The Heck With Politically Correct, WE GOT HIM!

Let me start this off by saying I'm not a big fan of Obama to begin with but the fact of the matter is WE GOT HIM!  Osama Bin Laden is DEAD!  He's fish food at the bottom of the ocean somewhere and that's a good thing.  President Obama is the one who authorized the mission and acted on the intelligence so for that I'll give him credit.  Thank you President Obama for doing the right thing and giving the green light to exterminate this worthless piece of garbage.  The real credit belongs to the members of the United States Military for getting the job done and doing it so quickly and efficiently.  What they, the US Navy Seals, did and are able to do should strike complete and total fear in the hearts and minds of those who wish us harm.  Hey Al Qaeda We can do this when we want and where we want and if you dare cross us we can do it to you too!  Does that sound harsh?  Does that sound 'politically incorrect'?  Does that sound like something that would get me kicked out of class for saying it.  Yes, unfortunately it does but it shouldn't sound that way.  That's part of the problem if you ask me!

When asked about releasing the death photos of Osama Bin Laden President Obama said something to the affect of , "We're not going to spike the football."  Why the hell not?  We should not only be spiking the football, we should be doing one hell of an end zone dance too!  I don't give a damn about the sensitivities of the Muslim world and what they think of us.  Who Cares!!!  Did we care what the Germans and the Japanese thought of us when we celebrated the end of World War II?  No we didn't.  One of the most iconic photos of our time is the Navy Sailor kissing the Nurse in Times Square when victory over Japan was declared!!!  That was one heck of a celebration.  WE WON!!!!  WE CELEBRATED!!!  That is how it was then and how it should still be today! 

I got goosebumps when I saw the photos of American Citizens celebrating with the Red, White, and Blue chanting USA, USA, at Ground Zero and in front of the White House and in Times Square...  YES, YES!!!  That is the way it should be and if the Muslims were offended that's too damn bad!  If you're here and you don't like it you're more than welcome to leave!

Back in the days of World War II we had people like Patton who said, "America loves a winner. America will not tolerate a loser. Americans despise a coward; Americans play to win." Again... YES!!!  That's how it should be.  Some in Europe say they were shocked that America was celebrating the death of Osama Bin Laden by cheering in the streets.  SHUT UP!!!  We've come to your defense each and every time and saved you ass before and we'll likely do it again should you be faced with terror.  You too should be celebrating the death and demise of someone so evil.  While you're passing judgement on our celebration of the death of one of the worst people to ever walk the earth keep this in mind...  "Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you: Jesus Christ and the American G. I. One died for your soul; the other for your freedom."  If I recall correctly it was Tony Blair the Prime Minister of England who was credited with that quote.  Did you celebrate the death of Hitler?  Yes, you did, as did we.

Pakistan says we came in and killed Osama Bin Laden in cold blood while he was defenseless.  SO WHAT!  He was there for how many years Pakistan?  As George W. Bush said, "The US makes no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them."  Count yourselves lucky that we only came after him and not you and your country.  In case you didn't notice, which you didn't, we came in and you didn't even know we were there and you likely wouldn't have noticed at all if it weren't for the fact that one of our helicopters went down.  That wasn't any typical helicopter either in case you missed it.  That appeared to be some super secret advanced piece of "kick your ass" hardware that we have.

The bottom line here is the fact that this is a HUGE victory for the USA and one that should be celebrated.  The American people as a whole are rarely wrong.  We celebrated the end of evil in World War II and we celebrated the death of evil in Osama Bin Laden.  I could care less about how the Muslims feel about what we do in this country.  If they don't like it then they can stay the hell out.  Don't forget it was the Muslim terrorists who started this mess.  We tend to keep to ourselves until we're pushed and provoked and that's what happened on September 11.  If you're going to pick on us you damn well better be ready for us to, "Put a boot in your ass courtesy of the Red, White and Blue!" as Toby Keith said in his song "The Angry American".

This is a VICTORY for America courtesy of the United States Military at the hand of the Navy Seals.  America will celebrate it, and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it! 

