Change. Ok. We need that, right? Isn’t that what we always needed? It would be great to have the first black president, as well as if it were the first woman president. It would also be great if these people won a spot in the V.P. office in the White House, but there is one qualification that America is forgetting. These people need to be smart. America is being Palinized. You know, where all the hockey moms and soccer moms think that Sarah Palin would be a great fit in the White House, and politicians such as McCain take beauty over brains because it might gain him votes. Well it looks like that is back firing, and I can give you plenty of reasons why this Palin choice of his was a bad idea, so the rest of us don’t get Palinized. Following are just a small portion of reasons Palin should not be in office, just a few things that ignited my thoughts.
This woman has no experience. Perhaps her biggest accomplishment was funding a sports complex that was actually built on someone else’s land. It doesn’t take a politician to tell you that is illegal. In order to build this complex she raised the sales taxes to pay for its construction. She didn’t follow the law, she had personal interest in the sports complex so her kids can play hockey, and she frankly didn’t care about anyone but herself and the few that used the sports complex by taking money out of everybody’s pocket.
Here is a good one for you Mr. Republican. I know how you like to hold your head high and watch the little ones gather their food below you while you collect your checks of six to seven digits, and I know how you are proud of your hoity toity ways. Guess what? Palin smoked marijuana when it was legal under Alaskan law, according to the goddess herself in 2006. I know deny it, deny it, deny it. I mean, I don’t think it’s a big deal, her brain capacity is a bigger deal to me, but I know how you are Mr. Republican. If that were a democrat, you would write a book about the lack luster ways of the Democrats while you held the hand of Mr. GOP. Look it up, its true.
Let me take you back to the early 1900’s where equal rights was a non-factor. No one liked gay people, and gay people couldn’t come out of the closet at the expense of getting ridiculed and pushed out of the circle of society. Over time, people began to realize if it makes them happy then I guess it is ok, it isn’t affecting me, and it is a free country. So now it’s 2008, and we might have a black president, a woman senator was runner up in the primaries and a woman was chosen as the GOP’s Vice Presidential candidate. These things all became possible because of Civil Rights. Palin, wake the hell up and look at the opportunity you were given. How the hell does she have the nerve to be a non-supporter of anything but traditional marriage, denies benefits to homosexuals, allows no spousal benefits for same-sex couples, and has the nerve to say in July of 2006 that one of her top priorities include preserving the definition of “marriage.” Isn’t this against the Constitution where it says that Church and State are separate entities, and doesn’t it also defeat the purpose of this being a FREE country to do what you want. So if Adam and Steve get married next to Adam and Eve, rather then just letting Adam and Eve get married, is your life really going to be hurt. Is God going to come down and strike you with a lighting bolt? This is not 1900, in fact if it was, you would be cooking in the kitchen with no job -Ms. Palin, so if you want equal rights, then quit denying them to other citizens that are part of the same seed and country you are. What we, as Americans, need to realize is that the role of the Vice President has become more strenuous as the workload of the President increases. By the letter of the constitution, the Vice President of the U.S. has the sole duty of serving as President of the U.S. Senate. On top of that, it has been increasingly popular to be involved with technology and energy thanks to the services of Al Gore, and take on free trade and foreign policy as well, much like Dick Cheney has been known to contribute. Imagine Palin holding a simple cabinet meeting. I bet you just laughed, much like every body in the capitol building trying to take her seriously. So does Palin even understand the role of the Vice President. When asked about what she thinks about Dick Cheney’s interpretation of the duties as V.P., she didn’t directly answer. She responded by explaining that the Constitution gives great flexibility to the V.P. but she would like to have more power.
The plan McCain has for her is to oversee the energy policy (which is one of her strengths), government reform and to handle the programs for families with children with special needs. Sorry honey, even your boss thinks it is a bad idea to have you take on more responsibilities then that. Cheney has much more control over what goes on in the White House. He has a strong say over the war in Iraq and how the Americans treat terrorist, domestic surveillance, and a more recent phenomenon for the V.P., handle energy policy as well as environmental agendas. The majority of his jobs entail some of the most important things going on in our country, probably because the President is oblivious to what any of it means. Could Palin really take on all these powers?
