SXSW

Seldom do I get to use my college major, but now is one of those times.
 
The Roman Empire collapsed due to myriad reasons that I will fit into 5 categories (which are incomplete summaries that I draft such that this isn't TL;DR).  The current United States draws some eerie parallels.
 
(1) Rome: Overpopulation by non-Roman ethnic (barbarian) peoples.  As Rome expanded, Rome incorporated the subjugated peoples into its population and particularly its military.  When the Germanic invasions of the 400s took place, Roman military forces had virtually no ethnic or cultural ties to the motherland, and were more sympathetic to the invaders than the army it served.  As Rome was over-expanded, there was no resistance in the interior to keep the Germanic tribes from sacking Rome over and over again.  United States: Influx of non-native population due to tepid, ineffective immigration policy.  As the United States ceased its expansion in the 1950s, immigration from the second-world of Latin America increased substantially.  From essentially the Clinton Administration onward, there has been no reasonable plan offered to grant immigrants a speedy, holistic, and universal path to citizenship that fosters a sense of belonging to the greater whole.  It's akin to Lucy trying to eat chocolates coming off the conveyor belt.  What has resulted is a population that has virtually no ethnic or cultural ties to the motherland, and is more sympathetic to the nation whence it came than the one it currently shares with others.  It's one of many types of fracturing.
 
(2) Rome: Generational economic stagnation and over-reliance on slave labor.  Rome was not only under attack from the outside, but it was rotting from within.  Constant military activity and runaway overspending choked the imperial economy.  Inflation and taxation evasion widened the gap between rich and poor.  Rome typically relied on slave labor to tend its agrarian economy, but the lack of expansion ground it to a halt.  United States: Beginnings of generational economic stagnation and lack of a qualified workforce.  The United States has had incomprehensible overspending, particularly on the military budget, since the Reagan years (2 generations).  Inflation has greatly out-stepped the rise in wages.  Coupled with inadequate corporate taxation and far too many tax loopholes for the ultra-wealthy, the middle class in America is disintegrating into dust.  American capitalism relies much too greatly on underpaid menial labor to support itself, and that portion of the workforce is now voluntarily excluding itself.  There is a substantial labor deficit combined with "stagflation".  
 
(3) Rome: The schism of the Western Empire hastened the collapse of the Eastern Empire.  Diocletian divided the Roman Empire into East and West.  This was penny wise and pound foolish.  East and West worked together very poorly and often squabbled over resources and imperial defense.  The Greek-leaning West experienced prosperity, while the Latin-leaning East dissolved.  United States: Europe is kicking our ass and we don't have the political and ideological infrastructure to keep up.  The United States spends about 3x the money on healthcare per capita than its European counterparts, yet lags significantly behind them in life expectancy.  According to the Social Progress Imperative, the United States ranks 18th of 128 countries based on 3 criteria: (1) availability of basic human needs, (2) access to information, and (3) personal rights / freedoms and access to education.  The Top 5?  Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland.  Europe is prospering, the United States is not.
 
(4) Rome: Corrupt government and political instability.  Being the Roman Emperor sucked.  During one period spanning between the 2nd and 3rd centuries, over 20 Emperors reigned in the span of barely 75 years.  The Praetorian Guard would even auction the spot at times to the highest bidder.  The Roman Senate was weak and feckless against the corruption.  Romans essentially lost trust in their government.  United States: Corrupt government and political cronyism.  The same two parties have controlled American political discourse for 160 years.  Essentially, that complacency has led the enterprise of becoming the President amounting to opening the coffers to pay for slick media production and presentation, hoping the middle 10% of the country chooses "your guy".  Congress is weak and feckless against the political machine, and is all to happy to abdicate anything resembling a check/balance on the executive.  The middle 60% of Americans have lost complete trust in the federal government.
 
