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Just got home from doing my part in Allen and Fairview. I also ran into some corporate policy stuff as well as some "just leave it and we'll hang it later" (which hopefully they do). I personally hung posters at (from what I remember): Finish Line Twisted Root Old Navy A Real Bookstore Rally House Texas Uptown Popcorn Purple Cow Fairview Dry Cleaners Sport Clips Bicycle Shop Plucker's Smoothie King MooYa Freebird's Thai Box Tootie's Which Wich Rudy's BBQ

Tony Mitchell has been attending UNT for 1 1/2 years at this point (began attending Jan.2011). When he arrived at UNT he was the most decorated recruit EVER to step foot on this campus. He was 1st team All SBC as of April. Just about everyone who knows anything about basketball knows that he WILL BE a lottery pick next year. Yet, I walk into the bookstore Saturday, and not one Tony Mitchell jersey to be found. ARE YOU F'N KIDDING ME!!!!!!!!!! I was told that I would need to talk to whoever does their purchasing. Well, that person should be fired, IMO. Pretty freaking unbelievable that the most marketable player in any sport in recent UNT history has ZERO merchandise for sale at the union. EDIT: and let me clarify, they were not sold out of Mitchell swag, they just haven't ordered any.

Careful you don't pull something patting yourself on the back.

Hey everybody, let me introduce myself as I am new to gomeangreen.com. My name is Chris, I'm going to be starting my sophomore year at UNT this fall. I am originally from Rhode Island, and a relocated family member allowed me the opportunity to open a new chapter in my life in our fine state of Texas. I am a Geography major, and, as you can guess from my presence on this site, an avid UNT sports fan. I may be new to Mean Green Nation, but that doesn't mean I'm not every bit as passionate a fan as the rest of you, young and old a like. I was there for the opening of Apogee, I was there in Hot Springs this year, and I'll make damn sure I am front row at the 50 in the student section for all the football games for the rest of my time as a student here, and I'll attending every home basketball game and traveling with my fellow students up to Hot Springs this year and El Paso (providing there is a student bus, which is iffy given the distance) the following year for our conference tournaments. I'm currently parading myself around Rhode Island this summer sporting my Mean Green gear proudly, as I see others wearing bandwagon clothing (UCONN, Boston College, even occasionally Texas...). Anyways, enough mindless ego stroking, I have a point to make. While I am very new to gomeangreen.com, I have spent the last couple weeks reading through this site's forums as a guest, and I've noticed an interesting trend. No matter what the original topic, a large amount of the threads result in stupid bickering; people here seem to hold grudges against each other and it results in unnecessary arguments. I may be new to being a part of this wonderful school and fan base, and may not know the history of our sports teams like a lot of you do, but there is one thing I absolutely know. This is a special, special time to be a part of this university, both athletically and academically. I want everyone I know to be a part of this great time. I am incredibly excited for the upcoming football and basketball seasons, I truly feel that both are going to be incredible this year. But, as a fan base, instead of bickering over pointless things, why can't we join together, and be one? Of course, people have differing opinions over things, and this is the internet, so having arguments or disputes over things are inevitable, but there is a difference between having a constructive disagreement with a fellow fan and having a stupid, petty argument that gets nobody anywhere. Just to clarify, it isn't just this website that I see this trend on. On facebook, there is a page called "Fill Apogee"; the point of the group is to try to get the word out to as many people as humanly possible to try to sell out the home opener. The link of the group will be listed below, for those who are interested in joining. But, even on that group, which is filled with mostly students, petty arguments broke out over whether Texas Southern was a weak team to have for our home opener (not necessarily referring to the team's talent level, but more of weak on our end that that is the best we can schedule), and whether or not FCS is considered D1 or not. This is not only stupid, and irrelevant, but it's also counterproductive. Even if that logic applied (which obviously it doesn't, as anyone who follows college football will understand), the point isn't who we are playing, it is that we are playing. We should go out and support our team 100%, no matter the opponent, and pointless bickering over stupid stuff isn't going to accomplish that goal. Anyways, what ended up happening was a couple players stepped in and commented, Mason Y'Barbo, and none other than Derek Thompson. And I will post what they said. Y'Barbo: All I ask is yalls support. This is going to be a monumental season for us and i want you all to experience it with us. No need for the back and forth name calling and arguing ( though it is amusing). Just please be behind us 100% as one. Thompson: Yall dont really understand how much we feed off of our fans when we step on the field at Apogee. We need this place rockin every time we hit the field! I promise we will put a team out there that will do special things this year. All we ask is that when a home game comes around, that teams never forget the atmosphere at Apogee. Its such a psychological advantage! Hope to see everyone out there this year. Go Mean Green! After these guys commented, the bickering stopped, which is not surprising. And they're right. This is a special team, and it's going to be a special year. If we all put ourselves 100% behind these guys, and believe in them even when times are tough, I really think we can make a bowl game this year. We're going to shock some people in conference play, much like WKU did last year. Same thing with the basketball team, it's really going to be a special year. Especially now with TJ Taylor apparently added, this is really a team that can be top 25, or higher. Who knows, maybe this can be our Butler year? Anything is possible. We have a star. We have a returning supporting cast. We have a new very talented addition. And most of all, they believe they can do it. Just look at the twitter feed from these guys, they believe that they can be the best. Chris Jones seems to think he'll be in the NBA Draft next year. While that is probably silly and not going to happen, these guys have confidence coming into this year. And they have us to back them. So, this is my plea. My plea to North Texas fans everywhere, but starting with you guys. We are one, we stand for the same thing, root for the same team. We are on the same team. Let's fill Apogee. Let's get to a bowl game. Hell, let's win the damn conference, in both sports. Let's make a run in the NCAA Tournament. Let's help Tony win National Player of the Year, and be drafted Top 5. Let's do this, together. We are North Texas, Go Mean Green.

