What if???

"Twenty years now, where'd they go?
Twenty years, I don't know"  Bob Seeger "Like a Rock

The holiday season is always a time to reflect for me. I try to to take stock of the year just passed and see if I have grown as a person. I look back at mistakes and look at wherer I could have done differently.

I woke up with the phrase "The road not taken" in my head. Not only was that a great county song by Shenedoah (about 15 years ago) but I sometimes wonder about what might have been.

On a number of occasions over the years I have heard people say they have no regrets about their past and I always wonder how true that is because I know that I do have a couple of regrets.

I wish I hadn't acted like a complete ass around a young woman named Regina Cagle my first try at college. We met in a class and hung around a lot for a couple of weeks. I thought she was going to end up being my girlfriend until I invited her over to my apartment to a little party I was having and I ended up getting drunk and acting the fool. The next day I called her to apologize and was told the she was moving to San Diego with a guy she knew. I doubt the truthfulness of that but I never ever did see her again.  I still can't help but wonder what would have been if I hadn't acted like a drunken fool.

Then in the mid '90's after I knew my marriage was over (surprisingly no regrets there, including getting married, life lesson) a woman I had wanted to be with started hanging out with me a lot and one day asked if I wanted to be her boyfriend.  Every part of my being wanted to say "YES" but for some reason I have never figured out I said no.  I even wanted to call her and apologize after that but I never did. I have tried to look her up since then but I can't seem to find her. I know that means that it was meant to happen that way but I do regret it.

There are a number of other things I wonder how life would have been if I had done things but those are the only two that I regret.

For the most part I know that everything happens for a reason.I truly do know the mistakes have made me who I am and I am still a little rough around the edges but I really like who I am today.

But sometimes I still can't help but wonder "what if?" and "where did all that time go"?

I am thankful I have been allowed to live it, despite my flaws.

Random (mostly sports related) thoughts

*That screaming you're about to hear is probably coming from somewhere in Columbus Ohio. But what good is a sister if you can't aggravate her every once in awhile? ;}

 As I am typing this I have the TV on ESPN with the sound down. The sound is off because I absolutely can not stand a female play-by-play announcer. (screaming begins) I am all for equal rights and I believe that most women can do anything a man can do. But I also believe that there are things that should only be done by a man and other things that should be done strictly as a woman.

One of the things I like about sports is that it's away to get away from women for a while.  You don't have to get all touchy feely and get in touch with you feminine side. Sports is about action and testing you mettle against other guys. Man on man, who's the better man on that day. And I don't want to hear a manly voice talking to be about what's going on. I was married once, I know what I'm talking about.

I can tolerate female sideline reporters mainly because most are beautiful and only are heard from a few times during the game. Of course, if it weren't for women like Erin Andrews and Rachael Nichols I probably wouldn't like women sideline reporters at all.   Deep breaths, Lynnette, deep breaths.

*Personally, I would like to see a Denver-New Orleans Super Bowl.  Tim Tebow, the guy most of the "experts" hate versus Drew Brees, the guy the "experts" used to say would never be any good.  Heads would explode.

* I'm getting the feeling that if the NBA players had their way there would only be five teams: the New York Knicks, the New Jersey Nets, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and Miami Heat. Those seem to be the only places free agents want go. I remember 1980's NBA and hated it. Spread the love around, please?

*Speaking of the NBA I wish someone could explain to me how David Stern blocking the Chris Paul trade was a bad thing?  I thought part of the reason for the lock out was that the small market teams wanted to have some competitive balance so that their franchises could survive. I thought that was why Mr Stern blocked it and yet all the "experts" were howling that that he did a terrible thing.

*Maybe I'm becoming a bit jaded but I am having trouble understanding the amount of outrage over Yorvit Torrealba's shoving the umpire in the Venezuelan League. When I first heard about it it figured he decked the umpire because I heard he punched him.  Then I looked at the video and all I saw was a shove to the mask, and it didn't look like it was a hard shove at that. Robbie Alomar spit on an ump and was put into the Hall of Fame. Somethings just don't make sense.

Don't get me wrong touching an umpire in any way and should get a player thrown out of the game and suspended for a few games but the League suspended Torrealba for 66 games. That is too rough of a suspension if you ask me. And I have heard that MLB might suspend him too? He shouldn't be punished for something he did in another league. Sorry but that is just going overboard.

That makes about as much sense as Roger Goodell suspending Terrelle Pryor for what he did at Ohio State. And that makes no sense at all..

But what do I know??

My 2011 college football playoff

I posted a blog last year about what I didn't like about the BcS and I came up  with a proposal for how a playoff system could be implemented while still using the four major bowls. I am using a little bit of that blog to help me make my points for a playoff scenario this year. 


One of my longest running pet peeves is that division 1 (or whatever they are calling it now) college football does not have a playoff. Games and seasons are meant to have winners and losers. And I  can't think of another team sport that does not have a playoff.


My main problem with the system we have now is that teams like TCU and Boise State do no thave a chance to win the championship.  And I believe that every season there are teams  who should have a chance. My main problem with the system we have now is that teams lie TCU and Boise State do no thave a chance to win the championship.  And I believe that every season there are teams  who should have a chance. 


There are two reasons I have heard of for why there are no playoffs. The first being that the kids would miss too much school. Which makes sense, except for one thing,: all of the smaller divisions in college football has playoffs.  That has never made sense to me. Are they trying to say that class attendance is more important at the bigger schools?

The second excuse I have heard is that having a playoffs would make the season too long.  And I have also heard that the University Presidents don't want change the current  bowl system because it makes too much money.

I think that I have a solution that would make most everyone who follows college football happy.


 First of all, I don't think that just adding playoff games to the end of the season is the answer.  I think you should start by shortening the regular season.  It seems  to me that the out of conference games that teams are usually paying against are very inferior teams.  Getting rid of those games would not only shorten the season (by about  3 games) but would make more competitive balance.

At the end of the season the top eight teams should go into the playoffs.  All other bowl eligible teams can still go to lesser bowl games as a reward for a good season.  The big four bowls (Rose, Orange, Sugar, Fiesta) could host the first round of the playoffs. Since all four of those games are affiliated with conferences those tie ins should, and I think can for the most part, be maintained. 


I copied and pasted all the previous paragraphs from lasts years draft to help show where my thinking was. Then I looked at the final rankings from the AP poll (which I guess is now FBS), the coaches poll and the BcS rankings.


As I first started to really look at and compare the differences; I realized I should have looked at them before I wrote the BcS hates Boise posting. At a second review of the each poll/ranking I was shocked to find that the BcS was not the worst of the the polls. The AP\FBS had Southern California at #5??? I might understand USC in the top ten (might) but #5 no way.


So this year I am throwing the AP/FBS out of the equation. I have little respect for that ranking and since is my blog, I can to that.


Between the BcS and the coaches poll the only major difference was that the BcS had Arkansas and the Coaches poll had Wisconsin.  Since there are all ready two other SEC teams in the top ten I am throwing Arkansas out of the equation. And I have tweaked the polls basically because I didn't want the Rose bowl to be all Pac 12.


So the first round of my 2011 playoffs would include these games.


Sugar Bowl--  #1 LSU  vs  #8 Wisconsin


Orange Bowl -- #2 Alabama vs #7 Boise St.


Fiesta Bowl-- #3 Oklahoma St. vs #6 Stanford


Rose Bowl-- #4Oregon vs #5 Kansas St.


Personally I like the idea of those four games better than the games that will happen this year.


I would have the final two rounds in Jerry's World...er... Cowboy Stadium over a two week period. With the highest seed playing the lowest for the second round.


