Edward Moore Kennedy past away this week. He was 77 and had been battling a brain tumor for 15 months, many more than he was expected to battle it. He served in the United States Congress for 47 years, representing the great state of Massachusetts. He was as much a fixture of Boston as the John Hancock Tower, The Public Gardens, and Faneuil Hall.
I never met Ted Kennedy - well okay, that's not true, I met him in 2002 when he spoke at the dedication to the Joe Moakley Cancer Center, a part of Boston Medical Center (my mom works there). I was in a big crowd of people, he had his handlers, he found my mom, and she grabbed him - as she is known to do, and then began introducing him to her family. He said hi to my dad, and sort of grabbed my hand and then my sister's hands - I think he was preoccupied with how cold it was and getting in doors, but as I recall, he said 'Adam, congratulations, very nice, good for you.'
He and my mother worked together for many years as part of the health care lobby. Her job was to run a hospital and get money for it - his job was to represent her interests in Washington and get money for it - so they spent a lot of time in meetings, both in Boston and D.C. As she recalled this week, he was the very first person to call her when my grandfather died in 2005, the very first - he beat out everyone else. You'll hear stories about how he was always the first to make the phone call.
In our house in Brookline, we have a picture of him and my mom, all smiles, with an inscription thanking her for her dedication to healthcare. In our Cape house, we have a painting of his boat, that he made for us, with a similar inscription to my mom, thanking her for her work. When people visit my house, they stop by the painting, and they admire it.
Teddy K, despite his personal mistakes and tragedies that he endured, he certainly dedicated himself to his family, his city, his state, and his country. For that, he is a national idol, and he will be missed.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Letterman Tickets
The first rule of Letterman tickets is that they are free and fairly easy to come by. This, however, does not make the process of ascertaining them any easier. The first time that I requested tickets, it was 1995, and I was in high school and I thought it would be really awesome to just request them - having no real intention of getting to New York, be it by plane, train, or automobile. So I requested them, they came in the mail, and I put them on my bulletin board as a shrine of sorts to Mr. Letterman.
Fast foward about...oh 7 years, to 2002. I am now a senior in college, and the idea is that I will request them and then head to New York for spring break. Who goes to New York for spring break? no one, except stupid me with my stupid idea for Letterman tickets. So I request them again, and they ask you a trivia question that's fairly easy, and are you absolutely sure you can make the dates given? So here's the deal, I wasn't absolutely sure, and they haranged me and said that if I wasn't sure I ought to not request tickets becuase it goes against their policy. So I found this to be snobby and obnoxious and, how can I say this - lame. It's free tickets for crying out loud. So, I never made it down to New York to see Letterman, oh well.
Oh but wait, there's more. Fast forward again, or should I say creep forward to 2003 (I think). By this time, I have friends in college who now live in Connecticut, and I have a car - and low and behold I can totally drive down to the CT and then we can take the Metro North in and go see the show. Excellent! Or so I think. So we have the tickets, my friend and I head to the Ed Sullivan Theater. I say to myself, this is the first official time that I am going to see David Letterman, and with my luck I will be sitting in the back of the balcony. So we get in line the first time around to get the tickets. They have these interns, we'll call them pages, they have Late Show jackets, the whole gettup. Their job is to be perky and excited and full of life and energy, sort of the opposite of David Letterman (I guess if they stood out on the sidewalk and were rude and snarky, people would start calling the police). So anyway, these interns explain the deal about being really excited and perky and just in love with the concept of going to see David Letterman, and they let you in the theater - and oh did I mention that I was sitting in the back of the balcony? That's right, back of the balcony, can't see a thing, not even the monitor that will help me see a thing. Nothin'...
So what this brings me to is my most recent David Letterman attendance. I got the tickets probably 3 weeks prior to the show, and the nice woman, for the purposes of this blog her name will be Schmisa - she leaves a message saying she got my ticket request, can I please call her back. So, I call her back, she asks me the trivia question, I get it right, and then she asks me about my guest - Brandi. She says, are you absolutely sure Brandi can make it on that date? I say yes, I'm sure - she says, are you absolutely sure that Brandi can make it on that date? I say yes, I'm sure - she says are you absolutely, positively, resolutely, supercalifragilistically absolutely positive that Brandi can make it on that date? I say, 'well when you put it like that, I may just have to check." So I check with Brandi, and it turns out, she isn't free for the show, so I have to call back and change my guest. I change my guest and I call back Schmisa, and now the fun starts. I say Brandi can't go, but I have a replacement, and this woman loses it and says 'I told you last time that isn't what we agreed to, you can't change your guest.' (note to self: we didn't agree on a G-D thing). So being the nice person that I am, I apologize and say that if I can't replace the guest, I will just go myself. She says fine, and then starts taking information, and then pauses, and says 'you know what, let me check with my supervisor, because we usually don't this, but maybe they'll make an exception." So I wait, and then, low and behold, she says that they normally don't do this, but will make an exception for me. So this leads to two issues: a) why do I care that you're making an exception for a free ticket? and b) should I really be THAT grateful for it? For those of you playing at home, the answer to both is NO.
