Garrett Hartley headed to the Cleveland Browns

Garrett Hartley will be kicking for the Cleveland Browns this weekend when they host their division rivals from Cincinatti.  Management finally decided to pull the trigger after having Hartley in for a workout on Tuesday.  In the workout he was a perfect 10 of 10 on his kicks while the other two kickers in for a workout struggled.

Cleveland kicker Billy Cundiff has been less than stellar this season for the Browns posting the lowest kicking percentage in the entire league for active players.  Last weekend he missed a 40 yard kick in the one point loss to the Colts leading Browns fans to publicly call for his release.  Cundiff did not participate in practice on Friday and it led to management saying that he had picked up an injury on Thursday.

Well Browns fans got their wish in the end.  Despite being sent home to New Orleans on Tuesday night the Browns finally decided to make the move calling Hartley back to town on Friday.  Garrett worked out for the Saints on Wednesday in a surprise move since Shayne Graham is 18 for 20 on the season.

Garrett Hartley has veteran pedigree as he helped the Saints win Super Bowl XLIV where he became the only kicker ever to knock in three kicks from over 40 yards in a Super Bowl.  He also became the only kicker to send his team to a Super Bowl with an overtime kick in the NFL championship win over Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings.  He was with New Orleans from 2008-2013.

So get ready Browns fans.  A new kicker is on the way for the absolute must win game with the Bengals on Sunday.

Taking a closer look at the TCU - Baylor argument

The talk of the sports nation is the latest College Football Playoff rankings released on Tuesday.  In the rankings we saw that TCU climbed to #3 thanks to their dominating win in Austin over Texas.  Meanwhile, Florida State remained unbeaten after slipping past another average opponent.  They fell to #4 as a result.  I can understand the head scratching that has resulted from putting TCU over Florida State.  What I can't understand is the TCU - Baylor debate.  Baylor currently sits at #6 in the latest rankings. Shall we compare the TCU and Baylor resumes?

Conference -
Both teams have a single loss in Big 12 play.
TCU - a last second loss at #6 where a phantom pass interference call led to the final field goal.
Baylor - a 14 point loss at a team with 5 losses on the season
Clearly advantage TCU

Non Conference -
TCU - cupcake, cupcake, a blowout win over Minnesota who has been ranked top 30 for the past two months
Baylor - cupcake, cupcake, cupcake
Clearly advantage TCU

Wildcard -
TCU has 5 wins against teams over .500
Baylor has only beaten 2 teams with a winning record all year
Clearly advantage TCU

So it looks pretty obvious if you take a step back and actually look at the entire season.  Can Baylor help themselves with a win over Kansas State this weekend?  Most definitely.  Will it be enough to lift them to a playoff position?  We shall see.  Will it be enough to lift the over TCU. Doubtful at best.

How the Media turned Michael Brown's Persona

The entire Michael Brown fiasco can be blamed entirely on the media.  CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, bloggers and local news stations. They are out of control and their narrative shaped this entire story.

Fox News with their right leaning bias.  MSNBC with their liberal bias.  CNN slanting to the left, but trying to stay down the middle.  From day 1 it wax a battle of wills on how to portray Michael Brown.  CNN and MSNBC portrayed him as a total victim, throwing on supposed witnesses that saw the whole thing.   The locals were whipped into a frenzy.

Rioting.  Looting. Thugging.

As the days passed a more true picture of Michel Brown began to emerge. He was definitely not the choir boy at all.  Seems he and a friend had just robbed a local convenience store minutes before the fateful event.  Video proof.

How to not be shot by a Police Officer

These are things to not do if you want to be safe on the streets and most likely not be shot dead by a police officer.  Some pretty simple advice. 

1. Do not rob a convenient store
2. Do not walk down the middle of a street
3. Do not try to enter a police car through the officer's window
4. Do not punch the police office twice in the face while he is seated in his police car
5. Do not try to take the police officer's firearm
6. Do not run away and then turn and rush the police officer

Six different pieces of advice to not be shot by a police officer.  If Michael Brown had not done ALL SIX of these acts he would most likely be alive today and the idiots in Ferguson would not be rioting, looting and burning down their own neighborhood businesses.  See, if you are a law abiding citizen you don't get into these tragic situations.

Jesse Jackson arrives in Dallas to save the Ebola day!