“I have a freezer full of wild game” said Palin in August of 2008 shortly after her nomination as McCain’s running mate. Ok, so she hunts and fishes, as does most of small town America. But the fact of the matter is, the mainland is nothing like Alaska. In Alaska, you use your guns to shoot “wild-game.” In the mainland guns are used to kill people more and more every year. So this idea of ending the 32 year-old ban on handguns doesn’t exactly fit. You don’t hunt with hand guns, nor do you fish with them. You don’t do anything but shoot someone else with it, and the more access people have to handguns whether if its for protection or some other recreational use, it puts more guns in the street and more lives will be taken with each bullet loaded into each gun. Just wait when and if you arrive in D.C. to take office, when you hear on a daily basis of the extremely high crime rate in Washington D.C. - you might change your mind. Palin is a “champion of the right to bear arms” and has been a member of the NRA her whole life. I don’t like the idea that Palin will sway the majority of her decision based off how they would work in Alaska. This is the mainland, we do things different here.As for health care Palin thinks it must be market and business driven, at least that’s what she said in January. Now, she will probably be puppeted by McCain, so what she says wont matter anyways. This market driven way of getting health care to the American people is only going to raise cost as competition heats up. It should also be known that the McCain campaign will allow you to be denied health insurance based off of pre-existing conditions. Obama will not allow that. What that would do is allow insurance companies to deny people who have diabetes, heart disease or anything they feel will be necessary to provide long term coverage. That is outright disgusting. So the idea that Palin supports a health care system that is going to be more affordable via competition, shows that McCain found a “Yes Man”, or pardon me, a “Yes Woman” to run by his side. The health care conversation goes much deeper then that, but Palin has no idea how to even come up with her own fundamental solution to solving the health care crisis and sticks to general statements that can be maneuvered by the McCain campaign.
Everyone wants to talk about the war, so lets talk. Earlier this month Palin explained that she feels terrorists in Iraq are a bigger threat to the American people. Has she not learned anything by the approval ratings of us being in war and the disappointment of never catching Osama? There were things that needed to be taken care of in Iraq but the ones from Afghanistan are the ones who knocked down the towers and the Pentagon, you know, the reason we went to war in the first place. Palin is so under qualified, she didn’t even have a passport until 2007, where she finally made it to Kuwait to encourage our soldiers. What kind of things did she do to encourage the soldiers? She encouraged big game hunting in Alaska, as if the hunting they were doing already wasn’t enough. Really, that’s not a big deal. Once again, if elected, she will probably be closed out of the meetings involving war involvement anyways.
Before I end this rant, I must be fair and say a couple things that are decent about Ms. Palin. She knows how to deal with energy, even if it isn’t amongst the popular view of how America should go about solving the energy crisis. “Drill baby drill” said Palin. Palin thinks it make no sense to leave our own domestic supply unused and wants to add more pipelines throughout the country. She also introduced the Gas line Inducement Act which would allow for the construction of a 1,715 mile natural gas line and supports capping carbon emissions, all of which I can agree with.
What also seems to be an important factor for the Vice President elected in to office in November is how to deal with education. Palin believes that we have a creator and that there is also many theories of evolution. As a result, creationism and evolution should be taught alongside each in schools across the nation. This is a subject that every American comes across at one point of their lives, so if someone can be strong and push for a policy that allows for discussion on both evolution and creationism - the never ending battle can be put to rest.
So was McCain’s decision of picking Sarah Palin as his running mate a bad decision? “YOU BETCHA!” as Palin would say. In September, before she was selected by McCain, Palin questioned the role of the V.P. Her resume includes being the Governor of Alaska, Mayor of Wasilla,, Miss Congeniality in her statewide beauty pageant in 1984, Miss Wasilla in the local beauty contest, winner of Iron Dog Snowmobile races, and eloped with an Eskimo at the age of 24. Her biggest accomplishment was a sports plex, and dropping the Alaskan sales tax. At a time of economical struggle with Americans panicking across the nation, it is time to nominate somebody who has had some kind of experience in dealing with the national infrastructure rather then someone who neglected the small town of Wasilla’s infrastructure leaving the town of less then 10,000 people, $22,000,000 in debt. Future President, Barack Obama has had very minimal experience in this field as well, which is why he hired a very experienced Vice Presidential candidate in Joe Biden.
Vote Obama/Biden.
The night started with the ladies of Indiana University volleyball taking down Ohio State in four games to win the best of five. Probably the biggest crowd this volleyball team has ever played for as the people filling the seats were anxiously waiting on the IU basketball programs. Despite what they were there for, the crowd of 10,000 or so rose to their feet on game points and added a level of intensity as the Hoosiers battled point for point with the Buckeyes. A freshman gazing at the historical court for the first time found a new interest as the game concluded on a great rally. “I have never watched a game of volleyball in my entire life, with the exception of May and Walsh in the Olympics, and it is the most intense sport I have ever seen.” As the volleyball team left the court after they successfully brought the energy to Assembly Hall, a slow chant of “Tom Crean” was building through the stadium, Its time for some basketball.