So, we arrive to pick up our tickets, we get our tickets, we get the lecture on why this is the best thing ever in the history of entertainment and we need to be super excited to be there, we are then asked to return in one hours time, at which point we are whisked back into the theater, then lectured AGAIN about how happy we should be to be there, we are let into the theater, have really great seats - the show starts, cameras are in the way, can't really see anything, Renee Zellweger comes out - she's boring, next is Gary Mule Deer - oh, you mean you haven't heard of him? nobody has. End of show. Thanks for coming.
And THAT was my Letterman experience. Maybe I should just stick with Conan - oh wait he moved.
:-(
Fast foward about...oh 7 years, to 2002. I am now a senior in college, and the idea is that I will request them and then head to New York for spring break. Who goes to New York for spring break? no one, except stupid me with my stupid idea for Letterman tickets. So I request them again, and they ask you a trivia question that's fairly easy, and are you absolutely sure you can make the dates given? So here's the deal, I wasn't absolutely sure, and they haranged me and said that if I wasn't sure I ought to not request tickets becuase it goes against their policy. So I found this to be snobby and obnoxious and, how can I say this - lame. It's free tickets for crying out loud. So, I never made it down to New York to see Letterman, oh well.
Oh but wait, there's more. Fast forward again, or should I say creep forward to 2003 (I think). By this time, I have friends in college who now live in Connecticut, and I have a car - and low and behold I can totally drive down to the CT and then we can take the Metro North in and go see the show. Excellent! Or so I think. So we have the tickets, my friend and I head to the Ed Sullivan Theater. I say to myself, this is the first official time that I am going to see David Letterman, and with my luck I will be sitting in the back of the balcony. So we get in line the first time around to get the tickets. They have these interns, we'll call them pages, they have Late Show jackets, the whole gettup. Their job is to be perky and excited and full of life and energy, sort of the opposite of David Letterman (I guess if they stood out on the sidewalk and were rude and snarky, people would start calling the police). So anyway, these interns explain the deal about being really excited and perky and just in love with the concept of going to see David Letterman, and they let you in the theater - and oh did I mention that I was sitting in the back of the balcony? That's right, back of the balcony, can't see a thing, not even the monitor that will help me see a thing. Nothin'...
So what this brings me to is my most recent David Letterman attendance. I got the tickets probably 3 weeks prior to the show, and the nice woman, for the purposes of this blog her name will be Schmisa - she leaves a message saying she got my ticket request, can I please call her back. So, I call her back, she asks me the trivia question, I get it right, and then she asks me about my guest - Brandi. She says, are you absolutely sure Brandi can make it on that date? I say yes, I'm sure - she says, are you absolutely sure that Brandi can make it on that date? I say yes, I'm sure - she says are you absolutely, positively, resolutely, supercalifragilistically absolutely positive that Brandi can make it on that date? I say, 'well when you put it like that, I may just have to check." So I check with Brandi, and it turns out, she isn't free for the show, so I have to call back and change my guest. I change my guest and I call back Schmisa, and now the fun starts. I say Brandi can't go, but I have a replacement, and this woman loses it and says 'I told you last time that isn't what we agreed to, you can't change your guest.' (note to self: we didn't agree on a G-D thing). So being the nice person that I am, I apologize and say that if I can't replace the guest, I will just go myself. She says fine, and then starts taking information, and then pauses, and says 'you know what, let me check with my supervisor, because we usually don't this, but maybe they'll make an exception." So I wait, and then, low and behold, she says that they normally don't do this, but will make an exception for me. So this leads to two issues: a) why do I care that you're making an exception for a free ticket? and b) should I really be THAT grateful for it? For those of you playing at home, the answer to both is NO.
