Photography

Just a few short years ago photography largely consisted of film and camera.  Change began slowly as digital photography became cheaper.  The first digital camera's were fairly expensive.  Expensive enough to make the switch not worthwhile for the amateur photographer.  Prices continued to fall so that soon it began to make sense for the 10 roll per year amateur to by a new camera and never need to pay for professional development again.  As digital cameras became more capable, even professional photographers made the switch.  Now it is rare to see any photographer with a film camera.

Today we are also on the verge of moving mainstream photography away from the digital camera and toward the camera phone.  Early camera phones took grainy pictures, and phone networks were so slow that uploading or sharing pictures took time and sometimes incurred extra cost.  All of those costraints are disappearing.  New camera phones are usually 3 mega pixels (larger than my first digital camera), some now are 5 or 8 mega pixel..  Wireless phone and in-home broadband networks are much higher speed, so sharing a photo takes seconds instead of minutes.

While on vacation this year, I brought my Sony 8 mega-pixel camera, but did not snap a single photo using it.  Instead, I used my camera phone to capture the vacation photos.  Why?  Because I had my camera phone with me all the time, and when a good photo opportunity presented itself I used it.  The photos I shot were not the quality I would expect from the Sony digital camera, but good enough that I was able to enlarge and frame several.  I think this is the direction of amateur photography.

I now find myself snapping pictures that I would not get if my digital camera was the only photographic device I owned.  A few favorites follow.

Then there is my favorite camera phone picture of all time, SILC and BILL at the game.

KC Chefs - Preseason Game #3

God news, bad news from last Saturday nights Chef's game against the Philadelphia Eagles.   First the good news.  The offense and defense played better than they have so far this preseason.  After an opening drive fumble that set the Eagles up for a quick touchdown, the starting Chefs team beat the starting Eagles team in the rest of the first half and most of the second.  The offense was tentative, but were able to move the ball down the field and chalk up 17 points. 

The defense was much better.  They had 5 sacks in the game.  That is 5 more than in the first two games.  They intercepted for the first take away of the preseason.  There was some serious hitting going on all over the field.  I am not sure this was a great defensive display, or just looked that way after the first two abysmal preseason performances.  But it was improvement.

Now the bad news.  Despite the noteworthy improvement, they still lost.  They allowed the Eagles to take the ball down the field with only 2 minutes on the clock and no timeouts for a game winning touchdown.  Oh well, it was the third string in the game by then.  All you can conclude is that the Chef's third string could not match up with the Eagle's third string.  0 wins, 3 losses with Green Bay on Thursday. 

I am losing faith that this team will be significantly better than last year's team.

Another Stupid Letter Writer

You know the mantra.  There are no stupid letters ...

Here is a very stupid letter writers' submission to the KC Star.  My comments are in red.

Barriers to abortion

The Missouri legislature is putting up yet more barriers between women and their reproductive health care rights. The Abortion Restriction Bill (SB 798) passed by the Missouri state Senate now requires abortion providers to distribute materials and give presentations. The true purpose is to dissuade women from electing to have an abortion.  So are providing facts a bad thing?

This bill also requires that abortion clinics post signs that advertise state-backed assistance in the event a woman should choose to carry her pregnancy to term. I thought more choice is better than less?  However, there is no guarantee that a mother-to-be will actually be able to get her needs met through such channels.  Are there guarantees the mother won't be physically or emotionally damaged by going forward with an abortion?


The Missouri lawmakers might spend their time more wisely by focusing on the promotion of a comprehensive sex education program rather than endorsing ideologically motivated tactics aimed at traumatizing women already in crisis.  Okay, so classes on putting a condom on a banana are the answer?

Anita Hatton
Kansas City, Kan.

I won't challenge the legality of abortion, but that doesn't mean it is the right answer.  If it is not the answer, then facts and dissuasion are good things.  I think there is only one ideologue here Anita. 

Innovative Taxation

First the words from the Beatles song, The Taxman:

Let me tell you how it will be;

There's one for you, nineteen for me.
'Cause I’m the taxman,
Yeah, I’m the taxman.

Should five per cent appear too small,
Be thankful I don't take it all.
'Cause I’m the taxman,
Yeah, I’m the taxman.

(if you drive a car,) - I’ll tax the street;
(if you try to sit,) - I’ll tax your seat;
(if you get too cold,) - I’ll tax the heat;
(if you take a walk,) - I'll tax your feet.
Taxman!

