Was it tebowing which got two basketball players beat up?

So lately, it seems a popular fad is to go “Tebowing” during sporting events. Because, y'know, God® is such a big sports fan... First off, let me say that, personally, I don't give a rat's ass what Tim Tebow – or any other athlete – does on the sidelines. I don't care if they wanna pray, sit there quietly, sacrifice a goat or have an orgy. Believe it or not, there are bigger issues in my world and some football stars personal rituals are no more a part of that world than any of the drama of the Kardashians. I find it all silly.

So, earler today, as reported on FOX News two basketball players were allegedly beaten by players from a rival team for “tebowing.” At least that's what the mother of one of the players says. Of course, since there's a religious connection to all of this, people on the web are going right along and the ensuing commentary is taking it all as if it's a hate crime.

Of course, it had to be for tebowing. Obviously, right? Because – obviously again - HER baby boy would NEVER have talked smacked to an opposing player during the game SHE raised him better than that! OBVIOUSLY. This must be due to those evil atheists and their war on religion. Oh LORDY LORDY! These two poor persecuted souls are beaten up for expressing their faith during a game and not because of anything they might've said to students from a rival school!

I bet the assailants from that other team were baby-eating atheists. I bet, as they lie in wait for these two innocent, virtuous, saintly high-school children they were probably just cleaning the last few scraps of baby meat off of some baby bones while waiting to hurt these two innocent little kids. Right? A mother just knows these sorts of things and besides that's what he told her and would her baby lie?

Nah! Of course not. It has to be because these two were praying. It can't be due to any other sort of behavior on the parts of these two poor innocent waifs who were just going outside where there were no adults present to get a fresh breath of the Lord's air – not smoking a cigarette or pot or anything like that. It has to be due to their tebowing during the game. Sounds legit to me!


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Baby Lisa Irwin: Police behavior is bizarre - Video

CRIME COMMENTARY | Little 10-month-old Lisa Irwin is on the minds of Americans everywhere lately. We'd all like to keep the hope for this little tyke making it home safe and sound to her parents, but so far, no luck in the search. While some of us point out how strange her story sounds, stranger things have happened before and unless investigators find something concrete which belies a baby's murder, I'm still hoping the parents aren't killers.

Even stranger than Deborah Bradley and Jeremy Irwin's story of how their child came up missing is the behavior of investigators, at least to this blogger. After reading the story here, from ABC News, there seems to be a good number of questions remaining for those of us following the story. Those questions aren't directed towards the parents, but rather, law enforcement. This isn't meant to give the police a hard time whatsoever. I'm sure this scene is as emotionally draining for them as it is for those of us following along.

In the report, police are quoted as having noticed "(a) garden area with portions of dirt having an appearance of being recently disturbed or overturned." Why, oh why have they not dug the spot up? If they're really suspicious of foul play, then leave no stone unturned. In noticing this “recently disturbed or overturned” spot in the garden, did the cadaver dogs show any interest? If not, then why mention it? Are police trying the couple in the media?

Police are also repeatedly pointing out Ms. Bradley's “inconsistent story.” Why keep hammering on that point? Jeez. They were talking to the police and probably scared of being seen as “bad parents” for her having been drunk after putting the baby to bed. No crime to have “grown-up time” after the kids are asleep. Besides, anyone who's ever had the misfortune to talk to police knows how high-pressure and ridiculous cops can be. They watch cop shows and really believe what they hear about going on “gut instinct.” Officers, please remember, “gut instinct” is crap and you're not psychic.



Finally, as readers will learn in the video above, a total of three eye-witnesses in two different scenarios report seeing a similarly-described man carrying a baby in the early morning hours the night the bay came up missing. These witnesses are from multiple households and each description is strikingly similar enough to one another. While police say they've followed up on those accounts, their focus seems to stay on the parents being persons of interest. How about investigating these claims thoroughly, officers? One of these accounts is from a family living just three houses down from the Irwin/Bradley residence. The eye-witness account closest to the home is also the earliest in the time-line of events that morning. Odds are good there's no conspiracy to shield baby killers here. We may all still be reeling from the shock of Casey Anthony, but let's try finding the baby first.

