4 Days Til ?

I thought that Gov Sarah "my head is exploding from all these lies coming out of it" Palin had dug about as far as she could. This afternoon, however, she proved that I had once again underestimated the depths of her ignorance. I heard her with my own ears say "I don't know whats going to happen here if I can't call Obama out on his associations. I think my constitutional rights to free speech is being violated by the press. In other words, why are those mean old people in the press calling BS on the line of half-truths and outright falsehoods I have been spewing over the past month.

To avoid being fooled by this tripe, I went to the Bill of Rights and here is what the first ammendment says:
Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Now if I understand this correctly, The infamous Gov of Alaska is the one that wants to violate the constitution by infringing upon the rights of the press to report what they hear. This ammendment even gives FOX news the right to report on the kind of issues they want to talk about, no matter how ignorant they may be.

The handlers for this out of control wreck should try and keep a muzzle on Gov. Palin. The POTUS and his cronies have already violated several tenents of the Bill of Rights and I don't think we need this loon from Alaska trying to take away another. Go home Governor and shoot a moose! Maybe you are good at that, you certainly stink as a candidate for a major office in the US government.

6 Days Til

I am tired of the characterization of the folks on the right that all liberal are lazy and on the dole from the government. I would like to say that my wife and I work very hard every day of our life.
We have not been bailed out. When I lost a business due to foreign competition, no one bailed me out and I don't expect them to. I don't appreciate Joe the Flubber or Gov. Sarah "Flailin around" Palin and Sen John McCain saying that I am not a real American because I don't buy what they are trying to sell.

I am a christian, I have only been married once, I have never cheated on my wife, beat my child, I think America is the best place in the world. I own a gun and know how to use it. I pay taxes and I hurt for all the people that are losing their jobs due to greed and incompetence in Washington and on Wall Street. The difference between me and Mr. Plummer, I try to do something to help the people in my county. Tell me Joe what have you done to advance the cause of anyone but yourself. Ever since your made up plea to Sen. Obama, you have shamelessly promoted yourself, hiring a publicist, looking for a book deal, a recording contract. Well Joe, don't give up your day job, because when you are through with your fifteen minutes of fame, you will need the tax breaks that that socialist is offering. Get real Joe and while you are at it go away and take the plastic queen with you!

7 Days Til ?

With seven days to go, the McCain/Palin "I'll say anything to win tour" is out in full force. They still can't stay on task and their storyline bounces all over the place. First Sen Obama is a socialist, then he will fail in Iraq (if we had listened to the Senator and me, we wouldn't have been in that mess to begin with). They are trying to scare off young voters, tell dems that their election day has been moved til Wednesday and any other dirty trick that they can think of.

Don't let them win. We need a change and we absolutely, I know it in my heart do not want Gov Sarah "I am a Diva and I admit it" Palin one heartbeat away from being POTUS. If you haven't made up your mind by now, then think about what our enemies would try with the governor in the Whitehouse. Pleas oh please don't let this happen. I wouldn't mind it if it were just the conservative base and the really patriotic Americans that would suffer, but they would take the rest of us with them. If the majority does not speak then they deserve to suffer whatever fate a Gov. Palin can bring to bear.

On a slightly different note, I don't believe there are any undecided voters left at this point. If you can't choose between the obvious difference in this election, you probably can't decide on whether or not to get out of bed. Make up your mind and vote

8 Days til?

My friends the Chowan coaching staff continue to flounder in their first season. After berating the team for another bad performance, they announced that the offense would be running for the entirety of the practices this week. I find it odd with one week to go that they are trying to make a point and don't have a clue what that point is. If the point is that they are in control, I think that is lost in their 2 and 7 record. If it is that they want to run off the players they have left and start over, they will probably be successful. I want attack them on a personal level but as football coaches they leave a lot to be desired!

On to the political front, the GOP candidates are stuck on the socialism kick and once again, especially in Gov. Sarah "these clothes aren't mine, I am just trying them out before I send them back" Palin seems to have forgotten about her native Alaska. In are report from the New Yorker magazine (which I am posting a section of below) she is part of a plan that takes huge amounts of money from oil companies that have oil leases in Alaska and turns it over to her citizens. She calls this sharing, I call it redistributing or if you want to get down to it: socialism! Hello pot, my name is kettle! Or maybe she just forgot about this while she was gazing across the Bearing Sea to Russia.

