The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

The bass ackwardsness of America has reached such a dire point, it’d be appropriate to now refer to the country as Acirema. It started when whites stole the land from Natives, yet we claim it’s the freest country in the history of the world. In addition to that, as we read the Ten Commandments – especially “Thou shalt not steal” – we contend this is a Christian nation. Oh, and these very immigrants who stole the land from Natives are now saying we should build a wall to keep out other immigrants. We brought slaves in from Africa; “progressed” by referring to them as three-fifths of a person; and then “freed” them into a system which had already been stacked against them – again while shouting that this was the freest country in the history of the world. In the so-called freest country in the history of the world, it’s commonplace for law to permit men to dictate what women can and cannot do with their bodies, yet not vice versa. It’s common for the richest among us to b...

I'm slightly bothered by this whole Johnny Manziel situation, but not like most ESPN commentators it seems. While Manziel was in rehab over the summer and appears to have a history of alcohol problems, the guy is 22-years-old, fresh out of college, so it's not too terribly crazy to think such an individual would like to enjoy his weekend off partying. Yet after this occurred, he was demoted to 3rd string by Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine. Where was the outcry and demotion after he allegedly hit his girlfriend? Am I necessarily criticizing the Browns for demoting Manziel? No. But why in the world did this not occur after the alleged domestic violence incident and instead occurred after TMZ showcased videos of Manziel partying? It boggles my mind to think the NFL and Cleveland Browns would come down harder on this 22-year-old kid (kid in my mind) for drinking alcohol during the team's bye week than of hitting his girlfriend. I do hope the young Browns quarterback ge...

On Tuesday, ESPN commentator Bill Simmons had some rather harsh words for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, with regard to the Ray Rice press conference, on his podcast, B.S. Report . In his rant, Simmons said this: "It's such f**king bullsh*t. It really is, it's such f**king bullsh*t. For him to go on the press conference and pretend otherwise (that he didn't see the extended version of the tape and know what happened prior to the public), I was so insulted. We know you're lying... I really hope someone calls me or emails me and says I'm in trouble for anything I said about Roger Goodell because if one person says that to me, I'm going public. You leave me alone. The Commissioner is a liar and I get to say that on my podcast." As of last night, ESPN suspended Simmons for 3 weeks... Isn't that ironic? Initially, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for 2 games for domestic violence charges. Later reports showcased that it was quite likely that Roger Good...

As difficult a time as I have understanding male politicians pushing against women attaining equal rights, I have an even more difficult time understanding female politicians doing something similar. In the upcoming midterm elections, Republican Monica Wehby will be challenging Democrat Jeff Merkley for an Oregon Senate seat. On Sunday, KGW's Laural Porter asked Ms. Wehby the following question: "What about equal pay for equal -- for women? You said you'd vote against that, and it doesn't seem to go along with what you represent." In response, Wehby said this: "I would absolutely favor any legislation that supports equal pay for women, but this was a flawed piece of legislation. It did not take into account experience, hours worked, education. I would be more concerned that it would make it more difficult for businesses to hire women, because of the fear of lawsuits. They would tend to steer away. And I think that that's an unintended consequence ...

It seems as if Nevada state Assemblyman Cresent Hardy and many other Republicans have a difficult time understanding the word "equality." Just recently, Hardy told the Las Vegas Sun that if elected as a state Representative, he'd vote against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would bar workplace discrimination on the basis of one's sexual orientation or gender identity. Elaborating on why he'd vote against this measure, he said the following: "When we create classes, we create that same separation that we're trying to unfold somehow. By continuing to create these laws that are what I call segregation laws, it puts one class of a person over another. We are creating classes of people through these laws." For the record, ENDA already protects employees against discrimination based on: Race, religion, gender, origin, age, and disability. The before-mentioned bill would simply expand upon that list to include sexual orientation ...