Jay Kersting's Blog

Happy Birthday wishes go out to Senator John Sidney McCain, III,  who turns 72 today.  He was born at the Coco Solo Naval Air Station in the Panama Canal Zone (U.S. Territory at the time).  Father John Sidney McCain, Jr., was a naval officer and mother Roberta lived on base with her husband (obviously).  I remember a story that she told recently about her son's birth involving a bunch officers bringing even more quantities of Scotch for "Johnny"....not for his parents.  Never did hear if he actually got those bottles.

If he has any of them, that is one way to celebrate today.

Instead, he will be in Dayton, Ohio, to introduce us to his Vice Presidential nominee.  (Is Governor Palin there yet??)

I may add to this entry once his pick is made public.  Until then, Happy Birthday Senator!!

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UPDATE:

Fox News confirms that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will be the choice of John McCain for Vice Presidential nominee.

Regular readers of this blog know that I have been pushing her name for months.  Specifically, back to 9 February 2008!!

This will be a VERY interesting race with a relatively unknown person on the ticket who brings a MAJOR upside with her positions on energy and fighting the political machine. 

Being a Washington outsider, and a political executive both help.  Being a working mother of five helps. 

As for me picking her back in February?  The saying goes, even a blind squirrel can find the occasional nut.  I will not brag much about this accurate pick.  If I had that picking success in sports, I'd still be living in Las Vegas. 

Let the games begin.

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How did Barack Obama do last night?  Did he meet expections?

The fact is, there was SOOOOO much hype and hope surrounding this speech that there was NO WAY to EXCEED expectations.  Just not possible.

The GOP tried to make hay over the staging and facade used at Invesco Field at Mile High.  Pretty dumb in my opinion.  

But I do think the term facade is one worth grabbing ahold of.  Facade is defined by Merriam-Webster's Dictionary as FIRST, the front of a building , ALSO, any face of a building given special architectural treatment, and SECOND, a false, superficial or artificial appearance or effect.

Since this was a stage and backdrop, the first definition does not apply.  So, we move on to the second.

False, superficial or artificial appearance or effect.  This pretty much applies to most every political speech.

Well, I didn't watch the speech.  Past my bedtime. 

I popped on a DVD of Triumph des Willens instead.  I'll finish it next week.

No, there wasn't a Hogan's Heroes marathon as I had hoped. 

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I did think that the ad John McCain ran yesterday showed a lot of class.  It was still on the front page of his website this morning.

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Jimmy Carter was a BAD, BAD, HORRIBLE President.  For a while, I thought he was at lease a decent man.

Then I realized he is as much of a HACK in life as he was a incompetent President.  I would have thought that a Nuclear Engineer in the White House could have killed the anti-Nuke fears following Three Mile Island.  But, he was NOT a leader of people, so he couldn't.

Now, he is criticizing John McCain over his use of a key time in his life as a point of discussion.

Does McCain over due it regarding his five and a half years as a prisoner of war?  Maybe.  But my belief is that the time that McCain spent in North Vietnam shaped his life and views more than most of the rest of us could understand.  

Jimmy Carter has no shame.  That is why he will continue to go down in history as one of the five worst Presidents.  

A great loser in history, but not to the level of Mikhail Gorbachev.  OUR Country survived him.

Thank God!!

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OK, football fans. Did you see?  Did you??

YUP, UConn beat Hofstra, 35-3.

OK, OK, how about South Carolina beating NC State 34-0?

Vanderbilt's Commode Doors beat Miami of Ohio, 34-13.

Stanford leads the Pac-10, temporarily, after a 36-28 win over the Beavers of Oregon State.

As for the rest of the weekend, the Orange flag with the White Power T has been flying outside the Kersting house since Monday, in honor of the Volunteers traveling to Pasadena to face the cruddy little bruins of fucla.

I hope your team does well.  Unless your team is fucla, FU, Virginia (playing USC), Florida International (playing Kansas).  

I will be pulling for Appalachain State, as they take on LSU.  I doubt lightning will strike twice for the Mountaineers, but wouldn't that be great?

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Have a great weekend.  Enjoy your day off on Monday, if you get one.

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

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Last night, former President Bill Clinton took the stage in Denver.  So, I faced a decision.  Do I watch Bill, or do I watch Fred Sanford?

Fred won.

But to be fair, it was the episode where Lamont and Rollo wanted to have a party at the house.  Fred wanted to be at the party and to help with it.  Lamont didn't like the idea, so they had the party at Rollo's pad.  Great stuff. 

Sorry, Bill can't compete with that.  He could compete with Grady, but not Fred with Lamont AND Rollo. 

WWAED?  Many let that rule their lives, and I understand.  

Oh, you don't know WWAED?  What Would Aunt Esther Do?

Keep that with you as you move through life.

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I knew it.  I knew it.  You probably knew it too...unless you were an only child.  Then you were IT, by default.

I am still not it.  But I am now 38, so I need to get over it.

Confused?  That is why I put up a link.

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THIS JUST IN:

No truth to the rumor that John McCain will announce his pick for Vice President via that new fangled communications method...The Pony Express.

In fact, he will be no where near St. Joseph, MO.

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Some of you think that I have been playing things a bit on the silly side the last couple of days.  And you may think that I have been showing a lack of respect for the political process.

You are right.  In fact, if you didn't see it, or didn't GET it, I explained my thoughts on these conventions back on Tuesday.

Have you heard ANY details on HOW Barack Obama is going to all that he claims he is going to do?

NO.  There are no details.  

Guess what?  Next week will be as WEAK on details as this week was.

I hope that I am wrong, but I doubt it.

So tonight, when you are watching Barack Obama tell you how he will cross the Potomac by walking across the surface, I will be hoping for a Hogan's Heroes marathon.

WWSD?  What would Schultz Do?

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Have a great Thursday.

Posted by Jay Kersting at 05:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

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Russia is seeking to build support for their Georgia campaign.  Uh, oh.

Dmitry Medvedev is meeting with Chinese leader Hu Jintao today in an attempt to get China to recognize the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. 

China making such a recognition would do a couple of things.  For one, it gives Russia their Kosovo, which is what Mikhail Gorbachev was comparing things to.  (Unlike that pinhead Barack Obama....moron that later.)

But it would also expose China as AGAIN being hypocrites.  Tibet anyone?

India is also being looked at as a possible Russian ally in getting these regions recognized as independent.  And by independent, I mean for a short period of time before they "decide" to become part of Russia.

This is about empire building.  Nothing more.

Medvedev is Charlie McCarthy to Vladimir Putin as Edgar Bergen.  Except I think Putin's lips don't move.  His eyes do give you a look at his soul though.  Just ask President Bush.

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Have you seen or heard from a lot of the protestors in Denver?  They are getting more attention than the protestors in Beijing....because they actually exist and don't fear being killed.  And that is a good thing.  

But protestors are nuts for the most part.  Now, I am not saying this based on what I see on TV.  If I believed everything that I saw on TV, I'd live in a house made of, and drive a car made of, Mighty Putty.  But that stuff is not really as good as Billy Mays wants you to believe.  I know this, I bought that crap.  ANYHOW, back to my point about protestors.  My belief is based on what I experienced when I covered them in 2002-2004.  

