Archive for July, 2010

Farewell Air Coryell

Saturday, July 10th, 2010

A few days ago the NFL world lost one of the great football coaches and innovators of all time. Don “Air” Coryell died at the age of 85.

My being an Oakland Raiders fan does not keep me from mourning the loss of the San Diego Chargers coach. Flags at Jack Murphy (Qualcomm) Stadium were most likely flying at half staff.

While I rooted against Coryell, I respected him…and feared him. When the Raiders beat the Chargers in the 1980s, it was more like surviving. It was an aerial war, fitting great offenses.

Sid Gillman was the father of the passing offense. He died at age 92 not too long ago.

Many people think that Bill Walsh was the first generation, with Mike Holmgen the second and Andy Reid and Jon Gruden the third. This is not entirely untrue, but Sid Gillman was the real first passer, even more so than Paul Brown.

The second generation under Sid Gillman was Al Davis and Don Coryell.

Unlike the Paul Brown to Bill Walsh system of adding more passes to what used to be an all running league, Gillman…and Davis and Coryell…wanted to throw all the time.

(The third generation was Mike Martz, who created the Rams Greatest Show on Turf.)

The Chargers had Dan Fouts. The Raiders had Ken Stabler and then Jim Plunkett. The duels were epic, and home field advantage was non-existent.

In 1980, the Raiders and Chargers both finished 11-5. The Chargers won the division tie-breaker, and both teams faced off in the AFC Title Game.

A week earlier the Chargers trailed the Bills 14-13 late. All San Diego needed was a time consuming drive and a field goal. Instead Coryell had Fouts go for the bomb, resulting in a touchdown and a 20-14 win.

With a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, the Chargers had home field. Yet in the second quarter, the Raiders had a 28-7 lead. The game was over.

No, it wasn’t. Air Coryell kept firing, and in the third quarter the Raiders only led 28-24. In the fourth quarter the Raiders added a pair of field goals to lead 34-24. The Chargers kicked a field goal to get to within 34-27. The Raiders had the lead and the ball with 6 1/2 minutes left. Yet the real action was on the Oakland sideline.

All world defensive superstar Ted “Mad Stork” Hendricks had no fear. Yet one time in his career he did. As Jim Plunkett describes in his autobiography, Hendricks pulled Plunkett to him before the Oakland offense took the field. Hendricks had fire in his eyes. Hendricks pointed out Fouts.

“You’ve got to keep scoring Jim. We can’t stop him.”

Plunkett tried to reassure Hendricks. Hendricks delivered a simple message.

“We…can’t…stop…him!”

Plunkett ran out the clock. 6 1/2 minutes and several 3rd down conversions sent Al Davis and the Raiders to the Super Bowl while Coryell and the Chargers went home. For the Raiders, winning the Super Bowl was easier than that AFC Title Game.

A year later the Chargers won one of the most exciting football games in history over the Miami Dolphins in overtime, 41-38. Yet a week later the Chargers were back in the AFC Title Game, and again, weather was the difference. Against the Raiders it was rain, which (temporarily) slowed the passing attack. In Cincinnati against the Bengals it was bitter cold, one of the coldest games in NFL history. The Chargers lost 27-7.

Don Coryell never won a Super Bowl. All he did was take great defenses and reduce them to rubble. If the Chargers had even an average defense, multiple Super Bowl rings would have been part of San Diego history.

Before Coryell got to the Chargers, he took the lowly Cardinals and made them winners. Jim Hart flung the ball with reckless abandon, and after Coryell and Hart left, Neil Lomax passed the Cardinals silly.

Coryell’s brand of football was a great metaphor for life. You don’t sit back and wait. You constantly attack, and get every ounce out of life.

Don Coryell made football fun and exciting. Three yards and a cloud of dust was replaced with the philosophy of bombs away.

It is too late for the NFL Hall of Fame Committee to do the right thing during his life, but he absolutely should and must be voted into the Hall posthumously as soon as possible.

He is now up in the sky, discussing strategy with Sid Gillman.

Farewell Air Coryell. For football fans everywhere, believe me when I say you will be missed.

I am just relieved my Oakland Raiders did not give you that ball back. It would have been 34-34 in a heartbeat.

eric

JaMarcus Russell vs Ryan Leaf

Saturday, July 10th, 2010

The downward spiral of former Oakland Raiders quarterback and overall # 1 pick JaMarcus Russell is scary to watch. He has gone from a future of promise to possibly being washed up at age 24.

Before getting to the debate about whether he the biggest bust of all time, I want to offer some thoughts about him on a stand alone basis.

I believed in 2006 that he was the only logical choice for the Raiders. In fact, I made it clear that any other choice, including all world wide receiver Calvin Johnson, was unacceptable (in all fairness Johnson has not stopped the Lions from going 0-16 and 2-14, although it was not in any way his fault).

I cheered when he was drafted. I was disappointed when he did not sign my ball, while Adrian Peterson signed everything in sight. Yet I wanted JaMarcus to succeed.

I was disappointed even more when he held out, but he was not going to be the starter anyway. The Raiders totally did the right thing by giving him a clipboard. I don’t like putting rookie quarterbacks in right away (obviously a Peyton Manning can be an exception). JaMarcus was groomed slowly.

His second season was his first season starting. The team started 3-11, which was fine for a rookie (Peyton Manning was 3-13 his rookie year). The team won back to back games to finish 5-11, and JaMarcus looked good. Things were coming together.

Then everything went wrong in 2009. JaMarcus regressed. For a couple years I said he did not have the talent around him. In 2009 he did. There were plenty of missing pieces, but there were some solid pieces as well. In fact, Bruce Gradkowski came in and led the team to victories before getting injured.

This led to the question of why JaMarcus was failing. He looked like the complete quarterback. He had the size, and a ridiculous arm strength. My criticisms were that he seemed fat, slow, and lazy. He had the talent, but not the work ethic. Some people felt he did not even have the talent, but I disagreed. His problem was his brain, not his brawn.

Now we know as of a couple weeks ago that JaMarcus Russell has a drug problem.

He was arrested for having codeine without a prescription. He was actually not the main subject of the sting. He got caught up in an ingoing investigation. The codeine was mixed with soda and Jolly Ranchers Candy to form a drug known as “Purple Drang.”

I confess that initially I thought this was no big deal. After all, codeine was no cocaine.

I was wrong.

I learned more about Purple Drang, and it is seriously dangerous. While it is theoretically possible that even without this drug issue, Russell still would have been a lousy player, this drug use does explain his behavior. Purple Drang is a depressant, which causes people to be mellow to the point of lethargy.

This brings up a possible legal issue from Russell from a football standpoint. If he was using drugs, that could violate a morals clause, allowing the Raiders to get some of the $30 million they gave him. It is one thing to be rich with a drug problem. It is another to be broke with one. That story does not end well. Al Davis does not like to be betrayed, and Russell did betray him.

Russell was cut by the Raiders, and he cleared waivers because nobody else wanted to pay his 9.5 million dollar salary. He was going to have to take the league minimum. A few teams expressed very limited interest. Rex Ryan may have added him to the Jets, since it takes a really bad character issue not to be a Rex Ryan guy. He has a high tolerance.

Yet now Russell has nobody interested. The league is going to suspend him at least four games for violating the drug policy.

Even worse is that Russell might go to jail. He is not the main target, but a conviction is not necessary. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell might ban him for a whole year.

Let’s get beyond football for a second. JaMarcus Russell may go to jail. From a human being standpoint, I hope something happens to help this man avoid the ultimate penalty…death.

His story is tragic, but now a football question is asked again. Is he the biggest draft bust of all time? Is he a bigger bust than Ryan Leaf?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/313223-why-jamarcus-russell-is-not-comparable-to-ryan-leaf

I say no.

I have made sure that my rooting for the Oakland Raiders and against the San Diego Chargers has not clouded my reasoning.

A cold logical analysis still makes Leaf worse.

JaMarcus had (slightly) better statistics. Also, JaMarcus had a couple of heroic comeback wins that were overshadowed by all the losses. He led a 20-19 comeback over the hated Denver Broncos. This was on the road in Denver, an impressive feat.

Some argue that JaMarcus was paid more money, but salary inflation should not play a factor.

To be fair to Leaf, he almost led a comeback win over the Raiders. In a hideously ugly game, the Chargers trailed 2-0 late. Yes, 2-0. He led a late 4th quarter drive to put the Chargers up 6-2. It was not his fault that the Chargers had a meltdown on defense of their own as the Raiders won 9-6. Later that year the Raiders led 12-0 on only field goals when the Chargers came back to lead 13-12 late. The stout San Diego defense again wilted as the Raiders relied on Sebastian Janikowski to kick the 5th field goal en route to a 15-13 win. The Raiders went 12-4, the Chargers 1-15, but their two games were nailbiters.

Leaf’s legal troubles are still much worse than Russell’s but that should not be a factor. Besides, Leaf’s troubles were after he was already washed up and out of the league, removing that anyway.

To me there is one reason why Leaf is a bigger bust, and that is what was given up for him.

JaMarcus Russell was one very bad pick. No trades were involved.

The Chargers moved up from the # 3 to the # 2 spot in the 1998 draft, giving the Cardinals a king’s ransom. The Cardinals robbed the Chargers blind. The Cardinals also drafted a bust in Andre Wadsworth, but that is immaterial. The Chargers gave up a combination of draft picks and players to move up only one spot in the draft to select Leaf. This trade was not as lopsided as the Herschel Walker trade or the Ricky Williams trade, but the spectacular failure of Leaf is amplified by all the Chargers gave up.

So without factoring in the trade, as stated earlier, Russell was slightly better. Factoring in the trade, Leaf is still the biggest bust in NFL history.

Besides, while it is highly unlikely, JaMarcus Russell could play NFL football again. That would end the discussion altogether.

For now, Russell needs to get his life in order. He is hanging by a thread.

Good luck JaMarcus.

eric

Singing Doo-Wop With Black Panther Malik Shabazz

Friday, July 9th, 2010

I found a picture of the new leader of the Black Panthers

http://www.questfor31.com/images/Carolina-Panthers-Logo.gif

Who knew that Charlotte, North Carolina was such a hotbed of controversy?

Given that liberals truly believe we can make everything better by singing Kumbaya and starting a Love Train for those who hate us, I have decided to help spread the love.

Malik Shabazz is the “head” of the “New” Black Panther Party.

This proves two things.

1) The word “new,” whether referring to Coke or Democrats, means “worse.”

2) Malik Shabazz needs somebody to lovingly sing to him Doo-Wop music.

Here is my serenade to our new warm adorable racist fuzzball, courtesy of the 1950s group “The Silhouettes.”

http://www.thesilhouettes.org/

“Sha ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba ba, ba bazzzzzz,

Sha ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba ba, ba bazzzzzz,

Sha ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba ba, ba bazzzzzz,

Sha ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba ba…

Yip dip dip dip dip dip dip dip,

mm mm mm mm mm mm,

Get a job.”

Maybe Mr. Shabazz needs to consult with Damon Wayans and Tim Meadows, who participated in a hilarious skit on Saturday Night Live called “Perspectives, With Lionel Osborne.”

Wayans: The blood of the white man is going to roll as the revolution takes to the streets this weekend.

Meadows: What if it is raining this weekend?

Wayans: Then the blood of the white man is going to roll as the revolution takes to the streets next weekend.

Meadows: What if it is raining next weekend?

Wayans: Whose side are you on man?

Meadows (to the audience): There you have it America. This weekend the blood of the white man will roll as the revolution takes to the streets, unless it is raining, where the blood of the white man will roll next week. This concludes today’s episode of ‘Perspectives.’ Our diversity programming continues next at 4am with programming for the Spanish community. Up next is ‘Los Perspectivos’ with me, your host, Lionel Osborne.

Ok, enough fun.

What part of “Kill whitey cracker honky babies” do guilty white liberals not understand?

Maybe we misheard Shabazz. Maybe he wants to kill crack babies. After all, that could be seen as an act of compassion if it was deemed that they would live miserable short lives anyway.

