The Blizzard Is Coming

Here in Chicago, a huge blizzard is forecast for Tuesday and overnight into Wednesday where 18 to 24 inches of snow is expected with winds gusting as high as 45 miles per hour.

WOW!

30 Years Later ... America Is Reeling From the Reagan Years

Roughly 30 years ago, when Ronald Reagan took office as America's 40th President, war was declared on America's middle class and Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five put out "The Message."
Not much has changed as the corporate world continues to dictate to our "elected leaders" what agenda to carry out for the United States of America and the "working folks" of America continue to get screwed.

Lighten Up On Egypt

The State of the Union Address

President Barack Obama delivered a good speech tonight in the annual State of the Union Address and hopefully, some things will get done in the halls of Congress for the AMERICAN PEOPLE and not just for the corporations around the globe.
Of course, the party of NO is now in charge of the U.S. House of Representatives and that will likely mean a lot of gridlock, which will continue to screw the American people and benefit millionaires and corporate CEO's.
Whoopdefrickindoo!
President Obama has his heart in the right place, but the bozos in the U.S.House and Senate will continue to fight each other and the Republicans ONLY game plan for the next year and a half is to make sure that Obama fails.
The GOP takes their cue from Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck.
At least from a PR standpoint and the idiot teabaggers support this nonsense.
God Bless America!

Steelers, Packers Advance to Super Bowl 45

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers are heading to Dallas to play in Super Bowl 45 in two weeks.

Green Bay Packers 21, Chicago Bears 14

The Packers took an early lead against the Chicago Bears and rode that to a 21-14 victory in the NFC Championship Game at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers ran in from the one-yard line for the game's first score and later in the second quarter James Starks (22 carries for 74 yards) scored from four yards out to make it 14-0.
The score remained that way until the fourth quarter when the Bears mounted a rally behind third string quarterback Caleb Hanie, who was pressed into action when starter Jay Cutler (6 of 14 passing for 80 yards with an interception) left the game early in the third quarter with a knee injury.
Hanie found wide receiver Johnny Knox on a sideline route to set up Chester Taylor's one-yard run to cut the Packers' lead to 14-7.
The Packers made it 21-7 with 6:04 left in the fourth quarter when B.J. Raji intercepted Hanie's slant pass and raced 18 yards for the score.
Chicago closed to 21-14 with just over four minutes left when Hanie threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Earl Bennett.
The Packers were able to hang on for the win when Hanie threw his second interception of the game with 45 seconds left in the game.
It is Green Bay's first appearance in the Super Bowl in 13 years.

Pittsburgh Steelers 24, New York Jets 19

The Pittsburgh Steelers, in a game that mirrored the Green Bay-Chicago game, raced out to a 24-0 lead in the first half and then held off a second half rally by the New York Jets and eventually won the AFC Championship Game, 24-19 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
Steelers' running back Rashard Mendenhall (27 carries for 121 yards) scored from one-yard out and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger ran two yards for another score, Shaun Suisham kicked a 20-yard field goal and William Gay returned a fumble 19 yards to give the Steelers a 24-0 lead.
The Jets got a 42-yard field goal from Nick Folk to make the halftime score 24-3.
The Steelers rolled up 166 yards on the ground against the Jets' defense while limiting New York's vaunted running attack to just 70 yards for the game.
In the second half, the Jets had to take to the air to get back into it as quarterback Mark Sanchez (20 for 33 for 233 yards) threw the first of his TD passes on a 45-yard strike to former Steelers' wide receiver Santonio Holmes.
The Jets cut the deficit to 24-12 on a safety as a result of a bad snap for the Steelers at their own one-yard line. Just before the safety, the Steelers defense made a goal line stand against New York by stuffing running back LaDainian Tomlinson from the one-yard line.
New York scored one last time with 3:06 left in the game when Sanchez threw a four-yard TD pass to Jerhico Cotchery.
The win by the Steelers enables them to go for their second Super Bowl title in the last three years and third championship in six years.
The Steelers lead all NFL teams with six Super Bowl titles and this will be their eighth overall appearance in the Super Bowl.

