From UFC 52 last night:



I couldn't believe it when I heard about it.  Although it's considered an upset, the fact is when you face a knockout artist like Liddell anything can happen.  I would have liked to seen this fight go longer than what it did to see if Couture could repeat his performance from the last fight, but one punch can change that entire outlook.

Check out Sherdog and The Wrestling Observer to see the full results from UFC 52.

After months of hearing the claims about the Education Department's payments to Armstrong Williams being illegal and unethical, a report cleared both Williams and Paige of any illegal mischief.  The report is online here, in both Acrobat and MS Word.  Considering that I checked the Washington Post early this morning, I haven't had a chance to read the report in full, so I'll hold off my opinion about it until this afternoon.

Most of the report criticized the Education Department for essentially wasting money.  HELLO, it's the government.  That's what governments do best.  There was no question that this money was wasted by the Education Department.  That isn't news, especially when Armstrong Williams has never been considered a big name media figure to promote anything by any means. 

For Higgins - the inspector general of the Ed Department who investigated this matter - and Spellings to lay the blame exclusively at the Education Department's feet might work for someone who doesn't keep up with the goings on within government.  This has never been a problem exclusive to the Education Department; it's widespread throughout the federal government.  It's not something that's exclusive to this administration; the administration is simply like all of the others.

Hopefully this will quiet the knee-jerk reactionaries that have been calling for the heads of both Paige and Williams, but I doubt it.  It'll be interesting to see who speaks up, and who doesn't.

And note:  this comes a day after Congressman George Miller accused the Bush Administration of "stonewalling" the investigation by not allowing White House officials to be interviewed by Higgins.  The problem with that is the inspector generals are only obligated to interview people within the respective department they are in, and White House officials are totally optional.  He was allowed to interview one official, which happened because he temporarily worked at the Education Department.

On Wednesday, I told you about the law that was proposed in the NC House that would give in-state tuition fees to illegal aliens.

Well the opposition to it came fast and hard.  In fact, I don't recall a time where people were more outraged and stirred up because of a bill in the state legislature.  And because of the open opposition to the bill, four legislators who had previously supported the bill pulled out.

Leading the charge is talk radio, particularly WPTF 680 AM in Raleigh.  Their two local talk show hosts, Bill LuMaye and Kevin Miller (who's also the news director), have received hundreds of emails and fielded several calls by people that can't believe their elected officials would pull a stunt like this.  I think this bill was the last straw, and there is a growing wave that's rising against illegal immigration taking shape not only in North Carolina, but all over the country.

And what's helping to make the opposition stronger and more active is the fact that we have a Republican president who doesn't seem interested in protecting this country's borders.  Quite the contrary; he wants to make it more accessible for illegal aliens to cross.  The fact that he is a Republican president makes it worse, because the conservatives that are against illegal immigration now feel they have to take matters into their own hands before change can happen.  Sooner or later, something's got to give.

I bet NC legislators will think twice before they try to pull a stunt like this again.  My bet is that this bill is DOA.  Very few legislators outside of the urban areas would dare vote for a bill like this.

I don't know why I like reading legal opinions, but I do.  And today I finished reading the Oregon Supreme Court's opinion that threw out 3,000 gay marriages and ruled them unconstitutional.

It was refreshing to finally see a court, federal or state, that actually made an opinion based on the limits provided by their state constitution.  More importantly, they didn't try to go above and beyond the constitutional amendment passed by Oregon in November 2004.

The court tackled this issue in several ways.  First, they discussed the original statute the state was arguing that deemed the marriages were illegal, which stated "Marriage is a civil contract entered into in person by males at least 17 years of age and females at least 17 years of age, who are otherwise capable, and solemnized in accordance with ORS 106.150.".  The court covered their bases in making sure this statute barred gay marriages by citing two other statutes that were similar, as those used "husband and wife".  A simple look at the dictionary showed "husband" to be a married man and "wife" to be a married woman.  No need to look at legal jargon for that.

Next, the Supreme Court chastised the trial court over their Solomonic ruling that ordered the same benefits given to homosexual couples as heterosexual couples receive.  The plaintiffs were asking for the courts to recognize gay marriages were constitutional and legal altogether.  They never asked merely for equal benefits.  The courts can only make decisions based on claims of the plaintiffs, and nothing more.