A New Blog

Haven't done too much on this blog lately because I've actually started a new blog...  Yep, I know what you're thinking.  It was just a short time ago that I started this blog and now all of a sudden I'm starting a yet another one.  It's funny how these things work and it got me to thinking about how this all started in the first place....  I lost a dear friend, someone I didn't see nearly as often as I would have liked to, and both he and his wife are amazing people.  I'm still learning from the two of them today, despite the fact that he's gone.  I, like the 57 other that follow her blog, anxiously look for a new entry from her because no matter what she writes it seems as if we can all take something from it and learn.  Well, at least it feels that way to me.  I didn't know what a blog really was until I found Melissa's blog, and now six months later I have two.  Not too sure that I'm very good at either one of them but I'm learning and enjoying it so I keep working at it.

The second blog "The Race Blog" is more of a way to keep our racers up to date on what's going on with our regional go kart racing called "The Heartland Sprint Series" and I've been very involved in that lately because we just solidified a deal the IZOD IndyCar Series to help promote "The Mazda Road to Indy" and the sport of Karting.  It's been very exciting and our partnership with IndyCar started at the 2011 Greater Kansas City International Auto Show.  This was our second year working with the Auto Show and we were able to bring an IndyCar to the show with us this year.  Our Tag Senior Champion this year will have the opportunity to race in a USF2000 car in Florida with the best of the best in Karting.  It's much like the Top Gun of karting.  It's a huge opportunity for the sport of Karting and great honor for us as well.  I can't believe that our regional go kart series here in Kansas City was actually able to work with the IZOD IndyCar Series and they just included us in a press release they sent out from Indianapolis just yesterday.  You could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw that the other day.

Below is a photo of us at the 2011 Kansas City Auto Show with IndyCar as our partner.

Steve was a big fan of go karts and in previous blogs I mentioned how cool it would be to someday own my own business.  If things keep going the way they're going it's possible that someday that might happen.

The new blog is attached to our Karting website at:  BP Motorsports Group

The Great February KC "Snowpocalypse"

SNOW BABY SNOW!!!!  I hope we get a ton of it!!!!  Well, here are are....  It's another snow storm in KC and this is the BIG ONE!  There will actually be a blizzard in KC for the first time in years.  Here's the view from my office window 9:00am in Overland Park at 95th & Metcalf.  Will this turn into the massive storm they're talking about.  Apparently we can expect about 12 inches of snow and the range is from 5 inches North & West to 25 inches South and East.  Can't wait to get home and have fun with the family....  By the looks of the way things are going so far it will be an early day at work.  I'm not looking forward to a 3.5 hour drive home.  I know storms like this can be dangerous but they sure are fun to watch!

Photo 1)  Feb 1, 2011  9:00am

Will add the photos as the hours go by for as long as I'm here.....

2)  Feb 1, 2011 10:00am

They're closing the office at 12:00.  YEAH!  More time to be at home and have fun with the family!!!

3)  Feb 1, 2011  11:00am

It doesn't look too much different hour by hour so far but there is certainly more snow out there.  The photos don't do the storm justice yet....

4)  Feb 1, 2011  11:50am  

That's it....  Time to head home and have fun with the family as the bulk of the blizzard approaches KC!  Have fun and be safe everyone.

He is the reason for the season...

"Tis better to give than to receive"....   I made a vow to myself last year that each and every time I saw one of the Salvation Army members outside a store ringing their bell I would give them all the change in my pocket and if I didn't have any change then I would reach in my wallet and find some money to put in the kettle.  On a few occasions I think I did both, emptied my pockets of change and added some bills to the kettle as well.  I can't recall what made me make that promise to myself but for the past two seasons I've never missed the chance to put something in the kettle each time I was at a store where the Salvation Army had a bell ringer. 

A couple weeks ago I was out getting lunch and I could hear the bell ringer from a couple stores away.  I couldn't see where they were but had a general idea of what store I thought they were in front of.  I had just walked out from getting my lunch and had a pocket full of change, so remembering the promise I made to myself, I got in the truck and drove to the front of the other store and put all the change I had in the bucket.  I told the gentleman I could hear his bell from several stores away as I dropped all my change in the kettle.

Sure the X-Box and the PS3's the Flat Screens and Lap Tops are all cool stuff but if you really want to see the joy of the Christmas season go find some needy kids who could use a new coat for Christmas to help keep them warm or buy some new hats and gloves for people who don't have any and my bet is that you'll carry that joy with you for much longer....  Help someone and pay it forward, what comes back to you is often much greater than you expect. 

