Fell off the World

FU2 NFL!

2011-03-08T11:17:00.000-05:00

I haven't watched MLB since 2001 when the over-payed, players of a kid's game threatened to go on strike not long after 9/11/01 because they didn't wanna get tested for roids. I see no difference between that & what is happening between the players and owners of the NFL. How they can squabble over whatever the hell they are squabbling about while millions of their fans lose their jobs, get tossed to the streets and struggle to feed their families in this depresssed economy, I just don't understand. It might as well be a giant loogey in the face. Well FU2 NFL! I don't give a rats ass what yall are bickering about or who is more at fault or which side is the richest. The players union is one union I do not support. What would happen if the owners decided they won't lock out the players but they are going to change all the rules regarding season length and so on that the players are oppossed to? The players would at least threaten strike if not actually do so. Spoiled babies. Anybody else ever have a boss make a change in your schedule or come up with some new rule? You can bitch all you want & point out all the obvious flaws and discrepencies until you are blue in the face. The bottom-line is you will either suck it up & follow like a good worker bee or you can raise hell & eventually get shit-canned or you can simply walk off the job. Striking sure isn't an option for the common working stiff. Who gets to strike anymore besides government employees? Strikes haven't achieved the wanted results in a long time. The labor movement has been crushed. Hooray! Whoops, judging by the looks of things maybe the unions weren't the problem after all, huh? Either way, the players are not laborers. As much as they complain about the dangers of their job you'd think they were being forced to do it by circumstance and not gettting millions of dollars to do so. I'm venting about the players here because going on about our class system and my hatred of the aristocratic ownership class is for another occasion. They are our true enemy, not the players. I don't expect decency out of the plutocrats. However, the players (many from modest up-bringing) should know better than to get into this public squabble with the ownership especially right now. I must admit as a life long fan it will be tough giving up the games on Sunday & Monday & occasional Thursday & Saturday. But, there are always leaves that need raking that time of the year and kids that I can actually go play kids games with. I also must admit that giving it up will be made a bit easier by being a Browns fan. The last 15 or so years have been nothing but misery. The stadium now seems like some sort of fascist prison camp with signs imploring you to rat out your fellow fans for such offenses as cursing so they can thow you in their gulag in the bottom of the stadium. The new GM decided to shorten the hours allowed in the muni-lots for tailgating. Wouldn't want people having too much fun I guess. The game itself has now become almost unbearable to watch. If it isn't a flag for tackling too hard getting thrown and interrupting the flow of the game it's a beer commercial every other play. No more wasting my time & money. No more unrecpricated love. So long bitches...........Go Zips!

The three-headed dog that ate America or (Buy a Chrysler and help support child sex slavery)?

2010-10-21T21:34:00.003-04:00

Cerberus (ˈsɜːbərəs)
— n
1. Greek myth a dog, usually represented as having three heads, that guarded the entrance to Hades
2. a sop to Cerberus a bribe or something given to propitiate a potential source of danger or problems
3. a private investment firm headquarted at 299 Park Avenue, New York City.

Most of us have heard of this three headed dog guarding the gates of hell before. He obviously isn't there to keep souls from entering through the gates. He is there of course to keep them from escaping. Some may have even heard the phrase of "giving a sop to Cerberus" before; meaning, to bribe. What a great symbol and name for an investment company, don't ya think? Well, somebody did.

Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. was founded in 1992 by Steve Feinberg, has John W. Snow (aka-73rd U.S. Secretary of the Treasury) as chairman and uses Dan (I can't spell potato) Quayle (aka- 44th VP of U.S.) as it's mouth piece. According to BusinessWeek, in 2005 Cerberus controlled companies earning over $30 billion in annual sales, making it bigger than Coke, McDonalds and Cisco with a larger payroll than Exxon.

John W. Snow is a person of great interest here. Snow became CEO of CSX Transportation in 1985 which just posted (Oct 12, 2010) record 3rd quarter earnings of $414 million. I'm sure Snow could have nothing to do with this record though, because in December of 2002 he sold CSX to another private equity firm, the Carlyle Group for $300 million. In hindsight, the Carlyle Group made a pretty decent bit of change on that one. It probably didn't hurt that former president George H. W. Bush was a Senior Advisor for Carlyle, former Secretary of the State- James Baker III was a Senior Counselor for Carlyle, former British Prime Minister- John Major was a Chairman for Carlyle, and that former secretary of the defense- Frank Carlucci was Chairman and Chairman Emeritus at Carlyle at the time of the sale. So less than a month after selling his company to the president's dad's company, John W. Snow resigned as chairman at CSX so that the president could make him our new Secretary of the Treasury in January of 2003. Fishy? Nah, just business as usual, right?

I'm sure that John W. Snow did some wonderful things as Secretary of Treasury from 2003 to 2006 but that is not really the point of my story. I'm more interested in what he did after his position there. Snow resigned as Treasury Secretary on July 3, 2006 and was replaced by Henry Paulson, ex-CEO of another private equity firm- Goldman Sachs. Snow wasn't out of work for long. On October 19, 2006 Snow became chairman of Cerberus.

In April of 2006 Cerberus purchased majority shares of General Motors Acceptance Corp (GMAC) for $14 billion. Oh, the irony. Yes, the same GMAC you may have heard of recently due to their questionable mortgage foreclosure practices. The same GMAC that is being investigated for mortgage fraud. That's right, the mortgage holder, not the borrower is being investigated. What an automotive company needs its own bank for & what that bank is doing messing with people's mortgages is beyond my simple perspective on things I guess. Yes, the same GMAC that provided financing to GM auto dealers and customers. The same GMAC that was part of GM that was bailed out by Bush & Paulson in 2008. The same GMAC that has recently changed it's name to Ally Financial and is now majority owned by the U.S. Government. Confusing isn't it? It's meant to be.

With John Snow as Chairman, Cerberus returned the control of Chrysler to American soil by purchasing 80% of DaimlerChrysler in May of 2007. God bless Amerika. Did anyone know that one private equity firm owned the majority of the both American icons of industry at the time they were bailed out, against our will by us, we the people? As was GM, Chrysler was on the verge of bankruptcy and rescued by their savior, the 3-headed dog keeping us all trapped in hell, Cerberus.

Why would they purchase these collapsing giants you might ask? Well it seems it worked out pretty well for them. GM & Chrysler & therefore, actually Cerberus got handed quite a bit of tax payer money at the end of 2008 and early 2009 to puff these giants back up. And we all thought we were bailing out the auto industry. It turns out, it was just another bank bailout. Man we are suckers. Speaking of which, I love how Obama gets blamed for the auto industry bailout, I am pretty sure Bush & Cheney were still desecrating the White House in December of 2008 when it all actually started.

Cerberus has since gone on to purchase another icon of American industry, DynCorp in April of 2010. No? Trust me they are an icon of one of Americas greatest industries- raping, killing and blowing shit up. Don't ring any bells, huh? Remember the American mercenaries raided by the 48th Military Police Detachment in Bosnia back in 1999 and charged with using 12-15 year olds as sex slaves? Yes, working for us, the tax payers. DynCorp gets 96% of its business from us. DynCorp, Halliburton's KBR & many others have a powerful lobby and have fought hard to allow us to keep up the human trafficking and child-sex slavery. Yes us. We pay for it, we just don't know it evidently. Heck, they just made a movie about it called The Whistleblower. It's not surprising if you haven't heard of them though.

“We try to hide religiously...If anyone at Cerberus has his picture in the paper and a picture of his apartment, we will do more than fire that person. We will kill him. The jail sentence will be worth it.” -Steve Feinberg

So what are we to make of all this? Just more business as usual, right? Boys will be boys. Corporate & government corruption is nothing new, right? Seriously, it is disgusting what We The People pay for every day with our tax dollars. It is just as disgusting to bury our heads in the sand like the three monkeys that can hear, see and speak no evil while the three headed dog laughs like a hyena and steals our souls. But, in reality what can we do? Aren't we just slaves too; Forced to find a way to keep up our payments to the likes of GMAC or they will rip away our homes? I don't know. But, I think we first need to unplug our ears, open our eyes and open our mouths if we are ever to escape. Maybe then we can find Orpheus.

It's just not fair!

2010-10-07T17:15:00.000-04:00

It's just not fair! We should not let those Socialists in DC raise the taxes on those poor individuals making $200,000.00 a year or more or those poor couples making only $250,000 dollars a year or more back to what their rate was before Geoge W. Bush came to power. Don't you remember how they suffered under Slick Willy? If we let Obama have his way he will lock in the current tax rate that George W. Bush set for everyone except those poor people/couples making $200/250k or more each year. It just isn't fair. How will they be able to pay for their children's nannys and private schools? How will they survive? I understand in these trying times we all must make sacrifices but, these people have earned the right to be above all that haven't they? I think once you inherit or earn a certain amount of money, you have proven yourself enough and shouldn't have to engage in the sacrifices like the rest of the masses. God has obviously smiled upon them for a reason and we should respect that.

Plus if the taxes on the wealthiest 2% are raised from 35% as they are now to 39.6% as Obama wants to do the government would be stealing $700 billion dollars from them that they have been using to create jobs. Don't you remember how all those jobs were created after Bush cut their tax rates? ...um..Well, I'll find a source for that later. On the other hand if our government keeps handing them back that $700 billion of their hard-earned money they can keep creating jobs for poor folk like they have been. Again, I'll back up this claim with a source later, no time to find one right now. I'm sure though we all remember how well the trickle down thing worked during the Reagan & Bush Sr. years. You see the more we let the richest people keep more of their hard-earned & fully deserved money, the more of that money they use to create jobs for regular working Americans. That's why we have so many jobs staying here in America when it would be much cheaper to employ people in India or Bangledesh or Guatemala or Vietnam, etc... Also they are very philanthropic people and like to give their money away to poor people. They just don't want the government to take the credit and do it for them. This is completely understandable, it is their money. Am I the only one that gets this? Geez!

As a matter of fact, I think it would be even better if we just had a flat tax rate for everyone. It is so unfair that just because someone has more money that they should have to pay more in taxes. Fair is fair. It is a black & white issue like all issues. Their is no grey or in between. I mean think about it: why should a single guy making $200,000/yr have to pay nearly 40% (as Obama wants to do) of his money to the government while a guy making only $8,000/yr gets away with only paying 10%? Why in the heck should the first guy only get to take home $120,000 while the the other guy gets away with taking home $7,200? As a matter a fact the guy making $8000/yr will probably not have to pay anything at all after accounting for exemptions. It's ridiculous and just not fair! If we had a flat tax of say, 20% everything would be fair. The guy making $200k keeps $160,000 while the guy making $8k keeps $6,400. That's fair!

Better yet! Why don't we just get rid of taxes all together? The government's all screwed up and just wastes our money on lazy people that don't wanna work anyway! Besides, what do we need taxes for when we have the Federal Reserve bank? If the government needs money they can just print some more, right? Of course, those commie, socialist, liberal, terrorists are gonna say, "this will devaluate the dollar" and "it will drive up prices." I say, "so what?" Last time I checked a dollar was worth a dollar and if something costs too much for someone they should just learn to budget better. "Survival of the fittest" as those elitist, academia, evolutionary nuts like to say. I say, "give me liberty or give me death!" If God wanted everyone to be born equal he would have made us all clones, born at the same time, in the same place, to the same parents, with the same bank account, with the same connections and same opportunities!

“There’s class warfare, but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.” -Warren Buffett

ATTACK ON CORREA!!!

2010-10-01T12:08:00.003-04:00

Correa, 47, speaking from the balcony of the Carondelet palace after his rescue, told hundreds of cheering backers that Thursday "was the saddest day of my life." He said 27 of his special forces bodyguards had been injured. Correa thanked the supporters who had converged on the hospital "ready to die to defend democracy." His loyalists had hurled stones at police who repelled them with tear gas. He said the uprising was not just a pay dispute. "There were lots of infiltrators, dressed as civilians, and we know where they were from," the U.S.-trained leftist economist shouted.

Both Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Evo Morales of Bolivia alleged in Buenos Aires on Friday that the United States was somehow behind the police rebellion.

Like his leftist ally Chavez, Correa has drastically cut royalties to multinational oil companies in favor of his people, discouraging direct foreign investment while courting such nations as Iran and Russia.

I'm sure those multinational oil companies & the governments they represent had nothing to do with any of this. We would never support such a thing unless you count the Guatemalan coups of 54, 61 & 63 or the September 11th attacks in Chile, 1973 or the 1953 coup in Iran or in Panama in 1981 & 1989 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama or Haiti in 59, 71, 86, 90, 93 & 2010? or Bolivia in 68, 71, & 2008 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26724256/ or Venezuala in 2002 & 2006 . Not to mention the "Bay of Pigs" invasion of Cuba in 1961 or O.I.L. (Operation Iraqi Liberation) in 2003. The list of things our corporatocracy would never do goes on & on.

9/11 and a Smoking Gun.

2010-10-01T09:39:00.000-04:00

GMA, General Mahmoud Ahmad (aka, Mahmud Ahmed, Mahmood Ahmed), head of the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) from 1999-Oct. 7, 2001.

What if the man that funded the 9/11 attacks was eating breakfast in Washington DC on the morning of September 11, 2001 with the chairmen of the House & Senate Intelligence Committees, Democratic Senator Bob Graham from Florida and Republican Representative Porter Goss from Florida? Does that directly connect members of our government to the attacks or is this just another one of those unfathomable coincidences?

Let's go back in time for a moment. I am sure we all remember Mohammed Atta (MMA), the ringleader of the 9/11 attacks. Here is part of a transcript posted on the Washington Post website of the 9/30/01 episode of ABC's "This Week" hosted by Sam Donaldson:

"As to September 11, federal authorities have now told ABC News they've tracked more than $100,000 from banks in Pakistan to two banks in Florida to accounts held by suspected hijack ringleader Mohammed Atta. As well this morning TIME magazine is reporting that some of that money came in the days just before the attack and can be traced directly to people connected to Osama Bin Laden. It's all part of what has been a successful FBI effort so far to close in on the hijackers' high command, the money men, the planners, and the mastermind."

Here is an excerpt from the TIME report referred to as published on 10/08/01:

"Sources have told TIME that in the ten days prior to Sept. 11, Atta received at least two wire transfers from a man investigators have linked with bin Laden."1

The connections are convoluted by intention. The plotters covered their tracks well.

So ABC, the Washington Post and Time magazine (hardly fringe news sources) are all reporting that the FBI (or other federal authorities) are investigating who sent MMA this money under the assumption that it will lead to the ultimate planners of the attack. Another assumption being made is that this ultimate planner is Osama bin Laden (OBL).

According to this CNN report from 10/08/01 that man is Ahmed Umar Syed Shiekh (ASS):
"Freed with Ahzar was Ahmed Umar Syed Shiekh, whom authorities say used a pseudonym to wire $100,000 to suspected hijacker Mohammed Atta, who then distributed the money in the United States." 2

Remember that name. It will be written many ways (e.g., Ahmad Umar Shiekh, Omar Saeed Shiekh, Umar Shiekh), but they all refer to the same man. For simplicity, I just call him ASS. The CNN article is referring to India releasing ASS, along with Ahzer and another bad-guy, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar into Afghanistan in exchange for the hijacked passengers of Indian Airlines flight 814 on Dec. 31, 1999.

Here's another interesting thing in the CNN article:

"Indian authorities have also said that 1999 hijacking was done with the help of Pakistan's ISI or Intelligence Service." 2
The idea that Pakistan would not be acting in the best interests of India is not a big shocker, nor is the idea that India would try to make Pakistan look bad. India and Pakistan have been feuding since 1947 and are still at war with each other over the territory of the Kashmir mountains. The idea that the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) would help with the terrorist act of hijacking an airplane is of interest though. To paraphrase George W. Bush, "you are either with us or against us" and "those that harbor terrorists will be treated the same as the terrorists." Since the government of Pakistan is allied with the United States this would be something neither side would want loudly reported.

To put this in some context, here's a brief history of notable, recent geo-political events regarding Pakistan and the ISI:

It is well established that Pakistan was a major ally of the U.S. in the 80's during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The CIA would funnel money and arms to the ISI (Pakistan's CIA), the ISI would funnel this material to OBL and other mujaheddin fighters who would operate and train out of Pakistan. They would then cross over into Afghanistan to fight the Soviets to the great pleasure of our CIA.

Things went south in the 90's. After the Soviet defeat, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Pakistan over their development of nuclear weapons. Some business relations went on as usual though. Pakistan holds a very strategic position for countries or corporations wanting access to the oil and natural gas fields of the newly liberated former Soviet Republics of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, & Uzbekistan. If a Western power wanted to access these fields they would need to pipe these resources to a port where these things could be shipped back home. If you look at a globe there are only a few ways to pipe resources in this region to a port.

Piping through Russia, Iran or China would mean allowing them to control the flow of the oil and gas through their territory. The Iran & China option aren't even political realities. Russia would allow a pipeline but it would be very expensive and Russia would want it's share of the profit. None of these options would be very appealing to a Western company looking to make a profit. The only other way to get resources from this region would be to pipe them through Afghanistan & Pakistan to a port along the Pakistani or Indian coast of the Indian Ocean. But this all goes towards the motives for the events of 9/11. I'll leave that for another time and for now just say Pakistan is strategically important to the interests of the U.S.

Now back to the Pakistani history. In May of 1998 India, then Pakistan held live nuclear tests. The last thing the U.S. would want is a nuclear-armed, fundamentalist Islamic regime controlling the flow of our oil. In September of 1999, lieutenant-general Ziauddin Butt, director of the ISI held detailed meetings with the CIA and warned them about the 'fundamentalist' influence in the military. He had also warned about the growing threat of 'Talibanisation' in Pakistan." On October 12, 1999 General Pervez Musharraf launched a coup and ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif. He took control of Pakistan and pronounced himself chief executive. One of the key Generals in this overthrow was General Mahmoud Ahmad (GMA).3

According to this excellent TIME article GMA tipped off an OBL associate named, Ahmed al-Khadir who was wanted for the bombing of the Egyptian embassy in Islamabad in 1995, and helped him escape into Afghanistan. 4

"Put bluntly, the Pakistani spy agency, known as the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), had betrayed the Egyptians." 4

GMA was a known supporter of the Taliban.

"When the President (Musharraf) sent him (GMA) down to Kandahar last Sept. 17 to persuade Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar to hand over bin Laden, the spymaster instead secretly told Omar to resist, an ex-Taliban official told Time."4

GMA arrived in Washington DC on September 4, 2001 for a week of meetings with his counterparts in the CIA. GMA was now the director of the ISI.

According to this NY Times article published September 13, 2001: "WASHINGTON, Sept. 12...The director of the Pakistani Interservices Intelligence, Gen. Mahmoud Ahmad, who happened to be here on a regular visit of consultations, was called into the State Department today to meet with Deputy Secretary Richard L. Armitage."5

The NY Times doesn't make a big deal out of it but they do verify that GMA just "happened to be here" in DC on 9/12/01. Are they raising an eyebrow at us? When do you suppose he arrived in Washington DC? The article declines to say but the only air traffic flying the first few days after the attacks were taking OBL's family and Suadi royals out of the country.6 This means he had to have already been in DC before the attacks occurred.

But no need to speculate, this is confirmed in an interview with Porter Goss himself in this Washington Post article: "On the morning of Sept. 11, Goss and Graham were having breakfast with a Pakistani general named Mahmud Ahmed -- the soon-to-be-sacked head of Pakistan's intelligence service. Ahmed ran a spy agency notoriously close to Osama bin Laden and the Taliban."7

So now we know that ASS is sending the money to MMA. But what does this have to do with GMA eating breakfast with the chairmen of the House & Senate Intelligence Committees on the morning of September 11, 2001?

Here's an interesting clue. According to this NY Times article published March 19, 2002: "The government may have other reasons not to give up Mr. Sheikh (ASS), including reports that he has links to Pakistan's main intelligence agency."8

This article is referring to the fact that the Pakistani government had arrested ASS as "Ahmed Omar Sheikh, the main suspect in the killing of the American journalist Daniel Pearl" and their reluctance to release him to United States custody.8 That's right, the ASS that wired the money to MMA is the same man that supposedly beheaded the Wall Street Journal's Daniel Pearl. I know this begs the question, "What exactly was Daniel Pearl investigating at the time of his capture?"

There is also this report for the British news agency, Guardian by Labour Party politician Michael Meacher: "This is all the more remarkable when this is the same Omar Sheikh who, at the behest of General Mahmood Ahmed, head of the ISI, wired $100,000 to Mohammed Atta, the leading 9/11 hijacker, before the New York attacks, as confirmed by Dennis Lormel, director of FBI's financial crimes unit."9

So now we have a British politician claiming that an FBI director has verified that ASS sent the money to MMA on orders from GMA. Understandibly, this story hasn't made a big splash in the Western media. The only other place you will find this story is in the Pakistani newspaper, Dawn:

"NEW DELHI, Oct 8: Director General of Pakistan's Inter- Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen Mahmud Ahmed has been replaced after the FBI investigators established credible links between him and Umar Sheikh, one of the three militants released in exchange for passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines plane in 1999.

The FBI team, which had sought adequate inputs about various terrorists including Sheikh from the intelligence agencies, was working on the linkages between Sheikh and former ISI chief Gen Mahmud which are believed to have been substantiated, reports PTI website.

Informed sources said there were enough indications with the US intelligence agencies that it was at Gen Mahmud's instruction that Sheikh had transferred 100,000 US dollars into the account of Mohammed Atta, one of the lead terrorists in strikes at the World Trade Centre on Sept 11, it adds." 10

If that's not credible enough, there is also this report from Seymour Hersch in the New Yorker: "A senior military officer told me that because of the visas and other documentation needed to infiltrate team members into the United States a major foreign intelligence service might also have been involved."11

There is also this report in the Pittsburgh-Tribune: "Some believe that after the successes of the U.S. military, Saeed Sheikh has acted as a "go between" for the "tall man" — as bin-Laden is known — and the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI)."12...and there are always the words of Daniel Pearl's widow:

"We first came to Karachi four month's ago: September 12, 2001. We flew in from New Delhi.... We had witnessed the [911] attacks almost as they had happened on CNN ... We were here to ask the big questions: Who was responsible for the attacks? Who financed them? Who protected the terrorists?.... In October, the FBI were looking for a link between Omar Saeed Sheikh and the then director of the ISI, Lieutenant General Mahmood Ahmed. They wanted to know who instructed Omar to wire the $100,000 to Mohammed Atta. I read that Ahmed had been dismissed as head of the ISI by President Musharraf on October 7, 2001. So it appeared Omar may have associated with the head of ISI and Al Qaeda. He surrendered to another former ISI officer who held him in custody for a week until just one day before Musharraf met with President Bush.... Questions bounce back and forth in my brain like a Ping-Pong ball gone wild. The distinctions between good and bad, government organisations and terrorist organisations, are not simply fading: they seem to be faces of the same coin. Did Musharraf know Omar was in custody? Could he not know? The CIA (God only knows what their position is here) didn't know?" - Mariane Pearl, A Mighty Heart, Virago Press, 2003.

So the question now becomes, "Do the chairmen of our House & Senate Intelligence Committes know this General Mahmoud Ahmad has in the very least, strong links to Al-queda & the Taliban?" Of course they do. That is what they will say the whole breakfast meeting is about, terrorism & OBL.7 But the bigger question is, "Do they know he ordered ASS to send $100,000 to MMA?" We know what that answer will be- It just happens to be another one of those crazy coincidences that pop up when-ever investigating anything regarding the events of 9/11.

So what happened to all these characters? Well since Bob Graham & Porter Goss where in the position they were in, they were put in charge of the investigation and public hearings of the so-called "intelligence failures" surrounding 9/11. How convenient.

Bob Graham ran as a Democratic presidential candidate in 2004 (that obviously didn't work out)and currently serves as the Chairman of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism. Perfect.

Porter Goss was appointed by George W. Bush as the new Director of the CIA in 2004 after George Tenet resigned due to all of those "intelligence failures." Really. He resigned in 2006 and is now living the life on the lecture circuit.

After General Mahmoud Ahmed was fired from his post as Director of the ISI for financing terrorism and 9/11, he has gone on to teach & preach with Tablighi Jamaat for the spiritual reform of Muslims. Wonderful.

As for Ahmed Umar Syed Shiekh, he nearly started a war in 2008 making prank phone calls from his prison cell posing as the Indian Foreign Minister in calls to the Pakistani President Zardari. Why isn't he dead yet? Read #12.

Depending on who you believe, Mohammed Atta is either still running around the middle-east incognito somewhere, in paradise with 70 virgins or rotting in the deepest bowels of hell. I refuse to speculate.

Smoking gun? Probably about as close as we will get. It depends on what Graham & Goss really knew as they sat eating breakfast with the Pakistani General that morning the towers came down.

1 TIME, Atta's Odyssey: How a shy, well-educated young Egyptian became a suspected ringleader of the Sept. 11 attacks. The mystery begins to unfold in Germany, By JOHN CLOUD, Oct. 8, 2001. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,10987,1000939,00.html

2 CNN.com, India wants terror spotlight on Kashmir, By Maria A. Ressa, October 8, 2001. http://archives.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/south/10/08/india.ressa/

3 BBC News, Pakistan's coup: The 17-hour victory, November 11, 1999. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/475195.stm

4 TIME, Rogues No More? By Tim McGirk, April 29, 2002.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,501020506-233999,00.html#ixzz0dGoe3k6H

5 The New York Times, AFTER THE ATTACKS: THE DIPLOMACY; Powell Says It Clearly: No Middle Ground on Terrorism, By Jane Perlez, September 13, 2001. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/13/us/after-attacks-diplomacy-powell-says-it-clearly-no-middle-ground-terrorism.html?scp=1&sq=general++mahmoud+Ahmad&st=nyt

6 The Tampa Tribune, Phantom Flight From Florida, By Kathy Steele, Oct 5, 2001. http://web.archive.org/web/20011108145853/http://www.tampatrib.com/MGA3F78EFSC.html
7 The Washington Post, A Cloak But No Dagger: An Ex-Spy Says He Seeks Solutions, Not Scapegoats for 9/11, By Richard Leiby, Saturday, May 18, 2002; Page C01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A36091-2002May17¬Found=true

8 The New York Times, A NATION CHALLENGED: THE OUTLOOK; Cloud Over Pakistan: Is Musharraf's Life Safe? By Raymond Bonner, March 19, 2002. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/19/world/a-nation-challenged-the-outlook-cloud-over-pakistan-is-musharraf-s-life-safe.html

9 Guardian, Britain now faces its own blowback: Intelligence interests may thwart the July bombings investigation, by Michael Meacher, September 10, 2005. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/sep/10/terrorism.politics/print

10 Dawn, Gen Mahmud's exit due to links with Umar Sheikh, October 9, 2001. http://web.archive.org/web/20011011083446/http://www.dawn.com/2001/10/09/top13.htm

11 The New Yorker, What Went Wrong: The C.I.A. and the failure of American intelligence. by Seymour M. Hersh, October 8, 2001. http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2001/10/08/011008fa_FACT#ixzz0dIpfbT6T

12 Pittsburgh-Tribune, Did Pearl die because Pakistan decieved CIA? March 2, 2002. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_20141.html

Indian Point

2010-09-30T14:26:00.000-04:00

All I want to say is that we are very fortunate that on September 11, 2001 we were attacked by whomever we were attacked by and NOT fanatical, terrorists hell-bent on the destruction of the United States.

If fanatics wanting to destroy the U.S. had attacked, I am sure they would have chosen a much choicer target. Only 24 miles north (upwind) of Manhattan lies the Indian Point Nuclear Reactor facility located in Buchanan, New York just south of Peekskill. If the perpetrators would have chosen Indian Point as the target for two 767s, rather than the World Trade Center, more than 500,000 could have easily died and New York City would have to be permanently abandoned. The 100 mile radius around the plant would be rendered useless for thousands of years.

I know this is no consolation to the families of those that did die on that day or as a result of the events that day. It is my purpose to help bring the real perpetrators of the crime out into the light of day so that hopefully they can be brought to justice.

Aaarrrrrrghhhh!!!!!!!!

2010-05-06T09:42:00.002-04:00

Here are a few of my comments I posted in response to other posters regarding this story: Russian special forces storm oil tanker, free ship

Ha Ha Ha! Stavation. Hilarious! Wow. The ignorance and immaturity of the people posting here is truly astounding and I already thought most of the public was just a couple IQ points above taking the short bus to school.

Reading the ignorant & racist garbage posted here, I realize this won't be the most popular post but, I think the Pirates AARRRRRRR AAAAAAAWesome!!!!! The courage it must take of these poor, starving, oppressed people to challenge the ruling powers of the world is amazing. If all of you Einstein’s really want to get rid of them we should look at the root causes. How would you feel if a foreign power came to your country, told you you'd be rich if you let them take your oil and then they take your oil and make billions of dollars and give you nothing while your family starves in a rat-infested cardboard box? Who are the pirates again? The international corporations that oppress and exploit these people are the real pirates.

Al Qaeda is actually on your side folks! Don't you remember the story last week about them rooting the pirates out of their refuges on land? http://www.cleveland.com/world/index.ssf/2010/04/somalia_al-qaida_franchise_pus.html You see Al Qaeda actually works for the CIA. Don't you remember about how they gave us an excuse to go set up our trans-Afghani pipeline & launch Operation Iraqi Liberation (OIL)? I dare anyone to find a story about pirates seizing a ship full of oil bound for the U.S. They know better. Quit being so ignorant people and starting paying attention.

That Dag-nabbed Big Gov'ment!

2010-04-16T12:39:00.002-04:00

Here is a response I posted to this article; Remodeling costs could jump next week because of new federal rule, contractors say By Stephen Koff, The Plain Dealer on Cleveland.com (The Cleveland Plain Dealer web-site) that I often peruse.

We have the essence of the political/philosophical conundrum in this country all right here in a nutshell. On one hand we have our government stepping up and doing a little (very little) regulating of an industry in the interest of public safety & on the other hand you have private industry (and some consumers) upset that it will drive up the costs.
The usual way this works is industry has an insider in the government making sure these regulations never get written or enforced but this time one slipped through. Whether it is enforced remains to be seen. Now, the next thing to happen will be the industry having it shills go out & convince the public what a bad rule or regulation this is (notice wording of this article's headline). The industry hopes this will cause enough backlash that the rule is rewritten or never enforced. Usually the loudmouths win and "we the people" are once again saved from the evil "big government."
Wake up people! Government regulations are there to protect us from private industry whose ONLY concern is profit. It is the lack of regulations and enforcement that has allowed the energy industry to continue raising our oceans and heating our planet while they continue to make record profits. It is this lack of regulation that has allowed the health insurers to drive up costs over 200%, drop clients and still make record profits. It is this lack of regulation that allows big pharma to peddle every new pill it can (whether it is safe or NOT!) & in many cases has the government do it for them. What new vaccine will we or our kids need next year? It is this same lack of regulation and enforcement that has allowed our financial institutions to play blackjack with our economy while we lose our homes and jobs.
Granted that for regulations to work they must be applied fairly and enforced. But to those that always talk about wanting "smaller government" meaning "less/no regulations" be careful what you wish for because we are living with the results of de-regulation.
As for this particular rule, I have no clue as to what it governs or how it is to be applied even after reading the informative "news" article. One thing is for sure, any extra costs will be passed on to the workers and/or consumers and then we can decide if the industry survives.
Of course I can't leave out the last thing to happen. If this industry is well connected (as most are) and has it's insiders properly in place it can survive by making sure the rules are never enforced or if things go bad enough helping that industry get subsidized or bailed-out.
That's the kind of "big government" I can do without. That's not government at all. That's corporatism. To those running around screaming "socialism" and worried about the government taking over industry, you have got it all backwards. The banks and private industry took over our government long ago.

