Syria and Arabs in the 21st Century

Syria and Arabs in the 21st Century

Syria has been in the headlines a lot in the last 7 years; this past week Syria has come to the forefront again. Today is December 25, 2018. A big day for Christians worldwide, a weird economic and political time for the United States. And as perpetually, a tough time for Arabs to figure out who and where they are. Many Arab Christians, a small but significant minority in many current Arab nations, are fearful for their survival now and into the future.

President Donald Trump arbitrarily (that's my description) announced the removal of U.S. militarily troops from the country, summarily (my word again) declaring victory over the Islamic State of Iraq and As-Sham, ISIS, the 2014 caliphate arising from militant jihadi extremists of war torn Iraq and its neighbors.

Hmmmmm. The jury is out on that one.

The Arab lands have gone through much, much, much, upheaval and tumult over the last century. Map carving during and as a consequence of the epochs of World Wars I and II did their share of defining current borders, much of which were forced by Western minds and powers. Natives of those countries have struggled to find their places ever since.

The United States and other powers have had their impacts on the regions, both the Middle East and Arab Africa all of their modern existence. The US has been the planetary superpower for generations. With that power comes accountability and responsibility, something that the US presidents have done since Thomas Jefferson fighting the Barbary pirates, to Roosevelt sending troops to Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, to the more recent escapades in Iraq and the Gulf. 

Not to forget about the goings on of the Suez Canal in the 1950s, the creation and battles of Israel,  the Marine disaster in Lebanon in 1983...

And now Syria.

Russia became a game changer when they went to the military aid of a losing Bashar al-Assad regime in 2015; Kurds and Turks and their endless conflict complicate the picture in northern Syria. Iran and its Iraqi proxies further complicate Syria.

So, do Russia and Iran now claim greater Syria for their own victorious claims?

That is one real fear. 

We understand that we, the US and its allies, do not want to waste valuable lives and money on lost causes. But is this how we see the divided Syria now?

Won? Safe? Nothing is secure where terrorists, and foreign armed adversaries roam.

Where we had plans to stamp out the worst of the militant jihadis dedicated to the destruction on the West and moderate Muslims, suddenly we are leaving.

The Arab world is already divided and fractured in ways that are both physical and emotional. 

Yemen is in shambles. Libya is divided, and largely lawless. 

Somalia, marginally Arab, has been 3 countries for almost 3 decades.

Palestine is not content; Israel's continued presence in occupied territory is a constant threat to the safety of all.

Extremists abound. On the other side of Iran, Afghanistan has its extremist issues...

They are not Arabs. But they suffer from the same symptoms of the Arab world:

Define a border, a government, a way of life, and try to prosper.

It's not happening today.  

The United States has priorities which affect how it deals in its policies with the whole world and the nations that are Arab, focusing on this specific region.

1. To protect its citizens.
2. To allow free trade and commerce.
3. To enforce laws and rules that allow the proper compliance with these priorities.

Part of the concern in protecting US citizens is so much instability in lands across the world that there is too much demand for foreigners to come to our country as refugees. There is also the freedom to travel and live across the world. 

Syria has become a no-go zone, as has Yemen and Libya. Other parts of the Arab world are far from hospitable. Saudi Arabia has proven tough to deal with due to issues of free speech and freedom of harsh rules and rulings.

The United States needs to improve its conditions in all aspects, but this is easier said than done.

Leaving Syria to the others that are there? Not sure that is the right course...

We were not leaving many injured or killed behind of our troops.

No easy answers. 

BYU Football Progresses in Year 3 of Sitake

BYU Football Progresses in Year 3 of Kalani Sitake

The Bigger Picture is What Matters to the School and Its Supporters

1.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has, since its inception in 1830, been a bold proclaimer of certain large messages. Apart from its claim of authority and proper priesthood restored on the earth, which throws down a gauntlet to all other organized religions, there is the Christian imperative to:

2. Repent and sin no more! To urge and encourage all people to live up to high moral standards that the Savior would have us live, according to the moral laws of the Church, and the Lord who runs it. This is different than any other college or university, especially in the 21st century. No premarital intimate relations, no tobacco or alcohol, no cursing or radical hair styles...

