Time

Time is wasted, walking
You ain't no friend of mine
I don't know where I'm going
I think I'm out of my mind
Thinking about time
-Hootie and the Blowfish "Time"

It doesn't make a damn bit of sense.

As you may have heard through the gossip lines, a young man in Dell Rapids died over the weekend. What happened and how he died is inconsequential right now, but it has left a lot of folks in shock and in a lot of pain.

I never had the opportunity to talk to the young man. But as a radio announcer, I had the chance to call his name several times in area and Madison High School football games. Our connection was my mentioning him during the game broadcasts, but I am feeling a sense of loss.

I could not even begin to imagine what his family and friends are going through.

Time... it's funny... you think you have an infinite amount and then all of a sudden it's gone without warning. And unlike a video game, you can't hit the reset button, punch in a secret code, or put more coins in the machine. Once this game's over, it's over.

I wish I could wax poetic and say something profound and meaningful. But it would just be empty words. One of the young man's friends puts it more eloquently than I ever could.

Casey, if you're reading this... I hope you don't mind me posting this.

The Gift of Time

Written By: Casey Michel

Some people like to talk about the “best gift they’ve ever been given.” People talk about something like a car or jewelry, and they usually cover everything in between. However, the best gift ever given to mankind is not given to us on this earth. When God creates a human He gives them the best gift anyone could ask for: the gift of time. Along with the gift of time, God gives us a side gift: the gift of free will – the ability to decide what we wish to do with our time, either good or bad. It took me nearly 20 years and one tragic event to realize what a precious gift the gift of time really is.

You see, I always used to be like everybody in this world; I would always wonder how I was going to get everything done that needed to be done, wondering why there were never enough hours in the day. You look around and see the world moving at such a fast pace that you wonder how anybody could get by, and I felt like I was in the same boat with everyone else.

“Hey Casey, can you help me with my math homework?”

--- “Sorry, not right now man, I’m busy.”

“Hey Casey, got a minute to talk?”

--- “Hey I’d love to, but I gotta get somewhere quick.”

I didn’t always have enough time to help out a friend. After all I had my own stuff to take care of, just like everyone else. And if I couldn’t make time for a friend or a loved one, how could I make time for anybody else? When I saw a stranger on crutches struggling with their books, I just kept walking. I couldn’t help them; I was in too big of a rush. A rush to where? I don’t know, but I had places to be and things to do, and I didn’t have nearly enough hours in the day to do it.

And so I went about my life day by day by day. I was always in a hurry, always in a rush; I didn’t have time to do anything.

That was up until that February Sunday changed everything.

Suddenly, I wasn’t in such a rush; suddenly, I had time. I had time to help a friend with homework, or to talk to them about something. I had time to help carry books for the stranger on crutches. Not only did I now have time, but I somehow made time, too. I made time to ask a friend “Hey, how you holding up?” “Hey, how’s everything going for you?” I made time to tell my family and friends that I love them. I made time to let everyone know that I’m here for them whenever they need me; that I will always answer if they call. And I know I would answer if they called. You can bet on it. After all – now I had the time to.

It’s almost as if God granted me more hours in the day. It’s almost as if He not only gave me more time to do what had to get done, but also more time to do what needed to be done. But this isn’t at all the case. The amount of time God gave me on this earth did not change one second from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon. I will not live one second longer or shorter because of what happened on a football field in Dell Rapids in the morning hours of February 22, 2009. Neither will anybody who reads this or who was affected by that tragic event. No, rather, God granted me the ability to realize what a precious gift time really is; and to use that time to seize every second, every moment that I am on this earth.

It was through this tragic event that I learned probably the most important lesson of my life:

You don’t realize how much time you have, until you realize that time is all you’ve got

I mean think about it: what do we have in life besides time? If a fire burns down our house, we will still have time. If a loved one passes away, we still have time. Things happen on a personal level: cars break down, jewelry loses its shine, we grow out of clothes, relationships break up…. Things happen on a wide-scale level, too: wars are being fought, poverty strikes nations, natural disasters devastate areas…. Yet through it all what we still have is the gift of time.

