• When In Doubt

And then the Football Gods giveth

By misguidedkid | January 13, 2010

I was so pissed yesterday with the whole Kirby Smart situation that I was wondering just what good the interwebs were for my blood pressure and overall mental state. And my beloved college football, my religion as a member of the Church of Uga, was riding in a very close second for things I was going to give up for a few weeks. And then Lane Kiffen, Uga bless his heart, gives me reason to smile and something he never had: perspective.

I got a text from my buddy at 2112: “Lane Kiffin just took the SC job.” My first reaction was simply, “What??????? I though Mariucci was taking it.” Then, remembering my dance with the devil just yesterday, I reminded him, “Don’t believe it until the presser. Like we did with Kirby.” And I went back to what I was doing. Then I got done and fired up the evil, demon interwebs and found this as breaking news on Yahoo. And the message boards, they were a burnin’.

So it turns out that, really, honestly, Kiffykins is headed back to where it started. ESPN reported it, so I tended to believe it (more than say, Rivals and footballcoachscoop.com and Pollack’s Twitter feed). And then came this (h/t: BusterSports.com). Wait, did he just zing Fulmer on his way OUT THE DOOR with that “leaving here 14 months later with a lot better team than we were 14 months ago” comment? Wow, first you took the man’s job and now you’re saying that in 14 whole months you made that much improvement? Dude, you went 7-6 and got it handed to you in the Chick-Fil-A bowl.

I’ve just got to wonder if it had something to do with the NCAA sanctions. Not the minor violations he’s managed to rack up at UT, along with the hostesses that he “didn’t have knowledge of” and one of his prize recruits just pleading guilty to attempted robbery. No, what I’m saying is that in 14 months at UT that wasn’t good enough for Lane “Sanction Express” Kiffin. He needs a school with a foundation and tradition in that particular area.

Oh, just so nobody’s worried about the Kiffykins Crew, Daddy and Orgeron are packing up to. And like the hotel guest that takes a towel or two, they’re going to try to sneak a few amenities out in their luggage. Like all 8 recruits that enrolled early and are were set to start classes tomorrow. Well, that’s ballsy for sure. I’m not sure if that’s smart considering this happened (NSFW pics in the link). But that’s all water under the dam, right? Right??

Well Vol Nation, even though we (for the most part) cordially detest each other I’m not here to rub it in. I didn’t get any real grief from you guys on the Kirby thing, except for that one goober, so I’m going to give you insight into this Dawg fanatic’s mind. I’m going to tell you how to scare the Silver Britches off of the collective Bulldawg Nation: Hire the right guy this time. I’m not being flippant. Last year’s shellacking aside, I was never really worried about UT as long as Lane and his reanimated DC Daddy were at the helm. Your program was being run by an entire pack of blind squirrels. At least you didn’t have to wait 3 years for the problem to get rectified (ahem).

I know a lot of names are already being thrown around for the vacancy and that time is SO of the essence, what with National Signing Day right around the bend. Your need has finally taken over the spotlight in the SEC, so I thank you.

  • I know a lot of folks want Muschamp, but I think it’s a pipe dream – his gig is too sweet down at the other UT.
  • I’ve heard Mike Leach – WTF-ever. Yeah, the only thing to counter the drama and crazy you just had is with MORE crazy….
  • Gruden – not likely. He’s got ties to the program, but those were a long time ago. He’s an NFL guy now. Your chances of getting him are about as good as us getting our now-NFL guy, Van Gorder.
  • Patterson – DECENT chance, but the timetable is too short for you. He might like to come to a AQ school, though. If you weren’t concerned with trying to keep or replace those 8 guys following Pied-Orgeron’s flute it might be worth a shot.
  • Calhoun from Air Force – I believe he was a finalist when you hired the last guy. I think the time table works against you again. And he wouldn’t scare me much.

    • Here’s an idea that would scare me to death: Look to your tree and get a guy who’s come home several times. A guy with SEC ties and a successful track record as a HC in the conference. A guy who coached up your golden calf and his brother. He’s a head coach in the basketball conference (ACC) right now. Some guy named Cutcliffe.

    Look, the man can coach. Period. He took a pretty rank Ole Miss squad and did some pretty good things. In 6 seasons, he had 5 winning seasons and never had a losing record until his last. He was 4-1 in bowl games (counting his first when he took over when TTubbs ran to Auburn), including a Cotton Bowl win in 2003 when he tied for a share of the West with eventual BCS champs LSU. And it’s not like he left that team in shambles – Houston Nutt brought his heavy run offense to the table and took them to the Cotton Bowl the following year.

