The Train Keeps A Rolling

In continuance of their tired attacks on those evil Koch Brothers and in effort to slam the GOP, did those on the left forget to note that without the pipeline the oil is currently transported by rail and who is among those profiting from it?

That would be our favorite ukulele playing uncle, Democrat Warren E. Buffett of Omaha, a significant backer of Barack Obama.  In 2010, Buffett sold stakes in other rails, inclusive of Union Pacific (UNP:NYSE) and Kansas City Southern (KSU:NYSE), to purchase Burlington Northern Santa Fe, which became a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Buffett friend Bill Gates has also taken large equity positions in railroads.

I do not have an issue either way where investors legally find return on investment, just pointing out what DemoNews.org failed to be transparent about.

With transparency in mind, full disclosure would note I am a native Nebraskan and have been a longtime shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B:NYSE). The train keeps a rolling! #GBR!

Warren Buffet with Nebraska Cheer at BRK Annual Meeting

A Greater Risk

A greater risk lies in appeasement. America is currently being weakened from within spiritually, morally, and economically.   The transformation under President Obama to diminish America on the world stage is well underway.  Rather than fighting for freedom, we are releasing enemies and are advancing open borders, which severely diminishes the sovereignty of the United States of America.

Ronald Reagan warned us in his historic "Time For Choosing" speech in 1964.

Please hear his words.

Principled Behavior

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was not a perfect man, none of us are, but he was a man of peace with a message for ages based on Christian principles. In many ways, his legacy has been so distorted by progressives few remember principles he advocated for as noted in the following political ad:

 

No violent protests for Dr. King.  No destruction of personal property or disrespect of the rule of law. King knew he was right, and he would show the world through principled behavior.

Dr. King wanted everyone to have an equal opportunity to take advantage of what this country had to offer through hard work, integrity, innovation and entrepreneurship.  In no way did he advocate for handouts, which destroy the motivation, incentive and self dignity of their recipients.

On this day, we should take time to remember the lessons we were taught by Dr. King, who is most worthy of your respect and admiration.  God Bless Him.

The Turnstile of Terror

Here in America, those who aim for chaos are protesting in the streets against the nation's law enforcement over false yet perceived truths regarding treatment of minorities. Most of these folks are paid operatives, with a smaller percentage useful idiots who are all too eager to fight the man.

Sadly, thanks to the horrendous policies of the Obama administration, these morons might soon be clamoring for the help of our talented and outstanding law enforcement officials, as all of us have been proclaimed as targets for Radical Islamic terrorists around the world. It should be noted members of the terrorist groups that aim us harm are in the United States.

So, it goes without saying that freedom everywhere suffered at the hands of the terrorist act in Paris last week; an act without question perpetrated by Radical Islamic terrorists.

While President Obama has declared the global war on terror over and al Qaeda on the run, the actual terrorists are running roughshod across the globe, seizing territory and engaging in murderous mayhem.  ISIS, Boko Haram, al Qaeda; you name it, they are calling out their targets and inflicting terror.

While there are many recent terrorist acts worth noting, the events in Paris, where Radical Islamic terrorists killed 17 people in incidents at two location, seem to have the feel of the shark being jumped.

As Mark Steyn so appropriately said, "Obama talked the talk, but those guys walked the walk."

The Obama administration refuses to publicly recognize who is actually inflicting these acts of terrorism across the globe, such a glaring omission that even the mainstream media is down right confused. Why can't the Obama administration admit what the entire globe knows; that Radical Islamic terrorists are committing acts of terrorism in increasing and alarming fashion from sea to shining sea?

Perhaps we should think back.  Obama passed judgement on those who would dare "slander the prophet of Islam".  You may recall this quote from a speech Obama made last year at the United Nations:  "The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam".

In page 261 of Obama's book "Audacity of Hope", Obama stated the following: "I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction".  So when the world came together for a unity rally in Paris, it should not shock anyone that Obama would not be in attendance.  While some exhibit their colossal ignorance thinking it was an oversight, or perhaps not feasible due to logistics, Obama has told us where he stands; over and over again.  There is no way he would attend the rally.

