Out of Virtual Office

My wife and I are taking an anniversary vacation, so I will be away from blogging for the next several days. Just in case you can't go 5 or 6 days without a blog from me, I'm going to put a few thoughts that encapsulate my typical week of blogging.

• Barack Obama and the Democrats are ruining the country.
• The Denver Broncos make me angry, but for some reason I still like to follow them.
• I love to eat Subway and Arby's.
• Any action movie almost automatically rates 3-4 stars and you should watch it.
• Happy New Year!

There you go, an entire week's worth of blog thoughts in 5 bullet points. Have a great week and a very happy and safe New Year.

Lasagna!

As a kid, I was always a big lasagna fan. My mom always made really good lasagna. One thing I never appreciated was the amount of time it took my mom to prepare it. That is, until tonight, when I made Guy Fieri's Pepperoni Lasagna. When I was home sick last month, I saw an episode of "Guy's Big Bite" on Food Network, and pepperoni lasagna was the dish he made. As I was watching it, I thought, "I can make this." Today, I printed off the recipe and set about making it.

This pepperoni studded lasagna was one of the best lasagna dishes I've ever had. The pepperoni provides a nice, spicy bite, but isn't overwhelming. The best thing was the sauce, which I originally thought was going to be too sweet, but it blends nicely with everything for a good, rich flavor. One other personal note about the sauce. I was shocked that you could actually have a tomato sauce that doesn't come from a can or jar. I'm thinking their may be more homemade tomato sauces in our future. This sauce was easy to make and really good.

A few notes, if you decide you want to try making this yourself.

1) It took me 2 hours and 40 minutes in total to get this dish to the table. I started the sauce at 3:30, and we ate about 6:10. This was the first time I've ever made lasagna, so I can probably shave some time off that in the future, but I'd recommend allocating at least 2 hours.
2) I would make more sauce than is recommended in the recipe. I ran short on the last layer. Since I did a half batch, I made 3 and 1/2 cups of sauce...I wish I would have made 4 to 4 and 1/2 cups. Also, I added extra onion and oregano to the sauce recipe.
3) You don't need 2 lbs. of pasta. For a full recipe, 1 lb. would be enough...I used 1/2 lb. of pasta for the half batch, and that was plenty.
4) Definitely brown the pepperoni first. The little bit of crisp that this adds is really nice.

I highly recommend this lasagna recipe if you want to try something a little bit different. It was DELICIOUS!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

For once in my life I am actually speechless. I can't think of anything profound to say today. I wish I could, but I got nothin'. I do know that I am especially grateful for my family and friends this Christmas day.

I hope everyone who takes the time to read this blog has a very Merry Christmas. Heck, even if you don't read this blog, I hope you have a Merry Christmas. But if you don't read this blog, then you'll never see that wish. Most importantly, though, I hope everyone remembers the true reason we celebrate this Holy Day.

We're All Prophets

Every morning (well almost every morning) for the past 3-4 months, I've tried to start my day by reading the Bible. My father-in-law got me a subscription to "Living the Faith" to help me with daily readings. As I finished my reading this morning, I noticed that tomorrow's gospel reading is the Canticle of Zechariah, from Luke 1: 68-79. Now, 8 or 9 months ago, this wouldn't have caught my attention, but the weekly men's group I attend always opens by praying the Canticle of Zechariah. It's the prayer that Zechariah prayed following the birth of John the Baptist, and it really is a wonderful prayer.

So, why am I blogging about this? Well, this morning as I was showering (where I do my best thinking), one phrase from this prayer started rattling around in my head. It's from Luke 1, verse 76, which says "You, My child shall be called The prophet of the Most High, For you will go before the Lord to prepare His way".

Now, Zechariah was talking about his own son, John, but isn't it true for all of us? Aren't we all called to be Prophets of the Most High in our own unique way? All of us who believe in Jesus Christ are called to do our part to let His light shine in the world. And it doesn't have to be something grand. We can bring Christ's light into the world in our daily lives, with how we act as husbands, wives, parents, children and friends. We can be an example of His love at work and in our volunteer activities. We can be a prophet by stepping out of our comfort zone and sharing our faith through a blog writing. There are lots of little ways we can be prophets of the Most High every day, we just have to listen and act on what God is leading us to do.

The Liberal Point of View

All day long I kept hearing about an impending snow storm, and that some areas may receive up to 2 feet of snow. As someone who does not own a snow blower, 2 feet of snow is daunting. We have chosen not to own a snow blower, because my wife doesn't like them. A guy I work with has 2 snow blowers, 1 for clearing the heavy stuff, and a smaller one for cleaning up the lighter stuff. This guy is really happy with his set up, and I am happy for him.

With all the health care debate going on, I got to thinking, how would Barack Obama view this situation with my coworker having 2 snow blowers, while I don't have any snow blowers? Here's how I think it would go.

Obama would see social inequality in this situation. Of course, he wouldn't ask me how I felt, because he is an elitist and he knows what is best for me, even if I disagree with him. He would begin with a campaign-like speech, decrying the inequality in snow blower ownership in this country. He would cite sob stories about poor, disadvantaged people with only shovels, clearing massive amounts of snow, while multi-snow blower fat cats sit back and laugh at the snow blower challenged people.

Next, President Obama would demand a snow blower bailout package, and force the snow blower companies to take the money. He would claim the snow blower bailout had to be done because the snow blower industry is "too big to fail." This bailout would be paid for by tax increases on rich snow blower owners. Of course, since the snow blower companies took bailout money, Obama would fire some executives, because he would essentially be the CEO of the snow blower companies now.

Then he would appoint a snow blower czar to regulate snow blower prices, and punish snow blower companies that make snow blowers too expensive. The czar would, obviously, set pay wages for all snow blower executives and regulate bonus packages.

Finally, Obama would demand Congress get to work on sweeping snow blower reform. But, he wouldn't provide any specifics, so he could "let the legislative process work." After months of back and forth, multiple prime time speeches, and plummeting approval ratings, Obama would get a snow blower reform bill that, while not perfect, meets most of his objectives (which he never actually specified in the first place). This snow blower reform bill would unconstitutionally force all Americans to buy a snow blower, whether they want it or not. But, fear not, tax incentives would be provided for Americans who can't afford a snow blower. And all of this would somehow be "magically" deficit neutral.

The media and Democrat pundits would claim a historic victory for our young, beloved, energetic President. And, I would be stuck buying a snow blower I didn't want or need because a meddlesome government passed a stupid law, all because of a perceived inequality that was never really there.

About Movie Ratings

If you really pay attention to this blog, you will notice 2 things with my movie ratings lately. There are fewer of them, and they are almost always positive.

Well, there are fewer because a few months ago I cut back to the 1 disk plan on Netflix. What this means, is I can only have 1 movie at my house at a time. Previously, I was on the 2 disk plan. As my kids get older, I have less and less time to watch movies, so I thought I'd save a few bucks a month by dropping back to the 1 disk plan.

The 1 disk plan has forced me to prioritize my movie watching, which means I'm adhering to the Netflix recommendations more and more. I have found that the software Netflix uses to determine recommendations is almost spot on. For those unfamiliar with Netflix, you can click on any movie, and you get a global rating from all subscribers who've rated it, but you also get what they call "Our best guess for...". The "Our best guess..." rating is what Netflix predicts you will rate a movie, based on your past ratings. And, it's correct roughly 95% of the time...kinda scary eh?

Since I've been on the 1 disk plan, I almost always get movies anymore that are predicted to be 3.5 stars or higher. So, it's not that I like everything, it's just that I'm picking movies I should like, which is really how we all should do it when it comes to movie watching.

Movie Review: Terminator: Salvation

On to something more fun, after all these dire political blogs lately. Last night, I watched "Terminator: Salvation" on a friends home theater system. I am not the biggest fan of the "Terminator" franchise, but I enjoy the movies. They've all been 3-4 star movies, and "Salvation" continues that, rating 4 stars.

Christian Bale takes the role of John Connor in this movie. I like Bale a lot, so that was a plus for me. "Salvation" is set in the year 2018, and the few remaining humans are waging a losing battle against Skynet and the Terminators. Connor is not yet the supreme leader of the resistance, but is sort of an inspirational leader to everyone, making regular radio broadcasts to spur on the troops, so to speak. I enjoyed seeing Connor all grown up and in control. I always found it hard to believe from prior movies that he was ever going to be humanity's last hope.

Where "Salvation" falls short is the plot. There wasn't really much of one, and frankly it didn't really seems like anyone was really trying. Very few of the actors demonstrated any emotional range, other than sadness and rage. But, for an action junkie, that's ok. For me, the battle scenes and special effects made up for the relatively simple plot. It also didn't hurt that I was watching it on a 110 inch screen with 7.1 surround sound and Blu-Ray picture quality.

If you like action and you like the "Terminator" franchise, I think you will enjoy "Terminator: Salvation" at some level.

