Oh, and by the way, Senator Feinstein, I don’t give a damn how long you’ve been doing your job, or how close you’ve been to the Constitution. I give a damn how well you do the job and how well you understand the Constitution, and I have serious doubts about the both.
* – hey, I’m just a guy. I’m the one with the dick between my legs, so what the hell do I know about how women want to protect themselves, right? So, you tell me, ladies, would you rather have a gun – you do trust yourself with a gun, don’t you? – to defend yourself with, or a pen? Or, why even defend yourself at all? Why not just piss yourself? Or puke all over yourself? Or just tell your would-be attacker you’re on the rag?
“I care about the unfortunate, downtrodden, and needy enough to offer the fruits of MY OWN labor to help them succeed. I care about them enough to NOT enslave them by way of dependency. I care about them enough to raise them up with a hand up, not degrade them with a hand-out. I care about them enough that I want to see them succeed, not subsist. I care about them enough that when I am in their shoes, I don’t claim to be entitled to any of those things. I care about them enough that I want to actually help them master their own lives, rather than make them my de facto slaves. I care about them enough to reward them for their success, rather than punish them. I care about them enough to let them receive the consequences for their own failures, but ensure that their neighbors have every … (show more) freedom to help them survive said consequences I CARE ENOUGH TO GIVE THEM LIFE AND LIBERTY RATHER THAN DEATH AND SLAVERY.
Who cares more than this, I ask you? The man who enslaves you with ‘entitlements’? The man who takes your real liberty in exchange for a false security? The man who starves you by spreading poverty, in the name of spreading wealth? If you honestly believe that that man is more compassionate, then my heart goes out to you all the more, for slavery only breeds despair. Freedom breeds hope.”
here’s what I would do to try to get the Atlanta Falcons over the hump and hoisting the Lombardi Trophy next year:
Big Picture Overview – on offense, the Falcons need to upgrade their running game and probably replace Tony Gonzalez, who is most likely going to retire, at TE. Typically one of the best running teams in the NFL under Mike Smith, Atlanta dropped to 29th in rushing yards per game and 28th in yards per carry. A small part of this was due to a change in offensive philosophy, as Dirk Koetter clearly emphasizes the run less than his predecessor, Mike Mularkey. Most of the problem, however, was due to an obvious fall-off in talent from RB Michael Turner and an offensive line that was better in pass protection (7th in sacks allowed – though only 24th in QB hits allowed) than run blocking.
Defensively, even though they weren’t very good against the run (21st in yards allowed per game and 29th in yards allowed per carry), in today’s NFL the Falcons’ flaws against the pass are more glaring. They need to generate more of a pass rush from their front four (28th in sacks) and get much better in coverage from their LB corps.
In their attempt to improve this offseason, Atlanta is helped by having a first round pick and a fourth round pick in the upcoming draft, selections they didn’t have last year because of the 2011 Draft Day trade with Cleveland to move up to select WR Julio Jones. However, the Falcons are very tight up against the cap (somewhere between $1.3 – $1.7 million in cap space at this writing), so unless moves are made to free up money, being active in free agency will be difficult.
QB – sign Matt Ryan to a contract extension. Structure the deal such that not only does it keep Ryan in Atlanta for the forseeable future, but that it also frees up some cap space.
Re-sign backup Luke McCown. He knows the offense and is familiar with his teammates.
RB – cut Michael Turner. As mentioned above, he has obviously hit the wall. He no longer has the power, the size-speed ratio, nor the burst to the hole he once had. Also, he is a poor fit in this offense due to his limitations as a pass-catcher. Releasing Turner would free up about $5.5 million in cap space, as well. I would most likely turn to the draft to try to replace Turner. Somebody like Stanford’s Stepfan Taylor would be a good choice. He would likely be available by the time Atlanta’s second-rounder came up. Whoever they select, they should be looking for a back who can catch the ball, pick up the blitz, and whose best quality as a runner is acceleration to the hole (for example, when the backs run the forty at the Combine, I’m willing to bet Dimitroff will pay more attention to the 10-yard split times than the actual 40 times).
Re-sign Antone Smith. He’s a virtual non-factor in the running game, but he’s a valuable special-teamer (the Falcons were 15th in opponent’s punt return average and 8th in opponent’s kick return average).
