A COACH'S WORST NIGHTMARE

Let me start our by saying that no matter what happens in the future with this case, THERE ARE NO WINNERS HERE AND THERE WILL BE NO WINNERS HERE. NOT WITH THIS STORY.


Parents who sent their son to play high school football have lost a son.

A coach who was trying to build up his team--broke it down--and lost a player in the worst way possible.

Both parties will live with unanswerable questions for the rest of their lives and nobody can settle those for them.

One of my larger pet peeves as a conditioning coach has always been when sport coaches use conditioning as punishment for their players. It's counter-productive from a conditioning standpoint and there has to be a better way to enhance mental toughness without losing players in this manner.

The coaches quote "telling them they would do 'gassers' until someone quit" was met with the ultimate law of unintended consequences here. A parent watching the practice from a nearby soccer field is reported to heard the coach say "numerous times that all he needed was one person to say that they quit the team and all of the suffering and running and heat would be all over."

Unfortunately, one of them did quit.

No water breaks and no athletic trainer on site to possibly head off this tragedy is going to leave both the school and the coach vulnerable from a legal standpoint.

Maybe it is time for this issue to move from that of a pet peeve to a crusade.

Part of the problem that there have been 39 similar deaths in the last 13 years according to the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research at the University of North Carolina.

Maybe three deaths per year has become an "acceptable loss" in the name of high school football. To me, one is unacceptable especially since the risks are well known, well-documented and well-reported and disseminated annually.

And yet some of the old-school mentality remains.

According to Grant Teaff, executive director of the American Football Coaches Association, "It goes with the profession that it's a unique sport and conditioning is a part of it." The ACFA membership includes professional, collegiate and high-school coaches.

Most of these deaths occur during the first few days if practice when players are just beginning to get acclimated to the heat and the unique conditioning needs of the sport. As I've said before, the risks are well-known.

Practices will always be a time where coaches are trying to build both physical and mental toughness of their teams in an intensely competitive environment, coaches are looking for these early season trials to translate into late victories during the season.

I understand the building of mental and physical toughness and all of that, but the death of young man should not be a part of the sport or the profession. That is a loss that no team or coach should ever be forced to try and overcome.

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FROM USA TODAY STORY:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/preps/football/2009-01-26-coach-indicted_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

The sophomore's death certificate shows he died of septic shock, multiple organ failure and complications from heat stroke, three days after working out for two to three hours in temperatures that felt like 94 degrees. No autopsy was conducted.

Prosecutors have declined to say why they chose Stinson in what is believed to be an
unprecedented case of criminally charging a coach in a player's heat-related death. Witnesses have said in court filings that the coach was running his players hard, telling them they would do "gassers" — sprints up and down the field — until someone quit. One parent at a nearby soccer field said in an e-mail to the school that he didn't see the team get regular water breaks.

"This is not about football, this is not about coaches," Stengel said after the hearing. "This is about an adult person who was responsible for the health and welfare of a child."

--------------------------------
FROM LOCAL NEWS REPORTS:

http://www.wlky.com/cnn-news/18541445/detail.html

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A football coach has been charged with reckless homicide in the heat-related death of a high school athlete.

David Jason Stinson was indicted Thursday.

Max Gilpin, 15, died Aug. 23, 2008, three days after he collapsed at a
Pleasure Ridge Park High School football practice after coaches
allegedly refused to let players take water breaks.

Temperatures were in the 90s.Gilpin was rushed to a hospital where he died three
days later. The coroner's report shows Gilpin's body temperature was
107 degrees when he passed out."I don't feel it was proper at
all," said Commonwealth's Attorney Dave Stingel. "They should've been
much more concerned and responded much quicker."

Stengel asked police to investigate wrongdoing in the teen's death.
"A reasonable person should have understood that this result could happen,
fails to perceive that and prevent the end result. That's the level of
proof we will have to go at," the prosecutor said. "I knew it could go
either way. I made no recommendation. We put it in front of the grand
jury -- told them what we saw as the facts and they made their decision."

Stengel said the coach asked to testify before the grand jury, but members refused to hear him.Stinson's attorney said his client maintains his innocence and looks forward to his day in court to clear his name.

"It is a tragedy, and it is unfortunate but I don't think the
indictment of coach Stinson doesn't necessarily resolve that issue,"
said Alex Dathorne, Stinson's attorney.Stinson is expected to appear at an arraignment Monday in Louisville.JCPS representative Lauren Roberts said Stinson has been notified of the indictment and has been reassigned immediately away from PRP to a district office pending the outcome of the case.

In a statement released Thursday afternoon, Gilpin's family said, "We intend to
closely monitor the prosecution and expect anyone responsible for Max's
death to be held accountable."

100-0 COACH FIRED

"Baseball is like church. Many attend, few understand." -
Leo Durocher

This quote comes to mind in the aftermath of The Covenant School-Dallas Academy debacle. Reading some of the comments that attempted to defend this type of behavior and the coaches comment that follow indicate that indeed, many are involved in youth sports as coaches, but few understand what their true purpose as coaches are: To develop the player as a person as much as their sports skills. To win on and off the court.

As reported in the Dallas Morning News, the coach of The Covenant School who ran up the score on an over-matched Dallas Academy team - Micah Grimes, was fired. But not for running up the score, instead Coach Grimes was fired for not apologizing for the offense along with the school.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/012609dnspocovenantnu.2781526.html

"I respectfully disagree with the apology, especially the notion that the Covenant School girls basketball team should feel 'embarrassed' or 'ashamed,' " part of the post says. "We played the game as it was meant to be played and would not intentionally run up the score on any opponent. Although a wide-margin victory is never evidence of compassion, my girls played with honor and integrity and showed respect to Dallas Academy.

Setting aside for a moment the Christian spirit aspect of the whole incident (if that is possible). This whole fiasco demonstrates what is fundamentally wrong with youth sports in this country.

You have kids, parents and coaches treating these games with a blood lust that simply should not be there. And then we wonder why the participation figures show that kids tend to drop out of youth sports around the age of 13, ironically the age when they should just be STARTING to accrue and understand the benefits of exercise and competition. We're kicking them out at precisely the time they should be involved in sports.

If you read the story further, you can begin to see where perhaps the aims of the school and the coach began to diverge before the apology that led to the firing. In fact, it appears like the coach and the school may have been a poor fit from the beginning.

At the end of his post on the Web site , which identifies him as co-founder of Flight Basketball, Grimes wrote, "So if I lose my job over these statements, I will walk away with my integrity."

Sorry Grimey, I'll have to disagree with you a bit here. You will walk away with your integrity DAMAGED as a result of this incident. You may get some support from some anonymous commentators on the blogosphere and other Pat Riley wanna-be youth coaches, but the reason this story got the play it did, aside from the 100-0 eyeball-catching score, is you are FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG in your approach here.

Your little puppy-kicking tactics really shouldn't impress anybody of merit. DIDN'T MOMMY EVER TELL YOU TO PICK ON SOMEBODY YOUR OWN SIZE? Whatever other social deficiencies you carry, I hope you resolve them before you continue to coach at the youth levels.

“Even a dog knows the difference between being stumbled over and being kicked”

By not at the very least acknowledging some culpability and contrition, you are only demonstrating that you cannot figure out what the family dog can.

Grimes did not teach or work at The Covenant School. He was in his fourth season as girls basketball coach, having built the program from a 2-19 record his first season to a state championship contender last season. Covenant, which plays larger out-of-district schools, is 6-3 this season and undefeated in its Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools district. It has informed TAPPS headquarters that it has chosen to forfeit the Dallas Academy game.

So although the coach was willing to use the school as a stepping stone to further his coaching aims, he clearly did not buy into the vision or mission of the school. So the school did the right thing in recognizing their mistake and letting him go. If they lose a player or two along the way as well, so be it. They'll be better off in the end.

Many say that sports doesn't build character so much as it reveals it. Although, I don't agree with that statement fundamentally, in this case character was revealed under the stress of sportsmanship.

