Stand with Kanye

Kanye West wore his MAGA hat on Saturday Night Live's season opener.
He didn't get much understanding.

Republicans read, too

Clay Travis has a new book out - Republicans buy sneakers, too.
So he spends this week's mailbag talking politics.
It's everything you need to know about the Kavanaugh situation.

Weekend watchdog

The United States Ryder Cup team will try to do something not done since 1993 this weekend - win on foreign soil.
The 2018 Ryder Cup starts Friday on Golf Channel from Le Golf National in Paris. NBC takes over coverage Saturday at 3 a.m. and Sunday at 6 a.m.
In the past 25 years, the United States team has only won three times on home soil against eight victories by the European squad.
Tiger Woods, fresh of the win at the Tour championship, is one of the captain's choices on the 12-man United States team. He last participated in the Ryder Cup in 2012, going 0-3-1.
The baseball regular season closes for the Orioles with a four-game set against the AL West champion Astros on MASN, including a doubleheader Saturday.
The Nationals take on the Rockies on MASN2 for the weekend.
ESPN has a pair of contests Friday, with Cardinals-Cubs at 2:20 p.m. and the Yankees meet the Red Sox at 7 p.m. Fox has either Yankees-Red Sox or Cardinals against Cubs Saturday at 1 p.m. and the Tigers take on the Brewers at 7 p.m. on FoxSports1.
All Sunday games start at 3:05 p.m., with TBS carrying Red Sox against Yankees.
CBS has the Bengals' contest with the Falcons at 1 p.m. followed by Saints-Giants. The Eagles take on the Titans on Fox at 1 p.m.
The Ravens meet the Steelers Sunday on NBC, and it's Chiefs-Broncos on ESPN Monday at 8:15 p.m.
North of the border, Saskatchewan battles Montreal on ESPN2 Sunday at 1 p.m.
The college football weekend continues Friday as Tulane takes on Memphis at 8 p.m. on ESPN2, and FoxSports1 has UCLA-Colorado at 9 p.m.
Clemson clashes with Syracuse on ABC Saturday at noon and Baylor battles Oklahoma at 3:30 p.m. In primetime, Ohio State travels to Penn State.
Georgia takes on Tennessee on CBS at 3:30 p.m.
Michigan meets Northwestern on Fox at 4:30 p.m. before BYU faces Washington at 7:30 p.m.
NBC has the top 10 matchup between Stanford and Notre Dame at 7:30 p.m.
Virginia tangles with North Carolina State on the ACC network at 12:20 p.m.
ESPN starts its day at noon with Texas A&M facing Arkansas. Florida faces Mississippi State at 6 p.m. before LSU tangles with Mississippi at 9 p.m.
Texas Tech takes on West Virginia at noon on ESPN2 and Florida State visits Louisville at 3:30 p.m. It's Virginia Tech against Duke at 7 p.m. and Arizona hosts Southern Cal in the nightcap.
FoxSports1 offers Central Michigan-Michigan State at noon, then it's Texas-Kansas State at 3:30 p.m. Oregon clashes with California at 10:30 p.m.
Bowling Green battles Georgia Tech at noon on NBC Sports Washington, followed by Rice-Wake Forest. NBC Sports Washington has James Madison-Richmond at 3 p.m.
Charlotte hosts NASCAR for the weekend, with the Monster Series on NBC Sunday at 2 p.m. The Xfinity Series goes Saturday at 3 p.m. on NBC Sports network.
The Russian Grand Prix goes Sunday at 7:05 a.m. on ESPN2, after qualifying Saturday at 7:55 a.m.
The Capitals continue preseason play against Carolina Friday at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Washington and the Blues Sunday at 3 p.m.
West Ham United battles Manchester United on NBC Sports network Saturday at 7:25 a.m. followed by Manchester City against Brighton & Hove Albion. Chelsea clashes with Liverpool at 12:25 p.m.
The Red Bulls meet Atlanta United Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN. Sporting Kansas City hosts Real Salt Lake on FoxSports1 Sunday at 5 p.m.
In the Bundesliga, Hertha Berlin takes on Bayern Munich Friday at 2:30 p.m. on FoxSports1. Hoffenheim faces Leipzig Saturday at 9:30 a.m. and it's Eintracht Frankfurt-Hannover Sunday at 9:30 a.m.
Southern Cal takes on Stanford in women's volleyball on ESPN2 at 11:30 p.m. Friday.
NBC Sports network has the Breeders Cup Challenge Series Saturday at 7 p.m.
In NBA preseason action, the Lakers tangle with the Nuggets on ESPN Sunday at 9:30 p.m. The women's World Cup championship will be on ESPN Sunday at 3 p.m.

