Kansas - All Access

C.J. Henry is impressive with about 1:30 left in this video. If his knee ever heals up, I think he has a real chance to help us out.

Jayhawk Football

Thank goodness basketball season is here. After a terribly disappointing loss at home to Nebraska, I find myself motivated to blog. I plan on composing my thoughts this evening and leaving a detailed post tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, Alicia, my sisters, and I are going to see Wicked with my mom in Kansas City. It should be a great show!

HS Football Player Saves School Children

This is a pretty remarkable story

Obama TOLD us this was coming

Glenn Beck had an incredibly well written and spoken monologue this morning on his radio program. I have posted the transcript below, and you can listen to the audio here.

GLENN: Well, give me 20 minutes. President Obama's going on vacation next month. You know that, right? He's great. I mean, he deserves it. He's worked hard these last six months. He has worked hard transforming our country. He's been paying people's mortgages, putting gas in their automobiles.

VOICE: Because I never thought this day would ever happen. I won't have to worry about putting gas in my car. I won't have to worry about paying my mortgage. You know, if I help him, he's going to help me.

GLENN: I've personally never seen President Obama, you know, gas anybody up at a Shell station, you know, but I don't get to New Jersey that often. I mean, maybe that's where he's pumping everybody's gas these days. I don't know. How does that woman feel today? She was in last October she said that. How is she feeling now, as she continues to write her own checks for her own mortgage or maybe lose her home and still fill up her own tank, or run out of gas? I wonder if she is disappointed by Barack Obama yet or if she's excited for the change that is still coming. We're now hearing from more and more people who are disappointed because they didn't understand the change. I wonder how did you miss that? The latest poll shows that a growing number of Americans strongly disapprove of his performance. It's now in double digits over those who strongly approve. To many Americans Barack Obama was a moderate and now all of a sudden he's governing for the left. Hello? Are you kidding me? Barack Obama could not have been any more clear about who he was and what he planned to do if he was elected, but everyone refused to listen and many Americans still are. He told us every step of the way up to and including his community organizer plans for America. He even told the American people that ACORN would help shape his agenda.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: But let me even say before I even get inaugurated. During the transition we're going to be calling all of you in to help us shape the agenda. We're going to be having meetings all across the country with community organizations so that you have input into the agenda for the next presidency of the United States of America.

GLENN: He mentioned that he wanted to build an AmeriCorps type volunteer organization that would be just as strong and well funded as the U.S. military.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded.

GLENN: A civilian force. I guess we just shrug that off as the peace corps, a Greenpeace. Although, how strong and powerful and well funded do you have to be to plant trees or throw buckets of water on beached whales? Do you need a tank to spray them down? Maybe they'll save sperm whales now with their new peace corps aircraft carriers. And by the way, your kids aren't really going to have a choice because they are making community service now super sexy. Oh, yeah, public service? First we're tying them into student loans. But the good news is their student loans will now be erased, picked up entirely by the taxpayer, if your children just serve as a government bureaucrat for ten years. But even more good news. Soon your kids won't have to worry about making tough decisions like should I serve in a government approved organized group like ACORN or AmeriCorps? They don't have to worry about that because Rahm Emanuel is there. The choice will have already been made for your children because it's good for the collective.

VOICE: The idea of universal citizens service, you have to participate.

EMANUEL: Citizenship is not an entitlement program. It comes with responsibilities. Everybody somewhere between the ages of 18 and 25 will serve three months of basic training in a kind of civil defense. That universal sense of service, somewhere between ages 18 and 25 will give Americans once again a sense of what they are to be American and their contribution to a country and a common experience. And you look at World War II. That was a draft. This is not a draft. It's a universal service. It is not an accident that we started our big march towards civil rights and expanding post World War II because the country came through and experienced together.

VOICE: So is this compulsory then?

EMANUEL: Well, you have to in a sense that it's required of everybody.

GLENN: It's required. It's not a draft. It's required. It's not a draft. It's universal service. It's required. It's not socialism. It's social justice. Does the book "1984" come to mind to anybody? Obama's taxation policies haven't been exactly timid but then I guess we should have known that.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: It's not that I want to punish your success. I just want to make sure that everybody who is behind you, that they've got a chance at success, too. I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody.

GLENN: Oh, it's good. When we spread the wealth around, it's good for everyone. But that wasn't Marxist. No, no, no. That's not Marxist. That was just a good rule of thumb, sort of a social justice safety tip. Is it possible he learned that ideology very early on from his mentor, Frank Marshall Davis, an avowed communist? And from his favorite professors in college of whom he spoke in his new book, Dreams of My Father.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: I chose my friends carefully. The more politically active black students, the foreign students, the Chicanos, the Marxist professors and structural feminists and punk rock performance pullets who smoked cigarettes and wore leather jackets. At night in the dorms we discussed neocolonialism, Frantz Fanon, Eurocentrism and patriarchy. When we ground out our cigarettes in the hallway carpet, we set our stereos so loud that the walls began to shake, we were resisting Bourgeois society's stifling constraints.

GLENN: Oh, but Glenn, you can't hold him to that. He was in his early 20s at the time. Even though he said he carefully selected his Marxist professors. Okay, can we hold him to something he said on an Illinois public radio station in 2001 when he was a state legislator?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: But the Supreme Court never ventured into the issues of redistribution of wealth and sort of more basic issues of political and economic justice in this society. And to that extent as radical as I think people tried to characterize the Warren court, it wasn't that radical. It didn't break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the founding fathers and the Constitution, at least as it's been interpreted. And Warren court interpreted it in the same way that generally the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties, says what the states can't do to you, says what the federal government can't do to you. But it doesn't say what the federal government or the state government must do on your behalf. And that hasn't shifted, and one of the, I think the tragedies of the civil rights movement was because the civil rights movement became so court focused, I think that there was a tendency to lose track of the political and community organizing activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalitions of power through which you bring about redistributive change, and in some ways we still suffer from that.

