Re: Tax Breaks

My response is long, so I’m creating another post.

1. Concerning the “tax breaks” given to big oil companies; this term used by the article, I think, is a misnomer. Despite the ridiculously voluminous size of the Federal Tax Code, the laws are not created for specific industries (as this CNN article has you assume.) Especially with Corporate Tax, the rules and regulations are wide sweeping across all industries. Believe it not, if Congress created tax laws for specific industries, the Tax Code would be 100 times larger and more complicated. I was hoping the article would specifically list the “tax breaks” given to the oil industry. But of course not, CNN has an agenda not to disseminate truth from emotions.
   As far as I know, the oil industry is extremely capital intensive… meaning that oil companies must invest huge amounts of money into tangible assets (known as Property, Plant, and Equipment.) So, to stay in business, the oil industry must continually use up to 70% of its revenue to keep the machines greased and running. This does not even take into account cost of new machines, construction of new assets, and Research and Development ( R&D). In contrast, the public accounting industry requires almost no hard capital (only office buildings and computers.)
2. The only argument that liberals might have is the ability of oil companies (and all companies operating in the US for that matter) is to deny the oil companies deductions for the huge amounts of R&D costs, thereby reducing “tax breaks.” Currently, any company can either deduct fully upfront R&D costs, or pro rate the deduction over a longer length of time. But, as Pat can tell you, denying these deductions is insane. The reasoning behind R&D deductions is to incent big business to find more efficient products. If Congress denies the ability of companies to deduct these monstrous costs, new natural resources will not be searched for. Instead, the oil companies will cease explorations and developing more efficient machinery in favor of controlling costs. What liberals fail to mention, or are totally ignorant of, is that the allowed deductions directly enable big oil companies to keep the price of oil/gas as low as possible. If the R&D deductions were to be stripped away tomorrow, the average Joe will probably have top pay close to $10 per gallon for gas. Liberals fail to recognize that the costs of their “compassionate” policies end up being paid for by all taxpayers. The minimum wage phenomenon is the perfect example of what will happen. It may sound good to raise wages for the common worker, but what is the result? Higher unemployment, decreased output, increased prices of all goods, etc. The same effect will be created by a windfall tax. I presume this to be flat tax based on profit, over and above the regular tax. The windfall tax will end up being paid by you and me, starving college graduates, at the gas pump. But as Jimmy Carter found out, artificially lowering the price of gas through regulation will only create shortages… a much more drastic problem than increased prices.
   
3. The oil industry and all other hard capital intensive industries, already suffer from the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) anyhow. The AMT is a recalculation of taxable income, different from the regular calculation. Generally, deductions are taken away from corporations. In addition, the calculation is such that capital intensive industries are punished more so than light capital industries. The AMT is sort of a “windfall tax” already in place.
4. In comparison to other industries, the oil industry is lagging when it comes to profiting. Of the oil company revenues, only 10% are retained as profits (the amount of revenues beyond costs) This 10% profit is kept only after Uncle Sam’s share of the pie, which is close to 18% of revenues (I heard these percentages on the Neil Boortz radio show.) Amazingly, the banking industry keeps close to 27% of revenues as profits… after taxes. Why aren’t liberals going after the banking industry? Because Democrats damn well know that a white collar worker with a large mortgage will probably never vote for a liberal. Liberals are taking this crusade against oil companies because their main voter base is directly affected by gas prices, even welfare recipients. (70% of US welfare recipients own cars, amazingly) Democrats always rely on emotional fears, they’ve been disparate for votes ever since Newt Gingrich was elected to office. But, this oil company crusade might work wonders for the Democrat Party. The average American is very uniformed of basic economics and tax laws. All they hear is the price of gas falling by a buck. I’m afraid the average Joes will vote more Democrats into office this time around. This might be good for Republicans to get their act together, because right now, the Republicans in office are no better than Cynthia McKinney.
5. The only way for the gas problem to be solved is to NOT to tax the oil industry at all, open up new oil refineries, allow more nuclear power plants to be built, and to allow more drilling sites. I’ve heard that the US has enough oil reserves to support its current consumption for 200 years or more. But, feel good hippie liberals would rather have that open 1/10 of mile wide stretch of Alaska prairie for the rare snow rat to prance about. Ridiculous.
6. CNN has failed to list the many obstacles Democrats have created to restrict the US’ ability to increase our natural resource supplies. Democrats are “having their cake and eating it too.” Liberals prevent us from increasing our supplies, and then punish the suppliers for following their orders. On top of all the “compassion” that Democrats invoke, the taxpayers will end up footing the bill of Liberal generosity.

Tax Breaks

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/29
After reading this article on CNN.com(sorry Stephen and Pat), I was a little confused. I don't have much time to keep up with business, politics, etc. , so sorry if I sound uninformed. In this article, they talk about how the oil industry is getting tax breaks. I thought that the act in question was whether or not to put a "windfall" tax(not really sure what that means) on the profits of the oil company. My point is that the article makes it seem like the "Bush-meister" is actively lowering their taxes rather than leaving the market alone(which is what I thought he was doing). Tell me where I'm wrong. If this is the case then CNN once again proves that they are quite the Spin Doctors, and I am not talking about the guys who wrote "Little Miss".

This should be on BC Gottum but...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/football
Bad news for the Deuce. Check out the picture of him and look at the numbers written on his wrist tape.

I Love Corporations in Sports

Fox may produce the greatest show of all time in 24, but they've really messed up big.

Fox bought Turner South in February and starting next week, they are replacing Skip, Pete, Don, Joe, and Chip with the two guys from Fox Sports Network. Now the ever-decreasing TBS games and radio will be the only places to hear the guys. Hey, great. I really wanted the Braves to become more yankee, cracker bland. Pleasure doing business with you, Time Warner. You've been a great ball club owner. Now, if only we could switch ownership to an even more detached, uninterested corporation. Hello, Liberty Media of Colorado.

"The Worst Economy Since the Great Depression"

Really?

1st Quarter GDP Growth Rate: 4.8%

Unemployment Rate: 4.7%; nearly 5 million new jobs over the past 2 and a half years.
Dow Jones Industrial Average: Sitting at a 6-year high


Consumer Confidence: at the highest level in four years.

So why is the economy still so bad according to polls and the media? Oh wait, I forgot, Bush is a Republican.

Let's Put a Windfall Profits Tax on Everything

The people down the street from us at the Landings bought their house for probably around $300,000 and recently sold it for close to $2 million. This makes me sick. It's time we implemented a windfall profits tax on all these greedy homeowners in America who, god forbid, are trying to sell their house at the highest possible price, thereby eminating a crucial signal to other owners and homebuilders alike that the market needs more houses and that providing them will be handsomely rewarded.

I saw a little girl the other day selling lemonade for $1 a glass. Greedy bitch. She's "manipulating" the price of lemonade, and I won't tolerate it. She should be generous and sell each glass for 5 cents instead and then donate the other 95 cents to research for cheaper ways of creating alternative types of drinks like cranberry juice or orange juice. Damn her for calculating the highest price that consumers are willing and able to pay and then charging it. She knows it's hot outside and she's providing a means for people to quench their thirst. Gouger.

All of this makes me sick. People don't deserve incentives to produce goods and services. We just need to abolish entrepreneurs and the profit incentive altogether. I know this defies all logic, because profit is what makes people get up in the morning, and is the basis for every trade made every day around the world, but who cares, logic is boring. Government officials just need to start doing what feels good.

"It's time we stopped thinking about the individual for once and started focusing instead on what's good for society." - Hillary Rodham Clinton

Coincidence?

I hope 4/20 was kind to everyone. Just kidding, I hate hippies. Anyways, I thought it was funny that GSU held it's Earth Day celebration and the intramural Ultimate Frisbee championship yesterday.

Going Solo

Continuing the recent trend of BMBS bloogers going solo (Ryan and Joe), I have started a new blog devoted entirely to BC athletics. Check it out at www.bcgottum.blogspot.com. I am basically going to rip off the Savannah Morning News and add my own additional comments. I hope ya'll enjoy it.

R. I. P. Shorty

Savannah icon Robert "Picture Man" Hall dead at 71.

I'm the Leprechaun

This is a real news cast.
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/videos/leprechaun-in-tree-part-1.html
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/videos/leprechaun-in-tree-part-2.html

You can't get this at Thompson's.

I created this tee shirt at cafepress.com today.

It says Alumni in the bar underneath BC. The picture on the back is of the original Corps of Cadets. Let me know if you want one. They cost $17.99, including shipping and handling.

24

I'm sure Ryan already knows this, but it looks like we have at least three more seasons of 24 to look forward to.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/04/10/television.sutherland.reut/index.html

April 15th

I'm too lazy to create another April 15th advisory post, so here's last year's with some minor modifications.

Yes my friends, it is true that everyone's 1040s are due to the IRS by the end of this week, April 15th. I suggest filing before the end of Friday, April 14th. You know how government workers are (Like Ryan.) I doubt the s.o.bs will be working this Saturday.

If you haven't done so already, I'm sure your mothers have filed your income tax return to the Federal Government. After she is done forging your name and paying your apartment's rent, thank her dearly. Concerning income levels such as ours, it is a shame to make you mothers perform this petty task. Of course if you want to pay me to file your return, that is a different story.

I just wanted to give a heads up to those men that wait until this last minute with the philosophy that if you do wait until those last 60 seconds to complete the job, than the job will only take 60 seconds to complete. I honor you, Godspeed.