Thank Goodness that Jesse Jackson is now in Dallas to get this Ebola thing straightened out!  We all have been waiting.  He is surely needed here for sure.  And was anyone surprised when he showed up playing the race card?  Typical Jesse Jackson.  Has he ever had anything actually constructive and positive to say about anything of late?  All we hear from him is "race" this or "race" that.  I feel extremely confident that if my non African American self had Ebola that Jesse Jackson would not being showing up to check on me!

So now he feels that the poor Liberian Thomas Duncan who lied to his home country officials to get here in the first place carrying the deadly Ebola virus has been mistreated.  The Dallas hospital did not treat him because he was poor, had no insurance and most importantly was black.  Somehow Jesse Jackson is ignoring the ridiculous costs of Mr Duncan's ongoing care that is estimated at easily $25,000 per day.  Oh and he must also be ignoring that ALL of these expenses are being paid for by the very generous American taxpayer despite ALL the responsibility of the situation the fault of Mr Duncan himself.

But surely Jesse Jackson can help the situation.  Running around stealing all the camera time he can get blabbing on about how race put Mr Duncan in his predicament.  I can see a lawsuit coming soon for sure.  Hopefully if Mr Duncan gets any settlement he will receive a bill for all the medical costs he incurred.  Meanwhile, Jesse Jackson will just run to the next "event" where he can get on television and cry race.

Garrett Hartley has the edge for Detroit Lions kicker

Garrett Hartley should be the man for the Detroit Lions.  The kicking situation in Detroit has been a disaster this season thus far as young Nate Freese just does not seem to able to get the job done missing all four of his attempts from outside of 40 yards.

When asked about the current situation Lions coach Jim Caldwell stated "“We have to evaluate and see where we are and see what the situation is. We’ll do that pretty shortly.” 

Expect shortly to be today.  Last week the Lions brought in three veteran NFL kickers in Rob Bironas, Garrett Hartley and Alex Henery for workouts, meetings and physicals.  Tragically, Bironas died in a car accident the other day.  That leaves Henery and Hartley as the leaders for the job.

Garrett Hartley would have to be the favorite.  He kicked in a dome his entire career.  He also has a Super Bowl under his belt as well as having never missed a kick in the playoffs.  The Lions have major playoff aspirations this year.  There is also a history of Hartley with current Detroit coaches.  The Lions coaching staff has previous experience with Hartley as offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and special teams coach John Bonamego coached in New Orleans when Hartley was there.

So expect a resolution today as Lions fans stew on social media about the kicking situation. 

Islamist ISIS cowards continue acts

What are these ISIS militants trying to accomplish by posting videos of the unjust beheadings of two journalists?  Do they think it will make the world leave them alone to carry out their attrocities?  These people are nothing more than cowards.  They do not even have the guts to do much more than parade around in masks with their faces covered.  Cowards who are scared to stand by their acts.  They hide themselves from their family and religion.  They live in a desert of filth and prostitute their so called religion.

Do they think a couple of videos will make the Americans stop?  Of course not.  Americans are the strongest and toughest on the planet.  This will only bring even more pain to ISIS and the whacko Islamists.  It will just hasten their demise and deaths.

I can only hope President Obama has the guts to really go after these cowardly men.  He has been undeservedly soft so far, but I feel he will finally be spurred to stronger action.  There is no place on our Earth for these cowards not even the crappy desert of Iraq and Syria.

Garrett Hartley in Tennessee for visit with Titans

Seems the kicking situation in Tennessee is far from settled as the Titans have brought in former New Orleans Saint Garrett Hartley today.  The Titans have been letting rookies Maikon Bonani and Travis Coons fight it out all preseason to replace Rob Bironas, but it looks like they have finally come to the conclusion that neither is NFL ready.  With only one more preseason game left to play and the NFL opener just over a week away the Titans are looking to make a change it seems.

Garrett Hartley kicked for the New Orleans Saints for six years helping them to the Super Bowl XLIV victory over the Colts.  He remains the only kicker in NFL history to send his team to the Super Bowl with an overtime field goal and he is also the only NFL kicker to make three field goals over 40 yards in a Super Bowl.

Also joining Garrett Hartley at the Titans training facility are veteran NFL kickers Jay Feely and Rian Lindell.  Feely was 30 of 36 last year with the Arizona Cardinals while Lindell was 23 of 29 in Buffalo.  The Titans really can't go wrong with any of the three experienced kickers.  Tennessee plays their final preseason game on Thursday against the Minnesota Vikings before opening the regular season with a difficult trip to Kansas City to battle the Chiefs.

President Obama Fundraises While Rome Burns

With turmoil in several regions of the world we have a President that would rather attend fundraisers than lead our country.

Recently I published an article stating how President Obama came to Texas and instead of going to the border to address and observe our out of control illegal immigrant problem he attended lavish fundraisers in Dallas and Austin.  Now we find that instead of being in the White House working on the issues of our country our President will be spending three days this week attending six fundraising meals that cost $10,000 a plate.

Israel is in the midst of a military operation in Gaza.  Russia just shot down a passenger jet in the Ukraine.  We have 60,000 illegal immigrants that have crossed our southern borders.  Texas Governor Rick Perry was forced to act on his own this week planning to send National Guard troops to the border.  His hand was forced after he pleaded with the President several times to take action.  Any action at all.  Instead President Obama asked Congress for $3.7 billion dollars of which over 90% would not be spent until after 2015.  The problem is NOW not 2016!  Meanwhile, Obama fiddles while Rome burns.

California Senator Dianne Feinstein ripped the President today saying he should put more energy into focusing on the events around the world.  She stated "The world would appreciate his increased attention."  That is the nice way of saying "get to work!"

John McCain said President Obama was AWOL.

Meanwhile, events around the world continue to spiral and Obama just attends lavish fundraisers.

Rick Perry takes action while Mayor Eddie Guerra doesn't get it

By now we have all heard of Texas Governor Rick Perry's decision to send ten thousand National Guard to the Texas border with Mexico.  Spot on and a great move.  I echo what Perry said in that we seem to have a President that is either detached or just flat out doesn't care.  Obama's inaction is startling.  So Perry is taking action and I applaud him for it.

At least somebody is trying to d something about the border problem. The number of illegal immigrants that have crossed the border is approaching a whopping 60,000.  American taxpayers are footing the bill to feed, house and take care of these illegals.

So I am watching the local Dallas newscast tonight and they have an interview with Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra.  Wow now let me just say this guy is not the sharpest tool in the shed.  Firstly, he said he would rather have the money to care for these illegals than the National Guard on the border.  Well Mr. Mayor. We do not want to care for these illegals.  We want to stop them from crossing the border!  One fully that will be the purpose of the National Guard.  Not to change diapers and babysit.

Secondly, Mayor Guerra said he would rather have more border agents and law enforcement.  Well what do you think the National Guard are?  Goodness watching that interview was like watching a man that has no clue at all.  With leadership like this no wonder we have so many problems on the Texas-Mexico border!

Texas Tech fumbles in reinstating Nigel Bethel

Goodness how Texas Tech has dropped the ball on this one.  Not one ounce of integrity at all from Coach Kliff Kingsbury nor the Texas Tech Athletic Department.  It shows the sad state of college athletics that a person like Nigel Bethel gets reinstated to the football program and is allowed to keep his full scholarship after he punched Amber Battle breaking several bones in her face and requiring her to undergo surgery to correct the damage.

And when this incident occurred Texas Tech released the following statement: "Texas Tech Athletics has a zero tolerance policy on this type of behavior."  Spot on.  Nigel Bethel was dismissed from the football program.  Spot on.  He should have been kicked out of there.

Now only a few weeks later Nigel Bethel is back on the Texas Tech football team.  What a joke.  Well I guess that zero tolerance policy went out the window.  Really sad.   I guess the top incoming freshman football recruit is more important than showing the world that punching a woman in the face is not acceptable behavior.  Just shows what a douchebag Kingsbury is.

So now Texas Tech is saying that Amber Battle initiated the incident.  A little trash talking gone too far.  Seriously?  A football player can't take a little trash talking on the basketball court so he hauls off and punches the girl in face

The Lubbock Avalanche Journal now is trying to downplay the whole incident sating "the altercation was minor."   I would not call an incident minor when the outcome is a broken face that requires surgery.  That's not minor in any way.

Great job Texas Tech for showing the world what a loser school really is and how a football program trumps proper behavior.  If Nigel Bethel was a 5th string linebacker I guarantee he would not have been reinstated.....

President Obama wasting time with Fundraisers and Golf

We wonder why our country has so many out of control problems right now.  The terrible situation in the south with our border security.  Over 50,000 children have streamed across our border.  The majority of which will shrink into our society and be paid for by tax payer dollars.

