Travis: The Social Election

Yesterday was November 2nd, and was the day of the 2010 Mid Term Elections. The results seem to indicate that once again, nobody votes a party into power; rather the electorate votes parties out of power (see 2006 / 2008 elections). Though this reoccurring trend is interesting, there is another social trend that has come to being. After last night’s election, there appears to be a continued correlation between the amount of Twitter followers and Facebook friends a candidate has, and the likelihood of a candidate’s success in yesterday’s election.

To some of you this might be a no brainer. If a candidate has more Facebook and Twitter followers, obviously that candidate is better known, thus has better shot at winning. This logic makes sense, however consider the following. How many different demographics follow political candidates; old, young, professional, unemployed, middle class, upper class, lower class, Republican and Democrat candidates have extremely diverse followings based upon an American’s individual point of view.

Now maybe at one time this diversity could be found at a political rally or some sort of issue based demonstration, but now this sort of diversity is online. Old, young, poor, middle class, upper class, everyone seems to be getting on the internet, and getting involved in Social Networking sites and voicing their opinion.

Look at Sarah Palin, regardless of your opinion of her, notice that she doesn’t place press releases; she posts to her friends and followers on Facebook. People can comment, like or dislike, and people can feel like they are interacting more face-to-face then ever possible before.

More and more, Social Networks are becoming a legitimate entity. Some want to disregard sites such as Facebook and Twitter as fads, and as passing trends. And though Facebook and Twitter may not be the standard forums for social networking forever, rest assured that social networks via the internet aren’t going anywhere, and will only increase in legitimacy.

Adam: We talkin bout Practice?!

Declan Sullivan was filming a fighting Irish practice yesterday about 50 feet in the air on a scissor lift. The wind got up to about 50 miles per hour and the lift was blown over.

This 20 year old kid died while filming the practice of a game... a freaking worthless game.

I can't believe even the idea of putting him into the lift in weather conditions like that. Just before practice started Declan tweeted "Gusts of wind up to 60 mph. Well today will be fun at work. I guess I've lived long enough." about thirty minutes later Sullivan tweeted "Holy (blank). Holy (blank). This is terrifying." according to WTSB in South Bend.

How on earth could anyone let this happen? Notre Dame football practice... are you serious? Can we get some priorities straight here? Unbelievable, I cannot wait for the investigators to figure out who's dumb ass told him to go up there. Apparently, as if this wasn't bad enough the team continued practice!

Can you be anymore disrespectful? I think this should be a huge wake up call for America's priorities. They had a kid go up in horrific weather conditions to film a practice for a football team? A sport, a game, a worthless game is playing a game anywhere near that important?

Brian last week wrote about helmet to helmet hits... are we seriously willing to put human lives on the line for football? For America's general entertainment? I love football, I enjoy sports, but if the damn game comes anywhere near close to endangering lives then it just isn't worth it by any means.

I don't know what else to say about this other than to ask for your prayers for the friends and family of Declan Sullivan.

Brian: Overreacting to Overreacting

As I am writing this blog, I am currently watching the Miami Heat play the Boston Celtics.

Miami, with its new super trio of James, Wade, and Bosh, is expected to dominate the league and win a championship (some are even saying they can set the record for all time wins in a season).

Well as I write that, the Heat are currently getting shut down completely by Boston. They have scored 40 points so far, and it is deep into the 3rd quarter. For having three of the best scorers in the NBA, 40 points should be how much they are scoring in 12 minutes, not 31 minutes.

As soon as Miami loses this game (if they lose) the articles will flow from ESPN, SI, and newspapers suggesting that the Heat are a bust and "completely overrated." Because of one game? During the preseason, the Big Three played a total of 197 seconds together. That's a little more than three minutes, which is 1/4th of a quarter. These guys will need time to properly play together at a high level.

This all brings me to my overall point - one of my biggest pet peeves in sports in the unnecessary overreaction by everyone. Miami will lost one game, play awfully, and people will chant OVERRATED!

That is absolutely ridiculous. It's one game. Guess what? There will still be 81 other games this season. If you don't think they can challenge for a title because of their first game, then you shouldn't be watching sports.