Expect a change in philosophy in the Falcons’ running game next year. Dirk Koetter’s offense does not require a feature back who totes the rock 20 to 25 to 30 times a game. Expect an RB-by-committee approach next season, with a lot of Jason Snelling, Jacquizz Rodgers and whoever Turner’s replacement is.
FB – not an important position. In this offense, a fullback might see 20% of the offensive snaps. As such, I expect to see last year’s fifth round pick, Bradie Ewing (who missed all of his rookie season with a knee injury), given every opportunity to win the job. If not, somebody like incumbent Mike Cox could be re-signed / signed to fill the spot.
WR – Atlanta looks very good here. The top three targets, Roddy White, Julio Jones, and Harry Douglas, all are healthy, productive, and under contract. Fourth receiver Drew Davis showed well in limited action (the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports Davis is a free agent. If he is, he should be re-signed). The fifth and likely final receiver slot could filled by Kevin Cone, Kerry Meier, or Tim Toone (also a free agent, according to the AJC. If he is, I’d let him go and let Cone and Meier battle it out).
TE – by now everybody has heard that Gonzalez is “95%” likely to retire. In a way, if he does, it works to the Falcons’ benefit, as it clears over $9 million in salary cap space. However, #2 and #3 tight ends Michael Palmer and Chase Coffman are both free agents, as well. I would bring both back, though I wouldn’t bank on either stepping up to take Gonzalez’s place. In free agency, Atlanta could look to sign Fred Davis (Washington), Martellus Bennett (New York Giants), or Jared Cook (Tennessee). A rumor has been floated around in the past that the Packers might cut Jermichael Finley. Any of those players would be at least adequate replacements for Gonzalez, though they would be expensive. A less costly option would be to draft a TE. Tyler Eifert (Notre Dame) and Zach Ertz (Stanford) could well be there when Atlanta’s first-rounder comes up, and I am intrigued by some other mid-round possibilities like Travis Kelce (Cincinnati), Gavin Escobar (San Diego St.), Dion Sims (Michigan St.), and Nick Kasa (Colorado).
OL – this position group could see significant changes. Three-fifths of the Opening Day starting offensive line – LT Sam Baker, C Todd McClure, and RG Garrett Reynolds – is set to hit free agency, as is backup swing tackle Will Svitek (who missed this past season with an upper arm injury, but had replaced Baker as the starting LT for part of the 2011 season). I would bring back Svitek, but the other three are no guarantees.
Baker has underachieved since being drafted in the first round (21st overall) in 2008. This past season was arguably his best, but a good part of the reason behind that is likely because he finally stayed healthy for a full season. He has been plagued by back and elbow injuries in the past. So, do you really want to invest a multi-year, multi-million-dollar deal in an injury-prone player who has underperformed to date? Especially in a year when left tackles like Ryan Clady (Denver, though he will likely be franchised), Jake Long (Miami), Branden Albert (Kansas City), Jermon Bushrod (New Orleans), and Will Beatty (New York Giants) could be available in free agency? I wouldn’t.
McClure has always been undersized for his position, and now he is on the wrong side of thirty-five. In recent years the Falcons have drafted Joe Hawley (fourth-rounder in 2010, 117th overall) and Peter Konz (second-rounder in 2012, 55th overall) with the intent of developing them for the day McClure moved on. I believe that day is here. Konz started at RG after Reynolds went down with a back injury, and showed enough to be given the first crack at replacing McClure as the team’s starting center in 2013. As much as I admire McClure and what he’s done for Atlanta since 1999, it’s time to let him go.
Reynolds could be replaced, as well. He was drafted (fifth-rounder in 2009, 156th overall) as a right tackle to back up Tyson Clabo, but moved to right guard when Atlanta decided to let Harvey Dahl move on in free agency after the 2010 season. Reynolds has been adequate at best in that role. While there aren’t many upper-echelon guards likely to hit free agency outside of possibly Andy Levitre (Buffalo) (Louis Vasquez of San Diego, too, perhaps?), the draft looks fairly deep at the position. If by some miracle Chance Warmack (Alabama) fell to the 30th pick, I’d jump all over him. Jonathan Cooper (North Carolina) is a more realistic option in the first round, and Larry Warford (Kentucky) could be there in the second. Brian Winters (Kent St.) and Alvin Bailey (Arkansas) could be worth looking at in the third.
