A sad time for me as a Carolina Panthers fan - and the usual ramblings

It finally happened... the Carolina Panthers released John Kasay, my all time favorite player for the Panthers.   I am at the age now where i am really noticing these kinds of things.  Football player careers are short, and a 16 year stint with the Panthers is very long time in the world of the NFL.And yet... i am very sad that this day has come for John Kasay.  When i asked for a Carolina Panthers jersey, i was specific that i wanted the number 4, with John Kasay's name on the back.  The man is simply a class act.  Scott Fowler at the Charlotte Observer has done a couple of really nice articles, but i will add my agreement with his sentiments here.  John Kasay was pretty consistent.  With the exception of the year he tore his ACL (while making a tackle on a kick return no less), he was almost automatic.  Whenever he made a game winning field goal he always deflected the praise to his teammates for getting him in the position to kick the score, and when he missed - and especially after the bad kickoff in the SB against the Patriots he always took it upon himself, that he was the one who let his teammates down.  At the end of the day it is a team sport, and it always is a team effort.  But John Kasay left his mark outside the locker room as well, being a vital part of his community, and never shied away from his faith in Christ.  He will be missed, and by more than just myself.  I hope the Panthers add him to their "Hall of Honor".  I would love to make a trip down to the game when they do this - or even just for the ceremony if they do it in the off season.  I wish more professional athletes were as humble and upright as John Kasay.

With that segue, sort of, in additional to Caleb Campbell being on the Detroit Lions roster, the Lions have invited Collen Mooney to camp.  Caleb Campbell is #53 and a Linebacker.  He played safety for Army "in the day", but was moved up to be a speedy linebacker.  Last year Caleb spent most of his time on the practice squad, but did make it up to the #53 man roster a time or two.  Collin Mooney was a Fullback for Army and currently has the single season rushing record for them.  The Lions had 2 Fullbacks on the roster, but only ever suited one - one article i said that the Lions may try and see how he does as a "Power" Running back.  While i am still not sure of either man's chances of making the final 53 man roster, or even the practice squads this year, i am still very glad to see West Point being represented in the NFL.  It doesn't hurt that both of them a Artillerymen either.    So... i will be watching both men, and if they both make the roster... i just might have to get some kind of Lions paraphernalia.    Go ARMY!

I am going to make it official... i am aligning myself with the American National Tea Party.  I have grown to despise the cross-aisle finger pointing and bickering.  I am tired of the laws of the land not applying to those who are supposed to "represent" us.  I am tired of the very people that are supposed to express the point of view of their constituency not "getting it", and i am especially tired of this nation getting deeper and deeper into debt every year.  There are some exceptions, and i am not pointing the finger at either of the two main political parties.  Over 11% of the annual budget is interest.  Just interest, not principle of the load, just the interest.  I have heard it put this way:

"If the US Government was a family, they would be making $58,000 a year, they spend $75,000 a year, and are $327,000 in credit card debt. They are currently proposing BIG spending cuts to reduce their spending to $72,000 a year. These are the actual proportions of the federal budget and debt, reduced to a level that we can understand." ~ Dave Ramsey

It is just not sustainable.  If i ran my house this way, i would be in bankruptcy and out on the street.  Those who represent us need to grow a set of _____ and put on their big girl panties and make some really hard decisions.  They need to tread carefully of course, but their eyes shouldn't wander to places like Social Security, Medicare, or the retirement "entitlement" those who have retired after 20+ years of service to this country.  Those programs are people - generally - from the lower income brackets who have put their time in, who have busted their tails all their lives.  There are plenty of other areas that could be scrutinized and pinched.  No plan is going to make everyone happy, and every plan is going to make somebody mad, but this country is heading down into a hole that is inescapable if we are not careful.  And before anyone goes off spouting that the Tea Party is a bunch of bigots, do some research to see just who makes up the rank and file of this political party's supporters.  I think our country is past due for a couple of more political parties with influence beyond the Democrats and the Republicans. Checks and balances.  Since the Tea Party is predominantly conservative, i feel that a subset of the Democratic liberal would be apropos. 

