Wisdom from a Founding Father

"I apprehend no danger to our country from a foreign foe ... Our destruction, should it come at all, will be from another quarter. -- From the inattention of the people to the concerns of their government, from their carelessness and negligence, I must confess that I do apprehend some danger. I fear that they may place too implicit a confidence in their public servants, and fail properly to scrutinize their conduct; that in this way they may be made the dupes of designing men, and become the instruments of their own undoing. Make them intelligent, and they will be vigilant; give them the means of detecting the wrong, and they will apply the remedy." --U.S. Senator Daniel Webster (1782-1852)

Why i believe the AIG tax is wrong

I have been disturbed for the last week about this potential taxing of AIG bonuses, talk of it being as high as 100% to "return it to the American people", which is DC language meaning giving it back to Fedzilla so that they can spend it. The whole reason these bonuses came about, other than being a smoke screen to cover up the $60B being sent overseas, was due to lack of oversight. It would help if the guys we pay to read bills they vote on actually read them, right?

HR 1586 was voted on and passed yesterday by more than 2/3 of the US House of Representatives and will apparently charge a 90% tax on these AIG bonuses as well as others who are receiving bailout money and receive extremely high bonuses out of it. The easy thing would be simply not allow the bonuses to come out, which makes sense, and explains why Congress didn't consider that...but its a little late for that now. I think Congress passing this type of legislation is the wrong precedence because it will open the door for them to do it again, and again, and again when they deem it necessary...and one day may potentially effect most if not all tax payers, not just high paid executives who run their business into the ground. Along with that, i do belive it to be unconstitutional.

Consider Article 1 secion 9 of the US Constitution, which like the so called "stimulus bill" may not have have been read by those in the Congress, which says, "No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed." And "ex post facto" is an adjective meaning "Formulated, enacted, or operating retroactively. [Med Lat., from what is done afterwards]" Example, passing a ridiculously high tax that is retroactive on a bailout bill that has been previously passed by the Congress. But, why bring the rule of the law into play, right? Why not pass a law after the fact, right?

And there is also that pesky 14th Amendment that says the government will not "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." Taxing one person more just because you don't like something about them denies them equal protection of the law; in fact it makes them victims of the law...it doesn't matter if we agree or disagree with these bailout bonuses.



I think it is important to also note that the 16th Amendment which was proposed in July 1909 and ratified in February 1913 established a federal income tax...it was not part of our founding father's plan and original framing of the Constitution. Meaning that until 1913 a federal income tax was unconstitutional. So, how far from the original plan for our great country have we gone when Congress has taken things this for. This tells me that we no longer have a government that is of the people, by the people, for the people.

The AIG executives and any executives of these companies who are receiving bailout money should not be getting bonus money paid for by the US tax payer for helping ruin our economy. It truly sickens me that this is happening, but it is more sickening that our government would side step the laws of the land in this attack on our Constitution.

John Adams quote

I'm currently reading the biography of John Adams...if you are in any type of leadership role, i recommend this book. And if you are worried about the future of our country, please read this book to be reminded of what we once were and could be if we remember what real liberty is.
"In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress." - John Adams

Time to get things going again

I lost my father right after the new year, he suffered a stroke and then passed away less than 2 weeks later. This threw my world into a bit of a spin, and to add to it illness and deaths in the church i serve and my own son being hospitalized with flu symptoms...this blog has been the least of my worries. But after watching the administration of President B.O. continue to make a mockery of the White House and this Congress trample upon the Constitution, i think it is time to get going again.

I was more than willing to give this President and his cronies in Congress ever benefit of the doubt, and it only gives me more doubts. Between the tax cheats being nominated for cabinet posts and Barney Frank and company ripping the 1st and 14th Amendments out of the law of the land...i can no longer be silent. Beginning to day i will begin posting once again, many of these posts have also been posted on Facebook, but will get reposted here also.

For the time being i will remain here on Blogger, but will consider moving to another service, like Wordpress, in the future.

God bless America, and thank God for free speech!

2008 Bowl-A-Mania IV…The Final Chapter!

Welcome to 2009 and Happy New Year! I was out in the cold until 2:00AM watching a bonfire die down enough to go to bed, and then took another hour to actually fall asleep…yeah, I’m in huge need of coffee right now. Regardless I do hope you and yours have a very blessed New Year!

