Behind the Pine Curtain

Newt and the party of Family Values

2012-01-22T11:26:00.001-05:00

Hattip PJ...

EXCLUSIVE video showing why SC's Republicans rejected Mitt Romney

2012-01-22T11:08:00.003-05:00

Here in South Carolina, we like "real" people. While we know, as a politician, you're gonna kiss our ass and we don't really care if what you say is true or not (See decades of Republican-promises leading to terrible governance of state, yet we keep handing them the keys to the car), we want that ass-kissing to not be so transparent you come off as a complete tool. It would appear Mitt Romney was not able to pull this off. The 'Pine has obtained exclusive video showing just how blatantly sad Romney's attempts to win over South Carolinian Republicans were. Warning...it's not pretty.

Now compare that shit to Newt Gingrich. Hell...Newt won by a landslide by telling people he was gonna fight against Washington Elites. Newt Gingrich...fighting...Washington Elites. Newt has truly seen the enemy and they is him.

NFL picks for Conference Championships

2012-01-22T09:57:00.005-05:00

We haven't exactly been "on the ball" with posts lately. The holidays and then a brief sabbatical to Arkansas to disrupt some migratory bird patterns kept us from really posting any picks until now. Of course, given our results for Week 17, maybe we needed to take a couple of plays off. We did give some Divisional Round picks via Twitter, so those are reflected below.

But we're rested, rejuvenated and ready to go.

On to the picks:

PATS (-7) v. Ravens
A week after vanquishing Our QB & Savior Tim Tebow, Tom "Goldilocks" Brady and the Pats have just one thing between them and a potential grudge re-match versus Eli Manning and the New York Football Giants...the team that ended the Pats dream run towards a perfect season almost 3 years ago.

So with that kind of destiny staring them in the face, the Pats will host a Baltimore team led by Ray Lewis, who has to know he is enjoying his last walk in the playoff sun. Lewis, who has watched his speed be ravaged by father time, and Ed Reed, who has watched has been sped into that same Lewis-ville thanks to injury, have to know this is probably it for them. This Ravens team isn't getting any younger. They are not the defense they were just 3 years ago. And Ozzie Newsome is close to having to having to start rebuilding the one thing that has been a constant for this team over the past 15 years: the defense. The Ravens have their own date with destiny though. Their coach could possibly face off against his own brother in a game which will played in...wait for it...Indianapolis. Yes...the "old Colts" could return to the city the "new Colts" fled to and exact a measure of revenge for old school Baltimore over the Irsays.

What's gonna happen? This game is going to come down to how well Reed and Lewis can defend NE's Tight Ends: Hernandez and Gronkowski. Belichek has used these two versatile guys to transform the Patriots offense and quite frankly, as the Pats offense has rolled the past two months, no one has held an answer for these two guys. Just 3 years ago, we would have at least bet on Ray-Ray and Ed to be able to shut down these guys. Not now.

BTPC pick = Pats giving the 7.

Giants (+2.5) v. NINERS

The Niners continue their "Nobody believes in Us" run by hosting the Giants, who has a coach who would love to be able to use the same motivation, but whose players have simply been brimming (and, apparently, justifiably so) with confidence every round they've played. Talk about story lines for this game...we're gonna know by kickoff if one Harbaugh Brother is in the big game. Think that storyline will get driven into the ground in the pregame comments? Maybe? Then you've got the "reclamation of Alex Smith" storyline. And the "Can Eli actually go to his brother's house and become the best Manning QB of all-time" storyline.

This is one of those game where you look for the hot team with the hot QB and you take them. But in this case, both teams are hot and have hot QBs. Well...when that happens, you take the one getting the points.

BTPC pick = Giants getting 2.5

Week 17: 4-10=2 Upset Specials: 0-0
2011 Regular Season Record: 116-114-11 Upset Special: 9-7-1
2011 Playoff record 2-2 (didn't pick until Divisional Round)
Career to date: 384-360-29

Week 17 picks: Ringing in 2012...

2012-01-01T08:24:00.003-05:00

So...we got caught up in some holiday stuff last week and only picked one game. Sorry. Whaddya want? We're slack. Oh...and we're gonna go ahead and count that one as an upset special. Why? Cause we can. We're like the Rupert Murdoch of this blog: rules and law don't apply.

Anyway, let's see if we can bring it for the last week in the regular season. Let's start 2012 ought right by having a good week when it counts...when the playoffs are on the line. Big-time Prognosticators Make Big-time Picks in Big-time Games...

VIKINGS (-1.5) v. Bears
We really have no idea who could win this game, but we're gonna subscribe to the fantasy that it's "Gerhart Time" and that Leslie Frazier may coach a little harder as his seat is a little hotter.
BTPC pick = VIkings by 1.5

Seahawks (+3) v. CARDINALS
Two teams that are a lot better at home than on the road. We'll go with the Cards b/c it's in their house and they've got Tim Tebow without the Jesus (John Skelton).
BTPC pick = Cards laying the 3

EAGLES (-8.5) v. Redskins
The "Our Coaches get Irrational Credit from the media and professional pundits" bowl. Dear Daniel Snyder...you have now hired two has been coaches who accepted your Brinks Truck offers to coach when all they really wanted to do was get back into coaching to help their sons get gigs. Next time, just hire the kids. It'll be cheaper. Once upon a time, Michael Vick destroyed the Skins so bad that the Eagles wound up giving him something like a $55 million extension. Now...was that a good or bad thing?
BTPC pick = Skins getting 8.5

FALCONS (11.5) v. Bucs
We're gonna take the Bucs here for the irrational reason that we think maybe they'll pull one out for the Gipper and for the rational reason that we're not sure Atlanta can beat anyone, no matter how bad, by that many points.
BTPC pick = Bucs getting the 11.5

Lions (-3) v. PACKERS
How can the Lions be favored by 3 over the Pack? Because they're actually playing the Packers B Squad.
BTPC pick = Lions laying the 3

DOLPHINS (-3) v. Jets
Miami could shatter the Jets Playoff chances and it's Jason Taylor's retirement game.
BTPC pick = Miami laying the 3.

TEXANS (+3) v. Titans
The popular theory is that the Texans aren't gonna wanna back in to the playoffs. Want's got nothing to do with it. They're banged up. CJ needs yards to keep from losing like $300k in salary next year. Ya think he's gonna show up?
BTPC pick = Titans laying the 3.

Bills (+11) v. PATS
NE has to rest their guys, right?
BTPC pick = Bills getting the 11.

49ers (-10.5) v. RAMS
On ESPN just now, Mike Ditka was just blasting Sam Bradford, talking about how he's not a franchise QB. As if Ditka would know a franchise QB. BTW, Patrick WIllis is questionable. That 49er D is not the same without WIllis.
BTPC pick = Rams getting 10.5

Panthers (+7.5) v. SAINTS
We will readily admit, we kinda wrong about Cam Newton. While he's still a cheating mercenary college QB who won Auburn a National Title because they bought his daddy a church, he's a way better NFL QB than we ever thought he would be. Plus, God knows Daniel Constantine Marino is the greatest QB the world has ever seen and he will not be happy about the fact that the Saints kept throwing last week up by so much to break his all-time passing record (which, BTW Drew...if Marino had all the rule advantages you have...he would throw for 8,000 yards a season nowadays).
BTPC pick = Panthers getting 7.5 UPSET SPECIAL!

Colts (+3.5) v. JAGUARS
Jags outgoing owner Wayne Weaver said in interviews this week that he regretted firing Tom Coughlin. Ya think?
BTPC pick = Colts getting the 3.5

BROWNS (+4) v. Steelers
Pitt can secure a #2 seed. In other words, this game means something to them...
BTPC pick = Steelers laying 4

BENGALS (+6) v. Ravens
Bengals are enjoying their best season is a while. The Ravens have a decrepit Ray Lewis and a QB who publicly questioned their OC this week. Did we mention the Bengals were getting 6 points?
BTPC pick = Bengals getting 6.

RAIDERS (-3) v. Chargers
The "So Long Norv Turner" bowl. So long, Norv...
BTPC pick = Raiders laying the 3

BRONCOS (-3) v. Chiefs
Can Kyle Orton strike a blow for fired employees and atheists everywhere? We're gonna say yes, simply because we think God is gonna be busy smiting the Saints for the Marino-record karmafying mentioned above.
BTPC pick = Chiefs getting 3

Giants (-3) v. COWBOYS
Our fantasy team this season was VERY, VERY Cowboy-cific. And despite a 5-game win streak, we were not good. We choked when we had to win. So will the Cowboys.
BTPC pick = Giants laying the 3.

Week 16: 1-0 Upset Specials: 1-0
2011 Season Record: 112-104-9 Upset Special: 9-7-1
Career to date: 378-348-27

BTPC Exclusive: Chris Rock on Nikki Haley's "New Email Policy"

2011-12-23T07:51:00.003-05:00

So after getting caught with her pants down (pun intended) over her administration's failure to turn over relevant emails in response to a Post & Courier FOIA request last week, SC's Can't Shoot Straight Guv'nur Nikki Haley announced a new plan to preserve emails:

“When we took office, we adopted the same policy that has been used by previous administrations, and we have retained thousands of records and correspondence that will be preserved for archiving at the end of the administration,” Haley said in a news release. “But we have also found room for strengthening the policy – and, as we always do, when we see something that needs to be fixed, we fix it.”

There you have it South Carolina, your "Transparency Governor." But there is some good news...Haley's "Whoops...you caught me" moment has resulted in the BTPC obtaining exclusive expert document retention testimony from none other than Chris Rock. Enjoy.

Week 16 picks: I'm not a stud...

2011-12-22T10:11:00.005-05:00

Holy cow...the carnage. The gravity-like pull of our "Even Steven" curse has worked to sucked us below .500 yet again for two weeks straight, pulling us towards the Like-Death-&-Taxes, guaranteed .500 we are preordained to hit every year. Nevertheless, we trudge on. And much like The Geek from Sixteen Candles, this information cannot leave this room. Okay? It would devastate my reputation as a dude.

INDY (+6) over Titans
Call us crazy, but now that they've got the #1 pick locked up...it appears the Colts are actually playing. Conspiracy theorists have at it...

Remaining picks coming later...

Week 14: 7-9 Upset Specials: 0-1
Week 15: 6-9-1 Upset Specials: 0-1
2011 Season Record: 111-104-9 Upset Special: 8-7-1
Career to date: 377-348-27

Week 15 picks

2011-12-18T10:07:00.008-05:00

Jags (+11.5) over FALCONS

Cowboys (-7) over BUCS

BILLS (+1.5) over Dolphins

Pack (-14) over CHIEFS

Bengals (-3.5) over RAMS

Titans (-6.5) over COLTS

Seahawks (+3.5) over BEARS

CARDS (-6.5) over Browns

Saints (-7) over VIKES

GIANTS (-7) over Redskins

Panthers (+6) over TEXANS

Jets (+3) over EAGLES

Lions (-1) over RAIDERS

BRONCOS (+7.5) over Pats UPSET SPECIAL. If Tebow be on our side, who be on theirs?

Ravens (-2.5) over CHARGERS

49ERS (-1) over Steelers

Week 14 picks

2011-12-06T11:40:00.007-05:00

Let's not waste any time, shall we?

Steelers (-14) over Browns.
Already lost this one. So be it.

Colts (+16.5) over RAVENS

Falcons (-3) over PANTHERS

BENGALS (-3) v. Texans

Bucs (-2) over JAGS

LIONS (-10) over Vikings

JETS (-10.5) over Chiefs

DOLPHINS (-3) over EAGLES

TEBOWS (-3.5) over Bears

Patriots (-8) over REDSKINS

Saints (-3.5) over TITANS

PACKERS (-11.5) over Raiders

49ers (-4) over CARDINALS

Bills (+7) over CHARGERS UPSET SPECIAL

Giants (+3.5) over COWBOYS

SEAHAWKS (-4.5) over Rams

Week 12: 7-8-1 Upset Specials: 0-1
Week 13: 8-8 Upset Specials: 1-1
2011 Season Record: 98-86-8 Upset Special: 8-5-1
Career to date: 364-330-26

Week 13 picks

2011-12-04T11:22:00.002-05:00

SEAHAWKS (+3) over Eagles
Yeah...we didn't post this Thursday night. We forgot. But trust us, there was no way we were gonna take Vince Young on the road in the best home field stadium in the NFL. So we're counting this one as a W. Hell...we should have some trust...earlier this year we forgot to post an early game and counted it as a lost...

Titans (+2.5) over BILLS

BEARS (-7) over Chiefs
.
DOLPHINS (-3) Raiders

PATRIOTS (-20.5) over Colts
Holy shit...this is a high line. May be the highest we've ever seen. But how do you take the Colts here?

Bengals (+6.5) over STEELERS

Panthers (+3) over BUCS

Broncos (+1.5) over VIKINGS
No ADP. God loves Tebow. UPSET SPECIAL.

Jets (-3) over REDSKINS

Falcons (-3) over TEXANS

BROWNS (+6.5) over Ravens

Packers (-7) over GIANTS

49ERS (-13.5) Rams

Cowboys (-4.5) over CARDINALS

SAINTS (-9) over Lions

JAGUARS (+3) over Chargers
UPSET SPECIAL II...Jags enjoy their freedom with suit-wearing-axe-wielding Jack Del Rio gone. And you're probably looking at the next coach to go in Norv Turner...

Kick ass music post of the week: Fugazi Live Series A to Z

2011-12-01T17:46:00.003-05:00

As a child of the 80s, we grew up skateboarding and listening to punk music. Today, we got a treat when driving home, we caught NPR's All Things Considered. They were interviewing Fugazi's Ian Mackaye.

Unbeknownst to us, Fugazi and Dischord Records has new site up: Fugazi Live Series A to Z. What is it? Well...it seems that from 1987 until 2003, Fugazi's sound engineers recorded over 800 of these shows, and they are putting them up on the web. Unreal.

Favorite quote from the interview with Mackaye, when asked why they always played "Glue Man" at then end of every tour, Mackaye stated: "I spent it all...That's the lyric."

It's also a Kick Ass song...

SC (and double-agent Georgia) Gov. Nikki Haley don't need no stinkin' law...

2011-12-01T15:46:00.002-05:00

Or maybe she does. It was announced today that Richland County Solicitor Dan Johnson has dismissed the criminal charges against all 19 Occupy Columbia protestors.

The reason? There was no "there" there. Trust us...we read the entire code pertaining to the Statehouse grounds and could not find any law the Occupy Columbia folks had broken. Neither could Solicitor Johnson, who actually seems to realize the criminal justice system isn't about scoring political points...it's about enforcing the law and seeking justice. Hoozaahs for the Richland County Solicitor.

As for Haley, what's this mean? Well...it's yet another embarassing episode in a young administration filled with them. What will really be interesting to see, is how much her little "I AM THE LAW!!!" moment winds up costing South Carolinians. The civil case arising out of this brouhaha was removed to Federal Court this morning. Even if the Plaintiffs were to never receive a dime in that case, you can bet your paycheck the State is gonna spend some defending it.

The good news is that every dime spent to defend Haley's ridiculous decision to have the Occupy Columbia protestors arrested is a dime she can't spend on private planes and wine cellars.

Way to go, Nikki...you fine steward of the taxpayers' funds, you...

Herman Cain: Crazy...like a fox???

2011-11-29T09:14:00.003-05:00

With the ridiculous preemptive move yesterday of one-time leader of the Republican horserace to unseat President Obama, Herman Cain, to deny adultery accusations that were going to be made, we started thinking.

What if this is all a False Flag operation? Think about it...Cain pays this woman, Ginger White, to disclose a fictional affair. Cain comes out and denies it before it's even reported. Media reports it. In a few days, evidence surfaces to show White is lying. Cain flips the whole narrative into "See...I told you they were out to get me" and rockets back to the top.

Come one...do you doubt the brilliance of a campaign that gave you the campaign manager smoke break video that ended with that creepy smile? We don't...

Week 12 picks: Thankful gambling isn't legal...

2011-11-23T11:43:00.006-05:00

Because if it was...we'd have taken a beating last week with the 3-9-2 record we posted last week.

Thanksgiving picks:

LIONS (+6.5) v. Packers

BTPC pick = Lions getting 6.5

Dolphins (+7) v. COWBOYS

BTPC pick = Dolphins getting 7

RAVENS (-3) v. Niners

BTPC Pick = UPSET SPECIAL! Harbaugh's boys pull the upset, Niners getting 3.

FALCONS (-9.5) over Vikings

JAGS (+5) over Texans

BENGALS (+7.5) over Browns

Bucs (+3.5) over TITANS

Panthers (-3) over COLTS

Cardinals (+3) over RAMS

Bills (+9) over JETS

Bears (+4) over RAIDERS

Pats (-3.5) over EAGLES

SEAHAWKS (-3.5) over Redskins

Broncos (+6) over CHARGERS

Steelers (-10.5) over CHIEFS

SAINTS (-7) over Giants

Last Week: 3-9-2 Upset Specials: 0-0
2011 Season Record: 83-70-7 Upset Special: 7-3-1
Career to date: 349-314-25

Looking for a worthy cause this Holiday Season?

2011-11-18T09:08:00.005-05:00

The Death Penalty Resource & Defense Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting a fair and just criminal justice system for capital defendants. Their mission is to improve the quality of representation afforded to indigent defendants who are charged with a capital crime or who are currently under a sentence of death.

This holiday season, they have an added cause: to raise money to provide Christmas presents for the minor children of death penalty defendants in SC. Before anyone gets all outraged over someone suggesting helping "criminals" over the victims of the crimes, stop and think for just a minute: these kids are victims too. Unfortunately, they are victims who will not even get the small amount of attention victims get in these terrible situations, because they carry the stigma of being tied to the people accused of being the cause of so much grief and sadness.

Capital defense is often an insurmountable and thankless job. We admire all our friends and colleagues who take on the burden of a job that really can wear a person down. One thing we have been told by our capital defender friends, is even the slightest offering of simple humanity to their clients can do wonders. Something as simple as their lawyers being able to help bring just a slight bit of joy to their children can help bring down barriers these people have lived behind their whole lives. If you truly believe in forgiveness and salvation, how can that be wrong?

We ask that this season of giving, you consider offering a slight bit of humanity to those who society has condemned. Surely...during a time of year built around celebrating ideas of charity, hope and forgiveness it would not hurt to show a little of that to the innocent children of these horrible circumstances.

If you would like to make a donation, please make a check out to "The Death Penalty Resource Center" and write "Christmas Project" on the memo line. Those donations may be sent to Laura Young, PO Box 50860, Columbia, SC 29250.

Week 11 Picks: 11th NfL week in the 11th Month of 2011

2011-11-16T13:24:00.005-05:00

Well...after buying Rex Ryan's hype, we're starting the week out in a 0-1 hole (we tweeted our pick of Jets laying 6 Thursday night). Thanks...Rexy. Who knew the greatest defensive mind of our lifetime would not be able to stop a one-dimensional QB? Of course, that quarterback has been ordained by God...so we guess we ought to take that in to account.

Let's move on and see if we can get back in the black on the ledger after yet another even Steven (8-8) week.

Titans (+6) v. FALCONS

Last week the Titans manhandled the Panthers, while the Falcons blew a game in OT to the Saints. There's been a lot of talk about how the Falcons decision to go for it on 4th & inches from deep in their own territory in OT. A lot of folks are comparing Mike Smith's decision to Bill Belicheck's decision to go for it a few years ago on 4th down versus the Colts. The problem with that comparison, is that the Pats decision was to win the game. If NE got a first down, they could have run out the clock and won. The Saints decision was simply to get 3 more downs. The reward was not worth the risk.

However, the fact Mike Smith decided to do that speaks volumes about how bad the Falcons' defense is. We think they'll win a must win at home, but we think 6 points is too much, especially when you factor in that it looks like Atlanta will not be playing with the player (Julio Jones) they neglected their defense and traded all those draft picks to select.

BTPC pick = Titans getting the 6.

RAVENS (-7) v. Bengals

Yes...Ray Lewis will be out. So, we believe, will be the Bengals top CB, Leon Hall. So while those two may cancel out, the Bengals are definitely gonna be hurting missing star rookie WR AJ Green.

Last week, we took the Seahawks because we saw the Ravens turning in a turd after beating the Steelers, just like they did in week 2. This week, we think they'll respond like they did in week 3, with a convincing win. If the Bengals were healthy, we'd like their chances to cover...but when Pacman Jones is gonna be your top CB, we have to take the Unibrow.

BTPC pick = Ravens laying the 7.

Jaguars (-1) v. BROWNS

In a game between two complete shit teams, we suppose we'll go with the team that doesn't seem to be coming apart in the locker room. (see Hillis, Peyton).

BTPC pick = Jaguars laying the 1.

DOLPHINS (-1.5) v. Bills

This game has Dolphins Turd written all over it. Sure...they'll be helped if Bills WR Stevie Johnson can't go. These are two teams that are completely opposite. The Bills started out red hot and have cooled off. Miami didn't even get it's first win until 2 weeks ago. Now, after screwing up the chance at the #1 pick and Andrew Luck, the Dolphins might be entering the let's miss out on Matt Barkley sweepstakes.

Despite good play out of him the last two weeks, we don't think Matt Moore is that good. We certainly think Ryan Fitzpatrick is better. We'll go with the better QB in this one.

BTPC pick = Bills getting 1.5

PACKERS (-14) v. Bucs

Let's just go ahead and pick the Pack and move on, shall we?

BTPC pick = Pack laying 14.

VIKINGS (+1) v. Raiders

Carson Palmer on the road in a dome just weeks after coming out of retirement.

BTPC pick = Vikings getting 1.

Panthers (+7) v. LIONS

Somehow, we get the feeling that Cam Newton will show up against a shit-talking Detroit Lions team. If not...we may have to bail off the Cam Newton bandwagon.

BTPC pick = Panthers getting 7.

Seahawks (+3) v. RAMS

BTPC pick = This Rams team is a different team with Brandon Lloyd. And this Seahawks team is a different team away from home.

BTPC pick - Rams laying the 3.

Cowboys (-7) v. SKINS

The Cowboys and Tony Romo appear to finally be hitting on all cylinders. The Skins are falling apart.

BTPC pick = Cowboys laying 7.

BEARS (-3.5) v. Chargers

San Diego is imploding and this is Norv Turner's farewell tour.

BTPC pick = Bears laying 3.5.

49ERS (-9.5) v. Cardinals

The Cards went on the road and beat the Dream Team last week. But this 49ers team ain't a dream team...they're a blue-collar, well-coached squad. 9.5 is a lot of points though. Still, we just think the Niners are that much stronger.

BTPC pick = Niners laying the 9.5

GIANTS (-6) v. Eagles

Absolute must win for Eagles. That's great, but Vince Young is starting. Seems like the Giants have a pattern of looking good-looking bad-looking good-looking bad. Last week they lost to the Niners. This week...

BTPC pick = Giants laying 6.

PATS (-15) v. Chiefs

Some guy named Palko is starting at QB for the Chiefs.

BTPC pick = Pats laying the 15.

Last Week: 8-8 Upset Specials: 1-0
2011 Season Record: 80-61-5 Upset Special: 7-3-1
Career to date: 346-305-23

Week 10 Picks: A Perfect 10...

2011-11-08T08:55:00.012-05:00

Another week of Even Steven puts the pressure on us to do the unthinkable: Pull a Perfecto in Week 10. We're up for it...are you? Well...Lets. Get. It. On...

