Maybe, around the time of a season, where people are "supposed to get along and do unto others," there should be an extensive look at all of the people around. I would love to know where are all of the "Moderate Muslims" that seem to have cooler heads, a thought process, and are willing to stand up and scream from the rooftops, "STOP HIGH JACKING OUR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS!"
Like in the Sudan, where the lady is teaching class. Asks a whole class what to name a "class Teddy Bear"? In a country, where the number one name is Mohammed, why is it a surprise that elementary school kids would name a bear that? It is comparable to naming a hamster in an elementary school, John, or Mary. Instead of having some kind of understanding and a complete thought process, the Muslim community goes out and originally wants the lady/teacher to be put to death (by stoning, or beheaded)? Then, as a show of "good will, or calming of heads" they decide that 200 lashes would be a just punishment? Finally, deciding on, even after huge (mostly hostile and male) protests all over Sudan, that 12 days in jail would suffice.
How about the 400-600,000 young, or adolescent girls, that are mutilated and raped throughout Darfur, every year? Not the people that are being starved, made into refugees, or are just having their limbs lopped off with machetes and long blades. Just the women that are being beaten, having their genitals mutilated and systematically raped, in order for there to be a complete genocide thru the most crude and sexual ways, to breed the Sudan out. In order for the extreme Muslim men, or those who believe in the Wahabiist Muslim tradition, over the Sunni and Shiite Muslim traditions. Where are the "Moderate Muslims" with this system of belief completely changing an entire country?
How about a little closer to home, since the "Moderate Muslims" can't, or will not, speak out and define their religion for their world. In Virginia, there is a school that is funded by Saudi Arabia. It has been accused of actually teaching hate throughout the grades, and all of it's text books are littered with Anti-Christian and Anti-Jewish rhetoric. When asked for the text books from the Saudi run school, by several different groups (in order to check the content), it actually took the United States State Department, after two years of asking for the books, to obtain them to be checked out. However, sanitized the text books from the Muslim school are, or are not, is really irrelevant. Simply, because in Saudi Arabia and throughout the Middle East, elementary students are taught math by adding up 2+1=3, with visual aides of actual pictures of two hand grenades, plus one hand grenade, will equal a one. However, the "one" is actually not a hand grenade, but a single Jewish Star of David. Is this how the "Moderate Muslims" want their other Muslims children of the world and the United States, to be taught in this extreme measure?
Where are the heads of the "Moderate Muslims" in this world? Why is it that if someone draws a cartoon, names a Teddy Bear Mohammed, or decides that a woman is not going to wear a burqa over her complete face, that there needs to be a decisive penalty for the people (mostly women)? Where are the "Moderate Muslims" on the constant extermination of the population of the Darfur people, by the Janjaweed? Where is the "Moderate Muslim envoy" to the countries outside the United States, to the European Countries, and finally to the Middle East in order to save a generation of Muslim children and parents to come back to the fray of the Quaran (Koran)? There is not any solid and mobilized "Moderate Muslim Leaders" of any salt for any length of time, utilizing their "pulpits and overall muster" to give the other Muslims around the world an actual chance to come into the world of the twenty-first century, without the barbaric and tortured practices of the past.
For full disclosure, I am actually a Christian Man. I have a Theology Minor and I just care about the people of the world. I am not chastising, but only hoping for the best for our world.
Peace and God Bless,
MIKE D.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
WHY IS THERE LESS INNER PEACE & UNDERSTANDING
I would have to think that in this season, brimming with a message of peace and good will, I was thinking about one topic; Is the peace that we can have now, in our hearts/minds/souls, better now (in "New Testament, AD times), than when people were around in the past ("Old Testament, BC times)?
One thing that I am sure of and thankful for is that it is much better now, in the peace category, then it was back in later times. Whether a person is fighting in a war now, fighting cancer, having monetary troubles, or any of the countless and numerous problems that all people face throughout the world, they still can find that "inner peace" at any time.
However, back in the "Post Christ Era," there was a constant bewilderment, wondering and speculating on whether, or not "inner peace" was a deserved, a committed, and/or a multitude of other options that God may, or may not grant regular people. In a time when most people were dependent on the Pharisees and scribes for any kind of knowledge, due to a general lack of knowledge, learning, and mostly people not having time to get the things needed for intellect, due to having to live.
