Jay Kersting's Blog

Last week, John McCain released to the media over 1100 pages of health records, for review only, covering the last eight years of his life.  When McCain ran for President in 2000, he released a lot of information up to that point in his life.

You may have heard some criticism of Senator McCain for allowing access to the health records to a limited group of the media, as a pool to share the information with other media outlets, and for doing so on the Friday before Memorial Day.  The implication being that the McCain folks wanted to minimize the impact with a release time when no one was paying attention.

Now, we are still waiting for Senator Clinton to release her health records.

We are actually waiting for Barack Obama to as well.  But he did have his doctor say that he OK.

A ONE PAGE letter from his doctor was released by the Obama campaign yesterday. 

ONE PAGE??!!?? 

Sure, I am a little skeptical.  Why?  Because how do I know that this is a doctor that I can trust?  How many doctors take the goodies from drug reps that let that impact their decision making?

Sorry, I am not a fan of physicians.  For a number of reasons.  Lately, it is based on the FACT that radio disc jockeys are held to a higher standard than doctors are.  Heard of Payola?  That is EXACTLY what a lot of doctors are DOING!!

So, I want supporting documentation to go along with assurances of someone's doctor of the last twenty years.

I have no idea how he chose his doctor, but I would hope better than he chose his pastor.

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Imagine my surprise when I looked up at the television this morning and saw that singer Michael Bolton had a movie coming out today.  While not a fan of his, I wouldn't go as far as to call him a "no talent ass clown" like the character Michael Bolton in "Office Space" did, I just didn't know he was doing movies these days.

Well, I was mistaken.  Apparently, it was Sarah Jessica Parker because the "Sex and the City" movie comes out today.   

My bad.

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You still think there is no bias in media?  Especially in political reportinig?

Think again. 

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Go see a decent movie this weekend if the weather is bad....and you have the money.  Have a GREAT Weekend!! 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 06:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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OK, so former White House spokesman Scott McClellan is getting RIPPED by the Bushies these days.  Is it justified?

All of the Bush loyalists, both inside and OUTSIDE of the White House are on message regarding the McClellan book.  Karl Rove opened up with comments on Tuesday night by equatinig McClellan with left-wing bloggers.  Dan Bartlett, former Presidential counselor to President Bush, added that this was not like the Scott McClellan that he knew.

So, is this all for money?  Is it for revenge?   Respect?

Is this because Bush didn't support his mother,  Carole Keeton Strayton, when she ran as an independent in 2006 for the Texas Governor's seat? 

Who knows?  

What I will note is that no matter WHAT the motivation behind McClellan's book, the Bushies sound a LOT like the lefties that they criticize for working off the same talking points.  Big time.  

I am not saying that this is an organized campaign, but it does show a key problem with the Bush Administration dating back to Texas days.  The lack of contrary opinions among the insiders.  

Now you may think that I have fallen COMPLETELY off my rocker here.  But hold on just a second and hear me out.

Contrary opinions force debate. Debate can bring up ideas that some, if they are somewhat open-minded, may not have thought about before.  

My view is that all of this like-thought among the Bushies is what is showing up now as McClellan's book hits store shelves.

A lot of the criticism is very accurate regarding McClellan.  He did appear to most in the media to be in over his head.  I remember someone in our newsroom just shaking his head whenever he came on the TV screen.  The Bushies didn't respect him and the media seemed to pickup on that.  Look at the respect his predecessor, Ari Fleisher, and successor, Tony Snow, got from the insiders and the Bushies.

In any case, it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Of course, Mr. Opportunistic, that would be Barack Obama to the uninitiated, stepped up to offer his opinion of the book and use it to bash the President, surprise-surprise, and attempt to link John McCain to the President again.

Again, I suggest that he spend his time reading a HISTORY book rather than McClellan's book.   He has NO credibility on this issue.  And few other issues any longer.

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The Kansas City Royals have NOW dropped 10 in a row.  I fell asleep last night when they had a nice five run lead.  Zach Greinke looked great.

Then it all went to hell.

Jose Guillen then ripped into his team and the franchise. 

Read this.

Absorb this.

Know that there is some truth to this.

But, if you have ever seen the movie "Major League 2" you may see the parallel between Jose Guillen and David Keith's character, Jack Parkman.

Will Guillen get traded like the Parkman character did? Or will his words rally the Royals?  Will Luke Hochevar take the mound tonight at Kauffman Stadium and right the ship?  His game has struggled as of late, but maybe this is the wake up call that he needs.  Luke was great when facing adversity at the University of Tennessee. 

This is the SIXTH longest losing streak in franchise history.

Depressing.

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Have a Great Thursday. 

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Rod Smith will join me in studio Friday (tomorrow) to talk about a golf tournament to benefit the Special Learning Center.  Also, to address the outpouring of support he has gotten since his dismissal from KRCG.

Posted by Jay Kersting at 05:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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I heard about this latest gaffe from the naive junior Senator from Illinois yesterday.

Apparently, while talking to a veterans group on Memorial Day in New Mexico, Barack Obama told a story about an uncle who encamped in the attic for six months after returning from World War II.   Why?  Because he was with the army when they liberated Auschwitz.

OK, so by now you have heard the uproar and outrage. I will spin it in another direction for you.

First, some folks like to pick at nits and point out that it was a Great Uncle.  BIG FLIPPIN' DEAL!  

Second, I did not realize that Obama's Great Uncle served with the Red Army.  Ha ha ha....  But he may have simply misspoke on this one.  Just because I knew in MIDDLE SCHOOL that it was the SOVIETS who liberated Europe up to Berlin coming from the East, doesn't mean that he should know that.  I am certain that East Troy Middle School is much better than Occidental College, Columbia University and Harvard Law.  And to go a step further, really, what can we learn from history anyway?

OK, OK...let me get back on track.  Let's assume that he simply misspoke and that he wasn't trying to gain some (MORE) political points.  And this is, in my opinion, a STRETCH.  But let's make the dangerous move of ASSUMING this to be the case.  Has he NOT been following current events?

Has he not seen how angry the Russian Communists are about "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" being shown in Russia?  They are mad about how the Soviet Union and their people are being portrayed in the movie. 

Can you imagine how outright PISSED OFF they will be when they learn that a leading American Presidential candidate is taking away the credit of liberating Eastern Europe from the Soviet Union too?????

No word from the Russians on this as of yet.  Hopefully, spin from the Obama campaign is enough to quell this potential storm.  I am certain that no one in THIS country will continue to talk about it.

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Yesterday, I commented on Hillary Clinton's mention of the Robert Kennedy assassination.  My brother added a comment that laid out a reasonable explanation as to why what she did was wrong and flawed.

Let me clarify something here.

Most everything she does is neither reasonable nor clear and without flaws.  My point was really that the outrage was outrageous.

My brother is correct, but that doesn't make me wrong.  Let me call the outrage what it really is, Bullshit!

Something I cannot do on the show.  Thank you Federal Communications Commission.

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Not a Super Delegate, but maybe the DNC will make an exception.

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The local story of the most outrage has been surrounding the dismissal of local sportscaster Rod Smith.  

