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Friday, June 29, 2012

Power Ball Numbers and ObamaCare

Well, ladies and gentlemen I hate to say, "I told you so ....", but, "I told you so." On Wednesday, I predicted that the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) would NOT strike down ObamaCare. I did so because of SCOTUS' decision to gut Arizona's controversial SB 1070 anti-illegal immigration law. Their SB 1070 decision was the handwriting on the wall that ObamaCare would be upheld. I also said that I thought "... the best we could hope for was for a portion of it (ObamaCare) to be held unconstitutional." I nailed that, too, but it doesn't help us much. Apparently, Progressivism has now infected SCOTUS in addition to Congress and the White House.

Health care systems and single payer
Health care systems and single payer (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
So, what does it all mean ? Well, if you've read some of my other posts on ObamaCare, you know it means we're headed down the road to a single-payer system like Canada and England have. It means long waits for surgeries and appointments with your doctor. It means that ultimately healthcare will be rationed and the elderly and folks with disabilities and pre-existing conditions will be denied care, because it's too expensive. It also means that the budget deficit will grow by leaps and bounds. If you think the country is broke now, you ain't seen nothing yet.

Mr. Romney is talking about repealing ObamaCare if elected to the presidency. Really ? ObamaCare was modeled after the RomneyCare debacle that he signed into law while governor of Massachusetts. He loves government-run health care regardless of what he says. He has flip-flopped on issues more than a largemouth bass does with a hook in its lip. If you actually believe Romney will repeal ObamaCare, then maybe I can hook you up with a great piece of ocean front property in Arizona. Think about it - it'd be great. You might even get to hang out with that state's knuckleheaded Republican Governor Jan Brewer once you're there

Whew - I feel better. I've vented. Now, if I could just come up with the winning PowerBall numbers for tomorrow night as easily as I predicted what SCOTUS would do. That would be awesome. Only problem would be that "Uncle Barry" would take at least half of my winnings.


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Wednesday, June 27, 2012

"Green Card ? You Don't Need No Stinking Green Card."

The U.S. Supreme Court is apparently headed down the same "Road to Uselessness" as Congress. Earlier this week, The Court struck down 3 of 4 parts of Arizona's tough, but controversial, anti-illegal immigration law, known as SB 1070. The only part of the law upheld was the provision allowing local law enforcement to check the immigration status of anyone they suspect to be an illegal alien during a traffic stop. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer called The Court's decision to uphold this one section of the law "a victory." Really ? Three quarters of the law is thrown out, and she calls it a victory ? Was it ? Doesn't sound like much of a victory to me, but I'll let you decide.

The portions of SB 1070 that The Court struck down were :
  1. one making it a crime for illegal aliens to seek work without a work permit,
  2. one making it a crime for illegal aliens to not carry their immigration documents, and
  3. one which gave local law enforcement the authority to arrest people they believed to have committed a "deportable offense" (i.e. - in the country illegally, caught smuggling, caught dealing illegal drugs, illegal possession of a firearm, etc.)
U.S. Supreme Court building.
U.S. Supreme Court building. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
In other words, during a traffic stop, local law enforcement can still check the immigration status of someone. However, if a person does not have their paperwork with them, they cannot be arrested (#2 above). Therefore, The Court gutting the entire law, except for the routine paperwork check, removed local law enforcement's ability to enforce the law. When you couple The Court's ruling with Mr. Obama's decree that young illegals can no longer be deported, the floodgates are now open more than ever for illegals to flow into the U.S. The Court and Obama have rolled out the welcome mat.

What does the future hold in regards to the ruling ? Well, it will allow illegals in Arizona to apply for work and work with out a work permit taking jobs away from legal Americans. In addition, other states which have passed similar laws can expect them to be thrown out, too. Others which are considering Arizona-like immigration laws shouldn't waste their time implementing one. The Court has set the precedent for them all to be gutted. Yet, Arizona's brilliant Republican Governor Jan Brewer referred to The Court's ruling as a "victory." She ain't the sharpest tack in the box. In fact, I've got toothpicks sharper than she is.

