The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

On Meet the Press  this past Sunday, former New York City Mayor and current Trump stooge Rudy Giuliani got into the following back-and-forth with host Chuck Todd: Giuliani: "And when you tell me that, you know, he (Trump) should testify because he's going to tell the truth and he shouldn't worry, well that's so silly because it's somebody's version of the truth. Not the truth. He didn't have a, a conversation --" Todd: "Truth is truth. I don't mean to go like --" Giuliani: "No, it isn't truth. Truth isn't truth. The President of the United States said, 'I didn't --'" This wasn't the first time someone affiliated with Donald Trump attempted to push such a narrative, but that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun with it. Since even before his inauguration, Donald Trump has called most mainstream media outlets, "Fake news." Kellyanne Conway has referred to lies purported by ...

When asking Donald Trump supporters what it is they love so much about the Republican candidate, the most common response I hear is, "The guy just tells it like it is."  Well, I'm sorry to disappoint these individuals, but that's anything but the case. Let's take a look at fact-checker Politifact 's file on Donald Trump, shall we? Here are the following rulings Trump has received on the site: True: 1 (1%) Mostly True: 7 (7%) Half True: 15 (14%) Mostly False: 18 (17%) False: 43 (41%) Pants on Fire: 21 (20%) That's right, ladies and gentlemen, of the 105 graded statements made by Donald Trump, just 8 were ruled as all or mostly true, or 8%. On the other hand, 82 were graded as pants on fire, false, or mostly false, or 78%. Here are the 21 pants-on-fire claims Trump has made: - "I don't know anything about David Duke." - "Says Ted Cruz 'said I was in favor of Libya. I never discussed that subject.'" - ...

Zach Anderson is a 19-year-old from Elkhart, Indiana. He graduated from high school a year ago and was aspiring to go into computer science. Like an increasing number of people throughout the years, Zach joined a dating app - this one by the name of Hot or Not . He began talking to a 17-year-old woman off the site, whom he decided to meet. She lived about 20 miles away from Zach, in Niles, Michigan, where Zach picked her up and the two of them wound up having intercourse. Unfortunately for Zach, the person he picked up and had sex with was only 14-years-old, her mother had called the police about her disappearance, and he had to spend 90 days in jail as a result, not to mention will be a registered sex offender for the next 25 years (http://abcnews.go.com/US/19-year-spend-25-years-registered-sex-offender/story?id=32783206 and http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/03/us/dating-app-sex-offender-registry/). The 14-year-old girl who lied about her age on the dating app, now 15, and her mother both ...

If there's one thing sports writers and analysts can agree upon when it comes to the NFL's punishment of the New England Patriots and Tom Brady, it's that they can't agree. I've heard opinions range from, "Tom Brady should be suspended for the entire season" to "Tom Brady should just receive a fine without any suspension." I've heard anything from, "The New England Patriots should receive a minimal fine and not lose any draft picks" to "The Patriots should be fined the maximum amount and lose multiple draft picks." I've read headlines which said, "Tom Brady and the New England Patriots got what they deserved," and yet others that said, "The NFL was flat out wrong with their punishment of Tom Brady and the Patriots." Like I said, one thing these writers and analysts could probably agree on is that they can't agree with one another regarding the matter. As for me, I'm torn on what the NFL sh...

Courtesy of fact-checker Politifact.com and some nerds with time on their hands, a study was just released which showcases that of the two tickets in this year's presidential election, the Republican one is far less honest than the Democratic one. Unlike many I know, I won't just stand by my talking point. I will back it up with evidence. I know - there's a shocker, right? If one isn't familiar with Politifact.com, they separate their honesty grades in the following six categories: 1) True (completely true), 2) Mostly True, 3) Half True, 4) Mostly False, 5) False and 6 ) Pants On Fire (a statement that went above and beyond even just calling it completely false). Since President Obama has been in office for going on four years, he and Biden have a much greater number of overall grades - 505 at this point, whereas Romney and Ryan have a collected 223 such grades. To this point, of all 505 Obama and Biden statements that have been graded by the site, 227 of them are...

