Republican Debate Last Night

The picture above says it all!
First of all even though Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee were there, they were not really there much. It was 15-20 minutes each of McCain and Romney and about 1-3 minutes each for Paul and Huckabee.
Basically, McCain ducked every strong issue thrown at him, Romney answered very forcefully.
I have to tell you, I was impressed by Mitt Romney. I will be honest, the thought of a cult member as president doesn't thrill me, but at this point, unless Fred comes back, I have to start listening to Mitt.
Today he announced that he may not be spending on ads for Super Tuesday.
McCain is an absolute Liberal and he showed it last night. His over and over bashing at Romney over the issue of "timetables" for Iraq, it was a continuance of his smear tactics used in Florida.
Look, the man said, on the record, that Hillary Clinton would make a "fine president". He reaches across the aisle just fine, he lives on the other side of the aisle. His friends in Congress are all Democrats.
He is a war hero, no doubt about it. That is all I respect him for.
Stay here for more information.
PS: Huckabee and Paul will drop out either during or after Super Tuesday. If Huckabee and Paul stay in, they will be giving votes to McCain by splitting the Christian and Conservative vote.

Rambo: My Review (please read before going)

Well, I was of course very excited for the new Rambo film as I had been very pleased with how Sly Stallone treated the Rocky Balboa story. He did a great job of making Rocky very believable at the age he was both as character and in real life. I highly recommend Rocky Balboa, it was a very good movie.
So, today we saw Rambo.
It was HORRIBLE!!!
I have never seen so much gore and I have seen a lot. This made Saving Private Ryan look like a Disney movie. Exploding heads, arms, legs, bodies blown in half, in quarters, decapitations, intestines, you name it.
I am saving you the trouble my friends. I am very very embarrassed that I went to this film. It was NEEDLESS gore. I mean you can shoot and a little blood fly and I know the guy is dead, I don't need to see him literally sawn in two by a machine gun and watch his body fall in slow motion in two directions!
I couldn't even tell you if it was a good story or not, it was that putrid. The amount of "F-bombs" was overwhelming.
Please, please don't go see this movie. It ain't worth it!
On top of that, new revelations have come out today that Stallone was injecting HGH steroid for this film.
Sorry to be so graphic but I really wanted to warn you. I am ashamed that I saw this movie and God has dealt with me severely this evening in my Bible study and Prayer time. His conviction was so much that I felt like a dirty filthy stinking scumbag.
I am clean now, praise be to Jesus for his precious blood, but this is why I should never have gone in the first place, I wasted the precious blood of Jesus.
Well, anyway, thank you for your patience, carry on!

Gov. Mike Huckabee Pardons Rolling Stones

Presidential contender Mike Huckabee is looking for momentum after his second-place showing behind John McCain in the Jan. 19 South Carolina primary. Huck's strong evangelical support may be insufficient to carry him to the top of the GOP ticket. Perhaps it's time for the former governor and Baptist preacher to remind baby boomers about his service to rock history.

Back in 1975, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards and fellow band member Ron Wood were driving from Memphis to Dallas when a patrolman in Fordyce, Ark., observed that their car was swerving and pulled them over. Richards claimed he was adjusting the radio, but he pleaded guilty to reckless driving and paid a $162.50 fine.
Thirty-one years later, Richards, back in Arkansas for a Rolling Stones concert, told the audience that he "used to know the chief of police" in Fordyce. Then-Gov. Huckabee, himself a part-time bass player, was in attendance. After the show, Huckabee went backstage and seized the moment. "Keith," he said, "I can pardon you and get that off your record. You can have a clean start in Arkansas."

Within a few months, Huckabee had personally filled out the pardon application to the Arkansas Parole Board (see above) he secured signatures of all the requisite board members; and acquired for his state an original Keith Richards autograph. Questions about the performer's criminal history, personal background, and drug use were left blank, but the fun-loving rocker, who once confessed that he snorted his own father's ashes—his publicist later said that was a joke—marked an X beside the statement, "My institutional adjustment has been exemplary and the ends of justice have been achieved".

Huckabee told Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone that for the rest of his gubernatorial term his standard response to complaints about favoritism was, "'Hey, if you can play guitar like Keith Richards, I'll consider pardoning you, too."



This was just too good to pass up. Don' t you love the power an executive can have? President?
Make sure and take the Abortion Quiz below!

Pro Life? Take the Test!

