It has to be said. No one is as innocuous, as hackneyed, as stale, as hyperbolic, as farfetched, as overblown, as shallow, as unlettered and, as Andy Dufresne once said to Warden Norton, as “obtuse,” as a sports radio or television commentator. Rich Lerner, Frank Nobilo, Brandel Chamblee and Notah Begay III, apparently bowing to the demands of Golf Channel execs, jacked their jaws ad nauseum, dissecting Tiger Woods’ most recent tragic injury, probing his spine physiology, muscle spasm syndrome, performance psychology and golf swing anatomy. You’ve heard cardiothoracic surgeons discuss triple bypass with less precision and resolute certainty. Brilliantly, you observe that keeping Tiger on a kingly pedestal has bottom line consequences for these pundits, for the network, for the advertisers and for the vast entourage of special interests that shadow his every step like salivating scavengers. Certainly, America loves a soap opera. Certainly, money talks. Unfortunately, so do the talking heads. You do get it. Somebody has to fill the time, however ungrammatically. Evidently, talking heads never actually read what they say after they say it, realizing that transcripts wouldn’t pass 7th grade English standards or journalistic standards for probity. Typically, you’re unduly critical of people simply trying to do a job. Be fair. Admit that the job is important — promoting a business, the celebrities who occupy the stage and the charities they support. True, but the job has nothing to do with journalism or reporting or investigating to uncover the truth of anything. For example, you never heard one sport’s pundit on any network question the authenticity of the Woods’ injury. Like any other ordinary observer, you only know what you saw — Tiger hitting a ball from an awkward lie, nimbly jumping into a bunker, collecting himself and striding up the fairway. On multiple replays, you didn’t see a wince or a grimace. You didn’t see a lurch or a falter. And this was the exact moment he apparently felt the “twinge” or the “tweak.” Subsequently, as his performance unraveled, so did the condition of his back. As he “painfully” quit the stage, no commentator dared utter a smidgen of doubt. They couldn’t risk the disapproval and the disgrace. They couldn’t risk being shunned and drummed out of the business. Fair enough. So it’s left to amateur critics to risk denunciation — to suggest that Woods has a history of playing poorly only when injured, of never being injured when playing well, of never leaving the field of play when in contention, of never attributing a sub-par performance to his own failure. You must conclude the best golfer in the world must always be best in the eyes of the world. Only circumstances outside of his own unparalleled ability can get in the way of his vaulted stature. And the pundits rigorously feed this appraisal. if Tiger isn’t at the head of the class, he must have leg or back issues; his teacher must be meddling with his swing; he must be shouldering intense media pressure, etc. Excuses are the convenient armor of a prodigious ego. But excuses are essential to a media that believes, without Tiger, the money machine will sputter and shrink. At the end of the day, broadcasters are terrified that an absent Tiger will cripple the PGA tour, and materially affect their careers. Some even make the case — asking if the tour could possibly maintain its prominence without its superstar. Your opinion counts for little but you seem to remember that golf  continued to blossom without the likes of a Jones, Hogan, Nelson, Snead, Palmer, Nicklaus and Player. Baseball, football and basketball manage to thrive without  iconic heroes of yesteryear.  But sports media pundits must live to exaggerate — to make gods of men. It’s what they do, relentlessly — because exaggeration is in their self interest. You have only one recourse — the mute button. Use it.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness –That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

There you have it, arguably the most illustrious words ever written — well, outside of John 3:16.  With 57 words, 56 men signed a proposition that literally changed the course of human events. To suit their socialistic agendas, 21st century lawmakers and political parties attempt to dilute these 57 words. They can jabber till the cows come home. But no amount of mumbo jumbo can change the meaning — which is, in plain English — individual liberty is inviolable. Beginning with this exalted proposition, the Founders set about to protect each American by circumscribing the reach of the federal government. They did this because they knew that all governments, despite their necessity, inherently stink. You have it on good authority that Madison, Franklin, Hamilton, Morris and others used the pejorative, but only in the privacy of their chambers, choosing not to offend other delegates to the Constitutional Convention. Luckily, Jefferson was on duty in France; so he didn’t leak the “S” word. But from long distance he did the next best thing. He added his voice to insist on the creation and adoption of the Bill Of Rights — those 10 radiant Amendments that help protect citizens from a usurping Federal “dictatorship.” In fact, during spirited debates about the Constitution itself, opponents repeatedly charged that, as originally drafted, the Constitution would open the way to tyranny by the central government. Fresh in their minds was the memory of the British violation of civil rights before and during the Revolution. So they demanded a “bill of rights” that would spell out the immunities of individual citizens. Several state conventions, in their formal ratification of the Constitution, also asked for such amendments; and others ratified it only with the full understanding that the amendments would be in place. You’re not the least bit surprised that a socialist president and other like-minded functionary politicians want to erode a doctrine that sanctifies individuality. Career bureaucrats like the POTUS despise individuals, especially the producers — the doers, the people who build things, who make products and provide valuable services. Bureaucrats have special disdain for exceptionalism and exceptional people — those who actually accomplish something useful — and their disdain swells to outright scorn for achievers who dare to create wealth. But you shouldn’t fault career bureaucrats. Having never held a private sector job, they simply are incapable of grasping the meaning of productive work. They build nothing, make nothing, provide nothing. Their self worth relies entirely on the power to regulate the people they envy — and no one envies accomplished people more than the POTUS. The Founders did their job. They couldn’t, wouldn’t trust government without laying down specific restraints. Above all else, they wanted to limit governmental stink. But they had no crystal ball to suspect that the stench would mushroom like a nuclear cloud. And mushroom it has, saturating the landscape, invading every business, every home and the lives of every citizen. The Constitution be damned, the Fed is the nation’s ultimate trespasser, meddling in Education, Healthcare, Welfare, Business, Energy and a host of other sectors.  State’s Rights via the 10th Amendment is dormant, seemingly paralyzed. But nowhere is governmental stink more foul than in the conduct of the Presidency — in specific, the extent of First Family excesses, to the tune of a reported $45 million. This obscene expenditure alone is staggering evidence that the Federal Government is in the grip of a malignant sickness. You look to the Balance of Powers for remedy and see nothing but impotence, proving that the contamination is omnipresent from top to bottom. The Founders were utterly justified to fear tyranny. They courageously left us an inspired, rich legacy. And like spoiled children, we squander it. Stinks.