This morning I played one of the interviews that I conducted with a protestor back in the days after the war in Iraq began in 2003.

But this is a balance of those who are unbalanced.  There are right-wing wing-nuts too.  Trust me on this.

What happens inside the convention halls and stadia is BORING.  What goes on outside is interesting.  Disturbing, but interesting.

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Football season is among us.  High School and College teams have been practicing and soon they get to hit other people.  Alex had his first day of tryouts and practice yesterday at Thomas Jefferson Middle School.  Soon, he will learn what I have been warning him regarding his conditioning.

My Volunteers have their first game on Monday out at the Rose Bowl facing the fucla bruins.  I know that Tennessee will be my older brother's second favorite team this weekend.

For all of you who have been basing things on the preseason polls, prepare to be disappointed.  They are based on the voices in side the heads of those who vote in them.  Look at the preseason polls of the last five years and compare them with the end of season results.

It is a fun time of year, but what I am most interested in is how my son does in his first season of full-contact tackle football. 

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Have a great Wednesday. 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 06:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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Back in 1996, Ted Koppel walked out of ABC's coverage of the Republican National Convention because he did not think it was newsworthy.

Twelve years later, nothing has changed.....and this is a bipartisan issue.

This is one of the reasons why I selected theme music for the conventions, to treat them with all of the respect that they deserve.

Essentially, a political convention is a four day long masturbatory exercise.  It makes them feel good, but does nothing for the rest of us but make us want to turn our heads away in embarrassment.

What I did see yesterday was the bullying that, one of my new favorites, Griff Jenkins took from protestors outside the convention.  He was pushed, shoved, blocked, threatened and generally disrespected by those who were upset by not having their First Amendment rights respected.

Does ANYONE else see the hypocrisy here?

Anyhow, all of that said, I disagree with Koppel on what he did 12 years ago.  They have to be there just in case something of note actually happens.  While unlikely that anything of note will happen, if it does, you know that it will be messy.

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I mentioned "Robin Hood, Men in Tights" because it actually happened to be programmed against the convention.  I did turn it on for about 5 minutes.  It was a better choice.  But I couldn't even sit through it.

I went to the Military Channel to watch a show about the myths surrounding the Pearl Harbor attacks.  (The USS Ward fired the first shots in the war against the Japanese, not the Japanese on us.  Interesting stuff.)

I learned something last night.  And not by watching Ted Kennedy.  Nor Michelle Obama.  Nor Claire McCaskill.

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Some folks think that my criticism of Joe Biden was a little harsh.

The main point regarding the selection of Joe Biden was that it was A BORING PICK!!!

I do not think he is a bad person.  I do not think he was a bad choice.  I do think he was a BORING choice.  

Joe Biden got ONE percent of the Iowa Caucus vote.  ONE PERCENT!!

The only thing he adds to the ticket is credibility on several issues were the naive junior Senator from Illinois will not have for a few years.   

Reverse the ticket and you bore the base, but you'd have a better setup for the nation.

But who cares about competence?  Certainly not Democrats, they gave us Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.

Republicans, before you think I am on your side, wait until next week.  Then, you will get yours.

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Football begins this weekend.  Illinois is such a power that they are unable to provide a coach for me to interview.  

Being turned down for Mark Richt, Nick Saban, Pete Carroll, Phillip Fulmer or even Rick Neuheisel, I can understand.  But Ron Zook or his coordinators?  Really.

I am tasked to interview someone from opposing teams for our Saturday show, "On a Football Saturday" so that we can balance out our coverage.

I got stiffed by Dennis Franchione and Bill Callahan last year.  

Where are they now?

OK, so I got stiffed by Mark Mangino too.  And Oklahoma didn't get me Bob Stoops, but they got a me a great surrogate in Merv Johnson (former Mizzou player and assistant coach, long time OU Football Staffer). 

I am sure that it is not a Karma factor.  But, knowing what happened then could be a sign for other coaches to consider.  Ha ha ha.... 

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Have a great Tuesday 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Joe Biden.

Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

Joseph Robinette Biden, Junior.

Really?

He ran for President back in 1988 and dropped out after the discovery of plagiarism. 

He ran for President in 2008 and dropped out after getting no support.

Now, I think Joe Biden is probably a fairly intelligent guy.  But he is just not very exciting.

Does this lower the bar for John McCain to find someone as boring as Biden, like Romney or Pawlenty?  Or does he have the opportunity to knock one out of the park.  By taking Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, former Oklahoma Congressman J.C. Watts, and maybe even Texas U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.

I have not seen what Neil Kinnock has said lately, so I can't give you a prediction of what Joe Biden will say in Denver.  (OH, am I being unfair by bringing up something he did 21 years ago?) Those who are thinking I am referring to the Heisman Trophy winner from Iowa, that was Nile Kinnick.  Kinnock was the British Labor Leader that Biden "borrowed" a speech from.  Which opened the door to have his law school records reexamined.

All that said, I am still left thinking that this is the most glaring example of a Number Two being more prepared than the lead guy since the last Austin Powers movie.  

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For those who followed the Beijing Olympic Games, they are done.  I did not watch ANY this weekend.  I turned it only long enough to see that NBC was dedicating time to Synchronized Swimming.  And NONE of the other networks were carrying anything.  

Really?  

About as lame as picking a Senator from Delaware to be your running mate.

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Russia is still not getting out of Georgia.

Now we know why they may not want to go back. 

See, they are not all like Maria Sharapova.

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Have a great week. 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 06:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

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By now you have heard the story of John McCain's stumble when asked about how many houses he has.  Politico.com was the organization behind the interview and they are generally very fair to both sides.  And I didn't think this was unfair.

But McCain did stumble and it looked bad.  I understand it, to a point.

A basic look at the finances of a man who has kept things separate from his wife of 27 years leads me to understand how he got tripped up.  

First, in the stumble, he mentioned something about condos and, though it was barely intelligible, maybe rental property.   His wife, Cindy, handles these things.  Again, they keep separate finances.

AND THEREIN lies the rub.

Remember for a second that it was her real estate investments that brought him into question during the Charles Keating Affair.   So now you can argue this both ways.  First, you could say that he would want to be more engaged in her investments.  Or second, you could say that he would want to be more distant.  Knowing what happened with Keating, I can't blame him for staying away.

Now, all of that said, I think it is fair game for Barack Obama to jump on it.  Dumb move, but fair.  And let me explain why it is dumb, in case you hadn't figured it out.

It is dumb because it opened a wound that Obama has been hoping to have healed by now.  And that wound is his relationship with Tony Rezko, now a convicted felon.  Yup, McCain's people jumped on that in response. 

For those who do not know the story, here is the abbreviated version.  Barack and Michelle Obama wanted to buy their million PLUS dollar home in 2005.  The seller wanted to sell the adjacent property with the home, but the Obama's, despite their sweetheart financing deal, couldn't afford to buy the property too.  So, Tony Rezko's wife bought the property.  Deal was done.

