2016 Obama's America: Movie Review

I was so amazed this movie actually made it to Astoria given the political climate that exists here. My guess is because it's a very well made documentary and it’s been making money. It opened in theaters worldwide on the weekend of Aug. 24. The film ranked seventh in U.S. box office revenue for the weekend of Aug. 24-26, gathering cumulative revenue of more than $9 million from 1,091 locations.

The film premiered July 13 on one screen in Houston and slowly expanded over the past month to 1,091 theaters in such cities as Baton Rouge; Nashville, Tenn.; Denver; Phoenix; Wichita, Kan.; and Washington, D.C. The film expanded to about 1,800 theaters last Friday.

It collected $6.2 million last Friday, Saturday and Sunday for a per-screen average of $5,940, the best of any film in wide release. It added another $1.2 million at the box office Monday.

The reason it's making money is because it's not a hit piece. It's a fact based biography of Obama's political roots. Unfortunately too many didn't know what they were getting when they voted for Obama in 2008.

In great depth it deals with his early childhood, college years and the tremendous influence his Mother, Dad, friends, college professors and mentors have had him emotionally and psychologically. Once the filmmaker puts together the story of his whole life his political ideology becomes blatantly clear and easy to understand.

It also makes the best argument I've seen yet for the reasons why so many people did vote for him. This part of the movie alone makes it well worth watching no matter what your political stripe.

I counted 45 people (a big crowd for any movie theater in Astoria) at the matinee and the manager of the theater said the movie was doing a great business. I only hope that more people go see this movie, especially voters under the age of 30. Although people over 30 should see it too I don't have much faith that harden Democrats of any age will give it a chance. It's too bad because they'd become enlightened.

One of the things that frustrates me personally about politics on either side is the unwillingness to entertain the idea that maybe just maybe there's another way to look at an issue and bend on it.

Regardless, whether you're a Democrat or Republican you should see this movie before the election. Maybe it won't change how you vote but it'll certainly give you some information you're probably unaware of to think about before you do.

Manning Cruises Over the 49ers

With great protection Manning didn't break a sweat against the 49ers.

This was Peyton Manning’s best preseason showing to date with the Broncos. Manning scored against the first team D for the 49ers and made it look easy. Eric Decker had a nice game and should have had 3 TD’s catches instead of 2. I hope Decker can minimize the drops when they count. All of the first string WR’s, TE’s and backups had drops yesterday, too many drops. Last year, the drops by Decker and Thomas were so numerous and costly. Decker must catch the ones like he dropped for that sure TD.

During the Manning series’ the Broncos OL did an excellent job in pass protection. Manning only got hit big once. They did a good job for Willis McGahee too. At 30 years old he can still run down hill with as much power as any RB in the league if he gets an opening. If McGahee can stay on the field all season the combination of his running and Manning’s passing should produce big yards and scores.

The Broncos first team D played well against the 49ers first team offense. I was very impressed how they shut down their running game. The pass rush was not as good, especially with the backups in. As a whole they didn’t get the kind of consistent pass pressure they’re going to need against better passing teams. Too many missed tackles by all 3 lines of Defense in this one too and the backup Safeties and Corners for the Broncos need a lot of work. I have real concerns about the Broncos D going into the regular season, the DB’s must improve their cover and tackling skills. The DL must improve their pass pressure in the 3-4, the 4-3 and even in the 5-2 which they lined up in several times in the game but didn’t achieve much.

It’ll be interesting to see which DB’s and DLinemen the Broncos stay with come the final cut down day. The only true standouts on D whose starting jobs are secure IMO are Miller, Dumervil and Champ at this point.

Personally I felt like the 9ers D and the team as a whole was overrated last year especially on D. They played in the weakest conference in the NFC last year and had an easy schedule. Since they had a 13-3 record last year their schedule will be much more difficult out of their division just like the Broncos this season. On offense last season 49ers kicked more FG’s for scores for points than TD’s last year so offensively they were ranked near the bottom.

You have to really take these preseason games with a grain of salt. I’m hopeful about the Broncos O being better under Manning but the Broncos D still needs a lot of work.

Seahawks Expose Weaknesses

Manning can still run a good hurry up.

I just watched the DVR version of the Seahawks/Broncos game. The most impressive part of it was the hurry up offense Peyton Manning got going at the end of the first half. Manning can still move the ball quickly when he has too. Too bad that drive had to end with a dropped TD pass in the end zone, my Mom could of caught that one.

Willis McGahee looked good in limited action but this was no thing of beauty for the offense as a whole. Manning had the 2 picks and was under pressure to many times. I was glad to see him get up after the one good hit that he took. His game while good is still not up to the level it needs to be yet and neither is the OL and the Receivers.

As good as the Broncos D tackled in the first game against the Bears they were horrible in this one. The pass rush was ineffective and when the Seahawks QB and RB's broke through the first level the Broncos missed far too many tackles on the second.

In summary I'd say Manning is on the comeback trail but he's not 100% in sync and the Broncos D still has a lot of work to do to get better. Thankfully these games don't count but when they do we have expect much better.

