We're talkin' Baseball...

The Twins finally did it... they traded Santana. Not Carlos, genius... Johan. As in "two-time Cy Young Award Winner" and "Roger Clemens without steroids". Not to Boston or the G*dda*n Yankees, but to the Mets. Traded him for four minor-league prospects. I'm surprised Bill Smith and Carl Pohlad didn't ask for a case of baseballs and a bottle of Jack Daniels!

I'm a bit mixed, emotions-wise. For starters, why the Hell didn't we lock up Santana to a long-term contract back in 2006 when he was younger (and infinitely cheaper)? We could have had a helluva rotation this year... Santana in the 1 position, Liriano would be back from Tommy John surgery and fill the 2 role. Boof Bonser would be a solid 3 pitcher, and Baker fourth. Pat Neshek would be a good set-up man and as a part-time starter, while Nathan would come in and close. Forget that jazz, Jack!

Now we're going to have a very untested pitching squad. Santana would have been the captain and keep the young turks in check. Now, we go with Liriano going into the 1 spot... which is tenuous at best because of two factors... 1) Youth and 2) Durability, especially since he's been gone for over a year due to major reconstructive surgery and rehab. Bonser's better I think at the 3 than he would be at the 2. With the absence of Silva, you also lose a solid 2-3 pitcher, and I wouldn't move Baker out of the 4 spot yet. And if Nathan goes bye-bye as expected, I see more fireworks in the Metrodome than Disneyworld on the Fourth of July!

We just spent a butt-load of dough to resign Morneau... why couldn't Pohlad pry open that wallet just a little more to keep Santana? Hell, you're worth over a billion fricking dollars thanks to foreclosing on mom-and-pop farms in the 80's, Carl. You're old... and you can't take it with you when you die so don't start going all cheap in your twilight years. Besides the State of Minnesota is building you a shiny new stadium... you owe them and all the farmers you evicted at least a competitor!

T. Denny... HELP!!!

If I were Bill Smith... I'd be on the horn trying to find some experience for that staff. Not Clemens and his roided butt. But ya gotta find someone. Hell, get Randy Johnson! He's not a 1-starter anymore, but he could be good at the 2 or 3 and he'd also give some stability to that staff.

Okay, so I'm talking out of my backside... but if you're going to trade the golden goose, why not get some instant return? Someone like Coco Crisp out of Boston (and his cousin "Sugar Golden")? Hell, we just lost Hunter to California (which might not be such a bad deal, considering he'd been on the schnide until the last year of his contract). If we're going to be giving up 2,000 fricking home runs this year, why not get someone who can help us level the playing field, offensively?

Okay, now that I've turned off Heidelberger and left Mork and Goeman in stitches at my Dennis Miller-style rant, I'll leave you to your posting... and your grief over a very long season. Anyone care to join me in a "Premo"? Or a Schmidt's "Brown Grenade?"

A thousand miles in one week...

The great Chinese philosopher Confucious once wrote "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Funny... I didn't know they used that measurement of distance in 2000 B.C.!

In any case, this week's going to feel like a thousand-mile journey for yours truly. We're in the "meat" of the sports broadcast schedule, so the next few days will be busy.

So in addition to my regular stuff, here's what I have going on sports broadcast wise.

Tonight: Madison girls vs. Lennox, AM 1390
Tuesday: Madison girls vs. Sioux Falls Christian, AM 1390
Wednesday: no game, BUT, I get to read for READING ROCKS! 11:00 am Tina Denne's 1st Grade -Madison Elementary
Thursday: Madison boys vs. West Central, AM 1390
Friday: Madison girls at West Central, AM 1390
Saturday: Madison boys vs. Sioux Falls Christian at Dakota Schoolers Classic in Sioux Falls (AM 1390)

So I'm asking all my loyal readers (i.e. Cory, DeLon, "Pantusso")... will someone PLEASE record "NCIS" and "Boston Legal" for me on Tuesday???

Pretty cool...

Got a little tired of the political talk today... so I thought I'd show you this.

No rhyme or reason. It's just pretty darn cool!



Why, oh why, didn't I take guitar lessons!

Legislative Fun and Games...

Back to back posts about public policy... man, I must be getting more serious!

So once again, we begin the three-ring circus in Pierre known as the legislative session. Since we don't believe in career politicians, the session is pretty short... 40 days in odd-numbered years and 35 days in even-numbered years. This year is 35 days, which means less time for those legislatures to play grab-butt with the pages!

Speaking of which, the Legislature finally passed a "Code of Conduct" for themselves this year. Isn't that something? To be able to determine your own rules as well as pay? What other job can you do that BESIDES politics? Anyway, the measure passed resoundingly, with the exception of a few Republicans (including the guy that used to sub for me in Doland, Brock Greenfield) poo-pooing the idea.

Frankly, I'm glad they passed this. A lot of folks say that passing this code of conduct won't prevent such episodes as Dan Sutton and Ted Klaudt. They're probably right, but what I'm glad this thing does is provide some modicum of accountability that our lawmakers can be held to.

That's the key word right there... "Accountability". You go to any profession, be it media (even though I'm not a reporter, per se, I do follow the Code of Ethics set down by the Society of Professional Journalists. When I was a teacher, I had to follow the Code of Conduct set by the South Dakota Department of Education. Doctors, lawyers, even my brother, who is a real estate agent, all have to follow codes of conduct established by the State of South Dakota. If they fail to follow those rules, they are held accountable and can even get stripped of their licenses, certifications, etc. So doesn't it make sense that the folks that are setting up the rules also be subject to the same means of accountability themselves?

Now that the Legislature has established these rules, they're now turning around and trying to do away with the constitutional amendment dealing with term limits. Here's the poop... a legislator can only serve in one particular house for no more than eight years. They can serve in the other house as well as governor, but they are also held to the same 8-year limit for each position. Now soon-to-be term-limited folks like Bill Napoli (R-Rapid City) are whining that the limits "take away a lot of experience."

What arrogance! To think that these folks are the only ones that can do the job! Frankly, I like the idea of "changing the plant water" every once in a while, to get new ideas and new perspectives, instead of the old fuddy-duddies that should have left office but decided to make it a career.

I know what you're thinking... why not let voters do the term-limiting at the polls? Well, because there is precedent with the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, limiting an elected official (i.e. the President) to just 2 terms. What's good for Dubya, Clinton, and Reagan should be good enough for Napoli, Gassman, and Olson!

Emergency Service by the Wayside?

Being that I'm a native of Dell Rapids, I've been watching with interest the plan to create a rural ambulance district in Minnehaha County.

Here's the story in a nutshell. Most communities in Minnehaha County are served by volunteer ambulance services. These folks donate their time, and in many cases, their money, in order to provide good medical service not only to their communities but the rural parts of the county.

However there's been a problem. The pool of available volunteers is shrinking. It used to be that the folks that volunteered were able to take time off from there jobs should an emergency arise. For example, if the butcher in Dell Rapids was on-call and a call came through, it wouldn't be but a 5-minute drive to the garage and hop in the ambulance. Nowaday, many folks have to work out of town, which makes daytime service difficult, if not impossible. So that volunteer may now have to drive 15-30 minutes just to get to the ambulance, which is pretty impractical.

The County Commission recognized this and gave the services a one-time grant of around $250-thousand so they could hire full-timers to man the ambulances. Still rely on volunteers, but also ensure reliable service. But the County Commission said that the money was a one-time deal to help get the services on their feet.

As a result, several communities, including Dell Rapids, Hartford and Garretson drew up plans to create a special tax district. Essentially, property would be assesed and the funds would help pay for full-time personnel to ensure that there would be reliable ambulance service. Essentially, property taxes would go up $15 per $100,000 of valued property (which is valued significantly lower than market price).

However, voters in Minnehaha county overwhelmingly defeated the proposal in a special election on Tuesday. Basically, these services are now on their own.

Now I'm not one to vote for every single tax increase that comes along. I hate taxes as much as the next person. But at the same time, I see this as being an essential service that is in now in serious jeopardy.

Look, it's like paying insurance. You pay premiums every month, and then pray to God you never have to use it. But there's always those times where something does come up and that service is (usually) there for you. Same principle applies here. You hope you never have to need the ambulance service, but it's good to know it's there. After all, it's not like you're paying for a pool (sorry, AQUATIC CENTER) that you'll never use!

But now these communities are forced to go back to the drawing board. And I wonder... is our desire to be on the cheap going to hurt us in the end? Already we're a humiliating 51st in teacher salaries, we have to claw tooth and nail to get decent schools built, and we have this NIMBY quality whenever someone comes in to offer some economic opportunities.

I'm a fiscal conservative, don't get me wrong. If a project is not worth the cost, I won't vote for it. I think the Sioux Falls was idiotic to try and pass a bond issue for a downtown events center, then turn around and take out a loan to upgrade flood prevention and drainage facilities. And if you can get some private funding involved in some of these projects, all the better! In fact, I joke that the only way that Madison is going to get a proper high school gym is if some old rich person kicks off and leaves an inheritance!

Frankly, what this district was asking was pretty much on the cheap. The newspaper that Cory Heidelberger thinks is evil says it will cost $360,000 to properly fund this service each year. Imagine what Rural-Metro Ambulance or some other for-profit service would charge to cover such a vast area! Frankly, I think the voters turned down one HELL of a deal!

I'm hoping some of my fellow Dell Rapidians and Minnehaha-ites see the light and come up with SOMETHING before people begin to suffer from lack of services.

Disclaimer...

