Non Sequitur of the Day: Kennedy Family Edition

A very cool Jack Kennedy clip reel:

Non Sequitur of the Day: Happy Anniversary, Dawna Edition

"It was twenty years ago today . . ."

NHL Realignment: Scouts v. Blues Would Be Just As Good as Royals v. the Cards (An OT Post)

One of my favorite blogs, Uni Watch, shared a neat link about the past (and future) of the NHL in Kansas City, where I have a bunch of hockey-lovin' and playin' relatives. (This Saturday, go Chip!)

The Kansas City Scouts joined the league with the Capitals, but then ended up moving to become the Colorado Rockies (bringing the mountain west Don Cherry and "Rock and Roll, Part 2"), and then turning into the New Jersey Devils. It has a nice new arena waiting for a major league tenant, and it continues to be used as leverage for any NHL or NBA team angling for new digs, just like Tampa Bay's domed stadium was for more almost two decades prior to getting the Rays via expansion.

Which is all a roundabout way to saying that the NHL needs to get smart to better compete for the shrinking North American entertainment dollar. To that end, number one is re-alignment, which I've goofed around with for a long time before this article took it on.

I don't do fantasy sports, so, y'know, give me a break.

Travel expenses must be reduced, rivalries intensified, and league-wide exposure increased. So, I propose: go to four divisions (which I have optimized for regional rivalries, though Buffalo tortures me), play each team not in your division home and home, and play the rest of your games against your division.

In the playoffs, you have to play out of your division and, just to throw in a few extra playoff gates, have seeds 4 and 5 do a home-and-home total goal playoff, like soccer. And, just for fun, forget the conferences and rotate the divisions in the last two rounds, like the NCAA basketball tournament. Ever since the league had the Stanley Cup Playoff logo with "west" on the right and "east" on the left, I've sensed that NHL's conferences were, perhaps, false distinctions.

My proposed divisions:

> New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Columbus, Boston

> Minnesota, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto

> Washington, Tampa Bay, Florida, Carolina, Dallas, Atlanta, Nashville

> Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, Colorado and Phoenix

The odds of this happening? Slim to none.

The ability to post this because I have this little soapbox? Total and absolute.

Enjoy and discuss.

It Takes a Village to Turn Eight Innocent Babies into Pariahs

I have a theory that I like to run by anti-choicers, which is: if it's God's will which ordains that no life, whatever its stage of development, be aborted, is it then not also God's will for a woman who is unable to conceive to stay that way, and contrary to His will to use artificial means to become pregnant? Though the result might be a bit harsh if an anti-choicer remains consistent, and if it is what it is, and science and medicine shouldn't mess around with the miracle of life, then, logically, it should cut both ways.

That being said, the schadenfreude on Octomom is becoming scary and unfortunate. There's all sorts of incompetent and/or psycho parents out there, and in any given neighborhood, there are probably anywhere between zero and 14 kids at risk from the stupidity of their parents. The only difference here is the density of their location and the fact that Octomom (who may well be an Angelina Jolie-ish half bubble off plum) and Octogram can't seem to stop searching for closure online before these kids' lives have really even opened.

Let's just get those kids raised well, in spite of the family.

(Above: Gee, if that's all it takes to be my doppelganger, I am bumming.)

One Last Breakthrough from a President Obama

On this remarkable, historic day of the Inauguration of President Obama, many have pondered and discussed the meaning of having an African-American as our president and, essentially, as (once again) the leader of the free world.

But these pundits miss a bigger, more macro story because they're blinded by the president's skin color -- while they're talking about whether people will continue to be blinded by his skin color.

The bigger, more general breakthrough is this: not since the days of the founders of our country has a president been the child of a parent who was not born on American soil. The last possibility was Mike Dukakis, and we remember how that went.

That this president's father was born in Kenya -- or for our discussion, anywhere not America -- yet sired (and abandoned) a son who has personified the American dream, shows the progress that our culture has made:

* That a child of a single mother -- notwithstanding the ravings of a lunatic -- can do great things in America;

* That anyone's son, molded from our uniquely America melting pot, can become formed into something great.

So, despite the anti-immigrant hoo-ha that tends to be aimed toward our southern border -- that means you, Lou Dobbs -- it seems that America once again lifts its lamp beside the golden door of opportunity.

Non Sequitur of the Day: Thanksgiving With the Family Edition

"If I if I if I if I if I /

If I didn't love you /

I'd hate you."

There Is a Sepcial Place in Hell for Brian Blakeman

MSNBC's resident Wingnut yesterday called Barack out for using his campaign plane "to visit grandma."

Clearly, this clowns's not had a special, nurturing grandmother figure in his life die after an illness, because his egg hatched under a rock.

Behold the psychosis at the 3:00 mark:

Is VPILF a Judd Apaptow fan?

As unfortunate the situation -- made worse by mom -- here is why Bristol Palin should be part of the discourse, at least for a moment:

1. Her mother very publicly used her as a prop to try to get a promotion, in a way that put her daughter under unneeded scrutiny. Watch last week's videos -- poor Bristol's a deer in the headlights, hanging onto the cover of the baby for dear life -- and she did not have to be at a PR event;

2. Bristol and her boyfriend -- however "psyched" they say they are -- are being forced to dramatically alter their lives in an rushed fashion, arguably to help her mother's career;

3. If elections are about character, and "family values", how parents interact with use their children is on the table;

4. If you're in one of the top two slots of an organization which harshly judges other persons' sexual behavior -- whether those person are gay, or want to legally terminate a pregnancy -- then squaring how you live your live -- and raise your family -- within those policies gauges how much of a hypocrite you are.

5. As I've mentioned recently, Gramps has regularly used Chelsea Clinton as a harsh, homophobic punchline, so please, don't tell me "kids are off limits."

In short, if you live your life or run your business in a way that's working for you, then you don't need government or the rights it protects. But when it hits the fan, whether at work or at home, then, suddenly, you want to be in Sweden.

Again... hypocrites.

First Day of School Tomorrow

Sing with me...