I think my idea would be more competitive than what the BcS is going to have this year and would still make college football a boatload of money.


What do you think?  

We need tolerance, open minds and understanding

I saw a posting on FB that without Christ there is no Christmas. My first thought was that maybe at some point that was true. I'd like to think that the world and people have evolved and changed since then. Why do I say this?

Over my lifetime I have met people of many different faiths and beliefs.  I have met many Christians, a number of the Jewish faith, a few Muslims, some Atheists.  I have met people who go to different churches,some who go to Unity and Religious Science come to mind.  One of the smartest men I have ever met studied a spiritual belief I had never heard of before. I have met people who don't believe Christ ever existed, and even a few people who believe that Christ was basically a composite of several different men who lived at that time.

Most if not all of these people seemed to be intelligent, responsible and sane.  Which has helped to show me there is not right path.

The man who I had more respect for than any other man other than my Dad once told me that there is truth in all different beliefs.

And that is what I believe there is truth in all spiritual paths. I have written this before but I think it should be repeated.  I believe there is ONE God who created different paths (religions, spiritual beliefs) to see his truth.

Each of us has our own life journey and path to God.

And in this holiday season, especially in this holiday season. We all need to embrace tolerance with a full open mind and open heart.

We shouldn't be bickering about Christmas vs Happy Holidays.  We should be open minded enough to see that each individual has the right to say, think and act in ways that enhance their live path.

And it just might help our spiritual paths to have open minded, tolerant discussion about why people believe what they do.

Trust me, I have been in heated arguments about which belief is right or wrong. That gets no one anywhere and I believe actually inhibits our lives spiritual journey.

So no matter what you believe or say.  I wish you nothing but the best hopes for you Holiday Season and may the next year bring you more Happiness, Love, Joy and Peace.

As for me I hope you will continue to follow my life path on this blog and I sincerely hope my readership grows. Hey, I'm not just doing to watch myself type. ;}

BcS committee hates Boise St

I wrote last year about how the BcS stinks and offered a system that I think will work. And I am planning on applying my proposed system to this season, hopefully I will post that on Tuesday.

But I wanted to post a separate blog to talk about once AGAIN the BcS has screwed over Boise State. Fortunately I get to write about two bowl match ups that makes no sense at the same time.

Boise State finished the season at 11-1. Their only loss was to TCU due to the Boise kicker missing a last second field goal.  That particular game was one of the best games I saw all season, In my opinion Boise should have won it. After that loss the BcS voters, in their infinite, "wisdom" down to #11.

Somehow Boise moved up to #8 for the final poll of the season. In my opinion the should have finished in top 5 and maybe should have been # 3. Personally I would have liked to see Boise vs Alabama or Oklahoma St.But their final ranking is not what bothers me.

I have been thinking the BcS bowls were supposed to be for the best teams in the country. But there are two BcS bowl games that have teams that shouldn't be in them. I know that the Orange bowl has an agreement with the ACC to have a team in their bowl game but #12 Clemson doesn't deserve to be in a BcS bowl game. Heck, two of their three losses were against other ACC teams and most of their wins were not that impressive (more on that in a moment).

 Clemson's opponent in the Orange Bowlis #23 West Virginia.  There is no way the Mountaineers should be in this game. NO WAY. Their schedule is not that strong and they didn't have any memorable wins. Boise State should have been considered for this game but it's not the one they should have been put in.

I think that with the bowl's as chosen this year Boise should have been put into the Sugar Bowl against Michigan. I think that particular match up could have been maybe the best bowl game this year. I can't help but wonder if the BcS committee didn't want to put Boise against Michigan because they feared it would upstage their "Championship" game.

Instead of putting Boise St. in the Sugar Bowl the BcS committee put #17 Virginia Tech into this game which is laughable at best and just down right irresponsible in my opinion.  Va Tech is not a bad team but they are not that good either. I understand Clemson getting into the Orange Bowl because the won the ACC but Clemson badly beat Virginia Tech badly in two separate games (3-23 and 10-38).

I have no idea how the BcS can justify putting Virginia Tech into the particular game. To me BcS has  lost more credibility than ever.  It's just a shame that they disrespect Boise as much as they do.

Joe Paterno and this years team

Like most people I want former Penn State Penn State Jerry Sandusky to receive the harshest sentence possible if he is found guilty of child molestation. In fact, short of castration I doubt there is a harsh enough punishment for sexually abusing a child.

But I also believe that firing Coach Paterno in the middle of this season was way too harsh of a punishment. I fully understand people who believe that he should have done more to make law enforcement aware of what was going on. But I have a different point of view about the situation.

I was scared to tell my parents about being sexually molested partially because it involved my Grandfather and I wasn't sure they would believe that he would do something like that. Fortunately, do to other incidents that I was not aware of at the time they fully believed me.

But it could have been different.

I think I can see the situation from Joe Paterno's perspective. From what I have heard Mr Paterno and Sansudusky knew each other, and presumably were friends, for over thirty years.  Think of any longtime friendships you have had; can you see this person as doing something illegal or perverted? I bet most people can't and I bet Mr Paterno couldn't really believe it about Sandusky but did the responsible thing and to the school's President and Athletic Director what he had been told. He then probably thought they would properly deal with the situation. Morally he probably should have done more but I don't blame him I blame the AD and the President.

I do believe it would have been best for everybody to let Mr Paterno to finish the season and then retire. Why?  Because most, if not all, of the kids on the team came to that football program to play for Coach Paterno.  Those kids were nowhere near Penn State when those incidents took place and had done nothing wrong. So why punish them for the University's fault.

A few weeks ago I heard Bill Plaske, on ESPN's  Around the Horn, vehemently proclaim that Penn State should not be allowed to go to a bowl game this year, "even if they win the Big Ten". I believe that all the other panelist disagreed. In fact, Woody Page even suggested that they should be allowed to go to a bowl game but Penn State should give the money they receive for going to a bowl game to a charity that deals with child abuse. Which I think is a perfect solution.


After doing a little research I have found out that Penn State is going  to play in the Ticket City Bowl on January 2 against the Houston Cougars. (Lions vs Cougars, oh my) That should be a good game and I am happy for the kids on that team.

But it's a shame that Joe Paterno's great career ended this way.

Tebow haters shutup!!!

To me there are lots of signs that this world has gone absolutely crazy. People are "occupying" every where for no apparent reason other than they have nothing else to do--and people seem to be taking them serious. One of the worst Presidents ever may win re-election --basically because the Republicans can't get their collective acts together.  There are actually people who believe the Mayans predicted the end of the world next year because their calender ends on December 31,2012. It couldn't possibly be they couldn't fathom time being longer than that.

And Tim Tebow has been verbally torn to death for no real reason. I have been fortunate enough to watch six of his games with my own eyes. No he is not the greatest ever but he is no where near as bad as the so called "experts" think.

They like to complain about his throwing motion, they like to talk about his completion percentage (48.5), they like to talk about how no team can win while running a spread offense which mainly is run oriented.

Apparently, they are at least, partially blind.  In the games I have watched I only recall seeing 3 passes that have been very bad. Most of the in completions I have seen were pretty accurate.He is not always to blame for the receivers not catching the passes.

As for the complaints about his throwing motion. I keep wondering if the people complaining know that this is not a beauty contest, its  freaking football. All that should really matter is that he is getting good results.

As for the option offense not working. I ask, why can't something different work?

The two main offenders in my opinion are both on ESPN. They are Stephen A Smith and Colin Cowherd. Before this week I had respect for Mr. Smith, I rarely agree with his opinions, but I respected him. Until Tuesday when he appeared on 1st and 10 with Skip Bayless, who seems to be the only journalist who likes Tebow.

