Here We Go Again!

Its as if no one really listens or takes a lesson!

It wasn't that long ago--- maybe six weeks, that we were reading and hearing in the news how a Dallas Cowboy lost control of his car-- flipped it side over side on a service road along highway 114 in Irving, Texas, and killing the passenger of the vehicle, who was also a teammate.

Josh Brent, killed his best friend, his "brother", has he called him, and in doing so, has set himself up for Intoxicated Manslaughter, which will carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. We have heard that his alcohol intake was twice the legal limit, and to add insult to injury, he was on the sidelines of a Dallas Cowboys Game, that caused a lot of people to be upset that this person was allowed to be a part of his team on that particular Sunday.

He got the message, and left when he felt that he was being more of a distraction than a cheerleader for his team.

Now we move to early Tuesday Morning on January 22, 2013, along a stretch of highway that might sound a bit familiar-- 114... yep that same stretch of road, only about 10 or 12 miles to the west of where the other accident took place... this time in the town of Grapevine.

Once again its a Dallas Cowboy, once again, its a Defensive Lineman-- this time, once again, it is a name that most people recognize, and this time, this person was arrested at the scene, only no one was seriously hurt or killed in the accident.

Yes boys and girls, we are talking about Jay Ratliff. The starting Nose Tackle for the Dallas Cowboys, who was under the influence of alcohol, and hit the back end of an 18 wheeler on Hwy 114.

DID YOU NOT LEARN A THING???? REALLY!!!! Mr. Ratliff... WHERE YOU NOT THERE? INSIDE THE LOCKERROOM? WHERE YOU NOT THERE WHEN THEY PUT THAT DECAL OF NUMBER 53 and slapped it on the back of your helmet? DID I MISS SOMETHING?

What in the world do we have to do, to make these young athletes understand, its not like the good ol days when Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford, or Billy Martin, or a handful of other famous people would go and tie one on... and then go home.

In those days, the media left you alone, in those days it was not uncommon for the media to be sitting right there with you at the restaurant or bar and buying you the drinks themselves, but not for the story, but to hang out with you, and be your friend.

Today, its camera phones, and Ipads and every other device you can think of, to instantly take that photo or video and up load it to Facebook, or Google Plus, or You Tube, or whatever, and in the end, our little world comes crumbling down.

Drunk Driving first and foremost is STUPID-- and we all know the adage that "YOU CAN"T FIX STUPID!". Its true, you can't, but you CAN prevent it.

Our athletes, are not like the ones we grew up with. OUR heroes, were "GODS"! I say that, more to say that we worshiped their "fetes" on the field of play, be it any of the sports!

WE didn't care what they did off the field, as long as they didn't kill someone, but most time they didn't! Most of the time, they just blew off some steam and went about their lives, and it pretty much didn't affect their play the next day.

Hell, if we had our "instant" media in those years, guys like Babe Ruth, and Ty Cobb would have been banned from Baseball for life, Joe DiMaggio would have never had married Marilyn Monroe, because he would not have been able to take all the bombardment of media at his front door waiting on them to drive up or run into them at the restaurants. What did happen still was enough to make Joltin Joe divorce the sex siren after a short marriage.

Today-- its different, our "heroes" are not bullet proof anymore, and that might be the crux right there, they aren't guys and gals that can dodge the media bullets, and with that comes the price, and it is a heavy one at that. DWI's are pretty bad, and more than that, they are deadly, just ask Josh Brent about that.

So Mr. Ratliff, learn from this mistake, and Mr. JONES! Yes JERRY JONES! You hired Calvin Hill (former running back for the Cowboys in the late 60's and early 70's) to help the team with situations like this and financial, something fell through the cracks, time to fix it once again! AND you better hurry before another player is arrested for the same thing, and maybe once again your team assembles for a funeral! 

NONE of us wishes that on anyone! NONE OF US!

Just a thought!

Josh Brent on the Sidelines-- Deal or No Deal!

C'Mon MAN! That's the New Battle Cry for sports fans-- thank you ESPN!

Josh Brent-- a couple of weeks ago, was involved in a horrible traffic accident in Irving, Texas that caused his car to roll over and his passenger-- a teammate, and a close, dear friend Jerry Brown-- died that night!

