Former Massachusetts Governor and 2008 Republican Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney was assaulted on a plane this morning right before leaving the Olympic Games in Vancouver.  No one was hurt and the attacker was removed from the plane before take-off.

There are a few unusual angles to this story:  for one, super-loaded Mitt Romney and his wife were on a regular passenger plane in Vancouver (Algore would have obviously taken his private jet, go figure);  for another, the incident took place in Canada of all places, America’s supposedly friendly neighbor to the North (I didn’t think they knew how to fight up there anymore).

Well, I’m miffed, but Mitt’s lucky nothing else happened — there are lots of crazies out there and he’s still a major political figure in America.

Audi paid the big bucks for this commercial in last night’s Super Bowl in order to promote their “green” cars:

To most it’s just Super Bowl silly, but I couldn’t help but think about a particular Liberal friend whose hyperactive about everything green.  I’m pretty sure that’s his perfect little Eco-Nazi world!

Personally, while a few were pretty good, I laughed out loud at this Snickers commercial with Betty White.  Check out those you may have missed at the NFL which was cool enough to have them all on their site for easy access.

Our government is filled with incompetent people who have no regard for the taxpayer’s money and will waste it on ineffective, inconsequential drivel that accomplishes nothing.  If you don’t believe me, take a look at this ad for the U.S. Census that cost the taxpayers $2.5 million dollars, that aired during last night’s Super Bowl.

If the government absolutely had to spend $2.5 million on an ad for the Census, don’t you think they could have done a better job?  Couldn’t we have had some kind of clever premise, or some humor, or some flashy special effects?  Couldn’t we have had something that actually made sense? It illustrates perfectly why the government is inferior to the private sector in accomplishing almost anything.  I don’t see what this ad accomplished or what the message even was.  It If anyone has any clue, please let me know, because for the life of me, I have no clue.

In an era when we are going deeper and deeper into debt, with no signs of reversing course, why are we spending $2.5 million dollars on this piece of crap?  How much waste and crap is there in the Federal Budget like this that can be trimmed?

]]> http://axisofright.com/2010/02/08/they-spent-2-5-million-for-this/feed/ 0 http://axisofright.com/2010/02/07/super-bowl-xliv-tonight/ http://axisofright.com/2010/02/07/super-bowl-xliv-tonight/#comments Sun, 07 Feb 2010 15:26:07 +0000 Ryan http://axisofright.com/?p=8757

Annually, the most watched sporting event in America is the Super Bowl, leading many to want to make the Monday after the Super Bowl a holiday.  I mean, who needs a day off to pay homage to the Presidents anyway (it’s kind of monarchical isn’t it)?  Plus, lately most have been bums one way or another.  Think about all the lost work tomorrow — people calling in sick, people hungover not working as hard, all the time divvying up office pools, and all the general time wasted talking about the Big Game.  It could cost the economy billions as it has in years past!  I’m just sayin’.

But, onto the Big Game itself!  The Indianapolis Colts (16-2) look to win their second Super Bowl in four seasons as they take on the New Orleans Saints (15-3), a team everyone seems to be rooting for in their hearts, who are making their first appearance ever in a Super Bowl.  However, Vegas sees the Colts as six-point favorites over the Saints when they play tonight at 6:25pm EST in Miami.

While I’d like to see the Saints keep it competitive (and wouldn’t lose sleep if they won), I just don’t think that’s going to happen.  In fact, I’d take the Colts by 10 after a pretty close first half.  Heck, I even think the Saints will probably score first!  However, the Colts’ Peyton Manning is humming on a different level than most quarterbacks and after settling down, will carve up the Saints’ defense aptly.

So, go to the party, check out the wacky commercials and The Who halftime show, call in sick tomorrow, and hopefully we’ll have a competitive game!

UPDATE: Boy was I wrong!!!  I guess that’s why they play the game:  31-17 Saints!

I may live in Massachusetts, but as you all know, I’m a Yankee fan. Still, as much as I can’t stand the Sox, as a fan of baseball in general, one has to admire former Sox pitcher Curt Schilling.  His “bloody sock” incident during the 2004 World Series represented a feat that Red Sox fans will always remember.

Since Massachusetts is a place where people take sports very seriously, criticizing their sports heroes is not something that a candidate for Senate in Massachusetts should want to do.  Enter Martha Coakley (who lately has been playing on the Joe Biden league of gaffs).  In an interview yesterday, she was asked about Rudy Giuliani appearing with Brown, and she mentioned that Giuliani was a Yankee fan.  The host of the show then responded back “yeah, but Scott Brown has Curt Schilling, OK?”  To which Coakley responded “Another Yankee Fan!”

So let me get this straight.  Coakley called one of the all-time heroes of Red Sox Nation a fan of the hated New York Yankees.  Talk about endearing herself to her constituency.  If Brown wins on Tuesday (and signs are pointing in that direction, although nothing is certain at this point), it will be because of two things.  First, dissatisfaction with the status quo, Obama’s policies, and the Democrats in general put Scott Brown in contention.  His likability as a candidate also factored in.  But Martha Coakley’s complete and utter incompetence as a candidate may very well be responsible  for putting Brown over the edge.

