What happened to Fred's Giving Day?

Normally I find the content on HotAir to be rather lame, but this post about Fred's Giving Day doesn't fall into that category. Allahpundit did make one error though, in stating the number of money bomb donors to Ron Paul. Ron Paul gained over 21,000 NEW donors on that day. His total number of donors on November 5th was much higher, over 37,000.


Did Fred even reach triple digits?

An open letter to Mark Radulich at 411mania.com

Dear Mark,


I hope you had a good Thanksgiving. The bold opening statement of your open letter to Ron Paul supporters is factually incorrect. If you want to have a rational discussion with Ron Paul supporters then you might want to avoid making blatantly false statements about future president Paul or his standing in the race.


I respect your right to disagree with the policies of Ron Paul. I just wish you'd put a little more thought into the process. The government of your own country, the United States of America, is a major financier and political backer of more than one extremist group that is dangerous to humanity. You pay for it. To imply that you condone an attack on Iran, because they act just like you, does not say a whole lot about your ability to think things through in a logical manner.


Thanks for your time and have a great day.
Curtis C

Giants Brandon Jacobs expected to miss week 12

Reports are saying that New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs will miss week 12 due to injury. Reuben Droughns is expected to start in his place. Fantasy owners of Jacobs (me) have to be disappointed as the big guy had been putting up good numbers since returning from his previous injury. I've been keeping Droughns on my bench just in case this happened. Thankfully the injury does not look serious. I have Reggie Bush and LenDale White starting at RB anyway. I had Bush as my flex, because that's pretty much what role he plays, but Brandon Marshall will fill that spot for me this week.


Ravens tight end Todd Heap did not practice on Wednesday and is rumored to miss yet another game due to injury. When healthy he is one of the top ends in the league. He's been a major disappointment for fantasy owners this year. At this point in the season it's hard to find a decent replacement for the production that owners have come to expect from Heap. I am currently deciding between Leonard Pope and Marcedes Lewis as a temporary replacement for Heap. I've been playing that on a week-to-week basis.


I'm not so much concerned about that decision as I am the decision on who to drop. Robbie Gould was my kicker until his bye week, when I was somehow able to snag Shayne Graham from waivers. I don't need both kickers anymore but have a hard time releasing either guy. I'm in a tight race to make the playoffs and don't want my opposition to snag an advantage at that position. I'm going against the best team in the league though and cannot afford to walk in knowing I'll get nothing at all from the TE position.


Kickers don't get enough respect. A top kicker produces points at the same level as a good running back and perhaps more consistently than a good receiver. I said good, not really good or great. It's hard to make up for those 1,500 yards. Perhaps I will wait until just before kickoff and release Chris Brown to pick up Lewis. Brown is my insurance to White, but I just got him from waivers when releasing Pope after week 11. The running back position is very important but I think too much emphasis is put on it in drafts. If you don't have one of the breakout or perennial fantasy studs like Tomlinson, Manning or Brady, then the key to drafting a good team is overall balance. Give yourself a chance to win at every position on any given week.

Glenn Beck and Duncan Hunter discuss the Ron Paul Revolution

GLENN: There's a reason why, when you go down to Texas, you see so many Ron Paul signs. There's a reason. Because there's very few people like you, Duncan Hunter, that actually mean what you say and say what you mean when it comes to, shut the border down. That Ron Paul revolution thing that is going on in some areas is very strong, and one of them is Texas and that's, A, because he's from Texas but, B, because they're just tired of, they're tired of the bull crap from Washington.


CONGRESSMAN HUNTER: Glenn, that's true. Let me tell you that's one reason I won the Texas straw poll at the Republican state convention by 2:1 over the closest pursuer and that was Fred Thompson and I think Ron came in third in that but that's because the folks in Texas know that I built the border fence in San Diego and that I wrote the law that would take it across Texas.


Read more of transcript here.


That's a far cry from when Beck equated Ron Paul supporters to being terrorists.

Ron Paul versus Barack Obama

I stumbled across this interesting piece of news. Duvall County high school and college students held a mock election last week. Barack Obama and Ron Paul won their respective races. Sure, you might be thinking, but it's just kids. Not so fast, since 2003 the young ones, ages 17-25, have become the largest percentage of registered voters in that county.

Paul approaches $9 million for quarter

Fourth-quarter donations for presidential candidate Ron Paul are nearing the $9 million mark. A goal of $12 million was set by the campaign at the beginning of the quarter but an independent fundraising effort on November 5th raised over a third of that on a single day. Supporters outside of the official campaign have organized yet another "money bomb" for December 16th. Estimates are flying about that Ron Paul could pull down $15-20 million by the time this fundraising quarter is finished. Stats show that he's adding new donors at a very rapid pace and that a tiny percentage of his supporters are tapped out for primary donations, so this could get very interesting. Imagine the fundraising possibilities for Ron Paul if the big donors, the Republican base, actually help get him nominated and into the general election. Who knows, maybe the base is just holding out until Ron Paul soaks up supporters from every other candidate in the race. I know Ron wouldn't be drawing as many Democrats if the Republican base was behind him at this point in the game. While being able to outflank key Democrats from the left, Ron is able to stay on point with what is actually the most conservative message in the crowd. He's not just creating thousands of future "Ron Paul Republicans." The man is creating thousands of small-government Democrats at the very same time. It's flippin' beautiful.

New poll shows Ron Paul at 6% in Iowa

Ron Paul, who was at 2% in July, has tripled his support in Iowa according to a new poll by the Washington Post and ABC.

