WNBA -- A'JA WILSON THE WNBA OFFICIALS & BLACK PRIVILEGE

The Owl has now seen a more definitive video and admits mistakes in last night's post.  A'ja Wilson's conduct was much worse, her statements more outlandish, the WNBA's inaction more obviously dishonest and black privilege in live action.  That's a bushel full, so let's break it down by elements.

The incident regarding Wilson's conduct is governed by a specific rule, and this is the rule:

J. PLAYER CONDUCT—SPECTATORS Any coach, player, or trainer who deliberately enters the spectator stands during the game will be automatically ejected and the incident reported via e-mail to the Commissioner. Entering the stands to keep a ball in play by a player or the momentum which carries the player into the stands is not considered deliberate. The first row of seats is considered the beginning of the stands.

COMMENTS ON THE RULES, Section II, Basic Principles, (J), Player Conduct-Spectators p. 76.  II (J) is a basic principle of the WNBA rules.  A similar provision exists in every other professional team sport.  The Owl did not look at individual sports but, just guessing here, the PGA, the WTA and other individual professional athletic associations do not allow players to enter the stands and confront, intimidate or physically attack fans.

The following video is much more fulsome than the first cuts last night:

The first 32 seconds show the fan and Wilson's hysterical, abusive and dangerous reaction.  Then, listen carefully to Wilson's words in the rest of the video.  The Owl was spot on about Wilson's shifting, disingenuous explanation.  Now, the entire world can see (1) then man was not approaching the court, he merely stood up to the side of his chair; (2) the man did nothing but point his finger at Wilson, who pointed her finger back at him, and waives her finger point and finger wagging throughout her post-game interview; (3) the man was returning to his seat and in the sitting motion when Wilson left the court; (4) Wilson clearly moves past the first row of seats; and (5) Wilson is waving her arms in a offensive and uncontrolled manner.

Wilson's conduct is clearly a violation of the Basic Principles of the WNBA rules.  Wilson was not ejected, merely assessed a technical foul.  The WNBA has already shown that its officials will reward Wilson's violent and dirty play, like grabbing and throwing Sophie Cunningham as shown in the video. 

Indeed, the officiating last night followed the preposterous WNBA approved officiating in Game 1 of the Fever/Aces series.  Wilson did essentially the same thing to Lexie Hull in Game 1.  After Wilson was allowed to return to Game 2, the officials assessed Caitlin Clark her disqualifying sixth foul after Wilson wound up and elbow Clark directly in the face with sufficient force to knock Clark to the ground.  The following video of Game 1 shows the preposterous nature of the WNBA's approval of plainly dishonest officiating. 

  

One should recall Natasha Cloud twice left the court in two obscenity laced diatribes against Ennis Turk Freedom.  The WNBA ignored its own "Basic Principle" The failure to eject Wilson can only be remedied by a suspension and a very large fine.  Everyone knows that there will be no suspension and no fine.

The final subject is Black Privilege.  The readers should also recall A'ja Wilson's bizarre statement at the Met Gala that Wilson was attending as an "unapologetic black woman."  The Owl finds that comment bizarre because mere existence by a black woman, or women, is never offensive.  "Black woman" is a description, nothing more.  No person needs to apologize for merely existing in the body in which they were born and the Owl knows of no person that believes any person, except perhaps murderers, need to apologize for existing.  Of course, murder is an action not merely a state of existence.

Wilson's meaning is not subtle.  Wilson is merely reiterating the WOKE concept of black privilege.  The idea, like all WOKE ideas, is grounded in the principle that individual action is irrelevant, group identity determines rights and right vs. wrong.  Wilson demonstrated her belief that she is entitled to retaliate in a disproportionate manner to anything she determines is disrespectful.  The fan did not approach Wilson, she approached the fan.  The fan did not say anything beyond typical fan speech, as Wilson admitted.  Pointing at the person a fan thinks is actually guilty of an infraction is hardly offensive and certainly not justification for a professional athlete to violate a rule they probably learned in 7th grade, you cannot leave the court and confront the fans.

