Feeling Good...

For tonight's edition of Friday Night Music I am working, but who minds work when you get to enjoy your job?  That being the case, I am going with Nina.

The name alone should say it all.  When I hear the name I only think of Nina Simone.

While commonly a love song, there are lots of other elements here.  The opening stanza, like the others...

Birds flying high, you know how I feel

Sun in the sky you know how I feel

Breeze driftin' on by you know how I feel

The answer is like a bird in the sky or the sun up where it is, she is where she belongs.  Theoretically with her one, but just as easily, when you belong, be it relationship, work, community organization is it easy to "feel good" and be one of the faithful participants knocking out the work?  In any case, this is my song for this Friday.  Enjoy and stay safe!

And The Headaches Are About To Begin...

So if Chris Christie thought it was bad earlier this month, I think the headache is about to be a full blown migraine with the report this afternoon that not only did Christie know about the George Washington Bridge closings that have caused the initial headaches, but that he ordered them.  Woops!

As I noted before, the Republican Party would have done well before they anointed another moderate as the party fave for President.  This appears to be exactly what is was first reported to be...political bullying by a guy who thought he could get away with it.

Fear not, Governor Christie, MSNBC loves you, or used to when you were useful to them slamming the conservative principles that Republican candidates should be carrying.  Instead, you are just another self serving jerk who set back not only yourself, but Republican efforts to keep people aware of the issues of Benghazi, Obamacare, and so forth.  So much for leadership...

Blood On The Hands Of The Righteous

As seems to be my case, I am bringing you music on an anniversary.  I realize this isn't Friday night, but it deserves remembrance.  This anniversary I speak of course was the use of force by the 1st British Parachute Regiment that killed 14 and wounded many more peaceful protestors in Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

The protestors were all Catholics who were participating in a civil rights protest against the internment of Catholics in the  region.  While a British investigation ensured, most considered it a white wash of the situation.

Many critics of the situation suggested that the indiscriminate force of the British troops at the time led to an influx of new recruits to the Irish Republic Army and increased violence in the region, not lessening it as had been hoped.  As Irish Catholics felt increasingly distanced from their government and unsure that justice would come, they fled into the organization that contributed to terrorism as much as it fought oppression.

As Bono notes put your "hands in the air, the praying kind" and pray for no more war, no more hurt, and  a way to peaceful solutions to these problems.

Caring For The Community Of Believers

Today, the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth celebrated the Installation and Ordination of our new Bishop, Michael Fors Olson.  As a relatively new convert to the Roman Catholic Church I was not surprised by the pomp and circumstance, but I was impressed with the relative ease Bishop Olson appears to carry his office in a humble way.

The homily offered by Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller was interesting to me not only for its religious commentary, but for its implications to everyday leadership.

Among his comments were that a Bishop must be in multiple places.  The Bishop of a Diocese, [or a leader of any organization for that matter], must be in front of the group showing it the way.  He must be in the middle of the group keeping the group huddled together moving forward.  Finally, the Bishop must be behind the group ensuring that no one is left behind.

There are a number of business and organizational leadership commentaries that are hidden in those few sentences he offered.

Important to Catholics though are Archbishop Gustavo's comments - met by applause and laughter - that a Bishop should have the smell of sheep.  These comments clearly indicate that the revolution started by Francis will continue locally.  Here to there is a leadership lesson.


How can leaders be expected to lead when they are not on the front lines of the problems their "flock" is facing?

While I hear regularly that religion needs to be removed from government and business, I wonder if this is true.  It sounds like there are many principles that both government and big business could learn from their faith based counterparts at understanding leadership and holding a flock.

Perhaps I am wrong, but for myself, I am excited by the leadership in my diocese and glad to be part of it.  Good luck Bishop Olson.  I am praying for you.

If You're Having A Heart Attack...Don't Ask DC Fire For Help

DC Fire and EMS once again, does it again.  Wow!

This time instead of treating a head injured patient as a drunk which they did in the 2006 Rosenbaum case, this time, DC Fire, refuses to even walk across the street to check on a 77 year old city parks employee who collapsed in a parking lot yards away.

Conservatives always complain about unaccountable bureaucrats, but in this case, where are the elected officials?  I am sure they Mayor Vincent Gray will talk about being shocked and Tommy Wells, a mayor wannabe, will hold hearings, but who is actually doing anything about this?

Fox 5's coverage is below, but this is one more case in a long line of questionable DC Fire behavior.  The good news is next week, the JEMS conference EMS Today will be in DC so there should be plenty of providers willing to take care of patients.  Too bad they will be there for continuing education and not on duty.

DC News FOX 5 DC WTTG

My other question is why does Congress continue to allow DC to self regulate their EMS system when it is so apparent that they can not handle the basic functions of government?  On so many levels this is embarrassing.  For myself, I am glad I will not be staying in the District proper next week as this is the type of worry I would have should something occur.

Yawn

Is anyone still listening to the President?  Perhaps they should with his call for executive action without Congess, but in reality is anyone still paying attention to this dilettante?  President Obama seems far too happy with plaudits and rose colored glasses and the main stream media seems ready to help him along here.

