Vote for Joe

I just wrote a newspaper column on the heels of a tremendously violent helmet-to-helmet hit on Texas Cowboy QB Andy Dalton Sunday. While he got a severe concussion from it, it could have snapped his neck. I note in the column that in 1978, New England Patriots receiver Darryl Stingley had his neck broken on a play, and he was paralyzed for the rest of his life. What’s more, virtually every year at a pro/college/high school level, players are killed, paralyzed, physically maimed in other ways, and mentally afflicted with CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), (CTE) results from the repeated hits to the head that football players take.  In fact, according to a recent CNN.com article, 99% of deceased NFL players’ brains that were donated to scientific research, had signs of CTE. (This is a neurodegenerative brain disease that leads to memory loss, confusion, impaired judgement…) In some circles, we tacitly bemoan the extreme violence on the one hand, while with the other hand, we’re buying tickets, turning on the TV to football, buying the football team clothes… that all keeps it going. Note: While I’m a huge Cleveland Browns fan (and given their play most of the past 20 years, that’s been hard, LOL), the sport needs to change. In Philadelphia, for instance, they play what’s called “rough-touch” football (shown, for instance, in the movie Invincible). Whether it’s this, or other ways to tone football down some notches violence-wise, we owe it to the players now, and our kids coming up in the next generation, to do this differently. Note 2: I, personally, love football and played quarterback in high school. What’s more, given how the Browns have been playing overall, I’m surprised they haven’t called me. For a look at someone (me) who, with a little work, could be a franchise quarterback for some team, see…

It’s important to get this… During the debate the other night, the topic of climate change came up. Biden, who calls it the biggest “existential threat” of our times, lives in a $1.2 million “beach house” with, I’m sure, central heat, central air-conditioning for the five bathrooms, six bedrooms (including three master bedrooms), and so on. And with Trump: Mar-a-Lago. Need I say more? Meanwhile, in the heart of middle America, I’m typing this with the thermostat turned back to 65 in a modest three-bedroom (no “master bedrooms”), and one bathroom, home. We, primarily, use fans in the summer, dry clothes on a clothesline, bicycle/walk a lot of places around town — all to reduce our carbon footprint. Think about it: Biden’s lavish beach house. Trump’s lavish Mar-a-Lago digs. Is there something wrong with this (climate change) picture? Note: For a look at our energy policy, see…

I not only listened, but took notes, during the debate between Trump and Biden last night. Some thoughts: Trump, given all the wildcards with Covid-19, has been earnest about dealing with it and has marshalled a lot help from multiple sectors. Has he responded perfectly? No. But, I mean, who would have? For Biden to wholesale trash the efforts, for the most part, is ludicrous. If Biden’s hallmark is “uniting,” you would acknowledge the good, and respectfully offer things to build on what’s already been done. Note: But, while the virus is, indeed, real, the threat has been tremendously overblown (99.5% recovery rate). It has become a “feardemic,” if you will, continually talked about in the left leaning media. What’s more, the shutdowns are moving us toward a worldwide economy that’s about to collapse. This, in turn, would set the stage for a ‘New World Order’ to evolve to fix things with, shall we say, a charismatic (yet tremendously evil) leader at the helm. Read: the Anti-Christ and his system. And, well, if you, for instance, don’t take the vaccine with the digital identification ‘mark,’ of course you won’t be able to “buy or sell” in the new system. Any of this sound familiar? (Revelations 13:17). The Catechism of the Catholic Church also describes a rise of the “anti-christ” and his system at: CCC 675. And this mirrors, not only what’s written about in Revelations, but what well could be playing out before our very eyes right now.

A couple months ago, as I’ve done in each campaign, I spent some late nights refreshing my memory on the criteria for being a write-in presidential candidate in each state. (It varies from state to state.) I then put together this blackboard schematic per: deadlines to cross reference with rather large folders of reference material from each state. You can bet Trump and Biden aren’t doing this — and, frankly, they’re lucky. [Just trying to keep up my populist image. LOL, sort of.]

While on my Buckeye Back Roads Tour, I stopped at the Apollo Career Center Campus today. Last week I’d interviewed a man who had graduated from a local high school, but his senior year was spent at Apollo, getting a certificate in welding. He now has his own welding shop in Cincinnati, specializes in working on classic cars, and teaches welding classes himself at a nearby career center like this. For high school youth who aren’t inclined to go to college, but rather to get into the “trades,” these kinds of career centers are excellent, and a really good use of a student’s time their junior/senior years of high school. Our position paper on education talks more in-depth about this paradigm…