Therefore, the flagship school of the Church embodies what the faith espouses; the football team is a very public part of that mission and effort.

Since 1922, prophets and presidents, apostles and general authority educators of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, have started and then supported the BYU Cougar football to represent the school and its values. By the 1970s the team became a factor in national rankings and bowls.

Since the retirement of legendary Hall of Famer LaVell Edwards in 2000, three different coaches have had their chances to continue the success of the team that achieved the national championship in 1984, a feat causing multiple fissures and cracks throughout college football that has had its effects up until today (2018).

The newest head coach, the first Tongan football head coach in the United States, took over in 2016 and led his first team to a respectable 9-4 record. Season two went upside down when the Cougars finished an embarrassing 4-9, their worst record since the 1950s. Sitake was under a hot microscope.

Year 3, this 2018 season, was a big deal.

By losing 4 close games in close fashion, mixed with some good wins (Arizona and Wisconsin), it was left for the end of the season bowl game for the then 6-6 Cougars to come out winners or not.

And they did, thankfully, having a great third quarter and crushing the Western Michigan Cowboys 49-18.

7-6 overall, progress noted and second losing season averted.

Next season will open with really tough teams and opponents, including starting with arch rival Utah; the Utes that BYU almost beat this year and has not beaten in 8 straight competitions, despite close finishes almost every time. Many Cougar fans and critics are heartened and hopeful that many Sitake youthful recruits and returnees will have the power and skill to handle themselves against the likes of the Pac-12, a conference that spurned BYU in including as part of their expansion 8 years ago. The exclusion may possibly have been based on religious reasons. 

We will see what will happen on the field.

As far as what the Church of Jesus Christ declares through its university football team and its leadership and players, the message is the same: we value clean and Christlike lives. We expect our men and women to be awesome ambassadors of both sport and purity. Cleanliness and morality as we believe it should be.

Like Army, Navy, and Air Force (the Knights, by the way, just finished a fantastic season), there are other priorities at play with BYU. Cadets at the U.S. military service academies are expected to be trained warriors to fight for their country, to serve the president and defend the Constitution. This is an added burden to accomplish while running against men and women who are civilians, looking to make a buck or serve in their respectful fields of work as non-military.

Cougars have the burden of Christ, which Jesus says Himself that it is "light".

There are other religious affiliated schools, but they do not require the same enforced standards of living like Brigham Young. Notre Dame, Texas Christian, Southern Methodist, Boston College: they have their allegiances to the Higher Power and their denominations, but I am not aware of much more commitments to a written Honor Code other than attending additional church services. Maybe I am wrong.

Winning shows that we can do it. Serve a higher Master, live His laws as best as possible, repent of the sins that we commit, and play with a pigskin on the rugged grid iron, and win.

Whether you and others believe in the principles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that is your prerogative.  Whether you believe in the missions of the U.S. Army or others, the liberal aims of Stanford or UC-Berkeley, or the University of Miami or wherever, fine. We can agree to believe the same or disagree.

BYU. Football team.

It's fun to watch, but it definitely is a statement of belief. 2018 ended up being a decent demonstration of that ethic.  We shall see how it goes for Kalani and his young men in the future.

Go Cougs. See you in 9 months, Utes. I respect your returned missionaries. I respect your school.

The Cougars will keep doing its thing, which will be your on the field nemesis. But not off it! May it ever be so, and may good sport continue to flourish in the state of Utah.

Alas, Terry Hutchens! You Knew Me Well

Alas, Terry Hutchens! You Knew Me Well

A man of 60 years passed away this week. I never met him. Yet, he knew me, and I believe he knew me pretty well. With his passing, part of me and another group of devotees and fans have lost part of ourselves. However, he left a lot. He was a writer. The love for those passions that he espoused will continue.