Now on to getting some people upset with me…it’s the final week of bowls for the 2009 season! Let’s begin with a recap:

• Texas Bowl, apparently the home field worked for Rice…1-0
• Holiday Bowl, head there was some questionable calls…did the refs come from the Pac 10? The Ducks win…1-1.
• Armed Forces Bowl, what happened to the Falcons? 1-2
• Sun Bowl, was this a soccer game? Oregon State won 3-0? I fall to 1-3
• Music City Bowl, Vandy managed to win their first bowl game since 1955 by beating the team with the longest bowl win streak in the nation…1-4
• Insight Bowl, Jayhawks win big and win easily…2-4
• Chick-Fil-A Bowl, Oh you of little faith! LSU was given no chance against Tech’s triple option spread offense, but pulled out the 38-3 win! Two things: LSU needs to work on their schedule so that they don’t have to play 8 weeks in a row again, and Jefferson should have been invested in all season instead of Lee…3-4

OK, that stuck, and brings my overall pick total to 13-9 for this post season. Not bad, but not too good either.
Now on to the picks…

• Outback Bowl, Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, FL
The Head Ball Coach brings his fighting Chickens south from South Carolina after a typical USC season to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes out of the Big 10. Spurrier has the ability to get his Gamecocks to win many games that they probably should not have won, while still managing to lose the big games. Iowa on the other hand did manage to hand Penn State their only blemish on the season.
MY PICK: I’m sympathetic to South Carolina as an SEC school, but I don’t see them pulling this one out…I’ll swallow my pride and pick the Big 10 team.

• Gator Bowl, Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, FL
Terry Bowden won’t be escorting Clemson into the Gator Bowl this year having been fired for a totally lack luster start that gave them a 7-5 record and a midfield finish in the ACC. They match up against Bo Pellini’s Cornhuskers of Nebraska coming out of the Big 12 with an 8-4 record. Usually the Gator Bowl is one of my favorite games, not so sure this year’s is going to rate high on my scale.
MY PICK: Clemson is a mess and probably messed up firing Bowden, and even though Bo abandoned LSU for greener corn fields, I’ll pick the ‘Huskers in this one.

• Capital One, Citrus Bowl in Orlando
The 2009 edition of the artist formally known as the Citrus Bowl that sold out to corporate sponsorship while still being played in the Citrus Bowl will once again match up Big 10 and SEC non-BCS runner ups. Former #1 Georgia enters the game having finished 2nd in the SEC East and losing to Georgia Tech in the last game of the season to face #19 Michigan State who matches the Bulldogs with a 9-3 record. Last year’s game was a huge upset with Michigan pulling the surprise on Florida and picking up one more win for Lloyd Carr
MY PICK: I was way wrong on this one last year, but don’t see anyone playing for Lloyd Carr this year…Bulldogs should win with a big game by Moreno.

• The Rose Bowl, Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, CA
Joe Pa makes a return to Pasadena with his Nittany Lions and a single loss on the season to face off against USC playing what amounts to a home game and a single loss also. Joe Paterno is an old school, throw back coach of yeaster-year….especially since he is from the old school and is a throw back and from yester-year being that the guys is almost as old as the Rose Bowl parade. USC on the other hand is often compared to a pro team, and honestly I still wouldn’t doubt some of their players getting paid as much as the pros.
MY PICK: On paper this should be USC’s game to lose, but I’m not going to count the Lions out of it and I’m going to call the upset…Penn State wins.

• Orange Bowl, Dolphins Stadium in Miami, FL
Yes Virginia (Tech), Cincinnati does have a football program. Most people don’t realize that the Bearcats have the oldest on campus stadium in the country, especially since most people don’t realize still that they have a football team. Virginia Tech on the other hand has come so close so many times that they may not always be taken seriously.
MY PICK: My wife is a native of Cincinnati and since my father-in-law wore his Bearcat hat all last week I’ll look at them to repeat their 1947 Sun Bowl win over the Hokies.