Ideology Rules the Day

Given that the health care debacle now seems to be all but a done deal, I think it's time I make my predictions for the repercussions of the Democrats putting political ideology ahead of the American people. And don't let the supposed "concessions" in the Senate fool you, this is all about the liberal/socialist ideology. The left wants a single payer health system for this country, but they figured out they can't get it all at once, so they've decided to start taking "small" steps. As I've stated before on this blog, if this really was about reforming health care there are many steps that could be taken that would get bipartisan support.

Anyway, here's my predictions of what the fallout of this will be:

1) The Republicans will take control of at least part of the Congress in 2010. The American public does not want this, and they've said so in countless polls. Strangely enough, when Bush wanted to reform social security, the Democrats used polls showing that the American people were against his reform plans to stop that plan. But now, the will of the American people doesn't matter to the Democrats.

2) Some in the far left will sit out 2010. The not so big secret is far left wackos like Howard Dean don't like the current plan either. For them, it doesn't punish the rich, greedy insurance companies quickly enough, and it doesn't provide enough government control of the health care industry.

3) The tax increases in this bill will stop any economic recovery, and unemployment will continue at 10% or higher for the foreseeable future. Anyone with half a brain knows you don't raise taxes during an economic downturn. But the 60 democrat senators who are voting for this are all demonstrating they don't have half a brain.

4) Obama's approval will continue to plummet. He's out of touch if he thinks this is what our country needs right now. We need to get people back to work, we need to get Americans innovating again. We don't need another federal handout and more taxes. It's the economy, stupid!

5) The deficit will increase once the expenses of this plan hit. Remember, the taxes start now, but the benefits don't start until 2013 (coincidentally after the 2012 elections.)

6) By 2028, we will have a single payer health care system.

I believe this is yet another step in forever changing our country for the worse, and it makes me terribly sad. I honestly, hope I am only correct about numbers 1, 2 and sort of 4, but mostly 1 and 2. However, I fear I will be right on all 6 predictions.

See, I'm not Crazy!

Here's documented proof that I'm not a lunatic. The latest Battleground Poll finds 63% of Americans consider themselves "very conservative" or "somewhat conservative", while only 37% of the country consider themselves "something else."

Those who have read this blog for a while will recall that I am naturally distrusting of polls, but this one seems to make sense. The battleground polling is developed by a team of Republican and Democrat pollsters who have to agree on the questions. Further, this specific "ideology" question has yielded very consistent results dating back to 2002.

I often wonder if I'm nuts, because if I watch the media or almost anything from Hollywood, or listen to what the majority of politicians say, I would have to believe that most of the country is liberal. However, in my daily life, I meet very few hardcore liberals. Most people I meet are at least fiscally conservative, and a large percentage are also socially conservative. So, my real life experience was conflicting with what I see from the media and others. This poll validates that what I experience in my daily life is the real truth of our country.

Well, why did Obama and the Democrats win then? I'll cite the old adage..."it's the economy, stupid!" It took a while for this to set in, but look at recent history. Every time this country is in an economic funk, the party in power loses their power.

This is why Obama's approval is tanking. There is 10% unemployment right now, and all Obama and the Democrats can talk about is Health Care reform. The American people don't care about health care reform when they are unemployed or living with significantly less than they did 2-3 years ago.

Hopefully one of the political parties will see this battleground poll and realize the American people are clamoring for strong, conservative leadership. Hopefully in 2010 one party will run as a conservative party that is going to reform the Federal Government, cut spending, reduce the deficit and get out of the way of the American people so that we can get ourselves out of this economic malaise. If one party can do that, they will win in a landslide.

A Very Special New Blog to Follow!

Attention Readers! I've just added a new blog to my "Blogs I Follow" list. This great new blog comes from my son David. It's the blog titled "It's David's World". I hope you enjoy reading it. Please feel free to leave him comments.

President's Say the Darndest Things

Well, President Obama is at it again. This time he is insulting Wall Street "fat cats." In a CBS interview, President Obama said, "I did not run for office to be helping out a bunch of fat cat bankers on Wall Street."

But that wasn't it, then he went on to say (sarcastically I might add), "They're still puzzled why it is that people are mad at the banks. Well, let's see. You guys are drawing down 10, 20 million dollar bonuses after America went through the worst economic year... in decades and you guys caused the problem. These same banks who benefited from taxpayer assistance who are fighting tooth and nail with their lobbyists... up on Capitol Hill, fighting against financial regulatory control."

Okay, 4 points on this.

1) Please, give the man a teleprompter. I mean, come on! That last sentence sounded like Ricky Gervais in "Night at the Museum."

2) President Obama is obviously out of touch, because other than a handful of liberals, people aren't mad at the banks and financial institutions. They are mad at the government. That's why Obama's Real Clear Politics approval rating is now 48%. But it gets better, because Congress comes in at 28.8% approval.

3) Why didn't he run for office to help "fat cat bankers?" Aren't they Americans too? Don't they have the same rights as other, non-fat cat Americans? Isn't he President of all Americans, both fat cat and non-fat cat?

4) President Obama seems to be making a pattern of insulting various groups of Americans. First it was police, when he said that the police "acted stupidly" in arresting Skip Gates. Then it was doctors when he inferred that doctors sometimes perform unnecessary tonsillectomies, just for the money. And now, he's attacking Wall Street types as "fat cats" (not to mention insulting cats).

This insulting of segments of the American people has to stop! This may sit well with his base, but it doesn't fly with most Americans. The President can't say these types of things...sorry, he has to have more tact than that. Talk show hosts can say those types of things. James Carville can say those types of things. The President cannot. He is the leader of the free world, and he is the caretaker of an office that only 42 others have held (for extra credit, which President served twice, as the 22nd and 24th President). The President has to be above it. Who's next? Librarians? Crossing Guards?

The bottom line is the statement Obama made to CBS sounded more childish than Presidential. The President should stop behaving like an angry liberal talk show host and start acting like the President of the United States.

The Worst Saturday on the Sports Calendar

Today is the worst Saturday for sports in the entire year. College Football basically ended last weekend, with the exception of the Army-Navy game today. The golf season ended long ago...I just can't get into the silly season of golf. And, I'm not a fan of College Basketball, unless it's watching the SDSU Jackrabbits. This all culminates to make it the worst Saturday of the sports year.

Starting next week, we get NFL games on Saturday, and the College Bowl season starts soon. By the middle of January, the PGA Tour will be playing, albeit without Tiger. But, I'm not a Tiger fan anyway, I'm a golf fan, so I'll still watch golf even without Tiger. Yes, I just have to get through today and all will be well in the sporting world.

Thankfully, we had a nice family day today. We had a nice morning. Then, my oldest son wanted to watch a movie, so we settled on "The Princess Bride," which made my list of must see movies. That is always a good time. Then I got to take a short nap, because I'm getting older, and old people nap. I guess this shows that my world doesn't revolve around sports. But it is nice knowing they are there for a fall back, so I anxiously await their return.

Book Review: "The 4400, Promises Broken"

For fans of the TV series "The 4400," the show ended too quickly after only 4 seasons. I count myself among those fans. While I wasn't as disappointed as some with the final episode, I did want to know more. Well, now we have a series of books to tell us more.

"The 4400, Promises Broken" is the 3rd in a series of books that have been released since the series finale, but the first I've read. My wife picked it up for me, without knowing that there were 2 earlier books. But, in my opinion, this book can stand on its own, as long as you watched the TV series.

"Promises Broken" seems to pick up a few months after the series finale. I won't go into too much detail about the book, because if you haven't seen the TV series, it will seem like mumbo jumbo. But, I think if you liked the TV series, you'll like this book. Many of the prominent characters from the show are back in the book. This book is a little more R rated at times than the TV series ever could be, especially with language. But, it never became a distraction. Basically, a good, exciting read.

Spending Our Way to Ruin

Yesterday at bowling, I saw a crawl go across Fox News that read: President Obama says we must "spend our way out of this recession." Huh? What the heck have we been doing? What was the $787 billion stimulus for if not to spend our way out of this recession? What are the record deficits for? This has all come about recently because we have learned that $200 billion of the TARP money will be coming back into the government.

There is one thing I like in the President's latest vague proposal. There's tax breaks, which I would support. In fact, if he wanted to use the entire $200 billion to give tax breaks to small businesses and corporations, I'd be fine with that.

But then he talks about infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges and water projects. That's where I get confused. Isn't that what the Stimulus was supposed to do? I thought it was all about "shovel ready" jobs to get people back to work and get our economy going again. Or was that just a load of cow manure designed to create a government slush fund for Democrat pet projects?

Sorry Barack, but it's time you use the $787 billion we already gave you for what you said you would use it for. With the $200 billion we are getting back from TARP, go ahead use it for tax breaks that help struggling businesses. And don't make it some stupidly complicated program with conditions about doing X, Y and Z to get your tax cut. Keep it simple! Make it an across the board tax cut for businesses...that will get the economy going. Or, better yet, use it to pay down some of the $12 trillion national debt. That way maybe my great, great, great grandchildren won't still be paying off our debts.