I will open by admitting that I know Rod in passing.  We golfed a round together last year, damn good golfer by the way, and I have seen him around on occasion since that time.  Great guy.  In fact, my last conversation with Rod was to thank him for my new golf shoes.  They were paid for, mainly but not completely, with the gift certificate that our team won due to his efforts last year.  (He did, of course, give me some credit, for comic relief, for assisting in his game that day.)

Barrington Broadacasting, who purchased KRCG (Channel 13) a few years back, made the move to fire Rod for budgetary reasons.  They cut sports department down to one person, they announced, across all of their stations.  

OUCH!  

Now Rod had been with KRCG for 23 years and is pretty much a legend in local sports media.  Letting him go has been received as a big mistake pretty much across the board.  I tend to agree.

Bad for programming, and certainly bad for public relations.  And for a media company with corporate ownership, this is all that we have. 

Go see the article and comments posted on the Jefferson City News Tribune webpage to get a feel over how this was handled. 

Rod Smith is a good man and because of that, I feel confident that things will work out for him.  I wish him well.

Which is a lot more than most people seem to be saying about his former employer.

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And finally, from Sweden, comes this story. A woman claims to have been married to the Berlin Wall for 29 years. 

Commenting from the United States, Tipper Gore says, "You go, girl!"

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Have a great Wednesday.  Comment as you see fit and feel free to click on any of the ad banners to buy stuff.  I just got billed for the next quarter of my webhosting.  (Ha ha ha...) 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 05:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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It's Tuesday, time once again for me to pick on the junior Senator from Illinois.

On Friday, and you have probably heard the OUTRAGE, but did you hear the original comments IN CONTEXT?

Senator Hillary Clinton explained her position on staying in the race by mentioning that her husband did not clinch the nomination until mid June back in 1992.  And then she went on to mention the assassination of Robert Kennedy.

Oh my God!!  She mentioned that Robert Kennedy was assassinated!!  How could she???

Now first of all, I do not understand why a mention of historical fact is such an outrage.  Was she calling for another assassination? 

Of course not, unless you are one of the kooks who thinks that the Clintons take care of business along the same methodology as Tony Soprano.  I don't like the Clintons on many levels, policy, personality, honesty, but I don't think that they have hit squads working for them. 

But apparently, even use of the word assassination is offensive to BOTH Senator Obama and his supporters, as well as even right-wing pundits.

I was watching CNN on Friday when they got the video tape of what Senator Clinton said.  I saw it, in context, and thought that she made a very valid point regarding why she should stay in the race.  Then CNN went right to reaction from Senator Obama's camp.  Later, I saw Senator Clinton apologize for the remarks possibly being offensive and further explain the comments. 

Later, I was watching Special Report with Brit Hume (Bret Baier filling in) on Fox News Channel.  Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer, who once worked for both Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale but has turned libertarian/conservative in recent years, thought that she crossed a line with the use of the word "assassination" in her comments.  I have a LOT of respect for Dr. Krauthammer (he is an M.D.) but I disagree with the criticism of this statement of fact. 

Krauthammer's point was that with the death threats that have been received by Senator Obama made this bad form.  

So, are you telling me that Senator Clinton and Senator McCain HAVEN'T been getting death threats?  Of course they are, they all do.

Now, I am not naive enough to think that Barack Obama is getting the same types of threats.  I am certain he is getting more of them and more serious threats.  And I do not want to see ANYONE running for President harmed in any way.  But it is a word used to describe an actual event in history.

But his outrage is outrage for the sake of outrage.  The thin-skinned junior Senator from Illinois, who once complained about people picking on his sizable ears as a point of sensitivity for him, is wanting sympathy.  

Seriously, do you really want a man with such sensitivities sitting with his finger on the button?  

As Terry McAuliffe pointed out on Sunday, even Robert Kennedy's son, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., was not offended by the comment.  I guess he knows, first hand, that it  was a factual statement. (NOTE: CORRECTION to earlier entry when I said that RFK, Jr., was an Obama supporter.  He is, indeed, a Clinton supporter.  My mistake.  Sorry for the confusion.)

Senator Obama, man up!!  If you can't take this heat, why are you in the race in the first place? 

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Have you been following the story out of NASA, dateline North Pole, Mars?

The Phoenix spacecraft landed safely on Sunday evening and everything seems to be working just fine so far.

Well, why are they there?  

Several things are being examined on this mission.  First, they are looking for signs of life that might have once existed, or possibly exists, on Mars.  (That may light up the backsides of the Evangelicals.)  Second, they are wanting to see how much ice/water exists on this part of Mars.  Why?  To see if there is enough that could be used by human travelers to the red planet.  (No, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee, they have not been there yet.)

Many people still wonder why we spend money on our space program when ______________.  

Fill in the blank anyway you want.  Homeless vets, starving children, healthcare, war on terror, high energy prices, candidates saying the word "assassination" when explaining why they are in the race, earthquakes in China, Typhoons in Burma, economic downturn, Anheuser-Busch fighting a potential takeover, the Royals eight-game losing streak or something I may have missed.

The answer is, it is money well spent for the most part.  Look at the advances that have come to our lives directly or indirectly due to the successes of NASA.  I will not bother to name them, you SHOULD already know them. 

Too often, I hear people criticize NASA.  And NASA is not above criticism.  But I blame the Congress for AGAIN not seeing the forest for the trees.

What will come out of this trip to Mars?  Directly, I cannot be certain, but most of the technological advances will not come from the trip itself.  If anything, they are already with us and they came out of the development of the vehicle and the communications and computing systems.

That is one of the reasons why I would like to see more resources put toward Project Constellation. 

It is another way to research new energy options for our future, while not directly.

And no, it will not help break the Royals losing streak.

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Have a great week.  Comment as you'd like.  Thanks for reading. 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 05:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

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Let me open up with an admission and a regret.  I am not sure how many of you know this, but back in February I voted in the Democratic Primary and I voted for Barack Obama.

I regret this vote.  I strongly regret this vote.  I will go as far as to say that I regret this vote more than any other vote I have EVER cast.  (And I did vote for Al Sharpton back in 2004, so this is a BIG statement.)

Why?

Because the man has done nothing but distort, spin and lie lately.

He has gone a long way to piss me off.  In fact, he has proven the statement that Rev. Jeremiah Wright made to Bill Moyers to be correct.  He is saying what he says because he is a politician.

What has set me off now, and yesterday when I heard these remarks I about went Elvis on the TV, is how he has LIED, outright LIED, about Senator John McCain's position on an expanded G.I. Bill.

Here is what Senator Barack Obama said on the floor of the United States Senate yesterday.

"I can't believe why he believes it is too generous to our veterans, I could not disagree with him and the President more on this issue.  There are issues that lend themselves to partisan posturing, but giving our veterans the chance to go to college should not be one of them."

Time for a little truth detection here.  What the damned liar from Illinois needs to to is pull back his rhetoric and stick with a few facts.  Doing that could still score him some points.

What John McCain has been favoring is a new G.I. Bill that does TWO main things that this bill, proposed by former Navy Secretary and current junior Senator from Virginia, James Webb, does not do.  First, the Webb bill would likely cause, according to the Congressional Budget Office, a sixteen percent decrease in re-enlistments.  The bill that McCain favors addresses the re-enlistment problem by expanding the benefits the longer someone serves.  Then it goes a step further.  It allows benefits to be transferred to a family member upon the unfortunate death of a service member.

OH, so the bill that Obama supports is better?  Are you kidding me? 

