The 1st year…

Well I can’t believe it, but it’s been a year since Barack Obama rode the wave of change to the office of President.

No, this is not going to be a ‘coulda woulda shoulda’ column, nor is it going to be an ‘Obama is the best thing since sliced bread’ piece either.

It’s going to be yet another piece on the further disillusionment of a formerly idealistic young(er) American.

My disillusionment is not solely directed at Obama, but were I to omit the fact that I am utterly underwhelmed by him and his administration would be dishonest on my part.

However, the roots of my melancholy lie in the politics that rule the day. They are the same politics that have ruled the day for as long as I can remember. They are the same politics I thought I was voting-out when voting for Obama.

So here we are a year later and as usual, the American political machine has left me confused, unfulfilled and wondering why I even bother.

But for me, politics are a lot like women, though I rarely get the end-result I am looking for, I am utterly intrigued and keep coming back for more.

So most Sunday mornings I sit on my couch, sipping overpriced coffee in a high-rise apartment downtown, seemingly in the lap of middle class luxury, watching the political pundit shows and get pissed-off.

I saw a snipit of a speech, from of all people, Jon Voight, that I think perfectly illustrates the return to the ‘business as usual’ ’us versus them’ politics that I thought Obama’s election would curb.

Voight stated that Obama is: “Taking America apart piece by piece" and suggesting he "had 20 years of subconscious programming by Reverend Wright to damn America."

It’s the old tactic of extremism. Nowhere is there a shred of evidence to back Voight’s rants, but there he was on national TV getting face time spreading nothing more than gossip.

Now I understand politics, and there is always going to be an element of mud-slinging and creative license taken when anyone is out drumming for support, be they Republican or Democrat. Where I draw the line is at lying or defamation/character assignation. Simply put, neither has a place in American political discourse.

And here’s the odd thing about this whole Jon Voight issue, this personal attack on Obama was given as Voight was trotted out by Republicans to defeat Obama’s universal healthcare bill. I have hard time seeing any logical line of reasoning that leads from universal healthcare to Obama’s former pastor.

Now, for what it’s worth, I’ve always thought of Jon Voight as a less-than-stable individual. I didn’t know of his conservative leanings until I saw the snipit of his speech. So while I don’t think all Republicans are zealots in the vein of Voight, someone decided to put him behind a podium with the proposed healthcare bill planted squarely in front of him.

This ploy to paint Obama as a leftist Black Panther anarchist ideologue is bypassing the real debate and downright silly. Where is the substantive debate? What are the legitimate Republican objections to the bill in its current incarnation? *You can see my prior post on lack of objectivity in the media as to why modern discourse has been oversimplified to sound bites instead of full disclosure.

In debate, you address the issue being debated, not the debater. This critical aspect of political debate seems to have been forgotten by those taking part in modern political discourse.

I, while on-board with the idea of universal healthcare, am not sold on the bill in its current incarnation. I thought some disclosure was due, as I hammered Mr. Voight pretty good there. But oddly enough, he and I agree in our displeasure with the bill. Though I will note that our reasons for disliking the bill most assuredly vary greatly.

Later-on in the political pundit show, I saw a discussion between a democratic governor and a Republican Party representative and was again appalled. Here were two grown men, seemingly respectable enough, who were so embittered and entrenched on their respective sides that neither would let the other so much as finish a sentence. I felt like I was watching two 4-year-olds try to out tantrum one another. It was a downright pathetic display from both gentlemen.

My how far the mighty have fallen…if our elected officials are unwilling to listen to anyone but those of their own ilk, how can they be true representatives?

I voted for Obama because I thought he represented a break for the ‘tow the party line at all costs’ style of politics that had caused Washington to grind to halt. But it looks like I was wrong. Obama has yet to exhibit the coalition-building and reaching across the aisle that won my vote.

I guess I should have known better. He’s got three more years to win it back, but at this point, Obama’s lost my vote.

News Flash...

Earlier this week I stayed home sick. Something about a sore throat and my being a phone answering monkey just didn’t jive. So while sitting on my couch, nursing said sore throat, I came across the cable news channels. And remembered why I now keep the fact that I earned a journalism degree under wraps…

The hubbub of the day was the tiff between the Obama Administration and Fox News. For those unfamiliar with the story here is a link for a breakdown.

In short, the Obama Administration has taken-on Fox News and labeled them ‘opinion journalists’ and ‘a wing of the Republican party’ basically alluding to the fact that Fox is anything but ‘Fair and Balanced.’

Now I am not going to get into the political stupidity/public relations debacle this fight will prove to be for the Obama Administration, that sentence gives you and idea of where I stand, but what I am gonna delve into is the lack of true journalism (at least as I was taught) in America today.

*Disclosure: I am willing to note the irony of a blogger/poorly-researched but ideological rant writer like myself discussing such matters as objective journalism. But I am not now, nor have I ever purported to be, a reporter. I am not employed by any journalistic outlet and therefore see no problem with my pointing-out flaws in the world as I see it. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, I just am up-front about when I am sharing mine and don’t try to mask anything I post here as ‘objective’ reporting.

So I ended-up spending more of my sick day than I’d like to admit, watching the cable news channels. In doing so, I came to one conclusion- Fox News is not alone in its naked political bias. MSNBC would have to be considered the 'Yin' to Fox News 'Yang.'

It’s not a shock that I disagreed with a lot of the points and was off-put by some of the tactics employed by Fox’s talking-heads.

What surprised me was my reaction to MSNBC.

Now I am a liberal, and a pretty left-leaning semi-socialist one at that. So MSNBC should feel like home. It should be my own little bastion of sanity in a sea of partisanism and over-the-top headlines. But somehow, I didn’t feel at home, at all.

In fact, I was more disgusted by MSMBC than when I was by Fox. I felt lost, betrayed, bamboozled. It’s kinda like finding-out the girl you’ve been seeing smokes or is an unquestioning Bible-thumper…just a game-changing realization.

One historical note, American Journalism started as an unapologetically partisan endeavor. Newspapers were founded to disseminate information of a partisan nature to inform those who were party members and recruit more to the cause. So for American journalists to show their political stripes is no less an American tradition than apple pie or blowing things up on the 4^th of July.

But as with all things American, there has been progress. The idea of objectivity wound its way into the fabric of American journalism within the past hundred-or-so years. Much to the betterment of society. Such things as food safety, monopoly-busting and government accountability can all be directly attributed to strong reporting by transformative journalists.

Objectivity is a tough goal. It is like utopia, something to strive for, but something that can never really be obtained. As long as there is a human being tapping-out a story on a keyboard, their personal feelings/opinions/stances will leech their way into a story. Whether it be the questions they ask, how they frame a quote or the overall tone of the story, there will always be a subjective element to journalism. It’s just one of the character flaws of being human. And that is just fine.

What has been lost, or at least what I haven’t seen in journalism and the cable news networks of late, is an honest attempt to keep that subjectivity at bay. And that is worrisome.