Healthcare is a ball in the ocean.

2010-03-20T13:58:00.007-04:00

There it is! My public option. Also known as the SBX radar, just one part of a $19 billion a year SDI defense system that is a proven failure yet is being deployed anyway. Why do we need this again?

In response to John Boccieri announcing he'll back health care bill, I say this:

I will still probably support Obama, Kucinich & Boccieri come election time because I feel they will still probably be the far lesser of the two evils but there is no disputing Obama had to twist some arms to get support for this out of Kucinich & Boccieri to get them on board. I applaud them for holding out as long as they did because I do not support this bill. Healthcare reform is desperately needed in this country but this bill doesn't come close to what is needed. This bill will provide no universal healthcare or public option. It will provide a requirement for everyone without healthcare (because they can't afford it) to get healthcare now. It will be just like car insurance. They will have to buy it from the same insurance companies that are jacking up their rates and caused this mess to begin with. I would have much preferred all three of these guys stuck to their principles and rammed a public option plan through congress despite any opposition (just like the Republicans would do under W). It could easily all be funded if we spent a fraction less on the two pointless wars we are still engaging or if stopped spending trillions on developing & deplying defense systems that are no longer necessary or don't even work (i.e., SDI, F22 Raptors & 10 new Ford Class aircraft carriers). It's outrageous that we have people that can't afford medicine or medical care in this country yet we pay for public health care in Iraq & Afghanistan. God bless America! Hope you have some tissue.

Kucinich finally caves...but at he least he put up a fight.

2010-03-17T11:18:00.003-04:00

Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Cleveland steps off Air Force One at Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport in Cleveland, Monday. He flew in with President Obama for Obama's visit to Strongsville.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich to vote "yes" on health care

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich waited until Democrats had won last November's health care reform vote before casting his ballot against it on the House of Representatives floor.

This time around -- pressured by everyone from President Obama to Moveon.org -- the Cleveland Democrat had no luxury to dawdle before taking a stance. He announced at a Capitol news conference this morning that he'll vote "yes" on the bill's latest draft.

"I have doubts about the bill," Kucinich said. "This is not the bill I wanted to support. . . However, after careful discussions with President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, my wife Elizabeth and close friends, I’ve decided to cast a vote in favor of the legislation."

Bill opponents pounced quickly. Said an e-mail alert from the National Republican Congressional Committee: "Left-wing icon flips from 'No,' exposes so-called moderates."

Kucinich's move came after months of insisting he'd oppose the bill because it doesn't do enough to curtail insurance company abuses. Kucinich advocates bolstering Medicare and expanding its coverage to include all Americans.

But he acknowledged this morning that his choice now is to either vote "no" on principle, and thereby possibly block the biggest (though imperfect) advance in health coverage in decades, or compromise for the good of the estimated 30 million more Americans who could gain insurance.

"I have taken this fight further" than many other Congress members, Kucinich said, citing his two presidential campaigns in which he advocated universal coverage and his bill introduction and other attempts in the House to get single-payer insurance.

He told reporters that if they want to see first-hand the tough economic and health-care choices that many Americans face, they should "come to the 10th District in Ohio and you'll understand."

Kucinich's field office on Cleveland's West Side routinely helps constituents with their social services needs, and that includes dealing with insurance matters, he said. He cited his own impoverished childhood, saying, "I grew up understanding what it meant to struggling families who did not get adequate care."

"I understand the connection between poverty and poor health care," he said.

As an adult, he has struggled with Crohn's Disease, and although he follows an alternative diet as one way of dealing with it, he also has had "access to the best" health care around.

"I know I have to make a decision, not on the bill as I would like to see it, but as it is," Kucinich said.

His recent criticism of the bill included a column he authored for last Sunday's Plain Dealer, in which he wrote:

"Even with the few modest improvements in the bill, the insurance companies will still have dozens of loopholes to deny care and continue to find ways to leave Americans with the unpayable bill."

But Democrats are struggling to round up the 216 votes they need to pass the bill amid heavy lobbying from its opponents and its supporters, and Kucinich''s arms were twisted.

President Obama personally lobbied for his vote Monday on a ride to Cleveland aboard Air Force One, and at a health care reform rally in Strongsville. Picketers descended on Kucinich's Lakewood office to register their displeasure with his announced opposition to the package slated for consideration this week.

By Sabrina Eaton, The Plain Dealer, March 17, 2010

This is my response to the morons commenting on the story here:

You did all you could Dennis. Holding out any longer would have been pointless. As for you mis-informed masses, Dennis Kucinich has been & still is the best advocate for the working poor this country has. He held out on this not because of the non-existent tax increase or because of the debt burden but because it turns around and hands the same insurance companies that have caused this mess more business. He held out on principle. He wants Universal care for everyone. This bill will not provide that. Keep up the good fight Dennis! I happen to know my opinion is in the minority on this forum but after reading the majority of the previous comments, I am quite proud of that. No wonder things are the way they are here in this country. It seems to me that the majority needs to turn off the Fox & Rush & pick up a book. People of Cleveland! People of America! Educate yourselves! Stop believing the propoganda. Stop voting against your own interests!

Check out Dennis.

Kweezy Returns!!!

2010-02-28T15:06:00.006-05:00

I've been taking a break from blogging about all the problems of the world for a little bit in order to pursue another creative outlet of mine. I used to make these tapes of really crappy home-made music. The last was "released" in 1997. I produced these little creations under the name of Kweezy.

My recording technology consisted of a tape-recorder & a stereo. I'd record something on the tape & then I might play that back on the stereo really loud & play along with that & record that too. I could get two dubs on one tape. Any more than that and the background noise & hiss would make everything else barely audible. Just one or two dubs sounded bad enough.

So now that I have access to a computer & free downloadable recording programs on the web, I have decided to revisit this old past-time of mine and try my hand at recording digitally.

I really have no idea what I am doing but I am definitely having a lot of fun with it. My whole life it seems, I have heard music/songs in my head. Fleeting moments of inspiration would come out of nowhere at the least expected times and then suddenly disappear. If the moment isn't captured somehow then the potential masterpiece could be lost forever. I am sure all artsy types of people experience this & know what I mean. If you're a writer you can jot it down or type it out. Hopefully you can keep up with your thoughts. A painter can make a sketch or doodle. A musician/song writer has to record it unless they happen to know how to actually read & write in musical notation. I don't & most of your favorite music was probably not written on a piece of paper (except the lyrics).

I used to console myself by saying, "well if I forgot it then it must not have been worth remembering." Their may be some validity to this but certainly not always. Often I will hear a whole song with rhythm changes and different harmonizing melodies. Its hard to just remember all of it and how they fit together.

So now I finally have a set up in my basement that will allow me to record these moments when they arrive (if I'm at home). At least that's the theory. Technology still kicks my ass quite a bit but I am slowly figuring it out. You can check out my stuff here.

I got my Tin Hat buckled on tight for this one.

2010-01-21T11:59:00.014-05:00

Did the U.S. Navy cause the Haitian earthquake?

Yes, my Tin Hat is on way too tight but my tongue is only half in my cheek on this one. One thing I will not argue against is that the earthquake in Haiti was a terrible tragedy. Something just seems fishy about the whole thing though. Some of the poorest people on the planet. Way too easy to exploit. It just seems like the country is an easy target. I don't know for what or why. Did you notice that almost as soon as the earthquake happened, all the "news" agencies started speculating on the inevitable looting. The Looting! THE LOOTING! They were all talking about looting before there were any reports of looting. I still don't think there have been any reports of a large-scale looting problem. I mean, a city has just been shattered & thousands of people are dead and they are worried about looting? Of course we must send the troops in!

"Others are engaging even in an eco-type of terrorism whereby they can alter the climate, set off earthquakes, volcanoes remotely through the use of electromagnetic waves." -Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen, April 28, 1997, 8:45 AM EDT

Source: The United States Department of Defense, Transcript of DoD News Briefing by Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen, April 28, 1997. http://www.defense.gov/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=674
January 12, 2010, The magnitude 7.0 quake -- the most powerful to hit Haiti in a century -- struck shortly before 5 p.m. and was centered about 10 miles (15 kilometers) southwest of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. It could be felt strongly in eastern Cuba, more than 200 miles away, witnesses said. -CNN

Read a brief history of U.S. & European exploitation of Haiti in The Gleaner, The Hate & the Quake, Sir Hillary Beckles, January 24, 2010.

I realize that we do have the technology to create earthquakes through certain types of drilling or maybe even with powerful transmissions of a certain frequency but I don't think that is what happened in Haiti despite whatever Venezuela's president might say. I like him though. He's hilarious. Here's a quote of his taken from his 2006 address to the UN.

CHAVEZ (through translator): "Representatives of the governments of the world, good morning to all of you. First of all, I would like to invite you, very respectfully, to those who have not read this book, to read it. Noam Chomsky, one of the most prestigious American and world intellectuals, Noam Chomsky, and this is one of his most recent books, 'Hegemony or Survival: The Imperialist Strategy of the United States.'" [Holds up book, waves it in front of General Assembly.]

"It's an excellent book to help us understand what has been happening in the world throughout the 20th century, and what's happening now, and the greatest threat looming over our planet. The hegemonic pretensions of the American empire are placing at risk the very survival of the human species. We continue to warn you about this danger and we appeal to the people of the United States and the world to halt this threat, which is like a sword hanging over our heads. I had considered reading from this book, but, for the sake of time," [flips through the pages, which are numerous] "I will just leave it as a recommendation.
It reads easily, it is a very good book, I'm sure Madame [President] you are familiar with it. It appears in English, in Russian, in Arabic, in German. I think that the first people who should read this book are our brothers and sisters in the United States, because their threat is right in their own house. The devil is right at home. The devil, the devil himself, is right in the house.

"And the devil came here yesterday. Yesterday the devil came here. Right here." [crosses himself]

"And it smells of sulfur still today."
Yesterday, ladies and gentlemen, from this rostrum, the president of the United States, the gentleman to whom I refer as the devil, came here, talking as if he owned the world. Truly. As the owner of the world.
You can read the rest of his awesome speech here.
Anyway... All I'm saying is that the U.S. may not have caused the Haiti disaster but I can guarantee that U.S. corporations will see this as another great opportunity for exploitation of this poorest of countries that is physically right in our backyard.

Tragedy in Haiti & Pat Robertson is the biggest dick in the world.

2010-01-14T16:56:00.007-05:00

This is an image from Haiti from before the devestating earthquake on Jan. 12, 2010.

Haiti should be a warning to us all. As we watch the bodies pile up in the streets of Port-au-Prince and troops deploy to bring aid and order we need to reflect on how an earthquake could be so devastating to this country.

Pat Robertson has his opinions. According to him the hand of God is punishing the poor Haitian people for making a deal with the Devil in their fight for freedom from the French in 1804. That's right. According to this mouth-piece for the Lord, the thousands and thousands of people that died in the earthquake, many of whom aren't even Haitian have all died because God is mad at them for refusing to be slaves over 200 years ago. Pat Robertson IS truly evil. Anyone that agrees with him is an ignorant racist bigot. Pat is not ignorant. He knows full well the weight of his words and the power they hold over his flock. I can only pretend to pray that there is a hell for him to eternally burn in.

Please God. Please allow Satan to boil the insides of Pat Robertson in such a manner that his scalding entrails steam and ooze from his every orifice and his flesh is charred like that of those that have burned to death in Haiti in order for him to better empathize with these victims. Please allow him to stay conscious through levels of pain that would normally cause a person to go into shock or lose consciousness.

I joke of course. If the God that Pat pretends to believe in really does exist, I am sure he will know just what to do with him.

I am sure Pat is familiar with the 3rd commandment: "Thou shalt not take the Lord's name in vain." I never understood how he and his ilk managed to stay in business while preaching their so-called, "word of the Lord" out of one side of their mouths while begging for "donations" from the ignorant and desperate out of the other side. If ever there was a violation of the 3rd commandment it is this profiteering from false propheteering.

Way to go Browns! Hope you don't Cribbs!

2010-01-07T11:12:00.010-05:00

Now that the momentous Mangini decision is out of the way, Josh Cribbs cleans out his locker.

The back story:

Al Lerner (Brooklyn, NY native, former Marine and chairman of MBNA bank) helps his pal, Art Modell move my beloved Cleveland Browns to Baltimore to become the Ravens. Then in 1998, Al purchased the rights to the team we now also coincidentally call the Cleveland Browns. Al died in 2002, leaving his billions and the new Browns team to his son, Randy. Randy graduated with a Law degree from Columbia University in 1984 and helped sell MBNA to Bank of America in 2006 for $35 billion.

While Randy may be a fine billionaire, businessman and lawyer, he seems to have very little knowledge of this game called football here in the USA. He may however have a bit more knowledge or at least interest in what they call football over in the UK and is also owner and chairman of the Aston Villa Football club. He is also quite a philanthropist and art-lover, making the largest charitable donation ever to London's famed National Portrait Gallery. According to Wikipedia, he is married with 4 kids. That's all I'm saying about that other than he loves wearing ascots to London art museums.

I bring all this up to point out that Randy's interests probably don't really lie in Cleveland or football. Some of his business interests do for sure but I don't really think he could tell you the difference between a punter or a quarterback if you asked him. Good luck with asking him though if you are a Cleveland Browns fan. Randy is the equivalent of an absentee landlord when it comes the Browns. He rarely attends the games, rarely gives interviews and although Forbes has his residence listed in Cleveland it's really just his Dad's old estate. Randy prefers his place on Long Island, NY with his Spielberg and Seinfeld neighbors or over across the pond near his art museum and futball team. To his credit, I think he knows he knows very little about football and has been searching for a face and team leader since he took over ownership.

Let's review:

1946 to 1995- The Browns are the pride of Cleveland with many Championships and competitive teams. My first memories are of Sipe, Rutigliano & the Kardiac Kids. The Dawg pound is born. Kosar & company are great. Although I've never seen them play I take pride in the stories of past glory and greats like Otto Graham & Jim Brown.

1999- from the 49ers, the Browns return with Carmen Policy as CEO/president and Dwight Clark as GM. Chris Palmer (former offensive coordinator of the Jaguars) takes the reigns for the first time as an NFL headcoach. Palmer goes 5-27 in his two years with the Browns. To rub salt in the wound, the Ravens win the Superbowl XXXV at the end of 2000 season.

2001- from the University of Miami, Butch Davis gets his first crack at being an NFL headcoach and takes the team to 7-9. Dwight Clark resigns as GM and the team goes 9-7 with a brief appearance in the playoffs in 2002, only to lose in the first round to Pittsburgh.

Dec. 2002- Al Lerner dies and leaves the team to Randy.

2003- Davis reverts to a 5-11 season and resigns after a 3-8 start in 2004. Policy had already resigned earlier in the year. Offensive Coordinator, Terry Robiskie (Brian's dad) is left holding the bag as interim headcoach.

2005- Randy hires Phil Savage as GM and Romeo Crennel (former defensive coordinator for the Patriots) to take a turn at trying to be an NFL headcoach and goes 6-10. The Browns sign Josh Cribbs out of Kent State as an undrafted free agent, he makes the team, averages 24.5 yards per return, and his total of 1,094 return yards set a franchise record.

2006- The Browns go 4-12. Josh Cribbs signs a 6-year contract extension ($6 million over 6 years) and he breaks his own franchise record for most kickoff yardage in a season.

2007- Miracle of Miracles. DA, K2, J-Lew & Braylon light it up and go 10-6. They still don't make the playoffs because DA chokes in the play-off, clinching Cincy game. Josh Cribbs goes to the ProBowl as the AFC 's kick returner.

2008- Disaster of disasters. Cribbs is told by Savage in training camp that his contract will be renegotiated at the end of the year. Randy reiterates that promise. The Browns go 4-12, go through 4 QBs and finish the season with 6 straight losses, 24 quarters without an offensive touchdown and are completely shutout in the final two games. Crennel & Savage are fired. Cribbs scores a touchdown on a kickoff return for the fourth straight season, scores a rushing TD on Monday Night Football and is named as an emergency back-up QB but gets no new contract.

2009- Randy hires former Brown's ball boy and former headcoach of the Jets (23-25), Eric Mangini to take over and allows him to hand-pick his own GM (George Kokinis). Randy fires George halfway through the season and after a 1-11 start, the team wins the last four games in a row to end up 5-11. Josh Cribbs did not get a new contract as promised nor did he hold out of training camp. He did show up and play his guts out every game. He caught 20 passes for 135 yards and a TD, ran the ball 55 times for 381 yards and a TD, threw the ball 4 times for 18 yards, returned 38 punts for 452 yards and a TD, and returned 39 kicks for 1542 yards and 3 TDs. Cribbs was once again named to the ProBowl and now holds the all-time NFL record for most kick-returns for touchdowns. On a team that only scored 25 touchdowns all season, Cribbs scored 6 of them in four different ways.

2010- Holmgren takes over as president "the guy" in Jan. 2010. Holmgren keeps Mangini and offers Cribbs the same offer they gave him earlier in the year which they knew was unacceptable. Cribbs cleans out his locker and asks for a trade. Way to go new guy.

But back to the point I think I was trying to make. Randy Lerner is clueless and Josh Cribbs deserves more money. I say this as a guy who won't make in my lifetime what Cribbs makes now in a year. I'm just following the capitalist logic of you are what you are worth. Randy is clueless because he comes out in the middle of a horrible losing season and meets with two loud-mouth fans that are threatening to boycott the kick-off of a game. They weren't threatening not to attend or buy tickets or merchandise. They just weren't gonna watch the first few minutes. Well it worked. It definitely got Randy's attention. So much so that he proclaims he will hire a big-name, football-czar to run the show. He had just hired Mangini to do that less than a year before that. He then hires a guy (Holmgren) to be the coach's new boss (or the new coach) before the season is even over and then he disappears from the scene once again. Randy where are you!!!!!!!!!!

As for what Josh Cribbs is worth? I don't know exactly how much money the NFL & Browns get from tv & radio ads during the games but, I do know Josh Cribbs was about the only reason many of us tuned in or showed up at the stadium this last season. So from that perspective, he is worth the entire advertisement sales revenue of the Cleveland Browns. Without him no one would have watched. No one would have known if the games were blacked out or not because no one would have cared. I think he is worth more than an O-lineman that didn't play at all last year and played only 1 game in 2008 but Ryan Tucker is still making 4 times the amount of Cribbs. I think he is worth more than a completely useless wide-receiver that ran over and killed a guy while drinking and driving and didn't play at all last year but, Donte Stallworth still gets paid more from Randy Lerner than Josh Cribbs does. Ryan Pontbriand the long snapper makes 5 times the amount Josh Cribbs does! That's why Randy may be a great businessman and knows how to screw over his best player, the only reason to watch his team in order to save a buck but he does NOT know football or the fans of Cleveland.

If he wants his team to make money by having fans then he might want to make us fans happy by paying the only reason we watch this team what he is worth. Otherwise, Josh Cribbs will be gone and so will a lot of other long-time, paying customers in brown & orange. The team will just not represent something I am able to support anymore. I will no longer be able to support or root for a team that treats it's finest player that way. Cribbs did sign a contract. He has played way above and beyond the parameters that original contract was based upon. He has far exceeded expectations and has taken on many more roles and responsibilities since that signing. He deserves a fair raise that is comparable to other players of his caliber. Instead the Browns are taking advantage of the fact that Cribbs did not have a big-time agent when he signed that first contract. Randy, Holmgren, Mangini, Dawn Aponte, Romeo, Savage all know he is worth far more than what he is getting paid.

Cribbs now wants traded because the Browns will not treat him fairly and prefer to play low-ball with him. He is cleaning out the locker. Randy! Holmgren! Mangini! Pay the man! Because if he walks, I will too. I am sure that many others may as well. How can I cheer for an organization that treats a player like Cribbs, who has never been a detraction or problem, from all accounts is a great teammate, a fine example to our kids, and a public servant to the community of Cleveland like he is only worth $1 million a year? Now that I think about it.... that really doesn't sound too bad. I wonder who we could get in a trade for him?

No, back to original thought.... Get a clue Randy! Pay the Man!

What's your poison?

2010-01-05T14:08:00.004-05:00

I know I'm a big whack job but just hear me out for a second. Which do you think the government would prefer of these two choices?

A. Find cures for deseases such as Cancer and help enforce and regulate policies that will help prolong the life-spans of ordinary Americans that have paid into Social Security and Medicare so that they can collect those benefits from the government for a longer period of time after retirement.

B. Not look too hard for those cures and allow all kinds of life-shortening, chemicals and poisons in our food and drugs in order to avoid paying out as much of that Social Security and Medicare.

Do you think the health insurance industry would prefer that we live long, healthy lives or short, healthy lives? I'm just guessing but I would bet that on average, shorter lives are less expensive than longer lives.

I'm speculating again but I'm thinking that most industry probably has little use for people after they move into their twilight years and are no longer the wage earners and big consumers they once were. Once people start collecting checks rather than earning them I would imagine that government and industry would see them as a burden.

So is it so crazy to think that the government is allowing or helping maintain our lifespans at a manageable level by poisoning our air, water, food, and drugs? Remember hurricane Katrina? That told me right then and there how much our government is out to save it's people. You can't seriously think that if those people drowning were in the Hamptons or Silicon Valley they would have recieved the same delayed and shoddy treatment as the lower-income, residents of New Orleans' ninth ward.

I'm trying to count how many poisons I have ingested today or fed to my family:
1. Flouride in the water I drank. check (did you know that if a company accidently dumped this stuff in the water they could technically be arrested but if your city doesn't dump it in the water they could technically be arrested?)
2. Aspartame in my can of diet Coke. check
3. High fructose corn syrup in just about everything we ate. check (Have you ever looked at a school lunch menu?)
4. Sodium nitrate in the bologna sandwich. check
5. I didn't take or feed my kids any medicines today so I know we missed out on a whole bunch of cool chemicals there.
6. Growth hormones and antibiotics in the milk I gave my daughter. check (oh, the guilt...I should be arrested for abuse and could be if I lived in Europe)
7. Cyanide, Ammonia, Carbon Monoxide & over 500 others in the cigar I smoked. check

Dammit! I haven't had my MSG or hydrogenated oils yet. Okay. I'm getting depressed now. I think I'll go smoke another cigar, drive on the icy roads and talk on my cell phone on my way to get a flu vaccine. jk- I would never get a flu vaccine.

Seriously, maybe it's time to go organic, stop eating meat and stop smoking.

What's in the water?

2010-01-04T12:30:00.005-05:00

Yes, the clip is hilarious. I remember watching this movie for the first time years ago and thinking that General Ripper was one heck of a crazy nut job. However, now I do have to ask myself if maybe he wasn't on to something. In our society where absolutely nothing is free either we have all been getting free dental health care through our drinking water for years or we are unknowingly paying for this wonderful non-voluntary service to help prevent tooth decay. So I called up my local water treatment plant and talked to a man there about it. He told me that all of the local water in our town is provided by deep wells and that yes they do add fluoride to it along with a few other chemicals such as chlorine. I told him I had never seen any charges for fluoridation on my water bill. He assured me that the costs were probably passed along to me with the water bill. I felt relieved. I did have to ask for the record just what the purpose of the fluoride was and he did tell me it was due to "national recommendations" to prevent tooth decay. What a wonderful service and how thoughtful of our government to look out for us like that. I also asked what chemical manufacturer our town purchased it's fluoride supply from. "SAL chemical."

So I checked out the Sal Chemical website. Man, what a list of products they manufacture down there in the shadows off the mountain-top, mine-blasted, hills of Weirton, WV. I really hope this chemical company isn't just a reseller for by-products of the Taconite and Coal mining industry down there. This is sort of off-the subject but Mountaintop mining and the environmental devastation it causes are a major hazard to the health of the water and the people that live in Appalachia. Did you hear about how a billion gallons of coal slurry got dumped into the tributaries of the Tennessee River (the drinking water source for Chattanooga and other communities downstream in Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky) last Christmas? Probably not. Our media doesn't find corporations or government agencies (in this case the TVA) poisoning our drinking water very newsworthy.

Anyway, I didn't see fluoride on the list though so I had to call them up too. So, I spoke to a lady at SAL Chemical and asked if they produced fluoride for municipalities. She asked who I was and why I wanted to know so I told her I was from where I am from and was new at the job at the treatment plant and needed to reorder. She looked it up in her computer and told me we normally purchase Hydrofluosilicic Acid 23%. I did see this in their product list. Google this stuff. Just the stuff you want to be drinking. Here's the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet). I particularly like this part:

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW: DANGER! CORROSIVE. Causes severe burns to eyes, skin, and respiratory tract. Harmful or fatal if swallowed. Harmful if inhaled. Contact with water may generate toxic, irritating and corrosive gases.

WTF!?!? "Fatal if swallowed"? "Contact with water may generate toxic gases"? Good Lord! This is what they are dumping in our water? So all the good people of my town (AND MOST LIKELY YOURS) that consume water every day are drinking this poison? I know that this stuff is diluted down to the point (1 ppm) that you can barely taste it but it is still the same chemical. Over the course of a year how much tap water/flouride do we consume? I'm sure the bottled water is just as bad. I doubt it is much more than tap water sold in bottles.

I'm not gonna get into any global population control conspiracies here. I wouldn't want to sound like a crazy nut job or anything. I'm just saying it's about time we all took a hard look at what chemicals the government is recommending our cities put into our drinking water. Here are some of the known negative side-effects of flouridation at 1ppm. Would we even know if they changed it up once in a while by maybe bumping it up to 2ppm on accident or modified what they dump in there on occasion? Ever wonder why the water tastes different in one town from another? It's all just water right?

The True Coup.

2010-01-04T11:40:00.006-05:00

There's tower 7 still standing after 1 & 2 collapsed. Why did it crumble down too? It wasn't hit by a plane. Certainly looks okay there yet, at 5:20 pm on 9/11/01 the building completely collapsed. The official story says that it was hit by debris which caused a fire which eventually caused a column to buckle which in turn caused the whole building to collapse upon itself like a pancake just like towers 1 & 2. Wow! What a coincidence. They sure don't build them like they used to I guess. Watch this. If you think a fire knocked down a 47-story building in less than 7 seconds then you don't believe your own eyes and YOU are out of YOUR mind.

Are you a conspiracy nut? Do you wear an aluminum foil hat to keep the messages from outer-space out of your head? No? Neither do I but it seems many around me think I am crazy for many of the thoughts I have. But they blindly believe the official stories told on the television "news" and believe stories of ghosts and alien abductions. It never crosses their minds that believing in a man rising from the dead and floating into heaven is a little crazier than the idea that the "terrorists" had some help on 9/11 or that the milk being fed to our kids is causing them to hit puberty at a younger age. My daughter's doctor just told me that my 6 year old is developing little breast nubs and I'm the one who is crazy!?!?

I am only hoping to help spread the word on some subjects that are being avoided and/or suppressed by corporate media due to the silent usurpation of power from the people by the giant banks and corporations that now really run the world.

THE TRUE COUP!

That's why the ideas sound crazy to many people. If FOX news doesn't tell us it happened then I guess it didn't, right? WRONG! The corporations that control the information disseminated to the citizens have a great interest in what we do and don't find out about. Check out this link to see some of the many conflicting connections between big business and major media.

For an example I will use my daughter again. I have had many suspicions about the milk I feed my kids and the growth hormones injected into the cows that produce that milk. Why is it that Europe and Canada have banned the use of engineered Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) in the production of dairy products but the U.S. allows it? My usual answer to a question like this is to "follow the money." A corporation called Monsanto produces among many other chemical products (e.g., artificial sweeteners and pesticides) something called POSILAC®. POSILAC® contains genetically engineered BGH and is injected into dairy cows to increase milk production. The cows produce more milk and at a younger age. This is very beneficial to the dairy farmer selling the milk but it seems the milk may have some nasty side-effects due to the rBGH. If the general public was told on FOX news or in the Sunday paper that the milk they had in their cereal and just fed to their kids could give them cancer or may cause their daughters to develop breasts at six years old the sales of milk (and therefore POSILAC®) would plummet. If a reporter tried to report such a thing (and they did) they would be quickly fired (and they were) if they were unable to be bought off. Watch the story.

This is just one small example of a story that has serious repercussions pertaining to the health of the American people that was suppressed by the corporate controlled media for the benefit of the bottom line and to the detriment of an informed and healthy society. FOX is by no means the only culprit, just one of the worst and most obvious. All major media corporations have a vested interest in keeping the status quo, keeping advertising dollars coming in and therefore keeping quiet on countless stories that might be invaluable to an informed democracy in order to avoid upsetting those advertisers.

The First amendment of our constitution states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Our founding fathers knew the importance of a free press to a democracy. The press has a responsibility to inform the citizens of the truth in order for the citizens to make proper decisions regarding their governance. When the press hides or distorts the facts they are not only cheating and lying to us as individuals but also intentionally manipulating our democracy for their own gain. This is an act of treachery and should be punished as such.

The control of information to the citizens of this country by CEO's and accountants is just one small example of how corporations have taken over our country and most of the world. Another revolution has been going on since the moment the ink dried on our constitution. The CEO's are now winning it. They've been staging a secret coup d'état in board rooms, court rooms and public offices without so much as a passing glance from the people. Our government now hands them billions of our tax dollars at a time without even asking for a reciept or an accounting of it's expenditure. It's time We the People stood up and let ourselves be heard from every corner and let our public officials know that we will hold them accountable. We are watching as they take that special interest money. We are watching as they cave in to or advocate for or benefit from corporate interests. We will be heard and we will affect change by any means allowed under our constitution.

My goal is to be just one more voice in the wilderness. Hopefully another small piece of information will be found here that somehow helps all the dots get connected in order for the ultimate truth to be revealed. If as the infamous Nazi Joseph Goebbels has stated that people eventually believe lies repeated enough then hopefully they will do the same with the truth. I will do my best to find out what I can and put it here or in my blog. There is much to be done. Fortunately, I like researching stories that I wonder about but that never seem to be covered in the main-stream (corporate) media. I will first try to de-bunk my own suspicions and investigate the counter arguments. If that fails I do my best to follow the money. Who stands to gain by not having the devastating and real effects of global warming covered? Why don't we hear about problems with Diebold voting machines? Why don't they tell us about how the Trade Center tower 7 collapsed just as buildings 1 and 2 did even though it was not hit by any airplane? Sometimes it's very hard to follow the money. There is a lot of disinformation out there but the goal is to fry the big fish and skip the red herrings. That is the mission. Help wanted!

