I constantly tout the alternate media - namely talk radio and the blogosphere - as a countermeasure to help fight the disinformation that's spread rapidly by the Democrats as well as the mainstream media.  Concerned more with principles and conviction rather than having to worry about the political ramifications or corporate political correctness that others have to confront.

Rush Limbaugh's comments about the now-infamous Michael J. Fox ad, in which Fox is seen showing the motor effects of Parkinson's disease while stumping for Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Claire McCaskill, is a perfect example of someone who will not allow the criticisms of the mainstream media and the political left keep him from telling the truth.

Fox, in claiming that Senator Jim Talent wants to criminalize stem cell research, was wrong in making that ad; plain and simple.  He felt because of his celebrity status and because of the disease that he would be above criticism, but that isn't the case.  The fact is, there is no evidence that stem cells would actually help to cure Parkinson's; in fact, there has been a new drug just tested to help combat the disease.  And note:  it was created from gene therapy treatment, not stem cell research.  Michael Fox's foundation has given almost $2 million to help fund it.

Talent had never stated he was fully against stem cell research; only that he was against funding it, and researchers should only use adult ones and not embroynic stem cells.  On top of that, Missouri's Amendment 2 referendum wants to make cloning a right in the state constitution, which is why a number of groups have called for it to fail.

Critics have tried to focus on Limbaugh's assertion that Fox purposely didn't take his medicine in order to discredit him.  But they ignore the fact that Fox admitted he had done this previously in his book, stating that he purposely stopped taking his medication for a Senate subcommittee hearing on Parkinson's:


Thus, what would stop him from doing it again?

Regardless of whether he did or didn't for the ad, it's only a small part of the problem when dealing with issues like these.  The Democrats tell the public that the "evil" Republicans simply want people to suffer, because they won't cave in to the methods they support and espouse.  It's garbage, but the good/evil paradox has a part of the Democratic playbook for quite a while. 

Thus, it's not a surprise that they'd use stem cell research to make it seem as if Republicans want to put anyone in jail for trying to find a cure.  Similar to John Edwards's idiotic statement claiming that a Kerry victory in 2004 would lead to people like Christopher Reeve and others being cured and walking again, the message is that Democrats are trying to do everything they can to save people while the Republicans let them die, and that couldn't be further from the truth.  As long as people continue to believe it though, the Democrats will continue using that message.  Let's hope Missouri discourages them from doing so in the future on November 7th.

From ESPN:

Bunting met with athletic director Dick Baddour earlier in the day and was told he would not return next season. The players were informed of the decision during an evening meeting, and school officials said Bunting and Baddour would discuss the decision further during a news conference on Monday.

Bunting, a former linebacker at North Carolina, was largely blamed for the Tar Heels' miserable season in which they have yet to defeat a Division I-A opponent.

It's funny, because I thought NC State's Chuck Amato would be the one to go after that loss to Akron, and then Southern Miss earlier this year.  But NC State's season has been saved due to victories against Florida State and Boston College, both being ranked teams.

The loss to Virginia on ESPN Thursday night was the last straw.  The losses to Rutgers and South Florida, and the blowout to Clemson all were bad enough, but to be shut out by a team who can only boast of wins against Wyoming and against Duke, and lost to ECU and Western Michigan, was too much to take.  That 20-0 loss officially made the season a waste.  And the fact is, UNC Football has only been to two bowl games in the six years Bunting has been there.  With the ACC being a powerhouse in college sports, and the hope that it would become one in college football, it was time to make a change.

Practically everyone at UNC and in the media will tell you that John Bunting is a nice guy.  But at the same time, they will also tell you that this is a change that had to be done.  Unlike some coaches in the past, there were people trying to find every reason to keep Bunting, but when it came down to it, they had to do it.

---

Now, North Carolina once again has to find a coach.  After the Matt Doherty debacle, it's been rumored (by ACC Sports Journal's David Glenn on 850 The Buzz) that athletic director Dick Baddour will NOT be involved in the hiring process.

I'd have to agree.  Matt Doherty almost wrecked the Carolina basketball program, in which a number of players on UNC's basketball team threatened to transfer if Doherty stayed on as UNC's coach due to the instability and abuse they received from him.  Had it been for Roy Williams and him eventually succumbing to his lifelong dream, Carolina would not have won a national championship, and the basketball program would probably be similar to...well....NC State's.  Ugh.

So, whatever UNC's trustees and alumni has to do, do it.  Get someone in here that can actually compete with in the ACC, and get it back to the prominence Denny Crum and Mack Brown achieved.  Keep Dick Baddour out of it.  Hopefully, they'll make the right choice.

