Thursday, September 08, 2011

2011 NFL Fearless Predictions

First of all, here's a sneak peak at the final standings:

AFC East
Patriots
Jets
Dolphins
Bills

AFC North
Ravens
Browns
Steelers
Bengals

AFC South
Texans
Colts
Jaguars
Titans

AFC West
Chargers
Raiders
Chiefs
Broncos

NFC East
Eagles
Cowboys
Redskins
Giants

NFC North
Packers
Lions
Vikings
Bears

NFC South
Falcons
Saints
Buccaneers
Panthers

NFC West
Seahawks
Rams
Cardinals
49'ers

Eagles over Patriots in the Superbowl

Other fearless predictions:

Besides Peyton Manning, another top tier quarterback will miss much of the season due to injury.

Of the teams that are expected to be improved (Lions, Rams, Buccaneers), one will fall flat and finish last.

Of the teams that are expected to be elite (Patriots, Steelers, Chargers, Eagles, Packers, Saints, Falcons), one will greatly disappoint and struggle most of the season.

There will be one team that will come out of nowhere and do extremely well, defying all the odds with players experts thought to be inferior.

One and only one rookie quarterback will have a successful season.

Scoring will be down this year.  The new kickoff rule and the short preseason will be the reason.

There will be a renewed emphasis of the running game for many teams in the middle of the season as many complex passing schemes fail.

At the end of the season, I'll go over these and see how I did.

Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Show Me the Racism!

“...as long as I’m concerned, the Tea Party can go straight to hell!” -Rep. Maxine Waters

"Let us all remember who the real enemy is. The real enemy is the Tea Party -- the Tea Party holds the Congress hostage. They have one goal in mind, and that's to make President Obama a one-term President." -Rep. Frederica Wilson

"The Tea Party is so obviously racist." -Janeane Garofalo

"Let’s take these sons of bitches out and give America back to America where we belong.” -Jimmy Hoffa Jr.
__________________________________________________________________________________

Let's forget about the whole "call for the end of vitriolic rhetoric" and consider the above statements.
 
There's a lot of harsh speech against a group of Americans who recently began calling for a smaller federal government and lower taxes.  It's obvious that those on the political left (those who call for higher taxes and larger government) don't like them.  Many publicly call them "racists".  Other than the fact the the President of the United States is half-black, what's the justification?
 
The Tea Party seems to protest Congress as much as Obama.  This makes sense since Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government, the part that actually approves budgets, tax breaks, and tax increases.  Congress is mostly white so what are these accusations of racism based on?
 
The Tea Party is also accused of being "the enemy".  What is this all about?  Lower taxes and more personal responsibility is a threat?  To whom is this a threat?
 
Let's look at the charter of the Tea Party (http://www.teaparty.org/). 
 
1. Illegal Aliens Are Here Illegally.

2. Pro-Domestic Employment Is Indispensable.

3. Stronger Military Is Essential.

4. Special Interests Eliminated.

5. Gun Ownership Is Sacred.

6. Government Must Be Downsized.

7. National Budget Must Be Balanced.

8. Deficit Spending Will End.

9. Bail-Out And Stimulus Plans Are Illegal.

10. Reduce Personal Income Taxes A Must.

11. Reduce Business Income Taxes Are Mandatory.

12. Political Offices Available To Average Citizens.

13. Intrusive Government Stopped.

14. English As Core Language Is Required.

15. Traditional Family Values Are Encouraged.

If any of the above items are racism or in some way, a threat to you.  I'd certainly like to know why.  I don't personally believe in every single item here, but this stuff hardly seems worthy of any of the harsh rhetoric.