Thursday, December 31, 2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR

It is my distinct hope that all of you fine people will have a happy and prosperous new year awaiting them, from the moment the ball drops in your time zone. Celebrate a new decade, a new opportunity for growth, and a chance to reshape the world. (It's a long shot, but I believe it can be done.) But please celebrate sensibly.

If you choose to celebrate with flavorful ETOH containing beverages, please do not get behind the wheel of a car and drive. Have a designated driver. And if you are one, drink nothing and watch out for the idiots who will not read, nor would they heed, this advice.

Stay safe. Life is short enough.

Monday, December 28, 2009

Anarchy In Tehran

The story is unfolding while we sit peacefully here in the USA.

Chuck has asked some poignant questions about what our government should do right now. Master Appeasement Artist John Kerry thinks we should open a dialogue and implement it with a trip to visit Iran. But that has been nixed by the Iranians.

Why? Maybe it's because the Iranian government is having more trouble with their citizens, than they want us to know about.

The Iranian government has clamped down on foreign journalists reporting on this series of events, but here is one video smuggled out of Iran that is certainly worthy of a look:



For more videos, take a look here at the others that are listed on the side of the page. Looks like it is bedlam, at least in some parts of the country.


Drinking On The Job?

What would happen to you if you were found to be chemically impaired while performing your duties, on your job?

The internet is abuzz with this video of what appears to be a slightly intoxicated Sen. Max Baucus of Montana. He's the blue dog Democrat who is one of the driving forces in advancing this farce they call a healthcare bill.

See what you think:



Many times, drunk people tend to slur their words. They also tend to iterate and reiterate, rant and rave, and generally repeat themselves over and over. If you listen to the entire video, you will note that Sen. Baucus is guilty on all of these counts.

And although it is not possible to prove in a court of law that he was drunk on the Senate floor without a blood alcohol test, it does raise some interesting questions for his constituency to ponder. But sadly, they just re-elected this guy to another six year term, in 2008. They are stuck with him for awhile, as is the rest of the nation.


Mon AM QB

NYJ 29 - Indy 15

Staying true to their plan, the Colts showed they cared little about an undefeated season. Coaches and management deemed it necessary to pull many of the key starters in the second half, having locked up the #1 seed in the AFC. And that was their decision, like it or not.

It was soon easy to see that Curtis Painter does not take enough quality snaps in practice to be ready to rally a team against another one that needs the win, just to stay alive. He is not ready for the big time just yet. Having said this, I must call out the Indianapolis fans at the game who showed the same utter classlessness that one expects in Oakland, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh -- not in Indy.

There is no need to boo a third string rookie QB, who has only preseason games on his resume.

It was not his fault, he was only doing what was asked of him and getting some OJT, in the process. He's no slouch. He was a standout at Vincennes (IN) Lincoln High School and Purdue. It's his first damned game as a pro. (As I recall, John Elway was benched after his first three games as a pro.)

To put it bluntly, I am stunned that the fans in this city would stoop to such a low level. This is not a case of poor play by a veteran player or stupid play calling by the coaching staff. So let it be known that I am ashamed to be in the same fan base and breathing the same air as these low-life pukes.

Painter will be a good QB someday, but I wouldn't be too sure it will be here in Indianapolis. I know if I were him, I'd be looking for a trade down the road and hope to have the opportunity to come back to Lucas Oil Stadium just to stick in the asses of those same ignorant pukes.

That's all I have this week. Feel free to comment on the other games while I wash my hands of the dirty bacterial stench that comes with being associated with the classless vermin, who present themselves as Colts fans. I hope everyone of them get rashes.


Thursday, December 24, 2009

MERRY CHRISTMAS

The editorial staff at PYY would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas.

May this Christmas find all of you and your families in good health. May the joy that comes with Christmas find each and everyone that graces this blog, throughout the year.