This phenomena happens all the time. You're team loses one game and the season is over. Your star player has a horrific game, and he is overrated. The beauty of sports is that a season is more than one game. There is plenty of time to get back to glory. So if your team or player starts slow, just calm down and give it time.

Unless of course your team is from Buffalo, Cleveland, or Seattle - then the panic button can be hit before the season starts.

Alan: World News

Why should we care? What is in it for us? Why should I have a vested interest in the quality of life of those around me? What does it matter to me how Iran's affairs in the Middle East play out? I am only one person.

Far too often we are bombarded with messages of huge international issues, confrontations, or organizations and are made to feel as though there is little or nothing that we as individuals can do as a response. Far too often we are even shown media blurbs about mega-corporations, or corrupt systems in our own country and we are left feeling powerless to stop these giants. Even more often, many of the unspeakable evils occurring in our country and around the world escape our knowledge because we don't take the time and energy to care.

By silently sitting and watching time go by, we are condoning the actions that this world has taken. By not looking at systemic racism, sexism, classism, and sexual orientationism that operates especially within our own contexts and our own country we are supporting these oppressive systems and approving their actions. Inaction has become the way of the individual.

It is up to us, especially in this individualistic society that we live in, to take a stand for what we believe in. It is up to us to become informed on issues that are important to us, and to some of those that we are blind to. It is up to us to take action as individuals. We are a part of this world, and as participants, it is up to us to embrace our greater humanity and get involved. Even if it is only mentally, becoming aware of the realities of this life is half the battle.

Find out what it is that you are passionate about, and make sure that the world knows why you are. Find out something that you didn't know about the world, and participate in a new way. When we all become involved, we can engage one another. We need to let that engagement be a powerful symbol. A symbol for peace.

Travis: Fear The Robots.

Mechanical humans, or “Androids”, have been a dream made up in the minds of science fiction lovers since for over 100 years. We have a fascination with machines that are able to portray human emotion, thinking, and logic. However, I have a proposition to those who think having a robot would be cool: Fear the robot.

A study was recently published that explores why as we get closer to creating artificial life, the more creeped out humans get. The hypothesis by the researcher states: “A robot that's too human-like can veer into unsettling territory, tripping the same psychological alarms associated with a dead or unhealthy human. This theory is dead on. A mechanical arm that picks up a car on an assembly line, and I'm totally cool. But when I see that robo girl in the video below, it looks like a zombie deserving of a bullet.

Here is a video of one of the latest and “most human” human robot to date.

Girl Robot to Model in Japan

People see this as a “giant leap” foreword into the future, but I think this is a huge misstep. Why waste all this time on building artificial life, when we already have our hands full with “real life”. Robots will not bring about any sort of solutions to our world's problems. If anything they will merely make things worse. The more that we mechanize our world, the lazier we become, the more unskilled we become, and the more useless we become. Our jobs and our work will be replaced by machine, as they already have.

Just for the record, if anything like this shows up on my property, its getting a bullet to the CPU courtesy of the human race. Damn the robots.

So do you think robots are another step foreword for mankind? Or two steps back? You decide.

Adam: Teenage Wasteland

Get the teens off the road!

A new study was just released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention saying that teen vehicle fatalities are on the decline. Considering its the number one cause of deaths for teenagers this is very good news. However CDC isn't exactly sure what is causing the decrease. Whether it be higher gas prices, safer cars, or better driver's license programs, the number is going down.

I think we can get that number a lot lower by doing one simple thing. Raise the driving age to 18. These teens are too blinded by texting, speeding, and just plan inexperience. They need to take a time out and extend the permit time from six months (Ohio Law) to two years. This way teens still get to drive just with the supervision of a parent.

My birthday is in December. When I got my permit I drove from June to December with my parents... notice anything wrong with that picture? Living in Ohio, driving in snow and ice is a huge portion of operating a vehicle. Luckily I didn't kill myself (yet) while driving in the winter. Also as a teen I wanted to see how fast I could drive (like in the movies) this is stupid high school thinking and again I'm blessed that I wasn't killed. The high school mindset and environment is a bad thing to mix with new drivers. Make them wait, I've never heard anyone say “I had too much practice.”

