The Day After

Today is September 12th.  And it’s slowly becoming my favorite day.  Since today is September 12th, it’s only obvious that yesterday was September 11th, also known as Patriots’ Day.  It’s one of those holidays that we only partially “get” since we don’t get the day off.  Luckily though yesterday was a Saturday so we were able to better observe the day.  In maybe a few years Sept 11 might trump Labor Day as the official end of summer, and we will find ourselves grilling, playing at the beach and  taking advantage of various merchants’ price cutting.  But for now 9/11 is a day dominated by two participants.  The first is a beautiful collection of those grieving the lose of a loved one, the lose of some sense of innocence and clarity, and those celebrating the bravery and resiliency of the American Spirit that shined so brightly that day in the form of first responders, and in the days that shortly followed of unity.  We were truly the United States.  The other group of people are those bitter, proud, distrusting and hateful people that are not as numerous as the first group but so much more louder.

Every middle of August comes the Anti-Islamic, Anti-Muslim, “you can’t trust any of ‘em” mentality.  It’s almost as though a portion of the American population has PMS once a year and takes it all out on a group of people.  They begin to rehash the past.  They take an act carried out by at least 19 fanatics, and plotted and supported by numerous more cowardly fanatics and turn it all into religious war.  As long as we have troops in the field fighting people that have associations with what occurred on 9/11 or we have soldiers fighting in a country with people that look a lot like those that attacked us and in some very general sense believe in the same religion we are forced to deal with what happened on Sept 11, 2001.  Every year we look back at that day and see that we have not moved on from that point.  We are still dealing with what happened that day and how it changed us, and we ponder about what effect that day will have on our future.  As we do so, some of us look for the quick solution so assuage their pain and doubt.  They lash out at the “other”, the ones that look like those that attacked us.  Those that confess to believe in the same religion, yet not in the same beliefs.  They take all Muslims and throw them into one group, and make them the enemy, the reason for the September season.

So for about a month anyone who turns on the TV news, talk radio, or looks at blogs or real internet news outlets are forced to encounter the anti-Muslim rhetoric.  We are forced to hear how they are all the same, they want us all to die.  The general public must know about the ignorance and insensibility of other people and how they wish to remember the day to burn some Korans, to protest the building of mosques, or outside mosques that are already built.  We must hear how they are still plotting against us, that no Muslim can be a true American.  We must hear that we are at war with Islam, sense Islam is at war with us.

These protests, burnings and other demonstrations of utter stupidity are broadcast throughout the world.  Why were General Petereaus and Chairman of Defense Gates so adamant about Pastor Jones cancelling his Koran burning?  Because the international media would pick up on it, and broadcast it and it would be misconstrued as a representation of the American public’s attitude and activities.  These bitter and hateful people, though little in number, become the representation of what Americans think and feel.  Because these few loudmouth criers are so loud and fanatic that outsiders see them and only them, they soon believe that the spirit of hate that they carry is shared by all Americans.  It’s ironic to see how the people that fight against Muslims, and carry forward their doctrine of Anti-Islamic hate are like those fanatics who murdered 3,000 people on Sept 11, 2001.  The number of people that plotted the attack and carried it out don’t even make up a measurable percentage of the Muslim people in the world.  The members of Al-Qaida and other terrorist outfits make up a small percentage of the Muslim world, but because they are loud and active they are able to beguile the few foolish outsiders into believing that they all Muslims must feel that way.  In reverse the few fanatical Americans through their activities and boisterous nature make foolish outsiders believe that all Americans are like them.  The only difference between the fanatical murderers of 9/11 and the fanatics against them is the amount of blood on their hands.

The day after Halloween or Christmas (two of my favorite holidays) are always downers for me.  Because I prepare for weeks before each holiday, decorating, going to parties and community functions, watching movies and listening to music.  There’s so much anticipation for those holidays that when the day is over it’s sad to see it all go away and know that you have to wait another year to see it again. But for me Sept 12 is such a great relief.  I can finally stop hearing about the evil Muslims, about mosques, about hatred.  I can know that finally we can turn our attention to the here and now.  That we can deal with real problems that we can solve, like the economy, education, crime, and not get caught up in discussing the past and who we still need to punish and not trust.

Bragger Mexico's blog

University of Utah might join PAC 10

Danica Patrick Finishes 6th at Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200

Danica Patrick avoided a wall, recovered from a spin out, rubbed up against some other cars and managed to finish.  She started off in the 12th position, but was able to get all the way up to the 6th position.  Of course you will only hear about her, you won’t hear about the winner, he’s irrelevant, I mean this is like the minor leagues of NASCAR.  You also won’t know that at least three other drivers where women, like Jennifer Jo Cobb, who started off in the 39th position and finished at 17.  She was able to cut down her competition by more than half, which is more than Patrick was able to do.  But of course we will hear all about Patrick, and how she recovered from that spin and missed the wall that would have put her out for sure.  Before the race Dale Jr. decided not to give any advice to the pudding NASCAR racer.  He probably realized he is the one in need of some advice on winning races.  But before all the Patrick groupies get too excited, remember this is just one race, and she’s not in the big leagues yet.  Let’s give this some more time to pan out…and wash out.