While the French Prime Minister appropriately labeled France as "at war with Jihadism and Radical Islam", it did not take long for some backtracking, even by French President Francois Hollande, and for many on the left to blame France for the attack.   While French policies of appeasement and socialism have led to a failed society of multiculturalism, the entire blame for the terrorist attacks lands squarely on the feet of the Radical Islamic terrorists who committed the acts.

Connecting the dots is not difficult.  As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu correctly stated speaking at the rally, "the world is now understanding the threat of extreme Islamic terrorism".  Far be it for me, but I though this was quite clear at about 4:30PM on September 11, 2001.

President Obama is lacking in so many regards, but intelligence is not among that list.  Obama has a long history of, at the very least, being sympathetic to groups, or nations, that are Muslim and coexist with terrorists and their organizations.  Note his position, against American policy, as an opponent of Israel.  Note his warmth to The Muslim Brotherhood, and his swift anger with Egypt who dared to oppose their actions. Consider his lack of action as agents of Islamic terror move toward forming a Greater Syria establishing a caliphate in the middle east.

And ask yourself why under Obama does the United States continue to release prisoners who only return to wage terror on us again? Is he on their team? Obama seems to be operating a turnstile of terror.

As cynical as I am, I cannot believe President Obama wishes harm inflicted on world citizens by these agents of terror, but he certainly is not only sympathetic to Islam, he sides with them against us when "things turn ugly".  He told us so.

Things got "ugly" in France last week.  You saw where Obama stood, and it was not in France at the rally.

Dot The I

We can connect the dots alright, it is just that our leadership chooses not to, as they view America as the problem, guilty of oppression of the occupants of the middle east. As we continue to appease our opponents, and make no mistake we are at war with these Radical Islamic terrorists, these agents of Akbar will keep coming at us.

As we have said, we should be fighting and killing these terrorist abroad rather than engaging them on the mean streets of, say, Hartford, CT.  Kill them now, or pay a much heavier price in killing them later.

So simple, a caveman can figure it out.

The Color & Pageantry Top 25

College Football

2014 Final Top 25

1.     Ohio State, 14-1, 4
2.     Oregon, 13-2, 3
3.     Texas Christian, 12-1, 5
4.     Alabama, 12-2, 2
5.     Florida State, 13-1, 1
6.     Michigan State, 11-2, 7
7.     Baylor, 11-2, 6
8.     Georgia Tech, 11-3, 10
9.     Georgia, 11-3, 10
10.   UCLA, 10-3, 13
11.   Mississippi State, 10-3, 8
12.   Clemson, 10-3, 19
13.   Wisconsin, 11-3, 20
14.   Arizona State, 10-3, 15
15.   Missouri, 11-3, 14
16.   Ole Miss, 9-4, 11
17.   Boise State, 12-2, NR
18.   Arizona, 10-4, 9
19.   Louisville, 9-4, 17
20.   Kansas State, 9-4, 16
21.   Southern Cal, 9-4, 24
22.   Notre Dame, 8-5, NR
23.   Minnesota, 8-5, 21
24.   Auburn, 8-5, 18
25.   Nebraska, 9-4, 22

OUT:  Louisiana State (23) and Duke (25)

VOTES:  Arkansas, Louisiana State, Duke, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, Texas A&M, Washington, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Stanford, NC State and Memphis.

