It's Friday...

...so it's time to see why it's a foregone conclusion that Troy Smith will be presented with the Heisman Trophy tomorrow night.

Personal Responsibility

I've been purposely maintaining silence on the Mark Foley debacle until it started to die down a little. To be blunt, I'm sick of hearing about it, and I'm sure everyone else is too. As a result, I'm not going to link to any outside material, and this post is the last I'll have to say about it.

I think the entire situation is a perfect example of how a lot of people in this country do not have a sense of personal responsibility. What Mark Foley did is immoral and disgusting. I'm glad he's gone. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what he did was a crime...but it ought to be.

Even though he immediately resigned, which some on the right are "giving him a little credit for", these IM messages have been around for a few years now. He's already been spoken to by Hastert once, but now his reaction when the shit hit the fan was to resign and immediately go into an alcohol rehab facility. Classy. Now he can sit in mild "cover" until his rehab is over, but the FBI will be waiting. Unfortunately, he's now blaming his behavior on his claim that he was abused by a priest, so says his attorney. We'll see if he goes into details about that. That ought to be interesting. Also, he is attempting to distract from the situation by having his attorney announce in that same press conference that he's, in fact, gay. Well...DUH!

He's sorry he got caught and that it became a major news story, and he's sorry he had to resign in disgrace. I don't believe he's sorry for his actions. Not. One. Minute.

I've also about had my fill with both sides of the aisle on this issue, as they're both trying to spin it in an advantageous way during this election cycle. Now that is exactly why I get so disgusted and burnt-out with politics at times. This is the perfect example.

I have to say I just don't understand the crowd demanding that Dennis Hastert resign his post as majority leader. To me, this is a lot like trying to impose gun laws on the public because criminals choose to commit murder with them. Dennis Hastert did not behave inappropriately, Mark Foley did. Dennis Hastert will never be able to prevent anyone from breaking the law, or be able to force anyone to comply with them. Additionally, suppose he is forced to resign (he won't, he's already indicated so), who's next? He says he spoke to Foley and thought he took care of the issue. I take him at his word, as he asked Foley to resign. Personal responsibility, folks.

I don't know what to do about the page problem to make it safer. I'd be very hesitant for one of my kids to serve as a page now, but I'm not sure what can be done, other than encouraging parents to be diligent in finding out what goes on (yes, be a pain in the ass!) in their day, as they should be doing. More personal responsibility.

Update 10/5 @ 8:23pm: Welcome La Shawn Barber readers. Feel free to leave a comment telling me if you're sick (in more ways than one) of hearing about this story as well.

Update 10/5 @ 10:54pm: I mistakenly referred to Dennis Hastert as majority leader. He's the Speaker of the House. John Boehner is the House Majority Leader.

A Special Tribute

Today is Veteran's Day. My father-in-law served in the Navy during World War II, and was a radio equipment specialist. Although I've attempted to ask him a few times about his service and his experiences, he's very reluctant to talk about it. Nonetheless, I'm honored to be his son-in-law, and I can't thank him enough.

Do you have a family member who is a veteran? Let me know and I'll include their name in this post.

Update: My father-in-law was more specifically in Radio Communications, which involved sending and receiving coded messages on an attack transporter. Pretty cool, huh?

DiMarco Hangs Tough

I was pleasantly surprised that Chris DiMarco hung tough in the final round at the Masters. He went 4 under and tied Tiger Woods in regulation, only to lose in the first hole in the sudden death playoff. I thought DiMarco lost his rhythm in the final nine holes of the 3rd round and probably wouldn't regain his form, but he must've figured something out in the time between rounds, as he was absolutely fantastic for the final 18. DiMarco will win a major, it's just a matter of when and where. He's a straight enough ball striker that it could be the U.S. Open this year. Although he looked dominating at times during the Masters, do not expect Tiger Woods to contend at this year's U.S. Open. He's just too inconsistent. What do I know? Apparently not much, as I was wrong about both DiMarco and Mickelson.

In Memory of Terri Schiavo

The following poem is not a Christian one, but it is an incredibly moving one. While I don't speak for Terri Schiavo, this is what I would like to be read for me when I pass...

Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep

Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.

-Anonymous

Update I: I don't have the ability to multi-link in my posts, as I use free services, so I'm going to multi-post instead.

Update II: I think I just found a way to multi-link, so here we go. Others blogging: La Shawn Barber's Corner, Arrggghhh! The Home Of Two Of Jonah's Military Guys +1, A planet where apes evolved from MAN?!?, Wizbang

The news release is here: link