Really? It would be apples and oranges if I was comparing race and a true lifestyle issue, such as political affiliation, housing preferences, clothing preferences, musical preferences, career and money issues, whatever. Being gay is nothing like any of those. It isn't a lifestyle, it isn't a subculture (although admittedly many gays choose to live a certain way, but not all do). I don't know why you're turning this into a left vs. right thing, or a atheist vs. Christian thing. My point in bringing up Christianity and the bible is saying that one cannot legislate their religion, which is fact. I believe what I believe, and you believe what you believe, and neither one of us can legislate our beliefs. If it were up to me, God would be taken out of the Pledge of Allegiance. But that's MY opinion, and I cannot legislate that. The point I am attempting to make here is not that I want my views to be law. I don't want that at all. I am trying to make the point that we need to have equal rights for all, and currently that isn't the case when it comes to gays. Being gay is not a choice, that is a fact. There is no other evidence needed for that other than this: 10% of men are gay. That's all the evidence necessary, you know why? Because 10% of the world's male population would not choose to change their natural sexual orientation to live a life in which they are talked down upon, and don't have equal rights. My gay uncle has said he wished he was straight, because his life would be a lot easier. But he isn't, and that can't change. Whether or not it's genetic, or happens sometime during childhood development, is beyond me. No one knows which it is for sure. But, that's irrelevant. The point is that, as a nation where we say that everyone has the same inalienable rights (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness), we cannot deny gays the right to get married. This isn't a lifestyle choice; sexual orientation is as much a part of who a person is as the color of their skin is. Due to this, we cannot deny them the right to get married. Denying them marriage is infringing on their freedom, or liberty. It also blocks their pursuit of happiness. I really don't understand why this is such a controversial issue, it's so freaking basic that it's ridiculous. It has nothing to do with left or right. It has nothing to do with Christian or Muslim or atheist. It has to do with inalienable rights, and simple logic. I'm going to now defend myself a bit here. I preach tolerance and understanding, you are correct. I preach that for all people. That is where I call others out. If you don't share the vision of all people having the same rights and everyone getting along, regardless of religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, height, weight, hair color, whatever, then you are intolerant to whatever type of person it is that you don't want rights for. Again, simple logic. A person who does not tolerate another person due to things that they either are born with, cannot change, or that does not effect the judging person in any way, shape, or form, is not tolerant towards that person. This isn't even 1+1=2 in logic factor. This is literally 1=1. I'm not saying tolerate murderers, rapists, pedophiles, etc., because those people harm others and effect people in a negative way. If someone wants to dye their hair the colors of the rainbow, what's wrong with that? It's a bit taboo, but why judge? It doesn't effect you at all. If you men or women want to get married because they love each other, and they want the same rights that straight couples have, what is wrong with that? It does not effect you or your life at all in any way, so why does it matter to you? I really do not comprehend how people fail to understand this logic. I reiterate, this has nothing to do with religion, nor politics. It is simple freaking logic. I have said countless times now due to the fact that people cannot read, and see me defending gays and immediately go into "attack the commie" mode, I support the rights of all people. I disagree with Christianity, that doesn't mean that I want it to be outlawed. As a nation we need to understand that people differ than each other, and there are going to be countless amounts of opinions, thoughts, etc., on every subject. That doesn't make one right or wrong, they're opinions. But it isn't an opinion that gay marriage should be legal in our country. It is fact found through logically looking at the inalienable rights that every citizen of our country has, and by looking at our constitution. If you don't want this country should legalize gay marriage due to your own personal reasons, or you think that it should due to your own personal reasons, those are opinions. There is a major difference there. I think that Jerry Sandusky should be tortured like we did to suspected terrorists at Guantanamo. That's an opinion. But, I know that that isn't going to happen due to our laws, and I believe that under our laws that it should not happen. If someone thinks that gays shouldn't be allowed to get married, again because of their personal beliefs and morals, then fine. But they should also know that because of the fact that we have inalienable rights and because of the things in our constitution, namely freedom of religion, that it should be legal. They can have the opinion that it shouldn't, and they may believe that we should change our laws, constitution, and rights, to exclude gays, but until that happens, they should understand that it should be legal. Also, as a quick side story, to show you how this issue should have little to do with religion and politics, one of my best friends is hardcore Christian. Incredibly hardcore Christian. He's also a right leaning, gun loving, libertarian. He supports legalizing gay marriage. Not because he agrees with it (he doesn't), not because he wants to partake in it (he doesn't), but because we can't keep infringe on the rights of gays, regardless of the reason that they are gay. Everyone has the freedom to live how they choose, and as long as it doesn't harm others, it should be fine. That's basically his logic to it. And you know what? That's why he's one of my best friends. We may have major differences when it comes to religion, politics, and social issues, but he actually uses the brain he has and thinks logically. That is literally all that needs to be done here. Finally, I completely support CFA in being closed on Sunday's and believing what they want. As I said, what he said wasn't even an issue, or even remotely bad. People overreacted totally. But what he said did something important. It brought the fact that CFA donates millions of dollars to organizations whose primary purpose is to legislate Christianity, mostly banning gay marriage and abortion, to national attention. Most people nationwide did not know this, and that is what got people the most upset. I had already known this, it wasn't news to me, so I didn't give a damn about the whole fiasco, and I continue not to. I support the people's right to protest against CFA in any way and their right to stand up for what they feel is morally right. And I support the supporter's of CFA and their right to protest and stand up for what they believe is morally right. So, don't throw political and anti-religion labels on me. Be angry at me for being logical and for knowing more about the bible and Christianity than most Christians if you want to. But don't imply that I'm some liberal extremist who wants only my opinions to be tolerated. Get to know a few of us, we're a lot more tolerant and intelligent than you may think.

