I wanted to dedicate this blog to some of my personal friends and fraternity brothers that have gone the extra mile to preform service and duty to their country in tough times. These men have heard the call to duty and have come through in full stride.

My fraternal little brother from Baldwin-Wallace College, John Worsencroft is currently serving as an officer in the U.S. Army and is deployed overseas in Iraq currently. His older brother and my pledge class brother, Mark Worsencroft, is a member of the United States Marine Corps Reserve and has already been to Iraq once himself.

My best friend and Bowling Green State University SigEp, Lcpl Michael C. Woodall, is currently serving in Afghanistan with the 3/8 Marines. His buddy, and one of my new adopted buddies, Ian Haddock from the great state of Georgia is joining him in the 'ghan.

Two of my younger fraternity brothers from B-W, Lt. Chris Burden and Lt. Josh Roberts, have recently completed OCS (Burden has also completed TBS) and became United States Marine Officers.

Each of us know many men and women that have already served overseas in Iraq, Afghanistan, and support areas during The War on Terror. We also know of men and women that have been injured or killed while preforming their duty. I know that Veterans' Day and Memorial Day have already passed once this year, but I just wanted to write an entry that was dedicated to their service around the holiday season.

Thank you for your service and committment to our core values as Americans!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays wherever you are, gentlemen!

Can you possibly imagine how awful it has been to live in Minnesota and Georgia since Election Day? While most of us have been able to get back to our normal lives, Minnesotans and Georgians have had to endure the continual election news stories, new political ads, and scheduled visits from political leaders. If you're having trouble picturing this type of treatment, think of what Ohioans typically endure the days and weeks before the national election... and just put it on "extend" and "replay" for these new scenarios.

Think about it... while we were able to enjoy our Thanksgiving Day meal comfortably with our families and friends, citizens of Minnesota and Georgia quite possibly could have been receiving targetted mail, phone bank calls, or canvassing visits. Canvassing? While the yams are slow-cooking? It doesn't seem American... but ironically it's all in the name of American electoral integrity. Georgia is forced to hold an additional election for the current Saxby Chambliss U.S. Senate seat because he was not able to secure a majority in the most recent election (Georgia law requires a majority rather than a plurality.) Minnesotans have been forced to slog through a recount between Norm Coleman (R-Incumbent) and jokester Al Franken (D-Newbie) because it was within a few hundred votes (2000 Florida part deux, right?)

So THANK GOODNESS I'm not currently residing in those states.
Because the tv set is reserved for football games, college basketball games, turkey day parades, and all-day movie marathons... keep your attack ads away from our sacred vision tube.

NOTE: Cavaliers face the Golden State Warriors tonight for a chance to go to 13-3 and build upon the best start in franchise history.

There's really nothing like being home for the holidays (no pun intended.)

I had a great day. Got in late last night following work in Sylvania and the long drive back to Van Wert by midnight. Had some mixed emotions in the final hour of the drive...

Here's a recap:

Browns QB Brady Quinn is shutdown for the rest of the season to give his ailing throwing hand some down time. Sucks because he needs the experience, but gives us a chance to let Derek Anderson shine again so that his trade bait potential increases (Can it get worse?)

President-Elect Barack Obama named retired USMC General Jim Jones his National Security Advisor. Jones has 40 years of Marine Corps service that began as an infantry officer in Vietnam and culminated with his leadership as head of NATO forces and U.S. forces in Europe (Kosovo region era, I believe.) He also served as the 32nd Commandant of the United States Marine Corps. Needless to say, Jim Jones can lay the hammer down if need be. Additional good news comes from the retention of Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense (atleast until the Obama transition is complete and the new administration has a grasp on the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan.) I have been waiting for some direct sign of a move toward bipartisanship from this new administration. Granted, this is the fastest that a presidential transition team has moved in awhile, they didn't exactly win me over by bringing Senator Clinton into the fold right away. So, kudos to you, President-Elect Obama... Gates and Jones maybe balances out either just Clinton or the combo of Daschle in H&HS and the lack of Governor Tim Kaine in any position thus far.

