Saturday, September 13, 2025

Crawford Def. Canelo

 

The smaller, older boxer took on and took down the younger, stronger boxer. And it was a legendary night for boxing champion Terence 'Bud' Crawford from Omaha, Nebraska.

The super middleweight championship fight was mostly a feeling out fight through the early rounds. Canelo would land mostly body shots while Crawford got in mostly head shots. It seemed to be pretty even until around the sixth round, where Crawford seemed to outwork and perhaps outland Canelo.

A Canelo headbutt in the ninth didn't draw blood on Crawford as he appeared to convincingly win all rounds from then on. Crawford got more relaxed as the fight went on, and it seemed Canelo got more and more frustrated and disgusted with himself.

Canelo still shows power, and it was almost as if you were watching and waiting for a Canelo power punch to connect and turn the fight completely in his favor. But the big punch never landed, in part due to the skillful footwork, defense, and cunningness of Crawford.

Terence Crawford is a Smart, Strategical warrior who I believe has solidified himself as one of the greats of this boxing era. He moved up two weight classes for this fight and while Canelo might have been the more proven champion coming in, Crawford proved he is and should have always been on the same championship level radar as Canelo. 

Boxing owes Terence Crawford an apology for not featuring him in more championship, big purse events throughout his career. But tonight, we boxing fans are just excited to see this 37-year-old warrior display his championship skills in front of a record 70,482 spectators at Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium. It broke the record of 29,214 set in 1982 (Holmes vs Cooney).

And Terence Crawford becomes the first four-division world champion in boxing history.

I hope the stadium is prepped and ready for my Raiders (1-0) season opener there on Monday Night Football against the rival Chargers (1-0). Maybe the Raiders can take some tips from Crawford and out gameplan and outwork the Jim Harbaugh led Chargers, neutralizing their offense while cutting them down to size. Can't Wait!

Congratulations Terence Crawford on an impressive, Undisputed championship victory!



Winner by Unanimous Decision

Judges Scorecard
116-112
115-113
115-113

Round-by-round: Crawford tops Canelo, makes boxing history - ESPN

Friday, September 12, 2025

The Gun's Eulogy by Frederick Joseph

 


Author/Poet Frederick Joseph has written an incredible poetic justice piece on gun violence and the irony of one of its latest victims.

I did not know of this latest gun victim's advocacy for preserving the second amendment. He is quoted as saying, "Gun deaths are an unfortunate but acceptable cost of preserving Second Amendment rights."

Unfortunately, a gun has now claimed the life of one who had gone to great lengths to defend its place in society.

The piece written about this man's tragic end by senseless gun violence kind of reminds me of that James Brown "King Heroin" song, where Heroin is talking, telling the masses who he is and what he is capable of. It's a warning to stay off drugs. 

What better warning to society about gun violence than to hear a cold, unempathetic firearm cheer on the violence and destructive nature it spreads in society. It seems, by its own confession, that the gun seeks out advocates who praise it as the instrument of "victory by obliteration."

I am not an advocate for violence of any kind. I try my darndest to not harbor hate in my heart towards anyone or any living thing.  I am a believer in an Almighty God; therefore, I pray for all victims of violence as well as those advocating violence. I pray God will enter the hearts of all mankind, especially impressionable youth who are looking for direction, and guide them toward accepting all mankind (love) and uplifting our human condition through new, innovative means. 

I pray we as a civilization might finally bury the prejudices that come with divisive ethnic, national and tribal-like supremacy theories. Old hatreds, greed and violence are hard addictions to overcome, but we must learn and strive to be better than those who came before us. Or, as the old saying goes, "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." - George Santayana

Our fight should be against disease, hunger, natural disasters and such. We should try preserving the good advancements of mankind while doing away with the bad inheritance of hate. The ruins of civilizations past, due to mankind warring with one another are reminders of the destructive nature of violence. It is not the world that man's destructive behavior will destroy, only the people in it.

- Donald Trump, U.S. Presidential Candidate (2016)

by Frederick Joseph


Tuesday, September 02, 2025

Federal Judge Restores Democracy to Los Angeles

 


A U.S. District Judge has ruled the Trump Administration broke the law by deploying National Guard troops.

United States Constitution survives authoritarian challenge. 
For Now!

Story by Gabe Whisnant

California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has responded after a federal judge ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration broke the law by deploying National Guard troops to Southern California during immigration enforcement operations and related protests.

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco stopped short of ordering the troops' immediate removal but said his ruling would take effect Friday, September 12. Breyer is the younger brother of Stephen Breyer, who served as a Supreme Court justice from 1994 to 2022.

The ruling blocks the Trump administration from "deploying, ordering, instructing, training, or using the National Guard currently deployed in California, and any military troops heretofore deployed in California, to execute the laws, including but not limited to engaging in arrests, apprehensions, searches, seizures, security patrols, traffic control, crowd control, riot control, evidence collection, interrogation, or acting as informants."