Most of us are college students or have just recently graduated from a post secondary school, so I suggest that you find Form 1099 mailed to you from whomever your school loans originated. There will be an amount listed of the student loan interest paid by you. Make sure to include this as an "above the line" deduction in the 1040. There are no phase outs associated with this expense (Ryan, this is a huge benefit.)

If you are still currently in school, list the tuition expenses you've experienced in 2004. If these are greater than grants and scholarships received, than a deduction will be allowed for the difference. (Ryan, A deduction does not lower one's taxes dollar for dollar, it lowers your Taxable Income, which is used to calculate your Tax . Assuming a 30% Tax Rate, a $1 deduction will result in $0.30 reduction in taxes for the year.) For people like you and myself, this is the best advice I can give. Go to www.irs.gov for any other questions you might have.

Rock 'n' Roll Dreams Come True

In what may be the beginning of the next great phase in popular music, I have have posted an ad in both Craigslist.org and the classifieds section of Flagpole in an effort to form a band. My craigslist ad, which you can find at http://atlanta.craigslist.org/muc/149139509.html, reads:

Guitarist seeks musicians for big, dynamic rock band

I'm a guitarist/songwriter looking for a drummer and any other musicians to form a band with a big, dynamic rock sound such as The Smashing Pumpkins, Trail of Dead, and Springsteen & the E Street Band. Any instrument is welcome! If you're interested, or have have any questions, please email me at rsmith4002@gmail.com.

This free listing will be on the website for 45 days. A condensed version will appear in the Musicians Wanted section of Flagpole for two weeks, starting Wednesday. I've already received a reply to my craigslist post, but it was some guy wanting me to replace the lead guitarist in his crappy band. I told him, "Look, buddy, you've got your hopes and dreams, and I've got mine. Let's shoot for the stars on our own paths, but under the same sky..."

Who knows if the next 2 weeks will bring anything, but I had to take off the panties I've been wearing for so long and man up. Have you ever seen how Chris Martin from Coldplay always writes "Make Trade Fair" on his piano hands so that everyone sees his agenda? That will be me, but with "bmbs.blogspot.com" instead. Okay, I'm gonna go sit in the corner and think about my role as That Weird Kid.

Dilemma

Who should I go hear speak today?

The liberal kool-aid drinkers at the law school are going ga-ga over John Edward's speech at 11 am at the Chapel. Unlike the vast majority of my classmates, I can't wait to not go. Meanwhile, a few hours later on south campus, Bush '41 is speaking. I'd like to go but I have class.

Edward's speech kicks off a week-long "poverty-reduction" seminar at the law school, which, of course, is hosted by him. My initial reaction: no seminar is necessary, we already know how to cure poverty: expand capitalism.

Anyway, the conference will focus on "expanding the middle class," whatever that means. Liberal intellectuals, who retreat into the halls of academia after losing elections (especially those in which they can't even carry their home state) because they can't survive in the private sector, love to gather around big tables and have complex "discussions" about alleged problems. Edwards, who loves to hear himself talk, will make himself and other ignorant leftists feel good by using big words and shaking hands with a few black people.

The anomaly here is that Bush did much more to reduce poverty than Edwards could do in a dozen lifetimes. While a disappointment to many conservatives, it was still Bush who pushed for the North American Free Trade Agreement, which has since brought millions of Mexicans out of poverty and reduced prices for American consumers who now have more money in their pockets.

Not surprisingly, it is Edwards who will be painted as the true philanthropist. He will get all the credit for being some self-righteous moral crusader by speaking at colleges and shaking hands with minorities, pushing for a "living wage," and telling people that make less than one-tenth of his income that he "feels their pain." Bush, on the other hand, will continue to get blamed for a recession he had no control over. By appearing to care about the less fortunate by hosting futile conferences where misguided policies are discussed, Edwards can be sure to win over voters, who he hopes will stay poor enough to vote for him in the 2008 Democratic primary.

Gel Head of the Week

For some reason, I took a little jog tonight. I needed to "blow off a little steam" if you will. Well, as I was approaching the back side of Sanford stadium, I see a black open top jeep speeding towards me. For one thing, this baby had "sweet" flood lights on the roll bar, and a visor strategically tied around the rear view mirror.

As the jeep passed by (with four or so Gel Heads hanging out of all sides) the driver, whom we will name "Cody", reached out with his arm... pointing his finger at me (Yes, he was wearing a "wife beater.")

Cody then exclaimed to me "YEEAAAHHH! JOHNNY! What's up bro!"

I am neither Johnny, nor his bro

Cody represents all that is wrong in this age of relativism. Cody is Gel Head of the Week.

November Preview

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal hit the nail on the head:

The biggest Republican problem now is the demoralization of their own voters. Their lack of meaningful achievements this Congress (beyond the two Supreme Court Justices), all of their spending, and troubles in Iraq have left conservative voters wondering what the point is to voting for the GOP. If Republicans want their supporters to show up on election day, they'll need more of a message than wearing a "Speaker Nancy Pelosi" fright mask.

May we suggest a Plan B? How about at least fighting for the agenda that elected them the last time? It's obvious at this stage of the 109th Congress that little will actually become law, especially with Democrats able to filibuster in the Senate.

I've been saying it for months now. If Republicans don't get their act together and start acting like the reformed-minded conservatives they were elected to be, they will lose Congress in November. USA Today also has a good article on this. The past 6 years or so has been a prime example of absolute power gradually corrupting absolutely. I'm not saying the Democrats deserve to win, as their solution to every problem is even more government. I'm simply saying the Republicans deserve to lose, because they have become the very thing they ran against back in 1994.

Socialism: Great Idea

Because it puts people over profit. Because it prevents those poor souls who actually have to work from putting in more than 25 hours a week. Because it forces us all to work for the "common good."







End Result? 40% unemployment among young people. Virtually no economic growth over the last 8 years. Stagnant job growth. Declining wages. Strikes, riots, and utter chaos twice a week. Great idea. Message to Howard Dean: This is the reason, despite my current disgust with the Republicans, why I will never vote for your party. I do not want our country to turn out like this.

Beware!

For the Roman Catholic faint of heart, do not look at the these disgusting images. Slowly but Surely, Benedict XVI is making progress against such awful liturgical abuses. The Holy Father has already threatened excommunication to some parishes in the Pacific for their outlandish desecration of the Mass. It is also rumored that the Pope will soon lift the current ban on the traditional Roman Rite (The pre Vatican II Latin Mass), which currently requires permission from the local Bishop. Hopefully, a sense of tradition will let fruit cake priests know their Mass is a disgrace. With the immense size of the Church and that vast number of weak minded bishops, the problems wrought by "the Spirit of Vatican II" will be slowly corrected.

FYI

Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2006 17:29:25 -0500
From: Official UGA Announcements
Subject: 10-digit telephone dialing effective April 3 To: ARCHNEWS@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU TO: UGA Faculty, Staff and Students

This is a reminder that 10-digit telephone dialing is
required within the 706 area code effective Monday, April
3. This means that any call placed from the campus to an
off-campus phone will now require 10-digit dialing preceded
by a 9. Local calls made between off-campus phones, and
from off-campus phones to on-campus phones, also will
require all 10 digits. However, calls between on-campus
phones still may be accomplished by dialing only the last
five digits of the number.
For more information, please see:

http://www.eits.uga.edu/pressreleases/2006/areacode.html

Thoughts? Feelings? Concerns?

Silly Arabs

I laughed my ass off when I read this. These guys are trying so hard to be American, and I love it. My favorite quote is when the guy wants to try out for the George Mason basketball team, but only if he can "secure a visa".
http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/5455338

Goodwill Hunting

I found this gem at Goodwill today. It fits like a glove and only cost $3.20. God has smiled on me today.

Only in Savannah...

...do the altar boys wear JROTC class A uniforms. Take that, liberal Atlanta diocese. Where's your long-haired, hand-holding, hippy guitar choir now?

Crickets......

That's all I hear. This place is dead.

Meat for all...

The bishop has given everyone a pass tomorrow:


LOCAL NEWS
SavannahNow.com
Roman Catholics throughout South Georgia can keep their traditional Irish dishes on the menu this St. Patrick's Day.
-->
The Catholic Diocese of Savannah has granted followers permission to postpone their Lenten obligation to abstain from meat on Friday, also St. Patrick's Day

Tell them I'm comin'...............

And hell's comin' with me. I just resigned from my job, which goes into effect in a couple of weeks. Expect the fury to be unleashed on all of downtown Savannah and it's single white women this weekend.

p.s.- No, I do not have another job lined up. If anyone hears of any openings in the Atlanta/Augusta/Savannah area, I'm all ears.

"Well, Goddamn!"

"Hey Mr. Leonard, don't worry about those ol' bastards. Y'all need to start yo' own damn group. You know I was the youngest Grand Knight eva of the K of C downtown? Damn right I was. I was about yo' damn age and those old asses wouldn't let us into their groups either. So you know what I did? I stood up on the baar at the Knights and said "Well, Goddamn! Let's start our own damn group." That's how I started the Friendly Sons."

