Friday, October 17, 2008

football

After last week's fiasco of a football game, I'll need some time to recover before I'm willing to make another prediction.

Joe the (not quite a) Plumber, however,
*avoids the Arkansas/Kentucky game unless he locked in Arkansas and the 10 points they were getting early in the week.

*picks Texas (-6) over Missouri,

*picks Georgia (-16) over Vandy,

*and throws in Louisville (-14) over MTSU, though he's not too sure about that one.

Good luck, Joe, and if you win, don't forget to pay those taxes!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Arkansas fans have a UK look-alike post, too.

Despise? and others

A) Do I really despise John McCain?

I spent a fair bit of time today reconsidering this notion. It seemed harsh.

The answer I came up with was "Yes."

His campaign has been despicable, and my best one-word description of his personality remains "Jerk."
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B) I hiked Jefferson Memorial Forest. Sorry for the omission.

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C) The Cats have a tough game Saturday. Paterno has been at the helm for 42 years now, the epitome of loyalty to a university, and his squad is looking especially good this year. Paterno is respected for all he gives back to his university, and in the past he has passed up prestigious positions at the University of Michigan, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the New England Patriots. I hope Kentucky wins, but it's tough to root against such a well-respected--- What? Petrino? Bobby Petrino? Really? Never mind.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

McCain

I'm fascinated by how much I despise John McCain. I suppose it's possible that I never really cared for him, but in 2000, when he was running against W., he seemed likeable. Perhaps it was only by comparison.

I know that I was frequently disappointed in him over the last 8 years. He often spoke up vehemently about things he disagreed with, and vowed to fight. But then he always caved.

Throughout this campaign, though, I've been suprised to find out what a jerk he is. He's snide, condescending, and grumpy. And his celebrated integrity is nonexistent.

He's not a maverick. He's just a jerk.

Debate III, fair and balanced



I'm so proud of myself. I watched the whole thing! Again! I was not even tempted to check the score of the baseball game (which the Phillies are leading 5-0 in the 5th. Oops. I guess I checked once.)

I didn't abbreviate it any more than I did the last one, but at least it's fair and balanced.

State of the economy:
McCain: Fannie and Freddie Mae (sic) are the reason Americans can not retire, because I backed deregulation for every big corporation and financial institution except those two.
Obama: You are so full of it it’s coming out your ears.
McCain: You’re Hugo Chavez.
Obama: You’re desperate. And a total jerk, full of outrageous lies.
McCain: I know. But if I smile enough and try to sound reasonable, some people might believe me.
Obama: We need to invest in the future, and spend money responsibly.
McCain: I’m going to use a hatchet, and then a scalpel. (Honestly, does that sound like the surgery you’d want?- Kevin)
Obama: The Bush administration stunk, and you supported it.
McCain: I’m a maverick.
Obama: You’re a Bushketeer.
McCain: I’m a maverick.

Negative campaigning:
McCain: I regret the negativity of this campaign. Especially your negativity.
Obama: You’ve got to be kidding.
McCain: You better keep those ashes out of my yard!
Obama: Sorry, but I can’t help it if your people burn crosses on windy days.

McCain: I’m not saying you’re a terrorist, but you’re a terrorist.
Obama: You are insane.
McCain: I’m taking the high road, you filthy communist terrorist.

Vice-presidential candidates:
Obama: Joe Biden is Superman. Chuck Norris dresses as Joe Biden for Halloween.
McCain: Sarah Palin is a maverick. I couldn’t be more proud of her if she was my own great-great-great granddaughter.

Energy:
McCain: Drill, baby, drill. And let's build lots more nuclear power plants. I’m sure that mountain in Nevada can hold the waste- even if Nevadans are fighting it tooth-and-nail.
Obama: We should drill responsibly and invest in alternative energies and fuel-saving technologies.

Trade:
McCain: Free trade is good. And I like talking about Herbert Hoover and the 1920s and ‘30s.
Obama: I like free trade, but it should be fair trade, too. No sweat shops, child labor, and human rights violations should be responsible for your cheap coffee and televisions, and for driving Americans into unemployment.

Healthcare:
Obama: Healthcare costs way too much. We should look at every possible way to lower the cost and improve health.
McCain: Put healthcare records on the internet. And Joe the Plumber should join a fitness center.

( I wonder how Joe the Plumber feels about being the main topic of tonight’s debate. It has to be pretty cool. -Kevin)

Obama: McCain’s plan has huge holes in it. He completely trusts the unregulated free market. I can see why, based on how well the unregulated free market is handling everything else.
McCain: Joe, guess what! You’re rich!. (????- Kevin)

Supreme Court nominees:
(Here’s where I checked the baseball game. I missed McCain’s answer. So I’ll make it up.)
McCain: My first choice for a Supreme Court nominee would be Todd Palin. I like the way he handles a snow machine.
Obama: Roe vs. Wade is the law of the land, and I’ll try to keep it so. It’s not perfect, but abortions beat the crap out of messed-up people having messed-up kids.

Education:
Obama: Invest in early childhood education. Recruit better teachers. Pay teachers better, teach them better, and make them more accountable for results. Make college affordable. And parents need to be more responsible, or everything else I mentioned won’t work.
McCain: Teachers don’t need to have certifications. (My God! Is he nuts? - Kevin)
Obama: The federal government should not pass unfunded mandates.
McCain: I like vouchers. It’s fun to say. Vouchers. Vowwww-chers. VOUCHERS. Vow-chers.

Hiking



I missed Make Tracks Day. I did, however, go hiking the previous weekend. I toted my camera around for the entire hike without remembering I had it, or maybe just without feeling any desire to take pictures.

Near the very end of the hike I noticed the camera-sized lump in my pocket and thought, "Hmmmm...I should take a few pictures so I have proof that I didn't spend my Sunday morning watching Star Trek and useless political pundits."

Then I read Mark's blog and again thought, "Hmmmm...(all my best thoughts start with 'hmmm,' and are usually accompanied by a pensive forefinger-on-chin pose) I should post a couple of those pictures."

Monday, October 13, 2008

Drat

I can't say I'm suprised that DLJ's UK career is over. That knee-twist looked nasty on replays.

I'm going to miss watching him. I agree with the KY sports radio guys-the block against LSU (currently available on the video bar to the right) is my favorite play.

Looking for a bright side? I am confident that Dicky will spend the remainder of the season as an unpaid coach devoted to route- and signal-tutoring. Maybe the wide receivers will catch on by the end of the year.