As my good friend Marshall Drum would say, Merica!

I know a lot of my friends and people love to abbreviate saying America to just Merica. People ask why do that, and there is just a simple response to that; because we can. Merica!

All throughout high school whether it was at lunch, or my 11th grade U.S. History class my good buddy Marshall would love to just say Merica(still does). To the point where it was like a daily ritual for him to speak his mind about America and rep those good ol' colors of the red, white and blue. Merica!

He also used that Howard Dean byah at the end which made it even better. Merica, byah ...just see the link below and you'll understand what I'm talking about!!

Byaaaaahhhh!!!!!

As much as I love that kid, this is not about Mr. Drum, sorry Marshall. However, Marshall did teach me a very important lesson (and for those of you who know Marshall, that might be hard to believe..but's it true). Actually, Marshall taught me one of the most valuable lessons that I think I've ever picked up from another person; the idea of being patriotic and being an American. Marshall in his funny way of doing it, taught me that there is really no other greater country than this, no matter what anyone else says.

We have freedoms that countries, that people consider super powers, don't have and I'm proud that we do.

Recently, my roommates and I have been saying Merica a lot and it really brought me back to those high school days of when Marshall would always say that, and add the byah! It's also made me realize that an election is coming up and today we are on the eve of a very important election.

I'm not going to preach to you about who you should vote for, that's your God given right to have your opinion as a Merican to vote for who you want to vote for; a key element in this is VOTING.

After reading numerous Twitter feeds and Facebook posts, it's apparent that we have a lot of ignorant, not well informed people, but that's a different subject for another day. Point is that if you're 18 and you are constantly on Twitter and Facebook bitchong about how Obama is no good and Romney is an idoit, STOP BITCHING on them and go to a voting booth and express your displeasure and feelings that way.

It's vital that as young people especially in America,  the Land of the Free, that we vote and don't give the answer of " I don't care for politics" or "My vote won't matter," it's important that we be aware as early as we can be so we can effect our future and not have other people and countries dictate what we do from here on out.

I guess in a way, recently thinking about those lunches and classes, Marshall has kind of been a symbol of having a civil duty as Mericans to do what we are supposed to do as citizens of this great nation.

We need to be unified as a country, and a great way of being unified is voting. Love our country, do your job, and vote. Thanks Marshall, something that was done for laughter, was a great teacher! Merica, byaaahhhh !!!!

Continue on and LIVESTRONG, I know I will

Today, Nike decided to cut ties with Cycling icon Lance Armstrong. As you may well know, Armstrong won seven straight Tour de France's from 1999 to 2005 and became a cycling legend. Winning that many was really impressive, but that wasn't the amazing achievement Armstrong accomplished.

Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer on October 2, 1996 at just 25 year of age. His cancer spread through his entire body infecting his lungs, abdomen, and brain. After going through numerous surgeries to fix the problem, his doctors only gave him less than a 40% chance of living.

After going through numerous chemotherapy, beat the less than 40% odds and beat cancer officially in January of 1998 just a year and half before winning the first of many Tour de France's.

Many have questioned Lance Armstrong's win as a cyclist because recently the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA)  formally stripped him of his seven titles. Citing that he failed a drug test in 2009 and 2010 from blood tests, and having 11 of his former teammates testify on sworn affidavits that Armstrong was doping and giving them the drugs as well. Armstrong failed to appeal the decision and was just tired of fighting this process.

The real problem is not with the fact that Armstrong was doping because really no one care. Everyone in cycling dopes, they should just make it legal in the sport and call it a day. The real problem I have is that Nike decided to drop Armstrong after everything he has done for cancer.

I understand he doped and he cheated, I get that. what I don't get is how Nike can drop a man who has raised over $1 billion dollars through his foundation for cancer research. It's a sad day when you see Nike hold on to a man who cheated on his wife and publicly humiliated himself and his family in front of billions of people around the world, but let go of a man who has raised money and as much awareness to a cause that hold true and dear to our hearts.

Lance Armstrong instilled a very powerful message for those who had cancer, as well as to people who do not have or will never have it; LIVESTRONG.

The yellow wristband that became a phenomenon is not just something that we just put around our wrists, it is a symbol to those who need to live another day. It's for those who need to see a message of hope and to remember that there will be a tomorrow.

I love wearing Nike products and will probably continue to have the swoosh on my socks, shoes, jacket, shirt, shorts, hat, and whatever else they make, but I do think Nike needs to realize the message that they do send to people. 

I understand that for them, no name is bigger than the brand, but for this kind of cause Americans and people around the world have accepted the fact that Lance Armstrong is a universal face as well as a universal spokesman for cancer.

