Friday, May 31, 2013

Leave the American people outside alone - off the record:


Tinker:

Off the record means keeping secrets away from the American people, that the people intrusted with running the American government is trying to do so in private. Away from the madding crowd, that of course is the insiders way of doing business, rubbing oneanother back off the record. Why! Because the way the crowd goes, so goes the game. That is the way the American game is won, playing to the fancy of the maddened crowd.

It is not what you know, but rather who you know, so stop feeling confused about the way the United States Government is run, because the US Government is being run corruptly long before we were born.

 And you should realize then that the people letting that happen is just as guilty of the self same corruption that the madding crowd profess to hate.

 Playing to the maddened crowd is the real insanity that everyone inherited, not that other bull talk people hide behind so not to get caught.

You were not born that way America, that insanity was taught to you. God Bless America.
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http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/05/30/holder-runs-into-roadblocks-on-off-record-meetings-on-scandals/

Fox News, other media outlets refuse off-record meeting with Holder


Published May 30, 2013
FoxNews.com

Fox News joined several other major media outlets Thursday in refusing to send a representative to a meeting with Attorney General Eric Holder on the department's surveillance of reporters if Holder continues to insist that the session be off the record.

Michael Clemente, Fox News' executive vice president, decided that Fox News will not attend the off-record talks. Fox News had been invited to a Friday session at the Department of Justice headquarters in Washington.

With the decision, the two news outlets known to have been targeted by the Justice Department for surveillance -- the other being the Associated Press -- are now declining to participate in the first phase of Holder's internal review over the controversy. Several other outlets are also refusing to attend.

Both the Associated Press and Fox News had their phone records pulled by the Justice Department, in the course of two separate leak investigations. The department went a step further in the Fox News case, seizing the personal emails of correspondent James Rosen, while accusing him of being a criminal "co-conspirator" in the application for the search warrant.

Holder, who agreed to conduct a review of DOJ guidelines over investigations that involve journalists, had set up meetings with members of the media for Thursday and Friday. He ran into immediate resistance, though, after calling for the meetings to be off the record, meaning the discussions would not be reportable.

AP media relations manager Erin Madigan White said that if the session is not on the record, the news cooperative will offer its views in an open letter on how Justice Department regulations should be updated.

If the AP's meeting with the attorney general is on the record, AP Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll will attend, White said. She said AP expects its attorneys to be included in any planned meetings between the attorney general's office and media lawyers on the legal specifics.

New York Times Executive Editor Jill Abramson said in a statement: "It isn't appropriate for us to attend an off the record meeting with the attorney general. Our Washington bureau is aggressively covering the department's handling of leak investigations at this time."

The Huffington Post also announced it would not attend the meeting at DOJ headquarters. CNN similarly said it would not attend an off-record meeting, but would agree to go if the attorney general made the session on the record. On Thursday afternoon, CBS News made the same call.

"CBS News does not plan to participate in the off-the-record meeting with Attorney General Eric Holder. We would be willing to consider an on-the-record discussion," CBS News spokeswoman Sonya McNair said. 

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Ann Romney: Public feels ‘breach of trust’ amid White House controversies

By Adele Hampton - 05/30/13
Ann Romney said Thursday that there had been a “breach of trust” between the American public and the government, citing three controversies that have placed the White House on the defensive.

 "I think it's hard, what the country's going through right now," Romney, the wife of 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, said on CBS’s “This Morning.”  "I think there's this breach of trust that we as all Americans feel right now with our government."
The White House has faced tough criticism in recent weeks over the Internal Revenue Service’s targeting of Tea Party groups, the Justice Department’s (DOJ) seizure of journalists’ phone records in separate probes of national security leaks, and persistent questions over the September terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya."If we look at the three scandals that are going on right now — and in particular I saw the polling numbers with how people are upset with the IRS scandal — we have to have trust in our government," Romney added. "We have to believe they're doing the right for us, and when we feel like they're breaking our trust, it's deeply troubling."