• Cotton Bowl, Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX
Ole Miss fans were wondering around Texarkana yesterday…apparently they are so unused to playing in a bowl game that they didn’t realize Texarkana wasn’t Dallas. The Rebs bring a surprising #20 ranking and a 2nd place finish in the SEC west with a 8-4 record to face off against the Red Raiders of Texas Tech who bring an 11-1 record out of the Big 12 South which was a mess to pick a winner. And what a coaching match-up with the Mad Scientist facing off against….oh wait, no match up there, Ole Miss is coached by Houston “Sometimes you feel like a” Nutt.
MY PICK: Tech will run all over the Rebs.

• Liberty Bowl, Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN
I love the Liberty Bowl, thought it has had some great match ups in the past…but to be played during BCS week? Why?
For what it is worth the Kentucky Wildcats come out of the SEC with a 6-6 record and they are playing in the 3rd consecutive bowl game for only the 2nd time ever to face off against the East Carolina Pirates who went 9-4 and finished first in the C-USA East. Only in this bowl scenario can a team that finished last in their division match up against a team that finished first in theirs.
Last year the Cats surprised me and won their bowl game, while ECU did manage to start the season with 2 wins against ranked opponents (Virginia Tech and West Virginia), but managed to lose to Mid-Major powerhouse Southern Miss.
MY PICK: Once again, I’m sympathetic to the SEC…but UK is a basketball school; I’ll pick ECU.

• Sugar Bowl, The Louisiana SuperDome in New Orleans, LA
Nick Satan…oops, Saban brings his bunch of hooligans from Tuscaloosa after a surprising season which had them at #1 for a few weeks to face the party crashers out of the Mountain West, Utah. Most people assume Bama will roll over the Utes, but I expect Utah to be the only team the Tide faces that can put up more points than Florida. The Utes will have the distinction of being the only undefeated team in Div. 1-A with a win and a possible argument in the BCS championship debate.
MY PICK: On paper, should be Tide…but the only thing bigger than Saban’s ego is probably the domed stadium this game is being played in; I’m pulling for Utah but wouldn’t be surprised to see the Tide pull it out.

• International Bowl, Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada
Buffalo making their first bowl appearance ever and facing U-Conn in Cananda…never mind, I won’t say it.
MY PICK: The Saturday before my anniversary…I’m taking my wife out, WIN!

• Fiesta Bowl, University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ
The Ohio State Buckeyes bring a 10-2 record and a 2nd place finish in the Big 10 into another BCS game, which hasn’t led to good results the last 2 years…both losses to the SEC. Lucky for the acorns, no SEC this year, but they do get to face the 11-1 Texas Longhorns who feel that they should be playing in Miami a few days later for the BCS championship. The last time OSU played the Fiesta they won, but the last time they played UT they lost.
MY PICK: It cracks me up that 2 time BCS loser Jim Tressel has a book out on winning at life! UT in a route.

• BCS Championship, Dolphins Stadium in Miami
OU brings a 4 game BCS losing streak, including 2 championship games, into the big one to face the home state team, the Florida Gators. Both teams are have a single loss and Heisman winning QB’s…Tim Tebow last year, Sam Bradford this year. Tebow and the Gators have been on a mission since losing at home to Ole Miss early in the season while OU were playing for style points to wrap up the season putting up basketball game type scores week to week. Both teams can and will probably put up a butt-load of points, but I think the team that can play the best defense will pull it out…and lets face it, the Big 12 has no defense.
MY PICK: Florida will be the 2nd team to win a 2nd BCS championship and keep it in the SEC for yet another year.

2008 Bowl-A-Mania in Triplicate!

Christmas is come and gone, and now the big New Years celebration is right around the corner where we get a week’s worth of BCS mayhem…with some really questionable games thrown into the mix. I think I would rather see some of these bowl games eliminated rather than a playoff system at this point; but who am I other than a football fan…like I really matter!

Here is a recap of the 2nd set of picks.
• Motor City Bowl: I still think FAU got screwed getting sent from FL to Detroit in December, but they did win and I didn’t have to watch it! WIN!
• Meineke Car Care Bowl: Close game with WVA pulling out, congrats! 2-0 this week.
• Champs Sports Bowl: Bobby and his boys beat the Madison Reds…3-0
• Emerald Bowl: Miami didn’t win…I’ll leave it at that, 3-1
• Independence Bowl: Bulldogs win a bowl game for the first time since 1980, 4-1
• PapaJohns.com Bowl: I got sushi, eel rolls! And somebody won, I think Rutgers won…I call it a win, 5-1
• Alamo Bowl: Cousin Chase (who knows, we might be related!) and the Tigers from Mizzou pull it out in the end, 6-1
• Humanitarian Bowl: Blue turf…7-1.

