Colonel Rebel and all that jazz

Tomorrow morning I begin a series of interviews around the South discussing my Alma Mater and the current flap about its mascot. Many people want to know how I feel about the latest vote by the student body to participate in the new mascot process. I simply reply, "Read the book." Yes, it is true that six months ago I released a book that basically predicted that the University would officially take away the Ole Miss Colonel Rebel and completely fail at replacing the mascot until students intervened to lead the process and move the school forward in a positive way.

The main point I made about Colonel Rebel was that even those who are against keeping him should respect his years of service. The higher the pitch of his negative implications, the more push back his supporters will give and the more negative media attention will be centered around Ole Miss's tumultuous past. So follow me on twitter (Quentin_W) or Facebook and let's have some fun talking mascot possibilities. . . admiral ackbar, a bear, xena, the flood? Bring your a-game to this conversation!

Finally, if anyone is out there listening who has anything to do with making the changes we are discussing, give me a call. The song debacle that brought the KKK to town because of the continued rant against students calling them racist when they were simply obliviously being insensitive, is about to appear to be child's play when the mascot issue hits full force. Critically important is setting the right tone and defusing the critics with positive reinforcements. Bring it to someone who can set the right tone and provide the proper message.

Tiger Woods' Apology

I hate to apologize. Apologies are often only given after the damage is done and the offended party has already made their point that you messed up and are unlikely to get back in their good graces for quite sometime to say the least. But there are situations in which an apology does some good. It may bridge the gap that you lost with a friend after a disagreement. An apology can also serve as a way to reach out and get the past behind you. But apologies are no good unless the person requesting the apology is seeking forgiveness to the one or ones he has offended.

Tiger Woods has not done anything to me. Tiger Woods was not an elected official who owed the public an apology. Tiger Woods is a man who had tons of endorsement contracts that have now evaporated because he built up a lifestyle persona that was not who he really is. And now he has offended his family. He claimed to be someone he is not or was not. So he apologized. He did not owe US an apology. But he did anyway. I really felt sorry for him. Because nothing he said was going to change his circumstances but nonetheless he was told to offer his apologies to start anew. We all need to start anew each morning. But doing so requires divine intervention. You can't magically stop throwing clubs. You can't magically get over addictions. But by apologizing he is throwing the marker down and saying this is where I am going to begin to hold myself accountable. And by doing so, he is showing he has resolve and intends to be a better man. For that, I applaud him.

My strength comes from my faith. I hope Tiger is able to find the redemption he needs. I hope he doesn't make the same mistakes again. I hope his personal apologies to his family don't fall on deaf ears. I hope the best for him and I am thankful that despite all my own shortcomings, I have a Savior who extricates the worst of me and brings out the best. I hope for us all to be better people each new day. I also hope we help each other along the way and don't spend our time in judgement over each other's faults.

Go Tiger! Our best. Apology accepted.

Long Week in Jackson

For the first time since 1989 Jackson has had cold enough weather to experience a major set of bursting pipes all across the City. We were without water, then on boil alert and finally are able to return to work, school and leisure. Modern comforts are hard to be thankful for until you don't have them. I hope our City is able to do something about the outdated water sewer infrastructure we currently have. Tragic!