There is not a channel available on my TV that is not covering the events going on in Washington, DC, today. I am boycotting TV, radio, and news websites. I prefer to talk about it right here, and nowhere else.
Martin Luther King, Jr., I think, in my humble opinion, would be proud of what is happening today, but also would feel saddened.
The Reverend Dr. King preached on "content of character" and not getting ahead by "color of skin." He would celebrate that an important part of Americans have not only earned the right to vote, but have a representative in the White House. I think Dr. King would love that idea...and would love to see how far the Civil Rights Movement progressed. Then, at the same time, he would ache for the thought that President Barack Obama won because of his color, not so much the content of his character.
My case in point comes from one simple question I have asked several people, both on the left and on the right, about our new President. I asked this simple query, to which everyone responded to the negative. The question: "Would Barack Obama have won the Presidency if he were white?" To a person, everyone said, "no."
As soon as Obama spoke at the DNC in 2004 and became somewhat of a household name, there has been a movement within the media, the Hollywood left, and in the major metropolises of the United States. This movement was to get a black President, and Obama represented the best chance because he is articulate, charismatic, young, and, just for insurance, is half white.
No matter what the controversy, nothing could stick to Obama. His minister of 20 years is a zealot, bigot, and unpatriotic...from the pulpit! Doesn't matter. His political career took a major step in the living room of William Ayers, a man for whom Obama wrote an endorsement for Ayers' book. Doesn't matter. No investigation. Obama has business and real estate dealings with a now-convicted criminal who committed real estate fraud, Tony Rezko. Doesn't matter. It's in the past. Rod Blagojevic commits fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, and commit quid pro quo to sell a seat in the US Senate. Obama has spoken on the campaign trail for Blago, and vice versa. Rohm Emmanuel, a top advisor to Obama visits with and speaks with Blago on multiple occasions. Obama vehemently denies any advisors or emissaries had contact with Governor Balgojevic despite Rohm Emmanuel's contact with Blago. No one in the main stream media questions Obama on the inconsistency. Nothing sticks to this guy.
Time and time again, Obama is shown to have poor judgment in his associations. Yet, no one cared.
His character was shown in how he lied and changed his mind on the campaign finance issue, allowing him to accept record donations and outspend McCain on the campaign by more than $2 to $1. His voting record is suspect. His support of the military is suspect as he cannot give them an inkling of credit for the work they have done in Iraq. His grasp of right and wrong in the Russia-Georgia conflict was questionable at best.
His refusal to speak out when unfair, and often unethical and immoral, shots were being taken on his behalf against John McCain (ads making light of McCain's health and attacking the fact that McCain is a cancer survivor, pictures of McCain that were published by an magazine that demonized McCain with unflattering light that enhanced McCain's war scars and cancer scars) and Sarah Palin (attacking Bristol for being pregnant, attacks against the Palin family accusing Todd Palin of incestuous relationships with his daughters, questioning the legitimacy of Trigg Palin's birthrights) also raises a question, or two, about his character. Why not speak out when a 17-year-old girl is being attacked by his party and his supporters?
We know nothing for sure about this man, other than he talks well and is 50% black. But, the giddiness of the media and the lack of vetting done leaves this country wide-open for problems for the next four years. We do not know for sure what lies in this man's heart. The conclusions one can infer from his actions during this campaign lead one to believe that Dr. King's dream is not quite realized with this election.
I truly believe that this Inauguration is not about Dr. King, President Abraham Lincoln, or the end of racism. It is about how pop culture and the patronizing of black people by the left elected a young, inexperienced black person to the White House. Obama does not have the political capital to make change. He will be a puppet to Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. The Democrats never do anything to help black people; they only talk a good game at election time. They helped a black man get into the Oval Office, but he is not strong enough to do this job on his own. Like with every other Democrat-based promotion of a minority to a position high on the food chain, there will be white masters calling the shots.
Barack Obama might prove me wrong. For the sake of my country, our troops overseas, and the future, I hope he does. However, until we can assess how well he performed his duties, stop the Abraham Lincoln and Dr. King talk. This man was NOT elected on content of character. He was elected because it was the cool thing to do this year.
Hopefully, America will make him earn his spot for re-election, and not give him another free pass in 2012.
Showing posts with label Pop Culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pop Culture. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Thursday, July 17, 2008
The Difference Between Liberal and Conservative and The Slant of the AP
Within a 30-day span, America got to see the truth about Liberals and how drastically different Liberalism is from Conservatism.
On June 13, 2008, Tim Russert, a good, well-respected, hard-working, popular JOURNALIST died suddenly. It sent shockwaves throughout the world. Everyone who even remotely follows current events knew who Russert was, and, most likely, respected, if not liked, this JOURNALIST. (Journalist capitalized because Russert was one of the very few members of the NBC News bureau that was truly a Journalist and not a liberally-biased hack).
Russert's death was reported with humility, respect, and reverence. His memory and his legacy were upheld without equivocation. His life, work, family, and career were all celebrated and commended.
All of the mourning and celebration of Russert's life were well founded and appropriate. Russert did not let his political views determine his reporting. He reported down the middle and told the truth as best he could, in my opinion. He was truly one of the greats.
Fast-forward one month. Tony Snow, a likeable, hard-working, decent, honest man and JOURNALIST dies after a 4+ year battle with cancer. While Snow was not of the legendary status of Russert, Snow was a very accomplished journalist. He reported the news while in the media. As White House Press Secretary, he did not let the media bullies of the White House Press Corps intimidate him.
He was a fun, intelligent, strong man who did not take attacks as a journalist or Press Secretary to heart. He had a thick skin and a warm heart. He also had the will and backbone of legend. He fought to the end.
Yet, the AP uses their obituary to take pot-shots at Tony Snow. Instead of paying respects to the man, they question his integrity, intelligence, honesty, and ability to understand and report facts.
In the obituary, the 5th and 6th paragraphs come across as very snide and disrespectful to the man.
Cancer claims ex-Bush press secretary Tony Snow
by Douglass K. Daniel (AP Writer)
Playing to the cameras? He didn't have "a command of the facts?" The man is not yet buried and the AP uses their power as another way to cut down someone who has Conservative tendancies.
This truly defines Liberalism. They SAY they are compassionate. They SAY they care about people. They SAY they are the truely good people, while the mean, money-hungry conservatives are the jerks putting them out of work. They SAY they are for freedom and equality and freedom of speech, yet they cut down and attack everyone that has a different opinion or outlook.
The LA Times is just as bad. While their writers did not attack or question Snow, they certainly allowed their MODERATED comments board to fill with smut and trash and the type of vileness that has come to define the Democratic party.
Here is a link to Patterico's Pontifications a website that shows the types of comments allowed by the moderators, who pre-approve all posted comments. In addition, I have borrowed a couple below.
It is sad. Not one person said an ill word about Russert, and rightfully so. Yet, because he worked for Fox News and President Bush and was a conservative, Tony Snow is insulted and his memory and legacy attacked by hate-mongers.
On June 13, 2008, Tim Russert, a good, well-respected, hard-working, popular JOURNALIST died suddenly. It sent shockwaves throughout the world. Everyone who even remotely follows current events knew who Russert was, and, most likely, respected, if not liked, this JOURNALIST. (Journalist capitalized because Russert was one of the very few members of the NBC News bureau that was truly a Journalist and not a liberally-biased hack).
Russert's death was reported with humility, respect, and reverence. His memory and his legacy were upheld without equivocation. His life, work, family, and career were all celebrated and commended.
All of the mourning and celebration of Russert's life were well founded and appropriate. Russert did not let his political views determine his reporting. He reported down the middle and told the truth as best he could, in my opinion. He was truly one of the greats.
Fast-forward one month. Tony Snow, a likeable, hard-working, decent, honest man and JOURNALIST dies after a 4+ year battle with cancer. While Snow was not of the legendary status of Russert, Snow was a very accomplished journalist. He reported the news while in the media. As White House Press Secretary, he did not let the media bullies of the White House Press Corps intimidate him.
He was a fun, intelligent, strong man who did not take attacks as a journalist or Press Secretary to heart. He had a thick skin and a warm heart. He also had the will and backbone of legend. He fought to the end.
Yet, the AP uses their obituary to take pot-shots at Tony Snow. Instead of paying respects to the man, they question his integrity, intelligence, honesty, and ability to understand and report facts.
In the obituary, the 5th and 6th paragraphs come across as very snide and disrespectful to the man.
Snow was working for Fox News Channel and Fox News Radio when he replaced Scott McClellan as press secretary in May 2006 during a White House shake-up. Unlike McClellan, who came to define caution and bland delivery from the White House podium, Snow was never shy about playing to the cameras.
With a quick-from-the-lip repartee, broadcaster's good looks and a relentlessly bright outlook - if not always a command of the facts - he became a popular figure around the country to the delight of his White House bosses.
Cancer claims ex-Bush press secretary Tony Snow
by Douglass K. Daniel (AP Writer)
Playing to the cameras? He didn't have "a command of the facts?" The man is not yet buried and the AP uses their power as another way to cut down someone who has Conservative tendancies.
This truly defines Liberalism. They SAY they are compassionate. They SAY they care about people. They SAY they are the truely good people, while the mean, money-hungry conservatives are the jerks putting them out of work. They SAY they are for freedom and equality and freedom of speech, yet they cut down and attack everyone that has a different opinion or outlook.
The LA Times is just as bad. While their writers did not attack or question Snow, they certainly allowed their MODERATED comments board to fill with smut and trash and the type of vileness that has come to define the Democratic party.
Here is a link to Patterico's Pontifications a website that shows the types of comments allowed by the moderators, who pre-approve all posted comments. In addition, I have borrowed a couple below.
I hope the rest of these criminals die too. Good riddance to a person who contributed to making this world a worse place.
Posted by: Max | July 12, 2008 at 05:58 AM
Its unfortunate he won’t be able to see the damage he helped inflict on this country and the world. I wonder how he likes hell.
Posted by: tedson | July 12, 2008 at 06:27 AM
There is special place in hell for Mr. Snow. As a co-conspirator of the Bush administration, I have no special sympathy for him. I only wish his suffering were more prolonged.
Posted by: Efrain Rojas | July 12, 2008 at 09:05 AM
guess now we know that lying causes cancer.
Posted by: Star Mingus | July 12, 2008 at 09:35 AM
The question begs to be asked, is it possible to die when you don’t have a soul.
Posted by: Chad | July 12, 2008 at 09:38 AM
good riddance
Posted by: gundumma | July 12, 2008 at 01:35 PM
the world is now a slightly better place
Posted by: gundumma | July 12, 2008 at 01:37 PM
I prefer to give tribute to the many fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers of the hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians that were killed all because Mr. Snow continued to perpetuate the lies of the Bush Administration. May THEY rest in peace.
The worst lies are indeed the ones we tell ourselves. May Tony Snow get the eternity he truly deserves….
Posted by: Jan Friedman | July 12, 2008 at 03:07 PM
It is sad. Not one person said an ill word about Russert, and rightfully so. Yet, because he worked for Fox News and President Bush and was a conservative, Tony Snow is insulted and his memory and legacy attacked by hate-mongers.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
My B. Hussein Obama Impression...
Let me see if I get close...I think I can give you the entire O-BOMB-A campaign in the following paragraphs. Let me know if I miss anything...
(Speaking as B.O.)
I believe that, together, we can change Washington. I believe that we need a change. We need to change for our future.
I believe in the future of America. I believe in our future. I believe that we can change and bring about a better future for America.
We need to stop the failed policies and end the war. We need to enact change in Washington. Together, a united America, can bring about the necessary change.
I believe my opponents, Senators Hillary Clinton and John McCain, are terrific people. However, they are not part of the change I see for America. They have been in Washington too long. They are old. I am young and fresh! I want to creat change in Washington, and change the course of America.
I believe in our future, America, and I believe in changing our future for the better. I don't think we need the same faces in new places in Washington...except me, but I've only been there one term, which is long enough to see that we need change.
As President, I will meet with the leaders of our allies and our enemies to bring about change in our foreign policies. I believe in the future of the world as a whole. I believe that we can work with foreign leaders to bring about change in the world and change for the future.
Many of my opponents and their supporters will try to throw my good friend, Reverend Wright, out there to take away from our message of hope for the future. Reverend Wright has made many comments that people find offensive. Many will add my friendship and on-going contact with William Ayers, who has been credited with saying he is proud of being a part of bomb attacks on US interests, as proof of my lack of ability or qualifications to be President. Many will throw out my connections to Louis Farakhan, who has been accused of being racist and bigoted.
Let us not be swayed! Those people, the ones that name-drop to attempt to hurt my campaign, are the people who do not believe in change! They will distract you from the facts.
The facts that we are here to focus on are the future.......... for the future! That is why we are here! I believe in change! You believe in change! We all believe in change for our future! Our future is too important not to change. We have to work toward our future, because without our future, the present means nothing. And let me tell you, the future is coming. We can't stop it.
But I believe in it. I believe in America.
Send me to Washington and let us create some change!!!!
(End my B.O. voice)
Ok, so how does that sound? Sound like B.O.?
(Speaking as B.O.)
I believe that, together, we can change Washington. I believe that we need a change. We need to change for our future.
I believe in the future of America. I believe in our future. I believe that we can change and bring about a better future for America.
We need to stop the failed policies and end the war. We need to enact change in Washington. Together, a united America, can bring about the necessary change.
I believe my opponents, Senators Hillary Clinton and John McCain, are terrific people. However, they are not part of the change I see for America. They have been in Washington too long. They are old. I am young and fresh! I want to creat change in Washington, and change the course of America.
I believe in our future, America, and I believe in changing our future for the better. I don't think we need the same faces in new places in Washington...except me, but I've only been there one term, which is long enough to see that we need change.
As President, I will meet with the leaders of our allies and our enemies to bring about change in our foreign policies. I believe in the future of the world as a whole. I believe that we can work with foreign leaders to bring about change in the world and change for the future.
Many of my opponents and their supporters will try to throw my good friend, Reverend Wright, out there to take away from our message of hope for the future. Reverend Wright has made many comments that people find offensive. Many will add my friendship and on-going contact with William Ayers, who has been credited with saying he is proud of being a part of bomb attacks on US interests, as proof of my lack of ability or qualifications to be President. Many will throw out my connections to Louis Farakhan, who has been accused of being racist and bigoted.
Let us not be swayed! Those people, the ones that name-drop to attempt to hurt my campaign, are the people who do not believe in change! They will distract you from the facts.
The facts that we are here to focus on are the future.......... for the future! That is why we are here! I believe in change! You believe in change! We all believe in change for our future! Our future is too important not to change. We have to work toward our future, because without our future, the present means nothing. And let me tell you, the future is coming. We can't stop it.
But I believe in it. I believe in America.
Send me to Washington and let us create some change!!!!
(End my B.O. voice)
Ok, so how does that sound? Sound like B.O.?
Friday, April 18, 2008
I'm the right person...any questions you have are slanderous attacks!!!
Wow...what a joke.
Hillary and O-BOMB-A are on their way to making the whole democratic party a joke.
The latest Presidential Debacle...I mean Debate...shows just how inept both democratic candidates are, how sad and desperate their supporters and campaigns are getting, and just how much of a landslide Senator John McCain can win by.
Two normally biased, left-wing television journalists in Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos decided to be REAL journalists and ask REAL questions, trying to give both Hillary and O-BOMB-A a chance to show the record audience who is most qualified. The answer is neither one. Both Democratic candidates flubbed and flopped and looked like a 5 year old clinging to the barrier rope in a pool as they try to swim on the deep end.
Then, instead of smacking themselves in the forehead like in the V8 commercials, O-BOMB-A supporters are outraged at Gibson and Stephanopoulos for asking harsh questions.
