"Everybody does it." When and why did this become justification for anything? The New England Patriots were caught cheating opening weekend of the NFL Season and everyone is chalking it up to "Everybody does it." If that is your logic, than maybe we should start to consider the WWE a real sport! If that is your logic, than we should disband all of those pesky investigators who want to investigate steroid use amongst professional athletes. If that is your logic, than let them all participate in dog fighting? If that is your logic, why work hard or be honest about anything?????
Am I being too literal for the commentators that want to shrug cheating off as just one more new fad for our culture to embrace? Am I being naive when I hope that cheating is not wide spread? Am I living in a bubble to think that this is the exception and not the norm?
I have been a fan of the NFL for as long as I can remember. I have stood by as former players have tried to trash the game and supported my team (Cleveland Browns - yes I am a martyr). I supported this league because I believed the players and coaches represented people who worked hard and understood perseverance, loyalty and commitment. What Free Agency did to organized sports was a travesty! But we still found our loyalty and love of the game. But now we are expected to allow cheating. NO! There should not be room in any organized game at any level for cheating.
Some athletes want to deny they are role models, but that is where the money comes from. It comes from product endorsements and young fans who want to be like their favorite player. This is suppose to mean that they want to work hard, be loyal, and love the game LIKE THEIR COACHES TEACH THEM! What are we teaching our young fans? What example are we setting to not only sports, but the entire world that sees this played out by our Media?
NFL discipline for this action are fines and loss of a draft pick. The coach will pay the fine, courtesy of the team owner. The team owner will pay the fine assessed to the team. The ticket prices will go up as a result of paying these fines. The cheating will be passed on to the fans that go to see a team that WORKS HARD AND HONESTLY for their wins.
The fans will always have to pay! Thanks guys! Thank alot! I'll be in my bubble.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
One America
It is the day after the sixth anniversary of the tragedy that occurred on September 11th. On this day, we took time to remember the people directly affected by this tragedy. We remembered where we were on that day and we remember how we felt as the news media got the story out as quickly as it could. We recalled that on this day we embraced our loved ones and we prayed for strangers. We experienced a grief like nothing we had experienced before.
The days that followed were as equally memorable. We came together and looked for ways we could make a difference. We avoided confrontation and got along with one another, even our elected officials came together in a display of unity that made each of us proud to be an American. Sometimes I wonder what I miss more - the security of September 10th and before or those few short days where we all got along.
Now we must fast forward to six years later. Who would have thought that we would still be looking for the people that brought that tragedy to our shores. Who would have thought that we would be a nation as divided as we are. Our politicians on BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE have reduced us to the kind of partisanship that has not been around since our Civil War. Is this why we are still looking for Osama Bin Laden? Would his terrorist network be revived if we had maintained our unity and devotion to our status as Americans instead of dissolving into the partisan rhetoric that our headlines are devoted to?
What tragic event will have to occur for us to become the One America that our nation needs to be to face down all that we have to face? Why is it that only in tragedy we can see past our differences and truly recognize the greatness of our nation and it's people. Why?
The days that followed were as equally memorable. We came together and looked for ways we could make a difference. We avoided confrontation and got along with one another, even our elected officials came together in a display of unity that made each of us proud to be an American. Sometimes I wonder what I miss more - the security of September 10th and before or those few short days where we all got along.
Now we must fast forward to six years later. Who would have thought that we would still be looking for the people that brought that tragedy to our shores. Who would have thought that we would be a nation as divided as we are. Our politicians on BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE have reduced us to the kind of partisanship that has not been around since our Civil War. Is this why we are still looking for Osama Bin Laden? Would his terrorist network be revived if we had maintained our unity and devotion to our status as Americans instead of dissolving into the partisan rhetoric that our headlines are devoted to?
What tragic event will have to occur for us to become the One America that our nation needs to be to face down all that we have to face? Why is it that only in tragedy we can see past our differences and truly recognize the greatness of our nation and it's people. Why?
Monday, September 10, 2007
Media OOPS!
One of my pet peeves is when some wind bag on TV screws up. Take the latest examples that I witnessed just in the last 24 hours. Joe Buck of the Fox Channel indicated in his commentary that he was in Chicago. Sadly this was incorrect. He was covering the Chicago game but he was in San Diego. When he proceeded with his next comment he stated that he was in San Diego but did not make mention of the previous OOPS.