The U.S. Supreme Court will rule on ObamaCare by the end of the week, maybe even today. Americans have been holding their breath for sometime in regards to the ObamaCare ruling. Based upon their SB 1070 ruling, I doubt it will be struck down. I think the best we can hope for is for a portion of it to be ruled unconstitutional.

Since the Federal government is not gonna enforce immigration laws, nor allow the states to do it, either, I have a proposal - Congress should defund I.C.E. and use their nearly $6 Billion annual budget on something else. A good place to start would be to use those funds to pay for all the free health care and other taxpayer funded benefits the new flood of illegals is gonna feel they are "entitled to."

Only in America.
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Monday, June 25, 2012

R U A "Jesus Freak" ?

The Sheepdog's Music Monday's for June have consisted of one rock band after another. We started the month with Journey, then had a "double shot" of Bryan Adams, and then watched a Whitesnake video last week. So, to finish off the month, I felt like it was time to mix it up a bit - time to get "freaky."

At least once a month, I try to share a video from a Christian artist. Today is that day for the month of June, and the artist is one of Christian music's most popular, diverse, and talented bands. It's dc Talk. The featured video is of the band's smash hit - "Jesus Freak."

"Jesus Freak" was recorded on the band's 1995 album of the same name. It may be the band's best known song containing a mix of hard rock, hip hop, and grunge. The song's lyrics are about religious persecution and won the band three Dove Awards - 1996 Song of the Year, 1996 Rock Recorded Song of the Year, and 1997 Short Form Music Video of the Year.  The video is embedded below or can be watched by clicking here. Enjoy.



Next Monday, The Sheepdog will start a special series of Music Mondays that will last the entire month of July. It'll be called "Jammin' July." During Music Mondays in July, all the music videos will feature my favorite Southern Rock Bands. It's gonna be awesome !! Don't miss them.
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Thursday, June 21, 2012

Worst Day of My Life


There I was sitting at the bar staring at my drink when a large, trouble making biker steps up next to me, grabs my drink, and gulps it down in one swig.
               
"Well, whatcha gonna do about it ?" he says, menacingly, as I burst into tears.
               
"Come on, man," the biker says, "I didn't think you'd CRY. I can't stand to see a grown man crying."
               
"This is the worst day of my life," I said. "I'm a complete failure. I was late to a meeting and my boss fired me. When I went to the parking lot, I found my car had been stolen and I don't have any insurance. I left my wallet in the cab I took home. I found my wife with another man ... and then my dog bit me."
               
"So I came to this bar to work up the courage to put an end to it all. I buy a drink, I drop a cyanide capsule in and sit here watching the poison dissolve, and then you show up and drink the whole dang thing ! But heck, enough about me, how are you doing ?"

Monday, June 18, 2012

A Snakey Music Monday

If there was one band who epitomized '80s "hair bands," it would have to be today's featured artist - Whitesnake. They sold million of records during the height of the hair band era, got a ton of airplay on MTV and VH1, and were extremely popular. Today's featured song / video is of their single "The Deeper the Love." It appeared on the band's 1989 album titled Slip of the Tongue, and, in my opinion, is one of the best ballads of that era. The video is embedded below or can be watched by clicking here. Enjoy.


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Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Susan Lynn Makes Plans to Resume Public Service


MOUNT JULIET, TN— Susan Lynn has officially announced her re-election plans for the House District 57 seat in the August Republican primary.

At a gathering of supporters and friends, Lynn stated, “As your representative, I worked hard every day to help our district. I returned your phone calls, answered your emails and helped you with your state government issues – it was one of the greatest privileges of my life. I hope to continue in the mission of public service on which I embarked when first elected in 2002.”

Lynn has earned a reputation for being a conservative champion of limited government, states’ rights, capitalism, and our constitutional freedoms. She mentioned several examples of her work such as the Regulatory Flexibility Act, Tennessee State Sovereignty Resolution, the Religious Freedom Protection Act and reducing the sales tax on food by a full 1 percent. Lynn stated that she is proud to share her conservative record at www.susanlynn.net.