At best, Senator Obama can claim that Webb's bill is politically expedient.  That is it.  It is NOT better for the servicemen and servicewomen, and it is CERTAINLY not better for the nation. 

Worse yet, he expands this on the stump (which a few of you have defended in e-mails to me...boggles my mind...but we are all entitled to our opinions).  In Michigan, a state that is DESPARATE for change...and in Michigan, that actually DOES mean simple pocket change, he said, "John McCain has called for three to four hundred billion dollars worth of corporate tax breaks, building on what George Bush did, and he's saying we can't afford $2 billion to provide our G.I.'s the kind of education they need.  It doesn't make any sense."

Well, let me clue the naive Senator from Illinois, who I was STUPID enough to vote for, on something.  First, corporate tax breaks are NOT direct cash subsidies and those tax breaks are what have fed more money into the Federal Governments coffers the past few years.  Second, John McCain has NEVER said that we can't afford the $2 billion.  He has just said that there is a BETTER way.

But if Barack Obama was HONEST about this, he could NOT score political points from the masses.

Sadly, Barack Obama is feeding off the IGNORANT masses.

And I am just one voice who can hope to get the TRUTH out there.

Again, do NOT take my word for this.  Do your own research.

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Speaking of the need for a truth detector, all candidates need to be exposed to a little more scrutiny.  That is why I will again recommend a couple of websites for you to check out.

First, the website FactCheck.org has been around for several years and has a pretty good track record of cutting through the crap being thrown out by politicians from both sides, and even outside, the political aisle. 

Another is the Truth-O-Meter at Politifact.com. What I like about the Truth-O-Meter is that is gives the degrees of truth versus distortion. 

Both are good places to get the real story.  And where you can check out the candidates and the media.  Even me.

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This weekend is Memorial Day Weekend.  As my little part, we purchased a new flag kit and last night I mounted the flag holder to the post on the porch at the front door of our house.

I know that many people take this three day weekend to traditionally travel.  Well, this year, with gasoline prices being as high as they are, maybe you will not be travelling.

I do hope that everyone remembers the reason for the day.

But, have fun and enjoy time with your family this weekend.

More on Monday. 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 04:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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Today, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdon of the Crystal Skull" opens in theaters.  4260 screens will be showing the latest entry in the series by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. 

Now, I will probably take the boys to see it this weekend.  I admit that I will spend too much money to view the flick, and it may not be worth it.  I figure it will NOT be as good as "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and possibly not as entertaining as "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" was when it came out in 1989.  That said, I also figure that it can't be any worse than "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" was.

Again, this movie could be complete crap, and I'd still buy four tickets to see it.  And here is the parallel.  I saw "Raiders of the Lost Ark" when I was 11.  My sons are 12 and 10.  Sort of the same stage of life, you think?

The argument in my household will be over which theater we go to.  I have become a bit of a movie theater snob after living in Knoxville...home of Regal Entertainment Group...which had nicer movie theaters than even Los Angeles. 

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Nice to see that the U.S. Senate is doing all they can for us to keep prices low at the gas pump.

Some people think that the rhetoric helps things out by bringing issues to the forefront.

CRAP!

All this does is give political cover for those who have done, and continue to do, NOTHING about the problem.  

Chuck Schumer is great at placing blame.  Offer a SOLUTION, Senator!!  

Dick Durbin has a great history of placing blame as well.  Has he EVER offered anything of value to the American people?

I am not saying that the oil execs are completely innocent.  But what was the point of this display?  

It was ALL crap.  Period.

The bottomline is that the United States AND the World have done nothing for thirty-five years to fix the energy problems.

Fixing the energy problems as a desired secondary effect.  Do you see it yet?

It neutralizes the nations who produce the crude oil.  These are mainly the countries that you WANT neutralized.

Take away the power created by that natural resource they can sell to us from Iran, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and what are they?  Nothing.

THAT is the real reason why we need to get off the petroleum standard in this world.

Expect more from the House side today.  Lots or rhetoric and no solutions.

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Have a great Thursday.  If you see Dr. Jones today, let me know what you think. 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 07:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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Let me just open by saying that I will NOT say an ill word about Senator Edward Moore Kennedy as related to his recent diagnosis.  I have let my feelings about Senator Kennedy known for years and I will not be a hypocrite by saying nice things about him now.

While sad that he has brain cancer, I find it hypocritical that those who have opposed him for years are now heaping praise on the man.  I have no problem with comments from those who have said so many nasty things about him over the years.  Now both President George W. Bush and Senator John S. McCain III have worked with Senator Kennedy by reaching across the political aisle, so I have no problem with them expressing their feelings toward him.  But there are several others who have been more nasty than, well, even me toward him....and now, they are saying what a great Senator he is...etc.  HYPOCRITES!!

Worse yet, failing CBS news anchor (and anchor maybe more accurate than we know as the ship continues to sink at CBS) Katie Couric used the revelation of Kennedy's cancer as an excuse to editorialize AGAIN for her healthcare goals.  Katie - here is an idea, offer a solution that our nation can afford....solve the problem or at least try.  Otherwise, shut up and read the news.  Worry about your ratings, or run for office.  [Point of information: I do not watch CBS Evening News.  "Katie Couric's Notebook" is a feature on "America in the Morning with Jim Bohannon" that airs on NewsTalk 1240 KLIK just before my show.]  I cannot say that I was surprised at a network news anchor being opportunistic.  In fact, I would have been surprised if this DIDN'T happen.

I do wonder what the Kopechne family thinks about this news.

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"Standing for Change" has been a theme of the Barack Obama campaign.

It is also the theme used by that guy at the end of the ramp at I-40 West and Campbell Station Road in Knoxville.  (Or for my Missouri readers, the guy at the end of the ramp at I-70 West at Blue Ridge Cutoff).  

That is what scares me.  Part of that change is raising taxes in a economic downturn (NOT recesssion, look it up!!).

We may be fighting for spots at the end of ramps.

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I am with Clint Eastwood on this.  Get off her back. Quit telling Hillary Clinton to leave the race.  Seems that most everyone among the political punditry is telling her to leave the race.  The same ones who said "Game Over" to John McCain in the Summer of 2007.

So, if she is done, why is she still winning states like Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky by decent margins?  Don't those people listen?

It is really simple, and I do not buy in to the fact that a national radio talk show host is steering people to vote for her as being enough to cause these margins.  Voters don't like being told what to do.

I will go a step further.  Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are good at giving speeches these days, but look at who is giving a better interview.  

Everyone knows that I am against most of the policies that these two stand for, and that I have never been a Hillary fan, but it seems to me that she is still strong and still viable.

It is possible that the Democrats are, AGAIN, making a mistake.  Most polls of the two Democrats against John McCain, show that she is doing better than he is.  It is still early, but I think it is a factor worth considering inside the DNC.

Will there be a June Surprise?  Sit back and watch. 

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Finally, I have often found that I agree with Neil Cavuto of Fox Business and Fox News.  Yesterday, he closed his show on Fox News Channel with his "Common Sense" segment.

I could not agree more. 

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Have a great Wednesday.  If you are listening here in Missouri today, stay tuned for State Treasurer and Gubernatorial candidate Sarah Steelman at 8:35/8:40 this morning.

