Democrats, Republicans, and Goodell, Ooooh Myyyyy

This post in actually inspired by a friend of mine who said today that "If people cared as much about politics as they do about some blown call in a football game, maybe the country wouldn't be in the place it is now."

Now, I really don't care about anyone else's view on politics OR the NFL, but I thought that this turn of phrase was rather interesting, and it made me stop and consider how the NFL might actually be imitating our current political structure. 

Assuming that Roger Goodell is a Democrat:

Here's a guy that, after assuming power, has unilaterally declared war on a bunch of millionaires in order to change their behavior because it's "better" for "everyone." Unfortunately, the outcome of this "better for everyone" idea is that now, the rich folks that the common man is paying to go see aren't playing because they're getting suspended, and the extra measures that teams now have to take to look after these millionaires are higher, so the ticket prices go up, up, up.  At the same time, the current Ref's lockout has them hiring replacement workers who don't know what they're doing and are delivering a sub-par performance, and the general quality of the game has gone down this season.  Specific targeting of players via head-hunting by teams is disallowed, because it has now been taken over by the CEO of the NFL himself, thus concentrating power in one individual who wields that power as the wind moves him.  Interesting.

Now, I know, this sounds outlandish, doesn't it?  I'm sure all the Liberals are saying how unfair it is for me to make such crazy statements without facts to support them.  Unfounded claims, all....except that, well, it's kinda what's happening.

BUT - let's be fair, now, and assume that Goodell is a Republican:

A member of the good old boys' club, he's only done things which consiolidate all the wealth in the hands of the owners and a few select players, while the fans at large are footing the bill.  Care of the workers is not important, as his measures for "control and player safety" only pad the league's own coffers, so the rich keep getting richer, and no one else sees any benefit.  Hiring replacement workers (Refs) is only proof of the money-grubbing tendencies of this administration and complete abhorence of the working class.  Enforcement of rules is only a publicity stunt in order to concentrate more power to wield arbitrarily.  Standing by the replacement workers is akin to putting their head in the sand, and insisting that the method works, even though it's quite clear that it does not work and never will.  It doesn't matter if you are guilty or not of a crime, if you are perceived as doing anything that does not conform to the dictates of the Man In Charge, you're punished in a typical sovereign style.  Also, interesting.

Conclusion: The only consistency is that it's you, the fan, who is ultimately paying for everything, no matter what.  Only, because these are privately help teams and a private "owners-only" league, there's very little we can do about it, other than stop giving them money.  They can't make us give them money, thankfully, but if somehow, every season-ticket holder stopped buying their tickets and prices dropped low enough, surely, those tickets would be purchased by other fans who will just take their place.  Either way, it's a crappy product that's being put out there to us at a cost that is, for the majority of folks, just too high.  The players are still going to be rich.  The owners are still going to be rich.  All on our dollar.  And as long as our team does well, we'll continue to pay and blindly follow them along, cheering wildly in the face of utter uselessness.

Maybe the NFL does mirror politics, after all.  So, to my friend who thinks we should pay more attention to our politics than to our football, I say, What's the difference?  We're still yelling like idiots over a bunch of mllionaires who really don't care a thing for those watching along at home. 

Thanks for reading,

The Fat Kid

Act III, Scene vi

III,vi, In which our hero meets someone he did not expect.

Her first words to me were something I will never forget.  I was to meet her to go for a bike ride, at the invitation of a mutual friend.  There was a summer fair/marketplace at the Pump House, one of only a few relics of the bygone Steel Days at Pittsburgh's Waterfront District.  The onld pump house has been restored/preserved, and was now being used for this public market.

But there she was, helping our mutual friend - who was offering some sort of tarot reading/palmistry/spiritual cleansing/ whatever other new-age stuff she does - clean up her table.  She walked around the table, and promptly walks right into  - and we're talking full-on, right into it -a wheel that was used to turn some gear/valve/whatever in the pumphouse. 

"Hi, I'm Shanna, and I just crotch-banged a wheel."

I forget what I said in response.  It may have been something like "Well, you have to watch out for those wheels - they just jump out at you." or something more like "Yes, yes you did."  or possibly, "Well, honesty is a good trait."  Frankly, I don't know.  I just rmember that I was partially stunned at the bluntness of the statement, and awed at her honesty with a stranger.  Because, after all, yes, she crotch-banged a wheel.