Later, the Obama's bought a portion of that property from the Rezko's.  The price paid has been a point of contention as well.

So, while McCain's stumble was a fair point to attack there is a lesson to be learned here.

Those who live in questionably purchased and financed houses shouldn't throw stones.  Especially not at the guy with seven of them.  Or the guy whose wife has seven of them. 

Whatever.

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Two seemingly unrelated products are now being advertised on television.

First, there is now a daily version of Cialis.  Cialis is the erectile dysfunction drug that works for 36 hours.  Just not a continuous 36 hours.  Anyhow, now there is the daily version.

I guess that is for optimists.

Now the other product leaves me puzzled.  It is an energy suppliment being pitched by our favorite TV pitch man....no, not Vince the ShamWOW guy....but none other than Billy Mays. 

SO....the question one must ask is this.... Does Billy Mays really need a super energy pill, or has he been using it for years and only NOW sharing his secret?

Either way, I think people should be highly concerned. 

Billy.....why, Billy, why????

Does the Billy Mays Health Insurance Plan cover these super energy pills?  Or do we get weaker and weaker and weaker still?

As for the other product, I really don't want to go there. 

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DON'T DROP THE BATON!!

That is relay running 101.

It happened to both the USA Men and then later the Women.

Ugh!! 

The games continue.  USA Track & Field problems are seeming to continue too.

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Have a GREAT Weekend. 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 05:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Is it just me or does this sound familiar?  Russians threaten Poland.  In fact, hasn't this happened time and time again throughout history.  Actually, Poland didn't even exist for a while when the Russians and Prussians decided to carve it up.  And back in 1939, Hitler and Stalin had their non-agression deal that carved up Poland yet again.

Now, here we are in 2008 and the Russians are doing it again.

Why?

Good damned question.  And Mikhail Gorbachev is trying to rationalize the Russian's position.  OH? While not addressing the Poland situation, Gorby tries to explain why the Evil Empire wannabes are not evil.  What?  The Diet Coke of Evil?

You see, Gorby goes in to the Georgian situation and explains that Misha Saakashvili was about to "invade" South Ossetia.  Oh, so the Russians had to do it first.  Nevermind that South Ossetia is INSIDE the Georgian borders.  Oh, I get it.  The Russians were acting as humanitarians.  Thanks, Gorby.  It is crystal clear to me.

Now we have the Missile Defense system being set up in Poland.  I must admit that I never thought I see this day come, especially considering who the U.S. Ambassador to Poland is.  (Victor Ashe)  That said, the Russians see a Missile Defense System as a threat.

Watching Secretary of State Rice explain it, that a Missile Defense System is not aimed at anyone, was almost funny.  It is a DEFENSE system.  DEFENSE!!  Russians, do you need an explanation of this word?  Heard of Stalingrad, or Volgograd, sixty five years ago?  That city IS still part of Russia, though on its third name. 

So, Gorbachev thinks the Russians have been bullied.  Really?  If that is true, I'd say that turnabout is fair play.  Poland 1939, Hungary 1956, Czechoslovkia 1968, Afghanistan 1980 are all examples that come to mind, Gorby. 

Mr. Gorbachev, you led the demise of the Evil Empire and now a man who regrets what you had done is trying to revive it.   You were beaten in the Cold War by the United States led West.  Russia can be a great power in the world, but you need to advise Putin and Medvedev to do so by acting in a benevolent way.

If you believe that by being a bully you can get your way, some American WAY left-wing liberals can correct you.  They think that the United States got what we had coming to us by being a bully back on 11 September 2001.  (Chickens came home to roost) While, I don't agree with that, you Commies can come together since you share ideology.

In other words Mr. Gorbachev, I will make this succinct for you.  You lost.  Get over it. 

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There is some concern here in Jefferson City of the costs to renovate Adkins Stadium.  This spring and summer, they have torn down and rebuilt expanded bleachers.  This was mandated by insurance coverage.  The cinder track was replaced by an updated track.  The old grass field was replaced with a FieldTurf system.  The old lighting system was replaced with one that will not obstruct the views of the fans.  

All of this sounds good, right?  Well, sort of.  The problem is that there needs to be some clarification as to how it was all being funded.  

As you would expect, people are outraged that $5 million was spent on this project when textbooks are old and ratty.

I do not know all of the details, but I have extended an invitation to JCPS Administrator Dr. Bert Kimble.  He knows all of the ins and outs.  I hope to have him on the show in the next few days.

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The Olympic Games in Beijing continue.  Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh get the Gold in Beach Volleyball.  "Lightning" Bolt of Jamaica breaks the world record in the 200m.  

More to come as the Games wrap up this weekend.  I am still surprised at how much I have actually watched.  Key word is WATCHED.  Haven't listened to much.  Hard to with those announcers.

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Have a GREAT Thursday. 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 06:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Over the last two nights, Fox News Channel aired a pair of one hour documentaries one on Barack Obama and the other on John McCain. The shows were entitled, "Character & Conduct" and they looked at the life of each of the candidates.  The goal with each program was to give perspective on where each of the men came from and how events in their lives led them to their current positions.

Both were very interesting.

Both shows also left me with many more questions.

I was very pleased to see that Fox News Channel kept up to their slogan of "Fair and Balanced" with these programs.  If anything, they went out of their way to be more harsh than most other news organizations would have been.

I do not know if Fox is planning a replay of the shows, but I highly recommend them.

But still, the shows give you a taste of the personalities.  I always recommend voting the issues, NOT personalities.  Though, even I will admit, knowing the personalities can help get a better feel for the way the candidates have come to their positions on issues.

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ENERGY is the issue of the 2008 campaign season.  Some want to argue this.  Simply put, if you want to argue this, fine, but you are wrong.

Harsh?

No, and I will tell you why.  

Energy drives the economy.  Think the economy is the big issue, well since energy drives the economy, you are only partially right.

As for Iraq, Iran, Georgia, Russia....etc., what do you think makes ANY of those places significant?  Energy!

Education?  Funded through taxes.  Tax collections go up when the economy is strong.  What makes the economy strong?  Several things, including energy costs.  And if educators don't have to spend their money on energy, they can spend it in other areas.

So, again, ENERGY is the issue.

Now I went through all of this to explain what will be happening on the show over the next few weeks and months.  I have made contact with the media relations department of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the premier national lab for energy research.  I am hoping to do a series of interviews discussing the development of new energy technologies and improvements on existing technologies.  Due to their status as a national lab, ORNL is decidedly non-partisan.

I will also check with Popular Mechanics and their writers and editors to further this discussion on energy.

Energy is an issue that has been ignored or neglected for way too long.  Finally, the candidates have given it attention, but not enough.  And WE THE PEOPLE need to make sure that it gets the focus it truly needs.

If oil man T. Boone Pickens can use his money to get them focused, then millions of other Americans can, if they choose to, get their voices heard on this issue.

But first, you have to realize that I am right.  This IS THE issue of Campaign 2008.

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I don't trust them.  And they have not let me down.

