This weekend was amazingly busy in terms of news and events, and I wanted to at least get some thoughts on all of them, but I didn’t really want to dedicate an entire post to any one of them. Thus, Blog Jambalaya!(basically just an extended version of “Thoughts at the Closing Bell”)

• On the news of Joe Paterno’s death yesterday, my wife turned to me and said, “I feel bad for him.” She was somewhat taken aback by my response of “I’m not.” I realize how callous that may sound, but let me explain. He spent forty-some years as the face of Penn St. football. He won two national championships, and built the school into a powerhouse. Through a combination of  own donations and the giving he was able to attract to the campus, he turned Penn St. into a research powerhouse. He built a program up that churned out hundred of men who became leaders of business and politics in the country. Joe, it should also be noted, was a devout Catholic, a member of the Knights of Columbus even. Unfortunately, like the church he loved, he decided to turn blind eye when allegations were brought to him that someone in his midst was abusing children. It’s not surprising, many men of his generation and background found issues like that “too uncomfortable” to deal with head on, and his own recent interview revealed as much. Joe Paterno died a mere two months after quitting and then revealing his cancer battle. He knew when he turned his eye blind towards those allegations that the chickens might eventually come home to roost; lucky for him, he only had to deal with it a short time. He built an amazing legacy, and while this scandal will taint it, it cannot erase or remove it. So no, I do not feel sorry for him particularly. He was blessed with an amazing life that, like so many of us, had both its moments of pride and it’s moments of shame. His family, though? I do feel sorrow for them, because they will have the dual remorse of their father’s death and their father’s moment of moral faltering thrown in their faces while they deal with their grief. To them, I give me thoughts and prayers.
• Newt Gingrich pulled off the surprise win of the election cycle so far, roaring back from disappointing finishes in both Iowa and New Hampshire to finish first in South Carolina with a whopping 40% of the vote. That’s even slightly better than Mitt did in NH, a state he claimed as a second home! What does this tell us? 1) The evangelical/hardline conservative vote in the South does not trust Mitt, bottom-line. Today, Joe Scarborough mentioned on “Morning Joe” that he grew up in the evangelical South and that it’s a false narrative that evangelicals distrust Mormons. Umm, Joe, I was the son of an evangelical preacher and grew up in an Assemblies of God church in Alabama – evangelicals DEFINITELY don’t trust Mormons, and do consider them a cult. 2) The twin desire to beat Obama, but also give the finger to the “establishment” of the party may in fact propel Newt the whole way, despite his shortcomings. I present for example – Newt’s ex-wife (his 2nd wife overall) gave an interview that Newt asked for an open marriage after revealing that he’d been having an affair with Calista for six years, and the evangelicals still overwhelmingly supported Newt. Seriously, if he gets the nom, Republican’s forfeit the right to EVER talk about Bill Clinton’s cheating ways again. 2a) Added to point two: Given what I just said, Santorum was sitting right there as an alternative for the hard-right, a guy who would literally go to war against abortion and who has a happy marriage free of divorce: conservatives still passed and voted for Newt. If Santorum can’t win in S.C., his campaign is dead going forward, simple as that.
• So with all of that said, am I watching the debate tonight after skipping last weeks? You bet your ass I am.
• We’ve got a rematch of the 2008 Super Bowl with the Patriots and the Giants bringing their talents to Indiana Beach. Both teams had to slug their ways into the game, with the Patriots benefiting from a shaky Billy Cundiff kick that lost it for the Ravens, and the Giants reaping the rewards of Ted Ginn Jr. being on the DL with a knee injury by abusing the hell out of kick return replacement Kyle Williams. I think it will be a great game, actually, and I like the Giants odds. They have just as impressive a defense as the Ravens, and a much better offense. Indianapolis fans are talking themselves into this as well, as they get to root for a Manning, and they’ll need something after putting up with gloating Patriot’s fans in the two-weeks leading up to the game. So I’m taking the Giants, 31-28.
• It’s Chinease New Year, and this year is the Year of the Dragon. It’s supposedly the luckiest of all the years, so that’s good news for everyone! However, if you are a Dragon, that’s bad news for our relationship, as I am a Dog: “Animosities and strong conflicts. Cannot trust or comprehend one another. Unable to resolve their differences. Highly incompatible.” As a side note, I just mentioned I am a Dog, and even more specifically, my sign is a Dog born in the Yang Water element time frame. Here’s a description of people born of the element Yang Water: “Water people are good communicators, writers, and intermediaries. They are pretty much always in learning mode, and love to travel. They tend to move with a fluid motion and are likely very good dancers. The Yang Water type is likely to be self-directed, expressive, and travel extensively. They are likely to be smooth talkers.” What do we think, people? Does this describe your humble author?
• Next week is our first baby shower, being thrown by Holly’s sorority sisters in Indianapolis. I’m driving Holly there, and will make an appearance to say hello and chat with the many whom I also count as friends. However, do not expect to hear me come back with stories about playing games involving toilet-paper squares. I’ll be out reading and drinking coffee by then (and yes, by coffee, I may or may not have meant a beer). *Side note – this game sounds like a HORRIBLE idea for women. “Congratulations, your belly is almost the size of a women 34-weeks pregnant!”
• This week begins my return to running and, specifically, marathon training. I’ve taken the last two-and-a-half months off to allow my legs to rest and my foot to heal (I’d developed a mild strain/hairline fracture in my right foot). My target race is the Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon in Louisville, KY on April 28th, 2012.
• If we can’t believe in Heidi Klum and Seal, who can we believe in?!?!?! The Daily Beast gives us some options here.

Ok, that’s all for now, kids. One love to you all.

Essentially, the legislation’s overall aim was to attack online piracy and copyright infringement by providing for amped up punishment and confinement tactics against sites alleged to be using protected materials.  The key here, however, is the word alleged, and this is where the majority of the controversy derives from. Currently, one company can accuse another of infringement, and they can duke it out in the courts. Under this legislation, however, financial service companies would be forced to freeze any and all payments to companies accused of such infringement. This more recent article from HBR contributor James Allworth describes the battle on this legislation as essentially a battle of “Innovators v. Goliath”. Entrenched, older media companies would have all the incentive in the world to accuse potential up-start rivals of piracy, thus choking off their revenue streams.

As of this morning, it appears that the efforts of these companies has potentially paid off, as several co-sponsors of the bills have withdrawn their support. This does not mean that the legislation is dead, and you can be sure that those large companies and their lobbyists who originally wrote supported the bills will not let them die without a fight.