As America continues its cultural shift towards a culture of consumption, this progression of journalism to nothing more than a steady stream of Youtube clips with talking head ‘reporters’ noting how ‘Awesome’ they are, makes perfect sense. American society is fading away from its former spot at the center of the world ideological and political stage to that of a decadent and crumbling empire. The American empire is perfectly content to rest on it laurels instead of continue with the spirit of progress and improvement that allowed it to gain that seat at the top in the first place.

I have always been a firm believer in the concept of journalism/the media as the fourth branch of government. Especially as American politics have grown from a network of local municipal/state governments to a national-scale political scene. Given that backdrop it becomes even more critical for strong, objective reporting. For example, how else would I, sitting here in my little apartment in Seattle, be kept abreast of what is happening in Washington, DC? Government has gotten too big to be accessible by the average American, this is where journalists must step-in.

I don’t need someone to tell me my opinion. I need someone to give me enough information so that I can form one.

Then again, maybe I am the odd man out. Perhaps Americans are just too busy to care anymore. They seem to be OK with being told what products to buy by advertisers and how to look by magazines. Why not be told how to vote?

It does leave a lot more free-time to watch Youtube and hit the mall…

Maybe Mike Judge had it right in Idiocracy, but I am not so sure that’s an America I want to be a part of.

Actively Inactive

So for those of you who are Facebook members like myself, you may have seen the following status come-up a lot lately-

“Enter name here thinks that no one should be afraid to go to the doctor because they can’t afford it, no one should go broke because they got sick, and no one should die because they could not afford care. If you agree, please post this as your status for the rest of the day.”

The status update was a modern version of a chain letter. And while I agree with the sentiment behind the ‘movement’ I was really bothered by it.

So my response to the so-called movement was this-

JR. Cook People should die, because it is their time to die. If they want insurance, OK. But I recommend putting down the cheeseburgers, beers and cigarettes first. And try taking a damn walk.

My response garnered hot and cold reactions. Either folks were on-board or they thought I was the devil.

And I cannot lie, awhile after updating my status, I looked at it and was disappointed in myself. I sounded like a pundit for FOX.

But I, as with any of the letters foisted on society by these pudgy digits, stand by what I posted.

Logic trumps partisan-ism, at least in the world according to Homer. And my statement was based on logic.

Insurance is pretty simple. Risk versus reward. The more of a risk you are, the more expensive it is to be insured.

Cheeseburger lover? High cholesterol and heart attack are pretty sure to follow. Insurance cost uptick.

Smoker? Ahoy, Cancer and Emphysema. Bigger insurance cost uptick.

Beer? Well, I love beer. So I cannot knock it…but it is a less than healthy choice.

So the point of my Facebook status retort was to exhibit how personal responsibility cannot be substituted by government.

If I choose to ride a motorcycle at 140 mph and end-up crashing and dying, no one would feel sorry for me. That’d say that what you get for going 140 mph on a motorcycle -- Just a dumb decision.

The same can be said for the average American’s lifestyle. It’s comfortable, but not so healthy.

But the point of this rant is not to solve the insurance issue. I am not that bright of a bulb.

My gripe is not with the movement to insure all Americans, which by the way I don’t think is too bad. My issue is with this pseudo-activism.

Copy-and-pasting some text into a web browser does not an action make.

Much the same way no one is getting rich from the Nigerian lottery, nothing comes from a mouse-click and no action.

Such hollow moves just garner head-shakes by yours truly.

I respond to these copy-and-pasters the same way I responded to a mass of pissed-off parents who had gathered to steam-roll school district representatives when I was in the audience for a taping of ‘Town Meeting’ when I was in high school.

“How many of you are attending meetings? I see many of you here complaining, but how many of you are doing something to fix the issue?”

Being 17 at the time, I was written-off by the vast majority of ‘adults’ in the audience even as the show’s host gave me kudos for the cut-to-the-quick question.

And to all of you copy-and-pasters out there I ask the same thing-

What are you doing to fix the issue? (That you are advocating for/complaining about.)

I have no real issues with the system as it is. With the exception of one item- Prenatal care. If a gal is pregnant she should get anything she needs. It’s not the child’s fault they ended-up in a womb and properly caring for developing fetuses (not people, but that’s a whole other topic) can save everyone a ton of money by preventing issues after the child is born…again pure logic is pretty sound. And I sound like one hell of a nice guy.

But back to the system, I have yet to hear of anyone getting turned away from a hospital.

Though I have heard of many folks being in financial ruin as a result of not being turned away.

To which I note- They are still alive to be in financial ruin, a much better outcome than the alternative.

So yeah, I am not starting any petitions or attending any town hall meetings. So I am as guilty as those I am calling-out in this post…But then again, I am not complaining about the system as it is.

What I am complaining about is this faux-activism.

If you have a stance on something, make it known, in the real world. And do something about it.

Until you do, you are just an enabler for the status quo.

But then again, maybe you are fine with that.

CoffeerightInfringment

After reading a few of my posts, it may surprise folks to learn that for the most part, I am a fella who avoids confrontation (in the real world) like the plague.

But recently, I went counter to my natural inclinations and sought-out some controversy.

I found myself headed to a coffee shop that had become quite a central figure in a good old-fashioned dust-up here in our burgeoning ‘burg.

I headed to the epicenter of gentrified hipsterdom in Seattle, 15^th Ave on Capitol Hill. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s a fun strip – such staples of (high-priced) Seattle-only greatness like Café Victrola and The Coastal Kitchen anchor this mostly chain/franchise-free neighborhood.

Decent food, good beer, high prices and snooty attitudes are all served here as the clientele is all-to-happy to pay the price to be seen.

If you sense a wee lil bit of distain, good. You should.

But back to the controversy. I headed to the area to visit a coffee shop- 15^th Ave Coffee & Tea. The faux independent coffee shop was nice enough, offering 15 kinds of whole bean coffee, numerous kinds of loose leaf tea and they even served beer!

So, you may ask- What’s the big-deal about this coffee shop? And what the hell do you mean by Faux independent?

Well this coffee shop wasn’t what it appeared to be. It was actually owned by none other than Starbuck’s. Yes, that Starbuck’s.

Per the Starbuck’s brass, this was Starbuck’s attempt to ‘blend into the neighborhood’ as opposed to simply running the local independent coffee guys out of town.

The fact that this shop was a Starbuck’s-in-disguise is what has the neighbors all riled-up.

Which brings me to my point: Since when did Seattle become populated by such exclusive unoriginal lameasses?

I headed to the coffee shop looking for a fight. This hipster idea of independent-or-die, just seems dumb to me.

*Disclosure: I am one of the seemingly few native Seattleites who unapologetically enjoys Starbuck’s. I’ve never been able to wrap my head around the idea of hating the big company simply because they are successful.

The Seattle I grew-up in while a bit stand-offish, was mostly all-inclusive. Especially when compared to the separation (by race, economic class) that I had seen in cities back East- NYC, St. Louis & Chicago.

