The SoapBoxers

I originally thought that I would write something about gas prices and how ridiculous they have gotten. How my family and friends, coworkers and neighbors have all vowed to change their driving habits, forego some vacations for “staycations” and even stick a “drill baby drill” bumper sticker on their car.

Having said that, this week the entire world was turned upside down with the killing of Osama Bin Laden. Having not yet beaten the horse to death, I thought I would cover yet another angle to this story: Repercussions.

First of all, let me say that this week was a repercussion of what happened in the United States nearly 10 years ago. It took a very long time for that justice to be served, but thanks to our intelligence teams and military teams the citizens of the United States can now feel that some sliver of justice was carried out following that tragic day that changed all of our lives forever.

On Monday as I slowly drove down the street of my quiet Fort Collins, CO neighborhood I was thrilled at the number of US flags that my neighbors had put up. My next door neighbor is a retired marine and he had his marine flag accompanying the US flag. There was obviously a great deal of pride that my neighbors felt with the news of Bin Laden’s death. For a moment it reminded me a little of the sentiment that filled our streets and hallways on September 12, 2001.

The media lit up following news of Bin Laden’s death and hasn’t slowed down much. Each day a few more details are spoon fed to us through the media as we try to digest what it must have been like for the team of Navy Seals to raid the Bin Laden compound. We have learned about their entry, the resistance (or lack of resistance) they encountered and we’ve even seen some pictures of the rooms where people there were found. One of the most prolific to date is the one of the bedroom showing the blood stains on the rug next to the bed. (You’ll have to scroll through a few pix)

I heard in at least one news outlet this afternoon (May 4, 2011) that the photo of the deceased Osama would not be released. However, if the photo of a dead Osama Bin Laden is released, can you imagine the traffic and discussion that it will generate? We’ve already seen viruses on the web exploiting people’s morbid curiosity to see what Bin Laden looked like following his demise. People clicking on alleged videos and pictures have found their computers infected with viruses, yet another repercussion.

Members of Seal Team 6 will have lasting repercussions as well. For the individual that took the shot and killed Bin Laden I imagine he will be filled with pride and likely wish that he could stand on the rooftop and shout, “I did it!” The other members of the team will also share the pride and enthusiasm of having taken down the most wanted terrorist in the United States history. They will all probably wish that they could have been the one to pull the trigger that night.

Now for the negative.

• We have already heard from an Imam that there will be revenge taken on the “western dogs” for killing Bin Laden.
• The media now has interviews with Bin Laden’s daughter that Osama was taken into custody alive then killed.
• Politicians are being mocked for expressing joy over Bin Laden’s death. (I will shout my joy of Osama’s death from a roof top)
• Individuals now believe that killing one person has virtually ended the Afghan war on terror and Al Qaeda.
• Airports have increased security following the death of Bin Laden.
• Terroristic threats against the US may increase
• Finally, Obama’s actions to support the military in this action do not undo his past wrongs. For example, the situation where a wanted terrorist was captured in Iraq. Three SEALs were court martialed for allegedly giving this detainee a fat lip. Actually, one for punching the detainee and the other two for not protecting the detainee. That shouldn’t have ever happened.

We haven’t been told of any new plots on the US following Sunday, (but in the UK) five men were arrested (two days after Bin Laden’s death) when they were caught sitting in a car very close to a nuclear processing facility.

The fact that US forces went in to a country that we are not at war with (and didn’t advise the country upfront) in order to carry out the plot has caused some grief and likely will continue to cause grief. That being said, based on the limited information I have, I believe that it was the right call and I applaud Obama for having the stones to make the decision.

As the American people, I hope everyone stands behind our troops for the flawless execution of this mission. While today we revel in this victory, we need to remember that there will likely be repercussions in the future from Al Qaeda. We know that we may have delivered a blow to these terrorists, they have not been defeated and they will not simply give up now. Americans be strong and show your resolve no matter what we face next.

I’d like to take a moment to welcome home a friend of mine from Afghanistan. Corporal James “OJ” Alvarado will be returning back to the US in the next week. He’s spent a long tour in the sticks and hills of Afghanistan away from his beautiful wife and baby girl. His family will be happy to have him home and I’m sure OJ will be the happiest one in the group. Now your Mom and Sister can sleep again, thank God! None of us can imagine what your tour was like. MRE’s all the time, no running water, brutal weather and being away from your family. I appreciate all you’ve done for us, for our country and for the war on terror.