Good Preseason Tackling Beats the Bears

Jack Del Rio should help improve the Broncos D.

I just zipped through the Broncos game tonight on the DVR. The thing that most sticks out about the game was the tackling by the Broncos D. They didn't miss any that I remember seeing and that's amazing considering it was the 1st preseason game with backups and Rookies getting most of the playing time. Even on special teams they didn't miss any tackles. The Bears didn't have any big plays in the game at all.

Granted Matt Forte and Jay Cutler didn't play but the Broncos were very aggressive throughout. Most of the game they played a 4-3 D, many times they lined up 5 on the defense line.

They totally shut down the run game and were constantly putting pressure on all the Bears QB's in passing situations.

With Fox and new DC Jack Del Rio one would expect more aggressive defensive schemes but to be a successful D you have to be able to tackle consistently. So I'm certain Fox and Del Rio have to be pleased with this effort.

On offense the running game looked good. Willis McGahee, Jeremiah Johnson, Lance Ball and even Knowshon Moreno had some nice carries.

As for the Receivers Eric Decker and Matt Willis had some nice catches.

Manning's one series wasn't enough to see if his game is dead on yet. He threw some balls into good coverage that maybe he shouldn't have. The Brandon Stokley defection that got intercepted wasn't a great pass. But Manning looked comfortable in the pocket and the Broncos OL did protect very well for him and the backups.

Julius Peppers and Brian Urlacher didn't play so it's hard to tell this early if they'll be able to pass protect against stud D's.

I was impressed with Brock Osweiler's limited playing time. He does have a strong arm, mobility and threw a nice throw for TD pass. He's got the physical tools and if he gets the head for the game he could be a good QB in the NFL.

My main concern going in was how well would all of the new players on the DL and in the backfield would play. Since the Bears didn't produce anything on the ground and the pass pressure was so good by the DL and LB's the Corners and Safety's didn't really get challenged.

It was a good start for the Broncos. Now it's on the Seahawks next week, hopefully the confidence will roll over and they can improve game by game until they count.

Smog, Climate Change and Energy are 3 Seperate Issues

I got into a debate with a Global Warming Alarmist from LA today on a message board and thought I’d share this rant. No sense wasting it on one person. If you have a few minutes, watch all or part of this video for some background.

The Global Warming Swindle

LA does have some smog and it does need to be dealt with but one EPA sized rule does not fit all. Remember living in the bubble of LA is different than living in the fly over states. Air quality needs to be addressed in big cities but even with the smog it's NOT causing global warming. Smog and global warming are not connected and never have been. The facts don't fit the argument and today the smog is not as big a problem as it was because cars are burning cleaner fuel and are not admitting as bad of emissions as 20 years ago.

Even if the air quality in LA still needs improvement we shouldn’t destroy the entire nation’s economy by spending billions on energy systems than have a huge deficit on cost and delivery. Especially if it can only be counted on to meet less than 10% of our energy needs right now. It’s a real fairy tale to believe that solar, wind and bio-fuels are going to heat and cool every house in the US or power every car, ship, truck or train that moves food and every other essential consumer products we need.

I’ll give one truly ironic and moronic thing I love about California greenies that drives me crazy in this fantasy that is global warming. Some think electric cars are the answer. Really? First where does the electric power come from? Power plants. What do they use as an energy source to fuel power plants? Coal and natural gas. When I lived in Sacramento 10 years ago (another city with smog problems) the people of California didn’t want any more power plants built because they burned coal or natural gas.

Well Gee… how the hell are you going to power electric cars if the power grid in cities like LA and Sacramento are maxed out already? Electric energy is not an invisible source of energy. I’m amazed how stupid people are in just this one case alone. Then the other issue is the manufacture and the disposal of the car batteries if millions are put into production and used. The chemical waste created by batteries would be far more harmful to the environment that any diesel or gas burning vehicle.

Just like power plants some don’t want solar farms either in California. It’s the same moronic thinking that is getting us all nowhere. Why are we letting California control the narrative on the whole climate change and energy debate? They don’t have a clue. They want Solar Energy but not at the sake of Turtles. Click on the link below to read to see firsthand the madness of  it all.

Mojave Solar Project Killing Threatened Desert Tortoises

Bio-fuels have proven to be a disaster. First you must use energy to plant the corn, then energy to harvest the corn, and then use energy to transport the corn to a processing facility, and then use energy to process the corn into fuel, and then use energy to transport the fuel to dispensing facilities. Wow, very efficient system there isn’t it? More energy is wasted in making the energy than any benefit of using it thus it’s a negative outcome not just from an energy standpoint but from an economic outcome. Not only that but the corn used to make the fuel is causing worldwide food shortages and driving up the price of foods that use corn additives.

The farmers planting the corn for bio-fuels love it because they’re receiving massive government subsidies to grow and plant corn for bio-fuel. We shouldn’t have to subsidize another grand and stupendous failure like this one period when oil, natural gas and coal are in abundance.

