No more kneeling

This will be my last post about disrespectful NFL players kneeling during the National Anthem. That is unless there are more protests tomorrow. However, many teams are coming out and announcing that ALL their players will be standing during the National Anthem. Hmmmm... did all the injustices these guys are protesting suddenly get fixed? Or is it possible the "Powers that be" in the NFL see their gravy train running off the tracks? I think it's the latter. So, tomorrow NFL players will stand during the National Anthem. I just hope they put their hands over their hearts and not over their wallets.

I apologize to anyone who has grown weary of these "kneeling protests" posts. This is way bigger than football. This is about one of America's wealthiest empires (The NFL) showing complete disdain for the men and women who have fought (and are fighting) for every right and freedom we so easily take for granted. The NFL is trampling on Old Glory and the silent majority has had enough.

Paying the Price

Something tells me these guys would give ANYTHING to stand for our National Anthem. These are the REAL heroes. They sacrificed their very bodies for this nation. NFL football players are not heroes.

***Disclaimer***
I am not saying all NFL players are disrespectful millionaires. Some of these guys have foundations and charities as well as doing a lot of volunteer work in the community. The ones who kneel during the National Anthem? I'm with Trump. Fire them!

Stand Up!

The men in these photos would be standing up if they had a choice. Sadly, they are on their knees by force. It's photos like these that make me even angrier to see millionaires kneeling in disrespect for our National Anthem. These millionaires have never been captured by the enemy. STAND UP! HAVE SOME RESPECT! Look what people have gone through for you.

Have some respect!

I have posted about this topic before, but the events of this past weekend demand another post.

The backstory--- Last year, San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick knelt down during the playing of our National Anthem. He did this to mount a social justice protest against police brutality. I have always maintained this is his constitutional right, but he should find a different way to protest. Later on in the season a few players joined him, but basically it became a non-issue. TV ratings dropped, but it was largely blamed on the 2016 Presidential election.

The situation changed over the weekend...

On Friday, President Trump had the AUDACITY (that's sarcasm) to suggest that team owners should fire any player who shows disrespect and kneels during the National Anthem. The NFL subsequently blew up! This past Sunday, more than 200 players knelt during the National Anthem to protest the President's remarks. There were even a few teams who stayed in the locker room during the anthem to protest. Strong opinions from both sides of this issue have been all over the news the last three days.

Here's my take: These players are Americans and have a first amendment right of free speech and peaceful protest. It is my firm belief that kneeling during the National Anthem is the wrong way to exercise these rights. Military men and women have fought, bled, and died to protect our freedoms as American citizens. Yes, even the right to make tens of millions of dollars playing a game. I have become disgusted with the disrespectful behavior of many NFL players, and I am joining the thousands of Americans swearing off the NFL until this changes. I know I'm not alone because TV ratings continue to drop, revenue is down by 200 million dollars, and people are cancelling their NFL Sunday Ticket TV packages. Some bars and restaurants are refusing to show NFL games. I have read of VFW posts no longer showing NFL games. There is a concerted effort to boycott the NFL and the companies that sponsor it. In short, the NFL is being hit in the wallet. It's the only language they understand. The commissioner of the NFL has come out in support of these disrespectful displays, and has thereby alienated a large portion of its fan base. I'm talking about your average Joe and Josephine in middle America. The heartland! People have had enough and they are tuning out! I am joining them. Goodbye NFL. I hope your liberal, disrespectful ways are worth it. Treating our flag like garbage is not going to be tolerated and keeping our money in our wallets will prove it!

I will say this to all NFL players: HAVE SOME RESPECT!

Here is a photo of Odell Beckham Jr. He is pretending to be a dog urinating on a fire hydrant. He has admitted this is in response to our President's remarks. Stay classy, Odell!

Here are a few photos of disrespectful millionaires forgetting about the brave men and women who fought for them.

A bit of perspective

I am putting things into perspective today.

I just found out that a childhood friend of mine passed away after a long battle with cancer. Bill Tempel was 50 years old. We played on the same baseball team from ages 8-14. He played 3rd base and I played 2nd base. We were on the team that was sponsored by the St. Bernard Eagles and won the most prestigious Class “C” baseball tournament in Cincinnati. We used to hang out and play basketball in his driveway and we would drink Mello-Yello when we got hot and thirsty. I have no idea why I remember what we drank, but I do.

I haven’t seen Bill in many years. We didn’t continue our friendship into our high school years or beyond. I have no idea why. People just drift apart sometimes and go their separate ways. That doesn’t mean his passing stings any less. It seems like just yesterday we were winning baseball championships together, and now he’s gone. I guess what is hitting me hardest is the fact that he was my age (50). I feel so young and like I have so much living left to do. Another thing that is hitting me today is the question of what is the difference between Bill and me. The answer is quite simple… It’s God’s mercy and grace. There but by the grace of God go I. I don’t know why God in his infinite mercy and grace has given me more than 50 years on this earth and chose to take Bill. It’s the same question I have about my own Dad. Why did God choose to take Dad at the age of 47, yet allow me to live to 50 and beyond? This is a question that will never get answered as long as I’m on earth. I don’t suppose to know what God knows. We are told in scripture, “Your ways are not My ways”.

