Saturday, December 29, 2018

On hiatus

Since I am off the AM 1280 The Patriot airwaves until 2019, I will likely be taking a blogging hiatus for the rest of this year as well. 

I look forward to sharing some more opinions in the coming year. Just when I thought political news couldn't get any crazier after 2016, it continued to surpass those expectations each of the next two years. As such, I don't anticipate a shortage of material on which to opine in 2019.

Until then......


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Thursday, December 27, 2018

Cruz control

I had been getting a little nervous over the fact that my favorite Major League Baseball club was, for the most part, dormant this offseason.

However, they made quite a splash on Thursday.

Free-agent slugger Nelson Cruz has agreed to a one-year deal with the Minnesota Twins for $14.3 million, a source confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.

The deal also features a $12 million team option for 2020, according to the source. Yahoo Sports first reported that the two sides had agreed to a deal.

No player has hit more home runs over the past five seasons than Cruz, with 203, which is 15 more than Giancarlo Stanton. Cruz, 38, who is older than new Twins manager Rocco Baldelli (37), has averaged almost 153 games a year over that same period.


While the Twins' home park of Target Field doesn't exactly have the reputation of being a hitters' paradise, Cruz has hit some Ruth-ian shots there over his career. It's no easy feat to hit a ball into the third deck in left field, but Cruz has done so at least three times.



While with the Texas Rangers in 2011, Cruz hit a veritable moon shot in a June game. Watch the reaction of Twins pitcher Nick Blackburn.
 




I was at a May 2014 game when Cruz, then a member of the Baltimore Orioles, went upper tank in left. If you look closely in the second deck, you can seem me running towards the aisle in hopes of catching a possible ricochet off the third level. Cruz's shot is about 4:27 into this video.




Yet another no-doubter, this time in 2016 as a Seattle Mariner.



Some might be taken aback that a player at age 38 would command so much money. But given that it's only a one-year deal with a club option for a second year, it is definitely well worth the risk for a guy who over the past five seasons has averaged 153 games, .281 BA, 41 home runs and 104 RBIs (He made four All Star Game appearances in that span). Cruz could also be a valuable veteran presence that Miguel Sano needs in what is being touted as a make-or-break season for a player who has been considered one of the cornerstones of the Twins' long-term future.

This is definitely a good start for the Twins front office brain trust of Derek Falvey and Thad Levine. However, more work needs to be done, particularly in the bullpen. Onward and upward!

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Monday, December 24, 2018

Still in play

For my Minnesota Vikings club, it's pretty simple. Win their regular season finale at home this Sunday against the Chicago Bears and they're in the NFL playoffs. However, if they lose that game, they're still in if the Philadelphia Eagles lose on the road against the Washington Redskins.

About seven weeks ago, Redskins running back (and former Viking) Adrian Peterson mentioned how fun it would be to knock the Vikings out of the playoffs. Well, if the Vikes lose to the Bears, AP's dream can become a reality by, ironically enough, his Redskins club bowing to Philly.

I guess your mission is clear, A.P.

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Sunday, December 23, 2018

There'll be parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting....

It's a mere two days before Christmas but today's edition of The Closer will be LIVE! The two-hour festivities get started at 1:00 PM Central Time.

A lot to cover on the national front, particularly President Trump's most chaotic week since...uh...well, two weeks ago.

In local news, Congresswoman-elect Ilhan Omar grandstands at the Amazon facility in Shakopee, Gov. Mark Dayton reveals his health issues last month were more perilous than what we'd been led to believe and the Senate GOP signals they may be open to "gun control."

At 1:30, National Review writer Alexandra DeSanctis will join the broadcast to discuss her piece entitled The Progressive Patriarchy. In it, she lays out the strong case on how the transgender movement flies in the face of the modern feminist creed.


So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Echo (just say "Alexa, go to The Patriot Minneapolis"). If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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Thursday, December 20, 2018

Very relatable

With all the holiday baked goods and potluck lunches at my workplace over the past week, this is how I felt by Thursday afternoon:




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Wednesday, December 19, 2018

True compassion

I've said it before in this space that Congressman-elect Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) is the hero America needs but doesn't deserve.

