Cliff Matthews

The Gamecocks need a big game from Cliff Matthews next Thursday to have a chance against a very good NC State offensive team. Here is a very short clip from last year's game.

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Wade Hampton Loses to Blue Ridge 38-36

Second Half Equals Moral Victory

The cheerleaders’ waterlogged sign touting the Wade Hampton Generals as “Tiger Ringmasters” collapsed as it was unfurled before the Generals football game against the Blue Ridge Tigers.

It was an omen of what was to come in the first half under grey skies and on a damp field.

The Tiger offense amassed nearly 300 yards of offense, and its defense caused four turnovers to build a 38-14 halftime lead.

That big lead was barely enough for the Tigers to hold off against a furious second half Generals rally. The final score of the game was 38-36.

Most of the first half, the Blue Ridge offense ran up and down the field. Their offense mixed up plays, making big plays on screens, options, sweeps, and down field passes. The last big Tiger play was a 35-yard Hail Mary bomb as time expired, making the score 38-14. The Blue Ridge crowd cheered loudly. It looked like the rout was on.

As bad as it was, the first half was not without a few Generals highlights. Hakeem Flowers took back a Tiger kickoff for a 97-yard touchdown early in the game. On the play, heading due north, Flowers picked his way through blockers in the middle of the Tiger kickoff return team. At about the Generals 40-yard line, Flowers accelerated and shifted direction causing the last Tiger defender, the kicker, to stumble and fall down. Nobody on the Tiger team would catch Flowers as he rapidly pulled away and ran for a touchdown into the north end zone.

A couple other plays were worth noting and suggested the Generals offense could be explosive.

One was a 41-yard touchdown pass from Generals quarterback Capers Williamson to Blake Hayes. The play was early in the second quarter. On second and 15, Williamson rolled left on a waggle. He looked toward the south end zone and found Blake Hayes all alone. Capers threw a pretty forty yard spiral that hit Blake running in stride at the five for a touchdown strike. Later that quarter, Blake broke free on what appeared would be be a 72 yard TD run. However, Blake’s potential touchdown dash was called back on a questionable clip, complete with a dramatic tumble by a Tiger defender who was slightly bumped from behind. The acting occurred at the Blue Ridge 26 a good ten yards behind the sprinting Hayes.

As bad as was the first half, the Generals second was good. It was a new page in the book the boys are writing about the Generals 2009 season.

The young Generals defensive linemen and linebackers began to penetrate the Tiger line and kept the Tiger offense out of the end zone in the second half. MacKenzie Battle, the Generals middle linebacker, made several plays to stone Tiger running backs at the line of scrimmage. The defense forced a fumble, and A.J. Henderson intercepted the ball.

Meanwhile, the Generals ground attack was chewing away yardage at the expense of a tired Tiger defense. Garfield Dandridge, Blake Hayes, and Nick Grove ripped up huge chunks of yardage. Flowers ran loose on an end-around for 20 yards. The Generals O-line was blasting holes for their backs, and pulling guards were running interference loose in the Tiger secondary.

When the Generals ground attack wasn't gobbling up chunks of real estate, Williamson was throwing pretty passes to receivers Flowers, Hayes, and Henderson.

With 6:25 left in the game, the Generals scored again to make the score 38-30. The touchdown came following a seven-play, 80-yard drive, mostly on the ground. Speedy fullback, Nick Groves, scored the TD on a 13 yard dive.

After the Tigers got the ball on the kickoff, their center taunted Generals fans showing no respect for his opponent. Number 55 waved his arms at the crowd in a mocking gesture. Perhaps the taunting idea was the wrong tactic in the face of the Generals defense. It was proved wrong because it inspired the defense to stop the Tiger offense from converting a first down. That was important because the Tiger coaches were trying to kill the rest of the clock.

The Tigers then punted the ball to Flowers. Excuse me, but smelling Flowers was not a good odor for the Tigers.

Flowers picked up the punt and ran it twenty yards between two devastating, de-cleater blocks--and a string of Tiger pearls laying behind in the turf.

Two plays later, Blake got loose for 45 yards down the west sideline. He ran by the lagging Tiger defenders into the north end zone. That touchdown made the score 38-36. To their credit, the Tiger defense rose up to stop the Generals two point play atttempt, a Wing-T sweep, which could have tied the game with only 3 minutes remaining.

An onside kick was recovered by the Generals, but the recovery was nullified by an off-sides penalty. The Tigers again tried and failed in their attempt to run out the clock. They had to punt once again.

The Generals offense got the ball at their own 20, but there was just 1:45 left on the game clock. The offense moved the ball up to the Tiger 48, but it faltered as the limited time remaining forced the Generals to abandon the explosive running attack and go exclusively with the pass to save time. The final score of the game was 38-36.

The Blue Ridge game ended in a disappointing loss to the Tigers, but the second half left the team with momentum for possibly a great 2009 season.

Technorati Tags: Wade, Hampton, Generals, Blue, Ridge, Tigers, 38-36, football, high, school, flowers, williamson, hayes

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Gamecocks Face Big, Tough O-Line in Opener

Wolfpack Line Big, Experienced

On September 3, 2009, the Gamecocks travel to face a hostile Wolfpack and its rowdy crowd in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Gamecock players can expect a bath of noise, obscenities, batteries, and drinks from the crowd, but that obstacle may be the least of the Gamecocks' worries.

The 2009 version of the Wolfpack offense looks to be dang good. It is a far cry from the unit the Gamecocks shut out in the season opener last season.

The Wolfpack has a talented backfield that includes ACC first team quarterback, Russell Wilson, and a excellent running back, Jamelle Eugene, who has accumulated 1,000 yards rushing over the past two seasons.

The Pack also has two excellent wide receivers, Owen Spencer and Jarvis Williams. Between the hands and quickness of Spencer and Williams, and the arm of Wilson, the Pack climbed all the way to third in ACC passing yardage. A lot of ink has been spilled about the Pack's glamor position players. This post, however, focuses on the Wolfpack's offensive trench. For a detailed look at the Wolfpack O-line, read on.

I catch some flack in my writing about Gamecock opponents. Some people like to hear about the opponent's weaknesses. My view is different. I believe in The Art of War philosophy: "If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril." The Art of War, Sun Tzu. Therefore, I study and write about opponent strengths.

