Great way to start

First off, congratulations to President-elect Obama. I am disappointed that the election turned out the way it did, but, for the sake of the country I truly wish him and his new administration the best.

Well, now that that's over, let's get to the good stuff!

On Friday, at his first press conference as the soon-to-be most important man in the world, President-elect Obama managed to insult two groups of people. In ONE press conference.

I don't understand why this would even be in his mind at such a critical media event, but, when asked if he had spoken to all of the former "living" Presidents, he said, "I didn't want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about doing any seances". Wow. Great start.

Then, speaking about the puppy he promised to get for his two daughters, he said, 'Our preference is to get a shelter dog, but most shelter dogs are mutts like me". (emphasis added)

Ouch.

I don't imagine David Axelrod or Rahm Emanuel told him it would be a good idea to make fun of an elderly widow (and millions of Reagan supporters) and scores of mixed race people across the country (well, Emanuel may have liked the Nancy Reagan dig).

He later apologized to Mrs. Reagan, but quite an auspicious start for such a sharp, articulate and intelligent wordsmith such as him wouldn't you say?

Let's hope he does better at his next press conference and doesn't make fun of a disabled child or Hispanics.

Talk soon.

At the end of the day...

Irritating phrases (not to mention irritating people) surround us every day, right?

It's not rocket science to catch these fairly unique phrases 24/7. I personally think it's a nightmare and, with all due respect, shouldn't of even brought this up.

But, at this moment in time, it is necessary.

Talk soon.

Mr. Corzine goes to Washington?

The Newark Star Ledger is reporting that Governor Jon Corzine is being vetted for a possible appointment to head the Treasury Department. *sigh*

This is like appointing Dr. Kevorkian as Surgeon General.


*sigh*

Time for the Civil Rights Industry to Shutdown

Now that an African-American has been elected President, isn't it time for the Civil Rights Industry to close its doors?

Who will help chip in for the gold watches for the Reverends Jackson and Sharpton?

Voting in District 23: A Walk-through

On the way to the polls this morning, you wouldn't know that we are on the cusp of an "historic" election that will "change" our "vision" of the "future".

The sun was shining. It was warmer than I thought it would be at this time of the year. People were just coming out of their apartments heading to work or the park or the grocery store or, like me, to the polls.

Everything was casual. No one was rushing around to try and get in on the "most important election in our nation's history" (How many times have you heard that one?). The local football team was even out doing laps and running contact drills. All is normal.

Well, until I got into the polling station. There were PEOPLE in there! Past elections, I've been the only one to walk in, chat with the little old ladies, smile my non-threatening smile, vote and wave goodbye. Now I had to wait. In a line. With other people. Madness!

So, this gave me a great opportunity to do what I do for a living. Observe and write. What did I observe? Well, the twenty or so people in line ran the gamut of demographics. Old, young, black, white, male, female. This is a true microcosm of America. The one thing that struck me, was no was really talking. You get a group of people together in a small room, all from the same neighborhood and you're bound to have a little banter. Granted, there were a couple of waves from one person to another, a smile here, a "how ya doin'?" there, but no one was really TALKING.

I guess I expected to hear, oh, I don't know, "blah, blah, blah McCain" or "Obama, blah, blah, blah". Nope. Not a thing. I kind of find that interesting considering the "historic" nature of this election. There was really no BUZZ. Maybe it was out of courtesy or shyness or based on one person who had no idea how to work the machines, ignorance. Who knows? Oh well.

Actually, the highlight of my time in line, was watching a Poll Challenger. He was a young guy with those hip thick-rimmed glasses, dark blazer and open collar shirt. I don't know if he was trying to look intimidating or he was just bored, but he just stood there and when a voter gave his or her name, he looked on his list to confirm they are actual voters (and one of his party or the other) then returned to staring off into space. I felt like that naturalist from the Geico commercials.

The line moved along, I went into the voting booth, pressed the necessary buttons and left. Thirteen minutes, in and out. Not bad.

Now, we wait to see how historic this election truly will be.

Almost forgot: Steelers 23, Redskins 6. One upset down, one to go.

Upsets

Here we are. A few hours from Monday Night Football and a day before we elect the next President of the United States. I'm hoping for two upsets.

The Washington Redskins welcome the Pittsburgh Steelers to Maryland (shouldn't it be the Maryland Redskins?) for an important game that could ultimately decide division winners, playoff berths and successful seasons.

The Steelers got caught napping last week against the Giants and came up short. The Redskins have a quarterback who hasn't thrown an interception all year. That will change tonight. The Steelers defense is tops in the league and I see them shutting down the run in order to force Jason Campbell to throw the ball more. More throws, more chances for interceptions; more interceptions = victory (see Giants v. Steelers last week).

That is upset Number One. Upset Number Two is a little more important than a football game. My "hope" is that Senator John McCain and his campaign have done something, ANYTHING to secure enough votes to win. Am I a huge McCain fan? Not in the slightest. Is Sarah Palin the next Ronald Reagan? No.

I am however, a huge fan of freedom, liberty and the fundamental belief that I know what is best for me and my future. The government is the antithesis of that. They have consistently ruined lives, businesses and futures through "well-meaning" programs that cost billions and do nothing.