Welcome home OJ!

 
Squeaky…

I got an iPod touch a few years ago, and I absolutely love it. I wanted one because it was the next greatest thing for music storage….way better than just a plain old classic iPod. Then I discovered the App Store. I think now I use the iPod more for the apps than I do to listen to my music.

Below are my top 5 apps, in no particular order:

1. Angry Birds (all versions) – I’m no longer addicted to the original version of Angry Birds, but I am addicted to Angry Birds: Seasons and Angry Birds: Rio.

The point of the game is to destroy the green pigs on each stage (there are several stages) and to do it by using the least number of birds possible. There are different “types” of birds that do different levels of destruction. On each stage, you get a certain number of birds, and you get 1 to 3 stars based on the amount of points you accumulate. The overall object of the game is to get 3 stars on every stage. I have yet to do this, but I’m close. There seems to be an update with new levels every few months, which keeps you coming back for more!

2. Bejeweled 2 Blitz – See my review of this app here. This could be my all-time favorite app. I’ve been playing it for a couple of years, and I’m still addicted.

3. Yahoo! Fantasy Football – I know, I haven’t used this app in a few months, and might not be able to use it for several more months with the upcoming season in jeopardy due to the lockout. But, if you are involved in a Yahoo! Fantasy league for football, this app is for you. All you have to do is login, and your roster is right there at your fingertips. Need to make a quick change and can’t get on the computer, a couple of touches to the iPod/phone and your roster move is complete. Need to check the scores of your current head-to-head matchup? It’s all right there! Definitely an addicting app during the football season.

4. Tiny Wings – The objective of this game is simple….you’re a bird, but you have tiny wings and can’t fly on your own. So, the game is filled with hills, and the objective is to touch the screen at the right time to make your bird “dive” on the down slope of a hill, which in turns uses the up slope to “fly”. It’s a very simple game, but it is fun and my newest addiction. The longer you fly, the longer it stays daylight. Once nighttime hits, your game is over!

5. DirecTV – of all the apps, this one is definitely the most boring (especially if you aren’t a DirecTV subscriber!). Download and login to the app using the same login information that you would use on the site to pay your bill, view your account, etc, and your DirecTV viewing guide is right there at your fingertips. Have a DVR and forgot to setup a recording before you left for work or to run that errand? No problem, just find the program on your guide in the app and hit record. It’s as simple as that. It’s very convenient, especially if you always forget like I do!

Those are my top 5 most used/favorite apps…..what are yours?

This article mentioned … the iPod Touch

Many times, when writing, external distractions will drive you away from you intended story line. My recommendation is to just go with it. Surely not every time, because then you would never get any story to even start to flow, but when something really big happens that everyone is talking about, you will be overwhelmed. This week is just such an occasion.

Prince William married Kate Middleton. I think that 80 of the 83 channels that I get with my cable package covered the event. It was historic, it was romantic, it was classic and it was on – everywhere. This is not something you can just ignore, even if you do not care about the British Royal Family. I am only mildly fascinated by the original “reality show”, but something like the wedding of the heir or a coronation are rare events that do catch my attention. Last week, Kosmo posed the question as to why Americans care about the royals. My response is that we have a certain amount of voyeurism. We want to watch, but we do not want a royal family of our own.

My take on the whole event was that it was nice. That is sort of a weak commentary, but it does cover my reaction. I am glad that the prince and his new wife will have a few weeks of privacy before there public exposure begins. The ceremony had all of the pomp and circumstance that the British are so good at. It was not a Hollywood production.

What I take away from the event is a catalogue of writing opportunities. Here are just a few ideas:

• The designers and seamstresses for the dress and the secrecy surrounding it
• The back room dialogue between the Prince and his brother
• The intrigue of introducing the idea of the wedding to the Queen
• A secret (and this is only fiction) plot against the couple on their honeymoon

The plot lines flow so easily. The characters already exist for any author to use. The backdrop, events, even some of the innuendo is already available. You just have to integrate your own ideas. For me, it would be a little difficult since I am focusing on science fiction right now (although clones and aliens could make an interesting twist to the story). But you romantics, conspiracy theorists, and historians should have a heyday.

So get off the couch, turn off the television and get back to writing. The opportunities abound, and someone in the world wants to read your ideas. You can start by leaving comments on any posting on TheSoapBoxers.com. Throw your ideas up here if you want. We (the contributors and other visitors) will read them and comment in return. If you write a compelling cover letter and a good story, I am sure that Kosmo will consider posting it. It is all about communicating ideas.