Jags (-3) v. COLTS
If our Miami Dolphins have any chance of getting the #1 pick in the NFL Draft, Indianapolis has to win a game. And this one is huge if they are gonna do it. Having been Miami fans since the early 80s, we can tell you our luck is not good

BTPC pick = Jags laying the 3.

FALCONS (PK) v. Saints
Toughest game of the week to pick. Who knows...hold on...*flips coin*...FALCONS it is.

BTPC pick = Falcons.

Steelers (-3) v. BENGALS
We've got a lot of Ws this year riding the Bengals. That's what makes this week so hard. Those Ravens-Steelers games are just so hard to understand. It's like both teams just get so up for them, that they can skew your outlook on both teams. At the end of the day, we think that the Bengals just aren't as good as the Ravens are...AGAINST THE STEELERS. The Ravens are simply a different team when they play the "burgh. Add in the fact that the Steelers are coming off a tough loss and their fans will turn out in Cincy, we can't keep riding the Red Rifle in this one.

BTPC pick = Steelers laying the 3.

Rams (+3) v. BROWNS
There are two explosive players in this game. The Browns have failed to figure out how to get the ball into Josh Cribbs hands all season, while the Rams have already gotten Brandon Lloyd more into their offense in 2 games than the Browns have done with Cribbs all year.

BTPC pick = Rams getting 3.

Bills (+5.5) v. COWBOYS
Our fantasy team, Wolf Blitzer's Lap, is so Dallas-dependent, it's sad. And we hate the Cowboys. Meanwhile, the bloom appears to have fallen off the Buffalo rose. This is a game where the Bills can show no...they're not dead, while Romo just gives Cowboy fans that much more grief.

BTPC pick = Bills getting the 5.5

CHIEFS (-3) v. Broncos
What's more important here...that the Chiefs made Matt Moore the Player of the Week in the AFC or that Timmy Tebow is no Matt Moore? Trust the Beard...Haley rights the KC ship.

BTPC pick = Chiefs laying the 3.

EAGLES (-13) v. Cardinals
The only feeling we have stronger than not trusting the Eagles to cover a large spread is the fact that you're doomed with John Skelton as your QB. Quick...where did John Skelton play in college? The football powerhouse of Fordham University. And by "football powerhouse," we mean the other two notable NFL figures from there since we've been alive (Lombardi was from there, but he obviously was before out time) are Wellington and John Mara. That's right...Fordham churns out rich white boys named Mara to own the NY Giants. It's kind of niche "powerhouse."

BTPC pick = Eagles laying the 13.

If you're looking to get into Fordham University, you might want to follow in Wyatt's footsteps, who apparently was aided in the admissions process from the fact that he (and his buddy Gary) created a woman with his computer...

Texans (-3) v. BUCS
We've picked against the Texans so many times this year and gotten burned, we give up. So ample warning...that probably means the Bucs win this going away...

BTPC pick = Texans laying the 3.

PANTHERS (-3.5) v. Titans
While Cam Newton was inexplicably added to the injury report on a bye week, we still think he's gonna be rested and refreshed coming off a bye-week. Meanwhile, Chris Johnson is apparently still busy counting his new contract money.

BTPC pick = Panthers laying the 3.5

DOLPHINS (-4) v. Redskins
We don't know what is sadder: that the Redskins are 4 point dogs to a 1-win Dolphins team who is terrible at home and quarterbacked by reject Matt Moore or that we're actually scared of a team quarterbacked by Dolphins reject QB John "Check Down" Beck. If we have to rely on anything, we'll rely on our Dolphins terrible luck in them further blowing the shot at the #1 pick.

BTPC pick = Dolphins laying the 4.

SEAHAWKS (+7) v. Ravens
In Week 2 of this season, the Ravens were coming off an absolute shellacking of the Steelers and they lost to a Titans team that we've found out is not very good. Seattle is a tougher away trip based on distance and the phenomenon of Seattle's homefield advantage. We think history repeats itself.

BTPC pick = UPSET SPECIAL! Seahawks getting the 7.

BEARS (-3) v. Lions
Last week, we rolled with a Bears teams (who we think is better than people realize) against an Eagles team (that was not as good as people thought). Our feelings have not changed. The Bears are still better than people realize. In fact, an undiscussed trend this season, is how well Cutler is playing, seeming to be sticking it to all those folks who blasted his toughness from that playoff game last season.

BTPC pick = Bears giving 3.

49ERS (-3.5) v. Giants
Well...that NYG team that showed up against the Pats is a completely different team than the one that tried every which way they could to lose to the hapless Dolphins the week before. This NFL video of their locker room after the Pats game shows they might have a little "nobody believes in us" mojo at work right now. Harbaugh has been pumping that vibe into this 49er team all season. A very tough, tough game to predict. There is a high likelihood that the Giants have a letdown traveling all the way out to the West Coast for this one. But if we have to pick who to go with, we're gonna go with the better QB. Do not let us down, Eli...

BTPC pick = Giants getting 3.5

Pats (+1.5) v. JETS
For the AFC East lead. If NE loses 3 in a row...it could be over for them.

BTPC pick = Pats getting the 1.5

Vikes (+13.5) v. PACKERS
In week 7, the Vikes lost by only 6 to the Pack at home. That was Ponder's first start. We don't see the flip in who's at home being 7.5 points.

BTPC pick = Vikes getting the 13.5

**We forgot to get our Oak-SD pick in before their game Thursday night. In all honesty, we would have probably taken the Chargers laying the 7 so we'll just chalk that one up as a loss for this week.**

Last Week: 7-7 Upset Specials: 1-0
2011 Season Record: 72-53-5 Upset Special: 6-3-1
Career to date: 338-297-23

Week 9 Picks: Surviving the Crazy

2011-11-06T08:26:00.009-05:00

Holy crap was Week 8 of THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE* was crazy, was it not? Cam not covering at home to the Vikes, Brees & the Saints laying a turd in St. Louis, the Ravens barely surviving the hapless Cards, God abandoning Tebow, the Steelers finally stepping up against the Pats at home, the Chargers terrible fold down the stretch and oh my...that ass-whupping the Eagles opened up on the Cowboys. Seriously...it was one of the wildest weeks we can remember. We only hit on two of those games and it was only because Tebow being mortal and Norv Turner choking are irrefutable facts of life.

Still...given how crazy a week it was, we feel pretty good that we survived the crazy and managed to go 6-7. It could have been a lot worse. But let's see if we can get this train back on the winning track.

Falcons (-6.5) v. COLTS

If our beloved Dolphins are gonna win the Suck For Luck sweepstakes, Indianapolis is gonna have to eventually win a game. We don't feel very good about Miami's chances of having Andrew Luck slip on a Dolphins cap in MSG next year.

BTPC pick: Falcons laying the 6.5

Bucs (+8.5) v. SAINTS

What the hell happened to the Saints last week? We don't know...but you gotta think Drew Brees and Company are gonna come out with something to prove.

BTPC pick: Saints laying the 8.5

Browns (-10.5) v. TEXANS
As if things couldn't get worse for the Browns, this week saw locker room leaks spring where his teammates seemed to be throwing Hillis under the bus. This guy is embracing the Madden Cover Curse like nobody's business.

BTPC pick: Texans laying the 10.5

BILLS (-2.5) v. Jets

The Jets last two games were wins versus the Dolphins and the Chargers. They looked absolutely horrible versus Miami and it took the Chargers imploding off a lead to hand them that second win. Last week they had a buy. Interesting trend, the bye week doesn't quite mean what it used to. Thanks to the new CBA rules, teams have to actually give their players 4 days off in a row during the bye. So teams don't really get that extra prep time with the players like they used to. And the Jets could have used it to prepare for a hot Bills team.

BTPC pick: Bills laying the 2.5

CHIEFS (-4) v. Dolphins

Miami continues to scare the living crap out of their fans who realize that the current version of this team is going nowhere and who are hoping the Dolphins stumble into the Number 1 pick in the NFL draft. Seriously...as a Dolfan...it's like these games are all off the same script. You can predict exactly HOW this team is gonna blow each game in the 4th, a fall that usually begins as soon as Tony Sparano gives a enthusiastic fistpump for a disappointing FG. Meanwhile, Todd Haley has taken a team that looked terrible after losing its top Defensive and Offensive players at the start of the season and turned them around. Word out of Miami is Vontae Davis and Brandon Marshall almost came to blows this week. Starting to get the idea that those "At least Sparano has not lost the locker room" stories are about to come to an end...

BTPC pick: Chiefs laying 4.

49ers (-4) v. SKINS

Good teams beat the teams they should. Last week the 49ers took care of business against a bad Browns team at home. This week, they face a similar situation against a Skins team which at one point looked decent. However, they're facing the dreaded West Coast team-traveling to the East Coast-for a 1pm KickOff phenomenon. Can they overcome it? We're not sure, but we know we don't like the Skins without Santana Moss. They don't have anyone that scares a defense now, meaning Patrick Willis and Co. can now crowd the LOS and tee off on John Beck. That's not good.

BTPC pick: 49ers laying the 4.

COWBOYS (-11) v. Seahawks
How is it ever a good thing for your coordinator to be all in the headlines? First, it was Rob Ryan falling on his sword for the turd the Cowboys laid versus the Eagles. That's fine. But then, Ryan comes out and does his best Rex-Ryan-Foot-In-Mouth impression by claiming he's the best DC in the league. You'll notice Ryan didn't start saying this until later on in the week, probably about the time he realized this week's opponent was the Seattle Seahawks. After the Cowboys pass rush dismantles an already pathetic Seahawks offense, we will all be treated to a Ryan crowing. We can't wait.

BTPC pick: Cowboys laying 11.

RAIDERS (-7) v. Broncos

Nothing speaks to the quality of the Caron Palmer trade like the fact that the Raiders are right now a much more complete team than the Broncos and they are at home, yet we are scared of giving them 7 points with Carson "Pick 6" Palmer getting his first start.

BTPC pick: Raiders laying 7.

Bengals (+3) v. TITANS

Titans had a bye week last week. See previous discussion re: the new trend with bye weeks. The Bengals are the more talented team. Previous incarnations of the Bengals would blow this game, after going all the way out to Seattle and taking care of business against an inferior team (which was itself out of character for the Bengals). We think this Bengals team continues to go against the grain.

BTPC pick: Bengals getting 3.

Rams (+3) v. CARDS

This is the toughest game to predict. Both teams played much better than anyone thought the would last week. Yes...the Rams did their damage at home (where their energy level was off the charts). But it just seemed that they're a different team with Brandon Lloyd stretching defenses. Stephen Jackson sure seemed fired up. This game could go either way. In that situation, we take the points.

BTPC pick: Rams getting the 3.

PATS (-9) v. Giants

The Giants tried every which way they could to give that game to Miami. And the Pats are gonna be pissed about their Steelers game.

BTPC pick: Pats laying the 9.

Packers (-5.5) v. CHARGERS

The Chargers have lost their last two games to teams they should have beaten. They should not beat Green Bay, who is the best team in the league.

BTPC pick: Packers laying the 5.5

STEELERS (-3) v. Ravens

Oh what a difference eight weeks makes. It seems such a distant memory, that 35-7 ass-whupping the Ravens opened up on the Steelers in Week 1. You think Pittsburgh has had this game circled on the calendar? Yeah...we do to.

BTPC pick: Steelers laying the 3.

EAGLES (-7.5) v. Bears

Was last week the turn-around point for the "Dream Team"? We don't know...but we do know they ought to beat the Bears. The question is will they do so by 7.5? Seems to us, Vegas is putting just a little too much into the Eagles dismantling of Dallas. The self-proclaimed greatest DC in the league (Rob Ryan) simply had shitty gameplan against Vick. And Garrett didn't help matters by forgetting stud rookie DeMarco Murray (and he better be glad Wolf Blitzer's Lap still managed to win). We don't think the Bears will make the same mistake.

BTPC pick: UPSET SPECIAL...Bears getting the 7.5

Last Week: 6-7 Upset Specials: 1-0
2011 Season Record: 65-46-5 Upset Special: 5-3-1
Career to date: 331-290-23

*Copyright all the WorldWide Leader, who apparently has decreed that all their personnel refer to the NFL as "THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE." We blame Chris "Meathead" Berman...

Florence, Stand Up. Mr. Lawson is passin'.

2011-11-02T17:17:00.012-04:00

It is one of the most iconic moments in American Literature and one of the most powerful scenes in the history of motion pictures. It is a line spoken to a young girl who has just seen her father fail to save an innocent black man from being convicted by a white jury in the Jim Crow South, for a crime he did not commit. As Jean Louise Finch sits on that “colored balcony” at the conclusion of the rape trial of Tom Robinson, Rev. Sykes utters an instruction which shows the deep respect her father, Atticus Finch has earned: “Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father’s passin’.” As she looks around, Jean Louise realizes everyone around her is standing to pay respect to her father.

The very nature of criminal defense work can be disheartening. Those who practice criminal law pour their heart and soul into defending those who society shuns. Yet it is the respect that work deserves, as evidenced by the memorable scene Harper Lee gave us in To Kill A Mockingbird, which has inspired many a criminal defense attorney. This week, Florence County suffered a great loss with the passing of Jack W. Lawson, Jr., a man who earned similar respect.

Harper Lee could just have easily named the hero of her tale Jack Lawson. Webster’s defines the word “hero,” as a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. Jack would have shunned any such description of himself. In Jack’s mind, all he tried to do throughout his legal career was what was just and right. However, it was those qualities which have made Atticus Finch the most revered hero in American film. It is also those qualities that made Jack Lawson a hero to those of us in the bar.

For a period of about eight years, Jack was a Deputy Solicitor here in the Twelfth Circuit. During that time, Jack prosecuted criminal cases with the same sense of justice and compassion with which he had defended cases. In 2008, Jack came back across the aisle to defend cases, becoming the Chief Public Defender for the Twelfth Circuit. Jack explained that he belonged at the defense table, because in his heart he was meant to defend people. Jack once said that the loneliest seat in the world was a defendant’s chair in a criminal case and that he was meant to sit beside those folks.

Atticus Finch explained to us that real courage was “when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.” Jack Lawson exhibited such courage every time he sat down at that defense table and he kept showing that courage over the past few months as he fought to be able to return to the job he loved. To say that Jack Lawson will be missed is an understatement. He will be missed deeply by his family, his friends and by his community. Florence has lost a hero. We have lost our Atticus Finch.

The Oyster Roasts will never be the same without Jack...

SCNow article of Jack's passing here.

Week 8 picks

2011-10-30T09:19:00.005-04:00

Last week, we were straight Even Steven at 6-6-1. Let's see if we can't work on that...

We like:

Saints laying 12.5 to the RAMS

Dolphins getting 9.5 v. the GIANTS

Colts getting 9 v. TITANS

PANTHERS laying 3.5 v. Vikes

RAVENS giving 13 to the Cards

BILLS giving 6 in Toronto to the Skins

Jags getting 9.5 on the TEXANS

Lions laying 3 to the BRONCOS

Bengals giving 3 v. SEAHAWKS

Pats laying 3 versus STEELERS

49ers laying 9 v. Browns

Cowboys getting 3.5 v. EAGLES

CHIEFS getting 4 v. Chargers (UPSET SPECIAL)

Last Week: 6-6-1 Upset Specials: 0-1
2011 Season Record: 59-39-5 Upset Special: 4-3-1
Career to date: 325-283-23

Week 7 picks: Long is the way, and hard, that out of hell leads up to light...

2011-10-18T09:18:00.007-04:00

We hit week 7 of the NFL season in doing pretty well. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Just as John Doe told Detectives Mills and Somerset in the movie Seven, "Long is the way, and hard, that out of hell leads up to the light." The NFL season is a marathon, not a sprint. So before you go dancing around in your Grandma's panties, rubbing yourself in peanut butter over our picks, remember...John Doe has the upper hand. Somebody call somebody...

Bears (-1) v. BUCS (in London)

The Bucs, claiming to have learned from their last London trip, are not treating this like any regular week and waiting to fly in Saturday. The players who were on the team last trip said that sucked, all they did was sleep Saturday and it messed them up. So they went over early, got a chance to see the sights and will be a little more acclimated to the time difference. The Bears, meanwhile, treated it like a regular week.

BTPC pick = UPSET SPECIAL...BUCS getting the point.

SKINS (+2.5) v. Panthers

This pick is simple. You can either roll with John Beck or you can roll with Cam Newton. We're rolling with Cam.

BTPC pick = Panthers laying the 2.5

CHARGERS (PK) v. Jets

Pick 'em? Really? Did Vegas watch that Monday night game? The only reason the Jets won, AT HOME, was because the Dolphins absolutely SUCK.

BTPC pick = Chargers.

BROWNS (-3) v. Seahawks

The only question we have here, is does Charlie Whitehurst, starging for the Seahawks, confuse those orange Browns' helmets, for Clemson helmets and throw a bunch of picks. Meanwhile, the Browns spent this past week, with rumors of them trading their marquee players: Peyton Hillis.

BTPC pick = Seahawks getting the 3.

Texans (-3) v. TITANS

This just smells like the typical Kubiak-team stinker.

BTPC pick = Titans getting the 3.

DOLPHINS (PK) v. Broncos

The Dolphins are 1-11 in their last 12 at home. And tomorrow, it's the SUCK FOR LUCK SUPERBOWL. Whoever loses this game will be in the driver's seat for the #1 pick in the draft. Throw in the fact that it's Tebow-time...AND the Dolphins had weeks ago gone ahead and planned for Sunday to be "Gator Day," celebrating Florida's 2008 National Championship...It's almost like God is planning this. And we all know Tebow is tight with the Almighty. The only thing that makes us think Miami could win this, is it would be just our luck to blow this game, win it, then lose out on the #1 pick. Come on, Sparano...you can do it...BLOW. THIS. GAME.

BTPC pick = Tebow! (Broncos)

LIONS (-3.5) v. Falcons

So the Lions traded Jerome Harrison to the Eagles for Ronnie Brown, only to have the trade voided when Harrison's physical showed he had a brain tumor. Gotta admit...that's a first. Some might be tempted to go with the Falcons here, seeing as how Detroit has shown a propensity for letting teams come back from way down recently. But need we remind you of how BAD the Falcons D is?

BTPC pick = Lions laying the 3.5.

RAIDERS (-3.5) v. Chiefs

We're sure Kyle Boller's confidence is just soaring after the Raiders gave up a ridiculous price to get Caron Palmer, the Raiders leaked comments about how the players were marveled about having a "real QB" at the subsequent practices and Hue Jackson all but guaranteed Palmer would start Sunday. Now, word is leaking that Palmer probably is not ready to start this week (gee...you think?) and it looks like Boller is going to get the nod. To put that in perspective, go tell your wife or girlfriend that you're dumping her because you've finally found a girl that is actually hot. Then, explain that your new love has got to work Saturday night, so you need your current gal to be your date to the party you have on your calendar. How well do you think that date is gonna go?

BTPC pick = Chiefs getting the 3.5

Steelers (-4) v. CARDS

Kevin Kolb or Big Ben?

BTPC pick = Big Ben (Steelers) laying the 4.

COWBOYS (-13.5) v. Rams

The week after getting blasted by his owner publicly for pussing out on that last drive because he didn't trust his QB, can Jason Garret run it up on the Rams? Maybe...but 13.5 is too much for us.

BTPC pick = LATE CHANGE...originally said Rams getting the 13.5, but then it was announced that Bradford was out. Maybe there's some out there that think AJ Feely can keep it close. We don't. Cowboys by 13.5...

Pack (-9.5) v. VIKINGS

Why on earth the Vikings want to throw Christian Ponder into the fire in a game they are no way gonna win, we do not know. But lord have mercy...if Ponder somehow were to pull this one out, Viking Nation will be crazy next week declaring him savior. But that's not gonna happen on Aaron Rodgers' watch...

BTPC pick = Pack laying the 9.5

SAINTS (-13.5) v. Colts

Who knew teams should be targeting coaches on the sideline, huh? The Colts quietly go about their own Suck for Luck campaign.

BTPC pick = Saints laying the 13.5

Ravens (-8) v. Jags

The non-violent Harbaugh brother increases the flame underneath Jack Del Rio's buttocks...

BTPC pick = Ravens laying the 8

Last Week: 8-4-1 Upset Specials: 0-0-1
2011 Season Record: 53-33-4 Upset Special: 4-2-1
Career to date: 319-273-22

Week 6 picks: Playing the hot hand...

2011-10-11T09:41:00.018-04:00

In case you didn't notice, we enter week 6 of the NFL season an quite the roll. We went 10-2-1 last week. How are we, lifetime .500 prognosticators, doing it? Who knows...when you're in Vegas and you get on a streak, you don't question where the cards are coming from. You just play 'em. Having said that, let's ante up and see the cards...

PACKERS -14 v. Rams
Rodgers is playing out of his mind. It's not just that he's throwing completions, racking up yards and scores. You really have to watch how those passes look to enjoy just how on fire he is. His passes are BBs. They just look different than the passes every other QB is throwing. They're frickin' Laser Beams. Dr. Evil wants to mount Aaron Rodgers on the head of shark, that's how awesome his throws are. The 14 points scares us, since it is high...but given how well GB is playing versus how poorly the Rams are playing, who wants to pick the Rams here? Anyone? Bueller?

BTPC pick = Pack laying the 14.

STEELERS -12.5 v. Jags

We said last week we were giving the Steelers one more chance. And look what they did with it...throttling the Titans, who had been playing well and looking like a decent team (two things the Jags have not done). See how romantic Big Ben is? We can't quit him...

BTPC pick = Steelers laying the 12.5

Eagles -3 v. SKINS

If you're asking yourself how the hell the the team at the bottom of the division at 1-4 can be a 3 point favorite versus the team at the top of the division at 3-1, we have no idea. Suppose it's because if the Skins win this one, the Eagles are done and Vegas is figuring this Eagles team is too good to get knocked out this early. Or maybe they remember how Vick destroyed the Skins last year. Or maybe they remember how the visitor has dominated this series winning 8 of the last 9. We want to take the Skins here, but we're gonna go with Vegas...because afterall...those SOBs make millions off of this shit.

BTPC pick = Eagles laying 3.

LIONS -4 v. 49ers

Last week we asked the question of whether or not the Niners were real. We picked them over the Bucs saying we thought Harbaugh was. And Harbaugh and his scrappy team proved us right. We still think the Niners are a good team (and lament the fact that Harbaugh turned down the Dolphins gig), but we just don't see an Alex Smith team going in to Detroit and keeping pace with that offense.

BTPC pick = Lions laying the 4.

FALCONS -3.5 v. Panthers

Have you tried the Cam yet? You really should try the Cam. It's wonderful (and seems to always cover). By the way...he's pretty damn good in the Georgia Dome. (Trust us...unfortunately we've seen it first hand).

BTPC pick = Panthers getting the 3.5

BENGALS -6.5 v. Colts

Tough call here. We've enjoyed taking the Bengals this season, as they're a better team than most realize. But they don't win games big. On the other hand, the Colts have shown some life with Curtis Painter finally getting under center, but news broke this week that Irsay and the Colts may be looking to unload their two best players (who are playing) in Wayne and Mathis. We'd feel a lot better if the spread was less, but we're gonna roll with the Red Rifle, Andy Dalton.

BTPC pick = Bengals laying the 6.5

GIANTS -3 v. Bills

Before the season, if we had told you that the best team in the state of New York was gonna be the Bills, what would have been your choice for which drug we were on? And now you're telling us Vegas wants to give you 3 points for them to go up against Eli "I pull wins outta my ass by my WRs making ridiculous catches" Manning's Giants? Okay...we don't want the points, we don't need the points, but we'll take the points.