Frankly I don't want to be on the same road as a person who has only had experience operating the machine heading straight at me for less than a year. I think forcing teenagers to put a sign on the top of their vehicles (like a pizza delivery guy) is also a great idea. This way when I have to brake I can look in my rear view mirror, see the sign and brace myself for the inevitable crash. High school aged people are not responsible its a fact of life. How can they be? They have little to no experience with responsibility because they have little to no experience with life. Also every four years when you have to renew your license you should have to redo the driving test. If you don't like that idea, its probably because you aren't that great of a driver and thus shouldn't be driving in the first place. Drivers license is a privilege, you want it? Earn it.

Go Bucks

Travis: Sextmania.

In America today, especially within the ranks of young adults, you would be hard pressed to find someone who does not have a cell phone. As group plans for cell phones increases, the number of children with cell phones increases as well. Today, 58% of teens ages 12-14 have their own cell phone. Due to the fact that teens don't need their own cell phones for anything important, they have resorted to doing what teens do; banging. Via text that is.

The act of sending naked pictures and sending them via text messages, known as sexting, is a hot button issue in schools today. According to newmedia.org, "4% of cell-owners ages 12 to 17 have sent sexually suggestive images of themselves by phone; 15% of cell owners that age have received “sexts” containing images of someone they know". Kids are taking nude pics of themselves, sending them to a "significant other" and then they're forewording them to their friends. This has become a national concern, even Oprah is addressing this issue.

But let me ask this question, am I supposed to be "outraged"? If you ask me, the fact that only 4% of children have sent suggestive photos of themselves is pretty good! Think about your high school class, do you think 4% of your class were the kind of people from "across the tracks" who are doing shady stuff anyways? Drugs? Rape? Who knows? Even more astounding, the number of teens who have attempted suicide is double the number of teens who have "sexted" themselves.

As usual, the government has been taking steps to address this issue in the most asinine way possible. If I'm a 15 year old boy, and I send a naked picture of my junk to my 15 year old girlfriend, and if Johnny Law finds out, then I can be charged as a sex offender in a court of law under the charge of "distributing child pornography". How insane is that!?

People need to awake to some common sense. Sexting is extremely stupid, and can become a serious issue, but getting our panties in a bunch and attempting label innocent teens as "sex offenders" is never going to solve the issue. Parents need to be sure they are giving cell phones to responsible teens, who aren't going to give in to peer pressure.

Johnny Law, stay out of teenage peer relationships. You just make things worse. But what do you think? Should ol' Johnny be involved in sexting situations?

Brian: Fun While it Lasted

The NFL needs to change it's name to the NFFL - National Flag Football League. Last time I checked, the NFL was a full contact sport, right?

Today the NFL announced that it would start suspending players for "flagrant hits" which would result in hitting a offensive player above the shoulder pads. The rule mainly pertains to "defenseless" wide receivers, as the NFL rule states:

"If a receiver has completed a catch and has not had time to protect himself, a defensive player is prohibited from launching (springing forward and upward) into him in a way that causes the defensive player's helmet, facemask, shoulder, or forearm to forcibly strike the receiver's head or neck area -- even if the initial contact of the defender's helmet, facemask, shoulder, or forearm is lower than the receiver's neck."

So defenders need to allow the receiver to catch the ball, allow him to land while securing the ball, and then gently bring him to the ground. Basically this is giving a huge edge to receivers. One of the best ways to defend a pass is to hit the guy as he is catching it which knocks the ball out.

Now you may be thinking to yourself, "That seems like a reasonable rule! They are protecting them from concussions." The problem is that even if you come close to a receivers head, you will most likely get flagged or fined. And with the new emphasis on this rule, referees are strongly encouraged to watch for this more and flag and eject players more often. A ref doesn't want to lose his job, so if a hit looks remotely close, he is throwing his flag.

I experienced this at a Hiram football game, where our defender hit a kid in the chest on a pass and was flagged 15 yards for a hit above the shoulder pads. The penalty gave them a first down and they ended up winning the game because of it. (Picture of that very hit is on the left).