Posted by Jay Kersting at 05:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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It may seem that I am picking on Barack Obama a lot lately, but he is the magnet for this type of activity.

Let me go back and remind folks that I was pretty easy on him for a LONG time.  I even praised him from time to time.  But now, the more he opens his mouth, the more ridiculous he sounds.

First, his continued insistance on drawing a parallel between the Soviet Union and Iran.

HUH?

One was a super power, the other a major state sponsor of terror.  One had nuclear weapons aimed at us, the other uses people with no regard to their continued existance on THIS planet as weapons.  One was once an ally that became an enemy over ideological and political differences.  The other was a forced ally, led initially by the grandson of a former President, that turned against us following the words of support to their leader from our President. 

Both held Americans against their will at one time or another.

When did the United States engage the USSR in discussions?  Depends on your perspective.  Sure, Eisenhower and Khrushchev had meetings, and had meetings cancelled, remember Gary Powers? Khrushchev thought Kennedy was a joke and put missiles in Cuba, then Kennedy showed that he wasn't to be trifled with.  LBJ sort of kept the focus on a little patch of land called Vietnam.  Nixon engaged the Soviets and opened the first real discussion of nuclear arms limiting by the two superpowers.  Ronald Reagan uped the ante a bit by increasing military spending and pointing Pershing missiles at the USSR before sitting down with the Soviets.  Then he really waited until he had a man in Mikhail Gorbachev that he knew he had an advantage over, both in national position and in respect of the world.

So, what would we gain engaging Iran today?  There is no parallel in situations.

Maybe China is a better comparison.  We ignored China as not existing until Kissinger engaged in "Ping-Pong diplomacy" and got Nixon to visit Beijing in 1972.  But again, the nation of 800 million (at the time) had a position of power via their population alone.  Iran does not have that.  And while the Peoples Republic of China helped North Korea and North Vietnam, they were not really a state supporter of terror.  I know you can argue about the Viet Cong, but they were not being directly supported by the PRC, but rather by the NVA.

So, that corrolation doesn't corrolate.  Sorry Senator, go back for a history refresher.  Apples and Oranges here. 

Let me offer this up...IF, big IF, you see the parallel, please try to explain it to me. 

Next up, "Lay off my wife."  Yesterday on Good Morning America, that was the statement issued by the senator.  Normally, I would say that he is right.  But when Michelle Obama interjected herself in the campaign by her statement about being proud, for the first time in her adult life, of her country, that is a fair criticism because she did not back down nor clarify the statement. Beyond that statement, Senator Obama is absolutely right.  Leave her alone.  But that is the only thing she is being criticized about in campaign ads. 

Let me go a step further, I think going after Michelle Obama is a BAD idea and a LOSING proposition.  But I think it is fair to criticize the comment, however I wouldn't do it in a campaign.  Personally, I think letting the statement stand on its own does enough damage.

Senator Obama coming out and saying "Lay off my wife" in a political campaign shows that he may be a bit thin skinned.  But, I cannot say that I would be any different.  Often times Kathleen is worried about what I will say and how it will reflect on her.  She shouldn't even think about that.  She has little control over me, Barack Obama does not have control over Michelle Obama.   He should do what I tell Kathy to do.  If someone says anything to her about something I said, tell them that it doesn't mean it is what she thinks.  Period.

Again, to simplify things, I think the statement exposed more than it covered up.  Probably shouldn't have been said.   Let the OTHER guys look bad, don't play their game.  You just gave them what THEY wanted.

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The Kansas City Royals were no-hit for just the SECOND time in franchise history.  John Lester joins the name NOLAN RYAN as the only pitchers who have ever no-hit the Blue.

Just one game.  Hurts, but it is just one game.

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Oh, and here is what also struck me as funny.  Senator Robert Byrd has endorsed Senator Barack Obama.  Klansman has changed?

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Since I seem to be piling on Senator Obama this morning, let me add this one.  Now he is doing the old elitist bit of telling us to watch our thermostats.  Duh, I watch it because I don't want to give too much money to Ameren UE.  I don't watch it because some poltician is trying to GUILT everyone about America being prosperous and therefore using energy as we see fit.

Don't guilt us, that is about as bad as using fear.

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Speaking of guilt, now Prince Charles is warning us that we have just eighteen months to get things right with the environment...global warming alarmists come from everywhere.  I would have expected more from an archaeology major.

If his wife said it, then you'd have it from the horse's mouth. 

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What else is on YOUR mind these days?  Let me know and maybe I will post on that topic.

Oh, and thank you to Dr. Roger Thompson for offering his insight on the happenings in Portland.  As a native Oregonian, he explained things that this midwestern boy did not have the insight on.  Thanks Roger, I think I get it a little bit now.

Comment as you like and have a great Tuesday. 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 04:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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This morning, I was playing a little catch up on what happened over the weekend.  So, I went to www.PresidentialBlogWatch.com to see what had been writted on the blogosphere about the election over the weekend.

My friend Bob Wilson put this together, and I mentioned it on here a couple of weeks back, and it links to blogs that make mention of each of the three viable Presidential candidates.  (I do not really see any point in tracking Bob Barr, Cynthia McKinney, Mike Gravel nor Ralph Nader.  Their own campaigns probably don't bother tracking them.)

I got to see some of the reaction to John McCain's appearance on Saturday Night Live.

I also got to read about Barack Obama's big crowds in Oregon.

And that Hillary Clinton is still running.  And leading in Kentucky.  And a lot of people still don't like her.

Now, I could have found all of this on my own, and I would have, but Bob has made the reactions on the blogosphere a bit easier for all of us.  

So, if you are interested in that kind of thing, check out the site.

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Back on Saturday, I had the opportunity to meet several listeners at the Fantasy Vacation Giveaway drawing party at Mike Kehoe Ford.  First off, thanks to Travel Answers and Mike Kehoe Auto Group for sponsoring this contest.

But it was a great occasion to meet many of the folks who keep this show on the air by listening to what we do here.  Thanks again to everyone who tried to qualify, those who did qualify and those who came out with the qualifiers to say hi to us.

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I spend a significant portion of Sunday in bed with a very sore back.  Saturday morning, I slipped and fell down the step in my house.  This happened before the gathering at Mike Kehoe Ford, so I was sore then.  BUT, as I have learned, the soreness comes a day or so later.

So, I made the best of it.  I watched the Royals hang NINE on the Florida Marlins.  Always nice to see your team take 2 of 3 from a first place team.  Even if they are not in the same division, or even the same league, it is still nice to see.

Now, don't go thinking that I was a complete bum on Sunday.  We did go out an buy nine bags of Midnight Black mulch for the front yard landscaped area below the fountain.  

Looks good now.  Maybe I will have to post a picture and let you tell me.  Especially, if I can find a before picture as well.

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Back to politics for a second, I do not understand why 65,000 people would go out to hear a politician speak.  In fact, that idea scares me a little bit.

Now, I think I understand that Portland, Oregon, is a bit more liberal than most of this nation.  But even with that said, I am a little scared to see such a rally take place in this day and age.  

I guess, I look at back in history and think of many political rallies like this one over the weekend.  My recollection is, and I could be wrong, that most of these rallies, when that person becomes a leader of a nation, lead to very bad things.

I hope this is not the case here, but my fears are based on MY PERSONAL recollection of history.  I am NOT making a comparision to ANY specific individual, I am only comparing similar gatherings in history.

