This is one of my favorite times of year.
Sure, part of it is the weather, with the (generally) cooler temperatures, that will soon give way to the clear crisp days of autumn. And part of it is the various rituals associated with this time of year, things like the return to school, the start of college football and the holidays of the season, beginning with Halloween, with Thanksgiving and Christmas not too far down the road.
But for me, the best thing about this part of the year is that it’s soccer season.
This is the third year our kids have played soccer in Blytheville. The season got off to its official start Sunday afternoon — a day late thanks to Saturday morning’s rain showers — but it was a rousing start nonetheless.
It took only one afternoon for me to remember what it is about the soccer season I like so much. Part of it is the game — the sight of kids in their brightly colored jerseys running up and down the field, scoring goals, battling for possession, making defensive stops.
But it’s more than that. Between helping the U6 games get started, to coaching my daughter’s U10 team, to cheering for my son’s U8 team, I spent the better part of five hours on the soccer fields Sunday afternoon. And for the entire time, all I had to think about was soccer. The various trials and tribulations of the “real world” were swept away, and all that was left was the pure joy of a simple game.
For example, here are some of the things you DON’T think about while watching a youth soccer game:
— The financial meltdown on Wall Street.
— Barack Obama’s foreign policy credentials.
— The impending closure of the Blytheville Starbucks.
— The drug problem.
— Electric bills.
— That pile of dishes in the kitchen sink.
— Sarah Palin’s experience.
— The need for tighter code enforcement in Blytheville.
— Plans for an Arkansas state lottery.
— That customer who called you last week with an irrational complaint.
— The price of gasoline.
— All those spam e-mails that are so hard to get rid of.
— Where Osama bin Laden is.
— The controversy over Mississippi County jail fees.
— John's McCain's grasp of economic issues.
— The grass that needs mowing and the weeds that need killing.
— Property taxes.
— The latest wave of school violence.
— The St. Louis Cardinals and their late-season fade.
— Iran's quest to obtain nuclear weapons.
— That weird sound your car is making.
— The proper role of the federal government in the fight against skyrocketing health care costs.
In other words, soccer pretty much strips you down to the basics. When watching a youth soccer game, your thoughts are pretty much confined to "Get the ball!" “Kick it!” and “No! Kick it THAT way!” Indeed, it’s a great escape.
For those who might be wondering, youth soccer games are played every Saturday morning on a set of soccer fields located on the north side of the Blytheville Youth Sportsplex. The league is operated by the Blytheville Area Soccer Association, which, in the name of full disclosure, I should note I am a part of. Games begin at 9 a.m. and last through noon.
If you’re looking for something to do Saturday morning, I urge you come out and watch. There’s a stocked concession stand on premises, and with hundreds of kids ages 4-14 running around after a little white ball, there is plenty to see, and you won’t be disappointed. It’s one of those things that will make you feel good about where you live.
Besides, we all need a little escape every now and then.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
No need for hatred to creep into campaign
Is it November yet?
Usually, I’m not one to want to hurry along the end of warm weather. But the way I’ve been feeling lately, Nov. 4 can’t get here soon enough.
Nov. 4 is, of course, the date of the presidential election. That’s the day we’ll finally know who our next president and vice president will be. And barring another 2000, the petty bickering that has become synonymous with American presidential elections will finally be over.
I’ll admit that until recently, I was getting a fair amount of enjoyment out of the election. There are interesting, dynamic candidates on both sides, and it has been a competitive race, one which anyone could win. From a pure spectator standpoint, it’s been a fun race to watch unfold.
I’ll go on record in saying that I think both John McCain and Barack Obama are honorable, intelligent men. Both might make fine presidents. And I’ll go further in saying that I personally like both Joe Biden and Sarah Palin, the two running mates. If I had to cast a ballot today, I think I know who I’d vote for, but I’ve leaned in both directions at one time or another over the past several months, and it’s possible that I’ll swing back the other direction before it’s all said and done.
But the bottom line to me is that we’ve got two decent options. I agree with columnist and commentator Andy Rooney, who said, "I don't think our country will go to hell whichever one of them wins the election."
And that’s why it is completely baffling and frustrating to me to hear otherwise intelligent and reasonable people speak with such vile hatred when describing the candidate they are opposed to. There’s no doubt there are an abundance of perfectly good reasons to favor one candidate over another, ranging from policy positions to political experience. And that’s why there’s no reason resort to hatred for other side, especially when such sentiment is almost always based on ignorance and bigotry of one form or another.