GLENN: We went through the courts and so we lost focus on the community organizing on the ground, which is the way you bring about redistributive wealth. The Constitution didn't break free from those founding constraints. It's a document mostly of negative liberties. What a powerful endorsement of the most perfect political document in the history of the world. Thank you, Barack Obama sorry. Thank you, Mr. President of the United States. Unfortunately it also didn't bring about that redistributive change that we and when I say "We," I mean Karl Marx wanted so badly. Here was his response to a caller to that same public radio show.

VOICE: With Karen. Good morning, Karen, you are on Chicago public radio.

CALLER: Hi. The gentleman made the point that the Warren court wasn't terribly radical. My question is with economic changes. My question, is it too late for that kind of reparative work economically and is that the appropriate place for reparative economic work to take place.

VOICE: You mean the court?

CALLER: The courts, or would it be legislation at this point.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: You know, maybe I'm showing my bias here as a legislator as well as a law professor but, you know, I'm not optimistic about bringing about major redistributive change through the courts. You know, the institution just isn't structured that way.

GLENN: He needs to change the structure of the institution. Remember, his last phrase was "Community organizing." Now, you might be thinking, okay, Mr. Fatty Fat Fatso, witch white guy, you are just concerned about a piece of your big fat pile of your Brinks truck cash being taken from you and heaven forbid given to, shhh, a person of color. Really? Do only the rich have electricity in this country? I mean, I know they do in Zimbabwe or where George Onyango Obama lives in his hut in Kenya. But most of us don't live in those conditions. I'm just, I'm thinking out loud here that most, if not all, low income wage earners in this country have things like lights, TVs, radios, air conditionings. And they just might be affected by something else: Obama clearly spelled out during the campaign.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket. Even, you know, regardless of what I say about whether coal is good or bad. Because I'm capping greenhouse gases, coal power plants, you know, natural gas, you name, whatever the plants were, whatever the industry was, they would have to retrofit their operations. That will cost money; they will pass that money on to consumers.

GLENN: Obama was kind enough to alert us to the fact that some of our rights may be curtailed because we don't want to offend our close personal Euro trash friends and their tender sensibilities with our lifestyle. God forbid we do that.

MICHELLE OBAMA: Barack, as Oprah said, is one of the most brilliant men you will meet in our lifetime.

GLENN: Here's what he said about driving our SUVs. Cut 74, 074.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: We can't drive our SUVs and, you know, eat as much as we want and keep our homes on, you know, 72 degrees at all times whether we're living in a desert or we're living in the tundra and then just expect that every other country's going to say, "Okay."

GLENN: Let me tell you something. My studio is set right now at 65 degrees. I don't care what the Frenchy frogs think about it. Why are liberals always so concerned about the French and what the French are going to France is a rat hole. They are setting cars on fire. They are kidnapping their bosses and threatening to blow up automobile plants if they don't get raises. Why would we care about a country that is out of control, filled with beret wearing, wine swilling surrender monkeys? I'll put this thermometer in this studio at 38 below zero if I want to. It's my damn thermometer. If I want to hang frozen sides of beef in here, I'll do it. I'll park an idling Cadillac Escalade in the studio if I want, with the heaters running at full blast just to stay warm in the 38 below zero studio conditions that I've created with my ridiculously low thermostat temperature while I eat frozen pudding and jelly doughnuts! And I'll be fine... or will I? You see, I can't do that because if I eat too many jelly doughnuts, then I would be bad for the collective health, and the new healthcare system would punish me. If I left my Escalade running, that would be bad for the collective. It would be bad for global health. And it's illegal in New York to let your car idle now unless you're the mayor. Plus, don't forget, GM, Government Motors. They are not even going to be making the Escalade anymore, cars that are supposedly unfriendly to the environment. No, no, we'll soon all be driving the 1 1/2 passenger squirrel powered Yugo. But let's not forget Michelle told us things were going to change. We were hoping for this change. And once we change, we'll never, ever be allowed to go back to our lives before Obama.

MICHELLE OBAMA: And Barack Obama will require you to work. He is going to demand that you shed your cynicism, that you put down your division, that you come out of your isolation, that you move out of your comfort zones, that you push yourselves to be better and that you engage. Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual.

GLENN: Of course, as soon as she said that, she was hidden on the campaign trail. We were promised that there would be change, transformation over and over and over again. When will America open their eyes to the promises of a fundamental transformation of America?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.

GLENN: He said it as plain as it possibly could be said and people lived in denial. No one, almost no one, took him at his word. You want a president that you can take at his word. You want a president you can believe in. You want a president who will say what he means and means what he says. And yet when you get one, you think it's campaign rhetoric. You think he doesn't believe in taking wealth from one group and giving it to another. You think he doesn't mean that he's actually going to change or make useless the Constitution through community service groups. You think he actually means or doesn't mean that he's going to start an AmeriCorps where your children will be required to serve. You think he doesn't actually mean that you won't be able to go back to your life as you knew it. You think he doesn't actually mean that you're not going to be affording electricity. You think he doesn't actually mean that you can't have your thermostat at 72 because of what Europe thinks. It's time we take this politician at his word. People haven't been doing it for a while. My question is will you start to do it now?

Test Synth

There is a new service that Microsoft is offering called Photosynth. This is just a test of my living room, but I plan on doing some serious synthing in the future.