Skip made the very valid points that the stats are not the bottom line; he is winning that is the stat that really matters. Mr Tebow has shown that he can be a winning quarterback in the NFL. That is what matters.

Mr Bayless and Mr Smith were asked is Mr Tebow should be Denver's starting QB next season. Mr Bayless gave very valid reason for why Tebow should the starting QB next season. Mr Smith emphatically said no and the only evidence he seemed to come up with was his opinion that Tebow would never be a winning QB in the NFL' despite very concrete evidence that he can and will be a winner

I have never like Mr Cowherd, I think he is just a goofball who says outrageously stupid things just to get attention. And I am not going to detail his low Tebow IQ.

The bottom line is that Tim Tebow has proven he is a winner on the football field and in real life. It is time for the misguided and unfounded hatred of Tebow to end. He is a overall good person and should be admired and praised for who he is and what he does on and off the field.

There are plenty of other players in the NFL to dislike and disrespect.  Ndamaka Suh, and DeSean Jackson are the first names to come to mind.

Penn State,Syracuse and the media

One of the biggest thing that has bothered me during this time of a lack of internet connection in the inability to talk about my take on those two child sex scandal cases.

First of all I was molested by a family member who I looked up to at the time. It started around age six and continued until I think I was around 11. I would have done something about it earlier but I truly did not think my  parents would believe me. Fortunately, and thankfully I got up the nerve to tell my Mom and she believed me.

I know the emotional pain and scars you can carry from that trauma. I have been fortunate enough to have people to talk to and deal with it. For a time I actually thought I was through dealing with those feelings.  I don't know the last time I had thought about the abuse before the Penn State scandal broke. For the first couple of days hearing the details was not much of a problem.

But as the media started digging deeper and deeper into the details and the Syracuse case came to light some of the things that happened to me started to bother me again. And them memories started coming back.

I turn the channel whenever they start talking about the case  on TV now.

I can deal with the memories and feeling again, I have done it before.

But I have started to seriously think about some issues. I understand that the media has to report the news about this case.  I know that getting some of the truth out might help someone who is being abused come out and stop what is happening to them. I get that.

But as the details continue to come out I have seriously started to wonder at what point are too many details getting out.  Just two days ago I heard a man being interviewed who (I can't think of a better way to put it) had the same exact moment of knowing when things had gone too far that I did.

Personally, that experience should NEVER should be detailed on national TV.  First, it was told in fairly graphic detail that was too graphic for kids. Secondly, there may be others like me who were strongly reminded of specific details who might not be strong enough to deal with the old feelings and emotions. I honestly hope that no one did harm to themselves after hearing that detail.  I know for me that was the moment I specifically knew I could not hand future stories on the cases.

Another issue that I have been thinking about is with so many details coming out; at what point does it make it impossible to find an impartial jury?  Personally, I think that prosecuting and punishing sick sexual predators is much more important than the public's right to know.

But maybe that's just me. 

Back again

I have believed that when you play--you pay for a long time. Essentially, when you do wrong there are very real consequences to your actions.

A little over a month ago I did something that I shouldn't have done. I allowed someone into my apartment that every instinct I had told me not to let her in.  She stole my Ipod and phone. Shortly after that my old computer went south on me.

I believe that was the universe's way of telling me I was a bad boy. I truly do believe that.

What I still surprises me is that I sometime still do things that I know now to do. I haven't allowed someone I should not have let in my apartment because  I don't trust them in years. I haven't done that specifically because I have had things stolen before. It is a lesson I thought I learned years ago.

I have said a lot of things about get older. Luckily, I don't recall saying/thinking that I was getting wiser.

Hopefully this time the lesson sticks. Because having very limited internet connection stinks.

Internet speak

Since I was having trouble editing the columns when writing through my nook, I 
thought I would give it a try using my IPod Touch. 
 
I don't want to be the cool (or whatever the term is now) old guy; but I would 
like to try to understand and keep in touch with the younger generation. 
 
That is a small part of why I have  Facebook and Twitter accounts. 
 
To me they are interesting ways to keep up with the country and world. But it 
seems like lately, especially on Twitter, it seems like a new "language" is 
developing. 
 
I have seen different symbols being used when people send   out Tweets. The only 
one I can remember right now is #.  I have absolutely no idea what it means. 
 
If anyone who reads this understand what the different symbols mean could you 
explain them to me. (ocalarob@gmail.com) 
 
It makes me wonder if every generation has had things they don't understand 
about the younger generation? Until now I always thought that was a myth. 
 
I guess this is another sign that I am getting old. 
 
Sent from my iPod 

Random football thoughts

It didn't occur to me until today that I could write about football. 

So I didn't take notes. I will do that next weekend but for today 

this is from a shaky memory.
 
I remember when the Bucs drafted QB Josh Freeman that a lot of the 

"experts" thought is was a bad decision. I disagreed with them

then and I still do.

My only problem is he takes parts of games off. It'fun to watch

him perform great in the 4th quarter like he always seems to do

but it will catch up to him eventually.

I didn't get to watch the Bucs vs Lions opening week, probably due to blackout 
restrictions, but I was surprised that RB LaDamian (?) Blount only had 25 yards 
rushing. As they showed this week Tampa needs to have aa lot more production 
from him. 
 
•I saw a couple of real nasty injuries this week. A Florida St. RB/WR (this is 
when notes are needed) received the secon ugliest lokking injury I have seen. He 
was tackled in such a way where he knee/lower leg was bent in a way it was never 
intended to bend. 
 
A Tennessee RB almost had his leg bent as badly. Both injuries reminded me of QB 
Joe Theisman injury on Monday Night Football that ended his career. That injury 
almost made me sick. 
 
•Finally, am I the only one wgo hates it when a network has a camerman on an 
injured player all the way to the lockerooms? That's just not right to me. 
 
I will do better next week. I'm having problem editing the spacing.
Sent from my NOOKcolor 

What do you do?

I wish there was a specific thing I could do to find the woman I'm meant to be 
with. 
 
I have often heard it said that there  is somone for everyone. I would like to 
think that was true; but now that  I am in my later 40's I am having serious 
doubts about that. 
 
It's been 10 years since my last girlfriend. And that is by far the longest I 
have been without a relionship ever. 
 
It seems like for all other life problems there are always specific things you 
can do to fix them. But not when it comes to love. 
 
I used to think that if you were kind enough and treated a woman right you could 
get them to love you. It's not that simple. 
 
Sometimes I wish I was the kind of guy who can pick up any woman he wants; but 
that never was me. 
 
All I know to do is get myself out in public on a regular basis and hope to meet 
new women. 
 
I just hope that I haven't had my last girldfriend ever. 
Sent from my NOOKcolor 

Atheism Really?

I have been wanting to write a follow up to my "One God" blog. 
 
I began that one by pointing out that Penn Jillette stated that he was an 
atheist in his interview with Piers Morgan. 
 
After I wrote I believe there is only one God but many beliefs; I began to 
wonder how someone could  actually believe that God does not exsist.. 
 
I wonder is it really possible that people believe that? Is it really possible 
to believe that mankind just popped up one day out of  nowhere? 
 
 And then I guess they believe  we live however many years we live and then 
"Poof" we're nothing?  That last thought is my greatest fear; honestly. 
 
If that is truly what atheist believe then what is the reason we live? What 
would be the point to live? 
 
In my teens and early twenties I rarely  thought about God or the reason we are 
here. The older I get the more I think about it. 
 