Sportsmanship is defined as those qualities which are characterized by generosity and genuine concern for fellow players, which includes opponents. Somewhere we have drifted away from that ideal, which is emphasized every year, and allowed our sports to deteriorate into some form of glorified gang warfare.

Sports are supposed to give kids an alternative to some of the lessons they could learn on the streets. If we are simply demonstrating the same lessons, only substituting school colors and mascots for gang colors, then everyone involved in youth sports will have failed in their mission.

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IDEALS OF SPORTSMANSHIP:

http://www.tothenextlevel.org/docs/principles/sportsmanship/default.asp

* Play fair, take loss or defeat without complaint, or victory without gloating
* Treat others as you wish to be treated Respect others and one's self
* Impose self-control, be courteous, and gracefully accept results of one's actions
* Display ethical behavior by being good (character) and doing right (action)
* Be a good citizen

"Sportsmanship is defined in the dictionary as, "a person who can take a loss or defeat without complaint, or victory without gloating, and who treats his opponents with fairness, generosity, courtesy."

Sportsmanship is a learned skill. Our nature is to seek victory and put ourselves first no matter what the situation. It takes direction, coaching, and understanding in how to conduct yourself (whether in victory or defeat); being moral, being mature, being a person of character, or just simply being the person to walk away from controversy, a potential fight, a cheap shot, or trash talk.

Sportsmanship is always thinking of the consequences before you talk or act. What you say and do as an athlete does affect others.

Sportsmanship is a character quality. The time to build character is now! Just as the building that stands the test of time must have a strong foundation, so must you. If you don't build that foundation, you will have a hard time reaching your goals.

Sportsmanship is simply an athlete or a coach who behaves fairly, honestly, and generously in the heat of battle. It is playing and competing within the rules of the game. It is training and competing with honesty and integrity in everything you do.

* In football, sportsmanship is not holding, tripping, or leg whipping to take your opponent out of the play.
* In wrestling, sportsmanship is making weight without the use of diuretics, saunas and plastic suits.
* In basketball, sportsmanship is keeping your tongue under control, not talking trash up and down the floor.
* In hockey, sportsmanship is keeping emotions in check, not high sticking, slashing and tripping, or holding an opponent.
* In baseball, sportsmanship is not throwing high and inside at a batter to leave a message.

Start building a solid foundation now! Do it with character, do it with integrity, do it with class, and do it as a true sportsman!

Life Principle

"Sportsmanship for me is when a guy walks off the court and you really can't tell whether he won or lost, when he carries himself with pride either way." - Jim Courier, Professional Tennis Champion

Some people define good sportsmanship as the "Golden Rule" of sports - in other words, treating the people that you play with and against as you'd like to be treated yourself. You can demonstrate good sportsmanship when you show respect for yourself, your teammates, and your opponents, for the coaches on both sides, and for the referees, judges, and other officials. Good sportsmanship take maturity and courage; when you work really hard at a sport, it's not easy to admit that you made a bad play or that someone has more skill than you do.

People who have developed the skill of good sportsmanship usually find that the positive attitude they've learned on the field carries over into other areas of their lives. At school, for example, they're able to appreciate the contributions made by their classmates and they know how to work as part of a team to complete a project. They may enjoy more success at work as well, because good sports are respectful of others, including costumers and co-workers.

It can be just as hard to be a good sport when you've won a game as when you've lost one. You've probably seen athletes who take their own successes too seriously. They celebrate a goal with a prolonged victory dance or constantly brag about their abilities. After a while, you get tired of hearing them talk about how great they are.

Individuals who possess the character of sportsmanship, on the other hand, are gracious and generous winners. They can acknowledge their victories without humiliating their opponents. They are quietly proud of their success, letting their victories speak for themselves. Even if they win by a landslide, they still find ways to compliment their opponents.

When it comes to losing, people who are good sports congratulate the winner promptly and willingly. They accept the game's outcome without complaint and without excuses, even if they suspect that the referee made some questionable calls. They understand that in sports - as in life - you may not always win, but you can learn something from losing. In fact you learn more from defeat than you will ever learn from victory.

Although it's great to be champion, it's even better to have enjoyed the process of trying to reach the top. Good sports know how to play fair and how to have fun while they are doing it.

So what does it take to demonstrate good sportsmanship in real-life situations? Here are some examples of things that you can do:

* Learn as much as you can about your sport. Play by its rules. Show up for practice, work hard, and realize that if you're on a team, everyone deserves a chance to play.
* Talk politely and act courteously towards everyone before, during, and after games and events. That includes your teammates, your opponents, your coaches and theirs, the officials presiding over the game, and even the spectators (who can sometimes be loud with their opinions).
* Stay cool. Even if others are losing their tempers, it doesn't mean you have to. Remind yourself that no matter how hard you have practiced and played, it is, after all, just a game.
* Avoid settling disputes with violence. If you're in a difficult situation or someone's threatening you, seek help immediately from your coach or an official.
* Cheer your teammates on with positive statements - and avoid trash talking the other team. Acknowledge and applaud good plays, even when someone on the other team makes them.
* When officials make a call, accept it gracefully even if it goes against you. Remember that referees may not be right every time - but they're people who are doing their best, just as you are.
* Whether you win or lose, congratulate your opponents on a game well played.

MY EARLY CANDIDATE FOR COACH OF THE YEAR

Sometimes you read a story that just demonstrates what the true spirit of sports and competition are and should be. I believe this is one of them and I submit that this coach clearly gets it and his team and school are better off for it.

Watch the video and read the excerpts from the article (or the entire article if you'd like) and see if you don't agree that Dallas Academy although defeated 100-0 was the clear winner over The Covenant School.

I HEREBY NOMINATE, JEREMY CIVELLO, DALLAS ACADEMY FOR HS COACH OF THE YEAR
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DALLAS ACADEMY TEAM TALKS ABOUT THE GAME:
http://www.hsgametime.com/dfw/videopage.html?nvid=324099&shu=1

DALLAS NEWS ARTICLE ABOUT THE GAME:
Academy basketball coach sees a win in 100-0 loss

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/012209dnsposhutout.40d72ee.html

The final score of the high school girls basketball game was 100-0, and his team had the nothing. Still, a week later, Dallas Academy Athletic Director Jeremy Civello was chalking up the game in the win column.

"My girls never quit," he said. "They played as hard as they could to the very end. They played with all their hearts at 70-nothing, 80-nothing and 100-nothing. I was really proud of them. That's what I told them after the game."

The game took place Jan. 13, on the road, against The Covenant School. Civello didn't expect his girls to win. He never really does. His girls haven't won a game in his four seasons at the White Rock Lake-area school, renowned for its work with students with a variety of learning problems. In most games, they haven't come close.

The Bulldogs play, Civello said, for more than the final score. They play in hope of improving skills, learning teamwork and picking up whatever life lessons athletics may bring.


"Most of these girls would never play on any other school in the state," he said. "But they can say they were high school varsity players here. And they can say it with a sense of achievement."

Later on the 100-0 night, Civello told his girls the life lesson they could take from their loss: "I told them someday they will be on top in a similar situation and they should remember how they felt when some people were cheering for a team to score a hundred points and shut us out. Hopefully, my girls all learned a lesson in sportsmanship that will last them a lifetime."

-------------------------
Let me step back and define what I mean by the "true spirit of sports and competition" are because apparently we have different opinions on what that term means.

Competitive sports offer the best opportunity for personal growth and character development that will continue to serve us throughout life. It is our strength of character that will have the greatest impact on those with whom we deal with daily.

Really, there is nothing about wins and losses that truly defines the spirit of sports and competition. The games themselves are zero sum. Ultimately, if you can leave the field or court with your head held high, you're a winner. You haven't been defeated.


When I saw the headline of the article, Academy basketball coach sees a win in 100-0 loss the first thing that came to my mind was the line from the movie White Men Can't Jump where Gloria tells Billy

"Sometimes when you win, you really lose, and sometimes when you lose, you really win, and sometimes when you win or lose, you actually tie, and sometimes when you tie, you actually win or lose. Winning or losing is all one organic globule, from which one extracts what one needs."