This takes my total so far to 10-5 for this bowl season. Now on to more picks!

• Texas Bowl, Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX
Not sure how but Rice managed to get into a bowl game after fielding a 9-3 record, which is generally opposite of their typical record of 3-9 and will be taking on the Western Michigan Broncos with a matching record. These regional MI teams are the only ones that the University of Michigan managed to beat this year while Rice is a grain served best in a bowl of gumbo.
MY PICK: Rice has a home field advantage, but to be honest…who cares? I’ll pick Rice just because.

• Holiday Bowl, Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, CA
Oklahoma State brings a 9-3 record and losses to the power players of the Big 12 into San Diego to play Donald and the Boys from Oregon, who also bring a 9-3 record out of the Pac 10. Big 12 teams like the Cowboys have no defense, and Pac 10 teams like the Ducks have no defense either…should be a basketball score.
MY PICK: My secretary is an OSU graduate, Go Cowboys!

• Armed Forces Bowl, Amon G. Carter Stadium in Ft Worth, TX
This edition of the Bell Helicopters Peace Thru Superior Fire Power Bowl matches up the United States Air Force Academy with an 8-4 record against the Houston Cougars with a 7-5 record. Air Force is known for high powered offense and Houston is known for…well, there was David Klingler a long time ago.
MY PICK: God Bless the USA! USAF, Go Falcons!

• Sun Bowl, Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, TX
Pittsburg travels southwest from the Big East to face off against the Oregon State Beavers from the PAC 10. OSU did beat USC this year, and I applaud them for that since I hate USC…and Pitt is the alma mater of Dan Marino and Tony Dorsett. Both teams started miserably and rebounded in the end, but fell short.
MY PICK: The Beavers lost 3 big road games this year, I’ll hold my breath and take Pitt.

• Music City Bowl, LP Field in Nashville, TN
Vandy is in their first bowl game since 1982 and only the 4th one ever and get a home date thanks to their 6-6 record to take on the Boston College Eagles coming out of the ACC with a 9-4 record. I so want to cheer on the Commodores, but they are Vandy…and their purpose is to help raise the overall academic standards of the SEC, not win football games. And they are also facing off against the runners up in the ACC who barely lost to Virginia Tech in the conference title game.
MY PICK: Sympathy goes to Vandy, but common sense says pick BC, I’ll go with common sense.

• Insight Bowl, Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, AZ
After going 1-11 last year the Golden Gophers head south from Minnesota with a much improved 7-5 record to face off against last year’s Big 12 Cinderella, Kansas with a matching record. I still think Kansas is a basketball school, but they are apparently learning how to play football.
MY PICK: The state of Minnesota may have elected a stupid SNL “comedian” (I use that term loosely) to replace a find Senator…Go Jayhawks!

• Chick-Fil-A Bowl, Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA
My beloved Bayou Bengals fell well short of their BCS National Championship hopes and finished a lowly 7-5, losing many games as a result of not having a QB who can throw to the right player. They face off this year against the Wramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech, who bring a national ranking of 14 and a 9-3 record into this year’s match-up of the SEC and ACC. The Jackets finished strong with a win over in state rival Georgia while the Tigers dropped a heart breaker in Little Rock against the Pigs from Fayetteville in the last game of the season.
MY PICK: I am by no means a fair weather fan, but think the Tigers would have been better off staying home and finding them a QB for next year…but I will pick them none the less. Geaux Tigers!

2008 Bowl-A-Mani 2, the Sequel

2008 Bowl-A-Mania 2, The Sequel

The 2008 Bowl season is off and running, and so far I’ve been surprised by how good some of the games have been while still thinking there are way too many stinking bowl games for anyone’s good.
Now for my first round recap.