Excuse me?
Asking about Reverend Wright and this terrorist Ayers character are harsh, unfair questions?
Huh?
The same people outraged at those questions applauded when Mitt Romney was grilled about his Mormon faith and whether he had "relations" with his wife prior to marriage. Yet, asking about O-BOMB-A's relationships to, first, a racist, bigoted, anti-American precher who acts as a Presidential candidtate's spiritual advisor, and, second, to a known and admitted terrorist in Ayers, is somehow out of bounds.
This isn't someone interviewing to clean port-a-potties. This is a Congressman who wants to lead the free world. Any association with a racist anti-American preacher and a terrorist needs to be completely vetted, revetted, and then, for the hell of it, re-examined. Any questions a journalist asks about this issue is fair game and is a necessity if this man wants to be President.
Yet, Democrats are showing what most people with common sense already knew. O-BOMB-A is absolutely NOT qualified to be in the White House as a visitor, much less President.
Then, I could go on for years on how un-qualified Hillary is. But, we know that. Appearantly she only answers phones at 3 am. Perhaps its because she had to stay up late all those years in Little Rock, and then again in D.C., waiting for Bill to come home from his affairs.
Let us not forget the blatant lies she has told. Ducking sniper fire in Bosnia? This was no slip of the tongue or accidental misremembering of facts. She told this story of getting fired upon by snipers on THREE occasions...and was proven to be blatantly false.
One minute Hillary was a co-president for eight years, the next she was only a consultant, the next she was no where near the Oval Office. It just depends on the situation and whether or not it was a success.
Its truly sad that there are two people who truly want to be GIVEN the office of President. I do mean GIVEN. They do not want to earn it. They do not want to prove their character and abilities. They do not want to answer the tough questions. They do not want anything from their past inspected. They want the world to take their word. They have no real backbone nor any real leadership abilities.
Based on their campaigns, a man who leads his church's slow-pitch league in batting average and homeruns and constantly tells of how he has been hitting homeruns since little league, even though there is no real evidence to back up those stories, deserves to be the top pick in the major league draft. No questions asked. No minor league success needed. Put him in the line up for the Yankees tomorrow. He deserves it. He can't prove his worthiness, just take his word for it and give him the spot.
All John McCain has to do is sit back and watch and let the two inept Democrats tear each other apart for the next two months.
Additionally, I wanted to add the following statement...
Thank you, Mr. Limbaugh for Operation Chaos...its working BRILLIANTLY!!!!
Hillary and O-BOMB-A are on their way to making the whole democratic party a joke.
The latest Presidential Debacle...I mean Debate...shows just how inept both democratic candidates are, how sad and desperate their supporters and campaigns are getting, and just how much of a landslide Senator John McCain can win by.
Two normally biased, left-wing television journalists in Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos decided to be REAL journalists and ask REAL questions, trying to give both Hillary and O-BOMB-A a chance to show the record audience who is most qualified. The answer is neither one. Both Democratic candidates flubbed and flopped and looked like a 5 year old clinging to the barrier rope in a pool as they try to swim on the deep end.
Then, instead of smacking themselves in the forehead like in the V8 commercials, O-BOMB-A supporters are outraged at Gibson and Stephanopoulos for asking harsh questions.
Excuse me?
Asking about Reverend Wright and this terrorist Ayers character are harsh, unfair questions?
Huh?
The same people outraged at those questions applauded when Mitt Romney was grilled about his Mormon faith and whether he had "relations" with his wife prior to marriage. Yet, asking about O-BOMB-A's relationships to, first, a racist, bigoted, anti-American precher who acts as a Presidential candidtate's spiritual advisor, and, second, to a known and admitted terrorist in Ayers, is somehow out of bounds.
This isn't someone interviewing to clean port-a-potties. This is a Congressman who wants to lead the free world. Any association with a racist anti-American preacher and a terrorist needs to be completely vetted, revetted, and then, for the hell of it, re-examined. Any questions a journalist asks about this issue is fair game and is a necessity if this man wants to be President.
Yet, Democrats are showing what most people with common sense already knew. O-BOMB-A is absolutely NOT qualified to be in the White House as a visitor, much less President.
Then, I could go on for years on how un-qualified Hillary is. But, we know that. Appearantly she only answers phones at 3 am. Perhaps its because she had to stay up late all those years in Little Rock, and then again in D.C., waiting for Bill to come home from his affairs.
Let us not forget the blatant lies she has told. Ducking sniper fire in Bosnia? This was no slip of the tongue or accidental misremembering of facts. She told this story of getting fired upon by snipers on THREE occasions...and was proven to be blatantly false.
One minute Hillary was a co-president for eight years, the next she was only a consultant, the next she was no where near the Oval Office. It just depends on the situation and whether or not it was a success.
Its truly sad that there are two people who truly want to be GIVEN the office of President. I do mean GIVEN. They do not want to earn it. They do not want to prove their character and abilities. They do not want to answer the tough questions. They do not want anything from their past inspected. They want the world to take their word. They have no real backbone nor any real leadership abilities.
Based on their campaigns, a man who leads his church's slow-pitch league in batting average and homeruns and constantly tells of how he has been hitting homeruns since little league, even though there is no real evidence to back up those stories, deserves to be the top pick in the major league draft. No questions asked. No minor league success needed. Put him in the line up for the Yankees tomorrow. He deserves it. He can't prove his worthiness, just take his word for it and give him the spot.
All John McCain has to do is sit back and watch and let the two inept Democrats tear each other apart for the next two months.
Additionally, I wanted to add the following statement...
Thank you, Mr. Limbaugh for Operation Chaos...its working BRILLIANTLY!!!!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Women! Listen!
I wanted to discuss an important topic.
Ladies.
Yes, ladies. I am making some generalizations in this little rambling, but I think about everyone could take something out of what I am saying. I might sound like I am on some kind of high horse...and maybe I am. But I think this needs to be said and repeated over, and over and over and over...
The reason this is such an issue is that there is a serious lack of ladies in the world today. Even fewer little girls will grow up to be ladies in the years to come.
By lady, I mean a woman who is confident, modest, strong, and values herself as a person and refuses to be objectified as a "piece." I mean a woman who is strong enough to live and be happy without selling her body for acceptance and "love."
Too often, on TV, in movies, in songs, in every aspect of life, girls are taught that letting a boy have his way with them is acceptable and encouraged. Girls are ingrained with the idea that sex is their only asset to get what they think they want. And what they think they want is also ingrained by the same venues that teach them that they are only as good as the amount of cleavage they show or partners they have.
So, today, as a man, I want to stop the trend. I don't want some easy tramp who thinks the only way I might love her is if she sleeps with me. I don't want some woman who is incomplete by herself and needs to feel wanted, and they stoop to any level to get that feeling of want, even if it is misguided and more lust than true want.
Instead, what I want is a woman with confidence. A woman who knows that she is more that just a notch on a bedpost. A woman who thinks for herself and doesn't buy into the idea that showing more and giving more is the right way to live. A woman with morals. A woman with her head on straight. Someone who can intrigue me without unbuttoning her blouse.
Women, its time to stand up for yourselves. Stop letting yourself get walked on and treated as a piece of tail. You have so much more to offer. Be proud of who you are and be strong. Stop listening to what 50 Cent or Ludacris or Eminem or any of 1,000 singers might say...stop looking at movies and TV shows....you can still watch and enjoy them, but stop learning their misguided lessons.
Girls today have lost the innocence and modesty that makes women so incredible. High school girls compete for lovers and numbers of partners like boys used to only claim to have done in locker rooms. Far too many girls are running out of fingers to count their partners on before they get a high school diploma. Too many girls are under the impression that it is okay to be promiscuous and to dress in revealing and slutty clothes. Too many girls are growing up as cheap, easy, incomplete people whose life consists of too high an emphasis on sex.
Girls might want to blame guys...say guys are the reason because guys are brought up to think the same thing. To an extent, the girls do have a point. However, girls, it is up to you to take a stand and teach the boys that you are worth more than that. Stop giving in to the cute guys just because they are cute. Stop giving yourself away and stop degrading and devaluing yourself.
