Can everyone please relax? Please?
Now that we have a new President - and an economic stimulus package - and health care reform promised before year's end ... everyone is up in arms over the impending wave of "socialism". The Rush Limbaughs of the world would have you think that we are just one small step away from the Red Threat. The diatribes have roused Republicans nationwide and re-started yet another episode of fear mongering.
It never ceases to amaze me how people have gone off the deep end based on some of the media's versions of the world as they know it. Language and rhetoric is powerful. I mentioned it in a previous post - the "cult of personality" so astutely tapped by none other than the Rush-meister himself. But with power, comes responsibility - and the indiscriminate use of words that people fail to understand simply doesn't cut it. There is a significant problem when the context is purposefully askew and the listeners hang on every word.
Agree or disagree with the economic and health care reform all you want - that's the beauty of the democratic process. But it is simply irresponsible to rouse peoples' emotions about "socialism" (which for most, ends up meaning "communism" by the time it reaches their collective cortex). Didn't they call this "McCarthyism"? And do we not learn from our history lessons?
So, being a free-thinking Canadian, with the desire to learn more about all the hoopla since the Inauguration, I did a little reading.
March. March Mayhem. Not just March Madness - it's downright March Mayhem!
Why so? It's one of my favorite months of the year - and that has it's roots in the '70s and '80s. Ahhh the early days ...
For a sports fan like myself, it's THE best time of year. As a college basketball fan, it's time for March Madness. I've been following college basketball since high school - that's a lot of Final Fours! My first Final Four memory is 1981's final between Indiana and North Carolina.
After Saturday's game against Kansas, the University of Texas heads to the Big 12 conference tournament and then (hopefully) on to the NCAA tournament. It's time for the round of 64, the Big Dance - two 4-day weekends of basketball, then the semifinals and final on Monday April 6. Rarely do I schedule a TV event months in advance - but this is one that goes on the calendar ASAP!
March also brings the start of the Formula One season. I've been following Formula One even longer than college hoops!
On Wednesday night, the University of Texas played Texas Tech at the Erwin Center. It really wasn't much of a game. Texas played well enough to win, though they almost stumbled along the way. But Tech couldn't extend their first half 60% shooting into the second half, and balance was restored yet again at the Drum.
But Wednesday was important for another reason: it was the night that the University of Texas retired jersey #35 - that of Kevin Durant.
There are those that argue that it was undeserved. He was at UT for one season - how could we suddenly retire his jersey? But I can tell you that there is no doubt in my mind that it was much-deserved. The accolades were astounding - 7 national player of the year awards. His statistics? Incomprehensible for a freshman. He averaged 25.8 points per game (28.9 points in Big 12 games) - and had twenty 30 point games in the same season (one of which was in the Big 12 final vs Kansas). And though all the numbers and awards would say enough on their own, there is an intangible element that you really had to see to believe.
I've been very fortunate to be witness to many great athletic performances over the years. From Michael Johnson (at the Atlanta Olympics) to Ricky Williams (career rushing record at Texas) to Michael Schumacher (seven time F1 world championship), I've seen athletes perform at a level that many would consider super-human. And I can attest, without a shadow of a doubt, that Kevin Durant's season at Texas falls into this category.
The Erwin Center in Austin is affectionately known as "The Drum" - for all the obvious reasons. The home of the University of Texas Longhorns' men's and women's basketball teams looks like, well, a drum - nothing more, nothing less. It is what you would call a highly un-original moniker, to say the least!
But the Drum was rockin' last night as OU came to town.
In Austin, unless you are from Oklahoma, you learn to love to hate OU. Any event that brings together the schools from either side of the Red River will always bring with it a high level of excitement and passion. They hate us -and we hate them. Pretty simple stuff, actually - and perhaps one of the greatest collegiate rivalries in the United States (in Canada, the equivalent would probably be Queen's University and McGill, but I digress).Though the emphasis has always been on the Red River Rivalry in football, it certainly extends to all sports.
Last night was no different. The Texas-Oklahoma game is a must-see every season. I have now seen 19 of them over the years, and they are always a blast. It doesn't matter where either team is in conference - it's always a must-win, bragging rights game.
I always have to chuckle when I hear the phrase "covert war". And here's why ...
Covert [adj. koh-vert, kuhv-ert; n. kuhv-ert, koh-vert] - concealed, secret, disguised
If the media can report on it (at will) then what makes it "covert"? There's not much disguise or secrecy there!!
And once again, we've found ourselves in yet another covert operation. In a remote part of the world. Fighting a moving target. Hmmm ... that Santayana quote "those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it" rings louder than ever.
Now don't get me wrong - I think there is a highly justifiable war on terror. This assumes, of course, that there are more nations than us involved and that they all pull together and pull their own weight in the equation. I think they call that a "united front". This becomes all the more important when this battle is waged inside another country without the specific goal of "occupation". Suddenly, there is no need for phraseology like "covert", since we're all in it together and we're all fighting the same enemy.
Case in point: Afghanistan ... and Pakistan.
And from this morning's news, a classic ...
Let me start off by saying that I can never remember who the evil one was ... Jekyll, or Hyde. Having said that, it's the contrast between the two that is most important right now - and most pertinent to the UT men's basketball team as they head down the stretch to the Big 12 conference tournament.
This team has bewildered me all season. You can't really seem to get a good feel for where they stand anymore. Rick Barnes is a tremendous coach. I have always thought that Barnes' teams tend to be a little shaky in the early part of conference play, but they always end up playing their best basketball at the end of the season. He generally does a good job of getting them ready for the Big Dance. They almost always improve their shooting, playmaking, and defense as the season goes on. This is one of the reasons why I have truly appreciated Barnes since he took over from Tom Penders.
But this season, there is something elementally different.
Sometimes the reality of our world is stunning ... bewildering ... and just plain sad. And then there is the story of Nadya Suleman - all of the above, and then some.
If you've not read the story, let's give you the Reader's Digest abridged version: Unemployed single mother of 6 (all via in-vitro fertilization), living with her parents, has octuplets (again, all via in-vitro fertilization), bringing the total to 14 children. You can read more about her story here, here, and here .
As it stands on it's own, that might be enough to make you wonder. In my eyes, this isn't about whether a person should or should not have children, nor is it an issue of morality (or lack thereof). What it amounts to is a simple reality check.
We are in difficult financial times. Along with that, our health care system is struggling to meet the demands of both the insured and uninsured. We live on a planet with 6 billion people, many living in squallor and without any form of supportive family network of which to speak. The planet's resources are slowly dwindling, and climate change is evident.
And within all of this, there is a woman who wants to have 14 children by in-vtiro fertilization - and a doctor (or doctors) who are prepared to meet her request (ethics be damned) - because, well, "she can".
Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Ph.D., Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sports, education, and health care. Read more about Allan here.