What followed was a few hours spent with the two - our mutual friend and my new-found friend - running around the Waterfront, into bookstores and other small shops.  It was relaxing.  I let my guard down, and was totally free.  I imagined myself witty and fun, humorous and maybe even a little charming.  I don't know if I really am all those things - well, ok, I have my moments of being slightly humorous - and for some reason or other, it looked like it was working.

This is how I met the most incredible woman I have ever come to know.  And I'm gonna shout it from the rooftops, if I have to, until everyone knows all about it.  Why?  Because, as awesome as she is, and no matter how many times I tell her how awesome she is.....she doesn't believe it.
So, for better or worse, Shanna dear....

I love you. 
like a bird playing in wind,
like an artist finally finding his inspiration,
I love you.

I love you.
like a musician loves a chord that finally resolves
like an actor loves when the lines come easy,
I love you.

I love you.
like the rain loves pouring itself out,
like the sun loves and warms the earth,
I love you.

You are the joy of my life, my dear one, the answer to my prayers.  You are the hope of my tomorrow and the dreams of my good-nights.  Every day you take my breath away.  Your ease and your grace astound me.  I am awed by your powerful simplicity, your courage, and your quiet inner strength.  You are my everything.

And I know that I have now embarrassed you enough, my love, but I cannot help it.  I will lasso the moon if I have to, and give George Bailey a run for his money.  I may be corny, cheesy, and in all other ways a silly idiot to believe in love......but I'm glad I do, for I would change nothing.  This is me, crotch-banging the wheel.

Thanks for reading,
The Fat Kid

I Scream, You Scream, Wait....Why Are We Screaming, Again??

OK, whilst the political bumblings and stumbling of candidates who mean this/ don't mean that, earn this, don't earn that, trying to dazzle us with their humility and likeness to the common man are ongoing, the Fat Kid has noticed something disturbing in the undercurrent.  It's something that nobody's talking about, and frankly, I find it more than a little frightening.

America is angry.

This was not the plan.  We were never supposed to have hard times.  This is America - the land of opportunity!  We are supposed to be the leaders of freedom and democracy in the world!  We're supposed to be the top dog!  We're supposed to have everything, and there isn't supposed to be anything left wanting!  Everything is supposed to be fair!

Well, I've got some news for you, USA:  You have been lied to.  Because, you see, life really ISN'T fair.  It's not fair that someone makes more than me, and that I make more than someone else.  It's not fair that some people are smarter than others.  It's not fair that some people are gifted more athletically than others.  It's not fair at all.  This nation, this grand experiment in freedom and justice, isn't built on the principle that life is fair.  In fact, it's built on the principle that life is difficult.

The Promise of America is only that we have the opportunity to TRY.  The harder we work and the more devoted we are to trying, the better our chance of success.  This nation was founded an the principle that everyone has the right to try ONLY.  There is no "right to succeed."  Our past is full of people who tried.  Who committed everything they had to a cause, and risked it all, knowing the penalty for failure was nothing short of death. 

And we're angry.  We're angry over a lot of things.  This nation is divided between those who don't want to change anything, and those who want to change a lot of things.  It's divided between those who are afraid to risk everything and those who have nothing to risk but their hopes and dreams.  It's divided between the ideals of a future that hasn't been written and the practicality of a past that has been.  It's divided on so many levels: economic, social, religious, educational, racist, and sexist levels - and divided so vehemently - that I am not sure it can be put back together again.  We are not United States - we are Divided People. 

Each side of the political arena, in this election season, is trying to convince all of us that they are the correct side, that their ideals are best for the nation, that we should choose them, because the other side is wrong.  We debate about it amongst ourselves, trying to "win" arguments and convince one another of just how correct our opinions are.  The rhetoric is always the same:  "We want, we deserve..."

And I just want to take one big wind-up bitch-slap at us all and say, 'Really, America?  What makes you think you "deserve" anything?"  We didn't commit all our cash and resources to fight for a nation free from tyranny.  We didn't survive in a strange land far from what we knew.  We didn't fight our brothers to become a nation free from slavery.  None of us alive did any of those things.  There are some - a dwindling number now - who fought against the Japanese and the Third Reich, who went to Korea and Vietnam.  And of course, Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan have created the latest generation of people who actually HAVE put their very lives on the line for the principles of freedom.  And these days, most of them volunteer to do it.  They entrust their lives to our politicians - to our votes - to not only protect freedom here at home, but to spread the priciples of fredom throughout the world, and all we have to do about it is whine and complain because our cushy little insignificant lives aren't just how we dreamed?  Because things aren't fair and perfect?

