The next in the Charles Barkley - D Wade commercials, this one is an instant classic. Line of the ad- “Hang up the phone Barkley, I’m taking you to the hole”. Classic. Enjoy:

I don’t try to hide my disdain for modern air travel. If you’ve been around here for awhile you’ve seen several of my tales from the sky.

Monday I thought it might be a good idea to do Columbus-Phoenix roundtrip in & out in one day for a business meeting. I was also wondering what my resistance to swine flu is so I thought what the hell.

Attempting such a round trip flight in one day is a risky proposition; it’s not La Guardia to LAX but it might as well be. 3 1/2 hours out, 3 hours back plus the 3 hour time change.

Strike one for the Phoenix airport was the off-property rental cars. Many major cities have their cars off-property, but Phoenix makes it an art. Phoenix is particularly vexing mostly because of the piss poor system of connector roads between terminals.

The Phoenix rental car facility is like a caricature of itself. It has to be the same size as the airport, and it looks like it was built to serve 10 million people a day, even though there couldn’t have been more than 100 people there on a Monday morning.

It’s the type of place that was dreamed up by pseudo intellectual government types- complete with idiots riding Segways from the rental car counter to the shuttles. Devoid of all common sense and practicality. It really is absurd.

The Hertz rental kiosk didn’t work so I had to wait in the 10-person line to get a car. The meeting went fine. Lunch went fine. Back to the airport I go.

Because I’m such a swell guy, I dropped my co-worker off at his terminal. His flight was slightly before mine, but really I didn’t see any need in subjecting him to the rental car center again. For anyone that lives in the Phoenix area, I challenge you to get from terminal 4 to the rental car center in under 15 minutes. If you can do it, you were speeding and you probably ran over three pedestrians.

The path from terminal 4 to the rental car center includes no fewer than ten decision points including a completely random Y-intersection that has a concrete divider that is so imposing it looks like the hull of a giant concrete ship coming at you.

After exchanging pleasantries with the rental car checker-inner person, and getting gouged for $75 for a 4-hour rental (including $30 in taxes), it was off to the shuttle. 15 minutes to wait for the shuttle, 20 minute shuttle ride through the same ridiculous path I had just come from, then 20 minutes to walk to security. I kept waiting for Ashton Kutcher or Howie Mandel to show up- the shuttle might as well have dropped us off in the economy parking lot- the walk would have been the same.

I made it on the plane with about 5 minutes to spare and now through the magic of the internet, I take you there live now:

Here I sit- in the front of coach- which is to say I’m close enough to see the 1st class customers get chocolate chip cookies, a warm towelette and a smile, while I enjoy the nothingness of the coach section.

But most importantly, I’ll be home tomorrow for kindergarten registration- the reason I attempted this fiasco in the first place. And some day, far from now, once the pig flu symptoms have subsided, my child will remember that I was there. And if she doesn’t, I’ll make her read this.

You’re welcome.

I can’t help myself- can’t let this one go by without mention. Sorry to break the bad news to Liberals, but Obama flailing with the teleprompter is the same as W pronouncing nuclear “nucular”. It is. Sorry.

You’re welcome.

I was in Ohio Stadium this past Saturday with the 95,000 plus faithful, baking in the sun and taking in the last bit of Buckeye football until fall camp. In past years the attendance figures for the spring game seemed to be slightly embellished. That was not the case Saturday as the stadium was nearly full and looked every bit of 95,000.

I have yet to watch the tape of the game, but here are my initial thoughts:

First and most importantly, Terrelle seems to have made strides in the passing game. Both touchdown passes were laser throws into a stiff swirling wind. There didn’t seem to be any evidence of the jump ball lobs that we saw from time to time last year.

One of the things that has brought me peace after the USC butt-kicking and the heart-breaking Texas loss is knowing the development Troy Smith made as a passer under Tressel & Co. Hopefully TP will display similar progress.

The second bit of good news is that the receiver corps is alive and well. With Robiskie and Hartline off to the NFL, reliable receivers became a high concern in the off-season.

Worry no more.

Both Taurian Washington and DeVier Posey look to be ready for primetime. Lamaar Thomas also looks very good. Add in Dane Sanzenbacher doing his best Anthony Gonzalez impersonation plus Ray Small in what amounts to a contract year for him and you’ve got a very good situation.

I have no assurance the receivers will be used to their capacity but it’s good to know they’re there if we need them.

