Ex-Pat's Pats: Flag on the Play

Really, NFL? Then F-U!

They couldn't have picked a better loser (i.e., like his predecessor, never has it when it counts) to be their poster-child for:

Precision.
Strength.
Intelligence.

Head Coaches tell us what it takes to be a franchise QB: http://at.nfl.com/jrhXRGe

Ex-Pat's Pats: #NoBradyNoBanner

'Nuff Said?

Ex-Pat's Pats 2014: More Important Things

Other than, "this message comes to you courtesy of Investors Business Daily," 'nuff said for the moment, dontcha think?

Ex-Pat's Pats: And, By The Way...

Herald reporter: 'Devastating leap of logic' led to story. From back in 2008:

The Boston Herald sports writer who reported the New England Patriots taped a pre-Super Bowl walk-through by the St. Louis Rams in 2002 said he will regret the erroneous story for the rest of his life.

"First and foremost, this is about a writer breaking one of the cardinal rules of journalism. I failed to keep challenging what I had been told," wrote John Tomase in Friday's editions of the newspaper.

Ex-Pat's Pats: An All Too Unfortunately Appropriate Earworm

[Sigh] I heard this song, tonight, while out and about and it hit too close to home...

I have no idea where this post is ultimately going or even how my attitude will change between hitting "Publish" and the Super Bowl... I guess the fact that it's well after 11pm on a work night and I can't sleep over thinking about this speaks volumes about how much I need to get a fucking life.

Okay, apparently 11 out of 12 tested balls were 2 PSI below the league's minimum and sources describe the league as "disappointed ... angry ... distraught".Something I am curious about is if the Colts did bring this up way back in November, as described in the linked ESPN article, why was nothing addressed until now? To me, that's as fishy a coincidence as the number of under-inflated balls.

As scandals go, let's face it, this one's pretty fucking lame. It wasn't like Belichick was offering bounties to hurt other players. Brady sure as hell hasn't been rumored to be a domestic abuser. And, Vince Wilfork is no rumored murderer (the Pats quickly cut ties with Aaron Hernandez).

Frankly, the way the Colts played would not have saved their bacon if those balls had been perfect and I have to agree with the Vikings' Coach Zimmer on this one.

And, why is nothing serious being made about pushing the upper limits of regulation inflation? I got news, if it's over 13.5 PSI, Aaron, it's an illegal ball (hat tip to Braden Campbell). Just what else goes on as different QBs secretly play with their balls?

And, closer to home, Bill Belichick is no fucking Richard Nixon! Not even close (and, who's the poorer for this, the detractors or me for defending him?).

Let's face it: from the Tuck Rule Game, through Spygate, to Deflategate, my karmic balls are completely busted and something that had once been so special to me has gone flat and lifeless. My excitement for the next Super Bowl lasted only about 5 hours before all the news broke like flies landing on a big pile of shit. I'm not sure what's busted my balls more: the legitimately serious infraction of things like Spygate or the self-righteous, faux-moral primping and preening of the various Patriots detractors I've seen and listened to over many years before Eric Mangini became a household sports name.

All this at a time when I'm beginning to feel that the NFL has moved away from football and into pro-wrestling.

I wish I could have a little fun and sit back with beer and pretzels to laugh at all the self-righteous primping and preening but I find I have no more stomach for it and the whole mess of the detractors and team antics leaves me feeling that it all has eroded my soul and left me all the poorer for it.

Ex-Pat's Pats 2014: And, So, The Next Unfortunate Round Begins (With Updates)

Some Pats players were also, allegedly, found to be wearing Colts uniforms to confuse the Colt's coaches ... while Big Foot was caught suiting up in a Patriots uniform.

Stay tuned ...

As commented by fsmith95112 in response to the latest accusations and brouhaha reported over at Boston.com/sports. Report: Patriots May Have Deflated Footballs for AFC Championship Game Against Colts.

Gee, I can't wait to hear one family member up here in AK compare Belichick to Jerry Sandusky again (boy you certainly cheered just as hard as I did when you watched them win that 1st Super Bowl).

I've hear this crap going all the way back to the Tuck Rule and people in my face how the Pats had no business even being in that Super Bowl. People in my face about something that, frankly was a bright moment that happened just at the right time and pulled me out of the darkest period in my life. If it hasn't been that, it's always been some other excuse as to how the Pats suck and aren't a real championship team. Thanks. Eric Mangini, for being such a dick. Where are you now in the NFL?

