RattlerGator Blog

Memorial Day 2012

A very happy Memorial Day to one and all. Tropical Storm Beryl is giving Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia real wind and rain but here in Tallahassee it appears that we are just to the west of the edge of the storm. Bright sunshine is filtering through the windows of my home right now (while drafting this post, however, the clouds have moved in -- Jacksonville radar explains why -- and back out, and back in, etc.):

But hey, it's Memorial Day and I'm in the mood to offer this U.S. Army photo that captures (my personal political differences nothwithstanding) the majesty (and I mean that -- majesty!) that absolutely is America:

The President and Commander-in-Chief along with, I presume, the commanding general of the Military District of Washington. Moments like this never fail to move me.

I re-tweeted this morning this quote from an Army website: “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” - Joseph Campbell. It's in that spirit that I salute all of my fellow veterans who have worn the uniform of the United States of America but especially those who not only answered the call but gave their lives.

I'm going to close with some photos from Arlington National Cemetery and the Army's "Old Guard" -- for many, myself included (I have an older brother that served in the Public Affairs Office of the Old Guard), the perpetual public face of Memorial Day:

 

 

This we will defend.

Congratulations, Graduates !!!

Last weekend and this weekend was graduation weekend for the public universities in Florida. My alma mater, UF, put together a nice little video to honor those members of Gator Nation who are more than fans of the University -- they're graduates of Florida's flagship:

Before You Go . . .

Well done, UF.

And congrats to all of the graduates of State University System of Florida institutions as well as higher education institutions everywhere.

Downtime, Enjoying Melanie Fiona -- Killing Me Softly

It seems as if I've been extremely busy for about a year now and I'm still processing how little I blog about anything these days. As I've written before, I blame Twitter. Today, I have a bit of a reprieve. And I happen to be obsessing on an artist I love -- Melanie Fiona. She did a song a few years ago that blew me away, Give It To Me Right, and after hunting down multiple versions of that song on YouTube today (click here to see an interesting version from German TV) I stumbled upon her doing Roberta Flack's classic, Killing Me Softly, at some German radio station in Hamburg one year ago. Check it out:

Wow.

Beautiful, talented -- I love that woman!

Thoughts On The Passing Of Christopher Hitchens (KingShamus)

Given that I didn't find the time or sufficient inclination to comment on the passing of Christopher Kitchens, I highly recommend this piece:

A few rather tardy reflections on the loss of a great public figure.

via www.luoamerican.com

That was an outstanding, and charitable, read.

Tebow the Magnificent

Living in Tallahassee, Tim Tebow (ahem: still the "Big Kid From Big Duval" in my Jacksonville-centric book) has given me incredible satisfaction beyond what he has simply done for the Florida Gators.

He remains the gift that keeps on giving.

This morning, on NFL.com, he's the lead story.

Wow. 

Numerous Noles insisted the man was nothing more than a fullback destined to be a bust at Quarterback (don't laugh, they were dead serious). Then, after his freshman season superlatives helped lead the Gators to a national title, these same Noles insisted Tebow would be a bust as a starting QB in college football. Above that, however, they insisted once the Noles were able to get after him for a full game -- our boy Tebow wouldn't make it through the game. The Result? Tebow threw for three touchdowns and rushed for two in a 45–12 rout of the mustard-and-ketchup Noles.

Tim would go on to never lose to the Noles in his college career.

Now, we all know what he's doing in the NFL. In the face of the most outrageous and disrespectful ridicule I've ever seen an elite athlete subjected to in my life. But he's still standing tall.

Against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, he achieved the impossible. A co-worker, and big Nole fan, assured me that the Steelers were going to destroy Tim the Magnificent.

I said no hell they wouldn't.

Trust me, you have no idea how incredibly satisfied I've been this week.

The dream will likely come to a crashing halt this Saturday against the Patriots, but I've never been so proud of an athlete. If by some weird occurrence you've missed the background information on the Tebow phenomenon, thanks to Rachel George at the Orlando Sentinel for the following info:

In preparation for the Broncos’ playoff game at New England on Sunday – or just because ESPN just loves Tim Tebow content – two Tebow-related documentaries will re-air this week on ESPN2 and ESPNU.

The first is Faces of Sports: Tim Tebow, which originally aired after he committed to Florida. It follows his senior season at Nease High School. The second documentary, Tim Tebow: Everything in Between, follows Tebow as he prepares for the 2010 NFL Draft.