The Wolfpack offensive line is perceived by the Gamecocks' September 3, 2009, opponent as a strength. Page 38 of the Pack Media Guide states: "the NC State Offensive Line is in the best position it's been in under [Head Coach] Tom O'Brien."

One thing about preseason football--everyone in the country has a positive outlook. The data suggests the Wolfpack Athletic Department and fans have a good reason to be optimistic about their O-line.

On the other hand, it is not like it has no question marks.

First, let's look at the positives. The chart below shows the projected Wolfpack offensive line starters.


The starting linemen are listed below the positions shown across the top of the table. The Year line of the table grabbed my attention. Notice the experience associated with this Wolfpack front. Two are seniors and two linemen have already graduated. These guys hoist experience.

They also hoist girth. See the fourth line showing their weights. The Wolfpack have one of the biggest offensive lines in the ACC. Their line is so big that it is bigger than many of the SEC offensive lines. For example, the Wolfpack O-line is 11 pounds per man heavier than the Gamecock O-line.


On top of that, without defensive end Clifton Geathers, the Gamecocks defensive line starters are much lighter and younger than the Wolfpack counterparts. Below is a table showing the projected starters for the Gamecocks. The Wolfpack O-line outweighs our Gamecock defensive linemen by more than fifty pounds per man.


All things being equal, a college O-line that is big and experienced generally translates into quality. The experience and size of the Wolfpack offensive linemen also create Wolfpack optimism for a high quality line. The experience and size of their offensive linemen could be a reason why the touts have the Wolfpack as a four-point favorite.

All of that being said, the Wolfpack offensive line is pretty much the same bunch of guys that they had last year. Statistically, that same bunch performed in an average fashion in 2008. The Wolfpack was ranked 87th nationally in rushing.and averaged just 3.6 yards per rushing attempt. NCAA 2008 Team Rushing Statistics. The pass blocking was not a whole lot better. The Wolfpack was ranked 83d nationally in allowing an average of 2.2 sacks per game. NCAA Statistics, Sacks Allowed.

Still, the Wolfpack O-line showed a noticeable improvement at the end of 2008. The Wolfpack offense rushed for 174 yards per game during the final five games of the regular season. The line, however, fell off in a bowl game loss against Rutgers when the Wolfpack offense was held to 95 yards.

All in all, one can see why the Wolfpack faithful are optimistic about 2009. Who knows how much improvement their team has made in the off season conditioning and practice? Just about everyone is optimistic at the start of a college football season.

The game on September 3, 2009, should be an interesting matchup. The speed, quickness, talent, and youth of the Gamecock defensive line will face up against the size and experience of a big ACC line. In the trenches this Thursday night, it should be a classic battle between Gamecock speed and Wolfpack bulk.

Technorati Tags: South, Carolina, Gamecocks, NC, State, Wolfpack, Football, Offensive, Line,

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Operation Kickstart Video

Audit the Fed

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Story on Hormones Injected Into Cows

Monsanto Drug Potential Cancer Risk

The embedded video below is interesting on many levels. First, it exposes more about the corruption of our food in America, a subject I have been blogging on for the past couple weeks. Second, it shows that FoxNews has spiked a story.

I watch a lot of O'Reilly. He loves to report on the NY Times or NBC News spiking stories. I wonder if Bill O'Reilly will have the guts to put this on The Factor.

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FOOD, Inc., the Movie

The Center for Food Safety publishes a lot of material on the website at the link in this sentence. Here is a small sample from their pages regarding genetically engineered food:

By being able to take the genetic material from one organism and insert it into the permanent genetic code of another, biotechnologists have engineered numerous novel creations, such as potatoes with bacteria genes, "super" pigs with human growth genes, fish with cattle growth genes, tomatoes with flounder genes, and thousands of other plants, animals and insects. At an alarming rate, these creations are now being patented and released into the environment.

Currently, up to 45 percent of U.S. corn is genetically engineered as is 85 percent of soybeans. It has been estimated that 70-75 percent of processed foods on supermarket shelves--from soda to soup, crackers to condiments--contain genetically engineered ingredients.

This weekend I tried to track down a local showing of the movie, FOOD, Inc., which was released in circa June 12, 2009. However, the movie is not playing at any theaters in my area. I could not find a copy of the documentary at Blockbuster either. It sounds like an important film. Peter Travers, of the Rolling Stone, said, "Don't take another bite till you see Food, Inc., an essential, indelible documentary." Here is a trailer.

- FOOD, Inc., Movie Site.

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NC State Blogs Begin Insulting Spurrier

I suppose that when you have the best quarterback in the ACC, a crew of experienced and talented linemen and receivers, you finished the 2008 season with four straight wins, and you're a big favorite home team, your team's bloggers start to get pretty confident. I suspect that we will hear more of the type of commentary shown below as game day approaches. Here is a Friday post from State Fans Nation Blog:

Steve Spurrier told the Savannah Morning News yesterday that the “Gamecocks are the rise.” We’ll see about that in thirteen days when we all convene at Carter-Finley Stadium. I don’t know what you have planned to cook at your tailgate, but this is on our menu: Beer Can Chicken, also known as Beer Butt Chicken. Don’t know about you, but the words “butt” and “chicken” make me think of the Ole Ball Coach, and I for one will be extremely happy if we sit in the parking lot post-game enjoying some crispy leftovers and savoring the first Pack win of the year.

(Emphasis supplied.)

I, on the other hand, will be a happy to find that blogger hiding out after the game while he's crying in his soup. Alternatively, maybe he'll be scratching his head and popping Tums while thinking of a witty way to post an excuse for a good old butt whipping. Perhaps in that moment of humility he will pay homage to the man.

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Don't Judge Others

Beware the Yeast of the Pharisees

In James 3:16, the Bible pinpoints the source of human corruption:

For where envy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every kind of evil.

In James 4:1-2, the Bible expands on this theme, explaining that the inner cravings and desires of people, including God's people, represent an attack on our achieving a life in peace with God. James makes our choice in this matter pretty simple:

Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the world's friend becomes God's enemy.