What a great day....many thanks to the "Spread the Green" football paster crew. WE met at 9:00AM at the UNT Alumni pavilion...had a look-see at the new pedestrian bridge...had some coffee and juice and a donut/kolache or two, distributed posters and off everyone went...there were nine (9) of us this morning...the crew consisted of: KRAM1 UNT90 UNT 90 Grad Long Jim NMGreen Emmitt01 Diet Coke Boy trud1966 Slide Shoe Joe Everyone of these volunteers deserve a pat on the back for giving up a good part of there Saturday to help be part of the solution for the Mean green. personally, I had a great time! I got to meet Slide Show Joe and trud1966 who i had not had the pleasure of meeting before...and I got to meet NMGreen's Mom who came to ride shotgun for NMGreen on his appointed rounds...and how about UNT90 who drove in from Granbury, UNT 90 Grad who made the trek down from the Allen area and NMGreen who actually came in from las Vegas, Nevada for a visit home and volunteered to give up part of that visit home to help the Mean Green!!!! All you guys are the greatest! Asa for my day...well, it could not have gone any better...I only had until about 11:30AM to work as I had to get to another commitment, but in the time I had I was welcomed in each and every shop I entered and NO ONE turned me away...and only one did not allow me to personally put up the poster/s before I left...they had to check with the owner, but took the poster...my list included (19 posters at 15 locations): Sticker Station Denton Bicycle center Unique Barber Burguesa Burger Rooster's Roadhouse Fuzzy's Tacos (they were excited to see me as customer's have been asking where the posters were..clients wanted them) The Love Shack Ramen Republic Hickory Street Lounge Weienberger's Deli (They asked for more Mean Green "swag" to display...very enthusiastic about UNT) Mellow Mushroom (had to ask owner, but took a poster) Campus Barber Shop Hoochie's Hooter's Oak Street Draft House I have a photo of the "Poster Crew" and if I can figure out how to post it, I'll get it up here on GMG.Com. Again...each and every one of you guys are GREAT! And, I really appreciate your support for this project and for the Mean Green.

Hit south Teasley all the way to Kroger at Hickory Creek. Several nail shops, cleaners, Vittys, Wing Stop, Papa whatever pizza, smoke shop, bunch of mom and Pop spots. Also Metzlers. Metzlers wants some of the pocket schedules, too. Hope I can get a few of those. Everybody was pretty cool, and were glad to help out by putting a poster up. Taking the 3 or 4 large posters I have left to Highland Village and Arlington on Monday.

For those wondering. Side Show Joe and I ran out of posters to give. We got great cooperation from Jersey Mikes (poster hung inside and on the entry door), Buffalo Wild Wings (took 4 posters to hang throughout the restaurant), Wataburger, Popeyes (off the loop and I35E) and the pizza place attached to it, Car Toys, Walgreens, and a bunch of other places I can't remember (little help, Side Show?) Most of the corporate stores took posters with the promise to ask for permission to hang them up. Some took smaller posters to hang in their break rooms when their company policy wouldn't allow them to hang them in the store. We were generally met with enthusiasm, even from the folks who couldn't allow the posters to go up. This is something that we could do every year. Hell, we could all meet before a football tailgate and do it with basketball season posters. The feedback was over 90 percent positive. It's there, folks, we just have to go get it.

He did, however, leave a deposit

Photo taken while driving down Southbound 35E on Sunday, July 26, 2012. This post has been promoted to an article

Except that Stormchaser knows the english language and can make intelligent arguments.