SUPER BOWL BOUND

Call the White House to Save Social Security

There Are Still Some People Who Care

Those Who Forget The Past Are Doomed To Repeat It

This video is somewhat dated, but as the title to this post says ...

This is a video (part 2 of Corporate Media in America, unfortunately part one couldn't be used as it is disabled so the viewer is advised to go and check it out on You Tube) that is even more relevant today because of all the mergers and acquisitions in our nation's media, including the internet.

There is a good clip of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) discussing the dangers of just a handful of multi-national corporations running the entire media that "informs" American people on a daily basis.

This is a video that is DEFINITELY WORTH WATCHING!

Is This Our Country?

United States flag in 2011.


The United States flag circa 1960.


The flag at the time of the Revolutionary War.

KEITH OLBERMANN LEAVES COUNTDOWN

It's being reported that MSNBC has terminated Keith Olbermann's contract and in fact, just a few minutes a ago, Olbermann signed off for the final time on Countdown.
Once again, the corporations are controlling things and screwing the American public. A coming merger between Comcast and MSNBC will no doubt continue to muzzle the so called "leftist liberal media".
Olbermann off the air and scumbag liars like Hannity, Beck and O' Reilly alllowed to stay on the public television airwaves.
Bullshit!
This country of ours is totally misguided and misled by corporate fascists.
It may be time for this blogger to switch internet providers because Comcast can go and screw themselves!

NFL- Conference Championship Previews

It's the final four of the NFL this weekend when the Chicago Bears play host to the Green Bay Packers for the NFC Championship and the Pittsburgh Steelers takes on the visiting New York Jets in the AFC title game.
Three of the four teams mentioned are not a big surprise, but the Chicago Bears have indeed been a team that many "experts" weren't counting on to be in the conference championship round in late January.
The Bears knocked off the Seattle Seahawks last week in Chicago, 35-24 and are hosting the Packers, who beat the Atlanta Falcons (48-21) and Philadelphia Eagles (21-16) on the road to get to this point.
The Bears and Packers split two games in the regular season.
The Packers and Bears both feature solid defenses and can create turnovers as well.
Offensively, Green Bay has the edge at quarterback with Aaron Rodgers, who is coming off a huge game last weekend when he threw for 366 yards and three touchdowns.
Bears' quarterback Jay Cutler passed for two scores and ran for two as well in the victory. Cutler showed he can handle the post-season pressure, but this week will be tested against a much better defense than he faced in playing Seattle.
The key for the game will be turnovers. The team that loses that battle will likely lose this football game.

Heftyinfo pick: Packers 21, Bears 13

In the AFC, the Jets continue to confound experienced playoff quarterbacks with their defense schemes.
After disposing of the Colts (17-16) and Patriots (28-21) in road victories, the reward for the Jets is a trip to Pittsburgh and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
The Steelers knocked off the mighty Baltimore Ravens, 31-24 last week by overcoming a 14-point halftime deficit.
The Steelers are more experienced in post-season play than the Jets, especially at the quarterback position.
Roethlisberger has two Super Bowl victories to his credit while Jets' QB Mark Sanchez (4-1 in playoffs) is still getting his resume' set in the post-season.
The Jets rely on defense and the run when they have the football.
Knowing Rex Ryan and his coaching staff, the Jets will likely come out THROWING the football on Sunday as they seek to confuse the Steel Curtain defense, which led the NFL this season by allowing just 60 yards rushing per game.
In fact, the Ravens managed just 126 yards of offense in the loss to Pittsburgh.
The Jets are not going to be able to control the line of scrimmage against the Steelers, which means they will not run the ball effectively.
Given that, if the Jets have to rely on Sanchez to beat Pittsburgh, it's not happening.
Plus, remember that even though the Jets won the regular season meeting 22-17 five weeks ago, Pittsburgh was without All-Pro safety Troy Palomalu and starting tight end Heath Miller for that game.