Here is a great quiz to find out how much you actually know about Roe V. Wade.

http://www.roeiqtest.com/ui/quiz.php


PS: I missed 4 out of 12. Come back here and tell me how you scored. You may be surprised.

Goodbye My Friend, Goodbye American Hope

NAPLES, Fla. - Republican Fred Thompson, the actor-politician who attracted more attention as a potential presidential candidate than as a real one, quit the race for the White House on Tuesday after a string of poor finishes in early primary and caucus states.
"I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort," Thompson said. "Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people."
Thompson's fate was sealed last Saturday in the South Carolina primary, when he finished third in a state that he had said he needed to win.
In the statement, Thompson did not say whether he would endorse any of his former rivals. He was one of a handful of members of Congress who supported Arizona Sen. John McCain in 2000 in his unsuccessful race against George W. Bush for the party nomination.
Thompson, best known as the gruff district attorney on NBC's "Law & Order," placed third in Iowa and South Carolina, two states seemingly in line with his right-leaning pitch and laid-back style, and he fared even worse in the four other states that have held contests thus far. Money already tight, he ran out of it altogether as the losses piled up.
Republican race is wide openThompson, 65, departs the most wide open Republican race in half a century; in the six states that have voted, three candidates have scored wins.
In Florida, McCain, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani are battling for the lead ahead of its Jan. 29 primary, while former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee evaluates his next steps amid money troubles of his own.
Thompson's withdrawal capped a turbulent 10 months that saw him go from hot to not in short order.
He began toying with a presidential run last March, emboldened by a fluid Republican nomination fight and a restive conservative GOP base. He also was charmed by resounding calls for him to get into the race — and his meteoric springtime rise to the top of national and state polls.
Fans trying to draft him as a candidate launched an online effort, seizing on his conservative Senate voting record as well as his lumbering 6-foot-5 frame and deep baritone as they argued that he was right out of central casting. They painted him as the second coming of Ronald Reagan and the would-be savior of a Republican Party demoralized after electoral losses in 2006 at all levels of government.
Expectations rose higher — and his standing in polls started to fall as he failed to meet them.
Thompson played coy about his intentions all the while taking steps to prepare for a formal entrance into the race with a flourish. He cut ties with NBC, visited early voting states and delivered high-profile speeches. And, he started raising money and set up a preliminary campaign organization.
He delayed his expected summertime entrance in the race until fall, perhaps missing an opening created by McCain's near campaign implosion.
Lackluster fundraising, staff departuresAs he prepared to officially join the race, Thompson was plagued by lackluster fundraising; high-profile staff departures, including some prompted by the deep involvement in the campaign of his wife, Jeri, and less-than-stellar performances on the stump. Thompson also endured repeated questions about his career as a lobbyist and his thin Senate record.
Thompson formally announced his bid in early September but hit a rocky patch from the get-go.
His easygoing style and reputation for laziness translated into a light campaign schedule that raised questions about whether he wanted to be president badly enough to fight for it. A spate of inartful answers to campaign-trail questions — on everything from the Terri Schiavo case to Osama bin Laden — didn't help matters.
Though his star had faded, Thompson earned positive reviews for a series of debate performances last fall and earned an endorsement by the National Right to Life Committee. He made a strong effort in Iowa as the year ended with a bus tour of the lead-off caucus state.
But he finished third and went South Carolina, where he hoped to turn around his fortunes — but a win, like the nomination, did not materialize.

My Commentary: this is very sad for the Republican Party. Mitt Romney is a Democrat in sheep's clothing, Mike Huckabee has run a very dirty campaign that does not allow me to be proud to associate with his style of Christianity, John McCain will never have conservatives behind him due to the McCain-Feingold and McCain-Kennedy bills and Ron Paul is a nut.

I hope you all like the sound of Hillary Clinton/John Edwards as your new President/Vice President.

God Help Us All!

Rush Limbaugh and Fred Thompson Together!!

Today is the day in South Carolina. Could this be the end for Fred? I cannot believe American Conservatives do not see what I see in Fred.

Last week Mike Huckabee insulted Fred with the following statement: "Perhaps Senator Thompson could use a little more Metamucil". Haha. Fred's reply: "I guess if Americans want a funny guy with one liners for President than Governor Huckabee is your man, if you want prosperity, unity and security, than you might vote for me".

That is a humble man.

Today it was reported that Rush Limbaugh has thrown his considerable political clout into Fred's arena.

