My Manning-crush

There have been some great quarterbacks in my lifetime. Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, Steve Young and Tom Brady just to name a few. The greatest however is Peyton Manning.

I won't bore you with a bunch of stats. I will say this at 37 years old, he just had the greatest statistical season for a QB in the history of the NFL. There is something to be said about that.  It goes beyond stats though. 

Peyton is the current career wins leader for active players with 167.  That does not tell the entire story.  Let's be honest, the Colts teams he was on were not that great.  He made those teams.  Put him in New England and he has 200 wins.  Then the haters say that he does not do well in the playoffs.  Well, it's Super Bowl three for him and once again, imagine that he played in New England.  

He is the smartest QB in the league.  He calls audibles like a champ and can read defenses like no other.  He could be an offensive coordinator one day and maybe dare I say, a head coach.

There will always be debate about who is the greatest. Montana and Bradshaw had four Super Bowls each.  Marino put up the crazy numbers.  Favre put up the numbers and played forever and could come back from behind.  Manning can do all that and if he wins the second Super Bowl of his career, the debate will start to end. 

The next time a P. Manning hater wants to say he is not the greatest then remind them of this video.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wkiS5px0P0I&autoplay=1

Ode to Star Trek

This may surprise some folks but when I was growing up, I was a total nerd. I liked superheroes, Star Wars and Star Trek. Not that liking those things makes one a nerd but combine that with being skinny, having acne and being socially awkward does not help gain cool points. 

My earliest memories of nerdom was watching Star Wars. It's a classic tale of good verses evil and how when good resists evil, good will win. Around the same time, I remember listening to a Batman book on LP on my Superman record player and reading along to it.  Then there were times that were sprinkled with watching the original Star Trek series with my mom. In there I also saw the movies. Then in 1987, my favorite TV series of all time started.

Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered on Septemeber 28, 1987 with 27 million people watching. I was not one of those 27 million people. However, I did watch a preview special about it the night before and it looked awesome. Voice activated computers, touch screen controls, touch screen pads, video teleconferencing and a holodeck. I did watch my first episode a few weeks later (The Naked Now). Then I would only watch a few more in the first season (until reruns when I would end up seeing all te ones that I missed). 

The second season had a great episode that I believe would help shape my views on life. Counselor Troi had been impregnated by some kind of alien that would go from fetus to teenager in about a week and then died. Earlier in the episode, Riker suggested that she not go through with the pregnancy. She said she was keeping the child. Now folks on my side would say that was a pro-life message an folks on the other side would say that was a pro-choice message. Not sure what message was suppose to be conveyed, if any at all but it did shape my nine year old mind. There were other episodes that I felt were pro-life. The episode in which Data proves that machines called Exocomps had become alive and deserved to be given rights to live and not forced to be sacrificed for others. The episode when the crew finds a human society that had perfected genetic engineering.  The planet is saved by technology in La Forge's visor. La Forge would have been discarded as an embryo had he been conceived on that planet.  I am not saying that Roddenberry and the makers of the show were out protesting Roe v Wade. I have a feeling they were pro-choice but their episodes pushed me to value all life and especially innocent life.

Then it came to human rights. In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, there is an episode where the Cardassians abduct O'Brien and hold him for crimes against them. I wish I knew the season or the name of the episode. I would not see it until about 2003. I still have not seen every episode of DS9. As I am watching it in 2003, I thought, "this is some liberal, hate America propaganda in a post 9/11 era." As I thought that, it hit me; this was from the 90s. Oh and if I had seen this in the 90s, I would have thought how this was a pro-American values episode. Oh and we are doing this to people in Gitmo. Then I thought how quick we are to go to war and how the thing I admired about the Federation was that war was the last option and how I had always related us to the Federation. That was the start of me realizing that we had lost our values after 9/11. That the terrorists did win because we gave up our freedom and values out of fear.

I could go on and on about how Star Trek shaped my worldview. It is still secondary to The Bible in what I value but I find so many times the values meet up even if in the 24th Century religion is suppose to be obsolete. I hope by that time we are kind and live in harmony without the human race abandoning God.    

