I've juuuuust about had it!

***Warning---cranky Libertarian diatribe to follow***

I keep hoping cooler heads will prevail. I cross my fingers and beg that someone stands up in the halls of Congress and says "enough is enough!!" I wait patiently for Jules from "Pulp Fiction" to start quoting Ezekiel 25:17 to my tormentors. But the more I think about it, the more I realize it is fruitless. We are destined to become a (hopefully) benevolent socialistic society. There is no other way.

I'm not going to bore you with the latest projections on U.S. deficit spending in the coming decades. Suffice to say it's bigger than a breadbox. A HUGE friggin' breadbox! The problem is, those in charge of reining in spending must spend to keep getting re-elected. There is no incentive whatsoever for Congress to scale back the candy they dish out. It's what keeps them in power.

For the first time in my adult life I'm convinced that there is no way to stop this inexorable slide. Used to be that politicians could corner the populist market by promising to cut taxes. Not anymore. That means the masses would get fewer handouts from the government. And with more and more people growing up in a world where direct Government Aid is seen as a birthright, the whole "anti-tax crowd," (like me) is becoming increasingly marginalized.

As I've said before, quasi-socialist governments can work; but I want no part of it. I'm afraid my kids will grow up in a nation of sheep. People will be provided for by the government from the womb to the tomb. There will be a greatly diminished sense of self-reliance, almost no concept of personal accountability, and the ultimate feeling that one exists to serve the state.

If I can get a little maudlin for a second, I think this runs contrary to the very nature of humanity. Great things in history have been accomplished by risk-takers. By people willing (by necessity, quite often) to take a chance---to invest their money, time, livelihood, and "their sacred honor" to accomplish something. No great things have been done by people who had little or no motivation to do it.

My fervent hope is that I'm too old to give a damn once this happens full-scale. With the cheetah-like pace we're moving presently, I fear I'll have all of my faculties when it's implemented. I can't wait for the day when the Feds tell me my .38 is now considered contraband. I'm pining for the time when I'm notified that I can't have a government-funded heart operation because I'm too much of a risk.

Until the time I become a ward of the state, I'll enjoy my freedom while I can. I'm getting shit-faced tonight. Anyone care to join me?

From today's George Will article

This about sums it up:

The Obama administration's agenda of maximizing dependency involves political favoritism cloaked in the raiment of "economic planning" and "social justice" that somehow produce results superior to what markets produce when freedom allows merit to manifest itself, and incompetence to fail. The administration's central activity -- the political allocation of wealth and opportunity -- is not merely susceptible to corruption, it is corruption.

Just had to share this one with you.

And this one...

Some random thoughts for a rainy Monday

The makers of Matchbox cars had better earnings last year than any of the "Big Three."

Word will leak of a potential far-left nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. Obama will then "save the day" by nominating an easier-to-swallow lib.

Large, dangerous, gas-powered tools are God's reward for being a man. Beer, too.

I've grown way beyond weary of Brett Favre's antics. An otherwise splendid career is now tarnished, in my eyes.

From today's George Will column... "New York, which until eight months ago was the financial capital of the world, is no longer even the financial capital of the United States. Washington is."

Curtis Granderson is the best baseball player you've never heard of.

It's hard to say that using marijuana will ruin your life when the last three American presidents are admitted marijuana users.

The new Metallica CD is making me feel like I'm 22 again. My mortgage payment reminds me that it's just a dream.

Is it football season yet?

Beauty Queen Blues

I know, I know. I promised this blog would be more sports and less politics. I lied. Sue me!

The thing is, there's not much worth commenting on in sports these days. Lane Kiffen has been relatively quiet the past couple of weeks, the Tigers have begun their annual "May swoon." At least the Washington Capitals are giving me something to cheer about.

I've been struck the past couple of weeks by the vitriol of the left in response to a polite answer to a loaded question that was leveled at a purty young woman from California. In case you need a recap, Carrie Prejean (Miss California) was asked during the Miss USA pageant whether she supported same-sex marriage. She could not have been nicer as she said, "no." Marriage, she said, was between a man and a woman.

The question was offered up by something named Perez Hilton (see picture on right, if you dare!). I had not heard of this "person" before. I had to look them up. I'm sorry I did. Folks, when your title includes "Gay and Transgendered Celebrity Blogger," you might want to take inventory of how you got to where you are. Famous for being famous? Somewhere Kato Kailen nods his approval.

I like to think I'm a keen observer of things, but I admit I was surprised at the backlash. It's more than just the usual suspects that are calling Prejean the spawn of Hitler. Several members of Congress have weighed in on her. Members of N.O.W. say Prejean should get, "a brain transplant instead of a boob transplant."

Those of you who know me know I'm not exactly a prude. Someone's sexual orientation matters very little to me. I like to make fun of gay people for the same reason I like to make fun of feminists, msyoginists, Christians, Muslims, Mormons, heathens, family members, the Trilateral Commission, Congress, the Freemasons, little kittens, and french fries----IT'S FUN, DAMMIT!

That having been said, the character assassination the left has foisted upon this young woman is remarkable. I could almost understand it if she were an outspoken opponent of gay marriage. But JEEZ! She was ambushed with a loaded question and gave a polite answer! Isn't it refreshing to see someone answer a question truthfully, rather than parsing their response to maximize opportunity?

I'll say this for Prejean---she knows an opportunity when she sees one. The answer may have cost her the Miss USA crown, and the glowing riches that go along with it. But tell me---how many of you can name the winner? That's what I thought. She has already parlayed her celebrity into endorsements. Even Liberty University has offered her a free ride for her Senior year. I wish I could get my kids to say something that would get them a free ride!!