Wilson did not apologize for her behavior.  Wilson showed outrage at what we now know was nothing unusual-especially since Wilson's unhinged rage displayed an abundance of her finger pointing during and after the game.  The more serious problem is promoting this entitlement to excuse objectively bad behavior because of some perceived minor slight and a historical grievance.  This leads to Karmelo Anthony mentality and the morons that seek to excuse his murder.  Karmelo Anthony went into a group where he knew he was not invited and would not be welcome, a competing school's rally area.  Unsurprisingly Anthony was told to get out and probably in disrespectful terms.  Anthony then stabbed another teenager in retaliation.  Anthony has supporters, which seems insane-especially after learning that Anthony was actually a psychopath that wrote of his desire to stab someone and lick their blood days before the stabbing.  The same principle that justifies Wilson and Cloud's bad conduct justifies Karmelo Anthony's murderous actions.  Failure to punish Wilson and Cloud is just the latest example of a league that sends all the wrong messages to young people but particularly to young black people everywhere.  

WNBA - TIME TO SUSPEND AJA WILSON & DISHONEST OFFICIALS

Aja Wilson is a great woman's basketball player.  Wilson is likely the best player currently playing,  but there is a hitch.

Wilson is very much a protected species, as they say in Australia, when it comes to officiating.  Tonight Wilson completely lost self control and proved to an arrogant entitled creature and not just a basketball player.

Wilson has gotten away with throwing or hitting Fever players so hard they go down, with defensive fouls or no calls.  Basketball has always been a game with the proverbial "superstar shuffle", where traveling calls, some minor push offs, a few over-the-backs get the Nelsonian eye, officials just looking the other way.  In a professional league, where the obvious purpose is to make money through entertainment you need to keep the superstars on the floor.  The dishonest officials have created a violent monster who feels no restraint is necessary on the court.

There has to be a limit, however.  The point can be ultimately reached when the integrity of the game becomes so questionable the product suffers.  Aja Wilson has arrived at that thug level where her behavior has become indefensible and a league that has suffered one humiliating public relations blow after another needs to take action to restore credibility.

Wilson became the second player in as many months to leave the floor and orally abuse a fan.  The next part of the story gets a little murky.  Wilson's postgame words are clear.  Wilson said the fan that provoked Wilson's verbal launch from off the court was a man standing walking toward her and pointing his finger.

The replays are confusing.  Wilson is seen screaming in the direction of two men, neither of whom were near her when her diatribe began.  One is a man much older and even less fit than the old Owl.  It is hard to see if he is standing or not.  This man does not appear to have walked toward Wilson.  Wilson is 6'4" and much taller than most men, and very much taller if the elderly gent is standing.  Following down Wilson's line of sight a second man appears.  The second man is 30" x 8-10, so roughly 20-25 behind the first man.  The second man is much younger than the first, black and standing shouting in Wilson's direction.  The second man is waving his finger and leaning over the seat to his front.  The second man is definitely not walking, and from his position could not have been walking toward Wilson at any point in the occurrence.

Wilson story was shifty from the jump.  Wilson initially said her target was walking, and quickly changed to leaning.  Then she shifted to someone shaking their finger at her.  Wilson started saying she wasn't going to be talked to, in what the Owl assumes was some disrespectful manner.  Then Wilson shifted into no one was going to shake their finger, she wasn't going to take that kind of behavior.  

It appears that nothing reasonably offensive was said.  Whichever man was initially going to be removed was not removed because it appears security that man did nothing wrong and did not say anything beyond the usual less than kind things a professional athlete hears on the road.  So Wilson's postgame story appears to be even shakier.  It appears Wilson, already a dirty player, admittedly no Thomas or Carrington who are just thugs, said she is not going to let someone point a finger at her.  As offensive acts go, a shaking finger is something less than shaking a fist, from 25-40 feet away and something more than a Bronx cheer.

The problem for the Owl is Wilson clearly indicated that a fan shaking a finger at Wilson justifies Wilson's conduct.  Wilson got a tech.  Wilson should be suspended because she clearly feels entitled to leave the court.  Next time she might attack the fan.  Wilson needs to learn that she does not have to be apologize for being black or a woman.  Wilson needs to learn that she does need to apologize for being a dirty player with rage disorder so uncontrollable she felt entitled to leave the floor and start a verbal attack on what might have have been an old man guilty of nothing worse than shaking a finger at Wilson.  Approving Wilson's conduct is how young black people become Karmel Anthony where disrespect justifies murder.

MORE FAUCI LIES ON THE ALTER OF VACCINES

More releases from Dr. Fauci's diaries.  The Army bioweapons division was experimenting with aerosol released Ebola virus, in Africa.  The Ebola virus was fifty times more lethal than Covid.  The Owl is unsure of Obama's motivation for experimentation with mass casualty uncontrollable aerosol release of Ebola, but we can assume it was nefarious.

