I'm taking a risk here by addressing all this stuff, because I could get the typical "stick to sports" or "why don't you let us discuss this on the board?" responses. But while saying nothing is the safest course of action, it's also the route of the coward. When the nation is engulfed in strife like we're seeing now, saying nothing if you have a platform isn't good enough. Intelligent discussion is in short supply and is sorely needed. Not to overrate myself and my intelligence, but maybe in some little bit it can push things towards a just and proper solution.

But, for now, I'm just pissed off. For multiple reasons.

First, I'm pissed off that our nation is still in a position where an individual can be judged by the color of their skin instead of the content of their character. I've used this phrase a few times, but until anyone can come up with a truly effective way to clean their butt, they're no better than any other human being out there. So everyone deserves an equal playing field. If they don't take advantage of it, or try to screw over the system, fine. Then they deserve contempt. But hating someone because of their skin color or because you presume they act a certain way isn't acceptable.

I'm not the most religious of people, but Jesus, in Matthew 7:3, says this: "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?" If you're prejudiced and think that "they" are all one way or another, then odds are "they" aren't the problem. You are.

I'm going to give a few examples here, just of people I know well. Mike Evans and Patrick Lewis are more than just successful football players; they're solid men, good fathers and have done their best to not only provide for their families, but their communities as well. Jason Glenn is possibly the best human being I've ever met. After a pretty successful career in the NFL, he could have gone and done whatever he wanted. He decided to become an educator and a football coach, in no small part in order to provide some guidance to young men growing up without fathers.

And to think that someone who shares my skin pigmentation and wears a badge might target them because they're black disgusts me. That's not serving or protecting any community; it's using their position of authority to play out their own hatreds and prejudices.

Now, I get that cops take a ton of abuse. I get that more than most people because I used to cover the police beat and have gone on ride-alongs. Most cops are solid, upright people who have incredible patience. Their profession is frequently painful and frustrating. It's certainly not for everyone and I have the utmost respect for those who wear the badge with pride and uphold their oath.

But one thing they don't do well is handle the ones who want to play God or go after someone because of their race. Police unions protect them and the blue shield goes up. I understand that they do it because they're protecting someone who is one of the rare ones who gets what they go through on a daily basis – but it also disgraces them as a whole. Police brutality should be anathema to cops, because it makes them all look bad, devalues their contributions to a free society and makes their jobs more difficult.

We have a problem in this nation with police officers who go beyond the scope of their duties and unnecessarily inflict pain and suffering because they can. And too often, it's white cops on black men or women. It's also too often white on white or black on black. We've got people in position of authority abusing it, and a lot of them are doing it because they're racist. That's unacceptable. It's an embarrassment and humiliation to the white community, an injustice to the black community and only makes creating a unified country that much harder. We are all Americans, and that should be the most important thing. For too many people, it isn’t. And I don't know who to blame for that – lousy parenting, poor examples set by others, or what. But anyone who starts off acting like they're superior to someone else is doing themselves and society a disservice. It's stupid and foolish. So clearly, this pisses me off.

I'm pissed off by the looting. Ok, great; you got some shoes or a TV or whatever. In most cases, you're stealing the livelihood of your friends and neighbors. If it's from a major chain, you're costing those friends and neighbors their jobs. That's not principled protest, that's just being a frigging criminal. And it's only going to reinforce stereotypes and keep this destructive circle going. Grow the hell up.

You know what else pisses me off? These jerkoff rioters who are disrupting the peaceful right of assembly for people who have legitimate grievances. And let's call many of them by their name: ANTIFA. They are a bunch of left-wing, communist-sympathizing criminals who want to see American society burn. If you've been watching the left coast for the past few years, they've had their way out there. Now they're trying to spread their vile methods elsewhere. And what are they? A bunch of young white punks who have the support of useful idiots in the media and Hollywood. They're not doing anyone any good, they're out to loot, destroy, hurt, and if possible, kill.

These jackasses like to say that since they're "Anti-fascist", they're the right ones. They'd be the ones fighting the Nazis – that's the one their idiot supporters like to say. But just because you're anti-fascist doesn't mean you're right. One of the destroyers of fascist ideology in World War II was Stalin's Soviet Union – anyone want to tell me they were "good guys"? ANTIFA is as "anti-fascist" as al Qaida is a religious group or North Korea is "democratic". Sometimes words are just that, and words can be trash. And in this case, trash is what ANTIFA is. They, and other extremists, are hijacking what should have been a constructive and productive effort to get the attention of all Americans on a serious issue and are making dividing lines deeper. And that's by design.

I'm also pissed off at the fundamental lack of leadership shown by mayors, governors and the president. We've got morons running the show in Minneapolis and New York, do-nothing governors in California and (again) Minnesota and a President who tweets a lot and says very little constructive. The opposing party's candidate's version of helping is suggesting cops should shoot people in the legs instead of the chest (seriously).

Where are the adults here? Do we no longer have any elected officials willing to stand up and lead, to show the courage of their convictions, or are they too scared they'll get bashed on social media? If so, that's on us as much as it is on them, and we're getting what we deserve.

And we deserve much better, across the board. Not just in politics, but as a society as a whole. We're the greatest nation on earth by a mile. No other nation could have a private company, working with a federal agency, put men in space like it was no big deal. We did that in the middle of this mess. We have the most advanced technology and more wealth than any society in history. But we're not perfect. We have a long way to go.

And that's the great thing about America: we're a flawed nation, but we have the guts to actually admit it. Other nations like to point out our flaws, but they'll be damned if they bring up their own. America typically can act from a position of moral superiority because we do recognize our faults and work to change them. There are hundreds of thousands of American men in graves around the world who fought to free people of another race – and many are on our own sacred ground. How many other nations can say that?