On Sunday afternoon at Cowboys Stadium, Josh Brent was on the Cowboys Sideline, wearing a Cowboys Hoodie and Cowboys ball cap, along with the jersey (#53) of Brown draped on his shoulder during a moment of silence and the opening ceremonies to the game.

Fans-- television analyst, and writers have said that this was the WRONG message being sent to fans and young fans at that!

REALLY?!?!?!?!

Alright-- background time! Ms. Brown-- Jerry's mom, informed anyone within ear shot of her comments (including the media) that she forgave Josh for what happened-- and that she loved him as if Brent was her own son! That takes a lot of strength to say those words-- and more so-- she is grieving as much as Brent is about the loss of his friend!

HOWEVER! The Dallas Cowboys football club is a business, no different than IBM, or Pepsico Foods International and so on! With in the confines of that business structure there are people in place that will help those who have gone through a major tragedy or other catastrophe in their lives.

I don't remember a place of business (unless they are shallow or have policies in place that state that an indiscretion would cause termination) The NFL doesn't have a policy of that! Mr. Brent is not going to be fired from his position until after a trial is had, and the evidence is presented. WE all know that he was legally drunk, the blood alcohol level proved that, but he made his bond, the Cowboys opened up their facility to him for treatment, they have kept him on the team, he has not been removed from the payroll, and until that day comes, he is a part of the organization!

IF we are going to talk about how Brent shouldn't have been allowed on the sidelines of the game, then we need to re-evaluate situations! Michael Vick has a conviction and prison term against him-- yet he is allowed to come back to the league and play for NFL money, PacMan Jones, has been arrested numerous times for all sorts of charges, assault, carrying a weapon in places you're not suppose to, and yet he is on an NFL team, Plaxico Burress, not only went into a place where weapons are forbidden, but he let loose one round-- albeit it went into this leg-- yet when he was done with his jail time-- he was permitted back on a team.

So Brent had an accident, that was caused by him drinking, and yet we find it more forgiving AFTER someone has been arrested and charged, and sentenced, then it is when a person who is hurting, and mourning, and needs his "family".. his team around him more than anything else!

This is not about "he who has not sinned cast the first stone" B.S.! This is about someone who has the support of a business that is looking out for his best interest and as Jason Garrett and Jerry Jones both have said, Josh Brent is a part of the Dallas Cowboys Football Team, and they will look after him the best that they can, and offer him any and all help to keep him focused and hopefully not see him turn into depression, which could lead to other problems.

Give Mr. Brent the benefit of the doubt! HE is hurting, this is no different than any one of us who made a major mistake and has to live with it! The consequences that they will deal with, will be on their terms and they will have to live with it for the rest of their lives!

Being on the sidelines showed solidarity of the Team to a Teammate! Unless you wear a helmet, shoulder pads, and jersey, and step out onto that field and play between the lines-- we have no idea what they are thinking, and we have no idea why they think it! But whatever the reason is, they think it is right, and therefore we should do our best to accept those reasons!

Just a thought!

What the Hell is Going ON?

Well thats the 64 million dollar question on everyone's lips today isn't it?

I mean-- in the last 72 hours, we have had two gunman open fire on innocent people for no reason whatsoever, and the results are families grieving for the lost of their loved ones.

It didn't happen in our back yard, it didn't happen to me, it didn't touch me-- really? it didn't? EVERY time someone takes a number of lives, be it in Columbine, Colorado, or at Virginia Tech University, or Austin, Texas (1966 Texas Tower Shooting) or today in Newtown, Connecticut, we are touched!

A Luby's restaurant, a man walks in and opens fire in central Texas, or at Fort Hood a couple of years ago, a Army Major, opens fire and killing innocent people. Mass Murders in a single day, we know about the shooting at a Movie theater not too long ago, and yet the same argument is being spewed over and over again, about gun control.

This is not the time to make this a political argument! This is not the time to make a statement about who should or should not carry a gun! THIS IS A TIME TO MOURN and GRIEVE!

There were five year olds shot and killed today, there were adults that lost their lives, because they were in that school building, as they should, to teach our young and make them into promising adults in the their future!

THEIR FUTURE!-- it was snuffed out by a bullet, and by a man, who, for whatever reason, decided that it was the best thing for him to do is go and shoot up children, and end their lives, and their hopes and destroy their families! SOMEONE DIDN'T THINK ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES!

