to a movie deal. PEOPLE NOT WANTING SPOILERS SHOULD ONLY READ THE SUMMARY SECTION.]

Summary

Believe.

This movie asks you to believe... in something. It doesn't matter what it is, but you have to believe in something.

I would never have believed you if you had told me before I watched Serenity that I would actually like the film. But I didn't just like it, I really liked it. Believe it. For personal enjoyment, this movie is easily four stars because it's a lot of fun and it keeps you involved. In the overall pretentious-movie-critic analysis, it might be three and a half stars, but then, I don't watch these types of movies to unravel the deep or superficial secrets of the universe or to tell me about humanity-- that's what Star Trek is for.

This is just good, clean, overzealous fun. Give it a chance.


Background

I am not the best person to tell you about the history you need in order to understand this film. That would be the person who sat next to me in the screening, whose interminable description of the movie's prequel television series (Firefly) left me wishing I had never gotten involved with OP. But I cannot give the movie its deserved praise without some background.

You've got the big Alliance, which isn't purely bad, not purely good, trying to exert control on other human worlds. The Alliance is clean, bright in the same way that the United Federation of Planets is, except that it has a very very dark underbelly. This is Joss Whedon's way of saying, "We like Star Trek, but it's an ideal, not reality. THIS is reality." Other human worlds rebel and LOSE. Some of those losers form a rag tag crew under Mal, who led 5000 troops into the Battle of Serenity Hill and was one of two survivors. Human civilization is mostly comprised of American and Chinese influences, although other things survive, like various religions.

Yup, this is a rag tag bunch of characters. If you want to know more, read this excellent review of the movie by a real fan.


Brief Plot Notes

***SPOILERS BEGIN SPOILERS***

The plot does revolve around the mystery of River-- a young gifted girl, perverted into a dreadful weapon, who is being tracked by the Alliance. Throughout our dalliance with River's thoughts, we find that the Alliance is dangerous in both its firepower and its covert infiltration through propaganda and education.

The Serenity has to go through many trials, notably with the Reavers. These demonic humans apparently rape people to death, eat people, skin people, and not necessarily in that order. In one scene, Mal has to shoot someone who was being captured by the Reavers. They're horribly disfigured and people with queasy stomachs may see them at night before they go to bed. I have read some other reviews of Serenity from fellow bloggers who attended the screening and I want to dispel the 'gore' notion-- there's not much gore at all and I think Whedon goes out of his way to not show bloody Braveheart style human limb destruction.

But we do get an epic space battle out of this between the Reavers and the Alliance. Yes, there's shaky camera work, but it's all the rage right now in the much-vaunted naturalistic science fiction. I don't think Whedon is arrogant in it, and it works for the tone of the material. It's not Star Trek, folks. Get used to it.

Throughout the movie, from beginning until end, we deal with death. Admiral Kirk once said that how we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life. Whedon, as massive a Trekker as he is, seems to be ill-suited to grapple with the question of death in this movie. With characters so important dying, though, I expected better of him. Then again, these deaths also were more senseless and in that way, more natural. Sometimes that's what life throws at you.

Fortunately, Whedon does far better with questions of life.

I'll follow up on this later.


The Operative

The Operative was superb. Whedon's stated purpose with the character was to have him be calm, cool, and incredibly creepy. His says of the actor, “Chiwetel managed to completely internalize The Operative and make him somebody very real. Decent, thoughtful and a mass murderer.” Throughout this movie, you can see a slow transformation for The Operative. The Operative starts out as someone who has never met his match and never met his moral equivalent. He coldly sneers, "What do you think is going to happen?" when he thinks he has but one more move before checkmate of our good Captain.



The Operative makes his move

And yet, you get the peculiar sense that this man is, for all his belief, still someone looking in from the outside. He often lectures, but he's too smart to be the braindead sort of patronizing lecturer. He responds to challenges, "Do you really believe that?"

Don't ever be fooled by Whedon's association with Warren Ellis-- he's very much in the market of creating characters with two sides to them. They are human, even The Operative, who is in a Warren Ellis character mold, but with the depth of a Whedon character. Ellis' superliberal diatribes lack depth or any semblance of complexity for they depict sheer charicatures of ideas and longing. They are so shrouded in the ethos of the social reject as powerful and special that they crowd out any potential brilliance. Ellis and Whedon are good friends, and I know Whedon admires Ellis' work, but it really should be the other way around... as The Operative proves.


Conclusion

In the end, the movie proved surprising in many respects. The characters had more depth, and more sides. They were not singly social rejects, nor singly courageous, nor singly anything. Although I might have issues with how they dealt with death, and these are not minor issues, they have to move on. If we want to see them deal, I suppose we can beg for a sequel.

The movie had some themes. One was the power of belief. Whedon, I think, tried his best to have some commentary, but it ended up seeming more mystical in the Matrix sense. In the Matrix sequels, the writers took themselves far too seriously and invented a set of circular neologisms that they probably thought were really clever. Serenity isn't that bad, not by a long shot, because they don't dwell on *belief* and *love* for very long, but they're kind of propped up... for what, we're never really sure. Contrary to what Whedon sloppily tried to throw in there, belief wasn't at all a component of Mal's actions in saving the day. It was more relevant for The Operative, but still... yeah. You'll see. And yes, River is obviously just a computer geek's fantasy writ large for all the Firefly rejects to see, but I don't think Whedon overdoes it.



River

In conclusion, I highly recommend the film though because it is entertaining, fun, and hilarious. You want to keep watching what comes next. You want to hear what all these characters have to say. The special effects are good. You won't see too many of them, but that's just as well since the strength of this film is its characters. The music works very well. On occasion, as you can see with The Operative pic I posted, there is a beautiful vista. The directing at times is weak, but the pacing seems good. Some of the one liners are weak, but I promise you, they are not as bad as they could have been. My brother, who is supposedly much cooler than I, and who initially claimed I had "burned" him by bringing him to the theater once he was the other people in the room, said he really liked the movie too!

So, having said how much I didn't want to like this movie at first, I think this is a universe we can come back to in order to see what happens next.

And I hope we do.

For more comprehensible analysis and round-up, click here.

Update: 1838 hours from IMDB:

In her review, Manohla Dargis in the New York Times compares Joss Whedon's Serenity with George Lucas's Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith. Serenity comes out ahead. "Scene for scene," she writes, "Serenity is more engaging and certainly better written and acted than any of Mr. Lucas's recent screen entertainments. Mr. Whedon isn't aiming to conquer the pop-culture universe with a branded mythology; he just wants us to hitch a ride to a galaxy far, far away and have a good time." Jan Stuart in Newsday makes a similar comparison, remarking: "George Lucas could learn a thing or two from Whedon. Serenity flies with sass and spirit, qualities that have been in palpably short supply in that Star Wars series since, well, Star Wars." Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times also indicates that he had a good time watching the movie, writing: "Serenity is made of dubious but energetic special effects, breathless velocity, much imagination, some sly verbal wit and a little political satire." Elizabeth Weitzman in the New York Daily News notes that the movie appears to exist as a the final episode of Whedon's canceled Firefly TV series and because the show's fans "made the Firefly DVD set an unexpected best seller." She adds: "Whedon's sci-fi fantasies smartly parallel the serious issues we're grappling with here on Earth, while his protagonists remain mordantly funny in the face of utter disaster. Like Star Trek before it, the outer-space setting is perfectly suited to a big budget" movie.

Overzealous FSU Alum

I have no words for this, except to say- he went to FSU
























I just hope this was not addressed to Michael Jackson, whose dream is to look like this:

Overzealous Bedtime Reading

For those loyal readers with children, I cannot encourage you to buy any book more than this one. Help! Mom! There are Liberals Under My Bed! by Katharine DeBrecht gets rave reviews from me. It will teach your kids, and maybe even you, a little something about how the world works.

It's something like this: conservatives build, liberals destroy. Simple, easy, FUN! At the low bargain price of $15.95, you can do your part to make the children the future. I'd like to thank associate OP Matthew Klein for this one.

Overzealous Preview, part II

Please, my friends, please...

I have fresh new editions of my Byzantium and MacArthur serials en route. You won't want to miss them. Overzealous Byzantium, parts III through VI: Middle Empire Art, Early Empire Art, Grand Strategy, and From There to Here. And who knows where we'll go from there! Well, we could go to MacArthur! Overzealous MacArthur, parts III through VIII: World War I, Between Wars, World War II: Philippines & New Guinea, Japan, Korea, and An Old Soldier, Ever Anew.

I will take suggestions for other epic, unreadable ramblings as well. But in the immediate future, expect postings on:

1. Dolphins-- culture, language, prospects as a key to the future
2. The Space Shuttle-- the engines, the disasters, the hope
3. Boston Legal
4. Serenity review

My sources tell me that there are pending top ten lists, such as "top 10 most intelligent people." Also, please welcome MisterGreens to OP as a contributor. He's far more successful than any other OP ever will be. Of course, is he an expert in dolphin communication?

NO.