Irish Time Line

Before we get too drunk to stand, I thought it proper to review Irish history with a little time line... and set the record for the longest post. Hopefully the length of it will really piss Pat off.

c100 BC Arrival of the Gaels
200 AD Beginnings of High Kingship at Tara, Co Meath
c 300 AD Ireland inhabited by tribes known as Scoti
377-405 Naill of the Nine Hostages, High King
428-463 AD King McNeill reigned
431 AD Pope Celestine 1 sent Palladius to the Irish, as their first Bishop. Palladius died soon after.
432 AD Arrival of St. Patrick to help convert pagan Gaelic Kings to Christianity.
550 AD onwards Irish monks re-Christianize Europe
Time of Written History...
461 St. Patrick dies, after having achieved his dream of introducing both Roman Civilisation, and the Christian Church to Ireland.
521 Columba or Colum Cille born at Gartan in Tyreconnell. He became a priest and became first Abbot of a church at Derry.
561 Battle of Culdremna.
563 Columcille sails to Iona, where he Christianised Scotland and much of England.
597 Columcille dies. his name and reputation was the greatest in the Irish Church. He had a great reputation as a missionary.
800 Ireland attacked by Viking Norsemen, on Lambay Island, off Dublin.
908 The Eoganachta were defeated, when they tried to subject Leinster to Cashel's rule.Their king, Cormac MacCullenan, was killed.
914 Vikings established settlements at Waterford.
915 Vikings established settlements at Dublin.
920 Vikings established settlements at Limerick.
940 Brian Boru was born. Son of a leader of one of the royal free tribes of Munster.
976 Brian succeeded his brother Mahon, as King of Munster until 1014.
999 Brian Boru defeated Vikings.
1002 Brian Boru wins recognition as king of all Ireland
1014 High King Brian Boru, killed at Battle of Clontarf.
1066 Normans defeat Saxons in England
1156 Turloch More O'Connor, a king of Connacht, who had become High King in 1119, and who was the greatest of Brian Boru's successors - died.
1167-69 Arrival of Normans at Baginbun, Co. Wexford, thus started 800 year struggle between English and Irish.
1170 Arrival of Richard de Clare, known as Strongbow.
1171 Strongbow becomes king of Leinster. Arrival of Henry II, end of the Milesian kings;thus began the political involvement of England in Ireland's affairs.
1166-1175 Reign of Rory O'Connor, Last native High King of Ireland
1235 Richard de Burgo conquered Connacht.
1258 Gallowglasses (mercenary soldiers) come to Ulster from Scotland
1264 Walter de Burgo was made Earl of Ulster.
1272 The English had now conquered Ulster, east of Lough Neagh, in Meath, as well as most of Connacht and of Munster.
1315 After Battle of Bannockburn, Edward Bruce of Scotland invaded Ireland but failed in his attempt to overthrow Norman Rule.
1318 Edward Bruce killed by the English, near Dundalk, after having failed to become the Ard Ri (High King in Irish), so long sought after by the Irish.
1361 An edict bans pure-blooded from becoming mayors, baillifs, officers of the king or clerygmen, serving the English.
1366 Statutes of Kilkenny forbade Irish/English marriages and preventing English to use Irish language, custom or laws.
1394 October. King Richard II, landed at Waterford, and marched up to Dublin.
1496 Line of "the Pale" at Clongowes. This was a small enclave around Dublin,which became the area of English rule.
1507 Accession of Henry VIII.
1515 Anarchy in Ireland.
1529-36 Henry VIII made his great breach with Rome, and set himself up as head of the Church in England.
1534 Kildare rebellion.
1541 Henry VIII declares himself king of Ireland.
1545-63 The Council of Trent gives Catholics a greater sense of purpose.
1547 Henry VIII dies, succeeded by the boy king Edward VI. England and Ireland were ruled by the senior nobility of England.
1553 Mary ascends the Throne. (One of the last Catholic Monarchs of England. She was later beheaded. The drink Bloody Mary is named after her. She is also known as Mary Queen of Scots)
1558 Accession of Elizabeth I.
1562 Elizabethan Wars in Ireland.
1588 Spanish Armada sent by Philip of Spain, to conquer England.
1594 August. Hugh O'Neill defeated a small English force at the Ford of Biscuits near Enniskillen.
1595 Rebellion of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone.
1598 O'Neill's great victory at Yellow Ford in Ulster
1601 Defeat of O'Neill, O'Donnell and Spaniards by Mountjoy at Battle of Kinsale.
1603 Accession of James 1. Surrender of Hugh O'Neill. Enforecement of English Law in Ireland.
1606 Settlement of Scots in Ards Peninsula. Land in six counties of Ulster consficated by English.
1607 Flight of O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone,and O'Donnell, Earl of Tyrconnell. "The flight of the Earls" to Spain.
1608 Plantation of Derry and others confiscated counties planned.
1632-38 Compilation of the Annals of the Four Masters
1641 Great Catholic-Gaelic rebellion for return of lands, later joined by Old English Catholics in Ireland. Under leadership of Irish chieftain, Rory O'More, conspiracy was formed to seize Dublin and expel the English. English settlers were driven out of Ulster. Catholics hold 59% of land in Ireland.
1642 Confederation of Kilkenny met.
1647 Alliance between lords of Pale and native Irishmen came to an end
1649 English soldier & statesman, Oliver Cromwell, landed at Dublin. His troops killed 2,000 men. Agreat part of lands in Munster, Leinster and Ulster(Drogheda and Wexford) was confiscated and divided among the English soldiers
1650 Catholic landowners exiled to Connaught.
1656 Over 60,000 Irish Catholics had been sent slaves to Barbados, and other islands in the Caribbean.
1658 The population of Ireland,estimated at 1,500,000, before Cromwell, was reduced by two-thirds, to 500,000, at Cromwell's death in 1658.
1660 Accession of Charles II.
1661-68 The Duke of Ormond ruled Ireland as Viceroy.
1672 Over 6,000 Irish boys and women sold as slaves since England gained control of Jamaica.
1685 Accession of James II. (Last Catholic Monarch of England)
1688 English Revolution. James II deposed in England. Gates of Derry shut in face of James' troops. Catholics now hold 22% of land in Ireland.
1689 Siege and relief of Derry. James II's Parliment restored all lands confiscated since 1641
1690 William of Orange (William III) lands at Carrickfergus and defeats James II at Battle of the Boyne. 11,000 "WILD GEESE" soldiers sail for France.
1691 Catholic defeat at Aughrim and surrender at Limerick.
1692-1829 Exclusion of Catholics from Parliament and all professions.
1695 Anti-Catholic Penal Laws Introduced. Catholics hold 14% of land in Ireland.
1698 William Molyneaux pamphlet against England making laws for Ireland.
1714 Catholics hold 7% of land in Ireland.
1740 The Forgotten Famine
1775 Henry Gratten, becomes leader of "Patriot Party".
1775 Daniel O'Connell born at Derrynane,Co.Kerry. (I've saw where he was born.) Received early schooling from Parish Priest, then sent to France to receive further instruction at St. Omer and Douai.
1782 Legislative Independence won from Britain by Irish Parliament.
1791 Events leading up to the Revolution of 1798
1798 March: arrest of Leinster Directory of United Irishmen. May: arrest and death of Lord Edward Fitzgerald. Battle of Vinegar Hill. Battle of Antrim November: death of Wolfe Tone.
More about 1798 Rebellion
1798 Daniel O'Connell takes law degree at Trinity College, and is admitted to the Bar.
1800 Act of Union passed (effective 1 January 1801)
1803 Robert Emmett's rising, trial and execution.
1823 Daniel O'Connell's Catholic Association founded.
1828 O'Connell elected for Clare.
1829 Catholic emancipation passed. Tithe War began.
1837 Accession of Queen Victoria.
1839 January 6.. the Night of the BIG WIND
1840 O'Connell's Repeal Association founded.
1842 "The Nation" newspaper founded by Thomas Davis.
1843 O'Connell's "Monster Meetings" for Repeal of the Union.
1845 Blight in the Potato Harvest.
1845-49 Beginning of Famine. Charles Tteveleyan, permanent Head of Treasury. Sir Robert Peel, Prime Minister, imports Indian Corn. Many Irish from Southern Ireland begin to immigrate to Savannah, GA.
1846 April. Treveylan opens depots for sale of Indian corn, but closes them later in summer. Repeal of Corn Laws.
1846 July. Lord John Russell replaces Peel as Prime Minister.August: Total failure of potato harvest. October: First deaths from starvation.
1847 Fever spreading. Treveleyan winds up Soup Kitchen Act, and retires to write history of famine.
1848-49 Worst years of famine. By 1848 through emigration and deaths by famine, Ireland's population decreased by more than 2 million people (8.5 to 6.5).
1848 Smith O'Brien (Young Ireland Leader) arrested. James Stephens flees to France.
1856 Stephens returns from France.
1858 Stephens founds Irish Republican Brotherhood. Fenian Brotherhood founded in America.
1861Beginning of American Civil War.
1863 "Irish People" newspaper founded.
1865 End of American Civil War. Arrest of editorial board of "Irish People". James Stephens arrested, and escapes from Richmond Jail.
1867 February: Abortive raid on Chester Castle.March: Fenian rising in Ireland. December: Clerkenwell explosion.
1869 Gladstone, Prime Minister, dis-establishes Protestant Church in Ireland.
1870 Gladstone's first Land Act.
1875 Charles Stewart Parnell elected MP for Co Meath.
1879 Threat of famine. Evictions. Irish National League founded.
1879-82 Land War
1881 Gladstone's 2nd Land Act. Parnell imprisoned.
1882 Kilmainham "Treaty". Parnell's release. Phoenix Park murder.
1886 First home Rule Bill.
1891 Parnell loses three by-elections in Ireland. Parnell dies in October.
1893 Second Home Rule Bill. Gaelic League founded.
1903 Land Purchase Act (Wyndham Act).
1906 Liberals win General Election.
1909 Land Purchase Act.
1912 Third Home Rule Bill.
1914 Outbreak of First World War. IRB decides on Rising.
1916 Easter Rising in Dublin. May 3-12 executions.
1917 De Valera wins East Clare.
1918 November: end of First World War.
1919-21 Irish War of Independence against Britain.
1920 Burning of Cork by Auxiliaries.
1921 December. Anglo Irish Treaty.
1922 Civil War starts between Free State army and IRA.
1923 End of Civil war.
1926 De Valera founds Fianna Fail.
1927 General Elections in Ireland. De Valera and Fianna Fail enter Dail.
1932 General Election. Fianna Fail victory.
1937 Constitution of "Eire", claims 32 counties.
1939 Second World War.
1945 End of Second World War.
1948 General Election. Fianna Fail defeated.
1949 Repeal of External Relations Act. Ireland leaves Commonwealth. Republic of Ireland declared (26 counties)
1951-62 IRA campaign in North.
1955 Ireland joins the United Nations.
1965 O'Neill-Lemass Talks.
1967 Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association founded.
1968 August: First Civil Rights March. October: Derry Civil Rights March, banned by William Craig, Minister of home Affairs, held but broken up by brutality by police.
1969 January: People's Democracy Belfast to Derry Civil Rights March. January 4: Marchers attacked at Burntollet Bridge. April: O'Neill resigns. Chichester Clark Prime Minister. August 14: British troops sent to Derry. October: Protestant riot in Belfast.
1970 Dublin Arms Trial.
1971 First British soldier killed by IRA in Belfast. Chichester Clark resigns, Faulkner Prime Minister. Unionist government of NI introduces internment without trial for suspected Republicans.
1972Ireland joins the European Economic Community
1972 January 30: Bloody Sunday in Derry. British paratroopers shoot 13 civilians during civil-rights march. (I got to walk up and down the Bogside, where the murders took place. I stood where the British Troops fired from. An old IRA member gave me a British rubber bullet as a souvenir.) March: Stormont suspended.
1973 Sunningdale Agreement.
1974 Ulster Workers Strike brings down Faulkner and Assembly. Direct Rule re-imposed. Loyalits bomb Dublin and Monaghan, killing 30
1981-82 Ten Republicans die on hunger strike in Maze Prison, NI Dying hunger-striker Bobby Sands elected to British Parliament
1993 Downing Street Declaration; British Government accepts the right of the people of Irelalnd to self-determinination.
1994 IRA declares cease-fire
1996 Cease-fire breaks down after Britain's Conservative government refuses to allow Sinn Fein to join all-party talks on NI.
1997 IRA cease-fire resumes; talks begin in Belfast between governmentof Irish Republic, Britain's Labor government, and representatives of all NI's political parties.
1998 Initial peace-plan accepted by all parties.