BOWL ANALYSIS

Louisiana Lafayette started fast then hung on to win the R&L Carriers Bowl over Nevada to kick off the bowl season....Utah State used a stellar defensive effort to hold UTEP to a pair of field goals in winning the New Mexico Bowl......Colorado State no doubt felt the loss of Coach Jim McElwain to Florida, but ran into a much superior squad in Utah and got throttled 45-10 in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl.....Air Force controlled the entire way in defeating Western Michigan in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl....South Alabama rallied late to tie Bowling Green and potentially force overtime, but after taking the kick at the 20 with about a minute to go, BGSU bombed the Jaguars on a 78 yard TD bomb to win the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl.....The inaugural Miami Beach Bowl was an excellent contest with saw Memphis outlast BYU in double OT was marred by a massive brawl at the end of the game, the highlights (or low lights) of which went viral for days....Marshall throttled Northern Illinois in the inaugural Boca Raton Bowl....San Diego State got out early on Navy, but surrendered a late TD drive and fell 17-16 in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl..... The inaugural Popeyes Bahamas Bowl was a snoozer for most of the game with Western Kentucky leading 42-14 at the half, but Central Michigan mounted a comeback for the ages to tie the game at 48 pending the PAT, but the Chippewas went for two and failed, taking the shine off their 34 point fourth quarter scoring barrage.....Rice, which is a much better team than you know, smothered Fresno State....La. Tech controlled Illinois.....We knew North Carolina had no defense, but thought they could outscore Rutgers, but Rutgers hammered the Heels in the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit....At the BitCoin Bowl at Tropicana Field in St. Pete, NC State jumped all over UCF and the heavy home crowd.....Va. Tech took over the game versus Cincinnati in the Military Bowl at Annapolis......At the Hyundai Sun Bowl, Duke stormed back but fell late against Arizona State.....Miami continued to underachieve and lost to South Carolina in the Duck Commander Independence Bowl......Boston College failed to put Penn State away, and in overtime, the Nittany Lions got the win.....Nebraska scored the last 15 points of the game at the Holiday Bowl, but fell to USC 45-42.....Texas A&M disposed of West Virginia, who fought hard.  The Aggies had an assistant coach strike a Mountaineer player on two occasions, and Coach Kevin Sumlin sent him packing at halftime.... Clemson absolutely mauled Oklahoma in the newly furbished Russell Athletic Bowl in beautiful downtown Orlando.....In a throwback rivalry game, Arkansas smothered Texas in the Texas Bowl 31-7......In a thriller, Notre Dame beat LSU late 31-28, in a game which features two top teams for 2015....Georgia was too strong for Louisville in the Belk Bowl....Stanford routed Maryland, which shocked nobody.....Texas Christian, smarting from being left out of the CFB, beat Ole Miss up one side and down the other in the Peach Bowl blasting the Rebels 42-3, sending a strong message across the nation....Boise State made Fiesta magic once again, dumping Arizona...In the final contest of the calendar year 2014, Georgia Tech ran all over Mississippi State int he Orange Bowl, who had been AP #1 just a few weeks back....Wisconsin, coached by AD and former coach Barry Alvarez, nipped Auburn in the Outback Bowl.....Missouri played well and pulled away from a strong Minnesota team to win the Buffalo Wild Wings Florida Citrus Bowl.....Houston, down 31-6, came back to stun the Pitt Panthers in the Armed Forces Bowl....Tennessee, setting the stage for 2-15, bombed Iowa in the Gator Bowl....UCLA held off a strong Kansas State team in the Alamo Bowl.....Oklahoma State, decimated by injuries in 2014, flashed what might have been in beating a very good Washington squad in the Ticket City Cactus Bowl.....Florida almost snatched defeat from victory, but got an interception in the end zone to preserve a victory over East Carolina.... Toledo ran all over Arkansas State, literally, winning the GoDaddy Bowl 63-44.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF

In the Rose Bowl, although Florida State moved the ball at will, the Seminoles had series of miscues which left in an 18-13 deficit at the half.  In the second half, the Seminoles, gaining chunks of yardage, were unable to hold on to the football.  These turnovers, forced and unforced, led to a barrage of Oregon points allowing the Ducks and Heisman quarterback Marcus Mariota to route the 'Noles 59-20 to earn spot.

Later, in the SEC infested Sugar Bowl, after falling behind 21-6, Ohio State unleashed some physicality and punched Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide in the face winning going away 42-35.  The Buckeyes improbable run, with their third string QB, surprised many and got them a spot in the CFB.

Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones
Photo/IndyStar

The Color & Pageantry congratulates The Ohio State Buckeyes on winning the 2014 National Championship! It was a remarkable season, and the road the Buckeyes traveled is made of Hollywood treasure.  It is a heck of a story!

After giving up an early score, the Buckeyes unleashed a powerful running attack on the Oregon Ducks, owning the line of scrimmage, setting up a timely and lethal passing attack which led Ohio State to an easy victory over the high flying Ducks.  Ezekiel Elliott ran wild, netting 246 yards.  Elliott utilized a rare combination of speed and power, and the Ducks had no answer.  Put the sophomore Elliott atop your 2015 Heisman watch list.