Personally, I feel that while the arguments pitched by these companies is slightly exaggerated (the same arguments were made when the original internet anti-piracy legislation was written in the ’90s, yet the internet has surely endured), I am glad to see this legislation halted for now. Why? Because, as Jon Stewart so amazingly pointed out last night in his telecast, this legislation was just one more example of Congress attempting to pass laws that they didn’t really understand! Congress has become so dependent on lobbying houses to bring them already crafted legislation to simply slap their names upon, that Congressmen and women are no longer required to actually understand every detail of what they’re doing. As we get into real areas of science and technology, it becomes even worse. Congress can debate their beliefs on climate change without ever having read an actual scientific study or paper. They will attempt to pass laws effecting the flow of commerce and development in the internet era without understanding what an IP address is. Congress’ motto should become “Don’t explain it to us; just let us make it law!”

Betty White – The Symbol of our love of Television

Monday night, there was a GOP debate held in the great state of South Carolina. As many of you know, I pretty much can not turn away when one of those is on the air. However, this particular Monday night, I found another distraction: The Betty White 90th Birthday Celebration on NBC. Once I saw that this was going to be on, my DVR alerts were set! However, as I started watching it with Hol, I wondered to myself, “Why do I love her so much?” I mean, honestly, why do we as America love Betty White so much? Especially my generation, who are slightly too old to have really been Golden Girls fans, her last sitcom. We watched it as kids, but you don’t see the same generational attachment to Rue McClanahan. Yes, White has done several guest roles in movies over the last decade.

However, as I watched the special unfold, a theory came to me. You see, Betty White’s first television role was in “Life with Elizabeth” in 1953, a competitor with “I Love Lucy”, which premiered in 1951. White has been on our television sets essentially since the birth of television, rarely leaving it for to long. As her sitcoms left the air, she remained a presence through guest spots and appearances on different game shows. Because of this, we as a society feel like we aren’t just familiar with Betty, we feel like we know Betty. We love her charm, her humor, the graceful way that she has embraced her age and not gone the route of plastic surgery that so many other older actresses follow. She is our societal grandmother, and we all wish we could just hang out with her (those gentleman that go further and say they find her “sexy” and that they would “totally bang Betty White” . . . I can’t say what really drives those comments). Betty White, I’m a fan. Thank you for being my third grandmother.

Thoughts at the closing bell:

• I was working on the top ten accounts in my pipeline yesterday, and followed it up with an on-campus meeting here with a local university. With all the other activity I’ve also seen here in January, I gotta say – I’m pretty freaking stoked for 2012.
• The Tiger’s season hasn’t even seen pitchers or catchers report yet, and already our chances at a repeat of the AL Central Crown have taken a huge hit. This also has a very severe impact on my fantasy baseball team, the Martian Rockstars. Sigh.
• “Justified” had its season 3 premiere Tuesday night. Seriously, if you haven’t given this show a chance yet, you’re probably just a communist and I hate you. Ok, that was very extreme, I apologize.Seriously, though, check it out if you have FX and like westerns, rednecks, and/or crime dramas.
• Hol and I went to our second baby class last night. I’m pretty confident I could administer the epidural if needed. Also, here is the baby’s new crib. She will now sleep better than us.
• Speaking of television, “Mad Men” season 5 promo posters have been released. I want. Now. Gimme. (UPDATE: I sent a link to these posters yesterday on Twitter. At the time, I did not realize that they were not officially from AMC, but were self-initiated by a South African design firm, Radio. Apparently, the official AMC promo poster is garnering a lot more controversy).

That’s all for now, kids. One love to you all.

On Monday morning, Doug and myself headed to Hertz to pick up our rental car. On the way there, it started snowing fairly heavily, the first real snow this winter here in Cincinnati. We shook our heads at our luck, but didn’t think much about it until the way back to my house, when a large Suburban hit some black ice and spun 180 degrees right into the lane, and right into Doug’s path (I was leading about five-car lengths ahead, and watched the whole scene in my rear view mirror). Somehow by the grace of God, Doug was able to swerve at the last-minute and miss the other vehicle. However, this caused both us to be a little more tense as we made our way out-of-town that morning. However, by the time we reached Nashville, the weather started letting up, and it was relatively smooth sailing the rest of the way into Birmingham.

That night, we stayed with my friend Patty. We invited a few of my other fraternity brothers over for some pizza and beer while we watched the Fiesta Bowl, praying for an Oregon victory (with the room being predominantly Bama fans, there was a strong anti-Cowboy sentiment). Before the night was over, however, my Dad called to check in and make sure we were on schedule. At that time, he dropped a little gem on me, “Hey, just to let you know, I was actually given some suite tickets, so we’ll probably check those out and decide whether we want to sit up there or in our seats down on field level.”

Doug and I got into New Orleans around 1:30, and after a few hours of revelry on Bourbon St. and the French Quarter, we eventually met up with my Dad and his stepson-in-law, Dean. We decided to go straight to the suite and check it out. What did we find? A suite on the 45 yard-line, with plenty of TVs for replay purposes. What else did we find? Free beer. A whole two boxes of beer had been left by the previous suite occupants. The choice, my friends, was clear. However, at no point did we realize just how great this night would become. Eventually, the occupants of the suite next to us appeared. They were a group of student-athletes’ being recognized for the civic leadership. Who was among them? The newest Heisman Trophy winner, Robert Griffen III, better known as RGIII! As you’ll see in the picture, we eventually grabbed his attention and got some pics with him. In the same booth, we also ran into former Michigan coach and the last man to lead the Wolverines to a National Championship, Lloyd Carr. Did I even mention yet that Michigan won????

I can’t say enough how fun this trip was, even if it was an exhausting marathon of driving. Thanks to my Dad for the tickets, and thanks to Doug for being a willing co-conspirator.

Iowa gets all caucused up

At the same time we were stalking RGIII, Iowans were meeting up in their respective counties to caucus for the Republican Presidential Primary. In the days before the elections, candidate Rick Santorum began to have a last-minute surge, based on the fact that the evangelical base of the state came to their senses on Newt Gingrich. He did not squander this opportunity, and came within 8 votes of the eventual declared winner, Mitt Romney. If I’m Romney, I couldn’t have asked for a better result. Not only did I win a state that I haven’t really campaigned in all the heavily (at least compared to NH and other states), but now my main rivals are all knotted up competing for the same votes. Romney will most likely cruise on to victory in NH, and the question will be whether Santorum can raise up in the polls enough to claim at least a partial victory, whether Huntsman can make any final move (he just received the endorsement of New England’s largest paper, the Boston Globe), or whether Paul or Gingrich can grab some extra steam headed into the South.  (For giggles, here’s how The Daily Show broke down the caucus results).