And guys...stop thinking with your penis. It is almost as much our fault for acting like sex-craved horn-dogs as it is the girls' fault for giving in and rewarding that kind of weakness. It is a far stronger man that waits to have sex for love then have sex for fun.
Having sex can be fun...but it can be so much more. It can be truly fulfilling and truly gratifying if you wait for the right partner and the right reasons. Having sex is not a way to create love where it doesn't exist, nor is it a way to extend a relationship. Sex is not an avenue to keep a person you care about with you. If you have to go to bed to keep someone, then they obviously do not value you enough. So, don't give in to pressure. That is not love, and that is not healthy.
We have become a free-sex society and it is tragically destroying our world and any semblance of morality. Guys and girls, stop going to bed with people you aren't married to. If you wait until there is a real sense of love and meaning between partners, everything will be so much better.
Ok, I am off the high horse now...but I am still right.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
A New Era in Sports...I Hope!
A new era of sports is merging upon us, and I am loving it.
Ron Artest, Marcus Vick, Latrell Spreewell, and Terrell Owens are all examples of what has been wrong with sports for many years. The spoiled, ME-first attitude of the athlete has been nourished and, at times, encouraged by fans, coaches, agents, and other people of impact. However, the limits of what a star can get away with are becoming more clear and the world will be better for it.
First, Ron Artest. Yeah, he is kind of like Dennis Rodman, who I support and would like to see back with the Bulls. However, I never saw Rodman punch a 16-year-old kid after getting hit with a plastic cup. In no way was Artest in danger. No one would be in danger from that cup. A security guard could have removed the out of line fan. Instead, Artest punches THE WRONG FAN, starting the ugliest fiasco in the history of American sports. In spite of all that, Larry Bird and the Indiana Pacers stood by and supported Artest and welcomed him back with open arms in 2005-06. Then, Artest stabs them in the heart by openly asking for a trade. So, the Pacers did what was painful, but right, and deactivated Artest. They may pay a price financially as well as in victories, but I think the Indiana, and all NBA fans, should applaud the Pacers for their strength and backbone and moral code.
Second, a young man I cheered and booed at times this year. I love my Hokies, but now I, and all Hokie fans, have a big black eye thanks to this spoiled brat. Marcus Vick has had a tough act to follow being in his brother's shadow. However, there comes a time when Michael can no longer baby his little brother and Marcus must grow up. Marcus refused to grow up. He flipped-off WVU fans, elbowed a coach, choked when the season was on the line versus Miami, and then stomped on the leg of Elvis Dumerville in the Gator Bowl. All this caused me to doubt his character and leadership ability, things required to be a successful quarterback. His off-the-field exploits further diminish his attractiveness to fans and NFL scouts alike. And, after Virginia Tech, like Indiana with Artest, gave Marcus one more shot, he stabbed them in the heart by not growing up. So, they, too, had to cut their losses and replace a great talent. With this kind of baggage, the negatives become longer-term than the successes, so Frank Beamer and Virginia Tech did what was hard, but right, and cut him loose.
Now to Spree. Mr. "I-have-a-family-to-feed," turned down $21 million because he couldn't feed his family on that salary. What is he feeding them? Rare 50 lb. lobster and filet mingon everynight? There are millions of minimum wage burger flippers that find ways to feed their family on $150 a week. This guy turned down $150 per breath...so, the Minnesota Timberwolves let their problems and a major contributor to their success go and the rest of the league has stayed away. I applaud the NBA execs for not picking this guy up. He has serious issues and does not deserve the privilege to play in the NBA.
Last but not least, for this blog, is TO. TO got exactly what he deserves. I just feel bad for the town of Philadelphia and Donovan McNabb. McNabb has put up with all sorts of crap and still stands strong and leads. He plays through pain. He tried to maintain a civil lockerroom. However, TO would not allow that. He had to get his dollars. He had to get his, Eagles be damned. So, Andy Reid and the Eagles said, "Adios!" and TO was no mo. TO will play again, but his value is extremely diminished because of his selfish, team-disrupting attitude and behavior.
I applaud these teams and leagues for beginning to turn the tides. Keep turning the tides against these spoiled, selfish athletes. They are by far some of the most overpaid people on the planet, but I won't complain as long as they give 100% on the field to their team. And is it THAT hard to ask these athletes to ACT like they are civilized human beings? Part of the job of pro athlete is the fact you are a role model. It comes with the territory. Its an occupational hazard. If you don't want to be a role model, get a job in an office building somewhere.
So, in being a role model, could you please, as an athlete, set a decent example for the kids who love, adore, and emulate you?
Ron Artest, Marcus Vick, Latrell Spreewell, and Terrell Owens are all examples of what has been wrong with sports for many years. The spoiled, ME-first attitude of the athlete has been nourished and, at times, encouraged by fans, coaches, agents, and other people of impact. However, the limits of what a star can get away with are becoming more clear and the world will be better for it.
First, Ron Artest. Yeah, he is kind of like Dennis Rodman, who I support and would like to see back with the Bulls. However, I never saw Rodman punch a 16-year-old kid after getting hit with a plastic cup. In no way was Artest in danger. No one would be in danger from that cup. A security guard could have removed the out of line fan. Instead, Artest punches THE WRONG FAN, starting the ugliest fiasco in the history of American sports. In spite of all that, Larry Bird and the Indiana Pacers stood by and supported Artest and welcomed him back with open arms in 2005-06. Then, Artest stabs them in the heart by openly asking for a trade. So, the Pacers did what was painful, but right, and deactivated Artest. They may pay a price financially as well as in victories, but I think the Indiana, and all NBA fans, should applaud the Pacers for their strength and backbone and moral code.
Second, a young man I cheered and booed at times this year. I love my Hokies, but now I, and all Hokie fans, have a big black eye thanks to this spoiled brat. Marcus Vick has had a tough act to follow being in his brother's shadow. However, there comes a time when Michael can no longer baby his little brother and Marcus must grow up. Marcus refused to grow up. He flipped-off WVU fans, elbowed a coach, choked when the season was on the line versus Miami, and then stomped on the leg of Elvis Dumerville in the Gator Bowl. All this caused me to doubt his character and leadership ability, things required to be a successful quarterback. His off-the-field exploits further diminish his attractiveness to fans and NFL scouts alike. And, after Virginia Tech, like Indiana with Artest, gave Marcus one more shot, he stabbed them in the heart by not growing up. So, they, too, had to cut their losses and replace a great talent. With this kind of baggage, the negatives become longer-term than the successes, so Frank Beamer and Virginia Tech did what was hard, but right, and cut him loose.
Now to Spree. Mr. "I-have-a-family-to-feed," turned down $21 million because he couldn't feed his family on that salary. What is he feeding them? Rare 50 lb. lobster and filet mingon everynight? There are millions of minimum wage burger flippers that find ways to feed their family on $150 a week. This guy turned down $150 per breath...so, the Minnesota Timberwolves let their problems and a major contributor to their success go and the rest of the league has stayed away. I applaud the NBA execs for not picking this guy up. He has serious issues and does not deserve the privilege to play in the NBA.
Last but not least, for this blog, is TO. TO got exactly what he deserves. I just feel bad for the town of Philadelphia and Donovan McNabb. McNabb has put up with all sorts of crap and still stands strong and leads. He plays through pain. He tried to maintain a civil lockerroom. However, TO would not allow that. He had to get his dollars. He had to get his, Eagles be damned. So, Andy Reid and the Eagles said, "Adios!" and TO was no mo. TO will play again, but his value is extremely diminished because of his selfish, team-disrupting attitude and behavior.
I applaud these teams and leagues for beginning to turn the tides. Keep turning the tides against these spoiled, selfish athletes. They are by far some of the most overpaid people on the planet, but I won't complain as long as they give 100% on the field to their team. And is it THAT hard to ask these athletes to ACT like they are civilized human beings? Part of the job of pro athlete is the fact you are a role model. It comes with the territory. Its an occupational hazard. If you don't want to be a role model, get a job in an office building somewhere.