DL – the only consistently reliable pass-rusher in this group is John Abraham, and he is nearing the end of his most recent contract and will be 35 on May 6th. Ray Edwards was released during the regular season. Kroy Biermann is best as a rotational player. Cliff Matthews and Jonathan Massaquoi look like special-teamers at this point. Lawrence Sidbury has failed to develop after showing some flashes earlier in his career and should be allowed to move on in free agency. Both the draft and free agency are deep in edge rushers this year, though I might look to free agency to get a proven player. Guys like Michael Johnson (Cincinnati), Cliff Avril (Detroit), Michael Bennett (Tampa Bay), and Paul Kruger (Baltimore) come to mind immediately.
The interior defensive line needs to generate more of a pass rush, as well. I like Jonathan Babineaux and Corey Peters as the starting DTs, and I think Vance Walker should be re-signed. Peria Jerry, on the other hand, I think should be released. He has never fully recovered from the knee injury that cut his rookie season drastically short in 2009, and likely never will. Unfortunately, he looks like a bust. Somebody like Desmond Bryant (Oakland) would be a nice pickup in free agency to play the role of situational interior rusher.
LB – the key goal here is to get better in pass coverage. Zach Miller (Seattle) and Vernon Davis (San Francisco) in the playoffs (8 catches for 142 yards and a TD and 5-106-1, respectively) weren’t the only tights ends to victimize the Falcons in 2012. Greg Olsen (6-89-1 and 4-55-1) in Weeks Four and Fourteen, Fred Davis (5-54-0) in Week Five, Brandon Myers (5-62-0) in Week Six, Jimmy Graham (7-146-2 and 4-59-0) in Weeks Ten and Thirteen, Dallas Clark (4-65-0) in Week Twelve, and Luke Stocker (3-50-0) in Week Seventeen all burned Atlanta fairly well. The only linebacker currently on the roster who isn’t a liability in coverage is Sean Weatherspoon, and that’s only because he has the speed and quickness to recover from mistakes he makes in instincts and technique. The other starting ‘backers, Akeem Dent in the middle and Stephen Nicholas on the strongside, are far better run defenders than pass defenders. Robert James is a special-teamer. Mike Peterson should be allowed to move on in free agency. Possible free agents to look at bringing into the fold are Philip Wheeler (Oakland), Dannell Ellerbe (Baltimore), and Kaluka Maiava (Cleveland).
DB – another position of strength for the Falcons. While Dunta Robinson will never live up to the contract he signed, he’s a legit NFL starting corner. Asante Samuel turned out to be an excellent acquisition. Robert McClain and Chris Owens really stepped up as nickel and dime backs. Yes, they could do better than Dominique Franks, but a #5 CB / PR is a fairly low priority.
Brent Grimes? Yes, it would be nice to bring him back, but he’s coming off a major, season-ending Achilles injury, will soon be 30 (July 19th), and will likely be expensive to retain. If he’s willing to take a “hometown discount” and sign some sort of incentive-laden deal, great. If not, let him move on.
At safety, the team’s highest priority free agent to retain must be SS William Moore. He and FS Thomas DeCoud were both Pro Bowl alternates this past season. Charles Mitchell and Shann Schillinger are basically special-teamers. I don’t mind letting Chris Hope go in free agency as long as a good #3 safety who can play both free and strong safety can be found to replace him.
ST – Atlanta is also in very good shape here, for the most part. Matt Bryant has become one of the most accurate, clutch kickers in the league over the past few years. Matt Bosher has developed nicely as a punter and kickoff specialist. Jacquizz Rodgers is a good (though not great) kick returner. The coverage teams are solid. Punt returner is the only obvious flaw.
* – the economy SHRANK in Q4 of last year, people. Got that? It SHRANK! In the final quarter of 2012. But somehow that’s still Bush’s fault, right? Couldn’t possibly be associated with Obama’s policies, could it?
* –
Yes, Mr. Obama, we do deserve better!
* – can we make this guy an honorary American and then elect him to some high office somehow?:
Well, it’s been over a month now since the Sandy Hook school shooting. The wounds are as close to healed as they ever will be for the family and friends of those who lost their lives on that horrific day. The school and the community is as close to recovered as they ever will be. Like Tuscon, AZ and Aurora, CO (among others), Newtown, CT is as ready to move on as it ever will be.
