Surviving the Red Sox

Once again, the non-sports comes first so I don't lose half of my readers right off the bat. (Please note the sports euphemism. We use them all the time, when we just want to touch base or when we are trying to throw someone a curve...)

Survivor: CBS's show that was once the talk of the town is now trying to keep itself from getting voted off the island. Apparently, Survivor's ratings have been plummeting like the Red Sox season and the producers feel like they need a gimmick to up the viewership for the 13th season of their show. They've tried to throw in a monkey wrench with each new season to surprise both the participants and the viewers. They've even gone so far as to have a "Survivor: All Star" season. Apparently they've run out of ideas.

What are they doing this year? For starters, instead of just two tribes, there are four. Not only that, but those four tribes are divided up by race. Yup, the four teams are Caucasians, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanics. Nothing like throwing a little gasoline on a fire, huh CBS? The producers have been quoted as saying they hope that people will tune in to route for their own race. Pardon?! "We want to foster a feeling of racism in America. We don't think enough people focus on it, so we're going to give them an easy opportunity to do so."

I'm not ignorant enough to think that there aren't racist people watching the show pulling for people of their own color. But CBS is going out of its way to encourage this behavior!

This also means that the casting directors had a quota for each race to make sure the teams were even. And if you were of questionable or multiple decent, could you be on the show? "Well, my mother is Irish, but my dad is Portuguese." Oh, sorry, we don't have a team for that. Maybe you could try back next year when our teams will be divided by religion.

Don't get me wrong. This won't change how I feel about Survivor. I've always strongly disliked the show. So much so that it would be difficult for me to dislike it more than I already do. I'm simply astounded by the irresponsibility of the producers and the network to allow this divisive plan.

In a time when people are still claiming that had the victims of Katrina been white the response would have been different, it is exactly this type of stupidity that we do not need. (There are those in New Orleans who have gone so far as to say that the levees were sabotaged by the government to make sure it was the poor black section of the city that was flooded in an effort to protect the affluent white areas.) We have enough people playing the race card (including (but not limited to) politicians, lawyers, "civil rights leaders," "reverends," singers, rappers, athletes, agents, actors, and newscasters) that we don't need the people supplying America (and often times, the world) with entertainment elevating ignorance and racism on a pedestal as though it's something to be attained rather than destroyed.

The Red Sox: So the Red Sox continue to lose. Or rather, the people wearing the uniforms of the Red Sox continue to lose. Who are these people?! Here was the lineup for the past few days:

Crisp CF
Pedroia 2B
Loretta DH
Youkilis LF
Lowell 3B
Pena (Carlos, not Willie Mo) 1B
Lopez C
Kapler RF
Cora SS

There is not a single person in this lineup who played in the post season for the Red Sox last year! Compare this lineup to the 2004 lineup:

Damon CF
Cabrera SS
Ortiz DH
Manny LF
'Tek C
Nixon RF
Meuller 3B
Millar 1B
Bellhorn 2B

or even earlier this year:

Youkilis 1B
Loretta 2B
Ortiz DH
Manny LF
'Tek C
Nixon RF
Lowell 3B
Crisp CF
A-Gon SS

Take a look at the lineup on the DL:

Crisp (possibly injured shoulder in last night's game) CF
Adam Stern 2B
Ortiz 1B
Manny LF
Willie Mo Pena DH
'Tek C
Nixon RF
A-Gon SS

If I'm a Red Sox opponent, I'd rather face the current team than the players on the DL! Who are these people!?

I'm not saying that injuries are the only reason the Sox are losing, but when you lose your 3, 4, 5, and 6 hitters you're done! That's the "Giant" part of the lineup! They are expected to be back soon (Ortiz as soon as tomorrow, 'Tek and Nixon have rehab games with Pawtucket tonight) but it will be too late. Thanks for playing.

Of course, I don't know how much better next year will look like. It's expected that the following people will not be on the team next year:

Nixon
Crisp
A-Gon
Loretta
and possibly Lowell

Which means we'll have Willie Mo as our every day RF, Pedroia at 2B, Youk may move to 3B, and who knows who will play CF or SS?

*sigh* (fist waving in the air) Just wait till next year!

Fatherhood

Alright, alright, the masses have spoken. I'll do my best to reflect upon this new hat I'm wearing that says "Daddy."

Ok, if it isn't the heart of honesty it isn't worth posting. The first thought I have when I ponder fatherhood is that I feel like I'm trailblazing. (How's that for you Jenna? Remember that continuous discussion?) As many of my regular readers are aware, I didn't have the best example of how to be a father from my father. Some would say I didn't really have a father, just a much older brother. The fact that he was mostly out of the house since I was four simply adds to this feeling: I'm the first "daddy" in my family.

And as the first "daddy" I've already received my first Father's Day present (from Vanessa before Isaac was born (in fact, I think it was before he had a name)) and it is his first baseball glove. I'm very excited to be able to spend time with my son! Exposing him to all the different sports that I know and finding out which ones he likes (he has no choice regarding Ultimate Frisbee. He's going to like that one.)

I tend to see kids differently now. Every child I see is a possibility of what Isaac might become. So as I'm exiting the mall and I see the losers who have nothing better to do but smoke and loiter I ponder how they got to that point and what can I do to keep Isaac from it. I watch the LLWS and see parents who are clearly living vicariously through their kids and pray that I never do that. I look at some of the mistakes my folks made and hope I do better. There is a lot to think about as a dad. I want to discover who Isaac is and then encourage him in those areas while at the same time shaping him to be a man of God. I foresee it as being a very delicate balance.

I've heard many people say that their favorite time is when their children were newborns. Advising us that they are so cute at this time and we should cherish it. Yeah. I guess that's true. But the flip side of that is it's so hard to interact with a being that just eats, poops, sleeps, and burps. Recently, he's begun smiling and laughing. This is a major step forward and has been the highlight of my days. When my son wakes up and sees that I'm home from work and flashes he cute little smile and utters his backwards laugh (he inhales as he laughs, instead of exhaling) I'm borderline speechless.

While I'm unable to feed Isaac without some planning ahead, I have found something I'm quite good at. Getting him to sleep. I think my record is two point eight minutes. The only problem is that he's so comfortable in my arms that he nearly always wakes up when I try to put him in his bed. Would anyone like to know the song I sing to my son that calms him the most? I've tried many. Here's the winner.

Another word of advice I've oft heard is that my life will never be the same. The problem is that it is nearly always said as a negative. "Oh? You're having a baby? Well, your life will never be the same. It's over!" Instead of what I've found to be the truth: "My life will never be the same." It's beginning anew; just as it did when I wed my love.

I've been all over the world and seen a lot of amazing sights; a little boy who's been experiencing this world for just over two months who is the living example of the love that my wife and I share may just be on the top of that list.

Wanted: The Thief of Ortiz's 2006 MVP

It's been clear to all that, up until the All Star Break, David Ortiz was the front runner in regards to the AL MVP. It's not looking so good now. Why is that? Is David's performance falling off that much? No. He is still playing like an MVP. So who is stealing Big Papi's MVP award?