 Congress is expected to resume hearings on the IRS and DOJ matters after the Memorial Day recess, and Republicans are pressing the State Department for more answers on Benghazi.
More from The Hill: ♦ GOP chairmen want IG probe of Sebelius calls on ObamaCare ♦ HillTube video: A tough few months to implement ObamaCare ♦ Attorney General Holder on the ropes ♦ Dem wants to move Memorial Day, eliminate three-day weekend ♦ Obama says he has no 'patience' for climate skeptics ♦ Senate vote on nuclear option would be close ♦ HillTube video: Harry Reid prepares for nuclear option
Polls, though, show the president’s approval ratings holding steady despite the controversies.

 The former Massachusetts first lady also reflected on the 2012 race and said the campaign process added to the disconnect between the public and their elected leaders.

 "Just the process of trying to vet someone, the opposition or even in your own party when you're competing, there's so much negative involved. And it's really hard, and it's hard for the American people to sort through it. How do they know who's telling the truth?” she said.

 "And that's what I'm talking about, this breach of trust that's going on. Who do we trust? Who do we believe? Where do we turn to know what's really true?"

Read more: http://thehill.com/video/in-the-news/302489-ann-romney-americans-feel-breach-of-trust-after-wh-scandals#ixzz2UnxwBJEx
Follow us: @thehill on Twitter | TheHill on Facebook
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Sports
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Coaches vote to stay at 8 SEC games


Updated: May 30, 2013, 12:48 AM ET
By Chris Low |

Video: SEC meetings Day 2
Chris Low and Edward Aschoff wrap up Day 2 at the SEC spring meetings.Tags: Spring meetings
DESTIN, Fla. -- The short-term answer for the SEC is to keep the number of conference games at eight, but coaches and athletic directors agreed Wednesday that a move to nine is probably inevitable.



SEC blog

SEC ESPN.com's Chris Low and Edward Aschoff write about all things SEC football in the conference blog.
More:
• Blog network: College Football Nation
The head coaches voted 13-1 to stay at eight conference games. The only coach voting for nine conference games was Alabama's Nick Saban.

 Larry Templeton, who has headed up scheduling during the SEC's transition to 14 schools, said a rotation has been approved through 2026 that would include eight conference games with six divisional opponents, one permanent cross-divisional opponent and one rotating cross-divisional opponent.

 That rotation will begin in 2014, but the question becomes: How long will that format remain in place?

 "Personally, I think we'll end up moving to nine (conference) games eventually," Florida coach Will Muschamp said. "My personal opinion (is) you create an SEC Network, at the end of the day, it's going to be driven by the dollar, and having those games is going to be important, and having enough quality games on television promoting a nine-game SEC regular season, in my opinion, will eventually happen."

 SEC commissioner Mike Slive said it's doubtful the 2014 schedule will be finalized this week at the SEC spring meetings. He's declined to weigh in on whether he's in favor of going to nine conference games. But he didn't hold back on the importance of SEC schools upgrading their nonconference schedules.

 "I don't want us playing four games that mean less," Slive said. "I made that very clear."

 Alabama's Bill Battle and Tennessee's Dave Hart were two athletic directors who said they anticipate the SEC going to nine conference games at some point.

 But Battle said it's even more important that SEC schools play at least 10 "good" games.

 "Our fan experience needs to improve, and the way to improve fan experience is to put on more good games," he said.

 South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier suggested that the financial reward of playing nine conference games probably would be too lucrative for the league to pass up down the road. Still, he likes the idea of being able to schedule attractive nonconference games.

 The Gamecocks are one of four teams in the SEC that play in-state rivalry games against nonconference foes every year. They face Clemson on an annual basis, while Florida plays Florida State, Georgia plays Georgia Tech and Kentucky plays Louisville.

 "Anything can happen when television starts telling you what to do," Spurrier said. "But my thought is this: Would television people rather televise Texas-Texas A&M or Texas A&M-Kentucky? The conference games are supposed to be bigger. They're not necessarily bigger than some rivalry games. It's important to play your conference opponents. It's important to play other people out of conference, too."
LSU Tradition is giving way, hopefully, to a fairer and right way to pick a champion.
” -- LSU coach Les Miles, on his desire
to abolish the SEC's permanent
cross-divisional opponent
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said creating another week of games where the SEC goes 7-7 against itself would not be good for the league.

