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deerpark1021
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Name: Tyler
Country: United States
State: Tennessee
Metro: Chattanooga
Birthday: 10/21/1985
Gender: Male
Interests: playing golf, playing and watching basketball, watching football, coffee shops, stayin up late, Texas Hold'em, Audioslave, The Minnesota Timberwolves, chocolate, Rock and Roll, cooking fine meals, soda, Halo 2, iTunes, road trips, nice restaurants, the Metro, business, big cities, the country, the beach, the mall, the movies, but most importantly my friends, family, and Jesus Christ
Expertise: "People like me becasue I am polite, and I am rarely late" No, seriously... I'm not that good at golf even though I love to play... I'm pretty good at poker and Halo... and people say that I'm a great cook... but I can't swallow swords or juggle flaming arrows or anything cool like that :(
Occupation: Student
Industry: Business
Message: message me
AIM:  deerpark1021
MSN: Nike_2_@hotmail.com
Yahoo:  ty102185@yahoo.com
Member Since:
3/11/2005
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| Well, it all starts back again today. No more quiet Bryan College Campus. Athletes should be moving in all day today and I shall follow suit. Not only is this the last time I will move into a Bryan College dorm room, but it is the end of my last Bryan College summer. There is something about moving that makes one feel a bit melancholy. Especially when that one is a senior. | | |
| Note: This is just one excerpt from a paper I have written on the issues we currently face in America. This piece is quite long. I will be posting the rest of the paper after I get some reaction to this. Please feel free to comment, question, or ridicule my observations. After all, I am a firm believer in the saying that those who don't know their opponents views don't completely understand their own. The Big Question is…I campaigned for President Bush in Florida this past election year and I am very concerned about what I might have done. Now, the argument of whether or not Bush was better than the alternative (more commonly known as John Kerry) I will save for another day. Some say, “You should vote for Bush because he is a Christian.” It is true that Bush seems to be a Christian. After all it is not our place to judge whether or not another individual happens to be a Christian. However, some recent (and some not so recent) actions have caused me to question his devotion to liberty (the PATRIOT Act, increased federal expenditures, and some recent executive orders). Simply claiming to be a Christian is not enough. One must be educated in history as well as economics, international relations, philosophy, and communication. With that said, the big question is: did I do the right thing in voting and promoting someone who takes away the very things this country was founded on? I am starting to believe that it is our bipartisan politics that puts us in such a predicament to have to choose between the lesser of two evils. Is War Support Really Troop Support?I believe our executive branch has done a fine job with propaganda. Bush asks us to support our troops. With that I have no problem. But somehow not supporting the war turned into not supporting the troops. Where is the logic in that? I ask this: How is supporting a war that claims the lives of our soldiers supporting our troops? I support our troops 100%. I just don’t support the executive branch that ordered the war unconstitutionally. The troops are admirable because they are following the orders they have been given without question or uprising. It is not our soldiers’ job to question orders. We are responsible for that. It is my job as an American civilian and voter to make sure those orders aren’t endangering our loved ones needlessly. I also believe that, unless we set a date of departure, we could be in Iraq forever. Seriously, where is the incentive to do a good, quick, and efficient job if you have no deadline? A deadline would be helpful not only to Americans, but to the Iraqi government, the Iraqi people, and our soldiers. Instead, our executive branch leaves us in the dark and just says, “Get it done when you can.” Something about that isn’t right. What’s so bad About the PATRIOT Act?If you think my problems with the PATRIOT Act (or many other things I have listed) sounds liberal, think again. Do you know what the PATRIOT Act does? When was the last time you read it? Did you know it has become permanent law? If you haven’t read it, I would recommend looking it up. Most politicians give bills pretty sounding names so an opponent to the bill sounds evil or unpatriotic. Since when did wiretapping and searching without a warrant become patriotic? Since when