Getting Yourself Out Of Focus

So...ever needed a kick in the pants?  Ever get to give it to yourself?  Musically this is one of those catchy tunes that just grabs me despite being a little heavy on the soda pop princess.

This week's song is about being the center of your own universe and the people who float around you letting you direct them and then...the real world sets in and you have to run home to momma.

Ain't it fun
Living in the real world
Ain't it good
Being all alone
Ain't it good to be on your own
Ain't it fun, you can't count on no one
Ain't it good to be on your own
Ain't it fun you can't count on no one
Ain't it fun
Living in the real world

Don't go crying to your mama
'Cause you're on you're own, in the real world
Don't go crying to your mama
'Cause you're on you're own, in the real world

I think we have all wandered into that territory at some point - thinking we have the answers and doing our thing only to find out we were mistaken.  Then the question is where is our rock?  Well for those of faith, it is easier to find, though if your faith is right, you probably did not wander too far away from the path anyway, but it is always nice to know how to get back home.  In any case, I hope you can enjoy a song for the evening and think about where your rock is so you don't find yourself the complete center of attention.

A League Of Their Own

"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great." Tom Hanks (as Jimmy Dugan)

Girl's baseball.  Girl's baseball.  A girl's baseball movie.  Really?

Yes, really.

Other than the mostly historic portrayal of the All American Girl's Baseball League in this film, the important part of the movie is the reminder that baseball, like life, is not easy.

Baseball is exceptional for teaching lessons in overcoming adversity and perhaps as a firefighter/paramedic by education and profession I identify with the idea of being up against all odds.  The old line is true, great hitters fail sixty-five to seventy percent of the time and they are still applauded for their success the rest of the time.  As a paramedic I stopped counting a long time ago those victims who I knew had little chance because the stats were stacked against them.

Similarly, who said life was going to be easy.  You graduate high school, go to college, party it up, pay your dues and do your classes.  Now you have a piece of paper saying graduate.  Life still isn't easy.  Again, no one said life would be easy, but that is what gives it meaning and makes it rich...not the easy times, but the ones your remember overcoming.

When Did Murders Of Convenience Become Okay?

Thankfully, I live in a state where only two theaters were playing the propaganda film Obvious Child.  The film which is described as a romantic comedy tells the tale of a stand up comedienne who after a one night affair is pregnant.  The solution: abortion.

The director claims that this isn't a pro-abortion film, but while denying the obvious the screen play includes dialogue where our "heroine" is told to "kill it out there tonight" before a set at the local comedy club.  The "clever" retort is that she has an appointment to do that tomorrow.

I am blown away.

At what point did the pro-abortion lobby admit that killing the innocent child is what they do?  Second question, when did that become acceptable?  Third, what other murders of convenience are acceptable?

Those who clamor for the rights of women and the War on Women should look around.  It isn't conservatives and the pro-life movement that is engaging in war.  If you want to talk about the peace movement, come talk to those of us in the pro-life network.  If you want to talk about death and war, you should take the blinders off and start looking in the mirror because that is where the war is.

Desire Or Boredom?

Grrr....I hate catchy music that has less than catchy lyrics.  I guess I don't hate the lyrics that much because I am presenting Maroon 5 for their Friday Night Music debut with a song that is guilty: catch music, less than stellar lyrics.

I heard someone refer to this song as a neutered passiveness when it comes to love.  Well stated.

The argument goes every other song out there has a lyrics about "I want to love somebody, I want to dance the night away."  Still, where is the rest of it?

"If I fall for you, I'll never recover; If I fall for you, I'll never be the same."  Okay, I get the second, but the first?  Adam Levine has no songs about finding the next cheap love after this per son breaks his heart?  How does that happen?

Second, how is this love and not just lust.  He talks about expecting failure: "Love mt today, but leave me tomorrow..."  Where is the confidence.  I know I have been guilty of thinking that things wouldn't last and one thing leads to another, but why not think positive there Mr. Levine?  You might find yourself married.  Trust me, it could happen.

Audit Trail

Ever get audited by the Internal Revenue Service?  Pretty much on demand, you have to produce receipts, bills, bank statements, etc.

Meanwhile as the IRS scandal continues, it appears they are not usbject to their own rules.  The IRS has reported to Congress that they have lost the hard drives containing the emails between Lois Lerner and Democratic Members of Congress regarding who should and shouldn't receive tax exempt status.