BTPC pick = UPSET SPECIAL...Bills getting 3.

RAVENS -7 v. Texans

The Texans lost to the Raiders last week. At home. After blowing a chance to win it. This week, they travel to Baltimore. Baltimore is better than Oakland. Teams don't run against Baltimore. Without Andre Johnson, the Texans have to run to win. See how easy it is when you break it down.

BTPC pick = Ravens laying the 7.

RAIDERS -6.5 v. Browns

The biggest news outta Cleveland, is still the who Peyton Hillis Strep Throat controversy. Meanwhile, men are so happy in Oakland about being free from the iron rule of Al Davis' corpse, that they're crying on the sideline and in the locker room.

BTPC pick = Raiders laying the 6.5

PATS -6.5 v. Cowboys

The Pats have no pass rush and can't defend the pass. Chad Henne lit them up when they played the Dolphins. The Cowboys offense can move the ball through the air and they're getting Miles back this week. Plus, you can almost taste Romo having the chance to lead the Boys down for a late win, blowing it, then Brady taking over and leading the Pats down to just eke out the win, leading to a week's worth of Dallas fans and the media comparing Romo's choke to Brady's awesomeness. Sports radio show directors can practically take next week off.

BTPC pick = Cowboys getting the 6.5

Saints -5.5 v. BUCS

We were tempted to take the Bucs with this line, thinking the young Bucs will come home pissed at laying the egg in San Fran and give a Saint's team that had to fight for their life against Cam and the Panthers all they can handle. Then we saw where the Bucs starting RB is gonna be out. Awww...what the hell, we're taking the Bucs on the theory that 5.5 is just too high for a team that is very similar to the team that just covered that much last week versus the Saints.

BTPC pick = Bucs getting the 5.5

BEARS -2.5 v. Vikings

The Vikes should win this game, but we don't feel good about taking them. They got their win last week...it's time for them to go back to blowing leads. However, the Bears line seems to be on a mission to get Cutler killed. Jared Allen is gonna have a big day.

BTPC pick = Vikes taking the 2.5

JETS -6.5 v. Dolphins

The Phins go in to this game with Matt Moore at QB. Moore is a pretty mobile guy and we think that may help him against the Jets relentless pass rush. We're not sure what to make outta Brandon Marshall's vow to get thrown out. The Jets are reeling and they've got to consider this a huge game. Then again, for a Dolphins team that is not going anywhere, beating the Jets is one of those season saving types of wins, as in..."Yeah...we went 2-14, but we swept the Jets" kind of ways. We hate to pick against our Dolphins, no matter how terrible they are. And this pick is in no way meant to be a reverse jinx. Honest.

BTPC pick = Jets laying the 6.5

Last Week: 10-2-1 Upset Specials: 1-0
2011 Season Record: 45-29-3 Upset Special: 4-2
Career to date: 311-269-21

Week 5 picks

2011-10-09T12:10:00.004-04:00

Quick posting of picks. Will have to update the running tally later, but pretty sure we went 8-8 last week.

Taking the:

Panthers +6.5 v. Saints

Bills +3 v. Eagles

Colts -2 v. Chiefs

Bengals -2 v. Jags

Giants -9.5 v. Seahawks

VIkes -3 v. Cards

Steelers -3 v. Titans (don't feel great about this one, but we're taking the Steelers and Big Ben one more time before we write them off).

Raiders +6 v. Texans. UPSET SPECIAL. They "Just Win, Baby," for the late Al Davis.

49ers -3 v. Bucs (are the Niners for real? We think Harbaugh is).

Chargers -4 v. Broncos

Jets +9 v. Pats (just too many points)

Pack -6.5 v. Falcons

Lions -5 v. Bears

Last Week: 8-8 Upset Specials: 0-1
2011 Season Record: 35-27-2 Upset Special: 3-2
Career to date: 301-267-20

Rick Perry is TOAST

2011-10-04T08:37:00.004-04:00

You know...a lot of folks would have figured Rick Perry was toast after watching his dreadful performance at a recent GOP debate, where Perry couldn't even seem to form coherent sentences.

But the truth of the matter is, the latest Perry controvery over his family's hunting camp being called "Niggerhead" will be the headshot to Perry's campaign. Sorry...but there's nothing right-wing conservatives hate more than being called racist, no matter how racist they may act. Don't believe us, just ask Hermain Cain, who got lambasted by the conservative media machine over his response to the whole brouhaha.

Note: We're not saying all right-wing conservatives are racist, but we will say most racists sure seem to be right-wing conservatives.

The simple fact of the matter is, the GOP cannot run a candidate against the first black President of the United States who had a family getaway called Niggerhead. Ain't. Gonna. Happen.

So long, Rick. It's back to shootin' coyotes in Texas for you...

Week 4 picks: Bruised, battered, but still on the field...

2011-09-28T09:55:00.015-04:00

We're a little worse for wear after yesterday's ugly and disheartening Gamecock loss. Seriously...how in the hell can a guy go from being a good SEC East championship QB to not being able to simply complete forward passes? Was Garcia's hair his strength? Do we have a Sampson and Delilah story going on here? Quick...somebody get Garcia a beer to funnel and three strippers for a team-rules-violating party, STAT!

But although our voice is shot and out throat sore from screaming on the D, which played great, and our right ankle is killing us for some reason, we're still here come Sunday morning to give up the goods. Last week finally broke the 8-7-1 logjams we'd been dropping and laid a sweet 11-5 week on you.

In the words of our man, Herm Edwards has told us we can build on this. And so we shall, Herm...and so we shall.

COWBOYS (-2.5) v. Lions

Big game for the Lions. Can they go into Jerry Jones' new digs and prove they are for reals? We're gonna go with the teams who has at least some healthy WRs for the quarterback to throw to..or at least some who did not get their jobs by winning reality television shows.

BTPC pick = Lions getting the 2.5

Saints (-7) v. JAGS

On one hand, you've got arguably the hottest offensive playcaller roaming the sidelines and on the other, you have a coach who's claim to fame is a) wanting to wear a suit during games, b) almost losing his punter's leg to the axe and stump gimmick he put in the locker room; or c) cutting his veteran QB the week before the season starts. Yeah...not really a hard call is it?

BTPC pick = Saints laying the 7.

EAGLES (-9.5) v. 49ers

Vick is now going to have a kevlar glove. This goes with his Kevlar vest (for his torso shots) and with his Kevlar-lined helmet (for his concussion). Seriously...not since those two dudes had the Heat-style robbery of the North Hollywood Bank of America has a private citizen sported this much bullet-proof hardware. We are awfully tempted to take Harbaugh's boys on the road, thinking he may get them fired up and they can keep it close. But lord have mercy...the 49ers cannot pass.

BTPC pick = Eagles laying the 9.5

Skins (-3) v. RAMS

The Skins lost a big game last week versus a QB who was playing after having broken some ribs and suffered a punctured lung. Then their players come out poo-pooing that QB's situation, opining that the QB and opponent talked up the injuries to provide them with a built in excuse had they lost. The problem with that, is they didn't. And you're whining about it makes it look like you can't move on. Meanwhile, Spagnola is starting to look like he could be on the hot seat for a team that a lot of folks picked as their darling sleepers to surprise this season who have wound up being awful.

BTPC pick = UPSET SPECIAL Rams getting the 3.

BROWNS (PK) v. Titans

Peyton Hillis took heat for sitting out last week's game versus our beloved Dolphins with strep throat. Wait a minute...it was the Dolphins! And they won! Really? Come on. For the other team, the Titans have lost WR-stud Kenny Britt. We'll take the Browns at home.

BTPC pick = Browns.

Bills (-3) v. BENGALS

Could be a trap game for the Bills. We're gonna buy that this Bills team is blue-collar enough not to take this game for granted. Prove us right, Fitzy...

BTPC pick = Bills laying the 3.

Vikings (-3) v. CHIEFS

Speaking of coaches on the hot seat...Todd Haley, come on down. In Haley's defense, his team has been ravaged by injuries AND they really weren't as good as last season's record looked anyway. On the other side of the field, you've got a coach in Frazier who has watched his team blow big 4th quarter leads to the Chargers, Bucs and Lions. We are awfully tempted to take the Chiefs at home, but we just have to believe if all the Vikes have to do is show up for 4th quarters, eventually they will.

BTPC pick = Vikes laying the 3.

BEARS (-6.5) v. Panthers

We're starting to believe in Cam. We'll take him and the points.

BTPC pick = Panthers getting the 6.5

TEXANS (-3.5) v. Steelers

Eventually we will be reminded that this Texans team is coached by Gary Kubiak. What better game to be reminded of this than when the Steelers and Big Ben come in to town.

BTPC pick = Steelers getting the 3.5

Falcons (-4.5) v. SEAHAWKS

The only thing worse than the Seahawks is how maddening the Falcons can be. Roddy White was out of practice some this week. Ruh-roh.

BTPC pick = Seahawks getting the 4.5

Giants (-1) v. CARDS

Hard to believe this Cards team was in the Super Bowl recently. Given that fact, it's pretty obvious that Kurt Warner should probably get in to the Hall of Fame. We know...we don't exactly like that idea either.

BTPC pick = Giants laying 1.

Dolphins (+7) v. CHARGERS

We doubled down on our Dolphins last week and they let us down. You know it's bad when as a fan, you realize in the 4th quarter that your team is so bad, you want them to lose (see "Suck for Luck" campaign). Given that team owner Steve Ross' buddy Carl Peterson was in attendance at the game, Tony Sparano's tightie-whities ought to be burning up. The idea of Peterson running the Dolphins absolutely scares the shit out of us. This is a guy who gave up a 4th round pick for Herm Edwards. HERM EFFING EDWARDS! What's all this mean for this week's game? Well...it means we're screwed whichever way we go. This team is simply gonna screw us. So what the hell...

BTPC pick = Dolphins taking the 7.

PACKERS (-12) v. Broncos

Nothing to see here...move along.

BTPC pick = Pack laying the 12.

Pats (-6) v. RAIDERS

The Pats had everything go wrong last week. Yeah...Brady threw 4 picks, but that ain't happening again. And we'll take Billy B and the newly-shorn Tom Brady coming off a loss.

BTPC pick = Pats laying 6.

RAVENS (-4) v. Jets

Take the Ravens at home.

BTPC pick = Ravens laying 4.

BUCS (-10) v. Colts

The Kerry Collins Colts era appears to have reached its end. That was fun, huh? That's got to be one of the biggest wastes of $4 million we've seen in a long time. So Painter will get his baptism under a young and hungry Bucs D at home. Ruh-roh.

BTPC pick = Bucs laying the 10.

Last Week: 11-5 Upset Specials: 1-0
2011 Season Record: 27-19-2 Upset Special: 3-1
Career to date: 293-259-20

Mayor Wukela...

2011-09-27T20:17:00.003-04:00

Has got game...

And bi-partisan support...

Week 3: Shiny Happy Picks

2011-09-22T20:49:00.017-04:00

Many moons ago, before Michael Stipe started dressing like a cross between Col. Sanders and one of the bad drug kingpins from an episode of Miami Vice, R.E.M was one of the most influential bands around. We still remember going to see them live at the Coliseum in Columbia for the Green Tour back in 1989. Not only were they really good, but the exposed us to another native Georgia band, Drivin' n Cryin'. Life's Rich Pageant and Document remain two of our favorite albums. There's probably not a single kid who grew up in eighties who was not somehow influenced in their current musical tastes by the boys from Athens.

So it was with some sadness that we saw the news that the band had officially called it quits this past week. Truth be told, it's not shocking. Hell...it's probably more shocking that they were still "together." But in honor of their contribution to our lives, we've decided to pay our respect by using REM songs to help out with the picks. Enjoy.

But first...a little music. Here's Eddie Vedder helping them out on our favorite REM song:

BILLS (+8.5) v. Pats

And the train conductor says
"Take a break Driver 8, Driver 8 take a break - Driver 8

Good night the Pats offense has been on fire. Specifically, Tom Brady has been on fire. How awesome if Tom Brady? Uh...he dumped Bridget Moynahan to marry supermodel Gisele. Brady can't keep this pace up. He'd shatter every record known to man. And we can't have that, because most of those were set by Dan Marino, the greatest passer to ever live. Pat's win it, but don't cover.

BTPC pick = Bills taking the 8.5

Titans (-6.5) v. BRONCOS

That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight
Losing my religion - Losing My Religion

Of course, this lyric is dedicated to Timmy Tebow. Tebow was supposed to take over this team. The Broncos shopped Kyle Orton and only kept him when no one would meet their high asking price picks-wise. Orton promptly proceeded to outplay Tebow in camp (as did Brady Quinn) and Tebow was regulated to 3rd stringer.

It's time Tebow embrace the fact that maybe he is not a NFL QB. He could be a great TE. Set aside the ego, lose the religion and play whatever position can get you on the field and help the team win, Timmy.

BTPC pick = Broncos getting the 6.5

Texans (+4) v. SAINTS

If you believed they put a man on the moon, man on the moon.
If you believe there's nothing up my sleeve, then nothing is cool. - Man On the Moon

In a lot of ways, this is really might just be the Texans first real game. The Colts are at best a bad ACC team without Manning. Then Miami illogically put Nolan Carroll on Andre Johnson and continued to be helpless at home. Something tells me Sean Payton is gonna have something up his sleeve for the Texans D.

BTPC pick =Saints laying the 4.

Dolphins (+3) v. BROWNS

If you are confused check with the sun
Carry a compass to help you along
Your feet are going to be on the ground
Your head is there to move you around, so...Stand in the place where you live - Stand

The Dolphins are definitely confused. They can't win at home and their D, top 10 last year and thought to be poised to jump to top 5 status this season has quite simply stunk. Quite frankly, if Sparano doesn't get a win, he is in danger of losing this team. The players aren't saying that, in fact their allegedly fully behind the Coach, but once the fans turn on the team (which is close to happening), all bets are off. The Dolphins are way more talented than the Browns. They're getting 3 points. And they proved to be road warriors last season. This is a lock.

BTPC pick =UPSET SPECIAL Dolphins. We don't need the points, we don't want the points...but we're taking the 3 points.

Lions (-3.5) v. VIKINGS

We are young despite the years we are concern
We are hope despite the times
All of the sudden, these days
Happy throngs, take this joy wherever, wherever... - These Days

So the young Lions offense everyone thought was poised to take off appears to be doing just that.

BTPC pick = Lions laying the 3.5

EAGLES (-7) v. Giants

Not everyone can carry the weight of the world. -Talk About the Passion

The Eagles are learning that despite all the "Dream Team" talk, they are only as good as Michael Vick's health. Last week, Vick got his bell rung good enough he was allegedly vomiting on the sidelines. Sounds like a pretty good concussion to me. Yet they're saying he will play Sunday. How the hell is that happening? If he does play, Vick will supposedly use one piece of equipment he didn't last week: a mouthpiece. It's stupid that any football player does not use a mouthpiece. It should be required. Along with all the other pads we all wore as kids (thigh pads, knee pads, that butt-bone pad, etc.). If the NFL is really concerned with the health and safety of its players, they'd step up and make wearing all this safety gear required. If everyone had to wear it, no one could claim the other person was getting any advantage by not wearing it to be "faster" (a phenomenon I blame on Ed McCaffery, the lanky white WR who tried to wear as little padding as possible claiming it at least made him "feel" faster).

BTPC pick = Giants getting the 7.

PANTHERS (-3.5) v. Jaguars

Smack, crack, bushwhacked.
Tie another one to the racks, baby - Drive

The Jaguars have named Blaine Gabbert their starter this week. The Jaguars have now had 3 QBs as named starters in like 16 days or so (going back to Garrard being the "starter" right up until Del Rio cut him on the eve of the season). Meanwhile, Cam Newton is tearing shit up.

BTPC pick = Panthers laying the 3.5

Packers (-3.5) v. BEARS

A simple prop to occupy my time - The One I Love

It almost seems like Aaron Rodgers is toying with defenses. Maybe he had that Championship Belt made to simply occupy his time.

BTPC pick = Pack laying the 3.5

RAIDERS (+3) v. Jets

I believe in what you do
I believe in watching you
It's what you do - Turn You Inside Out

We're starting to believe in the Raiders. They're game. Long trip for the Jets to the West Coast. And the Raiders have probably been seeing photos of Mark Sanchez eating that hotdog on the sidelines all week.

BTPC pick = Raiders getting the 3.

BENGALS (-3) v. 49ers

Don't go back to Rockville
And waste another year -(Don't Go Back to) Rockville

Pretty much sums up Carson Palmer's decision, does it not? Too bad. This Bengals team has a good defense.

BTPC pick = Bengals laying the 3.

SEAHAWKS (+3.5) v. Cards

Buy the sky and sell the sky and bleed the sky and tell the sky...Don't fall on me - Fall on Me

Can you figure out why the Seahawks paid Travaris Jackson all that money? Neither can we. Of course, it ain't like the Cards are that much better. But they played with a good Skins team.

BTPC pick = Cards laying the 3.5

Ravens (-4) v. RAMS

"What's the frequency, Kenneth?" is your Benzedrine, uh-huh
I was brain-dead, locked out, numb, not up to speed - What's The Frequency, Kenneth?

Seriously? What's up, B-More? You destroy the Steelers, then can't handle the Titans who needed a fluke TD pass to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, who turned around and got destroyed by the Jets. We expect the Ravens to come out and make a statement against the Rams.

BTPC pick =Ravens laying the 4.

Steelers (-10.5) v. COLTS

The time to rise has been engaged
You're better best to rearrange
I'm talking here to me alone
I listen to the finest worksong - Finest Worksong

The Colts had definitely best rearrange. How long are they gonna ride the retiree, Kerry Collins? At some point, wouldn't it make sense to start Curtis Painter? How could it get any worse? If they said Jehovah?

BTPC pick = Steelers laying the 10.5

CHARGERS (-14.5) v. Chiefs

When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone,
when you're sure you've had enough of this life, well hang on. - Everybody Hurts

Man...have the Chiefs be ravaged by injuries. We'd like to thank Jamaal Charles for his contributions to the Tiger Blood Winners this year. All 10 points of them. Thanks a bunch, Jamaal. Hard to be winning in fantasy when your first round pick goes down. Pretty hard to win the actual games too without your best offensive and defensive players.

BTPC pick = Chargers laying the 14.5

BUCS (-1.5) v. Falcons

I'm pushing an elephant up the stairs - The Great Beyond

After getting rid of the 800-lb gorilla on their shoulder, which was the Vick saga last week, it may seem as if the Falcons can do anything. We think getting up for a game Bucs squad after that emotional game is gonna be tough.

BTPC pick = Bucs laying the 1.5

Redskins (+4) v. COWBOYS

Silence means security silence means approval
On Zenith, on the TV, tiger run around the tree
Follow the leader, run and turn into butter - Begin the Begin

For Tony Romo, silence about his play does kind of mean approval for how he came in last week with a broken rib and punctured lung to win the game for the 'Boys. Now, all the work isn't about HOW Romo played, rather it's about WHETHER he will play. Even if Romo plays, we like the Skins and their offense against this battered 'Boys secondary.

BTPC pick = Skins getting the 4

Last Week: 8-7-1 Upset Specials: 0-1
2011 Season Record: 16-14-2 Upset Special: 2-1
Career to date: 282-254-20

Week 2 Picks: Our two cents on week 2...

2011-09-16T08:10:00.010-04:00

Well...we were looking awfully good headed into this past Monday at 8-5-1 with two games to go. Both upset specials had covered and we felt like we'd at least split the two Monday nighters. Unfortunately, we didn't know Miami was gonna let Wes Welker go all Tony Dorsett (thanks Benny Sapp...here's your pink slip) OR they were gonna call for Chad Henne to throw the one pass Chad Henne sucks at (the endzone fade) in a key 4th & goal. Having said that, we're hitting right above out mark (.500%), so how can we complain. We are as regular as a clock on a healthy diet of fiber.

So on with the week two picks. Let's keep it rolling...

BILLS (-3.5) v. Raiders

The Raiders played the late game of a MNF double-header and now travel to the East Coast for 1pm EST kickoff. The Bills certainly handled Jamaal Charles easily last week...why would Darren McFadden be any different?

BTPC pick = Bills giving the 3.5

LIONS (-9) v. Chiefs

Speaking of Charles and Chiefs...the walk out of week one looking like the team destined to fall flat on its face and then they have to walk into Detroit and play everyone's favorite sleeper team in the Lions. HC Todd Haley did not instill confidence this year when he admitted he had no idea how to stop Suh in the middle. The Chiefs looked so bad last week, they're gonna have to show us something before we go with them.

BTPC pick = Lions giving the 9

TITANS (+6) v. Ravens

The Titans were a fluke TD pass away from losing by 9 to the Jaguars. Uh...as the Ravens showed versus the Steelers...they ain't the Jaguars.

BTPC pick = Ravens giving the 6.

Browns (-2.5) v. COLTS

A decent up-and-coming QB with no receivers versus an aging, should-be-retired QB with decent receivers. We'll take Colt over Kerry.

BTPC pick = Browns giving the 2.5

VIKINGS (-3) v. Bucs

Good lord almighty...did McNabb look washed up. McNabb threw for 39 yards last week. 39 yards. No...that's not a misprint. No he was not hurt. Let's put that in perspective, McNabb and Tom Brady combined to throw for 556 yards. See...now that doesn't sound so bad, does it. Unfortunately, upon closer inspection of the schedule...yep...Tom Brady will not be in Minnesota Sunday.

BTPC pick = Bucs getting 3.

Bears (+6.5) v. SAINTS

Looks like either the Bears are better than folks thought or the Falcons are worse than people thought. Probably a bit of both. But we're certainly not sold on Cutler and that line coming in to N'awlins and dealing with DC Greg Williams' blitzes without turning the ball over, especially after hitting the turf 5 times last week. Urlacher's mom unexpectedly died this week and it's hard to know how that will affect the Bears. NO has won 3 straight home openers. We think they'll make it 4. The question is will it be by 6.5?

BTPC pick = Saints giving up 6.5

GIANTS (-6) v. Rams

This is alike a game amongst the walking wounded. The Rams were a favorite sleeper for a lot of folks and they disappointed versus Vick. But without 3 or 4 Vickian plays, the Rams probably win that game. However, they're going in to this game without their best WR and without the starting RB.

BTPC pick = Giants giving the 6.

REDSKINS (-4) v. Cardinals

Sexy Rexy is back. And if Cam Newton carved up this Arizona secondary, you know Shannahan is eager to get Grossman under center and tossing the ball around.

BTPC pick = Skins giving 4.

Packers (-10) v. PANTHERS

The Panthers surprised everyone with how game they looked last week. GB surprised no one...they looked like what they are: the defending champs. 'Zona is worse than folks realize and the Panthers lost the heart and soul of their defense when Beason went out for the year. Cam Newton looked impressive last week...but he ain't ever gone against a Dom Capers D. He's about to. And it's gonna get ugly.

BTPC pick = Packers giving the 10.

Cowboys (-3) v. 49ERS

Dez Bryant or no Dez Bryant...we like the Boys. 49ers are two Ted Ginn returns from being 0-1 with that loss being to Travaris Jackson on the road. You wanna bet on them to handle the Cowboys? Didn't think so.

BTPC pick = Cowboys giving 3.

JETS (-9) v. Jaguars

Luke McCown versus a Rex Ryan Defense. We'll take the Jets.

BTPC pick = Jets laying the 9.