Given that crack is particularly problematic in inner city black communities, he was advocating killing his fellow black people.

After all, if he hated whitey he would advocate killing powder cocaine babies, which is the rich caucasian problem.

I wonder if the sentences for killing crack babies are much tougher than for killing powder cocaine babies. That would be racist. I will not rest until the penalty for killing all babies is equal.

Now that I have done my part for social justice, let’s all be liberals and give Mr. Shabazz what he wants.

Let’s bring back segregation.

You heard me. Forget Plessy vs Ferguson or Brown vs Board of Education. Forget Thurgood Marshall. Let’s go back to a very limited form of segregation.

First we arrest Mr. Shabazz and all of his cohorts.

Then we ask them to take a loyalty oath to a separate black society.

Lastly, anybody who accepts the oath gets put in lockdown, segregated from the general prison population.

A few days in lockdown may have some of them singing the praises of integration.

Why are these criminals on the streets?

Because Attorney General Eric Holder is their ideological soul mate.

Eric Holder has zero objection to these people. He would say so if he did. Putting on a fancy suit does not make him less radical.

Besides, if Mr. Shabazz kills an 80 year old Tea Party grandmother, he will be a hero for stopping the “real” violent threat facing this nation.

The problem is not Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, or wheelchair bound ladies with knitting apparel. I can say with statistical certainty that they are precisely zero percent responsible for what is ailing our nation from a crime and terrorism standpoint.

The problem is the radical left. They are the violence in this country and world wide.

The consequences of this violence is that many caucasian Americans like myself are developing an ailment known as “minority sympathy fatigue.”

Everybody needs to celebrate my father’s favorite holiday. It is called “Shut the hell up and go to work” Day.

It is the precursor to Christmas and Hanukkah. You work all year to earn the money to buy the presents.

Some will say that finding work is difficult.

Has Mr. Shabazz even looked?

There are plenty of Doo-Wop bands that could hire him. Perhaps “The Marcels” are hiring.

http://www.themarcels.com/

“Bob buh buh bob, buh bob buh bob bob,

Buh buh bob, buh buh bob, duh dang duh dang dang,

Duh ding dong ding dong,

Black (Panther) Bu-ffoooooooonnnn,

You saw me standing alone,

Without a dream in my heart,

Without a love of my own.

You saw me screaming at whites,

While I wielded a baton,

I only wanted love,

and my own telethon.”

It is time for Mr. Shabazz to feel the rhythm and beat of the soothing sounds of Doo-Wop.

Then it is time for law enforcement to actually enforce the law.

It is time for a Doo-Wop lock up.

Maybe a Klan member can shave “Ebony and Ivory” into Mr. Shabazz’s head in prison, and Mr. Shabazz can reciprocate.

eric

Liberals and “Solutions”

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

In pop culture news, I will not be covering Lindsay Lohan because I refuse to contribute to the dumbing down of America. I care about the War on Terror, which means winning the war against nonsense. If you want Lohan updates, be an imbecile somewhere else. This concludes my pop culture report.

The Tygrrrr Express is Las Vegas bound for a few days. No, it will not be booze, hookers, strippers, and slot machines. This is business. I will be at the Nevada GOP Convention in Henderson, and then speaking to a Republican Women’s group in Pahrump. A Reno gig with Sharron Angle caps off my Nevada swing.

Our country seems to be torn between two ideologies. The conservatives had their turn at governing. The liberals won the election of 2008, but never seemed to understand that after they won, they actually had to do things.

For those unfamiliar with the party platforms, I can sum them up.

Republicans: Low taxes, dead terrorists, free enterprise.

Democrats: Hatred of Republicans for being stupid and evil.

Ideologically, both philosophies have found their enemies.

Conservatives: Nazism, Communism, and now Islamofascism.

Liberals: Conservatives and Republicans, especially if they are minorities.

(Notice how much passion liberals have when speaking about conservatives. They seem to lack this passion about the real enemies.)

While none of this is new, several issues burning us to our core are being shrugged off because the liberals ran out of gas the moment they won the election. Barack Obama is not a bad man, but he simply has no solutions to anything that matters.

Start with the Second Amendment and gun control. I am against gun control and support the rights of private citizens to arm themselves, as the Second Amendment provides.

The recent Chicago gun case dealt with an 80 year old black man in an inner city who used a gun to defend himself against an intruder. The gun saved his life.

The left claims that they do not want to ban all guns. They only want “reasonable” restrictions, which is a subjective term that liberals can change at will when it suits them. However, four liberal justices were prepared to allow a complete ban on guns in a city. Liberals should stop lying, and just admit that they want only police officers and judges to have guns. That is political suicide, but it is a clear position.

My challenge to the liberals is this. What would you do to protect people? What is your solution? How can you combat crime?

The left had no idea what to do during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, when private citizens defended themselves. They still have no idea. They have absolutely no solution. Do they really think gun control laws will reduce crime? Do they really think they can change the hearts of criminals, who by definition do not obey laws?

This continues the trend of the left simply being the anti-conservatives. Conservatives favor keeping guns and reducing crime. Liberals hate guns but have no alternative that works.

The issue of illegal immigration is another area where the left yells and screams, but does not do anything productive.

Unlike gun control, conservatives are split on the illegal immigration issue. The Wall Street Journal and National Review have different views, and I respect both fine institutions.

What I do know is that many people want the border secured. Illegal means exactly that, and by definition illegal immigrants are criminals by simply breaking the law to be here.

Conservatives say secure the border. Arizona passes a law to help secure the border.

What does the left do? They wail and scream about racial profiling, arrange boycotts of Arizona, sue the state (liberals love suing), and speak about compassion. Yet regarding the border, do they have any plan whatsoever to actually solve the problem?

Of course not.

Some will say that the left wants amnesty to get more Democratic voters. The left denies this, but comprehensive immigration reform means amnesty. Many conservatives have zero negative concerns about Mexico, especially when compared to Iran. This does not change the fact that if the left truly wants to be honest, they should advocate amnesty and justify. Again, this is political suicide.