At the end of the day, I think this just goes to show that this race is still just Romney’s to lose, and I don’t see him loosing it. Too much money, too much ruthless efficiency. He’s the robot candidate, and you must submit to his will.

Thoughts at the closing bell:

• While I am excited about the return of Michigan basketball, I must admit, my sports fan fire is about to go into hibernation mode once the Lions get bounced from the playoffs in the first round by the Saints. Can we fast forward to March Madness and the arrival of pitchers and catchers to Spring Training?
• This clip is from the December 17th SNL with Jimmy Fallon. It’s Beethoven introducing his orchestra. In case you missed it, you’re welcome.
• The rumors continue to grow that Will and Jada Pinkett Smith are getting divorced. If that means he’ll get back to kickin out these sweet jams, than divorce away.
• Economic reports today indicate that the economy added 200,000 jobs and the Unemployment rate fell to 8.5% this month. If it gets down to 8% by this summer, do ahead and put in your wagers for a second Obama term. That’ll be solid money.

That’s all for now, kids. One love to you all.

* Become a father (ok, Hol will have a pretty big hand in that as well)

* Buy a new car (our small VW Cabrio isn’t really a ‘family’ vehicle)

* Sell our house (at least the economy has rebounded beautifully . . . oh wait)

* Move to Palo Alto, CA or somewhere right next to it

All of those small items are just within the first six months of the year. As this list started to really hit home, I was searching for the nearest bag to hyperventilate into. Add on that I’ll turn 30 within that same time frame, and I was quickly wondering if there was a “delay” button that I could hit somewhere and buy myself a few more months to get prepared. It’s not that I don’t want all of those things, I do; it’s the thought of pulling it all off in a six-month time frame that is freaking me out a bit.

Normally, these year-end posts are dedicated to my goals for the coming year. In the past, these goals have been related to education, employment, or fitness. This year, it seems like my “Life” to-do list is already pretty long enough. Still, there are things I want to accomplish for myself, especially now that education is done for a while and my employment status is much more secure than it was this time last year. As I went digging through some very old writings of mine from five years ago and older, I realized that there is still plenty left that I want to accomplish, that I need to accomplish.  I’m still not the leader that I want to be, that I know it’s within me to be.

So for 2012?

*Become involved and committed with a non-profit or charity organization

*Get more connected to local political organizations (especially after we move)

*Become connected and involved with a local chamber of commerce or business organization

*Run two more marathons, getting to under a 4 hour mark in at least one of them (I was at 4:12 for the Monumental Marathon in November)

So that’s my hunting list for 2012. I will make this happen. Education squared away, employment squared away; it’s time to keep branching, to keep growing. Stagnation is intolerable.

My own “Super Tuesday”

The phrase “Super Tuesday” normally refers to the Tuesday in March of election years, when the majority of states hold their primary elections. For me, however, this coming Tuesday will be its own kind of super. A few weeks ago, my father mentioned that he though he could get us tickets to the Sugar Bowl if Michigan managed to finish the season strong and get into that game. He’s work at a car dealership in Mobile, and knew some people with connections to Mercedes-Benz, the naming sponsor of the Louisiana Superdome where the Sugar Bowl is played. Well, Michigan did it’s part, and then Pop’s followed up with his.

As I thought through getting down there, it become evident that flights into New Orleans were going to be insanely expensive. Since I had an extra ticket (he’d gotten it with Hol in mind, but her work schedule doesn’t allow for a mid-week trip), I thought that a road trip with someone else might be a viable idea. However, I figured it needed to be someone who was also a Michigan fan to make them want to spend the money and driving time on a rental car and gas. That’s when my buddy Doug’s name popped into my head. He was one of my groomsman, still a good friend, and a big Michigan fan. I shot him an email, and it was a done deal. So Monday we’ll leave to begin a road-trip which will culminate with Bourbon St. and the Sugar Bowl.

Wait, there’s more??!?!?! That is also the day of the Iowa Caucasus. The political junkie in me is as happy as a little school girl. At this time, Ron Paul is the poll-leader there, with Mitt sitting in second. Mitt couldn’t hope for a better scenario, because Paul has no shot anywhere else outside of Iowa. Mitt just needs a strong second-place there, and then a win in New Hampshire. He’d cruise from that point on. I’m not particularly a Mitt fan by any means, but if Huntsman can’t have a chance (which I’m becoming more resigned to that fact), then Mitt is the only choice given the rest of the “clown-car” that is the Republican Primary field.

The Sugar Bowl, Bourbon St., and the Iowa Caucasus? Super Tuesday indeed.

Thoughts at the Closing Bell:

• Made out pretty good for Christmas, getting a very nice frame for my law degree, some camping and running supplies, a ton of books to fuel me through the winter, and some other nice odds and ends. Oh, and enough candy and sweets to ensure that I’ll be a good 100 lbs overweight by Spring. Just in time for bikini weather!
• Big shout out to my fraternity brother Josh Buckley! He finally landed a job after the newspaper industry put him on the dole for the previous year. He took what would be a tremendously tough year for any person with a ton of strength, resilience, and humor. Congrats, Buck!
• The Lions have 10 wins, and are headed to the playoffs, possibly at even a five-seed. I can honestly say I was never sure if I would get to say something like that in my lifetime.
• My last post received more one-day hits than any posts I’ve written in the previous five years of this blog. I get it, people – more posts about welfare!
• We are now in the winter doldrums of the TV season. It will be another few weeks before any of the network shows are back with new episodes. However, with spring just around the corner, there are quite a few shows that will be coming back that I am VERY excited about, including: Justified (Tuesday, Jan. 17th); Mad Men (most likely March 25th); The Walking Dead (this season resumes Feb. 12th); and Game of Thrones (April 2012). Also, if you’ve been hearing about The Walking Dead but haven’t seen it yet, they’re running a series marathon all day this Saturday. Mark it down, you won’t be sorry.
• Along with the last note, I’m now into Breaking Bad on Netflix. I’m not mad anymore that Bryan Cranston beat Jon Hamm for all of those Emmys. Deserved, period.