Here are some great traditional carols to help celebrate the birth of Christ:





This is a beautiful song, no matter what the language. This is German:



If I had to pick a favorite, this would be it:



Enjoy.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

A Certain Kind Of Madness

What kind of a world do we live in?

We have
Europe in a deep freeze, Washington DC under a thick blanket of snow, and we still have climate Nazis publicly proclaiming that Copenhagen was a failure in fighting the ills of global warming. Europeans have long led the charge against what they believe is a man-made calamity. Today, they are dealing with frigid conditions that caused Eurostar to shut down and has been responsible for 42 deaths.

But that's not the half of it.


What kind of a government do we have here in the U.S.?


In spite of only
38% of the American people approving of the current healthcare bill, the United States Government seems intent on passing it anyway. The Chicago way seems to have won out over representative democracy. Arm twisting and threats are nothing new to the city of Capone, and it seems that these same methods are now being employed at the federal level. And if this isn't enough, when this doesn't work, we see nothing short of bribery.

Now, I am willing to bet that most of my readers already know this and because of this, it would be a waste of time to feature this as my central point and theme. It's deeper than that.


Here's what I want to know:

What it will take to get people mad enough to make changes in their states and congressional districts next year?

Because the people who represent us are clearly not listening to their constituents.
They can't be.

When only a minority of the people are for something and they ram it through anyway, it is the epitome of arrogance and certainly is indicative of a patronizing attitude.
When these kinds of things become increasingly evident, we can no longer claim representative democracy. It is nothing less than dictatorship by committee. The only difference between this and what was in play in the old Soviet Union is we have the opportunity to throw these low-life bums out.

Our elected officials are nothing more than parasites, who have no private sector skills and no idea what it is like to work their asses off -- day in and day out. They vote themselves pay raises at every turn, in spite of the fact they ask the people to make certain sacrifices they are not willing to make.

The people who just spent last week in Denmark are no different either.

Many of them made the trips on private jets, ate meat at the many free feeding troughs offered at someone else's expense, and probably consumed massive amounts of power and electricity in the process. Yet, they seem to have no trouble chastising others who drive SUVs, enjoy a good steak once in awhile, and want to keep the thermostat high enough to stay warm in the midst of this freezing spell.


I tell you folks, it's a mad world we live in. And until the hard working people of this world get their heads out of the clouds and into what is happening around them, it's going to get worse.



Addendum:

Interesting piece at I Hate The Media. What makes a math major an expert in meteorology? When he writes his own Wikipedia entry.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Mon AM QB

Well, the blog host is 6-3 on his picks, with the last game to be played tonight.

The biggest surprise is the drubbing Minnesota received in Carolina last night. I didn't see it, but to lose to the Panthers this year isn't what a team wants. Dallas over New Orleans was a surprise, as well. But when the Cowboys play together, they are a mediocre team capable of upsetting great ones that aren't playing up to snuff. And what the hell was going on in Denver's heads? I cannot believe they lost to the lowly "full of disarray" Oakland Raiders.

The rest of the games went pretty much as I expected.

I had to feel bad for Miami, as I watched a good portion of their game. They played their hearts out, but fell just short to the Titans in OT. The Dolphins QB, Chad Henne, may keep the his job next year and Pennington may be the #2 (or on another team, altogether).

I do not feel bad for Green Bay losing on a pass play for a TD with no time left on the clock. I am not much of a Steelers fan, either. But they are pretty much toast and loved nothing more than seeing the Packers fall in a heartbreaker. Big Ben had over 500 passing yards, to lose it would have been tragic.

Well that's all I got to see and hear. We have adopted Greg's suggestion and we all see who participated. ;)

Now it's your turn.


Saturday, December 19, 2009

Another Blast From The Past

Once again, it's the Yuletide season and time for the annual PYY Christmas extravaganza. This week we feature some excellent modern Christmas tunes, with modern being from my lifetime.

