tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66748265110874665502024-03-12T22:22:22.509-05:00The Subsidiarity TimesWhere the Principle of Subsidiarity is the lens through which one man views the worldProf. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-54295814382298203222012-10-06T19:13:00.000-05:002013-01-21T15:28:52.917-06:00We Have Moved!I am pleased to announce that we have upgraded and moved The Subsidiarity Times to a new hosting service. Please go to <a href="http://subsidiaritytimes.com/" target="_blank">this link</a> to continue a great reading experience from the Professor!<br />
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<i style="border: none; color: inherit; line-height: 1.5; text-align: -webkit-auto;">©
2012 The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not
be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written or re-distributed without
written permission from blog author.</i>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-24404658123553136172012-09-10T21:33:00.008-05:002012-09-10T23:24:55.357-05:002012 Nursery Rhyme: Flop Goes Obama!<div style="text-align: left;font-weight: normal; "><span style=" ;font-size:100%;">The Professor was working today with the tune of "Pop Goes the Weasel" running through his mind (He will not disclose how it got there; long story) and suddenly came up with new lyrics to the familiar tune which is now shared for you all to enjoy. </span></div><div style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center; "><br /></div><div style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b>Flop Goes Obama!</b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center; ">The nation is in serious debt,</div><div style="text-align: center; ">It is financial trauma,</div><div style="text-align: center; ">We need someone to clean up this mess,</div><div style="text-align: center; ">"Gladly!" says Obama,</div><div style="text-align: center; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; ">But he just adds on more debt,</div><div style="text-align: center; ">And thinks he's our papa,</div><div style="text-align: center; ">When reality sets in,</div><div style="text-align: center; ">Flop goes Obama!</div><div style="text-align: center; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><em style="color: inherit; line-height: 1.5; text-align: -webkit-auto; border: none; ">© 2012 The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.</em> </div>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-24528099088373166702012-08-31T15:39:00.003-05:002012-08-31T15:52:39.853-05:002012 Minnesota Vikings Final Roster Predictions<p class="MsoNormal">The Minnesota Vikings finished the pre-season 1-3 and so a bit disappointed, but Coach Leslie Frazier and GM Rick Spielman feel the team is headed in the right direction and with good reason. As roster cuts loom, here, based on analysis of the three games, is a prediction list of who will make it and who will not. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;">QUARTERBACK</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>In</i>: Christian Ponder; Joe Webb; Sage Rosenfels;</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>PS(Practice Squad)</i>: McLeod Bethel-Thompson;</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Out</i>: None</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><u>Analysis</u>: Ponder, barring a catastrophic break-down, was always going to be the guy. Webb may still be learning as a passer, but his supreme talent and slow but steady improvement guaranteed him the backup spot. Rosenfels is needed as a veteran mentor to both and his salary made cutting him an unattractive option. Bethel-Thompson, however, was impressive and, provided he clears waivers, is clearly destined for the practice squad. How could he not? He seems destined to eventually earn a spot as the No. 3 on the Vikings squad in the very near-future. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;">RUNNINGBACK</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>In</i>: Adrian Peterson; Toby Gerhart; Jordan Todman;</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>PS</i>: None</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Out</i>: Lex Hilliard;</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><u>Analysis</u>: Peterson is the face of the team and Gerhart has proven his value and will likely open as the starter until Peterson is fully back up to speed. Todman thinks he may not have done enough, but in fact he just may have. His 76 yard TD run against Houston may have landed him a spot. Hilliard, to be blunt, was awful all pre-season and is clearly on his way out. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;">FULLBACK</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>In</i>: Jerome Felton; Matt Asiata;</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>PS</i>: Ryan D’Imperio;</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Out</i>: None</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><u>Analysis</u>: Felton was very unspectacular all pre-season and has had run-ins with the law, but considering the Vikings have bent over backwards the last one to two years trying to acquire him, he probably will remain until he becomes a liability. Asiata was impressive all pre-season and is virtually guaranteed a spot. D’Imperio is such a solid special teams player and is showing flashes as a developing fullback so the team, if they waive him, will probably bring him back to the practice squad as the backup plan for promotion when Felton gets let go. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;">WIDE RECEIVER</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>In</i>: Percy Harvin; Jerome Simpson; Michael Jenkins; Jarius Wright; Stephen Burton; Devin Aromashodu; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>PS</i>: Emmaneuel Arceneaux; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Out</i>: None</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><u>Analysis</u>: Harvin is the star of the receiving corps and fans will get real excited when Simpson takes the field in Week Four. Jenkins, by taking a pay cut and showing just enough veteran savvy, may have earned himself one more season on the squad. Wright finally broke out big time in the Houston game and the Vikings have to feel good about him serving as Harvin’s backup and substitute. Burton was a bit inconsistent but he is a solid player and may have landed himself a role as a future No. 3 possession receiver. Aromashodu finally showed up against Houston and may have landed himself a spot as Simpson’s replacement, but he will be let go once Simpson comes back. Arceneaux was not given much in the way of opportunity with the first string so he probably gets another practice squad stint with a promotion coming if anyone in the receiving corps gets hurt. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;">TIGHT END</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>In</i>: Kyle Rudolph; John Carlson; Rhett Ellison; Allen Reisner; Mickey Shuler Jr.; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>PS</i>: None</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Out</i>: None</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><u>Analysis</u>: Far-fetched? Not as much as you think. Rudolph and Carlson have injury histories and Ellison had an injury scare during the pre-season. Reisner and Shuler have really flashed and the guess here is that the Vikings will not risk losing either of them. It will be a bit of a strain on the roster, but considering how important the tight end is in Bill Musgrave’s offense, this seems to be the safest route for the Vikings to go, and all five guys are young. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;">OFFENSIVE LINE</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>In</i>: Matt Kalil; Charlie Johnson; John Sullivan; Brandon Fusco; Phil Loadholt; DeMarcus Love; Joe Berger; Geoff Schwartz; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>PS</i>: Quentin Saulsberry;</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Out</i>: Patrick Brown; Chris DeGeare; Tyler Holmes; Kevin Murphy; Austin Pasztor; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><u>Analysis</u>: The starting five seems set. Love is a solid backup tackle but needs to get over his injury issues. It looked like Love might be relegated to injured reserve with Patrick Brown filling in for him, but Brown was hideous against Houston and may have cost himself a potential spot. Berger and Schwartz are good because of their versatility in filling in all along the line. Saulsberry was a pleasant surprise in camp and may have earned himself a practice squad spot with his hard work and talent. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;">DEFENSIVE LINE</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>In</i>: Jared Allen; Kevin Williams; Brian Robison; Letroy Guion; Everson Griffen; Christian Ballard; D’Aundre Reed; Fred Evans; Trevor Guyton; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>PS</i>: Nick Reed;</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Out</i>: Chase Baker; Jeff Charleston; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><u>Analysis</u>: Tough to part with anyone here. The Vikings have one of the best eyes in the league for defensive line talent. Allen and Williams are All-Pros, Robison, Griffen, Ballard and D’Aundre Reed have Pro-Bowl and All-Pro written into their future, Guion looks like he might indeed be the answer at nose tackle and Evans and Guyton provide depth. Nick Reed is a definite candidate for the practice squad. Charleston played well, but was simply stuck behind a bunch of very good defensive linemen and is too old for the practice squad. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;">LINEBACKER</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>In</i>: Chad Greenway; Erin Henderson; Jasper Brinkley; Audie Cole; Marvin Mitchell; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>PS</i>: Larry Dean</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Out</i>: Tyrone McKenzie; Corey Paredes; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><u>Analysis</u>: Starting spots seem set with Greenway, Henderson and Brinkley, but if Cole plays like he did in the pre-season and Brinkley struggles, do not be surprised to see the rookie thrown into the mix. Mitchell has proven to be a solid pickup and provided he stays healthy could challenge for playing time. Dean, a great special teamer, is a candidate for the practice squad only because the Vikings have more pressing needs at the moment. McKenzie played well, but the numbers just do not seem to be working out in his favor. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;">CORNERBACK</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>In</i>: Antoine Winfield; Chris Cook; Chris Carr; Josh Robinson; Zackary Bowman; Marcus Sherels; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>PS</i>: Brandon Burton; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Out</i>: Bobby Felder; Reggie Jones; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><u>Analysis</u>: Winfield and Cook are the starters though Robinson could challenge for Winfield’s spot if he can stay healthy. Carr and Bowman did not look spectacular in the pre-season, but they provide a veteran presence in the secondary which is something the Vikings did not have last season. Sherels is only good in the slot, but his return abilities are what help him stick around. Burton goes to the practice squad because he is a large corner with developmental skills and with Winfield’s injury history, may be looking at a promotion sometime during the season. Jones ruined his chances of sticking with a costly fumble on a punt and Felder simply did not show enough to stick around this year though he may get invited back to training camp next year. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;">SAFETY</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>In</i>: Harrison Smith; Mistral Raymond; Jamarca Sanford; Robert Blanton; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>PS</i>: Andrew Sendejo; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Out</i>: Eric Frampton; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><u>Analysis</u>: Smith has begun showing John Lynch-type abilities which should excite Vikings fans. Raymond has worked his way to success all his life so why doubt his ability at free safety now? Sanford is mainly a special teamer but he does have starting experience and a knack for recovering fumbles and recording interceptions. Blanton suffered setbacks with his injuries during the pre-season but he has better abilities then all the other safeties besides Smith and Raymond. Sendejo was a surprise with his trong play and may have earned a practice squad spot and a potential promotion if anybody in the top four gets hurt. Frampton was good with special teams, but getting burned on a deep pass against Buffalo was a killer blow to his roster hopes. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;">SPECIAL TEAMS</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>In</i>: Cullen Loeffler; Chris Kluwe; Blair Walsh; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>PS</i>: None</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Out</i>: Ryan Longwell; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><u>Analysis</u>: Yes Longwell is not and was never on the roster during the pre-season, but his ghost always stalked the special teams talk. He remained on the free agent market always as a looming spectrum watching to see if Blair Walsh would produce or not. Walsh was spectacular on kickoffs, pretty solid on field goals and perfect on extra points. He gets the nod going into the season but he has to do what Doug Brien and Aaron Elling never did for the Vikings of the last decade and actually make it all the way through the season without struggling spectacularly and then being replaced. Kluwe is still good as punter but needs to improve his holds on field goals and extra points for the rookie Walsh. By the same token, Loeffler needs to shake off the rust coming from finishing last year on injured reserve and improve his snaps so he does not shake Walsh’s confidence either. If they can all do well then the Vikings special teams group will no longer be just solid, but also young and so destined to remain around for a while. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;">FINAL ANALYSIS</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">What can we take out of the 2012 pre-season? Hard to say; The first team looked like it was finally coming around but depth still seems like an issue in some spots. The Vikings will probably use this year to get the young players experience while looking forward to next year and another potentially good draft class to help turn this team around more quickly and so help the Detroit Lions displace the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers as the class of the NFC North division in the very near-future. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><em style="color: inherit; line-height: 1.5; text-align: -webkit-auto; border: none; ">© 2012 The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.</em> </p>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-45542780735130323802012-08-21T14:19:00.004-05:002012-08-21T14:25:56.301-05:00The Professor's New Vlog Section: The Rural DoctrineProfessor Wall has published his first vlog. In the inaugural August 21, 2012 episode, he addresses Congressman Paul Ryan's selection as Mitt Romney's running mate for vice-president of the United States, what Senator Rand Paul really said when speaking about the selection of Ryan, the rumors surrounding a possible removal of Vice-President Joe Biden from the Democratic national ticket and what all of this means for the upcoming general election. <div><br /></div><div>To view, go <a href="http://subsidiaritytimes.blogspot.com/p/the-rural-doctrine.html">here</a></div><div><br /></div><div><em style="color: inherit; line-height: 1.5; text-align: -webkit-auto; border: none; ">© 2012 The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.</em> </div>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-62882844102637075172012-08-02T09:29:00.004-05:002012-08-02T09:42:10.232-05:002012 Candidate Profiles: David Gerson of Minnesota Congressional District Two<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibggk5d31LuyesyOgyExWg-lEMkoamG_LMS_0adSas1-UF8hVr3niVqUHtcLujDcooKyjxeTbdGEBbeYDRx9ioltuLaFTWsHHJbMsAygmoEXA85GhP4UrlzWUQnpT_gv20GbPNmnpWXo1f/s1600/Professor+Wall+and+David+Gerson+Marked.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibggk5d31LuyesyOgyExWg-lEMkoamG_LMS_0adSas1-UF8hVr3niVqUHtcLujDcooKyjxeTbdGEBbeYDRx9ioltuLaFTWsHHJbMsAygmoEXA85GhP4UrlzWUQnpT_gv20GbPNmnpWXo1f/s400/Professor+Wall+and+David+Gerson+Marked.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5772083143162703250" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:78%;">Professor Wall interviews congressional candidate David Gerson (R-MN)</span></div><p style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: -webkit-auto; "></p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">Incumbent Republican U.S. representative <a title="John Kline" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kline_(politician)" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.5; ">John Kline</a> (R-MN) has been looked upon as a hero in the Minnesota GOP for his stunning upset of popular Democratic congressman <a title="Bill Luther" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Luther" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.5; ">Bill Luther</a> (DFL-MN) in 2002, but times have dramatically changed since then. Ten years after his historic victory, Kline has a number of constituents unhappy with him and as a result he is now facing his first severe election test since 2002. This time, however, the challenge is within his own party; coming from engineer and economic author <a title="David Gerson for Congress" href="http://www.gerson2012.com/" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.5; ">David Gerson</a> (R-MN) of Eagan, Minnesota.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">“I was asked to come down to CD2 and run in the primary against John Kline and the issue is that his constituents felt that he was not representing their interests and that his voting over the last ten years has not equaled or been in line with the Republican platform” said Gerson in an interview with New Agora. He also added: “The reason why I am taking on the incumbent Republican versus running against a Democrat is because I believe that both parties’ leaders have failed us, including the Republican Party. We are looking to reform the Republican Party to ensure that when we send people to Washington D.C. that they uphold our values and our ideals and we feel there is a need to hold our current leadership responsible for their transgressions in not doing so.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">Gerson, born in Boston and raised in both Boston and North Carolina, received bachelors and masters degrees in the engineering field from North Carolina State University and is currently an executive at a global engineering company where he is responsible for executive engineering transformation. </p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">He also has begun dabbling in writing books on economics and recently just published his first book on economics labeled ‘<a title="How Crony Capitalism Crushed the Middle Class and Killed the Economy" href="http://www.gerson2012.com/pm.cgi?action=show&temp=about" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.5; "><em style="line-height: 1.5; border: none; ">How Crony Capitalism Crushed the Middle Class and Killed the Economy: Revealing the Economics of Legal Plunder</em></a><span style="line-height: 1.5; ">’. When asked how he was inspired to write the book, Gerson said:</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">“I’ve been always a little bit interested in Macroeconomics and since the financial crisis I have had a much deeper concern like most Americans and I’m a pretty analytical guy so I dive into things pretty deeply.” Gerson then related how, having never taken a college-level economics course, he was forced to do much of his own research, but looked upon that as an advantage as he entered his study of economics with an open mind. He then directed his studies to every part that he did not know so that he would have more fully rounded knowledge. As he studied, he began to have some ideas that were different from what was being presented and started to put those ideas into a book which forced him to do a lot of research to validate his points. It helped to shape some of the thoughts that he had and to confirm a lot of the thoughts that he had and he attempted to bring across the economic message in a way which would be digestible in the book, though he admitted that the book is ‘slightly wonkish’. He also stated that he hoped more people would build on his work and that the ideas he had put forward in it would influence him in his congressional votes on economic policy if he were to be elected to Congress.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">Gerson, who references and criticizes the Federal Reserve in his book, states that he supports Ron Paul’s <a title="The Federal Reserve Transparency Act" href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:h.r.459:" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.5; ">Audit the Fed bill</a> and the drive to end the Federal Reserve, while also emphasizing that it will not be a simple task and there will have to be a long transition period and transition plan put in place where the setting of interest rates and other such things are systematically removed from bureaucratic control and given back to the free market before the end of the Federal Reserve can finally come about.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">“The number one thing is transparency. People need to see transparency and that will obviously affect the behaviors of the people that operate inside the Fed” Gerson added, referring to the Audit the Fed bill.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">In reference to <a title="The Pauls' New Crusade: Internet Freedom" href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/the-pauls-new-crusade-internet-freedom" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.5; ">Ron and Rand Paul’s new crusade for internet freedom</a>, Gerson emphasized that he supports the crusade as a fight for freedom of speech.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">“I don’t want to see government controls over the internet. We have a right to free speech and I don’t want to give control to some bureaucrat that is going to determine what is proper and what isn’t” said Gerson.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">When asked about the ‘indefinite detention of Americans’ clause in the NDAA law, Gerson stated that he was surprised more Americans were not outraged at the loss of their right to due process of the law. He then reiterated a pledge to work with congressmen such as Justin Amash and Rand Paul to repeal laws such as the NDAA indefinite detention clause, <a title="H.R. 347" href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.R.347:/" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.5; ">H.R. 347</a> (which limits the rights to free speech in and around federal buildings and grounds) and the PATRIOT Act (which allows government to access individuals’ private records along with other invasive capabilities). He also stated that he supported efforts to eliminate the use of drones on American soil.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">“I hate to oversimplify it, but we cannot sacrifice our rights in the name of safety period” stressed Gerson. </p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">With regards to issues such as abortion and marriage, Gerson stated that he is pro-life and supports pro-life causes but that he would rather see the pro-life issue resolved at the state level first. He added that he would support pro-life legislation such as Ron Paul’s <a title="Sanctity of Life Act" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanctity_of_Life_Act" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.5; ">Sanctity of Life Act</a><span style="line-height: 1.5; "> which would overturn the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision by removing the issue from federal jurisdiction and returning it to the states where most criminal law is already handled. He also supports efforts to defund Planned Parenthood. Concerning marriage, Gerson stated that he believes marriage is not a federal issue.</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">Gerson also pledged that he would work to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">“I would work to repeal (Obamacare). It is that simple. I don’t think it’s the right thing for America. It makes bigger government, bigger government controls; with bigger government comes inefficiencies and market distortions which is unhealthy for America.