The ineptitude of handling the multiple volatile situations in the Middle East.

The scandals at the IRS and the VA.

The disaster that is Obamacare bankrupting our government.  News just came out this week that up to a million of the seven million enrolled are illegal immigrants!

So now I will give you a couple of mind-boggling facts that will better explain our sorry state of affairs.  Barack Obama has been President for five years and 175 days.  Nearly 2000 days in total.  He has spent close to 200 days of his Presidency playing golf.  That's right on the golf course!  In 2013 alone, President Obama spent 30 days playing golf.  That is one whole month last year!

In addition to the nearly 200 days on the golf course, Obama has attended 393 fund raisers!  To put the excess in context.  Our last President only attended half that amount in his entire eight years in office total.  Think of the time wasted.  Basically a full year worth of travelling the US attending dinners and fundraisers instead of time actually spent running our country and actually dealing with these problems a hand.

Adding the golf with the fundraisers that is almost 600 days not governing.  Basically 30% of the time President Obama has been in office he has been doing junk when should be dealing with immigration, the Middle East, poverty the real issues facing the United States.  Well maybe tomorrow perhaps....opposite my bad he will be on golf course.

President Obama to come to Texas and completely ignore Immigrant Problem

It is insulting that our President would willingly ignore the biggest issue facing our country today to instead come to Texas raise campaign money and give speeches.  President Obama is declining to visit our border to see and deal with the border first hand.  Instead he will be coming to Austin and Dallas to give speeches and collect money.

Republicans are blasting him.  The whole of America is waiting for him to deal with the influx of illegal aliens....most of them children.  Instead of sending these dependents back where they came from, today President Obama asked Congress for $1.8 billion dollars to care for these illegal immigrants.

Even Congressional Democrats are letting him have it.  Democrat Minority Whip Steny Hoyer said today "The United States cannot be expected to give sanctuary to everyone in the world.  I don't think it would hurt if he (Obama) visited the border, that would send a signal that he's concerned."

This President is so unpopular that he will be giving a speech in Colorado tomorrow and the top three ranking Democrats in the state, including the governor, will not even be in attendance.  They are avoiding him like the plague.

Then he comes to Texas.  Most definitely the one state in the union where he is disliked the most.  The state that prides itself on freedoms and the Constitution is tired of his socialist ways.  It will be most interesting to see the reception Obama gets.

In the end, how about stop roaming around giving speeches and collecting money and actually deal with the immigration problem.  Send these kids right back where the came from!   Otherwise the American taxpayers will end up paying their way.  Free healthcare.  Free education. Free school lunches. Free everything at yours and my expense.

How about picking these people up.  Asking them what their country of origin is.  Then putting them on a 747 and flying them home.  Drop off a couple of plane loads of these people at the airport in Guatemala City and say "here's your kids back." The immigrants would stop pretty quickly I bet.  That would be a heck of a lot cheaper than billions of dollars to take care of these people.

President Obama wants $500 million for rebel training in Syria

Seriously?  President Barack Obama is prepared to go to Congress and ask for $500 million to train rebels fighting in Syria.  That is nuts!  Do we not have enough problems here in our own country?  Have we not watched over the past six years as Obama has added more to our national debt than every single President before him combined?  Do we not have almost $20 trillion in national debt?

Now he wants to waste half a billion dollars on Syria.  All that money being sent to a worthless black hole.  Just look at Iraq right now.  Those Muslim ISIS fighters are running around with US military weapons that we left with Iraqi soldiers that we supposedly trained.

All good.  Let's go train some crazy Syrian rebels.  Arm them with American weapons and turn them loose.  I see good results from this idea.  Don't You?

I remember Obama's quote about Iraq in a National Address: "We are leaving behind a solid, sovereign and self-reliant Iraq."  We see how that has all turned out.  So let's just throw $500 million at another pool of waste in Syria.  Just sit back and watch them kill each other.  Who cares if they are that stupid and certainly stop wasting our money over there!

David Beckham Into the Unknown - Fascinating!

So I just finished watching the Showtime special David Beckham Into the Unknown. I must admit I was thoroughly entertained.  In it, Beckham and friends bike, hike and boat through the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil.