A win for the Truth! History channel airs OBL special and forced to concede more facts about 9/11.

2009-12-18T13:43:00.017-05:00

I obviously found the above video on Youtube. It is not the History Channel story I am referring to in my blog below. It is a bit more informative and I believe taken from the documentary, 9/11-Press for Truth. Watch the whole thing for free on the sidebar.

The History channel had a pretty good show on last night called, "Targeted-Osama bin Laden." I wasn't sure what to expect at first. The History channel (joint venture owned by Hearst, Disney, & NBC) is usually pretty good at being accurate. They do tend to leave out details that may be incriminating to those in power. I was very interested to see how much depth they would go into on the subject of Osama bin Laden (OBL) and his involvement with 9/11 but more importantly, his involvement with the CIA. The show turned out pretty much as I expected but did have a few surprises.

No surprise, the show concluded with a "dramatization," (i.e., a long-bearded actor with an AK47 on his back, riding a horse through the mountains) of OBL still prowling the mountains somewhere in Pakistan or Afghanistan. The message being that, "He is still out there! Plotting to attack the USA! Keep the fear alive!" Of course they failed to mention that the CIA disbanded the unit, known as Alec Station that had been charged with hunting down OBL back in 2006. I mean, I'm sure the timing of this has nothing to do with the decision to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, right? So, some propaganda as usual. That is to be expected.

But, I like watching the military & history channel because even if the powers that want these shows aired have their own agenda, sometimes somebody in the editing room slips something in there that they probably weren't supposed to. Like the fact that UNOCAL wanted a trans-Afghan pipeline back in 1996. I've never heard this pipeline mentioned on any regular TV before this special. The show also conceded the fact that the Bush family and Bin Ladens have been business partners for years prior to 9/11. The show also concedes that members of the bin Laden family and Suadi royals were secretly flown out of the U.S. during the travel ban immediately after 9/11. Instead of questioning the family about the where-abouts of their "rogue" family member, the Bush administration helped them escape. This fact was denied for years. More likely though, the special was intended to also answer questions (i.e., debunk or mislead) that have been rising to the surface. Just the fact that they have to talk about topics such as, how many times we (i.e., CIA, FBI, ISI or other intelligence services) knew exactly where OBL was but allowed him to escape is a victory for those of us that want the full truth exposed. More truth is being recognized and conceded by the major media. Eight years after, they are being forced to answer new questions many of us have been asking since 9/11. This is a small victory.

Who knows what they will fess up to in another eight years? This often leads me to ask the inevitable follow up question to that which is, "will anyone still even care?" Does anyone now? I mean, if documents were leaked right now that proved that the JFK assassination was a CIA plot, what would happen? I think most people in this country would kinda shrug their shoulders and accept it as just another one of those crazy things that happens sometimes and not give it another thought. But, I digress.

One question I have been wondering is, exactly when did OBL stop working for the CIA? It is well documented that the CIA funded and supplied the Mujaheddin fighters of Afghanistan during their war with the Soviets. The CIA and their Pakistani counterparts, ISI (Inter Service Intelligence) helped money and weapons flow to the rebels (Mujaheddin) fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan. The main financier for the Mujaheddin was OBL. Our tax dollars passed from us to the CIA to the ISI to Osama. The ISI allowed him and his fighters to operate out of Pakistan. OBL then built bases inside Pakistan and Afghanistan to train his fighters. All of this is well documented and fully established. The History channel show gives the usual answer to my question, which to paraphrase goes something like: OBL became angry when the US sent it's "infidel" troops onto Saudi soil to defend Saudi Arabia from Iraq during desert shield in 1990.

We are left to conclude that he severed his ties to the CIA at this point and no longer worked for the people of America and had now become their enemy. More importantly, we are left to conclude that this man, OBL that was on the CIA payroll had now declared himself an enemy of the USA and the CIA completely lost track of him and had no idea he might be plotting against America.

The show concedes that this too was far from the case, that their was a continual man-hunt of some sort on for him the entire time but that he would miraculously manage to escape at the last second. Always getting a tip from somewhere of his imminent capture. They did admit that when we had him "surrounded" in the mountains of Tora Bora we sent less than 100 special operatives and some CIA-paid Afghanis to hunt him down. They neglect to mention that we left the back door open for him to escape. The Pakistani border was supposed to be covered by Pakistanis.

The show concludes that we were double-crossed by an Al-Qaeda agent and they allowed him to escape into Pakistan. Why in the world would we think that the Pakistanis would block him when we knew that they had no control over the region and in fact allowed the Taliban to operate out of the mountains there? They also made no mention of the fact that we had over 1000 Marines and 1000, 10th Mountain Division troops, all of whom who had been trained and deployed for just such a battle, available to help in the capture but that somewhere high up in the command system (i.e., Rumsfeld) this idea was nixed. The last administration allowed OBL to escape. Why?

Here is what John Kerry recently (Dec.1, 2009) said in the LA Times about what happened at Tora Bora. Kerry corroborates what I am unable to document.* This letter has also been blocked at a few sights. No coincidence that the Wall Street Journal published it's own editorial refuting Kerry's claims as nothing but cover for Obama's build up of more troops in Afghanistan. They don't bother to ask why the troops were not used in the first place.

*Note: While trying to link to the stories I knew existed about troop availability at Tora Bora, I was unable to open any of them. Usually greeted with Error 404 (meaning the story is no longer there). Why not? Here's an example- Tora Bora Revisited: How We Failed To Get Bin Laden And Why It ... www.globalsecurity.org/military/.../091130_tora-bora_ubl-3.htm

Here's a nice piece I did find about the subject.

The war is over! Thank you Dennis!

2009-12-17T19:49:00.007-05:00

One of very few stand up guys in congress is none other than that "crazy" Democrat from Cleveland, Ohio- Dennis Kucinich. So crazy he voted against the bank bail out. So crazy he voted against the Patriot Act. So crazy he voted against giving George W. Bush the authorization to launch a war with Iraq in 2002. (This opposition was enough to get another Senator killed. Google Senator, Paul Wellstone. I'll blog about him another time.) So crazy he campaigns in a bus running on bio-diesel. No wonder he doesn't like to fly. So crazy he voted against the diluted and polluted health care bill (HR3962) now floating through congress. So crazy that again and again he speaks his mind and refuses to be bought & paid for by corporate America.

Here's a press release he put out today, Dec. 16, 2009:

"The Greatest Generation sacrificed during their lifetimes so future generations could have it better. Here, the ‘Bailout Generation' demands the future will be sacrificed for the present with unlimited money for Wall Street and War.

"While the government expands the debt for Wall Street and War, people are led to believe we are doing it for Jobs and Main Street. Even today, as Congress expands the debt limit, Citigroup will get billions in new tax breaks.

"Last week, Congress let Wall Street keep their Over-The-Counter black box Derivatives game going, which will leave the taxpayers exposed to huge losses in the future.

"Today, Congress will give the Pentagon another $550 billion and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan another $130 billion while we expand the national debt, sacrificing the future, for the present.

"In the past two years Congress chose War and Wall Street over Jobs and Main Street, expanding the debt, sacrificing the future for the present.

"We are eager to support the President in his escalation of war in Afghanistan. Yet we are just as eager to fast-track consideration of legislation that atrophies the progress of difficult negotiations in which the Administration has invested significant time.

"Today's jobs bill is necessary but it will address only a fraction of the unemployed. Rather than prime the pump of the economy and put all of America back to work, we are choosing to sacrifice the future for War and Wall Street."

You have balls of brass, sir. Thank you for standing up for the poor and working people of this country that have been ignored for so long by Wall Street and Washington. So crazy he introduced articles of impeachment against both Bush & Cheney. I know who my candidate is. Thanks for taking the floor today and letting your colleagues have an ear full by declaring that, "the class war is over, working people lost." So crazy he is gonna get my vote if he ever gets on the presidential ballot again.

Drug money saved the banks?

2009-12-15T20:02:00.003-05:00

According to the Guardian money laundered & then liquidated from the drug trade saved the banking system from collapse a year ago. It is not a coincidence that the opium trade has blossomed back to pre-Taliban levels in Afghanistan. It is not a coincidence that before CIA involvment with the Mujahadeen's fight against the Soviets in the 80's, almost all the heroin in the U.S. came from southeast Asia and soon after the CIA got involved, 40% was coming from Afghanistan. This is not a new story. Michael Ruppert has been informing us about it for years. Read up on it in his book, Crossing the Rubicon and his blog, From the Wilderness.

Say it ain't so, W=O?

2009-12-15T17:43:00.003-05:00

As I've mentioned here before, I have voted for every Democratic presidential candidate since I was old enough to vote, starting with Dukakis in 1988 and lastly with Obama in 2008. I do not regret this. I believe I picked the lesser of two evils each time. But it seems my "audacity of hope" was just that and not based much in reality. I am slowly coming to the realization that what many of us had hoped would be our saviour from the corporations and big banks is no better (if not worse) than the robber-bankers we've had occupying the White House in the past. It appears to be business and government as usual. Matt Taibbi does a much better job explaining it than I can. Prepare to get pissed.

Manifesto- Old letters to the old regime.

2009-12-13T11:18:00.004-05:00

I wrote theses a few years ago but other than the fact that Bush is gone, most of it still applies.

It's time to stand and be counted. I am a proud American but, I am deeply ashamed of our government and it's actions. I support the troops but not the war. Nor, do I believe the lies and pretexts used to lead us there. I refuse to buy the scare-tactics and propaganda. I am a skeptic and require physical and scientific evidence before I believe in a theory.

There is way too much evidence to the contrary and lack of supporting evidence to believe the official tale of events on 9/11. I have yet to see one picture of a plane hitting the pentagon or one piece of an airplane in the wreckage. I have yet to hear 1 plausible explanation why tower 7 collapsed or why towers 1 and 2 did for that matter, other-than that they were controlled demolitions. Why did Bush help the Bin-Laden family fly out of the country when every other flight in the country was grounded?

(ed. note: I've actually heard a few plausible explanations for the tower 7 collapse. I think I meant the official story was not plausible)

I believe like every bit of scientific evidence indicates that global warming is a real, man-made, danger that is only getting exponentially worse with every year that passes. This administration continues to ignore the issue, try and suppress the scientific evidence, and exacerbates the problem by shunning the Kyoto treaty and de-regulating industrial polluters.

I also believe that if another country held elections the way we do in this country our government would find their elections illegitimate. We now cast our votes on computers made by corporations that donate to the ruling party. Programs and technicians from the same corporations count the votes. The ruling party decides the rules of how this is done. Non-biased UN observers were not allowed to witness our vote collecting and counting process.

This administration has bullied, lied, and stolen it's way to power. They have cut funding to those that need it most; social programs for the poor, medi-care and affordable drugs for the sick and elderly, public education for the children, and rehabilitation and benefits for veterans. They then have turned around and handed out multi-million dollar tax cuts and no bid contracts to the richest 1% and giant corporations. The only people that have benefited from this administration are the extremely rich and the CEO's of the oil, energy, defense, pharmaceutical, insurance, and banking industries. The rest of us are left holding the bill, paying more for everything and deeper in debt. The aftermath of hurricane Katrina was a prime example of whom our government cares about and whom they don't.

They have committed numerous criminal acts and impeachable offenses. Not the least of which is treason. An offense punishable by death. Our media is too scared, bought, controlled and censored to let anyone know. The Democrats are too powerless, spineless, and corrupt themselves to do anything about it. That being said, I still think the Democrats would do 100 times better of securing our country, being financially responsible, and taking care of those that need it most than the Republicans we have running our country straight into the ground right now.

(ed. note: I would probably modify this statement from "100 times better" to "better")

Before Bush we had a federal surplus and now we have the largest deficit in history. Before Bush we had a democracy and now we are slipping ever closer to a fascist state. Before Bush we had the respect and envy of most people around the world. Now we have their pity and more enemies than ever before. Before Bush Unocal had begged for a US intervention in Afghanistan so that they could put in an oil pipeline connecting Pakistan and Turkmenistan. Now we have Halliburton building that pipeline, our troops protecting that pipeline, and a Unocal advisor as the president of Afghanistan. Bush & Co. in the very least need to have their asses locked in cages down in Gitmo and their kids should be sent to Iraq.

(ed. note: the Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline I was referring to is still a work in progress currently financed by the Asian Development Bank. It seems the locals don't want it to be built as badly as the bank does.)

We the people need to show up en-masse on Election Days, November 2, 2006 and 2008 and vote for every Democrat on the ticket. Convince everyone you know and meet to do the same. Don't make it easy for them to steal the next election. With the approval ratings as they are (Bush @ 31 % as of 5/11/06), if the Republicans win again it will start to become painfully obvious to everyone that something is fundamentally flawed in our "democracy". Only then may our frustration as citizens reach a boiling point and trigger the inevitable police-state crackdown. Why do you think the Patriot Act was written before 9/11?

Don’t believe me! I wouldn’t. Do your own research. Use the web while you can. The government may soon be divying up the internet just as they have the other media. Imposing laws and regulations and limiting access to information.

http://www.buzzflash.com/
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/
http://www.blackboxvoting.org/
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/
http://www.moveon.org/
http://www.globalsecurity.org/
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Here's a letter I wrote to my representatives on January 15, 2005. Sadly hilarious.

Your message was sent to the following recipients:
Your U.S. Representative
Your U.S. Senators

I am writing to urge you to oppose privatizing Social Security in any way and to oppose any law that funnels Social Security dollars through Wall Street.

In the guise of reform, Mr. Bush wants to divert a portion of today's payroll taxes and let individual participants invest them through Wall Street. Because those payroll taxes are already being used in part to support today's retirees, some nonpartisan observers estimate that this transition would require as much as $2 trillion in additional Federal borrowing.

The Social Security system is one of the great administrative bargains in history, with tiny overhead costs. Creating tens of millions of additional accounts managed by Wall Street will cost billions of dollars of fees paid to private firms such as Merrill Lynch, J.P. Morgan and others.

The current Social Security system grew out of the stock market crash of 1929 and the resulting economic collapse. It is ludicrous to create a new system dependent on the very economic forces that made the program necessary in the first place. America's priority should be ensuring that people who worked hard their whole life don't spend their twilight years living in poverty.

Please, at least let us opt out of the portion of the Social Security tax that would be privately invested. It should be an individual's choice to invest. I am very uncomfortable with the way the government spends my tax money as it is. I do not want them deciding which corporations I will invest my money in.

I do not understand the motives behind this push to privatize Social Security. Is this administration trying to relieve the government of having to take care of it's retired citizens with money that rightfully belongs to these citizens, money that they have worked for and earned over a course of a lifetime? Or is it that the administration would just like to take that money and decide which corporations to give it to. Or both? Why don't we just start paying our taxes directly to Halliburton, Diebold or the rest of this administration's corporate cronies? I bet more than a few people up there think that would be a great idea. We basically do now anyway.

(ed. note: turns out Wall Street recieved a nice consolation prize in the form of at least $800B of our tax dollars)

I'm sorry but, I do NOT believe that I should just work my whole life, hand 25% of my paycheck to the government every week and not expect to have any say in how it is spent. Yet, that is how it now is. I don't ever expect to see a dime of Social Security when/if I ever retire. I can no longer trust my government to know better than me what should be done with that money and trust them to do the right thing with it. I will NEVER believe that it is my duty as a citizen to shut my mouth & fall in line.

So, take the little bit of money I earn. Give it to the corporations. Don't spend it on health care for my kids or my parents. Don't use it to feed & shelter the poor. Don't use it on education. We'd all be happier if we were stupid wouldn't we? Put my money in your pocket. Make some more bombs. Go kill some more people. Steal some more oil. Steal some more gold. Fill our planet full of toxic waste & fumes. Burn a hole right through the sky. So that you all can get richer & fatter.

I know these letters are all in vain. This will never be read by the intended readers. If it were it would only provide them with some jeers & snickers. I am disgusted by what my country has become. A country full of ignorance & ruled by greed. So take my money if you must and do what you will with it. There is no stopping you now. God help us all.

Sincerely
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I become more and more frustrated with each passing day. Because each day another American dies or is wounded in Iraq. I served in the USAF during the first gulf war and have now come to realize what a mistake that war was. I used the GI Bill to earn a BA degree and after the 9/11 attacks found myself unemployed. I understood our need for retribution and to find the terrorists that perpetrated those attacks. We still haven't accomplished this mission. Yet, the fraudulent regime that has usurped power in this country that I love felt the need to attack another old enemy in the name of “national security.” They invented and distorted any piece of evidence that they could get away with to persuade and scare the American public and the majority of Congress into supporting the invasion of Iraq. If the Bush regime would only come out with the truth and say "we need to secure more resources in order to continue our affluent lifestyles" I may have been a bit more supportive myself. However, this deceiver and manipulator of the truth for his own personal gain, continues to insult all Americans with a shred of intelligence with his lies and half-truths. This spoon-fed, cheerleader, bully, moron used to just be a large embarrassment. He is now the worst enemy that America faces. He has destroyed all of our credibility and fueled the fires of thousands of more terrorist attacks to come. I would like to see him personally bury every soldier that dies in Iraq. It is their blood that is filling his pockets. He has committed the most heinous of atrocities and should be impeached immediately. In lieu of this, I would like to see a truly impartial investigation into the claims the Bush regime made for war.
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Karl Rove should be tried for treason. He should be prosecuted and convicted to the fullest extent of the law for high crimes against the United States of America. His willful action caused top-secret information to be released to the public and consequently, our enemies. By allowing him to stay within your administration you are in effect approving of his actions and therefore condoning these crimes. To allow this enemy of the United States to continue on as your political advisor in effect makes you an agent of the enemy yourself. Do you not have any power within your own administration to fire Karl Rove or is it that you were aware and approved of these actions? Maybe you are just so arrogant, shameless, and filled with egoistic power that you feel you don't need to answer to the people you are supposed to be representing and protecting. You should also be tried & prosecuted to the fullest extent for dereliction of duty in the least for allowing this leak to happen. Please, for the benefit of this country turn yourself and Karl in as enemy combatants to the military so that you can be tried by a tribunal and put to the death by a firing squad. God bless America.
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Mr. President,
I was surprised and disappointed that you told the Washington Post last week that no Bush administration official should be held accountable for our failures in Iraq. As the situation worsens and more American lives are lost and troops deployed to the region, it's time to stop rewarding incompetence and to start demanding accountability. For the sake of our men and women in uniform and their families here at home, I urge you to start by replacing Donald Rumsfeld. His record of failure and his inability to play it straight with the American people and our troops overseas make him unfit to serve as Secretary of Defense for one more day, never mind four more years.
If you care about restoring our credibility around the world and our credibility with our troops on the ground in Iraq, you've got to start by removing Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense. That's why I am joining Senator John Kerry and hundreds of thousands of Americans in adding my name to the johnkerry.com petition calling for Rumsfeld's immediate removal from office.
I urge you to act without delay. We can't afford any more auto-penned letters of condolences and shifting stories about what kind of armor we have to protect our troops.
American soliders and their families are counting on you as Commander in Chief to hold those in charge of the war in Iraq to the highest standards.
Mr. Bush, I know you can't really fire your boss so go ask Dick if he can fire Rumsfeld. Tell Dick that he is making you guys look bad. Not only has he done all the above mentioned he also nearly let the cat out of the bag about the plane over Pennsylvania on 9/11. You guys don't want people to start digging into that again do you? I know it is hard to get rid of an administration member that outranks you and hasn't done anything that you haven't yourself. But, it might make you guys look better to the people, the media, & the rest of the world. I know these things don't mean too much to you but for the good of your party you might want to consider it. I know you want your brother to be considered in 2008, right? So, you go tell Dick these things and beg him to help you get rid of
Rumsfeld. We both know it won't make one bit of difference in the world if he stays or goes, so why not make yourself look good.
*********************************
As if I had not written enough already to earn a spot on some FBI/NSA watch list, there is this gem.........

Dear F%$#-face,
Aren't you ashamed of yourself? You call yourself a Christian? Do you even comprehend your own hypocrisies? I believe that you do. I don't think you are as stupid as you seem. I think you may be a very shrewd deceiver.
I know who you are. You are a spoiled little child. You haven't yet emotionally developed past the adolescent stage. This is not your fault. You didn't need to because you were a silver spoon fed, cheerleading, coward. I understand that you may feel some inadequacies due to never really having achieved anything on your own. I also understand these feelings of inadequacy may have lead you to over-compensate in other aspects of your life. I imagine you may have had to confront some of these issues when you gave up the coke and booze. That is something you can truly be proud of. No one did that for you. You did do that right? I believe you did. I also believe you may have sublimated your desires for the coke and booze into desire for money and power
However, if you are a Christian, shouldn't you be ashamed of allowing our education system to deteriorate and become more expensive? Therefore, indirectly creating more poverty, misery and crime. Shouldn't you be ashamed of profiting from increasing healthcare and prescription costs. Therefore, making many lives less tolerable and many deaths more painful. Shouldn't you be ashamed of executing people with IQs lower than yours? Shouldn't you be ashamed of the lies that spew out of your mouth every day?
I know you know that they are lies. Your cabinet doesn't do all the thinking for you. You have a number of give-away tells. Such as the way you lick your lips before you really pile the shit on. Or, when you get that shit-eating grin on your face after you say a new big word that you don't know the definition of for the first time.
Wouldn't a Christian be ashamed of destroying Gods great creation we call Earth the way you do with your policies of deregulation and rolling back environmental laws. Wouldn’t a Christian be ashamed of exploiting the weak and poor of the world, stealing their resources, and allowing them to die of famine, disease, and war? Wouldn't a Christian be ashamed of sending people to die for revenge and profit? Wouldn't a Christian be ashamed of these things?

If you are not ashamed, I can only think of three reasons:
1- You are a complete f*&%ing idiot and don't know the definition of Christian. I don't completely believe this.
2- You are a complete f$%#ing moron and don't know the consequences of your own policies and actions. I don’t completely believe this either.
3- You are a complete f&%$ing imbecile and can't feel shame or guilt because you have never developed this ability for the reasons I have stated above. This is the only logical reason.

You believe that you are always right, and entitled to all the power and money you can acquire, regardless of the consequences to others. Therefore, you need not be ashamed of anything. In other words, you are a socio-pathic, psychopathic, anti-social personality. Whichever title you prefer, they all mean the same thing. You are no better than the murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and retards you are so proud of executing in Texas.
You are personally responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people. Yet, you are not ashamed. You are proud. You make me want to vomit in your face. You make me want to beat in your skull with a baseball bat.
If I were a Christian, I could take solace in the fact that you will suffer horrific pain & torment in the fires of hell for eternity. If I were a Christian, I might think you were Satan-the great deceiver, usurping power at the turn of the millennium. But, like you, I am not a Christian.
What I believe is that sure as shit, whether you buy/steal the election again or not, one glorious day, you will fucking die. My only hope is that it will be soon, slow and agonizing.

Sincerely,
xxxxxxxxxxxxx

P.S.- I hope my “straight-talking’” didn’t offend you.
******************************************
Some of the pigs I was referring to back whenever I wrote this are now gone. Some are still there. Some are now incognito. Some new ones are now in place and rest assured many more are laying in wait for their next chance.

Ok, now how can we get rid of the corrupted and evil usurper of power now controlling the world? I do not mention his name because of the unshackled monitoring powers that may be watching. It is of my opinion that the ignorant, brain-washed, pacified, and hopelessly beaten down in the populace should be informed and energized to rise up in revolt. I propose a massive grass-roots subversion campaign executed through all communication means available. It is our duty as true patriots to defend our democracy. It is each and everyone of our duties to inform everyone we know of the corruption and atrocities committed in our name by this illegitimate regime. It is our duty to communicate this to as many as possible. We must enrage the populace. The truth is our weapon. As we know, the system for choosing our leaders has become corrupted by the use of private organizations, by those who would wish to decrease or eliminate the number of the lower classes that turn out to vote in opposition. The powers that be have turned to illegal means to go about this process. Since, they are the powers that be it has now become impossible to oust these powers by democratic means. They have seized power, turned it over to the highest bidders and shut everyone else out. We the people are only left with one alternative to change the powers that be. Riot! Rebel! Revolt! Incite others to do the same. We are headed down a very dark path either way. Do we allow the Demon-Mockracy to stay in power and continue it's destruction of our country and political system and hand over the reigns to multi-billion dollar corporate conglomerates so that they may continue to pillage and pollute our lands, send our sons and daughters to their deaths so they can increase profits, creating more enemies with legitimate reasons to hate us? Or, do we tell the world we are sorry, we will not allow this impostor to do his peacock dance anymore? We will not allow this traitor, this spoiled, greedy, devious moron to represent us anymore. We will not allow it and it's regime to rape our countries anymore? We will handle our business. The patriots reveal themselves. We will throw the petroleum tea into the harbor. We will Rise! Riot! Revolt! Resist! Rebel! and Run the bastard pigs out of town! And if necessary....we will take more drastic measures. God save America for the sake of the world.

The Arguments

2009-12-11T12:52:00.007-05:00

Let me get my thoughts in order here. The arguments I am going to make go something like this.

1. If the CIA had placed on the president's (JFK) desk as an option, Operation Northwoods- a series of falseflag operations to attack American cities and/or bases and blame it on Cuba as a pretext for war with Cuba in 1962, then it is not out of the question that such an option would exist in 2001.
Read the now unclassified documents directly off the NSA archives at George Washington University here. If this doesn't raise your eyebrows, nothing will.

2. If World Trade Center tower 7 which collapsed in under 7-seconds and according to the official FEMA report, (was not hit by an airplane nor significantly damaged by any falling debris and was along with the collapse of towers 1 & 2, the first instance in history of a "fire-induced collapse of large fire-protected steel buildings") was not brought down by a fire, then other elements of the official story may be a lie as well.

3. If Wirt Walker III (George W. Bush's cousin) was CEO of Securacom (now Stratasec) which was the company in charge of security at the world trade centers at the time and Marvin Bush (George's brother) was a principal in the same company, then ample means & opportunity existed for the un-detected, planting of controlled demolitions in the world trade centers prior to 9/11/01.
Interesting side note: Marvin Bush's live-in, nanny (Bertha Champagne) was killed by her own car in Marvin Bush's driveway September 29, 2001.

4. If tower 7 did not collapse due to a plane crash then the other two towers and Pentagon may not have either.

5. If the attacks did not take place as we have been told then they were not perpetrated by whom we were told.

6. If the "attacks" were not perpetrated by whom we were told then they were perpetrated by others.

7. If the attacks were perpetrated by others then they were performed by others with the means to pull off such an attack involving such sophisticated coordination and logistics.

8. If both Boeing 767s that hit NY happened to be caught on tape in the act and both acts were a complete surprise to the media and public it stands to reason that since the media and public had prior knowledge of an impending attack on DC and ample time to get the cameras ready then there should be some pics or vid of this event. Therefore, since there is no such video or pictures of a Boeing 757 hitting the Pentagon, it did not happen.

9. Since the initial hole left in the Pentagon is not large enough for a Boeing 757 to fit into then, a Boeing 757 did not make the hole.

Many more to come. I am only getting started. Still a big work in progress.

Healthcare reform under the Corporate Party

2009-12-08T19:33:00.006-05:00

I have voted for every Democratic presidential candidate since I became old enough to vote in 1988. Dukakis lost to Bush Sr. in 1988. Clinton won in 92 & 96, Gore "lost" to Bush Jr. in 2000, Kerry "lost" to Jr. in 2004 and Obama won in 2008. I realize the man has only been in office a year now and he has a ton of left-over crap on his plate to deal with. I think he is trying to get us moving in the right direction on things. He is pulling troops out of Iraq. He is focusing on health-care reform. I still believe he was definitely the right choice when considering the alternative of McCain & Palin.

He has also told the DEA to lay off the marijuana enforcement in states that have legalized medical marijuana. Fourteen states now allow some use of marijuana for medical purposes: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. That's great. I'm all for it. Wasting resources on that is just that....a big waste.

However, I naively thought that if the Democrats controlled 60% of both houses of congress like they do and the white house, they would be able to get a hell of a lot more done by now than they have. They shouldn't have to compromise on anything. They should just be up there writing laws and letting Obama sign them. They could have brought all the troops home by now (if they wanted), forced the banks into paying back the $800B of our tax money that Bush handed them and into playing fairly with the American public if they wanted. They could have reformed and re-instituted environmental and food and drug safety regulations that were over-ruled under Bush by now if they wanted. They certainly also could have passed a comprehensive health-care reform bill with a real public option, not a big compromise to the pharma and insurance industries that have caused the mess we are in right now, like the bill that is now being proposed.... if they really wanted to!

I am finally coming to understand that the Dems and Republicans aren't that much different after all. They aren't actually two parties at all but actually differing factions of the same Corporate Party. They are both slaves to the banks and corporate America. They are both beholden to their special interests and lobbyists and whomever funds their next campaign or vote counting. Silly me.

It's the same old story, same old song and dance my friends....

2009-12-07T11:26:00.010-05:00

According to this AP story Osama may or may not be slipping back into Afghanistan across the Pakistani border, depending on which Obama cabinet guy you believe.

"President Barack Obama's national security adviser, James Jones, said bin Laden, believed hiding mainly in a rugged area of western Pakistan, may be spending some time in Afghanistan..."

"But Obama's Pentagon chief, Robert Gates, said the U.S. has lacked good intelligence on bin Laden for a long time - "I think it has been years" - and did not confirm that he'd slipped into Afghanistan."

Don't you just love the timing of new Osama stories? Always just when a distraction, some fear-mongering or as in this case, justification for more troops in Afghanistan is needed.

There is something I don't understand. Why did the CIA disband the unit dedicated to hunting Osama down, back in 2006, if they were still concerned about him? The unit called Alec Station, formed prior to 9/11/01 to focus on OBL had ceased to be relevent in 2006?

Of course, there are other theories about Osama's whereabouts.

Al Gore cancels lecture, Fox spins out of control, cap & trade and the yuan remains low.

2009-12-04T11:22:00.016-05:00

If you listen to Faux news they would have us believing that Al Gore has cancelled his lecture in Copenhagen because he is worried about a pending lawsuit claiming he is fraudulent in his global warming claims. Fox neglects to investigate or reveal any conflicts of interest (big surprise) that the organizer of the lawsuit, John Coleman may have. Here is the patty-cake interview.