The players know the risks they face when going out onto the field. That is why they get paid so much! What is next? Are they going to eliminate tackling the legs because that causes knee and ankle injuries? Those injuries can permanently effect players later in life just as much as a concussion or two, which is the main argument for those supporting these new rules.

Hell, the way they are going (these new rules, all the rules protecting QB's, etc.), we might not have football any longer. And without football, I don't have a job. I guess it was fun while it lasted.

Alan: Miner Forty-Niner

The title really only is an homage to the classic Scooby-Doo villain.

After their first three days, their helmet lights went out. It wasn't until 17 days later that it was even discovered that they were alive. 33 men spent two dark months in a mine, and finally, this past week, the Chilean miners who were trapped underground for 69 days, were rescued. No sooner were they out of the ground, then that money started rolling in.

The miners had made a pact of silence to not talk about their experiences 2,000 feet into the earth. The pact isn't really lasting, and the miners have asked for as low as $40, to as high as $25,000 for interviews about their experiences in the mine. Who can blame them? Media outlets are willing to pay. One miner, did an Argentinian interview for a drink, while another miner held his Chilean interview for over $1,000.

What is this saying about the world that we live in? Let's offer them counseling services, rest, maybe a better job, and give them time with their families that they haven't seen in months and might have thought they would never see again. Nope. Lets harass them relentlessly and offer them thousands of dollars for interviews, for books, for possible movie rights!

A few hundred years ago, if there were a ship lost at sea for months that returned to harbor, families would rejoice, friends would embrace, and a local newspaper might write a story and even a follow up. Those lost at sea would need time to recuperate, spend days with loved ones, and try and put their lives back together.

Now, we as consumers demand stories, and eat up the experiences of others for our own entertainment. Am I the only one who finds this reality as twisted?

Guest Blogger, Kacie Graham: Bully Bull

Five teen suicides in three weeks, all from different backgrounds and in different parts of the country with one thing in common: they were bullied for being gay.

I know you all know about this and some of you are probably tired of hearing about it. I am, too. I'm tired of hearing that any of it happened because in my mind it shouldn't have.

Honestly, I don't know what the worst part is; that these kids felt this was their only option or that people are surprised it happened. Maybe it's the numbers, because five suicides in three weeks is stunning. But the fact is that we've known for a while that homosexual youth are up to four times more likely to commit suicide than heterosexual teens.

I've heard some people say that bullying doesn't cause suicide. That everyone gets bullied in school and some people need thicker skin. I was most definitely bullied; I got shoved into lockers for being white, punched by a football player for being a girl and tormented by other girls for being fat. These aren't my words, by the way, it's what they said. I obviously didn't kill myself, so why should these other kids? Because when I went home I had loving family members, a Bible to comfort me and actual friends to hang out with. I didn't have to worry about whether my parents would disown me, whether God even wanted anything to do with me and if I would be molested as an influence to be turned straight. Yea, that happens too.

Recently a large group of gay celebs have teamed up to make "It Gets Better" videos to offer encouragement and moral support to gay teens now. The basic strategy is to admit that it sucks now but when they become adults things will calm down and they will be happy. Will they, though?

The bullies that broke a boy's arm for "committing gay acts" didn't come up with the idea that gays are "bad" on their own. The gang members that sodomized and abused three men in New York were certainly influenced by someone. And the boy that beat another gay youth with a metal pipe didn't face any repercussions at school. When another boy was kicked down a flight of stairs another school system turned their heads. That boy was one of the latest suicides committed this season. This hate didn't just suddenly span from non existence. It was taught to these people by adults. And one day these kids will become adults and show their youth that you ought to kick the odd man out until he lines up properly. Any abuse is cyclical and unfortunately it will keep on turning unless we do something about it.

Schools need to implement a more rounded sex education to include the acknowledgement of homosexuality. Teachers need to be given training on how to deal with youths struggling with their orientation and the bullying that is a result of that. And on a daily basis we need to remember that we're all human, we're all different in some way and if someone were to suddenly decide they hated something about us and acted on that, we would be in their shoes.

