Braggers Block

The Day After

2010-09-12T15:08:00.001-07:00

Today is September 12th. And it’s slowly becoming my favorite day. Since today is September 12th, it’s only obvious that yesterday was September 11th, also known as Patriots’ Day. It’s one of those holidays that we only partially “get” since we don’t get the day off. Luckily though yesterday was a Saturday so we were able to better observe the day. In maybe a few years Sept 11 might trump Labor Day as the official end of summer, and we will find ourselves grilling, playing at the beach and taking advantage of various merchants’ price cutting. But for now 9/11 is a day dominated by two participants. The first is a beautiful collection of those grieving the lose of a loved one, the lose of some sense of innocence and clarity, and those celebrating the bravery and resiliency of the American Spirit that shined so brightly that day in the form of first responders, and in the days that shortly followed of unity. We were truly the United States. The other group of people are those bitter, proud, distrusting and hateful people that are not as numerous as the first group but so much more louder.

Every middle of August comes the Anti-Islamic, Anti-Muslim, “you can’t trust any of ‘em” mentality. It’s almost as though a portion of the American population has PMS once a year and takes it all out on a group of people. They begin to rehash the past. They take an act carried out by at least 19 fanatics, and plotted and supported by numerous more cowardly fanatics and turn it all into religious war. As long as we have troops in the field fighting people that have associations with what occurred on 9/11 or we have soldiers fighting in a country with people that look a lot like those that attacked us and in some very general sense believe in the same religion we are forced to deal with what happened on Sept 11, 2001. Every year we look back at that day and see that we have not moved on from that point. We are still dealing with what happened that day and how it changed us, and we ponder about what effect that day will have on our future. As we do so, some of us look for the quick solution so assuage their pain and doubt. They lash out at the “other”, the ones that look like those that attacked us. Those that confess to believe in the same religion, yet not in the same beliefs. They take all Muslims and throw them into one group, and make them the enemy, the reason for the September season.

So for about a month anyone who turns on the TV news, talk radio, or looks at blogs or real internet news outlets are forced to encounter the anti-Muslim rhetoric. We are forced to hear how they are all the same, they want us all to die. The general public must know about the ignorance and insensibility of other people and how they wish to remember the day to burn some Korans, to protest the building of mosques, or outside mosques that are already built. We must hear how they are still plotting against us, that no Muslim can be a true American. We must hear that we are at war with Islam, sense Islam is at war with us.

These protests, burnings and other demonstrations of utter stupidity are broadcast throughout the world. Why were General Petereaus and Chairman of Defense Gates so adamant about Pastor Jones cancelling his Koran burning? Because the international media would pick up on it, and broadcast it and it would be misconstrued as a representation of the American public’s attitude and activities. These bitter and hateful people, though little in number, become the representation of what Americans think and feel. Because these few loudmouth criers are so loud and fanatic that outsiders see them and only them, they soon believe that the spirit of hate that they carry is shared by all Americans. It’s ironic to see how the people that fight against Muslims, and carry forward their doctrine of Anti-Islamic hate are like those fanatics who murdered 3,000 people on Sept 11, 2001. The number of people that plotted the attack and carried it out don’t even make up a measurable percentage of the Muslim people in the world. The members of Al-Qaida and other terrorist outfits make up a small percentage of the Muslim world, but because they are loud and active they are able to beguile the few foolish outsiders into believing that they all Muslims must feel that way. In reverse the few fanatical Americans through their activities and boisterous nature make foolish outsiders believe that all Americans are like them. The only difference between the fanatical murderers of 9/11 and the fanatics against them is the amount of blood on their hands.

The day after Halloween or Christmas (two of my favorite holidays) are always downers for me. Because I prepare for weeks before each holiday, decorating, going to parties and community functions, watching movies and listening to music. There’s so much anticipation for those holidays that when the day is over it’s sad to see it all go away and know that you have to wait another year to see it again. But for me Sept 12 is such a great relief. I can finally stop hearing about the evil Muslims, about mosques, about hatred. I can know that finally we can turn our attention to the here and now. That we can deal with real problems that we can solve, like the economy, education, crime, and not get caught up in discussing the past and who we still need to punish and not trust.

Bragger Mexico's blog

2010-02-09T17:32:00.000-08:00

University of Utah might join PAC 10

Danica Patrick Finishes 6th at Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200

2010-02-06T18:03:00.001-08:00

Danica Patrick avoided a wall, recovered from a spin out, rubbed up against some other cars and managed to finish. She started off in the 12th position, but was able to get all the way up to the 6th position. Of course you will only hear about her, you won’t hear about the winner, he’s irrelevant, I mean this is like the minor leagues of NASCAR. You also won’t know that at least three other drivers where women, like Jennifer Jo Cobb, who started off in the 39th position and finished at 17. She was able to cut down her competition by more than half, which is more than Patrick was able to do. But of course we will hear all about Patrick, and how she recovered from that spin and missed the wall that would have put her out for sure. Before the race Dale Jr. decided not to give any advice to the pudding NASCAR racer. He probably realized he is the one in need of some advice on winning races. But before all the Patrick groupies get too excited, remember this is just one race, and she’s not in the big leagues yet. Let’s give this some more time to pan out…and wash out.

