By Taking a Knee, the NFL Lays an Egg

 

I never thought the time would come that I would say this.

The Baltimore Ravens lost 44-7 to the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the result.

It has been quite a long time coming.

On the weekend after I was born at the end of October 1958, the Baltimore Colts beat the Green Bay Packers 56-0, the biggest shutout victory in the thirty-odd year history of the Baltimore Colts. That December, the Colts won their first of three World Championships during their stay in Baltimore. While obviously I have no memory of that 1958 season, I became a dyed-in-the-wool fan of Baltimore’s Colts from the age of seven, until the night they snuck out of town in the middle of the night of March 29, 1984, headed for Indianapolis. I cried for two weeks (no kidding), spent the next twelve years waiting for Baltimore’s re-entry into the National Football League, spending two of those years rooting for Baltimore’s entry into the Canadian Football League, and boycotted the NFL during all of those twelve years.

Needless to say, no one was happier than when it was announced that the Cleveland Browns were relocating to Baltimore in November of 1995. Having been spurned by the NFL since the Colts’ departure, losing two expansion bids to Charlotte and Jacksonville, I didn’t care that an established NFL franchise was leaving Cleveland for the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. After all, the franchise had the decency to return the Browns’ identity, colors and history to the shores of Lake Erie, and then took on a new persona as the Baltimore Ravens. From that day on, November 6, 1995, I was (and thought I would forever be) a dyed-in-the-wool Ravens fan. Over the next twenty-one seasons, I lived and died with the Ravens and spent an awful lot of money- installing satellite services for DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket programming, attending about a dozen games at both Memorial Stadium and M & T Bank Stadium, and buying all of the trappings of a true Baltimore Ravens fan- jerseys, t-shirts, hoodies, jackets and many other items now collecting dust in my office.

All of that- the fifty years of frequent agony and occasional ecstasy, all came to an end on Sunday, September 24, 2017. Representing the very city where the National Anthem of the United States was written in 1814, by Francis Scott Key, a number of Ravens’ players took a knee at the playing of “the Star Spangled Banner” in London’s Wembley Stadium, having received the go-ahead in a letter from their owner, Steven Bisciotti, expressing his support. Adding insult to injury, these same players then stood respectfully for the playing of “God Save the Queen,” the national anthem of Great Britain.

In an unfortunately bygone age, this would be considered nothing less than treason.

It’s not enough that these overpaid and oh-so-coddled prima donnas, who often lead less-than-pristine personal lives off of the field, would show such disrespect. They have the gall to show their lack of patriotism on a foreign field- ironically in the very same country with whom the United States was at war in 1814 when the words to the National Anthem were written. So, it is altogether fitting that the Ravens should fall flat on their “bums,” losing badly to the Jacksonville Jaguars in one of the most lopsided scores in their history.

Next week, the Baltimore Ravens will host their biggest rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in Baltimore for their trans-Atlantic homecoming. Even if all (and I mean ALL) of the Ravens fans continue to stand by their team, there will be one less fan watching that, or any other NFL game, going forward. The National Football League is suffering under the weight of its own success (not to mention its own excess) and I and have nothing but utter contempt for a league of well-paid, professional athletes, their greedy owners, and the networks who have made both of them rich beyond all rhyme or reason.

Good riddance to them all!

 

-Drew Nickell, 24 September 2017

© 2017 by Drew Nickell, all rights reserved.

author of “Bending Your Ear- a Collection of Essays on the Issues of Our Times”

now available at Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Bending-Your-Ear-Collection-Essays/dp/1633932907?ie=UTF8&ref_=asap_bc

Signed and personalized editions now available at my website:

http://www.drewnickell.com

Follow my postings on the RSS feed: http://www.drewnickell.com/?feed=rss2

Stark, Clear and Concise, Trump Addresses the United Nations

On Tuesday, September 19^th, 2017, President Donald Trump addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations, delivering a speech unlike any other in the seventy-year history of that body. Stark and clear, devoid of any diplomatic double-speak, President Trump let it be known that his is a presidency that will always place the interests of the American people at the forefront, in all its dealings with the international community, going forward.

In staking out this position, Trump reiterated the nationalistic tone of his inaugural address in January, and explained to the world what “putting America first” means and why the assembled heads of state should have the same ethos regarding the respective populations of their own nations:

“In foreign affairs, we are renewing this founding principle of sovereignty.   Our government’s first duty is to its people, to our citizens — to serve their needs, to ensure their safety, to preserve their rights, and to defend their values.

As President of the United States, I will always put America first, just like you, as the leaders of your countries will always, and should always, put  your countries first.”

In essence, the President rejected the entire concept of one-world governance, indicating that the “best vehicle for elevating the human condition” is instead, the nation-state.