This is central to the plot of the movie and the lesson it provides shows why, as I've been trying to convince my wife, this is a truly underrated movie.

See, when Billy was losing games and money and continuing to behave foolishly, his girl stood by him, but when he won the "big" game and the "big" bet, he lost his girl. She left him. His focus was on the wrong things and he lost even though he though he had won. He lost the most important thing in his life, the most valuable thing, by pursuing less important things.

This is where I see The Covenant School heading. Because I see from The Covenant School athletics page, the school states that its philosophy is:

"To glorify God by equipping students with the tools necessary to pursue a lifetime of learning so that they may discern, reason and defend truth in service to our Lord, Jesus Christ"

It sounds more like, based on this game and some others from it results page, that The Covenant School girls basketball program is more interested in glorifying themselves than in glorifying God. That's both sinful and shameful.

They should be ashamed of themselves and I believe they are. You know why I believe that? Because if you look further on the teams game results page, they have every other game score posted, except for the 1/13/2009 Dallas Academy game where they simply posted a W. And these rascals have not been strangers to running up the score, previously defeating Ursuline Academy 139-48, Terrel High School 133-79 and Prince of Peace Christian School 147-51.

My question to The Covenant School coach and AD would be as follows:
How do these results fit in within your schools published Athletic Program Goals?

1. To enable Covenant student/athletes, coaches and spectators to glorify God and be witnesses for Jesus Christ.

8. To build Christ-like character traits and develop servant leadership skills through discipline, and physical and mental training.


From the Dallas Academy web page I learned that the Dallas Academy defines their mission as: "restores the promise of full academic enrichment to students with learning differences." And they report their results as "by incorporating a strong curriculum, team sports and a wide variety of extra curricular student activities, Dallas Academy strives to prepare our students for further study (80% to 90% of DA's graduates attend 2 or 4-yr colleges) and more importantly a successful and satisfying life."

It sounds as if the Dallas Academy understands what the "true spirit of sports and competition" means better than The Covenant School does.

Therefore, I believe that the Dallas Academy should reconsider its cancellation of the January 30th game. And I believe that The Covenant School should take the time in between to re-examine its goals, philosophies and priorities and demonstrate that they have learned something that goes beyond wins and losses.
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UPDATE: APPARENTLY WE HAVE A WIN-WIN SITUATION

I e-mailed my concerns to the headmaster of The Coventry School and here is their response. Apparently, the school has been doing appropriate soul searching since the game was played and formulated a very equitable response. So the Dallas Academy will get an additional "victory". And The Covenant School gains a "greater" victory as well. GREAT NEWS.


Mr. Slavik,
Thank you for your email. I appreciate your honest feedback. Please know that we are truly sorry this happened. Below is our extended response to this situation.

Sincerely,



Kyle Queal
Head of School


Statement Regarding Dallas Academy Game

1/22/2009

The Covenant School , its board and administrators, regrets the incident of January 13 and the outcome of the game with the Dallas Academy Varsity Girls Basketball Team. It is shameful and an embarrassment that this happened. This clearly does not reflect a Christ-like and honorable approach to competition. We humbly apologize for our actions and seek the forgiveness of Dallas Academy , TAPPS and our community. The school and its representatives in no way support or condone the running up of a score against any team in any sport for any reason. The school’s board members, Head of School Kyle Queal and Athletic Director Brice Helton have acted to ensure that such an unfortunate incident can never happen again.

Covenant school officials have met with and personally apologized to Dallas Academy Headmaster Jim Richardson and Athletic Director Jeremy Civello and wishes to extend its highest praise to each member of the Dallas Academy Varsity Girls Basketball team for their strength, composure and fortitude in a game in which they clearly emerged the winner. Accordingly, The Covenant School has contacted TAPPS and is submitting a formal request to forfeit the game recognizing that a victory without honor is a great loss.

Kyle Queal
Head of School

Todd Doshier
Board Chair


Kyle Queal
Head of School
The Covenant School
7300 Valley View Lane
Dallas , TX 75240
214-358-5818 Office
214-358-5809 Fax
www.covenantdallas.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Charles Slavik [mailto:theslav1959@yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2009 1:36 PM
To: Kyle Queal; Kyle Queal
Subject: DALLAS ACADEMY GAME

It is apparent from this story that your school as represented by your girls basketball program has lost its way in representing Christian values.

You need to

1) seek forgiveness from the Dallas Academy

2) reinstate the January 30th game

3) demonstrate that your program is back on the right path in the rematch

And by the right path I mean glorifying God and not yourselves, your program or your school.

I pray you and your school will find the strength to make the right decisions going forward.

INAUGURATION DAY - HISTORY AND THE BIG LIE

BUSH'S HISTORICAL APPROVAL RATING

Well the inauguration of our 44th President did not get off to a real confidence building, awe inspiring start. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the next President of the United States--both of whom are supposed to be considerably versed in the Constitution and its requirements--flubbed the oath like a nervous bride and groom exchanging wedding vows.
-------------
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/01/obamas_oath_faithfully_misspok.html

And President Barack Obama, a constitutional lawyer in his time, apparently stood ready to repeat them. Because when Chief Justice John Roberts, administering the oath for his first time, misspoke the order of a few words, Obama took notice.

Obama paused, not taking the miscue at first.

So Roberts repeated the phrase correctly, inserting "faithfully" in the right order: "faithfully execute the office of president of the United States."

Yet Obama then repeated Roberts' original misstatement - "the office of president of the United States faithfully."

-----------------

You just can't make some of this stuff up folks. This I can forgive as being a function of nerves on the part of both. But OMG.

One of the highlights for me, aside from Pastor Warren, was this quote from President Obama's speech:

11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. I Corinthians 13:11-12

This is good advice, the pursuit of spiritual perfection. It's sad, almost insulting, to see it bastardized for personal gain from one who lacks even the most rudimentary understanding of what the verse is actually referring to.

But it did cause me to ask myself, "How much better off would our country have been had we given President Bush the same benefit that now his critics are asking we give to them?" I guess Pastor Warren should have taught the Golden Rule to the Dem Leadership of the last eight years.

Remember, after 9/11, as shown above, Bush's popularity was extremely high. Then after he took the fight to the terrorists in ways that Democrats eventually did not agree with, we started to hear the sniping. BUSH LIED, BUSH LIED!!!! When the reality may be, that in a moment where the safety and security of the country and ALL it's citizens, he erred on the side of caution. I thank him for that.

There are two major things we can credit President Bush with, one of which most pundits and experts would have never thought possible.

Remember the theme of the stories in the media from September 12th forward? We are going to have to get used to hearing stories like this...we can't protect our borders, our planes, our subways, our water....We are doomed to this becoming the norm instead of an aberration....And yet, in the seven years afterward, no repeated terrorist events. Thank you for that as well President Bush.

Yes, there was an anthrax mail scare. As it turns out, more a case of domestic terrorism than anything else. Further, these "attacks" were directed at the national government as I recall, just as the plane that was downed in Pennsylvania on 9/11 was believed to be. As much as I would like to see many of these rascals removed from office wholesale, I would prefer term limits or the ballot over the bullet.

And so the big lie was perpetrated. To go along with the other two big lies that prevented any progress on important issues. That Bush stole the 2000 election in 2000 from Gore and again in 2004 from Kerry.

Who from the opposition side was championing putting aside childish things back then? None as I recall. But they ask for the same courtesy that they do not grant to their colleagues. Sounds relatively childish to me.

The other Big Lie? That Bush just told people to go shopping after the attacks. Sorry that is not the instructions I recall hearing. I recall him using "Let's roll", the quote from the heroes from Flight 93 who took down one of the planes destined for mayhem on 9/11.

The other was that we should get back to our normal daily lives and activities once the grieving process was over. If you recall the phrase du juor was "If we don't get back to our normal daily activities, then the terrorists have won." I seem to recall a nation paralyzed, paralyzed by FEAR, GRIEF AND CONFUSION. And Bush led us through that. History will very likely show that we owe him a great deal of gratitude for this. Thanks again President Bush.