And I happened to turn over to the Bears-Arizona game.  Arizona is up 20-0 at the half against the Bears.

Unbelievable.  Arizona is horrible, and the Bears are considered the best team in the league.

But whatever.  Arizona is going to win this game.  Cool.

Then I come home around 12:30, turn to ESPN and I see Arizona quarterback Matt Leinart at the press conference.  That's when I see ESPN's cg under Leinart.

It says, Bears def. Cardinals, 24-23.

How in THE hell do you blow that football game?

UPDATE:  I'm still watching the postgame show. 

Edgerrin James's line: 36 carries, 55 yards.  A new NFL record for the least amount of yards on that many carries.

Oh, and by the way:  no offensive touchdowns for the Bears.  Everything was scored by the defense, except for one field goal.

If you have Chicago as your fantasy defense this week, you have to be VERY happy.

A very good article by fellow blogger Robert Cox, who writes about how conservatives are losing the battle for the internet to the lunatic leftist fringe.

At various blogging conferences since, I have had the opportunity to observe many of these bright minds strategizing on how to best leverage the emerging world of blogs and other "social networking" services known as "Web 2.0" to advance their liberal political agenda and win elections.

Their common refrain: "We need to own the Internet the way the right owns talk radio."

They got me wondering whether the online "conservative elite" was aware of what the left had in mind and, if so, whether they were concerned. During the past few years, I have had the opportunity to ask this of Internet specialists working on the Bush-Cheney campaign, top officials in the Republican National Committee, communications specialists at the White House and dozens of top conservative bloggers.

A-List blogger and talk radio show host Hugh Hewitt's response was typical: "It doesn't matter who creates the tools used by bloggers, but what bloggers do with those tools."

When I suggested that ceding control of the major "nodes" in the online world to the left was a huge mistake, they were dismissive. It became clear they could not imagine one day finding themselves boxed out of what is fast becoming the biggest force in electoral politics.

First, I don't think you can actually say that conservatives are being "boxed out" of the political process.  Yes; over the last 3-4 years, the left - through the vessels of MoveOn.org, the blogs, and the money of the multi-millionaires - have created a machine that threatens to shift the balance of power to a Democratic Party that is becoming more radical and more socialist as the days go by. 

While the results of the upcoming mid-term elections could change this fact, conservative bloggers and talk radio still have the upper hand.  Never has the media been dogged by watchdogs of this magnitude, and it's only going to get worse.  As long as blogs like Powerline, Little Green Footballs, Michelle Malkin and others are ready and willing to do key investigative work exposing the biased reporting of the mainstream media as they have done since Election 2004 to the Israeli-Lebanon conflict, they will continue to have an impact in the political arena.

But should conservatives come out in force to help Republican candidates campaign and get elected?  In my opinion, the jury is out on that one.  Groups like Rightroots, RedState.com, and, to an extent, the Club for Growth are trying to do that.  However, a good number of the conservative bloggers aren't part of the Republican rank and file, even if they are even registered.  In fact, conservative bloggers, through Porkbusters, an organization committed to cutting pork-barrel spending in Congress, has went after some of the top Republicans in Congress, and has expressed dissatisfaction over runaway spending in Congress by the Republican Party.  With the exception of Joe Lieberman, leftist bloggers have not been willing to go after the Democrats in the same manner.

Cox insists the failure of conservatives to venture further into creating a poltiical machine is a mistake, as he highlights what happened to Michelle Malkin this week:
Now this is where the left's influence on the internet becomes a problem.  It took years before Fox News penetrated television news with views from the other side of the political spectrum.  Conservatives can not allow the same thing to happen with the internet.  With Google, a company that has had no love or respect for conservative viewpoints (nor for viewpoints of freedom, for that matter), recently acquiring YouTube for $1.65 billion dollars, it doesn't look as if anything will change.   Google as well as the left side of the political spectrum only cares about the freedom of their speech; any other viewpoints don't matter and can and should be silenced at any time.

With Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft being the centers of traffic on the internet - particularly within the realm of video blogging - conservatives suddenly find themselves behind the 8-ball.  Several leftists have taken advantage of YouTube in order to get some of the most vile and disgusting Bush and Republican-bashing videos out to millions.  While Malkin's Hot Air does have the potential to become a key force within the blogosphere and the internet, a lot more needs to be done in order for that to happen.  There are opportunities out there for conservatives to get the message out, and they need to be taken advantage of.

