November 4th

This is going to be my last post of a political nature and it has nothing to do with who running for the highest office in the land. It is more focused on those of us who are burdened with the responsibility of choosing a leader in the midst of a highly uncertain time. The right to vote is one of immense responsibility, one that is not to be taken lightly. As Americans we must weigh the pros and cons of each candidate and choose whom you think would be the best candidate. You do not however mock or belittle someone else or make assumptions as to why they are voting for a candidate. Also, we can not, absolutely can not believe everything we see on television or read on the internet. Obama is not an Islamic terrorist, John McCain does not have an illegitimate black child in South Carolina, Sarah Palin did not hide her daughter's first pregnancy by saying it was her. All lies perpetrated by fanatics, not just from the right but from the left as well. I am voting for Obama, I have many friends voting for McCain, it doesn't make either one of us better people. We all come from different backgrounds, have different personalities, so natrually our outlook on things are going to differ. Is it right to hold up stuffed monkeys with Obama shirts? No. Is it right to hang Sarah Palin in effigy? No. These actions divide more than anything the candidates themselves could ever do. McCain is an experienced senator who can never be repaid for all he has given his country. Obama is a transcendent voice and his community service record should be commended not insulted. America, whoever wins, we must all get behind this leader and do what is best for the nation. Vote, but don't belittle and berate those who have a difference of opinion.

The Top Three Point Guards

And now the moment you have all been waiting for, the top three point guards in the NBA.

3. Chauncey Billups, Detroit Pistons

I had a hard time coming up with a third point guard and I must say it was a toss up between Billups and Tony Parker and I gave the nod to billups because of how their teams performed without them during stretches where they were injured. The spurs were a better team without Parker than the Pistons were without Billups. He is one of the strongest point guards in the league and a constant match up problem. And the fact he is one of the most clutch free throw shooters around definitely helps his case.

2. Deron Williams, Utah Jazz

Williams is one of the most complete guards in the league and could very well be the second coming of Jason Kidd. People will always ask whether or not the Jazz made the right decision drafting Williams over Chris Paul but williams is the perfect fit for Jerry Sloan's offense and a cornerstone for any organization.

1. Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets

Without question the best point guard in the league. He is as Scott Skiles would say "quicker than quick." Nobody has the vision and touch on his passes like Paul does. He single handedly has resurected the career of Tyson Chandler with his lob passes as they connected for almost 100 alley oops last season alone. Not to mention his lightning fast hands makes him a terror on the defensive end as well.

Top Three Shooting Guards

Ladies and gentlemen I present to you the most chocolatey shooting in the league.

3. Dwayne Wade, Miami Heat

Last year he appeared to regress but that was mainly due to the fact he was injured. Now that he is healthy I expect to see a return to the Wade of '06. The kid who can get to the rim at will and when given a cushion is a very accurate jump shooter. Also Wade is one of the best finishers in the league.

2. Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets

T-Mac is one of the best offensive guards in the NBA and it is a crime that he is constantly blamed for an underachieving Rockets squad that has yet to get out of the first round. He is a very good jump shooter and ask one of the many people he has dunked on over the course of his career and they will testify to his still impressive leaping ability. He defense leaves much to be desired but hey he's not the top 2 guard in the league.

1. Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers

Kobe is the best 2 guard in the league and there is no question about that. He is the best man to man defender at his position and maybe in the league, he is an offensive assassin who has no qualms about taking the big shot. He is one of the few players who can dominate agame simply by being on the court, his presence is that large.

Top Small Forwards

Continuing my countdown of the top players in the NBA. Today I give you the small forwards:

3. Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics

Pierce may call himself the best player in the world, the Chocolate Puma however does not. He has proven himself to be one of the most clutch players in the game and with his performance in the NBA playoffs he moved from a good player on a bad team to an elite player on a championship squad.

2. Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets

I have been a fan of Melo since at the Espys a few years ago he thanked himself after winning an award. Melo is one of the most dangerous low post scorers in the league and his ever improving jumper is making him one of the most complete offensive players in the league. Granted his defense leaves much to be desired, but hey nobody is perfect.

1. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

Correction, if there is a perfect player his name is LeBron. He's built like a defensive lineman, runs like a track star, and there is no human comparison to his leaping ability. People call him the next Michael Jordan, a more realistic comparison would be Oscar Robertson. The only man to average a triple double for an entire season and if you told me LeBron would do it, I would believe it.

OJ...Damn It

There are certain people you want to believe, be it parents, friends or in my case OJ Simpson. You see my defense of OJ began when as a child I saw a woman not related to the Brown or Goldman family who OJ allegedly killed their family members Ron and Nicole. This woman was crying and screaming that he was "guilty as sin." One problem, she wasn't there. In fact she has never even been to the state of California. She was standing outside my elementary school in Mississippi. She and others like her had to be stopped. I had no problem if someone says "I think he is guilty," but to just assume guilt I had an issue with.

I came up with many theories to support my hypothesis that the Juice did not put the squeeze ob these two innocent people. But his latest actions just have me finished. In fact I wanna accuse OJ of crimes I KNOW he didn't commit. Did OJ kill JFK? You got it. Did he rape that girl in Colorado and blame Kobe? Pass the kool-aid. He rig the election in 2000? Oh sweet Jesus yes.

This dumb ass shows up to some hotel room with a bunch of thugs and tries to steal a bunch of memorabilia that he signed and SOLD and this moron brings guns. A man accused of murder show up and brings guns. So I am through. I now need someone else to defend religiously. I wonder what R. kelly is up to these days...

Top Three Power Forwards

Continuing my countdown of the best position players I present to you, my top three power forwards.

3. Elton Brand, Philadelphia 76ers

When healthy Brand is a consistent low post scoring threat who will give you 20 points and even grab 10 boards a game. His defense is solid and he has the attitude to win and should make the Sixers instant contenders in a very weak Eastern conference.

2. Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns

Now that he has completely recovered from microfracture suregery he has the potential to be the most dominant power forward since Karl Malone. If he gets you in the paint, you have already lost the battle. If he shores up his defense next year he could be in the number on spot in the Puma rankings.

1. Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics

The best defensive big man in the league arguably, but one thing that is not in doubt is he is the most intense. He, not Doc Rivers, was most responsible for the Celtics remarkable turnaround. He has one of the most complete games in all of the NBA. Defense, offense, the man has no glaring flaws.

Colin Powell= Model American

I have always had so much respect for Colin Powell, not just for his service to this country but because he is a man of such high character. Listen to what he said about his own party regarding the assertions that Barack Obama was a Muslim:

"Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian, but the real right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, 'He's a Muslim and he might be associated terrorists.' This is not the way we should be doing it in America."

Now that is what I call a maverick.

Basketball Season...Yes!

Ahh yes, my favorite time of the year is upon us, basketball season. In honor of this I will now rank the top three players of each position. Starting with the man in the middle...the centers.

3. Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs

Yes, I realize that the Big Fundamental at times starts at power forward but anyone who watches the Spurs knows that Duncan is the center. With his exceptional defense, footwork, and ability to score in the paint, he has been one of the most succesful big men in the league in recent history. During his rookie season, Charles Barkley said, "I have seen the future, and he wears number 21." And the round mound of rebound doesn't just give out compliments all willy nilly.

2. Yao Ming, Houston Rockets

Yao is one of the most versatile centers in league history. Never before has a player been this tall and this talented. Not only can he block shots, but his down low game is phenomenal and he has range. Throw in the fact he is always in the 75-80% free throw range and it's definite that we'll never see a hack a Yao startegy.

1. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

The undisputed champion of centers right now. And the scary thing is he is not even fully developed yet. Once he learns the nuances of playing center...game over.