What is worse, Obama continues to play the game of do as I say, not as I do.  (This unfortunately is not much different than most politicians, but he is President now.)

For instance, when President Obama talks about equal pay for equal work in the country, why is it that his idea only applies outside the walls of The White House?  According to a 2011 report The White House average salary for a male was $71,000 per year; for females $60,000.  I wonder why the discrepancy in equal pay for equal work in his own shop.

Next, the President refers to job growth of eight million new private sector jobs, but notice in his speech, he was referring to jobs after 2010.  The net growth rate of jobs since Obama took office is only 3.2 million - a paltry number during any administration - and a reason for the growing dissatisfaction of youth voters towards Obama.  His job numbers do not include the layoffs at the state and local level or the nearly 4.2 million private sector jobs that were lost during his administration prior to 2010.

Finally, the President's prized piece of legislation...the Affordable Care Act - which has proven thus far to be anything but affordable.  The President claims 9 million new sign ups for his signature legislation.  Nine million!  Wow.

Unfortunately, once again, this is campaign talk and bluster.

First, we know that millions were told if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor, which has turned out not to be true as millions were dropped from existing coverage they had.  Second though, millions signed up for the ACA (or Medicare)...because they were newly eligible.  That is not the same as they signed up because of.  While I will not attempt to teach the President about cause and effect, his own administration does not back up his claim and we know that many of the "uninsured" who are now covered, did have insurance, but changed policies under the new exchange system.

I guess President Obama is no worse on his numbers game than most politicians, but the question for me is anyone still listening?  He continues to talk the talk, but his administration doesn't walk the walk...or it does so with disastrous results.

I saw President Obama in New Hampshire, when he was the junior US Senator from Illinois, and I saw the Bobby Kennedy-like charisma that I had heard older generations speak of, but he is still in campaign mode.  After five years he still can tell me who is to blame for a malady, but he has no fixes, only that someone else is responsible for it.  Meanwhile, under the management (I won't use the term leadership) of Speaker Boehner, Republicans have no new ideas and look lost in a wilderness that have self created.

Is anyone listening?  I am ready to go back to sleep which doesn't seem that different than the three in the picture above.

NFL And Booze

Am I wrong or is the NFL fueled by alcohol?  Budweiser, Miller/Coors, and even Sam Adams seem to be as omnipresent with the NFL as Ford, Dodge, and Viagra.  (By the way, does anyone else find it odd that a rough and tumble sport that intimates they are the be all, end all when it comes to manhood has to advertise a prescription pill to...support your manhood?)

I am not sure what is more common that the issue of alcohol in the NFL, but I am open to hearing it.  Whether it be the athlete or the executive, it seems that the NFL can not operate without someone acting like, or actually being, a drunk.

While Major League Baseball has struggled with steroids and other performance enhancing drugs, the NFL mostly scoffs at the idea of handling it.  Instead, inebriation, either through repeated head trauma or through alcohol is the cross the NFL must carry.

In the last year alone there were at least seventeen incidents involving players being arrested for DUI, public intoxication, or other assorted alcohol related offenses.  Seventeen!  And this does not even include the January 22, 2013 arrest of Dallas Cowboys' defensive linesman Jay Ratliff who was popped only a few months after team mate Josh Brent killed his team mate Jerry Brown.  An important note in the Brent case, this was not his first DUI offense either.  Instead, he was arrested during his college playing days and clearly did not learn his lesson then.

Don't think I only blame the players because the executives have gotten in on the action too.  As you watch the Super Bowl and think about the various alcohol ads, don't forget that your Denver Broncos have an executive who had a 0.246 Blood Alcohol Concentration, or three times the legal limit anywhere.

Maybe it is my career choice, but I have seen gallons of blood over the years spilled on our highways because of the gallons of alcohol that consumers didn't control.  These personal choices have real and serious consequences and it would be nice if the NFL would stop talking about alcohol abuse and start doing something about it.

This Is My Blood...Shed For Many

Earlier today I checked in on Facebook at church with a comment about "Mass and a blood donation" to a few comments about how it seemed the church wanted more than just a financial donation.

One of the verses used during Communion is from Mark 14:24 "This is my blood from the new covenant, which is shed for many."

The comment made was not inappropriate and certainly not malicious, but it brings three thoughts to mind for me.

First, be careful how you post your check ins to Facebook.  If I had more carefully written my check in I think it would have avoided the possible confusion.

Second, are we simply to attend church in hopes of "doing our time", dropping our donation in the basket, and heading home?  I hope not.

As Christians, we are called not to be Christian on Sunday, but on every day.  As Pope Francis noted on Twitter, "The Lord is knocking at the door of our hearts. Have we put a sign on the door saying: 'Do not disturb'?"  Our jobs as Christians do not end at 5:00PM Monday thru Friday and as we learn from the Scriptures, Christ calls on us to take our faith into our every day lives.

