Longhorn Open Thread

Show UNT some respect (0.00 / 0)

Our beloved secondary mascot, the albino squirrel, died recently at claws of a red-tailed hawk.  Cut us some slack please, we are still in mourning.

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by: TheUNTEdge @ Sat Sep 02, 2006 at 03:17:12 AM UTC

Sports fans and Kinky/Republican fans (0.00 / 0)

I'm a Longhorn fan.  I went to UT, and I'm a Longhorn fan.  I root for the Longhorns when we're kicking ass.  I rooted for the Longhorns when things weren't so good.  If you tell me that Vince did poorly on some test, I don't care and it doesn't make me like the Longhorns less.  In truth, there is no fact you could disclose to me that would make root for the Sooners or the Aggies or the Buckeyes.

Why is that?

It's because I identify with the Longhorns on a non-intellectual level. My preference for the Longhorns is not a preference driven by reason and logic. I'm a Longhorn because I went to UT and not because I surveyed all of the college football teams and weighed my options and identified the Longhorns as the team most deserving of my support.

Politically, I have never voted straight ticket and I cannot recall a ballot where I didn't vote for at least one Democrat, at least one Republican, at least one third-party candidate, and undervoted at least one race.

I don't vote for all the candidates from one party or another because I research the issues and the candidates and I generally vote either (1) for the candidate who reflects my views best without regard to whether they are likely to win or not (for example, I might vote for a candidate like Dennis Kuchinich regardless of whether or not he'll get the nomination), (2) for the candidate who most closely matches my values but with some consideration of whether or not they are more or less likely to win (for example, I might vote for a candidate like Al Gore instead of a candidate like Ralph Nader because I don't want to see a candidate like George Bush elected), or (3) against the candidate I strongly disagree with (in so many of judicial races, for example, there is only one major party candidate and I might vote against that candidate even though I know comparatively little about the third-party candidate).

This voting pattern reflects a race-by-race and candidate-by-candidate process that involves gathering, weighing, and deciding upon facts about the candidates and their views on issues that are more or less important to me.

As I talk to some Republicans and Kinky supporters, it occurs to me that they select their political candidates like I select my sports teams. It is not a logical, fact-based decision process for them.  They like Perry or Kinky just because they do, and they find it threatening to have to defend such a non-fact-based decisions. Disclosing facts to them, reasoning with them, talking about facts with them -- none of it makes any difference because they are not making a fact based decision. And on some level, I think that scares them.

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by: stopkinky @ Sat Sep 02, 2006 at 06:02:15 AM UTC

From UNT (0.00 / 0)

You are being more generious than I am. We will flip out if we score. You are the national champions. We're the former Sunbelt Champions. Stop lowering expectations already and hand us our low low defeat in football.

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by: trowaman @ Sat Sep 02, 2006 at 09:07:28 AM UTC

I'm not... (0.00 / 0)

...being generous.  They'll put in the 5th string by the 4th quarter and I'm sure North Texas will get something.


They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

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by: Damon McCullar @ Sat Sep 02, 2006 at 15:51:05 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

yeah? (0.00 / 0)

Hasn't happened yet.

4 years ago, my freshman year we flipped out agaisnt OU b/c we got 3 points. All I knew was the OU QB had weak knees so we were yelling at the tv "Go for the knees!" Yeah those 3 points were incredible against OU's 3ed-4th string.

We're a music school, not a sports school, even though the administration wishes we were.

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by: trowaman @ Sat Sep 02, 2006 at 20:44:36 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Longhorns (0.00 / 0)

Why is Texas picking on North Texas? Ain't they got nothing better to do?

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by: Jesus B. Ochoa @ Sat Sep 02, 2006 at 17:03:39 PM UTC