STEELERS (-14) v. Seahawks

You almost feel sorry for Travaris Jackson having to come in after that beat down the Steelers got at the hand of the Ravens. But then you remember Pete Carroll is his coach and he's making an obscene amount of money Carroll should have never given to him.

BTPC pick = Steelers giving the 14.

Bengals (+3.5) v. BRONCOS

God...the Broncos blew it Monday night. And we like this Bengals team. They've got a good defense and have some playmakers at the skill position. If Dalton simply has a basic learning curve, they could sneak up on folks by the time the season is done. Dalton is allegedly gonna play after hurting his arm, but in all candor, Gratkowski is just as good at this point.

BTPC pick = Bengals getting 3.5

Texans (-3.5) v. DOLPHINS

The Miami D is not as bad as they looked Monday and Schaub is no Tom Brady. If that O appears at all in other games, Miami should be decent this year. Sparano has got to win this one or the heat under his seat is gonna be turned up exponentially. Miami also gets two rookie RBs back who are expected to be integral parts of the offense in RB Thomas and H-back Clay.

BTPC pick = UPSET SPECIAL...Miami getting the 3.5

Chargers (+7) v. PATRIOTS

Chargers held McNabb to 39 yards passing. They always play the Pats tough. And Phillip Rivers is a much better QB than Chad Henne.

BTPC pick = Chargers getting the 7.

Eagles (+2.5) v. FALCONS

Mike Vick's return to the Georgia Dome. Dirty South is gonna be in da house. Things could get ugly if Vick escapes early for some Vickian plays. We just can't get past the Falcons and how they looked versus the Bears. This Eagles offense is way more explosive than the Bears. We would not be surprised to see this one go anyway. But since we get paid the big bucks to make the tough calls...we'll take Vick and the Eagles.

BTPC pick = Eagles taking the 2.5

Last Week: 8-7-1 Upset Specials: 2-0
2011 Season Record: 8-7-1 Upset Special: 2-0
Career to date: 274-247-18

Ten Years later...have we forgot?

2011-09-11T10:34:00.009-04:00

September 11. 2001 was a Tuesday. On Tuesdays, we used to have to close the park from 2pm until close. So we would usually get up a little late, cook some breakfast, go run some errands then get in to work sometime after lunch. On 9/11/01, we got up and turned the television on while we cooked breakfast. The picture above was similar to the first scene we saw. We had absent-mindedly turned the tube on and walked back into the kitchen, only to come out to peer at the screen when we heard the morning news hosts on whatever channel we had turned on explaining the pictures we were seeing were where a plane of some sort had struck the north tower of the World Trade Center.

As we sat there looking on in bewilderment trying to figure out how in the hell a little commuter plane could cause the type of damage the video on screen seemed to be showing, we saw a second plane (which was obviously a jetliner) strike the South Tower.

For the rest of the day, until we went in to work, we sat glued to the tv, watching it all unfold. When we got to the park, one of our assistant managers had hooked up one of the prize tvs in Redemption and had it on the news. We recall sitting there throughout the afternoon and evening and watching the coverage with employees and customers alike. It was a surreal experience.

Oddly enough, one of our strongest memories of that time, is several months later when President Bush came to the Greenville area. We remember standing down at the shop past all the tracks and Air Force One flying in right over the park. We remember distinctly thinking, "Holy shit...planes never come in this low over us here," and wondering if it was some kind of evasive routing to make it harder if some terrorist was sitting around with a Stinger looking to take out our CINC.

A lot has changed in this country over the last 10 years. Personally, we think 9/11 played a major role in our decision to go back to school. The general mood that tragic day placed on everyone, one of taking stock of our lives and figuring out what was really important, led us to decide to go back to school in the hope of trading for a career that would let us be around friends and family more. Within a year, we were in law school and moving back to Florence upon graduation.

"Never forget" has been the national slogan for 9/11. Conventional wisdom is it means for us not to forget the lives that were lost to a senseless act of terrorism, the sacrifice of those who gave their lives to try to save others and the sacrifice of those who put their lives on the line every day so that the rest of us can enjoy the freedom and lives we have today.

We wish everyone would interpret the slogan to remember the incredible sense of unity this country had on that day and in the days, weeks and months that followed. We have become a bitterly divided country in the decade since. The truth of it is, we have not lived up to that motto.

As a country, we have forgot, as best summed up by this cartoon our pal Reino posted over on SC6:

The vitriol and blind, closed-minded hatred that has infected political discourse in this country is a much bigger threat to this country than any radical, fundamentalist religious belief could ever be. Here's to hoping we can somehow overcome that in the next decade.

GOD BLESS AMERICA, THOSE WHO FIGHT TO PRESERVE HER AND THOSE WHO WORK TO MAKE HER STRONGER.

First Sunday of Football Picks: GET. IT. ON.

2011-09-11T09:43:00.011-04:00

As we mark the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11, we get to do so with the most American of activities: watching a Sunday slate of NFL games. They say baseball is "America's Pastime." That may be true...baseball's time has past. Football is now America's passion and when it comes to professional sports, the NFL is King...and it ain't even close.

Steelers (+1.5) v. RAVENS

Ray Lewis flees from police and obstructs their ability to investigate murder…allegedly. Big Ben hires police to run blocker on bar bathrooms so he can sexually assault underage coeds…allegedly. The Ravens should win this game according to the bookies…allegedly.

We don’t want the points, we don’t need the points, but we’ll take the points.

BTPC pick = Steelers getting 1.5

BEARS (+3) v. Falcons

Last season, both these teams made the playoffs, with the Bears making it further – to the Championship Game against the eventual NFL Champion Green Bay Packers. So on paper, this would seem to be BIG early season NFC matchup. But reality ( and David Simon) tells us papers are dying. The Bears were lucky as crap last year and the Falcons should pwn them.

BTPC pick = Falcons giving the 3.

BUCS (-1.5) v. Lions

The Lions are the primma donna sleeper pick of just about everyone. The offense looks explosive. The Defense is led by a great D-line. What’s not to love? Their training staff, apparently. The surest bet on the Lions is for Stafford and Jahvid Best to NOT play in all 16 games. But they’re gonna be available for week 1.

BTPC pick = Lions getting 1.5

Bills (+6) v. CHIEFS

The Bills sucked last year. And to that suckiness, they added…Brad Smith. We liked Smith as a 3rd option WR, special teams addition in this year’s free agency class. We think the Jets are gonna miss him. Having said that, the Bills publicly talked up Smith’s ability at QUARTERBACK. Yes…you read that right, the Bills publicly bragged about Smith’s ability to be their Wildcat Quarterback. The Wildcat…a formation that is so…2008. In related news, Chan Gailey really thinks this McCain fella and that cute lady-governor from Alaska are gonna carry the Republican party over this black kid from Illinois…

BTPC pick = Chiefs giving 6.

Titans (+2.5) v. JAGS

Jack Del Rio’s significance to us used to be that he was the veteran our beloved Dolphins had brought in to play MLB, who was dumped after some kid named Zach Thomas impressed the coaches in his rookie training camp. With his cutting of David Garrard right before the season, just as he cut Byron Leftwich before him, Del Rio’s significance is he’s a douche. Since taking over the Jaguars sideline in 2003, Jack Del Rio “The Coach” is known for:

a) being one of two NFL head coaches (along with Mike Nolan) who wanted to wear a suit.
b) The “Keep chopping wood” incident, where his motivational ploy almost led his punter to chop his foot off
c) Cutting his veteran starting quarterbacks right before the season starts

Raise your hand if you think Jack Del Rio is even a “decent” head football coach. And the Titans have a happy Chris Johnson, a better quarterback than they’ve had in several years AND they’re getting 2.5 points. We smell an UPSET SPECIAL…

BTPC pick = UPSET SPECIAL – Titans getting the 2.5

TEXANS (-9) v. Colts

The Colts have most likely lost Manning for the year. Jack Del Rio is intent on losing his team and getting fired (see discussion on Garrard, David above) and Chris Johnson held out, thus tempting the Football Gods to afflict him with the dreaded hold-out RB hamstring injury. It’s as if God Almighty himself wants the Texans to win the AFC South. Our only problem with this line, is trusting a Gary Kubiak team to meet any kind of expectation, let alone cover a 9 point spread…

Uh…

Um…

Aw, hell…

BTPC pick = Texans laying the 9.

BROWNS (-6.5) v. Bengals

Did you know Browns starting QB already has “authored” a book titled “Growing up Colt”? He’s accomplished nothing, but because he’s a quarterback from Texas and named “Colt,” that’s enough to convince a publisher that Colt McCoy has got something to say that the rest of us should know.

Andy Dalton is also a Texas quarterback, but he’s got red-hair, which absolutely baffled Peter King and one of his unnamed NFL coach sources to the point of Mr. MMQB publicly wondering: “Had there ever been a red-headed quarterback in the NFL who’s really done well?

Wanna know who else has red hair? How 'bout Christina Hendricks. Guess Peter King and his unnamed NFL coach wouldn't draft her either.

Don't fear the GINGER!

You show ‘em, Andy…you do it for the GINGER…

BTPC pick = UPSET SPECIAL #2 – Bengals getting the 6.5

RAMS (+4.5) v. Eagles

Oh…this is a popular upset pick by the pundits this week. The Eagles may think they’re a dream team, but they’re going into a dome, against a popular sleeper team everyone thinks will take “the leap” this, a team that has a pretty good young D-line and they’re doing it with a suspect offensive line.

We’re gonna buck the upset tide here and say the Eagles pull it out, the question is will they pull it off by at least 5 points? We don’t think so.

BTPC pick = Rams getting the 4.5

REDSKINS (+3) v. Giants

The Skins are starting Rex Grossman. Hey…technically, Sexy Rexy is a “superbowl starting NFL quarterback.” The Skins have that going for them, along with the fact that they’re playing at home, new addition Tim Hightower looks good for the running game, the Giants already crappy pass D is banged up and maybe Eli will be worried about big brother.

BTPC pick = Skins getting the 3.

Panthers (+7) v. CARDINALS

Let’s face it, the Panthers ain’t doing nothing this season. If that turns out to be the case, they’re gonna have a high pick in the draft. You know who’s most likely coming out next year? Alshon Jeffrey.

Can you imagine Cam Newton throwing to the Big Petro? That would be SICK.

BTPC pick = Cardinals giving the 7.

Seahawks (+5.5) v. NINERS

They should call this the bad quarterbacks bowl. Pete Carroll gave Tarvaris Jackson millions to lure him to Seattle. This was after giving the Chargers draft picks to get privilege of giving Charlie Whitehurst millions. Dear Pete…call us. We could use the money.

Just a reminder, Jim Harbaugh pwned! Pete Carroll when he was at Standford and let Carroll know it.

BTPC pick = Niners giving the 5.5

Vikings (+8.5) v. CHARGERS

We really like the Chargers this year, given Phillip Rivers did pretty well last year (as he always does) throwing to absolute shite, thanks to injuries. However, we’re also pretty intrigued by the Vikings. Specifically, we’re eager to see whether McNabb plays with a chip on his shoulder after the way things went down with the Shannahans. For the first time in his career, McNabb is in an offense with a legit rushing attack, meaning he should be able to effectively employ the play-action and go down the field. 8.5 is just too much for what should be a decent Vikes team, plus it’s early and Norv team usually blow games early in the season only to come back and win a playoff spot late before blowing that shot later.

BTPC pick = Vikes getting the 8.5.

COWBOYS (+4) v. Jets

Normally, we’d make a joke here about the best result for this game being if JERRYWORLD somehow imploded with both teams inside, since we hate both of these teams. However, we have bought into the Cowboys offensive explosion hype and our fantasy team(Tiger Blood Winners) has both Tony Romo and Dez Bryant.

As an aside, the Sanchize is taking heat for his GQ modeling in the offseason, while Tony Romo has settled down by wedding beauty queen Candice Parker. Looking at the lovely Mrs. Romo and thinking back on Tony's exes Jessica Simpson and Carrie Underwood...hmmm...you think Tony has himself a "type" he likes? Anyone?

Granted, this Jets team is not the best matchup for us to secure a Week 1 win on the backs of our fantasy passing attack, but we’re gonna ride our fantasy team GM skills, especially getting points at home.

BTPC pick = Cowboys getting the 4

Patriots (-7) v. DOLPHINS

WARNING: complete HOMER pick. We’ve watched this new Brian Daboll offense and we like it. Remember, this is the offense that gashed the Pats last season with a lot less talent than what the Phins have. And the Phins have a top-5 defense. This time last year, Miami and Chad Henne were a popular pick to challenge the Pats. What changed? Well…Henne disappointed. But we think a lot of Henne’s problems came from the coaching. He’s looked sharp this preseason and we’re gonna go with our heart for week one.

BTPC pick = Phins getting 7.

BRONCOS (-3) v. Raiders

The Raiders lost their two best players: Na..Namad…Not playing here anymore and Zach Miller. The Broncos kept their best QB (Orton), while knocking their worst QB (Tebow) down the depth chart, albeit begrudgingly. They also get their best Defensive player back from injury (Dummervil), while adding a young stud to help him out (Von Miller). The Raiders let go a coach who had surprisingly steadied their ship, while the Broncos brought in a veteran coach who can steady theirs.

BTPC pick = Broncos giving 3.

So there you have it. Enjoy, good luck...and remember to keep a little back for rent and milk...

Last Pick, Saints getting 4, so 0-1 for 2011 so far…
2010 Playoff Record: 7-4 Upset Special: 2-0
2010 Season Record (including playoffs): 140-128-9
Career to date: 266-240-17

BTPC picks…as good as a coin flip, guaranteed.

2011-09-08T14:07:00.002-04:00

Don’t call it a comeback…tonight marks the kickoff of the 2011 NFL season and the BTPC could not be happier. That means it’s time for us to reconvene our prognostication panel and get back to making our “Guaranteed 50% Accurate” picks. Seriously…we’re like clock-work. Last year’s record came in at a 50.54% rate for the season, 63.63% for the playoffs. What can we say, we step it up when the games mean more. Our career prognostication efforts on this blog come in at a whopping 50.86%...suck on that Vegas. All this explains how we came up with our slogan “BTPC picks…as good as a coin flip, guaranteed.”

Saints v. PACKERS (-4)

Tonight’s Kickoff game features the Saints traveling up to Wisconsin to help the Packers celebrate adding yet another championship to Title Town. With Peyton Manning looking like he might not play this season (or perhaps ever again), this game features, arguably, 2 of the top 3 quarterbacks in the league right now if you figure Rodgers and Brees fall behind Brady. Personally, we’d put the top-5 right now as Brady, Rodgers, Rivers, Brees and have a tie for 5 with Romo & Vick. Vick’s numbers last season were sick, but he has to replicate that performance before we truly buy that he should be higher.

Having said that, it’s obvious that Drew Brees and his teammates took their poor performance last season personally. The Saints players were some of the most organized about setting up their own private team workouts during the lockout. In fact, we read a report that claimed Brees and some of the other vets actually secured insurance for the rookies, so they could come work out with the team and have peace of mind should an injury occur. That’s pretty damn impressive. You can’t help but think that kind of leadership and dedication is going to have the Saints ready to play tonight.

We are really torn about this pick. We loved the Pack in last year’s playoffs. When you look at what this Packers team did last season with a slew of injuries, it’s hard not to believe they’re going to be significantly better with a healthy team. However, the line actually opened at 5.5 and has now dropped 1.5 points. That’s a pretty big drop, which would seem to indicate smart money was jumping all over the Saints and Vegas has been dropping the spread to try to even out their risk. While that’s pretty important, does it really mean that much in the opening game of the season? In other words, who really knows how good either of these teams are before they strap it on and kick it off?

We like the Pack to win outright. We like the Saints with the opening line of getting 5.5. But the question is do we like them only getting 4? What the hell…

BTPC pick: Saints getting 4.

Last Pick, Super Bowl XLV: 1-0
2010 Playoff Record: 7-4 Upset Special: 2-0
2010 Season Record (including playoffs): 140-128-9
Career to date: 266-240-17

Looking at the reality of alcohol related accidents

2011-09-02T11:06:00.010-04:00

There was a Letter to the Editor in today's Post & Courier, which would appear to be written in response to our friend Diedreich von Lehe's Supreme Court decision in the Mt. Pleasant video camera case (Town of Mt. Pleasant v. Roberts). The title of the letter? Get Tough on DUI.

According to a recent Post and Courier article, alcohol is involved in most South Carolina traffic deaths. In fact, we rank 49th among states as regards alcohol-related deaths. What are we doing about these disturbing figures? Our politicians (lots of whom are lawyers) are actually making it harder to catch and convict drunk drivers.

In the meantime, we have a scary situation where South Carolina families are sharing the roads with an increasing number of drunk drivers. How many families have to suffer a needless loss due to a drunk driver before we take this problem seriously?

Pretty scary stuff, huh? What, pray tell, are we to do? We can start by being honest about the actual situation. Is driving while under the influence a serious problem that can lead to tragic consequences? Absolutely. But if one looks objectively at the issue, you can see that there's some puffing going on. First, NHTSA and the SC DPS both have adopted a definition of "alcohol related accident" which is incredibly overbroad when it comes to alcohol's role. Under their definition, an "alcohol related accident" is one in which any person involved (driver, passenger, pedestrian) has a detectable amount of alcohol. A "detectable amount" means .01 or above. So just how slanted does that make the statistics that result in SC being the 49th state in terms of preventing alcohol related accidents? Why would the state rig the numbers like that? That's easy: money. As in grant money from the G and state funding considerations come budget time.

A fellow criminal attorney friend of ours (Hattip McCulloch) has been gathering the State's statistics on accidents and the actual numbers reveal that maybe the fears of a DUI-caused accident epidemic are not supported by the data. For instance, the official SC DPS stats we've seen for total accidents show that DUI related accidents (323) in Horry County in 2009 comprised 4.4% of total accidents (7,360). For 2010, the number of DUI-related accidents (339) was just 4.6% of the total accidents (7,427). (The DUI-related numbers were obtained from this SunNews article).

Now, those numbers are not meant to make light of the serious consequences involved for society as a whole when someone gets behind the wheel while too impaired to operate a vehicle. But what they do show is that maybe the outcry by folks like Mr. Sadler who wrote the letter quoted from above need to seperate fact from fiction. The VAST amount of traffic enforcement in this state is directed at DUIs. From Sober or Slammer, to The Heat is On, to Highways or Dieways, the state of South Carolina and the Federal Government have been funding the hell out of DUI enforcement. In making DUI enforcement a priority, we have also incentivized the enforcement of DUIs. In other words, cops make rank, get awards and recognition and departments get equipment based on their DUI numbers. When you incentivize conduct, you corrupt the process. Just ask Enron. Folks like Mr. Sadler need to understand not only that fact, but that it also should not be EASY to convict someone of this or any other crime.

We Ready...

2011-09-02T08:12:00.004-04:00

T-minus less than 35 hours and counting.

GEICO parody + RKA = best SC Bar video ever

2011-08-26T09:55:00.006-04:00

There's really not much to say about this video the South Carolina Bar did to promote the Hot Tips 2011 seminar coming up on September 16, 2011 other than it's Genius. Pure. Unadulterated. Genius...

Hattip Catherine A.

Rick Perry's solution for homosexuality? Talk to the hand...

2011-08-25T08:36:00.003-04:00

We already know that 2012 GOP Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann thinks her husband can help homosexuals "pray the gay away."

Now, we get a peek into Texas Republican Presidential candidate Rick Perry's solution to this "problem":

In “On My Honor,” Perry also punted on the exact origins of homosexuality. He
wrote that he is “no expert on the ‘nature versus nurture’ debate,” but that
gays should simply choose abstinence.

That's right you gays: don't have sex. "Talk to the hand" all you want, but that whole "pursuit of happiness" thing from the Declaration of Independence? Well...if sexual interaction between consenting adults is your idea of happiness, tough titty. You don't get to do it.

Remember the Alamo.

Texas forever.

Love,

Rick Perry

Your lying eyes...

2011-08-23T09:44:00.014-04:00

We've posted before about the shortcomings of eyewitness identifications. Basically, we know that false eyewitness identifications have played damning roles in the majority of wrongful convictions. And given how we have come to know these convictions are wrongful, due to DNA testing, we know that the second prong of the legal test used to weigh the credibility of eyewitness identifications is complete horseshit.

As we noted before:

The court set up a two-pronged analysis. First, was the eyewitness
identification unduly suggestive? Crap like roll-up IDs (driving a victim up to
a Defendant in handcuffs or vice-versa, single-person show-ups, single-person
photo IDs, improper photo arrays (all white, but one black person in lineup when
the suspect is alleged to be black) are pretty much disfavored automatically.
However, the Biggers two-pronged test says just because the procedure used for
the identification was unduly suggestive, it doesn't mean it's not admissible.
Courts must then move to the second prong of the Biggers test, which is to
consider the "totality of the circumstances." How does one do that? The court said you do that by considering the following factors: 1) the opportunity
of the witness to view the criminal at the time of the crime; 2) the witness’
degree of attention; 3) the accuracy of the witness’prior description of the
criminal; 4) the level of certainty demonstrated by the witness at the
confrontation; 5) the length of time between the crime and the confrontation.

Due to the biological nature of the DNA evidence that has led us to
uncover most wrongful convictions we know of, a large majority of these DNA
exonerations deal with cases involving sexual assault. In other words, in the
vast majority of these cases where we know mistaken eyewitness identification
has played a major role, the mistaken eyewitnesses have most likely: 1) been in
close proximity to the criminals; 2) experienced heightened degrees of
attention; and, 3) had ample opportunity to observe the criminals. Since these
cases resulted in convictions, we can assume that the degree of certainty with
which these eyewitnesses made their misidentifications was high. In short,
science has proven the second prong of Biggers and its consideration factors
obsolete.

So it is with great anticipation that we relay the United States Supreme Court is set to revisit the issue of eyewitness identification, some 34 years after their last look at the issue. How long ago was the last case of Manson v. Brathwaite decided? 1977. If you want to know how long ago that was culturally for our country, read the first 8 words of the opinion: "Glover, a trained Negro undercover state police officer..." A "trained Negro undercover state police officer?" What a novelty!

Seriously, eyewitness identification is an area of the criminal justice system that must be revisited. As a recent NY Times article documented:

Every year, more than 75,000 eyewitnesses identify suspects in criminal investigations. Those identifications are wrong about a third of the time, a pile of studies suggest.

Of the first 250 DNA exonerations, 190 involved eyewitnesses who were wrong, as documented in “Convicting the Innocent,” a recent book by Brandon L. Garrett, a law professor at the University of Virginia.

Many of those witnesses were as certain as they were wrong. “There is absolutely no question in my mind,” said one. Another was “120 percent” sure. A third said, “That is one face I will never forget.” A fourth allowed for a glimmer of doubt: “This is the man, or it is his twin brother.”

In the past 30 years, More than 2,000 studies on the topic have been published in professional journals in the past 30 years. The problem is that the unreliability of eyewitness identifications tends to be exceeded only by the weight which juries give them. In Watkins v. Sowders, a 1981 case, Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. remarked in his dissent that "There is almost nothing more convincing than a live human being who takes the stand, points a finger at the defendant, and says, "That's the one."

Justice Brennan is right. Given the weight juries afford eyewitness identifications, it is more than past time for the Court to reconsider the gatekeeper role judges should play in admitting such testimony. As we argued to a judge a little more than a year ago who asked us if we were trying to argue to the court that eyewitness testimony should be looked at as de facto unreliable: "I'm not telling the court that...science is."

Hattip, Law and Baseball.

Freedom for the West Memphis Three, but is it justice?