I wrote for CAPE PAC this morning, about how Obama has taken the credit for the death of Osama. But there’s something else that’s been bothering me.

As the wife of a soldier who was deployed, I know, first hand, the worries of those staying at home and having soldiers overseas. I know, first hand, the sleepless nights worrying about my husband, the medic, being attacked by Al-Qaeida. I know, first hand, the sound of bombs on the other end of the phone line and the sinking feeling in my stomach when the phone line goes quiet … and I know the tears.

I know what it’s like to sleep in an empty bed. I know what it’s like to see college kids out protesting with signs saying”NO WAR” and “BUSH THE WAR MONGERER”. I know what it’s like to have people give me “the look” when I said my husband was deployed. I know what it’s like to have someone call my husband a “baby killer” (no, really. This happened).

So when I see the college campuses erupting in cheers, I’m bothered. These are the same Obama zombies who called Bush the “war mongerer”. The same kids who shamed those who fought overseas. The same kids who voted for Obama. And if Obama had gotten his way (and kept his promises) we wouldn’t have gotten Osama. I can tell you that.

When I say “the same kids” I mean it both literally and figuratively. As a Conservative on one of the campuses I saw celebrating last night, I was called some terrible names. Even had a death threat via e-mail when I suggested that we go after Saddam even before it was mentioned by Bush. And, of course, my article one year after 9/11.  So, yes. I know how it feels. I understand being happy about Bin Laden being caught. I get it. But reflect to your actions of the past 10 years and see how you’ve made other people feel. Have you always supported our military? Have you always been proud to be an American?

Don’t get me wrong, they have the right to free speech, again something my husband fought for. But stop and think for a second. Would you be able to reflect on your writings in the last two years, let alone nine years ago and agree with yourself?

It’s time for all of America to reflect and grow.

We’re pushing Martin’s article back a day to allow writers to write about the death of Osama Bin Laden.  I’ll kick things off with some random thoughts.

• This isn’t a victory for Democrats or a victory for Republicans.  It’s a victory for the United States, more specifically the military and intelligence communities.  There is no need to decide which regime deserves “more” credit.  It was a nearly decade long goal of the government, achieved as a result of actions under two commanders-in-chief.
• Celebrating a death seems a bit callous.  However, I have no doubt that the world is a better place without Osama Bin Laden.  Al-Qaeda and organizations like it attempt to drive a wedge between Muslim countries and the West in order to achieve their own goals.  Does the average Muslim hate Christians and believe that they must join a jihad against the West, gaining glory by killing the infidels?  Of course not.  Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups have been successful in convincing many people that they speak for the entire Islam world.  This is not true, of course – they are simply a vocal minority.  While I don’t have a lot of Muslim friends, the ones I have are not sympathetic to the terrorists.  If we believe that the lunatic fringe speaks for the entire population, then the terrorists have won.  Al-Qaeda is no more representative of the Islam world than the Westboro Baptist Church is representative of the Christian world.
• Before the conspiracy theorists start … stop.  If Bin Laden isn’t really dead, and if this is all faked, we’ll find out in due time.  If Bin Laden is still alive, I’m sure he’s in the process of making a video tape and will be shipping it off to Al Jazeera any moment now.  If the photos of the body don’t look a lot like Bin Laden when they are released … well, getting shot in the side of the head has a tendency to distort facial features somewhat.  I guess the Navy Seals could have gone for a heart shot to keep his face recognizable, but I’m guessing that having him dead was more important that making sure his pretty face was intact.
• It seems that Pakistan may have some questions to answer.  It seems a bit hard to believe that Bin Laden could have been hiding in a compound that housed retired members of the military without anyone thinking “Hey, ‘John Smith’ looks a lot like that Bin Laden guy, doesn’t he?”.  For their sake, I hope that the Pakistani government does indeed have a good excuse.  Otherwise, the US-Pakistan relationship might he headed for rocky ground.  Too early to jump to conclusions, though.  It’s possible that there IS a good excuse.

“How did it go?”

“Better than I expected. I don’t think we’ll ever be best friends, but we might send each other Christmas cards.”

“That’s a step in the right direction,” replied the prince as he unbuttoned his shirt. “I’m glad to see you rebuilding your relationship with your sister. It must have been difficult for her to reach out to you.”