It's been a while since I've talked about football, so here goes:

- First, the Panthers.  Last time I posted my thoughts on football, the Panthers were 0-2.  Now they're 3-2.  Facing the Bucs and the Browns helped a lot, but a big win against the then-undefeated Saints, who beat Atlanta the week before, helped too.  While Steve Smith statistically hasn't made that big of a difference, the deep threat that he brings to the Panthers' offense opens things up for both Keyshawn Johnson to get some nice catches and also for Deshaun Foster to open up the running game.

Foster has been the biggest surprise in the last couple of weeks.  Against Minnesota, he ran for 26 yards on 13 carries.  But since Smith's return, he ran for 82 yards against the Bucs, 106 yards against the Saints and 105 against the Browns.  While I will say I didn't think he'd have much of an impact this year, and DeAngelo Williams would eventually get the starting nod (although now he has a sprained ankle...how ironic),  I am surprised at this sudden burst of production.

Carolina has its biggest test yet, as they travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens.  This won't be pretty by any stretch of the imagination.  This will be the toughest defense the Panthers face this year and there's no question that the matchup in the trenches has to be Julius Peppers vs. Jonathan Ogden.  If Ogden wins, that means McNair has time to get the football off, and more than likely the Ravens will win.  If Peppers can get to him, however, the Panthers have a chance to win this game.  Either way, I don't expect either team to score more than 17 pts, if that much.

- Is it me, or has sports broadcasting as a whole has taken a turn for the worse?  It's bad enough that ESPN can't concentrate on one story at a time, and pushing it until you're ready to hurl, but Fox Sports is getting bad as well.

Sunday evening's Eagles/Cowboys game was a shining example of that.  Nevermind the fact that Drew Bledsoe threw three picks - one returned for a 101 yd TD - and fumbled twice.  No; the reason Dallas lost was due to Terrell Owens not having a good day, and thus it was his fault that the Cowboys lost.  Last time I checked, you needed a decent quarterback to get it to the receiver.

- Todd Sauerbrun was once considered the NFL's best punter.  Now he's been cut from the Denver Broncos after coming off of a suspension for using ephedra.

Two things:  1.  Ephedra shouldn't be banned.  2.  Sauerbrun had no business taking it anyway.  Even Shanahan stated he didn't care if Sauerbrun was 300 llbs, as long as he could punt the ball like a mule.  I think this stemmed from Fox giving Sauerbrun so much hell for being overweight while he played for the Panthers.

- I understand the logic of football fans not thinking the Colts and the Chargers are not the two best teams in the league.  After all, Schottenheimer and Dungy have  coached some great teams, but neither have made it to the big game.  But there's no question in my mind that the Chargers are the most talented team in the league, and until someone beats Indy, they're at the top of the pecking order.

- Did anyone notice that the Rams are 4-1?  I didn't either.  It helps when you have to play three teams that have a total of two wins so far this season.  We'll see what they'll do this week vs. Seattle.

- Who's my frontrunner for MVP?  After last week, I don't see how anyone can say anybody but Donovan McNabb.  Not only is McNabb putting up great numbers (and to the guys that have him on your fantasy team, I hate you all), but he's doing it with no running game and considerably lesser talent at WR.

- Speaking of McNabb, I can't recall a season where there have been so many high school and college style offensive calls made than this year.  McNabb's trademark has been the 40 yard fleaflicker bomb.  Sometimes I think he tells Stallworth and Lewis in the huddle, "Just go deep; I'll get it to you".  But hey; it works.  Atlanta's trying to run an option offense straight out of a high school playbook.  You don't hardly see that in college, yet they're trying to run it in the NFL.  On Sunday night, Pittsburgh tried a WR reverse on 4th and 6.  That didn't even come close to working.  Some of these coaches are going to get bit in the ass while trying some of these sandlot plays.

- Pittsburgh looks like they are going down the same route the Tampa Bay Bucs did a few years ago.  Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl, looked impressive in beating Philly in Week 1 the next season, and didn't make the playoffs.  Pittsburgh came off of a Super Bowl win, beat Miami in Week 1, but has lost their last 3.  And note; the AFC North has both 4-1 Baltimore and 3-1 Cincinnati.  It's going to be an uphill battle for Pittsburgh for most of the year.

- Key games next week:  Eagles/Saints, Rams/Seahawks (for the NFC West lead), Carolina/Baltimore, Giants/Atlanta.

...because this will make or break your reputation, and possibly your website.

Regardless, the evidence shows there was a bit of foul play, whether if this is true or not.

The first thing the Democrats will scream is "KARL ROVE".

After initially claiming he had an allergic reaction to painkillers, we find out that he did have an allergic reaction....to 30 of them.

Screw football.  I hope T.O. really gets help, and fast.

UPDATE:  ESPN has caught up with the local Dallas media, and they said that Owens was even trying to swallow pills as medical personnel arrived on the scene.