We don't understand just how good we've got it, and all we can do is complain about what we don't have.  And most of those complaining are not willing to risk it all, to go up against death itself to defend the "human rights" issues they claim are so important.  We are a bunch of children, whose parents have left us alone to fend for ourselves, and we have neither the courage nor the ability to do so.  We simply want others to provide it for us, to coddle us and tell us it's going to be OK.

It's not going to be OK 

There are no guarantees.  There is no "right to succeed."  There is only the right to TRY.  When the masses of people who are ranting and raving over perceived "injustices" are ready to lose everything, when they are desperate to the point of exhaustion and then they still keep fighting....then they can talk about what they deserve. 

We're not supposed to be a nation where everything is provided for you, and we were never supposed to be that nation.  We're supposed to be a nation that's not afraid to work as hard as we can.

Our politicians have forgotten this - because we have forgotten this.

We need people who are not afraid to invest themselves and all they can into this country.  The candidates who get my vote will be the ones I feel will invest to the hilt, indeed, shed their very blood if necessary.  I urge anyone reading this to do the same.  Don't vote party lines.  Vote for the person who will give their all for this country, not for a political party.

I don't care if you agree with my opinions or not.  I don't care if you are liberal or conservative.  I'm going to send a copy of this to the White House, to the Romney Camp, and to anyone else I can think of who might need to hear it.  If you feel so inclined, I invite you to do the same.

Thanks for reading,
The Fat Kid

So, Robert DeNiro and Dr. Seuss walk into a small town bar...

...and each orders a beer. Not really a fancy story, not really much to go on, but this was my weekend.

See, it starts with a camping excursion to the small town of Ohiopyle, PA.  Great place, where the stores sell t-shirts that read, "Row, row, row your boat, gently down the bonecrushing, whitewater, death-defying class five stream, merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream" and "scars are tattoos with better stories." 

We arrived at camp, and registered, and were told, "Will out front can explain how you can get your deposit back."  We went outside to meet Will.  Will is about 5'7", middle aged, with a long grey beard, small eyes, and a bald head.  No an impressive man to look at him - just looks relatively normal.  And he starts with, "The trees are very important to me..."  and I forget anything else because the only thought in my head went something like, "I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees..."yes, I tell you, the Lorax is real, and he really doesn't like Obama.  I tried to stay out of that conversation, but he felt it was necessary to explain his dislike of the President.  Probably not the best business tactic, but I really liked his Lorax-ish ways.  Trees are very important to me, too.  I may be a Lorax in training.

But the weekend progressed without incident.  Life was good.  A little rainy, perhaps, but otherwise, pretty fun.  It's kind of nice to wake up to rain on a tent, even though it's a bit loud...until you realize you have to go to the bathroom, and then you kinda really hate the rain.  There was the annual Mountian Music Festival being held, in whihc several amll-town vendors lined the street, selling their wares, and BBQ joints all fired up the smokers and cooked all sorts of delicious goodies.  A surprise, since we were unaware the festival was going on, but a welcome surprise. 

A tour of the grounds of Frank Lloyd Wright's house, "Fallingwater" later, and camping was done.  It was a fairly quick trip, this time - always unfortunate, but since the coin-operated showers looking like I might come out of them with ringworm, gangrene, or some other incurable disease, the fact that it was a short sttay helped the attitude a lot.  For the most part, the facility was nice, but there were a few touches that were wanting, for lack of a better term.

But Monday.....Oh Monday.  You know, a lot of people talk about Mondays in songs and things, and usually, I'm pretty down on Mondays.  This Monday, though, pulled out all the stops and went all out for me.  This is "Meet the parents week"..Yep, it's that step where  I get to meet her parents, and she gets to meet mine.Well, yesterday she met mine.  The quote, when all was said and done, "Well, now I understand why you are the way you are."  It seems this is a good thing, as it was immediately followed up with, "because your folks are awesome!"  Yeah, I kinda think they're pretty awesome too, and yesterday, they proved it to me again.

So the rest of this week:  finish shalving, practice monologue, get to rehearsal, meet parents, attend Irishfest, performance.......just another week in the life.  You know what?  My life is pretty blessed.