There was a period of time after I realized that God exsisted that I was angry 
at God for making me disabled. Over time I began to be grateful for the 
disability. Yes, there are still moments in time when I am not so grateful for 
it, but that is part of my personal growth and development. 
 
My change of attitude towards my disability has helped to show me  that God has 
a reason for what God does.  And that has been my proof that there is a point 
and reason for my being  alive. 
 
I don't know my purpose in life but I know there is one and that is what keeps 
me going. 
 
If you truly believe there is no rhyme, reason or purpose to your live; then why 
are you here? 
Sent from my NOOKcolor 

Experiment

Since I am without my computer keyboard I am going to try to blog using my nook 
and email. 
 
It's a little odd that when I have a keyboard I don't write as often as I 
should; but not having one makes me miss writing. 
 
Good thing that those who  know me already know I am a little odd already. 
 
Since this is an experiment I will keep this short for now. 
 
If this works as it should I will write more later. 
Sent from my NOOKcolor 

Techncal difficulties

I have not written this week because I have apparently still not learned that water and keyboard don't mix.

I am using my onscreen keyboard to write this and it is frustrating. As soon as I can gt a new keyboard I hopefully will writing on a more regular basis.I already have a couple of subjects in mind.

Thanks

Ugly phrase.

I have admitted in this blog before that I am not a fan of political correctness. I think it gets in the way of free speech and of expressing yourself the way you want.

But there is something else I dislike even more. This may be the wrong word but I believe its "stereotyping".

There is a specific phrase I have in mind. In the last year or two I have heard or read kids (mainly teens to early 20's) complain about something and follow it by saying, "That's so gay".

Hearing that angers me. As I have said, its OK to disagree with the lifestyle but accept that other's have the right to live that life. But disagreeing with it and using that term in a derogatory way are two totally different things.

I wonder when and why that particular phrase began being used. And can't that be seen as a form of bullying?

I have seen ads aimed at ending bullying. I hope there will be an effort towards ending that phrase.

What's wrong with just plainly saying you dislike something?

Only one God

A couple of days ago I saw part of an interview that Piers Morgan did with magician/comic/outspoken person Penn Jillette.

Normally, I would have just continued surfing the channels, but, I heard Penn say that he was an atheist and he began to question Mr. Morgan about his religious beliefs. Mr Jillette asked Mr Morgan which God he believed in. Mr Morgan's response was, "What do you mean?" Mr Jillette responded with, "You know how there is a Muslim god, a Roman Catholic god ..."

It was at that point that I turned the channel because I have never understood that concept. That concept is one of the reasons I don't like churches.  Every time I have gone to church, the main message seems to be: if you don't worship God the way we believe you should you're going to hell. And that is an idea that makes absolutely no sense to me at all.

To me there is only one God. I believe we have many different religions and belief systems because God understands that each one of us is different and so there are many ways to "get" to God.

This concept of thinking that there is only one specific was to God, I believe, causes more problems than it could ever solve.  But I also believe that the concept is solely a human fault. I don't believe God puts limitations on people; people do.

 God is not the one who is limited, we  impose limitations on ourselves. And we as a nation,we in politics, in religions and as individuals place too many limitations on too many things. And I believe that the biggest limitations we have is being closed minded. Religious groups place too many limitations on how someone is supposed to believe in and pray to God.  Political parties seem to place too many limitations on how things should be handled and improved. Individuals do those things and place limitations on skin color and sexuality.

We seems to want to make someone conform to our beliefs than to look outward to understand and embrace our differences.

St. Frances prayer has a line which says, "It is better to understand than to be understood."  I believe we would be better off if everyone took that too heart.   But that is just me.

Personal Integrity

A long time ago I had a friend who liked to tell me, "whatever you do, do it with style". I agree with the sentiment but not the exact wording.  I would prefer it to be: whatever you do do it with integrity.  Or, to thine own self be true, if you will.

In-teg-ri-ty: adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character, honesty

I will readily admit that in my younger years honesty was not my strong point. I told too many lies in my youth, mainly to try to get out of trouble like a lot of kids do, but its not right just the same.  Over the years, I have found out that telling the truth is the best way to do things. In the end telling the truth saves a lot of heartache and trouble.

As for moral, I think that is an ever evolving thing and I know my morals are a lot better and different then in my past.

Why am I writing this?   Well, I have admitted here that I am a huge fan of the Big Brother show. I can honestly say after this season I won't be as big of a fan as I was but it still interests me.

One of the house guests, Shelly, came on the show claiming that she was going to play with dignity and wanted to be a good role model to her daughter. So, in the beginning I was a fan of hers. I had hoped to see someone win in a "clean" way.  To me, a little bit of lying and trying to cause friction between other house guests is understandable as long as its kept to a minimum and done with purpose.

Shelly, who is 41, has done just about every low down thing in the house that I can think of  but has strongly denied any wrong doing. Her lowest point, in my opinion, was stealing another house guest's stuffed animal.  Which was more than wrong considering that Shelly herself brought her daughter's stuffed dog into the house with her.  If someone had done the same thing to her. she would have made such a stink until she got the dog back that she would have been impossible to live with.

I might have been OK with her totally backstabbing my favorite player, Jeff, if she had not stolen someone else's personal item and lied to and about everyone else in the house.

But that is not what got me the most upset in the past weeks of following BB.  Shelly's actions in the house have ignited a firestorm of reactions from the millions of BB fans. And a good number of the reactions have been, in my opinion, to far out there  in both the negative and positive reactions.

For some reason that I can't fathom, some fans have apparently issued physical threats against Shelly's family. I abhor a lot of what she has done but threatening her family makes no sense to me at all. I guess it just says that there are waaay too many loony people out there.

But I don't get the other side of things either.  Many others have said that Shelly's actions are OK because it's all just part of playing the game.

I don't care  that there is a half a million dollars on the line; there are certain things that should never be done in life.  Giving your word that you will have someone's back and then turning on them, is very wrong,  In a lot of ways your word is all you have and if that is no good, what kind of person are you?

No matter what you never, ever steal someone else's personal property. That is wrong on every level for whatever the reason may be.

And finally, never, ever, ever claim your going to act with integrity, honor and to be a good example for kids and turn around and do the complete opposite.

I do not care what the situation is. I don't care that your doing something that may help your family out financially. I don't care how stressful the situation is.

You should always be true to yourself and be dignified and with honor. Because no game, no amount of money and no amount of fame is worth being a dishonorable person.

If you can't stay true to yourself, how are other's supposed to love and trust in you?

The disabled are people too

Sometime in the last week one of the online "shows" that follows Big Brother, "Dick at Night", had a guest panelist (Jun, I believe), say that BB has had every type of person on the show.

 I respectfully say, no they haven't. In season 1, they had a house guest who was an amputee but no other disabled person that I know of since then.

In fact, I don't remember any disabled person on any game show on television. And if there has not been one I am a bit offended but not surprised.

In many ways the stigma that comes with a disability is almost as bad as the disability at times.

I have often been treated like I have a mental disability just because I am physically disabled. I have had people talk to me like I am a little kid. And most annoying of all is having people look at you with pity.

I know that I talk funny, when I hear my voice I always sound like I am drunk and have been asked if I was drunk a few times when answering a phone.  But its a little part of my disability where I have to think to breathe when I talk. As a kid I remember being taught being able to breathe properly but I don't always think about it and often run out of breath.

I move slow even for a disabled person. I remember being in gym class with other disabled kids, we had this game where a traffic like cone was place in the middle of two separate rows of kids. The gym teacher would call out the name of two kids and the object was to knock the ball of the cone first. The teacher would always put me up against Debby because we were the two slowest kids in the class; I never got to the ball first.