As most of you know, I am the sports director at KJAM Radio in Madison, South Dakota. I would like to take this moment to remind all of you that the views and opinions expressed on this blog are mine and mine alone and do not reflect the thoughts and opinions of KJAM Radio, its parent company Three Eagles Communications, Madison Kiwanis, Cory Heidelberger, the King of Sweeden, MoveOn.org, Fox News Channel, the Loyal Order of Water Buffalo, or the Democrat or Republican Parties.

In other words... MY THOUGHTS ARE MY OWN!

My Top 5

Okay, everyone is doing it... Newspapers, TV Channels, even my blogging friend at Lake Herman is doing it. The insipid Top 10 list of events in the past year/predictions.

So I'm going to buck tradition... and go with my Top 5 best things that happened to me this year!

5) Going on my first vacation in nearly 2 years.

4) Being elected president of Madison Kiwanis.

3) Watching South Dakota State University win its first conference football title in 44 years.

2) Madison making the State Boys' Basketball tournament

and of course

1) The birth of my niece, Zoey!



Now... my top 5 predictions for 2008

5) Zoey turns one year old and signs with the William Morris Agency. (What can I say, she's a cutie!)

4) All opponents from now til March forfeit their games to Madison, allowing the Bulldogs to win their first State Basketball title since 1945.

3) Adrian Peterson becomes the first ever NFL player to rush over 400 yards in a game.

2) A certain sports director in Madison, South Dakota wins the 300-million dollar Powerball lottery. He will give the Madison School District 10-million dollars to build a new gym and name it after T. Denny Sanford. His reason? "It's inevitable!"

And the Number One Prediction of 2008....

1) New News Director... Cory Heidelberger! LOL

Oh, as a bonus... the new Star Trek Movie is such a hit, that it vaults to the top of AFI's top 100 films, gets every single Oscar at the Academy Awards, and create a special one for William Shatner, to say "We forgive you" for Star Trek V! Paramount quickly renumbers all the movies in the series, effectively saying ST: V "never existed!"

Happy New Year, Everyone!

A little Thanksgiving Ha-Ha

Happy Thanksgiving from your favorite Jackrabbit!

SDSU Football

Only one word to describe this team....



CHAMPION

A conversation with a spammer...

Okay, it's not so much a conversation... but it's pretty damn funny!

By the way, I'm sdsu_jackrabbit_fan.

angeltessy1981: Hello, my name is Tessy ,im 26 years Old from New Jersey,single,never been married before, looking for the right man in my life,Hit me back if you care to chat,I am looking for someone who is not materialistic but looking for lasting love. I hope to find a man who is responsible, very honest and open, completely faithful and trustworthy,im ,currently in west africa at the moment,looking forward coming back soon

sdsu_jackrabbit_fan: And you wouldn't want us to send a thousand dollars to Nigeria, by chance!

sdsu_jackrabbit_fan: I've seen this scam... you think people would be smart enough not to fall for it.

sdsu_jackrabbit_fan: Jeez, you're trying to rip people off, can't you be at least a LITTLE creative! This is just being plain LAZY!

sdsu_jackrabbit_fan: But then if you're a thief... work is not in your vocabulary, is it!

More sports stuff...

Okay... it's been a while since we talked sports... so here we go!

1) Vikings... as much as it pains me to say it, the Minnesota Vikings suck. Yesterday, we saw a struggling Eagles quarterback look like the Donovan McNabb of old... simply by playing the Vikes. Perhaps this team can market itself as the new fountain of youth... where washed-up QB's go to feel young again!

But who am I kidding? Three pathetic performances.. two by our QB's and one from our high-priced Offensive Line. It would have been four, but thankfully Tavaris Jackson was out with a hurt pinky finger. This is a team that looks even more unfocused and adrift than during Tice's last year at the Vikings helm. I hate to say it, but the only pressing question come the post-season for Minnesota will be who's responsible for making sure the other players keep their hands off the strippers at the Super Bowl Party!

2) Red Sox... the lovable losers of the 20th Century look to become the Yankees of the 21st Century. This is a team that's caused more choking cases than Anaphylactic Shock! First, the Yankees in 2004 in one of the all-time choke jobs that would make Jake "Raging Bull" La Motta proud! Then it was Cleveland, who had a 3-1 lead in this year's ALCS before Boston decided to wake up and play baseball. Now it was the Rockies, who were more outmatched than if the BoSox were playing the 1976 Bad News Bears (forget Billy Bob! Gimme Walter Matthau!)

Whoever is responsible for keeping Theo Epstein on board as the GM had best be sending the "boy wonder" a ton of Omaha Steaks each and every winter to keep him put! Come to think of it... Theo, how would you feel about coming to Minnesota?

3) College Football... Why do I love College Football? Take a look



Any questions?

Another example of "Congress" being opposite of "Progress"

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,301684,00.html

Man, if this isn't cultural elitism at its worst! Perhaps if NASCAR had Chardonnay sponsors instead of beer sponsors....

Any chance I can get to the ballot box early this year?

Another example of "

Should the Argus have an Ombudsman?

An interesting debate... The paper that my friend on Lake Herman says is peddling smut has been making news lately, fighting for such things as state employee salaries, lists of buddies that hunt with the governor, Mike Rounds' schedule of his family thankgsiving dinner and when he has his bowel movements... hey, it's on the taxpayer's dime!

And apparently some folks feel that if the Argus is going to be the "voice of the people", there should be some accountability. I are one of these people.

Look, I'm not going to say the AL "Speaks for me" or doesn't. But if it's going to go around parading itself as the "champion of the average citizen," isn't it considered reasonable to be held to some kind of public scrutiny, perhaps, even some third-party examination?

Which gives me the idea... an ombudsman!

Okay, I know what you're going to ask... "What the HELL is an ombudsman?" Well, basically, an ombudsman is a person, independent of the media organization that acts as the "voice of the people". They take suggestions, handle inquiries about procedures, and reports them to the masses. If a privately-held cable channel like ESPN can have an ombudsman, why can't a paper that supposedly represents a larger cross-section o f people?

The Boss is Back!

Last Thursday, at the Harvard Square theatre, I saw my rock'n'roll past flash before my eyes. And I saw something else: I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen. And on a night when I needed to feel young, he made me feel like I was hearing music for the very first time.

Jon Landau, Rolling Stone magazine (1974)

Breaking News... Developing News... and all that Claptrap

The other night I was watching the news with my brother Mike (Yes, folks, my brother actually watches the news! I'm so proud of him!). Normally I'm not a big watcher of the newscasts because I work in radio, which means I get most of my news from our news director. CBS Radio (we're an affiliate) or the Internet.

But I watched KSFY. And in terms of news, they are traditionally decent. However, they started doing this stupid "Breaking News" headliner. Basically it takes one "BIG" story and pretty much re-hashes it to death.

The story they were talking about is a supposed recall coming from Mattel regarding their toys, lead paint and all that. Now I can see how this is a concern, especially for people who have kids. Obviously eating lead paint is not good for you... I'm living proof!

So I figured the best thing would be to do the main story followed up with a local reaction right away. All together, shouldn't take more than 2 minutes. Not only did KSFY spread out the story (by my estimates, 4 minutes of a 22-minute newscast), but they kept repeating it throughout the newscast!

"Our breaking news story tonight"

(5 minutes later)

"In case you're just tuning in...."

(after weather)

"In case you've been in a coma the last 15 minutes..."

(before closing)

"If you are an idiot and was just drooling at the screen for the last 30 minutes..."

Okay, I took a little poetic license... And I can understand how there are some big stories that deserve this kind of attention... Poison Gas Leak... Airline Crash at Joe Foss Field... Emergency Evacuation of Minnehaha County because I had supper at Puerto Vallarta (Okay, make that Lake, Miner, Moody, Minnehaha, and Lincoln Counties). But a toy recall really doesn't warrant that kind of coverage, does it?

To me, it sounds like the "Little Boy who Cried Wolf"

Give me radio news any day!

Of Felons and Football...

Perhaps I'm becoming a “Fuddy-Duddy” in my starting-to-advance years. But I've always believed that if you do something wrong, you should be penalized. It may seem outrageous or unfair, but it serves as good lesson that everyone is accountable for their actions.

Which confuses the hell out of me about the Jerome Hunt thing.

If you've been living in a cave, or out of state, here's the poop. Jerome Hunt was a state champion wrestler from Parker. He was accused and convicted of attempted rape of his teammates. During his legal problems and trial, he dropped out of what would have been his senior year.

Now he's back... at another school anyway.

Hunt is going to West Central, where he is a senior. That's not the issue. I'm all for this young man finishing his education so he can get on with his life. What I have issue with, is the fact that he, a convicted felon, is suiting up for the football team and will more than likely be involved in wrestling.

To me, being involved in high school athletics is a privilege, not a right. I've seen many young men and women being barred from participating with their teams for everything from drinking to poor grades. Frankly, I think a felony conviction would elicit some kind of restriction. But apparently not.

I'm not putting any blame on Kent Mueller, the Trojan Football coach. I've known Kent for a few years. He's a man of principle and follows the rules. My blame rests on the folks who should have put some restriction on this man playing on a high school sports team.

I also have to put some blame on the parents, as it seems they've been “shopping” Mr. Hunt around to different schools as though he were some free agent. Which begs the question.... if they're so concerned about this guy finishing his schooling, why should being involved in sports be such a deciding factor?

To me it reeks of hypocrisy. And I'm a sports director, for crying out loud!

A Couple Good Organizations

When I was younger, I would always watch the telethons that came up on the Sioux Falls stations. Jerry Lewis, UCP, CMN, all that jazz. And my dear mom always said instead of giving money, I should say a prayer.