Overzealous Canadian Singer

The executives at CNN are apparently trying to increase Larry King's sagging ratings (and yes, he still has a show) by inviting as many insane celebrities as possible on as guests. On the heels of Sean Penn comes Ms. Celine Dion. Now, for those of you who didn't know, after Celine did that annoying Titanic song she had a baby, tried to poison her husband with the cancer, and got her very own Vegas show.

Celine also apparently started to develop opinions about things...such as letting the people in New Orleans "Touch those things." The clip also shows CNN's new attempt to catch up to Fox News (Real News, Fair and Balanced) by having Larry King encourage his guests to break into song and by bestowing undeserved praise on them. For example, calling them troopers because they do their job after babbling incoherently on talk shows...wow what a trooper Celine is. Nonetheless, she should be applauded for giving "1 million dollar" but if that means we have to listen to her talk, then I say take your money back you dirty French Canadian.

Overzealous SOUR GRAPES

Jimmy "I never met a dictator I didn't like" Carter still believes that Al Gore won the 2000 election. In other news, my 6 year-old cousin Laura still believes in Santa Claus. Coincidence? Hardly.

Carter notes how the country "failed abysmally" in the 2000 election and claims that "there is no doubt in [his] mind that Al Gore was elected President." He must have forgotten (senility will do that to a man) that the USA utilizes the Electoral College. The founding fathers of this nation set up the Electoral College for one reason, and one reason only: to keep the GOP in office in case the Democrats win the popular vote. It's PURE GENIUS.

Does anyone else find it ironic that Carter's own concoction to measure the nation's economic well-being, the Misery Index, rose 50% in his four years as President?

Stagflation is a bitch, Mr. Carter. So is Al Gore. You two were meant for each other.

Overzealous GLOBAL WARMING

OH MY GOD!!!!!!!! GET TO THE GROCERY STORES NOW AND GET WATER, GET CANNED FOODS, ***ANYTHING*** BEFORE IT GETS SPOILED!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!



SHIT. What are we going to do?

Overzealous SERENITY Screening

As you know, Overzealous Prosecutors (OP) is taking people's IM lists by storm. Well, people were talking and Universal Pictures just had to have OP at an Orlando screening for critics of the new movie SERENITY. So this Tuesday, me and someone else will attend it.

Serenity's commercials are currently airing, but if you'd like more information, visit the movie's website, which has the trailer and production notes.



Here is the film's synopsis:

Joss Whedon, the Oscar® - and Emmy - nominated writer/director responsible for the worldwide television phenomena of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE, ANGEL and FIREFLY, now applies his trademark compassion and wit to a small band of galactic outcasts 500 years in the future in his feature film directorial debut, Serenity. The film centers around Captain Malcolm Reynolds, a hardened veteran (on the losing side) of a galactic civil war, who now ekes out a living pulling off small crimes and transport-for-hire aboard his ship, Serenity. He leads a small, eclectic crew who are the closest thing he has left to family –squabbling, insubordinate and undyingly loyal.

Now, you know me, I'm no sci-fi freak, just a Trek Nazi, so you will get a fair and balanced review from me. And the readership wants a review of this movie so that's what they're gonna get. Special shout out to associate OP Hunter Williams on the venture.

Overzealous Friday Television

AMAZING.

AMAZING.

First, the Battlestar Galactica (BSG) mid-season finale aired tonight. Pushing the envelope as always, Ron Moore's "naturalistic science fiction" (just another phrase for trendy science fiction that tries to be like Star Trek, which, of course, Moore wrote for many many many years) dealt with the treatment of prisoners and the boundaries of law and order in a military at war. This is the best show currently on television.

AND IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME, GO WATCH THE SEASON 1 FINALE WHICH IS AVAILABLE ON THE SCIFI.COM WEBSITE!!!!!! If you listen to just one thing from me, don't listen to my politics, listen to this plea: BSG is worth your time! Watch this finale from last year!

Now, for this week's episode, I find myself agreeing with almost everything that Commander Adama has ever done on the show. I am dismayed thus far in the portrayal of Admiral Cain, played by ST:TNG's Lieutenant Ro (no, nitpickers, she was a Lieutenant by the time of her 7th season cameo), who was originally played by Lloyd Bridges as Commander Cain. Cain was a legendary war hero but this Cain appears to be one of the worst commanders in the history of all armed forces. This is another of Ron Moore's weaknesses: he gets really really cocky in his writings, thinking he has the right to take liberty with things that are greater for him. Turn no further than Star Trek Generations and Captain Kirk's alleged "death."

Anyway, I'm holding my breath about the future episode where a doctor saves President Roslin from her cancer by using embryonic stem cells. I'll probably shoot myself, but on to better topics:

G V B!!!!!

Girls versus Boys is the hottest show on the Noggin network and it's taking this country by storm. This season they're in Puerto Rico. There is no match for the conniving that these reality television stars employ. They are willing to go out with each other for the gain of "points," mock their partners in front of the whole group mercilessly as they cry, and then laugh about it and high five later on. They are high schoolers. In any case, if you want to see how low, or high television entertainment has gone, check your local listings for GvB.

Overzealous Entertainers

During the summer semester, many of the folks were upset by the rigged competition on ABC's Dancing with the Stars. Some no-name, overaged actress (Kelly Monaco, I think) just made her last outfits tighter than ever, put a little extra make-up on, and SHIZAM!! She beat the pure favorite and dance master himself, John O'Hurley, best known for playing the legendary character J. Peterman on Seinfeld. J. Peterman ranks up there with Khan N. Singh, Q, and Edith Keeler as the most memorable television guest starring personalities.

After a rematch of epic proportions ("Ali vs. Frazier" said mega-host Tom Bergeron) John O'Hurley has finally received his due. Thank you.

Overzealous Skip???

Sources tell OP that Skip Moedinger has finally lost it. Apparently in his never ending failing quest to get elected to the UCF student senate (Can you say Grapski?) Skip has lost it and has turned to violence. Basically for those who don't know, Skip had the longest facebook profile in history...which should remind everyone to be wary of those who talk about themselves that much on the facebook.

Anyways read here about how Skip snapped and pushed a student Senator at U Cant Fail and followed that up by sending him threatening messages on the facebook.

use this email to log in: bugmenot@bugmenot.com

Also, I'd like to bring attention to this column featuring my close friend Anup Patel. The only problem with the story is that I'm not mentioned. As some of you may know I'm on the National Board for Cents of Relief and its a worthwhile organization to contribute your time, talent, and treasure to. Oh, and for those of you wondering,- Yes, I will now refer to Dikembe as my good friend...I'm thisclose to saying the same about Jordan.

Overzealous Social Security

Tom Jardon owns. Period.

I feel like slaughtering people on government payrolls RIGHT NOW.

Overzealous Bobby Fischer

So I was thinking about my away message, which I took from Searching for Bobby Fischer some five years ago, and decided to look up what happened to Bobby Fischer. Last I had heard he was in Japan about to be extradited to the United States.

Charles Krauthammer did a column on him. Apparently he's in Iceland. Perhaps this is the completion we were warned about by Han Qing-jao. I hope so. Here's more:

Bobby Fischer is back in Iceland, and that is as it should be. Fischer put Iceland on the map for the first time since the Vikings happened by. And Iceland put Fischer on the map, providing the venue for his greatest triumph, the 1972 world chess championship. That was before he fell off a psychic cliff

Another interesting note is that OP's good friend Natan Sharansky, who autographed two books for yours truly recently, played Kasparov to a draw. Wow. I guess when you've got time on your hands in those gulags...

Overzealous D-Ring, part II

NEWSFLASH:

Hot off Matt Drudge's presses from NASA and into your home, OP is reporting that there is CLIMATE CHANGE AFOOT ON ***MARS***.

Recently OP brought you a semi-exclusive look at how President Bush's gross negligence has led to the deterioration of Saturn's D-ring. Now we have a story that hits much MUCH closer to home:

Two gullies appear in an April 2005 image of a sand-dune slope where they did not exist in July 2002. The Mars Orbiter Camera team has found many sites on Mars with fresh-looking gullies, and checked back at more than 100 gullied sites for possible changes between imaging dates, but this is the first such find. Some gullies, on slopes of large sand dunes, might have formed when frozen carbon dioxide, trapped by windblown sand during winter, vaporized rapidly in spring, releasing gas that made the sand flow as a gully-carving fluid

Loyal readers, I wish that I could tell you that Bush's hurricanes will stop. I wish I could tell you all that we will someday never live under the perpetual threat of extinction because of global warming. I wish I could tell you most of all that the Mars innocent surface would not be plagued by our malfeasance and dereliction of duties. But I can't. I really see no end. Unless...

MR. PRESIDENT: carbon dioxide is not just killing all life on Earth, it is destroying the natural splendor of our neighboring planet, Mars, which as we know is a prime candidate for terraforming in the immediate future. I may want to live on Mars, someday, Mr. President-- and I certainly want my children and grandchildren too.

STOP the negligence. STOP the carbon dioxide. NOW.

Overzealous Chinese Procreation

Maybe this will get you to comment.

"A rubber company in China has begun marketing condoms under the brand names Clinton and Lewinsky, apparently seeking to exploit the White House affair that led to the impeachment of America's 42nd president."