I don't believe I put it so bluntly, nor even attempted to imply that, but if that's what you took anything I said as, then fair enough, and I apologize. I had about 500 words typed out just about the drug addiction part and then lost everything I wrote. I am pretty peeved about that, but I'll start over again. I'm going to go one by one to break this down for you, as I cannot believe you are really making those comparisons. I don't mean to offend you, but those are possibly some of the most unintelligent and ignorant comparisons I've ever come across. But, I digress. Here we go. 1. Drug addiction: I'm pretty pissed that I lost everything I wrote about this, as it took me about 25 minutes to type out, but here we go again. Let's start with the personality of a person, before they are addicted. Most psychologists believe that one of the most important parts of personality development is in early childhood, although the rest of childhood, the puberty stage, etc., have a lot to do with it as well. So, if you take your average 25 year old, he has about as much control over his personality as he does the color of his skin and eyes. The things that made him who he is personality-wise, all happened before he was consciously independent enough to do anything about it. And aside from that, a lot of very interesting research is being done with identical twins that were separated at birth, which shows that a lot of personality and interests may in fact be genetic. So, adding that thought in, it just reiterates the fact that one's personality is not really one's choice. Now, the reason I bring all this up about personality is because personality has a lot to do with addiction. Some people have very strong personalities, and do not stray from their views and no one can convince them to do anything. Others have weaker personalities, and are easily influenced by others. Most people are somewhere in the middle with that. Another interesting facet of personality is how some people seem to have addictive personalities, and others do not. Some people latch onto things and do not let go, they become obsessed with the things they like, and others do not do this at all. So, personality does have an effect on addiction, and that part is out of a person's control. Moving onto the first time someone uses drugs, personality plays a big role. People with weaker personalities may falter due to peer pressure (ex. high school or college party), others may be experiencing a tough time in their life and resort to drugs to escape (usually this is someone who has used before in some capacity, be it alcohol, or a small time drug like marijuana, and this is their first time either drinking to excess to reduce stress or resorting to a stronger drug such as cocaine or heroine), others might do it because they think it's cool (ex. a couple of dumb teenagers stealing their parents medication or alcohol), or the person has grown bored with smaller time drugs that he has been using for recreational purposes (marijuana or alcohol) and is seeking a greater high. Depending on the drug, the person may be addicted from the first use or first few uses (heroine, meth, crack), it may take a decent amount of uses or more to get addicted (alcohol, caffeine [yes caffeine is a drug, and people actually die from it, although it is in a special "safer" category], cocaine, opiates/painkillers), the person may never become physically addicted because the drug does not cause physical addictions, but the drug becomes a psychological crutch for the person (marijuana, LSD/acid), or the person may die/completely lose their mind and eat people's faces (synthetic drugs such as bath salts, poorly made LSD, or an OD of almost any drug other than marijuana). There is a special case where the addiction is not the fault of the addict, or at least not the direct result of the person choosing to take drugs. This situation is actually what happened to my father. Over a period of 3 years, he had 4 major surgeries on his stomach area (he had a foot of his colon removed due to a precancerous tumor, 2 different hernias, had scar tissue block his bowels, lots of fun stuff), plus chronic back issues (herniated disks) and chronic knee issues (he actually needs a knee replacement now). Because of all of these problems, he was put on painkillers while he was in the hospital, and for while he was at home. Unfortunately, by the time he had healed enough to the point where he did not need them, he had developed an addiction. This is actually a very common situation that can happen to absolutely anyone, which is pretty terrible. Luckily, he's clean now, but it wasn't an easy road. Once the person becomes an addict, the tables shift a bit. Personality does play a role, but not nearly as much of one. As much as people don't like to admit it, a drug addiction is an illness. But, it's a curable one, although it is very difficult to overcome. Addiction really is the perfect storm of two things. It would be hard enough to overcome the body and mind yearning for the drug, but throw in withdrawal symptoms and it becomes very easy to just continue the cycle. The mind of an addict is altered; often the person is not able to think as clearly as is necessary to realize they have a problem, but even if they do, it's so much easier to just continue using to prevent withdrawal symptoms. At this point, it's hardly a conscious decision to continue the path they're on. I've seen firsthand the mindset of someone struggling with addiction, and even with the people you love trying to get you help it isn't an easy thing to do. But, like I said, it is curable. People do get help, they get their addictions treated, and they are free from it. Many people stay clean forever after that, many do not for a plethora of reasons (usually they continue to surround themselves with the same people and get themselves into the same situations as before), but until they fall into using again, they are not addicted (there is an exception: alcoholism; I'm getting to that later). This is probably the biggest point I can make about why comparing drug addiction to homosexuality is both unintelligent and incredibly ignorant: people can overcome addiction, and it is a conscious choice to use drugs originally. While factors outside of a person's control may effect their likelihood to falling into a drug addiction, it is still a conscious choice to use, whereas being gay is not a conscious choice (whether or not it's genetic, a birth defect in brain chemistry and hormone production, or happens during early development, is unknown and irrelevant). So, ignorant comparison number one shot down. Let's move on. I'm going to ignore the fact that you're making an blanket statement by implying that all drug addicts (and homosexuals for that matter) are the same. 2. Being a criminal: Again, this is another ignorant blanket statement. All criminals are not the same; they commit different crimes for different reasons. The fact that you're also choosing to use criminals to compare to homosexuals also astounds me. Outside of the social stigma part (which is a stretch anyways), there is absolutely no relevancy whatsoever, but I'll humor you and respond. I assume you're referring to people that are career criminals, and/or people that commit heinous crimes. As the person above me pointed out, depending on brain chemistry (which is what causes