Who leaked the letter?

After Brett Kavanaugh earns his seat on the Supreme Court, one question will remain.
Who leaked Dr. Ford's letter to the media?
That person owes the country the past two weeks.

Kavanausea

ZeroHedge found a perfect word to describe this week's news cycle, and Althouse approves.

End the hostage situation

Judge Kavanaugh has been held hostage long enough.
We wants to talk Thursday.
He's been ready to talk for over a week.
After he talks, the committee can vote Friday.
The new Supreme Court term starts Monday.
Time for Democrats to stop stalling.

It's Democrats doing the screwing

It's come to this - Judge Kavanaugh had to say in an interview that he was a virgin in high school and for years after.
The years Democrats have been questioning for the last week.
TMI?
Democrats have been giving no information, so he had to take his stand.

Investigation underway

Judge Kavanaugh's accuser wants an FBI investigation into her charge.
They have a man for the job.

He just needs to know a date and location. It's hard going back in times multiple times.

Weekend watchdog

The best 30 golfers in the world look to end the season on a high note - at the PGA championship.
There's $10 million on the line for the event winner, depending on how other golfers do over the weekend. Bryson DeChambeau leads the field with the best chance to win, with Tiger Woods 20th among the 30 golfers.
NBC has final round coverage Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
There's a potential baseball postseason preview this weekend with the Red Sox meeting the Indians Friday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2 and Sunday at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
Fox has the Giants against the Cardinals Saturday at 1 p.m., with other areas getting Phillies-Braves.
The Orioles visit the Yankees for the weekend on MASN, with Sunday's game also on TBS.
The Nationals take on the Mets Thursday on MASN, moving to MASN2 for the rest of the weekend.
The Ravens host the Broncos on CBS Sunday at 1 p.m. Fox has Redskins-Packers at 1 p.m. followed by the Cowboys' clash with Seattle.
The Patriots visit the Lions on NBC Sunday at 8:20 p.m., with Steelers-Buccaneers Monday at 8:15 p.m. on ESPN.
The college football weekend continues Friday as Central Florida hosts Florida Atlantic at 7 p.m. on ESPN, followed by Washington State-USC. Penn State visits Illinois on FoxSports1 at 9 p.m.
Notre Dame travels to Wake Forest on ABC Saturday at noon. Georgia Tech takes on Clemson at 3:30 p.m. and it's Stanford-Oregon in primetime.
Top-ranked Alabama takes on Texas A&M at 3:30 p.m. on CBS.
Texas tangles with TCU on Fox at 4:30 p.m. followed by Iowa-Wisconsin.
Virginia starts ACC play against Louisville at 12:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Washington. James Madison hosts William & Mary at 3:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Washington-plus.
ESPN starts its day at noon with Georgia's contest with Missouri, followed by West Virginia-Kansas State at 3:30 p.m. It's Florida-Tennessee at 7 p.m. and Washington meets Arizona State in the nightcap at 10:30 p.m.
Boston College battles Purdue on ESPN2 at noon, and Miami meets Florida International at 3:30 p.m. Kentucky tangles with Mississippi State at 7 p.m. Air Force faces Utah State at 10:15 p.m
The ACC network offers North Carolina-Pittsburgh at 12:20 p.m.
Michigan meets Nebraska at noon on FoxSports1. Baylor battles Kansas at 3:30 p.m. then Texas Tech takes on Oklahoma State at 7 p.m.
NASCAR visits Richmond for the second race of the playoff slate. The Monster Series goes Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on NBC Sports network, with the Xfinity Series Friday 7:30 p.m.
In the MLS, Philadelphia faces Sporting Kansas City Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN. The Sounders take on the Galaxy Sunday at 7 p.m. on FoxSports1.
Fulham faces Watford in the Premier League Saturday at 7:25 a.m. on NBC Sports network, followed by Liverpool-Southampton. NBC has Brighton's clash with Tottenham Hotspur at 12:30 p.m.
West Ham United battles Chelsea at 8:25 a.m. Sunday before Arsenal's contest with Everton.
ESPN2 has Italian Serie A soccer between Napoli and Torino Sunday at 6:25 a.m.
In the Bundesliga, Hoffenheim faces Borussia Dortmund Saturday at 9:30 a.m. on FoxSports1. Leverkusen takes on Mainz Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and it's Eintracht Frankfurt-Leipzig at noon.
Virginia Tech faces N.C. State in college soccer Friday at 5 p.m. on NBC Sports Washington.
NHL preseason continues Friday at 7:30 p.m. with the Capitals taking on the Carolina on NBC Sports Washington.

