As I am sure you have all heard Michael Vick, the former quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, will be sentenced next Monday for his role in federal dog fighting charges. The prosecutors are asking for 12-18 months in prison...FEDERAL prison. In case you forgot, Leavenworth is a federal prison, and you do not want to go there. Anyway, there are a few things about this case I would like to say. First of all, though the dog fighting charges are center stage, it is actually the gambling issue that is the real problem. Whether anyone will admit it or not, gambling can be very harmful to professional sports. The last thing commissioner Goodell and owner Arthur Blank want is for the word "gambling" to be associated in any way with football. The question that is being posed is if Vick was betting on dog fighting who is to say that he wasn't betting on football?
As the fervor mounts surrounding the countdown to Monday there are already tons of advocates out there already proclaiming how Vick should not be banned from the NFL. They say that he should be let back in when he gets out of jail because he has admitted his faults, and will have served time in prison. Question: can anyone recall how Vick admitted his wrongdoing? In case you don't know, he only admitted it AFTER his friends turned on him by copping pleas (some friends), and even then he only admitted it by accepting his own plea bargaign! How is that being forthright and honest? How is that accepting responsiblity? Lest anyone forget, he has, up until this week, been lying through his teeth about his involvement in the whole thing. That, my friends, is not contrition. While he may turn out to be truly sorry, he should not turn out like Clinton and apologize only after the fact. If Vick would just own up to his disgusting actions and his blatant lies, accepting full responsibility, then I believe everyone would be willing to give the guy another shot.
Vick's advocates come in all shapes and sizes. Their boundaries are not limited by race, sex, or age, which I think is a very good thing. However, there have been some people who have turned this into a racial issue, which is just utterly sad. Those folks claim that the Feds are attacking Vick over dog fighting because it is prevelant in black culture. Well, how about a history lesson. The first recorded events involving dog fighting are found in Roman culture, and they were known to be very popular in medieval Europe. Having said that, does it not seem pretty stupid to act like this is a black versus white thing? If anything it makes some white folk look pretty sad for starting it in the first place! Do people really think that there was a conspiracy coming from on high to get Michael Vick? The people that put forth such notions are the very people that are keeping this country stuck in a quagmire of fractured race relations. They do not want to see harmony. They want to see pity and preferential treatment. What a shame. All people are worth more than a handout, and to not give them a chance to succeed without someone doing it for them is to rob a human being a successful life.
The NAACP are saying that Vick should be let back on the field. Here is their reasoning behind that: "We further ask the NFL, Falcons and the sponsors not to permanently ban Mr. Vick from his ability to bring hours of enjoyment to fans all over this country." He should be let back in because he can play football? For some reason I doubt that Vick goes out there solely to entertain, and it would seem that the people who are so desperate for entertainment that they would excuse his actions are pretty disgusting. Michael Vick is an extremely talented human being. He has all the tools in the world to excel at his sport, and he has a HUGE stage to show that he is willing to make a positive difference in the world. For the NAACP to make the entertainment arguement they are only doing Vick a major disservice.
That being said, here is what I truly think: Vick deserves a second chance. He did something horrible and inhumane. He deserves to be punished for his crimes. He needs to spend some time at an animal shelter caring for dogs, and it may do him well to work for a vet for a while. I totally believe in the potential within Michael Vick. I do believe him when he says that he knows that he needs to change the company he keeps, and I am sure that since his "friends" have bailed on him he will speed up that process. This thing does not have to be a racial issue, or even a animal rights issue. It is so much more than that. The focus here is a human being gone astray that now, even though way down in the pit, has a chance to really make something of himself. Michael Vick, if he wants to, can really be an example of redemption. And honestly, I think he can do it. I think he WANTS to do it. I hope he does it. He is too young to throw it all away now.
P.S.: PETA, shutup. When you protest the murder of innocent human beings as much as you protest the killing of animals we will listen to you. Until then, shutup.