To the extent that the spring game format allows, the defense looked fine. When healthy, the D-line should be very strong. The Linbebackers will be relatively inexperienced but talented- Austin Spitler looks ready to take the torch. Ross Homan and Tyler Moeller add experience while Etienne Sabino and Andrew Sweat have expectations coming into their Sophomore campaign. Brian Rolle has been a beast on special teams for two years and should make an impact to the two-deep as well.

The safety position is set with Kurt Coleman and Anderson Russell but I have reservations at Cornerback. I want to believe we’ll be fine with Chimdi Chekwa and Andre Amos but we won’t know for sure until September 12th (USC).

My biggest concern remains the offensive line but injuries and the spring game format simply don’t allow for proper evaluation. I hope that Justin Boren is as good as the Dispatch is reporting he is and that one of the Freshmen from last year really steps up (besides Michael Brewster).

In the end, Ohio State will go as Terrelle goes. If he stays healthy, I like their chances to claim the Big Ten title again and who knows- maybe even the score with USC and claim a bowl win.

You’re welcome.

AP Photo

Seven Buckeyes were drafted into the NFL over the weekend including two in the 1st round and two in the 2nd. Most look to be put into pretty good situations and several could have an immediate impact. Here’s a quick recap in the order that they were taken:

Malcolm Jenkins (Round 1)
New Orleans grabbed Jenkins with the 14th overall pick. The Saints picked up Safety Darren Sharper in the off-season but still need loads of help in the secondary. Jenkins should have an immediate impact and I expect him to be a Pro-Bowl safety eventually.

Beanie Wells (Round 1)
With one of the most intriguing picks of the entire draft, NFC Champ Arizona Cardinals drafted Beanie 31st overall. The possibilities are scary for an offense that was dead last in rushing last year, but has a devastating passing game. Should Beanie remain healthy, he will have an immediate impact and should make the Cardinals offense exponentially more dangerous. Wells could challenge for Rookie of the Year honors if things go well.

James Laurinaitis (Round 2)
The little animal didn’t fall too far into the 2nd round, getting picked up 35th overall by the Rams. Laurinaitis joins fellow Buckeye LB Larry Grant on a defense that needs Linebacker help. The Rams were 28th in total defense last year so Laurinaitis should not only start right away but make a pretty big impact for the team.

Brian Robiskie (Round 2)
Buckeye players went back-to-back in round 2 when the Browns selected Brian Robiskie 36th overall. This too seems like a really good fit. With Donte Stallworth’s legal issues and the likely departure of Braylon Edwards at some point, Robo should be able to make an immediate impact. He looks to be just what Cleveland needs too- polished on and off the field, a steady, intelligent player, and a Cleveland kid to boot. Big kudos to the Browns for this pick.

Donald Washington (Round 4)
The Chiefs picked up Donald Washington in the 4th round, providing added depth to their roster. By most accounts, Washington could have used another year in college, so spending a year or two as a backup for the Chiefs should serve him well.

Brian Hartline (Round 4)
Hartline joins Ted Ginn down in sunny South Florida with the Dolphins. With Ginn and Davone Bess already on the roster, it’s hard to see Hartline having an early impact, but maybe there’s something Bill Parcels knows that we don’t.

Marcus Freeman (Round 5)
Freeman was the last of the Buckeyes taken, going 154th overall to the Bears. I’m surprised Freeman fell to here, but I think it’s a great situation for him. The Bears defense is well-suited to Freeman and with Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, and Hunter Hillenmeyer all locked up with contract extensions, Freeman won’t be pressed to play before he’s ready. Freeman is also a bright and personable guy and should do well dealing with the Chicago media.

You’re welcome.

It’ll be a big weekend for Buckeye Nation with the spring game on Saturday and the NFL draft on Saturday and Sunday. First the vitals:

NFL draft
Saturday 4pm-9pm ESPN, NFL Network
Saturday 9pm-11pm ESPN2, NFL Network
Sunday 10am-6pm ESPN, NFL Network
>>If you have satellite radio, you can get entire draft coverage on Sirius

Here’s the timing for picks in each round:
Round 1: 10 minutes
Round 2: 7 minutes
Round 3: 5 minutes
Round 4: 5 minutes
Round 5: 5 minutes
Round 6: 5 minutes
Round 7: 5 minutes

There’s loads of draft coverage but here are a few of the best:

>>Draft Countdown.com- Solid mock draft and no registration required.

>>Walter Football.com- Loads of player info plus a very thorough mock draft.