And one can disagree on a certain policy or another that Bush-Cheney employed, but history will now show that there was not a 9/11 sequel on Bush's watch. Obama had better hope that if he is blessed enough to serve two terms, that he can say the same thing.
-----------------
THE BIG LIE BASICS:

The phrase was also used in a report prepared during the war by the United States Office of Strategic Services in describing Hitler's psychological profile:[3]

His primary rules were: never allow the public to cool off; never admit a fault or wrong; never concede that there may be some good in your enemy; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it.[4] ^ Hitler as His Associates Know Him (OSS report, p.51)

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This does sound like the policy the Democratic leadership employed to sully Bush after the perfunctory grieving period post-9/11 was observed. I don't blame Obama for this, he was not in Democratic leadership position at the time. I am still to this day amazed that Bush didn't do a stronger job defending his reputation. Like ObamA said about former President Bill Clinton after the Nevada primary:

"This has become a habit, and one of the things that we're going to have to do is to directly confront Bill Clinton when he's making statements that are not factually accurate."

But ask yourself if these idiots had been working together on issues instead of engaging in some of this childish, playground tom-foolery, might they have had more time and a better, more cooperative environment to perhaps fix Social Security and Medicare? Would the housing and credit crisis developed if there was legitimate concern about handling the peoples affairs from 2000-2008 by BOTH Repubs and Dems?

It is hard to prove the counter factual, but I have to believe some of these problems would have been averted if we didn't have the LEAST PRODUCTIVE Congress
acting in "childish ways" during the period. The waters have been poisoned for the past eight years.

My point is: Are we going to see a President and Congress working together productively as President Clinton was able to do with a Republican Congress, like Reagan was able to get things done with Democrats in majority?

Or in four years will we hear a quote from the Inauguration employed as a return volley to the "shopping" quote, something along the lines of:

"We faced the one of the greatest economic crisis in our history and all Obama could say to inspire confidence was a line from the 1936 movie "Swing Time" starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

I pick myself up, dust myself off, start all over again.

If only it could be that easy. That is great advice to those homeowners who are now upside down in their mortgages, with more "drownings" on the way if some who predict another 10-15% slide in home prices materializes. At that point there is going to be as many angry homeowners as appeared at the mall today. I HOPE THEY LEARN HOW TO MARCH. You see they can't just pick themselves up, dust themselves off and they don't want to start all over again from zero or negative equity.

If those American who have 401K's continue to see the erosion of their retirement nest egg, well just add that many more Americans to the party. Maybe then we'll get the kind of fundamental CHANGE we need in the country. MAYBE THESE FOLKS CAN JOIN THE MARCH AS WELL. Again you see, this financial and market crisis was not of "the peoples" doing. It was a creation of leadership, many of whom will never feel the relative pain that "the people" do.

By the way, the reason I refer to the 'go shopping" quote as "The Big Lie" that it appears to be is that I cannot for the life of me find a quote FROM BUSH that remotely resembles the context the Dems framed it in the immediate aftermath on 9/11.

I did, however, find some of these references:
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On September 27, 2001, at the Chicago O'Hare International Airport,
President Bush said:

"Get on board. Do your business around the country. Fly and enjoy
America's great destination spots. Get down to Disney World in
Florida. Take your families and enjoy life, the way we want it to be
enjoyed.?"

"When they struck, they wanted to create an atmosphere of fear. And
one of the great goals of this nation's war is to restore public
confidence in the airline industry. It's to tell the traveling
public: Get on board. Do your business around the country. Fly and
enjoy America's great destination spots. Get down to Disney World in
Florida. Take your families and enjoy life, the way we want it to be
enjoyed.?"

---------------
This article from November 4th 2001, credits "others": pundits or economists with injecting the shopping lingo.

http://communitylink.gopbi.com/servlet/groups_ProcServ/dbpage=page&GID=00026000001016743266826663&PG=00035000001019269118815742

Ironically, as we begin to accept the fact that the world has changed, we also are told that we should carry on as if nothing had happened, most especially when it comes to our normal, often excessive habits of spending money. President Bush urged listeners in Chicago to “get down to Disney World in Florida”--I can’t imagine why he chose Florida. One source notes: “If some economists and business leaders are to be believed, the terrorists will have won if Americans don’t go shopping.” We are advised to show our patriotism, to help defeat terrorism, by going out and spending money as we Americans have always done.

At the same time that we are being told that life will never be the same, we are told to return to normal. No wonder so many people are anxious and fearful. Our realities and expectations don’t mesh. It turns out that the reality of the world is not what we thought it was, and now we aren’t quite sure what it is--or how best to live in it.

This is a time of crisis. It is a time for reflection and reevaluation, decision, and, in many cases, of concrete change. It is a time to reframe our understanding of the world, welcoming and incorporating information that we have not had or that we have not been ready to hear before. It is a time to affirm and promote “the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.”

--------------------
I guess he should have let peoples fear of a possible 9/11 sequel take down the airline industry as some predicted would happen in the aftermath. Bush either displayed unbelievable leadership and confidence or reckless chutzpah, but history shows he was correct.

This article from Time magazine, hardly a conservative Republican outlet, gives Bush an unusual amount of credit but also forms the basis for how the lie was conceived.
-----------------------------
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,175757,00.html

George W. Bush, President of the United States at the darkest hour almost any of its citizens can remember, pronounces the word terror "terra." He's helpless with Latin. And he still needs work on waiting out his applause. But Thursday night, in front of the U.S. Congress and the nation, eight months to the day after he took office following an election that was pretty dark itself, Bush delivered the finest, strongest, clearest, several-times-chill-giving speech of his life. Here's how he did it:

"After all that has just passed, all the lives taken and all the possibilities and hopes that died with them, it is natural to wonder if America's future is one of fear Americans are asking, 'What is expected of us?'"

He then answered his own rhetorical question with a line Americans wanted to hear.

"I ask you to live your lives and hug your children."

He could have stopped there — a gem of a line, a Hallmark-card-sized summation of the littlest and best things we can do — but when American shores are smoldering still, Bush must have realized that more couldn't hurt. Be calm, not scared; be tolerant, not blind; be generous, not selfish; be patient, patient, patient, at airports and skyscrapers and landmarks and hotels and traffic stops and bus stops and train stations and anywhere else it is possible to imagine a public vulnerability, which of course is everywhere.

And for God's sake keep shopping — "I ask your continued participation and confidence in the American economy" — and keep praying:

"And finally, please continue praying for the victims of terror and their families, for those in uniform and for our great country. Prayer has comforted us in sorrow and will help strengthen us for the journey ahead."

---------------------
Note how the phrase And for God's sake keep shopping is not in quotes as the rest of the quotes properly appear to be. There's only one reason for this folks. This is the Time write editorializing, not Bush speaking.
----------------------
In this speech given November 11, 2001 in Atlanta, shopping finally appears in this context:

http://www.september11news.com/PresidentBushAtlanta.htm

In the face of this great tragedy, Americans are refusing to give terrorists the power.

Our people have responded with courage and compassion, calm and reason, resolve and fierce
determination. We have refused to live in a state of panic or a state of denial. There is a
difference between being alert and being intimidated, and this great nation will never be
intimidated.

People are going about their daily lives, working and shopping and playing, worshipping at
churches and synagogues and mosques, going to movies and to baseball games.

Life in America is going forward, and as the fourth grader who wrote me knew, that is the
ultimate repudiation of terrorism.

----------------------------------

President Bush did say this, about shopping:

"I've been told that some fear to leave; some don't want to go
shopping for their families; some don't want to go about their
ordinary daily routines because, by wearing cover, they're afraid
they'll be intimidated. That should not and that will not stand in
America."

From a transcript of President Bush's comments at a Washington mosque:
http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/09/17/gen.bush.muslim.trans/

--------------
Truth be told, and I do believe that truth is in short supply in Washington and always loses to spin, it appears as if Guiliani was the public figure who was promoting shopping early and often, and that makes sense. New York City's economy was at risk.

I do remember the quote from Giuliani from a September 12 news
conference. It was played with a similar message from Bush on TV.

http://www.nationalreview.com/murdock/murdock091401.shtml
"Show your confidence," Giuliani said. "Show you're not afraid. Go to
restaurants. Go shopping," he urged citizens.