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">With his positions on the issues laid out, Gerson was asked about his campaign to unseat John Kline as the Republican nominee for Congress in Minnesota’s Second Congressional District, with the first reference being to what he feels needs to happen in order for him to successfully defeat Kline in the primary.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">“I think it is this simple. People need to know <a title="John Kline's Voting Record" href="http://www.gerson2012.com/pm.cgi?action=show&temp=kline" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.5; ">John Kline’s voting record</a>” said Gerson “John Kline does a great job messaging against the Democrats, but he has been part of the Republican leadership and part of leadership period on both sides of the (aisle) that has failed us over the last ten years. He has voted in line with (Speaker of the House) John Boehner on every major issue. No one votes with John Boehner more than John Kline. If you are happy with the leadership in Congress, and we know that nobody is, they have the lowest approval rating in history, you will love John Kline. We need to expose his <a title="John Kline's Voting Record" href="http://www.gerson2012.com/pm.cgi?action=show&temp=kline" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.5; ">record</a>, which is un-defendable.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">Put simply, Gerson believes that if people are awakened to who Kline really is, then that will be all he needs to win the primary.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">“(Kline) has not been representing his constituents” continued Gerson “He has been representing special interests in Washington D.C. He says he is for lower taxes, but he continues to vote for big government programs, bigger government, bigger budgets, bigger federal deficits that increase our taxes. He has voted to take away our civil rights; he has voted for the NDAA; he voted for the PATRIOT Act and its extensions every time; he voted for H.R. 347. So he has taken away our civil rights and he has voted for bigger government; he has voted for a 2.4. trillion dollar increase in the debt ceiling; he provided the deciding vote on Medicare Part D, the largest social welfare initiative since (President Lyndon) Johnson’s Great Society programs. He overrode President (George W.) Bush’s veto which effectively repealed the Freedom to Farm Act which even President Bush labeled as lacking fiscal discipline and he liked Cash for Clunkers so much that he voted for it twice.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">When asked, in contrast to Kline’s record, why voters should pick him over Kline, Gerson issued a straight forward answer. </p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">“Well I’m not a career politician. I’m successful in the private sector so if I get voted out of Congress I can go back to the private sector and maintain my standard of living, actually I would increase it by going back to the private sector. So I will not be swayed by the Establishment from my own agenda (into) supporting the special interest groups and playing the Washington games; so I am a private sector guy, I am not a career politician. I will represent my constituents. I am a true conservative and I will uphold the Republican platform. The problem has been that we have been electing people that have come to campaign and say that they believe in the Republican platform but then go to Washington D.C. and transgress completely away from what our ideals and our true conservative values are.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">In a follow-up question, Gerson was asked to comment on Kline’s statement in an email to potential supporters in the 2nd Congressional District where he appeared to label Gerson as an outsider from Minneapolis and the Fifth Congressional District and why he felt Kline was resorting to this tactic to disqualify Gerson in the minds of voters instead of debating the issues.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">“I would love for him to meet up and debate me on the issues” said Gerson with a touch of enthusiasm, “because I would love to call him on his <a title="John Kline's Voting Record" href="http://www.gerson2012.com/pm.cgi?action=show&temp=kline" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.5; ">voting record</a> which is just un-defendable. I have no idea why he made that statement, your characterization might be as right as any.” Gerson then explained that, while it was true that he had originally been living in Minneapolis, he was moving to the 2nd Congressional District and has been active in the Minnesota Republican Party. He also re-emphasized that he was recruited through certain networks to come down and challenge Kline.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">“(I) was recruited to come down here and try to send this message, not just to John Kline, but to all incumbents and to the Republican Party that we need some catharsis, we need to be honest with who we are and we need to deal with the last elephant in the room that our leadership has been failing us and we cannot blindly vote for people because they are incumbents” said Gerson.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">Gerson was also asked, if he were to become the nominee, if he would be able to change his strategy from contrasting records to educating the populace about why his stances are more correct then what Democratic nominee Mike Obermueller will be standing for.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">“It is a two-fold thing, not only do they have to understand who John Kline is and what he has really voted for and the fact that he is not representing who he is and his voting record is one of the worst in Washington D.C. and we have to start holding our incumbent leaders responsible for their transgressions. They also have to know who I am and my background.” Gerson then stressed that people could learn a lot about his views through his book and through his <a title="David Gerson for Congress" href="http://www.gerson2012.com/pm.cgi?action=show&temp=kline" style="line-height: 1.5; ">website</a> where he lays forth overviews to why he is running, what his beliefs are and what he is doing to get people to believe again in the system so that they can take back their government and so help re-energize the Republican Party base with candidates who are private sector-oriented and not career politicians.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">When asked about his political future and whether he would consider running for either a state office or for the Republican nomination to challenge Senator Al Franken or Governor Mark Dayton in 2014, Gerson emphasized that he currently was completely focused on the task at hand, namely defeating John Kline in the Minnesota GOP primary.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">“I currently have no aspirations to do anything except win on August 14th” said Gerson, then adding: “I fully expect that we will actually be in a race for the general election, come August 15th. I am not thinking beyond August 14th today, we are a machine, we are focused on winning on August 14th in this primary.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">Finally, Gerson was asked if his campaign had a campaign song to which Gerson replied that they did not but that they would love suggestions and he encouraged constituents to call in with recommendations.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">Congressman Kline should be worried about this challenge. Considering Minnesota gave its nod for the Republican presidential nomination to Congressman Ron Paul and the Republican U.S. Senate endorsement to state representative Kurt Bills and that David Gerson is clearly in the same mold as those gentlemen, it is obvious that this is a serious challenge. If the trend which has been taking place in the Minnesota GOP continues, then Kline could very well find himself watching Gerson and Obermueller battle for his seat in the general election while he prepares for retirement as another victim of the Tea Party and Liberty Movement’s takeover of American and Minnesota politics.</p><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ojwbey2-mCc?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><em style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; border: none; ">© 2012 New Agora and The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written, re-transcribed or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.</em> </div>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-53268143597975823772012-07-31T22:06:00.007-05:002012-07-31T22:22:13.180-05:00Jason Lewis: America’s Founding Fathers adopted the Principle of Subsidiarity<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8wB_wJ5NSvI?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" style="font-size: 100%; "></iframe></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNormal">(The Subsidiarity Times) Last month, talk show host <a href="http://www.jasonlewisshow.com/">Jason Lewis</a> gave a very interesting perspective on America’s structure of government during his radio show when he revealed to his listeners that the Founding Fathers of the United States adopted the Principle of Subsidiarity in founding this nation.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“What the framers saw was the idea of being governed by a far-away monarchy as untenable. They did not like being told what to do especially by one family, one person, one throne; but not only that because it was across the pond (Atlantic Ocean). ‘What are they telling us?’ So they adopted the Principles of Subsidiarity that said: ‘Look, local government is best’. And (also) as Madison said and Hamilton as well, the best way to govern a country this large, America was going to be a larger proposition then Great Britain, would be the principles of republicanism, where you divide the majority into a bunch of different jurisdictions and then you let those local jurisdictions decide. Rather then have the national government decide for all of the jurisdictions.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Mr. Lewis is correct in his analysis. The Founding Fathers believed that they should govern themselves in their own jurisdictions. That was the primary reason they opposed the Stamp Act and the other taxes and regulations that Great Britain attempted to impose on the American colonies in the years leading up to the American Revolution. Plus, building off that experience of a national government trying to dictate their laws, taxes and regulations, it was one of the primary reasons that the Framers clearly stated in the United States Constitution that all powers not clearly granted to the Federal Government in the Constitution were to be reserved expressly for the states. </p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><em style=" ;font-size:medium;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; ">© 2012 The Subsidiarity Times. Audio courtesy of <a href="http://www.jasonlewisshow.com/">The Jason Lewis Show</a>; re-published with permission. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written, re-transcribed or re-distributed without written permission from author.</span></em> </p>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-55272074889315033162012-07-19T13:18:00.006-05:002012-07-19T13:35:01.294-05:00Former Governor Ventura: Take Party names off the election ballots so voters will really have to find out what the candidates stand for.<div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; text-align: center; "><iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fom_sTb0O6s?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; text-align: left; "><span style="font-family:times new roman;">(The Subsidiarity Times) In a radio interview with talk show host Brian Wilson of <a href="http://www.wspd.com/pages/brianw.html">Brian Wilson and the Afternoon Drive</a>, former Governor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Ventura">Jesse Ventura (Reform/Independence-MN)</a>, promoting his new book “<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/democrips-and-rebloodlicans-jesse-ventura/1110839540?ean=9781616084486">DemoCRIPS and ReBLOODlicans: No More Gangs in Government</a>”, put forward a very interesting proposition on how to get voters back to voting for individual candidates and what they stand for rather then just a political party, as well as revealing some little-known facts about his own term as governor in Minnesota. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "><span style="font-family:times new roman;">“This could start at the local level. Why do we allow party or gang symbols and names on an election ballot? Turn them into Political Action Committees, the same ways that teachers union, the firemen, whatever, they could still endorse; but they do that by design. By putting the name Republican or Democrat next to the candidate, you don’t even have to know who the candidate is; if you are conservative you go in and look for Republican, if you are liberal, you go in and look for Democrat. If they remove all that, well then it is imperative to the voter then: ‘What does John Smith stand for?’”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "><span style="font-family:times new roman;">This proposition followed a joke that Ventura shared with Wilson where he proposed that a law be made whereby every political candidate would be required to wear a NASCAR racing suit adorned with the names/symbols of all of his sponsors so the voters could then become informed voters and so know who “owns’ each particular candidate. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Further on in the interview, Ventura revealed some rather interesting facts about his own campaign for governor and his term as governor in Minnesota. He first revealed that he pulled off the impossible by getting Republicans and Democrats to unite together to oppose him during his last year as governor. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "><span style="font-family:times new roman;">“Who else in the country can accomplish that today? Nobody” said Ventura, referencing the gridlock currently going on in Washington D.C.</span></p> <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Ventura then added a couple more fascinating facts “Let me go back to my campaign for a minute. I never took over fifty or a hundred dollars. I didn’t take any PAC money from any special interest group; and get this, here is what the media doesn’t want the public to know about my campaign in Minnesota: I only raised three hundred thousand dollars to become governor. So I bet I am the only elected official in fifty years in a major election, Governor, Congress, anything like that, who actually made more money doing the job then what I spent to get it…and because I didn’t take special interest (money), I am also the only governor or whatever in my four years, I never met with a lobbyist once.”</span></span><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /></span><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; "><span><em><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; ">© 2012 The Subsidiarity Times. Audio courtesy of <a href="http://www.wspd.com/pages/brianw.html">Brian Wilson and the Afternoon Drive Show</a>; re-published with permission. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written, re-transcribed or re-distributed without written permission from author.</span></em> </span></div></div>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-84682419291356251462012-07-19T01:29:00.009-05:002012-07-19T01:55:02.997-05:002012 Candidate Profiles: Chris Fields of Minnesota Congressional District Five<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwHwEi1TPIiT3fYRWBekulQXtzf7_EI5HBlTvA5RAU8zV-rsifE9U6KuAJj6aqOFqBziUzSO3yFc1A1mmxqrWyOr_Tay5UhFCsUR0lXna9-HlWNiUDIWi6SVdrw7hNk3v5R2p_8AtI5L0/s1600/Chris+Fields+Speaks+%2528Marked%2529.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwHwEi1TPIiT3fYRWBekulQXtzf7_EI5HBlTvA5RAU8zV-rsifE9U6KuAJj6aqOFqBziUzSO3yFc1A1mmxqrWyOr_Tay5UhFCsUR0lXna9-HlWNiUDIWi6SVdrw7hNk3v5R2p_8AtI5L0/s400/Chris+Fields+Speaks+%2528Marked%2529.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5766770315162400434" /></a><div style="text-align: center; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxTp79xzDCZvluA5hoveWQB4pFSU2vP_F6hlMtVkUU5WWY9E75PjmCFnowhvb-fXwrRkGigLPrrHx6MdutvIjteOMtg670A9vesqibCYaLspJ13AKGQJVYkLHEBWdlhI2DKnu5U-6ac-SS/s1600/Chris+Fields+Speaks+%2528Marked%2529.jpg"><span style="line-height: 17px; "><span style="font-size:78%;color:#000000;">Chris Fields gives a campaign speech at a picnic in Hopkins, Minnesota</span></span></a></div><p style="font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: -webkit-auto; font-family:Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"></p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">He is running in a district where Republicans have not won since 1960, but that does not deter former Marine Chris Fields (R-MN) from believing he can replace incumbent <a title="Congressman Keith Ellison" href="http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Keith_Ellison" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(116, 51, 153); line-height: 1.5; ">Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN)</a> in Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District and so join the other 434 U.S. representatives on Capitol Hill in January 2013.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">“(The) campaign is going good, we have a lot of support” said Fields in an interview with New Agora journalist Professor Wall, “the interesting part of the people that support Chris Fields is this: they’ve ranged from all spectrums of the political world. We have Democrats, hardened Democrats, because frankly they are not very satisfied with Keith Ellison and the things that he has been doing, the grandstanding in Congress, his lack of legislative achievements and so they are in our camp; and then we have social conservatives that are in our camp because I am a strong pro-life candidate and we also have Ron Paul supporters and I’m a liberty loving guy like all of those guys and so our support is very deep and very wide. In fact, last month alone we raised thirty thousand dollars which is a big deal for a congressional campaign of this size in the toughest district for Republicans to win in.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">Fields said his motivation to run was twofold. Part of his motivation came from his experience growing up as the impoverished child of a very young mother (she had three children before she was twenty) which left an imprint on him and has helped him understand the struggles of so many of today’s Americans. The other part came from his twenty-one years of service in government as a United States Marine. Those experiences, said Fields, evoked a very strong sense in him of what he could do to turn things around.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">In current events, when asked for his opinion on Ron Paul’s <a title="The Federal Reserve Transparency Act" href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:h.r.459:" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(116, 51, 153); line-height: 1.5; ">“Audit the Fed” bill</a> currently going through Congress, Fields emphasized that it would not be a quick process to bring the end of the Federal Reserve about, but that he supports ‘the thrust of (Ron Paul’s) argument which is: “we need accountability.”’</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">“I think that’s where his bill is aimed: at getting more accountability with our economic policy and I would be a huge supporter of that alone” said Fields.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">Concerning <a title="The Pauls' New Crusade: Internet Freedom" href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/the-pauls-new-crusade-internet-freedom" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(116, 51, 153); line-height: 1.5; ">Ron and Rand Paul’s new crusade for internet freedom</a>, Fields supports efforts to keep the internet open and free.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">“We would have to take a look at the legislation (in favor of internet freedom), but I did not support SOPA” said Fields</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">“What I am concerned about with internet freedom” he continued, “is that it has to remain open, it has to remain accessible to everyone, to bloggers and to the wide range of Americans who want to be able to express themselves. What is truly concerning to me is when you have, whether it is the recording industry or some of the other industries that are lined up against (internet freedom) and they want to control the voice, they want to own the internet so to speak. That really doesn’t sit well with me and it shouldn’t sit well with a lot of Americans.”</p><div class="mceTemp" style="line-height: 18px; font-size: 12px; "><dl id="attachment_1126" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 310px;"><dt class="wp-caption-dt" style="text-align: left;color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.5; font-weight: bold; "><a href="http://newagoradotme.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/chris-fields-speaking-with-supporters-marked.jpg" style="color: rgb(116, 51, 153); line-height: 1.5; "><img class="size-medium wp-image-1126" title="Chris Fields converses with potential supporters" src="http://newagoradotme.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/chris-fields-speaking-with-supporters-marked.jpg?w=300" alt="Chris Fields converses with potential supporters" width="300" height="261" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.5; border: 0px none; cursor: default; margin: 5px; padding: 0px; -webkit-user-drag: none; max-width: 100%; height: auto; " /></a></dt><dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 17px; margin: 0px; font-size: 11px; padding: 0px 4px 5px; ">Chris Fields converses with potential supporters as part of his bid to win the congressional seat in Minnesota's 5th House District</dd></dl></div><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">In regards to the prospective indefinite detention of Americans thanks to certain clauses in the NDAA law, Fields stated that, while the clause was, in a sense, ambiguous and many had tried to reassure Americans that the law would not be used or construed that way, he still could not have supported it.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">“With the NDAA, no I could not have voted for that, with that statement in there. There was one statement that could be construed as ‘Americans could be held, detained’; President Obama had a signing statement saying ‘Hey, this in fact not what we are going to do’, this is not a road his administration was going to go down, but the fact that its in there just leads me to believe that some clever lawyer somewhere could potentially use that and that is enough for me not to support that bill. I don’t want to give those folks the ammunition to restrict American liberties and our due process because that is what this goes to: our due process.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">Fields expressed even stronger concerns about the use of drones on American soil. “I’m particularly concerned about drones and here is why:” said Fields “A couple of weeks ago a drone just crashed in Maryland and Maryland is a pretty big state, but my experience in the military is that we usually test out equipment out there on the West Coast in Nevada in the big desert, so that wouldn’t have raised my eyebrow; but the fact that it crashed in Maryland, like what sort of testing were they doing out there? What was this drone’s mission in particular? Was he going around picking up signals from everyday Americans? We need to know more about that and the fact that this administration has used drones so extensively in the War on Terror, it is a system that can be ripe for abuse.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">Following up his opinions on these issues, Fields emphasized that, unlike Ellison who seems to choose his battles based on the administration in power, he would rather vote for what was right than follow the party line.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">“I’m not interested in the Left or the Right so to speak, its about what is right for me and what I see (as the difference between) myself and Keith (Ellison) is ‘Hey, I want to be someone that focuses on what is right and I don’t care who the administration is’; if its President Romney, no, I get to oppose his use or abuse of drones; or you know, this NDAA, I don’t care who put that bill forward, you know, you have to have some sort of integrity and that’s what our political system is missing right now.