This made me laugh

Question: What is the difference between a Cadillac and a Golf Ball?

Answer: Tiger Woods can drive a golf ball 300 yards.

I had some serious qualms about whether or not to post that joke, because I feel like I'm piling on a little bit. But Tiger probably doesn't read my blog, and I thought it was too funny not to pass on.

Movie Review: Scary Movie 3

One day at work, I threw out a quote from "Airplane", which started a 5 minute discussion on great spoof films. Toward the end of the discussion, I stated that there hasn't been a good spoof film since "Hot Shots, Part Deux," and even Part Deux is debatable. At that my friend told me that I had to watch "Scary Movie 3" because it was different, not like the other "Scary Movie" films.

Well, "Scary Move 3" had Leslie Nielson and Charlie Sheen, which helped. But it's still a 2 star movie, and I'm ashamed I watched it. I will stop blogging about it now to maintain whatever dignity I have left.

Book Review: Glenn Beck's Common Sense

I finished "Glenn Beck's Common Sense" a month ago or so, but haven't blogged about it to this point. The actual title of the book is, "Glenn Beck's Common Sense: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government, Inspired by Thomas Paine." I've been trying to figure out what to say about this book in a succinct blog, and I really can't come up with a short, succinct review. However, I'm going to try.

In his one of a kind way, Beck chronicles the ever increasing control the federal government has taken in our lives, starting with Teddy Roosevelt and continuing today. Beck contends that, along the way, our elected leaders and government officials have set themselves up as a group of elitists, apart from those they represent. This separation has resulted in a sort of ruling class that is primarily concerned with maintaining their power, at all costs. I believe this "ruling class" theory, and how We The People overcome it is where Beck effectively draws inspiration from Thomas Paine's original work.

I believe everyone can benefit from reading this book, no matter your political affiliation, or whether you agree with Glenn Beck. His point of view is one shared by many Americans, and deserves to be understood. Also, Glenn Beck is a better writer than a radio show host in my opinion, so you may enjoy his writing, even if you don't like his radio show. As an added bonus, the paperback book includes a copy of Thomas Paine's original work. So, even if you don't like Beck's book, you get the original work that inspired our young nation.

Not Oscar-worthy?

In light of the "climate-gate" scandal, 2 Hollywood conservatives have called for Al Gore to have his Oscar for "An Inconvenient Truth" rescinded.

For those who haven't heard of "climate-gate", private e-mails from researchers at the University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit have surfaced showing an apparent effort to manipulate climate change data. This manipulation was allegedly done in an attempt to show greater warming, while ignoring potential cooling trends. These e-mails have led to the resignation of the director at the East Anglia Climatic Research Unit. My understanding is that the University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit is one of the foremost climate research centers in the world.

An aside...why is every scandal called "something-gate"? I mean it was the Watergate hotel! That was it's name. They didn't throw gate on the end to make it sound more dramatic or evil! Seems like a misuse of the "-gate" to me.

Okay, back to the topic at hand. In all of this I feel bad for Al Gore. First, it was discovered that he didn't actually invent the Internet. Next, he loses his bid for the Presidency and doesn't even win his home state. Then he goes off the deep end with his "he betrayed this country!" rant. Now some Hollywood types want to take away Gore's Oscar. Poor guy...what's next? Are they going to go after his Nobel Peace Prize that he won for making a movie that is completely unrelated to peace? Come on people, let the man keep some shred of dignity!

My Opinion on Afghanistan

Today, one of the people I share an office with wanted to know what I thought of the President's speech last night and his decision to send 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan. So, here's what I think (Note: I was out last night, so I didn't watch the speech).

A while back, I wrote that the President only had 2 choices. Well, apparently I was wrong...he picked choice #3...send more troops, but don't really try to win. I'm befuddled by this decision. He is sending less troops than the General on the ground requested, and he is telling Al Qaida and the Taliban when we are leaving? So, won't they just sit back and wait for us to leave? Also, won't the Afghan people be afraid to help us, for fear of retribution from the Taliban once we leave? Remember, according to Obama, we are leaving in July 2011.

In fairness to the President, representatives of the administration were backpeddling on that today, saying that date is only a goal. Either way, the President has made it clear that the US isn't in this for the long haul, and really isn't in this to win it...in my opinion. And, I'm not the only one who believes that...the NY Post says Obama is setting our troops up to fail.

I hope I'm wrong about all this. I hope this works out and we can bring our troops home as soon as possible. This is one time I'm actually rooting for Obama's strategy to work out.

But, I have to agree with the NY Post columnist on this one...why are we even sending more troops? It's clear to me that the President doesn't believe in the mission in Afghanistan, but he's playing politics in order to fulfill a campaign promise. You can't play politics with our troops...it's not fair to them or their families. If the Commander-in-Chief doesn't believe in the mission, he should just bring them all home, rather than fight a half-hearted war that will accomplish nothing more than putting our troops in harms way.

Movie Review: The Rocker

I haven't been watching many movies, other than "Star Trek" lately, but last night, I watched "The Rocker," which stars Rainn Wilson (a.k.a. Dwight Schrute in "The Office"). "The Rocker" was recommended to me by a coworker several months ago, but I hadn't gotten around to watching it.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting with this movie. I think I was expecting either ultra goofy or super sappy. Instead, I got a really nice little film, that was funny in a good way and also a little sappy, but not too much. The best way I can describe "The Rocker" is that it is a crude version of "That Thing You Do."

Rainn Wilson stars as Robert "Fish" Fishman, an 80's drummer who is booted from his band, right before they hit super stardom. Twenty years later, we see that "Fish" hasn't changed much. After losing his latest job, he moves in with his sister's family. Due to the loss of it's drummer, Fish's nephew's band recruits Fish to play with them for their Senior Prom. This starts a ride that culminates on a big stage for this little band. Along the way, we see Fish form bonds with his 3 band mates, while doing a lot of growing up himself.

I rated this one 4 stars on Netflix. It really is a feel good story that keeps you laughing. If you liked "That Thing You Do," and can handle a little crudeness that comes with Rainn Wilson, I think you'll like this movie.

A Good Use of Taxpayer Money

Today, the family and I went to play at a local park, which had flooded the last 2 summers. The park sits on a little creek, which occasionally flash floods. After the last flood, the city installed new playground equipment, and let me tell you...it may be the coolest playground equipment in history.

The main playground equipment has 1 gigantic slide and several smaller slides off its 3 levels. It also has 2 climbing walls, and several tubes and such to crawl through. There is also a smaller set of equipment for littler kids. And, there are 2 swing sets. The kids played for over 90 minutes and had a blast.

This is a rare case when I am happy with the use of my tax dollars. This makes 3 things that I'm happy to pay taxes for:

1) Roads...the Interstate System is genius
2) Military Funding
3) Playground Equipment and parks in general (municipal golf courses count as parks, don't they?)

I guess I'll have to change my favorite saying from "The only things the government does well is build roads and blow things up" to "The only things the government does well is build roads, blow things up, and build playground equipment."

The Best Movie Ever!!!

A running joke at work, to my coworkers at least, is that I think "Batman Begins" is the best movie ever. I just really enjoyed that movie...so much that I call it the best movie ever. That is until Wednesday of this week, when I realized that the new "Star Trek" had become the new best movie ever!!!

I bought "Star Trek" on Saturday and have watched it 3 times since then. I plan on watching it again tonight with a friend. I love the new direction that J.J. Abrahms has taken the "Star Trek" franchise. Of course, I'm not a Trekkie, so I wasn't offended by the changes. I just love the new look of the Enterprise interior...not nearly as "clean" as in prior movies and TV series. I love the camera work, the action, and I like the new actors playing the old characters. I especially like Chris Pine as James T. Kirk, Simon Pegg as Montgomery Scott and Karl Urban as Bones. Also, Zachary Quinto is a pretty good Spok. It's just a great film.

For those who think I'm fickle, changing my favorite all the time, I kept "Batman Begins" for nearly 5 years. Prior to "Batman Begins", "Braveheart" was my all time favorite for 9 years. So, it takes a lot to move to the top of my list.

If you haven't watched "Star Trek" yet, you have to check it out. This is a must, must, must see.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I hope everyone has a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Here's a short list of the things I'm thankful for this year:

1) My family
2) My friends
3) My church
4) My job
5) My health

Right now, #5 seems a bit dodgy. I came down with a cold on Tuesday, and I'm still fighting it today. My wife has been battling hers since Saturday. All of our Thanksgiving plans have pretty much fallen through because of this cold. So, it will be a very low key Thanksgiving at our house. Pretty sure we'll just eat and watch football. Go Broncos!

Playoffs!

