Saturday, April 11, 2009

Change we have to put up with...

Robert Gibbs, the number one spokesman for the Obama Administration, the press secretary, says that Obama did not bow before the king of Saudi Arabia.

Watch this YouTube.com video and see for yourself...



So, Obama bows before the King of Saudi Arabia, the same king who holds our nation hostage with his oil because we just won't drill our own. The President of the United States of America bowed before the king of a nation who manipulates our economy by the amount of oil his country produces.

This is just another in a series of forehead-slapping moments that our "experience is not necessary" President has provided us, and the world, with in less than three months in office.

Let's take a stroll down less-than 90 days of memories since January 20, 2009.

Ah, yes, we started the new year with an emergency spending package to save the economy. Yet, more than half of the spending occurs AFTER the economic crisis is predicted to be OVER. That's the same as if you were in a sinking ship, and then mortgaged your house to pay for the fix after you've reached port...ignoring the fact that there is still a hole taking on water as you spent that money. If the money was needed on an emergency basis, why is it being spent in the months leading up to the mid-term elections...AHA!!!!!

Oh, and then the budget with defense spending cuts, yet it is nearly double the current budget.

And let us not forget Obama's tact, statesmanship, class, and historic gifts he has bestowed upon heads of state. Instead of reading my personal opinion, please read the words of Ian Drury, writer for the Daily Mail, a UK newspaper. The article is entitled "To my special friend Gordon, 25 DVDs: Obama gives Brown a set of classic movies. Let's hope he likes the Wizard of Oz."

Ian Drury's piece...
As he headed back home from Washington, Gordon Brown must have rummaged through his party bag with disappointment.
Because all he got was a set of DVDs. Barack Obama, the leader of the world's richest country, gave the Prime Minister a box set of 25 classic American films - a gift about as exciting as a pair of socks.
Mr Brown is not thought to be a film buff, and his reaction to the box set is unknown. But it didn't really compare to the thoughtful presents he had brought along with him.
The Prime Minister gave Mr Obama an ornamental pen holder made from the timbers of the Victorian anti-slave ship HMS Gannet.
The unique present delighted Mr Obama because oak from the Gannet's sister ship, HMS Resolute, was carved to make a desk that has sat in the Oval Office in the White House since 1880.
Mr Brown also handed over a framed commission for HMS Resolute and a first edition of the seven-volume biography of Churchill by Sir Martin Gilbert.
In addition, Mr Brown and his wife showered gifts on the Obama children giving Sasha and Malia an outfit each from Topshop and six children's books by British authors which are shortly to be published in America.
In return, the Obamas gave the Browns two models of the presidential helicopter, Marine One, to take home to sons Fraser and John.


Wow! What a statesman. What a brilliant gift-giver. What a leader!

Oh, and then he does even better with his gift to the Queen of England.

He gives her an IPOD loaded with showtunes and pictures of herself on her visit to America.

And, then he bows to the King of Saudi Arabia, then his mouthpieces Robert Gibbs and MSNBC, say he was bending due to the height difference. Nice attempt at spin. Too bad the video shows differently.




Obama is a joke. He cannot speak without a teleprompter. If he does, he makes insulting comments like he did on the Tonight Show, where he insulted the bowling abilities of children in the Special Olympics. Yes, our President made fun of his own bowling ability by making light of the difficulties children in the Special Olympics deal with.


Wow. Classssssss-eeeee!!!!

Oh, and I love the fact that my grand children will be giving half their paychecks to pay down the debt we have incurred in only the last 80-some-odd days. Washington through Bush (43) totalled up less debt and deficit in the 230 years of this nation's history than Obama has in less than 3 months. We went over two centuries with less debt than we have amassed in 2 months.

And, Obama still writes checks on American tax payers with wreckless abandon.