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">Upon being asked for his stances on some of the main social conservative issues as well as Obamacare, Fields re-emphasized his pro-life roots, especially being born to a fifteen year old mother, and added “I am Pro-Life from cradle to grave with no exceptions and you know what, I am pretty unapologetic about that.” He did go on to add however that he was not a single-issue candidate and that he felt that the country has more pressing concerns which must be solved before a constitutional amendment banning abortion could be constructively addressed and have any hope of becoming law. Speaking on Obamacare, Fields expressed grave concerns about the Federal Government intervening in healthcare and said he would prefer state and local authorities taking control of their own situation in regards to addressing any healthcare problems. Fields also added that he felt the marriage issue would be best settled by the people at the state level in the referendums currently being voted on rather then judges.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">With two candidates vying for the Democratic congressional nomination in <a title="Keith Ellison" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Ellison" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(116, 51, 153); line-height: 1.5; ">Congressman Ellison</a> and activist <a title="Gary Boisclair for U.S. House" href="http://www.garyinthehouse.com/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(116, 51, 153); line-height: 1.5; ">Gary Bosiclair</a>, (an ally of <a title="Randall Terry for President" href="http://www.terryforpresident.com/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(116, 51, 153); line-height: 1.5; ">Democratic presidential candidate Randall Terry</a>), Fields is ready to lay out why voters should pick him over either of those candidates in November.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">“With Keith, you know what you’re going to get” Fields said of Ellison, “Keith has been in office since 2006 and not much has gotten better in the lives of many of the people in the district. Minneapolis is home to the largest achievement gap in education between black and white students and with regard to unemployment we still have the largest unemployment gap between blacks and whites in the entire country. That is an embarrassment and I would say this: In the age of Obama and with a representative like Ellison, that should not be the case. Minneapolis and the fifth congressional district have not gotten the focused attention they need. Keith is out talking about a lot of national issues, you name it, everything from Syria to Palestine to Citizens United, this guy is all over the map and what we don’t have here is focused attention; and what we aim to do is provide focused attention, not focusing on the issues that are friendly to Left or issues that are friendly to the Right, but focusing on what is right and what is right for the fifth congressional district. We need to get private enterprise in here and we need to start making investments, not just government investments, which is exclusively what Keith talks about almost, but we need to get private dollars, we need to make ourselves more attractive economically so that we can get new Fortune 500 (companies) to grow. We have a lot of Fortune 500 companies, but we don’t have a lot moving here and that’s what we need to begin to do.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">With Boisclair, Fields commented that: “(I) read some of his stuff, I understand he is pretty strong on the (Pro-)Life issue and I applaud him for that but beyond that we have not seen a whole lot of information with regard to where he stands. If you are going to be strong on the (Pro-)Life issue but then continue to support some of the other drastic environmental pieces of legislation that the Democratic Party has put out, like being opposed to the Keystone Pipeline and things of that nature, well then you have the difference there. So you have to backup what you’re talking about with a strong agenda that gets people back to work and in particular addresses the achievement gap in education as well as the unemployment gap.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">Concerning his political future, Fields was asked if he would consider running for the Republican nomination to challenge Senator Al Franken or Governor Mark Dayton in 2014.</p><p style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; ">“Well right now we have to focus on what is on our plate and so me pontificating on what I am going to do the day after the election is probably not where my focus needs to be. And one of the things that voters are going to understand about me is that I am incredibly focused and incredibly disciplined. And that is probably a product from me being in the Marines but probably not insofar as, coming from the South Bronx in New York City, there is a whole lot of ways to get yourself distracted and turned around and so that you go all off of course in terms of making yourself successful in life. (I) been able to avoid those distractions and so I think in the political sense here I can avoid the distraction of thinking about tomorrow and focus in on what is important for today.”</p><p></p><p style="font-size: 100%; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: -webkit-auto; "></p><div style="font-size: 100%; text-align: center; font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, Verdana, sans-serif;color:#333333;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-size: 100%; font-family:Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, Verdana, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/i6qEmiNDb9w?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 1.5; "></iframe></div></span><p style="font-size: 100%; "></p><p style="text-align: center;font-size: 100%; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-bottom: 24px; "><em style="color: inherit; font-size: 100%; line-height: 1.5; text-align: left; border: none; ">© 2012 New Agora and The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written, re-transcribed or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.</em></p>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-87668991734221620172012-07-04T15:21:00.004-05:002012-07-10T21:26:48.395-05:00The Stamp and Declaratory Acts of our Era: Obamacare and the Supreme Court Decision<p class="MsoNormal">The Supreme Court’s appalling 5-4 ruling upholding the poorly named Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) has thrown down the challenge to the American people. The people of America proclaimed the motto of the Gadsden Flag “Don’t Tread on Me” through the Tea Party for the last five years and the Federal Government, speaking through the majority opinion in the Supreme Court’s decision, has responded accordingly: “Oh yeah? Stop us then.” With that answer from the Federal Government, the second coming of the American Revolution has come closer to reality. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">If one thinks back to the original American Revolution, that movement also started over two vastly unpopular laws. First, there was the Stamp Act of 1765. That law required every individual to pay for a government stamp on almost everything, from legal documents put together by lawyers to playing cards and dice used by sailors. It would be followed in 1766 by the Declaratory Act which decreed that Parliament had the “full power and authority to make laws and statutes of sufficient force and validity to bind the colonies and people of America in all cases whatsoever.” These acts were the closest thing to taxing and regulating behavior the modern world would see from a government until the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The acts ignited a firestorm of protests from the colonists. They were outraged at the prospect of being taxed and over-regulated by a government a long way away which knew very little about the colonies and refused to see the misery that their taxes and regulations would inflict upon them.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Today in America we are seeing a similar wave of anger against the act which has come to be known as Obamacare. In this act, which became law on March 23, 2010, all American citizens are required to either purchase health insurance or be taxed. To uphold the law under the Constitution in the June 28, 2012 Supreme Court decision on the law, Chief Justice John Roberts argued that the federal government has the right to tax American citizens for any reason whatsoever. In making this decision, Roberts and the liberal justices on the Supreme Court have opened a Pandora’s Box. This law is going to hit every citizen of America and everyone is either going to have to pay more money for a limited-choice, government-sanctioned healthcare plan or see their taxes skyrocket higher every April. The Supreme Court Decision, by decreeing that the federal government can tax Americans for anything at all, has, like the Declaratory Act, given the federal government the power to regulate human behavior at any level and they do it by taxing you, just like the Stamp Act. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The gauntlet has been laid down ladies and gentlemen. Furthermore, the states are responding. Since the indefinite detention of American citizens without trial was made legal in the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, <a href="http://tenthamendmentcenter.com/nullification/ndaa/">several states have responded by introducing bills to nullify the NDAA</a>, which means that that federal law will not be effective inside that state’s borders. Now, it has been proposed to nullify Obamacare at the state level and already <a href="http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/constitution/item/7885-12-states-have-bills-to-nullify-obamacare">several states have introduced legislation to do just that</a>. This action is very similar to how the colonies responded to the Stamp and Declaratory Acts. They refused to pay the taxes and to effectively implement this refusal, they enacted a nation-wide boycott of British goods in order to avoid paying the taxes. It was, effectively, nullification of British laws by the American colonies. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">So how is this leading to a second American Revolution? Just watch and wait. Once the states’ nullification measures begin to take effect and Obamacare and any other laws which are nullified prove to be unenforceable, the federal government will be forced to either let the states get away with those measures or they will have to move troops in to force the state governments to obey federal laws. If they choose the latter option (which seems likely), then expect the situation to really get out of control. The federal government already <a href="http://www.infowars.com/troops-in-door-to-door-wellness-checks-in-virginia-ohio/">seems to be preparing for this</a> in having <a href="http://www.zerohedge.com/news/guest-post-military-rolls-tanks-st-louis-streetsbut-why">the military drill inside American cities</a>. If they implement military takeovers of the states and their local governments, one might expect history to repeat itself and events which took place in a British-occupied Boston and in the small towns of Lexington and Concord in 1775 will repeat themselves in one or more of America’s fifty states which will lead to the states rising against the federal government in a Second American Revolution to re-enforce the principles of the Founding Fathers. Only this time, the cry of warning from those seeking freedom will not be “The British are Coming!” but: “The Feds are Coming!”</p><p class="MsoNormal"><em style="color: inherit; line-height: 1.5; text-align: -webkit-auto; border: none; ">© 2012 The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.</em> </p>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-6593284936845040102012-06-28T23:51:00.010-05:002012-06-29T00:27:28.582-05:00Guest Op-ed: How Will the Catholic Church Respond to the Contraception Mandate?<span><span style="font-size: 100%;"></span></span><span><span>Today, June 28, 2012, a great tragedy befell America in the ruling by the United States Supreme Court upholding the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). This ruling will fall particularly hard on religions who have been targeted by the HHS mandate requiring religious employers to provide coverage for contraceptives even if it goes against their religion. In response to this abominable attack upon religious freedom in America, my colleague from <a href="http://www.blogger.com/newagora.me">New Agora</a>, the incorrigible papist <a href="http://en.gravatar.com/lightningrod5">Chris Scribner</a>, has written an excellent op-ed article detailing what the Catholic Church's response to the Supreme Court's ruling and the HHS mandate should be and it is re-posted here as a guest posting on The Subsidiarity Times. </span></span><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span>How Will the Catholic Church Respond to the Contraception Mandate?</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">By <a href="http://en.gravatar.com/lightningrod5">Chris Scribner</a> of <a href="http://catholicgraymatters.blogspot.com/">Gray Matters</a></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div>The June 28, 2012 Supreme Court decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act (commonly termed Obamacare) quashed the hopes of conservative Catholics that a decision by the Obama administration to require religious employers to provide contraception might be repealed in the immediate future. In short, the mother of all clashes is brewing between the Catholic Church and the Obama administration.</span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span>On August 1, 2012, health plans for most organizations will be required to cover contraception, “emergency contraceptives,” and sterilization procedures. The mandate will be extended to non-profit religious employers on August 1, 2013. Narrow religious exemptionshave been granted, but as Cardinal Wuerl has pointed out, not even Mother Teresa would qualify for these exemptions.</span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span>In other words, the Obama administration is forcing institutions affiliated with the Catholic Church to pay for coverage of contraceptives, “emergency contraception,” and sterilization. After being pressured by religious groups, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) tweaked the mandate so that insurance companies would be forced to provide contraception instead of Catholic institutions themselves. But Catholic institutions would be paying insurance companies to provide birth control to employees, so the religious objections of Catholics have not been resolved. (Besides, since many Catholic companies and diocesesself-insure, the major sticking point remains for Catholics in a host of cases.)</span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span>If the Church did comply and provided contraception coverage to its employees, it would signify that the Church’s moral teaching on contraception could be changed. And the Church would instantly lose all credibility if She reversed herself on contraception or any of Her other moral teachings; if She could reverse Herself on one critical teaching at the whim of the state, any of Her teachings would be mutable.</span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span>Accordingly, the Catholic Church is treating the HHS mandate as a serious blow to religious freedom. Every single one of the Catholic bishops in America has sworn that the Church will not and cannot comply with the Obama administration’s mandate. President Obama refuses to budge on the matter. The Catholic Church is now celebrating a “Fortnight for Freedom” – two weeks of prayer and penance as part of a “great hymn of prayer for our country” – in response to the HHS mandate.</span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span>The Catholic Church can choose to respond to the HHS mandate in several different ways. Here is a brief overview of the ways the Church can choose to respond to it. This list will also examine historical precedents for these choices.</span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(20, 20, 20); "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "></span></div></div></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span>To continue reading, please go to: </span></span><a href="http://catholicgraymatters.blogspot.com/2012/06/how-will-church-respond-to.html">http://catholicgraymatters.blogspot.com/2012/06/how-will-church-respond-to.html</a></div><div><br /></div><div><em style="color: inherit; line-height: 1.5; text-align: -webkit-auto; border: none; ">© 2012 Gray Matters and The Subsidiarity Times. Re-printed with the permission of article author and <a href="http://catholicgraymatters.blogspot.com/">Gray Matters</a>. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written or re-distributed without written permission from the author of this article.</em> </div>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-46404053307153577692012-06-27T17:58:00.006-05:002012-06-28T23:49:53.234-05:00The Ideological Idols<div style="text-align: center;"><span ><i>When People think they possess the secret </i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span ><i>of a perfect social organization which makes evil </i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span ><i><span><span>impossible, </span></span><span>they also think that they can use any </span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span ><i><span>means, </span><span><span>including violence and deceit, in order </span></span><span><span>to </span></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span ><i><span><span>bring </span></span><span><span>that organization into being. Politics then </span></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span ><i><span><span>becomes a “secular religion” which operates </span></span><span><span>under </span></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span ><i>the illusion of creating paradise in this world. </i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span ><i>– Pope John Paul II</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span ><i><br /></i></span></span></div><span><p style="font-size: small; "></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; ">Ideologies are a natural result of a democratic-republican form of government. People all have opinions on how problems should be handled at the level of government and in a free democratic-republican system, they are allowed to voice these opinions in debates, elections, and the public square (i.e. talk radio, television and the workplace). Unfortunately, many people believe in their ideologies to an extreme and so come to think their ideology is the be-all and end-all of their world. They worship what the ideology presents to them as the ultimate goal of those following that ideology. It is a sad reality. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; "><b>Totalitarianism:</b> The idol of those who follow the Totalitarian ideologies (Socialism; Communism; Nazism; Fascism) is Government; All-Powerful, Big Brother Government. They believe that government is the magic elixir which can solve all social, political and financial problems at every level and push for government to be given as much power as the world can give so they can solve these problems and thus produce Utopia. This “heaven on earth” cannot exist in this world because man is not perfect. Mistakes and abuses will be made and in a totalitarian system, wrongdoing and mistakes can be legalized or covered up because it is sanctioned by government which leads to greater harm for the people. {The failure and fall of the Soviet Union is a prime example of this}. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; "><b>Liberalism:</b> Power is the shrine at which liberals adore. They are similar to Totalitarians in that they believe government should be the vehicle to affect change that is needed, but they want the power for themselves and their friends because they believe they can solve everything that is wrong in the world if they are only given the power. What they fail to realize is that with power comes tremendous temptation and that temptation can corrupt anyone and so lead to the abuse of a system. {Good examples of this are scandal-ridden American presidencies such as those of Ulysses S. Grant and Warren G. Harding}.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; "><b>Moderatism: </b>Moderates glorify public opinion as their deity. Moderates believe that if the people want something then it should be given to them. They believe this will result in true peace and, by default, utopia. If the majority of the people want it, then it must be good for them and so bring about good results for them. The problem here is that deception is possible at any level and when the general public is deceived about certain ideas or facts, then caving in to public opinion can lead to disastrous results. {The French Revolution is a great example of this}. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; "><b>Conservatism: </b>Money is the bottom line for conservatives.<b> </b>The commonly accepted priority of most conservatives is fiscal responsibility, but this degenerates into simple money hunger. Money is what they are most interested in because to them it is what buys happiness and ensures that they have the ability to keep that happiness. They acknowledge that utopia cannot be accomplished on this earth but that does not bother them as much so long as they have the money to solve their own ills. They only wish to limit government when it hampers their ability to make money. This attitude is wrong, however, because it has been proved time and again that money cannot buy happiness or solve every ill. Some issues can only be solved by things that money cannot buy, such as love and truth. {Charles Dickens eloquently proves this in his classic story <i>A Christmas Carol</i>}.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; "><b>Libertarianism:</b> Libertarians worship personal freedom. A large number of libertarians believe that, as long as they do not infringe on someone else’s personal freedom, they should be free to do whatever they wish to themselves and that no form of authority has a right to say otherwise. They think that if everyone is left to rise or fall based on their own virtues or vices regarding their personal habits, then a more complete and happy society can be achieved. This view is dangerous in the sense that it does not acknowledge the legitimate place of authority on many levels, sometimes not even at the family or community level. This mindset tends to absolve people from the obligation to “Love Thy Neighbor” whereby one person can help another avoid inflicting great harm to himself/herself. While libertarians are correct in feeling that certain levels of government should not dictate personal habits because government is force, they are incorrect in feeling that the decisions that an individual makes regarding their own personal habits or livelihood should be left unaddressed by anyone at all. The family has the authority to talk to a person about their personal habits and way of living and in some cases this responsibility extends to members of the community such as the individual’s neighbors and co-workers. {Tragic deaths from bad personal habits such as drug abuse and irresponsible driving often stem from the same mindset as that which would fuel a libertarian society}.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; "><b>Subsidiarism:</b> Subsidiarism believes in problems being resolved at the most local level possible. People following this ideology wish to govern themselves by setting forth most of their own laws that they wish to follow in their own communities rather than always looking to the provincial or national government to run their lives and set their laws. Subsidiarists hold that the Creator is the one who is to be worshipped and respected because human beings receive their dignity from the Creator, Who made them as individuals and gave them their rights. They acknowledge that, as human beings, they are not perfect and cannot achieve total perfection, but that the faults that individual human beings show, (whether its in dealing with their fellow human beings, or in their own personal habits), can be best handled and settled at the appropriate level, whether it be the family level, the community level, the provincial level (for serious faults such as murder), or the national level (for grave crimes, such as treason). This will not bring about utopia, but it can isolate the instances of abuse and poor management of problems which arise and so keep the harm that comes as a result restricted to the lowest number of people possible. {The argument could be made that the early United States is the closest historical example of this kind of society}.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; "><em style="color: inherit; line-height: 1.5; text-align: -webkit-auto; border: none; ">© 2012 New Agora and The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.