They Did It!

Wake Forest is one of the toughest schools in the nation to get in to. Their underclass is just over 4,000 students, and have a student to professor rating of about 9 to 1. They have no courses like basket weaving for their athletes. They have always been known as a Basketball team.

So how come the Demon Deacons spanked Maryland last night to make it to the ACC Championship Game next week against Georgia Tech? Because Coach Grobe, who should be the Coach of the Year, developed a plan that the whole team bought into, and they played their hearts out every single game to end up with a 10-2 record.

Yeah - Wake Forest is located here in Winston Salem - about 15 minutes up the road from me - and they have brought an incredible amount of pride to this town, regardless of the results of next week's game.

Go Deacs!

Movie Review

I just got back from taking my grand daughters to see the movie "Happy Feet" and let me tell you, it's a real hoot. I will caution folks with little ones that the scene where the leopard seal shows up may lead to the changing of pants, but overall it's a great animated flick.

One of the best things it the innovative use of music - mostly from the mid-60's thru the early 70's.

The basic plot - Emperor Penguins have to be able to sing in order to attract a mate, but one poor fellow can't sing a note. But the one thing he can do is dance, and there's some of the best tap dancing I've heard in years.

Overall a great movie and I highly recommend it!

Have You Noticed?

I've been having a bit of a giggle lately watching some of the recruiting commercials on TV. There seems to be something in common with most of them.

- Most of the Air Force ads I've seen look to be concentrating on their Special Ops branch - jumping from the back of a C-130, etc.

- Navy ads are almost always promoting the SEALS.

- The Army also did a lot of Special Ops, but the latest is about
making you "Army Strong".

The only one I've seen that basically tells you what the training is going to be like - for everyone - is the Marines. No gloss. No bells and whistles. Just that you'll have to work your ass off in order to earn the title of a United States Marine.

Back To Politics

I've been staying away from politics for the last several months because I finally got to the point where I didn't give a pinch of shit for any of them. A couple of things I heard yesterday just yanked my chain though.

The San Francisco Board of Education was scheduled to vote last night on a plan to cancel Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps classes in city high schools. Board members say they want to end the city's 90-year relationship with the program because the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays does not belong in public schools. I've not as yet been able to find out what the result of that vote was, but I can take a guess.

There are 1,600 San Francisco students enrolled in the JROTC programs in seven high schools and they earn physical education credits for the military training they receive. The board plans to hire additional P.E. teachers to replace the 15 retired military officers who run the program.

Last year the San Francisco school board passed a measure opposing military recruiting on campus.

And if I EVER hear of one cent of Government money going to ANY of those schools, it might be time to get some friends and Semtex and take care of those schools for them.

Meanwhile -- The United Nations has published a children's book promoting fears of global catastrophe brought on by manmade global warming. The book follows a fictional boy in an arctic village who receives dire warnings from talking animals and a "sea mother" goddess.

A polar bear tells the boy that his friends have starved because thinning ice keeps them from hunting. A whale says natural disasters will get harsher. I guess the whales are in trouble because there's too much water - God only knows.

And the "sea mother" blames "rich countries" that "use and waste an awful lot of energy." The boy eventually becomes upset and screams, "our world is melting!"

Now this conference which is releasing this book is in Kenya, and convenietly ignores the fact that India, China and Russia and it's satellite countries each pump out more crap into the atmosphere than the U.S. could on it's best day.

They're starting to piss me off again. Just wait for Pelosi and Muthafukka, er, I mean Murtha, get togetherr.

Party Time in Winston Salem

There was some serious partying going on here in Winston Salem last night - with good reason.

Last night Wake Forest played the Florida State Seminoles at Florida. Since Bobby Bowden took over as coach there the Seminoles had never been shut out at home. Hell, they hadn't been shut out at home since 1973. Then along came the Demon Deacons, who for years have been pretty much a joke in Division 1A football. And all Hell broke loose.

Wake Forest not only beat Florida State, they absolutely shat upon them, 30 to Zip, giving the Demon Deacons a 9-1 record and left Bobby Bowden wondering what the Hell happened.

To be honest, I didn't give Wake Forest much chance in this game, but as I watched it I was shocked and stunned.

Wake still has two tough games before the end of the season - Maryland and Virginia Tech. The Tech game is here in town - the stadium is about 15 minutes from my house - and if I can get tickets (and if my body can hold out) I might have to get to that last home game. This is the best team in Wake Forest history, and if I can get to the game it'll give me the vicarious chance to be a part of it.