Regarding the oil spill, the Barack Obama and Eric Holder extorted 20 billion dollars (yes, it was extortion) from British Petroleum. Yet what are they doing to fix the oil spill? Do they have any idea what to do?

(I want to give latitude on this one because I don’t expect the president to have the answer. I just wish the left would have been as understanding toward Mr. Obama’s predecessor.)

The president waxes poetic about green technology, but that is unproven. Oil works. What is the backup plan of the environmentalists if their green alternatives fail?

There is none.

Regarding the stimulus package, we were told that unemployment would go above 8% unless we passed the stimulus that Mr. Obama wanted. Unemployment hit 10%. Mr. Obama then tells us that had we not passed his package, unemployment would be at 15%.

How can he possibly know this? If unemployment were to hit 15%, would he then say he prevented it from reaching 20%?

He claims he “saved or created” a bunch of jobs. This cannot be measured.

Let’s say President Obama has to choose between a pair of choices on any issue, issue X. If choice A means he is wrong and gets criticized and choice B also means he is wrong and gets criticized, that is unfair to him.

Conversely, if both choices A and B means he is right, that means he is always right no matter what he does, which destroys his credibility. This is how his supporters prop him up. If something good happens, he did it. If something bad happens, it would have been worse had he not done it.

The only honest thing to do is look at his choices and see if his solutions work.

The White House claimed $400,000 jobs, but 90% of those were temporary census jobs. Yet then when many more jobs than expected were lost recently, supporters said that we should not worry because most of the lost jobs were temporary census jobs anyway.

So he gets credit for creating jobs that are fictional, and avoids blame when those jobs evaporate.

Liberals get temporary victories by blaming Republicans and conservatives for everything, but at some point the public wants leadership. They want solutions. They don’t see it.

Regarding Iran, the president wanted to change the tone. Fine. There is nothing wrong with offering an outstretched hand. However, that should be a means, not an end in itself.

Conservatives, especially Neocons, want to use force with Iran. The left prefers diplomacy. Yet what happens if and when diplomacy fails? What then?

The left has no answers.

The left wanted to reverse Bush Administration terror fighting tactics. Since then we have had the Christmas bomber, Fort Hood, and another New York plot. Why can’t Eric Holder admit that we have had two serious near genocidal breaches, with a third one succeeding?

I just want the left to stop bashing every conservative idea until they have an alternative solution that has proved it has worked.

Fix the d@mn oil spill. Get Iran to stop being lunatics who want to kill us. Stop illegal aliens committing crimes without demonizing any race or culture. Secure the border. Stop demonizing oil until you have a viable substitute. Create real jobs. Be honest about the economic numbers. Stop handcuffing law abiding citizens and letting criminals run wild. Stop handcuffing national security and law enforcement and letting terrorists run wild. Once enemies of America reject our outstretched hand, get back to making sure they do not murder us all.

No, this is not easy. Governing is hard work.

Yet George W. Bush inherited a slowing economy and a collapsed stock market in 2000 (much bigger percentage drop than 2008). He did not spend every waking minute (in fact not one minute at all) crying about it and blaming his predecessor. He went to work.

The left may not agree with his solutions, but at least he offered something.

The left has not offered a single solution on any issue that matters that has actually worked. They have yelled, screamed, blamed, played the race and gender cards, and demonized conservatives for being alive and breathing.

“It was like that when I got here” doesn’t cut it.

It is time for the left to offer solutions that work, or get out of the way and let the adults run things.

The left can cherry pick 2008 while ignoring 2002-2007, but the truth is that for the last 30 years, the right has won the Cold War, deposed Saddam, routed the Taliban, reduced crime, expanded individual liberty, and grown the economy.

The left has done nothing. They are perceived as coddling criminals and terrorists, stifling innovation, punishing small businesses, and caring more about trees and animals than human beings trying to keep their jobs.

These are caricatures, but there is plenty of truth in the liberal caricature.

Don’t take my word for it. Ask political independents. They gave the left a shot in 2008. They have buyers remorse by a wide margin.

The people don’t want any more liberal excuses. They want results. They want solutions.

The clock is ticking.

eric

Michael Ames–Lying Liberal Scumbag

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

I recently had the honor and privilege of speaking at an Idaho event as the undercard to Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele.

Some people may feel that I am fiercely defending the Chairman because I was allowed to speak at his event. Those people have it backwards. I wanted to speak at his event because I admired the man so much to begin with. I have never claimed that he supports me. I support him.

I know that Chairman Steele has been the victim of a witch hunt. He has made his mistakes as we all have, but the leftist media would love to destroy a prominent minority conservative. This is what liberals do. They hate conservatives, but they really hate minority conservatives. Just ask Sarah Palin or Eric Cantor.

Better yet…ask me.

I am not even a celebrity (God help America if that changes), but as a Jewish Republican I have gotten attacked by everyone from staff members of Henry Waxman to other liberal outlets that like their conservatives dead and buried in the ground, not breathing air and speaking.

The event I did with Chairman Steele was a flawless event that was a total and complete success for everybody involved. Every single speaker was well received. The attendees had a fabulous time. The Idaho GOP hit a home run out of the ball park. Only a leftist media scumbag with an axe to grind would see otherwise.

I normally prefer not to use such strong language, but liberal scumbag is as liberal scumbag does.

Michael Ames is the new face of what is contemptible with the liberal media.

I was tempted to just leave him alone, given that his readership is probably lower than mine. After all, why elevate a man?

Because silence is acquiescence.

If the man wants to lie about Chairman Steele, that is one thing. It bothers me, but the Chairman is a big boy. He can take care of himself.

Michael Ames lied about me personally. Everything he holds dear needs to be destroyed, with as much emotional pain inflicted as possible to him along the way.

I hope one day the Almighty stamps a big fat red “L” on his forehead. It could stand for liberal or loser, but for now it will stand for liar.

Michael Ames writes for the Sun Valley Magazine in Hailey, Idaho. He also writes for the Seattle Times and has a biography on the Huffington Post. In liberal land, this would be considered a neutral impartial fair observer.