In my last post I ended by saying I wouldn’t get into the gun control debate at that time. I felt it would have been disrespectful to the memories of the deceased to do so. While I am now ready to talk about gun control, I would like to emphasize that what follows is not a response to those who want to use Sandy Hook as a catalyst to enact stricter gun control laws, but rather a summary of how I’ve felt about the right to bear arms since I’ve been cognizant of the issue. Certainly, my opinion has been refined over the years by events in my lifetime, including Sandy Hook, but my general position in regards to gun rights has always been the same.
First and foremost, the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States (a document that I view as the supreme law of the land, not just some museum artifact) gives its citizens the right to bear arms, and it is specific that said right shall not be infringed. Anybody familiar with this issue, on either side, is already aware of that. But what was the purpose of the Founders putting the Second Amendment in the Constitution in the first place? It wasn’t to allow people to hunt. People hunting in the Colonies in the late 1700’s was a given. How else were they to eat? If you couldn’t farm, fish, trap, or hunt, you were going to starve. Period. The amendment also was not put in place so that an individual could defend his or her home or person against an intruder or attacker. Again, that was a given. The Right to Bear Arms was given so that the citizenry could defend itself against a government that sought to become oppressive, like the one they had just freed themselves from.
“But that would never happen here. This is America,” many would say. I would say the roughly 110,000 Japanese-Americans who were put into relocation camps after the attack on Pearl Harbor might argue with you. The federal government of the United States of America, at the executive order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, imprisoned thousands of American citizens who were guilty of no crime, without any trials. That is oppressive.
“But that was sixty years ago, during a war. We had just suffered an unprovoked attack. That would never happen today, in peacetime.” Really? How many laws have been passed since the turn of the century at the local, county, state, and federal levels? How many since George W. Bush was elected? How many since Obama was elected? How many since he was re-elected? Of those, how many actually had something to do with protecting our rights and freedoms? Remember, to the Founders, the point behind the laws in the Constitution was not to restrict the citizens of the new country, but rather to restrict their government. If a law did not protect a basic right or freedom of the citizen, it shouldn’t be implemented. Today we have laws requiring us to purchase health insurance. We have laws restricting the availability of soda containers of more than 16 ounces. We have laws banning the sale of single-serving plastic water bottles. We have laws banning plastic bags. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. What do any of those laws have to do with protecting one’s rights or freedoms? How do they restrict the power of the government? They all sound to me like they restrict the power of the individual.
“But those are harmless little laws. Banning plastic water bottles isn’t the federal government putting its boot on your throat.”* No, it’s not, but always remember the slippery slope. Remember mission creep. Remember “the new normal.” Remember the Overton Window. Remember this quote by James Madison – “Since the general civilization of mankind, I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpation (italics mine).”
“Well, even if the government of the United States did try to oppress the people, do gun owners really think they’ll be able to overcome the numbers, technology, and power of the U.S. military? A bunch of average Joes with semi-automatic AR-15s are going to hold of the most powerful military in the history of the world? Come on!” I hear some variant of that a lot. And I have two responses to it:
1) So we shouldn’t even bother trying? We should just give up without a fight? I don’t know about you, but I’d rather go out like a wolf than live like a sheep. Better to die on your feet than live on your knees.
2) History would suggest that those average Joes would have a better chance than you might think. Remember, the Colonials were fighting the most powerful military in the history of the world at that time, and they were just a bunch of farmers, lawyers, blacksmiths, and the like. They won. Nobody thought the Viet Cong had a prayer against the US back in the Sixties. They won. Nobody thought the mujahideen had a chance against the Soviets in the 1980’s. How did that turn out?
Yes, the colonists received aid from France. Yes, the VC received aid from China and the Soviet Union. Yes, the Afghanis received aid from the United States. What’s your point? You don’t think there’s somebody who would help future American citizens overthrow their tyrannical government? I don’t know that there would be, but how do you know there wouldn’t be?