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Have a great week.  Comment as you wish.  Look for a little more depth to the blog as the week continues. 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 05:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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Today is the final day of the 2008 Missouri General Assembly's Regular Session.  This means a busy and possibly LONG day for KLIK News Anchor David Gaines.

For me, I am attending a meeting at Ben's school then hitting the links.  I got some new adidas golf shoes, too.

I think I have the better day.

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Tomorrow, I have to work.  It will be fun as I will be at our drawing party for our "Fantasy Vacation Giveaway" at Mike Kehoe Ford.  Any time I get to meet some of the listeners to the show is a lot of fun.  I really enjoy it.  My only regret is.....I can't get the $2000 for a vacation myself.

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OK, so President Bush made a comment to the Israeli Knesset regarding other Americans who want to use the "false hope of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history."

This was taken as a direct attack on Barack Obama.  In fact, every Democrat who has spoken out has made this connection.

While, this was probably implied by President Bush, and certainly inferred by all the Democrats, I think it was a directed comment BUT with an added more general swipe.

It was easy to see this as a swipe at Senator Obama, but this was really a further reaching comment toward the Democrat base which has a whole movement toward appeasement.  Barack Obama is just one of the most vocal.

If that is perceived as a political attack, so?

Now, the other criticism is where President Bush made his comments.  Well, sorry, but I see the Israeli Knesset as one of the most appropriate places to make the statement.  The United Nations General Assembly being the other.  

But, that is because I take a macro look at things.  

And maybe I am a bit hawkish.  I think if it comes to using force, we use it.  Don't back down...with all due respect to Tom Petty.

Actually, I am kind of a Teddy Roosevelt guy.  Speak softly and carry a big stick.  And remember, the stick isn't worth anything unless you make it known that you are willing to use it.

That worked for Buford Pusser.  He knew the costs were high.  He still did the right thing.

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The Royals extended their winning streak to FOUR on the 55th Birthday of Number 5 (George Brett).  BUT, they hit the road this weekend.

Will Smith reference, goin' to Miami.  Facing the Florida Marlins...a surprisingly hot team.  Then again, the Royals are surprisingly hot this week.  We will see what happens.

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Have a GREAT Weekend! Add comments...and thanks for the kind comments and e-mails from yesterday.  Yes, even you Dean Morgan.

Posted by Jay Kersting at 05:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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Let me open up this entry by saying "Happy Anniversary" to my wife Kathleen.  Thirteen years ago, she made this a date worth noting in my life.  Thank you Kathy.

Now, besides that Monday morning in 1995, a lot of other interesting things happened on this 15th day of May throughout history.

Back in 1756, the Seven Years War, also known as the French and Indian War in North America, began as the United Kingdom declared war on France.  Yeah, the French lost.

Then in 1776, the Virginia Convention to the Continental Congress proposed a resolution of independence from the United Kingdom.  This led to a proposal that was penned on 4 July of that year, and signed by most on 2 August 1776.  I think you know what I am talking about.  And no, there is not a secret map on the back.  Or is there?

Fast forward one hundred and twenty nine years, to 1905, and move west to a Nevada meadow.  The city of Las Vegas was founded when 110 acres of land was auctioned off.  Gambling came much, much later.  Really.  There was NO gambling there until it became legal in 1931.  None at all.  And the mob never ran the town either. 

Six years later, the Supreme Court of the United States declared that Standard Oil was an "unreasonable" monopoly.  The company was ordered to divest itself.  This is good news today because competition is still keeping fuel prices low.

In 1918, the Finnish Civil War was finished.  Or is that Finnished? 

In 1940, the health of our nation took a hit when the McDonald brothers opened their restaurant in San Bernadino, California.  Of course, the McDonalds chain really took off after milkshake mixer sales man Ray Kroc came out to see the operation.  Billions of burgers, and a song by Mark Knopfler, have been served since then.

A year later, Joe DiMaggio started his 56 game hitting streak.

Then in 1948, just days after the forming of the Jewish state of Israel, everyone gets pissed and attacks the young nation.  OK, OK, not everyone, but every bording nation attacked them.  Egypt, Transjordan (now Jordan), Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia all jumped on Israel.  Guess who won?

Back to baseball for just a second, my favorite baseball player of all time, George Brett, was born on this date in 1953.  Happy Birthday to Mr. Brett!!

Richard Nixon did some bad things in his life, but in 1970 he did a good thing by appointing the first two female U.S. Army Generals.  Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth Hoisington were the first.

In 1995, Kathleen Marie Shelton made a decision, while sober believe it or not, to actually follow through on that promise to marry me.  Don't be too hard on her, she is still kicking herself.

Then in 2003, there was this incident. 

The last two are personal, but I found the rest to be quite interesting.

Besides, it is better than talking about the Ambulance Chaser endorsing Barack Obama.

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A slight controversy is being stirred up and I do not know if this has any legs under it or not.

Recently, the tax returns of the various Presidential candidates were released.  The biggest attention went toward Bill and Hillary Clinton over how much they have made.  But little else was made of it.

Now, some are wanting to draw attention to the tax returns of a candidate's spouse.  Or the lack of public release of the tax returns of this spouse.

Cindy McCain does not file join tax returns with her husband.  Some are saying that her income, sources of income and financial interests could impact his decision making in the White House.

This brings up an interesting discussion, but I am not sure if this is worthy of controversy.  I have seen few others bring it up, but I did see it mentioned on the blog section of the Los Angeles Times website.

I do know that Cindy McCain has sold mutual funds, to the tune of $2 Million, that had financial interests in Sudan.  Good move.

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The Kansas City Royals have a three game winning streak.  Luke Hochevar got his third win of his major league career.  They are back to .500 for the month of May. 

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Have a GREAT Thursday! 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 05:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

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Last night, I attended a meeting held by the Downtown Jefferson City Association and the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce to discuss an action plan to continue the healthy existance of downtown.

Well, maybe that is not the best way to describe it.  How about a plan to insure that downtown becomes a more vibrant part of the city?

Great.  How?

And, to paraphrase Shakespeare, there-in lies the rub.

What I think would be what downtown needs is probably not what you think.  And what the next person thinks different.  We all have different priorities and beliefs.  And few of us have the financial resources to address this alone. 

That is the reason for the action plan.  And steps were developed to hit some of the goals.  The idea being that many hands make not just light work, but many hands give this action plan a chance to succeed.

Viewed as most important to those who did take part in these meeting is to attain the best mix of businesses for our downtown.

Steps have been defined.  As I recall what a lot of the specifics are on this plan, I will share them.  I do know that one of the first steps is to produce an inventory of open space downtown.  Knowing what you have for sale, makes it easier to sell...right?  I also know that more resources are being developed for potential new business owners....and ways to learn more about becoming one of those new business owners if that is something you wanted to do. 

This is a good thing.  And I will add this, many hands will make this happen, but many minds brough forth ideas to get the ball rolling.

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Oh, and don't let me forget the word of the evening last night. 

Wazooize (wah-ZOO-eyez) 

I can't define it exactly.  But to put it in context may give you a definition.

"We need to work on finding more tax incentives.  We need to WAZOOIZE our tax credit opportunities."

I guess it is like maximizing, but "to the next level."