For her part, Sarah Palin, who has lately taken to calling Obama “Barack the Wealth Spreader,” seems to be something of a suspect character herself. She is, at the very least, a fellow-traveller of what might be called socialism with an Alaskan face. The state that she governs has no income or sales tax. Instead, it imposes huge levies on the oil companies that lease its oil fields. The proceeds finance the government’s activities and enable it to issue a four-figure annual check to every man, woman, and child in the state. One of the reasons Palin has been a popular governor is that she added an extra twelve hundred dollars to this year’s check, bringing the per-person total to $3,269. A few weeks before she was nominated for Vice-President, she told a visiting journalist—Philip Gourevitch, of this magazine—that “we’re set up, unlike other states in the union, where it’s collectively Alaskans own the resources. So we share in the wealth when the development of these resources occurs.” Perhaps there is some meaningful distinction between spreading the wealth and sharing it (“collectively,” no less), but finding it would require the analytic skills of Karl the Marxist.

9 Days til ?

The presidential race is coming to an end and thankfully, so is the football season for Chowan University. The new coaching staff have bullied and stumbled their way to a 2-7 mark thus far, losing games to teams that are not that good by huge margins. The latest example was a 51-36 (not that close) decision to JC Smith. The Bulls did whatever they wanted on the field and shouldn't have been able to. For a coaching staff that is fond of telling players that were starters last year and should be playing this year:" you aren't playing because you aren't good enough. Tell that to your parents." Well let me tell you: YOU ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO COACH AT THIS LEVEL AND YOU SHOLDN'T BE HERE NOW! You can't motivate the players, you don't know how to treat your supporters and most of all you don't know how to build a program (here's a hint, you don't do it by ignoring a coaching legacy, who is still around and has the stadium you play your home games in named after him.) I am appalled that this is going on and I think the football alumni that support this program should be as well (HERE'S A HINT, LOOK AT THE DONATIONS THE PROGRAM ISN'T RECEIVENG THAT THEY HAVE IN TIMES PAST.)

I don't understand their motivation and I don't understand why they don't have their best team on the field (by all indications the scout team O easily handles the first team D on a daily basis)
I do hope they enjoy their ride and if they don't improve they fade back to NAIA or High School, where they belong. There, coaches have to worry about what parents say. At the college level, it shouldn't matter. To these thin skinned coaches, it must. It is a shame they haven't advanced beyond that level and I don't think they ever will!

Good luck to the players, no matter where they are next year.

11 days til?

Will it ever end? Just watched Charles Gibson interview Sarah "The clothes really don't belong to me" Palin and Sen. McCain. Why is the Senator there? Doesn't he trust her to answer the questions? Is he afraid of another blown interview? Does he just enjoy her company? She is a big girl, send her out and let her take care of herself. That's the way it will be, if heaver forbid, they get elected and something were to happen to the Senator. There wouldn't be any do overs, the decisions would be hers. That is a thought to terrifying to consider. Voter early and often (oops, I better watch it or I will be accused of voter fraud.)

12 Days Til ?

I think the world is tired of this election, I know I am. I think the candidates have been running for election all their lives. I know Sen. McCain has been running since 2000 and Sen Obama has been running since 2004. The process is too long and way too expensive. I hope they have energy to work on the huge mess they are going to inherit, since our current Non-POTUS has decided to just walk away and leave it in more capable hands. That might be the best decision he has made since 2001.

Hurry up Nov 4!

On another note of dismay, the so-called coaching staff at Chowan U decided to leave my son off their football travel squad this week. I am thankful in a way, now he won't have to stand on the sideline and be ignored while they make their mess. Here is a very telling stat: the CU offensive line (and they are offensive) has given up 4.1 sacks/per game on average this year. That is double the number they averaged last year. I hope the quarterback has good health insurance. I do hope the team finishes up the season healthy. I hope for wisdom for the coaches, so far that is a distant dream.

Latenight with Roy in one day! Go Heels!

14 Days Til ?

I will digress from my normal political discussion tonight and go to division II football. I saw what was probably the worse performance of a football team Saturday evening that it has ever been my displeasure to endure. From the moment they left the tunnel, before the opening kick-off, they were lethargic and without fight. It only became worse after that.

I don't fault the players for this. This is a lack of coaching and motivation. The team that was on the field was disorganized and if there was a game plan, it was gone after the first snap. After three offensive plays and a short punt (probably 11 yards) the opponents scored on one snap. The floodgates opened and what ensued was a massacre.