Terry Hutchens wrote about Indiana University basketball, and football, and Indiana athletics. He wrote about more than the Xs and the Os of the sports. He wrote about people; he wrote about ourselves. He was a pro's pro, probably the best.

That may not register as significant for many people, but it does for me. And, as us native Hoosiers like to say, "Every where else it is college basketball. This is Indiana." Terry Hutchens was at the forefront of what we loved and lived for.

Terry Hutchens, or "Hutch", as he was known, was a formidable part of being a Hoosier.

Identity is hard to qualify and quantify; I know I have many identities: I am a father. I am a husband. I am a church goer. I hold the priesthood of God. I am a professional in the work place. I am part time soldier for my country and state. I am an American. I am a Spanish speaker. I am an aficionado of languages and foreign cultures. I am guy who likes sports, from baseball to the Olympics. I am an active participant in some sports. I am a reader. I am a watcher. I am a conversationalist. I am a writer.

In my core DNA, I am a Hoosier fan. It seems to keep my blood flowing. It is not that I do not want to spend time with my wife or kids or buddies or church members, colleagues or neighbors -- but when the Hoosiers are on the court or field, there is another pump pumping. It's just that that is where my heart is when the game is on.

I hope you understand. This is who I became. I cannot always explain it myself. But in Indiana, this love makes us all the same: black, white, rich, poor, no matter what religion or background or philosophy. Democrats and Republicans and Communists, we all bleed Hoosier red. We are one through this sport and school. This is our faith and practice. A unifying force, hard to measure but real. Only Purdue Boilermakers or Notre Dame Irish make us question our home state loyalties. OK, Butler has been a recent thing, too. But Indiana at Bloomington is still the standard of the state.

Near or far, Indiana sports resonate with me. When I have gone far away to other countries and far off climes, Indiana sports beckons to me and connects me back to my home. Sometimes I would go months or years without the direct contact or observance of the teams. I long for those lost times when I did not see the Hoosiers fight, compete. It is tricky to explain. People like Hutchens were able to re-connect me to it.

Indiana basketball and football, and even other IU sports, bring me back home.

Thanks, Terry, for sharing. Thank you for building part of that identity for me and others. For keeping me a Hoosier. We feel passionate about the basketball and football and other sports. They are parts of who we are. It is our identity, and certainly figures like Bob Knight made it so. Or made the passion stronger. The quest for the beauty of the fight.

Hemingway had bull fighting and fishing. Steinbeck had sharecropping and vagabondery. Jack London had dog mushing and animal fights. Rowling had quiddage. Tolstoy had ballet. Great for the Russians!

Texas has football, the gridiron variety. Brazil and Argentina have futbol,  the world variety. South Asia has crickett. California has surfing and volleyball.

Natively raised Indiana folk have basketball. It is pure agony, ecstasy, and elation.

It ain't much, but it is poetry in special moments. Which could happen the next time the ball is in-bounded. 

I once wrote an online comment to Terry around 2005, back when the successor to the legendary Hall of Famer Robert Montgomery Knight Mike Davis was battling to keep the team good and stay at the job. I questioned if Terry was "really a Hoosier fan"? I am not sure if he replied to me, but I feel like in the last thirteen years he changed in his tone towards the Hoosiers. He did become a homer for the Hurry'n Hoosiers, which is the only way to be if you are within the bounds of southern Indiana. 

I know Hoosier fans across the country and the world, from Utah and California, to New England and Florida and the Bahamas. Basketball, at its best, is supposed to be played there. It is the Aristotelean "good". The ideal. That is what we cheer to see. A slice of perfection. Embodied in a leather ball and its purveyors.

The end of 2018 brought some interesting things culminating around Indiana basketball, perhaps apropos to the life of Terry and his meaning to Indiana basketball.

