Ronald Reagan's Thanksgiving address, 1985

“Good morning, everyone. You know, the Statue of Liberty and this wonderful holiday called Thanksgiving go together naturally because although as Americans we have many things for which to be thankful, none is more important than our liberty. Liberty: that quality of government, that brightness of mind and spirit for which the Pilgrim Fathers braved the seas and Americans for two centuries have laid down their lives.

 

“Today, while religion is suppressed in perhaps one third of the world, we Americans are free to worship the Almighty as we choose. While entire nations must endure the yoke of tyranny, we are free to speak our minds, to enjoy an unfettered and vigorous press, and to make government abide by the limits we deem just. While millions live behind walls, we remain free to travel throughout the land to share this precious day with those we love most deeply – the members of our families.

 

“My fellow Americans, let us keep this Thanksgiving Day sacred. Let us thank God for the bounty and goodness of our nation. And as a measure of our gratitude, let us rededicate ourselves to the preservation of this: the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Bad shows, worse message

Do shows like 16 and Pregnant or Teen Mom really deter young girls from becoming pregnant?  Seriously... these girls are on national TV, on the covers of People and Us Weekly and making the rounds on television morning shows.  They are celebrities!  How could this kind of fame possibly be a turn-off to young girls?  And why do we as a society reward mistakes and irresponsible behavior with reality shows and magazine covers?  Maybe because pregnant teenagers is becoming the norm rather than an infrequent happening.  Why are combative, foul mouthed teenagers glorified on a national level rather than being knocked back down into place by their parents?  (I mean really, if I talked to my parents the way those semi-literate brats talked to theirs, I'd be lucky to have teeth!)  These kinds of shows are a reflection of the declining values in America.  Pregnant teenagers should not be paraded around on national TV like heroes.  Their mistakes should not be condoned with paychecks and notoriety.  Why can't we have reality shows based on soldiers reuniting with their families after returning home from Iraq?  Why can't we promote the work being done by Make-A-Wish?  Why do we continue to accept programming of the lowest common denominator?  Change the channel America.  As my Dad always says, "garbage in, garbage out."

Thanks George, and Obama... listen up, yo!

In his memoirs released yesterday, former President George W. Bush wrote he authorized the use of waterboarding as an interrogation method for suspected terrorists, including 9/11 mastermind,  Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.  According to the former President, this technique saved the lives of thousands Americans and Brits.  That being said, is the use of this technique really that awful?  Our current President beieves so and has since banned this apparently effective method of interrogation.  I feel this method should be reinstated and used as often as necessary if it means saving the lives of innocent people.  Suspected terrorists do not have the same rights as other prisoners.  The Geneva Convention set rules which apply to uniformed soldiers only.  The Al-Qaida do not fall under this category.  Remember, these are the same degenerates who stitched bombs inside dogs and turned them loose in an Iraqi airport.  (And they call US the infidels!)  President Obama, please reinstate the use of this effective and useful technique.  And to George W. Bush, thank you for doing whatever was necessary to protect us.  I hope you continue to enjoy your retirement.

I know it's been awhile since posted and I apologize

You know, many people with blogs would being using them to endorse political candidates right about now.  Not me.  Yes, this blog will be about election day, but not for endorsments or promotions.  My point will be short and to the point:

GET YOUR ASSES OUT TO THE POLLING PLACES AND VOTE, DAMN IT!

Yes I know politicians are mud-slingers, crooks and liars.  And I know most of us would rather not vote for any of them.  But vote anyway.  And make sure you vote for your scumbag.  If you do, it brings you much more credibility when you bitch about them later.

18 Years and Counting

October 14, 1992 is currently the third worst Pittsburgh sports day of my life.  (Numbers one and two are January 28, 1996 and May 14, 1993.)  On this day the Pirates choked in the 9th inning of game 7 of the NLCS and lost to the Atlanta Braves.  They haven't had a winning season since.  For the past 18 years I've struggled with who to blame for this.  Should it be Barry Bonds for failing to throw out Sid Bream, an aging first baseman with two bad knees?  Or maybe Jose Lind, for failing to come up with a ground ball which should have been routine for a player of his defensive ability?  Blame could also be thrown upon Stan Belinda for having his worst outing of the season in the least opportune time.  I can still see the hit, throw and slide in my mind as clear as if it happened yesterday.  And it still stings just as much each time.  The fact of the matter is, however, I still don't know who to blame.  Barry has been a large target for so many years now and really, how many Pirates fans remember Stan Belinda?  So that leaves Jose Lind.  Sorry Chico, but I have to lay blame on you.  You should have made that play, thwarting the rally before it even had a chance to start.  I don't know where you are right now Jose, but this 18 year curse is your fault.  Come back to Pittsburgh, make the play (even just in an infield drill) and maybe the losing will stop.  You can even crash at my house.  No hard feelings.

Not a girl, not yet a woman revisited

So Miley Cyrus is beginning to make sexy videos.  Did any of you really think this was not ever going to happen?  Her two latest videos, "Can't Be Tamed" and "Who Owns My Heart" have caused a buzz due to their provocative nature.  Pay attention people.  Miley is growing up.  Her next birthday will be her 18th. She can't make teeny-pop bubblegum videos forever.  Britney Spears debuted to us all as a schoolgirl gyrating through the hallway.  (Now I don't want to see Miley have a Britneyesque meltdown, but Brit came with the sexy a lot sooner than Miley.)  We all watched multiple transformations of X-Tina (and should see another one with her pending divorce).  Miley has the right to grow and change as a performer in any way she (and Achy Breaky Billy) sees fit.  I'm not going to breakdown and cry and ask you all to leave Miley alone, but I will this: kid stars grow up and artists change.  If you expected different from Miley, then you're living in a Disney world.

Crime and punishment in the NFL

OK.  Brett Favre, while a member of the New York Jets, allegedly sent unsolcitied dirty pictures to a female coworker and left creepy voicemails inviting her to his hotel room.  To me, whether or not he sent this pictures and left these voicemails is very simple to prove/disprove.  So why has this story taken so long to break?  Why has ESPN, a network which new about it months ago, tried so hard to sweep it under the rug?  But when Ben Roethlisberger is accused of sexual assault, nearly all programming at said network is devoted towards coverage of Mr. Roethlisberger.  Let me make this clear in case you have forgotten: Ben Roethlisberger was never arrested or charged with a crime.  The police in Georgia decided there wasn't sufficient evidence to prosecute (persecute?) Ben.  Charges or no charges Ben sat out the first four games of the season for violating the NFL's code of conduct.  How many of you believe Brett Favre will see a suspension for his creepy old man antics?  It wouldn't be shocking to me if he was given a free pass (no pun intended) on this one.  After all we all watched so many amazing performances from Favre, especially the Monday night game the day following his father's death.  Yes, the entire country was moved by it.  However, being a legend doesn't put you above the rules.  Now, it seems there is hard (no pun intended) evidence (OK, the pun was intended.) Brett did was he is accused of doing.  Shouldn't sending unsolicited lewd pictures to a coworker be a violation of the NFL's code of conduct?  Doesn't Favre deserve at least a two-game suspension for these pictures and voicemails?  Yes I do believe his wife will lay down her own punishment, but Roger Goodell and the NFL must also lay down theirs.  Or else it makes them out to be hypocrites.