Then we have Chris Collinsworth of NBC who's ego needed to address the New England Patriots as coached by Bill Parcells. It's a real shame that Parcells left the team years ago and that the current coach's correct name is Bill Belichick. I grew tired of this and never saw any mention of his OOPS.
This morning I was actually one of the few viewers reading the crawl across the bottom of the screen as I watched MSNBC's Morning Joe and found that Larry Craig is a Utah Senator. At least they were in the correct neck of the woods, unfortunately Larry Craig is US Senator from Idaho. They changed this the next time it crawled past but no mention of the OOPS.
Word of advice: If you want to be perceived as an authority on anything, say sports or news, you might want to avoid errors like the above. It just makes you look pompous, arrogant, and superficial. Maybe the networks should spend as much money on a good tutor as they do on hair and make up. It would be nice if my dishwasher wasn't the smartest running appliance in my home.
Have a great day!
Then we have Chris Collinsworth of NBC who's ego needed to address the New England Patriots as coached by Bill Parcells. It's a real shame that Parcells left the team years ago and that the current coach's correct name is Bill Belichick. I grew tired of this and never saw any mention of his OOPS.
This morning I was actually one of the few viewers reading the crawl across the bottom of the screen as I watched MSNBC's Morning Joe and found that Larry Craig is a Utah Senator. At least they were in the correct neck of the woods, unfortunately Larry Craig is US Senator from Idaho. They changed this the next time it crawled past but no mention of the OOPS.
Word of advice: If you want to be perceived as an authority on anything, say sports or news, you might want to avoid errors like the above. It just makes you look pompous, arrogant, and superficial. Maybe the networks should spend as much money on a good tutor as they do on hair and make up. It would be nice if my dishwasher wasn't the smartest running appliance in my home.
Have a great day!
Friday, September 7, 2007
A Parent & Apparent
Studies have been published to indicate a shocking rise in the suicide rate amongst young adults. They are trying to tie this to a reduction in anti-depressant use by this same age group. When I think back to what I was like at that age and the huge difference in what a child this age is exposed to today, are any of us really surprised by this?
We have become a society of "The Self-Raised." There was a time when it was a parent's responsibility to know what was going on in their children's lives. They were the influence on their child. Now look at all of the influences that are available today. We have the assortment of friends and mentors beginning at a much earlier age as most children are enrolled at much younger ages in some kind of day care. We have the television, which is sad to say, there more hours of the day to these kids than the parents who are struggling to make ends meet. We have the Internet, great study aid but in some cases a greater risk to a child if parental controls are not used. We have the age old problems of peers.
With more and more kids spending their time with so many distractions, it is becoming more and more APPARENT that today's kids have a disconnect when it comes to relationships. They no longer have one dominate influence in their lives to provide a balance or counterbalance to all of the crap they are exposed to.
So many parents compensate for their absences from the home by trying to be a friend to their preteens. Listen carefully: Your children have plenty of friends. They need an old fashioned parent at home. Someone who listens, pays attention and lays down the law. They need an old fashioned parent to show them that there is more to their lives than the teen years and to help them understand the miseries they may encounter as they pass through these turbulent years. They need an old fashioned parent who will tell them no, tell them why the answer is no and understand that it is better to be hated now than to lose a child.
A parent and Apparent are very similar. Both SHOULD mean "readily seen, open to view, capable of being easily perceived or understood."
Take a moment and remember that in order to succeed, a child must know love, must know trust, and must know their parents.
We have become a society of "The Self-Raised." There was a time when it was a parent's responsibility to know what was going on in their children's lives. They were the influence on their child. Now look at all of the influences that are available today. We have the assortment of friends and mentors beginning at a much earlier age as most children are enrolled at much younger ages in some kind of day care. We have the television, which is sad to say, there more hours of the day to these kids than the parents who are struggling to make ends meet. We have the Internet, great study aid but in some cases a greater risk to a child if parental controls are not used. We have the age old problems of peers.
With more and more kids spending their time with so many distractions, it is becoming more and more APPARENT that today's kids have a disconnect when it comes to relationships. They no longer have one dominate influence in their lives to provide a balance or counterbalance to all of the crap they are exposed to.
So many parents compensate for their absences from the home by trying to be a friend to their preteens. Listen carefully: Your children have plenty of friends. They need an old fashioned parent at home. Someone who listens, pays attention and lays down the law. They need an old fashioned parent to show them that there is more to their lives than the teen years and to help them understand the miseries they may encounter as they pass through these turbulent years. They need an old fashioned parent who will tell them no, tell them why the answer is no and understand that it is better to be hated now than to lose a child.