“But, really, what are the chances you’ll have to defend yourself from the government? Heck, what are the chances you’ll have to defend your home or yourself in a dark alley?” What are the chances your house will catch on fire? You still have homeowners’ insurance, right? What are the chances you’ll be in a car accident? You still have automobile insurance, right? What are the chances you’ll get cancer or break your leg? You still have medical insurance, right? It’s not about the likelihood of the need. It’s about being prepared. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
So, we’ve established the existence of the Second Amendment, and its original purpose (and, in my opinion, it’s necessity). What about some of the other, more detailed arguments that are currently being used by those who are in favor of gun control (currently being used, yes, due to the climate of the day, but bear in mind that all of these arguments, really, have come up before, time and time again)?
1) “Do you really need a semi-automatic weapon and/or do you really need a high-capacity magazine?” First of all, it’s likely not a question of need, but rather of want. Maybe I want the gun to do as much of the work for me as possible. Maybe I don’t want to have to work the bolt or pump the slide or jack the lever to chamber the next round after my first shot. Maybe I just want the gun to be ready for me, just in case. Maybe I am a great shot, but I’m also human, and I’m also as subject to Murphy’s Law as the next guy, and so I just might miss, and I’d like to be able to recover and get off a second shot as soon as possible. Is that really so bad?
A personal aside, here. My father, uncle, and grandfather all taught me how to hunt when I was a teenager. They were very strict about gun safety and hunter safety (my father, in fact, attended the hunter safety course taught by the local police department with me). They were very emphatic about gun control – in the sense of having my gun under control at all times. Always knowing where the barrel was pointing. Always knowing whether the safety was on or not. Whether there was a round in the chamber or not. Not having my finger on the trigger unless I was about to squeeze it. Not pointing the gun down range unless I was 100% certain that what I was about to point my gun at was my intended target (a deer, for example). Not squeezing the trigger unless I was 100% certain I had a killing shot. Not squeezing the trigger unless I was 100% certain that there wasn’t something on the other side of my target that I might hit if I missed or if the bullet passed through my target after a hit. So I get it, ok? Don’t lecture me about how I shouldn’t have a gun in the first place if I’m not even sure I’ll hit what I aim at.
By the way, why does everybody seemingly have an issue with semiautomatic rifles, shotguns, and pistols because they automatically chamber a round after a shot is fired, but nobody is screaming about revolvers that can do the exact same thing? You squeeze the trigger, the cylinder rotates, and another round is ready for you. Hmm…
The bottom line is that semiautos can be as reliable and accurate as bolt-actions or any other kind of gun out there. There are many elite military and police units that use semiautomatic sniper rifles. The longest kill shot on record (made by an Australian commando in Afghanistan last year at over 3,000 yards – no, that is not a typo) was made with a semiautomatic Barrett .50 caliber sniper rifle. At the end of the day, it’s the shooter, not the weapon, that has the greatest influence on accuracy.
As far as high-capacity magazines go, let’s go back to the original purpose of the Second Amendment – if I have to fight off an oppressive government, I’m going to need high-capacity magazines. The less time I have to spend changing out mags, the better. In regards to more likely present-day scenarios, allow me to remind you of the Los Angeles riots after the Rodney King trial Or the situation in New Orleans after Katrina. Looting of homes and businesses was rampant until law and order was restored. Some people elected to allow their homes and/or businesses to be ransacked. Some did not. Some defended their property with “assault weapons.” Who do you think had more property left when it was all over? Those who elected to try to appease the looters by not resisting, or those who defended their properties?
Even the act of defending one’s person and/or home against a very small group or even single criminal could require high-capacity magazines. The average individual citizen may be a great shot at the range putting holes in a paper bullseye under controlled conditions, but that’s not the same as when you’re shooting at another human being, who may be moving, while you’re scared out of your mind, and perhaps in poor visibility. Your heart is pumping, your hands are shaking, adrenaline is coursing through your veins… The likelihood of missing a vital area – or missing completely – is much higher. Even crack shots typically use more than one round when engaging the enemy. Take a counterterrorist unit like SEAL Team Six. When the unit was founded, commanding officer Richard Marcinko had them shooting so much that the sixty-man outfit went through as much ammunition in a year as the entire United States Marine Corps. Nevertheless, despite the obvious prowess that was developed by so much practice, those SEALs were still trained to shoot their targets twice with a semiautomatic weapon (once in the chest and once in the head – the now-famous “double-tap”) and with a three-round burst with a fully automatic weapon. Why? To make sure their target was DEAD. When your life is on the line, you don’t shoot to wound, you shoot to kill. Now, if you’re not as accurate as a Navy SEAL and you can’t guarantee that your first shot is going to the heart and the next shot is going to the head, you’re probably going to need more than two rounds, aren’t you? And that’s assuming you’re only dealing with a single assailant.
