Day483 Sunday 12/25/11

Merry Christmas!!!

ran 3.4 miles
Today ends week sixty-nine of running against Obama. I ran 16.6 miles this week, averaging 2.37 miles per day.

“I like the commercial Christmas we now practice in this country. You know why? Because I'm an American. I love Santa. And Christmas trees, and lights, and presents and everything that makes you feel warm inside. Because I'm an American.”

This is the opening line to an article at the HuffingtonPost by Cenk Uygur. He makes some valid points about Christmas, this holiday that is scrutinized more and more each year for reasons that go right over the heads of those who have problems with the sight of a Christmas tree or the utterance of “Jesus”.

In terms of a pie chart, which has only a fine sliver of representation belonging to those who seem to dislike Christmas to the point that they would rather do away with it all together, it is a shame that so many of us who do love Christmas for a multitude of assorted reasons have to slowly watch the holiday get begrudged more and more each year. As Uygur goes on to explain, there is a larger American picture that is severely missed.

613.4 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day118.

Day482 Saturday 12/24/11

ran 3.5 miles
Merry Christmas Eve!!!

It was on this day in 2009, yes, on Christmas Eve, that the Senate passed the controversial health care reform bill, which is Barack Obama’s top domestic achievement (or failure, depending upon whose side you’re on).

While America was trying to embrace and celebrate Christmas and rightfully paying little attention to politics, the Senate slipped this thing through at the most opportune time of the year excluding Christmas day itself.

The vote was 60 to 39. Every single Democrat voted for it and every single Republican opposed it (Republican Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky, who opposed the bill, was the only Senator to skip the vote).

Less than a year later the mid-term elections were held and what used to be 60 Democratic seats is now only 51.

The House had passed the bill a month earlier 220-215. Representative Joseph Cao of Louisiana was the only House Republican to vote for the measure.

One year later the mid-term elections were held and there are currently 242 Republicans and 192 Democrats in the House.

Looks like a case of voter’s remorse. Things certainly haven’t gotten much better, but take a look at the possibilities of where we would be today had Barack Obama walked out of the mid-terms unscathed, or unshellacked, continuing with a significant Democratic majority in the Senate and control of the House for another two years.

What has changed to prevent another mass exit for liberals in 2012? The liberal trend lately is for them to detach themselves from Barack Obama and his legislation in order to get elected or reelected. Republicans have not changed a whole lot of America’s immediate direction but they have certainly succeeded in linking their arms together to create an obstacle for Barack Obama and his endless spending. That is enough for me until we get a new president in 2012.

Someone Else is his or her name at this point and anyone of the candidates we have to choose from will be better than the spending administration we have now.

616.8 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day117.

Day481 Friday 12/23/11

ran 0.2 miles

Yesterday’s post is late but here it is. No excuses. I was also only able to run 0.2 miles yesterday (the end of my street and back) and I’ll have to catch up.

The Occupy Wall Street movement has not been in the news too much lately. Aside from costing taxpayers millions of dollars to allow the movement to persist as peacefully as possible, not much is notable in terms of accomplishment. Congress continues to prolong progress as long as possible, earning themselves dismal approval numbers, and our president seems to be most concerned right now with his re-election---four years of "Lame Duck" leadership that he will never have to answer for with a third election. Or maybe he will just continue as president. There is currently a lot of legislation out there violating the civil liberties we have held so high for a very long time. If these can be changed all of a sudden then what else can? The answer is anything.

620.3 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day116.

Day480 Thursday 12/22/11

ran 3.5 miles

On the surface, all of these FEMA detainment camps and their immediate efforts to contract service providers to run them within a hair’s diameter of Congress passing a bill to lawfully detain American citizens indefinitely without trial presumably appears to be meant for “terrorists” or genuine threats as you and I understand them. But, why are there over 600 of these camps?

Rhetorical question. This is a way for our government to pry its federal foot into a gate that was never intended to be opened. Given the slightest scenario of catastrophe or upheaval in the near future, the act of locking our doors at night will lose all sense of security it once offered.

620.5 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day115.

