Somber, yet hopeful

I think that it’s often very easy, sometimes ludicrously so, to find it hard to identify with professional / high-level college athletes and coaches. They make inconceivably large amounts of money for being involved with a game. In the wake of the recent tragic death of Sean Taylor, I think we were all reminded that despite being able to run through a brick wall, athletes are as susceptible to misfortune and tragedy any of us. With that in the back of my mind, I saw on ESPN today that this week is being referred to as Jimmy V week. That might not mean much to many, but it reasonates deeply with me, and I wanted to share my own highly impersonal experience with Jim Valvano.

For those of you not in the know, Jimmy Valvano first became truly famous when the N.C. State men’s basketball team won the national championship on a somewhat fluky last-second play. However, I was all of one year old at the time of that game, so that’s certainly not why I rememember him. Instead, I remember first becoming aware of Jimmy V during the inaugural ESPY’s. As a young sports fan, it was essential that I watch ESPN’s award show for the best athletes, games, and plays of the year.

When Valvano came on, I wasn’t quite sure what was happening. He was introduced as a great coach and a great man, and a person who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer several months before. At the time, this didn’t have much of an impact on me – I was too young to conceptually understand cancer, and none of my family members or friends had yet been stricken with the disease. I remember seeing one man in the audience appear to be choked up,which signaled to me that something significant was happening. Then Valvano began speaking.

In this space, I have highlighted several speeches I found to be truly outstanding feats of oratory, such as General Eisenhower’s Order of the Day on D-Day. I am so enthralled with wonderful speeches and soliloquies I even have a tag named “Wise Words.” However, it is quite possible that no speech I have ever come across has affected me in the way this did:

That any person could be so brave, so noble, so eloquent, and so selfless is truly a testimony to the limitless potential of humanity. In such difficult times, it is often difficult to remember that we are all capable of such wonderful contributions to our fellow man. For now, I know I will again be making a donation to the V Foundation for Cancer Research. I hope that some of you will find some change in the sofa or an extra dollar or two in a spare pair of pants and do the same. The only truly fitting way to remember such a magnificent human being is to do our best to ensure that his legacy becomes intertwined with the eventual eradication of cancer – in donating, you can become part of that legacy, as well. Have a good night, folks.

Just saying, is all…

So, there have been a lot of numbers and arguments thrown around about the Mess O’ Potamia lately.  While cruising the information superhighway, I stumbled across this rather excellent visual that examines the impact of the fighting going on in Iraq:

The statistics are easily verifiable via the Google machine, and the method of presenting them is poignant and visually effective. Regardless of your views upon the conflict in Iraq, it is indisputable that the U.S. federal government and military have wreaked destruction upon a country that has indelibly changed it for the worse. A full 20 percent of the Iraq population have had their lives changed or ended – the equivalent population in the U.S. states would be 60,227,989 people. That’s kind of a big deal, no? Can anyone argue that sort of wholesale population turnover won’t cripple the country for decades, maybe even centuries? How can that be a good thing?

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Maroon 5 – Sunday Morning

A victory for equality…

Q. What’s the difference between a typical Klansman and a typical opponent of gay marriage?

A. One burns crosses while the other misuses them to prop up his/her hatred.

Make no mistake – yesterday was an absolutely huge day in Massachusetts, and the future may prove it to be the start of something significant nationwide. By a vote of 151 to 45, the Massachusetts legislature killed a proposed amendment to the Massachusetts Constitution that would, in effect, ban gay marriage.

For those of you not familiar with Massachusetts, it became the first state to legalize gay marriage in 2004 when the state Supreme Court declared that banning gay marriage would be in violation of the state constitution. In the time since, those who would seek to deny civil rights have aggressively (and according to some reports – illegally) gone on the warpath. According to the Massachusetts Constitution (the oldest in America), if enough people sign off on their desire to vote on a proposed amendment, session(s) of the Constitutional Convention are used to determine whether or not the issue should be added to the general election ballot. 1/4 of the the legislature must approve of putting the amendment on the ballot on two separate occasions. On one previous occasion, the legislature had approved of placing the amendment question on ballots, but yesterday, they made a firm stand against the specter of politics driven by misguided hate and misinterpreted Bible passages. As a result, gay marriage is pretty much guaranteed to be legal in Massachusetts until 2012 at the earliest. Of course, you could have read that in any respectable news source. Instead of merely summarizing facts, I plan on offering cogent and honest analysis of the issues. There are several points to be covered here:

I. Concisely, the actual effects of yesterday’s political decision are that people who are truly in love can get married in this state, regardless of their sexual preference. Anyone who is married will receive full legal recognition and the benefits associated with such legislation. It is really that simple – love wins.