Heftyinfo pick: Steelers 23, Jets 14

Last Week's Record: 3-1

Playoffs Record: 4-4

The Many Faces of Sarah Palin

Bears-Packers: Let's Get This Started!

NFL - Divisional Playoffs Review

The Bears, Packers, Jets and Steelers are going to the next round of the NFL Playoffs as they won their games and will battle it out in the Conference Championship games next weekend.
The Bears will face the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field in Chicago while the upstart New York Jets will travel to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers.
The Jets stunned the New England Patriots, 28-21 in Foxboro, Massachusetts as quarterback Mark Sanchez actually outplayed NFL MVP-candidate Tom Brady (299 yards passing, 2 TD, one INT) by throwing for three touchdowns as the Jets avenged an embarrassing 45-3 loss at the hands of the Pats in early December.
The Jets defense intercepted Brady in the first quarter and later in the second quarter took a 7-3 lead when Sanchez hit LaDainian Tomlinson on a seven-yard scoring pass.
Jets' wide receivers Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes also caught scoring passes and when Shonn Greene scored on a touchdown run with a minute left to go in regulation, it was over as the Jets led 28-14 at that point.
The day before in Pittsburgh, the Steelers showed great resolve by overcoming a 21-7 halftime deficit and beat the Baltimore Ravens, 31-24 to advance to the AFC Championship Game.
Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger passed for 226 yards and two touchdowns and Rashard Mendenhall scored a pair of touchdown runs to make the difference in the outcome.
The Steelers' defense limited Baltimore to 126 total yards offense as Ray Rice was limited to 32 rushing yards and Ravens' QB Joe Flacco had just 125 yards passing along with one TD pass and one interception.
The Jets did beat the Steelers in Week 15 by a score of 22-17.

In the NFC, the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers will face each other for the NFC title as the NFL's oldest rivalry will have some added spice next Sunday afternoon.
Bears' QB Jay Cutler, playing in his first-ever post-season game, passed for 274 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for two touchdowns to lead the way to a 35-24 win.
The Bears led 28-3 in the second half and the outcome was never in doubt even though Seattle (7-9 during the regular season) made the score look competitive.
Seahawks' quarterback Matt Hasselbeck had three TD passes and 258 yards passing in the loss.
The Bears opened the scoring on the third play from scrimmage after a Seattle punt on their opening drive when Cutler hit tight end Greg Olsen for a 58-yard scoring pass.
For the game, the Bears outrushed the 'Hawks, 176-34 as they dominated the line of scrimmage throughout the game.
On Saturday night in Atlanta's Georgia Dome, the Green Bay Packers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers (pictured upper right) put on a clinic is crushing the top-seeded Falcons, 48-21.
Rodgers put up eye-popping numbers (31-for-36 passing for 366 yards and three touchdowns) as the Packers overcame seven-point deficits twice in the first half en route to a 28-14 halftime lead.
The Packers' defense limited then high flying Falcons offense to just 194 total yards (45 rushing) for the game. In addition, Atlanta QB Matt Ryan was intercepted twice, including a back-breaking pick six by Tramon Williams, who went 70 yards for the score as the halftime gun sounded.
Green Bay continued to dominate in the second half as Rodgers scored on a seven-yard run and threw his third TD pass of the game to make it 42-14 entering the final quarter.
The Packers and Bears split the two games they played this year against each other.

Something Different On A Saturday Night

Tucson Shooting Victim Blames Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Sharron Angle For Violence

NFL Playoffs Preview - Divisional Round

The NFL Playoffs continue this weekend with the AFC and NFC Divisional Round matches going on Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday, January 15

AFC DIVISIONAL ROUND
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers - The Ravens and Steelers split the two games against each other this season. Each team won on the road and the Steelers are the AFC North division champions.
Ben Roethlisberger rates an edge at quarterback over Baltimore's Joe Flacco simply because of the experience he brings to the Steelers' offense. Plus the fact he has two Super Bowl rings isn't too shabby either.
Both teams have solid defenses, although Pittsburgh did way better stopping the run in 2010 than the Ravens. The Steelers led the league against the run, giving up just over 60 yards rushing per game.
Wow!
The Ravens do still struggle to score points at times and Flacco may have to step it up a notch in Heinz Field on Saturday if the Ravens are going to win the game.
No matter the winner, expect a hard hitting battle between these two fierce rivals, who respect each other. They just don't like each other.