 "For Kentucky, I don't know if that's in the best interest for Kentucky to play a nine-game schedule and I think there are some opinions in the room that a lot of people don't believe it's in the best interest of their school to play name games," Stoops said. "... Well, if you do the math, 50 percent of our league just lost a game going into the year no matter what. So that's not good. For people like myself that are trying to build a team, maybe that's not in our best interest."

 One of the chief debates regarding scheduling is whether to do away with permanent cross-divisional opponents. LSU has been leading the charge to do so. Its permanent opponent from the East every year is Florida.

 LSU coach Les Miles has been pushing for a format that would include six divisional opponents and two rotating opponents from the other division.

 "The hard thing is tradition, and the hard thing is financial considerations," Miles said. "But if you get back to how college football has changed, (Oklahoma) is not playing Nebraska. Nebraska is now in the Big Ten. Colorado is suddenly in the Pac-12. You're looking at a recent addition to our conference, Texas A&M, and they don't play Texas anymore.

 "So tradition is giving way, hopefully, to a fairer and right way to pick a champion."

 Spurrier quipped that all schedules aren't created equal.

 "One thing I think we all have to realize is that nobody said it's going to always be fair," Spurrier said. "We all know last year that Georgia did not play the top three on the Western side -- Alabama, LSU or Texas A&M. But a lot of people don't know that Alabama didn't play the top three on the Eastern side -- us, Florida or Georgia. Those are the two that won the division.

 "Pepper Rogers one time said that a coach is as good as his players and his schedule."
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http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/9325510/gordon-gee-ohio-state-president-takes-shots-notre-dame-catholics

Gordon Gee rips ND, Catholics

Updated: May 30, 2013, 2:22 PM ET
Associated Press


Associated Press


COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The president of Ohio State University said Notre Dame was never invited to join the Big Ten because the university's priests are not good partners, joking that "those damn Catholics" can't be trusted, according to a recording of a meeting he attended late last year.

 At the December meeting of the school's Athletic Council, Gordon Gee also took shots at schools in the Southeastern Conference and the University of Louisville, according to the recording, obtained by The Associated Press under a public records request.

 The university called the statements inappropriate and said Gee is undergoing a "remediation plan" because of the remarks.

 Gee apologized in a statement released to the AP.

 "The comments I made were just plain wrong, and in no way do they reflect what the university stands for," he said. "They were a poor attempt at humor and entirely inappropriate."

 Gee, who has taken heat previously for uncouth remarks, told members of the council that he negotiated with Notre Dame officials during his first term at Ohio State, which began more than two decades ago.
“ The fathers are holy on Sunday, and they're holy hell on the rest of the week. You just can't trust those damn Catholics on a Thursday or a Friday, and so, literally, I can say that.
” -- Ohio State president Gordon Gee, speaking at a December meeting of the school's athletic council
"The fathers are holy on Sunday, and they're holy hell on the rest of the week," Gee said to laughter at the Dec. 5 meeting attended by Athletic Director Gene Smith and several other athletic department members, along with professors and students.

 "You just can't trust those damn Catholics on a Thursday or a Friday, and so, literally, I can say that," said Gee, a Mormon.

 The Big Ten had for years courted Notre Dame, but the school resisted, seeking to retain its independent status in college football. The school announced in September that it would join the Atlantic Coast Conference in all sports except football. It also agreed to play five football games each year against ACC teams.

 In the recording, Gee referred specifically to dealing with the Rev. Ned Joyce, Notre Dame's longtime chief financial officer, who died in 2004.

 "Father Joyce was one of those people who ran the university for many, many years," Gee said.

 Gee said the Atlantic Coast Conference added Notre Dame at a time when it was feeling vulnerable.

 "Notre Dame wanted to have its cake and eat it, too," Gee said, according to the recording and a copy of the meeting's minutes.

 Gee was introduced by Athletic Council then-chairman Charlie Wilson, and Gee's name and introduction are included in written minutes of the meeting. Gee's comments drew laughter, at times loud, occasionally nervous, but no rebukes, according to the audio.

 The Athletic Council meets monthly during the fall, winter and spring and makes recommendations on athletic policy including ticket prices. December's meeting was at Ohio Stadium.

 Ohio State trustees learned of "certain offensive statements" by Gee in January, met with the president at length and created the remediation plan for Gee to "address his behavior," board president Robert Schottenstein said in a statement.
“ You tell the SEC when they can learn to read and write, then they can figure out what we're doing.
” --Gee, when asked how to respond to SEC fans who say the Big Ten can't count because it now has 14 members
"These statements were inappropriate, were not presidential in nature and do not comport with the core values of the University," Schottenstein said.

 Gee has gotten in trouble for his offhand remarks, most recently during a memorabilia-for-cash and tattoos scandal that cost football coach Jim Tressel his job. Tressel had known about allegations that players were trading game paraphernalia for money and tattoos but didn't tell the university in violation of his contract and NCAA regulations.

 Gee was asked in March 2011 whether he had considered firing Tressel. He responded: "No, are you kidding? Let me just be very clear: I'm just hopeful the coach doesn't dismiss me." Tressel stepped down three months later.

 In November 2010, Gee boasted that Ohio State's football schedule didn't include teams on par with the "Little Sisters of the Poor." An apologetic Gee later sent a personal check to the real Little Sisters of the Poor in northwest Ohio and followed up with a visit to the nuns months later.

 Last year, Gee apologized for comparing the problem of coordinating the school's many divisions to the Polish army, an off-the-cuff remark that a Polish-American group called a "slanderous" display of bigotry and ignorance.

 Gee has one of the highest-profile resumes of any college president in recent history. He has held the top job at West Virginia University, the University of Colorado, Brown University and Vanderbilt University. He was Ohio State president from 1990 to 1997, and returned in 2007. He earns about $1.9 million annually in base pay, deferred and performance compensation and retirement benefits.

 He is a prolific fundraiser and is leading a $2.5 billion campaign at Ohio State. He is omnipresent on campus, attending everything from faculty awards events to dormitory pizza parties. He is known for his bow ties - he has hundreds - and his horn-rimmed glasses.

 During his comments to the Athletic Council, Gee also questioned the academic integrity of schools in the Southeastern Conference, and the University of Louisville.

 The top goal of Big Ten presidents is to "make certain that we have institutions of like-minded academic integrity," Gee said. "So you won't see us adding Louisville," a member of the Big East conference that is also joining the ACC.

 After a pause followed by laughter from the audience, Gee added that the Big Ten wouldn't add the University of Kentucky, either.

 During the meeting, Gee also said he thought it was a mistake not to include Missouri and Kansas in earlier Big Ten expansion plans. Missouri has since joined the SEC.

 "You tell the SEC when they can learn to read and write, then they can figure out what we're doing," Gee said, when asked by a questioner how to respond to SEC fans who say the Big Ten can't count because it now has 14 members.

 Gee noted he was chairman of the SEC during his time as Vanderbilt University chancellor. He also told his audience that speculation about the SEC "remains right here," according to the recording.

 Gee took a swipe at Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney, one of the most powerful leaders in college athletics, when he answered a question about preserving Ohio State's financial interests in light of Big Ten revenue-sharing plans.

 "No one admires Jim Delaney more than I do - I chaired the committee that brought him here," Gee said. "Jim is very aggressive, and we need to make certain he keeps his hands out of our pockets while we support him."
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http://espn.go.com/college-football/

Jon Bostic, Teddy Bridgewater

Area Of Focus

Targeting on defense, the selection committee and the schedule were all topics of discussion at the SEC meetings. Day 2 » Hits on defense » Playoff makeup » Eight games ... for now » Blog »
AP Photo/Bill Haber
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http://www.dandydon.com/
Dandy Don's LSU Sports Report

The LSU baseball team practiced yesterday in preparation for this weekend’s regional, and from what I understand Jacoby Jones and Mark Laird were both taking swings. Jones is reportedly cleared to play Friday and is expected to return to his starting second base position. Whether Laird is recovered enough to see significant action this weekend is still questionable, but Coach Mainieri did say that he’s hopeful of Laird being on the active roster. Laird’s speed is his biggest asset, and if his ankle doesn't allow him to run at 100% than Coach Mainieri could have a tough decision to make by 4 p.m. today regarding whether to include Laird on the limited active roster or instead go with an additional pitcher like Hunter Newman who could prove useful should LSU face the maximum of five games in the tournament.

