Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones back again

Seriously, you have got to be kidding.  When I found out that the NFL commissioner Goodell had decided to reinstate Jones I laughed.  Really?  We’re talking about a player who has served two NFL suspensions, been involved in over a dozen police investigations, and just got off of his latest alcohol rehabilitation.  The NFL acknowledges that its atheletes are role models to teens and children yet they continually allow players like Jones to return to league long after he should have been thrown out.  Perhaps the better action to be taken in the case of Adam Jones would have been to make an example of him and show that NFL really cares about what its players do on and off the field.  Instead, after a mere six game suspension we will see the return of Adam Jones to football, and with that we see the inference that it doesn’t matter what you do if you are a star player you will not be held accountable the same way the general populace is.  Is this the message we want to send our youth in America?  I know I don’t.  If you feel similarly about Jones let me know.  Or, if you think it’s unfair of me to want to see his livelihood taken away, tell me that as well.   I want to hear your thoughts on this issue.

Palin in 2012

Many have been throwing around Gov. Sarah Palin’s name as a potential 2012 presidential candidate.  She’s already appeared on two very in depth interviews since the election and seems to be the darling of many republican supporters.  However, there is one very serious objection to her as a candidate.  She is not “internationally aware.”  Does she understand the general movements of the world?  Yes.  Is she a capable politician and thinker?  I’d say yes.  Could she be a good candidate?  Again, I would say yes.  The problem is that she is not very well versed in both the ways of Washington D. C. and the intimate details of international issues.  In order to be a viable candidate for 2012 she will need to gain the knowledge necessary to stand up to serious scrutiny over her understanding of international political issues.  Also, she will need to be seen by republican supporters and others in the public.  Essentially she will have to find some way to stay in the spotlight so that America does not forget about her.  For many, this might not be a very difficult task.  Any governor in the “lower 48″-as Palin refers to the contiguous states-could easily go to other states and speak at conventions or other engagements that would keep them in the minds of the public.  However, this would be much harder for someone like Gov. Palin, who being in Alaska would face certain time management issues.  How can she run her state, run her family, and run a public campaign of sorts to make herself a viable candidate.  Now, I’m not convinced that she can’t do this, but I think it would be hard to be an effective leader in her state, which is so geographically isolated, and perform the necessary functions to get her to the point at which her international intelligence and publicity are at an acceptable level.

There is a way, though, that I believe  she could easily do all this.  Senator Stevens from Alaska will soon have to resign his seat in the Senate (as he will be headed to jail), and Gov. Palin will have to appoint who will replace him.  If she really wants to make a commitment to make a run at a 2012 candidacy, then she needs to appoint herself to the Senate position, go to Washington D. C., learn the game and make more of a name for herself.  She can learn things there that she would never be able to learn in Alaska.  Yes, with study she could become very conversant in international political issues, but she would not be privy to the inner workings of what is happening on Capitol Hill.  If she could get a seat on an intelligence committee she would find that her words would gain more credence because she would have the “right” kind of experience, the kind of experience the media accused her of lacking.  The sad thing about this is that Gov. Palin was such a breath of fresh air for the mere fact that she was “untainted” by the corruption of Washington politics.

I’ll be interested to see what path she chooses, whether to stay in Alaska and be content as a governor or stay in Alaska and pursue national attention and a 2012 candidacy or even to make the move to D. C. and learn to play the game.  You tell me.  What do you think is her best course of action?  What would you do if you were her?

Respect for the office

First off, if you have not yet, you need to read this article (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122584386627599251.html) written by Jeffrey Shapiro of the Wall Street Journal.  “The Treatment of Bush Has Been a Disgrace:  What must our enemies be thinking?” is the title of this article and that pretty much sums up the issue I want to discuss:  Respect for the office of the President.

Mr. Shapiro is right on the money in his survey of the treatment of President Bush by the American public.  This is an issue vital to our nation as we welcome a new president, who by all accounts is one of the most partisan presidents ever elected.  In his short time in the U.S. Senate President-Elect Obama amassed the most left leaning voter record.   The National Journal’s annual voter ranking placed Obama as the number one most liberal voter in the Senate.  I do not say this to insinuate anything about Obama, rather this statistic shows us that because of his extreme partisan record he stands a very good chance at alienating or offending any one of the 57 million voters who cast their ballot for the McCain/Palin ticket.  This is why I believe this issue is so important.  It will be very tempting and very easy to criticize or even demean Obama and his administration.  However tempting, this cannot be the response of conservatives and republicans alike. 

The office of the President of the United States is a sacred position and one that deserves respect.  With the necessary electoral votes a president essentially receives a mandate from the people to represent and serve them.  In response to this mandate we should give the president the respect due the office.  This doesn’t mean we should follow him blindly, but rather we should support him with a critical eye.  We should want each and every one of our presidents to succeed because that means the country is succeeding.  When our president does something right we should celebrate with him, and when he does something wrong we should express our disagreement vocally yet respectfully.  It is a disgrace when an American citizen badmouths their president, especially when they are abroad.  I have been in the presence of Americans in both Bulgaria and Greece and listened to them insult President Bush and refer to him as an “idiot.”  These humiliating actions certainly do nothing to improve America’s reputation in the global community.  So, I urge you to act in a manner befitting of an honorable American citizen. 

Christians, I urge you to study the Bible to discover the proper way in which you should act in response to governmental authorities.  In particular, I would suggest reading Romans 13:1-5.  As I always will, I welcome any comments you have, whether in favor of or in opposition to my stance.

My New Blog

In light of the recently finished 2008 election I have decided that I would like an outlet through which I might express my opinions and thoughts on those things that are important to me.  Thus, this blog.  I have chosen the title for my site to be Ryan’s Inklings in homage to men like C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien who used to meet as a group with the same name (The Inklings) both at Oxford and at a local pub called The Eagle and the Child, or more familiarly The Bird and the Baby.  Though I by no means consider myself to be in the same echelon of thinking as these predecessors I do hope that my thoughts here will be beneficial to others.  Having thus established myself, I hope any readers will approach what is written here with a critical yet open mind.   I only ask that you respond honestly and logically.  Cheers!