2011 was a hell of a year. I got a job that I truly enjoy and that allows me to fully support my family. I’ve been able to spend more time this year with some of my closest friends and fraternity brothers than I have in several of the years past combined. Most importantly, Holly and I found out that we’d be welcoming a new addition to our family. As awesome as 2011 was, though? 2012 is going to blow it out of the water. Let’s go!

That’s all for this year kids. One love, and Happy New Year.

In and of itself, this isn’t a wholly unfair argument. There are abuses in the current government aid programs. My wife can offer similar examples of seeming abuses by patients on government medical assistance.  My worry comes from the logical path that many of the commentators on this post then begin to journey down. Common responses to this post and others of its stripe are, “We need to scrap welfare, period!”, “Get rid of all government handout programs!”, and “The church used to take care of the poor, they can do it again!”. So your argument that because there are some abuses in the system, that the system should be scrapped in general.

Well, how about this: a few years ago, I don’t know if you heard, but there were some abuses on Wall Street. There were some companies who knew they were packaging together worthless securities and selling them for billions, playing with people’s retirement money, playing with the money of pension funds or retirees who would have no chance to earn income again because of age/infirmity, and essentially throwing that money out the window. The worst were the people like Bernie Madoff, who straight up stole money. The slightly-less-worse were those who were essentially inventing value for products that, they admitted, they had no idea how to properly value. So you know what, because Wall Street and the Financial Sector has shown itself of being incapable of perfection and absence of malfeasance, we should probably just scrap it. Get rid of it all, nothing but small banks, and an Islamic-style banking system that refuses interest and speculation.

Now, I don’t believe in this for one minute. The American financial system developed for a reason, because it was believed 300 years or so ago in the time of “The Wealth of Nations”, that an economic system allowed to develop on its own and essentially make its own rules could free the hurricane of economic growth, and this proved to be true, and America grew into a powerhouse. The American financial system was created in direct response to what was seen as a need: a free-market.

The American welfare state, the “great society”, was created for similar reasons, and grew in response to similar needs. Your Ron Paul’s would tell you that everything in America was just peachy for everyone, and that we created the Government behemoth for shits and giggles. Glenn Beck would tell you Theodore Roosevelt was a Progressive simply because he was a sadist and wanted to bring Communism to America. Nothing could be further from the truth. In the late 19th and early 20th century, wide-spread disparity, poverty, and consistent cycles of economic instability in America had caused MANY low-income and lower-class Americans to become radicals. Socialism and Communism as theory’s were spreading throughout those years. There had been several strikes, riots, and protests throughout those decades connecting the two centuries. Progressives  emerged as a check against this. Roosevelt’s New Deal and Johnson’s Great Society were not meant to expand and enrich the lower-classes and the poor; the were meant to mollify them into a state of non-activity and non-resistance to the greater march of Capitalism and Wealth. These men and other designers of these programs may have had some other altruistic motive as well, but make no mistake; these men believed that the key to a successful Capitalist society was, at its core, a STABLE society within which to operate.

The current desire today to paint all recipients of government aid with the same “welfare queen” stroke is tempting, but it’s not only inaccurate, but it’s self-defeating. To this point, the Occupy Wall Street movement has been dominated by “working-class liberals”, young twenty-and-thirty somethings, many just out of college and having a hard time finding a job, but for the most part not to the point of desperation. Cut government aid completely. Eradicate medicare, Medicaid, and unemployment benefits. Let the true lower classes and poor in our country have a reason to hook up with the Occupy movement. At that point, you’ll have wished you had paid an extra 1% in taxes to avoid chaos. Cut all government programs, and see what desperation can drive in society. No amount of church aid will stop that tide. There are people out there trying their hardest to find a job, to work and raise a family on $25-$30,000 a year. Who have done nothing but worked hard all their life only to be laid off when a factory has decided to relocate to China or Latin America. These people are deserving of assistance from a society that has benefited both from not only their previous years of hard work, but also from their equal desire for peace and stability. Why would we want to push these people into desperation?

So yes, I believe that there need to be some serious discussion on welfare reform, on reform of government aid programs in general. There are plenty of excesses that can be trimmed to help save a Government drowning in debt. However, resist that temptation to go too far in your ideas and analysis. Resist that temptation to paint with such a wide-brush. Serious government reform need not lead total government abolition. In the 1990′s, we worked together to push forward an economic agenda that, yes, called for slightly higher taxes than we pay today, but also reformed and trimmed back government assitance programs. Wait, what happened, you say??? EVERYONE benefited? Everyone’s boat rose just a bit? The government actually started running a budget surplus?!?! The heck you say.

What’s worked before could work again. Avoid the desire to demonize; embrace the temptation to compromise. It’s not a dirty word or idea. Compromise is a path to success for everyone.

Recently, I’ve been accused of becoming a plain and simple Democrat by many of my right-leaning friends. This accusation derives its origin from the fact that many of my political posts recently have been aimed at some of the negative things I’ve seen coming from the Republican side of the spectrum, namely, their AWFUL presidential primary candidates. In my defense, it’s mostly just because their side is the only side having a primary this election season. However, I’m a man who’s willing to listen to criticism and respond to it. Thus, I present to you my “What the hell are they thinking? {Bipartisan Edition}” post, giving equal time to some major blunders served up by both sides of the spectrum.

What the hell are the Democrats thinking?

Whilst running for office in 2007 and 2008, Barack Obama made much ado about his background as a Constitutional Law professor. He stressed this because of what he saw as a trying time upon our nation’s founding document due to travesties committed against it by the Bush administration in the name of the “War on Terror”. He promised that he and the rest of the Dems would lead the way towards restoring respect for the Constitutional liberties that made this country great.

You guys should see where I’m going with this. Recently, the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act. This bill is mostly just an appropriations bill for continued military action around the globe. However, wrapped inside it is a little nugget that essentially allows the military and american counterintelligence agents to detain American citizens suspected of aiding and abetting terrorists indefinitely, even if arrested on American soil. Let me make that very clear: Americans, arrested in America, can be detained indefinitely in Guantanamo, as long as one of the crimes they’re accused of is related to “terrorism”.