You can hear the excitement in Rush’s voice when he talks about the South Carolina primary. It’s “The Passion.” The passion of conservatism emerging when he talks about that primary. Why, you ask? Because, for the first time since the primaries have begun, conservative Republicans will be voting for fellow conservative Republicans.That very fact gives Limbaugh hope. The very promise of a conservative Republican candidate, a candidate with a record of consistent, conservative credentials, credentials that will shake the very foundations of America, brining back that agenda of conservatism that President Reagan expressed so well. How do you know? How is it that some second-rate hack knows what Limbaugh is thinking? I’ll tell you how. It’s because I believe the same thing. It’s because I believe in America, from the Founding Fathers and into the future. Rush Limbaugh believes in conservatism. It’s engrained in his soul. It’s as obvious as that. I recognize it in Senator Fred Thompson, and so does Rush Limbaugh. He’s hinted, he’s implied, and he’s even begged conservatives to see what he sees in Fred Thompson. He sees conservatism, the same kind of conservatism he saw in Ronald Reagan. He doesn’t want long, bloated policy. He wants simple, effervescent conservatism for Americans to unfold before their very eyes. Rush has mentioned Fred Thompson many times behind the Golden EIB microphone. Behind the microphone, his animation and passion for conservatism have been heard and seen many times for Senator Fred Dalton Thompson.

She's Still "Cutie Katie" Couric, or maybe not.....

Hmm, you be the judge, watch to the very end. She ain't so cute. In my continuing quest to bring truth to Salem-Keizer. CBS News better not be your news source!!

This Presidential Election is getting Crazy!!

As your Salem-Keizer political reporter, I am back with more information on the 2008 Elections.

Please be patient and read all of this post and you may be suprised at how things are shaking out.

So we're back to square one in the Republican Party.

Mitt Romney beat John McCain handily in Michigan, which means there have now been three major GOP contests and three different comeback winners. At this rate, Thompson will win South Carolina and Giuliani Florida. The GOP primary is starting to look like a Pee Wee soccer tournament: Everyone gets a trophy!

After Romney's losses in Iowa and New Hampshire, he offered the flaccid boast that he had won the silver medal, but Tuesday night he was finally able to claim that he had won a genuinely hard-fought primary. Until now he had done nothing but watch his leads in the polls diminish, but in Michigan he trailed McCain and battled back to win. Yes, he had long ties to the state, which voters said influenced their vote; and yes, he bought nearly three times as much TV time in Michigan as his nearest rival, but McCain had advantages too. He won the state in 2000 and had momentum coming into the primary from his New Hampshire victory.
The state was essentially do-or-die for Romney. After two big losses, it was starting to look like no matter how much money, organization, and rigid smiles he threw into the race, none of it was enough to make voters like him. Romney would have had the resources to continue after a Michigan loss, but it would have been a sad death march.

The issue terrain will be different in South Carolina. The economic downturn is on the minds of voters in South Carolina, and the key bloc of voters is social conservatives, who make up 40 percent to 60 percent of the GOP electorate. Their influence will make Mike Huckabee a much stronger presence than he was in Michigan, where he came in a distant third. McCain might be able to bounce back from his loss by exploiting his strong ties to the state's considerable veteran community, as well as by winning over ex-Giuliani supporters.

And then there's Fred Thompson, long left for dead, who—while he's not climbing in the polls—is nevertheless getting aggressive in a way that might cause trouble for Huckabee and Romney.

The Republican contest is a muddle, and it's only going to get more so as the campaign heads to South Carolina. But for one night at least, the most orderly man in the race sits atop the chaos.

Now what many fear will happen by the end of this primary season is a "brokered convention". This is the worst and yet most fun way to elect a nominee. This is the old smoked filled rooms where deals are made based on who has how many delegates.

I will quote from wikipedia to explain "brokered convention better".

Brokered convention
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A brokered convention refers to a situation in United States politics where there are not enough delegates obtained during the presidential primary and caucus process for a single candidate to obtain a majority for the presidential nominating convention. Since no candidates receive enough votes on the first ballot to win the nomination, the convention is brokered through political horse-trading and multiple ballots.