>>Of the major sites, I’m always partial to Foxsports.com. Access their draft coverage here.

OSU Spring Game
Saturday 1:30pm
>>The game will be televised locally on 10tv and ONN. You can watch the game live streaming here or listen to it online via 97.1 the fan. 10tv will also be streaming the game.

If you’re going to the game- look me up; I’ll be the handsome one sitting in the Club seats. It looks like low 80’s with a slight breeze- show up in force and bring the kids.

Depth is thin at a number of positions this spring, especially at Quarterback where TP and Joe Bauserman are the only scholarship QB’s. To keep track of players, here are the rosters for both squads:

>>Scarlet Roster
>>Gray Roster

>>Despite the depth at QB, Tressel is going to let Terrelle Pryor get hit, at least for one quarter. Click here for more on that story.

>>Here’s a funny bit on J.T. a la Magnum P.I. from edsbs.com.

>>From Buckeye Commentary.com, “The Curious Case of Jim Bollman“. Some solid points and complete failure to assure me that the line is going to be fine this year. Thanks a lot.

>>Eleven Warriors.com lists several of their keys for the game. I don’t think we’ll learn a lot from the scrimmage but certainly two of the biggest story lines going into Fall will be the development (or not) of Terrelle Pryor as a QB and the promise and production of Brandon Saine, who allegedly is finally healthy. We’ll see. It’s Boom Herron’s ball to run with until Saine shows some consistency.

You’re welcome.

I don’t agree with many of Charles Grodin’s political views (a few) but I give him huge credit for sharing the desk with extreme righty Sean Hannity. Grodin is still crazy after all these years so definitely worth watching (video in two parts).

If we can’t laugh at each other, the whole system’s going to break down. Happy Friday:

You’re welcome.

The Miss USA pageant missed an extraordinary opportunity this week. They could have lent immediate credibility to their platform but instead, further fed the travesty that the pageant is.

It all started with a question. Miss California (Carrie Prejean) was by all accounts either in the lead or darn close.

It was the Q&A portion of the evening and Judge #8’s number was drawn- Perez Hilton.

For the uninitiated, Perez Hilton is a celebrity blogger and an outspoken homosexual. His question was current given recent news: Should other states follow the lead of Vermont and three other states by legalizing same sex marriage.

Though stumbling a bit, Miss California showed tremendous poise in both handling a challenging question and expressing her beliefs unwaveringly. Take a listen:

Watch the video again and this time focus on Perez Hilton’s facial expressions. While asking the question, he’s almost giddy- either from simply being on TV or perhaps because he was lobbing what he thought was an underhand softball that he expected the contestant to knock right out of the park. Something to the effect of “I believe people should have the legal right to marry whomever they choose…”.

What he got was a line drive right back in the face and his facial expression at the end of the exchange tells the story- pain/surprise/contempt. Perez scored Miss California a “0″ for that answer, and because of that and some other scores, Miss California finished as Runner-up to Miss North Carolina.

Later that evening, Perez dropped this gem onto the world via the internet:

While the response from Perez was disgusting and distasteful, it wasn’t alltogether that surprising coming from him.

The real disappointment is the pageant judges not giving Miss California high marks for her remarkable show of character and integrity. Long ridiculed for being a setback to the women’s rights movement, the pageant missed a tremendous opportunity.

Miss California could have very easily given a safe answer- something to the effect of “it’s up to each state to make that decision…”. She would have scored solid points for that answer and probably would have ended up with the crown. Given the coaching that the contestants receive, she probably was coached on the very issue.

Instead, Carrie Prejean verbalized her beliefs while still expressing compassion for the choices others make. The Miss USA organization would have been served very well by somebody with the depth of character such as Ms. Prejean.

Instead they default back to the stereotype- a superficial beauty contest that at best builds self-esteem and at worst objectifies women.

You’re welcome.

This past December, we wrote about the jiggly “iBoobs” app for iPhone that Apple pulled of the virtual shelf. Turns out Apple didn’t learn from that experience and their filtering department is still asleep at the wheel.

Another app was pulled this week- this one called “baby shaker”. The gist of the app was that the baby cries, you shake your iPhone and eventually the baby goes to sleep. Congrats to Apple for pulling the app but shame on them for letting it hit the streets in the first place.

You’re welcome.

I offer a cautionary tale this evening to my friends on the left- both my imaginary Liberal friends plus the real ones that are actually still willing to talk to me:

We’ve seen this all before.