So, we arrive to pick up our tickets, we get our tickets, we get the lecture on why this is the best thing ever in the history of entertainment and we need to be super excited to be there, we are then asked to return in one hours time, at which point we are whisked back into the theater, then lectured AGAIN about how happy we should be to be there, we are let into the theater, have really great seats - the show starts, cameras are in the way, can't really see anything, Renee Zellweger comes out - she's boring, next is Gary Mule Deer - oh, you mean you haven't heard of him? nobody has. End of show. Thanks for coming.
And THAT was my Letterman experience. Maybe I should just stick with Conan - oh wait he moved.
:-(
Friday, August 21, 2009
Ocho-Sucko
Here's my problem: I don't like Chad Ochocinco. Ok, let me rephrase that, I don't like that his birth name is Chad Johnson and now his new name is Chad Ochocinco. No, his mother is not Mrs. Ochocinco, he is not a member of the Ochocinco clan, and he ain't Spanish, that's for sure. Mr. Ochocinco, as he is now known, is an eight-year veteran of the NFL and plays wideout for the Bengals of Cincinatti. Sure he's good, he's been to the playoffs, and yes, he is self-aggrandizing as many athletes are - but he changed his freaking name to something stupider than his original name, not that Johnson is a stupid last name, but at least its' a name, not a number.
The reason I hate this is that now people have to refer to him as Chad Ochocinco, he's listed in the NFL Directory as Ochocinco, reporters have to call him Mr. Ochocinco, when he calls up Verizon for assistance with his internet connection, the guy on the other end has to say 'and is there anything else we can assist you with today Mr. Ochocinco?" You see, it's just dumb, plain stupid. It's reminiscent of one-time XFL player Rod Smart - incidentally the XFL was a one-time pro football league, but that's another story. Anyway, Rod Smart had permission from the league to put 'He Hate Me' on the back of his jersey, you know, to ruffle the competion - which it did to an extent that all the competition was forced to return to its day jobs when the league folded.
My point being, that was stupid in 2001 - this is stupid in 2009.
The reason I hate this is that now people have to refer to him as Chad Ochocinco, he's listed in the NFL Directory as Ochocinco, reporters have to call him Mr. Ochocinco, when he calls up Verizon for assistance with his internet connection, the guy on the other end has to say 'and is there anything else we can assist you with today Mr. Ochocinco?" You see, it's just dumb, plain stupid. It's reminiscent of one-time XFL player Rod Smart - incidentally the XFL was a one-time pro football league, but that's another story. Anyway, Rod Smart had permission from the league to put 'He Hate Me' on the back of his jersey, you know, to ruffle the competion - which it did to an extent that all the competition was forced to return to its day jobs when the league folded.
My point being, that was stupid in 2001 - this is stupid in 2009.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Healthcare and Hitler
So I've decided... and this decision has been very pressing and has eaten at my inner soul, that the Republicans and some of their followers are sore losers. When I say this, I don't mean ALL Republicans, because I know people who are registered Republicans and they are decent people, they just have a different political view than myself, which is fine - and I don't want to vilify anyone for their personal beliefs. I do, however, want to express my grievance with select individuals who call themselves Republicans and then go out and do horrendous and atrocious things - and no I'm not talking about Michael Vick.
You see, the United States, or as they say in French, L'etats Unis - we need a better healthcare system, it's very straightforward - the one we have doesn't work, it hasn't worked in quite some time, and it needs to be overhauled. President Clinton asked his wife to fix it back in 1994, and the response to her idea was similar to her response to the poor student in the Congo whose question got misenterpreted. She got dissed, she was not well-liked, except there was nothing lost in translation in 1994 - the plan just didn't happen.
So we fast-forward to 2009, and yay we have a new President, and yay he's African-American, and yay his policies are socialist and similar to those of one A.Hitler of German fame...wait, what? Yeah, it doesn't make sense to me either. I guess, what happened, in a weird sort of way is, some people are just so upset that A) we have a Democrat in the White House B) he's black and C) he's smart so they can't relate to him, that they have to throw a summer long hissy fit about anything he does. His health care plan, and I am not going to explain it here, but if you want a really good, sensical explanation of it, check out Whitehouse.gov (I hope that's not a porn site), has been knocked down by conservatives, which is fair. What isn't fair, and I guess we owe this to Sarah Palin, because she's so stupid and pretty that no one knows what to do with her (I'm guessing they keep her around, hoping she might cheat on her husband with one of them), but I digress. What isn't fair, as I said - is this Hitler comparison. I understand that people may not like his health care policies - but as it turns out, most people don't like it because it has the word 'Obama' in it. Most of those people, when given an explanation of the policies, don't think it's so bad - and then its embarrassing because they have to turn around and go home and try to catch a cab with a swastika poster while wearing an SS uniform, it ain't easy, folks.