Here are the suspects:

The Writers: These are the people who vote for the MVP. They stole David's MVP last year and gave it to A-Fraud. He has further proven himself to be a fraud this year and (hopefully) is not being considered for the 2006 AL MVP. The writers have also broadcast a strong bias against voting for a designated hitter for this award. There is no A-Fraud for them to give it to this year, but there is Mauer (C-Twins) and Jeter (SS-Yankees). Perhaps they have their sights set on stealing David's MVP for the second year in a row.

Manny Ramirez: There are two ways that Papi's Pal could be purloining his place of prominence. First, Manny was on fire during the Red Sox crash and burn at the hands of the Yankees. I've always felt that the league MVP needs to be the team MVP as well. If Manny is competing with Papi for the team MVP he may steal some MVP votes from him. The second way that Manny could steal the award is by way of his hammy. Manny suddenly had a cramp in his hammy after he made it known that he was upset with the game scorer when a hit he had was scored an error. He had to be talked into playing the next game, then left the game after that early with a "cramp." With Manny out of the lineup, Tito has been batting Kevin Youkilis behind Ortiz. Since then, Ortiz has received two intentional walks. Without Manny behind him, nobody pitches to David. Manny may be unintentionally taking the MVP from his teammate.

Derek Jeter: There are musings that Jeter may be the writers' favorite for the non DH MVP. He's had a decent year and with the player to his right committing error after error, he's shining on that infield. Here's the problem that I have with the Jeter for MVP campaign. I don't see how a Yankee can ever be MVP. The MVP of the league needs to be the MVP of his team. When you are shuffled in a lineup with Damon, Giambi, Matsui, Sheffield, A-Fraud, Williams, Cano, Posada, Abreu and Rivera how can you possibly be the MVP of that group?! They have proven that they can cruise without two of their best players. However, as the writers have proven: they don't care. Jeter may end up stealing Papi's MVP.

Joe Mauer: While Big Papi leads the majors in RBI and Home Runs (two of the three aspects of baseball's "Triple Crown.") Mr. Mauer holds the other for the American League: batting average. Normally, this wouldn't be a concern. The MVP rarely has the best batting average. Here's the catch. Mauer is a catcher and catchers hardly ever win the batting title, let alone lead the entire majors in this category. This wouldn't be an issue if Mauer were a short stop or center fielder, positions known for their hitting ability. So, combine the fact that a catcher has the best batting average with the writers who will vote for a relief pitcher before they'll vote for a DH and you have an equation that robs David of his second deserved MVP.

The Red Sox Bullpen: "Wait a minute, Marc. How can the Red Sox pitching be stealing David's MVP? They aren't the one's pitching to him!" True enough. However, all too often, the writers won't vote for a player on a team that doesn't make the playoffs. How can the MVP of the league not be good enough to elevate his team to the post season? I bet the writers who can't stomach voting for a DH are praying the Sox continue to falter so that they have a different excuse other than "Well, he doesn't play the field." So, hear me know and believe me later: If the Red Sox pitching doesn't shape up and if the Sox don't get to play October ball (Come on, don't we all want to hear more of "the Hunt for Red Soxtober"?) then David Ortiz will not be awarded the AL MVP and for the second time in two years it will have been stolen from him. Just as it was stolen from Pujols by Bonds all those years before.

Verdict: If Big Papi doesn't get the big award we can blame the pitching. Not only are they sinking the Sox season, they are taking David's hopes of an MVP honor down with them.

Mark my words, this will prove to be more than just my opinion!

What a joke 2

Volume II "The Sports Version"

Be sure to catch "What a joke volume I" below (it was yesterday's post).

I'll start with the non-major league sports so as not to lose you all right off the bat.

The Little League World Series: This isn't all about the LLWS, but the rules are the same so I figured I'd use that heading.

I caught just a few minutes of the LLWS, but what I saw I found disturbing. First, it looked like these 11 year olds were throwing junk (curve balls for the non sports inclined among us.) This is really bad for a preteens elbow and really should not be allowed.

I also saw a child hit a home run. What an exciting moment for him. And what did he do? Showboat. He hit the ball, dropped the bat alla Manny Ramirez, and watched it fly for a few moments before he started jogging. Hello! You're 11! I really hope his coach let him have it regarding sportsmanship and the proper way to play the game.

Little League in America has universal rules. One of those rules is that every player on the team who is at the game must be in the field for at least 3 defensive outs and have at least one at bat. There was a coach who realized in the top of the sixth (that's their final inning) with at 9-7 lead that he'd failed to play one player. He put him in the game and told his team to make sure the game was tied when the half inning ended so that the child could get an at bat and they'd have a chance to win the game. The other team's coach also noticed the oversight and told his players to swing and miss knowing that if the game ended without that child getting an at bat his team would win even though the score was not in their favor. So, while one coach was telling his team to throw the game so that the rules could be followed, the other was telling his team to throw the game so that the rules could be exploited.

1) What does this rule teach the kids? Life is fair, everyone deserves a turn, winning doesn't matter, blah blah blah. Bad rule.
2) What did the first coach teach the kids? Even though it's a bad rule, it's not immoral and it should be abided by, so much so that he tried to extend the game to obey the rule.
3) What did the second coach teach the kids? Winning is everything. Whatever it takes! If you can't win based on your own abilities, win based on someone else's mistake!

By the way, there is a happy medium between winning doesn't matter and winning is everything.

Lastly in regards to Little League, there was a close game where the team in the field intentionally walked a slugger to face the kid who followed him in the line up. Now, forgetting the outrage that 10 year olds are intentionally walking each other, the batter who was up next was a cancer patient! They walked the teams slugger to face the cancer patient who hadn't had a hit in who knows how many at bats! He struck out ending the game. Once again, coaches really need to find the balance between winning doesn't matter and winning is everything. Because the coach who had his pitcher walk the slugger just doesn't get it.

The Red Sox: Maybe some of you have been waiting for this part of the post. Yesterday, the Yankees completed a five game sweep in Fenway pushing the Red Sox to 6 1/2 games back in the division. What's the problem? Pitching, pitching, pitching! I'm sure glad that Bronson is off the team. I mean, the Sox only averaged 5 runs a game against the Yankees so their offense clearly needed some help! Well, when your opponent averages around 8 runs a game there's something wrong on the mound, not at the plate.

(Hey Dr. James & Mudflaps, you'll both appreciate this part.) While the pitching is to blame, there should be some red flags flying when a major league pitching roster gives up 14 walks in a game (game 3). 14 walks. These are major league pitchers. If there are 14 walks being handed out that strike zone must be pretty darn small! I saw the two batters that Becket walked forcing home two runs. Both of those batter struck out looking and yet were awarded first base.

While the umpire had a hand in the loss, the weight falls in the bullpen. The Red Sox were unable to hold leads of as much as 3 runs. That is not a team that's going to make it into the playoffs. (And they lost yesterday on a wild pitch...)

I still believe that making no move at the deadline was the right move. 'Tek and Nixon went down after that time. Perhaps it is the fact that 'Tek isn't their for the young pitchers to aim at. Their decline did coincide with his departure from behind the plate.

"But the Yankees had injuries too." Sure they did. Matsui and Sheffield are both hurt. Leaving them with the skeleton crew of Jeter, A-Rod, Posada, Giambi, Damon, Williams and Cano. I have no idea how they are winning with that depleted lineup!

Don't get me wrong. It ain't over. 5 down in the wild card, 6 1/2 in the division with over 40 to play. Hopefully the geriatrics from New York will slip a few rungs as well. The post season is still a possibility.