II. Of course, in any conflict, there is a side that wins, and a side full of losers. In the internet of covering both sides of the story, we must speak of Kris Mineau and some of his followers:

They have made several arguments against both the concept of gay marriage and the way in which the politicking regarding the issue was conducted. All the arguments are about as solid as a Nerf ball. In no particular order:

A. Gay marriage somehow harms all other marriages.

For this one, I’m going to let the readers do the talking. Simply add a comment to this entry that reflects how your marriage fell apart once the gays began marrying. Be sure to demonstrate the connection between the ability of gays to marry and your own failed relationship(s). I’ll make a deal with my entire readership: if one person writes in with a convincing, compelling story of how gay marriage has destroyed his/her own marriage, then I will not only switch my beliefs on this issue, I will become a Yankees fan. (Yes, I am so certain that no one will pass the challenge that I am offering my soul as the reward.)

B. Gays getting married doesn’t gibe with my religious beliefs.

Too bad, buttercup. The United States was intentionally founded with a separation of church and state so that religious doctrine didn’t determine political policy. I wonder why that might be? Oh, riiiiiight, because the Pilgrims were fleeing a country where religion had become overly intertwined with politics and the results were disastrous. Many falsely claim that the Founding Fathers were religious zealots and wanted the U.S. to be a Christian nation. This quote might defeat that argument:

“As the government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion…”

So who said it? Some liberal like Noam Chomsky looking to write revisionist history? Someone who didn’t trust religion? Well…1 out of 2, as it turns out. Joel Barlow made that claim as part of the Treaty of Tripoli, a document he wrote. The Treaty of Tripoli was unanimously approved by the Senate and approved by the President. In1797. You’ll never guess who was serving in the Senate at that time – many of the Founding Fathers. The President’s name? Some guy named John Adams. D’oh! I guess actual U.S. history doesn’t support the idea that religion should be interwined with politics. If you are sufficiently against the idea of gay marriage for religious reasons, just spend your entire life in a Catholic or Mormon church, and you won’t have to see any gay weddings. Of course, you won’t see much of anything else, either, but hey, sometimes you gotta make sacrifices for your beliefs, right?

C. Not allowing the people to vote was a perversion of American democracy.

Actually, that argument demonstrates a woeful understanding of United States civics. In a true, or direct democracy, everyone is allowed to vote on the important issues. This system works well in small town meetings and in family decisions about where to go for dinner. Unfortunately, such freedoms are rather impossible to guarantee in a nation of almost 300 million. Taking a roll call vote about whether to eat at Papa Gino’s or The Chateau would take a little longer than is practical. Recognizing that, those who created America (back to them, again) made America not a democracy, but a democratic republic.

As such, everyone over the age of 18 is allowed to participate in the political process; either by running for political office or by voting for those who do run for office. (It is true that it is nearly impossible to run for higher office in this country unless you are straight, white, Christian, and filthy rich, but that is a complex issue and deserves a different post). Once an election has concluded, those who have assumed office are then given the task of representing their constituents’ beliefs.

In this case, about 170,000 people (assuming that many of the charges of misconduct by those collecting signatures are shown to be false) demonstrated that they wished to vote on the proposed amendment by signing a petition. After doing a little simple math with the numbers provided by the U.S. Census Bureau, the estimated voting-age population of Massachusetts in 2006 was 4,969,513. Doing a little more math:

170,000 / 4,969,513 = 0.0342085

Wow, 3 percent. I’m sure about 3 percent of Americans believe that we would be better off eating a diet consisting solely of puppies, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea, or that the government should enact legislation that forces people to eat Fido for breakfast. For those conservative readers of mine who are whining about how a true democracy would have prevented this catastrophe, a couple of things:

1. Actually, it seems likely that in this most liberal of states, gay marriage would be upheld by the citizenry, even though repugnant Republicans from all around the country would open their checkbooks to lobby against it.

2. Consider how well you’ve made out from a system that deemphasizes direct democracy. I could go on forever about how different and better the country would be, but 3 things immediately stand out:

a. Al Gore, who received more votes, would have won the 2000 election.

b. The Iraq War would have ended months (if not years) ago.

c. The Patriot Act would not have passed.