There’s also the other side of the coin that we must see. While I now realize how much time I have during the day, I have no way of knowing how much time I have left on this earth. I could live to be 100, or I could die tomorrow. And once my time is up, I am completely out of it. I only get one chance to use this gift that God has given me.

And that’s the key to it all; the use of the gift. God did not give us the gift of time so that everyone could follow the same path – the easy path, the straight and narrow one – to arrive safely at death. No, He gave it to us so that we could use it as we choose; that free will aspect. While we can never know how much time God has given us on this earth, we will always have the ability to do with it as we please.

In the end, that’s how we will be judged. When we get to the Gates of Heaven, there will be God waiting to punch our time card that He gave us when he created us. And then God will look at us and judge us. The thing is, He won’t judge us on the number of hours we put in. He won’t look and say “You lived to be 100, come on in” or “You only lived to be 22? Sorry, you didn’t put in enough time….” No, God won’t do that because the number of hours we put in are not up to us, but to Him. Rather, God will look at what we did while on earth. He will judge us by the way we used the gift; He will judge us by what we did with the time He allotted us.

That is why I am writing this. It is my way of using the time that has been given to me. I am not writing this to try to tug on people’s emotions, or to make people regret anything that has happened in their past. I am writing this to make a difference; to change the way people view those hours of the day from here out. I used to sit around and watch the seconds of my life tick away, but not anymore. Now those seconds don’t drag on or fly by like they used to. Now those seconds don’t seem so insignificant.

You see, this is the way I am choosing to use my gift of time. I have 3 goals in life, and I know that if I can fulfill them, I will have successfully used the time given to me on earth. These are 3 goals that I think everyone in the world could live by. They are 3 goals that everyone could strive to achieve with their gift of time.

1. Make a difference in the lives of others. Whether I make a difference in the lives of just my family, or just my friends; whether I make a difference in the life of one, or the lives of 10,000 people – I want to make a difference for the better.

2. Be the change you wish to see in the world. I see and hear so many people these days wishing for things to be better, but yet doing nothing to make them better. I want the world to be a better place, and I want the world to change – and I will do everything I can while on this earth to be that change I wish to see in the world.

3. Leave the world a better place than you found it. This is the tie in to everything. This is the way to bring it all together. No matter how much time I have on this earth, I can always make a difference. One way or another, I can leave this place a little better than when I found it. And really – that’s all that can be asked of anyone.

So here we are today, slowly coming around to coping with a tragedy that shook a town and a community to its very core. We wish we could go back in time and change something to make it different. We wish time would just stand still until we are able to deal with this and move on. But the fact of the matter is that time goes on. Our time on this earth is still ticking.

Nothing we do can change the past, but everything we do can change the future

We can’t change what happened on that Sunday morning. But we can change what might happen this Sunday morning, or next Sunday morning, or the Sunday after that. We can do this by using the gift of time that God has given us, and using it to the fullest. I encourage everyone to realize what a precious gift time really is, and I encourage everyone to use their gift to the fullest. Reach out to loved ones and strangers alike. Let people know that you’re always there for them. Do everything you can to make a difference in this world. But above all and most importantly: PRAY. Pray that God bless everyone you love and everyone in this world. Pray that God helps everyone involved through this tragic and tough time. The easiest way to make a difference in someone’s life is to send a prayer their way.