So as I was saying, the very fact that Sarah Palin had the gaul to invoked the phrase 'Death Panels' into our verbal lexicon to give her supporters something to chew on is appaling and shameful. The fact that there are individuals who show up to town meetings, which were intended to be a forum for public discourse and debate, with nazi images and make comparisons to the Third Reich, is beyond the realms of human stupidity and indolence. It's upsetting, but it's more amusing to me that people who are older than 5 years old think this type of behavior is accceptable in a democratic society. The reasoning seems to be ' I don't agree with you, so I'm throwing out the Nazi bomb and then running to my rat hole,' it just doesn't make sense.
In closing, I recall during the Bush years, administration officials were very selective about whom they let into town hall meetings and public rallies, i.e. no anti-Bush supporters. People decried this as undemocratic and unfair. In retrospect, it may not have been such a bad idea.
:-)
You see, the United States, or as they say in French, L'etats Unis - we need a better healthcare system, it's very straightforward - the one we have doesn't work, it hasn't worked in quite some time, and it needs to be overhauled. President Clinton asked his wife to fix it back in 1994, and the response to her idea was similar to her response to the poor student in the Congo whose question got misenterpreted. She got dissed, she was not well-liked, except there was nothing lost in translation in 1994 - the plan just didn't happen.
So we fast-forward to 2009, and yay we have a new President, and yay he's African-American, and yay his policies are socialist and similar to those of one A.Hitler of German fame...wait, what? Yeah, it doesn't make sense to me either. I guess, what happened, in a weird sort of way is, some people are just so upset that A) we have a Democrat in the White House B) he's black and C) he's smart so they can't relate to him, that they have to throw a summer long hissy fit about anything he does. His health care plan, and I am not going to explain it here, but if you want a really good, sensical explanation of it, check out Whitehouse.gov (I hope that's not a porn site), has been knocked down by conservatives, which is fair. What isn't fair, and I guess we owe this to Sarah Palin, because she's so stupid and pretty that no one knows what to do with her (I'm guessing they keep her around, hoping she might cheat on her husband with one of them), but I digress. What isn't fair, as I said - is this Hitler comparison. I understand that people may not like his health care policies - but as it turns out, most people don't like it because it has the word 'Obama' in it. Most of those people, when given an explanation of the policies, don't think it's so bad - and then its embarrassing because they have to turn around and go home and try to catch a cab with a swastika poster while wearing an SS uniform, it ain't easy, folks.
So as I was saying, the very fact that Sarah Palin had the gaul to invoked the phrase 'Death Panels' into our verbal lexicon to give her supporters something to chew on is appaling and shameful. The fact that there are individuals who show up to town meetings, which were intended to be a forum for public discourse and debate, with nazi images and make comparisons to the Third Reich, is beyond the realms of human stupidity and indolence. It's upsetting, but it's more amusing to me that people who are older than 5 years old think this type of behavior is accceptable in a democratic society. The reasoning seems to be ' I don't agree with you, so I'm throwing out the Nazi bomb and then running to my rat hole,' it just doesn't make sense.
In closing, I recall during the Bush years, administration officials were very selective about whom they let into town hall meetings and public rallies, i.e. no anti-Bush supporters. People decried this as undemocratic and unfair. In retrospect, it may not have been such a bad idea.
:-)
Monday, August 17, 2009
To Favre or To Vick... that is the question
To begin this tale, our protagonists are one Brett Favre and one Michael Vick. Now, the easiest thing for me to do is say that I don't think either of these men should be playing in the NFL anymore. One has retired too many times and ruined his legacy, the other has killed, maimed, and tortured dogs, and well... ruined his legacy, and you would think his chances of being a professional football player. But alas, we are confronted yet again, as preseason gets into full gear, with the prospect that both of these quarterbacks will be playing in the league again come September.
