My thoughts about PSU and Joe Paterno

Recently, many have taken issue with my position with Penn State and Joe Paterno.   While most people know that I am indifferent on matters of collegiate football; I do consider myself a Penn State fan and I share the appreciation for the career of arguably the greatest coach in all football history.

1. Jerry Sandusky did horrible things which are heart wrenching.   His actions ultimately put everyone else in their respective position.
2. Mike McQueary should bear the brunt of discipline (outside of Sandusky) for the course of action taken.   He was 28 years old at the time, not a child or a young college student; He was a grown man.   If I were in his position, I would have taken immediate physical intervention against Jerry Sandusky; followed by a swift call to authorities.   Instead, he conferred with his father and went to a member of faculty, Joe Paterno, as opposed to the police (and not campus police.)  He should be fired. 
3. The officials at the school who did nothing should be charged to the fullest extent of the law.
4. Joe Paterno, in my opinion, did not necessarily do anything criminal, as far as we know.  He did, however, display either an incredible lack of leadership or a strong emotional disconnect with the situation.   Paterno has himself admitted that he was aware that there was inappropriate physical contact.
5. All parties were aware that something happened; this cannot be denied.   The fact that they did nothing after realizing that he continued to work with young boys after the situation had been reported to campus administration should have been an indicator that no action had ever actually been taken.  They had a moral, but not necessarily legal, obligation to ensure that appropriate due diligence had been taken by confirming whether or not the situation had been dealt with.
6. Joe Paterno had the opportunity to elevate an already legendary legacy by being a hero in the situation, but failed.
7. I believe Penn State did the right thing by firing Paterno; and I think they failed by not firing McQueary.   While I admire Paterno's accomplishments and his career; The University has the right, and the authority, to protect what they felt was best for their reputation.

Note about previous posts

Unfortunately, some of my posts have been used for purposes outside of my original intentions.   If there is something you would like to see; please send a message as I have archived them.

Why don't Christians understand the concept of charity and goodwill?

With the recent events in Japan, I wanted to air a matter of frustration in hopes that it might change at least one person.

Many Christians, especially those who consider themselves of the 'fundamental' school of thought, seem to lack an understanding of conventional charity.   To them, a donation to relief efforts in Japan involves contacting a mission board or missionary to see what they need to rebuild their church; followed by keeping a jar in the church lobby for 6 weeks while people in the affected area are more concerned with immediate needs like potable water and basic quality of life issues.

Why is this?   Quite simply it is the fear of the unknown; Most of these people have never made a charitable donation that wasn't handled through their church.   After all, a donation to the Red Cross could mean that those in need aren't getting a 'gospel presentation' to accompany their good deed; because all 'charity' must include that, at least by the status quo.   Nevermind that people who need Christ may be dying and in need of basic essentials.  That is, apparently, of no good if we have to donate to secular organizations.   Perhaps we can rebuild the church after we first attend to basic needs, since the one lost life may be the one we meet at the church's re-dedication next year.

I saw this happen firsthand at my former church in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and have heard similar stories about Haiti's earthquake and it really bothers me.

Hymns vs. Praise Choruses Revealed

An old farmer went to the city one weekend and attended the big city church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was. “Well,” said the farmer.”It was good. They did something different, however. They sang praise choruses instead of hymns.”

“Praise choruses?” asked the wife. “What are those?”

“Oh, they’re okay. They’re sort of like hymns, only different,” said the farmer.

“Well, what’s the difference?” asked the wife.

The farmer said, “Well it’s like this . . . if I were to say to you, ‘Martha, the cows are in the corn,’ well that would be a hymn. If, on the other hand, I were to say to you, ‘Martha, Martha, Martha, Oh, Martha, MARTHA, MARTHA, the cows, the big cows, the brown cows, the black cows, the white cows, the black and white cows, the COWS, COWS, COWS are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn, in the CORN, CORN, CORN, COOOOORRRRRNNNNN.’ Then, if I were to repeat the whole thing two or three times, well that would be a praise chorus.”

As luck would have it, the exact same Sunday a young, new Christian from the city church attended the small town church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was. “Well,” said the young man, “It was good. They did something different, however. They sang hymns instead of regular songs.”

“Hymns?” asked the wife. “What are those?”

“They’re okay. They’re sort of like regular songs, only different,” said the young man.

“Well, what’s the difference?” asked the wife.

The young man said, “Well it’s like this ¦ If I were to say to you, ‘Martha, the cows are in the corn,’ well that would be a regular song. If on the other hand, I were to say to you,

Oh Martha, dear Martha, hear thou my cry
Inclinest thine ear to the words of my mouth.
Turn thou thy whole wondrous ear by and by
To the righteous, glorious truth.

For the way of the animals who can explain
There in their heads is no shadow of sense,
Hearkenest they in God’s sun or his rain
Unless from the mild, tempting corn they are fenced.

Yea those cows in glad bovine, rebellious delight,
Have broke free their shackles, their warm pens eschewed.
Then goaded by minions of darkness and night
They all my mild Chilliwack sweet corn chewed.

So look to that bright shining day by and by,
Where all foul corruptions of earth are reborn.
Where no vicious animal makes my soul cry
And I no longer see those foul cows in the corn.

Then, if I were to do only verses one, three and four, and change keys on the last verse, well that would be a hymn.

Thanks to James via Stuff Fundies Like

Roger Clemens

Anyone who knows me can probably guess that I don't believe Roger Clemens about the whole HGH thing.  I wanted to, as he was one of my boyhood favorites (and is probably still one of the greatest pitchers of the 80s & 90s despite HGH); but I don't anymore.