All they could think about, was destruction, and the end results is this! There are dead bodies now that have to be identified and claim by loved ones, then there are memorials and funerals to plan, and there is the Christmas tree with the unopened presents under it, or the last few nights of Hanukah, where candles will be lit but no one there to enjoy the light flickering into the night!

Innocence is lost, shattered, and hopes and dreams dashed. All because someone was angry, snapped, and thought that this was the only way out!

IF you are that angry, and you are that hurtful, and you wish to end your life, then be selfish and just do it to yourself! I do not condone suicide, believe me, I have walked that thin line! But it is a selfish act, to do that, but why take others lives with you! Why is it necessary to bring someone else into your little chaotic world! LEAVE THEM ALONE! they did nothing to put you in that state, they did nothing to harm you, and yet you have decided to choose them to die at your hand because you're pissed off, and depressed and think that this is the only way out!

May G-d have mercy on your soul, and may he embraced those angles coming to him in the form of innocent children, and may they find their wings to protect those of us still here and mourn their lives, and pray for the peace that their families need, and keep them safe- Their Christmas wreath will turn to black instead of green this time of year, but it is with the spirit of the season that we hope that joy and smiles will once again return to the faces of those left behind, including the children that were saved, and hopes that they will not live this nightmare again!

Let us all hope and wish for PEACE ON EARTH and GOODWILL TO ALL!

Just a thought

Tragedy Strikes Close to Home!

In the early morning hours of Saturday, December 8^th, 2012, a bad decision was made by a 24 year old man, who got behind the wheel of a car after being at a party near downtown Dallas, and drove while he had too much to drink.

He put not only his own life in danger but he also placed the life of his passenger in danger. Not too mention the other lives that are on the road, that had no idea that he had been drinking.

Now I can end this story here—you can insert any name of any person you know that has done this before. Lord knows we have known someone who was either involved in an accident or maybe lost a loved one to a drunk driver, in our lifetime.

However, this story involves a HIGH Profile person, someone who is a professional athlete, someone who thinks at times, that they are entitled, the ones that when they get pulled over, or after they have been in an accident, usually the first thing out of their mouth is usually “Don’t you know who I am?”… like that’s going to make this situation any better or go away!

Here’s the awful truth. A person made a bad choice, and in the end… and tore two families apart!

Josh Brent a Dallas Cowboy player, was driving late at night, on a piece of road way that is usually pretty dangerous even in day light—and one can only imagine what its like when there is very little light on the road way, and then the next thing you know—the car he is driving, loses control, and flips onto its roof and the passenger, his friend from College is tossed around like a rag doll inside the car, and is declared dead shortly after he arrives at the hospital.

It brings back memories of Dewayne Goodrich, that was drunk, and was driving along a Dallas highway—came upon a car with their flashers on—and smashed into that disabled car, killing the good Samaritan on the side of the road—Goodrich was convicted and served 8 years in jail, another incident involved Eric Williams when he took the curve a little too fast along LBJ Freeway in North Dallas at the North Dallas Tollway—and smashed into the retaining wall, and lets not forget, that Former Dallas Cowboy Wide receiver Drew Pearson had an accident as well—along LBJ Freeway in East Dallas where he was returning from a charity basketball game—and was driving his younger brother Carey Mark Pearson also known as Moose, struck the back end of a tractor trailer, and Carey was killed, and Drew lost his football career because of injuries. His blood alcohol level was just slightly above the average, he believes he nodded off and that was all it took.

All it takes is a split second of decision, that is the wrong one, and your life or the lives around are destroyed or changed forever!

Josh Brent will have to live with the choice for the rest of his life, that the life that was taken away was that of his best friend, and a person he considered to be his little brother! The grief that he will feel, and the steps that he will have to take, will be long and they will be painful!

The other people that are affected are those who are in that locker room at Valley Ranch, and those players and staff members will have to find their own way of dealing with this tragedy.

For the second time in one week time span, the NFL has been struck with deaths. However, this time, we will have to deal with the fact that one was selfish, and the other was just plain stupid! Either way—those left behind will have to find with in themselves to find answers and peace!

Just a Thought!

Tragedy in Kansas City!

There are those who are saying that the NFL is handling this all wrong, that after Jevon Belcher shot his girlfriend and then drove to Arrowhead Stadium-- spoke with both the Head Coach and the General Manager of the football team, turned stepped away for about three feet-- then held the gun to his own head and fired!