James 4:4. So what happens if we, with God's help, begin to walk with the Lord?

It is at precicely that point when a new danger emerges and threatens to destroy us. This post looks at James (and the Lord's) warning against judging others.

The Bible teaches that we must choose to put selfish, worldly desires under God's control.

Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people! Be miserable and mourn and weep. Your laughter must change to mourning and your joy to sorrow. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

James is not revealing wisdom here that has been hidden. Indeed, you can go back to the earliest chapters of Genesis to find guidance about living with a humble spirit in submission to God's will. Correlation of Sin and Pride (Selfishness). Nevertheless, the idea that God expects his people will live humble lives is an important concept to remember as we strive to live in peace and friendship with our maker.

However, as soon as God's people begin to enter a walk peacefully with God, another attack soon comes. We tend to start thinking that we are better than our neighbor. That is the attitude where we say to ourselves, “What makes me so great is that I'm humble.”

Jesus Christ warned us not to allow such an attitude to exist in our lives. The Lord said, “Watch out and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Matthew 16:6.

Back in around 25-28 AD, a lot of the Pharisees and Sadducees had the attitude that they were better than everyone else. Many of them went around the Hebrew society judging their brothers and sisters and calling them sinners. If they did not do it outright verbally, they did it in their own minds. It was a pervasive, corrupting attitude, and the Lord Jesus knew their hearts.

Calling their holier than thou attitude a corrupting yeast was a good analogy. A small amount of yeast spreads through all of the dough. Thus, Jesus was saying that a corrupt judgmental attitude in the life of a Christian, can destroy our peace with God. That is why he warned his followers to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees.

In Chapter 4:11-12, James, brilliantly, reminds us of this threat:

Don't criticize one another, brothers. He who criticizes a brother or judges his brother criticizes the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

If we will remember to take to heart God's command against judging others, the decision can be one of the mosts freeing choices a Christian can make. It brings peace. James 3:18 (“And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”)


Technorati Tags: lifeway, explore, the, bible, who, is, your, best, friend, pride, selfishness, corruption, yeast, of, pharisees, james

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Wolfpack Club Plans Stampout of Gamecocks

Upstart Gamecocks Underdogs in Raleigh

The NC State Wolfpack Club is planning a rude welcome for our Gamecocks when they visit Carter-Finley Stadium on Thursday, September 3, 2009.

The Wolfpack fans are promoting a white out/red out of the Gamecocks. Their fans are wearing their colors.

Are you ready to White-Out the Carter-Finley Student Section?! NC State's students will certainly stand out during our nationally televised football opener with the University of South Carolina. A donor has graciously given the funds and each member of the student section will receive a white "Beat Carolina" t-shirt for the game. We ask that you make the exception just this once and wear white rather than your usual red. Be prepared to rock Carter-Finley and show the nation just how raucous we can be! As always Go Pack and Go to Hell Carolina -- the both of you!

Facebook Student Section (emphasis added). See also NC State Wolfpack Club. The "gang look" is meant to intimidate those who are not in the gang.

The Wolfpack promotion is a twist on the blackout promotion last experienced by Gamecocks in a loss at Vanderbilt during 2008.

In a blackout, fans of the promoting school wear all black. The NC State crowd is throwing a candy-cane twist on the blackout theme—white and red.

White or red, the Gamecocks were already facing a difficult fight on the field. The Wolfpack has the best quarterback in the ACC. It also finished out the 2008 season strong by winning the last four games, including a slaughter of rival North Carolina on the road and a beat-down of thuggish Miami in the season finale.

The Wolfpack is favored over Spurrier's young Gamecock team by four points.

The white out/red out promotion will just add to the fervor of an expected rude welcome. The Wolfpack colors mean that the anti-Gamecock hostility will just intensify ten-fold.

The home field factor probably explains why the touts are increasing the point spread as gameday approaches. Outside of Clemson, the Wolfpack enjoy the strongest home field advantage in the ACC . . . even without a white out/red out promotion to ratchet up the intensity.

The Gamecocks are going to need every break to overcome the Wolfpack "white out/red out" fan frenzy. Who knows, though? Maybe the Gamecocks can still shock the world.

Technorati Tags: gamecocks, wolfpack, white, out, red, out, football, spurrier, fans, colors

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The Seed Issue

I found this tidbit an interesting subject on the Lacuna Trust website. I heard this being discussed on WNCW's green half hour Sunday morning also. This subject bears additional investigation.

No matter how well-prepared you may be for the challenging times ahead, if you can't guarantee a long-term supply of healthy food for your family, then you're really not prepared at all. For so many reasons in today's complex world, it's critical that you have a multi-year supply of viable garden seeds on hand.

If our food distribution system should be disrupted long-term for any reason, then you will have two solutions only: rely on the government to take care of you, or maintain your independence by growing your own food. And in fact, our food production and distribution system is vulnerable to problems of many kinds:


* crop failure due to extreme weather or climate change;l
* economic disruption that affects the supply chain, or makes food prohibitively expensive;
* pandemic, making it difficult to produce, deliver, or shop for food
acts of terrorism aimed at our commercial seed stocks

And don't be fooled into thinking that high quality vegetable seed will always be readily available. For years now, Monsanto and their friends in high places have been closing in on the seed industry, controlling seed stocks and the farmers who produce them. By forcing farmers to buy their terminator seeds - seeds that won't produce viable seed for the next year's planting - Big Agro aims to force us all to buy their seeds each year, at ever-increasing prices.

The seeds being produced in the laboratories of these industrial demons are not the same as the healthy, viable seed our grandparents used to grow. Instead, they are genetically modified (GMO) and hybridized beyond recognition. Purity and nutritional value are being bred out and replaced with genes that give fruits and vegetables the appearance of freshness. This produce is designed to be chemically treated, irradiated, and parked in a warehouse for long periods before you buy it and feed it to your family. Do you think this situation is going to improve as the economy crumbles?

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Wade Hampton Generals Offense

The Delaware Wing T

The Wade Hampton Generals football offense operates a Delaware Wing T. The Wing T offense is quite different. Not too many teams in the Upstate use the offense, which should be an advantage for the Generals.


