I can't really say that I enjoyed writing this article, but I felt it was necessary, all the same. I don't want to sound smug or condescending while attacking the personal beliefs of another human being, but there are times when it simply can't be avoided. Nonfiction often requires a brutal honesty. The purpose of writing this isn't to irritate an atheist, but simply to demonstrate that such criticism is fairly easy to produce. Consider it proof of concept, if you will. It seems that too many atheists are convinced their worldview can't be mocked. As atheism becomes more popular worldwide and the internet offers some degree of anonymity, some atheists have become considerably more aggressive, and obnoxious. They are no longer satisfied with their atheism, and now gravitate toward anti-theism. For example, an atheist recently posted this rather inflammatory comment in the discussion group on Facebook associated with the Unbelievable? podcast, where topics about atheism and religion are being constantly discussed: As god, you get to screw up and theists get to apologize it away Now, the only apparent reason to post such an inane comment is to provoke an angry response from the theists that read it. The assertion wasn't particularly clever and didn't seem to merit a more serious response, but to let the author know that I had noticed his effort, my response employed sarcasm, using a cartoon... Another atheist then joined our conversation and (somewhat more eloquently than the first atheist) said: I realize that it is incredibly frustrating to have it … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2018
A public service announcement for Dawg fans
I feel like I owe an apology to my fellow Dawg fans. If something I wrote or said in the aftermath of the national championship game caused anyone to think that the Dawgs were cheated out of a victory they deserved, that was my mistake. When I wrote that it was statistically unlikely that the officials at the national championship game would miss several calls that all hurt UGA and helped Alabama, my comment might have created the false impression that the officiating was to blame for Georgia losing the game. Without a doubt, there were clearly some bad officiating calls in the game, particularly in the 2nd half. However, I do not for a moment believe that the game was fixed or the officials had been bribed or Georgia was cheated out of victory, or any other such nonsense. Georgia lost the game, fair and square. Alabama outplayed us in the 2nd half, and overtime. Georgia had our chances to win, and simply didn't execute well enough on either side of the ball. Could the officials have done a better job? Of course they could have. But surely the officials can't be blamed for Alabama wide receiver Devonta Smith being wide open for a TD on 2nd-and-41 in overtime. The officials didn't force our offense to call too many running plays in the 4th quarter. Georgia had plenty of chances to win. Alabama executed when it mattered most. Our Dawgs didn't. Game over. After watching numerous replays of the "botched" calls, only one upsets me: the punch thrown by Mekhi Brown. The officials obviously saw the punch because they threw a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct, but … [Read more...]
Five Reasons Why Georgia Should Beat Alabama
I don't bet on college football games. Most of the time it's hard enough to decide which team will win without trying to factor in the point spread, and it's easier to enjoy the game without a financial stake in the outcome. However, I usually try to figure out which team will win in advance because I consider it an exercise of the same analytical skills I use to write my detective novels as "Rocky Leonard", and specifically the ability to apply logic and reason to problem-solving, especially if I care about the outcome of the game. As a Georgia Bulldog alumnus and football fan, I care about the outcome of the 2018 national championship game, and I'm aware that the bookies in Las Vegas have installed Alabama as a four point favorite. The prognosticators and pundits have also spoken: Colin Cowherd decreed that Georgia has absolutely no chance to beat Alabama, and according to him the Crimson Tide are "best team in football" who only lost a nail-biter to Auburn, (by "nail-biter", Cowherd apparently means losing the game by only 12 points as opposed to a 23 point margin.) UGA fans who have been upset by Cowherd's prediction that Alabama will thrash our Bulldogs in the National Championship game should note that this same "expert" analyst also predicted Oklahoma would defeat both Georgia and Alabama and win the national championship. Remember, the "experts" forecast Hillary Clinton would be President today, not Donald Trump. In other words, as my late Dad used to say, opinions are like a-holes. Everybody has one. Almost every writer at Sports Illustrated also picked … [Read more...]
Field of Opportunity
I've been wrong before, and I'll be there again I don't have any answers, my friend -- Just this pile of old questions that my memory left me here. In the field of opportunity, it's plowing time again. - Neil Young If you've read articles or books that I've written and published, you know that I'm not reticent about expressing my opinion. For example, I didn't hesitate to predict Mel Tucker would become Georgia's defensive coordinator under Kirby Smart, because common sense dictated that Jeremy Pruitt should be retained, unless a better candidate was available. However, as my late Dad used to say, even a blind squirrel can find an acorn once in a while. Or, more appropriately, I should heed the wisdom that Davin Bellamy imparted to Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, and humble myself enough to admit that I was wrong. It's easy to brag about being right about Mel Tucker - who doesn't like admitting when they are right? However, it's also important to remind myself when I am wrong, and I was definitely wrong about UGA and Mark Richt needing to part company in order for this national championship game to become possible. My love and admiration for coach Richt had blinded me to the reasons why Georgia Bulldog football was not closing the talent gap with Alabama, and many blue chip recruits were leaving the state. Clearly, I was wrong. In spite of several articles here at my blog in which I adamantly insisted UGA had just committed an egregious mistake by parting company with Mark Richt, I now acknowledge that the time for change had come. In the early … [Read more...]