Crenshaw is the gentleman whose appearance (i.e. the eye patch covering the socket where he lost an eye in combat) was mocked by Saturday Night Live's Pete Davidson just prior to the midterm elections. Instead of expressing his being offended or demanding an apology, Crenshaw instead accepted SNL's invitation to appear next to Davidson and engage in his own fun at the comedian's expense. Afterwards, Crenshaw kindly acknowledged the heroism of Davidson's firefighter father who had been killed while responding the 9/11/2001 terror attacks in New York City. It was an example of grace which was downright inspiring.

Fast forward to this past weekend when Davidson posted odd messages on his verified Instagram account. The thoughts he conveyed seemed to indicate he was suicidal which caused many to attempt to verify his well being. Thankfully by Saturday evening, it was confirmed Davidson was in his usual weekly spot on the SNL set.

The next day, Davidson received a phone call from his new acquaintance.

Crenshaw told KPRC Houston (via The Hollywood Reporter) that he reached out to the star after seeing the 25-year-old's social media message.

"I talked to him personally [Sunday]," he said. "We don't go back very far. We're not good friends. But, I think he appreciated hearing from me. I told him everyone had a purpose in this world. God put you here for a reason. It's your job to find that purpose. And you should live that way."

How many of us in this world would show that kind of compassion to a person who openly mocked a physical deformity of ours in front of millions of TV viewers? Rep.-elect Crenshaw once again gives a sterling example of what it is to be an ambassador for God's kingdom.

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Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Quick Hits: Volume CLXXVIII

- It was a major buzzkill when Democrat Kyrsten Sinema defeated Republican Martha McSally last month in the race for the open U.S. Senate seat out of Arizona (incumbent Republican Jeff Flake chose to not seek reelection). However, there was speculation that McSally could be appointed by Gov. Doug Ducey to the late John McCain's seat currently occupied by John Kyl, who will resign the interim post at the end of this latest Congressional session.

On Tuesday, that scenario came to fruition.

McSally will serve out the remaining two years of McCain's term, which expires in January 2021, and will face a special election for a full, six-year term in 2020.

"All her life, Martha has put service first — leading in the toughest of fights and at the toughest of times,” Ducey said in a Tuesday statement.

"With her experience and long record of service, Martha is uniquely qualified to step up and fight for Arizona’s interests in the U.S. Senate. I thank her for taking on this significant responsibility and look forward to working with her and Senator-Elect Sinema to get positive things done.”

McSally was considered a top prospect to replace Kyl, who was sworn into office in September, about a month after McCain died from brain cancer. He had hinted that he’d only serve in the Senate until the end of the year.

McSally, who made history as the first woman to fly a fighter jet in combat, was first elected to Congress in 2014.


This past election cycle underscored the GOP's issue with appealing to female voters, particularly in the era of Trump. And while McSally was initially rejected by Arizona voters, she has ample opportunity here the next two years to show she deserves to be sent back to Washington via the ballot box. Her impressive background is certainly a good start.


- I find the perpetual argument of the 1988 classic Die Hard being a "Christmas movie" as utterly nonsensical. But that said, I agree with Merris Soltis of The Resurgent in that it is most certainly not a Christmas movie.

Fight me.



-  As MC of the Miss Minnesota pageant (within the Miss America system), I've taken a little more than a passing interest in the world of pageantry. With the Miss Universe pageant (a different system from Miss A) taking place over this past weekend, there was a lot of fanfare surrounding the first ever transgender woman (Angela Ponce of Spain) to hold a title within that organization.

The trans movement absolutely baffles me on many levels, not the least of which is women who battled for decades to attain "equality" are suddenly having to endure some men aspiring to actually be women. The whole premise of the America feminist movement was that women were uniquely oppressed and thus no man could understand their plight. So now do some men understand women so well that they can actually take on the female identity? I fail to ascertain that logic.

As Alexandra DeSanctis of National Review points out, the trans movement essentially puts women back at square one, if not further back.

The wholehearted embrace of transgender ideology necessarily, and quite intentionally, erases womanhood. It allows biological males to don the mantle of femaleness simply by asserting that it is their birthright. There has never been a more patriarchal claim.

As the Democratic party drifts toward identity politics, a clash of these two identities looms on the horizon. In an “intersectional” movement where minority groups are given more currency for having experienced more oppression, women struggling against the patriarchy could easily be crowded out by transgender women who insist that their minority status and experience with stigma give them the victimhood trump card.

Perhaps the far Left believes that if its members force skeptics to nod along with Ponce’s pageantry, they can avoid the schisms inherent to a movement that claims to value feminism while insisting that being female has no meaning at all.

I often wonder how many proggie women are disgusted by the trans movement yet are hesitant to speak up due to the likelihood of being tarred with the label of bigotry. I'm willing to bet it's more than we're made to believe.

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Monday, December 17, 2018

Core convictions

When one accepts employment, you'd think it would be a safe assumption that one would closely scrutinize the terms agreed upon with one's new employer. And upon starting employment, I imagine there are avenues to file grievances if one feels their employer violated any terms of the hiring agreement.

I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that employee complaints of "ZOMG, I'm working too hard!!!!" are not necessarily the result of unfair employment practices.

Tensions continue between Somali-Americans and Amazon as workers gathered outside of the company’s Shakopee fulfillment center Friday night to protest working conditions at the facility.

Incoming U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar joined the group of about 100 protesters, praising their efforts and calling on Amazon to “respect these communities”and “treat them with dignity.”

“People who are going to receive those gifts — the packages you are putting together — need to know that every worker here is not fully happy,” Omar said. “Amazon doesn’t work if you don’t work.”


Really? Perhaps these employees should call Amazon's bluff by resigning. Fair warning though: I betcha there's a number of people willing to take on those jobs if there are sudden mass vacancies.

The strain between Amazon and the East African community centers around what the protesters consider an unreasonable productivity rate, unsafe working conditions, and a lack of religious provisions. Activist organizations have been in negotiations with Amazon for several months, but progress stalled last month leaving “collective disappointment that Amazon didn’t do more to address their concerns,” according to the Star Tribune.

Again, prospective applicants likely had a general idea of what these jobs would entail. Is it totally unreasonable to suggest that they take a proactive approach in the interview process to glean what specifically would be required of them? And while it is true that it is against the law to discriminate against potential hires based on religious affiliation, there certainly is no law which forces employers to provide extra special provisions to accommodate one religious belief over another.

Nevertheless, it appears Amazon took the initiative to go beyond the minimum requirements.

While the East African community calls for greater religious accommodations, Amazon contends they have made significant attempts to work with their religious beliefs including supplying prayer mats to workers in the Shakopee facility, converting a conference room to a prayer room during Ramadan, and allowing flexible work schedules during Ramadan.

In a statement obtained by the Star Tribune, Amazon disputed the protesters’ claims, saying they “have a great safety record” and “work hard every day to ensure all of our employees are treated fairly and with dignity and respect.”

A personal story: I thought for a time I'd be interested in working in professional sales at the company which employed me right out of college (spoiler alert: sales was not my thing). I worked for a scrap metal company at the time, which meant we dealt with a lot of blue collar workers in factories. Part of my job every Christmas season was making the rounds to our more prolific customers to thank them for their business as well as provide some gifts of appreciation. One gift in particular which was earmarked for the guys in a company's "shop" was a Playboy calendar. As a Christian, I not only objected to such content but also had no interest in transporting the material, a sentiment I made known to my boss. I was so convicted in my objections that I made it known I would tender my resignation if required to distribute these calendars. Thankfully my boss was understanding enough to have someone else take care of that aspect of the gift-giving.

My point is I didn't make any demands that my employer cede to my religious beliefs, nor would it have been the right thing for me to do so. Many of these Amazon employees will learn the hard way that the U.S. government (especially a grandstanding Congresswoman-elect) doesn't have the ability to force employers to go beyond what is required by law.

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Sunday, December 16, 2018

By order of the prophet we ban that boogie sound....

A lot to get to on today's 2-hour edition of The Closer, which gets started at 1:00 PM Central Time.

I will weigh in on an interesting week for President Trump, including the scrutiny of his (allegedly) buying mistress' silence so as not to harm his presidential campaign to a tense back and forth with incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to his dancing on the grave of the now defunct publication The Weekly Standard.

At 2:30, I will welcome to the broadcast Maj. Rae Doliber of The Salvation Army - Northern Division. With Christmas season upon us, Maj. Doliber will appear to discuss the organization's mission for this time of the year.


So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Echo (just say "Alexa, go to The Patriot Minneapolis"). If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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Thursday, December 13, 2018

Quick Hits: Volume CLXXVII

- It's been opined in this space many a time that "progressives" will support members of the LGBT community and their ability to live open and freely as long as they toe the leftist political line. In his piece written recently at The Federalist, gay conservative Chad Felix Greene affirms this by indicating his right wing political worldview receives far more scrutiny than his being gay.