Michael Jackson

Now, almost a week after his death, I may finally be able to write a post about Michael Jackson. It is bizarre to think that somebody with whom I have never had an interaction can become so close to my heart. And now that I read that out loud, it sounds bizarre too. But, the fact of the matter is that I have been an avid fan of Michael's since I knew what music was. One of the first, if not the first, cassettes I ever owned was his album Bad. As I grew up, I purchased the rest of his albums and began to enjoy his body of work. He created so many songs that I can associate with early childhood memories and late-night college parties. What he did for the music industry is astounding; many popular artists of today undoubtedly owe their careers to Michael Jackson. Music videos, as we know them, did not exist before he started creating them. He broke down race barriers, sponsered disease prevention and treatment in other countries, and supported our troops. He truly was a humanitarian. It is difficult to put into words what he and his career meant to this world. Think about it, when was the last time you saw this much international attention focused on the end of somebody's life? This was a man that desperately wanted to make a difference in people's lives. He was able to do that by reaching out to the world through his music. There are plenty of facts to support that statement. From his album sales, tour grossing records, and 20+ number one hits dating back to the Jackson 5. I recently watched a concert from his Dangerous Tour in 1992, and the reactions from his fans in attendance is remarkable. They put the boy-band fans to shame. Emotion pours out of these people, as they cannot wrap their minds around what they are witnessing. His shows were so ellaborate, and, from what I have read, his London tour was going to be no different. Throughout his life, talent oozed from his weird body. And, you almost expect him to be so weird because that much talent cannot possibly be contained in a normal person; that part of his brain was not unlike a sevant's. If this reads like random thoughts stitched together, that's because it is. I still am unable to accept the fact this Michael Jackson is gone, and this world was robbed of his unique talents and gifts. He will be sorely missed.

I encourage you to read up on Michael Jackson's life, and enjoy his music. From Motown, to Disco, to Funk, to Rock, there is something in his library for everybodhy.

U.S. Open Continued

Consider this: Since 2000, Tiger has never ranked better than 54th in tour driving accuracy. Moreover, from 2001-2007, he was never in the top 100. Going into the Memorial, many questions were being asked about his accuracy off of the tee. During that tournament, Tiger hit 49/56 fairways, an impressive 87.5%. As you can see from the chart below, that would be the highest percentage among the most accurate drivers in the past decade. I know, it isn't an acceptable sample, but it is still impressive. If he can continue to drive the ball well and increase his YTD percentage to the low to mid 70's, who is going to beat this guy?

Couple these fun facts with his accomplishments, and it's pretty scary.

• 2000 - 71.0% - U.S. Open, British Open, PGA - 6 other PGA wins
• 2001 - 65.5% - Masters - 4 other PGA wins
• 2002 - 67.5% - Masters, U.S. Open - 3 other PGA wins
• 2003 - 62.7% - 5 PGA wins
• 2004 - 56.1% - 1 PGA win
• 2005 - 54.6% - Masters, British Open - 4 other PGA wins
• 2006 - 60.7% - British Open, PGA - 6 other PGA wins
• 2007 - 59.8% - PGA - 6 other PGA wins
• 2008 - No Data - U.S. Open - 3 PGA wins
• 2009 - 61.9% - 2 PGA wins

U.S. Open

The 2008 U.S. Open was, in my opinion, the most remarkable golf tournament in my life. ESPN highlights last year's major in the video below.

I don't think there is any way that we will see this kind of drama again this year, but I would love to be suprised. Tiger is the clear favorite to win again this year, coming off of an impressive victory at The Memorial. He comes into this Open as the defending U.S. Open champion and the definding U.S. Open at Bethpage Black champion (2002). I am looking forward to the fireworks.

Obama Hypocricy/MIA Media

Big news today. Barack Obama made good on a campaign promise to take his wife, Michelle, on a date. Word has it (insert teenage girl giggle), that they went to NYC to take in a dinner in the Village and a Broadway show. I would like to state that I have zero problems with the POTUS and FLOTUS having their date night; I think that is an important part of any marriage. I also have zero problems footing the bill for this, even though it took three planes and three helicopters to get the job done. That's fine, I get it. He is the President of the United States, and, along with taking his honey out, he got some more exposure to the American people. Here's the rub: this is the same President that criticized Citi Group for spending money on a private jet because they were on tax payer dime and told them to "fix it"! This is the same President that chastised all of the bank executives for flying into Washington on corporate jets for bailout hearings! News flash Mr. President: your budget, just like these companies' books, is an absolute mess!

And where is the media on this? All we hear about, even in an article titled GOP takes aim at Barack and Michelle's NYC trip, is what the couple was wearing, where they dined, etc. Again, I get it that the Obama's need a little rec time, and I support that. But, come on, a little accountability never hurts.

More MIA media. A Google search for George Tiller, the Wichita, KS abortion doctor who was murdered, returned over 7,000 references. A search for William Long, the 23-year-old military recruiter murdered Monday morning by a man who allegedly had political and religious motives, returned under 500. George Tiller spent his life killing babies, while William Long hunted down terrorists. I realize that Tiller was a public figure while "soldier" was not, but how often are U.S. citizens murdered by terrorist suspects on U.S. soil? What bothers me more than the lack of media coverage is that the White House has made statements regarding the murder of George Tiller, but, to my knowledge, not one statement has been made about William Long. That is despicable.

UPDATE: Gov. Sarah Palin has addressed this issue on her website.