'Cause I’m the taxman,
Yeah, I’m the taxman.

Don't ask me what I want it for,
If you don't want to pay some more. 
'Cause I’m the taxman,
Yeah, I’m the taxman.

These lyrics seem an appropriate lead in to the new tax recently passed by a local town, Mission Kansas.  The innovative tax is called the Driveway tax.  The Mission city manager crafted this new tax that logically extends every one's driveway to the number of trips an average land owner will take per day.  It seems that a resident of the city with one driveway will make 14 trips per day on city streets.  For the privilege of those 14 trips, Mission accesses a $75 per year tax.  If you are fortunate enough to own 2 residences, the bill is $150 per year.  Nobody is exempt, not even churches.  Business owners get hit the hardest as the number of parking places are counted as driveways.  A local business, Target, is accessed $75k per year.
 
The net effect of these taxes is that of any tax, those who are burdened by it must either cut back spending in other ways, or charge more for their goods and services.  By installing this tax, the Mission city council has put their residences and businesses at a competitive disadvantage to adjoining cities.  This disadvantage will remain unless and until nearby cities do the same thing.  And that you can bank on.
 
...
(if you park a car,) - I’ll tax your driveway
...

Music Has Been a Little Thin Lately

I am one who eagerly awaits the release of new music from my favorite artists.  Lately, the pickins' have been slim.  In my opinion, the last really good new music releases were Miranda Lambert's Revolution, and The Zac Brown Band's Foundation.  Since then, there hasn't been much of significance. 

I did look forward to Lady Antebellum's second release.  Never has a CD been so hyped.  The country music stations began playing Need You Now months before it was commercially available.  Now you cannot hear more that 3 songs in a row without hearing a cut from that CD.  The CD was marginal at best, but after repeated airplay I am sick of it.

So in the absence of good new music releases, I have turned to the old faithful iTunes for music from my past. Last weekend I dipped way back into the early seventies and downloaded that eternal classic, Baron von Tollbooth and the Chrome Nun by Paul Kantner and Grace Slick.  Kantner and Slick where in the transition between the Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship.  So in reality, the release was late Airplane, or early Starship.

Actually I was amazed that iTunes carried a record that was so obscure.  So obscure, it probably didn't sell many vinyl records when released, yet iTunes makes it available immediately and online.  If there isn't something contemporary released soon, I'll be searching iTunes for Blows Against the Empire or Sunfighter, also late Airplane hits.  Who can forget cuts such as Universal Copernican Mumbles, or The Baby Tree.  I'm sure you agree.

The Baby Tree, by Paul Kantner

there’s an island way out in the sea

where the babies they all grow on trees
and it’s jolly good fun to swing in the sun
but ya gotta watch out if you sneeze sneeze
ya gotta watch out if you sneeze

yeah you gotta watch out if you sneeze
for swinging up there in the breeze
you’re liable to cough
you might very well fall off
and tumble down flop on your knees knees
tumble down flop on your knees

and when the stormy winds wail
and the breezes blow high in a gale
there’s a curious dropping and flopping and plopping
and fat little babies just hail hail
fat little babies just hail

and the babies lie there in a pile
and the grownups they come after while
and they always pass by all the babies that cry
and take only babies that smile smile
take only babies that smile

even triplets and twins if they smile.....

How Words are Invented

I have always been curious about how words are born.  For instance, when and how did a person decide to call a chair a chair in the English language?  Or more interesting, what is the origin of galashes, skullduggery or carbuncle?  I don't think they simply leapt from someone's tongue.

Last weekend, my bride provided a glimpse of how a word is born.  She was recovering from the effects of a bad reuben sandwich.  We were sitting in the sun room and I was gently rubbing her back.  Quite unexpectedly, she shrieked "Deeung!"  After asking what her problem was, she told me that I had rubbed a spot that shot pain down her back.  Little did she know that she had invented a new word, deeung.

I am sure deeung is a new word, since Webster was not aware of its existence.  So I will help them:

Main Entry: Deeung (dee' yung)
Function: interjection
Etymology: originated in Basehor, Kansas USA by Terri Bryant
Date: 2010

• Used to express sudden pain or displeasure.

Let's see if it catches on.