Apparently, not just Tiger Woods pays for sex nowadays!  As it turns out one of the guys who acts as the “Pat the Patriot” was picked up with 13 other people in an undercover sex sting in Rhode Island.

Until last November there was a loophole in Rhode Island law which allowed for prostitution… only if it occurred indoors (see, growing up in Rhode Island the mere fact that a teensy-weensy lil’ loophole like this even exists is not surprising at all — you expect it).  So, if you wanted to solicit a prostitute, just invite her in and it was kosher by RI state law.  However, the Legislature managed to fix this loophole so the police are trying to crackdown on the new law breakers.  Well, through Craigslist the police caught “Pat the Patriot” and others at a hotel trying to (ahem) break the law.

Of course, attempting to solicit a prostitute in RI is a $1000 fine and maybe some jail time, depending on who you know.

I’m always amazed at the arrogance of politicians who believe that no aspect of American life can carry on without their guidance.  The latest is example is Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX).  Barton has introduced legislation that would require Division I college football to implement a playoff system or be fined if they call any of the Bowl Games a “National Championship game.”

The structure of college football’s method of determining a national champion is a hotly debated topic in the sports world every year.  For the sake of disclosure, I support the Bowl system and have no problem with the concept of some uncertainty over the championship game or even a split national championship.  Under the current system, every game is crucial because a single loss almost certainly destroys any hope of a national championship.  Couple those stakes with the unique rivalries the game provides and you have one of the most exciting sports imaginable.

Many others (probably most) disagree with my position and have reasonable reasons for doing so.  Under the current system, there is a great deal of uncertainty or even subjectivity in determining who plays for a championship and even who wins it.  The fact that AP writers have the power to award half of the national championship should give anyone pause.  There is also a lot to be said about the argument that nothing would top a national championship game between two powerhouses that survived a tournament.

As valid as each opinion is, that isn’t the point.  College football’s playoff system is for college football, its member institutions, and fans to determine.  Fans have shown that they are willing to pay and watch college football under the current system.  The colleges and universities have determined that the current product is best for both their students and their bottom line.  Right or wrong, those are their decisions to make.

The folly of people like Barney Frank determining how football should be played is obvious.  Even more troubling is the fact that there are fewer and fewer activities that Americans can enjoy without elected officials of some kind, in the case a republican Congressman, trying to stick their noses where they don’t belong.  Whatever the motivation, politicians need to leave football alone.

Hat tip:  Red State

It’s a tough time to be a Notre Dame fan.  Nine Days ago, Notre Dame fired Charlie Weis, our third consecutive unsuccessful head coach.  Since then, Irish fans have been desperate for any news of a head coach who can lead Notre Dame back to where it belongs and have had to rely on nothing but speculation and internet rumors as the search progresses.  First, Oklahoma Head Coach Bob Stoops was going to coach the Irish.  Then attention turned to Cincinnati Head Coach Brian Kelly.  Then there were the Jim Harbaugh rumors.  Yesterday and today, it really looked like Kelly was the man.  In the last few hours, the focus has been on Kelly and Connecticut Head Coach Randy Edsall.  Edsall?  Is that German for Willingham?

The decision is still probably a day or two away, but I hope its Kelly.  The most successful head coaching hires in college football tend to be those with prior head coaching success at less prominent institutions and why not?  The coaches are by definition successful, but also hungry to prove themselves at the highest level.  Kelly would certainly fit the bill.  The last time the Irish followed this model, we got Lou Holtz.  Speaking of Holtz, we Irish fans need some ND inspiration while we’re in limbo.  Well, here’s a clip of inspirational speeches from the great Lou Holtz for all you Irish fans out there.

Ugh.

It started out well — the defense kept the New Orleans Saints to 3 points, then the New England Patriots offense marched 80 yards to score a touchdown on their first drive of the night.  Woo hoo!

That would be the highlight of the Pats’ evening.  The undefeated Saints subsequently demolished the young and inexperienced Patriot defense 38-17 by the time it was all over.  By the second half, there was a lot of pressure on Tom Brady too.  Coach Bill Belichick even put in back-up quarterback Brian Hoyer for the last two drives!

What happened?  Simple:  the Saints are for real (in a nice warm dome anyway) and the Pats still have major issues.

When Brady’s on, he’s incredible.  When he’s off… well, that’s when the defense needs to step up.  That’s what’s been missing this season.  The Pats could likely go 11-5ish this season (they’re 7-4 now) and maybe win the division with that terrible defense, but as they say: “defense wins championships.”  Ask the 2000 Ravens, the 2001 Pats, the 2002 Bucs,  and the 2007 Giants and I think we can all agree that’s true.

As a burgeoning Yankee fan, I can appreciate what it’s like rooting for a team which is expected to win every season.  The Pats are having a generally good year by most standards, but for spoiled Pats fans like myself, fairly or unfairly I expect more from the Golden Boy and the Evil Genius than last night’s 38-17 embarrassment.

You may not know much about soccer, but one thing I think we all know is that you’re not supposed to touch to ball with your hands, unless you’re the goalie.

Here’s what happened to Ireland today in their qualifying match against France:

Not cool… ou pas bon! (pardon my French)