I did the studio version of this one last year. This year I found a live video from about 15 years ago:



Originally done by Brenda Lee, I think these girls do an excellent job of covering this Christmas classic:



Another Brenda Lee classic was redone by two guys who really rocked the 80s, with their unique rock and roll style:



Laugh if you want. But next to A Christmas Carol, my favorite Christmas movie is The Polar Express. If you have never seen this movie and have hardened yourself to the magical nature of Christmas, you need to see it.

I was able to see this movie again last weekend with my grandson. I must admit that he has partially been responsible for my regeneration from a Grinch to one who looks forward to the season. And as I watched it with him, I found this song from the movie still moves me greatly:



Someday my little one will no longer believe in Kris Kringle. But when that day comes, I will teach him what my father once told me. It was the same thing that I passed onto my children, when that moment in time came: Santa Claus is the spirit of giving.

Enjoy.

Friday, December 18, 2009

The PYY NFL Power Rankings And Predictions

These are my rankings. No formula, just one man's opinion (for whatever it is worth).

Please Note: I am not a scientist or any other form of industry professional. Do not take your rent, house or car payments, or other important bills (like utilities, food) and bet them based on my predictions.


(#1) Minnesota at Carolina

Minnesota


(#2) Indianapolis at Jacksonville

From last night on Thursday Night Football, it was Colts 35- 31. Jags needed it worse. The Colts have everything wrapped up and could rest some key people the rest of the way, but evidently the Colts players have convinced management to play for undefeated.


Dallas at (#3) New Orleans

New Orleans


(#5) Cincinnati at (#4) San Diego

San Diego, but this could be an upset if the Bengals get fired up in spite of the death of their WR.


Oakland at (#6) Denver

Denver


(#7) New England at Buffalo

New England


(#8) Arizona at Detroit

Arizona, easily.


Chicago at (#9) Baltimore

Baltimore


San Francisco at (#10) Philadelphia

Philly, but they must guard against complacency. SF has risen up on occasion and played some good football.


NY Giants at Washington

NYG, but only because I have to make a call on this one. The Skins have been playing better and could cherish the spoiler role.


Miami at Tennessee

Tennessee should take this one.


Sorry I cannot go into more detail about why I ranked them the way I did and the reason I picked them to win, at least not right now. Time hasn't been on my side lately.

But now, it's up to you to tell me where I am wrong.


Wednesday, December 16, 2009

An Inconvenient Error

From an article published yesterday, we read about another inconvenient piece of misinformation by Al Gore -- the self appointed climate guru at large:

There are many kinds of truth. Al Gore was poleaxed by an inconvenient one yesterday.

The former US Vice-President, who became an unlikely figurehead for the green movement after narrating the Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth, became entangled in a new climate change “spin” row.

Mr Gore, speaking at the Copenhagen climate change summit, stated the latest research showed that the Arctic could be completely ice-free in five years.

In his speech, Mr Gore told the conference: “These figures are fresh. Some of the models suggest to Dr [Wieslav] Maslowski that there is a 75 per cent chance that the entire north polar ice cap, during the summer months, could be completely ice-free within five to seven years.”


Nothing new here, this is the same old alarmist propaganda that he has been methodically spewing in robotic fashion, since his loss to George Bush in the 2000 Presidential Election. But wait, there seems to be some discrepancy as we read further in the article:

...the climatologist whose work Mr Gore was relying upon dropped the former Vice-President in the water with an icy blast.

“It’s unclear to me how this figure was arrived at,” Dr Maslowski said. “I would never try to estimate likelihood at anything as exact as this.”


So, a scientist would never try to pinpoint a prediction like this? Most scientists I have ever known are not likely to narrow their focus on little to anything, much less try to make bonehead predictions out of desperation.

And it is desperation that Al must be feeling right now. With the release of the CRU e-mails, the cooler than expected climate much of the world is seeing right now, and the defections of more scientists (from the "settled science" community to that of the doubtful), he's feeling the pressure.

