Fighting the "Good" Fight

AIDS numbers revised

It's very PC to fight this battle, just like Global Warming. In fact, irony of ironies...the ad I saw when I viewed the above link was for supporting a bill in Congress about...you guessed it...global warming.

Boorish, rude people in New York? Say it ain't so!

Jets Humiliated by "Gate D Party"

In other news, the sun sets in the west.

On the other hand, the Ultra-Left have a new rallying cry, based on these two hilarious articles (and remember, these people are serious):

Meet the women who won't have babies - because they're not eco friendly

Mankind 'shortening the universe's life'

SAVE THE UNIVERSE!! KILL YOURSELF IMMEDIATELY!!!

Jingle Time!!

For those of you who are not Oklahoma residents (and more specifically, OKC-area residents), the BC Clark jingle has heralded the coming of Christmas for years and years. Many Okies know that Christmastime isn't REALLY upon us until you hear the jingle. I remember hearing the jingle from the time that I was about 3 or 4, and the jingle itself goes back to the 50s. My mom remembers hearing it. The jingle is so well-known, in fact, that Oklahoma soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan have requested it from their families. It's even been on Jay Leno. It is world-famous, and it is one of those unique Oklahoma traditions, because it has endured as a holiday tradition, albeit a commercial one, for over 40 years.

And so, with that being said, and since it is Thanksgiving week and I'm not sure I'll be able to get it up here later, I'm posting the following link for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!



Hooray!!! Christmas!!!

Fate Takes A Hand...

As quickly as it began, it was over.

There was a lot of talk this year about OU and how they have managed to beat everyone's expectations, how Sam Bradford has set the world on fire and performed like a certain 5th-year senior who happened to come back from two (TWO!) season-ending knee injuries to win the Heisman Trophy, or like another juco transfer who came in with no name and left holding the crystal football (and who now happens to coach Mr. Bradford).

There was a lot of talk about how OU was full of seasoned veterans, had some serious young talent to back it up, and might have the best team in the fill-in-the-blank-here during the Bob Stoops era.

There was a lot of talk about one of the Sooner players, whose mother happened to mention that OU would be playing for the national championship this year, and that she just felt it, as though it were preordained by God Himself...as though it were fate. Indeed, she herself sadly succumbed to a fatal disease not too long after she made this prediction.

There was an explosion of this talk after Thursday night, when in an amazing stroke of bad luck (good luck for OU), Oregon lost its heart and soul when starting QB Dennis Dixon went down and lost badly to Arizona (coached by Bob Stoops's brother Mike, of course). Sooner fans could feel momentarily the cosmic sense of justice in that, especially after last September's notorious travesty in Eugene. How wondrous that Oregon should fall through bad luck and that it would most help the Sooners, of all teams. How glorious that it was a Stoops luxuriant in victory, helping his brother when he really needed it. It's almost like it really was preordained. I remember reading the articles about the predictions of greatness for this year from that Sooner player's mom. It WAS fate, preordained by God Himself.

And a mere 48 hours later, it was all gone. Over. Done. Fate, it seems, had taken a hand.

In just the same way as Oregon opened the door wide for the Sooners to walk through, our dreams were bitterly dashed yet again, as we lost our own starting quarterback to a concussion on the very first drive of the game. Sam played one more drive, which resulted in a three-and-out, then went to the sideline and told quarterbacks coach Josh Heupel that he couldn't remember what plays they had just run. He took off his helmet, say on the bench, and spent the rest of the first half looking like he had just undergone a frontal lobotomy. Behind the cold and not-very-practiced Joey Halzle, the OU offense sputtered mightily until the fourth quarter, and by then it was too late. Rich Cirminiello over at College Football News congratulates Texas Tech, with these words:

The Red Raiders capped a ragged second half of the year by beating No. 3 Oklahoma 34-27. Tech got a break when Sooner QB Sam Bradford was sidelined early in the game, but you get the feeling this was one of those games it was going to win no matter who was behind center.

