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...
Friday, April 3, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
False Outrage to cover-up Bad Policy
$180 Billion to AIG.
That is $180,000,000,000, of our money given to AIG.
That is enough to give every American man, woman, and child about $500 each.
And the only outrage is over $165 million?
Look at the math. $165 million is only about 9% of the entire $185 billion given to AIG.
Where is the other 91%?
Some of it, ranging in the BILLIONS, went to foreign and European banks. American tax payer dollars intended to help AIG restructure and re-solidify were sent to European banks. And AIG is still in danger of failing.
And we are worried about $165 million going to Americans.
How ironic.
Why are not outraged at the failed policies that allowed this economic crisis to occur?
Why no outrage that a company needs to be bailed out with nearly a quarter a trillion dollars?
Instead, let's attack some money that Americans are receiving. While it its very discouraging to see these bonuses paid to employees of a failed company, the bonuses are likely the cheapest way out of the mess. These bonuses are contractually obligated. Failure to pay them would result in more bailout dollars being spend to cover for the obligatory lawsuits.
My outrage is the distraction caused by our Teleprompter President. B.O. has been picking fights with Rush Limbaugh, using quotes from John McCain's campaign, and throwing tax-payer funded galas at the White House. All the while, he has allowed and encouraged Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid to run wild with the American tax payers' credit card.
My outrage is that Democrats like Chuck Schumer can go out there, without hesitation or remorse, and claim to want to tax these AIG bonuses at rates up to 90% or higher.
Can you see the precedent set by that? Isn't that a violation of the illegal search and seizure clauses in the US Constitution? You know, the Fourth Amendment to the document that is supposed to be the foundation of how our country is run.
Although the Supreme Court has eroded the US Constitution over the last 70 years, the US Constitution is still the basis for our nation.
The Fourth Amendment states:
While the usual connotation of this Amendment refers to legal matters in which the American citizen is protected from warrant-less searches and seizures in criminal matters, I do submit that this clause also applies here to the searching out of people who received these bonuses, and then the announcement by Chuck Schumer that there is the chance the Government will tax, or seize, 90% or more of these bonuses.
Isn't it a violation of rights to seek out one class or group of people, find out their names and what their contractual bonus is, and then, based on the information found in that search, which occurred without a legal warrant, to intentionally tax/seize those dollars on the limited scope with only one group of 73 people?
Isn't it illegal, or at the very least, unethical, to come out and say that the US Government is considering taxing to eliminate these bonuses?
If it does go through, and these 73 AIG employees are taxed to oblivion to recoup these dollars, can you see the precedent it sets?
Yeah, roll your eyes and claim I am just creating a slippery slope. But, you also dismissed a lot of slippery slope scenarios when we tried warning you about Obama and his left-wing, big-government, big spending agenda. Just hear me out.
The precedent set by the idea that the US Government can reach into the pockets of select citizens because they received an unpopular bonus, where would it stop? Would this money-hungry government reach into the pockets of gas company execs and tax/seize their bonuses?
OK, who cares about gas execs? Right? They're rich, greedy, and deserve to be taxed to oblivion.
Let's say a group of teachers earn attendance bonuses for not missing a day in the 180-day school year. However, they are in an area that traditionally does not do well on state and other standardized tests. Can the government reach into their pockets and take back some of their money?
Does it only stop at bonuses? Will they raise taxes on unpopular people's salaries?
Our US Government is broken. It is out of control. The Democrats are spending the money of Americans who will not be born for 3 generations.
When will it end? When will you stand up and speak your mind? When will you take it upon yourself to say, "I am an American, and my government works for me, and not the other way around!"? When will America unite and fire these power-hungry, money-hungry buffoons?
When, America? When?
That is $180,000,000,000, of our money given to AIG.
That is enough to give every American man, woman, and child about $500 each.
And the only outrage is over $165 million?
Look at the math. $165 million is only about 9% of the entire $185 billion given to AIG.
Where is the other 91%?
Some of it, ranging in the BILLIONS, went to foreign and European banks. American tax payer dollars intended to help AIG restructure and re-solidify were sent to European banks. And AIG is still in danger of failing.
And we are worried about $165 million going to Americans.
How ironic.
Why are not outraged at the failed policies that allowed this economic crisis to occur?
Why no outrage that a company needs to be bailed out with nearly a quarter a trillion dollars?