I'd love to hear my readers thoughts on the case.

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Scott Dekraai: Can we learn anything from the tragedy?

The news came in about 41-year-old Scott Dekraai killing his ex-wife and seven others in the town of Seal Beach, California on October 12th, 2011. Dekraai entered the Salon Meritage and opened fire. When he was done, a total of six women and two men were dead and one critically wounded. It's the kind of story which proves to me, I made the right choice in my own divorce.

Divorce is a nasty, ugly business, especially when there are kids involved. Custody battles get vicious and it seems the only individuals profiting through all of the pain are the divorce attorneys. In this report the points are shared of Dekraai suffering from bi-polar disorder as well as PTSD from an accident at work which took the life of a co-worker. But there are lots of people dealing with mental illness, going through divorce and just altogether screwed up. These points alone do not usually drive someone to kill.

While the world mourns this terrible event, might we also ask ourselves if this was avoidable? Sure, hind-sight is 20/20. We always seem to come up with the relevant facts afterward, huh? I'm not talking about gun control. California already has the strictest gun laws in America and that did not stop Scott Dekraai. And no bumpkins need to scream for the death penalty. California has that too. None of these facts stopped a needless killing.

I'm not defending Dekraai killing anyone. To take up arms and kill another human being for any reason other than defense against an imminent threat is one of the most heinous acts anyone can perform. I'm not even going to suggest Ms. Fournier deserved this kind of death. Even if she did, her co-workers – those others in Salon Meritage, they did not. I'm just taking the non-emotional, unpopular, politically incorrect position of saying there's more to this than meets the eye. There always is. Reporters can only take one position on a story. So, there's no way anyone can cover all angles.

Near the end of the article there's one paragraph which speaks to a little of Dekraai's side of the story. It reads: “Dekraai said in court documents that his ex-wife had poor parenting skills and a drinking problem. She called him several times a day, Dekraai said, often screaming at him over the phone and in front of their son. He said she addressed him by an expletive instead of his name and made racist references to his current wife.” I'm just not convinced the late Michelle Fournier was so sweet and innocent, myself.

Those of us going through a divorce know exactly what I'm talking about: the little “revenges” we commit against one another; our skills at making the ex sound “evil;” our cruelty to someone we used to love. Why do we do that crap to each other? Once a marriage is over, there is no further need for the fights. These little attacks we use on each other, in an attempt to make the other behave the way we desire – they're pointless. They're vicious, cruel and evil. It's not that Dekraai's response was any less evil, mind you. But what kind of a nightmare was it which could make a man willing to throw it all away and kill people?

Maybe after this latest story of one man losing it, we divorcees can learn to not be so damned vicious to each other. Maybe we can stop using our children as human shields and bargaining chips. Maybe, just maybe, we can all learn that when a marriage fails we can end the hostilities. There's no score to settle after a divorce. If we could just be human to each other, there might be no more of a need for this kind of nightmare.

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Vancouver PD and rioters clash; police bring in tear gas and flashbangs

Canucks fans and Vancouver police clashed earlier in response to demands by citizens calling for military involvement, if law enforcement is unable to stop the rioters. But the question arises: Why aren't citizens calling for -demanding- the riotehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifrs themselves quit behaving like fools? Why are Canadians so angry at law cops for what their jug-headed neighbors are doing? So what, if Boston has the trophy? Is it worth all of this wasteful, damaging idiocy? You should all be ashamed!

According to a CTV video on CTVBC.ctv.ca, we hear a report on the mass upset felt, by police inability to quiet the riot. Some call for Canadian government officials to call in the military.