Recycling update

A rare mid-week trip to recycle cans, and I received 50 cents per pound again.

Believe the professor

Ann Althouse simply answers the question why the media believe Kavanaugh's accuser.
I'm overhearing the television, so I'm not going to link to anything, but I keep hearing the indicia of elite status — notably, that Blasey is a college professor.
I'm trying to think of how her allegations should be handled, and I want like cases to be treated alike. When will one allegation from long ago justify delaying the Senate confirmation process and the opening of new investigations?
The answer cannot be: when the accuser has elite status!
I'm thinking of how Paula Jones was denigrated 20 years ago. "If you drag a hundred-dollar bill through a trailer park, you never know what you'll find," James Carville said famously.

Undefeated team watch

With two games left in Week 2, there are only seven teams left without a loss or tie.
Miami, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Denver, Tampa Bay and the Los Angeles Rams have made it to 2-0.
None of those teams will meet in Week 3.
The 1972 Miami Dolphins continue watching and waiting for anybody to get close to their record perfect season.

Text test coming

Thursday, FEMA will send out a text titled "Presidential Alert."
It's just to make sure everybody in the country can be reached in case of national emergency.
Nothing from President Trump.
But if you don't like President Trump, go ahead and throw away your phone.
He won't mind.

Facebook quote of the week

My birthday present to me (part one). This is a mattock, for digging in dirt. (Yes, I confess, I went to www.dictionary.com to ascertain the proper spelling.) The one that I'd used for years fell apart a few months ago. I am planning to have some fun with this one. P.S.: When my children were little, I'd talk about using the mattock in the yard. They thought I was saying I was going to use "the mad axe."

Saturday song

With a tropical storm creeping through the Carolinas, the rain must fall.

