bullets13

Based on what I've figured out reading Facebook posts tonight... What Dallas fans are excited about at the end of the season: 1. Our rookie running back and quarterback look like franchise players 2. There was some improvement with the defense, and the state of our offense means we should get a lot of defensive help in the draft. 3. We won the division with a 13-3 record, and our rookie quarterback nearly led us to a win against an all-time great quarterback in his prime who's literally in the middle of the best 8-game stretch of his career. What texans fans are excited about at the end of the season: 1. Their second stringers beat Dallas' second stringers in a meaningless preseason game. 2. The Cowboys lost their playoff game.

Personally, I'm fine with this. I've seen people fill shopping carts with junk food and crap, and then pay with a lone star card. IMO, the purpose of government assistance is to help people survive, not to allow them to afford the expensive extras that they can't afford without it. I've seen people spend $40 on pizza with a lone star card, and I've seen them buy expensive seafood and high dollar steaks with lone star cards. This is not what tax dollars should be paying for. Basics like sandwich stuff, eggs, fruits, vegetables and milk, and inexpensive meals like Mac n cheese or ramen noodles is what should be bought. This service is to feed your family. My tax dollars paying for cokes and ice cream is the same as me buying someone's cigarettes and beer. I don't care if you drink or smoke, but you better be able to pay for it yourself. I feel the same way about non-essential food items. I'm all for feeding poor families, but if you want expensive, unhealthy food that you don't need to survive, get a job and pay for it yourself, and if you do have a job, and are supplemented by food stamps, rearrange your financial priorities to pay for those things if you "need" them that badly. If someone is on government assistance, and is allowed to spend that money any way they want, they have no real motivation to better their situation to afford those things.

While I understand the second point in your post, if you're okay relying on the government to stock your pantry, I think you are subject to any regulations they see fit to place on the money they're giving you for free.

[Hidden Content] your thoughts?

then he would've posted during a stretch of weather similar to stretches that we get multiple times every year. you know, as opposed to on the hottest day EVER for that particular day

that's correct. it just seemed like their doing so correlated with the change in the classification system.

With all that our peace officers do for the citizens of our country every day, it's awesome to see a citizen to get to repay an officer in such a monumental way. This guy is a hero.

Kinda what I was referring to in my essay earlier in the thread, though. They still have a solid small school team, but once they get matched up with the "4a" (with 6a talent pools) Houston squads they just don't have the depth and talent pool to compete. Despite a slightly larger enrollment, HJ is much more like the East Chambers, Bunas, and Kountzes of the world than they are like Yates or Lincoln. It's frustrating to see my small school alma mater have to match up with big city teams in the playoffs. In a way it's a shame for silsbee as well, who has a small town team that probably could run off a streak of 3 or 4 state championships in a row if they didn't have to face these same types of teams that are pulling in players from all over major cities. That said, silsbee still has a very good shot at a championship or two or three these next few years, but if they were playing legitimate 4a schools at regionals and state it would almost be guaranteed. Maybe silsbee fans feel differently since their team has shown they're capable of competing with these guys, so don't let me speak for y'all. To me it would make a state championship more special to beat out a couple of big city giants, but it would leave a bitter taste in my mouth to miss out on one because their opponents are able to make all star squads out of a city with millions of people, while silsbee is relegated to putting together a team from an area with only a few thousand people.

Despite Silsbee's record in the last several years against HJ, this has remained a rivalry because HJ has consistently played very close games against Silsbee (despite Silsbee having the better team for probably every year but 2 or 3 since they were placed in district together). The fact that you had two teams in the same district that were basically competing with each other every year to see which team was going to state for a stretch of about 6 or 7 years made the rivalry even greater. That being said, the rivalry has lost its luster for a couple of reasons, IMO, and neither is the fact that Silsbee has won 14 of the last 18 (or whatever it is, please post the head to head again, AAW). The first is obviously the fact that currently there is too large of a talent gap between the two schools for HJ to compete. Right now it's the weakest HJ team in probably 15 years (still a solid team), and the strongest Silsbee team (ever?) this rivalry has seen. The second reason, in my opinion, is that since the two have moved up to 4A, their routes to regionals has become much tougher. I remember a couple of years ago HJ had a really solid team (although clearly behind Silsbee), and had a really nice season. They made it a couple of rounds deep into the playoffs, and put up a great game against a Houston school (Sterling, maybe?), that had pulled in players from all over the city, and was fielding basically a Houston all-star team. HJ played them close, but eventually lost late. A few years prior, that HJ team would've been more than good enough to meet Silsbee in the regional finals for a trip to state, but now there are all of these "small" Houston schools that are fielding 4A squads from 6A pools of talent, and it makes it next to impossible for a legitimate small school to advance. The fact that an HJ/Silsbee regionals matchup hasn't occurred in several years, much of which is a result of having all of these big schools in the way, has dampened the rivalry. Silsbee's current squad is an obvious exemption to that, but they better take advantage while the can, because it's only going to get harder as big city schools skirt rules and drop classifications to win championships.

glad to hear it. this whole scenario was absurd, and I have no doubt that a lawsuit was the goal from the very beginning when he brought the thing to school.