However, he has not been proven guilty of a crime in an actual court of law.  He simply gave Congress a statement in a meaningless hearing.  These hearings were not a proper court, they were simply for information gathering on MLB drug use (you may also use the terms "fishing expedition" or "excessive government involvement in leisure activities.)  Many other MLB athletes also gave similar testimonies in these hearings. 


This is nothing more than government waste.  Regardless of your diminished feelings about The Rocket, I don't want tax money being wasted on this garbage.  Even if he admitted that he did use HGH, that's not exactly a crime; It's merely a violation of the rules of a corporation whose job is to oversee athletes in a leisurely spectator sport.  Why don't we let professional sports govern themseles?

Why I Love baseball

It has been a long winter and that wonderful sign of spring is coming, baseball.  Anyone who knows me knows that I don't care for football, I can't watch hockey on TV, and I despise soccer and basketball as much as humanly possible.  While I did enjoy the Winter Olympics (especially curling), I am ready for the return of America's pasttime.

Here are some of the reason I love baseball (in no order):

1.  It is timeless.  It is the same sport played a hundred years ago.  If you brought a player from the 1800s into today, he would have no trouble understanding the rules of play; as very few changes have been made.

2.  It is the only major sport where defense maintains possession of the ball.  In "2 goals" sports, offense carries the ball;  As opposed to baseball, where the actual player is element that scores.

3.  Fun to watch.  What other game is as pleasurable to watch on a sunny day?  Basketball and hockey are played inside (professionally) and football is played during the winter (when it is cold out).  Not only that, a casual observer can quickly learn to understand the complexity of the game.

4.  Individuality.  Very few sports allow viewers to watch players one at a time.  When you follow a particular team, you learn a lot about each player since they each have their turn at-bat.  Unlike football or hockey, you see their faces and mannerisms very closely.

5.  It is on TV every day for six months.  Football teams only play about 20 games a year (including pre-season).

6.  Every venue is different.  Whether it is little league or Major League, every field has it's own unique dimensions and characteristics.  No defined outfield boundaries, no mandatory fence materials or heights.  Other than the diamond and the foul lines, each field is a new experience.

7.  The history of the game.   No other sport has every detail preserved like baseball.  The stats of Babe Ruth can easily be compared with the stats of contemporary players.  Even the way baseball euphemisms have become so commonplace that most people don't think about it is amazing.

8.  The human element.  As much as I generally despise umpires, they have the distinction of being the only sports officials whose in game decisions are virtually law.  Besides home run and boundary calls that have recently introduced replay, the rest is all 100% human.  The umps don't even have to use replay unless they decide they want to; Noone can compell them to use it.

9.  Unique feats like no-hitters, unassisted triple plays.  Great accomplishments like home run records and hitting streaks.

10.  The Yankees versus The Red Sox

I could go on for days.

Maybe Ann Coulter and Curt Schilling aren't so bad after all

I obviously do not ultimately know whether or not Curt Schilling or Ann Coulter have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, but the excerpts from the following links are encouraging. Although these two people are generally universally acknowledged to have very tactless, coarse personalities that often drive away even those in agreement with then, I encourage you to read on.

Schilling posted a link to an article written by Coulter on his blog. He didn't elaborate, he just prefaced the link with this remark.....

Flame away, but read this first.

Rant and rave, scream and moan, but when you realize it’s all true don’t yell at me.

Oh and all you Ann haters, just remember that when she stoops to Bill Maher’s level and debates, she does so with facts, while he does so, as do most of the folks that hate her, with humor, stupid stories or BS.

I won't post the whole article, because it is a bit lengthy; although I encourage to read it entirely (although I will stop short of endorsing the article, because I am not 100% in agreement with all of her theology). The following are excerpts of the article from Ms. Coulter:

.....Christianity [is] the best deal in the universe.

God sent his only son to get the crap beaten out of him, die for our sins and rise from the dead. If you believe that, you're in. Your sins are washed away from you -- sins even worse than adultery! -- because of the cross.

Surely you remember the cross, liberals -- the symbol banned by ACLU lawsuits from public property throughout the land?

Christianity is simultaneously the easiest religion in the world and the hardest religion in the world.......

........All you'll need is a Bible (in order to grasp the amazing deal you're getting) and probably a water baptism.....

.......You can be washing the dishes or walking your dog or just sitting there minding your business hating Susan Sarandon and accept that God sent his only son to die for your sins and rise from the dead ... and you're in!

"Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9.

If you do that, every rotten, sinful thing you've ever done is gone from you.....

No fine print, no "your mileage may vary," no blackout dates. God ought to do a TV spot: "I'm God Almighty, and if you can find a better deal than the one I'm offering, take it."........

........In a boiling rage, liberals constantly accuse Christians of being "judgmental." No, we're relieved.

Christianity is also the hardest religion in the world because, if you believe Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead, you have no choice but to give your life entirely over to Him. No more sexual promiscuity, no lying, no cheating, no stealing, no killing inconvenient old people or unborn babies -- no doing what all the other kids do.

And no more caring what the world thinks of you -- because, as Jesus warned in a prophecy constantly fulfilled by liberals: The world will hate you.

With Christianity, your sins are forgiven, the slate is wiped clean and your eternal life is guaranteed through nothing you did yourself, even though you don't deserve it. It's the best deal in the universe.