Barry Soetoro compromises the Dreams of his Father?

Does he jeopardizes his goal(s) in order to remain seated at the head of the table.  He feels so special and elite when they call him Mr. President.  Finally, after years of being just another black man, angry at the world for the injustice he sees and hears, he is now the most powerful man in the US.  He gets to mold US like that scene from GHOST with Demi Moore making out with the ghost of Patrick Swayze as they mold some pottery with their intertwining fingers.  Gooey, like polarizing Pelosi's face as the months of stress start showing as she tries to convince her goons on the left to vote with her.  "But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it"
He was a man that so many fell in love with.  His words, his presence, the way he dressed, the way he smiled sent chill bumps to so many of his voters.  "We are the ones we have been waiting for", "

America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles of justice and progress, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.", "

In America, there's a failure to appreciate Europe's leading role in the world.","

I think when you spread the wealth around it's good for everybody."  What?!?  Who is waiting for who?  Spread MY money around??  The Islamic people are like Americans?  NO!  He said all this and flashed his smile.  All is forgotten except for the way he made them feel.  Michelle wasnt going to be held down.  She wanted a voice as well so she had her "for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country", unfortunately, she is not as pretty as him and people actually HEARD what she said.  She was silenced for a long time after that speech.

In the words of Pelosi "It’s going to be very, very exciting."

No crotch check, no plane ride

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/nov/14/tsa-ejects-oceanside-man-airport-refusing-security/#comment-97087807

Cute FlightAttendant:
"He's an IDIOT. As a flight attendant I can tell you that terrorist threats come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. It's people like him who get on planes and don't want to follow the rules and make my job extremely unbearable. He masks his idiocy in some sort on convoluted revolution against "the system" but he really just doesn't want to follow rules that are set in place for everyone's safety. No one made him buy a ticket...by choosing to buy a plane ticket he chose to submit himself to all safety directives. Ride Greyhound or Amtrak if you don't want to go through security. TSA is not perfect, no system is, but it does a very hard task of trying to prevent horrific acts by terrorist (foreign and domestic) that are intent on killing American's. People like this need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law to show the seriousness of his idiocy!"

My response to "Cute" FlightAttendant:
YOU must be a democrat.  YOU ARE AN IDIOT and while I am at it, I'm going to throw in Napolitano as well.  She knows nothing about what it means to be an American and what it takes to protect us on land or in air.  She needs to start with something simple like how to prevent ants from climbing up on a LEGO wall and then graduate into reading how-to-protect-the-US-for-

DUMMIES.  These pervert machines give a false sense of security and so are the pat downs.  We are not attacking the source of the problem.  Barry Soetoro could learn a few things from Sarkozy in trying to maintain some order back within the US.  First off, get the illegals out.  I dont care what color, size, age they are, get them out and believe me, we can find them.  We know where they are.  EVERYONE DOES.  It's not JUST because they are illegals, but they siphon our resources and contribute NOTHING BACK.  Second, slow down immigration and let's do a better job vetting everyone who wants to come in and deport those who do not belong here.  Third, we need to focus more on intelligence gathering, now more then ever.  It's not too late for the US to revert back, but we need to pull a Chris Christie and just do it.  Make it happen.  If Michelle wasnt always riding on Barry maybe his spine would be a little stronger.  But then again he is a Muslim.  Yes, I said it.  Before you get disgusted with me and form your opinions of me, go do some research and stop believing everything you read from one source and believe that anything is possible.
We dont need him in office, we need a President who loves this country.  He grew up in a country that is 90% Muslim with influences like Rev Wright, Jeremiah Wright, that guy who declared himself a Communist.  Oh wait, that doesnt exactly narrow down the people around him.  I dont have all the time to mention the corrupt Rezo, ACORN, and all the other folks, daylight is getting shorter and shorter around here, but I do have this one last piece for Cute FlightAttendant.  I dont give you guys much credit at all in knowing what it means to be a flight attendant.  I am not going to delve into how I feel about the current flight attendants, but boy do I miss the ones from back in the day.  They were nice, pleasant, friendly, well mannered and did their job.