Weekend watchdog

NASCAR's home is in the Southeast. But its 10-race playoff run begins far from the dangers of Hurricane Florence.
Las Vegas hosts the Monster Series Sunday at 3 p.m. on NBC Sports network.
Sixteen NASCAR drivers have a chance at the overall championship for 2018. But three have dominated the first 26 races - Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. has combined for 17 wins so far in 2018.
 The Xfinity Series goes Saturday at 5 p.m. on NBC Sports network and FoxSports1 has the Truck Series Friday at 9 p.m.
Hurricane Florence has many event in flux throughout the weekend.
As the baseball playoffs loom, Fox brings back Saturday afternoon baseball with the Dodgers at Cardinals and Nationals' visit to Atlanta Saturday at 1 p.m.
 FoxSports1 has the Twins' contest with the Royals Saturday at 7:15 p.m., and TBS brings the Diamondbacks against the Astros Sunday at 2:10 p.m. ESPN closes the weekend with Dodgers-Cardinals Sunday at 8:05 p.m.
The Orioles face the A's Thursday at 7 p.m. on MASN and host the White Sox for the weekend.
 The Nationals face the Braves on MASN2 Friday and Sunday, weather permitting.
NFL network has its first Thursday night game this week, with the Ravens visiting the Bengals at 8:20 p.m.
The Redskins open their home season against the Colts on CBS Sunday at 1 p.m., with Patriots-Jaguars in the late afternoon slot. Fox in Virginia shows the Vikings against the Packers, with northern Virginia airing the Cardinals clash with the Rams.
The Cowboys tangle with the Giants on NBC Sunday at 8:20 p.m., and the Seahawks meet the Bears on ESPN at 8:15 p.m.
The college football season starts Thursday at 5:30 p.m.  as Wake Forest hosts Boston College on ESPN. James Madison has its home opener against Robert Morris on NBC Sports Washington at 6 p.m.
Georgia State meets Memphis on ESPN Friday at 7 p.m.
Oklahoma tangles with Iowa State at noon on ABC and BYU faces Wisconsin at 3:30 p.m. In primetime, Ohio State heads to TCU.
Notre Dame hosts Vanderbilt on NBC at 2:30 p.m.
CBS offers LSU's contest against Auburn at 3:30 p.m.
Texas Tech takes on Houston at 4:15 p.m. on Fox and it's Texas-Southern Cal at 8:30 p.m.
ESPN starts its day at noon with Syracuse-Florida State. Oklahoma State tangles with Boise State at 3:30 p.m. before top-ranked Alabama travels to Mississippi at 7 p.m. Washington meets Utah in the nightcap at 10 p.m.
Toledo takes on Miami at noon on ESPN2, followed by Virginia against Ohio from Nashville at 4:30 p.m. It's Georgia-Middle Tennessee at 7:15 p.m.
 Penn State hosts Kent State on FoxSports1 at noon, then Duke duels with Baylor at 3:30 p.m. UCLA and Fresno State close the night at 10:30 p.m.
NBC Sports Washington has Georgia Tech's game with Pittsburgh at noon and Louisville meets Western Kentucky at 7:30 p.m.
Rutgers takes on Kansas at noon on MASN2.
D.C. United meets the Red Bulls Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN. Orlando FC takes on Chicago Sunday at 5 p.m. on FoxSports1
 Bayern Munich battles Bayer Leverkusen Saturday at 9:30 a.m. on FoxSports1.
ESPN2 has the Singapore Grand Prix Sunday at 8:55 a.m., with qualifying Saturday at 8:55 a.m.

Benefits of technology

While people in South Carolina hit the road Tuesday and the storm appears to be at least 24 hours away, DaTech Guy explains the benefits.
As we all watch the cone of Hurricane Florence head toward the east coast we need to be thankful that we have a full week’s warning and plenty of time for people to get ready. Imagine what it must have been like for people 100 years ago when you might get a day or two’s warning at best or 150 years ago when there would have been no warning at all.
We don’t understand just how lucky we are sometimes.

Baby, the rain must fall

It's the waiting game for Hurricane Florence.
Inland in Central Virginia, it's not the major winds that concern.
It's the rain, and the track of the storm.
Earlier models had 10-15 inches pending in the Fishersville area.
Now it looks like 2-4 inches.
Plenty, but not what other areas will get.
Who gets it?
We wait.
Maybe watch the Weather Channel or news, but watching TV reporters struggle to stand in the wind doesn't maintain excitement for long.

Best in 50 years

President Trump has the media fact-checkers going crazy Monday, touting the GDP and unemployment numbers.
The fact-checkers say it's not the first time in 100 years.
The GDP topped unemployment in the 50s and 60s.
But the last time was in 2006 - 12 years including the eight where Obama was president.
At a briefing with reporters Monday, Kevin Hassett, chairman of Trump's Council of Economic Advisors, conceded that Trump's claim was not true.
"From the initial fact to what the president said … I don't know the whole chain of command," he said. "What is true it is that it's the highest in 10 years. At some point somebody probably conveyed it to him adding a zero to that, and they shouldn't have done that."
The last time was in the first quarter of 2006, when unemployment was about 4.7 percent and quarterly GDP growth was 5.4 percent, government data show.

The racist dance

There's many times this point in a political discussion.
You're racist.
"I personally am not racist."
There is systematic, institutional racism in the United States.
"How can I not be a racist?"
Agree with us.

Saturday song

Get the morning lowdown from Boz Scaggs.

Facebook quote of the week

Hot enough for ya?
Yes. Yes it is.

