Well, I can thank the start of the new NFL year for getting me jump-started. I hadn’t actually planned on another hiatus this time, it just happened. It started with my last annual February trip to Clearwater Beach, Florida. It was a great trip, as it was nice to see colleagues and friends and to wrap up some personal business that I had lingering with my association. Even better, I got to spend a day at Disney with my dear friends Lyle and Janice (see photos).
(Photos coming - technical difficulties)
After that I got back to the office and needed to get a lot done in a week, not just catching up from the Florida trip but also in preparing to be gone for another week. No writing possible, as I was either in the office or with my kids. I then went up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and spent several days doing a site visit (see photos). It was my first time to the U.P. and I loved the area, despite nearly a foot of snow getting dumped on us while I was there. But while I was there I developed a sinus infection, which at first was only annoying, but then really blossomed last week. I was barely able to function through the first half of the week, and was forced to sleep in my recliner every night for a week. But it got worse on Thursday and Friday and I ended up staying home from work… doing nothing, and I mean nothing. I got better just in time to get the kids Friday night, and I am now happily sleeping in my bed again, and trying to get everything organized for the coming week. I am still not completely over the sinus infection, but it is 95% better.
(Photos coming - technical difficulties)
Thus, I am able to make my return to OLV. The Patriots had an active first weekend with a fair amount of drama, and that was a great motivator to start writing again.
I missed a lot on the political front this February and, while I know I can’t catch up on all of it, here are is the biggest item - Obama’s speech and the Republican response.
The State of the Nation
Here is the full speech from President Obama. It was powerfully delivered and serves as a call for a completely new direction for America; the direction that voters selected in November. Amazingly (to me), Obama was clear about taking the nation back to the political left, and offered sound logic for doing so. I can’t say it any better than the President did, so here is the video:
A State of Idiocy
The Republican response was offered by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, the “rising star” of the Republican Party. If he was a rising star, he turned into a supernova before our eyes, not only coming across as condescending and campy, but worse, using the illogic of the past eight years to attempt to argue against Obama’s direction.
I mean, seriously, using Hurricane Katrina as an example of why government intervention won’t work? Does he remember who was in charge then? And then… slamming volcano monitoring as wasteful spending, not to mention high speed rail? Is the guy serious?
Worse, watch the story where he talks about how he helped to get the boats moving to rescue people after the hurricane. Great story, except for one problem… he made the entire frakking thing up. All of it. The man is a shameless liar. We can only hope that he gets the GOP nomination in 2012.
Jindal’s speech brought this priceless response from Rachel Maddow. Way too funny.
Then this from Keith Olbermann:
