I'd just like to remind everyone that I am liveblogging the entire NBA Finals.  Sunday's coverage starts at 9:00.  Tuesday's coverage starts at 9:00 as well.

Thus, if you can't get to a television, or want to read some commentary while you watch it, stop on in.

Previous NBA Finals Coverage (I have liveblogged all of the series except Game 2):

You know, everytime I get slightly worried about the Republicans screwing up something that could be used against them in a future election, the Democrats always remind me that they'll never get it.  Whether it's news of corruption, another Hillary campaign finance violation, or another idiotic comment from Howard Dean, the chances of the Democrats staying the minority for quite a long time are virtually guaranteed.

The latest blunder, as I'm sure you've heard by now if you've been paying attention to the news or the blogosphere, is Illinois Senator Dick Durbin's idiotic statement likening U.S. interrogation tactics to the Nazis and the Soviets.  Here's his statement after reading an example of the conditions in Guantanamo Bay:

If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime--Pol Pot or others--that had no concern for human beings. Sadly, that is not the case. This was the action of Americans in the treatment of their prisoners.

It he would have described murders, mutilation, gassings, or something of that sort, I think most people would have understood the reference.  However, he talked about detainees who were left in interrogation rooms on the floor while the air conditioners were either on full blast or were cut off altogether, and loud music was played to keep them awake.  None of that comes CLOSE to the horrors described by the survivors or witnesses of concentration camps or gulags, especially when these regimes are some of the biggest mass murderers in history.

Nevertheless, I was content to let this comment slide.  After all, Ted Kennedy made a similar idiotic comment after the Abu Gharib photos became public, and I was pretty sure that condemnation would come and Democrats would sort of back away from Durbin a bit.  However, none have, and the left-wing bloggers in the blogosphere have also come to the defense of Durbin.

If left-wing bloggers want to know why they don't have more influence in the media (especially after how they spurned their cries for more coverage of the Downing Street Memo) then this might help:

And let's not forget, "torture" was used as a rationale for this war -- as in, we'll invade and end the torture.

Of course, none of that has happened. The torture that was so bad under Saddam, is equally bad under U.S. command. And Dick Durbin had the balls to say it so on the Senate floor.

Even if we are to take Kos's explanation for face value - he says it wasn't saying the amount of torture was equally bad, only the fact that torture is being used - it's statements like these that show the fallacy of leftist thinking.  You can't simply make an equation by looking at the surface of the two things you are comparing.  There are other underlying factors and objectives behind these activities that need to be discussed first. 

To claim interrogation tactics that could possibly divulge information which would save the lives of our soldiers in their struggle to secure Iraq is as equally bad as the countless murders Saddam and the Bathist regime committed makes no sense whatsoever.  Saddam tortured and killed political opponents, and jailed any and everyone that provided the least bit of resistance to his policies or to his henchmen.  For the most part, most of these people were sentenced to death and torture because Saddam could do it and nobody could stop them. 

In these prisons there is a chain of command, and detainees are reviewed and over 200 of them have been released and sent back to their respective countries.  Over 130 have been punished for treatment that was against military regulations.  I wonder how many times the Bathist government punished Republican Guard officers for mistreating prisoners?

Luckily, media outlets are not falling for this viewpoint, and are criticizing Durban.  In fact, the Boston Herald called for Durban's resignation.  Hopefully others will see Durban's comments for what they really are and call for him to either apologize fully (and not this joke of an apology either) or resign.

Or at least that's what he said.

From the NY Daily News:

Speaking Wednesday night at a Washington fund-raiser to retire the debt from his 2004 presidential campaign, Nader complained that Democratic Party powerbrokers had kept him off the ballot in such Southern states as Georgia and Virginia - which reminded him of the oppressive Jim Crow laws that denied African-Americans equal rights.

"I felt like a [n-word]," remarked the 70-year-old white multimillionaire graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School.

Actually Nader is Lebanese, but we won't go into specifics.  And from what I heard, it isn't the first time he's used that word either.

At least Al Sharpton was honest when commenting on this:

"If Ed Koch had said what Ralph Nader said, we'd be marching," Sharpton noted. "This [scolding] doesn't rise to the level of a march. It rises to the level of a wrist slap."

But why is that the case?  It's because Sharpton likes Nader and hates Ed Koch, even though neither of them have been accused of being racist.  As long as you're rubbing elbows with Sharpton or someone on the left, you're allowed a few blunders here and there.

From the AP:

PHILADELPHIA - Rapper 50 Cent is pulling out of next month's Live 8 concert because of a scheduling conflict with his new movie.

The shooting schedule for "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" — a film based on the life of the artist formerly known as Curtis Jackson — recently changed and will now conflict with the July 2 show on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, publicist Yvette Gail said.

Now I'm not that hyped about Live 8.  I think it means well, but ultimately won't do anything to end poverty in Africa.  But this is a charity event, and Curtis is being very selfish for passing up the concert to shoot a movie, and a movie on HIS life, no less.  You mean he couldn't have rescheduled it for a couple of days later? 

The concert is in Philadelphia, and the shooting is in Toronto, which isn't no more than a seven hour drive (and you know he wouldn't be driving anyway).  Even if he didn't want to fly back, he could have drove.  To pull out like that is messed up.

And in an ironic twist, I happened to click on a picture on the same news article link (Yahoo) which happened to be from E! Online, and it had this caption:

50 Cent is taking aim at some DVD producers for allegedly failing to keep a promise not to cash in on the rapper's name.

Yeah.  Obviously 50 knows something about breaking promises.

Coming up in a few minutes.  I didn't feel like hearing Greg Anthony and Bill Walton's mouths so I watched Smackdown.

BRB.

9:05:  I wish ABC would get a new theme song for the playoffs.  "Heartbreak" isn't that bad of a song, but it gets tiring once you've heard it six or seven times. 

Hubie said the Spurs point of emphasis tonight was to protect the ball and get it to the big man (Duncan) to reestablish dominance.  I agree.

9:09:  They got Carrie Underwood (the American Idol winner) singing the national anthem.  Not bad.  She still looks like a bootleg Go-Go with that hair though.  She needs an extreme makeover.

9:15:  Tafoya said Ginobili denied that the thigh bruise impeded his performance Tuesday night. 

Can you say, Bullshit?  Even if he was able to run, I bet he thought twice about running in there like a crazed man as he did in Game 1 & 2, which means the mental factor was there.

Starting lineups have been given.  Tipoff starts in a moment.

9:18:  Ginobili gets a foul right on the tipff.  Not good.  But on the other end Bruce Bowen starts off the defensive stand with a block.  Duncan gets the first score.  Spurs starting off good, as Muhammad scores on the next possession.  4-0 Spurs.

9:23:  After a couple of Spurs turnovers, the Pistons explode and go on a 10-3 run scoring several of those on the fast break.  Duncan's having trouble protecting the ball, and after getting fouled on a reach in which turned into a steal, Popovich goes nuts and gets teched up early in the game.  11-7 Pistons.

9:35:  Right now everything is going the Pistons' way.  When Ben Wallace is hitting 15 foot jumpers, you know you're in trouble.  San Antonio can't get anything set on offense and look pretty clumsy out there.  6 turnovers for the Spurs in this quarter alone.  18-10 Pistons.

9:45:  The Spurs get back to business, and the guy who helps them do it is unherald rookie Beno Udrith from Slovenia, who came in for Parker.  A big three followed by another basket gives him five points off the bat.  Role players are getting it done, but now it's time for Duncan and Parker to wake up.

A big three by Rasheed with 1.1 seconds left gives the Pistons a nice lead at the end of the 1st by 6, 23-17.  Second quarter's bout to start.

9:48:  The Spurs act as if they never bothered to address that trap the Pistons continue to set at half court from Game 3.  They're getting punished for it, as they continue to turn the ball over which creates fastbreaks and advantages on the other end.  Spurs are down by 10.

9:57:  The Spurs are getting nothing from their backcourt, which continues to cough up the ball.  They can't even get it into the paint, and when they do, the Pistons aren't giving them any room.  The Pistons went on a 14-0 run until Devin Brown hits the three, Pistons up by 14.

10:03:  Well the game isn't over yet.  The Spurs get a couple of baskets on the inside, and then they go into the bonus with about 6 minutes left in the half.  Spurs are still down by 12, but they're down without no Ginobili and no Parker.  Whatever it is, those guys need to shake it off and start producing.

10:08:  I don't understand why you would feed the ball to anyone on the Spurs who's not named Duncan, especially with both Wallaces in the game.  But the Spurs are determined to force that inside game.  That's not going to cut this lead.

Devin Brown has had a solid game tonight so far.  Too bad none of his teammates have played worth anything though.  Pistons up by 14.  43-29 with 3 and a half left.

10:15:  You can't tell me Ginobili isn't hurt.  Prince juked him so quick, took him to the hole and jammed it.  Ginobili is that slow that he couldn't step in and cut him off from the basket?  Please.  45-31, 2:25 left.

10:26:  Halftime.  51-36 Pistons.

You know something's wrong when your bench is outscoring your starters, particularly in the backcourt.  Parker and Ginobili would have been better off not playing that whole half.  Parker only had 2 points and Ginobili 6, but Ginobili hasn't taken a shot inside the arc yet.  Everytime he drives to the basket he's getting hammered.  He hit one three, and hit 3-4 from the line.

The Pistons should really just keep doing what they've been doing.  In the last game, Rip shined on Bruce Bowen.  Now it's Tayshaun Prince that's making Ginobili look bad.  Ginobili's stock has dropped so quickly between Game 1 and tonight that you'd think Enron cooked his stats from Game 1.  It's sad.

Bill Walton said we're seeing "shrinkage" from the Spurs.  Oh god.

10:50:  Second half started, and the Pistons continue their dominance.  The Spurs can't gain traction so far, and they're messing up on the little things; missing ft's, not taking advantage of offensive rebounds in the paint, etc.  Pistons up by 15.

11:00:  Popovich needs to come up with something new, because this isn't working.  All the Wallaces are doing is camping out in the lane.  That's it.  Duncan can't get anything going, as he is only 4-12 tonight.  Anything Muhammed puts up is getting thrown into the stands, and the guards have yet to do anything in this game.  I think it's just about time to say this series is tied.  Pistons leading by 15 with 6 minutes to go in the 3rd.

11:05:  Now Lindsey Hunter goes nuts.  He scores Detroit's next seven points, and looks like an All-Star.  Tony Parker should be ashamed of himself by the way he's playing tonight.  68-51 with 3 and a half left.

11:13:  Tim Duncan is on the bench looking like he lost his puppy.  Sad.  The bench has taken over the offensive production now for Detroit, as they've scored their last 13 points.  Methinks we're going to see another Darko appearance.  End of 3rd quarter, and the Pistons are up by 17, 74-57. 

Liveblogging starts approx 9:00PM EST.

I expected the Spurs to lose Game 3, and they didn't disappoint.  However, they lost it in a way that produced several questions.  For example, what kind of shape will Manu Ginobili be in tonight?  Will Tim Duncan step up and dominate the paint like he did in Game 1?  Is it time to question Bruce Bowen's impact on defense when guarding Rip Hamilton?  Are we going to see the high-tempo Spurs that were in Game 1 and 2, or the laxadaisial Spurs that floundered in the second half of Game 3?

This could be the game that defines the rest of the playoffs.  Once again, the Pistons have placed themselves in a must-win situation.  Ben Wallace has to be the defensive monster he was throughout Game 3, which means keeping Tim Duncan pinned down and unleashing a beating to any Spur that even thinks about driving the lane.  The moment Parker and Manu start driving the lane recklessly and making baskets is the moment the Pistons blow this game.

Rip Hamilton has to continue his offensive production.  If he has a bad game, the Pistons have a bad game.  Chauncey Billups, no matter what kind of streak he gets in, can't do it alone.  And we're still waiting for Rasheed Wallace to have a 15+ point game and stop being a distraction and a letdown for the Pistons.  I know it's hard for him to do, but he must keep his emotions in check and place his eyes on the basket.

These questions will be answered tonight.  See ya then.

Pew's Hispanic Research Center has had their nosees to the grind, and this is what they found out about illegal Mexican immigrants (via Craig DeLuz):

Passel's report dismantled another widely held assumption: Only 3 percent of the undocumented immigrants work in agriculture. The greatest numbers, 33 percent, work in the service industry.

The rest work in construction, production, installation and repair, sales and administration, transportation and material moving, and management and business.

And that's not all, as Pew's press release shows:

Unauthorized workers make up a large share of the workforce in a number of occupations that require neither government licensing nor education credentials. For example, about a quarter of all drywall and ceiling tile installers in the United States are unauthorized migrants, as are about a quarter of all meat and poultry workers and a quarter of all dishwashers.

And who do you think, other than whites, make up the gist of construction jobs other than whites, or work in the meat and poultry (definitely in NC) industry, or wash dishes at restaurants?

The answer?  Blacks.

Having lived in both urban and surburban Atlanta and lived in rural North Carolina, I always knew these assumptions were always a crock, but the Pew study confirms it.  But Pew's most shocking statistic has to be that one out of every 11 Mexican residents are coming to the U.S.  Folks, that's an out-right migration, and it will continue to cost jobs for both blacks and entry-level whites in the years ahead.

