Friday, February 19, 2021

Bracketology Breakdown

With the last weeks of February rapidly approaching, so too are conference tournaments in men's college basketball.  Sixty-eight teams will receive an invite to the "Big Dance"; the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.  There, they will start down the grueling path to a possible national championship.  

Knowing a few things about college basketball myself, I have taken the liberty of making some predictions.  Here are the teams who I think will be "dancing" come "March Madness" (listed by conference).  


Major Conferences (champion in bold italics)

  • ACC: Florida State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Louisville
  • Big East: Creighton, Villanova, Seton Hall, Xavier
  • Big 10: Michigan, Illinois, Ohio State, Iowa, Wisconsin, Purdue, Rutgers, Indiana, Minnesota
  • Big 12: Baylor, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, West Virginia, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State
  • Pac-12: USC, UCLA, Colorado, Stanford
  • SEC: Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, LSU, Missouri, Florida


Mid-Majors

  • American: Houston, Memphis, Wichita State, SMU
  • Atlantic Sun: Liberty
  • Atlantic 10: St. Bonaventure, VCU
  • America East: Vermont
  • Big Sky: Eastern Washington
  • Big South: Winthrop
  • Big West: California-Santa Barbara
  • Colonial:  James Madison
  • Conference USA: Louisiana Tech, Western Kentucky
  • Horizon: Wright State
  • Ivy: Season Canceled (see Note 1)
  • Metro Atlantic: Siena
  • Mid-American: Toledo
  • Mid-Eastern: North Carolina A&T
  • Missouri Valley: Loyola Chicago, Drake
  • Mountain West: San Diego State, Boise State
  • Northeast: Wagner
  • Ohio Valley: Belmont
  • Patriot: Colgate
  • Southern: North Carolina-Greensboro
  • Southland: Sam Houston State
  • Summit: North Dakota State
  • Sun Belt: Texas State
  • Southwestern: Prairie View A&M
  • Western: Grand Canyon
  • West Coast: Gonzaga, BYU


Bubble Teams/Last Four In

    1. Drake

    2. Minnesota

    3. SMU

    4. Stanford

Thursday, February 11, 2021

The Nightmare Scenario

Long ago, this country was founded on the principles of liberty, justice, and peace.  Those that were entrusted with its creation pledged their lives to each other in defense of such (1).  "We will never be slaves, for they can't take away our freedom", we said.  

Yet, fast forward to the twenty-first century, and guess what? The "American dream" has become a nightmare, and one that we have not awoken from.  

In America today:

  • Violence and fear are commonly used as tactics in the political arena.  
  • The sacred right of free speech has been replaced by the concept of accepted speech.  We can no longer express ourselves without fear of backlash or punishment.  
  • If you happen to say even one thing that is "out of line" or remotely offensive, you will find yourself unemployed and blacklisted.  This is true even when one is mentioning historical facts (see: Gina Carano) (2).  
  • We have tied the hands of law enforcement, making it nearly impossible for many to do their jobs, which is to keep us safe.  Yet there is seemingly no right to defend oneself using a weapon, or right to bear arms.  
  • Public assemblies in the streets are not "peaceful protests", bur violent and destructive riots.  These are meant for one purpose only; the forceful deconstruction of the American system, "by any means necessary".  
  • The "elected representatives" that we send to Hartford and Washington have no interest in working for the common good, or protecting our rights.  Their only interests are in furthering their own self-interests.  
  • Some of these representatives actively and knowingly try to make things WORSE, rather than better.  Many others say they will stand up for our rights, but "when push comes to shove", they do NOTHING.  In this regard, they are cowards and traitors.  
  • When people speak up about the various issues, our politicians do not listen.  Rather, they engage in spin, half-truths, and outright lies to advance their increasingly Communist agendas.  
  • The media repeats these lies to such an extent that many now regard lies as truth.  There is no real news in the "evening news", just hyperbole and propaganda.  
  • Blood has actually been spilled in American streets in defense of liberty; yet the media makes no mention of that.  Does anyone remember Portland? Do you remember LaVoy Finicum, who was murdered by FBI agents (while attempting to surrender) in 2016? I don't hear anyone "say(ing) (his) name" (see Note 1).  
  • A "global pandemic" that is nothing more than a strong flu has been brought to our shores (and the world) by Chinese communists hell-bent on our destruction.  They didn't want to unleash their nukes or attack the electric grid, so they decided to do the next best (worst?) thing, attack our sense of security.  And wonder of wonders, IT WORKED.    
  • A "Democratic" Party that was hell-bent on bringing down an elected Republican president has impeached him not once, but twice (both times on BS charges/reasoning).  Hey, after encouraging and committing acts of violence doesn't work, dream up a bunch of lies.  That will surely work to accomplish your purpose, right Democrats? 
    • Let's be real; the man has left office, which is what you wanted in the first place.  Thus, there is no logical reason for a second impeachment trial...but you're holding one anyway! I never thought I'd see the day.  
  • Finally, the media is complicit in the perpetration of the greatest fraud ever committed against the American people; the outright theft of an election and presidency.  Whatever helps you sleep at night, I guess.  
    • Make no mistake, Joe Biden was not democratically elected.  Rather, he cheated his way to the presidency through legal chicanery and various other "shenanigans".  Vice President Mike Pence had a chance to do something about this, but like the coward that he is, he backed down.  History will long note this dishonorable choice.  

