Day: December 31, 2011

Biggest Winner Of 2011 Is Illegal Immigrants

Biggest Winners Of 2011 Is Illegal Immigrants

By Chris Freind

 

 

It’s that time of year when Freindly Fire heaps praise upon those most deserving.

So in the spirit of consistency, the Biggest Winner of 2011, just like every year, is illegal immigrants. They
are granted driver’s licenses, free education — in some cases all the
way to college — and free first-rate health care. Not only do they pose a
national security threat, but a personal one, as many are criminals
released back onto the streets because the government refuses to deport
them. Their presence has forced the closure of hospitals, ripped jobs
away from American workers, depressed wages and caused taxes to increase
sharply.

And let’s not forget that many illegals are voting in our elections.
How’s that for irony: foreigners deciding American elections. Maybe
that’s why both parties pander to illegals, including leading GOP
candidates Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney and Rick Perry.

And every time the illegals win, the American people lose.

Iran
For a country so incompetent that it took a quarter-century just to
build a simple subway in its capital, and equally as long to construct
the Tehran airport, Iran sure knows how to gain international attention.
Year after year, Iran successfully extorts the West, and the U.S.
continues to play the Iranians’ game. Now, Iran is threatening to cut
off the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which one-sixth
of the world’s oil supply passes.

And what does America do? Prepare for yet another armed conflict —
with yet another Muslim country. That would make Iran the eighth — yes,
eighth! — Muslim nation the U.S. has attacked since the Clinton
Administration, truly a bipartisan debacle. Despite the insanity of this
possibility, in which oil could spike to $200 per barrel and decimate
whatever is left of the world economy, some talking heads continue
advocating such military intervention. Going to war with random Middle
Eastern oil nations isn’t sound foreign policy. It’s lunacy.

Here’s an idea. Maybe if we got off our duff and stopped kowtowing to
radical environmentalists who offer no solutions, we could pursue
energy independence with the virtually unlimited resources literally at
our feet. And guess what happens when we start producing $2 gasoline
and diesel? We wouldn’t give a damn about Iran. Or Iraq. Or Libya.
Or….

Rick Perry
Who’d have thought another Texas governor could be so entertaining?
From taking 12 hours to come up with a response to Mitt Romney’s $10,000
bet, to shrinking the size of the government (apparently, we have only
eight Supreme Court Justices and no Department of Energy), Perry has
been in a class by himself. Of course, not knowing the date of the
election nor the correct voting age, while priceless, won’t help Perry
stay in the race. But his significant campaign cash just might, which
would undoubtedly provide more “Oops, I Did It Again” moments. So hats
off to the only politician who could make George W. Bush look like
Daniel Webster.

Barack Obama
See “Rick Perry” above. This election is the GOP’s to lose — and they are well on their way to doing so.

Occupy Movement
Give credit where it’s due. The Occupy Movement was able to dupe the
media (admittedly, not a very hard thing to do) into providing nonstop
coverage of…pictures of tents and filth. How newsworthy.

It was bad enough that Occupy had no organization, no spokesman, and
absolutely no message. But for the media to cover, night after night,
lazy hippies who thought it cool to camp out, not work and get free
things from idiots who thought it politically correct to patronize hobos
was nauseating.

So incompetent was the Orgy — I mean Occupy — Movement that it took
the media to inject its own rationale for why the “protests” were
occurring — income inequity. Well, here’s a newsflash: there is, and
should be, income inequality. As in, the person waking up every day at 6
a.m. to work a 12 hour day should makes more money than a sloth looking
for a handout.

In the immortal words of The Big Lebowski: “Your revolution
is over… Condolences. The bums lost. My advice is to do what your
parents did — get a job, sir! The bums will always lose!”

Andy Reid
Despite commanding an uber-hyped team whose spectacular failure was
surpassed only by the Phillies, the best three-quarter coach in football
— and the one who game after game commits bush league mistakes that an
eighth-grade coach would never make — will absolutely,
put-it-in-the-bank-guaranteed be back leading the Philadelphia Eagles
next season. Where he leads them is equally predictable: not to a Super
Bowl Championship. Reid has simply been in Philadelphia too long and
has settled into a comfort level where winning The Big One, while nice,
isn’t an imperative. He seems content with the moniker of being the
winningest coach in franchise history along with all the other
superlatives that don’t mean a bloody thing in a town that bleeds Eagle
Green.

