Thoughts of a Common Man

Politicians are truly amazing. Ask them a yes or no question and they will stammer through it with a stump speech of sorts that has zip to do with the original question. You’re liable to hear any of these phrases at any time. I hate every single one of them! 1). “The American people want...” This is used so freaking frequently that I want to throw up every single time it is uttered. Mike Pence has to say it 30 times a day. “The American people want us to get back to work on making the world a better place for our children.” 🤮 2). “Focused like a laser.” Question: “Do you think we should call witnesses?” Answer: “The American people know that we have to be focused like a laser on doing the right thing.” Question: “So, that means, what?” Answer: “Focused. Laser. American people.” 3). “Crystal Clear.” Again, like the focused laser it’s always crystal clear. It’s also a Pence favorite when he’s puckering up to the orange dope. “Let me make this crystal clear,...

Yesterday Dershowitz argued that a president can’t be impeached for any conduct if said conduct helps him win an election that he thinks he should win if it’s for the greater good of the country. Uh. What? So, a president can order nukes to strike states that aren’t expected to vote for him??? Cause if he wipes them out it gives him a better chance to win??? The day before he argued that abuse of power is a-okay and he actually had argued the exact opposite side of that argument 20 years before. “There doesn’t have to be a crime for impeachment!” He cried in 1999. Now: “There isn’t anything a president can do to be impeached!” They asked him, point-blank, what the difference is in his 2 arguments. “I studied,” he said. This is the same guy who used the following as a defense when asked if he had sex with an underage girl: “I got a massage. I kept my underwear on.” They call him professor. He claims to be unbiased. Every word out of his mouth is dumber than...

So, the Super Bowl is Sunday and honestly, if you asked thirty people on the street about 20 of them might not know who is playing because... ...WE HAVE LIVE BREAKING NEWS EVERY 30 SECONDS!!! 1). Impeachment Hearings Now there may be actual witnesses at the trial because the witnesses are spilling the beans on television or in books or in the middle of the weather reports, and the truth of the matter is that everyone knows he’s guilty of all sorts of crimes! His main defense is, “yeah, he did it, so what?” What happens next is anyone’s guess. Wake me up when they’re dragging him out of the office. His blonde wig and tanned face being rubbed across the carpet. 2). Coronavirus China is under quarantine. There are cases all over the place. I haven’t read a lot about it. Does Vicks on the bottom of your feet work? Is it a fatal disease? Spread how? Let me know when it’s a real threat to me and the family. I don’t want to get bogged down in worry here. 3). The Copter Crash...

My day started at 5:45 yesterday with a text message from a buddy: “Not sure if you heard, but something might be going on with Kobe Bryant.” We chatted via text about the shame of it all and then I mentioned: “Gotta’ go the music route today.” And I mention that because when a celebrity dies (especially in such a horrific, tragic manner) the coverage is way over the top... ...and the trolls come out. I saw a couple of nasty “jokes”. Some made reference to Kobe’s long ago criminal problem. Others were enraged by the fact that Kobe and his daughter received more news coverage than the other 7 people who lost their lives. (That’s how celebrity works). Yet, I kept thinking about the last few moments of their lives. Were they aware that they were going down? Did Kobe have a moment with his daughter... ...knowing that he couldn’t save her? The coach died with his wife and daughter beside him. The pilot had to be a mess. Did they know? And I’m a safety guy.....

Just awful news broke yesterday afternoon. 9 people killed in a helicopter crash and Kobe Bryant was in the copter as was his 13-year old daughter, Gianna. A sad story got sickening. Kobe was just 41 years old... His wife and daughters lost not only Kobe, but a daughter and sister as well. My son, Jake, is a huge Kobe fan. Every once in awhile he would sit down next to me and show me Kobe’s Top Ten plays. Of course, I watched his entire career as well. From the moment of his first game through his very last. He was a hell of a player and was unbelievable in the clutch. But that was just him with the ball. The thing that gets you about a death of a celebrity icon like this does is smack you upside the head. I can remember exactly where I was when my Mom pulled up in the car and said, “Thurman Munson died in a plane crash.” One of those moments when I knew right where I was. He was obviously more than a ball player - he kind of transcended the sport. Years ago, he...

Derek Jeter got the ‘yes’ vote from all but one writer. He fell that short of being just the second unanimous selection. I’m not sure Jeter much cares about that, after all, Mantle, Mays, Aaron, even Babe Ruth we’re not unanimous selection. Only Mariano Rivera so far, and since he was the greatest ever as a closer, by a lot... ...maybe that’s good enough. But things have gone south from there. There are now people on social media saying that Jeter was overrated, and that if he weren’t a Yankee he’d be just another player. That’s ridiculous. It’s like Isiah Thomas saying that Larry Bird would’ve been just another player had he been black. Senseless. Jeter had more than 3,400 hits. He won 5 titles as the starting shortstop. He was clutch, hit .310 in the playoffs. “He wasn’t even the best shortstop on his own team,” one genius posted, referring to A-Rod. And of course, A-Rod was a great player, but he was also stained by steroids. He was also a lightning rod of trou...

As kids we were taught about the three distinct branches of government. The house has impeached which means that the executive branch must comply with requests for information. The executive branch had a blanket response to not comply. The investigation was clearly obstructed. It went over to the senate where the leader of the senate decided, before he even got the articles, to side with the executive branch and then he bashed the house leader saying, “you didn’t have any witnesses!” They ignored the request to testify! But the senate surely would do their job, right? It does not appear as if that will happen. They got up and left during the trial. They played drinking games, they played with spinners and did crossword puzzles. They don’t want any witnesses! A trial without evidence and witnesses. They asked the president, the subject of the investigation, what he was thinking. “They don’t have the materials. We have all the materials. They aren’t getting them.”...