What the 2nd Amendment says....

A truly horrible thing happened on Friday the 14th in Newtown CT. It is far past the time to have the discussion about guns

This is important.

"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

Those are the actual words of the actual 2nd Amendment. For real and for true.

Now, you'll notice that the 3rd word in the amendment is "regulated." That's really important because it presents what you call "context" for a position. We can debate what militia means, because that's changed a lot since the time the Constitution was written and ratified. Professional soldiers, and citizen soldiers both fought in the American Revolution. Militia then was just that; citizens who left private lives to fight in defense of their country, and then returned when the fight was won. They, of course, needed to bear arms in context of being part of a militia in its necessity to provide security. Now there is a standing Army (and Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard) for security of a free state. There has been for a long time. There are also National Guard members, and Reservists in all branches of the military. Don't forget police. So why do people not in the military, or police need guns?

Hunters? Absolutely reasonable
Hobbyists? Umm, OK.

Who else? Nobody. That's what regulation is for. That's why the Founders put "well regulated" in the 2nd Amendment. It's there, and it has meaning. The list of people who need non-military firearms is brief, and there is no reasonable argument that either hunters, or hobbyists need assault weapons, fully automatic firearms, high capacity magazines, armor piercing shells, or any other military grade hardware.

If you want a handgun in your house to protect yourself, your family, and property go for it. Odds are it'll hurt someone you love before it hurts a bad guy, but it's your choice. If you hunt, then hunt. If you target shoot, then target shoot. But there is no argument against Congress or a State limiting access to certain types of firearms based on people doing those things legally. None. Zero. And if you think you need an AR-15 to fight off the police when the government goes full tyranny you're in need of a check up. (Interesting how "defense against internal tyranny" becomes a rationale we hear when the President has a "D" in front of his name.)

Some say arm the teachers in response to school shootings. What if a student got the gun? Lock it up. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of it as a deterrent. Arming teachers is a horrible idea. First off the tea-billies don't think they should be trusted to be in a union to collectively bargain working conditions, but hell, give them all guns. That's the response to all shootings; "If everyone had guns then......" That idea is beyond stupid. In 62 mass shootings not one citizen gun owner has made a difference.

It is absolutely reasonable, and appropriate to regulate assault weapons, high capacity magazines, and other military grade hardware. Any measure doing so is not an infringement on a citizen's 2nd Amendment rights. It's not even close.

I call Bullshit

Really?!?!?!?!

No. Really!??!?!?!?

OK, but.......c'mon.....

Yes, the election is over, and GOP pretty much got ass-stomped. Were it not for gerrymandered House districts, and Wisconsin seats the ass kicking would have been more thorough. So, while they SAY they're top priority is jobs and employment, their actions speak louder than words. I call bullshit.

They can't win elections, so they have to keep people that vote for the other side from voting. Which is why State Senator Fitzgerald's top priority is making the Government Accountability Board a body that will be stocked by political appointees, because - y'know - political appointees are always neutral, and more even keeled in their decisions. Never feel compelled to decide in favor of the ones who put them into the job - right??? Really?!?!?!?! I call double bullshit.

They can't win elections so of course the wrong people are voting. That's why Kleefisch and Darling have led off with ending same day registration. Never mind it's been Wisconsin state law for- e- ver. Never mind that people move frequently these days. People like college students, and people who move because of  - y'know - having to change jobs because the GOP is working so hard making jobs a priority. I call bullshit again.

During the campaign all we heard the GOP say was the polls were skewed, except the final votes pretty much lined up with the polls. And you have to credit them for recognizing that reality, like the polls, were biased against them.

Mitt Romney isn't a bad guy......he's just a dick

Mitt Romney is a dick. That sounds like an insult, but it's not supposed to be. If it is, I guess I'm a dick too. But really, we all know people, and are even friends with some, who are just dickheads. Hell, some of us are even related to dicks. It's funny. Most people who are dicks, know they're dicks. They know they're dicks, and they know you know they're dicks, and life goes on. So, really, it's ok to be a dick. If that's who you are - be a dick.

Mitt said (among other things) referring to the 47% who don't pay Federal income taxes: “My job is not to worry about those people, I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.” This was said in reference  to the "47% of Americans who pay no income tax. First off this is an accurate statistic. 47% of Americans, after deductions like mortgage interest, dependents, earned income credits, etcetera have their effective tax rate set to 0%, and get a refund from the IRS of all the Federal taxes withheld from their paychecks.

So when asked about his taxes earlier Mitt replied that he pays the legally required amount, and nothing more. But when someone in the middle class, and lower middle class does that - they're "dependent on government," and a mooch. Fuck you Mitt.

http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxtopics/federal-taxes-households.cfm
 
53.6% after deductions, and what not have a Federal tax burden north of 0%, and pay payroll taxes.
28.3% after deductions have a Federal tax burden of 0%, but still pay payroll taxes. Moochers.
10.9% are elderly and retired. They don't work. That's the whole idea of retired right? - so they don't pay Federal income tax, or payroll taxes.
6.9% are non-elderly with income beneath $20,000 - you know the working poor. That's "working" poor. So they work, but because they make squat they're still a leech in Mitt's eyes.
If you're following along with the math, that leaves 0.3% that don't work, or who are not retired.