NFC DIVISIONAL ROUND
Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons - The Falcons boast a great home record in the Georgia Dome, including a win over Green Bay back in Week 12.
Falcons' quarterback Matt Ryan is 0-for-1 in playoff appearances, having lost at Arizona two years ago as a rookie.
Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers posted his first post-season triumph last week in the thrilling 21-16 win at Philadelphia.
Rodgers is now .500 in the playoffs as Packers' quarterback.
Look for the Packers' defense to bring the pressure against Ryan to try and force mistakes as he looks to hit wide receivers Roddy White and Michael Jenkins, along with tight end Tony Gonzalez.
The Falcons will need to establish the ground game with Michael Turner leading the way to thwart the Packers' vaunted 3-4 scheme.
As for the Packers, they had a sudden resurgence in the running game last week when James Starks rushed for 123 yards and Brandon Jackson scored a TD on a pass play.
Of course, Rodgers is a solid quarterback and has multiple targets in veteran Donald Driver, James Jones and Greg Jennings, plus tight end Donald Lee.
Atlanta's defense is not as good as the Packers' defense, but it is a solid unit, nonetheless.


Sunday, January 16

NFC DIVISIONAL ROUND
Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears - Raise your hand if you picked these two teams to be in the post-season divisional round back in August.
Didn't think so.
But they are here and one of them will advance to play in the NFC Championship Game next weekend.
The Bears rate the edge on defense no doubt, because the Seahawks allowed better than 30 points a game down the stretch and also gave up 36 points last week against the Saints.
If they give up 30 points or more to Chicago, the Bears will roll to an easy victory in this one.
Bears' QB Jay Cutler will be starting in his first ever playoff game on Sunday. He will have to be sharp and not throw the interceptions he has been known to in clutch situations during his five-year career.
Seahawks' signal caller Matt Hasselbeck looked like a new man out there last week during the win over the Saints, passing for big yardage and four touchdowns. Only one problem... this ain't the Saints defense he will be facing this time around.
Seattle did beat the Bears at Soldier Field back in Week Six, but the Bears' defense was missing linebacker Lance Briggs in that one. Briggs is a difference make in the defense and Chicago will look to pressure Hasselbeck and the Seattle offense into mistakes.
The Bears must contain Marshawn Lynch, Seattle's running back who scored on that incredible 67-yard run last week to clinch the game for the 'Hawks.

AFC DIVISIONAL ROUND
New York Jets at New England Patriots - Don't believe the hype!
With all the trash talking going on between the Jets and Patriots, one would think this is the Super Bowl itself.
The Jets beat New England way back in Week Two, 28-14. However, the Patriots completely gutted the Jets 45-3 in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football in early December.
The Jets' loudmouth Head Coach Rex Ryan isn't forgetting that beatdown either and reminded those who cared to listen that this is all about him and Patriots' Head Coach Bill Belichick.
New England has a huge edge at quarterback where Tom Brady, coming off an MVP-type performance this season, will look to continue his hot streak that started in mid-November and hasn't slowed down one bit since.
Jets' QB Mark Sanchez is 3-1 in his two seasons in the post-season, but it isn't because of him. The Jets defense and running game has been and continues to be the bread-and-butter in the teams' success in the playoffs for the last two seasons.
What it will take for the Jets to win is a solid running game (to keep Brady & company off the field) like they displayed last week against Indianapolis.
If the Jets can run the football and get pressure on Brady, like Baltimore did last year when they blew out the Patriots in the opening round of the playoffs, they can win this football game.
If not, look for Brady to carve up the secondary once again and the Patriots will roll to another easy win.

The picks for the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs...