I can’t say I will miss my friend. I hadn’t spoken to him since I was 14 years old. Therefore, it would be disingenuous to claim that I’m going to miss him. His death is causing me to look at myself, my family, and our short time on this earth. It is so cliché to say we need to make the most of every minute, but when childhood friends start to die, you really have no choice but to think in those terms.

Godspeed, Bill. I will drink a Mello-Yello in your honor!

When you gotta go...

The older I get, the more true this becomes.

When you're a teenager, you can sleep forever. When you're my age the internal battle goes something like this:

Brain: I know you have to pee, but stay in bed and sleep

Bladder: Nah! I'm going to have to ask you to go ahead and get up.

Brain: But it's Saturday. It's my only day to sleep in.

Bladder: Perhaps you think this is some kind of joke. Allow me to triple the pressure in your abdomen

Brain: But this bed is SO comfortable and warm. I don't wanna get up!

Bladder: I'm done messing with you. Get up NOW!

Brain: Drat! You win bladder! Ugh! Ok. I'm getting up.

Bladder: ***Smiles a victorious smile***

Me: Resigns myself to getting out of bed. Feels like crying!

Seat Belts

Finally... I now know what seat belts and car seats are REALLY for!

There's no H in winning

There's no H in winning. Sorry folks, I couldn't resist...

Bengals -vs- Packers

The Bengals play the Green Bay Packers this Sunday, and to be honest, I really don't care all that much. My interest in football has waned as I have gotten older. This has happened for a variety of reasons. I see football players making gazillions of dollars playing a game and acting like children. I see Colin Kaepernick kneeling for the National Anthem. It is his constitutional right to do so, but it disgusts me to see such disrespect for Old Glory. I see a money hungry league gouging the public at every turn--- ticket prices, concessions, and everything else. And at a more local level, I have been Bengalized. I see a team that hasn't won a playoff game in my 26 years of married life. I see a team that continues to employ players who have run-ins with the law and tolerates way more than other teams do. I see a team that continues to employ a coach that has won squat in 14 years. I see a team that has a complete lack of discipline (penalties abound), and a team that allowed that lack of discipline to cost them a precious playoff game a few years ago. I see a team that cares more about its bottom line than winning. I see a team that sees the fans as their cash cow rather than their means of support.

I mentioned above that I don't care that the Bengals are playing the Packers on Sunday. in fact, a part of me hopes they lose. Not because I hate the Bengals, but because I don't believe the Bengals will ever fire Marvin Lewis unless things get really bad. I'm hoping things get really bad!

In honor of the game this Sunday, I offer you the following bit of Trivia...

Brett Favre, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, made his professional debut in 1992.

The trivia question is... To whom did Brett Favre complete his first NFL pass? Hint: It wasn't an interception, so it wasn't an opponent.

Give up? The answer is... HIMSELF!

Brett Favre's first NFL pass was batted straight up into the air by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense and Favre caught the ball as it came back down. This was legally considered a completed pass.

So there you have it! Your football trivia nugget for the day :-)

Pumpkin EVERYTHING!

Regarding last night's pumpkin spice post. Case in point... Pumpkin EVERYTHING!

Tis the season

Tis the season! No, not Christmas.... Pumpkin Spice season. I love pumpkin spice as much as the next guy, but things are getting ridiculous. I can't take 2 steps without seeing pumpkins spice something or another. When is enough, enough?

Mmmm... Coffee

I feel the same way, little fella. Me too, young man, me too!

Silly Joke

You can file this under, "Jokes only I find funny". I laughed way harder at this than I should have. Sometimes there are silly jokes that just tickle me. This is one of them. Sorry if this one makes you groan.

Can we be friends?

If you get the reference on this t-shirt, we can definitely be friends!

Global Warming

Busy Busy Busy

I have a very busy weekend ahead. Please be patient as I may skip a post or two (or I may post something extremely short). I will be back in full force on Monday. Thanks for your patience, loyal blog readers.

Until then, I stumbled upon this little nugget...

I like oranges

I like oranges as much as the next guy, but this photo has me scratching my head. What in the world is going on here? What possible reason could a person have for loading a car with citrus fruit?

HRC's Book- Part 2

And then there's this...

Amazon is deleting all negative reviews of the book. At the time of this writing, 97% of the reviews on Amazon give 5 out of 5 stars. The ONLY way that happens is deleting anything that brings a negative light to the book. So much for the bell curve I guess!

