There are several reasons I refuse to subscribe to my local newspaper, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That I would be helping pay the salary of the cowardly Mike Luckovich ranks at the very top of the list. Luckovich relentlessly bashes conservatives, especially those associated with the Tea Party. There is no balance to his world view. On those rare occasions he goes after the liberal Democrats on an issue, the kid gloves are invariably worn. Today's cartoon may be his most obnoxious and offensive ever, which is really saying something. It pictures an elephant, obviously representing Republicans, on CNN's Crossfire program. His debate opponent across the table? None other than the icon of Christianity himself, Jesus of Nazareth, to represent the Democrat perspective. The topic of debate displayed was: "Should corporate subsidies for the rich be cut instead of food stamps for the poor?" In fairness, the cartoon does inspire a fair question to ask -- what would Jesus do? Would Jesus advocate giving away "free" cell phones to able-bodied people perfectly capable of work, but too lazy? Would Jesus have given Solyndra half a billion taxpayer dollars to squander, with zero accountability and nothing to show for it? Would Jesus support politicians who seem hell-bent on bankrupting an entire nation, spending more than three dollars for every two dollars of revenue? Did Jesus say it was okay to lie in order to achieve your goals? For politicians to steal from their political opponents in order to buy votes from their constituents? Was Jesus a … [Read more...]
Travesty of justice: Kolton Houston versus the NCAA
Full disclosure: I am a graduate of the University of Georgia, class of 1983. I bleed red and black. It is fair to say I am an avid Georgia Bulldog fan. Nevertheless, I'm quite sure that my school allegiance doesn't color my judgment in this matter, based on the available facts, not emotion. That caveat aside, I will say that it is nothing less than a travesty of justice that Kolton Houston remains ineligible to compete on the football field. And that's not just my admittedly biased opinion. ESPN's Outside the Lines told the basic story, a rather depressing tale of how one young man has been forced by this monopoly that controls every aspect of collegiate sports to pay, and continue to pay, for the mistake of a medical professional made almost four years ago. The NCAA has unchecked power over the lives of people such as Kolton Houston, a young man who reportedly dreamed of wearing the Bulldog uniform since he was four-years-old. And as Lord Acton famously said, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Once upon a time, all the way back in 2010 a high school athlete was injected with a forbidden anabolic steroid to facilitate healing from shoulder surgery. No doubt, somebody made a bad judgment call. Compounding an error in judgment into a tragic mistake, the injection went into fat instead of muscle, causing Houston to test positive years after that one-and-only treatment. As a result of that error, Houston has become the most tested athlete in the history of college sports. The evidence remains incontrovertible -- … [Read more...]