Pittsburgh over Baltimore
Green Bay over Atlanta
Chicago over Seattle
New England over NY Jets

Last Week's Record: 1-3

Heftyinfo FINAL College Football Top Ten

1. Auburn (14-0)

2. TCU (13-0)

3. Oregon (13-1)

4. Stanford (12-1)

5. Ohio State (12-1)

6. Oklahoma (12-2)

7. LSU (11-2)

8. Wisconsin (11-2)

9. Alabama (10-3)

10. Boise State (12-1)

Eagles' Magic Carpet Ride Over, Ravens Roll

The Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers advanced to the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs next weekend.
The Packers held on and defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 21-16 while the Baltimore Ravens rolled to an easy victory at Kansas City, 30-7.
The Eagles, led by quarterback Michael Vick, boasted the NFL's number-two offense coming into the game. The Packers defense did a good job limiting them to 16 points and sealed the game when Vick was intercepted in the closing seconds of the game.
Packers' QB Aaron Rodgers (pictured upper left) passed for 180 yards and three touchdowns.
The Packers led 14-3 at halftime and the Eagles got back into the game quickly in the third quarter when Vick hit Jason Avant for a 24-yard scoring pass following a Green Bay turnover to cut the game to 14-10.
Brandon Jackson scored on a 16-yard pass from Rodgers to get the Packers back in front 21-10.
Eagles' kicker David Akers missed two field goals in the game and that proved to be vital as the Eagles were forced to go for a touchdown in the final drive rather than a field goal attempt to win the game.
Vick scored on a one-yard run to draw Philly to within 21-16, but the two-point conversion failed and the Eagles were on their way to being eliminated from the playoffs.
The Packers face the Atlanta Falcons on the road next Saturday night.

The Baltimore Ravens smashed the Kansas City Chiefs, 30-7 as the defense dominated, sacking KC quarterback Matt Cassel (playing in his first playoff game) three times. The Ravens' defense also intercepted the Chiefs' signal caller three times.
Jamaal Charles scored Kansas City's only touchdown on a 41-yard run to give the Chiefs a 7-3 lead late in the first quarter.
The Ravens took the lead for good on a nine-yard scoring pass from QB Joe Flacco (265 yards passing and two TD) to running back Ray Rice with 19 seconds remaining in the first half.
The second half belonged to the visitors from Baltimore as they pulled away for the win.
Ravens' kicker Billy Cundiff made a pair of 29-yard field goals in the third quarter and Anquan Boldin hauled in a four-yard scoring pass from Flacco to make it 23-7.
Willis McGahee nailed the Chiefs' coffin shut for good on a 25-yard run to make it 30-7 with 4:26 remaining in the game.
Baltimore outgained Kansas City in total yardage, 390-161 as they limited the Chiefs to just 53 yards passing. Kansas City turned the football over five times in the loss as well.
The Ravens move on to play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday in the Divisional Round.

Former GOP Leader Sentenced To Three Years In Prison

Tom DeLay, (Republican-Texas), Former House Majority Leader ... Money Laundering.

What Now?