So, if you work for a living, own a home, have kids and pay your bills, and at the end of the year you file your taxes and you get it all back - congratulations! You are dependent on government!

Mitt Romney - what a dick!

Where's the love man?!?!

LeBron James has a championship ring.

I don't know why so many people dislike LeBron James so intensely. What did he ever do to engender so much hostility? "The Decision?" As over the top, and ridiculous as that was, how many people REALLY think that was his idea? Was it abandoning small market Cleveland for the excitement of Miami? I don't know that either of those two things should be enough to make people proclaim hate for him. (sports hate, not hate hate) I mean really, how many players in any sport have left smaller markets for bigger contracts? Too many to count. As for "The Decision" I put that at the feet of ESPN and it's need to televise everything sport. Not in any imagination can I see a player pitch that idea. "OK - how about you follow me around while I make my decision on signing, and televise it? Whadaya think?"

Everyone loved Michael Jordan. When the Bulls finally beat the Lakers for the 1st of the 6 titles they would win in the Jordan era there could not have been more love sent his way. Why the difference? Well, Jordan never switched teams. He was faithful to the Bull fans, and the city of Chicago many people will say. True, but also kinda easy. Chicago is way bigger than Cleveland. There was no way any team could have lured him away with a more lucrative deal. Could the Knicks or Lakers have found more to pay him than the Bulls? No way. Jordan was always gonna get paid in Chicago, and there was zero chance he'd ever leave. of course I am discounting his 2nd un-retirement from the Wizard front office to the Wizard backcourt. Hardly counts as leaving a team via free-agency.

They are each the definitively most talented, dominant players in the league of their eras. He's been playing the best basketball on the planet for at least the past 3 seasons. LeBron has not had any scandalous behavior surface. No illegal narcotics, no illegitimate children, no beaten girlfriends. Nothing. Even Jordan had his golf gambling to overcome - such as it was.

So why? LeBron - you're awesome. Well done. Congratulations. You earned it.

Was that so hard?

Retire Brett Favre's Number

I've been stirring on this for a few weeks. The seed was planted when, during the Packers Tailgate Tour, the question of when Brett Favre's number would be retired was posed to Mark Murphy. His answer was that it would be in a year or two, when it's meaningful to Brett.

I'm not sure what that means. Does that mean Brett is still pissed at Ted Thompson, and Mike McCarthy for not letting him come back as the started when he changed his mind about retiring? Does it mean Brett has hurt feelings about how he was booed by Packer fans at Packer-Viking games. I don't know. What I will say is the next number the Green Bay Packers should be retiring is #4. There should not be another number retired until Brett's #4 is retired. There, I said it. I did not like it when Brett went to play for the Minnesota Vikings. I never loved Brett as a player any less. I never turned on Brett in playoff failures, or after horrible games, or bonehead throws that ended up in the arms of a defender. But Brett put on the wrong shirt, and worse Brett maneuvered himself into that purple shirt as a "up yours" to Ted Thompson for not letting him come back when he changed his mind about retiring. And I cheered against the Vikings. Not because of Brett's presence, but because they're the Vikings. This guy is a Packer fan, and does not cheer for Vikings except in rare circumstances when their victory will be good for the Packers.

Having said that, retire the number. And when they do nobody should be booing. NO-BODY. If Brett doesn't play in 92 with a separated left shoulder he doesn't impress Reggie White, and Reggie does not come to Green Bay the next season. Reggie White said one of the reasons he signed with the Packers, aside from God's guidance, was he believed in Brett Favre's leadership as being key to the Packers being a place where he would be on a winning team. No Brett, no Reggie. No Reggie, very few of the other key additions through free agency that Ron Wolf brought in. Brett was the first domino of the players that led to the resurgence of the Green Bay Packers in the 1990s. So remember that when it comes time for #4 to be retired. When the day comes when Brett stands on the "G" at the 50 yard line of Lambeau Field at halftime of some primetime game remember that Brett Favre is the most significant reason that the Green Bay Packers became a perrenial winner. That day should be a cascade of cheers. The stadium should be resplendent with signage professing fan love and appreciation.

I think "meaningful to Brett" is a poor choice of words. Haw can it not be meaningful to Brett? Elite athletes have big egos. They always have, and always will. A stadium of cheers, even with the boos mixed in feed that ego. The truth is that it should be done when it's meaningful to the vast majority of fan. When those who will boo now, will not. That's when it should be done. I want to see Brett at midfield as the stadium roars. I want Brett to call Lambeau "my house!" and the stadium to roar. I want to hear a lone voice shoud "Love ya Brett!!" at a pause, and another roar. Retiring that number means as much to us as fans as it does to him as a player.