And Tulip wonders why I carry such a big chip on my shoulder?

Most of our lives, the Pats basically did suck. They've finally made something of themselves and, from moment one, the h8ters gotta h8te. Before you stop me in the street to gloat in my face again, let me just say this now and get it over with: F#<k Y*", sideways, with a pickaxe!

And, now, back to dealing with yet another crisis of faith to get ready for the Pats, under ridiculously intensive media scrutiny (AGAIN, @$$H#LES) to go and handily clip the Sea Hawks wings.

Update, WWTBD: again, leave it to #12 to take command of the field:

The Colts want to blame the pigskin? Pathetic.

Brady laughed out loud when he was informed of the controversy during his weekly spot on WEEI Monday morning. 

“I think I’ve heard it all at this point,” he said. “That’s the last of my worries. I don’t even respond to stuff like this.”

I think Eric Wilbur does a good job demolishing the accusations in the article linked above. I'll wrap this up with his own summary [emphasis, mine]:

 Ah, yes, because the scope of Spygate wasn’t overwhelmingly stupid enough, please welcome the latest sidebar to derail any worthy accomplishments of the Patriots. Also, if you find any remnants of Ravens coach John Harbaugh’s head after it exploded watching offensive lineman Nate Solder rumble into the end zone, please send them to Baltimore, as soon as possible.

Trickery. Deception. Cheating. These are the ways of Bill Belichick’s Patriots, the perception New England has earned in an NFL that is otherwise polished and clean with innocence.

Oh, The Inhumanity!

Image courtesy stcatharinesstandard.ca

According to Glenn Reynalds, it's 1 small shirt for a man, 1 giant leap backward for women:

Yes, that's right. After years of effort, the European Space Agency's lander Philae landed on a comet 300 million miles away. At first, people were excited. Then some women noticed that one of the space scientists, Matt Taylor, was wearing a shirt, made for him by a female "close pal," featuring comic-book depictions of semi-naked women. And suddenly, the triumph of the comet landing was drowned out by shouts of feminist outrage about ... what people were wearing. It was one small shirt for a man, one giant leap backward for womankind.

Just where will it all end?

Raising the Minimum Wage

Okay, if you own your own business and care about your low-level, low-skilled employees, that's great. If you want to advocate to me that similar employees working in similar businesses should be paid a higher wage, awesome.

If you, yourself, only pay your employees right at or about the legal minimum wage, you are a hypocrite.

Yee-Hah!

Posted with no further comment than Read.The.Whole.Thing:

And yet, so far no reporter has raised the possibility that Yee supported tighter restrictions on guns in order to keep gun prices high and his own services in demand. Economist Bruce Yandle popularized the idea of the “Bootleggers and Baptists” coalition. The apocryphal Baptists want to ban alcohol. Bootleggers don’t make much money when liquor can be bought legally at a grocery store or bar. So the bootleggers bankroll the Baptists’ effort to ban booze.

Now I sincerely doubt that Yee was that clever. The more likely explanation is that he believes in gun control and he’s a greedy hypocrite (and maybe not too bright either). The fact that gun-control policies are to his advantage is just a happy coincidence.

Stocks, Tar, and Feathers

Seriously.

Family of Justina Pelletier devastated after Mass. judge's ruling

The Massachusetts Department of Children and Families took emergency custody of Justina on Valentine’s Day 2013 after doctors at Tufts Medical Center, which had been treating her for a rare condition, and doctors as Boston Children’s Hospital, clashed over the cause of her medical problems, which included difficulty eating and walking.

 ...

Justina was taken by ambulance to Boston Children's Hospital because she was in a wheelchair at the time and a heavy snow storm was blanketing the region. Because she arrived by ambulance, she was taken directly into the hospital's emergency room, where a "resident refused to send her to Dr. Flores" and, "declared this was his case," according to Moran. He said the unnamed resident then called upon a psychologist who diagnosed Justina with somatoform disorder -- a mental condition in which a patient experiences symptoms that are real but have no physical or biological explanation. Justina was diagnosed with the disorder "within 25 minutes," Moran claims. 

‘Irresponsible’ and ‘Wrong’: Lawyer Hits Back at Judge’s Leaked Ruling That Includes Accusations Against Justina Pelletier’s Parents

There never seems to be any recourse with these bureaucrats in the legal system. They hide behind their walls of obfuscation and protectionism. Their agencies indemnify and fight their legal battles for them.

Perhaps, it's time that these people face their time in public humiliation at the hads of all those who've been wronged.