(5) Rome: Christianity and the loss of traditional values.  The decline of Rome ran parallel with Constantine's proclamation of conversion to Christianity.  The Edict of Milan legalized Christianity in 313, and it became the official state religion in 380.  While this was a long-term net positive, ending the barbaric persecutions of antiquity and laying the foundation for the advancements to be made a millennium in the future, in the short term, monotheism displacing polytheism fractured the social fabric by shifting focus away from the state and toward a divine deity.  Further, Popes and clergy, who were not seasoned in managing and building a nation, took an increased role in political affairs, often making disastrous decisions.  United States: Wokism and the loss of traditional values.  The decline of the United States is running parallel with the rise of wokism and the assault on classical American values.  While in the long-term, a nation without persecution for living an alternative lifestyle must be obtained before the goal of freedom can be obtained, progress needs to be gradual and sustained.  Wokism is determined to scorch and salt the earth to remove any and all traces of people or ideas that do not fit the woke agenda.  Ironically, for many adherents of Wokism, this includes Christianity, which displaced the traditional values of Rome.  Wokism is ripping social fabric along urban/rural and socioeconomic lines.  Those who espouse wokism are those who are not seasoned in managing and building a nation, and they often advocate for disastrous, untenable positions.
 
Is this list perfect?  Of course not.  I typed this in under an hour, so it's not meant to be a dissertation.  But I hope it stirs some thoughtful, meaningful discussion.
 

It has talked about since 1985 and they are no closer today than they were in 1985.

Don't think it was a choice he made to leave,  just couldn't come to terms with current plan.  Maybe numbers improve now? Would love to see them competitive again. 

So, when is the press conference scheduled to announce Fuente, Cornelson and Hamilton have joined the coaching staff at Ridgeview?

If they're not breaking VHSL rules (and they arent), how could they be punished? The VHSL isn't gonna do squat, they're worse than the NCAA.

Just don't cross the G Man and you will be find and people make stupid predictions on here all the time, just don't cross G Man or you will be cast into the outer realm....

Well considering they have about 5 girls basketball state championships, calling them a girls basketball school isn’t far off.
 
Considering their 53-63 program record in football, it’s safe to say they’re not a football school .
 

Maybe not to coach football, but grammar that's a different story! 

None so blind as those who will not see said Col. Harvey! Wise has been a hot mess for years.!

It’s a particularly difficult place to coach, whether you choose to believe it or not.

Maybe not to coach football, but grammar that's a different story! 

My predictions for next football season are that: There will be a 10 game season; There will be a lot of blowouts and close games; Union fans will complain if they go undefeated and unscored on during the regular season but lose in the second round if the playoffs; The QB play will be the key to all the contenders contending; No team from Southwest Virginia will win a championship until Appomattox and Riverheads combine and move to 4A. You could call them Rivermattox or Appoheads! Threads like this are really crazy to have because no body knows, there are too much speculation anyway, and in football season to many other variables like weather, injuries and coaching changes, transfers, your starting QB's love life or your starting tackle's mindset on getting lucky after the game with the cute cheerleader! Just let it happen, as it happens and enjoy the game we all love! Here's to better days and football forever!

That's what I was saying, a game against DB will never happen. DB would never agree to play GC, their neighbor, there's no chance they'd travel further for a home and home. Maybe in a weird scenario where they lose a home game and need a quick replacement and Union was willing to travel, but even that seems unlikely. You may be overstating DB just a bit,they've lost to Science Hill three years in a row, but Maryville has ended their last three years and they would dominate Union in an overwhelming amount of years.
 
But....just food for though, a down DB in 2018 beat Morristown West by eight on the road. 
In 2018, Union beat Morristown West on the road by eight. 
Not saying it means anything,in almost every year it doesnt, but there are outlier years where the impossible may happen.
 

I was told by a retired DB AD that games against smaller schools are no win situations for DB, they can't do home and home with the small schools because of the logistics, most small schools can even sit DB's band. If DB played Union, no matter how good they were you not beating a 6A school because of depth and resources. DB has proven that they may never win a 6A title but they can beat any school not named Maryville consistently. If Union wants to play a Tennessee team call Tennessee High or Elizabethton that would be a games they could win occasionally 

You are exactly right, they beat who was in front of them! Union will be a State Champion forever but the VHSL allowing JM to do what they have done is dishonest and almost criminal and goes against everything the VHSL supposedly stand for!

since the beginning of the arby's,  you can count on one hand teams from southwest va that should have been in this tourney and could have gave a good showing,   the only team i saw recently was the GC squad with mcclung, ervin and dean.   after those 3 that team was nowhere near par either.   the southwest va teams are always entered one year past their prime.   