I hope it's meaningful to those yahoos soon.

June 5th 2012 - Recall Day in Wisconsin

     It's 8:30 on election day for the Gubernatorial recall. I've not watched news coverage, and don't know who's polling ahead, and if anyone has projected a winner I don't know.
     It's been quite a time here in Cheeselandistan since the Budget Repair Bill saga of last winter. Political, and partisan passions have been pretty intense since then. Just looking at that, and it looks like an understatement. Anyone who's posted a comment on a news service message board, blog, Facebook can attest to that intensity.
     As I watch the Brewers play the Cubs here I about how the game of baseball is called the "National Pastime." Seems the State pastime these past 15 months has been soapboxing our political opinions in any way available. There has been much said by friends, acquaintances, and strangers today about looking forward to the end of the campaign, and the ads, and the phone calls. Really? I hope so, but I'm a little less optimistic. Realistically we're looking at a neck and neck election, so whoever wins the tonight it's not "over." Dollars to doughnuts there's a recount - automatic or otherwise. You can also bet that if there's a recount the postings, and partisan noise will continue through that. That's been the Wisconsin pastime since Act 10. At the end of the day it's a good thing to have an opinion, and it's a good thing to express it, but that reminds me of something my father the sailor said. "Opinions are like assholes; everyone has one, and nobody thinks their own stinks." 
     There are things we know because we observe them, and there are things that are a result of deeply held beliefs. Some of them we will see something that changes our mind, and others we will never recant. Knowing that this is not over means that more of us will share our perspectives passionately. Mark Twain once said “The easy confidence with which I know another man's religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also.” That's a really nice way to state another thing my Dad said: "You're as full of shit as anyone else." Remember that the next time you read something one of your friends says, or some stranger has posted on a message board, or news comment board. Before you satisfy that personal need to "put them in their place," remember you're as full of shit as they are. You just aren't aware of it. Maybe with that realization a basic amount of respect for another persons' attachment to their own convictions will lead to a respectful exchange of ideas, mutual respect, and maybe an appreciation that we're all in this together. Maybe then the partisan divide that seems so vast might reveal itself to be closer than it looks.
     It's 9:15 now, and the Cubs are killing the Brewers. At least we can all get behind how sucky that is. (except for those jackass Cub fans)

Deficits and the War on Terror

I generally like John Aziz's blog. I don't always agree, but he never fails to provoke thought. 

http://azizonomics.com/2012/03/30/the-economics-of-the-war-on-terror/

I thought this post was pretty good in terms of that. We spend a lot of time in the United States talking about debt, and deficits in terms of whose fault it is - politically speaking. That's one problem with out political culture; it's D said R said tunnel vision passing for political coverage when in fact the decisions that are made have to be judged in longer terms than the next election or poll.

When it comes to the War on Terror, a lot was spent. The Dept of Homeland security is a huge bureaucracy. The Iraq Invasion, and subsequent occupation was exclusively funded through supplemental bills meaning all deficits. No taxes were part of those bills. The Afghanistan operations were funded likewise. This is not to say the deficit is therefore the fault of President Bush. The question as to whether this additional deficit was worth it is the main thrust in the linked post. I do quite agree that given the state of affairs in Afghanistan, with a resurgent Taliban in Pakistan, and in Afghanistan we have had questionable success in establishing a friendly government in Afghanistan. President Karzai is quite unpopular due mainly to corruption in his government, and the view that he's a puppet of the United States. "Winning the peace" as General Patreus put it has proven difficult in that region of the world. Over in Iraq, while Hussein is long gone we can hardly say that the current leadership there is friendly toward us, and our interests.

This gun thing......

This Traymon thing, it's got me. I mean, really got me.

Look, I support gun rights. The 2nd Amendment is there for a reason. The Founders had recently fought the War for Independence. They firmly believed that citizens needed the right to arm themselves. Both in the defense from invaders, and in the event government became tyrannical. So all the gun rights purists who DON'T read me......well they don't so it's all good.

Guns don't kill people. People kill people. We've heard it thousands of times - maybe hundreds. I just did a little mental math. It's probably hundreds. It's up there in the hundreds though. Pretty high in the hundreds I'd say, but that's a small point. Fact is the adage is pretty on the button. The problem is the message of the adage is missed. If the wild card in the equation is people, then the only conclusion any logical person can make is that: SOME PEOPLE SHOULD NOT HAVE ACCESS TO GUNS!!!!