My Alma mater, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, are going to the playoffs! In only their 6th year as a Division 1 College Program, the Jackrabbits finished 8-3, getting 2nd place in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, and securing a spot in the 16 team playoffs. The Jacks play in the Football Championship Subdivision of Division 1 (i.e. slightly smaller schools).

This is only the 2nd time in program history that the Jackrabbits have made the playoffs. The last time, was in 1979. That's why this success is so great...this team has been bad to mediocre for a long time. In fact, it sort of defies explanation. The Jacks have gone from a middle of the road Division II team to a top tier Division 1 FCS team, in only 6 years!

If you can't tell, I'm very excited! The only slight bummer in this situation is that their first round match up is against 11-0 Montana. The Grizzlies are the #1 team in the country. They also happen to be the team in the playoff field that is closest in proximity, geographically, to the Jackrabbits. In the FCS subdivision, they try to help teams keep travel costs down by having them play as close to home as possible, regardless of seed. So, the Jacks get the #1 team in the country.

But, on any given Saturday, any college football team can beat any other team. Here's hoping this coming Saturday is that day for the Jackrabbits. But, no matter the result, it's been a great season!

It's Not Just the Rich...Another Health Care Rant!

I saw this article on MSNBC today about the Senate's Health Care Bill. I read MSNBC sometimes to read how the far left thinks. I know, you are probably getting sick of my health care rants. But it's my blog, and sometimes I use it to vent.

Anyway, apparently, the Senate bill not only taxes the rich, but it also taxes "Cadillac" health plans. The Senate defines a "Cadillac" plan as any plan where the premium is over $8500 for an individual or $23,000 for a family. In the article, they cite the case of a teacher, who makes $46,000 a year. Her plan is a so-called Cadillac plan, which means that any premium paid, over $8,500, will result in a 40% tax. According to the article, this tax will be paid by the insurance provider.

So, what does this mean? There won't be any more "Cadillac" plans. People like this teacher, who is underpaid at $46,000 a year, but rewarded somewhat with a good health plan, get screwed. Now, I know a good liberal teacher who will say that's ok with him, but I'm sure this won't be ok with a lot of people who like their health coverage the way it is.

This article exposes a couple of lies we've been fed by the Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama:

1) This plan will be paid for by taxes on the rich. Well, not entirely...it's also going to be paid by taxing the health plans of many middle class Americans (i.e. the middle class gets screwed).
2) If we like our current health plan, we can keep it. Well, that's not true if the new Government abomination...I mean Bill, causes the insurance company providing a person's benefits to reduce benefits or cancel it all together. Then, it's not technically the same plan we liked and wanted to keep.

Look, let's see this for what it is. This isn't a real attempt to reduce health care costs and get benefits to more people. There are simpler ways to do that, and both parties could get on board with those simpler methods. This is the first step in the process of getting us to a single payer plan, favored by all the big liberals. My prediction is, that if the Republicans and Blue Dogs can't stop this, we will have a single payer, national health care plan by 2028.

And what will a national health care plan mean? It will mean crappier care for most, while providing better care for only a very few. It will mean that every election will be a single issue election, and the party that can promise the best health care goodies will win. And which party is the best at offering goodies...why the Democrats of course.

To me, that's the reason for this whole thing. The Democrats know that a national health care plan will mean long term power for their party. Sure, they may lose some ground in the next few elections. Sadly though, the Republicans won't dare repeal this mess, because the Democrats would demonize them for doing so. No new government programs ever get repealed...they just go on and on and on. Eventually, the Democrats will promise enough health care goodies to win their power back, and it will be theirs for the long run. And with that power, they will finally be able to push America to the Socialist, border-line Communist society they want us to be.

VOTA

What is VOTA? VOTA is the Christian Rock Band my wife and I went to see last night. It was awesome! But before I get to VOTA, let me talk about the opening act.

The opening act was happygolovely, a local Christian band. They were really just a group of kids, but they were outstanding. They did a terrific job getting the crowd ready for VOTA. They played 6 songs...you can hear some of their music at their myspace page, which I linked to above. I hope they find success in the Christian rock scene. They brought great energy, had a nice message in their music, and really seemed to enjoy what they were doing.

Next up was VOTA. You can here some of their music at their website, http://www.votaband.com/. Even if you aren't a big Christian rock fan, you should check them out. VOTA was doing this free concert because they had to cancel their local tour date with Super Chick and Barlow Girl earlier this summer due to bus problems. However, they really wanted to play Iowa, so luckily a local church donated it's space, and VOTA was able to put on a free concert.

Had I known how cool Christian music is, I would have started listening long ago. However, growing up, all I ever heard was, relatively lame, Christian music. But, recently I've discovered a local station that plays a lot of Alternative Christian rock. That's how I would describe VOTA's music. It's Alternative Christian rock, and I can honestly say that I like every song they played last night. To top if off, they had a good Christian message. Great music with a message of God's love...how can you beat that? They were awesome and I'm so thrilled that we went, and I'm glad we bought their CD so we can listen more often, and support the band.

My favorites from the concert were "Free to Fail", "Hard to Believe" and "I'll Go." Both "Hard to Believe" and "I'll Go" have been released.

He Just Doesn't Get it

I've come to a conclusion about President Obama. He doesn't get it! He doesn't understand that he is President of all of us, even those of us who disagree with him. George W. Bush understood this, Ronald Reagan understood this, even Bill Clinton seemed to grasp this concept most of the time.

What the President has to understand is, the campaign is over and now it's time to run the country for all Americans, not just the liberals. He'll have to shore up his base in 2012, but it's 2009 right now. He's got this job until at least January of 2013, and while he's in that office, he is President of all of us. It's time he start acting like it.

For instance, it's insulting and embarrassing when he says something like this in a foreign country (he said this while in China):

"It's very important for the United States not to assume that what is good for us is automatically good for somebody else. We have to have some modesty about our attitudes towards other countries. We think it's important nevertheless to be true to our ideals and our values. And we... When we do so, though, we will always do so with the humility and understanding that we are not perfect and that we still have much progress to make. Uh, if you talk to women in America, they will tell you that there are still men who have a lot of old-fashioned ideas about the role of women in society."

I want my President to be a man who believes in America, not someone who thinks he has to apologize for it or make excuses for it. I would argue that a majority of Americans would feel that the above statement is offensive at some level (if they could ever find it in the liberal media). Sure, the 20% of Americans who will actually admit to being liberal will like this statement (and that is his political base), but they aren't the only Americans he represents.

I don't think America is perfect...nothing of this world is perfect. But, the leader of our country shouldn't be flying around the world and pointing what he or she perceives as our flaws. Yes, we have flaws, but let's not lose sight of the fact that America is the greatest country on earth. The leader of our county should be touting all that makes America great. He should be spreading a message of freedom to the world. Instead, he chooses to make America appear weak, and in the process he makes himself appear foolish.

Monday Musings

It's time for another blog of random thoughts, or "Monday Musings" since it's Monday:

Sarah Palin: I hope she sells 6 gazillion books and makes millions of dollars on her new book "Going Rogue". She deserves it after all the garbage that came with being the Republican candidate for VP. If the media had scrutinized President Obama half as much as they scrutinized Palin, Sarah Palin might be Vice President today.

Michelle Wie: The LPGA Tour got what it needed this weekend...Michelle Wie won her first professional tournament. At only 20 years old, it seems like Wie has been on the national golf scene forever. Really it's just been 7 years or so. With revenues declining and sponsorships dropping, the LPGA Tour needs Wie to be a star. Hopefully this is the start of many good things to come for Wie.

Denver Broncos: Here we go again! After winning 6 in a row to start the season, the Broncos have now lost 3 straight and are in danger of falling out of first place in their division. It seems like the same thing happened last year...because it did! And the year before that, and the year before that...this pattern has to stop! I was all set for the Broncos to be awful this year, but they got off to a hot start, and my expectations went way up. I guess it's time to re-evaluate my expectations, as I think this down turn will continue.

Kindle: I have been hearing a lot about Kindle, which is an Amazon product that allows the user to download and read books, without ever having to actually hold a real book. I'm not a huge book reader, but I really like the feel of a book and the smell of the pages. I just don't think you can replace that. Plus, reading on a screen just isn't the same as having paper in front of you. Kindle may be for some people, but I'll still take my local Barnes & Noble, and a real book any day.

Movie Review: G.I. Joe, The Rise of Cobra

Action fans, here is a film for you. "G.I. Joe, The Rise of Cobra" tries a little bit to have a plot, but mostly it's just cool special effects and lots of action. This is probably the reason why I liked this movie...it's made specifically for action film junkies.

"G.I. Joe" starts our with the unveiling of a new weapon...a nano-mite missile, that when detonated, triggers nano-mites to start eating away at the metal. We then cut to Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayans) transporting the new weapon from one location to another. These special forces soldiers are caught completely unprepared when a mysterious team with supremely advance technology attacks their convoy. Luckily, the G.I. Joe team arrives just in time to save the day.