Newsom said in a statement, "Today, the court sided with democracy and the Constitution. No president is a king — not even Trump — and no president can trample a state's power to protect its people. As the court today ruled, Trump is breaking the law by 'creating a national police force with the President as its chief.' That's exactly what we've been warning about for months. There is no rampant lawlessness in California, and in fact, crime rates are higher in Republican-led states."

Why It Matters

The ruling comes as Trump has discussed deploying the National Guard to various Democratic-led cities, including Chicago, Baltimore and New York, citing concerns about violent crime in the cities. However, crime statistics show that many Republican-run states and cities have equal, or higher, rates of crime.

Trump has already deployed the National Guard in Washington, D.C., in addition to placing the city's police department under federal control.

"President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have stated their intention to call National Guard troops into federal service in other cities across the country—including Oakland and San Francisco, here in the Northern District of California—thus creating a national police force with the President as its chief," Breyer wrote in his ruling.

What To Know

In June, Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed an emergency request asking the court to block Trump and the Department of Defense from expanding the current mission of federalized Cal Guard personnel and Marines.

The governor's office said the soldiers were ordered to "engage in unlawful civilian law enforcement activities in communities across the region."

Roughly 4,000 National Guard soldiers and 700 Marines were deployed to Los Angeles in early June to deal with protests over immigration enforcement, despite objections from local and state officials.

What is the Posse Comitatus Act?

The Posse Comitatus Act is a law passed in 1878 that limits the use of federal military personnel. Breyer said the Trump administration violated the law in its deployment of the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles.

"Because Defendants' alleged violations of the Posse Comitatus Act include allegations that Task Force 51 troops have engaged in law enforcement—a domain traditionally within the state's control—California has suffered an injury that gives it standing to challenge those violations," Breyer wrote.

What People Are Saying

California Governor Gavin Newsom, in a statement: "Trump's attempt to use federal troops as his personal police force is illegal, authoritarian, and must be stopped in every courtroom across this country."

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, in a ruling: "Los Angeles was the first U.S. city where President Trump and Secretary Hegseth deployed troops, but not the last."

What Happens Next

Breyer's ruling is scheduled to go into effect on Friday, September 12, which could give the Trump administration time to appeal the ruling.

This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.

Update 09/02/25 1:31 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.


Democracy Now! | Democracy Now!

Monday, September 01, 2025

Raider Nation Comes Alive!

 


This is the year, Raider Nation. This is our hour. This is our time to show up and show out. 

We are one week away from the Raiders taking the field to begin their trek towards a championship. Sure, the odds are against them to win it all. But the odds, the league, and all the haters are always against our beloved Raiders, so what's new.

What's new is us. We come into the 2025 season sporting a new head coach who's been to the mountain top and won. We are also sporting a new beast-mode running back itching to prove his mettle in the NFL. We got a new quarterback ready and able to lead our offense toward greatness, and a defense led by our fearless leader #98, mutha frickin Madd Maxx Crosby

If you ask me, I say our chances of reaching the mountaintop of NFL football this season are as good as any. Even better. Who the hell is hungrier than us? Screw KC!
And it all begins next Sunday, Football Sunday, Commitment to Excellence Sunday dammit!

We who wear silver & black don't back down from the challenge to compete. We don't wait to fight another day. We go full throttle until the end-of-game whistle sounds. Then and only then, Win, Lose, or Tie, do we assess where we stand, care to the wounded and evaluate our game plan strategy moving forward.

So, Raider Nation, I ask YOU:

Do You Feel Like I Do?

DO YOU FEEL LIKE I DO?

DO YOU FEEL, DO YOU FEEL
DO YOU FEEL LIKE I DO?


Frampton Comes Alive!

Woke up this morning with a wine glass in my handWhose wine? What wine?Where the hell did I dine?Must have been a dreamI don't believe where I've beenCome on, let's do it again
Do you, you feel like I do?Do you, you feel like I do?
My friend got busted just the other dayThey said, "Don't walk, don't walk, don't walk away"Drove him to a taxiBent the boot, hit the backHad to play some music otherwise he'd just crack
Do you, you feel like I do?Do you, you feel like I do?Yeah, do you, you feel like I do?Do you, you feel like I do?
Champagne for breakfast with a Sherman in my handPart hope part ales never failsMust have been a dreamI don't believe where I've beenCome on, we're gonna do it again
Do you, you feel like I do?Do you, you feel like I do?
Do you feelDo you feel like I do?Do you feel, do you feelDo you feel like I do?Do you feel, do you feelDo you feel like I do?Do you feel, do you feelDo you feel like we do?Like I do?