I can’t begin to explain how scary this should be to anyone who values their civil liberties. You might say, “Well, that’s what you get for helping in terror.” See, that’s the problem. What’s “Terror” or “Terrorism”? I promise you, the definition in legal terms is not as simple or clear-cut as you’d like. I’m not really here to go through an entire legal analysis of this provision (if you would like one, though, I suggest looking here). What I want to bring up is that this bill was co-authored by Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI). In the end, 19 Democratic Senators voted in favor of the bill, allowing it to pass with 60 yeas. Of those brave enough to vote against the bill? Rand Paul (R-KY), who I tend to disagree with on his “government is the root of all evil” approach, but whose civil liberties bona-fides come in handy now and then.

What’s distressing is that it even got this far for the Democrats. The Obama Administration should have been telling the Dems in both houses from the get-go, “Hey, BS like that won’t fly over here, so don’t even try it.” Instead, it seems as though it was just gonna go along, until press coverage of the issues became so intense over the last week, that now the Obama Administration has made clear that they will veto the bill if it comes to them with that provision still included. However, if President Obama had stayed true to his campaign promises of revamping the handling of terrorist operations, of retooling the criminal processes for terrorist suspects, of closing down Guantanamo, then maybe we would have never gotten to this point, hmm?

What the hell are the Republicans thinking?

When the Democrats proposed their Payroll Tax Cut extension awhile back, they included a few provisions that, from the get-go, they knew the Republican’s were going to fight. Not only did they want to extend the current payroll tax cut, but they wanted to add a slight additional payroll tax cut, paid for with a surtax on all annual incomes over $1 million. Ok, fair enough, that was going to be tough for them politically to justify, what with their “no taxes means no taxes” mantra an all. So, you’d think they’d strip out the surtax, vote to continue the payroll tax cut in its current form, and go about their business, right?

NO! They voted the whole thing down! In the immediate aftermath, most of the Republicans (and a few Bluedog Dems) took to the airwaves to say that they voted it down because “we simply can’t afford, with our current deficit, to continue to be so fiscally irresponsible.” Wait, wait, wait . . . what??!? You’re the party that has argued for two-plus years now against any tax increase by Obama because we needed people (especially the ‘job creators’) to be able to keep as much money as they can. So now, your argument against allowing the middle and lower classes from keeping their payroll tax cut is that it’s “fiscally irresponsible”??? I thought you guys were all for “starving the beast”, whatever it took! Aren’t you the guys that just voted to extend the Bush Tax Cuts back in December?

Well, the Republicans quickly realized that this line of argument was going to be a MAJOR political loser. So, now, Boehner and the House Republicans have come out with their own payroll tax-cut plan. Of course, its loaded with all kinds of Republican red-meat that they know has no chance of passing the Dem-controlled Senate. In the end, I think we’ll see a simple continuation of the payroll tax cut in its current format. This way, the Republican’s  can say that they “fought the good fight”, while still cementing their legacy as the party of No against any idea that originates from the White House. Ridiculous.

From the “Newt Gingrich’s PhD must be from Hamburger U.” files

Newt’s bio says that has a PhD from Tulane, but given his overindulgence in historical inaccuracies, I’d suggest Tulane consider asking him to politely return his degree.

You see, Newt has gotten a chance to rise in the polls recently. He’s now the #1 “non-Romney”, and he’s gotten an extra boost since the departure of Herman Cain from the race (oh, Herman . . . so soon?). This has led to the media giving Newt more time to speak-out on many of his large and brilliant ideas (don’t think they’re brilliant? Well, just ask Newt himself). He backs all of his ideas up by reminding us, “Remember, I’m a historian!”

This leads us to his latest announcement that the Palestinian’s are a “made-up people”. You see, I assume he says this because, officially, there has never been a “State of Palestine” as we might recognize officially bordered countries today. However, as Newt is prone to do, he’s allowed this line of thinking to let him go just a weeeeee bit too far. He’s gone on to say, “There are no Palestinians. Remember, these were Arabs.”

Well, you see Newt, that’s the problem. You see, Arab isn’t really a “nationality” as we know it today. Because, Arab is more of a reference to language and dialect, a shared cultural heritage bonded by common tounge. Thus, in that sense, Egyptian’s are Arab, Morrocan’s are Arab, Saudi Arabian’s are Arab . . . you see my point here. Just because they never had official borders on your map in grades school, Newt, doesn’t mean that there was never a Palestine, or a people who considered themselves Palestinian. You see, “Palestine” is of Greek origin, itself coming from the root Arabic word Filastin. Prior to WWI, Palestine did in-fact refer to the region of the Ottoman Empire occupied today by Israel and the Palestinian Territories. There was even a Palestinian nationalist movement against Ottoman rule in 1834. I could just keep going and going, but frankly, it would be tiring. The point is, Newt is wrong. Wrong, dead wrong, flat wrong, wrong in every way that you can say wrong.

However, because Newt thinks it helps his cause with the ultra-right Judeo-Christian population of the Republican Party, he’s willing to overlook all of these historical “facts” if it helps him win the primary. Here’s the problem with that approach, Newt – what happens if, God forbid, you do win it all? The United States has long played a roll in negotiations for peace in the Middle East. Now, if you are president, you start the negotiations with, “So we’re all clear, just for the record, PLO? I don’t believe in your P.” Smoooooth, Newt. Super smooth. That will go over like a lead rocket-launcher.

Thoughts at the closing bell:

• How exciting is the NFL right now? The Lions are close to making it to the playoffs for the first time since 1999, Tim Tebow keeps winning in OT, I mean it’s just been a crazy-fun year so far.
• My good friend and fraternity brother, Tim Hoobler, filmed a movie over the summer called Mount Joy. They’ve just released the trailer, and I encourage you to check it out! If you’re curious, Tim is the one who says “Chip me” in the bowling scene.
• So the annual “Crosstown Shootout” here in Cincinnati got a little more interesting this year, when there was a full bench-clearing brawl between UC and Xavier! Cincinnati – we keep it classy!
• I tweeted this out last week, but this Al Sharpton MSNBC commercial makes me laugh every single damn time its on. “They were the ones eatin the pie!”
• With that said, speaking of MSNBC, I’ve kind of become addicted to “Morning Joe” w/ for Republican House Rep. Joe Scarborough. If you’re up at 6:00 a.m. and looking for a show that will analyze issues from both sides of the political spectrum, including having guests and allotting them an adequate amount of time to lay out their positions, I’d recommend giving this show a try.

That’s all for now, kids. One love to you all.

As the years have gone on, Love Actually evolved from a relationship movie it to a true “Christmas Movie”, in that it is now standard to see USA and TBS play the hell out of it starting the Friday after Thanksgiving until New Year’s Day. If that was the end of the story, I’d have no complaint. As I said, I enjoy the movie, and don’t mind catching it once or twice during the holiday season. However, in today’s Hollywood, when you have a movie make that much money, you can’t just leave it alone – we need to do it again!