Here’s a look at the schedule for when they’re re-airing:

Date	Time (ET)	Program	Network
Fri,Jan.13	11 p.m.	Tim Tebow: Everything in Between	ESPNU
	Midnight	Faces of Sports: Tim Tebow	ESPNU
Sat,Jan.14	7 a.m.	Tim Tebow: Everything in Between	ESPN2
	8 a.m.	Tim Tebow: Everything in Between	ESPNU
	9 a.m.	Faces of Sports: Tim Tebow	ESPNU

Yeah, some of you might be sick of him but "Tebow the Magnificent" continues to roll right on down the road, ever deeper into the American consciousness. And there isn't a more deserving guy in America.

The Effect of Twitter on my RattlerGator Blog

For months now I've periodically pulled up my blog and been absolutely stunned at the lack of posts . . . and proceeded to do absolutely nothing about it.

Why?

It's the damn Twitter, man. Along with work requirements, considerations because of wifey's job, etc. It's just always something but mostly it really is all about Twitter. The convenience of the tool simply can't be beat. I've found the following paragraph on their "About" page to be quite true:

You don’t have to tweet to get value from Twitter

You don’t have to build a web page to surf the web and you don’t have to tweet to enjoy Twitter. Whether you tweet 100 times a day or never, you still have access to the voices and information surrounding what interests you. You can contribute, or just listen in and retrieve up to the second information. Some people never tweet, they simply use Twitter as a way to get the latest information on their interests.

I definitely agree. Here's the link to my twitter page. It has a background photo taken from the front entrance of Florida A&M University's Black Archives. It (the archive) is situated smack dab in the center of FAMU's campus and looks southward toward the Gulf Coast (no more than 30 miles away but, unfortunately for we locals, lacking a suitable beach due south). With a deep interest in African Americana, and a deeper understanding that such a niche *is* Americana, I thought that locale was an appropriate spot for my initial background photo on Twitter.

With little time to pay attention to daily or weekly occurences worthy of comment and sufficient to keep blog posts current, I really wasn't prepared for the posting effect on this blog. But so be it. The social media landscape changed, Twitter and the blog are now intertwined components of my internet expressions, and there's the possibility that Google+ may change things further.

That said, the Christmas holidays are approaching and there might be some time for me to catch up on some posts I want to make (Haiti, Tim Tebow, Republican presidential field, etc.). And yes, I know I need to walk through my "Conservative Brotherhood" listing of bloggers and make sure links are current, etc. Today, however, I'm going to try and enjoy some pro football and -- hopefully -- another victory for Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos while simultaneously lamenting the incredible missed opportunity the Jacksonville Jaguars stubbornly insisted upon taking by stupidly passing on a hometown, statewide and national legend that would have instantly transformed the team from a regional pipsqueak to national player.

Yes, I'm still bitter. But I still love and support the Jags. And the Dolphins. And the Buccaneers. And, because of another Jacksonville (and FAMU) legend -- Bullet Bob Hayes -- Go Cowboys !!! For the sake of remembrance, here's a video on Bob Hayes. To this day, he may be the most under-appreciated Hall of Famer in the NFL:

Later, Gators.

Wasted Season for the Mighty Gators

The humbling of the Mighty Gators continues unabated; this time, a frustrating 17-12 loss to the Carolina Gamecocks. You know when your little nieces Cacky-lacky call talking football smack before the game that things have changed for the worse for the Orange and Blue. Arrrgggghhhhh !!!

Upon hearing the news last year that Brantley had decided to return for his senior season, there was truly not a doubt in my mind that we would end up in this type of situation.

He can't play well enough, he can't stay healthy enough, he can't make players around him better enough, and he can't lead well enough for what we've needed the last two seasons.

Pretty hard to get a more damning indictment of a Gator QB, and pretty hard to dispute any of those assertions I made. Especially when I see his former teammates, Tim Tebow *and* Cam Newton, starting in the NFL! It's incredibly hard for Brantley fans to acknowledge this but *all* of our opponents salivate at the sight of this guy.

Need I say more?

I've said it before: the kid is cursed. He had LSU beaten last year at home before a fluke play bounced the Bengal Tigers' way, he made a great effort under difficult circumstances this year against Georgia (especially in the first half). Without a lackluster play or three from Chris Rainey (IMHO), we win that game. Even with a few boneheaded plays from Rainey, had we utilized the "pistol" offensive set against Georgia -- we win that game. As it stands now, based on the hard results, we've wasted a season when our freshmen quarterbacks (and I like both of them, Driskel and Brissett) could have received some truly valuable game experience. Wasted! And that drives me crazy.