It happened.
The inevitable occurred on Saturday in Tucson, Arizona when a crazed gunman opened fire on a crowd at a store in the town where a meet and greet with 8th District U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords (pictured upper left) was taking place.
A lot is still being sorted out and will be for some time as the feds and local police investigate the incident.
When I say the inevitable happened, what is meant is by all the "threats" that we hear about from politicians and other people surrounding them.
The "Tea Party" seems to be the scapegoat so far and that's only because people need a target to point at in a time like this.
There are many good people who are genuinely concerned about the state of our country over the past decade and beyond.
There's good reason for that as many factors have contributed to the high anxiety people are feeling as they lose their jobs, homes, economic well being, etc.
Normally, and yesterday was not an exception, there is some sarcasm and attempted "wit" thrown around regarding the controversial tea party and it's top public face, Sarah Palin.
This is not an attempt to politicize things surrounding what happened yesterday.
It is simply an observation from one concerned American citizen who has seen a lot of things in 46 years.
From an early age, I heard people criticizing politicians, starting with then President Richard M. Nixon. It has continued right through our current leader Barack Obama.
The president issued a statement after the news spread about the shootings that killed (by last count) six people and wounded 14 others, including Giffords, who so far is surviving being shot through her head.
Amazing!
A nine-year old girl was killed among the six people, and it is said she was born on September 11, 2001. How ironic is it that she came in on a national tragedy and her short life ends on another one.
Domestic terrorism is for real and it came to mainstream light when the federal building was bombed in Oklahoma City in 1995.
Eventually, Timothy McVeigh was tried and later executed for the crime.
People know all about September 11, 2001 and what happened on that day.
So here we are nine years and four months later and a man named Jared Loughman takes things into his own hands and shoots people.
Violence is not the answer.
It is never the answer.
We live in a society that practically glorifies violence.
It's everywhere.
There are frickin' comedies (TV shows, movies) that attempt to make violence seem funny.
It ain't funny when someone gets hurt or killed.
Granted, that's fictional but still there are those unstable individuals (Loughman and many others) who take what they see or hear or read and run with it.
Literally.
Remember the guy who flew a plane into the IRS building? How about the people carrying guns with them to political rallies?

The tea party crowd carrying signs reading, "WE CAME UNARMED- THIS TIME!"

What is that all about?

Which brings us back to Palin and her "SarahPac" website that had the "cross hairs" targets on the map of the United States.
There is a target (one of three) on the state of Arizona (see picture upper right) and Gabrielle Giffords' name appears on that list.
It has since been scrubbed from the site.
A little too late perhaps?
Palin and others involved with the tea party have to be more responsible when it comes to making statements like that.
Remember Michele Bachmann (R-Minnesota, 6th District), a U.S. House Representative, calling for people to be "armed and dangerous" when it came to a tax plan of President Obama?
How about then U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle calling for "second amendment remedies"
when disagreeing with political decisions.
There was also the incident on the steps of the Congress last March when law makers were entering the building to vote on the Health Care Reform bill that eventually passed where "protesters" (mostly affiliated with the tea party) were spitting on elected representatives and yelling obscenities at them.
Now this shooting of an elected official in Arizona occurs.
No doubt security will be beefed up even more and be careful what you say or write if you do attempt to contact your own representatives in the House or Senate.
You may get a visit from the feds.
Let us get a grip people and look seriously at what is going on around our country.
"A house divided will not stand" is a famous quote and I feel that's where we are at.
We have to stand together if we want to continue to be called the UNITED States of America.
Not to be naive, because there will be future occurrences like the one yesterday, but we as Americans have to ask ourselves, "What are we? Where are we going?"
The answer is within us all.
We just have to find it and apply it.

The Truth

Surprise! Surprise!

It has indeed been a strange season and it continued in the post-season on day one of the 'Wild Card' round of the NFL playoffs.
The NFL Playoffs kicked off Saturday with the Seattle Seahawks (7-9 record and all) hosting the New Orleans Saints and actually winning the game, 41-36 to eliminate the defending Super Bowl champions.
In the AFC Wild Card opener, the New York Jets stunned the Indianapolis Colts, 17-16 as kicker Nick Folk drilled a 32-yard field goal as time ran out to propel the Jets into the next round against the mighty New England Patriots.
LaDainian Tomlinson ran for two touchdowns and the Jets' defense did just enough to keep Colts' quarterback Peyton Manning at bay.
Back in Seattle, 'Hawks QB Matt Hasselbeck played in this one like it was the 2005 post-season when the team was making its' Super Bowl appearance run.
Hasselbeck threw four touchdown passes and had 272 yards passing to go with Marshawn Lynch, who ran for a game deciding 67-yard touchdown to go with his 131 yards on the ground. Mike Williams and Brandon Stokley each had a TD reception and tight end John Carlson had two TD grabs.
Saints' QB Drew Brees put the ball up 60 times and had 404 yards and two touchdowns, but the Saints' defense, which was so instrumental a year ago in their Super Bowl run, completely failed in this game.

Sarah's Soldiers

This is the kind of demented, sick people supporting Sarah Palin and people of her ilk.

