Obama Dropped The Ball

I think the Barack Obama campaign dropped the ball with the selection of Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate.
Had Obama picked New York Senator Hilary Clinton, I think it would have guaranteed him the White House. Now, depending on who Sen. John McCain picks, it will be a dogfight.
Listening to the political talking heads, of which there seems to be no end, the Clintons have several problems with Obama. Likewise, I doubt Obama has much regard for the Clintons. We may never know.
It would be fun to be a fly and the wall and hear what the two camps have to say about each other. You know it gets heated.
At the end of the day, Democrats feel their best chance to win is to show the country how "unified" the party is and what a great opportunity for "change" their ticket is.
McCain now must pick wisely. He does not have the luxury of picking someone too polarizing nor can he ignore the Republican base.
I think McCain's best pick would be a woman, but unless he pulls a major surprise, that won't happen.
Of course, unless McCain can find a way to break through the Obama-media love affair, it may not really matter...

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There is something about the fall and football season. You've heard the saying, "it's in the air." It certainly is!
Whether you like high school, college or pro football, there is plenty to go around. It's strange that a game where the goal is to cross a line for points, can be taken so seriously by so many, but that is exactly the case.
Football in America brings communities together and sometimes rips them apart. It can build pride and it can make you want to hide your head in the sand.
The great thing about football or any other sport is that is fuels the fire to compete. Regardless of what allegiance to what team you may have, it's good to get fired up occasionally. Just remember, when the final whistle sounds, the game is over and sportsmanship should be the rule rather than the exception.

Teaching Them To Say "No"

School is gearing up - do yourself a favor and remind your children to stay away from substances - all of them!
We have to find a way to convey to our youth that putting harmful chemicals into our body is not the answer to anything.
Since our children are so inundated with technology, I've been working on this with my children already. With a 5 and 2-year-old, you may think I'm crazy, but I figure, what the heck?
We discuss how cool and unique the brain is and how to protect it. They know they need to wear a helmet when doing certain things and they also know not to take things to damage it otherwise.
Here's the hard part though, they've never been tempted. They've never been told a pill can make them lose weight. They've never been told a drink can make them forget the bad stuff. They've never been told a joint will help them relax.
According to a study by the Columbia University National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 80 percent of high school students in American have witnessed drug use or possession or drunk or high students at their schools. Over 40 percent of middle school children have.
Those statistics should tell us our kids need to learn to say "no" from day one.
We probably all know people on drugs. The vast majority of us probably have someone in our family addicted to drugs. But not even an addict wants their child on drugs.
Parents and caregivers are really the last and best line of defense against drugs. If we're doing our best, we might be able to get our kids through high school safely. In other words, even a terrific parent or caregiver sometimes loses the fight, but we still must try every day.
So here it is. Here's what to look for. Here are the signs that your little one may be messing their brain up:
- Missed classes, lateness, incomplete or missing assignments, falling grades.
- Accidents, mistakes.
- Sudden, unexplained weight loss or gain.
- Neglect of school, work or family affairs.
- Discontinuation of hobbies, sports or group activities.
- Deterioration in appearance or hygiene.
- Change in communication with family or good friends.
- Secretive behavior.
- Missing money or unexplained money or new and expensive items, missing items of value.
- Health problems, change in sleep patterns, runny nose, cough, irritated shin, hangovers.
- Explosive arguments, often over small matters.
No excuses. Tell them why chemicals are bad every day. Stay close to them. Check their rooms, computers and backpacks. Let them know you do it for love and to help them maximize the chances they have in life.
Most of all, just try your best to be the parent you should be.