Alright, so that's not true. I receive at least one e-mail per day suggesting I donate money to a Democratic candidate. I'm then told of a single poll which showcases the Republican opponent as being tied with or ahead of the Democrat and that he/she needs my donation asap! Of course, I've often found that these very panic polls are outliers or they were released a couple months prior. I'm certain that both parties are guilty of this, as they want to raise as much money as is possible to run ads and defeat their opponent. However, as understanding as I am about that, it's also dishonest. I received an e-mail just today about a Pew Research poll which showed that Mitt Romney is ahead of Barack Obama by 4 points among likely voters nationwide. Of course, every other poll has the two candidates tied or at worst, Romney ahead by 1 among likely voters and Obama up by between 3 and 5 points among registered ones. This isn't even mentioning Obama's advantage wh...

How can you save your marriage? By being more honest? Working harder? Seeing a counselor? Listening better? Not according to social scientist, Catherine Hakim. In her new book, entitled, "The New Rules: Internet Dating, Playfairs and Erotic Power," Hakim lays claim that a marriage can be saved by having an affair. That's right, husbands and wives, go out and cheat on your spouse! Woo-hoo! As Rodney Dangerfield said in Caddyshack , "Everyone's gonna get laid!" Hakim writes the following in her book, comparing sex to dining: "The fact that we eat most meals at home with spouses and partners does not preclude eating out in restaurants to sample different cuisines and ambiences, with friends or colleagues. Anyone rejecting a fresh approach to marriage and adultery, with a new set of rules to go with it, fails to recognize the benefits of a revitalised sex life outside the home." She also stated that the first rule of having an affair is to "...

I'm sure most people after a certain age have been through at least one occasion with a friend when they're stuck in not knowing what to do or say to them. It's a difficult situation to be in sometimes. What does a "real" friend do? Does a "real" friend always stand by and support their friend's decision, regardless if they agree with it or not? Does a "real" friend make his or her voice known if they don't agree with said friend's decision? Is it possible to find a middle ground between those two options? It's so difficult, because I don't think there's really a singular right way to go about it. In the end, it's the other person making the decision. We, as friends, can say as much as we'd like and may very well wind up influencing a friend's final decision, yet in the end, they're the ones with the ultimate say. So is it really worth potentially damaging or losing a friendship by making your voice kno...

I'm usually not one to utter tired cliches and other phrases, however, I feel some need the reminder that actions do actually speak louder than words. Recently, a woman told me she was looking for friends, but as the days progressed, her actions told another story. So, what's a guy supposed to believe? A few words uttered at the start of a relationship (of any kind) or the actions proceeding those very words? If he attempts to make sense of the two in conjunction with one another, that will be next to impossible. So, which way does he go? She truly meant she only wants to be friends or she want something greater? If a husband tells his wife that he loves her, yet consistently abuses her, what does that say? Does he really love his wife, just because he said it? No, of course not. Any man whom stoops to the level of abusing his wife in any manner cannot genuinely love his wife. Actions speak louder than words. If a politician promises to not raise taxes and does so, does t...

So, I just read an article that Justin Bieber's mother told him from the start about the myth of Santa Claus and her reasoning was so the dishonesty of lying about Santa Claus didn't come back to potentially bite her when she tried telling him that while she lied about Santa, she wasn't lying about the existence of God. I'm not going to debate the existence of God. That's another matter entirely. However, I have always wondered what the pros and cons are of allowing children to believe the fairy tale known as Santa Claus. I'm not a parent yet, but I'm honestly uncertain of how I will approach the subject when I do have kids. I suppose I will have to speak with my wife about it and hopefully through discussion, we'll be able to come to a complete agreement, if not a decent compromise on the matter. I remember my brother was devastated when he found out the truth about Santa Claus and I know many other people whom were similarly affected after they bec...