Since the actual storyline of Love Actually doesn’t lend itself to a sequel, however, Hollywood was left to simply try to replicate the formula. The first attempt came in 2009 (over five years after Love Actually, so they obviously restrained themselves a bit), with a shot at a similar story telling method with the Drew Barrymore-produced, based-on-the-book-but-not-really He’s Just Not That Into You.  This was the definition of a star-driven vehicle, packed with every big star you could think of that year. They needed that, because the stories were AWFUL. Essentially revolving around 4 couple-focused stories, the plot strained for credibility and authenticity. I assumed it had to have bombed, right? Nope, apparently it made just under $100 million in the US, and $178 million worldwide, all on a budget of $40 million. HOW? However, Hollywood see this as a slight dip from those Love Actually numbers. What’s missing, they must have asked themselves. A Holiday to tie it around? BINGO!

Thus we were given 2010′s Valentine’s Day. I mean, that’s it, no more using the holiday as just background noise or scenery. We’re going to throw 100 stars at you, and tell you that this movie is all about this holiday. Whenever this holiday comes around on the calendar, we want this movie to instantly pop in your head, and we want you to demand that your boyfriend go rent it for you! On a budget of only $52 million, Valentine’s Day hauled in $216 million world-wide. Who saw this movie???? I mean, did you see those commercials and actually believe “Yeah, this is gonna be good/funny/heart-warming.”

Well, congrats people. Your herding yourselves to see these star-riddle pieces of empty fluff has resulted in the upcoming release of New Year’s Eve. On December 9, 2011, you can go see the exact same story and plotlines you’ve already seen at least three other times that I can point to here in this post, but centered around a completely different holiday! Enjoy New Year’s Eve. I hope you choke on your popcorn.

*Editor’s Note – I have a wife, and a secret crush on Lea Michele (a.k.a. Rachel Berry from Glee), so there’s a 75% I’ll end up seeing this in theaters. Don’t judge me for my hypocritical failures. I’m only human. 

Professor Heaton!

Ok, so professor is a vast overstatement. This week, after months of paperwork and classroom observations, I officially began my side-career as an instructor of young minds. Specifically, I’m teaching Constitutional Law to Criminal Justice and Paralegal Studies students at the local campus of Brown Mackie College, a national institution. So no, I’m not one step away from teaching at Harvard by any means. After two classes, however, I can attest to the fact that I am really enjoying it so far. First of all, it’s a subject I love (my only honest to goodness, pure A without a minus in all of law school). I love the history behind the constitution and our government, how the rules and cases that have resulted from them shape our current political debate. I’ve also really enjoyed the students so far. Some of them could possibly care less, but they’re all at least being respectful so far. There are those, though, that seem to be really enjoying the subject, enjoying the discussions we’re having. That’s been more rewarding than I could have imagined.

It’s not without some sacrifice, however. With a wife 15 weeks away from her due date, I’m away from the house three nights a week, four hours each night. But the extra financial gains are helping us to get to some of our goals quicker, helping us play a bit of catch-up from my brief experience with unemployment in the summer of 2010. However, I think the sacrifice may be worth it if the experience leads me to a greater sense of who I am and what I enjoy doing. And so far? I’m really enjoying it.

Thoughts at the closing bell:

• The Lions were supposed to give me a good Thanksgiving game finally this year in their matchup with the Packers. Well, at least they gave me a decent first half. On the other hand, Let’s Go Blue! The Wolverines beat Ohio St. for the first time since the Eisenhower administration it seems, and at 10-2, they’re very well positioned for a potential BCS at-large bid. New Orleans and the Sugar Bowl? This guy right here might be on Bourbon St. come January 3rd!
• If you’re not using Spotify yet, we can’t have a conversation. I’m addicted to Spotify.
• Herman Cain is “reassessing” is campaign after another woman has come forward, this time not with harassment charges, but a good old-fashioned affair story. Apparently, getting on the “Cain Train” has more than one meaning.
• Newt Gingrich is a lot of things, but he swears, a lobbyist wasn’t one of them. Why? Because he didn’t need the money. Ummm . . . what?
• If you weren’t watching “The Walking Dead” before this past week’s mid-season finale, figure out a way to watch it, then be ready for its return in February. It will be worth your time.
• After the last post, 2011 has officially become the most read year in my blog’s five-year history. To those of you who take the time to read my many pointless, endless ramblings, I simply say, thank you.

That’s all for now. One love to you all.

By the end of the weekend, however, my body was asking me if I remember that I’m not actually in college anymore. There were adult beverages on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. Each night went long into the night, with Friday and Saturday night neither really ending till 2-3 am. It was mostly just sitting about talking and shooting the bull, but between all the adult beverages, cigars, and lack of sleep, Sunday was loooong day.  So what did I do in response? I stuck around to go golfing with Michael and Jason, so I didn’t actually leave the Birmingham area till almost 7:30 pm central time. The drive back to Cincinnati subsequently required several stops for 15-30 min naps at Pilot and TA rest stops. I finally made it home on Monday morning at 7:30 am, and sadly had to work so there was no day of rest. Michael called me Monday and asked me where I buy my Speed from, because drugs are the only possible explanation for how I was still functioning.

Then I got to thinking . . . 

As I begin to think back on the weekend, though, I realized just how lucky and thankful I am. This month marks then ten-year anniversary of the date that many of those young men that I partied with this weekend became my brothers.  I am so very grateful and thankful to have a group of friends in my life that I know would do anything they possibly could for me should I have the need and/or ask. Some people in college say that joining a fraternity is just “paying for friends”. If that is true, than I made one of the best investment decisions I could ever have hoped for ten years ago. The dividends and return ratios on those semester dues over three-years have made me richer in heart and soul than I could have ever dreamed of. So for those men, I am thankful this Thanksgiving. I also got to have dinner and drinks with a friend of mine from high school, Jeff. We’ve been friends since middle school, and I am thankful for friendships that can last a lifetime.

At the same time, I got to meet Michael’s new baby girl Baylee. As I held her, rocked her to sleep, watched her interact with Michael, I couldn’t help but think about the arrival of my own baby girl in just a few short months. I am so thankful for her arrival, for her existence in my life. I am thankful for her mother, my wife, who I love so very much and am so very happy to be starting this new adventure with. I am thankful for my all of my family. At my Uncle Tom’s funeral just a month ago, I was reminded of just how important family can be in our life if we give it the respect and attention it deserves.