The Doughnut Burger

Hardee's is no longer the champion of monstrous and ridiculous hamburgers.

Behold, The Doughnut Burger:

These babies will make their debut this year at some minor league baseball team's stadium. From espn.com: "The ballpark sandwich will include a hamburger topped with sharp cheddar cheese and two slices of bacon -- all between a "bun" made of a sliced Krispy Kreme Original Glazed doughnut. If you can find a (loop)hole in your cardiologist's advice, calorie counters predict the monster will set you back about 1,000 calories and 45 grams of fat. "

Great Day For a Parade

I've checked the extended forecasts on both weather.com and accuweather.com and it looks like the high for Friday will be in the upper 60's. Sunshine will be abundant and a slight breeze will ruffle the flags. Both sites also predict a possibility of rain earlier this week which should cause the azaelas to explode with color. This may be the best St. Patrick's Day yet! Keep praying for nice weather and remember not to eat any meat today.

You Might Be a Cracker On St. Patrick's Day (Vol. 2)

If you drink too much the night before and throw up all morning...you might be a cracker on St. Patrick's Day.

If you have sex in a bathroom stall at State Line Cabaret...you might be a cracker on St. Patrick's Day.

If you have sex at the bottom of the stairwell at the Marriott Courtyard...you might be a cracker on St. Patrick's Day.

If you pay for a room at the Marriott Courtyard and don't stay there...you might be a cracker on St. Patrick's Day.

If you make girls cry...you might be a cracker on St. Patrick's Day.

St. Patrick's Day Itinerary

What are yall doing?

Thanks, Guys

The text messages really made my night. I was disappointed, however, that I did not see TP at Kevin Barry's. Lately I've been building up my liquor tolerance for St. Patrick's Day and I think I'm good to go. I had six Jameson & gingers last night and wasn't hung over at all this morning. That's all I have for now. Thanks, again. Ya'll are dismissed.

It's COKE

Many of you know that one thing I'm obsessed with is finding out, in a geographic sense, just how many people in this country are still normal (the ones who share our blog's values), versus the radical, bet-wetting communists. The 2004 electoral map helped us out a bit, but this map I recently came across ends the debate once and for all.

Back to Normal

To contribute something for St. Patrick's Day 2006, I found this from www.accuweather.com:

Friday, March 17:


Sunshine. Winds from the NNW at 10 mph.

High: 68° F

RealFeel: 67° F

What's the Deal?

Why do we have the South Carolina state flag on our blog? How 'bout a kelly green Erin Go Bragh flag instead.















TWO MORE WEEKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dublin in Flames!

If you haven't been keeping up with Irish news (I can not imagine why you wouldn't be), Dublin was in chaos this past weekend.

The violence started when Unionists/Protestants decided to have a "Love Ulster Day" parade right down O'Connell Street (The main drag of Dublin.) As many of you know, O'Connell street was the battle ground for Ireland's dozen or so wars of independence from Great Britain.

Sinn Fein was having their usual protests with banners and such. No big deal, I've seen these protests every time I've walked down O'Connell. They're a small group of communists wannabes. They're the ones wearing Che shirts.

As the parade began, homemade gas can bombs and paving bricks went hurling at the Orange men. Mayhem ensued. Police were badly hurt (no wonder since these potato heads have outlawed guns!) The pubs began to poor out onto the street. Windows were smashed, cars burned, looting was everywhere, and people were being carried off. The Irish still won't say who started it. The papers speculate drunk "hooligans" looking for adventure jumped into the riot just for the hell of it. Who knows, I wish I were there though.

Anyways, Michael Collins was resurrected from the dead to lead the boys to victory!

Tony's Our Man

Hail Tony Ryan!
You'll be the best and grandest marshall of all.
Hail Tony Ryan!
On March the Seventeen you'll be walkin' tall.

Wearing his sash,
And heading up the big parade.
Hail Tony Ryan!
The grandest marshall ever made.

Tony's our man.
He'll ably represent the whole Irish clan.


We salute Tony, our man!



If you ever had Mrs. Bernadette Winters as a music teacher, then you know this song. I have forgotten a few lines, but you get the point. Ryan's election is no surprise, considering he ran unopposed. He is the fourth in his family (behind his uncle, father, and brother) to be elected Grand Marshall.

BREAKING NEWS!!

According to the Worldwide Sports Leader, the Naval Academy has accused BC's own Lamar Owens of rape.

Nonsense...

I just read this on Savannahnow.com:
"Bars will close at 1 a.m. March 18, or the morning following the parade, but open to 3 a.m. on every other day."

Has it always been this way? I guess it won't matter, I plan on being too drunk to function at that point.

Sherman Had the Right Idea

The inspiration for this post came from a Facebook group at UGA named All Those in Favor of Burning Atlanta a Second Time. I usually do not hold yankees in high esteem, mainly because most of the yankees I associate with are tourists.

General William T. Sherman, on the other hand, is one yankee that I can raise my glass to. He had the foresight to burn Atlanta and preserve the city of Savannah, offering it to President Lincoln as a Christmas gift. I propose that we, at BMBS, adopt General Sherman as our Spiritual Founder. This blog was founded on the same principle on which Sherman based his march to the sea; keep Savannah and screw everone else. Also, Sherman's birthday is February 9, only two days removed from the anniversary of BMBS.

Community Service Project

Part of being an Irish Hurricane and/or BMBS blogger is a strong commitment to the community and, more broadly, society. So tonight I invite y'all to participate with me in the granddaddy of all projects. Many of you may be familiar with Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia that really comes in handy the night before the due date for that 30-page paper you've had all semester to write and haven't bothered to read a single book yet. Anyway, Wikipedia is a self-editing resource, meaning it allows pretty much anyone to write on/edit any topic, but is constantly reviewed by the site's administrators, others who have edited the same article, and by the online community at large.

Anyway, I happened to search for Benedictine Military School the other day, and I was surprised to discover that someone has already done a little work for us. We're one of the few high schools in Georgia that has our own article, and that's damn impressive. But it's only a start. We need much more. The Fight Song, pictures, traditions, general history. To get an idea of what I mean, look at this article on the History of the United States, or this one on Ancient Rome. This is how long and extensive I want BC's article to be. It should cover everything from Bull Street to the Matt Baumann/John Hyche fight to the four square tournament to the time Kevin Leonard broke our lunch table freshman year, all the way up to the Herndon era. Regardless of how tempting it becomes to make up stuff, I would encourage us all to keep it half way respectable, because the people who run the site have a way of keeping tabs on who has written what through their IP address (whatever that is), and preventing people who go on there just to simply make up fake stuff. That having been said, this still shouldn't stop us from having whole entire sections dedicated to Hank or Harry Deal.