Trials, tribulations, breakdowns and soul searching.  Being the traveler that I am, I loved it.  I have been on searching trips to Panama, Peru, the Amazon, England and France the last few years so I get the Beckham "get out and do it" attitude.

Read about my adventures at TexanTreks

I'll shoot straight.  I have never been a huge fan of David Beckham.  I always respected his game.  Thought his set pieces were magic, but never took to him even when he came to the States to play for the LA Galaxy.

Being the larger than life superstar that David Beckham is, we never really got to see the real Beckham.  Into the Unknown gives us that glimpse and I have to admit a newfound respect for the man.  It was supremely interesting to see his experiences in the Amazon and note just he similar his thoughts and experiences were to my very own.  Maybe we are not s mic different.  Who knows, in another life we would have probably been good buddies.

My favorite part of the show was when the party hiked on foot through the jungle and had to camp for the night.  And I mean it was a primitive camp!  Clear a small area.  Hang some hammocks and hope for the best.  Weird noises.  Build a fire.  An intimate conversation with the local guide.  A poisonous snake slithering through camp. Real stuff.

The interactions with the Yanomami tribe was also fascinating.  I loved Beckham's interaction with the Yanomami man painted all black. Especially when the man asked what Beckham did for his profession and David tried to explain the game of soccer to him.  Great stuff!

So in the end I formed a newfound respect for David Beckham.  He is a man not too much different than myself in truth.

Americans Raising the Weakest Generation

It seems every generation gets a nickname.  Gen X, Gen Y, The Greatest Generation, Baby Boomers etc etc.  I think the latest group of 10-25 year olds will be known as the "Weakest Generation" for me.  Now, get this straight boys and girls.  I am not going to throw much blame your way boys and girls.  This is clearly a parenting problem.  We have a major one in this country currently. The quality of parenting has eroded significantly.

Coaching competitive youth soccer over the past 16 years I have witnessed it first hand.  I take kids from the age of 10 all the way through high school and see them off to their college soccer experiences.  I have coached a few hundred high level student athletes in the last decade and a half so I have good experience on the quality of young man being produced.  Expectations have fallen so very far.

Here I am VICE - A Republican that believes in Climate Change

Well here I am.  A true rarity I guess.  I am a Republican that believes in man-made global warming.  First let me say I am well educated and very solidly a comfortable middle class citizen.  I have a finance degree from Texas Christian University still living in the state of Texas.

I believe in all the tried and true Republican ideals.  I believe in working and earning one's way in this country rather than relying on government.  I believe we are responsible for own life and would never dream of taking a government handout for something I did not earn.  However, I also believe in the scientific facts of global warming and that we are contributing to its acceleration.

I recently watched an episode of VICE on HBO in which a segment focused on the drought here in Texas.  I enjoyed the facts VICE presented as they interviewed Texas farmers affected by the lack of rainfall and I enjoyed the trip down to Lake Travis in Austin showing the falling lake level there.  VICE interviewed many people on the show that did not believe in climate change for one reason or another.

All fine and good.  We are all entitled to our opinions for sure.  The problem I had with the segment was when VICE presented the other side.  Instead of finding articulate, intelligent people to present why they feel human activities such as burning fossil fuels is helping to contribute to the change, VICE instead went to some whacko Christian preachers throwing rice off a cliff asking for rain. 

Seriously?

There are Texans like myself that do believe in global warming.  Nope VICE could not find anyone of such an opinion.  Instead they focused on some knuckleheads that are on the fringes of society.  Fair and balanced?  Not so much, but as I have written before if Bill Maher is involved it will rarely be fair at all.  Maher is about as crazy left as you can get.

Oh well.  I shall just sit here in Texas as a true rarity I guess.  A solid Republican who also believes we are making major contributions to climate change and global warming!

Obamacare flops in Oregon, Massachusetts, Nevada and Oregon

Federal taxpayers spent $474 million Exchanges in that appear destined for the junk heap: Massachusetts, Oregon, Nevada and Maryland.   Each of the states embraced Obamacare, and each underperformed massively. All have come under scathing criticism and now face months of uncertainty as they rush to rebuild their systems or transition to the federal exchange.

Now for people that actually understand the math of Obamacare this is no surprise at all.  It is really sad that so many people can see this train-wreck coming yet can do nothing about it.  We have all seen the stubborness of President Obama and Democrats to ran this unpopular law down Americans throats when a majority of the population want nothing to do with it.