So, in being a role model, could you please, as an athlete, set a decent example for the kids who love, adore, and emulate you?
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Kobe "TheRapist" Bryant
The spoiled brat prince of the NBA has just edged Terrell Owens out as the biggest scumbag in professional sports.
I want the ball. I wanna score all the points.
Shaq gone to the Heat. Phil was let go. A new list of pass-to-Kobe-first underacheivers enlisted to kiss Kobe's butt.
Kobe miss playoffs. Kobe's dream isn't what he wanted. Kobe tells Mr. Buss that he should get his daughter to use her feminine powers over Phil to tell Phil to come back...since he is the only reputable coach that could take the job since the only other applicants were three season ticket holders, a homeless guy named Ned-meister, and Jack Nicholson.
Kobe's team still sucks...the simple reason is no one has bent Kobe over their knee and beat the hell out of the brat.
Now, after a rough week of Shaq once again proving his value truly stands head and shoulders above the brat's, getting in a scuffle with one of the underacheivers who replaced the man that Kobe cannot win without, then throwing one of the most blatant, childish, dangerous, cheapest elbows in the history of mankind to a no name point guard who accidentally cut the rapist's eyebrow.
THEN, he dares to complain about a two-game suspension?
That elbow, delivered 1/2 inch lower, could have caused serious damage to the young point guard's adam's apple, possibly injuring or breaking the larnyx. The elbow was blatant. It was intended to cause harm.
Flagrant fouls happen. Players make mistakes. Flagrant fouls are called when a player is overzealous when they commit a foul on a player. Kobe has been on the recieving end of a couple flagrants. The foul was called. Free throws were shot. The game went on. There were no suspensions because the flagrant foul call was enough...the punishment fit the crime at that point.
This crime...the elbow to the throat of an opponent...was malicious in its intent and execution. The tape clearly shows Kobe aiming and delivering an elbow shiver to the chin/throat area of the player's body. There was no attempt to mask the elbow. It was a straight up mugging...something even flag-worthy on a football field.
And Kobe dares to question the suspension?
Kobe is lucky, first that he is not in prison thanks to idiot fans who did everything they could to violate the privacy of the accuser and put pressure on her until she dropped the charges. Second, he is lucky that two games is ALL his over-paid spoiled rear end is losing. Third, he is very lucky that this player was okay. As I said, and inch off the mark and this guy might not talk again...or worse.
And Kobe dares to question the suspension?
Kobe is a spoiled kid who consistanly gets his way because he can play some ball. He is rich and can play ball. So, the world is his. How dare David Stern live up to his last name and punish a star like Kobe...how dare you David Stern. Kobe is a dynomite baller...how dare you punish him for what he did. Him beign able to put the ball in the basket and sell tickets and jerseys puts him above the law and above decency.
Actually...Kobe, TO, Latrell "I Can't Feed My Family on 9 Million a Year" Spreewell, and all these other babies can go play ball on a distant island with no cameras and no media to kiss their asses.
Give me more Tim Duncan. More Emeka Okafur. Give me more Reggie Millers and Larry Birds and Michael Jordans and Magic Johnsons and Donovan McNabbs. More AC Greens and Warrick Dunns. Give me more athletes that fit the descriptions and definitions of role-model...class...respect...integrity...maturity.
Why can't the media keep the mics on these type of people?
I want the ball. I wanna score all the points.
Shaq gone to the Heat. Phil was let go. A new list of pass-to-Kobe-first underacheivers enlisted to kiss Kobe's butt.
Kobe miss playoffs. Kobe's dream isn't what he wanted. Kobe tells Mr. Buss that he should get his daughter to use her feminine powers over Phil to tell Phil to come back...since he is the only reputable coach that could take the job since the only other applicants were three season ticket holders, a homeless guy named Ned-meister, and Jack Nicholson.
Kobe's team still sucks...the simple reason is no one has bent Kobe over their knee and beat the hell out of the brat.
Now, after a rough week of Shaq once again proving his value truly stands head and shoulders above the brat's, getting in a scuffle with one of the underacheivers who replaced the man that Kobe cannot win without, then throwing one of the most blatant, childish, dangerous, cheapest elbows in the history of mankind to a no name point guard who accidentally cut the rapist's eyebrow.
THEN, he dares to complain about a two-game suspension?
That elbow, delivered 1/2 inch lower, could have caused serious damage to the young point guard's adam's apple, possibly injuring or breaking the larnyx. The elbow was blatant. It was intended to cause harm.
Flagrant fouls happen. Players make mistakes. Flagrant fouls are called when a player is overzealous when they commit a foul on a player. Kobe has been on the recieving end of a couple flagrants. The foul was called. Free throws were shot. The game went on. There were no suspensions because the flagrant foul call was enough...the punishment fit the crime at that point.
This crime...the elbow to the throat of an opponent...was malicious in its intent and execution. The tape clearly shows Kobe aiming and delivering an elbow shiver to the chin/throat area of the player's body. There was no attempt to mask the elbow. It was a straight up mugging...something even flag-worthy on a football field.
And Kobe dares to question the suspension?
Kobe is lucky, first that he is not in prison thanks to idiot fans who did everything they could to violate the privacy of the accuser and put pressure on her until she dropped the charges. Second, he is lucky that two games is ALL his over-paid spoiled rear end is losing. Third, he is very lucky that this player was okay. As I said, and inch off the mark and this guy might not talk again...or worse.
And Kobe dares to question the suspension?
Kobe is a spoiled kid who consistanly gets his way because he can play some ball. He is rich and can play ball. So, the world is his. How dare David Stern live up to his last name and punish a star like Kobe...how dare you David Stern. Kobe is a dynomite baller...how dare you punish him for what he did. Him beign able to put the ball in the basket and sell tickets and jerseys puts him above the law and above decency.
Actually...Kobe, TO, Latrell "I Can't Feed My Family on 9 Million a Year" Spreewell, and all these other babies can go play ball on a distant island with no cameras and no media to kiss their asses.
Give me more Tim Duncan. More Emeka Okafur. Give me more Reggie Millers and Larry Birds and Michael Jordans and Magic Johnsons and Donovan McNabbs. More AC Greens and Warrick Dunns. Give me more athletes that fit the descriptions and definitions of role-model...class...respect...integrity...maturity.
Why can't the media keep the mics on these type of people?
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Race in America. Can a White Man even talk about it?
Today, I am going to make some people uneasy.
GOOD. People think better when they are taken out of their comfort zone.
Today, I am talking against MICHAEL ERIC DYSON and for BILL COSBY.
We all know who Bill Cosby is...a man who EARNED his way to prominence in not only th black world, but in the world as a whole. He went to school, read books, learned proper English, and became a rich, successful man. And he did it without relying on affirmative action or some other liberal "equalizer" to get him through. He is a brilliant man who worked hard to get what he has. Beginning at a speech to the NAACP, Cosby started a war on ignorance, laziness, crime, and lack of personal responsibility.
Many applauded his speech and his efforts to combat the downfalls of lower middle class and poor blacks. He brought their entire lifestyle and culture to question, challenged their disregard for taking it upon themselves to prosper without crime, and attacked their willingness to settle for the life they have without working toward a better future. As far as I am concerned, Cosby hasn't spoken a mistruth since he began his attack on the poor black cutlure.
But, then again, I am white. Where parents, for the most part, teach children that education and respect will get you places.
Cosby feels that in this country, in this day, no one who gets an education, develops proper self-respect, develops a respect for others, and becomes a worthwhile employee, anyone who does that, will succeed. Cosby sees ads many see, many poor blacks are not doing that today.
So, Cosby has been calling his race out-he wants work ethic to become a staple lesson to blacks. He wants a high level of personal responsibility restored. He wants blacks to become more educated, more responsible, hold higher moral standards, be better parents, and build a life that does not involve crime.