I watched Four Christmases tonight with my brother and mother at the always-hoppin' Van Wert cinema theaters. AMAZING movie in my opinion. I was afraid that the Vince Vaughn/Reece Witherspoon combo would go sour about 20 minutes into the feature, but I was astonished to see the potential chemistry turn into something great. They combined Christmas, family issues, and relationship drama into a hi-ho-hilarious entertainment experience. I felt like this was what The Breakup could have been, but wasn't. The cast was amazing, and I appreciated the writing. I won't ruin it for you, but it is worth seeing.

I got home in just enough time to see the Cleveland Cavaliers polish off the Oklahoma City Thunder by 35 points and move to 12-3 on the young season. Upcoming games at home against Golden State, New York, and Indiana and a road game against Milwaukee. Consistent play could elevate the Cavs to the top 1, 2, or 3 team in the NBA within the next 2 weeks.

Goodnight all! Think about our soldiers, sailors, and Marines that aren't going to be home tomorrow and say a little prayer for them. Also, don't forget to say a quick prayer for our fellow Americans that are in harm's way in India during this horrible terrorist attack and hostage showdown.

And remember.... if you're going to pardon a turkey, make sure they aren't slaughtering 20 behind you during the press conference.

A time to be thankful...

I'm mere hours from the not-so-long drive home to Van Wert county for two days of fun and relaxation with the family, and I can not wait to escape the work schedule and see the parents/siblings/cat? No, not so much the cat.

I do want to say a few quick words about the status of some of my beloved sports franchises before moving on to more pressing issues...

Cleveland Cavaliers (10-3) : playing the New York Knicks tonight and looking good so far. Only losses to Boston (deserved), New Orleans (sloppy), and Detroit (gave it away) blemish a stellar season thus far.

Cleveland Browns (4-7) : I do not know why I put myself through it each and every week. I really should nap during the allotted Brownies television broadcasts. Waking up to a loss is more bearable than sitting through consistent pain and torture.

NOW the main event...

The Obama Cabinet update for this week centers around economic matters for the most part. The President-Elect has surrounded himself with experienced advisors that all admittingly have never faced a challenge of such enormous proportions before (who has?) But, that hasn't taken the focus off other economic concerns; i.e. Citigroup meltdowns, layoffs and mismanagements PLUS what to do about the Big 3 (Chrysler, GM, and Ford?)

Citigroup laid off 50,000+ employees in this past two months amidst the largest depreciation of value in the company's history. I believe I read some statistics that showed that nearly 60% of the corporation's value has disappeared in the past few weeks. Congress runs to Citigroup's aid, but does not take major offense to Citigroup signing a 20-year naming rights contract with the New York Mets for their new stadium (proposed $20 million per year estimation.)

Economists are clammering for the auto industry to declare chapter 11 bankruptcy and reorganize their leadership structure. What most people do not realize is that this will most directly eliminate previous union contracts with laborers within the workforce of these companies. So when the corporations eliminate jobs to pair with the reorganized leadership structure and cut back production estimates, current employees will have to re-interview for their positions and face definite pay/benefit cuts as part of the negotiation. Cable news economists and conservative forecasters have no problem demanding organized labor cut back heavily in order to save these businesses, but you will rarely hear them demand CEO wage restitution or even freezes on corporate bonuses or exorbitant benefit packages.

The American people do want corporations to restructure to meet the demands of a changing economy and global trade schematic, but what good will it do to only address the wages/benefits of the working-class that enables production to occur when the top leadership is rewarding itself millions of times over with money that should be reinvested within the company (via infrastructure repairs, technological improvements, resource development, hiring creative talent?) The free market, capitalist mentality must wake up and face the music that has been playing quite loudly on the main streets of America. We must stop living beyond our means in an over-stretched credit market that can not adequately meet the needs of an inflated market. Americans pay too much for health care, insurance, and energy expenses. The cost of food, clothing, and simple family security measures consistently outpace wage increases and benefit packages.

The Bush Administration has consistently praised economic indicators that do not appropriately reflect the average American's income and well-being. Statistics that describe corporate income and welfare do not begin to dictate how the American economy truly operates.

Now, in the final moments of the Bush Adminstration, we have authorized socialized corporate bailouts of major public/private institutions. After declaring the sanctity of taxpayer dollars, the Bush Administration has purchased vested interests in the private sector as a way to "help America recover" as a whole. It would be believable if the administration actually had a track record of helping the working-class and average citizen rather than the run-of-the-mill CEO, CFO, and top earning percentage of the U.S. population.

So on this Thanksgiving, I'm thankful that some change is on its way in January 2009. And I pray that it is the appropriate committment to the presented problem.

Senator Hilary Clinton would be an EXCELLENT Secretary of State... but not as Secretary of State for President-Elect Obama starting on January 20, 2009.

President-Elect Obama needs to send the message to the overly-moderate electorate that a spirit of bi-partisanship will exist in his Cabinet, and that his policy shops will not be reflected by the media spin doctors as the "most liberal administration in the history of American politics."

The spirit of Abraham Lincoln only goes so far. I know that Obama is stealing a page from Lincoln's policy of a "team of rivals," but this is no William Seward situation. Annointing Senator Clinton as Secretary of State brings a visible, bold voice of recent opposition and criticism to the Obama foreign policy team. Obama and Clinton agreed on foreign policy minutia about as much as Obama and McCain did. The American public wants a steady hand that reflects their wishes... an element of consistent change that delivers upon a promised spirit of bi-partisanship and compromise.

It is entirely possible to include elements of the Clinton administration in the Obama team structure without literally bringing Bill and Hilary into the fold. Keeping them separate from direct command elements allows them to be a voice of support or dissention from the "outside." Keeping Senator Clinton on Capitol Hill means that she has a chance to become the next "Lion of the Senate" following the departure of Senator Kennedy in a few years. She even can recoup credibility and stature for a possible presidential run again in the upcoming cycles.

Vet Governor Bill Richardson for Secretary of State, or wake up every morning and call Secretary Powell, Senator Nunn, and/or Senator Lugar and beg them to help their country one more time in the post of Secretary of State.

Wow... and I didn't even get a chance to move on to other Cabinet posts.

In a whole-hearted approach of consistency, I have resumed my blog after a near-9 month hiatus. Let's blame it on the rain, shall we?

Actually I took a break after things started to tumble politically for my then-dream candidate, Senator John Edwards. I had been love drunk with the idea that Johnny Boy could stage a Matt Santos-esque run through Iowa and then show great improvement in NH before sealing South Carolina. After the Obama build-up and the solid lock down of a Clinton v. Obama title weight match on the looming night sky, my hopes to see a President John Edwards inaugurated in 2008 were eliminated.

AND then... Edwards sealed the deal by announcing that he had been in an affair with a contracted journalist while his wife was battling cancer. Awesome. Way to go from #1 Dream Candidate (The rest of the list includes: Gov. Mark Warner, Sen. Jim Webb, Gov. Tim Kaine, and Gov. Ted Strickland if you're curious) to the basement, Johnny Boy.

Followed by... the emergence of the Obama machine. While it has been great to see a progressive candidate clean the GOP's clocks and help pick up more seats in Congress; I am worried that the far-left agenda might way too much on the shoulders of President-Elect Obama in the coming months. I personally would like to see a President Obama tackle working family issues primarily in the first 100 days of office. Some economic answers must be forged, and a focus needs to be placed on stabilizing the mortgage fiasco and then moving on to truly address issues that deal with the working, middle-class.

We need health care reform that focuses on the patient and their ability to seek/pay for quality treatment rather than throw their case at an insurance giant like a marble in a glass guessing jar of anonymity.

We need an increased level of dependability and trust in our Social Security retirement system. Al Gore wasn't crazy when he talked about a "lock box." At least he was talking about securing funds to pay for future services. We can not allow an executive branch to dictate that interest from the account can be used to pay for pet projects or military excursions.

We need positive job growth to tackle the increasing toil of manufacturing/industrial loss. Factories can be re-tooled and redesigned to meet the needs of a green economy, but that means capital investment in areas of the country that have been hurting directly from capital flight (Erie, Gary, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Youngstown, etc.) Pairing alternative energy needs with current manufacturing/industrial potential is a win-win for the long-haul. We need a president to put eventual real progress ahead of short-term wins for re-election.