2011-08-21T08:44:00.017-04:00

Right as we were graduating High School, 3 young boys were murdered in a wooded area of a West Memphis, Arkansas neighborhood. The wooded area was known to the kids of that neighborhood as Robin Hood Hills and the brutal nature of the crimes against the three young 8-year old boys sent the area into a panic.

The man in charge of the investigation was West Memphis Police Department Investigator Greg Gitchell. As the days dragged on into weeks and the weeks became almost a month, the failure to find the killers was wearing on the police. Almost three weeks after the bodies of the boys were found, Gitchell wrote a letter to the state crime lab, pleading for help in getting some information which would help them solve the case. The letter claimed that the cops needed information badly, that their hands were tied without it and that they felt they were "walking blind-folded through the case." Gitchell followed that letter up 2 days later with a letter to the district's deputy prosecutor (and the man who would wind up prosecuting the cases for the state), John Foglemann informing him of how "severely handicapped" they were without the information from the crime lab. In an unusual move, Gitchell's letter admitted that, unbeknownst to him at the time they did it, Foglemann and another prosecutor had already driven to the state crime lab in an effort to push things along.

Early on, Gitchell dropped what was really just a random comment with no support in the evidence: that the murders could have had something to do with a gang or cult. One person who seized on those comments was a county juvenile officer by the name of Jerry Driver. Driver was seen by the local cops as an "expert" on the occult. Where this idea that Driver was any kind of an expert came from is beyond us, seeing as how his professional career was not in law enforcement or academia, rather Driver had been a commercial airline pilot and had tried to open a housecleaning business that had failed. After that, he became the Chief County Juvie officer. When he heard about the murders, it was vindication for Driver. He had been telling people for months something bad was going to happen. And when it did, Driver knew who was responsible: Damien Echols.

Driver and his assistant, Steve Jones, seized on Echols and his friend Jason Baldwin (Baldwin is pictured to the left, Echols in the center. Jesse Misskelley, Jr. is on the right), who both men believed were starting or belonged to a satanic cult in the area. Echols had come to Driver's attention before when Damien and his girlfriend had gotten caught trying to run away. Echols' room was searched as part of that incident and Driver got a hold of some of Damien's "notebooks." Driver heard of some crazy-ass rumors that Damien and his girlfriend were gonna have a baby, then sacrifice it to Satan, and that was enough for Driver to personally escort Damien to a psychiatric hospital out of town.

Long story short, Driver got gravely worried about this kid, because he dressed all in black, said he was a Wiccan and just plain looked weird. But...take a look a Driver. How many teenage kids today would be classified as "weird" by a guy like Driver? Uh...how about all of them. Regardless, even with Echols locked up in a psych hospital, Driver and his disciple Jones continued to see Echols as a the West Memphis bogeyman, noting Echols' modus operandi continued around West Memphis, as evidenced by "cult-related" graffiti and other simple, stupid shit around town. Driver's obsession with Echols followed Echols all the way to Oregon when he subsequently moved there, as he sic'd authorities out there on Echols to investigate him. When Echols was allowed to leave Oregon and headed back home to Arkansas, Driver was ready for him, neglecting to tell the Arkansas authorities that Echols had been released by Oregon officials to come home and thus getting Echols violated on his probation back in West Memphis. The whole time this is going on, Driver and Jones were spreading rumors around West Memphis that Echols and his friend, Jason Baldwin, were in an occult group, thus planting the seeds that would eventually result in the miscarriage of justice to come. As Jason Balwin, who's only connection to any of this was being Echols' friend and a fellow kid Driver and Jones thought was "weird" put it: They arrested Damien for being weird and me for having black t-shirts.

The cops eventually got to "investigating" these two when a local cop brought in a woman who was being accused of credit card fraud by her employer. The woman, Vickie Hutcheson, had an 8-yr old son, Aaron, who she claimed had been friends with the murdered boys. When the woman told the detective about her son being friends with two of the murdered boys, that detective saw a chance to get himself involved in what was becoming a national red-ball case. This detective got interested, got himself in touch with Driver, and the hunt into Echols and Baldwin was on. In what has to be one of the most bizarre parts of the story, the cops basically allow Vickie Hutcheson to "play detective" for them, steering her towards looking into Echols and Baldwin. She managed that, through a young boy that lived in her neighborhood, Jesse Misskelley, Jr. After all kinds of bizarre stuff from Hutcheson (like her alleged attendance at some secret satanic orgy with Echols, her son's increasingly bizarre confessions putting himself more and more in attendance at the murders, etc), the cops bring Jesse Jr. in and interrogate him. Jesse Jr., who is borderline retarded given his IQ, eventually gives a confession naming Echols and Baldwin as the main perpetrators of the murders, with himself just present. Despite the confession being rife with inaccuracies (the biggest being that the murders happened around noon, when in fact the boys were in school that day), the cops, still desperate as Gitchell's letters had documented, move and arrest the Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley.

June 4, 1993, just about a week after writing to the state crime lab and the prosecutor to tell them how "blind" they were in the investigation, Gitchell held a press conference announcing the arrests. Despite having no physical evidence linking any of the three boys to the crime and really only having Misskelley's confession that was on it's face rife with errors, Gitchell declared on a scale of one to ten, that their case was "an eleven." (A ridiculous comment that even Foglemann later admitted made him furious).

Misskelley was tried first and convicted, despite his recanting of his confession. Then the trial Baldwin and Echols began. Obviously, the State wanted to use Misskelley against Baldwin and Echols. It's hard to do justice to just how much pressure Misskelley was under to testify against the other two. In fact, the State's pressure on Misskelley became incredibly contentious when Misskelley's lawyer accused the State of contacting his client about testifying outside the presence of his atty, when the atty had specifically noticed them not to. Miskelley went back and forth. Eventually, after talking to his dad, Misskelley announced he would not do it.

To say that the defendants faced an uphill battle in these trials is an understatement. Just about every single significant ruling from Judge David Burnett in the trials went against them. In what was personally the most egregious example of how crazy these trials were, one young man who had originally fled West Memphis for California right after the murders, who later confessed to the crimes to California law enforcement, only to retract the confession was called to the stand. In a hearing outside the presence of the jury, the judge put that witness on the stand. The young man, claiming to be facing drug charges, requested an attorney ON THE STAND...TWICE, but was forced by the Judge to testify. Judge Burnett eventually stopped the testimony and ordered for the young man to get an attorney, but then had a in chambers hearing where it appears he issued a gag order on all the parties to try to cover up what we feel was pretty obviously a mistake.

Anyway, that was just one of the more glaring problems we saw that made the case seem ridiculously flawed. Baldwin was really harmed by the court's refusal to let his case be severed. By all accounts (even his own, post-trial), Echols attitude and demeanor during the trial did not help things. He came off as arrogant and cocky. He played into the image the State was arguing. Eventually both were convicted, with Baldwin getting life and Echols the death penalty.

But in a way, the real heart of the story occurred AFTER the verdicts. A documentary film crew had been filming the story from early on. They released their film, Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills in June of 1996. Given the role their music had played in the story surrounding the events (namely that listening to it was somehow indicative of satanic worship), Metallica not only agreed to let their music be used in the film, but they donated it. The film was a hit, both critically and commercially and it started a strong interest in the case. That interest eventually led to the creation of one of the most influential and comprehensive criminal case websites on the web: http://www.wm3.org/. Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley became the "West Memphis Three" and a grass roots movement sprouted to help free the WM3. The movement drew celebrity support and benefit concerts and CDs eventually came to fruition.

With the influx of support and resources, the WM3 continued to press their cases through appeals. Despite set back after set back, the WM3 and their attys kept at it and in 2007 they caught a break. DNA testing, having improved vastly over the years, was able to test the small amounts of material left in the case and show that while none of the WM3 DNA was at the crime scene, another individual's was. Eventually, the lawyers won the right to present this new evidence to the court and time had been carved out for a new judge to hear the matter this coming December. Reading the writing on the wall, the State of Arkansas decided to do a little damage control and Friday afternoon, a deal was struck and executed. Basically, the State consented to the original convictions being overturned and the Defendants being granted new trials, with the Defendants agreeing to then immediately enter Alford pleas and the court imposing a suspended sentence on time served. An Alford plea allows a person charged with a crime to continue to maintain their evidence, while acknowledging to the court that it's in their best interest to plea to the crime.

The picture at the top of this article is from the press conference the three, now free, men had following their release. The actual picture was taken after Echols thanked Baldwin for going along with the plea. Echols acknowledged that Baldwin had wanted to continue to fight, but that he had gone along with the plea to save Echols from death row. As Baldwin noted,

It really is impossible to offer any kind of comprehensive summary of everything that has gone on with this case in a blog post. If you're interested in the case, we highly recommend the wm3.org site, Mara Leveritt's Devil's Knot book, and the Commercial Appeal's website coverage. You can also find parts of both documentaries (there was a second one Paradise Lost II) on youtube.

We didn't even get into how crazy and weird John Mark Byers, the stepfather of one of the young victim's, was. It's worth some reading just to see how big of a red flag Byers should have been to the cops, but who they for some unknown reason never seemed to take a strong look at.

In answer to the question posed by the title though, this is not justice. According to Baldwin, "This was not justice,” he said of the deal. “However, they’re trying to kill Damien.” Watch the video below, particularly from 9:00 on and see Baldwin's explanation for taking the deal. It's truly moving that someone who has undergone what Baldwin has could exhibit both the compassion and integrity he shows in that clip. Unfortunately, according to comments made by the State, the case remains closed. Here's to hoping the WM3 enjoy their freedom and eventually get their justice.

Dear MO Lt. Governor Peter Kinder...

2011-08-20T07:16:00.003-04:00

perhaps...just maybe...you ain't exactly living a Christian lifestyle if you're frequenting the strip clubs. Just sayin'...

However, you are right...they are FANTASTIC charges and allegations...

Republicans have a new savior. Thou art Rick Perry...

2011-08-14T08:06:00.010-04:00

The Republicans got themselves a new savior yesterday when Texas governor, Ricky Perry, announced he was throwing his hat into the ring to be the 2012 Republican nominee for President. Benen has a good post up about the poor track record of "savior candidates." If we had to guess, though, we think Perry actually comes out of this one on top. The GOP race was between Romney and Bachmann. Bachmann cemented her status at the top with her Ames Straw Poll win yesterday. Romney is at the top simply by virtue of his campaign coffers, which are swole-up compared to anyone else in the field.

In walks Perry and all of a sudden, the record scratches and everyone turns. Hell, Perry had more write in votes than Romney had votes (he was on the ballot, although he tried to alleviate what he would be a loss by not "competing") in Ames.

We've seen Perry before. He's W 2.0. On second thought, no...he's worse. Personally, we thought W's problem was that he was incredibly naive and gullible. Rick Perry is a zealot POS who ain't above getting his hands dirty to cover his ass.

Seriously, on the zealot thing, take a look at who this nutjob hangs out with. The Texas Observer did a good piece on the "prophets" Perry hangs, titled Rick Perry's Army of God. That title kind of sums this fella up. No shit...he hangs with people who believe they have a direct line of communication with God. Perry's idea of solving our economic problems? Big get togethers to pray, fast and repent.

However, most troubling to us, is Perry's willingness to cover up his own mistakes. We've done a few posts about the case of Cameron Todd Willingham, very likely an innocent man Texas put to death on Perry's watch (here, here and here).

Three expert reports have concluded that the fire in which Willingham's children died was not arson. One of those reports landed on Perry's desk 88 minutes before Willingham's execution. What do you think a guy who believes in prophecy did? If you guessed nothing, you'd be wrong. First, he did nothing, letting Willingham be executed. Then, right before his state's Forensic Science Commission was to hear testimony from experts on the Willingham case, Perry sprung into action replacing the head of the commission and two other members. Perry's new head canceled the hearing.

There is nothing as troubling to us as someone who not only refuses to admit their fallibility, but who actively tries to cover it up. Perry is one of those guys. And he now looks poised to capture the Republican nomination. Seriously, when you look at this yahoo, he's the perfect compromise for voters between Romney and Bachmann. He appeals to the nutjobs like Bachmann, while giving the corporate community the comfort of being W 2.0. The only good thing to come from Perry's entry is that it probably signals the death of any Palin presidential talk. As TPM noted, Perry is a red-meat hurler who ain't a quitter. And if the GOPers want to oggle a female, they've got Batshit Bachmann to look at.

Just what we need...another religious cowboy. How'd that work out last time?

BTPC welcomes Michele Bachman to the Magic City...

2011-08-10T20:06:00.002-04:00

2012 Republican Presidential candidate and batshit crazy congresswoman Michele Bachman is bringing her special kind of looniness through Florence via a bus tour stop on August 18, 2011.

BTPC novelist-in-residence Melvin Udall has recorded a video welcome message for her...

London Calling...send some rubber bullets...

2011-08-09T19:56:00.002-04:00

In case you haven't been watching the news, London is BLOWING UP the last several days. Youths in revolt showed up outside a north London police station to protest the shooting of a local man by the coppers.

As one of the rioters stated: I came to get my penny's worth.

Shit is gettin' so bad, our civilized mother country is talking about busting out the rubber bullets and water cannons. That may not seem like a big deal to a red-blooded American, but for a country where the coppers only carry firearms in exceptional circumstances, busting out the Bull Connor gear is at least akin to Defcon 2.

When we were looking at a slideshow of the riots this morning, we couldn't help but think of the Sex Pistol's "Anarchy in the UK."

Since we like a little soundtrack to our civil disobediance, we thought we'd offer some up. Enjoy...

Florence City Council makes an offer somebody can't refuse...

2011-08-09T18:43:00.003-04:00

New York, 1920. A young Vito Coreleone had just begun pulling off a few capers with his partners, Clemenza and Tessio. As he drives a truck filled with boosted dresses down the street, the neighborhood rep of the Black Hand, Don Fanucci, hops into the truck.

Young man, I hear you and your friends are stealing goods. But you don't even send a dress to my house. No respect! You know I've got three daughters. This is my neighborhood. You and your friends should show me some respect. You should let me wet my beak a little. I hear you and your friends cleared $600 each. Give me $200 each, for your own protection. And I'll forget the insult. You young punks have to learn to respect a man like me! Otherwise the cops will come to your house. And your family will be ruined. Of course, if I'm wrong about how much you stole, I'll take a little less. And by less, I only mean - a hundred bucks less. Now don't refuse me. Understand, paisan? Understand, paisan?... Tell your friends I don't want a lot. Just enough to wet my beak. Don't be afraid to tell them!

What's this got to do with Florence City Council? Well, read the article in today's SCNOW and tell me it doesn't sound like this city council just made it an offer someone couldn't refuse...

Happy Anniversary One-Vote Victory...

2011-08-07T07:54:00.011-04:00

1,469 to 1,468. One vote. That was the margin of victory by which City of Florence Mayor Stephen Wukela defeated then-incumbent Frank Willis for the Democratic primary on June 10, 2008.

Three years ago, the South Carolina Supreme Court issued a ruling which proved that in the state of South Carolina, every vote does actually matter. In affirming the 12th Circuit Common Pleas ruling, the Court affirmed an order from the Honorable Michael G. Nettles which proclaimed:

The factors of this controversy and the applicable law will not allow this court to circumvent the will of the people. The voters have spoken ...

One of our favorite quotes after Judge Nettles ruling at trial?

We thought that once we got into a court of law that the law would take over and we would be successful. That didn’t happen. -- Frank Willis

But, of course, the legal battle did not end there. Frank Willis appealed Judge Nettles decision to the South Carolina Supreme Court and on August 6, 2008 the Supremes told Frank, in the words of the Budweiser commercial, to "let it go, Louie."

A ton of work went into that legal fight and it would be a bit of an understatement to say getting that call while down at trial lawyers was memorable. One of our fondest memories of that whole saga was running into a comp seminar in Hilton Head, drink in one hand, phone in the other, flip-flopping down the aisle to grab the Mayor and pull him out so he could get the news.

Upon that ruling, Frank Willis was quoted as saying, "Once the court rules, that's it -- it's over."

Oh...would that it were, Frank...would that it were. We all know it was far from over at that point. It took three more months of campaigning against a write-in candidate who magically appeared during that election protest period, who spent $300,000 over that time (no...that's not a typo, folks. $300k in 3 months), before it was actually over.

But when it was over, the idea that every vote matters had survived. Wukela handedly won the general and was soon sworn in as Mayor.

Happy Anniversary to one-vote victories.

For a great archive of articles about that whole race, check out the news section at wukela.us.

FOXNews: The Soft bigotry of Overt Racism...

2011-08-05T14:22:00.003-04:00

Stay classy, FOXNews.

So glad Obama's race has nothing to do with their coverage of him...

Can someone remind us how many jobs clearing brush in Crawford, Texas gave us the previous 8 years? Oh...that's right, not so many.

John Boehner: Weak, Weak, Weak...

2011-07-10T13:02:00.007-04:00

In case you've been ignoring the political circus that is Congress and the President trying to work out raising the country's debt ceiling so that the US doesn't default on our debt, you might have missed the fact this week that John Boehner came out and said publicly that he'd like to see a grand bargain, claiming bold action was necessary. In fact, according to Boehner, it was seeking such bold action which made Boehner want to become Speaker of the House to begin with.

Unfortunately, the rest of the Republican leadership balked at the premise of such "bold action," with House Majority leader Eric Cantor cutting Boehner's hamstring by proclaiming there was no reason to pursue such a bargain, because the rank-and-file Republicans would never go for it.

Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2012 Republican leadership. To borrow a line from our good friend Tony Blair: they can't even lead their own party. Weak, weak, weak.

In yo face, Grace...

2011-07-06T08:46:00.012-04:00

Unless you were in a coma or a WiFi-less sweat lodge, you know that yesterday's big "news" was that Casey Anthony was found not guilty of all the substantive charges (ie., the ones actually dealing with the death of her daughter) in her murder trial yesterday. Anthony was found guilty of lying to law enforcement.

We had fun yesterday making quips about the case, more specifically, making quips about Nancy Grace. For those who don't know Nancy Grace, she is a self-righteous, former "special prosecutor" with the Atlanta-Fulton County DA's office who turned her ethically-questionable style* into a television career, first on Court TV and now on Headline News.

*Grace's conduct as a prosecutor has been criticized by courts more than once, a recent admonition coming in 2005 by the 11th Circuit U.S. District Court:

The three-judge panel on Monday criticized Grace for not following her obligations to disclose to the defendant's lawyer information about other possible suspects. The 11th Circuit also agreed with a magistrate who found it hard to believe that Grace did not knowingly use a detective's false testimony that there were no other suspects.

Grace, however has no shame. She showed no shame after a woman she interviewed for her show committed suicide shortly after Grace aggressively went after her. She relished in tarring the Duke Lacrosse team as guilty during that brouhaha, only to take the night off after the players were cleared and let someone else report the "news." She also got caught plagiarizing for her book, Objection! — How High-Priced Defense Attorneys, Celebrity Defendants, and a 24/7 Media Have Hijacked Our Criminal Justice System. The fact that Grace seeks to blame "celebrity defendants" (which she creates) and the 24/7 media (which she is) for "hijacking" the criminal justice system tells you all you need to know about this lady (without even getting into the fact that it appears she has embellished the story of her fiance's murder).

So, Grace is a bitch, willing to say/do anything to advance her own agenda. Now that we know that, we were eager to see her reaction to the Casey Anthony verdict. Afterall, it was Grace who relentlessly pushed this story for the past 3 years, demanding justice for "little Caylee" and being so convinced of Casey's guilt, that she laughingly refused to refer to Casey by her name, bestowing upon her instead the ridiculous moniker of "Tot Mom." Sunday night, all Grace could talk about was how awesome the State's closing had been. How it had been so good, the defense attorneys and the defendant had even cried. It was a done deal, for Grace. So how would Grace react to the big NG? With dignity and humility? Uh...no.

First, was the graphic accompanying Grace's show last night. The first word: Outrage. Grace proceeded to blame the jury (questioning their intellect, their open-mindedness, etc). She blamed the defense team. (Actually seeming uncomfortably obsessed with what went on at the "Champagne party" the defense team had. Demanding one of her quests tell her what went on there. Then relaying an obviously embellished story to Dr. Drew about how defense attorneys celebrating "was just wrong.") And finally seethed disgust that "Tot Mom" would wind up profiting from all this (wilfulling overlooking the fact that her celebrity was all thanks to Nancy herself).

Listen, it's painfully obvious the publicity and emotions associated with this crime clouded the State's judgment into charging crimes they should have known their evidence would not support. When your case is circumstantial and your own medical expert can't give a cause of death, a murder charge ain't getting over the bar. All these people so distressed over this verdict need to get a life. Unless they watched the entire trial without listening to any talking head opinions (impossible), listened to the judge charge the law, then applied the law to the evidence presented, their opinion don't mean dick.

Nancy Grace is a disgrace. Unfortunately, she lacks the shame that would make most people show humility. This Casey Anthony trial was just latest in a long line of examples.

We're hittin' the road for the 4th...

2011-06-30T18:50:00.004-04:00

and hopefully we'll get on the water at some point. We hope you're able to get away for a little while and celebrate everything the Fourth of July is supposed to be about: beer, hotdogs and hamburgers.

Here's a little rockabilly music for you to add to your playlists and enjoy on your road trips...

Whadd'ya call...

2011-06-23T17:25:00.004-04:00

32 people sitting at home watching the CWS? The Clemson Baseball Team. GO COCKS! Sportscenter is Next!

CLASSIC.

Hattip Victor

Half-Term Palin...can't even complete her bus tour

2011-06-22T12:33:00.003-04:00

In the seminal golf movie of our generation, Tin Cup, the hero's love interest, Dr. Molly Griswold (played by a slightly less plastic than now Renee Russo) quizzes the hero, Roy "Tin Cup" McAvoy on a follow-through he has just demonstrated to her.

Roy: And then the unfinished symphony of Roy McAvoy.

Molly: What's unfinished?

Roy: Well, I have a short follow-through. It has an unfinished look...

Molly: Why?

Roy: Well, some say it's the easiest way to play in the winds of west Texas...some say it's because I never finish anything in my life.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it may be time to lump the Barracuda in with Tin Cup. We all know that Sarah Palin quit on the people of Alaska, thus earning her what should be the official moniker of the rest of her life: "Former Half-Term Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin." Now...it would appear the name "Tin Cup" should apply to Palin, as it seems she can't quite finish anything herself. TPM is reporting Palin is quitting her bus tour early.

Can we please stop even pretending like this lady has the goods to lead anything?

Hot Coffee...is Justice Being Served

2011-06-22T08:43:00.005-04:00

If you've ever heard the story about the woman who sued McDonalds and got millions because the coffee was too hot and thought "that's what's wrong with our legal system," than you need to tune to HBO this coming Monday night.

At 9pm on June 27th, HBO will premiere the documentary "Hot Coffee: Is Justice Being Served." The film has swept the film festivals, garnering the following praise:

“Eye-opening indictment of the way big business spins the media.” —Variety

“Stunning debut … Sends audiences out of the theater thinking in a brand new way.” —Washington Post

“Entertaining, informative … vivdly illuminating.”
—Hollywood Reporter

Watch it and learn how you've been played all these years.

Hattip Graham.

Sen. John Land on liquor...

2011-06-21T16:04:00.004-04:00

Just in case you wanted to know where SC State Senator John Land stood on liquor...

Hattip Polkey...