did supporting a war that wasn’t a direct threat to our national security become patriotic? Some say, “We live in different times now.” I would like to pose a serious question: what if a future candidate for the presidency of the United States said all the right things to get elected, got elected, and became a powerful dictator? This so-called PATRIOT Act is an easy set up for any leader of America to easily become controlling and unbelievably powerful. He can—by the rules of the PATRIOT Act—listen in on your phone conversations and search your house without you even knowing it. What would stop an immoral man (or woman) from abusing the powers attributed to the presidency through this law? You may say, “Well, I have done nothing wrong. I don’t care if the government does those things.” Would you really give up your rights as an American? Can’t you see how easy it would be for the federal government to do anything it wants in the name of safety? How can we have more freedom if we take freedoms away? If you read your history, you can see that this is how Nazi Germany and Communist Russia got their start. As members of this great nation, we may be called on to make the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of liberty and freedom. How can being free mean so little that one would trade freedom for "safety" (I mean, really, how can you protect against everything?)? Those who died on September 11th paid with their lives. And now we want the government to babysit us? Our soldiers put their lives on the line every single day for our freedoms. And now we are going to let politicians destroy EXACTLY what our soldiers have been trying to protect for over two centuries? Would you really give up being an American (free) to save your life? I know I would rather be free and die young than live forever in captivity. I challenge you to read more about big issues that seem to get pushed aside. Such as the national ID card (RealID), the North American Union, and the NAFTA Superhighway. I also challenge you to read the Constitution of the United States. You will soon find out how unconstitutional our government is.
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| I will be providing you with a good post on political issues soon. Sorry to leave you in suspense, but I want to make sure that it is a good one. My position may suprise you... or maybe not... | | |
| Yes, it has been five months since I last posted on this thing. Hard to believe that I have been so busy that there honestly hasn't been time to post. Things I have done since my last post: - Gone south of the border
- One of the most exciting and tiring things I have ever done. I went with some friends from Bryan to Puebla, Mexico to help build a deaf school for children. I not only learned how to do masonwork, but I learned how to do it in Spanish. I took lots of pictures and split them up into two different albums and posted them here: MEXICOI and MEXICOII . Be sure and check them out!
- Went on a bus ride with a crazy driver
- I kid you not, this guy was insane! The Junior/Senior Banquet went to Nashville this year and EJ and I ended up riding on the bus with the guy who gets lost for an hour and a half! This guy was pulling into tight-squeeze parking lots and running red lights! Kind of odd, but it was a good time. I also have pictures from that night here: Photos 06-07. Photos 9-12 are from Jr./Sr.
- Went to a red carpet movie awards show
- The Bryan College Film Festival (or "Oscars" as we sometimes call it) had their annual awards ceremony at the Tivoli Theatre in Downtown Chattanooga. It was a great time even though the movie I was in didn't win any awards. I just like to make people laugh. The last of the pictures in the previous album are from the BCFF.
- Got involved in politics (and got elected)
- I decided to run for Senior Class Treasurer here at Bryan. I got elected to the position. Yes, its true I was running unopposed but I got 0 "no" votes out of nearly 100! Thats 100% voter support. Thank you class of 2008.
- Chosen to be Co-Captian of the Bryan College Rugby Football Club for 2007-08
- Not only that, but Lucas appointed me match secretary as well. I'll be staying busy setting up rugby matches for this fall. I will be leading along with David Park and Billy Sparks. Looks to be a great year.
- Survived the Junior year
- This turned out to be quite an accomplishment for me. I struggled a little fall semester but this semester I managed to get on the Dean's List! I felt pretty good about it and my ability as a future businessman.
- Got a job as a conference coordinator
- This summer I will be the conference coordinator responsible for all of the camps that come into Bryan College this summer (including Summit). Looks to be exciting!
