I tried something a little different this week.  I took notes about some of these teams as I was flipping around and watching their games.  Those notes will be reflected in my comments about each team.  Here it is.  There's been a little shuffling this week, some disappointments.  Three teams dropped out of my Top 25.  And that means three new teams are here.  Let's see how it shakes down.

1.  USC - They picked apart a decent Washington State team.  This, along with LSU's close game against South Carolina, helps clear the way for USC at #1.

2.  LSU - They remain number two this week.  South Carolina, a good team  themselves, played them close.  LSU came out on top.  I think the final score was closer than the game actually was.  This one was never in doubt.

3.  Oklahoma - Oklahoma pasted another opponent.  This time it was Tulsa.  The big win against Tulsa, along with Florida's poor performance against Ole Miss, cements this team as number three, in my opinion.

4.  Florida - Florida did not look impressive against Ole Miss, who is not a great team to begin with

5.  WVU - Ripped up East Carolina, a team who played Virginia Tech tough.  I thought East Carolina might hang around in this game.  But, West Virginia showed how good they really are.  If the big wins continue, they may leapfrog a Florida team who remains unimpressive.

6.  Cal - Big win against Arizona.  Final score, 45-27.  Game not as close as that.  Arizona scored some bonus points late in mop up time.  Cal has looked good so far.

7.  Ohio State - Destroyed Northwestern.  Clearly the class of the Big Ten at this point.  I was impressed with this win.  Northwestern isn't that great, but Ohio State isn't known to exactly blow teams out of the water like this.

8.  Wisconsin - Close win against Iowa.  This seems to be another team that doesn't really blow anybody out.  Letting teams hang around will eventually lead to a collapse.  I see a loss in this team's future.  Don't know how long they'll remain this high.  This is another team I'm not impressed with.

9.  Rutgers - No game this week.  They move up a spot by virtue of PSU's humiliating loss against Michigan.

10.  Texas - Obliterated Rice.  This is what I expect from this team.  That close game against UCF last week was not the real Texas.  This is the real Texas.

11.  Boston College - Beat Army 37-17.  This team has looked real good so far.  I see a Top 10 in their future.

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This represents a clear break in my poll.  These teams, to me, were the easiest ones to rank.  From here on out, your guess is as good as mine.  After #11, I haven't really been too impressed with any of these teams.

12. Clemson - Doubled up NC State 42-20.  They move into the #12 spot because I simply don't know who else to put there.

13 - Penn State - Dropped like a sack of bricks by Michigan.  Offense is horrendous.  Morelli is worse.  This team will lose again if they don't make some changes on offense.

14.  South Carolina - Can't fault them too much for losing a close game against LSU.  This team is pretty good.

15.  Virginia Tech - Finally looked like Virginia Tech, albeit against William and Mary.  Some say this team is ranked too high.  I say #15 is not a bad spot for them, compared to the rest of the field.

16.  Hawaii - Beat Charleston Southern (??) 66-10.  Offense continues to impress.  What more is there to this team?

17.  Georgia - Beat Bama in OT 26-23.  Bama's a good team.  Georgia was a little better on this day.  Middle of the pack is a good place for Georgia right now.

18.  Kentucky - Wow!!  This team looked good against a good Arkansas team.  The game was close until the fourth quarter, when Kentucky made itself some separation.  Final score, 42-29.  The offense is putting some points on the board.  I'd like to see some defense.  They've looked better than some of these other teams, which is why I've moved them up to #18.

19.  Oregon.  Beat Stanford 55-31.  PAC-10 isn't exactly known for defense.  This is a representative score of that conference.  Oregon has looked pretty good so far this season.  I would've been more impressed if they'd held Stanford to fewer points.

20.  South Florida - Continues to impress.  37-10 against North Carolina.  Starting to look like a legitimate top 20 team.  I'm really interested to see how this team plays in some marquee conference matchups.

21.  Missouri - Beat Illinois State 38-17.  Not overwhelming, but they move up by virtue of some other teams losing or looking bad.

22.  Arizona State - Beat Oregon State 44-32.  Again, no defense.  I'd like to see some of that.  This team climbs by virtue of others' poor performances.