Also in:

http://www.boston.com/news/packages/underattack/globe_stories/0914/In_crisis_Giuliani_s_image_transformed+.shtml
He has acknowledged that thousands probably had died, but added, ''Now
we've got to focus on how many we can save.'' He's urged people, ''Go
to restaurants, go shopping, do things, show that you're not afraid.''
He promised, ''We are going to rebuild; we're going to come out of
this stronger than we were before.''

-------------------
So my fellow Americans, it is important to not only "Never Forget", but maybe even more important to get our facts right and stop misleading people, stop acting in childish ways.

We heard an awful lot of rhetoric about one candidate or another ability to reach across the aisle and work with the opposition to get things done. I was always amazed that Bush continued to do that, often to his detriment, in spite of a climate that he "cheated" and "stole" two election from them, was an "illegitimate" President and "lied" to the country about Iraq. Kind of hard to work with folks who think that way about you, don't you think.

I saw a funny little flair on Facebook along the lines of "Let's cooperate with the current administration the same way they cooperated with Bush". Of course, we really can't afford that kind of gridlock for eight more years. But I wouldn't blame them if they did.

The Washington euphoria unfortunately did not transfer to Wall Street as the Dow plunged on Tuesday, a possible signal that The Street doesn’t think Obama can fix the economic mess that we find ourselves in.


THE BLAME BUSH CROWD - I'M GOING TO MISS THEM

--------------------------
For the next Inauguration speech maybe Barack could choose from one of these Biblical quotes to frame and improve the climate in Washington:

ROMANS 16:17-18

17 And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. 18 Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people.

PROVERBS 17:7

7 Eloquent words are not fitting for a fool;
even less are lies fitting for a ruler.

-------------
I truly wish the incoming President good luck in the task. He will need it. I fear that now that he has lost his favorite security blanket--the ability to blame Bush for everything that goes wrong--he may crack under the pressure of unrealistic expectations.


YOU'RE THE MAN NOW - TIME TO ACTUALLY MAKE DECISIONS - OH YEAH, GIVE ME THE DAMN BLANKET
-------------------
NEVER FORGET:

----------------------
HERE IS THE TEXT OF THAT SPEECH BUSH GAVE TO CONGRESS ON 9/21/2001:

I HAVE POSTED THE ENTIRE TEXT (LONG) SO YOU CAN READ IT IN ITS CONTEXT, BETTER YET YOU CAN PROBABLY FIND THE SPEECH ON YOU TUBE.

http://www.september11news.com/PresidentBushSpeech.htm

Mr. Speaker, Mr. President Pro Tempore, members of Congress, and fellow Americans, in the
normal course of events, presidents come to this chamber to report on the state of the union.
Tonight, no such report is needed; it has already been delivered by the American people.

We have seen it in the courage of passengers who rushed terrorists to save others on the
ground. Passengers like an exceptional man named Todd Beamer. And would you please help
me welcome his wife, Lisa Beamer, here tonight?

We have seen the state of our union in the endurance of rescuers working past exhaustion.

We've seen the unfurling of flags, the lighting of candles, the giving of blood, the saying
of prayers in English, Hebrew and Arabic.

We have seen the decency of a loving and giving people who have made the grief of
strangers their own.

My fellow citizens, for the last nine days, the entire world has seen for itself the state of
our union, and it is strong.

Tonight, we are a country awakened to danger and called to defend freedom. Our grief has
turned to anger and anger to resolution. Whether we bring our enemies to justice or bring
justice to our enemies, justice will be done.

I thank the Congress for its leadership at such an important time.

All of America was touched on the evening of the tragedy to see Republicans and Democrats
joined together on the steps of this Capitol singing "God Bless America."

And you did more than sing. You acted, by delivering $40 billion to rebuild our communities
and meet the needs of our military. Speaker [Dennis] Hastert, Minority Leader [Richard]
Gephardt, Majority Leader [Thomas] Daschle and Senator [Trent] Lott, I thank you for your
friendship, for your leadership and for your service to our country.

And on behalf of the American people, I thank the world for its outpouring of support.

America will never forget the sounds of our national anthem playing at Buckingham Palace,
on the streets of Paris and at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.

We will not forget South Korean children gathering to pray outside our embassy in Seoul,
or the prayers of sympathy offered at a mosque in Cairo.

We will not forget moments of silence and days of mourning in Australia and Africa and Latin
America.

Nor will we forget the citizens of 80 other nations who died with our own. Dozens of
Pakistanis, more than 130 Israelis, more than 250 citizens of India, men and women from
El Salvador, Iran, Mexico and Japan, and hundreds of British citizens.

America has no truer friend than Great Britain.

Once again, we are joined together in a great cause.

I'm so honored the British prime minister had crossed an ocean to show his unity with America.
Thank you for coming, friend.

On September the 11th, enemies of freedom committed an act of war against our country.
Americans have known wars, but for the past 136 years they have been wars on foreign soil,
except for one Sunday in 1941. Americans have known the casualties of war, but not at the
center of a great city on a peaceful morning.

Americans have known surprise attacks, but never before on thousands of civilians.

All of this was brought upon us in a single day, and night fell on a different world, a world
where freedom itself is under attack.

Americans have many questions tonight. Americans are asking, "Who attacked our country?"

The evidence we have gathered all points to a collection of loosely affiliated terrorist
organizations known as al Qaeda. They are some of the murderers indicted for bombing
American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya and responsible for bombing the USS Cole.

Al Qaeda is to terror what the Mafia is to crime. But its goal is not making money, its goal is
remaking the world and imposing its radical beliefs on people everywhere.

The terrorists practice a fringe form of Islamic extremism that has been rejected by Muslim
scholars and the vast majority of Muslim clerics, a fringe movement that perverts the
peaceful teachings of Islam.

The terrorists' directive commands them to kill Christians and Jews, to kill all Americans and
make no distinctions among military and civilians, including women and children.

This group and its leader, a person named Osama bin Laden, are linked to many other
organizations in different countries, including the Egyptian Islamic Jihad [and] the Islamic
Movement of Uzbekistan.

There are thousands of these terrorists in more than 60 countries.

They are recruited from their own nations and neighborhoods and brought to camps in places
like Afghanistan, where they are trained in the tactics of terror. They are sent back to their
homes or sent to hide in countries around the world to plot evil and destruction.

The leadership of al Qaeda has great influence in Afghanistan and supports the Taliban regime
in controlling most of that country. In Afghanistan we see al Qaeda's vision for the world.
Afghanistan's people have been brutalized, many are starving and many have fled.

Women are not allowed to attend school. You can be jailed for owning a television. Religion
can be practiced only as their leaders dictate. A man can be jailed in Afghanistan if his beard
is not long enough.

The United States respects the people of Afghanistan -- after all, we are currently its largest
source of humanitarian aid -- but we condemn the Taliban regime.

It is not only repressing its own people, it is threatening people everywhere by sponsoring
and sheltering and supplying terrorists.

By aiding and abetting murder, the Taliban regime is committing murder. And tonight the
United States of America makes the following demands on the Taliban:

Deliver to United States authorities all of the leaders of al Qaeda who hide in your land.

Release all foreign nationals, including American citizens, you have unjustly imprisoned.
Protect foreign journalists, diplomats and aid workers in your country. Close immediately
and permanently every terrorist training camp in Afghanistan. And hand over every terrorist
and every person and their support structure to appropriate authorities.

Give the United States full access to terrorist training camps, so we can make sure they are
no longer operating.

These demands are not open to negotiation or discussion. The Taliban must act and act
immediately. They will hand over the terrorists or they will share in their fate.

I also want to speak tonight directly to Muslims throughout the world. We respect your faith.
It's practiced freely by many millions of Americans and by millions more in countries that
America counts as friends. Its teachings are good and peaceful, and those who commit evil
in the name of Allah blaspheme the name of Allah.

The terrorists are traitors to their own faith, trying, in effect, to hijack Islam itself.

