Jeanne Garofalo hates Democracy

During Jeanne Garofalo's appearance on Countdown to Keith Olbermann on April 16th, she said the following:

”Let’s be very honest about what this is about,” she said. “It’s not about bashing Democrats, it’s not about taxes, they have no idea what the Boston tea party was about, they don’t know their history at all. This is about hating a black man in the White House. This is racism straight up. That is nothing but a bunch of teabagging rednecks.”

Due to the outrageous nature of her comments, I felt compelled to voice my opinion. So, I came up with the following response:

Dear Jeanne Garofalo,

I enjoyed watching your appearance on Countdown to Keith Olbermann in which you very thoughtfully discussed the Tea Parties held all across America. I was especially moved by your grasp on the geopolitical landscape of our great Nation given your mounds of relevant experience on the subject.

I have to admit, during your appearance, I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don't have that too often.

Your generalizations that “the attendees had no idea what the Boston tea party was about” and “this is about hating a black man in the White House,” clearly display your unique ability to proclaim with certainty, the ideals that thousands of individuals possess without even having the opportunity to meet each and every one of them in person.

The phenomena might be declared impossible altogether if not for the fact that the daily lives of the Hollywood crowd are almost mirror images of those on Main Street, USA. I have got to give it to you. You have really nailed the “pulse” of America.

My favorite moment of the appearance revolved around your choice words regarding the attendees of the many hundreds of tea parties nationwide; “That is nothing but a bunch of teabagging rednecks.” It was just so beautifully put and so absolutely profound! One only needs to view the footage to experience the love and the absolute tolerance that you have for persons whose geologic backgrounds and sexual proclivities are so diverse from that of your own. Bravo for putting on display the tolerance and acceptance that you and your ilk profess to champion, Jeanne!

I think it’s pretty safe to say that you have you have proven to be terribly out of touch with everyday Americans. The tea parties were not about racism. That assertion is totally without any basis, counterproductive and frankly, insulting. The tea parties were an inevitable reality caused by a Government that refuses to do the will of the people. Not the will of large corporations, special interest groups or lobbyists, but the will of the people whether it be curbing out of control spending and an expanding government or enforcing immigration laws. The tea parties were simply Democracy in its purest form.

Tell me again… What exactly is your issue with this?

Sincerely,

An anonymous American

My letter to Dan Snyder

I realize that this post is terribly off topic but I thought I would share anyway. Basically, it's a letter I wrote to Redskins owner Daniel Snyder in response to the Redskins' 2009 draft which I thought was pretty terrible.


Mr. Snyder:

I am very confident that I can help deliver a new era of success for the Washington Redskins franchise. Please give me a few minutes of your valuable time so I can detail how I can help.

The Washington Redskins have experienced much success in many areas including the value of the franchise, merchandising, free agency and the management of the salary cap. One area where I see the need for improvement is on draft day. I have always had a passion for the NFL draft and realize its importance to an NFL franchise. Whether your goal is to build a new foundation for your team or fortify positions in response to future departures or the possibility of injury, in today’s very competitive NFL, it is critical to maximize the ROI of your draft. As such, I have dedicated much of my free time to the evaluation of players and I have conducted my own real time Redskins drafts on draft day. I would like to share the results of my 2008 and 2009 drafts or the Redskins and provide some additional commentary.


My 2008 Draft Picks:
2 (34) CB Brandon Flowers
2 (48) DE Calias Campbell
2 (51) WR Limas Sweed
3 (96) OT Anthony Collins
4 (124) QB John David Booty
6 (168) CB DeJuan Tribble
6 (186) DT Ahtyba Rubin
6 (242) WR Marcus Monk
7 (249) OG Kerry Brown


2008 Team Needs:
1. Defensive Lineman – Aging defensive line along with injuries call for upgrades.

2. Defensive Back – The writing was on the wall for Springs. 2008 would be his last season with the Redskins and Rogers was coming off a torn ACL injury so some depth here was critical.

3. Offensive Line – A definite area of need for a few years with aging veterans and injuries.

4. Wide Receiver – We lacked a viable #2 WR target and a red zone threat to take some attention away from Moss and Cooley


My 2008 draft would have addressed all of our needs.
1. Defensive Lineman – Calias Campbell, the 6-8, 282 pound DE played for the NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals and recorded 28 tackles with one forced fumble in a promising rookie season. He is penciled in to start in the 2009 season following the departure of Antonio Smith. He could have replaced Phillip Daniels once he was injured. The book is still out on DT, Ahtyba Rubin. He is on the Cleveland Browns roster and recorded 11 tackles but he would represent additional depth once Griffin departs.

2. Defensive Back – CB Brandon Flowers was an immediate contributor for the Kansas City Chiefs. He started 13 games and recorded 69 tackles, 1 forced fumble and 2 interceptions including one returned for a touchdown. He is said to be a bright light in the otherwise gloomy season the Chiefs had in 2008. Brandon would have been drafted as Spring’s replacement.

3. Offensive Line – OT Anthony Collins played in 9 games and started the last 6 games for the Cincinnati Bengals. He could have served at RT as Jansen’s replacement.

4. Wide Receiver – WR Limas Sweed is an up and coming WR on the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburg Steelers. He recorded 6 receptions for 64 yards as the #4 WR. This year, he is slated to serve as the #3 WR behind Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes with the departure of Nate Washington. Sweed would have been our viable #2 WR target and a red zone threat.

**Not only would my draft have addressed all of our needs, but it would have eliminated the need to trade the 2009 2nd round pick for DE Jason Taylor, allowing for the addition of one more draft choice to fill a need.


My 2009 Draft Picks
1 (13) DE - Brian Orakpo
2 (44) OLB Clint Sintim**
3 (80) OT - Troy Kropog
5 (158) OG - Duke Robinson
6 (186) C - A.Q. Shipley
7 (221) RB - Rashad Jennings
7 (243) WR - Quan Cosby


2009 Team Needs:
1. Offensive Lineman – Retooling of the offensive line (tackle, guard and center) was a need due to aging veterans, lack of quality depth and injury history.

2. Outside Linebacker – With the departure of Marcus Washington and the injury history of McIntosh, this is an area in need of an upgrade.

3. Defensive End – Pass rush needed a boost as there was little pressure on the QB in 2008.


Again, my 2009 draft would have addressed all of our needs.
1. Offensive Lineman – OT, Troy Kropog is an outstanding prospect who has all of the ability but needs to get stronger. He could play right away if necessary all the while developing his
strength, eventually filling in at LT or RT. OG, Duke Robinson was rated the highest OG prospect before the collegiate season, has all of the tools to be successful but dropped due to his lack of concentration. Penalties in the bowl game hurt him. He reminds me of Derek Dockery who benefitted from coaching in that regard. He could serve as Randy Thomas’ eventual replacement. A.Q. Shipley would add some bulk to the center position and add some much needed depth at Center and an eventual replacement for Casey Rabach.

2. Outside Linebacker – DE/OLB Brian Orakpo may help fill the need here depending on how Coach Blatche wants to use him. He gives us the flexibility to move a couple of guys around. Also, assuming my 2008 draft was followed, we would still have our 2nd round pick to use on OLB Clint Sintim who I feel would have been an excellent fit.

3. Defensive End – DE/OLB Brian Orakpo can fill the need here.


In conclusion, I believe that I have displayed the immense value that I can add to your franchise and my favorite sports team in the world. I hope that you would consider seriously allowing me to assist in delivering the Washington Redskins back to the degree of success that we experienced decades ago.



Sincerely,
Fred Pickering