“Enough about me. How was your day?”

“Oh, more of the same old drudgery. Opening parliament, three ribbon cuttings, and tea with the prime minister. Thank God it’s Friday. Time to take a break from work.”

The princess laughed at how he downplayed his important role in society as the much beloved heir to the throne.

“I believe there are still some affairs of the state that you need to tend to.”

“Yes?” he asked, a confused look upon his face.

“We have not yet produced an heir.”

The prince smiled and turned off the bedside lamp.

Their lovemaking that night was very different than it had been in the past. His wife was much less inhibited, as if the reunion with her sister had relieved much of her internal stress.

Soon, they received news that the sister of the princess was moving to America to begin a new life. Although the sisters rarely saw each other in person, they shared frequent letters and phone conversations. The improvement in their relationship had a profound influence on the princess. She appeared happy and stress free. In the bedroom, she became more adventurous with each passing night.

Later that year, the country rejoiced as the princess gave birth to a son. The House of Stewart, reduced to just a single branch, would exist for at least another generation. By the time the prince ascended to the throne, there were six children . The House of Stewart had been saved from the brink of extinction, and the monarchy would continue to exist for an untold number of years. The country breathed a collective sigh of relief.

In a dungeon three hundred miles away, the true princess cried herself to sleep each night. Her husband had been stolen from her by those who plotted to overthrow the monarchy. They chose not a bullet nor a sword as their weapon; but rather, a woman. Her own sister. Her twin. A weapon that could easily breach the security around the royal family. A weapon that would cause the monarchy to die a slow and painful death.

When the princess was past her child bearing years, the plot would be revealed. Her sister – now being recognized as the queen – would reveal that she was a fraud. She would reveal that she had tricked her husband and her country – and that the true queen was her sister.

The six children that the king had fathered were, of course, illegitimate and could not ascend to the throne.

The monarchy seemed destined to die a natural death. The king would not be able to produce a legitimate heir with the true queen, since she was no longer able to bear children.

There were, of course, two options that remained . A divorce or the death of the queen would allow the king to remarry and produce a legitimate heir to the throne. But his love for his queen would not allow him to divorce her or expedite her death … or would it?

A funny thing happened on my way to getting to my column here this month, President Obama released his full form birth certificate. I was all ready to go with discussing the response to the Ryan budget when House members went back to their districts, and then this happened. Mind you I will get to that as well this week, but I thought my thoughts on this “revelation” deserved the top billing this time around.

Now the release of the long form version won’t change the minds of those almost half of Republicans that don’t believe that Obama was born in this country or likely the attitudes of the other almost quarter that pander to their cause with the I don’t know or we’ll take him at his word game. Mainly because the birth certificate that was already available was a legal document and they didn’t believe that one either.

No, they are likely to continue to believe that there was some conspiracy back then between the newly entered state of Hawaii, the hospital and the newspapers with this baby born in the early 60’s, to a white woman from Kansas and a black man from Kenya. You knew obviously he was going to be President one day.

Or on the other hand the panderers like Speaker John of Orange will likely take similar suits to the ones they are already doing now. That is that the whole this is and always was the fault of President Obama. It is the usual mantra for the Republicans afterall. Really Crying Man? It’s the President’s fault that half your party are insane idiots. Yeah let’s see you continue to roll with that one.

Then there is what I feel the most disgusting response that the birther crowd has had with moving on to their next delegitimizing of the President conspiracy theory. How could a black man possibly be smart enough to go to Columbia and Harvard? How can he have written those books without help? Show us the transcripts? Prove you didn’t have a ghost writer for your novels Mr. Obama it that really is who you are? At least with this new conspiracy theory the birthers true reason existence is clearly defined, they just can’t stand that a black man was elected President and are moronic racists with nothing more than agenda of trying to find a way to delegitimize his election in their minds. However I would love for more than nothing for the Republicans in office to start panderering to the crowd on this issue as well as it is going to hurt them so much more.

It is pretty funny though that the ring leader or carnival barker have you of the birther nation, The Donald would question these things about the President. Afterall he did not write the books he has “written” in the past himself, and has also paid money to allow or people to be admitted to Ivy League schools that did not deserve to be there.