For some silly reason I tried out for wheelchair basketball the first time I went to college. That was one of the most humiliating experiences I have ever had. The other guys literally wheeled circles around me.  The coach tried just using me a defender to just block shots and that was bad too.

So, yes there a a number of things that I can't do but none of it means I am dumb.  And I know that there are other disabled people who are more intelligent than I am.

So it would be almost impossible to convince me that there aren't a number of disabled people who would do well on a game show.

Even though there are a few physical competitions on BB I think it's possible for a disabled person to do well on BB. Those who follow the show knows there are a few people who never won competitions but did well on the show.

I wish I could be that person. It would probably never be me but I hope that before BB has its last season (which I hope is a long time from now) I really wish a disabled person would be on there.

Personal critic

I just finished reading a short story in Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. For one of the very few times I can think of; my first thought was, "I bet the critics loved this story". That is an odd first thought  for me to have after reading any story. I have never been a fan of critics. I think most of them take their jobs a bit too seriously.

I can't remember specific books that received a lot of criticism but I do know that two of my favorite authors, Stephen King and Tom Clancy, have received plenty of complaints about writing books that were to wordy and unrealistic.

Again, I can't think of any specific movies that received bad reviews; but most of the time it's the same criticism, lack of realism.

Musically, I'm sure that my all time favorite, Billy Joel, has taken criticism for not having a meaning in some of his songs.

I have always wondered why critics and other people look for realism and deep meaning in the different forms of entertainment. I have always thought that reading, music and watching TV or movies was about getting away from reality for awhile.

Is something entertaining me a taking my mind away from the reality of my life has always been the only standard for whatever I am reading and listening too.

I have never liked it when I have been criticized for the things I like. I know that most don't enjoy wrestling, or Barry Manilow, or back in the day Tiffany.  I like what I like and don't like what I don't like. I think that is a good thing for me and everybody else.

Wouldn't it be a boring world if we all liked the same thing?

I wonder if I can download Tiffany on my IPod.

Glad to not be a parent

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/08/14/florida-mother-accused-beating-son-for-using-facebook/?test=latestnews

It's stories like this that have convinced me that some people are not fit to be parents. And its a shame that you can't stop people like that from having kids.

I realized a long time ago I would not be a good parent. I have little to no patience for things and kids seem to make a lot of unnecessary noises which bothers me.  For a few years I babysat for my best friend during the summer while she was working/going to school and her husband worked.  After 8 hours I was always worn out and ready  for home.

But even if I was a parent I would hope that I wouldn't result to unnecessary measures to punish them.

It seems that this mother had the right intention but very poor on the punishment side of things.

If I were a parent I think I would want to monitor what my children do on the computer or who they talk to on their cell phones. I would put an adult block (?) on the cable and internet..

As for punishment, I can know say I would do things a little differently than what my parents did to me. My parents main punishment was to ground me which consisted of sending me to my room and no TV for the whole time of the punishment. This only bothered me during football or baseball season.  The rest of the year I didn't care because they never took my stereo away.

I have  thought about things I would do if I were ever a  parent.  I think that a good punishment would be to have a small room where there would be a book case, a table and chair and a writing pad. I think I would have my child write about what they did wrong.After they had done that my wife and I would sit down and talk with our child about what they had done and should have done. And I would  have them be ground for hopefully a sufficient amount of time which would include having to go to that small room and do their homework.

At least that is what I hope I would do.

I do believe that no child should be touched in anger.

Manipulated?? BB

I am just know starting to adjust to the fact that not everything on Big Brother is "natural". I am not exactly happy about it but I believe that is a fact.

I also know that some who might read this don't know what I am talking about.

A little overview. There has been, to many others an obvious story line the producers of BB have been showing on TV.  They are obviously featuring the trials and tribulations of Brenchal, (otherwise know as the couple of  Rachael and Brendon). I think most BB fans think of them as the most hated couple ever on the show. Well, Brendon was evicted on the previous Thurday's show. I was happy because I actually believed that was the end of Brenchal on TV.  Ahh, but things change quickly.

 Until last Thursday four of the house guests who started the season were evicted from the house. During the week before Thursday BB gave the viewers an opportunity to vote one of those HG's back into the house and competition. And the twist turned out to be that who ever won the vote would have to compete with the HG who was eliminated this week.

Well, a guy named Lawon was evicted. Actually, it was hard to tell he was there a lot of the time.

Here is where I believe the manipulation begins.  Before Brendon left no one watching and commenting on Twitter or on blogs seem to like him and a vast majority was happy he was evicted. I was convinced there was no way he would be voted back in. I didn't think the viewers would be that insane.  For you who may be reading and know what I am talking about:  I know he was leading in most of the polls I saw. But I saw that it was a close race in most of the polls with CASSI (emphasis enough?) was a close second. And in most of the polls I remember seeing Dominic was a distant third.

But on Thursday's show Julie Chen said, "More than 2 million votes were cast. And here are the results. Keith, Cassi, you will not return. I can tell you it was CLOSE. The winner  who received more than 1 million votes. The winner is Brendon."  At this point my jaw literally dropped and I (for real) almost fell out of my wheelchair.

In most polls I saw Dominic was in the teens percentage wise.  But when Julie said the voting was close I take that to mean that Dom had to have gotten almost 1 million votes himself.

I can't prove anything but something feels funny here.  I know it I tried everything I could to vote but was unable to on CBS.com. I have see numerous comments from others who had problems to. I can't help but wonder how many of those people had the same problem I did. The first few times I tried to vote I checked the box right next to Cassi's picture before I saw that I had to register to vote, which I had done the last few seasons.  I changed my password, emailed CBS for help and nothing worked.  I can't help but think that there is a way to program the voting to not allow certain votes to be cast. I am NOT saying that this did happen--I just am a bit suspicious.

Goddess of the Dish, (bbdish.com) you might be reading this and I wonder if you can prove that I did not comment that things were rigged until after the competition.  I am not sure about the voting, but I am almost positive that BB producers did not decide what the competition was until they knew what the voting results were. I am sure that they had a couple of different competitions lines up depending who won the voting.

That is what I do think was rigged for sure and I yell, foul, foul foul.  Lawon NEVER had a chance. Of course  he put himself  for eviction but that is another story.

The only thing that helps is we are now 48 after Brendon was allowed back in the game, many, many commenters are already whining and moaning about Brenchal.

You know what they say about Karma don't you?  I think its true and it is why I will enjoying all the negative Brenchal comments this week.

Negative youths?

I read an article on Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall in which he claims to have Borderline Personality Disorder. From what I read it sounds like bipolar to me.

As usual, I read some comments about the article and of course there were plenty of negative comments. As I have written about I have seen plenty of negative statements on Twitter.

And I am starting to come up with a theory.  I wonder if the majority of the negative comments come from young adults. I don't know of a way to prove or disprove this theory but I wish I did.

What I do know is that in my younger days I was a much more intolerant person that I am now. I do have some room for improvement in that area but as they say, "Progress not perfection"

I don't remember specific instances but I am sure that I did my share of  name calling and judging just on people's looks.

There was a time when I did not understand that a person's bad behavior could be due to mental illness and not just because they were jerks.

And there was a time when I thought the world revolved around me and I did not really take an objective view of the world. I am not saying I am perfect at that yet either but  I am trying.

Now, I can look at  athletes like Brendon Marshall and Mr "I can't feed my family on $45 million" Terrell Owens and not just think they are just major jerks. I won't recount all the things those two have done because there is just too much to say.