Ya gotta love that Fox "news" guy interviewing John Coleman, praising the Weather Channel for having "the hottest women"on there and dismissing global warming as just "water vapor." They (John & the "reporter" guy) claim global warming is just a hoax or myth and "bad-science" yet provide nothing to back up this argument other than saying there are some "scientists" that want to sue Al Gore. They do mention that John Coleman is the founder of The Weather Channel but they make no mention of the channel's owners (NBC Universal, Blackstone Group & Bain Capitol) or how they may stand to lose or gain under highly flawed, Carbon emissions bill known as cap & trade. This guy, John Coleman claims to have 9000 scientists wanting to sue Al Gore over supposedly fraudulent claims made in Al Gore's award-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. I would like to see the names of these "scientists" and find out where they get their funding. Remember there is no lawsuit as of yet and this Fox "news" interview is only speculation of a lawsuit.

Since Fox refuses to research or report who is behind this supposed lawsuit, I will try to do my best to do so. Bain Capitol was founded in 1984 by 2008 Republican presidential candidate and front-runner for the 2012 nomination, Mitt Romney. I'm just guessing Mitt may have a few motives for wanting to cast dirt clods at Al. Watch Mitt waffle when asked if he supports cap & trade during the 2008 campaign. According to the Bain website, they manage $65B in assets. The Blackstone Group manages $95B in assets according to the NY times. It is the world's largest private equity firm. It's founder, Stephen Schwarzman is America's 50th richest person. I think we all know who NBC Universal is, the giant media conglomerate. NBC Universal is 80% owned by GE and 20% by Vivendi according to it's own website. If I were a betting man I would suspect that these groups or portions of them are behind this supposed up-coming lawsuit and slanderous attack on Al Gore for some as of yet, unknown reason and are using John Coleman is their talking head. He does have that folksy "weatherman" vernacular the folksy folks at Fox seem to love.

It becomes quite convoluted when trying to connect the dots when so many powerful parties are involved. One thing to remember when considering how these players stand to lose or gain under cap & trade system is that most of them are hedging their bets by investing in the Chinese yuan in case it rises while still owing money to China based on a lower yuan. Although GE stands to gain tremendously from the proposed cap & trade system they still have a valuable consumer-PR interest in promoting global warming as a myth. I guess that partly explains why Fox is reporting this "story" and NBC is not reporting it. The connection would be a little bit obvious.

Another thing to look at is how the currency of China will be effected by the cap & trade system. Why? Because many of these large equity firms, including Blackstone are betting against the American dollar and investing heavily in the Chinese yuan. The vast majority of their investments are still in based on the U.S dollar. Here's a good article explaining how the Chinese currency affects the U.S. dollar. Basically, if the value of the yuan goes up, the dollar goes down. If the dollar goes down, the price of Chinese imports goes up and it becomes more profitable to manufacture goods here in the U.S. again. More jobs for Americans sounds good to me. However, this does not sound too good at all to all the banks taking loans from China based on a lower yuan and a higher dollar. Hence, the dilemma. More about the currency dilemma here.

So what does all this have to do with Al Gore? Making global warming appear to be a myth reduces popular support for environmental regulation. Less regulation means more profits for GE and other polluters. That part is pretty simple. If you still believe global warming is a myth I don't need to provide any link for evidence. All you have to do is return to a beach you haven't seen in a few years and it will be quite obvious. I'll bet you money that the beach is a bit thinner and the water a bit closer. It sure was when I visited the coast of North Carolina this past summer. I was amazed that the beach I had last seen about ten years prior had crept a good 50-100 feet inland. It's not just erosion.

I haven't found any smoking gun yet but the shell casings are all over the place. Further investigation required.

Slaves to the man.

2009-12-01T21:31:00.011-05:00

"man must live by the sweat of his brow" (God according to Genesis 3:19),
"lend, expecting nothing in return" (Jesus according to Luke 6:35)

I just watched a great PBS Frontline episode called the Card Game all about the banking and credit card industry and the various tricks they have been using to rip us consumers off for the last 20 years.

Watching it I remembered this passage from Dante's Inferno about the usurers burning in the 7th circle of hell. Here it is:

"Dante then asks for clarification of one more theological issue: why is usury a sin? Virgil explains to Dante that usury goes against God’s will because a usurer makes his money not from industry or skill (“art”)—as Genesis stipulates that human beings should—but rather from money itself (in the form of interest). Thus, usurers also go against God’s “art,” or His design for the world."

Many medieval theologians considered lending for gain to be a sin. Thomas Aquinas, based on Aristotle, considered usury--like sodomy--to be contrary to nature because "it is in accordance with nature that money should increase from natural goods and not from money itself."

I always sort of intuitively felt it was wrong because it seems to be profiting from someone else's need. Just didn't seem too Christian to me.

Then I had to ask myself if I was making any money off interest. None that I am aware of....unfortunately. I wanna be a rich and evil sinner too!

CBS recommends we use mafia loan sharks if you need a loan because the interest rate is better.

We have literally become slaves or indentured servants to the banks and credit cards. With interest rates the way they are, we can work our whole lives and still not pay off the debts. I'm almost of the mind to quit paying the bills. It won't hurt them at all. They haven't exactly stuck to their word with me. How many times have they changed the rate on a card without notice? Not what I agreed to! The government will just hand them billions more of my tax dollars anyway and not even ask for a reciept.

Where's my bailout! If anybody wants to get serious about turning this economy around all they would have to do is pass a consumer debt forgiveness bill. We just handed the banks over $800B ($800,000,000,000.00)!!!!!!! What the F are they doing with it? Sometimes I think they used it all to print out new credit card advertisements to send me in the mail. Are you kidding me?!?! Let them use it to pay off some home mortgages, some college loans, some car loans, some credit card debt. It's only fair and only makes sense. It would free up a lot of money among us bottom dwellers drowning in debt for consumer spending.

The least the government could have asked in return for the money we lent them is to lower their interest rates to something below 10%. More than 10% used to be illegal. 25-35% is ordinary for first-timers now. They should have forced the banks to come clean with consumers about hidden fees, changing rates, etc and made these practices illegal. Not everyone should have a credit card. I know I shouldn't. Stop sending me your offers!

More on the swine flu shot and other vaccines.

2009-12-01T10:42:00.007-05:00

Here is a little article I felt compelled to repond to on Cleveland.com (The Plain Dealer's website) today.

You are darn right we don't trust the government or the media to tell us the truth anymore! It has become painfully obvious to most Americans over the last 10-20 years that our government is bought and paid for by the highest bidder. The government doesn't regulate or right the laws anymore. The corporations do. They right the laws. The officials they helped elect sign them. If they don't get re-elected, they get a nice job working for them as a lobbyist or consultant. The corporation that owns this paper is no better than the ones producing this poison and injecting it into our babies. Why doesn't the PD have an article WARNING it's readers that the H1N1 vaccine and many other childhood vaccines contain POISON!?!? Because that is an undeniable fact and you are not reporting it. But, we should trust you?

Here are some things I do know:

*If you want to send your kids to school, then certain vaccines containing Thimerosal ARE mandatory!
*Thimerosal is used as a preservative in many childhood vaccines.
*Thimerosal is 50% Mercury.
*Mercury is a poison that can kill you.
*Even small doses of Mercury can cause brain damage and other nervous system disorders.
*Thimerosal has been linked to speech delays, attention-deficit disorder, hyperactivity and autism.
*Thimerosal is banned in Russia, Denmark, Austria, Japan, Great Britain and all the Scandinavian countries.
*The CDC advocates that pregnant mothers and children recieve H1N1 vaccine.
*There is no truly INDEPENDENT scientific research showing that Thimerosal is safe.
*I don't trust research that is paid for directly or indirectly by those that stand to gain billions of dollars if the results are positive.
*My parents, my siblings, my wife, my kids and I have never recieved a flu shot we have survived!

Don't believe me though. Here's a link to an article on Dr. Bill Weil's (a consultant for the American Academy of Pediatrics) site regarding the issue. http://www.naturalnews.com/011764.html
Read this article! http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/7395411/deadly_immunity/
Here's what Robert Kennedy jr. has to say about it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrIM2hwrLoc

One more question: When is the corporate media going to stop criticizing and not-so-subtly trying to undermine the credibility of the internet and those of us that use it? Answer: When they go out of business.

It's the information age and we are no longer beholden to them for all of our info and they do not like it.

MOST IMPORTANTLY! Please, if you must get a vaccine for yourself or children, please ask your doctor for a mercury-free version. All childhood vaccines have at least on mercury-free version now.
------------------------------ epilogue ----------------------------------
Of course after they did not post my comment. So I posted the following comment after an article in every section of their paper.

Hey PD censor guy! Where's the comment I just put up regarding this article?
http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2009/12/h1n1_flu_shot_rumors_bug_healt.htmlIt's been about a half hour now. It only takes a second for my comments to post when I am responding to your Brown's articles. Is this subject kinda touchy? I know my post contained nothing offensive nor any foul language. Can't handle the criticism or the truth? What gives PD?

I had trouble finding the original article and had to come here to find the link. After a couple hours all of those second posts were removed and they finally posted my original comment after the story that was on the homepage but had now been buried somewhere. Man, the Cleveland Plain Dealer sucks! Just another example of corporate media afraid of the truth. I think that's part of the reason I had to create a blog page. I got tired of taking my time to write something and then watching my post get deleted or not posted at all becuase the friggin newspapers are giant chicken-shits when it comes to the truth (i.e., offending sponsors).

When a loss to the Lions is your best game in over a year, what's a Brown's fan to do? Looking back at my posts on the Plain Dealer's Browns forum.

2009-11-25T13:29:00.010-05:00

**********WARNING!!!!!!!!!***************
What you are about to read are my unedited posts on the Plain Dealer's Browns forum. Many of these posts are responses to other posters, to the writers of the article, to the players, coaches and owner of the Cleveland Browns. They contain many typos & spelling errors, smack talk and raw language. If you would like a little context for the comments look at the date and name of the article at the end of each post. I particularly enjoy my flip-flopping positions through out the course of the year and awful predictions. Man was I way off on some. They start back in January, 2009 after the end of the abysmal 2008 season and end after the Browns week 11 loss in November, 2009 to the Detroit Lions. Enjoy.

Ya know what Tick? Im starting to like you. That being said Mangini was a rushed choice. But who else had any interest in coming to Cleveland. Not Shanahan. Not Parcells. Not the chin- thank God (only a closet P-berg fan would really want him here). How many other experienced NFL head coaches were their to pick from? Thats what we all wanted right? Not a coordinator. Not a college coach. We got what we wanted so everyone quit whining or go root for Pittsburgh. Lerner is an idiot. Does he have wife or kids? Just wondering. Not clue 1 when it comes to football but that doesn't mean Mangini is gonna suck. Cant be worse than what we just had. I kinda like Mangini. I like the ballboy to head coach story. I like that he doesnt like Billy boy in NE. I like that he can beat Pittsburgh. I like that he doesn't coddle his players. Go Mangenius! Go Browns! Go Crenell! Go far away. -Posted on Cleveland Browns reach contract terms with Eric Mangini as head coach on January 07, 2009, 7:44PM

I know many will disagree but.........DA got a bad rap. Retarded play calling & Butterfingers Braylon (I hope he gets benched the first drop he has in 09) lost half our games for us last year. Not DA! I agree he was inconsistent but he did rack up some records in 2007 & went to the pro-bowl. I think he went 4 games in a row without an interception in 2008 & we all know he has a great arm. I agree he is inconsistent, doesn't always make the right choice & hasn't always displayed great leadership. However he is young. Hear me out. BQ should start this year (have we got rid of that loud mouthed, non-tackling, Smith yet?). It's his turn & he has waited long enough. But I don't know what we would get for DA in a trade & we would still have his cap issues. Who is our #2 QB if DA goes? Fellow Browns fans I appeal to your reason. I think we should keep DA around another year if he even wants to stay here. I think he is effected by us fans a little more than should be. Getting cheered when down may have turned his stomach to the fans in Orange & Brown (& the fans that did that are an embarassment to C-town). I know he is getting paid a lot of money but I think even more than that DA truly wants to be loved by the fans. Think about it. He has a stellar year in 2007 & they still don't sell his jersey but Quinn's fly off the shelves. That would annoy me too. So c'mon fans! Show DA some love & hope that the Mangenious keeps him around to back up Brady this year. I think it is really our best option. HERE WE GO BROWNIES!! -Posted on Browns analysis: As draft approaches, Anderson's value may rise for suitors on February 17, 2009, 4:50PM

Nice article written about what some guy on Espn says about what he thinks could happen. WOW! That's frakkin journalism! Way to dig deep Mary.
To my point. I am not nor have never been much of a Quinn fan (with the notable exceptions of when he was actually quarter-backing a game for the Browns, cuz I was rooting my ass for him then) but I did want him to start this year. I liked DA but felt he had his chances and blew them (some of his help on the field and sidelines blew last year as well). I felt Quinn had acted very professionally (and being paid handsomely to do so) while he paced the sidelines the last two seasons patiently awaiting his opportunities. The few he had he did not look bad. I liked the hometown factor of Quinn and that he went to Notre Dame (I'm Irish!). I want to be a Quinn fan but it seemed disrespectful to our actual starting quarterback that the only jersey's you see for sale are Quinn's and not Anderson's - the STARTING QUARTERBACK. Anyway, I digress. I hate the fact he came out as a frakkin' McCain supporter and went and attended his rally. What does that say to the majority of your team-mates (keep it real)? It says you aren't on their side. Bad move. Probably why Smith smacked him.
Anyway my point is: If the Browns trade Quinn before ever giving him a real chance to start here in Cleveland. It would be a real smack in the face to the many, many loyal Browns fans that have been waiting for him to start and see what he has. Including me! I am a Quinn fan now. I liked the fact he stood up to Smith. I liked the fact he's a hometown kid and actually wants to be the quarterback of the Browns. You can't say that about alot of pro quarterbacks. I can forgive his ignorance. Bring back Joe and let's see those two play some catch this year.
Here we go Brownies!!!
-Posted on Will Cleveland Browns part with Brady Quinn in a three-way deal involving Jay Cutler? on April 01, 2009, 11:06PM

Thanks again Tony for giving us disgruntled, football-starved, fans at least something to read about our beloved Brownies, be it speculation or whatever. I know your heart is in the right spot and report what you are able to get from the team-NOT, sloppy-2nd-hand sources. So robkeel2008 take it easy on Tony. I don't think Tony was casting a "literary jab" by pointing out that Leggett is a candidate at wide reciever. He was just hi-lighting the dismal situation we have there.
As for QB. Why are so many fans still looking for a new QB? QB is not the problem in Cleveland. DA was not the "main" problem last year! Dropped passes, stupid coaching and no pass-rush was the problem. DA put up record numbers in 2007 & went to the Probowl. We have 2 starting QB's! Pick 1 to start and keep the other as #2. I think Quinn should get his shot this year if for no other reason than to make the fans happy. He has been very professional since holding out and deserves his shot now.
As for the people that think we are gonna suck or can't win this year all I have to say is you people must be miserable to hang out with. We will have much the same roster as in 2007, a much easier schedule than in 2008, and I believe a Coach that is motivated to kick some ass and get our team back on track. I think that will rub off on the players and translate into a winning season.
I know one thing is for sure. The Lions would have made our team look like the Lions if we would have played them in that last bit of schedule last year. NO WAY we can ever be that awful again. -Posted on Hey, Tony: Tony Grossi answers your Cleveland Browns questions on April 06, 2009, 2:10PM

Awesome article! It's great having something to actually read once in a while on here (not just glance at). I liked the draft strategy of trading down for more picks. Nobody is gonna look back 2 years from now and say what a bust and waste of money our #5 pick was at least. I know all the reading gave rikosuave a headache but he'll be okay. Hey Riko! You didn't have to read the whole thing! The title of the article did say it was a transcript. Would you prefer your newspaper articles in text message format? I sometimes wonder if the only fans the Browns have left are complete idiots (myself included). I like transcripts of interviews because the audio on the videos usually sucks so bad you cant hear the questions and only half the answers anyway. So thanks again for the interesting, relevant and factual article. Keep up the great work anonymous staff writer. Go Browns! -Posted on Transcript of Kokinis-Mangini postdraft news conference on April 27, 2009, 11:04AM

I just wanna say that I am overall pleased with the draft & strategy of the Mangenius. Trading down for added depth was way better than wasting our picks on what would surely be a hi-dollar #5 that may or not be a bust.
I am also happy with the choice of a big strong center. Looks like our new coach realizes you build a team from the center out and that the O-line is the most important part of the team. You can't run or pass without it. If you wanna play the ball control football you better have a top-notch O-line to keep your defense off the field. I think if this center lives up to potential & Tucker can stay healthy we have a great shot at over 500, maybe even wild card.
We obviously will need to keep the D off the field to do that. The defense seems still pretty week at LB & backfield. If we can get Cribbs and Harrison much more involved with the ball I think our offense will be better than 2007 regardless of QB. I look forward to a real competition between QB's this year & will support whoever we put out there & I trust Mangenius to be 100% objective in that decision. Even though I dont care for Quinn's politics I kinda hope he gets his chance this year.
Too bad we cant bring Joe back at WR. Does anyone know why he was let go? Can anyone find out how many games Tucker played in last year & how many of those we won? I know he played in the Monday night game when we whooped on the G-men & Winslow did not.
-Posted on Cleveland Browns post-draft analysis: Plenty of decisions await for revamped roster on April 28, 2009, 12:42PM

Braylon, Braylon, Braylon....what are we gonna do with that kid? I really hope the new coach or last year of contract has some effect on his motivation & desire to win this year. One big drop this year and I hope to watch him ride the bench out of town. Watching him choose between making a big-time, game-changing, catch on Monday night football or letting go of the ball so he could cushion his fall last year told me everything I need to know about this guy. Spoiled, self-centered, heartless, distracted,& un-motivated to help the Browns win. When was the last time you've seen him catch anything over the middle or take a hit and make a catch at the same time? I think you are gutless Braylon and could not care less about winning in Cleveland and I highly doubt you'll prove me wrong this year but I really hope you do. Go Brownies!
- Posted on Cleveland Browns morning news roundup on April 30, 2009, 9:59AM

My Predictions: Remember, you heard them here first.
After carefully analyzing our new team on Madden 2008 I have come up with the following projected depth chart and season record. I have built all the rookies and traded for all the new aquisitions and released all players we let go for one reason or another. I also adjusted player attributes to properly reflect their current abilities (e.g., I dropped Edwards catching ability down quite a bit and improved Cribbs tackling based on his special team performances as gunner). I know it's not exactly science but I'm currently unemployed and obviously have way too much free time.
Cleveland Browns 2009 Depth Chart
Offense.
QB- Quinn, Ratliff (I think DA gets traded- we still need a new starter at HB and a shutdown CB).
HB- Healthy mix of Jamal (old and slow) & Jerome (young and quick).
WR- Braylon's back at #1! (I'm crossing my fingers-God help us). Robiskie at #2, Furrey & Patten will battle for #3, I think Cribbs will be used in special situations a bit more. Massaquoi will probably need a year to develop.
TE- Royal, Heiden, Rucker.
FB- Vickers, Ali.
LT- Big Joe Thomas. We're in big trouble if he goes down.
LG- Steinbach (although I heard rumors he may not be around). If that is the case Womack steps in which would probably improve our run blocking which may earn him a starting spot anyway.
C- Big Mack attack! Fraley is still gonna be an asset in the rotation. He can play both sides at Guard & Tackle.
RG- Hadnot (maybe Fraley or Womack).
RT- Tucker (if Healthy) otherwise we are probably looking at St.Clair (weak). I'd prefer to move Hadnot over here & patch Fraley in at RG.
All in all offensively I think we are a little improved (especially if Braylon can hold onto the ball-he should be motivated to since his contract is up this year). The OL has been beefed up & should show in the run game. QB is still a big ? WR spot has a lot more depth and should be improved. We added youth, speed and veteran hands and lost what? Stallworthless.. Too bad about Joe though. I would have liked to have seen him make it back. Tight end spot is improved. With Winslow on the field the defense knew we were gonna throw cause he couldn't/wouldn't block. We now have two proven blockers with hands to make the clutch catch. Good riddance K2. We still need help at running-back. Jamal is getting old and way too slow to the hole and won't be able to handle the reps he used to get. Jerome is awesome as a slotback but not rugged enough for the inside. Herron and Davis won't be much of a factor.
Defense.
NT- Rogers (hopefully he plays to potential again and doesn't take the year off like he did in Detroit).
RE- C. Williams (I think Leonard is going to get in on passing situations more often this year).
LE- R. Smith (I'll be looking to see S. Smith in the rotation quite a bit this year and lining up next to Rogers in the nickel).
MLB- L. Williams & Jackson keep their starting spots as long as the contracts get worked out. Barton adds quality veteran help from the bench.
ROLB- Wimbley starts but needs to step up this year or lose his spot to a young gun who does. Ruud? Vekuine?
LOLB- Hall should win the start but I could see Jackson or Barton here. If Ruud or Vekuine can compete here and are able to rush the passer they will get time on the field.
CB- Wright and McDonald. We really need some help/speed here. Hopefully one of the rooks can shine. I think Francies has the best shot at getting in. Poteat adds solid veteran leadership and could come in for the nickel.
FS- Elam. Some people are predicting big things from him this year. Pool is still solid.
SS- Abdullah. I think he will be a surprise. If not, we still have Pool.
We had a lot of holes to patch on defense. We have added a lot of depth (both young & vet). It remains to be seen if it's enough. I think our line will benefit from our slight improvement at LB in the run game but our pass coverage will remain weak if we don't see a dramatically improved pass rush. Hall and Wimbley need to step up.
Special Teams.
K- Dawson
P- Zastudil
KR & PR- Cribbs unless they pull him from one of these and start to use him much more on offense or maybe even defense. If we do then I think we see the rookies. Massaquoi in on kicks and Davis on punts.
This should still be our place to shine. Very solid kicking, returning and coverage.

Overall, I think the team is improved, at least on paper. Coaching should be better than what we have seen the last couple of years (couldn't posssibly be much worse). Offense is improved on the line (THE most important piece of any football team and the proper place to start, hopefully they can stay healthy) and recieving. QB (I'm hoping Quinn gets his shot and proves all the believers right and doubters wrong) and HB are still anyone's guess. I think the Defense will show some improvement everywhere but it all comes down to pass rush. If we can get it going, we should be okay. If not...well I hope we can control the ball and score a lot. The wild card in all of this is Mr. Josh Cribbs. I'd love to see him in the defensive backfield at safety. I think he could be an interception machine. Could you imagine him blitzing? It might be the defensive spark we need.
Based on this analysis I have predicted this year's record based on the following fairly weak schedule.
9/13 v Vikings- L (they are gonna run us over)
9/20 at Broncos- W (we bounce back big)
9/27 at Ravens- L (we split with Baltimore)
10/4 v Bengals- W (we sweep Cincy this year)
10/11 at Bills- W (really a toss up)
10/18 at Steelers L (they sweep us as always and win division)
10/25 v Packers- W (could easily go the other way)
11/1 at Bears- W (we rack up the points in this one)
11/16 v Ravens- W (refreshed from the bye we whip them at home)
11/22 at Lions- W (we would have lost this last year)
11/29 at Bengals- W (we are on a roll now and they can't stop us)
12/6 v Chargers- L (way too much for our D to handle)
12/10 v Steelers- L (I'm afraid 4 days to prepare is gonna get us embarassed)
12/20 @ Chiefs- W (10 days prep and motivated to show up Pioli)
12/27 v Raiders- W (Mangini has us prepared for must win)
1/3 v Jaguars- W (we close with big win at home and shot at wildcaRD)
Maybe I'm an optimist but wouldn't 11-5 be great? I really think we go 8-8 at worst.
Here we go Brownies! Here we go! Woof! Wooof!
Posted on Cleveland Browns morning news roundup on May 14, 2009, 1:59PM

Thanks to all those that appreciated my long-winded, bolonalysis. I'm always an optimist in May. We are winning the super-bowl this year!
As for you BUTZADRAGN, sorry if you did not like my predictions. Just keepin it real and calling it like I see. I would love for us to demolish the Pigsturd Squeelers. But they are pretty good. Also, what's a BIG DAG?
HADENOUGH? Please dude learn to read before you write. Good God, you are ignorant.
Posted on Cleveland Browns morning news roundup on May 14, 2009, 11:24PM

Well I agree all pro athletes are extremely overpaid compared to their contribution to society and owners are much worse. That is why I do not agree with TheGlue29 who says "it's just capitalism and that is how the free-world works". Dig a little deeper Glue and you will find out that we don't really have capitalism here in this country. Capitalism can only take place in a free-market. The market in this country is not free. Certain industries and corporations are subsidized by the government "our tax dollars are given to them" while other industries are not subsidized. The playing field is not level, so there is no free-market, so there is no true capitalism here either. That is why I would prefer a truly Socialist economic system here in the "free-world".
As to all of those that think Socialism is a bad word and at the same time think you are good Christian tell me what did Jesus own? Jesus wanted everyone to share (Jesus was a socialist)and believed people should have no possesions. I'm no bible-thumper but usually those that are all for Capitalism also think they are good Christians at the same time. You can't be both.
But, the reality is the system is the system that it is and Cribbs is just playing the "game" like everyone else. If he can get more money he should go for it! I would, wouldn't you? He is definately one of our best producers on the field and is certainly worth as much as many players making more than he is. I just hope it all gets worked out soon and hope he really does start on both sides of the field.
Go Browns!
Posted on Cleveland Browns WR Josh Cribbs set to skip minicamp if contract isn't reworked on May 18, 2009, 5:34PM

Hey Sccurly! "When Obama is finished ruining the economy"?? Are you whacked in the head? Where were you the last 8 years? Go learn your facts.
As for Cribbs. I believe him over Lerner any day.
However, Cribbs should honor the contract that he signed and if dandy Randy promised Josh a new contract he should give him one. To me it seems these "contracts" are pretty meaningless if they don't need to be honored and you can hold out for a new one whenever you feel like it.
Such a shame. Josh had me fooled that he was different from all the prima-donnas. Looks like he is just another one now.
Posted on Cleveland Browns dispute with Josh Cribbs is deep rooted on May 19, 2009, 12:32PM

unknownrash: I am much more concerned about the price of a gallon of milk and gasoline than I am about the stock market. The market is rigged. If you really want to look at it though why don't you look at the profits of Exxon Mobile over the last 8 years. But if it makes you feel better just blame Obama. Bush did such great things for this country, right?
Posted on Cleveland Browns dispute with Josh Cribbs is deep rooted on May 19, 2009, 2:05PM

"Contrary to published reports this morning, no one from the current Browns organization, including Owner Randy Lerner, has ever made any promises to Josh Cribbs with regard to his contract status."
Wow! How classy is that? Why don't you publicly call one of your star players a liar. Even if Cribbs and his agent are going to make a public issue of the hold-out, you would think the Browns organization would have sense enough to keep the issue "in house." I guess not. I'm not sure who actually released the above statement but I highly doubt it was our beloved owner Randy (the dandy) Lerner. I think only he & Cribbs know the real truth about what was said in the phone conversation so the above statement is just a slap in the face to Cribbs and a public insult.
I'm not sure I am digging the new management so much. First Mangini snubbs our pro-bowl DT Rogers, then release Joe J. when we desperately need veteran recievers. I'd take him over Patten or Furrey any day. Now they are calling our pro-bowl special teamer a liar in public.
I am glad we aren't babying these guys anymore but I think they might get a little more out of the players if they showed them a little more respect.
Posted on Cleveland Browns' Josh Cribbs to ask for trade if Browns won't budge on May 19, 2009, 2:32PM

While I believe contract negotiations should be kept in house it is the Browns fault that it has gotten this far. Most teams know how to handle these situations before they become a problem. I wonder if that is why Josh was the first to actually introduce himself to Mangini? Sure maybe Josh should honor his contract but this sorta thing seems to be the norm in the NFL and Josh just wants to get what he thinks he deserves.
The bottom line is: this whole situation would have been avoided if our absentee-landlord of an owner, Randy the Dandy wouldn't have indicated to Josh that they would rework his contract. Now our owner is calling him a liar in public. This sends a very negative message to all the rest of his players. The message is: "OUR OWNER WILL LIE TO US ON THE PHONE AND THEN PUBLICLY CALL US THE LIARS."
I sure as hell wouldn't care about winning anything for that guy and I doubt the players that dress up as Cleveland Browns (they aren't really Browns until they start playing like a team that wants to win) this year will either. My optimism for this year is dwindling fast everytime I am reminded of what a idiot we have for an owner.
Posted on Agent for Cleveland Browns' Josh Cribbs tells team to rework contract, or make a trade on May 20, 2009, 10:23AM

Dear Josh,
If your letter was a ploy to buy sympathy from the fans so that they will rally behind your case and hopefully pressure the "powers-that-be" into renegotiating your contract, well I think you did your self a disservice. Sorry, man. I think you already had as much fan support as you could get. Most Browns fans know you are one of the few exciting players we have, a true play-maker and game-changer. Most of us also know you are probably under-paid compared to what you bring to the team and others in your position. However, whining about unfairness and listing your positives isn't gonna work for me. I could do the same thing you know. Do you care that I am underpaid/unemployed? Do you care that I have a family to raise and support too? Man, I used to love watching football as an escape from reality and hopefully get to bask in the glory of an occassional vistory. Reading this appeal is putting a real sour taste in my mouth. Are you that out of touch with the everyday problems and financial situations of the rest of us in the real world that you thought this letter was a good idea? Sorry, even with a few valid points you get no pity from me. You are still a guy making more money playing in one game than most of us will make in years. Most of us would love to be in your shoes. Please count your blessings before you insult your fans again.
Sincerely,
Die-hard Browns since I started watching in 1976.
p.s.- I do wish you the best of luck with the contract situation and understand your position. Hope to see you in Brown & Orange this year taking off some recievers heads.
Posted on Cleveland Browns' Cribbs' releases statement regarding contraact on May 21, 2009, 4:09PM

As I am sure most of you are keeping tabs on my updated Madden depth chart I have tentatively added Hood as starting CB along with Wright. McD is now the nickel. I am holding to my 11-5 prediction despite all those that think I am crazy. If I can't be an optimist in May, when can I?
Go Browns!
Superbowl in 09!!!
I say it every year in hopes I will be right once before I die.
Posted on Cleveland Browns sign CB Rod Hood on May 27, 2009, 2:10PM

WWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Mary Kay? Who are these sources and these veterans that are complaining and baffled?
I hope someone on this sorry excuse for a team steps-up (maybe a veteran that wants to be considered a leader "Brady?") and says, "I feel priveliged to have the oppurtunity to help out these youngsters and I look forward to taking this trip with my new teammates.
QUIT YOUR CRYING YOU BIG FRIGGIN BABIES!!!!
I hope the kids up in Hartford don't hear how much you whining b"#@hes are complaining.
Some people really need to start counting their blessings. This is just ridiculous. Are these guys actually complaining because they have to ride on a bus for a 20hr round-trip. WOW!
I seriously don't know if I can root for these guys anymore. Is that what our "blue-collar" team has come to? Complaining about sitting on their asses for a day and losing a free weekend? What do these spoiled brats know about work and sacrifice if that is what they complain about? I can't pretend to relate to this team or pretend they represent MY Town if these guys are going to complain about having to ride a bus. The long 30+ year, self-induced, illusion/delusion is over. These guys most definately do not represent me or the city of Cleveland. I guess they really haven't since they left town.
Mary Kay!! Please at least let the rest of the real Browns know who these sources are so that they can shut them up quickly. They are giving our team some really bad PR. I hope those sources are good Mary Kay and this story ain't just a bunch of BS or else you would be the one giving OUR team and city some really bad PR.
Posted on Sources: Browns rookies and agents upset about 10-hour bus trip to work at Mangini camp on May 29, 2009, 5:58PM

Am I the only one that bothered to follow the 2 clicks I had to do to get to the Lerner story or is that noone else cares about how we the fans get bilked by our sub-mediocre Brownies while Lerner just keeps getting richer? Here is the link directly to the site of the story for those interested:
http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/10148
Go Lerner! Go MBNA! I mean... God bless America and Go Browns!
Posted on Looking back at a Cavaliers loss, checking in on the deal the Lerners got from Cleveland and more - Sports blog network on June 01, 2009, 9:39PM

Hey praiselebron:
If you are ever told to sit down at a Browns game again you should politely ask the offended party, "what in the hell are they doing at a football game?" Let the idiot know he probably shouldn't have bought the damn tickets if he was worried about someone blocking his view.
It's these type of people that lost us our team to begin with. Modell wanted a stadium with fancier/pricier seating to attract the corporate/country-club crowd. F them! I'm sorry. I thought this was the Cleveland Browns. Ya know, blue-collar football. Not a croquet or polo match. Tell the dude to keep sitting with his thumb up his a$$, shut-up & drink his tea. I sure hope he doesn't get any beer spilled on him. Goodness No!
Posted on Ten Commandments of a Browns Fan on June 01, 2009, 9:56PM

"There's nothing wrong with being average in the NFL. Did you know that nearly half of all NFL players are below average??? I'll be happy if we have an "average" QB. It'll be a step up from where we've been."
(gaspode)
"Yes, it's an old joke that the someone says... nearly half of all ___ are below the national average....By definition, half of everything is below average."
(gaspode)
Sorry Gaspode, I have to point out some flaws in your statements (just cuz its my nature). You obviously know that your first statement is misleading, but your second statement is false.
Average is by definition an approximation of the statistical mean. You may indeed have more players below average than above and vice versa in any given statistical category. For example, last year we had 5 guys play QB. 1 threw 9 TDs, 1 threw 2 and the other 3 threw 0. 11 TDs/5 QBs= average 2.2 TDs thrown per QB. So, in this category only one QB was above average, while the other 4 were below. This is obviously misleading because it does not consider any other statistical categories such as Pass attempts.
Anyway, you are correct in saying our QB's were below average if we look at QB Ratings last year when compared to other NFL QBs, so average would be an improvement. I would also be happy with an average QB if we have an above average rushing game.
My thinking is this: above average O-line= above average Rushing & time of possession= above average Passing= above average defense. In that order. Its starts with the O-line & I think Mangini is on the right track. Hopefully that will translate into above average Wins.
Go Browns!
Posted on Cleveland Browns quarterbacks slogging on on June 03, 2009, 11:16AM

How about some "recession seating" or an "unemployed package"? How about just one game a year with some tickets set aside and priced for the people that actually live in the community the Browns play in? I'm talking $10-$20 seats up in the nose-bleeds. Just another example of how this team and league has become out of touch with its real fan-base. Most NFL fans are middle class/working class or below poverty level. Yet the NFl continues to cater to corporate packages and the rich. For me and my family (wife & 3 kids and Grandpa) to attend a game its out of reach. 6 tickets at $60/piece, plus parking and drinks and we are over $400. I don't know many people that can afford that these days. If the Browns ownership really want some good PR he should set aside some seats for 1 game & sell them really cheap to those people disadvantaged in the community. He's got enough cash to cover his losses.
C'mon Randy! You donated over $8,000,000 last year to that London art museum (National Portrait Gallery). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Lerner
How about giving back a little to the people of Cleveland!?!? Check out how Randy makes millions while the taxpayers of Cleveland and Ohio pay for his stadium if you haven't read it already. http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/10148
Go Browns!
Posted on Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians partner on plan to sell luxury suites packages on June 04, 2009, 12:08PM

Im rooting for BQ to start only due to Da not seeming to want to be here and his inconsistemcy. I think it is time to give Brady a shot. But, I have to wonder why he has failed to win the starting spot yet now going into 3rd year and 2nd coach.
Posted on Cleveland Browns quarterback competition far from over on June 04, 2009, 12:22PM

rael1,
What planet am I from? Not planet Iluvubrady like you seem to be. Please... to suggest that Quinn hasn't had a chance to win the starting spot is ridiculous. I believe he could have/would have started his first year if he would have shown up to camp on time and been impressive enough. He obviously did neither. They didn't draft him to ride the bench. Last year was an open competition. Maybe Savage was biased towards DA but I am sure if Quinn would have shown that he was significantly better he would have started. Now he has a new coach and new guys around him. As I said, I hope he gets his shot this year but, more important to me is winning as many games as possible. Can you say the same?
Posted on Cleveland Browns quarterback competition far from over on June 04, 2009, 12:59PM

real1,
I didn't realize you spoke for everyone on this forum nor do I care if I am in the majority/minority opinion. I only care about The Browns winning as many games as possible and most importantly eventually winning the super-bowl. I would hope that is what the Browns are worried about too. Since you seem to be such a big Quinn fan please just tell me one thing that makes him a superior QB than DA. Don't list DA's negatives. Tell me what Quinn has done that makes him better than DA. You still didn't answer my first question either. What is more important to you, whether Quinn starts are winning games? Really don't like this tit-for-tat but since you called me out you should man up and answer.
Go Browns!
Posted on Cleveland Browns quarterback competition far from over on June 04, 2009, 1:24PM

Thanks for the response rael1. I think I agree with you. My initial point was that if Quinn was that great he would have won the starting spot by now. It's been 3 years. I hope Mangini continues the competition and makes an objective decision when it comes to which QB is gonna help us win the most games. As I said before I hope Quinn gets his shot this year. DA is too inconsistent.
Serenitydogg, I am not a DA guy or Quinn guy. I am a Browns fan.
Posted on Cleveland Browns quarterback competition far from over on June 04, 2009, 2:09PM

Im tired of hearing about the babies whining about a bus ride and practices are too long. Whaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!! Quit complaining babies! Welcome to the real world for a little bit. If you don't like your job, quit and try to get another one playing a kid's game and making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Otherwise, SHUT-UP!!!
Posted on Players group reviewing bus trip, long days of Cleveland Browns rookies: Browns Insider on June 05, 2009, 11:06AM

WWWWHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Geez! Are we still talking about this bus-ride? Good God! The players should be greatful for the chance to play a game for a living. I kinda suspect jay9211 is right in that it wasn't so much the players complaining but the agents complaining for them. Either way it makes these guys look like a bunch of spoiled babies.
Why didn't they fly? Hello! I think this is suppossed to be for a charity. I'm sure alot of money was saved by taking the bus. So they lost a free weekend. So they had to ride on a bus 10 hrs each way. So they had to help some kids in Connecticut play football. SO F-ing WHAT!?!? They can go flip burgers, work in a rubber plant, or go do some door to door sales if they don't like it. Even those jobs are hard to get these days. How about they ship off to the middle-east & they worry about getting blown up or sniped as they ride around.
I just think these kids have a lot to be greatful for and complaining about this trip is just a slap in the face to the real, hard-working fans of the Browns. How many of you fans would jump at the chance to take that bus ride if it meant you get to try out to play for a pro football team and make over $100,00/year?
The answer again is that Mangini was not wrong. He is trying to forge a new team out of the rubble of last season. The little weekend roadtrip didn't hurt them a bit.
Posted on Hey, Tony: Tony Grossi answers your Cleveland Browns questions on June 08, 2009, 3:04PM

gerardsmith:
Dude, Joe Jurevicius hasn't been a Brown for a while now. I wish he still was. We could use him. At least he wanted to play here and "almost" always made the clutch catch. Good Luck to Joe. Good luck to Charlie too. Both local boys. I hope they do well where ever they end up. Ya know why? Because I am a Cleveland fan. That's what I do. I root for our local teams and players.... unless they play for Pigsturd.
Go Browns!
Posted on Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Charlie Frye signs with the Oakland Raiders on June 09, 2009, 1:24PM

GO FILTHY PHIL!!!!!!!!!!
By far my favorite current Brown. The only one still around since the return in 99 and he has scored 891 points for the Cleveland Browns. How many other players in history can even come close to that? He always comes through with the clutch kick. Remember blizzard bowl against Buffalo? He couldn't even see the goal-posts through the wind and snow. It's good! We win!! One of the few players that consistently delivers for the Browns.
I hope it all works out for #4.
Go Browns!!!
Posted on Cleveland Browns kicker Phil Dawson to attend mandatory camp despite contract dispute on June 10, 2009, 8:07PM

To those of you joking about this subject (the death of a 59 yo old man on his way home from work) I can only feel sad for you. You obviously were brought up very wrong. I am sorry your parents neglected/abandoned/abused you and now you think life and death is a joke. Maybe it wasn't your parents at all. Maybe it is just how our society has become. Fraudulent governments starting wars about lies, while death is on every tv & computer screen 24/7 all in so the corporations that rule the world can make more money. It's no wonder we have all become so callous. We are a nation of money-worshiping zombies. Life is just another commodity. That's what this all come down to. If a team thinks it will help them win games and therefore make money, he will be back. If they think it is not worth the loss of revenue due to bad PR then he won't be. Simple as that and completely disgusting. I wish the family of Mario Reyes the best. I wish no harm to Donte Stallworth. However, as a father of 3 and a life-long, die-hard Browns fan I won't ever be cheering or rooting for him. I think it would send the wrong message to my kids, that you can break the law and kill someone and still make millions and be cheered for it. That means if he shows up in Brown and Orange this year my days of wasting my time on Sundays are over. I know it won't hurt the Browns or NFL at all. I can't afford tickets anyway. But we do see the commercials on t.v. and won't any more if he plays. We all have the power to boycott if you feel like I do. Let the Browns and NFL know this is not acceptable. We do not want to be put into a position where we have to either root for a team/league of killers or not watch at all. The choice is simple to me but I obviously have a different opinion than many. Therefore, the Browns and NFL will survive whether he plays or not. Too bad Mario Reyes did not.
Posted on Donte Stallworth should be gone from the NFL for a year, and from the Cleveland Browns for good: Terry Pluto on June 19, 2009, 6:40PM

hadenoughcle,
You are an ignorant moron. Have you had some bad experiences with black people or were you just raised that way? Your comments give this whole forum a bad rep. Why do you even care about the Browns and read and post here? You do realize most of the guys on the team are black, right? Do you just root for Dawson, the quarterbacks and our O-line? This is not a race issue. A rich black guy hit a working Latino guy. It's a CLASS issue. You and me would be doing real time because we wouldn't have the money to pay to the victim's family to keep us out of jail. That's how it works with our justice system. That's how our society works. Time is money. If you have the money you don't do the time. It was a tragic accident and maybe Mr. Reyes shouldn't have crossed where he did. However, that does not take Stallworth off the hook for DUI and running into him. If Dante wouldn't have been drinking & smoking & speeding he might have been able to avoid the hitting the man. Best wishes to the Reyes family. Go Browns!
Posted on Cleveland Browns receiver Donte Stallworth did not get away with it, writer says on June 23, 2009, 1:26PM

All the national writers are going to keep predicting that we will be awful this year because they only are looking at how we did last year & if we got any "star" players since then. All they know is that we let go of one of our stars (Winslow), fired our coach, drafted a center, hired a coach the Jets fired & one of our WR's is in legal trouble. Nothing stands out to them that we are gonna be much if any better than last year because the national writers obviously aren't doing their homework.
We did suck last year. We didn't score a TD in the last 6 games?!? It's pretty easy to say we will suck again. They don't want to look foolish to their peers evidently and report how Crennell was the sorriest excuse for a football coach the league has ever seen and how Winslow is actually a detriment to any team he plays on. He is another me first "I'm a soldier", throw me the ball every play, injury-prone, non-blocking player that is useless to a team. Whenever he was on the field they should have announced over the PA that a pass is coming, certainly not a run to his side. He leaves a team pretty predictable. So getting rid of those two is a vast improvement to our team right there. I think our Defense and Offense are gonna be a bit improved due to the new coaches too. I think our draft picks our pretty solid if not flashy. Combine that with a much easier schedule than last year. If Braylon can just hold onto the ball & Jamal's legs can hold out I think we are gonna surprise a lot of these nay-saying writers.
Go Browns!!!!
Posted on Cleveland Browns evening news roundup on July 01, 2009, 3:45PM

Hey Kellen!
How much $ did you make last year? How much were you making while you sat out two years because of your stupid motorcycle accident? What do you do for a living again? I'm sure the boo-boo on your balls sucked but please shut-up. Noone is gonna feel sorry for you.
Posted on Former Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow talks about last year's staph infection on July 21, 2009, 11:40AM

Thank you Alex.
And why is it seem that always the linemen can get a deal done on time while everybody else has such a hard time? Thomas didn't hold out & he got a huge contract. Sounds like our boy Alex got a nice deal. Is it their workman-like/team-first mentality? Is it because they have a higher average IQ than the specialty players? (It's true) Is it because the don't need to be prima-donnas and know how to just shut-up, play the game and get the job done? Well hopefully the rest of the guys will be on board before Aug 1. Otherwise, they ain't likely to see the field much.
Posted on Cleveland Browns sign Alex Mack for five years on July 25, 2009, 8:02PM

This is awesome! We all sound like a bunch a flaming fashion designers today. I'm all for a whole new look. I was for a whole new look when we came back in 99. It's not the same Browns they used to be so we should stop pretending. Keep the general scheme & no logos on the helmet but I am all for a new look. Updating the colors is not a bad idea. Still brown & orange but modernized. I like the brown pants. They do need stripes though. The orange jerseys must go. The orange pants should come back with both brown & white jerseys. No more white pants. Here we go. Brown pants/white jerseys away & orange pants/brown jerseys at home. That's the ticket. Modernize the colors & striping & we are all set to kick butt. Go Browns!!!!
Posted on Oh, fudge: Are Browns bringing back dark pants for '09 season? NFL Insider on July 28, 2009, 5:52PM

Here we go.........again. Please don't tell me. Not another bunch of staph infections. Please! What else could possibly be keeping Braylon from showing up on time and doing everything he can to impress the new regime in a contract year especially after his abysmal season last year? The Wolverins aren't playing already are they? Maybe a new 5-hr energy commercial?
Posted on Braylon Edwards fails Browns physical; Mohamed Massaquoi signs contract: Browns Insider on July 28, 2009, 6:09PM

I love how everyone is assuming Braylon will be the #1 reciever this year. I wouldn't put it past Mangini benching him if he is dropping easy passes in pre-season. I still remember vividly how he purposely dropped a pivotal 1st-down reception on primetime last year so that he could break his own fall. That said it all for me. It was quite clear he cared more about himself than his team, this town, us fans or winning. He is afraid to catch anything in the middle. Let the 2 new rooks and the 2 new old guys run the routes. I know. I know. At this point Braylon is still our most dangerous weapon to go deep and keep the defense honest but only if he can hold onto the ball. I hope he gets it turned around this year and can get a grip on his mental toughness. If he can't I think he is gone.
Posted on Cleveland Browns sign receiver Mohamed Massaquoi on July 28, 2009, 6:26PM

Tony! I love ya man but you got it wrong this time. You don't measure the importance of special teams by the # of plays compared to # of plays on offense & defense. It is all about field position & field goals. With Dawson we are very solid in the field goal department. With Cribbs we are very solid in returns and coverage. The Browns need to make these guys happy quick because special teams has been one of the very few bright spots this team has consistently had the last few years. Good field position not only shortens the field for the offense but lengthens it for the defense. It can give both squads a much needed advantage. If the teams are evenly matched on offense and defense then the team with the best punter and kicker will often win. That's us. If we can just match the teams we play and win the field position battles and make our field goals we will win the tight games. Go Browns!!!!!!!
Posted on Preseason concerns are minor with special teams: Cleveland Browns training camp preview on July 29, 2009, 12:44PM

Browns 11-5 (We beat Pit, Bal 1x, Cin 2x)
Pitts 10-6 (They beat div, 1x each)
Bal 9-6 (They beat Cle, Pit 1x, Cin 2x)
Cin 7-9 (They beat Pit 1x)
That's right. We surprise everyone and win the division. Pittsburgh becomes mortal. Baltimore stays solid. Cincinnati remains Cicinnati.
I ain't drinking any Kool-aid. My analysis is pure science.....and it is still July.
Go Browns!!!!!!!!!!
Posted on AFC North preseason preview: Will Steelers, Ravens enter camp dominant once again? on July 30, 2009, 11:59AM

Shucks! Now I have to redo my whole Madden 2009 Browns team. I have to figure in Hood as cornerback for sure and I had no idea we are so weak at Weak-side linebacker. I had Hall starting. I'll probably leave him there. Leon Washington starts on the inside with Jackson.
Go Browns!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted on Browns are another Cleveland construction project on July 31, 2009, 9:34PM

I'm gonna go myself tomorrow to check this out first hand and I will report back here with all the scoop. I have no bias towards QB situation. I would like to see BQ get his shot since DA has had his already. But I do remember 2007, great year for DA except when it counted against Cincy (choke). Last year was not his fault. Butterfingers Braylon, Romeovoid, no D & no O-line caused that mess. I want the Browns to win. I want them to win the superbowl. That should be their goal every year! Not improvement or making the playoffs. Their is one goal every NFL team should have each year & that is to win the Friggin BIG game. I will scrutinize every snap tomorrow in hopes of seeing a glimmer of a team that looks like they have that goal. BQ or DA? I don't care. Just win baby. Go Browns!
Posted on Cleveland Browns training camp log -- Day 4 on August 04, 2009, 6:18PM

Just back from practice and here is the scoop:
1. You can win some cool shirts from the Cleveland Clinic booth if you can complete 3/5 passes. Both my kids got a shirt.....I did not :(
2. The kids got a great picture and autographs with the best Brown of all...Filthy Phil Dawson.
3. My daughter enjoyed her hotdog.
4. Iron Maiden's "Run to the Hills" was blaring as we entered the facility. This in itself says we are about to have a GREAT year. Any team that practices to Iron Maiden should be ready to kick the livin' dog snot out of all opposition.
5. The defensive unit seems to be really fired up. I heard more barking from them than I did from any fans. I like it. I think they have the glimmer I was looking for.
6. Braylon is back & looked good as Tony said.
7. Tucker is looking strong. As wingeater32 said, he is the reason we won on Monday night last year. That and the fact K2 didn't play.
8. Lots of stuff going on. I didn't have the best view from where I was standing so I couldn't see exactly who participated in each play.
9. I didn't quite understand DA practicing the bootleg in the two minute drill. Him running it is sort of a last resort ain't it?
10. I did see DA & BQ both practice the exact same pass to Vickers. BQ completed his for a TD. Thats all I'm saying.
11. Lastly, DA had the ball last as the last drill ended and he heaved the ball through the goal posts in disgust after getting sacked. That's what his problem is. He is a competeitor for sure but he lets too much negative emotion take over when things don't go well for him. Not the leadership qualitiy we are looking for.
Here is my take on the QB sitch. Maybe we are one of the few lucky teams in the NFL that has two capable quarterbacks. It's another way of thinking about it anyway.
Go Browns!!!!!!
Posted on Tony Grossi's blog: Cleveland Browns Braylon Edwards shines in first practice on August 05, 2009, 1:35PM

Good News Browns Fans!!!!!!!
DA or BQ? I think we are looking at a better team than last year either way. Fear not for the offense. The running game sounds like it's coming along fairly well. The O-line has more depth & Ryan Tucker back makes them improved. Offense always seems to be a couple weeks behind the defense this time of year. Although, I am starting to bye the hype on Alex Hall. Sounds like we may have a pass rushing OLB after-all. But, eventually the offense will catch up to the D. It just takes more time for the O-line to get it's chemistry (especially when players are being shuffled around due to position battles & injury) & for the QB and recievers to get down their timing than it does for the D to start to gel. Hopefully all the kinks will be worked out before we meet Minnesota. But it will come together.
GET BETTER SOON REX!!!!!!
Go Browns!!!!!!!!!!
Posted on Tony Grossi's blog: Cleveland Browns QBs not scoring in two-minute drills on August 07, 2009, 2:44PM

What a giant DumbA$$!!
All he had to do was shut-up & get a little exercise & he could have kept riding the bench and collecting his check. I hope no other teams pick him up so he can join the real world with the rest of us and see what it's really like workin' for the man.
Believe me Shaun when you grow up to be a big boy and have to hold down a job to put food on the table you are gonna have to keep your mouth shut & do what you're told then too. Only then you'll have to actually work & you won't make those 6 or 7 figures anymore. Idiot!
Something tells me though that he ain't heading for the unemployment line. I think he'll do well back in the thug life or as bouncer somewhere.
Good bye & good riddance MORON!!!!!
Posted on Cleveland Browns release defensive lineman Shaun Smith on August 09, 2009, 7:29AM

moseschrute:
Dude you are cracking me up. You really got 'em going. Let me see if I can clarify this for you. Mangini has now been appointed NFL commissioner & Cleveland now has two professional football teams just like New York. The Cleveland Browns that DA will QB & the Cleveland Whites that BQ will QB. The Whites are now part of the NFC Central (yes they brought that division back) division. The teams will share the stadium. While one team plays away. The other team plays at home.
Awesome right?
Posted on Today's scrimmage tests entire organization: Browns Insider on August 09, 2009, 7:43AM

champssoon:
Dude? Why ya calling Champs a moron? You're the one that didn't get it and are now reduced to juvenile name-calling. C'mon man. Don't get mad at him just cause he fooled ya. He was just playin & you thought he was stupid but....jokes on you.
Did you know that a persons sense of humor can be used to measure intelligence? Putting it another way, just because you don't get a joke does not mean the joke is dumb.
Posted on Today's scrimmage tests entire organization: Browns Insider on August 09, 2009, 8:23AM

Moses you are hilarious.
Yeah the Cleveland Whites is not very PC. Go back and read the article again. It clearly states that two assistant coaches have been promoted to the head coaching jobs so that Mangini can take over his duties as Commish. Mangini is outta here.
Posted on Today's scrimmage tests entire organization: Browns Insider on August 09, 2009, 8:27AM

Ever notice that BQ is a backward QB?
See. You get that one. Right, Champ?
Posted on Today's scrimmage tests entire organization: Browns Insider on August 09, 2009, 8:38AM

Champs!
Obviously none of us has anything better to do or we wouldn't be posting comments about Browns & Whites articles at 8am on a Sunday morning. We are ALL a bunch of losers.
It's ok to laugh at yourself.
Posted on Today's scrimmage tests entire organization: Browns Insider on August 09, 2009, 8:41AM

Are any of you BROWNS fans going to the free scrimmage today? If not, why not?
Posted on Today's scrimmage tests entire organization: Browns Insider on August 09, 2009, 8:49AM

Champs,
I apologize I did not realize you were over in Israel. The team you are reading about plays what you would call American football. We call what you play soccer.
Anyway, I got his "joke" the first time I read the absurd question in his first post. I think he was playing on the fact that all it seems people talk about on here is who is gonna be the starting QB. He was being absurd to see if anyone would bite on it & BAM! You sure did. Now you're all upset about looking like a fool when you thought he was the fool.
O well. Who cares right? Its all in good fun and we are just entertaining ourselves.
Go BROWNS!!!!!! and Whites!
Posted on Today's scrimmage tests entire organization: Browns Insider on August 09, 2009, 9:02AM

Im still holding to the predictions I made in May.
QB depth:
BQ #1, Rattliff #2, DA #3
Browns 11-5 & win division this year.
Go Browns!!!!
Posted on Post-scrimmage transcript: Brady Quinn on August 10, 2009, 11:56AM

I've gone the last few years with the attitude of let the best QB (for our team) start, be it DA, BQ, Frye or whoever. 2007 DA looked great for most the games (but not when it really counted), 2008 he looked awesome in 1 game (monday night against the Giants), 2009 I think it is time to see what BQ can do.
BQ clearly sounds and acts more like a pro on and off the field. His answers are intelligent and articulate in interviews. DA always has excuses and lets his emotions get the better of him too often. It appears BQ has the better leadership qualities and I think the players realize that.
I think I figured it out why Sternfannie and other DA supporters on this forum take to acting childish and name-calling. They are following thier leader. I think I've also picked up on something they most definetely won't admit too.
HOMOPHOBIA. I think they are secretly attracted to BQ but can't say so.
Posted on Post-scrimmage transcript: Derek Anderson on August 10, 2009, 12:55PM

To those of you making jokes about the death of MR. REYES:
What if it was your mom or dad that was struck by a drunk driver while crossing the street to take the bus home from work? Would that be just as funny?
I don't blame the family at all for taking the money. They just lost the man bringing home a paycheck for the rest of their lives. I think they are gonna need it. Putting Stallworth in jail for a longer sentence wouldn't do them or Stallworth any good.
You jokesters are not funny and are just as big an embarassment to us fans as Stallworth is to the players.
Posted on NFL suspends Cleveland Browns receiver Donte' Stallworth for 2009 season on August 13, 2009, 7:40PM

"Romeo Crennel couldn't have said it better."
What the F is that suppossed to mean Tony? I don't think the coach was the problem last night unlike last year.

The problem was again BRAYLON EDWARDS dropping touchdown passes. I am also now officially on the BQ bandwagon. If I see DA on the field again I promise I will heartily Boo my tv. He SUCKS! Get rid of these two bums and get some players on this team.
That being said I think Quinn, Cribbs, and the D (considering thast they probably aren't going to show anything until the games are real) looked good. Espoecially the D-line. Running game was as expected. Lewis looks old and the other two guys can't run up the middle. HUGE problem. Solution. Trade DA for a RB that can take it up the middle & Edwards for someone that can get open & catch. Not real impressed with the revamped O-line either. Get Tucker in there & we really miss Hadnot right now. I don't think Mangini's new guys are the answer. Barton looked like donkey-doo too. CJ Mosley looked good. O well. Just the 1st preseason game but I hoped for a little (alot!)better.
Quinn better start against Detroit & we better dominate the first half. Otherwise, the ticket prices are gonna drop so low I might even be able to afford to go see a real game at the stadium! I guess thats the positive.
Posted on Futility flashback: Mangini fumes as Cleveland Browns show little fire in 17-0 loss to Packers on August 16, 2009, 3:08PM

To those of you wanting to know who is gonna start at QB, CB, etc....
Do you think it would be an advantage or disadvantage for the oppossing team to have that info?
I hope he keeps us all in the dark until opening day. We need to beat Minnesota. I think this team needs every little advantage it can get.
Posted on Cleveland Browns: Eric Mangini Thursday press conference on August 20, 2009, 10:00PM

SHOW CRIBBS THE MONEY!!!!
He is gonna be our leading reciever and returner and scorer this year yet is paid less than some bench-riding rookies. C�mon Mr. Lerner, Mr. Cribbs is everything you want in a player and this team needs in a player. Do the right thing and keep him happy.
GO BROWNS!!!!
Posted on Anderson shows off his arm, Cribbs dazzles as Cleveland Browns breeze past Detroit, 27-10 on August 23, 2009, 10:05AM

To those of you (KingBrown & EYEisPOED)criticizing our new coach because he is doing exactly what he said he was going to do:
Pathetic!
Mr. Mangini said he would hold a QB competition and he is doing exactly that. Based on the 2 pre-season games it seems still pretty close to me. Besides who does it benefit to let anyone know now? For all we know he has already made his decision. He may have even let the QB's know already. I do know that it does give us a slight edge to keep our opponents in the dark. Maybe he is just doing it to try and add trade value.
Whatever his reasons I am willing to give him a chance and not start calling him names already. The team looked a hell of alot better last game than they did the first game. That's improvement and thats all we can really hope to expect.
Don't get me wrong. I have my favorite (Go BQ!)& wanna know too. But, I will root for who-ever takes the snaps. You people dying to know who the starter will be right now sound like some impatient children begging to know what they got for Christmas before Santa has arrived. Grow up and calm down. All in due time.
Go Browns!
Posted on Cleveland Browns QB competition still very close, Eric Mangini says on August 24, 2009, 7:43PM

I used to like to read the comments here. Occasionally someone would have something half intelligent to say. Now it's like listening to elemtary school recess. "My dad'a cooler than your dad!" "Oh, yeah, well my dad makes more money!" "Well, my dad has a rocket arm!" "Well my dad can control the clock." The QB debate is getting old. I will support whoever it is as long as he scores more points than he gives away. Watch the game & see what happens. Go Browns!
Posted on Cleveland Browns afternoon news roundup; Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms weigh in on August 29, 2009, 1:28PM

IMPRESSIVE!!!!
It is now official to all of us except those that are blindly allegient to DA for some reason. I wanted Quinn to prove himself but ultimately I wanted the best QB to lead the Browns this year. It is quite obvious to most that he did just that tonite. DA showed off his arm and looked like we know he can for a bit & then he did what we know he does. He kills drives. He had a chance after the BQ TD pass to do the same but instead he had to run to the sidelines to get a play again because he can't think on his feet which ate up the play clock. He then had no time to read the defense.
ESPN.com saw it like this: "Anderson replaced Quinn with 5:39 left in the quarter and completed three straight passes -- one a 25-yard bullet to Edwards -- while moving the Browns to Tennessee's 38. But the drive was stalled by a sack, false start and incompletion on a ball Anderson nearly had picked off."
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=290829005
I have a theory on why their are so many BQ haters. It's because he is a pretty boy. I say, SO WHAT!? The kid can play and has now earned his chance. He has a better grasp of the game with his 3 starts than than our "pro-bowl" QB. That doesn't say much for DA. I like DA & he definately has a great arm but I think at this level it takes more than that. Quinn's arm has not looked bad at all and he also has the intangibles like on-field-leadership, defense recognition, and I think more passion for the game and this city. The QB CONTROVERSY IS OVER for everyone except the DA die-hards. I think DA looks good enough to be very valuable as a trade but BQ looks better. And not just in GQ.
Now that that's over, how about the rest of the team? I agree with everyone that says Davis looks like a great pick. He definately seems to look like our new 3rd down back if not more. The new WR's are looking good too. Furrey looks like the new clutch-catch guy. Royal looks like he is gonna be a nice addition. It was nice to see BRAYLON NOT DROP ANY PASS! Awesome! Cribbs is gonna keep defenses on their toes/heels and seems to catch everything sent his way except for BQ's one bad pass of the game. I have said it before, Cribbs will be our leading scorer, reciever and returner this year. The whole offense looked very good.
Special teams looked outstanding and was definately the difference in the game. I think this unit is gonna give us a great edge this year.
The defense still has a few gaps to fill. Our run defense looks much improved. CJ Mosley was all over the field. How about a new controversy? Who is our NT? Rubin looks friggin awesome! Rogers who? Maiava and Hall look like they are gonna be great. Wimbley even seems to be getting in on alot. We still don't have much of a pass rush, but much better than last year. This leads to our deep backs. Rod Hood looks like a weakness and oppossing teams are gonna pick on him when he is out there. Wright & McDonald give us the best shot at CB. We also are having alot of trouble covering tightends. Our linebackers don't seem to have the quickness and our safety's don't have the size. I'm betting Mangini has that fixed by gameday.
I know it's only preseason but I still think the Browns are this years dark horse. Super low expectations, fairly weak schedule, new blood and new energy can lead to big things. I'm stickin with my April prediction of 11-5.
Go Browns!!
btw- what the hell was DA lookin at as the ref ran him over anyway? Obviously wasn't watching the game.
Posted on Brady Quinn wasn't perfect, but he is the best Browns quarterback: Bill Livingston on August 30, 2009, 12:00AM