I am not an inherent supporter of the democratic republic model, but it is the form of government in the U.S. Until that changes, we must all learn to live with it. If any of you want to change it, go out there and get some signatures calling for Constitutional amendments – I hear that tactic works real well. Before you do so, you might want to take a step back and consider how ridiculously indefensible the logic you employ really is; so poor as to be laughed at. Take it away, Stephen...

P.S. Congratulations to all of those couples, both gay and straight, whose marriages are now legal, or whose marriages carry added significance now that the right to wed has been made universal by the Massachusetts legislature. I know that if I am ever fortunate enough to marry the woman I love, the marriage will mean more because I know that I am not entering into an exclusionary contract. Lastly, to the Massachusetts legislature, thank you:

From G-strings to geography to the grail

This isn’t me – I have longer legs…

So, I’ve been spending most of the past few days cleaning, unpacking, sorting, organizing, and laundering. Apparently, it is rather difficult to move out of one’s apartment and try to make everything fit in one bedroom. Who knew? However, fear not, loyal readers. Your heroic host has had some time for fun, and even managed to sneak out for two meals in fine dining establishments today, both with equally fine company. Tomorrow promises an intriguing lunch in Boston, and then your guess is as good as mine for what will happen afterwards. As always, I’ll be sure to keep you informed.

On a completely unrelated note, I came across this chart on the Internet (more specifically, on the Economist website):

The information provided by the World Health Organisation is slightly stunning -I knew the Czech Republic, Ireland, Hungary, German, and Britain would all be near the top when it came to what countries in the world consumed the most boozedrink. I was, however, shocked that Luxembourg was at the top of the list – I previously figured their claims to fame were being the worlds only sovereign Grand Duchy and being the richest nation (GDP per capita – twice as rich as the U.S.) in the world. Luxemboug has less than 500,000 people packed into an area less that than 2/3 the size of Rhode Island – I guess familiarity breeds not only contempt but alcoholism. Congratulations on your status, Luxembourg – the U.S. (50th place) has a long way to go to catch you in both GDP per capita and liters of alcohol consumed per year – unfortunately, it would probably be impossible to catch up on both at once. More boozing means less productivity, but longer hours at the workplace mean less drinking – we as a nation have a big decision to make – let us hope we don’t “choose poorly..”

 

Alright peoples, that is all for now. I’m off to do a little more cleaning – in shorts this time; those fishnets get itchy after a little while…Have a good night, my friends.

A day for serious reflection

So, it didn’t seem to get much attention from the media, but today is a day that should not go unnoticed. It marks the 63rd anniversary of the events that changed the world. In fact, many believe June 6, 1944 may be the most significant day of the 2oth century. On that day, immortalized as “D-Day,” the course of World War II and subsequently, the world, changed. (I am completely aware that I link to a lot of things in this blog – actually reading that article is one link I promise is worth your time).

In the midst of the current war, a conflict that seemingly will never end and seemingly serves no purpose but to line the pockets of oil executives and defense contractors, it can be difficult to remember that there have been some worthwhile battles fought by the American military. World War II is strange to discuss because the U.S. did not become involved until American interests were explicitly threatened. Although the timing can be debated (America ideally should have been there as soon as the government learned about the concentration camps), two things that can not be debated are the need to stop the Nazi war machine and the importance of the American contribution to the Allied effort. That effort, and the spirit of the soldiers, sailors, and airmen, are encapsulated by the events of June 6, 1944.

I thought long and hard about what media could truly memorialize their efforts. Numerous documentaries exist, as do many historical fiction accounts of that day, such as Saving Private Ryan, and of course, there are thousands of memorable images. However, in the end, I chose something different:

It may seem trivial to remember actual events through a video game. However, I made the decision to use the introduction to Medal of Honor: Frontline, for several reasons.

1. Along with Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and William Jennings Bryan’s Cross of Gold Speech, the Order of the Day for June 6, 1944 by General Eisenhower (which is read in a condensed format in the video) remains in my mind as one of the greatest oratorical moments in history. You can find the transcript of the full speech here. (Wouldn’t it be nice if anybody in our current government could speak so eloquently, clearly, and truthfully today?)

2. The slide show provides a lasting image of how much preparation went into the assault, the overwhelming defenses they faced, and what that day was like for the Allied forces.

3. I still vividly remember seeing that video, the first time I played that video game, and that was several years ago. Such a memorable film seems an appropriate tribute to all those that were serving anywhere in the world during WWII.