Shortly after this initial encounter, Duke and Ripcord join the G.I. Joes and they are off in a global pursuit of the Baroness, Storm Shadow and Zartan. They have to save the world and find out who is pulling the strings of these 3 villainous fiends. Along the way, Duke and Snake Eyes have to deal with their past histories with The Baroness and Storm Shadow, respectively. That's the lone attempt to make the plot a little more interesting.

The lack of really any good dialogue dropped "G.I. Joe" from a 5 star to a 4 star movie for me. Much like this summer's "Transformers" movie, though, plot and dialogue was secondary. I will watch this movie again, and I will definitely see the sequel...yes, there will likely be a sequel, given the way this one ends.

Sports Funny

Those of you who know me know I love sports. You also know I like to joke. Here's one I came up with today:

"Did you hear Jay Cutler sent a letter to Broncos fans to apologize to them for the way things ended in Denver?"

"Sadly, it got intercepted before it got there."

For those who don't follow sports, that's funny because Cutler has thrown 17 interceptions (in 9 games) this year as the quarterback of the Chicago Bears. He threw 5 interceptions last night to cost the Bears the game. Well, it's funny if you aren't a Bears fan.

The Denver part comes in, because Cutler was the quarterback for the Broncos last season before whining his way out of Denver this offseason. Someday I'll get over my bitterness in this situation...just not today.

Who Can You Trust?

Yesterday's blog generated a lengthy exchange of commentary between me and the commenter. The commenter asked a very simple question, "If I don’t trust them, who am I going to trust and why would I live here?" The "them" this commenter is referring to is the US Government.

I spent a lot of time thinking about this today, and I asked myself, "am I too extreme here?" As I was thinking about this, I saw the following quote from Patrick Henry, one of the Founding Fathers:

"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the Government."

Now, why would a Founding Father say that the people need an instrument to restrain our government if the government is to be trusted?

Later, I was reading "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine, and Paine referred to Government as a "necessary evil." Is a necessary evil something you really want to trust implicitly?

And then, finally from George Washington:

"Government is not reason; it is not eloquence. It is force. And force, like fire, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master."

It certainly sounds to me like the Founding Fathers of our country wanted us to be wary of our government. Further, they gave us the the tools to correct our government when they stray too far from the will of the American people.

But, let's not stop there, let's cite some examples where blind trust of the U.S. Government has gotten us into trouble.

Case #1: After 9/11 George W. Bush had the support of a very large majority of Americans, and we trusted his administration to wage a successful war on terror. What did his administration do? Well, if you listen to President Obama and the democrats, he took that trust and waged an unnecessary and illegal war in Iraq, while sanctioning torture of enemy combatants.

Case #2: During World War II, President Roosevelt ordered the forceful relocation of 120,000 Japanese Americans to internment camps, due to suspicions of spying. Some of these American citizens never got their property back. The American people trusted President Roosevelt to wage the war, and in the process he committed a great crime against American citizens.

So, should we implicitly trust our government? Absolutely not! And I think our Founding Fathers would agree with me on this. That is why they gave us a marvelous document called the Constitution, to clearly spell out what the Federal Government could do, and the proper way to amend that document should it be necessary. They did everything they could to limit the power of our government, because they knew that government was a "necessary evil" that, if allowed, would become a "dangerous servant" and eventually a "fearful master."

I think our representatives are elected to do a job for us, and we should assume that they are going to do that job in a manner that is consistent with the promises they made to get the job. However, we need to verify that they are doing what they said they would do, and if they aren't, we need to correct them. They are our employees and we are paying their salaries. We can send letters, attend town halls, write e-mails and make phone calls, but truthfully, our only real means of correcting them is to vote against them in the next election.

Really, this is no different than the expectations of every one of us who is lucky enough to still have a job in Obama's economy. Our bosses give us goals and measure us against those goals, at least my boss does. And if I'm not meeting those goals we have a little chat, and I'm motivated to meet my goals. Luckily for me, he has other means to correct me besides just firing me. Unfortunately for our elected officials, firing them is really the only option.

Finally, the commenter asked a great question "...who am I going to trust and why would I live here?" Well, I think you would want to live here, because despite its flaws, the U.S. is still the greatest country on earth. Even with the ever increasing government encroachment into our lives, we still have freedoms that citizens in other countries have never known. And, who do you trust? You trust your family. You trust your neighbors. You trust your church. Put your trust in the people around you, they will always be there for you and they will disappoint you far less than some ruling body in Washington.

The Betrayal Continues

I've been reading Glenn Beck's book, "Common Sense", which is inspired by Thomas Paine's original work, published in 1776. I'll give a full review when I'm done reading Paine's original, but the jist of Beck's book is that the political establishment, made up of both parties, no longer serves the will of the people. Instead, they rely on the people being ill informed and they foster fighting between political parties, while they remake the country in tiny increments. These Progressives (in both parties) believe they are the "experts" who understand what is needed for the "greater good" and they push that, no matter what the majority of Americans believe.

(Author's Note 11:04 pm, 11/8/09: Due to a comment I received, I feel I should explain the prior paragraph. That paragraph is intended to be a description of how things run in Washington, and not a commentary on the American people. I do not believe that all Americans are ill-informed. In fact, I believe the American people are more informed right now than they have ever been...or at least in the last 100 years. This is the reason that health care wasn't rammed through in August, and why it still faces considerable challenges in the Senate.)

Regardless of your political party, I suggest you read "Common Sense" by Glenn Beck. I found it eye opening.

Here, we have another example of what Beck is talking about. The U.S. House passed Health Care Reform yesterday, 220 - 215. This is despite a Rasmussen poll showing 54% opposed to the Pelosi bill, while only 42% are in favor of it. This is despite town hall meeting after town hall meeting this summer where Americans voiced their displeasure with this. They did this even though thousands of people marched on the capital on Friday to protest this measure.

Our representatives have said "screw you American people, we know what's best for you...shut up and take it!" Well, the good news is all 435 of them are up for re-election next November, and it's time for a change. When they no longer remember who they work for, they no longer deserve to be our public servants in Washington. This link shows how your representative voted. Remember this come election time, get informed and use your vote to send a wake up call to Washington.

Movie Review: Flyboys

I'm not sure how I let "Flyboys" pass me by for so long. This 2006 film, starring James Franco as Blaine Rawlings, tells the story of a group of Americans who went to fight for the French in World War I before the US joined the fray. The movie is loosely based on actual events...apparently very loosely if you believe wikipedia.

In the movie, Rawlings' family ranch is foreclosed on by the bank, so he goes to France to enlist as one of the first fighter pilots. Along with a group of other Americans, Rawlings flies several missions against the German fighter pilots, and eventually becomes a hero. Along the way, there is a love story subplot with a French woman, which breaks up the action nicely.

"Flyboys" got destroyed by the critics, but I liked it. I think it's a 4 star movie. The aerial dogfight scenes were outstanding. Some of the best aerial combat I've seen. The overall scenery was really well done. I'm not sure what the critics were watching...maybe it wasn't the same movie, or maybe I'm just not "sophisticated" enough. Anyway, I highly recommend "Flyboys."

The Evil Empire Strikes Again

I am not a major league baseball fan. When I watch baseball, I root for the Minnesota Twins. I also like the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies. I cannot stand the New York Yankees...or as many people call them, "The Evil Empire." In fact, the Yankees and their championship buying ways, are the biggest reason I don't watch baseball.

The Yankees just won their 27th World Series, beating the Philadelphia Phillies in 6 games. Even though I'm not a fan, the Yankees win makes me sick. The Yankees don't develop talent, they buy it. There's no savvy involved in paying the most money for the best players.

Here's a stat I heard...the Yankees have the highest paid Starting Pitcher, Relief Pitcher, Catcher, First Baseman, Shortstop and 3rd Baseman in baseball. A Yankees fan probably thinks their outfield is underpaid. But even those of us only peripherally interested in baseball end up thinking, how can my team ever compete regularly?

The Minnesota Twins have a team payroll of $67 million (23rd in baseball), while the Yankees have a team payroll of $208 million, nearly $63 million more than the next closest team and more than 3 times that of the Twins. With that payroll, the Twins are competitive for the playoffs every year because they are a well run organization that knows how to develop players. But, they are always 1 or 2 players short of being able to make a run to the World Series. And, they can't hope to sign that player in the offseason because the Yankees typically sign all the top talent.

Now I'm all for capitalism, but when a sport is setup so one team can have such an overwhelming advantage, there's no reason to watch it. It's as if the fix is in. The Twins can never hope to sign the caliber of players the Yankees can. And, if the Twins develop a good player, when his contract is up, they can't afford to keep him, because they can't compete with the Yankees on payroll.

Until baseball figures out a way to achieve a more competitive balance, I have no reason to watch it. Every other major sport, to one level or another has figured it out. In the other sports, the best run franchises, not necessarily the richest, win the championships. In football, the Patriots are good every year, even though the salary cap only allows them to spend the same or less than every other team. In basketball, the Lakers, Celtics and Spurs seem to have it figured out.