Normally I do not link to garbage, since it only increases the scumbag’s traffic. However, I am sure he is awake at 2am in his underwear Googling himself, so I decided to make his year.

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/06/26/republican-chief-michael-steele-deftly-mends-fences-at-idaho-con/

Even the title is a lie. Chairman Steele was not there in Idaho mending fences. He had nothing to apologize for that night, and he was treated like the rock star he is. He was among friends. Anybody not looking through a hard core leftist lens would have seen a warm reception and recognized it as such.

“…most of the state’s highest-ranking elected Republicans were not in the audience.”

Most? Idaho has a Republican Governor and two Republican Senators. Senator Jim Risch was in attendance. He warmly received and was received by Chairman Steele. So using a sample size of three, two out of three high-ranking officials were not there. One was. 99 out of 100 is most. Two out of three is liberalism masking as journalism.

The Idaho GOP Convention was the following week, and the other Senator Mike Crapo barely made a cameo there. Idaho is a large state geographically, and traveling between DC and Idaho is onerous. Spare family time is allowed, even in the era of the broken family.

Other GOP politicos running for office were in attendance, including Ralph Perez. Idaho GOP Chairman Norm Semanko was there as well. So yes, politicos were there to see Chairman Steele.

It is one thing to take things out of context. Creating non-stories is another tactic.

“Rush Limbaugh was also in Sun Valley on Friday, attending a wedding. According to the Idaho GOP, the two men did not meet during their time in the state.”

Why does this matter? There is no Steele-Limbaugh feud. They patched things up. I am often in the same town as Henry Waxboy because we both live in a congressional district with a dreadful congressman, who coincidentally is him. We do not speak, but that does not mean anything.

Yet written manipulation and non-stories aside, it is another thing to overtly lie.

“‘Wassup, Idaho?! Brother came and helped you out!’ the former Maryland lieutenant governor said to the all-white, and largely white-haired, audience. Turning to 67-year-old Risch next, he said, ‘What-up, baby?’ and elicited a round of nervous giggles.”

The crowd was not mostly old people despite the desperate attempt of Michael Ames to paint the typical stereotype of GOP audiences. There were plenty of young people in attendance. I met them and shook their hands. If Michael Ames wants to continue lying, then in the future GOP groups can have people fill out age cards. After all, any slur by a liberal writer against conservatives is true until refuted.

As for the “nervous giggles,” Michael Ames as a liberal does not know hysterical laughter when he hears it. The crowd loved the speech and found it as hilarious as I did. Michael Ames can spin the subjective bottle and kiss his own subjective hide when it stops.

“Countless commentators have poked fun at Steele’s linguistic jujitsu. And while some worry that the chairman could alienate conservative black voters, there were no minorities at the Idaho event to offend. Steele’s forced slang scored points instead by offering his party’s dwindling demographic the illusion of inclusion in an increasingly multi-ethnic society.”

These “countless” commentators are liberals who hate minority conservatives.

No minorities to offend? I am Jewish you (incredibly long redacted swear words)!

(Several Jews were in attendance.)

There were also plenty of women in attendance. Mr. Ames dishonestly and selectively decides who makes up minorities.

As for the typical leftist attempt to play the anti-GOP race card, we were in Idaho! The state is 97% white, with black people making up only 2/3 of 1% of the state population.

Should we just put black and Jews (who also are not many in Idaho) onto buses from Los Angeles and Florida and deport them to Idaho so Michael Ames can have his precious multi-ethnic diversity?

Give Jews and blacks some credit. With all respect to Idahoans, we don’t like cold weather.

Michael Ames apparently has never written about the lack of diversity in lily-white liberal neighborhoods he writes for. I am sure the Seattle Times gets a free pass for being as white as Canada because Seattle is liberal. Seattle has constant rain. Again, give black people credit for avoiding awful weather.

“…the man who Jon Stewart once likened to a jive-talking Muppet can also be a ruthless political operator.”

Michael Ames does not criticize Jon Stewart for an incredibly racist comment. After all, liberals cannot be racists, despite making overtly racist statements. Those wanting to defend Stewart are what they are. As for Michael Ames, bringing it up without condemning it shows obvious approval of the comment.

Although I was a tiny part of the event, Mr. Ames decided to lie about me.

“Guest speakers included…a fiery stand-up act by conservative comedian Eric Golub, who writes ‘The Tygrrrr Express’ blog. Golub, who said he wants a return to civility in politics, opened with a joke about the Boise State University Broncos recruiting Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to play defensive tackle. He then pleaded with Gen. David Petraeus to ‘stop being so nice’ to President Obama.

I absolutely made the joke about Napolitano being a defensive lineman, and I stand by it. The joke is funny and it works because for humor to work, there has to be truth. The woman is stocky. My joke is far less poisonous than Stewart’s comment about Steele.

Michael Ames could show an ounce of honor by pointing out what I said next.

“I apologize for that last remark. I shouldn’t say Janet Napolitano’s name in the same sentence as the word defense. She can’t defend anything.”

There you go. The big stocky football player shaped woman was the precursor to a joke criticizing her performance on the job. Liberals don’t like it when minorities are ever criticized for doing a bad job, unless they are minority conservatives.

As for the remark about Barack Obama, Michael Ames is a…(grabbing a bullhorn):

Lying sack of subhuman (redacted).

I never said that. I never would say that. I unequivocally and categorically deny saying that remark.

I did not tell Republicans to not be nice to the president. I made fun of his ears, his pompousness, and his effeminate nature.

What I actually said was:

“General Petraeus, the next time you testify before congress…stop being so polite. That is my advice to the audience here when dealing with liberals who hate you…stop being so polite.”

I don’t expect a scumbag like Michael Ames to retract his comments or correct the record. His behavior justifies why I will not be polite to his ilk. I said it in my remarks.

“Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight. Bring a bazooka.”

I am not sing Kumbaya with people like Michael Ames who want to tarnish me for being conservative and breathing.

