The Jovan Belcher Tragedy

On Saturday morning Jovan Belcher killed the mother of his 3 month old child and then shot himself in front of the men who believed in him at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. On Sunday there was a moment of silence for victims of domestic violence at the Chief's game, presumably for Belcher and his girlfriend. Bob Costas gave an impromptu commentary saying if Jovan Belcher had not had a gun then none of this would have happened.
   If there is any blame to assign then it goes to Jovan Belcher but if he is sick then what do we do? I don't know if he has reached out for help, perhaps he was on medication that didn't help him as much as he thought it would. If we don't know then we can't help.
   I am far from a bleeding heart but my views on this have changed over the past several days. At first I was up in arms about the gun control commentary and I still disagree with Bob Costas and Jason Whitlock that are calling for more gun control. Gun control would not have stopped this, he would have used another weapon (knife, car, stick) if he was intent on hurting someone. That isn't the answer. More personal accountability is the answer. Changing the culture of violence is a start. Football is not to blame but perhaps we should focus more on our family and personal relationships than on our fantasy football team or bowl game practices for State U. Let's talk to each other, meet face to face instead of over a phone, find time to spend listening instead of thinking what next to say. We can't sit still for a minute, always so much to do - as the father of 12 children I know how that feels and sometimes I don't feel like I am in control. That is when I need to stop, take a breath, and cancel things that are not important.
   To avert future events let us take the time to listen. It may not save a life, but maybe it will.

More and More

So if we keep throwing money at the war, it will eventually be successful, right? Just like if we keep throwing money at education our children will get smarter. And if we keep sending our sons to Scouts without any parental involvement except to say that the Scoutmaster isn't doing his job, our sons will automatically become Eagle Scouts. And if our sons attend church and Scouts then they will go on a mission.

No, it doesn't work that way. We have to be involved and find the roots of the problem then look for the solution. Throwing money at the problem, like the recent stimulus package and health care bill, will bring us nothing but debt and less time.

Health Care Bill and Bankruptcy

Don't fall all over yourself worrying about if Harry Reid should be stomped, quartered, hanged, and then killed for his racial remarks during the 2008 election cycle. Of course he should, end of story. He won't win re-election in Nevada and will most likely resign in order to shield his son, in a race of his own for the governor of Nevada, further disgrace. Don't take your eye off of the ball when it comes to this ugly health care bill still in flux.

There was an excellent article at the Heritage Foundation today about the real cost of nationalized health care with regards to state budgets. Right now, and I know first-hand, that state budgets are cutting every expense they can and still come up short. The only way some of them are surviving are an influx of federal funds. But what happens when those federal funds run dry or are not renewed next year? Even more cuts and fewer services.

Amendment X - The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

Health care is not a right nor should it be enforced through legislative action on each state.

If this health care plan goes through it will make states more and more dependent upon the federal government for existence, which is exactly the plan of those in control. Then when a state, aka Texas, makes noise about independence or disagrees with federal policies (No Child Left Behind, Patriot Act, TSA Airport Screenings) then they will be threatened with a cut of federal funding for their programs.

Let's not take our eye off of the ball to turn up our noses at Harry Reid or despair that Sarah Palin has been given a national platform on Fox News. Watch what health care does because if it is successful we are in for a whole heap of trouble.

Fresh Faces in Government

Love this article today in the Opinion section of the Deseret News. Check it out.

Big Brother and the Toilet

Read a hilarious, but maddening and somewhat depressing, article about the evolution of the modern American toilet from its obvious environmentally-unfriendly days of 5 gallon flushing power to the puny 1.6 gallon regulated babbling brook we find today. Has there actually been a massive increase in plunger sales or plumber calls since the government decided to regulate things like how much water our toilet can flush?

Regulate our toilet water? Sheesh, next thing you know they will want to regulate how much toilet paper an eating establishment carries in the bathroom. Wait. They already tried to do that in Florida.

Government control over all aspects of our lives is ruining this country. See the current health care legislation for the most egregious example. The uncontrollable lust for power and the greed to keep everybody equal and level reminds me of a place I spent time in. The former Soviet Union. For nearly 70 years they tried to control everything about a person and their life but look how that ended. Tragic.

We cannot afford a perestroika in America, it should never get to that point.

Your Recovery Dollars at Work

The story reported here is that federal stimulus money - $9.5 million - went to 14 fake zip codes in Virginia. Huh? The administration says it went to recipients who didn't know who their Congressman was - so why are we giving that much money to people who don't know their own zip code?

Love the accountability.

You knew it was a bad plan to start with and it has only gotten worse.

Karl Malone Gets It Right

I love Karl Malone. He, more than Larry Bird or Michael Jordan, and John Stockton were my sports heroes growing up in SLC in the 80's. They came to work everyday, played hard, and played the game the right way - with a couple of nasty elbows and body bumps thrown in.

Since John and Karl retired the NBA has gone deeper into a thug league, the gangsta image is alive and well. How do you combat that when the brightest stars are flashing bling, covering themselves with tattoos, and now pointing guns at each other in the locker room? It has made the game unwatchable.

The latest incident is that Gilbert Arenas, a member of the Washington Wizards, brought handguns to the locker room and after a gambling argument with a teammate, presented him with three guns to shoot it out.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. That type of behavior should ensure that Gilbert Arenas never owns another gun in his life.

Karl Malone, a gun advocate and responsible owner, wrote an article for Sports Illustrated about athletes and guns. I loved the article because it focuses on the accountability that most gun owners feel and the responsibility they take upon themselves when purchasing, owning, and carrying a weapon. A must read.

Thank you Karl Malone for telling the truth and, I can't believe I am saying this, articulating what so many responsible gun owners feel.