The Court then clarified that marriage was a state concern, with the legislature having the power to regulate it.  In Heisler v. Heisler, the courts said:

"In the state of Oregon, 'marriage' is a civil contract entered into with the consent of the state, between a man and woman, competent to so contract, in the presence of two witnesses, solemnized by some one authorized by statute (Code 1930, § 33-104) for that purpose."

and just in case gay marriages in California and Massachusetts go through, the court also cited this:

Finally, the court underscored the scope of that dominion in Garrett v. Chapman, 252 Or 361, 449 P2d 856 (1969). There, the court acknowledged the rule that marriages deemed valid in the states where they are performed generally will be recognized in Oregon as well. When it did so, however, the court also expressly allowed for "exceptions to the general rule where the policy of this state dictates a different result than would be reached by the state where the marriage was performed." Id. at 364 (emphasis added).

So they won't be recognized in Oregon.  The court uses Garrett v. Chapman to say "If that power is broad enough to preempt other states' contrary marriage policies, it inescapably is broad enough to preempt similar policies generated by a political subdivision of this state, such as the county.

I'd say so.

So here's their summary opinion:

In summary, we conclude as follows. First, since the effective date of Measure 36, marriage in Oregon has been limited under the Oregon Constitution to opposite-sex couples. Second, Oregon statutory law in existence before the effective date of Measure 36 also limited, and continues to limit, the right to obtain marriage licenses to opposite-sex couples. Third, marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples in Multnomah County before that date were issued without authority and were void at the time that they were issued, and we therefore need not consider the independent effect, if any, of Measure 36 on those marriage licenses. In short, none of plaintiffs' claims properly before the court is well taken. Finally, the abstract question whether ORS chapter 106 confers marriage benefits in violation of Article I, section 20, of the Oregon Constitution is not properly before the court.

I think this argument is air tight, at least in Oregon.  It'll be interesting to see what points from this opinion will other courts use as a prescedent.

I'm quite disappointed that the Volokh Conspiracy hasn't commented on this.  But I would think they'd have to agree with this as well.

The retailing giant Walmart has been famous - or infamous, however you want to see it - for it's hatred of unions.  The founder, Sam Walton, couldn't stand them, and Walmart has resisted the calls from the unions to allow their workers to organize.

However, in Jonquiere, Quebec in Canada the workers tried to call Walmart's bluff and organized themselves into a union.

So what did Walmart's executives decide to do?  They're shutting down the store.

The retailing behemoth, whose $10 billion annual profits are based on low prices, low expenses and its relentless pace of store openings, announced it will shut the doors here May 6 after workers voted to make this the first unionized Wal-Mart in North America.

The closure will leave 190 bitter employees out of work, the town uneasy over the future of unions, and the mayor angry at the company. Supporters of organized labor also say it serves as a warning for workers at other Wal-Mart stores who might contemplate defying founder Sam Walton's sharp distaste for unions.

"It's like we are digging our own grave," said store employee Nathalie Dubois, 38, a single mother with no other job to go to, as she helped pack up the store.

It's a shame that so many people are losing their jobs, but they placed it on themselves.  The biggest losers are the consumers of the town, who now have no one to keep prices low in order to get good deals on retail items.  Walmart's attitude towards unionization has morphed from a sound business practice to a corporate conviction. 

If you try to confront them on this issue, you'll lose.  After all; they have thousands of stores across North America.  Any losses from this store will be considered a drop in the bucket for this behemoth.  According to the company, they were losing money anyway, so the unions only gave them even more motive.

One group of workers already took the hint.  Workers in Broussard, a surburb south of Montreal, voted against unionizing after hearing about Jonquiere's fate.  Company execs dispute that, but the writing is on the wall.

Here's the stunt they tried to pull to "vote" the union in:

Those who did not want a union say organizers harassed them to join. "People signed the cards just to get some peace" from the union organizers, said Noella Langlois, 53, who works in the clothing department. "They thought they would vote against it in a secret vote."

In fact, there was a vote last April that rejected the union. But under Quebec labor laws, the organizers could try again. When they collected signed union cards from 51 percent of the employees, the law declared the Jonquiere Wal-Mart a union shop.

Pelletier, the Wal-Mart spokesman, says the Quebec laws are unfair, and only a secret ballot would show the true feelings of the workers.

"Signing a union card, when there's someone on your doorstep at night saying, 'Sign this card,' should not be the last word," he said. "A democratic, secret vote is the only way to avoid intimidation by either the union or an employer."

