Sports

* Florida can have Daunte Culpepper. The Vikes don't need him anyway and he is a thug. I do not want my children looking on guys like that as heroes.

* Ditto on the hero stuff with Barry Bonds. He is a thug AND a cheater. God help us if that is what a hero looks like to our children. God help him for the wretched human being he has become.

* Pat Tillman. Okay, people he is NO MORE a hero than any other American serviceperson, male or female, rich or poor, who has been killed in service to this country. Yeah, yeah, he turned down big money to serve his country. Yay him. *roll eyes* Look, the people who join the US miltary who have nothing, who use the military as a way to become educated, to give themselves a career, a purpose, self-respect when they had none of those things ... THEY are heroes. Those career soldiers with no savings, a wife and kids to feed, and a dream of a better life -- they are heroes. And none of them have millions in the bank or big fancy expensive lawyers or connections in high places to get them the attention the Tillman family is getting. Honestly, what is this *doing*? Do they think it's gonna bring him back? I am sad for them but I sincerely wish that people (read: the MEDIA) would start paying attention to the families with nowhere to turn after the person they depended on is killed in action. They are turned out of government housing, left with whatever is left of their life insurance (SGLI is only 50K, I think), no medical benefits, and a society that forgets them as soon as the honor guard hands the folded flag to the surviving spouse.

*Somebody told me this week that Major League Baseball has a lower percentage of felons than professional football or basketball. I am sure this is true, but I really wonder why there are enough felons in any of these sports to constitute a study sample. Seriously, FELONS? I'd rather have my children idolizing politicians. Now that, my friends, is scary.