Instead, let's attack some money that Americans are receiving. While it its very discouraging to see these bonuses paid to employees of a failed company, the bonuses are likely the cheapest way out of the mess. These bonuses are contractually obligated. Failure to pay them would result in more bailout dollars being spend to cover for the obligatory lawsuits.
My outrage is the distraction caused by our Teleprompter President. B.O. has been picking fights with Rush Limbaugh, using quotes from John McCain's campaign, and throwing tax-payer funded galas at the White House. All the while, he has allowed and encouraged Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid to run wild with the American tax payers' credit card.
My outrage is that Democrats like Chuck Schumer can go out there, without hesitation or remorse, and claim to want to tax these AIG bonuses at rates up to 90% or higher.
Can you see the precedent set by that? Isn't that a violation of the illegal search and seizure clauses in the US Constitution? You know, the Fourth Amendment to the document that is supposed to be the foundation of how our country is run.
Although the Supreme Court has eroded the US Constitution over the last 70 years, the US Constitution is still the basis for our nation.
The Fourth Amendment states:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
While the usual connotation of this Amendment refers to legal matters in which the American citizen is protected from warrant-less searches and seizures in criminal matters, I do submit that this clause also applies here to the searching out of people who received these bonuses, and then the announcement by Chuck Schumer that there is the chance the Government will tax, or seize, 90% or more of these bonuses.
Isn't it a violation of rights to seek out one class or group of people, find out their names and what their contractual bonus is, and then, based on the information found in that search, which occurred without a legal warrant, to intentionally tax/seize those dollars on the limited scope with only one group of 73 people?
Isn't it illegal, or at the very least, unethical, to come out and say that the US Government is considering taxing to eliminate these bonuses?
If it does go through, and these 73 AIG employees are taxed to oblivion to recoup these dollars, can you see the precedent it sets?
Yeah, roll your eyes and claim I am just creating a slippery slope. But, you also dismissed a lot of slippery slope scenarios when we tried warning you about Obama and his left-wing, big-government, big spending agenda. Just hear me out.
The precedent set by the idea that the US Government can reach into the pockets of select citizens because they received an unpopular bonus, where would it stop? Would this money-hungry government reach into the pockets of gas company execs and tax/seize their bonuses?
OK, who cares about gas execs? Right? They're rich, greedy, and deserve to be taxed to oblivion.
Let's say a group of teachers earn attendance bonuses for not missing a day in the 180-day school year. However, they are in an area that traditionally does not do well on state and other standardized tests. Can the government reach into their pockets and take back some of their money?
Does it only stop at bonuses? Will they raise taxes on unpopular people's salaries?
Our US Government is broken. It is out of control. The Democrats are spending the money of Americans who will not be born for 3 generations.
When will it end? When will you stand up and speak your mind? When will you take it upon yourself to say, "I am an American, and my government works for me, and not the other way around!"? When will America unite and fire these power-hungry, money-hungry buffoons?
When, America? When?
Monday, March 16, 2009
You Are Not Alone...the 9.12 Project
In case you have forgotten, or are too young to remember (like many of the kids I work with), America was dealt a deadly, sickening, blow on September 11, 2001. After America, as a nation, dropped to one knee under the pressure of the grief and shock of the attack, America rose.
We, as a nation, as one, stood up, wiped a tear from our cheek, dusted ourselves off, and grabbed a shovel. We dug out the bodies of the murdered masses. We dug graves for the lost. We mourned through resolve.
We, for one shining moment, became "one nation under God." We became the UNITED States of America.
In the months following the tragedy, many of our bravest and brightest put down the shovel and grabbed a gun. They went to war to keep this kind of act from recurring on our soil ever again.
As the war was taken abroad, and the terrorists struck out time after time here in America, the complacency and politcal vitriol grew back, and we once again became divided.
Many of us have forgotten what it means to be the UNITED States. We let the liars, cheats, and outright scum in Washington, DC, keep us divided. We have politicians race-baiting us all the time. There is a constant class-warfare being thrust upon us. All the while, the people WE hire to run the government are laughing all the way to the bank with kickbacks and lobbyist dollars.
We...yes, WE, the everyday, average citizenry of America own and run this country. Not Congress. Not the White House. Not the Senate or House of Representatives. We, the American public, own and run this country.
Sadly, we have let our ownership and power be usurped by divisionist politicians and power-hungry manipulators.