2) “More / better / stricter gun control laws will make the country safer.” Utterly incorrect, and there are all kinds of statistics out there to back up this statement.
3) “Well, if we don’t ban certain types of guns,** how do we make sure things like Sandy Hook never happen again?” First of all, let’s be honest with ourselves – you’re never going to 100% guarantee that bad things will never happen. It’s simply impossible. So, stop setting unrealistic expectations. If they want it badly enough, bad people will do bad things. If a violent criminal wants to get his hands on a gun badly enough, he’ll find a way to do it. Remember, none of the guns Adam Lanza used were his – he stole them from his mother after he killed her. Banning guns is only going to ensure that law-abiding people don’t have them, and therefore render them helpless to defend themselves from the armed criminals.
Secondly, start placing the blame where it belongs – on the criminal. On the human being who pulled the trigger. A gun is an inanimate object. It can do nothing by itself. It has no brain, no will, no soul. It is a tool. Period. Done. End of story. Full stop. Stop making excuses for violent criminals. They’re not “misunderstood.” They don’t need “observation” after they’ve murdered people. They’re killers, and they need to pay the penalty for their crime. The penalty may not very well not reform them, but it may very well serve as a deterrent towards potential future killers and make them think twice before they pull a trigger.
Another quick aside – stop trying to place the blame on the entertainment industry or “the culture.” Banning violent movies and video games and television shows and song lyrics is as useless – if not more so – as banning guns. More importantly, it’s also a violation of the Constitution. I am certainly not willing to sacrifice the First Amendment for the sake of the Second. We need to re-establish personal responsibility in this country. It is not the government’s job to raise your child. It is not the school’s responsibility to raise your child. It is your responsibility to raise your child. If you don’t want your child to watch violent movies or play violent video games – don’t let him! Grow a spine and do your damn job as a parent!
So, what would I do? I have no issue with a reasonable waiting period while a background check is performed on me to determine whether or not I should own a gun. What’s a reasonable waiting period? In today’s America, with the communication and information technology that we have available, I don’t think it should take much more than a week or two to run a background check. If I have a violent criminal history, I should not be allowed to own a gun. If I have a history of mental and/or emotional disability and/or substance abuse (and yes, I think that information should be available to law enforcement personnel), I should not be allowed to own a gun. I don’t have a problem with having to register as a gun owner. I don’t even have a problem with that information being public.
Quite frankly, I rather like the idea of potential criminals seeing my name and address being associated with gun ownership – chances are they’ll then stay the hell away from me and my home!
Upon further review,I realize I could’ve have spared all of you this long-winded monologue and just had you watch this:
But that would’ve taken all the ego-stroking out of it for me. 🙂
* – in fact, the water bottle ban isn’t a federal law at all. It’s a local law in Concord, MA that was implemented January 1st, 2013.
** – or all guns, for that matter. Let’s be honest, there are people out there who like to see all guns banned from private civilian ownership.
…if for no other reason than to make sure it doesn’t take multiple days to do a new post! OY!!!
* – because I haven’t done so in quite some time, I’m gonna start off with some gratuitous sex. You’ve been warned…
Hmm… That’s a tough one. Let me think… 🙂
* – well, I finished dead last in my fantasy football league. Fucking kill me. Eli Manning – who I took with the 2nd overall pick of my league’s draft – did absolute dick for me practically all year long. Hakeem Nicks was injured pretty much all year long. When I traded for Ben Roethlisberger in an attempt for better QB production, he promptly got injured. Yeesh!
Next year’s gotta be better… right?
* – now, my Falcons on the other hand…
13 – 3. Home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
YEAH BABY!!!
* – yes, I saw The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on opening night (DUH! 🙂 ). I liked it. I thought it was a good movie. There were many deviations from the book, and several of them were nothing more than an excuse for Peter Jackson to show off his CGI chops, but I still enjoyed the movie.
* – but, by all means, let’s consider a carbon tax.