Credit Randy Allen for the word.  I wonder what else Randy may want to Wazooize at the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce. 

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Oh, and Hillary Clinton got a landslide win in West Virginia.

I am still waiting for West Virginia to apologize for Robert Byrd and Jay Rockefeller.

I think we are entitled.

Byrd is obvious. 

Rockefeller..well, look back at some of the idiotic comments he made about John McCain dropping laser guided missiles.  (For those who do not recall, missiles are fired as they are rocket or jet powered...they are NOT dropped.  Bombs are.  And laser guided in 1967?  Really?)  Jay Rockefeller is proof that money can't buy class nor intellect.

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ESPN will possibly change this, so I will not link to it.  I checked the score from last night's Royals-Tigers game.  On the ESPN Major League Baseball scoreboard, I saw a link that told me "Guillen drives in pair of runs as Royals edge Twins."

Wow.  How did that happen?  The Twins played Toronto and lost 5-3.  The Royals beat Detroit by a run, 3 to 2.

How it happened?  Simple.  If it is NOT the Yankees or Red Sox, it doesn't matter to ESPN.

Too bad they do not realize their internal bias.

I have hated the Yankees since the 1976 ALCS (damn you Chris Chambliss!) and I think of the Red Sox as the Mojito of baseball.  Seriously, mojitos are just a vile combination of run and mint...NO ONE could seriously like them, but due to great marketing a lot of  people drink them.  Same with the Red Sox, great marketing about the Curse of the Bambino and other pathetic crap to tug at the heart strings of make-believe sports fans.  Then the "broke the curse" and won a couple of World Series.

Both are still vile, but loved by ESPN.  No accounting for taste....just like rum and mint.  Ick!

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Share your thoughts and have a Great Wednesday. 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 05:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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First, back to politics.  West Virginia gets the spotlight as their Presidential Primary is held today. 

Yup, West Virginia.  Hold your jokes for JUST a couple of minutes.

Barack Obama has already said that he will lose this state.  Did he even try?  I ask that question each and every time someone comes out and says they are going to lose.  But for some reason, I am reminded of what Bruce Willis' character in "The Last Boy Scout" (Joe Hallenbeck) said to himself in the mirror.  "Nobody likes you.  Everybody hates you.  You're going to lose.  Smile, you f***!"

If you say you are going to lose, you will.  I know that Lou Holtz played this game with the media for years, but everyone knew that behind the closed doors of the locker room he was saying something different.  You cannot have the same approach in politics.  The team you are talking to is the same that the media is talking to.

I have no problem being realistic.  But realistic confidence is better than the defeatest tone that he has taken in several of these primaries.

In February, I saw a man of energy and confidence.  Today, I see a man who just wants to get it over.

It leads me to question how he will approach the job that he is seeking.

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Let me continue to pile on.  Last week, Senator John McCain appeared on "The O'Reilly Factor" with Bill O'Reilly and tackled a lot of tough questions.  One of them was his opposition to Senator Jim Webb's expanded G.I. Bill.

McCain explained this to my satisfaction and probably to everyone who saw his response.  To summarize, McCain thinks that Webb's bill discourages continued enlistments.  In fact, it McCain thinks it will encourage many to leave military service quickly.  McCain, instead, supports a bill that offers more benefits and improved benefits based upon the amount of time you serve.  McCain wants to encourage re-enlistments, knowing that an experienced military is better than one that is constantly training new people.

I get what McCain wants to do.  I think what McCain wants is better for our national security.  I would bet than in his heart Senator Obama does as well.

But, in order to score political points, Obama denounces McCain for not supporting Webb's bill.  Calling this dishonest is like saying that Howard Dean has a slightly recognizable scream.

This is as dishonest as his statements, and Howard Scream's, that McCain wants 100 years of war in Iraq.  

All is fair in politics is a statement that I have never subscribed to.  I think honesty is something We The People need to demand.

Barack Obama again is falling short.  

This disappoints me.  He disappoints me again and again.  I had hoped to have two candidates to choose from that I could respect.  Maybe he can regain my respect.  But his political posturing is making me NOT!

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Senator McCain disappointed me as well yesterday with his comments on global climate change.  

Has he been drinking Al Gore's Kool-Aid??

In recent weeks and months, many stories from respected and reputable scientists have come forth to say that Gore is wrong.  That global climate change is cyclical, as I learned in my sophomore level geology classes back in 2000.

Well, as I looked further at McCain's comments, I took away something a little different.  I don't think he is a Gore-like Global Warming Zealot, but rather an environmental steward.  Everything he has said UP to this point indicates that.

Yesterday's comments left me a bit confused on where he stands.

Do we have a choice this fall of two people who subscribe to junk science? 

I want more information.  Something the Gore crowd should want as well.  It's called education.

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Speaking of Bill O'Reilly, when will Barack Obama be man enough to appear on his show.  Hillary Clinton did.  John McCain did.  Obama hasn't.

And people were concerned about George H.W. Bush being a wimp in 1988? 

Who is the wimp in 2008?  Not Hillary?  Not McCain?

Obama?  Maybe.  He dodged Chris Wallace for OVER TWO YEARS! 

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Vandals have damaged 28 of 55 school buses here in Jefferson City.  The cost will be HIGH for those who need to get their children to school this morning.  Traffic will be a nightmare this morning.

I hope that these punks get caught and get all the punishment due them.  I would LOVE to see them repay everyone for the gasoline wasted by making special trips, and traffic problems, by taking everyone to school this morning.

BUT, I know that isn't going to happen either.  I should go back to hoping for HONESTY in politics!

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Make the best of it this Tuesday.  Add comments as you like. 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 05:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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OK, let me by opening with an explanation about Friday.  I noted a problem on Thursday evening when I went to do some basic maintenance on this blog page.  I was only able access some functions on this page and locked out of others.

Yahoo! was doing some updating to the Movable Type program (which is what I use to publish this page).  It was back working by Friday afternoon, but by then...well....it was too late to post anything regarding the show.  Since that is the purpose, I decided to simply offer an explanation at my next post.

Done.

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Belated Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there.  The Kerstings spent a family day together.  Drove up to Kansas City to go to the Royals game.  Weather was beautiful.  By the time we got parked at Kauffman Stadium, there was not a cloud in the sky.  Of course, that is only part of the story.  The wind was INCREDIBLE!!  20 MPH or better for the entire afternoon.  And since we had pretty good seats, we were out of the sun.  So, we froze a little bit.

Alex and Ben got a couple of autographs (Yabuta and Buck) before the game.  A foul ball was hit just a couple of seats away from Kathy (Jose Guillen, who was the DH yesterday...batting .198 at the time...explain that to me).  The Royals won the game.  And then we ran the bases after the game.

Then we grabbed dinner at Gates BBQ before driving back to Jefferson City. 

The loudest cheers during the game from our crew?  The Momma!

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Speaking of baseball, I did notice that several thousand fans were consuming, and spilling, beer at $7 a piece.  That is two gallons of gas.

I do NOT want to hear these people bitch about gas prices.  This is a priorities issue.

And no, I did not have any beer. 

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As for news on this Monday morning, West Virginia has their primary tomorrow.  Yawn.

Dennis Farina, formerly of "Law & Order" and the Chicago Police Department, was arrested for having a .22 in his carry-on at LAX.