While Fauci claimed to have opposed the research he demanded classification of the catastrophic results of the Ebola tests.  Not because of national security.  Not because it would politically embarrass Obama, although it should never be forgotten that Fauci's lies were intended to embarrass President Trump.  No, Fauci demanded secrecy because he feared it would diminish public confidence in Ebola vaccines.

The public lacked confidence in the Ebola vaccines for an easily comprehensible reason, earlier vaccines were ineffective.  Ebola is a virus.  A virus is an animal, Ebola is broken down into multiple genera.  The vaccines were not directed at the correct genus of the Ebola species.  

Other than showing Dr. Fauci's willingness to lie to the public about healthcare today's disclosure further amplifies Fauci's now known and politically motivated lies about Covid.  Covid is an RNA virus.  Indeed, the SARS-CoV-2 virus one of the largest single sequence RNA viruses.  The most common Covid tests could not distinguish between the SARS-CoV-2 virus and common influenza viruses and the virus that causes viral pneumonia.  The result was the hysterical over reaction to Covid, the Democrat/Communist attacks on anyone that questioned Fauci's extreme, unnecessary and unscientific public health responses...like shutting down 75% of the American economy. 

The CDC's addiction to vaccines was more important than Ebola killing Africans.  How Fauci has escaped retaliation is an absurd miscarriage of justice, and certainly explains Fauci's retroactive to 2014 Biden pardon.  What the hell else did Fauci do?  Time will tell.

SOME FIGHTIN' WAS DONE FOR IOWA TODAY

 Here is how it ended.

Michigan played great between the 20s.  Not so great in the big moments.  Fail on 4th and 1.  Fail to score two red zone TDs.  Threw an interception in the red zone.

A random listener would have thought Bryce Underwood was the reincarnation of St. McNair.  Not so much in the 4th quarter.

Hank Brown, a relative unknown, played an outstanding game, especially in the 4th quarter, when it mattered most, the 4th quarter.  Hank hasn't thrown an interception, but he has thrown Iowa into 3 4th quarter scores in the Hawks three toughest games.  The game winning toss was a great shot, and a great NFL catch by Reece Zander Zee.

 When was the last time an Iowa QB started the season 66-92, 680 % completion rate;  700 yards, 5 TDs & 0 interceptions; QB rating 71.8 (maybe higher/math problem); only 2 sacks (both against Michigan).  Rushing, including the two sacks, 13 caries + 30 yards and 1 rushing TD.

Hank has shown excellent pocket mobility and the ability to keep his eyes down field when flushed.  

Iowa's passing game is ahead of Iowa's running game, a strange development.  That short to medium up tempo offense looks like Iowa's best strategy until the line can move people of Big Ten talent.  Two or three good TE options and at least 3 guys Vander Zee, Diaz and James look good.  Vonhamme, Ostrenga and even Ortwerth made some big catches.  Maybe start throwing and some no huddle could catch the Buckeyes off guard.

Both lines need a week of big improvement.  The Buckeyes are a big step up from Michigan.

KICK OFF -- THERE'S A HIDDEN VERB BEFORE BIG BLUE

 Iowa vs. Michigan.  Teaser, who can guess the verb that precedes Big Blue in the Owl's Nest?

WHO ARE THE THREATS TO DEMOCRACY?

The Owl thought this was a satire, but it is real.  I think the Democrat/Communists just showed how truly tyrannical they are. Nothing about the uppercase D Dems is lowercase d democratic.

There really is no denial that they are motivated by hate and informed by propaganda.

CONGRESS MIGHT GET WORSE...BUT

 

CAITLIN CLARK & THE SERIOUSLY STUPID WOKE MEDIA

Tonight we had to listen to the WOKE ESPN/Disney talking heads mentioning Olivia Miles will be in the MVP voting.  Miles and CC are point guards.  Miles scores fewer points and has far fewer assists.  Nothing in their floor play suggests that Miles should be in a conversation that really only involves three players, A'ja (bad Steely Dan song or album), Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark.

The retort, the Lynx have the best record.  Not anymore.  Even if the Lynx win Thursday, and they probably will, the Lynx record is only one game better than last year.  CC's rookie year saw the Fever improve by 7 games and make the playoffs for the first time in 8-10 years.

The Owl wasn't paying much attention and left ESPN continue to run on the TV.  It came to the half-time studio show.  The studio crew managed to get through the entire coverage without mentioning CC's name, the games statistical leader in scoring and assists; then the old Owl snapped back into attention and asked why am I still giving Disney/ESPN ratings?  The Owl immediately went to Tubi and horror movies. 