Lynn continued, “I remain firmly against a state income tax, a firm advocate for 2nd Amendment Rights, and firmly committed to upholding the sanctity of life. I strongly supported education in our state and brought many much needed TDOT projects to our fast growing district including Mt. Juliet Road and Rt 109. The citizens of our district are conservative; I am proud to share my faithful conservative record with them."

Lynn served the 57th district from 2002-2010 in the State House. In 2009 she declared her candidacy for the 17th district State Senate seat after the incumbent senator announced her retirement. Some ten months later when the incumbent reversed that decision, Lynn found herself in an unfortunate primary that she did not want. Lynn did not reach an overall majority of votes but her numbers within the precincts of the 57th district were strong at 58 percent of the vote.

Lynn said, “I was both surprised and honored to receive such a sound endorsement from the people of the district. The voters know me and my faithful commitment to them, and it is the voters that have urged me to seek public office again."

This Session the General Assembly voted on a redistricting plan which takes effect after the November General Election. While Lynn’s residence hasn’t changed, the new district will border her back yard. Upon winning the primary, Lynn and her husband will establish residence within the upcoming legal boundaries before the general election.

Lynn wrapped up her remarks by stating “I ask for the honor of your vote which would allow me to serve you again in the Tennessee General Assembly. I truly did my best; working hard to be the most effective, attentive and responsive legislator; that commitment to you will never change. My past service has proven that I have the experience necessary to meet the many needs our area.”

Lynn is the manager of regulatory compliance at Simplicity Creative Group; owned by private investors the company makes over 20,000 products. As representative of the 57th district, Lynn served as the chairman of the House Government Operations Committee, a member of the House Calendar & Rules Committee, the House Commerce Committee and the Small Business Sub-Committee. Lynn served as National Chairman of the Commerce Insurance and Economic Development Task Force for the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) for four years. Lynn is a member of First Baptist Church in Mt. Juliet. A resident of Pointe Barton subdivision, Susan is married to Michael, her husband of 30 years. Both their son and his wife are Tech Sergeants in the Tennessee Air Guard, and their daughter and her husband work for Publix Supermarkets in the two Mt. Juliet locations. They also have a three-month-old grandson.


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NOTE: The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is the nation's largest nonpartisan, individual membership organization of state legislators, with over 2,000 legislator members from all fifty states, and 85 former members serving in the U.S. Congress. www.alec.org.

Note from The Sheepdog : I was glad to learn of Susan Lynn's candidacy for Tennessee's House of Representatives 57th District Seat. The people of Wilson Co., and the state of Tennessee, need her back on capitol hill because of her conservative principles and values and common sense policy-making skills. If you live in the western half of Wilson Co. (TN), it's likely that you are in the 57th District. Be sure to vote for Susan in the Republican Primary on August 2nd. There is NO Democratic or Independent candidates in the race. So, the winner of the primary will become Representative Elect. We need that to be Susan. 

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Monday, June 11, 2012

A Canadian Music Monday

I've spent some time the last few days trying to decide what artist to feature for today's Music Monday. It's double shot day for June. I had a band picked out, but as I reviewed video after video from them, I found that each was less than "family friendly." So, I scratched that idea.

Then, while sitting in Logan's Roadhouse yesterday having lunch with my wife and some friends, I was "inspired." One of Canada's best known singer / songwriters, who had much success in the 1980s was playing on the P.A. system, and I thought, "That's it !" The artist was Bryan Adams.

One of Adams' most successful records was 1984's Reckless. More than 5 million copies of it were sold in the U.S. alone, and it was the first record ever to surpass the 1 million sales mark in Adams home country of Canada. In fact, it reached #1 on the Billboard chart.

The two songs / videos I've chosen to feature from Adams' Reckless today are "Somebody" and "Summer of '69". Both videos are embedded below or you can watch "Somebody" by clicking here or "Summer of '69" by clicking here.



