Alan Keyes is a Crazy Person

LA Times via Kos

By Keyes' estimation we only have about 4 years left to enjoy the US of A so live it up! What happened to this guy? I know he's always been on the fringe, but he's really gone to the zoo now.

Change

That was special. The first black President of the United States is Barak Obama. He swore the oath of office on the same bible President Lincoln swore his oath. President Obama will be living in the White House which was built by slaves. This inauguration day's historic significance has been proclaimed countless times by countless talking heads since November 4th, but I am still struck by it. January 20, 2009 was a day for Americans to be proud of their country.

I've always been sappy about America. I don't think the US is without it's faults, but despite those faults my national pride has always heavily outweighed any embarrassments I may have. If election day is the super bowl of politics and government, inaugurations are the trophy presentation. They are the celebrations of accomplishments past and present.

Inaugurations days are an orgy of delight for me. I love the traditional military pomp and circumstance, Hail to the Chief, the peaceful transfer of power, the simple and meaningful oath of office, the inaugural balls, and the overall celebration of our country and it's new president.

President Obama gave a bit of a somber inaugural address which I found appropriate for the time we are living in. I thought he ended the address particularly strong.



"Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter;" was probably a reference to our current economic hardships, but to me and I can hope to President Obama it also means the idea of America--a country that leads by example and does what is right even when it is not the easiest path or as a previous president liked to say, "a shining city upon a hill."

This shining city has lost much of it's luster over the past eight years. I hope President Obama and the rest of the elected representatives in Washington can once again give Americans a country to be proud of without a hint of embarrassment or reservation.

Go Away

How do either of these clowns sell any books? American conservatives would be better off in a world without Ann Coulter and Bill O'Reilly. Both are guilty of being bold fresh pieces of bullshit.

President-Elect

I didn't vote for him, but it is still a good night for the United States of America.

Hopefully I cast the wrong vote and President-Elect Obama is indeed the right man for the job.

Prediction

October Surprise?

To anyone paying close attention to this race the above audio isn't a surprise. Senator Obama believes in the redistribution of wealth. Does this make him a bad person? No. Does this make him unamerican? No. However, I do have a problem with his attempt to conceal this belief from the American voters. It is just as bad as President Bush concealing he was a big government advocate during the 2000 campaign.

This revelation also underlines the worries about his lack of a record. Who is Barack Obama? It was arguably a racist and fear mongering question before, but now it suddenly becomes a very legitimate question. What other economic, social, or judicial philosophies is he trying to keep under wraps until November 4th?

The Obama campaign should be thankful for their large lead at the moment. They should also be thankful this didn't come out earlier this month. I think it will narrow the race. The huge blowout that seemed inevitable is now unlikely. Undecided voters are going to break for Senator McCain in a big way.

Making up 7-8 points in a week is a tough needle to thread. I doubt it can be done, but this race sure got a lot more interesting.

Goodbye Part 2

What a roller coaster the last month and a half has been. It all started in early March. Three time NFL MVP and face of the Packers franchise for 16 years, Brett Favre, retired from the game of football. Then came small grumblings of Favre considering a comeback. Then came an interview with his former QB coach Steve Mariucci in which said he would consider a comeback if Aaron Rodgers were injured. Then came the bombshell. Early July Chris Mortenson of ESPN reported that Brett Favre contacted Packers' head coach Mike McCarthy to let him know he was seriously considering ending the retirement that began only months ago.

I personally first heard the news on the radio while driving in my car . A smile immediately formed on my face. Brett Favre is all I've really known as quarterback for the green and gold. I love watching him play and find it hard to imagine another player ever topping him as my favorite player of all time. I was excited for the possibility of another deep playoff run lead by number four. Then came the drama.

Turns out that the front office of the Green Bay Packers didn't share my enthusiasm. What followed was hard for me to watch. The team I will cheer for till the day I die was at odds with a player that I, for the lack of a better word, love. Release demands, bribes, long conversations, and more rumors then I can count have filled the last month plus. Then came the trade.

Late last night this sideshow was put to an end. Possibly the greatest Packer to ever play the game was traded to the New York Jets. So the question that remains is who's at fault?

This could be potentially debated for years and years to come. I'll take the easy way out and say its both Brett and the organization's fault. One thing that I feel can't be denied is that Favre handled this about as poorly as possible. He retired when he shouldn't have. He revealed his intentions to play in a way that caused a huge distraction for his teammates. He strung this out for weeks and weeks and weeks because he was unable to fully commit. He refused to put bad feelings behind him and rejoin the Packers. He refused to talk to other teams interested in trading for his services until just a couple days ago.

The front office lead by general manager Ted Thompson is certainly not without fault. They probably made Brett feel rushed to make a decision. They communicated poorly with Brett. They handled public relations about as badly as they could have. They were too dogmatic in their stance on Aaron Rodgers as starter. They miscalculated Brett's desire to return.

One thing needs to be kept in mind. Both parties were put into a difficult and unique situation. Swiss clock precision by either side was an unrealistic goal.

The final question which should be answered fairly quickly is was this the right move by the Packers? I think you'd be hard pressed to find a Packer fan (though there are a few) that wouldn't want Brett back this year. The divide in the fan base is between those who want Brett back and don't understand why Ted Thompson forced him out and those that want Brett back but understand why management did what it did. Consider this.

Unlike the previous couple years, Brett didn't work out with a personal trainer in the offseason. Throwing the ball around with the local high school team is all well and good, but at Favre's age he should be doing more focused workouts under the supervision of an expert not less.

In Brett's retirement press conference, he questioned his desire to do the things necessary to be successful come game time--meetings, offseason workouts, game film, practice, training camp etc. He also questioned whether he ever wanted the ball in his hands with the game on the line again.

The potential for a divided locker room could be realized. Even if the Packers did an open competition, it could end up being close and half the locker room could think one QB won and the other half the other QB won. Also the team is full of mostly younger players who haven't played with Favre all that long. They might think it unfair to take the job away from Aaron Rodgers since, unlike Brett, he has been committed to the Packers the entire offseason.

I hate this situation and wish it never happened this way. However, I will support the Packers and Ted Thompson. He has built a young and talented team and we as a fans should be grateful. Despite all the mistakes he has made this offseason, I still think highly of Brett Favre and will always be an apologist and fan of number four. He would have to pull an OJ to undo the 16 years of excitement, entertainment, and joy he has brought me watching him play the position of quarterback like no other.

Don't give into your need to find someone to blame. Sometimes things just happen.

Go Pack, Go Jets.