The Wing T is designed to stress the weaknesses in an opponent’s defense. It is a ball-controlling, ground oriented offense. Still, it is flexible enough to allow for an effective passing attack when a defense cheats to stop the run.

One interesting aspect of the Wing T offense is the variety of offensive plays that are run in series. It has a sweep series, a power series, a jet series, and a play action passing series. To the defense, these plays all look very similar in their execution, making the offense quite deceptive.

This post looks at the Wing T formation, and then uses the sweep series of plays to illustrate the general philosophy behind a Wing T attack. The blocking rules for a Wing T offense, or some of the other play series, are potential subjects of future posts.

Incidentally, the summary of the Wing T described in this blog post is gleaned from readily accessible information on the Internet. A lot of the research for it came from Bryan Schaumloffel's Bucksweep.com site. Because this Wing T information is available to all of the High School coaches with Internet access, we are not helping the opponents to vital intelligence by this post. If the coaches for the Generals' opponents are smart enough to search the Internet looking for information about the Wing T, there are a lot more detailed coaching sites than PTT's Blog. Nope. This blog post is for Generals' fans. Without further ado or any more introductory remarks, let's look at the Wing T.

When executed, the Wing T sweep series places the defensive players on the edges of the run defense into conflict. For example, when defending a Buck Sweep, the defensive players responsible for protecting these perimeter areas must choose between two options: whether to defend outside and keep the Wingback contained; or to close off the off-tackle hole. The latter choice creates a risk that the Wingback may escape down the sideline outside the defense.

A staple of the Wing T playbook is the Buck Sweep play. The Buck Sweep is part of the sweep series, which has three main plays.

The diagram below shows a double wing formation with a tight end and a split end. There are several other potential formations used by Wing T teams. For example, an offense may deploy two tight ends or two split ends, or it may have one of the wingbacks in the backfield. (In the latter example, the wingback is considered a halfback.)

In 2007, the Generals ran many plays out of the double wing formation.



The movement of the backs in the sweep series is always the same, but the offense can run three very different plays, each of which looks almost identical to the other. The bread and butter play of the sweep series is the Buck Sweep.

At the risk of becoming overly technical, this paragraph describes the roles of the backs involved in the Buck Sweep play as potential ball carriers. The left Wingback goes in motion before the snap of the ball. When the ball is hiked, the Fullback charges toward the middle of the line, faking the run and blocking any defenders attempting to penetrate into the backfield. The threat of the Fullback freezes the middle linebacker who must respect that threat. Meanwhile, both of the offensive guards pull and kick-out or turn up field to block defensive players. Meanwhile, the quarterback hands the ball to the Wingback. He sweeps behind the line and looks to turn up field off tackle, inside of the right Wingback. If the defensive end and linebacker try to stop the runner from going off tackle, the Wingback will escape to outside and run down the sideline.



When a Wing T team begins to successfully run the sweep, there is a tendency for the defensive end and/or the outside linebacker to adjust to the outside to stop it. When the defensive perimeter players start to make those adjustments, that is the time for a Wing T coach to attack the defense with a Fullback Trap.

As alluded to above, the threat of the Fullback up the middle must be respected by the defense. On this play, the guards crisscross to get angles on the defensive tackles and middle linebacker. Depending on the defensive alignment, one Guard traps the defensive tackle and the other kicks out the middle linebacker. The blocking angles can create a hole in the middle of a defense and create yardage up the gut. Below you see the Fullback Trap illustrated.



The final play in the sweep series is the quarterback waggle. Again, on each of the other two plays, the Quarterback executes the same motion, faking or handing off, followed by his running a waggle route. The defenders cannot forget about the threat of the waggle or they can get burned!



On the Waggle Play, the QB fakes to the two backs with his back to the defense. He then rolls around the left end while the backs carry out the fakes. The QB gets his head on a swivel and looks for the penetration of the defensive end or linebacker and adjusts his route to avoid those defenders, if necessary.

Like the Fullback Trap, the threat of the Waggle Play forces the defenders to the left of the offense to stay honest (as we diagram here). If defenders chase the Wingback or Fullback to the right, the Wing T Quarterback could run free down the left sideline.

On the Waggle Play, the Quarterback has the option of passing the ball to the split end, which nicely occupies the defensive Cornerback in case he decides to sprint up field. If the cornerback comes up to defend against the QB run, then the Quarterback can throw a pass to the split end.

The Wing T sweep series illustrated in this post show how the Wing T offense creates multiple problems for the defense. It can be a really good offense when the players execute their roles precisely.

Technorati Tags: Wade Hampton High School, Generals, Wing T, Buck Sweep, Football

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Wade Hampton Football Schedule 2009

All games are at 7:30 p.m .



Region II Standings.

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Dominion: The Card Game

Fast-Paced, Entertaining

Our family acquired the game Dominion (box pictured to the right) this summer. The game requires the players to make strategic decisions throughout. Because the cards you play will change, each game has a different feel and requires adapting to new tactics.

The idea behind winning is simple enough, gaining more victory points than the other players. The problem is that if you try for victory points too early, you increase the odds your hands will be relatively weak and other players can surpass you. This post contains a brief summary of the game, and a strong recommendation.

Every player in the game starts with the same starting deck containing seven coins and three green cards (one point each). The green cards do no good in the play, but do add victory points when play ends.

The cards are layed out as shown to the left. The cards shown on the layout are cards you acquire with your coins to build your deck. As the game moves along, the players continuously acquire new cards to better their deck.

The game has some luck to it. Every turn the players play a hand of five cards. The quality of cards in your hand, determine what additional cards you may acquire during your turn. Ultimately, you want to acquire victory point cards because those are the only ones that count at the end of the game. However, as noted above, the timing of that effort must be tempered because you don't want a lot of green cards in your deck. They clog up your hand and slow down development and acquisition of the better victory point cards. The picture to the right shows the coins you can acquire and the victory point cards. The cost of acquiring the cards is shown at the bottom left of each one.

Players also obtain action cards. These allow you to take a variety of different plays with you hand. Some of the action cards are attack cards, such as the Militia. Players generally acquire Moat cards to protect their hands from Militia attacks.

Other cards allow for different tactics. Some give you bonuses to buy, others allow you to play multiple actions. Some allow additional draws from your deck. The better the cards in your deck, the more likely is it that you will be able to play strong hands.