Background
Before the era of presidential primaries, conventions were routinely brokered. Adlai Stevenson in 1952 for the Democratic Party and Thomas Dewey in 1948 for the Republican Party were the last two candidates elected through a brokered convention. The last seriously contested convention was the 1976 Republican convention, where Gerald Ford beat Ronald Reagan on the first ballot without obtaining a majority of delegates through the primary and caucus process.
Since then, there have been many years where brokered conventions were projected, but did not come to pass. In 1988, a brokered convention was predicted for the Democrats since multiple candidates won the Super Tuesday primaries that year.[1]

Difficulty
The possibility of a brokered convention is seen as more likely for the Democratic Party because of its proportional representation system and the large number of "superdelegates" (almost 20% of the 2008 total), who are Democratic elected officials, former elected officials, and other important figures in the Party. [2]
In the 2008 election cycle, the possibility of a brokered convention remains for both parties. On the Republican side, although some states award delegates using the winner take all system, many large states are dividing their delegation by congressional district, which will result in easier splitting of delegates. [3] Pundits argue that with the lack of a front runner in the Republican field and the number of competitive candidates, voters will not coalesce around one or two candidates and a brokered convention could result. [4] On the Democratic side, the current split of support for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and the announcement by John Edwards that he will remain in the race until the convention could result in a 3-way race where no candidate receives a majority of delegates on the first ballot. [5] Many Al Gore supporters have stated that a brokered convention would be the last chance for Gore to enter the race; some see his book, "The Assault on Reason," as implicity suggesting this strategy.
Several factors encourage decision in the primary process. First, candidates tend to get momentum as they go through the process, due to the bandwagon effect. Thus, one or two candidates will be seen by the media and voters as the front runner due to their placement in the first primaries and caucuses, and as also-ran candidates drop out, their supporters will tend to vote for the leaders. [6] Theorists have identified two types of political momentum, piecemeal and all-at-once, with different impacts on front-runners and those right behind them. [7] Secondly, political parties wish to avoid the negative publicity from a brokered convention, which has turned the nominating conventions from the rough-and-tumble affairs to the infomercial-type occasions they are today. [8] Thus, a candidate nominated from the brokered convention will be seen as weak and must climb additional hurdles to gain election.

So there you guys fans, this could be going right up to the conventions. Stay tuned to this site for more information in the months to come.

Remember I told you a Thompson-Romney ticket could be possible. Also a Clinton-Edwards ticket.

Rambo Is Back!!

Ya, John Rambo i s back January 25th "Rambo" premieres!

Now I know what your thinking "Oh brother, Stallone, give it up!" He is 61 but boy, I hope I can look as good as he does at 61!

If you saw "Rocky Balboa" last year you know that this isn't that silly, he really pulled off a believable character and I think that it was the best in the whole series.

This time John Rambo is living in the jungles of Burma and helps Christian Missionaries get into a village.

Yep, lots of violence and probably shouldn't approve of it, but it sure is fun!

Stallone said that he has been approached for years to do a Rambo movie but when he researched the persecution of Christians in Burma, he wanted to do this story. He also said there is no more Rambo or Rocky movies, that both of these latest are great closure to the characters.

If you rent the Rocky movie, it's fun to watch the alternate ending after the regular one.

Really, don't laugh, he really pulled it off. I am hoping he can do the same with Rambo.

Roe v. Wade and the Death Penalty

Here's the question:
Are you willing to give up the Death Penalty in America as a trade off for losing Roe v. Wade?
Just a thought.

What if a candidate said, he or she promised to end abortion in America in exchange for ending the death penalty? Would you be for that or against that?

Martyred for Christ

Thank you to JB for lending me her copy of John Fox's Book of Martyrs. I just finished it last night and you would think that a history graduate, and avowed history freak would have read this book before! Nope, somehow I missed it all of these years.

I was struck most by how EVERY single one of the persons written about, who were persecuted and or murdered in most heinous ways, never ever complained or begged for mercy but instead in EVERY case they sang hymns, prayed and even gave mini sermons forgiving their tormenters even as they burned to death in the most slow and painful ways imaginable.

I kept crying and asking God, "could I do that for you?" More Christians are martyred today than at any time in history. I strongly advise that all Christians go to the websites of Voice of the Martyrs and Alpha Relief as just two organizations who are helping the persecuted Church in the World.

The man above is William Tyndale (yes THAT Tyndale). Without him, we probably wouldn't have a Bible to read today.

The Catholic Church labeled him a "heretic" because he wanted the common man to be able to read the Holy Scriptures for themselves. That could not be tolerated by the "Church" as that would endanger the power of the Pope and his minions.

Please pray for those who are at this very moment while you are reading this post, being beaten, imprisoned, and even murdered because they name the name of Christ!!

Are you a Betting Man or Woman???