ARCAracing.com

Get a Grip

FOXNews.com - Tea Partiers Urge Unity as Rifts Show
These people make me laugh. I mean really? I thought this issue was laid to rest a long time ago, but these right wing nut jobs still think that Obama isnt a natural born American. Come on people, let's stick with reality, an economy that is trying to recover, two wars in foreign lands, a global war on terror, come on people lets get with the program.

Bragger Mexico's blog

Bragger Mexico's blog
Check it out for other articles as well.

Lane Kiffin, another candidate for D Bag of the Decade

Lane Kiffin is up to his usual douche baggery.  He supposedly has a the commitment of a 13-year-old seventh grader to play in 2015 as quarterback.  Now he did the same thing when he was at Rocky Top.  The thing with this commitment is that it’s not really a commitment.  Really nothing can be taken seriously until Sept. 1 of the players junior year.  Before that everything is just rubbish.  The way Kiffin jumps from job to job, he might not even be there in 2015, so then this whole thing is just a media trick.  Lane Kiffin, who hasn’t had a winning season as a head coach knows how to get people to pay attention to him.  He must have taken some notes out of Al Davis’ media circus playbook.  Apparently Kiffin and Davis who don’t talk to each other are a lot a like.  Since Kiffin cant win games, he just plays media games to garner attention for his program.  Maybe if he spent more time recruiting viable recruits that can improve his program and win games for USC in the short picture and not worry about a kid that might or might not play of USC in five years.

Trojans get their first commitment ... for 2015 - latimes.com

When in war we have soldiers not criminals

The idea that we should treat the Christmas Day bomber, or as I like to call him, the blue balls bomber, as a common criminal is absurd.  He is a foreign national that came here with the purpose of hurting and killing people.  The government and people of this great nation must come to terms with the war we are in.  This war is unlike any war we have seen before.  This war is not between countries or necessarily ideologies, instead it is a war of factions and groups. 

The Cold War was a war of ideology, it wasn’t necessarily one country against another, instead was a group of countries on two sides of an issue that fought their wars in distant lands and in covert means.

War used to be between uniformed soldiers each claiming their allegiance to a flag or a nation.  The soldiers that we face now pledge their allegiance to what they believe to be a omnipotent force and presence.  Their allegiance has transcended terrestrial limitations, and they come from different walks of life.  They have no nation, no flag, no uniform to distinguish them or designate them as a soldier.  During World War II it was easy to know who the enemy was, they wore the swastika or the sun on the uniform, or were unified under a banner of a common symbol.

During WW II German U-boats patrolled the U.S. East Coast sinking merchant vessels.  If one of those captains was able to slip past our defenses and crept up the Hudson River to open fire on ships and docks there, and was captured before he could escape or scuttle his boat, that captain and crew would have been held as POW. 

There is no difference between that German captain and what Umar Farouk Abdulmatallab did.  They are soldiers fighting for something, and they have chosen us as their enemy.  It is time we realize that they are ours as well.

Criticism of Obama on national security likely to remain big issue - washingtonpost.com

Tebow may not have enough…for now, from Yahoo! Sports

I have never been a big Tebow fan.  My dislike for Tebow is born of my hatred for the SEC, BCS and my belief that Urban Meyer is a fraud that will eventually be discovered.  So by association my hatorade addiction makes me not like Tebow, and believe that he wont be as successful in the NFL as he has been in the NCAA.  His numbers are good, there is no doubt he is the most dominant college quarterback out there, but his game might not translate to the next level.  His numbers have decreased over the last three years.  He’s quick and agile, but his game will be shut down in the NFL.  It will take a few hits by Ray Ray or other headhunters to make Tebow look like a retired boxer in their 50’s by the time he is only 28.  His numbers secure him a place in the first round.  He will go to a team that already has a healthy quarterback, and possibly a good back up quarterback.  He will hold the clipboard and learn from the pros.  We might not see him play this next season, or the one after (at least not in regular season games when there’s a chance to win), but he will play at the next level.  His mechanics will be reworked, and he’ll be a starter.  I will hold off for a couple more years to see if my suspicion of Meyers is right:that he can lead a good college team, but he makes piss poor professional quarterbacks.  I wish Tebow the best of luck.  Of course Tebow has a good head on his shoulders and just in general is a good guy, if the whole NFL thing doesn’t work he will always make it somewhere else, I think he’ll make a hell of a megachurch pastor

Some NFL scouts have given up on Tebow. Does that make sense? - Dr. Saturday - NCAAF Blog - Yahoo! Sports