Why is that so wrong?
Michael Eric Dyson, also a successful African American, is a professor who completely disagrees with Cosby's attack on the poor black lifestyle. In fact, he put pen to paper and has a book out called: Is Bill Cosby Right? Or has the Black Middle Class Lost its Mind? This book is an attack on Cosby's attack. This book is a 300 page list of excuses for the poor black community to do just as they have for the past 20 years.
In an excerpt from his book available here: at NPR's website, Dyson insluts blacks as a whole while also attacking Cosby for coming out and challenging blacks.
Cosby's overemphasis on personal responsibility, not structural features, wrongly locates the source of poor black suffering—and by implication its remedy—in the lives of the poor. When you think the problems are personal, you think the solutions are the same. If only the poor were willing to work harder, act better, get educated, stay out of jail and parent more effectively, their problems would go away. It's hard to argue against any of these things in the abstract; in principle such suggestions sound just fine. But one could do all of these things and still be in bad shape at home, work or school. For instance, Cosby completely ignores shifts in the economy that give value to some work while other work, in the words of William Julius Wilson, "disappears." In our high-tech, high-skilled economy where low-skilled work is being scaled back, phased out, exported, or severely under-compensated, all the right behavior in the world won't create better jobs with more pay. And without such support, all the goals that Cosby expresses for the black poor are not likely to become reality. If the rigidly segregated educational system continues to miserably fail poor blacks by failing to prepare their children for the world of work, then admonitions to "stay in school" may ring hollow.
(The bold and RED is mine for emphasis on some of the statements made here.)
First, the comment that Cosby overemphasizes personal responsibility. To me, that is a statement that completely supports Cosby's statements. How can you OVEREMPHASIZE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY? The choices one makes in this life are what determines our life. Yes, there are outside factors that contribute to our successes and failures. There are people who will do us wrong. There are unfair circumstances. SO WHAT? Get over it. Move on. Try harder. It is up to God's plan and your personal responsibility to yourself and your family as to whether you are a success in life. However, you cannot wait for God or any other deity, situation, or person to arrive to your front door step. You must make the efforts necessary to be a success. It is up to YOU and no other human being.
Dyson then berates his entire race with the second comments I put in bold. He all but calls blacks too dumb to work high-tech, high-skilled jobs. He says that in the high-tech, high-skilled work place, there are no or fewer opportunities for blacks. HUH? Just because the world is developing and requiring intelligence and education, there is no place for blacks? NO. If ANYONE gets an education and has work ethic, there is room for them in the work place. This is what Cosby is getting at. This goes back to the personal responsibility issue. You can't expect a drug dealer to drop the dime bags and walk into the CEO's chair at Microsoft. No. He's got to go to school, learn how to type and read and gain an understanding of computers, THEN he goes to work and climbs the ladder. Few, if any, successful people started on the top rung.
Dyson thinks blacks can't hang with the high tech world. Cosby thinks if they get and education and work for it, they can. Who do you side with?
The last comment in this excerpt from the excerpt bothers me very much. He blames the education system for the poor state that schools in highly black areas are in. How about looking around, Dyson. Its a vicious cycle of crime, irresponsibility, and laziness. The schools are in bad shape because the kids were not raised right and are running the school because they have not been taught responsibility. So, they have kids who go through the same cycle. IF the parents of poor black kids would raise them with integrity and personal responsibility, the kids would not ruin the schools and would be able to learn while in the building. However, when you are raised by the streets while mom is either coked and smoked out of her mind and sleeping with random men, or she is out working 2 jobs because her sorry man left, then the streets is all the kids know. And they bring the streets to school.
Bill Cosby is right. He may seem mean, hateful, and a traitor to blacks at times, but trust me, he is not. Cosby's crusade can save many blacks from the vicious cycle they are in, and at the same time, save our country. Cosby needs support from every person of every race.
If you ask me, Dyson is the traitor because he excuses the black behavior and encourages blacks to stay right were they are.
GOOD. People think better when they are taken out of their comfort zone.
Today, I am talking against MICHAEL ERIC DYSON and for BILL COSBY.
We all know who Bill Cosby is...a man who EARNED his way to prominence in not only th black world, but in the world as a whole. He went to school, read books, learned proper English, and became a rich, successful man. And he did it without relying on affirmative action or some other liberal "equalizer" to get him through. He is a brilliant man who worked hard to get what he has. Beginning at a speech to the NAACP, Cosby started a war on ignorance, laziness, crime, and lack of personal responsibility.
Many applauded his speech and his efforts to combat the downfalls of lower middle class and poor blacks. He brought their entire lifestyle and culture to question, challenged their disregard for taking it upon themselves to prosper without crime, and attacked their willingness to settle for the life they have without working toward a better future. As far as I am concerned, Cosby hasn't spoken a mistruth since he began his attack on the poor black cutlure.
But, then again, I am white. Where parents, for the most part, teach children that education and respect will get you places.
Cosby feels that in this country, in this day, no one who gets an education, develops proper self-respect, develops a respect for others, and becomes a worthwhile employee, anyone who does that, will succeed. Cosby sees ads many see, many poor blacks are not doing that today.
So, Cosby has been calling his race out-he wants work ethic to become a staple lesson to blacks. He wants a high level of personal responsibility restored. He wants blacks to become more educated, more responsible, hold higher moral standards, be better parents, and build a life that does not involve crime.
Why is that so wrong?
Michael Eric Dyson, also a successful African American, is a professor who completely disagrees with Cosby's attack on the poor black lifestyle. In fact, he put pen to paper and has a book out called: Is Bill Cosby Right? Or has the Black Middle Class Lost its Mind? This book is an attack on Cosby's attack. This book is a 300 page list of excuses for the poor black community to do just as they have for the past 20 years.
In an excerpt from his book available here: at NPR's website, Dyson insluts blacks as a whole while also attacking Cosby for coming out and challenging blacks.
Cosby's overemphasis on personal responsibility, not structural features, wrongly locates the source of poor black suffering—and by implication its remedy—in the lives of the poor. When you think the problems are personal, you think the solutions are the same. If only the poor were willing to work harder, act better, get educated, stay out of jail and parent more effectively, their problems would go away. It's hard to argue against any of these things in the abstract; in principle such suggestions sound just fine. But one could do all of these things and still be in bad shape at home, work or school. For instance, Cosby completely ignores shifts in the economy that give value to some work while other work, in the words of William Julius Wilson, "disappears." In our high-tech, high-skilled economy where low-skilled work is being scaled back, phased out, exported, or severely under-compensated, all the right behavior in the world won't create better jobs with more pay. And without such support, all the goals that Cosby expresses for the black poor are not likely to become reality. If the rigidly segregated educational system continues to miserably fail poor blacks by failing to prepare their children for the world of work, then admonitions to "stay in school" may ring hollow.
(The bold and RED is mine for emphasis on some of the statements made here.)
First, the comment that Cosby overemphasizes personal responsibility. To me, that is a statement that completely supports Cosby's statements. How can you OVEREMPHASIZE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY? The choices one makes in this life are what determines our life. Yes, there are outside factors that contribute to our successes and failures. There are people who will do us wrong. There are unfair circumstances. SO WHAT? Get over it. Move on. Try harder. It is up to God's plan and your personal responsibility to yourself and your family as to whether you are a success in life. However, you cannot wait for God or any other deity, situation, or person to arrive to your front door step. You must make the efforts necessary to be a success. It is up to YOU and no other human being.
Dyson then berates his entire race with the second comments I put in bold. He all but calls blacks too dumb to work high-tech, high-skilled jobs. He says that in the high-tech, high-skilled work place, there are no or fewer opportunities for blacks. HUH? Just because the world is developing and requiring intelligence and education, there is no place for blacks? NO. If ANYONE gets an education and has work ethic, there is room for them in the work place. This is what Cosby is getting at. This goes back to the personal responsibility issue. You can't expect a drug dealer to drop the dime bags and walk into the CEO's chair at Microsoft. No. He's got to go to school, learn how to type and read and gain an understanding of computers, THEN he goes to work and climbs the ladder. Few, if any, successful people started on the top rung.