Reid has proven his value at turning around a franchise, but that is
where his usefulness ends. The Eagles should, but won’t, bring in a
closer to seal the deal and get the job done — like Jon Gruden did with
Tampa Bay.

So Reid will win another season where his mediocrity will be on full
display, and, this being Philly, will undoubtedly be making this list
again next year for all the wrong reasons.

Archbishop Wood Football
Their season was full of confidence and hope, a fourth straight Catholic
League title and a state championship in their sights. Yet Archbishop
Wood stumbled in their opener, losing that crucial first game. Many
teams would have folded, finding excuses as to why the season was
slipping away (read: 2011 Philadelphia Eagles). But Wood rebounded, and
dedicated their efforts to the memory of former legendary coach Skip
Duffy, who lost his battle with cancer in September.

And the rest is history. Wood rolled out 14 straight wins, racking up
average margins of 38 points in the regular season and 41 points in the
playoffs, culminating in the total evisceration of perennial powerhouse
Bishop McDevitt, 52-0, to win the state championship. In doing so,
Wood has earned a place as arguably the best Class AAA football team
ever.

Perhaps Andy Reid and Company should be taking notes from Wood — not
plays and calls, but the intangibles that always, always win
championships. Dick Vermeil’s character in the Vince Papale movie Invincible
said it best. ”The team with character will find a way to beat a team
with talent…great teams weren’t just playing for themselves. They played
for a city. The people of Philadelphia have suffered…You are what gives
them hope.”

And in times like these, hope is needed more than ever. Congrats,
Archbishop Wood, for demonstrating what so many professionals have long
ago forgotten — that character still means something.

 

Extremes of Diversity

The Roar

The Extremes of Diversity

How many of us remember the “melting pot” identity of America?  Well, this is just another generational asterisk since that concept has quietly been removed for reasons which are becoming more apparent day by day.  Many traditions and common day assumptions of American living have contributed with the demise of America’s “melting pot.”  This spiraling parade is part and parcel of a gradual remaking that seems either too inconsequential at the time or it is labeled as a normality in “changing times.”

In the realm of sports, who remembers when Mike Schmidt signed his last contract for two to three million per year?  Phillie fans went bonkers!  The general sentiment was, and I’m paraphrasing, “no athlete is worth that kind of money to play a boy’s game.”  Remember?   Need we look at the salaries today?  Bench warmers are near the million per season mark.

This then verses now comparison parallels the degree of change that we as free people have adjusted to in all facets of our society, personal standards, governmental practices and growing authority.  Comparisons are useful in that much of what transpires goes unnoticed, much like the hands on a clock.  However, when comparing then verses now, the differences may well become alarming.

My sport analogy of salary increases brings forth changes outside of the stadiums; all of which we have adapted to in a gradual manner.  How about the demise of daytime baseball or the favorite, the Sunday double header?  Salaries bring a need to increase overall revenue.  Prime time viewing has become a must, and two for one Sunday offerings have become prohibitive.  Again, I mention these rippling effects simply because we all can see, have experienced and understand these associated but necessary short cuts and sacrifices.

Now transfer this sports “progress” into our society, with particular scrutiny on our religious freedoms and subsequent changes or adaptions.  While the First Amendment remains visual, it has undergone “progressive” changes of a gradual nature.

Such changes, similar to that rippling effect with sports, spreads through our communities and daily routines.  Gone are the Catholic  services performed in Latin.  The old traditional hymnals have over the years been refined to the point that actual services have modernized.

On the freedom front, a parent’s complaint about prayer in school has revolutionized our freedom to worship in public.  Over time, it has been strictly enforced that prayerful worship in, on or around public school grounds is now considered to be unConstitutional.

I think we all have experienced shock at the brazen affront from an ongoing transformation from a “Merry Christmas” to a “happy holiday” presentation.  Easter vacations are now termed “spring breaks” without any parental condemnation.  Those of us who were raised in a Christian environment, who still hold true to Christian beliefs and who silently go along, while mumbling inside, must agree that there is a determined effort to rid any Christian belief and/or influence from our society today.  This cannot continue.