Bottom line: If there was not a direct revelation from God, or another depiction of what was right from a scribe/Pharisees/another of the literate of the cast system spelling out whatever a person wished to know (allowing for corruption, manipulation, and human error), then man was left to wonder and wander thru life, without any peace, or direction. There was not any "knowing" that they were living a clean and fulfilled life, for sure. However, after Jesus came onto the scene things became massively different. After his teachings, discipleship, miracles and later crucifixion for his fulfillment of not only prophecy (prophecies that stemmed hundreds of years before his birth, then later fulfilled them all, in a perfect fashion), but also to die for our sins on the cross.
What I am thankful for and why the present times, after Christ are constantly and consistently filled with peace, stems from a simple portion after Christ's crucifixion. After Christ was dead and put into the tomb, the disciples were beyond scared. They were all in one room, doors locked and probably every stick of furniture against the door, for the fear that the Roman soldiers would find them, torture, and finally crucify them. (In a side note that I find funny, after walking with the Lord for years, seeing all of the miracles, and even the fact of Christ raising a man from the dead [Lazarus], these same apostles were toiling and in a frantic state of mind. Showing that as great as any one man is, he/she is still only a man, flawed and filled with doubt at any time.) Anyway, while the apostles were ringing their hands and in fighting amongst themselves, what happens? Christ appears in the middle of the room. Out of every word in the language that He could say, Jesus says "Peace" (or "Peace be with you brothers," depending on the text you may read).
This is why today and every day after is so much better for all of us, because rather than having to wonder and/or have a direct revelation from God himself, or wonder about another Pharisees interpretation on what to do and what is right. Today, we have a direct line to God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. At any time, any place, there is always a time that a person can speak directly to the Lord, and know that Jesus came for our sins, for our salvation, and for us to live in a constant kinship to the Lord of Lords. At no other time, before Jesus was this ever possible. Therefore, in this time of Christmas, with troops overseas at war, people without homes, death all around the globe, and a lot more things that seem negative in the world, rather than having a positive tint. The lens the we all should choose is to say, believe, and utilize the "Peace be with you," that Christ gave all of his children from the day that he sacrificed himself, for us all.
So, this Christmas, "Peace be with you and with myself, no matter what is going on in our lives," as only Christ could say it best.
God Bless,
MIKE D.
One thing that I am sure of and thankful for is that it is much better now, in the peace category, then it was back in later times. Whether a person is fighting in a war now, fighting cancer, having monetary troubles, or any of the countless and numerous problems that all people face throughout the world, they still can find that "inner peace" at any time.
However, back in the "Post Christ Era," there was a constant bewilderment, wondering and speculating on whether, or not "inner peace" was a deserved, a committed, and/or a multitude of other options that God may, or may not grant regular people. In a time when most people were dependent on the Pharisees and scribes for any kind of knowledge, due to a general lack of knowledge, learning, and mostly people not having time to get the things needed for intellect, due to having to live.
Bottom line: If there was not a direct revelation from God, or another depiction of what was right from a scribe/Pharisees/another of the literate of the cast system spelling out whatever a person wished to know (allowing for corruption, manipulation, and human error), then man was left to wonder and wander thru life, without any peace, or direction. There was not any "knowing" that they were living a clean and fulfilled life, for sure. However, after Jesus came onto the scene things became massively different. After his teachings, discipleship, miracles and later crucifixion for his fulfillment of not only prophecy (prophecies that stemmed hundreds of years before his birth, then later fulfilled them all, in a perfect fashion), but also to die for our sins on the cross.
What I am thankful for and why the present times, after Christ are constantly and consistently filled with peace, stems from a simple portion after Christ's crucifixion. After Christ was dead and put into the tomb, the disciples were beyond scared. They were all in one room, doors locked and probably every stick of furniture against the door, for the fear that the Roman soldiers would find them, torture, and finally crucify them. (In a side note that I find funny, after walking with the Lord for years, seeing all of the miracles, and even the fact of Christ raising a man from the dead [Lazarus], these same apostles were toiling and in a frantic state of mind. Showing that as great as any one man is, he/she is still only a man, flawed and filled with doubt at any time.) Anyway, while the apostles were ringing their hands and in fighting amongst themselves, what happens? Christ appears in the middle of the room. Out of every word in the language that He could say, Jesus says "Peace" (or "Peace be with you brothers," depending on the text you may read).
