Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Hillary - Socialism is Cool!!
Translation: You don't get to keep what money and wealth you have grown and earned. You need to give that up to the state to distribute out to those who do not produce as much.
When she says that special privileges for none, does that mean that she will have to give up her Gulfstream? How about ending affirmative action? Tax breaks for her campaign contributors?
Never before have we had a major Presidential Candidate out and out declare themselves socialists. Before in American politics, there was no chance that a candidate would even think that socialism would be the way to go. Not so today.
Just so you know (from Neal Boortz)
"Fascist ethics begin ... with the acknowledgment that it is not the
individual who confers a meaning upon society, but it is, instead, the existence
of a human society which determines the human character of the individual.
According to Fascism, a true, a great spiritual life cannot take place unless
the State has risen to a position of pre-eminence in the world of man. The
curtailment of liberty thus becomes justified at once, and this need of rising
the State to its rightful position."
-Mario Palmieri, "The Philosophy of
Fascism" 1936
Sound familiar?
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Why We Need Secure Borders
Forget about drugs and other criminal activity that thrives on the open border.
Forget about terrorists entering the country from our open borders.
Think, just for a moment, about TB. That's right TB. It is making a HUGE comback in the US. Why? People with out visas, and proper medical screening, just walking in to the country.
TB is an air born respiratory illness. Look here for the symptoms: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuberculosis
Just today the CDC was able to stop a traveler from coming in to the US with "super" TB. A strain of TB that is very difficult to treat. (http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2934397420070529?feedType=RSS&rpc=22)
The only reason we were able to stop this guy is because he was nice enough to come in to the US legally. Had he done with millions of illegals have done, he would be walking around on the streets infecting others right now.
TB was nearly wiped out in the US, now it is making a big comeback as our hospitals, schools, and workplaces fill up with illegal, potentially disease caring, aliens.
If the terrorist, drugs, and just plain criminal workers don't get you fired up to solve the border issue, then perhaps a vision of your child coughing up blood will.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
UFC 71 Recap
Results
Wilson Gouveia def Carmelo Marrero Submission (Guillotine choke) 3:06 rnd 1
My Pick: Gouveia by RNC first round
I got the round, the winner, and the ending, but not the method. Wilson ended this fight with a brutal choke that he locked in from the top of half guard, then finished from mount. Very good showing for the Brazilian.
Din Thomas def Jeremy Stephens Submission (Armbar) 2:44 rnd 2
My Pick: Din by KO second round
I got the round, winner, but not the ending... Din pulled off a picture perfect armbar. When Jeremy went for the slam escape, Din did the correct defense and grabbed Jeremy's leg which made the slam little more than a bump, and actually helped Din get the sweep that sealed in the submission. Jeremy didn't tap, but the ref very wisely called a stop to the fight before Din "took the arm home" with him. Din then called out all boxers everywhere... I love this guy.
Alan Belcher def Sean Salmon Submission (Guillotine choke) 0:53 rnd 1
My Pick: Belcher by decision
Good win for Alan... I think that this loss sends Sean back to the minor leagues.
Thiago Silva def James Irvin TKO (Knee injury) 1:06 rnd 1
My Pick: Silva by RNC first round
A locked knee and a strong double leg takedown just does not mix... James tears his ACL and looses by injury.
Kalib Starnes def Chris Leben Decision
My Pick: Chris by KO first round
Kalib showed renewed heart and very good grappling to get the decision over the very tough Chris. Chris gassed in the first round and kept going on will alone. He is tough, but not tough enough not to work on cardio...
Houston Alexander def Keith Jardine TKO (Strikes) 0:48 rnd 1
My Pick: Jardine by KO first round
Ummm... Wow. Houston destroyed Keith. Destroyed him. Iced him. KTFOed him... Wow. Omaha gets its first win in the UFC since Steve Jennum.
Terry Martin def Ivan Salaverry TKO (Strikes) 2:04 rnd 1
My Pick: Ivan by RNC middle of the third round
Ivan got slammed on his shoulder in the first round ending the fight for him. Terrible ending for someone of Ivan's talent, and I hope the UFC honors the last fight on his bought out WFA contract.