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Ramblin' along

Today has been very crazy. So, since i am not able to come up with one continuous and concise train of thought i am going to ramble for today... these are in no particular order. Normally this time of year i get kind of overwhelmed. The school year is winding down, there are field trips, end of year testing, IEP's, soccer, gymnastics, social skills and Autism support group meetings. You get the idea... and i am sure many of you all out there in cyberville are in similar situations. Anyway, i am finding it helpful in that i am now getting a handful of hours to sit and write the story i've been working on. I have a starting paragraph for what i hope will become a novel... Well, i also have a short piece that i wrote up to help me "see" the main characters, and a decent outline written up. It's not a bad start really. I figure it will probably take me at least eighteen months, maybe more... assuming i can stay focused on one project long enough. I just read that Fallout 3 just won game of the year. Congratulations to them. Since i am not a really big video game player i could not give a fair comparison, but this award comes from the Game Developer's Choice awards, where they also won the award for writing - which is becoming a bigger deal in the gaming industry evidently. For my fellow Christian readers, Plugged In on-line has a review of the game. Their summarization quotes an IGN.com review, "...this is not a game for kids or anybody with a developing moral compass." While i am enjoying the game immensely, i am also using some of the examples to teach my oldest the consequences of making some moral choices. The game is designed as an "open world" system in that it does not dictate how you respond to situations, nor does it corral you through choices to move the game along. (It is finite, but it is much more "wide open" than most other games out there.) The world in which we live in, and the one in which our children live in, is much more wide open than this game - and yet as parents we are tasked to teach them and help them become ready to live in such a world. While i agree with the review i also want to say that we as parents, must be involved with every aspect of our children's lives to prepare them. It is impossible to shield our children from everything, and while overly exposing them to things can be bad, we should not expect to 'protect' them from everything. Each child is different, and we as parents must be 'different' to each of our children. Use any and all tools available as they come into your children's lives. No matter if it from a video game, the school, or the Bible. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is starting to get pretty good IMO. There have been a lot of internet speculation that this series is a long shot to be picked up for a 3rd season. To me that would be a shame since there is a lot of potential in regards to story telling left on the table, but then the entertainment industry is not so much about story telling as it is a business and they have to look at their "bottom line", and i understand that. There is just so much going on in regards to morals and robotics, how decisions we make affect both our future and those around us and their futures. It's not all about cyborgs running around killing humans and vice-versa, nor is about beautiful "babes" running around with guns. It would be a shame for this story to get canned before there is a chance to wrap some of it up. It has really whetted my appetite for Terminator: Salvation coming out on May 22. The NFL draft is right around the corner. While there is a lot of speculation as to what the Carolina Panthers will be doing with disgruntled Julius Peppers (see below) i am still trying to keep up with a man from last years draft. Caleb Campbell, who was drafted by the Detroit Lions, had reported to training camp before the United States Army did an about face and required him to return to active duty. Personally i think they blew an excellent recruiting opportunity with having (then) 2nd LT Campbell not being in the NFL and playing. I feel that they cowed to "peer" pressure from the Military Academies, when similar things already take place for sports such as basketball and baseball. To me that is a double standard. Well, as it stands there is a chance that this young man will be given the opportunity to play next season (2010 - Reference EPSN.com article). What i admire about this young man is he did not bad mouth the academy and he returned as ordered. Now, there is a chance he will not apply to be released which i would admire about him as well. It just gives me something to look forward to next season. If he does go to training camp in 2010... it is very possible that i will have two favorite teams. Recently the Carolina Panthers have sought to extend QB Jake Delhomme's contract in order to get some cap room. To me this is a great thing because i like this guy, but it also shows just how much the NFL is a business. There are a lot of people who are fans of College Football because of the business side of things with the NFL. I hope it gets worked out. Now, in regards to Julius Peppers this has the potential of becoming really ugly. If a man does not want to be on your team, is it really such a good idea to keep him around? I know that he is a good physically talented football player, and the Panthers have the chance to get something out of the whole deal... but he is still a human being. Having served in the Army National Guard i know what it feels like to be treated like a piece of equipment, but he is still a man. I respect Coach Fox and Jerry "Big Cat" Richardson, and i think they will do what is best for the team while not forgeting that Mr. Peppers is a fellow Carolinian and respected member of the Panthers. I think i agree with the "professional" sports writers in that this will probably not be done until close to, or in the middle of, this years draft. As i look forward to the 2009 NFL season, i am excited - as always. I am praying for Mr. Richardon's continued improvement after his recent heart transplant, but i am also hopeful for the first back-to-back winning season for my Panthers. All i ask for is 9-7. Another NFC South title would be nice, a second trip to the Super Bowl even better, but all it would take for me to be a very happy Panthers fan would be the first consecutive winning season record. For the first time since i retired i found myself missing the National Guard. Just a little. I got up a little bit earlier than usual this morning to help my son get out the door for school. As i watched him head out to the buss stop i took in the morning. It was foggy. Cool and damp. The son was just beginning to light up the world and air was fresh. It was the kind of morning that would make your joints ache and your body shiver to get enough warmth to keep the blood flowing, but it was also a morning that thrust fond memories of my guard experiences to fore. There was something about enjoying that time of day. Enjoying the camaraderie of my fellow soldiers as we mutually complained about... well, pretty much anything. Someone would heat up a small camp stove and get real coffee brewing, we'd crack open whatever "pogey bait" we had stashed around, and we'd "chew the fat". My beloved laughs at me and often says, "I thought you were a morning person", and i am. I just also like to take brief cat naps latter on in the day which is not normally possible in a civilian life style. Not that it was always possible in the military because we usually had somewhere to be and something to do... but soldiers learn that they need to take power naps and eat snacks whenever the opportunity presents itself. In the movie "Gettysburg" there is a scene where General Lee is talking with General Longstreet and he says, "I love this time of day, just before dawn. I will miss it after all this." That is where i am at now...