God loves us all the way God made us, even if God doesn't always like us or what we do. Why can't we respect that?

Travis: Electric Cars, "A National Concern."

In the last 10 years, as gas prices have been ever increasing and increasing, and then dropping again thanks to the recession (boo ya!), the talk of alternative means of powering automobiles has been ever increasing. Ethanol, greese, nuclear, are all propositions made to power cars in the place of gasoline. Though the option with the biggest traction is electricity. Several companies have electric models coming out in the next few years. GM, has the Chevy Volt, and Nissan is premiering its LEAF, both are being made affordable thanks to a US governments rebate of $5,000, along with a tax rebate of up to $7,500.

Now it is common sense that these incentives courtesy of our government, ergo: courtesy of our tax dollars, are being offered under the goal of obtaining “environmental sustainability”.However the dirty little secret about electric cars is that they're not as “green” as we think. A 2009 study conducted by the WWF, World Wide Fund for Nature, and IZES found that a mid-sized electric car model would emit about 11 oz of CO2 per mile, compared to 9.7 oz of CO2 per mile for a gasoline powered car.

People in America see our gasoline powered cars as the root of all evil. But if you give a crap about the environment, then you should be pissed off at America's electrical infrastructure, which is dominated by coal, which is what would be powering your "green" electric car.

So to tie it all together; “Do you want an electric car to help the environment?” If the answer is “Yes” then Save yourself some money and get a used car off the side of the road. Because as long as you live in the greatest country on Earth, your going to be doing more harm than good.

Adam: Judge, Jury: Just Junk

When the American government was founded one of the main goals was to make sure our government was a balanced and public powered operation. But aside from the many flaws of what this government has adapted into, There is one branch in particular that has always confused me: The judicial branch.

The older I get the more I begin to realize that adults are just children that have grown up. This may seem pretty obvious to most of you. But when I was growing up I guess I just figured something happened to every human that turns them into an adult. The older I get the more I realize that I still remember being a teenager, and I have realized that adults aren't some completely different form of human.

Once I came to this conclusion I began to see just how flawed the judicial branch of the government can really be. Judges are normal people, they are human beings. Judges went to high school, had pimples, got picked on, got dumped, got smashed in college, and all the other things that happen to normal average human Americans. When you think about it from this perspective the next rational thing that comes to mind is...what gives them the right? For instance lets say the judge's child broke a vase this morning, he slept through his alarm, burnt his lip drinking coffee then entered his courtroom and went face to face with a stuttering nervous innocent man? By this time this average human being (the Judge) who has had a bad day doesn't have the patience for this innocent man and makes the wrong call. That could drastically change the course of that speech challenged man's life...

Juries aren't much better, if the defendant isn't attractive or has bad hygiene the wrong call can very easily be made. Or the opposite could happen a guilty good looking dude could walk! Put yourself in the jury (because as a citizen of America you could actually be in a jury having to determine how a human life that is worth no more or less than your own will be changed forever) Think about this, you get the letter in the mail that you have jury duty on a day that you have plans to watch the clippers vs the mud hens. The game starts at noon and this court session is inching towards ruining your nice little afternoon plans. When facing twelve angry men and a nice summer day are you really willing to honestly look at this humans case and give your opinion on an incident you know nothing about?

How can we say hmm this person will be a judge and all day everyday they will make their money hearing people's stories and then determining the fate of those people. Anyone who watches sports will tell you that Referees, Umpires, Officials NEVER get it right so what makes us think that a Judge would be any different? If anything there are more mistakes in the courtroom for lack of instant replay. Judges go to law school but all the school in the world can't make the lens that they view life through completely unbiased.

We are all humans and no one person is, in anyway, more valuable than another.

Go Bucks

Brian: Bush League

This is an old subject, but one that I think about quite often. I am going to take you all the way back to the Reggie Bush scandal.

As most of you know, Reggie Bush had illegal contact with and received benefits from an agent while his was at USC. These included money, gifts, rent, and various other benefits. Bush was stripped of his Heisman and USC was forced to vacate its wins from the Bush years.