Though I’d love to see them continue on this course for my own entertainment and their demise, I find it sad and hurtful for our society. I am not taking a stance here for or against affirmative action, but that is not the exact point of the birther’s new “argument” here. It is that a non-white person could not ever have the qualification or intelligence to attend these schools over a white person so something must be fishy here. So now the President must prove with his transcripts from high school on to prove otherwise. Have we really gone so far back as a society that we need some sort of preface to prove the literacy and intelligence of a black man to a white audience to believe his worth? Then again they won’t believe anything you say Mr. President, so I wouldn’t grace this issue with any dignity and let the dig their own grave.

Bad Nuts of the Month:

HOUSE REPUBLICANS AND THE RYAN BUDGET

It has been quite amusing to see the House Republicans at their town halls after passing the Ryan, Path to Poverty budget try to defend it and their vote to their constituents. There has been some heated arguing, screaming and sometimes swearing, but I have not heard of threats of bodily harm or asking who is going to kill the President because of this at these town hall reactions. Nor is the outrage been entirely from the left or being bussed into the meetings with prewritten scripts to follow. Although I think the Republicans as whole will likely take Florida Rep. Allen West’s lead and only answer prescreened questions asked by a staffer and not a constituent and any dissent to his thoughts will be met with arrest. He obviously takes New York Rep. Mike Grimm’s view of representative democracy that your constituents you serve are only those who voted for you, well that and those like the Koch Brothers who line your pockets and campaign coffers. I am happy though that Harry Reid has decided to bring a vote on this budget to the Senate to allow for the Senate Republicans to join their House party members in defending this budget or pave their way to be teabagged in the primaries next time around.

EXXON MOBIL

Prior to announcing their 69% profit increase on Thursday, Exxon tied to play themselves as the victim in all of this. It’s not their fault they made a huge earnings increase for the fifth quarter in a row; it is the local station owners fault. Now I have worked plenty in gas stations while I was in college and it is not ever going to be their fault. As there are laws restraining just that and I know that gas stations make mere pennies of profit on each gallon and their profit comes from mark up on items in the store.

MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE

For some reason the overwhelmingly Democratic House in Massachusetts has decided that Scott Walker is a role model and passed their own bill stripping collective bargaining rights on healthcare for state workers. Granted they have Romneycare there and the Senate isn’t likely to take action on it there and the Governor has already said he will never sign such a bill if it did. So moot point aside it still deserves note for the stupidity of Massachusetts state Democrats to think it was a worthwhile issue.

Tomorrow is the big day – the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.  If you’re wondering what to buy the couple, candlesticks make a nice gift.  (Thanks, Larry.)

I’m a bit neutral on the topic of the wedding.  I certainly will not be getting up at 4 AM to watch, but I’m sure I’ll read a couple of news stories about the event.

I’m really not sure why Americans are so fascinated with the British royal family.  It’s not as if they have real power – and there are actually monarchs who DO have ruling power in other countries.  Is it because we were once under the control of the British?  But wouldn’t this be a reason to dislike them?  For many of us, it’s not even that we trace out heritage back to England.  Personally, I am 100% German (no, I don’t follow German news very closely).

I guess it’s because we speak the same language – although American English and British English aren’t exactly the same language – as anyone who ever needed to take the lift to visit the loo would know.

Some random tidbits about the couple:

William actually has royal blood on both sides.  Princess Diana was descended from two illegitimate sons of Henry II.  How is that possible, you ask?  A male descendant of the one son married a female descendant of the other.  It should be noted that this bloodline is not recognized in the line of succession, so his only claim to the throne is through Charles.  Still, interesting.

Kate’s parents worked in the airline industries (she as a flight attendant, he as a dispatcher) before starting a party favor company that eventually made them millions.  How’s that for the epitome of the American dream?  British dream.  Whatever.

When Kate and William broke up several years ago, one of the contributing factors was reportedly Kate thinking that William wasn’t paying enough attention to her.  Yes, she nearly cost herself the chance to become queen – putting her feelings ahead of her desire for power.  Well, bully for her, as the Brits would say.

I can’t help feeling a bit sad that William’s mother won’t be alive to see him married.  I can still remember watching the sad news of her death.  Tragic not only because of the avoidable nature of the accident, but also because someone with such a charitable heart had her life cut short.

I wonder if we are looking at the last king and queen of England.  There is an increasing sentiment to get rid of the monarchy.  After all, the monarch has very little actual power any more.  Sure, the Brits love pomp and ceremony … but how will they feel by the end of William’s reign (assuming that he does ascend to the throne)?  Assuming that he lives to 80, that could be a half century away – plenty of time for dramatic changes.  And I think that Will and Kate may be more open to these changes than some monarchs from the past.

