Welcome Coach

Warm welcome from the faithful:

What fun.  Nuts?  Sure.  But fun.

The press conference provides interesting insight into the man:

 

 

Congratulations Coach.  Please read Max Cohen's article in The Michigan Daily.  Go to:    http://www.michigandaily.com/sports/max-cohen-not-job-lesser-man



Jim Harbaugh loves Michigan

Hope for the Endangered Wolverine

The report says U of Michigan has offered Jim Harbaugh, alumnus and former Wolverine quarterback, $8 million per year for 6 years.  With drama at this level, TheFundamentals turns to visuals to bring you up to date on this Blue but also very green ($$$) soap opera:

Direct from Ann Arbor, the search begins:

The signal goes forth:

Hollywood chimes in:

The buckeye* nation chimes in:

Ah, inbreeding and its delusional blessing of malfunctioning short term memory.

With divine inspiration, the ever so loyal Faithful observe:

Closer to home:

 

Finally, and perhaps, most profound of all – Sponge Bob:

TheFundamentals cares! 


* worthless (or, depending on your dictionary choice – useless) nut

For today a Saviour has been born for you...

And it happened in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, so that the whole world would be enrolled.

 

This was the first enrollment; it was made by the ruler of Syria, Quirinius.

And all went to be declared, each one to his own city.

Then Joseph also ascended from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to be declared, with Mary his espoused wife, who was with child.

Then it happened that, while they were there, the days were completed, so that she would give birth.

And she brought forth her firstborn son. And she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them at the inn.

And there were shepherds in the same region, being vigilant and keeping watch in the night over their flock.

And behold, an Angel of the Lord stood near them, and the brightness of God shone around them, and they were struck with a great fear.

And the Angel said to them: “Do not be afraid. For, behold, I proclaim to you a great joy, which will be for all the people. For today a Saviour has been born for you in the city of David: he is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the celestial army, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will.”

And it happened that, when the Angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us cross over to Bethlehem and see this word, which has happened, which the Lord has revealed to us.”

And they went quickly. And they found Mary and Joseph; and the infant was lying in a manger.

Then, upon seeing this, they understood the word that had been spoken to them about this boy.

And all who heard it were amazed by this, and by those things which were told to them by the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart.

The Gospel of Luke

The Ubiquitous Bureaucracy

We read the Pope’s Christmas poke in the eye to his bureaucracy.  It’s great reading.  Here are His fifteen points – chiding this gang known in the Vatican as the “Curia.”   Here at home we just call it – the government:

1.    “The sickness of considering oneself ‘immortal’, ‘immune’ or ‘indispensable’, neglecting the necessary and habitual controls. A Curia that is not self-critical, that does not stay up-to-date, that does not seek to better itself, is an ailing body

2.    “‘Martha-ism’, or excessive industriousness; the sickness of those who immerse themselves in work, inevitably neglecting ‘the better part’ of sitting at Jesus’ feet

3.    “The sickness of mental and spiritual hardening: that of those who, along the way, lose their inner serenity, vivacity and boldness and conceal themselves behind paper

4.    “The ailment of excessive planning and functionalism: this is when the apostle plans everything in detail and believes that, by perfect planning things effectively progress, thus becoming a sort of accountant

5.    “Sickness of poor coordination develops when the communion between members is lost

6.    “Spiritual Alzheimer’s disease, or rather forgetfulness of the history of Salvation

7.    “The ailment of rivalry and vainglory: when appearances, the colour of one’s robes, insignia and honours become the most important aim in life

8.     “Existential schizophrenia: the sickness of those who live a double life, fruit of the hypocrisy typical of the mediocre and the progressive spiritual emptiness that cannot be filled by degrees or academic honours

9.    “Chatter, grumbling and gossip: this is a serious illness that begins simply, often just in the form of having a chat, and takes people over, turning them into sowers of discord

10. “The sickness of deifying leaders is typical of those who court their superiors, with the hope of receiving their benevolence. They are victims of careerism and opportunism

11. “The disease of indifference towards others arises when each person thinks only of himself

12. “The illness of the funereal face: or rather, that of the gruff and the grim, those who believe that in order to be serious it is necessary to paint their faces with melancholy and severity, and to treat others – especially those they consider inferior – with rigidity, hardness and arrogance

13. “The disease of accumulation: when the apostle seeks to fill an existential emptiness of the heart by accumulating material goods

14. “The ailment of closed circles: when belonging to a group becomes stronger than belonging to the Body

15. The “disease of worldly profit and exhibitionism: when the apostle transforms his service into power, and his power into goods to obtain worldly profits or more power

In matters not where you go – anywhere in the world – the role of the leader is always the same:  Kill the bureaucracy before it kills the spirit and the mission.  We need a man (woman) with Francis’ vision and spunk in the homeland.   At least He is willing to enter the fray and His 15 points are a start; just a beginning.

The Monopoly Bowl

 No, the board game is not sponsoring a bowl game this year.  We are referring to the real thing: a monopoly.  Here is the definition of the word “monopoly”:

“…exclusive control of a commodity or service in a particular market, or a control that makes possible the manipulation of prices.”

Next we refer you to this website:  http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/11419086/2014-15-college-football-bowl-schedule

Here is what you have just learned:

·         Beginning December 20, 2014, at 11:00 am EST, in New Orleans and continuing through January 12, 2015 at a time to be determined in Arlington, Texas, there will be:

·         Thirty Nine (39) so-called bowl games all of which bear the name of some sponsor, usually a corporate name but not always.  To wit:

o   R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

o   Gildan New Mexico Bowl

o   Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl

o   Quick Lane Bowl

o   Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, and our favorite

o   San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl

·         We don’t know what  a “R + L Carriers” is – nor a Gildan or a Royal Purple, etc.