    His next, and current, HC gig took him to Durham. They’re not awful. In his first year Duke won the same number of games as they did in the last 4 years COMBINED. They improved another win last year, against a pretty tough schedule. I’d bet that he takes them to a bowl in the upcoming season. The man can flat out coach. Oh, don’t forget about the last SEC guy that took Duke from the crapper, whipped them into respectability, then came back to the SEC. Here’s a hint – DV_and_EA

    So maybe Cutcliffe isn’t the second coming of Darth Visor. Maybe we have that already in Meyer and Saban. Maybe I’m pulling your collective Rocky Top chains. Maybe I just wanted an excuse to post a pic of Erin Andrews (that would be a good guess if I actually NEEDED an excuse). All I’m saying is that Cutcliffe would make UT, in my silly little mind, relevant in the SEC East discussion.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
  • Share/Bookmark
Posted in College Football | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

NO, I’m NOT OK with what happened with Kirby Smart

By misguidedkid | January 11, 2010

I’m going to preface this whole post with two things: 1) If you couldn’t tell by the title, I’m pissed. I promised I wouldn’t post an emotional, pissed off entry at my usual haunt and 2) I’m pissed, so you can do your own research on this one. It’s my site and I pay the bills, so I can post emotional and pissed off posts and not provide links for a change.

Anybody who pay attention to college football in general, or Georgia football in particular, knows the drama. A quick synopsis for the unwashed – Mark Richt gave most of the Bulldawg Nation an early Christmas present by deciding not to rehire Willie Martinez as Defensive Coordinator next year. This was good. Then the drama started. We offered Bud Foster of Va Tech – he stayed for a 5-year annuity worth $1M. Then the word, which I’m still not sure whether or not to believe, is that Vic Koenning of Kansas State turned us down to go be Ron Zook’s coordinator at Illinois. Then former Tennessee DC John Chavis parlayed our offer into a healthy raise to stay at LSU right around New Year’s. Then things got QUIET. The only names seriously mentioned were Todd Grantham, a line coach for the Cowboys and Kirby Smart, the DC for Alabama.

The lull was understandable – the Cowboys were prepping for their Wild Card game against the Eagles and the Tide were prepping for their MNC game against Texas. Another name sort of surfaced in the lull – Travis Jones, who is a line coach for the Saints, who are also preparing for the playoffs. Anyway, it’s a lull – things happen when a fanbase has time to let their imaginations wander. So, during the pre-MNC pressers, Kirby states that he’s happy with Alabama and has no desire to leave. Okay, I can live with that – it’s honest and doesn’t waste anyone’s time. Attention is turned to Grantham and, hedging bets, Jones.

Then the MNC goes to the Tide. Kirby’s got his Broyles Award (top assistant coach in all of college football) and an MNC as DC. But lots of folks (Tide fans ESPECIALLY) are saying that it’s Saban’s defense and that all Kirby does is call the plays within the scheme Saban sets up. Hmmmm. Kirby even gets mentioned as a candidate for the recently vacated Texas Tech position by Brent Musberger during the broadcast. Hmmmm. Then the TT prez, who was in attendance at the MNC game, says “Nope. Sorry. Purely coincidental.” And hires Tommy Tuberville a few days later. So, Kirby’s still the DC at Bama making not quite $400k a year.

Then something happens right after the MNC – Kirby says that he hasn’t talked to Mark Richt “in weeks” which leads my silly mind to believe that he would have had to have talked to him weeks ago. I doubt Richt was asking a 34-year-old fresh DC for recommendations for applicants. Well, maybe Richt was asking for an extra donation from the alumni to help pay for the new guy. Then, this Saturday, news (and rumors) start flooding the web.

David Pollack gave me the first hint by saying that UGA made a SMART decision for their DC on his Twitter feed. Then Rivals.com reports that Georgia has formally offered the DC job to Kirby. A small charter jet leaves from Dekalb-Peachtree airport (Ben Epps in Athens was apparently closed) and heads to Tuscaloosa, stays for an hour, then returns Saturday night. The speculation builds. Pollack reiterates his stance all Sunday on Twitter. Interesting.

