Inaugurate this.

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Only an exclusive club of gentlemen can claim to have uttered those words.Barack Obama will join that elite club on 01/20/09.

01/20/09...Special....Very special.That is right in the thick of Abraham Lincoln's bicentennial in DC.It is also the day after Rev Martin Luther King's birthday.Storylines are made of these.Every student of history and politics would kill to be on the steps of the capitol when this particular piece of history is made.

Not so fast.Tickets to the swearing-in ceremony itself are free.However,you can only obtain them from your congressmen and senators.My phone calls to both Dennis Kucinich and Sherrod Brown(Ohio senators) are yet to be returned.New York's charismatic senator,Charles Schumer has introduced a disingenious idea...he plans to hold a special state lottery to allocate his portion of the tickets.

Remember i said the tickets are free.Apparently that has not stopped a deluge of websites from openly offering tickets up for sale.From ebay to craigslist,tickets are offered for up to $25,000 each for this event...and that doesn't even allow you to dine with the president...just to witness him placing his hand on the bible!

A friend of mine in southern California has been pleading for tickets on his Facebook status for weeks.I doubt he'll get any luck there if they are this marketable.

The puzzling economics of this inauguration does not end with exhorbitant ticket prices.I don't envy DC mayor Adrian Fenty.He is bracing for unprecedented turnout of 3-5 million people.God knows how much post inaugural clean-up will cost.Security will be challenging.

The Obama Campaign is still soliciting for donations more than 2 weeks after the election was won and lost.Word is they need the funds for inauguration...so those Hillary Clinton debts will take a while yet to retire.

George Bush's 2nd inauguration holds the record,costing $40million.That was in the thick of the Iraq war.There is no doubt that Barack will not stop breaking records when it comes to his own inauguration cost.The only snag is that the majority of Bush Inauguration donors were big corporations.Barack will be eager to avoid this self-contradictory and antithetical indulgence.

There is also huge money to be made.Those lucky enough to get tickets will most likely spend a large chunk of their money on flights and travel.But they also need somewhere to sleep.Several DC residents are doing brisk business these days...especially if you are a disgruntled republican who wouldn't mind leaving town for the inauguration.

House swaps are the most straight forward.Family from Carlifornia exchanges homes with a republican DC houselhold for the period of the inauguration.DC family grapples with some wild fires as trade-off for the approaching snow storms.

The most farcical anecdote making rounds right now is that of a clown on craigslist offering his couch(!??) for $350/night...no meals,no pillows or blankets,just the couch.He lives in a studio and wants only attractive ladies to bid.Funny thing is several bids have come in,and the price is going up!

If this is any consolation to those of you who almost certainly will not get tickets to the swearing-in,the parade is also free.No lotteries.No tickets required.But given that authorities expect unprecedented turn-out,each person would probably only have enough room to stand on one foot!

Small price to pay.And yes we can.

OMC

Prop 8

A bit of recent history of Psychiatric diagnoses may help set the scene for this controversial piece.

Following controversy and protests from gay activists at the American Psychiatry Association(APA) annual conferences from 1970 to 1973, as well as the emergence of new data from researchers such as Alfred Kinsey and Evelyn Hooker, the seventh printing of the DSM-II, in 1974, no longer listed homosexuality as a category of disorder.

For my readers who are oblivious of what prop 8 is,this is a proposition(8) recently adopted in the state of California that sought to throw out and override a recent supreme court decision to legalize gay marriage in the state and afford same sex couples similiar rights as heterosexual couples.

Since the election on 11/04/08,there has been widespread protests daily by both proponents and opponents of the ballot initiative.The sheer amount of money involved in the campaign for prop 8 is as staggering as it indicates the enormity of the issue in contention.More than $73 million was spent by both sides in the run-up to the polls.Only the presidential contest spent more on campaigning.

Gay rights activists claim this is a historic struggle analogous to the civil rights struggle.Black leaders say that is an insult.Race and sexual orientation are apple and oranges.In fact,the numbers indicate that the large chunk of the vote that defeated prop 8 was cast by African-Americans.This is no surprise.Blacks in America have remained the most uncompromising on religious grounds.