Error404.gov

I'm not sure which terrifies me more as Obamacare and the exchange website continue to crash: that our chief executive thinks he can get away with lying that he had no knowledge or concept of all these problems long before they were to be implemented, or that he's telling the truth?

Póg Mo Thóin! Kisser for the Week of: 11/22/2013

Yeah, I'm going to try kicking off a new, weekly "Kiss My Irish Ass!" segment.

There is definitely a plethora of good candidates out there and it's a tough call for this week between this chucklehead, thinking he's so cool about Newtown; the racism of PB&J sandwiches; and, this week's winner. Here's his wonderful quote:

Waiting for Miles the BatKid & Wondering how many 1000s of SF kids living off SNAP/FoodStamps could have been fed from the $$. 

Póg Mo Thóin, Bill Maher

"Your city was not leveled by Godzilla."

Oh, go kiss my Irish @$$!

Storm the Barrycades

Chris Muir gets it over at Day By Day:

A Quick Message To You Open Carry "Activists"

Don't.Just.Don't.

Sparked by this over at Shall Not Be Questioned.

The New Anarchists (Maybe Aren't So Much)

Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem.
“I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery.” As mentioned by Donlyn Turnbull.

One of the Most Prescient Movies Ever?

I first saw this movie in middle school English class, back in the early 80s...

In October 2008 I was saying it to kith and kin alike how much then-Senator Obama reminded me of Chancey Gardiner, even to the point of going out and renting Being There and torturing the non-political Tulip with my analysis. If you haven't seen it for yourself, I strongly suggest that you do so now.

My views have not changed one bit since 2008. This past week has only strengthened them.

My god, what have we done?

Oh, Please Say it is Not So, Roger K!

Putin’s Horrifying Mirror:

What was it about Putin’s op-ed that so inflamed establishment opinion? In a word, it is the fact that it was a perfectly accurate mirror.  The Washington nomenklatura  and their liberal enablers looked into Putin’s op-ed and they saw a most hideous sight: their own rancid clichés repeated back to them in mocking, church-like tones.  “A Plea for Caution From Russia” — how dare he say to us what we have been saying to troglodytic conservatives for decades? And in our paper,  the New York Times. (That was Putin’s final act of genius, to publish  his column in the liberals’ own Bible, where his high-horse moralistic tones — right down to his concluding invocation of God and equality — would be sure to echo most forcefully.) That pulpit had been hitherto reserved for liberal demagogues: how dare a renegade like Putin don the cassock and deliver our own sermon to us?  What gall! What effrontery!

For that was his sin: saying to liberals what liberals for years have been saying to anyone who would listen.  As James Piereson pointed out in a stellar column yesterday, “what President Putin said in his column is pretty much what American liberals and leftists have been saying about the United States since the 1960s.” Go back and take a look at what he wrote. If you feel your palms getting slightly moist, if there is some clutching at the back of your throat, if, like Senator Menendez, you “almost want to vomit,” it’s because your own emetic pieties are particularly noxious when they are first regurgitated by someone else.  Those are those hardest to swallow. Piereson is right: “there is nothing the least bit new or controversial in anything Mr. Putin wrote in his column.” It’s just what leftists from Obama on down have been saying for years, only now someone else is saying it to them.

Indeed.

What actually galled me wasn't what Putin said (or the fact that he had the chutzpah to say it in the "Paper of Record"), so much as the "Paper of Record" had the temerity to print it on the anniversary of 9/11 (oh, I'm sorry, I meant to say Patriot Day).

Updated: Captain Capitulation

Please don't tell me you couldn't see this spin coming from a mile away:

Axelrod Spins Furiously: Russia Proposed Chemical Weapons Deal Because Obama “Threatened A Credible Military Response”…

Update: Apparently, not everyone's buying it...

If That's The Case, Then Why Bother At All?

Don't worry, it's just a little pin-prick:

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States is considering only an “unbelievably, small, limited” strike on Syria as punishment for allegedly using chemical weapons and he insisted military action will not end that country’s civil war.

“We’re not going to war,” Mr. Kerry told reporters Monday after meeting with British Foreign Secretary William Hague in London. “We will be able to hold [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad accountable without engaging troops on the ground or any other prolonged kind of effort, in a very limited, very targeted, very short-term effort that degrades his capacity to deliver chemical weapons without assuming responsibility for Syria’s civil war. That is exactly what we are talking about doing; an unbelievably small, limited kind of effort.”