ARCAracing.com

Get a Grip

2010-02-06T12:25:00.000-08:00

FOXNews.com - Tea Partiers Urge Unity as Rifts Show
These people make me laugh. I mean really? I thought this issue was laid to rest a long time ago, but these right wing nut jobs still think that Obama isnt a natural born American. Come on people, let's stick with reality, an economy that is trying to recover, two wars in foreign lands, a global war on terror, come on people lets get with the program.

Bragger Mexico's blog

2010-02-05T18:52:00.000-08:00

Bragger Mexico's blog
Check it out for other articles as well.

Lane Kiffin, another candidate for D Bag of the Decade

2010-02-05T18:48:00.001-08:00

Lane Kiffin is up to his usual douche baggery. He supposedly has a the commitment of a 13-year-old seventh grader to play in 2015 as quarterback. Now he did the same thing when he was at Rocky Top. The thing with this commitment is that it’s not really a commitment. Really nothing can be taken seriously until Sept. 1 of the players junior year. Before that everything is just rubbish. The way Kiffin jumps from job to job, he might not even be there in 2015, so then this whole thing is just a media trick. Lane Kiffin, who hasn’t had a winning season as a head coach knows how to get people to pay attention to him. He must have taken some notes out of Al Davis’ media circus playbook. Apparently Kiffin and Davis who don’t talk to each other are a lot a like. Since Kiffin cant win games, he just plays media games to garner attention for his program. Maybe if he spent more time recruiting viable recruits that can improve his program and win games for USC in the short picture and not worry about a kid that might or might not play of USC in five years.

Trojans get their first commitment ... for 2015 - latimes.com

When in war we have soldiers not criminals

2010-02-03T20:07:00.001-08:00

The idea that we should treat the Christmas Day bomber, or as I like to call him, the blue balls bomber, as a common criminal is absurd. He is a foreign national that came here with the purpose of hurting and killing people. The government and people of this great nation must come to terms with the war we are in. This war is unlike any war we have seen before. This war is not between countries or necessarily ideologies, instead it is a war of factions and groups.

The Cold War was a war of ideology, it wasn’t necessarily one country against another, instead was a group of countries on two sides of an issue that fought their wars in distant lands and in covert means.

War used to be between uniformed soldiers each claiming their allegiance to a flag or a nation. The soldiers that we face now pledge their allegiance to what they believe to be a omnipotent force and presence. Their allegiance has transcended terrestrial limitations, and they come from different walks of life. They have no nation, no flag, no uniform to distinguish them or designate them as a soldier. During World War II it was easy to know who the enemy was, they wore the swastika or the sun on the uniform, or were unified under a banner of a common symbol.

During WW II German U-boats patrolled the U.S. East Coast sinking merchant vessels. If one of those captains was able to slip past our defenses and crept up the Hudson River to open fire on ships and docks there, and was captured before he could escape or scuttle his boat, that captain and crew would have been held as POW.

There is no difference between that German captain and what Umar Farouk Abdulmatallab did. They are soldiers fighting for something, and they have chosen us as their enemy. It is time we realize that they are ours as well.

Criticism of Obama on national security likely to remain big issue - washingtonpost.com

Tebow may not have enough…for now, from Yahoo! Sports

2010-01-30T15:08:00.001-08:00

I have never been a big Tebow fan. My dislike for Tebow is born of my hatred for the SEC, BCS and my belief that Urban Meyer is a fraud that will eventually be discovered. So by association my hatorade addiction makes me not like Tebow, and believe that he wont be as successful in the NFL as he has been in the NCAA. His numbers are good, there is no doubt he is the most dominant college quarterback out there, but his game might not translate to the next level. His numbers have decreased over the last three years. He’s quick and agile, but his game will be shut down in the NFL. It will take a few hits by Ray Ray or other headhunters to make Tebow look like a retired boxer in their 50’s by the time he is only 28. His numbers secure him a place in the first round. He will go to a team that already has a healthy quarterback, and possibly a good back up quarterback. He will hold the clipboard and learn from the pros. We might not see him play this next season, or the one after (at least not in regular season games when there’s a chance to win), but he will play at the next level. His mechanics will be reworked, and he’ll be a starter. I will hold off for a couple more years to see if my suspicion of Meyers is right:that he can lead a good college team, but he makes piss poor professional quarterbacks. I wish Tebow the best of luck. Of course Tebow has a good head on his shoulders and just in general is a good guy, if the whole NFL thing doesn’t work he will always make it somewhere else, I think he’ll make a hell of a megachurch pastor

Some NFL scouts have given up on Tebow. Does that make sense? - Dr. Saturday - NCAAF Blog - Yahoo! Sports

Matthews:Candidate for D Bag of the Decade

2010-01-29T18:56:00.001-08:00

Chris Matthews, who is a serious early contender for the D bag of the decade award has jumped ahead of the competition with his analysis of President Obama’s State of the Union address. If Obama is able to win another term, Matthews is a shoe in for being the D Bag of the decade. I mean 8 years of Matthews falling over himself and gushing like a little girl whenever he hears Obama speak. At first what I believed to be was Matthews just being the gayest man without actually being homosexual, with the “thrill” that shot up his leg when he heard Obama speak at the DNC in Denver back in ‘08, has turned into just reckless douche baggery. After Obama’s speech Matthews commented, “I forgot he was black.” Or in other words “if I close my eyes, I’d swear that n- was white.” What Matthews said was absurd, and just down right stupid. If this had been a conservative white pundit the media would be looking for the tallest tree and the shortest rope to hang this fool. But because Matthews is unabashed in his gushing love for Obama, we just console ourselves knowing, that Matthews is Matthews, and he’s just a D Bag. As Matthews was trying to say something insightful and be overly dramatic as he typically is, he revealed a serious flaw in American thinking in regards to race. To comment on how a black man is articulate or doesn’t carry that negro dialect is backwards and uncovers our still divisive thinking and stereotyping. Matthews needs to restrain himself and gain some self control when he talks about Obama, and he needs to look in the mirror recognize the buried racist that lives within himself, the same one that lives within many people and just try not to be such a D Bag.