Imagine the crow he was forced to eat, as reported later on in the same article:

Mr Gore’s office later admitted that the 75 per cent figure was one used by Dr Maslowksi as a “ballpark figure” several years ago in a conversation with Mr Gore.

The embarrassing error cast another shadow over the conference after the controversy over the hacked e-mails from the University of East Anglia’s Climate Research Unit, which appeared to suggest that scientists had manipulated data to strengthen their argument that human activities were causing global warming.


Imagine the crow that must be shared with the world leaders who have stepped out on the limb with Gore. I wonder what goes through Gordon Brown's mind. He is the one who once said that those of us who do not sign on to Al's way of thought are like "flat-earthers".

Or how about Nicolas "we must act" Sarkozy? This is the man who once said concerning a deal on climate change, "You cannot want to have the rights of great economic powers that you are becoming and abstain from your responsibilities. A great power has both rights and responsibilities, and this point is not open to negotiation." (This quote is from more than a year and a half ago, but the same impatience is prevailing in Copenhagen today.)

Al doesn't think much about negotiation. Nor does he like to answer questions from skeptical reporters either, as is evidenced by this scene:



Body language says it all. He looked like Bernie Madoff not wanting to incriminate himself, on camera.

At some point, when does it become criminal to perpetuate one of the costliest hoaxes ever? The family in Colorado is being made to pay for their hoax, due to the cost of the search and rescue mission. When will Al be made to pay?

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

That Sinking Feeling

Rasmussen is one of the better polling organizations we have access to, on the web. They now show Obama's approval ratings at an all-time low.

Overall, 44% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President's performance. That’s the lowest level yet measured for this president. Previously, his overall approval rating had fallen to 45% twice, once in early September and once in late November.

Fifty-five percent (55%) now disapprove.


Of course we all know that this poll doesn't count for much of anything, right now. The Administration hacks will be quick to point out that it's only a daily tracking poll that fluctuates up and down. And to some degree, they are right.

But what they will not openly admit:

1) The polls may be fluctuating, but they are trending down sharply.

2) This is the lowest approval rating of any president in my lifetime, after the first year in office.

So, if I were to make an intelligent assumption here, I'd have to say that many people are souring on the President. Those who once thought this man to be the hope this nation needed are now seeing they made a serious mistake.

Most of us here at PYY knew this man was not the man for the job last year. And we know it now.

Most of us could not get excited about McCain either. But when we looked at the entire picture, we were able to see that the negatives that Obama brought to the table were way too large to ignore.

Maybe (just maybe) when all of this is said and done, these people who now see the error of their ways will learn something valuable from all of this, if they do not. I hope they learn, because they will bear the brunt of the failed policies of this Administration. I will be dead when the real pain hits.

Think it's bad now? If the nation doesn't wake up next year for Midterms, it's going to sink into a real abyss.

Someday, China will call back all of its notes -- while many of the younger generation will then be trying to put their kids through college and saving for their retirement.
They will be the ones who will watch everything they worked for completely disappear. Despite playing by the rules, they will see their hopes and dreams vanish into thin air, while the Obama hacks live like royalty from the bribes and dirty transactions they took and committed, while in office.

But don't listen to me....I am just one of the many people that typed his ass off last year to prevent this from happening.

What the hell do I know?


Monday, December 14, 2009

Monday AM QB

Colts 28 - Broncos 16

The thing about listening to a game on the radio for three quarters is you are at the mercy of the play-by-play announcers. Usually biased, they are pretty reliable of painting an accurate picture of how bad your team is playing when they are stinking up the field.

It seemed to be a tale of three games: The Colts dominating for most of the first half, the Broncos for most of the second half, and the Colts gutting out a game-winning drive in the final minutes to seal it. Essentially, the Indy offense did just enough in the opening of the game. But they did everything they could to hand it to Denver until that late drive. The only thing that kept the Broncos from dismantling Indy in their own stadium was the Indy defense, who gutted things out when it was necessary.

