Catching up with old friends

Alright, my abscense has probably gone un-noticed, but lets get caught up on somethings that have gone on since last we talked.

NEW NAME: I have left the old "Blogger to be named later" and re-taken up a name given to me in better days. That being said, now we can get on with the real news.

HOLA COMO ESTA?: President Obama has selected Sotomayor as his first appointed nominee for the Supreme Court. This issue has been a big deal since the elections because Obama has the chance to name several justices during his term.

Aside from that, we all knew there was going to be pressure on the first black president to share the historic spotlight with his appointing of cabinent members and justices. We have also seen that Obama doesn't necessarily pick the candidate with the best background as numerous nominees have had to drop out of his appointments since Congress doesn't feel it necessary to actually pay taxes, just take them from the American People. This failure to investigate, really a lack of thinking before you speak, has reared it's ugly little head again in the form of Sotomayor's comments about how she feels that a latina with her experience would make a better judgement than that of a white man with those same experiences.

I'm actually incline to possibly agree with her. No matter what field we are in, we all take our life experiences with us and use them for either good or bad. People use them as excuses to do good and try to imrpove their life, but they also use them as excuses for why they are in the situation they're in. A white man, for all his experience, will never know what it's like to be threatened to be deported even though your an American citizen; they will never know what it's like to be called names like "wet-back" "beaner" "spic" or any of these derogitory names.

I applaude President Obama for making this choice. Sure she killed baseball, causing steriods and the long ball to try and bring it back to life, but I think it's about time that there is a justice who looks at the law and thinks about not only how their rulling affects the case, but the law and those who have to live by it. I do hope, however, that Congress takes their time with this because afterall the Supreme Court is unlike any of the other branches of government, it's a "for life" appointment should not be rushed into.

KOREA II: World War III North Korea is flexing some major muscle that has all the world on the edge of their seat. Now, armed with the ability to make nuclear weapons, a crazy dictator and the thought that anyone who messes with their ships want war, the North is setting its sights on a long range missle launch later this month. Third times the charm, and this missle launch is suppose to go 4000 miles, or from North Korea to Hawaii or Alaska.

Kind of makes you wonder what would have happened had the US never dropped the A-Bomb on Japan after World War II. Also, did you know, Alfred Nobel, yes the Peace Prize guy, invented dynimite thinking that once people saw it's destructive power, the world would realize how bad war was...

Czar this, czar that...

I know I've been a horrible contributor recently, but life has been flying along. Buying a house, selling a condo, coaching little league, work is busy... But alas, I hope to be back on the blogging track. I just posted a mini rant over at AM Donkey. It relates to my frustration with the overuse of the term czar. It seems we have one for everything... A cyber space czar? Are you kidding? If there is one thing that isn't structured in any way to have authority or control in an individual, it is the Internet... peace.love.understanding.

Government Steals Land

Stop me when you've heard this one. The American government has been, since 2005, trying to buy 500 acres of land from 7 owners to no avail. To the surprise of one of the owners, the government set May as the end all deadline to agree to terms to sell the land. Now the United States government is going to simply condemn the land and take it from the owners, according to an Associated Press report.

The prime piece of real estate that the government is taking away from tax paying citizens is located at the crash site of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. After they take the land from the legal owners, the government is then going to spend $58,000,0000 (million) on a permanent memorial and state park.

While I'm not "condemning" the government for wanting to erect a memorial to the bravery that was flight 93, they should not use their power to take land from their own citizens. But, with the rich history that the United States has in stealing land, this should really come as no surprise.

Gotta Love The Police

As I gaze out the window of my real job I see a police vehicle parked in front of the beauty salon next door. Generally this should be a cause for alarm as I did see them pull up an hour ago. But, much to my relief, it is not an emergency of any kind. And as the officer sat next to his official vehicle, smoking his cigarette in his shorts and t-shirt while he no doubtingly waits for his partner to get her hair done, it occurred to me, I'm in the wrong line of work.