Drop a curtain on the show

Legal Insurrection looks back at the protests during the Kavanaugh confirmation hearing.
The lesson of nominating Mitt Romney for president is that it doesn’t matter how objectively nice a Republican presidential candidate is, the media and Democrats will portray the person as a monster.
Romney was portrayed as someone whose main attributes were that he gave a woman cancer and kept women in binders. His decency on the campaign trail was not rewarded. The media swarmed to ensure his defeat. Nominating objectively nice guy 
Brett Kavanaugh also wasn’t rewarded. They Romneyed him, portraying him as a liar seeking to enslave women and numerous identity groups.

Weekend watchdog

The Eagles decided not to visit the White House after winning Super Bowl LII.
But they get another championship perk - opening at home Thursday on NBC.
The Eagles battle the Falcons to kick off the 99th season of NFL football with backup quarterback Nick Foles still at the helm while Carson Wentz continues to heal.
The Ravens open their season against the Bills Sunday at 1 p.m. on CBS. Fox has the Giants' contest with the Jaguars before the Redskins take on the Cardinals.
NBC starts its Sunday night package with the Bears visiting the Packers at 8:20 p.m. The ESPN slate begins Monday at 7:10 p.m. when the Lions take on the Jets. The Raiders and Jon Gruden meet the Rams in the nightcap at 10:15 p.m.
The college football weekend kicks off Friday with TCU taking on SMU on ESPN2 at 8 p.m.
ABC starts Saturday with either Georgia Tech-South Florida or Arizona against Houston at noon. The game not seen over the air will be on ESPN2. Nebraska tangles with Colorado at 3:30 p.m. and in primetime Penn State plays Pittsburgh.
Oklahoma takes on UCLA on Fox at 1 p.m., followed by Iowa-Iowa State at 5 p.m. and Stanford's contest with Southern Cal at 8:30 p.m.
South Carolina opens the SEC season against Georgia at 3:30 p.m. on CBS.
Notre Dame battles with Ball State on NBC at 3:30 p.m.
ESPN opens its day at noon with Mississippi State visiting Kansas State. Clemson clashes with Texas A&M at 7 p.m. and Arizona State hosts Michigan State at 10:45 p.m.
Alabama faces Arkansas State on ESPN2 at 3:30 p.m.
Michigan meets Western Michigan on FoxSports1 at noon, and it's Minnesota-Fresno State at 7:30 p.m.
Florida State faces Samford on the ACC network at 7 p.m.
NBC Sports Washington brings North Carolina State against Georgia State at 12:30 p.m. and Fordham faces Richmond at 6 p.m.
Delaware meets Lafayette on MASN at 3:30 p.m.
It's one last chance to reach the NASCAR playoffs this weekend, as the Monster Series visits Indianapolis Sunday at 2 p.m. on NBC Sports network. The Xfinity Series goes Saturday at 3 p.m.
The Orioles travel to Tampa Bay for the weekend on MASN2.
The Cubs visit the Nationals for a four-game set on MASN, with Sunday's finale also on TBS.
FoxSports1 has the Astros-Red Sox Saturday at 4 p.m. and the two teams tangle again on ESPN Sunday at 8 p.m.
The PGA tour playoffs continue with the BMW Championship on NBC Saturday at noon and Sunday at 2 p.m.
ESPN has the men's championship of the U.S. Open Sunday at 4 p.m. The women's final is Saturday at 4 p.m. on ESPN and the women's doubles championship is on ESPN2 Sunday at 1 p.m.
The semifinals are Thursday for the women and Friday for the men.
The United States has an international friendly with Brazil Friday at 8 p.m. on FoxSports1.

Understanding Woodward

Bob Woodward usually sticks with Washington subjects for his books, but his focus on John Belushi many years ago prompts an article in the National Post.
Wired is an anomaly in the Woodward catalog, the only book he’s ever written about a subject other than Washington. As such, it’s rarely cited by his critics. But Wired’s outlier status is the very thing that makes it such a fascinating piece of Woodwardology. Because he was forced to work outside of his comfort zone, his strengths and his weaknesses can be seen in sharper relief.
Wired is an infuriating piece of work. There’s never a smoking gun like an outright falsehood or a brazen ethical breach. And yet, in the final product, a lot of what Woodward writes comes off as being not quite right — some of it to the point where it can feel quite wrong. Getting the facts is only part of the equation. You have to present those facts in context and in proportion to other facts in order to accurately reflect reality. It’s here that Woodward fails.

