A Few Items Rolling Around My Mind…

1) Bullies

Why is it that in this state—or this country in general for that matter—do we need to have violence or death in order to confront an issue? This week’s crisis: Bullies. Welcome to the real world boys and girls—bullies have been around since the dawn of time, especially in schools where being a bully is practically an art form. I can remember fighting bullies for some of my nerdy friends in elementary and middle school. It was hellish to go to school and that think some fat over-hyped jock was going to steal your lunch money, or worse. Of course, no one paid attention to it then, mainly because no kids who had had enough were walking into school and shooting everyone in sight, and when it came to teen suicide there was always that “devil music” excuse. The other more glaring reason that it wasn’t an issue (I can hear the screams of denial already) was that most bullying occurred in broken down urban schools. You know, where the poor kids went. Even now it’s not really a big topic of conversation unless someone dies. Take Columbine—when that happened there was outrage in droves, but as quickly as it came it went away. Unlike Colorado, the rest of the country did little until the next crisis and on and on. The crowds would show up, the politicians would profess their outrage, and then everyone would go away, leaving grief stricken parents, students, and already overwhelmed educators to deal with the problem. Now Massachusetts is taking up legislation to address the bullying problem, a move that comes after two recent suicides that are tied to bullying. Here’s hoping it’s more than just lip service.

2) Tiger’s phony apology

There, I said it. Why? Because it was. Last week we all had to bear witness to Tiger Woods’ continuing fall from grace, and after that fake press conference it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. Who can actually sit in front of the camera with a straight face and tell us that Tiger’s apology was sincere? Well, a lot of sportswriters said they thought it was, mainly because they want to be at the forefront when the self-proclaimed greatest golfer of our time makes his triumphant return. God knows that after the major sports are in the off-season and baseball drags on they will need something to write about. But folks, that was the most insincere “I’m sorry” I have ever seen. It seemed scripted from the start, and the fact that most of the people in the room, from his Mom, to the Nike people, to the people from his website, made it seem even more so. I shook my head as he railed on about leaving his family alone. Hey Tiger get a clue: You made them part of the story. And what about the other women you slept with? Don’t they deserve an apology? I heard one sportscaster refer to them as bimbos. So we blame them and give this arrogant, spoiled jerk a free pass? But you know what, maybe we should leave him alone. There are a lot more important stories in the world besides him. (I wonder how many times someone took his lunch money) And then he says at the end how he hopes we believe in him. Who in the hell are you pal? This guy hasn’t learned anything, I don’t know about you folks, but I hope Erin cleans this bum out.

3) An Absurd Government

Last week Time Magazine did a story on how our government is frozen. I say it’s more like an absurd government. Think about it, they can’t get anything done because of their partisanship ways. There is so much hypocrisy and double speak. We have a President who seems to be grasping at straws to make it all work. Yes folks, it’s a mess. So what to do? First, our President needs to take one thing at a time. He’s trying to cram four years worth of work into one. Yo, Mr. O, go after the small victories. Thats what I do, anyway. It will all add up in the end. Bringing both sides together on health care and forcing them to work together is also a good start. Maybe you should televise all debates over the issues with you in the lead. It would shame these do nothings on both sides of the aisle, bringing them to the table. As for the rest of the country, if you’re really tired of the Donkey/Elephant show then vote in people instead of them. The Tea Party crowd has the right idea, but they should elect their own candidates and not back those from either party because then the movement will just be an extension of them and nothing more. That’s the only way you can handle a group of bullies: Get rid of them.