For those who want the truth, a fair, impartial article about the same event was written by an actual journalist who did not come with predetermined leftist opinions. Katherine Wutz at the Idaho Mountain Express captured my remarks accurately.

http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005131935

“Steele: GOP Should Prepare to Fight” was her headline. She was right. Steele was not their to mend fences or apologize. He was there to remind Republicans to stand up against the left.

That was my message as well. Liberal bullies like Michael Ames should notice what Ms. Wutz wrote concerning me.

“Comedian Eric Golub also spoke, promoting his new book and urging the party to ‘stop being so polite’ when it comes to dealing with Democrats. ‘We are right, they are wrong,’ he said. ‘We’re going to win, they’re going to lose.’

Golub’s ending joke perhaps best summed up the mood of those in attendance. ‘When people ask me, Aren’t you glad to have a black leader of the Free World? I say, Yes, we love Michael Steele.'”

That is what I said. I did not tell Americans not to be polite to the president.

Michael Ames did not make an “honest mistake.” The man lied. He lied in print. That is called libel.

His entire column is one libelous slice of bile wrapped in a fraudulent Jayson Blair Times style smear sandwich.

To quote Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy…

“This is why I don’t read the news! Because it’s garbage! The editor who wrote this is garbage!”

Michael Ames wrote this. Michael Ames is garbage.

To allow him to go unchallenged would be to allow garbage to spread.

Let him look me in the eye and tell me what I said. I know what I said.

If he would lie about a small fish like me, then lying about a big fish like Chairman Steele is easy to understand.

Chairman Steele has to be tactful.

I am a private citizen. I don’t.

If Michael Ames thought I was fiery in Idaho, he is going to get the Bachmann Turner Overdrive treatment.

(If he tries to lie his way out of this, he may wish to remember what happens when videotapes surface. They may not…but I suspect they may. Let him roll the dice.)

Amesy boy…You ain’t seen nothing yet.

It may be the legal system visiting you. It may be verbal vigilantism going after everything in this world you care about.

Ask other liberals who have tangled with me how I react when I don’t get my apology.

I’m just getting started.

eric

Defending Michael Steele

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

RNC Chairman Michael Steele is under fire.

I am firing back.

Somebody has to defend this good and decent man, and I am happy to do it.

If Michael Steele goes down, it will not be the fault of leftists, liberals, President Obama, the Pelosiraptor, or any of the usual suspects screwing up virtually everything else in America.

If Michael Steele goes down, it will be Republicans and conservatives who will deservedly get the blame.

I have met Chairman Steele on three separate occasions. I met him at the 2008 GOP Convention in Minneapolis, and at a Republican Jewish Coalition event in South Florida. I recently did an event with him in Idaho.

On all three occasions, the same thing occurred. Michael Steele lit up the crowd.

I like the man. Actually, let me be more clear. I love the man. He is the right man at the right time for a Republican Party that desperately needs to expand its reach.

He was not an affirmative action hire. He is proof that one can be a minority and still have substance, without exploiting minorities while lining his own pockets like several liberal black “reverends.”

He is not out spreading hate speech like his DNC counterpart Howard Screaming Dean.

(Dean apparently has been banned from speaking. When one is too crazy for liberals, that says a ton.)

I totally disagree with the notion that the Afghanistan war is unwinnable. Yet Steele was completely correct when he said that the war was “Obama’s war.”

This is a true statement. The war started under Mr. Obama’s predecessor, but he made a conscious decision to send more troops (after plenty of dithering and poll testing and focus groups). Despite the fact that Mr. Obama refuses to take responsibility for anything (unless it is positive, where he takes full credit), he owns this war now. If the war ends up being a debacle, it will not be his predecessor’s fault. He could pull all the troops out tomorrow, but likes keeping his own job.

One thing Chairman Steele has going against him is that Ron Paul defended him. That is not Chairman Steele’s fault, although getting support from Ron Paul is one step above getting support from Don King.

Michael Steele has made controversial comments (although again nothing compared to Howard Dean). However, he should be judged by only one criteria, and that is substance. Forget what he says. Look at what he has done.

His job is to build the party. He is doing that. He is a phenomenal fundraiser. He is a great speaker who inspires people.

(Unlike a president, a party leader speaking well is sufficient.)

He also has won every major race since his election as GOP leader. Republicans swept the governorships in New Jersey and Virginia, in addition to other vital races.

Some say we would have won those races anyway, but those armchair quarterbacks are just that. The 2010 elections are coming upon us, and Chairman Steele should be judged by those results.

I am tired of weak-kneed Republicans who have spent their lives caving in to the Democrats telling me who my Republican leader should be. These same Republicans run against Democrats and lose.

(More than one commentator I deeply respect also favors his removal. I respectfully but fiercely disagree with them. Not all of Steele’s Republican critics are spineless sissies, but enough of them are.)

Until Howard Dean is fired, Michael Steele should be left alone. Better yet, have Steele step down the moment Joe Biden stops being given a free pass for a lifetime of verbal idiocy and is dismissed.

If I hear “aww, that’s just Joe being Joe” one more time I am going to hit the roof.

Republicans have to stop eating their own. Democrats support each other. We throw each other under the bus. The Democrats allow a bigot to be the DNC Chair, and Republicans are not allowed to have a guy that occasionally misspeaks?

Do Republicans remember what happened when we threw Newt Gingrich under the bus? We became drunken sailor spendthrift Democrats with no vision. Republicans complained that Gingrich made dumb comments that could have cost the GOP its majority. It was Gingrich who got them the majority to begin with.

We are about to make the same mistake again by cannibalizing a Republican who had the nerve to speak off the cuff and was recorded without his permission.

(Republicans need to remember that the microphone is always on. Trent Lott was butchered for harmless comments. He failed to understand that only liberals have free speech.)

Republicans get nervous when the media shows us exit polls, even though those polls are often wrong. They love stories of GOP divisions.

We are a big tent party and a family. Divisions are healthy. It is the Democrats who ban dissenting opinions.

If we throw Michael Steele to the wolves, we will only have ourselves to blame when the Democrats and their media friends gleefully run stories of GOP turmoil up until November.

The goal is to demoralize Republicans and depress turnout in 2010, and prevent what should be a GOP electoral tidal wave. In 1994 we held firm. We need to do so again.