The self-appointed captain of the the neighborhood watch takes it upon himself to patrol the neighborhood. That's fine I guess. It's what neighborhood watches do. This guy though, this guy was something else. He calls 911 - an emergency line - to report the presence of a "suspicious person." I'm sorry, is that what the emergency line is for? He follows the kid, tells the operator he's gonna follow him, even after the operator tells him not to. This fucking cowboy is the reason for the confrontation, not a teen with some skittles. Don't we all know someone like George Zimmerman: takes himself a little too seriously, wants to be a cop, but the cops you know think he's a fucking nut, and would probably snap and beat a suspect because "he knows."

Then there's the guy in Slinger. Drinking party next door. He calls the police with a noise complaint. Police come, and they don't get permission to enter the house. The don't have a warrant, or probably cause (complaint isn't probable cause), so they tell the guy they're gonna wait across the street till the owner (parents) get home. In the meantime, idiot teens, and early 20s being drunk, and dumb decide some are gonna make a break, One hides in this guys porch which is unlocked. Let's see, he's got a gun in his house, and he calls the cops, but he doesn't lock his porch. Not saying he's baiting someone, he's probably just dumb too. I mean, he hears a noise, but doesn't call the cops who are ACROSS THE STREET? So he looks in his porch, sees the guy between the fridge, and cabinet (or dresser). Guy moves. Homeowner shoots. Police finally are called buy homeowners wife. Shot guy, STILL BETWEEN THE FURNITURE AND FRIDGE.

That's the problem with "Stand Your Ground," the Florida law that allows you to use a gun outside of your home if you feel threatened, and the "Castle Doctrine" in Wisconsin that presumes self defense if a person uses deadly force in their home. It's all if you "feel" threatened. Clearly some people have no tolerance for threat, and just enough crazy to feel threatened by a teenager in a hoodie.

Some people should not have guns, and that's not a gun thing, that's a people thing, People kill people

Rush Limbaugh is an asshole......

Rush said some, depending on your location on the ideological spectrum, despicable/insensitive/stupid/honest things about a Georgetown student, and contraception. This is the political theater's outrage of the moment. Look, Rush Limbaugh is an asshole. I don't mean that in the insult/pejorative sense. I mean Rush says things and people react. He shares opinion on a great many things, and you can like it or hate it. At the end of the day he really doesn't care if you like him or not. He's an asshole in the same way my buddy Roy is an asshole, or in the same way my Dad can be an asshole. Don't like what I say - go fuck yourself. At the end of the day Roy is my buddy and I love my Dad and at their core they're good people. Rush's job is to be an asshole on the radio. People listen, like, and keep listening. Others listen, dislike, and don't listen, or make a stink. It's political theater like I said.

Here's the issue. We don't need anymore political theater. We've had the same bullshit theater for the last 20 yrs. Since the 92 election it's been theater way over the top. I'm tired of it.

Why is it people say we should have a leader with business experience? Really, why is it that a person with business experience is so valuable for the economy? Because they are the experts in business. We're told that because they live in the business world, they can speak to the real world applications of how the economy manifests itself. Well why, when the consensus of the scientific community - the experts - say that climate change is real, the same people say we should not listen to those people.

In 2008 when the financial sector of the world economy nearly melted down because the leverage in the system from opaque derivative instruments is so great, and interconnected that there is not enough liquidity when swaps are called in. Why is the solution from the same experts who didn't see this in the system, more of the same "let the market" figure it out. The market nearly melted down without rules. Now you tell us the solution is to keep playing the game with no rules?

Regardless of your stripe of politic - ask the question, and demand a debate on the issues that matter. When the media dipshits give you the assholism of the day from (insert dickhead media person) turn it off. OK, Rush Limbaugh is an asshole. We've known for a long time. Rush Limbaugh being as asshole again is not news.

Thoughts on Ryan Braun

Ryan Braun won his appeal of a 50 game suspension for testing positive for an extremely elevated level of testosterone.

Ryan Braun proclaims innocence.

Major League Baseball cries foul.

Regardless of your position on whether or not Ryan Braun should or should not be branded a cheater, and be suspended there are a couple things to think about:

Major League Baseball is a multi-billion enterprise. Billion is 9 zeros after a 1. Owners make a shit ton of money. Players make a shit ton of money, TV makes a shit ton of money. Fans pay a shit ton of money for tickets, parking ($10 for cheapie parking at Miller Park), brats, beer, tee shirts, jerseys.

Players are tested, not only when they are under contract, but their entire playing career beginning as kids. I mean tested in the sense of can they hit, field, throw? Are their joints solid? Is there an injury risk, and on and on. They have to sign contracts promising never to bet on baseball, or they are banned. They have assorted clauses that they have to comply with - all to assure the investment that owners are making is protected.

You would think something as important as the testing for performance enhancing drugs in a mulit-billion dollare enterprise would follow a pretty strict protocol. And according to the current collective bargaining agreement in place, there are protocols in place that each side has agreed to.

Did Braunie get off on a technicality? I don't know, but Major League Baseball - follow your own protocol.

Technically, maybe MLB would do a little more than hire some part time techs looking for some side cash to collect samples. You would think - technically.