They didn't bring in these guys.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Photographer: Glen Larson

As of 11:15 p.m., local time (PDT), police were responding to rioters with tear gas and flash-bangs, rather than tolerate those who would flip over a car and damage other property, over something so fleeting as a trophy. Perhaps a bit of tuning up all actors with one wallop, could perhaps make those “not-really-so-brave” others, think a bit on their actions.

It's a just a game trophy, for crying out loud! Whomever it was who first suggested damaging any property whatsoever, should face charges. If it's hundreds of Canadians, so be it.

Patriot Depot

Sgt. Joseph Boziecevich convicted for double murder of fellow soldiers

It's a sad day for all Americans, when one of our military personnel are involved with any sort of criminal activity. Sadly, Sgt. Joseph Boziecevich is just such a case. While only one soldier is responsible for these crimes, such events reflect on all of our military, and the United States as a whole.

According to WSAV.com, out of Georgia, a military court has ruled Sgt Boziecevich guilty of Uniform Code of Military Justice, section 118, in gunning down two of his fellow soldiers on September 14th, 2008, for criticizing his battle performance during a tour in Iraq. The shooting occurred at a patrol station in Iraq.

One of the murdered soldiers, Sgt. Wesley Durbin of Dallas, Texas, was to take Boziecivich's place in battle. The other soldier who was gunned down was Staff Sgt. Darris Dawson of Pensacola, Florida, who was shot for his criticism of Boziecevich's performance, after a heated argument. Although sentencing has not been determined yet, the convicted soldier could face the death penalty for his crimes.

In a report from Savannahnow.com, no other soldiers from his unit could confirm such details, defense attorneys in the case portrayed his actions as self-defense, and that he only fired on the two other soldiers after they had both placed rifles against his head. It was Sgt. 1st Class John Dresel who testified that he tackled Boziecivich to the ground after seeing him shoot Dawson.

In this case, both the prosecutors and the defense took a two-week time frame to lay out their case, while the all-military jurors deliberated over a two-day period.

While there may be many who applaud the soldier's conviction, eyewitness accounts are notoriously unreliable. Opponents of the death penalty will probably act to get Boziecevich's sentence commuted to a life term, rather than face execution, for a conviction based on eyewitness accounts alone. Regardless of the sentencing decision, the families of everyone involved are the ones suffering the most.

Originally published (for the most part) on Gather News.

Patriot Depot

Crime commentary can wear on a writer's soul April A to Z challenge April 4th, 2011 “C”

Crime commentary can prove to be a difficult topic to write on, in short time. Wanting an established career as a crime commentary news writer for a major news outlet, and actually doing it, are two completely different things for any hopeful writer. While the obvious benefit of highly newsworthy links being published is obvious, sometimes the topics covered are disturbing, to say the least. Enduring a non-stop feed of bad news – even if only part-time – is an unimaginably tiresome burden. Before setting off into a career of writing on crime commentary, readers would be wise to focus on remaining emotionally detached from the news feeds.

Normally, the rational adult human mind powering the actions of an ambitious writer can be stunned by haunting images from reading a few too many stories of parents hurting their own children, strangers stealing and murdering entire families, and atrocities on foreign shores costing the lives of thousands sometimes.

Can an ambitious writer hope to publish along the lines of crime commentary, without growing a jaded outer candy shell? Well, sure, but then, why would anyone want to? It's good to mature, and to learn to only share what's been confirmed, relay the details, and avoid the emotional scarring that can be brought on. The safest and surest way a news writer can avoid emotional impact from the constant feed of bad news is to remain emotionally distant to the words on the screen.

Writing news with the twists necessary for a crime writing career requires reading the topics with an emotional distance. If it's at all possible, a purging of the mind of the news making names will best help workers to keep their private minds separate from their work minds.

In particular, a news writer going through any sort of personal trauma such as divorce, recent death, illness should refrain from covering news topics similar to the contributor's private life. Eventually, the topic will be easily covered. But, for the time being, keep a private life and work topics separate.

Originally published on the Y! Contributor Network