Let's start with Mr. Favre. He retired, and then he took it back, and then his team didn't want him, so he said 'ha! i'm going to the Jets' and he did go to the Jets, and he sucked sucked sucked! Okay, that's not true, but if you get a Hall of Fame quarterback on your team, you kinda sorta maybe hope that your season will end with the playoffs and some sort of trophy - oh but it didn't. As George Constanza once said 'But ya are in the shackles... aren't ya?"
So Brett led the Jets, and then he wasn't sure how his shoulder felt, since he is 87 and sometimes when you get that old your shoulder is like 'yeaaaah, no, - I don't wanna throw no more.' But that has not yet been good enough for Mr. Favre, you see he's so gosh darn competitive (egotistical) that he thinks he should always be playing, for whom it doesn't matter - he would even go so far as to play for his formers teams chief rival. Imagine if Larry Legend came out of retirement to play for the Lakers, just to spite them for his alleged 'mistreament,' how do you think that would go over? But Brett really wants to play, even though he says he doesn't and wants to spend time with his family - and by his family he means large men in cleats and athletic supporters who like meat. So, supposedly he might play, which means that he could play, and if we're all unlucky, he will play. I really hope he doesn't play, but on the bright side, if he does play, ESPN will actually have to do some real reporting and now just sleep outside his house waiting for news on if he will play again. I'm just sayin...
An aside: here is what may or may not be the conversation between Brett Favre's publicist and the good people at ESPN.
Publicist: Hi, is this ESPN? Hi, it's Brett's publicist, I was wondering if you had room on SportsCenter for a Brett story?
ESPN: Um... another one, didn't we just do one? Didn't he say he was retired and wasn't coming back?
Publicist: Well yeah, but that's just because sometimes he doesn't take his meds and he gets very undecisive, ya know? He's back on his meds and he's pretty sure he's coming back, so can we do a story on it?
ESPN: Yeah I guess so, but how do you know he's coming back? Is it for sure?
Publicist: Ha, is it for sure? when have we ever done anything for sure? anyway, we got two Vikings players to say that they know Brett will be back this season, and we' like to run with that.
ESPN: wait, 2 players, which 2 players, do we have names?
Publicist: Really? names? can you name 2 players on the Vikings, can anyone? Here, let's say Randy Moss and Daunte Culpepper suggested Brett might be playing or the Vikings this year.
ESPN: um, neither of those players play for the Vikings anymore, how about we say Sage Rosenfelds said it?
Publicist: Sage Rosenfels? are you serious, what kind of name it that for a football player, sounds more like that name of a rabbi? Did you make that up?
ESPN: no, that's his name, he's one of the Vikings starting quarterbacks.
Publicist: Sure he is, sure. Anyway, let's just say an unnamed source said that Brett may be playing this season, no need to go making up names.
ESPN: great, that sounds fine, we'll put it on the 6pm SportsCenter. Talk to you tomorrow.
And now for a word about Michael Vick. Mr. Vick was released from his 2-year prison sentence and re-instated into the league this summer, and then just last week signed with the Eagles as the backup QB. This is his second or third or fourth chance, who really knows, but needless to say, it is a hot topic in the NFL. I would say, and I have debated this, that he doesn't belong in the NFL. Yes, he did his time, but he also funded and committed heinous acts of cruelty towards dogs, and only showed remorse once he was looking at his life in an empty prison cell.
Some will say this is his second chance at life, and it is, but the issue is, isn't freedom the second chance, isn't not being in jail the second chance? I don't think that, necessarily, someone who tortured and killed animals deserved to be back in the NFL, even if they were in prison. I feel like Mr. Vick should have the opportunity to work again, and redeem himself, but that doesn't mean he should get his million dollar contract back. There was a sign on TV that said 'Give Vick a 2nd chance... Burger King is hiring." While comical, I feel that that reasoning rings true in this case. He has a second chance at life, of being free and getting the opportunity to come to terms with what he did and hopefully redeem himself. Playing in the NFL is a priviledge that few get, and most will tell you, once you make it to the NFL, it is your goal to stay there, because players come and go quite rapidly. Vick had his chance, and he blew it, and not only did he blow it, he did so while committing heinous acts against animals, and knowingly continued his behavior until he was arrested and sent to prison. So remorseful, sure. Seeking forgiveness and freedom? obviously. But reclaiming a role as a starting and/or back up quarterback upon your return to society - I feel like the boundaries for forgiving our athletes has been breached, and only time will tell how significant his return to society can be.