Fun With Family!

One thing I've noticed lately, which I really knew all along, is that the kids really enjoy doing fun and different things as long as you can find ways to make it fun and entertaining.  Yeah, I know...  If you're a parent then that's not really anything you didn't already know either.   Many times there are educational opportunities that go along with the activity as well and you can sneak them in when the kids are least expecting it and it makes learning more exciting.  The hard part is that, unlike when we were kids, we as parents now have to compete with the DSI, Wii, PS3, X-Box, etc.. and don't even get me started on the texting thing....  I was actually looking somewhat forward to the time when a boy would call the house for our daughter so I could see if he had the right type of phone manners.  Now they all have cell phones!  UGH!  Yes, I know I'm old fashioned, but there's nothing wrong with that....

My best friend and I often joke about the fact that we're turning into cranky old men before our time.  I tell him we were just born into the wrong generation.  I'm a product of the "Yes Sir", "Yes Ma'am", "Please" and "Thank you" upbringing and I'm a firm believer in it but it seems like those qualities are lost on the younger generation.  Oops, there I go again being the cranky old man.... 

I'm sure you can all relate in some way to what I'm talking about.  It's 70 degrees outside in November and you tell the kids to go out and play and they're glued to some game on one of the a fore mentioned devices.  Not that it's totally bad that they're doing that but when I was a kid... Look out, cranky old man quote coming up.....  we climbed trees and played ball and raced our bikes and jumped off the swing sets etc. You thought I was going to say, "Walked to school, up hill, both ways, in the snow, carrying our little brother." didn't you...  I'm not that old!  That's what my parents use to say when they were telling us to go out and play...

Our kids enjoy the Wii games and PS3 stuff as much as any kid does but I've found that the best activities are the ones you can do together one on one with them or as a family together.  Just a few months ago our daughter helped me install the basketball goal at our house and it was a learning experience for both of us...

She's somewhat of a Math wiz so I took the time to add some Math to the project while she helped me mix the concrete and set the pole in the ground.  It was a lot of work but we were both outside, working on a project together and it made the project so much more meaningful and enjoyable to have her there with me.  Since she helped install the pole she got to take the first shot once everything was done.  Did she make the basket?  Let's just say I think she should stick with being in the band :-)

Tyler and I went Turkey Hunting recently and he said to me, while we were out in the woods, "You know Dad, everything is better out in the woods!"  I couldn't agree more!  We saw Turkey Tracks, Deer Tracks, tons of birds, explored the railroad tracks nearby and were out in the woods together for the better part of the day.  Later in the afternoon we heard a noise and Tyler couldn't figure out what it was, pretty soon a giant Owl flew out of a tree and Tyler thought that was really cool.  He then asked, "When is Owl season Dad?"  Yep, you guessed it...  Time for an educational opportunity.  There's not such thing as Owl season son.  I let him bring his toy gun out in the woods to help him learn gun safety and where to point the gun, how to hold it etc.   Last year he earned the nickname of  "Thunderfoot" because his tiny little feet found each and every twig in the woods.  You would have thought I had "Snap", "Crackle" and "Pop" hunting with me that day.  This season he seemed to avoid the twigs a little better but the nickname stuck!  "Thunderfoot" and I plan on going Deer Hunting this season as well. 

The smiles on their faces and enjoyment they had doing things like this were so much more gratifying than having their nose buried in some electronic device playing some game.  They can do that anytime.  They're only young once and life is short so cherish your time and take lots of pictures!

An Apple For My Teacher!

Thankful for your FREEDOM, thank a VET!

Thankful for your SAFETY, thank the MILITARY, FIREMEN & POLICE!

Thankful for your KNOWLEDGE, thank a TEACHER!!!

I went to College with many aspiring teachers years ago and now I'm married to one as well.  My wife Wendy and I met at my best friends house on May 26, 1990, I proposed on May 26, 2000 and we were married on May 26, 2001.   To make a long story short, our paths had separated in the Fall of 1990 because we went to different colleges.  I went to Northwest in Maryville and she was at the University of Florida in Pensacola.  It's now the Summer of 1999 and we hadn't seen each other or talked in 10 years.  I was working at Q104 and covering traffic one afternoon and Wendy had just recently been transferred back to Kansas City.  She was driving home listening to the radio and recognized my voice.  She called the radio station and actually got through on the request line, which is a miracle all by itself.  The rest is history...  Ironically she called me on 7-26-99 and it showed 5:26pm on her cell phone bill.  So yes, the number 526 has some special meaning to each of us, but that's not why I wrote this entry.  That's just back ground info.