Is that a joke?  In an investigation that has been ongoing for years, the IRS just now realizes it does not have the hard drives in question that can refute Republican assertions.  This is no longer about simply violating ethical standards, but is bordering on criminal obstruction.

The other thing it should be doing is forcing Republican hands.  At this point since the IRS does not want to play ball, you need to swallow your pride and your business tax breaks and respond just as forcefully as the Administration is.  Stop funding the IRS.

We talk all the time about reforming the tax code, but the answer is no longer to reform the tax code, but to end it.  Now is the time for a flat tax.  Yes, I am ready to give up my mortgage interest deduction.  Yes, I am willing to give up my deduction to charitable entities.  (Realize of course charitable entities are only charitable, if the IRS says they are, an issue at the crux of this situation.)  I will give up the deduction for being a parent.  What about the marriage tax...don't worry about it!  If you go to a flat tax and everyone is taxed at the same rate, it shouldn't matter if you are straight, gay, or somewhere in between when it comes to taxation issues.

The problem with the tax code is not only that it is too arcane for most people to understand, but it is all about picking favorites.  If you are married we will lower your taxes slightly - because we like married people.  If you invest in this industry or that one - we will lower you taxes because we want people to risk their money in areas they normally wouldn't.

Since the IRS can not find basic hard drives to tell us who did what, where, and when, close up shop.  I am tired of hearing excuses from these morons.  Let the bureaucrats and accountants and tax lawyers fund, ahem, honest work.  It is now time for the IRS to get audited.

A Gibraltar in cleats...

He was a symbol of indestructibility - a Gibraltar in cleats." -- columnist Jim Murray 

As an Orioles fan, it is always hard to like Yankees, but 2721 hits, 493 home runs, and a streak that would not be broken for generations until the next Iron Man overtook it, speaks for itself.

Today, Lou Gerhrig would be 111 and in remembering his birthday I think abut the quote from Jim Murray talking about the Iron Horse, and the irony, that he would then die from the particularly debilitating ALS.

ALS (Amyotropic Lateral Disease), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is an incurable neuromuscular disease known for the progressive muscle degeneration and weakness that occurs which ultimately causes paralysis.  The disease which attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

When my son spends quality time at the bookshelf at his school library, I am always happy when he wanders towards books on a guy like Gehrig who showed up and played hard everyday.  I know that when Dodge wears "K ALS" on his cleats like Curt Schilling did for so many years it is because he reveres a man who played the game right for so many years only to be destroyed by a horrible disease which eats away at the body at its own pace.

Somehow I suspect Lou Gehrig didn't have any issues being a role model for the boys of his generation that are like my son.  He fulfilled that second duty with the grace and honor he lived his life.  Godspeed Iron Horse.

The ALS Association is seeking cures for Lou Gehrig's Disease.  If you want to make a donation, you can do so on their website.  You can make a donation easily.  My son raised more than $150 himself setting up a fundraiser a few months ago.  Please step up and help us cure this disease.

Offensive

America is quickly losing its right to free speech.

A panel with the Patent and Trademark Office has ruled that the term Redskins does not deserve legal protection from those who might want to profit from the use of the name other than the NFL franchise.

Let me make sure this is clear to everyone.  Because the term is so disparaging and inappropriate, the US Patent Office has said now, everyone can profit from its use in selling knock off clothing and other items.

As importantly though, this is another example of the US government telling you what speech is and isn't allowed.  While I know Democrats in Congress were unhappy with the Supreme Court decision saying corporations could speak on issues as people, they continue to be striking at the very core of who can and can not say what.

It is embarrassing and for a party that used to protect speech, it is offensive.

Raise The Flag Properly...

I would like to wish you a Happy Flag Day, but first I need to go into a quick rant.

Do not, repeat do not, tell me how patriotic you are because you wave a flag.  Do not tell me how patriotic you are if you wave a flag, but care for it incorrectly.

I had a fire chief who was a terrible stickler for these items, but he was right on more than one occasion.  First, unless lit a flag should not fly overnight.  IT should also be lowered during inclement weather.

This is a huge pet peeve of mine as I see flags flying regularly in awful thunder and wind storms.  The flag ends up tattered and torn which is also inappropriate.

The flag should not be stepped on, fall to the ground, or be used as advertising, clothing,or used to carry other objects.  There are more items codified in Title 4 of the United States Code which I will allow you to read, but the next time you see the flag used as an ornament, keep in mind that its use may come from ignorance, but it may come because an adveriser is more interested in your dollars than respect for the flag they fly.

