The jockeying has already started for the new Air Force Global Strike Command.
Malmstrom AFB is being considered, along with Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, Barksdale AFB in Louisiana, F.E. Warren AFB in Wyoming, Offutt AFB in Nebraska, and Whiteman AFB in Missouri.
The newspaper at Minot makes their case. The Great Falls Tribune did a story about it. There have been stories about it in Louisiana and Nebraska and a press release from Congressman Denny Rehberg, U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, and from the North Dakota delegation. I’m sure other media and elected officials will chime in with their “ideas” in the future. The final decision will be made by the end of June. It's a big decision and it comes with about 900 new personnel.
The new command will have some “brass” in charge of it. The Great Falls Tribune reports that a “three-star general” and a “two-star vice commander” and a “few one-star directors” will be in charge of the new command. I don’t think Malmstrom has ever had a three-star general in command there, at least not in recent times.
It’s hard to say which base will get the new mission. I’d like to see it come to Malmstrom, but I think the chances may be slim. Minot already has two nuclear missions (missiles and bombers) and they have an active runway for these generals to fly in and out of. Plus, the North Dakota congressional delegation has more clout than Montana in the defense/military arena, but so does Whiteman and Barksdale.
Of course, there’s a new Administration in the White House, so all these plans could change quickly, but the jockeying is just beginning.
1/24/2009
A New Era in KC
With former New England Patriots’ Vice President of Player Personnel Scott Pioli taking over as General Manager for the Kansas City Chiefs about 10 days ago, most Chiefs fans realized that head coach Herm Edwards would probably be shown the door.
It took ten days, but Herm Edwards was fired yesterday. His record the last two seasons was 6-26. He still has one year left on his four-year, $12 million contract, so he can take time to look for a new job. A couple of days ago Chiefs defensive coordinator, Gunther Cunningham, signed a deal with the Detroit Lions (My friends who are Lions fans got a good defensive coach and as long as your new head coach, Jim Schwartz, allows Gunther to play his style of defense, your team will do well). A few other assistant coaches left, but Pioli was smart to take his time, gather info about the players and coaches, and then make a decision.
So who will get the job as Chiefs head coach? Rumors were flying yesterday that Mike Shanahan (recently fired Denver Broncos coach) was headed to KC, but those rumors have quieted some by this morning. Another story has Todd Haley, Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator, coming to the Chiefs. The Chiefs will have to wait until the Super Bowl is over to contact Haley. Then there’s Bill Cowher (formerly of the Steelers and with CBS now) and Jon Gruden, fired Buccaneers coach. Even Bill Parcells, Miami team president, (Parcells is Scott Pioli’s father-in-law) has been mentioned (I’m not sure how that would work out).
I’m thinking Haley is the one. Shanahan might be OK, but his record the last few years has not been that good. Cowher supposedly wants to stay out of coaching for one more year. The next couple of weeks will be interesting for us Chiefs fans, but if we get past the Super Bowl and no coach has been named, the Haley rumors may come true.
It took ten days, but Herm Edwards was fired yesterday. His record the last two seasons was 6-26. He still has one year left on his four-year, $12 million contract, so he can take time to look for a new job. A couple of days ago Chiefs defensive coordinator, Gunther Cunningham, signed a deal with the Detroit Lions (My friends who are Lions fans got a good defensive coach and as long as your new head coach, Jim Schwartz, allows Gunther to play his style of defense, your team will do well). A few other assistant coaches left, but Pioli was smart to take his time, gather info about the players and coaches, and then make a decision.
So who will get the job as Chiefs head coach? Rumors were flying yesterday that Mike Shanahan (recently fired Denver Broncos coach) was headed to KC, but those rumors have quieted some by this morning. Another story has Todd Haley, Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator, coming to the Chiefs. The Chiefs will have to wait until the Super Bowl is over to contact Haley. Then there’s Bill Cowher (formerly of the Steelers and with CBS now) and Jon Gruden, fired Buccaneers coach. Even Bill Parcells, Miami team president, (Parcells is Scott Pioli’s father-in-law) has been mentioned (I’m not sure how that would work out).
I’m thinking Haley is the one. Shanahan might be OK, but his record the last few years has not been that good. Cowher supposedly wants to stay out of coaching for one more year. The next couple of weeks will be interesting for us Chiefs fans, but if we get past the Super Bowl and no coach has been named, the Haley rumors may come true.
1/19/2009
Tuesday
On Tuesday (January 20) around noon (Eastern Time) Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America. This is an historic occasion.
Obama will be our country’s first African-American President. He will place his hand on Abraham Lincoln’s Bible as he takes the oath from Chief Justice John Roberts. Billions of people around the world will be watching.
The Oath (Article II, Section I of the Constitution of the United States of America):
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.
Is this a great country or what?
Every four years we have the right to vote (or not vote) for the person who we think will be the best leader of our country. Sometimes our candidate wins, sometimes they lose. In our country, some people will spend the next four years trying to destroy the person because they did not vote for him or her. We saw it with President Bush. It takes a lot of guts to be President of the United States. It’s not a job for someone who can’t handle criticism.
The next House and Senate elections are a little less than two years away and, after that, we’ll have another Presidential election. The democrats, led by Obama, Pelosi and Reid, now control everything in Washington, D.C.
These are tough times, so it would be nice if the partisanship would take a back seat for a few months. We all need to work together to get through this mess. There will be a honeymoon period, but since times are tough, it may be cut short.