Karo Parisyan def Josh Burkman Decision
My Pick: Karo by decision
Not much surprise here. Karo needs to work on his ground fighting. He does a great job of getting guys on the ground, but a terrible job of keeping them there. Karo can't finish a fight to save his live, but he wins, and that is what counts.
Quinton Jackson def Chuck Liddell KO (Punches) 1:53 rnd 1
My Pick: Rampage by decision!!
Chuck made a couple of huge mistakes. First, he underestimated Rampage's hand speed. This is understandable, Chuck has not faced anyone with Rampage's hand speed since... well since he faced Rampage last time. Second, Chuck reached way out for a body punch that left his chin wide open to Rampage's quick right hook. Chuck's game plan was sound, drive Rampage's high guard down with attacks to the body then hit the open head. His execution was off and he paid for it.
Very good show!!!
Friday, May 25, 2007
UFC 71 All Fighters Make Weight
Chuck Liddell (205) vs. Quinton Jackson (205)
Josh Burkman (171) vs. Karo Parisyan (170)
Houston Alexander (202) vs. Keith Jardine (205)
Kalib Starnes (186) vs. Chris Leben (185)
Terry Martin (186) vs. Ivan Salaverry (184)
Thiago Silva (202) vs. James Irvin (204)
Sean Salmon (205) vs. Alan Belcher (205)
Jeremy Stephens (156) vs. Din Thomas (155)
Carmelo Marrero (205) vs. Wilson Gouveia (204)
At the UFC Press Conference
I know he is going to get creamed, but Houston was showing his true Nebraska colors at the press conference... GO HOUSTON!!!
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
UFC 71 Liddell vs Jackson
Card:
Carmelo Marrero Vs. Wilson Gouveia (Light Heavyweight)
"The Fury" lost his last UFC outing to Cro Cop killer Gabriel Gonzaga by armbar. Not really a surprise as Carmelo is known for wrestling, and not much else. That was his first loss however, so he is undoubtedly hungry to make a good impression on Dana White so that he can sign another contract. So he did what any fighter does when he feels that he does not match up skill wise... He drops in weight class!! This will be Carmelo's first fight at 205. Maybe he can pull a Randy Coulture and make it work.
Wilson won his last fight, catching Seth Petruzelli with a guillotine choke in the opening minute of the second round back in April. Wilson trains out of American Top Team, so you automatically know that his conditioning will be good, his ground game will be outstanding, and his stand up will be sharp. The guys at ATT don't mess around when it comes to MMA, so expect Wilson to be ready.
Gonzaga made Carmelo look like a somebody who fights out of his mom's basement. Wilson Gouveia is cut from the same cloth. Gouveia is a BJJ black belt with his last two wins coming by submission. Carmelo could not finish one dimensional kickboxer Check Kongo on the ground. Gouveia by RNC first round.
Jeremy Stephens Vs. Din Thomas (Lightweight)
Newcomer Stephens fights out of Des Moines IA, and is 13-2. He mostly fights in the Midwest, close to home. His primary method of winning is the KO, winning 9 by KO or by submission due to strikes. He has fought some people we know, beating VFC vet Vern Jefferson, and knocking out Kendrick Johnson... Just as a side note, I love it when Kendrick gets knocked out, submitted, whatever. I don't like him. Anyway, Jeremy is primarily a Ground and Pound fighter, but can pull out a sub once in a while winning two by RNC and armbar respectively.
Din Thomas is a man reborn after his time in the TUF 4 house. He choked out Rich Clementi then beat Clay Guida by decision. Din is very sharp with his stand up, and is a monster on the ground. Din is another ATT fighter, so the same applies here. He will be in shape and ready.
I like Jeremy, he knocked out Kendrick, but he has no chance here. Din Thomas is on a roll, and I don't see Jeremy doing anything that Din has not seen a thousand times. Din by KO second round.
Sean Salmon Vs. Alan Belcher (Light Heavyweight)
The UFC tries to make good on its three fight contract with Sean Salmon giving him another chance to fight after getting KOed in brutal fashion by a Rashad Evans head kick. Sean is a ham and egger out of Columbus, OH... that's really it. He wins by submission mostly, but he wins at such small or unorganized shows that they don't report how he submitted his opponent...