It is not going to be easy to continue on with our time. For many people this is going to be the toughest thing they ever have or ever will have had to deal with. It’s going to take an unbelievable amount of strength to press onward. That strength will not only come from ourselves, but from the people around us. Everybody is going to question if they are strong enough to get past this. But that’s the amazing thing with the way God created us: He doesn’t just put everything on the surface; He doesn’t let everyone know who they are and what gifts they have when He creates them. No, because that would be the easy path – the straight and narrow one. Instead, God makes us fight for what we truly believe in, for what we truly want. The strength that comes from within each of us won’t be evident; it won’t just be on the surface. It’s something that we have to delve deep within ourselves to find; it’s something that we have to fight for with all our hearts. After all,

You never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have

Personally, I don’t want God to question me when he punches my time card at the Gates of Heaven. I don’t want there to be any doubt in his mind about whether I should come in – any doubt whether I used my gift of time the way He intended it to be used. I want to use every second I have on this earth, and I want to live every moment to the fullest.

You must dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die tomorrow; and live every moment like it’s your last

Do everything you can to use every second that God has given you on this earth.

After all, this time on earth is the only time we’ve got.

Amen, Casey.

In closing I leave you this...



Dona nobis pacem.

Lunchtime musings

So I'm taking a few minutes to blog today, as I have my lunch break right now. It's been a while since I've blogged so I figured I'd get you caught up on what's going on in Jackrabit1's life...

Becoming a Tech-Head.

So now that I'm back to where I was before financially before I started spending like a madman, I realized I needed to treat myself a little bit. I bought a new LCD TV. Nothing too fancy, 32-inch, 750 dpi so it's on the low-end of HDTV. But the super-cool thing is it has a VGA port to hook up a computer.

With a little investment of around 35-bucks for cables, I now have my computer hooked up to my TV. Which is all the cooler because I signed up for Netflix so I can get movies to my computer instantly. Add Hulu to the mix, and I have a virtual library of great shows and movies at my fingertips!

I'm easily amused this way.

The Crud

That's right, it's time for my annual bout with the crud. Call it the cold, rhinovirus, whatever... all I know is it usually makes my job 10 times harder and during the busiest time of my year at the station.

But here's the funny thing... I wake up in the morning and feel like complete crap. I get dressed and over to the Community Center and start working out and still feel like crap. But about 10 minutes in, the sweat's pouring, the sinuses start to loosen, and I actually feel pretty decent. Perhaps the prescription should be "Take two ellipticals and call me in the morning!"

Kiss-Off Advice

A word of advice to all you ladies out there. Don't... and I mean DON'T sugar-coat your dis-interest in a guy with passe seventh-grade phrases. By this I mean, if you're not interested in a guy (or a girl, hey it's the 21st Century), don't say "I like you as a friend." Pure 100-percent horsesqueeze.

Besides, after spilling out your heart, guts and various other organs and being told that, do you REALLY want to stick around that person. Especially when every relationship they get into after that feels like a sucker punch to your gut?

Frankly, I prefer the more direct approach. "I'm not interested in you." It's final, direct, and it's less patronizing and insulting to the other person. And as for hurt feelings? It might sting me for a while, but it sure as Hell beats being patronized and having my intelligence insulted.

Anyway, that's my two cents on that.

And now, it's back to my ramen noodle soup (it's Ash Wednesday... no meat today!) Adios!

Don't Quit

When I do my workouts, I usually see this poem near the fitness desk at the Madison Community Center. It provides me a lot of inspiration... not only during my workout, but when things seem a little overwhelming in my life.

I thought I'd share it with you. Enjoy!

Don't Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road your trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are High ,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with it's twists an turns,
As everyone of us must sometimes learn,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out,
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you can never tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem worst that you cannot quit.

--Unknown Author

Kinda gets you right here...

In the vein of "High Fidelity"... my top five songs that "Get You Right There."

5) "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"-Gordon Lightfoot

Based on the true story of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald, Lightfoot composed this song after seeing a typo in a story commemorating the one-year anniversary of the sinking of the "Big Fitz". Some minor inaccuracies in the song, but it's a haunting melody that still raises the hair on my forearms.

4) "Lullaby"-Josh Groban

Can't hear this song without thinking of Zoey Jane.

3) "Amazing Grace"-Various

A great hymn, but when it's performed with bagpipes... well, start the waterworks, folks.