It's funny reading these posts. Obviously some people are "tick"ed off tonite even though our team won. Are you people really even Browns fans?I'M CALLING YOU OUT OLLIE007. You are either secretly a Pigsturd Squeeler fan or a homophobe and secretly attracted to BQ but afraid to admit it and so instead hold onto your hope DA will start this year so you won't have to be tempted every Sunday by your new QB, Mr. GQ, Brady Quinn. "The new WR's look suspect"?!? You are really reaching dude. Did you even watch the game?
Posted on Brady Quinn wasn't perfect, but he is the best Browns quarterback: Bill Livingston on August 30, 2009, 12:15AM

Ollie007: What exactly do you have against our new coach and our new QB? "Mangenius house of card is falling around him"???? huh?
Tucker needed to go. He was great when healthy but I agree with Runnrround. He seems to be just doing enough to keep geting a check these last few years & I think the new guy running things saw through that.
Rod Hood definately needed to go. He looked abysmal against the Titans. Superbowl Veteran or not he sucks.
Posted on With more cuts looming, Cleveland Browns won't confirm OT Ryan Tucker's departure on September 01, 2009, 8:21AM

It's great hearing those names again. That was a team! Sipe to Logan, Rucker & Ozzie. The running attack of Mike & Greg Pruitt. Lyle Alzado & Jerry Sherk stuffing the middle of the D-line. The Kardiac Kids are my first & best memories of the Browns. I remember going with my peewee team up to the old muni-stadium and watching them beat the Packers. Those were the days.
But don't anyone fool themselves. The Kardiac kids didn't go to the superbowl. Neither did Kosar & company. But, I'll take the 4-12 embarassment of last year over no team at all anyday. At least last year we could still say "wait 'til next year". We couldnt even do that for 3 years in this town. As much as the Browns sucked last year, not having a team sucked way worse. Make no mistake the Browns make history every time they play. Some times it's good, sometimes it ain't.
So appreciate what we got & hope for the best every year. I say "we're winning the superbowl this year" every year knowing damn well are chances are always slim. One thing I learned from the Kardiac Kids is the game ain't over 'til it's over and every Dawg does have his day. Remember when Couch beat the Steelers in 99? Remember when DA beat the Giants on Monday night last year?
I won't be surprised if Adrian Peterson runs us over opening day. But, I won't be surprised if Favre throws a couple picks and we surprise them either. Either way I still think we go over .500 this year and have a shot at the play-offs. I picked us going 11-5 back in April & I'm holding to it.
I think a new era of greatness is upon us. Never say never. Anything can happen.
Go Browns!!!!!!!
Posted on This Day in Browns History: Cleveland Browns win 1979 opener in thrilling fashion on September 02, 2009, 10:46AM

Who the hell is Justice B. Hill & who cares what he thinks? "juggling QB's like a clown"??? Please!! Don't quit your day job Justice. So far I've liked everything Manginious has done. I don't need to know who the starting QB is, even though I think we all know now. Even Ollie & Agency know now. We will all know for sure opening day...I think.
I also agree (in spirit) with BATTLEDOG. I don't care what the Browns did last year or what the national media thinks. Every team starts every year with the same record and the same chances of superbowl glory & every team should have one goal. WIN THE SUPERBOWL! I put my money where my mouth is. I got $10 bucks down the Browns win it all this year. I may lose that $10 bucks for sure but if miracles can happen (and they can) well then at +10000 odds, I'll win $1000. Not bad.
I'll make that bet the rest of my life. If I'm lucky, I got 30 or 40 years left in me. I will eventually win my money back.
Go Browns!!!!!
Posted on Cleveland Browns morning news roundup: Final preseason game an opportunity to win - or lose - jobs on September 03, 2009, 5:37PM

I think when you start rooting for Romeo again you have really lost your friggin mind. Time for a bowl of soup and nap Ollie.
All I have to say tonite is:
KEEP CHRIS JENNINGS!!!!
....and the pants.
Posted on Preseason's done (with a loss), but the roster questions continue for Cleveland Browns on September 04, 2009, 3:51AM

Sorry but ol' tippy toes needs to go. He hasn't looked too good since 2007. Am I the only one that saw Chris Jennings Thursday? That kid looks like a beast! Tacklers were bouncing off of him, he had great speed around the corners and nice bursts up middle. He is the real deal. Who cares how much we payed Jamal. Don't keep Jamal just because you already paid him when there are better, fresher legs to be had. If letting Jamal go frees up a spot for Jennings..do it!
Go Browns!!!!!!!!!
Posted on Do Cleveland Browns have RB Jamal Lewis on the chopping block? on September 04, 2009, 6:13PM

I've taken the time to clarify everything for everyone. Remember you heard it here first.
Say goodbye to these guys:
1. B. Anderson-db
2. Lockett-db
3. Poteat-db
4. Abdullah-db
5. Battle-db
6. S. Thomas-dl
7. A. Hoppel-dl
8. Schaefering-dl
9. B. Bell-lb
10. Costanzo-lb
11. Benard-lb
12. Leon Williams-lb (I don't know how last years starter ends up here but he didn't play much)
13. Braxton-ol
14. Hilliard-ol
15. M. Davis-ol
16. Weary-ol
17. Ryan Tucker-ol (no more free ride Tuck)
18. P. Murray-ol
19. A. Walker-te
20. Dante Stallworthless-wr
21. D. Patten-wr (nice seeing you again)
22. Norwood-wr (dropped 2 in a row yesterday & cost us a TD)
23. Lance Leggett-wr (hope he doesn't get snagged up & we can keep him on the practice squad)
24. Hubbard-wr
25. N. Herron-rb
26. B. Ratliff-qb (he has not shown a thing all preseason. I hope Mangini can be objective)
27. Charles Ali-fb (letting him go frees up an extra RB spot)
At least this is my guess as to who will get cut or should be. I really don't know what's gonna happen to Donte or Tucker but we should just let them go. Now we can keep Lewis as more of a fullback & hang onto Harrison, Davis & Jennings.
Here's the stats on our RB's this preseason by player. You be the judge.
Chris Jennings: Keeper!
Rushing- 18 attempts for 63 yards = 3.5/rush
Recieving- 7 catches for 69 yards = 9.8/catch
Jamal Lewis: Mmm. Not so much.
Rushing- 17 attempts for 46 yards = 2.7/rush
Recieving- 5 catches for 35 yards = 7/catch
James Davis: Keeper!
Rushing- 22 attempts for 181 yards = 8.2/rush
Recieving- 6 catches for 38 yards = 6.3/catch
Noah Herron: Not bad but, not enough.
Rushing- 10 attempts for 33 yards = 3.3/rush
Recieving- 2 catches for 19 yards = 9.5/catch
Jerome Harrison: Not much to go on this preseason so here are his career rushing stats:
Rushing- 77 attempts for 448 yards = 5.8/rush
He's a keeper!
I predict 11-5. Go Browns!!!!
Posted on Do Cleveland Browns have RB Jamal Lewis on the chopping block? on September 04, 2009, 9:13PM

BROWNSBLOOD- I say 11-5.
We win division & win the SUPERBOWL!!!
I already got $10 down on it at +10000 odds. With Manster Mind plotting the course & BQ at the helm, we will go far.
As fort the cuts:
We definately should have kept Jennings. I hope we can keep him & Legget on practice squad. We should have kept Bartel & let Ratliff go. Glad to see our most anonymous player (nick Sorenson) is still there. Don't understand why Poteat is still around. Glad Costanzo made the team. Nice to see Leon Williams survived too.
Check out the roster & you will not find Stallworth. Glad to see we aren't wasting a spot on him. When did this happen?
Here we go Brownies!!!!!!!!!
Posted on Cleveland Browns make roster moves -- Jamal Lewis and Jerome Harrison are spared on September 05, 2009, 10:47PM

HELLO!!!
Let me clear this up for some of you. Manster Mind is not "relying" on the secret, nor is it a "key" part of his strategy. It is hopefully just another added egde. I applaud him for trying and looking for every little advantage he can give his team. That does not mean the team sucks because he is doing so. It means that we have a coach that is going to do everything he can to give our team the best chance to win.
As for the reps in practice going to both QB's and them not knowing yet. Are you kidding me? He is just plain lying or "Using deception". The QB's know who the starter will be. They knew before the Chicago game. That's why they didn't play and why BQ was hi-fiving everyone on the sidelines and DA was nowhere to be found.
Some of you Negative Nancy's are a real blast to watch a game with I bet. Good God. They Browns haven't even played a game yet and you guys are already all over the new coach. Would you rather have Crennelephant back? You guys are probably the one's booing our QB's and cheering when they get hurt. Sorry pathetic excuses for fans.
Since you don't already know, a sorry, negative attitude is the attitude of a LOSER. Winners think positive and ALWAYS believe they have a chance to win and act/play accordingly. There has been enough Loser mentality around and on this team for long enough. Check your bad vibes at the door if you make it to a game and leave them out of this forum. Being realistic and being negative are two different things. Some of you guys just like to criticize everything. Where is your support for the team and new regime? Mangini ain't to blame for last year.
Go Browns!!!!!!
Posted on Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini will keep Vikings guessing about starting quarterback on September 07, 2009, 11:40AM

TICK & KINGBROWN
Read the post I made above about LOSERS having a negative attitude. Now go look in the mirror. I guess life ain't working out so well for you huh?
Now go moan & whine to the four empty walls that surround you. There..there. It's OOOOkay.
Posted on Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini will keep Vikings guessing about starting quarterback on September 07, 2009, 12:01PM

Tick:
I absolutely agree that we have an absentee owner that cares more about London art galleries than Cleveland football. However, at least he is willing to spend money and does not micro-manage the team. Even if the owner sucks, this does not mean our new coach does. I just think we need to give this guy a chance rather then calling him names already.
I didn't grow up watching Paul Brown's great teams. I grew up with Sipe & the Kardiac Kids. Those and the years with Kosar is the best I've ever seen a Browns team. Last year's pathetic excuse for a team was by far the worst I've ever seen. So far, our team seems much more prepared and ready than they were at this time last year. So for now I am trying to keep the good vibes going. Just doesn't make sense to me to be negative...yet.
Go Browns!!!
Posted on Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini will keep Vikings guessing about starting quarterback on September 07, 2009, 12:20PM

Moseschrute:
The green dots appearing on some NFL helmets is a fairly recent phemomenon. Some, like bpacetti, say that the green dots indicate that the helmet is equipped with a communication device for recieving plays from the sideline. If this were the case then the dot on DA's helmet would be yellow or blue since it never seemed to work quite right.
Some of us know the truth. These dots began appearing on NFL helmets in 2007. This is the same year that Bob Barker aired his last episode of The Price is Right. Coincidence? I think not.
I can't speak anymore on this subject here in this forum.
Posted on Mack or Fraley? Center is last uncertain slot in Mangini's offensive lineup: Browns Insider on September 10, 2009, 10:23AM

Well I sure am glad all the BQ bashers had a good day today. As for the rest of us BROWNS FANS, dissappointing but not a big surprise. I thought the Browns looked good for half the game. Jamal looked better than I thought he would. The O-lineseemed to give BQ plenty of time. However, he did look like he was in his 4th start today against a great Viking team. He took way too much time getting rid of the ball. Not sure if the interception was his or Braylon's fault. One of them definately did not go where they should have. Braylon's big first half catch should have been a TD. The usual ref BS on that one. If the defender interferred and pushed him out of bounds, how can it be the reciever's fault for stepping out? Dropped passes and penalties did not help. I was hoping Favre would do us some favors today. That did not happen. I'm sticking with 11-5. This team will only get better and we are gonna look awesome against Denver next week. Bank on it!
Go Browns!!!!!
Posted on Tony Grossi's Blog: Vikings dominate second half in 34-20 victory on September 13, 2009, 4:40PM

Quoting DASAGENCEE. "We don't stand a chance."
You have the attitude of a big LOSER. Could you please stop crying like a big baby that DA is not the starter. If you don't like it you don't have to watch.
iNOTaFAN3. If you are not a fan why are wasting your time posting on this forum when you could be out changing the oil on your cars or something?
Posted on Tony Grossi's Blog: Vikings dominate second half in 34-20 victory on September 13, 2009, 4:58PM

Who the hell is CCWebmaster? What the hell website am I on? Are these guys writing opinion pieces for the PD now? If so I think the majority of us could do just as well. PD get a clue. We all saw the game and critique just as well as anyone else. That isn't news and isn't a story. Posting someone's blog up on your page of what is suppossed to be a nationally respected newspaper kinda hurts the shred of credibility you still have. Doesn't Tony have some more personal attacks on the coach to make? Doesn't Mary have some rumors to drudge up? Where's Bud and his negative drivel? I know there ain't much good to say after Sunday but could you guys find some news to report please? Here are some ideas: How about an interview with DA and how he feels about his new role? How about some reporting on what free-agents may be out there that could help us fill some holes. How about a backround piece on John (false-start) St.clair? How about a scouting report of our next opponent or our division rivals? Anything other than this garbage that you guys have been passing as sports reporting. You guys suck and if I was Mangini I wouldn't want to talk to you either.
Posted on Browns week one react from the Cleveland Sports Blog Network on September 15, 2009, 3:48PM

Here's another idea! How about getting Dandy Randy on the phone and finding out what he was doing Sunday during the game?
Posted on Browns week one react from the Cleveland Sports Blog Network on September 15, 2009, 3:50PM

I just want to thank Terry Pluto for coming over from the Akron Beacon to help out the pathetic souls at the PD. Good Job! Keep it up Terry.
Go Browns!!!!!
Posted on What went wrong for Browns? It's not a short list: Terry Pluto's notebook on September 15, 2009, 4:15PM

BOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I take back everything I said about 11 & 5. This team truly blows. If Mangini still has John St. Clair starting at right tackle next week then he will have proven himself a complete imbecile and another incompetent head coach just like the last Bellicheck cast off we had here. Brady looks horrible! I wanted him to start so we can see what he can do. I've seen enough! Bring back DA!!! This team just has too many old, washed-up, hand-me-down players to be competitive and it is now very obvious. What is not so obvious is why we can't get any decent players to come to Cleveland.
Randy!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where are you?????????
Go Browns?
Posted on Final score: Broncos 27, Browns 6 on September 20, 2009, 7:31PM

Hey PD! Fix the problem with your security certificate! This new format stinks!!!
Can anyone tell me why we ran a QB sneak on 1st & 10? 268 total yards in 1st half by the Ravens. Detroit's 2nd string would beat the team we have out on the field. I used to like watching football on Sundays and having a team to root for. Thanks Dandy Randy!!!
Thanks Manginious!!!! This team is worse than last year, which I didn't think was possible. I've been a faithful fan since the Kardiac Kids days of the 70's. This team is worse than Couch & co. Those games were at least entertaining. I'll admit I wanted to see what Quinn had this year. I've seen enough. He has no arm, no decision making skills, no leadership, and no Right Tackle. He does have great hair. Put DA back in and get rid of St.Clair, Brian Daboll, Hank Poteat & Eric Barton! How do we get a new coach & owner? I've had it! Goodbye Browns. Lemme know when you learn how to score a touchdown and can win a game. Til then...... Go Zips!!!!!
Posted on Cleveland Browns receiver Brian Robiskie is sitting again on September 27, 2009, 2:28PM

PAGING DANDY RANDY!!!!!!!!!!!
PAGING DANDY RANDY!!!!!!!!!!!
What is this abomination you have embarassing our city? What is this wretched garbage you are passing off as our beloved football team?
Where are you Randy???!!!!!!!!!
What possessed you to hire this joke of a coach? Was he the right price? You get what you pay for don't ya?
How are you going to fix this? Please do us all a favor and sell this team to someone that understands football & what the Browns mean to Cleveland.
Posted on Carnage on the Chesapeake: Ravaged by Ravens, 34-3, Cleveland Browns leave Baltimore with two QBs and few answers on September 27, 2009, 9:01PM

Tony seems to be enjoying this too much. You are correct Tony. Mangini has no business coaching in the NFL. How much respect do you really think this pudgy guy that never even played college ball really commands in the lockerroom? Nice hire Randy!
This team is done.
Posted on Stunned by early season failures, players struggle to find a winning formula: Browns Insider on September 27, 2009, 9:34PM

Here's what I hope happens....
I hope our absentee owner finally realizes he has no business being the owner of the Cleveland Browns and sells the team, then they move to LA, win the SuperBowl and I just don't give a $h!t anymore.
Posted on Quinn is out and Anderson is in; Browns change starting quarterbacks for fourth time in five years on September 30, 2009, 11:47PM

Well since my wish to not care anymore hasn't completely come true yet here's what I think the Browns should do to keep me interested in the rest of the season. I'm not too interested to see how good we can be this year. That's a bust so I figure we need to focus on player development and entertainment.
1. Change the offensive play-caller now. Daboll has his head so far up Mangina's a$$ he can't see the field.
2. Let Brady finish the year! I know Anderson has a better arm and we may move the ball a little better with him. However, we also know he is a proven interception factory and he proved that again last Sunday. We still don't know what Brady can do with a line in front of him, a running game, effective recievers and without the threat of the big hook when he makes a mistake.
3. Find a RT now! Until we find his replacement, line Heiden up next to him every play.
4. Start playing the rookie wide-outs much more. Get Robiski out there. Re-sign Lance Legget too. Cribbs needs to stick to what he does best (gunner & returner). I still think Cribbs in the wild-cat has alot of potential if they let him throw it once in a while. Unfortunately we still need BE out there to keep the D honest but we all now he won't be here next year. I like Furrey, not spectacular but at least consistently proficient.
5. Let Jamal go. He is finished. I do not think he has the stomach or desire to endure another year like the one we are having. His skills are extremely diminished and it is more important to find a RB for next year. Let Harrison & Davis take their lumps. I'd get Jennings off the practice squad and on the field too.
6. The D needs to switch to 4-3. We don't have the LB's for 3-4. I think our D-line would be one of the best in the League with Rubin & Rogers lined up in the middle and Smith & Williams on the outside. CJ Mosley needs to rotate in more too. Bench every has-been defender we have out there (Poteat, Elam, Barton, Bowens). They are awful and were only brought in to fill some holes and they aren't doing it.
7. The best we can do at LB is Hall & Wimbley outside & Jackson in the Middle. Start playing the Maiva & Veikune in & outside so they can develop and find were they fit.
8. I think we are kinda stuck with DB pretty much the way things are. I'd like to see Sorenson (at least he hits & tackles) & Francies over Poteat & Elam.
Things look pretty grim this year so I hope they at least use this year to get the young guys some experience, develop Cribbs in the wild-cat a bit and convert to 4-3. Maybe even entertain the fans a little. Be creative! Go for it on 4th. G o for TD's, not Fg's. I'm all for letting all 3 QB's take turns all year until one of them steps up and proves he is the guy. Let the player position competitions continue. We need to find our RB,WRs, RT & DBs. I think we have the line & LB's for 4-3 we are just playing the wrong guys.
Unfortunately, Mangina is just going to play whoever he thinks will give him the best chance of winning each game which means playing a bunch of guys that won't be here next year. If he does that I hope he isn't here either.
I'm also all for an updated Browns uniform next year. Let's modernize the colors and uniforms. (It's the only way you are gonna start selling merch again Randy!). I still say no logo but I think it's time to retire the pumpkin heads. This team is not what we used to have in Cleveland and frankly I think they are staining the memories of those teams and don't deserve to wear the same uniforms. We should have came back in 99 with a new look. New look, new attitude, new players..ya never know. Maybe next year.
I blame this all on Ryan Tucker. Why is he getting paid to not play again this year? He is the difference between the team we had in 07 & what we have now. Get out there and play!
Posted on Quinn is out and Anderson is in; Browns change starting quarterbacks for fourth time in five years on October 01, 2009, 11:36AM

I am amending my preseason predictions. I no longer feel the Browns will go 11-5. I do love pre-season, spring-training, draft-day. Always the best times to be a Browns fan.
I now have TEN new predictions sure to come true this Sunday:
1. "false-start, #78, offense"
2. We will kick a meaningless field-goal even though we are losing by more than 2 touchdowns.
3. We will punt the ball with less than 4 minutes left in the game even though we are losing by more than 3 touchdowns.
4. We will NOT run 2 identical goal-line dives from the wild-cat, nor will we run a QB sneak on 1st & 10 from mid-field.
5. DA will throw at least 3 interceptions.
6. DA will be sacked at least 3 times by Robert Geathers.
7. Mangina will stand on the sidelines with his arms crossed and frown.
8. At the beginning of the game the stadium will be full of cheering fans in brown & orange. In the 2nd half the stadium will still be half full of cheering fans in brown & orange.
9. There will be at least one play where the Browns have at least 4 tackle oppurtunities but they will miss them all and allow the touchdown.
Aaaand #10! Alex Mack's arrant shot-gun snap will be recovered in the end-zone for a safety.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BRRRRROOOOOOOOOOWWNNSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted on Quinn is out and Anderson is in; Browns change starting quarterbacks for fourth time in five years on October 01, 2009, 4:39PM

Posted by DASAGENCEE
October 01, 2009, 5:33PM
KWEEZY,
Listen moron, you didn't feel the urge to make any predictions before any of Quinn's miserable starts, so now that you've been made to feel like a jilted lover, you're going to try your luck at it now. Just for the hell of it, I copied your predictions so I can throw them in your face Monday morning. Odds are though, that you'll either change your handle or you just won't be here. Pour out your little cup of Haterade and recognize son.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Go ahead & call me a moron over the internet tough guy. Learn how to read bright boy. As I stated in my previous post, I predicted 11-5 in the preseason with a loss to the Vikings, a win over Denver & a split with Baltimore & a sweep of Cincy. (Those would be predictions duma$$!) I recently ammended my predictions & you were kind enough to care & repost them for me. thanx
I was overly optimistic like always in preseason. The problems are a lot bigger in Cleveland than just QB but so far they both SUCK. But, continue on attacking everyone that doesn't have nice things to say about your "man-friend," DA. You really love that "deep ball" he has don't you? You want him to go deep over & over again don't you?
Now get up off the floor & wipe your chin. Please count how many of my new predictions come true this Sunday and repost them all you want. I'll repost them my self:
Posted by kweezy
October 01, 2009, 4:39PM
I am ammeding my preseason predictions. I no longer feel the Browns will go 11-5. I do love pre-season, spring-training, draft-day. Always the best times to be a Browns fan.
I now have TEN new predictions sure to come true this Sunday:
1. "false-start, #78, offense"
2. We will kick a meaningless field-goal even though we are losing by more than 2 touchdowns.
3. We will punt the ball with less than 4 minutes left in the game even though we are losing by more than 3 touchdowns.
4. We will NOT run 2 identical goal-line dives from the wild-cat, nor will we run a QB sneak on 1st & 10 from mid-field.
5. DA will throw at least 3 interceptions.
6. DA will be sacked at least 3 times by Robert Geathers.
7. Mangina will stand on the sidelines with his arms crossed and frown.
8. At the beginning of the game the stadium will be full of cheering fans in brown & orange. In the 2nd half the stadium will still be half full of cheering fans in brown & orange.
9. There will be at least one play where the Browns have at least 4 tackle oppurtunities but they will miss them all and allow the touchdown.
Aaaand #10! Alex Mack's arrant shot-gun snap will be recovered in the end-zone for a safety.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BRRRRROOOOOOOOOOWWNNSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted on Cleveland Browns didn't draft LB Rey Maualuga; will they be sorry? on October 02, 2009, 10:25AM

DA2WIN
My predictions have been wrong before. I'm here every week (if not every day). I don't change my name. I don't run & hide & snivel like you DA smokers. You all disappearred after BQ was announced the starter. My most recent predictions are meant to be humorous (even though I think most will come true). I also meant my prediction of 11-5 (even though I hoped & thought it could come true) to be humorous. I knew 11-5 was not realistic. The humor being how optimistic & hopeful Cleveland fans can be before the season starts. You DA lovers are quite sensitive when it comes to critisicm of your "man-friend". I would love to see the the Browns beat Cincy but I am being realistic now. I just don't see it happening. Not with DA or BQ. Neither of them will have anytime to do anything as long as we have #78 on the field. As for my preference at QB. I wanted to see what BQ could do. So far he has produced as much as DA. Nothing. I still don't think either QB has much of a chance with the players they have to work with and BQ has not had as many oppurtunities as DA when you count last year. Now go grow a sense of humor & pull the rag out of your a$$.
Posted on Cleveland Browns didn't draft LB Rey Maualuga; will they be sorry? on October 02, 2009, 11:03AM

I agree with all the Jennings backers. I think he should have been signed & Jamal released. I feel bad for Davis but neither he nor Lewis has done anything this season. Jennings may be from nowhere but right now that's exactly where this team is headed. He can only help. I won't be surprised at all if he looks like the best back we have seen so far. He certainly did in preseason. I know, I know, preseason. I just hope they give him the ball a few times. I think he & Harrison could be a nice combo. I also think they need to get Rucker & Leggett back and out there playing. Play all the young guys and let's get them ready for next year. Bench the slow old guys. This year is a bust.
Go Browns.
Posted on Cleveland Browns' James Davis on injured reserve for season on October 03, 2009, 7:20PM

Awesome Tony! Way to look at the bright side of things. I'm actually being serious.
"After Bartel was released on the final roster cut, the Browns sought to re-sign him to their practice squad. A source said Bartel declined because he felt he had beaten out Brett Ratliff for the No. 3 job."
Wow! That says a lot about getting guys to play here in Cleveland. When you can't even get a 3rd string QB to sign. It says even more because he knows what he would be getting into & he wanted nonthing to do with Mangina's Browns. I don't blame him. I thought he beat out Eric's boy, Ratliff too. Ratliff showed nothing in the preseason. Bartel wasn't stellar but he did produce a bit more than Ratliff.
Posted on Eric Mangini's poor start is not the worst in Cleveland Browns history: NFL Insider on October 03, 2009, 7:28PM

I guess all we can do is laugh at this joke of a team right now. Thanks Bud. Way to hammer it home. Keep up the good work. Mangina needs to hear it from you guys. So does DANDY RANDY.
RAAAAAAANDDYYYYY!!!!!!! Where are you!!
This team. No, the people running this team. No, more precisely...Eric Mangini needs to understand that his transparent-posuer attitude of a tough guy, disciplinarian only works if the players first respect you. They obviously don't. Somebody needs to call our art-collecting, soccer loving, silver-spooning, absentee landlord of an owner & tell him that he needs to get a clue & fix this now. Let Ryan finish the year as head coach, fire Daboll & Mangina. Get BERNIE KOSAR in here to call the plays!!!!
"Any coach pretending to consider the long-range priorities of a franchise can't justify that kind of quick hook -- unless his view from the ship deck tells him he has much bigger problems looming if the course isn't quickly corrected."
Nicely said Bud. DA is out there to only maybe provide a spark on offense. He is too inconsistent to be a true starter. BQ has not been given enough game-time. So far he has certainly looked awful but so have a lot of great QB's in their first year. Either way this year is a bust. We know what we have in DA; an inconsistent, interception-factory, cry-baby with a good arm. We don't know for sure yet with BQ because we have only seen him play with no line, no RB, no WR & no play calling. I say bench Braylon. He's outta here next year anyway & his attitude is poison. Bench all the slow old geezers on Defense. Please find someone to replace John (ain't there) St. Clair & line a TE next to him every play until we do. Play the rookies. Re-sign Rucker & Legget. Feed Jennings the rock. Get the Hall, Maiva, Veikune & Constanzo in there to replace Barton & Bowens. Get Fracies out ther instead of Slo-feet Poteat. Let's play this year like it is our practice season for next year.
Go Browns.... & Whites!
Posted on Can Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini remain a leader if no one is following? Bud Shaw's Sports Spin on October 03, 2009, 8:09PM

"Coach Eric Mangini thinks having a plan and sticking to it is imperative"
Hey coach? Please explain how that statement is consistent with pulling YOUR starting QB that YOU just put through a drawn out, heavily documented & analyzed competition after 2.5 games.
Doesn't sound like you stuck with the plan to start BQ too long.
If that plan was flawed how do you know that all of the other plans aren't equally flawed?
Here's a plan. Stop acting like a highschool principal & start facing the fact that maybe your plan to have Daboll call plays was also not so good. How about that plan to have St. Clair as an O-lineman? How about your plan to bring in guys that fit your personality profile rather than a plan to actually bring in good players?
The clock is ticking....I hope. ARE YOU TICKING THE CLOCK RANDY!?!?
Where are you Randy?
Posted on Cleveland Browns night news roundup: Coach Eric Mangini thinks having a plan and sticking to it is imperative on October 03, 2009, 8:38PM

Mary. You are missing the whole point. Who cares whether DA helps us win against the Bengals. The question is now- who is going to help us consistently win games? We already know all we need to about DA. Great arm, bad decisions, weak-minded & inconsistent. We don't know what we have in BQ yet because he has not had a team to play with yet. No running game. No recievers able to run the same route twice (other than Furrey), no offensive line (with the exeption of Thomas), no play calling & no confidence from his coach. DA is gonna play free-wheeling & care-free cuz he has nothing to lose & he doesn't care. This may result in some points for one team or other. BQ was playing afraid to make a mistake because he wants to start at QB for Cleveland. That's saying a lot seeing how Bartel didn't even want to sign with us. You need to "woman-up" and start acting like a reporter and asking Mangina the tough questions Mary. Ask him how pulling BQ is consistent with his theory of having a plan and sticking to it.
Bring it on DA lovers! I hope DA plays well & the Browns win. I never wanted BQ to start up until this year. DA lost the job last year & I only think it is fair to give BQ his fair chance to start more than 2.5 games.
I think the real question for Mangina should be is he making the QB change because he thinks that is what is best for the Browns long term or is the kitchen just getting too hot?
Posted on Analysis: Derek Anderson's quick release may help keep offense on the field on October 03, 2009, 8:58PM

