This just in… God doesn’t care about football! She has more pressing things to worry about!

Let me start this by saying two things.  First, I cannot stand the Broncos but I am a fan of Tim Tebow and I find myself rooting for him week after week.  Second, I am a self admitted Agnostic, I respect all faiths and the one thing I am not a fan of is when people condemn others based on arbitrary limited religious knowledge.  OK now we can get started…

Let’s begin by saying and acknowledging that Tim Tebow is a freak athlete, arguably one of the best running backs in the league, and an utter anomaly who happens to play the most difficult position in all of football.  He has moxy and I respect his ability to be “Jordanesque” in the fourth quarter.  However, I do not think this ability is some form of Divine Intervention simply because Mr. Tebow is unabashed about his faith.  As I said above, I can’t imagine God really cares about football.  But… I am an avid fantasy football player and it is ridiculously addicting, so maybe She does have a team; no never mind.  All joking aside, I find it very opportunistic to use Tebow’s success and mini winning streak to promote a Christian agenda.  Plus, this streak has more to do with Denver’s defense playing lights out than anything.  I mean, watching most Denver games encompasses watching 3+ quarters of absolutely horrible offensive ‘Wing-T’ football.

I respect that Tebow prays on the sidelines and gives thanks.  Knowing what little I do about Tebow, I would assume that what he is doing is simply saying “thanks”.  I can’t imagine he asks God for a 'win', he seems far too nice and smart a dude to do that.  Speaking of nice dudes; this also just in, Mr. Tebow is not the only good dude in the NFL.  He is a poster boy (and a pretty good looking one at that, so say all my female coworkers) for athletes who act like decent human beings.  We need this with our current crop of athletes who garner far too much attention.  Yet, his faith is used by media and other outlets, like many other issues, to divide people and pimp out some sort of agenda.  We should simply enjoy seeing him succeed, or not succeed if you're not a fan, on the field regardless of his religious beliefs.

Good for you Tim Tebow and Bronco fans.  I am enjoying this just as much as any other NFL fan.  The NFL truly is the best soap opera on TV.

Robert.

P.S. I think Tebowing is a pretty awesome Internet phenomenon.

Educational requirements for Congress and The Office of the President? Nevermind, not needed!

As we continue to grow the gap between the wealthiest of Americans and the ever-eroding middle class, it is now a necessity for citizens who are looking for jobs to have an advanced degree.  An MBA, Masters in Education, Masters in Organizational Leadership, M.A., and Ph.D.s are now needed to compete for jobs that were once considered entry level for baccalaureate degrees merely fiteen years ago.  We have watered down a college degree so much that a bachelor’s degree is now equivalent to high school diploma (for reasons see my blog below regarding For-Profit Piranhas).   I start with this to make a very distinct point; if we as job seeking individuals have to continuously obtain greater educational experiences and advanced degrees to qualify and be considered for employment, our elected leaders should be as well!

Over the past few years, and especially the past couple weeks, I have witnessed firsthand how incredibly ill-prepared and ill-informed our potential Presidential candidates are.  Sarah Palin, Herman Cain, Rick Perry, Dan Quayle, Michelle Bachman, etc., etc., etc., have made a mockery of what running for President or being in office requires.  On campaign trails, educated candidates, including President Obama, have been criticized for being too educated.  Is there such a notion?  Too educated?  Converserly, there should then be an argument for not having enough education to run for office. 

Now, I do not discredit that there are numerous individuals who have done amazingly well despite not having a formal education.  However, it is imperative that we have advanced degree requirements for all members of Congress and the office of the President.  We entrust these leaders with our safety, well-being, future and livelihood and yet we do not hold them accountable to continuously seeking knowledge and to navigating the very same academic requirements that we insist on other individuals in all sectors of society.  Given the direction and utter divisiveness that permeates our political landscape, not to mention their job approval ratings, our leaders are failing us.  They are a product of a failing K-12 educational system that does not teach individuals how think critically and they are prisoners to a corrupt two-party system.  

As a graduate student I am inundated, in every class, to think critically and with an 'interdisciplinary' approach.  I would argue that, as a whole, our leaders are incapable of doing this, simply because we do not hold them accountable to having any form of an advanced degree.  It is a shame that leaders who continuously make fools of themselves are still front-runners for the most visible and imperative job in the entire world. 

We have regressed so far as a country that we tolerate such idiocy.  As Congress stumbles and remains impotent regarding the economy, education and the jobs crisis and focus on issue like reaffirming “In God We Trust” as our national motto; it is no wonder that we are headed in the direction we are; I would argue there are more pressing issues.

As Albert Einstein once said, “Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death”.  It is a shame that mnay do not hold our leaders and presidential candidates to this standard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJvF0JzBVxI&feature=player_embedded

Robert