My brother and nephew were in attendance and left after three quarters. He and I both played sports at various levels all our lives and he looked at me and said he had never seen such a poor job of preparation in his life. I had to agree. My son then apologized to him and the rest of the family for putting us through this. He asked why we stayed and we advised that we loved him and his desire to play than we hated watching such a thrashing.

I know this is the first year that the coaches have been in this position but I didn't think it was the first time they had ever been to a football game. They may be wonderful people off the field but from all indications that I have seen, they are not what I expect from a university that has a long heritage of athletic excellence and a really good reputation. I hope they are able to improve on their performance in the coming years but I have my doubts. They appear to be inflexible and unwilling to try and improve. Otherwise, why when they are hopelessly out of ball games, why don't they work on building depth? I imagine there will be a mass exodus from this program after the season and they will be playing players that they recruited next year. I will only warn the parents of these recruits to ask the parents of this years team and the players themselves if this is an environment that they have enjoyed.

I will have a discussion with the coaches after the season. I won't do so at this time because I think they are vindictive and narrow-minded and I would rather they not take it out on my son. He has kept a good attitude and deserves better. If it takes something like this to build character, the Chowan University football players should have it in abundance.

15 Days til ?

Just a sign of how fragile the times are: my wife's entire design team was laid off today. We have made jokes about her being an endangered species, an employed textile worker. Unfortunately for many of her friends and coworkers, it is now a reality. My wife is fortunate that she kept her job. I think it goes deeper than that. She has worked very hard to improve her skills and isn't afraid to learn new things. She will be okay no matter but I am happy that for the time being she is still employed. We are just hunkering down, trying to save money and weather the storm.

In other wonderful news, my pro sports career took a big hit today. I learned that I need to have hip replacement surgery. I always thought it was for old people and I just don't think that 49 is old. It was pretty evident from the x-rays that my left hip has suffered some type of trauma and I have bone grinding on bone. For those of you that haven't tried it, don't. Surgery is scheduled for January.

On the election front, it was just announced that Sen. Obama was taking two days off from campaign visits to be with his grandmother. I think that this, maybe more than anything else shows he has his priorities in the right place. At the end of the day, who among us wishes that they had worked more and spent less time with their family. I know how precious my mother is and how I miss my father and grand-parents. If given the choice of spending one more day with them or being president, I know what I would choose. I think people should give sit up and take notice. This is a man that has character! I am proud to be able to cast a vote in his favor.

16 Days Til ?

It may be 16 days til the election but it is less than 7 til Late Night with Roy. I am trying to stay low key about my Heels just as I am about the election. I know Roy can handle the situation on the court, I just wonder if Sen. Obama can handle the dirty tactics from the GOP. I am quite sure that there are some tricks left in the bag and the attack dog Gov Sarah "Look at me I look like Tina Fey" Palin will be spreading her special brand of venom.

Lets stick to the issues. We are not socialist, any more than we are elitist. If the info I read on the proposals of the adjustments to the tax rates are accurate, Sen. Obama's plan just takes the top income levels back to where they were 8 years ago. Trickle down doesn't work, never has, never will.

Lets go to a flat tax and do away with all the tax breaks. If you make over a certain level you pay your tax. This is a simple way to handle the situation and just think of all the tax lawyers and accountants we could put to work in some efficient manner! This goes for corporate taxes as well as personal.

Go Heels!

17 Days Til?

My wife and I voted today. Take a guess who we voted for. No, It was not for Sen. McCain and Gov. Sarah "Caribou Barbie" Palin. I hope it makes a difference.

Watched a little of the McCain/Letterman show. I know when I make mistakes, my bosses don't usually take "I screwed up" as much of an excuses. That is sorta like "the sun was in my eyes", "I tripped on my shoe lace" or "The devil made me do it." If he lies to a talk show host "I have to rush back to Washington to save the economy" rather than tell the truth "I have to go do an interview with Katie Couric to bail my VP candidate out of another mess," how is he going to handle a real crisis? His actions in Vietnam were laudable, his recent actions would be laughable, if they weren't so scary!

On to Gov. Sarah "I want to campaign in Pro-American areas" Palin. Well Gov. Palin, I don't know how to break his to you, but everywhere you have been is America. My vote counts just as much as your loyal subjects and I am a loyal citizen. I just don't subscribe to you views and I never will. You can pry my constitutional rights to disagree with you from my cold dead hands but I will not relent to your rightist views. I think we have a right to read what we want to, I believe that God created the world but it has evolved, that man is harming the environment and a woman has a right to say what happens to her body. Go back to Alaska and before you return, try to learn just a little about what is happening in the world and that you can't just run roughshod over anyone that disagrees with you. You have limits, and ethics are not just for other people.