Noonan on Barry, day after the mid year election

Best paragraph Noonan has written all year.  From the WSJ:


"On to the aftermath of the election. On Wednesday President Obama gave a news conference to share his thoughts. Viewers would have found it disappointing if there had been any viewers. The president is speaking, in effect, to an empty room. From my notes five minutes in: "This wet blanket, this occupier of the least interesting corner of the faculty lounge, this joy-free zone, this inert gas." By the end I was certain he will never produce a successful stimulus because he is a human depression."

Clooney meets with Obama

(CNN) - Actor George Clooney paid a visit to the White House on Tuesday to meet with President Barack Obama and discuss his recent trip to southern Sudan.
Joining Clooney in the Oval Office meeting was Enough Project Co-Founder John Prendergast, who joined him outside of the West Wing after the meeting to talk to press.

Clooney said, "I think we're very impressed with how involved, at the highest level, this administration is and now our job is to try and continue to keep it in the press and keep it, to keep the light turned on for the next 90 days while we try and broker a peace deal, which is what they're working on right now."
The actor was heading to Capitol Hill to meet with Republican Indiana Sen. Dick Lugar, the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Clooney said it right.  Why in the world is the President of the United States who is the middle of several major crisis meeting with George Clooney to discuss foreign peace initiative?!?!?  Like it or not, the United States is a business.  We go and meddle into countries because we seek to gain power and advantage.  Those are the meetings I want to see my President attending NOT meeting with a movie star to discuss his personal goals and wish list.

What a starf*cker. 

HOUSE

What a great show!  The history, the dynamics, the relationships, the presence, the acting.  Very well written, very well done.  A breathe of fresh air watching a show with characters not saturated with relationship storylines, but handles them with smart dialogues.  Kudos to the writers.

sign at local fish market : no cell phones please!

something happens to most people when they are on their cell phones.  their brain tunes out everything and everyone around them, they forgot how loud they are talking, they forget to look both way before crossing the street; if it's raining, they forgot their umbrella may be poking someone else's eye out.  All of their focus is put towards hearing and responding to that little piece of metal they have in their hand, up against their ear.  Is that call really that important, they forsake everyone around them?  Including themselves?  Is the call an emergency?  I doubt it. 
I applaud everyone for wanting to stay in constant contact with their family and friends and work but there is a time for everything.  A time to be by yourself, a time to share with your family and friends and a time to connect with society.  When you are walking down the street or walking into a fish market that is time to connect with society.

The Manning boys

By now, with super bowl sunday around the corner, we probably have all oogled and googled about Peyton manning and his kid brother Eli.  But one brother who has stayed out of the limelight is Cooper; the oldest of the three.  Below is an excerpt from si.com circa 2006.

"In Sunday night's Manning-Manning throwdown at Giants Stadium, the most hyped regular-season opener in NFL history, two strong-armed brothers will go at it for three hours while a rapt nation alters its viewing habits. For those of you who might have missed it -- all nine of you -- Sunday is the new Monday, and if Madden/Michaels/Costas & Co. can't adequately hammer home that point, Peyton and Eli most certainly will.
When the show is over, one quarterback will experience a bittersweet victory, while the other will be bummed. This will almost certainly trigger a heartwarming hug, the signoff NBC so eagerly seeks.
If only the network could capture what a real Sunday night disappointment in the Manning household once looked like.
"We had very heated battles back there on the basketball hoop in the backyard, and Sundays were always the most intense games of all," recalls Cooper Manning, the eldest of the three Manning brothers. "That's because Monday morning was garbage day, so whoever lost the game had to take out the cans the night before."
The Mannings grew up in a house that, unlike most others in New Orleans' Garden District, has a decent-sized grass yard in the front. Hauling the cans along the side of the lawn and out onto the street was a more daunting task than it sounds.
"You had to open a fence and drag them about 25 yards to the street, over a bumpy dirt path that was full of large tree roots," Cooper remembers. "And with three boys in the house, plus all the friends we'd have over, we had a lot of garbage. This was before they made the cans on wheels, and we'd always have old ones with the bottoms falling out. Inevitably, you'd try to drag two or three at a time, and one would fall over and all the crawfish and shrimp and other crap would fall out and you'd have to try to scoop it up."
Suffice it to say that for the loser of that Sunday's matchup, the words "you stink" took on added significance.
"I'm telling you, it was brutal," Cooper says. "You know Sunday nights -- you're lazy, catching up on homework, depressed that the weekend is over. Mom would say, 'Somebody's gotta take out the garbage.' And you'd go, 'By the way, I banked that last shot in -- have a nice walk.' The whole thing took about seven or eight minutes, and it was pure luxury watching Peyton have to deal with it."


