Friday Music

A blast from the past , a glimpse at the TV screen of my youth.  Of course for me it would have been in black and white...

Brady versus Manning

The sports websites and airwaves are constantly full of the Brady v. Manning question. Anytime a sportswriter pens a story about Manning, the Bradyphiles go bezerk and in typical New England-I-think-I'm-Better-than-you fashion regale us with how Brady is superior to Manning. A person can never discuss Peyton Manning at all with one of these guys around, because it always has to be Brady or else. Now those of us with common sense will acknowledge we are in the era of great quarterbacks. We will rightly point out that the Patriot championships were due to a strong defense, something Manning never had in Indianapolis. Why does one have to be better? They are unique in their own way.

Bradyphiles always point to Championships as the end-all-be-all argument for the "greatest quarterback ever" somehow ignoring the greatness of Dan Marino (zero, zip, nadda Superbowl wins). Of course they also ignore the idea that if the number of rings is the only measure, than they must bow down before the greatness that is Terry Bradshaw (4). 

Now those idiots who claim Peyton Manning needs to win another championship to cement his legacy have no clue. Manning is now and will be one of the greatest quarterbacks in any era. There is no disputing this fact, whether he wins Sunday or not. If all we counted for greatness was the number of Big Games a quarterback won,  we would argue Eli is better than Peyton, and Ben Roethlisberger is superior to Marino or Brett Favre. Or even more ridiculous, that Jeff Hostetler, Mark Rypien, Brad Johnson and Trent Dilfer were better than Hall of Famer Jim Kelly.

An allegory that is probably way, way too difficult for Democrats and GOP leadership to understand

Take a page from John Lennon and imagine.

Every day you leave for work. Every day a man stands behind your property line and watches. After you leave, this man jimmies the back door and comes in your house. He eats your some of your food. He grabs a few quarters from your change jar. He watches the chicks on The View. He sneaks a few band aids from the box under the bathroom sink.

You do not notice, he doesn't take much of your stuff on any given day. After a while, you get suspicious, so you put up a fence over part of your property. He goes around the fence and consumes your stuff every day anyway: a little milk and a few aspirins today, cheese and cough medicine tomorrow.

One day, you come home from work early and catch this thief red-handed stealing your stuff. You make a call to the police, the Feds get involved, and low and behold it is you on trial. You are a hater. You are a bigot.The man is just trying to survive. Your thief just wants a better life. It is not fair you have such a nice house and he lives in a cardboard box behind the Food Lion.

In fact, the authorities tell you since he has been stealing from you for ten years and has not been caught up to now, your illegal intruder really is now a part owner in your home. He is allowed to move his extended family into your spare bedroom. The President says you have too much and you should share what you have, Your new roommate sues you because you do not have the SAP feature enabled on your TV, so he can watch in Spanish. Lawyers are sending you threatening letters because you will not let your new co-homeowner vote on the grocery list. Terms like "apartheid" and "discrimination" are used with greater frequency.

After all, it is your fault you did not catch him when he first started stealing from you.

The State of the Union preview

Edward Snowden secretly slipped me the text of tonight's State of the Union address from Obama's teleprompter. I have set it to music for your entertainment:



Tax the rich...'till they ain't rich no more...

Tax and spend -- the eternal Democrat Party mantra.

Iceberg right ahead -- it is time to panic people!

I get it, the outside temps are cold. Heck, the tidy bowl man is ice fishing in my crapper. But it has been this cold before. It will be again.  We are not in the midst of some unheard of deep freeze, with the ice creeping down from the North. It was, in fact, colder just a few weeks ago. My neighbors have left for work without incident. I will be heading out in a bit. But the City of Indianapolis closed today. The precious Government workers will sit home and watch Drew Carey on the Price is Right and munch Cheetos purchased with tax money taken from you and your neighbors. This is not a situation where ice or snow have clogged the roads, it is a result of cold temperatures, and it is a crock of steaming shit. The mayor announced the closing yesterday, before the weather event arrived. I blame the scare tactics of the TV weather people. No longer can they merely report the news, every story must be Dire! and filled with Danger!. Hell, sub-zero temperatures in January cannot even be described as "unseasonable". Closing city offices based on prediction and forecast is a fool's errand. Just this past weekend the weather hacks predicted 5-7 inches of snow when in reality we got about 1/16th of an inch -- total. It is colder than usual, but not to the extreme that the city must be shut down. Indianapolis Mayor Ballard was a Marine.  Now he is a damn Chicken Little. What a joke.

