Ron Paul, BIG-Government libertarian – PostPartisan – The Washington Post

Ron Paul taking questions in Manchester, NH

This man can't be trusted!

I’ve called Ron Paul crazy. Fact is I don’t really believe it. He’s crazy like a fox. And as demonstrated in this article he is one of the most despicably dishonest politicians you will ever come across.

Ron Paul, big-government libertarian – PostPartisan – The Washington Post.

Paul can’t be trusted. That’s the message from this story.

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The Seahawks new QB!

Seattle Seahawks helmet

Seattle needs a quarterback

Lets start this blog with the most obvious statement I have ever typed…the Seahawks need a new quarterback if they are going to ever be a Super Bowl contender. Tarvaris Jackson served as this year’s stop-gap between an aging and increasingly fragile Matt Hasselback and the young untested quarterback the Seahawks will pick in this upcoming NFL Draft. At least that’s what we’ve been led to believe.

The fact that Jackson was a stop-gap is hardly a question. General Manager John Schneider signed Jackson for a fraction of what Hasselback was asking. And the length of the deal is only two years. So what’s the risk?…they asked themselves. They have a 4 year veteran with a moderate career QB rating of 79.1 and they aren’t committing a lot of dough in the process.

What I think is more in debate is where that next quarterback of the future is going to come from. Given that Seattle is so good that they won’t pick any higher than 11th in the coming allocation of college talent all the best quarterbacks that you could possibly bank on may be off the board. Yes, I know Tom Brady was a 7th round draft pick. But I’m talking about someone you can plan to be good nearly from the start. Everyone knows Brady is the exception to the norm.

The 15-1 Green Bay Packers didn’t play this year’s MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers in their last game against the 10-6 playoff bound Detroit Lions. You may have missed this because Green Bay scored 48 points against the Lion’s formidable defense. And Green Bay’s quarterback threw for six touchdowns and 480 yards; both Packer records. And …to repeat…it wasn’t Aaron Rodgers.

English: Green Bay Packers back-up quarterback...

Packer's back up QB Matt Flynn

Talk of Matt Flynn as a quality quarterback existed long before his record day against the Detroit Lions. Someone is going to make this 26-year old a very rich man.  And it’s not as if Flynn has no history of success behind him.

LSU QB Matt Flynn drops back to pass against T...

Flynn won a National Title at LSU

His relative anonymity comes from four years in the NFL as Rodgers backup and only one year as a starter at Louisiana State University where he backed up eventual Number 1 NFL Draft pick JaMarcus Russell. So…what did he do in his one year as a starter at LSU? He led the Bayou Bengals to a National Title, beating Ohio State in the BCS National Title game.

Here is the best news about acquiring Flynn to be next year’s quarterback…he is an unrestricted free agent. So Seattle wouldn’t need to trade anything for him and they wouldn’t need to spend a relatively high draft pick. The only thing that could stand in the way of this free exercise of football capitalism is if the Green Bay Packers tag Flynn with the franchise tag. Doing so would require them to promise a contract to their backup quarterback of $14-million dollars, making trading him very difficult.

Picture of Seahawks Practice Scrimage at Easte...

Mike Holmgren

Plus I like the history. Hasselback was a Green Bay backup to Brett Favre when Mike Holmgren plucked him out of obscurity and turned him into a Pro Bowl quarterback who led Seattle to our only Super Bowl appearance. And they’re both named Matt. And acquiring someone else’s backup as your starter is at least as successful as drafting a quarterback in the first round. Houston’s Matt Schaab, former Husky Mark Brunnel, the aforementioned Favre, Kansas City’s Matt Castel, and Arizona’s Kevin Kolb have all been successful as starters after having apprenticed as an NFL backup to a Pro Bowler. Flynn could be the next guy; the next Matt to be a star quarterback in the NFL.

So scuttle plans to scour over all those useless college statistics for quarterbacks you aren’t going to get anyway. Schneider and Pete Carroll need to fork over the bucks necessary to bring the latest Green Bay Matt to the Puget Sound.

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Predictions for 2012

With the dawn of a new year upon us I feel compelled to offer my 2-cents on issues and event of which I have an interest. Here are my, and mine alone, predictions for 2012.

Personal:

I expect to be successful in losing 15-20 pounds. 2011 was the first time in my life that I made any kind of effort at losing weight. I wasn’t successful in losing my goal weight. But I was successful in losing weight. I learned how hard it can be. But now that I consider it more important and I know how to do it I expect greater success. I was mostly fit and 210 pounds when I married in 1987 at age 23. If I can drop below 220 lbs, I’ll consider myself successful. To help with this effort I just shelled out the bucks to join my new LA Fitness center. It’s just 5 minutes from my house. It opens, brand new, tomorrow.