Dyson thinks blacks can't hang with the high tech world. Cosby thinks if they get and education and work for it, they can. Who do you side with?
The last comment in this excerpt from the excerpt bothers me very much. He blames the education system for the poor state that schools in highly black areas are in. How about looking around, Dyson. Its a vicious cycle of crime, irresponsibility, and laziness. The schools are in bad shape because the kids were not raised right and are running the school because they have not been taught responsibility. So, they have kids who go through the same cycle. IF the parents of poor black kids would raise them with integrity and personal responsibility, the kids would not ruin the schools and would be able to learn while in the building. However, when you are raised by the streets while mom is either coked and smoked out of her mind and sleeping with random men, or she is out working 2 jobs because her sorry man left, then the streets is all the kids know. And they bring the streets to school.
Bill Cosby is right. He may seem mean, hateful, and a traitor to blacks at times, but trust me, he is not. Cosby's crusade can save many blacks from the vicious cycle they are in, and at the same time, save our country. Cosby needs support from every person of every race.
If you ask me, Dyson is the traitor because he excuses the black behavior and encourages blacks to stay right were they are.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Racism in the NBA? Not Hardly
Okay, I really want to get away from this issue, but it keeps coming up.
Race.
Several talking heads in the sports world have created the recent MVP voting in the NBA into an issue of racism.
Mark Jackson, ESPN hoops analyst and former NBA star, said that a black point guard with Steve Nash's numbers would never be considered for MVP. Jackson said that he put up numbers like that and was lucky to make an all star game.
A columnist in Miami (MIAMI...you know, where the HEAT are from) thrust this into national spotlight as well when he suggested that race was a major issue in the voting for the 2005 NBA MVP.
Why is race ALWAYS an issue when a white guy wins out over a black guy? Anytime a white guy does well, earns an award or recognition over a black guy, its because of race. Whenever a white guy gets a job or promotion, racism is the blame for a black guy not getting the job or promotion.
Lets look at the facts. Steve Nash won the MVP because he was and is the most valauble player to his team's success. Take Nash from Phoenix, and you have a talented and young group of players who would be a lottery team again.
Take Shaq from Miami, and you've got a 6 or 7 seed in the playoffs.
The MVP is not for the BEST player, but the MOST VALUABLE. Nash was more important to the 33 game turnaround from 04 to 05 than the improvement of the Heat.
While I cannot guarentee that the thought of putting a white guy on top did not factor in at all to the voting, I can guarentee that race was not the deciding factor...it wasn't even a real factor. Just talking heads who like to stir things up and take away from the honor of being voted MVP.
Nash deserved it. The Suns won 33 more games than last season, and did so in the WEST...you know, the deepest most talented of the two conferences. Nash scored when needed, passed the ball when the time was right, took the shots his team needed taken, and played tough defense.
Nash was all over the floor for the Suns each night. Nash is the MVP, so get over it.
The Heat would have made the playoffs without Shaq. Phoenix would not.
Race.
Several talking heads in the sports world have created the recent MVP voting in the NBA into an issue of racism.
Mark Jackson, ESPN hoops analyst and former NBA star, said that a black point guard with Steve Nash's numbers would never be considered for MVP. Jackson said that he put up numbers like that and was lucky to make an all star game.
A columnist in Miami (MIAMI...you know, where the HEAT are from) thrust this into national spotlight as well when he suggested that race was a major issue in the voting for the 2005 NBA MVP.
Why is race ALWAYS an issue when a white guy wins out over a black guy? Anytime a white guy does well, earns an award or recognition over a black guy, its because of race. Whenever a white guy gets a job or promotion, racism is the blame for a black guy not getting the job or promotion.
Lets look at the facts. Steve Nash won the MVP because he was and is the most valauble player to his team's success. Take Nash from Phoenix, and you have a talented and young group of players who would be a lottery team again.
Take Shaq from Miami, and you've got a 6 or 7 seed in the playoffs.
The MVP is not for the BEST player, but the MOST VALUABLE. Nash was more important to the 33 game turnaround from 04 to 05 than the improvement of the Heat.
While I cannot guarentee that the thought of putting a white guy on top did not factor in at all to the voting, I can guarentee that race was not the deciding factor...it wasn't even a real factor. Just talking heads who like to stir things up and take away from the honor of being voted MVP.
Nash deserved it. The Suns won 33 more games than last season, and did so in the WEST...you know, the deepest most talented of the two conferences. Nash scored when needed, passed the ball when the time was right, took the shots his team needed taken, and played tough defense.
Nash was all over the floor for the Suns each night. Nash is the MVP, so get over it.
The Heat would have made the playoffs without Shaq. Phoenix would not.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Publicly and Judicially Endorsed MURDER!
March 30, 2005-- Terri Schiavo's Death Sentence
Everyone is talking about it, so let me join the crowd. (Which is something I usually try not to do, hence I have never seen any of the Lord of the Rings movies, read or watched Harry Potter, or cheered for the New York Yankees...hate bandwagons.)
First, I want to send my condolences to anyone who knows Terri and is suffering as a result of her long murder. Her situation is a tragic one that we must all learn from and prevent from happening again.
Now, to the many issues at hand within this case.
Unfortunately, many people have forgotten one simple concept in this case: Terry Schiavo is a human being...a woman...a life...someone with a beating heart...working organs...a human. Too many judges and too many others in power, and too many others throughout the world, have forgotten this simple fact. Why is this concept hard to grasp? Or, do the people who fight for the "end of this case" need to forget that simple fact so they can live guilt free when she does succumb to the murder? Is it easier to think of her as a "case" and not a human? Is that how one can eat dinner with their own family...their own daughters...by neglecting to remember the fact that Terri is a person?
After that sad fact, we have to consider why we are here today? Why is there such a rush to yank her feeding tube out and let her starve? Pope John Paul II is receiving a feeding tube as we speak...why not yank it out? Yes, there have been 19 judges in 11 courts who have "looked at" this case over the past seven years. However, only once, seven years ago, has this case been thoroughly examined. ONCE. Since then, Terri Schiavo's desperate parents have been fighting to keep her alive and try to get her the necessary rehab to bring her back to a higher standard of living. Then, once the feeding tube was removed nearly two weeks ago, the US Congress fought to pass a law to allow the federal courts to open the files, testimonies, and hold a "di novo" review...a complete, thorough, head to toe look at everything in and around Terri Schiavo's case.
What did Judge George Greer and his colleagues do? Thumb their nose at the US Congress and the President of the United States by taking less than 13 hours from the passing of the law to write a rejection of the review. Greer forgot that TERRI IS A HUMAN BEING.
Terri's parents, siblings, and family counselors have been joined by Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and even Jesse Jackson, in the fight. Governor Jeb Bush and President George W. Bush have fought hard within the law to help Terri Schiavo. However, an out-of-control judiciary has taken over the nation...and the liberal media and liberal leadership over the past 50 years has allowed and fought to allow this. The judiciary, legislative, and executive branches are supposed to be of SEPARATE BUT EQUAL powers...not the legislative and executive branches bowing before the mighty gavel and robe. Perhaps this is lesson one from Terri Schiavo.
Perhaps this is agenda item number one for America to fix once we recover from this situation.
For me, there are two very, very scary ideas that are coming out of this situation. First, the most heart-wrenching and sickening thought is that Terri Schiavo is NOT in a Permanent Vegetative State, a claim made by an accomplished neurologist and several nurses who have been treated Terri, and instead there is a woman, fully aware, trapped in a failing body as she starves to death. I am worried that because of the denied rehab that could have brought Terri back to a more prominent level of consciousness, she is mentally locked in a prison within her body. Can you imagine how scary that would be? How overwhelming that could be? To be trapped in that situation with a husband fighting to kill you off once and for all? To see your family weeping and praying at your bedside, the whole time you are fighting to tell you mom, "I love you, don't worry mom."? We do not know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she isn't in pain...that she isn't suffering...that she isn't fully aware of what is being done to her. We do not know. That is what Congress and the President wanted to accomplish on Palm Sunday: find out for sure before she is killed.