    Oh, you thought I was done? You ain't heard nothing yet.  

    • There have been numerous cases where those entrusted with our protection have knowingly provided "aid and comfort" to our enemies.  
      • Barack Obama paid a very large sum of money to the Islamic Republic of Iran, a nation that has abducted and killed Americans without remorse.  
      • Connecticut's own US Senator Chris Murphy had an unauthorized meeting with Iranian officials in 2020 (thus violating federal law at least) (3).  
      • And just in case you forgot, back in 2012, four Americans (including one US ambassador) assigned to the Libyan Embassy (at Benghazi, Libya) came under attack from hostile forces.  Notifying the White House, the attaché begged and pleaded for available military assistance.  
        • As Commander-in-Chief, Barack Obama was directly responsible for approving such assistance.  Yet, his orders to the military were to "stand down".  As such, all four Americans lost their lives.  If that isn't "aid and comfort", and the very constitutional definition of treason, I don't know what is (see Note 2).  

    Having all this against us, what is to be done? Regrettably, America is no longer the "land of the free"; it is a land that used to be free.  Through silence and general complacency, we have allowed our freedoms to slowly be stripped away from us, one by one.  

    Yet those against us are not satisfied, and will not be satisfied until there is nothing left.  Then they can finally and fully implement their "worker's paradise" (which, in reality, is a living hell).  It is "1984", but the book, and not the year.  

    Now, a final thought.  For years, we have been warned not to repeat the mistakes of places like the Soviet Union and Venezuela.  We have been told that freedom, once lost, is never regained.  And it has been said that those who attacked us on one cloudless September morning did so for one purpose; to destroy liberty, and bring America to her knees.  

    Isn't it a tragedy that we have not listened to these wise words? Yet the larger nightmare is that those who have wished to neutralize America have succeeded in their efforts.  

    And it only took about nineteen years to do it (4).  


    Note 1: There is a good deal of information online that supports this conclusion.  My usual source of Wikipedia has mostly denied this, which seems to be "par for the course" with them.  As such, I have chosen not to include them as an available source.  

    Note 2: And "what difference, at this point, does it make", right Hillary Clinton? RIP to Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Mr. Sean Smith, and CIA operatives Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods.  Say their names....

    Thursday, February 4, 2021

    Dreams And Visions (Of The Music Sort)

    It has long been a personal trait of mine to "dream big and aim high", so to speak.  In my opinion, those who do not dream are doomed to an uneventful and boring life.  That has never been my reality.  Thus, I often have what some would call "pie-in-the-sky" visions for myself.  One of these has to do with music; more specifically, the recording of music.  

    It seems to me that I have a pretty decent voice.  In the past, that voice has even been described as "excellent" by some of my peers.  This being the case, I have been enamored with the concept of recording a music album.  Even if that album was made "just for kicks", I think it would be great fun to sing on a record.  

    And strange as it may sound, I have a certain dream of collaborating with Taylor Swift.  I regard the musician as one of the greatest pure talents in music today.  It would be my great honor to work with her, and witness her obvious creativity and great skill in action.  

    On the seemingly one-in-a-million chance that idea this would ever come to fruition, I have the perfect prospective duet in mind.  

    Back in ancient times (well, actually, 1986), Peter Cetera and Amy Grant teamed up one of my favorite songs; "The Next Time I Fall".  The tune spent twenty-one weeks on the Billboard music charts, and had a brief stay at number one (1).  

    It's a pretty crazy thought, but I could easily see myself doing a cover of this song with Ms. Swift.  Perhaps I have a future in entertainment after all? I laugh, but...you never know.  

    Now if you'll excuse me, I must get back to my voice exercises.  Ha ha.  

    PS: On the off chance that Ms. Swift is reading this, have your people call my people (actually somewhat serious).