We all know that is a permanent solution to a temporary problem-- shooting and killing someone then yourself! Something could have been done, one would think, to have stayed this sort of behavior off... but alas... two people are dead, two families are destroyed, a three month child is now an orphan-- and the entire Kansas City Chief Football team is devastated! And YET! The NFL as well as the Chiefs, said that they would play on Sunday afternoon against the Carolina Panthers at 12noon CST.

I am having a hard time with this one! I can't imagine a family, and lets face it, that's what a team is, they are family, they live and work together more than they sometimes spend with their own real families, and with that in mind, you have to think that these men are not mentally ready to step out on the gridiron and take on an opponent and give it their 100%. Their thoughts are going to be with their "Brother" who took his own life on the very stadium parking lot, that they will go and do battle in with a foe that is being told to travel and be ready to play this hurting team.

Back in 1963, Pete Rozelle the Commissioner of the NFL, on the Sunday after President Kennedy was shot, and in fact the very day that Lee Harvey Oswald was gunned down by Jack Ruby in the Police Department basement, held games, and the country was in mourning! Not a good idea, and not well received by a lot of fans!

In fact-- the Dallas Cowboys were traveling to Cleveland to take on the Browns that day, and the Browns Public Address Announcer, was informed that he was to only refer to the Dallas team as the COWBOYS, and not Dallas.

Rozelle would later say, that it was one of his biggest regrets, and that hindsight, she should have postponed those games for a later time!

The Kansas City Chiefs should had done the same thing, and get ready for this game on another night-- Monday, or Thursday, enough time to put the images away-- and mourn the lost of their teammate!

On this occasion, I say that the NFL overstepped its boundaries, and allowed the DOLLAR to control the actions of a team, and a city that is hurting!

Just a thought! 

49 Years Later- And the Memories Are Still Fresh!

Yes—49 years ago, on November 22^nd, we marked the anniversary of the death of the President of the United States. John F. Kennedy, was shot and killed on the streets of Dallas, Texas at 12:30PM, while driving in a motorcade!

Yeah, we know the history, we know the story, we know the tales, and we know the truths, the half truths and the out and out lies.

We know that there are conspiracies, we know there are those who believe the complete 27 volumes of the Warren Commission, we know that there are those who will tell you WHO were involved, and who they think were involved, and there are even a few who think that little spacemen from another planet had something to do with it! (REALLY?)

For some, the hallowed grounds in Dealey Plaza, represent the moment when innocents were lost, and that even though the country suffered a great depression, and the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the loss of a great President, in Franklin D. Roosevelt, the death of John F. Kennedy seemed to be something that not only the young held onto, but also those who were counting on a turning point of our country.

Kennedy, in 1961 during his inauguration address, stated: “Ask NOT what your country can do for YOU, ask, WHAT you can do for your country”… here we are 51 years later, and the statement has lost some of its meaning.

Look at those who think that the government should help THEM, and not help themselves! IF Kennedy was alive today, and running for office, his views would be considered to be more conservative than liberal. Would he be on the Republican side of the isle or would he still be a Democrat? And would he be able to get his ideas across. Like Civil Rights, or even the space program.

Forward thinking in the 60’s like sending a man to the moon, or maybe ending the conflict in Southeast Asia, or maybe ending the Cold War.

Were these the reasons WHY he was murdered?

See that’s the real question… WHY? Its not so much the WHO, but the why he was killed.

A lone gunman, that’s a possibility, never truly proven other than the Warren Commission, but the House Senate Committee on Assassinations in1978, they concluded that a 95% possibility that there was indeed a second gunman involved, and that, by definition is a conspiracy, however the CIA and the FBI both stated that the Warren Commission is still the only true answer to the case, and in 1983, the federal government closed the case completely and the case of a murder of John Fitzgerald Kennedy came to a close!

75 years after the Warren Commission was concluded, the entire archive will open to the public. That is a multiple generational time line! Most of those who were alive, will have died off, and those who are old enough to know about the case, will have either not cared, or forgotten about it.

Did Oliver Stone’s movie in 1991, do anything to make you ask questions, or did it leave you thinking that it was nothing more than one big propaganda for Stone and Hollywood?

Truth is, that this is more about what the Government KNEW, and why certain things happened the way they did during the moment that Kennedy was shot.