KC Chefs - Preseason Game #2

On Saturday evening, the KC Chefs could not have asked for a better opponent if the goal was to show improvement over their lethargic play in preseason game #1 and the 2009 season.  The faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coming off of a 3-13 season in 2009, and a preseason loss to the Miami Dolphins last week.  Tampa Bay was arguably a team that was worse than the Chefs in 2009, and could again be league doormats in 2010.

The game started off poorly for the Chefs as an early fumble turned into a quick Tampa Bay field goal.  To their credit, the Chefs were able to briefly take the lead after driving down field for a touchdown.  It was the first lead for the Chefs in the preseason, but short lived.  Much like in preseason game #1, the starters for both teams finished the first half leaving the game tied.

The second half was a display boredom, a symptom of inept play from players who will likely return to their minimum wage jobs in a couple of weeks.  In the welcome end, Tampa Bay won 20-15.  Preseason game #2 contained a few improvements for Chefs fans, but even with a better passing and running game, it all ended in another loss.  An 8-8 2010 record, capitalizing on a gift schedule is looking more and more like a long shot.  Professional football in Kansas City is in trouble.

Ten More Years

KC Royals fans get ready for 10 more years of humiliation.  Today Royals owner David Glass said “I have never ever talked to anyone about selling the club. Period. I have never had a discussion with anyone about it, and I have no interest in doing so.”  He went on to say “The only guys who hear rumors are you guys in the media. I’m surprised to hear that (we’re looking to sell the club). We’ve never considered it. We’ve never talked to anybody. And we have no interest in talking to anybody about it. Period.”


As a long suffering Royals fan that believes ownership is the most significant problem facing the Royals, here is what I heard.  I have never ever talked to anyone about building a winning club. Period. I have never had a discussion with anyone about it, and I have no interest in doing so.  The only guys who hear rumors are you guys in the media. I’m surprised to hear that (we’re interested in winning). We’ve never considered it. We’ve never talked to anybody. And we have no interest in talking to anybody about it. Period.”

We Need a Ronald Reagan

This is great.




Who will be the next Reagan?  We need one soon.

Stupid Letter of the Week

As we all know by now, there are no stupid letters, just stupid people who write letters.  This fact is proven by Deborah Love in her following letter to the KC Star.



Cheers to Obama



Dear Mr. President:

You gave $8,000 toward the purchase of a new home, money for Cash for Clunkers and a $250 stimulus check. You stopped the banks and credit card companies from violating me, started health care reform, turned around the auto industry, and now you are bringing home husbands and wives from Iraq — all in only a few months. I didn’t have to be a Republican, Democrat, liberal, conservative, tea partier or independent voter to have benefited in some way.

I wish you could have seen the latest round of political advertising in Missouri. The candidates spoke of you as if you were the big, bad, bogeyman, chomping up Americans like the latest video game.

I just don’t get the negativity, other than for obvious reasons.

Deborah Love
Kansas City

I guess Deborah is right IF EVERYTHING IS ABOUT HER.  If she were to consider her children and grandchildren who will work to pay back the $8,250 she sold out to Barrack for, she might come to a better conclusion.

Stack Ranking

As a manager, I am a proponent of stack ranking used as a tool to differentiate the value of each employee on my team.  Stack ranking is simply a list of everyone on my team in order from most valuable to least.  The list can then be used to among other things, provide feedback during performance reviews and determine equitable salary treatment.  I evaluate the performance of the individuals on my team and then translate that into the stack rankings of the entire team.

Some managers think of stack ranking as a lifeboat drill.  If you and your team were stranded in a lifeboat too small to sustain the entire team,and the intention was to survive (survival defined as to continue to meet the objectives established for your team) who would you kick off the lifeboat.  With a stack rank list, you would kick off the folks at the bottom first.

Now for a hypothetical.  Imagine that senior executives for the company decided that each manager would create a stack ranking list for their team.  The top 10% would receive merit increases and any available retention offers.  The bottom 10% would be notified they will be laid off in 60 days.  Managers will repost the laid off position for new hiring.  Laid off employees are advised they can apply for other open jobs created by the bottom 10% in other manager groups.  Senior executives see this action as a way to strengthen their team by taking care of the top 10% and upgrading talent in the bottom 10%. 

