I suppose that is what preparing for graduation and the finality of college brings - a lack of time to blog.

However, despite the two month dry spell - not much has changed.  Mitt Romney is still the eventual nominee and, well, it seems as though no one could care less.

Certainly, this allows the race to get off the ground, and allows the two candidates (not including Buddy Roemer and Rocky Anderson who are trying to garner attention in their own right as independents) to lay out the battle ahead of them as they move forward.

However, as the campaign ramps up, it becomes clearer and clearer that — no one really cares.  The fervor over this election among the American populous is low, mainly because the potential for real change is perceived to be miniscule at best.

It has taken me so long to write anything because, truthfully, there has been little to write about.

Mitt Romney does little but fill a room with hot air, and the President has yet to fully deliver on a host of campaign promises.  Meanwhile, the House and the Senate have spent more time bolstering themselves up for November victories along party lines than actually working to fix the issues that matter most to the American families still struggling to survive.

Let me put this plainly -  no one really gives a damn about November, because November really doesn’t mean a damn thing.

As I write this, congressional approval sits at 13%, and disapproval hovers around 80%.

So, eight in ten Americans believe that the Congress has been doing a poor job, roughly one in ten have lost their minds, and the remaining people just couldn’t be bothered to answer this survey because they realized how moronic the question “Do you approve or disapprove of the job Congress is doing?” truly was.

However, despite the - overwhelming is too simple a word - ASTOUNDING majority of Americans that think Congress flat out sucks, I will guarantee you that at least 85% of the current members will return for yet another 2 or 6 years of sitting on their asses and collecting paychecks from the American taxpayer, as well as payouts from their friends on K-Street.  And, for those who do not return to their posts, please do not fret over their future prosperity.  In a matter of a few short weeks on the unemployment line, they will receive a cushy new position at a lobbying firm in downtown Washington, with a seven-figure salary that will immediately lob them toward a coveted spot in the “One Percent.”

Welcome to the reality of America. 

So, how do we change this?

We vote differently.  We vote for people, mainly in Congress, who actually have a desire to get things done, make change, and (oh yes)compromise. 

Over the next several weeks, I will be rolling out the names of these people.  Of these candidates for office who actually believe in change, and actually wish to see this change come to fruition. 

If we want to steer the course of this country forward, we cannot simply vote for the old incumbent millionaires that have been the face of Washington for far too long.  We have the ability to change this right here, and right now.  It starts with US.

We deserve better, and this election season - we are going to earn it.

Let’s make Washington remember the sixth of November.

 Tonight Newt, Gingrich, Mitt Romney, and Rick Santorum compete for an opportunity to “sweep the South” and claim a win in the Alabama and Mississippi primaries.  Ever since the sun set on “Super Tuesday”, which, in all honesty, was rather boring, he media has been focusing on the Dixieland like Wile E. Coyote on the Roadrunner, constantly attempting to defy logic to make these primaries actually matter.  Let’s just be blunt -  the only person that is legitimately excited that the Presidential Candidates are trying to charm the voters of the Deep Fried South is Barack Obama himself.  Why?  Because the day that President Obama wins either one of the Southern states is the day that you can go ahead and cancel your plans for 2013, securing yourself in the knowledge that the Mayans are right.

Tonight we are going to see primaries in states where 52% of GOP voters believe that Barack Obama is a Muslim, where every single candidate has more or less been forced to give a speech on their favorite type of grits (the consensus among all three was “cheesy”), and where fighting for gun rights and against gay marriage is prioritized above fighting for quality education and equal opportunity for all citizens (disclaimer - I love my guns, just not more than educational equity).

So, in the interim, yes this does make a difference in the GOP race, because if Mitt wins both states, he is TRULY inevitable, Gingrich is out, and Santorum is left to regroup.  However, in the long run, in the true grand scheme of things, tonight is pointless.  If we have learned anything, it is that over 40% of voters this evening do not identify as strong conservatives, which means that either there are a lot of disenfranchised former Obama voters (who will likely go for Romney), or there are a ton of Democrats attempting to sabotage the results (a good thing for Newt and Santorum).

So, as the campaign heads south, and the polls close in 30 seconds, it is time to sit down, to buckle up, and to watch the three main contenders duke it out once again as the most contested GOP primary in recent history continues.  Updats to come.

The polls are closed - Cue Wolf Blitzer’s Screaming.

Roll Tide my friends, Roll Tide.

**Santorum ahead by 5% in Alabama, Mitt ahead by the same in Mississippi**  Cheese grits works.

Most military movies I have seen have revolved around a few actors seeking to score award buzz while trying to accurately portray a role that they have no ability to fully understand.

In recent years, a few films have broken that barrier and actually done justice to the reality of war - Restrepo was the first, Act of Valor is the second.

The first military motion picture to featuring real Navy SEALs, real ammunition, and no CGI [i.e. when the SEALS parachuted from a plane and into the ocean while a submarine arose from the depths beneath them to carry them to their next mission - it was real.] not only filled the heart and soul of every man in the theater with a desire to punch a stranger in the face on the way out while chanting ‘U.S.A’, it filled you with a sense of pride, and even more importantly, profound respect for the men and women who give so freely of themselves for our benefit.

In America, we are often exposed to the glories of war - the soldier returning home from battle to be with his family, the flag flying triumphantly in the wind, the cheer from the battalion as the enemy surrenders… war is seen as an inherent good, with little personal repercussion, as we are allowed to watch from the sidelines. 

“There is many a boy here today who looks on war as all glory,” said Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, “but, boys, it is all Hell.”

What Act of Valor offers is a look behind the facade of war, and into the lives of those who fight it.  

When directors Mike “Mouse” McCoy and Scott Waugh were asked on ‘Huckabee’ why they chose to hire real SEALs instead of actors, they said simply, “because of the brotherhood.” 

If there is one thing that this film shows, it is the incredible bond between these men who fight along side one another and entrust each other with their lives. These men train for a year, pushing themselves to the very limits of their mental, physical, and emotional capacity in order to be the best of the best.  They give everything they have for their nation, and everything they have for each other.

You see, despite the fact that fewer than ten percent of entrants into the BUD/S will graduate, despite the fact that becoming a SEAL means accomplishing the most rigorous training course on the planet, and despite the fact that with the designation of ‘Navy Special Warfare (SEAL) Officer inexorably comes the title of ‘certified bad ass’, it is never about the one.  The focus is never on glorifying the individual, either in training or practice… it is always about the men, always about the team, and always about serving every day with a level of valor and honor that precludes the fear of death.

The in the final minutes of the film, a poem by a Native American Chief is read aloud while the names of fallen SEALs scroll across the screen:

So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and
Demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life,
Beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and
Its purpose in the service of your people.


Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend,
Even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and
Bow to none. When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the food and
For the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks,
The fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and nothing,
For abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.


When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts
Are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes
They weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again
In a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.

We owe these men more than a simple thank you or passing handshake, we owe them the desire to strive and live with the love, strength and fearlessness that they embody.  These men live knowing that moment on this earth with the ones they love may be their last.  They live in a world without the possibility of second chances, forcing them to appreciate what matters the most, without question or hesitation.  This is how we should live, with the propensity to overshadow the inevitability of death through magnanimous power of service and love.

  Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.

To the men and women who live a life to this caliber and give of themselves with the desire to protect, serve and honor those they have never met… to the brave members of our military - to the teachers, fire fighters, police officers, and citizens of valor across this nation - to the damn few:

Thank you.