One of the most common slams is that if “so-and-so” is elected, it will be “scary” … that horrors such as “socialism” or “fascism” will be the inevitable result of some particular candidate’s victory in November. I just don’t buy it. A presidential administration is about more than one person. There are dozens of advisers who surround the president, and by and large, determine the success of failure of the administration. Besides that, there’s the whole checks and balances thing with the Congress and Supreme Court. So while I concede that some presidents unavoidably turn out to be better than others, the notion that the end of days are upon us if the “wrong” ticket wins in November is simply ludicrous.
Complaints about the negativity that surrounds our elections are nothing new. Usually, it's the candidates or the media that get the blame for the mud-slinging. But in truth, much of the blame lies right with the voters. Every person who has uttered a single hateful word toward Obama or Palin, or McCain or Biden, shares in the blame for turning this campaign toward the ugly.
It’s all pretty simple, really. Vote for the ticket you think will do a better job. There’s no reason to hate the other side. If we want our elections to be about something other than ignorance and the various forms of bigotry that come with it, it’s up to the voters to make sure that happens.
Usually, I’m not one to want to hurry along the end of warm weather. But the way I’ve been feeling lately, Nov. 4 can’t get here soon enough.
Nov. 4 is, of course, the date of the presidential election. That’s the day we’ll finally know who our next president and vice president will be. And barring another 2000, the petty bickering that has become synonymous with American presidential elections will finally be over.
I’ll admit that until recently, I was getting a fair amount of enjoyment out of the election. There are interesting, dynamic candidates on both sides, and it has been a competitive race, one which anyone could win. From a pure spectator standpoint, it’s been a fun race to watch unfold.
I’ll go on record in saying that I think both John McCain and Barack Obama are honorable, intelligent men. Both might make fine presidents. And I’ll go further in saying that I personally like both Joe Biden and Sarah Palin, the two running mates. If I had to cast a ballot today, I think I know who I’d vote for, but I’ve leaned in both directions at one time or another over the past several months, and it’s possible that I’ll swing back the other direction before it’s all said and done.
But the bottom line to me is that we’ve got two decent options. I agree with columnist and commentator Andy Rooney, who said, "I don't think our country will go to hell whichever one of them wins the election."
And that’s why it is completely baffling and frustrating to me to hear otherwise intelligent and reasonable people speak with such vile hatred when describing the candidate they are opposed to. There’s no doubt there are an abundance of perfectly good reasons to favor one candidate over another, ranging from policy positions to political experience. And that’s why there’s no reason resort to hatred for other side, especially when such sentiment is almost always based on ignorance and bigotry of one form or another.
One of the most common slams is that if “so-and-so” is elected, it will be “scary” … that horrors such as “socialism” or “fascism” will be the inevitable result of some particular candidate’s victory in November. I just don’t buy it. A presidential administration is about more than one person. There are dozens of advisers who surround the president, and by and large, determine the success of failure of the administration. Besides that, there’s the whole checks and balances thing with the Congress and Supreme Court. So while I concede that some presidents unavoidably turn out to be better than others, the notion that the end of days are upon us if the “wrong” ticket wins in November is simply ludicrous.
Complaints about the negativity that surrounds our elections are nothing new. Usually, it's the candidates or the media that get the blame for the mud-slinging. But in truth, much of the blame lies right with the voters. Every person who has uttered a single hateful word toward Obama or Palin, or McCain or Biden, shares in the blame for turning this campaign toward the ugly.
It’s all pretty simple, really. Vote for the ticket you think will do a better job. There’s no reason to hate the other side. If we want our elections to be about something other than ignorance and the various forms of bigotry that come with it, it’s up to the voters to make sure that happens.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
If nothing else, election is historic
As I sit here at home Tuesday night, debating whether to watch the Republican National Convention or reruns of “The Office,” I am struck by several thoughts.
The first is how wonderful it is to be alive right now. Sure, the political pundits have been beating it into our heads for months, but that fact is, we are witnessing a historic presidential election.
When John McCain selected Sarah Palin to be his running mate, it guaranteed one of two things will happen come January: If the Democrats win the election, we will have our very first African-American president; if the Republicans are triumphant, we will have our very first female vice president.
Whatever your politics, I think you’ve got to admit that this marks a watershed moment. America is supposed to be a place where little kids can grow up to be whatever they dream of — even president — no matter if they’re black, white, boy or girl. Even a couple of years ago, I doubted whether or not I would ever see such a circumstance in my own lifetime. Yet here we are … eyewitness to history.
Most of all, I am thankful that my children will grow up thinking that such things are normal. They won’t have to wonder when the white-male monopoly on the highest offices in the land will break. It will have already happened for them. And when I tell them that they can grow up to be anything they want, I have just a little bit more credibility.
———
I’ve got to take a moment to brag on the Sarah Palin pick.