Any couples out there feeling like getting impeached tonight?

Overzealous Canseco

OP has learned that baseball legend Jose Canseco, a friend and inspiration of some of us overzealous prosecutors, is in negotiations to appear on Wrestlemania. Canseco's career has never been hotter, Sean Penn is jealous.

Overzealous Patriots

Compliments of Disco, I am making the following amazing stories available to you.

The St. Petersburg Times has a wonderful picture showing the patriotism of good hearted American citizens (read: Republicans) in Inverness. Disco hails from Inverness of course, so this must be a source of some pride. This picture of Main Street USA makes me want to march into Iran.



We support our Republicans in Inverness, but we also support them in Gainesville. The latest from reliable sources indicates that good friend of Overzealous Prosecutors, Tommy Jardon, is moving up fast in College Republican power rankings as well as in overall movers and shakers in the political community of Florida. Click here for the latest fair and balanced analysis.

Overzealous Third Age of SOS

As you all know, we are in the Third Age of SOS, a time when all things are possible and nothing seems out of reach. For those who believe that daring air attacks under the hand of one Blake Mitchell are possible, then all the glory of the world awaits.

To make my point that the world has changed, indeed, has turned many times over since the end of the Second Age, witness the blossoming of wonderful new television shows. The O.C. returns from a lackluster second season to prominence. Arrested Development continues its dominance as funniest show on television. Battlestar Galactica rises as the best show on television, and Boston Legal, of course, the most thoroughly enjoyable.

William Shatner, for instance, is an unbeatable awards show JUGGERNAUT now. He won in last year's Emmy Awards for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama for portraying Denny Crane, a brilliant and misunderstood man who is either playing us all for fools or is losing his abilities or some combination of the two. He must command at Crane, Poole & Schmidt but experience a steady erosion in his actual power. His breathtaking performances enamored people so much that he won the Golden Globe for Outstanding Supporting Actor in Drama and last night won the highest honor that can be bestowed on any single man in television-- the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama. No man more richly deserves these accolades. He has gone where no man has gone before and thankfully come back to us to entertain us these many years later.

Some of you may not be aware that the horses he breeds are world champions and that he often competes, completely dominating 20-yr olds in sophisticated horse riding tournaments. He is 74 years old, believe it or not. He looks a crisp 35, but no, that's how old he was when he began his Star Trek.

In the Third Age of SOS, the Florida Gators resume their ascendance as the preeminent football program in the land. With Urban Meyer, the Gators have found more grit and more poise than they may have ever had. Urban is teaching them to be classy and tough. It is true, of course, that with the same talent, Steve would have annihilated Tennessee on Saturday at least 41-7, but we trust that Urban will learn and even if he can't teach his QBs timing, he can recruit talent to make up for some of that.

The Independent Florida Alligator also completely switched sides on the PC-debate. It only did so because it is stubborn and believes itself above the fray (how, after all, could The Alligator have done something wrong?! oh... and maybe because the ed. board is different...)-- but its defense of the cartoon was a positive development, as was Marlette's temerariousness in sending it in. Actually, I think that's the most impressive thing about the "debate." I could scarcely believe it when I saw it. I asked others if they were interpreting it the same way I was. I loved how they pointed out the rank hypocrisy of so many and exposed that idiot on thefacebook in particular.

Of course, the worst part of this has been "President" Bernie Machen's response to it. This political opportunist has come on the side of CLOSING free speech and debate on campus in the name of "sensitivity." Unfortunately, his job is to help keep the university free and open for dialogue. The man is already indirectly encouraging more people to binge drink and destroy themselves at home (the man should take an economics class, a humanities class, and maybe just redo his general education altogether). Did he really have to write that asinine letter into The Alligator?

The President makes several assertions of insensitivity, flippancy and irresponsibility-- just without explaining how any of these things occurred in the cartoon. No, the President won't raise himself to a discussion of the issue-- instead, he will just decry it for his political handlers and glibly move on. This President is bringing down the quality of the university and I fear we will have to deal with his mistakes for a long time. He will be one of the enemies in this Third Age, although I have hope yet that he can be a partner.

Indeed, all things are possible in the Third Age of SOS. (Tactical nukes, anyone?)

Overzealous Emmy Awards

WILLIAM SHATNER PERFORMS TONIGHT.

Get excited! As part of Emmy Idol, the ubiquitous William Shatner will lend his considerable vocal talent to the Star Trek theme song. I am not sure whether he will just do his Captain's lines ("Space... the final frontier... these are the voyages... ... to boldly go where no man has gone before!") or whether he'll do the lyrics Gene Roddenberry wrote for the actual theme song:

Beyond the rim of the starlight
My love is wandering in starflight
I know he'll find in star clustered reaches
Love, strange love a star woman teaches
I know his journey ends never
His star trek will go on forever
But tell him while he wanders his starry sea
Remember, remember me.

Perhaps he'll do both. To celebrate the occasion, the L.A. Times has a wonderful article (reg req'd I think) on Bill with candid remarks by Candice Bergen, James Spader, and David E. Kelley. You will get a great sense of the man.

So let's cross our fingers he gets that well-deserved Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor on Boston Legal, an underrated and underappreciated show.

Overzealous Afghanistan Elections

I'm not exactly sure what biggers news is currently out there, except perhaps the finger pointing of Hurricane Katrina, but Afghanistan recently had their first parliamentary elections in 30 years. People braved an insurgent campaign of Taliban miscreants to vote, as they did in the last historic elections, and proved that democracy can really take root in this country if we can give them the security and time to institutionalize and legitimize it.

The Miami Herald's AP report (reg. req'd) includes this:

Some 12.4 million Afghans were registered to vote for the 249-seat lower house of parliament, or Wolesi Jirga, and 420 seats on 34 provincial assemblies. Nearly 5,800 candidates - including 582 women - were on the ballots.

A quarter of the seats being voted on were reserved for women, who make up more than 42 percent of registered voters.

The more than 6,000 polling stations were guarded by about 100,000 Afghan police and soldiers and 30,000 foreign troops in the U.S.-led coalition and a separate NATO peacekeeping force.

Enthusiasm ran high.

"Today is a magnificent day for Afghanistan," said Ali Safar, 62, standing in line to vote in Kabul. "We want dignity, we want stability and peace.

Ironically, I first found the news buried on the BBC webpage. And I mean buried. I think we need to give the Afghanis some credit here. I like what I'm seeing here, mostly because of two things:

1. I rarely hear anything about Afghanistan these days. Since the liberal media is quite effective in trying to find chinks in the President's armor, especially where wars are concerned, our fight there must be working. These millions are far closer to the promised liberation than the Iraqis are, but they will, of course, end up in the same place.

2. When the media does report on Afghanistan, it's almost always positive and BURIED in their papers and websites. Some people actually don't think there's an overall liberal bias in the media, but if they'd just bother to check the location of pages... it may have something to do, also, with a bias toward violence, catchy stuff, whatever, but there's no denying the severe bias which has only grown worse while Bush has been in office when you consider things like this story.

And I'm sick of it. This is an amazing story that we should be cheering regardless of party registration.

Hopefully we can cheer a similarly important step towards freedom with the historic election of Angela Merkel in Germany later today.

Overzealous Towing Attendants

I just found it amusing that the dude taking my $80 was wearing a Dale Earnhardt cap. Surely Disco can find some humor in this, perhaps tag it into his previous post about NASCAR not being a sport. Good times.

Easy come, easy go.

Overzealous Renaissance Man

Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to reintroduce you to Gainesville's biggest celebrity- Mr. James Bates.

Many of you know James Bates as North Central Florida's premier spokesman and championship winning t-ball coach but he is oh so much more.

James Bates was a Captain and an All-conference Linebacker on the 1996 Florida Gators National Championship Team. He briefly played in the NFL, but his career was cut short because of injury. After his football career ended, Bates became a noted thespian appearing in both film and television. Soon after Bates moved behind the camera as well, creating B8sy productions for which he serves as President. Bates began to host and produce a local television program called In The House, which eventually spawned the James Bates Show. Recently the James Bates Show went national, and can be seen anywhere on CSTV, check your local listings for that channel's availability.

Bates' empire, however extends far beyond media. Bates is a budding real estate mogul locally. His most notable purchase was a house on 20th Street (across from the stadium) previously owned by Rex Grossman and family. Sources tell OP that Bates fought the temptation and kept the rent at a very reasonable rate.

Recently Bates renaissance sensibility struck again. James Bates became an artist. His paintings are owned by many prominent Gainesville residents. One day we hope to have one in the OP compound since we fully expect a painting of his to be hanging in the Louvre.

And then there is the oft-noted charity work James involves himself with on a regular basis. As Gainesville Today noted, "He is very active in fundraising for the Boys and Girls Club of Alachua County, The SIDS Foundation, and the Children's Miracle Network just to mention a few." Here is a picture of him helping out, having fun, and making a difference.



We all know the former football player who hangs around their old school contributing nothing. James Bates does not fit into that category for he has enriched the lives of all Floridians and inspired millions to strive to be what he is- a modern day renaissance man.