So it wasn't even a "vote".  All they had to do was pass out union cards and "encourage" people to sign them, which sound's like a stunt akin to Saddam's "elections" held in Iraq. 

I've been calling for the busting of unions for the longest, but this is the first time I've seen a company take such an active stance like this against unionization.  Unfortunately, this situation is simply unique for Walmart, since it's the largest retailer in the world and worth billions.  Other companies can't afford to close shop when being forced into unionization.

I'm sure the Canadians don't like this at all, especially with their far-left leanings.  However, I hope Walmart continues to stand up to these union goons who think they can muscle their way into a store and unionize it.

In my home state, North Carolina, a bill has been introduced in the N.C. House that would allow illegal immigrants to receive in-state status for lower college tuition.  The bill was introduced today by state representatives Rick Glacier of Fayetteville and John Sauls of Lee County and was supported by the former governor of the state, Jim Hunt.

I'm very disappointed in this bill in more ways than one.  I know of Glacier and Sauls both (in fact, I stay in the county right between theirs).  Of course, I would have never expected them to pander to the pro-immigration lobby and make the false statements that this would help education and improve the economy.

Taking a look at higher education today will tell you that isn't true.  Tuition has gone up at several 4-year and community colleges across the state since 2001, and a lot of schools are right at capacity.  North Carolina taxpayers spend more and more on education every year; in fact, the John Locke Foundation reports per-student spending rising 13 percent over the past 10 years.  This will be an added strain, particularly at the community college level, where the instructors are underpaid in comparison to the national average and most are having a hard time finding instructors as it is.

This isn't the first time North Carolina has had controversy over the illegal immigration issue.  North Carolina allowed illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses since 1997.  That might explain why North Carolina has the second fastest rising illegal immigrant population in the country.  Jim Hunt was on hand to see that go through, and now he wants to add another stain to his legacy with this nonsense.

At the time, people like then-state senator and former gubernatorial candidate Fern Shubert and others stood up against him, but wasn't able to stop the bills from going through.  But after 9/11 along with a number of people, black and white, seeing the effects the illegal immigrants have placed on the state, there's a lot more voices this time around.  The Americans for Legal Immigration has already announced they will do six townhalls in order to spur opposition for this bill.  Some legislators have already said they will do everything it takes to kill this bill, and rightfully so.

The illegal immigration topic isn't going to die anytime soon.  Last month, Republican legislators introduced a bill that would restrict government services for illegal immigrants and would seek reimbursement for health costs from their employers.  Human smuggling has been a problem, as 12 illegal immigrants were detained at Raleigh-Durham Airport.   Out-of-state immigrants are traveling to NC from everywhere to get driver's licenses through black market operations.  So this isn't going anywhere anytime soon.  Hopefully I will be able to keep up with it all.

I told you that Mae Magourik, whom was being dehydrated and starved in a hospice under the instructions of her granddaughter, was sent to a Birmingham hospital receiving treatment.

Well, yesterday the family was barred from seeing Magourik at the hospital by the instructions of the granddaughter, Beth Gaddy.  According to the judge, Gaddy was made the temporary guardian of Magourik, and had made the order while the family was visiting her, which meant hospital officials made the family leave.  The family plans to petition the judge to allow visitation rights.

Wizbang notes the media is finally starting to pay attention to this story outside of LaGrange.  The AJC has an article, along with the Birmingham News.   Ken Mullinax, Magourik's nephew, was scheduled for Hannity and Colmes tonight, although I didn't see it because I don't have FNC.

Hopefully the judge will make the right decision, and that's to allow her to live and take guardian rights away from Gaddy.
UPDATE:  Here's some more information on Mullinax.  His appearance on Hannity and Colmes was postponed due to some arrest in Georgia that FNC was covering.  The motion to gain visitation rights will be given to the judge tomorrow.  I'm sure we will receive a response the same day.  Check it out on Blogs for Terri.

After seeing an in-depth discussion develop on Okayplayer and on Booker Rising about Fantasia's song "Baby Mama" and waking up to the end of it the other morning (I keep the radio on during the weekends overnight), I finally decided to check the song out.

