Government Shutdown

     Our country is going through a very...shall we say....interesting time.  Apparently the government is "shutdown".  But who can tell?  I definitely haven't noticed anything.  We're still getting the mail, the troops are still in the field, and our Congressmen are still getting their paychecks. Oh right, but all the National Parks are shut down, Obama was arresting 80 year old WWII veterans for trying to visit their own monument, and a bunch of .gov websites are shut down (because we all know how terribly expensive it is to keep a website running).  Probably the biggest effect of the shutdown is the furloughing of 800,000 "non-essential" government workers (Good grief, we have that many non-essential government employees? Talk about big government...).  In my opinion, it seems pretty hypocritical to shut down our parks and monuments and still pay Congress and the President.

     So, whose fault is all of this?  Obama is blaming Congress -- specifically the Republicans in Congress.  The front page of whitehouse.gov says, "Because Congress did not fulfill its responsibility to pass a budget, much of the federal government is shut down."  The GOP is blaming Obama, Harry Reid and company.  However, the House is passing bill after bill to fund the government, giving in to the Dems on many issues, but the Democrat-controlled Senate won't budge, or so it seems.  How 'bout a little compromise here, guys?  Anyone?  And I'm not just talking to the Democrats.  Both sides need to come together and work something out.  In the words of Dr. Kessler, according to the liberal media, "the sky is falling" and its all the GOP's fault.  And since the media always tells the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, I guess it must be true.  It is really horrible of the Republicans to not want to fund something that we can't afford, and something that has the potential to ruin the economy.  Completely selfish and hypocritical.  Ok, sorry...enough with the sarcasm.  But seriously....come on people.  As much as I hate the word, Congress (both parties) has to make some serious compromises, or nothing is ever going to get done.  Maybe the Boehner and the GOP need to allow the debt ceiling to be raised (yet again), and maybe Obama, Reid and the Dems should consider delaying the funding of Obamacare.  Just a thought.  What do you think?  Leave a comment below.

My VERY Premature NFL Pre-season predictions

Here are some of my (very early) premonitions about next year.  Don't judge too harshly...even I'm not too sure about all of this.  Enjoy :-)

5 surprise teams who will make a lot of (unexpected) noise:

1. St. Louis Rams
2. Arizona Cardinals
3. Kansas City Chiefs
4. Cleveland Browns
5. Miami Dolphins

Playoff teams who have the best chance of missing the playoffs this year:

1. Minnesota Vikings
2. Washington Redskins

Teams who missed the playoffs last year, but will make them this year:

1. New Orleans Saints
2. Chicago Bears
3. Dallas Cowboys
4. New York Giants

3 teams who will finally live up to expectations:

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Chicago Bears
3. Cincinnati Bengals

3 teams who won't live up to expectations:

1. Baltimore Ravens
2. Washington Redskins
3. New York Giants

The 5 most improved teams will be:

1. KC Chiefs
2. Cleveland Browns
3. St. Louis Rams
4. Miami Dolphins
5. New Orleans Saints

The top 5 teams will be:

1. Denver Broncos
2. Atlanta Falcons
3. Seattle Seahawks
4. New England Patriots
5. Green Bay Packers

The NFC Division winners will be:

1. Green Bay
2. Seattle
3. Dallas
4. Atlanta

The AFC Division winners:

1. New England
2. Denver
3. Houston
4. Cincinnati

The Wild Cards will be:

1. Chicago
2. San Francisco
3. Baltimore
4. Indianapolis

The Super Bowl will be:

   

