"I am for a government rigorously frugal and simple. Were we directed from Washington when to sow, when to reap, we should soon want bread." -- Thomas Jefferson
Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD. -- Psalm 150:6 KJV
Its that time of year when family and friends gather together to give thanks for all the GOODNESS God has placed in their lives.
This is the perfect time for the enemy to declare all out war against people - attacking their health with the pandemic, as well as dividing them as to what choices make the most sense to protect themselves and their children.
To make matters worse, the issues have been politicized, so the party in power has their allies in mass media to first shame the folks into obedience, and if that fails, bring the hammer down, with the threat of legal action.
And if all that was not depressing enough, signs of inflation are all around us. Ships are sitting offshore, waiting to be unloaded. This is a problem already noticed at retail, as many things are in short supply and racks sit empty. This will become far more significant as Christmas approaches.
And then there is the final insult, the ne'er-do-wells in academia and media crawl out of the ashes wanting the world to reimagine the first Thanksgiving. No longer is it a nice celebration giving thanks to God for a good harvest and peace, but another opportunity to demonstrate how the evil white man destroyed Native America.
What is a Good Christian to do?
Fear Not!
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. - 3 John 1:2 KJV
That's the beauty of being in the Body of Christ. You don't have to worry about anything. You can cast ALL your cares on Jesus. (1 Peter 5:6-8) You can eat your food with joy and thankfulness, surrounded by those you love. You can CHOOSE to be full of JOY! Don't let the enemy and his earthly thralls derail your holiday.
George Washington - from his Thanksgiving Proclamation 1789
Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor ... Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be ...
Final Thoughts - November 22, 1963
Today is the anniversary of the JFK assassination. Contrary to many reports, neither Dallas, or Conservatism, had anything to do with his murder. A radical communist, one who spent more time in New York, New Orleans, and the Soviet Union than in Dallas, murdered President Kennedy. I am really tired of this revisionist BS the media spews this time of year. Did Washington DC kill Lincoln and Garfield? Did Buffalo kill McKinley? Did LA kill RFK? Did DC attempt to kill Reagan and Clinton. Heck, maybe the media needs to examine the radical and violent tendencies of DC?
Why not combine two rants into one? This week the story broke that TCU had finally decided to get rid of Gary Patterson. He coached the Horned Frogs for an amazing 20+ years, starting as Defensive Coordinator under Dennis Franchione. Under Patterson, TCU won 181 games and lost 79. They were invited to numerous bowls and had a 11-6 record. Considering where TCU was in the 70s and 80s, it was a spectacular and successful run.
I Come To Bury Patterson, Not To Praise Him
I wish no ill on TCU or Patterson. Truth is I like TCU and enjoyed their run. The school is very similar to mine - SMU. Whatever they accomplish, we should be able to do it twice as well. But as time drifted on, a much more sinister side of Patterson emerged. He made it much more difficult to appreciate their success.
If you like winning, running up the score, watching your players rip the helmets off their opponents and angrily toss them downfield, Patterson was your man. And if you ignored your teams criminal behavior and unsportsmanlike antics, and yet amplified your opponents mistakes, Patterson was your kind of coach.
I respect him now, much like you would respect any strange discoloration on the body that will not go away. Yes, he won lots of games, beat SMU soundly many times. But even in the "good times" he was still an unhappy Grimace - a rotund, purple being of indeterminate species with short arms and legs. He was a sore loser and a sore winner. He blamed everyone but himself for the losses, and gave himself tons of credit for the wins. He was always complaining, demanding respect from others, while giving little in return.
Maybe there were brief moments where he expressed love for his team, humility, and respect for his opponents, but it rarely came out when the cameras were on him. May he find peace in his next career, and a very dependable towel girl to wipe his sweaty brow.
A statue of Gary Patterson remains outside TCU's stadium. And that is exactly where it belongs, outside and alone, never to do any more harm to the program. And its likely too heavy to move.
The College Football Playoff Must Change
The suits crunched their numbers, cooked the books, and came up with their Playoff Rankings. And as expected, Cincinnati was demoted from a comfortable, and well deserved #2 spot, down to an outside looking in #6. Gone were Houston and SMU, both ranked in the polls, and the final chance for UC to face ranked opponents.
The national media sees the problem, but they are unlikely to push for a solution. From ESPN:
The CFP selection committee reminded us all once again that the Group of 5 need not apply to the playoff, that it is judged by a different set of rules, that it might as well be playing for crumpets and not national championships.
I take this personally. I want to believe that SMU, and other teams like them, do have a legit shot at the playoff. But the system is flawed. The votes go to the anointed conferences, and then our wins against unranked teams are dismissed. SMU is now 7-1. They started with wins over Abilene Christian, North Texas, and Louisiana Tech before facing a then-ranked #26 TCU. After the first three wins I did not expect to be ranked, and of course we were on nobody's radar. After a SOLID victory over TCU, SMU starts getting votes, but remained outside the top 30. TCU fails to get a vote in either poll. It wasn't until week 6 at 5-0 did SMU crack the Top 25 at (24). And there is at least one writer who has never voted for SMU, even after going 7-0.
And that's just SMUs experience. Imagine if you are Cincinnati cruising along unbeaten, with victories over everyone's favorite Notre Dame, and Indiana from the Big 10 - where its required that every team be ranked - no matter what they do or accomplish, it will not be enough. By some ridiculous measure, the suits will find a way to diminish what UC has done in order to lift up one of their P5 darlings. Its just terribly wrong.
What makes March Madness so spectacular is that everyone HAS A CHANCE. Fans LOVE IT when some little school like Abilene Christian #14 takes the mighty Texas #3 to the woodshed. Or the great and powerful Ohio State #2 is humiliated by Oral Roberts, the #15 seed. They may not go far, but at least there's a chance. And that makes for a great fan experience. Cinderellas normally don't stay very long at the ball, but make quite an impression.
So again this year, a tiny group of suits will sit around a table in a cold dark room and decide the fate of college football. They will pick 4 teams and arbitrarily declare them to be the best of the best. All sorts of statistics will be unveiled to defend their choice. And defend they will, twisting themselves into a pretzel to prove that they chose wisely. Like lemmings, sports fans will crowd around their TV to watch Big 10 teams find ever creative ways to lose to their more powerful friends in the SEC and Big 12. And then we will have two teams that remain. We will be told that whoever wins this final game will be the best in the land. There could be 5 unbeaten teams remaining not in the playoff, but that does not matter. The Playoff Committee has spoken. Let it be written, let it be done.
Its been a very long time since I watched a BCS or playoff game. Its just another meaningless game to end the season. The irony is that by elevating this playoff, they have made the bowl games worthless. At least in the past, a handful of teams might have a shot, and depending upon who won or who lost their bowl games. Then the sports writers would vote, and we would spend the next year arguing about who was the best. Is this system any better?
Give me a 16 team playoff. The winner from every FBS conference gets an automatic bid. Pick a handful of teams as at large participants. Seed them fairly, and let nature take its course. Now, you have a true playoff, and several games that must be watched. Do it, do it now, or else.
