Underdog RSL Riegns MLS

On Sunday, Major League Soccer contested the 14th MLS Cup Final. The game was played at Rio Tinto Stadium, home of the expansion Seattle Sounders, who have quickly established one of the top atmospheres in the league. LA Galaxy, with stars David Beckham and Landon Donovan, were heavy favorites over Real Salt Lake, whose best player is defensive midfielder Kyle Beckerman.

Although the game was close, LA Galaxy looked to make good on expectations, attacks were coming in from all sides and RSL was on the back foot. Then in the 41st minute, it was Beckham to Donovan who played a perfect cross to Mike Magee. LA would take that lead into halftime, when Salt Lake manager, Jason Kries, made his second forced substitution.

Perhaps the turning point came less than three minutes into the second half. When RSL forward, and US hopeful, Robbie Findley broke the offsides trap down the right wing and into the LA area, A bad touch led to a fifty/fifty ball with Jamaican keeper Donovan Ricketts, and then to a bad collision. Both players were down, but neither immediately left the game. Yet, fifteen minutes later, with the ball ricocheting around the area, Findley drove the ball past Ricketts to even the score. Then, fifteen minutes and one goal after the incident, Ricketts was to hurt to play, and backup Josh Saunders was brought in.

The score remained the same for the next hour of play, leading to penalties for Sauders and the rest. The first four penalty-takers made theirs, including Beckham. Then the next three takers missed, including Donovan, who promptly ripped off this captain's arm band. Los Angeles needed a goal and a save going into the final round, and they got it. The lifeline was short-lived, however, when in round seven Edson Buddle was saved, and Robbie Russell was not. Real Salt Lake had won their first MLS Cup.

Next, the MLS attention turns to Philadelphia. This week, the next MLS franchise will choose their first players in the expansion draft. Soon, it will be the MLS 2010 season, and then the World Cup.

Terrorism Or PTSD?

On Thursday, a massive tragedy unfolded at one of the United States largest army bases. At Ford Hood, Texas, Major Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire on his fellow troops, killing 12 and injuring more than 30. Hasan was finally stopped by a civilian police officer, who shot him four times. Hasan is currently in a coma, alive but unable to speak to authorities.

Although he was born in Virginia, Hasan is of Palestinian decent and a Muslim. Interestingly, he was also an army psychiatrist. His job was to counsel soldiers who had returned from Iraq and Afghanistan who were dealing with PTSD. Reportedly, he was expected to ship off to Afghanistan himself, and was very concerned about fighting other Muslims.

Hasan has claimed that he was discriminated against because of his ethnicity and religion. Others say that, instead, he made a "lightning rod" of himself with his "anti-American" rhetoric and his opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Some on the right have been quick to label him a terrorist, and yes, he is a Muslim and what he did is horrific. But he does not appear to be part of a network of other international terrorist, instead he is more of a "lone wolf. " Also, some on the left have been quick to make the point that, after dealing with the trauma suffered by other soldiers, Hasan was affected by some kind of "pre-tramatic stress disorder," and this is a consequence of an unjust war. It is unfortunate that such a tragedy can offer no recess from partisan bickering.

What is also unfortunate is the distrust of Arab-American soldiers that will inevitably result from this incident. President Obama has tried to make this point, saying, "They reflect the diversity that makes this America. But what they share is patriotism like no other." In the immediate aftermath of this tragedy there are few easy answers. More disconcertingly, there are even fewer easy questions.

Culture Shock Leads To Tragedy

On Monday, twenty year-old Noor Faleh Almaleki died from injuries suffered on October 20th when she was run down by her own father outside a Phoenix, Arizona. Almaleki's father has admitted to the act, saying that his daughter had become too westernized. According to county prosecutor Stephanie Low, "This was an attempt at an honor killing." Amal Edan Khalaf, a friend of the daughter, was also injured in the incident. Low is charging Faleh Hassan Almaleki with aggravated assault.
While there is no doubt that this is a tragic story, it is interesting to observe the story of immigration and culture shock. In the 21st century, immigration has become the norm in the west. While a few countries are still struggling to come to terms with what immigration is doing to their national identity, most notably Russia, the United States has embraced (legal) immigration. However, most people, even immigrants, fail to realize the trauma that can occur in relation to their own identity. Obviously, Faleh Hassan Almaleki thought that he would have more influence over his own daughter than the society she lived in.
While there has been much discussion in this country about immigration, and the necessity for immigrants to conform to our society, it is often missed that, really, they have no choice. While first generation immigrants can choose not to learn the native language, even choose not to teach that language to their children, eventually their children, and their children's children, will adapt to their surroundings. When one thinks about the society that the west has built for itself, there can be no doubt about the adaptability of the human condition.