      Denver vs. Seattle

Sophomore Year in Review

     Well, it's summer.  I'm officially done with my sophomore year of college (wow!), which means that I'm now an upperclassman (double wow!!).   At the end of freshman year it seemed like that was the fastest any year had gone by in my life.  But now, here I am, a Junior in college.  Sophomore year came and went almost before I realized it.  So many things happened that its hard to keep track of them all.  My first two years of college have been a blur...I can hardly remember what happened when.  Let's see, what did happen during this past year?  I will try and remember some of the main things.
     Well, to start off, Matt Maher came and performed at Benedictine last fall.  I was super excited about that since he is one of my favorites.  My brothers drove down to see him too.  As expected, the concert was great, and we all had a blast.  Afterwards, my friend, Jake and I got this priceless photo with him.  We were pretty pumped after we got it.  Easily one of the best pictures I've ever been in.
     I spent fall break in Kansas City with two of my best friends, Jake and John.  We had an all around blast.  We watched movies, played video games, went go-karting, went to see a movie, ate good food, cruised around in a convertible, and best of all, we relaxed.  It was one of the best breaks I've had so far.
     My intramural flag football team started the season out strong with 2 wins, but then we lost our next three.  One of those losses was the fault of the guys in the striped pajamas (aka referees), but oh well.  We all had great fun anyways.  We're hoping for a great winning season next year.  One reason to hope is that the team that has won the championship 3 years running, and is pretty much unbeatable, had all its players graduate this year...so they won't really be a problem anymore.
     My frisbee team had great year, going 3-0 during the season, and 1-1 in the playoffs.  We made it to the semi-finals, before losing to the eventual champions.  I had to make some frantic, last minute recruitments after our best player ditched us for another team (the dirty traitor).
     I also played intramural softball this spring.  It was good to get back on the diamond again. I still think softball is kinda lame.  Oh, well...its better than nothing, I guess.
     While I'm on the topic of sports, I started a tackle football club at school.  We've played several times, and it has been lots of fun.  Nothing beats a good game of tackle football (touch and flag don't count).  I'm hoping to get recognition as an official club from the college next year.
     One of the most fun (and crazy) things I did all year was taking part in the Homecoming parade (representing Newman Hall).  Along with several of my friends, I painted my entire body red and black.  Unfortunately, it was only 45 degrees outside.  We had to endure that for around two hours.  But it was totally worth it.  I also was a little hoarse afterwards from screaming, chanting, and yelling, for two hours straight.
     Academics-wise, I took many interesting (and some not-so-interesting) classes this year as I move forward with my Political Science degree.  Some of which were: US History, Presidential Elections, Intro to Research Methods, Macro and Microeconomics, Theology of Vatican II, US Civil War, Public Policy Analysis, and Development of Political Thought.  I am currently sitting at a 3.2 cumulative GPA.  Hopefully that will go up a little over the next two years.  My professors are all really good, and they all take a personal interest into each student's progress.  That is one of my favorite things at BC.

In my 4th Degree Regalia

     This past year I became increasingly more involved with the Knights of Columbus, receiving my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th degrees.  As a fourth degree I finally get to wear all the cool regalia that the Knights are so famous for.  I was also appointed to the position of Vocations officer in our council.  Next year is looking to be an exciting year for St. Benedict's College Council #4708.
     I was also very happy and honored to be elected Vice-President of the Benedictine College Republicans.  I am very much looking forward to working with all my fellow Republicans next year.
     Earlier this semester I applied for an internship with Congressman Jeff Fortenberry, of Nebraska's 1st District.  I spent many hours laboring over my application and resume.  It was definitely all worthwhile, though, as I got an email asking when I was available for an interview.  I went in for the interview over Easter break, and a couple weeks later I got the job.  I am very excited for this opportunity.  It will look great on my resume for the future, and I'm getting my foot in the political doorway.
     The biggest highlight of the year was, by far, going to the March for Life, in Washington, D.C.  You can read all about that trip right here. This was the second year I was lucky enough to go to the March.  Both times were incredible experiences.  This year was even more special because I got to meet one of my heroes, Rick Santorum.
     I know I'm forgetting many things, but there's no way I can mention everything that happened this past year.  That would take a lot more than just one blog post.  Overall, 2012-2013 has been a great year.  I am looking forward to next year with great anticipation.

Procrastination

     Why is it that I always leave my papers for the last minute?  Every semester I'm assigned two or three big research papers, and every semester I say, "This time I will get started on them early."  Hasn't happened yet...and I'm on semester number 4.  Take last semester for instance.  I was assigned two major research papers at the beginning of the semester.  I fully intended to start them months in advance.  Nope. I kept putting it off saying, "Oh, I have 2 months" and "I still have 1 1/2 months" and "oh, I still have a month."  Suddenly, I look at my syllabus and *wham* I have 6 days left.  I still hadn't started. (Cue: Panic mode extraordinaire.)  I freaked out.  Like really a lot.  Like I nearly had a heart attack.  I had to write 30 pages in 6 days...and I hadn't even started.  Well, as it turned out, I ended up putting getting them both done in time (I got an A on one, and a B on the other).  It definitely took some doing, and many hours of work.  I spent a good 5 hours a day researching and writing.  On the weekend that is all I did.  I ate, slept, and wrote.  After that episode of brain frying, I swore I would never do it again.  Well....here I sit, with two papers due in 10 days.  I guess I still haven't learned my lesson.  Tomorrow...tomorrow I shall write.  Wish me luck.

Laughs

This is too good not to post :)  Enjoy

The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent terrorist threats

and have therefore raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved."

Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or
even "A Bit Cross." The English have not been "A Bit Cross" since the
blitz in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out. Terrorists have been
re-categorized from "Tiresome" to "A Bloody Nuisance." The last time the
British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was in 1588, when
threatened by the Spanish Armada.

The Scots have raised their threat level from "Pissed Off" to "Let's get
the Bastards." They don't have any other levels. This is the reason they
have been used on the front line of the British army for the last 300
years.

The French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror
alert level from "Run" to "Hide." The only two higher levels in France are
"Collaborate" and "Surrender." The rise was precipitated by a recent fire
that destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the
country's military capability.

Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout Loudly and Excitedly" to
"Elaborate Military Posturing." Two more levels remain: "Ineffective
Combat Operations" and "Change Sides."

The Germans have increased their alert state from "Disdainful Arrogance"
to "Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs." They also have two higher
levels: "Invade a Neighbor" and "Lose."

Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual; the only threat
they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels .

The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy.
These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy
can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.

Australia , meanwhile, has raised its security level from "No worries" to
"She'll be alright, Mate." Three more escalation levels remain: "Crikey!",
"I think we'll need to cancel the barbie this weekend", and "The barbie is
cancelled."

Papal Resignation

    Well, Pope Benedict XVI resigned.  Wait, what???  Popes don't just...you know...quit.  Or do they?  Apparently they do...as of a couple days ago.  Actually, that is false. The first pope to resign was Pope St. Pontian, who resigned in 235 after being exiled by Emperor Maximinus Thrax to the salt mines in Sardinia .  In all there have been 10 popes who have stepped down from the Chair of St. Peter, the most recent being Pope Gregory XII in 1415....and now finally Pope Benedict XVI.  So now the Church is in a state of limbo. The "Sede Vacante".  Although Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone is the "acting head of the Church" as the Camerlengo, we don't really have a leader.  This is an historic moment of history.
     The general consensus is that whoever is elected to be the next Pope will have some very large shoes to fill.  See photo à Speculations are rampant on who it will be.  The Cardinals who are numbered among the "favorites" include:  Cardinal Scola of Venice, Cardinal Ouellet of Canada, Cardinal Turkson of Ghana, among others.  My personal preference is, of course, Cardinal Dolan of New York.  I find it quite amusing when I hear all these speculations.  I could almost put money on it that the Cardinals will elect someone whom nobody has hardly even heard of, and who will turn out to be one of the greatest Popes to date.  We need a Pope capable of guiding the Church through the rough waters of today's world.  Someone who is able to stand up to her critics and confirm her teachings.  We need a Pope who has the energy and willpower of Blessed John Paul II, and the holiness, faith, and intellect of Benedict XVI.  The next Holy Father needs to reform the reform of Vatican II (translated: he needs to implement what Vatican II really wanted...not how liberal Catholics misinterperated it).  I trust that the Holy Spirit will do his job well, and inspire the Cardinal Electors to choose a truly saintly man to lead Jesus Christ's One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic, Church.

March for Life - Part 2

     This is the promised second installment of my experiences in Washington D.C. for the March for Life.  If you didn't get a chance to read the first part you can read it here.
     Well, I left off the last post with dinner in the "Vantage Point" restaurant.   A very delicious dinner, by the way.  And yes, I ate too much.  Way too much.  But it was definitely worthwhile.  I was making up for my malnourishment at school (courtesy of the crummy cafeteria food, which would make anyone lose their appetite).  The hotel was relatively near Ronald Reagan National Airport so we had a great view of all the planes coming in.  One would appear on the horizon just about exactly every two minutes.  It was quite interesting.  We all slept soundly that night, partly out of utter exhaustion and partly because we all had full stomachs.
     The next day (Saturday) we had almost the entire day for sightseeing.  My friends Scott, Abby, Eileen, Kathryn, and John, and I started the day off with breakfast at McDonald's (McDonald's has some good pancakes, for the record).  Then we headed off to Arlington National Cemetery where we watched to changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  I had been to the changing of the guard before, and I have to say that it is one of the coolest things I have ever witnessed.  To watch the soldier stand guard at that tomb, pacing slowly back and forth, is quite the sight.  When his relief finally arrived the sergeant addressed the hushed crowd in a harsh, solemn, and commanding tone.  He ordered us to be silent during the proceedings out of respect and everyone instantly fell silent.  I'm pretty sure that everyone would've rolled around on the ground if he had ordered us to do so.  The entire ceremony had a sense of awe and solemnity around it.  After witnessing that awesome spectacle we visited the tombs of Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier of WWII, and of John F. Kennedy, where I got yelled at for trying to answer my cell phone.  Apparently cell phones are strictly verboten.  After leaving the cemetery we walked to the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial, which happens to be my second favorite site in D.C., the other being the Lincoln Memorial.  We were soon joined by several more of our friends and we all walked to Chipotle for lunch.
       During the afternoon Eileen and I toured the Mall, visiting the Washington Monument, the National Museum of History, the WWII Memorial, the Vietnam wall, the Korean Memorial, and my favorite, the Lincoln Memorial.  I only wish that they would've built all those things in an area of about 4 blocks.  Your feet get sore with all the walking.
       No matter how many times I go back to DC (I've been three times now), it never gets old.  There is just something amazing about being in our nation's capital.  Every time I go there I feel like I am a little bit of a part of all the history that is there.  Standing in front of the statue of Abraham Lincoln, I always feel like I'm almost actually in his presence.  It was especially awesome this time since I had just recently seen Steven Spielberg's masterpiece, "Lincoln".
     We ended the day with Mass, before boarding the buses for the 24 hour ride back to campus.  Looking back, being a part of a 650,000 strong protest for life was an incredible experience.  I am proud to be able to add my voice to the fight for life and I am looking forward to going back next year (hopefully).