The entire Cabinet was on a flight, and out of the country along with Press Secretary Perrier Salinger, there was a total mobilization of Armed Forces in the event of rioting in the streets, there was a total phone outage in Washington D.C. for over 30 minutes. Is this ALL a coincidence? I don’t think so… I don’t think that someone can make that happen by accident, and pull it off!

We have to keep asking the questions, and we have to continue to question those who were there before us, and continue to ask so the truth comes out!

That’s all the American public deserves—don’t leave it up to those who think its best for the people to know what is the truth, and what we should not be privy to because we can’t handle the truth!

WE are not an innocent society, we are a society that can comprehend and understand the truth, and our children, grandchildren and generations that follow, should be aware of what either our government knows or at least those who were in charge at the time 49 years ago!

And one final note, it took them 49 years, but finally the City of Dallas and the State of Texas had a historical marker placed on the corner of 10^th Street and Patton in Oak Cliff, to mark the spot where Officer J.D. Tippitt died, when alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, opened fire and killed him near his squad car. Three Murders in less than 48 hours.

A few years later—in 1968, we lost Martin Luther King in Memphis, and in June of that same year we lost Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in Los Angeles. Somewhere we have to connect the dots and get the answers!

Just a thought!

Thanksgiving Holiday Traditions!

Every year, we gather at a table and we have a full meal, and it has always interest me in recent times, that this is the ONLY day in the year, outside of maybe Christmas and Passover (for my Jewish friends) that we gather in one place to eat a meal!

I mean, when I was growing up, it was nothing for the family to sit at the dinner table after mom and dad got home from work, and we ate at a specific time, or close to it, and talked about the days events and how school was, or what was going on in the world.

TODAY! OH MY LORD! WE are lucky if we have a moment to see each other coming and going, between work, and school, and soccer, and band, and dance, and football, and drill team, and cheerleader, and so on and so on and so on!

NOW we know why there is a fast food restaurant on every corner of the city, and then some!

GOODNESS, step back and take a breath!

Traditions, have been bent, broken, shattered, and destroyed over the last few generations.

I will bet that there are few families that will gather in front of their televisions to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade from New York, with bands, floats, and balloons... less will be interested in what is going on in their own home towns where there were once parades that had a Thanksgiving theme or at least the beginning of the Christmas season!

I remember getting up early on Thanksgiving mornings, and with my dad, sit in front of the television to watch the parade- (of course my father originally was from New York) so there was a touch of home for him, but this was in the 1960's, and we would then help mom with cooking the Turkey and the rest of the meal, and set the table and have friends and family over or we would go to other's houses to for the meal... hell there was even times when we would go to the Cotton Bowl to watch the Dallas Cowboys play on Thanksgiving! (Beating the dreaded Packers that particular year 16-13)

Now Thanksgiving is centered around-- what time the games are, and who is playing when, and if there is a college game later in the day, and can we be at so-n-so's house before kickoff , or by at least half time.

Lets not forget that  we also have the dreaded-- what time are you going to be at the SUPER STORE for their opening to start the Christmas shopping on  Black Friday (and believe me, working Black Friday is no peach of a deal either)... WHAT EVER HAPPENED to going shopping on the weekend, not on ONE day and spreading it out til the end of the shopping season?

Well it went away with a generation built on instant gratification! EVERYTHING has to be done RIGHT NOW, without delay, without haste, and by-gum if you get in my way-- I will run you over with my shopping cart, and I don't care if you are bleeding to death-- I need to get to that last SNUGGY BEFORE YOU DO!  Whew! Peace on Earth, Goodwill to all men-- Yeah right!

Thanksgiving! A time to relax, and enjoy the company of our family and friends, and to be with those who matter most in our lives. Sometimes, its nothing more than a gesture to say THANK YOU to someone who was kind enough to invite you over for the meal, and to be a part of their family, when yours is either too far away-- or worse-- right around the corner but you don't talk to them for whatever reason!

Whichever traditions you have, or have had, or will start with your own family, may you enjoy the season, and have a wonderful time stuffing your belly's till they are over lapping your belts! Sleep until Kickoff.. and hoping your team wins!

And as far as shopping is concerned! Best deals are usually AFTER The holidays are over-- usually that is! Don't get suckered into the "TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE DEALS" they usually are!

Best to you this holiday season-- and may the spirit of the holidays be with you throughout the year!

Just a thought!