I have two main issues with this whole thing.

First, I think it was poor of the NCAA to vacate ALL of the wins during the Bush era at USC, including their BCS National Championship. This is ridiculously unfair to every player who played with Bush at USC. Now when they go back to USC and look in the football trophy room, they won't see a single win from when they played there. How is that fair to them?

How would you like to have worked hard and put everything into a program, only to have every accomplishment you earned be taken away because of one person? Basically, the NCAA is saying that it was the entire teams fault that Bush took money from an agent, and therefore should be punished for it. Some may argue that the school was complacent and looked the other way, and if that is true then punish the school, not the team. The rest of the players shouldn't be held accountable because Bush's agent paid rent for his mother. Cruel.

Secondly, if you want to take away Bush's Heisman, then by all means do so. But don't sit there and say he didn't deserve it. The Heisman is awarded to the best player in college football each year. Reggie Bush was the best player in college football the year he won it. And the money he earned from his agent did nothing to change that fact. From a football standpoint, Bush deserved the Heisman and should be recognized as the best player of that year. Anyone who disagrees is doing so out of spite, not out of fact. Anyone who watched Bush play couldn't help but be amazed at his unreal athleticism and abilities.

Bush should still be considered one of the greatest college football players of all time, and deserves to be put into the college football Hall of Fame. I will always argue that a players should be selected for Halls of Fame based on their athletic accomplishments, and that everything else should be left to the wayside when deciding that - unless a player did something that assisted their on field performance (such as steroids).

Regardless, I think it is Bush league that the whole team suffered because of Bush's poor decisions but there isn't much that can be done now except bitch and moan.

Which I have become pretty good at.

Alan: Finally

This past weekend, a Gay Pride march in Serbia was attacked. There has also been something of an outbreak in suicides in gay youth in the United States over bullying and teasing issues. These people have been pushed by those who advocate for Christian morals and Jesus' teachings.

It is about time.

These Christian activists have finally fulfilled Jesus' wishes for God's creation. They have lived up to the message that the Prince of Injustice preached during his ministry on earth. When confronted with opposing views, Jesus reacted by throwing stones, lighting fires, and pushing His disciples to do the same. Jesus preached a message of violent expression of ideals, and often lashed out physically at the Pharisees and Sadducees that challenged Him during His day.

Christ fulfilled the desire of the people by being the Messiah that they wanted. He led an army against the Roman oppressors and liberated the nation of Israel, just like the Chosen people wanted.

The Shepherd to the Flock of Those Who Already Follow Him showed His followers the way of intolerance and pushed for his believers to disrespect the marginalized and ensure their oppression. The outcasts and the suffering in Jesus' society were put in their place by the Lamb of God, who served the righteous and offered them up for salvation. Jesus said in Matthew 5:3-10

"Blessed are the rich in spirit,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who rejoice,

For they will continue in their joy.

Blessed are the strong,

For they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are the merciless,

For they have been righteous.

Blessed are the sure in heart,

For they will see God.

Blessed are the instigators,

For they will be called Sons of God.

Blessed are those who persecute in the name of righteousness,

For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven."

The Way, the Truth, and the Life was only for those who agreed with Jesus and those who understood Him and His will. Jesus never healed anyone who wasn't a Jew, and His message was only for a select few. I am sure that the Light to Some of the World would smile today on those who carry on in His name the intolerance and oppression that he fought so hard to bring to this world.

Jesus made it very clear that we are to continue His judgment here on earth and in our own human understanding. Matthew 7:1-2 says, "Judge, or you will be judged for not judging. For it is up to you to judge your fellow man and act on their misdeeds."

Christ lived for us to bully gay people. Christ lived for us to enforce inequality. Christ lived for us to be rich. Christ lived as a voice for those who already had one. There are few things in this world that make me prouder than calling these intolerant people followers of the Redeeming Christ. It warms my heart to know that Jesus' messages of conditional love, acceptance of those who are alike, and radical hatred has lived on in the lives of real Christians today. These people can really continue Christ's messages and continue to be a symbol for His action in this world. Too many soft Christians have misinterpreted Jesus to be a symbol for something else. A symbol for peace.