I think it's absolutely ridiculous that the police get to take there cars and use them for personal usage. And who gets stuck with the gas bill while they're out there gallivanting all over town? You and me, that's who. There really should be a lot more outrage then there is, but there isn't. There is actually more outrage coming from police who feel that they have every right to use these tax-payer fueled vehicles, and are angry when anyone thinks that they should have to pay to take it home, let alone fill it up. I guess the only thing they're serving and protecting is their own personal interest.

Before you judge me as some whiny cop hater, here is the legitimate list of "run-ins" I've had with these people:

• Called 911 when my neighbors car got broken into, almost 2 hours later a cop arrives
• driving home, a car starts to drive in reverse in my direction, I honk, he flashes his lights and stares me down
• driving to work and I almost get cut off, I honk my horn, this female officer flashes her lights while in front of me and starts to slow down. I slow down too, and take an alternative route. I called the community liaison, give them the plate number, and they tell me that is not one of theirs, and all but call me a liar.
• driving my son and wife around and almost got t-boned by a rent-away truck while there was an officer at the opposite light. I honk to get her attention, nothing. I called to complain and was told that if there are 2 people in the car, they don't do traffic stops
• driving home from work late one night, I get pulled over and get the third degree about where I'm headed. It takes 2 more cops to ask me questions as they flash their lights into my car looking for something. Didn't even get a ticket.
• Driving in the rain many years ago in a town I wasn't too familiar with. A police officer gets up on my tail, so I assume I'm going too slow, so I speed up. He pulls me over for speeding.
• After college my friends and I were setting off fireworks in a field. It was 4th of July and we figured they would just come and take our fireworks away. 2 squad cars jump the curb and continue to chase us.
• My best friend and I were walking to his house one night to play some N64. Some cop stops us and starts to question us about where we got those N6 controllers.
• I had watched the news where they just up'd the speed limit. A cop, who was headed in the opposite direction, pulls me over for speeding. By the time the fine was due, the new limit had already been posted, and I wouldn't have been speeding.

None of this even includes times I've seen cops use their cars for grocery shopping, eating lunch with their kids, and doing 90 on a 55 mph highway. These are way too many incidents for one person to have with police who are meant to serve and protect, not harass and ignore. And I'll openly admit that this also doesn't include the times I got pulled over for expired tags and no insurance.

I understand that the police have dangerous jobs and all that. However, there are too many cases where people pretend to be cops and take advantage of people. So, if one day a "cop" pulls me over in his shorts and a t-shirt and steps to my vehicle while putting out a cigarette, I only hope that the real cops will do something about it, that is if they aren't too busy with driving their kids to soccer practice on my dime.

Kentucky Derby Preview

Alright, from Swine Flu to the "Fastest Two Minutes In Sports" here is the preview for the 135th run for the roses, the first jewel in the elusive triple crown, the Kentucky Derby. There was some not-so-scientific way I did this, so there are no promises but this is how they ranked out:

Dunkirk (4-1) Top pick mathematically, and it shows. Before last year no horse with three or less starts had ever won the Derby. Horses that have won in Florida have won 3 of the last 5 Derbies. The under side to Dunkirk is he's only raced once against anyone in this field and finished second to the now scratched Quality Road.

Musket Man (20-1) This maybe a solid lock if your looking for a trifecta horse. Musket Man has won all but one of the races he's been in. He's only ever finished as low as 3rd, and that was behind General Quarters, who he has since beaten.

Hold Me Back (15-1)/ Pioneerof The Nile (4-1) Both of these horses look like they can be strong contenders. Hold Me Back is one of three stable mates looking to win the Derby, however has finished average against this field with a recent 2nd place finish against General Quarters in the Blue Grass. Pioneerof The Nile, another trifecta pick, is a solid horse, but what do you expect at 4-1. Surprisingly not the morning line favorite, Pioneerof the Nile has beaten I Want Revenge every time out and I really don't see why not this time.