In a reaction to Greene's post, one of the foul-mouthed cretins at sports site Deadspin (which often delves into leftist political opinions) penned a column entitled "Conservative Gays Need To Shut The F--k Up."

An excerpt:

Opportunities that would have been previously unavailable for out gays in fields like business or politics are opening up like never before, giving LGBT people newfound power to create change within the systems that previously oppressed them. But wealthy and mostly white gay men have all too often been afforded the choice not just to shed the “oppressed” label, but to become oppressors themselves. Their sexuality, then, becomes a tool used to help uphold the anti-feminist, white supremacist, wealth-favoring status quo, and they need to f--king stop.

There really is no need for Mr. Greene to write a follow-up to his piece given this buffoon at Deadspin encapsulated Greene's premise perfectly.


- This is.......odd.

Four Republican representatives are parting ways with the House Republican Caucus to form their own caucus.

Reps. Steve Drazkowski of Mazeppa, Cal Bahr of East Bethel, Tim Miller of Prinsburg, and Jeremy Munson of Lake Crystal formally announced the formation of the New House Republican Caucus Monday.

The members decided to start their own caucus in the “pursuit of a positive working environment” that will “support transparency and accountability.” This, the members hope, will help them better serve their constituents.

These four reps better hope pinning the word "New" ahead of their caucus name isn't met with the same fate as New Coke. In fact, I say that Minority Leader Kurt Daudt ought to launch a preemptive strike by referring to his group as the Classic House Republican Caucus.


- Between his presidential campaign and now his time as the White House's current occupant, Donald Trump has done and said many things which would have torpedoed any other campaign or administration. Nevertheless he has weathered pretty much any P.R. or legal sh-t storm to come his way.

That said, I'm having a difficult seeing how he'll successfully navigate this.

The [U.S. Attorney’s] Office also announced today that it has previously reached a non-prosecution agreement with American Media Inc., in connection with AMI’s role in making the above-described $150,000 payment before the 2016 presidential election. As a part of the agreement, AMI admitted that it made the $150,000 payment in concert with a candidate’s presidential campaign, and in order to ensure that the woman did not publicize damaging allegations about the candidate before the 2016 presidential election. AMI further admitted that its principal purpose in making the payment was to suppress the woman’s story so as to prevent it from influencing the election.

As Allahpundit noted in his Wednesday post at Hot Air, this press release would fly in the face of any Trump attempt to spin this payment as an attempt to protect his family as opposed to a campaign finance violation. That's assuming Trump would even admit to directing AMI and its CEO David Pecker to help his campaign in that manner. Thus far he (surprise!) denies this.

I believe Allahpundit accurately reflects the sentiment of many Americans when speculating on what lies ahead.

I can’t believe we’re headed for another national debate over whether a president should be impeached for lying (to the FEC this time) about sex.


Indeed.

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Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Brilliant!

Given that Goodfellas is in my top 5 of all-time favorite movies, I've been watching this on an endless loop.





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Tuesday, December 11, 2018

OC flipped

It appeared a certain coaching move by my favorite NFL squad would happen by the end of this season. However, after a second consecutive dismal offensive performance, that process was expedited.

The Minnesota Vikings have fired first-year offensive coordinator John DeFilippo following Monday night's 21-7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the team announced Tuesday.

Quarterbacks coach Kevin Stefanski has been promoted to replace DeFilippo on an interim basis and will handle playcalling duties for the remaining three games of the regular season.

The Vikings' offense has sputtered as of late, putting up 17 points combined in back-to-back losses to New England and Seattle. Minnesota has not been able to surpass 300 yards of offense in four of its past five games and sits at 6-6-1, in line for the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs, going into Week 15.

It has been apparent at times this season that DeFilippo and coach Mike Zimmer were not on the same page as it related to the Vikings' offensive strategy. Zimmer has voiced public criticism over the team's perceived offensive imbalance, the volume in the Vikings' playbook and a need to run the ball more.

Even with Monday night's loss, the Vikings would still make the playoffs if the season ended today. As such, they knew this was the only plausible move in an effort to provide a spark with only three games remaining. Will it work? Well, a coaching this late in the year is not unprecedented in this league. 