So, professional gamblers are not always quoted when it comes to politics, but being the hardworking political junkie that I am, I found out what the professional gamblers are saying about the 2008 Presidential campaign.
Now remember, just like football, basketball, horse racing or any other sport, these guys don't lose very often. They know what they are doing.
So, for your amusement or perhaps to scare you a bit, below is the numbers according to the world's only Political Gambling website are the numbers:

DUBLIN, January 7, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Ireland's largest bookmaker, Paddy Power, are today claiming that the Democratic Nomination race is well and truly over and are already paying out on Barack Obama to be the successful Democratic nominee. The early payout signals a massive EUR50,000 ($75,000) payday to lucky punters who backed Obama over the recent number of weeks at various odds ranging from 4/1 to 4/9.
The unexpected decision by the Irish bookmaking firm comes almost a week after the Iowa primary election and just a day before the New Hampshire primary election where Barack is now the odds on favourite at 1/12 to demolish his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
Paddy Power, said: "From a betting point of view we reckon that it's game over for Hillary. With each passing day Obama is looking more like a certainty to get the Democratic vote and as far as we're concerned he's already past the post. So well done to all who backed him, your winnings await!"

Barack Obama has also overtaken Hillary Clinton for the first time in the betting to become the next US President. vvPaddy Power now make him the odds on favourite at 10/11 to become the first African-American President over Hillary Clinton who has now drifted to an incredible 5/2.

LATEST 2008 U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION BETTING http://www.electionbetting.com

New Hampshire

Democratic Primary
1/20 Barack Obama
7/1 Hillary Clinton
40/1 John Edwards
150/1 Any Other Democratic candidate New Hampshire

Republican Primary
1/14 John McCain
6/1 Mitt Romney
16/1 Any Other

Michigan

Democratic Primary
4/7 Hillary Clinton
5/4 Barack Obama
14/1 John Edwards
40/1
Any other Democratic candidate

Michigan

Republican Primary
6/4 John McCain
2/1 Mitt Romney
9/4 Rudy Giuliani
7/2 Mike Huckabee
33/1 Any other Republican candidate

Democratic Nominee for President 2008
4/9 Barack Obama
13/8 Hillary Clinton
14/1 John Edwards
25/1 Al Gore
100/1 Evan Bayh
100/1 Bill Richardson
100/1 Tom Daschle

Republican Nominee for President 2008
11/8 John McCain
5/2 Rudolph Giuliani
7/2 Mike Huckabee
4/1 Mitt Romney
12/1 Ron Paul
25/1 Fred Thompson
125/1 Sam Brownback

Next President?
10/11 Barack Obama
5/2 Hillary Clinton
11/2 John McCain
10/1 Rudolph Giuliani
11/1 Mike Huckabee
14/1 Mitt Romney
25/1 Ron Paul
25/1 John Edwards
33/1 Al Gore
50/1 Fred Thompson
125/1 Bill Richardson
125/1 Tom Daschle
125/1 Evan Bayh

Winning Party
2/5 Democrats
7/4 Republicans

Name the final two candidates to contest the 2008 US Presidential Election
5/2 Obama v McCain 4
/1 Obama v Giuliani
5/1 Clinton v McCain
11/2 Obama v Huckabee
6/1 Obama v Romney
8/1 Clinton v Giuliani
10/1 Clinton v Huckabee
12/1 Clinton v Romney
16/1 Obama v Paul
33/1 Clinton v Paul
33/1 Obama v Thompson
33/1 Edwards v McCain
50/1 Edwards v Giuliani
66/1 Clinton v Thompson
66/1 Edwards v Romney
66/1 Edwards v Huckabee
150/1 Obama v Brownback
180/1 Edwards v Paul
300/1 Clinton v Brownback
350/1 Edwards v Thompson
1000/1 Edwards v Brownback

For all the latest in US Politics visit our dedicated microsite - http://www.electionbetting.com

How I see New Hampshire Shaping Up

After viewing the debates in New Hampshire Saturday, I saw several things that were interesting.
1. Mitt Romney finally stopped looking like "Father Knows Best" and actually got down and dirty a bit. He really went after Huckabee on a couple occasions.
2. Mike Huckabee was not smiling quite as much as before, as I think he knows that now the "ah shucks" thing is not going to work and he is going to have to slug it out with the other candidates.
3. Fred Thompson got left out, but he reminded my of why I love him, he shows his disdain for the whole process and he reminded me of Walther Matthau in "Grumpy Old Men".
4. John McCain looked Presidential.
5. Barack Obama looked cool and confident.
6. Hillary Clinton looked very very panicked.