This will obviously be a work in progress, but every little bit helps. I know everyone will do their part, and I know "everyone" will basically end up meaning just me and Will. Either way, let's get to it.

One Month Left...

Again, self-explanatory.

More Bush Bashing

Except this time it's coming from the Right, and I'm all for it. Make no mistake, when it comes to domestic policy, Bush has been an absolute failure to the conservative movement and the Reagan vision. I hope this Mike Pence guy runs in '08. In many respects, I want a new president just as bad as the libs do.

Bryant Gumbel is a douche....

I'm not the biggest fan of the winter olympics, but this is rediculous. Somebody is bitter: "Finally, tonight, the Winter Games. Count me among those who don’t care about them and won’t watch them ... Because they’re so trying ... Like, try not to be incredulous when someone attempts to link these games to those of the ancient Greeks who never heard of skating or skiing. So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world’s greatest athletes, despite a paucity of blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention. Try not to point out that something’s not really a sport if a pseudo-athlete waits in what’s called a kiss-and-cry area, while some panel of subjective judges decides who won ... So if only to hasten the arrival of the day they’re done, when we can move on to March Madness — for God’s sake, let the games begin."

You'd think these remarks would have received more attention than they have. (Well, maybe not.) It's just hard to imagine a Bill O'Reilly or Sean Hannity getting a pass on something like this. It reminds me of when Rush Limbaugh got fired for saying that stuff about Donovan McNabb a couple of years ago.

Thanks for the Memories

Many are happy to see Brackett go, but I wanted to take this opportunity to say thanks coach, for giving us October of 1997. In conjunction with the previous season, this was the high water mark of BC football post-1983. After coming off huge wins against Bradwell and Glynn, the Cadets looked unstoppable. Like the Spice Girls and beanie babies, this short-lived era of regularly being ranked in the AJC was over before we knew it. Still, it made for one hell of a freshman year. So without further adeiu, here are the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Class AAAA rankings from October 26, 1997:

1. Brookwood (8-0-0)
2. Lowndes (8-0-0)
3. Benedictine (7-0-0)
4. McEachern (7-1-0)
5. Clarke Central (6-2-0)
6. Parkview (5-2-0)
7. Valdosta (6-2-0)
8. North Cobb (7-0-0)
9. Bradwell Institute (6-1-0)
10. LaGrange (6-1-0)
11. Mays (6-1-0)
12. Shaw (7-1-0)
13. Fayette County (6-2-0)
14. Northside (Warner Robins) (5-2-0)
15. Wheeler (6-1-0)

And the weekly rankings below chronicle the Cadets' dramatic rise and fall that season:

#15 (0-0-0) 8/24/1997 Preseason
#15 (0-0-0) 9/1/1997 Week 1
#14 (1-0-0) 9/8/1997 Week 2
#13 (2-0-0) 9/15/1997 Week 3
#12 (3-0-0) 9/22/1997 Week 4
#10 (4-0-0) 9/29/1997 Week 5
#7 (5-0-0) 10/6/1997 Week 6
#7 (5-0-0) 10/13/1997 Week 7
#3 (6-0-0) 10/20/1997 Week 8
#3 (7-0-0) 10/27/1997 Week 9
#10 (7-1-0) 11/3/1997 Week 10

Courtesy of www.ghsfha.org

Greek Socialism Returns

According to the Red and Black, a handful of students met last night at the request of President Adams to discuss the "party culture" at the school and what to do about it. (First of all, I've been up here for 4 and a half years. I wasn't aware there was a problem, so I'm not sure why anything has to be done about anything, but apparently that decision has already been made for me.) Anyway, the forum consisted of about 30 students, mostly student group representatives and leaders (AKA, losers), where apparently a wide range of topics and "solutions" were discussed concerning this "problem", ranging from providing better communication between alcohol awareness groups and fraternities and sororities, to providing more funds for awareness education across the board. I could spend countless paragraphs on just how fruitless these efforts would be, but there was one quote by the president of the Panhellenic Council that really set me off:

This is beyond education. We need to fund alternatives to going downtown.

When I read this sentence it was like hearing fingernails screeching down a chalkboard.

Why more public funding? Everything has costs, and there's no free lunch, so why take more of people's tuition and put it towards something that obviously isn't in demand? The alternatives are already there. Bowling alleys, movie theaters, putt-putt, concerts, all provided thanks to the free market. What other alternatives do you want?

The reason why downtown Athens has so many bars is because people demand them. College kids are willing and able to go to them and drink because that's what college kids do. I, for example, regularly "fund" Bourbon Street and Allgood, whereas Walker Persons the Third may decide to fund Beauregard's or Gus's, and we're both happy at the end of the night. In addition, Blake the Baptist, who doesn't drink, may decide to fund Coldstone Creamery instead. We all get what we want.

But now Miss Panhellenic wants to take me, Walker, and Blake's money and put it toward something that none of us need or want, all in the name of her ardent crusade of fighting alcohol abuse, which will fail miserably anyway because it's completely out of touch with reality. Kids are going to drink. There will always be irresponsible toolbags who will take it too far. That's not my problem, nor is it my fault. Please stop trying to throw more of our dollars at problems that don't exist. The money will be much more efficiently spent when it's in our own hands anyway. Finally, stop knee-jerkingly turning to government, the most inefficient thing ever created, to plan, create, build, and fulfill your utopian dream where everyone drinks Sprite and plays free pinball at the Tate Center on Friday nights.

Welcome home, Bob.

Now go win us some games!

You Heard it Here First

Herndon will be the next head coach. Looks like I'll be paying for my own prize.

Free Advice

The Red and Black reports that $2 million will be donated for an "Alcohol Education Center," to be built next year, in response to the rise in drinking-related deaths on campus. UGA is also considering implementing alcohol education and awareness classes for undergraduates.

Well I've been doing some research, and I've decided to go ahead and save the community this $2 million dollars by educating everyone right here, right now. This might take a while to read through, but I really want everyone to be thoroughly educated. Ok, here goes:

Don't drink too much, it's not good for you. Use common sense and take responsibility for your actions.

Actually, that's it. There's nothing else. Cutting-edge research has statistically shown that one of the best ways to avoid drinking too much is by...not drinking too much. Anyway, next week I'll cover how to avoid using illegal drugs. I'm researching this stuff right now as we speak. Should be interesting. Class dismissed.

Waste of a Human Being

Sorry, I'm gonna pull a Dixie Chicks here and let everyone know that I'm ashamed that our 39th president is from Georgia.

The other day, I was watching clips of the Coretta Scott King funeral, and minutes after Bush spoke, good old Jimmy gets up there and takes a political cheapshot, at a funeral of all places, saying he felt sorry for Mrs. King and her husband because they were subject to government wiretapping in the early 1960s. He then criticized the administration's response to Katrina. The AJC, along with countless other news outlets praised Carter for his "brave" remarks. Keep in the mind this is all at someone's funeral.

For the past 3 days I've sat back and waited for someone to actually disagree with this viewpoint. Finally, I watched O'Reilly tonight. I usually agree with about 75% of everything he says, but he hit this one on the head. He asked a simple question: what if Bush said, during his speech, that it was a shame government wiretapping was used on people like Mr. and Mrs. King by the Democratic Kennedy Administration, but that today we should be thankful to have organizations like the NSA, which only gives the government the legal authority under the constitution to wiretap those who are a direct threat to our security, like suspected terrorists? Can you imagine how the Atlanta Journal would have responded then? They'd have called it political exploitation of worst degree. But no, not when Jimmy talks. He builds houses for poor people so they won't feel the need to work for them. He teaches Sunday school. He sits next to Michael Moore at political conventions. He meets with Fidel Castro, a mass-murderer, and talks about how he envies Cuba's healthcare system. He's our Jimmy, he's fighting the good fight.

Add that to the fact that he sat back and let the Soviet Union invade Afghanistan. Or gave in to the Iranians when they took American hostages. Or signed a million arms limitations agreements that meant absolutely nothing because the Russians never followed them. The press always talks about how Jimmy may not be remembered as the best president, but they praise him for his greatest, centerpiece achievement: the initiation of the Middle East Peace Process at Camp David. Yeah, that really worked out well.

In 1979, everybody was convinced that it was just a matter of time before the Soviets took over the world. You had to wait 3 hours in line to get gas because of price controls, and the federal reserve was printing more and more money, keeping inflation as high as 15%, all in attempt to achieve "full employment," whatever that means. All Jimmy would tell the people is to wear cardigans, turn down their thermostats, and start conserving, because America's best days were behind her. I don't think this country could have taken another day of this man in the White House. Thank God communism's worst nightmare succeeded him.

Finally, to be fair, I will say that Clinton's speech was good. No cheapshots and no political swipes, even though he had plenty of opportunity because he was in front of his favorite audience: black people. But no, just a solemn speech about Mrs. King and her contributions. As much as I hate Clinton, I'd still vote for him any day of the week and twice on Sunday over sorry-ass, out-of-touch Jimmy Carter.

Plan B

A confirmed source at GAVSV has reported that BC offered the job to Paul Standard of St. Pius on Monday, who subsequently turned it down. According to the source, the committee had no contingency plan and is now up Shit's Creek without a paddle.