Late add: Land's speech was cribbed from a speech given by a young Mississippi politician Noah S. "Soggy" Sweat, Jr. in 1952:

My friends, I had not intended to discuss this controversial subject at this particular time. However, I want you to know that I do not shun controversy. On the contrary, I will take a stand on any issue at any time, regardless of how fraught with controversy it might be. You have asked me how I feel about whiskey. All right, here is how I feel about whiskey:

If when you say whiskey you mean the devil's brew, the poison scourge, the bloody monster, that defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home, creates misery and poverty, yea, literally takes the bread from the mouths of little children; if you mean the evil drink that topples the Christian man and woman from the pinnacle of righteous, gracious living into the bottomless pit of degradation, and despair, and shame and helplessness, and hopelessness, then certainly I am against it.

But, if when you say whiskey you mean the oil of conversation, the philosophic wine, the ale that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and laughter on their lips, and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes; if you mean Christmas cheer; if you mean the stimulating drink that puts the spring in the old gentleman's step on a frosty, crispy morning; if you mean the drink which enables a man to magnify his joy, and his happiness, and to forget, if only for a little while, life's great tragedies, and heartaches, and sorrows; if you mean that drink, the sale of which pours into our treasuries untold millions of dollars, which are used to provide tender care for our little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our dumb, our pitiful aged and infirm; to build highways and hospitals and schools, then certainly I am for it.

This is my stand. I will not retreat from it. I will not compromise.

Big trouble at the ATF...

2011-06-21T10:43:00.003-04:00

In case you've missed it, there's quite a scandal brewing over at the ATF. Seems the ATF had a special little operation going on where they were letting guns "walk" across the border. Allegedly, the theory was they were going to "follow" the guns and infiltrate the Mexican cartels. As anyone with the least amount of foresight should have been able to see, this operational plan was fraught with peril. It wasn't long until the guns being allowed to walk were showing up at crime scenes in Mexico. The ultimate sign of failure was realized when one of these guns showed up at scene where a US Border Patrol agent, Brian Terry, was killed. That little screwup has led ATF agents to call the Operation (codenamed "Operation Fast and Furious") a complete disaster.

This scandal is allegedly going to cost Ken Melson his job as head of ATF (justifiably so). We hope that in light of this scandal, people take a closer look at Melson and a closer look at some of his other "operations." Specifically, Melson's longtime work with ASCLD/LAB. If you don't know what ASCLD/LAB is, nor what the problem with it may be, we strongly suggest you take a trip over to Amy Driver's blog: Bulletpath.com. Amy has been killing it as far as exposing problems with the forensic science lab community and more often than not the target that winds up in her cross hairs has been ASCLD/LAB and all the ASCLD family.

With the current ATF scandal, Driver has a new post up talking about Melson and his ties to the ASCLD family. FYI, ASCLD/LAB is the "certification" organization for SLED and several other forensic "science" labs here in SC. Given the problems exposed with the whole ASCLD/LAB certification through the NC SBI scandal, the use of the terms "science" and "certification" above is very, very loose. Trust us when we say you will hear a lot more about forensic lab certification issues here in South Carolina in the very near future.

Anyway, Driver's blog is a treasure trove of understanding the issues facing forensic science today. We highly recommend anyone interested in the ATF scandal take a look at her work on Melson and ASCLD/LAB. It is eye-opening...

Countdown begins to last Space Shuttle launch...

2011-06-20T21:26:00.003-04:00

NASA has announced that Atlantis will be launching July 8th, which will mark the end of "Space Shuttle era" for NASA.

In light of that, we thought it would be a good time to repost a classic article written by Gregg Easterbrook for The Washington Monthly way back in April of 1980, a year before the tragic Challenger disaster. One look no further than the title of Easterbrook's article, "Beam Me Out of This Death Trap, Scotty," to get the idea behind the article.

Many know Easterbrook for his witty Tuesday Morning Quarterback featured on ESPN's website during the NFL season. When you read this article, it's hard to believe the Space Shuttle program has lasted as long as it has. Seriously, at the rate technology has changed since the advent of computers, it's incredible that we've been driving around these same clunkers for THIRTY years.

Oh well...enjoy.

The change has been made Uptown...

2011-06-19T10:53:00.004-04:00

and the Big Man has joined band...

God's band, that is. E Street Nation has lost their Secretary of the Brotherhood and Minister of Soul. Do we have to say his name?

Clarence.

RIP Clarence Clemmons.

The Boss on Clarence via Clemmons' obit in the NJ Star Ledger:

“Clarence lived a wonderful life,” Bruce Springsteen said in a statement last night. “He carried within him a love of people that made them love him. He created a wondrous and extended family. He loved the saxophone, loved our fans and gave everything he had every night he stepped on stage.

The greatest showing of how much Clemmons meant to Springsteen's band has always been exemplified by Clemmons' role in the Boss' concert staple, 10th Avenue Freezeout. Watch the video below beginning at 3:30. Indeed...from the coastline to the cities...the Big Man made the little pretties raise their hands.

Almost time for another Blues, Bar-B-Q and Bar CLE

2011-06-16T09:10:00.002-04:00

On Friday, July, 8, 2011, Attorney C. Rauch Wise will host the annual SCACDL Blues, Bar-B-Q and Bar CLE in Greenwood, SC. The seminar will be held at the Arts Center at the Federal Building in Downtown Greenwood. If you have never attended this seminar, you don't know what you're missing. Rauch always puts on a top flight program and there has yet to a year we've attended where we did not learn some incredibly useful things that we've continued to use throughout our career.

This year's line-up is:

-8:30-9:20am: Many Marvelous Motions by Andrew J. Savage, III, Esq.

-9:20-10:10am: Careful Calculating Confinement by Chris Florian, Esq. & James E. Sligh, Jr., Esq.

-10:30-11:20am: Combating Collateral Consequences by Geoffery R. McKee, PhD

-11:20-12:20pm: Ethics Element: Farewell to Fixed Fee by Harvey M. Watson, III, Esq.

-1:30-2:20pm: Crucifying Core Cross by Randi McGinn, Esq.

-2:20-3:10pm: Conduct, Credibility and Confusion: Understanding Character Evidence by Chief Justice Charles Daniels

-3:30-4:20pm: Interesting Inference Information: Battles Beyond Belcher by C. Rauch Wise

Quite a lineup. But for anyone who has attended Rauch's seminar, you know the real fun is had outside the seminar, as Greenwood will be slap dab in the middle of a Blues festival and a National KC BBQ qualifying contest. That means there will be blues and bbq by the boatload.

If you would like to attend or have any questions, please feel free to contact Teresa Edwards, Executive Director of the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, at (803) 929-0110 or scacdl@msn.com

Best Political Ad...EVAAAAH!

2011-06-15T16:14:00.003-04:00

We don't know dick about the special election to replace retiring Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA), but it's impossible to watch this ad attacking Democratic candidate Janice Hahn and not wish we lived in the California 36th so we could enjoy this sucka a little more.

The campaign of Republican candidate Craig Huey has specifically denied having anything to do with the video. Truth be told, it could very well be a shrewd move by Hahn's own campaign (which if it is, it's genius).

Either way, we can't get the tune out of our head...

Florence Fire Department's latest digs...

2011-05-26T14:26:00.003-04:00

The City of Florence held the "ribbon" cutting (it was actually unhooking a fire hose) for the Fire Department's new Station No. 5 this morning. Station No. 5 is located on E. Redbud Lane, almost on the corner of Redbud and Howe Springs Road, right near Southside Middle and South Florence High Schools. It has been over thirty years since the city last built a fire station.

We spoke with one long time firefighter this morning who told us he came to work for the fire deparment not long after they built No. 4 in 1980. He was told they would have No. 5 by 1985. So the city fire fighters have been waiting on this station for over 25 years. That's pretty unbelievable when you think about how much the City of Florence has expanded over that time.

It really is a nice facility and one that was badly needed. Congrats to the City of Florence Firefighters on their new digs.

FIghting for the terrorists rights...

2011-05-15T08:42:00.003-04:00

Thanks to the stalwart work of Republicans on the House Judiciary committee this past week, suspected terrorists can still enjoy their Second Amendment right to bear arms here in the good ole U. S. of A. Republican Congressmen like Rep. Louie "Terror Baby" Ghomert killed an amendment that would have restricted firearm sales to people on the FBI's terrorist watch list.

The House Judiciary Committee was marking up legislation to renew certain provisions of the Patriot Act when Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) proposed the amendment to limit the sale of guns to those on the watchlist. Quigley's point was that Republicans have absolutely no problem denying people on that list civil liberties, but god forbid they should infringe one iota on the NRA. And the Republicans proved him right.

So just in case you're scoring at home...Miranda? Not a chance. Due Process? What are you, some America-hating commie?! Let 'em stockpile AR-15s? Sheeeet...this is America man, everyone's got the right to get strapped...

Nikki Haley releases official anthem for Governor's office...

2011-05-14T19:09:00.005-04:00

In case you missed it, our Governor gave herself a new title this week: "Flavor of the Month."

Coming on top her recent statements giving herself an absolute A+++ and letting us in on the fact that she has yet to make a mistake in her first 100 days on the job (letting us all know how low the bar is if she considers the Darla Moore clusterfuck a "success"), it should come as no surprise that the Governor has instated a new song for her office. Call it South Carolina's own "Hail to the Chief."

Revisiting the "hammer of Thor" and abandoned properties in Florence

2011-05-09T11:52:00.004-04:00

Back in February of 2009, not long after assuming office, City of Florence Mayor Stephen J. Wukela followed through on one of the signature issues of his campaign: attacking the problem of abandoned properties in the city. Wukela did so by signing several Rule to Show Cause petitions against abandoned property owners. At the time, it was noted:

Wukela summed up the action in saying, "the city is not gonna sit on its hands," and that the city was basically, "calling these people on the carpet."

Well...has the city followed through or have they sat on their hands? Wukela's website has posted a list of the abandoned properties the city has dealt with since he came to office. Take a gander and decide for yourself.

Late Update: The Mayor's website has posted a link where one can look at a map via Google Maps and see the properties.

Florence County GOP and its "big tent"...

2011-05-05T14:34:00.003-04:00

In case you missed it, the Florence County Republican Party has been awfully busy showing folks just how big a tent their group is recently. Yesterday, the Florence Morning News ran a piece about how the Florence County Republican Party had passed two resolutions "admonishing" Florence City Councilmen Buddy Brand and Glynn Willis for their support of the smoking ordinance which is scheduled for final reading at this coming Monday's city council meeting.

None of this should take anyone by surprise. After the last election, members of the Florence GOP decided it was time for a party purge after watching their candidate for Solicitor lose (handedly). That campaign had been quite divisive within the local GOP, as a number of longtime Republican supporters had publicly endorsed the incumbent, Ed Clements. You may recall that one of the targets of that purge was none other than long-time oracle of politics here in South Carolina, Dr. Neal Thigpen. That just goes to show you the political acumen of the decision makers currently calling the shots in the local GOP party.

Be that as it may, the smoking ordinance has brought out the long knives yet again in the Florence County GOP. We're sure Willis and Brand were not surprised. Afterall, at a townhall meeting held at Moore Middle School to discuss the ordinance, one wanna-be rising star of these folks got up and told Willis and Brand not to run as Republicans again. You would think these folks had learned during the last election that making lithmus tests out of certain issues or races does not win you support. It winds up making you lose by pretty damn big margins in a record-Republican coattail year. No...the Florence Republican Party seems content to let itself be taken over by folks who want to steer into the skid. They are embracing the crazy.

In response to the resolutions, Councilman Brand said:

the passing of the resolutions serves as an indicator of the leadership
currently within the Florence County Republican Party.

“In every organization you look at leadership,” he said. “I would just say the leadership is light there.”

Hey...that's one of your elected officials, GOP...you talk to 'em.

Exclusive: Video of raid proves Osama was unarmed...

2011-05-04T09:29:00.004-04:00

and BTPC's military expert William Money (out'a Missouri, killer of women and children) says, "he should have armed himself if he was gonna kill Americans."

House GOP Defends us against the Gays...

2011-05-04T07:38:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, we saw this item from The Hill about how Republicans in the House Administration Committee had agreed on a contract with attorney Paul Clement where they will pay Clement $500,000 to defend the Defense of Marriage Act. You probably remember the Obama administration announcing not too long ago how they weren't gonna waste time and resources defending that anymore. What...you don't remember all the celebration and congratulating Obama got from the Tea Party for curbing useless, unnecessary spending? Huh...there wasn't any such propers given by those bastions of government spending oversight? Oh...

Putting aside a very real question for all these god-fearing Republicans (namely...if God hates the gays so much, WHY DOES HE KEEP MAKING SO MANY OF THEM?), we left that article with this question: Only $500,000 dollars?!?! Really...that's it?

We know you guys are taking heat from the Tea Party to reign in spending...but we're talking about homosexuality here. Remember, you let these fags and lesbos marry each other, next thing you know, your 6-year old son is jamming his tongue down the Golden Retriever's throat (or so says Rick Santorum). You wanna try to combat that on the cheap? You really wanna try to get through the pearly gates and have to explain to St. Peter why you didn't go at least a million to fight this dastardly stuff? Don't get cheap on us now, Dorothy...

Seriously...what a colossal and retarded waste of time and money. For the love of Christ, with the laughingstock the institution of marriage has become in this country thanks to the heterosexuals, you would think they'd be eager to welcome the homosexuals into it. Aren't they tired of the gays being so happy (for crying out loud, their name is a synonym for "happy")? Shouldn't "straights" want to make the gays as miserable and bitter as they are? What better way to achieve that than marriage?

To quote one of the great philosophers of our generation: Let it go, Louie...

This cat Obama is a bad mutha...

2011-05-02T10:54:00.009-04:00

Shut yo mouth!

While acknowledge the fact that the news of Osama Bin Laden taking the dirt nap is a testament to the hard work and sacrifices of our military and intelligence personel, let's not lose sight of the role President Obama played in this.

Unless you can't read between the lines, it's pretty evident that the President not only pulled the trigger on invading a soverign nation's airspace when he greenlit this mission in Pakistan...but Obama okay'd putting a team of snakeeaters on the ground to make sure Bin Laden got Got.

Given the details that have leaked out since last night (it was a huge "mansion" compound in a suburb of Islamabad, less than a mile from one of the most prestigious Pakistani military training facilities, that just got built about 5 years ago; we have been working on reconning this place about that long; and Pakistan scrambled jets), it seems quite obvious that President Obama did what he said he would: Do whatever it took to bring Bin Laden to justice.

Remember back during the election when Obama was considered reckless and comments about being willing to go into Pakistan if we knew Bin Laden was there were trotted out as signs of "inexperience?" In August of 2007, Obama said:

"I understand that President Musharraf has his own challenges. But let me make this clear. There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again. It was a terrible mistake to fail to act when we had a chance to take out an al Qaeda leadership meeting in 2005. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will."

Remember McCain playing that card to Larry King in July of 2008?

KING: If you were president and knew that bin Laden was in Pakistan, you know where, would you have U.S. forces go in after him?

MCCAIN: Larry, I'm not going to go there and here's why, because Pakistan is a sovereign nation. I think the Pakistanis would want bin Laden out of their hair and out of their country and it's causing great difficulties in Pakistan itself.

Or how about the Mittster trying a similar attack during a televised GOP debate:

"[Obama] went from going to sit down to tea with our enemies, but then he's going to bomb our allies. I mean, he's gone from Jane Fonda to Dr. Strangelove in one week."

You gotta ask yourself after last night's news: WHO DO YOU WANT TAKING THOSE 3AM PHONE CALLS, NOW???

Let's also not forget, as we already see statements from people like Cantor and Rumsfeld crediting Obama with following W's lead...that by his own account, W downplayed the necessity in tracking down Bin Laden. Bush's comments about not giving much thought to Bin Laden and not considering him that big a deal are well documented. And we're of the mind that a lot of that was BS, just meant to deflect the fact that we had not yet managed to catch the guy. But there is one pretty undeniable fact that questions the "vigilance" W really had about catching the guy: in July of 2006, the W administration shut down the unit that had been hunting Bin Laden for a decade.

Compare that to the CINC we see through John Dickerson's piece in Slate, money quote:

In June 2009, Obama directed his CIA director to "provide me within 30 days a detailed operation plan for locating and bringing to justice" Osama Bin Laden. By August 2010 intelligence officials had identified the suspicious compound where Osama lived.

So...while the men and women of our military (especially that SEAL team) and and ingelligence deservedly should be championed for this succes, let's remember the Big Dog that pushed to make it happen.

We should have known we'd eventually have this news from this picture:

Please...

2011-04-27T10:04:00.005-04:00

Like this thing is "real." Walter Sobchak tells us birth certificates are like toes...

The Oprah Defense...

2011-04-27T08:21:00.005-04:00

Just when we thought getting the first black man elected President was an extraordinary feat cementing her legacy in history, we find out the power of Oprah is strong enough to do something truly unfathomable: influence a US District Court schedule.

A potential juror questioned during the second day of jury selection in Rod Blagojevich’s retrial Monday said she didn’t want her possible jury service to interfere with the taping of the Oprah Winfrey show, which she planned to attend on May 10.

She might just get her wish.

U.S. District Judge James Zagel said he could reschedule the trial of Illinois’ former governor to accommodate the talk show goddess but: “That seems a little over the top.”

“It’s the last year, judge,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Reid Schar said, smiling, and referring to the final season the show is taping.

Zagel asked the woman if she had one ticket to attend the taping of the show, which will be in its final month of taping in May.

“Four tickets,” she said.

Zagel later seemed open to a defense lawyer’s suggestion that court be scheduled that day around the taping of the show. The parties agreed to revisit the issue.

If having tickets to the Oprah Winfrey show is enough to have a US District Court Judge schedule court around the taping, how long until we run into a case where Oprah is cited as an actual defense? The sad thing...it would probably work.

BTW, wonder what kind of message it's gonna send to the jury if the Court does schedule around a tv talkshow taping to jurors in a case involving a Defendant who has become a minor television celebrity?

Ridgeland Speeding case: Hey...must be the money...

2011-04-21T14:37:00.005-04:00

In case you weren't aware, the South Carolina town of Ridgeland has decided to use cameras to catch people speeding. Last year, before the General Assembly's session expired, they added an amendment to a bill to try to block this from happening. The SC AG issued opinions saying it wasn't legal and the Chief Justice has even weighed in, telling magistrate judges at their annual school that enabling legislation would be required for this practice to pass muster.

Ridgeland ignored all that and decided they was gonna get busy mailing out camera-enforced tickets (which we propose be hereafter referred to as "Ridgeland Commuter Christmas Cards"). A lawsuit followed by Columbia attorney Pete Strom. As discovery moves forward, guess what...it appears that Ridgeland's decision to proceed full steam ahead was motivated by...*gasp*...MONEY. Color us shocked.

We've posted before the problems with speeding enforcement in this state. Specifically, the fact that hardly any law enforcement officer operates their speed measuring device as they are trained to by the SC Criminal Justice Academy, which means the "readings" should not be allowed in court. But even ignoring that, something certainly smells rotten in Ridgeland...and we think someone is gonna have to pay the piper.

Hattip Nelly for the posts title...

Looks like "the Movement" is clueless...

2011-04-20T21:29:00.004-04:00

The State has a good article up showing just how politically tone deaf Nikki Haley and her staff were to the firestorm ousting Darle Moore from the University of South Carolina's Board of Trustees would create.

“I have a crush of calls within the last 30 minutes regarding whether Darla Moore has been pulled from the USC board,” Haley’s press secretary, Rob Godfrey, wrote to Haley and other staff members on March 15. “Do we want to do anything besides confirm this? Thank her for her service? Let me know.”

Uh...nice strategery, there Ms. Movement.

Another State article details the communications. (As an aside, is no one in the Haley Administration familiar with the Freedom of Information Act? Just curious...). Here's our favorite:

March 14: In a letter received this date, Cofield thanks Haley for the USC appointment. “It is a double honor to be appointed by the best governor in the United States of America.”

What a tool. The other thing that strikes us, is Haley's folks whining about the very real BS she got busted on over the whole Lexington Hospital job.

March 28: Godfrey objects to a (Charleston) Post and Courier reporter about her story including several paragraphs on the controversy over Haley’s Lexington Medical job application, which listed her income in her previous job as $100,000 higher than it was, according to her tax records. “Hadn’t y’all written about this … already?” When the reporter responds “the public has an interest,” Godfrey questions “the relevance.” “Gotcha … ” the reporter replies.

Yeah...what does my boss being a pathological liar over her last employment got to do with anything.

Seriously...it's leadership like this that makes me yearn for the days when SC was in the news for a man's taboo love for a certain horse named Sugar...

SC Cops to implement better practices for identification and interrogation?

2011-04-17T12:27:00.006-04:00

Columbia attorney, Joe McCulloch, founder of the Palmetto Innocence Project, along with the national Innocence Project and SLED, put on an outstanding seminar Friday in Columbia geared towards introducing local law enforcement to the best practices for identification and interrogation in the criminal justice field.

The seminar featured retired Charlotte, NC Police Chief Darrel Stephens; retired Burlington, NC Police Chief Mike Gauldin; former 5th Circuit Solicitor Barney Giese; Dr. Jennifer Dysart, associate professor of psychology at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice (City University of New York); Dr. Saul Kassin, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice); Ken Hammond, Director of the Wisconsin Department of Justice's Training & Standards Bureau; and attorney Andrew W. Vail, with Jenner & Block of Chicago. These speakers were joined by SLED Director Reggie Lloyd, SC AG Alan Wilson, US Atty for Northern Georgia Sally Yates and US Atty for SC Bill Nettles for a panel discussion at the end of the program.

The purpose of the seminar, was to provide local law enforcement with testimony from the "converted" so to speak; former cops speaking about their experiences with implementing best practices in identification and interrogation (such as utilizing the sequential photo array & video recording full interrogations). To that end, no speaker was more moving that Ret. Burlington, NC Chief of Police, Mike Gauldin. Gauldin was the lead investigator on the Ronald Cotton case. Cotton was wrongfully convicted not once, but TWICE for the rape of Jennifer Thompson. Cotton spent 11 years in prison before DNA exonerated him. 16 years later...Chief Gauldin still gets choked up talking about his role in sending an innocent man to prison.

"I was one of those people who tried to do what was right,” Gauldin told the audience. I thought I had."

"I don’t know where you are in South Carolina on wrongful convictions, but I’ve got news for you if you’re an investigator or a prosecutor: It could happen to you. I’ve got worse news: It may already have happened."

60 Minutes piece on the Cotton case can be seen below. Watch it...truly moving stuff.

We've posted before about the problems with eyewitness interrogation.

According to The Innocence Project, 179 of the first 239 DNA exonerations were cases in which eyewitness misidentification was the central cause. That means that approximately seventy-five percent (75%) of wrongful convictions involve mistaken eyewitness identification.

In fifty-percent (50%) of those 179 cases, eyewitness misidentification was the sole cause for conviction. That means that eyewitness misidentification is the sole cause for approximately ninety percent (90%) of the DNA exonerated wrongful convictions.

Hopefully, Friday's seminar marks a sea change event in the evolution of these practices here in South Carolina. SLED Director Reggie Lloyd (who helped organize the seminar) came out in favor of videotaping interrogations:

"Most of these folks are used to television drama," State Law Enforcement Division Chief Reggie Lloyd said, adding that many jurors experience the "CSI effect" of having seen interrogations on TV shows. "To let them actually see it appeared to have no effect on them whatsoever."

Lloyd also committed to sitting down with McCulloch in the coming weeks and coming up with a policy, which will be memorialized via MOU, on how SLED will assist the Palmetto Innocence Project with potential wrongful conviction cases. Local media coverage of the event is available here, here and here.