I'm just saying we already know DA is NOT the answer. BQ may not have the arm DA has but I garuantee he has the arm that Farvre has now. He was just afraid to force it. Maybe our recievers weren't open down field? He held the ball too long against the Vikings but he did not have much time at all against Denver (4 sacks) or Baltimore. I don't think he has been given his fair shot yet & I really could not care less what any of the national media types think about it. They are just going to see us as a lousy team in a burned out city anyway until we start consistently winning.
Posted on Analysis: Derek Anderson's quick release may help keep offense on the field on October 03, 2009, 9:29PM

I love the optimism of the writers but I am only confident about my TEN new predictions sure to come true this Sunday:
1. "false-start, #78, offense"
2. We will kick a meaningless field-goal even though we are losing by more than 2 touchdowns.
3. We will punt the ball with less than 4 minutes left in the game even though we are losing by more than 3 touchdowns.
4. We will NOT run 2 identical goal-line dives from the wild-cat, nor will we run a QB sneak on 1st & 10 from mid-field.
5. DA will throw at least 3 interceptions.
6. DA will be sacked at least 3 times by Robert Geathers.
7. Mangina will stand on the sidelines with his arms crossed and frown.
8. At the beginning of the game the stadium will be full of cheering fans in brown & orange. In the 2nd half the stadium will still be half full of cheering fans in brown & orange.
9. There will be at least one play where the Browns have at least 4 tackle oppurtunities but they will miss them all and allow the touchdown.
Aaaand #10! Alex Mack's arrant shot-gun snap will be recovered in the end-zone for a safety.
I also agree with LoneStarBeer. The days of Frank Minnifield & Hanford Dixon are long gone. Enough with the dawgs already. This team plays like a bunch of poodles. This team doesn't desreve to wear the Brown & Orange. So get them new uniforms Randy & sell some merch!
Posted on Tony Grossi's game preview and PD Staff picks: Browns vs. Bengals on October 04, 2009, 10:19AM

Now time to review my predictions:
1. "false-start, #78, offense" ---------I was wrong.
2. We will kick a meaningless field-goal even though we are losing by more than 2 touchdowns. -------------I was wrong.
3. We will punt the ball with less than 4 minutes left in the game even though we are losing by more than 3 touchdowns. -------I was wrong.
4. We will NOT run 2 identical goal-line dives from the wild-cat, nor will we run a QB sneak on 1st & 10 from mid-field.------------I was Right!
5. DA will throw at least 3 interceptions. -----------I was wrong.
6. DA will be sacked at least 3 times by Robert Geathers. I was wrong.
7. Mangina will stand on the sidelines with his arms crossed and frown. ----------I was right!
8. At the beginning of the game the stadium will be full of cheering fans in brown & orange. In the 2nd half the stadium will still be half full of cheering fans in brown & orange. ----------I was half wrong.
9. There will be at least one play where the Browns have at least 4 tackle oppurtunities but they will miss them all and allow the touchdown. ---------I was wrong.
Aaaand #10! Alex Mack's arrant shot-gun snap will be recovered in the end-zone for a safety. ------------I was wrong.
I am very happy to be wrong today, especially about prediction #8. At least the Browns looked like a professional team today. The game was competitive. The Browns should have won. The defense played great. The team showed they still have a pulse. DA looked pretty good today except for the interception.
I give the coaches some credit for making some changes today & trying some new things. Furrey @ safety=great idea. Cribbs in the backfield=great idea. Jennings in the offense=great idea. But ultimately I think it is the coaches that lost us the game too. We should have gone for it on 4th & 10 @ the end of regulation rather than punting or attempting the field goal. The coach was afraid to take the chance & we lost in over-time. Mangina needs to bench Braylon. Nothing but drops, penalties and bad attitude out of him.
Rogers, Massaqua, & Cribbs all looked awesome! Good game Browns. Better luck next time.
Posted on Bengals defeat Browns, 23-20, in OT on October 04, 2009, 6:28PM

bamsterman 100% correct.
BE has always shied away from the big hit & therefore misses alot of catches. He does not like going over the middle at all. I'm not gonna judge these guys for being out partying. I was that age once & had no responsibilties but my self once. I am sure they were all celebrating almost winning. Which is pathetic but that is our Browns. The thing that bothers me is BE obviously was not able to control himself again. He has no self-discipline at all. I don't care what Lebron's little punk buddy may have said. BE is a 26yo full, grown man. He needs to act like one. Plus picking on the guy half his size? C'mon. I can't wait to see BE playing in Detroit next year.
Posted on LeBron James says envy led to Braylon Edwards' downtown attack on event promoter on October 06, 2009, 10:06AM

I'm not ready to jump back on the DA bandwagon yet. We all know that DA is capable of looking like a premier NFL QB. He is also capable of making bad mental errors and killing drives with stupid mistakes. He looked pretty good against Cincy (3-1). Let see what he looks like this week against Buffalo (1-3). He should have a big game. Let's see some consistency. As for BQ, I don't think Quinn has gotten a fair look yet but he hasn't done anything with the chances he's had either. Some QB's never get more than 1 drive to make their case in the NFL. DA is definately the better QB at this point but what are we playing for this year? If we are trying to rebuild then we ought to find out once & for all what Quinn has. The only way to do that is play him. If we are trying to play for respectability this year (maybe even .500 record) then I think DA is the better choice. I just don't see the point in playing for respectability. I think they ought to play this whole year like practice for next year. Let the QB's compete all year. So far DA has earned another start. Play all the rookies. Bench all the old guys. Get Braylon outta here now! He won't be back next year anyway. Re-sign Legget & Rucker & keep handing Jennings the rock. Chris Jennings 1 run for 8 yards. So far I like his average.
I do need to apologize for calling our coach Mangina. I think he stepped up this week and acted like a real coach. Keep it up coach! Don't let this team have a big let down this week. Make sure they remember that game didn't count as a win.
Did anyone else see Clay Mathews Jr. strip the ball from AP & return it for a touchdown last night? Looked a lot like his dad. Why do the Packers have AJ Hawk & Clay Mathews? Shouldn't they be on the Browns? Let's see what Veikune & Maiva can do this week. Massaqua sure stepped up. Let's give Robiskie his shot & please don't tell me his lack of playing time has nothing to do with him being the last to sign a contract this year.
Go Browns!
Posted on Cleveland Browns have rediscovered QB Derek Anderson, but failed Brady Quinn - Bud Shaw blog on October 06, 2009, 1:10PM

And another thing. Just to put things in perspective. So far this year the Browns first 4 opponents are 14-2 (Min 4-0, Den 4-0, Bal 3-1, Cin 3-1). Buffalo (1-3) is a team the Browns should be able to beat. If they don't and Anderson fails to score or has trouble with turn-overs I say let BQ try his luck against Pittsburgh.
Posted on Cleveland Browns have rediscovered QB Derek Anderson, but failed Brady Quinn - Bud Shaw blog on October 06, 2009, 1:20PM

Woohoo! Let the rebuild continue. Another waste of roster space is gone. Thanks coach. Don't let the door hit you in the azz Braylon. I'm sure you won't. You'd fall down & drop your suitcase before you'd let that happen.
Posted on Braylon Edwards traded by Cleveland Browns to New York Jets for two players and draft picks on October 07, 2009, 11:09AM

Let's compare the stats so far this season:
Stucki= 11 receptions for 120 yards & 1 TD
Edwards= 10 receptions for 139 yards & 0 TD
Just going by the stats & only considering this 1 player we recieved it seems like a fair trade. When you consider that we got another player, 2 mid-round draft picks & removed a cancer it looks like a great trade. Way to go Browns. Adios butter-fingers.
Posted on Video: Tony Grossi breaks down the Cleveland Browns' trade of Braylon Edwards to the New York Jets on October 07, 2009, 11:42AM

"Name me one player he kept that isn't better than a Brown player that was cut?"
Posted by fldawg1940
October 08, 2009, 10:48PM
I'm gonna say Andra Davis is better than Eric Barton.
Sean Jones over Poteat or Elam.
Winslow over Royal (Although I'm glad he's gone).
Jurevicius better than well...........Braylon's gone now.
Bye Butter-fingers!
Posted on Cleveland Browns' receivers minus a star, but they think that's a plus on October 09, 2009, 12:42AM

We've seen winning teams since the return in 99.
2002- Couch & Holcomb take us to the AFC wildcard where we lose to Pigsturd.
2007- DA chokes when it counts & we miss play-offs despite his leading us to a 10-6 record.
See, we've seen them twice. Twice we've had a winning team here since 1994 when Bill Belichick & Vinny Testaverde took us to 11-5 but lost to the Squeelers in AFC divisional game.
The rest is history.
Posted on Cleveland Browns' receivers minus a star, but they think that's a plus on October 09, 2009, 12:57AM

It seems some of the posters here just like to be negative for negativities sake. You must be a joy to live with. I was calling for Mangini's head after game 3 too but I realize that he is rebuilding not for the quick fix but the long term. He is still trying to figure out who some of his starters are and where everyone fits best on this team. The process is fluid & ever evolving. (Yes, you can use that line in your next press conference coach). I realized after game 3 this year was a bust so the Cincy game was not a big disappointment for me. It was the first good game the Browns had played in a long time. Sure it would have better with a win but I understand it is going to take time if this is to be done right.
After going 3-13 in 1990 the Browns hired Bill Belichick who told Modell it would take him 5 years to rebuild the team. He had us at 11-5 in 4 years. I know our coach may not be Bill Belichick but we all know he wants to follow his blue-print. My point is Modell was willing to give him 5 years to turn things around. It's gonna take some time people. I know we have all been waiting for a winner in Cleveland for a long time but I'd rather have a great team built from the ground up that can last rather than a quick-fix, flash-in-the-pan season that won't. I'm all for him cleaning house. Good riddance butter-fingers. Sure it probably makes us a bit weaker this week but in the long term it was the right thing to do. BE was gonna be gone next year anyway.
I'm looking forward to watching the new guys win or lose. I for 1 would rather watch a bunch of no-names go out there every week and play their hearts out and lose than watch a bunch of prima-donnas half-azz it & win. Maybe that's just my mentality from being a long time Browns fan but I want to be able to root for the players on this team. I have a hard time doing that when I hear about bar-fights @ 2:30am, going 120mph on the highway & killing people while drunk driving. I'd rather lose without guys like that.
After further review (despite what I myself may have said to the contrary), as bad as we looked after the Baltimore game we still didn't look as bad as we did at the end of last year. That was bottom folks. I think we will see gradual improvement week by week with some set-backs and hurdles along the way. After last year this team needed a major over-haul & that is what it's getting. The coach may not have all the pieces yet & is still figuring out where some go.
As for the whole DA v BQ thing. Please give it a rest. I think I speak for a lot of people that are neither "Quinnbots" or DA-lovers. We all know DA is capable of being a pro-bowler. We all also know he is capable of mental errors and has trouble with consistency. We didn't know what BQ could do & felt it was time for him to get his shot. I am ready to say he had his shot & blew it & wish him the best if he gets another chance. He seemed afraid to throw the ball & proved a lot of his critics right. Who knows? Maybe he just needs more time but as of right now DA is our QB so that's who I'm rooting for to help turn this team around.
Go Browns!
Posted on Transcript of Thursday news conference with Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini on October 09, 2009, 10:19AM

Does anybody know exactly what Edwards said to get Ryan all riled up? Maybe Ryan is just trying to goad Edwards into throwing more. I just watched a video interview from Wednesday of Trent Edwards. When asked how he felt about the upcoming game he said with bright eyes and big laughs, "I'm very excited, aren't you." I think the Bills might be taking the Browns lightly. I hope Ryan backs up his smack talk & the Browns prove Edwards wrong.
Posted on Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan calls out Buffalo Bills quarterback Trent Edwards on October 09, 2009, 3:54PM

Posted by wcwoofer
October 09, 2009, 3:51PM
Ryan looks like a bigger freakin' PIG than Mangini.
His record speaks for itself - at Oakland and HERE! It SUCKS both places.
And this guy would work for minimum wage at a surf shop or a burger stand if his Dad wasn't Buddy Ryan. Another Browns JOKE!
Why our team, Lawd? Why us? Why the trials with this continued line of morons and idiots? Isn't it Pitssburgh's or Baltimore's turn for the next 40 years? How long must we endure this stupidity.
Posted by wcwoofer
October 09, 2009, 3:53PM
Go Ryan.....go back out west!
Take Daboll and ManGoofBall with you!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looks like you stopped enduring already, Bronco fan. Are you criticizing Ryan because of his weight, his record or because his dad is Buddy? Either way, it's all irrelevant. What exactly is it about his defensive scheme that you don't like? Don't blame him for lack of talent. He shouldn't have to teach how to tackle at this level. Why don't you take your Bronco helmet over to the Bronco boards.
Posted on Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan calls out Buffalo Bills quarterback Trent Edwards on October 09, 2009, 4:07PM

To all the fans that didn't understand how anyone could see any positives in the Cincinnati game because it counted as a loss; did you see all the positives in the win? I thought the Cincy game was much better offensively but I will take an ugly win anyday.
As for the DA haters and people that want to run Mangini out of town: sure their may be better QB's out there (Quinn has not shown that he is) & better coaches, but these are the guys in brown & orange right now so that is who I'm rooting for. We all know the real problem is the guy carrying the purse, eating crumpets & drinking tea over in England somewhere.
I'm not gonna be critical or complain today. The Browns broke a 10 game losing streak. Congratulations. Now beat Pittsburgh!
Go Browns!
Posted on Lost in a desert of defeat, let's not question how the Cleveland Browns found an oasis in Buffalo: Terry Pluto on October 12, 2009, 8:24AM

Woohoo! A win is a win. The Browns are no longer the worst team in the NFL. Tenn, KC, TB & St. Louis have yet to win a game. We are now just as good as Miami, Buffalo, Oakland, Carolina & Detroit who also only have 1 win. Go Browns!!!!!!
Interesting news on the new PD format & the comment police here:
http://blog.cleveland.com/updates/2009/10/plain_dealer_wants_comments_--.html
I just registered over at the Akron Beacon. The first story I read over there has never been spoken of here (i'm sure it will be soon though). Did you know Davis' season-ending injury occured in practice playing without pads against a line-backer in pads. Check it here:
http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/browns/2009/10/davis-injury-investigated/
Posted on Talk Browns with Tony Grossi today at noon on October 12, 2009, 10:02AM

Posted by biggus8
October 16, 2009, 2:29PM
Browns don't pay and Free agents will not come? Really. In spite of the fact that over the last ten years they have signed more FAs than just about any team you can name? Please can the hyperbole. If every time a guy outperformed his contract they got a new one there would be no room for adding FAs. You cannot have it both ways.
********************************************************
Can you name 1 free-agent that the Browns have aquired that is worth anything? The only "talent" the Browns will be able to attract are the washed-up, has-beens that noone else wants like we have been seeing come here lately. How about that John St. Clair? What a deal!
I don't think Cribbs is asking that all the team's contracts be re-worked, just his. He is a special player and professional teams often make exceptions for special players. He is not only a stand out on special teams but also (for better or worse) a starting reciever. His contract was written & signed when he was just a special teamer. If I exceed performance expectations and get more responsibilties put on my plate at work I also ask for more money. If I don't get it I will look for employment that pays me fairly.
The bottom line is, at the end of last year Cribbs says Lerner told him his contract would be "taken care of." The new management came out and basically called him a liar by saying the conversation never took place. If I were Cribbs I would be upset about the situation too.
I applaud him for handling it professionally so far but you know the deal his buddy Braylon got and how he got it can't be far out of his mind.
Browns fans: Please stop buying the merchandise, tickets and supporting the sponsors of the Cleveland Browns until the start providing a product worth the money. That means being a consistent play-off contender.
Good luck Josh. Go Browns!
Posted on Agent for Cleveland Browns' Josh Cribbs says pay him or trade him on October 16, 2009, 3:45PM

Hey Daboll! Why not just let Lewis call the plays?

"He wasn't, you know, 'Hey, I want the dang ball,' or anything like that. He was, 'Hey Dabs, let me get this one.' I could feel it on him."

We can just hand him the ball every play, watch him tippy-toe around and hope he gets 4 yards.
The offense & Daboll are a very unfunny joke. I don't get it. They made the switch to DA out of desperation. Any plans they had for this offense have gone out the window. They are now flying by the seat of thier pants. I don't think they have the nose up yet.
Posted on Browns offensive coordinator Brian Daboll disputes rift with Brady Quinn: Browns Insider on October 17, 2009, 9:27AM

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't know what I can't stand more. The pathetic non-throwing, non-tackling, non-blocking, non-running, non-catching & non-caring Browns or this friggin' new format on this website that doesn't allow you to post half the time or puts the post in the wrong spot or mysteriously deletes the post after you finally post it.
As for what the problem is with the Browns- Everyone's right! It isn't one thing that needs fixed it is every single thing. This year is a bust & DA ain't the answer. Anybody that doesn't know that hasn't been watching the last three years. Put Brady in to see what he has or trade him please. Lewis needs to sit as well. Let Harrison & Jennings develop. Play the rookie LB's as well. I'm glad to see the rookie wide recievers finally playing. Let's see what they have & let them learn this year. Needed asap is 1 right tackle & 2 cornerbacks.
Your thoughts Randy?
Posted on Cleveland Browns' failures in Pittsburgh just a dull, repeating echo to fans: Terry Pluto on October 18, 2009, 9:43PM

Agreed. The QB thing is real old. We're all Browns fans here (well, most of us) no matter our preference for QB. DA is the guy right now so GO DA! If Brady ever gets in again I will root for him too.
Posted on Cleveland Browns flu bug stabilizing; two players have Influenza A on October 22, 2009, 11:19AM

Josh. Not, that I condone rooting for the opposition but the fans are the ones that ultimately pay you. It sounds like they we're expressing how hard it is to root for this team anymore. We want a winner! We have been waiting since 95!!!!! Things are only getting worse and things are getting very desperate for the loyal that remain. The number of us grows fewer each week. A meesage needs to be sent to Mr Lerner and I think those fans may have been trying to do that. We are tired of wasting our time, energy & money on the product this man has been selling for quite some time. The product is faulty and it needs to be recalled. The pain you felt when those fans cheered for the Pack is the same pain we fans feel watching our team miss block after block, pass after pass, tackle after tackle, catch after catch and opportunity after opportunity. I think empty seats would be a better form of expression but I sure ain't gonna criticize them. I'm sorry you are stuck playing with some of the sorry talent around you. I hope you do well if you decide to leave. You are one of the very few bright spots this team has had since they returned and I hope you stay but you gotta know things need to change in Cleveland. Go Browns!
Posted on The flu may have passed, but the Cleveland Browns still look sickly in 31-3 pounding by the Green Bay Packers on October 25, 2009, 8:09PM

This team will suck no matter who takes the snaps. It will be hard to move the ball with only half an O-line, no wide-outs, 1 slow old running back and a defense that looks like it is playing not to get hurt. That being said, lets see what are other sucky QB's look like for awhile. Ya never know. If Brady gets more than a half-hearted shot against something other than 2 teams that are both undefeated (nearly) & let him play for awhile he might prove to be better than DA as hard as that might be to imagine. We all know this won't happen until after the bye week when he won't be able to have his 70%.
Mangini is proving himself to be the great pretender. He can talk circles around a question & lie straight in our faces but it is sure looking like he can't pick out talent when it comes to coaches or players and he sure doesn't know how to motivate his team to perform. What can he do? Oh yeah, penalties are down.
And another thing; where is Chris Jennings? Where is the wildcat? Direct snap to Cribbs every play! Where is the heart of this team? Where is the effort? I guess it all got traded away or is sitting on a bench. Where is Randy?
RANDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where are YOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!
Posted on Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini says he's sticking with Derek Anderson on October 26, 2009, 8:16PM

DASAGENCEE!
Are you having a good time? It sure sounds like it you pathetic douche. Only you could be happy right now cuz your man-freind is the starting QB for the worst team in the league and at the same time call the rest of us actual Browns fans "so-called fans". If you were an actual fan you would be just as frustrated at the state of the TEAM as the rest of us instead of gloating that DA is the starter and calling names to anyone that mentions Brady Quinn. "Quinnbots" what is that? Is that implying that Quinn fans are robots? If that is the case please take a look at yourself. You defend DA no matter what he does. You reflexively insult Brady Quinn and his supporters at the mere mention of his name. Dude you are the mindless robot. I'm gonna start calling you THE ANDERDROID.
Posted on Cleveland Browns afternoon news roundup: Brady Quinn sitting no matter how much Derek Anderson struggles on October 28, 2009, 5:42PM

I feel bad for these guys as much as I can feel bad for guys living out their dreams and making 6 & 7 figures a year. I know they want to win. I am sure they are all trying very hard. The problem is they have very little talent compared to the rest of the league and the coaching seems to be unable to adjust during the games and from week to week. Daboll's play-calling is horrible. Ryan's mouth & hair are impessive but his defense seems to be afraid to tackle.
Posted on Cleveland Browns: Wednesday open locker room quotes; Josh Cribbs, Hank Fraley, Brian Robiskie, Eric Wright on October 28, 2009, 6:02PM

The reason those of us that would like to see Quinn back in there is because we want to see what is best for the team in the long term. We understand BQ has started only 6 or so games since he has been in the league and may look just as bad as DA when he gets in there. He is undoubtably a bit rusty. He has the same awful support cast & coaching DA has around him. We know it may not look good. We also know we have had enough of DA. As you say DA may give us a better chance to move the ball or improve the team in the immediate future. We have seen the future. We saw what DA did last year. We saw him in the Bengals game in 2007 as he single-handedly dashed us from the playoffs. We've seen his bad decisions, his stumbles & fumbles, his interceptions, his inability to read and adjust to defenses, his inability to adjust the velocity on his throws and his tired, sad-sack attitude long enough. We've seen enough of DA. Most of us knew this season was over the minute DA was thrown into the Baltimore game. It was obvious then that the coaches really didn't mean to give BQ a fair shot. The coaches are looking for a quick fix to cover their butts. They don't care about next year because they aren't even sure they will be here. The true Browns fans know this year is a bust and just want see what BQ can develop into if anything. We don't know if he is the answer yet either we just know DA is not.
I personally wish the Browns would just play all the young guys all year and let them get ready for 2010. If we can't get to the play-offs who cares if we win a couple more games playing old, washed-up players that won't be back next year? Contrary to your polarized world-view most of us are neither "Quinnbots" nor Anderdroids. I could care less who the QB is if the Browns are consistently winning. As for who the players want at QB, who cares? It ain't their decision. They aren't the ones that have been rooting for this team for years/decades. They should also want what's best for the team but reality is that most players just want what is best for them. If I had to venture a guess as to why they don't like Quinn (if that is indeed true) I would guess it is a combination of jealousy & politics. He makes more $ than most players and he doesn't even play and he is openly Republican on a team that is most likely (if we look at the racial demographics) predominately Democrat. Maybe Quinn is an arrogant prick. I dunno. It doesn't matter. He needs to get in the game and play out the year so we can make a truly educated decision regarding our QB situation next year because I really doubt a lot of those players that don't like him will be around next year either (Sean Smith). Anyway this isn't about Quinnbots vs. Anderdroids. This is about doing what is best to bring a winner to Cleveland. Pointlessly playing DA is not in Cleveland's best long-term interest. Since that is supposedly Mangini's decision I hope he takes his Jet hand-me-downs and hits the road.
On a side note: What do you do when DA no longer plays or starts for the Browns? I know you disappeared at the beginning of year when Quinn was starting. You were quiet as a little mouse. So do you root for another team then? Say Da gets traded for a 7th rounder, do you go root for the team he gets traded to?
Posted on Cleveland Browns afternoon news roundup: Brady Quinn sitting no matter how much Derek Anderson struggles on October 28, 2009, 8:36PM

Great article. We got to read Mangini spew about the Bears and answer a couple softballs questions. Don't be afraid to ask the tough stuff Tony. You talk enough smack about him when he ain't around I'd expect you to have something a little pertinent to ask the man face to face than, "if he thinks Green Bay kicked the ball out of bounds so Joshua Cribbs couldn't return it" or a couple questions about Fraley and Hadnot. C'mon Tony! Show some cajones!
Example:
"With the fans clamoring for Brady again, DA's abysmal numbers and most importantly lack of wins, how do you justify to the fans continuing to play an inneffective quarterback when all that you saw of Quinn who had only started 3 games prior to this year is 10 quarters against 3 teams with a combined record of 15 & 4? How do you justify to the fans that have supported this losing team for years keeping Quinn on the bench when you had previously stated that you would stick with the starter you picked and when you had previously stated you put DA in just to provide a spark? Didn't you expect Quinn to look rusty and that he may need some time to develop? Don't you think it would be wise to see what Quinn has this year so that you can make an educated decision regarding QB next year?"
Posted on Cleveland Browns: Eric Mangini Wednesday press conference on October 28, 2009, 9:24PM

"Yes, and really I'm looking to get down there more often to increase the averages of getting in."
I am so happy to hear he would like to get into the redzone more often in order to increase our chances of getting into the endzone. How profound.
I would just like to add that I would like to see us with the ball more often to increase our chances of getting first downs an therefore increasing our chances of moving into the oppositions side of the field which may in turn give us a better opportunity to approach the redzone.
Posted on Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini's press conference on October 29, 2009, 6:30PM

I have to imagine this is just what was envisioned when they put the whole ticket license policy in place. How else are they gonna keep selling tickets during years when the product is garbage. Tell people they will get a better seats next year! Glad I couldn't afford to be such a sucker. The corprorate friendly, family-oriented atmosphere kind of goes against the whole blue-collar, blowing off steam environment you would expect at a Cleveland Browns game. It's almost nauseating and to hear of these paid goons throwing people out for getting too loud or obnoxious is just ridiculous. That's what a football game is for! But I guess their are far more fans working in ties and khaki around Cleveland nowdays than in hard hats and jeans. I'll continue to stay at home & watch on tv or listen on radio where no one can toss me out & I can be as loud and obnoxious as I want. When the games gets to hard to take I can just turn it off knowing I've lost nothing but a bit more of my time.
Posted on Protesting the Browns seems laudable, but what's really in it for the fans? Bud Shaw's Sunday Sports Spin on November 01, 2009, 8:25AM

Well I sure hope you are right about Quinn and Jennings getting on the field. It seems only the Anderdoid and Mangini haven't figured out that DA is inconsistent at best and awful at worst. The actual Browns fans who have been watching him for the last 3 years know that. We need to see what Quinn can do in order to make a informed decision on next year. This year is a bust. Play out the season with evaluating & developing talent as the main goal. Develop the wildcat some more too. The run games needs all the help it can get. Bring on Jennings. Play to win of course but with the players we drafted. Bench the old Jets please.
Posted on Terry Pluto's Talkin' ... about QBs and other Browns challenges, and a good role model for Manny Acta on November 01, 2009, 8:45AM

"You QUINNBOTS are on a par with the birthers as far as your conspiracy theories go. Get a grip. Quinn is a bum who''ll NEVER be under center for the Browns again." - Posted by DASAGENCEE on November 01, 2009, 7:05AM
Even with $11 million as motivation to keep him on the bench and only 3 minutes left in the game, DA finally managed to suck so horribly bad that Mangini put Quinn back in as a sign to the fans that the DA era is now officially over. Amen. The only good thing to come out of that game. See ya Anderdroids!!!
BWAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted on Final: Chicago Bears 30, Browns 6 on November 01, 2009, 4:45PM

I keep searching for a defense for Mangini because I really don't want to see another rebuilding year next year but I can't seem to find one. I was gonna say that at least he is willing to change QB's. He pulled Brady for DA & now I thought it appeared he pulled DA for Brady but he comes out & says he was just getting him reps. Well if that's reps for prep against Baltimore I guess it's ok but why can't he just say he had seen enough of DA and it was time to get Quinn back in. He is so secretive and deceptive. I bet a real pain to work for and it shows that the players dislike him. We will never get quality personnel here with him as coach. So if you are wondering what to do Randy, Boomer has some ideas. I think if Mangini has any sense he ought to be looking for a new playcaller asap, keep Quinn in and hope for the best the rest of the season. The writing is on the wall. He's got 8 more games to get this thing turned around or he is gone and it is back to square 1. Which at this point is probably a step up. Maybe we can get a coach that knows what to do with all of those draft picks we are gonna get. As for Randy. Well...hopefully Bernie can guide him.
Posted on Anger boiling over as Cleveland Browns take another pounding, 30-6, from Chicago Bears on November 01, 2009, 9:40PM

"To me, I think this is my last year. I think this is it. Honestly, the way this looks, you know, I had a good run. Period. Point blank. I've done what I needed to do." - Jamal Lewis
Is it me or is that the sound of an offensive captain quitting on his team. Oh no! No more tippy toes dancing in the backfield. Put a fork in him cause he's done and he says what he means. Finally we might get to see Jennings. Jamal you acted like you were doing us lowly Browns fans a big favor just by being here the whole time you've been here. I won't miss you. To me you'll always be a Raven.
Posted on Frustrated Jamal Lewis says this is final NFL season: 'I've done what I needed to do' -- Browns Insider on November 02, 2009, 9:29AM

Just look at that picture of Mangina up there screaming. What does it say to you? Does it say, "Oh crap, coach is pizzed, I better hustle, get my head in the game & hit someone?" Does it say, "Shut up ya Eric Cartman look-a-like, who are you who has never played the game or accomplished anything on your own yelling at?" Judging by the play of his team, I think the latter. I know it seems over-simplified but I think it may be just as simple as the players don't really respect him. That's probably why he has gotten rid of all the talent we had on this team. He is incapable of dealing with NFL size personalities with talent enough to play elsewhere. The only players he will ever be able to bring in are rookies and washed-up free agents. No real impact players will ever want to play for him and he probably wouldn't want them anyway out of fear they may challenge his fragile authority. We have no hope with him as coach for that reason alone.
Posted on As Cleveland Browns slide further from competency, the coaching questions increase: Bill Livingston on November 02, 2009, 10:05AM