The Biggest Loser: SARAH PALIN

THIS SAYS IT ALL AFTER THE SHOOTING OF ARIZONA U.S. REPRESENTATIVE GABRIELLE GIFFORDS (D-8th DISTRICT) ... HER NAME IS ON PALIN'S "CROSSHAIRS" LIST.

NFL - Playoffs Preview

The NFL Playoffs get going this weekend with the "Wild Card" Weekend featuring the third through sixth seeded teams in both conferences.

In the NFC, the New Orleans Saints take on the Seattle Seahawks in the great Northwest while the Green Bay Packers travel to play the Philadelphia Eagles.
The AFC features the Indianapolis Colts, last year's Super Bowl runner-up, hosting the New York Jets and the Baltimore Ravens will be playing at Kansas City.

There are those who feel the Seahawks, despite their atrocious 7-9 record, should not be taken lightly and could actually have a shot at beating the defending Super Bowl champion Saints.
The Saints have quarterback Drew Brees and a plethora of talented wide receivers to go with Reggie Bush and Julius Jones in the backfield. Pierre Thomas is out for this year's playoffs with injuries.

The Packers and Eagles battled in the opening game and the Pack prevailed, 27-20 in the road game.
Packers' QB Aaron Rodgers had another solid season and teams with running back Brandon Jackson and wide receivers Donald Driver, Greg Jennings and James Jones and Tight End Donald Lee to provide a formidable offense.
The Eagles have MVP candidate Michael Vick at quarterback and running back LeSean McCoy along with Tight End Brent Celek and wide receivers DeSean Jackson, Jason Avant and Jeremy Maclin.
Both defenses are good, but Green Bay's 'D' rates the edge and has been playing solid football for the last ten games. The 'X' factor is Vick and he has had past playoff success against Green Bay.

The AFC should have two good games as the Colts, with QB Peyton Manning leading the way, facing the Jets in a AFC Championship Game rematch from a year ago.
The Jets, led by their solid defense, are not on the roll they were a year ago, but still can win this game if quarterback Mark Sanchez avoids mistakes.
The New York defense is not as good as a year ago and the numbers prove that. Cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie have not exactly been in shut down mode this season, in spite of all the hype surrounding them.
If the Jets do not get pressure on Manning, he will pick the defense apart and the Colts will roll in this one.

In the game featuring the Baltimore Ravens and upstart Kansas City Chiefs, the defenses will be the key and Baltimore has a much better defense than Kansas City.
Look for both teams to run the football and quarterbacks Joe Flacco (Ravens) and Matt Cassel (Chiefs) throwing when necessary.


THE PICKS FOR THIS WEEKEND'S GAMES ... (Home teams listed in BOLD)


Saturday, January 8th

New Orleans over Seattle
Indianapolis over NY Jets

Sunday, January 9th

Baltimore over Kansas City
Philadelphia over Green Bay

Last Week's Record: 11-5

2010 FINAL SEASON RECORD: 171-85

PUBLIC ENEMIES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

RUSH LIMBAUGH - Public Enemy Number One!
John Boehner (Speaker of the House)
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
U.S. Rep. Mike Pence
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
Sarah Palin
Newt Gingrich
U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham
U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa
U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor
U.S. Senator Jim DeMint
RNC Leader Michael Steele
Fox loudmouth Bill O' Reilly
Fox loudmouth Sean Hannity
Glenn Beck
Dick Cheney
U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia

These Corporate puppets MUST BE STOPPED!

The United States and it's citizens (working people) are under assault by these and other corporate cronies.

Wake Up America!

