I was discussing religion with my Dad yesterday. This is something I've tried to avoid for the last several years, ever since I stopped believing in God. You see, I don't want my family to worry that they won't see me in heaven if I don't believe. However, now that they know I don't really believe, I think it might be better to let them know (if they want to) why I feel the way I do. Besides, as I elude to below, and will blog about in more detail sometime, I do believe there is a Higher Power - I just don't know what it is yet. And I also believe that if my family is right about God, then he's not going to keep me out of heaven just because I didn't blindly believe in him.
I mentioned to my Dad that I had blogged some time ago about one of my theories on God - however when I pulled up this blog to send him the link it wasn't there. Apparently I only posted it to my myspace blog - so here it is for this one:
Sometimes Bad is really Good. Doing something that is considered bad or naughty is much more exciting than staying within the strict moral guidelines of society and religion. How can something be "bad" if it feels so good and doesn't hurt anyone?
Some say selfishness is bad, I say that is crap. If you don't take care of yourself first, how are you ever going to take care of anyone else? Yes we need to take care of others, but not at the expense of us. And there are a lot of people out there who expect us to take care of them when they are absolutely capable of taking care of themselves. We need to take care of our children, but we also need to teach them to take care of themselves. If we do too much for them, they will never learn to do anything on their own and we are depriving them of a productive adulthood. We need to take care of our elders, because some of them are no longer able to do so themselves and they are the ones who took care of us when we were children. We need to take care of the sick, but not to the point where we lose our health in doing so. If more people would take care of themselves first and be more selfish, there wouldn't be as many people that need to be taken care of!
I was raised to believe in God. I was also taught to never question God. When I started questioning, I felt very guilty. When I continued to question and started to see so many contradictions, I came up with my theory that God and the Devil were reversed. The one that we think of as God is truly the devil and vice versa. I'm not trying to convert, convince or offend. It's just a theory I had. First of all, why would God give us the ability to question and reason, but forbid us to use it to question him? If he's everything they say he is, he would welcome the questions because he would know they would lead to the truth. I don't trust anyone who tries to stop me from thinking. I don't really believe in God or the devil. If there is a God and he isn't forgiving enough to accept me because I used my brain and logic and refused to blindly believe then I'm not so sure I would even want to live in eternity with him. I do believe in the possibility that there is a higher power, but that's another blog topic! Just because I don't believe in God does not mean I am not a good person. My personal morals did not change one bit when I became a non-believer.
My daughter has a very logical mind, and when she was little and I would tell her bible stories she would ask me how I knew that they were true if they were only stories. Do we have any proof? This coming from a very small child is actually what caused me to start questioning and eventually stop believing. We've always allowed her to make her own decisions about religion. Our families are believers, and my daughter has even attended bible study with a friend because she was curious and wanted to share this with her friend. She still doesn't believe but is respectful of her friends beliefs. Unfortunately, she has faced condemnation from some of her friends because she doesn't believe in God. Conversion through pressure and coercion - another example of why I think organized religion can be bad. However, do not think my friends are bad because they believe. I think churches can be a good place for people to come together and help one another, and I still believe in the Golden Rule of "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".
We all have to decide what is best for us personally. I love to discuss religion with my friends. I want to hear why they believe and I have a very open mind. I guess some would say I'm paranoid about conspiracy - but I think any time that society warns us not to discuss something it is because they don't want us to Discover something. I think both religion and politics should be encouraged as topics among friends.
Just because someone tells you something is bad, doesn't mean it is. I'm sure there are many things that are truly bad, no matter how you think of them (like abuse and crimes against children). However, I also think there are many things out there that we "think" are bad because that is how we've been programmed, but if we were to allow ourselves to really think about it, we might find that they could actually be good things.
As I continue to focus on the things I like, the things I have, the things I can have, and the good things in my life, I need to re-evaluate what I think is bad and figure out why I think that and if it is really true!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Friday, November 07, 2008
Roni on Politics.... again
I will admit I'm not happy about the election results. Frankly I'm a little frightened. However, I hope that I am wrong. I don't want Obama to fail because I don't want this country to fail. I don't understand anyone who would think differently (about anyone). I am glad that we finally broke the race barrier. Now maybe in the future we can vote for candidates on the issues instead of on the color of their skin.
I didn't write the following - it was sent to me in an e-mail. I searched the internet to find out who did to give credit, but all I could find is that it is anonymous. I DO know that Bush didn't write it. Although satirical, it does bring up what I think are some very valid points. Points I wish more people understood. It was written before the election.
Bush's resignation:
Normally, I start these things out by saying, "My fellow Americans."
Not doing it this time. If the polls are any indication, I don't know who more than half of you are anymore. I do know something terrible has happened, and that you're really not fellow Americans any longer.
I'll cut right to the chase here: I quit. Now before anyone gets all in a lather about me quitting to avoid impeachment, or to avoid prosecution or something, let me assure you: There's been no breaking of laws or impeachable offenses in this office.