Mike Vick: The Worst Criminal in the NFL

That is how most of the Michael Vick headlines are painting the once highest-paid NFLer of all time, and it is complete trash. I detest that Michael Vick financed a dog-fighting ring. I hate that all of those dogs were injured/killed, and I am glad that he was punished for his actions. I also think his punishment more than fit his crime. He spent 21 months in a federal prison and has a 21 month old daughter; you do the math. His multi-millionaire status is extinct, and he no longer has a spot on any roster in the league. To top it off, it seems to be a forgone conclusion that any team that takes a chance on Vick will be subject to more scrutiny than they care to handle. I say, give the guy a second chance. If the news is accurate, he is working hard to rebuild his image and character by coordinating with The Humane Society of the United States to eradicate dog fighting among the nation's youth. The COO of the Humane Society, Michael Markarian, met with Vick while he was in prison and made positive statements regarding his intentions and sincerity. Who can say that they have never received a second chance? I realize that not many people have funded dog fighting scandals, but not many have been punished to the extent that Michael Vick was. In our justice system, he has done his time and deserves a chance to rehabilitate himself and have a positive influence on society.

I grew up with dogs, and my wife and I have a rescued dog. I hated Michael Vick two years ago, and I will never condone his actions. But, let's see what he's made of.

The View

This evening, for the first time, I watched part of The View; I Tivoed it this morning because Glenn Beck was a guest. Putting aside the fact that my personal convictions and political views are closely aligned with Mr. Beck's, The View has to be THE MOST pointless show ever; it's on the same level as Jerry Springer. The only thing that I can hear is Whoopie Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd, and Barbara Walters squacking about meaningless issues. Elisabeth Hasselbeck seems to provide some sort of normality and stability to an otherwise pointless television show. Glenn Beck takes the time to appear on their show, and none of them even have the courtesy to let him respond to their five-at-a-time questions/accusations. Beck was on the show for two segments. The first segment was 100% focused on a lie that Glenn told. You won't believe this whopper! Long story short, Glenn was on the train when Barbara Walters and Whoopie Goldberg got on. On his radio show, Glenn did an unflattering, yet remarkably accurate, impression of Barbara Walters and said that she called him over to her. But, and this is a HUGE deal, Glenn actually approached Barbara!!! That's it, that's the big lie... In the first minute of his appearance, he easily admitted that he mispoke. Why was it so easy? Because it doesn't amount to anything and changes nothing about the story! The first 30 seconds of the second segment were allocated to Glenn actually voicing his opinion. After that, Whoopie and Joy just couldn't take it anymore. They were so incredibly rude to their "guest," I'm not sure how they get anybody on the program. The entire show, Whoopie would not even make eye contact with Glenn, and she has plenty of room for that over her teenie tiny glasses.

Bottom line, I can't believe that ABC wastes money on this trash. How The View ever won an Emmy is beyond me; that discredits the Emmy's more than it credits The View.

Inspiration

Inspiration is a tricky thing. It's easy to wait around for something or someone to provide it, but the truly gifted individuals are those who can will it upon themselves. I have been having trouble getting motivated to write blog posts because I can't seem to find anything to write about. So, I sit down, and type in the title "golf"...no, no, no. I don't know enough about that fickle game. So, I try "How did the U.S. government post a deficit for the month of April?" Nope, I don't have the energy, and frowning emoticons do not do justice to my frustration (last year we had a surplus of over $150 billion, and now, one year later, we post a $20.9 billion deficit?! Come on, Barry, get your game together. Or, is it "still like the Special Olympics or something"?). So, I settle in to discover my issue and find that it's not ADD, but a lack of inspiring topics.

So, what is more inspiring than inspiration itself? Let's talk about it. During my week long stint as a bachelor, I found that I wanted my wife to come home to a clean and organized home. So I was uber-productive around the house, and she returned to a cleaner, more organized home. BAM! Inspiration came from my wife's happiness - now, if I can only get her and her family to read this... I am inspired and motivated to work on my golf game because Brice King and I have a few dozen Kang Kups to win, and my dad and I have a member-guest to win. Inspiration can come from anywhere: music, art, people, events, etc. So, why is it so difficult to find sometimes?

I guess it is simply important to keep looking for ways to become inspired. It seems that even the smallest things have the capability to provide enough inspiration to conquer large obstacles.

We'll see what other incongruent topics will inspire my next post.

The Diary of a Groomed Bachelor

So, here we are, the fourth day of my experience. I have three vacation days to take before Monday, or I lose em; this is the first, and it was wonderfully productive. In fact, this may have been one of the more manly days that I have ever had. I slept in until 8:00, took out the trash, cleaned out the closet, cleaned the garage, finished building a flower bed, donated to Good Will, recycled newspaper and cardboard, and went to the driving range/practice green. Yep, this was one hairy, manly day.

I have wonderful plans for the rest of the week. Golf on Thursday, Friday, and maybe Saturday, and David Price is coming to visit tomorrow through Sunday. I'm sorry I don't have anything interesting to say right now, but hopefully some things will inspire me over the next couple of days.

ARGHH!

Welcome Back!

Not that any mass of people visit the blog, but just in case. I guess I'm really just using this as a journal and venting medium, so I can see why people wouldn't visit this site religiously.

So, my wife left for a week-long trip to the Dominican Republic yesterday morning. You know what that means! Seven days of casserole-eating for yours truly! I have a breakfast sausage/egg bake for breakfast and a huge pan of lasagna for lunch and dinner. Who knows? maybe I will actually get around to making some vegetables for a side or something...but, right now, A Goofy Movie is on TV.

A new series for this week, The Diary of a Groomed Bachelor.

Chapter 11? And other AIG musings...

In all of this AIG mess, I continue to wonder what would have happened if the government would have let business run its course. There is a reason that Chapter 11 Bankruptcy exists! It is for companies that have gotten into contracts that they can no longer honor, so that the may reorganize. Hmm...this situation sounds eerily familiar... Now, as it stands, the AIG bonus scandal is dominating headlines, and taking the focus away from the real crooks in this situation: Congress.