Is it just me?

Is anyone else having internet issues today?  My interwebz are all wobbly.  Certain websites won't load at all, others are real slow to respond.  My signal is good, I just cannot connect to certain websites.

I am sure the NSA is involved. I thought I heard a black helicopter over the horizon late yesterday afternoon. I suspect those are not rabbit tracks all over my backyard, but rather the tracks left by top secret footwear of the Seal Team Seven designed to fool former Boy Scouts like me. Does anyone know of a way to hide your thermal image from a sniper scope? I have already fashioned a helmet from aluminum foil. Do I need to take any other precautions?

Seriously, is any one else having internet issues today?

I flunked a personality test

I am late getting to the old blog this morning. I could blame the unbearable cold. But you don't care -- it is cold at your house too. Perhaps the wind-driven snow has compelled me to  huddle deep in my bed like a hibernating bear. Mostly, I have nothing to say to you today.

Stuff I Have Seen

Rural China 2013

Enough already

I am going to be blunt. Turn off your Christmas lights. It is not festive anymore, it is stupid. I get the weather has been brutal and you cannot take them down.  You can unplug the damn things; enough is enough. There are at least three houses in my neighborhood still burning Christmas lights every night. Christmas was a month ago. Let it go.

Here is a brand new music video from my favorite band. Watch the whole thing.



You thought I would skip the Friday music didn't you?

Dear Republican Party

It is time to decide.  Which is more important, money or votes? You cannot deride your base and expect them to vote for you. On the other hand, you can't win without money.

Decisions, decisions.

Love will keep us together. Until it doesn't

The Captain and Tennille have called it quits after 39 years of marriage. I have two comments:

1. I did not even know the couple was married.
2. I did not know they were still alive. 

Do you think the Captain sported his famous hat when Toni asked him to "Do that to me one more time"?

There will be no musical selection to commemorate this post, because believe it or not I do have standards.

This is so sad

I can't stop crying.

The tolerant left

Get the hell out New York, you are not welcome conservatives.

[C]onservatives who are right-to-life, pro-assault-weapon, anti-gay? ...if that’s who they are and they’re the extreme conservatives, they have no place in the state of New York, because that’s not who New Yorkers are. here

That position kind of reminds you of other people-loving left-leaning governments from history. You know, like in East Germany where the government was so popular they had to build a wall to keep West Berliners from flocking into the communist zone. It was Obama mentor and neighbor and former far-left terrorists Bill Ayres who said that it would be necessary to build concentration camps to re-educate some Americans. It is the progressives among us who are militant about political correctness and enforcing group think. Tyranny in the name of the "people" seems to be a common trait among the progressive-types.

What? The President is Black? When did that happen?

The Obama blames his falling poll numbers on the fact he is black. I know Michael Jackson's skin slowly turned less dark over time, but I have seen no photographic evidence to show the President's skin tone darkening since 2008.

“There’s no doubt that there’s some folks who just really dislike me because they don’t like the idea of a black president,” Obama said

Somehow we are expected to believe that we woke up more than six years after Obama started his run to the Presidency and just now found out he is a person of color? The narcissistic asshole probably believes it. Never mind he has done nothing to improve the economy, the IRS scandles, Fast and Furious, NSA spying, and the eponymous disaster of ObamaCare. Nope, Barack is certain it is his race. Does Obama realize a whole passel of the people he now brands as racists are the very people who elected him?