Wind and solar are a joke too, because they cannot and will not work in certain areas of the US because of weather conditions. I live in NW Oregon wind and solar is impossible here just as it is many parts of the country. It’s total nonsense that the people of LA or any of the other big cities can dictate what energy policy and air quality policy is going to be when nothing compares to their problems.

Nuclear power plants is one of solutions I support, but it’s the same thing, waste is created in the process so Greenies don’t want them. In France they’ve been safely using them for years.

One thing is certain we can’t let people who believe in global warming destroy our free society by letting a few cites with some smog problems dictate energy and economic policy to the rest of us. Oil, natural gas and coal in combination with the other useful alternative energy sources can and should be used but this straw man called global warming needs to be burned at the stake because man isn’t causing climate change. 

God Bless America, The Movie

Until last night when I found this on amazon.com Jenny or I had never heard of this movie. What a great find. Without a doubt this movie is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. The social commentary it makes about TV and Pop Culture may offend some but is dead on and mirrors how I feel about it. I warn you it does have some violence and some profanity but the violence isn’t gratuitous.

Without giving to much a way it attacks reality shows in general, a noted broadcaster and a famous radio personally. Every single one of them in my opinion is worthy of it especially American Idol.

The wife and I are part of very small group who despite and loath American Idol, Survivor and all of the other reality shows. Neither one of us has watched a single episode of either of these shows and never will. The main character in the movie in a speech he gives at his office after the first 10 minutes of the movie describes it in a way far better than I ever could why we hate reality TV.

That speech only makes this movie well worth watching. It is brilliantly written and you totally sympathize and like the man who gets caught up in this dark, funny and hard hitting honest movie.

The only 2 things I didn’t like about it was that they gave the Tea Party an unfair wrap and they don’t mention Obama in the movie which didn’t really surprised me necessarily but I thought they would since it was so spot on about all the other subjects it spotlights. I highly recommend this movie despite these 2 flaws and I hope after you’ve watched it you’ll get back to me and let me know what you thought of it. We both loved it. Here's the IMDb link to the info and trailer of the movie.

God Bless America 

The San Bernardino Bankruptcy

This rant was edited and published in The Daily Astorian on July 13, 2012. Click on the link below:

Prepare for Big Fall 

 

It seems to me there is this intentional blinding apathy about anything political significant that is currently happening today by too many that scares the hell out of me.

Unfortunately most people don't won't to know and think that as long as it has no direct effect on them it doesn't matter. This couldn't be farther from the truth; eventually it WILL directly affect you and all of us. It's an attitude we can no longer afford.

Case in point, the bankruptcy of the City of San Bernardino:

First Stockton, then Mammoth Falls now San Bernardino is filing for bankruptcy, does this concern you? It should, even if you're in Key West, FL.

This story is an example of how the walls of Rome, in this case cities in California, are falling because of the unbelievable pension benefits they're paying to public employee unions. Granted these cities have spent millions on other wasteful programs but these unions not only have a huge stranglehold on cities but on the State and Federal level as well. It has to end NOW!

California is a big indicator of what the rest of the economy nationwide could be in for, an epic fall. The days of make work jobs and massive do nothing city, state and federal agencies providing gold plated benefits has to be drastically altered very soon or a total collapse of the national economy is imminent.

Some will ask what can I do? First you need to educate yourself about the local, state and national economic issues. Then support candidates who you most agree with and then VOTE. Write and call you representatives as well, if enough do it they will be forced to listen.

The 2 party system is extremely flawed and what we're stuck with right now. Hopefully one day that'll change but until then we must elect candidates who are not going to keep maintaining the status quo by kicking the fiscal can down the road to the gates of hell.

More taxes, more government, more laws that undermine our freedoms, more needless regulation, more government interference in trying inject itself into the economy, more money being printed by the Federal Reserve, more social welfare programs, more EPA and United Nations controlled energy policy, more federal disregard for protecting our borders and more climate change nuts controlling the narrative that adversely affect the national economy clearly hasn't worked and isn't the answer.

Worse still and more importantly are citizens who are willfully ignorant, or so selfish and apathetic they don't give a damn as long someone doesn't dig into their own rice bowl or enter their little halo of a world. Is that the kind of American you want to be, really?

Make no mistake it WILL affect you, maybe not today, tomorrow, a week, a month or year from now but eventually it WILL. We must take a hard fiscal right hand turn before it's too late. If you don't care about it personally just think of the world we'll leave for our children and grandchildren.

Ignore the main stream media who daily make this election cycle about social issues. It's the oldest tactic in the world. They run interference to get voters on both sides emotional charged and lead you away from the dreadful financial straits we're in.

One must believe that a job, a roof over your head and food on the table is more important than any social issue. You can be assured that people without these 3 necessities could care less about the social world order. And more likely than not without it cause disorder as a result.

In a perfect world we'd live in a perfect social society but it'll never happen especially if people don't have jobs or are under the thumb of an oppressive centralized government who believes it can be all things to all people. I sincerely hope that this offends you if you're one of the many who don't care about politics. If it does and it motivates you to act then, all the better.