At some point, Starbuck’s was a Café Vivace or a Stumptown. It still blows my mind to see the lil independent guy so revered, yet the local company who made good, so reviled.

Granted, this most recent attempt to ‘fit-in’ by Starbuck’s could have been handled with a bit more tact. Starbuck’s, a long-time staunch defender of corporate trademarks, pretty much ripped-off the design/décor of 15^th Ave Coffee & Tea from Smith, the bar next door. So creating a carbon-copy of the neighbor, all the way down to asking where Smith bought their awnings, was a pretty hypocritical move by a company known for suing TM-infringers.

All that being said, Starbuck’s as usual, did a fine job.

I used to be a coffee elitist, simply because everyone else was. In Bellingham, it was Tony’s Coffee, in Seattle it was Vivace and in Portland it’s Stumptown (though from what I hear, even the beloved Stumptown is beginning to get too big to be liked anymore). But after going to independent coffee house after independent coffee house, I realized something- The coffee at all of these joints was consistently horrible.

I began to ask myself: Why pay for an inferior product?

In my ‘independent coffee shop days’ was used to giving the glare as the soulless drones paid their toll to the Starbuck’s Siren.

Where it got a lil odd, was when I became one of the drones.

Trust me, I’ve noticed the glares, even got some nasty posts on my Facebook page when I noted that I was at Starbuck’s. The glares were even worse as I visited 15^th Ave Coffee & Tea on Capitol Hill. I purposefully sat outside on the street to see what kind of reception I’d receive. And the blind corporation-hating hipsters didn’t let me down. I got a lot of glares, a couple head-shakes and a few sighs…Just as I’d expected.

I wasn’t making any political statements. I just wanted a decent cup of coffee. I guess that’s the lesson to be learned-

Turns-out it wasn’t just the coffee that was bitter…and a bit of the Seattle I used to know and love seems to have disappeared just as the coffee in my cup had.

Cops on Campus

I am not sure if you have heard the latest hullabaloo to come out of Cambridge, MA. But if you haven’t here’s a link to the story.

The long and the short of it is that a Harvard Professor, who happens to be black, was arrested for trying to get into his own house.

Well, OK, he didn’t get arrested for trying to get into his own house, he got arrested for being a jerk to a police officer, who just so happened to be white.

I only bring it up as it was quite a hot button issue on the Sunday morning political pundit shows.

The pundits weren’t debating who was in the right, the cop or the professor, they were debating President Barack Obama’s reaction to the incident.

Obama said he thought that the policeman acted ‘Stupidly,’ which it sounds like he may have. But I, like Obama at the time he made the comment, don’t have all the facts.

But for these pundits to get upset that Obama is being bothered with such ‘trivial’ matters gets me pretty fired-up.

Here’s my point- Just because America finally elected a black man to the Presidency doesn’t mean America’s long-standing racial ills have been corrected.

Obama was asked about the situation because racism is still alive and well in America. I being a white guy, have been the beneficiary of racial profiling many times. I have many minority friends who have been victims of it. So I have seen first-hand that the problem still exists.

Granted, we have Russia making some worrisome moves and North Korea threatening to drop bombs like Hiroshima. And damn near everyone seems to either be unemployed, in foreclosure or worse.

So a guy getting arrested, without and charges being pressed, seems pretty trivial by comparison.

But it isn’t.

America took a big step forward in electing Barack Obama, but it was only a step. Addressing America’s deep-seeded racial issues/divide is going to take a Lewis and Clark-esque expedition, not just a couple steps.

Should the guy have been arrested? Is it ever OK to talk to a policeman with anything but respect? Did the cop over-step his bounds?

The one black person on the panel of ‘This Week with George Stephanopoulos’ noted that from an early age, she was taught to talk to police officers with nothing but respect. She stated that as a black person in America, you had to be trained to do so, in order to avoid any problems with police…the insinuation being that cops were looking for any reason to bust a black person.

While that may be the case, I’ll just add that as a (white) kid I was raised to interact with police the exact same way the black woman described: With Respect.

While I’ll agree with the sentiment and have personally witnessed bias on the part of the police depending on race, I will also note, that I am never combative or aggressive towards police. Which is part of the reason why I think I have gotten out of a couple tough situations with police, not that I get a pass solely because I am white.

Now don’t get me wrong. I have seen cops who are simply power-abusing jerks. But cops are people…people who have a pretty tough job. But the cop in this case is a 16-year veteran who just so happened to be the first-responder on the day that former NBA Star Reggie Lewis died. The officer attempted CPR when he found Lewis collapsed on the floor. Hardly the actions of a bigoted power abuser.

Granted the Lewis incident was a long-time ago and people change. But there is nothing in the officer’s history that would indicate the officer is anything other than a good, decent, public servant. And if there was, you can be sure the stories would be all over the news.

I don’t know much about the professor ‘victim’ in this story, but I know that he specializes in racial profiling. While I think such work needs to be done, as it obviously still takes place daily here in America. I wonder if the gentleman allowed his passion for the focus of his life’s work to get the better of his judgment.

I think he over reacted. And while the cop is trained to deal with such situations, he is human. And if the professor got overzealous towards law enforcement, which is sounds like he did, he’s subject to the same rules as everyone else.

It’s sad that we are still having this conversation today-

Did the white cop treat the black man unfairly? But we are.

The only saving grace of this particular instance is that it looks like it was just a matter of the cops dealing with a jerk as opposed to the cops preying on a black man.

And that is a step forward. As pathetic as it is to say that.

I like trains...

As I sit here on my couch watching ‘doomsday central’ aka The History Channel lament the eminent downfall of humanity due to societies’ overreliance on fossil fuel, I was reminded of a ray of hope.

Link Light Rail is opening here in Seattle this weekend!

Being a long-time proponent but only recent user of mass transit, I am excited to see Seattle move in the right direction.

Do I think this initial 13.9 mile stretch of light rail is going to be the cure-all for the region’s traffic woes?

Nope.

But they say the first step is always the hardest one. And Seattle has finally taken the first-step towards a real mass transit solution.

As you can see in the hyperlink above, Light Rail’s tentacles are already beginning to sprout.

And I find the growth or should I say potential growth as exciting as the start of service this weekend.

This initial line is a backbone off of which many lines will grow. The fact that expansion has begun even before the first passenger has boarded a train only proves that theory.

Now that we have a fleet of trains and a base of operations, growing the service is much easier.

I was a fan of the monorail. I even voted for and paid taxes for it. Mostly because I liked the planned service routes. The monorail plan proposed an X-pattern, spreading from Ballard and the U-District on the Northside to West Seattle and Rainier Beach on the Southend, with all lines running through downtown.

I see the same idea coming together with Light Rail, the foundation has been laid with a downtown HUB and a (future) line from the U-District that extends to the Airport.