So, there you have it. A few things that are, in just my opinion, complete and utter jokes.

What a Joke

So, while I realize I'm slowly becoming that guy that I was complaining about in my last post (the guy who never posts) I'm doing my best to entertain you with my thoughts. The next two posts are going to be all about things that I think are complete jokes. This post will be the non-sports post, and tomorrows will be the sports post, (though not entirely major league sports.)

First up:

Hollywood: More specifically "Snakes on a plane." Here's the plot, concentrate because it's complicated: An assassin puts a piece of luggage on a plane. It's full of snakes. The luggage is programmed to open at a certain time releasing these snakes... that are on a plane. The snakes start killing people... who are on the plane. Because the assassin wants to kill on specific passenger... who is on said plane. Can't wait to catch this one!

What is wrong with Hollywood that they can't put out a good movie anymore unless it was a book or a movie before?! Have all of the creative people packed up and vacated the left coast? Here's the biggest joke of this movie: It was the highest grossing movie at the box office this weekend, out dueling the other intellectual movie out right now: "Ricky Bobby: Ballad of Talladega Nights."

Teen Choice Awards: As though our culture wasn't youth oriented enough, now we have the Teen Choice Awards. This respectable awards show has such categories as "Choice Liplock," "Choice Hottie," "Choice Rumble," and "Choice Grill." (For those of you who are too old to know what a grill is, it is not the following: the barbeque in your backyard, the metal grate in front of your car radiator, or an interrogation scene. It's teeth. The celebs all had gold, silver, or jewels attached to their teeth!) The award given is a 6 foot surf board. This award is so all encompassing it deals with movies, TV, and music.

Ooo ooo, and this year's broadcast included the first live performance of K-Fed! (That's Kevin Federline, you know, the nobody who married Brittany Spears and now is some amazing singer! Lucky for her that she married someone so talented!)

My major issues with this concept are as follows: First: It's nearly impossible to create a piece of entertainment that is appropriate for 13 year olds and yet will hold the attention of a modern 17 or 18 year old. There is WAY too much of a difference between the beginning of the teen years and the end to have something that would attract all teens. The solution to this is to entertain the older teens knowing that the younger will watch anyway. Isn't that part of our problem? Don't we have kids in sixth grade acting like they are juniors in high school? Aren't researchers giving sex surveys to middle schoolers because they are no longer acting like middle schoolers? Second: Doesn't this simply encourage Hollywood to pander to this age group even more? Aren't we sick of movies like Ricky Bobby and American Pie? Third: I heard a song the other day that had a line "I'm going to be 18 until I die." This is another major problem I see. Our society LOVES youth. We yearn for it and try to keep it as long as we can. Skin care, hair replacement, even TV shows (that 70's show so 30 and 40 year olds can relive their youth) are signs of our desire to remain young. But what are the consequences of that? Divorce because we shirk responsibility? Teen drug use and pregnancy because we'd rather be their friends than their parents? Does our culture of "I'm a victim" stem from our desire to remain young? This award show is not necessary, nor is it benificial. Finally: Do you really think that the celebs take this seriously? Do you think Reese Witherspoon is going to put her surf board next to her Oscar statuette?

There were a few redeeming points of this laugh-fest. Several winners tried to use the acceptance speech as a platform to send out a good message to the youth. Sandra Bullock (who won for Choice Liplock with Keanu Reeves) encouraged people to be faithful in marriage (Keanu didn't really get it and was somewhat countered what she said, but not terribly). Jessica Alba (who won for choice hottie) attempted to encourage teens not to be obsessed with their looks. She thanked her hair and make up people and the photographers and graphic artists who had been air brushing her for years. She opened her thank you speech with, "We need to remember that looks don't matter, accept in this category." One other surprise was that "She's the Man" (a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s "Twelfth Night") took home Choice comedy or musical.

Don't forget to check back tomorrow for the complete jokes that I've seen recently in sports!

Living in the US is so taxing!

It's been quite some time since I've been able to post on here and for my loyal blog checkers, I apologize. I know how frustrating it is to continually check someone’s blog only to find that it's still as it was a week ago. (You know who you are...)

So over the next few posts, I'll be discussing some of the things I've been mulling over during my recent blog silence.

Taxes: I am amazed that the American people are not more outraged over taxes. In regards to our money, our government gets us coming and going! They tax our money when we earn it: Income tax. This is anywhere from 20%-50% of your income depending on how much you make in a year. They tax us when we don't earn it: Capital Gains Taxes on interest of our savings or stocks. They tax us when it's a gift: Estate Tax. If my mother dies, and leaves me stuff, the government takes some of it! Then they tax us when we spend it: Sales Tax. And there are the specific items that have their own tax: Gas Tax, Prepared food tax, Amusement Tax, Liquor tax, Luxury tax, Cigarette tax, telephone taxes, Then they tax us because we own it: Property tax, Recreational vehicle tax, Excise tax, etc.

And don't forget, any fee you pay to your city or state for a license is really a tax without the title: Dog license, drivers license, car registration, parking meters, building permit, yard sale permit, hunting license, fishing license, marriage license, toll roads, and traffic fines to name a few.

And yet somehow states don't have enough money for education. The feds can't balance a budget! “We need to raise taxes!” ("There's nothing more permanent than a temporary tax." (and a temporary dorm at Gordon)) How is this possible?!

Here is a semi complete list of current taxes:

Accounts Receivable Tax
Capital Gains Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Court Fines (indirect taxes)
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Food License Tax
Fuel permit tax
Gasoline Tax (40 cents per gallon)
Inheritance Tax Interest expense (tax on the money)
Inventory tax IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Local Income Tax
Luxury Taxes
Medicare Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Septic Permit Tax
Service Charge Taxes
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Taxes (Truckers)
Sales Taxes
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone federal excise tax
Telephone federal universal service fee tax
Telephone federal, state and
Local surcharge taxes
Telephone minimum usage surcharge tax
Telephone recurring and non-recurring charges tax
Telephone state and local tax
Telephone usage charge tax
Trailer Registration Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

But it gets better! All of these taxes still don't seem to cover the cost of running a government! Lawmakers and tax-takers have to become more creative. Check out this completely real and true tax that I found: In Tennessee, when you acquire an illegal drug (even "moonshine"), you have 48 hours to report to the Department of Revenue and pay your tax, in exchange for which you'll receive stamps to affix to your illegal substance. The stamps serve as evidence you paid the tax on the illegal product. You need not provide identification to get the stamps and it's illegal for revenue employees to rat you out. If you are caught with an illegal substance that you have not paid the tax on, not only are you arrested, but you are also fined for the tax you didn't pay!

Here's the question: None of these existed a hundred years ago and yet our nation was the among most prosperous in the world, had zero national debt, had a larger middle class than it does now, and it was commonplace for one parent to work and actually support the family. What happened?!

Where does all of this tax money GO?! We shouldn't have half of these taxes! The first to go should be the state and federal income tax! *sigh* Just my opinion.

33 ways to make sports better.

Though this may look like a sports post, it should be entertaining and perhaps enlightening for all. With all the controversy surrounding many sports (the ref in last years NFL, Floyd Landis in the Tour de France, 'Roids in the MLB) something needs to be done! As a public service, I have compiled a list of 33 ideas that would make sports better for all. Here they are in no certain order:

1) Anyone heard yelling "Get in the hole" as soon as the golfer hits the ball is immediately escorted off of the course.