Anyway, there is a lot more for me to write about but I don't want to bore you to death so I'll give it in bits and pieces. Hope you are enjoying your summer! | | |
| Yes, tomorrow (well, today, it being Friday) I will be returning to Bryan College for the 6th time following a break. But before I go, I must return to a friend's house in Dayton to grout the tile that we laid on Wednesday. I wanted to give a more serious post. One that reflects on the year that was. 2006 deserves more respect than I have recently given it credit. I think I rush things too quickly and miss the importance of reflecting on important moments in my life. If you don't want to know about my 2006 then don't read on. It's not going to be a short post. I will be splitting the year up into 3 different parts. Spring 2006 (January-May), Summer 2006 (June-August), and Fall 2006 (September-December) SPRING 2006
2006 started off amazing! I recall the carefree days of 4th Long. Good friends, easier classes, and more free time. Ah, the simplicities of being a Sophomore! I spent much of the spring semester of 2006 learning from and making friends with people that will last a lifetime. This time in my life was highlighted by:
- Going to Justin's hometown in NC with Justin, Keelan, SteveO, Mark, Hudson, and Lawrence for a weekend ski trip (or more commonly known as the Day of Prayer)
- A camping trip that included Justin, Keelan, Jonathan D., and I
- A Junior/Senior that went to KnoxVegas
- And going to Jonathan L.'s house for Easter Break.
Saying goodbye to many of my friends in May was a turning point. I told myself that I had to be the person new students would look up to from now on. This was the best semester of my college career (well, so far). SUMMER 2006
I learned one thing that I don't want to do for the rest of my life (see my Monday, July 10 post). Working 3rd shift in a factory 6 days a week proved to be one of the hardest things I have ever done. I can tell you now, its a good thing I am a business major. I would never make it doing this type of work for the rest of my life. The highlights of the summer includes:
- Finishing the job! I was so glad to be done working at that place. You have no idea!
- Going to Keelan's in Jacksonville. Caleb, Lawrence, and I went down to FL and it was a blast! What fun days!
- Going to Chattanooga with Cullen and some of my other friends. We always found a way to make the lazy days of summer worthwhile! FALL 2006
This semester started off alright. I was learning the ropes on how to be an RA and it wasn't easy. Not only that, but 19 credit hours, working in the cafe, and rugby all made my semester rough. Oh, I almost forgot the insane drama that consumed me for much of October and early November. It was hard, but I made it. Then, late November came. :) It has been good ever since. Highlights:
- Getting to know my boys on my hall. These guys are awesome. I am blessed to be able to serve them.
- October 21st. My parents made my birthday the best I've ever had in my 21 years of life.
- Of course, the most important of all. Getting to know Elizabeth has been the highlight of my year. She is simply amazing.
- Completing the FA 06 semester. I find it odd that the best semester I've ever had was followed with the hardest. What a great thing to see it end.
- Christmas. Something about this Christmas was so peaceful and so significant. This might be the best Christmas I can remember. For some reason, I feel that there might be a reason for this Christmas being so significant. Almost as if it were icing on the traditional cake. Something tells me Christmas won't be the same again. I can't put my finger on it, but something will be different next year and I don't know what it is. Its a sad feeling.
- Picking up Elizabeth in Nashville. She was leaving for the England Fine Arts Trip so I picked her up last Wednesday and we went to the Opryland Hotel. It was so nice! They still had their decorations up for Christmas and it was simply amazing. I had been to the hotel once before, but its amazing how much more beautiful a place can be when there is a beautiful person there to share it with. We came back to Dayton that night and exchanged Christmas gifts.
Despite having an great ending to the fall of 2006, I am glad to see the school year end. I was so tired and I needed to rest. After December 15 (the last day of finals) I had an amazing ending to a great year. Overall, I see that I have learned so much about myself this past year. There have been good times and bad times. I think I have decided that its hard to really notice the good times without the bad times. It might sound a little crazy, but I think its true. I will have you notice this is my second post in two days! Crazy, eh? Anyway, its late and I should be in bed. Happy 5th day of 2007! | | |
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