Overzealous Roosevelt-esque Socialist

Things have been said by overzealous prosecutors attacking my views on respecting Franklin Roosevelt (despite his ineptitude) and not respecting Douglas MacArthur. Some believe that Roosevelt established a socialized society in the United States, some believe that MacArthur was a brave, conservative war hero. Without supporting Roosevelt, I will set those OPs straight, citing certain interesting truths.

After the Allied powers celebrated V-J day, General Douglas MacArthur became the head of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (SCAP) Occupation Force. This occupation sought to rebuild the urban areas (each of Japan's three biggest cities lost over 60% of residential housing, then there was Hiroshima and Nagasaki) and to demystify the emperor in an attempt to stregthen the government. One of the most positive things accomplished by SCAP Occupation was the formation of a constitution.

After MacArthur completed some successful political work (meaning he westernized their culture, whether or not you think that is successful), the next question was the economy. Japanese zaibatsu controlled the urban-industrial sector. These were large manufacturing monopolies. MacArthur made it a goal to eliminate these industries, or in some cases reduce their economic power. He purged management and ownership from their managerial positions, then purged zaibatsu families from their positions of economic leadership. His next goal was establishment of labor unions. A vigorous union movement was encouraged and developed. These unions provided economic demands from the new economic leaders, and, much like all unions, became political groups. They were not like American labor unions, who simply contribute money to political campaigns, they developed the Socialist and Communist parties and brought them to prominence with strong labor arms. As the unions gained power, they used the clause written by MacArthur in SCAP's constitution: the right of workers to bargain and act collectively. This was stretched to mean the right to strike. None of the unions favored American-style competition, and fought against it (as well as for land reform) in a massive planned strike in February 1947. The power of the unions and the left wing did not have any restitution until 1952, when "communists were purged" by the Japanese government. (Those who were in government or economic leadership roles were mostly sent to jail, house arrest, or exiled)

MacArthur really pulled a Roosevelt on that one.

Overzealous UN connection

All of us at OP would like to extend a congratulations to the UF athletes who appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated on Campus as shown below.



However, OP has learned from very inside sources that Sports Illustrated, a Time Warner Company who's largest individual shareholder is Ted Turner...the man who helps fund the UN LIED to UF's Student-Athletes!!!

The photographer told everyone that they would all appear on the cover, when in fact our source tells us, 6 rows were cut out!! This is a microcosm of the lying culture that permeates the United Nations, an organization that only exists to hurt the great United States Of America. Shocking....

Overzealous Random Notes

First, my MacArthur / Korea post will be reappearing during some lull in posting at OP in the future, but it is too long and improperly keeps people from viewing Red Hat's link on Chinese "grafts."

Second, it's a shame that the Council on American-Islamic Relations undercut their own campaigns about truth and perception by posting an obviously doctored photograph to their website to add some "missing" hijabs. I'm real disappointed.

Third, our links section will be back later tonight. KMac keeps making overzealous changes to the pages without preserving the sidebar info. But when they do come back, they will have a new blog amongst their ranks...

The Superficial. If you aren't reading this blog yet, you better hop on board. The comments on Jessica Alba, Mischa Barton, and Elijah Wood (don't even get me started on this picture, which had about three of us crying laughing in class today... he's just so *earnest* -- do you think he's mentally retarded?)



I think this is basically the kind of blog Disco had in mind when he started OP. LOL.

Overzealous Korean Brainwashing

For part II of OP's overzealous account of East Asia, I refer, of course, to today's youth who have been completely brainwashed in their understanding of the Korean peninsula and General Douglas MacArthur. My post will not be nearly as interesting or disturbing as Red Hat's on China though.

Recently, the naive, rebellious, desperate-for-identity South Korean left has taken out its existentialist angst on the MacArthur statue at Inchon. People who understand the realities of the Korean war, Korean life, geostrategical issues, and the role MacArthur played, have rightfully counterprotested these kids. Many of them are veterans of the Korean War who have actually done something with their lives. Riot police have been called in to stem the tensions between these two groups, although it is not clear whether they will safeguard the statue anymore, since the Korean government is completely and utterly willing to capitulate to North Korean whims-- in other words, they are the ne plus ultra of appeasers in the world besides France.

So let me take a moment to explain the difference between the two types of people in this conflict, as best I can see it (I freely admit that I'm an armchair General here, but to me, the fact that this is all so obvious makes it all the more heinous and disgusting).


Picture 1: The forces assemble, reigniting MacArthur's memory

On the one side, you have the people with actual knowledge of life, have years of experience, who fought in the war and understand the nature of communist (North Korean) aggression, and on the other side you have a bunch of kids who think that risk is having sex, doing drugs, and all the easiest things anyone could ever do in the world that, of course, do not build identity or character and, if anything, destroy them. You will find no requiems for so-called "gonzo journalism" at OP. Real risk involves serving your country, putting your life on the line for something you believe in, or going into debt to start a business. A lot of people have done this, too, but fewer than the easy things. It's harder to go outside and make a life for yourself than to stay in a den and engage in less-than-godly behavior. It's obvious, so I trust I needn't say anymore.

Therefore what we have here is a battle between the forces of good and evil. Humans, of course, simultaneously encompass both things in paradox, but they can be made to serve these causes.

At Incheon, General Douglas MacArthur changed the course of Korean history. He had the hopes of free peoples riding on his shoulders, that he could complete his job of undoing Japanese damage by reuniting the peninsula under a flag of opportunity and possibility, so that the Korean nation might be as it once was. That's why the statue in question resides there. Victory at High Tide, an extraordinary book, details the battle. As Manchester's American Caesar says,

Casualty reports were still coming in, but the battle was already won, and won spectacularly. The final reckoning would show that at Incheon MacArthur had defeated between 30,000 and 40,000 In Min Gun defenders at a cost of 256 dead, 2,550 wounded, and 65 missing. Halsey called it "the most masterly and audacious strategic course in all history." Heinl [ed: who wrote Victory at High Tide] wrote: "At Inchon, MacArthur was bold, judicious, assured, and unwavering. Those who doubted his judgment-- the lesser men who wanted to play things safe-- exemplified the reverse." p. 380

Picture 2: MacArthur lands at Incheon

William Manchester, who wrote American Caesar, was an unabashed admirer of the General, so we might forgive him his occasional hagiography. The biography is nevertheless thorough and brilliant. I will return to it, but I want to compare his relatively short account of the accolades of MacArthur's achievement with Geoffrey Perret's account in Old Soldiers Never Die, because Perret is scrupulous in his balanced approach throughout:

MacArthur had to get closer to the action. He insisted on going to Wolmi-do [during the battle]. Shells fell around the boat that carried him there, but he wanted to move even closer to the beach, where mortar and machine gun fire indicated a firefight in progress. Shepherd was alarmed and tried to get the admiral commanding the landing force to order the boat to come back, but the admiral declined. To Shepherd, nothing could be more calamitous than to have the theater commander killed by enemy fire. Years later he was still asking people, "Don't you think I was right?" They invariably said yes, but the correct answer was no.

In the life of every great commander there is one battle that stands out above all the rest, the supreme test of generalship that places him among the other military immortals. For MacArthur that battle was Inchon. The landing produced all the results he promised.... The most fitting conclusion to MacArthur's life would have been to die a soldier's death in the waters off Inchon at the height of his glory.... p.548

What neither of these authors points out, either with words or figures, is that this is the day Korea was saved. It is absolutely the day that reversed North Korea's fortunes, turned the tide against communism, and allowed for South Korea to expand beyond its paltry holdings on the Pusan perimeter. More importantly, it preserved the idea that Korea might again be reunified as its people so desired.

The graphic below shows how intrepid the Incheon pincer movement really was. Examine the difference between a South Korea preserved by the Pusan perimter and MacArthur's South Korea, which retook Seoul and saved that for the future.


Figure 1: Korean War movements

In August of 1948, General MacArthur said this in Seoul:

August 1948:

Yet in this hour, as the forces of righteousness advance, the triumph is dulled by one of the great tragedies of contemporary history—an artificial barrier has divided your land. This barrier must and will be torn down! Nothing shall prevent the ultimate unity of your people as free men of a free nation. Koreans come from too proud a stock to sacrifice their sacred cause by yielding to any alien philosophies of disruption.

As early as the year 1882… it was proclaimed that there should be “perpetual peace and friendship between the United States and Korea.” The American people have never deviated from this pledge and you may rely upon the invincible continuance of that friendship.

President Rhee, you and the distinguished group which has been chosen to assist you in the leadership of this infant republic will face issues of the most complex nature known to political experience. The manner in which those issues are resolved will determine in large measure not only the unity and wellbeing of our own people but also the future stability of the continent of Asia. I have faith in you… and pray that Almighty God may sustain you in your hallowed task.

MacArthur was not only Korea's best friend, but he was a visionary as to its role in the course of history. Had we listened to him, China would not brutally repress its people and their expression, and the scourge of the earth that is North Korea would not exist, the people long ago being unified.


