Feeling Old

The first time that I ever felt "old" was the first time that I looked at a Playboy Centerfold and noticed that her data sheet showed that she was born after I graduated from high school.

Well tonight was another one of those "feel old" moments. Tonight was opening night of the 2009 season for my Bowie Baysox. My family was in attendance and fortunately the Baysox were victorious.

The great thing about minor league baseball (or at least as far as the Baysox are concerned) is that they give us free programs at each game. While looking through tonight's program, I noticed that nearly half of the players on the Baysox roster were born after I graduated from college.

Unfortunately those "feeling old" moments seem to occur with a lot more frequency these day.

I Am a Right Wing Extremist

At least according to Janet Napolitano and the Department of Homeland Security.  In a document released by the Office of Intelligence and Analysis, the Department of Homeland Security issued a warning to law enforcement agencies warning of a rise in white power militias.  The document went on to define the "right wing extremists" as not just racist hate groups, but also individuals who "are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority" or "may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as abortion or immigration."

While I have no problem with the Department of Homeland Security warning law enforcement about the dangers of "hate groups," there are a lot of everyday Americans that fall under the rest of their definition of "right wing extremists."  Ironically (not) their definition would include any group or person that does not agree with the politics of the current administration.  Let me address how I fall into their definition.

First, I squarely would fall into the group that "reject federal authority in favor of state or local authority."  The tenth ammendment to the Bill of Rights states "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohimbited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."  Though I would never personally own a gun, I fully support the Constitutional right for the people to keep and bear arms as promised by the second ammendment.  I guess people like myself, who honor and believe in our Constitution, would classify as "right wing extremists."

They also identify individuals that are dedicated to individual causes such as abortion or immigration as extremists.  Let's see, I think abortion is morally wrong and people should be held responsible for their actions.  Check.  Also, I firmly believe in securing our borders and stemming the tide of illegal immigration.  Check #2.  I guess since I also support the FairTax that would be another check in the extremist category for me.  I wish I could have participated in the Tea Parties that took place across the country today, because all of those that did participate would probably be considered an extremist.

So clearly, I must be a right wing extremist based on the Department of Homeland Security.  I guess I will need to keep an eye out for Big Brother keeping an eye on my activities.

Music Monday-Linda Ronstadt "You're No Good"

When I was in high school, this is one of the posters that I had hanging up in my room.  This one and the famous Farrah Fawcette poster that I think every guy in the 70's had.  Anyway, I had a major crush on Linda back in the day.  I mean, just look at that face.

Besides being a major babe, she was quite the versatile singer.  She was big in the California/Country Rock vein of the Eagles and Jackson Browne in the late 60's and 70's.  That was my personal favorite era for her.  She also changed her style with the times.  In the 80's she had a few hits with a more New Wave style and later won Grammy's in the 90's for Spanish language vocals.

Here she is with one of my favorites of hers from the 70's, "You're No Good" with an introduction from Jose Feliciano. 

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

A Day at the Track

Horse racing used to be a thriving enterprise here in Maryland. Thoroughbred racing used to take place 6-7 days per week and rotated between 3 different tracks. Now, there are only two active tracks, Laurel and Pimlico, and they only run 4 days per week. I have been off of work all week on vacation during my son's spring break. Today, I spent a couple hours at the Laurel track for the purpose of taking a few pictures.

Gay Marriage

Yesterday, the legislature of the state of Vermont overrode a gubernatorial veto of legislation that would allow gay marriage in the state. Vermont became the fourth state in the USA to allow same sex marriages. More importantly, they became the first state to allow the practice through legislative rather than through a court action.

So how do I, a self proclaimed conservative and a former member of a fundamentalist Christian church feel about this turn of events? To be honest, I don't feel strongly one way or the other. I mean, with nearly half of heterosexual marriages ending in divorce, it isn't like we have gotten it entirely right ourselves. Plus, I don't feel like it is going to diminish my own marriage any. With all of the problems in the world, I am all for two people committing to each other out of love.

One of the main reasons I do not have that much of a problem with the state of affairs in Vermont is that it was done through the legislature. The previous states that have allowed gay marriage have done so through the courts. That is where I have had issues with those states. I do not feel it is the place of the courts to legislate from the bench, which is what the California Supreme Court did when they allowed same sex marriages to take place.

On a completely unrelated note, during the last presidential election, there were several liberals who would proclaim that any white person that would not have voted for Barack Obama must be a racist. I was just wondering if I were to proclaim that Barney Frank is a blithering idiot, would that make me a homophobe? I'm just asking.

New Exercise Video

A couple months ago, during President Obama's first address to Congress and the American people, I expressed my annoyance with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's constant jumping to her feet to applaud everything the messiah had to say. Well, I personally could stand to lose a few pounds, so I was happy to see some good come out of her idiocy; a brand new exercise video "Sweatin' to the Socialists." Not since Richard Simmon's "Sweating to the Oldies" has there been a more effective way to lose weight.

Music Monday-Bob Marley "No Woman No Cry"

Last week, my choice for Music Monday was Eric Clapton and "Layla." As Clapton got me hooked on traditional blues, he also introduced me to the music of Nesta Robert Marley with his version of "I Shot the Sheriff."

Marley brought reggae out of Jamaica and developed a world wide following. His greatest hits collection "Legend" remains the best selling reggae album of all time, having sold over 20 million copies worldwide.

Sadly, Marley left the world too soon, passing away from cancer at the age of 36. More sadly, his death could have been avoided were it not for Marley's Rastafarian religious beliefs. He developed cancer from an infected wound in his toe from playing soccer. Had he undergone amputation surgery, the cancer would not have spread to brain and other organs.

Timothy White wrote one of the best and most complete biographies of Bob Marley. I highly recommend his book "Catch A Fire: The Life of Bob Marley" to anyone who wants to learn more about the life of Bob Marley.

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.