2) "The Great Beyond"-REM

When I eventually shuffle off this mortal coil (hopefully not for a LONG time), I want the folks planning my funeral/memorial/open bar to play this song. Great lyrics with a hint of what could coming in the next life.

"I'm breaking through/I'm bending spoons/I'm keeping flowers in full bloom/I'm looking for answers from the Great Beyond"

1) "Knocking on Heaven's Door"-Bob Dylan

Not the reggae-tinged hit by Eric Clapton, nor the crowd sing-along by 80's hair-band masters Guns n' Roses... the actual, honest-to-God version by Mr. Dylan himself. The version that appeared in the Sam Peckinpaugh film "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid."

The first time I heard the original, I was getting ready to broadcast a game in Belle Fourche. The oldies station out of Rapid City was playing and this song came up. I literally stopped in my tracks, closed my eyes, and hung on for consciousness as this song literally knocked the wind out of me. Amazing.


So... what songs have knocked you on your ass lately? Let me know!

Two women...

Two women I know celebrated birthdays today.

The first woman has been incredibly supportive of me in my life... I guess you could say she's been like a mother to me! ;) She's always been there for me, in both the good times and in the not-so-hot times. And on top of that, she's a great person to talk to.

The other "woman" was like a train-wreck in my life. Deceptive, manipulative, condescending, you name it. This "thing" jerked me around so many times emotionally that I now have a shell built up around my heart that may take a very long time to break down. I felt as though I was never good enough, smart enough, and she never did anything to counter those feelings. And then there's the whole wish of me to die in a fire thing.

So guess who I'm wishing happy birthday to today? And guess which one can burn in Hell?

Sports Talk with Jackrabit1*

*With apologies to the guys at "Sports Talk with Craig and John" at KWSN!

Realizing it's been a few weeks since I had a sports-related blogging, I figured I'd ponder a few pernicious points of ponderance (How's THAT for alliteration!)

1) State Legislature to force renewal of State/USD rivalry?

The mavens over at SDSUFans.com have been buzzing with the rumor that some of the State legislators are floating the idea of a bill to compel South Dakota's two Division-I schools to play each other every year in football and basketball. I don't know if this is true, per se, but if it is, there's a few legislators that really need to re-focus their priorities.

Let's face it... South Dakota is facing a budget crisis that it hasn't seen since the Great Depression. Falling tax revenues, added strain on state resources (i.e. unemployment insurance), and these yahoos are plotzing because State and USD aren't playing each other in tiddlywinks? Government and Sports just don't mix... just ask anyone involved with the Congressional Steroid Hearings.


2) Scale back the playoffs.

The South Dakota High School Activities Association is looking at possibly doing away with the first round of the State Football Playoffs. The Association says that the current system is a burden on some schools who have to take time out to travel, as well as the non-competitiveness of most of the first-round games (which usually end on the "mercy rule").

Instead of cutting back on the number of rounds, per se, why not do away with an 11-man class and a 9-man Class. Right now, almost everyone and their grandma makes the playoffs for 11-AA and some of those teams couldn't even beat a nine-man intramural squad. So why not take the upper half of the 11 man teams (by population) and make that the new 11-A; the bottom half would be 11-B. Same for the nine-man schools.

Frankly, we need to get away from this touchy-feely "every body wins and no score is kept so we can boost our precious little darlings' self-esteem" crap in sports where everyone gets a chance and everyone gets a ribbon. Honestly, how in the HELL does that prepare someone for real life?

Frankly, it's best to say this... Life isn't always going to be fair. You're not always going to get what you want. The true test of your character is not how you deal with your success, but rather how you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and handle the disappointments. It's called "Real Life", folks. The sooner these kids realize that, the more mature and well-adjusted they'll be.

And on that vein...

3) 100-0.

I'm a competitor, I'll make no excuse for that. I like to win. I like to do well. But I've always believed in this following mantra...

"Win with humility. Lose with dignity. Do both with class."