From the start of the second half, the Colts' defense gave up a lot of yards. They allowed the Bronco offense to move the ball at will, but made some significant plays to keep the Kyle Orton show from racking up a massive tally of points.

Manning didn't help matters much. Two interceptions could be flukes seeing how they were tipped. But he did throw one into a bad situation that resulted in a pick, and generally was off in most of the other throws that didn't end up in the hands of a Bronco. As I got home to view the lion's share of the fourth quarter, it was hard to believe that I was watching the same game the announcers were calling on the radio.

Here's the thing I need to stress. The Colts are living by the sword and running a risk of dying by it. They seem to put just enough good football together in a game to eke it out. But what's going to happen when the sword falls the other way one day, and it doesn't work out?

Winning is good, even if it's by the smallest of margins, But it's heartbreaking to fall short, when it counts most. And the history of the Indianapolis Colts bears this out.


Vikings 30 - Bengals 10

I have a friend at work who cannot wait to rub it in, when Favre loses. Last week he said that the Vikings aren't that good when they play teams above .500.

I hope I see him today.


Pats 20 - Panthers 10

NE could not afford to let this one slip away. Carolina is not good and NE is better than their record indicates. I don't care what Greg and the experts say, they will probably send someone home early from the playoffs. They may not go all the way, but some team may not live up to its potential one day and it will coast them a season. I know I don't want to have the Colts play them first.

The Pats should win out to close the season.


Saints 26 - Falcons 23

Atlanta is not the same team without Matt Ryan and Michael Turner. New Orleans barely squeaked this one out. This is why I cannot decide who will emerge from the NFC, them or the Vikes.


Titans 47 - Rams 7

Back to winning big against a lousy team. There is little doubt that Tennessee would be a play off team this year, if it had stuck Young in sooner.


Skins 34 - Raiders 13

Hooray for Rocket. Enjoy it now because the last three games are not going to be pretty.



Next week, I will try a different format to post the NFL commentary. Quite frankly, I am getting tired of this one.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Another Blast From The Past

Some classic rock pieces for your audio pleasure, the music says it all.







Enjoy.

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Ailment

It's not the H1N1, but I have caught a very mean bug in my sinus cavities. As a result of this uninvited viral invasion, I have not felt like writing much of anything and have spent some time on cold medications and sleeping. Making sense is difficult enough at my age, so I will not try to overcome the effects of artificial brain space creators to make any now.

I have to go have some unrelated medical tests today. Going through these will not pleasant.

Luckily, it sounds like most of the snow is going to miss us. But I hear the wind will be tropical storm force level and not be so pleasant to play in, especially when the temperature drops rapidly, as it is predicted to do.


Meanwhile, Mustang basks in the 80 degree Florida heat with Mai Tais. But rest assured, these acts of climate cooling defiance on his part will be coming to and end soon. He will soon be freezing in 50-60 degree weather and may have to turn his furnace on soon, to keep the alligators in his backyard warm.


Monday, December 07, 2009

Monday AM QB

Colts 27 - Titans 17

I keep hoping the Colts will drop one to get the pressure off, but I find myself cheering for them anyway. This would have been the game I would have bet against my team, but it's a good thing I do not bet on sports.

The Titans had some chances after a fast start by Indy, but couldn't take advantage. Decisions to go for it late on 4th down put the game out of range when they could not convert. Had they kicked the FGs, the score would have been 27-23 and that was enough to put them into a position to win it, on their last possession.

But that wasn't the only problem Tennessee had. There were a lot of dropped passes by Titan receivers and the Colts defense did a good job of keeping Chris Johnson from breaking a big one. He got 113 yards on 27 carries, but his longest was only for 11 yards.

Next week the Colts get Denver at home and Tennessee gets St. Louis in Nashville.