I can assure you my vote against Obama (twice) had nothing to do with his melanin levels, but 100% to do with his policies and his lack of qualifications. What an asshole. The first post-racial President is the main proponent in keeping race front and center.This is about as far from MLK's dream of a color-blind society as you can get.

h/t Z

Dude makes Ali look humble

The Seahawks Richard Sherman is proof that you can be a great athlete, have tons of money, and still lack class. What a jerk.

To buy or not to buy

A product spokesman's job is get people to buy the product. I never understand why some companies chose a spokesman that turns off the public. Two commercials come to mind locally. The first features the owner of a national (regional?) chain of jewelry stores. His monotone delivery has not improved in decades of practice.  Even if I happened to be in the market to buy some diamond jewelry, his "no middleman" commercials are so uninspiring I would shop elsewhere.

The one local commercial campaign that bugs me to no end airs constantly on every local radio station. It features two women who represent an auto dealership. One has a voice that sends shivers up my spine like fingernails on a chalkboard, the second voice is akin to rubbing balloons or squeaking Styrofoam. The ads are like listening to Marge Simpson's sisters trying to get me to buy a Chevy. I can stand only seconds of their inane banter before I change the station.

I am not alone in my hatred for this marketing duo. A rough survey of relatives and friends showed every single person shared my hatred of these radio spots. I once heard a guy in an adjoining booth at a restaurant echo my sentiments (anecdote -- almost as good as data). These women have annoyed me to the point that I wouldn't ever buy a car at that dealership. I would willingly pay thousands more for a car, secure in the knowledge that the profits from selling me a car will never be used to pay those bitches on the radio.

Isn't the role of a spokesperson to get us into the store, not turn us away?  Don't the ad agencies do a focus group, or take a poll to see how the public responds to a given ad campaign? After years on the radio these businesses must have gotten some feedback.

Dear Liberals, Democrats, and Obamaites across the fruited plain

What would you say if George W. Bush had boasted this:

 “One of the things I’ll be emphasizing in this meeting,” he said, “is the fact that we are not just going to be waiting for legislation in order to make sure that we’re providing Americans the kind of help that they need.”

“I’ve got a pen and I’ve got a phone,” the president asserted, “and I can use that pen to sign executive orders and take executive actions and administrative actions that move the ball forward in helping to make sure our kids are getting the best education possible, making sure that our businesses are getting the kind of support and help they need to grow and advance, to make sure that people are getting the skills that they need to get those jobs that our businesses are creating.” here

Chirpity fucking chirp. Seriously, wouldn't we all be screaming about the President taking on dictatorial powers? This is ninth grade civics, people.

Lone Survivor -- A Movie Review

Wow.  Just wow.

Of Kings and Men

Tom Rice: “Our Founders, Mr. Speaker, designed a system of government based upon a separation of powers. The legislative branch enacts the laws, and the executive branch, the president, enforces those laws. They did that to protect our very, very fragile freedom. We cannot allow those separations to be eroded. One man who can both make the laws and enforce the laws is more a monarch than a president.
“Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution requires, in part, that the president take care to faithfully execute the nation’s laws. In 1792, when George Washington was faced with enforcing an unpopular whiskey tax, he wrote in a letter that: ‘It is my duty to see that these laws are executed. To permit them to be trampled upon with impunity would be repugnant to that duty.’ “President Obama, on the other hand, has, throughout his administration, picked and chosen which laws or parts thereof he wishes to enforce … This is not a Republican issue. This is not a Democrat issue. It is not a tea party action. This is not for messaging. H.R. 442 merely recognizes that no American, including the president, is above the law.” here

I challenge anyone to argue. Any member of Congress who does not agree with this sentiment is ignorant of the Constitution, of history, of our republic.  Perhaps we should make reading Tomas Paine's Common Sense once again required reading in American schools.

