If Reagan Were A Republican Today

With all of the hullabaloo about Reagan in the news, this cartoon raises some interesting questions.

Amusing take, via John Sherffius:

Will God Get Credit For Winning The Super Bowl?

I saw this article and it really raises the absurdity of God, especially "praying" to God to help someone win a game.  Why would an omnipotent "god" give a rats ass about who wins a game?

From Huffington Post:

"When the Auburn Tigers won the BCS college football championship against the Oregon Ducks, Auburn coach Gene Chizik thanked God. The team's star quarterback, Cam Newton, said he felt his performance showed what God can do.

Thanking God has now become almost commonplace among athletes. With the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers about to face off in Super Bowl XLV, does God play favorites in sports? These 12 are among the most notable God-thankers in sports.

12. Muhammad Ali

Any list has to include the boxing legend who both praises the Almighty and talks about himself with a self-aware knockout dose of hubris.

"Almighty God was with me. I want everyone to bear witness, I am the greatest! I'm the greatest thing that ever lived. ... I must be the greatest. I showed the world. I talk to God every day. I know the real God. I shook up the world, I'm the king of the world," Ali said after defeating Sonny Liston for the first time on Feb. 25, 1964.

11. Pat Day

A little man with big faith, Pat Day won many races as a jockey, but he only won the Kentucky Derby once, in 1992. And when he did, he didn't even dismount before praising God.

"Immediately after the Kentucky Derby, I lifted my hands up, and I was praising God for again allowing me the thrill of being in the winner's circle ... " Day recalled in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network. "It's a joyous occasion, and I couldn't help myself. I lifted my hands to the heavens and was praising God."

10. Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez

You wouldn't think religion and mixed martial arts -- a sport in which the combatants seem intent on killing each other -- would be a natural fit, but don't tell that to Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez, who before and after every fight, can be heard giving all the glory to God.

"I give him the victory. I do not consider the victory as mine. It is his. I envision being one of his warriors and giving him the glory," Sanchez once told radio host Penny Buffington.

9. Michael Adams (and teammates)

Arizona Cardinals cornerback Adams kneeling down and praying with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie before taking on the Steelers in 2009's Super Bowl XLIII has become an iconic image in the annals of sports faith.

Adams, who isn't the biggest of defensive backs, has had his share of troubles, but uses his faith as a guiding light. And he gets lots of help in that direction from his Cardinals' teammates. "I believed. I had faith," Adams said, recalling how he never gave up during a 2010 NFC wild card game. "It's easy when you have teammates like we've got around here, who believe in God and each other."

8. Jim Caldwell

The Indianapolis Colts coach took over from Tony Dungy, a man also known for his faith. "Obviously, it is no secret that I am a Christian and I don't hide from that fact at all," Caldwell said. "I do believe that because of faith, often times it will keep you a bit calmer in certain situations. Overall, I think it has certainly taught me a lot about discipline, a lot about commitment in my life and it's helping me today as well."

7. Jay Barker

Jay Barker led the Alabama Crimson Tide to a perfect 13-0 season in 1992, beating Miami in the 1993 Sugar Bowl to win the national championship.

Barker, who played for fellow man of faith Gene Stallings, has never been afraid to share his Christian beliefs. After his college and pro careers, he's turned to talk radio as a medium to reach others.

"I just tried to use the God-given talents I had to help my team win," Barker said when asked about not being the flashiest player on the field. "After all, we had a great defensive team. Sometimes, the things that people said did hurt, but it also made me grow stronger in my faith."

6. Pedro Martinez

Phillies pitcher Pedro Martinez is one of the God Squad players whose ritual has become iconic. After an important throw, Martinez would do his patented chest-touch and double-index-finger-point to God.

"I started praying about it a little bit," he said of his early baseball aspirations. "At night I would never express it to anybody but I would say, 'Oh God, help me. If I can't be a doctor, let me be a baseball player."'

5. Drew Brees

"God is great," Drew Brees said after being named MVP in last year's Super Bowl XLIV after leading the New Orleans Saints to an upset victory over the Indianapolis Colts and their faith-filled coach, Jim Caldwell. Saints fans became so enamored of Brees' seeming inability to do wrong on the field that they even made T-shirts that said: WWBD? (What Would Breesus Do?), and doctored photos to show Brees walking on the Mississippi River.