personality essentially), a person may be more likely to exhibit sociopathic behavior. As I stated in the first part, personality has a lot to do with genetics and early childhood development and experiences. So, let's take your run-of-the-mill criminal, say he is a serial bank robber who also uses marijuana recreationally. Odds are, this person feels a major void in their life and mind. Robbing banks not only provides them with money, but with an intense thrill and adrenaline rush. This person has a weak personality most likely, and they could suffer from a number of mental illnesses (depression being the most obvious choice). Again, this is caused by genetics and his psychological development. Maybe this person feels this void in their life because they had an abusive father who walked out on the family at age 5, or something along those lines. He also could be a user of marijuana because it relaxes him after committing a robbery. Who knows? But, the point I am making here is that there could be any number of reasons why a person acts the way he does. That doesn't make this a relevant comparison however. If you polled 5,000 current criminals (let's say thieves of any kind, rapists, dealers and users of hardcore drugs like heroine and meth, serial killers, and even some blue collar criminals that are committing crimes that have to do with money, like extortion), and you asked them if they gave a damn about the social stigma surrounding them, and if that was a deterrent at all, what do you think they would say? Sure there definitely is a social stigma surrounding people who break the law, but do you really think people that knowingly break laws that could send them to prison for years, really give a damn about the social stigma part of it? I'm not going to be that guy that throws out a percentage on a poll that doesn't exist, but just think about it. Their friends (if they have any) are criminals. They probably have cut themselves off from their family, or their family has no idea about their criminal behavior. If you actually think that the social stigma surrounding breaking the law is a deterrent for these types of people, when the actual law itself and the consequences are not a deterrent, then you might be certifiably insane. I doubt that you actually think that they care though, you just resorted to throwing out a random life-raft to try to save your argument. I understand. Now, there are a couple other major flaws in comparing homosexuality to being a criminal. For one, most criminals negatively effect other people. This is why they are in trouble with the law, and are being punished for what they have done. Killing someone, raping someone, robbing someone, using a hardcore drug, etc., all do or have the potential to harm other people in some way. Two men or two women getting married do not do this. The other fundamental flaw in your argument is that, sometimes, criminals can be reformed. The United States Penal system is not built to reform, as they would like to tell us it is; it is built to punish, and protect mainstream society from psychopaths. But, there are examples of people having such a terrible experience in prison that they completely change their lives on the outside. Others find God while in prison, and dedicate their lives to being a wholesome religious person after they get out. But, this all depends on personality, and one's experience in prison. A lot of people that get thrown in prison for small time crimes (marijuana possession for example) end up a lot worse off after their sentence, and continue committing crimes and spend their lives going in and out of prison. Others are borderline mentally retarded, grew up in the hood, and despite attempts at reform from a young age, end up spending the majority of their lives playing the prison game. It really does vary and depend on a lot of factors, but occasionally people's lives are changed for the better. This usually happens at a younger age (below 18-21, depending on when the crime was committed and state laws) when punishment is based a lot more on reform than making people pay from their crimes. And sometimes, people serve one prison sentence and then change their lives, as I said above. People can be reformed from their criminal ways, whereas gays, again, cannot be turned straight. 3. Drunk driving: This is probably the one I am most astounded you put. This isn't even remotely close to being a lifestyle, a way one lives, the type of person one is, etc. This is an action, a stupid one indeed, but it is an action. Now, some people that drive drunk legitimately have an alcohol issue, and they end up with multiple DUI's. There was actually a person near where I currently live who just got busted for his 5th DUI. How a person is not in prison before this point is beyond me. But, despite the fact that he had 4 previous DUI's and a suspended license, he got behind the wheel of a car while ridiculously intoxicated and got busted. He is now in prison, thankfully. Clearly, he is someone who has serious alcohol issues and needs major help. A lot of good, intelligent people get DUI's, or drive drunk without getting caught, and it is just a really stupid mistake. At 19 years old, I can say that I drove under the influence one time (I wasn't ridiculously drunk or anything, but above the legal limit for 21 year olds most likely, definitely above the legal limit in RI for people under 21, which I believe is like .015 or something, in case of something like alcohol based mouthwash showing up on a reading as a minuscule amount), and it was a major mistake. Luckily, I was 3 minutes from home, but it was still a risk I don't ever want to take again. In your 46 years, if you can honestly say that you have never driven drunk, then that is remarkable and I commend you. But, this isn't even remotely close to being something one can compare to being to being gay. This is beyond apples to oranges, this is like comparing snow to elephants. 4. Alcoholism: I am responding to this separately from drug addiction because there are a couple of subtle differences. One, alcoholism is a recognized disease and is a very well known disease in the mainstream world, whereas addiction to heroine is really not as much of a widespread issue. Secondly, although someone can be clean from alcohol, it is recognized as fact that this is an addiction that never completely dies, similar to the way cigarette addiction works. This is probably the best comparison out of the four that you made, but I'm going to be honest, it's still pretty terrible. They still have very little in common other than a negative social stigma and the fact that one does not choose whether or not they are susceptible to becoming an alcoholic. If necessary, for a reference re-read everything I said about personality in the first part, because I am not about to type it out again, and it absolutely still applies here. Now, alcoholism is interesting, because alcohol is legal, and very easily attained. This makes being addicted much more convenient, as you don't have to illegally buy drugs or find a doctor to prescribe pills for you that you do not need, so keep in mind the ease of attainment and near guarantee of supply. Now, one's personality and genetics are very much a part of how susceptible they are to becoming an alcoholic. There is strong evidence to suggest that alcoholism can run in families, so