One of the many ways the USS Bush ran aground was his belief or at least his comments that he was acting “on a mission from God”. That drew ire from both the God-fearing and the Godless on the left, and could be pointed to as much as anything as the beginning of the end for Bushie.

The mission from God comments helped along the fracturing already happening in the Republican party while galvanizing the left into the Obamaness that it is today. The funny thing is, as learned as the left claims to be, they are operating blindly to history and it will cost them.

As much as Bush was operating on a mission from God, Team Obama is operating on a mission from their ideals.

It can be seen in Obama’s overly ambitious and divisive agenda thus far. It can be seen in Pelosi & crew running roughshod over the right and moderates and constantly yelling scoreboard claiming that the people have spoken. It can be seen in Team Obama spouting off frequently (Holder, Napolitano, Biden, Schumer, Pelosi, etc.).

Even the most recent Obama comments regarding his meeting with Chavez support this notion:

“We had this debate throughout the campaign, and the whole notion was that if we showed courtesy or opened up dialogue with governments that had previously been hostile to us, that that somehow would be a sign of weakness. The American people didn’t buy it. … And there’s a good reason the American people didn’t buy it — because it doesn’t make sense…”

Team Obama acts as if they’ve got the wind from a unanimous election at their sails. Let’s not forget the 2008 election was a 53% to 46% victory over a divided Republican party that nearly crumbled during the primaries.

And just as the saying goes, those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. The further the Democrats take their far left agenda, the quicker that 7% voting differential is going to erode.

You’re welcome.

Catching up on current (just barely) affairs…

>>Amateur inventors can stand down- the blowtorch made out of bacon has been invented. According to the report, with a little pure oxygen, the torch can cut through steel. Steel I said. Screw fluffy plug-in tiny cars- drop the bacon blowtorch into Home Depot and you’ve got yourself real alternative energy, and a stimulus to the economy to boot.

>>Get ready for sweeping energy reform, far beyond previous cap and trade discussions. And by reform I mean far left policy jammed down Americans’ throats with a massive pricetag TBD. The 648-page “discussion draft” from Henry Waxman (D-California) is titled the “American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009″. What it will be is a forum for gross sanctions against energy companies (which will in turn be passed on to consumers) and extreme code regulations which will intrude far into your own home. Read the full text- you owe it to your children.

>>Matthew McConaughey has already signalled his newborn son that bastard status is imminent.

>>Obama cleared the way today for people in the Attorney General’s office under Bush to be prosecuted for approving torture. This issue is far more complicated than three sentences allows, but for a brief and accurate summary of what the torture memos said, click here.

You’re welcome.

I received the following today in response to the grotesque display put on by Keith Olbermann and Janeane Garofalo last week. Consider it an open letter to MSNBC:

*****

I saw your post and watched the interview on MSNBC. I am sick to my stomach at the unbelievable characterization of Republicans. Our brains are not working correctly, we have become the party of white power, we are all racists, and on and on.

Trapped in her own self-important world where she and Keith are the only two sane people in an insane world, she doesn’t realize who she is talking about. My husband and I are 40 and probably considered upper middle class but I won’t apologize for that because we have worked hard and sacrificed to get here.

We go to church, why is that such a big deal? Guess what? A large portion of America does. We take our kids to soccer practice and teach them to be good people. We also love this country because we believe in everyone’s right to an opinion whether we agree with it or not.

When did we become “racist rednecks” because we aren’t in favor of massive deficit spending or because we tune into Fox News? You’ve probably passed millions of people like me shopping at Target or riding bikes with our kids on the weekend. We are not stupid, crazy because we believe in God, or racists.

It is possible to disagree with someone’s policies based solely on their merit and not the color of their skin. They give Americans so little credit. They have so much contempt for average Americans. There are crazy people in every crowd, but please don’t dismiss an entire political party out of hand because of a few people out of thousands waving a sign at a protest. You don’t know me and don’t pretend you do Janeane. How dare you.

People who have such contempt for others are the real danger. You may not agree with us, but let us have our opinions like we allow you to have yours. By the way, Republicans and “right wingers” and conservatives make up close to half of this country. The majority of us are intelligent, hard working, caring people who cannot sit quietly while you belittle us on national television.

I know the news cycle on this has already passed but some of us can’t watch the news eight hours a day because we are living in reality. We’ve got real things to do with our time unlike Ms. Garofalo and Olbermann who spend all day practicing their witty, self-important banter so they can make us feel like bad people when we turn on the t.v. at night.