And Stephon Marbury, you shutup as well. Defending dog fighting only hurts Michael Vick, and it makes you look even more ignorant than you already are (if that's possible). You want to help Vick? Then help him finish college, help him find friends who will build him up and not mooch off of him until it's time to bail. If you can't do that, shutup.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Saturday, August 18, 2007
The 2008 Election
Just yesterday my lovely wife informed me that Mrs. Beth Atkins, her supervising teacher back in Greer, mentioned that she would be interested in what my thoughts on the 2008 candidates for president might be. Well, not being one to ever turn down the chance to give my opinion, that is exactly what I plan to do. So strap in and read away. Rudy's stance on marriage comes straight from his website: "Rudy Giuliani believes marriage is between a man and a woman. He does not - and has never - supported gay marriage. But he believes in equal rights under law for all Americans. That's why he supports domestic partnerships that provide stability for committed partners in important legal and personal matters, while preserving the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman." When one considers equal rights for domestic partnerships it does make some sense in regards to health reasons. It can help decrease the risk of AIDS in the homosexual community, which needs to be addressed. Contrary to liberal media AIDS is ravaging homosexuals in this country, and if we do not speak this truth thousands of people are going to die needlessly. If you want to read more about Rudy check out his website http://www.joinrudy2008.com/. It will help answer questions you may have. I could talk about other candidates, but instead I am going to address the conservative darkhorse for 2008: Fred Thompson. Yes, I do believe he will run, and I believe he is going to surprise tons of people. While no man will ever hold a candle to Ronald Reagan, Thompson does give us the best example of the conservatism embodied by Reagan. He is for strict constructionist judges, and despite more liberal lies he is NOT pro-choice, and he never has been! His stance on social issues is a perfect example of conservatism: Voted NO on adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes. (Jun 2002) If this does not show you where Fred Thompson stands then I don't know what will. For more info on him check out http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Fred_Thompson.htm. I highly recommend that you do. Why? Because I believe that Fred is going to be a major player in this election. In fact, I think that the Republican ticket is going to be Guiliani/Thompson in 2008. This ticket reaches out to moderates and conservatives alike which is what we are going to need. More importantly these two guys believe in crushing al queda and radical Islam. If you cannot agree with them on any other issues this is the one that you need to focus on because, like it or not, that IS the defining issue for our society and way of life. They do not believe in pacifying killers like the liberals do, and if you think that liberals will be tough on terrorism then take the time to read what they have actually said about it. We cannot trust liberals with our safety let alone our future. Mrs. Beth Atkins, I hope this helps in some ways. I would love to hear your (and anyone else's) opinion regarding these things, so please feel free to comment. I love to talk about this great country of ours and how we need to resuce it from the hands of those that would sell us out for the sake of power. Have an incredible day! |
Friday, August 3, 2007
Our Honeymoon
The beautiful reminder that after the 5 feet of
rain we experienced in one day, that the earth
would never be flooded again! We claimed that
promise that day!!
The side view of our pool.
Cabbage beach! This is where the locals 'Welcomed
us to Paradise!'
Us outside the World Famous Atlantis Hotel
The aquarium inside the Atlantis
A side view of The Atlantis. One
particular room inside costs $25,000
a night!
The view of the Harbour from our hotel window.
This is the view we saw as we flew into Nassau.
Our honeymoon was incredible! A typical day consisted of sleeping in until around 9:30. Going to a delicious breakfast, laying out beside the pool or at the beautiful beaches, then heading back to our room to take a nap for a few hours! Then we got ready for dinner, went shopping, took a trip to Starbucks or Haagen-Dazs, and then watched movies or read until we fell asleep:) It was all that we could have asked for in a honeymoon! We were treated like royalty! We were welcomed by the locals saying, "Welcome to Paradise". It truly was a paradise! We had such a great time just relaxing and being together. We had no agendas, no set schedules, and returned home ready and refreshed! |
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
I survived Roe v. Wade
| Since my lovely wife took the time to create our own blog I decided that I would at least add some input. Therefore I am going to post some things that are dear to my heart, but I also hope some of this might encourage and motivate you. So for my post today I have decided to hit it and hit it hard. Did you know that from the day Reagan was inaugurated up until September 11, 2001 more than 29,796,700 abortions occured? Better yet, do you realize that between those years almost 30,000,000 souls were denied the chance to have at least one day on this earth? Also, were you aware that between 1980 and 2000 nearly 3 of every 11 pregnancies were terminated? This is what liberals and nazi feminists refer to as 'a woman's right to choose". All of this amounts to the fact that about a fourth of an entire generation, my generation, of human beings had their lives extinguished because they were considered an inconvenience. Want to think of this in a different way? Well how about this: the liberal establishment, along with some sad conservatives, have the blood of more innocent human beings on their hands than Hitler and Stalin COMBINED! That's right, the most advanced civilization in history makes Hitler and Stalin look like choir boys. That is a holocaust, that is genocide. And liberals call themselves compassionate and diverse? The debate over abortion (if you can even call it a debate), regardless of what many folks say, is not about defining life. It comes down to the question is there any value in a human life at all. Alas, all is not lost! The generation responsible for this mass murder is dying off. Call me sick but sometimes those that lead others down the road of destruction must die off so those of us who follow them can repave it with honor, dignity, civility, faith, hope, and love. More and more of those of us born in the late 70's, 80's, and 90's are becoming more and more conservative. While liberals want to hide this fact, the light of the truth is begining to shine through (I will provide the source of all my info at the end of this post. For those of you doubters every bit of this info is painstakingly backed up by legitimate sources. Which means that Dan Rather and the New York Times were not cited). Poll after poll backs up these truths. Lastly, let me help you come up with a way to help in speeding up the process of a rebirth of true conservatism: get married and have lots of babies. The more children we have the quicker we will outnumber the liberal pro choicers. Our generation is a patriotic generation that knows the importance of thinking for itself, but we also understand that if we do not reclaim our country based on Christ and His principles then we are destined for failure. But I have hope. Polls and facts comfort me, but more importanly Scripture comforts me. Let us determine to appeal to men's hearts, let us preach truth, optimism, hope, and in the process watch miracles be performed. Forget the words "can't", "hopeless", "fear", "surrender". Move and take up residence in that "shining city on a hill" and watch great things happen! Thanks for your time. Later. Jarrod Source: Reagan's Children: Taking Back The City On The Hill. Hans Zeiger, 2006 |
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