Alan Belcher too lost his last UFC fight. He too was brought back to conciseness after the fight, only Alan fell victim to a Kendal Grove Darce choke. Alan is primaraly a wrestler, wining by G&P KO and submission.
This one is a toss up... both guys are new to the game, and both guys come from teams that are not very well known. I gotta go with Belcher. He has more experience in the UFC and has a win there. Belcher by decision.
Thiago Silva Vs. James Irvin (Light Heavyweight)
Silva is 10-1 fighting out of his native Brazil and a couple of shows in Japan. He is a knock out artist, winning seven fights that way. He has not had a fight go out of the first round in his last 5. He looks like a very exciting prospect. Silva has a black belt in BJJ, and teaches BJJ in Sao Paulo. He trains out of a couple of places in Brazil, trading time between Alexandre Franca Nogueira's World Fight Center and Chute Boxe.
James Irvin won his last fight in the UFC by ref stoppage. James is known for punching very hard, and never ever giving up. James is reletless in his attack, but a bit sloppy. Stephan Bonnar was able to catch him with a Kimura, and Lodune Sincade was able to get a decision win over him. We will always know him as the guy who KOed Terry Martin with a flying knee from across the cage to begin the second round of their fight.
Silva comes from two of the best camps in Brazil. He is known for fast KOs, and strong kicking. He has a BJJ pedigree. I don't think that James has a chance. Silva by RNC first round.
Kalib Starnes Vs. Chris Leben (Middleweight)
Kalib lost his semi-final in TUF to Kendal Grove after suffering a separated rib. He then went on to defeat TKD fighter Danny Abbadi... Then he got KOed by Yushin Okami. Kalib is a BJJ fighter winning all but one of his 7 wins by submission....
Chris Leben lost his last fight in the UFC tapping to a Jason Macdonald g uillotine choke. We all know Chris. He likes to throw big punches, one right after another until he gets taken down or he knocks his guy out.
Kalib and Chris have a common opponent in Jason Macdonald, Chris lost by guillotine, Kalib won by KO. I don't think that this matters much as I don't think that Kalib can handle Chris' stand up attack. Chris by KO first round.
Houston Alexander Vs. Keith Jardine (Light Heavyweight)
Omaha native Houston Alexander steps in to the ring for his first fight in the UFC!! Houston won his contract to the UFC by "winning" the four man tournament that Monte Cox held at WinnaVegas two months ago. Houston basically ran though his two opponents, but landed an illegal knee to the head that his opponent could not recover from to end that fight in a No Contest.
You could call Houston's fighting style "street." He essentially runs at you punches you a lot goes to the ground then punches you a lot there. He is very aggressive, but not really versed in the submission game. His record is 10-2, with a decision loss to Josh Neer a long time ago in the Toad Holler Fight Club. Seriously.
Keith Jardine is coming off of a huge KO win over Forrest Griffen. Keith is a very well versed kickboxer, and very solid on the ground. He fights out of Greg Jackson's gym with Diego Sanchez.
Houston has a tall order with Jardine. By far this is the biggest fight in Houston's career, while it is just another Saturday night for Jardine. Honestly, I don't know why Jardine took this fight. With a win over Griffen that should put him in line to fight a bigger name, Ortiz, Evans, or Babalu. Instead he took a fight where he has everything to loose and nothing to gain. That said I don't think that he has much to worry about with Houston. Jardine by KO first round.
Josh Burkman Vs. Karo Parisyan (Welterweight)
Burkman comes off of a decision win over MAMA fighter Chad Reiner. Burkman is a good wrestler who uses his base and positioning to grind out wins. Mostly wins by decision, though. He has fought in his 18-4 record a list of very good fighters, Melvin Gulliard (win decision), Drew Fickett (win Guillotine Choke), Josh Neer (win decision), and Jeremy Horn (loss Guillotine Choke). He has been around the block.
Karo is coming off of a decision win over Drew Fickett. He uses his Judo and good base to position his fighters to win by submission or decision. Mostly by decision. Of his last 9 fights, or all of his fights in the UFC, he has gone 7-2, with only two wins by KO or submission. Karo is exciting, but not very good at finishing.