Simply put, AIG was required to pay these bonuses; Chris Dodd wrote the contract that said so. A lot of those executives don't take a large salary because of a salary tax. So, in an effort to keep more of their money, they started giving bonuses. Now, the government is attempting to take back the bonuses, tax the snot out of them, or require that they are "voluntarily returned" if AIG is to receive anymore tax dollars. Say that you, Mr. Average American, make $40,000 per year. However, your company elects to pay you $1 in salary and a $39,999 bonus at the end of the year. What happens to your take home pay as soon as your "distasteful bonus" is dismantled? And, since when can Congress be so judgemental? Last I checked, this country was in some serious debt, and earmarks are still being put into bills.

Consider this analogy: Mr. and Mrs. Average American just lost their jobs but have yet to pay off their house. Mr. American decides to continue to uphold his family's contractual obligation to pay their monthly morgage, and his family becomes outraged. They might say, "How can you possibly justify paying this amount of money every month?! We don't have any income!" The next day, Mr. American pulls up in the driveway in a brand new Rolls, and nobody puts up a fuss.

How backwards is that? But, that's exactly what is happening in our country right now.

Home Prices

I know that this video is a little old, two weeks or so, but it isn't really "mainstream media."



I found some additional data from the Standard & Poor's webpage. I believe that this data mirrors the entire U.S. economy. History supports the cyclical behavior of the economy in general, and we have been able to enjoy a large period of prosperous times. Now, it is time to return to earth. From a purely egocentric standpoint, the next few years aren't bad for young people that are ready to invest. As all things having to do with the U.S. economy drop, it seems like a great time to buy and hold.

UMass, Take 2

I am at a loss for words after staying up to watch that Texas Tech game last night. Thinking back, I am not sure that we could look any worse. The game was worse than UMass because we were supposed to have "broken through the wall." The Jayhawk faithful witnessed our potential against Mizzou and OU. And now, we have witnessed how bad we can really look.

It is difficult to pin the loss on one particular person. If anybody can be mostly absolved of blame, it would be Bill Self. We had PLENTY of open looks and stifled their offense with a change to zone. The calls from the bench were spot on. However, when Sherron Collins goes 3 for 19 (1 for 10 from deep) and Cole Aldrich goes without a field goal and a rebound for almost the entire first half, it's tough to win a ball game. On top of that, our on ball defense was pitiful. How does Brady Morningstar let Alan Voskuil make 9 of 14 threes and go for a career high 35 points? That could be Coach Self's one question mark: why didn't he put Sherron on him for a while? In my opinion, the loss boils down to our star performers not perfoming.

I realized that I may seem harsh to pin the majority of this loss on Collins and Aldrich, but that's facts, Jack. The reliable role is what the two of them have fallen into, and, for the most part, they have embraced it. I'm not saying we needed 25 points and 15 boards from Cole or 30 points and 10 assists from Sherron. A slightly under average game would have done just fine. Maybe Cole makes a LAY UP early in the second half to tie the game at 43. Then, who knows what happens? Our team gets energized and storms past the Voskuil Raiders. Or, maybe it wasn't our night, and they would have finished it off anyway. I know that everybody can't be on every game, but come on, everybody off on the same game? I'm sorry. The responsibility to pick up a down team falls upon its leaders.

The good thing, however, is that I still feel like we played hard. I am confident that Coach Self will have them ready for Saturday in Allen, and I look forward to finishing off a great season with an out-right BigXII regular season championship. Thanks Missouri.

Tiger Woods

It's official. Tiger Woods has made his much anticipated return to professional golf...and an earlier than expected exit. Now, people are starting to ask questions. Is he the same Tiger as before? Is his knee really healed? Can he still play at the same level as before? In my opinion, all of these questions are complete nonsense. They guy takes 8 months off to rehab a restructured leg, and the golf world still expects flawless performances. We had to expect some rust in his first appearance. And, he ran into the only guy who didn't made a bogey in the first two days of play! Tiger's swing looks great, and I don't think it is too optimistic to expect an entertaining show at the Masters this April.

All of the good Tiger talk said, if I have to hear him say something about how it feels good "not to have [his] bones moving around" when he swings, I am going to do something serious. Like, blog about how annoyed I am. Tiger, we all know that you are great, nobody else in the world could do what you did 8 months ago, and we can't imagine swinging on a broken leg. Now, quit talking about it and just come back to the PGA and win some more majors.

Obama Speaks

Barack Obama is the most talented orator that I have ever heard. Talk about getting people motivated! He sounds exactly like he is saying all the right things. The problem is, he isn't. During his address last night, I found myself getting kind of pumped up. He started to be a cheerleader for America, saying that it is our duty to not pass down an unpayable debt to our children and grandchildren. He takes a defiant stance against ear marks in our spending. Well that's just pork-tacular. Here is a small list of what he have coming in the next spending saga*:

• $185,000 for coral reef research and preservation in Maui County, Hawaii




• $55,000 in meteorological equipment for Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.




• $9.9 million for science enhancement at historically black colleges in South Carolina.




• $764,000 for the Lake George Watershed Protection Initiative in New York, requested by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Democrat




• $9.9 million for South Carolina's historically black colleges and universities, requested by House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, South Carolina Democrat




• $1.1 million requested by Senate Republican Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander and Sen. Bob Corker, both of Tennessee, for water treatment plant improvements in Tennessee's Unicoi County, as well as $300,000 for a sewer extension project in another county.