2) Bring back the glowing puck

3) Full time NFL refs

4) Salary cap for all sports

5) Salary floor for all sports

6) Price cap for tickets

7) NFL OT is no longer decided by a coin flip. The home team gets to choose the ball or the side to defend

8) MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL all on free TV

9) Certain play by play and color commentary people no longer allowed to speak over the air! (You know who you are!)

10) Make NASCAR drivers do a physical challenge during their pit stops. They have to accurately complete a complicated math problem while their tires are being changed or they are penalized a few seconds at the end of pit row.

11) The following phrases are outlawed:
"110%"
"We just need to score more than the other team"
"We didn't get it done tonight"

12) Call Peyton Manning for false starts! It's illegal to put your hands under center and then pull back with out the ball for any reason, including to audible.

13) No more horseracing. Period.

14) The following people need to be permanently removed from their sports and their records expunged:
Barry Bonds
Mark McGuire
Rafael Palmiero
Jason Giambi
Jose Cansaco
T.O.
Randy Moss

15) The following people need to be reinstated to their sports:
Shoeless Joe

16) Soccer ties are no longer allowed. Any ties after regulation are decided based on attack time. The team with the most attack time wins.

17) There needs to be a Triple A for the NBA. I'm sick of young players "learning on the court."

18) MLB should institute what the UK soccer league has. The worst team drops down a league and the best one from the lower league takes their place. (I'm talking to you Kansas City! "Tomorrow, the Seattle Mariners face off against the Pawtucket Red Sox")

19) No more sideline reporters. We don't have them in baseball, soccer, and hockey and we don't miss them.

20) Instant replay for baseball. Just like football. Red flag, three times, you are charged an out if you are wrong.

21) Get rid of the NIT (No-one's Interested Tournament) If you didn't make it to the big dance, don't go to the loser's ball.

22) Homeruns are not highlights

23) The Tour de France route changes every year. Riders are not informed where the route goes until the day of that stage. If you get lost: too bad.

24) Tiger starts two strokes over par

25) Playoff tournament for college football, no more Fiesta Kleenex Tidybowl Bowls!

26) Shorter hockey season. Ice hockey should not be played in April!

27) Change the win/loss determination for pitchers with the ability for the scorer to award the win or the loss and the ability for no pitcher to get the win.

28) No more no-calls on superstars in the NBA. Call consistently!

29) Olympic medal winners are automatically allowed back for the next Olympics to defend their championships. They do not have to qualify. They do not count against their nation if there is a certain number of athletes that are allowed to be sent from any one country for their event.

30) Test Test Test! Universal drug testing for all performance enhancing drugs including the Head Growth Hormone (Thanks Mudflaps)

31) No retro jerseys for certain teams (like the Padres and the Astros!)

32) If you can't find a sport to broadcast on your cable sports station, don't try to convince me that dominoes is a sport!

33) Where is the professional Ultimate Frisbee?

Feel free to add your own or disagree with any of these. Because, after all, they are just my opinion.

Road rage

Two relatively quick comments regarding two road based occurrences:

The Tour de France: So, for the 8th year in a row an American has won the Tour de France. I'm sure I don't need to tell you this annoys the French more than when people try to speak their language! You know what an American winning the Tour means, right? Allegations of drug use. That's right, it's in the fine print of the Tour rules: "If an American wins the tour, claim he cheated." Isn't that right, Lance?

Well, they've once again been able to enforce that rule. Floyd Landis has been accused of using a performance enhancing drug. What did they find in Landis' blood? Testosterone! Technically, the finding was a "high level of testosterone." 'Cuz that's hard. "Look, the American man had a higher level of testosterone than the French!" What a surprise!

The real joke about all this was that he was tested just before the 17th leg of the race; just after his collapse in the Alps. This was the day he had an amazing comeback to get within striking distance of the lead. The French are claiming that the testosterone is what gave him an edge during that part of the race. This is ludicrous!

He'd been tested three times before this leg of the race, all three times there was nothing found. Testosterone is like an anabolic steroid. It does not work like an upper. It takes months for testosterone to take effect, not hours. It's a strength builder, not an endurance builder. The French have again shown their desire to take back their race. But I can understand to a point. Imagine if the Aussies kept winning the America's Cup. We'd be pretty peeved, too.

The Big Dig: The Big Disgrace is more like it. Billions over budget and now we find they were cutting corners to save money? Where did that money go? Obviously not back into the project. Now it'll be millions more to fix what wasn't done right in the first place.

But I feel much safer now. Finally a politician is overseeing the project. Fwhew!

Yup, Mitt Romney ("in '08" should be following his name shortly) was able to oust Matthew Amorello (former head of the Turnpike Authority) because someone’s head has to be on a pike and Amorello already had the word in his job title!

I can't imagine how many "contributions" Romney got from the companies who dug this national embarrassment for him to go after the figurehead instead of the men actually taking the state's money!

Here's what needs to happen: The companies who made the tunnels need to fix the tunnels at their own cost. There was Federal money given to this project! Why should Joe Shmow metal working in Iowa have to pay for the greed and irresponsibility of fat cat Boston Big Dig Contract winner? After they've fixed them, they need to set up a payment plan to pay the American people back for their waste of time and money. The companies responsible need to pay back every cent they went over budget plus interest. That sounds crazy? How can they afford it? Why should Sue Blue the lunch lady be made to pay for it? The fault falls squarely on the contractors.

So while Mitt flies in as "savior" and Amorello is left holding the fake blame, the real culprits recline in their multimillion dollar houses with their indoor Jacuzzis sipping on daiquiris. Something's very wrong here.

(On a final note: several News stations have been covering the ceiling panel fall as the "Big Dig Collapse." Can we say sensationalism? The Big Dig did not collapse. That conjures images of massive cave ins and road blockages. It was a ceiling panel that fell at the wrong time of the day. Had it fallen at 4am this whole issue would be being handled quite differently.)

Where the rubber meets the road: (whatever that means) Just my opinion.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's speech, full of "his-bull-ah"

In his recent speech, the Prime Minister of Lebanon whined that his nation was too weak to get Hezbollah under control. Boo Hoo. Woe is me. Please help. He acts as though he had no idea that they were in his country. There are six members in his Parliament!

So, just whose responsibility is Hezbollah? Lebanon's, that's who. I don't care how much he cries and whines. And if Lebanon can't control their own people? Israel has every right to protect themselves.

I see it like this: My neighbor has a dog. A big vicious dog that even my neighbor has become afraid of. The dog attacked me. First, I say to my neighbor, "Control your dog." When he fails, I take care of the dog. Now, in this fictional situation, the right thing to do is call the authorities and have them send in the animal control officer. I suppose in our real life situation, that would be the UN. We all know how effective the UN is, don't we?

Well, if the animal control officer is too chicken to do something about it, or if the officer comes out and announces that he will be withholding my neighbor's mail until he does something about the dog, I'm going in.

The problem with the "animal control officer" is that he knows everyone in town. And he has to listen to what they have to say. I think that for the "ACO" to be effective, if you have a rabid, dangerous animal on your property and most of the other people in town know about it, you no longer have a say in what the "ACO" does. Otherwise, the "ACO" is deadlocked and can't ever get anything done!