The reason I'm quitting is simple: I'm fed up with you people.
I'm fed up because you have no understanding of what's really going on in the world – or of what's going on in this once-great nation of ours. And the majority of you are too damn lazy to do your homework and figure it out.
Let's start local. You've been sold a bill of goods by politicians and the news media. Polls show that the majority of you think the economy is in the tank. And that's despite record numbers of homeowners, including record numbers of minority homeowners. And while we're mentioning m minorities, I'll point out that minority business ownership is at an all-time high. Our unemployment rate is as low as it ever was during the Clinton administration. I've mentioned all those things before, but it doesn't seem to have sunk in.
Despite the shock to our economy of 9/11, the stock market has rebounded to record levels, and more Americans than ever are participating in these markets. Meanwhile, all you can do is whine about gas prices, and most of you are too damn stupid to realize that gas prices are high because there's increased demand in other parts of the world, and because a small handful of noisy idiots are more worried about polar bears and beachfront property than your economic security.
We face real threats in the world. Don't give me this "blood for oil" thing. If I were trading blood for oil, I would've already seized Iraq's oil fields and let the rest of the country go to hell. And don't give me this "Bush Lied; People Died" crap either. If I were the liar you morons take me for, I could've easily had chemical weapons planted in Iraq so they could be "discovered." Instead, I owned up to the fact that the intelligence was faulty.
Let me remind you that the rest of the world thought Saddam had the goods, same as me. Let me also remind you that regime change in Iraq was official U.S. policy before I came into office. Some guy named Clinton established that policy. Bet you didn't know that, did you?
You idiots need to understand that we face a unique enemy. Back during the Cold War, there were two major competing political and economic models squaring off. We won that war, but we did so because fundamentally the Communists wanted to survive, just as we do. We were simply able to outspend and out-tech them.
That's not the case this time. The soldiers of our new enemy don't care if they survive. In fact, they want to die. That'd be fine, as long as they weren't also committed to taking as many of you with them as they can. But they are. They want to kill you, and the bastards are all over the globe.
You should be grateful they haven't gotten any more of us here in the United States since Sept. 11. But you're not. That's because you've got no idea how hard a small number of intelligence, military, law enforcement and homeland security people have worked to make sure of that. When this whole mess started, I warned you that this would be a long and difficult fight. I'm disappointed how many of you people think a long and difficult fight amounts to a single season of "Survivor."
Instead, you've grown impatient. You're incapable of seeing things through the long lens of history, the way our enemies do. You think that wars should last a few months, a few years, tops.
Making matters worse, you actively support those who help the enemy. Every time you buy the New York Times, every time you send a donation to a cut-and-run Democrat's political campaign, well, dang it, you might just as well FedEx a grenade launcher to a jihadist. It amounts to the same thing.
In this day and age, it's easy enough to find the truth. It's all over the Internet. It just isn't on the pages of the New York Times or on NBC News. But even if it were, I doubt you'd be any smarter. Most of you would rather watch "American Idol."
I could say more about your expectations that the government will always be there to bail you out, even if you're too stupid to leave a city that's below sea level and has a hurricane approaching.
I could say more about your insane belief that government, not your own wallet, is where the money comes from. But I've come to the conclusion that were I to do so, it would sail right over your heads.
So I quit. I'm going back to Crawford; I've got an energy-efficient house down there (Al Gore could only dream) and the capability to be fully self-sufficient. No one ever heard of Crawford before I got elected, and as soon as I'm done here pretty much no one will ever hear of it again. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to die of old age before the last pillars of America fall.
Oh, and by the way, Cheney's quitting, too. That means Pelosi is your new president. You asked for it. Watch what she does carefully, because I still have a glimmer of hope that there are just enough of you remaining who are smart enough to turn this thing around in 2008.
So that's it. God bless what's left of America. Some of you know what I mean. The rest of you, kiss off.
I didn't write the following - it was sent to me in an e-mail. I searched the internet to find out who did to give credit, but all I could find is that it is anonymous. I DO know that Bush didn't write it. Although satirical, it does bring up what I think are some very valid points. Points I wish more people understood. It was written before the election.
Bush's resignation:
Normally, I start these things out by saying, "My fellow Americans."
Not doing it this time. If the polls are any indication, I don't know who more than half of you are anymore. I do know something terrible has happened, and that you're really not fellow Americans any longer.
I'll cut right to the chase here: I quit. Now before anyone gets all in a lather about me quitting to avoid impeachment, or to avoid prosecution or something, let me assure you: There's been no breaking of laws or impeachable offenses in this office.
The reason I'm quitting is simple: I'm fed up with you people.
I'm fed up because you have no understanding of what's really going on in the world – or of what's going on in this once-great nation of ours. And the majority of you are too damn lazy to do your homework and figure it out.
Let's start local. You've been sold a bill of goods by politicians and the news media. Polls show that the majority of you think the economy is in the tank. And that's despite record numbers of homeowners, including record numbers of minority homeowners. And while we're mentioning m minorities, I'll point out that minority business ownership is at an all-time high. Our unemployment rate is as low as it ever was during the Clinton administration. I've mentioned all those things before, but it doesn't seem to have sunk in.