23. Alabama - Played Georgia tough, losing in overtime.  No change since last week.  They're new to the rankings, so I'll be keeping an eye on them.

24. Nebraska - Hanging on by a thread.  On life support.  Any other cliche you like.  This team did not look good against Ball State.  I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt by saying it was a let-down after that USC game.  If this team plays poorly next weekend, you won't see them here next week.

25. Cincinnati - This was a real dilemma for me.  I looked at about 20 different teams for these last few spots.  Others that I looked at for this particular spot included Purdue, Kansas, and Michigan State.  I went with Cincinnati because they were ranked higher in some other polls I looked at.  Plus, I like giving some new teams a look.  Michigan  State was a close second and will overtake the Bearcats if they slip up.

Like I said, from #12 on, your guess is as good as mine.  I'll readily admit that I'm not too sure in the second part of my poll.  This was my interpretation of what I've seen so far.  Let's hear yours.

I missed last week.  Scheduling problems.  So, this week's Top 25 will probably look wildly different from the last one I posted.  Or not.  Either way, here it is.

#1 - USC - They totally dominated what I thought was a pretty good Nebraska team.  You might talk about the lack of a passing game.  But they destroyed Nebraska without it.  Imagine what that game would've looked like with a passing attack.  I hate to say it, but I was impressed on Saturday night.

#2 - LSU - 1A and 1B.  LSU has looked every bit as good as USC.  They're interchangeable at this point, and it doesn't really matter anyway.  They'll play it out on the field later, if they're both deserving.

#3 - Oklahoma - I know.  They haven't played anybody.  But, they took apart a decent Miami team and they've blown out all their opponents.  I like this football team.

#4 - Florida - They looked awesome against Tennessee.  Totally dominant.  They're the champs.  And, if they continue to play this way, they just might get a chance to defend.

#5 - WVU - I'm not totally sure about this team.  But, after this weekend, and some of the sloppy performances I witnessed, they're the de facto number five, for now.  That's not saying much, though.

#6 - Cal - Colorado State played them tough.  But, they shook down La Tech this past weekend.  They had a lapse against CSU, but I've liked them so far.

#7 - Penn State - The three Big Ten teams occupy the next three slots.  I put Penn State at the top of the heap because I think they've looked the best of the three so far.

#8 - Ohio State - I was impressed with the way they played against Washington.  Washington's no joke and Ohio State just plain made them look bad.

#9 - Wisconsin - This team has really disappointed me so far.  UNLV?  The Citadel?  Not impressed.  This team might fall farther in these rankings if they don't pick it up.

#10 - Rutgers - Rutgers is here because I am so unimpressed with Texas.  See next.

#11 - Texas - Symbolic gesture here.  I don't think they deserve Top 10 after this week.  Sloppy performance against UCF.  Very disappointing.

#12 - BC - I've liked BC so far.  They looked good against a solid Georgia Tech team.  They weren't in my previous rankings.  But, they showed me something while others have not.  So, they get  the nod.

#13 - Virginia Tech - Not very impressed with this team thus far.   They controlled Ohio, but that's the best I can say about them.  Dismantled by LSU.  But, again, I just think that's because LSU is that much better.  It's more a reflection of LSU than of V-Tech.

#14 - Texas A&M - They stumbled against Fresno State a couple of weeks ago.  But, they bounced back nicely against UL-Monroe.  Another team that benefits from the fall of a bunch of others.

#15 - South Carolina - Beat Georgia, then picked apart in-state rival SC State.  It's still early, but this team is showing some promise.

#16 - Clemson - Picked apart UL-Monroe and Furman.  I know, that's not saying much.  But, this is another team that climbs because so many others have fallen over the last couple of weeks.

#17 - Hawaii - They've kept on winning so they keep on climbing.

#18 - Georgia - They lost to South Carolina a couple of weeks ago.  I don't necessarily think Hawaii is better than them.  But, you lose, you fall.  That's how it is in the world of college football.

#19 - Nebraska - I still think this team's pretty good.  I just think USC was that much better than Nebraska.  Add to that the fact that several top teams tanked this week, and Nebraska remains high in the standings.  I can't fault them too much for getting picked apart by an above average USC team. 