This is why my neighbors Lebanon, North Korea, Iran, France (just because), Sudan, Iraq (before Operation Iraqi Freedom), Syria, and Saudi Arabia should not be allowed to talk to the "ACO." Maybe then he could actually do something about the problems that are before him!

I wish the world would listen to just my opinion.

Would you rather

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine the other day and thought it might be fun to play a little "Would you rather" game with some current events. So please comment with which you'd rather for each of the following:

Would you rather:

1) Eat at Denny's or Stay at Motel 6?

2) Play for the Kansas City Royals (32-60) or warm the bench for the Detroit Tigers (62-30)?

3) Be the 2008 Presidential Campaign Manager for Al Gore or Hillary Clinton?

4) Drive through the I-90 tunnel or Beruit?

5) Be a bad guy with Batman after you or Superman?

Please comment with your opinion.

A Congress full of cowards

I am so sickened by the "lawmakers" of Massachusetts. I put their title in quotes because they have not only allowed thier position to be usurped by the courts, but when they are given an opportunity to be the check and balance for that radical, power grabbing branch of the state government, they flee in terror!

For we've been waiting for them to vote on the Constitutional Amendment to ban same sex marriage in the state for quite some time. When the day finally arrived, they voted. They voted to postpone the vote.

Maybe they just needed more time. Maybe they wanted to find out what the people they were representing wanted. Maybe they were yellow.

They postponed the vote until just after the November elections! They didn't want to offend their constituents by actually voting on this issue! (A note to Janitors and the second half of Team Juloa: This is just another proof that the government is only out for self preservation. Why won't they vote on this? They want to get re-elected. They can say whatever they want to get the votes in November, then vote however they please right after. And they'll vote very soon after the elections so there is as much time between the vote and the next elections as possible. End Note) I don't even really care which way they vote! Look, put your Nikes (c) on and just to it!

Actually, if they listened to their constituents, they'd put the issue before the people of the state. Let the people decided if they want marriage to be defined as a union between one man and one woman or not. I mean if they are going to be cowards then they might as well chicken out all the way and not give the appearance that they are going to make a law. Put it on a ballot. Decide the law that way.

They've allowed the courts make laws, why not actually let the people make a few.

I am now announcing my voting plan for the upcoming elections. If your name has the term "Incumbent" next to it, you will not receive my vote. I encourage others to do the same. If this session of Congress is too afraid to vote, we'll be sure to replace them with people who aren't.

Once again, just my opinion.

The All Star game & the Patriot Act

"This time it counts!" What a joke the All Star game is. An exhibition game in the middle of the season with some fake meaning attached to it by giving the league (AL or NL) that wins the game home field advantage for the World Series. The players that don't make it use the three days as a vacation. The players that make it give it their all day in and day out and deserve the vacation more than the players that don't make it. This is why more and more players are saying "no thanks" to the All Star nod. They want the time off.

Another reason it's a joke is that the manager of the team gets to fill in the gaps. When a player is hurt or decides he doesn't want to play, the manager of the team (which is the manager of the team who represented the league in the World Series the previous year) gets to select the player who will take the place of the one not playing. Ozzie Guillen (Manager of the Chicago White Sox) had that honor this year. Did anyone else notice that there were about 9 White Sox in the All Star game? Wow, that must be some team! Either that or there's some homerism going on! I wonder which it could be...

So, my favorite moment of the All Star game was when there was a routine ground ball to the third baseman (A-Rod, who plays third everyday). The reigning MLB MVP booted it. He got a normal hop and booted it, he recovered and threw the ball toward first. He threw it in the dirt. The first baseman (David Ortiz, who plays first maybe 18 times a year) makes an amazing dig on the short hop to get the runner. The runner up MLB MVP saved the MVP from getting slammed with a big fat E5! Poetic justice if I've ever seen it.

Slammin' the right: I was catching bits and pieces of Law and Order last night. The story line had something to do with anthrax and murder. Well, turns out the Feds staged an anthrax scare at the Police station so they could evacuate it and steal all of the evidence and research. The police are allowed back into their building and are shocked at what's happened. Gasps of "They can't do this!" abound. One officer says, "They can do whatever the hell they please because of the stupid Patriot Act." Oh really? Excuse me, Mr. Detective, if they can do whatever they please why did they stage an anthrax scare? Why not just walk in and declare national security and all that jazz and take what they wanted? Because they can't.

This was a double slam on the right. First, it's that stupid Patriot Act. Apparently it allows for Carte Blanche for the CIA, FBI, NSA, etc. But not so much that they can do it in broad daylight; they have to get rid of some people first. Second: the people "enforcing" or "taking advantage of" the Patriot Act do in a slimy, despicable, dishonest way. What a load!

The police went to the Feds and tried to get their stuff back, and the Feds played the "National security," "You're not authorized," "Top Secret" crap. The Patriot Act is designed to increase communication between the Feds and local authorities, not sever it.

Of course, people who know little to nothing about it, save what they are spoon fed by NBC and the other networks, will just take that at face value and not question it. I wonder if NBC is contributing to the Democratic Party or if it's the other way around.

There you go: two completely unrelated examples of just my opinion.

The 4th of July

Ooo, Ahh, the Fourth of July. There's nothing like a big "Up Yours" to Britain to bring the nation together!

"Hey Britain, tax this!"

Think about it: What is this holiday all about? We are free from being under "big brother's" thumb! Like an arrogant teenager we loudly celebrate the day we moved out.

And look how we celebrate it: We go all out for this holiday! For which other "American" holiday do we universally get the day off of work, gather with other family, barbeque all day, families get together in the center of town, clad in red white and blue, and watch explosive devices in celebration. (Not to mention that nearly every town in the United States has its own fireworks display.) On top of all of this, we toss in some parades, block parties, and tons of live music! Do we do it for Flag Day? Memorial Day? Veteran's Day? D-Day? V-Day? V-J Day? Nope, no, nah, nyet, nine, and no.

It's just one big national middle finger to our "friend across the pond."

Of course, we aren't the only ones to celebrate our independence day. Here are a few others:

January 1st, Australia from England
March 6th, Ghana from England
May 31st, South Africa from England
(Anyone see a pattern?)
July 4th, United States from England
July 5th, Algeria from France
July 6th, Malawi from England
July 9th, Argentina from Spain
August 15th, India from England
August 19th, Afghanistan from England
September 7th, Brazil from Portugal
September 16th, Mexico from Spain
October 24th, Zambia from England
December 24th, Libya from Italy

Ok, so they weren't all from England...

In fact if you visit Earth Calendar you can flip through the holidays celebrated all over the world and you'll find that there are surprisingly few days that do not have a nation's "Independence Day" listed. I think we should name it something else, though. Some thoughts I've had: "Up Yours Day," "We Don't Need You (Unless We're Attacked By Someone) Day," "Nah Na Nah Na Nah Na Day," or "Pffpt Day."

A little trivia: We share our Independence Day with another nation. Which nation is that?

Speaking of a big flip off to other nations, has anyone thought about what North Korea is doing? Testing missiles on our Independence Day around the same time as our space shuttle launch? Is this Kim Jong il guy nuts or what? Some of the largest, strongest nations have said that if he tests these missiles they would regard that action as a serious provocation. He's like a five year old whose mother just said "no" that he can't have a cookie. He looks up at her and slowly reaches his arm over to take a cookie. Like she's not going to notice.