There are strong arguments for this proposal. I do believe that Sean Payton, coach of last year's sSuper Bowl winning New Orleans Saints, identified his weakest players shortly after the end of last season.  He has probably worked to replace those players during the off season to become a stronger team in 2010.  The senior executives of a company are probably doing the same thing with their team.

A potential downside to this plan is to the 80% of employees that are not in the top or bottom 10%.  They probably are not aware of the special treatment of the top 10% (the carrot).  All they see is the 10% lay offs (the stick).  Will they feel like targets that mg ht lose their job at any time?  Would their morale decline as a result?  Or would they be motivated to improve their performance?  Would the company benefit by becoming stronger or weaker from this plan?  What are your thoughts?

KC Chefs - Preseason game #1

Okay, I know that I shouldn't read too much into the first NFL preseason game of the 2010 season, but  I will anyway.  Last Friday night, the KC Chefs played the powerhouse Altanta Falcons that posted a domineering 9-7 record last season. The hyped improvement of the 4-12 Chefs of 2009 (last in the weak AFC West division) was nowhere to be found.

I am a believer that in any preseason game, early minutes mean more than late minutes.  In the first preseason game, only the first drive for both teams have any significant meaning as the entire roster will get playing time on subsequent drives.  On Atlanta's first offensive drive, they manhandled the Chefs down the field settling for a field goal.  Altanta beat the Chefs on every play but one, the drive stopping 3rd down deep in the red zone.

Next, the Chefs on offense hand the ball to their $65 million dollar quarterback supported by the new offensive coordinator, Charlie Weiss, a new running back, and a new receiver.  The result, 3 handoffs and a punt.  The rest of the first half, the Chefs left their starting offensive on the field to play the Falcon's second and third string.  I suppose this was intended to build confidence in the offensive unit.  Yet, the Chefs were only able to score a lone field goal as time ran out in the first half.  I watched none of the second half as both teams took a look at those who have outside chances of making the 2010 rosters.  In the end, Atlanta won 20-10.

My impression Friday night was that I had seen this team before.  Adding defensive and offensive coordinators, a couple of offensive weapons, and a first round stud safety has done nothing detectable in the play of this team.  They seem content to hand the ball off behind an old incompetent offensive line.  They claim a defensive focus is to stop the run, but each team they play runs at will.

We will see what the of the preseason looks like before predicting the regular season record, but for now I can only say they Chefs are fortunate to be gifted an easy schedule that may allow them to sleepwalk to an 8-8 record.

Campus Zombies

The campus I work on has at last 4 different companies leasing space.  Each company is a big name business that employees thousands of people across the country.  A week or so ago, Terri told me of a conversation she had with one of her customers who had visited the campus to get her cell phone replaced.  Terri's customer had noticed the employees walking around on the campus looked unhappy, almost like zombies.

I think the observation was spot on.  Regardless of the company they work for, we have many things in common.  The recent economic recession has forced businesses to save expenses and the remaining employees have felt the brunt of those changes.  I believe that over the past 3 years, all the campus employees have:

• taken on more work for the same or less salary,
• become so busy that all their efforts can be described as minimal, or whatever time will allow,
• seen their benefits reduced,
• seen good friends laid off,
• taken on a larger scope of responsibility within their current job title,
• less of an idea what is expected of them by their boss,
• given up time away from the office,
• endured more pressure to produce in their job.

I have seen the zombie-like appearance also.  It makes me wonder if most employees are looking for new employment, and will bolt their current job once the job market heats up (which it will eventually).

Then I remember that we are the lucky ones that still have high-paying jobs.

Mind-numbed Robot

I find it maddening, interesting and comical to listen to liberals berate conservatives who voice their opinion.  Before long, the liberal will say the conservative is simply repeating what a conservative talk show host has told them.  I think that liberals hate talk radio.  If you look at the most popular, most listened to shows on radio, they are all conservative.  Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Micheal Savage are the big three, but there are many others.  Interestingly enough, there are very few liberal talk shows on radio, and none that can compare audience size to the conservative top three. 

Air America was a liberal radio network created solely to give the liberals a competitive platform to make their case.  The network failed miserably and after a 6 year run, is no longer in existence.  So how did the vast right-wing conspiracy kill Air America?  They did it by supporting the shows they found most logical, accurate and entertaining.  The death of Air America was caused by the laws of supply and demand- another concept hated by liberals.  Consumers flock to what interests them, creating demand.  They listened to conservative radio in far higher numbers than liberal radio, so the supply of conservative talk shows grew to meet the demand.  As a result, sponsors did what they must - they sponsored the radio programs with the most listeners.  To do anything else would be stupid when you are trying to sell your product.  Liberal talk radio shrank to meet the reduced demand.  Eventually there was not enough financial sponsorship for Air America and it collapsed.