As a history lesson, it was 14 June 1885 that Bernard Cigrand, a teacher at Stony Hill School, placed a 10 inch  flag on his desk and then assigned essays on the flag and its significance. (For those who are interested, you should remember the flaf then had thirty-eight starts on it as we had not yet created fifty states.) 

This assignment commemorated Congresses adoption of the Stars and Stripes as the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777.  This observance was also the beginning of Cigrand’s long years of fervent and devoted effort to bring about national recognition and observance of Flag Day. Cigrand was able after years of effort to get a nation observance of Flag Day when President Wilson, on May 30, 1916, issued a proclamation calling for a nation wide observance of Flag Day.

A few items for the day to remember.

First, don't use the flag to proclaim your patriotism.  If you revere the flag do so, but do so correctly.

Two, realize that a lowly school teacher created this holiday.  He likely did it not of luck, but by persevearance and there is a lesson for all of us that is we are on the right side of an issue, even the simplest of us can create a national holiday.

In the meantime, enjoy your Saturday and enjoy Flag Day.  Go find a ballpark to enjoy a hot dog and salute proudly when the colors fly.

Looking Over Your Shoulder...

...Friday the 13th.  Whether it is people complaining about the arrest of Templar Knights or Jason movies, Friday the 13th is nearly universally derided as a day of bad luck.

Well, I need a song and for some reason I was thinking Rockwell and "Somebody's Watching Me."

I don't want to contribute to people being paranoid (and I have to assume no one will be from this song) however what would be better today?  I am sure there are some other songs I could have considered, but for ease and enjoyment, I present Rockwell and his one hit wonder.

Where's The Danger?

In 2010, Vice President Biden said that Iraq would be one of the Obama Administration's great accomplishments because of the safety it had created and that the warlords who had fought for hundreds of years would be happy partners who would give up their weapons to settle things around a meal.  (I guess Vice President Biden was also doing the polling for the Eric Cantor campaign too.)

While we have dithered as the international dilettantes this Administration has proven to be, Iraq has been overrun by Islamic militants who are returning sharia law to the land and doing so in force.

Meanwhile where is America?  America is busy re-patriating Islamic militants to the region in exchange for a would be deserter.  Mrs. Clinton said there was no danger to America.  I wonder what America she is talking about.  The one where she says people do not need identification to vote, but do require identification to buy her book and have it signed or the one where Americans had to be evacuated from Iraq.

What is sad is this did not have to happen, but again the dillentant President created this course.  He slammed his predecessor's victories in the region and now faces a worst case scenario where Iraq's police and soldiers lie on the side of the road decapitated.  These are the peace loving people that Obama has again and again sided up with in his foreign policy plans for the region.

The question will come up, why should I care?  It's Iraqis killing Iraqis, but this type of rage doesn't quietly subside.  It will go on and on until this rebellion is put down.  the danger is real and is facing us.

Mrs. Clinton in a recent interview said there was no danger to America.  She is wrong.  The danger is clear to many of us that it is in The White House.  The danger is in Massapequa, or whereever Mrs. Clinton calls home these days.  The danger is close to home.  The danger is thousands of miles away too, but the danger is here.  It is amongst people who put politics above policy where the danger is and 2014 looks to show us this in all too real images.

Enter Sandman...

Dodge -- Welcome to the world....well eleven years ago.

So this would seem like the most odd of songs to have on, much less title, but it is in deference to my eldest, Dodge, on his birthday.

Eleven years ago you arrived on a day I am not sure we were prepared for your arrival.  However, there you were.  For those not familiar Enter Sandman was also the entrance music for the last man to wear 42 in the Major Leagues, Mariano Rivera.  While Dodge does not see himself as a reliever/closer, he has handled the job pretty well.  He earned the name April 13, 2013 when he took on the opposing Cedar Hill Cardinals.  Twelve batters came up and twelve went back to the bench all on strikeouts.

In any case, Happy Birthday young man.  I fear for the pitchers you will face down as a batter and I fear the hitters who will face you when you are on the mound.  Go get 'em.

Love,

Your Biggest Fan

PS If you don't realize it, the picture is your first Opening Day game.  You and I and the Orioles in 2004 before we moved to Texas.