4. Anthony Mason

The power forward for the Charlotte Hornets put the focus on God, not himself, after scoring 21 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter to eliminate the host Atlanta Hawks in the first round of playoffs at the end of the 1997/98 season. After thanking "God" for making all things possible, Mason said he had been "allowed" to perform well.

3. Tim Tebow

Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow doesn't just thank God after a big win; he wears Bible verses on his face (or at least he used to).

When Tebow led the University of Florida to beat Oklahoma to win the college football national championship in 2009, written in white on the black strip under Tebow's eyes was the Scripture reference to John 3:16. As the TV announcer congratulated him on being named the game's MVP, the first thing Tebow did was thank his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

After Tebow graduated to the Denver Broncos, the NCAA banned the use of eye black to display messages, biblical or otherwise. Now in the NFL, Tebow writes the verses on a wrist band.

2. Herb Lusk

Some credit Herb Lusk as the man who started the whole athlete/God thing, though it no doubt started well before him. He started another signature move: kneeling in the end zone after a touchdown.

It was in 1977, following a 70-yard touchdown run, that Lusk, as a Philadelphia Eagles running back, first took a knee for God. Lusk became an evangelical Christian minister and now serves as the Eagles' team chaplain.

1. Reggie White

They called Reggie White the "Minister of Defense." White played 15 years in the NFL, retiring as the league's all-time sack leader. An ordained minister, he wrote three books that centered on his faith.

"I always believed, since I was a kid, that God was going to allow me to play professional football to use it as a platform to proclaim and to live out the name of Jesus, and that is the most exciting part about my life," White said.

White died in 2004 at age 43 of cardiac arrhythmia. He said in retirement that he had reinterpreted -- but never lost -- his faith.

I guess I could understand why God would be a New Orleans Saints fan - no one is above a little self-advertisement (don't all Saints play on his team?).

But mixed-martial arts?  I thought God was a pacifist.  Mixed-martial arts seems a little violent for the "Prince of Peace".
Did God pick favorites for Gladiators?  Fight to the death.

Does "God's team" ever loose?  Maybe the devil has other favorites?  What happens when God looses?  Is he a good looser?

Or is the whole notion that God helped in any way or cares in any way a crock of s**t?
Is God mad at someone when he makes one of his favorites loose?  Must have been pissed at some Saint this year.

Challenges For A Better Tomorrow - Obama's State of the Union

State of the Union addresses are often more about pomp and ceremony than substance.

Tonight, President Barrack Obama, transcended from a President seeking to establish his identity to a man who has forever made a mark on our Country and the World.

In a call to arms (in a figurative sense), President Obama asked that we regain our sense of hope, direction and national identity.  He asked that we shy away from our differences and focus on what makes us great.  He said: "From the earliest days of our founding, America has been the story of ordinary people who dare to dream. That's how we win the future."


He spoke of changes in the World and how that should not discourage us but challenge us.  He said:

None of us can predict with certainty what the next big industry will be, or where the new jobs will come from. Thirty years ago, we couldn’t know that something called the Internet would lead to an economic revolution. What we can do – what America does better than anyone – is spark the creativity and imagination of our people. We are the nation that put cars in driveways and computers in offices; the nation of Edison and the Wright brothers; of Google and Facebook. In America, innovation doesn’t just change our lives. It’s how we make a living.

Innovation is part of our culture and it is something which we do best.  We face our challenges and we create.

But it is not only the challenge of a changing world which President Obama asked us to embrace but the challenges of restoring our economy to the greatest in the World.  For a nation which has faced an unprecedented recession, the President challenges us to identify and make the "right" decisions as to how to restore our Nation's economy.  “We have to confront the fact that our government spends more than it takes in,” he said in the text of the speech released by the White House. “That is not sustainable.”

President Obama said:

I recognize that some in this Chamber have already proposed deeper cuts, and I’m willing to eliminate whatever we can honestly afford to do without. But let’s make sure that we’re not doing it on the backs of our most vulnerable citizens. And let’s make sure what we’re cutting is really excess weight. Cutting the deficit by gutting our investments in innovation and education is like lightening an overloaded airplane by removing its engine. It may feel like you’re flying high at first, but it won’t take long before you’ll feel the impact.