IRAN UPDATE: THE TERROR THEOCRACY SEES THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL...

... is a train taking them straight to Hell.

Last week the terrorist theocrats pulled off the single biggest bank robbery in human history.  Tens of millions of Iranians awoke to learn that the terror theocrats just emptied tens of millions of personal bank accounts. 

Since the terror theocrats cannot pay the police or soldiers the police and soldiers have become much less enthusiastic in workplace attendance.  The IRGC and Basig have been so depleted last year's protestors that could be easily massacred have become the Iranian Immortal Guard and are now attacking the terror theocrats all around Iran. 

Maxforce provided good coverage and analysis from a couple of days ago.

The terror theocracy is now under attack along multiple fronts by several revolutionary groups.  The situation is deteriorating almost hourly for the terror theocrats. Tousi TV has provided the most recent live updates.  Tousi TV is the most reliable source of information from inside Iran.  It appears that the resistance's police assassinations are accelerating as the police and IRGC presence is shrinking in the most recent reports from today.

The terror theocrats thought their plan to attack every nation within range of its missiles and drones has backfired.   The Turks and Pakistanis have now closed their borders with Iran in the wake of US sanctions.  The US sanctions are so draconian that any country that allows Iranian airplanes to land are prohibited from providing those planes with fuel, assist in take offs, provide food to the occupants or use any part of paved runways for takeoff.

The Owl says the terror theocracy has about ten days - two weeks left in the tank.

MEDICAID: ANOTHER DEMOCRAT BIG LIE

The Owl watched a great deal of sports TV this weekend, it is football season and still watching Caitlin in the buffoonish WNBA.  The Owl saw an endless stream of Democrat commercials talking about cancer and Medicaid cuts and the Great Big Beautiful Bill.

So, the Owl did some research.  Not a single Iowan has lost Medicaid coverage because of the Great Big Beautiful Bill, or anything else any Republican has done.  In December 2022, the Democrat Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which formally ended the 2020 First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020's continuous enrollment requirement as of March 31, 2023, and directed all 50 states to begin redetermining eligibility.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 was passed by a Democrat House, passed by a Democrat Senate and, strangely enough, physically signed by Joe Biden, although it is unknown if Joe Biden actually knew what he signed.  The only Iowans to lose Medicaid are part of the Biden Administration's 2022 Covid Unwinding program.  Again, not a single Iowan has lost Medicaid coverage because of anything not mandated by a Democrat House, a Democrat Senate and a Democrat President.

THE VERDICT IS IN-HANK BROWN IS BETTER

There is no QB controversy at Iowa.  Hank Brown is a much better thrower.  Better touch, better arm and more accurate delivery.  Hank moves well in the pocket. 

 

Hank 45-62  692 yds  69.2%   QBR 68.6  2 TDs 0 INT  1 rushing yard, 1 rushing TD, 0 sacks. Less than 8 quarters in 3 games.

Heck 13-27 141 yards 48.1% QBR 51.3% 1 TD 1 INT  1 sack 2 carries, -5 yards.  About 4 quarters of play in 2 games.  

Hank wins the eye test, played tougher competition and has much better numbers.

Go Hawks, beat Big Blue.

MORE DATA US FAMILY INCOME REACHES RECORD HIGH & POVERTY RECORD LOW

Pretty short and simple, the US poverty rate hit its lowest historically recorded level in 2025 to 10.2% in 2025 and real family incomes hit record highs increasing 2.6% to $87,460, .

IOWA v. UNI CAN IOWA COVER?

 Iowa opens the kick giving 38.5 points.  Can that be done?  Let's talk about it.

PLEASANT PRODUCTIONS HITS IT OUT OF THE PARK.

PLEASANT PRODUCTIONS FACEBOOK POST 

"TODAY I LEARNED… The United States accounted for about 60% of NATO’s combined nominal defense spending in 2025, even as European allies increased their own spending. So how much should the cost of defending the alliance factor into that conversation? "

The Owl saw this and it is just too good not to share. Pleasant Productions is a brilliant political content creator on Facebook and other social media. The Owl urges everyone to follow Pleasant Productions posts, click on "here."  This post was so on point for something the Owl planned on Sunday that the argument moved up to late Friday. 

This argument is a part of the Democrat/Communist BIG LIE. They have used the European welfare states as some proof that the Eurotrash are somehow more enlightened and generous than the United States, for decades. There are two arguments that crush this BIG LIE.

