Italy

Farai Chideya must love my evil laughter because once again I join another episode of NPRs News and Notes' Blogger Roundtable. And grock knows it's going to be difficult not to laugh. One of the topics we may be discussing? Tom Tancredo.

Tom Tancreado refused to appear on Univisión's Foro Republicano because he's against the "balkanization" of the United States. You can find his intellectually weak rationalization on this TV news interview. While watching that piece of genius, I stumbled upon an actual interpretation of his annoucement put together by a group called "Team Tancredo" (which may or may not be affiliated to the candidate) :

I honestly can't believe these guys are serious. Do we need to remind Tom Tancredo, the son-of-immigrant Italians, and his team to never go there? Two can play that game. Worst part? The following is a "real life" clip :

Editor's Note:
Promoted and post-dated by liza; who says this one is an instant classic and a serious must read.

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So, I had a conversation with Stinkapee. She wanted to know why the British had enslaved Black Africans, our ancestors and dragged them over here to work. I gave her a simple answer. I told her that they probably had Dursleys for parents.

I was talking to my counsellor when I realized that I was more accurate than I realized. The "parents" of the British, the influential people that Western historians would probably say came before the British were the Romans who invaded that tiny island way back when it was just a collection of warring tribes.

Does this sound familiar?

So, the ancestors of the Scots, the Irish, the Welsh, umm...there might be others, were just there minding their own business, painting themselves blue, having yearly rituals in the honour of the earth goddess, trying to jostle for better land, more food, fertile wimmin...of course this is a gross over simplification...

When along came the Romans sweeping across Europe, dominating, harming, "civilizing", everything in their wake as they stretched the boundaries of their state's reach.

These, warlike, patriarchal, dominating, authoritarian, violent people came with their values, spread not just their architecture, their styles of governance, their language (Romance languages), their official religion (eventually christianity was imposed by the Romans), but also spread extreme emotional dysfunction.

According to Marco Materazzi, the player that Zidane head-butted, what started the fight was that Zidane was "super arrogant" and Materazzi was insulted when Zidane essentially strutted like a French coq during a confrontation.

There has been tons of speculation that Materazzi called Zidane a terrorist, or else said that he was the son of a terrorist whore.

Materazzi denies it, although he does not deny calling Zidane's sister a prostitute. Maybe he said that, he says, but that's the type of insult that flies around a soccer field all the time. But mothers, well, mothers are sacred, and there's no way he would have said something about Zidane's mother. Materazzi's mother died when he was 14, so he's sensitive on that subject.

What was the insult that started all of this?
Well, Materazzi admits that he held on to Zidane's jersey for a few seconds (this is SOP in soccer). Zidane he said, very arrogantly turned to him and said in a very condescending voice, "If you want my jersey, I'll give it to you after the match." That pissed Materazzi off and he said something.

Zidane, for the moment, is silent.

What the hell was Zidane thinking!

[via Zidane Sent Off in Extra Time for Headbutt]:

BERLIN -- To the very end of his career, Zinedine Zidane could dictate the flow of play with rare skill and elegant control of the ball. In the World Cup final, Zidane lost control of his temper.

The parting image for the France captain will forever be him rearing back in anger, lowering his head and launching his bald crown into the chest of Italy defender Marco Materazzi after the two exchanged words while walking down the field in extra time Sunday.

The game was tied 1-1 when Zidane was given a red card in the 110th minute. Without their sharpshooting captain, the French couldn't unlock Italy's defense and went on to lose in a shootout, 5-3.

"Zidane being sent off changed everything," France coach Raymond Domenech said. "Even in extra time the Italian team was waiting for only one thing, and that was penalties."

Domenech said he did not know what Materazzi said to Zidane.

"It's regrettable," Domenech said. "We regret it, he regrets it."

The strike to the center of Materazzi's chest was clearly intentional, and referee Horacio Elizondo of Argentina briefly consulted with his assistants before showing Zidane the 28th red card of the tournament, a World Cup record. The previous record of 22 red cards, set in 1998, was broken before the quarterfinals round began.

"I have not seen the replays, but if it's voluntary then there's nothing you can say," Domenech said. "But it's a shame. It's sad."

Head bowed, Zidane walked past Domenech but did not look at him. As he exited into the tunnel, his head still bent to the ground, he strode past the golden World Cup trophy and disappeared.

I am complete flabbergasted with Zidane's behaviour. Mind you, I am still pissed at France for eliminating both Brasil and Portugal, but grock flugging damnit, if a team like that can kick Brasil's ass, especially with a goalie like Barthez (the bastard stopped each penatly kick during the semi-finals), I would have thought they would be able to kick Italy's ass.

Mais nooooon.