The only two viable candidates left are Bob Herndon and John Pate, former GSU assistant. Herndon is an alum and will probably be called on next, but one must wonder if he will accept the job after being overlooked in the first round. My personal choice would be Pate. He is an excellent motivator; it has been said that players would run through a brick wall for him. He has turned down head coaching offers in the college ranks to stay at GSU. And he obviously has a lot of respect for BC's program since, out of all the vacancies in the area, this was the only job in which he expressed interest. I hope that we get one of these two guys.

Hang it up, Mic

That freight train of a rock band know as the Rolling Stones are amongst controversy once again. Supposedly, during their performance at the Super Bowl on Sunday, Mic Jagger's microphone volume was lowered when he came to lyrics involving sex. This has "outraged" the Rolling Stones and their overrated shriveled up frontman. I mean come on Mic, this isn't the Ed Sullivan show in the late sixties when it was cool for you and Jim Morrison to be badasses by disobeying the censors and saying what you wanted. You were informed of this way in advance and now are attempting to get any type of publicity for your career that wore out its welcome about 25 years ago. How about you worry less about the censors and worry more about putting on a good half time show. I mean seriously, I was offended by that sorry excuse for a performance. Towards the end, I was praying for a Salt-N-Peppa medley. The Rolling Stones are a band that needs to put themselves out of their misery. They have enough money, and they have not made a decent album in years. Just don't put me through that shit again.

Happy Birthday, BMBS

It's been a good year. We've ignited an intellectual firestorm of ideas in the blogosphere. Many are now beginning to question the validity of socialism, Hollister, energy drinks, and "Date My Mom." The Truman Parkway, for all intents and purposes, is finished. Two new conservative justices have joined the Supreme Court. State Line Cabaret's prices are lower today than they were a year ago. BC is about to hire its new head coach. The Bojangles on DeRenne Avenue is pretty much done. Unemployment is down to 4.7%. For six consecutive months, Chris Connolly has managed to not get kicked out of a bar.

But we still have work to do. Carey Hilliard's continues to raise its prices. More and more parents are sending their kids to Savannah Christian. There are no longer any oldies stations in Savannah. There remains a culture of corruption in our government and at our public universities. Kids are still using hair gel, even in the South. Cargo shorts are ubiquitous. I saw a kid yesterday in front of the library with a mesh "Vote for Pedro" hat turned to the side, talking in his usual fast-paced, high-pitched cadence to a hot girl. This has to come to an end. I have no idea who Pedro is, and neither does he. Yet another one of those tongue-in-cheek jokes that nobody even gets.

One of the most popular songs of the past year was "Golddigger" by Kanye West. Listen to the song and you'll soon realize that just about anybody in America, at least any black man, can do what Kanye does: talk. Actually, mumble is probably the better word. Somehow, he gets paid millions of dollars for doing it. Kanye makes it look so easy, because it is so easy. Yesterday while listening to the radio I heard Ray Charles' classic "Georgia on my Mind" start playing. Well hot damn, I thought, they're actually going to play an entertaining song by somebody who can sing good and play piano, someone with actual talent. Wrong. Within 5 seconds of Charles' melodic intro, rapper Ludacris breaks in and starts talking really fast about stuff I don't even understand, and have no desire to understand. I can hear all of you now: "oh come on Patrick, you're such an old man. Ludacris is talented. It's the 90's, wake up." How is Ludacris talented though? Does he sing, does he dance, does he play anything? I just don't understand how having a mouth makes someone talented. Yet millions of college/high school kids love this stuff, love to buy/download this music, and they have every God-given right to. But I have a God-given right to make fun of these people, too.

Anyway, we've only just begun. We've layed the foundation for what I hope will result in a political and social revolution among the disillusioned masses, i.e. people not from Savannah. We must never lose our optimism. May God bless us, and may God continue to bless Beach Music and Boat Shoes.

From Boortz

I hope everyone here watches FNC instead of CNN

A STUDY IN MEDIA HYPOCRISY
Would you think that any major American media outlet would be more willing to offend the world's Catholics than those practitioners of the wonderful, peaceful religion of Islam? Naw ... not in this country, right? Well, you're wrong. Let's take CNN as an example. For the first part of this lesson in hypocrisy I'll direct you to a story that appeared on CNN.com on September 28, 1999. The headline reads "Exhibit controversy makes coffee-table book a hot item." This is a story about an eight-pound coffee table book that was flying off the shelves of New York City bookstores. Why? Because of a controversy over one picture in the book .. a picture of a work of "art" in the book titled "The Holy Virgin Mary." The piece was done with elephant dung. Catholics were less than amused. So, what did CNN do? It published the story complete with a picture of the offending piece. Here's your link to check it out. Now .. we move to February 6, 2006 and another CNN.com story titled "Danes feel threatened in cartoon row." This story, of course, is about all of those peaceful Muslims rioting and threatening death and mayhem because someone drew a cartoon of their pedophile-prophet Mohammed. Here's your link for the story about these peaceful Muslims. Now ... scroll down to the bottom of the story. You'll see the notation "CNN has chosen not to show the cartoons out of respect for Islam." Well, isn't that special. Go ahead and show a painting of the Virgin Mary created out of elephant poo, but withhold the pictures of these cartoons that are causing carnage around the world. We don't want to insult Muslims, do we? Catholics? Well, apparently they're on their own.

Ohhh Billary...

Doesn't she know to keep your friends close, and your enemies closer?

Courtesy of Dennis B. Leonard

A Leonard Saved is a Leonard Earned

23 years ago today, the world's best and brightest future accountant was born in Savannah, Georgia. One of the original loyal contributors here, Stephen is a Catholic with a Protestant work ethic. He has always taken a no holds barred approach, fighting the good fight against frat guys, bible-beaters, laziness, bouncers at bars (after they discover the hidden flask), fat girls, extravagance, the Second Vatican Council, prodigality, restaurant tabs, sleep, overzealous cops, and people that don't believe the water in Augusta is cherry-flavored. You really have to have a lot of respect for a guy that, within the next 5 years, is going to be either killing Muslims or doing their taxes. Here's to 23 more years of running, pimento cheese, theft, Catholicism, Church's Chicken, frugality, industry, and intolerance.

'Preciate It, Tommy

These are Coach Cannon's words to me after I officiated BC's JV game against South Effingham last night:

Come back by the school sometime. Maybe we can get you in a PE class and teach you how to ref basketball.

Thanks for caring, Coach.

Are Justices Alito and Roberts Liberal?...

NO! I found a good case as to why.

From andrewcusack.com

The media claimed Roberts was breaking with conservatives because he refused to strike down a lower court's ruling that an Oregon physician-assisted suicide laws were constitutional. The Associated Press, meanwhile, judged Alito as "splitting with conservatives" for "refusing to let Missouri execute a death-row inmate contesting lethal injection". Because the media are generally in the same liberal camp as the judicial activism proponents they think like judicial activists and a judicial activist would think "Gee, Alito's conservative so he opposes physician-assisted suicide so he'll rule against it." But that's the point, you ninnies! The job of a Supreme Court justice is to interpret the Constitution not to usurp the legislative authority of Congress by deciding to follow our own whims, fancies, and personal beliefs. The Supreme Court justice must not say whether a law was right or wrong, or whether he would've voted for it, he must ask "Does this law contravene the Constitution of the United States" and if it does not then he is obligated to rule as such and to let the law stand regardless of his personal opinion of the law. Legislative power is appropriately invested in Congress, not the Supreme Court nor the President, and the seperation of powers is fundamental to the continued success of our Constitution.

Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito have ruled according to the law rather than to their own respective whims. This is to be commended, and could set the tone for the Roberts court as a return to normalcy after the white squall of Holmesian jurisprudence and spark a concurrent deemphasis of federal power. We can only hope and pray it will be so.

Just Get Out of the Way

Larry Kudlow has yet another great post on his blog today. Read here.

A Sign From God?

Today I was rummaging through the bookbag I take every day to work, when I found this at the bottom:

In case you have Mr. Magoo eyes like TC, it's a woman (possibly Mary) holding some roses and a crucifix with Jesus on it. There's also a rosary dangling from one arm.

How did this little statue end up in my bookbag? Did a stranger attempt a good deed by placing Mary and Jesus on my person, so that I may dwell upon the uncleanliness of my life? Or did God put it there? Either way, mission accomplished. I'm spooked. I think I may start believing what the Bible says. No, wait, God didn't write that. It was just some guys, same as the Qur'an or any other religious text. Nevermind.

More Updates

For whatever reason, we've just been in a hot news cycle lately.

1. The Search Continues. Coach Walsh's lips remain sealed on who he's leaning towards hiring in a town that cares even more about BC's head coach than Mark Richt himself. Read here.

2. Goodbye Greenspan. Today marks the end of the chairman's prosperous 18-year tenure at the Fed. Greenspan did an outstanding job of keeping the money supply sound during the good times and providing excess liquidity during the rough ones (namely, the Asian financial crisis in 1997). While we didn't go back to the gold standard, the Greenspan standard was almost as good as gold. My only criticism is when he kept rates artificially low well after the crisis was resolved, fueling the "irrational exuberance" of the late 90's, which ultimately caused the 2000-2001 recession.

3. State of Our Union. Tonight, the president is expected to "push" for ethanol fuel and other alternative energy sources. What does that mean? Did Harry Truman "push" for the invention of the television in the late 1940s? No, the market did that. Did George Bush Sr. "push" for the invention of CDs in the late 80s? No, the market did. Leave things alone, let the price system do its job. Please stop getting in the way of things.