Now all four of these states are giving up and telling their citizens to use the federal system.  In the meantime all the taxpayer money spent will be eaten by the taxpayer.  Money completely wasted.  Millions!  In Oregon not a single person was able to sign up due to a website that never functioned properly!  Millions of $$ spent for nothing. 

Federal taxpayers spent $474 million Exchanges in that appear destined for the junk heap: Massachusetts, Oregon, Nevada and Maryland.  Can we add in Hawaii?  We should.  Another totally inept rollout of Obamacare and another exchange that will be scrapped soon.  Listen to this. In Hawaii they have spent over $6 in taxpayer money for every $1 collected in premiums.  How inefficient is that?  Again, we have seen this coming for months and we will see more and more of this in the future.  The Obamacare system simply does not work without the taxpayer wasting millions of dollars to keep it afloat.



Massachusetts actually wants to build a portal from scratch while planning a move to the federal exchange as a backup. The dual-track approach could require more than $120 million on top of the $170 million it already wasted. That cost is nearly twice as much as if the state were to simply bail on its Connector, but officials seem to be banking in part on the Obama administration’s greater interest in helping the Massachusetts exchange survive.

The Obamacare system simply does not work without the taxpayer wasting millions of dollars to keep it afloat.  In the end it will either need to be scrapped or send this country into a tailspin of further debt.

VICE and Seattle have it all wrong on Minimum Wage increase

Oh poor VICE.  I must admit the VICE show on HBO is must watch TV for me.  Every episode has at least one wonderful story and most of the time both segments are intensely interesting.  VICE provides the kind of reporting that we just get very little of here in America.  They tell the stories that the mainstream media is unwilling to discuss or too scared to put boots on the ground. 

If you have never seen the North Korea episode with Dennis Rodman you simply must.  Riveting would be an understatement.

I also follow VICE on Facebook and get daily news articles from them in my newsfeed.  Unfortunately, these stories blasting my newsfeed are becoming more and more socialist in nature.  Anything about the United States economy or politics seems to have moved way, way to the left.  I guess I should not be surprised since Bill Maher is so heavily involved.

The True Beauty of Ruby Sparks starring Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan

Let us start by saying I watch a lot of movies. I am self employed working out of my place of residence. This allows me the opportunity to take in movies via my wonderfully expensive cable television package.

Most of the stuff I watch turns out to be junk. I usually only watch an hour or so before moving on to something else. Very few movies truly grab my attention. Usually I find only a couple a year that get to my core. Over the last year I have only found three. Lea Miserables, Moonrise Kingdom and Ruby Sparks. Crazy since I am the farthest thing from a lover of Broadway or a musical, but Les Miserables just blew me away. The story and the wonderful characters of Moonrise Kingdom keep me watching it over and over again.

Finally there is Ruby Sparks. The least known of the three, I just "got" Ruby Sparks. It came from a place I could understand. Written by Zoe Kazan and starring Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan, the casting is absolutely perfect. Zoe Kazan is incredibly talented as is Dano. Paul Dano is a troubled, secluded writer who creates Ruby Sparks via his typewriter amidst sessions with his psychiatrist. She is his perfect girl and life long love.

The net Effects of Obamacare at the March deadline

So what are the end effects of Obamacare at the March 31st deadline.  Have the scare tactics worked?  The administration has been warning people of penalties if they were not signed up by the March 31st dealine. It just doesn't seem like it at all.  The younger generations are not buying into it, clearly not happy with the facts that they are shouldered with higher costs in an attempt to supplement the older, less healthy Obamacare participants. 

North Texas West Nile Virus cases spike dramatically

Get ready.  It is about to be mosquito season around here!  As spring arrives and the thunderstorms roll in, so do the mosquitos start appearing.  Cases of West Nile Virus will be through the roof this spring and summer in Dallas and Fort Worth according to the experts.

The local newspapers are going to run with dramatic story lines for sure.  We will see it on the local news every night.  Another death from West Nile.

Dallas County Health Director Zachary Thompson said in an interview with WFAA channel 8, "Oh it's going to be panic, but If we start early and we reduce the abundance of mosquitos that reduces the likelihood of having increased numbers of West Nile cases."

So be sure to drain standing water and mosquito proof your home when those temperatures start to rise.  Don't leave doors or windows open.  Wear your bug spray and try not to be outdoors near sunset when the pesky mosquitos are most active and dangerous.