Family is the most important thing of all and I'm so grateful for mine!  I couldn't ask for a more wonderful friend than my wife Wendy.  She has her degree in Accounting and she left a really fantastic career with State Street nearly 8 years ago to stay home with the kids.  At that time we were expecting Tyler and Carissa was only 7.  Shortly after Tyler was born we started looking for a bigger house and moved from Lee's Summit to Grain Valley.  Little did we know, when we planned to move, that Grain Valley was building a new grade school in our subdivision.  School is only 4/10ths of a mile from the house and Wendy started to sub in the School District and pretty soon she had a full time position as the Computer Teacher at Prairie Branch Elementary, where she's been for the past 6 years.  We couldn't ask for anything better because she's there with the kids during the day and home when they get home.  The Grain Valley Newspaper The Pointe just recently did an article about the School District and how they're using new technology in the classroom and it was Wendy's classroom that they featured in the article.  So here's an Apple For My Teacher, Wendy!  I still can't believe they misspelled her name in the photo.  They got it right everywhere else BUT the photo...

We're all where we are today because of our teachers!  Have you thanked your teacher today?

http://www.grainvalleypointe.com/articles/2010/11/03/school/doc4cd058ea9adaa760175782.txt

Congratulations sweetie...  I know the article was about the School District as a whole but I'm so proud of you!  You're so good at your job and the kids just love you!  It's funny because years ago when I was in radio it seemed like everywhere we went we'd run into people that knew me.  My how the times have changed!!!  Now everywhere we go all I hear is, "Mrs. Hagan...  Mrs. Hagan....  Mrs. Hagan!"  It's really cool to see the kids come running up to her to say hello....

Checkered Flag!!!!

If I've learned anything through all of this it's that "Family Comes First", because it's highly unlikely that years from now I'll look back at my life and say.... "Gee I wish I would have spent more time at work." 

My former boss, who is still a good friend, said that to me about six months ago as she was getting ready to leave work and stay home so she could spend more time with her family.   She was the one who hired me and I really enjoyed working with her.  She found out she had Cancer and she's got a tough road ahead of her to beat that stupid disease.  During one of our conversations she said to me, "You're not going to look back and wish you would have worked more, take the time off and spend it with your family.  You only get these years with them once, so go enjoy it!"  Wise advise from a wise lady if you ask me.

So with the above in mind I took time off last week to spend with the family and I left work early yesterday in order to get home in time to get our son ready for his BMX race and get him to practice early.  I named this blog "The Dad Blog" when I started because it's the first thing that came to mind and it seems so fitting now because focusing on the family is what a Dad is suppose to do.  Anyway, I got home early last night and hurried to get our son Tyler ready so we could head out the door to practice before the race.  He loves racing and he's been doing quite well so far so we bought him a new Race Bike and last night was the first time he got to race it.

During Practice Wendy was nervous watching Tyler go over the jumps as he would get the bike completely off the ground.  Each jump resulted in a gasp of air from Wendy as she clutched her heart every Tyler went airborne.  Tyler flew around the track finishing 2nd in the qualifying round which automatically transferred him to the Main Event!  When the time came for the Main Event Tyler took off out of the gate at full speed and he was in second place at the end of the first straightaway, but a quick dive to the inside on turn number one gave Tyler the lead and he never looked back!  He held the lead for the remainder of the race beating the rider in 2nd place by over four bike lengths.  It was his very first Feature Win!!!  Yes, it's true...  I won't look back years from now and say, "Gee, I wish I would have worked more."  The rewards of family are great, cherish each and every one of them and take lots of pictures along the way...

Tyler gets his first Feature WIN!!!  November 2nd 2010  BMX RACE  7 Year old Novice Class.

Congratulations from Mom is the coolest thing ever....  Second only to me figuring out how to upload photos on a blog..  LOL!!!!