The history of the civil rights movement is steeped in southern baptist pentecostal leadership.I will not even profess to have the final word on what scripture says on this issue.A quick internet search reveals both sides have compelling scriptural evidence to confirm their position and rebuff or denounce the opposition.The most poignant scripture my Catholic upbringing stressed in me was Gen 18 & 19;the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.Sodomy is still used parochially to refer to homosexuality to this day.The fine details of interpretation of relevant scripture is best left to veteran theologians.

One thing though is very clear.The gay issue is one of several social issues that will not be going away anytime soon.It is in puzzling company with the likes of abortion and stem cell research.These issues are peculiar in that they are passionately invested in individual beliefs and religious virtues.No legislation or ballot initiative will put them to bed now or in the distant future.

In large parts of Europe and Canada,gay marriage or civil union has been recognized for years.But then again,those parts are much more monolithic and liberal than the United States.The reality is that the US remains a center right country,and the religious right still remains a powerful force."Don't ask,don't tell" is still a patently inflammatory topic in the US military.Soldiers are no longer required to declare their sexual orientation at recruitment from 1993 but can still be dismissed if they openly express their preference while in the army.

This is no more evident than in the deep schism that has fragmented the Anglican Church in America over the gay bishop matter since Gene Robinson was approved by episcopalians in 2003.Some southern parishes in America openly encouraged the Nigerian Anglican Archbishop Peter Akinola to secede from the worldwide Anglican communion under the leadership of Rowan Williams.They swore to secede with him.Williams happens to be more tolerant of Gay Bishop ordinations than the majority of African and Asian bishops.This alone is a self-indicting irony.The fact that European missionaries imported Christianity to those parts of the world seem to have been lost on many.

Church pews in Europe these days are either empty or populated by the elderly...most young britons and Irish youths are still in bed during sunday church hours recovering from the hang-over of the previous night's clubbing.These days,Churches in Nigeria at least are experiencing unprecedented youth attendance and participation.Megachurch pastors are smiling to the bank as many more young people get bank jobs and pay tithes.Many of those pastors now boast private jets in their own hangars.

In contrast,parishes are closing in England due to low attendance and in some occasions even converted to pubs.

For the less cerebral mortals like me,the fear going forwards will be where all this ends.Now that homosexuality is merely a sexual orientation rather than deviant sexual behaviour.Will Pedophilia be the next paraphilia to be declassified by the APA? Will child sexual predators be one day able to "come out of the closet" and sponsor ballot initiatives?

For my son's sake,and for the sake of all that is common sense,I sincerely hope and pray not!

OMC

The Premiership

why are you changing the title from premier league round-up?

i don't see how that's your business.

really?

hmm hmm...

i can boycott it.

and why do you think i give a flyin rats ass whether you read it or not??

that's your problem..you are soo arrogant.typical chelsea fan.

we see things as we are,not as they are!

don't start that philosphical nonsense with me please.

well,how does it feel to see the esteemed young gunners lose again?

how did i know you were going to rave about arsenal again this week?

because they are THE NEWS.every writer tries to stay on the fun stuff...or risk losing readership.

i think it's envy..of the emirate football philosophy.

look my friend,football is no philosophy..it's a contact sport!

yea right..i have to admit though,it's extremely painful to see another trophyless season unravelling.

don't bother about trophies now.you need to solve the Wenger delusion.

you know i didn't study postgrad psychiatry like you...how's he deluded?

the fixed,firm,unshakable belief that youthful flambouyance can somehow compete with solidity in 21st century football...despite compelling evidence to the contrary!

i agree.i think i trace all this to David Dein's exit though.

that's like distant memory..wasn't that the bloke that hired him from Monaco in the first place?

yea.maybe we should bring him back to the emirates.Wenger has lost his way since Dein left.

who cares about Dein?didn't MAN-UTD also lose Peter Kenyon?

and look what's happening where Kenyon is these days..Chelsea have florished!