We have played this game in our family probably twenty times since we bought it. No one person has been a consistent winner. One night we played three games with three players. One player came in second twice. The other two, won and came in last. That was a pretty typical result. So it goes with Dominion.

This is a fun game that I would highly recommend to anyone.

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James 3: Advice About Speech

Guard Your Heart, Guard Your Tongue

This post continues in a series that looks at the practical wisdom contained in the New Testament Bible book of James.

I have posted before about how James is a great book to study because it contains beau coup Practical Advice For Establishing a Wise Life Philosophy. Chapter 3 contains another key life philosophy guide—the danger of man's tongue. Here is the scripture:

Not many should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment; for we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a mature man who is also able to control his whole body.

Now when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide the whole animal. And consider ships: though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So too, though the tongue is a small part [of the body], it boasts great things. Consider how large a forest a small fire ignites. And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our [bodies]; it pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell.

James 3:1-6.

Here, James is writing a letter to a group of born again believers. Therefore, the ideas he is imparting in this scripture are directed at God's people.

God's people, like all people, are flawed lawbreakers. Romans 3:23. The Bible teaches that even though a person has been saved, he will still stumble when it comes to following God's law. James 3:2 (“for we all stumble in many ways”). God's law is perfect, and human beings are by their nature imperfect and incapable of good. See God Promises a New Heart.

In the verses quoted above, James is providing a warning to God's people about the danger of walking outside the close guidance of the Holy Spirit, an unrestrained tongue. James is showing us how an unbridled tongue correlates to our natural, selfish human tendency toward lawbreaking.

First, James shows us how if we learn to discipline our speech, we will also be capable of disciplining ourselves. However, it must be noted at the outset that James makes clear human beings alone are unable to control their tongues. We need the help of the Holy Spirit. That is why James wrote, “no man can tame the tongue.” James 3:8. Thus, believers can accomplish self disciplined lives only by submitting to the power of the Holy Spirit, i.e., God. We need to be ever mindful to keep our walk in accord with God's will. When we stray from the walk even just little, even straying in our thought life, that's when our tongues can take us even further off track.

James uses two analogies to illustrate the correlation between the tongue and our natural selfishness. The first one is his horse analogy.

“Now when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide the whole animal.”

James 3:3.

What is James analogy getting at here?

One must understand that a believer must strive toward total obedience to God, even to the thoughts we think. See 2 Corinthians 10:5 (“taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ”).

James is saying that the horse of the analogy is like our selfish human heart. Consider that when we are motivated by our selfish desires, our tongues are the first organ that expresses the pathway toward unrighteousness. We wish in our hearts for advancement at work, and almost before we can begin to think about it, our tongues are uttering subtle remarks against our friends. Those remarks are not loving your neighbor as one loves himself. See James 2:8 (“If you really carry out the royal law prescribed in Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself . . . .”) Here, James' horse is an animal predisposed to ride off toward wrong paths as quickly as the rider conceives them in his heart.

James uses a second analogy—a ship.

And consider ships: though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.

James 3:4. What are on ships?

Many people.

James is illustrating how our speech—our life—will affect the lives of other people all around us. Here, the ship is our life. Our speech, guided or unguided, affects the lives of many others all around us. There is no question that the words we speak in life will impact our family and close friends. But they also could have huge impacts on acquaintances, and even strangers. How many people have rejected the Christian religion because of an ill-timed comment, or even silence?

James ship analogy is also pertinent because the times when we most need a true rudder on our ship is when we are in a storm. James is teaching us to exercise care during the storms of life. Those are the times when our words, inspired by the Holy Spirit, can bring tremendous gain to those around us. Or converesly, when they can cause tremendous harm.

The mission of a Christian in life is to show other people who do not know God why they need a relationship with Him. Our job is to bring other people into the life-sustaining, life-giving Kingdom of God. Poorly executed words hinder the mission. James says:

Consider how large a forest a small fire ignites. And the tongue is a fire.

James 3:5. James shows us that words guided by the wrong pilot at our helm risks destruction of precious relationships in life. Believers need to build those relationships to accomplish our mission.

James teaches it is our job to keep in a close walk with God, yielding always to the Holy Spirit. That is particularly true as we navigate through life's storms. Our speech, properly influenced by God during those times, can save many people aboard the ship of our lives. On the other hand, the wrong pilot can do a lot of damage. Make no mistake about who James identifies as that bad pilot.

And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our [bodies]; it pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell.

James 3:6 (emphasis added).

If you live in Taylors and wish to join us in our Bible Study group, we start at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday. Here is a link to Bridgepointe Church in Taylors.

Technorati Tags: James, Speech, Tongue, Nature, Holy, Spirit, Lifeway, Explore, the, Bible, Sail, Through, Life's, Relationships,

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Thoughts on Rationing Health Care

Budget Realities Make Rationing Inevitable

Rationing exits in a free market health care system. The wealthy and insured are able to buy more medical treatment than the poor and uninsured. Demand for medical goods and services drive prices, and prices form a system of rationing. It is not pretty. It is not exactly a Utopian ideal.

The Obama Administration sent out a mass e-mail message from political advisor David Axelrod that states, “It's a myth that reform will mean a 'government takeover' of health care or lead to 'rationing.'” David Axelrod e-mail.

However, any form of a public option health insurance reform, which the Obama Administration and Democrat leadership are pushing hard, will necessarily require “rationing.”

With budget deficits approaching unsustainable levels, it is simply impossible for the federal government to pay for unlimited health care. If so, a person would never have any disincentive to opt for all possible life saving efforts no matter what the medical expense. The government will have to say, “no,” or it will not take ten years to of health reform create a Trillion Dollars of debt.

In the free market system, the choice of rationing is made individuals considering market forces and prices. Even if the financial resources or insurance were there, a person and his family may choose hospice versus creating a hugely expensive effort to save a life. The consequence of extreme measures is an estate where life savings are wiped out by end of life medical treatment. Alternatively, the hospital and doctors would simply refuse to provide massive efforts without a patient's having the ability to pay the cost. The decision to retire gracefully from the world becomes one made by individuals in consultation with his doctors and family.