• EagleBank Bowl: My house got cleaned and Wake won…since my house took precedence it’s a win. 1-0
• New Mexico Bowl: CSU came from behind and beat the Bulldogs…and I still hate Acadiana High School. 1-1
• St. Petersburg Bowl: This was a joke with USF winning their home game, good visit with my dad. 2-1
• Las Vegas Bowl: BYU lost by 10 when their kicker who only missed 2 field goals all season missed 3…another missed pick. 2-2
• R+L Carriers New Orleans: A surprisingly good game that had me switching between the Giants and Panthers. Golden Buzzards win and we had a great fellowship. 3-2
• San Diego Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: I have no idea what happened here, and what happened to Boise???? 3-3
• Hawaii Bowl, Aloha Stadium: I hate Notre Dame. 3-4

OK, I pretty much stunk up the first set of picks…let’s hope the 2nd set is better.

• Motor City Bowl, Ford Field in Detroit, MI.
Nothing says “holiday get away” like a trip to Detroit in December! Yeah, right. Watch out for drive by shootings and protect your wallet like your life. And lucky for the Florida Atlantic Owls they get to leave the Sun Belt to face the Central Michigan Chippewas from the MAC playing in their 3rd straight Motor City Bowl game. Remember that too many bowl games thing? FAU was 3rd in the Sun Belt and CMU was 4th in the MAC with a 6-6 record.
MY PICK: FAU fans stay in the sunshine and everyone else go shopping for post Christmas specials.

• Meineke Car Care Bowl, Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC
ACC could have been North Carolina brings their #1 ranking…oh wait, that is in basketball. This is the 8-4 football team taking on Big East should have been West Virginia with a matching record in the mother of all big corporate sponsored ball games.
MY PICK: I’m picking the should have been, Mountaineers win.

• Champs Sports Bowl, Citrus Bowl in Orlando
Bobby Bowden brings a less than stellar 8-4 team out of the ACC that at times showed signs of brilliance during this season to take on the 7-5 Wisconsin Badgers who finished 6th in a pretty pathetic Big 10. I’m a Bobby Bowden fan and if you took all of the Obama loving Socialists out of Madison…it would be a ghost town.
MY PICK: I’m going with FSU since it is a bit of a home game, but wouldn’t be surprised to see the Commies win.

• Emerald Bowl, AT&T Park in San Francisco
This year’s Fruit and Nut Bowl plays host to the Granola State’s own Berkley Bears out of the Pac 10 taking on the U from Miami coming cross country to one of the few places even more liberal than South Florida. The Canes are 7-5 and play in an overrated conference while Cal is 8-4 in a one team conference…where do I turn, where do I turn? Who do I despise the most?
MY PICK: It’s a home game for Berkley…but they are Berkley, that isn’t even part of America, is it? I can’t even say I pick…them; so I’ll say I pick Miami.

• Independence Bowl, Independence Stadium in Shreveport, LA
The game that is so good that they managed to lose their sponsorship! After seeing mediocre Big 12 and SEC teams for the last few years, they returned to a classic match up of a 4th place WAC team, Louisiana Tech taking on a .500 team finishing 5th in the MAC, Northern Illinois. Yeah…classic. What happened to the mediocre BCS schools?
MY PICK: I’ll probably watch this game just because of LA Tech, and I’ll pick them too.

• PapaJohns.com Bowl, Legion Field in Birmingham, AL
Isn’t this the bowl game Louisville has been trying to get since building Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium? In this year’s edition the State College of New Jersey, Rutgers comes out of the Big East finished tied for 4th in that conference to face the NC State Wolfpack who come to SEC territory out of the ACC with a last place finish in their division. Too many bowl games?
MY PICK: Honestly, I’m at a loss here. Probably the only thing worst than a mediocre mid major getting into a bowl game is a mediocre majors getting a free trip during the Christmas break. Darn, it will be Monday at 3:00 PM…I’ll be working. I win!

• Alamo Bowl, Alamo Dome in San Antonio
The 15th edition of the Alamo Bowl matches up Big 12 could have been Mizzou with the Big 10’s never quite was Northwestern. There were big hopes for the Tigers this year that crashed and burned against the big boys of the Big 12 south; and as for Northwestern…well, they are a school for drama majors, right?
MY PICK: I like that QB for Mizzou, Chase…and what is his last name again? Oh yeah, Daniel! I’m going with Missouri.