The basketball portion of the program began with a video tribute to the 1976 championship Hoosiers as the crowd stayed on their feet in admiration - a sign of the strong Hoosier basketball tradition. Shortly following, the IU Women’s team danced their way on to court with their always entertaining coaching staff boxing their way to center stage and punching out the signs of the Big Ten- something the team hopes to accomplish this season. Following a passionate speech from coach Felisha Legette-Jack was a three point contest with members from the team versus the B97 DJ’s - not impressive at all. During drills the 6’3 Freshman forward, Sash Chaplin grabbed the crowds attention with some impressive shots and ball handling while Senior guard Kim Roberson showed her senior leadership and athletic ability in a otherwise slow moving scrimmage. “Can you promise me you are going to come support this team?” asked Coach Legette-Jack to the crowd, “We will make you proud!”
Cue The Alan Parsons Project, the band that made the famous introduction song for the Chicago Bulls. The lights went out, the crowd to their feet as the legends held ground on the court to welcome the new-look Hoosiers. The crowd showed the most support for returning senior Kyle Taber as he was introduced last, the Michael Jordon of the Hoosiers you can say. Oh man, that can’t be good. The biggest moment though, belongs to new head coach, Tom Crean, as he slowly walked into the stadium to be officially welcomed into “Hoosier Nation.” 
Cue hula girls? Wait, what?! That’s what I said too. As the Hoosiers make their way to the Maui invitational they were presented with a surfboard to commemorate their invitation. Big 7’0 Jobe from Africa was carried in by his team as he stood on top of the surfboard, a showcase that made me a little nervous, while hula girls danced around them.
Infield. Lets go around the horn. To say the least, Geovanny Soto is our guy behind the plate. He is a potential Rookie of the Year, and handles the pitching staff with great confidence. Soto contributes well to a high scoring offense, hitting doubles in the gap at a rapid rate, and leaves souvenirs for the bleacher bums when needed most. At first base, it has become common talk to throw Lee under the bus as the Cubs try to focus on change. Ok, so he tied Ron Santo for the mot doubles in team history. But he also led the team in base hits, and is arguably the best defensive first baseman in MLB, nevermind the playoff error. Hes on the Cubs in the playoffs - that is bound to happen. Lee will turn it around with more power next year, and will be hitting balls to the ivy walls at a consistent pace in the 2009 season. My solution: Bat DLee second and work on improving his base stealing effectiveness for next year. At second base we have Mark DeRosa who might be the most important guy in the infield to keep on the team. This man can play. When someone is hurt or needs a break, DeRosa will vacate his natural second base position and hold down the fort wherever need be. He hits consistently and provides great team leadership..he must stay. Fontenot as his backup seems ok from the bench, considering this year was probably his career year. At shortstop we have "The-scrappy-Riot" who surprisingly led the team in OBP, BA and SB. Theriot doesn't have the best range at shortstop, and he throws like a 10 year old girl with her eyes closed, but he does consistently keep the game going. Perhaps he is the reason why DLee hits in so many double plays, as he is always manning first base when Lee comes up to bat. If we had Theriot in 03' the Cubs would have scored double the amount of runs they had scored this year as Lee posted much higher power numbers five years ago. Solution: I hate to say it, but put Theriot on the bench or trade him because the Cubs need a lead-off hitter, and that most likely will come from a middle infield position. Theriot can lead off, but not with the effectiveness of a Furcal or Roberts. So, this may be a position of need. At third base we have Aramis Ramirez. He was terrible in the playoffs, and has been consistently terrible in the playoffs in the last six games. That being said, Ramirez is our most clutch hitter and provides the most power and RBI's on the team. He is a contact hitter, where as most power performers like to strike out at a rapid rate. This one is obvious, keep him.
Outfield. Soriano is stuck there in left with his 135 million dollars, unless some rich organization wants to take the same risk the Cubs took and pick up his massive contract. Fukudome is also a staple next year considering his contact signing coming to the Cubs as a rookie from Japan. Fukudome fell off month to month, each stat tumbling off the cliff while taking a beating all the way to the bottom. He will be fine. Fukudome's work ethic is unmatched and his personal confidence should be back next year. These Japanese players don't give up. Don't be surprised to hear how hard he worked in the off season once spring training begins. Where do we put this sure glove? For now I would say keep him in RF unless a lefty power bat is acquired from that position. In center field the Cubs should not take their chances with Edmonds considering his age and ability to be inconsistent. Edmonds was great for the Cubs in the second half of 2008, but the Cubs need to look forward. I guess that means the Cubs need to rely on Felix Pie. The Cubs have a very positive outlook on Pie calling him as a September call-up, showing they have high hopes for "Pumpkin Pie." Hopefully he isn't another "He has potential Patterson." Reed Johnson should be re-signed and kept on the team, because he is one guy that will not put his head down. Johnson works hard and plays hard which is a great combination for a player in a blue collar city such as Chicago, and has become a fan favorite since his hat bending catch early on in the year.