Getting Educated

In an amazing turn of events, it appears California is now leading the way when it comes to school reform.  Okay, that is hyperbole, but a recent court decision ruled (for the kids...it's always about the kids, isn't it?) against the almighty teacher's unions of California.

In what truly has become a civil rights epidemic in the United States, the courts found that too many bad teachers were able to coast in a system designed ti protect incompetence at the real loss of students whose future earnings would be affected.  According to one expert in the case, students lost $50,000 in future earnings due to ineffective classroom teacher.

The case which was heralded by Education Secretary Arne Duncan is an interesting one if for no other reason, it may pit two Democratic groups against one another: teacher's unions and child advocates.  The dissension in those ranks should be interesting to watch over the coming months and years.

In any case, perhaps not all is lost in California, and perhaps in this case, it is the teachers who are getting educated.

The Man Who Would Be King...

So, the man who would be king...might still be Governor.  I will leave the dissection of Eric Cantor's loss to others and the resulting leadership scramble that will ensue.

Maybe I am wrong, but I suspect Eric Cantor is not done in politics.  I realize he lost a race that no one has ever lost before.  I realize that he could manage a waffle house with his ridiculous number of stances on immigration, but Eric Cantor despite being wrong on a number of issues is exceptionally likable.  While we all know he was pursuing becoming the first Jewish Speaker of the House of Representatives - an idea Republicans should have liked - he is not a soon to be former Member of Congress.  What is he to do?

If I were he, I would swallow my pride and endorse Dave Brat.  I would spend my next several months working my tail off for Dave Brat in Virginia's 7th Congressional District, not because you like the man, but because there is a path to redemption and part of that redemption will be making sure the district doesn't go D.

The district shouldn't go D based on the gerrymandering that happens regularly from both parties, but Cantor should ante up and bring that rolodex of fundraising home and help Mr. Brat out.  Why you ask.

Easy...there is no clear cut favorite to run for Governor of Virginia right now.  I know, I know.  That race is three years away.  (In point of face, it is about twenty to twenty-four months away.)  The point being now is the time to show we disagreed, I lost, I learned my lesson, but I can still be effective.  Again, this will be a tough pill to swallow, but if he were to get through it, he has a potential.

After the stinging defeat in 2013 of every statewide seat going Democrat for the first time in twenty-four years, Republicans do not have a clear cut and obvious choice to get back on top.  Eric Cantor is still relatively young, still has his fundraising rolodex, and will likely learn from this defeat.

The question is would he be happy as Governor?  While it isn't Speaker, it does create an interesting situation in 2020 should a Democrat be elected in 2016.  Cantor had already been on a number of Veep shortlists so could he end up in the Cabinet or another position.  I would argue more than possible.  The man who would be king, might still be....

The Real Illness

Unbelievable or Expected?

Jim Irsay recently had his driving license suspended for refusing a blood test after his arrest for driving and possibly intoxicated.  He was found with nearly $30,000 in cash and a number of prescription pain killers

Irsay checked himself into rehab, but I am not sure it is working.

Irsay's comments after the suspension of his license in an article in the Indianapolis Star included the comments, "these diseases, both alcoholism and addiction, much like bipolar or depression and different illnesses, are still not seen as real diseases..."  He goes on "I really think the disease aspect gets lost when you're talking about alcoholism and addiction -- it's not like you're battling leukemia or a heart problem."

The difference is Mr. Irsay, no one asks to have leukemia.  That one just gets plopped into your lap.  Whether or not you start on pain pills though is a whole other issue and I say that as an advocate for treating pain.

One thing, I do know about addiction though is the healing starts when you admit there is a problem.  Right now, it appears Mr. Irsay is still ready to blame someone or something else....his genetics, the initial injury or whatnot that caused is back pain, etc.

In an organization that has reportedly pushed pills down the throats of its players, I am a little surprised you want to get into the business of blaming others for creating addiction and then ask for sympathy as if your disease is beyond your control.  Maybe I am wrong here, but it seems like the real illness isn't addiction, it's denial.

Manny Being Manny?

I am embarrassed.  We are all familiar in baseball with the term Manny being Manny, but is used to refer to Manny Ramirez.  If things don't change soon, it might refer to Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles.  My Baltimore Orioles.

On Friday, Manny Machado caused a bench clearing incident against the Oakland Athletics when he flipped out against Josh Donaldson for a tag that was too hard.  I realize he is recovering from ACL surgery and maybe he thought Donaldson caused the fall as opposed to his own motion which the video clearly shows.

