Also, thank you for your support against ALS. My Father passed away in 1997 with ALS and I lost my older Brother to ALS in 2006. It is heart wrenching to see not just one but two family members to this horrible fatal disease. So, thank you for all that you do and thank you for supporting a man that will be a better President.

Sincerely and God bless,
Pamela

Not that I’ll be voting on the GOP side. I’m a Democrat who is thrilled beyond belief tonight. Hillary was written off for dead. She had five days of the most nasty, mean-spirited, disgusting coverage that I have ever seen (and I’ve seen a lot). In the end the voters of New Hampshire had other ideas. God bless them. I can’t remember the last time I was so elated.

I’d appreciate conservatives not leaving hateful comments in response to what I wrote, I don’t think that’s neccesary. And the same goes for liberals concerning the GOP race–there’s no need to be angry and condescending. This blog is supposed to be a fun place for all of us.

Steve

I don’t think anyone running is going to change this country for the better. I don’t dislike McCain. In fact I admire him for all he has sacrificed for this country as well as South Vietnam for all that was worth. I think he means well unlike the rest of these lying thieving sellers of the American dream. Like I said in fonts and grammer “the man doesn’t make the office, the office makes the man” and as long as the office of the president of the U.S. is up for the highest bidder we in this country are all screwed. It won’t affect the wealthy, it never does, it just affects us working stiffs who keep losing jobs to China and Malaysia and Mexico and many others. We used to be the #1 manufacturer in the world. Machinery, tools, toys ,clothing etc. You name it we made it, and we made it right. When the Korean war started we began manufacturing war material in Japan because it was cheaper and quicker to make it there and ship it to Korea than to do so in the U.S. And thus began the idea of manufacturing overseas to save $$ and who cares about our own people, they don’t deserve a living wage, meaning we don’t deserve the right to be able to make enough $$ to live as oppose to just survive. Lobbyists and lawyers making millions selling our future for an offshore account and an early retirement while somehow convincing the retirees that they shouldn’t be made to feel useless and should go work at Wal Mart or MacDonalds or some other low wage job just to supplement thier feeble social security benefits all the while trying to figure out a way to end that system. In the mid seventies congress borrowed 2/3rds of social security on the promise that they would pay it back. What a crock of horsecrap! The government doesn’t make $$ they print it. And they can’t do that without something backing it. And that something is taxes, or us working our butts off so the government employees can retire early and live much better than the people they are supposed to be governing, not screwing. People in this the richest country in the world with no home, food or medical coverage because they even figured out a way to take that away. In the not too distant past if you went to the hospital and had no $$ or medical coverage you still got tended to because the hospital coudn’t turn you away. The deal was that the states didn’t charge them taxes on property or equipment and the hospitals would take everyone. Now if you go into a hospital with no $$ or medical you will get sued if you can’t afford to pay the bill with your $6.50-10.00 an hour job. I would like to see any of the politicians lawyers or lobbyists try to survive on $10.00 an hour, never mind minimum wage. They coudn’t do it. And what about the justice system? What a joke! More than 80% of all crime is commited by the same 10-12% of the population and pediphiles are set free on the promise that they will tell everyone in the nieghborhood that they are the most wicked thing on the face of the earth. No wonder it’s this way when you look at what some of the lawmakers in this country do for thier fun. And how do we justify the death penalty when there are so many wrongful convictions in this, the supposedly most free country in the world, which happens to have the largest prison population on the planet. Most crime is borne of poverty, and politics is the womb in which war developes so considering that the majority of the front line troops are from poor or working class families what are the trying to tell us? On this side of the planet we use corn for fuel while on the other side of the planet people are starving by the millions. Meanwhile our government lends $$ to third world countries that don’t have a snowballs chance in hell of ever paying it back but do have natural resources as well as unscruopulus leaders willing to sell thier people out to our government who sold us out and the U.S. banks and corporations are making a killing on it. This all from the great moral compass the U.S. We spend almost a billion dollars a week on this war while people all over the country are losing thier jobs, homes and childrens future. The government should take some time off from this war, say 5 days and the $$ could be put into an account for each of the 300million plus people in the U.S. Each person would have an account, and it could only be used for food, housing and medical, then our crappy take home pay will actually take us home. We blame immigrants for all sorts of problems caused by our own government here and in other countries all the while we do business with a comunist dictatorship that we now owe trillions to. And I do mean WE, for we are the tax payers who must now pick up the tab. Yeah thats seems fair and right. I am a christian and I love the United States of America, but I love God more, and thats the way it is. McCain and the others can’t change the way things are done, only we can with the help of God and some honest judges, for judges have the most power in the land of the free. Honest judges would make better leaders than lawyers who become politicians, but where can we find some? Einstien said that the world is a dangerous place, but it is not the evil that men do that we must fear, but when good men look on and do nothing. I feel bad for what Mr. McCain went through in Vietnam as well as all the troops who fought there. If that jackass Truman had kept FDR’s promise to Ho Chi Minh during WWII then France wouldn’t have been allowed to re-colanize Vietnam, and we would have had a strong ally in southeast Asia during the cold war, and our people wouldn’t have had to go there. I hope Curt you and anyone else who might read this don’t take offense to what I have said. I would like to think that Mr. McCain might read this as well as you, and that you both might respond, but I’m not sure if that will happen. Please take care and good luck to both you and Mr.McCain this new year. GO AMERICA!!! GO SOX!!! and God bless this world!
Sully