The prospect of being able to take a train from Ballard to Kent doesn’t seem at-all far-fetched when you see what is already under way.

And this is all West-of-the-lake-centric.

Just think of the possibilities when you add a Seattle-Redmond Line via Bellevue.

I already bus it to the Eastside and have loved the nearly traffic-free ninja-route that buses are allowed to take during the I-90 construction as the solo-commuting masses sweat-it-out.

But my bus, the 550, seems rather underutilized outside of peak traffic hours so rushing to get an east-west line doesn’t seem necessary, yet. Though it would be nice to see some proactive as opposed to reactive planning for once.

So needless to say, I plan on hopping-on the train this weekend like many other folks.

I just hope they plan on coming back, like me.

I'll be right back.

Funny how going-out for a gallon of milk can change your perceptions.

I have lived in the Central District neighborhood of Seattle for over two years now. And for most of the time that I have lived there I have felt perfectly safe.

That changed recently.

As I headed-out to Safeway to grab some groceries, I thought nothing of it. I rolled north on 23^rd Ave S, past landmarks like Garfield High School and Ezell’s Fried Chicken. After two years, I tend to pay such landmarks no mind.

It was on my way back home that I took note…

On my way back to my condo, I saw a cop roll-up behind me, lights-ablaze. Not an uncommon occurrence on 23^rd, so I paid it no mind. Though as I approached 23^rd & Cherry I saw a fire truck, ambulance and yellow police tape running the length of the thoroughfare. Now this…was an uncommon occurrence.

I ducked onto a back road and made my way home.

Little did I know, that what had just taken place at this intersection would profoundly change how I perceived the place I have called home for the past few years.

I hopped online to get the down-low on what had happened and found-out that two people were dead, victims of a drive-by shooting.

Normally such news would roll off my back. But the folks were alive as I rolled-by on my way to the store. And now, 30 minutes later, they weren’t.

That realization blew my mind.

I grew-up in South Seattle, a place with an undeservedly bad reputation. I was a fat, white, nerd who managed to get-by just fine. So when I hear that Seattle is ‘Ghetto,’ I beg to differ.

I’ve been to Chicago. I’ve been to LA. I’ve been to NY/Brooklyn…

Those are ghettos.

Seattle, by comparison, is a joke.

I live in the CD, grew-up in the South End and kick-it in South Park/White Center/Burien. All of which pale in comparison to the destitution of a real ghetto.

Which is why seeing such violence outrages me.

The CD, short for Central District for those not in-the-know, has seen quite an upswing in the past few years. Some call it gentrification, I call it not fearing being jacked as you walk to your car. (Which is not to say that jackings/break-ins don’t occur anymore.)

Some folks see gentrification as a horrible thing, but I venture to say that most decent folks (regardless of race) like to see a community that takes pride in itself.

Sadly, I have seen signs of a backslide in the CD lately. Drug dealers have been openly operating on busy street corners. I am also seeing more and more kids rocking red clothing…when I was a youngster, the CD was Crip territory. Oh, how times have changed.

Every time I see signs of the ‘Hood, I find myself asking the same question, Why?

Again, Seattle is not ghetto. And it really pisses me off that a couple knuckleheads, who have visions of 50-Cent dancing in their heads, can undo 10 years of redevelopment.

It’s not just white-folk who enjoy walking the streets without fear.

And now, with one action, one knucklehead, has undone all of that.

They say ‘One bad apple ruins the bushel.’ I say ‘A fuckin’ loser hoses a neighborhood.’

I was raised in a less-than-stellar area and have always minded my surroundings…being a cracka in the ‘hood, you learn to read the angles.

But I never felt I HAD to so in the CD, until now.

So while I normally don’t condone violence. I’d like to find the reject who lacked the testicular fortitude to face a foe straight-up and beat the living shit out of them.

Though knowing the ‘code of the street’ (as laid-out in various gangsta movies where I am sure this gutless shooter picked-up their code of ethics) I know retaliation would be necessary. So that is just a dumb road to venture down.

Instead, I’ll just say, remember the CD before Sunday afternoon. It’s still the same people. It’s still safe.

Don’t let the ball-less minority rule the good and decent majority.

Take control of your neighborhood.

We’ve done it before and we can sure as hell do it again.

Did you hear about ... ?

So the talk of the town has been Michael Jackson’s death.

I won’t lie, I was glued to the interwebs once I caught wind of the King of Pop’s possible demise.

I was hitting refresh on my browser and had multiple news sites open looking for the latest update on MJ. *That’s Michael Jackson, not Michael Jordan, for the record.

I could hear everyone in my cube-farm-of-an-office chatting, trying to get the latest information about the King. *That’s Michael Jackson, not Elvis.

But as I was clicking refresh and debating if I was going to give-in and credit TMZ.com as a news source, I came to a realization.

Does it really matter?

Not in the slightest.

Michael Jackson was a hell of an entertainer. And I count myself as a fan. He made some timeless music that brought joy, if only for a few minutes at a time, to millions of people. So that, I appreciate. The other stuff, I coulda done without.

But what struck me as I was hitting refresh on Foxnews.com (yes, I was reading Foxnews.com, I am ashamed of myself, too) it dawned on me.

Instead of having multiple browser windows open trying to get the latest what was essentially celebrity gossip, I should be researching the Iranian Elections or examining how the Obama Administration is handing North Korea.

I mean, North Korea has freaking NUKES pointed at the US and a leader who is talking a lot of shit about using them. I think the possibility of nuclear war should be slightly more important than well, Michael Jackson.

Then there’s the little matter of Iran. I have waffled back and forth on this issue, from it’s none of our business, to we should intercede to enact the true will of the Iranian people. But no matter my stance (there may be another post on this topic specifically) democracy is trying to take a big step forward in Iran and it is being stifled mercilessly. Sadly no one knows about it, because TMZ and Perez Hilton aren’t tweeting updates directly to people’s cell phones.

Sigh…

The world lost a great entertainer yesterday.

But I think the world loses a lot more everyday, when people choose to live in ignorance.

Getting Taken Down a Notch.

This whole writing thing is pretty interesting.

To be honest, the only reason I do it is because people read it. And some folks have gone so far as to say I am, wait for it, good at it.

Then again, when I think about it, when does anyone tell someone when they are bad at something? I know I meet plenty of morons on a daily basis and am sure to say ‘Thank you’ even after receiving horrible service from someone who managed to bungle the most mundane of tasks.

So needless to say, I take these compliments, no matter how well-intended, with a grain of salt.

But this past week, I had a J.D. from Scrubs moment. Just as I was busting-out a few posts, actually acting on inspiration as it hit me and feeling like I was hitting a groove…

I read a couple of blog posts from friends of mine that knocked me on my ass.

I’ve got quite a list of blogs listed to your right there, some of which are there because they: refer traffic to my blog, can damn hell ass write or are just friends.

I read a couple posts from folks who can just plain write. In fact, the posts were so good, that I thought about just giving-up. Seeing such talent, made me examine what I had been putting out there. And it paled in comparison.