Despite the shock to our economy of 9/11, the stock market has rebounded to record levels, and more Americans than ever are participating in these markets. Meanwhile, all you can do is whine about gas prices, and most of you are too damn stupid to realize that gas prices are high because there's increased demand in other parts of the world, and because a small handful of noisy idiots are more worried about polar bears and beachfront property than your economic security.
We face real threats in the world. Don't give me this "blood for oil" thing. If I were trading blood for oil, I would've already seized Iraq's oil fields and let the rest of the country go to hell. And don't give me this "Bush Lied; People Died" crap either. If I were the liar you morons take me for, I could've easily had chemical weapons planted in Iraq so they could be "discovered." Instead, I owned up to the fact that the intelligence was faulty.
Let me remind you that the rest of the world thought Saddam had the goods, same as me. Let me also remind you that regime change in Iraq was official U.S. policy before I came into office. Some guy named Clinton established that policy. Bet you didn't know that, did you?
You idiots need to understand that we face a unique enemy. Back during the Cold War, there were two major competing political and economic models squaring off. We won that war, but we did so because fundamentally the Communists wanted to survive, just as we do. We were simply able to outspend and out-tech them.
That's not the case this time. The soldiers of our new enemy don't care if they survive. In fact, they want to die. That'd be fine, as long as they weren't also committed to taking as many of you with them as they can. But they are. They want to kill you, and the bastards are all over the globe.
You should be grateful they haven't gotten any more of us here in the United States since Sept. 11. But you're not. That's because you've got no idea how hard a small number of intelligence, military, law enforcement and homeland security people have worked to make sure of that. When this whole mess started, I warned you that this would be a long and difficult fight. I'm disappointed how many of you people think a long and difficult fight amounts to a single season of "Survivor."
Instead, you've grown impatient. You're incapable of seeing things through the long lens of history, the way our enemies do. You think that wars should last a few months, a few years, tops.
Making matters worse, you actively support those who help the enemy. Every time you buy the New York Times, every time you send a donation to a cut-and-run Democrat's political campaign, well, dang it, you might just as well FedEx a grenade launcher to a jihadist. It amounts to the same thing.
In this day and age, it's easy enough to find the truth. It's all over the Internet. It just isn't on the pages of the New York Times or on NBC News. But even if it were, I doubt you'd be any smarter. Most of you would rather watch "American Idol."
I could say more about your expectations that the government will always be there to bail you out, even if you're too stupid to leave a city that's below sea level and has a hurricane approaching.
I could say more about your insane belief that government, not your own wallet, is where the money comes from. But I've come to the conclusion that were I to do so, it would sail right over your heads.
So I quit. I'm going back to Crawford; I've got an energy-efficient house down there (Al Gore could only dream) and the capability to be fully self-sufficient. No one ever heard of Crawford before I got elected, and as soon as I'm done here pretty much no one will ever hear of it again. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to die of old age before the last pillars of America fall.
Oh, and by the way, Cheney's quitting, too. That means Pelosi is your new president. You asked for it. Watch what she does carefully, because I still have a glimmer of hope that there are just enough of you remaining who are smart enough to turn this thing around in 2008.
So that's it. God bless what's left of America. Some of you know what I mean. The rest of you, kiss off.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Roni on the Current Mortgage Crisis
I've always been amazed at the ratios the lending industry uses to determine how much of a house someone can "afford". If you've been to my home, you know that it is very small and very modest. It is also paid for, and has been for several years now. When we were looking for our first home in 1993, we specifically looked for the most reasonable home that we felt we could live in for the rest of our lives if we had to. We did the math, and realized that by getting a 15 year mortgage we would pay about half as much in the long run as we would have with a 30 year mortgage. We took the math even further, and realized that if we paid even just a little extra every month we would pay even less in the long run. Even with a couple of unexpected lay offs we were still able to pay off our first home in 10 years. Sure I'd love to have a big expensive house like many of my friends have, but I'd rather live in my cozy paid for home that I own and not be a slave to a big mortgage.
I'm not trying to put down those who have nice houses. I don't envy you - I am happy for you if that is what makes you happy. We all make choices on how we spend our money, and not everyone has the same goals. However, I do not feel sorry for those people who overextended themselves and now expect the government to bail them out so they don't lose a house that they really couldn't afford in the first place. There is a big difference between someone who buys a house they can afford at the time and loses it due to unfortunate circumstances... and someone who stretches the ratios to the limits to impress their friends....
Shame on the mortgage companies for the way they calculate the ratios. And it isn't just the middle class that gets in trouble. I've known people that make WAY more than I'll ever make and could afford a great house, but they aren't satisfied with great and even some of them overextend themselves.