If we are teachers, we are to be Christ to our students; if we are merchants, we should sell that which is Holy; if we are fisherman, we should fish for men.

Third, blood donations are needed.  Pretty much every day.  The average blood donation is used by three patients as the blood is converted into its components of plasma, platelets, and red blood cells.  Most adults have between ten to twelve pints of blood surging through their arteries and veins every day.

Blood carries oxygen and removes carbon dioxide from the cells.  It also removes other metabolic waste.  Finally, blood does two amazing things in terms of fighting infection and clotting wounds.  For this reason alone, blood is much more useful than typical IV fluids.  Indeed, current medical research suggests we have overused isotonic IV fluids - which carry neither oxygen nor clotting agents - and this overuse has only filled vasculature.  It has not kept organs alive with oxygen and in general, the rapid infusion has blown clots apart and cooled the patient.  Bad and bad.  Blood on the other hand carries oxygen and has clotting factors to help the body recover from the injury necessitating its use.

For myself, I am up to twelve gallons of donated blood just with Carter Blood Care.  I say this as a source of personal accomplishment, not because my arms are more special than yours, but because in addition to my regular job I may have been able to help dozens and dozens of patients.

People like Saint Therese of Liseux tell us we should try to be Christ-like where they can.  Perhaps, donating blood makes me more Christ-like.  Like my Savior, I have shed blood for many too.   I ask you to donate blood too and shed blood for those who need it.

Bankrupt Before He Got Paid?

How in the world does it come to this?  A few years ago, Vince Young signed a contract coming out of college as the third overall pick in the NFL draft and received guaranteed money of $26 million.  MILLION, not $26,000, million.  He just declared bankruptcy.

How does someone spend that kind of money?

According to one report, in at least once case, he spent $6000 at a TGI Fridays.  Why?  Let me help you out Vince, the food and flair aren't even that good.

Other accounts have him spending $5000 a week at The Cheesecake Factory.  You want to guess what my annual budget is for dining out?  You're not too far from that number, but I have a family of six.

The point of this rant is in a few months we will have another group of guys coming out of college, ready to take on opposing linebackers (or quarterbacks), but who are more interested in showing their manhood, than in their mental toughness.

In a recent radio report I heard, the reason why Josh Brent did not use the NFL's car service to get home was a source of pride.  He wanted to show he could handle his liquor.  Bad news Josh, you are human and like everyone else, the liquor handled you.  Especially when you consider toxicology reports indicate you probably had the equivalent of seventeen drinks that night.

What is sad is not the bankruptcy itself.  Lots of people have financial issues, but perhaps the issue is society's bankrupt nature: where we judge people by what they have instead of what they give.  Maybe, Mr. Young was bankrupt before he ever got paid?  Either way it is a sad end to what should have been a positive story.

Am I More Than You Bargained For?

Just in the mood for this song: "Sugar, We're Going Down" by Fall Out Boy.  What can I say?

There is something really direct about a song that starts with "Am I more than you bargained for?" especially in a teenage EMO tune.  I just love that line.

I also like the line about "drop a heart, break a name."  Hey, if you want me to come up with all the answers about what the song means, I am THE wrong guy, but as to it being a catchy song with good lyrics and reasonable music, I'm in.

It does however, remind me of past relationships where people show two sides.  Maybe we all have two sides, but I play very few games.  Some people play Scrabble, others Battleship.  For me...I play, baseball which has taught me how to foul the ball, off not strike out, until I can get on base.  I also play chess which has taught me how to win long term.  In both cases, I bet I am more than you bargained for...

In any case thinking about today, I like the tune and the boys from FOB are back out on tour this summer and while I suspect I am a little on the wrong side of the age scale to show up who knows.  Enjoy your Friday night.

Rising Stars Burning Out Fast

A few years ago I was told Bob McDonnell, the 71st Governor of Virginia, was a possible candidate for Vice-President on a Mitt Romney ticket.  Just a few years later, I am told that Chris Christie is the 2016 nominee for President.  A few days ago, everyone realized neither is going to happen and these two are just two more fallen stars in the American GOP.

Again and again, we see corruption and asinine behavior from those who are supposed to be the prime players in the GOP farm club...the candidates who will restore the Republican party in the near future.

Instead, one is indicted by federal prosecutors for corruption and the other appears to have misused his office to pay back political opponents by shutting down roads, DMV offices, and ultimately who knows what else.

I apologize to all my friends in the Republican Party, but the McDonnell defense that I just did what everyone else did, doesn't cut it.  I get that we are the stupid party.  I'm even accepting of that.  I am not willing to lower my standards though so that I can become the Evil party...the party where it is okay to take from one person who works to give to someone who doesn't; the party where it is okay to kill a baby, but not a convicted murderer [for the record, both are wrong]; the party which says spotted owls are more important than humans.  When did it become okay for Republicans to lower their standards to that of their opponents Governor McDonnell?

You were one of the first people I talked to when I was appointed by Governor Gilmore to an advisory board.  If I had known you were so hard up for cash, I wouldn't have wasted your billable hours.