If these sports can make it work...baseball can too. And if they finally figure it out, I'll watch baseball again.

Participate in the Process

I sent the following letter to my Congressman today. I'm publishing as is...typos and all (hopefully there aren't any). I think it's important that we let our representatives know how we feel, especially on matters like Health Care Reform.

Please consider writing similar letters to your Representative. If they don't hear our voices, they can claim ignorance. At least this way they know how we feel. Also, I think we need to try to be respectful. If we are respectful, it's harder to dismiss us out of hand. I heard today that the house will vote Friday (11/6).

"I am writing you today to urge you to vote against the Health Care Reform Bill current making its way through Congress. My understanding is that the vote will be this Friday (11/6).

I'm going to be completely honest with you. I do not agree with you on much from a political standpoint. But you are my representative, and I want you to know my opinion.

I am an Engineer at a prominent company within your district, and this health care plan will negatively affect me and my family. But, I'm sure that, for every person I can name who will be negatively affected by this bill, supporters can name 1 person who will be positively effected. So I will not take this approach with you.

Instead, I'd like to discuss this as a matter of principle. I think you are a man of principle, so even though we disagree on many things, I believe you and I can agree on some things.

As a matter of principle, this health care bill is wrong. A recent Rasmussen poll shows that 54% of the American people oppose this health care reform bill, while only 42% favor it. While I understand that the Republic form of government allows for the government to go against the will of the people, that should only be used for matters of national security. If this were an election, it would be a landslide against this bill.

This health care bill is 2000 pages long. I understand that once the bill is finalized, 72 hours will be given to read it before the vote. I'm sure you are a better reader than me, but 72 hours to fully comprehend what you are voting on when it is 2000 pages long is not possible. As your constituent, I expect you to be fully informed on whatever you vote to support. Anything less would be wrong.

Finally, this health care bill helps no one until 2013. There are steps that could be taken today that would help countless Americans that don't have health insurance, and don't take 2000 pages to spell out. We can all agree that the pre-existing condition laws need to be changed. That could be addressed today. We can all agree that allowing insurance companies to sell across state lines needs to be changed. That could happen today. Rather than go for sweeping reform in 4 years, lets take steps today towards real reform, not another massive government bureaucracy that may or may not solve the problem

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please consider this when you cast your vote on this issue."

Movie Review: Green Lantern, First Flight

In "Green Lantern, First Flight," DC Animation Studios has hit on another gem. In the line of recent animated features from DC, "Green Lantern" keeps the ball rolling with a story that is told well, and full of action.

"Green Lantern, First Flight" follows test pilot Hal Jordan as he becomes a member of the Green Lantern Core. The Green Lanterns are protectors of the universe, and they are powered by their Green power rings. After being chosen for the ring, Jordan is taken by other Green Lanterns to their home base where he faces questions about being the first human to become a Green Lantern. But, when senior Green Lantern, Sinestro, agrees to take Jordan under his wing, he is allowed to keep his power ring and learn the ropes.

We see Hal Jordan quickly excel as a Green Lantern. Soon he uncovers a conspiracy against the Guardians, founders of the Green Lantern Core. Jordan is forced to choose sides, and, despite his inexperience, he becomes a force to be reckoned with.

I enjoyed this movie, nearly as much as "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies." I never really knew that much about Green Lantern as a kid, so there wasn't a nostalgia attached to this one like there is with a Batman or Superman film. Still, it's a terrific animated movie. Easily 4 stars...maybe even 4.5.

Stop! Food Police...

Put that Burger down and walk away slowly! Don't make me taze you!

What have we come to in our society when this trash is front page news on MSNBC? What have we come to when people are making a living running around and deciding what foods are bad for us and then spending their efforts trying to get restaurants to take items off their menus?

Yes, there are actually people who's full time job is to do the following (taken directly from the article): "A few months back, we lambasted the Seared Sea Scallops Salad from Macaroni Grill on the Today Show. That leafy abomination packed in 1,170 calories, 27 grams of saturated fat, and 2,680 milligrams of sodium. That’s more calories than in two Big Macs, and more sodium than you should eat in an entire day!" Yup...that's what they do, they go on the Today Show and attack a restaurant for 1 item on it's menu. And, eventually that restaurant caved and took it off their menu. Now, is that a good thing to eat? Absolutely not! But if you want to eat it once or twice a year when you go to Macaroni Grill, then go for it!

Look, I'm all for eating healthy. I should do more of it, and thankfully my wife tries looks out for me on that front. I'll be the first to admit that I could stand to lose 15 pounds. But, if I want to go to a restaurant and get a juicy burger, I should be able to do that without feeling horrible about myself, or worse yet, having my favorite restaurant remove that burger from their menu under pressure of the "food police."

Let's use a little common sense here people! Is it ok to go to a restaurant and order a 1/2 pound Super-Cheeseburger with fries? Yes! Should you eat that every day? No! The point is, treating yourself on occasion is ok, making a habit of it is wrong. We don't need the "food police" telling us what to eat and what not to eat...we just need to exercise common sense in our eating habits.

Thoughts on Cheney

Today a liberal coworker of mine stopped by to ask me what I thought of Vice President Cheney's criticism of President Obama's inaction on Afghanistan. I told him I thought Dick Cheney was right on...Obama needs to act, which I blogged about last week. After he spouted some Democrat talking points about "how Obama is waiting for the election because he needs to get this right," I pointed out that he wanted to pass a $700+ billion dollar stimulus in a week, and he originally wanted health care reform done in 2 weeks. Basically, he's tried to do everything really fast, except the one thing that all his military experts said needed to be done quickly. This simply brought out more talking points about having a friendly government in Afghanistan is what is important, and it's only 10 days until the election, and he wanted to let the Congress act on Health Care and yada yada yada.

This back and forth went on for a little while longer. Eventually this point came up in a sort of round about way: should a former VP, or President for that matter, criticize the sitting President? I asked if he had a problem with Al Gore criticizing George W. Bush when Bush was President. The response was something like..."Al Gore didn't criticize Bush this early into his Presidency." And then he walked away. I don't know why I even bother with these discussions sometimes...I just end up frustrated.

Given more time to think about this, I should have taken a totally different approach. I should have said that Dick Cheney is an American citizen. And, as American citizens, we are guaranteed the right to Freedom of Speech, so we can criticize our President if we think he is wrong. Is it Dick Cheney's fault that he gets a big audience when he chooses to criticize the President? No, not at all. And, as Hillary Clinton told us during the Bush years, it's patriotic to criticize our President.

Dick Cheney, or any American, can exercise their Freedom of Speech in any legal manner they choose. If that means speaking out against a President who they believe is totally inept on foreign policy, then by all means speak out. Heck, if an American citizen is ok with being totally wrong, they can even speak out in support of Obama and his misguided policies. That's the freedom guaranteed by our Constitution (yes Obama voters, we still have a Constitution...he hasn't managed to get rid of it yet).

TV Series Review: Life, Season 2

"Life" appears to be the latest installment of great TV shows that never caught on. I watched Season 1 about 2 years ago and loved it. Last year, NBC kept moving the night around and I lost track of the show. So, when season 2 came out on DVD, I jumped at the chance to watch it. I absolutely loved this show...sadly, season 2 was the last. It was not renewed for a 3rd season. Too bad, because I think "Life" is a 5 star series.

"Life" stars Damian Lewis ("Band of Brothers") as Detective Charlie Crews. Crews was wrongfully convicted of a brutal murder, and sent to prison for 12 years. After DNA evidence cleared him, he got a $50 million dollar settlement and a job as a detective for the LAPD. Sort of far fetched...maybe it's why the show never caught on. Because of his time in prison, Crews is a bit quirky. For example, he's always eating fruit. Also, he's attempting to acheive Zen, so he's always quoting it and listening to Zen tapes.

In Season 2, Crews is continuing his efforts to uncover the conspiracy that sent him to prison. All the while, solving a new murder every episode with his partner, Detective Dani Reese (Sarah Shahi). The individual murders in each show were the best part of season 2. Some of the best episodes included "Evil...and His Brother Ziggy," "I Heart Mom," and "5 Quarts." The series finale, "One," felt a bit forced as I think the writers had to wrap things up too quickly. Still, it ended up working.

Adam Arkin is also a regular in the series. He plays Crews' roommate Ted. Ted was in prison with Crews for shady business practices. When he got out, he became Crews' money manager. He provides much needed comic relief in each episode. At first, I found Arkin's character sort of annoying, but in the end, I decided that he adds a lot to the show.

I really liked this series. I think it's sort of a cross between "Monk" and "Bones", but ends up being better than both in my opinion.

Football Frenzy!