As for those that invested in the sub-prime mortgage market, and worse yet the "investment advisors" who advised their clients to make these investments, I think they are getting what they deserve. Yes, it is too bad that they are taking the rest of the financial markets down with them. Our investment guru saw this coming over a year ago and advised us to get out of the funds we had that were heavy on real estate investments. He's one of the good ones.
I think Ann Coulter nailed it when she said "The former frat boys who populate Wall Street today understand economics about as well as the pinko professors whose courses they snored through. That's why betting their entire industry on "subprime" loans to people with no jobs and no collateral made sense to them."
My advice.... Do the Math!!!
I'm not trying to put down those who have nice houses. I don't envy you - I am happy for you if that is what makes you happy. We all make choices on how we spend our money, and not everyone has the same goals. However, I do not feel sorry for those people who overextended themselves and now expect the government to bail them out so they don't lose a house that they really couldn't afford in the first place. There is a big difference between someone who buys a house they can afford at the time and loses it due to unfortunate circumstances... and someone who stretches the ratios to the limits to impress their friends....
Shame on the mortgage companies for the way they calculate the ratios. And it isn't just the middle class that gets in trouble. I've known people that make WAY more than I'll ever make and could afford a great house, but they aren't satisfied with great and even some of them overextend themselves.
As for those that invested in the sub-prime mortgage market, and worse yet the "investment advisors" who advised their clients to make these investments, I think they are getting what they deserve. Yes, it is too bad that they are taking the rest of the financial markets down with them. Our investment guru saw this coming over a year ago and advised us to get out of the funds we had that were heavy on real estate investments. He's one of the good ones.
I think Ann Coulter nailed it when she said "The former frat boys who populate Wall Street today understand economics about as well as the pinko professors whose courses they snored through. That's why betting their entire industry on "subprime" loans to people with no jobs and no collateral made sense to them."
My advice.... Do the Math!!!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Wrong is wrong
Bill Maher made a comment the other day that I actually agreed with. Bill O'Reilly took great offense and called him out on it. I love watching the O'Reilly Factor. However, that does not mean that I agree with everything Bill O'Reilly says. I found O'Reilly's reaction to Bill Maher's comments about the difference between religion and cults very interesting.
Most of you know I don't believe. I call myself an Atheist. An Optimistic Agnostic might be a better description, but while I think it would be great if there was a God, at this point I really don't believe. That does NOT mean I worship or even believe in Satan. That does NOT mean I scoff at those who do believe. I was raised to be a Christian. I support the beliefs of my family and friends, even if I don't share them. I just got to a point where the contradictions overcame the blind faith, and I stopped believing.
For some people, their religion gives them great strength. No, I do not mean to say they are clinging to religion because they are disgruntled. There are a lot of good things about religion. Pray all you want if it makes you feel better. Sometimes it's all you can do. Prayer can't hurt you, unless you think that all you have to do is pray and your prayers will be answered. In that case, it isn't the praying that will hurt you - but your lack of action.
But back to Maher's comment. He was referring to the Morman Fundamentalist compound where they recently removed all of the kids for suspected abuse. He compared them to the Catholic Church and said that if you molest a few hundred children they call you a cult, if you molest a few hundred thousand they call you the Pope. Now, I don't think he should have called the Pope out like did. Referring directly to the Pope made it way to personal and put everyone on the defense. And once everyone started defending themselves and their beliefs, the original point got lost.
I think forcing underage girls into marriage with older men is wrong. I also think priests abusing alter boys is wrong. Just as I think female circumcision and stoning women for adultery is wrong. I don't see any real difference between the Morman Fundamentalists, the Catholic Church, or the Nation of Islam on these issues. They are all justifying their behavior in the name of their God. Why do we call some cults and others religions? In my opinion, ALL forms of organized religion and even Society in general uses some form of brainwashing to tame their masses into submission. We need to stop getting so defensive, and start actually seeing what is happening.
I'm not saying that everything about all of these groups is wrong - I don't know enough about any of them to say that. But some of the things they believe in and do are just not right, and when they are done in the name of God it just reinforces my opinion that the God the masses believe is just something made up to justify their behavior.
Wrong is wrong.
Most of you know I don't believe. I call myself an Atheist. An Optimistic Agnostic might be a better description, but while I think it would be great if there was a God, at this point I really don't believe. That does NOT mean I worship or even believe in Satan. That does NOT mean I scoff at those who do believe. I was raised to be a Christian. I support the beliefs of my family and friends, even if I don't share them. I just got to a point where the contradictions overcame the blind faith, and I stopped believing.
For some people, their religion gives them great strength. No, I do not mean to say they are clinging to religion because they are disgruntled. There are a lot of good things about religion. Pray all you want if it makes you feel better. Sometimes it's all you can do. Prayer can't hurt you, unless you think that all you have to do is pray and your prayers will be answered. In that case, it isn't the praying that will hurt you - but your lack of action.