I am talking about the Russians.  Both Medvedev and Putin have LIED to the world.  They are NOT pulling out of Georgia, they are digging in.

What should be done?  First, get the Russians out of Georgia without delay.  Second, expedite Georgia's membership in NATO.  Third, let Russia know that we will stand up to them.  And by WE, I mean NATO.

Once again, Patton has been proven right.

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I have been a bit strong in how I have written things this morning.  But I sometimes think that a sharpening of focus is needed.  Too many people that I have talked with recently don't see the picture clearly.  And that is not exactly their fault.  I am engrossed in this STUFF everyday due to my job.  So, I have to see it.

If I have offended you, know that this was not my intent.  But if I also made you think about a few things, then I have hit what I intended.

In the next 76 days, you will need to make a decision.  Who to vote for, or whether or not you are going to vote.  I have made no secret of my belief that I want voters to be informed.  If you are NOT informed, or you choose to be ignorant (yes, it is a choice), please stay home on November 4th.  I mean that as sincerely as anything I have ever written.

I will not tell you what to think, but I will tell you what I feel you need to be thinking about.  And, as always, I encourage you to debate me on these issues.  That is why I have a comments section on this blog.

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Have a great Wednesday. 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 06:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Last week, Barack Obama and his campaign announced that he would make the announcement of his choice for Vice President via text message to his supporters BEFORE telling the media.

The big news is not the fact that a newer technology will be adopted by a political campaign.  Some think that is the big story.

Nope.  The big story?  Someone can see a little daylight between Obama supporters and the media.

My guess is that Mrs. Alan Greenspan will get the first text message. Then the daylight closes.

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For those who do not know the Mrs. Greenspan reference....that is WHY I put in links.

Anyhow, she is the one who puked out the Obama campaign talking point on "Meet The Press" about McCain having a chance to prepare for Rick Warren's questions on Saturday.  Did she check this story out?  Of course not, that would involve work and responsibility.  And NBC News can't be held to that standard.  

I mean really, Tim Russert died in June.  There is no call for stuff like that any more.

As for it happening, Rick Warren said it couldn't have happened during an appearance on Tom Sullivan's show yesterday afternoon.  He acknowledged that a TV was in the green room, but the feed to it was disconnected.  Warren said, had he turned it on, he would have only seen static.

I guess they haven't upgraded to digital yet at the Saddleback Church. 

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Back to the Olympics.  Have you see Team Handball?  Why this sport is not more popular here in the United States is beyond me.  

Think basketball, hockey without sticks, or soccer with hands.  It is really cool.

It is quite physical. Lots of contact, lots of shoving, lots of falling.  You could even add a little bit of football into the mix when describing this sport.

I hope that Team Handball is the Curling of this years games.  Meaning that I hope people are curious about it and the talk about this sport takes off.  This could be another great sport that could make its way into college athletics via Title IX.  And that could open the door for the men's game.

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Nice sweep in the 400m for the American men!!! Angelo Taylor with the Gold, Kerron Clement with Silver and Bershawn Jackson got the Bronze.  Times were 47.25, 47.98 and 48.06 respectively.

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By the way, I want to thank everyone who took the time to chat with me on my whirlwind tour of Knoxville on Friday.  Due to the nature of the trip, I did not have a lot of time so nothing was planned in advance.  I stopped by the Citadel - Knoxville studios, then met my good friend Lori Snyder for lunch.  After that, it was down to the University of Tennessee campus.  I ducked in to Dan Reilly's office at the SEE Center.  I have known Dan since my days in Warrensburg.  We chatted for a little while, then it was off to Kathy's old hangout, the McKenzie-Lawson Center.

I chatted with Bob Kesling for quite a while as well.  For those who don't know Bob, he is the broadcasting guru (not his official title) at UT.  Then it was down the hall to make several people double-take.  While in Tiffany Carpenter's office, my old classmate Kassidie Blackstock ducked in and out before she realized who was in Tiffany's office.  

After that, I went upstairs to see the folks in the development office.  Again, most of them did a double take as I walked in.  And, of course, they ALL asked about Kathy and how she was doing.

Finally, I went over to the football office to see Mary Jo Fox.  As I walked down the hall, Phillip Fulmer was looking at me with a little disbelief.  He quickly extended a hand and we chatted for a couple of minutes.  I asked how the team was looking and told him that we'd be watching from afar again this season.  Then, I met with Mary Jo and her broken desk.

Had to leave campus at that point, Kathy wanted her iced lemon cookies.  So, it was off to Ham 'N Goody's before they closed. 

Then, back in the familiar role of Friday afternoon traffic on I-40 West.  After conquering that, I didn't let the rubberneckers examining the Eastbound wreck at West Hills mess me up, I made it to Aubrey's on Cedar Bluff to see Tom Miller, Cindy Arnold and others at a remote for THEIR version of the "True Oldies Channel" (which is what Cumulus carries on Cool 97.5 here in Mid-MO).  A nice time there, but then I had to duck out to get to my next stop.  But first, a change of shirts due to the sweat.  So back to the awful motel room.  Dad was probably bored, but he understood that I couldn't go to Knoxville without seeing my friends.

Anyhow, next was a visit with some of my oldest friends at Silver Spoon Cafe.  There I got to chat with Julian Moglione, Greg Moates and Tony Smith for a couple of hours over dinner and dessert.  (Yesterday, I shared a story from Tony as you may recall.) 

Then it was back to the motel for a night of sleep before we drove back on Saturday morning.

Thanks to all who took time out of their busy days to chat with me for a little bit.  But most of all, thanks to Dad for your understanding.  I do appreciate that.

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Have a great day. 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 06:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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I have been watching more Olympics this year than I ever thought that I would.  I watched next to nothing during the 2000, 2002 and 2004 games.  I did watch a lot of the hockey, bobsled, luge and skeleton during the 2006 games.

This year, I have been watching Michael Phelps.  Who hasn't been? What has really impressed me is how well his teammates have been building him up when he almost wants to shy away from it.  They must sincerely like the guy.  He sure seems real likable. 

I enjoyed watching Dara Torres, but only wish that she could have pulled off the gold.  Don't get me wrong, a couple of silver medals at 41 years old is an amazing feat....and she SHOULD get a LOT of credit for that and better be on a Wheaties box if not a BUNCH of other endorsements for it.  It is only American pride that makes me want to see her with more.   

The amazing thing was the 100 meters on the men's side.  I watched it even though I already knew who won.  (I had forgotten which Jamacian it was by the time of the replay.)  But Usain Bolt was true to his nickname of Lightning.  If he could learn how to get a better start out of the blocks (he was about 5th of 8 in the start) and have someone push him down the stretch, Bolt could break 9.60.  He was amazing.

It is hard for me to say, but I am actually enjoying the games.  Despite the coverage from NBC.....even they can't ruin it.

And they certainly try.

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I did not watch the Rick Warren "look at me" fest on Saturday.  Sorry, the build up to it seemed be a bit more about him and his megachurch than it was about the future of our nation.  Using politicians to build your following is fine, but make it about the issues first.  Trust me, I will be doing THAT this election season.