It really was a great seminar. We got the chance to talk to Chief Gauldin for about 10 minutes after his presentation. The Chief just immediately strikes you as an incredibly good guy and to sit there some 16 years after the Cotton case shook out the way it did and see him still profoundly affected by it, moves you. We hope the law enforcement officers who saw the same thing Friday take that experience Chief Gauldin shared and try to implement changes to make sure the same thing does not happen to them.

150 years of avoidance: It was all about the slaves...

2011-04-13T07:35:00.016-04:00

Yesterday marked the 150th Anniversary of the start of the American Civil War, better known 'round these parts as the firing on Fort Sumter. That means, that yesterday morning, on the battery in Charleston, there was a plethora of folks watching civil war buffs and re-enactors strut around in uniforms and civil war-era garb, while firing off authentic cannons.

We'd be willing to bet that a large number of those people who got all decked out, when asked, would explain to you how slavery was not the reason we had a civil war. Those people would be completely full of shit and/or ignorant.

Listen, the Civil War was fought for the same reason all wars are fought: MONEY. On April 12, 1861, slaves were the single biggest financial asset in the United States. They were worth $3.5 billion in 1860 dollars--that's more than the value of America's railroads, banks, factories or ships at the time. What was the south's biggest hope throughout the war for victory? That England would intervene. Why? King Cotton. Cotton was America's biggest export before the war. Cotton built Wall Street and it built the economic base of New England, through the textile mills. The South hoped that Britain's dependence on cotton would force England to recognize the south and help force the North to negotiate (1 in 5 British depended on cotton for a living). And what allowed cotton to become king? SLAVES. In the decade before the war, per capita wealth grew more than twice as fast in the South than it did in the North. The prices of slaves and land increased by 70%.

Ladies and gentlemen, GREED is the God of War. And the Civil War happened because the powers that be in the South did not want to give up the basis for their wealth.

Last night, a friend of ours commented on a poll another friend had posted on FB about people's views on slavery's role in the war. His comment seemed to indicate that if one reviewed contemporaneous writings from both sides during the war, one would not hold the belief that slavery caused the war. We think that's malarkey. 150 years from now, if someone reads contemporaneous writings from the run up to the invasion of Iraq, one could surmise our military action into Iraq was caused by WMDs, the hope for democracy in the Middle East, revenge against 9/11 terrorists, or any host of ideas. That don't make it so. We invaded Iraq for one reason: MONEY, ie., OIL.

The idea that the South went to war for "state's rights," liberty, honor, of anything other than preserving their right to keep an institution that allowed them cheap labor upon which to grow their wealth is a myth. It's a myth perpetuated by the likes former Confederate President, Jefferson Davis. Most of the post-war publishing immediately following the war was of the "battles and leaders" variety. Americans had just been ravaged by war and, understandably, had no appetite to revisit the root cause for the wounds that had been inflicted on both the North and South. Davis' book, The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government was the first popular book to tackle the subject, and it paved the way for the "Lost Cause" school of history that leaves Americans today confused into thinking the war was caused by anything other than slavery. In Davis' view, the genteel planters of the South lived in harmony with slaves who were "contented with their lot...Never was there happier dependence of labor and capital on each other." Yes...we're sure. Written with the sure, self-righteousness of a man who was only familiar with one end of the whip.

Of course, the author of that Lost Cause "bible" had previously summed up his reasons for the war much more candidly: "Will you consent to be robbed of your property or will you strike bravely for liberty, property honor and life?" There you have it, Davis' real reason for breaking from the Union: his honor demanded he have the liberty to protect his property--Slaves.

Listen, there is no secret Slavery was the cause of the war. President Lincoln knew it. A few weeks before those famous shots were fired in Charleston, Lincoln spoke at his inauguration:

One section of the country believes slavery is right and ought to be extended, while the other believes it is wrong and ought not to be extended. This is the only substantial dispute

The truth is, the Civil War was the result of a long festering problem. One that is evident simply in our Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal...But they weren't, were they? In fact, our founding fathers had to argue over the subject and a compromise was reached: some men, BLACK men, were worth only 3/5ths of a man. As James Madison noted during the drafting of our Constitution:

It seems now to be pretty well understood that the real difference of interests lies not between the large and small but between the Northern and Southern states. The institution of slavery and its consequences form the line.

Slavery is what led to Bleeding Kansas. It's what led t0 blood on the Senate floor, when South Carolina's own Congressman Preston Brooks nearly clubbed to death Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner. It's what led abolitionist John Brown to guerilla movement at Harper's Ferry. It's what led to the god-awful Dred Scott decision. It's what led South Carolinian leaders to, as they declared their independence, indict the North for encouraging "thousands of our slaves to leave their homes, and those who have remained have been incited...to servile insurrection." It's what led Mississippi to declare: "Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery--the greatest material interest in the world. There was no choice left to us but submission to the mandates of abolition, or a dissolution of the Union." It's what led Georgians to declare: "We refuse to submit."

So...no matter how many people at the time may have believed they were individually fighting for something else (like US Gen. George McClellan, who wrote: "I am fighting to preserve the integrity of the Union & the power of the government--on no other issue"), any objective analysis knows that's just one individual's personal opinion. Further, it's an opinion that ignores reality: without slavery there is no war. The very foundation of that Union Gen. McClellan wanted to preserve, that all men are created equal, was diametrically opposed by the Confederacy. As Confederate VP, Alexander Stephens noted:

Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery, subordination to the the superior race, is his natural and normal condition.

Folks...that's ballgame, right there. Contemporaneous historical commentary is great. But you still have to shift through the bullshit. People were just as uninformed, misleading, gullible or dense back then as they are today. By any objective big picture analysis, you can't hide the undeniable truth: The American Civil War was fought because of slavery. That this is still even a question for some people is the very reason we haven't been able to get over race in this country. It's been 150 years. Time to accept this fact and move on.

Hattip David Von Drehle's excellent "The Way We Weren't," in this week's Time, from which this post is heavily cribbed.

AT-AT for America!

2011-04-12T19:59:00.003-04:00

We have the technology...the time is now...science can wait no longer...children are our future. America can, should and must build an AT-AT Imperial Walker. Join AT-AT for America today!

Tip for new lawyers...

2011-04-08T09:14:00.003-04:00

To all you baby lawyers out there, when the judge in your trial declares a mistrial because they are "astonished" at how poorly your doing, don't go onto Facebook at brag:

1st-degree murder trial...MISTRIAL!

You're gonna come off as kind of a douche...

For the Record, our very first General Sessions case was an appointed murder trial. But our judge told us that we did a very good job. So did our client, but with the caveat that "I hope you understand when I don't say you did well later on." We told him we would.

Headed to Chucktown....

2011-04-01T06:26:00.003-04:00

We're headed to Charleston today for the Bridge Run weekend with Team Tango and Cash. Enjoy your weekend...

Not exactly the best & the brightest...

2011-03-28T21:20:00.005-04:00

Next time someone tries to explain to you why Wall Street CEOs deserve to make so much money...call BS. From Paul Krugman:

From the FT: stock in Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffet’s company, jumps every time Anne Hathaway, the actress, gets a lot of media play.

Why? The claim is that it’s the fault of robotrading algorithms, which now account for most of the market, and which sometimes rely among other things on trends in news coverage.

On the other hand...Anne Hathaway's breast are the best and brightest our country has to offer...

Who do ya think?! The Libyans!

2011-03-19T20:12:00.004-04:00

In case you missed it...the United States decided to triple down on fighting a foreign country today by launching cruise missile strikes against Libyan air defenses in anticipation of the UN Security Council's decision to enforce a no-fly zone against Libyan madman Moammar Gadhafi.

As it just so happens, BTPC we were with out resident science expert, Dr. Emmet Brown, conducting an experiment when we got the news. Click here for the video...

Hattip Jaime

You wanna know what Newt would do???

2011-03-19T09:24:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, Newt Gingrich, who's political platform to win himself the GOP 2012 nomination appears to be whatever the opposite of what President Obama happens to say was in rare form. After taking shots at the way President Obama has handled the conflict in Libya, the following exchange occurred:

QUESTION: What would have been the steps you would have taken early on?

GINGRICH: I would have studied Eisenhower and Reagan and studied the things they did. I mean there are lots of — there are lots of ways to not necessarily use American troops and have an enormous impact on a country the size of Libya.

STAFFER: We have to go.

QUESTION: Can you list one or two?

GINGRICH: Take — take a look at Eisenhower and Reagan.

God forbid Newt actually tell us what he would do. Stop with your foolish questions. You wanna know what Newt would do? We'll tell you what Newt would do...exactly what Ike and the Gipper would do, that's what Newt would do. What exactly is that? Just like you elitist, ivy league media-types to want us to do all your studying for ya. Newt knows what they'd do and that's all that counts. Back off, hippie...

BTPC Exclusive: Newt's Sex Tape

2011-03-10T11:51:00.006-05:00

In case you missed it, former Republican Majority Leader (some people used to refer to him as "dsigraced," but we think it's impossible to take something from someone who has never had it), FOXNews contributor and current 2012 GOP Presidential rumored hopeful Newt Gingrich recently gave an interview to the Christian Broadcasting Network where he tried to explain his history of adultery.

“There’s no question at times of my life, partially driven by how passionately I
felt about this country, that I worked far too hard and things happened in my
life that were not appropriate.”

Well...alrighty then. We have always heard patriotism was the last refuge of scoundrels, but apparently, in Newt's world, adulterers reside there as well. The questions this rationale poses are limitless. As Slate wondered, does this mean singing “God Bless America” a form of masturbation?

Most shocking to us though, was when one of our friends (hattip Lee) forwarded us surprising video proving that Newt's not lying. Yes...it's a sex tape of a young Newt, in flagrante Newtus, if you will. Warning...viewing the video below may lead to a profound sense of duty.

Florence goes Shroomin'...

2011-03-06T10:08:00.005-05:00

This coming Monday, the Mellow Mushroom opens here in Florence. Last night, the MM hosted a friends and family event as kind of a closed opening to show off their new digs and as kind of a practice run for opening this coming week.

The Mellow Mushroom is located in what was the old Shoney's at Magnolia Mall, but you wouldn't know it to look at it. With an outdoor deck and bar, full bar, the bright psychedelic colors MMs are known for, and a Mushroom Express bus-kids-area inside, there's no trace of a breakfast bar any where.

In case you've never been to a MM, their specialty is of course, pizza. Little known fact, back in the day, the 'Pine used to toss a few pies ourself. In fact, we ran a kitchen that handmade its own sauce and dough in making NY-style pizza. So we know a little about italian pies. Trust us when we say MM pizza is good. Their claim to fame on the pizza is that they use only spring water in making their crusts. Now...does that make a big difference? All we can say, is MM consistently has some of the better pizza crust we've eaten. It's light and fluffy, with just the right balance of crispy and chewiness. They've got plenty of great specialty pies. Last night, we went with a Buffalo Chicken and the House and both were great. They've also got great appetizers (the Bruschetta and Capri were both very tasty) , salads, calzones and hogies. The food is all very tasty and the music and decor make the atmosphere pop.

Now...to get to really good stuff: the Beer. As you can see from the pic of the bar...that's a lot of taps. In fact, that's just half of the taps showing in the pic. There's more to the right, not shown in the pic. In addition to all the draft offerings, MM also offers a wide variety of bottled beers. In addition to offering this wide variety of beers, MM has a great way to encourage folks to actually try them: the Mellow Mushroom Beer Club. Try 100 different beers in a year...get on their Wall of Fame, get your own personalized mug and get beer specials. (After last night, we have only 96 beers to go).

When you think about it, that's a pretty smart way to encourage people to try all your beers, thus ensuring people actually drink all your beers, which in turn helps you stock all those beers. One problem we've seen with another new place here in Florence, is that they've run into problems with their distributor actually stocking all the different brands they advertise. Since this MM is owned by the same folks who own the MM at the beach, we don't think that will be a problem.

That brings up a pretty cool thing we saw last night. In appreciation to all their loyal customers from the beach, the owners chartered a bus and brought all their beer club members up from the beach last night to check out the new Florence restaurant. As they told us, the place in Florence would not have been possible without those folks, so they wanted to say thank you. The bus was pretty full and was a rolling party filled with their customers from the beach. That's pretty damn cool and shows sense of community they hope to build here in Florence. They have lots of theme nights, like New Beer Mondays, Trivia nights, 80s Ladies night, Live music on Saturdays and Contemporary Christian music on Sunday afternoons.

They told us they had over 1100 apply for jobs and actually hired about 140. In addition to bringing Florence a new option for eating, they have brought in jobs and hopefully a place that helps foster a sense of community. We look forward to hitting up the MM and maybe trying to catch "the Godfather," one of their regulars who has drank over 1100 different beers in a year. That, my friends, is a man who likes his suds...

Check out the Mellow Mushroom starting Monday

Always...no, no...never forget your parking brake...

2011-03-03T17:14:00.001-05:00

Perhaps the Criminal Justice Academy should add a course: How to Safely Secure Your Vehicle During Traffic Stops...

Charlie Sheen: Batshit crazy or Comedy genius?

2011-02-27T10:22:00.005-05:00

Back in January, after Charlie Sheen's "briefcase full of coke" episode, we posited the query of what would have happened had Bud Fox never turned on Gordon Gekko?

Well...Charlie apparently heard our questions and has decided to provide the answer. Since that episode in January, it's fair to say that Charlie has decided to take his "Fuck You" money and tell everyone to...well...Fuck Off.

In case you missed it, CBS shut down Two and a Half Men this past week after Charlie went on Alex Jones radio show and conducted what may be the greatest unintentional comedy performance of all time. Or maybe...it was intentional. And that ladies and gentlemen is the elusive question Mr. Sheen poses. Charlie Sheen: Batshit Crazy or Genius? Before answering, keep in mind that this man did in fact make CBS a ton of money with what was, quite possibly, the stupidest sitcom to ever air.

Uncle Leo...Goodbye...

2011-02-19T19:11:00.002-05:00

This past Wednesday, the Seinfeld world lost one of the more memorable recurring characters, Jerry's Uncle Leo, aka veteran actor/comedian Len Lesser. Lesser died from cancer-related pneumonia.

Tidbit we had forgotten: Lesser was Abe, one of the two gunmen that think they've caught themselves the great outlaw Josey Wales...

Mayor Wukela announces State of the City address

2011-02-14T21:00:00.003-05:00

Florence Mayor Stephen J. Wukela has announced that the annual “State of the City” address will be delivered at 6 p.m. Feb. 24 in the Stukes Meeting Room of the Drs. Bruce & Lee Foundation Library, 509 S. Dargan St., Florence. The address is open to the public.

Laying the 2010 NFL Season to rest...

2011-02-13T15:24:00.005-05:00

As we lay the 2010 NFL Season to rest and hope there's such a thing as a 2011 NFL season, let's take a look at how the BTPC fared over the season. No surprise, we've long maintained that we are almost a dead even coin flip in picking games and the numbers bear that out.

Our final numbers after picking the Super Bowl right last week are listed below. Whaddya know...we hit 50.54% for the season as a whole, including playoffs (for which we were a healthy 64%), which lines up nicely with our 50.86% career mark. What can we say...we're even steven.

So...hope you enjoyed football and here's to hoping the millionaires (players) fighting the billionaires (Owners) don't wind up killing the golden goose.

Last Week, Super Bowl: 1-0
2010 Playoff Record: 7-4 Upset Special: 2-0
Season to Date (including playoffs): 140-128-9
2010 Regular Season to date: 133-124-9 Upset specials 11-2-1
Career to date: 266-240-17

SC Lawmakers look to screw SC residents with new bill

2011-02-09T09:16:00.009-05:00

SC Lawmakers are set to take up a bill today that would serve two purposes: to protect the profits of insurance companies and screw over South Carolinians who had suffered horrible injury.

According to the AP's Meg Kinnard:

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Lawmakers in South Carolina are to consider plans to set new limits on the amount of punitive damages that can be awarded in lawsuits.

The South Carolina House plans Wednesday to debate a measure that would limit people winning lawsuits to either a maximum punitive damage award of $350,000 or three times the actual damages awarded.

The measure has been a top priority for House Republicans this year.

The House passed a similar measure last year, but it died in the Senate.

The legislation also sets new requirements for the state's attorney general and local solicitors to disclose details of contracts with outside lawyers and imposes limits on fees they can be paid. For instance, they could receive no more than 4 percent of a $100 million settlement.

The insurance agency has been pushing the red herring of tort reform for years as a cure for spiraling-out-of-control healthcare costs. It's complete bullshit.

The health economists and independent legal experts who study the issue,
however, don’t believe that’s true. They say that malpractice liability costs
are a small fraction of the spiraling costs of the U.S. health care system, and
that the medical errors that malpractice liability tries to prevent are
themselves a huge cost– both to the injured patients and to the health care
system as a whole.

“It’s really just a distraction,” said Tom Baker, a
professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and author of “The
Medical Malpractice Myth.” “If you were to eliminate medical malpractice
liability, even forgetting the negative consequences that would have for safety,
accountability, and responsiveness, maybe we’d be talking about 1.5 percent of
health care costs. So we’re not talking about real money. It’s small relative to
the out-of-control cost of health care.”

And:

“If you were to list the top five or ten things that you could do to bring down
health care costs that would not be on the list,” said Michelle Mello, a
professor of Law and Public Health at Harvard.

Politicians of both parties have been pushing for years the idea that reducing "runaway" jury "lottery" verdicts will somehow lower healthcare costs. First, there is not some epidemic of runaway lottery verdicts going on. Those that happen, are rare and subject to appeals if they are not substantiated by the facts of the particular case. But when they do happen, there's a reason. Take the recent SC case of Jerome Mitchell v. Fortis Insurance Co. (now known as Assurant). In 2004, a jury here in Florence awarded Mitchell $36,000 on his breach of contract claim, $150,000 on his bad faith rescission claim and $15 million in punitive damages arising from the bad faith. The SC Supreme Court later upheld the verdict, but reduced the punitive damages award to $10 million. The bill SC lawmakers are taking up today doesn't think that kind of award is "right." Let's see if we can figure out what is "right."

Mitchell was a college student from right here in Florence whose mother had gotten him an insurance policy when he went off to school. As part of the application, Mitchell filled out a questionnaire. One questions was: “Been diagnosed as having or been treated for any immune deficiency disorder by a member of the medical profession?” Mitchell answered “no."

In April 2002, Mitchell attempted to donate blood to the Red Cross. On May 13, 2002, the Red Cross contacted Mitchell to inform him that his blood had screened positive for HIV. The Red Cross suggested Mitchell get a confirmation test from his personal physician, and Mitchell immediately contacted Dr. Michael Chandler. On May 14, 2002, Dr. Chandler’s tests confirmed that Mitchell was HIV positive. That day, one of Dr. Chandler’s assistants noted on Mitchell’s intake chart: “Gave blood in March – got letter yesterday stating blood tested [positive for] HIV.” The handwritten chart note identified Mitchell correctly as eighteen years old, but was erroneously dated May 14, 2001.

That simple scrivener's error was all Assurant needed to try to deny Mitchell his coverage. In fact, this is the summary generated by one of their underwriters stated:

The only question misrepresented on the Enrollment form is #20 – “Within the last 10 years has any proposed insured been diagnosed as having or been treated for any immune deficiency disorder.” Can’t use the question re: AIDS as he does not have AIDS, he has tested positive for the HIV virus. This is the only question I’ve found that we can use – any other suggestions?

Technically, we do not have the results of the HIV test. This is the only entry
in the medical records regarding HIV status. Is this sufficient?

In other words, "Look guys...I think we can get off the hook!"

On September 5, 2002, they informed Mitchell they were rescinding his policy because of a "material misrepresentation on his application form." The letter that informed of this decision also stated they would "welcome any additional information you may have which would effect (sic) our decision to rescind your policy." Mitchell, knowing he had not misrepresented anything tried to do just that, to no avail. Despite efforts by his medical providers to assist him by explaining to Assurant that Mitchell had in fact NOT tested positive for HIV until AFTER he had gotten his policy with them, Assurant did not care. "There was nothing they could do."

Mitchell, having been spurned at every turn trying to handle this his on his own, hired an attorney. The attorney sent Assurant copys of the doctor's initial test results along with a letter informing Assurant that Mitchell was first diagnosed with HIV until May 2002.

Assurant "reviewed" their rescission of the policy, which if anyone has never had the pleasure of administratively appealing an insurance company's denial of something simply consists of a few employees of the insurance company sitting around a table, "reviewing" the file, before promptly upholding the decision of the company. Shocker.

The trial judge in this case, the Hon. Michael G. Nettles summed up this review by stating: "There were no rules, no minutes, no notes, and in accordance with instructions from general counsel, not even a record of who was present." In fact, the only information we know was before the committee consists of a single notation that read: "letter from attorney stating that the insured did not misrep[resent] coverage since the first diagnosis of AIDS was 5/14/2002." How about this: this review committee considered 45 OTHER rescission cases during a 2-hour meeting. How thorough a review you think that was????

At trial, Mitchell's expert testified that it was the insurance company's practice to shut down an investigation once a single piece of evidence was discovered that would support rescission. Assurant's own people could not even answer whether or not they had the responsibility to find out the truth" about a policy holder's medical conditions. This despite the fact that Assurant's own expert admitted they had a duty to investigate and find information that may lead to payment of a claim. Mitchell also presented evidence that Assurant had tried to hide evidence of their bad faith by sending illegible copies of forms and by the fact that call logs did not show a call between the insurance company and one of Mitchell's health care providers (the call trying to explain he had not tested positive until after getting the policy). Judge Nettles found there to be evidence that the insurance company had concealed information through their practices, which overall, resulted in a "pattern of secrecy and concealment..."

According to an article by Murray Waas:

Previously undisclosed records from Mitchell's case reveal that Fortis had a company policy of targeting policyholders with HIV. A computer program and algorithm targeted every policyholder recently diagnosed with HIV for an automatic fraud investigation, as the company searched for any pretext to revoke their policy. As was the case with Mitchell, their insurance policies often were canceled on erroneous information, the flimsiest of evidence, or for no good reason at all, according to the court documents and interviews with state and federal investigators.

As Waas' article notes:

Nettles also suggested that Fortis should have realized the date in the note was incorrect: "Not only did Fortis choose to rely on one false and unreliable snippet of information containing an erroneous date to the exclusion of other information which would have revealed that date to be erroneous, Fortis refused to conduct any further investigation even after it was on notice the evidence which aroused its suspicion to be false," the judge noted.

Fortis "gambled" with Mitchell's life, Nettles wrote.

Their motive, according to the judge, was obvious: "The court finds that Fortis wrongfully elevated its concerns for maximizing profits over the rights and interest of its customer." In upholding Nettles' verdict, the South Carolina Supreme Court similarly ruled that "Fortis was motivated to avoid the losses it would undoubtedly incur in supporting Mitchell's costly medical condition."

And:

an investigation last summer by the House Energy and Commerce Committee as well as earlier ones by state regulators in California, New York and Connecticut, found that thousands of vulnerable and seriously ill policyholders have had their coverage canceled by many of the nation's largest insurance companies without any legal basis. The congressional committee found that three insurance companies alone saved at least $300 million over five years from rescission. One of those three companies was Assurant.

The committee estimated that Assurant alone profited by more than $150 million between 2003 and 2007 from rescission.

Does anyone actually think an insurance company is going to be forced to stop such a practice if they get hit with $350k verdict given the type of "savings" described above? How about $1 million?