Cooper, who now works as an institutional broker for an energy research firm, is two years older than the Colts' quarterback, and far more jocular by nature. The Garbage Wars were always between him and Peyton, and/or their father, Archie; Eli, five years younger than Peyton, wasn't even allowed on the court, which in this case was a good thing. Says Cooper, "Eli probably never had to take out the garbage in his life."
Archie, the protective dad scoffed and said, "Aw, Cooper likes to say that Eli never had to take out the trash because we babied him...." The former Saints quarterback stopped himself, laughed and said, "You know, maybe he didn't."

govt: too big to fail?

here is another take on those infamous words that were once used to refer to our financial system - picture this: calls to inquire about your health insurance coverage reminds you of dealing with the dmv; rows and rows of available tellers but they all point you to another line; another long and slow moving line. Metro North trains are almost never on time anymore and the travelling experience is almost as good as NJ Transit and Amtrak.  When looking for a job, you go to the government job boards to see what is available; the government is also there for a student loan, with a forgiving debt after 20 years; 10 years if you are a government worker.

The average government worker gets paid 75k, well above the private sector, pension and retirement after 20 years.  Very nice, but where is the government getting the Obama money from?  Does he have a secret stash he plans to share with everyone?  Or is the government going to pick the pockets of the private sector?  What happens when the government makes a greater incentive to work for the government, what happens to the private sector?  Now, remember this, the government does not produce anything.  The government is funded by the private sector.  The private sector is what keeps the economy running.  The bigger the government, the bigger the burden for all the taxpayers.

Will you ever receive Social Security?  Forecast is not looking good under this government.  Will Medicaid fall under the same fate?

The next time you are on a DMV line or waiting on a post office line; the person who you are waiting for to help you, they probably make just as much as you, with better benefits, less working hours, all sans degree.  What in their life have they done to warrant a job; a high paying job, great benefits and you never get fired???  Can they survive the expectations of a private sector job?  Zoom out and think larger scope.  Imagine the government taking over more of the private sector and infiltrates your daily life with public service employee.  Will service improve or worsen?  Let me answer that question for you.  Service will worsen from the same public sector that relies on your tax dollars to fund their service.  What does that mean?  In the clearest of clear narratives, you are paying for that horrible service.  You are paying for everything the government wants to do.

Getting back to my question.  Can a government be too big to fail?  No - that is just it.  A government too big will fail.

Howie Long and son Chris (Part II)

Howie Long praising Al Groh and the decision of his son, All-ACC Chris Long, to play for Groh at Virginia:

I think handing your kid off is an important thing and I said it three years ago when Chris made the decision to go to Virginia. The only thing I told Chris was that when he committed his junior year [of high school] that if you make the commitment to the University of Virginia, I don’t care if Knute Rockne walks into our living room tomorrow, that’s your word and you keep that commitment. He stood by that.