Guest Blogger, Brandon Smith: "If You Play With Fire , you Might Get Burned"

If you pay attention to the news you probably heard about this story in Tennessee:

"Firefighters Watch As House Burns To The Ground"

Gene Cranick, a homeowner in Obion County, TN had an emergency. His home caught on fire and to make his situation worse, the South Fulton Fire Department came out to the site only to make sure the next door house didn’t catch on fire as well. They sat there while his house burned to the ground. He pleaded with them to put it out, even offering money. But they refused. And they were right to do so.

The reason assistance was refused is because Mr. Cranick had a choice to pay annual dues so that he would receive fire services if needed. He decided that the $75 per year that the South Fulton Fire Department requested so that they could extend services to his residence would be better spent elsewhere. He chose not to pay (unlike his neighbor), and suffered the consequences.

Media outlets railed against the fire department, asking how can an organization be so heartless? One Liberal pundit asked if this is what a Libertarian world would look like (ignoring the fact that this was a publicly run Fire Department). The South Fulton Fire Department was demonized, even though this wasn’t even their territory. A few decades ago, this wouldn’t have been news as there was no service to these parts and thus, no fire department would have shown up. But the fire department saw a need and offered their services for a very reasonable price. Gene Cranick just decided not to insure.

The real story out of all this is how as a nation we’ve passed the buck on personal responsibility. We jump at the emotional aspect of any situation without looking at logic and consequence. Would insurance (of any kind) actually work for Americans if benefits were paid without the collective premiums prepaid? Do you think the South Fulton Fire Department would collect enough revenue the following year if its residents knew that they would be bailed out even if they didn’t pay their dues? Finally, did we ever stop and think about the firefighters putting their lives on the line for someone else’s property that they themselves don’t see it’s valued worth at $75? Would you put your life on the line for something worth less than $75? I know I wouldn’t.

With such a lack of personal responsibility, it’s no wonder our nation is going bankrupt in the name of entitlement.

Adam: H2nO

Last Week 7 time Mr. Olympia and lead role in kindergarten cop, Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a law requiring free* water be made available in school cafeterias. WHAT?! I don't know how they run things in California but in Wauseon we had these machines called drinking fountains that produced a limitless supply of this precious resource.

Arnold is considering this a step in the right direction to fight kid fat syndrome. A Survey found 40% of California schools (that participated in the survey) didn't offer free* water at lunch...

Ok, now show me a school in America that offers free anything in a school cafeteria. What gives him the right to make water free*? Make the kid cough up milk money like the rest of us have done for years and years in the past. If he can't afford the milk we'll work out a deal to toss the kid a free* bag. Worst case scenario, make them get up and walk over to the drinking fountain.

This topic only leads me down one path and that is the complete rip that is bottled water. I cannot believe people buy that stuff. Third world countries have to scratch their heads and bottling companies laugh all the way to the bank. I just imagine the first person to pitch the idea “ok we'll bottle the exact thing people are already paying monthly for and sell it for a buck fifty.” I guarantee most bottled water comes straight out of the tap anyway. Again the big wig up in corporate building's 47th floor tells them “we'll slap a mountain on the label call it some weird name that isn't copyrighted yet, American's will drink it up (literally)”

But back to the schools, If I transport my mind back into its 17 year old state I consider all the things that could go wrong with this. Kids will just pound water and ditch class for bathroom breaks all day. Finish the water (or not who cares its free*) then twist the bottle until the air is pressuring the cap then flick it off across the cafeteria. And numerous other things that my adult mind can't even consider yet. Free* water for kids? What's next free butler for every child?

*Free is the liberal word for American worker's hard earned money being pulled from their pockets and spent however the government sees fit.

Go Bucks

Brian: Hate the Player, not the Game

All signs are pointing to an NBA lockout for next season.

It's all about players rights versus owners rights. And of course, by rights I mean money.

As fans we are supposed to connect with the players because they seem more personal than the guys in suits who we don't enjoy watching. We love watching the players play the game, and could really care less who is cutting their paychecks and running the team. Because of this, we, as fans, are expected to side with the players.