·         But they’ve got a bowl game

·         We assume the Lockheed Martin bowl will be promoting war materiel and its uses

·         And we also noted that, not to be outdone, there is a Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman

·         America’s two biggest defense contractors using “amateur” football to promote war equipment or whatever they are really up to.  Nothing to see here folks – move on 

But this is just a small part of why we present this essay.  There’s more.   Much more: 

·         The Hyundai Sun Bowl, in El Paso, TX, on December 27, at 2:00 PM (EST) will be televised on CBS.  CBS is owned by CBS Corporation – CBS (Class B) (NYSE)

 

·         The other thirty eight bowl games will be televised on a network owned by one company – The Walt Disney Company – DIS (NYSE)  which owns ABC and all the ESPN stations

·         Now, as you know, the CBS signal is carried over the air, as is the ABC signal.  Of the 38 bowl games televised by a Disney owned company, three are on ABC – thirty five are on ESPN.  You must pay to get ESPN, one way or another

·         So, if you are not paying someone to get ESPN, you can watch four bowl games or about the same number you could have watched back in1960.  The only difference?  Back then the four games you could watch were the Rose, Cotton, Sugar and Orange.  All on New Year’s Day.  All over the air - free.  The fifth bowl, the Peach Bowl, didn’t arrive until 1968 and the sixth bowl, the Fiesta bowl, came in 1971.  

·         This year, those six bowl games are on either New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day but all require some form of pay TV to watch 

In our book, 38 out of 39 bowl games presented by one company is a monopoly and we don’t believe monopolies of any sort serve the American public.  Further, in our book, being forced to pay someone to watch 35 out of 39 bowl games showcasing college amateurs who are financed by local, state and federal tax payers is double charging.  As a matter of fact, by the time you pay extra at the store for the products/services advertising on the games, you are being triple charged.  Actually you have no idea what you are paying and you have no idea what the monopoly is making just as you have no clue what the NCAA or the schools are making - you don't see an audited report of revenues and costs do you?   You just pay.  When you are in the store, have you ever seen a sign that says - $ 0.81 of this price goes to the sports monopoly describe above?  Yet the government thinks you should see how many calories are in a soda?  Move on folks; there is nothing to see here.

Forget about CBS.  This is about Disney/ESPN/ABC and their monopoly.   Oh, here is the capper of this nonsense – of those 39 bowl games; do you know who owns them?  ESPN owns nine now and their list is growing. 

Closing comments: 

·         Yes, we know, most of these games are not worth watching but you should at least know what it costs you just for the opportunity to watch "amateur" sports

·         But we also know, someone is making money off them and we have three problems with who that someone is:

o   One, it’s not the taxpayers who create the foundation for the enterprise, and

o   Two, the very media that could disclose key data and information is part of the cabal we call the Hollywood media and they refuse to challenge the code of silence, and

o   Three – across America there is elite monopoly of government, media, sports and corporations that is getting rich (many, filthy rich) and way too powerful at the expense of the regular gal/guy.  That will kill any democracy.

 

The truth shall set you free

So, are we entering a period of truthful enlightenment in our beloved homeland?  Recent revelations suggest something may be happening:

·         Is Angie Jolie a “minimally talented spoiled brat?”  Sure, of course she is.  So what?  She is surrounded by cadres of marginally and minimally talented brats.  There is no great revelation in any of this.  But the mere mentioning of it could qualify the expression of this truth as enlightened and that is what we are seeking.

·         James Risen – the author of “Pay Any Price” and also the fellow being pursued by the federal government (Obama and Holder) for speaking truth to power and not complying with requests to reveal sources.  Remember in a recent post of ours we asked you to contact your senators and congressmen and tell them to “layoff Risen.”  Well, guess what?  They backed down.  Holder just announced –  Risen won’t be forced to reveal.  Such a deal, huh?  Bureaucrats respecting the constitution?  Some people would call that surprising – but not necessarily enlightened.

·         The great leader himself – at odds with the nutso, wack jobs (Nancy and Elizabeth) in his own party.  Mr. Obama just said that "the divided government that the American people voted for" means supporting compromise legislation.  Doh?  After six years he finally gets it – but the wacko gals in his dwindling accumulation still don’t.  We will gladly settle for Mr. Obama attaining enlightenment – let’s face it, the old democrat gals, including Hillary, are not ready for enlightenment.  Best they stay on the lecture circuit.

·         Did you see America’s number one spook – this Brennan fellow dancing around pretending to be upset over democrat criticism of his spooky behavior?  The only problem we see is that no one cuts their budget.  What are the realistic odds that either the CIA or NSA or FBI will actually prevent a serious homeland threat from becoming reality – not just on TV?  One in ten?  One in a hundred?  A thousand?  Maybe Angie could make a movie - call it Homeland or some such thing.  Meanwhile, we’d be better off spending our taxpayer money securing our homes and vehicles and offices the way the government folk do with their homes and vehicles and offices.

·          Ed.  When will Obama and Holder let Ed come home?  We’re not asking that they name a building after him – like the way they did for JEdgarHoover or some other constitutional shredding bureaucrat but don’t you think making someone live in Russia for a couple of years is punishment enough for just telling the truth?

·         Which brings us to the real reason for this essay about enlightenment.  Rod Blagojevich was the governor of Illinois and he was prosecuted by Obama’s Holder gang for being a dope.  Shooting off his mouth; behaving like a juvenile; uttering ridiculous statements.  He never took a penny to back up his silliness.  14 years in a federal prison for being stupid.  He has a family – two daughters – he is ruined – mostly by his own hand.  Enough.  Mr. Obama, we implore you – pardon this man. 

·         Setting Rod free would be an act of mercy.  And an act of enlightenment.