As for Governor Christie, you have campaigned twice on "getting things done," but now you just sound like the blowhard bully you cry that you aren't.  You were the knucklehead who ran his mouth until someone would bloody your nose and guess what.  Folks in New Jersey seem lined up to return the favor to you.

If the charges against McDonnell and potentially Christie, weren't so serious, I would laugh, but instead the "bright stars" of the Republican Party have burnt out...

Forty-one and counting...

On the anniversary of the legalization of abortion, Roe v. Wade, I wonder how our President will mark the anniversary.  Two years ago he chose to attempt to argue the economic value of killing children before they are born.

Once again I am embarrassed for a man who says one thing and then does another. He talks about everyone having a right to healthcare, but then argues for the economic incentives of allowing children to be killed in utero rather than being healthy, responsible citizens who contribute to society. While 50,000,000 plus children have been killed since Roe v. Wade we wonder aloud about why we have a society that doesn't support public education, a society that does not teach humanities or protection of our natural resources.  Is it any surprise that motorists continue to litter highways when our culture defends the throwing away of human lives?  Again and again you see cases where either mothers will throw away their child's life, will subject themselves to brutal acts of barbarism to kill their own children.  Are we then surprised when fathers have no connection to the sexual act that creates children.  Sorry ladies, your sexual revolution has not given you equality with men in a positive manner, you have simply let men off the hook for their reproductive actions by endorsing a path of personal ease.

According to the CDC, 85% of all abortions are performed on unmarried women.  Again, the sexual revolution has allowed you your rights to multiple partners, but it hasn't led to a happier family.

Additionally, this week was also about celebrating Martin Luther King's legacy towards equality.  What equality is there when black women are nearly five times more likely to have an abortion than a white woman?  What equality is there when a Hispanic woman is nearly three times more likely to have an abortion than a white woman?  These statistics show a pattern of genocide of two races in the United States.  If this weren't about sexual "rights" we would be horrified by the numbers.

And for those who are ready to parade Hillary Clinton and the democratic party, let's be clear, they could care less about your sexual rights.  Abortion is simply an easier path to checkbook independence.  Abortion for white, protestant women is clear from the statistics with seventy-five percent of respondents saying "having a baby would interfere with work, school or other responsibilities."  I suspect there is no comment to the idea that an abortion will interfere with that child's future work, school, or other responsibilities.

Unfortunately, we are not at fifty million lost lives and counting.  This is the forty-first anniversary of a decision that shows a country's indifference towards its most unprotected.  Forty-one years and counting...

No Guns or Life In New York

I was taught that in America, we live in a Constitutional Republic.  You will forgive me when some days I think we actually live in a pseudo-monarchy.

In the Northeast, you have the Kennedys.  In Arkansas and later New York, you have the Clintons.  Jeb Bush may have represented Florida, but Texas clearly belongs to the Bush clan.  And returning to New York, you have the Cuomos.  Unfortunately, the latest governor of the State of New York does not have his father's same understanding of abortion.  Perhaps, he was too busy campaigning for his dad, Mario Cuomo, on Sundays to learn his catechesis on life and perhaps he was just too busy in law school to understand freedom of speech and the 2nd Amendment.

Recently, during a radio broadcast, Governor Cuomo stated that people who are pro-life and pro-2nd Amendment "have no place in the state of New York, because that’s not who New Yorkers are."

The Governor is showing that speech is limited in New York and might be why people are leaving his state.  America is supposed to be the land of the free, a land that is open and strong enough to support dissenting opinion, without trampling it.

While Governor Cuomo tried to walk his statements back, can you imagine the outcry if Rick Perry had said those who support abortion aren't welcome in Texas?  Can you imagine the outcry if someone argued that those who don't support gun owner rights should leave the country?

It is amazing to me that anyone would utter these phrases in America, but perhaps discourse really has gotten that bad.  If that is the case, I guess New York really doesn't have any life left.

Hold The Ones You Love...When You Can

Amazing. Thank you Mr. Hanks and thank you Thomas Horn and thank you Sandra Bullock.

Perhaps it is my connection to September 11 that I get this movie and enjoyed the chance to watch it again.  It came out nearly two years ago and maybe it is still working in EMS response and public safety that this movie speaks to me.

Tom Hanks again and again seems to make me understand complex issues better than I did.  This one makes me think of the times all the people we meet or who we know in our lives who we never say thank you to enough or I enjoy working with you or those nasty words: "I love you".

This movie reminds me that today is the day to say those "I love yous" and regardless of the critics, I give it five stars as a reminder that tomorrow is unpromised. Today is all you have and it would be best to use it to your ability.

I am not suggesting that days should be used for nothing, but personal recreation, but the commodity that can not be returned is time. Once it is spent, it does not return and time that can heal all wounds is terribly unforgiving. Missed baseball games will never be caught again. Missed third grade plays will never be played again and so this movie hopefully reminds us all that while we must move on from tragedy when it strikes, another use of our time might be to go searching for those people who we can connect with on the most human of levels.