Matthews' remark exposes complexity of 'transcending race' - Yahoo! News

Eat that Favre, and go home.

2010-01-24T20:05:00.001-08:00

That's right, Brett, just leave your jersey and jock strap at the door, get your Wranglers, collect your check and ride your tractor back home. Luckily your not far from your Louisiana home. You had a shot, you could have made it, you got so close. But close doesn't count. You showed us your typical self, you were able to out throw Brees by over a hundred yards, but again your cowboy showboating ways proved to be your achilles. Those two interceptions certainly hurt your chances of making it to the big show. Favre, there's no doubt you are a great athlete. But you have proved to be more of a liability than an asset. You might have rallied your troops to get this far, but you couldn't seal the deal. I ask that you please don't drag this out, just announce your retirement, ink a deal with FOX, or NBC to be a commentator. We know you love the attention, why else would you drag out your illustrious carrier to the point where it's becoming a circus. No longer do we say, "wow, that Favre, what a great quarterback!" Instead we just look and say, "damn he's good for being so old!" Those two statements mean two different things. Do we still think you are one of the best? Sure you still have the few faithful blind who will follow you until you play for the Raiders, and say you are still great as you try to teach Jemarcus Russell how to love and play the game right. But you're not a top tier player. Look at the team you left last season, the Jets, with a much less seasoned quarterback corps, and they made it just as far as you. Please Favre, just go home, it's hard, I understand. Cultivate another skill, take up another hobby. Anything! Just leave your great career alone, let it stand, and leave the NFL, ESPN, and FOX alone, so the commentators there can heal their broken hearts that you wont be coming back, and they will have rebounded by the time they get back to work in August.

Obama could bust the BCS with Broncos - College Football - Rivals.com

2010-01-08T18:20:00.001-08:00

I came across this page, and it is brilliant. Without doing any official political maneuvering, he can upset the entire BCS syndicate in one simple gesture. While terrorists are hiding bombs next to their junk, and the economy is making slow Lazarus like awakening, and wars and rumors of wars rumble throughout the Middle East, it would be the wrong time for the President or Congress to take on the BCS through legislative means. This would not be the first time that President Obama has lent his name and fame to collegiate sports. When he made out his bracket for the NCAA Basketball Tournament, it was carried live to homes all over and then rebroadcast on the major network evening news. As President, he doesn’t need to push for there to be call to action, but really by just inviting them to the White House for a meet and greet would a be sign that he is backing the change to the BCS.

The next question is should BSU be considered the National Champions? I would say, “no”. Should the be ranked number 4? No. They should be ranked at least number 3, if not number 2.

Alabama is the undisputed champion this season. The thing that separates Alabama and Boise is the schedule. Boise had no real key wins this season. Of course Boise is caught between a rock and a hard place. They play in the WAC, one of the weakest conferences, in division I. Their nonconference games are played against smaller and weaker schools. This is not because BSU has not attempted to play the bigger schools, its just that the bigger schools refuse to play BSU. The schools that belong to the Big Six want to pad their schedule with what they deem to be weak teams, or even teams from the division II. They look to get as many wins as possible so they pick the low hanging fruit, those smaller programs that are looking for the money the big schools offer and the national publicity, even if it is humiliating. Schools in the Big Six dont want to touch the likes of BSU, TCU, Utah and other big schools from the outside conferences. These schools are too tough, and they do nothing for the Big Six records.

Back to my point though about Alabama, its only right that they be the champions, they had to beat the likes of Florida, and other top tier teams of the SEC, as well as beat Texas. BSU’s only real big game came against TCU, where they didnt put the game away until late into it.

Next season though I think we will see BSU play for the championship. They have all but 2 starters returning next season. Their key wins will be against Oregon State, and VT, if they one of those they are gone from the BCS, and if they lose any conference game they will be playing a bowl game sometime before Christmas. Its that simple.

I would put my final rankings as such-Alabama, BSU, Florida, Texas.