Yesterday was one of the greatest days of football ever, at least in my little corner of the world. I live in Iowa, so I tend to root for the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Iowa State Cyclones. When they play each other, I root for the Hawkeyes...sorry Cyclone fans. Neither of these schools is my Alma mater though...I went to Division I-AA South Dakota State University. Go Jackrabbits!

Anyway, yesterday, Iowa State ended a 32 year losing streak to the Nebraska Cornhuskers when the game is played in Lincoln. It took 8 Nebraska turnovers, but Iowa State won 9-7. They are now 5-3 and have a shot at making a bowl game. Not bad for a team that won 2 games last season.

Then there was the Hawkeyes, who always seem to play just slightly better than their competition. Last night, they played the Michigan State Spartans. The Spartans went ahead 13-9 with 1:37 remaining in the game. Iowa hadn't done much on offense all day, but as they seem to do this season, they found a way to get it down to the 7 yard line. On 4th and Goal from the 7, Ricky Stanzi hit Marvin McNutt for a Touchdown as time expired to get the 15-13 win. The Hawks are now 8-0 and lead the Big Ten.

Finally, there are the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State. They are the 11th ranked team in Division I-AA, now called Football Championship Subdivision. They were playing the 6th ranked University of Northern Iowa Panthers. When I went to SDSU, we were a mediocre team, at best, so I fully expected the Jacks to lose yesterday. But they shocked me, by beating UNI 24-14, to remain undefeated in conference play, and 6-1 overall. With 4 games left, they have a shot to make the playoffs, which would be huge.

Oh yeah, and I played golf yesterday, so it was a really good day.

Great TV Theme Songs

This week, George Wendt of "Cheers" fame, made an appearance on ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike in the Morning. During that appearance, they played the theme song from "Cheers"...without a doubt the greatest TV theme song of all time.

Then I got to thinking about it, and there really are very few great theme songs for TV shows anymore. The only really good one I can think of, from current shows, is the theme song to "Psych". I thought about embedding a video, but the only person in the world that doesn't like "Psych" reads this blog, so I don't want to offend him. Plus, I already tricked him into listening to it once this week. If you want to hear it, click the link provided.

This got me thinking though, what are the best theme songs for TV shows? To be great, the song can't be terrible, and when you hear it, you instantly know what show it's from.

While "Psych" has a great theme song, it can't top these classics.

Here's my top 5 of all time (with You Tube links provided to all of them in case you want to listen/watch). Let me know if I've missed any good ones.

5 - Growing Pains - "Show me that smile again..."
4 - Magnum P.I - Tom Selleck...the best "stache" ever.
3 - MacGyver - just a classic.
2 - Dukes of Hazzard - this is almost #1
and #1
Cheers - simply the best of all time...hands down!

Miscellaneous Friday Thoughts

I haven't done one of these random miscellaneous thought blogs in a while. So here goes:

Golf Season Winding Down:
My golf season in Iowa is winding down, and it saddens me. I don't really want to move, but I want to be able to golf year around. Today, I came up with the solution....we dome the city! It can be a retractable roof dome so on nice days we can open it up, but during the cold winter months, we can keep it a controlled 72 degrees in here. I may have to run for mayor.

Lebron James vs. W:
When asked who he would most like to dunk on, NBA star Lebron James said George W. Bush. That may be the dumbest thing ever uttered. Would that make Lebron feel like a big man? To dunk on someone in his 60's, who's a foot shorter than him? Really Lebron? Does Lebron think W would even care? This is bully teenager stuff. Every time I start to think the NBA isn't just a bunch of thugs and bullies, one of their big stars manages to prove me wrong.

Climate Change:
I miss global warming. This October has been really cold! Ever since Al Gore noticed that it's been cooling for 10 years, and renamed the movement Climate Change, it's been colder. This is the coldest October I remember. Darn you Al Gore!

Pay Czar:
This week Obama's unconstitutional Pay Czar set new wages for executives at companies that took bailout money. I sent the following e-mail to a friend (I think this is a conversation worth sharing):

"Today it's execs and companies that received big bailouts. Tomorrow it's all companies that received any type of bailout. Then, what about the companies who do gov't contracts? Why not control them as well? Then, when they can't cut exec. pay anymore, lets look at all management. Then lets cut engineers and other support personnel's pay. Then what about admins? After all, if the gov't is providing any funding, whatsoever, they should get to determine how that company does it's business. It's a slippery slope to the gov't controlling way more than just executive pay.

This is dangerous. I bet the "pay czar" never cuts union pay though. "

To which he responded:

"I disagree with your assertion that this is not Constitutional. It is one of the few things that Congress does that IS constitutional. (Although it IS unconstitutional that the Executive Branch is doing this instead of the Congress.)

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration. - The Sixteenth Amendment (Amendment XVI) to the United States Constitution ratified on February 3, 1913.

When you give someone the ability to take your money and the ability to determine how much of it they take... they already have the ability to determine your pay!

By the way, the 16th Amendment was proposed by Taft., a "progressive" Republican (who was voted out of office after 1 term). Woodrow Wilson (Democrat) then quickly took advantage of the amendment ... proposing a "progressive tax" in his next term.

The Obama "Pay Czar" is a natural extension of these 100 year old philosophies - he is essentially taxing anything above a certain amount at 100%.

Thus the warning from the founding fathers: "If Congress can do whatever in their discretion can be done by money, and will promote the General Welfare, the Government is no longer a limited one, possessing enumerated powers, but an indefinite one...." -- James Madison, letter to Edmund Pendleton, January 21, 1792.

Repeal the 16th Amendment if you don't like the effects of the Pay Czar."

Interesting take I think...Obama is really just the tipping point of 100 years of government intrusion on our lives.

Make a Decision!

I was at bowling league today and they have a lot of TV's in there. On one TV, I saw a Fox News Headline that said "Administration Split on Afghanistan." I thought, how can 1 man be split? After all, President Obama is the Commander-in-Chief, so it's his decision to make. He can get advice, but in the end it comes down to him.

For those that aren't keeping up, a few weeks ago (maybe longer), the General in command of Afghan operations requested 40,000 additional troops to turn the tide in Afghanistan. My understanding is, he plans to use these troops for more humanitarian type missions...you know, get the Afghan people on our side. Once this request went in, President Obama started deliberating...and he's been deliberating, and deliberating, and deliberating ever since. For a man who wanted to rush through a stimulus package in 15 minutes and a new health care plan for all in about 20 minutes, this has been quite a change.

Recently, Secretary of Defense Gates has said this decision can't wait much longer. The smart people that our taxes pay to advise the President on Defense issues are saying that Obama must stop deliberating and make a decision. Yet, he continues to deliberate. Maybe he's too busy campaigning for massive health care reform?

Frankly, this was one of my biggest concerns about President Obama during the election. Would he have the intestinal fortitude to be the Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces? Given that he had never really led anything prior to becoming President, I had reservations, and he is confirming those reservations every day he delays the decision.

So Mr. Commander-in-Chief, let me boil it down for you, because there's really only 2 options.

1) Do what the General you wanted in charge asked for and what your Secretary of Defense is saying you should do. Send more troops.
2) Get the heck outta there. If you really don't believe in the mission over there or don't believe we can win, you are doing our service men and women, and their families, a disservice by keeping them in harm's way.

This choice is up to you, and you alone, President Obama. This is what you asked for when you asked us to elect you. It's time to step up and lead. I may not agree with you, but if you make a hard decision and stick to it, at least I can respect that. Remember Mr. President, the title isn't Committee-in-Chief, it's Commander-in-Chief, and whether you know it or not, it's the most important job you have.

Movie Review: The Island

I borrowed "The Island" from Nuke to overcome the Netflix 1 disc plan. I've had this one in my Netflix queue forever, but it had never made it to the top. I wish it would have gotten to the top, because this is definitely an interesting, and good, movie.

"The Island" stars Ewan McGreagor and Scarlet Johansson (what a silly way to spell that name), as two survivors of "the contamination" living in a highly regulated indoor colony in the year 2019. All members of this indoor colony hope to win the lottery, which gets them to the island...the last clean area on earth. However, as our main characters soon find out, this indoor colony isn't all it seems, and they aren't what they seem.

I can't really say much more than that without giving away a lot of the plot. I really enjoyed this movie though. I'm a big Ewan McGreagor fan, and he doesn't disappoint in this movie. He plays two roles, and he plays them very well. Scarlet Johansson isn't great, but she's not awful. She has never been one of my favorite actresses, which is part of the reason why this movie has lingered in my queue so long. Sean Bean is the villain, and as always, he excels in the role.

This is a Sci-Fi/Action film. You'll need to like both to enjoy this movie. If you are just an action junkie, I think the complex plot may just drive you nuts. If you are a Sci-Fi junkie, you may get sick of the numerous chase scenes, and find yourself longing for more deep thinking plot twists. Overall, I give "The Island" 4 stars.