Here's the lyrics of "Baby Mama":

B-A-B-Y M-A-M-A
This goes out to all my baby mamas
This goes out to all my baby mamas
B-A-B-Y M-A-M-A
This goes out to all my baby mamas
I got love for all my baby mamas

It's about time we had our own song
Don't know what took so long
Cause nowadays it's like a badge of honor
To be a baby mama
I see ya payin' ya bills
I see ya workin' ya job
I see ya goin' to school
And girl I know it's hard
And even though ya fed up
With makin' beds up
Girl, keep ya head up
All my

[chorus]
B-A-B-Y M-A-M-A
This goes out to all my baby mamas
This goes out to all my baby mamas
B-A-B-Y M-A-M-A
This goes out to all my baby mamas
I got love for all my baby mamas

I see you get that support check in the mail
You open it and you'er like, What the Hell
You say, This ain't even half of daycare
Sayin' to yourself, This shit ain't fair
And all my girls who don't get no help
Who gotta do everything by yourself
Remember, what don't kill you can only make you stronger
My baby mama

[chorus]
B-A-B-Y M-A-M-A
This goes out to all my baby mamas
This goes out to all my baby mamas
B-A-B-Y M-A-M-A
This goes out to all my baby mamas
I got love for all my baby mamas

Cause we the backbone (of the hood)
I always knew that (that we could)
We can go anywhere, we can do anything
I know we can make it if we dream
And I think it should be a holiday
For single mothers, tryin' to make a way
But until then, here is your song
Show love to my....

[chorus]
B-A-B-Y M-A-M-A
This goes out to all my baby mamas
This goes out to all my baby mamas
B-A-B-Y M-A-M-A
This goes out to all my baby mamas
I got love for all my baby mamas

(Photo:  Yahoo's The Contender Page)

Coming off of last week's knockout victory, plenty of heat was placed on Anthony.  Anthony was riding high off of the win, but his teammates felt he ducked Jimmy Lang for what they considered a weaker fighter.  Nevertheless, Anthony is safe for a couple of weeks.

Some of the guys were a little calmer after coming back to the house.  Ishe and Joey, however, weren't.  Joey packed his things and switched rooms, as he was Anthony's teammate and was "supposed" to be the one to fight Brent Cooper.  Ishe went on a rampage, throwing things and ranting about how he wants to get even for the doublecross.  TKO'ing Brent only made it worse.

Just when it looked as if there would be a confrontation, Anthony made it back to the training house and everything cooled off.  Tarrick ongratulated him for the victory and defended his choice.

We got an inside look at Tarrick's background.  Tarrick was actually a pretty good boxer when he was younger, even making it into the top ten by a couple of boxing organizations and was in line for a title shot.  However, the champ pulled out of the fight, and a disillusioned Tarrick never got his opportunity.  Tarrick quit boxing for a while, but then came back once he heard about The Contender.  This made him one of the most seasoned fighters of the bunch.

At the gym, Stallone gave Anthony the boxing glove necklace, as every fighter gets for their victory.  Anthony told the group that he wanted to give his gloves to Brent.  Stallone didn't like it, and hoped that Anthony would keep it for himself, but it was his choice.  In the end, Anthony said he would keep them. 

Due to the Anthony's potential gesture, Alfonso was a little cooler towards him, but Ishe was still angry.  In fact, he was so angry, he didn't go out with the guys for their reward.  Their reward this time was a night out...with Ja Rule.  Ja Rule?  I don't get it since Ja hasn't been hot for like, two years or so, nor is he a boxer, but they enjoyed it as they hit some clubs and enjoyed the nightlife.  Ja also presented them with some expensive watches.  Since Ishe didn't go, he didn't get one.

This week's mission was very important, as there were only four boxers left that hadn't had a bout yet.  Sugar Ray told them this mission would decide this week's and next week's fights, which makes since because the remaining two would have to fight each other. 

This week's mission was a little simpler than past episodes.  There were two walls made of cinder blocks.  One boxer had to use a sledgehammer to break up the wall.  The others had to grab the broken pieces and fill up the pickup truck (a Toyota....after watching the videos every week, I'm tired of that commercial).  Once the time limit was up, the trucks were weighed and whoever had the heaviest truck won.  This was a mismatch on paper, as Juan and Peter looked too small to be able to hang with Tarick and Joey, albeit Joey is injured.  My suspicions were right, as Joey was effective with the sledgehammer and the West won easily.

No drama for the picks this week.  With the West winning the mission, Tarick Salmaci challenged Juan De la Rosa.  These two were about as different as night and day, lifestyle wise.  Tarick is an experienced boxer at age 32 while Juan is only learning the game at 18 years old.  However, Juan went to Mexico at age 15 in order to turn pro there. 