Bengals 23 - Lions 13

Didn't see any of this one. Cincy pretty much has the AFC North locked up, but they must guard against lackadaisical play down the stretch if they want to have any chance to wrap up a bye.


Saints 33 - Skins 30

Didn't see it, saw frequent scores, and Washington was ahead most of the way. Networks picked up the last part of the game with the score Wash 30 - NO 23. Washington had a chance at a chip shot to seal it with less than 2:00 to go and they missed it. Then the bastards cut away to the Dallas - Giants game. Through frequent updates I learned, NO took over and Brees took them down for a TD to tie. NO then beat them in OT.

Thus ends the weekly Rocket ache and pain report.



Dolphins 22 - Pats 21

I don't know what to think here. Maybe Brady was hurt or like Greg says, they just aren't that good this year. Is the defense missing Seymour that much? Whatever, the Pats road woes continue.


Cardinals 30 - Vikings 17

Arizona is making a late season case for being a team to reckon with in the playoffs once again. But I am surprised Favre and company let this one get this far out of hand. Old man Warner still knows how to play too.


Saturday, December 05, 2009

Another Blast From The Past

Roland Orzabel and Curt Smith put out some great tunes in the 80s.

In 1991, they split.

In 2004, they reunited. During the down time, they both continued to record and only one was reasonably successful.

I think they were one of the better artists to come out of the 80s and I still like hearing their distinctive sound today. This week, we look at Tears For Fears.

The first tune up was off of their first release in 1983, called The Hurting. Adam Lambert from American Idol (the freak who got banned from ABC for stinking up the AMA's recently) tried to do it justice during his competition. I thought it was nothing more than a cheap imitation, myself.

This performance from 2006 is really quite awesome. Check it out:



This next one is from 1989. It comes from the same concert as the last song and is a jazzy little tune that is a signature tune that still gets a lot of airtime, on soft rock and adult contemporary stations everywhere:



Finally, here is one from 2004's reunion CD. This one sounds like it could have been a song from the Abbey Road album. Two songs in one, interwoven and carefully blended to produce a very versatile outcome:



Enjoy.


Thursday, December 03, 2009

Legitimate Fears: Government And Media

Many people are making the weakest of cases that FOX News is a threat to the democratic process. I was reading a message board on Facebook earlier and saw a thread started about how the writer was convinced that this is definitely the case.

We can always claim something. But it needs to be supported by sound evidence before we can claim that the debate belongs to any of us -- or our way of thinking. We cannot just claim to be right because we disagree with the content of such writings. We must show why.

The claimer in this case was asked a series of questions by a dissenter, in which the goal was to point out the opposite side of the spectrum. He wanted to show that MSNBC was just as guilty of distributing biased propaganda, but in my mind both are missing the greater point here.

Yesterday, this story was reported by Reuters News Agency.

A top Democratic lawmaker predicted on Wednesday that the government will be involved in shaping the future for struggling U.S. media organizations.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, saying quality journalism was essential to U.S. democracy, said eventually government would have to help resolve the problems caused by a failing business model.


Read the rest of it and by the time you finish it, you should be as concerned about this as anything. Knowing what we know about how the government loves to bailout companies that are "too big to fail", this should be enough to scare you silly.

We know that once the government "loans" any entity money, there are conditions set which are purely designed to punish and manipulate behaviors it deems as maladaptive. GM, AIG, and others have suffered the consequences of allowing the government to rescue them from failure.

It's being sold as the government being stockholders and they are merely exercising stockholders' rights. But make no mistake here, it's still interference and is more of a threat to the democratic process than anything else I can think of right now.


What worries me is thinking about how many of us who may think that the same thing will not happen, if the government is allowed to buy into the media? Do we not think they will try to kill a story they do not want told?

Imagine Pelosi, Schumer, Reid, Murtha, and other corrupt politicians not liking the press they are being given for their thieving, influence peddling ways. Then, just think about how they will have the power and ability to have people fired for it. Those responsible for reporting on their transgressions against the people will not stand a chance, they will be replaced by automatons.

Think about the power that can and will be wielded if this were allowed to happen.


If you are a Democrat and are enamored with this bunch that is in control now, just imagine if this were to carry over to a GOP controlled government. Don't sit their smug and arrogant, because the pendulum can/does swing back harder than you can imagine. Given the severity of the screw-ups your party will very likely not be in power for long, certainly not forever as some would have you to believe.

I don't agree with any one entity, any one party, one ideology, or one candidate. So I want all sides to be heard, regardless of how stupid one side may sound at a given moment. I want Kos to have the same opportunity to be heard as PYY, and others who think more along my lines. I want FOX, MSNBC, and CNN to all be allowed to say what they wish. I want to allow the market to dictate which is telling the truth, not the lying liars who inhabit Washington DC.

As the ignorant masses salivate over the Tiger Woods story, we need to really focus on what is important right now. We need to get rid of the career politicians who think they are above us, and desperately want to increase their power over us.

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

An Open Letter To Larry Kudlow

Larry wrote this open letter to Tiger Woods. After reading it, I thought I'd write Larry an open letter of my own:

Dear Mr. Kudlow,

Who cares?

Why should we care?


Look, you are one of the top economists of our day. Many of us enjoy reading your well-thought out essays as often as you can churn them out. I know, I do. But please, stop with the silliness.

Speaking strictly personally, I cannot believe that you took the time to write something to and/or about a man who should already be smart enough to know this stuff. I cannot imagine that he does not have advisers who know it and really doubt someone hasn't already told him by now. Whatever compelled you to do such a thing?

Maybe you are asking yourself, "Why does LA I care about what I write?" It's not because I want to tell you what to do, that's for sure. Because you can also be sure that I believe in a strong free press and the freedom to express any opinion despite the validity, or lack thereof.

I just think that a man as brilliant as you are should not be wasting valuable time, money, and ink on a celebrity that has made a certain bed and may now be forced to lay in it. I think your time is much better spent on how the nation is going down into the hole, deeper and deeper by the day.

Maybe you could write something on the current healthcare bill and it's projected ramifications for the next generation or two. How about more on Washington's desire to take over more and more of the responsibilities of the private sector (and drive them into the ground with everything else they get their hands on)? Because we both know that everything, everything, the federal government touches turns into utter garbage.

You made a comparison to the situation with Mark Sanford, the Governor of South Carolina. At what point did a noted scholar such as yourself decide to equate an athlete with an elected official? Help me as I ponder this through, will you?

One man is put into his leadership role by the people. The other just knows how to use a talent God gave him, simply to make a living. (And he does it). A governor owes the people an explanation for what he did with public funds, while being employed by those people. An athlete owes us nothing.

Needless to say sir, you may surmise that I am a bit disappointed. It's not that you need my approval, either. But I think if you take a moment and think about what I have written here, you will plainly see that I whole-heartedly believe that you can do much better than this. There are many, many pressing issues this nation is facing right now and much of it has to do with money. Surely, there is something you can do to help facilitate the arguments that must be made right now.

As for Tiger, he will be fine. Eventually the press will make him cave and he will come clean with things, but only when he feels like it. I really do not care what he does either way, because my life does not live in the balance with this issue. Neither does my children's and grandchildren's future have anything to do with the decisions of Mr. Woods. But they do count when we speak about an out of control Congress, and an Executive Branch -- which has the least amount of private sector experience of any other in my lifetime.

I expect to hear about tawdry stories and the fallout from such things via those who specialize in tabloid media operations. So please understand something, will you? It is that very component that has kept this non-story alive and you have just helped them. Instead of helping us learn more about what you can teach us, you allowed yourself to be pulled into the world of cheap press, far away from the world of the true intelligentsia that you are used to.

Now, please for the love of humanity. Get back to work and help us make some sense of this damned world.


Sincerely,

L A Sunsett