Fantasy Colbert League: January 11-January 14

It’s the second week back, folks! I must say that I love that the set is new, but still feels like the old one. Of course, all the HD is lovely as well, and I loved the new HD board and Stephen drawing Snoopy. Hopefully this week is as good as the last!

Eugene Jarecki is the author of the book, The American Way of War: Guided Missiles, Misguided Men, and a Republic in Peril. The book focuses on modern presidents and the wars they wage, and how the rationale has changed over time. Jarecki also directed the popular documentary, Why We Fight, about how the government feeds on constant war. Eugene is the brother of another filmmaker, Andrew Jarecki, and the half-brother of Nicholas Jarecki, also a filmmaker. He attended Princeton University and New York University.

Fract: Mr. Jarecki is the founder of The Eisenhower Project. It is a public policy group dedicated to understanding the forces that shape American foreign policy.

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman stars in the new movie, Invictus, as Nelson Mandela during the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa. Morgan Freeman’s breakout role was in the movie, Driving Miss Daisy, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award in 1989. But it took Morgan until 2005 to win an Oscar for the movie, Million Dollar Baby. Freeman has had a long career in film with movies like The Shawshank Redemption, Seven, and the role of God in Bruce Almighty. Morgan started the Grenada Relief Fund with others after Hurricane Ivan, which tore through Grenada in 2004, and he was recently inducted as a member into the Kennedy Center Honors in 2008.

Fract: On January 4, Morgan Freeman recently became the new voice of the introduction for the CBS Evening News, replacing Walter Cronkite.

Tuesday, January 12: Raj Patel

Raj Patel is the author of the new book, The Value of Nothing: How to Reshape Market Society and Redefine Democracy, which focuses on our society’s faith in prices to value the financial health of the world. A British born academic, journalist, activist, and writer, Raj is also known for his 2008 book, Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System. Mr. Patel received his B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Oxford, his Master’s from the London School of Economics, and a Ph.D. from Cornell University. He has lived in Zimbabwe, South Africa, and the United States.

You can also follow Raj Patel on Twitter or check out his website here.

Fract: Raj knows a thing or two about the global food crisis. He was asked to testify in 2008 about the topic in front of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee.

Wednesday, January 13: John Farmer

John Farmer is the senior counsel to the 9/11 Commission and is the author of the book, The Ground Truth: The Untold Story of America Under Attack on 9/11, which draws conclusions about the failure to detect the attacks of September 11, 2001. Currently, Farmer serves as the dean of the School of Law at Rutgers in Newark, New Jersey. He attended Georgetown University, where he received both his Bachelor’s degree and his Juris Doctor. In 1999, Farmer was nominated to the position of New Jersey Attorney General, and served in that position until 2002. John Farmer is also a contributer to The Star-Ledger of Newark.

Fract: While serving as the New Jersey Attorney General in 2002, Farmer served as the acting Governor for 90 minutes until the next governor was sworn in.

Thursday, January 14: Kathleen Sebelius

Kathleen Sebelius is the current Secretary of Health and Human Services. Before being nominated to the position, Sebelius served as the Governor of Kansas – only the second female to hold the job. Kathleen received her B.A. in political science from Trinity Washington University and a Master’s from the University of Kansas. Her father also served as governor (in Ohio), so they became the first father/daughter pair to serve the position. Before serving as the Governor, Sebelius held the role of Insurance Commissioner of Kansas, and was named one of the Public Officials of the Year by Governing Magazine for her work. Kathleen Sebelius also gave the response to the 2008 State of the Union Address, President Bush’s final State of the Union.

Ms. Sebelius has a Twitter account, though it’s been inactive since the 2008 elections.

Fract: Accepting Jesus as Savior? Ms. Sebelius was raised Roman Catholic just like Stephen.

Enjoy the show!

• Fantasy Colbert League: March 15-March 18
• Fantasy Colbert League: March 8-March 11
• Fantasy Colbert League: March 1-March 4
• Fantasy Colbert League: February 22-February 25