Dang.

And no, Jim did not ride with me to lunch.

I can see 57 states from my house!

How much did the media affect your vote?

The Masked Blogger - Palin's Pain

Sounds like the Masked Blogger has him a little crush. I give the blog a C-.

It’s a known fact that you do not kick someone when they are down. Due to the election, Governor Sarah Palin finds herself in a down predicament. Yet, the media and others, continue to pile on. In regards to the onslaught, I honestly don’t know what the motive is. Are Palin’s opponents scared of the Alaskan? Do they truly view her as Tina Fey’s portrayal rather than who she truly is? Is there a lack of acceptance for another strong political woman in addition to Condoleezza Rice and Hilary Clinton? Are the Democrats looking for the new Dan Quayle?
Opponents can stay on the Palin attack if they so choose. However, short of a John Edwards type scandal, I don’t think we have heard the last from Sarah Palin in connection with the Presidency. Whether you like her or not, people of all political views gravitate to looks, charisma, and eloquence. Sometimes these three can be so intoxicating that content is ignored. Sound familiar?

Peace in the Valley - Favorite Tunes - Pt.2

"Peace in the Valley" was the first gospel tune to sell 1 million copies. It was written by Thomas Dorsey in 1939 for Mahalia Jackson. However, in 1951, Red Foley got his hand on the song and made it into a hit. The song has been covered many times, but the Elvis Presley/Jordanaires' version is the best in my opinion. Take a listen.

The Masked Blogger - CMA's

The Masked Man has done it again. This may be his best effort to date.
I give it a B+. Enjoy.

CMA's.
Wednesday night was Country Music’s biggest night of the year. The forty-second Country Music Awards saw Kenny Chesney, who was once called a "fraud" by ex-wife of one-minute Renee Zellweger, nab his fourth Entertainer of the Year award. This ties him with Garth Brooks for the most times to receive this award. Country legends such as Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, and Merle Haggard have only won this award once. If the CMA’s represent the greatest achievements in the industry, what does this tells us about Kenny Chesney? Joe Montana, quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, won four Super Bowl titles and is widely considered the greatest of all-time. Should this same principle be used for Chesney? Fifty years from now will "She thinks my tractor’s sexy" be elevated to anthem status. Kenny Chesney is the emblem of the American Dream. His rise to success could be summarized as no hair, no talent, and no problems. I know that Chesney is not going away anytime soon, but if he won’t, the CMA’s should.

White Collar Crime

I'm so sick of this bailout garbage.

GM, come on down...you're the next contestant on the Price is Right bailout challenge. I'm starting to feel like the customer that sits in the waiting room for an oil change and about halfway in the disheartened attendant comes in to bring you the not so good news. I imagine you know exactly what I'm talking about. There are just so many times you can have your intellect "flushed" before you feel like you are getting the ole "grease" job. These guys just have you over the barrel because you have no idea about what is going on.

The U.S. Government is starting to take on the persona of Andy Taylor. If you remember, Andy always found a way to make the incompetent deputy, Barney, look like the hero. Now we've bailed out Wall Street and now GM? Where do we draw the line? I doubt we will make it to my mortgage, right? I would hope at some point that Andy will have a job interview in Mount Pilot and won't be there to bailout these bad businessmen. This is nothing short of white collar crime. I'm sick of people dodging responsibility.

I can't talk that much about Wall Street, but GM I can. GM is not competitive, bottom line. If you read any Consumer Reports type magazine, you will recognize very quickly they will not have a vehicle listed with any regularity in the critics' picks. A lot of things are taken into consideration for this selection: gas mileage, dependability, durability, affordability (off the top of my head). I have had 2 GM cars and have hated both of them. I think it is absurd we are constantly reminded to "Buy American." And if we don't, we have sinned. OK, so here is the theory: I'll "buy" American, and then "buy" foreign gas to put in it all the time because it's not fuel efficient. Remember friends, if you don't look out for number one, you might just step in number two. I bought a Toyota in 2004 and am now over 100,000 miles with no problems other than oil changes. And it IS fuel efficient, durable, affordable and dependable. Secondly, IF there is a bailout, I wonder where that money will come from....you guessed it....probably China. "Buy American"....Come on, give me a break. Once again, a failed response of someone trying to pass the buck on their failed responsibility.

I say let GM fold by their own merits. Let each of the CEOs keep a Hummer apiece and give them one of those $2.99 gas cards for the next 3 years. Also install in each Hummer one CD on steady rotation for the life of the vehicle:

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Aaron Neville's Christmas Favorites. That should do the trick.

Movie Review - "W" - Masked Blogger

Well, the ole "Lone Ranger" is at it again. This time he/she is giving us a movie review. Who knows what next week holds...? Keys to our salvation? How to clear out our septic tank? Personal hygiene shortcuts? Enjoy.

W.

With all of the buzz around the election, President George W. Bush seems to be amongst the missing. In fact, the only time he seems to pop up is in connection with SNL and Frank TV. One of the true conspiracy theorists of our time is Oliver Stone. Stone made his mark as the Screenplay Writer for Scarface. He also has directed movies such as Platoon, JFK, and Natural Born Killers. His most recent effort is W., a biographical sketch of our outgoing President.

The movie focuses on various phases of the President’s life. W’s phases could be summarized with attitudes such as: ‘I am a fraternity party animal’, ‘I can’t keep a job’, ‘I am an embarrassment to my family’, ‘Dad loves Jeb more’, ‘I can’t stop eating’, ‘Dad doesn’t want me to out success him’, and ‘I’m the President’. I know this will shock many, but the President is even portrayed as an idiot. The President is visualized as a constant dichotomy: egomaniac with a severe inferiority complex.