Barack Obama is one of the strongest advocates for the government-first option and he honestly scares me. I want to be able to recognize the country in four years and not mistake it for Stalin's Russia, Castro's Cuba or Chavez' Venezuela. Harsh? Not in the least.

Waves of changes have swept over many countries around the world. Some are to sweep a dictator out of power; others are just efforts to get rid of an unpopular leader. This "wave" is so much different, because it's based on thin air.

What "change" are we looking for? People say they're sick of President Bush. Ok. It's been eight years and most two term Presidents tend to wear on people. But HIS policies haven't done near the damage as those of the Congress.

Housing Crisis? Congressional Democrats in bed with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
High fuel prices? Congressional Democrats won't allow drilling
Osama Bin Laden? Bill Clinton didn't get him when Bin Laden was in Sudan
Mistrust of Government? I'll give you this, both are at fault for sure

So, what "change" are we talking about? Unfortunately we may get a big mouthful of change that we weren't banking on.

Good luck Steelers and America!

What the Heck Happened?

I'm at a loss for words. I thought about writing something last night after one of the worst meltdowns in football (slight hyperbole, but hey I'm pissed) history.

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost a WINNABLE game yesterday afternoon to the New York Giants. How winnable? The Steelers kept the Super Bowl champs to four field goals throughout three and a half quarters! The Giants were on the ropes and all the Steelers had to do was play smart (not conservative, but SMART) and protect the ball and...not have a starting linebacker serve as the back-up long snapper! With two experienced centers on the roster, why the hell is one of our key linebackers used as a long snapper? Well, on a punt in the fourth quarter, James Harrison (a great DEFENSIVE player) hiked the ball clear over the head of the punter and out of the end zone for a safety. This is with close to two minutes left on the clock.

Up to that point the Steelers were ahead 14-12. Safety. 14-14. I turned it off after that.

I found out later that Eli Manning finally found out how to get the ball into the endzone for a touchdown. Giants 21-14. There was still some time left, but Ben Roethlisberger being who he is tried to get the team down the field with bravado. Interception. Game over.

I'm disgusted.

Granted 5-2 is not bad. We still are first in the AFC North, but come on! We had the Giants right where we wanted them. Talk about snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory.

The coaching staff has to think of something and think of something soon. The offensive (truly offensive) line is going to get Ben killed. BEN is going to get Ben killed if he keeps holding onto the ball so long. Sacks, interceptions, hurries, knockdowns, three and outs are going to be the demise of this team.

The defense has been superb. Well, like they say, "Defense wins championships". So there is some hope. Oh, there was one bright spot to Sunday's games: The Bengals are 0-8 http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/scoreboards/2008/10/26/3274_viewcast_recap.html

The Washington Redskins are up next. The Steelers better get things worked out and quick.

Rant over. Talk soon.

Two More Weeks

Two more weeks until we elect a new President. Ho hum.

I don't know if it's the length of the campaign or the candidates, but I can't wait until this is over. Either candidate is saying they are going to save us from ourselves, but I just can't take it anymore.

I used to love watching the horse race and all of the ads on TV, but now every time I see McCain or Obama I cringe.

"McCain is going to destroy America!"

"Obama is a socialist!"

Enough already!

The people who think that either man is going to suddenly swoop down the day after the election and make their lives easier are at best fooling themselves and at worst displaying a mind-numbing level of naivete.

The stock market will still go up and down, Al Qaida will still want to kill us and Hollywood will still pump out rehashed movies that don't make any sense. So what's the point in getting yourself all riled up?

When will it end?

Once again, New Jersey politicians demonstrate a tin ear to what their constituents want and to the state of our national economy. Only in New Jersey would they contemplate, let alone approved, a massive toll increase on the NJ Turnpike and Garden State Parkway. Have they been watching the news or talking to any of the voters over the past year? I mean, their drivers surely see what the cost of gas is here in this state don't they?

By 2012, the cost of driving on both of these horrendous roads will DOUBLE.

They say reason for the increases is to fund road improvements. Unfortunately, a lot of that money is going to go to the contractors who have given them the most support which means the cost of the improvements will be astronomical.

When will it end?

Russia, Obama and the Future

Although this article doesn't specifically mention Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, it still brings to light a troubling question: Is Obama prepared to handle a resurgent Russian Bear?

I have been disturbed over the last few months about Obama's lack of common sense when it comes to foreign and national security policy. This story just makes one cringe. If Russian President Medvedyev feels it's important to achieve, "supremacy in the air, in delivering high-precision strikes against land and sea targets and in the rapid deployment of forces" merely on the basis of our anti-ballistic missile shield in the Czech Republic and Poland, we are facing some really troubling times.

Most polls (national and state) are showing Obama is in a position to win this election. Is he prepared? Is McCain? I guess you could ask is anyone prepared for something like that, but in Obama's case, I really don't think so. Either way, it's pretty damn scary stuff.

It is imperative that we maintain our position as a superpower and do whatever we can to keep others off balance. Especially power-hungry, behind the scenes operators like Vladimir Putin.

Remember the threats out there: Iran, Venezuela, Russia, China, Syria and North Korea among many others. The potential for a domino of increased threats from southeast Asia, through Southwest Asia, the Middle East and Europe is real. Now is the time to keep our eye on the ball, here and overseas.