My predictions for next football season are that: There will be a 10 game season; There will be a lot of blowouts and close games; Union fans will complain if they go undefeated and unscored on during the regular season but lose in the second round if the playoffs; The QB play will be the key to all the contenders contending; No team from Southwest Virginia will win a championship until Appomattox and Riverheads combine and move to 4A. You could call them Rivermattox or Appoheads! Threads like this are really crazy to have because no body knows, there are too much speculation anyway, and in football season to many other variables like weather, injuries and coaching changes, transfers, your starting QB's love life or your starting tackle's mindset on getting lucky after the game with the cute cheerleader! Just let it happen, as it happens and enjoy the game we all love! Here's to better days and football forever!

My predictions for next football season are that: There will be a 10 game season; There will be a lot of blowouts and close games; Union fans will complain if they go undefeated and unscored on during the regular season but lose in the second round if the playoffs; The QB play will be the key to all the contenders contending; No team from Southwest Virginia will win a championship until Appomattox and Riverheads combine and move to 4A. You could call them Rivermattox or Appoheads! Threads like this are really crazy to have because no body knows, there are too much speculation anyway, and in football season to many other variables like weather, injuries and coaching changes, transfers, your starting QB's love life or your starting tackle's mindset on getting lucky after the game with the cute cheerleader! Just let it happen, as it happens and enjoy the game we all love! Here's to better days and football forever!

My predictions for next football season are that: There will be a 10 game season; There will be a lot of blowouts and close games; Union fans will complain if they go undefeated and unscored on during the regular season but lose in the second round if the playoffs; The QB play will be the key to all the contenders contending; No team from Southwest Virginia will win a championship until Appomattox and Riverheads combine and move to 4A. You could call them Rivermattox or Appoheads! Threads like this are really crazy to have because no body knows, there are too much speculation anyway, and in football season to many other variables like weather, injuries and coaching changes, transfers, your starting QB's love life or your starting tackle's mindset on getting lucky after the game with the cute cheerleader! Just let it happen, as it happens and enjoy the game we all love! Here's to better days and football forever!

My predictions for next football season are that: There will be a 10 game season; There will be a lot of blowouts and close games; Union fans will complain if they go undefeated and unscored on during the regular season but lose in the second round if the playoffs; The QB play will be the key to all the contenders contending; No team from Southwest Virginia will win a championship until Appomattox and Riverheads combine and move to 4A. You could call them Rivermattox or Appoheads! Threads like this are really crazy to have because no body knows, there are too much speculation anyway, and in football season to many other variables like weather, injuries and coaching changes, transfers, your starting QB's love life or your starting tackle's mindset on getting lucky after the game with the cute cheerleader! Just let it happen, as it happens and enjoy the game we all love! Here's to better days and football forever!

Tropicana Field has had all the charm of a Sam's Club from day 1, and the Rays would be better off in Nashville who has shown with the Titans and Preds that they will support pro franchises. The Tampa area has supported the Bucs and the Lightning just as well, but the relationship with the Rays has always been lukewarm, due (IMO) in no small part to the stadium location and lack of ambiance. 

I just want to wish the G-Men the best! Make Southwest Virginia proud! I know Graham has the talent and coaching to bring back the title. We need another team in Club 5!

I just want to wish the G-Men the best! Make Southwest Virginia proud! I know Graham has the talent and coaching to bring back the title. We need another team in Club 5!

I just want to wish the G-Men the best! Make Southwest Virginia proud! I know Graham has the talent and coaching to bring back the title. We need another team in Club 5!

I just want to wish the G-Men the best! Make Southwest Virginia proud! I know Graham has the talent and coaching to bring back the title. We need another team in Club 5!