* – oh, Milton Friedman, we miss you. We so need you now!:
* – this is a perfect example of what free market capitalism can do. A couple of guys who had an idea and ran with it. It cooks your food when you’re camping. It charges your gadgets with the energy it creates from cooking your food. It cooks your food and charges your gadgets from being fueled with kindling. It’s fairly inexpensive. It’s eco-friendly.
And there’s not a multi-million dollar federal loan to be found anywhere. Imagine that.
* – I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas. I wish you the very very best New Year.
Oh, and P.S. – yes, I am very much aware of the Sandy Hook tragedy that took place a couple of weeks or so ago. Yes, I’m familiar with all the debate raging about it now in regards to gun control. Yes, I had many articles bookmarked and ready to be linked to to support my side of the gun control argument. I obviously chose not to use them.
Why?
Twenty-six people are dead. Twenty of them six- or seven-year-old children. I refuse to cheapen and trivialize their memories by using them to help me try to win an argument.
Here endeth the lesson.
This is the closest I will come to forming an opinion on this issue at this time:
But, remember, Bush was evil for coming up woth the Patriot Act.
* – seen the new Obama flag? Un-freakin’-real…
Yes, I know other presidents have used the flag to pitch their election campaigns. Reagan and Bush did it in 1984. Lincoln and Johnson did it (and, in my opinion, both tickets were disrespecting the flag when they did so). The difference, in my mind, is that Obama has a track record of arrogance and narcissism that convinces me that his use of the flag isn’t to invoke patriotism for the country but rather to invoke worship for him. Remember him asking people to take money that they would’ve used to buy birthday presents or wedding gifts and instead donating it to him? Remember the kids singing “Barack Hussein Obama / mm-mm-mm” and him not distancing himself from them? How about the teacher essentially telling her students to sign a pledge that they’d vote for him? Haven’t heard him distance himself from that, either, have you?
* – somehow, in the last post, I missed linking one of the speeches from the RNC I wanted to include, so…
* – “The economy was losing 800,000 jobs every month, and a lot folks wondered whether we were headed for another great depression. Now this is what Barack faced on day one as president. That’s what awaited him, but instead of pointing fingers and placing blame (italics mine), Barack got to work…”
After a statement like that, I gotta believe Michelle is just reading from a teleprompter, too.
* – love Bill Whittle. LOVE HIM!
* – “The government is the only thing we all belong to.”
* – so, the NFL kicks off a new season tonight. I am, of course, PUMPED! For what it’s worth, here’s my fearless prognostication for the upcoming season:
AFC East: Pats, Bills, Jets, Dolphins
AFC North: Steelers, Ravens, Bengals, Browns
AFC South: Texans, Titans, Colts, Jags
AFC West: Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, Raiders
AFC Playoff Seeding: Pats, Steelers, Texans, Broncos, Ravens, Bengals
Yes, it hurts to say my Falcons won’t even make the playoffs (I think they’ll win nine or ten games and just miss out), but the bottom line is that they stayed stagnant during the offseason, imho, while other teams improved, so…
* – my fantasy football league had its draft last Sunday night. For the first time in I don’t know how long I didn’t protect any players from the previous season and started from scratch. My roster looks like this:
QB – Eli Manning, Jay Cutler
RB – Matt Forte, Doug Martin, Frank Gore, Isaac Redman
WR – Hakeem Nicks, Miles Austin, Kenny Britt, Robert Meachem, Justin Blackmon
TE – Jimmy Graham, Tony Gonzalez
K – Garrett Hartley
D/ST – Texans, Giants
I truly don’t know how I feel about this team. I don’t see any duds, but I also don’t see any superstars, except maybe for Manning and Graham. Thoughts?
* – For the first time in over a decade I was in a wedding. Last Saturday my friends Jeremy and Mary got hitched. Congrats to them, and many thanx for the Scotch eggs! 🙂
* – so, really, is anybody surprised I find this funny?:
🙂
* – I wish I had taken classes from this guy:
🙂
* – hmmm, maybe the Red Dawn reboot won’t be so bad after all…
* – I’m pretty sure my son felt this way when he went back to school yesterday:
One does not simply go back to school. There is evil there that does not sleep.