It is still wierd

I watched Apocalypse Now again last night. The movie is as bizarre and strange as it was when I saw it on the big screen back in 1979. The movie is loosely based on the novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. It is no wonder the movie is strange, the book is about a dark and weird trip up the Congo in colonial Africa. One of Conrad's novellas. The Duel was made into one of my favorite films, The Duelists.

Reason 62 you wish you were me

I fried up some salmon patties last night. Since you can never get too much fried food I also fried up a batch of potatoes and onions. Yeah, yeah we had a veggie -- broccoli and cheese sauce. The wife fired up a scented candle, but the house still smells like fried foods. In fact it smells like fishy-fried foods. The best part is that there were leftovers and I know what I am having for lunch!

Are you kidding me?

Instead of wasting time on nonsense like this, * how about the Cubs focus on fielding a competitive team. Winning 50% of the games would be a nice change.

*this would be the new mascot.  Visiting sick kids is a good thing. Oh, and turn your hat around asshole.

Toe the line or we will make you milk go sour

Some days I wish I could wake up with no morals, no ethics, no sense of right and wrong,  impervious to gross hypocrisy, and no brains. In other owrds, a Democrat. As near as I can tell, Americans dying in Benghazi, giving guns to Mexican gangsters, using the IRS to target law-abiding American citizens for political purposes, and spying on Americans for having the temerity to use the internet or a cell phone are all OK; not worth discussing. A traffic jam on the George Washington Bridge -- heads need to roll. I have driven on the GW many times, and I think there was a traffic jam every time. No wonder it took a couple of months for this come out. Lane closures and traffic jams are a fact of life in that part of the world.

Let's be honest, Christie's alleged political revenge is pretty lame when you compare it to normal Democrat political payback. Just ask Vince Foster. Screwing up traffic on the George Washington Bridge is akin to the Mayor of Indianapolis digging a pothole on your street or the mayor of Los Angeles having a car break down on the 405. This "scandal" is further evidence the Republicans are truly bad at hardball politics.

About last night

That was ugly. Who the hell punts on fourth and less than one when you are behind three touchdowns in the fourth quarter? It would not have made any difference, mind you, but that is bad coaching to go along with bad offense and absolutely horrific defense.

Happy Birthday Elvis

You don't hear too many reports about The King working a convenience store in Michigan, or doing dishes in a remote California town any more. In fact, Elvis lives mostly in the hearts of our nation's elderly.

There was a time when the movie channels, AMC or TCM, would have filled the programing over Elvis' birthday with his legendary flicks. I am not sure either is even playing one this weekend. That is too bad, I find Elvis movies entertaining as hell. Sure, he played Elvis in every movie. His acting was mediocre at best. But Elvis exuded a charm and charisma that was palpable even on screen. Too often we get caught up in the art of movie making. Elvis movies made no pretense, they were a vehicle for the King to sing a few songs, and to hopefully entertain the audience for 93 minutes or so. Period. On that level they were incredibly successful.

Friday Music

I know you mostly do not listen to the Friday Music Selections. I am also aware that you are even more reluctant to click a link. Today I am asking you to do both. My mostest favorite musician ever has re-recorded some old songs and I think the results are amazing. Even more appropriate to the theme of this post is the title of the collection is "Casual Friday" .Unfortunately, there is no Youtube, and I have no idea how to put a sound clip on the old blog.

Listen here

For those of you who have heard selections from my son's band in the past, this is very different.  There is more of a pop feel in these tunes.  In addition this is a solo project. Bradley Thomas played all of the instruments and did all of the vocals. I am certainly biased, but I think the music is pretty good. Do me a favor and listen. It don't cost nuthin', unless you want to buy the songs. He would appreciate that I am sure.

Dear Democrats

Can anyone explain to me why we should not place Social Security funds into private investments? Such a plan will never work, right?

Details, details

Let me get this straight. We have to extend unemployment benefits because families are hurting. We have to expand the "food stamp" program yet again, because families are unable to keep up in this tough economy. In the meantime, we can finally have a discussion about increasing the minimum wage because the economy can support it (even though most economist agree unemployment rises with an increase in minimum wage). The President is touting the huge economic turnaround and growth in the last quarter. Which is it? Are families suffering or is the economy robust and growing?