Don’t get it twisted: I am stoked to have such talented friends around me. Seeing such great thoughts expressed so stylistically is just impressive.

I’ve never really thought of myself as a ‘writer.’ I had to take English 101 twice and only took one class in literature. I am good at imparting what is in my head and putting it on paper. That does not a writer make.

I got my degree in journalism on charm, not skill. *It was a Public Relations degree, so I think it’s appropriate.

Even though I have a journalism degree, I've never been into researching, fact-checking or editing. Ask any of my professors/editors from college, or read these here rants, and you can see why the journalism thing never really panned-out. But I do have stuff to say and a pretty strong voice when sitting behind a keyboard.

I am to a journalist/writer, what Jon Stewart is to cable news anchormen. Entertaining, but not to be taken too seriously.

And I am OK with that. The world needs Jon Stewart.

*BTW, Stewart is much smarter and is far more educated on the topics he lampoons than yours truly.

So here I am, aged 30 years, a tech support guy who manages to tap-out a rant every now and again, usually while hung-over.

Why keep doing it? Uh, well…

Why did I start in the first place? Uh, well…

I may not be the most eloquent, but I am easily annoyed and fairly observant. So there will be fodder for these pudgy digits of mine.

The next Mark Twain or Hunter S. Thompson I am not, but whatever.

Life is much easier when you give in to mediocrity.

The Superhero Phenomena

Drinking alone is an interesting phenomena.

Pretty much frowned upon by society, I’ve come to enjoy heading to a bar, ordering-up a cold one and just listening.

Not to say that I am eavesdropping per se, but while watching the game and BS’ing with the bartender, I tend to overhear a conversation or two.

This very thing occurred the other night, as I sat at my laptop, IPA by my side, I overheard the table next to me chatting. The word ‘Western’ caught my attention. It appeared the folks next to me were WWU alums like myself.

I went back to my surfing the net and watching the NBA Finals pre-game show. But I then overheard that the WWU kids were teachers. Again, this peaked my interest as I had gone to Western to become a teacher. Disclosure: I changed my major after I realized I didn’t like kids very much.

While I thought, ‘Wow I have a lot in common with these kids,’ the conversation took a turn for the worse.

One of the teachers, a self-described 2nd year middle school teacher said, “I am hoping to get assigned to a low-income school, where I can make a difference.”

I took offense.

Having attended a ‘low-income’ (read: minority) school myself, I am perhaps overly sensitive to the ‘great white hope phenomena’ that seems to engulf over-privileged white kids who want to ‘save the ghetto.’

I was admittedly hyper-sensitive on this particular day as I had just seen a story on the Seattle Times web site noting that multiple eastside high schools were among the top 100 best in the country…and one of the first comments left was “Where is Rainier Beach? LOL” (Rainier Beach is my alma mater.)

While I have no problem with anyone who has chosen to teach, I do have an issue with someone who has a superhero complex.

If you want to teach, you teach. Regardless of where the job happens to be.

The ghetto doesn’t need saviors. It needs schools/opportunities on par with those in the suburbs.

If the challenge of the job attracts good teachers, then great. But I doubt the sincerity of teachers who are in it for the glory. They are there for themselves, not the kids.

I came across a couple of these ‘saviors’ when I was a student, and you know where they are now? Not in the trenches, saving the ‘hood. They boned-out after a couple of years. When they realized the accolades and book-deals weren’t coming.

To the superheros I say- “Good riddance, feel free to stay on the Eastside.”

The ghetto doesn’t need that kind of charity.

The pipeline, re-visited

Being that today is the 10-year anniversary of the Olympic Pipeline Explosion I thought I'd re-post this editorial I wrote for The Western Front in 2001.
*My views have changed since then, please see the comment section for my updated take.

Frontline
Western Front Editorial Board January 29, 2001

No explosions to report.

No deaths to count.

No lawsuits to cover.

No congressional hearings to talk about.

For most, silence is golden. But that goes double for
companies responsible for environmental disasters. Silence means people are beginning to forget. Silence means communities can return to business as usual.

That is exactly what the Olympic Pipe Line Company is trying to do: return to business as usual.

The pipeline isn't open - yet. But it will be in the near future. The company's new owners began refilling the pipeline on Friday. It could begin pumping fuel again as soon as next week.

The risks associated with the pipeline are clear. Three people died, an ecosystem was nearly destroyed and a community will never be the same.

This pipeline is simply a bad idea and it should not be re-opened. It runs through too many highly-populated areas. The next accident could take place in a much more populated area where the results will be worse than the last explosion.

One argument for the pipeline is that it is safer than alternative modes of transportation, like the tanker trucks or barges. However, when a tanker truck crashes, Congress doesn't get involved.

Gas stations in town don't seem to be running low on fuel in the pipeline's absence. So, obviously, there are viable alternatives to pumping flammable liquids through neighborhoods and city parks.

Olympic has done an outstanding job of waiting out criticism and downplaying the pipeline's importance. The fact of the matter is that this pipeline is a big deal, and people need to remember that.

People need to voice their opinions and make their feelings known. When this pipeline does reopen, public scrutiny will make Olympic accountable for its actions and therefore make the pipeline that much safer.

The company has agreed to install more safety devices along the pipeline to detect problems before they become disasters. It has also retrained employees to ensure safety. All of which seem to be responsible actions for the company to take.

Gee, maybe Olympic isn't that bad. Maybe they simply made a mistake and now are trying to make it right. Maybe we should just leave them alone.

Or maybe not.

Public scrutiny is the key to maintaining any sort of safety with this pipeline. Olympic workers who were on duty during the accident refuse to testify in front of the National Transportation Safety Board - hardly the actions of a community-conscious organization.

Silence breeds complacency. Complacency breeds problems - in this case, a 37-mile long problem.

Frontlines are the opinion of The Western Front editorial board: Andrea Abney, Heather Baker, J.R. Cook, Alex P. Hennesy, Jessica Keller, Levi Pulkkinen and Matt Williams.

Starbuck's junkies wake-up! (yeah I said it)

So this is a bit of an FYI, as much as a what you get.

Apparently Starbuck’s accidentally double-charged many a customer on 05/22 (my birthday, btw) and 05/23, per this story I saw on MSN. Per the story The ‘Bucks is doing their damnedest to credit/refund the over-charges.

So now that you’ve been notified, the FYI portion of this post is done.

Now to the ‘what you get’ portion.

If you pay so little attention to your bank account that you got double-charged and then have to be told about it…you deserve to pay $7+ for a coffee.

Wake-up. Or toss a 5-spot my way.

Listening-in

While I was on the subway yesterday I saw a deaf/hard of hearing gentleman holding a conversation with the lady sitting across from him.

I was floored, having a younger brother who is hard of hearing and not being able to sign myself, I con only imagine how tough it is for this guy to find someone to talk to.