Now you might be one of those who whines that Congress and President Bush overstepped their bounds...they should not have gotten involved in this case because the federal government does not belong mettling in personal, private, state affairs. I believe that the involvement of Washington was because Bush and the Republicans saw the big picture...they saw the second thing that scares me about this sad situation...they saw the looming question that could haunt and destroy our country in the years to come. That dark question that none of the judges nor anyone else who is on the death-to-Terri side will, or can, answer is: Where does it stop?
Where does it stop?
If we allow Terri Schiavo to die like this, where will this type of medical "treatment" be stopped? Where and when will the limits be drawn? If we can take the word of an adulterous husband as proof positive of a wish to die, what kind of a Pandora's box is now open?
Perhaps this can open up a way to fix social security. Perhaps we can start killing off seniors who are in less-than-conscious states by cutting them off from food and hydration. Perhaps we can starve children with down syndrome? Where will it stop? Yes I am predicting a slippery slope, and you might scoff now. But, in 20 years, where will the murder of Terri Schiavo put us as a society?
Based on this case, someone who has serious Alzheimer's can be euthanized because they once said they wouldn't want to live that way. A mentally retarded individual can be euthanized because a legal guardian decides it is what is best. A severely mangled car accident victim can be killed because they would not want to live with the scars and injuries...according to a guardian.
Based on this case, a spouse with an obvious conflict of interest (i.e. a new common-law wife and two kids) can determine your medical treatment and decide to have you euthanized.
We are headed in a wrong direction. Terri Schiavo is not the first, and, unfortunately, won't be the last. However, her situation is the most crucial because it has become so well known. It is in the public forum, and we, as a society need to make some serious decisions. We do...and not heartless, humanless judges hiding behind a gavel and a bench.
There is so much more to this situation....too much. A woman is dying because her husband wants her to. She has not gone through the rehab she needs to see if she can recover. Her husband has left her to rot in her body and now wants her gone so he can continue his adulterous relationship. And, with her death, she will immediately be cremated and her ashes taken to Pennsylvania...just one more slap in the face and dagger to the heart of her family. Also, and more vile, the cremation will prevent anyone from knowing for sure how Terri fell into her condition...perhaps because Michael Schiavo has something to hide.
Everyone is talking about it, so let me join the crowd. (Which is something I usually try not to do, hence I have never seen any of the Lord of the Rings movies, read or watched Harry Potter, or cheered for the New York Yankees...hate bandwagons.)
First, I want to send my condolences to anyone who knows Terri and is suffering as a result of her long murder. Her situation is a tragic one that we must all learn from and prevent from happening again.
Now, to the many issues at hand within this case.
Unfortunately, many people have forgotten one simple concept in this case: Terry Schiavo is a human being...a woman...a life...someone with a beating heart...working organs...a human. Too many judges and too many others in power, and too many others throughout the world, have forgotten this simple fact. Why is this concept hard to grasp? Or, do the people who fight for the "end of this case" need to forget that simple fact so they can live guilt free when she does succumb to the murder? Is it easier to think of her as a "case" and not a human? Is that how one can eat dinner with their own family...their own daughters...by neglecting to remember the fact that Terri is a person?
After that sad fact, we have to consider why we are here today? Why is there such a rush to yank her feeding tube out and let her starve? Pope John Paul II is receiving a feeding tube as we speak...why not yank it out? Yes, there have been 19 judges in 11 courts who have "looked at" this case over the past seven years. However, only once, seven years ago, has this case been thoroughly examined. ONCE. Since then, Terri Schiavo's desperate parents have been fighting to keep her alive and try to get her the necessary rehab to bring her back to a higher standard of living. Then, once the feeding tube was removed nearly two weeks ago, the US Congress fought to pass a law to allow the federal courts to open the files, testimonies, and hold a "di novo" review...a complete, thorough, head to toe look at everything in and around Terri Schiavo's case.
What did Judge George Greer and his colleagues do? Thumb their nose at the US Congress and the President of the United States by taking less than 13 hours from the passing of the law to write a rejection of the review. Greer forgot that TERRI IS A HUMAN BEING.
Terri's parents, siblings, and family counselors have been joined by Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and even Jesse Jackson, in the fight. Governor Jeb Bush and President George W. Bush have fought hard within the law to help Terri Schiavo. However, an out-of-control judiciary has taken over the nation...and the liberal media and liberal leadership over the past 50 years has allowed and fought to allow this. The judiciary, legislative, and executive branches are supposed to be of SEPARATE BUT EQUAL powers...not the legislative and executive branches bowing before the mighty gavel and robe. Perhaps this is lesson one from Terri Schiavo.
Perhaps this is agenda item number one for America to fix once we recover from this situation.
For me, there are two very, very scary ideas that are coming out of this situation. First, the most heart-wrenching and sickening thought is that Terri Schiavo is NOT in a Permanent Vegetative State, a claim made by an accomplished neurologist and several nurses who have been treated Terri, and instead there is a woman, fully aware, trapped in a failing body as she starves to death. I am worried that because of the denied rehab that could have brought Terri back to a more prominent level of consciousness, she is mentally locked in a prison within her body. Can you imagine how scary that would be? How overwhelming that could be? To be trapped in that situation with a husband fighting to kill you off once and for all? To see your family weeping and praying at your bedside, the whole time you are fighting to tell you mom, "I love you, don't worry mom."? We do not know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she isn't in pain...that she isn't suffering...that she isn't fully aware of what is being done to her. We do not know. That is what Congress and the President wanted to accomplish on Palm Sunday: find out for sure before she is killed.
Now you might be one of those who whines that Congress and President Bush overstepped their bounds...they should not have gotten involved in this case because the federal government does not belong mettling in personal, private, state affairs. I believe that the involvement of Washington was because Bush and the Republicans saw the big picture...they saw the second thing that scares me about this sad situation...they saw the looming question that could haunt and destroy our country in the years to come. That dark question that none of the judges nor anyone else who is on the death-to-Terri side will, or can, answer is: Where does it stop?
Where does it stop?
If we allow Terri Schiavo to die like this, where will this type of medical "treatment" be stopped? Where and when will the limits be drawn? If we can take the word of an adulterous husband as proof positive of a wish to die, what kind of a Pandora's box is now open?
Perhaps this can open up a way to fix social security. Perhaps we can start killing off seniors who are in less-than-conscious states by cutting them off from food and hydration. Perhaps we can starve children with down syndrome? Where will it stop? Yes I am predicting a slippery slope, and you might scoff now. But, in 20 years, where will the murder of Terri Schiavo put us as a society?
Based on this case, someone who has serious Alzheimer's can be euthanized because they once said they wouldn't want to live that way. A mentally retarded individual can be euthanized because a legal guardian decides it is what is best. A severely mangled car accident victim can be killed because they would not want to live with the scars and injuries...according to a guardian.
Based on this case, a spouse with an obvious conflict of interest (i.e. a new common-law wife and two kids) can determine your medical treatment and decide to have you euthanized.
We are headed in a wrong direction. Terri Schiavo is not the first, and, unfortunately, won't be the last. However, her situation is the most crucial because it has become so well known. It is in the public forum, and we, as a society need to make some serious decisions. We do...and not heartless, humanless judges hiding behind a gavel and a bench.
There is so much more to this situation....too much. A woman is dying because her husband wants her to. She has not gone through the rehab she needs to see if she can recover. Her husband has left her to rot in her body and now wants her gone so he can continue his adulterous relationship. And, with her death, she will immediately be cremated and her ashes taken to Pennsylvania...just one more slap in the face and dagger to the heart of her family. Also, and more vile, the cremation will prevent anyone from knowing for sure how Terri fell into her condition...perhaps because Michael Schiavo has something to hide.
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