Picture 3: MacArthur is welcomed in South Korea

Did MacArthur not have his flaws? If people have flaws, then the answer is "yes." As Manchester writes,

In the Attice tragedies of Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles, the hero is a figure of massive integrity and powerful will, a paradox of outer poise and inner passion who recognizes the inevitability of evil, despair, suffering, and loss. Choosing a perilous course of action despite the counsel of the Greek chorus, he struggles nobly but vainly against fate, enduring cruelty and, ultimately, defeat, his downfall being revealed as the consequence of a fatal defect in his character which, deepened by tumultuous events, eventually shatters him.

So it was with Douglas MacArthur. Brave, brilliant, and majestic, he was a colossus bestriding Korea until the nemesis of his hubris overtook him. He simply could not bear to end his career in checkmate. It would, in his view, be a betrayal of his mission, an acknowledgement that MacArthur was imperfect. Politics had always been his Eve, a lure and a threat, fascinating but ill-boding. p.616

And Perret:

The general was the quintessential twentieth-century incarnation of the tragic hero as immortalized by great playwrights down the ages. MacArthur’s complex nature and dramatic life made him the living breathing brother of Coriolanus, Hamlet or Macbeth. Like the tragic heroes of the theater, he would finally be brought down not by his enemies but by an immutable fault line that ran through the bedrock of his character. When the SCAP got airborne from this remote coral island, MacArthur was set on a direct course to the ultimate destination of all tragic heroes: the spectacular, irreversible fall. p.558

That's why the young Leftists and Tyrant-sympathizers in North Korea should not be so quick to destroy the idea of MacArthur. The idea is complex and not one-sided. And yet, one thing cannot be argued: he made it possible for them to live today, and for all those subversive elements to have a chance to have families, travel, eat good food, and not rely on grass to eat and get stomach ulcers like millions of North Koreans likely do.

These people who sympathize and work to help or support North Korea in any way are condoning the murder of innocent people. That's what you do. That's what you do when you think it's a good idea to merge the Korean olympic teams. Incidentally, North Korea won 5 medals in 2004: 4 silver and 1 bronze. No one's sure how they did that. South Korea won 30, to rank 9th at the total games, with 9 gold, 12 silver, 9 bronze. Who does this Olympic move even help?

This is the mindset of the leftists both in S. Korea and, regrettably, here in the United States as well. It's no surprise that people want to be high-minded and think themselves above the status quo-- what's a shame, however, is that they don't realize they are apart of the murderous and evil status quo.

As Professor Kang Kyu-hyung writes,

Korea is now unexpectedly engulfed in a MacArthur dispute. Some propose that Incheon International Airport be rechristened MacArthur Airport, while others wage a campaign denigrating the general. Some organizations held a rally in Incheon’s Freedom Park on Saturday, calling for the end to “60 years of U.S. military occupation.” They attempted to topple the MacArthur statue by force, asserting that he was a warmonger and the ringleader in Korea's division and massacres of civilians. But that, too, is sadly not a realistic evaluation of the general.

MacArthur not only contributed more than anyone to defeating imperial Japan through his achievements in the Pacific War but also cemented the foundation from which Japan was able to develop as a democratic country. In the Korean War, he successively executed the Incheon Landing.

The essence of the drive to tear down the MacArthur statue lies elsewhere. It is anti-Americanism and pro-North Korean sentiment that attach supreme importance to the country's unification. This notion, which sprouted in the 1980s and gained force recently, says that the Korean War was a national unification war that would have ended swiftly without prodigious bloodshed but for U.S. intervention. Our perspective of MacArthur and the United States has become distorted. It is either pro- or anti-American.

The French writer Frederic Beigbeder says in his novel "Windows on the World" that contained in anti-Americanism is some jealousy and disillusioned love. Doesn't our anti-Americanism, too, contain the anger that arises from unrequited love? It cannot be denied that in our attitude toward the U.S., either for or against, we only spout sentiments, without a cool-headed analysis of America.

When we fail to understand MacArthur, who was a complex man, and the U.S., a country of many facets, we experience the symptoms of extreme jealousy or hatred. One such symptom is a violent attempt to erase the group experience and collective memory of MacArthur and the U.S. presence, without leaving a space where reasonable thoughts can be exchanged.

A wonderful discussion in the same publication with an archivist at the splendid MacArthur Memorial can be found here. One short exchange:

What is wrong with claims that the U.S. sparked or caused the Korean War?

That debate is already finished among historians. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many supporting materials came to light. It's an unshakable fact that Kim Il-sung invaded South Korea with the support of Mao Zedong. It's hard to understand why this Bruce Cumings-style revisionist history [after a University of Chicago historian who first proposed the theory] about the origins of the Korean War is still accepted in South Korea.

So is it MacArthur and the United States who these people should be blaming or the people they support and give money to? Read a book, ANY book.

Here are some more pictures of the statue, which overlooks a wonderful expanse, that these idiots want to topple.





Only when we understand both sides of the issue, and in so doing confront reality, can we have once more, as Prime Minister Yoshida put it about Japan's relationship with MacArthur and the US, "an understanding [that] grew up between the two peoples which is remarkable in the history of the modern world."

Other links:
Memory of Gen. MacArthur exposes divide in South Korea
U.S. refuses N. Korean nuclear reactor demand
Roh says Korea-U.S. alliance getting better
Cockeyed nationalism [highly recommended]
Progressives rail against General MacArthur

Overzealous Chinese Corpse Harvesting

I'm sure you want to know.

"A Chinese cosmetics company is using skin harvested from the corpses of executed convicts to develop beauty products for sale in Europe, an investigation by the Guardian has discovered."

Hey, people ranting about how GITMO prisoners are being treated inhumanely, you now have slightly fewer legs* to stand on. At least we don't disrespect the dead.

*and I plan to harvest those legs for facial soap, by the way.

Overzealous Sean Penn II

The people have spoken, and they want more Sean Penn.

I acquired this link from gorillamask.net. Please visit this link, which is to a forum, and has a lot of variations on the theme "Sean Penn in New Orleans." They are all truly quite wonderful and fair.

This is called being overzealous.

Overzealous Sean Penn

Sean Penn is SO OVERZEALOUS that I decided to give him his whole post. He's well-deserving, as you might recall. Several posts ago, we highlighted this link which discussed Sean Penn's amazing rescue efforts in New Orleans. However, the pictures and story are just too good to not bring into OP complete with the follow-up stories. So here, for you, is AllHeadLine News's take on the episode:

New Orleans, Louisiana (AHN) - Political Activist and Actor Sean Penn made his way down to the city of New Orleans with a personal photographer and an entourage in an attempt to help victims stranded by floods caused by Hurricane Katrina.

Penn had planned to rescue children and adults in the flood waters, but apparently forgot to plug a hole in the bottom of the vessel, which began taking water within seconds of its launch.

Penn who is known for his political activism, was seen wearing what appeared to be a white flak jacket and frantically bailing water out of the sinking vessel with a red plastic cup that eventually was not enough for the Academy Award winner.

When asked what he had hoped to achieve in the waterlogged city, the actor tells the Herald Sun: "Whatever I can do to help."

The paper reports that one bystander taunted the actor saying, "How are you going to get any people in that thing?"

Here are pictures of him continuing to flood New Orleans by bailing water out of "his " boat:




And then there's Sean Penn marauding the streets of New Orleans looking for tuna or mustache cream or something:



To top it all off, I have a transcript of Sean Penn on the Larry King show that Matt Drudge thankfully archived for us to enjoy time after time-- or at least, we know Disco does so:

PENN: ...IT IS, UM, IMPORTANT. I AM RESPONSIBLE. WENT TO LEARN. I HAVE SEEN AND KNOW. YEAH, IT IS COMPLICATED. SURE, BAGHDAD. NO, MUCH IS REPELLENT ABOUT IT. WE HAVE FAMILIES. BELONG IN BELLEVUE. THEY DID. DISEASE. INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY. I DID NOT GO AS A JOURNALIST. AFTER THE 1991 BOMBINGS, IT WAS SOLD TO THE PEOPLE. AND THE STARVATION, I SAY THIS AS A FATHER OF CHILDREN. YES, I DO.

KING: DID YOUR WIFE WANT YOU TO?

PENN: THEY MAKE IT BUFFOONERY, WELL, IT IS A NERVE-WRACKING THING. BUT I AM MORE SHY FROM THE SHAME I WILL FEEL. NO, THIS IS A MISCONCEPTION OF THE CURRENT NARCISSISM OF THE MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY. MORE THAN TWENTY HOURS ON A PLANE. YOU START TO THINK. YOU DO. IT IS NOT GOOD TO BE FAMOUS. WHEN I WANT TO GIGGLE, I TURN ON BILL O'REILLY. ONCE EVERY 5 YEARS I HAVE SOMETHING I WANT TO DO. I AM QUITE CRAZY ABOUT IT, BUT IT MAKES ME CRAZY. GULF WAR COST $82 BILLION.

KING: WOULD YOU GO TO NORTH KOREA?