Maybe technically samples should be sent the lab according to protocol.

Technically, maybe, technically, said sample shouldn't sit in the collectors fridge for two days until it can be sent to, you know, get tested - technically.

Technically, before you technically take away about a third of a players pay you should be sure.

Technically some guys fridge is not a "cold and secure" location. I mean, I trust my buddies, but I don't want my shit in their fridge. MLB should at least be as stringent as me.


I guess, technically, before owners give up fans' spending money in their stadiums because the MVP won't be there, they should be sure.

Maybe, just maybe, before you forever cast a cloud over the integrity of a player, technically, who has never tested positive for anything, thus harming his earning potential outside of baseball you should be sure.

I don't know maybe you should technically collect samples on a weekday when you have more time to get to the Fed Ex Store.

Sex without consequence - someone actually said that

Much ado about contraception, and whether a religious institution should cover it under the health insurance for its employees. I actually heard, ok read, a conservative pundit say that women can't be protected from sex without consequence.

Nobody seems to worry about sending the wrong message to men about sex without consequences. I mean we shouldn't compel a religious institution to cover birth control pills because, of course, sex is only for pro-creation purposes. And of course men can be trusted with the prescriptions for viagra, or cialis, and that the resulting sex will ONLY be used for procreation. Men have too much integrity. I mean, WE never fake orgasm.

So, of course, birth control in any forms is wrong because it encourages sex without consequence. That's God's will right? If you're a man though, we are free to medicate against God's will. If God's will was for you to have a limp dick, THAT we can fix. Sex without consequence. What DOES that mean anyway? For a man, the only consequence of sex is........marriage I guess Sex without consequence? That's only for priests.

Save the world and the economy

It occurred to me there would be a better opportunity for world peace, and a more just economy if we did one (big) thing.

Publicize some fake Quran burnings, gay soldier funerals, and whatever else will draw out the fanatically fundamentalist religious knuckle dragging mouth breathers. Round them all up, Put them on a fleet of boats and planes to the same remote island. Let them kill each others in an orgy of fundamentalist zeal. Put the months long reality drama/ultimate fighting match on pay per view with the money earmarked for public deficits.

Bang! All the troublemakers wipe each other out, and the rest of the world makes a shit-ton of money.

Green grass and batters boxes

Well here it is. Football has wrapped. The hoopla has abated, and the parades for the winners have been swept after. Winter's chill has it's grip still, but we know it's slipping. There surely will be a final blast or two from Jack Frost, but the time is upon us where baseball's beckon comes more clear.

Soon will be the time for diamond dirt to be dragged, and smoothed. Groundskeepers picking out pebbles. Sprinklers come alive with rainbows beneath the arc of water. The warmth of the sun grows longer, and higher. The sky blue of spring pushes out the gray of winter. And the grass, sweet grass, blooms.

Does it need to be a flower to bloom? No, The deep emerald green of an field's expanse is as sweet as any bloom to the eye. There isn't a green that's quite the same. It's as vivid, and deep as a green can be. The bristly soft texture of a kept field. Soft as a shoeshine brush. Cool on the back as you lay down. Inviting as a warm blanket.

Put paths in the middle of it all, and a fence on it's perimeter. Bright white squares in the freshly dragged infield. Straight white lines from the home plate to infinity with a marker where the fence intersects. As straight as straight can be. Next to the plate a measured white box. One each side across from the plate in perfect symmetry.

Soon it will be spring, and bats, balls, and mitts will litter the diamond and dugouts. It's a different feeling than the measured grid of a football field. Not as intimidating. More inclusive. Surrounded by that warm, cool, soft, bristly deep emerald grass.

Missed you baseball.

At the end of the day, it is what it is......

Tim couldn't get happy.

"At the end of the day it's still a business." He kept hearing it. The cliches were all he heard. "At the end of the day." and "It is what it is. Usually it made sense. Cliches are comforting at times. After all "

"Bullshit." he thought. "At the end of the day, I still need to make sure that there'll be enough to cover the mortgage, keep gas in the tank, and groceries in the fridge. At the end of the day. Give me a break. I'm so tired of that cliche. It's just an excuse to swallow the frustration. I know there's others in a harder position, but at the end of the day if gas goes ballistic like it did 2 yrs ago the raise I earned won't be a raise anymore. It doesn't matter if it's because of speculators in the markets, unrest in the middle east, or a spill in the Gulf. Gas goes in the tank, and the furnace needs to fire. At the end of the day the dog needs his shots, and I gotta fix the damn sink. That's what happens at he end of the day. Next damn day too."