It got me thinking, as I sat there with my ear buds plugged-in blasting at full volume in an attempt to avoid the outside world- Man, I am a lucky SOB.

Which is not to knock the gentleman I saw on the train, but as I sat there listening to my music I tried to think of a life without sound.

And it is simply something that I cannot fathom.

I love music. I love the sound or rain falling. I love the sound of laughter, especially giggling. 

So when I tried to imagine a world without sound, it was actually kinda scary to me.

I enjoy sound so much that I sometimes just close my eyes and try to figure-out what is going-on around me. It’s actually pretty cool. 

Give it a try, just close your eyes for 5-10 minutes and listen…it’s amazing how many of life's little details you are missing by plugging those ear buds in everyday.

So I guess the next time I hear a horn honking for no damn reason (an interesting NYC phenomena) I won’t get all fired-up.

I’ll just be glad it added to the experience. 

A Vick-tim?

As much as I hate to admit it, I have been pondering this Michael Vick situation all week.

For those who don’t wake-up daily to ESPN like me, Vick is a former NFL quarterback who was convicted of running an illegal dog-fighting operation out of one of his houses.

Now I wasn’t debating the morality (or immorality) of dog-fighting, (I am whole-heartedly against it, BTW) but more of what is next for Vick?

When I first heard of Vick’s conviction, I was dead-set against his return to playing professional football. In my mind, playing pro football is more a luxury than a right.

Why give someone another chance after they had thrown away a once in a lifetime opportunity? Aren’t they just going to do it again?

I was so enraged at the atrocity of his actions that I thought 2 years in prison was not enough.

But as I really thought about it, it was jealousy that fueled my anger.

This guy was not only an NFL player, but a starting quarterback in the NFL…there are only 32 of those guys in the entire world. How could Vick not appreciate what he had been given? How could he throw it all away just to ‘keep it real’ for his buddies?

Ok, I had to cut that last paragraph short as I could go on for awhile.

As a dude, being a pro athlete is pretty much what you aspire to do from birth. But as you get older and come to grips with your own athletic mediocrity, you gain a certain appreciation for the guys who made it happen.

So to see Vick F-it-all-up is infuriating.

All that being said, you’d think I am still against Vick being allowed to return to the NFL.

But I am not.

Vick was convicted by a jury of his peers and paid his debt to society.

To further penalize him would be unfair and well, un-American.

We are a country based on the rule of law, (unless you rich/white or poor/minority- OJ doesn’t count) and for me to say Vick cannot return to the work that he is best runs counter to fundamental American faith in the justice system.

Do I think Vick is sincere in his volunteer efforts with the Humane Society? Hell no.

But it doesn’t matter.

The terms of Vick’s conviction were to spend two years behind bars. Vick was an NFL star(ter) at the time of his conviction and the lost wages/revenue from endorsements over that time period is more money than most folks could make in 4 lifetimes. So he’s paid his due both fiscally and physically.

I thought the whole idea of the justice/penal system was to rehabilitate. To further punish Vick by keeping him from doing what he does best, which is play football, just seems like cruel and unusual punishment.

We’ve all made mistakes. We’ve all had to ask for forgiveness. We’ve all had to grow-up.

It just seems unfair to make an example out of Vick after he’s come clean and paid his due.

So I think Vick should be allowed to return to the NFL. But that doesn't mean I'll be very happy about it.

For a look at some of the reactions to Vick check-out this site:
- http://www.cosellout.com/?p=100

Where's my 15 mintues of fame?

So I have to admit it, I have been paying a lil attention to the NBA this season.

I know, I know, I swore-off the NBA when they screwed us and stole the team formerly known as The Seattle Supersonics.

But I am a basketball fan. I love the game and just can’t stay away.

But I digress, back to my point.

I was watching a playoff game between the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic earlier this week. During an intense play, Celtics forward Glen Davis spilled into the first row of the audience and bumped one of the fans. The fan just so happened to be a 12-year-old kid.

Let the uproar begin.

The ‘altercation’ garnered national attention, as the father of the ‘victim’ demanded an apology from Davis, the NBA, President Obama and God himself…

How dare a professional athlete come into contact with a member of the audience seated mere feet from the court.

The father referred to Davis as an ‘out of control animal.’

Can you believe the audaciousness of Davis?

Hmmm, last time I checked, chasing down a loose ball was called hustle.

This incident is yet another example of the ‘Hey look at me!’ desperation sentiment that seems to pervade American society.

From the Octuplet mom to Youtube, the idea of ‘15 minutes of fame’ is entrenched nowadays.

For the record, Davis issued an apology to the little fella, who was no worse for the wear.

But the hullabaloo raised over such an innocent mistake, has me shaking my head.

This was totally blown out of proportion by the so-called victim’s father and in-turn the media.

I am pretty sure that there is a warning on the back of the ticket stub expressly stating that this is a live sporting event and that items/people may come flying off the field of play. So it’s not like this should have been a surprise to the spectators, especially considering these were court-side seats.

Instead of a making this a once in a lifetime experience for his son, the father chose to ruin it, by exploiting it for attention in the media.

I’d like to say I am surprised.

But I am not.

Sigh.

Memos, Memos, Everywhere!

It seems that the talk of the beltway here recently has centered-on President Obama’s move to release previously confidential Bush-era memos outlining the Bush Administration’s complacency with the use of questionable possibly torturous interrogation tactics.

Here’s a link to a story outlining what was released by the Obama order.

Many folks worry that releasing such documents will endanger Americans around the globe as there is now proof that America is using the questionable-tactics when interrogating detainees. The fear is that with the release of the memos, tantamount to an admission of guilt, other countries (presumed enemies of America) will retaliate and use similar, if not worse tactics on future American detainees.

While I agree that the admission of guilt does make America look bad on the global stage, I am not willing to make the jump that these memos are the straw that will break the proverbial camel’s back.

Now for the obvious statement of the day-

These memos don’t endanger the well-beings/lives of Americans abroad, the fact that America partook in such heinous actions do.

These memos didn’t water board, sleep-deprive or starve anyone…WE DID.

Whether we release a few memos or not, these still actions took place. And there must be some atonement.

I applaud a gutsy move by the Obama Administration in making these memos public. It is a strong first-step in making things right.

The next step is to make real progess toward preventing such actions from ever taking place again.

The first words out of my mouth the morning of 9/11 were ‘Get used to it.’

And I took a lot of grief for that.

But sadly, history has proven me right. In viewing these memos, you can see why enemies of America would be so outraged by our actions as to facilitate an attack on American soil.

As long as we keep playing the eye-for-an-eye game, we need to expect a sucker punch or two.

These moves by Obama are decisive steps away from the Bush-era ‘cowboy diplomacy’ approach to foreign policy.

We all saw how far Bush got us, maybe it’s time to fess-up and venture down a different path. I am encouraged by what I am seeing.

Here’s hoping Obama can put his money where his mouth is.

