It's Tea Time

I am emotionally drained today. I spent most of last night on the Eagles forums, until about 3AM, discussing this passionately with fellow fans. I am heart broken over the entire ordeal.

For those of you who have not figured it out, I am an Eagles fan. A huge Eagles fan. It began in 1989 when I was about 10 years old with Randall Cunningham, and it just kept on going. I love that team, and now I am torn.

I have posted about Michael Vick before, and why I think he is a horrible, unforgivable, human being. You can find that post probably three or four below this one, who's counting. I don't need to rehash that.

What I suppose I needed to do was just write this, because after all of the arguing about what is right or wrong in this case I need a respite. It saddens me, so terribly, that it had to be my team to do this. I never saw it coming, I don't think many fans did. Two days ago I was as excited as I'd ever been about an Eagles season, what with the pickup of Maclin and the performance of Jackson last year, who wouldn't be? It seemed to me we finally had some pieces of the puzzle we had all always bitched about, and maybe our time had finally come.

Now, that time is tainted for me and for many others. Sure there are plenty who see no problem with the Vick signing, and I envy them their pleasure. Their excuses are many: from flat out not caring, to rationalizing that he has paid his dues, to quoting the Bible. To me, there are no excuses. Deep down the reason this man was brought to our team was sheer greed, nothing more, nothing less. Acting as though it is a good act to prop him up, to forgive him...that this was the virtuous thing to do, makes swallowing the whole situation all the harder.

Life goes on I suppose. I have said my piece here, and I have made my opinion known to the Eagles organization and my fellow fans. There is nothing left for me to do.

Tonight, I will grab myself a copy of the new Madden, and maybe a twelve pack to drown my sorrows. Tomorrow, I will get on with living.

It's a crazy time in the good ol' US of A. Policies being talked about now in the realm of healthcare reform will have a huge impact on our lives, and there's certainly not a shortage of opinions on the subject.

What's got to me in this whole thing however, is the response to these town hall meetings. The main question I have is the following:

At what point are protesters real people trying to voice their opinion vs. "staged" people, and who exactly is qualified to make that distinction?

That's the problem here, and make no mistake: it's a huge one.

For me it's fairly simple. If I look at social organization on the "right" side of things, it's nearly non-existent. On the left, however, the influence of the various labor unions is quite obvious. Those who are in unions know that they tend to lean a certain way and are not shy about it. The "left" also seems to do much better organizing major events online.

The reasons for why they are more successful are not important, the fact that they are is. Think about the publicized war protests, or like mentioned earlier, the union "advertising" for their candidates or policies they want passed. These are events that truly are organized by one group or another. Have you seen video of these town halls? I doubt very highly that some of the elderly folk I've seen yelling at their congressmen were online a few nights before organizing the event in some underground forum. If these things are being organized, on such a grand scale that the entire nation is being swept by them, where is the rally point? Where is the web site, the leaflet, the organization behind it all?

My fear here is that we are, in some roundabout way, losing our freedom of speech. Not so much in that we are losing the ability to say what's on our minds, but that we are giving our elected officials the rationale to ignore it. I for one am grateful that there are men and women in this country young and old who are passionate about this topic. It would be wrong if it were any other way, just as it would be wrong if any war were fought without questions and doubt from segments within society.

So I say to these citizens in the town hall meetings across the US: keep it up. Don't let off the gas for even a second. If this legislation passes in the wake of the public furor, at least you will be able to look back and know it was not for lack of effort. It will shine brightly as a beacon, illuminating the truth: Our elected officials care naught for the opinions of the everyday man or woman. Then, and only then, might that light lead the way to the things which Obama himself promised but has failed to deliver: Hope and Change.

OK, so while the Wall Street Journal is reporting costs for obesity are soaring, and our government contemplates legislating us into "healthy" lives, Obama is nominating an obese person to the Surgeon General position. How is this defensible, unless they plan on releasing a reality show akin to "Biggest Loser" based on our SG. Come on America, get in front of those TV's and exercise along 1984 style!

Oh, did I neglect to mention Obama smokes as well? It seems they've just thrown the illusion of leading by example out the window and gone right to living like royalty. This is Obama's world bitches, you're all just livin' in it.

In light of Michael Vick's release, I have been reading opinion pieces around the net. What doing so has made me realize is that a portion of us in this country have completely lost our moral compass, if there was one to begin with. Maybe it's because the details of what was done to these dogs has not been mainstream, but I tend to believe that with many of these people it wouldn't matter. It would still be OK to them.

For instance, in one case a dog was sprayed down with a hose and then electrocuted. It was systematically tortured and killed. Another was slammed against the ground until it was dead.

What saddens me is that a growing number of ignorant folks out there are unable to distinguish the difference between sadistic behavior and criminal necessity, or criminal negligence. There is a difference between making a choice to consciously inflict horrible amounts of pain upon a living creature for fun and the majority of other crimes.

When Vick crossed that line, he proved he himself is nothing more than an animal in a position of power. Which leads me to my point:

I believe the reason we have come to this point is due to our inability to act forcibly upon bad behavior. In the face of the most horrible crimes we show leniency. "Second chance" is the phrase of the day when it comes to criminals. I am here to say certain crimes do not deserve second chances. Michael Vick does not deserve a second chance.

If anyone deserves to die, it is Michael Vick and his sick friends. Killing them would be a gift to humanity. Think of the offspring these degenerates will produce. Why should we sit back and do nothing whilst scum like this infects society? It is time for those of us with an understanding of the difference between a terrible accident and a despicable act to stand up and demand punishment.

"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle." - Edmund Burke

"Never shall innocent blood be shed, yet the blood of the wicked shall flow like a river. The Three shall spread their blackened wings and be the vengeful striking hammer of God." Il Duce, Boondock Saints