First, the United States was founded, grew and prospered by being specifically unlike Europe. Europe is, and always has been, very inferior to the United States. European culture arises from the history and principle that the people are subjects of the state. Monarchy is dying but the concept of individual subjugation still drives European thinking. Take a close look, you will find the EU is much more like the Soviet Union than a small l liberal democracy. As subjects the people see their duty is to serve the state and the state will provide what the state determines the people need.

The American theory is the exact opposite. The American theory, and until recently an unquestioned premise of American governance, reversed the European relationship of subject and servant. The American system provides the American people with sovereignty. Our rights do not derive from a grant by the sovereign (the state) but from our status as humans and citizens, not subjects. The American system provides people with a right to determine our leadership. The purpose of that leadership is to serve the people and provide us with the ability to determine what we want, how much of whatever it is we want and to provide the economic and political rights and structures to buy what we want, in the amount we want and when we want it. The people determine our priorities. The Democrat/Communist Party fully embraces the European model.

The Eurotrash and the American Democrat/Communist Party have concealed the third element that creates the appearance of European socialist superiority. Europe has taken an 81 year holiday from history. Beginning with the Americans saving Europe from the Germans, twice, the American military has protected Europe from every enemy real and imagined, Russia being the imagined enemy. Outside of Sweden, Poland and possibly the UK and Hungary no European nation can protect itself from any likely enemy. What little military assets the Europeans had have been sent to Ukraine, expended and are now gone. Instead of protecting themselves, the Europeans fed on American military power. The United States build bases in Europe for 80 years. The Europeans refused American accesses to our own bases for the showdown with Iraq. Even if the United States should provide universal government run health care it could only come at the costs of abandoning our own national defense, like Europe. Only there is no one protecting us. Gratitude part 1.

Europe also rewarded our steadfast protection by robbing the United States blind in trade. Tariff and non tariff barriers made American cars unsellable in Europe, and all other American products while we opened our markets to everything from Krupp coffee machines, BMW automobiles, French cheese and wine, British beers, Landrovers and Mini Coopers. We bought Spanish and French wheat to stabilize those silly countries economies at the expense of shrinking profits for American wheat farmers. There are literally thousands of such examples. It was simply, America last. Gratitude part 2.

The day of reckoning has arrived. The EU completely lost its collective mind when Trump demanded the EU pay the 5% of GDP into the common alliance, no nation but Poland does. Canada, part of the NATO alliance, has virtually disarmed. To make the situation more farcical, the EU and NATO nations bought oil and gas from Russia, the purported terrifying enemy, thus providing Russia with the capital with which to build the weapons the EU and European NATO nations and Canada claim were so frightening they required US protection.

Now we know that Russia poses no threat as long as Sweden and Poland maintain their powerful militaries. If Russia and its North Korean allies cannot defeat little, weak Nazi Ukraine, and the Ukrainians are the actual Ukrainian Nazis from WW II, what possible chance would Russia have against Sweden and Poland. Those two countries can lock down the Russian sub fleets from ever reaching the Atlantic or the North American Arctic. Russia's pathetic, antiquated doctrines are completely obsolete in 21st Century Warfare. So Europe, the gravy train is over.

After 81 years the United States is going to prioritize our economy and our safety. You can socialize medicine or you can have Leopard tanks, drones and missiles. Those American bases we were refused by Spain and the UK are going to be dismantled. DJT is not leaving a nail. The Eurotrash will never rebuild those bases.

American First means European priorities are no better than second. In the DJT doctrine the Euros aren't even second or third. European security if a distant fourth as the Western Hemisphere is restored to the Monroe Doctrine, e.g. China out. Middle Eastern stability and trade in the new, post Iranian terror regime is an important defense priority, far more so than the Euros.

So Europe, and its shrinking economies, dying liberties and decrepit and dysfunctional cultures has some very hard choices. Hopefully they don't think the United States will come running for a fourth time to save them from their foolish, foppish and failed culture.

THE REAL ECONOMY vs. THE PROPAGANDA ECONOMY

       Agitation propaganda has a very real affect on popular understanding of the economy.  This is the real big picture economy:

Remember: you can always click an image to enlarge.  

    Another data set.  

Gas and some food, primarily beef, are expensive, but the core inflation rate is falling.  That bespeaks a simple economic fact.  The total cost of things that have increased is lower than the total cost of things that have decreased.

Every Democrat running in Iowa has campaigned almost exclusively on the "affordability" crises.  Iowa has the third lowest cost of living among all states.  No Democrat state is in the bottom half.  Thirteen of the fifteen most expensive states are run by Democrats.  The cost of living is so high that people and businesses are fleeing the Blue states.  Someone emigrates from California every 2.5 minutes.

