Under the heading "And God Rolled His Eyes"

Yes, it's been more than a year since my last post. Starting to think about picking up again - particularly with the political season heating up.

In perusing the website of the church I attend, the title of one of our lead ministers caught my eye: Associate Pastor: Corporate Worship and Global Missions Strategist, Prayer

And it made me wonder if God rolls his eyes at some of the things that us earthly beings do, while in service to Him. So here's a guy called by Him to serve Him for his vocation. So somewhere in the guy's day, and presumably in collaboration with other church staff, he took the time to contemplate and craft such a title. To me the title seems over-engineered and fluffy. I wonder if the seminaries of the day encourage such fancy and elaborate job titles. Whatever happened to "Minister of Worship" of "Minister of Missions". Does the modern church require a "strategist"? And what exactly does an "Associate Pastor: ... Prayer" do?

IMO, I think God does (and probably very often) roll his eyes.

(Plus, I think a great title of a book would be "And God Rolls His Eyes". Be an interesting contrast to Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Church/Life series).

Trouble on the Rio Grande regarding Homeland Security Fence plans

An article yesterday in the DMN talked about how frustrated Valley leaders, particularly those reference in this article in Laredo, are with the fact Homeland Security appears to be moving forward on fence building without consulting the locals.

I don't get it, or at least part of it.

Sure, the fence might be unsightly and might not go through the part of town they want.

How would a fence hurt businesses in the area? I mean people coming to shop aren't swimming the river. They cross the bridge just like everyone else and the fence won't be blocking the bridge.

Frankly, I think it's that in many ways the loyalties of Rio Grande Valley politicians lie toward the South and not toward the North. They know the more immigrants, legal and illegal, the stronger their power.

As I suggested in a previous post, the VAST majority of the U.S. would not notice if the Homeland fence were built on the NORTHERN side of Laredo.

Colleague tells a funny one

A friend was commenting while watching a DVD re: the Piracy warning displayed at the beginning. He commented to others in attendance that who would copy DVD's. After all these people don't steal cars and cell phones and groceries.

One person said they used to agree with that point until the considered this:
- If a good friend bought a cool car and offered to give him a copy, would he take it?

Thanks Dane and thanks Pat

Dane Bradshaw is the shining example of the inter-collegiate athlete - giving 110% to help make the team better even though his individual talent suggests otherwise.

THANK YOU DANE FOR BEING DANE!!

And then there's Pat Summitt - who can have fun while also winning more games than any coach in history often thru shear terror (or what appears to be terror).

THANK YOU PAT FOR DECADES OF BEING THE KIND OF LEADER AND REPRESENTATIVE WE SHOULD ALL ASPIRE TO BE.

Democrat candidate unite to excite Republicans

Democratic candidates, in an effort to "out-liberal" each other, are advocating the infamous concept of Universal Health Care. Yes, the Dems were able to tap into discontent with Republican policies in the 2006 elections, I would caution them (actually I wouldn't as I want them to lose but for the sake of argument) to be very careful. My theory is that the discontentment they benefitted from was based primarily on the on-going debacle in Iraq, not with failed domestic policies. Therefore, going "liberal" on domestic policies will probably backfire against them.

I believe that the American people, while sympathetic to this often claimed "45+ million without health insurance", do NOT believe handing that responsibility over to the federal government is the right way to deal with that issue. By leading their candidacy with "Universal Health Care", the Dems are providing Republicans with the following points to argue:

1) The federal government is already too large and social security/welfare/medicare are already putting an unsustainable burden on the federal treasury.
2) The deficit, an issue most average Americans believe, rightly so, is a huge risk to our way of life, cannot be brought down if we're adding to the "non-discretionary" federal budget.
3) So what if, as the article declares, that American's are spending $15 billion in taxes to cover health care costs for the uninsured (that's a little over $3,333 per uninsured person). Only the most simple minded might be convinced that by the federal government assuming that responsibility would result in less than $15 billion in costs. When the feds get involved, most numbers rapidly get into the $100's of billions or trillions making Osama's (I mean Obama's) claims become a rounding error.
4) The conservative mood that took over the political realm in the country is based on a faith in individual responsibility with a federal social safety net intended only as temporary stop gap for those MOST desparate, hence the success of welfare reform in the mid-90's. To simply bail-out 20% of the population that can't get (or don't want) their own health insurance violates that "desparate" threshold, and thus reminds the country that Dems view the breadth of federal capability as without limits.
5) Republicans can claim NO ONE is denied health care, and thus draw a difference between health care and health insurance. Have you ever heard of anyone, illegal residents included, of being denied treatment at Parkland Hospital (Dallas County's public/indigent hospital) because they can't show an insurance card? NO.
6) Republicans can suggest, and maybe support, that those of us 200+ million with health insurance, most of which like the doctors they we to see and the opportunity for the best care the world can provide, would have to settle for lower quality health care experience.

In summary, advocating universal health care hands Republicans a golden ticket to brand this group of Democrats as traditional liberals, something the country began rejecting starting 20+ years ago. It also serves as a diversion from the primary center of frustration and worry - America's place in the world and status in Iraq. This latter issue is where the Dem's can make hay, but handing the GOP the health care talking point gives the GOP something to divert attention away from a disastrous war.

Did Terry Bowden really write this?

On yahoo sports, the non-coaching member of the Bowden family writes about college football. Most of it is fairly shallow and inconsequential but hey, he's a Bowden, and dadgumit, they have to have something to do while PaPa outlasts them all.

In this recent story, Terry-boy is advocating that Div 1-A football players should be allowed "one free transfer" without having to sit out a year. I probably agree with him - if coaches can move, why not the players.

Anyway, near the end of the story, Bowden's giving some reasons why a kid might want to transfer and he throws this jewel in:

"... or his girlfriend back home is pregnant and he wants to be closer to home."

This presumes the pregnancy is from the player (and not the player's best friend who happens to be hanging with his lady back home).

On the internet this probably won't generate much of a stir. But think if Terry espoused said reason on Gameday. I'd imagine a brouhaha from the conservative crowd(who don't want such talk in the public arena) and possibly the politically correct (who would probably assume Terry is being racist inferring he's suggesting black guys leave girls back home pregnant - since most D-1A college football players are black - at least in the South where Terry hangs out).

Of course, Terry might know something about this from his rumored experience with a secretary. (Or was that Mike DuBose at Alabama or both).

This hits the proverbial nail on the head

Dotting the "i" after the BCS Championship

What these photoshop guys come up with can be very funny.

Congratulations to the Mighty Gators!!!

Wow - what a southern butt kicking!!!!

More on the details later but after wrestling, honestly, with who to pull for (I really didn't want Chrissy Leak to win a national championship), once the Gators got going, I was chuckling at the beat down they were delivering. OSU's offensive line reminded my of my son's 4th grade line getting shoved back continually.

I particularly enjoyed the humbling ESPN Radio play-by-play announcer Brent Musberger was taking especially after he declared when OSU took the field before kickoff that Tressel was "The Best Big Game Coach in America". He and most of his big 10 homers at ESPN had to be eating crow. Loved it.

And Corso got it right - he picked Florida.