Personally, I listen to very little talk radio.  I work for a living, so never get the chance to listen to Rush.  I did listen to him 20-25 years ago when he first began his national show.  I always thought he had a good way of articulating the conservative opinion, and could be hysterical when he made points through absurdity, such as his caller abortion.  Any call he did not like was aborted by his choice.  After hanging up he would ask if the call ever really existed?  Through his absurdity, he made strong points against abortion.  It is this comedic absurdity that gives detractors ammunition to attack him, but anyone who listens long enough can tell when Rush is serious and when he isn't.

I do get to listen to 5-10 minutes of Sean Hannity most days as I begin the drive home.  I believe that Sean is far different than Rush.  He is well prepared to recite his conservative principals or liberal faults on a moment's notice as if from notes or memory.  I don't get the impression that he is a deep conservative thinker who can formulate opinion and articulate it effectively in real time.  I get some good information from Hannity, but don't believe he forms any of my opinions.

Of the big 3, Micheal Savage is my least favorite.  Savage is a flamethrowing name caller who can be rude to public officials or his own fans.  I believe he is right on many points, namely that a country is best defined as language, borders and culture which must be protected.  His approach however is too derogatory for me, and probably repels more people from conservatism than it attracts.

So do I consider myself a mind-numbed robot?  No, not really.  I will admit that conservative talk radio has influenced certain opinions, but most often only provides background for the postions I already hold.

Summer Delights

A few days ago I blogged about how I enjoy living in a small town.  Last weekend, I realized another reason why.  You see, we are surrounded by farm land.  A biproduct of this is that truck farms are prevalent.  Within 10 minutes of the house, we can buy fresh produce from several different farmers for excellent prices.

Home grown tomatoes are at their peak now.  There is nothing better than a fresh sliced tomato on a hamburger or other sandwich.  I also like them plain with a meal.  Terri and SILL regularly serve them in Italian dressing with Pesto and Parmesan cheese, another treat.

Multiply this pleasure by 4 when you expand the truck farm purchase to cantaloupe, potatoes, watermelon and peaches.  For some reason, this year has been great for farm quality fruits and vegetables.  When we lived in Shawnee, Terri, her parents and I had a large garden.  We would tend the soil, water, and do what we could to repel the squirrels and rabbits.  Occasionally we harvested well but more often than not we would get a few worm eaten tomatoes, beans and potatoes.

This is so much easier and better.

America According to Me

Prompted by the stupid letter to the KC Star by Maria Baldwin, I have put together my thoughts on just how wrong she is.  In that letter, Maria claims that trickle down economics didn't work when tried by Reagan and Bush.  I submit that trickle down worked well (note the boon in jobs and economic growth that followed both trickle down attempts).  I suspect that Maria wouldn't recognize success if run over by it.  Let me describe why using a full blog post.

I believe there are 3 economic groups in America:

• Group A contains people who are highly successful.  The vast majority of the top 5%-10% wealthy people in the country were not given what they have, instead they were given opportunity and made the most of it.  Typically, these people have personally risked a substantial portion of their savings and future income, or put in many long hours to accomplish what they have.  They normally don't only do what is asked of them, but exceed expectations as a matter of habit.  They acquired their wealth through hard work and/or taking great personal risk, and are rewarded for this with greater incomes.
• Group C is the opposite of group A.  They are the 5%-10% lowest earners in America.  Most are unskilled and on government support.  Those with jobs earn close to minimum wage, and never do more than put in their required hours.  Many look to unions to take care of them and bring prosperity.  Going "beyond the call" never crosses their minds.  If they stumble upon a windfall, it is not long before they have lost it.
• Group B is where 80%-90% of America lives.  This is the middle class. They tend to behave like groups A and C on occasion, but are not consistently like one or the other.   With consistent behavior a person in class B can easily move into either group A or C.

