Saturday, January 28, 2012

Song of the Day: Angus and Julia Stone - Wasted


"Angus and Julia Stone - Wasted [Official Music Video]"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twnqSCKAsqE&ob=av2e


And a bonus Angus and Julia Stone song:
"Angus and Julia Stone - Big Jet Plane [Official Music Video]"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFTvbcNhEgc&feature=relmfu


Okay, just one more, I promise. Here's an excellent cover of the old Grease song!
"Angus & Julia Stone - You're the one that I want / Live acoustique RCS#12"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTbObag1r0I&feature=related

Friday, January 27, 2012

Orator-in-Chief


Ever wonder why you can't stand listening to our Teleprompter-in-Chief? Maybe this is the reason. Okay, PART of the reason! :)

From Politico:
"State of the Union registers at 8th grade reading level" by Byron Tau
http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/01/state-of-the-union-registers-at-th-grade-reading-level-112236.html

"The University of Minnesota's Smart Politics conducted an analysis on the last 70 State of the Union addresses and found that President Obama's three addresses have the lowest grade average of any modern president. 'Obama's average grade-level score of 8.4 is more than two grades lower than the 10.7 grade average for the other 67 addresses written by his 12 predecessors,' they conclude."

Song of the Day: Broncho - Try Me Out Sometime


Song of the Day: Broncho - Try Me Out Sometime
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8HnYaQ7O0M

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Ron Paul, as seen from Israel

Here's a fascinating look at Ron Paul, from far away. More importantly, I think this article brings up some fundamental reasons why people respond to Ron Paul--and why some people don't. From the Settlers of Samaria Blog:

"From Israel: Vote Ron Paul and Let My People Go!" by Rafi Farber
http://settlersofsamaria.org/vote-ron-paul-free-israel/

And here is a YouTube video based on this article:
"What Is It About Ron Paul?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUXNfk4MMlI&sns=em


Lots of material in this article, some specific to Israel but the more important stuff speaks to a more general idea of why I support Ron Paul. First the stuff specific to Israel.

"I first got interested in the whole freedom movement when I heard that Ron Paul wanted to end all foreign aid, including to my country, Israel. This seemed like a spectacular idea to me. I hate the idea of taking American tax payer money I don’t need. The only reason we take it, by the way, is not because we need it. It’s that we don’t want to feel alone, and Jews always feel a deep existential isolation and loneliness. ... So we take the money. It’s shameful, it’s theft, it’s destructive, it’s morally wrong, and it makes people hate us for tying them into a conflict they have no business trying to solve. I wanted it to end and didn’t trust any Israeli leader to give it up on his own, so I looked up more about Ron Paul."

The author quickly moves to a more general discussion of why he (and others) support Ron Paul.

"The essential soul of a human being is by definition free. The idea that men are free as determined by God is a concept that is foreign to most men. This is because most men want to control others, to take away their freedom. This is usually referred to as the drive for power. The drive for power is antithetical to freedom because power means the ability to control others. There is only one legitimate thing that power can and should be used for, whether it be military, legislative, or executive power. That is, to legalize freedom."

"Ron Paul doesn’t want to be President to 'give' me freedom. He doesn’t own my freedom and he didn’t give it to me. The only reason Ron Paul wants to be President is to stop punishing people for using their freedom that is rightfully theirs. He wants no power. This is clear to anyone who listens to him speak."

"There are two kinds of human beings. Those who want power, and those who want freedom. You can tell which one’s which very easily."

"Once you get hooked on Ron Paul, you can no longer bear to listen to a man who wants power, and you become instantly disgusted when they start saying words. Before, they were just boring. Now they’re revolting. Listening to Romney or Gingrich or Bush or Obama makes you sick and you don’t know how Ron Paul gets through those debates without getting nauseous. You see a political veneer in these politicians that’s so transparent it’s like a ghost flapping its ethereal tongue at you. You can’t bear it."

"What’s so maddening about hearing Romney or Gingrich talk is that there’s someone standing there saying things, but there’s no soul in it. These are not free men. These are power men. Not that Romney or Gingrich don’t have souls. They do. They are men just like you and I. But they have practically forfeited their souls to try and attain power, to control others with spin and talking points and contradictory statements like 'I want to cut the budget and expand the military!' and they’ll say it with a polished tone and a straight face, just like a soulless recording. Their humanity is so buried under the mountain of lies they have told themselves, that neither they themselves nor you can even sense their souls in the human continuum. The scene of a human body speaking but no soul communicating can drive a free man mad."

"Now I understand why people will give everything to this man. Whenever he’s asked the question, 'Would you legalize heroin?' Ron Paul answers, 'I want to legalize freedom!' Little do these people understand that freedom is a thousand times more addictive than heroin."