Defensively, Oregon was hurt by not having their top two receivers available, but they lost the battle up front and could not run effectively enough to open the offense up.  Oregon is no longer a soft team, but the physicality the Buckeyes hit them with was eye opening.

Had Ohio State not suffered four turnovers, this thing wold have gotten ugly.  All with the Buckeyes playing with their third team quarterback Cardale Jones, who looks like Paul Bunyan with wheels.  En route to their sixth national title, Ohio State defeated each of the 2014 Heisman finalists in consecutive games. I wish I were kidding you.

This was some kind of coaching job job done by the hater Urban Meyer.  And the B1G, who was counted out of the party early, went home with all the women.

What a season, and what a playoff!  The highest ratings ever on cable television.  No doubt about it.  It is all about The Color & Pageantry of the greatest game, college football.

2015 will be here before you know it.  Are you in?

The Whole Ball Game

“Free speech is the whole thing, the whole ball game. Free speech is life itself.”—Salman Rushdie

Michael Ramirez/Investors Business Daily

Protection of Power Pinnacle for Boehner

Rep. Louie Gohmert

Yesterday, Rep. Louie Gohmert, R;TX, led a charge against Speaker John Boehner, R;OH, in his bid to retain his speakership, by placing his name into consideration.  Gohmert, a conservative favorite, took this bold step as a result Boehner failing to adequately represent the peoples wishes.  In addition, both Ted Yoho, R:FL and Dan Webster, R:FL, also placed their names into consideration.

This was the most significant challenge to a sitting Speaker of the House in almost a century, and those who took this challenge upon themselves are to be congratulated.

I have longed for someone to take this step, as I deem Boehner a paper tiger who has failed miserably to thwart the onslaught of President Obama.  I hoped Michele Bachmann would make this move a few years back, but it failed to come to fruition.

Speaker John Boehner

The effort, although closer than the experts thought, failed and Boehner will retain his position.  While I most certainly would have voted against Boehner, many GOP members I respect (there are not many), supported Boehner.  Among them were Jason Chaffetz, R:UT, Trey Gowdy, R:SC and newly elected Mia Love, R:UT.

You might think Boehner, given the significance of the challenge, might take this opportunity to take the high road and reach out to those who voted against him with the hope of coming together to fight the Obama agenda.  You would be wrong.

Rep. Steve King, R:IA, one of the good guys, tweeted out that before the dust could settle, Boehner kicked Webster and Rep. Rich Nugent, R:FL, off the Rules Committee in a juvenile act of retaliation.  Rep. Gohmert was not amused, promising a "nasty fight", yet Boehner defended his action.

Sadly, it should be obvious to anyone that Speaker Boehner is more interested and protective of his own power than he is the will of the people or the Constitution of the United States of America.

Therefore, I continue to view him as an opponent, a big government progressive elite.

And with his victory, the ruling class is again victorious.

Imagine The Ripple Effects

My interests in economics and investing have always led me to follow with keen interest what the futurists have to say regarding coming technologies along with keeping tabs on scientific demographics. They tale very informative tales. Imagine the ripple effects.

With an eye always open for information in this arena, I came across the following article from Business Insider, where futurist Ray Kurzweil notes that artificial intelligence is only perhaps fifteen year ahead.  This, of course, would be a game changer.

And while you are absorbing what Kurzweil has to say, there were two accompanying stories on the outstanding website Business Insider which gave insight The first one I noted was the cheetah robot, described as an MIT project having been funded by the US Military.

Items cited in the piece which were utilized in the development were carbon fiber, Kevlar strips, sensors similar to those used in drones and video games. The ripple effect of the cheetah robot could enrich the lives of millions.  

Another story I came across dealt with immigration and demographic trends, a darling of economic futurist Harry S. Dent. The author in this piece studies data gathered to claim there are indeed two Americas, but no divided by party or in the same way that dolt John Edwards used to go around mouthing off about.  No, the findings from this data, which I find interesting but do not totally subscribe to, gives indication on how immigration impacts these two "America" in differing ways.  Understanding the demographic trends is vitally important for economic and social forecasting. 