Hill's new book

HRC's new book, "What Happened", came out yesterday. It is basically a laundry list of blaming others and excuses for why she lost the 2016 election to President Trump. The book is SOOOOOOOOOO bad Amazon and Wal-Mart reduced the price by 40% BEFORE the book was even released. That should tell you something right there. Aside from being painfully bad, there are two things sorely missing from the book. First, there is absolutely no personal responsibility taken for the loss. HRC blames everybody except herself for the embarrassing defeat. Second, there is absolutely no mention of her daughter, Chelsea, or her two grandchildren in the book. When asked what she did in the weeks and months following the loss, HRC said she did a variety of things from spending time with her political friends, to taking naps, to drinking lots of chardonnay. She didn't say anything about seeking comfort from her child or grandchildren. I think this speaks volumes! If I suffered the worst loss of my career, and somebody asked me what I did afterward, the first thing out of my mouth would be seeking comfort in the arms of my closest family members. Not Hillary, though. No sir-ee! She seeks refuge in the arms of political allies and copious amounts of white wine. A leopard never changes her spots. Self-centered and selfish!

2,500

My last post was the 2,500th on this blog. Think about that for a moment... 2,500 times I have logged on and posted something on this blog. Most of it has been useless drivel. But since the beginning I have always said, "If you keep reading, I'll keep writing".

Blog on!

Rough Neighborhood

You know you're in a rough neighborhood when...

A sad day

As we watch Hurricane Irma make her way out of Florida, we will wait to see what destruction she left behind. It's still too early to make any damage assessments. Hopefully we'll know in a few days what was spared and what was not. At this point we know that half the state of Florida is without power today. That's a lot of people with no electricity! On a day when we are praying for the people of the Caribbean island nations, the Floridians, the Houstonians, and anyone else in Irma's path, let us not forget what happened 16 years ago today. September 11, 2001 was the worst day in United States history since the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. Our great nation is still feeling the affects of those terrorist attacks sixteen years ago. Let us never forget what happened on that terrible day. What was supposed to bring our country to its knees, only strengthened us as Americans and hardened our resolve. This is a sad day in America, but as we always do, we will bounce back! May God bless the United States of America!

Pray for Florida

I'm praying for the good people of Florida today. Irma will make her full wrath known today and tomorrow. Meanwhile this guy thinks this will help his house in the hurricane. I have my doubts.

Hurricane Irma

My sister and her family live in Tampa. Tampa is now in the crosshairs of Hurricane Irma. Thankfully they made the wise decision to evacuate. I am glad I don't have to worry about their safety as we watch this monster storm make landfall in the next few days.

And speaking of Irma... I read with disbelief the liberal nonsense that suggests President Trump and the federal government are dumping chemicals into hurricanes to strengthen them and steer them toward places with high minority populations. Yes, folks, somebody ACTUALLY said that. I'm telling ya, you can't make this stuff up!

In yet another case, liberal actress Jennifer Lawrence actually said Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma are striking the United States because God is mad at America for electing Donald Trump to the presidency. Once again, you can't make this stuff up. It's scary that a person could even think such a thing. What's scarier is that lots of people believe and agree with her.

In another case, millions of acres of forest are burning in the American west. This is a huge story, but it's being overshadowed by Harvey's devastating floods, and Irma's impending destruction of coastal Florida. The liberals are screaming that these wildfires are a result of global warming. Proof positive of climate change they insist. Ummmmmm... no. The real fact is we are now seeing the consequences of environmentalists and their liberal policies. For years the EPA has not allowed the proper removal of dead and diseased vegetation (mostly trees). This has turned the dry American west into a massive tinder box.

It's not global warming causing these natural disasters. It's not God's wrath on Donald Trump either. Liberals always want to blame someone (or something) else for what is going on in the world. Devastating hurricanes have been hitting the coast of the United States for centuries. Wildfires have always been God's way of naturally removing dead and diseased trees. These things have always been a part of our world. They are not new developments as a result of Conservative political policies.

And to close... with all of this going on in the world, what do liberals focus on? Helping the victims who live in these ravaged areas? Nope! They focus on The First Lady of the United States wearing stiletto heels onto the plane to fly to Houston (she changed into athletic shoes on the plane). They publicly state they hope Donald Trump's home in Palm Beach, Florida (Mar-a-lago), gets wiped out in the hurricane. And furthermore, they hope beyond hope that the President and his entire family are in it when it gets destroyed. I'm not making this up. You can Goole it if you don't believe me.

Today I am praying for Houston. I am praying for all the nations of the Caribbean who were affected by Irma. I am praying for every citizen of Florida (yes, even the liberals. I do not wish harm on anyone), and anyone else in the path of this terrible storm. Please join me in praying for all of them.

Let's hang out!

I am going to start doing this!

It's a race!

Ok. I admit it. I TOTALLY did this. I would be willing to bet you did too!

Mmmmmm

Oh yeah! Yes, please!

Bacon Grease

Did Waffle House finally find a use for all that grease they produce? Bacon grease in a tube? Think about it. What is lip balm after all? A waxy, greasy substance in a small plastic tube. Makes sense to me!