But back to Maher's comment. He was referring to the Morman Fundamentalist compound where they recently removed all of the kids for suspected abuse. He compared them to the Catholic Church and said that if you molest a few hundred children they call you a cult, if you molest a few hundred thousand they call you the Pope. Now, I don't think he should have called the Pope out like did. Referring directly to the Pope made it way to personal and put everyone on the defense. And once everyone started defending themselves and their beliefs, the original point got lost.
I think forcing underage girls into marriage with older men is wrong. I also think priests abusing alter boys is wrong. Just as I think female circumcision and stoning women for adultery is wrong. I don't see any real difference between the Morman Fundamentalists, the Catholic Church, or the Nation of Islam on these issues. They are all justifying their behavior in the name of their God. Why do we call some cults and others religions? In my opinion, ALL forms of organized religion and even Society in general uses some form of brainwashing to tame their masses into submission. We need to stop getting so defensive, and start actually seeing what is happening.
I'm not saying that everything about all of these groups is wrong - I don't know enough about any of them to say that. But some of the things they believe in and do are just not right, and when they are done in the name of God it just reinforces my opinion that the God the masses believe is just something made up to justify their behavior.
Wrong is wrong.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Reflections of 2007
Sitting here thinking I wish I had a witty way to start my blog. Considering the number of people who will actually read this - that's kind of funny.
Annual Christmas Letters - Love them or Hate them?
I actually like them. Love is probably too strong - but I definitely don't hate them. I like getting updates from friends that I've otherwise lost touch with. Just because we don't keep in contact doesn't mean I don't want to know what is going on in their lives. We are all so busy that it's really hard to keep in touch.
I haven't written an annual letter in several years. I stopped when we decided to stop sending out Christmas cards. We stopped sending Christmas cards after we realized how many people just send them because they think they have to. One year we were really late getting them out - and after we did we noticed how we all of a sudden received a "batch" of cards. All from people we sent cards to. Maybe they were all just as late as we were. Or maybe they got ours and thought "oh no - I didn't send them one - I better do so now". Whatever the case, it doesn't really matter. It made us realize that the only reason we sent them is because we thought we "had" to. We still get some, because some people really enjoy sending Christmas Cards.
The annual letter was much easier to write when Vicki was a baby. Our lives were much more eventful when we were in our 30's. We moved home, bought a house, had a baby, moved up in our careers, dabbled in our own businesses and paid off our house. Now we are in our 40's and life has become much more relaxed. We're both happy with where we are in our careers. We both have great jobs that allow us to have the perfect balance of making enough to afford our lifestyle along with having enough time to enjoy it. We don't have a fancy lifestyle - but we truly enjoy it. Neither of us is a big fan of expensive vacations and fancy dinners out. Some people may think our life is pretty boring if I can't think of any big events to report on for my annual letter. Those that know us though know that our lives are definitely not boring.
2007 was a fast year. Our daughter became an official teenager in 2007. It seems like she was just a baby. She's a great kid. She's got a great head on her shoulders, and she's also very smart. Sure she pushes the limits, along with our buttons from time to time. She's a teenager, if she didn't I'd be more worried! We took a road trip up to Northern Idaho with both of the dogs. They were both so well behaved and we all had a really good time. We turned a business trip for me to Washington DC into a family vacation this fall, which was a great experience, even though we got stuck in Atlanta overnight on the way home and our luggage didn't arrive home when we did!
2007 was a good year. I think 2008 is going to be even better!
Annual Christmas Letters - Love them or Hate them?
I actually like them. Love is probably too strong - but I definitely don't hate them. I like getting updates from friends that I've otherwise lost touch with. Just because we don't keep in contact doesn't mean I don't want to know what is going on in their lives. We are all so busy that it's really hard to keep in touch.
I haven't written an annual letter in several years. I stopped when we decided to stop sending out Christmas cards. We stopped sending Christmas cards after we realized how many people just send them because they think they have to. One year we were really late getting them out - and after we did we noticed how we all of a sudden received a "batch" of cards. All from people we sent cards to. Maybe they were all just as late as we were. Or maybe they got ours and thought "oh no - I didn't send them one - I better do so now". Whatever the case, it doesn't really matter. It made us realize that the only reason we sent them is because we thought we "had" to. We still get some, because some people really enjoy sending Christmas Cards.
The annual letter was much easier to write when Vicki was a baby. Our lives were much more eventful when we were in our 30's. We moved home, bought a house, had a baby, moved up in our careers, dabbled in our own businesses and paid off our house. Now we are in our 40's and life has become much more relaxed. We're both happy with where we are in our careers. We both have great jobs that allow us to have the perfect balance of making enough to afford our lifestyle along with having enough time to enjoy it. We don't have a fancy lifestyle - but we truly enjoy it. Neither of us is a big fan of expensive vacations and fancy dinners out. Some people may think our life is pretty boring if I can't think of any big events to report on for my annual letter. Those that know us though know that our lives are definitely not boring.