#20 - Oregon - I guess Oregon is supposed to be in here somewhere too.  The pollsters have them propped up higher.  But, I'm not impressed with this team.  When you get down here, around #20, the difference between teams becomes so much smaller.

#21 - Kentucky - Here's my logic.  Kentucky beat Louisville.  I can't, in good faith, rank Louisville higher than Kentucky. 

#22 - Louisville - They took quite a tumble this week.  Losing to Kentucky will do that to you.  They lost a rivalry game, pretty close.  I still like this team and I think they'll bounce back.  I'm hesitant to drop them out of my rankings.

#23 - Alabama - BAMA's back, baby.  I don't know that for sure.  But, it sounded good.  They beat Arkansas on Saturday.  So, they become a new addition to the rankings.

#24 - South Florida - Boy has this team looked good.  They looked good last season too.  I think this team deserves to be in the Top 25.  Let's see if they can hold onto it now.

#25 - Georgia Tech - They may have lost to BC.  But, they're still a pretty good football team.  I'll keep them in the Top 25, pending what they do next week.  I think they're still better than most other teams, especially after some of the things I've seen so far this season.

Notable Departures - UCLA, Auburn, TCU, Tennessee, Arkansas, Boise State

Like I said, I missed last week.  That poll probably looks completely different from this new one.  Two weeks of college football will do that to the best of polls.  That's a pretty good statement as to the uselessness of polls at this point of the season anyway.

It's a little simpler this week.  My Top 25 this week is simply based on last week's rankings, taking into account this weekend's performances (or non-performances).

1.  USC - USC was ranked number one last week.  They retain by virtue of their win over Idaho.  That's right, their win over Idaho.

2.  LSU - LSU leapfrogs Texas up to #2 because of the convincing win over Miss. State.

3.  WVU - WVU also leapfrogs Texas as a result of their 62-24 pasting of mighty Western Michigan.

4.  Wisconsin - Up one spot from #5.  Wisconsin looked good against a decent Wazzu team.  They move up.

5.  Florida - Up one spot from #6.  Florida took care of business against Western Kentucky.  At this point, that's all you can ask for.

6. Texas - Texas took a tumble from their lofty #2 ranking as a result of their poor showing against a weak Arkansas State team.  This is the reason I don't like preseason rankings.

7.  Louisville - Up from a previous #9.  Lousville looked sharp, albeit against Murray State.  73-10.  I'd call that "takin' care of business".

8.  Nebraska -  Nebraska climbed up two spots.  They looked good against Nevada.

9.  Oklahoma - Oklahoma's up two spots as well due to their demolition of North Texas.  79-10 is total destruction.  It was against North Texas.  But, still, sharp performance all around.  That's what we're looking for.

10.  Virginia Tech - Tech looked plain bad against East Carolina.  Or, East Carolina looked amazing.  Either way, Virginia Tech dropped 3 spots this weak.

11.  Cal - Cal looked really good against Tennessee.  The defense left something to be desired.  But, the offense looked good and the special teams was fantastic.  Cal climbs 3 spots

12.  UCLA - The PAC is back!  UCLA was sharp in a 45-17 win over Stanford.  Looking forward to watching this team.  It'll be interesting to see if they can maintain over the course of an entire season.

13.  PSU - PSU is up two spots this week.  The defense looked good.  But, the offense was disgusting.  Yeah, I think that's the appropriate word.  If Penn State's gonna contend for anything this year, Morelli and Co. need to step their game up.

14.  Auburn - Auburn loses two spots this week.  Could've been a lot worse had they not pulled it out in the end against Kansas State.  I think minus-two is generous here.

15.  Georgia - Georgia's up one spot.  21 points over Oklahoma State is pretty convincing.  But, I still think Auburn's going to be better over the course of the season.

16.  Ohio State - OSU's up a spot this week also.  They took care of business against Youngstown State.  About what I expected.  I like Georgia a little more, though.

17.  Rutgers - The Scarlet Knights are up two spots, beneficiaries of Tennessee's loss to Cal.  They looked solid against Buffalo, 38-3.