🙂
* – oh, I can see Little Man and I fighting over the PS2 soon…
* – given that I’ve been described by some people who know me (or at least have been reading here for some time) as really more libertarian than conservative, this was a worthwhile article for me to read.
* – ah, Mayor Bloomberg and his efforts to keep us all from getting fat. I seem to recall “the experts” telling us that it was hard for poor people to eat healthy because the healthy stuff is too expensive compared to fast food.
Wanna try again?
* – great idea, judge, but what if the only way to meet your ruling is to hire blacks and latinos that aren’t qualified to do the job?
(dumbass…)
* – look out! Those ever-rising CO2 emission levels are going to kill us all!
* – I love Chris Christie (yes, I’ve said that before. What’s your point?):
* – I think I like Foamy the Squirrel…
* – right next to the word “hypocrite” in the dictionary is a picture of Debbie Wasserman Schulz.
* – speaking of hypocrisy, how does the media get away with bashing Ann Romney for a $990 shirt, but yet let Michelle Obama slide on a $6800 shirt? A little help, please?
You just know that when ol’d Bubba got home Hillary lit into him, right? “You silly sonofabitch! I don’t care if you screwed one or all three of them or not! We’re still married, you dolt, and I’m the Secretary of State of the United States of America, and now that picture is floating around for the whole world to see! How do you think that makes me look? I’ve got a hard enough time being taken seriously by countries that view women as secondhand citizens or property, even, and now you just made my time dealing with those bigots even MORE difficult!”
* – the Star Wars that I used to know…
(hat tip to Saintseester)
* – if you own one of these records, you might be very, very rich.
(I’m normally not a fan of McDonald’s, but in this case, I’ll make an exception.)
“[I]f government‘s purpose isn’t to improve the health and longevity of its citizens, I don’t know what its purpose is.” – Nanny Bloomberg.
No, Nanny, you clearly do NOT know what the purpose of government is. And just as clearly you have never read this nation’s Constitution. I suggest you do. THEN you will know that the purpose of government is.
* – hey, all you Republicans we voted into office back in 2010? This is NOT what we voted you in for!
* – hey, Mitt Romney, this is an excellent example of why you were my least favorite candidate for the Republican nomination this time around.
Your not steering my away from this sentiment, Mitt:
* – you did not kill Osama bin Laden, Mr. President…
You gave the order. I’ll give you that. At great political risk to yourself, no doubt. But political risk and real risk are two different things. Political courage and real courage are two distinctly different things.
* – oh, well, if they promised to give up violence, then by all means, release them.
(all the rapes and whatnot in Zucotti Park is the fault of the NYPD infiltrating these people in to make OWS look bad?! And they call Glenn Beck a conspiracy theorist?!)
* – I’m amazed the mainstream media didn’t jump all over this. Finally, some proof that there’s at least one racist idiot in the Tea Party. You’d think that’d be a godsend for them.
* – yup, all business owners are greedy scumbags, aren’t they?
* – so, how’d that Wisconsin recall work out for ya? 🙂
* – he’s asking that people send what would have been their birthday gifts or wedding gifts to be campaign donations to him instead!!!
* – “They [Republicans] baked all this stuff into the cake with those tax cuts and a prescription drug plan that they didn’t pay for. So all this stuff’s baked in with all the interest payments for it. It’s like somebody goes to a restaurant, orders a big steak dinner, martini, all that stuff and then just as you’re sitting down, they leave. And accuse you of running up the tab.” – President Obama.
And mere days after saying that, he goes and does this.
* – I’ll end with this… I’ve never been a “birther.” At first I just thought the accusations ridiculous. Desperate. Childish flailings of sore losers. Then, as Obama started to govern (sorta. You know, when he wasn’t too busy campaigning. But I digress…), there were SO many other reasons to point to to show that the man was unqualified to be President of the United States. Finally, now that we’re three-and-a-half years into his reign, I mean, regime, I mean, term in office, what’s the point? Even if he was born somewhere else, why kick him out now? There’s only six months left to go, and there’s reason to believe we’ll kick him out then, so just let it drop.
Born 7/21/69. Married 7/14/01. Father of one child - a son born 12/22/04. Living in ME. Has a Bachelor's Degree in English and a Master's Degree in Education. Passionate football fan, JRR Tolkien fan, and conservatism fan.
Falcon's Eyrie 