Prayer is good, but unfortunately it's money that makes the world go round.

Now I'm at a point in my life financially where I can make a monetary contribution. But ONLY to the causes I have a vested interest in. Namely, the United Way and Children's Miracle Network.

The nice part about giving to the United Way is that my money goes to many organizations in my area. Non-political, non-advocacy groups like Little League Baseball and Softball, Lake County Search and Rescue, and Meals on Wheels. And it's only a few bucks out my paycheck, so it's not like I'm gonna miss it... but the impact it makes is long-lasting!

Children's Miracle Network has taken on a more personal note with me. Unless you're some kind of recluse, chances are you know someone or ARE someone who has had to take advantage of the services of CMN. Co-Workers, friends, friends-of-friends... these are just some of the people I know who have been helped by CMN.

The really cool part about CMN, is it's not all about research. Granted, they do give a bit to research and to help buy medical equipment. But all of the money raised STAYS LOCAL. In other words, the money you spend on donations or even on a blizzard for "Miracle Treat Day", stays in the area, and doesn't go to pay for corporate lobster dinners in New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles.

But the personal reason I do it is for a darling niece that I affectionately call "Swee' Pea." Fortunately, she is a healty, (relatively) happy baby girl and has not had any major issues. But you just never know. And while I don't like to think of the worst case scenario, I do take comfort in the fact that Zoey's parents can count on an organization like Children's Miracle Network should something happen in the future.

I'm not much for advocating causes, namely because of the guff I'd get because it's not in the correct "political spectrum". But it's a safe bet you're not going to go wrong with these organizations.

The Press as Billboards

The local paper recently ran an opinion column about press photographers being forced this upcoming National Football League season to wear vests emblazoned with corporate logos. Apparently, this is part of some grand marketing scheme that the NFL cooked up with Canon and Reebok.

Frankly, it stinks to high heaven.

For starters... these journalists are not employees of the NFL. They have to abide by certain guidelines set down by the league, but are not employed by the NFL. Therefore, the idea that they can be "compelled" to be walking billboards is hogwash, especially if said persons do not receive compensation. THEN, you're looking at labor violations, not to mention any working agreements that are already in place!

Someone that wants to treat me like an employee can PAY me like an employee.

Secondly, and I agree with the article on this, it violates the idea of journalists being "objective". Now granted, journalists have done advertisements in the past. And almost every disc jockey appears on radio commercials. Hell, even Charles Osgood and Paul Harvey do commercials! But the big factor is they are not out and about like walking advertisements, being compelled by a company outside of their employ to do so.

I'm just curious... if a photographer from the Associated Press shows up to a game wearing Nike shoes and using an Olympus camera, can the NFL revoke his or her press credentials? As Dennis Hopper once said in a Nike commercial, "Bad things, Man!"

Baseball Galore!!!

If you're a fan of baseball, you're gonna LOVE the next few weeks!

First of all, the District 4B amateur baseball tournament starts this Friday in Salem. Basically, this consists of ALL the teams in the Corn Belt League, all 12 teams.

Because of so many teams, the SDABA decreed that seven teams out of our district will advance to the State Tournament in Sioux Falls, August 8-19. So head on over to Salem! They've done a LOT of renovations to their facility, and it's good small-town baseball.

Oh, and if you go, make sure you have your radio on 103.1 FM!

---

The young bucs are getting their post-season tournaments underway. In Madison, the "Reds" made it to the State 13-14 year old "Teener" tournament which starts this Friday in Flandreau. Howard and Flandreau are also in it as well, so there should be a lot of good baseball going on there. I talked with Rick "The Weapon" Weber last night, who's helping to put this together. I think the poor guy's gonna have his hands full with this tournament, PLUS managing the Flandreau Cardinals in the Districts. But "Weapon" is a gamer and he'll pull it all off and with a big ol' smile on his face!

--

Speaking of last night, Madison legion played some "Marathon" baseball at the Regions in Garretson. They squeaked out a win over Flandreau in an elimination game, and looked to cruise to an easy win over West Central in the championship. But I think the strain of playing 18 innings in sauna-like conditions proved to be too much for the Maroon and Gold as they lost and saw the season come to an end.

A few questions about last night....

*Why does the consolation team have to play back to back games in the same night? Especially when the heat index has been near triple-digits for the last few games... Anyone remember Korey Stringer?

*How difficult is it to find a circuit breaker to shut off the automatic sprinker system? Seriously... 20 MINUTES?!?!

*Just where in the heck did Brady Wiebe get the knack for hitting the long ball? To heck with Barry "BALCO" Bonds... this kid gets a hold of a fat one, you can measure its travelling distance in Astronomical Units!

Dining on Asphalt, Part One

With apologies to Alton Brown!

During the high school sports season, I pretty much live off of take out… of course I do that pretty much all the time! But as I continue to go to different towns, I have a tendency of finding out what places are good, which are bad, and which are downright ugly!

So if you find yourself hankering for a good meal… here are my humble suggestions. I didn’t use any scientific formula to come up with my top choices; these are simply my anecdotal experiences. You may have different opinions, feel free to contribute them!

Best Burger: Commercial Club Burgers, Cadwell Park, Mitchell, SD

These little gems are usually available only during the State Amateur baseball tournament, which is in Mitchell two out of every three years (the other year, it’s in Sioux Falls). There’s nothing fancy about these burgers, EXCEPT the buttered/sautéed/fried/grilled onions that you put on them… a grilled burger, a little ketchup, a whole butt-load of onions, and you’re in burger nirvana… Just make sure you take a breath mint before making out with your sweetheart afterwards!

Honorable mention: Nick’s in Brookings, Jersey’s in Madison

Best Pizza: George’s Pizza, Brookings, SD

Picture this… it’s been a long night of hanging out with your friends in the bars. It’s 2:00 am, you’re tired, but you want something to settle your stomach. You COULD go to one of the Big Box “family” restaurants on the edge of town, but only at the risk of being pulled over by the police. So what do you do?

You head up to the walk-up window at George’s Pizza and get a slice of the all-meat pizza. Actually, make it two… one to eat there and one to eat when you finish walking home. And man is it worth it! FRESH ingredients, HOMEMADE dough and enough toppings during regular business hours to make your eyes bug out! One suggestion, though, get the deep dish!

Honorable Mention: open to suggestions here!

Best Steak: The Old Dutch Inn, Dell Rapids, SD

Living in South Dakota, the steakhouse is as much an institution as the grain elevator. And believe me, there are a LOT of choices here in this area. And they’re all very good. BUT, I have to go with the place where you can get a VERY good steak dinner for just six bucks. And that’s the Old Dutch, back in my old stomping grounds of Dell Rapids.

So how do you get a good sirloin steak dinner for six-bucks? Very simple. Tom (the owner) hand-cuts his steaks, which keeps prices WAY low! There’s more to it, but I’m sworn to secrecy!

Honorable Mention: The Depot, Mitchell, SD; The Moonlite, Madison, SD

MORE TO COME... Keep watching!

Is 60 the new 40?

A few months ago, mein pops turned the big 60.... which means he's just a few scant years away from being at the traditional retirement age.

Thinking of that I've been hearing a new phrase... "Sixty is the new 40". In other words, the thinking of 40 being the traditional start of middle age has now been pushed up another 20 years.

Truth? or Marketing ploy?

I'll grant you the "Baby Boomers" that are joining the afternoon shuffleboard leagues have benefitted more health-wise than the "Greatest Generation". Advances in medicine, plus a focus on staying healthy more than likely means that this group of folks will be around for quite a while.

But as far as statistics go, the average life span in the United States is 72 for men and 79 for women (I wonder why that is? Are men in that much of a hurry to get to the grave before women? LOL). So unless we see a massive uptick in centigenarians within the next 20 years or so, I think sixty is going to remain sixty.

What do you think?

To "jock" or not to "jock"?

Hello... I'm jackrabit1... I'm 32 (at the end of the month)... single... and I'm a disc jockey.

Or am I?

Officially, I am considered an "on-air announcer," at least that's what I put down on my 1040 this year. But there are other terms... "on-air personality", "disc jockey", "boss jock", and probably a few I haven't heard.

"Disc jockey" is a bit outdated... unless you're work at a college station or a station that still believes in turntables and reel-to-reels! Most radio stations now have their libraries on computer, usually arranged with some type of scheduling software and played over the computer with a program like Simian or Smartcaster. Some stations even go off satellite 24-7, using programming from such providers like Westwood One, Jones Radio Network, or ABC, just to name a few. Happily, we use live announcers, with some satellite programming at night or sports.

"Personality" is a bit of a misnomer... at least in my case! When I hear "personality" I think of Howard Stern, Opie and Anthony, or any of those adult-oriented folks that seem to make their livings off sex and fart jokes. Sex and fart-jokes are fine in their place, hell, I'll tell them; off-air! Another thing about "personalities"... they tend to wear out their welcome pretty darn fast. As the butler said in the 1995 movie "King Ralph", "Today's breath of fresh air can quickly become tomorrow's foul wind". See Cory, I used quotes and everything!

"Announcer" is a bit dry... but it's accurate.

I guess, though, that I've been calling other announcers "jocks". And I used to think "jocks" was a bit of a demeaning, like I was some sort of trained monkey just playing songs. But as I've started to become a student of the history of broadcasting, listening to old clips and reading about such disc jockeys as "Wolfman Jack", "Cousin Brucie", Rick Dees, Shadoe Stevens, Charlie Tuna, Ralph Emery, and "Murray the K", I realize "jock" is not a bad term... it has a history of fantastic announcers, a heritage of some of the most influential voices and their music. I guess you can say, I'm taking back the term... as a term of affection, of course!