Pitching. We have an unbelievable pitching staff, but do you really trust that Dempster can repeat what he did this year? Keep him on the team for leadership and clubhouse entertainment, but he is not a one or a two starter. Count Dempster in to be our four guy, rather then our one guy going into the playoffs. He is getting older, but his arm seems to be made of rubber this year. Picking up his option is going to be one of the harder tasks for Hendry in the off season. I would say the same for Lilly, but he has been solid since he put on the cursed Cubs jersey. Keep him, for God's sake, keep Lilly, and if the Cubs make the playoffs next year, let this guy pitch a game, he deserves it. It goes without question that Zambrano remains our franchise pitcher with that uber large contract he signed this season, but Carlos has yet to win a playoff game.. that needs to change. Rich Harden, what a signing. Harden is a free agent and is at high risk to become another Mark Prior. I don't know what to think about this. Sign him, but don't waste too much money doing so. If that doesn't work, go after C.C. or another ace to tandem with Zambrano throughout the season. Good-bye Marquis! You were a good five starter and it was nice to see you finish the season well, but you need to go. As far as our bullpen is concerned I will keep this simple. Marmol had a great year, unlikely to match his 08' season but is a solid staple in the bullpen. Howry please leave this city, we don't want you here, and same goes with you Cotts. Take the bus to Iowa, and if you need directions I will gladly look it up for you. Marshall should be a strong consideration as a four starter, but I personally like him coming in long relief. That being said, he will be signed. As for the rest of the bullpen, they did well, but Hendry might juggle it around a little bit to better prepare this team for the playoffs.
Let the defensive crap shoot begin. Ethier lead off the 2nd with a base hit, and at that moment the legendary Joe Torre began his coaching clinic by running a perfectly executed hit and run where Theriot was forced to go away from the bag and botches Loney’s attempt to move Ethier. Theriot was not at fault here as he was moving towards the bag to cover on the hit and run, taking him away from the ball. It was the beginning of the end to NLDS game 2. With a man on 1st and 3rd the crowd came to their feet once again, for the third time, and on cue Kemp strikes out. Lets keep this simple. You have now entered a dark cave, a cave in which you cannot see the white of a baseball. Derosa, perhaps still bothered by a calf strain, is slow to getting to the ball and bobbles it, error, run scores and a man on 1st and 2nd. D-Lee felt left out and decided that his gold gloves don’t mean anything when it comes to the playoffs, error, bases loaded. The crowd gets on their feet, AGAIN, and continue to try to get our team out of this hole and Billingsly strikes out, two gone. See, I told you Zambrano pitched well. The crowd remained on their feet and Furcal executes one of the most well executed bunts I have ever seen and a run scores, only to be followed by a bases clearing double by Russell Martin. Here comes Manny, K! Zambrano once again does his job, but for some reason leaves the second inning down 5-0. At their attempt to make this a competition, the Cubs went down in order. 
It’s the 5th inning and here comes Evil Ramirez - HR! The star once again adding to the whopping the Cubs were already being handed to them. Not only did it cross the ivy border, it was dead center past the brush onto the new addition in CF. Ouch, very ouch. This was in the 5th, but in the 7th Manny decides to do more damage by walking, followed by an RBI from Kemp. Ok so this is where Zambrano started to lose it, but his pitch count was flying through the roof, thanks do his defensive unit. But it was the 7th where the Cubs decided to get things going… I guess. Derosa had a screaming double to right and Edmonds followed with a double of his own. 7-1 Dodgers. Cory Wade replaced Billingsly and we didn’t score again as Fukudome fails again with men on base.
Despite already allowing 4 walks, it wasn’t until the top half of the 5th with 1 out that Dempster brought the count to 3-0, eventually giving the Dodgers a free pass to first base for the 5th time in the game. Following was another 3-0 count, this time concluding in a pop out to right field. Here comes Manny! Just put him on base right? Well, Dempster did just that with the crowd on their feet- once again. With a full count, the excitement builds as the cameras flash, the…WALK, 6 free passes in 5 innings. The always dangerous Ethier comes out to the plate as Dempster reaches his 100th pitch and decides he will allow him to take his base as well, leaving the bases full of the wrong color blue. The crowd came to their feet once again and on cue - grand slam Loney. As Cubdom’s collective breathe gets stolen away by a west coast breeze, the Dodgers take the 4-2 lead. After allowing another hit (double) sweet Lou comes out and replaces Dempster with big foot, Sean Marshall, who promptly ends the inning. Don’t worry, the Cubs have a potent offense, we’ll come back! 