Nintendo Announces New Wii – Will The Craze Be As High?

Let me start by saying I’ve never been a big Nintendo guy. In fact, I’ve never owned a Nintendo anything….I’ve always been a Sega/Playstation guy. When the Wii came out in 2006, I didn’t want one. Actually, I refused to get one….and then my wife brought one home. I know where you THINK I’m going. I played it and fell in love. WRONG! I’ve played it a hand-full of times and I’ve never been a fan. The graphics are not of the same quality that the Playstation 3 (my preferred gaming system) is. It’s hard to beat the PS3’s blu-ray player and overall game play quality.

This week, Nintendo announced that a Wii successor will be introduced in 2012. No specific details have been announced regarding what the new version of the Wii will be capable of, but the one rumor I’ve seen is it will be high definition capable. Given how advanced gaming systems and televisions have become in the last few years, HD is almost a requirement.

But what else will the new Will be capable of? Will it be capable of playing dvds, like the PS3? Will it have an internet browser like the PS3 (I’m not 100% sure it doesn’t now, but I’m 90% sure it doesn’t)? The current Wii has around 80MB of memory….will the new Wii have more or less, or will the produce different models with different memory options? Most importantly (to me), will the Wii be more friendly for sports games enthusiasts (Madden, MLB: The Show, NBA 2k)?

That’s a lot of questions, I know, which is really all the announcement left us with – questions. Nintendo says that there will be a playable version of the new Wii at the E3 Expo in June 2011. I can remember back 5 years ago when the original Wii became available for sale. It was nearly impossible to get one anywhere! The Wii was the first gaming system of its kind, with the motion controllers. Will the second version of the Wii have such a high demand? Only time will tell….but one thing is for sure. My wife is sure to get one, without asking me of course!

 

Big problems continue for the beloved Ohio State Program. Not that it is any big shocker, but the NCAA the fastest yacht in the boat race, finally made a public statement yesterday that they are looking into “alleged” infractions. The violations in the Ohio State case happened a basically 12 months ago. The news splash came out in late December right before the bowl game, and then further escalated about 2 months ago with Tressel’s admission he knew about the problems with the five players trading equipment and awards for tattoos. Heck he even had the email train to show for it.

Now the Buckeyes have until July 5 to answer questions for the NCAA. A hearing before the infractions committee is scheduled Aug. 12 in Indianapolis.(coincidentally one day before Johnny Goodman’s Birthday) After that, god only knows how long this will drag on. Heck it took the NCAA 5 years to nail USC for Reggie Bush and other violations of basketball players taking place during the same time span.

The lingering question is will the NCAA think that the penalties imposed by the school are strong enough, or will they wield a heavier hammer? Hard to tell. The scuttlebutt in the coaching fraternity is that “The Vest” is in deep doo doo. Heck even Nebraska increased head coach Bo Pelini’s salary just yesterday making him the third highest paid football coach in the Big Ten. Why? They lost way more games than they should have last year and folded like a cheap card table in their bowl game re-match with lowly Washington. Maybe Athletic Director Tom Osborne wanted to make a possible move to Pelini’s alma mater, Ohio State, look less appealing from a financial perspective.

Lucky #7

The NFL Lockout drama saga continues this week we are quickly approaching the 2011 Draft. AP writer Jaime Aron had an excellent article on April 23rd that listed the top players taken at each position in the draft since the modern day draft has taken place. As you can imagine this could be a hotly debated topic. I mean which #1 overall is the best? Bradshaw? Manning? Aikman, Campbell? You could make your argument for any of these guys at #1. But what I found interesting was that the #7 pick in the first round has been a veritable point of weakness overall.

Tops on Aron’s listing was Adrian Peterson in the #7 spot, who many felt “slid” to the Vikings as he was coming off an injury plagued college career at Oklahoma. Phil Simms, Sterling Sharpe, Bryant Young and Champ Bailey are others of mention at the number 7 spot but no one really stands out like is the case at the other positions in the top 10 overall in any given year

Maybe this means the #7 spot is due to have a great player taken. Of course anyone in the Top 10 each year is considered great or they would not be considered to be drafted that high. The consensus at #7 this year is Patrick Peterson, the dynamic secondary player from LSU. Only time will tell if a Peterson will dominate from the #7 spot overall in the draft.

Until Next time…stay classy Mel Kiper Jr.