Anyhow, I am not impressed with much that has come out of the event on Saturday night.

I will look further into the transcripts of the event.  Maybe I can find a jem.

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Have you heard of the internet "virus" known as "Rick Rolling"???

It is not a harmful virus and it is just outright silly.  It is not even a real virus...just an annoyance.

So, what is "Rick Rolling"?????

It involves sending an e-mail, or some other medium (more on that in a second), to your friends that indicates it is something that they really, really, really want.....only to be a video of Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" instead.

Last week, I had a link on this site of a video called "Barack Roll" which was the Astley video with Barack Obama edited to be "singing" the song and dancing to the music.

Rick Astley was interviewed about the "Rick Rolling" activities.  All he could say was that he hoped it wouldn't embarrass his daughter too much.  (Probably no more than actually BEING Rick Astley's daugher.)

Now, the other medium "Rick Rolling" examples include a TV reporter who had her news story "Rick Rolled" on April Fools Day.  Numerous people have gotten "Rick Roll" phone calls.

But one of my favorites is one that my friend Tony Smith told me about on Friday night.  Tony's daughter Chelsea was in North Carolina for a colorguard competition.  The public address announcer was making personalized announcements for a buck or two a piece to raise money for the event.  Tony decided to buy one.  It was....

"Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you.  Never gonna make you cry, never say goodbye, never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.  - Dad and Ben"

About a quarter of the crowd got it and were laughing out loud.

Now, if anyone was to call the show at 573-632-1240 or 866-632-1240 and "Rick Roll" me, I will laugh too.  Not that I am encouraging it.

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Have a great week!! 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 04:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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For those who were looking for an entry this morning and Friday morning, sorry.  I am currently on the road to get help my dad get his pickup track back from Knoxville.  Will be back on Saturday and will have an entry on Monday as is normal.  (That is NOT to say that there couldn't be a special entry depending on what may happen in the world.)

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Russians are the bad guys here.  Simple and to the point, they are the aggressors and they are the ones who need to be held in contempt by everyone.  (Contrary to the initial words of one of the Presidential candidates....who later changed his postion.  Hmm...who knew?)

The situation scares the hell out of me.  And it reinforces once again that Richard Nixon was right in his book "Seize the Moment" when he warned against cashing in a so-called peace dividend at the end of the Cold War.

Well, the chill between the Russians and us is back.  If we had that more intimidating force, I doubt that Putin would have pushed against one of our allies.

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Hillary Clinton will have her name up for nomination at the Democratic National Convention.  The start of the throwing of Barack Obama under the bus?  Dick Morris thinks so.

I don't know.  But to quote John Blutarsky, "Over?  Did somebody say over?  Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?  Hell NO!  And it ain't over now.  Nothing is over until we decide it is."

Stand by for more moves.  Is Bill rallying the troops for his wife?  

With that man, I don't doubt it.

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Have a great Friday and a Great Weekend!! 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 08:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Benjamin Daniel Kersting is 11 years old today!!  Happy Birthday Big Ben!!

Now that Ben is getting closer to his teen years, we are going to get him gifts that lead him in that direction.  I will not say what we are giving him this year exactly, but it is something that he says that he wants.

Today, we are going over to the Memorial Park Aquatic Center....the water park like pools here in Jefferson City...to have a little fun this afternoon.  

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Yesterday, I had a little trouble with the webpage software that I used.  It crashed AFTER I had finished my entry and was saving the page.  So, I had to go back an do a re-write and I left some things out about the Olympic Games. 

So, here is what you missed.

I have complained about NBC's coverage of the games.  I praised the use of multiple channels.  I am really happy with what DirecTV has done with putting the channels together so it is easy to find.  (The normals channels are in their regular place, but a second copy is put at channels 750-756.)  And since I am at work early, I like getting a variety of live sports to watch while I am here in studio.

All that said, why does NBC have to limit things to just one channel during prime time?  Why can't they have more programming of the more obscure sports on at the same time?

I say that because I do not enjoy "sports" like gymnastics, synchronized swimming, diving and any other event that has human judges scoring.  Same goes for figure skating during the Winter Games.  In fact, figure skating is the best illustration of why I don't like these events.  Remember the judges who cheated during the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City, when they issued two gold medals.  Or how about the 2004 gymnastics scoring error that gave Paul Hamm the gold medal.  An error that could not be corrected.

These "sports" are corrupt by their very dependence on human judges.  I think they are athletic competitions and the participants are great athletes.  But so are ballet dancers.  

If you can't score in a way where everyone knows what is happening, sorry but it just isn't a sport in my book.  Again, ballet dancers are great athletes.

Touch 'em all, put it through the hoop, cross into the end zone, break the tape, throw it the furthest or put it in the net.  

Just my opinion.  I know MANY of you will disagree.  

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Michael Phelps has five gold this year.  Three more to go.  Nothing is guaranteed, so he has to keep fighting to get it done and I don't think he is taking ANYTHING easy at this point.  

BUT, he does have something that cannot be taken away unless a drug test comes back positive.  He now has more gold medals than any other athlete in the 112 year history of the Olympic Games.  

Congratulations Mr. Phelps.  Apparently, you have accepted your mission.  And accomplished a big part of it.

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At the time of my writing of this blog entry, Russia is taking on Georgia in Beach Volleyball.  Russia won the first set, Georgia won the second set.  You can probably guess who I am pulling for.

In case you didn't know, the Georgian team is composed of Brazil natives.  I don't care.  Beat the damned Ruskies!!!  Didn't think I'd be saying that 15 years ago, nor even 15 days ago.

(UPDATE: Georgia won, 2 sets to 1!!)  

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Russian tanks are still on the move in Georgia.  Yesterday, I heard the Georgian Ambassador answer a question that compared the events to Hungary in 1956.  The ambassador went further.  He said Hungary, Czechoslovakia in 1968, Nazi Germany into Poland and Soviet Union in to Afghanistan.

He is right.

Russian aggression is something that needs to be kept in check.   

Vladimir Putin wants a new Russian Empire or a revival of the Soviet Union.  George W. Bush underestimated him, possibly from a view of American arrogance, back when they first met. 

Will Bush or his successor have the willingness and ability to stand up to him?  Bush, we will wait and see.  As for his successor, I know that one of the two gets it.  The other seems willing to let us lose the Cold War that we won 20 years ago.  His Socialist tendancies prove that for me.

These events in Georgia worry me more than any other series of events in the world that have happened since 2001.   

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Have a great Ben's Birthday Wednesday!! 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 05:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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The situation in Georgia is getting worse.  Who is looking most Presidential here in the USA?  I'll give you a hint, not George W. Bush.  Not yet.

Not Barack Obama.  Acting way too passively.

So far, I have to give credit to John McCain.  Especially with his referencing of history.  Who heard of Sarajevo back on 27 June 1914?  Who heard of Pearl Harbor on 6 December 1941?  I could go on, but those examples show that the perspective McCain has on the significance, or potential significance, of these events is probably on the mark.  Add that to his continued concern over what Vladimir Putin is trying to do.  And the fears he has about this man.