Look, there is not a person with any sense that would proclaim the 43rd President as a good one. However, no one with any sense would accept Oliver Stone as a pop psychologist either. This movie actually has a few solid performances by the likes of Josh Brolin (W) and Richard Dreyfuss (Cheney). The movie has very odd time sequence changes and one really bad acting performance (Condoleezza). It also presents a man from extreme wealth, in a high spotlight family, who attended Ivy League Schools, and rose to the highest office in our nation as having no social graces or etiquette.

If Stone is looking to further tarnish Bush’s legacy, I don’t think this movie will do the trick. W. is one of those movies that has a ‘B’ rated feel, with a ‘D-’ outcome.

What do these two people have in common?

I watched John McCain's concession speech the other night. He made the statement that his defeat should all be placed upon his shoulders. I don't know if those were his exact words, but definitely his sentiments. I thought that to be a tad odd. In these times, it's a little out of the norm for anyone to take the blame for anything. Once he made the statement, of course, he was greeted with many boos. He then gingerly raised his arms in humility.

In the past few days, I believe I concur with Senator McCain. It was his fault. It all backfired in his face. His political move to capitalize on the situation did not work. Sarah Palin was the weak link on the Republican ticket. She helped the ticket for about a 72 hour period. I started to become a little weary once I heard the phrases (and the same speech for that matter) "bridge to nowhere", "maverick", "you betcha", "soccer moms", etc...during numerous stops of Palin's first week on the scene. She started to seem like a programmed robot. The whole Alaska ordeal got to be old hash to me. The V.P. debate was unbearable. Sarah, it was not a strong move to start out a rebuttal statement by saying, "As mayor I...blah, blah, blah,....." especially when experience is not in your favor. Why remind the people? Sarah, You lost me at mayor.

Well, now she has some experience in debating. Maybe she will use all of this experience to her advantage in the future - "maybe in eight years." Wow. Wonder why McCain and his "handlers" didn't want her to go on the O'Reilly Factor and do other interviews.

Final Analysis: The people selected Obama. I will support him and give him a fighting chance. I voted for McCain. However, I was not thrilled with either. McCain's stance on key issues was somewhat wishy-washy and many times was left open ended to each state's interpretation. Definitely, knowing what I know now, it would have been scary having a Vice President in office that doesn't know Africa is a continent and most of all having ole Bocephus as McCain's Chief of Staff.

Answer: Struggling careers.

Favorite Songs Pt. 1

Once a week I am going to leave you a sample of a great song. These songs are songs that will leave the hair on the back of your neck standing up. A few of these I've listened to hundreds of times in my life, but never really listened to - if you know what I mean. Your mind is a terrible thing to waste. Can we ever have a "Satisfied Mind"?

This first song was made popular by the late great Porter Wagoner - "Satisfied Mind"



How many times have you heard someone say
If I had his money I could do things my way
But little they know that it's so hard to find
One rich man in ten with a satisfied mind
Once I was waitin' in fortune and fame
Everything that I dreamed for to get a start in life's game
Then suddenly it happened I lost every dime
But I'm richer by far with a satisfied mind
Money can't buy back your youth when you're old
Or a friend when you're lonely or a love that's grown cold
The wealthiest person is a pauper at times
Compared to the man with a satisfied mind
When my life has ended and my time has run out
My friends and my loved ones I 'll leave there's no doubt
But one thing's for certain when it comes my time
I'll leave this old world with a satisfied mind.

The Masked Blogger (Turkey Attack)

I am a child of the 80’s. I wore stonewashed jeans, tight-rolled them, and listened to the likes of Van Halen, Def Leppard, and Quiet Riot, and watched movies such as ‘Sixteen Candles’ and ‘The Breakfast Club’.

During these times, the NBA was flourishing. Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson brought an energy to the game that caused a need to emulate them. I mean really, who didn’t want to be like Mike. During the 80’s, most NBA players were not just great Basketball players but college graduates as well.

Today’s game is vastly different. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are unquestionably the two best players and yet both were drafted without College experience. To prohibit this pattern, the NBA has implemented a policy that requires all drafted players to have completed one year of collegiate play. Look, I am not saying that you should be a Professor to play hoops, but I don’t think the NBA should cater to those who are simply athletic. The fact is, education should be a major emphasis whether you have physical talent or not. Today’s NBA seems to be filled with selfishness and a lack of discipline. These are the very issues that are addressed in a Collegiate Athletic Program. The NBA has been marred with corruption, greed, illegal activity, and laziness that make the sport down right unwatchable. The things that go on in today’s game are the by-products of a lack of mentoring in a College atmosphere.

I don’t pretend to have all of the answers. Certainly, college recruiting is one of the big ways to address this problem. My point of contention is that a game that I grew up watching and playing is something that I find less entertaining than ‘Dr. Phil’.

Only 2 more days to spread discord

Well, we only have 2 more days till the election. That's bad news for a handful of people. That means they only have 2 more days to send emails and forward emails claiming that Obama is not American OR claim that Sarah Palin is too nicely dressed and under qualified for the Vice Presidency OR state that John McCain owns 7 homes and does not care about the middle class OR show a picture of Obama where he does not cover his heart during the pledge OR ...you get the picture. I've heard and seen it all and I'm about sick of it. I imagine that you are too.

The good news, Kool-Aid drinkers, is that you all have 2 more days to spread your message. Whether your message is based upon facts or smoke and mirrors, Wednesday will merit a verdict.

By all means, America, stand behind whomever the people select as our new President. They will have earned the honor.