Over on The Drudge Report, the following related stories were presented:

*We learn robots learn from watching YouTube.  Investors are rushing to embrace artificial intelligence.

*About your job; it may not exist in the future.  In a recent post, we noted how McDonald's was combating the government mandated rise in the minimum wage using these technologies.

*Investment robots, using computer based algorithm-led investing produced stellar returns, defeating most human money mangers. Computers do not get emotionally involved, or as they say, married, to their stock selections like you and I continue to do.

Are all these stories out today in the media appearing by happenstance?  Or perhaps, does somebody know something we don't?

One thing I have been thinking about noting our dreadful economy and how the American dream for many seems to be dying, I wonder what, beyond returning to sane government, can help us return to high levels of prosperity available for all.  Sure, a robust jobs market would be helpful, but you can forget about that until post Obama. 

There is a common occurrence which seems to usher in advances in the standard of living for the citizenry, and it is nothing government created.  It is a significant advance in technology.  The railroad, the two cycle engine, the assembly line, the airplane, the telephone and the personal computer.  Recently, nano-technology has changed the playing field for an exponential amount of players, and may soon play a huge role in the fight against cancer.

Singularity aside, we are on the brink of life changing technological advancement, and while some of it will be dangerous, the greater majority of these advancements will benefit all of mankind.  I hope I own the stock of the leading companies poised to gain from these advancements, but I, like you, will benefit greatly anyhow.

After all, although many seek its demise and transformation, the freedom of America is still the last great stand on earth, and the birthplace of ideas, for where there is a demand, there will be a supply.

The Quack Attacked

'Noles swarmed by Oregon at The Rose Bowl

The Florida State Seminoles returned to The Rose Bowl, the historic venue where the Seminoles defeated Auburn for the National Championship a year ago, to face the high flying Oregon Ducks in a semifinal contest of the first ever College Football Playoff.   FSU was riding a 29 game winning streak, tied for fifth best since WWII.

Although the Seminoles were 9 point underdogs, FSU had failed to play anywhere near their best game, and given the talent level, there were high hopes that on this day, the Seminoles would click on all cylinders. It was not to be, as Oregon devastated the Noles in a third quarter barrage, never looking back en route to a stunning 59-20 victory.

The Seminoles opened the scoring on the day, taking a 3-0 lead, but it became apparent there were red zone issues for FSU.  Offensively, Oregon was almost immediately effective, and it became obvious FSU would have to outscore the Ducks if they were going to secure a victory.

Florida State suffered some miscues, along with a horrendous no interference call, and a missed field goal to potentially leave 14 points on the field, but was only behind 18-13 at the half.  The Seminoles came out of the half moving right down the field, until Dalvin Cook fumbled.  Oregon, who has made teams pay for turnovers all season, drove the field to score a touchdown.  FSU matched that score, but then fumbled again after some large gains, and from there, it was all Oregon.

The Seminoles had a mind boggling 4 turnovers in the third quarter, and it is hard to beat just about anybody doing that.  Even without the turnovers and generating over 525 yards of offense, Florida State never exhibited the ability to stop Marcus Mariota and the high octane offense of the Ducks.  The Quack Attack was as advertised.

Certainly, this team underachieved all season, and could be considered fortunate to have finished the regular season undefeated with an opportunity to play in the first College Football Playoff.  While the loss to Oregon is most disappointing, and we will always wonder why this team struggled so while finishing an undefeated regular season, there is nothing to hang our heads about.

As someone stated, this group of seniors took FSU from the Russell Athletic Bowl to a National Championship, a historic winning streak and a berth in the College Football Playoff.

Coach Jimbo Fisher has built the Seminoles to last, and while a slight drop off is anticipated next fall as the Seminoles must replace most of the offensive line, a record breaking wideout, an award winning tight end and potentially developing a new quarterback, the future is very bright.

Congratulations Seminoles on another great season; ACC and State of Florida Champs once again!

Hiding Outside The Window

I read with interest the following piece from Brian Kofage and his Wounded American Warrior site.