The enemy of America is not our many Muslim friends. It is not our many Arab friends. Our
enemy is a radical network of terrorists and every government that supports them.

Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there.

It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.

Americans are asking, "Why do they hate us?"

They hate what they see right here in this chamber: a democratically elected government.
Their leaders are self-appointed. They hate our freedoms: our freedom of religion, our
freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other.

They want to overthrow existing governments in many Muslim countries such as Egypt, Saudi
Arabia and Jordan. They want to drive Israel out of the Middle East. They want to drive
Christians and Jews out of vast regions of Asia and Africa.

These terrorists kill not merely to end lives, but to disrupt and end a way of life. With
every atrocity, they hope that America grows fearful, retreating from the world and
forsaking our friends. They stand against us because we stand in their way.

We're not deceived by their pretenses to piety. We have seen their kind before. They're the
heirs of all the murderous ideologies of the 20th century. By sacrificing human life to serve
their radical visions, by abandoning every value except the will to power, they follow in the
path of fascism, Nazism and totalitarianism. And they will follow that path all the way to
where it ends in history's unmarked grave of discarded lies.

Americans are asking, "How will we fight and win this war?"

We will direct every resource at our command -- every means of diplomacy, every tool of
intelligence, every instrument of law enforcement, every financial influence, and every
necessary weapon of war -- to the destruction and to the defeat of the global terror network.

Now, this war will not be like the war against Iraq a decade ago, with a decisive liberation of
territory and a swift conclusion. It will not look like the air war above Kosovo two years ago,
where no ground troops were used and not a single American was lost in combat.

Our response involves far more than instant retaliation and isolated strikes. Americans should
not expect one battle, but a lengthy campaign unlike any other we have ever seen. It may
include dramatic strikes visible on TV and covert operations secret even in success.

We will starve terrorists of funding, turn them one against another, drive them from place
to place until there is no refuge or no rest.

And we will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism. Every nation in every
region now has a decision to make: Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists.

From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be
regarded by the United States as a hostile regime. Our nation has been put on notice.
We're not immune from attack. We will take defensive measures against terrorism to
protect Americans.

Today, dozens of federal departments and agencies, as well as state and local governments,
have responsibilities affecting homeland security.

These efforts must be coordinated at the highest level. So tonight, I announce the creation
of a Cabinet-level position reporting directly to me, the Office of Homeland Security.

And tonight, I also announce a distinguished American to lead this effort, to strengthen
American security: a military veteran, an effective governor, a true patriot, a trusted
friend, Pennsylvania's Tom Ridge.

He will lead, oversee and coordinate a comprehensive national strategy to safeguard our
country against terrorism and respond to any attacks that may come.

These measures are essential. The only way to defeat terrorism as a threat to our way of life
is to stop it, eliminate it and destroy it where it grows.

Many will be involved in this effort, from FBI agents, to intelligence operatives, to the
reservists we have called to active duty. All deserve our thanks, and all have our prayers.

And tonight a few miles from the damaged Pentagon, I have a message for our military:
Be ready. I have called the armed forces to alert, and there is a reason.

The hour is coming when America will act, and you will make us proud.

This is not, however, just America's fight. And what is at stake is not just America's freedom.

This is the world's fight. This is civilization's fight. This is the fight of all who believe in progress
and pluralism, tolerance and freedom.

We ask every nation to join us.

We will ask and we will need the help of police forces, intelligence services and banking
systems around the world. The United States is grateful that many nations and many
international organizations have already responded with sympathy and with support
-- nations from Latin America to Asia to Africa to Europe to the Islamic world.

Perhaps the NATO charter reflects best the attitude of the world: An attack on one is an
attack on all. The civilized world is rallying to America's side.

They understand that if this terror goes unpunished, their own cities, their own citizens
may be next. Terror unanswered can not only bring down buildings, it can threaten the stability
of legitimate governments.

And you know what? We're not going to allow it.

Americans are asking, "What is expected of us?"

I ask you to live your lives and hug your children.

I know many citizens have fears tonight, and I ask you to be calm and resolute, even in the
face of a continuing threat.

I ask you to uphold the values of America and remember why so many have come here.

We're in a fight for our principles, and our first responsibility is to live by them. No one should
be singled out for unfair treatment or unkind words because of their ethnic background or
religious faith.

I ask you to continue to support the victims of this tragedy with your contributions. Those
who want to give can go to a central source of information, libertyunites.org, to find the
names of groups providing direct help in New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

The thousands of FBI agents who are now at work in this investigation may need your
cooperation, and I ask you to give it. I ask for your patience with the delays and
inconveniences that may accompany tighter security and for your patience in what will be
a long struggle.

I ask [for] your continued participation and confidence in the American economy. Terrorists
attacked a symbol of American prosperity; they did not touch its source.

America is successful because of the hard work and creativity and enterprise of our people.
These were the true strengths of our economy before September 11th, and they are our
strengths today.

And finally, please continue praying for the victims of terror and their families, for those in
uniform and for our great country. Prayer has comforted us in sorrow and will help strengthen
us for the journey ahead.

Tonight I thank my fellow Americans for what you have already done and for what you will do.

And, ladies and gentlemen of the Congress, I thank you, their representatives, for what you
have already done and for what we will do together.

Tonight we face new and sudden national challenges.

We will come together to improve air safety, to dramatically expand the number of air marshals
on domestic flights and take new measures to prevent hijacking.

We will come together to promote stability and keep our airlines flying with direct assistance
during this emergency.

We will come together to give law enforcement the additional tools it needs to track down
terror here at home.

We will come together to strengthen our intelligence capabilities to know the plans of
terrorists before they act and to find them before they strike.

We will come together to take active steps that strengthen America's economy and put our
people back to work.

Tonight, we welcome two leaders who embody the extraordinary spirit of all New Yorkers,
Governor George Pataki and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. As a symbol of America's resolve, my
administration will work with Congress and these two leaders to show the world that we will
rebuild New York City.

After all that has just passed, all the lives taken and all the possibilities and hopes that died
with them, it is natural to wonder if America's future is one of fear.

Some speak of an age of terror. I know there are struggles ahead and dangers to face. But
this country will define our times, not be defined by them.

As long as the United States of America is determined and strong, this will not be an age of
terror. This will be an age of liberty here and across the world.

Great harm has been done to us. We have suffered great loss. And in our grief and anger we
have found our mission and our moment.

Freedom and fear are at war. The advance of human freedom, the great achievement of our
time and the great hope of every time, now depends on us.

Our nation, this generation, will lift the dark threat of violence from our people and our future.
We will rally the world to this cause by our efforts, by our courage. We will not tire, we will
not falter and we will not fail.

It is my hope that in the months and years ahead life will return almost to normal. We'll go
back to our lives and routines, and that is good.

Even grief recedes with time and grace.

But our resolve must not pass. Each of us will remember what happened that day and to
whom it happened. We will remember the moment the news came, where we were and what
we were doing.

Some will remember an image of a fire or story or rescue. Some will carry memories of a face
and a voice gone forever.

And I will carry this: It is the police shield of a man named George Howard who died at the
World Trade Center trying to save others.

It was given to me by his mom, Arlene, as a proud memorial to her son. It is my reminder of
lives that ended and a task that does not end.

I will not forget the wound to our country and those who inflicted it. I will not yield, I will not
rest, I will not relent in waging this struggle for freedom and security for the American people.

The course of this conflict is not known, yet its outcome is certain. Freedom and fear, justice
and cruelty, have always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them.

Fellow citizens, we'll meet violence with patient justice, assured of the rightness of our cause
and confident of the victories to come.

In all that lies before us, may God grant us wisdom and may He watch over the United States
of America.

Thank you.

-------------------------

HAPPY MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY

According to this story, yes we've come a long way, but we have to recognize we may still have a way to go.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/19/king.poll/index.html

More than two-thirds of African-Americans believe Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision for race relations has been fulfilled, a CNN poll found -- a figure up sharply from a survey in early 2008.

The poll found 69 percent of blacks said King's vision has been fulfilled in the more than 45 years since his 1963 "I have a dream" speech -- roughly double the 34 percent who agreed with that assessment in a similar poll taken last March.