We must let go of the need to say "if only" at the unexpected funerals that come suddenly from national or personal tragedy. Too many times I have attended funerals for victims of all kinds of calamity only to hear the wish lists rattled off like a Christmas list for God.

I do not want to wish. I want to go jump in rain puddles with my children. I want to protect them and tell them I love them today. I want go have an amazing meal with my wife and remind her why she is the girl I married so many years ago.

The movie's title is perfect. How loud do you have to be to understand love and be with your family while you can? How does the message get to you. Apparently for most of it, the message has to be extremely loud and incredibly close, but I got the message. Loud and clear.

Race Cards

Today the nation stops work and is supposed to reflect on the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.  Perhaps in New York and Washington, D.C. and so many other places they could reflect a little bit more.

Recently, a potential juror, Raeana Roberson, was given a "standard" jury questionnaire.  She was offended by questions about her race listing the options as Black, African-American, or Negro."  She wrote back on the form that it was 2014 and it was offensive.

Perhaps more offensive though is the idea we are still recording race at all.

Dr. King noted in one of his more famous speeches that he dreamt that “my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”  Somewhere along the line I think we missed this and my question is how can we ever lose race consciousness when our government day in and day out tries to pigeon hole individuals into categories whether they describe a color (black) or an area of migration (Caucuses).

Let me be clear. Raeana Roberson, the potential juror in New York was right.  The notecard is offensive and obnoxious and obtuse when consideration is given to Dr. King and the civil rights movement for which he gave his life.  It is time the government got out of trying to categorize us and treat Americans as just that.  Americans.

In the words of one of Dr. King’s contemporaries, Franklin Thomas, “One day our descendants will think it incredible that we paid so much attention to things like the amount of melanin in our skin or the shape of our eyes or our gender instead of the unique identities of each of us as complex human beings.”

They were both right and I wonder if we haven’t lost some of which they yearned in the fight for equality.

The Wolves Lurking...

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. – Matthew 7:15 

Okay, so today’s rant is all about the use of scripture by people whose behavior does not follow suit.  These false prophets are particularly dangerous when they use scripture to get close to your children.  No, I’m not headed to the priest abuse scandal which slowly, but surely is getting cleaned up, but I am talking about youth baseball and the coaches that have no problem drinking three beers an inning while lecturing on the need for more prayer on the team.

You can not talk scripture and then again and again engage in the sinful behavior of gossip.  I know for me, if you have something to say, the right answer is you best come to my face and say it.  Otherwise, gossip is just idle and useless talk.  Actually, worse than being useless it is destructive.  It is used to try to proclaim your own position as superior without the benefit of fact.

Few things annoy me more than someone who will talk religion, but not practice it; a coach who will talk about teamwork, but complain his parents don’t trust the coach.  Congratulations coach…parents don’t trust you, unless they are related to you, because you used to talk about things being for the kids, but now all you talk about is people being there for you.  What?!?

Color me disappointed, but youth baseball is about teaching kids the fundamentals of how to play a game, not help you establish yourself as this, that, or the other type of coach.  The only coach you’ve established yourself as being is one who is so Hell bent on taking a team select which isn’t ready, that you are going to take your players and parents though Hell and end up breaking up the team.

You can’t complain that if only the kids do what we tell them, you would be successful.  Your job as a coach is to teach them how to do what you tell them and if you can’t do that, then you aren’t coaching.  You’re just wearing a uniform.  I get that teaching is a two part process…there has to be effort on both the teacher and the student, but if your students don’t make the effort to improve, how is promoting them without learning going to help?  Essentially you are sending them to high school without teaching them to read first.  Unfortunately, example is the best instructor.

When a coach complains about not having parents on board with his plans, but makes plans without the input of parents, he should not be surprised.  This is youth baseball and ultimately this is about making good decisions for our kids.  A coach who will make plans without the understanding of parents and without demonstrating a track history of being able to get it done so far is not likely to have much support.  The coach whose so desperately wants to take his team select, but hasn’t won a basic weekend tournament against rec teams, shouldn’t be supported.  Why would anyone get promoted to the majors without first playing successfully at AA ball?  Why would you make your team select when you have a core of three players who have select abilities and you have to find an excuse to get your other selected players onto a select roster?  Isn’t it better to be a little bit honest with your team and stick with what you can do, rather than what you want to do?  Isn’t it more Biblical to work in the trenches until the fields can be harvested?

An example…When the starting left fielder can’t stop a grounder that comes straight to him, much less a pop fly, there is an argument that you have at least a hole or two.  When your catching tandem does not move laterally to stop balls or get up for balls they don’t block, you might have more holes and empty promises of “progress” aren’t enough.  Some of us have seen this song and dance before.  If you can’t motivate kids to maintain basic discipline in a dugout, how can you expect them to work together on a baseball field?