Obama could bust the BCS with Broncos - College Football - Rivals.com

Titles and factions

2009-12-22T14:28:00.000-08:00

I recently saw on a facebook post something about the Manhattan Declaration. It was a good read. It had valid points, and was thought provoking. But what stuck out to me was the fact that they continuously had to point out that they came from different religious backgrounds to write this declaration. I found that bothersome. Why cant we just declare ourselves as "us", or "we". Follow Jefferson's example when he said "we the people", he didnt break it down by labeling subgroups within the population. We constantly find ourselves trying to label ourselves, or others. We bicker about how we wish to be called, what is the proper term to use. I have a light complexion and red hair, instantly people try to make me be Irish, and theres nothing wrong with that except for that I'm not Irish. My jumbled political ideas, and voting record would show that I'm maybe a little more liberal than my neighbors, but that doesnt make me a Democrat. We seem to want to instantly label people, it makes us feel good, secure. Like that annoying 3rd grade teacher used to say "a place for everything and everything in its place." If we can label people then we know how to deal with them, and we feel at peace. People get annoyed by being called the wrong thing. I dont. Sure people can call me Irish-American, I know their wrong, but it makes them feel secure and it doesnt bother me. If they question my ancestry, I'll be more than happy to tell them that my family comes from England, Scotland and Prussia, sorry no Ireland. Whadah you know? We might converse with a fellow being. When people call me white, I dont care, its close enough. When people call me Caucasian, I dont care. When people want to throw the label of Christian on me, that is fine as well, I believe in Christ, my idea of him in the general sense is the same as others, so that would make me Christian. We constantly want to label ourselves, and labels are troublesome. This idea of labels proves troublesome for people in the United States that have not been in the majority. The constant struggle to find that cohesive identity among all. Even the Federal government cant come up with a proper way of labeling people. A person may change ethnicity multiple times during their life according the U.S. Census bureau, which for the longest time didnt (or still doesnt) know how to identify someone from India. Look it up, its interesting. My ideas of absolving the labeling of people might be too idealistic, but I'm going to try it. Instead of just labeling people, I'll just call them what they are....a person, I think that is concise enough.

The Quiet

2009-12-05T15:53:00.000-08:00

the silence is omnipotent
filling the air, allways noticable
smoke, not the weak wisps of cigars
or cigarettes, but of distruction
and change
the evident smoke standing vicarious
for what had been before
the deafening silence fills my ears
I can touch, I can feel it
is this what what I longed for
just a little bit of solitude
please give me peace
but peace is not quiet
im discovering the peace
in the chaos, in the noise
the beautiful noise.

Remembering When

2009-09-10T19:41:00.000-07:00

It was 8 years ago on Friday. It doesn't really seem that long ago. The memories of how we felt that day. Where we were, who we called, what we did. It was a day that will stay imprinted on our minds forever. For an instant we we struck dumb, we were in awe, disbelief, and fear. Some were angry. Angry that such a thing could happen to us. Angry, and thirsty for quick vengeance. For the most part those feelings quickly washed away. It turned into something else. The spirit of our citizens and residents emerged. It is what makes us American. People threw themselves into harms way. For what? Sometimes it was to save just one soul from the inferno. Sometimes it was to be their so they wouldn't be alone as they moved into the great beyond. Some did it because it was their duty. More people flooded the area. Despite the dangers of more explosions, collapses or chemical exposure. The risks were great, but the job had to be done, the rewards greater. For a moment we are simply Americans. We weren't liberal, conservative, republicans, democrats or divided between us and them. The nation stood as We. We the People stood together. We came together. We honored the dead. Revered the heroes. Embraced the survivors and the "survived by" as well. Let's remember how we felt, the unity at that time. The closeness, the camaraderie, the United family that we are.

I am the mash'd fireman with breast-bone broken,
Tumbling walls buried me in their debris,
Heat and smoke I inspired, I heard the yelling shouts of my comrades,
I heard the distant click of their picks and shovels,
They have clear'd the beams away, they tenderly lift me forth.
-Walt Whitman, Song of Myself

Remember the heroes. Thank those that stand the line between us and danger. Those that stand guard over us at night, and protect us by night. Thank those that are willing to lose their life so that we may have ours. Let us never lose our American Spirit. Let us always prevail, no matter how far or hard we fall, we shall always rise.

God bless us all.

Psalm of Waiting

2009-08-31T11:25:00.000-07:00

time drips, life force
from an open wound
bleeding slowly, dully aching
gently unrelenting
slowly ticking at sixty-eight
thousand four hundred miles an hour
the Preacher and Paul say a time
there is a time for
everything

what is time?
die or live
reap or sow
is it my seven
days of creation
or forty days of waiting?
How much time is sufficient?
let this be the time
sufficient is for the day
let today be the day
this be the hour

of the reckoning, awakening
resurrection and exaltation
let this by the day
of change and the quickening

I am no Job
I am no martyr
let the days of suffering
let the days of proving
end

i am at the bedrock
i am in the hole
but I am not hid
I am not forgotten
deliver me or grant me
knowledge of my purpose
I am....knocking

Puncho Says It's a Great Day!

2009-08-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

It wasn’t a dark or stormy night. The setting was rather benign. Slightly before sunrise. All quiet. It was that quiet that existed as only a handful of people stirred. The house rested except for one. Russell had an early tee time that his friend hooked him up with at Brentwood Club. The day before the house was full of noise, a million kids running through the house, parents all telling each other how wonderful the other kids were, but secretly knowing that their child was more superior than the others. The Clown Puncho. It would be patronizing to say creepy clown, since within the word “clown” lies the innate attribute of creepy. He was amusing enough, gags, magic and balloons. The balloons. The man pulled out so many balloons from all over his costume. His form of latex was a balloon, it had to be. The big shiney helium balloons with his face and in big letters “PUNCHO SAYS IT’S A GREAT DAY!” or “PARTY TIME!” or “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”. Then there were the balloon animals. When does one come to the knowledge that they have the skill of the balloon beast. The creation of an animal out of air-godlike. What after one was mastered the language Klingon, has popped every pimple, and mentally consummated a relationship with every suicide girl does one feel like it is now time to tackle the craft of balloon making?