Well, sorry, Rich...I love your work, but I have to call BS on that one. I never got that feeling you talk about. In fact, you yourself picked OU to win in your weekly CFN staff picks. Unfortunately, we'll never know. For the second straight game in Lubbock, OU cruelly had a win taken from them. The first time, it was through the sad ineptitude of the Big 12 officials both on and off the field. Indeed, there were moments on Saturday night where I was convinced that after last week's tirade on the part of Tech coach Mike Leach, the squeaky wheel was definitely getting the grease. Tech's line held like they had $1,000 bills in their hands, yet they had only one holding penalty called on them that I saw before I turned the game off in the third quarter. In one stretch, I saw obvious holding on three straight plays, and still nothing. Through the entire first half, Tech had one penalty called on them IN TOTAL, a five-yard false start.

This second time, though, it was even worse. We not only had our win taken away, but it was taken away by God Himself. We'll never know if Tech would've won straight-up, because our best playmaker was taken from us with no chance to show anything. He didn't play beyond the OU's second offensive series! Can you seriously argue that the game was legit? Do you really, truly believe that Tech would've won if there had been no such injury for OU? Was it that much of a slam dunk? Don't go around trying to tell me Texas Tech was "the better team"...OU was missing some key starters most of the way. Given the way that OU's offense slammed the door on Tech's "prolific offense" (Tech scored only 1 touchdown the entire second half, and that was a mere 2-1/2 minutes into the half), things would probably have been much different if Bradford has been healthy for the entire game. Again, we'll never know, and so making ridiculous pronouncements about how well Tech did or how poorly OU did are meaningless at this point. Any team that loses a player as critical as the starting quarterback, unless the guy behind him is just a miracle worker, is probably going to have a VERY rough time. It's happened before...look at Jason White coming off the bench for Nate Hybl in the 2001 Texas game, or Jamelle Holieway breaking in and leading OU to a national championship in 1985 after Troy Aikman broke his leg early in the year. But Joey Halzle is no Jason White or Jamelle Holieway.

And so, no preordained chance to play for a national championship for you, Oklahoma...more mediocrity, perhaps another crappy BCS bowl with nothing at stake but lots of money and the chance to perform another pratfall on national TV. WE PLAY FOR CHAMPIONSHIPS AT OU! We don't care whether the payoff we get is $1 or $10,000,000; we sure don't end up seeing any of that money, because the Athletic Department still calls us for donations every year. So if it ain't for a national championship, we'll watch and we'll cheer, but we really could care less because it means nothing. Stoops has already become the first coach to complete the BCS Grand Slam (i.e., playing in every one of the BCS bowls, including the championship).

Take last year's Fiesta Bowl against Boise State. I still maintain that was the ultimate lose-lose situation for OU, and ultimately it was EXACTLY that. A handjob for wimpy little schools that believe they deserve a place at the big-boy table merely because they happen to have a Division I designation and have 100 football players, at the expense of a storied program (that just happened to be OU). Congratulations...and where are you all this year, again? Your poster boys are all gone, with no one really blowing up anyone's skirts this year. Hawaii? A joke of a schedule makes them a long shot. Boise State (again)? Eh. TCU? They gave up the ghost early on and no one even talks about them now. Who's left? If we have to take our medicine, then so do you. Win like OU does with a REALISTIC chance to get to the national championship game every year, THEN pop off.

And on that topic, congratulations to Texas Tech. You're still 5th in the Big 12, so enjoy that nice meaningless trip to the Alamo Bowl. You're now 4-4 in Big 12 play...nicely done. And congrats to Messrs. Harrell and Crabtree, products of a system that looks great and puts up big numbers but never seems to really get the job done. You've played your bowl game, boys...now got sit back down and eat your veggies and let me know how it looks next year when OU kicks the s*** out of you. Come next season, EXPECT NO QUARTER. There will be no one to turn to when we pound your pitiful butts into the turf at Owen Field.

I do extend heartfelt sorrow to Oregon and its fans, and would have done so regardless of the outcome of Saturday night's game. You guys have an amazing quarterback, and even though I cheered for you to lose, it's obvious you have a great player there and it's always tough to see that happen to anyone. He pouted at first, but in the second half he really showed some great heart, cheering and encouraging his teammates from the sidelines. Kudos (but don't think this gets you off The List).