Day479 Wednesday 12/21/11

ran 4.5 miles
Here’s your Christmas dose of propaganda from Barack Obama’s campaign team. When you get together with your family this year for the Christmas holiday, be sure to convince as many uncles and aunts as you can to vote for Barack Obama in 2012. Forget about the simple pleasures of the holiday and the quality time spent with family. This man needs another term. Don’t make Christmas a wasted opportunity to discuss politics.

And here is an early Christmas present from Chuck Woolery. He has made a series of videos for his "Save America one trillion dollars at a time" campaign and this is his latest release (slightly humorous but fortified with truth):



624.0 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day114.

Day478 Tuesday 12/20/11

ran 0.2 miles
Last week I ran the largest amount of miles I have ever run over the course of seven days. This week I am paying for it. After running 30.2 miles last week I ran 1.3 miles yesterday and a whopping 0.2 miles tonight. I hate to admit it but I am exhausted. This week has been a brick wall so far.

Getting home from work today, it was raining and I had zero desire to get wet or to break a sweat. I ran to the end of my street and back, which took everything I had. All of the surplus miles I earned last week are being compromised by a complete lack of energy this week.

But, I am more than maintaining the budget of miles I had set for myself and I have no shame in offering transparency at every step of this campaign. I have some catching up to do, but it is planning for occasional shortcomings and unexpected obstacles that keep any set of numbers from reaching deficits. If only economies were this logical to manage by planning for mistakes and lulls.

Speaking of not planning for mistakes and exhibiting absolutely no restraint for spending, here are some stats and polls from Rasmussen Reports:

• Barack Obama’s presidential index rating shows that 21% of American voters strongly approve of his performance while 39% strongly disapprove, giving Obama a presidential index rating of –18.

• Overall, 47% of voters at least somewhat approve of Obama’s performance while 51% at least somewhat disapprove.

• Generic Congressional Ballot: Republicans 43%, Democrats 40%.

628.5 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day113.

Day477 Monday 12/19/11

ran 1.3 miles
“I would put our legislative and foreign policy accomplishments in our first two years against any president — with the possible exceptions of Johnson, F.D.R., and Lincoln —in terms of what we’ve gotten done.”

This was an omitted quote from Barack Obama’s recent 60 Minutes interview. According to TheBlaze, the quote surfaced on the official transcript but was not aired on television. Obviously, an arrogant account of one’s self, this president certainly does have audacity to compare himself to other president’s who only time and history have the ability to look back on and rate for superiority.

And here’s the best part. Note how President Obama cited his accomplishments over the first two years of his term rather than acknowledging the full three that have spanned his presidency. After the first two years of his presidency and as a consequence of the decisions he had made in that time, his actions directly led to the American people firing handfuls of Democrats in the House and Senate during the midterm elections of 2010.

Replaced by a large number of newly elected officials that swore to not raise taxes and to essentially oppose the core direction of Obama’s first two years, which he holds in such high esteem, the people have spoken and through their actions clearly went to their voting precincts and collectively sent a message that completely contradicts Obama’s notion that his administration and his actions are comparable to Johnson’s, F.D.R.’s, or Lincoln’s.

628.7 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day112.

Day476 Sunday 12/18/11

ran 3.5 miles

Today ends week sixty-eight of running against Obama. I ran 30.2 miles this week, averaging 4.31 miles per day. Since week one of this campaign a goal I have set for myself was to reach thirty miles in one week. It took sixty-seven weeks to do it, but I have finally reached that goal.

Something I have been curious about for a long time and finally looked into was what exactly happened to Greece and their economy. I vividly remember looking at some videos over a year ago of people violently protesting in Greece and wondering if something like that could ever happen in America. It seemed so distant and impossible at the time, but here we are.

There are some interesting parallels between Greece and America. Greece’s is obviously a much smaller economy than America’s and European currency is a different concept entirely from what we understand in America, but the similarities are relative regardless of size.

In 2009, U.S. born George Papandreou was elected prime minister of Greece as a leader of the Greek socialist party after five years of conservative rule.