I worry what my kids will think when they are old enough to hear us called extremists and mindless racists by citizens of our very own country. We may be faceless to them, but we are out here living our lives and we matter. I am so disappointed in MSNBC for allowing such hate filled rants and embarrassed of the crude remarks referring to “teabagging.” How is this acceptable journalism? Grow up and leave the good people of America alone. You don’t speak for us.

*****

You’re welcome.

Starting the week off with an interactive post for you- feel free to leave your comments below or with the poll on the right.

With ER wrapping up a couple weeks ago, I started putting together a list of the five greatest TV series finales of all-time. It’s obviously a highly subjective topic, and while I didn’t have trouble picking the five, positioning certainly was difficult.

The criteria for this exercise is 2/3rd’s the quality of the actual final episode and 1/3rd quality of the series. It’s for this reason that for me the final Seinfeld episode (in two parts) didn’t make the cut. While I believe it to be the greatest series in television history, the final episode fell well short.

Without further delay…

5. Friends
While not necessarily unexpected in its’ presentation, the final Friends episode was everything it needed to be. An appropriate end to an era, the final episode was both funny and cuddly like the rest of the series. The episode obviously also scored points for bringing the Ross and Rachel relationship to the proper conclusion:

4. Johnny Carson
The final episode of the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson marked the end of another era. Late night television will never be as good as it was with Johnny in the 11:30 spot and Letterman in the 12:30 spot. The final episode here wasn’t all that ground-breaking either, but included genuine comments by Johnny, some good reminiscing, and Ed & Doc giving their farewells. Best of all- Johnny rode off into the sunset afterward adding even further weight to the farewell show, a far cry from what happens today when people in the public spotlight officially “retire”.

3. M*A*S*H
The early seasons of MASH were before my time but I saw plenty of the later episodes including the 2 1/2 hour series finale. The final episode, which to this day remains the most watched TV episode in the U.S., (by share) included one of the most memorable tv images of all time- the final “Goodbye” spelled out and as seen from the helicopter.

2. The Sopranos
When the Sopranos series finale debuted it brought loads of controversy. Much of the fan base screamed about being left in the dark. I’ve always sided with David Chase in that the finale provided all the answers that were needed and was a fitting, artful way to finish the life of Tony Soprano. Sopranos scores big points for me for being the best drama to ever be put on TV plus a final episode that was beautifully done all the way around.

1. Six Feet Under
A dark, lower-profile HBO series, the final episode of Six Feet Under was pure art. Like Sopranos, the final story stayed true to the rest of the series. The final six minutes is the most beautiful piece of television I’ve ever seen- perfectly-matched soundtrack, storytelling without words, and complete resolution.

You’re welcome.

Oh what it must be like to be so vastly intellectually superior to most Americans. I can only imagine since I am a lowly redneck racist.

Continuing to give well-intentioned Liberals a bad name is my favorite douchebag- the high sultan of douchebaggery- Keith Olbermann. During another of Olbermann’s recent hate-laced anti-American diatribes, he shared the mic with another of the ultra elitist intellectual asswipes- Janeane Garofalo.

It’s worth watching the entire clip to see what real hatred looks like, unless you’ve got high blood pressure. If that’s the case, I’ll give you the liner notes: Garofalo thinks all participants in the tax day tea party events are “redneck racists”.

Oooooohhh…that is intelligent commentary. Thank you for being so smart Ms. Garofalo- whatever would we do without you.

You’re welcome.

As our President continues his “Obamify 2009 World Tour: We’re Sorry Yo!”, lookie what we have here. President Obama and Hugo Chavez kickin it old school with the bro handshake. A piss poor version of it to be sure, but considering we’ve been giving Venezuela the stink eye for nearly a decade, I’m sure it’ll get better.

Photo: Fox News

We have yet to confirm whether or not a bow took place.

You’re welcome.

Surveying the country post-tea parties provides several interesting swatches of information.

By most accounts the parties were very well attended- nearly 400,000 people by current counts. The events went off peacefully and in good humor for the most part. The conservative movement still seems to be without a unified leader but at least one platform has emerged should someone choose to take the baton.

The bias by various media outlets was never starker than during the tea party coverage. The coverage ran the gamut from none at all to pure biased hatred. The true colors of each network came out as bright as day and MSNBC and CNN took cable news to a dark and disgraceful place.