When the public is making the choice, all kind of moral problems arise. How does the government pick the winners and losers? Surely not by their wealth. Perhaps by their age, or productivity. Now you are talking about some pretty difficult choices. You are ranging into the realm of the Comparative Effectiveness Research analysis.

The House Bill, HR 3200, which contains a public option, uses a Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) Commission to make the tough rationing choices. See my Blog Post on HR3200's Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) Commission.

Advisor Axelrod's politically spun e-mail claims the Obama Administration does not favor rationing. However, that defies common sense.

Nations with public health care must ration. In Britain the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), a CER, makes rationing determinations. To justify cost savings against exploding health budgets, NICE has frequently denied medicines even to patients who need them to stay alive.

How long will it be, as America struggles under a massively increasing debt burden created by bailout mania, before the federal government is denying procedures and treatments to elderly or disabled because of their potential productivity to society? Axelrod's claim is specious.

I would love to believe our government would never reach the point of picking winners and losers, but I don't see how it can manage health insurance without doing so. And when it gets to that point, God help us. One only need to watch the town hall meetings to see the reaction of government servants when faced with dissent from the public.

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Goldman (Government) Sachs Video

Corporate Cronyism: Avg. Employee Pay Almost $1M

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Steve Spurrier's Practice Comments

Steve Spurrier made some interesting comments after the Gamecocks' Thursday practice:

We're underdogs to NC State right now. Did you know that?

Our team knows that too.

Nobody thinks we're worth a crap.

So they know that. I've told them. And we'll keep telling them until they earn respect around this country.

We're a rag tag bunch right now. Hopefully, we can prove to be better than that.

The Gamecocks play at NC State in the first game. Since State is a home team, it should not be a surprise that the national media has them as a slight, 3-point favorite. A three point margin is typical for the home field advantage, and NC State is one of the toughest football venues in the ACC. Based on that, it appears the touts regard the two football teams as pretty much even in ability.

Spurrier's remarks therefore imply he believes that the Gamecocks are a better team than the Wolfpack. The NC State coaches are no doubt spinning Spurrier's comments in that color now.

So it goes in the world of college football coach speak.

However, Spurrier was likely talking not so much about NC State but about the national media's overall predictions for his 2009 South Carolina football team. He as much as said so by referencing the reputation of the team, "around the country."

The pre-season magazines are very unimpressed with the Gamecock team. Scout's College Football News, 2009 CFN Preview (August 12, 2009), has the Gamecocks' offense ranked 67th overall out of 120 FBS teams. That kind of mediocre ranking for a competitor and great coach like Steve Spurrier has to rankle.

Other magazines are similarly underwelmed by the Gamecock football team:

---Sports Illustrated, Ranking every FBS team (August 12, 2009) -- (60th);

---Bleacher Report, 2009-2010 College Football Rankings (August 4, 2009) -- (55th); or

---Sports Illustrated, Ranking every FBS team (July 18, 2009) -- (86th).

With those kind of 2009 pre-season rankings being published nationally, it is no wonder Spurrier remarked about the lack of respect for his football team.

Technorati Tags: South, Carolina, Gamecocks, Steve, Spurrier, Respect, Rag, Tag, Bunch,

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HR 3200: Comparative Effectiveness Research

Obscure Language Hides Practical Truth--Bureaucratic Cost Containment

This post looks at the mechanisms in HR 3200 (the House or Pelosi Bill) that are designed to contain costs. These cost containment procedures are designed to be handled by bureaucratic mechanisms. Shuffling tough decisions to a bureaucracy would tend to insulate politians from tough decisions related to costs. I have some thoughts on this issue and will post more later.

HR 3200, Section 1401(a)(1) requires the huge, new federal bureaucracy that HR 3200 creates to create a Commission within it called the Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) Commission.

The Secretary shall establish . . . a Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research (in this section referred to as the `Center') to conduct . . . research . . . with respect to the outcomes, effectiveness, and appropriateness of health care services and procedures in order to identify the manner in which diseases, disorders, and other health conditions can most effectively and appropriately be prevented, diagnosed, treated, and managed clinically.

The number one duty of this panel is described later in the section:

[D]etermine national priorities for research described in subsection (a) and in making such determinations consult with a broad array of public and private stakeholders, including patients and health care providers and payers;

HR 3200, Section 1401(b)(2)(A) (emphasis added). Note that the interests of "payers" for the "research" must be considered.

Under HR 3200, a seventeen person Commission that would vote on matters involving the "research." The "research" requires CER to analyze "appropriateness" of treating and clinically managing care.

The 17 person CER Commission will be made up of mostly stakeholders with interest in cost containment. In fact, the proposed law would compel the Commission include “economic” interests. HR 3200, Section 1401(b)(3)(B).

Under a section called, “DIVERSE REPRESENTATION OF HEALTH CARE COMMUNITY,” the Bill lists interests which must be represented. The great majority of interests would likely be keenly focused on cost containment. See Section 1401(b)(3)(B)(ii), HR 3200. Thus, under HR 3200, the the likely voting power of the CER Commission would tend to favor economic or budgetary interests.

Technorati Tags: Pelosi, House, Bill, HR3200, Section, 1401, CER, Commission, stakeholders, bureaucracy

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Facebook Graffiti

Click play to watch the creation.

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Money Supply Cartoon

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James: Faith With Works

The Issue of Repentance

This week our Bridgepointe Church in Taylors study group is discussing the distinction James makes between a saving faith and mere belief in God. In other words, what does it mean to be a “born again” believer. John 3:3. The scripture we are studying is James, Chapter 2:

But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder.

Foolish man! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless?

James 2:18-20.

James is dealing with the issue of people who proclaim to have faith in God, but whose lives were never changed. There are probably a lot of people in American churches who fit into this category. James poses two tough questions to them. “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith, but does not have any works? Can his faith save him? James 2:14.

I know James' questions are tough because I was once was in the same camp as the foolish men. I can now answer both questions. It does no good, and it cannot.

I went to church from the time I could walk until I was married and had children, and in all that time, I never understood what it meant to repent. I understood and believed in the Gospel and was baptized as a kid, but my belief had no impact on my life at all. I still just did whatever I wanted. James teaches us that I was the “foolish man.”