John Brantley? I feel for the guy, I've always felt for the guy, but this is what it is. I knew I was going to have to endure this season but -- staring at a quite possible loss to the damn Noles in the Swamp -- thinking of this season leaves a very bitter taste that lingers.

 

America, Again

While racing through some of the morning papers and websites, I ran across this article in the London Telegraph, World Power Swings Back to America. Here's a representative sampling:

As Cleveland Fed chief Sandra Pianalto said last week, US manufacturing is "very competitive" at the current dollar exchange rate. Whether intended or not, the Fed's zero rates and $2.3 trillion printing blitz have brought matters to an abrupt head for China.

Fed actions confronted Beijing with a Morton's Fork of ugly choices: revalue the yuan, or hang onto the mercantilist dollar peg and import a US monetary policy that is far too loose for a red-hot economy at the top of the cycle. Either choice erodes China's wage advantage. The Communist Party chose inflation.

Foreign exchange effects are subtle. They take a long to time play out as old plant slowly runs down, and fresh investment goes elsewhere. Yet you can see the damage to Europe from an over-strong euro in foreign direct investment (FDI) data.

Flows into the EU collapsed by 63 [percent] from 2007 to 2010 (UNCTAD data), and fell by 77 [percent] in Italy. Flows into the US rose by 5 [percent].

The current China fixation is the "Japan, Inc." phenomenon from the 1980s all over again with a major, extended worldwide recession thrown in right now, rather than looming on the horizon. I haven't been able to watch this video (embedding of the video has been disallowed) from one of the authors of the book that serves as much of the basis for the article, The American Phoenix: And Why China and Europe Will Struggle After the Coming Slump, but I'm sure it's an interesting five minutes.

Rarely is it a good bet to wager against the United States of America. However, as the article concludes:

The switch in advantage to the US is relative. It does not imply a healthy US recovery. The global depression will grind on as much of the Western world tightens fiscal policy and slowly purges debt, and as China deflates its credit bubble.

Yet America retains a pack of trump cards, and not just in sixteen of the world’s top twenty universities.

It is almost the only economic power with a fertility rate above 2.0 - and therefore the ability to outgrow debt - in sharp contrast to the demographic decay awaiting Japan, China, Korea, Germany, Italy, and Russia.

Europe's EMU soap opera has shown why it matters that America is a genuine nation, forged by shared language and the ancestral chords of memory over two centuries, with institutions that ultimately work and a real central bank able to back-stop the system.

The 21st Century may be American after all, just like the last.

Hubba Hubba !!!

Big Kid from Big Duval Delivers

Tim made history yesterday in his 18-15 win; not only did he win his first start of the season but according to Elias Sports Bureau, no team since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 had ever been down as many as 15 points with less than 3 minutes remaining and won.

History.

Yes, he was brutal early and often. Yes, he was obviously nervous. Who wouldn't be? But he was also handcuffed early and often. They -- Denver -- need to just go ahead and allow Tim to be Tim. He has started four NFL games, and today is the cover image on the NFL.com website:

He has eight touchdowns and three interceptions in his NFL career; three TDs and zero INTs this season. Amidst all the talking head talk yesterday and this early morning about how horrible he was early and often in this game, he had no interceptions. A bad performance with interceptions would be horrible. This kid had to overcome his coaching staff, his first start jitters, his coming back to Florida at *the* story of the day in a League hoping like hell you will fail . . . and he did overcome all of that.

Kudos to you, Timmy.

Somehow Philip Rivers can take beaucoup snaps out of the shotgun and no one says a damn thing, but the idea of Tim Tebow back in the shotgun on a regular basis is used as proof that he can't be an NFL quarterback. John Fox, put the man in the shotgun and let him work his magic. Allow him to get in his rhythm, his flow, then do more under-the-center stuff. Damn! Don't shackle the kid.

The Late, Great Freddie Scott

With the Florida-Georgia game approaching, and the Gators not quite looking ready this year for the clash, I find myself dreading actually thinking about the game but loving the thought of home and days gone by. Especially our great 20-year run over the Dawgs.

At some point today thoughts of northeast Florida brought to mind the music of the late, great Freddie Scott. A Providence, Rhode Island native, he's a little bit before my time but I remember often hearing some of his songs as a kid. In this post I want to present two of my favorites. Later this week I hope to do a post on the songwriter that Freddie Scott's most associated with, a songwriter that died far too early and has thus received far too little recognition for his great work in the 1960s.

First up, an iconic song that has never received its' proper due. As a Jacksonville kid, I'm biased of course, but this is a truly great R&B song:

And now, a really catchy song that I also love that served as the sample hook for Biz Markie on one of his big hits. Naturally, Freddie Scott's original is far, far better (Biz Markie's is funny stupid, if you know what I mean, but . . . damn):

Great, great music!