But we have nothing to worry about. The UN is on the case. The mighty UN who showed Iraq that they were serious about their resolutions. The fearless UN who has taken such an active role in the Sudan. The powerful UN who has caused Iran to reconsider their nuclear programs. The awesome UN who is... what? Out of missile range? Oh, well never mind then.

What's the solution? I think a type of MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction). MAD is a dinosaur from the Cold War era. Here's the difference. We tell Kim Jong that if he launches a single nuclear warhead and his nation suddenly ceases to exist. No boots on the ground, no invasion, just a few MOABs (Mother of All Bombs - a non nuclear multi-ton reign of destruction). So it's just be AD or perhaps N-KAD.

So happy ""Nah Na Nah Na Nah Na Day" to my fellow Americans.

Thanks for reading that which is just my opinion.

Two completely unrelated posts

I'll start with the non-sports post...

The way we view the universe: I was thinking the other day that we (and by we I mean the "academic intellectuals" (Or AI's) among us) like to think that a) there is other intelligent life in the universe and b) it is technologically advanced beyond us. So basically, this is a way of being humble. "We aren't the greatest, smartest in the universe. There are others that have advanced far beyond us, and perhaps someday they will visit us." (It's a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there?) I think Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes) put it best when he said, "I think the surest proof that there is intelligent life out there is that none of it has chosen to visit us."

But I digress. I would like to submit some evidence that we (again, the AI's) are not as humble as we purport to be. How old do they believe the universe to be? Somewhere between eleven to thirteen billion years. And how old is our Earth? Somewhere between three to four billion years. How are distances in space calculated? By light years, or the distance light travels in one year. One Earth year. The arbitrary amount of time that it takes our planet to rotate around our star. We measure the age of the universe by something that has existed for less than half supposed age of the great expanse!

What happens when (if) we encounter another intelligent life form and their life sustaining orb takes 20 times longer to complete a rotation around their sun? We start comparing notes... How old is the universe? About 600,000 years. How far is there planet from ours? About a third of a light year away. Took nearly no time to get here.

Second, who's to say that the other life forms are more technologically advanced than us? Someone has to be first! If we aren't the most advanced, are the creatures that visit us? Or is there another, even more advanced culture than theirs?

So they get here, and we're more advanced than they are. Wouldn't they be like, "Dude, you guys are so much more technologically advanced than we are, We only live 1/3 of a light year away! Why haven't you come to visit us?!"

Ok, now sports.

Ozzie Guillen: Ozzie is the manager of the "World Champion" White Sox. (To see why it's in quotes click here, here, here, here, or here.) Recently, they were playing the Texas Rangers and one of his players was hit by two different pitches. He sent a rookie to the mound to hit one of the Ranger's stars in retaliation. (This is a great example for the "World Champion" manager to set). The rookie threw inside twice, both times missing the batter by a significant margin. He then got the batter to ground out, getting out of the inning.

What did Ozzie "Manager of the Year" Guillen do? He reamed him out in the dugout on national TV. Screaming that he didn't follow his instructions and that he was going back to the minors. What a surprise, this pitcher is no longer with the major league White Sox. He now plays for one of their minor league teams.

This is the reward this kid gets for respecting the game and keeping some honor in it? Let's say he even tried to hit the Ranger and failed. What would happen if he gave up a run or two? The same treatment? Probably not! Ozzie Guillen needs to be fined and punished for his behavior. MLB does not condone throwing at batters even in retaliation, that is why there are warnings issued, people ejected and fined. An example needs to be set. Ozzie's intentions were clear and action needs to be taken.

There you go. Today's "We don't have a baby yet" dose of just my opinion.

Eminent Domain

There is a law, called Eminent Domain, that allows for a government (be it town, state, or federal) to force people to sell their land to said government (usually for less than market value) if the government needs it. This was designed to allow for necessities that the ruling body deems important. For example: roads, power plants, schools, public works, parks, etc.

There is a state that is citing Eminent Domain to steal the houses of some people who have lived where they are for many years. These people do not want to leave and do not believe the state has the right to do what they are trying to do. The state is going to build private upscale condos, a hotel, and a convention center. This is private development! And, therefore, illegal.

This case is now before the Supreme Court and, hopefully, the court will do what's right and stop this thievery by the state government.

But here's the kicker: what state do you think is doing this? Is it a "big business" red state like Texas or North Carolina? What about a "swing" state like Florida or Ohio. No. This is being done by a die hard, "we're-here-for-the-little-guy," continually blue, nearly bluist of the blue states: Connecticut!

Connecticut! My home state! I am embarrassed that my former state is attempting this travesty. I hang my head in shame that they are willingly ignoring the original intent of this law. I hope for one of two things: either the state has to return the land it's already stolen and the people can keep their money. Or the state is allowed to buy the land for at least 5 times the value of the property.

Why aren't the "we don't like big businesses" leftist government officials stepping forward on behalf of these people? Because this case is about two things, one obvious, one hidden:

1) The obvious one is that businesses will get this land. Shouldn't the right be all for this? Doesn't the right love to help big businesses? Well, I don't personally see it that way, but for the sake of argument, let's say they do. The other issue that this case revolves around outweighs the rights "love of big business."
2) The hidden (and I'm sure the left wishes it'd stay that way) agenda of this case is regarding the power of the government. Dems love a big powerful government (Don't forget, you must wear your helmet!) They want to be able to take your land whenever they want for whatever purpose they want. The far left of the left are the Socialists. Socialism isn't against big business. In fact Socialism loves big business. Truth be told, they wish the government were the only big business.

This action is despicable and it should be stopped! Come on US Supreme Court, don't let us down! (The Connecticut Supreme Court sided with the state. The liberal judges outweighed the conservative! The left is pushing this through! Let's see what the US Supreme Court does!)

Hopefully, I'll be able to post on this again saying that justice has been served. You may hear then that all of this isn't just my opinion!

Big Ben meets Big Cadillac

Yesterday, Ben Roethlisberger (QB Pittsburgh Steelers) was in a motorcycle accident. He wasn't wearing a helmet. The star for the Steelers is alive but needed surgery for a broken jaw, crushed sinus cavity, head laceration, and lost teeth.

This has sparked a debate because Pennsylvania does not have a helmet law. Massachusetts does. So my question is: Should our government be passing laws because they are for "our own good?"

Here is my belief: In America, we have the right to be stupid.

If I want to ride my motorcycle without a helmet please view me as an experiment in Darwinism. If I want to drive without wearing a seatbelt, please see me as a public service announcement ("This is your body without a seatbelt....")

Where do these laws end? If we continue passing "For your own good" laws, then I propose the following:

A law against using a hair dryer in the tub

A law requiring a helmet while skiing

A law demanding that Grady Little pull Pedro in the seventh inning

A law that limits the amount of time you can drive within 10 miles of your house (after all 90% of all accidents happen within 10 miles of your house)

A law against running with sissors

A law that caps the amount of car commercials that air in one hour, because after about five of them I wanna break things

A law that fines people for driving with hot coffee between their legs

These laws would all be for my safety. Because I need to be protected from myself... Hey Big Brother: No thanks! I'm all set. (That was for you Jason). I have a mother and I'm and adult. I don't need you telling me to be sure to finish my vegatables.