Last week, the sports world was buzzing when Covenant High School in Dallas, Texas played Dallas Academy, a private school that works with students that have learning disabilities and deal with such issues as autism. Covenant won 100-0.

Blowouts are going to happen no matter what. That's a fact of life... just ask my old high school football teammates! But the Covenant coach should have realized he was playing a team that had no chance of even competing and should have adjusted accordingly. In other words, empty your bench, run four-corners offense to take time off the clock and not launch three-pointers to try and get 100 points.

But the "Coach" was unapologetic about his shameful behavior. He was fired. Good.

I think the guy must have been confused, though. Where it says "Do it with class," he must have read it as "Do it like an ass!"

A meeting of the minds... two nights only!

Well, blogging buddies... this might be a first. Two bloggers from the Lake Herman Accords will team up... to broadcast a basketball game!

My blogging compatriot Todd Epp from South Dakota Watch has graciously accepted my offer to provide color commentary for the Madison-Harrisburg boys and girls basketball games this Tuesday and Thursday. So some of my friends and fans (actually one fan... thanks, Mom!) are probably wondering "What the heck are you thinking?"

When I know myself, you'll be the first to know! :P

Actually, I'm always looking for something unusual. I've actually had non-broadcasters do color before in the booth, namely coaches and the like. And the fact that Todd is a former broadcaster will make for an interesting dynamic. We both are sports nuts and we're both passionate about our towns...

And the fact that he's liberal and I'm libertarian? Here's my two word reply... Big Deal!

While we're both political folks (no matter how hard I try NOT to be), the fact is there are things greater than politics... things like... Basketball. And if I can have Senator John Thune in the broadcast booth and not discuss politics for one iota, then I can certainly have a good couple of broadcasts with a fellow blogger and have a good time doing them. Besides, the only time I get nasty about sports is when I'm watching an SDSU football game... ex-siggy can attest to that! ;)

So Cory, Detroit, Sibby, Pat, write this down... Tuesday and Thursday... 7:10 pre-game, 7:30 tip-off... 1390 AM. Copies of the games will be made available for a nominal fee! LOL

A "Weighty" issue on my mind...

So far, so good... It's been 2 months since I reached my goal of 180 pounds. I gained about 8 of them back over the holidays, but I've shed about 4 of them so far. Losing the weight is easy... keeping it off isn't!

But the issue I seem to have deals more with my own self-perception. When I was 280 pounds, I had to make sure I would be able to move around in certain places, including booths at restaurants. So every time I go to sit down at a booth or move around a tight spot, I'm surprised at how easy I can navigate without sucking in my gut.

Yet the self-image still remains. I sit at home or at work and I still see myself as being 280. I used to use a lot of self-depreciating humor as a way breaking the tension. I still seem to use that, but it seems more like a crutch.

But the most obvious thing is when people, attractive women especially, tell me that I'm good-looking and "sexy". Usually when people have told me that in the past, my B.S. meter kicked in and I start to wonder what they wanted from me. In other words, I didn't feel they were honest, and I'm still a little skeptical

And to be honest, I STILL don't feel attractive. I don't know if it's simply a lack of confidence or perhaps all that self-depreciating humor finally ingrained itself after 20-odd years. I look in the mirror and I still see that gut hanging out over my belt, or as my dad calls it the "Dunlap Disease".... as in my gut "dun lap" over my belt!

I'm happy with everything else... that I don't run out of breath when I run up a flight of stairs... That I don't get heartburn in the middle of the night... and that I have more energy during the day. I guess this issue is just something I need to work through.

Get A Life!

I've been doing some thinking on our political state of mind...

The folks who think Bush should be tried for war crimes should get a life.

The folks who think Obama is the anti-Christ should get a life too.

And if you don't agree with me, you can kiss my ass... and then get a life.

Giving through the nose (or arm)...

I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.

-British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

As much as I love to gush about the generosity of the folks in Madison, it's sometimes easy to forget other area towns that also shine in their generosity.