Kyle Orton= Pimp

To all those who mocked the Bears choice in quarterbacks, please allow me to point out some numbers to you. Kyle Orton has a quarterback rating of 91.4, which is higher than Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, and Carson Palmer just to name a few. That not impressive? Fine, he has more passing yards than Donovan Mcnabb, Aaron Rodgers, and one Brett Favre. Still not drinking the Orton kool-aid? How about this, he has more td passes than both Mannings, McNabb and Chad Pennington. So let's give props where it is due, Orton is a true quarterback and not just a game manager.

Wow

Ladies and gentleman I think the Heisman race has a new front runner, his name...Colt McCoy. This week Colt and the boys from Austin evicerated the Tigers from Mizzou with Colt putting up this ridiculous stat line:
29/32 for 337 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for two more. Kee-ya bitch. So congrats Colt, now that I have endorsed you I am sure you will fall from grace much like Knowshown Moreno and Chase Daniel.

Glenn Beck is a mega-douche.

CNN talking head Glenn Beck wrote an article today which is titled "Voting against Obama doesn't make you a racist," and this is true. If you have reasons to not vote for Obama then don't do it, that is your right as an American. But what Obama has gone through is racism. To ignore some of the more blatant and even some of the subtle forms of racism going on in this case is to stick your head in the sand and basically refuse to believe in this day and age that it can still happen. But that's something for another day, let's focus on Mr. Beck who has been a lightning rod of controversey. For instance, in 2005 when interviewing Keith Ellison, the first Muslim to be elected to the US Congress he said: "

"With that being said, you are a Democrat. You are saying, 'Let's cut and run.' And I have to tell you, I have been nervous about this interview with you, because what I feel like saying is, 'Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.' And I know you're not. I'm not accusing you of being an enemy, but that's the way I feel, and I think a lot of Americans will feel that way."

So Mr. Beck is that racist? Or how about when you ran a fake ad as your picture of the day which reccomended that we turn the bodies of illegal immigrants into fuel. That's just knee slapping funny. How can I take this guy seriously? He was one of the idiots who believed there was hidden messages in American currency. Ri-goddamn-diculous. Basically here it is, voting against Obama is not racist...if you have a reason other than his middle name is Hussein or you think he is a Muslim. If you vote on the issues, don't worry about this. And if you are offended it appears I may have hit too close to home.

Also for further reading I would suggest this article by Roladn Martin
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/07/martin.townhall/index.html?iref=newssearch

Disrespectful Banter

During the course of my day I get asked alot of general questions, ranging from sports to politics. Now when asked these I generally have no problem answering these questions, but when politics is on the table without fail someone asks "are you voting for Barack Obama because he is black?" Now I can guarantee none of my white friends have been asked are they voting for someone due to the fact they are white. I find this question to be offensive, because it insinuates that I am unable to make a decision based on the facts. That I have to look at a guy's skin color to make a choice. If that was the case i would never vote because as we all know Obama is the first legit candidate of color. I take my voting very seriously and look into each candidate. I owe too much to those who came before me to ignore the issues. But ok, here are a few reasons. The McCain campaign lies too much for me. Example, in a new ad an excerpt of Obama speaking showed this: "says our troops in Afghanistan are "just air-raiding villages and killing civilians." In reality it was taken from a speech a year ago where he said: "We've got to get the job done there, and that requires us to have enough troops so that we're not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there." Ok, want a another? You got it. How can I vote for a man who chooses a woman who doesn't even know who is leading our troops in Afghanistan. Really Gov. Palin? Gen. Mclellan said that? You sure it wasn't Gen. McKiernan. And I have many more reasons why I am not voting for John McCain so if you ask me if I am voting for the Senator from Illinois because he is black you might just get a bipartisan bitch slap from the old Chocolate Puma.

Really?

The number one movie in America was this? Really? We are in an economic crisis and a portion of our fellow Americans are spending money on a movie about talking dogs. Mind boggling.