Oh,so you guys wont blame Roman's millions any more?

well, his millions bought Kenyon,innit?

look,arsenal had a chance to sell itself to some american investor but stubbornly rebuffed that..live with the consequences of your actions.its called adulthood.grow up.

heck,millions aren't everything..look at Man City

hey,Fahim hasn't even got a chance to fully flex his billionaire muscles yet.that's why wenger may not be able to strenghten in January or the summer.competition will be stiff.Wenger is stingy.

i see torres is back.

el nino was not sharp at all against bolton.

he only played a quarter an hour.

isn't Gerrard the most phenomenal midfielder alive?

jury's still out between him and Lampard...my brother Anthony doesn't agree though..he worships Stevie G.

You have to pity robbie keane though..God knows he's trying.

didn't he score last week?

he just doesn't look confident..far from the Spurs Keane we knew.i mean even Dirk Kuyt is more consistent...DIRK KUYT!!!

cool down,its just week 13...and whatever happened to all that Gareth Barry rave.

i dont think l/pool needs barry.they have alonso & mascherano...it's wenger that needs him.our midfield is lightweight with fabregas & denilson.and diaby is no viera.our defence was exposed by Young and Agbonlahor.

Speaking of Agbonlahor,is capello blind or what?he needs to drop this walcott guy and call Gaby up.

Despite myself,i agree....Gaby is a bit of a playboy though.

which premiership star isn't?

true.

its looking more of a 2-horse race by the day.

don't forget MAN-UTD have that game in hand...and its against FULHAM!!

don't disrespect fulham,my friend.they just destroyed spurs...and spurs has just completed a double on l'pool with that carling cup annihilation!

well,didn't chelsea lose to burnley too?

on penalties....

don't matter,it shouldn't be even close...and scolari was close to full strenght.

well, good for ade adebiyi...he gets to play against arsenal's youngsters in the 1/4 finals!

may well be an arsenal-spurs final.

you know how these cup games go,dude...who cares about carling cup anyways?

true.plus football is not mathematics.stoke beat arsenal.Man-utd walloped stoke 5-0 yesterday.arsenal beat Man-utd.all in the last 5 weeks!

i agree.the premiership is not logical at all.

you haven't talked about your team yet.

what's there to say?they are surprising me despite the growing injury list.Terry also joined the list yesterday.sob.sob.

i heard drogba was fully fit,but anelka was preferred.

it's a problem any manager would rather have.it woulda been unfair to bench anelka after his recent form.he's now scored 8 in 4!

can't they play together?

i don't think that's scolari's style.remember his days with the portuguese national team?he hardly had the luxury of one decent out and out striker.

yea.ronaldo was his top striker.lol.

am i the only one impressed with this bosingwa dude or what?

and he's a fine boy too!..look at that club tower.Carson had no chance!

turns out he was born in the DR Congo,came to portugal as a lil boy.

another loss for africa.

please..lets not start that conversation.

why dont you go open a clinic in Accra?... nonsense.

ok,you've started insulting me again..see you later.

bye.

Are we really the ones we've been waiting for?

We have all been there.It's called an anticlimax.You know the feeling.You finally passed an elusive professional exam after 4 attempts.You finally scored with an evasive crush.You hooked up a fish after hours of adjusting the line.You won the longest campaign into the most exalted office in all of mankind's history...then comes the night after.

The lights are all out.No more opponents to bash.No more speeches to give or interviews to grant.Just unbelievable weight of expectation.These days,those backroom meetings with Plouffe and Axelrod no longer discuss how to win an election,but how to keep promises and blunt expectations.World leaders are ceaselessly queued up on caller-in-waiting.

Pressmen no longer interested in your gaffes.Just what country the hypoallergenic dog's gonna hail from.You worry you might piss off the peruvians if you even politely turn down the ugly puppy they're offering to Sasha.Michelle can't decide on a good school for the girls in DC.Malia and Sasha run real risks of growing up into lil Chelsea Clintons in no time..Oh how you'd hate that!You'd actually want to raise girly girls if possible.

Oh there's the lil matter of this illegal aunt from Kenya.Thank goodness the press have distracted themselves from that story.You also worry animal rights activists might not be so pleased at reports of Malik's cruelty to the bull on election night in Nairobi.