That challenge is particularly difficult in this time of recession.  More Americans have been impacted by this "great recession" than at any time since the Great Depression.  So the challenge is not simply to restore the economy but to protect those most vulnerable.  President Obama asked that we look out for our fellow man and make life better for all Americans.

President Obama spoke of the challenges facing our schools and our need to improve the quality of education for our children.  It is a daunting task but one that we can ill afford to ignore.  He outlined for us the challenges which we must overcome to make education in America great again and the steps which he has taken to right our path.

He spoke of our need to make math and science important again.  “We know what it takes to compete for the jobs and industries of our time,” he said. “We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world. We have to make America the best place on Earth to do business.”

And in what President Obama does best, he spoke of the importance of recognizing that we are all Americans and that our differences are what make us great.  When speaking of our troops throughout the World he said:

Our troops come from every corner of this country – they are black, white, Latino, Asian and Native American. They are Christian and Hindu, Jewish and Muslim. And, yes, we know that some of them are gay. Starting this year, no American will be forbidden from serving the country they love because of who they love. And with that change, I call on all of our college campuses to open their doors to our military recruiters and the ROTC. It is time to leave behind the divisive battles of the past. It is time to move forward as one nation.

It is that challenge to "leave behind the divisive battles of the past" which makes his message so important today.  He reminded us: "Amid all the noise and passions and rancor of our public debate, Tucson reminded us that no matter who we are or where we come from, each of us is a part of something greater - something more consequential than party or political preference."

Prominent progressive economist James Galbraith praises Obama’s speech.

"Overall, this is a terrific thematic speech. It sets out important goals, for the most part in the right areas: research, technology, infrastructure, education, jobs. The priority for clean energy is clear (though if the word "conservation" is mentioned, I missed it.) It speaks broadly of health care cost control, not narrowly of cuts to Medicare. It appears to support, or at least does not contradict, the emerging bipartisan consensus that Social Security benefits should not be cut. The weasel-word "entitlements" does not appear. It lends a word of support to some of the nation's most embattled public-sector employees - teachers. It is compassionate and sensible on immigrants and immigration. It defends the vital role of regulation in a market system. It does not waste many words on the deficit or the national debt or the fiscal commission."

It is a call to arms and challenge for all of us to find our commonality and discard our petty differences.  "We will move forward together or not at all."

In a time when there is so much discontent in the Country, it is President Obama's challenge to us to stand united that is his most important message.  Together we are far greater than any one of us.

So, accept his challenge of hope.  Accept his challenge of innovation.  Accept his challenge of humility.  Accept his challenge of One Nation, Indivisible and With Justice For All.  President Obama summed it up best:

"Amid all the noise and passions and rancor of our public debate, Tucson reminded us that no matter who we are or where we come from, each of us is a part of something greater - something more consequential than party or political preference."

What Did The Vatican Know?

The Vatican has long said that it was unaware of the multitude of child-abuse scandals which have now been reported against the Church.

Now, according to a 1997 letter, the Vatican warned Catholic bishops in Ireland NOT to report suspected cases of child abuse to police.

That is tantamount to condoning and allowing child-abuse.

The letter was "obtained by Irish broadcasters RTE and provided to The Associated Press." We're sure the Vatican is overjoyed to hear that AP is in possession of such a document.

Pope John Paul II's Ireland diplomat Archbishop Luciano Storero signed the letter himself, and warned Irish bishops that their policy of "making the reporting of suspected crimes mandatory 'gives rise to serious reservations of both a moral and canonical nature.' "

This was all under Pope John Paul II - who is now supposed to be on his way to Sainthood.  Sounds like a Saint to you?

Here's what director of the Irish chapter of Amnesty International Colm O'Gorman had to say about the letter:

"The letter is of huge international significance, because it shows that the Vatican's intention is to prevent reporting of abuse to criminal authorities. And if that instruction applied here, it applied everywhere."

Thus far, the Vatican has declined to comment.  Of course no comment.