I hope this move Nike made, does not stop them in helping and pushing for more cancer research. It would be really sad if it did. I also hope this does not deter Lance from doing his thing with cancer research because there is a whole lot of people that will need that urgent and simple messaging of LIVESTRONG!

 

Dallas, We have a Problem....

"We just couldn't get the job done," Josh Hamilton said after the Rangers got beat by the Baltimore Orioles, Friday night. I think Hamilton just came up with the new catch phrase for all of Dallas' sports teams.

I am from Houston, and you have no idea the joy it brings to my face when Dallas fails and all its fair weather fans moan and complain on Facebook and Twitter about how Tony Romo blows and Josh Hamilton needs to lay off the booze and women and focus on baseball. Personally, I have no problem with Josh Hamilton doing whatever he wants, He's a grown man who can make his own decisions. So if that means him going to a bar, getting drunk and wondering why he choose Dallas of all places to live, I have no problem with that. If I had to deal with obnoxious, whiny fans like they have in Dallas they would have to name multiple rehab centers after me. Okay that's beside the point, point is Dallas has become Choke City, USA.

For a city whose mantra is striving to being bigger and better, our I-45 neighbors (interstate that connects Houston and Dallas) they sure have shown up small and bad in key situations. Lets do a quick run down on these major market teams and just start with the Rangers.

From 1972 when the organization first started, to 2009 the Rangers have no winning history because they weren't good. Yes you won a couple of division titles, but nobody cares. So for all you Rangers fans who act like you've been winning for ages, reality check, you haven't, you only started winning two years ago.

Speaking of Two years ago let's take a brief stroll down memory lane. The Rangers won the AL pennant and made it to the World Series for the first time in their history, by the way that was AFTER the Astros made their first appearance, just sayin! Anyways they made the World Series, and lost to a San Fransisco team in six games that barely squeezed into the playoffs, and had a bunch of old misfits on their team. What makes that worse is that the Rangers had six All-Stars on their team the Giant's had one, and half their roster wasn't even on their opening day roster. Unlike the Rangers who had 2/3rds of the team still on there. Smells like trouble to me, and I think I know what Josh has to say about this, "We just couldn't get the job done" and it was our first year so we have an excuse! That's fine Josh, just tell your annoying fans that.

Now we enter last year, when the ball club was suppose to get it done, it was their year, their suppose to be the Kings of the MLB. Well that didn't happen, the Rangers were one strike away, twice from winning a World Series in game six against the St. Louis Cardinals, and then we all know what happened in game seven...yes Josh we know "just couldn't get the job done."

Then we arrive to this year. The Rangers had the lead of the AL West since game three of this season (mind you baseball has 162 games) and blew that lead. They had the lead for 175 days, and lose it on the last game of the season to an Oakland A's team that record the most strikeouts for a team in baseball history. How do you feel now Rangers fans? Hamilton has the perfect answer, Sorry fans "we just couldn't get the job done." Then they get to play in this new winner-take- all game, and lose to the Orioles in that game in (Dallas people notice I said Arlington not Dallas).

Rangers choked, and have joined their Dallas amigos in the Cowboys of showing up small in big occassions.

For the Cowboys it's a little tricky because they've actually won championships  and don't act like they've won like ten of them like *sneeze* Rangers fans *sneeze* again. Although their last Super Bowl was in 1995 and I wasn't even three yet, so those winning seasons don't count because it wasn't in my lifetime.

I don't know how to tell Cowboy fans this, but THE COWBOYS SUCK...see that was easy. In Romo's seven season in Dallas, The Cowboys have only won one playoff game.

Fun Fact...
Did You Know...that's the same amount of playoff victories the Texans have in their 10 year existence. Cowboy fans in that same 10 years you've only won one playoff game too, so you're not any better.

Before Romo even won a playoff game the Cowboys hadn't won a playoff game since 1996, lets see I was now three years-old...and so yeah that playoff win doesn't count either because I don't remember that either. So if we do the math here...carry the one, multiple by 3, subtract the 2, you get the remainder of 6...okay I got it the Cowboys have only won one playoff game in the last 15 years.

Last time I checked America, excuse Merica, is a group of winners. We win in everything, I mean were back-to-back World War champs, that says a lot. I don't understand how the Cowboys are Merica's team when they don't win and it's been almost 20 years since the won their last championship. Wait, Hamilton is calling me he has an answer for this, he wants to defend his Cowboy friends, "(they) just couldn't get the job done."