Another thing that annoys me to no end is that we have a government that tells me I have no choice about wearing a seatbelt or a helmet and turns around and tells me that I do have a choice when it comes to an unborn child.

And the people who are backing helmet laws are opposing the governmental tapping of international phone calls. How do you justify this? They are both for your own good! One protects you against yourself, the other against international terrorists. You can't have it both ways.

What is my solution? Do not mandate helmet or seatbelt wearing. Here is the law that needs to be in the books: If you are in an accident and you are found to not have been wearing a helmet or seatbelt, you are responsible for your medical expenses. Even if it is not your fault or if you do not have health insurance, if you are going to exercise your right to be a moron, you will pay for the consequences. Other drivers will not and tax payers will not. Problem solved. I have the freedom to not wear the life saving devices and no one else is at risk.

This is an issue of big vs little government. The more we allow our government to tell us what we must and must not do, the closer we come to a big government tells me how many calories you must intake to be healthy or face punishment, a government that outlaws motorcycles all together because they are so dangerous to the rider, and a government that regulates how much coffee you can drink because, after all, it's for your own good.

What's best for me? A government that let's me make my own mistakes. A government that let's me be free to be stupid. A small government that I hardly notice. That's what's best for me. Anyone agree with that which is just my opinion?

(By the way, at the time of the accident, Ben didn't have a valid Pennsylvania Motorcycle License...)

Marathon Post

A friend recently said that due to the fact that I hadn't posted in a bit, she was concerned that the Queen of Hearts and I had our son and hadn't informed her. The truth is: we haven't had our son yet and due to my inability to post I have about 17 different things to rant on. I'll try to express them in order of succinctness compared to time sensitiveness. (I'll headline them so you can skip the ones that don't interest you).

Shiloh Nuvelle Jolie-Pitt: Brangelina have had their baby. Who cares? I hope no one, and here's why: People magazine paid $4 million for exclusive North American rights to the first pictures of Shiloh Nuvelle Jolie-Pitt. That's a lot of money. Where did they get it? From anyone who buys this edition of their periodical! That's right: People has more than doubled the cost of their magazine for this one edition. If you want to have the first pictures of this child born out of wedlock to a man and woman who were married to other people when the began their relationship ~ You are going to pay for it! Why oh why do we worship celebrities in our culture?

The UN: This impotent grouping of nations continues to baffle me. Due to the suicides in Guantanamo they are once again calling for it's closure. How susceptible and emotional is this body of ambassadors? If suicides lead to the demand of the closure of a detention center then the doors of all jails should be closed. Why doesn't the UN worry about Sing Sing? What about the genocide and civil wars in Africa? Why don't they cry out about those? Look: Be like Amnesty International who is at least consistent in their knee-jerk human rights for all including convicts and murders, or continue to meet without actually doing anything (You're good at that anyway.) (Oh, by the way: Germany is trying to take over Europe through the EU, have you noticed that? No, I didn't think so.)

Canada: Recently (or not so recently anymore), Canada apprehended terrorists in their nation that were planning on assassinating their Prime Minister. This is a massive blow to the "let's pull out of Iraq and the terrorism will cease" crowd. What has Canada done in regard to Iraq? Opposed the war, avoided the coalition, made their stance known around the world. What is Canada? Still a target for international terrorism. It seems that simply not being Islamic is a good enough reason for terrorists to plan on breaking into your legislature and beheading your Prime Minister with a sword.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi: When I heard the news I was happy. Then I realized: I'm happy that someone is dead. I'm happy that someone has lost his opportunity for redemption. I wasn't too happy after that. I was puzzled. This is the man who beheaded "infidels." He was the mastermind of the attacks on my countrymen. He was the Al-Qaeda mastermind in Iraq (wait, I thought Al-Qaeda wasn't in Iraq). My contemplation lead me to a place where I wanted to say that "This was a man that God wanted to love." Did not God love him anyway? I think he did. And now Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is separated from his maker forever. I continue to believe that no human has the right to hoist that punishment on another. That is for God to justly decide. In allowing/causing al-Zarqawi's death, wasn't God sovereign over this and, therefore, sentencing al-Zarqawi to this judgement? Whoops, theological spiral that will drive me crazy. The conversion of a radical Muslim (which would probably lead to his martyrdom) would be much more powerful on the world stage than the death of one at the hands of an enemy.

Measles: There have been enough cases of the Measles recently for the CDC (center for disease control) to label this as an outbreak. It's interesting to note that it hasn't only been the Measles, "German Measles" (or Rubella) have also been reported. Many have been asking, "How are these people getting the measles? Aren't we all inoculated against them?" The answer is: Yes. By law, one must receive their measles shots before they can attend school. Measles shots are a three stage process that inoculates you against Measles and Rubella. In fact, if you are going to immigrate into this country, you must also "have your shots." However, some of our neighboring countries do not offer their citizens immunizations against these diseases. So, if someone were to enter this country without the government knowing and without the government being able to regulate their medical care, then they would be susceptible to these diseases. I mean, this would only happen if someone entered the country, say, illegally. But we should continue to allow this and let them stay, right? (I don't think I got my small pox vaccination, have you?)

Ann Coulter: Critics of Ms. Coulter's new book "Godless: The Church of Liberalism" are focusing on one sentence in particular: "These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by grief-arazzis. I've never seen people enjoying their husbands' deaths so much." Most news outlets will tell you that this is a statement about 9/11 widows. This is a gross overstatement. This is about four women from New Jersey who have appeared in political ads, and other public forums. Many people take issue with this statement. I am among them. This quote is rude, abrasive, and calloused. Is it untrue? They are millionaires, they have been interviewed countless times because of their dislike for the current administration, and they have actively supported liberal candidates. The "enjoying" portion is simply opinion, and if I were them, this sentence might spur me into reviewing how I've been behaving because someone thinks I'm enjoying my spouse’s death. The flip side of this is that many people do not take issue with other "controversial figures" like Michael Moore. Is this because they are on the other side of the isle? No one bats an eye when he says things like: "The Iraqis who have risen up against the occupation are not 'insurgents' or 'terrorists' or 'The Enemy.' They are the revolution, the Minutemen, and their numbers will grow - and they will win." (Really, people killing Americans are to be honored? Is this something he's hoping for?). Even "wikipedia" slams Coulter while pretending to offer criticism of Moore. Bottom line: Too often people claim that you cannot disagree with people like the New Jersey Widows because of their losses. Well, if they didn't want to face criticism they should have stayed out of the spotlight. Also, while I cannot support the manner in which Coulter presented her argument, why doesn't anyone slam the Left like they love to rage on the Right? Ann's job is to sell books. This one sentence may double her sales.

So, now that you’ve taken an hour to wade through all of this, any comments on what you’ve read? Would you like to respond to what which is just my opinion?

06/06/06

Ooo. Today's date is so scary. There are some that are taking advantage of this date:

The Omen opens today. This is a remake (What a surprise! Is there anything original coming out of Hollywood these days?) of the original The Omen. The Anti-Christ is born, people die, blah blah blah. Have you heard the tag line for this film? Close your eyes and... wait, you can't read if you do that. So, keep your eyes open and hear in your head that grizzled movie voice doing the "this is a horror movie" trailer. Here's what he says: "Evil..." (dramatic pause) "... has a birthday." GAG!