Happy Earth Day all

In this post I’d like each of you to post a comment stating one move you plan to make in the coming year to get a little more green.

Hopefully this will inspire/encourage everyone to keep moving towards being a bit greener.

My goal in the next year will be to use my bus pass more. I currently use it to commute to work, but still log 100-200 miles in my car on the weekends. I want to go 50/50 car/bus in my non-work travels.

I look forward to hearing your goals.

More baby steps...

This baby-steps entry is gonna be short.

As there is nothing new that I am doing.

I am just making you Seattle residents aware of the changes that took place in the city’s recycling program.

Here is a link to the city recycling website.

The city is making it a bit easier to recycle more.

Just a couple highlights:
- No more separating glass from other recyclables! *This was especially a pain for a fella like me who enjoys a bottle of beer or 5, every now and again.
- The list of what is now acceptable as recyclable has gotten bigger, which is always a good thing.

Here's the link again for a breakdown of particulars.

And remember, every little bit helps.

Call it the ‘Facebook’ effect…

A while back I was having a discussion with a friend who had recently joined Facebook.

“I just don’t get it…Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t care if you are brushing your teeth or just got back from the gym.”

Being a Facebook fiend, I replied, “Yeah, you just don’t seem to get it.”

“It’s about keeping in touch. It’s about keeping tabs on people you otherwise would have forgotten about. It’s about being social.” Are just a few of the descriptions as to why folks use Facebook and find it so addicting.

So here I stand, as an admitted Facebook fanatic and staunch defender, saying “I just don’t care anymore.”

Call it what you like, Facebook Fatigue, FBOD or simply a desire to interact with someone (here’s a novel idea) face-to-freaking-face.

I was one of those: JR. is (insert pointless action here)-people. Updating my status via my cell, checking my email for updates. I now see how lame I must have seemed to well, normal people.

But I’ve had enough.

Granted, I have yet to delete my Facebook account, but I have turned-off all notifications from Facebook and don’t plan on logging-in for the foreseeable future.

Have I gone mad? Did someone piss me off? Am I too broke to afford internet?

No, to all of the above. I am just feeling a bit overexposed.

In these days of Twitter, Facebook, IMs, texts and cell phones. The world is never more than a buzz or annoying ringtone away.

I recently saw a PBS documentary “Alone in the Wilderness” about a man who retired to remote Alaska and lived on his own for 30 years.

I was jealous. As I sat on my couch, laptop in perched just below the view of the TV and cell phone resting nearby, I decided that something had to change.

The feeling of being constantly, “On” is draining. Which is not to say that my cell is blowing-up or that my inbox is overflowing, but sometimes being disconnected just sounds nice.

Then I came to a realization, I can turn the shit off.

Which I now do.

Email get checked in the morning as my company blocks personal email access. I check again at lunch because I really have nothing better to do. And I check it for the last time when I get home from work. Anything that comes in after that, can wait til the next day.

My cell phone is turned-off at 8 PM, assuming I am not out and about.

So am I becoming some kind of hermit? Well, by the hyper-connected (unhealthily so) standards of today, yes I am.

Maybe I am a throwback to the good old days…I am not that old, but old enough to remember a time before e-mail, cell phones and even (Gasp) pagers.

Somehow life went on back then.

I think it’s time to simplify. (A sentiment I seem to be repating in this here blog) Take a little time to enjoy the world and people around. Look up from the digitized representations of ‘being social’ and actually say “Hello,” to someone.

I am no technophobe and not even that outgoing. But something tells me that if you get out and enjoy life…the call of the laptop/cell phone may be considerably lessened.

I am giving-up blog posts for Lent.

Obviously I am not giving-up posting…

 

So apparently it’s Lent.

 

For those heathens out there, let me break Lent down for ya.

 

Lent is basically Easter’s pre-season. That’s pretty much it. Technically, it’s the 40-days between Ash Wednesday and Easter.

 

Though for some odd reason certain folks (sometimes referred to as Christmas & Easter Christians) seem to get into Lent.

 

The whole shtick is that someone gives-up something that is important to them in honor of the sacrifice Jesus made for them.

 

The irony is that these C&E Christians (I am not even a C&E Christian myself, and make no pretenses otherwise) usually give-up a vice. Which is ironic, because as a Christian, these vices should be avoided year-round.

 

I am a Protestant, so technically, I don’t HAVE to partake in Lent. The practice of self-sacrifice is more of a punishment in the vein of Catholicism. (We Protestants got the long-end of the stick on that one…Woo Hoo!)

 

Now I'll get down off my high-horse. I, the self-described bad Christian will admit, I usually give something up for Lent.

 

One year it was cussing, another it was chocolate, etc. For a few years it became a game as I tried to figure-out something that sounded impressive, but really would be easy. I gave-up going to Canada one year, for example.

 

But then I changed my perspective. I started giving-up things that were a big part of my life: Fast Food, Coffee, Cussing (a very difficult one), etc. The idea was not to focus on what I was missing, but to allow more opportunities to remember why I was doing it in the first place, to ponder religion and be thankful for what I have.

 

When weighed against the sacrifices that have been made for me as a Christian, not dropping the F-bomb for forty days, seems downright trivial. Being reminded of those sacrifices numerous times a day really helped to ground a perspective that can really get off-kilter.

 

So although I didn’t give anything up this year, the simple fact that I am writing this exhibits that I am thinking about religion, which as I said before, is kinda the whole point.

 

PS- Feel free to share what you have given-up for Lent in this or past year in the comments section. And, as always, feel free to share your thoughts on my ramblings there as well. 

A farewell to an institution…

Today is a red-letter day in Seattle. It is the first day in 146 years that you cannot get a hard copy of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

 

I, as a blogger, feel a part of the paradigm shift that has caused the downfall of a Seattle institution.

 

The 146-year bastion of journalism succumbed to the pressures of the twittering-blogging-facebooking-I-need-info-now-regardless-of-the-source that is the modern American public.

 

I was raised on the P-I and I love(d) the paper. My dad maintained a subscription for as long as I can remember. One of my favorite past-times was settling-in with the Sunday paper, a cup of coffee in-hand and catching-up on the goings-on around town and in the world.

 

My love of the P-I sparked more than a few arguments as I attended Western Washington University and obtained a degree in Journalism. The Joe Friday, ‘Just the facts ma’am’ style of writing that you are reading right now was heavily influenced by the reporting in the P-I.

 

I’ve always described the difference between the P-I and the Seattle Times as this:

-If you want to hear the: who, what where, when and why (aka the 5 W’s) read the P-I.

-If you want to read some lame-ass human interest story about the event 3 days after the fact, read the Times.

 

I steadfastly believe that description of Seattle’s two dailies. In fact, I am utterly disgusted that the ‘Times’ is the journalistic representative of Seattle to the world.

 

In my mind, it’s like MTV News beating-out CNN.

 

Overall, I am happy that Seattle still has at least one daily newspaper.