• $713,625 Woody Biomass at SUNY-ESF. Walsh and Schumer sponsors




• $951,500 Sustainable Las Vegas. Berkeley and Reid sponsors




• $24,000 A+ for Abstinence. Specter is sponsor




• $300,000 Montana World Trade Center. Rehberg sponsor




• $950,000 Myrtle Beach International Trade and Convention Center. Graham sponsor




• $200,000 Oil Region Alliance. Peterson sponsor




• $190,000 Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, WY for digitizing and editing the Cody collection. Barbara Cubin is the sponsor




• $143,000 Las Vegas Natural History Museum, Las Vegas, NV, to expand natural history education programs. Sponsored by Harry Reid




• $238,000 for the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Honolulu, HI, for educational programs. Sen. Daniel Inouye is the sponsor




• $381,000 for Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York, NY for music education programs. Jerrold Nadler is the sponsor




• Rep. Jerry Lewis of California, the top Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, would spend $3.8 million on a Needles, Calif., highway




• Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, the top Republican on Senate Appropriations, backs earmarks including a $950,000 nature education center in Moss Point, Miss

This spending bill is over 1,000 pages in length, 775 of which are filled with earmarks. Listening to Obama speak is one thing. Listening to his words is a completely different matter. He knows good and well the pork that's in this latest spending bill. So, next time our President speaks, try not looking at the tv and listening to his words.

* Source: GlennBeck.com

Norman, Okla

After letting the results of last night's road game digest, it is now time to write a little bit about it. Regarding this game, the biggest discussion on the 'net is whether or not Blake Griffin would have changed the outcome.

It would be naive to think that Blake Griffin isn't a play-maker and a difference-maker. He is clearly a front runner for the NPOY and clearly means a lot to the Sooners. He is also a game changer. However, just because a player is a game changer, doesn't necessarily mean that he is an outcome changer. There is no doubt that last night's game would be played differently had Griffin played. Both teams would have changed their offensive and defensive strategies. Cole Aldrich would likely not grab 20 rebounds, and Cade Davis likely would not have seen the floor. Willie Waren would not have had to put up 23, but Ryan Wright wouldn't have had the opportunity to miss 5 free throws.

My point is this: Who knows what would have happened? When game styles change, players' roles change. And, while this has the capacity to change the outcome, it may not. There is no reason to call for "an asterisk" to accompany this win because that's how the ball rolls; it's part of the game. I can relate to the Sooner fans though. If we lost a game without Collins or Aldrich, it would be easy to point there as a reason for the loss.

Let Em' In!

Yesterday, I heard the most outrageous story that I have ever heard...ever. Roger Barnett, a rancher in Arizona, has made it a mission of his for the past decade to stop illegal aliens from entering our country through his property. His ranch, Cross Rail Ranch, spans 22,000 acres in southern Arizona and has become a hot spot for illegal aliens hoping to cross into the United States. During the week, he works in his office near Sierra Vista. On the weekends, he can be found at his ranch near Douglas; this is the time that he catches intruders. During the past 10 years worth of weekends, he estimated that he has prevented 14,000 illegal immigrants from entering our nation by turning them in to the border patrol. They vandalized his property by breaking into his water tank (in which he installed a faucet to prevent further damage), stealing trucks, killing calves, destroying fences and gates, and breaking into his home. They also littered his ranch with trash 10 inches deep, including human waste, used toilet paper, soiled diapers, cigarette packs, clothes, backpacks, empty 1-gallon water bottles, chewing-gum wrappers and aluminum foil - which supposedly is used to pack the drugs the immigrant smugglers give their "clients" to keep them running.

Now, in our litigious society, he is being sued by these intruders for "severe emotional and mental distress," including fear, anxiety, humiliation, stress, frustration and sadness because he decided to right this wrong. The incident in question occurred in 2004, when he approached illegal aliens with a pistol and a dog for his protection against immigrants and drug smugglers, who are often armed. Oh, and he allegedly kicked a woman. Roger Barnett addressed that particular accusation on Fox last night, saying that she was unresponsive while sitting on the ground, so he nudged her in the foot. Many of the aliens are residents of Michoacan, Mexico. Four live in Illinois, one resides in Georgia and another in Michigan. All of the plaintiffs currently living in the U.S. listed pseudonyms in the lawsuit due to "fear of adverse action based on immigration status." Ten of the illegal alien plaintiffs didn't show up to the trial, but the remaining six said they were given permission to re-enter the United States and testify against Barnett. Each of the 16 illegal aliens sued for $1 million in punitive damages and $1 million in actual damages. Some of the charges were dropped, but Mr. Barnett is still being held liable for $77,000 in damages. However his attorney, David Hardy, plans to appeal the case siting the following argument:

"The law is skeptical of infliction of emotional distress because everybody gets their feelings hurt at times," he said. "So one of the requirements was that whatever is done must be so severe that the average person would be physically disabled by the distress – suffer a complete mental breakdown. The judge wouldn't put that in the instruction. That's straight Arizona law."

On top of that the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) paid upward of $1 million for 9 attorneys - many of whom were from a New York law firm, to represent these people.

Are you freaking kidding me?! How in the world do non-citizens have the same rights in this country as hard working, tax paying citizens? When did we lose the right to bear arms? When did we lose the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? This man did not hurt anybody and was simply defending his property. As far as I can tell, he has done as much as the entire border patrol in keeping illegals out of our country; why hasn't he won some sort of "I Am Awesome" award? And how out of control has our law system become, that these kinds of issues are occurring? This defies all logic and rationale.

You can find some more information about this from the professionals at the Washington Times and the World Net Daily.

Greenspan calls to nationalize some banks

I bring this blog to you from the commute to Leavenworth. Don't worry,
I'm not driving today.

You know it's getting bad when Alan Greenspan is calling for nationalization. I'm not really sure what the rationale is here. And now, it is being reported that Obama is in Arizona trying to help people keep their houses. As I understand it, homeowners will only be required to pay 31% of their monthly income toward their morgage, and the government will make up the difference to the lenders. How about this: WE are making up the difference! Where does this nonsense stop?
I was never on board with the insurance companies, auto makers, or banks, but now we are bailing out individuals? My head hurts...but that could be because I am typing in the car.