LA Fitness

LA Fitness

I will be there.

Business:

My company Total Broadcasting Service will begin its eight year of operation in 2012. 2011 was far better than either 2009 or 2010; both of which sucked. 2011 was just 3% below our best year ever in 2008 in Gross revenue. But now that we have completed the arduous process of getting a new website designed and launched; now that we’ve forged several working relationships we expect to grow further; and candidly now that we know better what we’re doing in the video production industry I expect 2012 to be our best year ever. I also expect to hire 2-3 professional salespeople in the coming year. These will be people interested in a career and a long-term business relationship. I’m very excited.

Sports:

The San Francisco 49ers' Super Bowl XXIX troph...

Vince Lombardi Super Bowl Trophy

Green Bay and New England will meet in the Super Bowl with the two best quarterbacks in the league putting on quite a show. Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady will have the scoreboard lights spinning like a slot machine. But the Packers prevail in this one 48-44.

My beloved Seattle Seahawks will acquire a new quarterback to replace Tavares Jackson. But it may not be via the NFL Draft. Picking 11th in the draft we might see Pete Carroll select a big, fast passing rushing end. With an ever improving defense and a new QB the Hawks will improve to 10-6 and make the playoffs, but also make a quick exit…next season.

NBA:

Don’t care. Until David Stern is gone and Seattle has a team again…screw the NBA.

NHL:

Canucks return to make up for their collapse in the Stanley Cup Finals last year. They’ll prevail over Philadelphia. But anyone who knows me knows this is pure guess and wishful thinking.

MBL:

My Seattle Mariners fail in signing any significant free agents and are left to again struggle through a mostly boring season with the same youngsters who could only squeeze out 65 wins in 2011. My pick? 3rd in the AL West, 76-86. Grrrrr….

WSU:

Cougar basketball manages a .500 season but fails to make any post season tourney.

Mike Leach leads the Pirate Cougars to a 9-3 record and a trip to the Holiday Bowl.

Politics:

Maria Cantwell wins re-election to the U.S. Senate against a weak unknown GOP opponent.

English: Rob McKenna

Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna

Rob McKenna wins election to the Governors office, becoming the first Republican Governor in Washington State since John Spellman.

The U.S. Supreme Court will rule that mandatory purchasing requirements of private insurance for all U.S. citizens included in the Obama Health Care law is unconstitutional. Duh….. I can’t believe Democrats ever thought such government intrusions into our lives would ever pass the smell test.

 

 

 

speaking at CPAC in Washington D.C. on Februar...

Our next President

Mitt Romney wins the Republican Presidential nomination rather handily. Michelle Bachman will drop out after Iowa, and Jon Huntsman will bow out one week later after New Hampshire. The race will be reduced to Romney, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, and Rick Perry. Perry will drop out before February 2nd; possibly holding on until Florida. Perry’s supporters will split evenly between Santorum, Gingrich and Paul giving none of them significant enough of a boost to catch Romney.

In as nasty a General Election as has ever been seen Romney will prevail over a President Obama who will only faintly resemble the inspiring marvel of 2008. Because he will be so negative and have no significant domestic accomplishments to in which to point to Obama will be defeated by a relatively significant margin, making Mitt Romney the 45th President of the United States.

The only thing that could derail this prediction is if a third-party candidate emerges. If Ron Paul or Donald Trump decide to run for President they will practically hand a second term to Obama on a silver platter.

Lastly, I will celebrate Christmas 2012 with all my family as I always have, as will all the rest of us. The Mayan Calendar end will prove to be just that. The end of a calendar December 21, 2012. We will not have an Earth ending experience.

So….there ya go. My pics. Have fun with me. Let me see what your picks are.

Thanks for visiting. Comments are welcome.

 

 

Shame on Virginia. Cradle of American democracy gives in to money.

Virginia

Virginia has brought shame upon itself

What’s it say about the people of Virginia and their election process when only two of seven candidates for President qualify to be put on the election ballot for the state’s March 6, Super Tuesday, Republican Primary Election. It says that our nation’s cradle of democracy and home to George Washington and Thomas Jefferson no longer cares about what people think and instead cater to only the monied people in politics.