We have to expand the school lunch program, send food home for evening and weekend meals, and serve lunch and breakfast during school breaks because our children are starving. We must regulate those same school lunches because our youth are too fat.

Millionaires like Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Barack Obama complain about the economic disparity while taking Hawaiian vacations. They tell us we are greedy but at no point do they give away vast amounts of their wealth to the less fortunate. These politicians make three times the wages of the average American, but exempt themselves from the very legislation they impose on the public at large. Obamacare is good enough for you and me, but those who passed the damnable law need subsidies because it is too expensive!

The truth is "income disparity", if it is really a problem and not mere socialist babble, has occurred most under the watch of this President and a Democrat-controlled Senate.  The Republicans have not been able to advance their economic and budgetary agenda since taking over the House of Representatives in 2010. The Democrats controlled all branches of the federal government for most of Obama's presidency. If there is a problem, the Democrats and their economic policies are solely to blame.

The news media was willing to investigate and spend hundreds of hours and millions of words reporting on a "fake, but accurate" report of GW Bush. But the hypocrisy, lies, scandal, and incompetence that is the hallmark of the current Democrats-in-charge is ignored in light of whatever idiocy the celebrity of the day is caught doing. There is no secret to declining newspaper subscriptions, failing news magazines like Time and Newsweek, and a significant reduction in viewers of national TV news. The media choose to focus on whatever maternity outfit some princess is sporting instead of the outrageous use of the IRS to target political opponents.

Just like sheep, we will wake up one day sheared of our wool, sold for dog food. We are following a vicious shepherd who cares not a whit for our welfare or that of our Nation, only if we meet his needs.

record cold is global warming

I will believe in man-made global warming when the models that predict "we are all going to die if we do not change our ways" can accurately predict the weather backwards. In other words, we have about 130 years of weather records. When one of the models accurately models what we have experienced, then I will be on board.  Until then, the whole climate change mantra is just progressives looking for means to take over the economy, your life, and your pocketbook.

More Unemployment benefits or bust!

Maybe instead of pushing to extend unemployment, the government (read Democrats) should discuss ways to spur the economy, not taking money from the working class and handing to the non-working.  Even worse, we are mostly borrowing the money from your kids and grandkids and the Chinese to give to the unemployed. Would you borrow money from your kid's college fund to help out the guy panhandling at the interstate exit? Would you break into your granddaughter's piggy bank to toss a buck or two to the wino on the corner? Why would you let your government do it? At least the WPA got labor  in exchange for a helping hand.

Instead of punishing those who create the jobs through higher taxes and the job-killing ObamaCare, we should look to ways to facilitate hiring and business investment. Of course, long economic stagnation is a hallmark of Democrat administrations and Obama and his gang are quickly surpassing Jimmah Carter as the most economic illiterate regime ever.

It looks like a poem outside

Yesterday's snow was wet and heavy. It made for a beautiful postcard-like image as it stuck in thick layers to the trees and branches. The temperatures dropped significantly and quickly just as the wind picked up, so the heavy snow is now stuck to the trees.  The howling wind is making for a dangerous situation as the laden branches crack and break. Fallen trees and branches have already snapped power lines cutting electricity to many in the area. Thank goodness we are not among those unlucky citizens. I worry about some of my trees.  The Bradford Pears are sagging heavily, as is the ornamental Japanese maple(?) that looks like an over-sized Banzai tree next to the patio. The ice coated branches of the giant weeping willow are reflecting like jewels in the sun, but that extra weight cannot be good.

Do not let the weather blogging confuse you. I have no issue with winter. In fact I rather like it.  Would I prefer a nice 75 degree sunny day with low humidity? Of course. But the change of seasons makes that Chamber of Commerce weather special and savored.