This will be a back and forth battle between two guys relatively evenly matched. Karo has the more experience and the better record. Josh has everything to gain by beating the big name. I don't think Josh can do it though... Karo by decision.
Terry Martin Vs. Ivan Salaverry (Middleweight)
Terry Martin has found his stride in the UFC finally getting a win after loosing to James Irvin (KO flying knee)then Jason Lambert (KO). He beat the much bigger name Jorge Rivera by KO back in February.
Terry is a durable strong fighter with good ground skill and decent stand up skill. Of his 15 wins 5 are by submission and 9 are by KO, with his last three straight by KO. His stand up coach, Dino Spencer, seems to have worked him very well. Terry fights out of Flo MMA in Chicago.
Ivan Salaverry is finally back in the UFC after being on the outside for way too long. Ivan is known for his sharp stand up and very sneaky ground work. His specialty being spine and neck cranks.
Ivan's last fight was in July of last year winning an easy KO over Art Santore.
This is an interesting fight. Ivan has not fought in a year and may have some serious ring rust to contend with. Terry has a tendency to get very nervous before big fights. I think that this fight comes down to who works better in the clinch, and on the ground. Terry will want to keep the fight on the feet, Ivan knows he has the advantage on the ground. Clinch work will determine where the fight goes. I think that Ivan is smoother in the clinch and he will work his body locks to get Terry to the mat. Ivan by RNC middle of the third round.
Chuck Liddell Vs. Quinton Jackson (Light Heavyweight)
Chuck... Chuck knocks everybody out with that big right hand. Chuck has not lost since November 2003, and has knocked out ever opponent since. A seven fight win streak... Ironically only three of those seven were against fighters he has not fought before...
Rampage Jackson has seemed to find his stride after loosing to Shogun in 2005. He has gone 3-0 since then, beating Matt Lindland by split decision, Yoon Dong Sik by decison, and Marvin Eastman by KO. Rampage is, normally, very aggressive, has fast heavy hands, and has solid wrestling, especially takedowns. He won the first fight with Chuck very similarly to how Randy beat Chuck. He beat him to the punch, wore him down, then pounded him out on the ground. His game plan is the same, and he hired a boxing traininer to improve his hand speed, and his foot work, crucial for defeating a counter puncher like Chuck.
As I said before, Chuck has knocked everybody out since his last fought Rampage, BUT none of them had the hand speed, power, or boxing ability that Rampage has. Since his fight with Chuck, Rampage had his biggest weakness exposed, straight knees from the clinch. His defense for them has been non existant. Since then he as stated that he has been working on his "Muay Thai" but has not out and out said that he has been working the plumb clinch.
Chuck is not known as a clinch fighter, or even a Muay Thai fighter. His style lends to old school American Kickboxing than to anything else.
In his last two fights, Chuck has shown some fatigue after throwing the big flurry. Rampage has only gassed in one fight that I know of, his loss to Sakuraba, and since then has shown very good cardio.
Neither of these guys is going to want to take the fight to the ground. I think that Rampage has the advantage there, however it is very difficult to hold Chuck on the ground. If there is any ground work, it will occur after a knock down, or after one fighter has gassed.
I think that Rampage wins this fight. I don't think that Chuck has figured out how to deal with fast strong straight punches and Rampage has show good ability to block looping punches. Rampage by decision!!
Keep 'Em Dumb!!
School choice is the only way to save the failed education system in The United States. The only way. Why? It is the only way to break the strangle hold the Unions have on the schools.
Currently, most government schools are run by the NEA, the teacher's union. The union makes it very VERY difficult to fire teachers, and renegotiates contracts on the teacher's behalf. What this means is that very good teachers can not be adequately rewarded and bad teachers can not be adequately disposed of.
In the working world, in a non-union work place, if I do not do my job, or do my job badly, I am fired as soon as the company notices it. Bad workers poison the workplace, bring the quality of deliverables down, and loose the company money. Companies do not like to loose money so they get rid of the bad employee. No muss, no fuss.
