Blogging The Tennessean

The most frequent question asked by children has to be, "Why?" Sometimes it seems that as adults, we don't have the time or interest to continuing questioning things around us. These are just a few questions about headlines on the front page of The Tennessean today.

Public option includes opt-out
In an effort to make the attempted take-over of the U.S. health care system by the federal government more palatable, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev, has promised that the legislation will include a provision allowing states to choose not to participate in the "public option." Why should anyone believe anything Sen. Reid has to say? Once that power is granted to the federal government, it will only expand.

Lottery chief: Game would help education
Apparently we need another lottery game, Mega Millions. It is said the game would increase lottery sales $30 - $40 million annually, making an additional $10 - $15 million available for education. Where does the other $20 - $25 million go (the majority of the revenue)? The Tennessee Lottery website states that more than $1.5 billion has been raised for education. In light of that figure, assuming it is true, what will another paltry $10 mil do? Basically it will continue to add tax burden to those that play, like the guy in the story hoping for a home in the Bahamas as he cashed his $6 winning ticket.

Halloween can be a walking nightmare
The article provides a good reminder to parents to ensure their children are properly supervised and are visible as they go out for halloween. The statistics used the basis for the article are likely incomplete. In terms of raw numbers, the premise of the article is probably true...twice as many children are hit by a vehicle while walking on halloween than any other night of the year. I suspect an underlying reason is that there are many times the number of children out walking on the streets after dark that night compared to other nights. In reality, children could be less likely to be hit by a vehicle. Each accident is a tragedy. Accurate reporting will not diminish the loss.

Survey: Hiring expected to rise in next 6 months
The lead in to the article states, "Results from a new economic survey may ease concerns about rising unemployment and its effect on consumer spending as forecasters say more employers appear willing to hire in the coming months." Hopefully that will be the case. What impact will the increasing load of government regulation have on hiring? It's been shown that an increasing minimum wage increases unemployment. What impact would government controlled health care have (shudder)?

NFL

I really enjoy football, yet I have decided to quit investing time or money in anything related to the NFL. No, it's not due to the Titans poor showing this season. Rather the blatant hypocrisy exhibited by the league in response to the potential minority investment in a franchise by Rush Limbaugh is more than I can bear.

While I don't always agree with Rush, as an American citizen he should have the same opportunity as anyone else to participate in owning a league franchise (well, the same opportunity as anyone else with $$$ to invest). Yet those who disagree with him politically have successfully used lies and race baiting in an effort to pressure the NFL to force him out of the group bidding to acquire a franchise. The league, unfortunately, chose to cave in to such nonsense.

I find it interesting that while the commissioner and a few owners claimed Rush was too racially divisive to be part of the NFL, they seemingly have no problem with the "league worthiness" of certain other minority franchise owners that produce blatantly racial, immoral and even anti-American material (http://1rzx.sl.pt). Note the story referenced contains suggestive and crude language and actions. The double standard is only too obvious.

So...while I personally enjoy NFL football, I will no longer attend, watch, read about, and hopefully in time, think about professional football. Thank goodness I live in the South where college football is really better and more exciting anyway.

Imagine That

I like all kinds of music. When my dad used to complain about me listening to hard rock, my response was, "I don't really care about the words, it's the music I like." I can honestly say to this day that my contention was true.

While I still enjoy listening to Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Who, etc. I've found that as I grow older, I have started paying more attention to lyrics and the philosophies conveyed in song. For example, while I have always enjoyed listening to John Lennon, I find the worldview presented in his song Imagine to be so hopeless and dreary. By comparison, I Can Only Imagine by MercyMe presents an alternative of hope and light for today and for the future.

Man has always imagined that he was in control. Perhaps we need to spend more time imagining what it will be like when we meet our Creator.

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Imagine, John Lennon



I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By Your side...
I can only imagine
What my eyes will see...
When Your face
Is before me...
I can only imagine

{Chorus}:
Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You Jesus or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in Your presence or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine...

I can only imagine
When that day comes
And I find myself
Standing in the Son
I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine

I Can Only Imagine, MercyMe

Just When You Think You've Seen It All...

Our current crop of politicians constantly finds ways to exasperate me. Take, for example, the House's recent legislation to expand federal hate crimes law to cover sexual orientation (http://1pt6.sl.pt). There are several problems with this line of "thinking":

First, why should there be a special class of crime classified as "hate crimes?" Don't all crimes involve some form of hatred? Whether the victim is hetro or homosexual, the result is the same. Does this mean crime against hetrosexuals is less evil that crime against gays? It would seem that if proper penalties were created, and enforced, we wouldn't need such nonsense.

Second, despite the politicians' "assurances" to the contrary, this type of legislation will impact religious freedom in America.

Finally, attaching legislation such as this to a defense bill is reprehensible. It's a perfect example of all that's wrong with our government. Our leaders have a significant impact on our society. Unfortunately, most are not leading, but simply following paths they think will give them the best chance continue in a position of power.

A Satisfying Saturday

I can't say I saw it coming, but the Tennessee win over Georgia wasn't totally unexpected. Ok, the margin of victory and suddenly prolific passing attack were shockers (congrats to J. Crompton...you deserved a game like today). Beating the Dawgs, however, was a very reasonable expectation as this day began. While not one of the teams I really love to "hate," it still is always very satisfying to beat Georgia.

While we've had some disappointing games this fall, improvement is very evident. As fans, we have to keep a long-term perspective. Football programs are a lot like our economy: they tend to have up and down cycles (assuming a lack of governmental interference which almost always prolongs the bad times, but that's a blog for another time.) With all the moving parts, once a program declines a bit, it almost always takes a while to get back to the top. Tennessee is moving in the upward direction.

As the game winds down, it's time for me to wrap things up and do what I promised I'd do when we won...go out and jump in the pool. Hey, the water temp is probably still in the mid-60's. That's warmer that the air temp today. Go Vols!

Now playing: George Strait - King Of The Mountain
via FoxyTunes

I guess it's appropriate to be listening to King George while working in Texas, anyway...

I'm wrapping up a 3 day trip to Dallas, a city I love to visit but wouldn't want to live in (it's just too big for my liking). I actually didn't make it to the downtown area, but spent most of my time in Mesquite, just east of Dallas. If you ever have occasion to stay in Mesquite, along 635, I would highly recommend the Hampton Inn on Rodeo Drive (http://1ore.sl.pt). That's rodeo as in cattle, not shopping. Very clean, great breakfast, 24 hour exercise room, etc.

I had a good visit with the employees of our Gospel Advocate - Mesquite store (http://1orf.sl.pt). We also had opportunity to visit a couple of other bookstores and see some of the area churches that are customers. Tonight, I ate good BBQ at Soulman's Garland location (http://1ori.sl.pt). Their slogan is "We are not stingy with our meat." True dat.

Well, it's back to work for a while before calling it a day. Tomorrow, back to Nashville.

The Ego Has Landed

I enjoy commercials and witty news headlines. When they are good, they're memorable. If they stink, at least they don't last very long. One of the funniest headlines I've seen recently appeared today on The Drudge Report: The Ego Has Landed. The story referenced the International Olympic Committee selecting Rio de Janeiro to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. It had been assumed, at least by some, that Chicago would be selected as the host city, in large part due to a last minute visit made by the president, first lady, and the other "O" (Oprah). Alas, their celebrity and self-assurance were not enough to sway the vote.

While I'm pretty sure it's wrong, it's hard not to feel a little satisfied when the pompous are grounded. Especially considering that they were making such a "sacrifice" by jetting to Copenhagen (http://1ndl.sl.pt). Pride still does go before a fall.