Evoking the original vision of the United Nations, to ensure each member nation the three pillars of building a better future: national sovereignty, national security and prosperity, Trump also said that the disproportionate military and financial support to the United Nations, on the part of the United States, while not to be taken for granted, would nevertheless be well be worth it, if these goals were to be realized, and called on the United Nations to join together in pursuit of this vision.

Unrestrained in calling out the United Nations for falling far short in its accomplishments thus far, the President nevertheless called on the world body to realize the opportunity that lies ahead to ensure peace through the strength of national sovereignty and a shared commitment to international security. He acknowledged the recent 15-0 votes of the U.N. Security Council to impose economic sanctions against North Korea, but also indicated that far more must be done to reign in the rogue regime in that country.

He made a clear case against those who would deny the world peace- specifically, North Korea, Iran, radical Islam, Venezuela and Syria.

He condemned the regime ruling North Korea for starving its own populace in pursuit of nuclear weapons, for its reprehensible record of imprisonment, torture abduction and murder, and enumerated egregious examples of each. Indicating the strength and great patience of the United States, Trump said that if forced to defend itself or its allies, that the U.S. would have “no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.” Characterizing North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un as a reckless “Rocket Man” bent on a suicide mission, Trumps remarks effectively put China on notice that they must bring an end to North Korea’s nuclear program before military action against North Korea is necessitated- and that time for peaceful diplomacy, though preferred, is quickly approaching an end.

Trump was also clear in pointing out the President Obama’s Iran deal as “one of the worst and most one-sided transactions ever entered into” by the United States, and promised to revisit the U.S. commitment to the agreement in light of the fact that Iran continues to threaten the United States, Israel and other Arab neighbors with destruction, while pursuing its nuclear program unabated. He chided the Iranian regime for funding international terrorism which has extended to every continent in the world, and called on each member of the United Nations to drive Islamic extremism out of their respective countries.

Trump also called out the leadership in Venezuela for forcing upon its people a failed socialist economic model that has thrust that country’s economy into disaster. In doing this, Trump condemned Nicolas Maduro for inflicting terrible pain and suffering on his own people, and indicated that Venezuela is not failing due to poor implementation, but rather faithful implementation of a failed system, just as it has failed wherever it has been tried. He urged other nations to address the Venezuelan crisis and called for the restoration of political freedom and democracy to that country.

He restated why he launched a missile strike against the Syrian forces who launched a chemical weapons attach against its own people, and thanked Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon for their respective roles in hosting Syrian refugees with the financial support of the United States.

He concluded his address by challenging the member nations of the United Nations to live up to the promise on which the United Nations was founded, asking whether each nation “loved its citizens enough to defend their interests, preserve their cultures and ensure a peaceful world for their citizens…”

 “Our hope is a word and world of proud, independent nations that embrace their duties, seek friendship, respect others, and make common cause in the greatest shared interest of all: a future of dignity and peace for the people of this wonderful Earth.

This is the true vision of the United Nations, the ancient wish of every people, and the deepest yearning that lives inside every sacred soul.

So let this be our mission, and let this be our message to the world: We will fight together, sacrifice together, and stand together for peace, for freedom, for justice, for family, for humanity, and for the almighty God who  made us all.”

While the anti-Trump globalists and internationalists, in both Democrat and Republican parties and in the mainstream media, were quick to label the speech as excessively nationalistic and dangerous, scores of others welcomed Trump’s address indicating that it has been a long time coming for a U.S. President to speak so clearly and honestly on the challenges facing the international community, and in a way that stands in stark contrast to speeches delivered by his predecessors.

Any doubt as to where President Donald Trump stands on the world stage has now been erased in, what many feel to be, the greatest speech he has delivered to date. His was a speech unlike any other in terms of clarity and certitude, and a watching world now knows why he was elected and what he sets out to accomplish on behalf of the American people and the world of which they are a part.

-Drew Nickell, 20 September 2017

© 2017 by Drew Nickell, all rights reserved.

author of “Bending Your Ear- a Collection of Essays on the Issues of Our Times”

now available at Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Bending-Your-Ear-Collection-Essays/dp/1633932907?ie=UTF8&ref_=asap_bc

Signed and personalized editions now available at my website:

http://www.drewnickell.com

Follow my postings on the RSS feed: http://www.drewnickell.com/?feed=rss2

A Stroke of Genius- Trump Sends DACA Back to Congress

DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, was pronounced policy by Barack Obama on June 15, 2012. Measures aimed at providing a pathway to citizenship for so-called “dreamers,” essentially children of illegal immigrants brought into this country by their parents, went back as early as 2007, but never gained traction in the Senate. Without legal passage by the legislature, it was Obama who ordered this deferred action for dreamers via executive order- something not allowed by the United States Constitution.