The Cowboy's are a joke and everyone who doesn't live in Dallas knows it. I mean the other day my roommate Austin, (shout out to my roommates Austin Gaither and Jeremy Leonhardt much love homies) showed me a video about a Cowboy's fan who was about to have a mental breakdown because the Cowboys suck. I'm pretty sure they will hold on to hope, and think they will win the Super Bowl for the next 10 years.

Wait a minute, the Dallas Mavericks won a championship. Yeah they did, but everyone wanted LeBron to lose and the Mavericks had like the whole world behind them even people in Miami didn't want LeBron to win.

I will tell you this, the Mavericks choked this off-season. They couldn't land Deron Williams who is from there and played High School Basketball there. They couldn't land Dwight Howard, and 39 year-old Jason Kidd who won his first championship with them hates Mark Cuban and took the first flight out of there to New York to join an even more dysfunctional team. Jason Terry left, knowing he has a better shot winning else where than Dallas. Lets not even mention Lamar Odom who quit mid season because " his heart wasn't with the team." How could that be, you just won a championship!

I'm glad Dallas is struggling and their teams just can't find a way to win in big moments. I'm happy to see Rangers, Cowboys, and soon to be Mavericks fans explode and whine about how their teams aren't doing good, but can still win the big one! Yeah we all know their time is coming soon, until those teams players come out and say a familiar phrase, "We just couldn't get the job done!"

Kim Kardashian: The "Quintessential" 21st Century Role Model

Do you know what Kim Kardashian, George Washington, Martin Luther King Jr., and Muhammad Ali have in common?

Your guess is as good as mine, I just wanted to be one of those people that take random people from history and try to tie them back together.

I bet when you saw the title, you thought I was gonna praise the diva from Hollywood...please The Cubs have a better shot of winning the World Series (they haven't won one in over 100 years now). In no way, shape, or form am I trying to discredit, make fun, or bash Miss one Kim K on her celebrity status in this country...okay maybe I am, but it is for good reason.

I marvel how one individual in our country can make a sex tape and become one of the most popular figures in our time. I almost want to tell every girl with a big butt, " Hey if you make a sex tape, the E channel will make a reality television show about you and your family and you will make millions in doing so!" Knowing our culture and the people around us that's probably not a good suggestion to suggest because some will probably follow through on that idea.

How does a women who can't sing, act, play sports, has no academic achievement, doesn't even have a Nobel prize in anything become one of the most popular figures in america?

That is a mystery question I just can not answer. My girlfriend and her friends could probably help me answer that though, they are obsessed with this new phenomenon of reality television. I swear leading drugs in teenage America has to be marijuana, alcohol, and reality television. All in that order.

I think it is easy for girls to get entrenched in this behavior, I'm not saying boys don't enjoy the occasional Dance Mom episode with a sprinkle of Honey Boo Boo and The Bachelor...but let's be real the only drama and reality boys need is sports. If you are a man and you have balls you will agree with that statement, if not you need to go to the doctor and get an emergency physical done ASAP.

Kim Kardashian and the Kardashian family have revolutionized the way we view TV and the way we view life. I wish cameras would follow my family and myself around for 3 months at a time, they find out how hard it is to go on vacation because of the "many" business opportunities we have around the world...not. Or maybe they can dissect why my little brother can't keep a girlfriend, and why he will only stay married to a person for 2 and half months at a time...not.

Give me a break! That family doesn't deal with real life issues! They don't know how it feels to be a hard working American in this tough recession. They don't know what it feels like not to have a Coach bag, and Gucci sunglasses that look like bug eyes, they don't know what it feels like to starve for days and not have anything to eat.

I'm tired of people actually having real life conversation of what Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's relationship is like? Or if Kourtney and Scott are going to get married and have another kid? Is Lamar and Khloe going to be comfortable now because they have millions of dollars and Lamar is playing for a new team? (rich people problems) Or should I dare say that Kris an Bruce are going to get, wait for it, wait for it.......face lifts together?
(I feel sick that I even know that much about them...maybe I need to go get that physical)

Recently one of my friends posted a picture on Facebook about how Kim was complaining about how her mom and herself had the same traveling bag and how big of a problem it was. I don't understand how she feels that having the same traveling bag as your mom is a big problem!!! You made a sex tape for all to see, How is that not a problem! You can't keep a man for more than 73 days, how is that not a problem! I never see you give back to the needy or the community, NOW THAT'S A BIG PROBLEM!

People will read this and say Odus is just being a boy and has no idea what he is talking about, others will read this and agree with me wholeheartedly (mostly boys). I am completely fine with that. I just want people to really look at the people we idolize, follow on twitter, religiously watch their reality television show...and really ask what are they doing for me? Are they helping anyone but themselves?

If people like Kim Kardashian is the people we look up to in the 21st century, our country is going to have more problems than an recession!