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Thursday, June 7, 2012

A Weekend in Seminole Country

The Sheepdog got out of town for a few days this past weekend. To be honest, I needed it. It's always good to get outta Dodge for a while, see some new scenery, and refresh a bit. The trip took me just outside Tallahassee, FL to visit some friends and attend their daughter's high school graduation. It's beautiful down there. Frequently, I found myself thinking, "I bet there's some good deer and turkey down here."

Florida St. baseball team after Sunday's victory over Samford.
While there, I had the opportunity to attend a Florida State Seminoles baseball game. I attended their game on Sunday against Samford in which they were playing for the NCAA Baseball Tournament's Tallahassee Regional championship. The Seminoles defeated Samford in that game 5-2 advancing to the Super Regional which begins Friday night. The 'Noles will play Stanford, and it should be a good series.

For years, I claimed my blood ran orange. I was a big University of Tennessee sports fan and even obtained my degree there. However, the Lane Kiffin debacle, the hiring of former Georgia Head Coach Vince Dooley's son, Derek, to replace Kiffin, the cheating scandal within the men's basketball program, the hiring of a guy from Alabama to be the new Athletic Director, and the consistently poor behavior by the university's male athletes ultimately turned me off. I haven't watched a UT football game in about two years, and I can't remember the last time I was motivated to watch a UT men's basketball game. I've had enough of UT sports. The only time I wear orange now is when I'm deer hunting.

In addition to being a Vols fan, I've been a lifelong Florida State fan, too. Its primarily because of Bobby Bowden. I always liked the way the Seminoles played football under his coaching. They'd run 'n gun and throw the ball all over the field. Plus, with Bowden at the helm, you never knew when he might call some sort of trick play. He made Florida St. football exciting, and he always had a "Dadgum" or two cued up for any interview. He was an entertaining character.

At Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium.
Before driving home Monday, my wife and I stopped by the Seminole Sportshop located at Doak Campbell Stadium to look around some. To my surprise, one end of the Stadium was open, and I got to take a look around. As I did, I thought about all the history that had been made in that place. I thought about all the wins Bobby Bowden had accumulated there while head coach, and the fact that during his tenure, the road to two Seminole national championships (1993 and 1999) had gone through that place. It was a neat day.

As I stood there on Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium, I also remembered how fortunate I was to have been there. Just over five years ago, I was fighting for my life. Now, I was standing on the home field of one of the greatest football programs in NCAA history, and I was doing so for one simple reason - because a man cared enough to be an organ donor. If I had not had my heart transplant, I never would have experienced Monday. Now, I hope to have the opportunity to take the next step and go back for an actual football game. That'll be a neat day, too - likely an emotional one.


There's over 114,000 Americans currently awaiting life-saving organ transplants, just as I was over five years ago. I'm sure they've all got some things that they would still like to experience, just as I did in "Seminole Country." However, they will not get that opportunity if more Americans do not register as organ and tissue donors. If you have not registered yet, I want to encourage you to visit Donate Life America's website by clicking here. You can also learn more about organ and tissue donation there, too.

Oh yeah, one other thing .... GO NOLES !!
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Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Oops

Yesterdays "Music Monday with Journey" post contained an error. The link I included within the post to redirect readers to the video for "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" directed them to the video for Journey's "Faithfully" instead. I apologize for the error. I am not sure what happened, because I am certain I included the correct link. I suspect the problem is with VEVO. However, the good news is that the problem has been corrected. So, if you were unable to enjoy the "Separate Ways" video, you can now.

The Sheepdog regrets the error.
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Monday, June 4, 2012

Music Monday with Journey

Journey was one of the most popular bands of the 1980's. The band had multiple albums go platinum producing total album sales of over 80 million units during their career. They saw great success in regards to radio airplay and still do to this day. Journey is another band that has not appeared on my Music Mondays before. However, that changes today with the video to their hit single "Separate Ways."

"Separate Ways" was a huge hit for the band. Journey recorded it on their 1983 album titled Frontiers. It is embedded below for your enjoyment or can be watched by clicking here.


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