A parent and Apparent are very similar. Both SHOULD mean "readily seen, open to view, capable of being easily perceived or understood."
Take a moment and remember that in order to succeed, a child must know love, must know trust, and must know their parents.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Made In China - Part 2
There has been another recall of toys made in China and again the reason is lead paint. Has no one seen the connection between these toys that are being recalled (always the toddler age toys) and the use of the lead paint? Isn't this about the same age that the Autism diagnosis is usually made?
China would like us all to believe that this recall only pertains to goods manufactured from 2006 to this year. Can we believe this? Our researchers are trying to determine the cause of Autism and the increasing number of children who are diagnosed with this disease, a disease that was not a wide spread problem until the last decade (about the same time that the bulk of your toys began to be imported from China). They have been stumped by the lack of common denominators in the children who are affected by Autism. Well here is your common denominator. Every child in America either owns toys made in China or attends a school or day care where these toys are prominent in the play areas.
I am usually not much of a conspiracy theorist but this is no small coincidence. Some parents believe that Autism is due to vaccinations. When these vaccinations were approved, they were tested in very controlled environments - environments that did not include LEAD PAINTED TOYS. Have our researchers examined the possibility that the children who are affected by Autism were consoled after the shots were administered with these toys soon after vaccinations and that is the leading reason why so many people believe it is the vaccinations causing the onset of Autism?
If this is not under review, it damn sure ought to be!
China would like us all to believe that this recall only pertains to goods manufactured from 2006 to this year. Can we believe this? Our researchers are trying to determine the cause of Autism and the increasing number of children who are diagnosed with this disease, a disease that was not a wide spread problem until the last decade (about the same time that the bulk of your toys began to be imported from China). They have been stumped by the lack of common denominators in the children who are affected by Autism. Well here is your common denominator. Every child in America either owns toys made in China or attends a school or day care where these toys are prominent in the play areas.
I am usually not much of a conspiracy theorist but this is no small coincidence. Some parents believe that Autism is due to vaccinations. When these vaccinations were approved, they were tested in very controlled environments - environments that did not include LEAD PAINTED TOYS. Have our researchers examined the possibility that the children who are affected by Autism were consoled after the shots were administered with these toys soon after vaccinations and that is the leading reason why so many people believe it is the vaccinations causing the onset of Autism?
If this is not under review, it damn sure ought to be!
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Lil' Bush in Retirement
Our President has already begun to envision retirement. He is actually a few months late on this as most of us have been dreaming of that moment for a very long time. Bush is beginning to ponder what he will do in his Retirement Years and I could not resist the presumption of trying to figure out what is swirling around in Old W's head.
1. With Tony Snow announcing his retirement for monetary reasons, it strikes me as quite the coincidence that the new book out "Dead Certain" shows that W himself is concerned about money. He feels that he should make more than Clinton in his speaking engagements. Let's hope this means that W will improve his use of the English language and actually understand what he is saying. With this accomplished, maybe we could also address the appropriate use of humor in his speeches.
2. He's going to need to make some new friends. I just don't see Gonzalez, Cheney, Snow, or Rove showing up for a weekly card game. Why after eight years of being manipulated by W and manipulating each other, they probably won't have too much time for each other in retirement. I am sure he will make lots of new friends when he becomes a regular commentator on Fox News.
3. He will begin to write his memoirs. Why once he's out of office and assumes he is exempt from the actions or inaction's of the US Congress, he might even remember that he did screw up.
4. He could become a political advisor for his brother Jeb's run for office. Oh yeah, it's going to be really tough for anyone with the last name of Bush to ever win another election. Who's fault was that?
5. He could putter around the house and help Laura. It's not like she's going to file for divorce as soon as they are out of the White House. She's probably looking forward to assuming the full time sole responsibility of feeding W's ego and keeping him in the dark about just how badly he did as President of the United States.
Well, there is my short list of W's options once he retires. Now all I have to do is be patient and look forward to the day that he rides off into the sunset to Crawford, Texas. Could the people of Texas be looking forward to that day as much as I am?