In 2008, Barack Obama was elected president of the United States of America as a democrat after eight years of conservative rule.

Papandreou campaigned on and was praised as a man who would revolutionize cultural and political life. He promised that Greece’s brink of bankruptcy could be cured without austerity measures.

Obama campaigned on hope and change. He promised transparency and solutions. He swore to change the way things were done in Washington.

“We need a new start. We need to clean up our act…people are clearly looking for an alternative that is both realistic and visionary. We bear a great responsibility to change the course of the country…we know that we can make it.”

George Papandreou

“I'm happy to get good ideas from across the political spectrum, from Democrats and Republicans. What I won't do is return to the failed theories of the last eight years that got us into this fix in the first place, because those theories have been tested, and they have failed. And that's what part of the election in November was all about.”

Barack Obama

Socialism has been tested, too, Mr. President.

630.0 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day111.

Day475 Saturday 12/17/11

ran 3.6 miles
This morning the Senate voted (89-10) to extend the payroll tax cut for an additional two months. Aiming to reach an agreement to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits for the entire next year, the Senate failed to find any other compromise. Included in the deal is a sixty-day deadline for President Obama to either veto or sign the Keystone pipeline project.

Barack Obama has threatened to veto Keystone if it reaches his desk. The ball is now in his court and this is a big decision. While it seems like concentrated common sense to most of us, this project is a real dilemma for our president. Barack Obama’s fanatical environmentalist voting demographic will be extremely disappointed if he signs Keystone, which would instantly create tens of thousands of jobs for decades and allow America to further depend on itself for energy. It’s all pluses for his dismal approval ratings, America’s unemployment numbers, and our tanking economy.

Yet, Barack Obama has to actually think about this no-brainer. Obama vowed to veto Keystone and within weeks he is more than likely going to flip-flop and pass it. He has to. This project could quite possibly create more solid jobs than the Obama administration has created in the last three years. Even the unions are backing Keystone. Only the environmentalist stand in the way and I have a feeling they will be compromised on this one. Sixty days, Mr. President. Tick tock.

633.5 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day110.

Day474 Friday 12/16/11

ran 3.7 miles

Even MTV is against Barack Obama’s signing of the National Defense Authorization Act. The NDAA warrants arrest and indefinite detainment of American citizens with no representation or trial. On the surface it is simple to assume that this Act is specific to what you and I define as terrorists, but where does it stop? Eventually, with this sort of unchecked power the term “terrorist” over a short period of time could easily be interpreted as anyone who simply disagrees with decisions their government makes. American citizens and our freedom to express ourselves is part of the checks and balances that our forefathers drafted for the grand design of America. Take away the peoples’ voice and what are you left with?

637.1 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day109.

Day473 Thursday 12/15/11

ran 3.5 miles
On any given day I jump from one candidate to another convincing myself “this is the one”. Everyday I seem to come across something in the news that makes me think otherwise, though, whether by fault or virtue of each candidate. For example, I was a committed Herman Cain supporter for a long time until he got chewed up by our political machine and spit out. For the record, I don’t believe any of the allegations against him or true (and I know that statement is about as valuable as me saying I think the Saints are going to win the Super Bowl this year; it is only a hope and an opinion that bears no resemblance to factual evidence). But, Herman Cain and what was either a complete character assassination or a legitimate violation of women, reminded me of just how early it is in this election cycle and how necessary it is to keep an open mind and to constantly keep options available and to keep the larger picture in sight.

The candidate I like at this moment is Ron Paul. Taking inventory of the big issues right now, primarily the American economy and our national debt, I always go back to these questions.

What other big issues are even important if your country goes bankrupt? What is more important than a functioning balanced budget? Isn’t a healthy economy the spine of any nation?

It seems as though many Americans have secondary and tertiary demands they require of candidates to earn their vote that somehow override the underlining importance of simply fixing our economy. But how can arms lift and legs walk without a functioning spine?