If the employee is very good, the company rewards that worker with raises, benefits, or whatever else the company feels is necessary
Union run schools simply can not fire bad teachers, so the deliverable, an educated child, is not produced. This is the main reason that private schools beat public schools in almost every category. Private schools can easily fire their teachers. They can also reward the teachers that do their jobs exceptionally well. This keeps the best teachers at their schools improving the school's deliverable.
The only way to fix the hopelessly broken American School System is to scrap it completely. Let the private sector take care of schools. There is no mention in the Constitution that says that the government must provide schooling. It is a task best left to the states.
IF you must have some form of government schooling, then school voucher should be implemented. Each child is issued a voucher worth what ever money it costs the taxpayer to school the child. This voucher is then redeemable at any school. Now we have schools that are not run by the government, competing for dollars. This will force the schools to improve their deliverable, or face closure. This means that the union is out on its ear.
The union out on its ear means that they can not collect money for dues, and have a hard time donating to their political causes...
Thursday, May 17, 2007
No Liberal Slant in the Media
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When it comes to guaranteed paid vacation, U.S.
workers don't seem to get a break.
While the French get 30 days of paid
leave and most other Europeans receive at least 20, the country with the world's
biggest economy does not guarantee workers a single day, researchers said on
Wednesday.
Most U.S. firms do in fact give employees vacations, but the lack
of government guarantees means one in four private-sector workers do not get
paid leave, said researchers for the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a
Washington think tank.
"The United States is the only advanced economy in the
world that does not guarantee its workers paid vacation days and paid holidays,"
said economist John Schmitt.
"Relying on businesses to voluntarily provide
paid leave just hasn't worked," he added. "It's a national embarrassment that 28
million Americans don't get any paid vacation or paid holidays."
Workers in
Finland had one of the best annual leave packages among developed countries, a
study by the center found. Finnish workers received 30 days of paid vacation
plus another nine paid holidays.
French workers were guaranteed 30 days of
paid annual leave, but only one paid holiday. Most European workers were
guaranteed at least 20 days of vacation, and some also received as many as 13
paid holidays.
Canadian workers were guaranteed 10 days of vacation plus
another eight paid holidays, while Japanese laborers only were guaranteed 10
days of annual leave, the study found.
U.S. workers were guaranteed neither
paid vacations nor paid holidays.
Despite the lack of government guarantees,
90 percent of U.S. employers offered vacation, the study found. Workers received
an average of nine days of paid vacation and six paid holidays, a total of 15
days off per year.
"The sum of the average paid vacation and paid holidays
provided to U.S. workers in the private sector -- 15 in total -- would not meet
even the minimum required by law in 19 other rich countries," Schmitt said.
It is not the duty of the government to force companies to pay for sick, vacation, or holidays. That is a perk of employment. If you don't like your job, get another one that gives you said perks.
You have NO right to a job. You have NO right to health care. You have NO right of employer paid vacation.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Why the Pope is Nuts
The really neat thing is that they did not get rid of the Inquisition... they just changed its name. It is now called the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. Who was in charge of that office at the time of Pope John Paul II's death? You got it, our Holy wacky buddy Josef Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI.
So, the Collage of Cardinals passed the leadership on to the absolute most fundamental guy around. Great job guys.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Pope: I Hate Economic Systems... Pre-Colombian Indians Really Wanted to be Cristian
Very correct Pope, very correct.
He then went on to say the capitalism brings on a gap between rich and poor.
Not exactly correct Pope... capitalism brings on a gap between the achievers and the lazy. Granted, it is easier for the rich to pass on wealth, and get richer, but nothing stops the poor from working hard to rise above their station.
He also said that Pre-Colombian Indians secretly longed to be Cristian... What? How can you secretly long to do something you never knew existed?
He went on to say: "In effect, the proclamation of Jesus and of his Gospel did not at any point involve an alienation of the pre-Columbus cultures, nor was it the imposition of a foreign culture."
Ummmmm... yup. All of the torture, killing, and conversion at the point of a sword was not an imposition of a foreign culture. The Indians just said "EXACTLY!! This is what religion is! We knew something was up with our religion. You guys, you got it RIGHT!!"