Either way, in yesterday's game when a ball comes in and a little low, Machado seems to think it is aimed at him.  On a second throw, Machado let go of the bat well past third base.  While he claimed it "slipped" this is the type of incident that has to be policed.  I expect at least a ten game suspension from the Commissioner's Office or you will see batters retaliating for pitches they do not like.

This changes the game significantly and is inappropriate.  Machado came up as a much touted short stop, but this is not Orioles baseball and is not right.  Get it together young man because you are not bigger than the team and as of right now, your team is not in the playoffs.  Get your act together and start acting like a professional.  Act like an Oriole!

Reckless

If you had money on California Chrome in today's Belmont horse race you likely already know you lost.  Unfortunately co-owner Steve Coburn lost the point in post race comments when he complained about a process he was a part of before it began.

After his horse came in fourth, Coburn unleashed his fury in comments to NBC that "It's not fair to these horses that are running their guts out..."  When I watch the video it doesn't look like he is running his guts out.  It looks like California Chrome is being beaten like a wild animal that is out of control, not a domesticated one who several people had noted would probably have trouble with the longer Belmont track.

Second it isn't fair to complain about a process after your horse gets real close to the Triple Crown and comes up short.  In horse racing there have only been eleven horses to complete this feat.  I bet there is a reason.  Like, the tracks are different.  Like, the horses are put through the equivalent of a marathon over five weeks.

I get this is a tough loss, but Mr. Coburn you said "would go down in history."  Don't complain when the history isn't the one you envisioned.

Recently I saw a comment from a baseball mom.  It said my son never loses.  He either wins the game or he learns a lesson.  Perhaps the lesson here is stay humble in victory and find a lesson in defeat.  If that is good enough for little leaguers, it ought to be good enough for an adult man who has the money to own race horses as a hobby.

Do Second Race Cards Trump?

Elections are always fun for me.  Maybe it is the wannabe political science major in me coming out.  (No, no polysci - economics.  When I was picking a major the first George Bush was losing an election because he didn't understand basic economics kind of like a current President so I chose economics.)

In any case, intra-party elections might be the most fun.  I always enjoy how we call them family squabbles where we all come together at the conclusion of the race because that only occassionally happens and usually is the result of some other back room deal.

In any case, it is fun to watch Charlie Rangel complaining about a primary opponent using his race to further his cause given Charlie Rangel has made a career of using his race to further his cause (himself).  It is even more fun to watch President Clinton come to Rangel's defense, as the "first black President" and President Obama, the first black President, sitting on the sidelines.

It is also telling that a major union in the city is staying out of the primary.  When a party owns a seat it is usually shocking to see groups stay out of a race, but particularly with a Member of Congress who is as powerful as Charlie Rangel arguably is, or was.  I am not here to tell 32BJ SEIU how or who to support in the race, but I do find it interesting.

I should also note I hate using ethnicity to curry votes.  Are minorities telling me they can not represent me because I am white?  That is a silly thought and pubescent politics.  If you are a woman or black or brown or green you can represent me....IF...we are in alignment on issues.  Issues matter, not the color of your skin.

Senator Tim Scott is black, but would better represent my views than Charlie Rangel.  It isn't that Charlie is black, it's that he isn't for an honest, fair tax code, he supports abortion on demand, and I am not convinced of his support for Israel.  It doesn't mean Congressman Rangel is a bad guy, it just means he doesn't represent me well.

To the original point though, for a guy who has used his race in his Harlem district for years to stay in Congress for over forty years, I find it entertaining to watch him complain about others playing the same game when the district changes underneath him.

Perspective

Happy Donut Day folks.  That's right...somehow today is Donut Day.

How did this happen?  Let's face it, Donut Day is a holiday honoring the overweight, morally bankrupt children of the men who stormed Normandy, France all of those seventy years ago.


Somewhere along the way we have lost our way.  Then we were a nation that would face down evil.  As the world sat on its hands all those years ago and watched the systematic extermination of Jews, gypsies, poles, and other "inferior" races the German high command found unacceptable, America and England finally stood up under the leadership of Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt.

They stood up against a regime of oppression.

I hate to question some of our Hallmark and promotional holidays, but what gives?  I realize it is the first Friday in June, but boys and girls in marketing you should have thought this one through a little better.  That means it is possible to interact with this day every few years.