But I am choosing to side with the owners on this one.

The price of contracts has gotten out of hand in recent years. The Atlanta Hawks are a prime example. Their franchise player, the face of their franchise, was a free agent. The Hawks would have upset a lot of fans if they had let him walk. So they had to re-sign him, right? The problem? Joe Johnson wanted a max contract - aka 6 years, $123 million. That is more than LeBron could have made! And this is for a player who averaged 21 points and 5 assists and crumbled in the playoffs. And he is worth $20 million a year?

You can sit there and say "Well then the owner shouldn't have paid him!" But guess what? If they hadn't, someone else would have. Your response could then be "Well then no one should have paid him!" But the reality is that someone has to pay him, because he is one of the better players in the league and wouldn't have taken anything less. Plus, if all of the owners collectively agreed to not pay him because it was too much, that would have been illegal according to the current collective bargaining agreement. Basically, no matter what, he was getting that contract.

This highlights the fact that there needs to be a limit when it comes to paying these players. The amount of maximum contracts needs to be less than it currently is. Sorry to break it to you, but a person can live on a max of $10 million a year instead of the current $20 million.

Also, I would support a hard cap (where a team cannot go over, say, $57 million a year no matter what) as opposed to its current soft cap (where a team can spend as much as they want but if they go over $57 million, they have to pay a luxury tax which is double for every dollar over. So if a team went over by $10 million, they would have to also pay a $10 million tax). This current system still puts teams ahead that can afford to pay the luxury tax (cough*Lakers*cough) because they live in a bigger market as opposed to a smaller market team like Charlotte.

This would lead to a more competitive league, which is always better for fans. How many times has your team had to trade or cut players because they needed to save money? Well lower contracts and a hard cap would allow for more teams to be competitive. Everyone wins!

I'm not saying I want the owners to put the players at a serious disadvantage financially, but I would support a lock out if the players refused to budge with their salaries.

Like Ghandi always said - Hate the player, not the game.

Alan: Mind Missiles

This weekend, a jihadist cell of terrorists was uncovered in Hamburg, Germany. What does this mean? This means that despite our ninth year of the War on Terror, Al-Qaeda is still alive and well. This is just another sign that ultimately there is no end in sight for this war. World War II was over less than six years after it started and we are nearing our tenth year in the War on Terror. It is a war that we cannot win.

Why? It is because we are choosing to fight in the wrong way. We are using rockets and missiles to fight beliefs and understanding. We are using troops and battleships to fight concepts and ideals. How could we ever hope to win a war this way? We are very much in a modern age of imperialism and colonialism that we are unfortunately perpetuating in this War on Terror.

The United States has overstepped its borders, quite literally. We have troops in dozens of countries all over the world, which has helped to contribute to some of the negative impressions of the U.S. overseas. How would you like it if there were a German Air Force base outside of Columbus, OH? Would you want South African troops stationed near Philadelphia, PA?

How are we supposed to win this war then? We win a battle when we admit the times that we are wrong and make reparations for these actions. We win a battle when we stop imposing our will on the rest of the world. We win a battle when we accept criticism and move forward together with the countries that have taken issues with our geo-political stances. These battles can be won because they address ideologies and beliefs about the United States. In this way, we stop fueling the fire. We counter these anti-US ideals by showing that we are willing to work with the other countries of the world instead of bullying these nations into doing what we demand.

I am not saying that we should not stay alert or try to ignore the terrorists plots or threats against us and our Western European allies. We need to have the good intelligence to know when these attacks will happen and prevent them before they do. Ultimately, this prevention is our goal in the War on Terror. We are trying to attack first so that we will not lose lives of the citizens of the United States. Why not prevent these attacks by preventing the ideals that create the warriors that oppose us?

Greater cooperation and listening and understanding is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of acceptance and taking the higher road. We will be "the bigger person" so to speak. Acknowledging the imperialism that our nation is engaged in is crucial. Taking steps away from that imperialism is what would be a very powerful symbol to the rest of the world. A symbol for peace.