Family, friends, a good job, a roof over my head; I am thankful for these things plus so much more. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Thoughts at the closing bell:

• Watched the Republican Primary Debate last night on CNN that was focused on Foreign Affairs. How anyone could watch that and not think Jon Huntsman was far and away the best candidate on the stage is beyond me. Every answer was thoughtful, thorough, and nuanced. He’s a man who realizes the world isn’t black and white. Instead, the media demands to keep pushing Romney and every other possible anti-Romney (currently Newt), because that’s the easier story to write.
• I’ve been working here from my in-laws place in So. Indiana since yesterday. I may or may not be leaving the desk a little early today to get some extra hunting time in.
• Tomorrow marks the first time in years that I am truly excited to watch the Lions game on Thanksgiving. The Packers are the favorites, but both teams have questionable secondary’s, so this could easily be a fast-paced, entertaining shoot-out. Go easy on turkey until its over – you won’t want to sleep through this one.
• I couldn’t have timed being in Alabama better, right on the weekend when Bama was catapulted back into a shot at the BCS title game thanks to collapses from Oklahoma St., Oregon, and Oklahoma. Just awesome. Getting to watch Michigan trounce Nebraska was a huge bonus, and made me more than a little excited for this week’s Michigan-OSU matchup in Ann Arbor, MI.
• Along that note, I was watching Gameday when Corso accidentally said the f-word. I was also watching when they made him go on-air an hour later and apologize. WHY? WHO CARES? Why are we such pansies in society today, that we feel the need to apologize for an accident of such minor proportions. Do you think there were some grannies at home who fainted when he said it? Grow some balls, ESPN.
• Happy Labor Thanksgiving Day, Japan

That’s all for now. One love to you all.

One of my all time favorite TV shows was “Chappelles Show”. The show was a flashpoint for many of my generation, feeding years of quotes and jokes for people all across the social spectrum. You couldn’t find many 18-45 year-olds who couldn’t at least quote “I’m Rick James, B****!”

One of my favorite skits from that show’s first season was the “Wrap it Up!” Box. The concept was that this box could be used to “play you off”, ala Hollywood award shows, when you had possibly extended your stay in any given situation just a tad too long (here’s the skit itself to better explain the scenario). Husbands could use the box to get their wives to wrap up a story that’s neverending; wives could use it to wrap up a husbands less-than-stellar bedroom exploits.

All of this to say, I think it is now officially time for someone to flash the sign on for one Mr. Herman Cain. We’ve had plenty of evidence up to this point that he may not be up to the challenge of actually leading the free world. I could lay out the whole list here, but frankly, I’ve been down that road before. Today, however, he made it impossible for me to just let it go. In an interview with the editorial board of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal, Mr. Cain was asked a simple, straight forward question: “So you agreed with President Obama on Libya, or no?” There is nothing crafty, tricky, or “gotcha!” about this question. And yet . . . and yet. Herman Cain proceeds to take the editors on a rambling five-minute ride, that illustrates from the get go that he has no ability to bring any substantial answer to the table. If you’d like to see it in all it’s shame glory, you can view the video here, along with a summary from the NY Times. He stumbles around for the first minute just trying to grasp what the interview might actually be talking about.

This is not ancient history! This is not some obscure mid-Asian country (“Uz-beki-beki-beki-stan”, as he’d say). This is the country, and story, that’s dominated the headlines for the last several months, man!

Herman Cain’s biggest talking point during his campaign is his experience as a business man, and the qualities he’d bring to the White House because of that background. I think this is accurate, but not for the reason he’d have you believe. Anyone who’s interacted with executives, or been in an MBA program, knows the type of businessman. He’s the businessman who everyone likes. He in fact, might be one of the most popular people in an MBA program. When he’s in a group, you always pick him to be the speaker/presenter for group projects. However, when you have your group meetings, he’s always coming up short on the information that he was supposed to research. He assures you, “Don’t worry, I know enough, I’ll be able to wing it if they have any questions, we’re good.” Yet when pushed in a Q & A session, it’s quickly evident that he doesn’t have the information to defend his talking points on his own. This has been Herman Cain and his campaign, to a T. Well you know what? That’s cool for the business world, where you can often just force your subordinates to make presentations and be your “numbers” people. That, however, doesn’t cut it when you need to lead the free world.

Herman Cain, it’s time to warp it up, B! You’re done.

It’s the end of the NBA as we know it, and I feel fine

Today, the NBAPA rejected a “final offer” from the NBA owners. Thus, they are now moving to decertify and begin taking their battle to the courts. This is so dumb. The players have previously raked in over 50% of the revenue generated directly from games. Unlike the NFL, however, several NBA teams have been bleeding money. Owners have demanded a greater share of the revenues. The offer today? 50-50. The players rejected it. You rejected 50-50??????

Sorry, NBA players, but you’ve overestimated your hand based on one great season last year. Casual fans like myself were interested . . . but not enough to care that you’re gone now. I have football, college basketball, hell, I even have hockey. No, I will not be blowing up the social media sphere demanding the return of the NBA. You better regroup, or you’re gonna lose a whole lot more than just 50%.

Thoughts at the closing bell:

• Went over to my in-laws this past weekend for the opening of gun season in Indiana. I saw four does and one buck, though he was behind me and I never had a shot on him. Since I’m holding out for now for a buck, I came away empty-handed. Still, I had a great time with my father-in-law and his brothers and friend, and I’ll be back down next week, so I’m not too worried about it.
• Our baby girl is kicking up a storm like Jackie Chan in Holly’s belly lately. It’s crazy to sit there and watch these little bumps happen all over her stomach. I love her so much already and just want her to be here already!
• I have already downloaded from iTunes Childish Gambino’s first major album release, “Camp”. So far, I’m loving it. (Childish Gambino is the rapping nom de plume of Donald Glover, from Community)
• Following up on that last note, NBC has announced that Community will be pulled at the mid-season point, to make way for the return of 30 Rock, though they’re saying the show isn’t cancelled yet. So we lose Community, but we keep Whitney. Go **** yourselves, NBC.
• Keep your eyes on the news Thursday, kids. Occupy Wall Street is planning a “day of action”. Things could get interesting.