Now I'm not here to suggest that this means a deep postseason run for the Vikings. But with their final three contests (vs. Miami, at Detroit and vs. Chicago) all being very winnable, the organization just couldn't stand pat with a struggling offense while the team is on the fringe of a playoff berth. 

You have to wonder how much longer head coach Mike Zimmer can avoid his seat becoming warm. In this his fifth season with the Vikes, Zimmer's job status has never been in question. However, if his club misses out on the postseason a year after reaching the NFC title game in addition to a huge contract having been doled out to QB Kirk Cousins, Zim at minimum will end up on double secret probation come 2019.

The offense's struggles can also be attributed to personnel moves (or lack thereof) made by GM Rick Spielman. When the Vikings signed Cousins to that 3-year deal, they knew they were getting a guy who was not very mobile, thus he needed to work from a clean pocket. However, the Vikings did little to address the offensive line issues which plagued the team since 2016. That's downright inexcusable when by every measurable statistic Cousins struggles mightily when pressured. I have no idea how Vikings ownership feels about Spielman, but he also should not be immune from scrutiny if this season ends poorly.

Suddenly a Week 15 fame against an average Dolphins team is the biggest test this season. Who woulda thunk it?

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Monday, December 10, 2018

Living up to their low expectations

Literally hours before he was to be selected as a top 10 pick in the 2018 NFL draft, quarterback Josh Allen had to answer for "racially insensitive" tweets from when he was a teenager.

As 24-year old Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Josh Hader was playing in his first MLB All-Star game, some of his tweets posted when he was 17 were revealed. To say the language that was used in those posts was "shocking" would be an understatement. 

Then this past Saturday evening, brand new Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray (a QB out of Oklahoma) was made to answer for homophobic tweets he made as a 14 or 15-year old. 

Does anyone else see a pattern here? As young athletes are in the midst of perhaps the most prestigious accomplishment at that point in their respective lives, they're made to answer for dumb mindless things they said/did as teenagers. So are the idiotic things we do in our youth suppose to erase whatever goodwill we've built as adults? Well according to the self-proclaimed moral arbiters in the media, what we do as teenagers needs to be attached to us like the proverbial Scarlet Letter. 

Whenever President Donald Trump refers to the media as the "enemy of the people," I bristle every single time. Sure, there are members of the media who have an agenda and thus under serve the public when stories are hastily cobbled together. But with this latest hit piece on Murray, I'm pretty much with Steve Deace's sentiments here. 




While the media gets all indignant over Trump's chiding them as "fake news," etc., they seem woefully incapable of any introspection. As a certain high profile individual often says in response to someone debasing themselves - "Sad!" 

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Sunday, December 09, 2018

I get kicked in the face, still I come back for more......

Another Sunday, yet another broadcast of my radio program The Closer. The 2-hour stint gets started at 1:00 PM Central Time.

We'll look back at the celebration of George H. W. Bush's life and how the media found "strange new respect" for the Bush family, thus using it as a cudgel against President Trump.

Also, the thought police was out in spades last week.

At 2:00 pm, longtime friend of the broadcast Karin Housley will be checking in. Now that she will remain a MN state senator, Karin is focused on the beginning of the 2019 legislative session slated to begin next month.


So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Echo (just say "Alexa, go to The Patriot Minneapolis"). If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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Friday, December 07, 2018

Relatable

If I were to dole out one of those "Politifact" ratings, this would grade "True."





This is a spot-on assessment of my wife's sister's in-laws. However, with that family there is a ninth layer. That would consist of actually opening the door while carrying on a conversation, all the while allowing the MN winter wind to gust into the entryway.

So when this "Midwestern goodbye" is done at my house, it takes every single solitary ounce of my inner self-discipline to not yell "SHUT THE F--KING DOOR!!!!!!!!!"

No, I have come up with a perfectly rational alternative by politely asking that the door be closed so as not to tempt our brood of pets to dash outside. And so committed are these people to the long, drawn out farewell that they close the door but continue to endure the elements in our driveway. Mad props, I guess.

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Thursday, December 06, 2018

And the award for least self-awareness goes to.....

Check out this gem veteran news man Dan Rather tweeted out this past Wednesday.