family history is a strong indicator of how one may react to alcohol. And personality can play a crucial role in whether or not one drinks alcohol at all, how early in life they do it, and how they react to it. Someone with a weak personality and low self esteem may start drinking at an early age due to peer pressure. An addictive personality may cause someone to want to drink a lot, before they are actually addicted. A lot of alcoholics started drinking at a young age (college, high school, or even earlier sometimes, I remember watching a show documenting how some 12 year olds were drinking, and their parents reaction to it...pretty interesting), when alcohol is more sport than it is a beverage. Things like binge drinking often cause addictions that last a life time, not to mention how incredibly dangerous drinking to ridiculous excess can be. Due to it's illegality to minors, they view it as a mystery and curiosity, and it makes them want to try it. If you have kids, I'm sure you understand that when you tell a kid that they can't do something, or have something, it makes them want it more. It's human nature, but it is very easy to spot this characteristic when people are young. This is why kids are a lot more responsible with alcohol in European nations, as it isn't illegal, and a lot of them grew up drinking wine with dinner. But, alcohol plays a very important role in teenage and college-age subculture in America, because of the view that people place on it. It's fun, it makes you social, it makes you more attractive, blah blah blah, etc., etc. Because of this, many younger people drink before the legal age, and drink to excess, when their brains are not developed enough to handle it. There is evidence to suggest that this is why people that drink at a young age are more susceptible to becoming an alcoholic. But, enough about the beginning of an alcoholic, why people begin drinking, why kids drink, etc. As I said, alcoholism is a disease. There are many factors that play into whether or not someone is more or less likely to get addicted and become an alcoholic. So, in a way, your comparison is at least somewhat valid. Homosexuality isn't a choice, and whether or not someone is more or less likely to become an alcoholic isn't a choice. But, there's a key difference. Homosexuality isn't a disease, and gay feelings are not a drug. Alcoholism is a disease, and alcohol is a drug. That's just simple fact. Another point of difference is how drinking alcohol may cause alcoholism. To put this same logic towards homosexuality doesn't make sense, as gay feelings do not cause homosexuality, rather, if anything, it's the opposite, but it cannot be a valid comparison as alcoholism and homosexuality are the things we are comparing, not alcoholism and gay feelings. I'm trying not to get too off topic here, so I'm going back to alcoholism being a disease. Once a person is an alcoholic, regardless of how it started, regardless of when it started, regardless of the type of alcoholic they are, they are an alcoholic. That is all it is, and it needs to be addressed as nothing more than that. I don't know the medical definition of alcoholism off of the top of my head, but let's just say generally that alcoholism is a physical and mental addiction to alcohol, where if the person were to stop drinking completely for a period of time, they would suffer withdrawal symptoms, and not be able to function properly. In this respect, alcoholism is like every other drug addiction. Treatment is necessary to break the addiction. I went through this with my father as well, a couple of years ago. Again, it's very difficult to break, just like the other addictions. But the big difference is here that one cannot be cured of alcoholism. You may break the addiction, but drinking again in the future is dangerous. It's very easy to fall down the same path again. Some can avoid it despite the temptations, others cannot. Again, that has to do with personality and genetics, something out of a person's control. As for the social stigma part, most alcoholics do not realize that they are, until it is too late to change anything on their own. By this point, even if they do give a damn about the social stigma (which most don't, trust me), it isn't going to deter them from drinking. So, poor comparison yet again. I think in conclusion of all of this, you made a poor argument for why you think my reasoning is poor. If being gay was a choice, a simple choice that they could then reverse, they would do so. I think that's all the evidence necessary for me, and I don't understand why that isn't enough for others. Out of the four things you mentioned that people choose to be (one of them isn't even a thing someone chooses to be, it's an action), none of them even remotely compare to the point you're trying to make. I get what you're trying to say, that other people choose to make their life difficult too. But, no one sets out every morning trying to make their life suck. No one has an ambition as a child to be a career criminal, to be a druggy or an alcoholic, just the same as no child has the ambition of growing up to becoming something where they have their rights infringed upon and have people tell them that their lifestyle is not okay, among worse insults. It just simply does not make any sense to believe that someone would consciously choose a path in which they cannot have children, where they are discriminated against, where they don't get respect, where they may lose relationships with friends and families over it, etc. Therefore, it must not be a choice. If a much smaller amount of the population was gay, say something like .3%, then maybe that argument would hold less weight because some people inexplicably choose really stupid things. But 10% is far too high of a population for that counterargument to be valid. I appreciate you trying to come up with something, but please do some research on something before you blindly throw ignorant blanket statements out to form an argument. I get that you're 46, so you probably have a job, have kids, and have real responsibilities, so I understand that sitting down and researching homosexuality, alcoholism, psychology of criminals, etc., is probably not very high on your list of things to do. But, if you don't have the time to research to make an intelligent counterargument, then please don't make a counterargument at all. All of the blanket statements you made resulted in you implying fallacies. You implied that people consciously choose to become drug addicts and alcoholics, which is just plain false, as I have shown. Same thing for criminals, although we can blame them a lot more for their choices than we can addicts. I am absolutely not condoning any of the behaviors of hardcore drug addicts and criminals, but implying that everything that they do and everything about them is their choice and their fault is just not true. You'd be amazed at how many future criminals and addicts are helped out in childhood when their mental illnesses are diagnosed and treated. This has taken me over 2 hours to completely type out, and I now am about to have to leave, so I will end here. As I have said, I don't mean to offend with my opinions. I am trying to discuss this issue fairly, and honestly. Cheers everyone, GMG. PS: I will get to the other post that was directed at me later on, I have run out of time for now.