Chick-fil-A brand shoes

The furor over Nike, and now Levi's, makes you wonder where the boycotts about political choices will head.
Let's go back to the Chick-fil-A boycotts that didn't work.
If you eat there, shoes and jeans with their logos might take care of you.
Except on Sundays.

New rule for Kaepernick

If Colin Kaepernick ever signs with a team, the NFL should be ready.
When he enters the game, the defense can bring an American flag out on the field.
Kaepernick would have to take a knee at the sight of the flag.
Three downs - three plays losing yardage - and Kaepernick's offense leaves the field for the punting team.
Don't think the rule is fair?
The NFL just wants to show their respect for the flag and country.

Red alert in Red Hen's area

The Roanoke Times tells of Lexington and Rockbridge County boosting its marketing after a rough summer.
Using emergency funds.
I thought the Red Hen not serving Sarah Huckabee Sanders was the popular choice?
Director of Marketing Patty Williams said the area is still feeling effects from the controversy — the tourism office received a letter Thursday from a family in Georgia who said they would never come back to the area because of what happened. And during the immediate aftermath of the incident, the tourism office received thousands of phone calls and emails.
“For a town our size, it was a significant impact,” Williams said.
The tourism office also decided to conduct a perceptions survey in its top four markets — Roanoke, Richmond, Norfolk and Washington, D.C. The office is working with a survey company to find frequent travelers living in those areas to answer questions about whether they recall the incident, where it took place and whether it would affect their decision to travel there. A total of 400 people will be surveyed.

Remembering Denton

Before John McCain entered the Senate in 1986, another Vietnam POW made the chamber - Jeremiah Denton of Alabama.
He only served one term, but provides an interesting contrast to McCain.
Denton’s cause was explicitly the preservation of Western Civilization. As he understood it, this was a civilization with deep, ancient, theological, philosophical, and cultural roots. This traditional order for which Denton fought and legislated, which scarcely exists anymore, is about much more than democracy, even much more than liberty.
McCain’s attachment was to a shallower, less developed political posture.It was a conflation of militaristic American patriotism with international ideological campaigns for installing democratic electoral systems anywhere and everywhere, even where plainly there exists no cultural environment in which true democracy or the rule of law might take root.

Kidney stone tearing apart the church

My church this morning used the passage from Matthew about Peter being the rock upon which the church would be built.
Catholics consider Peter to be the first pope, starting a line that continues to today.
What kind of rock is Pope Francis?
Seems more like a kidney stone.
Much smaller in stature than Peter.
Not a building block for something good, but an irritant.
Causing great, instance pain.
Hopefully, this too shall pass.

Only thing missing was an Elton John song

The John McCain funeral train should be coming to an end Sunday, with his burial in Annapolis.
It might be safe to watch the news again.
It's been a week of wall-to-wall coverage and Trump bashing.
More coverage than recent funerals for famous people.
Maybe Princess Di topped it - coming in the end of August-Labor Day period when there's not much other news to talk about.
Bring on the Kavanaugh hearings.

Don't trust David Pecker

Last week's news included the head of American Media - David Pecker - getting immunity in the government probes of people who knew Donald Trump.
Can Pecker be trusted?
He's killed before.
He killed the Weekly World News after he bought the tabloid along with the National Enquirer.
The guy who took over bears the delightfully Dickensian name of David Pecker. In 1999, Pecker bought American Media, which owned the National Enquirer, the Star and the Weekly World News. Changes were made and soon a lot of WWN's old-timers were gone -- Eddie Clontz, Ivone, Berger, Lind, Kulpa -- replaced by young comedy writers.
"He wanted to hire comedy writers," Ivone says. "But it's not just comedy. It's a different skill set."
Gradually, WWN changed. Bat Boy became a comic strip, one of several strips in the new WWN, none of them very comic. The new editors also added lame advice columns by "Lester the Typing Horse" and "Sammy the Chatting Chimp." Ed Anger remained and he was still "pig-biting mad" but he wasn't so funny anymore. Circulation plummeted.
I don't trust him based on this from 2007.

Facebook quote of the week

"Neighbors loved this song so much they threw a rock at my window to hear it better."

Saturday song

Tavares knows all the detectives and wants help finding "Whodunit."