The GOP takes the House

NFL - Week Seventeen Review

The 2010 NFL season, as bizarre as it may have been, is now in the books and it's on to the playoffs.
There are some familiar faces in the AFC playoffs in 2010.
The New England Patriots (14-2) finished the season with a 38-7 drubbing of the Miami Dolphins in Foxboro. Pats' quarterback Tom Brady (pictured right) threw a pair of touchdown passes and Julian Edelman returned a punt 94 yards for a score to lead the way.
The Indianapolis Colts (10-6) clinched the AFC South and their ninth consecutive playoff appearance with a 23-20 squeaker over Tennessee. Peyton Manning passed for 264 yards and two touchdowns.
The Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) rolled to an easy victory and the AFC North title with a 41-9 rout of the Cleveland Browns.
The Steelers' defense limited the Browns to 43 yards rushing and Ben Roethlisberger (two TD passes), the Heftyinfo NFL Player of the Week, connected with wide receiver Mike Wallace on a 56-yard scoring pass on the first play from scrimmage for Pittsburgh. Steelers' running back Rashard Mendenhall scored twice in the win.
The Baltimore Ravens made it to the playoffs for the third straight season with their 12-4 record as they defeated Cincinnati 13-7. The Ravens were outgained 395-199 in total yardage, but their defense limited the Bengals to just one score in the fourth quarter and made a goal-line stand in the final seconds to preserve the victory.
The Kansas City Chiefs (10-6) lost at home for the first time in 2010 as Oakland bombed them 31-10. Even though they lost, the Chiefs made the playoffs as winners of the AFC West.
The Raiders (8-8) blew open a close game in the third quarter when Michael Bush ran 26 yards for a touchdown and the defense scored a touchdown as well. The Raiders' defense also sacked KC quarterback Matt Cassel seven times in the game.
The New York Jets (11-5) made it back to the playoffs as a wild card and finished the regular season with a 38-7 whipping of the Buffalo Bills.
In the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks became the first team with a losing record (7-9) to WIN their division, the NFC West, and make the playoffs.
The 'Hawks beat St. Louis 16-6 to wrap up the crown in Head Coach Pete Carroll's first season. The only other time that teams with LOSING records qualified for the NFL playoffs was in 1982 when a nine game strike-shortened season allowed a special format that gave eight teams in each conference a chance to go to the Super Bowl.
The Chicago Bears, already the NFC North division champions, did not rest their starters and lost a close game to the host Green Bay Packers, 10-3 that allowed the Packers to get the NFC's sixth seed for the post-season.
Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers hit tight end Donald Lee with a one-yard scoring pass early in the fourth quarter to provide the winning margin.
Atlanta (13-3) clinched the top seed and home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with a 31-10 win against Carolina. Falcons' QB Matt Ryan threw two TD passes and running back Michael Turner scored a touchdown.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-6) fell short of the playoffs even though they beat New Orleans, 23-13 to finish a surprisingly successful season after going 3-13 a year ago.
Bucs' QB Josh Freeman threw a pair of TD passes and kicker Conner Barth kicked three field goals in the win. The Saints (11-5) are a wild card playoff team as they travel to Seattle for the first-round game, seeking to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
Dallas beat Philadelphia 14-13 in the finale but the Eagles (10-6) are the NFC East champions and will host a first-round game against Green Bay next weekend.
The New York Giants (10-6) found themselves in the same boat as Tampa Bay, out of the post season, even though they won 17-14 at Washington. Giants' QB Eli Manning threw a touchdown pass and Brandon Jacobs ran for another score in the win.

Other action in the NFL's final weekend saw the Houston Texans knock off Jacksonville, 34-17 to finish off their season at 6-10.

The San Diego Chargers, one of the league's bigger disappointments, finished second at 9-7 in the AFC West after beating the Denver Broncos, 33-28. Chargers' running back Ryan Mathews had his best game in an injury plagued rookie season, rushing for 120 yards and three touchdowns. The Chargers' finished the 2010 season as the NFL leaders in offense and defense.

The Detroit Lions won their fourth straight game to finish the season at 6-10 as they beat Minnesota, 20-13. The Vikings had a disastrous season, finishing 6-10 and saw (perhaps) the final season for Brett Favre end on a low note.

Another team finishing a bad season ended 2010 with a win as the San Francisco 49ers (6-10) knocked off Arizona, 38-7 behind two TD passes by quarterback Alex Smith and two touchdown runs by Brian Westbrook.