The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Almost everyone I know has a love-hate relationship with at least one person. When it comes to ESPN talk show host Will Cain, however, my relationship with him doesn't even reach that status. It's more like a tolerate-hate relationship (no, not tolerate hate). This was on full display after Cain made his thoughts on the Chicago-Cubs-ban-a-fan-for-a-white-power-sign known. As most of the sports world knows by now, the Chicago Cubs decided to ban a fan for life after this individual showcased what was viewed as a white power sign behind MLB analyst and former player Doug Glanville, who happens to be black. After Cubs management allegedly investigated the matter, they decided the gesture was indeed intended to showcase a call to white supremacy, hence the lifetime ban. That didn't stop conservative host Will Cain from speaking contrarian, as he often times does. Cain contended that the gesture used by the fan was mainly used for four purposes: 1) A symbol for okay; 2) A si...

Liberals often like to pride themselves on being open-minded, accepting of change, differences, and diversity. They tend to believe in equality across all ages, genders, races, creeds, and orientations. They tend to favor life-imprisonment-without-parole over the death penalty, of felons being able to vote, of people being able to turn their lives around via rehab, and being rightly rewarded with a second chance due to this. So why is it many liberals showcase inconsistency when it comes to providing individuals with second chances in life, most notably, former NFL quarterback and convicted dogfighter, Michael Vick? Before I continue, it should be noted I'm a lover of dogs, animals in general, but especially dogs. My current Siberian Husky, Lexi, is my fourth dog, adds a great amount of joy to my life, and it pains me to think of her or any other animal/pet being abused in any manner. In saying that, Michael Vick was charged, convicted, and sentenced for his role in a dogfighting...

As most people have heard by now, in an interview with MSNBC's Chris Matthews, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump said women who undergo an abortion should receive "some sort of punishment," before later recanting that statement. While I was unsurprised by Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders criticizing Trump for his comments, I found it quite humorous to hear GOP candidates Ted Cruz and John Kasich do so, as they responded with the following quotes: - "Once again Donald Trump has demonstrated that he hasn't seriously thought through the issues, and he'll say anything just to get attention. On the important issue of the sanctity of life, what's far too often neglected is that being pro-life is not simply about the unborn child; it's also about the mother - and creating a culture that respects her and embraces life. Of course we shouldn't be talking about punishing women; we should affirm their dignity and the incredible gif...

In light of the recent barrage of college protests regarding discrimination, multiple columnists, both left- and right-of-center, have made it known that they believe far left-wing liberals are going too far with their alleged politically-correct sensitivities. Yesterday, I commented on an article from the right-leaning Peter Scheer, where he seemed to believe the Black Lives Matter movement and college protesters fighting discrimination are thin-skinned, will be rudely awakened once they enter the workforce, and need to stop whining. My response to him was, certain demographics have sat quietly on the sidelines long enough while they attempted to wait for authority figures to actually grant them the equalities supposedly afforded to us all courtesy of the U.S. Constitution. So this reported "whining" can be defined as the before-mentioned demographics finally standing up against discrimination and fighting for equal rights and respect in the eyes of the law and their sup...

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...

I've noticed on a number of occasions where Amazon.com reviewers will give an album, a film, or a game 0.5 to 1.0 out of 5.0 stars and then proceed to write a review saying they loved the quality of the product, but were disappointed by the delivery. What they need to realize is they're not dissatisfied with the product, but with Amazon, and what they're doing is punishing the artist as opposed to the deliverer. It makes absolutely no sense to rave about an album and give it 1.0 star out of 5.0, all because the delivery was less than stellar. If anyone runs into this situation, I recommend either emailing Amazon or calling them at this number - (888) 280-3321. Take the matter up with them and hopefully the two of you can work something out. In my experience with Amazon, the customer service has been very helpful, and I'm sure they'll work with you to make sure your needs are met and you're not tentative about shopping there again.