Instead of relying on the abilities of Washington, DC, area chefs, knowing full well that White House chefs are among the best in the world, Obama spends tax-payer money to fly in a PIZZA chef from St. Louis, ingredients, dough, and utensils in tow, to the White House for a casual luncheon with over 140 people. He flew a PIZZA chef, staff, and business partners, along with the ingredients, from St. Louis to DC for a lunch. All on your and my tax dollars.

Not to mention the almost daily extravagant balls and parties and dinners the Obamas host in the White House, or in Chicago, to impress their 'friends' and co-horts.

All at our expense.

Meanwhile, they tease us and stir us up to get mad at AIG execs getting their contractually obligated bonuses. (No one dare tell you that the AIG execs who recieved the bonuses are in different divisions than those responsible for the failed portions of the company...oh, Keith Olberman didn't tell you?)

I am counting the days until November 6, 2012, when we can get back to normal. When we can get some class, honesty, decency, and leadership in the White House.

Friday, April 3, 2009

Sports and Society

When I was just becoming aware and a real fan of sports, I was about 9 years old. I had always been a fan, but never really got truly interested in sports until my family moved to Virginia.
We moved to Pocahontas, Virginia, from Lemont, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. I was 7 when we moved. For the first 7 years of my life, I lacked a real interest in sports. Thus, I did not realize what I was losing in the move south of the Mason-Dixon line. Moving south, I did not miss the fact that I had never been to Chicago Stadium or Wrigley or Comiskey or Soldier Field.
In between the time I moved south and have returned to the north, so much has changed. Old Comiskey is gone, Comiskey is completely gone, replaced by the name of US Cellular Field, which perplexes the mind. Comiskey is a legendary name. How could it have been replaced? Old Chicago Stadium is long gone, replaced by the marketing mecca United Center, The House that Michael Built. Oh, and Soldier Field was changed from a legendary, mythical, beautiful piece of history and architecture into a UFO.
Tonight, popped in one of the discs from my DVD set from the NBA Dynasty Series, "Chicago Bulls: The 1990's." It educated me on a lot about sports, American society, and the world at large.
This June, when either the Orlando Magic or the Cleveland Cavaliers hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy and are crowned NBA Champions, it will be a full 11 years since the end of an era; the end of the Bulls' Dynasty; the end of truly great TEAMS.
Yes, in the past 11 years there has been some high points, some excitement, and some good teams, but there is nothing close to the magic of what the 1990's brought.
Sports, and the world, has changed so much in the last 11 years. I have been trying to put my finger on the actual reasons, as well as what exactly was in fact different. You watch NBA, NFL, or MLB games today, then you look back 11 years, and there is something different.
It is hard to put a label on what it is exactly, but you see it. You know you are watching terrific athletes and good teams. You get excited, but you still don't feel the same as you did in the 1990s, and earlier.
For me, the difference exists in the persona and passion of the athletes. If you watch the teams of the 90s, there was unbridled passion for the game at hand. Wins and losses determined emotional highs or lows for everyone in the stands, on the sidelines, and in uniform.
The 1994 MLB strike, the 1999 NBA lock-out, and all the outrageous contracts that have been signed in the last 11 years has diminished the games we love. We no longer connect with the athletes we once did. As a result, we don't have that unequivocal sanctuary to immerse ourselves and separate ourselves from the pressures, pains, and stresses of the real world.
Whether it is in coalition with sports, a result of sports, or merely a mirrored coincidence, our society has shifted the last decade plus. We all have become greedier, less passionate about what is important in life.
We are only passionate about our differences. We love to be right. We love to be better. We love for the other guy to fail, to lose, to fall flat on his face.
We had one, brief, day of unity in the aftermath of 9-11, but the vitriol and disdain we Americans have for each other sprouted right back out.
As I watched the DVD and recalled the memories of 1996-1998, when Michael Jordan and the Bulls made history, made the world exciting, I longed for the time when we had that escape. Back then athletes did well financially, but weren't taking home more a year than many European nations. I longed for a time when athletes dressed with class because they had class, and not because David Stern ordered them to have class.
I miss the passion players played with. I miss the passion that we fans could exude onto the players because we were in the battle with them. They wore their uniform with pride and their livelihood depended on our support. We weren't sheep blindly following and feeding their large wallets, but we were almost as important as the ball, nets, and their teammates to their successes.
Now, in sports, and society, we are, in large part, dedicated to only get what is ours. We jump ship at the first signs of trouble. We don't man up and fix issues. We run from them. We create havoc until we get what we want. We whine because we lost a few thousand dollars, but still have food and TV. We call a severe drop in the stock market a depression, not taking time to realize that despite the struggles, we are really okay. We are hurting, but its a deep tissue bruise, not a broken bone or a devastating illness. We are not on the verge of a fatality.
Yet, no one is willing to be a part of the solution. We, as a nation, think that rich people and the Government are the sole source of our security. We have, like so many athletes, gone from being part of the team trying for one goal, to being part of a glob of people with their hands out, waiting for the blank check from on high.
I am 27 years old, and I have lost so much faith in the world, in people, and in the people in charge in the last 11 years. I miss the times when all we had to worry about was the Russians. I miss the hard-working, play-through-the-pain-or-flu athletes and Americans. I miss American Pride.
Will we ever become proud of America and truly love America again? Sadly, that question will not be answered until sometime in late 2012...