Russell, still not completely awake stumbled from the room down the hall to the bathroom. Shutting the door behind him, turning on the light. He closed his eyes and allowed his eyes to get accustomed to the light though his eyelids. Finally when he felt like he could open his eyes, “oh shit!” He startled. Puncho was behind him smiling in the mirror. Russell swung around and thrust his right hand into Puncho’s face. The face bobbed about making the red ribbon dance around. “Damn.” Russell said, letting a laugh escape his lungs. It had scared the hell out of him. Then again who wouldn’t get the crap scared out of them seeing a balloon laughing at them in the mirror. He grabbed the ribbon, pulling it closer, and than palmed the balloon thrusting it out of the bathroom. The act of thrusting a balloon might possibly be the most anticlimactic action. No matter how hard and with what ferocity one puts behind the thing the damn thing will not go any faster, only if meanders about bobbing and mocking the anger. Especially when it has the face of a grinning clown.

The rest of the morning routine was normal. Shower, wash and then shampoo last. Shave, brush the teeth. With the towel secured around his waste, he opened the door and exited without looking. There was Puncho right in his face. It had hung there outside the door the entire time. Russell pushed it out of his way, into the hall. The balloon floated up ward and away, with the ribbon trailing behind. As Russell turned the ribbon wrapped itself around his throat. Russell grabbed at it trying to pull it loose, but it grew tighter. He tried to puller higher up on the ribbon, to pull the balloon closer to try and build some slack in the ribbon. All he received instead was rumble and scream. He tried to back up and tripped over a Transformer toy, losing his footing the ribbon grew tighter, cutting into his skin. He scrambled, but his feet could find no purchase. He tugged and groped, but there was no relief. Only more screaming, whining, and all sorts of horrific noises. From down the hall he could hear noises as though someone was waking up. He tried to call out, but he could make no noise. There were patches of darkness in his sight. The whining was gone, he could smell something burning. He looked up and saw Puncho smiling and around him in a halo was “PUNCHO SAYS IT’S A GREAT DAY!”

Monica a lovely little number stumbled from her bed, she heard noises or at least she thought she did. “Russell?” She calls from the side of her bed where she puts on her robe. “Russell?” She calls head cocked to the side at the door. “RUSSELL!” She yells. She runs to him, dancing above his head was the balloon, all bright colors and smiles. Next to his body lay a large wooden fan blade. “Russell!” She cried over her husband’s dead body.

Winter Warmth

2009-08-07T08:37:00.000-07:00

Your name is the color green
bursting from the white blanket snow
eyes large and alluring
the moon that controls me like the tide
a heart burning, the Yule log fire
a beacon in the cold winter Earth
fork tongued fools speak falsehoods
to your eternal beautiful essence
there lips are sealed, they stayed
silent they are like a night of snow
your synonyms they do not know
wife, mother, sister, teacher, friend
healer, counselor, nurse, educator
daughter, princess, heiress to the universe
no poem, no matter the length, the
breadth, the width, the depth of it
especially on by the weak penned poet
could contain, capture the you that is you
to know you is to live, see, breathe,
touch, smell, love you
and only then can one know only
a fraction, a part of you. like
the snow one cannot separate every
flake, but simply stand in awe of the whole.

Enough Already

2009-08-06T12:52:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday night the world lost a lot of people. Everyday people die. The moment we exit the womb and take our first gulp of air we take a step towards death. Death and taxes are things that we cannot avoid. Death comes for us in a myriad of ways, sometimes death carries a face. Sometimes nature takes us, death is born out of our mortality. Sometimes death is the result of carelessness, a mistake can turn lethal, and in such cases the one that made the mistake dies a little too. Although they still breathe, and walk, a part of them is dead. At times death comes in the form of hatred, rage, or the derangement of a broken brain and conscious. On Tuesday 3 people: Heidi Overmier, Elizabeth "Betsy" Gannon, Jody Billingsley had their light snuffed out by a creature that doesn't even have the basic qualities of being called human. I refuse to mention this subcreatures name, or depict his image. He is best to be forgotten. Sadly what happened on Tuesday night is an occurrence that happens quite frequently.

What happened though is nothing new, the thing that slithered into the gym and opened fire and then cowardly turned the gun on itself has done what has been done many times before. Herod the Great was a terrible awful man, who is only known in history as the murderer of babies. He ruled over Palestine at the time Christ was born. As he laid on his death bed he ordered the death of many of his subjects for the purpose of ensuring that there would be mourning at the time of his death.

The thing that walked into that gym on Tuesday had the intention of killing himself. The loathsome thing had become depressed from years of female rejection, it was a loner, and a loser who had no worth to the world because it chose to have no worth in the civilized world. It could have just ended its life, it could have taken a table for one and eaten that bullet alone. Instead it wanted to make people hurt, it wanted to take others down with him. It targeted women as though they were the root of its problems. It's mind was broken looking for some kind of acknowledgement in its death. Fine it was the last pathetic attempt of a deranged mind at gaining attention.

Suicide is the product of a selfish and cowardly soul. I can see in the act of taking ones life how it might be poetic. But what happened on Tuesday night is something else. What happened there should not have happened. These types of attacks are growing due to various factors. This is not an issue of gun control, it is not an issue of putting metal detectors in every entry way. It is not about making sure everyone is packing heat. It is an issue of instant celebrity status. When these acts occur news producers begin to salivate.