Ryan's Superbowl Report

Like all of you, I will be watching the Superbowl this Sunday. It'll be a nice send-off for me, because personally, I have had my year's fill of football. So I'll be watching with some beer, pizza, and lots of fervor.

I'm going with Pittsburgh to win by 10. I like their offense matched up against Seattle's defense, which, let's be honest, has shown some holes over the course of this season. Also overlooked is Pittsburgh's special teams, which have really been clutch in pressure situations these past few games. The Seahawks are a good match, no doubt about that, but their run game won't have as much of its late season success against Pittsburgh's formidable line.

That whole last paragraph was made up. I know nothing about these two teams, but you probably believed me since football is an inferior sport to baseball, henceforth, dumber fans. But I will actually be watching since they show funny commercials and brand new movie trailers. I guess I'll root for Seattle since grunge came from there.

Good Job, Exxon

Exxon Mobile reported earnings of $10.7 billion last quarter, the largest of any company in history.

Awesome. They deserve it.

Kerry is at it again...

By Zach Brissett

Will Somebody Please Tell Me

...just what the hell is going on in this article.

Amazing what you can find when you google BC.

In Praise of Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart is bad for America, right? 25,000 people in Illinois don't seem to think so. That's how many people lined up to apply for 325 openings at a new store in Evergreen Park, Illinois. Apparently 25,000 people think they will be made better off working at Wal-Mart than at whatever job, if any, they currently hold.

It's amazing how the largest retailer in America, which continues to provide opportunity for hundreds of thousands of low-skilled workers whom otherwise would have lower-paying jobs or no jobs at all, gets bashed on a daily basis by countless politicians, interest groups, and "journalists" in the mainstream media, all of whom have never picked up an economics book in their lives and never think to ask the all-important question: "what's the alternative?"

Canada's Right Face

I know, I can't believe it either. Our friends to the north have elected a conservative. Prime minister-elect Stephen Harper, a free-market economist, is pro-America, pro-gun rights, pro-Iraq invasion, anti-Kyoto protocol, anti-socialist healthcare, and anti-abortion. Sorry Kelly.

Harper stupified the Canadian press during the final months of the campaign when he openly admitted that:
1) He thinks there might be a God
2) He thinks Canada should have its own military.

Shocking.

The Interview Proccess Begins

Unconfirmed reports from the AAA message board at GAVSV have Paul Standard, head coach at St. Pius X in Atlanta, interviewing today for the Benedictine job. You can find his resume here.

In five seasons at St. Pius, Standard has compiled a record of 35-20, with three state playoff births. His 2003 squad advanced to the state quartefinals. The Golden Lions finished the 2005 season with a 5-5 mark.

Standard is a St. Pius alum ('80) and attended The Citadel. The experiences of attending a Catholic school and a military school make him a natural fit for BC. He is also a young guy who could commit several years to the job. I am suspicious, though, of why he would want to leave his alma mater.

I would be content if BC went with Standard. He is not my first choice, but he does have an awesome mustache.


The same unconfirmed source reports that former Statesboro coach, Buzz Busby, will interview later this week. Busby's tenure with the Blue Devils ended prematurely and on bad terms after the 2003 season. This article explains what happened. Busby was 55-11-1 in five seasons at Statesboro. His 2001 team won the state championship, his 2000 and 2003 squads finished as runners-up.

Busby has the most impressive resume of the alleged applicant pool. He is a little old, though. Can he give BC a 7-10 year committment? Will his hardnosed style attract more kids to the team or drive them away? Will he be able to recruit the public schools? Those are my concerns.

Not so fast my friend.....

It seems that Valdosta has hired themselves a new football coach, and quite a successful one at that. Rick Tomberlin was named head coach of the 'Cats on Monday. He has been at Washington County since 1991, playing in 5 state championship games, winning 3. The interesting part is that he was at Lowndes for 3 years before being fired and heading upstate to WC. But this quote in the AJC aricle kind of got to me: "This is about getting an invitation to go to the winningest high school football program in the United States. It's the Notre Dame of high school football," Tomberlin said Monday night. That's like saying Stephen A. Smith is the Howard Cossell of broadcasting. Not quite.....

Wallace Rulz!!

Skimming the headlines on Savannahnow.com yesterday, I found this gem:

Benedictine LB Wallace Pooling His Options.

The article is about Anthony Wallace, brother to one our own BMBS bloggers, and his conundrum. Anthony was receiving interest from major D1 programs as a junior, before tearing his ACL. To expedite the rehab process, Anthony turned to swimming, a sport he participated in competitively as youngster but abandoned to focus on football. One year later, Anthony is being recruited as one of the top swimmers in the area, in addition to receiving offers to play football at Air Force, Columbia, Harvard, and Yale.

What really makes this article stand out, though, is the accompanying photograph of a bare-chested Wallace fresh out of the pool.




















To get the point across, the editor felt the need to post the picture not once...



















...but twice!

I'm disappointed that it took a day and a half for someone to comment about this. Our blog is getting lazy. St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner. We need to step it up.

Inaugurated on this date in 1981...

Read his speech here.

Read today's WSJ editorial here (no subscription required).

Born on this date in 1807....

Robert Edward Lee. Southerners used to celebrate this as a holiday before MLK came along.
Educate yourself here
"If you rely on the mainstream media for your news, you probably do not know that January 19, is the 199th anniversary of the birth of Robert E. Lee. Nor would you know that numerous celebrations will be held to honor the General on that day. I am not sure why the mainstream media ignores Lee. It is certainly not because he isn’t newsworthy. Lee is immensely popular not only throughout America but also in Europe. And when any organization compiles a listing of famous Americans, General Lee is always ranked near the top. ."

Two Months Left

Self-explanatory.

Statesboro Blues

STATESBORO, Ga. — A lawyer was taken hostage in his office near City Hall on Monday, and police cordoned off part of downtown as they tried to negotiate for the man's release.

The two suspects, a man and a woman, told police they were armed with a homemade explosive device, authorities said.

More than 11 hours into the standoff, police were still negotiating with the pair, said Trooper Larry Schnall, a spokesman for the Georgia State Patrol, which was sending a SWAT team to the scene.

A woman who answered the phone Monday at the office where the lawyer works said the office was closed and hung up.

Three people were initially taken hostage, but two were released unharmed, said Maggie Fitzgerald, a city spokeswoman. She said the remaining hostage had also not been harmed.

The suspects were "upset with some legal issues within the recent past and want to get those issues resolved," she said.

The man and woman said they were armed with an improvised explosive device, Fitzgerald said.

Statesboro, a city of 22,000 that is home to Georgia Southern University, is 225 miles southeast of Atlanta. The community's Martin Luther King Day parade, which was to pass by the county courthouse near the scene, was canceled because of the standoff.

5,000 and Counting

It's official. Since October, we've had over 5,000 visitors. Sure, most of this is due to recurring visits by people like us who go on a few times a day, but still, you have to remember we started this thing back in winter of last year, and I didn't put the counter on until October, so I think it's a fair assumption that we've had over 10,000 visits. Also, according to these people, the site itself is valued at over $2k. This means nothing, because 1. Google owns the webspace and 2. the valuation is probably fake anyway, because it's based on a "fantasy blog stock market" thing, whatever that means. But still, we've come a long way since that cold, blustery February day on the 3rd floor of the Student Learning Center when I didn't feel like studying.

Next month we'll celebrate 1 year. Good work ya'll.

Disappointing

This weekend, Officers found 34 grams of marijuana, 2.1 grams of powdered cocaine, prescription pills and drug paraphernalia at 124 ½ W. Perry Lane, according to a Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police report.

The discovery resulted in the arrest of Tony Brian Aliotta, 19 ( a former BC student; but not sure if he graduated from BC.) Police are now questioning Aliotta's roommate, Brannen C. Miles, along with two friends at the residence.

Officers also found a Savannah College of Art Design bookbag containing marijuana, a digital scale and Ziploc bags, the report says. Aliotta told officers the drugs belonged to him. He had the scale "to make sure (he) doesn't get ripped off," he told officers.

This arrest shouldn't be asurprisee for those who knew about Tony's circle friends. But this story has another plot to it. You see, Brannen C. Miles was with Jennifer Ross when she was shot be armed robbers, Christmas Eve night on Orleans Square. Miles and Ross were on their way to Aliotta's Perry Lane apartment, adjacent to Orleans Square, when the robbery and shooting took place.

Police are still searching for suspects in the Ross case, no arrests have yet been made. Police have said Tony's arrest was a result of an increase of patrol officers started after the Dec. 24th shooting of Jennifer Ross. Aliotta is being held at the Chatham County jail on charges of possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana more than an ounce and possession of drug-related objects.

Happy Birthday Pat!

Today is the birthday of all birthdays. One John Patrick Holland was born today, 23 years ago in a little town north, north-west of Savannah.

This man would grow up to be one of the most feared UGA Law School Students of all time. Why? BECAUSE HE'S NOT LIBERAL!

We solute you John Patrick, for all the smart ass sarcastic puns that very few outside of BC understand. May the Beatles and 60's beach music echo in eternity.

Below is a picture of Pat starting his first day of Law School. Courtesy of Mrs. Holland, Pat's loving mother.

I'm sure everyone has read this before...

but i figure yall might want to read this again.

If your from Atlanta, you'll like this:



ATLANTA, GEORGIA



This is for anyone who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, has ever lived in

Atlanta, has ever visited Atlanta, ever plans to visit Atlanta,

knows anyone who already lives in Atlanta, or knows anyone who has

ever heard of Atlanta. Atlanta is composed mostly of one-way

streets. The only way to get out of downtown Atlanta is to turn

around and start over when you reach Greenville, South Carolina.