On the harmless side were people like uber-Liberal Paul Krugman throwing out high-level Conservative conspiracy theories and flexing his elitist muscle in his op-ed. His piece further reinforced the true colors of the hard left- they think they’re simply better and smarter than everyone else, but still mostly standard issue fluffy whining you get from either party.

Also harmless was femme-bot Nancy Pelosi who, while not attending a single tea party in her home state, managed to string together a couple coherent sentences including the latest Demo-jab relating the tea party movement to astro-turf (get it- fake grassroots- damn they’re clever). She probably should have gone with field turf since astro-turf really isn’t used anymore. Perhaps in 1982 where Nancy’s brain is it’s a smashing literary jab. Bravo Ms. Pelosi.

In the middle of the scale was the mostly harmless but pretty bitter and still quite elitist such as the Op-Ed in the LA Times by Marc Cooper. I think my favorite line from Mr. Cooper is “…a clear majority of Americans are sophisticated enough to know that these bailouts are a necessary evil…”. There’s that arrogance and superiority poking through that hard liberals just can’t keep under control.

Mr. Cooper also used another of the left’s battlecry about how 95% of Americans are getting a tax break under Obama. I find that statement shocking given how “sophisticated” all y’all are. I would think sophisticated folks would see that while their income tax rate may be steady for the moment, the tax rate in cumulative terms is trending up dramatically for every American. Gosh, maybe I’m just not sophisticated enough to understand all that math.

Next is the grotesque- from Keith Olbermann and MSNBC (shocker). Actually, David Schuster was in for Keith while Keith was on vacation polishing his trident and telling himself how smart he is.

I’m sure had Keith delivered the bit, the tongue in cheek delivery would have been much cuter, but how any major media outlet would allow this to air is simply stunning. David’s closing statement was (and I quote) “…if you are planning simultaneous tea-bagging all around the country, you’re gonna need a Dick Armey.”

Finally, the absolutely disgusting courtesy of CNN.

Words can’t set this up well enough, but while watching keep in mind that this disgrace of a “reporter” for CNN, Susan Roesgen, is the very same person who equated George Bush to Hitler and Satan during another of her “reports”.

What you are about to watch is filth- completely foul- it has no place on television, neither on the right nor the left. It’s targeted hate speech; if CNN had a conscience anymore they’d fire her. People like Susan will take us straight from a bipartisan democracy to the 18th century French revolution.

You’re welcome.

That crazy Hulk Hogan…

Embroiled in a nasty divorce with soon-to-be ex-wife Linda Hogan, the Hulkster dropped the following on Rolling Stone during a recent interview:

“You live half a mile from the 20,000-square-foot home you can’t go to anymore, you’re driving through downtown Clearwater [Florida] and see a 19-year-old boy driving your Escalade, and you know that a 19-year-old boy is sleeping in your bed, with your wife …”

“I totally understand O.J. I get it…”

“I could have turned everything into a crime scene like O.J., cutting everybody’s throat…”

I’m no divorce attorney, but those statements are the equivalent of seeing Elizabeth Turner walk in the front door. Jackpot!!

The story of Linda Hogan running around with a 19-year old former family friend has been all around the internet, but apparently Hulkamania has had enough.

All of this of course channels Chris Rock and his “O.J. - I Understand” bit. A true classic- but not bleeped so definitely NSFW. Enjoy:

You’re welcome.

Tea Party Day across the country so time to tea bag your favorite elected representative. In case you’re not into that sort of thing, you can attend one of the thousands of tea parties in small, medium and large cities throughout America.

If you’re looking for times and locations of events, you can click here, here, or here. This shouldn’t be a partisan event, all Americans should be outraged regardless of political affiliation, yet the far left machine has painted it as such.

It’s cold and rainy in Ohio today so turnouts will likely be lower than expected (not that any media outlets other than Fox will actually cover the events).

You’re welcome.

Further proof elected officials will do almost anything for publicity. Enjoy:

You’re welcome.

Fortunately the hostage situation between Somali pirates and captive American Richard Phillips ended with the successful rescue of Phillips. If you weren’t reading between the lines as the story progressed, you missed a lot.

First, let me be one of the few Conservatives to say unabashedly Obama directed the military appropriately in the rescue of Captain Phillips.

Unfortunately he recoiled a bit on Monday referring to the incident in more of a criminal light stating those responsible would be prosecuted. Seizing ships and taking hostages by use of force in what amounts to international waters is an act of war, and yet many Americans think it fit to start reading the Miranda rights.