News station flood our TVs with what occurred. They focus on the person that did the killing. The killer gains instant notoriety. Those that perished are forgotten by the news. It's as though the producers have a fixation with killers. The producers feel some kind of need to give the killer some airtime for giving them a story that they can sink their teeth into and bludgeon the public with for the next week.

They fall into the trap of the killer. Some credit should be given than to the killer...they know how to manipulate the media. In the case of the latest shooting the thing that did what it did seemed like an average guy. Had some obvious social retardation that attributed to his decline, but he wasn't "too creepy". So the media falls in love with another killer, and forgets the stories of those that perished.

This last April was the 10th anniversary of the Columbine shootings. The two things that perpetrated that carnage had attempted to set off bombs but they were too inept to make functioned bombs. According to those that have studied the shooting say that if the bombs had gone off as planned than many more would have died. One idiotic pundit was balls dumb to say that if those bombs would have worked that they would have the had credit for the most deaths in a suicide shooting, but instead that credit goes to "blah" the thing that shot up Virginia Tech. How stupid is that guy. Now it's a contest to see who can kill more people before pussing out and turning the gun on its self? What have we come to?

Justice would be to never mention the name of the killer, to never show its image. They are best to be forgotten. Sure they were people, they suffered from some kind of mental dysfunction, but who doesn't? If we are honest with ourselves we all suffer at some point and in some way from mental breakdown or emotion retardation, but we overcome it or find help. Those that convert to being subhuman and belonging to a subspecies that's not worth living and believes they need to take somebody else down with them in the hopes that they will some how be acknowledged should be tossed by the wayside and forgotten all together.

Oh Sun We Praise Thee, Just Not Too Much.

2009-08-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday on the web and on the national news ran the story that health experts are afraid that our kids don’t have enough Vitamin D. The principle source of this wonderful vitamin comes from the sun. The importance of the big D is that it helps fight heart disease or other heart related problems. So that means we need to get out more.

“NOOO! The sun is a killer you’ll get skin cancer and die!” Shut up and drive your Prius, and take your visceral contempt for anything remotely fun. There’s no need to lather the kids and yourself in spf 200 before exiting the house. Experts say that 15 minutes of good sunlight is sufficient to combat this deficiency. This time might be extended by a few minutes if you have darker skin, since the darker the skin color the more it filters out the sun’s rays.

The idea that nearly 8 million of our youth in the U.S.A are deficient and nearly 50 million kids are estimated at being “insufficient” in their Vitamin D intake is a sad consequence of our society. We live in a society of excess. The current economic crisis is due to people who have bought houses well outside of their means, and then the banks had to foreclose on them. We’ve all raced inside and have been fearful of the sun since it was made clear that those that worshipped the sun would develop cancer for their heresy.

You know just a little bit of common sense and some moderation would go a long way. A life balanced would be good. Kick the kids out of the house, make them make friends elsewhere than networking or on online video game sites. Then after your skin absorbs some sun then put on the sunscreen, and really is spf 200 really necessary? Jeez, that’s the equivalent of putting on a Cliff Huxtable sweater. Come on now.

And in the age of a society that resembles a herd of cattle as we mosie through life, some cut back in the calorie and fat intake will do us some good. No wonder the rest of the world hates us and at the same time wants to be just like us. We might be the largest consumers of whatever this wonderful Earth can provide, and it’s our nature as humans to do it, we here in the U.S.A have the greatest ability to consume how, when and what we like, to what ridiculous quantities and excess our heart seems fit.

Michael Vick and Buying Eggs

2009-08-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

It might be old news but it’s worth talking about. Michael Vick has been reinstated by the NFL. Although his reinstatement is rather watered down when you look at it. He’s able to practice and if picked up by a team he can play the final two pre-season games. Then once the season starts we will be sidelined for 5 games where Commissioner Roger Goodell will review his case and give him a pass to play the rest of the season or sideline him some more. This final stipulation is ridiculous. Commissioner Goodell should make it a 5 game suspension and leave it at that. Instead what we have is that looming drama that will bring coverage and press to the NFL for the first quarter of the season with the question “Will Vick be reinstated?”

The idea that he has to be suspended is absolutely dumb. Period. The man served 18 months in the slammer, and lost two seasons in what could be considered his prime years as a quarterback. What it looks like is that the Commish just wants to feel big, and make it look like he’s doing something to keep the game clean. His actions had nothing to do with football. I believe what he and his cohorts did is disgusting, but he did his time. Why should he pay twice for the crime.
I go to the store and buy me a dozen eggs at $1.50. The pretty little attendant scans the bar code, up comes the price, out goes my Washington and two quarters. As I’m walking out, the teenage punk who catches carts stops me and shakes me down for another $1.50 for the eggs. I just paid twice the price, why?

Sure Vick hasn’t been asked to sit out the season, that would just be balls dumb. Goodell has no need nor requirement by the NFL to suspend him. He could have simply suspended him while he was incarcerated and then once released he would be able to step right onto the field. Instead Goodell seems to like the attention is having us all sit around to see if he can actually play. And please like a pre-season game is seeing if somebody can play. Really, it’s just a bunch of rookies and umpteenth stringers playing.

But what is written by Goodell shall be so that brings us to the following, so Vick must t be punished twice for his crime first by the real authority and now by the Commish. Should Vick even be able to play again. Of course he should. Because somebody has been convicted of a crime doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be barred from seeking employment. Of course the whiners, and last picked losers of the world will cry, “of course he can find employment, just not in the NFL.”