All directions start with, "Go down Peachtree" and include the

phrase, "When you see the Waffle House." Except that in Cobb County,

where all directions begin with, "Go to the Big Chicken."



Peachtree Street has no beginning and no end and is not to be

confused with:



Peachtree Circle
Peachtree Battle
Peachtree Place
Peachtree Corners
Peachtree Lane
New Peachtree
Peachtree Road
Old Peachtree
Peachtree Parkway
West Peachtree
Peachtree Run
Peachtree-Dunwoody
Peachtree Terrace
Peachtree-Chamblee
Peachtree Avenue
Peachtree Industrial Boulevard
Peachtree Commons



Atlantan's only know their way to work and their way home. If you

ask anyone for directions, they will always send you down Peachtree.



Atlanta is the home of Coca-Cola. Coke's all they drink there, so

don't ask for any other soft drink unless it's made by Coca-Cola.



The gates at Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport are about 32

miles away from the Main Concourse, so wear sneakers and pack a

lunch.



The 8a.m. rush hour is from 6:30 to 10:30 AM. The 5pm rush hour is

from 3:00 to 7:30 PM. Friday's rush hour starts Thursday afternoon

and lasts through 2am Saturday.



Only a native can pronounce Ponce De Leon Avenue, so do not attempt

the Spanish pronunciation. People will simply tilt their heads to

the right and stare at you. The Atlanta pronunciation is "pawntz duh

LEE-awn."



And yes, they have a street named simply, "Boulevard."



The falling of one raindrop causes all drivers to immediately

forget all traffic rules. If a single snowflake falls, the city is

paralyzed for three days and it's on all the channels as a news

flash every 15 minutes for a week. Overnight, all grocery stores

will be sold out of milk, bread, bottled water, toilet paper, and

beer.



I-285, the loop that encircles Atlanta, which has a posted speed

limit of 55 mph (but you have to maintain 80 mph just to keep from

getting run over), is known to truckers as "The Watermelon 500."



Don't believe the directional markers on highways. I-285 is marked



"East" and "West" but you may be going North or South. The

locals identify the direction by referring to the "Inner Loop" and

the "Outer Loop." If you travel on Hwy 92 North, you will actually

be going southeast.



Never buy a ladder or mattress in Atlanta. Just go to one of the

interstates and you will soon find one in the middle of the road.



The last thing you want to do is give another driver the finger,

unless your car is armored, your trigger finger is itchy and your

AK-47 has a full clip.



Possums sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air.



There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 live in Georgia.



There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in Georgia, plus

a couple no one has seen before.



If it grows, it sticks. If it crawls, it bites. If you notice a vine

trying to wrap itself around your leg, you have about 20 seconds to

escape, before you are completely captured and covered with Kudzu,



another ill-advised "import," like the carp, starling, English sparrow,



and other "exotic wonders."



It's not a shopping cart, it's a buggy. "Fixinto" is one word (I'm

fixinto go to the store).



Sweet Tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it

when you're 2 years old.



"Jeet?" is actually a phrase meaning "Did you eat?"



If you understand these jokes, forward them to your friends from

Atlanta, Georgia and those who just wish they were.



Lordy, I love Jawja.

It's Time...

...to play America's new fastest-growing game show: "Who Will BC Hire?"

Here's how it works: everyone submits who they think will be hired as the Cadets' new head football coach. Winner gets a free trip to Summer Waves in Valdosta, a gift certificate for a free order of Wing-Zings at Carey Hilliards, and an autographed picture of O.C. Welch.

Since this is my idea, I have the luxury of making the first pick. Drum roll please....

I think BC will hire Bob Herndon, currently head coach at South Effingham. He's a BC grad, and was sitting next to Coach Walsh at the last home basketball game.

Somehow I have the feeling I'm the only person who will be playing this game. Whatever, more wing-zings for me.

Brackett resigns as Benedictine coach

Jim Thomas
SavannahNow.com

Benedictine football coach Tommy Brackett unexpectedly announced his resignation Sunday night at the school's fall sports banquet, saying he felt it was "just time to move on'' after 11 years.

Brackett, who posted a 79-39 overall record with the Cadets, said he informed Benedictine athletic director Jim Walsh, Sr., and principal Kelly Burke of his decision on Wednesday.

"I've been thinking about it since the end of the season,'' Brackett said. "It was a tough decision. I've been blessed to have been given the opportunity to have the best job in the city, if not in southeast Georgia. Right now, I just felt it was the best thing for me and the best thing for the school.''

He said Walsh and Burke were the only two people who knew he had decided to step down until he made the announcement. Even his coaching staff didn't know.

"We kind of kept it quiet until (Sunday),'' he said. "I thought it was important for the players to hear it from me. I didn't want any kind of false rumors circulating.

"I think they were kind of shocked. But they were all gentlemen about it. They came back and wished me the best and thanked me for all of our time together. I was really touched by the kids.''

Benedictine, traditionally one of the city's strongest programs, has been down the last three years. The Cadets have gone only 11-19 during that span, including 5-5 this season. But Brackett said that had nothing to do with his decision to step down.

"That wasn't a factor at all,'' he said. "If you look at the season this year, we played six teams with winning records and five went to the playoffs. We went 2-3 against those teams. We battled injuries toward the end. I was really proud of the team. We have a pretty good sophomore class waiting to step up next year.''
There had been speculation that Brackett would be fired after BC suffered back-to-back losing seasons in going 4-6 in 2003 and 2-8 in 2004. But he said he was not under any pressure to resign.

"Those kinds of rumors always happen when you're losing,'' Brackett said. "I just think the program needs a little jolt, some new blood. I go back to when Coach Walsh stepped down and I took over. There was some excitement and some enthusiasm. I'd like to see that for the school again.''

Prior to coming to BC in 1995, Brackett had a 40-16 record in five years as head coach at Southeast Bulloch from 1990-1994. His overall career record was 119-55 in 16 years.

Brackett, 49, said he plans to stay on at the school until the end of the year and fulfill his teaching duties. But he said he wasn't thought about coaching anywhere else.

"I haven't talked to anyone,'' Brackett said. "I'm not seeking a job and nobody's talked to me about a job.''

Walsh, who coached BC for 25 years before retiring in 1994, said Brackett's decision didn't surprise him.

"I thought he was getting restless,'' Walsh said. "His leaving didn't have anything to do with the last couple of years. That's going to happen. He was very successful here. I just think it was kind of a family thing. He has some things he wants to accomplish.''

Walsh said he had no timetable as to when Benedictine would hire a new coach.
"We know of a couple of people who might be interested,'' he said. "But we haven't really talked to anybody about it because it was so recent that (Brackett) said he wasn't coming back.''

Pass in Review: 2005

A new pope, a new chief justice, a new soft drink, a new fed chairman, a new James Bond, a new presidential term....where do we begin?

POLITICS:
Rough times for W. After being reinaugurated, he fails to get anything from his second-term agenda passed. Partially his fault, but mostly a corrupt congress headed by RINOs. His approval rating bottomed in late November, due to Katrina and the Scooter Libby mess, but I think things are beginning to turn around. Troop withdrawals and a robust economy should help him this year.

MUSIC:
Two words: Kelly Clarkson. She had 3 hit songs, all which hit #1.

MOVIES:
Most would put "Wedding Crashers" here, but I just can't. Got too serious towards the end. I'm sticking with Episode III.

SPORTS:
Georgia, picked to finish 3rd in the SEC East, suprises everyone with a conference championship.
BC improves to a 5-5 season, but most fans remain disappointed. As I type this post, reliable sources confirm that Brackett has resigned. More to come.

Additional thoughts? Please post.

We're Number Nine!

The 2006 Economic Freedom Index was released earlier this week by the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal. Here's the top ten:

1. Hong Kong
2. Singapore
3. Ireland
4. Luxembourg
5. United Kingdom
6. Iceland
7. Estonia
8. Denmark
9. United States
10. Australia

We're not doing too bad, but we can do better. How can we move up the chart? Five simple steps: 1) cut taxes, 2) cut spending, 3) keep the money supply sound, 4) deregulate, 5) support free trade.

Congress, unfortunately, is more concerned with regulating major league baseball (still trying to find out where this is allowed in the Constitution) than expanding liberty. This is a problem, in a time when voters constantly ask "what is government going to do for me?" instead of "what is government going to do to get out of my way?"

"Why should I worry about one tyrant 3,000 miles away, when I should be more worried about 3,000 tyrants one mile away? A legislature can trample a man's rights as easily as a king can." -- Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) in The Patriot

Signs of Georgia

There's a barn about midway between Savannah and Athens on Highway 15 that has this painted on its side:

WE DON'T REBUILD
WE RELOAD

A reference to the terrorist attacks of September 11th? Nah. It just means the UGA football team. The big G gives that away. Anyway, you would figure these people to be huge Georgia fans, full of knowledge and devotion. Well, on my trip back on Monday, I saw their new display of informed fandom:

Ho-ho-Who's 10 - 1?
#1 UGA, that's who! Beat WVU!

Nevermind the fact that Georgia was ranked #7 and had a record of 10-2 before they, in fact, did not beat WVU.

While I was driving through that town with the railroad tracks that make your car fly like a DeLorean and the big Wal-Mart that you know everyone goes to on Sunday, I saw a billboard that wanted you to know:

Abstinence.

It's not easy...and neither are you.