Many millions of Americans would tell you that they hold no political allegiance whatsoever — that they are Independent. Millions of Democrat and GOP party members claim they do not toe their party line — that they vote for the best candidate and the right policies, regardless of party. These are the shufflers and hedgers who, like Congressmen, love a little “wiggle room.” Then you have the Loyalists. These are the staunch partisans who cast aside all rational thought in favor of deep-seated prejudice. In approximately 33 AD, a Loyalist mob chose Barabbas over Jesus Christ. In 1776, disciples of King George III would never turn their backs on the Motherland and the Monarchy in favor of independence. In 1985, a big city neighborhood demonstrated its fervent support of John Gotti, a celebrity thug and murderer. In 2008 and again in 2012, above all other considerations, Racists paid total homage to the skin color of one Barack Obama. In each case, these Loyalists knew who they were, publicized who they were and made no excuses for their prejudice or bigotry. In America today, most of these people are Democrats; and they have many other American allies — closet Democrats who, like Socialists, either don’t know or strangely refuse to admit their affiliation. If by chance you don’t happen to know who you are, now is your chance to find out. It’s pretty simple, really.  Just answer ” I Agree” or “I Disagree,” or “I don’t know,” to the following statements:

I believe the Federal Government should provide welfare benefits, like food stamps, housing, cash aid, etc. (Agree) (Disagree) (I don’t know).

I believe the Federal Government should run the nation’s Healthcare System (Agree) (Disagree) (I don’t know).

I believe the Federal Government should run the Education System (Agree) (Disagree) (I don’t know).

I believe the Federal Government should govern the nation’s Energy (Agree) (Disagree) (I don’t know).

I believe the Federal Government should provide free contraceptive and abortion services (Agree) (Disagree) (I don’t know).

I believe the Federal Government should repeal the 2nd Amendment (Agree) (Disagree) (I don’t know).

I believe the Federal Government should repeal the 4th Amendment (Agree) (Disagree) (I don’t know).

I believe the Federal Government should be responsible for taking care of those who can’t or won’t take care of themselves (Agree) (Disagree) ( I don’t know).

I believe the Federal Government should not be required to have a Balanced Budget (Agree) (Disagree) (I don’t know).

I believe the Federal Government should at least double the tax rate on the rich (those making over $200,000) (Agree) (Disagree) (I don’t know).

I believe the Federal Government should grant amnesty to all illegal aliens. (Agree) (Disagree) (I don’t know).

I believe the Federal Government should eliminate any reference to God in public institutions (Agree) (Disagree) (I don’t know).

If you answered “Agree” to six (6) statements, you’re a certified Socialist. If you answered “Agree” to two (2) statements, you’re a Democrat. If you answered “I don’t Know” to more than one (1) statement, you’re not qualified to vote. If you answered “Disagree” to ten (10) statements, you’re a RINO. If you answered “Disagree” to all twelve (12) statements, you’re a hybrid — part Republican and Libertarian. You probably say you don’t fit neatly into any of these categories. In fact, you resent being categorized like some kind of mindless robot. No, you’re one of those independent thinkers who knows there’s a little bit of good and a little bit of bad in all of God’s creatures (if you happen to believe in God). You don’t see issues in black and white because there’s always room for compromise. The words “right” and “wrong” don’t apply any longer, do they? You have to love  Independents who occupy the moral high ground. They feel clean. Never devious. Always principled and conscientious. Never really at fault, no matter what they think, because they vote pragmatically. As a Judge, Pontius Pilate demonstrated an independent, pragmatic mind. He made a rational decision. And like any good independent, washed his hands of it. Clean.