But why not in the NFL? Why will he become a role model? That would be great. Look at that guy, he hit bottom, made some stupid decisions and changed his life and was able to return to doing what he loved. We Americans love that kind of story, the one about redemption and change in the face of terrible odds and devastating set backs. Or there’s the hatred that he will return to making bookoo bucks. Oh no, lets not let the guy make a lot of money. For being a hater (which I am) I can’t stoop that low. To be disgruntle at guy who is making tons of money is absurd. He’ll turn around and donate a ton of that money to charities and he will put so much of it to good causes, that’s after he’s done paying off debt and lawyers fees. “So it’ll be okay if he makes money, just not too much.” That’s just juvenile.

I understand that some criminal convictions will keep people from jobs. I don’t want a pedophile or former druggie to teach my kids in class, or work in a day care. I won’t hire a dude that was convicted for embezzlement to run my finances. Of course there some offenses that run in direct opposition to a career. In the case of Michael Vick this just isn’t the situation. He did something that wasn’t like what he did with regards to football.

So where to put Vick? I’m not sure, he would be great running the Wildcat, or doing trick plays and the such, maybe use him in another position. That can be decided by the coaches, he should just be given a chance to play, and I’m sure somebody will pick him up and give a chance, injuries happen, draft picks puke, and crap happens.

An Argument of Pete Rose

2009-08-03T13:06:00.001-07:00

Pete Rose is the all-time hits leader in baseball. He has played in more major league games than any other player. He stands near the top of many lists in achievements with regards to baseball. So why is he not in the Hall of Fame? His lifetime banishment from baseball is the result of his addiction to gambling. His gambling habit goes back to his younger years, but it was never on baseball. He knew of Rule 21(d) that says the following: “Any player, umpire or club or league official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon a baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform, shall be declared permanently ineligible”. It was not until after he became a manager in 1987 when he started to bet on baseball, and commit one of the worse sins in baseball, betting on his own team.

It is time for Pete Rose to be given his rightful place in the Hall of Fame. Since his banishment from baseball, fans have voiced their opinion that he should be allowed his opportunity to be voted into the Hall of Fame. If one listens to sports talk radio, the issue of Pete Rose rises every so often, with the overwhelming sentiment that Rose should be in the Hall of Fame. Periodically in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, there are old baseball cards of Pete Rose left behind by visitors. Every year there are write in votes for Pete Rose from members of The Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). The BBWWA is the body that votes retired players into the Hall of Fame. Even some former players agree that Rose should be in the Hall of Fame. Since there are so many supporters for Pete Rose, why is he not in the Hall of Fame, or even given the opportunity to be given a serious vote by the BBWAA? It comes down to one mane, Commissioner Bud Selig. He is the only one that can review and approve Pete Rose’s petition of reinstatement. Once he is reinstated and his name is removed from the permanently ineligible list he then can be put on the ballot to be voted into the Hall of Fame. The proposition of this paper is offer the following: that Rose be reinstated fully and removed from the permanently ineligible list, or that there be a provision in his reinstatement that will limit his role in baseball but make him eligible for Hall of Fame induction. This proposition should be granted for the following three reasons, first he has the stats and “intangibles” as a player that are needed to be in the Hall of Fame, second he never bet on baseball as a player, and third the Major League has already circumvented their own rule regarding Rose and therefore he should not be subject to it anymore.

There are certain criteria for being in the Baseball Hall of Fame with regards to a position player (these are the players that are not pitchers, who have a different set of criteria). A player needs to have a suitable lifetime batting average, his is .303. This may not be great, but there are players with his same batting average in the Hall of Fame, such as Hank Aaron who has a .305 all time batting average. He has played more major-league games (3,562) than any other player has. He is also the all time hits leader with 4,256, which surpassed Ty Cobb’s record that stood for 57 years. These stats alone are good enough to get any player voted into the Hall of Fame in the first year they are eligible. There are players that do not make the grade in regards to their statistical performance, but they have those abilities or traits that are not represented on the stat sheet, these are called by sports insiders as “intangibles”. Rose earned himself the nickname “Charlie Hustle” due to his game play. When he was at bat and was walked, instead of walking, which most ball players do, he sprinted to first base. His base running was impressive with face first slides and aggressive attacks on home plate. He was also an exceptional infielder sacrificing his body to make the out. Pete Rose possessed both the numbers and great field presence as well as leadership that is sufficient to get him into the Hall of Fame.

As a player Pete Rose never bet as a player, according to his autobiography, he never had time during the season to do anything but play the game; the game is what he was focused on from March through October when he was playing. There is no proof provided by special investigator John Dowd as to Rose’s betting on baseball prior to 1987. Commisioner Fay Vincent claims that Rose bet on baseball, and that a friend of Rose has told him so. According to Vic Ziegel a long time sportswriter who covered Rose’s career says that when he called Rose’s friend to ask him about the conversation he had with Commissioner Vincent the friend said “I never uttered those words. It’s untrue.” Dowd, Vincent and his predecessor Giamatti all chased after red herrings trying to get evidence of Rose’s betting on baseball while he was a player. However, none succeeded. Since he never bet on baseball during his playing years, it would be wrong to void all that he did in his 22-year career. Opponents will say that he gambled and mingled with druggies, that’s true. He gambled on horses, basketball and football during his off-season, but the Hall of Fame is full of gamblers. His association with drug dealers should have no reflect on his character, especially since he never peddled or used drugs unlike a handful of players that are in the Hall of Fame that used drugs. On the topic of drugs how will baseball deal with those that have been found and admitted to using steroids, a banned substance, that has been used to break records and taint the game of baseball.