A great thing about this country is that we get to complain, gripe, and voice our views on the current state of affairs in this country and that is fine. Personal attacks and vile hatred for the man holding the office are not fine. During the last eight years, the personal attacks went too far. Let’s hope that President Obama will not suffer the same.
Things like security, healthcare, taxes, immigration, energy, and infrastructure repair need some help. Plus, we have two wars. The plate for President Obama will be full. I will be praying for him, his safety and that of his beautiful family during this term. Best of luck President Obama.
I appreciate the work that President George W. Bush did for our country. He kept us safe and guided our country through some of the tougher times I have seen in my lifetime. He is a man of principle and that may have been his downfall with some. Although President Bush’s job approval rating was low (but not as low as Congress), I think he was the right person at the right time in our country’s history. Thank you President Bush.
Obama will be our country’s first African-American President. He will place his hand on Abraham Lincoln’s Bible as he takes the oath from Chief Justice John Roberts. Billions of people around the world will be watching.
The Oath (Article II, Section I of the Constitution of the United States of America):
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.
Is this a great country or what?
Every four years we have the right to vote (or not vote) for the person who we think will be the best leader of our country. Sometimes our candidate wins, sometimes they lose. In our country, some people will spend the next four years trying to destroy the person because they did not vote for him or her. We saw it with President Bush. It takes a lot of guts to be President of the United States. It’s not a job for someone who can’t handle criticism.
The next House and Senate elections are a little less than two years away and, after that, we’ll have another Presidential election. The democrats, led by Obama, Pelosi and Reid, now control everything in Washington, D.C.
These are tough times, so it would be nice if the partisanship would take a back seat for a few months. We all need to work together to get through this mess. There will be a honeymoon period, but since times are tough, it may be cut short.
A great thing about this country is that we get to complain, gripe, and voice our views on the current state of affairs in this country and that is fine. Personal attacks and vile hatred for the man holding the office are not fine. During the last eight years, the personal attacks went too far. Let’s hope that President Obama will not suffer the same.
Things like security, healthcare, taxes, immigration, energy, and infrastructure repair need some help. Plus, we have two wars. The plate for President Obama will be full. I will be praying for him, his safety and that of his beautiful family during this term. Best of luck President Obama.
I appreciate the work that President George W. Bush did for our country. He kept us safe and guided our country through some of the tougher times I have seen in my lifetime. He is a man of principle and that may have been his downfall with some. Although President Bush’s job approval rating was low (but not as low as Congress), I think he was the right person at the right time in our country’s history. Thank you President Bush.
Cardinals and Steelers
The teams are set for the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 1, in Tampa, Florida. The game will start around 4:00 p.m. Montana time.
Hardly anyone thought the Cardinals would be in the big show, but this team has shown itself to be special. It may be their destiny to win the whole thing.
To me, the Cards/Eagles game was the most fun to watch on Sunday. Fox did a good job in televising the show. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman did a good job. They had two sideline reporters who kept the fans informed on injuries.
The Ravens/Steelers game was at a slower pace and more defensive. Plus, the CBS crew did not put on a great show, missing calls, talking over the referees, not knowing the rules, etc. CBS only had one sideline reporter – maybe they are trying to save money. About twenty minutes into the game, the screen went black and then it showed Martina McBride singing the National Anthem, again. Weird. A few seconds later the game resumed, after a play was run.
Larry Fitzgerald, wide receiver for the Cardinals, showed the country that he is the premier receiver in professional football on Sunday. Free safety Troy Polamalu of the Steelers showed he is the premier defensive back in the NFL.
The Steelers have been to the big show several times and they will be trying to win it for the sixth time. No other team has won the Super Bowl six times. The Cards have not been there. These two teams have only played each other a handful of times in the last 30 years. Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt and assistant head coach Russ Grimm are former Steeler coaches. They were passed over for the head coaching position by the Steelers who hired Mike Tomlin. So they left for the West coast. There should be many interesting angles to this game.
Now we wait for two weeks. Withdrawal time. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform live at halftime. NBC Sports will televise the game. Al Michaels and John Madden will have the call.
Take part in the poll on the left. It’s open until February 1.
Hardly anyone thought the Cardinals would be in the big show, but this team has shown itself to be special. It may be their destiny to win the whole thing.
To me, the Cards/Eagles game was the most fun to watch on Sunday. Fox did a good job in televising the show. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman did a good job. They had two sideline reporters who kept the fans informed on injuries.
The Ravens/Steelers game was at a slower pace and more defensive. Plus, the CBS crew did not put on a great show, missing calls, talking over the referees, not knowing the rules, etc. CBS only had one sideline reporter – maybe they are trying to save money. About twenty minutes into the game, the screen went black and then it showed Martina McBride singing the National Anthem, again. Weird. A few seconds later the game resumed, after a play was run.
Larry Fitzgerald, wide receiver for the Cardinals, showed the country that he is the premier receiver in professional football on Sunday. Free safety Troy Polamalu of the Steelers showed he is the premier defensive back in the NFL.
The Steelers have been to the big show several times and they will be trying to win it for the sixth time. No other team has won the Super Bowl six times. The Cards have not been there. These two teams have only played each other a handful of times in the last 30 years. Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt and assistant head coach Russ Grimm are former Steeler coaches. They were passed over for the head coaching position by the Steelers who hired Mike Tomlin. So they left for the West coast. There should be many interesting angles to this game.
Now we wait for two weeks. Withdrawal time. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform live at halftime. NBC Sports will televise the game. Al Michaels and John Madden will have the call.
Take part in the poll on the left. It’s open until February 1.
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