• Humanitarian Bowl, Bronco Stadium in Boise, ID
I still have yet to figure out how they managed to keep a bowl game going on the smurf turf for 11 years! This year Nevada heads north after finishing 3rd in the WAC to face off against the 7-5 Terps coming cross country from the University of Maryland. Did I mention the blue turf? And Idaho? Blue turf? Yeah, really…blue turf. Please do not adjust your TV’s color settings; that really is blue astro-turf you are seeing.
MY PICK: 2:30 on a Tuesday, you know…I’m going to have to be in the office…darn!

Since I need to get the kids ready for bed I’ll pause here and pick back up soon. If you have not been offended as of yet…my apologies, I’ll try harder next time!

2008 Bowl-a-Mania

So I turned on my TV this morning and what do I see…A BOWL GAME! Is it that time of the year already? And I still haven’t made my picks? With so many meaningless and useless bowl games leading up to the last week of December and that the sitcom that we get to watch daily with the Illinois Governor’s office…it is understandable how these early games can be over looked. But then again, it is the weekend before Christmas and I just had to turn my air conditioner on too; go figure.

This year there will be 34 bowl games featuring 68 different FBS (formally known as Division I-A) schools, which means it will much harder to not get into a bowl game than it is to get into one. In some cases a mediocre season is more than enough to play in the 2nd season.

With that being said, off we go with my bowl picks for this year. As in previous years, expect it to be as politically incorrect as possible, some golden calves may be slaughtered and someone may very well get offended as I give my opinion of your favorite school, your home state and even thrown in some political and theological points in for fun. Enjoy the first of many parts!

• EagleBank Bowl, RFK Stadium in Washington DC
The 8-4 Navy Midshipmen bring in 2 straight heartbreaker losses in bowl games to take on the 7-5 Demon Deacons from the ACC, Wake Forest. We have the alma mater of Vietnam War hero, US Senator and GOP Presidential nominee John McCain facing off against a team from one of the most liberal Baptist schools in the country…so much so I’m ashamed to call them Baptist at time. Not sure the point of a bowl game in the nation’s capital when the schools are failing, crime is up and the US Congress has an approval rating of 18%.
MY PICK: Not watching this one, cleaning the house for company, automatic win for me!

• New Mexico Bowl, University Stadium in Albuquerque, NM
The artist formally known as the Sun Bowl plays host to the Colorado State Rams, bringing in a 6-6 record out of the Mountain West Conference against the spunky Fresno State Bulldogs with their “Anybody, any place, any time” attitude who have a 7-5 record. So the 6th best MWC team is taking on the 5th best WAC team…and this is supposed to be a bowl game?
MY PICK: Typically I wouldn’t give a rip, but since CSU should be at home and remind me too much of the Acadiana High School Rams…I’m picking Fresno.

• St. Petersburg Bowl, Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL
Basketball school Memphis carries a 6-6 record from the C-USA into the citrus state to take on the Southern Florida Bulls with a 7-5 record that includes a 2-5 record in the Big East. Once again, why?!?!
MY PICK: My dad is here, I win.

• Las Vegas Bowl, Sam Boyd Stadium in Sin City
The geniuses in Las Vegas hoping for a cash cow must be flipping their lids as the Mormons make their 4th straight appearance in the city known for gambling and legalized prostitution…yeah, good choice there! BYU is 10-2 and was oh so close to crashing the BCS party while Arizona is 7-5 and making their first bowl appearance in 10 years. I hate the Pac 10.
MY PICK: The Cougars should make their prophet proud.

• R+L Carriers New Orleans, Super Dome in Big Easy
Mid-Major powers Southern Miss (6-6 in C-USA) takes on the Men of Troy, Troy University, champions of the Sun Belt (8-4). My thinking is one bowl game in New Orleans is enough, and although I have no ill-feelings toward the Golden Eagles or the Trojans…I probably won’t be watching this one either.
MY PICK: We’re having friends over for fun and food, and lots of coffee! Auto win.

• San Diego Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego
Boise State gets the screw job of the football season and bring an undefeated record into the step-child of the Holiday Bowl to face the TCU Horned Frogs. TCU is not a real slouch, bringing a 10-2 record out of the Mountain West…but may have bitten off too much with the bitter Broncos.
MY PICK: Broncos will score 100 style points.