Barack Obama's Inspirational Evocation

As we all now know, the past four days may be regarded as one of the worst of times in recent memory for our Country.

For some as yet not well-understood reason, a young man shot down nineteen people. He would have shot more but bystanders stopped the killer before he could reload (they are true heroes). The attacked included a vivacious young congresswoman who is now fighting for her life in a Tucson, Arizona, hospital.

Perhaps what has followed in this tragedy will come to define us more than the attack. Almost immediately, the "blame-game" began - a "National Conversation" which descended into an often nasty tit for tat from opposite ends of the liberal-conservative continuum.

Into this calamitous downdraft stepped the president of the United States, one Barack Obama.

In perhaps one of the moments which will define his Presidency, President Obama gave to a grieving and confused Nation a richly crafted, flawlessly delivered and truly inspiring address.



President Obama spoke of hope - the hope of those 13 that are struggling to survive. He called upon each of us for healing and talking amongst each other in a way that heals and does not wound. Citing Scripture, President Obama called out to us asking that we not attempt to explain the inexplicable by assigning blame.


And, while agreeing that we should seek "to lessen the prospects of violence in the future," he insisted that "what we can't do is use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on each other" and instead focus upon our similarities rather than our differences. He spoke of humility and the need for kindness and compassion - making the lives of other people better.

He spoke of many of those victims and how they were making a difference in our lives and what sacrifices they made. How Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' "Congress on Your Corner" events were "an updated version of government of and by and for the people." How Dorwin Stoddard's "final act of selflessness was to dive on top of his wife, sacrificing his life for hers." He announced that Representative Giffords had just opened her eyes for the first time.

And, in what was a truly inspiring moment, President Obama invoked Christina Green's innocent enthusiasm, when he declared, "I want to live up to her expectations. ... I want America to be as good as she imagined it."

That is a message of hope, compassion and humility by which all Americans should live.

Shameless - A New Show On Showtime That Delivers - A Must Watch

Shameless on Showtime!

Acclaimed Emmy® Award-winning television and film producer John Wells (ER, THE WEST WING, SOUTHLAND, THIRD WATCH, FAR FROM HEAVEN, SHOWTIME's AN AMERICAN CRIME) debuted SHAMELESS (based on the long running British series) on Sunday night on Showtime starring Emmy® Award-winner and Oscar®-nominee William H. Macy (Door to Door, Fargo, Pleasantville, The Cooler).

The series is now set in Chicago's West Side Homan Square neighborhood and follows the dysfunctional family of Frank Gallagher, a single father of six children. While he spends his days drunk, his kids learn to take care of themselves. William H. Macy stars in the lead role as Frank Gallagher.

In this new version of Shameless, the sprawling Gallagher family has been transplanted to working class Chicago during the challenging times of today's recession. And the Gallaghers have no lack of challenges with a mother who is AWOL and an alcoholic patriarch -- played by Macy -- who usually ends up passed out on the living room floor. 18-year-old daughter Fiona is left to the task of keeping her five younger brothers and sisters on the straight and narrow, a task that usually proves impossible.  

Just take a peak at the Trailer and you may be hooked,  Appears you will not be alone.  According to the LA Times:

'It may have divided the critics, but in the ratings "Shameless" scored another win for Showtime's programming strategy of banking on antihero star vehicles.

The drama, an Americanized version of a British series, stars William H. Macy as an abusive, substance-abusing father. It delivered 982,000 total viewers, according to the Nielsen Co. — the pay-cable network's biggest drama premiere in seven years, since "Dead Like Me" scored 1.1 million.

SPOILER ALERT!!

WHAT FOLLOWS NEXT ARE SOME OF MY OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE SHOW AND MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.

I like how with all their differences, the Gallaghers love each other so much as a family.  As messed up as things seem they are a family with so much heart and fun.  They are a family I would want to be a part of.  They show you a family where each of them would do anything for the other; but, yet, they are all survivalists who are so hip and still know how to have fun.

I thought it was brilliant how they show booze, pot and drugs are humans coping devices.  Rather than simply vilify or glorify the use of booze, pot and drugs, they show it with all of its very human complexities.  They show people just trying to get by and find a way to be happy.  In a society that uses so many prescription pills to solve every malady (real or imagined), is it so hard to see that people might seek out booze, pot or drugs as a means of self-medication? 