His thoughts wandered to the news on the radio. "Fuckin' news. Fuckin pundits. Same shit, different day. Talking dickheads on the news talk about class warfare, or the deficit like it's the most important thing there is. It's bullshit. It's just a baseball game in suits. Just getting their own side to score. Tired of it. Tired of it all. I don't give a frogs fat ass which candidate talked about the others' past, and then that guy called it mudslinging. Besides if he did it, how's it mudslinging anyway. At the end of the day it doesn't matter about the Presidents birth certificate. Nobody asked about this 4 years ago? You know somebody did, so quit wasting our time. Does the deficit matter? Sure. On some level it does. But all you guys chicken littleing about it now - why weren't you this worried about it 8 years ago? It doesn't matter who crashed the economy. Too many poor people getting loans they shouldn't have, or too many go go bankers sucking up fees for the more loans they wrote and sold to Wall St. Too many houses on the market means it's harder to sell mine when it comes time and make a little. At the end of the day I still want a better place for me and mine. 4 years later we're still fighting over who's fault it is, instead of figuring out how to get us all out of the mess."

"Jesus. My heads all over the place. Need some sleep, or a distraction. What's on TNT?"

Pro Bowl - it's lame

The Pro Bowl sucks ass. It sucked extra ass this year, but by and large it's the pole-smoker in chief of the pro sports all-star games.

I've wasted some time to wonder why, and I think it's because it's always been at the end of the season, and last year it moved up to the week before the Super Bowl. The 2 weeks did nothing about the suckiness, and general fan apathy. Howie Long, when inducted into Canton, declared that ".....baseball is America’s pastime, but football is truly America’s passion." So how can the all star game of our passion be so damn lame?

It's anti-climactic. We've just been through the drama, and intensity of the playoffs. Every season it's the same. We live and die as our teams succeed and fail in the playoffs. Then there's an exhibition after all the emotion is spent on the part of fans and players. Who really cares? Not the players by and large judging by the 1/2 speed play in the most recent 1st quarter. The stadium is seldom near capacity. Everyone is mic'd up, and we hear no intensity. We're all wore out by the time it's played. Players have had 6 months of collisions, and the accompanying aches.

Move it. Move the game. The NFL can't have a mid-season classic the same way that MLB, the NBA, and the NHL do. Move it where? Move it to the beginning. The 1st exhibition game. Instead of 2 teams for the Hall Of Fame game when players are inducted into Canton, have that be a showcase for the previous seasons' all stars. Instead of players wore down from a seasons aches and drama, they've been in camp for a month. Instead of stars opting out because of free agency, or playoffs, or whatever, more show. Instead of fans recovering from the latest playoff drama they've been going though football withdrawl for 6 months. Instead of the Titans/Chiefs (or any 2 franchises) playing thier backups and rookies for 2 quarters the fans get A-Rod, Brees, and Brady.

The Pro-Bowl sucks. Nobody really cares about it after a season. It's a meaningless exhibition currently anti-climactic. Make it a meaningless exhibition welcoming back fans and players to the gridiron of our passion.

Newt's George to the Tea Party's Lenny

I got it. It finally came to me. Lenny from Of Mice And Men - that's the tea party. Cling to the vision of what should be, even though we all know it's not gonna happen.

"Tell me about the Constitution George."
"Well Lenny. It's this perfect and thing that if we allowed the govermint to do only what it says, and not a mite more then ever-thing'll be fine."
"But they'll keep there hand off'n our health care right George?"
"That's right Lenny. We''ll make sure the govermint keeps their stinkin mitts off'n our Medicare."
"And our Social Security too George. Tell em 'bout the Social Security."
"Ponzi scheme right Lenny?" George laughs a little
"Yeah George. P-p-ponzi."
"We ain't never gonna see't. So's we may as well jus let the bankers invest it fer us. They's the one's that know best. The govermint made all make them loans to poor folks. Hell. Everone know govermint can't do nuthin' cept army, and make banks give bad loans out."
"That's right George. Gov'mint caint do nuthin."
"Yep. That's why the Consitution don' let the govmint do nothin' cept make laws, mint money, levy taxes."


That's right. The Tea Party equals the dumb guy in Of Mice And Men, and Newt is playing those dopes. Just promising what it's-a gonna be.

Oh Gov. Walker.......

Is there a deficit, or isn't there a deficit?

I know there are different ways accounting works. There's a cash basis, but you said that you would use GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) on the campaign trail. Maybe this is splitting hairs, but why boast that you've done what you said you'd do in balancing the budget. Then again, Gov. Doyle balanced the budget on a cash accounting. This leads me to conclude that you are basically the same kind of Governor with a different initial in front of your name. And that makes me think nothing really will change with you in Madison except your constituency will get the benefit of your patronage, as opposed to others getting benefit were the Governor to have a D in front of his name.

I am of the opinion that most people vote their "brand," and that means that election are less about issues, and more about marketing. That's pretty sad. Calling you a liar would be cynical, and I won't because I don't think that you are. What I will say is that you are really just more of the same with an R in front of your name.

I know this. Now teachers can't bargain for working conditions - like class size, and other things that affect education beyond what they are paid. That's kind of important. When people want to improve crime, they ask the thoughts of police. Now we don't want the same input from teachers? Really?

