The NFL Hall of Fame inducted its four newest members today, among them, former Denver Broncos QB John Elway and Former Detroit Lions RB Barry Sanders. It seems to me interesting that the two are of a seemingly forgotten era; both played for one team their entire NFL career. While I'm not a huge Elway fan (though there's something compelling about a man who throws for almost 30 miles in his career), Elway WAS Denver for his tenure there. Much maligned until his final years for "failing to ...

OK, everyone, long awaited pictures of the new baby, Quinn Donovan, can be viewed at: http://www.growingfamily.com/webnursery/babypage.asp?UrlID=2Y2W5N1Z7I enjoy, signing off, Gideon MacLeish

Mano mentioned McCarthyism in one of his posts (not related to this one), and I thought it would be interesting to share the direct connection I have to this dark chapter of American history (on both sides of the coin). To begin with, my son is named after a friend of mine, J. Quinn Brisben, one time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party USA. While I have long renounced my socialist leanings, Quinn and his family remain people that I admire, chiefly because Quinn was an excellent ...

Now don't get me wrong; I am one who tries to make peace on JU. I will say what I have to say, but I will also try to be sensitive to the feelings of individuals on here. But I have found that a good number of people on joeuser fall into one of two categories: the JU "preps" and the JU "rebels". The JU "preps" are just like the preps in high school or college. They will present a pollyannish world view and will avoid controversy at all costs. They're not good subjects to solicit an opin...

There are a few threads popping up by teen bloggers in which they are feeling a little bit bashed. One of the subjects on the thread of one of the posts, led me to blog on one of the biggest lies we tell teens: "These are the best years of your life". Frankly, if I'd have thought the teen years were the best years of my life, I would have offed myself before the age of twenty. They're not the best years, and for a number of reasons. Most teens have not-quite adult minds; that is, they have...

Well, folks...after four girls, little Quinn Donovan was born today weighing in at 6 pounds, 11 ounces and 19 inches long. We had a few nervous early moments, as he came out quite purple and wasn't very active; they had to give him a little oxygen and suction his lungs to get him going, but he seems to be doing well, and has inherited the scowl for which his older sisters are famous. If any of you happen to be scouts for the Seattle Mariners, you might want to give this kid a look. Sure...

Recently, a couple of unrelated blogs have kind of challenged me as to whether I would take back some of my statements or not, which got me to thinking, and I have an answer to that. I take back nothing. You will not find me deleting past articles or responses; my words are a matter of record, and I stand behind them. If someone is truly hurt by the way I state something, I may apologize for the way I have said something, but I will not apologize for what was said. My opinions are one o...

I am developing what I feel could be the next novel treatment for hypertension. I call it "flex therapy". It works along the same lines as causing your muscles to relax by contracting, then releasing. The premise is that you cause a person's blood pressure to shoot up sky high over and over again so that over time, the pressure tends to trend downward. I am advancing this theory using the following methods: *sending name and address on "I would like to know more about your faith" to all...

I am developing what I feel could be the next novel treatment for hypertension. I call it "flex therapy". It works along the same lines as causing your muscles to relax by contracting, then releasing. The premise is that you cause a person's blood pressure to shoot up sky high over and over again so that over time, the pressure tends to trend downward. I am advancing this theory using the following methods: *sending name and address on "I would like to know more about your faith" to all...

I was recently sniped by an anonymous user who said they had never seen anything so venomous and misguided as my post. The post was one on Michael Moore, and I went back and took an objective look at it to examine if the allegations were, indeed, true. They weren't. I would say that my position (the worst I called Moore was a "muppet"), while definitely one sided, fairly presented the argument I was trying to advance, that Moore's endorsement of Kerry might ultimately help Bush more than i...

It has been interesting of late to see the response to JU's "shock bloggers". While this is yet another post on a subject that's been heavily addressed, I'd like to add my perspective. First, I find that, in principle, shock bloggers borrow heavily from shock jock tactics, only instead of an auditory medium, they use visual. The idea is simply, say the most annoying thing you can think of, stand back and watch the flames, and realize that all the negative attention is good publicity. Shock...

As I continue to read about Michael Moore, a serious thought has started to concern me. He has become a caricature of the American left, an annoying muppet and a one trick pony. As he presents himself as America's savior, I am seeing a lot of people that I know viewing him more as a pied piper, and a man not to be trusted. Sure, they don't like Bush, but because Michael Moore is so closely tied with the left (and by extension, Kerry), his side is equally appalling. As I stated once befo...

*You can give wrong directions if someone asks because you know they're never going to see you again *People believe any bit of trivia you tell them, no matter how inanely ridiculous *Pointing out "Stars" can distract someone you pissed off long enough for you to make your getaway ("Look! It's Ben Affleck!") *The junk you couldn't sell at last month's rummage sale can be recycled and passed off as trinkets once belonging to a major celebrity...at ten times the price *Tourists' autos are ...

*You can give wrong directions if someone asks because you know they're never going to see you again *People believe any bit of trivia you tell them, no matter how inanely ridiculous *Pointing out "Stars" can distract someone you pissed off long enough for you to make your getaway ("Look! It's Ben Affleck!") *The junk you couldn't sell at last month's rummage sale can be recycled and passed off as trinkets once belonging to a major celebrity...at ten times the price *Tourists' autos are ...