Finally, if you are going to use scripture to try to make your case about faith and faith in a coach you are mistaken.  Scripture is pretty clear and teaches to put faith in God, not man, for he is surely fallen.  It is more than a little disappointing that you would not put your efforts into improving players rather than blindly hoping.  Unfortunately, when it comes to wolves in sheep's clothing the invariably end up around real wolves when they conduct themselves like this.  The reality is that once you take your team select, with your Biblical references and earnest prayers, the wolves who do not hide in sheep’s clothing will eat up your young players who are not ready for what is about to occur.  Instead of being the shepherd leading your flock, you will be delivering them into the teeth that may take them out of the game.

 

Everybody Have Fun Tonight...With Accountants

Okay, so don't get me wrong because I volunteered for this assignment, but last month the annual holiday party hosted by my wife's Big Four tax firm had to be cancelled due to the ice and snow that had blanketed the Dallas/Fort Worth region.  We had not intended to go because it's a party...with accountants.  I mean how many times can you tell accounting jokes?  For some of the worst (or best) read below.

However, when it wad rescheduled I was like why not?  It's a free meal, it's a night away from the children...what's not to like?

That being the case, I bring you Wang Chung and "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" because what is more relevant to an accountant that hot hits from the 80s?

And in case you find yourself partying tonight with number crunchers, here is a quick set of jokes until you can order large quantities of liquor...

(1) Two accountants are in a bank when armed robbers burst in. While several of the robbers take the money from the tellers, others line the customers up against a wall and proceed to take their wallets, watches, and other valuables. In the midst of the chaos, accountant No. 1 jams something in accountant No. 2’s hand. Without looking down, accountant No. 2 whispers, "What is this?" to which accountant number one replies, "It's that $50 I owe you."

(2) An accountant is reading nursery rhymes to her young child. When she is finished, she answers her son’s question: "No, son. When Little Bo Peep lost her sheep that wouldn't be tax deductible — but I like your thinking.”

(3) An accountant goes into a pet shop to buy a parrot. The shop owner shows him three parrots on a perch and says, "The parrot on the left costs $500." "Why does that parrot cost so much?" asks the accountant. "Well," replies the owner, "it knows how to do complex audits." "How much does the middle parrot cost?" asks the accountant. "That one costs $1,000 because it can do everything the first one can do, plus it knows how to prepare financial forecasts." The startled accountant asks about the third parrot, to be told it costs $4,000. Needless to say, this begs the question, "What can it do?" to which the owner replies "To be honest, I've never seen him do a darn thing, but the other two call him Senior Partner."

Be Careful When You Drop This One...

Nearly fifty years ago today, an American B-52 suffered a mid-air collision with a KC-125 tanker plane during an airborne alert mission.  Three of the seven person crew lost their lives as did the entire four person KC-135 crew.

Of further interest was the loss of an American B28RI hydrogen bomb into the Mediterranean Sea while three others found their way into the Spanish countryside.  Woops.  You may remember a "reenactment" of the bomb's recovery in the movie Men of Honor.  What the movie does not show though is a B52 drink.

The drink itself is a concoction of equal parts of Kahlua, Bailey's Irish Crème, and Grand Marnier.  Unlike the pilots in this episode, a careful hand will be able to layer the ingredients in such a way as to provide a drink whose lines are crisp and clean.  I have also seen this done, less as a shooter, in a martini glass though I am not sure that much of this combination of liquors makes sense.  Nonetheless, enjoy the rest of your evening and be careful should you drop it...you will have spilled your drink which is far better than losing a nuclear weapon.

Undesired Wishes Come True, Reprise

"By their fruits you will know them" - Matthew 7:16

On Saturday, independent arbitrator Fredric R. Horowitz, "lowered" Alex Rodriguez's PED suspension from 211 games to 162 including all of the 2014 regular and post season.

(While it is a separate topic, it had to send the NFL into a near apoplectic state that on their "best" weekend of football, an ongoing baseball story was eclipsing games that would determine their conference championship participants.)

For me, this isn't really a change.  When the original ruling came down he was banned for the remainder of 2013 and all of 2014 except the postseason, which I find it hard to believe the Yankees will be competing in this year with or without Mr. Rodriguez, but there is another set of issues coming up and it may portend labor strife and the solution was much simpler.

I say labor strife that was until Alex and his lawyers decided to not only sue Major League Baseball, but the Player's Association as well.  This will make for interesting testimony should this ever go to court and I guess we might find out how big and bad baseball really is.

As noted by others, this case has all the hallmarks of a problem prosecution.  First, Major League Baseball had to purchase evidence and pay witnesses.  Those two things don't normally work well in a court of law, even when the evidence and testimony is bought through confidential informants in police investigations.  That issue alone muddies the waters very quickly.

A second part though is where did the 211 game suspension number come from anyway?  The Joint Drug Agreement seems pretty straight forward on performance enhancing drugs that a first offense leads to a 50 game suspension, a second to 100 games, and a third to a lifetime ban.  To my knowledge, Rodriguez has never tested positive for a banned substance, though there is lots of circumstantial evidence in the other direction.

Finally, what evidence did Horowitz find convincing that the player deserved the 162 game suspension?  His decision is sealed though both parties have a copy and it is likely to become public should Rodriguez's suit against baseball ever become public.