Allen West on the Campaigner-in-Chief

Congressman Allen West released this statement yesterday on the news that Barack Obama was ending America's military campaign in Iraq:

(WASHINGTON)--- Congressman Allen West (FL-22) released this statement today:

“Today, the President announced the withdrawal of all combat forces from Iraq by the end of the year.

As a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom who served during the initial battles of this conflict, I am proud to be among the more than one million Americans who served in Iraq. What my fellow comrades in arms achieved in Iraq is nothing short of historic. Together, we defeated one of history’s most tyrannical dictatorships and replaced it with a free and democratic government. American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines fought and defeated a radical Islamic insurgency, and helped create an ally and partner in freedom.

I will never forget those who I served with, and those who served after I left. I will never forget the sacrifice borne by so many of our service members and their families.

However, I must question the motives of President Barack Obama for this sudden announcement. Why now? Did the President consult with any of our American Generals on the ground before making this decision? What kind of message will this send to our allies, the Kurds, in the Northern part of Iraq, and will they feel abandoned? My fear is that political expediency drove this decision, not recommendations by the Military’s leadership.

Much is at stake and many questions are yet to be answered. I fear that our President is acting as “Campaigner in Chief” rather than “Commander in Chief,” thus putting the entire Middle East at risk.

Right now, the American people deserve answers.”

It has been a long engagement; it has also had historically low casualties -- something rarely reported. I would feel much better about this exit if this President wasn't driving the train but it is what it is. We've gained tremendous assets, both from a person-to-person contact perspective and from a culture-to-culture perspective, from this war. These contacts will serve us well as America moves forward in the 21st century.

Questions will be asked, as Congressman West has shown, and they should be. Vigorously. More important to me is how do we move forward in that region? How do we honor the sacrifice that America has made there? And the naive person who made an incredibly ignorant World Apology Tour as his presidency began a few short years ago had better not piss me the hell off this time around.

Natural Beauty

This is not America. This is Chile. 

Do you know why this could not be America? 

via cobb.typepad.com

[Friday, October 21st RattlerGator comment using Android phone while trying, and failing, to figure out how to post from said phone] Not quite sure what Cobb is getting at in his post but I wanted to use this as a test of Typepad's re-bogging tool using my Android phone. Gorgeous photo, setting might run into trouble with American environmentalists.

[Saturday, October 22nd comment using my laptop] Checking Cobb's comment after the post, I was correct. That concrete and steel jutting out into the Pacific would be supremely problematic, I suspect. Coastal development is a flash point for controversy. The push would have been to have it set well back from the ocean.

Forecast today for Cavancha Beach in Iquique, Chile -- 65 for a high, 58 for a low, and partly cloudy skies.

SEC Expansion Thoughts

What follows will be a few random and perhaps controversial or crazy thoughts on the looming expansion of the Southeastern Conference.

[1] I think Jerry Jones is very much involved in this whole process, on the down low. And I suspect he knows that with the entry of A&M, the SEC is very likely -- VERY LIKELY -- to award Dallas an occasional SEC football championship game. That would be quite an event, ladies and gentlemen.

[2] I'm very comfortable with VaTech or N.C. State as possibilities in the east and would not have an issue with West Virginia.

[3] In the West, I'm cool with Missouri -- to me, they're a good fit -- although I know they're probably still hoping for the Big Ten.

[4] Although it is virtually inconceivable, I would like for the SEC to add either FIU down in Miami or FAU in Palm Beach County as the 14th member. Adding FIU would absolutely decapitate the Canes, truly freak out the Noles, strategically harm and destabilize the ACC, increase the SEC's reach into Latin America and the northeast, and it would give all Gators a conference little brother down in the most populous corner of the state and allow our huge alumni base down there to interact with their alma mater regularly. Adding FAU wouldn't quite reach that level but it would come close enough. 

[5] With the conference now sitting at 14 members, we could then stand pat and see how the expansion cookie crumbles and cherry pick the remaining two members from the best available universities.

[6] I see UF and A&M partnering on more than a few research initiatives. I know UF has an International Center in China that we're either going to share with another SEC school (or more). Perhaps that Center and others like it will be shared with the whole conference. Academically, UF and A&M can lead the SEC research pack and, simultaneously, pack one hell of a powerful political punch.

It's an exciting but unsettling time in college athletics; tremendous changes are on the horizon and I'm ready to see just what's going to be the end result.