How will the budget be balanced next fiscal year without federal stimulus dollars?

So Gov. Walker, you're really not much more than another Scott McCallum who "balanced" the budget by cashing out the tobacco settlement in 2000. Another one time lump sum, as if there will be a pile from which to draw. You brag of making the hard choices, but you haven't really. You've done the politically expedient, while looking tough since you've earned a sizable constituency that will write letters, and call in to radio exalting your toughness.

You're really just another politician who spends more time fund raising as opposed to governing. What tough choices await you next budget when there will not be a pile of money to use? What services will be cut? What donors will be the benefactors of your patronage?

Newt Gingrich - Asspipe of Liberty

Newt Gingrich is an asspipe. Not because he's a Republican, but because he's a arrogant hypocrite.

Just yesterday, January 17th, he called on candidates Rick Santorum, and Rick Perry to drop out. Now, maybe he's jealous that "Rick" is a cooler name than "Newt." And, really it is a cooler name. C'mon, "Newt?" Really? Maybe he thinks that the election should be between dudes with odd first names (Newt, Mitt, and Barack) Whatever the reason, Newt finished behind Rick Santorum in Iowa, and New Hampshire. That's kinda like the Packers insisting that the Giants get out of the way so they can get to the Super Bowl - kinda. Unfortunately, political primaries are not a playoff, and people can stay in the game even though they lost - twice.

In the last debate he was asked by Juan Williams about his statement: “I will go to the NAACP convention, and tell the African-American community why they should demand paychecks instead of food stamps,” and how it could be offensive to black Americans. Newt dodged the question and instead asserted that capitalism is not racist. Never mind that the question had nothing to do with capitalism per se, and more about how accusing black Americans as being satisfied with food stamps might be offensive. Nevermind that 60% of people receiving food stamps are white. Not only did he dodge the question, he then got all douchey on Juan Williams for even asking it.

It's a well established fact that as Newt led the charge on the Clinton impeachment for lying about an affair.............while having an affair on his 2nd wife.....whom he had an affair with while in his 1st marriage.

Newt also received $1.6 million from Freddie Mac, and Fannie Mae, the government sponsored entities well known for their role in the housing market. He was a "historian." As an "historian" Newt was able to praise their business model, and AFTER the financial meltdown, he was able to say he warned them about its problems. Of course that means he is brilliant, and a corrupt douche.

Well done Newton Leroy Gingrich - Asspipe of Liberty

Reflections on MLK

Martin Luther King Jr. said a lot of things - a LOT of things. The "I Have A Dream Speech" remains the his most enduring words associated to him, but on the day commemorating his legacy it's important to remember that he said many things that are just as important, if not as widely celebrated.

"Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted."
Our greatest achievements have almost always come as a result of outsiders breaking exiting paradigms. Whether it was Steve Jobs taking an artists perspective to technology, or Galileo defying Rome to say that Copernicus was right and Earth was not the center of the universe.

"Almost always, the creative, dedicated minority Has made the world better."
Jazz, blue, rock-n-roll, hip hop, punk all had beginnings outside of the mainstream society. As did roots of the Renaissance, Cubism, and Surreal movements in art.

"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to broader concerns of humanity."
Isn't this the central lesson of Jesus Christ? It is also 100% contrary to the Randian Objectivism. Yet another reason to reject that line of reason.

"We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive, is devoid of the power to love."
Love, not the romantic type, is what binds us, and what we have in common must trump that which would divide us. Only love can conquer hate King also said.

"Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism, or in the darkness of destructive selfishness."
You have to live for your family and community. You cannot find purpose only living for yourself.

"A riot at the bottom is the language of the unheard."
This pretty much explains itself. Look in any history book. Look up The Boxer Rebellion. Look up the French Revolution. It's what happens.

"Don't let anyone make you think that God chose America as his divine messianic force to be a sort of policeman of the whole world. I can hear God saying to America 'You are too arrogant, and if you don't change your ways I will rise up and break the backbone of your power, and I will place it in the hands of a nation that doesn't even know my name.'"
Empires throughout time have proclaimed divine providence. Rome did. England did. Are we really different?

"I speak as a citizen of the world for the world as it stands aghast at the path we have taken. I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop it must be ours."
We have to decide to take the correct path for the sake of all. None have the authority to choose for us, and none have the power to force our path, but we are compelled to make the most just choice.

“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.”
Government is a tool created by people. It too must be put to work for the betterment of all - from the least the the greatest.

"What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. And justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love."
Jimi Hendrix once said “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”

My personal favorite: "I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits."