The older sister (Emmy Rossum as Fiona Gallagher) is a very talented actor.  Her complex and multi-layered performance is mind blowing.  I enjoyed the twist when it turned out that her seemingly "perfect" new boyfriend was really a bad ass car thief.  I thought her portrayal of how she is afraid to be hurt but yet so wants love is acted superbly.

I found it intriguing how they are taking on issues of Muslims and religious people who are just trapped in some different culture they learned simply because they were born into it, and that we are all really the same inside - usually just doing something because it was passed down through family.  No different than say Catholics.  I enjoyed how the Gallaghers seemed free of any defined religion.

The story line between two of the older brothers is especially poignant (Jeremy Allen White as Phillip "Lip" Gallagher and Cameron Monaghan as Ian Gallagher).  I loved seeing the brothers be real brothers - loving each other and being buddies despite their differences.  As it turns out, one of the brothers may be gay, brilliantly played by Cameron Monaghan.  I love how the gay kid is not a stereo typical representation of gay.

And what a multifaceted character Cameron, as Ian 17, gets to play.  Ian is the only member of the family with a steady job.  Cameron said that he wasn't afraid to take on the role of gay teen Ian Gallagher in Showtime's "Shameless."  "I'm always happy to represent the gay community, especially with a really strong, realistic role like Ian," the 17-year-old TV and film veteran said, "so no qualms really."

In Sunday's series premiere, his older brother, Lip (Jeremy Allen White), discovers that Ian is gay and having an affair with his married boss, Kash. In a series of honest, touching and funny scenes, the tight-knit brothers clash before Lip eventually comes to terms with his brother's sexuality and Ian learns that he could have trusted Lip with his secret all along.

What a great message for our times! 

Joan Cusack is hysterical as the nutty mother of the cool high school girl who likes to give blow jobs while tutoring. The scene where the mother offers the kids cocktails like an "easy screw" or "slow gin" was the funniest scene I have seen in years.

And the Gallaghers' neighbors, Shanola Hampton as Veronica and Steve Howey as Kev, are amazing.  Kev and Veronica have a crazy hot sex life and he's totally into her, as long as she's not implying that he's stupid.

Watch and you may be shamed less!

Did Sarah Palin Cause The Death of 5 People in Arizona?

(CNN) reports -- A federal judge was killed and a congresswoman gravely wounded Saturday in a shooting outside of a Tucson, Arizona, grocery store, according to police and government officials.

In all, six people died and 12 were wounded in the shooting, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona, according to Rick Kastigar, bureau chief for the Pima County Sheriff's Department

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona was shot in the head Saturday and an unknown number of others were wounded when an assailant opened fire in an area where the lawmaker was meeting with constituents, officials said.
 
University Medical Center says that at least four are dead.  Sources tell MSNBC that a semiautomatic weapon was used in the shooting.

You ask how might Sarah Palin be involved?

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona appeared on a map of House Democrats "targeted" by Palin in 2010.  You remember, Sarah's HIT LIST - BULL'S EYE.

The map controversially used actual target markers on locations these Democrats lived and listed their names.

Here is Sarah's HIT LIST:

What is Ms. Palin's response?

Palin writes:

My sincere condolences are offered to the family of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the other victims of today's tragic shooting in Arizona.

On behalf of Todd and my family, we all pray for the victims and their families, and for peace and justice.

- Sarah Palin

Her father Spencer Giffords, 75, wept when asked if his 40-year-old daughter had any enemies.

"Yeah," he told The Post. "The whole tea party."

So Sarah, YOU are in part to blame.  Hate begets hate. Sarah with your HIT LIST and your support of Assault Weapons (WHY DOES ANY AMERICAN NEED AN ASSAULT WEAPON?) you have encouraged and promoted violence.

SARAH PALIN THIS IS IN PART YOUR FAULT. BLOOD IS ON YOUR HANDS.

Unless you immediately remove your "hit list" and renounce assault weapons, it is the same as if YOU, SARAH PALIN, shot and killed these people!