Lastly, there appeared in my local paper, exactly a week before the Birth of Christ, a front page article entitled, “A Diverse God.”  Briefly, it detailed the diverse traditions of immigrants in today’s America.  Quotations such as “It brought tears to my eyes,” and “It’s nice to have a place where I belong” were said about a church service in one’s native Hungarian tongue.

Then there was The Simbang Gabi, the Mass of the Rooster, for those of Filipino heritage.  Comments such as “It is a wonderful opportunity for us to gather as a Filipino community”  confound and besmirch our American experiment.

There was a time in which America promoted an assimilation , not this current diversity.  How does one become American with diverse loyalties?  Am I asking too much?

Extracting our “melting pot” purpose, identity and traditional values has produced another rippling effect which in the end,will cost more than any monetary increase to sporting events.

Jim Bowman, Author of,
This Roar of Ours

My Biggest Losers of 2011

Although I have never been known for sarcasm and
negativity, it feels compelled as a civic duty to point out this year’s
biggest losers.

So with very little pleasure (okay, maybe a little), here are some of 2011’s notable wankers:

Philadelphia Phillies
A colossal failure. Period. End of story.

But this being Philadelphia, further explanation is, of course,
warranted. Yes, they won the (ridiculously weak) National League East
division for the fifth time in a row. Yes, they set a franchise record
for regular season wins. Yes, there was one World Series championship
three years ago. And yes, they will probably win the division again in
2012. So what? All meaningless.

And for anyone who actually believes any of those achievements mean squat, well, you’re delirious from being an Eagles fan.

The team — the only one in the nation’s top four markets which does
not share its city with another franchise — was billed as having the
best rotation in baseball history and a powerhouse lineup of
battle-tested veterans. But when you enter Yankee territory, as they
claimed they did, anything short of a championship must be viewed a
total failure, as there are no points for second place.

The blame should be laid at the feet of the players, several of whom
refused to hustle and play fundamental baseball, and more importantly,
the coaches who didn’t address those problems.

So while the Phils are still a dangerous team, their window of
opportunity is closing fast. Time to lose the ‘tude and play ball the
way Little Leaguers and consistent World Series Champs do. Otherwise,
Charlie Manual will become the city’s next Andy Reid. (All right, that’s
a stretch. Andy’s in a class by himself.)

NBA
Speaking of sports, shame on the NBA for ending the lockout. If
they really cared about fan appreciation, they would have continued the
impasse for the next decade. It was leaps and bounds more exciting than
anything the 12 people watching a typical NBA game will see.

Jerry Sandusky, His Wife Dottie, Penn State, Tom Corbett, Joe Paterno, and Mike McQueary
At the very least, all failed the test of moral leadership, permitting
small, defenseless children to live a nightmare from which they may
never awaken — because no one would help. How could Happy Valley seem
more like Yemen, where child sex trafficking and molestation is an
accepted fact of life? Even if Penn State turns into the State Pen for
those who may have done wrong, it will be little solace to the victims.

And all the folks on this list, whether directly or indirectly, have blood on their hands. For shame.

Mitt Romney
Is Romney the most intelligent candidate running for President?
Probably. Is he a successful businessman? Undoubtedly. But what does it
tell you when, after campaigning for five years and spending hundreds of
millions, Romney still can’t even muster 30 percent of the GOP base? In
other words, seven of ten Republicans simply don’t like him.

And it’s not rooted in his issue positions (though his Romneycare law
in Massachusetts doesn’t help), but that he has no core convictions
on…anything. The man is the very embodiment of an articulate politician
without a soul, one who will say whatever it takes to get elected. So
prevalent is his flip-flopping that he couldn’t even decide whether to
campaign in Iowa. Contrast that to Congressman Ron Paul, whose support
is surging for the opposite reason — because he has been steadfastly
consistent throughout his entire political career.

It’s a lesson totally lost on Mitt. He’s so out of touch that he
doesn’t understand the people’s yearning for a leader who stands for
something and sticks to his guns. Instead, Romney’s “be all things to
all people” approach has him foundering and will make him an inviting
target for Obama should he win the GOP nomination.

Romney is the best Christmas present the GOP could give the Democrats.