But I'll still use "on-air announcer" on my 1040 next year!

It happened...

Elijah Page Executed

South Dakota's first execution in 60 years... wow.

For those of you thinking there was some celebration of this act, there wasn't. He paid his debt. Simple as that.

No gloating... just closure.

Some more....

So here's some more stuff that's been floating around the ol' brain-box.

1) Fred Phelps... Okay, who is this guy? Some demented little crackpot who's rooting for our enemies because, get this, we are tolerant of homosexuals! Dude, up your dosage!

I consider myself an almost religious person. I try to follow the principles of my faith, although I don't get to church as much as my dear, departed grandma would like. But I guess the God I believe in is a God of love and who does not hate. So when I see signs like "God Hates F@gs", I really get upset. And these inbreeders even go and protest at soldiers' funerals!!!

Let me get this straight... because of your beliefs, you're going to go and preach your hateful message to families who are hurting and in pain because they lost a loved one... That is sick and sad. What a bunch of morons!

2) New Projects in South Dakota... It's funny. 15 years ago, a popular publication called us the "outback" of the United States... elitist pricks! But it seems we're in position to become a major economic player outside of just agriculture.

It looks like we're about to become a major leader in childrens' medical research, thanks to the Sanford initiative, we have the natural resources to become the "OPEC" of wind energy, a new oil refinery that'll bring oil down from our good ol' friends to the north in Canada, and now the announcement today that Western South Dakota is going to get its props with the old Homestake Mine being named the new site of the National Underground Lab and South Dakota could be a real economic player.

3) This weekend... two things about this weekend... Lemonade and CCR! I actually bought a CCR greatest hits CD this weekend (only 12-bucks at Pamida!). Since it was going to be too hot out of doors last week, I needed a little musical diversion...

The 60's had a lot of breakthrough groups and performers... the Beatles, The Who, Janis, Jimi, Clapton, Jefferson Starship, and more. And I think Creedence Clearwater Revivial gets lost in that mix. There's nothing fancy about their music... it reminds me of a group of friends jammin out on a front porch and there's a group of folks sitting around in lawn chairs or on the ground and sipping their favorite adult beverage.

But they influenced quite a few "roots rockers", Eagles, Springsteen, Mellancamp, and even Tom Petty. And they didn't use reverb, or distortion or re-mixing... just straight ahead, clean rock and roll. And I love anything that is NOT pre-produced!

Oh, and my drink of choice this week... Country Time Strawberry Lemonade! Yum! Unfortunately Jubilee was out of it when I stopped on on Sunday, so if anyone sees it on the shelves, could you drop me a line? Thanks!

Head On... apply directly to the forehead!!!

Okay, so I'm in one of those surreal moods! And time for some more "Random Thoughts."

1) Leg Cramps... Got one about 3:30 a.m.... It takes a lot to get me to sail like a sailor. Like a leg cramp. I'm surprised I didn't wake up the whole of Madison! Or my blogging friend out on Lake Herman!

You know, there are about as many theories about what causes leg cramps as there are JFK assassination theories. All I know is I was walking like a goober today because of it. Leg Cramps Suck!

2) Death Penalty... Believe it or not, I'm not quite sure about this anymore. On one hand, there's the whole deterrent thing, which holds about as much water as a colander. On the other hand, there's the "being much better than the criminal" argument. Which is a bit silly, because we are not committing crimes or going around killing people for no good reason!

Frankly, I'd like to be a heartless bastard. Ship em all to Alaska, no cable TV, no porn, just 3 basic meals and 12-hours of hard labor a day. That's all they deserve. And if they escape... well, good luck with the bears!

3) Bush pardon of Libby... Dubya, you gotta take a lesson from your predecessor... If you give a pardon, make sure that person gives a nice fat contribution to your Presidential library (or your wife's Senate campaign!)

4) Zoey... Every since my niece was born, I've had her picture on my cell phone. Whenever I get stressed or feel like crap, I just flip open my phone and there she is in all her newborn cuteness. Best medicine in the world!

Random Thoughts...

Some things that have been floating round the ol' Jackrabit's noggin.

1) Paris Hilton...proof that all you need to make it in this world is a sex tape, skanky clothes, skanky attitude, and a DUI! Oh, and a public more concerned with "Bread and Circuses" than with other issues. Still readin' that Bible, girlie? Or are you using it as a drink coaster!

2) Isaiah Washington...a sad example that you can do everything expected of you... make apologies left and right and figuratively castrate yourself at the altar of political correctness and it doesn't amount to a tinker's damn in their eyes. Funny... I thought the "Politically Correct" bunch was all about tolerance and acceptance; I guess that doesn't include apologies. Keep fighting the good fight, amigo! Take these hypocrites to task!

3) Video Game Addiction... I heard a report where a young man was spending an unreal time playing video games. The parents took away the game and he went ballistic, starting to trash the house. They relented and gave him back his games.

What a pair of wimps! If it was my kid pulling that crap, I would have back-handed him! In a non-closed hand fashion, of course (don't want some to think I'm advocating child abuse!) Addiction to video games? What a crock! Some made-up term some out-of-work therapist cooked up to drum up more business. To me, it's a matter of setting boundaries and the parents failing MISERABLY.

4) Congress... we rail about how Bush has such lousy numbers... turns out Congress has an approval rating of 14-PERCENT!!! Those who live in glass houses, I guess.

That's all for now... stay tuned!

Hey, Adam! Let's start a bottled water cartel...

in San Francisco! We'll be millionaires!

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/06/24/bottled.water.ap/index.html

**From the San Francisco government, who thinks it knows what's better for you than you do!***

I Can Die Happy Now!

Little Town, Big Heart

Okay... my back is killing me today. Namely its from the nap I took at Relay for Life, that took place in Madison last night and this morning.

It was quite an event, though. The Luminaria ceremony was particularly moving, especially when I heard my grandpa's, aunt's, and best friend's parents names on the roster of those who lost their lives to cancer. And to see the lighted luminarias at dusk was quite special... in fact I'm kicking myself for not bringing my camera.

All together, though, the event raised over $25,000 for the American Cancer Society. For a town of 6,500 people, that is impressive. When you do the math, it comes out to about $3.85 per man, woman and child in the Madison city limits. Not too shabby!

You know, there's a lot of misconceptions about living in a small town. Some people think that living in a small town means you're isolated from the rest of reality, that all we ever talk about are the crops and the weather, and that we are uber-frugal and slow to change.

I can see where there might be some isolated examples of the above, but by and far, I don't think that it holds water. In the places I've been fortunate enough to live, I've witnessed and experienced the kind of friendliness and kindness and willingness to help out one another that you very rarely see in a larger city like New York City or Los Angeles. Perhaps it's because being out on what Newsweek once called "America's Outback," we tend to rely on each other a bit more for business, assistance, and overall companionship.

Even though we have our differences, we also have a pretty good self-depreciating sense of humor. After all, dis IS da birt'place uv da Ole and Lena jokes, don'cha know!

But I think it's the heart that really sets the small towns apart. From folks in Dell Rapids getting on their motorcycles for a poker run to help a 2-year old, to people in Madison giving money for the new Children's Hospital in Sioux Falls, we seem to have an overabundance (for the most part) of generosity. Others may disagree, and that's their right. But it's my right to say they're sadly mistaken, too!

But one thing I learned from last night... if I ever camp out again, I'm getting an AeroBed!

Words of Wisdom from Dear Ol' Dad!

The unthinkable happened last week.

Dad turned 60.

So all last weekend, I got to thinking how he's getting older and has more days behind him than ahead of him and mortality and my life and all that stuff. Pretty much getting myself in a tizzy about the whole dang thing. But then, God Bless Him, Dad said something that puts it all in perspective...

"Growing OLD is inevitable... Growing UP is optional!"

Here's to never growing up!

On doing business...

Whenever I go anywhere, whether it's for lunch, a pair of pants, or a new car, I make it a priority of doing business with people who like me. Not that they have to bend over backwards for me, but rather that they treat me with respect, are polite, and generally make me feel like a human being and not some idiot.

The reason I'm giving you this analogy is because of this aggravating little man in Venezuala called Hugo Chavez. Imagine, if you will, the rudest, snobbish, ugliest-acting bully of a waiter you might have ever had and put him in charge of a country. This is a man who has taken one of his biggest customers for his country's oil and has consistently mocked them and basically acting like a rude little boy.

Frankly, I don't like being made to feel like pond scum. And if I go to a place of business where I'm made to feel that way, I usually don't come back... even if the merchandise is good. It's simple common sense.

Now before you go off all half-cocked on foreign policy and all that jazz, stop it. Take a deep breath and realize what this commentary is about. Doing good business. Failure to realize that will result in a serious browbeating by myself and my buddy Pantusso, who is 6-5, diametrically opposed to me politically, and will also back me up whenever I need him (as I do the same for him!)

A couple of CNN commentators suggest boycotting CITGO gasoline, which is owned by the Venezualan government, which in turn seems to be owned by this guy with a supposed massive inferiority complex. Not a bad idea... but I have a better solution.

Instead of having our economy held hostage by this little booger and others who don't think highly of us, why not make ourselves energy-independent? Funny idea, I know, but here is my thinking.

1) Continue to develop biomass fuels like Ethanol and Cellulosic Ethanol as well as Biodiesel.