Let's start with Mr. Favre. He retired, and then he took it back, and then his team didn't want him, so he said 'ha! i'm going to the Jets' and he did go to the Jets, and he sucked sucked sucked! Okay, that's not true, but if you get a Hall of Fame quarterback on your team, you kinda sorta maybe hope that your season will end with the playoffs and some sort of trophy - oh but it didn't. As George Constanza once said 'But ya are in the shackles... aren't ya?"
So Brett led the Jets, and then he wasn't sure how his shoulder felt, since he is 87 and sometimes when you get that old your shoulder is like 'yeaaaah, no, - I don't wanna throw no more.' But that has not yet been good enough for Mr. Favre, you see he's so gosh darn competitive (egotistical) that he thinks he should always be playing, for whom it doesn't matter - he would even go so far as to play for his formers teams chief rival. Imagine if Larry Legend came out of retirement to play for the Lakers, just to spite them for his alleged 'mistreament,' how do you think that would go over? But Brett really wants to play, even though he says he doesn't and wants to spend time with his family - and by his family he means large men in cleats and athletic supporters who like meat. So, supposedly he might play, which means that he could play, and if we're all unlucky, he will play. I really hope he doesn't play, but on the bright side, if he does play, ESPN will actually have to do some real reporting and now just sleep outside his house waiting for news on if he will play again. I'm just sayin...
An aside: here is what may or may not be the conversation between Brett Favre's publicist and the good people at ESPN.
Publicist: Hi, is this ESPN? Hi, it's Brett's publicist, I was wondering if you had room on SportsCenter for a Brett story?
ESPN: Um... another one, didn't we just do one? Didn't he say he was retired and wasn't coming back?
Publicist: Well yeah, but that's just because sometimes he doesn't take his meds and he gets very undecisive, ya know? He's back on his meds and he's pretty sure he's coming back, so can we do a story on it?
ESPN: Yeah I guess so, but how do you know he's coming back? Is it for sure?
Publicist: Ha, is it for sure? when have we ever done anything for sure? anyway, we got two Vikings players to say that they know Brett will be back this season, and we' like to run with that.
ESPN: wait, 2 players, which 2 players, do we have names?
Publicist: Really? names? can you name 2 players on the Vikings, can anyone? Here, let's say Randy Moss and Daunte Culpepper suggested Brett might be playing or the Vikings this year.
ESPN: um, neither of those players play for the Vikings anymore, how about we say Sage Rosenfelds said it?
Publicist: Sage Rosenfels? are you serious, what kind of name it that for a football player, sounds more like that name of a rabbi? Did you make that up?
ESPN: no, that's his name, he's one of the Vikings starting quarterbacks.
Publicist: Sure he is, sure. Anyway, let's just say an unnamed source said that Brett may be playing this season, no need to go making up names.
ESPN: great, that sounds fine, we'll put it on the 6pm SportsCenter. Talk to you tomorrow.
And now for a word about Michael Vick. Mr. Vick was released from his 2-year prison sentence and re-instated into the league this summer, and then just last week signed with the Eagles as the backup QB. This is his second or third or fourth chance, who really knows, but needless to say, it is a hot topic in the NFL. I would say, and I have debated this, that he doesn't belong in the NFL. Yes, he did his time, but he also funded and committed heinous acts of cruelty towards dogs, and only showed remorse once he was looking at his life in an empty prison cell.
Some will say this is his second chance at life, and it is, but the issue is, isn't freedom the second chance, isn't not being in jail the second chance? I don't think that, necessarily, someone who tortured and killed animals deserved to be back in the NFL, even if they were in prison. I feel like Mr. Vick should have the opportunity to work again, and redeem himself, but that doesn't mean he should get his million dollar contract back. There was a sign on TV that said 'Give Vick a 2nd chance... Burger King is hiring." While comical, I feel that that reasoning rings true in this case. He has a second chance at life, of being free and getting the opportunity to come to terms with what he did and hopefully redeem himself. Playing in the NFL is a priviledge that few get, and most will tell you, once you make it to the NFL, it is your goal to stay there, because players come and go quite rapidly. Vick had his chance, and he blew it, and not only did he blow it, he did so while committing heinous acts against animals, and knowingly continued his behavior until he was arrested and sent to prison. So remorseful, sure. Seeking forgiveness and freedom? obviously. But reclaiming a role as a starting and/or back up quarterback upon your return to society - I feel like the boundaries for forgiving our athletes has been breached, and only time will tell how significant his return to society can be.
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