Monday morning rolls around. Footballcoachscoop.com reports that Smart has accepted the offer to become Georgia’s next DC. Rivals.com shortly reports the same thing. A small charter plane leaves Ben Epps airport in Athens, bound for Tuscaloosa, at about 0830. Holy crap, this might actually be happening!! The plane stays all day. Through lunch. Excitement and rampant speculation abound. Talk begins that Smart will actually get Jones to come onboard as part of the staff. Speculation about the contract says that it’s 3 or 4 years, worth $700k or $800k per year. Then IT happens.

Tide coach Nick Saban, at a press conference with one of his (former) players announcing his intention to turn pro, announces that Kirby is staying put. Shortly after, a statement is released by Smart himself, saying how happy he is in Tuscaloosa, how he has a great mentor in Saban, how Georgia holds a special place in his and his wife’s heart (she’s an alum, too), etc. And the collective blog and other internet pundits of the Bulldawg Nation (after picking their collective chins up) go to their corners.

I was a part of this. A huge part. In honesty, I was at the head of the charge of the cavalcade of crazy. I watched the private flight information on the web. I even setup an email alert for flight plans and advisories for the plane that flew down this morning. I engaged every source, real and imagined, that I had for information. I had my hopes set SO high for this hire, and the upcoming season. So, yeah, it’s personal. And in case you couldn’t tell yet, I’m firmly entrenched in the camp of “Kirby Smart has lost his Athens privileges FOREVER” and object to his being hung by the neck from a Sanford Stadium goal post until dead, dead, dead in only the most pedestrian fashion. And here’s why:

First, those of you who are taking his side by saying you can’t fault his decision to stay with a proven winner, etc only AFTER he turned us down are placating suckers. I’ll get to why, in this case, the medium is the message in a minute. Those of you who are suddenly saying that you weren’t that sold on him as a good candidate only AFTER he turned us down are either fence-sitters who didn’t say a word throughout this whole drama or, at worst, hypocrites – you were just as geeked up about this (potential) hire as I was. And being that I’ve never let tact or other people’s feelings get in the way of saying what’s on my mind……

There are myriad reasons why he could have decided to stay, but first let me get to why he could have said YES to his Alma Mater. First of all, it’s his Alma Mater. The place that traded his better-than-average skills as a defensive back for an undergraduate degree. The place that gave him a job in the football program not once, but twice. The place that needed him right now. Then there’s the whole “living in Saban’s shadow” thing. Richt offered him full control of the defense – play calling, scheme, assistants, EVERYTHING. A place he could really make his mark if he turned the defense around – not a terribly difficult task considering his predecessor. And then there’s the money – basically doubling your salary to work closer to home, at your Alma Mater, with full control. Pretty heady stuff, I’d think.

But that wasn’t good enough. Maybe, by staying, he’s saying that he doesn’t think HE’S good enough. I can actually get on board with that, schadenfreude-free. He’s a young guy, and he’s certainly riding Saban’s coattails to some degree, learning how to be a great coach. Had he said this last week, or even turned the job down without further comment, I would bear no ill will. But he’s known for at least THREE DAMN WEEKS that this was coming. And he did nothing to dispell the rumors. He embraced it. According to Pollack, he even signed a “term sheet” and then backed out.

So here’s the PERCEPTION of the thing, which in this day and age, is the REALITY: Smart used his Alma Mater, and the drama surrounding his potential hiring, to extort his current employer. How else can he spin it now? He’s getting a huge raise, which almost certainly deserved after this season, after a long dance with another school (have I mention that it’s his Alma Mater?), after reportedly coming to a gentleman’s agreement to work there. He’s put his Alma Mater’s fanbase in a huge tizzy, only to let them down. He’s made his Alma Mater look bad in front of the nation: He had a deal that would have made him the third-highest paid assistant in college football and, for some reason hidden behind his canned quotes, turned it down.

The only thing worse, after all of that, than him staying for a big payday is NOT getting a big payday. If his new contract at Bama is less than $600k per year for multiple years, that says to me that Georgia’s so effed up that it didn’t even take 50% to keep him away from the job. Now, any of the above would have been fine if he had just come out and said so earlier. Now he’s made his Alma Mater the schmucks of the college football world and left us STILL looking for that elusive DC hire. What about the guys we’re going to try to sell this job to (and that’s the point we’ve reached)?? Won’t they be wondering “What’s Wrong With Georgia” now that you got to H-hour and spit in our collective Dawg faces? Maybe he’s been working for Saban too long – I think he’s gone mercenary on us.