An Interesting Afternoon

I decided to put on my ribbons, my marksmanship medals and my rank pins on my collar and went for a drive to Best Buy and Barnes & Noble.

It turned into an interesting hour or so. A few people stopped me and thanked me for my service. One gentleman who had to be of WWII vintage stopped dead at Barnes & Noble and locked up and threw me a salute.

What really stood out to me was the younger generations - the late teens and twenties - would take a quick glance at me and instantly find something else of great interest.

I think that last group is a direct result of the Iraq War - it was like they would like to treat me like I was treated when I returned from Nam, but didn't have the balls. I believe they really need to be educated about our nation's past, but today's public schools and universities have no intention of doing that.

A shame. A real damn shame.

Happy Birthday, Marines!

It's that day again - 10 Nov - when we celebrate the creation of the Corps at Tun Tavern.

If you're wondering about the precedence of your awards, here's a chart for you:



Hope it helps!

Hey Marines - Listen Up

Tomorrow is the 231st birthday of the United States Marine Corps (and believe me, I'm feeling every second of it!). Make sure you get your flags out to let people know who you are and you're proud of your service in the Crotch.

Also, on Saturday, everyone should get the flags flying for Veterans Day. And if you are a veteran and go out anywhere, the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs has asked that you wear your medals and ribbons on your civvies to let the world know that you are proud to be a vet.

Nations such as Great Britain and Australia have been doing this for decades, and it's about damn time we started doing this here. If nothing else, it should turn some heads!!

Remember - flags go out at 8:00am and come down at sunset. Sunset for the next two days is approximately 5:15pm.

Dems and Terror

Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Hamas, Hezbolla and Al Qaeda all went public on Al Jezeera and other sites last week encouraging Americans to vote for Democrats.

Looks like they got their wish. It's a real shame that more voters didn't think about why these terrorists wanted the Dems in.

The Dems are convinced that once they pull our troops out everything will be wonderful, and Iran wouldn't be able to do anything with Iraq. They base this on Iranians being Persians while the Iraqis are Arabs. What they seem to forget is that being a Shia will over ride that and Iran stands a good chance of taking over Iraq, slaughtering the Sunnis in the process.

Won't it be hilarious if the Sunnis, who've been running the insurgency killing our troops, place an emergency call to the U.S. for protection?

Before You Vote

Before you cast your ballot today, especially if you plan on voting for any Democrats, please read this article by Orson Scott Card.

And if you think this is just another Republican scare message, know that Card is a Democrat.

Two Quick Notes

I just found out that November is Military Family Appreciation Month. If you want to see what you can do to help, go to http://operationhomefront.net/.

Also tomorrow is the most important part of being an American citizen - exercising your franchise. I don't care how inconvenient it might be, get to a polling place and cast your ballot.

Pro Football Hall of Fame Recognizes Veterans

It's nice to see some organizations haven't forgotten us veterans - shame Canton is a 6 hour drive from here. If my carcass could hold out it could be worth the drive.

Veteran's Day event features HOFer Chuck Bednarik

The Pro Football Hall of Fame presents A Salute to Our Armed Forces: A Tribute to Our Veterans and Members of Our Active Military. This special event will be held on Veteran's Day, Saturday, November 11, 2006 from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

All active military and veterans will receive free admission to the Hall of Fame, 10% discount in the Museum Store (excluding sale and collectible items). Additionally, the first 1,000 veterans or active military members attending will receive a commemorative patriotic Hall of Fame pin.
A special ceremony will be held at 10:00 a.m. in the NFL Films Theater featuring Pro Football Hall of Famer and World War II Veteran, Chuck Bednarik. Bednarik, a former nine-time All-NFL player with the Philadelphia Eagles (1949 - 1962) participated in a 30-mission tour as the B-24 waist gunner with the Army Air Corps during WW II. During his tour of duty, Bednarik was awarded the Air Medal and four Oak Leaf Clusters, European Theater Operations Medal and four Battle Stars, as well as the Good Conduct Medal.

The special event will also include a feature video honoring our troops and veterans created by Disabled American Veterans (DAV). Additionally, guests attending the event are encouraged to visit the Hall of Fame's special exhibit: Football and America: The NFL Responds During National Crisis. This exhibit chronicles the sacrifices and contributions made by the NFL and its players during times of national crisis and military conflicts.

For more information about A Salute to Armed Forces special event, contact the Pro Football Hall of Fame at (330) 456-8207, or e-mail SpecialEvents@Profootballhof.com.