GOP Fantasy League

Watching the GOP debates? Want to become more involved? Join/create a GOP Fantasy League!

We will be participating online via Twitter using the hashtag #GOPFL

Here are the rules:

- 5 *teams make up 1 league

- Each player will "start" one candidate for the night's debate

- No two players can "start"/"play" the same candidate at the same time

- At any time during the debate a player can "bench" a candidate for any available candidate (one that isn't in use by another player), but can only do so once per debate

- Results will be based on various polls the next day following the debate (check back on this blog where results will be announced)

Order in which players select candidates:


- The order in which players will choose candidates will be based on the results from the previous debate in which the player that finishes last chooses first, 4th place chooses 2nd, etc.

- If all participants are new then order will be chosen at random (flip a coin, rock paper scissors, or something else like that).

- If a player is new to an already existing league then that player chooses last.

- If more than one player is new to an already existing league then the newly inducted players will choose their order at random.

*Teams may constitute 1 individual or up to 3 individuals
**Check back later for GOP Fantasy Primary Election League Rules!

A Dog's Bark

I can't speak much on the subject of dogs, but I do find it fascinating that much of society's evolution can be contributed to the bark of a dog.

"We're howling forever..."

R.I.P. Steve Jobs

Al Roker

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

No Good for Nobody

It's three o'clock in the morning, and our boxwoods are dying.

Maybe the rain and fertilizer will help. They were doing pretty good for a while there, but as the heat and summer continued they gradually slid downhill.

I hope they bounce back.

Fortunately, there's always that midnight hour avenue, no matter what. That street often carries the most optimism. Maybe it's because there's really nothing else left. What hope is left gets invested in a last ditch effort. All is probably true, but mostly true because it's probably easiest to go all in on the last hand.

At least that way you can say you tried, even if you didn't.


It definitely takes shots at your pride. I guess the only way it doesn't is if you rethink what you're proud of. I don't think pride is a bad thing. In fact, if we didn't take pride in anything then I doubt we'd be good at anything.

Maybe pride gets a bad rap.

Maybe it's also another way to seek sympathy. There's a chance things will turn around  because this isn't normal. An interregnal part of me is suffering. Things must and will be right.

I don't know.

Pride's not really a good excuse for anything, really. But then again, there never is a good excuse, or an excuse that's good enough. To be an excuse is a failed attempt at being.

Excuse is another harborer of false hope, anyway. The only thing you can do with false hope is more accurately schedule your disappointment.

It's three o'clock in the morning, and our boxwoods are dying.

I Caught a Mouse

We've been hearing scurrying late at night in our kitchen. Not to mention there was evidence something got into our food that was left on the counter. So, last night I implemented a homemade mouse trap that looks something like this:

Yep.  That's a ruler hanging over the counter (and a trash can) with peanut butter on the end of it. The idea is that if a mouse was in the kitchen, he would walk out on the ruler to eat the peanut butter and the added weight on the end of the ruler would cause it, along with the mouse, to fall into the trash can below. What was that result you ask?

Say hello to Simon the mouse

Here's video of Rachel and Me letting the little guy go:

Casey Anthony: A Modern American Product

With so much going on around this trail, I had to offer my 2 cents on the whole thing

The idea that a mother would kill her child is unimaginable. Whether Casey Anthony did it still doesn't take away from the fact that not matter what, the death of her child is a product of neglect. Also, the pictures taken while her daughter was missing/dead which portray a glamourous nightlife shows clearly that Casey Anthony had little concern for her child. In fact, it wouldn't be difficult to say she has little concern for anyone outside of herself. If you ask me, that's a bona-fide 21st century American product.

I'm not saying that 98% of young Americans would kill their children or have a child die due to neglect and go out and party that night. I'm also not blaming Mortal Kombat (for once) for corrupting society. What I will say is look at the majority of the ideologies our culture absorbs from music, TV, magazines, etc. It's no secret that the most recent American ambiance is one of total egotism, which typically brings about the decay of responsibility,  accountability, and conviction.


I'm not telling you anything you don't know. Everyone will admit that Paris Hilton & Co. are absolutely ridiculous. It's no secret hip-hop, rock, Big & Rich, and most music portrays themes are considered to negatively influence listeners. We all know it, but we still buy it.


Casey Anthony is really no different.

I do believe the majority of Americans have souls and therefore wouldn't be susceptible to murdering a child. I also think that Casey Anthony is an example of an extreme case, and I do think that extreme case is a reflection of our culture in a fundamental way: we're purging ourselves of accountability.

Education slowly declines because no one does their school work, and when that happens parents aren't responsible because their children have a medical disability.

The economy isn't exempt from this discussion either. No one wants to work manufacturing, construction, or other jobs that might below them. There are social government-run programs for that. Not to mention us college grads; we went to school so we should have our dreams jobs. Right?

Come to think of it, I guess Casey Anthony just had an abortion during her 30th trimester (I'm not laughing at that joke either).

I know it's not fair to say who or what is responsible for Casey Anthony's actions other than Casey Anthony. I do think that our culture can learn a lot about itself by observing her behavior. The pictures from the "hot body" contest while her child was missing/dead speaks volumes if you ask me.

Yeah, this is what you do when after finding out your kid is missing/dead...or on any given weekend?

 We may not stoop to commit such despicable acts, but we do bath in the same soup that molded Casey Anthony. Extreme case aside, it's hard not to see that Casey Anthony's shunning of accountability and responsibility is truly a modern American product

I'm Married!

I got married and it's awesome! I don't have much to say besides the experience was incredible, and I wish I could go back and relive it.

We went to Jamaica for our honeymoon. It started out a bit woeful, but thanks to AMEX Travel (I highly recommend them) our trip was saved. Here's some pictures: