Dealing With A Couple Too Many 'Guilty Pleasures'
OK, I'm guilty. I'm guilty of a crime. The crime of having one too many guilty pleasures. They're not heinous crimes or even illegal, and I'm not the only individual on the planet who has them.Everyone has at least one guilty pleasure (most often, chocolate).It's just, well, do I admit to them or not? Will you respect me tomorrow? For instance, if I tell you that I love a good cartoon, will you think I haven't totally grown up? Batman.Superman.Spiderman.Johnny Quest.Godzilla.And the occasional Charlie Brown cartoon special.I'd rather watch these cartoons than most movies put out lately.Give me Bugs Bunny over Arnold Schwarzenegger anytime. Similarly, comics are a great quick read.The best comics are those with political and social commentary with a twist."Doonesbury" and "The Boondocks" are highly entertaining and each comments on society in ways mainstream news outlets don't, can't and won't.
Tigers Put Wawasee Away
After Warsaw's highly touted varsity boys basketball team started the season by winning its first three games by a total of 11 points, questions began surfacing. Maybe one question came a bit more frequent: With the height and talent the Tigers, ranked No.5 in class 4A, have on the floor, when would they be able to put a team away? "I think we've made progress all along," said Warsaw coach Al Rhodes."It's a situation where the expectations are higher than they should be.Basically, I never worry about what people say.We're working hard and putting the small pieces together." The Tigers put a few more pieces in place Friday when they hosted and defeated Northern Lakes Conference and Kosciusko County rival Wawasee 61-40.
Warsaw Girls Complete One State To State
When the starter's pistol sounds at Saturday's Elkhart Girls Cross Country Regional, the race will have a local flavor. Girls teams from Warsaw and NorthWood as well as an individual from Wawasee (Brittany Winchester) will converge on Elkhart's Ox Bow Park for the Elkhart Central Regional.However, the race will not be easy for any team involved. "Last year we had confidence going into the regional," said Warsaw coach Paul Sibray."This year the competition is going to be a lot stiffer." "It will be a real challenge for us," said NorthWood coach Kirt Hunsberger."We will need to run our best race to advance.If you run a bad race at this point, you are done.I have talked to the girls all week about how there are no second chances at this level.We will definitely need to put everyone's best races together to have a chance.
Hire Park, BMX Racing A Family Affair
On a day when campers, tents and grills color the landscape at Hire Park, it's easy to see why Dan Rumple Jr.says BMX racing is a family affair. Of all people, Rumple, of Warsaw, would know. Along with his duties as Hire Park track director, he also races.His 13-year-old son Dan III races, as does 10-year-old daughter Mariah, who is ranked fourth in the world in her division. His 4-year-old daughter sells raffle tickets, while his wife Kari works the concession stand. While the Rumples answered questions about their family's involvement Saturday, off in the distance brothers and sisters, fathers and sons from seven different states competed in the Hire Park Regional Nationals.
When Things Go Wrong In Iraq
I get the sense that the Iraq thing is going poorly. I know lots of people thought that from the outset.I was not one of those. I didn't disagree with W's assessment of Saddam Hussein. I would have liked to see a larger coalition.And I would have liked to see the U.N.'s blessing, but I always thought that the world would be a better place without Saddam running a Middle Eastern country. As for WMDs (big bombs), it's hard for me to blame W for believing Saddam had them. After all, everyone in the world believed the same thing.I mean everybody.All the other countries, the United Nations, all the prominent Democrats in this country - everybody. They all said the same thing.It was unanimous.Not one person was saying, "Hey, you know, maybe Saddam really doesn't have any big bombs." So it's difficult for me to blame W for believing that Saddam had big bombs.
Politics, As Usual, Are Unusual
Every once in a while I try to assess my political ideology and match it up to what's happening in Washington. For the most part, I guess, I'm conservative.(I bet that's a big shock for regular readers of this column, eh?) But seriously, anymore, I don't think conservatives know what conservatives are. And the same thing is happening with liberals. Conservatives, traditionally, are known for being proponents of a smaller federal government.They think people should be allowed to take care of themselves whenever possible.They favor lower taxes because they think people should keep more of what they earn. Liberals, traditionally, are proponents of a more comprehensive kind of government.They figure government should take care of people.They favor a redistribution of wealth through taxation because taking care of the least fortunate Americans is good for the whole nation. Conservatives want more decisions on policies and programs left up to the states.
Calorie Cops Begin To Mobilize
A story that moved across the Scripps Howard wire earlier this week almost made me laugh out loud. Perhaps you saw it.I ran it in Tuesday's edition. It was a real hoot.I mean, it wasn't meant to be funny, but it truly was. But I guess it was kind of tragic, too, at the same time, because it was incontrovertible evidence of what a twisted up wreck our society and culture are becoming. When I stopped laughing, I shook my head in disbelief. The story was about how there are people in this country pondering a fat tax. Not a tax on people who are overweight.(Not yet, anyway, that's probably not too far off.) No, it's a tax on things that make you fat.And maybe some lawsuits, too. Check this out: Former Surgeon General David Satcher says obesity translates into 300,000 premature deaths each year, and $117 billion in fat-related health bills from eating-related diseases like adult-onset diabetes and cholesterol-clogged arteries.
A Few Reasons Why The Internet Is Great
The Internet truly is a wonderful thing.
Phillips Blocks Wawasee's Title Hopes Six-foot-6 center leads team past Warriors in 3A state championship game
INDIANAPOLIS - If Ta'Shia Phillips wasn't head and shoulders above everyone else in the Miss Basketball race, she solidified that spot Saturday night.
Public View Of Media Disconcerting
Last week I quoted a Gallup poll that asked people about their level of confidence in various American institutions.
Fiscal Cliff Just Another Govt. Fiasco
How ridiculous was that “fiscal cliff” fiasco?
Coulter - What Don't Liberals Get About Racism?
By spending the last three decades leveling accusations of “racism” every 10 seconds, liberals have made it virtually impossible for Americans to recognize real racism – for example, the racism constantly spewed at black conservatives.
Ammo Ban Is Devious, Disingenuous All At Once
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives proposal to outlaw M855 ball ammunition is a thinly veiled attempt to ban guns.
The Politics Of Snooping
I get a kick out of the politics of the snooping “scandal” going on in Washington.
City Outlines Dates For Sewer Meetings
A timeline for the wastewater utility plant expansion financing was laid out by Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer at Monday night’s city council meeting.