I am sorry that so many of your so-called “fans” would criticize you for stating your personal preference on your OWN blog (as opposed to a Red Sox or MLB blog). Some people just give “free speech” lip service. Anyway, had you endorsed THEIR preferred candidate, I’m sure they would have applauded you rather than telling you to “stick to baseball,” etc.

Best wishes to you and the Schillings in 2008.

zeke

That said, I just saw the TV spot you did for him and I have some friendly advice. Buy a freakin’ razor, will ya? This is presidential politics, not a Sharpie meet and greet.

It’s ok, perhaps even helpful, to look rather scruffy when you’re setting up A-Rod for some chin music. But it’s so completely wrong when you’re asking for votes for a presidential candidate. Who the hell let you go on camera looking like that, anyway? No kidding, whoever it is should be fired.

John McCain is accountable. And he is for better education, better healthcare, shoring up social security, green power, hands across the world and every other platitude that politicians spew out this time of year. I don’t mind if he says he’s accountable; what I have an issue with is what does it mean? You can say put it on me, but then what? Pete Rose said he was sorry and expected to be put in the hall. What he didn’t understand is that asking for forgiveness is more than saying I’m sorry – it’s also about atonement.

First of all, I was against the war when it was unpopular to do so and I excoriate every politician who supported it and now backtrack (cough, Hilary). So I respect the fact that McCain hasn’t changed his position. However, my issue is what is the exit strategy? What is the metric? My problem with the war was utility. For what they were fighting for and the investment that had to be made, it just wasn’t worth it. I knew that this war would run 10 years and over a few trillion dollars. If we learned anything from the Soviets, bullets and bombs do not make a good GDP. I also thought it was wrong to have a military action for something that was essentially a police/intelligence action.

This plan to stay indefinitely is ludicrous. Using this kind of logic, we would have never left Vietnam. But when we did leave, the world did not end for us. All the fears of communist expansion didn’t happen. McCain has not done a good job articulating how this will come to an end.

Which leads to a larger issue – when was the last time this country had a true leader? When was the nation galvanized to be a nation? The Apollo mission had less computing power than what I am typing on right now, but what we did have was great will. IMHO, Reagan was a disaster; his economic policies led to the creation of the euro and the disasters that resulted from an unplanned fall of the USSR (the balkans, etc). You really have to go back to Kennedy to find an inspiring president. The only thing you can point to in recent history where people are glavanized to do something is this green thing. What this all points to is that be a leader of this nation, you have to find a way to communicate to the nation. Many of the problems we are facing (healthcare, social security) have difficult choices, but are eminently solveable. You need to have a president who can talk to the nation in such a way to energize us to put aside self-interest. I just don’t see John McCain doing that.

It is also incredibly naive, immature and hateful for someone to criticize Curt Schilling as a “hired gun” (read “otownbosoxfan” above) or to say that “this was our time… not yours.” Curt Schilling and the Red Sox organization won the World Series FOR THEMSELVES AND FOR THEIR FANS!… we as “Red Sox Nation” were along for the ride, with all it’s ups and downs, just as I have been for the last 43 years. Both my grandfathers died before they were able to see a Red Sox World Series victory… but that is the way of life.

I don’t believe for a second that professional athletes should only play on their favorite team from their youth! Let’s see MLB adn the players’ association will go for that.

I guess some of you would prefer that all Red Sox players were of the same political persuasion that you are… well guess what… much like the military in which I proudly serve, the demographics of most organizations are a reflection of the society that they represent… so the Sox roster is probably as diverse as Red Sox Nation… and that is NOT a bad thing!

Finally, I believe Curt said from the top… this is HIS OPINION… don’t hate him for his opinion… love him for his game, his passion for winning, and his conversion to Red Sox Nation, albeit late in his career. Pity those who will never be a part of us!

I still haven’t decided who I’ll vote for in the Republican primaries… but rest assured that, regardless of who becomes our next President, I will always be part of “Red Sox Nation.” If any Democrats, Independents or Libertarians have an issue with that… we can discuss it over a beer at the Cask’n Flagon.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

… from the “land of sand”… proud member of the U.S. Air Force