When [wife] Diane and I say, we’re giving you our son, you’re responsible for him. It’s now your job to make him a better football player, a better person, give him an understanding of what work is all about, commitment, sacrifice, selflessness. And three years later, I sat down with Chris and had this conversation. I said, ‘Look, are you a better football player than when you got there?’ He was hesitant to answer that and I said, let me answer that for you. You’re light years ahead of where you were than when you got there. I said, ‘Are you a smarter football player than when you got there?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ ‘Are you a tougher football player than when you got there?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ ‘Do you think you’ve been prepared to potentially have an opportunity down the road to live your dream and have your shot to play in the NFL?’ He said, ‘Yes, without a doubt.’ I knew that. I just wanted to make sure he knew that. I don’t regret one second sending Chris there and Chris doesn’t regret being there….

I played for a guy named Earl Leggett, who played for the Bears with Doug Atkins. Tough, meaner than snot. He said probably five nice things to me in the first eight years of my career, but he was my presenter at the Hall of Fame. Earl is like a father to me. If I hadn’t played for Earl, I don’t think there’s a Howie Long as people know now.

My son will walk away from the University of Virginia prepared not only for football, but be better prepared for life as a byproduct of playing for Al Groh. There’s no doubt in my mind. And that’s the biggest compliment I can give Al Groh. Al has a singular focus … it’s not PR. I don’t think we’re sending him to solve the world’s problems. But if you want someone who’s driven, 24/7, and I’ve been around it, having played for Al Davis and Earl Leggett, I’ve been around Bill Parcells, I’ve been around Bill Belichick, and for all of them, the singular focus is on one thing and one thing only. And if you’re not on board with that, you’re on the wrong bus. If you’re not fully committed, you’re in the wrong place.

Howie Long and son Chris

With only a quick glance at Virginia defensive end Chris Long, the resemblance is almost clear.

The chiseled good looks and short, cropped hair. The broad shoulders and thick, powerful legs. But unless you're familiar with the senior's background or happen to put two and two together after reading the name on the back of his Cavaliers jersey, you might not realize his father is NFL Hall of Famer Howie Long.

That's because Howie Long, the longtime Oakland Raiders defensive end, really doesn't want you to know. After Chris Long enrolled at Virginia in 2004, Howie Long preferred to remain in the background, mostly to keep the attention on his son and off himself.

"There are a lot of former athletes who have sons that play and everyone deals with it in different ways, and I respect that," said Howie Long, an NFL analyst. "My wife and I have the same philosophy. The comparison and story line is always there and it's a convenient hook for people, which I understand. But I do as much as I possibly can to make sure that Chris has the opportunity to be his own man and enjoy his college experience as both a student and athlete."

Now that Chris Long's college career is drawing to a close, father and son seem more alike than ever before. A 6-foot-4, 279-pound All-America candidate, Long has 12 sacks in 10 games, the fourth most in the nation. Only South Florida's George Selvie (13.5), Indiana's Greg Middleton (13.5) and Penn State's Maurice Evans (12.5) have dropped quarterbacks more often. In addition, Long's 16 tackles for loss are tied for sixth-most in Division I-A.

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G Fiume/Ron Vesely/Getty Images Virginia defensive end Chris Long (left) learned a lot from his father, NFL Hall of Famer Howie Long.

Just as importantly, Long has become a run-stopping force in No. 19 Virginia's 3-4 defensive scheme. The Cavaliers rank in the top 25 nationally in scoring defense, total defense and run defense going into Saturday night's game at Miami (ESPN2, 7:15 ET).

With Long anchoring the line, the Cavaliers are among the biggest surprises in college football this season. They have won an NCAA-record five games by two points or fewer, including their last three victories by a single point. Virginia (8-2, 5-1 ACC) is in first place in the Coastal Division and can earn a spot in its first conference championship game by beating the Hurricanes and then rival Virginia Tech on Nov. 24 at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Va.

Along the way, Long has become the type of player his pedigree suggested he'd be one day. Scouts Inc. rates Long as the No. 2 player available for next year's NFL draft (behind Arkansas running back Darren McFadden), and ESPN's Mel Kiper ranks him as the No. 4 senior.

Virginia coach Al Groh says there isn't a more complete defensive player in the country.