Lois Lerner - Acts the Coward as Elijah Cummings goes crazy

Documents have clearly shown that the IRS under Lois Lerner unfairly targeted right leaning organizations both for audits and to prevent them from gaining non-profit status.  She referred to Tea Party organizations as dangerous.  Now, when Congress tries to get to the bottom of the obvious scandal, Lerner pleads protection under the Fifth Amendment.

This means she does not have to say anything, despite having the knowledge of the unfair practices and coverup.  What a loser.

Then this idiot Democrat Congressman Elijah Cummings has the gall to try to extend the hearing in which Lois Lerner declined to participate by trying to steal the floor for his own political purposes.  had the gumption to say there is no evidence to support the hearing when in fact there are papers upon papers showing how the IRS unfairly treated these organizations.

Despite there being no reason for the hearing to continue due to Lerner declining to participate, Cummings was not ready for the hearing to end. He began shouting, and Chairman Darrell Issa cut off his microphone. After he convinced Issa to let him ask a question, Cummings began screaming into the microphone again, at which point Issa shut off his microphone for a second time.

Typical from the President Obama led Congress.

Russia loses all Winter Olympic goodwill

Russia loses all Winter Olympic goodwill

Well that certainly didn't last long.  It took Vladimir Putin less than a month to take all the pro-Russia feelings around the world and flush them down the toilet.  Billions of dollars wasted in what was supposed to signal to the world that Russia were back and ready to be friends.

Girls on HBO has just lost me

Well I'm sorry I just can't watch Girls on HBO anymore.  I thought season 1 was really, really good.  Season 2 was average and now season 3 has just devolved into some hodge-podge of characters.

Sorry it has just lost reality to me.  I guess in an effort to be hip and edgy and modern, the wonderfully talented Lena Dunham has assembled a cast of all queers and weird chicks.  Where are all the normal Americans?  This is nowhere close to real life to me at all.  If this is what the 20-something society is turning into we are in big trouble.  Luckily, I don't believe it to be true and judging from the floundering ratings, mainstream America doesn't identify with Girls either.

Maybe in backwards New York City, but definitely not like normal, mainstream America.  There is not one normal, average man on the entire show.  I think Adam's character is just wonderful, but that's it.  Way too many gays "gaying" everything up.

I also enjoy Shoshonna very much.  She just cracks me up with her views on life and her dialect.  Unfortunately she and Adam are about the only characters that interest me anymore o Girls.  The path that Girls has taken just does not interest me anymore.  I loved the "real" storylines of season 1.  Unfortunately they have been lost in the path to Girls season 3.

EDIT - I must admit the final three episodes were much better.  The traits that made me actually care about the girls were revisited and each of their individual journeys came back to the forefront.  Bring on Girls Season 4.

Wendy Davis rips Ted Nugent - Not Smart

A word of advice to Wendy Davis.  You will not win Texas by ripping Ted Nugent.  There is almost no person in the entire United States much less Texas that defends our Constitution and individual rights more passionately than Ted Nugent.  He embodies the true Texan spirit.  It is what our great state is built upon.

Read the full story here.

After lying low for several weeks since news broke of her lying about her past tribulations.  Saying how hard she had it through college and with hr children.  Come to find out it we all a lie and that her ex husband payed for her college completely and that she left her kids behind with him during.  Then she had the gall to divorce him the same week that he made her final college payment.  What a joke.

Open Carry Texas staging marches weekly

We have had some interesting demonstrations the last few weekends here in Dallas-Fort Worth.  Awhile back they were walking in Keller.  This weekend Open Carry Texas were in Uptown Dallas.

Open Carry Texas is trying to raise awareness that all citizens should be allowed to carry pistols out in the open.  We already have laws allowing long guns (rifles & shotguns) as well as the concealed weapons law, but citizens are not allowed to have a pistol in the open.

I must admit it must have been a little disturbing for those residents to see a group of sixty individuals walking down the street all carrying military style assault rifles.  A few had pistols holstered around their waste but the were replicas to stay within the law.
Both demonstrations were peaceful with little incident.  Dallas police were on hand and for the most part the group got positive reactions...or nobody had the guts to give a negative reaction to a group with assault rifles haha.

After the march many of the marchers had lunch at a local Mexican food restaurant and nobody seemed to have a problem with it.