Two years ago, I was fortunate enough to be able to fulfill a dream by making a trip to Normandy, the region of France where the D-Day landings took place. I attended Mass in the famous cathedral there, walked down many side streets that still flew American flags, and visited Omaha Beach, the American cemetery, and Pointe Du Hoc, where many of the German heavy guns were located.

 

 

Each place, in a different way, brought home with gravitas the seriousness of what went on there so many years ago. It was truly an awe-inspiring moment, the sort that makes one rejoice and despair about the positive and negative limits of humanity. The only parallel I can make to these moments is when a Catholic sees a place like the Sistine Chapel, when a Muslim stands before the Kaaba, or other such religious moments. If any of you have the means and opportunity to do so, I would strongly suggest you make a trip to the region and take it all in. Denis and Blood, I can only hope I’ll see you there in 37 years.

Helping out a pal…

Not much to talk about, and additionally, I am working on another project that is taking up my computer time, so I won’t be writing too much tonight. However, one thing does need to be said. A good friend of mine has embarrassingly decided to be a part of a contest for “Hottest Sports Blogger.” He is up against some of the big boys at Deadspin and With Leather, and his blog, although well done, just doesn’t have the same readership as of yet. As such, he needs a little boost in the brackets so he can advance. It takes two seconds, and I’m sure he would surely appreciate it. Simply follow the link and vote for Dan Lamothe of Eye on Foxborough – he’s the 5th one down in the right column. Good luck, Dan!

Feeling ill…

Just be thankful I chose a sketch rather than an actual photograph of someone throwing up.

I actually am feeling a little under the weather – a sore throat and an ear ache. However, the title of my post was more of a example of figurative language than a literal description of my well-being. Why, you ask? The disappointing news coming out about the health care industry.

For the first two decades or so of my life, I have been exceedingly fortunate to have two parents that work hard every day. As part of their compensation, they are given health insurance for themselves and their dependents, which, of course, includes me. I have regularly been to dentists, eye doctors, and all the rest, and as far as I know, am in excellent health, thanks in part to these frequent visits. However, as I now approach independence, it is quite possible that I will be without health insurance for a while, especially as I live in Europe.

I am well aware that exactly none of my readers will have any pity for me for living without health insurance while residing in the City of a Hundred Spires. However, I have also noticed many stories about companies cutting health care for their employees because billionaire owners want to get richer at the expense of their employees. As such, I am worried that I will not be able to obtain health care for myself or for those I love at a reasonable cost, even while living in the United States. These fears seem to be confirmed by an article that suggests the U.S. lags far behind other countries in terms of taking care of it’s citizen’s health, even though we spend twice as much as any other country. The reason why?

May I humbly suggest the corporate vultures who reside in their aeries atop drug companies and health insurance companies are to blame? Before you get all angry because your husband or wife or second cousin once removed works for Pfizer, check this out. If that doesn’t do it for you, then read this article and reflect upon your emotions. Feeling a little less justified in your anger, I hope? Chasing the almighty dollar is no excuse for allowing thousands to die because they cannot afford your product. How rich does someone really need to be? Quite frankly, those who stand atop the health insurance and medicinal industry disgust me, and I sincerely hope something changes before millions more die because of greed. Is the expectation of a relatively healthy and fulfilling life something we can no longer count on here in the United States? If so, then this failure must be added to many others that cumulatively are sinking the U.S.S. United States.

Big Doings

So, this was a big weekend for me. Not only did I graduate, but I was present at what might be at a historic event. A war criminal was given an honorary degree instead of being sent to Nuremburg or the Hague. The fact that Andrew Card was born and raised in Massachusetts is a rare black mark upon this fine state. He is a criminal and a murderer. First off, Card served as the head of the White House Iraq War Group, which lied and misled the American public into a horribly illegal and immoral conflict in Iraq. Thus far, Card has been responsible for the deaths of almost 700,000 people, most of whom were entirely innocent of any wrongdoing. Amongst other crimes, Card also accompanied Alberto Gonzales to a hospital to try to coerce a drugged John Ashcroft into signing off on an illegal domestic surveillance program. Even Ashcroft, one of the craziest Americans ever, realized that the program was highly unethical and illegal, but Card and and Gonzales tried to convince him otherwise as he lay ailing and highly medicated in a hospital bed. In other words, Card tried to take advantage of someone who was drugged. Amongst his other crimes, what separates Card and a date rapist who hits ona girl who is under the influence of GHB? Not much, it seems. Murderer, liar, and date rapist. And yet, the Republican overlords who serve on the UMass Board of Trustees decided to give him an award for his many crimes. Students, faculty members, and other stakeholders of the university vehemently protested against the decision: they wrote the Board of Trustees, they sought redress, they protested numerous times on campus and in the town of Amherst, and made it overwhelmingly clear that the crimes of Card would not be ignored by anybody with a conscience. Nonetheless, the neocons continued to honor their hero, and the reaction from anybody with both common sense and a conscience was eminently predictable, and it is the best 100 seconds of the day:

That’s right: they booed the holy hell out of the modern-day Joseph Goebbels. Disagree with that statement? Well, considering the man is a filthy liar asked to sell genocide to the public, I do not believe the statement is that far off. In any case, several media outlets who actually report on the news, and not on “American Idol” or other such tripe, picked up on the story. However, we cannot let the media be the only ones talking about this. People are finally starting to recognize that they are being led down the wrong road by Bush and the rest of his criminal cabal. I have nothing but respect for everyone who stood up at the UMass graduate commencement and made a statement to the criminals in charge of the republic right now. For those of you who criticized us for making a spectacle at our own ceremony: go screw. It is exceedingly unlikely that any of you have worked hard for 1,2,3, or 4 years to earn a Masters’ degree or a Ph.D – if you had, you would probably be intelligent enough to realize that the man and the administration deserve our boos, and so much more. Furthermore, it was our commencement, and we will do what we want, regardless of your thin skin. If you want to be sensitive, be sensitive about the fact that your ignorance has cost thousands of American lives and has thoroughly disconnected the United States from any sort of respect from the global community. Blargh.

In case you were wondering, that was the sound of me vomiting in my mouth. The whole idea of that man, or anybody he works with or for, being honored, makes me thorougly sick. I can only hope that these conscientious UMass students and faculty members have started a chain reaction that will end with huge changes being made to the way the United States is run. It has already been made overwhelmingly clear that the Democrats do not have the spine to stand up to the illegalities of the past six years; it is quite clear that the voters must remind politicians that they are not reflecting the whim of those who have elected them. Until they do so, it is unlikely that the United States will crawl out of the political morass they have fallen into; I can only hope this protest was the first step along the long road to recovery…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t cross the frog prince of Astaroth!

Anyone who interacts with me regularly knows that I do not understand the appeal of World of Warcraft or other such games. I’m glad they bring joy to many thousands (millions?) of people, they just are not for me. As such, I occasionally make fun of the game, and quite enjoyed the South Park episode that made fun of WoW:

Nonetheless, I thought this was a wonderful story, and I’m feeling like spreading a little joy of my own today. Enjoy the read, and enjoy the afternoon.

Melancholy thoughts as expressed with happy pictures

So I wrote my last Collegian article today – not be published for a week, you curious monkeys. I finished the rough cut, then sat around making lunch, when a revelation struck me. I wrote my last Collegian article today. That right there is a pretty astounding thought. For the last three years, writing those columns has been a much a part of my college experience as sleeping through 10:10 classes, writing countless papers, finding the nearest house parties, and Easy Mac. Soon the good times end. Sure, I still have my graduation issue column (and I have some mean cooking for that one) but this is the last regular column I will ever write to be read by 20,000-25,000 of my closest friends on campus and throughout the Happy Valley. Very soon, my personal printing press will come to a grinding halt.

Of course, as it often is, this story isn’t just about my Collegian days coming to an end. More fully, it is about my collegiate days coming to an end. I am pretty sure anyone who has or is shortly due to graduate from college can completely sympathize with my mindset. In just about a month, I officially will be jettisoned from the relative safety of a college campus into the real world. No apartment, no taking advantage of the snooze button, and no safety nets. I am fortunate enough to have somewhat of a plan for the summer, so that helps. It also helps a wee bit that I know what I am doing as of January 1, 2008. It distinctly does not help that I have no plans between August 20thish and January 1, 2o08. It is also less than reassuring to realize that as of 1/1/08, I will not only have the same challenges I and every other recent graduate face, but will also have to deal with the fact that no one around me is actually speaking English. That certainly ups the degree of difficult factor, maybe even higher than a Back 2½ Somersault, ½ Twist in the Pike position; even Katrina Kaufman or Laura Wilkinson would struggle in my shoes:

And yes, I realize that divers often do not wear shoes. It is merely a turn of phrase. However, that is just about enough negativity for the night. Life is good, and will continue to be good, even after I am finished with this portion of my always continuing education. For now, good night, loyal readers.