Money, Money, Sports

Last college football season, Johnny Manziel was accused of selling his autograph. He was suspended for the first half of the opening game of the season. I am not a fan of Johnny Fuseball. He was a talented college quarterback. It will remain to be seen if he can hack it in the NFL. I believe that he won't. He seems to have the personality of Ryan Leaf with the skill set of Tim Tebow. But old Johnny really should not have been the debate. The debate needs to be about colleges making tons of money off of predominantly 18 to 22 year old students. 

Those who feel the NCAA is in the right to have rules against players being paid will point to the fact that players are getting free educations. I agree that is a very valuable payment for their services. However, is this payment anywhere comparable to the hundreds of millions dollars that college sports brings into the school. Also, their education is not a priority for the schools. Look at football and how it now takes up the entire fall. At one time there were only nine games a season plus a bowl game for a few elite programs. Plus teams played more regional games. Now there are at least 12 games for each program and up to 14 games for some teams. College basketball has thirty some off games a year. So on and so on. Point being, if education was so valuable to the school then they would focus more on the student than the athlete in student-athletes.

One of the biggest problems with the current system, especially with football and basketball is that players are still getting paid just under the table. Then the result after being caught can be losing that educational opportunity. Once again, that does not help the student in the student-athletes.

When it comes down to it the school can make as much money as they want on the backs of the athletes. Sure they technically don't use the player's name. Well unless you count those commercials on Fox, NBC, ABC, CBS, etc. that use players images in order to drive up ratings that in turn drive up TV contracts that in turn get more revenue for schools in negotiations. Negotiating is not something the student-athlete is allowed to do. They must sign the dotted-line or not play. They can't just go straight to the pros in football and basketball. Interestingly those are the two money maker sports for most schools.

There needs to be one set of rules for both sides. Either the student-athletes can go out and negotiate the same as the schools for the use of their images and talent or the schools must only make enough money to pay for the student-athelete's education and they cannot use that person's image. And if you don't think the schools use the student-athelete's image to make money, I wonder how many #2 Texas A&M jerseys sold this year. Maybe none but I bet they sold plenty. As a libertarian minded individual, I believe the first option is the best. Let these men and women get a life lesson in economics and responsibility. Let the schools make all kinds of money off sports. If the schools really cared about the students then they will use that revenue to pay for people to help the students to learn how to use that money properly. Then maybe we won't see millionaires without money by the time they are 40 years old.

Good Government

But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. - Federalist Paper 51

This excerpt from the Federalist Papers is an example of the struggle to find balance between living in anarchy and dictatorial rule.  I also think of the discussion between Padmé and Anakin in Episode II of Star Wars in which they argue about the inefficiency of a republic. She explains that different people have different ideas about what is best for the people. He comes to the conclusion that they should be forced to come up with good solutions and he should be the one to do that. Then of course he laughs. A dictatorship is very efficient and could be very good for the people if the dictator is the wisest person ever along with having no self-ambition. The problem is is that no human lacks ambition and none are wise enough for all situations. Of course, democracies can trample a person's rights just as easy a dictatorship. Just look at America pre-abolish movement and in Jim Crow South and in many northern cities via social convention during the same time period. 

What is good government? That is a question many people ask in many different circles. Is it a government that takes care of the needs of all it's citizens? Is it one that does nothing for any of it's citizens? Does a good government teach it's citizens morals and ethics? Does a good government allow it's citizens to do whatever they please?  

A good government creates laws that protects the rights of it's citizens and encourages free trade within and outside of it's borders.  A good government is made up of citizens that have the values and ethics to know how to treat their fellow man. A good government values that free markets and free peoples create not only prosperity but also create a culture of respect and true tolerance. 

How is this government created? First and foremost, it begins with the individual. The individual must decide they will follow their conscience.  They will not tolerate hate, greed, bigotry, fear and intolerance.  The individual will speak their mind.  They may not always agree with someone but they will listen to them.  They will not demonize other opinions even if that opinion speaks out against the way they live.  The individual will be responsible for their own life. They will not blame others for what they lack in life but will also do everything they can to bring their fellow man up by giving to them as much as possible. The other vital part of good government is distribution of power. That is between the different branches of government, the different levels of government and between the people and the government. Each branch must fulfill it's role and keep the other branches in check. The different levels of government must fulfill their responsibilities in order to be as efficient as possible for the people they serve. The people and government must share power in order to protect the rights of all people.