This really isn't an issue for us since we're going 12-0 and to the Sugar Bowl to thump LSU for the SECOND time this season.

These words appearing - on topic, no less - on GMG has made every argument, every insult, and every -1 along the way worth it. Oh, and if next year's football poster slogan isn't "TEARING THE RECTAL WALL", we've learned nothing.

Mike Marshall was a model at the women's clinic today, The uniforms we saw were the same. He might have been talking about accessories (gloves, etc.). Coach Mac said the players report a week from Monday, I believe. We had a birthday cake for Coach Mac and sang him happy birthday. Lots of fun, but, boy was it hot! GMG!

UNTstormchaser, you are making statements typical of "The Left" that baffle me. You preach tolerance and understanding but call those that don't share your POV intolerant or label their beliefs misguided or silly. That is my problem with your argument and what gets me fires up. Atheist and other non-Christians are always so quick to criticize our beliefs and to tell us the real meaning of the Bible and that we are intolerant yet they are not practicing what they preach. Comparing race issues to lifestyle issues is apples to oranges and patting your back over how right your opinions are while ridiculing other's won't win many friends and hamstrings your points. As for CFA, keep closing on Sundays, treating and serving everyone equally and respectfully and standing up for your beliefs. As for those that want to make a stand, go for it but you better walk to your protest site. Ever researched what the leaders of OPEC believe and support and their level of tolerance for those that don't share their views?

Where are you from stormchaser? i grew up in new hampshire. and yes...ive never heard anyone in my life say you'se guys

University drive from 35 to the TWU campus is saturated now as well. Also, nice to see some of the posters put out a few weeks ago still up...I know they went just pacifying me. ;-) If I'd have known how successful this could've been I'd have asked for help years ago. Kudos Kram for bringing the rest of the work crew on board.

I had a great time hanging posters with UNT90 around Denton today. We got around 34 posters in businesses around the Best Buy, Walmart, Kroger, and Target shopping centers. I hope all the other people had similar success. Thanks KRAM1 for organizing this event.

I was really hoping I'd be able to make it to the LSU game, but on a student budget, having to spend that much on gas and a hotel for the night is just too much ): there's an outside chance that I'll have to head down to Austin that weekend anyways, but even if I don't the cash factor and the fact that classes will have just started make it a tough pill to swallow. I'll be at my aunt's watching on ESPNU though. I hope a bunch of people make it down there though, let them Tigers know we are legit and have legit fans! Thanks! I'll be glad to give a student perspective on things throughout the year, and into the future. I'm hoping it gets better than last year. There's such a big divide in opinion about the sports teams, some people are hardcore, and some are hardcore against going. I've actually been flamed by another student big time for calling it pathetic how Michigan can get 100,000 people to their games, and there is a student ticket waiting list despite the fact they have to pay to get in, and they got upset at me and told me I was too crazy about football (no such thing) and that not everyone likes football and I should respect that (what?). Oh well, it'll change in time. If we win, they will come. There are a lot of people that just couldn't care either way, and those are the people I try to sway. It is a tough urge to fight! Haha. It's cool to see alumni from your era and even much farther back on this site. I know someday I'll be that guy supporting the living hell out of UNT (and wherever I end up for grad school) sports despite the fact that it's been 20, 30, 40 years since I graduated. I will gladly take you up on that offer! Last year I just sat outside the gate bored for a couple hours before gametime to ensure I got front row at the 50 on the student side. Cheers everybody!

OK, following up on the comment about getting a group of willing Mean Green supporters together one Saturday to pass out football posters...we are set to go on SATURDAY, JULY 28th beginning at 9:00AM. I have arranged to pick up a stack of posters and, hopefully some mini-schedules, for folks to pass out to accomodating businesses in the Denton-Dallas-Ft. Worth or where ever areas. Those willing to "donate" as little as one hour or as much time as you have to help that Saturday...please PM me and I'll give you the rest of the details and assign an area for you to cover that morning. I can only work that morning and I am sure others are tied up at various times as well...so if you want to just come pick up posters and distribute to your assigned area later...great, no problem. But, the more folks we have going around that morning the better. PLEASE wear Mean Green gear as well on your appointed rounds.... OK, so, I know some folks have already expressed interest in helping with this project...it really will take very little time...so, just PM me here on GMG.Com and we'll get all the details out to you as far as meet up location. If you have an area in mind that you would like to cover just let me know and we'll make sure you get that assignment as well. So...who is in on this fun little Saturday project?????? ALSO...if you are a business owner and would like a poster delivered to your place of business...just PM me or let me know in this thread and I'll make certain you are "hand delivered" a poster...and hopefully some mini-schedules if they are available as well. Folks, this is the sort of thing you can do to support the Mean Green and to make a positive difference for YOUR university and YOUR team that really doesn't cost anything at all in the way of dollars...maybe a little gas money, but that's it. So, if you can and would like to be part of this event...let me know. Should be fun! GO MEAN GREEN! Hope to see at least 8-10 interested folks...won't take long and it's a positive way to help. Click here to view the article

Nope, you made it a Christian vs. Atheist argument when you stated you were Atheist and you opinions were fair, educated...and others that didn't share your POV were not.