 After heating Mr Marshall's admitting to having BPD I can't help but  wonder if other athletes who come off as huge jerks might also have disorders. In the comments section of the articles, most responses were respectful and understanding with well wishes. But there were a number of other comments that were disrespectful and, in my opinion, juvenile.

That is when I started to think of this theory. Which led me to think about my younger days.

I have heard it said that, "youth is wasted on the young".  The older I get the truer that seems.

Gratitude

First of all, I would like to share some gratitude. In the past few days I have picked up a new friend on Facebook and have two new followers on Twitter. These are probably small, little things to most of you but this is part of what I hoped to accomplish by doing this blog. I wanted to get my voice out there and hope to "meet" new people.  Maybe things are beginning to turn around on the online social front.

But I want to give a big Thank You to Carolyn of   bbidish.com.  I am figuring it is she who is following me but using her web site's name and I am truly grateful that she has done so. I have grown to greatly admire and respect her over the years.

 I started really getting interested in Big Brother about four years ago.  My interest in BB really got stoked when I found the dish chicks web site. By the way I want to Thank Genie for being part of my BB life also. Can't forget the Mistress of the Sea.

Anyway, Carolyn and Genie follow the BB house as well as they possibly can and over the years a family of sorts has developed on people sharing their thoughts on what is going on in the house. And thanks to Carolyn's rules the discussions are always respectable even when there are disagreements there is no name calling.

Hey, Carolyn, if your reading this and still giving away shirts---does this qualify me for one? ;)  If Gaytor can shamlessly try to get one I figured I could give it a shot.

Tweeting not always good

I have written about the lack of civility and the social networks a bit before but I feel the need to add a little more  to it.

As I have said on here I am a huge Big Brother fan. For those that don't know about it; it is a reality/game show.  This year fourteen people entered the BB house; where the object is basically to evict one house guest per week until two remain. And then a jury of house guests who were evicted vote on who won the season. And the prize for  the winner is $500k.

The key thing that attracted me to this show was the fact that the house guests are on camera for the whole almost 3 months of the show. No, there are no camera's in the bathroom.

One of the good things for me is that the last few years I have been able to buy the online feeds and have spent many nights hanging out (so to speak) with the house guests.

The only rule really seems to be anything goes except physical confrontations.There are contests to determine the Head of House, whose main purpose is to pick two nominees to face eviction. Those facing eviction, the HoH and other house guests play for the Power of Veto, which gives the winner the right to take one of the nominees for eviction away from facing eviction and then the HOH nominates someone else in their place.

I think I have given a decent overview of BB.

Now, imagine being in that situation and knowing that other house guests are allowed to lie, form alliances and generally speaking do whatever they can to get someone else nominated while trying not to get nominated themselves.

It can get pretty stressful and heated in the house. And believe me things can and do get ugly in there; that is the nature of the game.

I have no problem, generally speaking with what goes on in the house. Like the real world there are house guest who I have liked a lot and house guests who I couldn't stand through the four seasons I have been watching it.  But I always try to keep in mind that people act differently in stressful situations and some of their behavior is going to be offensive to some.

I like it because of the company I get to "have" for  three months but I also like it because I have always enjoyed watching people. I never like going on rides in the amusement parks; I preferred the people watching much more.

But I have noticed that mainly on Twitter, people tend to forget that the house guests are probably a lot different in the BB house then they are in the real world.

On Twitter I have read some of the most nasty, mean spirited things I have ever heard or read anyone say about someone else.

This season every one of the house guests have been targeted but the one who seems to get the most offensive treatment is Kalia, a African American woman who I think is in her late twenties and looks a heck of a lot like Ophra.  Kalia looks like she is, a slightly bigger woman but attractive. She unfortunately has been called every name in the book on Twitter.

And that is a real shame.I personally am concerned with how Kalia's family is taking the negative reactions. It is not fair to them.  None of the people tweeting these nasty things is perfect and I think that if we could put camera's on them 24 hours a day, seven days a week we would see a lot of negative stuff from those people.

I know I definitely would not want to be on camera all the time, I know I do some  unwatchable  stuff.

Whatever happened to if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all?

Why not lead?

I have had to take some time away from doing this because I was overwhelmed by the Casey Anthony case and that I am not getting the response I had hoped I would from this blog or video posting on Youtube. I am lowering my expectations and I am writing just to get my voice out there.

I would like responses but I do not expect them.

Maybe I am wrong but shouldn't out leaders in Washington lead?  I know that there always has been political posturing in Washington, but it seems worse than ever.

Shouldn't they be more worried about fixing the nations financial problem instead of seeming to be concerned about making sure that the Democrats or Republicans win the battle?

Doesn't the news tonight that a committee is forming to find ways to fix the finances essentially mean that the August 2 deadline wasn't a real deadline?  Seems to me that all the really happened was they gave themselves three more months to politically battle about what should be done.

Also, I heard the other day that the 14th Amendment says that there can't be a balanced budget rule.  As I said before I am definitely not an economist but when I heard that about the 14th amendment my thoughts were "What?" and "why?"

Also, I have heard that the Democrats are totally against a balance budget rule. To which I ask, why shouldn't the government have  to be financially responsible and live within its means?

I don't get that. But then again, I'm sure that many of you know there is a lot I don't get.

Soccer, go away

I was looking through various sites looking for something to write about (why didn't I think of that before) when I found an article on FOXSPORTSOHIO.com entitled "Annoyed over sports? If  not you will be"  by Sam Amico.

I almost didn't read it because I figured it would be another article complaining about silly stuff like sports journalists tend to do.

But I read it anyways and was pleased to find that someone else agreed with a complaint of mine.

8. World Cup soccer. I don't care and you can't make me. So stop trying.  Thank you Mr Amico.  


For reasons that are beyond me ESPN and Foxsports has been really trying hard in the last two years or so to stuff soccer down our throats.  It seems like every decade the same thing happens. Why can't it be accepted  that  most Americans don't like soccer?


I know that there are people who like it but I believe they are in the minority.  It is THE most boring sport ever.  It it best when played by kids in the back yard.  Any "sport" where the final score is 1-0 a good deal of the time is not a real sport. A real sport is about a good offense and a good defense and a decent amount of scoring.


The only time I ever liked soccer was when I was covering girls soccer for my high school newspaper. After all these years I am not sure if I enjoyed it because the games were good or because there were  a couple of really good looking girls on the team.   Yes, Tara if you are reading this that does mean you and I hope you won't get to peeved at me for dishing your sport.


All I can figure is that some soccer federation is paying ESPN and Fox to have soccer on TV almost 24/7.  I understand that the rest of the world loves it; does that mean America has to love it too?  I for one, think not.

Trying to communicate

I have said it before and I will probably say it again. One of the reasons I have started blogging is to get me "out" there too people. I really would like to connect with people.

It hard to do that when you are getting very little response. Connecting requires a connector and a connectee. And I am having a hard time to find a connectee.

Fortunately, my Dad and my best friend have encouraged me to continue to do so.

In an on going effort to do so I have posted a video on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/user/ocalarob1

From what I can tell I average about 15 views every time I blog. Someone other than my family is reading me. Which is a good thing. Unfortunately, I am not getting many responses back.

I mean it when I say that even if; you disagree with what I write I really would like to hear different peoples take on things.

And part of the reason I posted a video is maybe someone will help me to find some online nighttime company.  If you watch the video you will get a little explanation for that.

Even if I still fail to get responses I am going to still blog and probably start a video blog to so that I can get my voice out there and hope to connect with people.

Thank you

Why is one view point more right??