Feel free to click on these links and explore this case on your own, then decide what would be "right." The ability to allow juries to punish this type of conduct to the level that the punishment actually hurts some or "making our business climate more attractive" by limiting jury awards? When you do, keep in mind that testifying before Congress, Assurant's CEO had this to say about the insurance industry's rescission practices:

On June 16, 2009, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, held a hearing on the practice of rescission by health insurance companies, and among the industry executives who testified was Don Hamm, the CEO and President of Assurant Health.

Hamm insisted before the committee that rescission was a necessary tool for Assurant and other health insurance companies to hold the cost of premiums down for other policyholders. Hamm asserted that rescission was "one of many protections supporting the affordability and viability of individual health insurance in the United States under our present system."

He also suggested that those who had their policies rescinded by Assurant had attempted to intentionally mislead his company: "Unfortunately, there are times when we discover that an applicant did not provide complete or accurate medical information when we underwrote the risk," Hamm said.

Notice the date of that testimony? That testimony was given well after this case had been tried. Does it sound like these insurance companies are gonna own up to anything on their own, even after getting popped with that punitive damage award?

Ronald Reagan: Who needs your truth if it stands in our way?

2011-02-06T12:19:00.004-05:00

The quote in the title of this post is from former Chief Political Commisar of the Soviet Armed Forces, General Aleksei Yepishev, in response to complaints by former Marshall of the Soviet Union, Georgy K. Zhukov.

Zhukov was upset that his memoirs were being "edited" by the communist party, removed criticism of Stalin, and had "cameo" appearances of senior communist party officials written in (regardless of the fact they weren't there).

Yepishev's response made clear, the facts did not matter. In the Soviet Union, the Communist Party decided what was and what was not "history." We find the fact that Soviet commisar's quote would apply just as much for the Grover Norquists and other Reagan acolytes today.

With the observance of what would have been Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday this weekend, it's important to note the difference between the fact and fiction of Reagan. This icon of the modern conservative movement in the United States owes his image more to good post-presidency PR and much less to actual fact. Because the fact is, as our own Sen. Lindsey Graham noted last year, "Ronald Reagan would have a hard time getting elected as a Republican today."

Ronaldus Magnus could be called a "serial tax raiser" having raised taxes 7 out of 8 years he was in office. In fact, "The Great Taxer" would be a more apt moniker than the "Great Communicator," as Paul Krugman noted in the NY Times:

But Ronald Reagan does hold a special place in the annals of tax policy, and not just as the patron saint of tax cuts. To his credit, he was more pragmatic and responsible than that; he followed his huge 1981 tax cut with two large tax increases. In fact, no peacetime president has raised taxes so much on so many people. This is not a criticism: the tale of those increases tells you a lot about what was right with President Reagan's leadership, and what's wrong with the leadership of George W. Bush.

Reagan grew the deficit from $7 billion to $3 trillion. Reagan expanded government, granted amnesty to millions of illegal aliens, negotiated with terrorists, cut and ran from Lebanon, supported federal handgun laws, called for a world without nuclear weapons and and suffered from Alzheimer's before his first term was over.

This isn't to disparage that Reagan is not worthy of praise from conservatives. Reagan did some pretty good things. In fact, in 2003, the Washington Monthly caused a stir by running a cover story titled "Reagan's Liberal Legacy." But as Benen notes, conservatives deification of Reagan seems to be more likely the result of a lack of other candidates amongst Republican presidents.

Over the last 146 years, exactly how many GOP presidents do contemporary Republican activists actually like? There's Reagan, and there's no one else.

Dems have a more diversified list, ranging from Jefferson to Jackson, Roosevelt to Truman, JFK to Clinton, and maybe someday, Obama.

Reagan, conversely, gets all the love, because his party isn't proud of anyone else except Lincoln. That makes the adulation understandable, but it doesn't give it value.

Word.

BTPC picks Super Bowl XLV

2011-02-06T11:27:00.005-05:00

It's that time: SuperBowl Sunday. Time to...Get. It. On. After picking the conference championship round a perfect 2-0, can the 'Pine keep it up and close out the NFL season with a 3-0 run?

Steelers (+3) v. PACKERS

The line opened with the Pack laying 2 and has now moved to them laying 3. It would appear the public is jumping on the Pack as Vegas is obviously trying to push money towards the Steelers. The over/under is 45.

Or course, the fun part of the Super Bowl is the crazy ass prop bets one could make if gambling were legal. Since it is not in most of the country, we'll just have to look with envy on all those living in Las Vegas and offshore who can bet on stuff like:

-Will Christina Aguilera's anthem be over (-200) or under (+160) 1 minute 54 seconds? BTPC says go with the over. Christina has let herself go, gotten divorced and needs to make a statement.

-First missed FG: Wide left (-120), wide right (+110) or short/blocked (+1000). BTPC says go right simply for the better odds.

-We like the score in the first 4 minutes 30 seconds of the 1st for (+205) prop.

-How about a safety for either team being the first score being (+5000)?

Anyway, click on that link to see all kinds of crazy props.

So who do we like? It's hard not to see the universal balancing effect of Aaron Rodgers getting the win. First, it would be the football gods rewarding the "good" QB once again. Good has already triumphed over evil so far as Rodgers has, in the past several weeks, defeated Brett Favre (alleged masseuse sexual harrasser and unsolicited naked photo sender) and Michael Vick (former owner and user of a "dog-rape-stand). It seems only natural that he would take down Bathroom blocker and junk-exposer Ben Roethlisberger. Plus, it's hard not to pull for Rodgers after the whole Favre drama. Personally, we'd just love to see Rodgers win it to twist the knife just a tad more in Favre's season-of-demise.

Big Ben has played remarkable and has singlehandedly carried the Steelers this far. But Dom "Helmet Hair" Capers will have the Pack schemed up. And while the Packers have had an unbelievable amount of starters go down to injury, most of their injuries happened early on and the team they come into the game with is the team they've had for most of the season. The same can't be said of Pittsburgh. Their best defensive player is not healthy. Troy Polamalu is not the same player he has been in the past. Green Bay's havoc maker, Clay Matthews, is healthy. That along with the Pouncey injury is gonna make a big difference between the effectiveness of the defenses.

We heard an interview with Trent Dilfer this week (the Sportsguy's podcast) where Dilfer had a good point. He looks for the team with the harder edge. And we think Rodgers and the Pack want this more than the Steelers, who already have two, do.

BTPC pick = Pack laying the 3.

Last Week, Conference Championship Round of Playoffs: 2-0
2010 Playoff Record: 6-4 Upset Special: 2-0
Season to Date (including playoffs): 139-128-9
2010 Regular Season to date: 133-124-9 Upset specials 11-2-1
Career to date: 265-240-17

Celebrity Couple All-Stars

2011-02-06T07:57:00.002-05:00

Buzzfeed has put together a list of "Impossible Celebrity Couples." We can all admit that it's good for the self-esteem of the human race that George Clooney and Grace Kelly never did hook up, as their offspring would have been so beautiful, that they would have been like solar eclipses: we would have been unable to look directly at them.

Another one that caught our eye, was this one of JFK and Anna Nicole Smith. Looks like something, or some things, were catching the man from Camelot himself. Move over, Marilyn...

The Dumbification of America

2011-01-29T15:43:00.003-05:00

Want to know what is wrong with this country?

You ever tried to reason with an idiot? Ain't easy, is it?

Watch the clip below and keep in mind a couple of things:

First, Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) is a 10-term congressman who helps oversee federal funding on the Food and Drug Administration. He is, relatively speaking, considered a "moderate" Republican.

Second, evolution is no more a "theory" than gravity is, as far a science is concerned. It's not something was believed. In science, theories do not turn into facts through the accumulation of evidence. Rather, theories are the end points of science. The "theory" of evolution is based upon a collection of known facts. These facts were not gathered in an effort to prove evolution, rather they were collected before the fact and than conclusions drawn from the collected facts. Compare and contrast that to theories on intelligent design or creationism, which operated in the reverse fashion.

What are these "facts" you ask?

1) the earth is approximately ∼4 billion years old.

2) 5.7 million years ago we descended from an ancestor we share with chimpanzees. Yes, Rep. Kingston...it's true. Bummer for you. So sorry.

3) Homo erectus (our immediate ancestor) is anywhere from 1.8 to 0.3 million years old and people more or less like us (homo sapiens sapiens) arose in Africa 100,000 years ago. The fossil evidence for these observations has been validated by newer techniques of molecular biology, capped by the human genome project.

4) Natural selection has been observed and documented throughout medicine and science for years. Think "Immunity." It's what former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell was trying to explain to Rep. Kingston. His weak ass "adaptation" is what we're talking about. That adaptation, or even mutation, is "evolution" Rep. Kingston. It is an organism changing to improve its odds of survival.

Seriously, if you watched this whole show, the look on Campbell's face at one point when Kingston is talking is absolutely priceless. It's like she can't believe someone who has been elected to the United States Congress for 10 terms would be so stupid. Notice how Kingston seeks help from fellow conservative The National Review's Will Cain, only to be rebuffed by Cain telling him: "I'm sorry, I believe in evolution."

This whole charade exemplifies what's wrong with this country. There is nothing wrong with faith. But it ain't science. And for people to try to put the two on equal footing is not only ridiculous, it's also dangerous. Take Campbell's reaction. People who discount science that are in leadership positions in this country, WILL NOT be taken seriously by the rest of the world. Anyone think the Chinese wouldn't laugh their asses off at someone sitting across from the negotiation table who discounted evolution? How about the Russians? Israelis? North Koreans? If we send people into situations to represent our country and they are adequately prepared (ie., they reject accepted science) our country will suffer. It's just proof that they are either a) ignorant or b) easily manipulated. Either way, we lose.

Hattip Benen.

Is Sofia Vergara the cure for cancer?

2011-01-28T20:09:00.004-05:00

As WWTDD thankfully pointed out for everyone, Modern Family's Sofia Vergara was at the Elle Women in Television Event last night...and all the other women refused to get out of their limos. Come on...can you blame them? Good Lord Have Mercy!

Seriously, we're not saying Sofia Vergara can cure cancer, but we've been staring at this picture for about an hour and we're pretty sure we're cancer free as of right now. Just sayin'...

Gretchen, you ignorant slut...

2011-01-28T14:40:00.005-05:00

Benen has a post up today documenting yet another instance of Fox & Friends co-host Gretchen Carlson overreacting to a perceived outrageous tragedy of epic proportion which is non existent.

Pray tell?

In July, "Captain America: The First Avenger," a big superhero movie, will hit theaters. But because Hollywood studios rely so heavily on the international box office, in much of the world, the movie will simply be called, "The First Avenger." As a business decision, this isn't exactly shocking.

At least, it shouldn't be. On "Fox & Friends" this morning, Gretchen Carlson was outraged by the news.

"You know what? That is so crazy. Before you know it, this country will just be called 'Half of North America.' OK? Because, 'Oh, you can't say, America.' What will we say? What will we call this country when we can't say 'America' anymore?"

In Carlson's mind, it's reasonable to think we may reach a point at which "we" can't even utter the word "America" anymore. Never mind that this is one movie studio making a reasonable marketing decision about the title of one movie, the Fox News personality is actually worked up about this, as if there's an active campaign underway to restrict use of the word "American."

Let's forget two issues so absurd that they were pointed out by commenters under Benen's article:

1) "We" will most likely call this country the United States, since that's our name (hattip Joshua Norton); and,

2) "We" are actually only one-third of North America (hattip FlipYrWhig); but...

More importantly...Gretchen...How the hell are we gonna say North AMERICA without saying AMERICA?!?!

A suggestion for Sen. David Vitter and his citizenship amendment...

2011-01-28T06:30:00.007-05:00

So...Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) has teamed up with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to propose a constitutional amendment, to get rid of birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants.

In case you forgot who David Vitter is:

A woman accused of running a Washington prostitution ring placed five phone calls to David Vitter while he was a House member, including two while roll call votes were under way, according to telephone and congressional records.

Vitter, a Louisiana Republican now in the Senate, acknowledged Monday that his number was on the woman’s call list and apologized for a “very serious sin.”

Tell you what, Dave...you'd probably garner a lot more support for your constitutional amendment if you amend it to say self-righteous, hypocritical-doucebag-politicians-who-run-family-values-campaigns-only-to-get-caught-banging-high-priced-call-girls-then-dragging-their-shamed-wives-before-the-public-for-an-"I have sinned"-press-conference are to be stripped of their citizenship.

Speaking of stripping...Louisianna voters could have supported the lady above, Stormy Daniels, for Vitter's seat. Seriously, we're supposed to refer to senators as "the Honorable..." If your gonna have a joke representing you in DC, why not a hot joke who everyone is laughing with, not at. You telling us Ms. Daniels couldn't bring home some pork? Which member of the United States Senate is gonna deny this lady an earmark?

Gives the term "filibuster" a whole new meaning, don't it?

What if Bud Fox never turned on Gordon Gekko?

2011-01-27T20:54:00.008-05:00

Everyone knows the story of Oliver Stone's great film of 80s excess and greed: Wall Street. In the movie, a young hard-charging go-getter by the name of Bud Fox latches on to the hollow happiness of money and power exemplified in Wall Street titan/raider Gordon Gekko.

Gekko's character was supposed to revile us. He was supposed to be the bad guy. America was supposed to look into the mirror and see the hideous monster our greed had created and how it was corrupting our ideals and our children. But Gekko, played impeccably by Michael Douglas, turned into a hero in the film. Why? Because people want to live a life filled with money and power. The American Dream is all about excess and greed. And no one exemplifies this more now, than the man who played Bud Fox: Charlie Sheen.

In case you haven't been following Sheen lately, there was an incident recently where Charlie trashed a hotel bathroom while coked-out-of-his-mind, naked and allegedly holding a porn star captive. A porn star he had earlier introduced to his ex-wife over dinner after paying her something like $20k to party. What happened to Charlie? Nothing. Why? Because Charlie is the star of a television sitcom that apparently a lot of people watch: Two and Half Men. How big is the show? When CBS unveiled their new lineup recently, the head of CBS addressed Charlie's latest shenanigans (the aforementioned NY hotel incident) by basically saying, "Charlie is gonna be Charlie."

Ladies and Gentlemen, Charlie Sheen has achieved the American Dream. Charlie Sheen has FUCK YOU Money. That means Charlie can do what Charlie wants to do. And like any red-blooded American male, Charlie wants to do briefcases full of cocaine and porn stars.

As WWTDD relays to us from TMZ, Charlie's latest chase of the American Dream has landed him in the hospital:

Sheen had a “briefcase full of cocaine” delivered to his home — and was using large amounts of the drug during the 36-hour bender that landed him in the hospital … this according to a source inside the house.

We’re told Sheen had several people inside his home during the 36-hour span that started Tuesday night — including 2 porn stars, a business associate, and several other women.

After hours of drinking, we’re told a person showed up to the house with a designer “briefcase” — that contained multiple “bricks” of cocaine.

According to WWTDD, one of the porn stars was Melanie Rios, seen here with her "sister."

The other was Kacey Jordan, who according to WWTDD tweeted this picture from Casa de Charlie, along with the comment: "It's officially 24 hours of drinking! hehe."

No wonder Charlie has to shell out big bucks for these porn stars...that kind of class don't come cheap. *Notice the breathwash and lysol wipes on the table. If your gonna party with porn stars...be smart. Make them disinfect...*

Hey...anyone care to guess what "business" the business associate described above helps Sheen out with? Bet it's either A) getting Melanie Rios and Kacey Jordan over to Casa de Carlos; or B) making sure Charlie's "luggage" is delivered on time. Either way, it must be a helluva gig.

Our favorite report on the latest Charlie incident though, is this report from E! which has the following line:

A source close to Brooke Mueller tells E! News that Sheen's estranged ex has been informed that he "will be OK."

No shit, he's gonna be ok...he's doing bricks of coke off of naked porn stars. In what world is that gonna be considered being anything other than OK?!

FWIW, that same E! item above says Charlie is being hospitalized because he "aggravated a hernia," laughing too hard on the set. As if that excuse will be believed by anyone who has seen his show...

Seriously...at what point does Oliver Stone just release a new Wall Street Blu-Ray where he weaves in TMZ footage of Charlie from the past two years and reworks the ending to Bud Fox not being a pussy and instead helping Gekko bust up Blue Star Airlines, the first of many mega-deals he churns out with Gekko? How do you get us in a room with Stone to pitch this? Tell us that wouldn't have been better than that Shia LaBeouf crapper...

Florence man kills superhero...

2011-01-26T14:23:00.003-05:00

In case you missed it, the big news in the world of comics is that the Fantastic Four is now the Fantastic Three. Yesterday, the new Fantastic Four came out to much fanfare, as fans of the comic had eagerly been awaiting finding out which member would be meeting their much-publicized end.

A page from the new issue of Fantastic Four (Marvel)

Turns out it was Johnny Storm, aka The Human Torch. Why should anyone around here who isn't into comics care? Because the man who snuffed out Torch is our pal and Florence-native Jonathan Hickman. (Click here for an interview with Hickman about the issue). Hickman had another Sandlapper as his accomplice, as Columbia's Steve Epting handled the art, while Hickman handled the story.

Not every day that two of South Carolina's own make headlines in the Entertainment world, so this is kind of a big deal. To get an idea of how this came about, click here.

Hickman still toils deep behind the Pine Curtain, so stop by his website periodically or follow him on Twitter ( @jhickman ) to see what is going on.

The Elephants are at it again...

2011-01-24T19:56:00.005-05:00

Looks like the elephants are fighting again. Specifically, the Florence County GOP. (Not surprising given the events from this last election cycle). It would appear that some within the local Republican party want to punish others who they deem not "true" Republicans or whom they believe have betrayed the cause.

Local blogger Bette Cox put a post up recently, which we would direct your attention to. The whole thing is, in and of itself, laughable (and incredibly short-sighted). The point of a party is to foster participation. Certainly seems inapposite of that goal to exclude people who would likely agree with you on more things than not, simply because those people elected to support the other party's candidate in one particular race. It's foolish and ignores the realities of local politics. People know candidates personally, for good and for bad. That means sometimes those personal feelings are going to govern one's support just as much as political ideology. It certainly seems their actions will cost them some experienced and valuable folks.

Be that as it may, one of the targets of the nonsense is none other than the esteemed political science professor, Dr. Neal Thigpen. For those unfamiliar with Pee Dee politics, or South Carolina politics in general, Dr. Thigpen has long been on of the most trusted local commentators and analysts on politics. Dr. Thigpen has often been sought after by television stations and newspapers to comment on elections, debates and campaigns in general. Dr. Thigpen is a friend of ours (perhaps another nail in his Republican-bonafides-coffin). He has forgotten more about politics than most people know. If the local Republican party wants to decide to turn their back on the wealth of knowledge this man has, so be it. They are fools who will simply get what they ask for.

So, kudos...get to it. Purge your party of those who aren't zealot enough for you. You would think having made this past race for Solicitor a litmus test on Republicanism, then proceeding to have your teeth kicked in would have told them something. You would be wrong.

Remember...there is no education in the second kick of a mule.

We don't normally like Florida Gators...

2011-01-21T10:46:00.002-05:00

But since Florida Gator safety Will Hill has declared for the NFL draft, we'll make an exception. Especially after reading excerpts from his Twitter feed courtesy of Every Day Should Be A Saturday. As the EDSBAS folks summise: Hill's Twitter feed is all blow jobs, weed, and random thoughts about babies' frustrating fragility.

Something tells me Urban Meyer wasn't as close to Will Hill as he was to savior-incarnate Tim Tebow. Or was he...

Here's to hoping Thrill Hill succeeds in the NFL, so he can support his three babies and continue to entertain all us.

Hattip ProFootballTalk.com

Championship Week Picks

2011-01-21T08:59:00.006-05:00

It is on. Conference Championship Playoffs this week. Green Bay versus Chicago. Jets versus Steelers. Get it on. After a 3-1 wildcard week, you just knew we were headed to a balancing-out divisional week last week and that's what you got at 1-3. Prediction: we split this week and then it comes down to the Super Bowl to see which side of .500 the 'Pine winds up on for the Playoffs.

We are, afterall, the "Even Stephens" of the prognostication universe.

Without further ado...here is our picks for the Conference Championships. Enjoy...

Our picks for this weeks two games follow the same logic. Both of the better defenses are getting 3.5 points. Both of the better QBs are giving 3.5. One of our picks is on the road, one is at home. One of our picks is because we feel like its just a certain guy's year (Rodgers for the Pack). The other pick is because we pray it isn't the other team's year (God...who could stand Rex Ryan if he actually won a Super Bowl).

We're pulling for the Pack and against the Jets. It will be a fun experiment on the timeless question a young Calogero asked Sonny, somewhat: "Is it better to be loved or feared?" althoug we'd substitute "hated" for "feared."

Packers (-3.5) v. BEARS

BTPC pick = Pack laying 3.5

STEELERS (-3.5) v. Jets

BTPC pick = Steelers laying the 3.5

Enjoy your next to the last weekend of meaningful football...

Last Week, Divisional Round of Playoffs: 1-3
2010 Playoff Record: 4-4 Upset Special: 2-0*
Season to Date (including playoffs): 137-128-9
2010 Regular Season to date: 133-124-9 Upset specials 11-2-1
Career to date: 263-240-17

*The Pack was supposed to be our upset special last week, but we forgot to so name them. We exercise our perogative to do so post-hoc...

What should Favre do?

2011-01-20T18:59:00.002-05:00

In case you missed it, once again, Brett Favre is allegedly retiring. We'll believe Favre is retired when we see someone drive a stake through his cold, dead, attention-whore heart. Until then, what's Number 4's plan?

Maybe his new ad will tell us...

BTPC hits a Cool Grand...

2011-01-19T13:59:00.002-05:00

Whaddya know...the BTPC has reached our thousandth post.

How about a little music to celebrate?

BTW...time to pay up Flossip. The BTPC wins.

So long, Joe. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out...

2011-01-19T13:28:00.006-05:00

Today, former Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee and current United States Senator Joe Lieberman announced that he will not seek re-election to the senate in 2012.

"The reason I have decided not to run for re-election in 2012 is best expressed in the wise words from Ecclesiastes: 'To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under Heaven,"' Lieberman said in prepared remarks.

"At the end of this term, I will have served 24 years in the U.S. Senate and 40 years in elective office. For me, it is time for another season and another purpose under Heaven," he said.

Uh...yeah. Joe isn't running because Joe knows he can't win. Lieberman barely won re-election as an independent last time, after losing the Democratic primary. The only reason he did win, was because the democratic candidate and hastily/half-heartedly recruited republican candidate split the opposition votes. That ain't happening this time. So Joe would rather walk out than be carried out feet first.

Here's exclusive BTPC video of Liberman's presser:

We've consistently made our feelings about Droopy Dog well-known on this blog. Lieberman is douchebag. Want to know why? How about watch the two videos below for a refresher course.

See that? See how he acted when he wanted to catch on to some of the Obama's star power in '06? See how he acted when he was still pissed about losing the '06 Democratic primary to Ned LaMont?

We can't forget all the harm Lieberman has done to liberal causes since the 2000 election was decided. In fact, today's announcement just further cements with us the thought that Lieberman's outstanding leadership on repealing DADT was all about trying to reclaim just a sliver of a decent legacy he had blown over the preceding decade. While we acknowledge Lieberman's yeoman effort on DADT repeal, and enjoyed his summation of the difference between his position and his good friend's (that McCain was "simply wrong"), one good act does not excuse all the others.

Syonara, Droopy D. Good riddance.

BTW: This is the BTPC's 1000 post.