More importantly, we have let their words and misdeeds and mismanagement of our tax dollars let us become divided...divided more deeply than we have been since the Civil War.
However, watching Fox News Channel, I saw a light at the end of the tunnel.
The 9.12 Project.
Started and championed by commentator Glenn Beck, this movement is designed to inspire Americans to once again Unite, and recreate the love, passion, and support of our nation that we held so dearly on 9/12/01.
The movement is based on 9 Principles and 12 Values that define what it means to be a true, great American.
I encourage you to visit the website, The912Project.com , read the 9 Principles and 12 Values, and think for yourself. What can I do differently to encourage this country to become the UNITED States of America?
What can you do to bring America together?
America is on a rough path right now. It is up to us to right the ship.
Are you on board? Will you join the movement? Will you join the 9.12 Project?
If you do feel that America is a good, not perfect, but good, country, this is your website. This is the time.
You are not alone.
We, as a nation, as one, stood up, wiped a tear from our cheek, dusted ourselves off, and grabbed a shovel. We dug out the bodies of the murdered masses. We dug graves for the lost. We mourned through resolve.
We, for one shining moment, became "one nation under God." We became the UNITED States of America.
In the months following the tragedy, many of our bravest and brightest put down the shovel and grabbed a gun. They went to war to keep this kind of act from recurring on our soil ever again.
As the war was taken abroad, and the terrorists struck out time after time here in America, the complacency and politcal vitriol grew back, and we once again became divided.
Many of us have forgotten what it means to be the UNITED States. We let the liars, cheats, and outright scum in Washington, DC, keep us divided. We have politicians race-baiting us all the time. There is a constant class-warfare being thrust upon us. All the while, the people WE hire to run the government are laughing all the way to the bank with kickbacks and lobbyist dollars.
We...yes, WE, the everyday, average citizenry of America own and run this country. Not Congress. Not the White House. Not the Senate or House of Representatives. We, the American public, own and run this country.
Sadly, we have let our ownership and power be usurped by divisionist politicians and power-hungry manipulators.
More importantly, we have let their words and misdeeds and mismanagement of our tax dollars let us become divided...divided more deeply than we have been since the Civil War.
However, watching Fox News Channel, I saw a light at the end of the tunnel.
The 9.12 Project.
Started and championed by commentator Glenn Beck, this movement is designed to inspire Americans to once again Unite, and recreate the love, passion, and support of our nation that we held so dearly on 9/12/01.
The movement is based on 9 Principles and 12 Values that define what it means to be a true, great American.
I encourage you to visit the website, The912Project.com , read the 9 Principles and 12 Values, and think for yourself. What can I do differently to encourage this country to become the UNITED States of America?
What can you do to bring America together?
America is on a rough path right now. It is up to us to right the ship.
Are you on board? Will you join the movement? Will you join the 9.12 Project?
If you do feel that America is a good, not perfect, but good, country, this is your website. This is the time.
You are not alone.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Where is Ronald Reagan? We need him more than ever...
Traversing the expansive volumes of videos uploaded on YouTube.com, I decided to see what the libraries had to offer in regards to a man that, in my opinion, and that of many Conservatives, served his country with more class, nobility, passion, and love of country than any other President in history.
I am talking of one Ronald Wilson Reagan.
The former actor turned Governor of California turned American Icon and President.
Conservatives didn't use slanted media propaganda to elect Reagan. Americans did not turn onto supposed journalists to hear them claim to have "tingly" feelings going up his leg when the name of the man was mentioned. We did not need our President to go and have a Beatle-mania reception in Germany for him to seem just popular enough to elect.
President Ronald Reagan depended only on his desire to serve. He wore his heart on his sleeve, and that heart bled red, white, and blue. Reagan loved his country and his greatest desire, other than spending his life with the only being he loved more than America, and a near tie with God Almighty Himself, Nancy, was to leave America better than he and his generation found it.
Reagan spoke with a pure, unadulterated love; a deep, inspiring love of country. His word were his own, mostly, definitely more than most presidents. He did not use his position and podium to bash, attack, or smear political adversaries. He simply spoke of the American dream, the future of the country, and the betterment of America and Americans.