The GOP is energized right now, and it is totally unfair to deny Steele credit for a portion of that energy.

He is a good Republican and a good leader. Stand by him.

eric

July 5th Political Nonsense

Monday, July 5th, 2010

As the Miami Shark heads back to her home, many have wondered why I ignored so many large political stories.

The bottom line is that just because we  are told something is important does not make it important.

West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd died at age 92. People have pointed out his evil deeds (joining the Klan and being a Kleagle) and his good deeds (fiercely protecting the Senate from executive overreach).

In typical liberal media fashion, Senator Byrd was treated far more kindly than Jesse Helms or Strom Thurmond. The main thing we need to understand is that people are complex. They are dynamic. All of these men did good and bad things, and history should not treat any of them like Mother Theresa or Pol Pot.

Robert Byrd had the Constitution memorized, and somehow managed to relate either the Greco-Roman world or his dog Billy into every story.

“If Cicero were alive today, he would be against the balanced budget amendment.”

Bob Dole disagreed.

“That’s not true. Strom Thurmond was a friend of Cicero, and he said Cicero was in favor of it.”

We need more of that collegiality in politics. Disagree fiercely, but then break bread over drinks later on.

I did not cover the Elana Kagan hearings. They were a waste of time since most of the senators had predetermined opinions.

Orrin Hatch was funny when he pointed out that skirmishes keep hearings from being “boring as hell.” Ms. Kagan was riotous when asked what she was doing on Christmas. She said that, “being Jewish, she was at a Chinese restaurant.”

Yet virtually no hearts or minds were swayed. She may be a nice person, but she is a liberal ideologue. The time to stop her was in 2008. Mr. Obama won the election, and conservatives had better get their act together to prevent any more awful judicial nominees.

In one of the scariest decisions in history, a razor thin 5-4 margin preserved the Second Amendment. Liberals for years have said that they favor “reasonable restrictions” on guns. This is a lie. They want to ban all guns. Four liberals decided that the right to own a gun was not in the Constitution. If Ms. Kagan was on the Court instead of one conservative, the message to law abiding citizens would have been, “go screw yourself and die.”

I keep saying that liberals love to criticize but offer no viable solutions. If a criminal breaks into your home and the criminal has a gun and you do not, what are you supposed to do? Until the left has a solution, I will support the Second Amendment.

Again, the Chicago case was not about restrictions. It was an outright ban. Thankfully 5 conservatives actually believe in the rule of law and the Constitution. The other 4 just make up things as they go along.

The Russian spy scandal is a complete waste of a story. Nations have been spying on each other since the beginning of time. We spy on our enemies, friends, and everyone in the middle and they do the same to us. Spies should be punished, but that i the end of it.

Those getting worked up over the most recent incident should buy a copy of Spy Magazine and enjoy their “Separated at Birth” pictures, and then buy a copy of Mad Magazine and enjoy Spy vs Spy. This can be done while watching the hilarious 1980s movies “Spies like us” with Chevy Chase and Dan Akroyd and “Gotcha.”

Gotcha is a about a dorky teen playing paintball who gets caught up in espionage. The experience causes him to lash out at innocent strangers.

“I thought he was KGB from Moscow.”

“He was a CPA from Encino!”

The Black Panther voter intimidation story should matter, but it will fade away. Eric Holder is a leftist ideologue who happens to be black. He is not going to prosecute black leftist ideologues. Holder is not interested in liberty. He wants equality. The solution for conservatives is to get their act together and win elections.

Yet the real story for me was more leftist violence at the G-20 Summit.

No, it was not 80 year old grandmothers attending tea parties. It was young leftists. Violence is what they do. Young conservatives do not have time to protest. They have jobs to go to.

Leftists will continue to protest until governments decide to stop cowering in front of 18 year old savages and unleash the powers of law and order. We need more dogs to be sicced, more tasers to be fired, more rubber bullets to be unleashed, and more fire hoses to be turned on.

Yet there was  fabulous irony to these protesters, some of whom were anarchists. Anarchists want government to do nothing. They want no government.

Why on Earth would anybody wanting nothing protest a G-20 meeting? Anarchists should love G-20 meetings.

G-20 meetings are the epitome of nothing at its finest.

If G-20 meetings were any more useless they would be United Nations meetings.

Does anybody know of a single actual policy, rule, law, or binding agreement that ever came out of any of these meetings that was enforceable, and actually enforced?

Of course not.

So what do we call such useless photo ops? As Sir Charles of Krauthammer would say, those are complete diplomatic successes.

So a bunch of unwashed and unshaved animals wanting a world of chaos where government is powerless protested against meetings that are the epitome of government impotence where nobody has the power to do anything.

The G-20 is the Larry King of world leaders. Not  single hard issue is successfully dealt with. Larry King is stepping down after decades of not asking tough questions. The lowlight was asking Armageddonijad about his family. Larry King may be a good guy, but his program was lighthearted entertainment, not serious news.

The bigger story is the implosion of CNN, losing King and Campbell Brown and hiring Eliot Spitzer. CNN has not been a serous news organization since the very respected Bernard Shaw retired. I would say more, but CNN died years ago and nobody told them. Even James Earl Jones should watch Fox News at this point.

For this and so many reasons, I will focus on actual news when news actually happens.

eric

My July 4th Tea Party

Sunday, July 4th, 2010

My mother sent me something that will allow Americans everywhere to thank our troops.

http://www.letssaythanks.com

You can pick out  a thank you card and Xerox will print  it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving  in Iraq.   You can’t pick out who gets it, but it will go to a  member of the armed services.

Today the Miami Shark and I are driving to San Juan Capistrano in Orange County. I am one of the featured speakers at a Tea Party.

Only in America could a guy like me get paid to tell people what he thinks.

There is so much opportunity in America. I am humbled and grateful to taste a small part of it.

Also, congratulations to Joey Chestnut for again bringing home the Yellow Mustard Belt at the annual COney Island Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in Brooklyn.

As Lee Greenwood says, “God Bless the USA.”