Hollywood Movie Studios
Fewer Americans went to the movies this year than at any point in the
last 16 years. Sure, the economy is in the toilet, tickets are
expensive, and you need to take out a second mortgage to buy Raisenets,
but they are all symptoms of a much greater illness: Hollywood’s product
continues to decline.

Most flicks are flat-out horrible, but Hollywood execs don’t care.
Their formula of hiring a star and throwing in some special effects is
enough to dupe Americans into opening their wallets. And despite the
dismal box office numbers, don’t look for that to change anytime soon.
As long as they can make enough money to get near break even in North
America, they’ll still be laughing all the way to the bank because the
foreign box office is providing the big haul. In fact, it was a record
year for overseas profits. Which means that folks in Indonesia who are
still starstruck will ensure more of Hollywood’s mediocrity for the
foreseeable future.

Or here’s an idea: maybe Hollywood could stop looking for the easy
way out of making remakes of remakes and using the same musical score ad
nauseum –just listen to Pirates of the Carribean (2003), Gladiator (2000), and The Rock (1996)
— and reinvent itself. Sure, it takes effort to be creative, but
that’s what made Hollywood the most powerful force in the world.

Most people couldn’t name one U.S. senator, nor do they care. But
when Hollywood produces a creative, classic movie, it touches the soul,
inspires, motivates, and enlightens (Remember the Titans meets
all that criteria and then some). It makes people think in a way they
normally wouldn’t, and more often than not, produces a smile. When was
the last time Congress did that?

The slogan of the G4 network is playing “Movies That Don’t Suck.”
Since that list is growing thin, let’s hope Hollywood regains its
footing and returns to its glory days by putting blood, sweat and tears
ahead of the easy buck.

Jim Matthews, Joe Hoeffel, and Montco Residents
Even in its most creative mode, Hollywood couldn’t have scripted this
soap opera. Four years ago, the GOP won control of the county
commissioners, but Jim Matthews forsaked loyalty for power and sided
with Democrat Joe Hoeffel, giving the chairmanship to himself and power,
effectively, to the Democrats. Top vote getter Bruce Castor was left
out in the cold.

So (in)effective was the dynamic duo of Matthews-Hoeffel that both
got the boot from their respective parties and were forced into
retirement. And for the first time ever, the Democrats took control of
Montgomery County. So once again, Castor will be the only voice of
reason as the Dems will most certainly raise taxes and get cozy with the
unions.

But in a most fascinating twist, Matthews was recently arrested on
perjury and false swearing charges for allegedly lying to a grand jury
about his relationships with county vendors. The grand jury found that
“Matthews lied with such ease and frequency, that he acted as though, as
chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, he is above
the law.”

When your arrogance knows no bounds, what goes around comes around.
And for Jim Matthews, the red and green colors of the season may well
turn to jumpsuit orange. So in the spirit of giving, Freindly Fire will
send Jim a belated Christmas present, just to be safe: Soap-On-A-Rope.

Pennsylvanians
Maintaining the status quo simply isn’t good enough when the state has
an effective unemployment rate above 10 percent. So to solve that
problem, what did Republican Governor Tom Corbett and the GOP-controlled
legislature achieve? Pretty much zilch.

Sure, the budget wasn’t increased, but that wasn’t due to political
courage but the fact that the Federal stimulus funds had evaporated. And
yet, despite many good programs going on the chopping block, the
“fiscally conservative” Republicans still spent money on a lavish union
deal, the Yankees’ AAA stadium, a bailout of the Philadelphia Shipyard
to build ships with no buyers, and –while not ultimately spent — a grant
to Jerry Sandusky’s Second Mile Foundation.

And what of the signature issues that will be ignored in the upcoming
election year? School choice? Dead as Marley’s Ghost. Liquor
privatization? Forget it. Reducing the second highest corporate tax in
the nation — a certified job killer? Not going to happen.

And because the demand for natural gas remains so low, the industry
will cap their wells and move out of state, so we won’t have them to use
as a convenient punching bag anymore.

So Pennsylvanians will suffer as more opportunites to bring the state
into the 21st century are squandered. The politicians change, but the
lies stay the same.

Happy New Year, and for a list of winners check back in a few hours.

 

Biggest Losers of 2011