Here’s a quote from one of the so-called pirates; you be the judge if we’re dealing with people that can be reasoned with:

“From now on, if we capture foreign ships and their respective countries try to attack us, we will kill them.”

I’ll give President Obama the benefit of the doubt for now and hope that he will follow up with additional military support to stabilize the piracy problem- the Somalis clearly can’t control it themselves.

From a political perspective, Team Obama also handled the situation well. They laid low at the beginning, knowing that if they were visible on the front end and things went badly, it would have been harder to deflect criticism.

Still, his silence wasn’t comforting for Americans during the crisis and he needed to be more decisive in his statements on Monday.

Obama’s preferred strategery typically involves labored debate bordering on indecision, and these are the moments when that process weakens America. With very little international support for this piracy problem (no idea why), now is precisely the moment when we must seize the momentum, garner broad support, and deliver long-term stability to the region.

And should you need evidence of the liberal bias in the media, just consider if it were George Bush that gave the order to kill Somalis as needed in order to free one of our own. He would have been skewered - shrieks of war-mongering, excessive use of force, and cries that the act puts hostages of other nationalities in further peril.

Instead, you get the following headline from MSNBC.com: Analysis: Obama scores win on pirate crisis

Quite repulsive for a media outlet that expects to be respected. I don’t disagree with their analysis, but their double-standard stinks from miles away.

The final analysis is far from over. This particular situation is simply the tip of the pirate iceberg in what is a very busy shipping lane. Much of the rest of the world has been paying ransoms for similar abductions, and the Somalis have made it clear they don’t intend to whither away. And with a reported 228 foreign nationals still being held by Somali pirates, this situation is far from over.

You’re welcome.

We’re quite fond of choreographed spontaneity, such as the freeze at Grand Central Station a year ago. Here’s another along those lines, this time in Antwerp and to a delightful melody from the Sound of Music. Enjoy:

You’re welcome.

The argument is stale. It’s played. You’ve heard it several times over the last six months. It goes a lil’ something like this: If you let GM (or Ford or Chrysler) go bankrupt, their business won’t be able to recover. The latest hack to sound this alarm is Jack Nerad via CNN.Com. Jack is Executive Editorial Director for Kelley Blue Book and KBB.com.

Nerad’s argument centers around a poll kbb.com did of alleged prospective car buyers and whether or not the respondents would purchase a vehicle from a bankrupt automaker. According to the poll taken, when asked “How likely would you be to buy a car from General Motors if they were to go bankrupt,” 42.1 percent of new-vehicle buyers said they were either “not at all likely” or “not very likely” to do so.

Nerad came to the following conclusion:

“While one must keep in mind that consumers don’t always do what they say they are going to do, the import of this is clear: Bankruptcy puts a damper on consumer confidence and vehicle demand.”

On the surface his conclusions seem reasonable. It doesn’t play in the real world though.

First of all- if you’re a reasonable person in the market for an American automobile, are you any more likely to purchase a car from a company that’s on the verge of bankruptcy vs. actually in bankruptcy? I wouldn’t be.

In fact, I’d be more concerned with the cost-cutting decisions a near bankrupt company makes vs. the comparative freedom an automaker in bankruptcy is provided via debt and contract restructuring.

GM could certainly assuage consumer fears two or three times over with slick marketing and extended warranty programs, backed by some form of government support.

Regardless, with already slumping sales, common sense would indicate the sales difference in bankruptcy would be negligible, and the real net result would be a company much more fit to fight than it is today, and far greater odds that American taxpayers would see a return on their investment.

You’re welcome.

In case you’re not a serial South Park viewer (I’m not), they had a little fun at the expense of Kanye West this week. Actually a lot of fun. Kanye responded on his blog, highlighted by the following quote:

I JUST WANNA BE A DOPER PERSON WHICH STARTS WITH ME NOT ALWAYS TELLING PEOPLE HOW DOPE I THINK I AM.

Enjoy the vid:

The body of evidence regarding the mental state of Billy Bob Thornton is vast, but nothing touches this video from an interview on Canadian radio. I especially enjoy the reference to “the list” of things the host is “allowed” to talk about.

Enjoy:

You’re welcome.

Jux*ta*po*si*tion- an act or instance of placing close together or side by side, esp. for comparison or contrast.

Happy Friday:

You’re welcome.