As you can learn in the link below only

English: Governor Mitt Romney of MA

Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney and Ron Paul will appear on the Virginia ballot. They don’t even leave space for a write-in candidate. That tells you how corrupt the politics of Virginia are. In order to appear on the ballot candidates must have submitted to the Virginia Secretary of State’s office 10,000 valid signatures of Virginia voters by last Saturday, December 24th, 2011.

Republican presidential candidates are picture...

Presidential Debate

A blind man without a stick or a dog can see that when only 2 of seven legitimate candidates qualify for a state’s Presidential Primary election ballot something is wrong. And as usual that something is money, and corruption. Romney is by far the lead candidate in fund-raising; Paul has done well with fund-raising but more important in his case is that he possesses the most ardent zealots supporting him.

Those with considerably less money, Rick Santorum, Michelle Bachmann, and Jon Huntsman didn’t even try in Virginia. Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry made last minute stabs at getting enough signatures; but each fell short.

Gingrich Fails to Qualify for Va. Primary Ballot – ABC News.

Some reasonable qualifications for appearing on a Presidential ballot should be asked for. For instance, requiring candidates to provide proof of native birth in this country with a birth certificate is perfectly acceptable. But asking them to qualify by possessing enough money to hire a bunch of signature gatherers is reprehensible. Shame on you Virginia. Shame!

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My favorite Christmas’

Christmas lights 2010

Christmas lights

An epiphany hit me a few years back that will forever enable me to value Christmas even more than I already do. It dawned on me that if you’re lucky you’ll enjoy about 80 Christmas’ in a lifetime. Eighty! That’s all. Obviously some will enjoy 100, and sadly some will only be present to enjoy an extraordinary few. So I’m averaging.

It seemed to me that 80 wasn’t much. I mean, if you packed them all back to back you don’t even get three months worth. Then when you subtract the first 3-5 years that you will never remember, and subtract the holidays when you have to work, and subtract the times when circumstances keep you from your loved ones the number diminishes more and more.

So for a celebration I have already always enjoyed, I vowed to really cherish each Christmas, and to remember them.

My childhood Christmas celebrations were usually fabulous. For this I can thank my father. Dad was really big on Christmas. He always decorated the house with the most lights of any other on our middle class block. And he spoiled my brother and I with everything we wanted every year and a few things we didn’t know we wanted. I distinctly remember one shopping season when I went out of my way to ask my Dad NOT to buy me the increasingly popular plaid shirts that every department store seemed to have. I didn’t like them. I got two that Christmas. I didn’t wear them for months…but then gave in to the fad and wore them all the time.

Fonzie (interpreted by Henry Winkler), star of...

The Fonz

When The Fonz was real popular on the TV showHappy Days” in the late 70s I asked for a leather jacket as a gift. I wanted to look like Arthur Fonzerelli. I guess I wasn’t specific enough. Because my Dad did buy me a leather coat. But it was a bomber’s style coat. The kind with the furry collar lapel. Again, I didn’t like it at first. But like my Dad somehow always knew…I came to love it. I wore it religiously from age 13 well into my 30s when my added 20 pounds didn’t make it a good look any more. I gave it to my son about 5 years ago. Like me he didn’t like it or ever wear it…until recently. In the past 2 months he doesn’t go anywhere without it. You better believe I love that.

I was working on Christmas Day 1985 as a DJ at a small country music station. But before working the night shift and after visiting my Mom’s home and then my Dad’s, I managed to squeeze in a short 10 minute visit at my girlfriend’s house. There, at the age of 21, I asked my girlfriend to be my wife. I gave her a humble diamond ring; black hills gold leafs with a small diamond laying between them. My wife deserved so much more. So on Christmas morning 2007 after our kids excitedly woke us up to tell us that Santa had come, before getting out of bed, I rolled over, reached into my nightstand and pulled out the ring’s replacement. The much larger stone and white gold looked beautiful on her finger. And still does.

But easily my all time favorite Christmas was 1998. Our house was full with visiting family from California, and as usual we hosted the Christmas dinner. All our loved ones were there. My pregnant wife went into labor right after we’d all enjoyed our desserts, and around 8:30pm Christmas night we waved goodbye to all those people in our house and drove to Overlake Hospital in Bellevue, WA where we were presented at 6:03 am December 26th, 1998 with our all-time best Christmas gift. We gave our daughter the name Micah Noel. Micah being the Biblical prophet who foretold the birth of a savior in the City of David, Bethlehem. And, of course, Noel the 14th Century English word for Christmas.

I’ve been blessed with many great Christmas’; but these are the highlights. May your day be special and most important may it be a memory representative of how few of these holy days we get to enjoy in our very short lives.

English: Nativity scene

The birth of Jesus

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