</em> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; "><b> </b></p></span>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-43344958300491785232012-06-26T20:19:00.006-05:002012-06-26T20:27:02.410-05:00Dan Liljenquist’s Senate run in Utah exposes the neo-conservative infiltration of the Tea Party<p class="MsoNormal"><span >June 26th, 2012, the voters of Utah will vote for candidates to be the standard-bearers for their respective parties in the run for many federal and state offices which will take place this November. The most contested of all of these primary races will apparently be the primary race for the Republican nomination for United States Senate in which Senator Orrin G. Hatch, who has held the seat since 1977, is being challenged by Tea Party-backed state legislator Dan Liljenquist. While certain polls predict that Hatch might succeed in holding off Liljenquist and so avoid the fate which befell his former (or soon-to-be former) Senate companions Bob Bennett and Richard Lugar, Liljenquist will still be able to claim a moral victory in the primary, even if it does not include winning the Utah GOP’s nomination for United States Senate. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >Liljenquist will win a moral victory in his challenge against Hatch by the fact that his candidacy has exposed the extent to which big-government neo-conservatives have sought, and in many cases succeeded, to infiltrate and claim leadership positions in the small-government-demanding Tea Party movement. <a href="http://www.clubforgrowth.org/perm/?postID=15170">Hatch has backed many laws unpopular with the Tea Party movement during his time in the Senate</a>, among them the TARP bailout, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (which he co-sponsored with the late Senator Edward Kennedy), the No Child Left Behind Act, the Bridge to Nowhere, the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bailouts, Medicare expansion, raising the debt limit and many other laws of that nature. Yet, despite all of Hatch’s support in favor of these things which the Tea Party despises, there is a very large lineup of so-called “Tea Party leaders” who have backed Hatch’s re-election bid and that should be disturbing to the grassroots Tea Party organizers. The list of these supposed “Tea Party leaders” includes names such as Tea Party Express co-leader Sal Russo, two members of the neo-conservative “talk radio mafia”: Mark Levin and Sean Hannity, and, most disturbingly of all, former Alaska Governor and 2008 GOP Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. With such Tea Party-oriented names as these lining up against Liljenquist, is it any wonder he is trailing in the polls to Hatch? </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >Win or lose, however, what Liljenquist has done by challenging Hatch in the primary and so forcing these so-called “Tea Party leaders” to choose sides in the primary battle between himself and Hatch, is expose the neo-conservative infiltration of the so-called “Tea Party leadership positions” for all to see. This fact had originally begun to show during Congressman Ron Paul’s 2012 candidacy for President, but many tried to dismiss it as evidence of the Tea Party being infiltrated by the neo-conservatives by following Rush Limbaugh’s lead when he proclaimed “<a href="http://www.dailypaul.com/191087/neocon-rush-limbaugh-ron-paul-aint-the-tea-party">Ron Paul is NOT the Tea Party and he is not the founder of the Tea Party</a>”. Limbaugh is wrong of course as evidenced by the fact that the Tea Party movement arose “<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/05/10/juan-williams-surprising-rise-rep-ron-paul/">from the ashes of Paul’s 2008 Presidential Campaign</a>” to quote one political commentator and the evidence to support this lies in the fact that <a href="http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071217/NEWS81/520223741/-1/FOSNEWS0406">Ron Paul organized the fantastically successful “Tea Party Moneybomb” on the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party in 2007 </a>which is the first recorded Tea Party protest. All that aside, however, no one can dispute Liljenquist’s Tea Party credentials as opposed to where Hatch has stood over the past several years and so in a primary such as this, the true Tea Party supporters would be and should be endorsing, supporting and voting for Liljenquist. As people such as Levin, Hannity, Russo and Palin have failed to support Liljenquist, this shows them for what they truly are: neo-conservative infiltrators of the Tea Party movement. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >Liljenquist’s moral victory in exposing these infiltrators for the rest of the nation to see makes a victory by Hatch in the primary a pyrrhic victory for the neo-conservatives in their attempt to infiltrate the Tea Party. Their opposition to Liljenquist has shown them for who they truly are and the news should be shouted from the rooftops to the many Tea Parties across America that the Tea Party members must no longer look to these neo-conservative infiltrators for leadership, but to the people who actually stand for the true principles of the Tea Party and will back those candidates who are going to stand by those principles of limited government both at home and abroad. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><em style="color: inherit; line-height: 1.5; text-align: -webkit-auto; border: none; "><span >© 2012 The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.</span></em> </p>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-27439654429166221252012-06-16T11:17:00.013-05:002012-07-31T22:08:15.434-05:00Senator Ron Johnson: “Ron Paul has done a real service to this nation”<div style="font-size: 100%; text-align: center; "><iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/v1dp4XZLJ1s?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" style="font-size: 100%; "></iframe></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 100%; "><span></span></p><span style="font-size: 100%; "><div style="text-align: left;"><span style=" ;font-size:100%;">(The Subsidiarity Times) In an interview with talk show host </span><a href="http://www.jasonlewisshow.com/" style="font-size: 100%; ">Jason Lewis</a><span style=" ;font-size:100%;">, United States Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin expressed high praise for Ron Paul and the work that Paul has carried out in his two presidential campaigns.</span></div></span><div style="font-size: 100%; "><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; "><span><span> “Ron Paul, I think, has done a real service to this nation, the way he talks about liberty, the way he has energized our young people. You know, I kind of count on the youth’s natural propensity to rebel, to start rebelling about their university professors, you know, start reclaiming their freedom, it is their future that is being immorally mortgaged here” said Senator Johnson. </span></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; "><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; "><span><span> Jason Lewis followed the Senator’s comments with an observation about how the youth of the late 1960s and early 1970s were all about free speech and rebelling against authority in their youthful days and now that they are older and in positions of power, they are demanding total compliance of the youth of today’s world. </span></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; "><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; "><span><span> “The good news is,” replied Senator Johnson “and that is the example of Ron Paul, the youth is starting to get it. They will value their liberty when they are taught that it is their right, not government’s right, it is their right and they will defend it and I find that when I talk to people on the universities, Ron Paul certainly tapped into that, the Republican Party and Conservatives need to tap into the energy of the youth.” </span></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; "><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; "><span><span>Very telling observation from Senator Johnson, who, unlike the mainstream media, has actually noticed the thousands upon thousands of young people who greeted and cheered for Ron Paul at every speech he gave during his campaigns.</span></span><span></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; "><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><em><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; ">© 2012 The Subsidiarity Times. Audio courtesy of <a href="http://www.jasonlewisshow.com/">The Jason Lewis Show</a>; re-published with permission. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written, re-transcribed or re-distributed without written permission from author.</span></em> </span></span></div>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-75005105024006584782012-06-02T00:01:00.007-05:002012-06-02T00:16:55.494-05:00Judge Napolitano: If drones had existed in 1776, Jefferson would have had any sent to spy on him by George III shot down.<div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: center; "><iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/we_Xee3AEnk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" style="font-size: 100%; "></iframe></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; "><span >(The Subsidiarity Times) In a radio interview with radio talk show host Brian Wilson of “<a href="http://www.wspd.com/pages/brianw.html">Brian Wilson and the Afternoon Drive</a>” on the afternoon of May 30, 2012, Judge Andrew Napolitano, speaking on the controversy surrounding the President’s assumed authority to use drones to spy on and kill people, made the comment that if drones had existed in 1776, he felt that Jefferson would have had any drones sent to spy on him shot down.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >“Can you imagine if drones existed in 1776 and George III had sent one to hover around the bedroom of Monticello? Everybody that worked for Jefferson would have had muskets in their hands to shoot it down! And they would have been heroes for having done so!” said Napolitano</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >Wilson and Napolitano were discussing a recent <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/29/world/obamas-leadership-in-war-on-al-qaeda.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all">New York Times article detailing</a> some <a href="http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/foreign-policy/item/11584-obamas-kill-list-policy-pull-the-trigger-and-dont-count-civilian-casualties">very disturbing aspects of Obama’s undeclared wars</a> along with a <a href="http://townhall.com/columnists/judgeandrewnapolitano/2012/05/04/the_presidents_private_war/page/full/">piece recently written by Napolitano himself containing some very strong criticisms of Obama’s law-usurping actions in pursuing these undeclared wars</a>. They also discussed Napolitano’s statement in his article that “Obama has a morbid fascination with his plastic killing machines” (a reference to the drones) and what the impact of drones employed domestically would have on the American populace.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >“There are three hundred fifteen, three hundred sixteen local and state police departments that already have drones but they don’t have the permission from the Federal Government to fly them. So the question is, what will they do with them? I mean, will they have them hover outside people’s bedrooms? Will they hover over people’s backyards? Or will they use them to kill people?” asked Napolitano.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >He then added that “I caused quite a stir when I said on Special Report with my colleague Bret Baier that, in my view, the government would have a difficult time finding a jury to convict someone who shot down a drone that hovered over his family and children in his backyard; in fact such a person might very well be viewed by the jury as a hero. I’m not suggesting this should be done and I’m certainly not advocating violence, but I am suggesting that this use of drones would really turn the Constitution on its head”.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-size: 12pt; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; " >© 2012 The Subsidiarity Times. Audio courtesy of <a href="http://www.wspd.com/pages/brianw.html">Brian Wilson and the Afternoon Drive Show</a>; re-published with permission. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written, re-transcribed or re-distributed without written permission from author.</span></em> </p>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-68504645152460266832012-06-01T23:09:00.013-05:002012-06-01T23:44:59.233-05:00Schiff: The real financial crash hasn’t happened yet and I think its coming soon<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span></span></p><span style="font-style: normal; "><span>(New Agora & The Subsidiarity Times) In a radio interview promoting his new book <a href="http://www.therealcrash.com/">The Real Crash: How to Save Yourself and Your Country</a>, financial analyst and former candidate for the United States Senate, <a href="http://www.europac.net/">Peter Schiff</a>, warned Americans that the real crash he has been warning about has not happened yet and will likely happen soon. </span></span><div style="font-style: normal; "><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-style: normal; "><span><span>“I described what was going to happen to the U.S. economy when the housing bubble burst, but that was not the crash I was trying to get people to guard against; it was going to be the next wave that was going to come, that was going to follow the government’s response to the smaller crash that happened first. So I just reiterated that in this book that the actual crash, the one I have been forecasting all along, hasn’t happened yet and I think its coming soon” said Schiff to radio talk show host <a href="http://www.wspd.com/pages/brianw.html">Brian Wilson</a> in the May 30th, 2012 interview. </span></span></div><div style="font-style: normal; "><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-style: normal; "><span><span>Following up Schiff’s point, Wilson then asked him “You point out in the book, you give the history of how we got here, you point out how if we continue doing what we’re doing: we’re broke, we’re in debt up to our kazonkas, we’re in hoc to China and all the rest of that, we’re printing fiat money, and all the rest of that, and we’ve talked about that a lot here on this station, including our conversation with you and if we continue doing this, we’re going to have this currency/sovereign debt crisis thats going to just blow up and rain all over the place, its going to be very bad. There is another road to take in this fork in the road and as you point out in the book, that one has got a much happier ending, its a little rocky at the beginning, but its a much happier ending, but, and here is the conundrum as I see it, the dichotomy, is that road, while it has a happier ending, has to go through hell involving politicians making decisions and doing things that they absolutely have never done in the past and, quite frankly I don’t think have any intention, of doing in the future as long as there is a can to kick down the road. So where does that leave us?” </span></span></div><div style="font-style: normal; "><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-style: normal; "><span>Schiff responded with a tough, but honest assessment of the situation: “(It leaves us) between a rock and a hard place. Its not going to be easy. I mean, doing the right thing never is easy, look if it was easy, Europe would have done it. But its not easy and we have to understand that. But the alternative is actually worse, I mean yes, if we opt for the easy road we postpone the pain, but we ultimately are going to feel it and its going to be worse. Now for the politicians, they would rather have the pain tomorrow then today because tomorrow is after the election and today is before it. But for Americans who care about their country and who care about their children and their grandchildren, you know, lets get it over with! Lets do the right thing now! Lets stop making these mistakes so we can start fixing the mistakes and preparing the country for a future prosperity instead of continuing to dig ourselves into a deeper hole that is so much more difficult to get out of!”</span></span></div><div><span style="font-style: normal; "><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-style: normal; "><span><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ouWOVmLLM1A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" style="font-size: 100%; "></iframe></div></span></span></div><div><div><i>© 2012 New Agora and The Subsidiarity Times. Audio courtesy of <a href="http://www.wspd.com/pages/brianw.html">Brian Wilson and the Afternoon Drive Show</a>; re-published with permission. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written, re-transcribed or re-distributed without written permission from author.</i><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span><em><span style="font-size: 12pt; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; "></span></em></span></p></div></div>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-13490478561785754952012-05-25T09:51:00.007-05:002012-05-25T10:30:27.681-05:00Minnesota Vikings Position by Position Analysis 2012<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; "></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; "></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; "></p><span><span >The Minnesota Vikings will have a very different team in 2012 from the one they had in 2011. This analysis shall break down each position for the Vikings as they go through their minicamps and head towards training camp 2012.</span></span><div><span ><br /></span><div><span><span ><b>Quarterback</b> </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Locks</i>: Christian Ponder; Joe Webb; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>On The Bubble</i>: Sage Rosenfels; McLeod Bethel-Thompson; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; ">Analysis</span></u>: Ponder and Webb showed a lot of potential last season. They each guided the team to one win each and showed flashes of brilliance while they were at it. Seeing as Ponder is the higher draft pick and slightly more polished, he will begin the season as the starter with Webb backing him up. If he falters however, look for Webb to try and take advantage of the opportunity to prove he can lead. The real battle at the quarterback position, however, will be for the No. 3 spot. Sage Rosenfels has the edge due to his experience as a veteran, but McLeod Bethel-Thompson has a strong arm and if he flashes enough, he could end up sticking around.</span></span></div><div><span><span ><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span ><b>Runningback</b> </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Locks</i>: Adrian Peterson; Toby Gerhart; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Likely Safe</i>: Jordan Todman; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Long Shot</i>: Derrick Coleman;</span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Out</i>: Caleb King; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; ">Analysis</span></u>: Peterson wants to come back as soon as he can, but he should take a lesson from Vikings draft choice Greg Childs about trying to come back from an injury too quickly. Peterson should definitely sit out the pre-season and since the first two games are against Indianapolis and Jacksonville, he would probably be better off just sitting those two out and making sure he is okay when Minnesota faces Super Bowl contender San Francisco. Gerhart flashed a lot last season so he should do well filling in for AP and Jordan Todman has been impressing the Vikings staff with his abilities so he will provide depth behind Gerhart and later Peterson. Caleb King’s situation which necessitated his release was sad because he flashed a lot for the Vikings in pre-season last year and could have provided more valuable depth. </span></span></div><div><span><span ><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span ><b>Fullback</b> </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>On The Bubble</i>: Ryan D’Imperio; Matt Asiata; Jerome Felton; Lex Hilliard; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; ">Analysis</span></u>: D’Imperio wasn’t flashy but showed a lot of potential last season and Asiata reportedly impressed the coaches in pre-season before getting hurt. Felton had been on the Vikings radar last season, but they were unable to bring him in until now. Lex Hilliard can play both fullback and halfback, but he never flashed much while in Miami. With a draft choice being spent on H-back Rhett Ellison, chances are the Vikings are no longer alarmed about Jim Kleinsasser’s retirement and will just see if anybody stands out. With this in mind, the guess is that Felton and Hilliard will probably not be impressive enough for the Vikings to abandon their youth movement, and so it will come down to Asiata and D’Imperio. If Asiata stays healthy, he probably gets his turn at fullback on the regular roster while D’Imperio spends the 2012 season on the practice squad refining his game. </span></span></div><div><span><span ><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span ><b>Wide Receiver</b> </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Lock</i>: Percy Harvin; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Likely Safe</i>: Michael Jenkins; Jerome Simpson; Greg Childs; Jarius Wright; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>On The Bubble</i>: Devin Aromashodu; Emmanuel Arceneaux; Stephen Burton; Bryan Walters; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Long Shots</i>: Kerry Taylor; Kamar Jorden; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Out</i>: Kris Adams; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; ">Analysis</span></u>: Harvin carried the Vikings passing game last year almost single-handedly. He is better in the slot position though. Jenkins gets another year due to his experience and so helps stabilize the receiving corps. Simpson has wowed Christian Ponder with his abilities, so once his three game suspension is over he will probably become Ponder and Webb’s deep threat. Childs was one of the best receivers in the nation before getting hurt and if he is truly healthy again and back to form, he could surprise a lot of people. Wright provides depth behind Harvin and could develop into the same kind of weapon that Harvin is. The battle will be for the No. 6 receiver spot. Aromashodu has speed, but did not show very much consistency last season. Arceneaux was a star in the CFL, but his opportunities were limited last season. Burton is a former draft pick with good body control, but still needs some work. Walters was a pickup from the Chargers and has showed some abilities, but needs to show more in order to make his way on to the roster. The guess here is that Harvin, Jenkins, Simpson, Childs and Wright will lock up the first five spots while Arceneaux gets the No. 6 spot until Simpson comes back from suspension and then Arceneaux joins Burton on the practice squad for 2012. </span></span></div><div><span><span ><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span ><b>Tight End</b> </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Locks</i>: Kyle Rudolph; John Carlson; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Likely Safe</i>: Rhett Ellison; Allen Reisner; Mickey Shuler Jr.; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; ">Analysis</span></u>: Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave is running a tight end-heavy offense, so do not be surprised if the Vikings keep five tight ends on their active roster. Yes, you read right: FIVE. Rudolph and Carlson are tall athletic pass-catchers who will probably be Ponder and Webb’s main receiving targets in the offense next season. Ellison was drafted to fill the H-back role vacated by the retiring Jim Kleinsasser, so barring a complete breakdown in camp, Ellison will get a spot. Reisner and Shuler are both players that the Vikings staff have been very high on and with injuries always a real possibility, the team probably will want to hang on to them too just to make sure they have a deep corps of tight ends available just in case injuries strike. </span></span></div><div><span><span ><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span ><b>Offensive Tackle</b> </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Locks</i>: Matt Kalil; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Likely Safe</i>: DeMarcus Love; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>On The Bubble</i>: Phil Loadholt; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Long Shots</i>: Patrick Brown; Darrion Weems; Tyler Holmes; Levi Horn; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Out</i>: Jose Valdez; Kevin Murphy; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; ">Analysis</span></u>: Kalil filled a huge need at left tackle, but the question now is on the right side. Loadholt struggled mightily last season and the reason he is most likely on the bubble is because many have been referring to Loadholt in a very similar fashion to the way they referred to Bryant McKinnie before his release last season. The pressure will especially be on Loadholt if DeMarcus Love continues to progress as he did last season. Overall, do not be surprised if Love beats out Loadholt for the right tackle spot if Loadholt continues to struggle. It probably will not happen, just do not be surprised if it does. </span></span></div><div><span><span ><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span ><b>Guard</b> </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Likely Safe</i>: Charlie Johnson; Geoff Schwartz; Joe Berger; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>On The Bubble</i>: Chris DeGeare; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Long Shot</i>: Austin Pasztor; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; ">Analysis</span></u>: Johnson was over-matched at left tackle last year and now faces another daunting task, namely replacing All-Pro Steve Hutchinson at left guard. He is better suited for guard, but replacing an All-Pro could be the trick that dooms his Vikings tenure if he does not perform it to coaches and fans satisfaction. Berger played very well for spot duty last season, but needs to continue to play at that high level if he wants to get the right guard job. Schwartz was a smart free agent signing and a versatile player who, if he does not win a starting job, will probably stick around because he can provide depth at guard and tackle. DeGeare is the wildcard. He started at times his rookie year, but was overweight last season and so spent that year on the practice squad. If he whips himself back into shape and shows consistency, he could make a run for the right guard spot or push Johnson on the left. </span></span></div><div><span><span ><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span ><b>Center</b> </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Lock</i>: John Sullivan; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Likely Safe</i>: Brandon Fusco; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Long Shot</i>: Quentin Saulsberry; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; ">Analysis</span></u>: Sullivan has adequately replaced the departed Matt Birk and will remain a starter, but he could be staring at his eventual replacement in the tough-nosed Fusco who showed a lot of potential in spot duty last season. </span></span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span><span ><b>Defensive End</b> </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Locks</i>: Jared Allen; Brian Robison; Everson Griffen; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Likely Safe</i>: D’Aundre Reed; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>On The Bubble</i>: Anthony Jacobs; Nick Reed; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Long Shots</i>: Eric Latimore; Ernest Owusu; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Out</i>: Kevin Cyrille; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; ">Analysis</span></u>: Allen is coming off a year to remember career-wise and Robison proved to be an excellent replacement for the departed Ray Edwards. Griffen is one of the most athletically talented players in the league and the team has to find ways to get him on the field when their defense is playing, whether it is at defensive end or linebacker. D’Aundre Reed flashed a lot last pre-season and so has the inside job to be Allen’s main backup if he continues to play as well as he did. Jacobs and Nick Reed are intriguing prospects, but will probably end up on the practice squad due to the team’s depth on the defensive line. </span></span></div><div><span><span ><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span ><b>Defensive Tackle</b> </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Locks</i>: Kevin Williams; Christian Ballard; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Likely Safe</i>: Letroy Guion; Trevor Guyton; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>On The Bubble</i>: Fred Evans; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Long Shots</i>: Chase Baker; Tydreke Powell; Terrell Resonno; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; ">Analysis</span></u>: Despite his age, Williams is still a star for the Vikings defense and should be given the dignity John Randle never was, namely that of retiring as a Viking. Ballard flashed a lot last season and will probably be the heir when Williams calls it a career. Guion at nose tackle is an intriguing experiment, but Guyton might actually end up being the starter there because of his strength and disruptiveness. Evans has had a lot of chances to prove himself and this could be his last shot. One undrafted guy to watch is Powell because he is an actual nose tackle. </span></span></div><div><span><span ><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span ><b>Outside Linebacker</b> </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Locks</i>: Chad Greenway; Erin Henderson; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>On The Bubble</i>: Solomon Elimimian; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Long Shot</i>: Tyler Nielsen </span></span></div><div><span><span ><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; ">Analysis</span></u>: Greenway is the star of the linebacker corps and rightly so. He can blitz, intercept passes and play well in space. If he can stay healthy, he could be staring at more Pro Bowl appearances down the road. Erin Henderson had a good year last season in his first opportunity as a starter but it remains to be seen if that was because of his improved abilities or because of former coordinator Fred Pagac’s style of defense. Solomon Elimimian was a hard hitter in the CFL, but can he translate that to the NFL? If he does, he could push Henderson for playing time. Nielsen was an undrafted free agent but has reportedly impressed the coaching staff and may get an opportunity to stick around. </span></span></div><div><span><span ><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span ><b>Middle Linebacker</b> </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Likely Safe</i>: Jasper Brinkley; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>On The Bubble</i>: Audie Cole; Larry Dean; Tyrone McKenzie; Marvin Mitchell; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Long Shot</i>: Corey Paredes; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Might Be Back</i>: E.J. Henderson </span></span></div><div><span><span ><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; ">Analysis</span></u>: Brinkley has played well in the middle when given the opportunity back in 2009 and 2010, but he missed all of last year with an injury and may need some time to get back into the flow of the game. That being said, he may not be ready to take over the starting job this season. Cole was a nice draft pick, but needs time to get acclimated to the pros and definitely should not be starting if the team can help it. Dean showed Jesse Tuggle-like skills last season as an undrafted free agent, but needs to prove to the team he is more then just a special teams player. McKenzie had a promising career ahead of him before suffering a bad injury. Now he has to prove he has fully recovered and can be the player he once showed flashes of being. Mitchell was a solid backup in New Orleans, but has never shown the ability to be anything but a backup. If the Vikings are worried about the position heading into training camp, do not be surprised if E.J. Henderson gets brought back on a one year deal until the Vikings can draft a replacement next season. </span></span></div><div><span><span ><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span ><b>Cornerback</b> </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Locks</i>: Antoine Winfield; Chris Cook; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Likely Safe</i>: Josh Robinson; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>On The Bubble</i>: Chris Carr; Zackary Bowman; Asher Allen; Brandon Burton; Marcus Sherels; Nicholas Taylor;</span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Long Shots</i>: Reggie Jones; Bobby Felder; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Out</i>: C.C. Whitlock; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; ">Analysis</span></u>: This was the Vikings weakest spot last year and no wonder. The hope is that this season, by returning to the Tampa-2 scheme under new defensive coordinator Alan Williams, the team can play to the strengths of their players in the secondary. Winfield’s career is winding down and he has announced that he will retire when his contract expires, so to keep him in the best position to make a difference, the Vikings probably want to see him playing the slot mainly. Cook has to prove himself again, but he was showing flashes of being a shutdown corner before his legal troubles derailed him. Robinson was the fastest player at the NFL scouting combine and if he can turn that speed into an asset at the corner position, then he could prove to be a nice complement to Cook. Depth spots will be the name of the battle in pre-season. Carr played well as a nickel and dime back with the Ravens, but needs to prove he can still do so here. Bowman looked to have a promising career with the Bears before imploding. To stick here he must re-discover the form that made him a starter on the Bears defense. Allen has had plenty of opportunities to prove himself and has not done so adequately enough. This could be his last shot. Burton is a tall corner with upside who got playing time in a very unfavorable situation last year. He has a longer leash then some of the others here, but still needs to improve his game. Sherels was a pre-season star last year and contributed some big plays on special teams during the regular season, but due to the newcomers and the fact that Sherels needs some more time to refine his defensive playing skills, he may end up on the practice squad until Winfield retires. Taylor is an intriguing prospect as a former basketball star, but he may be too raw to contribute right away. He probably joins Sherels on the practice squad and gets another year under his belt before seriously challenging for a role on the regular defense. </span></span></div><div><span><span ><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span ><b>Safety</b> </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Lock</i>: Harrison Smith </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Likely Safe</i>: Mistral Raymond; Robert Blanton; Jamarca Sanford; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>On The Bubble</i>: Eric Frampton; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Long Shot</i>: Andrew Sendejo; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; ">Analysis</span></u>: Smith fills a gaping hole in the secondary that has not been adequately filled since Darren Sharper’s departure. He can play either the strong or free safety positions and probably will find out which position he will play at based on who wins the job to start alongside him. Raymond is probably the frontrunner to start alongside Smith because of his athletic abilities. He played well at free safety last season and seemed to have a knack for finding the ball in turnover situations. Blanton is a converted corner who played with Smith in college and has impressed the coaching staff with his abilities, but he may be a bit too raw to start at this point. Sanford is the de facto starter alongside Smith heading into training camp and he will get a chance. While he wasn’t overly impressive in a starting role last season, Sanford did show a knack for coming up with turnovers and if he continues that trend he could win the spot just by that uncanny ability. Frampton will probably stick around because he is such a solid special teams player. </span></span></div><div><span><span ><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span ><b>Special Teams</b> </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Locks</i>: Chris Kluwe; Cullen Loeffler; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>On The Bubble</i>: Blair Walsh; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Out</i>: Ryan Longwell; </span></span></div><div><span><span ><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; ">Analysis</span></u>: This has been the team’s true strength the last few seasons, but it probably will be tested this year. Loeffler is a welcome sight back from his injury because his replacement last season, Matt Katula, was awful. Kluwe, the Twitter warrior, is as solid as they get at punter (and, by the way, has every right to voice his opinions under the United States Constitution’s First Amendment). The question will be at kicker. The Vikings are to be commended for having Ryan Longwell’s best interests at heart in their decision to release him long enough ahead of training camp for him to find a new team, but is rookie Blair Walsh ready? That is a question that must be haunting the Vikings. If Walsh falters and Longwell is still on the free agent market, do not be surprised if the Vikings do what they did for so many years with Gary Anderson and invite Longwell back one year at a time until they find a long-term replacement. </span></span></div><div><span><span ><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span ><b>Final Analysis</b> </span></span></div><div><span><span >Head Coach Leslie Frazier and new General Manager Rick Spielman wanted a younger team and they have got one. How fast will this team jell? Only time will tell. It was probably wise for the team to do a longer training camp because of all the new players on the roster, but it remains to be seen if it will be enough to get them to seven or eight wins in the regular season. Do not expect playoffs this year, but the team will probably show flashes of greater things to come. </span></span></div><div><span><span ><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span ><b>Week 1 Starter Predictions</b> </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Quarterback</i>: Christian Ponder </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Runningback</i>: Toby Gerhart (Adrian Peterson upon return from injury) </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Fullback</i>: Matt Asiata </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Deep Threat Receiver</i>: Greg Childs (Jerome Simpson upon return from suspension) </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Possession Receiver</i>: Michael Jenkins </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Slot Receiver</i>: Percy Harvin </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Left Tackle</i>: Matt Kalil </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Left Guard</i>: Charlie Johnson </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Center</i>: John Sullivan </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Right Guard</i>: Geoff Schwartz </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Right Tackle</i>: Phil Loadholt </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>H-back</i>: Rhett Ellison </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>No.1 Tight End</i>: Kyle Rudolph </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>No. 2 Tight End</i>: John Carlson </span></span></div><div><span><span ><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Right Defensive End</i>: Jared Allen </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Under Tackle</i>: Kevin Williams </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Nose Tackle</i>: Trevor Guyton </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Left Defensive End</i>: Brian Robison </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Weakside Linebacker</i>: Erin Henderson </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Middle Linebacker</i>: Jasper Brinkley (E.J. Henderson if he is re-signed) </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Strongside Linebacker</i>: Chad Greenway </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Pass Rushing Linebacker</i>: Everson Griffen </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>No. 1 Cornerback</i>: Chris Cook </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>No.2 Cornerback</i>: Josh Robinson </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Nickel Cornerback</i>: Antoine Winfield </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Dime Cornerback</i>: Chris Carr </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Strong Safety</i>: Harrison Smith </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Free Safety</i>: Mistral Raymond </span></span></div><div><span><span ><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Placekicker</i>: Blair Walsh </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Punter</i>: Chris Kluwe </span></span></div><div><span><span ><i>Long Snapper</i>: Cullen Loeffler</span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p></p><p></p></div></div><div><span><span><i><span >© 2012 The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.</span></i> </span></span></div>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-14869275631873245242012-05-24T19:28:00.003-05:002012-05-24T19:29:46.383-05:00A Look at our Future: Scary and Hopeful<p style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: -webkit-auto; "><span >The popular perception being thrown out as the Republican Presidential Primary season begins to wind down is that Mitt Romney has not only ensured himself the position of being the Republican Presidential nominee in 2012 but that he is all but assured of defeating President Barack Obama in November of 2012 and, with his business background, will immediately restore the economy and so guarantee himself eight years in office. This belief, put bluntly, is ridiculous and true fantasy. Here is why:</span></p><p align="center" style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center; "><em style="color: inherit; line-height: 1.5; border: none; "><span >Scenario One: Mitt Romney Loses the 2012 Presidential Race</span></em></p><p style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: -webkit-auto; "><span >Though Romney does have the lead in the number of delegates who are bound to vote for him on the first ballot at the Republican National Convention, there is absolutely no enthusiasm for him as the nominee. Many voters who supported other contenders in the GOP race have pledged that they will not vote for him, whether it is because of Romney’s apparent façade on the social issues such as abortion or because he has endorsed certain irresponsible spending policies. Nothing Romney says will ever change that perception.</span></p><p style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: -webkit-auto; "><span >So where will so many of these voters go? Look outside the Romney-Obama race and there is the answer. The Republican Party, put bluntly, has had three major defections during the primary season and all three of these candidates appeal to those voters who feel betrayed by the Republican Party and its rejection of the values of Ronald Reagan.</span></p><p style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: -webkit-auto; "><span ><a title="Gary Johnson 2012" href="http://www.garyjohnson2012.com/front" target="_blank" href="http://www.garyjohnson2012.com/front" style="color: rgb(116, 51, 153); line-height: 1.5; ">Former Governor Gary Johnson of New Mexico</a> has split from the Republican Party and joined the Libertarian Party. As his message primarily deals with economics, he will most likely appeal to voters disgusted with Romney and Obama’s financial irresponsibility and so expect him to grow his vote by appealing to those voters who are looking for someone endorsing sound economic policies and has a background to prove his sincerity.</span></p><p style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: -webkit-auto; "><span ><a title="Virgil Goode 2012" href="http://www.goodeforpresident2012.com/" target="_blank" href="http://www.goodeforpresident2012.com/" style="color: rgb(116, 51, 153); line-height: 1.5; ">Former Congressman Virgil Goode of Virginia</a> has also split from the Republican Party. He has been nominated as the presidential candidate of the Constitution Party. His message too deals with economics and endorses sound economic policy, but Goode’s largest advantage in the presidential race is actually on the social issues. He is truly Pro-Life and has a record to back it up. He also stands with the Right on other social conservative issues. When the additional point is made that Goode is currently the only candidate on enough state election ballots to win the presidency who stands with the Right on the social issues, then one can expect a substantial majority of social issues voters to defect to Goode’s campaign and thereby punish the Republican Party for abandoning its Pro-Life, social issues stances of the past.</span></p><p style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: -webkit-auto; "><span ><a title="Buddy Roemer 2012" href="http://www.buddyroemer.com/" target="_blank" href="http://www.buddyroemer.com/" style="color: rgb(116, 51, 153); line-height: 1.5; ">Former Governor Buddy Roemer of Louisiana</a> also has abandoned the Republican Party after being very shoddily treated throughout the Republican Presidential primary process. Not invited to a single Republican Primary debate, despite being a prominent Republican former officeholder, Roemer’s break with the Republican Party came very easily. He sought the presidential nomination of the suspended Americans Elect organization and is now focusing on obtaining the presidential nominations of the Reform Party, the Modern Whig Party and possibly a few more minor parties, thereby seeking to build a coalition to power his third party bid for the White House in 2012. He has been preaching to the voters about the dangers of government power and that message will appeal to many voters who may have flocked to the Republican Party with the hopes of dismantling the powerful Establishment organization in Washington DC built by Bush, Obama and several past presidents, but now severely disappointed at the apparent nomination of Romney, who is seen as a member of that Establishment. Also Roemer, as an officeholder who has served in both the Democratic and Republican Parties, can appeal across party lines and to independents as his party-switching can be portrayed as happening because he is a man who sticks to his principles. That image is even more attractive to many independents when compared to the political flip-flopping done by Romney and Obama.</span></p><p style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: -webkit-auto; "><span >Faced with these three candidacies from former Republicans, the anti-Obama vote will be severely divided. The majority of voters will definitely reject Obama, but like Clinton in 1992 and 1996, Obama will win with a plurality of the popular vote. Faced with these, it can be said that Romney has embarked on a losing campaign in 2012 and America is doomed to see another four years of Obama in the White House.</span></p><p align="center" style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center; "><em style="color: inherit; line-height: 1.5; border: none; "><span >Scenario Two: 2016 - The Return of Obama or Worse</span></em></p><p style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: -webkit-auto; "><span >What if Mitt Romney overcomes all the odds and wins the Presidency in 2012? What happens then?</span></p><p style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: -webkit-auto; "><span >It is true that Romney will be free to implement the reforms he has been calling for, and the day of reckoning in terms of America’s debt, will probably be postponed for a little longer, but unless real and true system change is put forward, nothing is really going to stop the oncoming financial disaster. America will still be headed towards a financial cliff, just at a slower speed and none of the nation’s moral problems will be solved either.</span></p><p style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: -webkit-auto; "><span >Why is this? To put it bluntly, the budget plans that Governor Mitt Romney and his ally Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) have put forward for the federal government will not solve the nation’s debt problems in time to save America from the financial cliff it is fast-approaching. The budget will not be balanced until 2040 under these plans and according to analysts who correctly predicted our nation’s current problems such as Patrick J. Buchanan and Peter Schiff, America does not have that much time left. <a title="Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive to 2025? By Patrick J. Buchanan" href="http://www.amazon.com/Suicide-Superpower-Will-America-Survive/dp/0312579977" target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/Suicide-Superpower-Will-America-Survive/dp/0312579977" style="color: rgb(116, 51, 153); line-height: 1.5; ">Buchanan’s most recent prediction has given America until 2025 at the latest to survive in its current condition</a>. Schiff has predicted that <a title="Peter Schiff: Treasury Collapse to hit around 2013" href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/afontevecchia/2012/03/27/peter-schiff-market-crushing-treasury-collapse-to-hit-around-2013/" target="_blank" href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/afontevecchia/2012/03/27/peter-schiff-market-crushing-treasury-collapse-to-hit-around-2013/" style="color: rgb(116, 51, 153); line-height: 1.5; ">another economic bubble will burst around 2013 and that it will have been caused by more irresponsible government monetary practices</a>. With these facts in mind, what will happen if Romney somehow overcomes the odds and convinces enough Americans to vote for him that he defeats Obama?