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

My new favorite goalie, Tim Thomas!


I'm not really great at posting up-to-the-minute news, but I wanted to get this on my blog only a few days late. Turns out I have a new favorite goalie! Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins. Incidentally, I saw Thomas play in college in the '93-94 season, when he was a Vermont Catamount playing against against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (where I went to grad school). I have no recollection of the game but I had season tickets and I was there! :)

Back to the story. From CBS Boston:
"Tim Thomas Skips White House Ceremony"
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/01/23/tim-thomas-skips-white-house-ceremony-for-political-reasons/

Thomas's statement from his Facebook page, says it all:
I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People.
This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government.
Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL.
This is the only public statement I will be making on this topic. TT
Well said, Tim. I agree completely. Glad to hear about one of the good guys in sports for a change.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Scott Walker

Scott Walker is doing a great job in Wisconsin. Unfortunately, the left doesn't see it that way. They want to recall Walker in the worst way (literally). But his reforms are working! Consider this article from USA Today:

"Column: Why U.S. should cheer for Scott Walker" by Nick Schulz
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/story/2012-01-05/scott-walker-wisconsin-unions-election-2012-recall/52394768/1

"The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which opposed Walker's collective bargaining reforms, recently noted, 'The governor did balance the budget … he did reduce the structural deficit significantly; he did put a lid on property tax increases; he did give schools and municipalities more control over their budgets than they've had in years.'"

"Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett was Walker's opponent in the 2010 election and later attacked his proposals to reform collective bargaining. But with the reforms on the books, Barrett used some of the bill's provisions to help reduce the city's health care bill, saying that the alternative was to cut 300 to 400 city jobs." Yes, the man who opposed Walker is taking advantage of Walker's reforms!

"Interestingly, many labor-friendly figures have long understood that collective bargaining rights for public employees are illegitimate. 'All Government employees should realize that the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service,' a pro-labor Franklin D. Roosevelt said in 1937. 'It has its distinct and insurmountable limitations when applied to public personnel management.'"

"As political scientist Daniel DiSalvo notes [click the link, it's really good!] in a recent issue of National Affairs, 'public-sector unions have significant advantages over traditional unions. For one thing, using the political process, they can exert far greater influence over their members' employers — that is, government — than private-sector unions can. Through their extensive political activity, these government-workers' unions help elect the very politicians who will act as "management" in their contract negotiations — in effect handpicking those who will sit across the bargaining table from them … Such power led Victor Gotbaum, the leader of District Council 37 of the AFSCME in New York City, to brag in 1975: "We have the ability, in a sense, to elect our own boss."'"

"Collective bargaining reform is also needed to enable genuine education reform. The collective bargaining privilege gives teacher unions political power that is used to block reform efforts and shield K-12 education from entrepreneurial disruptions that threaten established ways of doing things."

"In a recent discussion, Walker told me that 'collective bargaining in the public sector is not a right; it's an expensive entitlement.'"


I'm writing this blog post prior to the January 17th deadline for recall petition signatures to be submitted. I know full well that they will get (have already gotten) enough signatures. Whether those signatures are legitimate is another (long) story. But the point is, they will do anything, legal or not, to get the signatures. Here's one example. This was posted on the Democratic Party of Wisconsin website.

"Cemetery Petition Drive (Recall Petition Signing)"
http://content.clearchannel.com/cc-common/mlib/3627/11/3627_1321474714.jpg


Now why would they meet at a cemetery, hmm? Let the lawsuits begin.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Shane Battier - Beyond Statistics


Here is a fascinating look at what it takes to win in the NBA, the stuff that gets missed if all you look at is statistics.

From the New York Times:
"The No-Stats All-Star" by Michael Lewis
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/magazine/15Battier-t.html?pagewanted=1&adxnnlx=1325530815-CEymaHxj%20FynsvNmfoc25A

"His greatness is not marked in box scores or at slam-dunk contests, but on the court Shane Battier makes his team better, often much better, and his opponents worse, often much worse."

FWIW, this the player that I strive to be when I play hockey. I'm happy to do the little stuff, to cover the other teams best players, and to make the passes nobody notices--as long as we win.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Ron Paul


Here is another Ron Paul video. You know who I'm supporting this year (and every year). Watch this video and see if you don't change your mind.

Ron Paul - 30% of people who watch this whole video change their vote" posted by civildisorder44
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_RFt0SVilU&list=PL3BD4EED4D0B02775&index=5&feature=plpp_video

I think that Ron Paul is the only candidate who truly believes in governing in accordance with our Constitution, Democrat or Republican. I happen to think that is important.


And just for fun, wouldn't it be cool if more athletes did this?
"Peyton Hillis: 'I support Ron Paul. He represents the constitution.'" posted by bxtidre7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AURgsNCl38U