Outside, looking in

In October, Texas played Oklahoma and beat them by ten points. A few weeks later, Texas Tech defeated Texas by six points. A few weeks after that, Oklahoma destroyed Texas Tech with a 44-point win. The three teams finished 11-1 and when all was said and done, Oklahoma was appointed champion of the Big 12 South. The whining from Austin and around the state about how the longhorns got hosed is deafening. Those neeners should be thankful for what they've got. On the outside, where I am, the big concern is not playing for any kind of championship - it's how to hold the margin of defeat to single digits every week.

President-elect Barry Obama, or Mutt as I like to call him, is filling up the top positions in his administration with experienced people and it has the conservatives in an uproar. Mutt was supposed to be a socialist/terrorist/radical/liberal, but he's looking like a guy who might actually get some good things done during the next four years and win a second term in 2012. The thought of eight years in the wilderness is making Republicans crazy. The ultraliberals are also pissing and moaning but they always do, so who cares ?

The people who carry their religious beliefs to ridiculous extremes are back in the news. These are folks who are convinced the stuff in Genesis regarding the origins of the earth and all mankind is all absolutely factual and historically correct. In Texas, they've gained a foothold on the State Board of Education, and are once again trying to sneak creationism into the science curriculum. We're fighting wars, the economy's in a meltdown, and evangelunicals are still worrying about Darwin's theory of evolution. That's Texas for you - always looking for ways to take one giant step backward.