PENN: IRAQ NOT POLITICAL IS HUMAN. I DONT SPEAK OUT MUCH, BUT I FEEL IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO SPEAK OUT AS MUCH AS I CAN. BAGHDAD. CONSCIENCE, AND I DID FEEL, UM, COULD BE GREAT TO TRY TO, UM, DIALOGUE. ARMS INSPECTORS. REALLY UNAMERICAN. MURDOCH. BECAUSE I AM A FATHER. I'D LIKE TO WRITE MORE. NOT PROLIFIC TO WRITE SCRIPT. TO BE DIRECTOR. YES, SURE. CHILDREN BOMBS IN CONSCIOUSNESS, CAN'T READ ARABIC. THANK YOU, LARRY...

The full transcript, and rest assured, it is chock full of ridiculous inconsistencies and insanity, can be found at CNN somewhere or linked from the Drudge Archives. It may look like it's a dialogue, but it's really just Larry trying to ask questions and Sean being incoherent.

I just can't stop laughing. "Iraq not political is human."

LOL, sorry........

Overzealous Law School Republicans

At the first meeting of the semester, we found out that our President is resigning. The Vice President moved up to take her place and we needed an election to fill that spot. Four well qualified candidates declared.

I got elected Vice President, thanks to a lot of old Republican friends around the law school: Diego Madrigal, Jon Kaskel, Matthew Klein, Molly Cox, Arturo Armand, and Ronny Edwards. My speech probably can't be credited with getting me votes, but it consisted of recollections on the campaign trail, such as getting great chants going like "Hall-i-bur-ton" clap, clap, clapclapclap.

I got to meet some new people in the club and the turnout was very good for the LSRs. Hopefully we can keep this momentum. We'll have refreshments at the next meeting.

My intention is to overcome the financial gap between us and the LSDs (appropriately acronymed [yes this is a noun becoming a verb, an extraordinarily common practice in English]) and to have a lot more fun than last year. I'd also like to work together with the College Republicans on activities because the CRs are a terrific club.

Overzealous Poetry

While I won't be publishing my most famous poem on OP just yet, since I need to find an accurate copy... I will post some filler instead. So here's an overzealous exchange between me and my brother a few yrs back on IM (warning, rated R):

H0tB0y: well god damnit i told i didnt recogonize the bitch, RIGHT!
Admiral: LOL
Admiral: Okay okay, gee whiz!
H0tB0y: she hot as fucking shit on a flamming stick of

...yeah. Or how about this web gem between my dad, the rest of the family, and my Nana:

NANA: I need to go to Walgreens for some Prozac!
People: ...prozac...?
DAD: PRILOSZEC!! -- but, yeah, you *need* some Prozac.

Here's a special poem I wrote for a special person:

WHEN A MONKEY PEES
HE SEES THE WORLD
HE STRIKES OUT
AND BECOMES A WHIRL
A MONKEY IS ONLY TRULY FREE
WHEN A MONKEY PEES

I think we'd all agree that no poem, until now, has captured both the ephemerality of life as well as its glorious whimsy and current pressures. It is a paradox and a statement on both the human / monkey adventure. As I mentioned to someone today, however, we mustn't analyze it too deeply for the full meaning lay in a place we dare not go.

Speaking of places we dare not go, compliments of mdevicente.

Overzealous Recitals and Symphonies

I would like to pass on my respects to the 20 NHL fans remaining who feel the passing of Mario Messier Gretsker, who apparently has decided to focus on tennis after his victory over Andre Agassi in the New Jersey Open final.

On to the more pressing issues of the day: we do not have nearly enough people going to see completely free and open to the public performances by individuals and bands/symphonies/orchestras at the University of Florida. We actually have events all the time in the University Auditorium, usually at 2130 hours, and I am disappointed to say that not many people go.

On any given night, you can get a healthy helping of piano, trombone, or clarinet. Perhaps you will find the Wind Symphony playing or some Orchestra thing (you can see I do music terminology very well).

I encourage the loyal OP readership to check out our College of Fine Arts website which has a schedule for more information.

We have all kinds of crazy stuff coming up. 9/13 Electric Opera in University Auditorium 2130, 9/18 piano recital UA 1600 hours, 9/18 trombone UA 2130 hours, 9/19 something at Phillips Center, 9/28 Wind Symphony UA, 10/5 UF Symphonic Band, 10/6 UF Orchestra, 10/10 Clarinet UA, and so on. Don't TOO many of you go, because I like my selection of seats.

Overzealous Rollins

http://www.playboy.com/on-campus/partyschool/

Read number 3 and read it GOOD

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/univmas/umsouth/tier1/t1univmas_s_brief.php

Read them and weep Gators. Our little college surpasses you and it feels so magically delicious.

Overzealous Presidential Comparisons

Recently I have learned that some overzealous prosecutors have little respect for former president Franklin Roosevelt. I will admit that Roosevelt did set the stage for future social programs and the welfare system, however, his virtues outweighed his defaults and failures, making him an admirable president comparable to other great American leaders such as Ronald Reagan.

In his era of turmoil, characterized by the Great Depression, Roosevelt replaced an inept predecessor in Herbert Hoover. Seen as a triumphant representative and native son, Roosevelt took unique, never-before seen economic tactics in an attempt to bring the country back to prominence. His social programs helped the country with the problem of unemployment, and the Lend-Lease Act caused a massive influx in manufacturing exports, a further remedy to unemployment. The New Deal (for saving the country, not for starting welfare programs), relief legislation, extending diplomatic relations to near-future ally USSR, and making the United States a friend of Latin America, and the Lend Lease Act were some of the high points of his presidency.

The tragedy of the loss and eventual futility of the Vietnam War in the early 1970s and the Watergate scandal contributed to a downward slide of American national dignity that began with the controversy surrounding involvement in the Vietnam War. Following this era came the Jimmy Carter administration, haunted by the Iran Contra scandal. This cultural destitution left only pessimism in American minds. This pessimism reared its head in the American economy, and Americans sought a respite from the turmoil caused by all of these issues. The country needed a strong president to look to in order to solve economic problems (sound familiar?), and Ronald Reagan accepted the role of reliever for the United States, as successfully as future 2005 AL Cy Young award winner Mariano Rivera relieves the 26-time world champion New York baseball Yankees (that's the most championships by any team in baseball).

Despite inheriting economic stagnation from the Carter years, Reagan put together perhaps the best economic system of any president in his century. He nearly doubled federal spending during his two terms, eventually decreasing his inherited deficit. Reagan’s large-scale military buildup was a part of the federal spending, which not only stimulated the economy but also helped to end the Cold War. Reagan’s supply side economics, which employed lower taxes to encourage investment and economic movement led to an economic boom that would be felt throughout the 1980s and well into the 1990s.

Although the tactics used and circumstances under which they were used were quite different for both presidents, they were both welcome relievers from embarrassingly desperate times in America. The economic tactics used were original ideas for their times. Roosevelt’s New Deal plan with social programs had not ever been used before his time, and supply side economics had never been used before Reagan’s time. Although Reagan’s policies were ultimately more effective, one could use the analogy that Reagan was like the Yankees and Roosevelt was like the pathetic rag-tag lucky 2004 "baseball team" from Boston.

Overzealous Hobby

It has come to my attention that certain folks, mostly concentrated in the Southern United States, have attempted to portray their hobby as a sport. Ladies and Gentlemen, NASCAR is not a sport. It is a hobby at most. If I want to do a physical activity, jumping in my car and driving around in a circle does not make the list. People, its about time we realized that going around circles fast while riding in a loud machine is not a sport. That is not to say NASCAR does not serve a purpose. An activity sure to spark overzealous behavior is to jump into a NASCAR chatroom and to begin chatting. I have found that naming random drivers and saying they suck or rule will inspire some great reponses. Consider this exchange:

Disco: NASCAR IS NOT A SPORT
catgurl: then why are u here
Disco: to let you know
Disco: why do you think it is a sport? convince me
catgurl: u try drivin a race car then
catgurl: they have to be in good shape to withstand the distance, heat etc
Disco: oh yes going in circles is hard
Disco: they have air conditioned suits
Disco: it is more of a hobby

and with that catgurl left... :(

And there you have an overzealous activity you can all participate in, harrassing people in NASCAR chatrooms.

Overzealous Bush Watch I

Our President strikes yet again at our environment-- this time, at the silent, pristine wilderness that is Saturn's D-ring... the planet's innermost ring, which, up until now, has been serenity writ large.

Money quote:

"I don't think Saturn's rings will disappear anytime soon, but this tells us how the rings are evolving and how long they might last, " deputy project scientist Linda Spilker said in a telephone interview from England.

Are we doing enough to save this cosmic beauty? President Bush: STOP DESTROYING THE D-RING.

On the Origins of Renaissance Humanist Thought by Means of Francesco Petrarca and Johan Huizinga With Special Emphasis on Overzealousness

The late John Roaten Cheadle III, or Ro (November 29, 1985 - May 16, 2005), has been described as "a rare gentleman of yesteryear who lived in the 21st century."