1. With Tony Snow announcing his retirement for monetary reasons, it strikes me as quite the coincidence that the new book out "Dead Certain" shows that W himself is concerned about money. He feels that he should make more than Clinton in his speaking engagements. Let's hope this means that W will improve his use of the English language and actually understand what he is saying. With this accomplished, maybe we could also address the appropriate use of humor in his speeches.
2. He's going to need to make some new friends. I just don't see Gonzalez, Cheney, Snow, or Rove showing up for a weekly card game. Why after eight years of being manipulated by W and manipulating each other, they probably won't have too much time for each other in retirement. I am sure he will make lots of new friends when he becomes a regular commentator on Fox News.
3. He will begin to write his memoirs. Why once he's out of office and assumes he is exempt from the actions or inaction's of the US Congress, he might even remember that he did screw up.
4. He could become a political advisor for his brother Jeb's run for office. Oh yeah, it's going to be really tough for anyone with the last name of Bush to ever win another election. Who's fault was that?
5. He could putter around the house and help Laura. It's not like she's going to file for divorce as soon as they are out of the White House. She's probably looking forward to assuming the full time sole responsibility of feeding W's ego and keeping him in the dark about just how badly he did as President of the United States.
Well, there is my short list of W's options once he retires. Now all I have to do is be patient and look forward to the day that he rides off into the sunset to Crawford, Texas. Could the people of Texas be looking forward to that day as much as I am?
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Congressional Hypocrisy
September has arrived and the US Congress will be back in session soon. With so much to do, it is hard to get excited about their return. They will be injecting their sound bites into the report that is due to arrive from the White House, I mean General Petraeus. The report is to include progress in Iraq and what I find ironic is that it will include information on the political progress or lack of by the Iraqi Parliament.
So let us begin by evaluating this for ourselves. The Iraqi people nominated people from a variety of different regions, religions, and view points to their Parliament and expected them to accomplish things that were for the good of their country. We have decided they have failed at this. Was their failure due to a lack of leadership or lack of example? For if we think long and hard about this whose example could they be following.
Let us take this time to analyze the very government body that is going to critique their progress. What has our newly elected Congress accomplished since the beginning of the new term in January? They quietly got a raise. They quietly agreed to the wire tapping program that they had such strong opposition for. They approved a budget that included funding for a war that they claimed they were going to downsize. They did accomplish a minimum wage increase that was four years too late, but it was one hell of a photo op!!
So let us think now of how our Congress, who has been doing this for a whole lot longer, has failed at most of it's major milestone issues. We could not agree to debate the war and when we finally did, it was for naught. We are still in over our heads in the muck and mire in Iraq. Our infrastructure is almost as much of a disaster as our policy in Iraq. The Gulf Coast is still reeling from a hurricane that occurred TWO years ago.
So where exactly should we place the rocks that our Congress is going to throw at the Iraqi Parliament's Glass House. Now that the summer recess is ending for both The US Congress and the Iraqi Parliament, let the rocks fly. After all the Iraqi Parliament that has only been around a few years versus the hundreds of years our Congress has been established should know to do what we say and not what we do!
Heaven Help Us ALL!!!!!
So let us begin by evaluating this for ourselves. The Iraqi people nominated people from a variety of different regions, religions, and view points to their Parliament and expected them to accomplish things that were for the good of their country. We have decided they have failed at this. Was their failure due to a lack of leadership or lack of example? For if we think long and hard about this whose example could they be following.
Let us take this time to analyze the very government body that is going to critique their progress. What has our newly elected Congress accomplished since the beginning of the new term in January? They quietly got a raise. They quietly agreed to the wire tapping program that they had such strong opposition for. They approved a budget that included funding for a war that they claimed they were going to downsize. They did accomplish a minimum wage increase that was four years too late, but it was one hell of a photo op!!
So let us think now of how our Congress, who has been doing this for a whole lot longer, has failed at most of it's major milestone issues. We could not agree to debate the war and when we finally did, it was for naught. We are still in over our heads in the muck and mire in Iraq. Our infrastructure is almost as much of a disaster as our policy in Iraq. The Gulf Coast is still reeling from a hurricane that occurred TWO years ago.
So where exactly should we place the rocks that our Congress is going to throw at the Iraqi Parliament's Glass House. Now that the summer recess is ending for both The US Congress and the Iraqi Parliament, let the rocks fly. After all the Iraqi Parliament that has only been around a few years versus the hundreds of years our Congress has been established should know to do what we say and not what we do!
Heaven Help Us ALL!!!!!
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