Well, I can tell you this much Kirby: One day, many years from now, you may come back to Sanford Stadium to celebrate the anniversary of one of the teams you were on, and MOST of the fans who have been the unwitting cast of this soap opera will cheer you for what you did as a player – me included. But know that from now until that day, when you step Between The Hedges you’ll be the enemy. I don’t care if you’re Bama’s DC or head coach, or a coach at the Armpit State School for Girl’s Basket Weaving, we’ll remember. And when Mark Richt retires? Forget it. Anyone who suggests you for the position will suffer hatred reserved only for Michael Adams. You took sides against the family. You’re nothing to us now. Not a brother, a friend, an alumnus, a potential coaching candidate. And no longer a DGD.

For my part, I’m going to be a huge Vikings and Cardinals fan this weekend. Maybe, just maybe, we can save some face and finally hire our DC. But somewhere, deep down, I’m rooting for another Van Gorder to be found. At a considerably cheaper rate than what we offered you. And I hope that your buddy Mike Bobo takes this personally and lights you up all the way until the triple zeroes show EVERY TIME you play us. I want to see you every year in Atlanta and I want to crush you and your SEC Championship dreams. And then I want to take you fishing, a la Fredo Corleone. You never take sides against the family. Ever.

  • Share/Bookmark
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

RIP Dalton; Prepare to turn over in your grave Jed Eckert

By misguidedkid | September 14, 2009

Facebook just blew up and alerted me to the fact that Patrick Swayze just died from pancreatic cancer. He was 57. I don’t particularly give a damn about Hollywood or about pop culture in general (other than to know the answers for Jeopardy, whenever they call), but every once in a good while I run into someone I genuinely admire. Patrick Swayze was one of those guys. Great actor, by all accounts a good human being, and he took on, nay personified some of the most memorable roles in my lifetime.

First of all, he’s Dalton. FREAKING DALTON from “Roadhouse,” the movie that made every little boy want to become a bouncer. And he was Johnny from “Dirty Dancing,” which made being a male dance instructor seem less gay (and he was a pimp – that helped). “Ghost” was the penultimate 2nd base movie for high schoolers in the 90s, and he rocked that. Bodhi from “Point Break” made both surfing and bank robbing chic (helps that he played opposite uber-goober Keanu Reeves). And many other movies that I will stop channel surfing to watch: “Uncommon Valor“, “The Outsiders“, “North and South”, “To Wong Foo” (yeah, I said it), “Black Dog“, “Next of Kin”, and the list does go on. Pretty much anything except “Father Hood,” because that was a blatant sell out. And the ultimate movie for an 8-year-old-war-is-the-coolest-and-I-am-invincible-me: “Red Dawn.” The movie has tons of pop culture references (”GTA: San Andreas” comes immediately to mind). And this is part of the show where the heartfelt “R.I.P.” ends and the “W.T.F.” begins. Read More »

  • Share/Bookmark
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Memories of Oklahoma…

By misguidedkid | September 8, 2009

No, I didn’t make the trip to Stillwater (thank God!) to see the expedition out west. SO many things went wrong that I scarcely know where to start. But the Interwebs and message boards are blowing up calling for everyone’s heads from Mark Richt to Hairy Dawg. Folks, take a minute to chill and get a little perspective. I thought we’d be able to impose our will on the offensive side of the ball and have us a good ol’ smash-mouth SEC-style slugfest. That didn’t happen, and as a result I feel much better about not taking the 5 points (good for me) and while things could have gone so much better everywhere, it could have been a lot worse. So….

The offense looked great for about 5 minutes (that would be the first series). We mixed up looks, used the run to set up the pass, threw in a few wrinkles and actually came away from a 3rd and Goal with more than 3 points. From there on, I’m not sure what happened. A lot of it has to do with play calling, and a lot with execution. I’m still not sure why we got away from the run (at least before Mighty Mouse, aka Carlton Thomas, fumbled after getting hammered trying to run between the tackles). I haven’t heard anything about Samuels having an injury issue, so I can assume it was by design. Of course, when you abandon the run and actually manage to give the QB time to go through his progressions the receivers have to catch the ball.

On that, first let me give a huge bunch of kudos to the O-line. I don’t know what game the people that are bad mouthing them watched, but that is certainly a strength this year. It’s a shame we lost Sturdivant for the year (again), but it’s not nearly as dire as it was last year. Consider that most of those Sophomores and Juniors wouldn’t have that kind of experience under their belts until late Junior or Senior year, and know that things are bright for a few years to come.