But whites remain less optimistic, the survey found.

"Whites don't feel the same way -- a majority of them say that the country has not yet fulfilled King's vision," CNN polling director Keating Holland said. However, the number of whites saying the dream has been fulfilled has also gone up since March, from 35 percent to 46 percent.

In the 1963 speech, delivered to a civil rights rally on the Mall in Washington, King said: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

----------------------


Part of the problem going forward is going to come from the heightened expectations that an Obama administration will bring. We keep hearing that we are entering the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression, when the reality appears to be that in many objective measures, we are not even as bad off as we were in 1980. Those of us who grew up in that era can speak to the level of hopelessness and despair that was prominent in that era.

There is no need to exaggerate the significance of the event or the nature of the problems we face. All that does is make peoples expectations as unrealistic as some of the statements we keep hearing from those in the media and government. Many of whom should know better. And it heightens peoples fear and lowers their confidence that we can dig ourselves out of the economic hole we've dug.

That is not to say that we couldn't get to Great Depression II, but please people get a grip. Unemployment was at or above 25% in the 30's. We're not there yet.

What we need is for our leaders to show the qualities that they have been severely deficient in lately. Leadership, foresight and common sense.
-------------
Unfortunately, according to these numbers from PolitiFact, many people are going to be disappointed down the road. We just don't know yet who they are.

http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2009/jan/14/editors-note-introducing-obameter/

PolitiFact is launching an unprecedented journalistic effort to track Obama’s campaign promises and measure the progress of his presidency. Using our new Obameter, we will track each promise — we’ve identified 510 of them — and rate whether it was kept, broken or compromised. Those ratings will be tallied on our Web site, creating an up-to-the-minute report card on the Obama White House.

For the Obameter, our ambitious new campaign promise initiative, PolitiFact writers Angie Drobnic Holan and Robert Farley have spent the last six weeks digging through Obama’s campaign Web site, position papers, speeches, interviews and debate transcripts. The 510 promises they unearthed is a stunning number, more than Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush combined. (I recognize there are limitations to such comparisons because of differences between our methodology and what other news organizations used in 1992 and 2000. But we believe it’s still accurate to say that Obama has promised considerably more.)

Without question, tomorrow's inauguration is a historic date. After that, it's time to roll up our sleeves and get to work, because there is some serious work yet to be done in this country in a lot of areas.

DUNGY WALKS AWAY FROM COLTS

There are those that are already measuring Tony Dungy's career in terms like "Is he a Hall of Fame coach?" or "Did he do enough (only one Super Bowl) with the Colts and the Buccaneers?"

In the first place, I'm not sure Tony Dungy measures his coaching career entirely by his W-L record. This is a coach, like John Wooden in college basketball, whose impact is going to be measured on his ability not only to make young men into better football players, but also his impact in making them into better people.

Their X's and O's transcend the playing field. You can hear it in the reverence with which their ex-players speak of the experience of playing for them and the lessons learned together, the battles fought together.

He's one of the rare coaches who seems to take the approach that strength of character somehow, someway translates into being a better, more reliable football player. He makes them better men and somehow they also become better players than they thought they could be.

Contrast to his successor in Tampa, Jon Gruden. A coach who, IMO, is wearing one of Dungys Super Bowl rings. Yes, yes, Gruden was the titular head of the team that won the title. But it was Dungy who built that franchise from an embarrassment of epic proportions--a creamsicle colored laughingstock--into a contender.


REMEMBER THESE BUCCANEERS? - IF YOU DON'T, THANK TONY DUNGY

It was Dungy who did all the heavy lifting. It was Dungy who laid the foundation for winning there. All Gruden had to do that year was not screw it up. Has Gruden built further onto the strong foundation that was there, courtesy of Dungy? No, I think not.

So much for the "only one Super Bowl" argument. As for the Hall of Fame argument, of course he is in. As if what he did on the field was not enough, being a great role model and ambassador for the league puts him over the top easily.

Further contrast the philosophical approach to player personnel. Gruden it seems would be in the camp that would have Charles Manson play for him if he could run a 4.3 forty. And he wouldn't give a hoot about his off the field activities. I know who I would rather play for.

Suffice to say that Dungy is one of my favorite all-time coaches.

And here's the final reason why. Of how many football or baseball coaches can it be said when they retire?

"We'll miss him, but he's cut out for better things"

Not too many. Not too many indeed.

THE TWO BEST STORIES IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow’s eye-black patches remind him: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

TIM TEBOW - YOU ARE SO RIGHT TIM!! PHIL 4:13 INDEED

I was glad to hear the Gators beat the Sooners for the national title just for Mr. Tebow to be recognized for who he is: the best "football player" in college football. And he may also be the best all-around person to come out of college football in quite some time.

He may not be the best QB. Maybe not the Heisman winner this year. He may not be atop Mel Kiper or Todd McShay's draft list. But as far as his impact in life after football, there may not be too many better prospects.

I simply have one piece of advice for all those cynics who seem to lie in wait for something bad to come out of the Tim Tebow story: Please, please hold your breath waiting.

FROM THE ST. PETERSBURG TIMES:
http://www.tampabay.com/sports/college/article956080.ece

Tim Tebow had watched and admired Texas quarterback Colt McCoy from afar for quite some time, so when the two finally met last month, Tebow was excited about the opportunity. But their first conversation wasn't about which country music star each has on his iPod (although that came later) or who plays on the better team. It was about God and the profound faith each publicly professes on a regular basis. "No. 1 what I like about him is his strength to show his faith and not be ashamed of that," Tebow said. "We're very similar in that way. And I wanted to compliment him on his beliefs and how he's not ashamed to show it."

A few days after that awards show at Lake Buena Vista, Tebow, McCoy and Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford were getting ready to step into the auditorium at the Nokia Theatre in New York before the Heisman Trophy ceremony began. McCoy and Bradford were nervous. They hadn't been there before. Tebow, who won the Heisman last season, calmed them both by telling them to enjoy the moment. And if they should win, he reminded them, remember to give thanks to who deserved most of the credit.

"I just said give credit to God and represent for him," the Florida quarterback said. "I really tried to (stress) that the whole time. I talked to them two or three times about it."

And so when Bradford stepped onto the stage to accept his Heisman, one of the first things out of his mouth was giving thanks to God.

"He doesn't fear anything," UF coach Urban Meyer said. "A lot of people take their heart out, rip it out of their chest and lay it on the table. I'm not willing to do that, and certainly not my family. But Bob (his father) is that way, and Pam (his mother) and their whole family. They have such a strong faith. In this world of hypocrisy, there's none (with them)."

Meyer admits he had heard about Tebow's strong beliefs, and when he first met him, he was skeptical.

"I was like okay, come on, the Philippines, c'mon give me the real gig here," Meyer said. "You want a hat? What's the deal? But it's true. It's all from the heart. I love that guy. I've never met one like him."

Tebow understands that being the starting quarterback at Florida has given him a platform to tell others about his faith in a unique way. His high profile is what got him into Florida state prisons last summer to talk about Jesus. Talk of his faith is what caused a large group of men to convert.

"For me, I just want to be a good role model, like (former UF quarterback) Danny Wuerffel was for me and several other guys that I looked up to," Tebow said. "I want to be someone that kids can look up to in today's society."

In his rare off-time, Tebow isn't standing on a corner waving a Bible and a sign condemning nonbelievers to hell. But he is working prison ministries, traveling to foreign countries to give his testimony and volunteering for those less fortunate. He holds Bible studies and participates in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Former roommate Tony Joiner often participated in the Bible study, which he admitted even surprised him. Tebow listens to Kenny Chesney and tells jokes like everyone else.

I was particularly impressed by Tebow's philosophy and approach to his celebrity and opportunity as articulated in this column:

FROM ESPN.COM - Pat Forde
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3812762&sportCat=ncf

"You know, everybody, they can look and say how easy it is. But it's definitely not that easy. The difference is 'cause not many people want to wake up at 5, go through workouts, go speak to young kids, go back, eat lunch, go to class, go to tutoring, go speak at a prison at night, come back. I mean, more people would do those things; they just don't want to sacrifice.