Facing the certainty of bipartisan backlash were he to outright reverse Obama’s executive order, President Donald Trump instead sent the entire issue of dealing with both “dreamers” and illegal immigration back to the Congress while implementing an immediate halt to the program for a period of six months. Essentially, Trump put an immediate stop to the expansion of the program- freezing the status quo ante, and put Congress on notice they have six months to address the issue before Obama’s DACA is cancelled, outright.

In a word, brilliance.

Let’s face it. The reason why we have arrived at this point is because the Congress has lacked the intestinal fortitude to deal with illegal immigration for the last three decades. Oh sure, there is much talk about immigration reform, and the need to secure our borders- particularly our southern border, but it has only been that- a lot of talk put forth in the interest of securing enough votes to be reelected and then quickly and conveniently forgotten, whenever the issue actually comes up. Both parties share equal responsibility in the problems we have with illegal immigration today.

Democrats, ever seeking to expand their own voter base, would love nothing more than wholesale immigration, legal and otherwise, and then pursue the subsequent enfranchisement of their right to vote. Their idea of immigration reform is essentially to grant citizenship to everyone already here, secure in the belief that the resulting electorate would guarantee Democrats perpetual control of all three branches of government.

Republicans, never ones to let principle to stand in the way of political patronage, intentionally soft-step immigration reform because much of their financial support comes from corporations and other private interests who benefit from having a low-cost, alternative supply of labor extensively provided by illegal immigration. Better to serve the needs of self-interests, than to risk being labeled a “heartless bigot who would round up innocents and send them back where they came from.”

While blowhards in both parties voiced outrage at the anticipated cancellation of DACA by the president, and bolstered by an entire mainstream media united in message that Trump’s actions would be “callous and inhumane to innocent children who were brought here against their will,” it was Trump who fashioned a way to put the ball back into the court of the naysayers, saying essentially, “if you care about these “dreamers” so much, you deal with it…”

Given the inability of Republicans to get together on anything other than voicing selective outrage at their president’s latest tweets, their leadership- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), has also been put on notice that the President is willing to work with Democrats if that is what it takes to get action on a host of things, including immigration, tax reform and infrastructure.

Unlike his immediate predecessors, Barack Obama and George W. Bush, it is noteworthy that President Trump is neither an ideologue (Obama) nor an insider (Bush). Rather, he is by his own admission, a deal-maker, committed to achieving his agenda regardless of how, or with whom, he gets it done.

That’s not good news for establishment Republicans, who insist on doing things their own way, which is essentially not doing anything at all. It’s also bad news for Democrats, who sound shrill in their attacks on a president who nevertheless reaches out to them in a way no presidents have done in the last thirty years.

Once again, Donald Trump is proving the “experts” wrong, by achieving what was said to be impossible- but, then again, he has been doing that very thing, for most of his adult life.

-Drew Nickell, 14 September 2017

© 2017 by Drew Nickell, all rights reserved.

author of “Bending Your Ear- a Collection of Essays on the Issues of Our Times”

now available at Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Bending-Your-Ear-Collection-Essays/dp/1633932907?ie=UTF8&ref_=asap_bc

Signed and personalized editions now available at my website:

http://www.drewnickell.com

Follow my postings on the RSS feed: http://www.drewnickell.com/?feed=rss2

Drew Nickell On The Radio Thursday 14 September at 1:00 PM, EDT

 

I will be back on the radio once again,  Thursday, September 14th, and filling in for Nora Wahl Firestone on her show at WKQA-AM, Freedom 1110 AM in Hampton Roads, VA. I will be discussing current events surrounding the Trump presidency, the political environment surrounding his administration, and other current events here in the nation and around the globe. Here is a link to that live broadcast :

http://lightningstream.surfernetwork.com/Media/player/view/WKQA-AM_gsl.asp?StreamingServerName=nick11&OnDemandServerName=nick10&targetWidth=1000&targetHeight=800&call=WKQA-AM&od=0

 

Also, look for this as a podcast on Facebook if  you would like to join, there.

Advisory in Absentia

Dear friends-

As I am not usually given to sharing personal and private information on social media, I nevertheless feel that it is incumbent upon myself to advise you that I will have to take a break from regular postings, beginning Labor Day weekend. My daughter is having critical surgery that week and my priorities are to be with her so that I may attend to her post-operative convalescence, for the time being.  She faces an extraordinary uphill climb and I ask each of you to remember her in your thoughts and prayers, as you are able to find time to do so. Having said so, I remain

Very appreciatively yours,

-Drew Nickell