2007 was a fast year. Our daughter became an official teenager in 2007. It seems like she was just a baby. She's a great kid. She's got a great head on her shoulders, and she's also very smart. Sure she pushes the limits, along with our buttons from time to time. She's a teenager, if she didn't I'd be more worried! We took a road trip up to Northern Idaho with both of the dogs. They were both so well behaved and we all had a really good time. We turned a business trip for me to Washington DC into a family vacation this fall, which was a great experience, even though we got stuck in Atlanta overnight on the way home and our luggage didn't arrive home when we did!
2007 was a good year. I think 2008 is going to be even better!
Sunday, November 18, 2007
School Rivalry, Sportsmanship and the Dark Side
I am an Idaho Vandal Alumni and an Idaho Vandal Fan. 20 years ago that was so much easier to say. I still love my Alma mater and hope my daughter wants to go there someday. Moscow is an awesome small college town. Half the population is students and the other half wouldn't be there if it wasn't for the University.
In 1996, Idaho left Division 1-AA and the Big Sky Conference to join Boise State in Division 1-A. This was a bad move, and I have not nor doubt I ever will forgive them for it! Boise State was ready to join Division 1-A. Idaho was not and is still not ready after 11 years! Frankly I'm amazed that the NCAA allows them to continue this sham. They can't even play all of their home games at their home stadium because it's not big enough to satisfy the attendance requirements (or something like that).
Idaho and BSU have been major in-state rivals since 1971, right after BSU joined the Big Sky. Over the decades, the schools took turns dominating each other for several years in a row. I was lucky enough to be at Idaho during one of Idaho's dominations. We beat them 12 times from 1982-1993... A Decade Straight of Beating Boise State!
That was truly "back in the day", and it is never going to be like that again. Boise State has grown up. Yes, we were a University back when they were still a Junior College. However, they have the population base and the fan base to support a Division 1-A football team. Idaho does not and never will. Moscow is a small college town. Boise is becoming a big city, and they definitely have the fans to support even further expansion of their team.
I was at the game where Boise State broke Idaho's 12 year winning streak. It was so painful, that it was the last game I attended in person between the two schools... until yesterday that is. I had such mixed emotions about going to the game. We were invited by one of Scott's vendors. He is a really cool guy and he even bought Scott an Idaho hat and shirt for the game. He's a referee for high school football games so it was fun to have him there to help explain some of the strange officiating (and there were quite a few strange calls in that game).
I wasn't worried about losing the game, that was to be expected. There is always the hope with these big rivalry games of an upset - but it wasn't the outcome of the game that I was nervous about. My big concern was the BSU fans. At the last game I attended, I almost got in a fight with the woman sitting behind us. She was so unbelievably rude and obnoxious. Instead I think I ended up congratulating her on the win and walking away the bigger person... but I really wanted to deck her.
So there I was yesterday morning, thinking about spending 3 hours in the rain surrounded by rude "fans" who think supporting their team means being rude to the other team and watching my Alma mater get destroyed on the football field. If you haven't noticed, I have a tendency to worry about worst case scenarios (but I'm working on it). Fortunately, once again my worst case scenario didn't come true.
Before I go further, I must pay homage to the weather gods. It rained before the game, and rained after the game - but during the game the weather was actually beautiful. Thank you weather gods!
The fans were what surprised me the most. We were surrounded by BSU fans of course, but they were actually pretty cool. Sure, we heard comments like "sucks to be a vandal", but for the most part they were true BSU fans who were there to support their team and not to try and cut down the other team. The only time I really stood up and showed "my" colors was when the team came out and the crowd started booing. I hate booing - I just don't think it is cool. Oh sure, I've boo'd many a team..., and I would probably still boo if there was a call I didn't like or if a player did something flagrant that wasn't cool. But to boo the team as they come onto the field... I had to stand up and start yelling. This of course brought me to the attention of the BSU fans around me - who stopped booing the team and started yelling at me to sit down. But they did it in a good natured sports rivalry way... and they stopped booing my team! The guy next to me was a former BSU cheerleader, and he was very cool. He was actually more bothered by the few rude BSU fans around than I was. When the guy a few rows behind kept yelling "get off the field" every time an Idaho player was injured, the guy next to me said "we're not all dicks" and the guy in front of me turned around and shot rude guy a look.
It was actually really cool to see how full the stadium was and how supportive the fans are. These were not the BSU fans I remembered. These were not the BSU fans I hated from the past. This is not the past. Things have changed.
We've been back in Boise now for 15 years. We love Boise and this is where we will stay until we decide to retire somewhere. Boise is our home, and whether we like it or not, the Broncos are our home team. Over the past few years they have made it harder and harder not to like them. I couldn't help but to cheer for them in the Fiesta Bowl. When your most hated rival plays the most entertaining game you've ever seen, and you are cheering them on all the way it changes things. The Boise State football team earned my respect that day. The Boise State fans earned my respect yesterday.
I no longer "Hate Boise State". I am starting to feel that I can support my home team. I can't quite call myself a BSU fan, but I would like to see them continue to win. I will continue to hope that the Vandals will pull their heads out some day and stop pretending to be a 1-A team. We could be a powerhouse 1-AA team again. Let the Broncos play with the big boys - they've proved that they can do it.