Case in point, my hometown of Dell Rapids, where the community of 3200 people just had its 4000th donor give blood, since blood drives started there in 1976.

Bravo, Dell Rapids! Give yourselves a pat on the back... and grab an extra cookie and OJ! Now, if I could only do something about my fear of needles!

Lazy Sunday

Boy, for all the grousing I did for not having my cable TV til this week, I'm sure not watching a whole lot of it today!

Right now, I'm switching off between housework and chatting on Facebook and housework. Later, I'll head to the store to get some wild rice for the Pork Roast I'm cooking also do some laundry.

Just another lazy Sunday afternoon!

Bad economy=fatter wallet?

I just recently discovered Clark Howard, who has a new financial advice show on HLN (or Headline News for us Luddites). He has an interesting spin on our slumping economy... that we could benefit financially from this recession, as long as we don't lose our jobs!

Things that make you go... "WTF?"

I had to re-read this story to make sure this story in the Rapid City Journal was actually true...

Amazingly it is.

"If Spearfish High School became Sea Kitten High and everyone in town starts calling fish 'sea kittens,' fewer of these gentle animals would be violently killed for food, painfully hooked for 'sport,' or cruelly confined to aquariums," PETA's "Save the Sea Kittens" campaign coordinator Ashley Byrne said. "Schools strive for achievements in academics and sports, so why not add compassion to the list?"

"PETA petitions Spearfish school to change name to Sea Kitten High"-Rapid City Journal, January 7, 2009.

Some things in this world defy logic... this is one of those cases.

Resolutions

Since this is my first post of 2009 (and the first time I've gotten to a computer since my big move one floor down from my old place), I thought I'd start with some resolutions for the New Year.

1) To continue my healthy lifestyle and to work off the cookies, candy, and turkey I consumed over the holidays.

2) I will run a 5K race this year... I don't care about winning, I just want to NOT DIE!

3) I'll continue to save money in the hopes of having close to 10-thousand dollars in the bank... just a nice round number, what the heck.

4) To be more flexible in my life but also not get pushed around.

5) Laugh a little more.

6) Hear the words "Jessica" and "Nicci" without turning nauseous and throwing up.

7) Realize that not all women are heartless, soul-less she-things that either sleep around, set you up, and break your heart... or steal half your DVDs.

8) Help those that need it, criticize those that deserve it, make fun of those who are too full of themselves.

9) Stay up til 6 am a little more often, in bed no later than 1 am the rest of the time.

10) Enjoy life a little more and realize that it does not revolve around the radio station all the time.

Here's to a great 2009! May it be a helluva lot better than the old year!

This day has been a literal pain in the butt!

That's what happens when I run for the first time in two months and DON'T STRETCH!

Today has literally been a pain in my ass because my butt is seven kinds of sore today!

Pallin's best-friend's-sister's-boyfriend's-cousin's nieghbor's dog Gulty of Selling counterfeit Catnip...

News at 11!

Okay, the election has been over for nearly two months... Obama is putting his leadership team in place... The "Cool" hipsters are walking with a bit more swagger in their steps... life goes on.

So why in the HELL is the Argus Leader running stories about former VP Candidate Sarah Pallin's daughter's boyfriend's mother getting busted for drugs?

I can only think of one of two reasons....

1) Last digs on the Republicans, which is kinda childish and stupid, to be honest.

2) Too lazy to post anything of real substence in the margin.

This is a big honking clunker of a story... frankly, who cares? And to be honest... there are more important things we need to worry about:

1) Why didn't Heidi and Spencer from "The Hills" get married in the courtroom?

2) What is up with Adrian Peterson fumbling the football so many times against the Falcons?

3) Does this shirt match with these pants?

4) What is more appropriate to bring to a Christmas potluck, pie or cookies?

5) Why must I always spill ketchup on my white t-shirts?

6) Oprah??? or Uma???