After defining the different groups, America according to me can be described.  The federal government can make tax and regulatory decisions that benefit one or more of these groups.  The Reagan tax cuts help all groups by lowering federal income taxes across the board.  The expiring Bush tax cuts that are currently a hot topic in Washington helped groups A and B.  They didn't do much for group C because they pay little if any income tax.  Liberals incite class warfare by calling the Bush tax cuts, tax cuts for the rich.  The truth is that virtually any income tax cut proposal today will benefit groups A and B, and not C. 

Tax cuts for Group A are the only effective cuts that have any chance to produce a measure of prosperity.  This is because group A are the people with a proven record of turning opportunity into wealth.  Group A may use favorable tax laws to start a  business or expand an existing one.  The act of creating value through business building does not only benefit the group A, but also groups B and C through new jobs and increasing salaries.  At the core, this is the Trickle Down economics that Maria and other liberals denigrate today.  What is the alternative?
If the alternative were to be pursued, one might call it Trickle Up economics.  This is the same as "spreading the wealth", or socialism - From each according to his ability, to each according to his need (Karl Marx).  Government can and does take money from groups A and B to give to group C.  Their largest program is called Welfare, but there are many others.  Welfare as a safety net is a great idea, but have you ever seen a business get its start or expand because of Welfare?  Are there any significant economic benefits produced by Welfare?  In addition, the act of taking money from groups A and B, suppresses prosperity by reducing the rewards for hard work and risk.

If you were in charge of federal tax law, which group do you think would be most likely to use the tax dollars collected to create new opportunities and economic growth?  If your choice is group A, then why should the federal government take so much if they are only going to give it back?  Does tax cuts for group A make more sense now?  If yes, you too are a trickle down economics supporter and much smarter than Maria.

Stupid Letter of the Week

As I have stated before, there really isn't such a thing as a stupid letter.  There are, however, stupid people who write letters. 

Maria Baldwin from Kansas City really summarizes the majority position of Obama supporters and democratic liberals.  Their ideology is so far removed from reality that I cannot address it in a few short sentences, so look for a blog later this week that illustrates how stupid Maria's letter really is.

'Trickle down’ economics failures



I am sorry that Judi Tremaine (7/22, Letters) might not always get the correct information listening to some talk radio economist. I am sure he did not tell you that the so-called “trickle down economics” did not do much for the great majority of the American people.


Yes we did get way more millionaires, and Ronald Reagan was a much better president than George W. Bush. Bush also cut taxes for the top 20 percent of the population. It did not trickle down, and it brought our country to the brink of a total economic disaster because of greed.


The wealthy class also took many jobs overseas, as the bottom line is important.


I agree that small businesses should get tax breaks, as they are the people who employ people, not the super rich.


I think it is shameful that 40 million children are getting food stamps, and many more are eligible for free lunches. Many Americans are still dying every day because of no health insurance.


One thing is for sure: If you lived in one of the “social democratic” countries such as those in Europe, the children would not suffer.


Maria Baldwin
Kansas City


I am thinking Maria might be happier in one of those social democratic countries in Europe.

Of the People?

An interesting trend is developing in Washington.  It is no news that politicians do not listen to the people who sent them there, but the new trend is the Obama administration suing these same people.  There are 2 recent examples of this behavior. 

The first is the Arizona immigration law that has majority support in Arizona and across the country.  As you might remember, the law simply repeats the components of federal law.  It permits state and local law enforcement to check immigration status whenever a person is arrested for an unrelated crime.  The Obama Justice department is now suing Arizona to throw the state law out.    Arizona legislators passed the law because the feds were not enforcing federal law.  The Justice department is blatantly disregarding the will of the people based only on the premise that federal law supersedes state law.  Other states have scheduled similar votes for this coming November.  Will those citizens also be sued?

The second example relates to Proposition C approved by 71% of Missouri voters on Tuesday.  This proposition excludes Missouri residents from being required to purchase health insurance or be fined if they choose not to, once Obamacare goes into effect in 2014.  Many other states are considering the same legislation, and at least 3 have a similar proposition on the ballot in November.  What was the Obama administration's response?  First, they claim the vote was meaningless.  Strange how 71% of Missouri votes can be considered meaningless.  Second, they sue to have the law deemed unconstitutional.  Maybe it is, but can thy really discount such an overwhelming message? 

If they can't win your hearts and mind, then they sue you.  Is jail next?  Hello thought police.

Who Being Intolerant?