About Me...And This Blog Site...

My name is David A. Ebert, the oldest of two siblings produced by my parents, Leah and David G. Ebert. We are all Republicans, but I take it a toke or two...well, closer to 10 tokes...further than my parents,

I am very much a Right Wing Conservative. I am a Reagan Conservative. I believe Americans, in general, are smarter than elected officials in Washington, DC. We should be more in charge than the Government.

We, as individuals and families, should have more responsibility over our own, hard-earned money and not send more and more and more taxes to the out-of-touch politicians. I believe the government is there to serve us, and not us to serve them.

I believe in America's greatness and that, overall, we are the most generous, forgiving, intelligent, and genuinely decent country in the world. I also believe that we are the most powerful nation in the history of the world, but do not use that power to hold over the collective heads of other nations.

I believe that low taxes, intelligent spending of those tax revenues, strong initiatives on defense and education, and small government influence on the day-to-day lives of Americans are some of the most important ideals related to how the US should be operated.I believe in the freedoms granted by the US Constitution. I believe that judges should uphold and interpret the laws as written in the US Constitution, and not refer to any foreign legislation to make their historic decisions.

I believe the First Amendment, as well as the entire Bill of Rights, are the most important laws this world has ever seen.

I believe abortion is WRONG. I believe that homosexuality is WRONG. I believe that allowing anyone to publicly debate the possibility of lowering the age of consent, especially for young boys to consent to older men, is a tragedy of morality. I believe that organizations like NAMBLA should be publicly shunned and not given a platform to spew their harmful and dangerous rhetoric.

I believe there is a sad lacking in the ability of our nation to appreciate and accept self responsibility. We, as a nation, blame daddy, racism, sexism, classism, mommy, the mean teacher, the mean little league coach, the loud mouthed uncle, the financial status of the neighborhood in which we grew up in, and a million and one other reasons why we do not succeed. How often do we, as a nation, take the blame for our own mistakes? How often do you hear someone accept responsibility for their own mistakes? How often?

I am conservative. I am worried about the future of the country and the planet, especially if O-BOMB-A or Billary Clinton make it to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I will start posting my fears, my hopes, my ideas as they all relate to news and politics. I hope to open some eyes and change some opinions with my writings. Most of all, I hope you will read my words and be inspired to find the truth...and not rely on Chris Matthews or Keith Olberman or Katie Couric or Matt Lauer for your opinions. I hope you will break the mold and do something unreal...unexpected...do something that O-BOMB-A and Billary are afraid of you doing...

THINK FOR YOURSELF.

Cross Referencing My Blogs