All four teams in the Baton Rouge Regional will practice today at the Box and the practices will be open to the public.

 Here’s the day’s practice schedule:

10:00 - 11:15 LSU
11:30 - 12:45  ULL
1:00 - 2:15 SHSU
2:30 - 3:45 Jackson State

In LSU football news, it is looking more and more likely that LSU will play Wisconsin to open the 2014 season. According to multiple reports, the working plan is for the two teams to meet in Houston’s Reliant Stadium next year (2014), and then meet at Green Bay's Lambeau Field some time between 2016-18, with 2017 being the likeliest year. LSU Athletic director Joe Alleva has reportedly said that nothing has been finalized yet, but that a deal is getting close. Neutral-site games have become big business in college football because they usually carry a very big payout. According to CBSSports.com, the average payout for each team in these types of game is $3 to $4 million.

With the start of the 2013 football season 93 days away, today we’ll continue our jersey countdown by looking at a special former Tiger who wore No. 93 – Chad Lavalais. Lavalais is originally from Marksville, La. and wore No. 93 for LSU as a defensive tackle from 2000 to 2003. Lavalais was a member of the 2003 national championship team, a first-team All American and All-SEC pick, and the 2003 National Defensive Player of the Year. With quick feet and a non-stop motor, Lavalais spent a lot of time in the opposing team’s backfield, and was in many respects the anchor of a Tiger defense that will go down in history as one of the school’s best ever. After graduating from LSU, Lavalais went on to play two years for the Atlanta Falcons.

Another special former Tiger who wore No. 93 is Bennie Logan, although many of us remember him most as No. 18 since he was chosen by his teammates to wear that prestigious number last year as a senior. As most of you know, Logan was selected in the 3rd round of the 2013 NFL draft by the Eagles as the 67th overall pick.

On a related note, several of you have asked me who I expect to see wear No. 18 this year, and that's a great question. My two guesses at this point would be Alfred Blue or Craig Loston, but there are several other candidates.


In softball news, hats off to LSU sophomore outfielder A.J. Andrews and senior pitcher Rachele Fico for being named Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Americans. The last time the LSU softball team had two All-Americans in the same season was in 2007 when Leslie Klein and Killian Roessner accomplished the feat.

Lastly, just wanted to let you know that I updated our Ticket Exchange and Where Are They Now pages last night.

 Reader comments: Athlon Sports asked that I let you know that they are giving away 10 free copies of their SEC 2013 College Football Preview magazine (the LSU Tigers cover edition), as a way to say "thanks" to LSU fans. From now through June 8 you can use this link to enter a random drawing to receive a free copy.

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http://lsufootball.net/ 

LSU Football - Geaux Tigers!!!

Baseball Video Interviews - T-P: Paul Mainieri | Alex Bregman | Ryan Eades | Mark Laird | Aaron Nola
LSU Sports Baseball: Three Tigers named Louisville Slugger All-Americans

Shreveport Times *1 Baseball: Guilbeau - Chris Cotton enjoys career week for LSU

Times Picayune Video (5 min, 44 sec): Mike Slive supports new NCAA ejection rule for targeted hits

CBS SportsLine Blog Texas A&M-South Carolina, Arkansas-Missouri are SEC rivalries in 2014

Sport Techie Interview with ESPN Sports Science host John Brenkus

ESPN Drug testing in SEC hot topic

Times Picayune SEC coaches vote 13-1 for 8-game league schedule, but it's only the beginning

Chattanooga Times SEC looking ahead to football playoff
Birmingham News Slive: College football must pay attention to NFL player safety rules

USA Today Deadline approaching for playoff committee nominations, Les Miles' suggestion

Times Picayune Q and A with ESPN executive Justin Connolly on the SEC Network | Video (8 min)

The Advocate Questions, answers regarding the upcoming SEC Network

NFL News Video (42 sec): Matt Flynn is ready to start for Oakland
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