As to the passing game, well…. I get it that Cox was suffering from the flu and that it took TONS of cajones to even suit up and play that well. I even get that some of his passes weren’t that crisp and he missed a few – nerves, flu, adrenaline all can do that. But he missed some easy passes, and he missed some really open receivers (think that last INT). I’m already over the comparisons to the Tereshinski-Stafford season. Unless Cox gets hurt, then maybe we can see Mettenburgermeister fill in for Murray after he loses his confidence, before Murray gets his head on straight and comes back at the end of the Mettenburgermeister’s first career start and then go on to… What? Who? Gray? Oh hell, maybe we can just do a quick conversion to the Spread. What? The backup QB (Gray) lined up at PR again on Saturday? Um, methinketh “Backup QB” is an honorary title, sir.

Back on point now. On the passes that were just a little off, these receivers have to step up. I never played college ball, but I’d bet that the rule is the same as when I played in high school: If you can get your hands on it (or it hits you in the chest, Mr. Charles), you should catch it. ‘Nuff said.

About the running game, I’ll say this: If it works, don’t screw with it. A good push up front = 3 yards and a cloud of dust. A guy named Dooley did a pretty sweet job with that a few decades ago. In the age of spread offenses and smaller, faster defensive players to counter that, maybe you’ve got a paradigm shift that works. Like on the first series that scored a TD. Also, I keep reading about how Samuels ALMOST broke long a couple of times. Why didn’t this happen? Because he gets tackled where Knowshon kept going for 4 more yards. Not a criticism, per se, but the Bulldog Nation needs to realize that the Filet Mignon got drafted by the Broncos and we’re back to eating New York Strip. Finally, Carlton Thomas may be BUILT like Warrick Dunn, but he ISN’T Warrick Dunn. Keep the kid on the outside of the tackles until he gets a few more sandwiches in him.

There comes a time when you can prepare too much. Think about it – CMR and Company have been prepping for this game since JANUARY. From 8 months of Mike Bobo’s work came a beautifully scripted first series that got us a TD. I think the rest of the time he actually out-thought himself, or maybe he over-experimented. When you’re getting a good balance and good results, keep it up. When their shutdown CB is off the field, throw to your star WR. When Perrish Cox went to sidelines, it’s like Bobo thought for sure it would open up the underneath routes on the other side, rather than launching it for AJ against an inferior defender. Don’t out scheme yourself, coach.

I’m not willing to anoint the defense as fixed, cured, or a team strength just yet. OSU killed themselves with the penalties (and we should KNOW how that affects an offense), we got zero sacks, barely generated a pass rush and lost the turnover battle 0 – 3 (not that we didn’t have opportunities). Let’s not forget that OSU appeared to be more balanced (Offense to Defense) and that this was their first game, too. And they were REALLY under pressure to have a good coming out at their new T(Boone Pickens)aj Mahal. On the plus side, we held them to under 4 yards per carry (albeit giving up 170+) and held their stud WR to 3 catches (albeit 2 of them for TDs). On the other hand, One Scheme Willie did have the aforementioned 8 months to prepare for this one, and OSU didn’t make any adjustments at halftime, really. Of course, our boy OSW didn’t either. The D didn’t look clueless, didn’t try to shoulder tackle, and considering how long they spent on the field against a team running a different tempo every other play, performed pretty OK.

Special Teams was again typically, hell – STEREOtypically, atrocious. Wait for that one to cost us the win that will be the difference between the C1 bowl and the Chik-Fil-A, and maybe we can get a full-time ST coach. I can’t say anymore than that the punter did well, in spite of the odds.

I will not mention the refs in this one, except to say that the calls were decidedly in our favor (that is to say, fair) in the first half and polarly opposite (that is to say, T Boone passed out a few envelopes at the break) in the second. Really, the officials made a few atrocious calls on both sides, usually one making up for the other, and there isn’t a whole lot to complain about with the OFFICIATING. That sissy “don’t hit the receiver when he’s extending for the ball” rule (i.e., Powder Puff Touch Football) is going to do the same thing to football that changing the strike zone did to MLB about 10 years ago. That is to say, make it frustratingly difficult for the great players and that much better for the average players. I thought we already had parity, more or less, in College Football. We don’t need this crap.