• Hawaii Bowl, Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, HI
Please tell me why Notre Dame goes 6-6 and gets rewarded with a free trip to Hawaii?????? Their hosts, the Warriors of Hawaii finished 7-6 after getting pasted by Georgia in last year’s Sugar Bowl. This game used to be played on Christmas day and has now been moved to Christmas Eve…which means fewer people watching. I’m not so sure the catholic boys have been saying enough hail mary’s lately since they haven’t won a bowl game since 1992 or 93.
MY PICK: The hometown Warriors, I really don’t like the Irish.

That is part one...more to come!!

Time Person of the Year

Well, it is official. Time Magazine has named Barack Hussein Obama their "Person of the Year" for 2008...or as i refer to it, a typical cover story for this pseudo-news rag.

Of course my math may be wrong, but i do believe that Barack Hussein Obama's face has gracefully graced the cover of one of his favorite PR publications at least 13 times as the focal point, and probably also was one of a collection of faces featured at least another 6 times in the last year. Every one of these covers presenting him as nothing short of incredible, of course; while the likes of John McCain or Sarah Palin were presented as the evil, scum of the earth politicos that those who practice yellow journalism make them out to be.

Time Magazine is just another proof of what Sean Hannity refers to the death of journalism in 2008. With more and more print publications going broke, we can only hope Time's time will come also.

A Word from Gen. MacArthur

In honor of our veterans who have served our great nation to keep us safe, here are some excerpts from General Douglas MacArthur’s farewell address. God bless our service men and women and God bless America!

Duty, honor, country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying point to build courage when courage seems to fail, to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith, to create hope when hope becomes forlorn...

They create in your heart the sense of wonder, the unfailing hope of what next, and joy and inspiration of life. They teach you in this way to be an officer and a gentleman.

And what sort of soldiers are those you are to lead? Are they reliable? Are they brave? Are they capable of victory?

Their story is known to all of you. It is the story of the American man-at-arms. My estimate of him was formed on the battlefield many, many years ago, and has never changed. I regarded him then, as I regard him now, as one of the world’s noblest figures; not only as one of the finest military characters, but also as one of the most stainless...

From one end of the world to the other, he has drained deep the chalice of courage. As I listened to those songs [of the glee club], in memory’s eye I could see those staggering columns of the first World War, bending under soggy packs on many a weary march, from dripping dusk to drizzling dawn, slogging ankle deep through the mire of shell-pocked roads to form grimly for the attack, blue lipped, covered with sludge and mud, chilled by the wind and rain, driving home to their objective, and for many to the judgment seat of God.

I do not know the dignity of their birth, but I do know the glory of their death. They died, unquestioning, uncomplaining, with faith in their hearts, and on their lips the hope that we would go on to victory...

Let civilian voices argue the merits or demerits of our process of government: Whether our strength is being sapped by deficit financing indulged in too long, by Federal paternalism grown too mighty, by power groups grown too arrogant, by politics grown too corrupt, by crime grown too rampant, by morals grown too low, by taxes grown too high, by extremists grown too violent; whether our personal liberties are as thorough and complete as they should be.

These great national problems are not for your professional participation or military solution. Your guidepost stands out like a ten-fold beacon in the night: Duty, honor, country...

The shadows are lengthening for me. The twilight is here. My days of old have vanished – tone and tint. They have gone glimmering through the dreams of things that were. Their memory is one of wondrous beauty, watered by tears and coaxed and caressed by the smiles of yesterday. I listen vainly, but with thirsty ear, for the witching melody of faint bugles blowing reveille, of far drums beating the long roll.

In my dreams I hear again the crash of guns, the rattle of musketry, the strange, mournful mutter of the battlefield. But in the evening of my memory always I come back to West Point. Always there echoes and re-echoes: Duty, honor, country...

Psalm 53:1

The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God..." (NASB)

I am the Nation

This is a video featuring Johnny Cash called "I am the Nation" reminding us of some of the things that makes this great nation of ours so great. I have been a fan of Johnny Cash since i was a kid, my dad would play Johnny on his old 8-track player while we grilled out on those hot Louisiana days. With the divisive nature of our country today and the election just days away i thought this was a fitting tribute.