Election Day May Have No Answers

Today is election day 2009. The two biggest races in the country are for the governor's mansions in Virginia and New Jersey. There are also mayoral races in Atlanta, Detroit, Houston, and other cities. Perhaps the most anticipated race in the country is for a rural congressional district in upstate New York.
New York's 23rd district is considered a very conservative district. It has been held by a Republican since 1993, but has been empty since September 21st when President Obama choose John McHugh to serve as Secretary of the Army. However, the split between traditional Republicans and the more conservative members of the party, the "tea-party" crowd, has manifested itself in upstate New York. Dede Scozzafava had been picked by state party leaders to run against Democrat Bill Owens, but the conservative voters of New York threw their support behind Doug Hoffman, who was running on the Conservative Party ticket. Consequently, Owens was polling above the more conservative candidates in the race. Then, shockingly, Scozzafava withdrew from the race this weekend and voiced her support for Owens, the Democrat.
This race has been touted by many as a litmus test for the tea-party movement. Do they have support of the majority of the Republican base, or are they more likely to cost traditional Republicans elections than they are to win them? Perhaps too much has been made of this one congressional seat, but it is a symbol of the shift that is occurring in American politics. Are these the natural growing pains that a conservative party must go through in a country that is moving left, as many people have claimed since the election of Barack Obama? Or are the tea-partiers right to say that the Republican party has lost it's way, and the way back to power is through a dramatic rightward shift? Honestly, tonight's result will not answer that question.
Let's say that the Conservative candidate, Doug Hoffman,wins. Will this lead to more conservative candidates being run in places that are traditionally considered center-right? Will this take-no-prisoners conservatism play nationwide? Probably not. Meaning that, much like Democrats have done for the last thirty years, the Republican party will have to be a big tent. Some districts may vote for more libertarian representatives, like Ron Paul. While others, like in the southeast, may favor more social conservatives, candidates who are pro-life, but also support social programs, like Welfare and Medicaid. This would certainly give them more of a chance with under-privileged African-American voters, who need those social programs, but who often do not agree with the more socially liberal attitudes of, say, northeast liberals who favor pro-choice and pro-homosexual policies.
Liberals also face a dilemma in this "conservative civil war." What if Hoffman wins? The Republican party could shift drastically rightward. Will Democrats do the same in order to win independents? Or will they move the other way, become more liberal, and widen the party divide that has already turned Washington into a partisan gridlock where good ideas go to die?
Or maybe this is good for the country. If both parties are more willing to accept views that don't conform to one national identity, then bi-partisanship may actually be possible. One thing is for sure, we need some kind of re-alignment in order to change the dynamic in Washington, to end 65 years of war-making and corporatism and 3o years of run away spending.

King Khan & BBQ Show Rock New Venue

On Sunday, OTB went to Philadelphia to witness the King Khan & BBQ Show. The show was at KungFu Necktie, which is a small venue/pub that has been opened for a little over a year. This was the first time we were at KFN. Dum Dum Girls opened for KK n BBQ, who are supporting their fourth album, Invisible Girl.

Dum Dum girls have just signed to legendary alternative label Sub-Pop. They have been around a few years and are reliable all-girl pop/punk outfit. They are reminiscent of Tegan & Sara, who were much better when we saw them at Bonnaroo, but DDG are a good opening act.

King Khan & BBQ Show are a garage rock duo from Montreal, Canada. They represent two of the members of 90's act, Spaceshits. King Khan, who is of South-Asian decent, sings and plays lead guitar. BBQ, aka Mark Sultan, also sings, and plays rhythm, bass, and drums, alternatively. The band combines elements of '60s rock and punk, creating an driving garage rock show, especially for two people (probably the best two person band since White Stripes.) At KungFu Necktie, doors opened at 5pm, and it was an all-ages show, so no alcohol was served. One might think that this would have damped the enthusiasm of the crowd, instead, it may have feed it. The entire audience was dancing, and there was, frankly, too much moshing for this size of the venue, but this only added to the chaotic feeling of the show.

King Khan & BBQ Show would be highly recommended for any punk/garage music fan. Also, KungFu Necktie, if it can continue to draw band the size of KK n BBQ (and later this month, White Denim) may become a great venue for indie bands, as it is much more suitable in size to the main venue in town, the Electric Factory.

Lieberman Is A Liar (And We Should Listen To Him)

Joe Lieberman appeared on Face The Nation this morning to discuss topics such as Afghanistan and, of course, health care. As Lieberman fended off allegations from Bob Schieffer that he is in the pocket of the insurance companies, he let off some lies that should not go unchallenged. Lieberman said, "The public option came out of nowhere. If you look at last years presidential campaign, Bob, no mention of it." President Obama campaigned with health care reform as his major domestic policy agenda, and the public option was one of its main assets. In fact, many liberals at the time, who are in favor of single-payer, complained that this was not going far enough.
On one hand, maybe Lieberman is right. It is true that there are broad agreements among both Republicans and Democrats on most of what needs done. This includes ending practices such as denying policies to people based on pre-existing conditions, ending lifetime and yearly caps on benefits, closing the "donut hole" in prescription drug coverage, ending the anti-trust exemptions that the insurance companies enjoy, and raising the Medicaid availability rates to at least 133% of the poverty level.
The public option has been the main source of anger on the right. In its current form, it will do little to expand coverage, and perhaps more importantly over the long term, do even less to keep premiums down. Instead of taking half a loaf on the public option, perhaps Democrats in congress should get everything else they want instead. Then, they can make a true single payer system, or Medicare for all, their main health care platform. Inevitably, premiums will continue to rise, and more Americans will lose coverage.
According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, expanding Medicaid and weakening the public option will actually save money over the long term, because the government is paying providers directly instead of issuing vouchers to low income Americans. Taken to the logical extreme, 100% enrollment in Medicaid would be more efficient than any robust public option.
So let's give Senator Lieberman the benefit of the doubt. Let's assume that he has the best interest of the American people at heart, and maybe we should drop the public option. Then we can get around to working on what liberals really want, and what Americans really needs. Health care is a right, and should be above partisan bickering. And of course, we can still kick Lieberman out of the caucus in the mean time.