That national "feminist" leaders have not really rushed to Prejean's defense tells you all you need to know about that archaic movement. There are very few entities in social life where extremists rule the roost. Feminism and mainstream environmentalism are two such movements. Thankfully, Christianity is beginning to move away from that, but they have a ways to go.

If this "confrontation" is illustratative of the current cultural wars going on, I'll say this. If my daughter grows up to be like Carrie Prejean, I'll be pleased as punch. If my son grows up to be like perez Hilton, I'll shoot the (censored)!!! Just kiddin', Charlie! But watch your back, boy!!!

Everybody panic!!!

"Is it a pandemic yet?" "Is it a pandemic yet?" "Is it a pandemic yet?" "Is it a pandemic yet?"

I imagine scientists with the World Health Organization are positively tingling these days. They have their "black plague." Or at least they hope they do.

Please forgive me if I'm not ready to stock up on antibiotics, hand sanitizer, Kleenex, chicken soup, ginger ale and Vitamin C. I don't feel particularly compelled to buy in to Swine Flu panic just yet.

I course, if I die from this damn thing in a few weeks, you can file this blog post under "tragic irony."

Scientists who portended the end of the world with the Avian Flu three years ago are crossing their collective fingers, hoping they can say, "I told you so!" this time around. Never mind that Swine Flu has claimed fewer lives worldwide in the past week than has accidents involving donkeys. (true statistic!) The Powers That Be won't let a chance for a good crisis to go unexploited.

Swine Flu may be a legitimate concern, but it's more likely that it's the 2009 version of the "Shark Attack" scare---a scare that was wiped off of the headlines following 9-11-01.

Folks, I'm in the news business. I know that nothing draws listeners (or viewers or readers) more than a damn good headline story. You can't get much deeper in terms of public interest than "National Health Scare!" But lets face facts. How many times have the scientific community cried "wolf?"

And by the way---didn't Gerald Ford cure swine flu when he rolled up his sleeves back in 1975?

Doomsday scientists are swarming around the Swine Flu scare for the same reason that the Weather Channel executives root for maximum damage from tornadoes and hurricanes. It makes them relevant. No one gives a damn about Jim Cantore when it's sunny and 85 degrees. No one calls the Centers for Disease Control when they're feeling fine.

So join me, won't you, in rejecting the hype. That is, of course, until you die in a donkey-related tragedy!

4/16 Plus two

It was a little after 9AM in the newsroom when the AP Alert went off. Nothing unusual there. The damn thing goes off every time there's a thunderstorm in Eastern North Carolina. I dutifully moved to my computer screen and looked. There was a slug.

AP-APNewsAlert- (Blacksburg)

I clicked on the header. It read:

(Blacksburg) -- Shooting at Virginia Tech dormitory...developing...

Given the location and my close emotional ties to the school, I perked up. I was not particularly worried, though. Hey, it's a big campus. These things unfortunately happen. I figured a couple of guys had gotten into it and someone fired a shot or two. The next update came minutes later.

(Blacksburg) -- Shooting at Virginia Tech dormitory...West Ambler Johnston...two fatalities confirmed...developing...

Well this upped the ante. My News Director's brain kicked in. "O-K. Maybe I'll run a state story during my midday news. About thirty minutes later, the ante was upped again.

(Blacksburg) -- Multiple shots fired inside Norris Hall Virginia Tech ...developing...

"What the hell is this, I wondered." Did AP screw up the earlier story? Did they have the location wrong? The stories I was working on concerning two large trees falling in the downtown area during heavy winds got pushed to the back burner. It was forgotten completely after the next AP Alert.

(Blacksburg) -- Multiple fatalities confirmed inside Norris Hall, Virginia Tech campus locked down...shooter unknown...developing...

What followed seemed like a blur. I continued tracking AP and giving live updates on both stations. By noon, we knew this was catastrophic.

It didn't hit me until early afternoon what had happened. Until then, I had kept my professional veneer and reported the facts as they came in---gruesome as they were. It wasn't until I got a little down time and happened to glance at FOX News that it hit me. Seeing those familiar-looking buildings, juxtaposed against the backdrop of the kind of coverage reserved only for events like 9-11 hit me like a ton of bricks. This was MY school! I lived a couple hundred yards from Norris Hall! I had several classes there! Was I ever in the upper floor? I couldn't remember.

After having done news for 20 years you learn to keep stories at arms length. Many of the stories we tackle have strong emotions attached to them, and you would quickly become overwhelmed if you got too involved. I thought I was tough. I thought I could handle anything in a news context. I was wrong.

After about 15-to-20 minutes of watching national TV coverage, I had to go out into the hallway and do something I hadn't done in years. I cried. (only briefly, though---gotta maintain my man-cred).

The days that followed produced a full range of emotions. There was the obvious sadness. There was white-hot anger at the shooter, which quickly evolved into utter indifference. I have yet to get to "forgiveness," but I'm working on it. It also produced immense pride at MY university! What a response from staff and students alike! I'd like to think only Tech could have handled such a situation so well. I pray that we never have to find out.

Other emotions have intermingled in the intervening two years. Disappointment at the family members of some of the victims and survivors who seem hell-bent on blaming everything on the school, and not the gunman. I've also been enraged at those who have used the massacre as a front for their anti-gun agenda. My anger includes NBC for airing the footage sent to them by the shooter. Also, the mindless bimbo posing as a reporter at one of the press conferences who chastised President Steger and Chief Flinchum for not "showing more emotion."

But mostly, I'm bursting with pride today at MY school! It's said that it takes our worst to bring out our best. We certainly saw the worst humanity has to offer on 4-16-07, but we also saw us at our best. God Bless all Virginia Tech Hokies everywhere today! Those with and without diplomas. Ut Prosim!!!