Good government is not simple. The nature of people is to gravitate toward centralized power.  People want everyone to be and think like them.  Good government is not creating a socialist utopia or a libertarian paradise.  It is about creating laws that protect the rights of every individual and fostering a safe society in which the individual can flourish. 

Top Ten Sports Rivals

The sports rivalry has drama and passion. People on both sides define themselves by the rivalry. They plan their year by them. They will even make illogical arguments why their team is better than the other team.

10. Army vs Navy Football

Neither team is much of a powerhouse anymore but it is old and still has tons of passion. Let's face it, for a game that has a good chance of featuring an "0for" team each year, it's still fun to watch.

9. Ali vs Frazier

These two guys have the greatest fight ever and then the Thilla in Manilla. They fought in the golden era of boxing. Had I seen these two fight, I might be a boxing fan.

8.  Cowboys vs Steelers

They are in different conferences and some may not consider it a rivalry but ask fans from both sides if they can remember these teams playing against each other in a Super Bowl and many will say yes. That's because anyone from the age of 19 years old to 119 years old has seen these teams play each other in the final game of the season. They have faced each other three times in the Super Bowl and have combined for 11 Super Bowl championships. 

7.  Red Wings vs Blackhawks

Both teams are part of the NHL's original six. They have been playing forever and have tons of passion on both sides. They both know how to win Stanley Cups. They have even faced each other in Stanley Cup Finals before the conferences were created.

6. Portland Timbers vs Seattle Sounders

I don't know much about soccer but I even want to go check one of these games out. They look like a blast.

5. Liverpool F.C. vs Manchester United

I don't know much about football but I know about this rivalry.

4. Texas vs OU football

These two teams meet on a neutral field every year at the Cotton Bowl during the Texas State Fair. The site is almost halfway between the two schools. I have never been to an actual game but I have been to the fair twice when they played each other. It is crazy and crowded. Many times one of the teams is nationally ranked and a good amount of showdowns has featured one or both of the teams in the hunt for a national title. 

3. SEC Football

I may not like any of their teams but every week there is a rivalry game. They almost all have some kind of history and the fans are more passionate than any other fans in college football. I lived in Georgia for a couple of years and every week there was a great SEC game to watch.

2. UNC vs Duke Basketball

The schools are only nine miles apart. Both teams have multiple national titles. Both schools have crazy fans who love to hate each other. What more could one ask for in a rivalry? 

1. Yankees vs Red Sox

Baseball is America's pastime and this is it's biggest rivalry. It's the only one that has the intensity of a football playoff game during the regular season. They both had one of the greats play for them in Babe Ruth. One was cursed because of him and the other was built by him. Now in the 21st century, it seems the Red Sox can win the World Series. In fact they have won three times as many as the Yanks in this century. Both teams are usually in an arms-race for the top talent every off-season. It feels like a huge accomplishment when other teams beat these two powerhouses in the postseason. 

The American Value

Our values call upon us to care about the lives of people we will never meet. - President Barack Obama (Speech in Germany on 6/19/2013)

This was from a speech this past summer in which President Obama was speaking to Germans about the role of America and Europe in assisting the rest of the world. Side note, most on the right would be surprised that he glorified free enterprise. A good friend of mine shared this quote with me a few days ago and it really spoke to me. Then I read the speech and I was reminded of the role that our nation has in spreading freedom to the world. Being that shining city on a hill for the world to look to for what humanity could be when people are free. Spreading this freedom isn't by invasions and replacing governments with force. It is by being the example if what made us great. It means taking care of the little man. It means taking care of your neighbor. It means not constantly trying to consume and sometimes giving it away. It means asking what one can do for their country and not what their country can do for them.

I am not a fan of many of the president's policies. He and I would strongly disagree with each other about the role of government in helping others. Never the less, this quote rings very true. 

Think about how our values as a nation can be applied in your personal life. Help those who could never thank you for it. Help when you will never know the results of that help. Don't wait for the government to help your neighbor. You help your neighbor. For my fellow Christians, remember your neighbor is the unclean man laying in the road that has just been robbed. It doesn't matter if you think he is going to Hell. It doesn't matter if he has broken every rule in the book. It doesn't matter if you think he will make unwise choices. It doesn't matter if he has wronged you LXX times VII.