To all the fans that plan to "protest" by showing up late to your seats Monday night, I just have one simple question: What are you trying to accomplish? If it is just to get media attention and therefore Lerner's attention then great, mission already accomplished. Is it to get Lerner to sell the team? If so, be careful what you wish for. He is aloof and has made some bad hiring decisions but the threat itself has gotten his attention and he appears to be trying to do.....something. If it is to get Mangini or Daboll fired you will have to let the powers that can do that know somehow. So lots of signs should also be made & displayed at the game indicating what specific changes you want to take place. Otherwise, it will just look like just a bunch of fans having a tantrum. Sure, we are frustrated and angry over this season and lack of winning seasons in the last 10-11 years. Very understandable to everyone around the league. But protests are suppossed to try and accomplish something. Now that it has been threatened it must be done. I just think the "protest" needs some focus now. What do we want to see happen? Here are some signs I would like to see in the stadium Monday night.
More creative play-calling please! I mean FIRE DABOLL NOW!
Bench St. Clair!
Where's Chris Jennings!
We never liked you anyway Jamal!
We want shiny new uniforms!
How about some cheerleaders?
The beer costs way too much!!!!!!!
Go Rookies!
BQISRQB
Empty
Seats
Protesting
Nothing
A little humor never hurts anything. It's not like this "protest" will seriously change anything anyway. If you really want to make a statement- don't show up. Everyone knows the seats are already sold so not using them would make a much bigger statement than just being tardy. I'm just not sure that this "protest" isn't gonna make Cleveland and us fans look like bigger fools than we already do. Who appointed the French Fries as leader of the Browns fans anyway?
Posted on Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner to meet Tuesday with fan-protest organizers on November 02, 2009, 1:56PM

Our absentee landlord of an owner is ultimately to blame. He signs the checks. He made the hasty hiring decision that brought this disaster of a coach to town. Now he shows up after hearing his house is burning down. Better late than never I guess. Fire Mangini now! No respectible player will ever want to play for him. He is unwilling or incapable of making the tough decisions. He should have named a QB and stuck with him. He should have relieved Daboll of play-calling duties long ago. He has purged the team of every play-maker it had (except for Cribbs) and replaced them with back-up players at best. He has ruined the psyche of both QB's. He has no people skills or leadership qualities. He has no skills evaluating talent. Why did you hire this guy Lerner? It appears now that prior NFL head-coaching experience and a Cleveland connection as a ball-boy is all he had going for him. I hope who ever Lerner brings in, the guy has the authority to fire & hire a new head coach. When is Mangina gonna announce the QB for the Ravens game? Is he gonna have both QB's share reps in practice again so that neither is fully prepared? Make a decision already!!!!
Posted on Who's responsible for the 1-7 Cleveland Browns? Take our poll on November 03, 2009, 11:29AM

I think the main reason the Browns want local guys is because they are slightly more likely stick around through the trying times like these than guys who have no connection here. Right now Chambers would be a welcome addition (local or not). We certainly need all the help we can get at wide-out & I doubt he is any worse than the "starters" we have now.
Posted on Bedford High graduate Chris Chambers available if the Cleveland Browns want him on November 03, 2009, 4:51PM

"Quinn will never take a snap as a Brown again, yadayada..." -as spoken by the Anderdroid.
Oh Yeah! Why don't you go process DA and Mangini's packages some more.
BWWWWWAHHHHHHAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted on Cleveland Browns head coach Eric Mangini's Tuesday press conference: a transcript on November 03, 2009, 5:14PM

"I think that everybody who's here right now is contributing to the things that were doing now"
That's the friggin' problem genious!
Posted on Cleveland Browns head coach Eric Mangini's Tuesday press conference: a transcript on November 03, 2009, 5:16PM

Excellent suggestions! I'd just like to add that we should also replace the steaming sack of festering dung we currently have as a right tackle with a football player. Fraley & Hadnot should be playing on the right side. Get Chris Jennings in there running the ball. Lewis is slow and just quit anyway so put him on the bench. Play all the rookies. They can't do any worse than the old Jets we have playing right now. Even if they are worse, who cares? At least we will know what we have and the players will get some experience for next year. Go Browns!
Posted on Cleveland Browns head coach Eric Mangini's Tuesday press conference: a transcript on November 03, 2009, 7:10PM

He was fired because his responsibilites included having final say on bringing in personnel. Have you seen the personnel we have? He was fired because from the moment he got here he has done absolutely nothing but keep quiet & defer to Mangini. He was fired because Lerner probably got tired of giving a check to a guy doing absolutely nothing. He was fired to send a message to the fans that people will be held accountable. He was fired to send a strong message to Mangini- "You could be next!" I think Lerner is looking to Mangini show some sack and make a similar move by firing Daboll. If Mangini does not do something drastic to improve this team quickly I think he will be next. The sooner the better as far as I am concerned. No players of any quality will ever want to play for him. His rep is pure dung. He still hasn't named a QB to start aginst Baltimore! Make a decision and name a QB already so they can start practicing please!!!!!!!!!
Posted on Owner Randy Lerner should not have blamed George Kokinis: Cleveland Browns morning news roundup on November 04, 2009, 9:35AM
Sorry about the injury Barton but we need to get the young guys playing time anyway. As for Jamal well, talk about a big baby. He's not having fun this year and he has fumble and then it's all the sudden, "I'm retiring." An offensive team captian just quit. He needs to ride the bench and stop stealing reps from Harrison and Chris Jennings. There's some good news. We are improving already.
Posted on Neck injury could end season for Eric Barton: Browns Insider on November 04, 2009, 9:51AM

Here's how the story finally ends: DA goes on to choke against Cincy in a game that would have clinched the play-offs for the Browns. The season ended as it almost always does. No division title, no wild-card, no play-offs. 10-6 just not quite good enough in 2007. There are million better games that could have been re-hashed. I'm not quite ready to re-live the golden years of DA, Edwards & Winslow.
Posted on This Day in Browns History: Winslow, Anderson lead victory over Seattle on November 04, 2009, 10:15AM

It's the coaches job to make sure the players know what to do.
Posted on To rescue the Cleveland Browns, Randy Lerner must hire a leader, and be one, too: Terry Pluto on November 04, 2009, 10:41AM

Enough already with the process! Enough with moving forward. I am so tired of listening to this guy talk like some corporate middle manager. Talk some football Mangini! Why is this team getting a 4 day weekend? They should be practicing every day. Name a QB already genius! How much time do you waste watching films and discussing areas of improvement opportunity with these guys when they should be on the field practicing plays? If DA is back out there Monday night the little planned protest will be the least of anyone's worries. The Browns are gonna get destroyed on national tv either way. If it's DA under center, the stadium is gonna riot... I hope.
Posted on Cleveland Browns: Eric Mangini Wednesday press conference on November 04, 2009, 4:09PM

I can't wait to see Jamal grace us with more of his 2 yard Dancing-with-stars auditions next Monday night. Please Jamal, don't bother any more. You publicly quit on your team already. Way to be offensive team captain. Retire already then. You are stealing playing time from Harrison & Jennings. You always be nothing but a washed-up Raven to me.
Posted on Cleveland Browns: Wednesday open locker room quotes; Jamal Lewis and Brian Robiskie on November 04, 2009, 5:39PM

That's quite a cast Bud. I dunno about Forrest Whitaker as Romeo or Dreyfuss as Lerner. I'm thin king Cedric the Entertainer as Romeo and Andy Dick as Lerner. Andy Richter as Mangina and Michael Richards as Kosar is hilarious though. I guess all we can do is laugh now....or tune out all together.
Posted on But would this Cleveland Browns TV show be a situation comedy, or just a tragedy? Bud Shaw's Sports Spin on November 05, 2009, 11:25AM

Don't forget stabbing the guy in the back who gave him his first job in the NFL. Mangina is a liar and a rat. No player will ever respect him. He will never bring a winner to this town because no winners will play for him. He has to go now. Monday night protesters bring your "FIRE MANGINI" signs & let Lerner know they got the wrong guy.
Posted on Source tells SI.com that George Kokinis and Eric Mangini didn't see eye to eye from the start with the Cleveland Browns on November 06, 2009, 5:42PM

Fans that will be at the Monday massacre; Please show Lerner your displeasure at the product on the field and his decision to keep Mangini. Bring your signs, don't show up, wear purple, or even better- cheer for the Ravens! Let him know that it is his decisions that are losing him his fans (customers/consumers). Kokinis may have been a worthless lame duck but his firing will not effect the play of the Browns one bit. He needs to fire Mangini now and bring in someone credible. Holmgren would be great. Hire him as the coach! It sucks we have to keep going through a coaching change but better now than waiting for what will never happen, i.e, the Browns going to play-offs with Mangini as coach. Get him outta here and start over again. Try to get it right this time Randy. Enough with the Patriot hand-me-downs.
Posted on Article suggests coach Eric Mangini could be next to go: Cleveland Browns morning news roundup on November 09, 2009, 11:04AM

Mangini is an idiot! He still hasn't let the team know who the QB is?!?! What are they doing in practice? Sharing snaps? Please Lerner fire this moron before he scares away Cribbs, Rogers & Joe Thomas if he hasn't already. The guy has no idea what he is doing. He is a weasel and a liar. No player or coach worth anything will ever want to work for/with him. He stabbed the guy that gave him his first NFL job in the back and then throws his buddy under the bus all in a vain attempt to cover his own inept azz. Some of you fans are even more dense than Mangini. The point of playing Quinn is not because it will make the Browns a much better team all of the sudden. It is to make Quinn a better QB and to at least see what he can develop into. Fans worried about saving this year are out of thier minds. Nothing can save this team except another complete overhaul in the office, some impact players at reciever and defensive back, some more help at LB & O-line, a consistent RB and a real commitment to a consistent QB. The point of playing Quinn is to assess him once and for all and maybe get him some reps for next year. We know what DA can do. We have seen him for 3 years. He's had a few good games over those 3 years. The last one I remember was on Monday night in 2008. That's not quite consistent enough. If you are going to the Monday night slaughter at the stadium et Lerner know your displeasure. Wear Purple!
Posted on Cleveland Browns' Eric Mangini will announce QB decision Wednesday on November 09, 2009, 11:27AM

yeah, thats why. It's morons like you that keep buyin tickets to go watch garbage that keep our teams in the toilet. No need to flush while the seats still warm. Now run along and fetch a Jamal jersey while they last.
Posted on Cleveland Browns' Jamal Lewis tees off on Eric Mangini's practice regimen on November 13, 2009, 2:16AM

Let me be more polite with my comment to you this time in hopes the holy PD big brother will allow my words to be uttered.
What I meant to say to you Barby is that you should read the article first before you post and make a fool of yourself. If you go and read the article it clearly states:
"Mangini professes to have an open-door policy to allow players to stop in and vent. He also has weekly meetings with the team captains. Lewis is one of the captains. But Lewis said he won't take his complaints directly to Mangini."
Posted on Cleveland Browns' Jamal Lewis tees off on Eric Mangini's practice regimen on November 13, 2009, 2:25AM

"I agree with you Terry, QUINN is indeed an unmitigated bum......I agree, let him play so that I can get out my longknives for each pathetic performance he rings up."
- Posted by DASAGENCEE, November 17, 2009, 3:19AM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Anderdroid strikes again! First, I don't believe Terry called Quinn that but, I do agree that he played pretty awful. But no worse than I've seen DA perform this year. Still, you have reached a new low even for you. You are now admittedly excited for bad performances from the BROWNS so that you can come on here and gloat about it. As if you have anything to do with it. DA or BQ, I'm rooting for whomever is at QB. You don't seem to care about the outcomes of the games as long as your man-crush DA is in the game. I'm starting to wonder if the real reason DA is on the bench isn't due to a season-ending injury. I think the serious friction burn you gave him with all your heavy stroking now has a staph infection. You better go apply some salve.
BWAAAAAHAAAAHAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!
Posted on Grim finish to another abysmal defeat underlines Cleveland Browns' plight: Terry Pluto on November 17, 2009, 10:07AM

"a stadium that looked almost as empty as the head of owner Randy Lerner"
Really? I hope you didn't take to long to think of that one Bud.
As for blaming Lerner for passing up Shanahan & Gruden when both had no desire to coach this year is way off the mark. You as a "journalist" should check your facts before you go throwing tomatoes. There are plenty of other things you can slam Lerner for that you don't have to make up.
Posted on Cleveland Browns' final ridiculous play against Baltimore Ravens should be the symbol of coach Eric Mangini's misrule, Bill Livingston says on November 18, 2009, 12:12PM

So it was all Quinn's fault that Cribbs got injured! He either changed Mangini's play at the line to attempt to get a meaningless but badly needed score or the Raven's were seeking revenge for Quinn's hit on Suggs. Either way Quinn is guilty. Both interceptions had nothing to do with the ball's bouncing off the recievers hands either, just bad passes. It's also Quinn's fault their were no pass attempts down deep the field too. He had all kinds of time to pass and recievers wide open down there. Good news though folks, Lebron is gonna be our new QB and Holmgren is taking over as coach. At least that's what I think I've been reading in the PD all week.
Posted on Cleveland Browns' Josh Cribbs says Brady Quinn told players 'keep ball alive' on final play on November 18, 2009, 4:51PM

Poor Braylon. I finally figured out what the problem is with him. Everyone and evrything from Ohio hates him and guess where the NFL balls are made. That's right. Ada, OHIO. http://www.wilson.com/wilson/football/video.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673974607&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302756199
Posted on New city, new team but the same old Braylon Edwards on November 23, 2009, 4:27PM

Really Eric? Was that the difference in the game ballboy? Can you prove it? If not, who cares? No excuses. On another note, I think we found a running back in Chris Jennings. Then again, I thought that after the last preseason game when Mangina sent him to the practice squad & kept tippy toes instead.
Posted on Cleveland Browns' Eric Mangini suggests Detroit Lions faked injuries and Jim Schwartz says he's out of bounds on November 23, 2009, 8:01PM

Mr. Mangini. For someone that says they want to bring in "character" guys, "guys Cleveland can be proud of" it seems ironic that your own personal character is so flawed. Stabbing the man that gave you your first job in the NFL in the back. Throwing your buddy under the bus to save your own skin. Now calling another old friend a cheater. Quit casting stones. Look deep in the mirror. Do you think Cleveland is proud of you? Do you think your players respect a rat? Cleveland will be proud again when we have "good" players that consistently win football games. Cleveland will be proud again when we start beating the Steelers again. Cleveland will be proud when we get to the playoffs again. We've been waiting 45 years for a championship victory. I've never seen one here and neither have you. I don't think you ever will if you don't focus on your own character first.
Posted on Cleveland Browns' Eric Mangini suggests Detroit Lions faked injuries and Jim Schwartz says he's out of bounds on November 23, 2009, 8:26PM

Solo with the soloist.

2009-11-21T16:46:00.008-05:00

J. Mascis, Lou Barlow and Murph make up one of my favorite bands of all time, Dinosaur jr. J's guitar playing is loud, noisy, sometimes sloppy, fast & furious, sublime and sweetly beautiful. His solos truly touch my soul. That's right. Dinosaur jr. is soul music.

So they played last night on Cleveland's east side at the Grog shop. I had the date marked on my calender for months. I really wanted to go but never did buy tickets early because I wasn't sure if circumstances would allow and I never thought it would sell out. I'm a family man with responsibilities that sometimes preclude me from my own trivial endeavours such as attending concerts. I hadn't been out in a long while. I really wanted to go.

So the day before the show I had decided that I just didn't think it was gonna work. Then the morning of the show I changed my mind again and decided that I did want to go. So I went to the Grog shop website & found out that the show was sold out. I was a bit disappointed. Now I couldn't go. Or could I?

After moping around the house for most of the day I decided to jump in the car & drive to Cleveland. It was 8:30 at night, doors opened at 8, I had no ticket and I headed out on the road. My drive included a 5 mile stretch down Superior Ave. If you've never experienced Superior Ave. in Cleveland on a Friday night, do yourself a favor and don't.

I found a place to park and walked on up to the front doors where all the people were hanging around outside smoking. I figured some of these people probably didn't have tickets either. After a second of hanging out there I walked on in the door. I hit the first corner with a table and guy taking tickets. I passed the guy a glance and kept walking. I nodded to the security at the next corner and quickly got myself lost in the crowd. I was in! I saved myself $25. My drive had not been in vain. Woohoo!

It was 10pm. Now what to drink? This always used to be a no-brainer for me but has become much more complicated for me in the last 4.5 years. I did the responsible thing and ordered a diet Coke. Truly a milestone for me. Normally just the atmosphere of a bar with clanking bottles, loud music & the smell of beer is enough to make my salivaries drool. Add to that the loud rock music that I love and it is normally a recipe for mayhem and eventual disaster. Not tonite. Not anymore. This would be the first time that I can ever remember going to a bar alone and not drinking. I knew I had that drive back home and those responsibilities so I had my motivation.

Dinosaur jr. didn't go on for another hour. You can't smoke inside anywhere in Ohio anymore so I spent my time nursing my diet Coke and gradually making my way towards the front of the stage. The show was great. They played a bunch of old favorites and some new songs. They were extremely loud as well. J had 3 stacks behind him and Lou had 2 of his own. I nearly lost my voice hooting, hollering and singing along.

There was a mosh pit which is pretty funny considering. Dinosaur jr. is loud rock but hardly what I would consider mosh pit music. There was even a pit during Just like Heaven, the cover of the classic Cure tune. I had a good time watching the kids and feeling like a responsible old man. After the show I bought a beer to reward myself and a shirt with the money I saved. I hit the road feeling very proud of my sobriety and new found freedom. I wasn't sure I could go out alone to a bar with my favorite band playing without drinking. I did it. I feel like such a big boy now.

Thanks for the awesome performance guys! Now that I know I can, I will be back....I promise to buy a ticket next time.

Check out their video for Over It off the new album, Farm.
Here they are on the Rollins show performing Forget the Swan.
Check them out live performing Gargoyle/Kracked with a Steve Albini interview intro.
Here's the video for Rebound by of one of Lou's fantastic other bands, Sebadoh.

Blow Jobs.

2009-11-20T12:00:00.002-05:00

You have all seen these guys walkin around with the jet-packs strapped to their backs blowing invisible little particles of dirt from one place to another? WTF? I’ve got two of them blowing crap all over the school playground behind my house right now. What are they doing? Who is paying these idiots? In this case I’m sure they work for the city so in effect, the taxes I pay are paying them. I love the high-pitched, whirring, sound they produce at 8 o’clock on a Saturday morning. Awesome. It’s fun to watch. You can see them really focus in on one particularly annoying leaf or pile of dust that just won’t cooperate with them. They try to swoop around the leaf and attack it from a different angle hoping it goes the direction they want it to this time. They could just bend over and pick the thing up but they prefer to waste their time (hey, their getting paid) using their blow-job machines. There they are with their headphones, safety-glasses, work-boots on, blower in hand, engine on back, lugging around cans of gasoline…… Damn, I want that job. I guess, I had that job once when I was a kid. Working under-the-table for some self-employed landscaper. That was the life. Lawn-mowin, weed-wackin, and leaf-blowin the day away. What a valuable service I provided. Wouldn’t want a weed growing to high along the edge of that building. Oh, no! Wouldn’t want that leaf right there in the middle of that parking lot. Hell No! Last fall my neighbor across the street spent almost an entire weekend blowing his yard. He could have raked it up in a half-hour, gotten better exercise, saved himself a bunch of time, not wasted any gasoline, not created any noise pollution and spared me from listening to the his jet-engine all day. I felt like yelling over to him, “Pick up a rake you Jack-ass!” But, in the interest of being neighborly I didn’t. But these idiots in the back are working for me. Glad I don't have a hang-over.

H1N1 contains Thimerosal!!!!!!!!!

2009-11-20T11:52:00.006-05:00

Ever hear of "thimerosal"? It's a preservative made out of 50% Mercury (ya know the stuff in a thermometer-ya don't want to drink it).

It is used in all kinds of immunizations that we give to our kids. Ever wonder why there seems to be an epidemic of autism, ADD, and other nuerological disorders in our kids these days?

"Since 1991, when the CDC and the FDA had recommended that three additional vaccines laced with the preservative be given to extremely young infants -- in one case, within hours of birth -- the estimated number of cases of autism had increased fifteenfold, from one in every 2,500 children to one in 166 children."

Who would of thunk it right? Mercury might be damaging to the nervous system of babies. Our wonderful government knew about it and has kept it quiet a long time. Here Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks out about it.

If you care about what is being injected into your family, according to The Rhode Island Department of Health, the H1N1 (swine-flu) vaccines do contain Thimerosal. I feel guilty enough about the vaccines my children have recieved in order to attend public school. I will not be letting this poisonous garbage anywhere near my 3 kids. I'm not too worried. Remember back when we didn't have immunization shots for the flu? How did we survive?

9/11 was....just a bunch of big coincidences.

2009-11-19T14:11:00.030-05:00

"As each day goes by, we learn this government knew a whole lot more about these terrorists before Sept. 11 than it has ever admitted."
- 911 Commissioner and former United States Senator, Max Cleland

I am sure we all remember that day and what we were doing when we first heard about the tragic events unfolding in New York City and in the skies of America. I was at my old job sitting at my desk listening to the Howard Stern show when he started talking about reports of a small plane hitting the trade center. It soon became clear that it wasn't a small plane and it wasn't an accident. We turned on a t.v. and all gathered around watching as the towers fell wondering what had happened. I suspected Osama right away. I remembered the embassy bombings in Africa in 1998 and being told that he had declared war on the United States. I wanted the entire middle-east flattened into an ashtray. I knew those people over there all hated us and I wanted revenge for the worst attack on the U.S. since Pearl Harbor. It actually turned out to be worse if you just go by the number of deaths. 2388 people died in the attacks on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. It is hard to find an exact figure but most estimates have the death count of the combined attacks (all those that died at the Pentagon, World Trade Center & on flights 11, 77, 93 & 175) on September 11, 2001 at almost 3000 people.

As horrible as that day was, it seemed miraculous to me that it wasn't much worse and that many more did not die that day when considering the fact that approximately 50,000 people worked in the trade center buildings and about 40,000 visitors passed through each day. It was very fortunate that the buildings were fairly empty when they collapsed upon their own footprints with relatively little damage to most of the surrounding buildings. If you consider those in the nearby buildings and on the streets of Manhattan that day then the disaster and loss of life could have been far more tragic. Of course some other buildings were damaged that day and another building did collapse upon itself.

The 47-story, World Trade Center Tower Seven (a.k.a. Salamon Brothers building) also collapsed upon itself that day at 5:20 pm, almost 7 hours after the North tower collapsed at 10:28 am. The south tower collapsed at 9:59 am. Watch this BBC report about the collapse of tower Seven, 20 minutes before it actually happened. The very building the reporters are talking about having already collapsed is clearly visible and still standing in the background. Some people site this as evidence that the media had some foreknowledge of the collapse and therefore of other events that day. I don't. I think that the BBC news reporters were probably just confused and misinterpreted hearing that the building was about to collapse and confused it with it had collapsed. Reports did come out before the collapse of tower 7 that it could collapse and there wasn't much the firefighters could do. I would classify this media-foreknowledge idea as a red herring. What I find curious is the way tower 7 collapsed. Watch tower 7 fall for yourself. It fell down upon itself just like the other two towers did. No tipping, just straight down in what looked like a controlled demolition. If the stories of what brought down tower seven are true, then this would be the third time in history that a steel-beam structure had ever collapsed due to a fire. The first two times in history having occurred 7 hours earlier.

I remember watching buildings one & two fall in disbelief. Disbelief that it was really happening (although I knew it was) and disbelief at the way the towers fell. At first I accepted the story but the way those towers came down kept nagging at me. I no longer believe the official story of jet-fuel burning and melting steel beams to be the reasons why they fell. Towers one & two both had 110-stories and rose over 1360 feet in the air. I just could not understand how two buildings so tall could have fallen into such a small area with such relatively little damage to the surrounding areas. Some time later when I found out about tower seven and saw the way it came down I knew something was wrong with the story. Tower seven wasn't hit by a plane. Read the official FEMA report here of how the building came down. It is a complete joke! Here is the first paragraph of the report:

"World Trade Center Seven collapsed on September 11, 2001, at 5:20 p.m. There were no known casualties due to this collapse. The performance of WTC 7 is of significant interest because it appears the collapse was due primarily to fire, rather than any impact damage from the collapsing towers. Prior to September 11, 2001, there was little, if any, record of fire-induced collapse of large fire-protected steel buildings."

The official report of why this building came down states in it's initial paragraph that it was primarily due to fire rather than any impact damage from the other two towers. It then correctly states that this has never occurred before in history. This is The Official Story stating this! I love how they word "it appears the collapse was due primarily to fire," as if FEMA still isn't completely sure what happened or why the building came down either. Maybe they use the word "appears" because what they are really concerned with is appearances. According to FEMA any fire could have brought down tower 7 that way if it was allowed to burn long enough. It was just coincidence it happened on the day towers 1 & 2 came down. Watch another video of it. Here's another. A fire? Really?

If you can watch those videos and still believe tower seven came down due to a fire then you might as well stop here because you have bought the official story hook, line & sinker and are so very desperate to believe your government and the corporate-controlled media that you won't believe your very own eyes.

So far the story is that towers 1 & 2 are hit by jet-liners. The jet-liners explode & leak jet fule in the towers. The fuel burns so hot it melts the steel frame of the buildings and they fall down like a stack of pancakes. The tower seven collapse is even less plausible because it was not hit by an airplane and therefore not filled with the burning jet fuel (more on that later) that is said to have melted the steel in towers 1 & 2. Maybe the owner of the building knows what happened.

On July 24, 2001, management of the WTC complex was transferred by net lease to a private developer, Silverstein Properties, Inc (SPI). Prior to that time, the Port Authority operated the majority of the complex, though it did not operate the Marriott Hotel, 6 & 7 WTC (7 WTC was already owned and operated by SPI), and space within private tenant leaseholds.

A guy named Larry Silverstein bought the entire Trade Center complex less than two months before the attacks. He sued the insurers of the complex for $7.1 billion dollars after they collapsed but he will collect only $4.6 billion according to Forbes. Poor Larry? What another crazy coincidence that only a few weeks after purchasing the complex the buildings fall down and Larry made $4.6 billion off of what according to Business Week appeared to be a very bad investment at the time. The Port Authority had been trying to unload (privatize) the complex or years. Lucky Larry.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm just getting started.....much more to come.

I'll do my best to provide at least one link as a source to each fact I have asserted. Don't believe me, check my sources. Please follow these links for more detailed info than I have provided. Many of these sites are full of much more in-depth research and are a good source for starting your own. Don't believe them either, research the facts on your own. If you think I am wrong or stretching, please refute any of my statements with evidence of your own. If my logic is faulty, please point it out. I seek criticism. My goal is to construct an air-tight argument that 9/11 was a conspiracy conducted by people at the highest levels of our government and industry, although in my opinion this has already been done. Read Mike Ruppert's book, Crossing the Rubicon for an example.

Need more proof? Use your own eyes and mind. Look at the towers come down. What do you instinctively think? What does common sense tell you? What does logic tell you? If it looks like a duck......

More thought's on vet's day and the wars.

2009-11-18T20:42:00.004-05:00

Salute the vets! Wave a flag if it makes you feel better. If you really respect and want to support the troops though you should write your leaders (elected officials, bankers and oilmen) and ask them why are we still sending our troops to die in these two wars based upon lies. Are they still looking for WMD's in Iraq? Still looking for OBL in Afghanistan?

There were no WMD's and we let OBL escape to Pakistan long ago if he wasn't already dead. Are we still spreading democracy & freedom? Tell your leaders to quit wasting our military and money over there and bring our troops home now. We have real problems at home and real enemies (China, North Korea & Pakistan) to prepare against.

Support our troops every day by questioning why we send them to war. As citizens, is our DUTY to them. Our troops did not sign up to defend the profits of Halliburton and the other war-profiteers. The troops are not in a position to question orders. WE must do it for them.

John Boccieri, H.R.3962 & Veteran's day

2009-11-16T16:34:00.002-05:00

My 7yo daughter had a Vet’s day assembly at her elementary school last Wednesday. I really didn’t want to go but she wanted me to so I went. I just didn’t want to receive a bunch of undo attention for having served in the USAF. I am proud of serving my country but don’t feel like I did anything extraordinary (I fixed radios & radars) and didn’t want to be lauded with any accolades. I served during the Gulf War (Desert Storm & Shield) but did not get deployed. I wanted to go but ended up staying behind at Griffiss AFB in upstate NY.

Anyway, I went and watched my daughter sing and I only had to stand once when the Air Force vets were asked to stand to be acknowledged. Pretty painless. The assembly was cute and the Taps played at the end by two young trumpeteers was kinda touching. There was one surprise for me though in that my congressman, John Boccieri was there to give a speech. I wouldn’t have thought that he would have time for such a small assembly but I was pleased he was there. I had some questions.

After the assembly the vets and their kids went to the cafeteria for cookies and punch. Fortunately John Boccieri was also there. Here was my chance. I had helped vote him in as congressman for the 16th district of Ohio in 2008 and knew that he was also an Air Force vet. He flew C-130s in Iraq and Afghanistan. That’s not why I voted for him. Well, not the only reason. A bigger reason was that he was a Democrat and my district had been under the Republican control of Ralph Regula for 36 years. Luckily, Regula finally retired.

So I had my cookies and got my picture taken with my daughter then I decided to talk to him. I wanted to know why he voted “No” on H.R. 3962 (the current healthcare bill). I knew that another Ohio congressman (Dennis Kucinich) that I have only the up-most respect for had also voted “No” on the bill. I read on his web-site the reasons why. Kucinich pointed out that the very same industries (health insurers & pharmaceuticals) that have caused the crisis with health care we currently have will be in effect given even more power and control. The current bill would force Americans to sign up with them or pay a fine. The bill will also taking funding away from Medicare. The public option in the bill has been diluted to the point of being pointless and the rights of states to pursue a single-payer plan have been stripped out of the bill.

I want a healthcare bill pushed through. I have been an advocate for a new health care system in this country for a long time. I don’t understand why we are the only industrialized nation on Earth that still runs a strictly for-profit, health-care system. I have two elderly parents that have many medical conditions that affect my entire family almost daily. I have seen the way the health-care system works first hand. My mother is often pushed out of facilities much earlier than she should be because her insurance coverage runs out. The doctor’s always say that it has nothing to do with the insurance and that they have final say. I am just always amazed at the coincidence that my mother always makes a miraculous recovery on the very same days that the insurance stops paying. The nurses and other doctors not directly involved with the determination tell you the truth and point the fingers at the insurance companies. As it is now, the insurance companies make the final determination of what will be paid for and therefore what care a patient will receive. Doctors don’t like to perform costly procedures they know they won’t be reimbursed for so patients often do not receive the full care the need.

So I met my congressman. He was very friendly and did not seem rushed at all. He asked what I had done in the Air Force and I told him. I then looked him in the eye and asked him why he voted “No” on H.R. 3962. He told me that he believed it gave too much control to the insurance companies and that he didn’t think funding to Medicare need to be cut to get a healthcare bill passed. I agreed with him and told him that I know there is a lot of pressure from the left to get any bill passed that has the words “Health Care” in the title and I was glad that he stood on his principles. I told him our healthcare definitely needs to be fixed but I want it done the right way. He said he is confident it will get done. I then let him know I was a supporter of his and he would get my vote again.

My daughter and I then finished our cookies and walked home. She got to meet her congressman too although she was not nearly as impressed about it as I was.