Its 2011, Mr. Suh.

A brief whiskey-fueled post to Mr. Suh.

You are a genetic freak. You are one of the strongest players in the NFL. However, its 2011, not 1971. You cannot rip players helmets off (no matter what your D-line coach teaches you). You can't stomp on opponents on the ground. Being obvious in trying to hurt people doesn't fly anymore. And remember, you might be on the same team one day.

Mr. Suh. The NFL is going to fine you. Again. And possibly suspend you, helping to effectively screw the Lions season. You are a top-tier player. You have the potential to be great. You won't be great if you get suspended for being dirty.

Be a strong player, an intense player, a great player. Not a dirty player.

Remember this. Julius Peppers is great without playing dirty. You could be too.

Signed

An insignificant fan of football

Oh, you expect US to train them?

An interesting look at the facts behind companies claims they can't find qualified workers. From the Wall Street Journal.

The long and short of it is this: Employers want employees who are fully trained to do the job they are being hired for, immediately, with years of experience already behind them. They don't want to spend any time or money training new hires even though there is an ample amount of trainable people for the jobs.

Interesting read.

We Come in Peace (Shoot to Kill)

Not that anyone important (or more probably anyone at all) cares about my opinion, but when has that stopped me before?

The US attempts to portray itself to the world as a champion of democracy (assuming a democracy would elect our guy), freedom, and human rights.

However, I don't see how we can do that with any hint of honesty as we continue to carry out raids, both human and drone on foreign soil without any sort of permission.

We claim its in the "War on Terror" and that we are killing "bad people." Ok, maybe we are. Maybe we are killing Al Qaeda terrorists one at a time.

But at what expense? We've pretty much destroyed our relationship with Pakistan (as tenuous and full of lies on both sides as it was), Yemen holds no love for us as we continue to kill on their soil, Iraqis have been ready for us to go home for years. How many future terrorists are we creating by killing in this manner?

Look at it this way, if a terrorist group was based in the US and was giving attacks in another country, would we be ok if that country flew a drone in or dropped a Special Operations team in to kill them? Of course not!!! (The most recent drone attack in Yemen killed ~7 people. This is [i]roughly[/i] equivalent to 80 odd Americans.)

Even if it was "justified" we'd be outraged at foreign attacks on our soil!

Apparently, its ok because the countries we do it to can't fight back. Might makes right.

I must say I'm greatly saddened by the Obama administration continuing the Bush policy of "screw other nation's sovereignty, we're the US." Granted, the killings are on a far smaller scale of magnitude, but that does not make them any more right, just slightly less horrible.

How can something as simple as "Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you" be so difficult for us to grasp? I'm not saying we shouldn't do anything about the terrorists, merely there is a right way to do it and our way of doing it. We're only continuing the cycle of violence and adding to their real and imagined reasons on why we're evil.

Americans: Exceptional in Our Minds

Great article on the (mostly) mythic idea of American Exceptionalism. Its the same story nationally, we think we're better as a nation than we really are, as it is personally for people when they are asked if they are generally a good person.

USPS-A Fascinating Expose

The USPS is failing!!! The headlines have been screaming this and I, like probably most other Americans, believed this to be true to some extent.

I couldn't exactly figure out how it was losing as much as it was, I knew pensions, less letters being sent, etc. were all hurting it, but the numbers were pretty staggering.

Well, this article explains the REAL reason the Postal Service is facing such huge deficits, tricky Washington accounting.

The USPS is being forced to make payments for the next 75 years of health coverage over the next 10 years. Yes, the next 75 years in 10 years. The money is being siphoned over to help out with the Federal deficit. Money can go from the Postal Service, but not too it.

The article points out if it wasn't for the insane payments, the Postal Service would've posted a $1 billion profit instead of a loss last year.

A fascinating read and a nice honest look at why this venerable institution is struggling.

RIP- Steve Jobs

Today, a man who's vision and ideas impacted millions of people around the world died. Steve Jobs, one of the founders of Apple, the man who was turned to again later to revive a struggling brand lost his battle with pancreatic cancer.

Jobs, as many brilliant and powerful people are was often a polarizing figure. If you have even a passing interest in computers you've probably run into a moronic Mac v. PC argument on a forum.

I grew up using Apples. My family had an Apple IIe around 1988 or 89 and I used Apples and Macs almost exclusively until the early 90s.

While I haven't cared for Apple's ad campaigns or their turn to pushing consumer products people are supposed to replace on a yearly basis, the impact of the brand, and their CEO and founder, Jobs, can't be overstated in the American market.

All cancer is horrible, and sadly pancreatic cancer is worse than most, being unbelievably difficult to treat and defeat. Mr. Jobs fought hard and survived much longer than many who battle the disease, perhaps a testament to the will inside a man who took a company from a garage, to the top of the industry, and years later returned to bring it from the brink of collapse to one of the most powerful corporations in the world.

RIP Steve Jobs

Two Wrongs are Not Right.

I'm not sure when America started believing two wrong make a right?

After 9/11 we certainly did, starting two wars in our anger over being attacked. One passed the "ok" test, if war is ever ok, on a slim end around technicality.

The other, as unjust as Iraq's invasion of Kuwait a decade before.

No, we've long believed two wrongs make a right, even though it goes against anything the Bible states. And you know, we are a country founded on Christian values.

The "war against terror," much like any other war, has proven once again why you don't want to fight wars. Stories about war are nice and simple. There are good guys and bad guys. Heros and villians. Good versus evil.

Lies.

Real war is horrific. Instead of dark and light its mostly a muddled field of gray, occasionally stained with the blood of innocents and warriors alike.

True war is murky, and try as "civilized" man might to put rules towards it, they are cast away in the heat of battle. Adrenaline fueled brains reacting on impulse and fear. The basest of human emotions bared daily, causing scars both physical and mental on all normal people who touch it.

Do not think I'm attempting to equate us with those who attack civilians around the world. The cowards who kill and maim in some twisted believe their "god" desires this.

However, I cannot and will not be silent when my country does wrongs. President Obama ordered as singular a wrong as possibly any President has: he ordered the cold blooded murder of an American citizen.

Don't think I find Anwar al-Awlaki a sympathetic figure. The man incited violence and hatred that has contributed to scores if not hundreds of deaths.

However, what kind of a country do we live in where the President can order a citizen of this country killed, without trial, without due process, without any legal proceeding whatsoever, merely because of "treasonous" acts against our nation?

If we are supposed to be an example to the world, an image of what nations should be (and trust me, I don't think we are that at all) what does this show? That due process, a judicial system, laws, are nice? EXCEPT when things are dirty and inconvient. Then its ok to just kill the person because well, they are "bad."

I'm not a crazy talking conspiracy nut now. I don't think government death squads are going to be formed hunting down dissenters. No reliving of the "Red Scare" only with suspected insurgents gunned down instead of taking to court.

But the precedent, to say nothing of the havoc we've been creating in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, set by this is bad. Very bad.

Being President has to be one of the most difficult jobs on earth. However, no matter how difficult it was to say yes to the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki, apparently saying "no" was even harder. President Obama needed to say no. He needed to uphold the ideal that American law is sufficient (though we still kill our citizens yearly in a highly inequitable legal system) no matter how imperfect it may be.

Killing begets more killing. While a nation cannot turn the other cheek, it does not have to respond to a slap in the face with a machine gun.

I don't know where or when it will end, but a line needs to be drawn somewhere.