This is why today and every day after is so much better for all of us, because rather than having to wonder and/or have a direct revelation from God himself, or wonder about another Pharisees interpretation on what to do and what is right. Today, we have a direct line to God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. At any time, any place, there is always a time that a person can speak directly to the Lord, and know that Jesus came for our sins, for our salvation, and for us to live in a constant kinship to the Lord of Lords. At no other time, before Jesus was this ever possible. Therefore, in this time of Christmas, with troops overseas at war, people without homes, death all around the globe, and a lot more things that seem negative in the world, rather than having a positive tint. The lens the we all should choose is to say, believe, and utilize the "Peace be with you," that Christ gave all of his children from the day that he sacrificed himself, for us all.
So, this Christmas, "Peace be with you and with myself, no matter what is going on in our lives," as only Christ could say it best.
God Bless,
MIKE D.
NCAA BOWL GAMES & THE NATIONAL CHUMPIONSHIP
Anyone who is interested in the college sports scene, especially during the college football season, has season what a junk festival this bowl season has been. Not counting the statistics, preseason rankings, or the final ranking and/pairings for the bowl games themselves, the scores of the bowls (Starting from December 21 thru January 2) are proof enough. Thirteen of the twenty-seven bowl games, were blowouts, or decided by more than ten points (six of thirteen of these games coming in the real "Bowl Season"), and seven of the thirteen traditional bowl games were decided by more than 12 points (six games by more than 17 points, and were done by midway thru the third quarter, with only half the stadium not heading for thier cars).
Is there any interest, other than the students and alumni of the schools, in a bowl season that has teams who are paraded into the national spotlight, by the "powers that be," only to be in a situation which is the equivalent to "Daniel in the Lions Den"? The bowl games that are now doubled from the original 1980s lineup of the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl games are now filled with: Oregon 56-21 over South Florida in the (Sun Bowl), Fresno State 40-28 over a 7 win Georgia Tech team (Humanitarian Bowl), Oklahoma State 49-33 over Indiana who were both 7-6 on the season (Insight Bowl), Missouri 38-7 over Arkansas (Cotton Bowl), USC 49-17 over Illinois (Rose Bowl), Georgia 41-10 over a completely outmatched and timid Hawaii team (Sugar Bowl), and the final blowout a West Virginia 48-28 over Oklahoma. However in all of these games, other than the scores, lack of a true look into the college football scene, is the fact that Missouri had to play an Arkansas team, that Kansas should have played. Missouri beat KU in the Big 12 North decider game and only had two loses on the season, both to Oklahoma (once in the regular season and once in the Big 12 Championship game).
However, KU is playing in the orange bowl against a motivated (by both the football god's, a bowl game, but also for the tragedy on their campus earlier this year, with the grave shootings on there campus, by a disillusioned and psychotic student). How KU snuck into this game alone, is beyond any explanation, but it is another example how college football's, end of the season gala, is a sham.
If the scores can be put aside, as well as the ludicrous picks of who plays who, it all boils down to money in the end. That should be where everyone looks to for the injustices and outright manipulation of a system that is as outdated as Major League Baseball's Drug Policies. Hawaii, before this year, had a regular budget for recruiting of (roughly) $50,000 a year, which has not allowed their coaches to go into the contiguous 48 states to recruit a hard and sometimes impossible shot at the top 200 high school prospects, and other hopeful student athletes. However, after there ascendance into the "bowl elite," with their "Hiesman Trophy Candidate" Cole Brennin at the healm, they play in the 'WAC' which is not comparable to an SEC schedule, which is why they got WAC'ed, they now have between $500,000 and $1.5 million for recruiting purposes, depending on how the money from the bowl game roles down the line, to "THE PROGRAM." When the money is into the millions of dollars, for just a bowl appearance, there is not any wonder why the predominant emphasis is on men's sports, where the money is coming into the school, rather than from gaining funds from women's sports, the non-traditional/popular sporting events, and/or students using their work study time calling alumni for donations, back to their glory days at their 'Good Ol' School.'