</span></p><p style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: -webkit-auto; "><span >To begin with, Romney will be cursed with the albatross of an exploded economic bubble sometime after he takes office. It will be very much like when Herbert Hoover took office in 1929 and was cursed with the Great Depression just a few months later. As a businessman president, trying to keep businesses from failing because of their irresponsible economic practices, Romney will probably be forced to resort to more economic stimulus in order to try and prevent more businesses from failing, no matter how unpopular it is. This will lead to instant charges of hypocrisy and will prevent Romney from implementing his new tax plan or from cutting any more taxes. He will be forced to keep them where they are in order to keep the government at least somewhat solvent. The economy, as it has since 2008, will not recover and will continue to limp along in its slowly downward-spiraling state.</span></p><p style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: -webkit-auto; "><span >This continued state of the American economy will lead to voters crying out that the Republicans have betrayed them. Backlash like the one which took place in 2006 and 2008, will lead to Democrats regaining popularity and what does that point to? The Democrats will claim that their program under Obama was interrupted and not allowed to finish. With this in mind, the Democrats will be looking forward to 2016 with high expectancy and will be all ready to nominate someone to resume the program that Obama started.</span></p><p style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: -webkit-auto; "><span >For anyone who thinks a defeat of Barack Obama in 2012 ends his political career, think again. Constitutionally, Obama will be eligible for one more four year presidential term, so if he is defeated in 2012, he can always run again in 2016. However, if Obama’s defeat is bad enough, the Democrats may indeed look beyond Obama for a candidate even more radical then he is. Who will that be? That is anyone’s guess at this point. It is the author’s suspicion, however, that the more-radical-then-Obama candidate could end up being one of two candidates: either self-described socialist Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont or Harvard law school professor Elizabeth Warren. Warren would probably be the more powerful candidate as she would not only be endorsing many of the same policies as Obama with a more radical trend but, if nominated, would have the added distinction of being the first female to head a major party ticket. Sanders, on the other hand, would provide a background of long devotion to Obama-type ideals and a long record in Congress to back up his stances and make him look like a truly devoted candidate.</span></p><p style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: -webkit-auto; "><span >Faced with these three prospective candidates and an economy going downhill faster then ever, Romney would have no chance of winning re-election and come 2017, America would be right back where they started with either Obama’s return or the arrival of someone more radical.</span></p><p align="center" style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center; "><em style="color: inherit; line-height: 1.5; border: none; "><span >What is to be Done</span></em></p><p style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: -webkit-auto; "><span >There is a hope for a solution to both scenarios, despite what all the odds say. The option lies in the power of the checks and balances given by America’s Founding Fathers in the Constitution; the power to check the Executive Branch. Namely: Congress. To the advantage of the grassroots organizations, the Establishment has been unable to control many of the congressional races with candidates of their own choosing. The Tea Party beat out the Republican Party Establishment with nominations for several fiscally responsible, socially conservative, small government candidates in the 2010 elections. Among them: Rand Paul in Kentucky, Mike Lee in Utah, Ron Johnson in Wisconsin, Justin Amash in Michigan and several others. Many were elected and are now serving in Congress trying to check President Obama’s attempts to grab more power. Now, in 2012, more Tea Party candidates are being put forward as candidates for seats in the House and Senate. <a title="Richard Mourdock for U.S. Senate 2012" href="http://richardmourdock.com/" target="_blank" href="http://richardmourdock.com/" style="color: rgb(116, 51, 153); line-height: 1.5; ">Richard Mourdock in Indiana</a>, <a title="Kurt Bills for U.S. Senate 2012" href="http://kurtbills.com/" target="_blank" href="http://kurtbills.com/" style="color: rgb(116, 51, 153); line-height: 1.5; ">Kurt Bills in Minnesota</a>, <a title="Josh Mandel for U.S. Senate 2012" href="http://jobs.joshmandel.com/" target="_blank" href="http://jobs.joshmandel.com/" style="color: rgb(116, 51, 153); line-height: 1.5; ">Josh Mandel in Ohio</a> and <a title="Thomas Massie for U.S. Congress 2012" href="http://www.thomasmassie.com/" target="_blank" href="http://www.thomasmassie.com/" style="color: rgb(116, 51, 153); line-height: 1.5; ">Thomas Massie in Kentucky</a> are examples of Tea Party candidates already selected to run in the 2012 elections who fit these profiles, but there are many more. These are the candidates who should be campaigned for the hardest.</span></p><p style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: -webkit-auto; "><span >Why? The logic is as follows. The President does not make the laws. Congress does. Congress introduces bills, votes on bills and passes bills. They have the power to override a President’s veto of bills and to remove a President through impeachment for abuse of power. This means that Congress is a much more important government body to take control of.</span></p><p style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: -webkit-auto; "><span >So if the Tea Party takes control of Congress, then whoever wins the Presidency will be in a very tough position. Obama will threaten vetoes against any government shrinking, quicker debt-solving bills, but those vetoes can be overridden. Romney will have a tough time opposing bills calling for government de-regulation or quicker solutions to the nation’s debt that his own party is sending him. Overall, the people will finally be making their voice heard. That is how the country nullifies the impact of an Obama second term or a Romney presidency and heeds the warnings of prophets like Buchanan and Schiff. Then once the downward economic spiral is halted, the Tea Party can finally look forward to putting one of their own in the White House in the 2016 elections and so continue the great task of saving America from its path of financial ruin.</span></p><p style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: -webkit-auto; "><em style="color: inherit; line-height: 1.5; font-size: 100%; border: none; "><span >© 2012 New Agora and The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.</span></em></p>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-41912617673914775092012-05-12T18:16:00.008-05:002012-05-12T18:32:23.919-05:00Governor Gary Johnson: “I need to be in the national presidential debates in order to win the Presidency”<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMlLItv1kzQbD8yGWhOn-obvOntLj7ElWdNOfohBPnLCBLU9N0U-BOyESGkpJeJW2facdGIekvQprpa8yoYrB-sXDD0QzuS6LHH_4ohYp9K0Ic747Wpe9g_BNBBRDuXLW1Lt8s_ovMDNM/s1600/Prof+Wall+%2526+Gov+Johnson.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMlLItv1kzQbD8yGWhOn-obvOntLj7ElWdNOfohBPnLCBLU9N0U-BOyESGkpJeJW2facdGIekvQprpa8yoYrB-sXDD0QzuS6LHH_4ohYp9K0Ic747Wpe9g_BNBBRDuXLW1Lt8s_ovMDNM/s400/Prof+Wall+%2526+Gov+Johnson.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5741790308703871394" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">In an interview with New Agora journalists Professor Wall and Info Crusader, former New Mexico Governor and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/gary-johnson-wins-libertarian-party-nomination">eventual Libertarian Party presidential nominee</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.garyjohnson2012.com/front">Gary Johnson</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>was asked, in response to <a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/the-scenario-that-puts-gary-johnson-the-white-house">an<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>article on Examiner.com which forecast his potential to win the presidency in November 2012</a>, what it would take for him to become the 45th president of the United States.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“The pie in the sky scenario for me is, being the (Libertarian) nominee number one, I hope to be the nominee, but secondly would be polling at 15% and being in the national debates for President of the United States against Obama and Romney. Thats, in my opinion, how anything could happen if that happened. But thats really key to having anything potentially happen” said Johnson.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In response to inquiries for his opinion on executive orders<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.disastercenter.com/laworder/10995.htm">10995</a>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.disastercenter.com/laworder/10999.htm">10999</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.disastercenter.com/laworder/11000.htm">11000</a>, which were issued by President John F. Kennedy during the Cold War, and allowed the Federal Government to seize and control the communications media and food supplies and to mobilize civilians into work brigades under government supervision, Johnson responded with surprise and some dismay.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“I wasn’t even aware of those” he said, “It sounds terrible, sounds horrible” he continued, going on to explain that they had a negative impact on the American people because “We are going further and further down the path of less civil liberties and when you have a government capable of taking over food supplies, what does that mean? You are going to be restricted potentially from getting food or if you are not going to be restricted, what are you going to have to do in order to receive your food from the government? No, this is scary. This is really scary. People should be outraged!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">He also added that as President “I would probably issue my share of executive orders, but it would be executive orders restricting government from doing all of those things.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In regards to his campaign's efforts to become the viable third party alternative to the Republicans and Democrats over<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.goodeforpresident2012.com/">former Congressman Virgil Goode of the Constitution Party</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.buddyroemer.com/">former Governor Buddy Roemer of the Reform Party</a>, Johnson stated that he would run on his record rather then seek endorsements. Citing the experience he had gained while running for Governor of New Mexico, he pointed out that he had not sought any endorsements during his campaigns for governor and had instead run on his record and been elected both times. He did add however, that he would welcome endorsements if any were to be given to him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">When Johnson was asked about whether he would potentially be willing to step aside and help unite the Liberty movement behind Ron Paul if Paul were to become a candidate under any label, Republican or third party, in the general election, Johnson re-emphasized the point he had been making since leaving the Republican Party to run in the Libertarian Party.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“One of my credos when it comes to politics is being reality-based and I just don’t think any of the above is going to happen” said Johnson. When asked in a follow-up question if Ron Paul would be considered for a cabinet position in a potential Gary Johnson presidential administration, Johnson was skeptical about the possibility even arising, but remained open to it.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“I go back to my experience as Governor of New Mexico. There was not one single commitment that I made to anybody for a job. It was all, apply for the job and I’m going to conduct an interview process. I don’t see Ron Paul as playing second fiddle to anybody and so, just the reality of Ron Paul, what he’s done, I don’t think he’s going to have any interest in a cabinet position and if he does, you know, terrific, we’ll deal with that if that actually comes into play.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lCCVp9Bt6bw?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /></p><div><em><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";border:none windowtext 1.0pt;mso-border-alt:none windowtext 0in; padding:0in;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">© 2012 New Agora and The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written, re-transcribed or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.</span></em></div>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-52586616084709735272012-04-02T22:37:00.003-05:002012-04-02T22:41:23.431-05:00The Importance of the Young<p class="MsoNormal"><span ><i>This piece is dedicated to the young people of three great American movements: The Ron Paul campaign, the Campaign for Liberty movement and the Young Americans for Liberty movement</i>.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 100%; "><span >Many times over the course of my ongoing career as a high school teacher, I am confronted by fellow teachers and authority figures in the education movement who often take me to task for, as they put it, “asking too much of the children”. In other words, some feel my assignments are far too challenging; others believe the children are not smart enough to grasp what I am teaching and that I should dramatically reduce the intelligence level of what I am teaching and the assignment tasks which I am asking of the children; still others give the argument of “If I cannot see myself doing what you ask, then there is no way the children can do what you ask”. This mentality is what makes me the angriest as a teacher. It angers me even more then misbehavior on the part of the students. While prudence in submitting challenges to students is wise (and as a teacher I recognize that), the arguments given in favor of prudence make my blood boil. Why are children and the young not allowed to attempt to master challenges? Why is the intelligence level of children and the young constantly being made portrayed as small and insignificant? Why are the young so frequently dismissed like small pawns or servants who should only be doing their masters’ beck and call? Why are things not allowed to be logically explained to them like the rational human beings that they are? Why are they force-fed what the older generation defines as truth and told to accept it without discussion instead of either having it logically explained to them or being allowed to use their own logic to come to the same conclusion themselves? Why are the young being marginalized and shown so much flagrant disrespect in today’s world?</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >There is a movement going on to condition many of today’s young people to accept a mentality that once they earn their wages, pay their bills and do their chores then they can relax and do whatever they want around their own residences as long as they keep out of the sight of the public; they have no other responsibilities. The attempt to impose this mentality upon the young is assisted by the perception given by popular culture, such as television, advertisements and the news media, that the young have lax “whatever” attitudes in their minds and a disinclination in their nature to do anything with their lives. For these reasons, many factions in our current culture tend to look on children, teenagers and young adults as bothersome, troublemaking, pleasure-seeking brats who need to be “subjugated”, kept at a low intelligence level and made to work as common laborers barely making enough to survive and kept happy by being allowed to satisfy petty, un-intellectual and not-always-moral desires. This movement is being encouraged and pushed forward on both sides of the ideological spectrum, Left and Right. It is also why the young tend to be a rebellious lot no matter what side of the ideological spectrum on which they fall. They see themselves as being talked-down-to, marginalized, misrepresented and, to put it bluntly, abused. This offends the young because is it at odds with their natural belief in their own self-dignity. The young want to be challenged, they want to have hope, they want to help drives to do great things and they want to learn more about our world. They will not be boxed into a set of pre-conceived ideas about themselves by the older generations. They want to find out logical, rational truth for themselves. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >The young need to be encouraged in this mentality to discover or confirm rational logical truth on their own. This desire needs to be encouraged and cultivated at a young age so that by the time they become active members of their communities they can be a force for good rather then ill. We can already see the effects of how the marginalization of the young has led to increased crime rates and violence among the young, and how that has unsettled communities and led to police-state type tactics on the part of law enforcement. If the young were actually challenged with the opportunity to discover truth on their own and so be a more active, working part of their communities, there is no doubt that crime rates among the young would drop as they would be engaging in more wholesome pursuits. They would help build better communities for their elders and would be more inclined to assist the elderly in their old age which would lead to a more respectful, kinder culture all around. They would give hope for the future to a world which does not know hope in this day and age. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >The young are our nation and our world’s future. They need to be academically challenged to improve their knowledge and intelligence, encouraged to logically discover the truth, given the respect befitting human beings and not stereotyped as either dumb brats only interested in their own pleasures or as very unintelligent beings who need everything spoon-fed to them. There needs to be a re-direction of our education movement towards the mentality of actually encouraging the young to assert and build themselves at many levels, whether they are children, teenagers or young adults. Those who have lived through the terrible period of being marginalized while in their youth should take the mentality of assisting the current young people to challenge themselves, assert themselves and discover the truth themselves. This way they can help the young overcome this additional barrier and assure themselves that there will be a future of hope. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 100%; "><span >God Bless the Young!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 100%; "><i><span >© 2012 New Agora and The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.</span></i> </span></p>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-69255897320366572012012-03-22T23:04:00.003-05:002012-03-24T09:01:56.914-05:00Minnesota Vikings’ 2012 Draft Predictions based on Free Agency<p style="font-weight: normal; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">The Minnesota Vikings have been unusually quiet this year in free agency. Considering the big moves the Vikings have made in the past three years, it has come as bit of a surprise for many fans, who were expecting the Vikings to pursue at least one or two big name players on the free agent market. However, this approach could turn out to be a rather master move for new GM Rick Spielman in his quest to make the Vikings winners in the near-future.</p><p style="font-weight: normal; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><strong style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; ">Minnesota Vikings Free Agent Signings (Mid-March 2012)</strong></p><p style="font-weight: normal; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">To date the Vikings have signed seven free agents who were not with the team last season. They are as follows:</p><p style="font-weight: normal; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><em style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><a title="Vikings sign TE John Carlson" href="http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/John_Carlson_visiting_with_Vikings_likely_to_sign_with_hometown_team031412" target="_blank" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(58, 105, 153); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); ">TE John Carlson</a></em>: Carlson’s signing came as a surprise, but upon further review made an awful lot of sense. With Visanthe Shiancoe having been shown the door, the Vikings needed a young veteran tight end to help along the development of Kyle Rudolph, Mickey Shuler Jr. and Allen Reisner. Carlson’s youth and experience makes him an ideal fit for that need and he gives QBs Christian Ponder and Joe Webb another massive target in the passing game.</p><p style="font-weight: normal; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><em style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><a title="Vikings sign FB/HB Lex Hilliard" href="http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Vikings_agree_to_terms_with_freeagent_running_back_Lex_Hilliard031812" target="_blank" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(58, 105, 153); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); ">FB/HB Lex Hilliard</a></em>: This was an odd signing. If there was one position the Vikings had no need for depth or replacements, it was runningback. True Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart are rehabbing from serious injuries suffered last season, but Caleb King flashed big time in the pre-season last year and the team thought so highly of the Chargers’ Jordan Todman that they stole him off that team’s practice squad. As for fullback, the Vikings already have two on the roster in Ryan D’Imperio and Matt Asiata. Asiata struggled with injuries and D’Imperio with learning pains last season, but they both also showed flashes of big-time potential. Apparently the Vikings front office either isn’t sold on them, or Jim Kleinsasser’s retirement has scared them more than anyone originally thought.</p><p style="font-weight: normal; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><em style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><a title="Vikings sign FB Jerome Felton" href="http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Vikings_agree_to_deal_with_freeagent_fullback_Jerome_Felton032012" target="_blank" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(58, 105, 153); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); ">FB Jerome Felton</a></em>: Again, a very odd signing. The Vikings tried to acquire Felton early last season and were outbid by Carolina and Indianapolis, respectively. They finally got him, and they now have FOUR fullbacks on the roster… One gets the feeling that Jim Kleinsasser’s retirement has <strong style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><em style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; ">really</em></strong> bothered the Vikings front office.</p><p style="font-weight: normal; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><em style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><a title="Vikings sign OL Geoff Schwartz" href="http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Vikings_agree_to_terms_with_offensive_lineman_Geoff_Schwartz_032112" target="_blank" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(58, 105, 153); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); ">OL Geoff Schwartz</a></em>: This signing, in contrast, made a lot of sense. Schwartz is acquainted with Vikings’ offensive line coach Jeff Davidson and has been a solid fill-in player during the years he spent with Davidson in Carolina. With the Vikings’ offensive line in need of new depth due to the departure of Steve Hutchinson and Anthony Herrera, Schwartz adds a piece to either provide that depth or to compete with someone (possibly guard Joe Berger) for a starting spot.