This Pope is off his rocker. Completely batty. Next thing you know he will be saying that the inquisition wasn't so bad, and that it was all justified.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
She Deserves More Time
This picture was taken yesterday (5-8-2007). She doesn't care about the law. She thinks she is above it. Lock her up for a while and let's see how she respects the law after.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Marcelo Garcia vs Robert Drysdale
Monday, May 7, 2007
Judo Training Day 2
Ouch.
I still hurt.
We went through the warm up and started to work uchimata down the mat. We were working on the backward pivot step in to the throw, rather than the forward rotate step we worked on last time.
I got maybe 15 reps in before my phone rang... Saturday was a night full of storms and my basement got very wet. Before Judo I called the carpet cleaners thinking that they would get back to me on Monday, not so. The phone call was from the cleaners saying they could be at my house in a half hour.
So after 15 reps, I had to leave to let the cleaners in to my soggy house... Training is not going well.
I have decided that squat thrusts or "up downs" are a good single person sports specific cardio training for Judo. It teaches a quick sprawl, good for blocking throws, shots, and trains for the worst part of Judo, all of the stupid stand ups.
Tomorrow I will run some drills with my BJJ training partner hopefully I will be able to get 50 (25 per side) reps of uchimata in, with some seoinage reps...
In talking with my coach we decided that my best strategy is to out physical my opponents. Not to aggressively hurt people, but to bring the match to a physical level that my opponent can not sustain. I have the cardio to do this, and it should work for most of my opponents.
Ron Paul For President 2008
He has absolutely the right idea on war, declare war formally and fight to win. He is opposed to the terror war, which I do not like, but nobody is perfect.
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/
It is a simple shame that the majority of Americans would not know freedom if it hit them in the face. It is for this reason that the only man running for president in this election that is campaigning on expanding freedom, not government will not even make a blip on the political radar, yet the semi socialist Giuliani is the front runner.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Animal Fighting Gets Felony Status
Believe you me, they intend to enforce this law. You can bet that as soon as it becomes active, you will have people getting sent up the river for over one year for this crime...
Meanwhile, the flood of illegal aliens in to this country continues unabated. The troops in harm's way do not have the money to carry on the fight. This government cares more for animal fighting while the biggest threats to our security lay open.
Shame. Disgrace.
This government has lost its soul. Animal fighting, for one, is a state issue. There is no reason for federal involvement. If the states want to get tough, let them do it. Animal fighting holds no danger to interstate or international commerce. That does not stop the growing socialist movement.
The nanny state grows.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Hillary Likes Her Gulfstreams
On a recent trip to South Carolina Hill boarded a Gulfstream II:
She used that aircraft to fly to SC, then back to Washington. She then sent that airplane, with out passengers, back to SC to wait for her.
The next day she used a Hawker 800:
to fly back to SC. She then left in the Gulfstream II, heading back to Washington. She was supposed to fly to California, after some business in Washington, in the same Gulfstream. She sent the Gulfstream II away stating that she did not like the cabin configuration. A Gufstream III:
was then brought in to replace the Gulfstream II that she rejected.
The Gulfstream II could easily have made the trip, but the Gulf III was called for. This airplane is bigger, faster and can cary more passengers.
I have no problem with people who pay for private aircraft switching airplanes. They pay for it, it is their prerogative. The thing is that Hillary is not paying for these airplanes. Her campaign is. Those little socialists out there who give their government allocated funds to her are paying for it.
If this was the first time something like this happened, we could just give her a pass, however this is just another incident in a long string of travel issues and expenses that Hillary racks up using other's money. I won't even mention the hypocrisy of her Green agenda.
How can she claim to be fiscally responsible, when she throws this kind of money around?
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
May Day "Immigration" Rallies
They support illegal immigration because it drives down the cost of labor, thus making it harder for working people to make ends meet. These people turn to the government for support, and the more people suckling at the teat of government helps the socialist cause. If they don't take support from the government, it breeds anger, and furthers the possibility for socialist upheaval.
As long as the protests are peaceful there will be no arrests. No one will be deported, and no one will sleep tonight in the country of their origin. If there was a large rally of rapists, you can bet the the police would want to be there to make some arrests. Not so with these criminals. I love the constant consistency of the government.