"Because of the nature of pass rushing, and because it's more visible and more wide open, it's like the home run of defensive linemen," Groh said. "Everybody sees the home runs. He hits a lot of home runs and is among the national leaders in doing that. But on the nuts-and-bolts work on the every-down running plays, he's equally spectacular and effective. He's made some marvelous plays on running plays that you just look at and say, 'Wow, not many guys can do that.' He's developed a complete game and understands all aspects of being a defensive football player."

Long, 22, learned to play football from one of the best to ever play the game. His father was an All-American at Villanova and played 13 seasons in the NFL. Howie Long was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection and was named to the NFL's 1980 All-Decade team. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.

"I wouldn't be anywhere close to where I am today without my pops," Chris Long said. "I think a lot of a football player's makeup is mental, and I've been blessed to have someone to learn from. Not just from a technical standpoint, but everything he taught me about being a hard worker, a teammate and just being a football player. He taught me there's more to it than just going out and playing football."

The most important attribute Howie Long taught his son was determination. It was that same drive that helped Howie Long escape the rough streets of the Charlestown section of Boston. He grew up in a broken home, was raised mostly by his grandmother and uncles and enrolled at Villanova because of fear more than anything else.

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US Presswire Howie Long, seen here in his playing days with the Raiders, has given Chris the space he needs.

Howie Long was supposed to attend Boston College on a scholarship, but backed out when coaches told his uncle he'd lose his scholarship if he were injured. Long feared he'd end up back in Boston, working on the shipping docks or doing something worse. Long never lost that drive, even after he excelled in college and became a second-round draft choice of the Raiders in 1981.

"I think the moment you're content is the moment you're heading backwards," Long said. "It's the proverbial quest for perfection, which is unattainable, and therein lies the dilemma."

Even though Chris Long grew up with many of the luxuries his father never had as a child, he never took them for granted. Long knew his bloodlines wouldn't guarantee success, either. In fact, he says his pedigree made life more difficult -- on the field, at least.

"It's kind of the opposite," Long said. "You have to work even harder. You have a bull's-eye on you. There are always more people to prove wrong."

Long certainly isn't the first son to follow in a famous father's footsteps in football. Quarterbacks Eli and Peyton Manning played at Ole Miss and Tennessee, respectively, in the same conference where father Archie was a star for the Rebels. Former Texas quarterback Chris Simms followed his Super Bowl-winning father, Phil, into the NFL. Former Miami star Kellen Winslow Jr. is the son of one of football's greatest tight ends.

The more famous the father, the larger the shadow to escape.

"The shadow is always going to be cast over you, but I really think it started for me at a young age," said former Miami and current Montreal Alouettes running back Jarrett Payton, son of the late NFL Hall of Famer Walter Payton. "My dad taught me how to be my own person and how to be secure with yourself and how you play. I think it was more difficult when I was younger."

That Chris Long ended up playing the same position in the same defensive scheme as his father was the product of happenstance, more than anything else. When Howie Long retired from the NFL in 1993, he didn't want to raise Chris and his younger brothers, Kyle and Howie Jr., in California. Long and his wife Diane searched for the perfect place to build a retirement home and raise their family. They eventually settled outside of Charlottesville, Va.

Chris Long attended St. Anne's-Belfield School, a small private school, and his father was a volunteer assistant coach there. At first, Howie Long thought his eldest son might end up playing on the offensive line.

"I didn't know what he was going to be," Howie Long said. "I coached him to be an offensive tackle in high school. We dropped him on the nose on defense and just turned him loose. We spent a lot of time working on technique and hands and leverage, but as it applied to offense. I wasn't sure if he'd be a blocking tight end, an outside linebacker or a defensive end. I had no idea."

By Long's senior year of high school, he had grown into a 250-pound lineman. He was ranked among the country's best defensive line prospects, an accolade some suggested was more because of his bloodlines than his abilities.

"I think a lot of people will doubt you because you are your dad's son," Chris Long said. "Anything you do positive, any of the accolades you're given or any of the opportunities you're given, the first thing people say is, 'It's because of who his dad is.' Even when I was being recruited here to the University of Virginia, a lot of people in my own community didn't think I was Division I football material because I played at a small private school."

