A quote can say it all

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:58:45 -0400

I have not had much time to read anything other than bar prep material. However occasionally, while I am in the “office” I am able to read some of the magazines that have been neglected since the final push during school. In one of those magazines I cam across the following quote:

“They don’t want the whole pie. There are some who do, but most Americans feel blessed just being able to thrive a little bit.”
Michelle Obama, telling supporters of her husband, Sen. Barack Obama, that AMericans have to “give up a piece of their pie so that someone else can have more” in areas like healthcare (Charlotte Observer).

Now in and of itself I would hope that “most Americans” do feel blessed with any abundance that they may have. Blessed to the extent that they would chose to share what they have with others. However I have a problem with the quote when looked at in the context that it was uttered.

I was not able to verify the actual article as the Charlotte Observer requires a subscription to view archived articles and I just do not have enough pie to pay for such a subscription. If anyone out there has some “pie” they would like to share with me I will not object, but I will not FORCE this on anyone.

I am by no means rich when it comes to money, I worry how I will pay bills, how will I ever pay off (or even down) my student loan debt, what happens if a major expense comes along, however I do not want someone else who has worked harder or smarter than me to be forced to pay for me. Instead I look to the founders of this great nation and to my ancestors and work harder so that I may provide for my family. Everyone else can do the same.

I was able to find what looks like the exact quote as stated by Mrs. Obama at the blog Return of the Conservatives. Admittedly this is a conservative blog but it does appear as though this post was taking the quote straight from its original post. I have not viewed the above mentioned blog and therefore do not endorse anything on it other than the post as linked above.

Change

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:16:25 -0400

When I saw this I thought that it stated exactly how this campaign is going. I especially love Barack Obama’s solo and I believe his statement says it all. You will have to watch this to see if you agree and then let me know.

The Day Cool Died

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 17:08:54 -0400

By Phil Taylor
Cool, the onetime giant of sports culture that had long been in declining health, died in seclusion last month. In a measure of how forgotten Cool had become, the moment of its passing went largely unnoticed even though the event was witnessed by millions on television, shortly after the Boston Celtics won the NBA championship by defeating the Los Angeles Lakers. In the ensuing celebration Celtics star Kevin Garnett was asked how he felt about winning the first title of his 13-year career. He threw his head back and bellowed, "Anything is possible!" as though he had just accomplished something previously thought to be beyond human capability, like walking on the sun or deciphering the plot of Lost. With Garnett's scream, Cool took its dying breath.
Authorities say that Garnett will not be held responsible for the demise of Cool, ruling that he was no more culpable than thousands of other modern-day athletes who have an overwhelming need for self-congratulation and a tendency to overdramatize. Those athletes avoided Cool like a subpoena during its final years, instead embracing midair chest bumps, primal yells and the kind of elaborate, multistep hand jive that grade-school girls do on playgrounds.
Cool was on a respirator as the end neared, its breathing more shallow with every poststrikeout fist pump by Joba Chamberlain, every dunk-and-sneer from Vince Carter and every one-act play performed by Chad Johnson after a touchdown catch. In its weakened state, it was hard to believe that Cool once walked with kings, that Michael Jordan, Joe Montana, Julius Erving, Bjorn Borg and Walt Frazier were never caught without Cool, in competition or away from it. Cool not only added to their mystique but also served a practical purpose. "I always felt that [Cool] gave me an advantage," Frazier says. "It's like in poker, if the other players can't read you, it puts that uncertainty in their minds and that puts you in control."
Its age was hard to pin down, but Cool is believed to have been born in the late 1960s, around the time Joe Namath began wearing full-length fur coats and dating models (no one said Cool couldn't be fun) and John Carlos and Tommie Smith stood silent and stoic on the Olympic medal podium in Mexico City, their leather-gloved fists raised in a human rights salute (no one said Cool couldn't be serious).
Stardom quickly followed for Cool. Kids aspired to it. Men tried to embody it. Women were attracted to it. Cool reached out to established coaches, giving their gentlemanly, controlled personas a new cachet. As Tom Landry walked the Dallas Cowboys' sideline wearing a suit, a crisp fedora and an unchanging expression, Cool was on his shoulder. It was there, too, beside UCLA's John Wooden as he directed his nearly flawless Bruins -- perhaps the coolest crew ever -- without rising from his courtside seat. It seemed not so much that winners were cool, but that Cool created winners.
Only in retrospect is it clear when Cool began to hit hard times. In the opener of the 1979–80 NBA season, the Lakers beat the San Diego Clippers on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's buzzer-beating hook shot. Abdul-Jabbar was the kind of Cool customer who would hit a game-winner, stroll off the court and go put on a Miles Davis album. But this was the pro debut for Magic Johnson, the league's No. 1 pick. Magic jumped on Abdul-Jabbar and wrapped him in a bear hug, surprising the captain but charming the fans with his joy. No one knew it then, but Cool was doomed.
Though Magic's jubilation was genuine, over time fans and players alike became so hooked on open displays of emotion that they didn't care if those displays were real or not. Partly because of the huge salaries that athletes were making, the public wanted to see players in agony or ecstasy, as proof that they cared about more than the paycheck. The athlete who preened for the cameras and pounded his chest was assumed to have more passion than the one who kept a lid on his emotions. Cool became confused with Bland and Uninterested. Now it's not the player who bashes in the occasional watercooler who's criticized, it's the one who doesn't.
Like most stars of another era, Cool had several aborted comebacks, with the occasional athlete attempting to revive it. Tom Brady, Mariano Rivera and Ichiro Suzuki were among the last advocates of Cool, but few of their colleagues followed suit. Cool's condition was terminal.
There will be no funeral service, which is how Cool would have wanted it. In lieu of flowers, mourners are asked simply to appreciate players who don't feel the need to punctuate every accomplishment with an over-the-top celebration, who understand the beauty in letting a performance speak for itself. That would be totally Cool.

Officer Down

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 21:35:27 -0400

In an email sent to members of our ward and many other friends and family we have been asked to participate in a fast for Jason and his family. No specific purpose was given so follow the Spirit and fast in order to help Jason recover or simply to support his family during this difficult time. Below you can see the comments from the email:

Sisters and Brothers,

Many of you would like to help Brother Jason Fishburn and his Family. Jason and his Family need our help.

"I know miracles can happen, and that's why I call upon everyone in this community to help see that miracle come to pass. That's what keeps me going at this time - is my faith," said Sgt Dennis Fishburn.

IMPD rallies around wounded officer, family

We would appreciate it if you and your Family and Friends would join us in a special fast tomorrow July 12th.

Please get the word out there for this Special Fast. Thank You!

Other Information...

There will be a prayer vigil for Officer Jason Fishburn of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department on Saturday at 4 p.m. at West 10th Street and Indiana Avenue. Parking will be available at the old YMCA parking lot.

A fund has been established for Officer Jason Fishburn and his family at the Professional Police Officer's Credit Union located at 1502 East Washington Street.

I know that the Lord will bless Jason and his Family through our Faith and Prayers!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Thursday evening a friend whom I grew up, currently an IMPD officer, was critically shot by a murder suspect he was pursuing and is currently in critical condition. If everyone that reads this post would please keep him, his wife and his family in your prayers.

If you would like to read the full story you may do so by clicking the following links:

13 Eye Witness News

Wish TV 8

6 News

Indianapolis Star

Officer fights for life