By the way, as an example of the kinds of idiots that are out there, read this transcript from Glenn Beck's morning radio show. He punks this guy...

Doc

So I lied in my profile, when I said Alicia and I have zero children; we have a dog. Doc is about a year old and is a mix between a terrier and a pointer; we love him very much. Here is the history of our beloved canine:

My mom, Jamie, found him at Table Rock lake when he followed two of our family friends home from a morning walk. He had been shot in the back with some sort of pellet gun, and his tail had been broken in three different places, likely the result of being hit by a car. However, he was extremely friendly excited to be around humans. Ever the bleeding heart, my mother took it upon herself to find a home for this little dog. Alicia and I happened to visit Bartlesville when she was keeping him and immediately fell in love. We brought him back to Lawrence that weekend in early August, and immediately took him to the vet again for a check up. The vet discovered that Doc was missing half of his soft pallet and was amazed that he survived that long as a "wild" dog.

I have always had dogs in my life, and I can safely say that Doc is one of the funniest dogs that I have ever known. It is difficult to put into words, so I will provide some video evidence - even video doesn't truly capture the hilarity. He loves to get up in the mornings, and LOVES to be fed. Below is the routine that we go through every single morning, and it definitely makes me less tired.

The funny thing is, after these morning shananigans, he pays almost no attention to his food. He simply enjoys the process. I can't say that I'll never buy a dog from a breeder, but, after seeing how Doc has adapted to a family lifestyle, I can say that I will look at the shelters first.

KU in Manhattan

00:31 left, and we are up by eight. I am really hoping that it is safe to start typing now. Ok, final score: 85 - 74.

Left, right, left, right, left, right, standing...standing...standing...SIT DOWN!**

If you closed your eyes, would you think you were sitting in a high school basketball game? 1 win in the last 26 home games against the Jayhawks, and suddenly the Grapes have some swagger. And, with this win, KU enters its 20th straight 20-win season; now that calls for some swagger. The Hawks showed some serious moxie to win this basketball game, coming off a tough game at Missouri, into a hostile environment in Manhattan, and being down 16 early in the first half.


In my opinion, the obvious MVP of this game was Cole Aldrich. The guy puts up 21 points and grabs 7 rebounds; the new Rip Hamiltonesque mask works well. As KU fans have come to expect, Collins came to play as well, scoring 19 points just over a 1:1 (6 and 5) assist to turnover ratio. But, the unsung MVP of this game has got to go to Marcus Morris. McMorris was an absolute spark plug for the Hawks today, effective from all over the floor on both ends. He was the catalyst for our team when we started our comeback in the first half. He finished up with 15 points, 7 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals, and only 1 TO. Sherron Collins had this to say:

“That’s the real Marcus, aggressive, making plays, hitting threes, jumpers, posting, doing it all. He keeps teasing us, showing glimpses of it, but he is coming around, turning the corner. I look forward to seeing more of that from him.”

It is great to watch Wildcat fans leave their own building with over 1:00 left in the game, and, as a fan, I could not be more impressed with the poise of our young team.

To throw K-State a bone, I have been pretty impressed with Denny Clemente over the last couple of weeks. He makes shots from all over the floor, and plays pretty solid defense. It really is too bad he's such a thug... Oh, and KU has won 38 of the last 40 meetings with the Wildcats.

**In reference to the KSU student section after Tyshawn Taylor and Brady Morningstar fouled out. After rewatching the game, I have concluded that Tyshawn is a genius. After his 5th, he waited until Denis Clemente was in the middle of shooting his free throws to sit down. Those Grapes, thick-headed and short-sighted, still yelled, and Clemente missed both free throw attempts. It was beautiful.

Peter Schiff

Look, this guy is ridiculously awesome. If you aren't familiar, check out this video:

I posted a comment on YouTube regarding this video saying something like "Why isn't this guy on Team Obama? Maybe it's because he doesn't meet the qualification of owing more than $100,000 in back taxes." Those may not be the exact words, but it was something witty like that. I received a response from some numb scull that said "Or possibly because he is rabidly conservative and now a complete laughing stock for making a terrible movie that denies evolution."

I don't care if Peter Schiff is a tree hugging liberal and believes Satan and a camel conceived Jesus Christ, who later when on to write the Koran (separation of church and state?)*. The fact of the matter is, that he had the knowledge and foresight to predict our current situation using information that was readily available at that time. As evidenced by the above video, all of the "experts" ridiculed Mr. Schiff for his predictions. How can the Obama administration not receive any sort of counseling from this guy? And, to the point about his movie: what movie? I have googled, wikipediad, and asked jeeves about that to no avail; those guys must be slow on the uptake.

Big game for the Hawks in about an hour and a half. If we lose this one, like we did in Columbia, I will not be blogging before games anymore. Let's just hope I have a chance to write an uplifting post about them!

Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day!

*To be clear, my religious views are vastly different than that. I was simply trying to make a point.

The Stimulus Package: A Trojan Horse for Welfare Spending

Disclaimer: This post is comprised largely from smart people's research. I have not the time, nor the burning desire, to parse through 647 pages of infrastructure "improvements" (how many bridges do we really need?), analog converters for those who cannot afford them, and other government handouts. However, if you feel up to it, you can find the House Bill on the site of my favorite publication, The Huffington Post.