Chris Kelly over at Michelle Malkin's Immigration Blog links to a CS Monitor article about the other side of immigration, as Indians from as far as 500 miles away are moving into Mexico to help manage the fields that illegal immigrants leave behind.  Mark In Mexico, who I've noticed in the last couple of days, has a few words on this as well.

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UPDATE:  Another thing I wanted to mention in this entry was the illegal immigrant crackdown in New England, where they arrested 187 illegal immigrants in six days; a good number of them on violent crimes charges, including rape, drug trafficking, assault and battery, among other things. 

So yeah, some of them are finding other things to do....when they aren't working of course.

Good line by Jay Tea at Wizbang:  "But I'm sure these people are just committing the rapes, assaults, and drug crimes that Americans don't want to do."

And the filibuster compromise has claimed it's first victim before the 2006 elections.  Pat DeWine, son of Ohio Senator Mike DeWine who was one of the 14 senators that signed the filibuster compromise, lost in a Republican primary for a special election to replace Congressman Rob Portman, who has become the new U.S. Trade Representative.

Pat DeWine was a frontrunner in the primary race, and it looked like he would cruise to victory.  However, James Dobson and the social conservatives, who had plenty of time to focus on this race, killed DeWine's campaign:

Observers cite two factors: First, DeWine divorced three years ago, and news of the split spread on the Internet and in radio ads. Second, he suffered the wrath of conservative Christian activists after his father helped forge the recent compromise agreement in the Senate to preserve the filibuster for judicial nominations while guaranteeing confirmation of some but not all of Bush's nominees.

"It does speak to the power of the filibuster issue among social conservatives," said Amy Walter, who studies House races for the Cook Political Report. "I think it really turned a pretty sleepy race into a very hard-fought one."

It should be noted that Pat didn't simply divorce his wife; he left her for another woman.  That didn't make too many folks in Ohio happy with that decision.

So after the smoke cleared, DeWine was pummelled, only managing fourth place with 12% of the vote.

Hey Mike, they "gotcha".

Should Mike be worried?  I think so, considering his primary race is only a year away.  Between now and then I suggest buying some kneepads and choosing a good shade of lipstick.  He'll need it in order to keep his seat.  After he's done, he might want to pass them on to Lindsey Graham to use for 08.

I find myself indifferent about the Senate's recent apology over failing to pass anti-lynching legislation until the 1960's, in which around 5,000 blacks were murdered by white mobs.  I mean, it wouldn't hurt for them to do it, as it's nothing but a petition they signed.

But the apology really doesn't have any teeth, considering none of these senators were in office when this legislation was being considered.  It probably wouldn't have made much of a difference anyway, as federal judges generally came from the districts they resided in, and were probably just as bigoted as the state police and legislators in the South.  All it takes is one "not guilty", or an appellate court to yell "remanded", and the lowlifes are set free.

One little nugget that the press is leaving out of this story is why the legislation was never passed.  Indeed, it had support from at least seven presidents after the Civil War and was passed in the House of Representatives three times.  But in the Senate, Southern Democrats were able to kill those bills with a filibuster.  As we stated before, the cloture rule was at 3/4ths then instead of the current 3/5ths requirement it is now, so even a smaller majority was able to hold up anti-lynching legislation.

But this fact is being passed over quickly by the media.  Why?  Because the newspapers had just stood up in defense for the filibuster, and of course they can't trash the Democrats, who were reponsible for blocking every kind of civil rights legislation throughout the 20th century.

For example, take the New York Times (via Captain's Quarters):

There have been 4,742 recorded lynchings in American history, Ms. Landrieu said. Historians suspect that many more went undocumented. Although the House passed antilynching legislation three times in the first half of the 20th century, the Senate, controlled by Southern conservatives, repeatedly refused to do so.

Instead of reporting the truth, the NYT decided to protect the Democratic Party from their own historical grievances, spinning what truly happened.  The NYT decided to use the term "Southern conservatives" instead of Southern Democrats, which is what the senators were.  The Democrats literally ran every Southern state until the Republicans finally started catching up in the 1990's, but that's something that was obviously missed by the Times.

Another problem with this article is the idea that the Southern Democrats "controlled" the Senate, which is an outright lie.  The whole purpose of filibustering defeats that point, as the filibuster is a tool used by a minority of senators to kill legislation.  If the Southern Democrats controlled the Senate, then they could have easily brought it to the floor and voted it down or even killed it in committee.  Instead, they filibustered it because they had no other choice.  Southern Democrats never controlled the Senate.