While the author of this piece celebrates the reaction of the corporation against government regulatory intervention in the form of the raising of the minimum wage, as do I, in the macro, hiding outside the window it should be seen that this is the objective of the progressive left in the unemployed citizenry ultimately being beholden to the government.

These agents of socialism are three steps ahead of the actions taking place, and certainly the events reported in the news media.  To thwart them, it will take forward and critical thinking, opposing every movement they attempt, with comprehension of the Overton Window Theory.

Almost

There was quite a bit of turmoil as the Nebraska Cornhuskers headed west to San Diego to face the rising Southern California Trojans in The National University Holiday Bowl.  The Huskers had melted down the stretch, getting torched by Wisconsin, losing at home on senior day to Minnesota before rallying from a deficit at Iowa to win in overtime.

These events, all too common over the tenure of Bo Pelini as Husker head coach, led to his dismissal at the end of the regular season. Many notable players were quite hurt by the firing of Pelini, and this no doubt created a high level of turmoil within the program. While Mike Riley was promptly hired as head coach, it was offensive line coach Barney Cotton, a former Husker player with three sons having played for the Big Red, who would coach the bowl game.

How would the Huskers respond?  Nebraska, a touchdown underdog, played better than most expected and could have won the game, falling 45-42 in a wild game which saw several big plays.

It was much like Husker fans have witnessed all season.  On occasion, the Big Red looked like a team that would struggle to win games, unable to stop the opposition when it counted.  On the other hand, the Huskers looked like a team, that when clicking, could defeat anyone who showed up.

On this night, the Trojans, who are emerging from the shackles of NCAA probation, looked much like the young talent loaded who will be a sure fire top ten team to start 2015, using their excellent skill position players to score points.  RB Buck Allen ran strong, and talented QB Cody Kessler led the offensive unit. The SC OL did a good job, WR Nelson Agholor was as advertised and freshman sensation WR Adoree Jackson looks quite special.

Nebraska was strong early, and led a lead slip away just before the half. But the Big Red continued to battle, even after falling behind by 17 points.  Ameer Abdullah had a 20 yard touchdown run, but was held under 100 yards rushing, and the Huskers only generated about 3.5 yards per carry.

Nebraska RB Ameer Abdullah
Photo/Omaha World Herald

Tommy Armstrong
Photo/Huskers.com

However, on this night, with All America DE Leonard Williams owning the line of scrimmage, the Big Red would have to win the game through the air. While he has his usual ups and downs, Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong has his best game as a Husker.  Considered by many to have his position as the starting signal caller in question with the new staff coming in, Armstrong put in quite the performance, going 32/51 for 381 yards and three touchdowns.

Armstrong had some very poor throws, one pick and a few others that could have been picked, but overall, he was exactly the type of field general you want out there ballin for your team.  Runs and throws were mixed well, and Armstrong utilized his full compliment of weapons.

Kenny Bell had a strong game, as did Jordan Westerkamp, but the star on the field was DeMornay Pierson-El, who is a threat to go the distance with every touch. Abdullah, held in check for the most part on the ground, was mixed in well as a receiver as having the ballin his hands was a clear cut objective.

Nebraska had some good plays on defense against the strong Trojan offense, noting an interception by Josh Mitchell, but USC seemed in control of the line of scrimmage, balanced and effective on offense.

The effort was strong all night, and for the seniors, I am glad they let it all hang out.  However, the game seemed a microcosm of the Pelini era; a loss with a handful of sound excuses that pulled a defeat from the hands of victory.  The 'Huskers almost won, but did not.

The Cornhuskers finish 9-4, the seventh straight year with four losses.  The Mike Riley era cannot start soon enough.

Resolution A

The top ranked resolution for America would be to immediately thwart by any and all legally permissible means the efforts of our Commander in Arrogance from transforming America from his vision of an oppressive country of perceived exceptionalism to one country among countless others sharing the wealth under one world government.

The one world governing body would perhaps be The United Nations, which the position of Secretary General likely consider by Obama as his next position, giving him potential authority to implement all his plans to diminish America on the world stage.

Dreams from his Father indeed.