According to Yahoo's profile, Tarick was actually an Olympic trials finalist, losing in the championship bout of the U.S. trials.  He turned pro, and became the NABO Middleweight Champion and was ranked #4 in the WBO and #6 by the WBC.  During that time, he only lost one fight.  After he quit the sport, Tarick's wife was expecting a child, and he went into residential real estate, making a six figure salary.  He now lives with his wife, Dena, and kid in Detroit.  So for Tarick, he's been there, and done that.  He's already a success, win or lose. 

Juan is a different story, as his extended family; his dad, three siblings, and grandmother share a two bedroom house in Texas.  His grandfather, who encouraged him to take up boxing, died a year ago, and is his motivation for winning.  So, far, so good, as he compiled a 12-0-1 record as a pro.

I'm not going to try to sugarcoat this fight; it wasn't that good.  There were some good punches landed and they stayed busy at the beginning of the fight, but it seemed as if both were out of gas in the fifth round. 

You could tell Juan was a Mexican fighter, because he fought like one: stand there toe-to-toe and swing until someone falls.  Juan was swinging haymakers, and would hit Tarick with one every once in a while to sting him.  However, Juan's technique was sloppy, and you could tell that he came into the fight real anxious and hyper.  He possibly won the round, but he was sucking air at the end of it.

Tarick's experience came into play in the second round, as Juan continued to throw wild punches, which was sure to sap his energy.  Juan's fighting style reminded me of Ricardo Mayorga; in other words, he didn't have one.  Meanwhile, Tarick used the jab, and got in some good combinations.  He looked like the better fighter after Round two.

But all of a sudden, Tarick seemed as he had lead in his gloves in Round three.  I don't know if it was due to conditioning, or what, but Juan was able to get some hooks in there and also do a bit of bobbing and weaving.  Tarick was stung by some of Juan's punches, and Juan took the round.

Juan tried something new in Round four:  boxing.  Instead of trying to dive in with punches, he worked inside, tried to work the body a bit and set up the hook to the head.  It worked perfectly, as he tagged Tarick three times with that combination.  However, Tarick at the end of the round gets a straight right hand in that cuts Juan above the eye.  We knew that was the beginning of the end for Brent last week.  But Juan finishes the round pretty solid.

Round five was more holding and sloppiness than anything.  Neither were landing punches that had any kind of effect whatsoever.  They duked it out at the end of the round, but the fight was pretty much over by then.

Juan won by unaminous decision.  Considering Tarick seemed as if he didn't come to fight, a sloppy fight by Juan sounds like the right decision.  However, I don't expect Juan to win his next fight, unless he fights a more technically sound fight than he did tonight.

Meanwhile, Tarick will go home.  Something tells me he didn't want it as bad anyway.  He has no regrets, and he's glad he finally got his opportunity.  Poor guy; now he has to go back home to his nice job and family.  Something tells me he'll be alright.

Next week is Joey vs. Jimmy.  That should be a decent fight as long as Joey's leg holds up.  See ya.

My Other Contender Posts:

1.  The Contender Quarterfinals:  Ishe vs. Sergio
2.  The Contender, Episode Eight:  Jimmy vs. Joey
3.  The Contender Episode Seven:  Juan vs. Tarick
4.  The Contender Episode Six:  Anthony vs. Brent
5.  The Contender Episode Three:  Ishe vs. Ahmed

Today the folks at Blogs for Terri received word that Mae Magourik has been transported to a hospital in Alabama and is receiving fluids and nourishment:

THANKS TO THE SUPPORT OF ALL OF THE FRIENDS OF TERRI, MY AUNT MAE MAGOUIRK HAS BEEN AIR LIFTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM MEDICAL CENTER

... and receiving IV fluids, nourishment and some of the finest medical care available in the United States! Praise be the name of the Lord GOD... Thanks to Terri's friends... It would NEVER ever have been possible without bloggers who love life , and the truth!! I am racing from my home to UAB now and will type a detailed update after I see my Aunt Mae! Thanks guys, your calls, emails, blogs and prayers did it ALL!!!

I so love you guys!!!!!!!!!!
Ken Mullinax, nephew of Mae

That's definitely good to hear.

No information as of yet on how she was released from the hospice, but Mullinax did mention that the "opposition", which I'm sure means her granddaughter, is trying to have her readmitted.  I'd imagine the judge met with the doctors assigned to Magourik and made the decision to give Mullinax and her brother custody.  Hopefully we'll hear more about that sometime tonight.