It's doubtful if we'll ever see anyone tell the truth about why anti-lynching legislation was never passed.

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UPDATE:  Captain's Quarters links to an LA Times op/ed by Andres Martinez that goes to the heart of the anti-lynching legislation opposition and the hypocisy of the media and the Senate for keeping the filibuster today:

What wasn't said is that the Senate was "uniquely culpable" because it cherished the filibuster — a procedural rule that enhances each member's individual power — over the Constitution. The Senate's failure to acknowledge the cause of its homicidal negligence robs its apology of much meaning or sincerity. ...

It's hardly shocking that Landrieu wanted to keep the f-word out of the resolution. She was one of those moderates who saved the filibuster from attempts by conservative Republicans to "nuke" it for judicial nominations — by allowing some of President Bush's stalled nominees to get a vote. During the Gang of 14 news conference, Landrieu exuberantly proclaimed: "I am so proud we were able to reach an agreement that truly reflects the best traditions of the Senate."

She went on to say that the deal "helps protect these cherished traditions by ensuring that the minority, even a lone individual, will continue to have the right to speak up and be heard." Her fellow sensible centrist, Republican Susan Collins of Maine, said the agreement "helps preserve the unique culture of this institution," a "culture in which legislative goals are reached with patience and perseverance."

Read the whole thing.

Right now I'm watching Scottie Pippen in an interview with Ahmad Rashad.

Scottie must read this blog, because he's biting the same points I made a little while ago.  The least that negro coulda done was give me credit for it.  Anyway, he said the Pistons simply isn't shooting the ball well and they need to get off to a good start from the start to have a chance to win.  He picked the Spurs to win, though.

More coming up...

All I got to say is thank God that Bill Walton isn't in the announcing booth this year.  Hubie Brown is like a breath of fresh air, and I like the chemistry he and Al Michaels have.  Brown knows his stuff.  Walton jumps into the world of hyperbole way too much.

9:12:  Lord.  They done dragged Stevie Wonder's ass on the court to do the national anthem on the harmonica.  It wasn't bad, but I'd have rather hear him sing.

They're doing starting lineup introductions.  I dunno who they booed worse; Duncan or Ginobili.  But really, some of that sounded canned.

Detroit comes out with some Kid Rock music.  Ha!  Actually it didn't sound too bad.  Both arenas need to work on their PA work, though.   

9:22:  Ginobili collided with someone's leg, so he's out of the game rather quickly.  He'll probably just need to take a breather.  Mohammed's has his second foul before the 10 minute mark.

9:29:  Biggest flop in history by Ben Wallace.  Kat flopped like someone hit him with a sledgehammer, and the refs fell for it.  Ha. 

Anyway, Detroit's starting out fairly well, getting a decent start from the Wallaces.  Sheed's having 9:4an easy time posting up Horry, who came in for Mohammed, and Ben is now on defense against Duncan, and he had a great block to start off the game.  However, they're going to have to put some points on the board before Mohammed and Ginobili comes back.  Detroit's up 9-6 with 7:00 in the 1st.

Ginobili's back in the game.

9:35:  Wallace is a beast on the defensive glass.  With the exception of Duncan, nobody is making anything under the glass, and Duncan isn't having an easy time at it either.

The Spurs are still having success with on the arc.  Bruce Bowen's three cuts the lead to one with three and a half remaining.

9:40:  Wallace continues to dominate on the defensive glass....when he's on two feet.  However, he can't get his teammates to collaspe and help, which means once he gets off balance after making a block, nobody's there and San Antonio gets the put back.  If Detroit is to win, one person can not dominate the game for them at one time.  Spurs up by 1.

9:44:  Ben Wallace's line:  3-5, 7 pts, 5 blocks.  The Finals record is eight, which has been met five times but not broken.  Kudos to Michaels for that tip.

9:45:  I understand the Pistons have made some big defensive plays, but the Spurs are leading by six, and Duncan sat for a couple of those minutes. 

And the way they're killing them is the Spurs' guards are constantly driving to the basket, the players are collasping on the slasher, and all of a sudden the Spurs make a wild pass from the paint to the open man on the arc.  Either he's going to take that shot, or he's making another pass to another open guy that's in the paint.  Killer.  That's what happens when you place substance over style.  27-21 end of the 1st quarter.

9:55:  Tayshaun Prince starts off big at the second quarter, scoring six of Detroit's seven to start it off.  Duncan was given a technical foul after complaining about a call, which it was pretty obvious that he fouled Prince from behind.  Duncan's not letting it affect him though.  Spurs lead by one.