19 Days Til

I watched the candidates at the Al Smith gala in NY this evening. Both were engaging and funny. It is a shame that the McCain running for president has been forced away from what might be his true nature by his desire to be POTUS. I think the pressure to consolidate his conservative base has forced him to make decisions that he is uncomfortable with and in my opinion, it will cost him the election.

I don't thin he can distance himself enough from the past eight years and that he can survive his VP choice. Not once last night did he say she was ready to be POTUS. He only talked about what she could do to help him, if they are elected. My darkest dream is having Sarah "Let him stay maybe he can learn something" Palin in the Whitehouse as the representative of the Executive Branch of our Government. If that is the second best we've got, we have reached depths that are unimaginable! Please America, DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN!

20 Days Til ?

I just finished watching the third and final debate. I watched it on CNN tonight to watch the undecided voters rate their feelings. There were points early when Sen. McCain did well but he lost his focus and I think his chance as the debate went on. I don't care about Joe the Plumber or Columbia and their trade. I do care about health care cost, the deficit and the economy. I deeply care about the make-up of the Supreme Court and on all these matters, Obama in my mind did a superior job.

Ayers makes no difference. I think Sen. McCain failed to make a case that Gov. Sarah "I'll be glad when she fades back to Alaska" Palin would be a good president if something happened to him. The thought of the former beauty queen and attack dog being in the White House gives me cold chills.

Please Sen. Obama, don't mess up in the last three weeks!

21 Days Til?

I have to ask a question this evening. Are we the American people so shallow and easily led that we will vote for a candidate based on the color of his skin? Will we be hood winked into voting for an unstable and confused candidate because he has tried to scare us? I hope the answer is no! I think Sen. Obama is an intelligent and hardworking man, who on his on initiative turned his life into something beyond what could be expected. I don't agree with some of his policies and that is ok. His message has been consistent and I think he has the best interest of the county in his heart. This is the first time I have felt this way in eight years. I respect Sen. McCain for his service to our country. I would never question that he is a patriot. I do, however question his judgement (VP pick Sarah "I thought they were heckling me" Palin), his grasp of the economy and his inability to pick an issue and stick with it. That is why I am voting for Sen. Obama and I don't care what color his skin is!

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22 Days til ?

As I watch the McCain campaign flail its way towards election day, I have to ask if there is something clinically wrong with the senator from Arizona. He switches directions so often than he needs a map to find out where his position is on any given day. Could he be manic? It is hard to believe that anyone who has all their faculties can be this erratic. Is this a man that we want to lead us through a crisis? I don't think so.

And then there is Gov. Sarah "McFlailin" Palin. She has never seen a McAttack she wouldn't make and don't let the truth get in the McWay. Now she says the report from Alaska finds in her McFavor. I clearly read that it found her to have acted unethically and in violation of statutes in Alaska. I'm not sure whatMcRreality she lives in but I hope in 23 days she goes back to it, to never be McHeard from again. You heard it here first, I think she will go back to Alaska and get caught in the same web she cast for others. You can't treat people any way you want to without there being consequences. It will catch up with her and her "first dude". It is just a matter of time. Where there is smoke there is usually fire and there is definitely something smoldering in Alaska.

24 Days Til?

It is hard to feel angry on a day like today! My sons team won for their first game in the CIAA conference (even though he didn't get to play he was happy). My Tar Heels beat the Irish! The sky was a beautiful shade of blue and I was able to spend the day with my wife. It don't get any better.

Let the politics go for a day and relax. There is plenty of time in the next 3 plus weeks to dissect all that is wrong. I think for now, its time to be thankful for the good things.

25 Days Til?

Just got home from a really good HS football game. Two evenly matched teams, very few mistakes and the game decided on a fumbled snap of a two point conversion effort. 21-20. Both teams showed great sportsmanship and it was truly a shame that one had to lose.

It is a shame that our candidates running for the nations highest office can't show the same type of fair play that I saw on the field this evening. We are the United States of America and we need to start acting like it. We have some real issues to deal with. We have two wars that we are in (unfortunately), we have a global meltdown in our financial markets, rising health care prices and we are getting gouged by the oil companies, even as prices for oil and wholesale prices for gas are falling. These are issues that need to be addressed, not who Obama sat beside in the third grade and what his middle name is.

I don't like the tone that the Republicans have set up. I find in spiteful and very dangerous. I don't like the fact that the Obama campaign has responded in a negative manner, even though I think they had to. Let's have this election decided on the issues. We need to demand that our elected official respond to what we need and not try to sell us a bill of goods. I ain't buying it, now or later!