South Ossetia is a place that I heard of, in passing.  I remember that Eduard Sheverdnadze canceling his visit to Los Angeles in 1992 (where he was to speak at my brother's college graduation from USC) due to civil unrest.  I thought, at the time, this was due to the riots in Los Angeles following the Rodney King cop trial.  I was wrong, it was due to unrest in the newly independent Republic of Georgia.  And that unrest dated back to 1989.  And an elected predecessor of Sheverdnadze was killed in a bloody coup d'etat shortly after gaining independence from the Soviet Union.

Say what you will about Vlad Putin, he is not stupid.  Very calculating, to say the least.  The world was distracted with the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games.  Including the aforementioned George W. Bush.  (To be fair, we do not know what he was doing that we did not see.  Appearances, like during Katrina, were poor.)  We know that Putin had been planning the attack and invasion of Georgia for sometime.  Putin was using the media, which he controls, to ratchet up support for his attack.  Russians believe that the Georgians were committing genocide in South Ossetia.

Here is where is may get complicated and how the United States has some obligation here.  In 2005, President Bush assured the Georgians, when speaking in Tblisi AND having a hand grenade thrown at him, that the United States would stand beside the Georgians.  

Overnight, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had the troops stop their advances.  What will happen next?  Good question that I can only answer with another question.  Does Vlad Putin want to go down in history along side other names from the last 200 years like Napoleon, Hitler and Stalin?  Right now, he has yet to hit the level of Saddam Hussein, Idi Amin or Robert Mugabe. 

Will he be held there?  Or will be he be the Devil who went down to Georgia?

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Something a little lighter for your enjoyment.  Amazing what you can do with a lot of time on your hands. Good thing that it only takes a minute and a half to watch it.

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Mark Spitz got snubbed. 

I think he should be in Beijing to support Michael Phelps.  He has said repeatedly that he supports Phelps in his quest to break his 36 year old record of seven gold medals in a single Olympic Games. 

How cool would it be to have Spitz present the seventh or eighth gold medal to Phelps?

Won't happen.  Too bad.

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I had a much better entry written earlier....but the software crashed AS I was saving it.  So, this is the second and inferior run.  Sorry. 

Have a GREAT Tuesday.   

Posted by Jay Kersting at 05:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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To be perfectly honest, I did not watch a lot of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.  Nor did I watch much of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.  I did watch a LOT of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin.  For some reason, I was glued to the midday hockey games in addition to my usual attraction to bobsled, luge, skeleton and ski jumping.

OK, all of that said, NBC does a piss-poor job of covering the games. 

What they do well is that they offer the coverage on multiple channels.  In fact, if not for the Olympics I would not even know that MSNBC is still in existence.   As far as I know, MSNBC may only exist during the games.  (If you know other wise, drop me a line.  I am curious.)

Once every four years, they pull some experts on obscure sports out of, God knows where, and dries them out so they can work for a couple of weeks.  Some of them are very good, Rowdy Gaines is one of them.  Despite being an Auburn Tiger, he knows his swimming and is able to give the casual viewer insight that we need.  That is the job of a sports analyst.  Another is Karch Kiraly.  Hard to believe that I would praise a bruin (he is an alum of fucla) but Kiraly has a great knowledge of the indoor and beach volleyball games.  He does have gold medals in both.  And unlike some of these other analysts, Kiraly does work for ESPN when not doing the Olympics with NBC.  

But so many other analysts on NBC's Olympic coverage team, well, sound like they should be calling the Dodgeball Championships on ESPN 8, The Ocho. 

And I can't even give you her name, but the woman who was calling the Trap Shooting with Bill Clement from NBC Sports studios in New York.  From New York????  Clement does a good job with hockey and he was decent with Trap Shooting.  But I was waiting for the dullard he was working with in New York (and NO, they were NOT on camera) to steal lines from Jason Bateman's Pepper Brooks character in "Dodgeball" at some point.  

Basketball has Doug Collins.  He is good too.  He needs the gold medal he earned in 1972, but that is another story.   His broadcast partners...that is another story.  Not bad, just not to what I would call Olympic standards.

Jim Lampley as the studio host is OK, at best.  He tries to be clever too often.  I though Bill Clement did a better job as the midday host back in 2006.  

I will continue to watch.  I did spend years watching car wrecks.  

I just will not watch gymnastics nor diving.  Trap Shooting, sure.  Equestrian, maybe.  Team Handball, yup.  Badminton, already have.  But HELL NO to gymnastics!!  Ditto for diving!!

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Russians have invaded Georgia.  Things are very hot there.  I tend to think that President Bush has underestimated Vladimir Putin for many years.  And this reinforces the warnings that John McCain said for years about that man.  Bush said that he got a sense of his soul when he looked in to Putin's eyes.  McCain said when he looked in Putin's eyes he saw three things.....K, G, B.  (Putin's former employer, for those who didn't know, or have forgotten.)

South Ossetia is the province that is the point of contention.  I will admit not knowing much about it.

I do know that I hope that is not near Fort Oglethorpe or Ringgold.  Way to close to my brother in Chattanooga.

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The election situation here in Jefferson City could be decided by a judge today or tomorrow.  Stay tuned for the latest on that.  

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That quote from Friday regarding the Olympic Games....here it is again.

"The sportive, knightly battle awakens the best human characteristics.  It doesn't separate, but unites combatants in understanding and respect.  It also helps to the connect the countries in the spirit of peace.  That's why the Olympic Flame should never die."

Who said it?  

Adolf Hitler

I could not make that up.

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Have a great week.  May not have updates on Thursday and Friday as I will be on the road (to Knoxville, Tennessee). 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 06:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

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This is a big day for my wife Kathleen.  Please make the effort, those who know her, to wish her a very Happy Birthday.  E-mail's or phone calls are things that I know she will appreciate.  Stop by the house this evening if you are in town, to help us celebrate.

A lot of people have trouble with this age, but she is handling it quite well....even cheerful.  I think a lot of people could learn from her example.

What has probably helped her a lot is the friends that she has made since we have moved here to Jefferson City.  And the great people that she works with at the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce, who made her day yesterday with a variety of things....not limited to the sign outside the building yesterday.

Happy Birthday Kathleen.  I hope I don't let you down.  Seriously!

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Next greetings go out to my friends Roger and Deb Thompson.  Today is their 16th wedding anniversary. Happy Anniversary. 

Their wedding was before I met Kathy, so I went to this one alone.  It was memorable for several reasons.  First, the setting was really cool.  They were married in a Japanese garden on the campus of California State University - Long Beach (aka Long Beach State).  Then we had a little time off between the wedding and the reception, so some of the friends that I knew from my days and Warrensburg were entertained by some of Roger and Deb's friends we had heard about but not met.  Then the reception was on the Queen Mary.  

It was a beautiful series of events that day. 

More importanly, unlike a majority the weddings that I have intended, they are still together.  And they are celebrating in Florida this weekend. 

Happy Anniversary guys!!  Hope to see you soon!!