Chocolate Candy (20-1) If your looking for a "safe long shot" this is it. California horses have done traditionally well in the Derby over the past decade or so. Chocolate Candy has fared well with top three finishes against horses in this field and may fair well on a trifecta ticket with a place or show. He's loss to Pioneerof The Nile twice, but has placed second and third respectively.

I Want Revenge (3-1) Morning Line Favorite. I think this may have something to do with the fact that I Want Revenge is a stable mate of Big Brown's and therefore getting a bit of an edge. It could also just be the handicappers trying to flush money going one way. I Want Revenge is not Big Brown, and has not shown that he could beat Pioneerof the Nile. In fact, the only horse he's beaten and taken first in was against 30-1 West Side Bernie.

Mine That Bird (50-1) Hasn't really beaten anybody. Placed higher than Advice in one race, but didn't find himself in the top three in that race. Not a real competitor, but at 50-1, that's what you get.

General Quarters (20-1) Hometown favorite, General Quarters is a one man show. The owner, a former area principal, his story being told everywhere. If your even thinking about it, I say take it in a trifecta. There, in my opinion, is a lot to be said about familiarity in racing and General Quarters has ran at Churchill Downs the most of anyone in the field. He's shown that he can win, winning the Blue Grass against Hold Me Back. I wouldn't be surprised to see an upset out of this horse.

Papa Clem (20-1) Strong horse who just may not be lucky enough to win. He's coming off a win but it was against horses that have since scratched. He's seen Pioneerof the Nile once before, so there is some familiarity. He was one of the favorites but has since dropped off. That's not to say at 20-1 he doesn't find himself in the mix.

Friesan Fire (5-1) An Arkansas horse who has beaten Papa Clem once already. 5-1 is a solid odd, and he's maintained his ability to stay on the lips as one of the favorites. He'd be a good take in a trifecta.

West Side Bernie (30-1) The inside most post position in a 20 horse field, West Side Bernie is going to need a great start in order to do anything. He's never really proven he could be a factor against this field, and will fail to do anything Saturday.

Regal Ransom (30-1) One of two horses that have spent the majority of their career outside the US. Him and Desert Party, while some peoples favorites, the Derby, in recent history at least, has never seen a horse win the roses who has ran in Dubai. Not to say that he won't do well, if he can get up front with Desert Party, the duo may push each other, but they'd have to be joined in a box.

Mr. Hot Stuff (30-1) One of those triplets who are stable mates, Mr. Hot Stuff has finished well against this field, coming in third twice. I think he's more there to help stable mate Hold Me Back than to be a competitor, I don't see Mr. Hot Stuff being strong in this field.

Desert Party (15-1) He, along with Regal Ransom, if they can both get near the lead may push each other, but I think they'd have to do it together. Desert Party and Regal Ransom have finished 1-2 in their last three races together in Dubai, but this maybe to much for them. The one thing Desert Party has is the outside, meaning he can get wide and make a run.

Advice (30-1) The last of the three stable mates, I just don't see it. Again, more to help hopeful Hold Me Back keep pace more than anything, I think really. Advice had beaten now scratch Square Eddie, but that is really all he's done in his career.

Flying Private (50-1) The far outside post, is a long way away. He's never really beaten anyone in the field, which is why his odds are what they are, I'd have to pass on Flying Private, unless I owned him. Which I don't. The field is too strong, and Flying Private has proven what he's made of with a 5th place finish against the field.

Summer Bird (50-1) Remember all that about a horse with 3 wins never winning the Derby prior to Big Brown? Well Summer Bird is no Big Brown. He's finished 3rd against the field, but I think the inexperience will do him in. But for $2 you'd get a $100.

As of the time all my research had finished, there have been 3 additions to the Derby. Here they are, take them at your own risk:
Join In The Dance (50-1)
Nowhere To Hide (50-1)
Atomic Rain (50-1)

Here is two trifecta's you maybe interested to take: Pioneerof the Nile, Musket Man and General Quarters. The other: Chocolate Candy, Friesan Fire and General Quarters.

Good Luck to everyone.