Eventually, my weight came down, going from 253 at my peak to 166 that following Fall. As the years have gone by, though, running has remained a key component of my fitness regimen. I can’t recall every really going more than a week or two without getting a run in; most weeks, I likely got at least 3-4 runs in. Eventually, I started running races. I started with my first 5K in 2005. In total, I’ve been apart of 12 races, including three marathons. The last one was this past weekend, the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. It was a great course, taking me through some of my favorite parts of city I called home for so many years, like Mass Ave. and Broad Ripple. After much reflection, it may end up being one of my last marathons.

It’s not that it was a bad race – in fact, it was my new personal record, at 4:14:24. I’ve thought a lot more recently about my overall health, and the effects all of this running has had on my body. My knees, specifically, are my big concern. I now hear a distinct “click” sound coming from my right knee whenever I do any type of bending or squatting exercises. Holly’s assessment is that I’ve most likely destroyed all of the cartilage in my knee, to the point that the clicking is the sound of bone on bone.  I’ve been fortunate to avoid a major injury up to this, and I don’t think I want to tempt fate too much longer.

So what’s my plan? My plan at this time is simply this – I’m going to give my self till next Fall to run a race under 4 hours (I’ve given up the goal of Boston – I’m just not built for that speed at this point). Either way, though, the most I’ll run is two more marathons; one in the spring, one next fall. After that, I plan on transitioning to triathlon. No, not Ironmans, since that would include a marathon run and put me right back to square one. I’m thinking about Standard, or Olympic, Triathlons, which would require me only to run a 10K, thus removing not only the race distance, but the long training runs that go along with marathon training.  Going this route will hopefully help keep me in shape, without requiring me to have to use a walker by the time I’m 50.

Penn State – A lesson in doing more than the “minimum” required

As of last night, Joe Paterno and Penn State President Graham Spanier have been removed from their positions on campus effective immediately. Since the news of this scandal broke several days ago, it has become more and more clear that no other alternative would be acceptable to people outside of Happy Valley. Some on the inside though, especially students who appeared to riot at the news of JoePa’s firing, don’t seem to think it’s “fair” to fire JoePa. They say he did what he was “supposed” to do; he told his superior in the AD about an allegation reported to him by a grad assistant. “What more do you want from him?”

What more do I want from him? Let’s get down to brass tacks on this, and connect the whole picture. The allegations in the grand jury indictment are enough to turn one’s stomach. Sandusky stands accused of having inappropriate contact with boys as young as 10, often times hyper-sexual in nature, going as far back as the 90′s. In 2002, we know that Joe Paterno was told by a grad assistant that he’d seen Sandusky doing something with a boy in the showers of the Penn State athletic facilities. While the Grad Student alleges that he gave JoePa the full details, JoePa told the GJ that he was only told that it was something inappropriate and “sexual in nature”. Oh, ok, good, glad it was just “something sexual.” JoePa then told his boss about it.

That was 2002. For YEARS after that, Sandusky was allowed to continue to lead his non-profit “The Second Mile”. What did that group do? Work with under-privileged and at-risk youth. Through this program, Sandusky had access to “hundreds of boys”, as the indictment points out. That foundation work closely with Penn St., specifically the Penn St. football team. In the years AFTER JoePa learned of the allegation from the grad assistant, Sandusky was still allowed to bring young boys to Penn St. games, both home and away, including bowl game trips. Sandusky was not some low-level person who JoePa might not have seen. He was the man damned heir-apparent at one point! There’s no doubt that JoePa saw him NUMEROUS times after 2002, most likely with young boys many of those times. Yet at no point did JoePa put in any additional inquiries, raise any questions that we know of about “Hey, should he really still be around the program with kids? Did we ever really find out what happened with that kid?”

This is simple, people. As Tony Kornheiser is fond of saying on his radio show, this is a “gots-to-go” situation. JoePa had to leave, if only to make it clear that allowing this time of incident to go uninvestigated, to not follow-up on something this crucial to the safety of children, is simply not acceptable. Joe Paterno was the leader of that football program. It was his duty to make sure that every stone was turned on that if there was even a whiff of impropriety. He had to go, there was no other acceptable choice. It’s not a matter of his legal obligation, it’s a matter of society’s moral obligation.

I didn’t watch the Republican Debate, and I feel fine

Last night the Republican presidential candidates held a debate that was to focus solely on economics. Since they all spout the exact same points on economics, I didn’t really see much potential for controversy or mudslinging, so I decided for the sake of my wife’s sanity to skip it. While it appears that I was right for the most part in my decision, I did apparently miss what could be one of the final nails in the coffin of Perry’s campaign. When trying to reach for a point in listing out the federal agencies he would eliminate, he failed to remember the name of the third agency. It is PAINFUL to watch him stumble and “umm” his way to an eventual admission that he can’t remember the agency’s name, followed with an apologetic ”Oops.”

Other than that moment, though, the debate was as boring as I figured it would be. I did flip over for the last half-hour. I got to watch every candidate talk about how they’d eliminate the Department of Education, and how Ron Paul and Gingrich would both especially like to eliminate federal student loans. That idea went over like a lead balloon in a household of an MD/PhD and JD/MBA, both of whom depended on those exact loans. Their assessment was that all college kids getting federal loans were just loafers, sitting around dragging college out as long as possible with no real goals. So is this to be the new “welfare queen”, the “college loungeabout”? Good lord.

Thoughts at the closing bell:

• I spent some of the best years of my life in Montevallo, AL. Montevallo lies just about 30 minutes south of Birmingham, AL. Because of this, I spent a large amount of my time in college going to places in and around Birmingham, which is in Jefferson County, AL. Thus, it was particularly saddening to see that Jefferson County has just filed the largest municipal bankruptcy in the history of the US. Let’s get our acts together after this misstep, folks!
• Interesting article about the generation in Sweden that has grown-up in the era of “no spanking”. Sweden outlawed corporal punishment of children in 1979. There children have not become wildlings, terrorists, or killers. Something to think about, possibly.
• Air Force Mortuary Sent Remains To Landfill. Not quiiitteeee as awful as it sounds when you read the facts . . . but still pretty damned bad.
• The Lions play the Bears this weekend, in what could be a key matchup for making securing a wildcard spot in the playoffs (let’s be real, neither of us are taking the NFC North from the Packers). Let’s go Lions.
• Following up on that point, Lions fans are petitioning the NFL to remove Nickleback from the half-time performance at the Thanksgiving Day game against the Pack. Why? Because Nickleback sucks.