2) Incorporate alternative engergy sources like wind and solar energy... hey, not a day goes by in South Dakota that we don't have wind... we could be the OPEC of wind energy! LOL

3) Embrace new technologies like hybrid and hydrogen energy that will effectively eliminate our need to buy from these jerks.

I think it would be a win-win for the United States. First, we would enhance our economy in the creation of new, skilled jobs that will no doubt be necessary to do the research, production and manufacturing, operation, and upkeep of these new technologies. Secondly, we could say to Mr. Chavez and all those other rude, crude bullies...

"Sorry, not interested!"

I wonder... if that was the case, would they need US more than we would need them? Something to think about, anyway.

Sports Sports and more Sports!!!!

Okay, since I AM a sports director.... I figured to add my two cents in on some things.

1) AJ coming back.... Like the rest of "Jackrabbit Nation", I was pretty stunned to find out women's basketball coach Aaron Johnston was leaving SDSU to take the job at UWGB. Needless to say, I was even more surprised to find out less than a day later he changed his mind!

Now those of us that matter (the fans, the school, and the players) are happy he changed his mind and welcome him back with open arms. Others however, think there's something more to this than meets the eye... i.e. the media.

In my never-to-be-humbled opinion, I think they're making a mountain out of a molehill. How many of us have accepted a job offer or have taken a job, only to leave and go back to where you were before? It happened to me... I left KJAM to work at Citibank and sure enough, I came back after realizing how much of a mistake I made.

Fact is, we all make mistakes... I'm glad AJ caught his in time before too much damage was caused!


2) Vikings draft.... Some people were suprised that Minnesota DIDN'T take Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn in the draft (he later went to Cleveland with the 22nd pick). Instead, they went with Oklahoma running back and Heisman runner-up Adrian Peterson.

I think it was a wise choice. Tavaris Jackson had a lot of growing pains last year, culminating with two sup-par performances in a season where the team basically gave up. But I think those games were important for him, because he now knows what he needs to do in order to be a solid NFL quarterback. And with the team signing Brooks Bollinger as a backup, Jackson will have a solid teacher. I figure we'll get a pretty good picture of what to expect from Jackson this year. He could be our QB for the future, or the next Gino Toretta!

And with more teams going to a 2-back offense, Peterson will be a great 2-back, along with Chester Taylor. With Taylor getting his first 1,000-yard rushing season last year, the Purple and Gold could have a dynamic two-some in the backfield this season PROVIDED Peterson heals from his broken collarbone.


3) Sportsmanship.... I think this is going to be an issue that sticks around for quite a while. One of the biggest examples of poor sportsmanship I saw was earlier this year at the State "A" Boys' Basketball Championship. In that game the second-place team refused to come back on the court to accept their medals. Frankly, that was a VERY poor example of sportsmanship, followed up by some half-hearted excuses by the coach.

Frankly, I'm glad the SDHSAA (the governing body for high school sports in South Dakota) didn't capitulate and give the team it's medals right away. The coach and the AD for the team had to drive to Pierre the next month for the Association's annual meeting and basically get read the riot act. Furthermore, the school is now on probation and could face suspension from post-season play if they don't make a lot of changes.

I think it was a fair punishment. But I also wonder if the team was not an Indian school, would the punishment have been different; a "double-standard", if you will? But the important thing is that the Association did make a stand and say poor sportsmanship will NOT be tolerated. Bout damn time, too!

Grandma...

I've been thinking a lot about my Grandma Driscoll lately.

June 15th will be two years that she left us. They say time heals all wounds; I'm not so sure about that. Rather, I think with time, you just get better at hiding those wounds.

And now we have a beautiful new addition to our family. Grandma's 22nd (or is it 23rd?) great-grandchild. The first time her daughter (my mom) became a grandma herself. And she's not here to share our joy.

It bothers me. It really does.

I can see a little bit of Grandma in Zoey. From the shock of black hair to the way her little mouth forms a perfect straight line when she draws in her lips. Just like Grandma.

In some ways, it comforts me. But in other ways, it reminds me of what we lost.

I've heard all the comforting phrases... "As long as you remember her, she's never really gone"... "She's in a better place"... "She's looking down on us."

That may be true, but it doesn't replace her being here.

She may have been one of God's children, but she was my grandma. And as long as I live, I'll never understand why God took her away from me.

God, you have so many children... couldn't you leave us Grandma for a little while longer?

Happy 4/20, everyone!

Huh huh huh huh.... it's 4-20! huh huh huh huh...

On to happier things...

Well, considering I had to release a little vitrol last week, I figure it's about time I had a happy post!

As a New Yawk cabbie would say "Foist things foist!"

After nine months of somewhat-quiet anticipation, I'm proud to say I'm a first-time uncle! Zoey Jane was born April 11th in Sioux Falls at Sanford/USD Medical Center... Yeah, I know. But fortunately Mike and Katy held off temptation and did not name her "T. Denny!"

But she is just about as perfect as a baby can be. LOTS and LOTS of dark hair... in fact the nurses at the hospital would spend the night in the nursery playing with it, spiking it and all that jazz. Thank goodness they restrained themselves from dyeing it blue! :D

But Zoey, mother and father are all doing well. They're back home and I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with them!

The other good piece of news is that I FINALLY have my taxes done! This year, I did something a bit different. I actually put away the paper, pen, and calculator and did my taxes on-line. Yes, yes, I'm a bit of a luddite. But I'm a cautious luddite. Hey, Identity Theft and all that crapola!

But talk about a time-saver! All-told, it took me an hour to do, then one click and I'm done! Not too shabby. I didn't get as big a return as I usually get; I blame that for actually making some decent money and getting bumped into a higher tax bracket... which goes to show that being successful truly DOES have a price! ;)

And I already have my plan on how to spend my refund...a decent entertainment center and some new glasses!

Guess I touched a nerve!

Wow... I've been accused of not having any "journalistic integrity!" That's a first for me!

As you know I lit off on a touchy subject yesterday about "uber-punishment" and the need for forgiveness, or at least giving a CHANCE for forgiveness. In my haste to get this entry done, I made a faux pas and I got ripped a new one for it.

In the words of Steve Martin, "EXCUUUUUUUUUUUUSE ME!"

You don't have to agree with me, but let's set some some ground rules.

First of all, I don't claim this to be the end-all, be-all for factual information. This is purely opinion and my thoughts only. If you think I'm some journalistic grand pooh-bah, then you REALLY need a clue!

If anything, I like to think of myself a "gadfly", irritating the status quo and sparking debate. And if that rankles a few feathers of the politically correct, so be it. I don't care.

Secondly, if you wanna debate, let's debate. But hold off the name-calling and the snippy attitude. The world is mean enough already, don't you think? And if you find it to still fire off baseless, claimless insults, at least have the GUTS not to post as anonymous!

I don't claim to be a journalist and I NEVER claimed to be a personality! Just ask my mom! LOL

Are we going for uber-punishment?

Michael Richards says the n-word and he gets sued.

Mel Gibson goes on a drunken tirade against Jews and all of a sudden Rob Schneider doesn't want to work with him anymore (did he ever work with him in the first place?)

Isaiah Washington says a derogatory term about a fellow cast-mate and he's going to "rehab," after calls for him to be fired.

Don Imus puts his foot in his mouth (again) and now there's calls for him to be fired.



Is it just me or is everyone getting just a wee-bit overly sensitive about people who act like morons? I can understand being upset and wanting some kind of reconcilliation if one does something stupid, but does it have to come at the cost of ruining a person's livelihood?

I've done and said some stupid stuff in my life. Hey, I'm human, it's been known to happen. All I can do is apologize, make ammends and make sure it doesn't happen again. But most importantly, I and the people I offend get on with our lives.

It's called "forgiveness." Perhaps that's a fogotten notion in this society of victimhood.

Besides, it's just words... nothing more. I've been called names before. There's two ways of handling it.

1) Don't let it bother you, be a grown-up and get on with your life.
2) Become overly-sensitive, have a hissy fit, and whine and complain.

Besides, I think Jesus in Matthew 7:6 said it best, when he said, "first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye." In other words, don't assume to rebuke people for their faults without looking at and trying to correct your own.

Cover Me!!!

So what makes a really good cover song?

It's a question that's plagued mankind througout the ages. Now I'm not talking about a song that is re-hashed by every bar band that knows a total of three chords, nor the drunk chick trying to sound like Shania or the Dixie Chicks at karaoke (believe me, I've heard more than my fair share of THAT!)

What makes a good cover song falls into several criteria... 1) respect to the song, while adding your own style to it, 2) being original, 3) "owning" the song... in other words, not trying to sound like you're singing off a karaoke machine. If you meet these exacting criteria, then you have a cover song that kicks royal ass.

So here's some great examples of cover songs... in no particular order

1) "I feel love"... orginally a disco hit by Diana Ross, re-made by the Blue Man Group... the percussion really makes it tick.

2) "Land of Confusion"... orginally done by Genesis, re-made by Disturbed... same message, different times... somewhat prophetic. Not bad!

3) "Mrs. Robinson"... a classic by Simon and Garfunkel becomes a classic alternative hit by The Lemonheads... Juliana Hatfield's driving bass and Evan Dando's vocals are a perfect fit for this re-make!

4) "I'm a Believer"... originally written and recorded by Neil Diamond but re-made TWICE... by the Monkees and Smash Mouth... hey, any song that gets covered two times earns my respect.

5) "Streets of Bakersfield"... done by Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, re-did by Dwight Yoakam and Owens... had to include a country song in there... besides, the Tex-Mex twist is pretty darn cool!

What are your favorites?

Sick...