Saying-NO-Problem Without pause, Without thought, I reach for another, With no qualms, With no worries, With no fears, Unable to drink just one, For years upon years, Hidden in my pockets, So my family doesn’t see, Pretending they don’t know, Even when I slur and can’t hold steady, Crabby when they’re away, Unable to focus, Unable to go about a day, Without consuming several, I can stop at any time, There’s really no problem, As I pass out time and again, Until I never awaken.

For about a year (as of 9 months ago), I was consistently communicating with a female from back home (Omaha). She and I never dated. We just considered ourselves "best friends." We felt comfortable talking to one another about anything, from politics to religion to our pasts to our relationships to our friends and family to our secrets. I've had some trust issues over the past 8 years, so it's been especially difficult for me to start and establish a genuine, complete friendship with another person. I've been able to make partial friends aplenty and acquaintances, but due to the trust issues and my reluctance in opening up much to another person, it made it very difficult for me to make what one would consider a "best friend". It took a while for me to find fully trust in this person, but once I finally let go, it felt great. It felt nice not being so guarded about opening up on certain things or having to over-analyze things before speaking. However, ...

I'm sure this is quite ubiquitous. When a couple breaks up or even if they have yet to break up, but are going through some problems, both parties slant their stories to make them appear as the victim and paint their partner as guilty. It'd be quite something for an outsider to listen to both sides of the story and believe he was hearing the same story. He/She may be wondering if he/she spoke to two people whom even knew one another, let alone dated. Why is there that need to paint oneself as the one without fault in a relationship and portray the other as the guilty party? As is rather common knowledge, in the vast majority of such relationships, both sides are responsible for the relationship's demise. One party may be a bit more responsible than the other and in rare scenarios, one party may be fully (or close to it) responsible, but in most cases, about 50% of guilt can be bestowed upon both parties. I just learned a couple months ago that a woman I wasn't even ...

A friend of mine got into a discussion about this very thing a while back. We agreed for the most part what "cheating" was, but she brought up a good point, that many have their different rules of what "cheating" is. That's true. I've heard of some couples who think so long as the other doesn't engage in sex with another, then they're not cheating. Some have some silly rules about if they're in different zip codes, then it's not cheating. Some go off the deep end and consider lying to be cheating or is that the deep end at all? As usual, I will go to the helpful dictionary for some answers. How does it define cheating? 1. To deceive. 2. To mislead; fool. 3. To act dishonestly. 4. To be sexually unfaithful. These are all pretty vague, except for the last definition. Alright, so I think most people can agree that engaging in sexual activities with someone other than their boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife is cheating. But, then a...

Many television programs make me laugh out of their sheer stupidity, but nothing makes me laugh harder than soap operas. Whenever I have time during an afternoon, I make sure to watch one of these shows and laugh hysterically in the process. Words that immediately come to mind when I think of a soap opera are: Overacted, over-dramatized, makeup, lying, cheating and love circle.  The love, or lust circle that takes place in these shows reminds me of middle school. Guy A will date Girl A for a week before breaking up with her and immediately dating Girl B (Girl A’s best friend, of course) for a couple days and then go back to dating Girl A. Girl A went out with Guy B (Guy A’s best friend) for the two days she and Guy A were broken up. Guy B and Girl B then start dating. This cycle continues for the next year or so. I find it even more humorous to watch adults go through a similar cycle.  A soap opera’s music is very distinctive as well. Along with pornos (so I’ve heard… Th...

We've all heard them, probably all used them- cop outs. These are especially prevalent when it comes to relationships, or I should say, the disinterest in a relationship. Now, some of these excuses may be genuine and honest once in a great while, but notice what I just said - once in a great while. So, for the most part, they're used as ways to either get out of a relationship or to prevent oneself from entering a relationship. Following will be some famous cop outs and what their interpretation can read as. Let's just be friends. I don't want to ruin what we have - This is used when one brings up the idea of beginning a relationship and taking the friendship they have established to another level. What this person is really saying is, "You can either have me as a friend or have me as nothing, because there's no way I'm going to be your boyfriend/girlfriend." So, instead, they take the nicer, less aggressive route. The only problem with this is the ...