Scott says I've gone over to the Dark Side.
In 1996, Idaho left Division 1-AA and the Big Sky Conference to join Boise State in Division 1-A. This was a bad move, and I have not nor doubt I ever will forgive them for it! Boise State was ready to join Division 1-A. Idaho was not and is still not ready after 11 years! Frankly I'm amazed that the NCAA allows them to continue this sham. They can't even play all of their home games at their home stadium because it's not big enough to satisfy the attendance requirements (or something like that).
Idaho and BSU have been major in-state rivals since 1971, right after BSU joined the Big Sky. Over the decades, the schools took turns dominating each other for several years in a row. I was lucky enough to be at Idaho during one of Idaho's dominations. We beat them 12 times from 1982-1993... A Decade Straight of Beating Boise State!
That was truly "back in the day", and it is never going to be like that again. Boise State has grown up. Yes, we were a University back when they were still a Junior College. However, they have the population base and the fan base to support a Division 1-A football team. Idaho does not and never will. Moscow is a small college town. Boise is becoming a big city, and they definitely have the fans to support even further expansion of their team.
I was at the game where Boise State broke Idaho's 12 year winning streak. It was so painful, that it was the last game I attended in person between the two schools... until yesterday that is. I had such mixed emotions about going to the game. We were invited by one of Scott's vendors. He is a really cool guy and he even bought Scott an Idaho hat and shirt for the game. He's a referee for high school football games so it was fun to have him there to help explain some of the strange officiating (and there were quite a few strange calls in that game).
I wasn't worried about losing the game, that was to be expected. There is always the hope with these big rivalry games of an upset - but it wasn't the outcome of the game that I was nervous about. My big concern was the BSU fans. At the last game I attended, I almost got in a fight with the woman sitting behind us. She was so unbelievably rude and obnoxious. Instead I think I ended up congratulating her on the win and walking away the bigger person... but I really wanted to deck her.
So there I was yesterday morning, thinking about spending 3 hours in the rain surrounded by rude "fans" who think supporting their team means being rude to the other team and watching my Alma mater get destroyed on the football field. If you haven't noticed, I have a tendency to worry about worst case scenarios (but I'm working on it). Fortunately, once again my worst case scenario didn't come true.
Before I go further, I must pay homage to the weather gods. It rained before the game, and rained after the game - but during the game the weather was actually beautiful. Thank you weather gods!
The fans were what surprised me the most. We were surrounded by BSU fans of course, but they were actually pretty cool. Sure, we heard comments like "sucks to be a vandal", but for the most part they were true BSU fans who were there to support their team and not to try and cut down the other team. The only time I really stood up and showed "my" colors was when the team came out and the crowd started booing. I hate booing - I just don't think it is cool. Oh sure, I've boo'd many a team..., and I would probably still boo if there was a call I didn't like or if a player did something flagrant that wasn't cool. But to boo the team as they come onto the field... I had to stand up and start yelling. This of course brought me to the attention of the BSU fans around me - who stopped booing the team and started yelling at me to sit down. But they did it in a good natured sports rivalry way... and they stopped booing my team! The guy next to me was a former BSU cheerleader, and he was very cool. He was actually more bothered by the few rude BSU fans around than I was. When the guy a few rows behind kept yelling "get off the field" every time an Idaho player was injured, the guy next to me said "we're not all dicks" and the guy in front of me turned around and shot rude guy a look.
It was actually really cool to see how full the stadium was and how supportive the fans are. These were not the BSU fans I remembered. These were not the BSU fans I hated from the past. This is not the past. Things have changed.
We've been back in Boise now for 15 years. We love Boise and this is where we will stay until we decide to retire somewhere. Boise is our home, and whether we like it or not, the Broncos are our home team. Over the past few years they have made it harder and harder not to like them. I couldn't help but to cheer for them in the Fiesta Bowl. When your most hated rival plays the most entertaining game you've ever seen, and you are cheering them on all the way it changes things. The Boise State football team earned my respect that day. The Boise State fans earned my respect yesterday.
I no longer "Hate Boise State". I am starting to feel that I can support my home team. I can't quite call myself a BSU fan, but I would like to see them continue to win. I will continue to hope that the Vandals will pull their heads out some day and stop pretending to be a 1-A team. We could be a powerhouse 1-AA team again. Let the Broncos play with the big boys - they've proved that they can do it.
Scott says I've gone over to the Dark Side.
Friday, November 09, 2007
Roni on Politics
41% of Democrats cannot name even one Republican candidate for President. At least according to the morning DJs that I listen to. I didn't check it out, but I believe it is possible. The DJs proceeded to call Wallmarts across the country to see if they could get someone to be able to name just one Republican Presidential candidate. Their premise was that there is not better cross section of the country than Wallmart. While I agree that you could probably find a pretty good sample of both republicans and democrats among the shoppers at Wallmart, I'm not so sure you can say the same about the people whose job it is to answer the phone at Wallmart.