• ESPN TV released a very interesting (they all are) 30 for 30 special called "The Last Days of Knight". If you watch that show, you will learn a bit about the General's legacy and meaning in Bloomington. You might learn something about yourself, and you likely will learn a few things about me. At age 14 my Massachusetts cousin asked me if I liked Coach Knight. My answer was mixed, and so are the feelings we share about Coach ever since.
• Eric Anderson, former IU star and one of the last players to reach the Final Four, died at the precocious age of 48. I am his age; he was there on campus with me. Or I with him, even two years spent in South America. He handled the court for me. Hutchens wrote poignantly about him. Of course he would, but 5 other former ball players who have died too young.
• The current IU basketball team beat four decent teams by a combined 8 points, never having been done before in the history of the program. The hopes are that the current Hoosiers are clutch. The squad, with second year coach Archie Miller, a savvy all-conference senior Juwan Morgan, and two special freshmen ballers (Langford and Phinesee), has made the top 25. Where they belong.

By the time I was 5 years old Knight made himself an icon in Indiana. He reached perfection in 1976. It was never entirely perfect thereafter, as life never is.

But IU basketball has been enough.

A banner in the rafters of Assembly Hall means all the perfection you need. Knight did it three times in 11 years. We thought he would achieve a fourth, but his own protégé from Army and later Bloomington years before, Mike Krzyzewsky at Duke, would impede those efforts.

Knight made us hungry for it, because we knew what it feels like to win March Madness; we grew to expect it.

As a writer, Terry Hutchens was the consummate professional of writing: telling stories, explaining the identity of the teams and their leaders, their triumphs and miscues.

Terry showed us the drama, the struggle, the life of our on-the-court and on-the-field heroes. 

They were us. Ourselves. Winners, losers, competitors, strivers, men and women of victory and defeat. Effort, dedication, focus, and determination and discipline led to glory and joy.

Terry went out a winner. He succeeded on and off the court.

The car accident that led to his death was a mistake we have all made. He failed to stop in time exiting a ramp that would connect to the interstate that led to no other place than Bloomington, Indiana.

I have done it, you have done it. There for the grace of God we all have survived those mistakes to live another day. Terry succumbed to the wounds of that crash this week. Like a powerful man among peers, he left a legacy of success and achievement regarding the craft of writing and sports. Living life, giving and caring. He was certainly a driven person who gave and taught and mentored.

Sports writing is an art. The passion for the sports is a sublime gift-- at times taken to the extreme, yes.

But you have to know where your heart is, and for many of us, that vital tender organ is found when the lights spring on and the clock and ball are put in play.

Live on Terry Hutchens and Hoosier fans. 

The games will continue, even without its best heralded voices.

Because life is about competing and striving, and Terry did this and more.

Never daunted, we cannot falter
In the battle, we're tried and true
Indiana, our Indiana,
Indiana we're all for you! I-U!

Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, buuuuuuuummmmm!

I-U !!!

Yes, Terry, you are a true Hoosier. We celebrate life, with you, and our collective identity forever.

Thanks for knowing me that well.

Celibacy and Chastity: Both Work for Good; Don't Get them Confused

Celibacy and Chastity: Both Work for Good; Don't Get them Confused

Keuschheit und Zölibat haben ihre richtige Zeit und ihren richtigen Platz 

There are moral standards regarding human sexuality that are worth striving for and maintaining. 

I did not make up these rules. I learned about them from others. And I believe them.

Mankind-- humankind has standards and goals for human relationships.

Friendships, alliances, associations, family, bonds. Proper networks and channels of relationships, individually, collectively-- all of them work for us or against us. I am now informing you about the higher laws of sexual relationships.

All relations are key to our survival and progress. The better relationships and bonds are better.

Hence, the need for both celibacy and chastity, when it is the right time and place.

Chastity is a constant good state or status that we must all strive for. Sometimes this requires celibacy. But  celibacy and chastity to do not always equate. This is a great lie.