So where do,you stand on this issue?  Should Texans be allowed to carry pistols openly?

Personally, I just don't see the need or purpose for it?  Trying to show you are a badass?  What's the purpose?  I am all for freedoms.  I am deep Texan at heart.  I think government needs to stay out of our business and that President Obama is a socialist disaster.

I have traveled internationally several times.  Most recently to Peru where seeing a couple f soldiers standing on the street corner carrying machine guns is quite normal.  It didn't bother me, but I certainly took notice.

So what do to think?  Open carry pistols?

Friday Night Tykes gets a personal foul

Friday Night Tykes has been happily tucked away on Esquire.  Thus most of America has yet to see this documentary style show about youth football in central Texas.  That might not be a bad thing to keep it on the down low.

I stumbled upon it a few weeks back late one night and was horrified.  Third graders being told to hit other players so hard they injure them.  Profanity everywhere.  Out of control parents.

Being a youth coach myself for over seventeen years, almost everything about this show is wrong.  Unqualified, dad coaches.  It is just a bunch of dads out there yelling, screaming and berating these youngsters.  For every one positive comment there are ten negative comments.

It is everything that is wrong with youth sports.  Watch just one episode and you I'll see why this youth football league is out of control.  What are we teaching these kids?

Finally, main stream media is taking notice as to how these adults are treating and teaching these third graders.  Right.  Third graders.  ABC World News did a story tonight about the misguided show.  It seems two of the coaches have been suspended for shoving kids and speaking to the boys in a violent manner.

About time.  This whole league needs to be disbanded and the dads need to go back to the gym to relieve stress rather than influence our youth in such a disturbing and negative way.

Friday Night Tykes - personal foul 15 yards

Valhalla Rising - anyone make sense of this movie?

Well last night I got a serious case of "the cant sleeps" and decided to get up about 3am and see what we on television.  I stumbled upon the movie Valhalla Rising on Showtime.

Now I do enjoy myself some Viking history so I decided to give I a chance.  Pretty much anything on the History Channel that involves Norse themes i watch.  So i settled in. I mean what else is on at 3am on a Saturday night right?

Let's just start by saying this movie is a bit out there.  I wouldn't term Valhalla Rising as an action movie by any means.  There are moments of action though.    Valhalla Rising follows a Viking called One Eye.  He is used for sport as a basic gladiator defeating everyone he meets.  One Eye escapes and latches onto a group of Christian soldiers.

Old Flash Gordon Episodes provide great sci-fi entertainment

So those of you that read MullThisOva know that I totally enjoy the old sci-fi stuff from the 1930s-1950s.  I loved the old Captain Z-Ro episodes where he travels back in time to research some of the most famous historical events of our past.  I also totally dug Gene Autry in The Phantom Empire where he discovers an underground city beneath his Radio Ranch.  Great stuff!

Now I am onto old Flash Gordon.  The 1980 Flash Gordon movie was one of my favorite flicks from my childhood.  Heck I still watch it today sometimes when it is on the television.  I wish one of the movie companies would make another Flash Gordon movie. 

Some startling figures from Barack Obama's first Six Years

Here are some basic economic numbers as we now enter the sixth year of President Barack Obama being in office.  These numbers are just more proof of how big government is the wrong path for the United States of America.

The US National Debt has risen from $10.6 trillion to a whopping $17.3 trillion currently.  President Obama has added more to the national debt than any other American President in history.  I think there was a time when Obama was running for his first term as President when he said a $9 trillion debt was "Un-American".  Yet it is almost doubled under him......

The United States poverty rate has risen to 15%.

American household incomes have fallen $3,800 per home.  A decrease of 7% from when Obama took office.

A ridiculous 47.4 million Americans now receive food stamps.  A rise of almost 50% under Obama's socialist policies.

Unemployment benefits have been increased to almost 2 years in length.   Is 99 weeks not enough time to go get a job?  Seriously.  I drive down the street here and see 5 hiring signs a day.  Get off the couch and go get a job!  The problem is that the current policies allow people to be rewarded for sitting on the couch doing nothing.  Collect an unemployment check.  Collect food stamps.  Sit on the porch and wait for the mail to arrive.

It is really sad what our country is being allowed to slip into.  The United States was built on people "doing".  Earn your way.  Make your life.  Now we are breeding a society where one can sit at home and wait for the government to send them assistance.