Bleccch!

Nothing like a sudden spring cold snap to stuff up the ol' schnozzola!

It's amazing... last week it was incredibly nice... I was even able to turn off the heat in my place (which should make my bill a bit more tolerable). I thought we were finally able to slip out of Old Man Winter's icy clutches.

Boy, was I WRONG!!!

Now I'm fighting a stuffed up nose... nothing more, thank goodness. But enough to head to the store to stock up on Zicam and OJ!

OJ... kills cold germs dead! (Okay, bad joke!)



And another thing...

I was reading CNN.com yesterday. It had an interesting article about how a scientist has also embraced his religious side as well. All I can say is, "Good for you!"

But then I read some of the comments, saying how he's a "quack scientist" because science and religion are supposed to be "mutually exclusive." Really giving this guy a hard time.

Well, excuuuuse me! I had no idea that "separation of church and state" has extended so that anyone who openly expresses his or her faith is labeled a crack-pot!

Which begs the question... why are Christians given such a hard time about their beliefs while Muslims, Jews, Hindu, and other faiths are give a blank ticket? Granted, there's some looney-tunes people who claim to be Christian... abortion clinic bombers, child molesters, Fred Phelps... but does that mean you condemn a whole group of people just because of the actions of a very few? Isn't that stereotyping? Isn't that supposed to be "Politically Incorrect?"

Apparently some don't see it that way... perhaps we should start a government program to relieve these poor souls of their rectal-cranial inversion!

We're gonna win Twins!

Even though there's snow on the ground (I thought this was supposed to be spring), I can smell the leather and wood. Of course, I'm talking baseball... what you were probably thinking of escapes me!

It's time once again for sunflower seeds and tepid beer... of mosquito bites and long bombs. And so far, my Twinkies are doing pretty darn good! Granted, it's only 2 games into the season and 160 more to go, but call me the eternal optimist!

Every time I think of the Minnesota Twins, I go back to my childhood... of sandlot games at Clark Field... Nate Henry trying to perfect Kirby Puckett's high leg kick that he had when he swung the bat... of worshipping the idols of Kirby, Herbie, and Frankie "Sweet Music" Viola (before he got greedy, pissy, and traded). But most of all, I remember the "dynamic duo" of the broadcast booth, John Gordon and Herb Carneal.

Okay, a little back story... it's 1992, just before my Junior year of high school. I'm working in Sioux Falls in this cooped-up, soulless metal buiding as a document prepper for a microfilm company. It was tedious, boring, and frankly I detested it. We were encouraged to bring our own music to listen to, CDs, cassettes, or just the radio (as long as we had headphones, of course).

I would steal my little brother's transistor radio and listen to music most of the time (someone please shoot me for ever liking Belinda Carlisle!!!). But one night I got fed up listening to the same song over and over again and flipped the switch to KSOO-AM.

When you need to know... 11-4-OH, K-S-O-O! Still a good station.

Well, apparently the divine entity knew what I needed to know because that night I was introduced to John, Herb, Dark Starr, and Sid Hartman... Minnesota Twins Baseball!

I always thought John and Herb worked well together... John, the firey cheerleader who practically screamed "Touch 'em all, Kirby Puckett!" and Herb, the Southern Gentleman with a smooth delivery and a voice that made you feel like you were at the game.

You felt like you could walk out the door and into the Dome... grab a dog and a beer... watch the game... then head out into the heady summer night for a quick round at Hubert's bar and grill afterwards. And all this from 240-miles away!

I listened religiously every night. Off-nights or rain delays were sheer torture for me. But it was my refuge from a tedious summer job. Later on, I board-opped the Twins games when Depot Radio carried them, and I still caught a game or two on occasion, but the magic was just a shade of what I felt that summer of 1992.

Herb Carneal passed away last Sunday. Kirby Puckett died last year. I still root on the Twins. There was a time I didn't... mainly because of my disgust of the baseball strike that took my summer away from me. Mauer has a great bat, Torii could be an All-Star if his bat can catch up to his glove. And Nick Punto is so good at third base, he's like a human vacumn cleaner. Santana has unreal control... and when Liriano gets back from Tommy John surgery, well, I wouldn't want to be the Yankees!

$19,320!!!!

It's been over 24 hours, but I still can't believe it!

Okay, you're confused... let me explain.

After a one-year hiatus, we at KJAM held our "Jammin' for Kids Radiothon" for the Children's Miracle Network. We had done this 2 years ago and raised about $8300 for the CMN and (then) Sioux Valley Children's Hospital. Last year, due to changes in leadership, it was too much to put together in such a short time-frame.

But this year, CMN really worked with us. And on Wednesday, we began our 3-day radiothon. I wasn't sure what to expect, since it had been so long. Were we going to succeed? Or fall flat on our faces.

It was three days of tears, of stories that wrenched your heart (including mine), that inspired you, and that gave you hope. And after three mentally exhausting days, our final total came in.

$19,320

When Kim from CMN read out the total, I snatched the paper out of her hand just so I could see for myself. Ho-lee COW!!!!

There's still some more stuff that needs to come in, but we could see up to 20-thousand dollars easily!

I have to thank quite a few people. First to the ladies from CMN who busted their backsides for us, taking donations over the phone and lining up interviews. Kim, Amy, Bo, you are AWESOME!!!

To Chuck for lighting a fire under our backsides and getting us motivated for this.

To Peg and Groce who were just incredible on the air.

For Jason for busting his hump for getting sponsors all lined up.

And most importantly, to all the listeners who called in their donations. If ANYONE has anything bad to say about Madison folks, I'll have something to say about that!

Through these stories, my love for life has been renewed. My faith in humanity has been renewed. And my love of radio has been renewed.

Spring is life...

I guess it's been awhile since I've posted one of these things. Sorry to keep you waiting.

So what's been new? Well, not much really. It's been pretty hectic with sports this winter. Sometimes I'd be working 4 nights a week... and THAT'S after my regular stuff. But you know, this is the life I chose and it STILL beats the hell out of working at Citibank! But I get a "break" of sorts next weekend, as I'll be covering the State "A" Boys' Basketball tournament in Rapid City. My friend Skittle says its supposed to be in the 60's next week... groovy!

The newest addition to my family has not arrived as of yet. Of course, I'm talking about the little bundle of joy my brother and his girl are expecting. In fact, it is a girl and they have a name... Zoe Jane. I like Zoe... it's a bit unusual but still cute. At least it's a solid traditional name and not some "what the hell were you thinking name" that seems to be all the rage today. Seriously, how many different ways are there of spelling "Michaela" or "Dylan"? Just wait... someone is gonna get cute and spell one of those names with a "Z" in it! People sure are stupid! LOL

My show is doing well... amazing what getting ripped a new asshole will do to set your priorities! And if Chuck Harmer is reading this... Kiss my ass and get back to work! LOL

Seriously, though, I'm having a LOT of fun with my show. Adding some new features, one of which is a "Classic Cut" segment where I play a moldy-oldy country song. Actually, it's not too bad and I'm kinda getting into listening to some of that stuff now. Work-related hazard I guess! We also got a decent phone system in the studio (FINALLY!!!), so now I can do some call-in contests, and perhaps even do an all-request show! Amazing how creativity can flourish when given the right equipment!

Getting back to the family thing... with my brother just a few short weeks of being called "Dad" for the first time, I've started to think about my personal life. In the past, that's always taken the back-seat as my priorities were school and then work. But now that I'm in a relatively good point in my life professionally, why not get that way in my personal life. Granted my dating record hasn't been the best in the world, but you never know.

I've done some serious thinking about this... would I like a family of my own? Could I be a good husband and father? Can I give up living like a slob and eating cold pizza for breakfast (if I even HAVE breakfast!) and be a responsible family man? I think about that and I say....

Sure, why not!

Watch out ladies! The Jackrabbit is on the prowl! LOL... okay, a small joke there!

A holiday ha-ha for you....

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/12/21/robot.rights.ap/index.html

A study released by the British government says someday robots might become so
advanced, they could demand their independence.

Is it just me or did someone in Jolly Ole England have JUST A BIT too much egg nog this Christmas?

Everything old is new again...

Garbage...

Just found a copy of "Only Happy when it rains". Wow... Of course most people don't know or care about some of my favorite groups... stuff I listened to when I was in college and a somewhat socially-inept 20-year old. Instead of the somewhat socially-inept 31-year old I am today.

My God, I can't believe it's been 10 fucking years since I was in college! It seems like yesterday I was hanging out in the Student Union courtyard at SDSU with Kara, Ishmael, Angie, James, and Crash. They all smoked, but I never did... I hung out with them cause they were interesting people. We'd crack jokes, and just have fun. No more than that.

Of course, the courtyard is paved over, a brand-spanking new addition to the Student Union... progress... what a kick in the nuts.

Anyhoo... some of my favorite "Moldy Oldies" that I remember this week!

1) "Only Happy When It Rains"-Garbage
2) "I'll Stick Around"-Foo Fighters
3) "Sister"-The Nixons
4) "Everything Zen"-Bush
5) "(21st Century) Digital Boy"-Bad Religion... read the lyrics to that and tell me that isn't fucking prophetic!
6) "All I Want"-The Offspring
7) "Big Bang Baby"-Stone Temple Pilots... after Scott Weiland stopped trying to sound like Eddie Vedder.
8) "Queer"-Garbage... a sample lyric... "Hey boy take a look at me/let me dirty up your mind." I normally don't turn to jello, but to hear Shirley Manson moan that out.......... 'nuff said.
9) "Mrs. Robinson"-The Lemonheads... a trite before I was in college, but hey, Juliana Hatfield is a babe.