"If ever an elite, fully conscious of its own merits, sought to segregate itself from the vulgar herd and live life as a game of artistic perfection, that was the circle of choice Renaissance spirits."
-Johan Huizinga

Francesco Petrarca, or Petrarch, lived in the 14th century, and had many Ro-esque qualities which led him to be recognized as the founder of a cultural period influential throughout history since his work. Passionate, romantic, anachronistic, polite, scholastic, extremely academic, traditional, ambitious, optimistic, respectful, pious, faithful, chivalrous, honest, and virtuous, Petrarch was not the picture of a man who broke down barriers and made new discoveries, yet to some, Petrarch was revolutionary. In St. Augustine's oft-referred to treatise Confessions, he deplores the fact that "human beings go around admiring the mountain heights, the mighty tides of the seas, the broad streams of the rivers, the circle of the ocean, and the orbits of the stars, but do not care to look more deeply into themselves." This seems to be a quote that could describe the way Petrarch would have lived. One of the fathers of humanism, he wrote of humanist appreciation of the individual. He fought the Neo-Aristotelians who believed that upon one's death, the soul is absorbed into intellectus, or a "world soul." He believed in the nature of man over that of many things, but he was hardly Howard Roark. This individualism was characterized less by egoism than by selective introversion. He thought of a certain group of things/subjects above all else that, if hallowed in some way, can lead to personal inner peace. (Disclaimer: that is my opinion; any liberals or people who have no appreciation of history or family should probably get off here.)

Twentieth century antireligious and militaristic humanists, existential humanists, and communist progressive humanists" need not apply.

Renaissance humanism believed in individual salvation through Christian faith. Goodbye "new" twentieth century humanists. It preached history, classics, and academia. Goodbye exisistentialism. It preached optimism and educability of man. Goodbye communists.

As a student of history, and an advocate of Renaissance humanism, I must add something written by Pietro Paolo Vergerio, a humanist thinker, on the subject of education. "...By history we learn the essential truth of things, which by eloquence we so exhibit in orderly adornment, as to bring conviction to differing minds." Amen Pietro. The humanists were interested in history, especially classical history, the history of their own times, and the place they would occupy in history. One beloved humanist proclaimed "History is the witness of the times, the torch of truth, the life of memory, the teacher of life, the messenger of antiquity." The humanists were masters of graceful style.

Renaissance humanism is not only about the studia humanitatis, the study of the classics with emphasis on history, chivalry, anachronism, and the general liberal arts as a means of a diverse education. It is also about qualities held by people like Petrarch. It is about respect for ones history, about a mix of objectivism, Christianity, and romance, about literature, and most importantly about the advancement of oneself through the quest of knowledge and appreciation of ones past, origins, and personal family history (those are all kind of the same thing, I know). Nearly any virtue celebrated (or some that weren't celebrated) in the past can only be beneficial in today's world. I learned that from the late Ro Cheadle. Hopefully the passing of a fine young southern gentleman will help people look more deeply within themselves, as St. Augustine tells us, and then perhaps seek to segregate themselves from the vulgar herd and attempt to live life in artistic perfection, as Huizinga suggests after the study of Petrarch.

Overzealous MIKE BROWN

I know that a few days ago, I railed against pointing fingers. I am not pointing a finger here. I am making a suggestion to the man I voted for twice to change the course of this country and the world-- and who, I feel, to this point, has mostly succeeded (more troops in Iraq, more troops in Iraq, more troops in Iraq...).

So here's my suggestion, which all Overzealous Prosecutors agree with:

FIRE MIKE BROWN NOW!!!

This is completely out of control. The fact that the man still has a job is a real testament to the insularity of the Bush Administration which, I have felt, until now, has been an almost complete advantage in dealing with Washington and the press. Loyalty is important, and it sucks to have people you've appointed to key positions working against you.

The reason why the insularity isn't working now is because MIKE BROWN IS WORKING AGAINST THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. Maybe he's done some nice things in his life, I don't know. What I do know is that FEMA has work to do-- get him out so that can get back to doing the business they were supposed to. I somehow doubt that MB is integral to the running of FEMA given his treatment of Hurricane Katrina.

Sometimes change starts from the top down. In these pathetic federal agencies, it may be the only way. President Bush, please fire Mike Brown.

See the outpouring of support for the decision here at Andrew Sullivan. And even more.

Rich Lowry has some devastating material here. Here are examples of why FEMA is currently a danger and needs some serious changes immediately. As Constructive Interference laments:

In the case of Katrina we need to make clear that we are not complaining that FEMA did not arrive in NO. Clearly, the leadership of FEMA was on the scene immediately and took charge of the situation. The problem was that the leadership was so incompetent that it succeeded in interfering with local relief efforts but failed to provide any federal relief efforts. It kills me to see that the meme of "local failure" could take hold when story after story indicates that "local failure" was large caused by FEMA.

Apparently, this blog is watching FEMA closely as well. I suspect that as we move further beyond OP, and into other blogs, each degree leads you a little bit more to rampant finger pointing, so tread with care. :)

Overzealous "Abstinateness"

I sincerely hope you all can view UF facebook. I would like you to direct your attention to this group and then this Dictionary.com entry, or lack thereof.

Normally, you know, I loathe any sort of prescriptivist linguistic devices such as dictionaries or grammar books, but in this case, I will make an exception because I don't think people should be talking about their lifestyle choices (i.e. abstinence, promiscuity, or whatever have you) in public so loudly... and when they do go against that good sense, they should do so with every degree of caution, which would include spell-checking, because this is a grievous offense indeed.

I think I speak for all overzealous prosecutors in the world when I say that being overzealous is great, but let's do it with style, shall we?

Overzealous Katrina, part II

Somehow, there is something mildly entertaining about this: Sean Penn undertaking a rescue (with his own photographer of course... ... ...) and his boat going... well, under.

Thank God for the self-titled, arrogant-as-hell 'blogosphere.'

Overzealous Katrina

Some of my good friends have been calling me or emailing me with jabs at President Bush and his "handling" of the natural disaster. As for me, I believe that one of the limited roles of the President is to protect this country from all threats foreign and domestic. I do not think he should expand the power of government at the expense of state or individual liberties, and I certainly do not think he should have all the answers. Yet, once again, he is being decried for his handling of the crisis-- a multi-faceted crisis that is as impossible to fully grasp as it is, you would think, to POINT FINGERS ABOUT. But there is NO SHORTAGE OF PEOPLE POINTING FINGERS.

Given all the sides of this, and the fact that it was a CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE, one would imagine that there was something the President could have done but didn't. The question is: was there something the President SHOULD have done, but didn't? I don't think an obvious answer on that has been revealed yet. If you know, I would like to know. Feel free to leave a comment.

I liked the post at Amy Ridenour. She offers some suggestions of her own on relief and critiques others', including Michael Savage:

Hugh Hewitt's advice here however, makes 100 times more sense than Michael Savage's lunatic idea to "Impose price controls on gasoline for 90 days." Great idea, and I mean that with all the sarcasm my keyboard can muster. Let's ARTIFICALLY INFLATE THE DEMAND FOR GASOLINE as a way to deal with a gasoline supply disruption. REAL GOOD IDEA. Here's one only slightly dumber: Pray for rain in New Orleans.

Another insightful post comes from Democracy Project, highlighting the ludicrous inadequacy of the NYTimes editorial board to confront the world known as reality, and then discussing the tepid but forward movement on the part of the Washington Post's perceptions:

Both camps miss the simpler explanation. The fault, more simply, lays in both the limitations of any government to foresee and adequately prepare for all contingencies, compounded by the stubborn failure of the city and state leadership to more energetically prepare and their resistance to enthusiastically cooperate with federal authorities. Race and political affiliation has far less to do with either than sheer inadequacy and self-defensive CYA. It was not a Rudy Guiliani moment.

As the Washington Post editorial points out, “Tragically, authorities in New Orleans were aware of this problem. Certainly the numbers were known.” A University of New Orleans survey conducted last year of city residents’ evacuation plans found that 20% would stay at home, even during a major storm. (Neither I nor newspapers have been able to yet find the text of the study online.) There were plans made to educate these people and ease their evacuation. However, as the Washington Post editorial continues, “Unfortunately, none of these plans was advanced enough to have had much impact this week.” The editorial continues that, “Instead the city decided to use the Superdome as a ‘shelter of last resort.’ Following that decision a major mistake was made: Not enough food, water or portable toilets were made available…”

The Washington Post editorial does not point out that the city, also, failed to use its large fleet of school buses to evacuate residents in need, instead leaving the buses in their storage yard to be flooded.

The Washington Post editorial does not point out that last Sunday President Bush had to personally phone Governor Blanco to urge her to declare a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans. It, also, does not point out that Governor Blanco refused to allow a federal takeover of the evacuation to consolidate command, or that Louisiana waited until last Wednesday to follow-up on a multi-state assistance compact, or that as of Saturday Governor Blanco had still not declared a state of emergency. Instead, on Saturday, Governor Blanco hired the former Clinton administration FEMA director to advise her and, aside from any common-sense James Lee Witt may bring her, she may find some insulation from her obstinacy to work jointly for the good of her state.

With Hillary Clinton already moving to take point on this effort to capitalize in a very negative way on this disaster, whereas we should be learning from this disaster, this could be a very long, hard slog.

