Thanksgiving on Alert, Johnny Benched

Nation: Police snipers will be on watch and officers with automatic rifles will be patrolling the streets for the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade today as the New York police department goes on hyper vigilance after the Paris terrorist attacks.

Police Commissioner Bill Bratton assured the public that “There is no threat being directed against the parade,” but he has ordered his department to be prepared as if there is.

Security is higher at airports and public facilities across the country. President Obama made an unusual pre-holiday address to assure Americans they are safe. “We know of no specific and credible intelligence indicating a plot on the homeland,” Obama said. “So as Americans travel this weekend to be with their loved ones, I want them to know that our counterterrorism, intelligence, homeland security and law enforcement professionals at every level are working overtime.”

Permawar: Despite saying it will not go to war with Turkey, Russia says it is deploying long-range anti-aircraft missiles to Syria to destroy any planes that might threaten its jet fighters. The missiles with a 250-mile range would be based within 30 miles of Turkey.

Russia’s decision appears to be an admission that Turkey was within its rights when it shot down a Russian fighter, but the installation of the air battery could be used as a thin excuse to retaliate.

Turkey has released garbled audio recordings of warnings to the Russian pilots, but the Russians say they never heard them.

Misfired and Fired: The US military commander in Afghanistan announced that he’s suspended several service members from duty as a result of the mistaken air attack on a Doctors Without Borders Hospital in Kunduz last month. One of them is reported to be a captain in command of the Special Forces team that called in the air strike.

Thirty doctors, patients, and staff members were killed in a sustained attack by an AC-130 gunship, a ferocious weapon. Gen. John Campbell called the attack a “tragic mistake.” The general said it was the result of compounded errors caused by fatigue among Special Operations soldiers and technical failures within the aircraft itself. The Special Ops team had been in continuous combat for five days.

Some questions remain about the timeline of the attack and the responsibility of officers higher in the chain.

Hard Knocks: The family of former New York Giant running back and football broadcaster Frank Gifford announced that he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the deteriorating brain condition caused by concussions and blows to the head. A statement said, “While Frank passed away from natural causes this past August at the age of 84, our suspicions that he was suffering from the debilitating effects of head trauma were confirmed.”

Gifford sustained one of the memorable hits in NFL history when he was knocked out against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1960. He sat out a whole season after that.

The news abut Gifford comes only days after questions were raised last weekend St. Louis Rams quarterback Case Keenum was allowed to keep playing last Sunday after clearly having a concussion. He was wobbly on his feet.

The Obit Page: David Canary, the handsome silver-haired actor who played the conniving Adam Chandler for 27 years on the soap opera “All My Children,” has died at age 77. He also played Chandler’s twin brother, Stuart.

Canary had television parts in “Gunsmoke,” “Peyton Place,” and “Bonanza” and was in several movies, but he was a daily presence in the tabloid drama of the soaps.

Johnny Bench: Cleveland Browns badboy quarterback Johnny Manziel, known as Johnny Football, has been benched just days after being told he would be the team’s starter. The coaches saw a videotape of Manziel partying with a champagne bottle in his hand, despite having been told to behave and maintain a respectable public image.

But coach, he was just celebrating being named the starter!

See Something, Say Something: 1-800-BUTTERBALL

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Page Two

The Most Corrupt Justice

Monday, October 2, 2023

Democracy and Video in the Dark

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Page Two: Do the Right Thing

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Page Two: Sound Recall

Monday, September 13, 2021

Page Two: Cuomo Must Go

Friday, August 13, 2021

Trump and the Truth

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

The “Great” President

Monday, March 30, 2020

The Wright Stuff

Saturday, February 29, 2020

It's Been Said

"In my mind, I’ve never crossed the line with anyone, but I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn. There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didn’t fully appreciate, and I should have, no excuses."

-Andrew Cuomo, resigning as governor of New York after accusations of sexual harassment

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