Months ago, when McCain and Obama had pretty much wrapped up their primary victories, but the convention were still weeks away, the national political punditry kicked off its quadrennial veepstakes. Columnists and bloggers everywhere threw together lists of possible VP picks for both candidates, explaining the various pros and cons of each.
Having read a handful of articles, I decided that McCain’s best choice would be none other than the little-known governor of Alaska, one Sarah Palin. She was pro-life, pro-gun, and sure to be a darling of the conservative right, a key faction with whom McCain needed to make inroads. I figured she would bring a youthful vibrancy to the ticket, and as a woman, she might even help McCain pick off a few disgruntled Hillary Clinton backers.
Late last week, it looked like McCain was set to tap Mitt Romney or Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, and I was poised to join the rest of the electorate with a collective yawn.
So it was amazingly refreshing when McCain seemingly called a sudden audible, and threw the long ball, tabbing Palin for the job.
The only problem with the pick is that having placed someone with so little experience a heartbeat from the presidency, it kind of hurts McCain’s ability to wage the “dangerously inexperienced” argument against Obama. And of course McCain is learning all about the intense public vetting that is inevitable when you make a surprise pick for VP.
Nonetheless, it was a pick that breathed a whole lot of excitement into the campaign. All I have to say is that if McCain is going to keep taking my advice, he’s going to have to put me on the payroll.
———
For the record, my pick for Obama's VP was retired Gen. Wesley Clark. My argument was that Clark would bring unparalleled military and foreign policy heft to the Democratic ticket. As an Arkansan, he could help Obama in the South. And since Clark had been a Hillary booster, it would have been a way to heal a major party rift.
But then Clark went on national TV and, while speaking of John McCain, said “I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president.” He was probably right, but it was a slow news day, the national punditry beat the “Clark insults McCain” story into the ground, and that was the end of Clark’s VP hopes.
Maybe I was just a homer for the Arkansas boy, but I still think he would have been a good pick.
The first is how wonderful it is to be alive right now. Sure, the political pundits have been beating it into our heads for months, but that fact is, we are witnessing a historic presidential election.
When John McCain selected Sarah Palin to be his running mate, it guaranteed one of two things will happen come January: If the Democrats win the election, we will have our very first African-American president; if the Republicans are triumphant, we will have our very first female vice president.
Whatever your politics, I think you’ve got to admit that this marks a watershed moment. America is supposed to be a place where little kids can grow up to be whatever they dream of — even president — no matter if they’re black, white, boy or girl. Even a couple of years ago, I doubted whether or not I would ever see such a circumstance in my own lifetime. Yet here we are … eyewitness to history.
Most of all, I am thankful that my children will grow up thinking that such things are normal. They won’t have to wonder when the white-male monopoly on the highest offices in the land will break. It will have already happened for them. And when I tell them that they can grow up to be anything they want, I have just a little bit more credibility.
———
I’ve got to take a moment to brag on the Sarah Palin pick.
Months ago, when McCain and Obama had pretty much wrapped up their primary victories, but the convention were still weeks away, the national political punditry kicked off its quadrennial veepstakes. Columnists and bloggers everywhere threw together lists of possible VP picks for both candidates, explaining the various pros and cons of each.
Having read a handful of articles, I decided that McCain’s best choice would be none other than the little-known governor of Alaska, one Sarah Palin. She was pro-life, pro-gun, and sure to be a darling of the conservative right, a key faction with whom McCain needed to make inroads. I figured she would bring a youthful vibrancy to the ticket, and as a woman, she might even help McCain pick off a few disgruntled Hillary Clinton backers.
Late last week, it looked like McCain was set to tap Mitt Romney or Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, and I was poised to join the rest of the electorate with a collective yawn.
So it was amazingly refreshing when McCain seemingly called a sudden audible, and threw the long ball, tabbing Palin for the job.
The only problem with the pick is that having placed someone with so little experience a heartbeat from the presidency, it kind of hurts McCain’s ability to wage the “dangerously inexperienced” argument against Obama. And of course McCain is learning all about the intense public vetting that is inevitable when you make a surprise pick for VP.
Nonetheless, it was a pick that breathed a whole lot of excitement into the campaign. All I have to say is that if McCain is going to keep taking my advice, he’s going to have to put me on the payroll.
———
For the record, my pick for Obama's VP was retired Gen. Wesley Clark. My argument was that Clark would bring unparalleled military and foreign policy heft to the Democratic ticket. As an Arkansan, he could help Obama in the South. And since Clark had been a Hillary booster, it would have been a way to heal a major party rift.
But then Clark went on national TV and, while speaking of John McCain, said “I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president.” He was probably right, but it was a slow news day, the national punditry beat the “Clark insults McCain” story into the ground, and that was the end of Clark’s VP hopes.
Maybe I was just a homer for the Arkansas boy, but I still think he would have been a good pick.
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