</p><p style="font-weight: normal; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><em style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><a title="Vikings sign former basketball point guard Nick Taylor" href="http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Former_college_point_guard_says_Vikings_signed_him_to_3year_contract031612" target="_blank" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(58, 105, 153); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); ">CB Nicholas Taylor</a></em>: This signing puzzled many when it was announced. Why would the Vikings sign a former college basketball star to their roster? If one analyzes other basketball players who have turned to an NFL career however, this move does not look as crazy any longer. The chances of making a successful find for the NFL among college basketball players are actually rather high. Some great NFL stars have started out as basketball players: Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham to name a couple; even Julius Peppers and Terrell Owens did very well at basketball in college. No one has yet seen a basketball player become a truly successful cornerback, but the Vikings are hoping Taylor begins that trend. If Taylor can turn the leaping abilities every basketball player has into a key skill set in his duties as a cornerback, he might have a chance to do some damage for the Vikings this coming season.</p><p style="font-weight: normal; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><em style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><a title="Vikings sign CFL's hardest hitter: LB Solomon Elimimian" href="http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Vikings_sign_CFLs_hardest_hitter_linebacker_Solomon_Elimimian012512" target="_blank" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(58, 105, 153); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); ">LB Solomon Elimimian</a></em>: The former CFL star may actually have a chance to crack the starting lineup for the Vikings this year. The Vikings found a good project in another CFL star, WR Emmanuel Arceneaux, last season and are hoping they landed another good project in Elimimian. If Erin Henderson’s current frustration with the Vikings results in his departure for another team, Elimimian’s chances of landing a starting spot alongside Chad Greenway in the Vikings’ linebacker corps skyrockets. Good move? Bad move? That is anybody’s guess at this point. The Vikings did not see Arceneaux finally start producing until late last year so it may be a while before this move’s wisdom or failure becomes known.</p><p style="font-weight: normal; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><em style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><a title="Vikings sign former Sacramento State QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson" href="http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Vikings_sign_former_Sacramento_State_quarterback_to_futures_contract011312" target="_blank" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(58, 105, 153); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); ">QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson</a></em>: Not a flashy move, but it provides Sage Rosenfels with competition for the third string spot. Bethel-Thompson has a real big arm and has flashed a lot of potential, but injuries are primarily what have killed his opportunities to date. Don’t expect him to make it on the final roster, but if Rosenfels completely implodes or lands on injured reserve in the pre-season, Bethel-Thompson could stick around and watch as Ponder and Webb show what it takes to run a pro-offense.</p><p style="font-weight: normal; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><strong style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; ">Minnesota Vikings 2012 Draft – First Round Opportunities (Mid-March 2012)</strong></p><p style="font-weight: normal; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">The seven free agent signings so far should be telling the fans this very important clue. The major part of the Vikings rebuilding process this season is going to be done through the draft. This knowledge and the fact that the Vikings have the No. 3 overall pick in the draft means the Vikings are in a very enviable position for any rebuilding team.</p><p style="font-weight: normal; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">With this in mind, there are two scenarios for the Vikings’ first round options in the upcoming draft. One if the Vikings remain at the No. 3 overall spot and the other if they trade down in the first round.</p><p style="font-weight: normal; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><em style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; ">Remaining at No. 3 Overall</em>: This move is more likely then a lot of fans probably want to admit. With the Redskins already assured of getting Quarterback Robert Griffin III due to their trade with the Rams for the No. 2 overall pick, the Vikings are now left with a choice between the three players who are considered the top tier in the upcoming draft: OT Matt Kalil, CB Morris Claiborne and WR Justin Blackmon. The Vikings will need to evaluate which hole is most desperately in need of filling and that biggest hole is most likely going to turn out to be in the defensive secondary.</p><p style="font-weight: normal; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">People might remember that Leslie Frazier was very impressed with the way CB Cedric Griffin began playing toward the end of the 2011 season. However, Griffin ended up being a salary cap casualty right before free agency started in early March. Knowing that Frazier had wanted a three cornerback tandem in the defensive secondary the last two years made up of Griffin and Chris Cook playing the outside with Antoine Winfield covering the slot, the move to release Griffin really made no sense. Upon evaluating the Vikings’ draft prospects, however, Griffin’s release begins to play out into the following scenario.</p><p style="font-weight: normal; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">Frazier was probably convinced by Spielman that the team was better off getting a younger corner given Griffin’s injury history and age. Frazier was then promised that a first round pick would be spent on a cornerback to give him that three cornerback tandem he wants in order to more effectively run the Tampa-2 defense he and new defensive coordinator Alan Williams are re-implementing. With this having been promised, Frazier gave his nod of approval to Griffin’s departure and began to evaluate who the team should select for their first round cornerback.</p><p style="font-weight: normal; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">Knowing this, a safe prediction can be made that the Vikings, if they remain at that third pick, <a title="Vikings Might Pass on Matt Kalil, Pick Claiborne" href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1115722-minnesota-vikings-2012-mock-draft-team-might-pass-on-matt-kalil-pick-claiborne" target="_blank" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(58, 105, 153); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); ">will select cornerback Morris Claiborne</a>. The Vikings are only one or two pieces away from a very solid 4-3 defense and Claiborne could be that missing piece the team so badly needs. If one thinks back to the great Tampa Bay defenses under Tony Dungy, Jon Gruden and Monte Kiffin, they might recall that the Buccaneers did not have a roster full of defensive stars. They had one star for each section of the defense: Warren Sapp and later Simeon Rice for the defensive line; Derrick Brooks for the linebackers; John Lynch and later Ronde Barber for the secondary. The rest were simply solid players who did their job and worked around the star players. Frazier is basing his defense on that Tampa Bay model and the Vikings have current stars who are ready to take the defense to that next level if they can obtain one star player for their secondary. On the defensive line their current star is Jared Allen with rising ones right behind him in Christian Ballard and Everson Griffen; Chad Greenway is a star for the linebacker corps; Antoine Winfield used to be the star in the secondary, but age has robbed him of the ability to be that any longer. The addition of Claiborne would make him the instant star in the secondary to replace Winfield and so help solidify the Vikings defense. Plus, if Chris Cook can return to playing at the level that he was last season, where he was driving star receivers like Calvin Johnson crazy, the Vikings’ secondary could actually begin to be a feared force. With Claiborne now handling players like Johnson, Cook would be free to take out opponents’ second receivers and that could go a long way towards shutting down opposing offenses and giving the Vikings’ offense more scoring opportunities. The fact that the Chicago Bears acquired wide receiver Brandon Marshall to team with his former quarterback Jay Cutler, thrown in with the additional fact that the Lions and Packers already have scary receiving corps, only reinforces the idea that the Vikings will be picking Claiborne if they remain at the third overall pick. If the Vikings hope to even survive in the NFC North, they will need a solid secondary.</p><p style="font-weight: normal; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><em style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; ">Trading down for two 1st round picks</em>: There is only one scenario which makes any sense for the Vikings do this. Trading the third overall pick for Cleveland’s two first round picks. Why would Cleveland give up that much just to move up one pick? The answer is simple. The Browns are in desperate need of secondary help, just like the Vikings, and they too have set their eyes on cornerback Morris Claiborne.</p><p style="font-weight: normal; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">The way this would likely play out is as follows: The Browns trade their two first round picks at No. 4 and No. 22 to the Vikings for the Vikings’ No. 3 overall pick. The Browns then select Claiborne. The Vikings then adjust. They improve their offensive line by drafting Matt Kalil at No. 4 and then they pick up another good cornerback, most likely Dre Kirkpatrick, at No. 22. Kirkpatrick is considered to be the same kind of talent as Claiborne, but <a title="CB Dre Kirkpatrick among the Vikings pre-draft visits" href="http://min.scout.com/2/1169161.html" target="_blank" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(58, 105, 153); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); ">his stock has slipped dramatically after an incident involving possession of marijuana by a guest in Kirkpatrick’s car</a>. However, the Vikings have gambled on players like this before and have had it work out very well (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Harvin" target="_blank" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(58, 105, 153); text-decoration: none; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); ">Percy Harvin reportedly tested positive for marijuana in 2009</a> and has turned out to be a fantastic and responsible player).</p><p style="font-weight: normal; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">This would be the best possible scenario for the Vikings. Kalil would fill a hole on the offensive line that needs to be filled at some point and the Vikings would still fill their gaping hole in the secondary either with Kirkpatrick or one of the other highly-rated cornerbacks in this year’s draft. This would give the Vikings an opportunity to more thoroughly address other holes at wide receiver, nose tackle and safety in the later rounds of the draft. Kirkpatrick can also play safety and if the Vikings do get him at No. 22, then this move makes even more sense. Kirkpatrick would give the Vikings a very flexible defense while Kalil would provide protection for Christian Ponder and Joe Webb at a critical position on the offensive line.</p><p style="font-weight: normal; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><strong style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; ">In Closing</strong>: There is a long way to go still until the NFL Draft in late April. Many things could change during that time. However, based on the moves the Vikings have made to date, one thing is certain. The Vikings’ roster will be much younger on opening weekend in 2012. General Manager Rick Spielman and Head Coach Leslie Frazier have decided to move past the Brad Childress era and build their own legacy and team. 2012 may not be a winning year for the Vikings, but one thing is for certain. They will be much better then they were in 2011 and will inspire their fans with more hope for the future.</p><p style="font-weight: normal; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><em style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; ">© 2012 New Agora and The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.</em></p>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-79760617898267230922012-03-14T13:09:00.004-05:002012-03-22T23:07:46.243-05:00Signing TE John Carlson makes sense for the Vikings<span>Today the Minnesota Vikings announced they had <a href="http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/John_Carlson_visiting_with_Vikings_likely_to_sign_with_hometown_team031412">signed former Seattle Seahawks tight end John Carlson to a five year $25 million contract</a>. He effectively replaces Visanthe Shiancoe <a href="http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Visanthe_Shiancoe_in_talks_with_other_teams_sounds_ready_to_move_on031412">who is expected to sign elsewhere</a> and end his career with another team. Carlson, 27, had previously been the Seahawks starting tight end, but was effectively replaced by Zach Miller in Seattle last season after Carlson suffered a season-ending injury early in the year.<br /><br />Carlson’s signing makes a lot of sense for the Vikings. Shiancoe’s departure was going to leave a large hole in the Vikings’ receiver options for quarterbacks Christian Ponder and Joe Webb and was going to put an unreasonable amount of pressure on the Vikings’ three remaining tight ends: Kyle Rudolph, Mickey Shuler Jr., and Allen Reisner. With Carlson’s arrival, however, the Vikings now have a very experienced, but still very young tight end who can assist in the development of the three young tight ends already with the Vikings. He is huge at 6-5 and when teamed with the 6-6 Rudolph in the two tight end set, the two can pose a lot of problems for opposing defenses. He and Rudolph can be targets to whom Ponder and Webb just need to throw the ball up over the smaller defenders in order to reach. Carlson also has the experience of having played in some big games for Seattle in his career, the biggest being the Seahawks’ stunning 2010 playoff victory over the Saints, a game in which Carlson played a huge role. In the victory, he had three catches for seventeen yards and two touchdowns and recovered the onside kick at the end of the game to seal it. His experience in these situations will be valuable as he assists in Rudolph, Shuler and Reisner’s development.<br /><br />The signing of Carlson continues the interesting Vikings-Seahawks free agent history which has evolved over the past several years. Back in 2006, in the infamous “poison pill contract” case, the Vikings signed away the Seahawks all-pro guard Steve Hutchinson, breaking up one of the Seahawks’ greatest team strengths at that time. The Seahawks then retaliated by signing Vikings receiver Nate Burleson to a similar poison pill contract, decimating a Vikings receiving corps already very thin on talent. In 2010, after the lockout ended, Seattle signed away three former Vikings: quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, receiver Sidney Rice and special teams ace linebacker Heath Farwell. Carlson’s signing now leaves the Seahawks with only one proven tight end in Zach Miller and an uncertain backup in Cameron Morrah along with some other fringe players at the tight end position.</span><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><i><span>© 2012 The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.</span></i> </span></div>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-82485781582865181412012-03-13T15:18:00.010-05:002012-03-13T21:34:59.911-05:00The Rick Santorum - DC Establishment Conspiracy<span >In his best-selling novel <i>Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy</i>, the novelist John Le Carré lays forth one of the most classic of all misdirection ploys. In the story, a low level British agent stumbles upon information about a traitor amongst the leaders of British intelligence and seeks to inform someone of this find. The traitor finds out he has been partially discovered and informs his real masters in Moscow, who in turn give him fictitious information about the agent to spread amongst his companions in British intelligence. The information says that the agent has defected and is trying to sell false information to British intelligence about a traitor in their midst. The remainder of the story is then about the agent and his allies trying to overcome this false information and expose the truth about the traitor in British intelligence.<br /><br />The powerful political establishment in the United States of America is attempting to pull off something very similar today. They see, with alarm, that the people are turning against them and becoming angry at the continually deteriorating state of life in the country. With the elections due to come up this November 6th of 2012, they are attempting to pass a number of laws through Congress which would bestow unheard-of powers upon the President. If these proposed laws (like NDAA) all pass, they could potentially nullify the effect of a populist-controlled Congress and state governments. The Establishment is truly desperate to retain power and see an imperial presidency as the only way of doing so.<br /><br />Their plot does not end there however. The Establishment is clever enough to know that they cannot win a race where their candidate can be clearly shown as an Establishment candidate. For this reason, they have chosen to back two candidates. One is their “sacrificial lamb” who is clearly labeled as the Establishment candidate. The other is proclaimed to the nation as the true limited government candidate, but is, in reality, the true Establishment candidate; a classic use of the misdirection ploy.<br /><br />The first candidate is easy. Mitt Romney is the sacrificial lamb candidate of the Establishment. He is being offered to the nation as the candidate who must be defeated along with President Barack Obama in order to save America. The Establishment then settled on who their true candidate would be as the Iowa primary approached. They had spent the past year evaluating all of the debate performances and statements made by the Republican presidential aspirants and eventually settled on one of them. That was likely one of the reasons for the rise and fall of so many of the Republican aspirants in the polls last year.<br /><br />The man the Establishment chose to be their true candidate was a man who had shown himself competent enough to handle an imperial presidency through his past record and current statements. He had been prone to a lot of tough talk and bomb-dropping rhetoric in the realm of foreign policy, he had been one of the biggest supporters of the War on Terror during George W. Bush’s presidency and he had a personal crusade agenda which, in the eyes of many Americans, is inseparably linked to certain aspects of limited government philosophies, namely that of being pro-life. The Establishment had found their man, and he was Rick Santorum, the former Republican senator from Pennsylvania.<br /><br />Where is the proof that Santorum is a member of the Establishment? Look at these facts and it should become obvious. Santorum’s record on limited government issues should speak for itself. <a href="http://thenewamerican.com/opinion/jack-kerwick/10987-rick-santorum-no-conservative">He supported Federal Government measures such as No Child Left Behind and Medicare Part D and many other bills and laws of those types</a>. A true limited government man would never have done that. <a href="http://thenewamerican.com/usnews/politics/11076-rick-santorum-how-conservative-is-he">Santorum also seems to get very confused when he tries to clarify what he believes the Constitution says about powers given to the Federal Government and the State Governments</a>. A true limited government man would know exactly what the Constitution says about the separation of powers. Santorum is pro-life yes (though his record on the pro-life issues occasionally leaves something to be desired), but just because one is pro-life does not mean they are for limited government. Just look at who defeated Santorum in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_election_in_Pennsylvania,_2006">United States Senate race in Pennsylvania in 2006</a>: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Casey,_Jr.">A self-identified pro-life Democrat, Bob Casey Jr</a>. Casey is by no means a limited government man and yet he proudly announces his pro-life positions (though, like Santorum, his record on the pro-life issues leaves much to be desired in some cases). Just because one is pro-life does not mean he is for limited government. One may just as easily push for pro-life resolutions through big government solutions.<br /><br /></span><div><span >So Santorum’s record is clear. He is not a true limited government man, but how can one be sure he is the GOP Establishment’s true candidate? <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G106jlvZYmQ">Santorum provided that answer for the world to see just the other day</a>. When confronted by an independent journalist about his abysmal record on limited government issues, Santorum lost his temper (<a href="http://subsidiaritytimes.blogspot.com/2012/01/santorum-is-finished-as-2012.html">as he has been doing a lot of lately</a>) and just snapped at the person to go vote for Ron Paul. That was a major mistake.<br /><br />If Santorum had been truly repentant about his past actions as a big government man and was seeking to truly turn things around, he would not have spoken that way. He would have explained to the journalist that it was a mistake and then would have laid out how he had learned from that mistake and what he would do to correct it. The answer he gave showed that Santorum only has one thing on his mind now in his campaign: Defeat Ron Paul and continue the Establishment’s big government ideas. It is the same mindset of the members of the Establishment who are linked to the Republican Party. That means that Santorum too is part of the Establishment. He is not the limited government man he claims to be.<br /><br />The rest is pretty self-explanatory. Santorum and Romney are both part of the Establishment (and let us not forget Newt Gingrich and his record) and the Establishment is attempting to portray in people’s minds the image of Romney as the candidate of the Establishment with Santorum as the true limited government candidate. Santorum’s angry answer to the independent journalist, however, has blown the Establishment’s conspiracy wide open. People can connect the dots and now it should be obvious. A fake fight between two Establishment candidates has been set up and a process of manipulation is taking place which is trying to trick the people of America in continuing the status-quo just long enough for an imperial presidency to take charge.<br /><br />The American people need to wake up now. Santorum is being portrayed to the American people as the man to save limited government by the Establishment. However, all he will do if elected, is strive to save the Establishment and their status-quo policies. Continuation of the status-quo policies, as former presidential candidate and political commentator Pat Buchanan has warned in his recent book <i>Suicide of a Superpower</i>, can only lead to America’s destruction in the not-too-distant future. </span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><i><span >© 2012 The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.