But evil isn't the only one using today's date. There's a book that has a national release date today: "The Rapture" by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye is the third book in their prequel series entitled "Before They Were Left Behind." This series chronicles the lives of the main characters from their 12 book "Left Behind" series. Can we say: "beating a dead horse?" How about: "Anything for the money?" Let's try: "Who is buying this crap?!" Thankfully, this tired book leads right into the first of their terrible series and the world ends in book 12 of it so there can be no more. Unless they feel the need to publish a "Prior to Before They Were Left Behind." (Don't miss the first installment of this 40 book series due out in August!)

There was a pregnant woman so concerned about if her child would be born on this date that she had herself induced before it to make certain it didn't happen!

Why are we so superstitious? Friday the 13th. 06/06/06. My mother didn't want her children born on Halloween or Veterans Day. My brother's birthday is November 11th. That always makes me chuckle.

It's not as though God is going to do anything based on man's arbitrary calendar. Look, you're still here reading this. There's my proof. Will my generation live to see Christ's return? Will my son's? Somehow, I doubt it.

On a brief side note: I was watching a program on the end of the world on ITV (Formerly Pax) and they were asking lots of questions regarding today's events and Biblical prophesies. "Could this be the fulfillment of [insert questionable interpretation here] spoken of in Isaiah?" Funny, the writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls were asking the same questions. Their answers were yes, too.

Modern Christians are way too focused on the end of the world and not focused on the now of the world. We are looking to the horizon to see if Christ is coming while our brothers are starving next to us. Yes, Christ will return. And I bet he'd be happier to find us feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, and tending to the sick than gazing in his general direction. When the master returns, let's be busy working for him, not looking for him!

Man, I feel like a woman

When I first heard about this story I thought, "That'd be a good blog issue." After some consideration I thought, "But what can I say? Common sense will win out and there'll be no need for me to post on this." Looks like I was wrong.

Robert Kosilek, an admitted killer, is demanding that the state pay for his sex change. He is a man (still) who calls himself Michelle who killed his wife and is serving a life sentence. He has informed the state that he will commit suicide if he is not granted the surgery to complete his transformation.

The state has already paid for his laser hair removal ($500 per treatment, several treatments needed) and female hormone injections ($200 per injection). He is also demanding that the state (read: tax payers) pay for his breast implants ($5,000), chest hair removal ($600 per treatment, typically 10 treatments needed), two surgeries (total $12,500 for both), and recovery costs.

Of course, my first impression is to chuckle. That's pretty funny, nice try, you're a convict you have lost your freedom to change your sex. However! This felon's lawyer has found medical experts to side with him. One psychiatrist said "not allowing Kosilek's sex change operation is the same as denying a patient treatment for a burst kidney." Pardon? Because he's gonna die if he doesn't receive "treatment?" ("Treatment," obviously, is a misnomer as this is a voluntary operation. They are making it seem as though a nose job were "treatment.") Well, he may die, but only at his own hands. Another article explains that he's attempted suicide twice before. Hmm, seems to me he isn't very talented at this. Do we really have a lot to worry about? (he's also threatened to castrate himself... Ok, have fun!)

The controversial side of me asks, "If he does kill himself, is that so bad? Lowers the number of inmates, lowers the cost to feed, clothe, and house him, lowers court costs for all the times that he's going to sue for this procedure (This is his third attempt). Why stop him?"

Another issue is that there are about 15 prisoners hoping he wins because they want the same procedure! So a conservative estimate of the overall "treatment" would be $25,000 just for him. If he is awarded this tax payer funded gift, all of the others would be able to receive it as well, costing the state $375,000. This isn't something that I could get the tax payers to pay for. But this man has killed someone so he's entitled to it? Am I the only one who sees the problem here?

Let's take a step back and suppose that this man isn't crazy but rather brilliant. He's serving a life term in a male prison with male guards. If he has this done he would have to be moved to a woman's prison yet he would still have his male muscular make up. Perhaps he thinks that he has a better chance of breaking out of a female prison. Or even more devious: he changes his gender, changes his name, changes his identity. Suddenly, he is no longer Robert Kosilek, the man who murdered his wife. He is Michelle Kosilek, the woman trapped in a man's body that has finally emerged and deserves to go free. She hasn't done anything!

No matter what the case, this man does not deserve my money to become a woman. I wish our society would stop giving things away to people who don't deserve them! If you break the law, you lose your freedom. America is no longer the land of the free for you! If you wanted to become a woman, you should have saved some money, paid for the surgery, and not killed your wife! I'm sure you could have gotten a divorce once you made your sexual intentions known.

It's insane that this issue is even being discussed. It should be laughed out of court and he should have to somehow pay reparations to the state for what we've already paid for! I wish I could say this was more than just my opinion!

Dryer Lint

That's right, you read the title of this post correctly. I'm musing on dryer lint (that would be a really cool band name) and other things that are needlessly taking up brain cells.

Dryer Lint: Why is it that, no matter what I put in the dryer: be it towels, colors, sheets, or shoes, the lint caught in the screen is always the same color? I could throw in a single, white, lint free item and at the end of the cycle the lint catcher will be caked with that grey, woolly lint that peels off like it's home made paper! Something tells me there are lint gnomes living in my dryer, cursing every time I use it because they lose more and more of their abodes to the evil lint screen!

Roger Clemens: Yes, a sports post, but a brief one. Consider this: Roger Clemens (returning to the Houston Astros) will be 44 this year. That is amazing longevity for an MLB pitcher. He has missed the first 52 games of this season. The new penalty for a first time positive steroids test is a 50 game suspension. Also, he has admitted that he doesn't know how good he is going to be this year. Could all of this be due to a surreptitious suspension by the MLB brass and a knowledge that The Rocket won't be able to use his quick recovery booster? Just something to ponder.

Minority Report: (Yes, the one starring Tom Cruise.) This is a great movie. I just have one beef with the plot: The fact that the Pre-Cog sees Anderton (Cruise) kill the man is what sets Anderton on the path that leads him to the place where he has the opportunity to do so. If the Pre-Cog hadn't seen the incident, it never would have happened. Hence: the Pre-Cogs viewing of the murder caused it to happen. So how did the Pre-Cog see it if it wouldn't have happened if they hadn't seen it? Oh well. When dealing with time viewing/travel, Hollywood just can't quite get it right. I really need to write my screenplay to see if others can find those inconsistencies in my plot structure.

Bonds: (I'm really sick of writing about him, so there will probably be only one more after this) I just wanted to briefly point out that Bonds is suing the writers of the book that calls him out for his steroid usage (Game of Shadows) for using classified grand jury testimony as evidence for their publication. He is not suing for defamation of character. This means one thing: Barry is admitting that he has done steroids. If he didn't take steroids then his grand jury testimony was perjury as proven by his actions in suing the authors for using it. So there are your choices, Barry: Either you are innocent of taking steroids and you perjured yourself and are facing jail time. Or you took steroids and you deserve to be catapulted out of baseball for good. So Barry: deal, or no deal?

Just some thoughts that ramble through my head while I ponder other serious matters. Don't forget: They are all just my opinion.