Source: Ariana Grandes manager Scooter Braun: We cant allow terror to win after Manchester attack | Fox News
In the aftermath of the Manchester attacks, it was revealed that Ariana Grande has pledged to pay the funeral costs of all of the unfortunate victims. This offer is no doubt a genuine gesture of heartfelt sympathy for those lost in the tragedy and not to be minimized in any way.
But this sincere act of kindness does nothing to address the possibility of this happening again and again as events of the years have proven. In fact this gesture, while sincerely offered, is naïve and just papers over the obvious roots of the problem. There is a war going on and it’s an asymmetrical one. On the one side, we have committed and avowed militants who have publicly expressed their intents and deeds. They are conspicuous in their activities and are allowed to hide in plain sight. The other side, the victim side, has apologists who are apparently bewildered when these attacks take place even though mountains of evidence point like the bat signal in the night sky, to only one perpetrator.
The on going tragedy is the expected drivel of political leaders who express as much concern for possible group vilification as remorse for the mounting numbers of innocents killed. As has been pointed out earlier, some ‘leaders’ have declared that such events are to be expected in a modern city. That such people can attain the votes of the electorate they are supposed to protect is the real human tragedy. These ‘leaders’ and they proliferate in all western nations, consider victims as just the price to pay in order to maintain their own appearance of inclusion and tolerance. It’s very much like spending someone else’s money to prove how generous you are…except in this case, other people’s lives are the currency.
It all sounds good, “we can’t allow terror to win”, but yes, in fact, terror will win if only one side has the paddle and the other responds each time with “thank you, may I have another?” Entertainers like Ariana Grande, while sincere, are hopelessly naïve when it comes to the dynamics outside of their bubble world. Politicos are not naïve, they are informed ideologues who willfully sacrifice the security of their own people There seems to be an endless amount of tolerance for politicos who will offer other people’s lives in exchange for some honor badge of political correctness. Until that changes, it is a one sided war.
Source: Michael Sam saga might keep other gay NFL hopefuls from coming out, former exec says | NFL | Sporting News
I’m puzzled by the significance of this ‘story’. Considering all that’s going on in the world, it’s odd that anyone gives a hill of beans about whether prospective pro football players are in angst about coming out about their sexual orientation.
Pro football and pro hockey are arguably two of the most macho and physical sports in which athletes can participate. It’s not like basketball which is notionally a non contact sport, or baseball with the majority of the time spent standing around doing nothing. Or heaven forbid, golf in which people aren’t even allowed to breathe loudly while the players are addressing the ball. In football, the players participate in what has been characterized as a car crash on every play, with plenty of opportunity for serious bodily harm. How would being gay (or not) have any bearing on play?
I’m unconvinced that outing yourself as being gay has any relevance at all in the very competitive world of pro football. Is this issue more relevant here than in any other sport? Or for that matter, any other profession? How is it that the sporting world hums merrily along without people heroically jumping out of closets? Are we to believe that there are no gays in other sports? More likely, it’s because it’s just no one else’s business, no more relevant than if they preferred tea to coffee.
The stark reality is, this public outing of one’s sexual persuasion is no longer the brave thing it was a decade ago. Times have changed. The constant lobbying, pride parades and media tsk tsking has worked. Nowadays, to announce one’s gayness is less risky than to admit that you have gingivitis. Heck, now we assume everyone’s gay. The only reason to make any public proclamation is for publicity value if you’re in a high profile job. But the novelty of that has worn off too.
One of the basic demands of any identifiable group is that they be treated no differently than anyone else. The corollary of this should be that identity with a group should not confer any special treatment either. It can’t be a crutch or a free pass to the front of the line when other comparative aspects are lacking. Once we create affirmative action for all subsets of society, there’ll be no one to complain to. If you really want to be brave these days, try telling people that you like Trump. It may be that Sam is gay, but given all of the moaning, I think he’s more of a drama queen.