Martin Luther King Jr. was a revolutionary man. he understood the revolutionary power of love and hope, and that they must be brought to bear for the betterment of us all, because it they don't the the unheard may turn to the power of hate. The legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. is not only that we all be judged by the "content of our character," but that we are bound together as brother and sister under the Creator. We are the community of man and we are here to love each other, and to implement the tools, and ideas we have developed to the betterment of all of us. Among these tools are scientific discovery, technological advance, economic development, and they must work for the betterment of all. To what degree betterment we are free to debate, but one can hardly look at the world today and say the benefits of our advances are widely, and justly shared.

That's not to say we have failed, but that there is much to do, and a great distance to go. That's all to easy to lose on a day we don't get mail.

The douchebaggery of politics

This is not a statement on the GOP. This is not a critique of capitalism. Nor is it a criticism of Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich. It is absolutely laughable that GOP candidates in the primary season have come to be critical of Mitt Romney's former company, Bain Capital.

Bain is a private equity firm. This type of company first became prominence in the 1980s. They purchase public companies that they assess are undervalued. Usually by taking loans using the company they are purchasing as collateral. Then the company is streamlined, and costs are cut. Costs are usually people who work there. Labor is the greatest cost of most companies - so this also is not a labor rant. Once costs are cut, then the companies are made public again with the equity firm taking the profits of the stock sale. It's capitalism. Not illegal. The ethics can be debated too. We can also debate whether it's the "right" kind of capitalism, but again not the point. Newt says there's a difference between people like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs who make things, and people like Mitt Romney who buy something, slice and dice it and then sell it to others. Then again there's nothing in Newt's record where he champions legislation to hinder takeovers, or foster environments for those who "make things" like Jobs and Gates.

I guess the douchiness of this all really is, if Bain Capital is bad for capitalism as Gingrich, Perry, and others all said as part of their campaigning, do any of these people running for the GOP nomination intend to champion policies that will rein in this type of business? I have to say no. They all favor less regulation overall, especially in the finance sector (you know, the one that was at the center of the meltdown in 08, and heretofore has not had any meaningful reform put into practice). None of them are in favor of restoring the Glass-Steagal separation of commercial, and investmant banks. They talk about the blight about shattered families, and communities when people are laid off, but they don't propose anything that will improve, even temporarily the situaltion of the laid off people, like education, retraining, unemployment insurance.

If you believe in free, unfettered capitalism, that's fine. Then don't be a hypocrite and say you're on the side of the laid off middle classers because it's politically convenient when there's a history of public postitions you've taken that have fostered the environment under which firms like Bain Capital have flourished.

What you're really doing is showing us all how full of shit you really are.

I'm gonna tell you why the BCS sucks

The BCS sucks. The championship game sucks. The various bowl committee selections of teams for the non championship bowls suck. The weekly release of the BCS standings sucks too. All season long, the BCS sucks. It sucks donkey. It's sucks because it will never provide what fans want, and find most compelling. It will never provide drama on the field.

It will never provide 16th seed Princeton nearly shocking top ranked Georgetown in the opening round of the 1989 Men's Basketball Tournament. It will never give us an 8th seeded Villanova playing miles above ability to shock heavy favorite Georgetown in the 1985 basketball finals. We'll never get teams from the bottom half of the bracket playing into the sweet 16. We'll never get a loaded team underachieving and laying an egg in a tournament. We don't have a tournament. We get months of computer rankings combined with polls, combined with mathematical modifiers for "quality wins." We get bunk.

It'll never give that level of drama because in a meaningful game we are stuck with #1 vs. #2. Fans don't want that. Unless they're chanting "Roll Tide" of "Geaux Tigers," they don't. Fans want #9 Wisconsin, or #13 Michigan, or #16 TCU shocking the football world and advancing in a playoff. We want Nick Saban after a "shocking loss" throwing out all the cliches to ESPN's talking head sideline reporter because #8 Arkansas just upset the 2nd ranked Crimson Tide (I know football and basketball are not the same but #8 taking #1 in national rankings is mathematically similar to a #2 seed knocking off a #1 seed.)

I mean, really, how often in the men's basketball tournament are the final 4 all #1 seeds? It's only happened once. Regularly teams seeded 4th or lower advance to the Final Four. How sucky would the basketball championships be if it was a 4 team tournament? I'll tell you. It would TOTALLY suck. Then, if you were a fan of a team in the top 16, and got to "enjoy" your team's postseason in a 4 team playoff where none of the participants had the chance to advance further, well that would suck too. The Butler Bulldogs were a #8 seed, and made it to the national finals last year. They lost to UConn - a #3 seed ranked nationally between 9 and 12 before the tournament started.

This years' championship game has been determined for a long time now. Where's the drama? Could Oregon have made a run? How about West Virginia, or Stanford, or Michigan, or Wisconsin?It's been Alabama/LSU for what seems forever. We don't watch sports to see the teams the experts tell us are the best. We watch our teams play, and when they're eliminated we pick the compelling story - the Butlers, and Villanovas. Then, when they're eliminated, we feel good about LSU/Alabama, because we got the drama. That's what we wanted the whole time.