For most situations in life I don't think there is one concrete right or wrong answer or belief. I don't think there is a normal anything regarding people.  I had a friend who used to say that the only normal in life is the setting for a washing machine. And he was right. Unfortunately, he passed away almost 20 years ago and I still miss him.

Since there are no "normal" lives that mean everybody has different viewpoint and opinions on everything. But in this day and age of internet blogs/Facebook/Twitter everyone seems to have forgotten about the Freedom Of Speech.

For reasons I can't fathom, most everybody freeks out when people make statements they don't agree with. The fact of the matter is that as long as we have free will and Freedom of Speech; people have the right to express unpopular views.

Why am I writing this? As much as I want to have the Big Brother feeds this year I have been unable to get them. But I have seen several postings where Jeff Schroeder has gotten into internet hot water by stating a viewpoint that is unpopular. And the PC crowd is in a rage because of it.

He basically stated that he did not like the fact that there was apparently a gay character in a Harry Potter novel that was a teacher to kids. Part of his statement included the fact that he thought young children should not be in books that they read.

There are many out there who have taken this to mean that Jeff thinks all gay males are pedophiles. I have not been able to see the exchange that he had with Kalia over this issue. Most of the writing that I have read about this particular exchange seems to indicate my interpretations of events.

My basic question is this: why are views against homosexuality not allowed? I have no problem with gay people; I don't understand their life choices but I support making your own choices in life.

But I also believe that many good people have been brought up with the strong, moral belief that being gay is wrong. And they have to right to what they honestly believe.

Why can't both sides be right and just in their beliefs? I have had gay friends who were good moral people. I have had friends who were deeply religious people who truly believe that being gay is a huge sin but seemed like good moral people. What makes being gay and supporting gay causes  more right or just than people who morally and ethically think it is wrong?

Personally, I find it a bit ironic that support for gay people and their causes seem to be stronger than ever but those people now don't want opposing views to be voiced.  I seem to remember a time when there was very little positive support for gay people and their causes and those who were against gay causes did not want supporters viewpoints to be heard.

Why is one viewpoint more right than the other?  I am interested in that answer.

The American Way???

Well, I was hoping to get some feedback on the questions and answes posting. And I was hoping that would stir some conversation that I could use to write about ...but I guess not.  No problem.

I wonder if any of the people who have no problem with the Anthony verdict also don't have a problem with the fact that she will be making money off this case.  What a country we are kill your kid become rich; ain't that great.  Wonderfull justice system, let's all hold hands and sing "Koombya" now.

We have gone from fighting the the British taxation and freedom for this country. And this nation divided over state's right and getting rid of slavery but came back together to become united again.  We protested against the oppression of African Americans. We protested against an unjust war.

We fought back against terrorists who killed Americans on 9/11. And then many turned on the President Bush who was trying to do the right thing basically because it took too long.

But when a mother gets away with killing her daughter--we yawn and shrug our shoulders.

I am not trying to say that the Anthony case was as big of a deal as the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Civil Rights movement in the 50's or the protests of the Vietnam War in the late 60's early 70's.

The point is that this country used to stand up to wrongs and make them right. Of course, that was before Political Correctness and the wide national divide between liberals and conservatives.

And maybe that is a big part of the problem now. Maybe we are a land too divided along political lines that we have lost our sense of right and wrong. Maybe we are concentrating on the things that divide and not concentrating enough on what is right and wrong.

I believe that we have Amendments to the Constitution because we as a Nation recognized wrongs that needed to be righted. And I believe the System of Justice has evolved over the years to also right some wrongs. Maybe we were more united as a nation back then and we could focus on right and wrong.

Maybe now we are so divided that our focus is not too sharp.  Letting the guilty get away with her crime and then paying her for committing the crime should not be the American Way

Questions and my answers

As I have stated before; part of the reason I started doing this blog was in the hopes of getting replies and starting conversations. And that is still what I would like. One of results of getting replies is to help give me reasons to write.

Before I get to that I would like to thank whoever Anonymous is. And I hope that even though they disagree with me that they will read my blog again and post a response when they feel one is necessary as I hope others will do also. 

 Today I have received a response from an Anonymous and it is a great reply to my recent post. I tried to copy the whole thing here but it really messed up my formatting.  There should be a link for the response underneath my last posting if you want to see the whole reply to my post.

I will specifically type the questions that Anonymous asked and answer them. 

1. In the prosecutions case, when did Caylee die?---  There was no specific date for Caylee's death. But isn't reasonable to conclude that she died within the time she was said to be last seen and the day her remains were  found?  I don't think that a specific date for Caylee's death was needed. Just the fact that Caylee's body was found in the swamp area near the Anthony's home was sufficient enough to show she was killed. Yes, it is possible that Caylee death was an accident or natural; but wouldn't the family have said something way before Casey was arrested? And if the death was natural or an accident why would the family leave the body where it was found?

2. In the prosecutions case, where did Caylee die?----  Unless, I missed something the prosecution  did not specifically say where Caylee was killed. I don't think the where was as important as the how Caylee was killed. However, I believe it is reasonable to conclude that Caylee died somewhere between the Anthony home and where Caylee was found.

3.  In the prosecutions case, how did Caylee die?---- The coroner, Dr Jan G(I have no clue how to spell the rest of her last name) said that there was no way to exactly conclude how Caylee died. Yes, it would have helped the state's case to specifically answer how she died.  But is is not reasonable to conclude that a child that age with no known health issues died from an accident or was killed?  I think that the state did a good job of proving that Casey looked up chloroform on the family's computer.  How many people do searches for chloroform and what positive reason could they have for doing that? I believe that it is reasonable to conclude that Casey had a specific reason for doing that search and a specific reason for doing so.

4. How can you jump from lying to the police to murder?----- Name me one plausible, legal reason she had to lie to the police. She had a specific reason for doing that and I believe it is reasonable to conclude that she knew what really happened to Caylee.

5. What you are repeating is the theory from  Mr Ashton in the prosecutions closing arguments. So lets convict someone on a theory.--- Yes, sometimes that is necessary. It was a circumstantial case I believe that most people knew that before the trial began. In this case there was no "smoking chloroform", if you will. I would guess that a good percentage of murder cases are circumstantial.  I know of cases which were successfully prosecuted without even a body. Unfortunately, this is where "circumstantial" and "reasonable doubt" collide. Unfortunately, when our founding fathers formed the constitution there was no way for them to foresee what this country would really become and I am sure that they would be absolutely shocked at the possibility of a mother murdering her child. So you are right that I should not be upset with the constitution. But by now, the standard of beyond a reasonable doubt is not really a viable standard. It is one of, if not THE main reasons defendants are overly protected by the justice system.

I believe the prosecution could have done a better job; especially during the closing argument. No matter how sleazy and without honor Jose Baez is; under the system we have he did a good job of throwing every theory he could out there in the hopes that one would stick and I believe one did work.  I disagree with many in that I don't get why an a defendant accused of a felony should not have to prove their innocence. A defendant should be required to prove their innocence and I don't understand why it is not that way.And honestly, I don't understand why a defendant accused of doing something wouldn't want to prove their innocence. 

I believe that Casey Anthony is guilty of murdering Caylee. I have not heard or read of anyone who truly believes she is innocent. I believe that when someone who is guilty of committing a  crime especially murder is acquitted, something is wrong with the system. And a guilty person getting away with murder is as wrong as wrong can get. 

But at this point in time, what baffles  and saddens me the most is that it seems that most people are willing to just shrug their shoulders and basically say "well, its the law of the land so what can you do?". Something is very wrong with the outcome of the Casey Anthony case and yet, most people just want to move on with their lives and forget that there is a murderer among us.  Caylee is dead and no one will be held accountable for it.