 

I do think that a vigorous, non-blog-based, professional local journalistic presence is vital to a community.

 

I fear what will come from a world unregulated by editors or journalistic safeguards.

 

Print journalism (for the most part) kept everyone (including the reporters) honest.

 

Speed, as with cars, is impressive, but rarely safe.

 

The old adage of ‘Haste makes waste’ rings horribly true here.

 

Journalism, not just print, is being replaced by quick fixes and entertainment.

 

It’s too late for the P-I, but I hope we all learn from its demise. There is a value to waiting until 6 AM for your news.

 

It’s important to note that it is not a reporter’s job to filter the news, it is the job of journalists to make sure what you are reading is as correct as it can be.

 

The P-I did that well for over 140 years, and I truly and honestly appreciate it.

Light at the end of the tunnel

Everyone knows it’s been a rough couple of years for Seattle sports fans.

But, dare I say, it looks like there is a light at the end of the tunnel. 

The University of Washington Men’s Basketball team’s outright win of the Pac-10 regular season crown capped what could possibly be one of the best sports months for Seattle in years.

The Huskies haven’t won the Pac-10 outright since 1953, so it was quite the feat. Now I am not picking UW as a ‘Sweet 16’ team, but the team showed a lot of pluck coming back from a less-than-stellar start of the season to claim the title. And more importantly the accomplishment gives Seattleites something to be proud of.

The Huskies title came hot on the heels of the Seahawks finalizing a free agent coup, the signing T.J. Houshmandzadeh. ‘Housh’ as I’ll refer to him since I cannot spell his name, was the NFL’s premier free agent wide receiver, a position the Hawks were in desperate need of an upgrading from last season. And the Hawks stepped-up and got their man. With the addition of Housh, the Hawks return to their rightful spot among the frontrunners to win the NFC West. Ah, it feels good to say that. Especially, after slogging through a 4-12 ‘swan song’ season for former head coach Mike Holmgren who really deserved a better send-off. 

And yes, I am going to list Ken Griffey, Jr.’s return as a plus for the Seattle sports psyche. I know, I know…I previously posted on this very blog, that I am less-than-stoked by the prospect of Griff’s return. But this is not about me…It is about Seattle as a whole. And from that perspective, I do think Griffey’s return is good thing. It is a ray of hope for Mariners fans with little else to look forward to in the coming season. It is good to see some sentiment infused into the big business of professional sports. Griff may not be a 50 HR, 100+ RBI, gold glove winner anymore. But he made the M’s what they are today and helped weave the team into the fabric of Seattle. For that, he does deserve a return-trip to Seattle and a chance for a ‘swan song’ of this own.

Though the 206 is still without a professional basketball team, the city does get to usher-in the world’s game this month. Major League Soccer has come to town as the Seattle Sounders FC. From what I’ve heard all tickets are sold out, just showing that even in these tough times, Seattleites are hungry for good sporting events. Personally, I prefer to play soccer over watching it, but I am gonna try to score a pair of tickets to see what it’s all about.

So bring-on spring!

March madness actually means something to Seattleites again. There is a reason to watch the Mariners and with the NFL draft coming soon, the Seahawks could end-up as more than just a contender for the NFC West title, they could be mentioned along with the words: Super & bowl, as they should be.

Enjoy!

The seven stages of grief as they pertain to Ken Griffey, Jr.

The Kid is back. Yet somehow I am not doing cartwheels...

To add a lil insight into my perspective on this topic, I compare Griffey leaving the Mariners to being dumped. Griffey decided that Seattle was no longer good enough for him and/or he could find better options elsewhere. So he left.

That stung.

So I am writing this from the perspective of a jilted fan...a jilted fan who, for the most part, has no interest in dealing with parties who deem him unworthy. (Ask anyone who's dumped/slighted me...I don't talk to or acknowledge them. I am an ass like that.)

With that said, it may be easier to understand why I am less-than-stoked to welcome Griffey back with open arms. Why stroke the ego of someone who's already said and acted in ways that say 'Seattle, you aren't good enough'?

1. Shock- I can still remember when I heard that a recliner-in-the-clubhouse Griffey decided he was too good for the M's. The reasoning at the time was that he wanted to return home. To re-visit the team of his father. (Never mind the fact that the M's had signed his then over-the-hill father to a contract earlier in Junior's career.) Griffey wanted return to the clubhouse he literally grew-up in. He wanted to return to his roots. I couldn't believe it. How could he?! How could he leave the team that was so symbiotic with him. As much as Junior had built the M's into a legit contender, the M's had given him his break. I couldn't fathom how someone could turn their back on those who made them. It was a bitter lesson, but one I am glad I learned early.

2. Pain & guilt- I am not too proud to admit it. I loved Ken Griffey, Jr. He was, in his prime, the best baseball player I have ever seen play the game live. The thought of Junior no longer patrolling center field simply hurt. How can you replace him? Mike Cameron (while a serviceable ballplayer) is no Ken Griffey, Jr. Why couldn't we have accommodated his requests? He is the reason Safeco was built...how could we not give him what he wanted? Maybe it is our fault, we should've done more to keep him.

3. Anger & bargaining- (mostly anger) Ok, if we re-sign (purportedly pre-roids) A-Rod and keep Buhner in right, will that keep you happy, Junior? You ego-centric bastard, who do you think you are?! We made you! Remember when you were 19 and loved playing 'for the fun of the game'? You two-faced Son-of-a-bitch!

4. Depression- Cincinnati? Really?! Have you been there? Oh crap, you grew-up there. Now you are gone. And we no longer have A-Rod or Randy Johnson. What's wrong with us? Do we smell? Hello...?

5. The upward turn- We've still got Ichiro...the ageless wonder! Maybe a return to the house that Junior built will provide fuel for a Griffey renaissance. Maybe a return to All-star form. If nothing else, Griffey's return will sell tickets. (I know I will attend a game simply because Junior is back.)

6. Reconstruction & working through- Jeremy Reed, hurt. Yuniesky Betancourt, error-prone. Adam Jones & George Sherrill…to Baltimore for an over-rated POS. God Damn you Bill Bavasi. Speaking of reconstruction...how're those injuries Grif? Wait, what's that? You are coming back to Seattle?! Seriously?!!! Flippin' sweet! Welcome home! Oh wait...you are also looking at Atlanta, so that you can do what? Watch little league games? Uh, well family does come first. But what about those folks who made you a household name? Those folks who still followed your career even as it spiraled-down the toilet into 'over-rated'-ville? What did we ever do to you?! (OK, I am pretty much stuck at stage 3, but screw it.)

7. Acceptance & hope- So here we are. Stuck with a washed-up version of Griffey's former self. For what it's worth, I'd much rather have a washed-up Griffey don an M’s cap over Garrett Anderson. Maybe Griffey can teach the other youngsters in the clubhouse how-to appreciate what they have while they have it. Hopefully his return to the M's will re-light a sputtering fire and we'll get one last glimpse of greatness.