Let's take a look at what Democrats do to inflation.

 

The graph doesn't show how badly the Democrats treat growth.  Clinton inherited a rapidly growing economy and left a shrinking economy.  Obama inherited a shrinking economy and eight years later, left a shrinking economy.  Biden inherited a rapidly growing economy and left a shrinking economy.  The Owl gives Bill Clinton credit for at least attempting to create a growing economy.  Obama and Biden, or Obama's third term, intentionally pursued low growth economies.

Where do you want to be a year from now?  Democrats never decrease the cost of anything.

HANK BROWN IS NOT BAD

HANK BROWN

The Owl came into the season thinking Hank Brown was another Petras type QB.  Four stars but not very good.  Two games in the Owl has reason to change the evaluation.

Plus 60% completion, only a few bad throws, no turnovers, more mobile than advertised and mostly sharp on the reads, timing and patience.  The Hawks needed Hank to complete enough balls to drag the Clones out of that 9 men in the box defense, and Hank completed those balls.

Iowa can win with Hank Brown.  The lines are another question.

THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA vs. THE TECHNICAL COLLEGE IN AMES IS ALMOST HERE

The Iowa Constitution provides for a University in Iowa City and a technical school in Ames.

Today, as has happened for more than a century, Iowa is going to pound the tech students from Ames.  Only 2:05 until kick off.

Let's give them something to talk about.

Join the Owl for commentary.  Click Iowa Football Schedule in labels and cartoon on those people from Ames.

MORE GOOD SENATE NEWS

 Another analysis showing Democrats will not control the Senate. 

There are two very important additions to the video's analysis.  1.  Almost every Democrat Senate candidate is sliding.  2.  The media and academic polls skew heavily Democrat relative to the final results.  The skew is nearly 10% between Memorial Day and Labor Day.  Around 5% between Labor Day and election day.

Now is the time to redouble GOP efforts.  More commercials exposing the DSA candidates.  People in Texas and North Carolina do not want to see Chuck Schumer or something even crazier as majority leader.  Let's remind those GOP voters that gave President Trump that a Democrat Senator will only block the agenda for which voters in those states just voted.  Does America want all impeachment all the time? 

2026 HAWKEYE KICK OFF IS ONLY A MOMENT AWAY - JOIN THE DISCUSSION

About to kick off the 2026 season again Northern Illinois University Huskies.  Join the discussion!

Here is what you get.

• No fees.
• No membership.
• No content moderation or censorship (unless you break the rules).
• Live publication.
• Anonymity.

Here is how it works.

• Go to the "Labels" section in left column or go directly to Sports Page and browse the Posts and Comments.
• Find the topic e.g. "Hawk Football - Offense", "Hawk Football - QBs", "Hawk Field Hockey".
• Just type your contents.  Your contents will be open for everyone to read and reply.
  
• The label "Iowa Schedule" will bring up each game for game by game commentary.

Here are the rules.

• Stay on topic. 
• No personal attacks e.g. suggestion that other posters should kill themselves, no name calling, no threats and no doxing.
• No politics.  The Owl has plenty of space for politics, just not in the Sports Page.

HUNG JURIES??? WHY SHOULD THE GOVERNMENT GET A MULLIGAN?

The Lindsay Clancy verdict has raised a legal question that requires a larger national discussion.  In what practical sense is a full trial and exposure to legal penalty, including life sentences or the death penalty not legal jeopardy?

The government is required to prove any criminal case beyond a reasonable doubt.  The government has the advantage of making the charge, including a myriad of lesser included offenses (lesser crimes encompassed within but not as severe as the main charge), unlimited resources for investigation, witness payment, or out right bribery through plea bargaining and immunity agreements, professionally trained witnesses and prosecutors that the defendant has probably help to pay.  Juries usually provide law enforcement with an undeserved level of credibility.  The government speaks first and always gets the last word.

Conviction is always a possibility that inheres in the function of a trial.  Legal jeopardy is defined as:

"Jeopardy is a danger of harm or the risk of loss.  In legal contexts, jeopardy often refers to the danger of punishment and criminal liability that a defendant faces at trial. Jeopardy attaches at the moment a prosecution commences: in a jury trial, it is when the jury is sworn in (impaneled); in a bench trial, it is when the first witness is sworn."