And at this moment in time, I am not proud to be an American. I am sad that no one seems to really want this wrong righted. And I am the only person who seems to believe that the justice system has let us down.

Constitution and rule of law greater than justice?

Usually, I enjoy watching Sean Hannity. He is actually my favorite of the news commentary anchors. I don't watch everyday but when I do I usually agree with what he says. Not today. I totally disagree today.

He and his guests were talking about how the Anthony jury came up with the correct verdict as far as the Constitution and Rules of law are written. They believed the prosecution did a poor job and  that the defense did a good job.  And they believe that being proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt is a good standard.

I do not.  I believe that with this circumstantial case the prosecution did a good job of showing that Casey Anthony was the only person who could have committed the murder and that should have been good enough to at least convict her of manslaughter.

I get the idea that the way things are set up makes it harder to convict an innocent person. I understand and can appreciate the reasoning behind that.  It makes sense.

But that does not make it right that that same system helped a guilty woman go free.In my personal opinion, if the legal system as it is set up allows even one person who actually murdered a child go free; then something is wrong, wrong, wrong, with that system.

I wish I knew the answer to fixing the problem but I don't. Quite frankly I just am not that smart.

I also wish I could understand why this one bothers me as much as it does.  I have followed other cases in which  a woman murdered her child but I don't remember becoming emotionally invested in the case. Could it be that in the other cases (Susan Smith comes to mind) the women were convicted of something but not in this case?

 I have tried to not follow this case because I realized that I was real emotional about this one. But it was almost impossible to not follow this one.

I was certain she would be convicted; not necessarily of murder in the first, but I thought manslaughter was a sure thing. Which leads me to this question: how can she be guilty of lying to the police but not being guilty of having something to do with Caylee's death?   Would logic tell you that she lied about something having to do with Caylee'w death?

And maybe if another logical suspect was presented I could have understood. But there is no way George Anthony did it. Accidental drowning?  Really? If that were true wouldn't somebody have mentioned that way before going to trial?

But this outcome is wrong on every level I can think of and I have tried to come up with some way to justify it so I can deal with being emotional over the verdict. But the truth is that I am very emotional about this and I feel I have somehow been changed by this case.

But there is absolutely no reason why I should be as bothered by this as I am. I don't think I convey through this forum how bothered I am. And logic tells me that I should be bothered and maybe even a little miffed by this; but I have found for me that my emotions don't necessarily deal in logic.

So I am trying to figure this out so I can deal with it.  I don't like hearing about a child being hurt in any way. I truly believe that pedophiles should have their privates removed and live the rest of their lives in prison. I believe child abductors also should be put away for the remainder of their lives.

I believe that a parent killing their child is the worst crime that can be committed. A mother murdering her own child is almost unimaginable thing ever to me.

I'm not sure how much of things I was told early on is true but I believe I was told that it was suggested to my Mom that I be put into an institution because I would never be able to do anything for myself. I have heard that other mother's of disabled children have done just that.  When I have heard of that I feel like I could have been a, for lack of a better word, "disposable" child or an unwanted child, just thrown away. Luckily, I have a Mother who never believed that.

But I believe that Casey did just that. And I believe she did that for the worst reason possible. Casey did it because Caylee was inconvenient for her. I believe Casey just did not want to grow up and got rid of Caylee so that she did not have that responsibility.

And in cases like these,there will no doubt be another one, the Constitution and Rule of law should not be greater than justice for a child who could not defend herself.

Where's the justice

A friend of mine used the word travesty; that may be the best word for it.

I have often wondered if "guilty beyond a reasonable doubt" was a good way to judge guilt or innocence. To me there are too many circumstantial cases out there for that to be an appropriate way to judge a case.

In this case the standard should have been who else could have done it. I strongly doubt George Anthony did it; his reactions were too emotional for him to have killed his granddaughter. Cindy? What would the motive be? Lee? Same question.

The only person who had the motive and capacity to kill her daughter was Casey Anthony.It would take a lot to prove to me that she didn't.  So a murderer got away with it. And it is sickening.  I also wonder how Jose Baez will sleep tonight. Or will he?  Maybe he will sleep peacefully because he is a man without conscious.

Trust me on this; I know that family members can do terrible things to each other.  I know that sometimes the people you trust don't deserve it. I know that people do unimaginable things to young kids because they can.  I know what it is like to be on the receiving end of that sickness.

I know that my parents would never have hurt me in a million years and I know that my Mom will always have my back even up against other family members. Because she has done so.

No mother should ever hurt their  child. Especially Moms.  The state of Florida didn't just lose today. The whole nation lost today. There should and needs to be another standard of proof for child molesters and child killers. There HAS to be a different standard.

Children are the most important and precious thing there is in this world. They are our future.

And children are to innocent to have evil done unto them. I am truly heartbroken that there never will be justice here on earth for Caylee.  Unfortunately, sometimes evil does win.

More things I don't get...

I have written in this blog before that I like professional wrestling. I have since about 1980.  I have always understood that it was "fake". Even as a kid I knew that nobody could physically get beat up on a regular basis and just come back every week for more.  I can't ever remember not thinking that it was a sports soap opera.

But I don't want this to be about why I like wrestling. This is about why there are so many people who take it so seriously. One of the things I do on a daily basis is check out blogs about wrestling. For a long time it was a very enjoyable thing to do. But it is getting harder and harder to do because even though most every writer of those blogs and the people who respond to the blogs say they know that it is scripted; they get real bent out of shape when things don't go the way they think it should.

I don't know if it has gotten worse in the last year or so or I just ignored it for a long time. There have been complaints about who the WWE and Impact puts on wrestling shows more often than others. There are many complaints that the wrestler's  talk to much or too many silly skits.  And most often than not those comments are coupled with comments like, "it used to be all about wrestling, now it's more of a soap opera".

And if you try to respond and explain how it exactly is a soap opera they get real upset.  To me its just another TV show that runs weekly. Now, after watching it all these years I feel like I kind of know the characters and feel that in a way they are apart of  my life.  If wrestling was cancelled it would bother me for a little while but I would get over it.

I am definitely not the wrestling fan that will rate the matches and complain about how much talk time their is and I find the people who will criticize  you if you don't agree with them. I just don't get it. Be entertained and enjoy it for what it is.

I may have written about the following  before but I want to say I still don't get it. I read sports sites, news sites, entertainment sites and stuff like that on a daily basis. And it seems that now that most sites have sections after the stories where people can comment on the articles that there are always people who want to disagree and name call other people who responds to articles.

To me that is the person who is doing the criticizing and name calling are basically saying that they have a right to voice their opinion but if you disagree with them you don't have a right to an opinion. And that is just wrong. And I guess that is basically being a bully probably because you don't feel right about yourself. And I just don't get that.

I can cite an example of how I  believe things should be. I read a wrestling related article which was supposed to be satire but I did not find it funny. The writer asked fore comments and I left an comments saying that I didn't find it funny. Well, I guess he remembered that I had read a piece of satire from him last week and that I had left a comment that I liked it. He asked me why I didn't think it was funny and I told him why.  We had an adult like "discussion". That is how it should be in my opinion.

Can someone please explain to me why people get their eyebrows, noses, tongues, and even their  privates pierced?  And why full body tattoos and whatever you call the thing they do with their earlobes?  All of that is just unattractive and quite frankly gross to me.  I just don't understand that stuff at all. Why do people feel the need to do that stuff?  Do they have such a bad body image of themselves that they feel the need to do that stuff?

I have seen several woman who would be very attractive if they didn't do that stuff to themselves. I is very unappealing to me.