Even before his eldest son signed with the Cavaliers, Howie Long had befriended Groh, a former New York Jets coach, who unexpectedly resigned in 2001 to return to his alma mater. Groh and Howie Long had each been friends of Will McDonough, the late sportswriter for the Boston Globe. On several occasions, Howie Long visited Groh and they used furniture to discuss the nuances of the 3-4 scheme, the defense in which Long excelled in the NFL.

"Chris takes full advantage of the fact that his dad has the same passion about football as he does," Groh said. "Howie is a tremendous resource for him as far as tips about playing the position and understanding the game.

"To have a Hall of Fame player here, who excelled in the scheme that we run, it was marvelous. I've got one of the best defensive ends who ever played in a 3-4 scheme right here in town as a resource. We used to have a lot of conversations about hand placement and leverage and how to read blocks and stances and things like that."

Once Chris Long enrolled at Virginia, Groh saw less and less of his father. Chris Long was plagued by a bout with mononucleosis during his freshman season at Virginia in 2004 and played in only six games. He had two sacks and 26 quarterback pressures as a sophomore and began to show signs of stardom. Last season, Long had four sacks and 21 quarterback hurries during the Cavaliers' 5-7 season.

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G. Fiume/Getty Images Chris Long's stellar senior season hasn't gone unnoticed by the NFL.

"He didn't have to prove anything to me," Howie Long said. "I knew what he was. I didn't know what he'd end up being, but I knew what he was."

Howie Long was with his son more in spirit than body. Despite having an open invitation to Virginia's practices, he attends only the sessions open to the public, which are rare. Groh, whose son Mike played quarterback at Virginia and is now the team's offensive coordinator, said he encouraged Howie Long to come around more.

"At one time, Howie was coming around less and less to watch us practice after Chris came here," Groh said. "Having had two sons who played football, there's just no more fun as a dad than coming to watch your sons play and practice. I enjoyed it when I could and missed it when my job or games kept me away from their activities.

"I told Howie, 'Come on around, don't let that keep you away.' I even mentioned to Chris one time, 'Your dad, he's trying to give you your own space, bud. Tell him it's OK.'"

Howie Long attends nearly all of the Cavaliers' home games and usually begins the day sitting with other players' families. But it doesn't take him long to start moving around the stadium, once he's overcome with nerves and anxiety. Long rarely attends Virginia's road games and his TV responsibilities usually preclude him from going to night games. When Long is on location, he often watches telecasts of Virginia games in a satellite truck.

"I'll sit there by myself watching the game," Long said. "I do all the things other dads do -- I get nervous and have stomachaches and worry about every play. I don't go to the road games. It just drives me crazy. I just have a hard time. I'm used to being on the field or in front of the crowd and not in the crowd. It's easier at home games."

Lately, it's been easier for Howie Long to be around his son. Chris Long said he never encouraged his father to stay away, but understands why he did for so long.

"He had a great gauge of how I was feeling," Chris Long said. "I had to reach a point where I was sure of my abilities. I wasn't sure for a while. The better I did and the more I began to make a name for myself, it became a lot more comfortable for him to be in the picture. I like it that way. I like having my dad around.

"But he's always been the one to give me more space than maybe I even wanted just to make sure. A lot of people might want to get more attention and make it about them and me, but to him it's my time."

And these are certainly the best of times for each of them.

By Mark Schlabach

Nov 9, 2009, Sports Illustrated

Welcome 2010!

:: Reflections
- "Say what you need to say" - John Mayer
- "sweet are the uses of adversity"
- Congratulations to the 2009 World Series Champions - New York Yankees
- Welcome back Jack Bauer!
- Glenn Beck - easily the most insightful and passionate political commentator
- Donate to Jon Huntsman's cancer institute; author of "Winners Never Cheat"

:: Wonders
- Jeter and Minka Kelly - marriage?
- Arod with Kate Hudson - will he be able to continue his 2009 performance?
- Elephants in the House