Reversing the Decay

This morning I came across a good opinion piece by Jonathan Sacks in the Wall Street Journal discussing the recent riots in Britain. The following sentence especially caught my attention:

[A] tsunami of wishful thinking [has] washed across the West saying that you can have sex without the responsibility of marriage, children without the responsibility of parenthood, social order without the responsibility of citizenship, liberty without the responsibility of morality and self-esteem without the responsibility of work and earned achievement.

This is an outstanding summation of our times, wouldn't you agree?

That nugget was soon followed by a necessary acknowledgment: there has been an equally disastrous corollary to the decay found in our social fabric within the financial markets. It has resulted in something of a "hook-up" mentality that seeks a free lunch, so to speak, in a world where there are no free lunches. Jonathan Sacks, the chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Commonwealth, went on to write:

Freud was right. The precondition of civilization is the ability to defer the gratification of instinct. And even Freud, who disliked religion and called it the "obsessional neurosis" of humankind, realized that it was the Judeo-Christian ethic that trained people to control their appetites.

Yeah, buddy. Insatiable appetites. Gluttony.

I'm sure I'll have more on this "reversing the decay" theme later, and the return to religion solution suggested by Last, but that is all for now.

Urban Meyer is the Greatest

This is why I revere Urban Meyer so much; watch these four videos:

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

Wow!

The greatest Gator football coach ever, greatest Gator coach ever, and quite possibly the greatest college football coach ever. Enjoy your wife and kids, Urban, and thank you for all you did for the Fightin' Gators !

Keep On Keepin' On, Governor Scott

The desperate attempt to knee-cap our Governor in his first year in office continues unabated. The St. Pete Times has a story up and just take a look at these two paragraphs:

As a defendant in at least seven lawsuits since he took office in January, [Governor Rick] Scott could be the most sued governor in Florida history. And [Charles] Trippe [Governor Scott's general counsel] now finds himself deep in cases relating to election law, drug testing of state employees, redistricting and prison privatization.

Some speculate the avalanche of lawsuits involving Scott has more to do with dislike of the governor than his actions related to the legislation or policies in question.

Yeah, I'm sure some Democrats do speculate on *their* dislike of the Governor. Other Floridians may see through the opaque machinations of political partisans, however, and transparently recognize the shaping hand of a media hell-bent on hammering home an unflattering image of this Governor. Those "other" Floridians will not likely obsess on the Governor's supposed status as a disliked Chief Executive but will take note that (boy, oh boy!) the media sure does hate him . . . and given that fact, they are likely to conclude that he can't be all bad.

He's being sued because he's shaking the tree, making some bold decisions, and upsetting some very special interests.

As I said previously, given those facts, he can't be all bad.

UAV Crop Copter

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at U.F. has developed an interesting new unmanned aerial vehicle tool that may have serious implications for American agriculture. I pulled the explanatory video from the Orlando Sentinel on the remarkable invention of Dr. Reza Ehsani (apparently a native of Iran with a Ph.D. from Cal-Davis):

A miniature UAV Crop Copter, huh? Well done, Dr. Ehsani.

Preach, Gerard, Preach

I need to read Gerard Van der Leun more often, I really do. He's telling us, yesterday over at American Digest, to give up the ghost and go ahead -- go ahead! -- let Obama be Obama, dammit !!!

Of late there’s been no end of criticism of the president for leaving his desk and his oval office to campaign. In so doing, it is said, he leaves a lot of the “important and pressing” business of the nation unaccomplished. Such criticism is, to my mind, not only unwarranted but counterproductive at best and disastrous at worst.

Wise Americans of all persuasions want to keep this president as far away from the “important and pressing” business of the nation as possible, for as long as possible. Every second, every minute, every hour, and every day Obama is kept out of his office is a net positive for the nation as a whole. Every moment he’s out there on a smile and shoeshine selling his next four years of nostrums to whatever liberal and progressive suckers he can cornhole is one less moment he can spend actively cornholing the nation at large.

Ouch !

Obama the cornholer; that's gonna sho' nuff hurt. 

Check Out Cobb, Y'all

Cobb, always worthy of a serious read, has (as usual) been pumping out some interesting material. Check him out at cobb.typepad.com -- we need to get this man a bigger platform.

Words to the Stars and Stripes Forever???

Never in my life do I recall being aware that there are words -- words! -- to the Stars and Stripes Forever; now, thanks to Wretchard, that particular ignorance has been obliterated.

Hooray for the flag of the free,

may it wave as our standard forever

That was fascinating and I can only hope at least one of you will be as intrigued with it as I was. The lyrics are included in this Wikipedia entry.