I don't feel particularly strongly one way or another about global warming, but I always find it hilarious when the global warming deniers use an example of a cold temperature as empirical proof that global warming doesn't exist. I find it even funnier that you post it today, when it's January 12th and 80 degrees outside, record high temps for the area, and expected to stay in the mid to high 70s for the next week.

I understand that position, and said as much in a private conversation with another member about this thread. I did not take as anything more from you.

I can understand a church not wanting homosexual leaders, just as I can understand a church not wanting an alcoholic leader. but I don't understand a church keeping sinning members out (with the exception of a predator of some sort who would put the safety of the congregation in jeopardy), and especially considering that a majority of Christians are living some sort of lifestyle of sin (as opposed to legitimately struggling to overcome that sin).

that's funny. when I went to church, it sure seemed like most folks there had some sort of lifestyle of sin. I've known several drunks that have really strong feelings about the lifestyle that homosexuals lead in regards to Christianity. I also work with a lady who I've had several heated (but amicable) conversations with at work about homosexuality. She freely admits to having sex with her various boyfriends that she's had since she divorced, but gets angry at the thought of the sins that homosexuals are committing. So we're pretending she only did it once? And by your logic, it sounds like homosexuals are only committing sin when they're having sex, so they're on the same level as unmarried folks that are having sex.

Not sure if he's a supremacist, but he certainly targeted his victims because of their race.

I completely agree with this sentiment, but in this case he targeted his victims solely on race. That's a lot different than the cases where a cop is justifiable in shooting and killing someone, but the media reports on a "white cop killing a black man", drawing unnecessary and unwarranted outrage from the public.

I wouldn't want to be in his position either, but with that position comes the responsibility of doing what is right, even at the risk of being labeled an "Uncle Tom".

I voted for Obama the first time he ran. I firmly opposed him during his second campaign, and voted against him. In the lead up to this election, I was disappointed with both candidates that we were offered, and didn't vote for either. I didn't think I had a favorite out of the two, and I was surprised on election night when I felt relief that trump beat out Hillary. I don't know that he'll be a good president, and I won't be surprised if he's not. That being said, I think that he has the chance to institute a lot of necessary changes that a professional politician would choose not to make, and I hope that he can do so in a fair and reasonable way. Either way, I'm glad that Obama's time as president is over. Here's to hoping that the next 4 (or 8) years bring about a positive change in our country. We certainly need it.

I'm sure your "traditions" aren't as bad other people's "traditions"

Several years back a church in Beaumont did it, and I talked to the person they did it to, and I was told about another church in nederland that did the same around the same time.

You're one of those good Christians that has decided that homosexuality is the only sin that is unforgivable. I'm not hating at all on unwed mothers. I'm hating on hypocritical Christians that demonize one sin while supporting other sinners who's sins, at least if you believe in the bible, are equally as bad.

Every church has different ideologies. While this may not align with some Christian views, I'd argue that it's no worse than the local churches that I know about that kicked gays out of the congregation, while embracing young, unwed mothers (and every other type of sinners, as long as they weren't homosexual).

HJ has basically a brand new team this year, with almost nothing returning from last year. Coach Davis has done a really nice job having them competitive, but they're missing that stud player (or two) that they've always had in the past to carry them. Add on top of that that Silsbee has the best team this rivalry has ever seen, and I don't think this game is close at all. I love my hawks, but I don't see this one being closer that 25-30 points, and I wouldn't be shocked if Silsbee wins by 40 or more. If the hawks keep it close I will be pleasantly surprised.

I didn't say all of them had it coming. In fact, I didn't say ANYBODY had it coming. My (obvious) point was that the overwhelming majority of police officers in your "twenty shootings" acted within their rights, and within the parameters of self defense laws, and I guarantee you that is accurate. In fact, in most of the cases that have been major talking points on social media and for BLM, the victim did in fact "have it coming", but that hasn't really mattered. And in every case where the police were wrong, and even in several where they were not, they have had charges filed on them in the aftermath. It's a shame that officers are out there getting hurt and even killed because they're hesitating to protect themselves due to today's social climate, and out of fear that doing so may make them a target of overzealous politicians who are looking to either make a name for themselves or garner votes.

the problem is that out of 20 shot on video, 18 or 19 were justified. When you start making martyrs out of criminals who were handled appropriately by police, you have a major problem. Mike Brown has a flippin' statue in his honor in Ferguson. By the way, I'm one of the centrists that has terrorized this board for years (ask anyone), but I'm not with you on this one.