I want to find "Art School Girlfriend" by Stone Temple Pilots... didn't we ALL want an Art School Girlfriend. Hell, I still want an art school girlfriend!

I must be nuts!

Remember that job offer in Wyoming?

I turned it down... despite the fact it was a 10-thousand dollar a year increase in my pay. But I wanted to stay close to my friends and family for now.

Did I make the right choice? I think I did, for now.

Cool Christmas Music

Okay, so the terms "Cool" and "Christmas Music" really don't go hand in hand... after all, how many versions of "Winter Wonderland" can you hear before contemplating suicide?

Okay, put the gun away... it was a JOKE!!! Don't get pissy, take it easy!

But let's face it... Christmas music is LAME for the most part. The same 50-70 year old songs rehashed and redone so many times, it's not even funny!

But I'm here to save you from Christmas Pablum... here's some really cool Christmas Music.

1) "Washington Square"-Chris Isaak
Okay, I am an unashamed fan of Chris Isaak. But even I was a bit leery when he came out with a Christmas album. Fortunately I was pleasantly surprised when the CD came out.

This song is fantastic, if just for the lyrics "Oh, it's Christmas again... but it won't be without you." Anyone who has a loved one away from home for the holidays, due to illness, distance, or war, will immediately fall in love with this song. I did!

2) "Zat You, Santa Claus?"-Brian Setzer Orchestra
Fun fun fun! The BSO rockabilly/big band sound is a breath of fresh air for the holidays. A close second is the rockin version of "Angels we have heard on high." Yeah, it's a re-hash, but a COOL re-hash. Forget milk and cookies; leave out a martini and olives for Jolly Ol' St. Nick!

3) Anything by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Classical music with a metal twist... kind of like Metallica but with Christmas tunes! You've probably heard "Carol of the Bells" umpteen million times by the TSO, but they also have some really good and touching pieces, including "Dream Child" and "O Come all Ye Faithful/O Holy Night".

Have a happy rocking Christmas!

Maybe I'm NOT a loser.

Leave it to family to bring you down to earth, or pull you out of your pity party.

Last week I was having a pity party, bemoaning the fact I was sans female compaionship. Fortunately my cousin gave me the virtual version of "a kick in the ass" and put the kibosh on my rotten attitude.

Besides, I have 19 years to go before I'm 50! LOL

Thanks, Wader!

I'm the "Time" Man of the year!

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/16/time.you.tm/index.html

And so are you!

But I'd like to take this time to thank all of you who voted for all of us! Without us, we would never have gotten this award!

BTW, I'm waiting for my "Man of the Year" plaque, AOL-Time Warner!

Am I a Loser?

los·er /ˈluzər/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[loo-zer] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun

3.Slang. a misfit, esp. someone who has never or seldom been successful at a job, personal relationship, etc.

--from Dictionary.com

I think it's safe to assume we've all thought of ourselves in this way at one point or another. And now, I'm starting to think of myself in this manner.

While the radio thing is going well, I can't help but feel like I'm a loser in my personal life. I have some good friends at the station and in my personal life. But for the most part, I'm fairly alone. I'm 31, I've not had a "successful relationship", and I fear I'll be some pathetic, balding loser at 50, wearing too much cologne and trying to hit on inebriated college girls.

If that ever happens to me, please feel free to put a bullet in my brain!

A crossroads....

When I was younger, I looked forward to growing up and going on adventures. Just getting in my car, point it in a random direction, and just drive. Find a new town, set up new roots and a new life.

Ah the impetousness of youth!

But as I became settled in this area and set up roots, that wanderlust seems to disappate. Granted, I'd like to travel, but now not at the idea of uprootin my life.

It appears I have an opportunity to revive that wanderlust.

A colleague of mine has offered me a fantastic radio opportunity... in Wyoming.

As I think about it, it seems highly unlikely that I would go. After all, my friends are here, I have a great job, my family is here... I'm gonna be an uncle for crying out loud! It's a place I love and that I will always call home.

But there's that nagging little part of me... that incessant voice that says "throw caution to the wind and go west, young man!"

I don't want to say no right away, but I want to give it some serious thought... and figure out what's best for me.

Wish me luck.

How a Jackrabbit spends the day off...

Well I did something I never thought I'd do... take a day off.

I know, astounding, isn't it? Fact is, I don't like to leave my co-workers in the lurch. So even if they beg me to take time off, I usually don't like to. But considering all the stress over the past month with this remodeling kick, plus equipment and computer issues, and with basketball starting next week, now was as good a time as any to take some time off.

So what did I do? Not a whole heck of a lot. Kept in contact with work, chatted with some friends on-line, and slept in til noon. I also took a road trip to Mitchell and had a very lovely dinner at The Depot. If you ever find yourself in Mitchell, South Dakota, I highly recommend The Depot. I usually eat there at least once a year and I have yet to be disappointed. They are very good.

Then it was off to the movie theater to catch the new James Bond movie, "Casino Royale". All I can say is... WOW!!! I was ready to write off the whole James Bond franchise after a couple of non-very-impressive last movies. But Daniel Craig as Bond... WHOA! I still like Sean Connery, but this guy is very impressive, and I was happy to hear he's doing a couple of more movies... hopefully they can grab me like "Casino Royale" did.

Then it was a pleasant chat with a friend of mine, who also accompanied me to the dinner and the movie. Home by 1 and up by 5 to work this morning. All in all, though, it was an excellent day off. But I'm really looking forward to next spring... VACATION!

Back from the wiles!

Ah, the places I've been, and the people I've seen! Okay, so it was mainly in a 60-mile radius of Madison, sue me! LOL

It's been a little while since your intrepid Jackrabit1 left a cerebral deposit on this site! But when you're overworked, underpaid and neverlaid, you must make certian sacrifices!

Work is work... more personnel at the station, though it's been a challenge finding a news director. The call is out for us to do more, but there are some days I feel like they want to shove a vacumn cleaner up my hind end so I can clean as I walk. BTW, I'm no longer doing the music director thing, which relieves me to no end... considering I wasn't getting anything extra from it!

But we just wrapped up the football season and we're looking to start the basketball season in a few weeks, which I'm VERY excited for! Madison has a really good boys' basketball team and not only do I think they can make State, but they could also make a solid run for the title. Coach Ricke has really done a good job of pulling the program out of the doldrums and setting a really good foundation. And he's got a couple of uber-sophomores that are going to be big anchors the next three years.

SDSU's athletic future is looking bright, with the invite to join the Mid-Continent Conference and the speculated invite to the Gateway Football Conference. Speaking of football, I can't say enough about the football team... to go from such a pathetic start to fighting for a Great West Title at the end of the season is surreal. I'm excited about Jackrabbit football, it's my favorite sport to watch. Who knows, I might even buy a couple of season tickets next year! The women are looking good after pasting USC Friday night (don't let the close score fool you, they dominated the "legendary" Women of Troy). The men are very young, but they'll have a solid core of players the next few years.

And politics... hoo-baby! That deserves it's own posting... got a lot of righteous venom for both Dems and Reps! And I want to keep this posting positive!

So let's see... work, SDSU, sports... check... oh yeah, still single (you weren't really surprised to hear that, were you?)... Apartment still needs pictures hung up ( I trust myself to be level as I trust myself to fly a plane after drinking!)... Still gonna be an uncle (don't know if it's gonna be a da nice or da nephew!)... I think that's it!

Enjoy the reading!

To MySpace or not to MySpace?

Everyone is talking about hosting on MySpace. And I'll admit, I've been temped to try it out myself. The same goes with Yahoo 360, Windows Live, and whatever comes down the pike!

But then I wonder, is it really worth it? Is my life that freaking extraordinary that I need to spread it around to other parts of cyberspace?

I like Blogspot. It's fairly simple, not too difficult to maintain. Doesn't cost me a red cent, and the best thing, no one has to join a "special club" to post messages. What's so darn special about the others?

"Special Club"... sounds like a cult or a demented verision of the Mickey Mouse club!

Sorry, Dick!

Some names just don't get a break! From the SDSUfans.com website...
-jr1

http://www.sdsufans.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1156182433

Censored Words list change
Today at 12:47pm

Now board members can talk freely about how good Brooke Dickmeyer was, whether or not we'll ever play Dickinson State in anything, whether or not Dick Van d**e was one of the greatest slapstick comics ever, talk about acquiring sporting goods at Dick's, muse about the writings of Philip K. Dick, groove to the surf guitar of Dick Dale, discuss the deep symbolism and metaphor in Moby Dick, or even opine about Dick Cheney's skeet-shooting scores without worry of running afoul of the board's Censored Words list.

. . .

OK, I guess Dick Van d**e is still out of bounds, according to the board software. Sorry about that, Dick.

Uncle Jackrabit

I kind of like the sound of that! That's what's gonna happen in 31 more weeks!

Say a prayer for my brother, Katy, and their little one to be!

WTF?!?!

Got this in the station's e-mail this morning... just one of those things that make you say "WTF?"

Names have been changed to protect the stupid! LOL

Subject: Site Contact: Tattoo me for $
Message: Hi My name is **buddy** my phone # is 605-xxx-xxxx I live
here ... and have to decided to sell my body to bussiness for
advertisemnt . I will get a tattoo of any logo or advertisement for $

Buddy, if you're not on medication, get on it now... if you are, UP THE DOSAGE!!!

The "Death Penalty"

Wow... two posts in one week... you're in for a treat! LOL

Your humble blogger has now "executed" two people. Now before you start getting worried that I might be some axe-toting maniac, let me explain.