Sergio Garcia thanks Tiger Woods for not playing this weekend.

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Have a Great Week!! 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 04:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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First off, let me open by noting the Eighty-Second birthday of Donald Jay Rickles.

Don Rickles is one of my favorite actor/comedians.  I credit my dad for introducing me to his works.  I hope that I will have the opportunity to see him in person before he passes, but that seems unlikely.

Anyhow, Happy Birthday to Mr. Rickles!!

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Hillary Clinton does NOT want to go on to the cart.  She's not dead yet.  

I have said it before, I think she should stay in the race.  I do not see the real harm IF she and Barack Obama stick to issues.  I based this on the daily tracking poll at RasmussenReports.com showing that she has a better shot against John McCain than Barack Obama does.

If she proves stronger against McCain than he does, he could learn some things.  

Only seems fair to me.  McCain has been learning a lot about BOTH of them since he locked up the nomination.

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John McCain will be on with Bill O'Reilly tonight.  I am curious to see how this interview goes.  O'Reilly will be tough but fair, much like he was with Hillary Clinton.  One thing brought up last night is this...why is John McCain so resistant to talking about himself?  He has written about himself, but tends to avoid it in interviews and on the stump.

This is one of his strong suits I think.  Why avoid it?

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By the way, speaking of John McCain, some nutjobs at that virtual Bedlam known at the Huffington Post that implied that McCain was NOT tortured by the Vietnamese while he spent 5 and a half years as a Prisoner of War. 

As most everyone has said, including the McCain campaign...consider the source.  Nothing credible comes from that site.  Insanity.

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Comment as you like.  Have a great Thursday!! 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 07:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Hillary Clinton wins and she loses.  I guess that is good and bad.

Same for Barack Obama.

The mess that is the Democratic Party's nomination process continues.  

I guess Will Rogers was right, he was not a member of an organized political party, he was a Democrat.  

In all honesty, last night's results were good news for Barack Obama.  First, the win in the bigger state of North Carolina combined with the close loss in Indiana gave him a net gain over Hillary Clinton in the battle for delegates.  So, the gap widens, but he still can't clinch the nomination without going to that crazy concept of Super Delegates.  (By the way, I've checked.  I wouldn't call ANY of these people SUPER.) 

Again, I'd rather talk about the Royals losing again than this crap.  But this is out there.  This is stealing the limelight.

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Now this is something that I wanted to hear about from a Presidential candidate.  John McCain has talked about the type of Federal Judge and Supreme Court Justice that he would nominate.

Unlike previous Republican candidates, he did not use Antonin Scalia as his example.  He used Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito as his examples.   

I knew that he was on the right track when Senator Patrick Leahy denounced his statement immediately.  (Remember Patrick Leahy?  He was the one that Dick Cheney told to go F*** himself on the Senate floor.  A suggestion that Bernard Goldberg said was long overdue.)

Also denouncing McCain's statements over the type on NON-activist judges he would be looking for were NARAL-Pro Choice and, of course, Howard Scream.

Worth noting that Roberts got over 78 votes each was voted against by BOTH Clinton and Obama.  Alito got 58 votes and was ALSO voted against by BOTH Clinton and Obama. 

Many say that this is a winning issue for John McCain.  I would hope it could be an issue that people would at least be thinking about.  But, I personally have my doubts.

I agree with the position of John McCain on this.  I fear that either Clinton or Obama would give us another Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  That would be dangerous for our nation. 

Just my opinion here, but Ginsburg and Souter are the two justices that I fear most.  Very dangerous people. 

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I heard this story yesterday and Jack Ryan, a loyal listener, gave me that line in the heading.

Ninety-six were arrested in San Diego, seventy-five of them San Diego State University students, in connection with a major drug ring. 

Six fraternities were suspended due to the involvement of their members in this drug ring.  The fraternities were Theta Chi, Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Kappa Psi, Phi Kappa Theta, Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Sigma Alpha Mu.  

I bring this up to say one little thing.  Do not judge a whole fraternity by the bad acts of some, or many, of its members.  I am not a member of ANY of those groups.  But I do recall that some of the young men of my college fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, did some pretty stupid things.  

In this case, these people dealt cocaine and many other drugs.  Also found were several firearms, some of them described as being of questionable legal status. 

Sad story that I think reflects poorly on the other 34,000 students at San Diego State University. 

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So, what do you think?  Post comments or e-mail me. 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 04:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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Today is the latest in the round of BIG days for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

I believe this makes it 793 in the count of big days.

Indiana and North Carolina are the states we are watching this time.  I will remind my regular reader in Indiana, Dr. Roger Thompson, of his words back in February.  He said that he was a bit jealous of us in the "Super Tuesday" states because it will all be done by the time it gets to Indiana.  WHO would have thought that he could have been this wrong?  Certainly not me.  

Of course, I was hoping it would be over more than anything else. I think we all want a vacation from this mess.  Sure, it is what people are talking about so it gives me something to talk and write about.  In all honesty, I'd rather talk about sports....even when the Royals give up 4 runs in the ninth inning and take another loss, or when it is about a college basketball player and his secret battle against cancer.

After today, it will not be over.  Because nothing is over until they decide it is.  Was it over when..., ah nevermind.

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This morning I heard an interview with Ariana Huffington on America in the Morning with Jim Bohannon.  I knew she was a zealot.  I knew that she was a bit nutty.  I did not realize how dumb she is.  And how blind.

Now she is complaining about how much of a right wing bend the news media has.

I'd e-mail Bernie Goldberg and ask his thoughts, but he'd be laughing too hard to possibly e-mail a response to me.

Huffington, of the Huffington Post, thinks that the media was giving a free pass via the incomplete picture they showed when John McCain went to Baghdad.  And that they give him a pass on comments from John Hagee while they attack (her words) Barack Obama for Jeremiah Wright.

OK, I can field this one for the Greek dullard from California.  BECAUSE JOHN MCCAIN DID NOT GO TO HAGEE'S CHURCH FOR TWENTY FREAKING YEARS, DUMBASS!!!  There is a DIFFERENCE.

I think pretty much any clearminded individual can see Huffington for what she is, and I said it before, a ZEALOT.  Or, and I said this before, a dullard. 

I just like that word.

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Have you been STIMULATED?  As of this morning, the Kerstings have been.  And a big portion spent.....paying bills.  

I will not preach to ANYONE as to how to spend your money.  But here is what you can think about for a little bit.

The Federal Government would like for you to go right out and spend that money directly.  A lot of retailers would as well.  And doing to would be like a shot in the arm for the economy, in theory.

But there is another way of looking at it.  And possibly more economically responsible, and as patriotic. 

I paid off two credit cards this morning before 4:30.  That gets those two monkey's off our back.  Next up, a big chunk toward our VISA.  And the money that was going to the first two cards will now be directed to the VISA until it is paid off.  

I know that doesn't put any new money into the economy.  Not now.  But, in a few months, I can be free of those debts and spend money that we have saved on the items we want.  The food and gas obviously, but also a new trimmer/edger so that our sidewalks look better.  Maybe even a new TV in the next 12-18 months.

So, in the short term, I am not doing my part.  In the long term, I think that I will.

I will be the tortoise.  You can be the hare if you choose.

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Oh, and if you want to be the hare, I have been looking at this Samsung DLP projection TV with LED lamps....56" screen with 1080p resolution.  Just an idea....