Back to Ron Paul. This is what I am feeling today and, as I mentioned earlier, this is subject to change as soon as tomorrow---it’s as though we have been rolling around in the mud and filth of budget abuse and debt overload for a couple decades and, all of a sudden, America wants to be clean. America is tired of the mud and filth. But America has been rolling around in the muck for too long for a quick rinse. This cleansing will require severe measures. High-pressure hoses, highly abrasive pads, gritty soap, and more is required to clean the mess we have caked on the people of our nation.

Ron Paul in many ways might be that high-pressured hose, highly abrasive pad, and gritty soap. Most of the other candidates seem more like a situation where America simply swirls around in the mud and filth only a bit less vigorously and mistakenly calls that a means to clean up.

If you got thrown into a pile of manure, would you dab it off with a paper towel and go on about your daily business or would you take a thorough shower and make sure you never get thrown into a pile of manure again? I think Ron Paul might be that hot shower we are in such need of.

640.8 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day108.

Day472 Wednesday 12/14/11

ran 4.0 miles
Time magazine has elected the collective "Protester" for their man of the year in 2011. Greece, Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, emerging protests in Russia...no Tea Party recognition? Thank you, Time magazine, for pointing out how righteous the protesters in Greece are for refusing to deal with the bitter realities before them, which their own government created. As other European countries attempt to bail them out, no amount is enough because they want what they were promised. This is the direction America is heading. Thank you, Time magazine, for recognizing the power of Molotov cocktails and a government's complete inability to responsibly govern.

Time magazine is not only recognizing Greece, or the Arab Spring, or Russia, but also Occupy Wall Street. Egypt is heavily leaning toward electing government leadership from the Muslim Brotherhood. Libya's protesters had been and would have continued to be decimated by the madness of their overthrown leader had NATO and the United States not intervened. Now Russia is catching the protest fever and, finally, there is Occupy Wall Street. OWS is Time magazine's man of the year.

If I knew that all I had to do to get my face on the cover of a magazine was possess poor hygiene, have few enough responsibilities to allow me to sleep in parks and streets for three or more months at a time, and mindlessly scream things which I did not understand and at the same time be completely incapable of calmly explaining why capitalism is so bad or why communism is so good...if I had known it was that easy then I would have had zero desire to ever be on the cover of a magazine like Time a whole lot sooner in my life.

Here are some of the features from the face of the collective "Protester" Time magazine holds in such high esteem:




644.3 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day107.

Day471 Tuesday 12/13/11

Iowa:
Gingrich 22%
Paul 21%
Romney 16%
Public Policy Polling published at DailyCaller




ran 4.8 miles

648.3 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day106.

Day470 Monday 12/12/11

ran 7.1 miles
Between now and the next eleven months it is anyone’s guess what unexpected events will define the path to the 2012 presidential election. One can only speculate, but there is a lot of disturbing and epic legislation being discussed in Washington right now regarding civil liberties and the freedom of speech. The ideas are straight out of Orwell’s “1984” and force Americans to question what is going on, or what might be about to happen, that we don’t know about and our government appears to be preparing for?

FEMA is contracting companies to fill the everyday needs of hundreds of camps across America which appear to serve the purpose of detaining people. And this is happening simultaneously with legislation allowing the federal government to detain American citizens indefinitely with no trial or representation.

SOPA, the internet piracy bill, allows the government to make internet sites disappear, squeezing the life out of free speech as we know it and doing away with due process. If this particular site, for example, became a thorn in someone’s side and that individual or entity did not want this site to exist any longer, it would simply be gone one day with no notification or reason. The legislation for these ideas are not written with black and white clarity, but rather lawyer-speak jargon and plenty of hidden congressional motive that eventually leaves you questioning that if they can do this then where does it stop?

Remember when Egypt literally turned off the internet to prevent its people from organizing through social media. Our government can do that. Remember FEMA’s public broadcasting test a few weeks ago when our government attempted to determine whether or not they could temporarily cut off all radio and television broadcasts…for the first time in American history?

It’s going to be a crazy year and there is very little that would surprise me. On a completely separate and unrelated note, Michael Savage formally offered Newt Gingrich one million dollars today to drop out of the presidential race.

Things are only going to get more and more strange.

653.1 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day105.