It took four calls before someone could name a candidate. The first person even said "I'm a democrat - I don't know anything about the republicans. What??? That's just wrong. How can you make an intelligent decision about a candidate without knowing all of the facts??
Aahhh - there lies the problem (at least as I see it). Most of the people who vote do NOT have a full understanding of the issues or the candidates. They are voting strictly on popularity or on party lines. I admit I've done that in the past. When I first started voting I would vote a strict republican ticket because my parents were republicans so that's what I was.
Over the years, I've discovered that there is not one party that agrees 100% with everything I believe in. Heck, there's not even one person who agrees 100% with me. My husband and very best friend comes close - but even we disagree on some things.
Opening my mind to the different issues has been sometimes very painful, sometimes very tedious, sometimes very frustrating, but always enlightening. Nobody likes to talk about politics, because they are afraid of offending or alienating their friends if they don't agree. Or they are afraid of letting their friends know just how little they really know about the things they go out and vote for. Either way - it's too bad that politics is such a taboo subject.
Very few of my friends share my views about politics, and I love to have conversations with them about it. I will openly admit when there is an issue or candidate that I know nothing about, and if I still don't know anything by election time - I do not vote on that issue or candidate. In the beginning, only property owners were allowed to vote. That would never go over again, but I sure would love to see a "pre-vote" test at all of the polls that you would have to pass before they could count your votes. The test could be pretty simple and still keep people who have no clue from actually casting a vote. It shouldn't be a popularity contest or a party line contest. We need people in office who understand the issues, know what they are doing, and are capable of keeping our country safe.
So where do I fit in the political spectrum? I'm truly and individual. I'm generally fiscally conservative and socially liberal. I love Bill O'Reilly and Ann Coulter, but I think they are both kind of whacked when it comes to "moral" and religious issues. I actually agree the most with the Libertarian party - except for one very critical issue and that is the war. I fully support the war on terror. I believe that it exists and I believe that radical Islam wants to convert or kill everyone who does not agree to convert. I think that the very most important thing for our next President to do is to continue the fight against terrorism and the countries that support it.
I cannot believe that the feminists in this country, including Hillary Clinton are not saying anything to protest the horrible way that women are treated in the Middle East. Not only are women treated as second class citizens with absolutely no rights, have their clitoris cut off as children so that they can never enjoy sex, forced to cover every inch of their bodies, but they are also stoned to death for the crime of being raped. I will fight to the death against anyone that tries to make me live under that type of "society".
That's where I stand and that is why.
It took four calls before someone could name a candidate. The first person even said "I'm a democrat - I don't know anything about the republicans. What??? That's just wrong. How can you make an intelligent decision about a candidate without knowing all of the facts??
Aahhh - there lies the problem (at least as I see it). Most of the people who vote do NOT have a full understanding of the issues or the candidates. They are voting strictly on popularity or on party lines. I admit I've done that in the past. When I first started voting I would vote a strict republican ticket because my parents were republicans so that's what I was.
Over the years, I've discovered that there is not one party that agrees 100% with everything I believe in. Heck, there's not even one person who agrees 100% with me. My husband and very best friend comes close - but even we disagree on some things.
Opening my mind to the different issues has been sometimes very painful, sometimes very tedious, sometimes very frustrating, but always enlightening. Nobody likes to talk about politics, because they are afraid of offending or alienating their friends if they don't agree. Or they are afraid of letting their friends know just how little they really know about the things they go out and vote for. Either way - it's too bad that politics is such a taboo subject.
Very few of my friends share my views about politics, and I love to have conversations with them about it. I will openly admit when there is an issue or candidate that I know nothing about, and if I still don't know anything by election time - I do not vote on that issue or candidate. In the beginning, only property owners were allowed to vote. That would never go over again, but I sure would love to see a "pre-vote" test at all of the polls that you would have to pass before they could count your votes. The test could be pretty simple and still keep people who have no clue from actually casting a vote. It shouldn't be a popularity contest or a party line contest. We need people in office who understand the issues, know what they are doing, and are capable of keeping our country safe.
So where do I fit in the political spectrum? I'm truly and individual. I'm generally fiscally conservative and socially liberal. I love Bill O'Reilly and Ann Coulter, but I think they are both kind of whacked when it comes to "moral" and religious issues. I actually agree the most with the Libertarian party - except for one very critical issue and that is the war. I fully support the war on terror. I believe that it exists and I believe that radical Islam wants to convert or kill everyone who does not agree to convert. I think that the very most important thing for our next President to do is to continue the fight against terrorism and the countries that support it.
I cannot believe that the feminists in this country, including Hillary Clinton are not saying anything to protest the horrible way that women are treated in the Middle East. Not only are women treated as second class citizens with absolutely no rights, have their clitoris cut off as children so that they can never enjoy sex, forced to cover every inch of their bodies, but they are also stoned to death for the crime of being raped. I will fight to the death against anyone that tries to make me live under that type of "society".
That's where I stand and that is why.
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