And you wanna know what spin is?  Check this out:

On Tuesday, Etheridge said of the incident: "This is not serious."

Probably like this:

"Where you at, 85?"

"I don't know"

Heh.

    - The Panthers are 0-2.  I wouldn't be as concerned about Sunday's loss if it wasn't one that was completely blown.  Make no mistake about it:  the Panthers had no business losing to the Vikings.  At all.  And we can thank Chris Gamble for it.

The mind-numbing lateral off of a punt return was the highlight, but ended up being an overall bad effort on the day for Gamble.  And it wasn't just him either; Foster never got his ypc over 2.5, and the offensive line was unprepared for the Vikings' blitz packages on third down.  If it hadn't been for Delhomme actually able to get rid of the ball a couple of times and took the sack, it would have been a worse situation than what it was.

Meanwhile, Carolina's problems in game and clock management (probably the worst I've seen in the John Fox era) overshadowed Julius Peppers's amazing defensive performance:  8 tackles, 3 sacks, and no telling how many hurries he placed on Brad Johnson (who, for his age, is damned good in his own right).  How could anyone say Peppers is not the best defensive lineman in the NFL today?  There's no question that he'll make it to the Pro Bowl, injuries aside.

But the rest of the team let Peppers down.  He might not say it, but I will.  It looked like nobody else on that team was trying to win a football game out there, and that's uncharacteristic of a Panthers' football team in the John Fox era.  I know there's plenty of football to go, but the Panthers need to get on the ball and it's got to start this week against Tampa Bay.

     - After the Giants played the Colts in the Manning Bowl in Week 1, I picked them to be the favorites to win the NFC East.  It's early, but I don't see how you couldn't pick them as the favorites right now.

Eli Manning led the Giants to a come from behind overtime victory this week.  They were down 24-7, and won 30-24 over the Iggles.  If you didn't believe it before, Eli is for real, and the Giants could go deep into the playoffs if they can continue to play this kind of football.  They're one of the most balanced teams in the league on both sides of the football.

    - I was kind of irked by Fox's coverage, because although the Panthers take precedence in NC - and rightfully so - they should have went over to the overtime coverage after the game.  I don't understand why the Giants/Iggles game wasn't the national broadcast this week, instead of regional.  And if people actually watched rodeos on television, you'd see them broadcast more often than they currently are.

    - Well, I guess the Steelers aren't looking so hot anymore?  Blanked by the Jaguars on Monday night, I'm sure people will say Rothlisberger came back too soon.  But how do you explain that 26 net yards rushing, though?  Even if you say the defense was able to concentrate on the run due to Big Ben's play, an 11 carries, 20 yard performance by Willie Parker won't cut it.  Do better, Willie.

And I told yall last week:  the Jags are for real this year.  They'll need to put up more than 9 points, but I think they're forgiven considering they beat the defending Super Bowl Champs.

    - If you've been watching NFL Network lately, you'd think Chad Johnson had bought it and made himself the main attraction.  He's on there for every other commercial break and on several of their original shows too.  However, the Simon Phoenix lookalike has had a lackluster start, failing to get over 80 yards in his first two games and one touchdown.  He got drilled in the hit of the week against the Browns.  Oh, and his first TD dance of the week was lame.

    - Detroit will be a better team than they were last year.  However, Roy Williams needs to do less talking and more playing.  Getting humbled by the Bears after guaranteeing a win was not a good look.

    - Everyone's calling the NFC East the best division in the league, but I digress.  It's actually the AFC North.  The Super Bowl Champions, along with the Bengals, who won the AFC East last year, and then you have the resurging Ravens.  Those are three tough teams that I wouldn't want to play right now (and the Panthers have to play the whole division this year).

    - Key games this week:  Chicago/Minnesota (for the NFC North lead); Cincinnati/Pittsburgh (will the Steelers lose 2 in a row?); Jacksonville/Indy (AFC South lead and possibly to see who's the best in the AFC right now); Giants/Seattle.

    - Could someone tell me why ABC scheduled Atlanta/New Orleans as the Monday Night Game?  Plan to hit the bed early.

No, I haven't forgotten:  it's football season.

    - First, let's get the Panthers out of the way.  Am I panicking because the Panthers were thoroughly dominated by the Falcons?  No.

Why not?  It's several reasons.  First, just like last season, anytime the Panthers lost to someone they hyped the team that beat them and always made the Panthers seem like they were on their way out of the playoffs.  Carolina lost to the Saints in their opener last year, and everyone talked about how the Saints are playing on emotion, and they're going to get something done this year.  The Saints only won 2 more games the rest of the year.  When Carolina lost to Chicago midseason, everyone thought Chicago was the new favorite to go to the Super Bowl in the NFC.  Carolina faces them again at Soldier Field in the playoffs, and Steve Smith makes mincemeat of them.

Second, Atlanta is Atlanta.  Fox knows the score; if you don't stop the run, you're not going to beat Atlanta.  If you stop the run, you blow them out.  Although the acquisition of John Abraham definitely made for a better Falcons' pass rush, this is the same team that's been doing the same things for the last 3-4 years.  Vick only passed for 140 yards, and his completion percentage was still under 50%, even though he's got Lielie, Crumpler, Dunn on the flats, and White.  That offense, once again, will be tested again this year, and if they don't create a balanced attack, they will not only miss the playoffs, but they can look forward to Vick quitting again at the end of the season.

Now, am I worried?  Yeah, because we didn't show any semblance of a running game during Week 1, or in preseason.  I felt paying Foster that money was a mistake; not only because he's an injury-prone running back, but he didn't show much after he was given the starting job last year.  He had a couple of good playoff games, but he didn't show anything in the regular season.  If Foster isn't averaging a good 4.5 ypc, then the running game becomes a liability, and makes the team one-dimensional.  DeAngelo Williams shows promise, but he's not ready to start.

I expected more from not only Foster, but Keyshawn Johnson, and that offensive line.  John Fox makes some of the best adjustments of any coach in the NFL, so we'll see what look he brings to Minnesota on Sunday.

    - If you want to know why the National Football League is the top professional sport in America, all you have to do is look at the marquee games on Week 1:  a solid matchup on Thursday with Pittsburgh beating Miami; the "Manning Bowl", which saw the brother tandem showing why both teams are Super Bowl contenders this year;  and then the September 11th double-header, with a tight Redskins/Vikings game and Phillip Rivers debuting as the Chargers shut out the terrible Raiders.  Even the Chargers/Raiders game was still fascinating to watch for a lot of reasons.

    - Does the Deion Branch acquisition make the Seahawks the favorite in the NFC again?  I don't know.  But looking at that terrible game against the Lions, where they won 9-6, they definitely need him to help create a spark.

    - The Jags only made the playoffs last year because they happened to have an easy schedule down the stretch.  Having said that, they are a solid team this year, and will give the Colts problems in the AFC South.

    - Are the Ravens for real?  it's hard to argue with that 27-0 buttwhupping placed on the Bucs.  For their sake, I hope so, because both Brian Billick and Steve McNair's fates are controlled by each other.  If they don't make it to the playoffs, Billick won't have a job and McNair might not start for another team.

    - Phillip Rivers was placed in the best position that a quarterback could ask for:  the league's best running back in the backfield, and the league's best tight end on the line.  Then he has a solid veteran to throw to in Keenan McCardell, a solid defensive line, and a decent coach in Marty Schottenheimer.  Now that I think about it, SD had no business not making it to the playoffs last year; I don't care if they had Aaron Brooks at quarterback.

    - Speaking of Aaron Brooks...it's a dead heat between him and Bret Farve for early voting of the worst starting quarterback of the year.  I'm sure Al Davis had to love that 42 net passing yards his new quarterback got him.  Here's a hint:  unless it's Duce McAllister, you're not going to get too many valuable players from the Saints.

    - J.P. Losman, watch the lines.  A safety in the fourth quarter won't help garner confidence in your ability to lead the Bills as a playoff threat.  When you have a chance to beat the Pats, you have to make good on it.

    - I'm still not sold on Cincinnati.  Maybe it's because I haven't seen enough of them this year, but I think I want to see more out of Rudy Johnson and the running game as well as that defense before I can say they're one of the top teams in the league.  Consecutive games against Pittsburgh and New England at the end of this month will probably do the trick.

    - The best game of the week:  San Francisco falls to Arizona.  Who would have ever thought that would be as entertaining as it was?  With Jim Haslett unveiling an improved Rams defense, Norv Turner working with Alex Smith at the Niners, and Edgerrin James bringing needed depth for Arizona, the NFC West will be much tougher, and more competitive than it has been in years.

    - I only have two picks for the hot seat:  Brian Billick, who better hope Steve McNair can stay healthy, and Jon Gruden, who might be out by midseason if the Bucs continue to play like they did on Sunday.  I would add Art Shell, but would Al Davis ditch him after one year again?  Who knows.

    - This year, I'm in two fantasy football leagues and in a 25-man football pool.  I went 1-1 in my leagues, and I'm tied for 17 after week one in pickem.  My picks were 9-7.  Ugh.  Week 1 tends to be my worst week, anyway.

More football to come later.