18. Hawaii - Hawaii's up two spots also.  What can I say about this team?  Colt Brennan is a beast.  18 looks good on them, right now.  I don't want to get overly excited about them yet.  Look for them to climb, though.

19.  Tennessee - Tennessee drops a couple spots this week.  They were one of only two teams in my previous Top 20 to lose this week (can you guess the other one?).  As a result, they just have to fall a little.  They looked alright against Cal, played them tough.  But, a loss is a loss.

20.  Arkansas - Arkansas is the beneficiary here, thanks to Michigan.  I only went to 20 last week and Arkansas got left out.  Not this time.  They beat up Troy, they move up.

21.  Boise State - Boise State pounded Weber State.  Some might say 21 is too low for them.  I put them in the same boat as Hawaii.  I don't want to get overly excited yet.  You can rest assured, though, that I'll be keeping an eye on this team.

22. Texas A&M - A&M beat up Montana State.  That's about all I can say about it.  They won convincingly enough to join my rankings.  I like this team, and I'll be watching them.

23.  TCU - TCU's is also a new addition, due to the expanded rankings.  #23 seems like a good spot for them, based on what I've seen elsewhere.  We'll get a better idea of just how good they are on Saturday, when they meet the Longhorns.

24. Clemson - Clemson hops into my Top 25 with a tough win over FSU.  They dominated early in the proceedings, then held on in the end.  I was a little disappointed, to say the least, with their second half performance.  But, they held on (and dominated early), so I give them credit.

25.  Georgia Tech - Either they are pretty good, or Notre Dame is pretty bad.  I'm leaning towards the former.  They join the rankings by virtue of their pasting of Notre Dame.  If you're judging by the way the media props up Notre Dame, you'd say that's pretty significant.  I'll stick with them for this week.

Notable removal:  Michigan.  I couldn't keep them Top 25.  I was surprised when I found out they fell out of the AP and Coaches Polls.  I guess those guys do get something right on occassion.

That's it.  There's the Top 25.  You may proceed to pick it apart in great detail.  I look forward to attempting to defend my rationale.

I've done my best to stay out of this whole Michael Vick saga.  But, this got my attention today.  During a press conference, Vick said he needed to change his ways and that he "found Jesus".

First of all, what does that mean, really? 

Second, is he real about it?  The phrase "I've found Jesus" is thrown out there an awful lot, usually by famous people like Vick who've messed up a good thing.  Is it true that people really do "find Jesus" when they mess up their lives beyond all recognition?  Or is that just a cop-out, aimed at getting themselves "off the hook"?  Do people really think that's all it takes to be forgiven for some of the more outrageous things they do?  Are they right, is that really all it takes?  Do they become good people, all of a sudden?

Third, how does that change anything?  Is he expecting to be let off the hook because he says he "found Jesus"?  Is that good enough?  Is he expecting something from saying this, or is it just the customary thing to say when you royally screw up?

Fourth, boy he picked a bad time to "find Jesus".  Had he found Jesus about a year ago, he probably never would've been in this mess in the first place.  Some people really pick an odd time to "find Jesus".  Where was he all this time?

This whole "I've found Jesus" phenomenon really interests me.  Where does this come from?  Am I supposed to believe that since someone has "found Jesus", all of a sudden, that means they'll be "walking the straight and narrow" from now on?  Is it really that simple?  I've never sunk to those depths, where I've needed to "find Jesus".  So, I don't really know how it works.  What's the point of saying something like that?  Does it really need to be made public?  Don't people really just say that publicly because they're looking for a little sympathy?  Do they deserve that sympathy?

Personally, I don't buy it.  I think it's just something people say because they think it'll get them off easy.  I think it's just something that's been said so many times that it's almost part of a template for what to say when you screw up.  "Let's see, say I'm sorry, talk about how I found Jesus, tell them I'm going to change my ways, this has been an eye-opening experience.  Yeah, that sounds good." 

You never hear them talk about how they deserve the punishment they've got coming to them, though.  I think I would've been more impressed if Vick had said, "You know, I feel terrible about what I did.  I deserve to go to jail for what I did.  I ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY ACTIONS."  What a novel concept.  That only exists in a fantasy dream-world, though.