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A lawsuit over an election.  Heard this before?

Well, the difference this time is that the lawsuit is to get it right, to do the right thing.  And the one filing the suit is the one who was responsible for the error.

Under the concept of "The Buck Stops Here", Cole County Clerk Marvin Register is filing the lawsuit.  And this is the right thing to do which is why he is doing it.

So, what happened?  Apparently 144 voters were given the wrong ballot at the Fourth Ward polling place.  They should have gotten an Eastern District Republican Ballot, and they got the Western District version instead.

Since the Eastern District Commissioner race was won by Jeff Hoelscher over Edith Vogel by seven votes, this was a problem.

Now, a judge will decide how to fix it.  Will the 144 who got wrong ballots cast new votes?  Will the entire Eastern District revote?

I think that Marvin Register needs to be commended for taking responsibility for the errors and working to correct the problem.

And for those of you who want to make a Florida 2000 comparision, sorry.  Register is following the law.  Unlike the Democrats in Florida in 2000 who went outside what was legally prescribed....as the Supreme Court ruled 7 to 2.  I wanted to clarify this for those who have revised history in their minds, or with the influence of Democrats over the last eight years.  

And for a refresher on my thoughts on revisionist history, I refer you to my entry of 30 January 2008.

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The Beijing Olympic Games open today.  I will leave you with this quote today.  On Monday, I will tell you who said it.  Send me an e-mail if you know the answer (jay@jaykersting.com or via the comments section).

"The sportive, knightly battle awakens the best human characteristics.  It doesn't separate, but unites combatants in understanding and respect.  It also helps to the connect the countries in the spirit of peace.  That's why the Olympic Flame should never die."

If you don't already know, you may be surprised when you figure it out. 

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Have a great weekend.  Don't forget to send Kathleen your greetings! 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 05:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

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Today is primary election day in Tennessee.  And it may be, for most of the state, anti-climatic.  But not for Knox County, where the nightmare of their county government may come to an end.

Here is why I say that it may be anti-climatic for most of the state.  They have an early voting process there that helps increase voter turnout and keeps the election day crowds more manageable.  I really liked the idea of going to one polling place and casting my ballot and then NOT having to worry about it.  Especially when I had to work on election nights the last four years I was living there.  On the big elections in 2000 and 2004, I was able to cast my vote in advance and watch the others rush out on election day.  I guess there is a chance that someone could get some last minute news and want to change their mind.  BUT, I am not one of them.  Rarely do I make a decision IN the ballot booth.

Statewide, Tennessee will choose who gets to challenge U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander in November.  Mike Padgett, the former Knox County Clerk, faces former Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Bob Tuke and four others who really don't face an ice cubes chance in hell.  Both Padgett, to whom I have written many checks for my licence plates and tags, and Tuke are longshots to unseat Alexander.

On a personal note, I really like Lamar Alexander.  Everytime that I have chatted with him, he has been a very warm and friendly guy.  Probably what helped make him a very popular Governor in the late 1970's and early 1980's.  We'd often talk about sports on and off mic.  On election night 2004, I was working and a field producer for our coverage at the GOP Headquarters in Knoxville.  Senator Alexander would come by where I was at to get updates on the Presidential race from me off of my laptop.  

But he doesn't face a challenger today.  I will be watching this race, if it heats up, come November. 

I guess my main point is that many folks made their decisions before today, officially and unofficially.  I wish we could make our official decisions ahead of time here too....and beat the potential crowds on election day. 

I just like that system. 

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The other thing that I will be watching from afar is the whole debacle that is Knox County government.  All of the appointees and the repeated appointees will have to get a vote from the people to earn these jobs.  Also on the ballot are a couple of charter amendments that will help the people.  One of them will allow the recall of county officials.  If you have followed the antics of the county government there, you would know why this is so important.

Good luck to the citizens of Knox County, Tennessee.  You deserve better than what you have gotten.

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Back here in Missouri, I told you about the close race between Chris Koster and Margarat Donnelly for the Democrat nomination for Attorney General.  Yesterday, I had results showing the difference being 552 votes.  Well, there has been an update.  Now the difference is 786 votes in favor of former Republican Koster.

No word yet on an official recount request by Donnelly.  As close as it is, I would go for it.  But that is me, and I am not a politician.

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Brett Favre is now a New York Jet.

Going from the smallest market in the NFL to the media frying pan of New York City.  Well, OK, New Jersey to be accurate. 

I wish him all of the luck in the world.  I do not see that he will make the Jets a Super Bowl Champion, but he could make them a solid playoff team.

My only question is this.  Will his time in New York get him to work on his acting career? 

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Have a great Thursday. 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 05:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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The primary is now behind us here in Missouri.  For my readers in Tennessee, good luck with yours tomorrow.  (And look for some comments on that tomorrow as well.)

So, here is what we know and what we will not know yet.

We do know that Congressman Kenny Hulshof will face his old boss, Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon, to become our next governor.  While I think this race will be HOT, HOT, HOT, I do not think it will have the fireworks that it would have had it Governor Matt Blunt had sought re-election. 

We also know that the Republican seeking to replace Kenny Hulshof as 9th District Congressman is Blaine Luetkemeyer.  The Democrat  on the ballot will be Judy Baker.

In the 4th Congressional District, Ike Skelton's long held seat in Congress will be challenged by Jeff Parnell. 

In other statewide races - -

Lt. Governor Peter Kinder will face Democrat challenger Sam Page in November. 

Brad Lager was unopposed to be the GOP replacement for Sarah Steelman, whose bid for the GOP Gubernatorial nomination failed, and he will now face Clint Zweifel to become out next State Treasurer.

Chris Koster narrowly defeated Margaret Donnelly, a difference of 552 votes, to get the Democrat nomination for Attorney General.  Republican Mike Gibbons will be Koster's challenger this fall to replace Jay Nixon.

Both Democrat Robin Carnahan and Republican Mitch Hubbard faced no competition in the Secretary of State office that Carnahan currently holds.

Which leads to my bigger point as we head to November.  You can't handicap the races based on the numbers that you saw from last night.

For example, as much as I would like to think that he has a good chance to do it, I know that Jeff Parnell has an steep uphill battle if he wants to unseat Ike Skelton.  If everyone who voted in the GOP primary threw their support behind Parnell, he would have enough votes it seems.  EXCEPT that more will come out in November and more will have the choice for Skelton that didn't have that option in the Primary.  Again, I make no secret that I will support Mr. Parnell because of his anti-earmark promise made on this show.  (And he is a FairTaxer.)  But, I know that he will need help to make this happen.

In Hulshof v. Nixon, this will be very interesting because of the national money that will flow into the state.  Both McCain and Obama want Missouri, and Missouri is DEFININTELY in play.   My only prediction is that the Presidential race could determine what happens here.

But NOT necessarily.  This is Missouri.

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So last week John McCain ran an ad that I thought was stupid and incomplete when he tried to compare Barack Obama, the world's biggest celebrity, to Britney Spears and Parisite Hilton. 