There's no bitterness here...really, I'm serious. Thanks for reading along.

HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY, OKLAHOMA!

Today, November 16, 2007, is not only Statehood Day in my wondrous home state, but it is also Oklahoma's Centennial. Yep, that's right...Oklahoma is officially 100 years old today! I remember thinking years back about what that would be like...when I was a kid, knowing I'd be 34 when Oklahoma turned 100 and wondering how things would be. As you long-time readers know, I'm very proud of my home state, and I want to return there for good as soon as possible and practical. I had hoped to be back home to celebrate with my fellow Okies (your state doesn't turn 100 every day, you know). But alas, it just wasn't meant to be. Well, maybe I'll be around for the sesquicentennial in 2057...I'll only be 84 then, so maybe I'll get to celebrate that one.

Once again, happy birthday, Oklahoma:

Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain
(Boy, ain't that the truth! Few places can get as windy as Oklahoma is.)
And the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet when the wind comes right behind the rain
(That one is true, too. Nothing smells as good as when the rain is coming or going. That wonderful rain-smell just fills your nostrils like nothing else.)
Oklahoma, every night my honey-lamb and I sit alone and talk,
And watch a hawk makin' lazy circles in the sky
(I don't remember how many times I've sat out with family and friends, talking and enjoying being outside under that wide Oklahoma sky.)
We know belong to the land, and the land we belong to is grand,
(That really says it all. Now for the best part:)
And when we say, YEOW! A-YIP-I-OH-EE-AY!
We're only saying, "you're doin' fine, Oklahoma!" Oklahoma, O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A!
OKLAHOMA! OK!

I really can't do any better. One day I'll write a good explanation about why I'm so proud to be an Okie, but for now, this does just fine. Thanks for reading along.

Slacking, slacking...

So yes, I HAVE been slacking the past several days. I was on a pretty good roll there, wasn't I? I was posting just about every day...and then I got busy with all sorts of stuff and it went right down the drain. I've had a few things going, though. I've been swamped at work, I had training last week, I've had a committee meeting last Thursday...oh, and my first Masters class at DU (MALS 4020, "Graduate Research and Writing") finishes this Friday, so I've been in a fevered push to complete my paper so I can turn it in.

And I also have a wondrous story to tell you all that took up a great deal of my time over the past week and a half, and it will be coming up over the course of the next few days. It's the amazing tale of how I bought a car on eBay and took possession of it. I will say a HUGE thanks to Chong, for all the help he provided as my California liaison...oh right, I did fail to mention that the car was in California, didn't I? This will be an epic multi-post series in which I tell the details of the purchase, the roadblocks of getting the vehicle's title worked out, and of course, the glorious adventure of actually taking possession of the vehicle, along with my triumphant return to Westminster. Be on the lookout for that over the next several days.

Thanks for reading along.

The View In The 21st Century

Here's an interesting article:

Sales of mobile phone jam devices soar

This is itself is an interesting article, and many of you are probably wondering right now, "how do I get one of those??" Included in this, however, is a gigantic nugget that eloquently tells of one of American society's biggest problems today:

James Katz, director of the Centre for Mobile Communication Studies at Rutgers University, told the New York Times: "If anything characterises the 21st century, it's our inability to restrain ourselves for the benefit of other people.

"The cell phone talker thinks his rights go above that of people around him, and the jammer thinks his are the more important rights."

Can anyone seriously argue against that simple yet profound statement? Think on the implications of this, and think how often we see it today. I would argue that not a day goes by that you don't see at least one example of that statement in bold. This is an unfortunate thing, but a lot of the issues we have today come from that very concept. Civility, manners, and courtesy have essentially flown out the window, as "looking out for number one" has become the prime product of the 1960s "revolution" with its emerging culture of victimization and entitlement that was heavily reinforced in the 1990s. We constantly complain about everyone yakking on cell phones, and yet it only becomes an issue when others do something about it. Not too long ago, I posted about the ridiculous utopian ideals behind New Urbanism, which might be fine if I had any faith that my neighbors could be trusted to consider my welfare and the welfare of others before he made his decisions. Instead, anyone who has lived in an apartment knows exactly how thoughtless other humans are on a regular basis. Loud parties/sex/anything, bad or illegal parking, toxic-smelling food, regular police visits, all sorts of situations and disputes that go with apartment-style living...all originate with this attitude of "it's all about me." These are really just symptoms of the bigger issue.