The United States Supreme Court got it wrong 202 years ago in United States v. Perez, 22 U.S. 579 (1824).  A criminal trial and possible execution is the ultimate danger of harm or risk of loss.  A century before the Magna Carta, Mamonides said it was better to acquit a thousand guilty persons than execute a single innocent man.  Benjamin Franklin said "It is better 100 guilty persons should escape than one innocent man suffer."

So why should the government, with all its tremendous advantages in almost every trial have the ability to theoretically put a person on trial, giving the government the advantage of fixing every mistake, every misbegotten theory or misspoken question or argument, until the government finally finds a jury that will convict the government's target?  This happened in the Owl's own home town in the infamous Techel case.  In what sense is that is that a process that could ever produce a fair outcome?

NEW LABELS FOR HAWKEYE COMMENTS

The Owl has added additional football labels for anyone that wants to engage in free, uncensored, anonymous Hawk Talk.

Here is what you get.

• No fees.
• No membership.
• No content moderation or censorship (unless you break the rules).
• Live publication.
• Anonymity.

Here is how it works.

• Go to the "Labels" section in left column or go directly to Sports Page and browse the Posts and Comments.
• Find the topic e.g. "Hawk Football - Offense", "Hawk Football - QBs", "Hawk Field Hockey".
• Just type your contents.  Your contents will be open for everyone to read and reply.
  
• The label "Iowa Schedule" will bring up each game for game by game commentary.

Here are the rules.

• Stay on topic. 
• No personal attacks e.g. suggestion that other posters should kill themselves, no name calling, no threats and no doxing.
• No politics.  The Owl has plenty of space for politics, just not in the Sports Page.

No. 4 IOWA FIELD HOCKEY HAWKEYES DROP A MOUNTAIN ON LEHIGH MOUNTAIN HAWKS

The Hawkeye women won the sky over Grant Field today in a blowout of the Lehigh Mountain Hawks.  Iowa dominated from the pitch until the final gun in a 9-0 blowout.  The 150th career win for Iowa HC Lisa Cellucci.  A great day for the Big Ten's winningest field hockey program.

Iowa out shot Lehigh 45-0, just an incredible feat; the most shots since 44 against Pacific 12 years ago.

Last week's Co-Player of the Week, Fréderique van Cleef recorded a hat trick and now has 5 goals three games into the season.  Dionne van Aalsum scored twice and now has 4 goals on the season. Dionne is now in sole possession of sixth place in career goals with 69.   Freshman Reine van Hoof scored again for her second goal, and has scored in consecutive games.

Iowa's goal keepers were not very busy.  

The Hawks next play Ball State, Sunday 9/4 at Grant Field in Iowa City.  Pitch time is 11:30 AM.  Streaming on Big Ten +.

 

IOWA FIELD HOCKEY vs. LEHIGH

No. 4 Iowa faces Lehigh in a few minutes on Big Ten +.  The pitch moved to 10:AM.  Iowa expects to start: 

• Forward: Dionne van Aalsum (#10)

• Forward: Fréderique van Cleef (#24)

• Midfield: Lieve van Kessel (#5)

• Midfield: Jordan Byers (#20)

• Midfield / Defender: Gia Whalen (#7)

• Midfield / Defender: Téa Fortpied (#23)

• Midfield / Forward: Rachel Herbine (#2)

• Defender: Lauren DeRose (#14)

• Defender: Niamh de Jong (#4)

• Goalie: Abby Johnson

FIBA - US vs. CHINA

USA leads China 27-14 at the end of the 1st Quarter.  Young leads US scorers with 7, Howard has 5 and CC has 5 pts and 3 assists.

USA leads China 49-29 at the half.  Howard leads USA scorers with 11, Gray has 10 and Stewart 7.  Stewart leads with 7 rebounds, Collier is 2nd with 5 and Copper 3rd with 3 rebounds. CC has 5 assists in about 8 minutes of floor time. Copper has 2 assists in about 15 minutes of floor time.

The third quarter saw the USA continuing to build its lead over China.  Howard leads scorers 14, Young 2nd with 12 and CC is third with 8 points.  Stewart leads rebounders with 7, Collier has 6 and Copper 5 rebounds.  CC leads with 7 assists, although the announcers and the Owl think it's really 8, Young has 3 and Stewart.

Final score, the United States downs Communist China 94-61.  CC, Paige and Rhyne lead the USA scorers with 14 points each.  Angel had 9 rebounds, 2nd Stewart 7 rebounds and Collier grabbed 6 rebounds.  CC picked up a double double with a team leading 11 assists, Paige was 2nd with 4 assists, Sonia and Young tied for 3rd with 3 assists each.