I'm well past tired of all the spin.  From celebrities to politicians to even the common folk now, you just can't get a straight word out of anybody anymore.  What happened to "straight talk"?  What happened to responsibility?  For all intents and  purposes, the man is busted.  He's pleading guilty, yet he's not willing to really accept responsibility for his actions.  Just one man's opinion.

Alright.  Here it goes.  I was a little weary of posting a preason pick list.  I find it hard to gauge teams that I haven't seen yet.  Preseason polls are based too much on opinion.  I'm not too crazy about picking a number one team, based only on my opinion, before a single game has been played.  So, I took my poll in a bit of a different direction.  I took a look at various polls that are already out there.  Some of these polls came from other bloggers on this site and some came from polls I found on other sites.  I first counted how many times each team appeared in each poll.  I gathered up the teams that appeared the most times throughout the polls and these teams became my teams.  Next, I looked at each team's ranking within each poll.  I added up the rankings of each team in each poll and divided by the number of polls to arrive at a composite score for each team.  This filled out most of my rankings for me.  There were, however, several ties that needed breaking.  In order to break a tie, I looked at each team's schedule.  Teams with what I deemed a tougher schedule were bumped down (assuming they would lose one of those tough games).  Teams with easier schedules were bumped up.   I took all the emotion out of my poll, and based it solely on averages.   That being said, here's what I came up with:

1.  USC - Composite Score = 1.8.  Pretty self-explanatory here.

2. Texas - Composite Score = 2.8.  This was my first tie, Texas and LSU.  I gave it to Texas because LSU has to face a killer SEC schedule.  Sorry, LSUFan!

3.  LSU - Composite Score = 2.8.  See above for reasoning.

4. WVU - Composite Score = 4.2.  Tough games against South Florida, Rutgers, and Louisville.  Other than that, not too much competition.

5.  Wisconsin - Composite Score = 5.8.  Tough conference matchups against Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan could hurt them.  I put them high early, expecting them to fall later.

6.  Florida - Composite Score = 7.4.  Here was another tie, Florida and Virginia Tech.  I went with Florida here because Virginia Tech plays a load of tough games this season.

7.  Virginia Tech - Composite Score = 7.4.  V-Tech's schedule includes the likes of LSU, Clemson, BC, Georgia Tech, FSU, Miami, and a rivalry game against Virginia.  All tough games in my book.  I think it'll be tough for Tech to stay this high all season.

8.  Michigan - Composite Score = 8.4.  Games against Notre Dame, Penn State, Ohio State, and Wisconsin pose problems.  I expect Michigan to win three of those games.

9.  Louisville - Composite Score = 10.6.  Not many tough opponents for Louisville, not much help from the pollsters either.  But, they get the nod over Nebraska.

10.  Nebraska - Composite Score = 10.6.  Another tie, Nebraska and Louisville.  I gave the nod to Louisville because of the easier schedule.  Tough games against USC and Texas pose particular problems for Nebraska.

11.  Oklahoma - Composite  Score = 11.4.  Oklahoma's toughest matchups will come against Miami, Texas, and a rivalry match-up with Oklahoma State.  If they can make it through those, they'll be set for good things.

12.  Auburn - Composite Score = 13.8.  Another killer SEC schedule.  Can't wait to watch this team play.

13.  UCLA - Composite Score = 14.4.  Believe it or not, their toughest match-ups will come in-conference against the likes of USC, Cal, and an up-and-coming Arizona State team.  UCLA also has a tough match-up against Notre Dame.

14.  California - Composite Score = 14.6.  Ended up just behind UCLA.  I probably could've gone either way with these two teams.

15.  Penn State - Composite Score = 16.4.  Toughest match-ups will come in-conference against Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ohio State.  Also play Notre Dame.

16.  Georgia - Composite Score = 16.8.  Brutal schedule including Oklahoma State, Florida, Georgia Tech, Auburn, and Tennessee.  I'll be surprised if this team is ranked at season's  end.

17.  Ohio State - Composite Score = 17.4.  There was actually a three-way tie here, Ohio State, Tennessee,  and Rutgers.  Ohio State came out on top of the heap.  Tough conference matchups against Michigan, Penn State, and Wisconsin.  If they can survive these, I expect them to end higher.

