My Inner Author

As I listen to people talk on the news, in the media, online and in person about health care one thing has become abundantly clear: Far too many Americans have forgotten what it is to BE an American, they now resemble something like a couch potato watching reality TV every day. They look to Oprah and the government to just fix the problem, preferably before the next commercial break and certainly before tomorrow’s episode. And sadly, many of them actually believe they can do it. Are Oprah’s guests today Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter? Shute, you would think Barrack Obama is wielding a magic wand the way so many people think he can magically solve not only America’s woes, but all the world’s problems. So many Americans want things wrapped up all nice and neat, and quickly. It seems "closure" is now the goal, not a dogged determination to find the best solutions to the problems of the world today. Too many people lack the motivation to educate themselves on the issue or lack...

Okay, here is a good topic to discuss, and well outside my usual zone: Black Friday. Most Americans know this as the Friday after Thanksgiving, and the biggest shopping day of the year. It got its name from the idea that most stores became profitable for the year with their huge volume of sales that day (and everyday thereafter was gravy). You know the deal: Thanksgiving Day these "top secret" (yes, that is sarcasm) deals are revealed to the world, and dedicated shoppers can stage their pre-dawn war plans to obliterate Christmas shopping lists and drop a thermonuclear bomb on the family credit card debt. Where as once the stores opened at 7am, the frenzy now begins at 4am (maybe earlier in some cases). Well, I have an idea to offer the retail world: "Change" is a nice buzzword these days, so maybe you can get with the program; change the rules for Black Friday. I cannot count the number of horror stories of rude behavior, of people running over others, or knocking p...

Okay, like so many in Bulldog Nation, I share the frustration of the 2009 football season to date. Our beloved Dawgs look more undisciplined than a band of fresh Army recruits on the first day of basic training, they give the football away so much the United Way has given them the donor of the year award already and the defense is so friendly to the opposition (and so averse to takeaways) Amnesty International and the United Nations have nominated them for pacifists of the year. All of that said, I think all the naysayers screaming to fire Martinez, fire Bobo and even some who have questioned Mark Richt’s leadership need to sit down, take a deep breath and have some patience. Coach Richt, if he were listening out there, would likely quote the old saying, "if you listen to the fans, soon you'll be sitting up there with them." I don’t think Mark reached the highest levels of the football coaching profession by listening to sports talk radio, making crucial decisions by pol...