The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

As many of my long time readers should know, I'm extremely nonpartisan when it comes to sports. While I have always loved both participating and spectating many sports, I'm not a homer for any one team. I enjoy sporting events like I enjoy movies. I appreciate good coaching/directing, solid execution/acting, can't seem to get enough twists and turns in the plots, and love a good, unexpected climax. Having said that, I similarly try not to hop on or off a player's bandwagon too quickly, which places me at odds with a majority of sportswriters/ESPN talking heads. This is especially the case with NFL quarterbacks, whom analysts seem to fall in and out of love with more quickly and more frequently than middle schoolers named Romeo and Juliet. When columnists fell in love with Andrew Luck and Colin Kaepernick of Indianapolis and San Francisco, respectively, I said, "Let's hold up just a minute. They certainly have potential, but let's wait a couple more years to...

Ever since the 9/11 attacks, it's seemed as though many on the right side of the political spectrum have increasingly been of the mindset that if one doesn't consistently showcase the American flag with the clothing they wear, doesn't scream he or she loves America through a megaphone at least five times a day, and doesn't acknowledge at least twice a week that America is the greatest country in the history of the universe, that person can't be truly patriotic; and if a person so much as questions America on any front, that individual hates the country and should move elsewhere. I'm sorry, but that mentality is stupid to a degree of which Sheldon Cooper isn't even aware. Sure, it's great for a person to love his or her country or to love their local sports team, but it's also ridiculous to think a country or sports team lacks fault. Many seem to think that if a person doesn't feel their country is perfect, they can't love their country. Tha...

Just as I suspected, that George Zimmerman hero story appears to have been exaggerated to a certain degree. Now, for the second time since the ruling of his case, Zimmerman is back in the news, and this time, for something not quite as positive. Zimmerman was caught speeding yesterday, with a gun in his glove compartment. After the officer asked where Zimmerman was going, he said, "Nowhere in particular." It's been reported that Zimmerman also asked the cop if he recognized him from television. I wonder how Fox News will attempt to try and spin this story. "Cop Pulls Over Hero Zimmerman, Delaying Him from Killing Another Trayvon Martin-Like Thug" "Zimmerman Pulled Over By a Racist Cop, Angered He Killed a Dangerous Black Kid Armed with Skittles" "Cop Recognizes Zimmerman, Pulls Him Over Just to Say Thank You - for Disobeying Their Orders and Killing a Kid" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/31/george-zimmerman-speeding-gun-...

It humors me to hear die-hard conservatives bash President Obama, not on his policies, but on his personality and demeanor. Between this and their seeming love of rumors and conspiracy theories, it has led me to strike the facepalm pose on more than 1,319 occasions. The number one sign that a person listens to too much talk radio and/or watches too much cable "news" (especially of the Fox variety) and doesn't have a strong argument of which they're aware is they resort to criticizing a person's personality and demeanor, while hurling rumors and conspiracy theories faster than a meteorologists change their forecasts. I've already gone into great detail about the rumors and conspiracy theories that have been spread about the president in the first book of this series. So what is it about President Obama the person that many on the far right have such a problem with? I think the four such traits and attributes these conservatives cite more than any others are...

Republican presidential candidate and second-coming of Joseph Smith, Newt Gingrich, held an event in Oskaloosa, Iowa recently and when asked by a gay man, Scott Arnold, how he would represent the gay community, Gingrich responded with, "Vote for Obama." Yeah... If you don't believe me, the article can be read here-  http://caucuses.desmoinesregister.com/2011/12/20/gingrich-to-gay-iowan-vote-for-obama/ Really? That's it? He won't spend ANY time attempting to lure the gay community over to his side, even a minority of it? Granted, the majority of the gay community would vote for Obama regardless, however, not 100% of it. Gingrich is completely alienating a certain demographic, saying that their votes don't matter to him. To me, that's pretty selfish, arrogant and ignorant. Gingrich has stated that he supports adding an amendment to the Constitution which bans gay marriage. I find this to be mildly amusing since The Newt has been married three times, two ...

Ethnocentric Overload Superior to all others, Number one in self-made polls, That whom all shall follow, The masters in total control, Fists pumping in the air, At the mere mention of our name, Chanting it in unison, The U.S. of A., The best health care in the world, Our education second to none, The most powerful military, No other possessive of such freedoms, Home to the finest athletes, Actors and musicians, Authors and painters, Talk show hosts and comedians, The greatest country in the world we are, This we firmly believe, Continuing to shout our name, But refusing to listen, Possessors of blind faith, Ignorant of the surrounding world, Fists pumping at the sound of our name, With deaf ears for all others, The freest nation on earth, The most powerful as well, We are America, Forever in denial.

Yeah, sometimes I get the two mixed up with one another. There seems to be a thin line at times between the two, arrogant and ignorant. In fact, some whom are arrogant are ignorant. I bring this up due to a discussion I overheard a while back at a friend's house. I decided to stay out of the conversation, because I really didn't feel like getting into any debate. But the more I thought about what they said, the more I have to shake my head and roll my eyes. The discussion dealt with immigrants and speaking fluent English. I did open my mouth and pointed out, "You know, we don't even really speak English here. Our English is somewhat different than that which is spoken in England, as well as Australia." They agreed, but that was the last time I opened my mouth about the subject. One complaint was that at places such as Wal-Mart, at the quick check-in service, there are two language options from which to choose: "English" and Spanish. Both parties co...

I can't say I'm proud of these date stories, but the more I look back at them, the more I shake my head and laugh at how ridiculous and funny they were. Sometimes, they're even difficult for me to believe. I already shared the two about "Figure skating girl" and "Mother Theresa," as they'll forever be remembered by me. I have one other such story. This one occurred during my first year of college, so a number of years ago. In the story, I'll refer to this gal by the name of Karen. In my first year of college, I took a creative writing course. It was a tiny class with only ten students and about half showed up on a daily basis. The nice thing about that small class was the fact that the students got to know one another better than they would have in a class of fifty or sixty. After a while, two guys in the class, John and Jeff, claimed they knew a gal that would be a great match for me. I was very tentative at first, but they wouldn't stop t...