Here, James addresses a common misconception. Many think a person can be saved by merely believing in God. There is more to it than that.

James' teaching is consistent with other scripture. The Bible clearly teaches that just acknowledging God or Jesus on an intellectual level is insufficient to establish one's salvation. A believer must specifically choose to trust his life into the hands of Christ. Romans 10:9. In other words, “Anyone finding his life will lose it, and anyone losing his life because of Me will find it.” Matthew 10:39. See also Luke 17:33.

This is another way of saying true salvation or belief first requires a person repent. “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well!” Luke 13:3.

The issue of repentance is not an earth-shattering new command from God. His people have always been compelled to repentance. "The Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those in Jacob who turn from transgression. [This is] the LORD's declaration.” Isaiah 59:20.

The crucial point is one of priority. It's a choice of clinging to one's selfish pursuits, or handing self over to God for his use. Repentance is not preached much in the modern pulpit and many people miss the critical importance of the principle.

Truly believing in the saving and transforming power of life in Christ does not necessarily mean a believer will experience a dramatic conversion. “The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don't know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." John 3:8. As Jesus put it, in John 3:3, “[u]nless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

However, the change a person who becomes a born again believer experiences is obvious. That is the point James is driving home in Chapter 2.

James explains that a true faith in God will necessarily entail a change in direction in life. A believer is inauthentic when his professed faith does not include a change in life priorities. Therefore, James argues that when a person is a believer, he will naturally perform “good works.”

Notice that James makes a distinction with mere intellectual belief. James illustrates this by noting that demons also believe in God, but they are not saved. Instead, he says, they believe and shudder. Demons believe in God and Jesus, but they choose rebellion rather than submission.

Human beings have the same choice as demons. We can choose to live selfish lives for ourselves, cursed to die. Or, we can choose freedom as believers in God and gain the gift of life. The irony here is that choosing freedom requires we give up our very lives to God's use. Or, to use a Bible term, we must turn our hearts over to God.

Technorati Tags: james, faith, works, repent, born, again, Lifeway, explore, the, bible, show, me, your, faith

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Cash for Clunkers

$2 Billion More Appropriated

The "Cash for Clunkers" law, officially known as the Car Allowance Rebate System, was signed into law by President Obama on June 24, 2009. The program was due to launch at the beginning of July, but was delayed due to government implementation difficulties. When the government finally launced the cash give-a-way car trade-in program, tax payers jumped in and grabbed the free government cash.

Well . . . not free. We the tax-payers paid $1 Billion for the first week of this government program. Now, the Senate has appropriated $2 Billion more. From where do they think the money being paid to destroy clunkers is coming?

One thing about Cash for Clunkers that has been good. It has provided much needed good news about the economy. Thus, Cash for Clunkers worked great for politicians worried about otherwise gloomy economic news!

However, this program is one of the stupidest government give-a-aways in the history of America. I mean, it is a great program for the people who have a junker and the good credit and capability to buy a new car. They get $4,500 of our tax dollars for a clunker that is probably not worth so much. For the rest of us who either don't have a clunker we want to trade in or who do not want or cannot afford a new car, it is just another wasted rat hole into which the government can toss our tax dollars.

The worst thing about Cash for Clunkers is it does not help the needy.

The poor or unemployed cannot qualify to buy a new car. They cannot afford a $500 monthly payment to pay for a new vehicle. There is no direct benefit to the poor from this program unless they happen to be in an industry or government job that will temporarily benefit during the time period it lasts. The first Billion Dollars lasted only about a week. At this rate, the second two Billion will be gone by the end of August. There is not much benefit even to these few folks.

The second way the program hurts the poor is more subtle. It relates to the used car market. Under the Cash for Clunkers program, the federal government requires that the "clunkers" traded in must be destroyed. The destruction of viable clunker assets damages the used car market for clunker cars. The fewer clunkers, the lower the supply. The law of supply and demand means that the price of crappy cars will rise because of a decreased supply. After $3 Billion Dollars worth of clunkers are destroyed, he poor therefore will pay extra money to buy the remaining clunkers that escape.

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Reporting Neighbors for Political Speech

Gathered Information Is "System of Records" Under Privacy Act

In an August 5, 2009, communique, one of President Obama's new czars is requesting Americans snitch on fellow citizens whose speech is "fishy" and opposed to the President's health care policies. The Official is Linda Douglass, the new Communications Director for The White House Office of Healthcare Reform. One can only presume that her snitch request is so outrageous it must never have been specifically authorized by the President.

On April 8, 2009, The White House Office of Healthcare Reform was created by the Obama Administration by Executive Order. Like the other czars working under the transparent Obama Administration, the czar assumed power without any Congressional Oversight or hearings. On August 5, Douglass stated:

There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.

White House Press Release.

Senator John Cornyn (R. Tx.) expressed grave reservations about the White House collecting data on citizens whose speech might appears unsupportive of the President's policies.

I am not aware of any precedent for a President asking American citizens to report their fellow citizens to the White House for pure political speech that is deemed "fishy" or otherwise inimical to the White House political interests.

John Cornyn's 8/5/09 letter.

Douglass' request for snitches arose due to a video published by the Naked Emperor News Service. That video showed clips of President Obama saying the “public option” law would eventually to destroy private insurance, and help achieve his long-term goal of bringing about a Canadian-style, single-payer, healthcare system in America.

However, a single-payer (or socialistic to Republicans) healthcare plan is vastly unpopular with the American public. Thus, some believe the Obama Administration and the left-leaning wing of the Democrat Party seek to achieve their goal of single-payer by stealth.

The Naked Emperor video seems to expose that strategy through clips of 2003 and 2007 statements by President Obama. The video that she claimed is disinformation is embedded below:


.

Senator Cornyn's letter suggests that the gathering of information by the Obama Administration czar creates a system of records regulated by the Privacy Act. Under the Privacy Act, citizens have the right to request, "his record or to any information pertaining to him which is contained in the system." 5 U.S.C. § 552a(d).

Here is the text of an email I sent to the data collection site:

Dear Ms. Douglass:

I am an Internet blogger who has written a good bit about President Obama's policies. I hope I have not disseminated misinformation.