Everyone screams about rights without even mentioning responsibilities; indeed, we teach everything about the Bill of Rights in school, freedom of speech, freedom of (or to some people, from) religion, due process, right to counsel, human rights, civil rights, all of that. Yet how much time do we spend teaching the responsibilities that go with those rights? Those rights mean individual, personal freedom. Freedom might be an inalienable human right, but isn't it also one of mankind's most potent powers? Why then do we ignore the old quote from Peter Parker's Uncle Ben: "With great power comes great responsibility"? But you can't say that...that really bums me out, dude, to have to be held accountable for my choices or face the consequences of my actions. So many issues today:

1. Abortion: if everyone would accept the fact that pregnancy and having to raise a child is the consequence of thoughtless, casual, unprotected sex, abortion would not be an issue. It's really more about dodging consequences, and the whole "is it life or not" debate is secondary to the fact that we allow it at all.
   
2. Free speech: yes, it's a great thing, and yes, it's up to the listener to tune out if possible or simply, grudgingly accept your opinion, but sometimes opinions should be kept to yourself for the sake of others. We have removed any consequences for the wild, thoughtless utterance of ideas in any place, at any time. Does this REALLY help us become better as a society?
3. Lack of human courtesy: cell phones in cars and everywhere else, road rage, holding doors open, please and thank you...use of these had steadily gone downhill. Our society has taught that these are useless, vestigial trappings that we are better sloughing off like old, dead skin.
   

What all these values really brings us is not the wondrous glory of some hippie utopia of universal justice that once prevailed form that old time. In fact, I would argue that society is LESS just today because of this prevailing attitude that people can do what they want and everyone else has to just deal with it. The lack of civility today comes from the idea that anything is acceptable because life is all about the differences between people, and that no point of view is ever really wrong. The idea was to break down walls and eliminate the social stigma attached to anything, which is what anyone considered discourteous had to deal with. Social stigma made people feel badly about themselves. There are advantages to the open-mindedness that this philosophy brings, but there are substantial drawbacks that run much deeper. These crazed liberal ideals of the '60s were designed to make us think, and to make us smarter, more enlightened. So many of these people crow about the beauty of human interaction and human relationships, and that these relationships are what will lead humanity into a new Golden Age.

The actual results are that we do ponder everything...except our fellow man. We consider the bigger issues on everything...except how our neighbor might feel about what we do. You might pooh-pooh common courtesy, Emily Post, and all that as artifacts of a different time best forgotten. However, what those artifacts forced us to do was THINK about others, not about issues. It was never useless and never will be, because it forces you to focus on your neighbor, not ignore them when it's convenient for you. Sometimes, we need to think about others beyond what we can get from them. And sometimes, everyone needs to be told that they are acting badly or behaving badly, and that's such a no-no. Thanks, Baby Boomers...the constant cell phone yakking, road rage, loud motorcycles and cars, and general lack of thoughtfulness toward others....these are your greatest gift to us. Our society is so much the better for your efforts.

And here we are today with cell phone jammers, another symptom of and our only line of defense against your utopia.

This is a bit disjointed, and I'd love to clean it up a little. Thanks for reading along.

Pleasing Taste, Some Monsterism...

Another unfortunate side effect of not living in Oklahoma during football season...BONUS COVERAGE. If I had a dollar for every time I've seen ABC sent us to "bonus coverage" because they think another game is more interesting (i.e., it's closer than a 14-point lead), I'd be quite wealthy. Hey, ABC, I don't want "bonus coverage"...I WANT THE FREAKING OU GAME!!!

I have to get back, and soon.