The really tawdry part of all this though is Bud Selig and Major League Baseball.  For years, he and the owners prospered as players took steroids and other performance enhancing drugs to make the sport a home run derby game in and game out.  Every change in the game the past several DECADES has been to improve offensive and make the game more "exciting."

As author and blogger Tom Swyers noted recently, MLB is to Arod as Penn State was to Jerry Sandusky.  Both institutions were enablers, while looking the other way.  And in both cases they severely tarnished the images of great institutions.

Moreover, the solution to all this was far simpler.  Rodriguez didn't test positive for a banned substance, so don't suspend him for violating the drug agreement which has pretty specific penalties laid out.  WHAT?  Did I just say that Rodriguez should continue to play ad be part of the problem?

No, I said he shouldn't be suspended for violating the drug agreement.

While MLB was busy purchasing witness testimony and evidence, so was Mr. Rodriguez.  The correct course of action would have been the same that the late Bart Giamatti offered Pete Rose: "fess up or else."  Baseball doesn't need to prove Rodriguez took steroids, they only need to say he lied about it.  In doing so, Selig could avoid suspending him for the use and could ban him for a lifetime under the "good of the game" clause in baseball rules, which is not subject to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.  That's right...for impugning the honor of the greatest game, Selig could simply remove ARod from the sport and be done with it.

I am sure his supporters would come to his rescue as they have done with Pete Rose all these years, but these decisions, once made, are usually final.  A nuclear option if you will.  It's too bad Selig surrounded himself with lawyers and not baseball men because the answer was right there.

MLK

Today marks the birth of Martin Luther King Jr.  The holiday celebrating his birth is next week and thankfully is one of the few holidays not accompanied by a sale.

I have heard comics note that Dr. King's birthday is the only national holiday without a huckster on TV tying to sell me a couch or a new car.  Hallelujah.

His contributions to our national consciousness is critical.  He, like Mahatma Ghani before him, and Christ, are essentially fathers of a nation.  Yes, I heard about George Washington, but King's contributions were different in that he showed the peaceful means by which to overthrow a tyrannical government whereas Washington relied on muskets.  Both relied on the bravery of their soldiers to take a punch in the middle of a fight, but Dr. King's message resonates with a different timbre.  Nonviolence and peaceful protest so often seem a thing of the past and for that I am sorry.

"We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." - Martin Luther King Jr.

I also love the song by U2 called MLK where Bono talks about "your dream being realized" and "if the thunder cloud passes rain, let it rain, rain on me."  I am not sure of his intent with this second passage, but I believe he means he will continue to support equality where he can find it and he will bear the rain that comes with that decision.

So, to Dr. King, I raise a glass.  Since I have no idea if this ordained minister took a drink or not, I will celebrate with an Alabama Slammer.  A classic cocktail for a classic leader.

To create your Alabama Slammer, mix equal parts Southern Comfort, Sloe Gin, and Amaretto to an equal part of orange juice.  Chill, shake, and strain into a highball glass and throw on an orange wheel and cherry for garnish.

Miracles Do Happen

People ask all the time do miracles still happen and I would have to say they do.  In their Sunday, 12 January 2014 editorial, USA Today's editorial board criticizes the President for his attack on the Little Sisters Of The Poor.

While I missed the original editorial in my post on the subject, it is clear that we see things similarly. As their line notes "nuns and birth control just don't mix."

I did not realize the disparity, but as USA Today notes, the government is losing 95% of its cases.  In nineteen out of twenty cases, courts are issuing stays to non-profits from having to comply against their consciousness.  When President Obama says the American people want this, I think me might just be incorrect.  Worse for Obama and Co. is this statement:

In several cases, even if the government wins, the whole exercise will not result in a single woman getting a single free contraceptive, because under a different law, the insurers themselves are exempt. So what exactly does the administration hope to gain?

It shows the militant nature of those against the policy that they would rather pick a fight with nuns than simply allow them to care for the elderly poor as they have done for years.

Sometime's They Don't Learn...

Sometime we just don't learn.  Usually we don't learn chasing a dollar or some other victory while compromising the foundation of our organization.

I am speaking right now of course about Penn State and their decision to hire James Franklin to be their next football coach. While they claimed to leave "no stone unturned" and conducted a "thorough" background check, it only takes a few milliseconds to find alarming allegations about his role in possibly covering up a rape while he was at Vanderbilt University.

I hate to be the one to tell you Penn State, but you all just had a sexual assault scandal of epic proportions a very few years ago and now you want to go in this direction?  Are you sure THIS is the direction you want to run in?  To hire a coach who is allegedly involved with the cover up of a rape less than a year ago?

It would seem self evident that this might be a bad choice on the direction to go, but Penn State marches on.  It apparently did not even bother them about comments he made on a local radio show about not hiring assistant coaches until looking their wives over.  This is 2014, right?