7) Will my aunt make more of Grandma Driscoll's coconut bon-bons for Christmas Eve?

8) Why do I put an even number of socks in the washer and come out with an odd number EVERY FREAKING TIME?!?!

9) Did I leave the stove on?

10) Can I stop feeling dirty because I rooted for the Packers last night? After all, it was so the Vikings could make the playoffs!

ALL THESE THINGS COMBINED have more relevance than what Sarah Palin's daughter's boyfriend's pot-smoking mamma does! And for those who think for some reason it's still important, I have one piece of advice for you...

GET A LIFE!

Happy Festivus, all you rest-of-us!

Speechless...

For those of you who don't believe there is anymore beauty in the world... I dare you to watch this and NOT be moved!



Couldn't do it, huh? Didn't think so! LOL

Sacrifice

"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived."

--General George S. Patton

Today is December 7th, 2008... 67 years to the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, which was the final catalyst for the United States' entry into World War II. The vast number of Allied soldiers who gave their lives in the years following stand as a testament of sacrifice... to put your life on the line so that others may live in freedom.

You'd think everyone would be grateful for these brave men and women... and you'd be wrong.

All you have to do is talk to soldiers who were spat upon when they returned from Vietnam... or who were called "butchers" and "baby-killers." All you have to do today is read the "intelligent" musings of folks like Ted Rall and Stephen King, who think that our soldiers are somehow beneath contempt.

No matter your thoughts on what is going on in the world today, please remember it is not the soldier's responsibility to dictate foreign policy. His or her job is to merely carry it out. If you have an issue with the foreign policy, take it up with the lawmakers. Don't be cowardly and insult and demean the very men and women who are making sure you sleep in your beds tonight safe and sound.

I don't agree with a lot of what President Bush has said or done in the past. But that doesn't give me the right to act like an ass and harass these brave men and women who are putting their lives on the line for a putz like me. And anyone who thinks otherwise are bigger putzes than me!

Finally, I'd like to direct you to the story of Captain Rob Yllescas. Captain Yllescas was seriously injured while serving in Iraq. Despite a valiant struggle, Captain Yllescas passed away December 2nd. My friend and former KJAM Board Op Vince Mathis was selected as part of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln ROTC honor guard which escorted Captain Yllescas' body from the plane to his family. Needless to say, it moved that goofy kid, and it moved this goofier kid, too!

But it's not the intelligentsia or the academics who keep us free. It's not the auto executives and the banking big-wigs that keep us safe from our enemies. It's not even me and my media brethern who make sure these blessings of liberty remain secure... it's ordinary men and women like Captain Yllescas, Cadet Mathis, and the soldiers that served in World War II, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom, and countless other military engagements that have always been willing to put their lives on the line when others would not.

In closing, I leave you with this thought...

Law and our civil rights, for all our too precious moral insecurities, are worth little without someone willing to secure them at the risk of losing life and limb. We decide, in the end, where the frontiers of liberty and security intersect and that decision cannot ever be cost free. In a borderless world those frontiers are becoming increasingly harder to detect and defend. And yet defend them we must if we are to preserve our way of life: this experiment called America. The cost we pay for daring to be free is our own lifeblood: that of our own sons, daughters, husbands, wives. It is a price that will always be too high. And it is a price that we will never get used to paying: one we should never get used to paying.

-http://www.villainouscompany.com

I am humbled by these real heroes... Thank you, one and all.

$1.40

So I'm doing some number-crunching...

Amount spend on 7 months membership at the Madison Community Center, $140

Amount of weight lost... 100 pounds.

140/100=1.4

$1.40 a pound... Oh my God... I'M CHEAPER THAN HAMBURGER!!!!

Gotta love the Playoffs.

Okay, not sure if this will work... but this is a little highlights reel from our coverage of Madison High School, Area high school, and Dakota State University football on KJAM.

To listen... just click on the title of this posting. It'll re-direct you to my box.net site. Then just hit "Play."

Enjoy!