I just read a story about a United Methodist minister who was recently convicted by a Pennsylvania church of breaking church law by officiating at his son's gay wedding. It's uncertain at this time what kind of punishment Reverend Frank Schaefer will face, but it could be anything from a reprimand to losing his minister's credentials. Well, first of all, I have to say kudos to Reverend Frank Schaefer for choosing love and family over politics. Following the ruling, Schaefer said: "I did not want to make this a protest about the doctrine of the church. I wasn't trying to be an advocate. I just wanted this to be a beautiful family affair, and it was that." I was also struck by something a fellow member of Schaefer's church - Jon Boger - had to say about the events, as he made the following statement: "It's his son. He loves his son. In a way I felt bad for him. But he's also shown no remorse or repentance, nor has he apologized to anyone....

The far right-wing Family Research Council has shown their true colors yet again, those of: Lunacy, denial, ignorance, narrow-mindedness, and cavemen. Not only have they come after gays' sex and marriage rights, but they're now coming after single people's sex and birth control rights, regardless of their orientation. Tony Perkins - the head of the Family Research Council - had senior FRC member Pat Fagan on his radio show, where Fagan said the following about the Supreme Court's 1972 decision when it overturned a state law that banned unmarried people from purchasing birth control: "The court decided that single people have the right to contraceptives. What's that got to do with marriage? Everything, because what the Supreme Court essentially said is single people have the right to engage in sexual intercourse. Well, societies have always forbidden that, there were laws against it. [...] It's not the contraception, everybody thinks it's about con...

A church facing a lawsuit from former members whom have accused church officials of covering up sex abuse allegations is thinking about using the First Amendment as its defense. Sovereign Grace Ministries saw a former member indicted this past December on charges that he molested multiple boys in the 1980s, and is now dealing with the very real possibility that multiple members covered up these alleged acts. Seeming to hint that the church was going to lean on the First Amendment as the members' defense, University of Virginia law professor Douglas Laycock commented on the matter with the following: "To the extent that there's a First Amendment issue they're talking about, it is not about sexual abuse as a First Amendment right. It is about the church deciding for itself how to respond to claims of misconduct among its members." So, let me get this straight. Many members of the church don't believe in the separation of church and state, yet when it com...

The more stories I read and hear about organized religion, the more difficult it's becoming to see myself joining any unless some drastic changes are made. Just recently, 92-year old Bill Brennan - a Jesuit in Milwaukee, Wisconsin - was punished because last month he celebrated Mass with one Janice Sevre-Duszynska of the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests. That's right - Catholic clergy can get punished for supporting women priests. My question for the people whom felt Brennan and others like him deserve punishment is "What would Jesus do?" Call it a hunch, but I'm guessing Jesus wouldn't say, "Well, for priests who molest little boys, I feel we should hide that for many years and try to deny that ever happened. For the clergy who show support for female priests, however, I think we need to go public with that right away, denounce their atrocious actions, and punish them severely!" Something feels contradictory with these people'...

Upon reading about Mitt Romney receiving almost $375,000 in speaking fees in 2010-2011 and saying it "wasn't that much," many people, Democrats especially, pointed to that gaffe as a prime example of Romney not being in touch with the layperson. I read a few articles pertaining to this and some member comments below the writing. When a conservative chimed in, his or her words generally sounded like this - "Romney is just a success. Why do liberals want to punish success? This jealousy astounds me." I find this funny, yet sad, because the majority of people who utter such things aren't very well off themselves. However, they firmly believe in the American dream and if you work hard enough, you will be rewarded like Mitt Romney. However, this isn't always the case. Some people are born into wealth. Others catch a lucky break. Some have great connections. Others do work very hard for what they earn. In any case, it's ridiculous to claim that Democra...

I got into a funny discussion with a friend a while back. She mentioned that she and her ex couldn't talk about anything. This was especially the case when anything involving politics or religion came up. He'd always shoot back with a, "No, you're wrong," "You're being so ridiculous," "You're being irrational" or "I read a book about that once, so come back to me at another time when you've done your homework like I have." Allright, so the guy knows everything, right? He thinks so, anyway. But, after a long discussion with my friend, he seems very confused. Maybe the young lad doesn't know as much as he believes. Wouldn't that be something? My friend, we'll call her Lacey, does not like guns. She believes in gun laws. Heck, she'd feel a heck of a lot safer if there were no guns, period! Her ex, Gus we'll call him, doesn't believe in gun laws and claimed that Lacey was really liberal, because o...