Men and women must procreate and have children. Doing this sexually within the bonds of matrimony is chaste, wholesome, pure. Those who have impugned this act as a sin are deceiving millions.

For centuries.

Celibacy will lead to marriage. This is perceived as difficult and unnecessary but it is true. 

Being pure through our relationships is key to making things right.

Do your best to live this way. It's the best way. 

Failure Defines Us; Regrouping from It

Failure Defines Us; Regrouping from It

I think that we all fail every day. Most of the failures are not noticeable or notable. Some failures are obvious and large, having an impact beyond the moment of that particular failure.

In our lives we take formal and informal tests. Some of those are on paper, many are physical.

Most tests require mental acuity, reason, wisdom, or knowledge.

Hopefully our failures do not cost the lives of ourselves or others. These are drastic failures.

Most of my life that is a dreaded outcome; to get someone killed, people that you are supposed to live and let live or protect. To avoid that result,  by what most normal people define by successfully avoiding drastic mistakes or failures, one must be diligent and lucky.

But it happens.

I do not think it has happened to me. I hope not.

We all know people who have taken their life, some of whom we had a stake in their life; I do not think I am to be included in those passings. I hope not.

No stupid highway or other accidents have befallen me, or those that I care for or steward. I know a few where that is the case. Tragic accidents and hard to avoid mishaps.

Failures come more frequently to some than others. Some tests are more tangible, such as job opportunities lost and interviews and the application process.

2018 has provided some tests and failures for me.

I tried to avoid failing. I will regroup, I believe. I will continue to advance, to grow, to learn, to adapt and overcome.

I am not defined by my failures, but I am marked by them.

Like scars on the body and in the mind that leave indelible traces. Some scars are ugly and lasting, at least visually and within the psyche.

Thus it ever was.

Move on.

BYU Football Fighting for Its Existence, Relevance

BYU Football Fighting for Its Existence, Relevance

It's rivalry week. Utah thinks that they don't want to play their intra-state rival anymore. Especially the Saturday before their conference final.

BYU is 6-5, Utah is 8-3. Both have done good things this season and both have had some heartaches. Both will go bowling. Utah State, the smaller school Aggies of the north, is the highest ranked. (Go figure).

The Utes. Some of us think that they think they are  above the private school 49 miles to the south. Yes, we Cougars are a pesky thorn in their plans for PAC-12 conference relevance. They have to play us before their coveted conference championship, the same conference BYU fought and sacrificed for for many decades to be a part of, and was rejected by when Utah was invited. Years back, there were other times, when BYU was winning a national championship making the Inter-Mountain West relevant. Long before Fresno State or Boise State became big. People thought a religious school, an obscure place with obscure outdated rules like no drinking or pre-marital conjugal relationships before matrimony was a fool's errand. Hundreds of young men proved otherwise.

And those standards have remained. And they will. Some say BYU cannot get enough young athletes to abide by such peculiar old fashioned standards.

Some Utes and others may think that BYU prevents them from national relevance.

Not so. USC deals with Notre Dame. Look what they do. USC is big time program. No complaints.

Utes, get used to it. 

BYU will always be there as your rival. 

If you do not recognize that, then you will slide from national relevance.

 So, good luck this Saturday, and good luck down the road. I hope you do great, really. I love the state of Utah, your coach, and tons of your students and alumni.

Slight future scheduling of your religious brother down south at your peril.

BYU has higher standards, pays its personnel less, has tons of returned older missionaries like you do,  and has lots of in-state and national and international fans.

We are not better than you. Brigham Young football is not morally superior, just different.

Like Air Force or Army or Navy Academies, BYU plays to a different standard.

And Utah, this is part of who you are. It's your identity.

If you dink out of the rivalry, you will be left behind. Don't do it.

Again, best of luck. Get ready to play. Don't forget who you are.