Black lives matter. We as Americans should be standing as one and call evil by its name. In this case, it's police brutality, racism and groups looking to divide us further. But words don't fix things. Actions do. And that's what makes America the best – if we see something's broken, we fix the damned thing. And right now, we've got parts of our society that are broken. So let's all get to fixing it, and shove the slimebags who are looking to take advantage of those fissures aside.

So let's get to it. I'm tired of being pissed off.

We're in a situation where, as a society, political conversation is unavoidable. And if I'm going to bring this up in Monday Thoughts, it would be unfair if I didn't allow some leeway on political threads (which I have of late). But if the discussion moves away from politics into insults (which inevitably become more and more personal) the threads will get zapped. So make your case, state your arguments. Do not personally attack someone, or try to find cute ways to kind-sorta attack someone. The thread will go and we will have problems. Let's be constructive here.

Deuce Fatheree is someone A&M has led for for some time and I expected they'd get him. But that doesn't make his commitment any less important. This is a guy they really needed, because he can be a very good SEC left tackle. There aren't many guys out there who are a legitimate 6-foot-8 and have quality footwork.

Fatheree plays a lot of basketball and it has really helped his football footwork. His lateral movement is really good, with the quick steps you'd expect from a guy who has to do a lot of work in the paint. In the the case of football, it means he can get out and cut off the edge on pass rushers and can deny them the inside on a swim move.

Of course, when you're 6-foot-8, you've got long arms too. That's a huge advantage and Fatheree uses them as such. If you can keep a defensive linemen from getting in on you, then you have a better opportunity to establish momentum and control the confrontation. Not many linemen are going to be fast enough to stop Fatheree from getting his hands on them first, meaning he's going to win most of the time.

Fatheree is also a force in the running game, because he's so strong in his lower body. He just demolishes people, shoving them to the turf. It's pretty scare to see someone that big and that tall move that fast.

This is a guy that a skill set to handle the most important position on the offensive line. He's huge, he's fast, he's strong and he can probably add another 20 pounds or so. These are the kind of guys you need up front not to compete in the SEC, but to win it consistently.

Josh Henson has his critics after A&M's offensive line performed at a subpar level last year, but it's hard to argue with his recruiting. There, he's absolutely wrecking shop. His last five commits are above. That's the top two guards in the nation last year, two guys in the Rivals 250 this year and one severely underrated player who will probably get a boost in the next round of re-evaluations. And they're all frigging MONSTERS. Huge guys who can move. The Aggies needed tackles this year and they're getting them (and probably aren't done). The guys they are getting are difference makers, and they're setting up for the best group they've had in more than a half-decade.

On Friday in TIDBITS, I said that Jimbo Fisher and company had had a lot of success over the past two Junes, picking up 11 total commits (at least, ones who signed). So what happens on June 1, 2020? A commit. If the Aggies keep this hot streak going, they'll be in the top 10 by the end of the month. They'd have to pull a few surprises, but I wouldn't put it past them.

A lot of people like to keep score on how A&M's doing against Texas in recruiting (and Fatheree counts as another head-to-head win), but right now the Aggies have their hands full with another program. An SEC program.

No, I don't mean LSU, even though it would be reasonable to assume that. Not Alabama, either.

I mean Georgia. Wait, what?

Seriously. It's one of those things that happens when you recruit nationally -- you're going to butt heads with opponents you wouldn't otherwise consider a problem. This year, Georgia is A&M's nemesis. OU is also very high on the list, but we'll stick to the boys from Athens for now.

Take a look at this: A&M probably now leads for RB LJ Johnson. Who's the primary competition? Not LSU, it's Georgia. For Miami Central RB Amari Daniels? It's them again. The Bulldogs are one of the final four for 5-star CB Tony Grimes as well.

A&M is in the final for 4-star WR Brian Thomas. Even though he's more likely to pick LSU or Alabama, who's also on the list? UGA. WR Chris Hilton has his top five, and those four teams are there again. Georgia is also competition for 4-star WR Romello Brinson.

Guess who's one of the major competitors for De Soto DE Shemar Turner (even though probably not the primary one)? Yep, them again. Philadelphia DT Taleeq Robbins? A&M and Georgia.

Anyway, you get the idea. Most people would not consider A&M and Georgia traditional recruiting rivals, but they have clashed with increasing frequency over the past couple of years and are going at bigtime in 2020. Considering the success UGA has had in recent years, it seems like a good thing to know you're after the same talent. It would be even better to beat them and get that talent.

1. A&M seems to be competing more with Oklahoma than Texas for the remainder of their targets. Or maybe Texas just isn't a factor.

2. Rough to hear Clemson WR Justyn Ross will miss the season with neck and spine issues. That normally means career over.

3. Baseball is my first love, but the sport seems quite intent on setting itself on fire. Never have a larger group of rich fools congregated.

4. Is COVID-19 cancelled now?

5. Very impressed with the statements made by Jimbo Fisher and Buzz Williams over the weekend. Both hit the right notes and showed why they're respected leaders of men.

6. If coaches are companies are just coming out with statements now, they may as well not do it. Sometimes being late is a worse visual than not being there.

7. I didn't put in a futurecast pick for Deuce Fatheree. I guess I'd expected him to end up at A&M for so long it slipped my mind. Oops.

8. If you feel like traveling this summer, hotels can be had cheap.

9. There has not been an official go-ahead for SEC Media Days. After this weekend, I wonder if there will be.

10. If the NBA comes back later this summer, I will not care one iota.