Clearly, President Obama is not backing down from a staple of his campaign, Share the Wealth. Of the $789 billion stimulus plan, $264 billion (roughly 33%) is new means-tested welfare spending; this figure represents about $6,700 in new welfare spending for every poor person in the U.S. Means-tested welfare spending programs give cash, food, housing, medical care, and social services to poor and low income individuals. What is not widely realized, is that this bill sets in motion another $523 billion in new welfare spending, and will bring the total 10-year fiscal burder, added to the national debt, to $1.3 trillion! If your household pays income tax, this is going to cost you around $17,000. Here are the facts from Robert E. Rector, dubbed the "intellectual godfather" of welfare reform by National Review Editor, Rich Lowry.

"Even without the extra spending in the stimulus bill, means-tested welfare spending is already at a historic high and growing rapidly. In 2008, federal, state, and local means-tested spending hit $679 billion per year. Without any legislative expansions, given historic rates of growth in welfare programs, federal, state, and local means-tested welfare spending over the next decade will total $8.97 trillion. The House stimulus bill adds another $787 billion to this total, yielding a 10-year total of $9.8 trillion. The total 10-year cost of means-tested welfare will then amount to $127,000 for each household paying federal income tax."

A major new welfare program in the stimulus bill is Obama's "Make Work Pay" refundable tax credit. Costing $23 billion per year, the credit will provide up to $500 in cash to low income adults who do not pay income tax in the first place; these are able bodied adults without dependent children! Talk about spreading the wealth... It is becoming very apparent that President Obama and his staff intend to make this "stimulus" a permanent part of a new, much larger welfare state.

Now that the facts are out of the way, we can move on to some original thoughts.

As I take some rhetoric from our President, let me be clear: I am not against giving aid to those in need. However, I do not believe that our government is duty-bound to do so! In my opinion, the effect of this new welfare program is going to be exactly opposite of its intent. If individuals can continue to be supported while loafing around and having 14 babies because they want to, how are they motivated to get out of poverty? Give them the tools that they need, not the means.

By the way, this entire stimulus process does not make any sense at all. Try this exercise: buy 17 vacation homes with borrowed money, wait a few years (all the while failing to make payments and running yourself deeper into debt), and then go ask your bank for some additional funds to distribute to your friends. Then, let me know how much money your bank gives you. It doesn't work that way, and it should be common sense! How in the world can you climb out of debt by substaintially adding to it? Even if the package delivers the promised 2 -3 million jobs (which it won't), we are spending nearly $270,000 per job. Last I checked, the average household income in America was somewhere around $45,000 - $50,000. Things are not adding up. We clearly have our 21st century FDR, now where is our 21st century Henry Ford?

To cap it off: Two Democrats on an Escalator.

The Border War

It's never good to go to bed when you are depressed. The feeling usually carries over into the following day, and you have a seemingly extra long hour commute to work. Then, your day at the office seems a little slow, so things start to look up. It's a nice day outside, and you think, "Hey, maybe everything will be alright." Lunch is good (leftover taco salad), and the weekly team meeting starts off as per usual. Then, out of nowhere...BAM! Your project manager informs you that he has put in his letter of resignation.

It just goes to show, life is bad after losing a close one in Columbia. Seriously, let's look at this ballgame after .7 seconds left in the first half. Tyshawn Taylor converts a fantastic finish to put the Hawks up by 14 going into the break. A 14 point lead! Obviously, you can guess how the second half went. All we had to do was play a bad second half, that's it! Not good, decent, or mediocre. Just plain bad. A "bad" half is one that you lose by 10 points; a bad half wins the game. Instead, our entire team decides to lay one huge, far-past-its-expiration-date egg. But, it's the first Border War for a majority of our team! But, Missouri plays "40 Minutes of Hell" defense! But... Bill Self said it best:

"I can handle getting beat,” Self said. “We can learn from getting beat. We didn’t expect to run the table or anything like that. When you put yourself in position to be up 14 at halftime, 11 under 10 minutes and seven under four (minutes), as a coach you feel you need to win those games"

Looking at his quote, maybe I'm exagerating a little bit on the full half being so unbelievably pitiful. For fairness' sake, let's peg the final 8 minutes of the game as terrible: missed free throws, not looking inside, not making a bucket from 8:00 remaining until 0:29. And, most importantly, giving up 46 points!

The only silver lining, here, is that thick-headed Mizzou fans still rush the court. That exemplifies the light in which we are portrayed by fans o' the Tigers.

Oh, and Leo Lyons had this to say: "I just know this means more to them (fans) than a national championship does."

It's good to see they have the right goal in mind.

Mobile Blogging

I was researching the blogging options, and I found that you can
simply create an email address, send an email to that address, and
have it publish as a blog! Don't anybody try to guess the email
though; it is super secret. Currently, I am at the office (see right).

Now, people will think that I am playing with my phone, instead of blogging! Genius!

Later today, expect an in depth analysis and rant on last night's Border War.

The Inaugural Post

Welcome to my much anticipated blog. I expect to see halves of dozens of visitors by the end of this year; please help! I know, I know, it's about time that I posted a picture of my living room to the World Wide Web. If you are wondering -let's get real, you are- that is a delicious bowl of taco salad that my wife so lovingly made me this evening. I rapidly devoured my dinner as I watched How It's Made, which featured baseball gloves, manhole covers, and fabricated firewood. I plan on this picture being the first in a vibrant series of John Kane's "Places I Have Blogged." Although, folks in my office may think it weird that I am photographing my desk. Just another drop in the bucket...

As the description of this blog states, there is no real agenda or purpose of this blog; I plan on writing whatever I feel like writing. I tend to get frustrated with various aspects of our political world, and I like to express my opinions. I love the University of Kansas and am passionate about everything associated with the institution. T-minus 20 minutes until the Border War in Columbia, and, with Missouri looking surprisingly decent this season, I am a little nervous about the Hawks going to the Paige...err... Mizzou arena. So, thanks for visiting, and I appreciate any feedback you may have.