Just like you

I suspect we are metaphorically sharing a seat in the same lifeboat, taking sips of water from the same rusty can and trying to discreetly evacuate our bowels over the side without falling prey to sharks. In other words, I bet it is damn cold at your house too. We have an uncharacteristic fresh 10 plus inches of snowfall on the ground to go with the five or six inches we got late last week. Coupled with wind chills in the neighborhood of -30F, it is miserable weather in any one's estimation. I hate to blog about the weather again, but outside of football, books and TV there is not much going on in my life. The wife made some chocolate chip cookies last night.  I do have that. Be safe this Monday.

Sunday blogging with coffee, Sinatra, and snow

I have never been one to sit around in my pajamas. That is why I will never be a good blogger. That and I wear gym shorts and old T-shirt instead of pajamas anyway. So here I sit wearing yesterday's Indianapolis Colts jersey, still in shock and awe. If you do not follow the NFL, the Colts came back from a 28 point deficit in the second half to beat the Chiefs 45-44. It was indeed a game for the ages.

Over my right shoulder I glance out the window and see the snow coming down hard, straight and thick like movie set snow. The 6-10 inches of expected snow I do not worry about much. I have nowhere to go, and a couple of nice shovels in the garage if I feel the need. The minus 20 temps that will follow bother me a little.  Mostly for my ill-prepared sons, who live in rental properties. The oldest never has groceries and his old car is unlikely to start in the bone-chilling temperatures. As a parent you cannot help worrying. I am also a bit concerned about my elderly parents, but I know they will be prepared as much as possible.

Have a great Sunday and to quote a great old TV show -- Be careful out there.

My, how time flies

Good g-d it is cold. My handy iPhone app indicates it was -11 when I got up. WTF? I thought we were getting warmer? It seems just like yesterday that I posted this:

A big dose of global (not) warming is making its presence known around these parts and much of North America in the form of winter storms and cold temperatures. I am not surprised, it is winter.

Oh wait, it was just yesterday.

Here is some Friday Music to get your New Year off on the right step:



Did you see what I did there?

Same crap, different year

A big dose of global (not) warming is making its presence known around these parts and much of North America in the form of winter storms and cold temperatures. I am not surprised, it is winter. We got some snow last night and we are bracing for sub-zero temperatures early next week. The tale of the global warmists who traveled to summertime Antarctica to prove the ice was melting because of man-made global warming and found their ship stuck fast in the ice has amused me to no end. Not only was the preceding sentence exceedingly long, but the whole situation just reeks of irony.

The Military Industrial Complex killed JFK, faked the moon landing, and has hidden proof of aliens at area 51. They also have the secret to getting lime scale off your sink, but won't share it

I watched the Oliver Stone version of the assassination of JFK over the weekend. There is nothing like offering a movie review some 22 years after a movie hit the theaters, but this is the first time I have watched this movie. I did not miss anything but cinematic crap in the intervening two decades. I will not waste time discussing the acting or the script. The entire plot is so stupid it defies logic. I am not a lawyer, and I have not played one on TV, but I do know a prosecutor is not allowed to make speeches and long soliloquies expounding upon his theories. Courts demand proof and evidence and the opinion of a lawyer is neither.  No defense lawyer or judge would have let prosecutor Garrison spend 15 minutes laying out his vast conspiracy theory unsupported by a witness.  Attorneys question witnesses, not argue their case like a high school debate.

Look, I don't know if Oswald acted alone. I do know that a cabal of military, CIA, FBI, Dallas Police, and the mob did not do the deed. There is no secret so good that one of the participants would not have blabbed by now. By all accounts Oswald was a loner, a loser and not too bright. Oliver Stone would have us believe Oswald was the greatest actor of all time, a true right-winger who spent his life pretending to be a commie bastard, even going so far as to spend time in Russia and attempting on numerous occasions to defect to Cuba. Hell, if you are into the JFK murder conspiracy theories, the one presented in this book is far more entertaining and believable.