Matthews:Candidate for D Bag of the Decade

Chris Matthews, who is a serious early contender for the D bag of the decade award has jumped ahead of the competition with his analysis of President Obama’s State of the Union address. If Obama is able to win another term, Matthews is a shoe in for being the D Bag of the decade. I mean 8 years of Matthews falling over himself and gushing like a little girl whenever he hears Obama speak. At first what I believed to be was Matthews just being the gayest man without actually being homosexual, with the “thrill” that shot up his leg when he heard Obama speak at the DNC in Denver back in ‘08, has turned into just reckless douche baggery. After Obama’s speech Matthews commented, “I forgot he was black.” Or in other words “if I close my eyes, I’d swear that n- was white.” What Matthews said was absurd, and just down right stupid. If this had been a conservative white pundit the media would be looking for the tallest tree and the shortest rope to hang this fool. But because Matthews is unabashed in his gushing love for Obama, we just console ourselves knowing, that Matthews is Matthews, and he’s just a D Bag. As Matthews was trying to say something insightful and be overly dramatic as he typically is, he revealed a serious flaw in American thinking in regards to race. To comment on how a black man is articulate or doesn’t carry that negro dialect is backwards and uncovers our still divisive thinking and stereotyping. Matthews needs to restrain himself and gain some self control when he talks about Obama, and he needs to look in the mirror recognize the buried racist that lives within himself, the same one that lives within many people and just try not to be such a D Bag.

Matthews' remark exposes complexity of 'transcending race' - Yahoo! News

Eat that Favre, and go home.

That's right, Brett, just leave your jersey and jock strap at the door, get your Wranglers, collect your check and ride your tractor back home. Luckily your not far from your Louisiana home. You had a shot, you could have made it, you got so close. But close doesn't count. You showed us your typical self, you were able to out throw Brees by over a hundred yards, but again your cowboy showboating ways proved to be your achilles. Those two interceptions certainly hurt your chances of making it to the big show. Favre, there's no doubt you are a great athlete. But you have proved to be more of a liability than an asset. You might have rallied your troops to get this far, but you couldn't seal the deal. I ask that you please don't drag this out, just announce your retirement, ink a deal with FOX, or NBC to be a commentator. We know you love the attention, why else would you drag out your illustrious carrier to the point where it's becoming a circus. No longer do we say, "wow, that Favre, what a great quarterback!" Instead we just look and say, "damn he's good for being so old!" Those two statements mean two different things. Do we still think you are one of the best? Sure you still have the few faithful blind who will follow you until you play for the Raiders, and say you are still great as you try to teach Jemarcus Russell how to love and play the game right. But you're not a top tier player. Look at the team you left last season, the Jets, with a much less seasoned quarterback corps, and they made it just as far as you. Please Favre, just go home, it's hard, I understand. Cultivate another skill, take up another hobby. Anything! Just leave your great career alone, let it stand, and leave the NFL, ESPN, and FOX alone, so the commentators there can heal their broken hearts that you wont be coming back, and they will have rebounded by the time they get back to work in August.

Obama could bust the BCS with Broncos - College Football - Rivals.com

I came across this page, and it is brilliant.  Without doing any official political maneuvering, he can upset the entire BCS syndicate in one simple gesture.  While terrorists are hiding bombs next to their junk, and the economy is making slow Lazarus like awakening, and wars and rumors of wars rumble throughout the Middle East, it would be the wrong time for the President or Congress to take on the BCS through legislative means.  This would not be the first time that President Obama has lent his name and fame to collegiate sports.  When he made out his bracket for the NCAA Basketball Tournament, it was carried live to homes all over and then rebroadcast on the major network evening news.  As President, he doesn’t need to push for there to be call to action, but really by just inviting them to the White House for a meet and greet would a be sign that he is backing the change to the BCS.

The next question is should BSU be considered the National Champions? I would say, “no”.  Should the be ranked number 4?  No.  They should be ranked at least number 3, if not number 2. 

Alabama is the undisputed champion this season.  The thing that separates Alabama and Boise is the schedule.  Boise had no real key wins this season.  Of course Boise is caught between a rock and a hard place.  They play in the WAC, one of the weakest conferences, in division I.  Their nonconference games are played against smaller and weaker schools.  This is not because BSU has not attempted to play the bigger schools, its just that the bigger schools refuse to play BSU.  The schools that belong to the Big Six want to pad their schedule with what they deem to be weak teams, or even teams from the division II.  They look to get as many wins as possible so they pick the low hanging fruit, those smaller programs that are looking for the money the big schools offer and the national publicity, even if it is humiliating.  Schools in the Big Six dont want to touch the likes of BSU, TCU, Utah and other big schools from the outside conferences.  These schools are too tough, and they do nothing for the Big Six records.

Back to my point though about Alabama, its only right that they be the champions, they had to beat the likes of Florida, and other top tier teams of the SEC, as well as beat Texas.  BSU’s only real big game came against TCU, where they didnt put the game away until late into it.

Next season though I think we will see BSU play for the championship.  They have all but 2 starters returning next season.  Their key wins will be against Oregon State, and VT, if they one of those they are gone from the BCS, and if they lose any conference game they will be playing a bowl game sometime before Christmas.  Its that simple.

I would put my final rankings as such-Alabama, BSU, Florida, Texas.

Obama could bust the BCS with Broncos - College Football - Rivals.com