We don't get that today. We haven't had that for a while. President George W. Bush was a let down in that regard in his lame duck years. He drifted left at the end, seemingly beaten down by political adversaries that attacked relentlessly everything he did for 6 1/2 years. If he sneezed, it was too loud. He coughed, the didn't properly use and dispose of a tissue. He spent less than $10 million on putting together his second inaugural, and he was brutally assaulted for wastine money (although Obama didn't really get much grief for his $150 million bash....hmmm).
President Barack Obama does not speak a positive word in the way Reagan did. Obama, who usually speaks negatively about anything and everything nowadays, does speak of hope and change, but he does not love his country the way Reagan did. President Clinton was the same way. When Democrats speak about America, they do not have the same emotionally-charged, deep-seeded, heart-breaking love and adoration of our country.
Please watch this video that I borrowed from YouTube.com. Listen and watch the eyes of President Reagan, and then ask yourself if you can match that enthusiasm and love for America. Can you?
Did you cry for the people on 9-11? Did you bounce between anger, rage, and uncontrollable sobbing for the people and for the fact that your country...your home...was just sucker-punched? Did you get pissed off that 3,000 of your American brothers and sisters were murdered?
Are you still pissed off about 9-11?
Are you pissed that Russia and Germany not loyally supporting our War on Terror, despite the billions in aide they recieve?
Are you heart-broken over the shape our country has taken?
Are you upset that judicial activism is ursurping the powers of the Executive and Legislative branches? That the Supreme Court has manipulated and successfully destroyed the functionality of the Checks and Balances?
Do you love America? Do you love freedom? Do you believe in the innate goodness of the American spirit and people?
If you have doubts, watch this video. Watch more Reagan YouTube.com videos. See if you are inspired. If you open your mind and heart, I am sure you will.
I am talking of one Ronald Wilson Reagan.
The former actor turned Governor of California turned American Icon and President.
Conservatives didn't use slanted media propaganda to elect Reagan. Americans did not turn onto supposed journalists to hear them claim to have "tingly" feelings going up his leg when the name of the man was mentioned. We did not need our President to go and have a Beatle-mania reception in Germany for him to seem just popular enough to elect.
President Ronald Reagan depended only on his desire to serve. He wore his heart on his sleeve, and that heart bled red, white, and blue. Reagan loved his country and his greatest desire, other than spending his life with the only being he loved more than America, and a near tie with God Almighty Himself, Nancy, was to leave America better than he and his generation found it.
Reagan spoke with a pure, unadulterated love; a deep, inspiring love of country. His word were his own, mostly, definitely more than most presidents. He did not use his position and podium to bash, attack, or smear political adversaries. He simply spoke of the American dream, the future of the country, and the betterment of America and Americans.
We don't get that today. We haven't had that for a while. President George W. Bush was a let down in that regard in his lame duck years. He drifted left at the end, seemingly beaten down by political adversaries that attacked relentlessly everything he did for 6 1/2 years. If he sneezed, it was too loud. He coughed, the didn't properly use and dispose of a tissue. He spent less than $10 million on putting together his second inaugural, and he was brutally assaulted for wastine money (although Obama didn't really get much grief for his $150 million bash....hmmm).
President Barack Obama does not speak a positive word in the way Reagan did. Obama, who usually speaks negatively about anything and everything nowadays, does speak of hope and change, but he does not love his country the way Reagan did. President Clinton was the same way. When Democrats speak about America, they do not have the same emotionally-charged, deep-seeded, heart-breaking love and adoration of our country.
Please watch this video that I borrowed from YouTube.com. Listen and watch the eyes of President Reagan, and then ask yourself if you can match that enthusiasm and love for America. Can you?
Did you cry for the people on 9-11? Did you bounce between anger, rage, and uncontrollable sobbing for the people and for the fact that your country...your home...was just sucker-punched? Did you get pissed off that 3,000 of your American brothers and sisters were murdered?
Are you still pissed off about 9-11?
Are you pissed that Russia and Germany not loyally supporting our War on Terror, despite the billions in aide they recieve?
Are you heart-broken over the shape our country has taken?
Are you upset that judicial activism is ursurping the powers of the Executive and Legislative branches? That the Supreme Court has manipulated and successfully destroyed the functionality of the Checks and Balances?
Do you love America? Do you love freedom? Do you believe in the innate goodness of the American spirit and people?
If you have doubts, watch this video. Watch more Reagan YouTube.com videos. See if you are inspired. If you open your mind and heart, I am sure you will.
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