Hillary attacks experience of Obama even though he's more experienced

Hillary Clinton has been attacking Barack Obama over his political experience.


"Voters will judge whether living in a foreign country at the age of 10 prepares one to face the big, complex international challenges the next president will face," Clinton said during a campaign stop in Shenandoah, Iowa.


"I think we need a president with more experience than that," said Clinton, who has repeatedly touted her own experience as first lady and questioned the readiness for the White House of the first-term senator from Illinois. (Reuters)


Barack Obama actually has more political experience than Hillary Clinton, in terms of occupying office. Barry was a State Senator in Illinois from 1997-2004 before he took the larger stage. Hillary didn't become a Senator in New York until 2001. Before that she had never held office. She seems to be trying to ride Bill Clinton's experience and popularity while denying it all the way to the bank. Why else would she try to claim more experience? She doesn't have it, unless you count Bill. She was not elected to be first lady, but most of that time was spent plagued with scandal anyway, and then she spent enough money to feed a few small countries in order to win her seat in New York.

Bush pardons cousins while thousands of Americans unconstitutionally imprisoned

President Bush took the time and tax money today to pardon two turkeys, May and Flower. Meanwhile, thousands of Americans are imprisoned who have done nothing wrong. Until those folks are free, there will be no Thanksgiving for me.

Republican Huckabee backs nationwide federal ban on public smoking

I found this disturbing news in the LA Times. -- "Huckabee has indicated he would support a nationwide federal ban on public smoking. Why? Because he's on a health kick, thinks smoking is bad and believes the government should do the right thing."

Does he also endorse a federal ban on bad music?

(Photo credit)

Indiana Hoosiers set to take Big Ten title

The Indiana Hoosiers basketball team should win the Big Ten title this year and make a good run in the NCAA tourney. Freshman Eric Gordon is the real deal and the surrounding cast, like D.J. White, is chock full of talent and experience.


I have been a lifelong Hoosiers fan and was reasonably skeptical when Kelvin Sampson took the job. I liked Mike Davis and respected the cleanliness which he maintained within the program after Bob Knight left. I have no doubt that Sampson can bring in top-name talent. I do have doubts as to whether he can keep the NCAA off his ass. Regardless, the Hoosiers are going to win a lot of ballgames this year and be quite fun to watch.

Ron Paul silver dollars going for big money on ebay

In wake of the recent precious metal heist by the federal government, Ron Paul silver Liberty Dollars are going for many times their face and weight value on ebay. I hope folks are cautious when using PayPal for such auctions. I can't help but wonder if Ron Paul supporters who purchased silver or gold Ron Paul dollars, and received them prior to the theft by the FBI and Secret Service, will sell their coins at peak value and use that money to donate to the upcoming Ron Paul Tea Party.

Fantasy Football Surprises

What a year for my fantasy football team. I started out 0-5 and have went on to win 6 straight weeks. Things are looking bright for the playoffs. My dismal start was largely attributed to the lackluster play of the New Orleans Saints. I have Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and Marques Colston among my top players. Another key factor was the injury to Brandon Jacobs, my third-round selection.


A few surprises have emerged that've helped my team turn things around. LenDale White and Brandon Marshall lead that list. I selected White in the 9th as my RB4. When Jacobs and my RB3, Cadillac Williams, went down with injuries, White was forced into a prominent role on my squad. This was not my intention when drafting him but he has pleasantly fulfilled his duties. Despite a bad performance last week, and the fumble this week against Denver, fantasy owners in large have had to like what they've gotten from White.


If you have Brandon Marshall on your squad you likely snagged him from the waiver wire and are glad that you did. He's on pace for around 1,300 yards, over 5 receptions per game and just scored another touchdown. He's solidified himself as a quality WR2 or flex play on a weekly basis. Since the Broncos have chosen not to utilize the talents of Mike Bell, they've had many problems at running back this year. That, plus the injury to lead wideout Javon Walker, contributed to this breakout season for the second-year Marshall.

Commission on Presidential Debates ignores entire western U.S.

The Commission on Presidential Debates has chosen Tennessee, New York and Mississippi to be the sites of next years presidential debates, ignoring the entire western United States. The criteria used for choosing the candidates, similar to those for choosing the locations, are rather vague, including a "must have at least 15% support in national polls" clause. Read more here.

Broncos beating up on Titans, lead 20-10 at the half

The Denver Broncos are leading the Tennessee Titans 20-10 at the half. The Broncos struck early with a TD catch by Brandon Stokley and extended the lead to 14-0 with a punt return for a touchdown by Glenn Martinez.


Titans QB Vince Young is having a good night passing the football, but progress was hindered when RB LenDale White lost a fumble. The Denver run defense appears to have picked it up a notch, holding White to just 10 yards on 7 carries in the first half.

The U.S. Peso

My brother works in the wholesale food distribution business. His Canadian business contacts now laughingly refer to the U.S. Dollar as the U.S. Peso due to its rapid decline in value, even against the Canadian Loonie. Sad.


Meanwhile, the FBI and Secret Service just stole a whole bunch of precious metal from a commemorative coin company that was selling Ron Paul Liberty Dollars. The affidavit, as quoted by the Washington Post, says, "The goal of Norfed is to undermine the United States goverment's financial systems by the issuance of a non-governmental competing currency." The main target of the raid, Mr. Bernard von NotHaus, has not been arrested. His name is eerily coincidental as many conspiracy theorists claim that the world, and more specifically the financial world, is run by the House of Rothschild.