Is there a remedy for the blowouts, the bad pairings on a whim and thru pressure from "the powers that be," and finally just the bad football? Is there going to be a time when the Herschel Walker's Georgia Bulldogs versus the Steve Young BYU teams, in just the 5-6 Bowl Games total? The answer is simple, there is not just a Cotton Bowl, Sugar Bowl, or Fiesta Bowl. They are now the "TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL," the "ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL," and the "AT&T COTTON BOWL," the sponsors of these games have injected so many millions of dollars into the advertising and overall dominance of these games that there is not any chance of real parody anymore. The picks for the games are based on speculation not record. All that has to be seen for pure proof of this is the following: look to the Missouri 12-2 vs. Arkansas 8-5 Cotton Bowl (final score 38-7 MU), Hawaii 12-2 vs. Georgia (who should have been playing for the national championship) was destroyed 41-10 by Georgia, and finally (but probably not over, because there are three to five bowls games left) West Virginia 11-2 vs. Oklahoma 11-3 killed the "Boomer Sooner" 48-28. These bowl games are not about teams anymore, but are about the millions and millions that is brought into the schools that are playing in them. PERIOD!
There will never be a playoff in college football (which their should be a two to three tiered playoff to determine an actual national champion), because of three major factors. The first one is the fact that bowl games, as a whole, are in the nation's fabric as a tradition that would be not possible to eliminate altogether. The second reason is that there are to many hands in the preverbal pot, in who attends and plays in what bowl game, how the pairings are made, and then the overall power of the alumni and sportswriters/elites to place their stamp of approval on the overall process. A complete and no questions asked playoff system, would take to much power away from the "bowl machine." It would also prove that the RPI, computer generated ratings (or the third, third, third way to pick bowl games), and the actual things done to "remake" the bowl game system, that was put in place about 5 years ago, would have been a complete failure. Most people do not like to admit that the ideas and systems that were put in place, are/were actually wrong. However, the last and most important reason why there will not be a major overhaul into the bowl system and look deep into making a tiered playoff system in its place (or together), is MONEY! Money is the thing driving the whole bowl machine. All a person has to do is look at the "Chic-fil-A Bowl, the Petro Independence Bowl, and every other Bowl Game [except for the Rose Bowl, the grandfather of all bowl games), and see that sponsors and money are the main reason the elites and "deciders" will not push for any playoff system anytime soon.
I personally do not have any idea how the last two bowl games will turn out, but after last years blow out of Ohio State, in the "National Championship Game" (not to take anything away from LSU). Low and behold, it was not Georgia, Oklahoma, West Virginia, MU, KU, USC, (who had injuries, team gel problems, and two tough losses at the beginning of the season), to play LSU for the title game, but once again it is Ohio State. Ohio State is 11-1 and the only team in the country with just one loss. However, looking at their game tapes, the way they won against hobbled teams, and then squeaking out at least two games on "off calls and weird situations," the millions of fans that will, or won't sit and watch the "National Chumpionship Game" once again will be left with doubts. The doubts that every fan will have, every year, until there is two major schools who go undefeated, but even then in the crazy world of the NCAA Division 1 Football season, there will ALWAYS be questions. Until, the fans and the players get what they deserve, a National tiered playoff system, period!
Is there any interest, other than the students and alumni of the schools, in a bowl season that has teams who are paraded into the national spotlight, by the "powers that be," only to be in a situation which is the equivalent to "Daniel in the Lions Den"? The bowl games that are now doubled from the original 1980s lineup of the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl games are now filled with: Oregon 56-21 over South Florida in the (Sun Bowl), Fresno State 40-28 over a 7 win Georgia Tech team (Humanitarian Bowl), Oklahoma State 49-33 over Indiana who were both 7-6 on the season (Insight Bowl), Missouri 38-7 over Arkansas (Cotton Bowl), USC 49-17 over Illinois (Rose Bowl), Georgia 41-10 over a completely outmatched and timid Hawaii team (Sugar Bowl), and the final blowout a West Virginia 48-28 over Oklahoma. However in all of these games, other than the scores, lack of a true look into the college football scene, is the fact that Missouri had to play an Arkansas team, that Kansas should have played. Missouri beat KU in the Big 12 North decider game and only had two loses on the season, both to Oklahoma (once in the regular season and once in the Big 12 Championship game).
However, KU is playing in the orange bowl against a motivated (by both the football god's, a bowl game, but also for the tragedy on their campus earlier this year, with the grave shootings on there campus, by a disillusioned and psychotic student). How KU snuck into this game alone, is beyond any explanation, but it is another example how college football's, end of the season gala, is a sham.