This is an reason why we need someone like the late Tim Russert.  Guess who made this comparison first? 

Look at this February 2005 story in the Washington Post.  Specifically, the second paragraph. 

The funny part is how the Post refers to him as down-to-earth.  As my wife would say, Seriously?  It is the Washington Post and all honest people know their leanings.

The other part that I got a BIG belly laugh out of was when he mentioned how his wife keeps him humble by teasing him about his big ears.  Really?  I thought he said before that he was very sensitive to that kind of thing. 

Which is it?  Did he change ANOTHER position?

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I agree.  Change your ad campaign!!  Quickly!!! 

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Have a great Wednesday.   

Posted by Jay Kersting at 07:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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I guess you could say that today is the day that the herd gets thinned.  It is the Primary Election Day.  Our choice of Governor will be cut down to just two.  The choice for Congressman Kenny Hulshof's replacement will be knocked down to two.  The local races will be thinned as well.

The best part about this is in two main areas.  First, the ads will stop after today.  Second, the focus will be narrowed a bit.  

The downside is the new round of ads will start soon.

Some of you think that I would like all of the political ads.  And in a way, I do.  But what you need to realize is that my employer has to give deep deep discounts to the political advertisers.  Not to earn that business, because it is LEGALLY MANDATED!!

Sixty days before a General Election (45 days for a Primary), political ads have to be sold for the lowest rate that we have sold ANY airtime to other clients.    

While I do not get paid DIRECTLY based on what is sold, the higher the revenues are, the better chance I have to get a raise.

In theory at least. 

Probably only in theory.

If our ads sell at the lowest rate, because the politicians made the rules to help themselves, we make less money. And my theory has a harder time getting tested. 

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Last night, I was explaining the Barack Obama energy rebate plan to my son Alex.  

For those who do not know Obama's plan, I understand your problem.  Like everything else the naive Senator from Illinois comes up with, it is short on details.  But this is what is clear.

He wants to give families $1000 check this fall to buy your vote....I mean, to help you with your increased energy costs.

Alex is almost 13 years old and he is a pretty smart kid.  He understands that the government gets money by taxing citizens.  So he knew that Obama needed to find a way to pay for it.  (Something that has escaped BOTH Democrat and Republican run Congress' in the past....but he gets it.)

So when I told Alex that Barack Obama was going to tax the energy companies to pay for it, he got a puzzled look on his face.  Then I explained that companies would have to pay for the taxes by raising their prices.  For gasoline and diesel fuel, estimates are at a minimum of eight cents a gallon.  No one has figured how that would translate to grocery prices.

Alex started laughing when I told him this.

Yes, he wants to give us money, so that we can give it back to the energy companies, so that the energy companies can give it back to the government that gave us the money in the first place.

Now, while true that the more that money changes hands, the better it is for the economy.  But when it simply moves in a circle, it does nothing but cost those who are handling that money along the way have an increase in their costs.

A seventh grader gets it.  This is an idiotic idea. 

Don't get me wrong, you send me a check and I will cash it.  I did it with the last one.  But, I will tell you how stupid this concept is.

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The Royals keep on winning.  Changing Sox from White to Red had no impact last night.  4-3 win for the Blue.  53-60 at this point of the season is not exactly good, but considering that horrible 12 game skid back in May, they could be doing worse.  So, seven games below .500 in the first week of August is something that I can accept.  Especially because the trend it very positive.  

They got two more with the Sox of the Red variety before they host Minnesota to close out this homestand.  Road trips to face the Pale Hose in Chicago then a final trip to Yankee Stadium. Or as I like to call it, baseball's version of the Mos Eisley Spaceport.   (You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villany.....)

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Have a great Tuesday. 

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

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Senator Barack Obama turns 47 today, best wishes to him on this day!  It was in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he was born on this date.  So anyone who sends you one of those stupid e-mails questioning his citizenship or his birth certificate, tell them to shut up.

Anyhow, on that note, again Happy Birthday to Senator Obama.

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I have said repeatedly what a stupid idea a Windfall Profits Tax is.  Now, read what the Wall Street Journal has to say.

I know that my opinion is right.  This is not the Soviet Union.  This is not Nazi Germany.  This is not Fascist Italy.  This is not Franco's Spain (was he fascist, socialist??).  And this is not Chavez's Venezuela.  This is supposed to be the United States of America.   This is supposed to be a nation founded on freedom, liberty and equality.

So, hopefully NOW you can understand when I refer to Barack Obama as a Socialist, that is me being nice.  Accurate, but nice.  I could do worse.

Oh, and Happy Birthday Senator.

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Follow up report from the weekend.

First, thank you again to the folks at HyVee and to Tina Short with the Kansas City Royals for their help in making this promotion happen.  

On Saturday, our group of winners met in the heat up at Kauffman Stadium for the game against the Chicago White Sox.  We gathered at the George Brett statue and then Tina took us in just before the turnstiles opened up.  

To get to the field, we took the elevators near the old, and future, offices.  The group got separated in two and the first group got a bit of a surprise.  On our way down, the elevator stopped one floor too soon.  Waiting for the elevator was second baseman Mark Grudzielanek on crutches (injured Friday night).  One of those on the elevator noted that he was her favorite player.  (I tend to agree since he is the only one on the Royals who is older than me...by a month.  But, probably Luke Hochevar because of his educational background.  Anyhow....)  So, that was a little added treat for that group.

I went back and met the rest of the group and brought them down to the others.  Then we went out on the field.  The Royals had early batting practice, so we got to see the White Sox hit a few.  And experience how hot it was.

And then we moved to our seats...in the sun.  Very nice in April and May, not so much in August.  But then again, when we planned this trip, it was for a 6:10 start, not 2:55.

Most of the group moved out of the sun, my boys sat up in the concourse next to a beer stand for a few innings.  (A preview of things to come?) 

For the first time that I can recall, I left a baseball game early.  Had to.  

We listened to the rest of the game on the way home.  And we stopped to get something to eat and drink.  I was encouraging my wife to drink Gatorade....then I realized I really shouldn't do that considering my place of employment.

I hope everyone had a good time despite the heat.

Oh, and the Royals faced a scare late in the game, giving up 4 runs in the eighth.  But the Royals held on to win 9-7.

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Have a great week and stay hydrated...with a drink of your choice. 

Posted by Jay Kersting at 06:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

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Quick answer to the question posed today is yes, he did play the race card.  However....it is NOT that easy.

Personally, I believe it was Barack Obama's appearance was what he was bringing up.  Yes, as a bi-racial man, he does look different than the 42 different men who have held our nation's highest office.  So, from that standpoint, he did play the race card.

But my view is a little bit different than most who have been looking at this.  It reminds me of something that happened 20 years ago.

Vice President George H.W. Bush was pointing out his grandchildren to someone.  It was overheard that he said "the little brown ones" and the media ran with it.

Did Mr. Bush intend to insult Latinos with the comments?  Of course not.  Ridiculous.  He was trying show who they were in a crowd of mainly white kids.

But, as the saying goes, you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube.

Same goes with Senator Obama.  He wants to separa