Swine Flu and you

Allow for a second, some paranoia to set in. Imagine living in a nation where the government uses unwilling subjects to test and learn from diseases, a sort of "biological warfare" if you will. Now, imagine, if you will, a country that has already tested diseases on it's own citizens that after 40 years, was finally revelled, so now they have to use that disease on another countries population. Now imagine you live in that country, because you just might.

Here are the facts as we know them:

• Mexico is currently in a large drug war that has seen violence spill over into American soil
• There are many who feel strongly against illegal immigrants coming over from Mexico
• Mexico City, one of the largest, most populated cities in the world, was on lock down Sunday, April 26th
• TheUnited States has tested Syphilis on poor black sharecroppers from 1932 until 1972
• There was a Swine Flu "epidemic" over 30 years ago, that originated in the US

Take what you will from all of this, the most important thing you can do is be careful. Here are 5 things you need to know about the current swine flu.

Tea Party

I think that it's easy for those who we can call the "liberal, Obama loving media" to pigeon hole the Tea Party Movement into simply just a bunch of "whiny, poor loser, right-wingers" who are upset at having to pay taxes. And as a whole, this is what the media has done to dismiss the protest. Which is fine, it really is as expected and is what they have been accused of since President Obama won the election. And to some extent this pigeon hole is correct, and one can even say fueled by the fact that Fox News was the only "news" outlet that continuously covered it.

When I first heard of the tea party movement I was amazed. I also wondered where and what they were going to dump. When I found out it was a mere gathering to protest taxes on tax day, I thought it was a good start, but it didn't go far enough. Now, I'm not promoting violence, the original tea party was a non-violent act against the English rule. There needed to be a walk out, or a march, not a series of protest where political figures are allowed to speak. There should be no political figures speaking. This should be a gathering of the people who cry out in one voice "We will not take it anymore".

Another great way the media has dismissed the Tea Party was to say it was just a bunch of people who don't want to pay taxes and don't understand that President Obama has ct taxes for 95% of America. Well I would have to disagree. I don't believe that this was a blatant "I don't want to pay taxes anymore" protest. And while yes, the president has cut taxes for 95% of Americans, his government has raised taxes on other goods such as but not limited to cigarettes and liquor. So, while he technically cut taxes, keeping his campaign promise, he found alternative revenues to get the people. And of course, I understand the argument "well you don't have to smoke or drink", it has been seen that liquor sales have gone up since the recession.

I want to make this perfectly clear, and for the record, I am not now, nor have I ever been a member of the Republican Party. I just believe that our system of what we want really badly want to call a democracy is broken and has been for a long time, maybe since the beginning. Our checks and balances alone kills a democracy. Any one branch can cancel out the other, and they, whenever they want, can cancel out the will of the people, is not a democracy but a republic. We have representatives who the majority of us vote in and they do what they believe the majority of their people want.

However, since the formation of the colonies, and the first elected presidency, there have only been 2 major parties. It started with the tories and the wigs and has evolved into the Republicans and the Democrats. Anyone else running under any other party, especially for the highest office in the land is viewed as "waisting their time" and their supporters are "waisting their vote", again, not a very democratic view. And, on top of this two party "conspiracy", you need to be a card carrying member of one of said parties to 1) vote for who should run on that parties ticket and 2) work the booths during Election Day.

These are the principles that should have been, and were the foundations for the Tea Party Movement. And while the Obama-loving media may want to pigeon hole it's attendees into some nice little niche that they can easily dismiss by saying where was all this protest during the Bush years, maybe they should take into consideration the fact that not only did Bush's approval rating drop to historic lows, NOT only did they want to impeach Bush BUT it was with their help and love for Senator Obama and dislike of Sarah Palin that aided in Obama's 8 million vote advantage. Of course, McCain didn't help his cause either, but that's beside the point.

My only real question is, for those of you who want to so easily dismiss the Tea Party activist, can you do it without using the term "teabaggers" or "teabagging"? I mean seriously, who really is the immature ones here?