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Post your thoughts if you'd like to.  E-mail as well.  Have a great Tuesday!! 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 06:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

That is as good as it gets coming from me on this Fifth day of May.  Understand that I am not calling Cinco de Mayo a phony holiday, it is just not one that most Americans should celebrate.

Hell, I don't even know if my opening line is even proper Spanish.  I know that my punctuation is not quite right. 

OK, let me go back to the title of today's entry.  "The Gabacho Holiday known as Cinco de Mayo"....what the hell is a "Gabacho"??  Good question.  I learned that term from Gustavo Arellano of "Ask a Mexican" in the OC Weekly.  I interviewed Gustavo about two years ago when I was filling in on WNOX's "The Phil Show" one afternoon.  As Gustavo told me, only Gringos call each other Gringos.  Real Mexicans call us Gabachos.  He would not define the term for me.  So, being the Gabacho that I am, I just accepted it.

So, back to Cinco de Mayo.  What is being celebrated?  It is the Mexican win at the Battle of Puebla.  Great, everybody loves a winner!!  That is why the Americans get on board.  Well, hold on a second.  It is more like the Germans celebrating the Battle of Stalingrad.  You see, the Battle of Puebla was a win, but they went on to lose the war. 

Now maybe that is a bit unfair, because five years later they won the next war and President Benito Juarez had Emperor Maximillian excuted.

Viva Mexico!

Well, sort of.  But they just beat the French both times.  Is that really worth celebrating?  AS AN AMERICAN?

OK, so it is an excuse to eat tacos, drink Dos Equis (or Corona for you heathens) and Tequila, and celebrate a hertiage that you know nothing about.

Alright, I'm on board with that.

Oh, and just so you know, the official Mexican Indepedence Day is 16 September....that also goes back to 1862. 

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OK, just a couple more points to ponder today.  First up, have you noticed that here in the waning days of the campaign to become the Democratic nominee for President, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have been throwing out some serious insults.

Let me paraphrase this a little bit.  Both are telling the voting public that the other is sounding like President Bush on X, Y or Z policy.  GASP!!!! 

You sound like W. on Iran!  Gasp!

Well, you sound like W. on Iraq!  Gasp!

My take on this is simple, they are going with the biggest insults that they can whip up.  Align the opponent with the most evil person that their constituency can imagine.

Whatever.  Seriously, this election is getting to be downright comical.  After 8 years of President Bush, they can't solidify themselves behind someone to beat Bush's successor?  They deserve to lose again.  Hell, they put up the worst POSSIBLE candidate they could 4 years ago in John Kerry...and they STILL tried to claim that Bush stole it.  Mindboggling!

If the Democrats lose again this year, they earned the loss. 

Now, add to this mess the ads running already against John McCain that FactCheck.org has denounced as being blatantly inaccurate.  The 100 years comment by McCain is the most obvious.  And the sad part is that MOST Americans are STUPID enough to buy it.  Do YOU know the context?  If you don't AND you hold that comment against McCain, shame on you.  He was making an analogy to Japan, Germany and South Korea.  Of course Howard Scream is such a dishonest man of incredible zeal that he feels that he must jump on it for political gain.

At least I am being consistent here when I, ONCE AGAIN, denounce FEAR MONGERING!!

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And finally, on a lighter note, Kathy and I were driving home from the grocery store (and a trip to the dumpster at work), when we got behind a car on Fairgrounds Road.

This car was a Mercury Cougar (last incarnation, about a 1999-2001 model).  The driver was MUCH younger than us and did to his car what a lot of these younger folks do to their cars.  He has replaced a lot of the body work with some customized panels.  And worked on the engine and exhaust system. 

Kathleen simply commented on how UGLY the car was.  I agreed and added something that I have no explanation for.  "Why must they make their cars sound like a chihuahua farting inside a Kleenex box?"

And no, I do not recall ever having heard that real sound.  But it was an analogy from the imagination.  I think you can imagine it in your own mind now too.

Or so I hope.

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Best of health to my friend and one fo my many mentors, Hallerin Hilton Hill.  I do not know the details, but I wish him a speedy recovery and return to the airwaves in East Tennessee.

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Add comments or e-mail as you see fit.  Have a Great Week!!

Posted by Jay Kersting at 03:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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I closed yesterday's entry by saying that I would comment on Hillary Clinton's interview on "The O'Reilly Factor" over the last two evenings.

The best way to describe it, charming.  Hillary Clinton was warm and engaging with Bill O'Reilly, something many find hard to do.  I give a lot of credit to O'Reilly on this as well.

My only complaint, and I e-mailed O'Reilly to share this, the interview was too short.  He was unable to dig deeper on a LOT of issues with her.  I think that left too many things unanswered to my satisfaction.  Her stance on "Sanctuary Cities" was a bit confused.  I think there was a confusion over the term...sort of like the cappacino machine.

Here was the biggest thing, I could slam her on her answers, but I will not.  She answered most all of his questions to my satisfaction, I just disagreed with her on most of the answers.

Next week, O'Reilly has John McCain on the show.  I hope that Barack Obama has the guts to appear.  If he does not go on with Bill O'Reilly, I think that is a reflection on his ability to confront tough issues.  And if he cannot take on Bill O'Reilly, do we want him taking on Mahmood Ahmedinijad?

Many do not like Bill O'Reilly's personality.  I think of him as a hard news version of Jim Rome.  I do not care for Jim Rome, but he is a DAMN good interviewer.  Same for O'Reilly, damn good interviewer, except I like O'Reilly.

And now, I have a little more respect for Hillary Clinton for appearing, for too little time and a little too late, with Bill O'Reilly.

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This morning I learned from ESPN that Chris Lofton, former guard for the Tennessee Volunteers, learned that he had cancer in March 2007.  

The story goes like this, following Tennessee's win over Long Beach State (sorry Roger...), Chris Lofton was selected for the post game drug test.  The test flagged as a positive, so further testing was done.  Along the way, the learned that testicular cancer caused the false positive.  

He had surgery and treatments at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in secret.  His name was never put on the boards and only a few people knew he was there.

He played his senior season at Tennessee.  Many wondered why his shot was off a bit early in the season.  I was one of them.  I am proud to say that I was not critical of him as some were, but I was concerned over how he lost his shot.

Well, he got his shot back.  Tennessee won 31 games this season and a lot of that was due to his leadership on and off the court. 

He is cancer free and hopefully he will get to continue with his basketball career in that quagmire of pot-smokers known as the NBA.  

If he does, that MIGHT actually be enough to get me to watch a game again.

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The Kentucky Derby is tomorrow.  I picked 50-1 long shot, I think the LONGEST of the long shots, Big Truck.  I liked the name.

No, I am not placing any bets.  

I have not been to a horse race in about 16 years or so.  I did get to visit Churchill Downs last year, so that was cool.

I will probably watch the race.  Not like it is a BIG time commitment.

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Check out www.PresidentialBlogWatch.com to get your fix of what is being said in the blogosphere about the three VIABLE candidates.  Sorry, Bob Barr, Ron Paul and others. 

My friend Bob Wilson put this together.  It is interesting.  Lots of people who write about the campaign that ARE NUTTIER THAN ME!!!!

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Have a GREAT weekend.  Add your comments. 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 04:31 AM |