The outgoing C-in-C did his best to put up a gracious public front at the white house meeting last Monday.But you're too smart to ignore the truism of "no-love-lost".You barely felt his concealed disdain though, as the breath-taking sight of the Oval office was an overriding presence.Just 2 weeks ago,as a junior senator,you were not even allowed in here...you had to wait in the lobby for the senior senators and committee chairmen to share the president's prevailing emotion on the issues.

You could already feel the lustful,flirting looks on the smokin' hot white house interns' faces...it's been a while America had a total bloke in the Oval office(and you are not even sworn in yet!)... these ones are gonna be toughies for 4-8 years.A constant reminder of Bill Clinton's last years should take care of that temptation!

By the way,what exactly does "happy to work with Obama" mean when it comes from the Governator and McSarah anyways??

Even as you struggle to project a busy mien in this transition period,Circuit city declares bankruptcy.The DOW again lost >400 points today.Iran tests more surface-to-air missiles with capacity to hit Israel and American targets.Another bomb goes off in Baghdad.The lobbyists you conveniently bashed during the campaign now shamelessly knock down the doors of your transition war cabinet room.How long can you hold out?All ex-presidents tell you no one can win against the powerful lobby groups...but you gave your word to the American people.

As you continue to avoid major drama in these coming 70 days (apart from that Nancy Reagan "seances" stuff),you increasingly wonder whether that Kenyan voodoo man really and trully foresaw your victory on his divine bones...you won't mind finding out if JFK's fate may yet be yours,and whether there are any other additional protection to that of the secret service.The good reverend Jeremiah is out of bounds now...cos that would be an I-told-you-so moment indeed!...remember,no drama.

You are under no illusions that mad men abound out there..and you still have millions of passionate enemies.

A very common perception is that the black man somehow succeeds in messing things up.Look what became of South Africa after 12 years of ANC rule.Look at the whole continent of Africa.The racist elements would like nothing better than your monumental failure...so that no other black man ever entertains the effrontery of running in future.

It's not too late to make history by being the first man to win a run into the Oval office and then graciously forgoes it!..Because seriously,you have failed to come up with a right answer to the question:"Why would anyone want George Bush's job at this time?"

You need the prayers of the faithful.

OMC

Premier League round-up

I predicted an intriguing season,but even I couldn't envision such a mad 1st eleven weeks of fixtures.


Conventional heirachy almost tossed completely in the trash.

Tottenham rooted to the bottom until today..pro-temp...pending tomorrow's results.

Man-Utd languishing in mid table for several weeks until the last couple.

Arsenal losing 3ce in 11 weeks.But that wasn't the news.The news is who Wenger is losing against this time.
Roll call:Fulham,Hull city and Stoke city!


Arsenal are yet to play any of the so-called top 4.That will change next week when they host MAN-Utd.These two teams have been exemplary in stability and sticking with their managers through thick and thin.However after 5 trophyless seasons,a loss to Man-Utd next week ,while not totally unfathomable may mean Arsene does not inhabit that hallowed zone of safety anymore...calls for his resignation will grow louder.


Liverpool fans found their voices in a truely inspiring start to the season,capping an unbeaten run of 10 games with a sweet victory over Chelsea destroying the latter's long unbeaten home record.

But L'Pool fans will soon discover what Arsenal fans found out perenially to their chagrin:it is simply not enough to beat the big four....you have to put the lower teams away too..or at least avoid stupid defeats against them!..that's how the league is won.



It may be instructive to L'Pool fans that Spurs have already played Chelsea and Arsenal this season.While those games will not be the fondest in the memories of those fans,their teams did not lose.L'pool lost today against a resurgent spurs side...and may look back to this game come May '09 with some regret.



Chelsea should be feared.
Essien,Ballack,Carvalho and Drogba did not start this game.These are certain starters if fit.They have been missing for several weeks,yet Chelsea lead the league with a dizzying goal difference advantage.

Even the incurable Chelsea haters have to give it to the pensioneers this season.
The demolition of sunderland should not be shrugged off.Sunderland are much stronger this season under Keane and have shown discipline.Sunderland have already beaten Spurs away and drawn with Arsenal this season.


All of a sudden,the borin',borin' Chelsea chants of yesteryears seem medieval.Chelsea is already by far the most entertaining side to watch this season...only unlike Arsenal in the last couple,they are winning too!



OMC