The major takeaway is Team USA was much more talented and skilled.  The young Americans, CC, Paige, Angel, Sonia and Rhyne looked much more athletic and connected than the older players.  CC, was looking for Paige and Angel but delivered the ball all over the USA roster.  Angel showed leadership on the perimeter by looking off the ball and pointing to the wide open CC for a 3.  Aliyah played well on the floor, in only 14 minutes.  Aliyah's defense against the much larger Chinese centers, 6'11' and 7'5", was particularly impressive.

The CC watch is off to a great international start.  CC lead the team with a double double, a +/- 30, efficiency 22 and created 36 points in 25 minutes.  A pretty good way to kick off this tournament.

BIG NEWS ON THE OWL

The Owl is adding public discussion to the Sports Page.  

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MORE GREAT NEWS-GOP TAKES FIRST LEAD IN GENERAL BALLOT

The GOP has taken its first lead in the generic national ballot.  The Iowa Standard, great Iowa political website, has the latest Emerson poll now showing Hinson up 5 and Zahn only down 3.  Third story down as of this edition at the Iowa Standard.

The news is better than it seems.  The last two times the Democrats won the midterms with a Republican President in the White House were 2006 and 2018.  The Dem/Com margin in 2006 was 11.5% on Election Day, down from the mid 20%s during the summer.  The Dem/Com advantage was down to 7.3% in 2018, also falling from a nearly 20 point lead in the summer, between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

The average skew Democrat has been growing throughout the current century.  The Owl did a deep dive into the polling errors and bias back in August.  The conclusion, of both experts and the Owl is polling no longer reflects actual public sentiment.  The most significant reason for the polling error is the intentional failure to poll Republicans.  Dem/Com polling has routinely shown margins of error greater than 20% in multiple states.  Quantas Data concluded:

"The forecast didn’t fail because of volatility. It failed because of its own architecture—one that embedded bias at the structural level, amplified polling error rather than smoothing it, and rewarded the illusion of precision over actual accuracy."

The reduced ability to commit fraud is another significant advantage the GOP did not possess in big Senate swings in 2000, 2006, 2018 and 2022.  Fraud is now an integral part of Dem/Com election strategy.  They need endless voting and thousands of flawed ballots in close races.  Those same areas that always are fraudulent are going to be swarming with DOJ election monitors, ICE (yes, every American should want to scare aliens, legal or illegal away from polling places), US Marshalls and the FBI all prepared to seize ballots in places like Phoenix, Seattle, Portland, Atlanta, Austin, Philadelphia, North Carolina, New Hampshire and northern Virginia.

If any polling shows a GOP lead, we can add 3-7% to that lead for the actual turnout.  Now, let's spread the good news and raise morale among dispirited GOP voters, demoralize Democrats, who are in a civil war between their European socialist wing and their large Chinese/Cuban fully Stalinist Communists, complete with death camps, political murder, widespread political violence and show trials.  This civil war is going to really hurt the Dem/Com fraudulent tactics in places like Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina and Maine.  So vote and campaign like your life depends on it, because it might.

GREAT NEWS - TRUMP REACHES DEAL WITH 9 NEW DRUG COMPANIES

Yesterday President Trump reached a deal with nine more pharmaceutical companies.  This deal will bring the total number of pharmaceutical companies that are now operating under "most favored nation status" to 26.

Those 26 countries will no longer be charging Americans multiples of what the same companies charge foreign countries or retailers for the same drugs.  Every President since Bill Clinton has said they will deliver Americans MFN status.  No one has, until President Trump.  Click on the pic to play the video.

The Democrat/Communist solution was to just give more money to Medicare and keep paying above market prices for prescription medication.  President Trump is reducing prices paid by Medicare and American private retailer chains like CVS and Walgreens.

Throwing federal money at anything long term is rarely the answer.  Fixing structural problems has not even been attempted in Washington for the last 38 years.  Now we have a President that brings solutions, not just complaints.

HAWKEYE FIELD HOCKEY JUMPS TO NO. 4

The Hawkeye Field Hockey team now sits at number 4 nationally.  Iowa trails only traditional powers Northwestern, Princeton and Harvard.  Iowa's rank reflects the impressive road wins against then 7th ranked Wake Forest and 2nd ranked North Carolina.  Full rankings below, just click to enlarge.

Iowa's next opponent is unranked Lehigh on Friday at 3:30 at Christine Grant Field in Iowa City.  It's the day before football kicks off Saturday.  Get out and support the nationally ranked field hockey.  Start the tailgate early and give the women a big crowd.