God bless you all, and a safe and sane July 4th.

eric

Great Quotes From College

Saturday, July 3rd, 2010

So much for Highbrow Friday. Today is Low-Medium-Brow Saturday, with me being generous toward myself regarding the medium.

The Miami Shark and I are enjoying a patriotic weekend. So as America turns 234, I revert to being 18, which was in 1990.

20 years ago while in college I wrote down some thoughts. Most of them were mine, but some were said by others. While doing some long overdue cleaning, I found the piece of paper with the quotes.

God help decent society, but now I realize that the screws loose in my head began coming undone many moons ago.

With that, here are some great quotes of mine from college.

1) To truly enjoy the pleasures of the flesh…one must have…flesh.

2) He who hesitates…

3) Please always remember and don’t ever forget…

4) Don’t do dope while you’re stoned.

5) I want one type of woman…a deaf mute.

7) Vidi Vici Veni

10) With the exceptions of sex, money, and power, I don’t believe in transient goods.

11) It’s not easy being the white knight in a black world.

18) If losing your virginity was as easy as losing your soul, life would be f*cking good.

19) I proceeded to penetrate the deep dark chasm of her cranial cavity.

20) Not all children are adopted. Some people did it after they were married. Gross.

22) Those 3 little words that get guys off the hook…I don’t know.

24 1/2) They shouldn’t call it afterglow. Nobody glows after. They smell funny and their hair is messed up.

26) My conscience is clean. I never use it.

28) Classical music would be easier to understand if it came with the Looney Tunes words in parentheses.

30) When in doubt…Make up your mind.

32) Each time after I go to bed and before I wake up…I sleep.

33) Always be exact in math. Astronauts die because of approximations.

35) Balloons are like virgins. Once you pop them, they’re gone for good.

36) The grass is always greener on the side that gets watered the most.

Other people had other things to say.

6) You can’t live with ’em…pass the beer nuts. (George Wendt as Norm Peterson on Cheers)

12) Boxing is like ballet except there is no music, no choreography, and the dancers hit each other. (Deep thoughts by Jack Handy on Saturday Night Live)

13) I once got arrested for scalping low numbers at a deli. (Steven Wright)

17) Don’t drink and drive. You might hit a bump and spill your drink. (Unknown)

23) Mom, I’ve been in my room for hours, and now you want me to look at it? (Bill Cosby, Himself)

27) Ho! Haha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin! Ha! Thrust! (Daffy Duck as Robin Hood dealing with Porky Pig as Friar Tuck. Then Daffy’s beak would fly up)

29) I reminisce with people I don’t know. It takes longer. (Steven Wright)

31) Platonic relationship–He wants to play, she wants to keep it tonic. (Unknown)

34) I’ve seen the handwriting on the wall…and it’s illegible. (Unknown)

The others are not worth repeating. I have done enough damage to society.

Somehow, despite me, America has soldiered on. Well done USA. Happy 234.

eric

Highbrow Friday

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

Before getting to politics, a sad football note. At age 85, former San Diego Chargers Coach Don “Air” Coryell passed away. I will do his official eulogy on Sunday, July 11. He was one of the greatest offensive minds in the history of football. He will be missed.

The Miami Shark and I are driving from Los Angeles to parts unknown for a nice romantic 4th of July weekend. Shopping, fireworks, and a Tea Party I am speaking at on the 4th of July in Orange County all await.

Some people may have noticed that this entire past week, my blog has been less of a blog and more of an online diary, which I detest when other people do it. In short, my readers are bored.

With all of the hard news events going on, why have I spent time discussing my visits to various GOP Conventions?

Because people do not know what they want.

People complain that they dislike negative campaign ads, but admit that they work.

People claim they want highbrow analysis and not lowbrow humor. Yet my highest rated column of the year in terms of blog traffic features pictures of hot political women. You claim to dislike infantile descriptions of yummy bouncies, but the spike in my blog traffic does not lie.

People claim that they want a more positive world, yet feed off of negativity.

Much of politics is negative. I spend a good deal of time bashing liberals, deservedly so.

Yet I have had so many positive experiences, and I decided to take the week thanking so many people who have meant a lot to my personal, professional, and political growth.

For years I theorized what was going on in America. Now I am seeing it with my own eyes, and it is beautiful.

This is an amazing country. We face tough times, but there are a ton of things to be happy about.

Sure I complain about the current political leadership, but I decide my own faith. The president and congress did not prevent me from building a business or meeting a wonderful woman that shares my zest for life.

After the last Roman Candle is lit and the last set of fireworks go dim, I am sure I will get back to hard core politics. I suppose I will go back to being grumpy.

I will be giving the people what they want. This blog is not about me. It is about politics (and of course football on NFL Sundays. We can’t forget that).

Yet for a few days I wanted to share what politics at its best should be about.

For those who were bored, you can wake up on Monday when we all go back to fighting.

At least for one week, I put ratings aside and provided glimpses of the best of America.

On Sunday America turns 234.

Politics will be there on Monday. For now, let’s enjoy our loved ones, cherish our freedom, and thank those providing that freedom.

Besides, this Sunday is the best Sunday of the year that does not contain NFL Football.

The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest faces 3 time Yellow Belt defending champion and great American sports hero Joey Chestnut against his Japanese rival and previous 6 time winner Kobayashi.

I put aside partisan politics and listen to musicians who hold political views different from mine. John Cougar Mellencamp sings about Pink Houses, Bruce Springsteen waxes poetic about the Glory Days, and John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival reminds us that he is no Fortunate Son.

We can and should be partisan. Disagreements are healthy. Yet we must never lose sight of what we are fighting for. We have different means, but most Americans have the same good, decent, and noble ends.

Some will tell me to stop being happy, because the world is falling apart.

I have the best job in the world and the loveliest woman on Earth by my side. If that is not good enough, I do not know what is.

Others are hurting, but I was hurting too at one point. Things turned around for me, and they will for others as well. We are facing challenges, but we are will overcome them. As Ronald Reagan said, “We are Americans.”

I would say more, but it is time today to type less and live more.

The Tygrrrr Express is fireworks bound, with the Miami Shark in tow.

eric