If the scores can be put aside, as well as the ludicrous picks of who plays who, it all boils down to money in the end. That should be where everyone looks to for the injustices and outright manipulation of a system that is as outdated as Major League Baseball's Drug Policies. Hawaii, before this year, had a regular budget for recruiting of (roughly) $50,000 a year, which has not allowed their coaches to go into the contiguous 48 states to recruit a hard and sometimes impossible shot at the top 200 high school prospects, and other hopeful student athletes. However, after there ascendance into the "bowl elite," with their "Hiesman Trophy Candidate" Cole Brennin at the healm, they play in the 'WAC' which is not comparable to an SEC schedule, which is why they got WAC'ed, they now have between $500,000 and $1.5 million for recruiting purposes, depending on how the money from the bowl game roles down the line, to "THE PROGRAM." When the money is into the millions of dollars, for just a bowl appearance, there is not any wonder why the predominant emphasis is on men's sports, where the money is coming into the school, rather than from gaining funds from women's sports, the non-traditional/popular sporting events, and/or students using their work study time calling alumni for donations, back to their glory days at their 'Good Ol' School.'
Is there a remedy for the blowouts, the bad pairings on a whim and thru pressure from "the powers that be," and finally just the bad football? Is there going to be a time when the Herschel Walker's Georgia Bulldogs versus the Steve Young BYU teams, in just the 5-6 Bowl Games total? The answer is simple, there is not just a Cotton Bowl, Sugar Bowl, or Fiesta Bowl. They are now the "TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL," the "ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL," and the "AT&T COTTON BOWL," the sponsors of these games have injected so many millions of dollars into the advertising and overall dominance of these games that there is not any chance of real parody anymore. The picks for the games are based on speculation not record. All that has to be seen for pure proof of this is the following: look to the Missouri 12-2 vs. Arkansas 8-5 Cotton Bowl (final score 38-7 MU), Hawaii 12-2 vs. Georgia (who should have been playing for the national championship) was destroyed 41-10 by Georgia, and finally (but probably not over, because there are three to five bowls games left) West Virginia 11-2 vs. Oklahoma 11-3 killed the "Boomer Sooner" 48-28. These bowl games are not about teams anymore, but are about the millions and millions that is brought into the schools that are playing in them. PERIOD!
There will never be a playoff in college football (which their should be a two to three tiered playoff to determine an actual national champion), because of three major factors. The first one is the fact that bowl games, as a whole, are in the nation's fabric as a tradition that would be not possible to eliminate altogether. The second reason is that there are to many hands in the preverbal pot, in who attends and plays in what bowl game, how the pairings are made, and then the overall power of the alumni and sportswriters/elites to place their stamp of approval on the overall process. A complete and no questions asked playoff system, would take to much power away from the "bowl machine." It would also prove that the RPI, computer generated ratings (or the third, third, third way to pick bowl games), and the actual things done to "remake" the bowl game system, that was put in place about 5 years ago, would have been a complete failure. Most people do not like to admit that the ideas and systems that were put in place, are/were actually wrong. However, the last and most important reason why there will not be a major overhaul into the bowl system and look deep into making a tiered playoff system in its place (or together), is MONEY! Money is the thing driving the whole bowl machine. All a person has to do is look at the "Chic-fil-A Bowl, the Petro Independence Bowl, and every other Bowl Game [except for the Rose Bowl, the grandfather of all bowl games), and see that sponsors and money are the main reason the elites and "deciders" will not push for any playoff system anytime soon.
I personally do not have any idea how the last two bowl games will turn out, but after last years blow out of Ohio State, in the "National Championship Game" (not to take anything away from LSU). Low and behold, it was not Georgia, Oklahoma, West Virginia, MU, KU, USC, (who had injuries, team gel problems, and two tough losses at the beginning of the season), to play LSU for the title game, but once again it is Ohio State. Ohio State is 11-1 and the only team in the country with just one loss. However, looking at their game tapes, the way they won against hobbled teams, and then squeaking out at least two games on "off calls and weird situations," the millions of fans that will, or won't sit and watch the "National Chumpionship Game" once again will be left with doubts. The doubts that every fan will have, every year, until there is two major schools who go undefeated, but even then in the crazy world of the NCAA Division 1 Football season, there will ALWAYS be questions. Until, the fans and the players get what they deserve, a National tiered playoff system, period!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)