18.  Tennessee - Composite Score = 17.4.  Tennessee came out of the heap in second.  Tennessee meets the likes of Cal, Florida, Georgia, and Arkansas.  Tougher schedule means they fall below Ohio State.

19.  Rutgers - Composite Score = 17.4.  Rutgers fell to the bottom.  They still have much to prove.  I couldn't rationalize placing them above the likes of Ohio State and  Tennessee.

20. Hawaii - Composite Score = 18.6.  Hawaii rounds out my Top 20.  If they start the season here, and win all their games, they could potentially finish quite a bit higher.  This team is always fun to watch.

That's how the numbers played out.  I'd appreciate any feedback you might have.  I'm looking forward to the college football season, and also to making my weekly picks in Hogfan's poll.  Should be a lot of fun! 

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws of Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from Punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the Lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

With the recent news concerning Chris Benoit, I really began thinking about how quickly things can change in life. Specifically, I got to thinking about how someone in a position such as his could fall so fast. As of Sunday, Chris Benoit was a famous WWE Superstar, scheduled to participate in upcoming events. As of Monday, Chris Benoit was dead. As of Monday night, Chris Benoit was one of the most respected superstars in all of sports entertainment. By Tuesday afternoon, the WWE was distancing itself from a steroid abuser and maniacal murderer. Oh how the mighty have fallen!

What could drive such a man to do what Chris Benoit supposedly did? If you listened to any of the interviews given by other superstars, Chris was highly respected as a great human being and an even greater father. Several superstars regaled viewers with touching stories of Benoit bringing his children to the live events, sharing precious moments with his children and his colleagues. How could it all change in an instant? Some say it was steroids, "roid rage" as it’s otherwise known. I just can’t believe that. If you believe what the authorities have said about the murders, you’d also believe that they were the result of anything but rage. I won’t get into the gory details here, but there’s definite evidence of planning there. How could such a loving father plan and execute the slow deaths of his beloved family? Having done a little research, I can say that there is evidence of family problems here. But, even in the light of problems, aren’t there other ways to solve problems besides murder? What would make a man skip all those intermediate steps and go straight to killing his own family? What could lead to the sudden disregard for human life seen here?

It’s a shame that it takes events such as these to force humans to put themselves into the proper perspective. Only after the fact of sudden loss do we choose to realize how precious and fragile life is. Why is that? Why do we take something so basic, yet so essential, as our own existence for granted? If you ask me, I think it’s a result of the consumer-driven culture we live in. People today, in large sums, don’t have to struggle for their own survival. They know where the next meal is coming from (it’s in the fridge, or at Wendy’s!). They know where the roof is that covers their heads. We’ve been blessed and, as such, have forgotten the value of human life. We’ve let that value be replaced with petty pursuits of trivial goods, and when anyone gets in the way of those petty pursuits, we choose the pursuits over the life.

When’s the last time you thought about getting a new car, or HDTV, or the latest video game, or the newest gadget or gizmo from Apple? If you’re an average American, you can probably measure that time in minutes, or maybe hours. Now, when’s the last time you thought about the welfare of someone less fortunate than you? When’s the last time you thought about the homeless guy living under the bridge, or the child in the hospital with some debilitating disease, or the guy at work that seems "just a little off"? If you’re still the average American, and you’re being honest with yourself, it’s probably been awhile. Think about the statement that makes about our society. Think about the future of such a society.

Over the last twenty-four hours, I’ve seen a lot of demonizing Chris Benoit on this site. It’s so easy to just throw a label on someone or something that you can’t understand. That’s what our society has become, a society of labels. But, Chris Benoit is not a monster and this could have been prevented. All it takes is someone to step up, show concern for their fellow man, and offer help. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this tragic incident, and others like it, it’s that we’ve got to do a better job of supporting each other. Instead of running away from, and uselessly labeling, someone you can’t understand, step forward and support that person. Put aside your simple pursuits, if only for a minute. Talk to that person. Try to understand them. Make an effort to help them in some way. Just be a friend. You’ll probably never know just how much your efforts helped that person. You might not ever get rich from helping that person. But, you just might prevent the next Chris Benoit tragedy.