So, I believe on the Republican side this will be the New Hampshire outcome:
John McCain
Mitt Romney
Fred Thompson
Mike Huckabee
Rudy Giuliani

Democrats:
Barack Obama narrowly wins
Hillary Clinton
John Edwards

After New Hampshire comes Super Tuesday, and before that, I think at least one Republican will bow out, but I think that Republican may be a Vice Presidential candidate.
So, let the voting begin in New Hampshire!

Breaking Down the Iowa Caucus

Can you count how many plates were thrown on the Ex-Presidential Plane flying home to New York? haha. Hillary is having fits right now. She HAD the FREAKIN LEAD and LOST!! You think you have ever seen a P.O.'d lady before????

America is not ready for a candidate as divisive and nasty as this person is. Riding the fumes of her popular husband will not get you in.
In her concession speech last night she spent more time pimping her "It takes a village" book then any substance as usual.

Congratulations to both Sen. Obama and Gov. Huckabee.

On the Republican side, Huckabee did what should not have surprised anyone who follows politics.
Iowa Republicans that turn out for caucus are predominately Evangelical so he won. In exit polling over 75% said they were Born Again or Evangelical in belief. There are no Mormons in Iowa and the other candidates just didn't spend time or money there.
Huckabee will not be able to carry this to New Hampshire or definitely Super Tuesday, he doesn't have the money nor is he a true Conservative Republican. I am of course encouraged by Sen. Thompson's strong showing tied for 3rd in Iowa considering his late start and not having spent anywhere near the $10million that Mitt Romney spent. I am also encouraged by John McCain's showing again for the same reasons. McCain and Thompson are TRUE Republicans and they are the best choices for all Republicans.

One more interesting note, from today's Statesman-Journal, if you support your guy you should put your money where your mouth is. Apparently Mormons do.

Here is the breakdown of money given in the 973xx zip codes:

Democrats:

$14, 706 to Obama

$3,666 to Clinton

Republicans:

$25,035 to Romney

$500 to Huckabee

$750 to Thompson ( hey I wonder who led that one?)

Look for Obama to move on this momentum and I will venture to say now, that on the Republican side you may see a Thompson-Romney ticket this summer or perhaps a Giuliani-McCain ticket.

Why Fred Thompson is the Best Choice

This 30 second ad is just that, an ad. It does show a little about Fred.

I urge you to go to http://www.fred08.com/ and learn more. Watch the video he did for the people of Iowa. He was also on Laura Ingraham, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity today, all endorsing him officially.

These are very very bright people who are strong on the Conservative issues we hold dear.

Only Fred upholds these issues.

Bill Post......Biggest Loser

I want to begin this by saying, this is NOT A NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION!!!

I decided back in November after Thanksgiving that I was a fat pig and was not playing as good at golf as in past years and attributed much of that to my weight and lack of good conditioning.

So, I waited until the Courthouse had their specials and joined last week.

This week I begin my first ever group classes, bike riding and a power active class.

Now I used to lift weights and am pretty experienced at that sort of individual stuff so this whole class thing will be new to me. Another really cool thing for me and my son Kai, is that we both love to play basketball, and now I can join him at the court and show him the "old school" style of BBAll play.

I went there with him the other day, knee brace on, short shorts, tight tshirt, socks to the knees, you know, the whole '70's baby! After going up 5-0 I started pooping out and lost 11-8. Kai is now aware that the old man can hoop it up! One of his buddies, a little guy who has long pointy elbows, found out that this old man can throw elbows (and full hip bumps) too and 180 pounds of elbow hurts a lot more than 100 pounds of elbow. After he got up off the floor he stopped driving into me with those razor sharp elbows in my chest.

PS: I hate that "Biggest Loser" show on NBC. I feel so bad for those people, not that they are fat but because for a few bucks, they allow the whole world to see them step on a scale with their shirts off and stand there looking pathetic. (By the way, how come the dudes all have to take their shirts off so that we have to see their "man boobs" and the ladies don't have to even though some of those men have bigger boobs then the ladies? Ya ya I know, this is gross and it is wrong thinking on my part but I ask these questions as my lovely wife makes me watch this stupid show while I am trying to go to sleep)

Yes I know they lose the weight and all is good in the end but I just couldn't humiliate myself that way.

Anyway, I plan to not just lose some weight, but more importantly, get my heart better, gain stamina and put on some muscle so that perhaps by Spring I will be able to swing my clubs good enough to beat the evil Dan Bowers in golf.