27 Days til?

I have been on the road for the last five days and my haven't they been a show. This is a meltdown of a lifetime and a wild ride it has been. I hope that if things solidify, that I never see their likes again.

I have been in Miami, staying in a five star resort and if the service I had there is any indication of what the rest of the US is providing, no wonder we are having a meltdown. It seemed like they were doing me a favor, anytime I needed anything it was a hassle. They only had one key to the mail room, and the person working there was never in, I had to have my card key replaced daily and had to play twenty questions if I didn't have my ID. Now, I don't know about you but I don't usually take my ID to the ice machine or to workout so it was very inconvenient to not be able to get in my room to get my ID to get a new key. There was a ton of work going on, over $1 billion in renovations and I can promise you, that without and apology, they won't get my bucks to help pay for it.

On to politics. Is Sen. McCain senile or does he truly not get what is happening to us? The markets are in a total meltdown and all he and Sarah "I sent my hubby to tell those mean ole legislators in Alaska to leave me alone, I ain't answering any of their stinkin questions"Palin can do is drudge up the past of Sen. Obama. I don't give a rats a** about William Beyers. I also don't care that Sen, McCain has a large supporter that set up the foundation where Sen. Obama and Beyers met.
These are non-issues. What I care about is that the market is 40% off its high, jobs are melting faster than butter and my 401K is dwindling as we speak. The government needs to respond to the peoples needs. Not support us but give us hope and the ability to pursue happiness. I can tell you that happy is not where I am today and I can't see a 72 year old that can't even control his supporters to lead us back to the promised land.

31 Days Til?

As the dust settles from Thursday and the bad news continues to hit on the economic front, I think Tuesday's debate could tell the story of this election campaign. If Sen. Obama is successful in tying Sen. John "This is a crisis, I am going to shut down" McCain to the POTUS and his policies, this race is over. There are to many questions and too much on the line to continue with the course we are on. I don't agree with all that the Obama camp has to say. He does, however have a plan or at least the beginning of a plan and that beats what I have heard from the McCain camp. It is not a time to freeze the budget, or cry the "Sky is Falling". It is also not the time to vote for a false "folksy" candidate, Gov. Sarah "there isn't anything in my eye, I am winking at you" Palin. We need change that gets us back into the game in education, science and technology and Sen. Obama seems to get it. Only time will tell. If he doesn't we can fire him in four years and hire someone else.
(That's what my employers would do if I don't perform, as it should be)

33 Days Til ?

Being as objective as I can, Gov. Sarah Palin proved tonight that she can deliver a line. She did it for 90 minutes with very few gaffs. She however did not answer the questions that were asked of her. She had a script and she stuck to the script. Only when she strayed from the script did she do real harm.

These times include agreeing with Sen. Biden on gay unions and saying that she thought VP Dick "lets go hunting, you won't need a gun" Cheney was right and the VP should have more power under the constitution. She did better than 84% thought she would, how could she do worse, but it was very much what I expected.

Sen. Biden was a little stiff at times but he showed a clear knowledge of the facts and time after time attacked Sen. McCain's record. He did what he needed to do. Who won? I guess that depends on you perspective. A draw has to go to Obama/Biden because they are in front.

Next: can the house pass a bill or does the Dow drop below 10,000. Stay tuned to see your immediate economic future tomorrow. They can't write this kind stuff in Hollywood.

34 Days Til ?

One day til the VP debate! I am curious how it will turn out. I don't see how Sen. Sarah "I read everything they put in front of me" Palin can do worse than I expect. I am concerned that she will be somewhat coherent and come off like a rock star. Her best and only chance is to attack Obama as being inexperienced and keep attacking. That is something I think she is good at. She has shown she has tenacity and is able to stick to a story line as long as she doesn't have to think. She has not shown the capacity to answer direct questions on domestic or foreign affairs. I heard one report today that compared her unfavorably to the POTUS. Now that is scary!

Today is my 25th wedding anniversary and I am lucky to have married above myself. She is a good woman who only showed poor judgement once, when she agreed to marry me. She has stuck through the good times as well as the bad and I am thankful for her every day. I am glad that she is the person that she is. She would be a much better role model for women than what we have presented by the Sen. John "I take offense when you say I don't tell the truth" McCain. Strong, smart, creative, beautiful and a wonderful mom. Happy Anniversary Baby! I love you more each day.