</span></i> </div>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-86501149113161284582012-03-12T20:11:00.006-05:002012-03-12T20:16:00.236-05:00Who the Minnesota Vikings should pursue in Free Agency in 2012<p class="MsoNormal"><span >The Minnesota Vikings purged their roster of some players no longer needed this past Saturday and the way now appears to be clear for them to begin putting new pieces in place on their roster. They have some major starting and depth holes to fill at wide receiver, on the offensive line, on the defensive line, at linebacker and in the secondary. The free agency crop, though not as deep as it could be, still has plenty of options for the Vikings to consider. What shall now be presented are options the Vikings should pursue as their first choices in free agency, which will help them turn the team around much more quickly and hopefully land Coach Leslie Frazier his first playoff berth as a head coach. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span >G Carl Nicks – New Orleans Saints</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >Nicks has been part of one of the best offensive lines in the NFL down in New Orleans and should be pursued for that very reason. With Steve Hutchinson no longer a Viking, a large hole has been left on the offensive line and Nicks would be a perfect replacement on the line for a player of such quality as Hutchinson was. Furthermore the addition of Nicks, if teamed with drafting top rookie offensive tackle prospect Matt Kalil, would allow the Vikings to move Charlie Johnson, last year’s left tackle, to the other guard position. Those three at the two guard spots and left tackle, when teamed with center John Sullivan and right tackle Phil Loadholt, could actually turn one of the Vikings’ weaknesses a season ago, into a great strength. It would also allow some of the young lineman, tackle DeMarcus Love, center Brandon Fusco and guard Chris DeGeare, to learn from watching and occasionally filling in instead of having to adapt in pressure situations. Also they, along with last year’s top backup veteran Joe Berger, would provide some much-needed depth for the Vikings offensive line. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >Overall, the signing of Nicks (along with the drafting of Kalil) would solve two major problems for the Vikings. It would give quarterbacks Christian Ponder and Joe Webb a solid offensive line to work behind and would allow the team to utilize the young learning players as badly-needed depth. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span ><u>Next Option if First is unavailable</u>: <i>G Ben Grubbs (Baltimore Ravens)<o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span >WR Mario Mannigham – New York Giants</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >Percy Harvin needs help. That is all there is to it. Harvin is a spectacular playmaker, but he does much better in certain positions then others and the Vikings need to find ways to get him in those positions while at the same time forcing defensive secondaries to stop double-covering him like they were doing at the end of the year. Mario Manningham had a spectacular 2011 post-season for the New York Giants and an even more spectacular Super Bowl. The problem for him is that the Giants are already deep at receiver and owe big paychecks to their superb defensive players. This makes him very hard for the Giants to re-sign and the conventional wisdom is that he will take his talents elsewhere. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >Manningham would fit the Vikings very well. He would fill the huge void left by Sidney Rice’s departure to Seattle last season and in so doing force defenses to stop focusing all of their attention on Harvin. He would present the deep acrobatic threat Ponder and Webb so desperately needed last season and so assist in the development of both quarterbacks. Furthermore, if Michael Jenkins can return to form after his injury, if last year’s rookies Stephen Burton and Emmanuel Arceneaux continue to improve their play and another rookie or street free agent steps up for the Vikings, then that could allow Manningham to have a breakout Pro-Bowl type year and become a truly unstoppable threat. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >Overall, however, Mannigham’s addition, whether complemented or not by players other than Harvin, would certainly help the Vikings break out of the rut they seemed to fall into on offense last season and would allow offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave more options when it came to calling passing plays in 2012. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span ><u>Next Option if First is unavailable</u>: <i>WR Pierre Garcon (Indianapolis Colts), WR Robert Meachem (New Orleans Saints)</i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span >CB Terrell Thomas – New York Giants</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >Cedric Griffin’s release leaves a huge hole in a secondary already full of holes. Granted, Griffin was not playing like his old self after two straight ACL tears, but he still knew what he was doing and releasing him might not have been the wisest move at this stage in the 2012 season. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >To replace Griffin, the Vikings would be wise to sign an experienced veteran cornerback. A lot of the speculation has centered around Tennessee’s Cortland Finnegan or Kansas City’s Brandon Carr. If the Vikings sign Nicks and Manningham however, then they probably will not be able to put up the money to sign either Finnegan or Carr. The next tier of free agent cornerbacks consist of several possibilities, but the best prospect appears to be Terrell Thomas of the New York Giants. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >Thomas is a solid cover corner and someone who the Giants really want to re-sign. However, Thomas might be tempted by the prospect of potentially being the top man in the cornerback lineup in Minnesota in contrast to his situation in New York where he would be the third man behind Prince Amukamara and Corey Webster. If the Vikings can appeal and negotiate with him from that perspective then he might very well be willing to walk away from the lineup of the defending Super Bowl champs and into a spot on a defense which desperately needs cover men. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >The addition of Thomas would be a dramatic upgrade for the Vikings under any situation, but if Chris Cook returns and stays out of trouble, Antoine Winfield stays healthy, the Vikings draft a good cornerback or two in the later rounds of the 2012 draft and Marcus Sherels and Brandon Burton step up and improve their play, then the Vikings could actually have a pretty good cornerback collection next year. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span ><u>Next Option if First is unavailable</u>: <i>CB Tracy Porter (New Orleans Saints), CB Richard Marshall (Arizona Cardinals)</i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span >S Haruki Nakamura / S Tom Zbikowski – Baltimore Ravens</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >Since releasing Darren Sharper a few years ago, the Vikings’ safety play has been hideous. Tyrell Johnson was a bust, who never should have been drafted by the team in the first place. Jamarca Sanford tried to step up last year, but was unable to break out of the “role player” mold (though he did show flashes of ball hawking ability, most notably last year against Arizona and the second game versus Chicago). Husain Abdullah has played competently at both safety positions, but has struggled with concussions and his career is still somewhat in doubt, despite being cleared by doctors to play next season. Mistral Raymond showed a lot of promise when forced into a starting role last year, but needs some more time to learn the position and so become a consistently effective player. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >Attempting to move Cedric Griffin to safety was an experiment the Vikings would have done well to at least try but they did not, so the Vikings now end up needing to bring in at least two new safeties this off-season. The general consensus is that the Vikings should spend a second or third round draft pick on a rookie safety, but the other acquisition at safety should come through free agency. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >LaRon Landry is regarded as the prize star safety of the free agent crop this year, but like Finnegan and Carr, will probably be out of the Vikings price range. However, two safeties from Baltimore’s vaunted defense might be promising prospects for the Vikings to look at. Haruki Nakamura was showing signs of a breakout year for Baltimore last season before suffering an injury and Tom Zbikowski has always been a solid backup for the Ravens with the ability to make plays. One thing is for certain. Either player would be a dramatic upgrade over what the Vikings have now and would provide a promising partner for the rookie whom the Vikings end up drafting. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >If either Nakamura or Zbikowski or both were to end up signing with the Vikings, then Frazier and new defensive coordinator Alan Williams would certainly feel much better about the defensive coverages they call. It would take a lot of pressure off the Vikings’ young stable of cornerbacks and would help give the defensive line and linebackers more time to pressure the passer. If both were to end up signing, then the Vikings could feel better about releasing several of the subpar players they have had at the safety position and allowing the two veterans to help bring along the rookie they will end up drafting and the second-year player Mistral Raymond. It could potentially begin a turnaround for a much-neglected section of the Vikings defense. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span ><u>Next Option if First is unavailable</u>: <i>S Craig Steltz (Chicago Bears)</i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span >MLB Curtis Lofton – Atlanta Falcons</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >E.J. Henderson’s age began to show last year and Jasper Brinkley, though competent, has too many weaknesses to remain a constant force at middle linebacker. The Vikings do have a promising young player at the position in second year player Larry Dean, but he will need time to learn before being ready to take over the position. In an ideal world, Henderson would return with a reduced salary to play a situational role and to tutor the young players, but that may not happen. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >Regardless of what happens to Henderson, the Vikings definitely need an upgrade at middle linebacker. The Atlanta Falcons’ Curtis Lofton would seem to fit the bill of what the team needs. He is very good in coverage and a solid tackler who provided stability to a slowly growing Atlanta defense last season. If he were to sign with and start for the Vikings at middle linebacker, then Chad Greenway would probably be able to focus more on his side of the field then he did last season. It would also provide stability to whoever steps up at the other linebacker position, whether it is E.J.’s brother Erin Henderson, or CFL star linebacker Solomon Elimimian or a draft choice.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span ><u>Next Option if First is unavailable</u>: <i>MLB Dan Connor (Carolina Panthers)</i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span >TE Visanthe Shiancoe – Minnesota Vikings</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >Shiancoe is getting old and is definitely on the downside of his career. No one is disputing that. The problem for the Vikings is that the players who would be replacing him are still rather young and inexperienced and could use a stabilizing veteran like him around as they continue to grasp their trade. Kyle Rudolph is an emerging star who could have a breakout season next year while Mickey Shuler Jr. and Allen Reisner have both flashed big-time promise. If the three learn how to maximize their talents at the position, then they could become the NFC’s version of the Patriots’ tight end assortment. This all could hinge on one thing however: Visanthe Shianoce’s presence on or absence from the Vikings’ roster. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >Shiancoe, in all fairness, should be willing to take a pay cut to stay around. He has enjoyed his time in Minnesota and he might have two or three years of service left in him, but he will definitely not be the starter next season. That job will likely go to Rudolph. Shiancoe could be valuable in the two tight end set, however and if he splits time with Shuler and Reisner in the two tight end set, then he might be able to still put up some good numbers and remain fresh for the team if they need him to step up in a playoff run.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span ><u>Next Option if First is unavailable</u>: <i>TE Dallas Clark (Indianapolis Colts)</i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span ><b>Positions to Address in the Draft</b>: <i>Left Tackle, Cornerback, Safety, Nose Tackle,</i> <i>Fullback, Linebacker, Wide Receiver</i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span ><b>Positions not in need of addressing</b>: <i>Quarterback, Runningback, Defensive End<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span >© 2012 New Agora and The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 100%; font-family: Georgia, serif; "><o:p><span > </span></o:p></p>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-36579743477339326102012-02-20T11:40:00.012-06:002012-02-23T14:06:03.771-06:00Why Ron Paul's Undercurrent Rise may be a Blessing in Disguise<div><span ><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/18/obama-rick-santorum_n_1286507.html" style="font-size: 100%; ">Recent reports</a><span style="font-size: 100%; "> have said that the Obama 2012 Campaign has recently changed their campaign strategy from making campaign attacks against Mitt Romney (and, in certain cases, Newt Gingrich) to making these attacks against former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum. Santorum's recent victories in three major straw polls have led the media to begin labeling Santorum as the frontrunner in the GOP Presidential nomination race and this sudden apparent surge has made the Obama Campaign refocus its attacks and prepare for a scenario where Obama is running for re-election against Santorum in the general election. With Obama pretty much assured his re-nomination, it would seem to be wise politically to begin focusing campaign efforts against the prospective opponent. </span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-size: 100%; " ><br /></span></span></div><div><span >What this may be doing, however, is providing a perfect cover for the man whom many believe is the "unrecognized frontrunner" in the GOP race. Texas Congressman Ron Paul's strategy of focusing on the caucus states is going to lead to a substantial number of delegates for him (at the very least that is) at the GOP nominating convention in Tampa, and this fact has gone largely unreported by the major media. In addition, Ron Paul Republicans are slowly taking over the Republican Party. <a href="http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-02-15/politics/31062266_1_paul-s-campaign-ron-paul-vote-count">They have already done so in Iowa, they seemed poised to do so in Nevada</a> and if this trend continues, then Ron Paul could very well head into Tampa in a position to come away with a victory for the nomination, especially if the <a href="http://blog.nj.com/njv_paul_mulshine/2012/02/a_brokered_convention_with_ron.html">Republican Convention becomes an actual brokered convention like many are speculating that it might</a>. </span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >If that is so, and Ron Paul is only announced as the nominee of the GOP in August at the convention, then President Obama's re-election campaign could be in serious trouble. Paul has very few flaws to his record, background and stances, and with government intervention becoming very unpopular in America, the Obama campaign's stressing of the ideological and policy differences between Obama and Paul would actually be more a help then a hindrance to the Congressman. In addition, with just three months to go until the election after the Republican Convention, the Obama campaign would have to scramble to come up with any kind of effective campaign rhetoric against Paul's past and with no preparation due to the unexpected nature of Paul's victory, the rush to come up with campaign attacks would certainly lead to some poorly made and clumsily pointed attack ads which could only serve to reinforce the negative image of President Obama and his policies to the nation. </span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >In closing, Ron Paul should continue doing what he is doing. His strategy is beginning to pay off and he will eventually win some state primaries (most likely in the Far West) which will reinforce his image as the underdog coming back from behind to win. America has always loved underdogs. The Founding Fathers and their fight against Great Britain was an underdog victory and Ron Paul's ultimate victory will inspire the nation in the same way. Like a shadow creeping up to surprise people, Paul and his movement are creeping up on the Establishment and the Obama Campaign and when he emerges, the advantage he will have gained by the surprise will give him the upper hand in his bid to win the White House on November 6, 2012. </span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span><i><span >© 2012 The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.</span></i> </span></div>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6674826511087466550.post-40262558748712332752012-02-18T14:24:00.028-06:002012-02-23T16:42:34.642-06:00How To Solve the Minnesota Vikings Stadium Dispute<span style="font-size: 100%; ">As an ardent fan of the Minnesota Vikings and yet a citizen who hates to see taxes raised, the past couple months of debate surrounding the push for a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings has made me rather angry. It has become increasingly apparent that the two sides engaging in the debate, namely the Vikings ownership group and the Minnesota state government, have nearly come to a point where there is a real chance that there could be no reconciliation between the two. What angers me even more is that the debate seems to be focused more on the personal preferences of the owners and the state government rather then what is good for the fans of the team and the residents of the state of Minnesota. They seem to be the real losers in this debate.<br /><br />The dispute is centered on where to place the stadium and how to pay for it. The Vikings ownership group wants to place a new stadium in the Twin Cities suburb of Arden Hills on the site of an old U.S. Army Ammunition Plant while the state government seems to be favoring a site in Minneapolis near the Vikings current stadium, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The problem of how to finance either of these proposed stadiums has been the most troublesome factor, especially in an economic climate where new taxes or raised tax rates are extremely unwise. Both stadium plans have called for the state and county governments to contribute a substantial portion of the financial bill and that has met with widespread opposition from the residents of the counties and many other Minnesotans. Due to this, the financing problem is fast becoming the albatross around the neck of the effort to keep the Vikings in Minnesota with a new stadium. </span><div style="font-size: 100%; "><span ><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; "><span >There is a solution to this standoff, believe it or not. It is based on a rule many parents use with children who have irreconcilable choices centering around what movie they want to watch, which park they want to go to, where they want to go out to eat and so on. If you cannot agree on the preferred choices, then scrap them and talk about other options. The Vikings and the State of Minnesota should do the same.<br /><br />How would we do that? Simple. There are more Vikings Stadium proposals then the two currently being discussed. Throw out the plans which would place the Vikings Stadium in Arden Hills or Minneapolis and look at the other two options which have been presented <span style="font-size: 12pt; ">–</span> and mostly ignored <span style="font-size: 12pt; ">–</span> to provide the solution. The stadium plans which have the Vikings either placing their stadium in Shakopee, just south of the Twin Cities, or in Minnesota's great port on the Great Lakes: Duluth. Re-focus the debate to these two proposals, and it is pretty certain that a solution will be found which will be more beneficial for all involved then the two plans currently being discussed.<br /><br />What is there to like about both proposals? For one, both stadium proposals do not call for raising taxes, which would make it easier for the fans to accept. Shakopee's plan calls for racino funding to pay for the stadium, which, while a bit controversial, is worth debating on and has been gaining some support. Duluth's plan calls for raising revenue by allowing liquor stores to remain open on Sundays, thus bringing in tax money without raising taxes or tax rates. Both options have potential and are definitely worth the debate if they will not adversely affect the citizens of Minnesota economically.<br /><br />The Shakopee site has the advantage of a completely clean site ready to begin construction immediately. No expensive, extensive and lengthy environmental clean-up would be needed like the Arden Hills site requires. Also no building tear-downs and pavement bulldozing would be needed like the Minneapolis site requires. The site is ready to build on. At $920 million, the site would be the second cheapest to build on after the Metrodome site with the advantage to this price tag being that, unlike the Metrodome, no demolition or extensive re-building would be needed. </span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; "><span ><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; "><span >In addition, the stadium would be placed among many of Shakopee's big entertainment parks, such as the racing track at Canterbury Park and the nationwide-famous entertainment park ValleyFair. This would help attract even more fans and would raise even more money for the people of Minnesota as several Vikings fans, like yours truly, come from out of state to see their team and many would naturally enjoy themselves at many of the other attractions which would be surrounding the stadium. Finally, in its biggest advantage, the site would be just across the Minnesota River from Winter Park in Eden Prairie, Minnesota where the Vikings hold their practices during the season. It would make traveling for the team very simple indeed. </span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; "><span ><br /></span></div><div><span ><span style="font-size: 100%;">Here is the layout of the plans for the Shakopee Stadium Site: </span><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/77852879/Shakopee-Site-Plan-FINAL-1-11-12">The Minnesota Vikings Shakopee Stadium</a>.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >The Duluth site, like Shakopee, also has the advantage of not needing environmental clean-up or bulldozed buildings or pavement. The site already has had it done. The price tag has not been set, but seeing as the site has already been cleaned, it should be around the same amount that the Shakopee site has been estimated at. Duluth, like Shakopee, is one of Minnesota's great tourism sites, though for its scenery and not amusement parks, and having the Vikings based there would also draw in more tourists and raise revenue for the people of Minnesota. Finally, it would place the Vikings in a similar situation to what the Green Bay Packers enjoy in their lake-side location in Green Bay. The stadium would be built on the shore of Lake Superior's main tributary, the St. Louis River, and would provide a gorgeous scenic background for Vikings fans to enjoy as they come to watch their team.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span ><span style="font-size: 16px; ">Here is the layout of the plans for the Duluth Stadium Site: </span><a href="http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/Vikings-Stadium-Duluth-MN-sunday-Liquor-feb-9-2012">The Minnesota Vikings Duluth Stadium</a><span>.</span> </span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >So there it is. The Minnesota Vikings ownership group and the State of Minnesota should scrap the Arden Hills and Minneapolis sites and proceed with a constructive debate on the Shakopee and Duluth sites. This would likely lead to real results and a great new stadium for a team which needs one. It would keep the Vikings in Minnesota, possibly for good, and end all talk about re-locating the team to Los Angeles or San Antonio. Finally, Vikings fans would be able to re-focus their energies towards cheering their team on towards their first Super Bowl victory. Skol Vikings!</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span><i><span >© 2012 New Agora and The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.</span></i> </span></div>Prof. Wallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442358329766311618noreply@blogger.com0