I am getting tired of liberal talking heads saying that building a mosque 600 feet from ground zero is a tribute to the tolerance of America.  The corollary to that statement is that if you oppose the mosque, you are intolerant.

Rubbish. 

Muslims should know that building the mosque in the proximity of where the twin towers where knocked down and 3000 lives were taken by their maniac brethren is a true act of aggression.  There is a lot of land in America.  Surely there is a few acres somewhere they can build their mosque.  In the planned location, a mosque will only generate hard feelings and scratch old wounds. 

Who is being intolerant?

I Can See November

Paraphrasing a line the mainstream media lifted from Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live to denigrate Sarah Palin, "I can see November from my house!"  This November will be one of the most significant mid-term elections of my lifetime.  The Obama administration has lost much of their 2008 support as they used arm twisting and parliamentary tricks to ram through an agenda that a majority of America does not support.  Pay back day is coming.

Obama's job approval has dropped to the lowest so far at 41%.  The percentage of citizenry that believe he is doing a poor job has risen to 46%.  With negatives that high, he can do nothing to retain control of the House of Representatives after the November elections.  In the past couple weeks, Barrack has made TV appearances, trying to recover his lost reputation, but the approval rating continues to sink.  Many democratic incumbents are asking him to stay away from their area for fear that he will make bad reelection odds even worse.

While I fully expect the Republicans to win control of the House and make gains in the Senate, I don't think that means America likes Republicans.  I think we just hate them less.  After all, it took Republicans and Democrats both to run up the largest deficit in history.  In fairness, many of the problems that Obama and the democrats have exasterbated, had Republican origins.  If the Republicans would have made their case for less government in 2008, we would not be enduring the Obama administration's current direction for the country.  Whenever there is a void, something tends to fill it - Democrats were in the right place at the right time to capitalize on siezing power.

This has tuned out to be an anti-incumbent year.  Since there are more democrat incumbents, they will bear the brunt of our anger.  Last year I yearned for the resurgence of a Throw the Bums out movement in America.  That was before the Tea Party began to pick up steam.  I could not be happier with the current mood of the county.  I hope that our experiement with socialism will soon be over.

Are You Ready ...

for some football?  Here we are in the absolute hottest time of the year, watching freakishly large men bump into each other in a tradition called training camp.  The thermometer hit 100 yesterday, and is predicted to go higher today.  My beloved KC Chiefs moved their training camp from Minnesota to Missouri this year.  There has got to be a few second thoughts on that decision.

It's not too early to look ahead to what we might expect this season.  I won't make any predictions on the record until the preseason is over, but I am somewhat optimistic.  I am not optimistic that quality of play will be much better this year.  The draft choices look to be good, but we always think that this time of year.  Traditionally, the Chiefs have been terrible at drafting.  The majority of their top 3 picks over the past 5 years are no longer part of the team.

Yet, I do think the Chiefs will have a suspiciously better record this year.  The KC Chiefs franchise was once highly respected.  They have squandered that reputation over the past 10 years by putting a series of anemic teams on the field.  Some of those teams have given up during games, and most gave up by mid-season.  In 2008, they won only 2 games.  Last year, they won 4.  This year they may win 8 or more.  Why the improvement?  Simply because the KC franchise would be in serious trouble of losing the fanbase if they do not improve.

The team starts their season in a newly renovated Arrowhead Stadium.  The taxpayers committed several hundred million dollars to make the aging stadium state of the art.  The new coach, GM and starting quarterback are entering their second year.  The old regime can no longer be blamed for a losing season.  If the KC fans see more of the same, expect the local TV blackouts to continue and accelerate.  A poor season could signal the end of professional football in KC.

Child-owner Clark Hunt has asked the commissioner for his help and it was delivered in the form of an easy schedule.  Over the past couple years, the Chiefs drew tough schedules, playing most of their games against winning, playoff teams from the AFC, and matching up against the tough NFC East division.  The only easy games were against their division opponents. 

Miraculously, this season they will play the worst teams in professional football.  Last years Chief's team would win 8 if they played this year's schedule that includes the Browns, 49'ers, Jaguars, Bills, Raiders x 2, Rams, Titans and Seahawks.   If we see any on-field improvement, we might see a play off team (what!?!?!).  But this should not be construed as the beginning of a dynasty.  Instead, this is a bone thrown to Chief's ownership to ensure professional football remains viable in Kansas City.