"You know, there's a lot of leaders out there. But, unfortunately, there aren't a lot of good ones. So that's always been my dream and my goal, is to be someone like Danny Wuerffel was to me, to be someone that a parent can say, 'Hey, this kid did it the right way.' That's always been my dream and my goal more so than winning a trophy or winning a championship.

"So if it's cynical or whatnot, that's fine. If people don't believe it, that's fine. There's always going to be naysayers, people that are going to say it's fake. But that's fine because you can't control everybody. But I can control what I do, my attitude, how I approach the situation. So how I approach the situation is I want to do everything in my power that football gives me to influence as many people as I can for the good because that's gonna mean so much more when it's all said and done than just playing football and winning championships."

That's a lot of wisdom and perspective from a 21-year-old football hero. Even though he represents everything we say we want our athletes to be, he understands a segment of society instead will be probing for flaws and looking for proof that public persona is a sham. Sometimes good people make us uncomfortable with ourselves.

Tebow has quarterbacked Florida to its second BCS National Championship Game in his three years at the school. He nearly won the Heisman for a second straight season. If the Gators beat Oklahoma on Thursday and he comes back for his senior year, he has a chance to become the most decorated college football player of all time.

Yet none of those are the most important statistics or milestones in Tebow's life. These are: 11 prison visits to preach Christianity to inmates; annual trips to the country of his birth, the Philippines, to assist his father's missionary work there;

As I've said before, this is a kid that clearly gets "it". I'm glad he's going to be back next year to try and become the most decorated and successful college football player of all time. It's nice to see the good guys win once in awhile. And maybe take some of the sports pages away from the Pac Man's and T.O.'s of the world.
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MYRON ROLLE - RHODES SCHOLAR AND NFL PROSPECT - IN THAT ORDER

That the young man even knows who Bill Bradley is makes him cool as hell and wise beyond both his years and his prodigious GPA. That he is literally following in the Senator's footsteps athletically and academically makes him one of the top stories of the year.

I was glad to hear that he had the wisdom to accept the scholarship and defer the NFL. All he had to do is look at how a growing number of top-notch athletes have been able to juggle world class level academic talent with the chance to compete at the highest level athletically.

A brief glimpse at the career of Bill Bradley or Roger Staubach would provide perfect examples of what we may have to look forward to from Myron Rolle in the future.

FROM ESPN.COM - Jermele Hill's column:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hill/090115

"It's a great opportunity," Rolle told ESPN.com. "I'm going to get the chance to study at Oxford and read some incredible books and be among scholars. The whole culture in England is just very appealing. It will make me a better person and a stronger advocate."

A once in a lifetime opportunity that the NFL cannot come close to matching. And the NFL will likely be there for him after he does his academic tour of England. I'm not so sure that the reverse would be true.

"My family was very supportive," Rolle said. "They wanted me to go to Oxford because they taught me to always put education first. It was the most important thing for me besides God and family. Some of my teammates and frat brothers were like, 'Man, that's a lot of money to pass up.' I was definitely getting mixed input."

"Studying at Oxford is more than about the acclaim and the power," Rolle said. "It's about the people you meet. Yes, the NFL can give you financial stability, but I feel that's just temporary."

Family, good. Frat brothers and teammates, knuckleheads. If you're scoring at home.

Rolle created a program called Our Way To Health for Seminole Indian children to help educate them about the importance of physical fitness. He studied comparative politics and holistic medicine for six weeks in London, and was awarded a $4,000 grant for cancer research.

Rolle would rather be a neurosurgeon than a Pro Bowler. He'd rather work for the World Health Organization, the leading think tank in global health, than be the next Ed Reed. His idol is Benjamin Carson, a doctor and director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins, not FSU alum Deion Sanders.

Unbelievably, Rolle once was criticized by FSU defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews, who complained that Rolle was spending too much time studying and not enough time preparing as a football player.

WOW!! Are you kidding me. Sounds like Coach Andrews needs to be in the same coaching timeout corner as Connecticut women's basketball coach Gino Auriemma (creep) as far as choosing priorities and proper perspectives for young adults.

With all due respect to Mr. Andrews' coaching abilities, it sounds as if Mr. Rolle had his priorities, his perspective and his time management skills in perfectly good working order. It sounds like you need to go back to your X's and O's and spend more time figuring out how to beat the Gators and the Hurricanes.

DARN IT!!! - RAYS GET PAT THE BAT

WHAT DO THE RAYS HAVE THAT THE GIANTS DON'T?

Dang it. The Rays get Burrell. At two years, $16M this is a good move for the Rays lineup. Maybe it's the Rays just have a better chance to win...maybe it's the better scenery in and around the ballpark. Heck, I don't know. Big loss for the G-men.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3811501

This is the guy I think the Giants could have used the most because of his impact on the entire lineup. And without the negative impact on the clubhouse that Manny might bring.

Now they may have to focus on a deal (lose Sanchez) or maybe Crede and Hinske. I'd rather not see Gillaspie blocked for too long, it may be better for him to have a full season in the minors, but we'll see. Hinske gives you some flexibility,, but much less of a respect/fear factor in the lineup.

And they do need some respect. Last year 15th of 16 teams in Offense. A feeble 640 runs scored and only 94 HR's will cause guys to come off the DL to pitch against you, not miss a start to avoid you. Renteria as an addition by himself doesn't add enough to move them up to middle of the pack. So clearly more work needs to be done.

The pitching staff may end up being a shaky foundation even after adding The Unit. Here's why:

Last year 9th of 16 teams in ERA at 4.38 allowed. 759 total runs allowed leaves a 119 run deficit between offense and defense. So even if some some combination of improvement close the deficit to zero, the best you can hope for is a .500 record.

Here's last years record for the projected starters:
18-5 Lincecum
8-14 Cain
11-10 Johnson (with D-Backs)
10-17 Zito
9-12 Sanchez
3-8 Correia

48-56 among returning starters, 56-58 if you take Correia out (please) and insert Johnson with his D-Backs productivity and durability. If he comes in and limps to 300 wins and exits to the DL shortly thereafter, we're looking at Correia or Lowry to pick up innings. Yuck.

We have to hope that Linceum's dad is right about his unique mechanics being so pristine that he won't ever hurt his arm. I do not want to be talking about him in the same vein as Mark Prior five years from now. So there's the hope and the fear in a nutshell. 18-5 is about the best we can hope for out of the top slot especially with the offensive support.

Which brings us to Cain. I was OK with the excuse that he received the worst run support in the league in 2007 when he finished 7-16, but last year he received virtually equal run support as Lincecum and Zito last year (Linceum 5.51, Cain 5.41, Zito 5.30) and he posted his 8-14 record. So the excuse flies out the window. As should Cain if he posts another anemic W-L record in 2009. Because then the entire league will know what many are beginning to whisper and that is that Cain may be just a good enough pitcher to lose games. Great stuff, maybe not so much fire in the belly. He wouldn't be the first guy who dazzled with his stuff but induced vomit with his W-L record.

Zito and his 10-17 has to be better. It's a crime that you almost have to hope against hope for a .500 record from a guy with his contract, but that's where we are. If he brings the same stuff, most fans would be praying for a DL sabbatical for Mr. Zito. As bad as that sounds, that's about where we are. If he's healthy management won't pull him. And although many semi-pro teams would kill for the stuff he has, they don't have enough broken bats or batting practice balls to offer in trade. So, it is what it is.

Sanchez also has to produce a plus .500 record, even with the offense he has to work with.

If we could get:
18-6 Lincecum
12-12 Cain
12-12 Zito
11-10 Sanchez
11-10 The Unit

That works out to 64-50 from the starters. The bullpen has to battle to .500 in the rest of the decisions, which almost by definition are back and forth affairs where the offense is performing reasonably well.

24-24 from the bullpen leaves you at 88-74.

You can compete with that record. Probably not win the division, or the wild-card.
But, baby-steps fans...baby-steps.

This is what we have to expect...even from Giants.