Are the days of self-sacrifice and true leadership behind us? The American people needs a president to forget about potential legacy and start focusing on solving real problems. I hope that is what we just voted for. We'll see.

Charles Barkley, Barack Obama, Indiana University Basketball, and the Ohio Primary.

I heard a news story this evening on the local news AND then replayed during the NBA All-Star festivities on TNT that focused on a unique political endorsement. Charles Barkley, former NBA great and frequent sociopolitical commentator, endorsed Senator Obama for president this weekend. Barkley, an admitted Republican and traditional Alabama gubanatorial wannabe, leaped to Obama's side of the aisle by calling him the best candidate for the job. Not only does this confuse many people (atleast me!) because of Barkley's consistent Republican roots, but also because he played NBA basketball in Arizona--home of Senator John McCain--for at least 8-10 years with additional stops in Philadelphia and Houston. Aside from merely refraining from endorsing any candidate at this point, Charles could have at least stopped at this point in the story...

I'm afraid that's not the case. Before we proceed with this analysis, let me first remind you that this is the same Charles Barkley that famously told the media years ago that he didn't want children to look up to him as a role model in his profession. I know for a fact that comments like that drove his Sports Illustrated for Kids trading card values down for years afterwards (actually I can't prove that statement, but it felt right.)

Here's the kicker, folks: Barkley continued to comment on the political atmosphere of the United States by referring to those that consider themselves "conservatives" to be in all actuality "fake Christians." Now, I have not had a chance to read the transcripts online, but the news is only covering those two tidbits of the situation---Charles endorses Obama, and Charles openly criticized conservatives for being "fake Christians." Let's just say that this small news story is not going away anytime soon. Follow-up note: Good luck securing the GOP nomination for the Alabama governorship in 2014, Charles... you just might need some of those conservative voters to cast a ballot in your party's primary. OUCH.

More on Obama:
Last week I had a conversation with a close friend about Barack Obama and the upcoming Ohio primary on March 4th. I have already mailed in my application for an absentee ballot and should be receiving my forms in the mail in the next few days. Until today, I was almost positive that I was going to stick with my decision to vote for Senator John Edwards in a defiant move to protest my lack of confidence and trust in the remaining two DNC candidates in the race. I still have some trust issues with Obama that relate to his policy formation and opinions (chiefly regarding health care and education), and have written Senator Clinton off completely at this point...BUT I spent some time reading some news articles about Obama's feelings regarding merit pay for teachers. In the earlier debates, Obama's opinions regarding merit pay were described as the traditional pay scale evaluation based primarily on proficiency scores. I have a problem with that system of assessment because it has the potential to drive away quality teachers from historically under-achieving or considerably poor school districts. That cycle, paired with already existing funding issues, could be the end of any level of remaining hope in those districts. However, based upon comments that Obama made to the NEA in July 2007 and other policy descriptions that I have been able to find, it seems as though the senator wants to work with professional teachers' unions and state school boards to design a system of merit pay that encourages teachers to excel in the classroom without any or all pay increments based on just proficiency testing. While I am not completely satisfied with this answer, I am happy that he understands that this is a complicated process and not just a flashy soundbyte for a debate response. I am still hesitant to throw my support to Senator Obama at this point, but I can tell you that I am leaning more in his direction at this point. I still have questions about his policy formation, and am worried that some of his advisors may not be 100% "Working-Family Friendly," but I do know that I am more confident in him at this point than Senator Clinton.
I guess I'll have to let you know how the ballot thing works out this upcoming week!

Indiana Hoosiers Basketball:
The Crimson and Cream knocked off #9 Michigan State tonight at Assembly Hall by a 20 point margin with looming NCAA investigations into Head Coach Calvin Sampson's recruiting process and overall credibility with the Infractions Committee, AND a first-half knee injury to PF D.J. White. This win allows IU to gain another quality win after a losing streak (3 out of last 6 games) and stay within 1 and a half games of Big 10 conference leader, Purdue, who comes to Bloomington on Tuesday for a show-down. Oh, and if Sampson is fired look for former BGSU head coach Dan Dakich to act as interim head coach for the Hoosiers. Neat-o mosquito.