A Must-Win for US Soccer

Last Friday Jamaica delivered a blow to the US men's soccer team giving them 2-1 loss in Kingston, Jamaica. Tonight, the US will be playing in front of a raucous, sold-out crowd in their unofficial home of Columbus Crew Stadium in Ohio. The US has never lost here in qualifying, and they'll need the support to beat the feisty Jamaicans. The US will have to defend better after the disaster in Kingston on Friday. Luckily, defenders Steve Cherundolo and Carlos Bocanegra, both of whom are very solid and vital members of the team, should be on the field for the match tonight. And with the anniversary of 9/11, the threat of elimination and the wiles of head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, the US should have the motivation and the players to beat the Reggae Boyz and keep their 2014 World Cup qualifying hopes alive. It's not time to panic yet, but it is a good idea to be concerned. I still have confidence they'll win tonight, though.

White Sox need to get their act together

I'm going to take a break today from the potentially divisive political posts and focus on something else: Sports. My beloved Chicago White Sox have been surprising everyone this year, especially since they were expected to finish in last place in the AL Central. However, they've been leading since May. But they've been struggling since the beginning of August and have only won 3 of their last 10 lately. That's not how a Division leader should be playing, but thankfully, the Tigers have been playing just as bad. It's a wonder the Sox even have the AL Central lead, especially when they keep losing to Kansas City!

Yesterday the White Sox had multiple chances to win the game, but couldn't, and they guy they had at the plate (Onyedo, I think) swung at pitches that were so obviously bad that I think he was desperate. That's not how a team should be playing at this point in the season. The Tigers are coming up, and the White Sox have played just as poorly against them as they have the Royals. They need to win some games or else this season will be over. I just hope that Robin Ventura has something up his sleeve. He's surprised me many times this season, so he might just do that.

USTR Ron Kirk must be removed from his position

USTR Ron Kirk has got to be the worst bureaucrat in a city filled with bad bureaucrats. He has been hiding the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal in the Pacific region that could have incredibly far-reaching consequences, from the public and from Congress despite calls for him to relent and release them. I have no idea if his orders are from President Obama, but if not, then I'm calling on legal action to have him removed from office, particularly from Congress or the courts. This behavior and the way the TPP has been negotiated and its potential consequences means he is not fit for the job.

Hollywood needs to get its act together

I, like a lot of young liberals, have a love-hate relationship with the entertainment industry. Sure, it helps with free speech issues and getting Democratic politicians elected, but the problem starts when they try to legislate things they can't control, like the Internet, as we saw with SOPA. The problem is, Hollywood is trying to legislate a problem (copyright infringement) but attempting to do so stifles Internet freedom. Also, the secrecy surrounding these attempts at legislating through laws and trade agreements means the public has no input on something that could affect them. This has got to stop. Hollywood has to get its act together and stop trying to legislate the Internet. It's not going to work. All it does is cause problems for normal people who can't hire expensive lobbyists. Just STOP. We've had it. SOPA was one thing, but Hollywood lobbyists are still trying. Part of what I hate about this is that it makes me seem like a conspiracy theorist, which I'm not. I think they're stupid. But unless Hollywood stops trying to legislate the Internet and makes it easier to watch content online, normal people are going to look (rightfully) paranoid.

Mitt Romney should not be President

When he made a birther joke last Friday in Michigan, any pretense that Mitt Romney is a "serious" Presidential candidate where thrown out the window like a bag of bricks. Romney has shown so much disrespect for his opponent, race-baiting and outright lying about President Obama's record that I don't think Romney belongs anywhere near the White House, not even on a tour. His attitude shows he feels entitled to the White House, even though voters (appropriately) don't trust him and his refusal to release his tax returns just smacks of secrecy and privilege. He acts like the average voter is below him. The antics of his fellow Republicans also shows they shouldn't be running a country club, much less the government of the most powerful country on Earth. Fact of the matter is, they have to lose. Their extremism is revolting and were it not for the fact that so many people agree with them, the dirty money and their attempts at voter suppression, they'd be looking at a landslide loss in this year's elections.