I wonder how many donuts the GIs had as they stormed off their amphibious assault ships to face down German MG42s and Panzershrecks.  Today is the 70th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion, not Donut Day.  Today is a day to find an elderly veteran and buy him a cup of coffee (if he will take it) and say thank you, not fill your stomach with fat, sugary dough.

The Family Radio Was Rocking...

It is hard to put a positive spin on a time that was so terrible for America, but it was also our finest hour.  I am speaking of course of D Day - The Normandy Invasion - where America and Great Britain demonstrated in Churchill's words “Never in the face of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few.”  He was right.

In a few moments...seventy years ago, a land invasion of epic proportions was about to take place.  18000 paratroopers had already fallen across the French countryside to support the coming invasion.

Two thousand soldiers would lose their lives at Omaha.  The beaches of Gold, Juno, Sword, and Utah were successes for America, Britain, and Canada as they caught the Axis "sleeping."  It is hard to believe that all this history happened seventy years ago, but instead of being on your Samsung or MacAir reading this, you would likely be around your family radio listening to news accounts of what was the invasion that might have saved the world.

Today, American showed its ability to partner with her allies for good.  America showed it stood for good over evil.  For me, today is a day to celebrate as Hitler was dispatched to the ash heap of history.

In any case, enjoy the Andrews' Sisters and the Bugle Boy of Company B and if you get the chance, thank a veteran, but particularly a veteran from World War II.

Put The Fork Down...It Aint Genetics

A recent article in the British Medical Journal argues that the obesity epidemic is not secondary to a genetic condition that wasn't obvious for hundreds of years, but that obesity is caused by our eating habits and lifestyles.

A follow up from Art Caplan, from the Division of Medical Ethics at the NYU Langone Medical Center, notes that in a thirteen mile stretch of rural Pennsylvania he was driving he counted "19 kings, arches, colonels, and so on."

His point was that while genetics may have an influence on body size, more likely it is lack of discipline and the wide nature of choices we have...everywhere.

The study was clear that those most exposed to fast food were likely to have higher body mass indexes.  Again, I consider myself a foodie and love to eat.  Do I eat to excess?  Probably.  Do I blame it on genetics though?  No.  My family weight issues (to the extent they exist) have everything to do with excuse making and lack of willingness to get off the couch.  I feel lucky I have pretty active kids who want to play baseball with me or who want to run around the block.

For me though, Caplan's piece is equally important as the original study as it comes from the perspective of a medical ethicist.  We need to stop making "easy way out" excuses for our patients.  I know in EMS I have heard way too many partners who provide the excuse to the patient who wants a cigarette.  I have seen a 32 year old woman who I transported for open heart surgery two weeks earlier buying her cigarettes at the local pharmacy.  (She had a weight problem too.)

Weight is no different.  As a culture we need to step up and realize we have an obesity problem.  Part of that is putting the fork down, but the other part of that is putting the excuses down first.

My Girl And Me For Fifteen Years...

I realize this is a bit early, but tomorrow is June 6 and today is my anniversary, so the tunes have to come early.

After fifteen years of marriage I am going with The Beatles and "I Will."  I think we know the song more from the movie Love Affair than from the Beatles, but what can I say?

In the movie Annette Bening does an amazing job as a music vocalist who finds herself teaching to school children and falling in love with a playboy ex-football player.  Well, I don't think anyone will confuse Dianne with being a music teacher and while ownership has its privileges, football is not my number one sport.

Whether the sport is baseball or football or even rugby, whether or not you are teaching music or risk managing Big Four clients, it wasn't hard for me to say "I Do" or for that matter waiting for the next seventy-nine years to say "I Will"...

Falling A Great Distance

So how do you know?  For some folks they just know.  For others they fall in and out of love every other day.  (I have no desire for an affection that is that fickle.)

Is it his car or her clothes?  Something tells me that Oscar Wilde was right oh so many years ago when he said that love is about singing a song only one person can hear.

I think about all the times that the L word gets used on pop radio or even country radio or whatever radio for that matter.  What does it mean though?  Is it the fast love George Michael is talking about?  Is it the respectful love that Aretha Franklin was talking about?  Either way, I doubt it is the love that overcomes potholes and makes it through rough times that happen in any relationship.

In any case, today's musing is all about the one hearing your song.  Good luck with your song.