In the meantime, a petition was started by a university professor to not consider Franklin.  Obviously, it was ignored.  Perhaps it was ignored because according to one report it had gathered less than three hundred signatures, but does it really need more than one?

I know I have had bosses who remarked regularly about other employees wives and nothing was done about it.  Again and again the organization would protect them because they were a supervisor and would relocate the offended party to another shift or another location rather than fix the problem.  It would seem to be a pattern when a supervisor makes comments about one of his employees wives regularly and then has one of his employees relocated to another location because his urges would seem uncontrollable and the organizational management chooses to do nothing about it.

Similarly, what is the use in HR policies that frown upon interoffice relationships when HR does not follow through when they are complained about?  While these issues do not raise themselves to issues of rape or sexual assault, they do show an unfortunate pattern of groups repeating the same behavior and then surprised when their work environments are not as productive as they could be.  How do we expect employees - be it at our local worksites or in college football - to win championships and do great things for their company when they have these distractions going on?

It reminds me of the old saying: "you only make a mistake once, after that it is a choice."

Is it too early for a drink?

Irish writer James Joyce once remarked "A man of genius makes no mistakes.  His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery."  The idea is interesting and I hope no one gets in trouble for finding the time for a little Irish coffee at lunch today.

There is some thought though to the idea that people move in directions with purpose, with volition, as Joyce notes and that in doing so they may discover ways that don't work, but that doesn't make the process an error per se.

Personally, I think I like the idea that we might walk our way into potential trouble trying to test whether or not we have the mettle to overcome said situation.  In the meantime, it's almost lunch.  Perhaps I can find a place that serves both an Irish coffee and a decent reuben sandwich.

An Irish coffee is created combining equal parts of Irish whiskey, for which there can only be one, and Bailey's Irish Cream.  Combine those in a cup of coffee and stir and then top off with a bit of whipped cream.

The Biggest Threat

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As you walk down the street are you afraid?  If you live near a convent, you should be.  Nuns everywhere wearing their habit and holding their rosary are ready to pounce.  That’s right…if you believe the mainstream media, the Little Sisters Of The Poor are about to derail the brilliant piece of legislation which is the Affordable Care Act.

In a recent piece of glaring anti-Catholic fervor, Alex Wagner of MSNBC actually referred to a group of nuns as a threat.  And what atrocity had these poor women committed?  Well , they would not put pen to paper to sign off on a third party providing contraception services to its employees as it is against the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church of which they are affiliated.  (You should not be surprised from MSNBC to see no one on the show defending nuns from the attacks of Howard Dean and Cecile Richards - two who support abortion on demand and have never been willing to discuss any of the protections and safety issues a large majority of Americans want when it comes to abortion.)

When I first started this blog with a single post, I made note of Henry VIII and his Succession Act.  That piece of legislation basically allowed him to pull England from Rome and form what would become the modern day Episcopal Church.  When one of his chief supporters found himself in disagreement with the legislation that would ultimately lead him to divorce and the marriage to Anne Boleyn, he didn’t write a book as former Defense Secretary Gates did, he didn’t run to Fox News to get his side heard, he simply retired back, but this was not good enough for King Henry VIII who required him to sign onto his marriage to the future headless queen.

Similarly, Obama says you can disagree with me, but you still have to provide the services, because contraception which is widely available should be subsidized by those who find it anathema, which brings us to the Roman Catholic Little Sisters of the Poor.

What is it the Little Sisters of the Poor do anyway?  Well, in both Baltimore and Denver they care for the elderly poor in nursing homes for those who can not afford a nursing home replete with its poor care and regular infections.  The Little Sisters prefer that the elderly not be warehoused with uncaring providers, but by persons such as themselves who have abandoned world pleasure to care for the elderly.  This would seem to be a goal of the Obama administration and the Affordable Care Act.  Instead it is the starting point to regular anti-Catholic bigotry which few in the media seem willing to call out.

In a recent, US News piece, Jamie Stiehm goes on a personal attack against Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor, for issuing a preliminary injunction on behalf of the Little Sisters of the Poor.  Again and again, her histrionics go on about the six Catholics who sit on the Supreme Court and the poor Jews who must contend with them.  The anti-Catholic and anti-Semitic rage she has should be grounds for termination in almost any other field, but US News stands by its “reporter.”

What is amazing is first, Justice Sotomayor’s move was only to stay the penalties to be issued by the IRS until the legal arguments could be made for and against the issue of whether or not nuns, who are caring for the poor elderly, should be made to provide contraception against their conscience.  Two and equally interesting, Justice Sotomayor is hardly the face of the conservative wing of the court so why would you blast her so publicly unless your argument just that desperate?  Could it be that the dream of big government liberals could come crashing down because of the efforts of a few nuns?  Not efforts to stop the law of course, just efforts of nuns to care for the sick and the old in their way, without interference from a US government who hasn’t been able to provide adequate healthcare to the elderly for decades or adequate care to our returning military veteran’s for generations?

If you argument is that weak, perhaps the Little Sisters of the Poor are a threat and your law is about to topple like the Tower of Babel.