I am concerned I may have been inadvertently reported by somebody into your system of records about what somebody might have considered a "fishy" statement. Therefore, pursuant to the Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C § 552a(d), I am respectfully requesting any information you have gathered about me or my Blog. My Blog url is here: http://photontorpedotube.blogspot.com/. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Sincerely,
Edwin L. Turnage

Technorati Tags: fishy, douglass, whitehouse, czar, privacy, act, system, of, records, disinformation

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Jeff Turnage Birthday Slideshow

birthday jeff

View more presentations or Upload your own.

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Organizing for America E-mail Text

On August 5, 2009, I received a copy of President Obama's Organizing for America mass e-mail soliciting grass roots help to sell his ObamaCare plan. I am posting a verbatim copy below.

President Barack Obama to me
show details 1:40 PM (4 hours ago) Reply

Edwin --

This is the moment our movement was built for.

For one month, the fight for health insurance reform leaves the backrooms of Washington, D.C., and returns to communities across America. Throughout August, members of Congress are back home, where the hands they shake and the voices they hear will not belong to lobbyists, but to people like you.

Home is where we're strongest. We didn't win last year's election together at a committee hearing in D.C. We won it on the doorsteps and the phone lines, at the softball games and the town meetings, and in every part of this great country where people gather to talk about what matters most. And if you're willing to step up once again, that's exactly where we're going to win this historic campaign for the guaranteed, affordable health insurance that every American deserves.

There are those who profit from the status quo, or see this debate as a political game, and they will stop at nothing to block reform. They are filling the airwaves and the internet with outrageous falsehoods to scare people into opposing change. And some people, not surprisingly, are getting pretty nervous. So we've got to get out there, fight lies with truth, and set the record straight.

That's why Organizing for America is putting together thousands of events this month where you can reach out to neighbors, show your support, and make certain your members of Congress know that you're counting on them to act.

But these canvasses, town halls, and gatherings only make a difference if you turn up to knock on doors, share your views, and show your support. So here's what I need from you:

Can you commit to join at least one event in your community this month?

In politics, there's a rule that says when you ask people to get involved, always tell them it'll be easy. Well, let's be honest here: Passing comprehensive health insurance reform will not be easy. Every President since Harry Truman has talked about it, and the most powerful and experienced lobbyists in Washington stand in the way.

But every day we don't act, Americans watch their premiums rise three times faster than wages, small businesses and families are pushed towards bankruptcy, and 14,000 people lose their coverage entirely. The cost of inaction is simply too much for the people of this nation to bear.

So yes, fixing this crisis will not be easy. Our opponents will attack us every day for daring to try. It will require time, and hard work, and there will be days when we don't know if we have anything more to give. But there comes a moment when we all have to choose between doing what's easy, and doing what's right.

This is one of those times. And moments like this are what this movement was built for. So, are you ready?

Please commit now to taking at least one action in your community this month to build support for health insurance reform:

http://my.barackobama.com/CommitAugust

Let's seize this moment and win this historic victory for our economy, our health and our families.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

I responded by volunteering for one event in August during the recess. Then, I obtained the enclosed reply to my e-mail response:

Edwin --

Thanks for answering the President's call and committing to attend a local event this month to build support for insurance reform. We'll be in touch very soon with more details for what you can do in your area.

Volunteering is more fun -- and more effective -- when you bring a friend.

Can you get one more person to match your commitment to come to a local event?

There's a quick sample note below that you can send to family and friends asking them to join you. Hearing from you is the most powerful way to get friends and family members to take action -- so we're really counting on you to help spread the word.

Thanks again for all that you do,

Mitch
---

Hi,

With Congress home on recess, August is a pivotal month in the fight for real health insurance reform. I just committed to go to at least one Organizing for America event this month to build support in our community, and show Congress where we stand. Can you commit to attending one event this month as well?

There's a lot of misinformation out there, and people are not surprisingly starting to get pretty nervous. There will be lots of different things we can do this month to fight back, and it's really important that we do what we can.

You can sign up here:

http://my.barackobama.com/CommitAugust

Thanks!

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Weight Loss Battle

Here are my Wii Fit chart for the month of July. It was a pretty good month. I made up for the poor performance from June.

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Gamecocks Open Practice for 2009 Season

Below is a video introduction to the 2009 football season. The Gamecocks open the season against NC State.

Read my posts about the NC State football team here and here.

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Fed Pays Banks to Park Funds

On August 3, 2009, Bloomberg News Service reported that. "U.S. lenders bailed out by the government are returning the favor by stepping up purchases of Treasuries . . . ."

The Congress enacted the $700 Billion bank/Wall Street bailout because of a frozen credit market. Congress wanted to stimulate bank lending to American business -- to get the credit markets flowing. The idea was that capital would help to end the deepening recession.

Now we learn the Federal Reserve is discouraging banks from issuing loans possibly because of concern about hyperinflation. (We really don't know what the Fed is doing since it is a private organization whose policies are secret even from Congress.)

The recession is still pitting the American economy. Banks have not used the bailout tax money we gave them to loan money to businesses . . . as was Congress's plan when it gave them the money. Instead, the tax-payer funds are parked at the Federal Reserve, where the Fed is paying interest to those same bailout banks to keep it. Watch Representative Kucinich discuss this "bait and switch" in the video below.



This whole excess reserve issue is pretty interesting. In fact, it is remarkable. The chart below created in October 2008 illustrates the extremely high amount of money held by banks in excess reserves since October.

Rolfe Winkler, of XE.com, blogged about it. The CEO of the New York Federal Reserve put it this way: "total excess reserves have climbed to more than $700 billion from nearly zero at the beginning of the crisis." July 29, 2009 speech by William C. Dudley, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The Fed believes it will control hyperinflation by controlling the banks with promises of risk free interest on their reserves.

The problem for us is that the Fed policy contradicts the idea Congress had of stimulating the economy so that Americans can get back to work. You have a wild, maniacle, bailout Congress trying to spur the economy out of recession on the one hand. On the other, you have a bunch of stingey, rich bankers trying to stymie inflationary forces. The Fed force is cancelling out Congress' efforts.

Correct me if I'm wrong about this, but we didn't vote in the Fed bankers as authorities to make our American economic policy, right?

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