Advice For The Young At Heart

The blog title comes from the Tears For Fears CD of the same name.  (The name Tears For Fears should be bad enough, but the link to a Wikipedia page because they don't maintain their own site should be scary enough.)  The blog meaning has to do with being asked for advice and asked for help, but then following neither.

I guess after my career in EMS, now and then I am seen as a mentor.  I don't claim to have any Phil Jackson Zen like quality though I guess in this business that would belong to the likes of Jon Politis or Dan Gerard.  While I don't put myself in their category, somehow I have managed to speak across the country for the better part of ten years.  Somehow I have survived this industry which tends to chew people up.

So...I understand why I am asked for advice.  I even am honored when people ask for my help.  However, if you ask for advice or help and then ignore it, you are showing more than disrespect, you are showing contempt.

These situations remind me of Proverbs 12, verse 15: "The way of fools is right in their own eyes,

but those who listen to advice are the wise."

I can tell you now, I do not have all the answers, but those I do have, I share.  It confuses me when people ask you how to travel the road you have already been down, but then want to take the steering wheel and return to the mistakes that has their car with three tires.  Oh well.

Feel Safe Yet?

Maybe no one told me, but when did America begin negotiating with terrorists?

Okay, I know the answer is since forever.  Regardless of claim it certainly happened during Iran-Contra when Oliver North & Co. decided they would be better off doing their own thing negotiating with moderates to get back American hostages.  While it is well know I love Reagan as a President, that was certainly a blemish on his administration.

Worse, a major difference between then and now is it appears Bowe Bergdahl is less a hostage than a willing participant.

Sgt. Josh Korder, described Bergdahl "at best a deserter..." and according to the Daily Mail may have taught Taliban fighters ambush and bomb making skills.  I am not sure they needed this information as among the five who are leaving US custody include Mullah Mohammad Fazi, the Taliban Army Chief of Staff, and Mullah Norullah Noori, a senior Taliban commander, both of whom are wanted by the United Nations for war crimes.  Given the Obama administration's reluctance towards unilateral action I am shocked that if these men were to be turned over to anyone it would not be the UN.

The move is not only creating a groundswell of discontent amongst the American public, but is also fueling anger in Afghanistan where it is believed these terrorists will return home to attack the government there once American leaves.

Another concerning development is the tweet since deleted by Robert Bergdahl which makes it look like America is ready to free those prisoners that attacked American pre and post 9/11.

If you think your flights will be safer or your freedoms more secure with these fellas on the street, you are hallucinating.  America is in greater danger now than ever before and the dilettante American President has put us there.

Fifth Place Trophies

I guess I am bored this afternoon so let me alienate an entire generation of parents.  Who buys their kids a trophy when the team comes in fifth place?  Really?

We missed an end of season baseball party because our son was picked up by another team to play in the state tournament.  It was the wrong team, but he got to play a couple extra games and it is likely leading us to a decision I hate to make: select baseball.

I see way too many parents pay for their kids to be on a select baseball team because they want their kid to be "select."  What does that mean though?

Well, it means you are paying to play baseball which I find abhorrent to begin with.  I guess it is part of the process, but it feels like you are buying them a place in the line.

Another thing that I would consider a positive is it should mean you have the opportunity to not put up with discipline problems because when they happen, you can be dropped and another kid can be put in your place.  I hope that happens at least because as outlined in recent posts this idea of not showing up to team practices or warm ups and wandering in as the game begins is not for me.

It doesn't bug me in swimming or tennis, but when you are on a team, you accomplish together and it isn't right for one or two kids to carry the load.

To the original point though, who buys their kid a trophy for finishing fifth?  For me, buying your kid a trophy for finishing fifth tells the kid at age ten you will be there for the rest of their life to kiss every boo boo that happens.  They build zero resiliency and think that they are then entitled to whatever they want.  Hey, I showed up...don't I get a trophy?

It reminds me of the old Chris Rock skit.

"I don't beat my kids.  What do you want a cookie?  I've never been arrested.  You aren't supposed to get arrested."

Really.  Have our standards fallen so low we now train our kids that showing up and having your glove is an accomplishment.  Do we really cheapen accomplishment that much?  I worry for the parents who want their kid to have a participation trophy.  The signal you are sending is you will be supporting them for the rest of their life so when you thirty year old is on your couch or in your basement in two decades, don't complain about it, bake a plate of cookies, because you set those expectations up...not them.