His stats and his not betting on baseball as a player are sufficient for his case. Baseball knows this, but is unwilling to make any official stance in regards to Pete Rose. They have circumvented the rules regarding Rose during the last decade. In 2000, he was voted to the All-Century Team. Being permanently ineligible means one cannot put on the uniform of a player or manager, step onto a major league field during a major league event, be a commentator for baseball or have ownership in a team. On that day, Rose both dressed in uniform and took the field. Again, in 2002, baseball bent its own rules, and by special invitation on behalf of Commissioner Selig, he was invited to the World Series to take part in the “Most Memorable Events” ceremony in San Francisco’s baseball stadium before the game. Baseball has used him in other times during pregame shows to do interviews and comment on current players. Baseball has used Rose for its own needs, but has not given back.

Surely, the issue of his gambling addiction has been a concern for Commissioner Selig as well as his predecessors. He has sought help in regards to his gambling addiction. He no longer bets on baseball, he would be a fool to. During the investigation by MLB into Rose’s gambling habits, Rose filed and won a legal order that no action would be taken against Rose for one month. During that month, Rose could have bet it all on baseball and fixed his games to make a big cash out before baseball had its way with him. However, he did not gamble, he followed the rules. It would be in the best interest of Commissioner Selig that Pete Rose be reinstated. In recent years, the fans have turned on Selig, especially after the fall out of the steroid era of baseball. For more than a decade there existed a culture of drugs in baseball especially in regards to steroids. Players were juicing up, and breaking records, such as Roger Maris’ record for most home runs in a single season, and most recently, Hank Aaron’s record of most career home runs was broken by now federally indicted Barry Bonds. This is the first season after the steroid era of baseball. Baseball is supposed to be clean now, and there has been a general feeling of forgiveness for those that had transgressed and confessed to their use of steroids. In the spirit of forgiveness that seems to be in baseball, and a lack of trust by fans for the commissioner’s office, the reinstatement will only help further baseballs love among its fans. Since these players have been forgiven for tainting the integrity of the game, then why not forgive Pete Rose.

If baseball is concerned that he should return to baseball in the role of a manager or coach, and fall back into his old addiction, than baseball can merely make a provision to his reinstatement saying something similar to the following: Pete Rose is hereby given full reinstatement with the following exceptions, that he shall not participate in baseball as a player, coach, manager, owner either part of in full, nor be an official, nor be on any clubs payroll for what ever reason. Nor shall be permitted to the club house or dug out prior to or during a game.” This will help baseball two fold, it will help some people in baseball sleep better at night knowing Rose has nothing to do with the outcome of a game, and it will give the fans what they want.

There are those opponents who would say the rule is the rule; he broke it and now must pay the consequences for it. Rules are to be respected of course, but his ineligibility bars him unfairly in regards to being admitted to the Hall of Fame. There are different types of hall of famers; there are the players, managers, owners, umpires, commissioners, and broadcasters. Rose’s transgression came while as a manager, not a player. There is the issue of the lifetime banishment that Pete Rose signed of his own accord on August 23, 1989. It was an agreement to a lifetime ban from baseball and that his name would be put on the permanently ineligible list. Since he signed this agreement to the lifetime ban, there is no argument; he willingly accepted the punishment to save the humiliation of a public trial. Regarding the lifetime ban that Rose signed, it was never an admission of guilt in regards to his betting on baseball. Under Rule 15 of Major League Baseball, he should have had his chance to appeal for reinstatement within a year of his banishment. Commissioner Fay Vincent never gave him the chance to appeal for reinstatement. Since the presiding commissioner never gave him the opportunity at that time, no other commissioner has given him the opportunity to appeal his lifetime banishment. In his banishment that he signed, it even states that within a year he would be able to appeal the banishment that he signed. Commissioner Giamatti, who was commissioner at the time when Rose signed his ban, is said by some to have been in favor of reinstating Rose when his year concluded, but Giamatti died nine days after they signed the lifetime ban. Giamatti and Rose came to the agreement as stated before, in order to save baseball and Rose from a humiliating, long drawn out public proceeding. Baseball has wronged Rose for the last 18 years by not allowing him to appeal his lifetime ban from baseball. Baseball promised him an appeal, and in the spirit that the ban was signed, it should be honored.

His admittance to the Hall of Fame should be based upon his actions as a player. He possessed the stats and characteristics of a Hall of Famer. His betting on baseball was done as a manager; his recognition in the Hall of Fame should be that of a player. This last decade baseball has not followed its own rules. It has picked and chosen what rules it will follow. After nearly two decades of being banned, it is time to let Rose back in. If the fans are asking for Rose to be back in, and one only needs to look at various polls taken by various sports news agencies to see that an overwhelming majority support Rose being in the Hall of Fame. Baseball would be nothing if it weren’t for the fans. Mister Commissioner it is time you listen to the fans. It is time to set you apart from the previous commissioners and make your own statement. You will be remembered as the one that pardoned Charlie Hustle, baseball’s everyman, and that sir might help you find your place in the Hall of Fame.

Under Construction

2009-07-31T10:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Reader
This blog is currently under construction, do try back on Monday August 3, 2009
Thank you for your future readership
Bragger Mexico