Overzealous William H. Rehnquist

Yes, William Rehnquist was one of us-- an overzealous prosecutor. He was the Lone Ranger of his time, preserving conservatism so that it could flower later. All OPs mourn his passing. Regrettably, his death occurred at the same time we are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and public attention will probably quickly shift from his death to Katrina and the search for his successor.

But let's pause for a moment and consider the Chief Justice.

A very good article is Dahlia Lithwick's "History's Justice: What Rehnquist Didn't Do." I think it gives a good idea as to why Rehnquist will be remembered by conservatives as an outstanding Chief Justice and by liberals as a good one (someday they'll get over the fact that he's a Republican, I think):

What Rehnquist didn't do in response to those charges was what Clarence Thomas did: He didn't become bitter, or reclusive, or vengeful. Rehnquist denied them, then moved on, and—for the most part—the public did too.

...But as Rehnquist rose to chief and saw his pet causes—including federalism, strict adherence to the views of the framers, and judicial restraint—shift from marginal theory to the court's polestars, he didn't do what Antonin Scalia has done: He didn't keep using his writing as a showcase for his own brilliant, persuasive ideas. Indeed his opinions became increasingly anorexic—thinner and pale. He had no need to shame his colleagues or flaunt his genius. He saw that he had won his wars and moved on...

...Something else Rehnquist was not: He was not an Earl Warren. He did not expect or demand that the changes he sought would come with sudden, dramatic moves. ...Rehnquist didn't cajole his colleagues into unanimity and rarely used his assignment powers as strategically as his predecessors had.

...Rehnquist did not tolerate expressions of contempt for the judiciary, or approve of measures to limit its powers. He used his Annual Report on the Judiciary, usually something of a snooze-fest, to castigate the Republican-led Senate for blocking Clinton’s judicial appointments and, more recently, to defend judges from attacks by right-wing demagogues.

And it goes on. How Appealing has a great roundup, which I got from SCOTUSBlog.

Overzealous Ethical Consequences

I am not exactly sure who OP Staff is supposed to be, but if that rumor was in fact true -- and let's face it, some of our Asst ADs and ADs have not historically been very handsome -- there may be some consequences we should think about.

First, I have to say, this blog should be used for hard news and hard-hitting analysis and as this is mostly read by Gators, yes, it's blogworthy.

Second, for the moment, the post stands on the blog.

Third, for full disclosure, I have been an advocate, at times, of regime change at the UAA. There's no doubt that they recently stabbed Steve Spurrier, the greatest thing to ever happen to UF, not once, but TWICE, and so, I have some harsh feelings for the athletic administration at this school and it may color my opinion about the past at times.

Of course, it's hard to argue too much with his consistent stewardship of the program the past several years, from Billy Donovan's hiring til today, ranging across the big sports and into the smaller ones which he has built UF into a powerhouse in. Seeing UF baseball go to the finals of the College World Series exceeded my wildest dreams for the program. Although he needs to have a chat with Justin Tordi.

Fourth, initially, it would seem his alleged actions were unethical. I am not sure it's unethical for the AD to get involved like that, but then again, we're talking about an Asst AD-- AND this is just a rumor. But if it WAS true, and I guess it could be, I would not be against that. This is not regarding the marital status of said athletic department employee, but in regards to his relationship as an administrator in the program with someone active in the program.

I think people have to be able to find mates, potential girlfriends and boyfriends, wives and husbands in their everyday lives. As you get older and older, it gets harder and harder. Though we have a sort of intuition that older people in these positions are preying, the reality is that most of these relations are consensual and this person was surely not in a position to use his power as a coercive measure against the female athlete. I'm usually the first one to point out the hierarchies, the sexist patriarchies and so on, at least in the Republican Party, but this seems pretty innocuous. And people involved with the athletic program share many common interests. It seems logical that people could be attracted within the program's bounds.

I have no problem with that. And the state of his marriage at the time, I think, is his own business. I will not cast judgement not knowing.

And to say that we know NOTHING about the whole rumor is putting it mildly, so I probably shouldn't be indulging it, but... there you have it.

Overzealous 1950s American Demagogues

Post World War II United States was an interesting era, with the space race and missile gap taking over the foreign policy headlines, television and movies entering the entertainment forefront, and family values in the suburbs making America one of the most desired places to live. Yet among post-war prosperity and family comfort, two ideas terrified America from coast to coast - communist infiltration and nuclear fallout. Many feared that 1- Soviet sleepers peered into American homes with impunity, and 2- doomsday would arrive with massive amounts of nuclear weapons bring dropped wiping out all American and Russian cities, and, eventually, the whole world (and the only people able to stop it were the incompetent Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, and Slim Pickens).

These fears were not unwarranted. In January 1950, State Department official Alger Hiss was found guilty for passing classified documents on to Communist Whittaker Chambers. Later that month, British physicist Klaus Fuchs was arrested for giving atomic secrets to the Soviet Union during the Second World War. Soon afterwards, U.S. citizens Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were revealed as atomic spies. The National Security Council declared that the public was not as safe as they thought. The average American family was becoming increasingly suspicious, with good reason. Communist dictator Fidel Castro's rise to power in Cuba (90 miles from the coast of FL) caused increased vigilance on the borders.

Elsewhere during the early 1950s, the United Nations, in a coalition led by the United States was fighting back North Korean communists in an attempt to defeat East Asian Communism, as China had already fallen and the domino effect was threatening the impressionable rural nations such as Korea, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Cuba's fall to Castro's communism was also cause for nuclear concern as the Soviets were probably supplying the island nation with arms, easily in range of the American South. (But honestly, southern man better keep his head and don't forget what the good book said, southern change gonna come at last, now your crosses are burning fast. It was a political thing anyway, if they blew up the hicks it would have been worldwide bedlam.)

With all this trouble, it would be sufficient to say that the country was in desperate need for something or someone to rise above the rest of the political atmosphere to take charge of the Cold War situation. Senator Joseph McCarthy from Wisconsin became that demagogue. The Republican provided acerbic probes into the lives of public figures in the United States government which began in 1950 in Wheeling, West Virginia. Senator McCarthy revealed that 205 members of the State Department were shaping communist policy. McCarthy was the watchdog who revealed the fore-mentioned Hiss, Fuchs, and Rosenbergs. The Americans were seeing concrete evidence of an American Hero uprooting these traitors and foreign spies, giving the country the feeling of safety that was desperately needed during a time of homeland insecurity. Many thought that McCarthy's accusations were unfairly exorbitant. More found him to be the safety respite he really is; a savior for frightened American families hiding in their bomb shelters.

In the meantime, a hawk was prancing around the Pacific, a raging bull overstepping UN bounds in an attempt to arouse a third world war, devastating the planet and human race. Some oriental men who fought back (that's what people do in wars) against their capitalist transgressors were pinned as Chinese (apparently certain army generals think they all look the same), then pinned as Communists (not everyone marched across the country with Mao), then pinned as worthy of nuclear annihilation. Then the Gomer Pyle of the Army in the Pacific General Douglas MacArthur (well he probably didn't have the soothing vocal talent of Jim Nabors, but he was the local fool) raged forth with insubordinary plans to bomb China back to the Qing dynasty, atomically. With the dry cool sense of a western rustic haberdasher, President Harry Truman removed the petulant General from his post. One Army corporal claimed to have seen him literally kicking and screaming while dragged off of the USS whatever. He may have returned to the Phillipines, where he failed in his first attempt, but he never returned to Korea, where he failed in his only attempt. President Truman, a liberal, knew the proper time and place to drop the bomb. It won the Second World War for the Allies. Apparently General Pyle did not have the sense of a Missouri liberal. He wanted to drop nuclear arms on the nation with the largest human population on earth. Had Leonard Lawrence made it off the island without killing himself, he may have made a better insane general than that insane general.

Overzealous Supreme Court Redux

Rhenquist is gone. God rest his soul.

And now it's time for the good and the bad to do battle again over a replacement, both at the court level and at the chief position.

Crap. Just when I was getting used to the current level of chaos.

Overzealous Movie execs who greenlighted this should be fired

I have no words for what you are about to be linked to. I mean, I liked Drumline and You Got Served as much as the next brotha...but this is ridiculous....CLICK HERE

For those who didnt want to click here is the plot summary:

1970s roller-skate jams fuel this coming-of-age comedy, as X (Bow Wow) and his friends, who rule their local rink, are shocked when their home base goes out of business. Heading over to the Sweetwater Roller Rink, they find their modest talents are, at first, no competition for their trick skaters and pretty girls who follow their every move.

Overzealous backstage Coverage

Well, we at OP have finally returned from the VMA's and have some backstage news and gossip. The big action occured in front of the television audience when G-Unit and Fat Joe exchanged barbs. What people did not see was that 50 Cent actually jumped on stage after Fat Joe made his comment. Cooler heads prevailed however as 50 avoided confrontations with the Game and some of his other enemies.

In startling news, OP overheard rumors of a possible *NSYNC reunion...which will be a pleasant surprised to the Great One. The rumor goes that Justin is hoping to make his return to music along with his former bandmates after he finished filming some movies. The race is on, who will release an album first...Radiohead or *NSYNC?