But take heart kids, this should be the worst game we see all year. And it was a non-conference game. Ask any coach or pundit worth their salt and they’ll tell you that greatest improvement a team makes is between game 1 and game 2. You can scrimmage all you like, but unless you play a patsy that is basically a pre-season game (you know, like Charleston Southern, Western Kentucky, Troy, Jackson St, Western Carolina, or any other school that either has a direction in the first part of their name or doesn’t have a “B” as the second letter of their division) playing the long game. A win would have been great, but we’ve had our best seasons when we play a solid first week opponent (although we’ve WON those games). All is not lost, Bulldog faithful. Use this Saturday as your measuring stick before deciding how early to start calling for heads on platters. The season starts with the SEC, and that season starts at 7:06 PM Between The Hedges this Saturday. I don’t know what the line is, but I’d wager (well, not really) that if you lost money by picking the Dawgs last weekend, you can make it back. I expect a nastiness and a swagger that we always have when we play the Chickens. I REALLY hope I’m right.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
  • Share/Bookmark
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

EU wants to take advantage of Obama’s pandering to Europe, take over Internet

By misguidedkid | May 4, 2009

So I see this on my RSS feed today, and well, I’m not surprised. It seems that the head of the European Union’s IT department wants ICANN to break away from the Department of Commerce when its contract ends in September. At present, because of said contract with Commerce, disputes are decided in California courts. And that should be fine for the EU, I would think, since California is about as pinko of a state as you can get here. But no, that’s not enough for her. She’d rather it be handled in a truly European (read: Socialist) fashion.

Now let me stop you right and say that I agree with her sentiment that ICANN should be wholly privatized. While it’s nice to say that we do in fact control the exit signs on the information highway, I don’t think that sort of responsibility should be entrusted to the government. But her suggestion is absurd on its face. She suggests that there be a commission formed of 15 members: 3 each from Asia and Australia, 2 from the remaining continents, and a non-voting member from ICANN. She suggests a “G12 for Internet governance” and even went so far as to say that the UN is a good candidate, but won’t be able to respond quickly. Well, at least she realizes that the UN is ineffectual as a governing body, but anyway….

First, what’s with the “non-voting member” from ICANN? Why do we need a member that doesn’t have a vote? If there’s no vote, call it an “advisor” from ICANN. If it’s a member of the board, give it a vote. Simple. Now on to the really absurd part. I get 3 members from Asia, because they’re blowing up over there (and there’s the whole Chinese threat to fracture DNS), but Australia? Don’t get me wrong I love our awkward cousins from Down Under, but why do they rate 3 votes? And further, why does North America get lumped in with the rest (especially Africa)??

According to this there are about 105 MILLION domain names actively registered at any given time. According to this, North America holds the title on about 72 million of them. So, you know, more than two-thirds of all the domain names in the world are registered over here. That just MIGHT hold a little weight. And while Europe is being kind and all that to the rest of the world, even though European countries hold half of the top 10 spots, do either of us (or South America) deserve to be on par with freaking AFRICA?? Last I heard, there were more Somali pirates than ISPs in that stinking hole of a continent (been there, can speak to it from experience, shut up).

And lest I forget this one other little smidgen – WE GAVE YOU THE FREAKING INTERNET TO BEGIN WITH!!! Frankly, I think you guys are being a little ungrateful. Think, if not for our beautiful gift of ARPANET, millions of Eastern European girls wouldn’t be able to charge $9.95 to showcase their talents fellating livestock. So here’s an idea, Ms. EU-IT-Director: You suggested a “G12 of Internet Governance,” how ’bout we just let the G12 pick members and run it that way?? As far as international working groups go, that one hasn’t been a total cluster. Failing that, get out of this whole Socialist mindset and realize where your target market is. Trust me, what China tried was amateurish. You want a fractured DNS? Imagine if you couldn’t get to google.com because your DNS servers weren’t on OUR list? Uh huh.

Of course, I have to explain my headline and the last quote in the article does it for me succinctly: “I trust that President Obama will have the courage, the wisdom, and the respect for the global nature of the Internet to pave the way in September for a new, more accountable, more transparent, more democratic, and more multilateral form of Internet governance.” Seriously, that is just TRANSPARENT pandering to him, what with his behavior on his first trip across the pond. I mean damn, why not just drop the dude an email? You wouldn’t exactly be pushing him to a decision that way, not using the media and all, but still.

But in the end, I imagine that this small accommodation will be made. And in 10 years we’ll realize what a mistake it was. And it’ll take the next 20 years to regain control and get it straightened out again. Seriously, ICANN being “run” by a group that’ll be drug around by Europeans?? Well, unless the Germans set the standards. Yeah, that might actually work.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
  • Share/Bookmark
Posted in News, Politics, Technology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

  • Flashy Tweets