I know everyone is keeping an eye on Dunbar, but keep an eye out for a couple of other NT players looking to make NFL rosters... Craig Robertson - Cleveland Browns Draylen Ross - Chicago Bears Ross is trying to make the team as an H-Back...in Tice's offense it s basically a TE coming out of he backfield. Being a HUGE Bears fan, I keep up like I do for the Mean Green, and I can tell you they really like Ross, but he is definitely in a battle for a roster spot. Keep pulling for these Mean Green players

They only set the large center span, but it covers the north and southbound lanes of I35. They have yet to place the spans on each side that will cross over the service roads an attach to the concrete ramps. For reference look back at the pictures. The One Way sign is on the service road adjacent to Apogee.

Ya my Aunt, NOT ANT but AUNT, Lives in Wakefield RI. Shes an associate dean at Brown. I love that Area. Smallest of the 48, but still great. I moved down south when i was 16 (to ark) then Texas when i was 18 and i graduated in 2010, and moved back to Ark...hopefully be coming back to texas soon as arkansas sucks. But other then missing fenway, the garden and gillette...i dont miss a whole lot about new england anymore haha.

Why? What is the first guys opinion on the matter?

Just avoid "Kiss-in Day."

59 years young today. Best wishes for an outstanding year. Click here to view the article

Like I said, I find +/- silly, and I could care less. I'm not pandering, I was using it to make a point. But feel free to -1 me, I could really care less.

Well that just sounds awesome. Cool cool, thanks.

Ughh, why does everyone think we say that? Hahaha. I assure you I do not say that, nor does anyone else I've ever met. If I address a group where y'all would be appropriate, I say 'you guys'. I have no idea where the rumor started that us Northies say 'you'se guys', but as far as I know it's an incorrect rumor, unless some halfbreed from the mountains of Maine says it.

And, although I think +/- is a silly thing, to make a quick point, there is a reason all of my comments have many +'s. I'm being incredibly fair, reasonable, and coherent. If you find that to be annoying bickering, then fine. But I do not.

Those banana milkshakes cured my dad's Alzheimer's. Gave him diabetes, though.

Think Jiffy Lube garage.

I hear Tony Mitchell healed TJ Taylor. No more Marquette Flu.

There is absolutely no controversy here. The guy stated his opinion. Whether you agree with it doesn't matter a bit. Whether you disagree with it doesn't matter a bit. An opinion is an opinion, regardless of your stance on it. Would you quit shopping at WaMart if you knew the Waltons stance on many issues? I sincerely doubt it.

Future generations will view the gay marriage issue like we view things like child labor and women's suffrage movement. The obvious eventual outcome on this issue will be that gay marriage will be viewed as a fundamental right - which it is. In the meantime we will waste valuable time, money, and resources on this idiotic debate. Thank you founders for doing your best to keep church and state seperate.

The stores within Golden Triangle all pretty much had their corporate hands tied, wouldn't allow any to be put up. I get that about clothing retail, obstructing merchandise... However, theres now a poster hung inside the window of the main entry of the mall itself. (permission not granted..) Take that Golden Triangle! Got others hung at a couple of jiffy lube places, Diesel Fitness, few other mom n pop places close to the mall. I still have about 5 or 6 left, but I have to go to Denton next weekend, so I'm gonna look for some more places.

Wallgreens posted one by their UNT Shirt section. Game Stop, Smoothy King, Wing Stop, the that nail salon by Jersey Mike's, and the Sport's Authority. I'm sure there are a few more, but I can't remember.

You guys still scare me a bit though, what you had last year was good enough when it counted. But to answer the original question, I haven't heard much since the LBJ Skills Academy.

I shall invite everyone in the Mean Green nation, of legal drinking age of course, to lift a glass of Grey Goose in your honor at 5:59pm. Happy Birthday Coach Mac!

I was out there from 9 pm until they got the main span set at around 2:15 am. Too late to make the Saturday paper, but for Sunday's DRC we'll have a buncha photos and keep an eye out for something extra special...

Really wish y'all would have gotten Bradley, would have made things interesting. How do you see the Hipptoppers doing this year ? Seems half of the league has transferred out Tasty & I have talked about a possible Diddle trip at the end of the year

I think many Mean Green BBall fans would enjoy to continue the series when we move over to CUSA. The only requirement is WKU comes to Denton first before we travel to Bowling Green.

Try the Chic-fil-a drive thru.

Have I been stoned the last 43 years of my life? I thought we were the Mean Green, not Man Green. Damn that cheap ass Canadian weed.