No, Rather was definitely not alone among journos in taking passive aggressive swipes at President Trump during the mourning former president George H. W. Bush. But for Dan-O to tweet out something like this implies he believes no one has any recollection (or knowledge) of his personal vendetta against both Bushes. 

You 'member when Rather was an overbearing ass towards Bush, Sr. during an interview about his 1988 presidential campaign? I 'member





Or how about during George W. Bush's 2004 reelection campaign? Why it was Rather himself who was a purveyor "fake news" before "fake news" became en vogue.




So is he wrong in his assertions about Trump? Not necessarily. But Rather's own lack of conscience and humility gives him zero credibility to make this line of attack.

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Wednesday, December 05, 2018

Like the sun setting in the west

Since the beginning of the 2017 NFL season, there has been one consistent trait: If a team needs depth at quarterback, Colin Kaepernick will not only remain unsigned but he won't even receive a workout.

With the Washington Redskins losing their second starting QB within two weeks, they are now left with the spectacularly mediocre Mark Sanchez as their starter. Keep in mind that the Redskins are still very much alive for a playoff berth in the NFC with four games remaining. Nevertheless, it appears they're going with journeyman Josh Johnson as their backup.

Look, I've said many times on this blog that Kap should at least receive the courtesy of a workout but at the same time I don't believe NFL teams should be compelled to bring him in. That said, it would be refreshing if teams were just honest why they're not signing him instead of putting forth blatantly obvious fabrications.

But you know what my biggest regret is over the Redskins not signing Kaepernick? Not being able to witness the utter derangement of proggies upon them witnessing their SJW hero joining the team with the raaaaaaacist nickname.

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Tuesday, December 04, 2018

In summary.....

This is a perfect encapsulation of leftists and  the mainstream media over the past 30 years.




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Monday, December 03, 2018

Look at the depths to which I've sunk

After a loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings are seeing their playoff prospects quickly diminishing. In fact, as of Monday morning, my favorite NFL club is on the outside looking in with four games remaining.

However, if the Washington Redskins lose tonight on Monday Night Football, the Vikes will own the final NFC playoff spot. The team the 'Skins are playing this evening? The Philadelphia Eagles.

So for our club to be back in the playoff picture, we Vikings fans have to hope the team which dismantled our Super Bowl dreams last season emerges victorious tonight. Ugh. I believe my pal Mark Heuring said it best when he proclaimed that it would be a helluva of lot easier to not care about football.

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Sunday, December 02, 2018

Oh, look what you've done to this rock 'n' roll clown......

With the Vikings not playing until 3:25 PM Central Time, I anticipate a lot of listeners tuning in live today for my radio program The Closer. The 2-hour broadcast gets started at 1:00 Central Time.

At 1:15, political wonk Matt Mackowiak will check in to discuss the guilty plea of former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen in the Mueller probe, the latest with the migrant caravan and the passing of George H.W. Bush.

Then at 2:30, former Trump adviser Dr. Sebastian Gorka will join the show to discuss his latest book Why We Fight: Defeating America's Enemies - With No Apologies

In non-guest segments, I hope to weigh in on the Mississippi senate race as well as Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt being cut by the team upon video of his shoving and kicking a woman.


So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Echo (just say "Alexa, go to The Patriot Minneapolis"). If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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Saturday, December 01, 2018

George H.W. Bush: 1924-2018

Even though I was first eligible to vote in 1988, I voted for Democrat Michael Dukakis over then Vice President of the United States George H. W. Bush (I know. I suck). But as my worldview shifted over the next few years, I realized that my political leanings were right-of-center, so I supported Bush in his failed reelection bid in 1992. It was the first time I ever supported a GOP political candidate.

There's been so much written in the aftermath of his passing, which occurred last evening at the age of 94. So many glowing tributes are out there so definitely check 'em out.

For me, I was always struck by the profound humility shown by Bush 41, a personality trait which, as far as I can tell, was passed on to his children and grandchildren. In fact, one of the more light-hearted moments of the Bush presidency was when Saturday Night Live star (and hilarious Bush impressionist) Dana Carvey was invited to the White House to interact with the president while also imitating him.





Sadly, that kind of humility has been sorely lacking in the White House since Bush's son George W. Bush moved on as its occupant.

From WWII vet....




...to star baseball player at Yale.....




....to devoted family man,....




.....Bush lived an incredibly fulfilling life even if he had never entered the political fray. Well done, good and faithful servant.

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