BYU football fan and alum,

Eduardo

Hoosier Basketball Analysis: 5 Games In

Hoosier Basketball Analysis: 5 Games In

First of all, a shout out to this incredible looking Duke team this year: they lost tonight to Gonzaga. It came down to the last possessions as Gonzaga led most of the way. Way to go, Bulldogs! Now I hope that BYU can knock off a top notch Zag team, like in years past. Oh, and Maybe Indiana can play with these Blue Devils...

IU has a lot of promise, but some things are unsure for now. Archie Miller is considered good enough to make them a good enough team. We shall see. We. Shall. See.

I'll analyze the players individually, then put it together.  

1. Juwan Morgan, 6'8" athletic senior forward. He is a superb player who wins games; he will be a professional next spring. He can play great inside. He can hit three pointers. One weakness that I have seen this year and from last year, when he was their best player on a team to qualify for the NIT: free throws. He is not going to get all the FT points that the Hoosiers need in tight games. He will draw the fouls, however. Speaking of fouls, IU may not have enough quality big bodies to keep Juwan rest and foul trouble free. Which also has to do with IU's health, which now in game 5 is really bad. Too many dinged up dudes.

2. Romeo Langford, 6'6" everything  freshman shooting guard. Biggest home grown recruit since Cody Zeller around 2010. We have to have this guy. By the end of the year he will be better than Juwan, and maybe more clutch. He has played pretty good defense, and his threes and free throws need some work, but this should come. He is a natural and will be done after spring 2019, so IU needs to ride him and he them to the end of March. Hopefully.

3. Robert Phinesee, 6'0" freshman point guard. This kid is poised and can play. He proved that he could hit a key three on the close road loss to a pretty impressive Arkansas squad. He can control the ball, pass and hustle. Very cool. He seems to be about perfect. Time will tell.

4. Aljami Durham, 6'4" sophomore guard/forward. He might be the X-factor. He seems much improved from last year, and last year he was not bad. He hurt his back and left the game early last night, but he should recover and contribute a lot.

5. Justin Smith, 6'7" sophomore forward. Extraordinary athlete. Can do a little of everything. I really hope he matures and channels his talents. He could be a big reason the Hoosiers do well. Or not. Like Juwan, needs to improve his free throws, and probably go to the line more. He needs to dunk more, based on his unworldly jumping ability. (48 inch vertical, 6 inches higher than anyone else ever at IU. And he's tall).

6.  Evan Fitzner, 6'10" senior forward. He can shoot the three, but seems a bit weak and skinny. Hopefully gets stronger throughout the year. But, he is a senior, so will he fill out much this late in college. He seems pretty smart inside, too. Good addition.

7. Deron Davis, 6'9 junior forward/center. He has good inside presence but is a bit slow and less than explosive. His achilles injury from last year seems to be lingering into November. Currently hurt.

8. Devonte Green, 6'3" junior point guard. He has talents and skills that good do much for the team: energy, depth, hopeful intelligence and poise. Currently hurt.

9.  Zach McRoberts, 6'6" senior guard/forward. Red-shirt senior. He is savvy and seems to be in the right place at the right time. Shoots more confidently now. Currently hurt.

10. Damezi Anderson, 6'7" freshman forward. This guy, if developed right, could be a huge difference. He hit a key 3 late in a tight game against a lesser opponent at home last night (UT-Arlington); if he gets smart on the court maybe he will be part of the Hoosier depth and success.

11-13. Race Thompson, Jake Forrester, Jerome Hunter. Three young guys that may provide some depth and muscle. Mostly currently hurt.

14. Cliff Moore, 6'11" sophomore center. Can be an inside presence; showed some aptitude to getting buckets. 

The team has a lot of injuries in November, but as the Coach said, this has given some young guys some early experience on the court and as a team.

Very impressive performance at home versus a tough Marquette team, a close loss where Arkansas showed some grit and hustle away from the friendly confines, and tough resistance win against a very scrappy team from Texas. With starters leaving with back aches and bloody noses. 

This team might develop into something special.

We play Duke in a week. We shall see.