Political Funnies

This last week has allowed numerous funnies based on Obama's winning of the Nobel Peace Prize. I've added a new blog to my blog list. This one is from Gary Varvel of the Indianapolis Star. Lots of funnies there, including his cartoon on Obama receiving the NBA MVP, the Cy Young Award, an Emmy and Olympic Gold Medals. Check it out...it's funny stuff!

Here's a couple of other good ones I heard from a friend this week:

"Did you hear that President Obama is getting a Grammy because he listened to a song?"
"Did you hear that President Obama is going to win the Heisman because he went to a College Football Game?"
"Did you hear that President Obama is going to win an Oscar for going to a movie?"

Supporting Rush

I wasn't going to blog about Rush Limbaugh's attempt to be a limited partner in the purchase of the St. Louis Rams. I just didn't have that much to say. I know Rush loves football and he would have been a great owner. Then today, I saw that Limbaugh was dropped from the bid to buy the Rams.

This disgusts me! For one, we live in a country where, if you can afford to buy something you should have the opportunity to buy it. And we live in a country where you can refuse sale to anyone. This would have worked itself out without the involvement of Race promoters like Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and Jason Whitlock.

Secondly, Rush is not a racist. If you listen to his show you would know that. But so many people don't listen, they just judge him based on quotes taken out of context by the media. Or, as was the case this week, quotes that were completely fabricated. Rush is a conservative and has often said that he wants everyone in this country to succeed. He has also stated on numerous occasions that when he looks at people he doesn't see race, he doesn't see social groupings, he sees a person, who has the same right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as everybody else (I paraphrased that). But, because he's not PC and because he's a conservative, he's labeled a "racist, sexist, bigot, homophobe." The real truth is, it's the left that sees people for their race or social grouping.

Third, when did we come to a point in this country that free speech is only allowed if you agree with the far left. Michael Moore, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Nancy Pelosi, David Letterman and those on the left can say whatever they want about whomever they want...usually conservatives, and it's either ignored, or justified. But someone like Rush makes a comment about the media wanting a black QB to do well, and ESPN has to fire him! Would NBC fire Keith Olberman for such a statement?

Finally, the NFL has other controversial owners. Fergie, the female singer of the Black Eyed Peas was just approved as a minority owner of the Dolphins. Have you heard their lyrics? I would rather my kids hear Rush than those lyrics. Al Davis is the owner of the Raiders, and also a complete jerk. He nearly destroyed Marcus Allen's career, and he has wrecked the Oakland Raiders. Yet he's lauded as a pioneer and a hero.

Rush should have been given a fair shake by the NFL, but the left wing media and the race business couldn't allow that. There is such a double standard in this country, and it's not going to change unless we work to change it. We can start by ignoring Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. We've had enough of their song and dance. We need to quit reading the drivel published by Jason Whitlock. He could find racism in a story about a blind golfer making a hole-in-one.

And finally, we need to demand equal reporting from our media. If they are going to make a big deal when Rush makes a comment they deem racist, they need to make the same big deal when Joe Biden says “I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.” He was referring to Barack Obama, but most people never heard that because it doesn't fit the media template the the Democrats are holy and pure while the Republicans are evil racists. That's really all this was with Rush...it was a chance to wedge a story into the media template, and take down one of their enemies in the process. I guarantee that there is rejoicing all throughout the left-wing media tonight.

They're Everywhere!!!

Remember the "Demolition Man"? If you don't remember, the movie is set in fictitious 2032. Do you remember which restaurant won the franchise wars, meaning that it was now the only restaurant? It was Taco Bell. Well, I think they might have gotten that one wrong. Based on my weekend's travels, I think the restaurant that will eventually replace all others is Subway!

I know I was on Subway about their marketing last week, so 2 Subway blogs within 7 days? Am I really going to go there? Yes I am. Subway is expected to pass McDonald's for most stores worldwide, sometime soon. After driving about 1100 miles over the past 5 days and passing through and around multiple cities of varying sizes, I can report that Subway Restaurants are everywhere! Every town of 1,000 people seems to have a Subway.

In fact, as I think about it right now, I can think of 5 Subway restaurants within a 15 minute drive of my house, compared with only 3 McDonald's. They're taking over...you've been warned.

By the way, I really like Subway's food...I ate it this weekend. It was DELICIOUS!

My Heart Can't Take This!

Anyone who knows me, knows that the Denver Broncos are my favorite football team...pretty much my favorite sports team. This year, they had a tumultuous off season. They got a new coach, traded their Pro Bowl Quarterback, changed defensive schemes, brought in a ton of new players and suspended their Pro Bowl Wide Receiver during the Preseason.

I had predicted that they would go 4-12 this season. I am now officially wrong, and I've never been so glad to be wrong. The Broncos beat the New England Patriots in Overtime today to improve to 5-0! Led by a strong defense and timely offense, the Broncos continue to surprise me.

I hadn't watched the first 3 games of the season, because they weren't televised. The last 2 games have been televised, and, frankly, my heart can't take much more suspense. Last week, the Broncos came from behind to go ahead of Dallas, then had a goal line stand to preserve the win. This week, they tied the game with about 5 minutes to go, then stopped the Patriots twice, before kicking the winning field goal in OT. My heart was racing so fast when that kick went through. Don't get me wrong though, I'll take these wins over a loss any day. Here's hoping the Broncos can keep it up.

It's Anybody's Game Now

We were travelling today, and I turned on the radio during one of our breaks, and heard that Barack Obama won the Noble Peace Prize. My first thought was, "for what?" Apparently it was “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” I got that from Nuke's blog...didn't actually do any real research...in the interest of full disclosure. Apparently going around the world apologizing for perceived wrong-doings by the U.S. under past Presidents and kissing up to the U.N. qualifies you for the peace prize these days.

An aside...I actually think Obama is probably embarrassed by this. He probably realizes that he hasn't done much to qualify him for the award yet. He didn't lobby for this award, and my guess is, in a private moment he would admit that he doesn't deserve it (likely followed by a "yet"). This isn't at all a commentary on Obama. This is a commentary on the voters awarding the Nobel Peace Prize.

Anyway, I started thinking about this more and discussing it with the smartest person in our car. Here's what we came up with. We should all be happy about this! This means that all of us have a chance to win the Nobel Peace Prize and the $1 million plus that goes with it (Obama is donating the prize money to charity). Basically, you don't really have to do anything related to peace to win the Nobel Peace Prize anymore. You just have to kiss up to the World's Socialists and Dictators, or make a Left-Wing Propaganda movie and it's in the bag. Good luck next year everybody!

Movie Review: Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

The latest installment from DC Universe is "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies." I've enjoyed the other DC Universe animated features I've watched lately, and I'm a big fan of Batman, so I figured there was no way I wasn't going to love this movie. And, I was right, it is terrific.

Just to warn you, there will be more plot discussion than normal in this blog. Hopefully I'm not giving too much away. If you are concerned, skip the next 2 paragraphs. This will also further confirm my nerd status.

The movie opens with Lex Luthor becoming President of the United States. The U.S. was going through an economic crisis, and Lex swooped in to take advantage of the situation and become President. One of his first acts as President is to bring super heroes in to the government, reporting directly to him...sort of like super powered czars. Conspicuous by their absence are Batman and Superman.

When Earth is threatened, Lex reaches out to Superman, but when Superman rebuffs him, Lex turns public sentiment against Superman by offering a large sum of money to whoever brings in Superman. This brings all kinds of super villains out of the wood work to try to capture Superman, and the only hero to stand by Superman is The Dark Knight himself, Batman. The rest of the movie involves the attempts to evade capture and save the earth from impending doom.

This animated feature was really well done. The animation style is different than previous DC animated films, and a definite break from the Justice League series. I liked the new animation style overall. I've read some other reviews that didn't like it, but it worked for me. Most importantly, the key players were all voiced by the familiar voices from series past. Kevin Conroy voiced Batman. Conroy has been the voice of Batman going all the way back to the early 1990's. Tim Daly voices Superman, and Clancy Brown voices Lex Luthor. Both had previously done voice work in DC cartoons. Allison Mack, who is Chloe in "Smallville," provides the voice for Power Girl, which was a nice touch.

I thought the movie stayed very true to the characters. I liked the little bit of edge that they gave Superman. As always though, the key for me in these movies is Batman. I thought they portrayed him perfectly. Batman is aware of the impending doom for the planet early on, and is already working on a solution. Throughout the movie, there are glimpeses that he is still working on things, and when it comes time to save the planet, Batman has a plan all figured out. He also solves a murder on the way that helps them gain allies, and helps Superman through many battles. Batman holds his own, and defeats his super powered foes with cunning and skill...perfect for a Batman junkie like me.

One really entertaining feature in the movie is the dialogue between Batman and Superman. It's quippy and revealing at times. But, you get the feeling that the 2 heroes really do like each other. This movie is rated PG-13. There is language, and some more grown up themes. If you're a super hero fan like me, you can't pass this one up. This was 5 stars all the way!