I consider myself a pretty easy-going, laid-back kind of fellow. I can tolerate a lot, up to a point. After that, I get pretty goddamn mean; kind of like tripping my "asshole" trigger. I call it, "getting my Irish up."

In any case, I've decided to "eliminate" certain people in my life. Not kill them, mind you, but to eliminate all traces of their being from my life in the hopes of regaining some of my self-respect. These are usually people that have, in one form or another, humiliated me, hurt me, used me, or made it very clear they want nothing further to do with me. Not as many as I'd expect on the last one, though! LOL. I call it the "Death Penalty"

When I "execute" someone, I take out all traces of them ever being in my life. Notes, cards, gifts, e-mails, messages, messenger contacts, etc. In Orwellian terms, they become a "non-person", and I no longer care if they live or die.

Harsh? Yes.
Cold-hearted? No more than what they were to me.
Immature? Depends on your point of view
Necessary? Yes.

Bill O'Reilly said it best in one of his books (I'm paraphrasing, so don't hold me to accuracy), "If you want to stay positive, you need to avoid negative people." God-damn right, Bill! So I WILL stay away from these people and all those who have been a negative influence on my life.

God, it's nice to finally have a pair! LOL

Hell of a birthday gift...

I tell you... there's nothing like getting stood up on your birthday to make you feel REALLY good!

About as good as a kick in the nuts!!!

Wow... it's been a while since I've been on here! That's what happens when you are over-worked, and over-stressed! LOL

Some big changes right off the bat... First, I have moved!!! After five months of sometimes fruitless searching, I found a nice place to live in Madison. It's right up by Trojan Field and the Community Center; in fact I can look out over Trojan Field from my "office" (okay, a spare bedroom where I set up my computer.) The rent is decent, the place is in nice shape, and I don't have to worry about mowing the yard or shoveling... so I'm a happy camper!

I've also upgraded my Internet, getting high speed... it's pretty freaking sweet! beats the hell out of dial-up any day!

Work is still work, though a bit busier... I'm now the acting music director, which means I've seriously got my plate overflowing!!!! I told my GM that I'll do the MD on a temporary basis but he's got to find someone else to do the job. I'm just afraid I'll burn out before too long.

Other than that, not much new going on.... but with all these changes in the past month, do I WANT more going on? LOL

Thoughts on living in "flyover land"

Being that I'm from what many consdier a backwater "red state," I probably have a skewed view on what others consdier normal. But I'm pretty straightforward on this..

I'm getting a little preturbed with the idea that there are all these people that think South Dakotans are nothing but a bunch of illiterate, knuckle-draging, booger-eating morons. Just google "South Dakota," and you find half a dozen sites on the first page completely deriding our state because of certian political decisions. Which will not be discussed here.

Well, to those people who continue to knock my home sweet home... Kiss my 100-percent South Dakotan ASS!!!

Can you even FIND South Dakota on a map? Or are you so concerned about being pissed off about something, that you forgot that little nugget of information. Have you MET a South Dakotan? Granted there aren't that many of us, but you honestly think that you can judge all of us based on one law?

Not very "open-minded,"are you? And besides, one that my sweet-gray haired grandma (rest in peace) taught me is that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. But then, that's common sense, and apparently it's in short supply in some areas of the U.S.

So go ahead and knock us... it's a free country after all. It just makes you look stupid and we get a pretty good laugh at your expense.

Okay... that's my rant for tonight! Good night, kiddies!

Jackrabbits versus Gophers!!!

WOO-HOO!!!

South Dakota State University is going to play the University of Minnesota in football! Granted, it won't be til 2009, but that is FREAKING SWEET!!!!!

November 14, 2009, I'll be in Minneapolis, in my SDSU jacket, face painted yellow-and-blue, half snockered on Grain Belt Premium rooting on my Jackrabbits. Granted, they might get slaughtered, but it's better than playing Augustana!

The only way to make it better is to have the "Pride of the Dakotas" take on the "Pride of Minnesota" in a Battle of the Bands, upper-midwest style!

More stuff...

I haven't been on in a while (probably a week), so I figured I'd better leave you some tid bits as to what I've been up to.

Work has been work... mucho mucho hours. Overall, I think I've put in close to 70 hours this week. But that's okay. One thing... when I worked at Citibank, I couldn't wait to get out of there and I couldn't STAND to work 40 hours a week in that place. Now that I'm back at the radio station, sixty and seventy-hour workweeks aren't all that bad. Even if I AM salaried!

My big project is now working on our AM station, getting that all back in shape. Sadly, the station has been put by the wayside for a long time and it sounds like crap. So I'm updating it with new songs, new rotations, and soon, some new imaging. It's been a challenge, but I know I'm up to it.

Not much to report on the personal life... I think that's why I don't mind working long hours, less opportunity for me to have a personal life!

I got the opportunity to host karaoke this weekend. It's been a while since I've done that, but I had a good time.... and the extra money didn't hurt, either! But one of the most touching things I saw last night was when a soldier recently back from Iraq broke down while singing "American Soldier" Kup and I picked up the song for him and it was incredible! The entire bar started singing, some flashing their lighters and I heard the biggest round of applause I had ever heard in my time hosting karaoke. Not for my singing, mind you, but for this young sargent who had just spent 18-months in a volitile hell-hole. I'll have more on this in my next post.

And on that note, I hope you all have a wonderful Easter. Drive safe, and save me some extra ham!

Music List number 1

So if anyone has ever watched "High Fidelity," one of the running themes in the movie is about lists... lists of bad relationships, but most importantly song lists.

Now I'm not a music expert by any means. I play what I like and like what I play (unless its Carrie Underwood for the 18th frickin time in a row during my shift!!). But music is an important part of my life. It sets the mood, relaxes me, and can get me fired up for another day of waking up at 4:30 in the morning.

But my first list is songs to listen to when you want to relax... my top five....most of it is classical, but that's what gets me to relax.

5) "Blue Spanish Sky"-Chris Issak... beautiful, haunting. His voice was made for an acousitic guitar.
4) Second movement from New World Symphony-Antonin Dvorak... one of my favorite classical pieces... simple, relaxing...
3) "Greensleeves"-Ralph (pronounced "RAFE") Vaughan Williams... and old melody done, very very well. One of the finest of the British composers.
2) "Take Five"-Dave Brubeck... classy! cool! the sax is like floating on a cloud.
1) "Variations on a Theme by Thomas Tallis"-Ralph Vaughan Willams... like drifting away into outer space... or to the musty halls of a 16th-Century cathederal. Totally blew me away the first time I heard it!

So I hear that Backyard Broadcasting is buying out Feller in Sioux Falls.... I wonder if the meat cleaver will hack away a few more radio jobs?

I have a feeling that Backyard will sell out to Clear Channel in 24 months... then look for Lindsey Lohan on the radio 24-7!

I think I'll stick with Three Eagles.

24

Whenever something bad happens to me... I give myself 24 hours to feel bad for myself and wallow in self-pity and doubt.

24 hours is up.

Back to real life.

Now if I need to look for sympaty, I'll just check the dictionary... last time I checked, it was between "Shit" and "Syphillis!"

I needed a refresher course of the "Jackrabit1 Instiute of Who Gives A Fuck!"

Thought of the day....

After the day I had today... I think it would have been easier if I swore off women and became a priest! Hey, I'm Catholic! I've already got an in!

Becoming Apolitical

The other night I was out on a date... things were going swimmingly, and then the "3rd rail" of dating questions came up. And no, it was not about sex... GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER, YOU PERVERT!!!!

"What are your politics?"

You can ask anyone, from Miss Manners to my buddy Adam out in San Francisco, talking politics on a date are simply VERBOTEN. The only execptions is if you met at a "Save Air America" rally or at a Rush Limbaugh "Ditto-head" mixer! Then I suppose it would be okay. But to talk about politics while you're trying to have polite, friendly conversation is simply taboo in my book.

Speaking of politics, I'm getting to the point where I'm starting to no longer care about politics. When I post on message boards, I tend to stay away from anything political, instead posting on sports sites or on something that piques my interst... like the history of indoor plumbing!

I still have my political beliefs and I feel strongly about them. But I'm starting to realize that it's no longer worth the time nor trouble to publicly express them. When I have, one of two things happen: 1) No One Cares 2) I'm ripped a new ay-hole because my ideas don't "mesh" with the other persons.

It's the second reason that I'm starting to shy away from political discussion. I've began to notice that political discussion has quickly regressed into character assassination. While that's bad enough, it's also come to the point that if you don't "toe the line" one way or the other, you're derided as being for the opposite.

For a hypothetical example, let's say you are for education funding, but you're not for a bill that gives schools more money than you want to give. The bill is for 4 billion and you want to support 3 and a half billion. Well, according to the supporters of the bill, you are against kids, against teachers, and against education. Which is completely ridiculous. It's the whole "If you're not with us, you're against us" mentality.

And now you have all these people that say they will only associate with people that only share their politics. I think that is incredibly small-minded thinking on their parts. I have friends on all ends of the political spectrum; from ardent die-hard liberals to staunch conservatives, even anarchists! For me, politics is a non-factor; I hang out and am friends with these people because they are interesting people, who can carry on intellectual and sometimes warped conversations. But most of all, they respect me as a person and while we may not always agree with each others ideas, we respect them.

I guess that's what it all boils down to... respect. And politics today has absolutley zero respect for opposing viewpoints... both in the liberal and conservative ends of the spectrum. So from now on, don't talk politics with me.

I'm apolitical.