Dan Our future in this country depends highly upon our perception of life, and our perception is that life is cheap. We cannot say any lives matter if we are so willing to extinguish them. We cannot call for the end to violence, when we openly accept great violence inflicted upon the unborn. Modern culture is saturated in apathy for unborn life. We are living in a time where the selling of parts from aborted children could not rally everyone into protecting life. In another time, maybe it could have, but not today. Today abortions are just a part of everyday life and a punchline for comedic material. We cannot rally for lives if the lives in the womb are disregarded. When we degrade unborn children to being “parasites” and “clumps of cells,” we have so degraded life.
Our perception of life as a culture and a nation will determine how many bodies lie dead in the streets of Chicago and Philadelphia. It determines whether or not one expresses unconditional love or cruel indifference. Our perception must begin with the children in the womb.
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The media has spent a lot of time rehashing the scene, discussing logistics, and digging into the motives of the assailant in the attack on police last week in Dallas. As the process of laying the slain officers to rest begins, it seemed fitting to focus our attention on the actual victims of the tragedy.
Brent Thompson Dallas Area Rapid Transit Officer, 43 Born and raised in Corsicana, TX, Thompson spent his life in service. He enlisted in the U.S. Marines and served his country. He then worked for a contracted security firm as an international police liaison officer where he led operations in the training and counseling of Iraqi and Afghani police. Thompson rose up through local law enforcement, becoming a DART officer seven years ago. The first DART officer killed in the line of duty since the department’s inception, Thompson leaves behind his four daughters, two sons, and a wife he wed merely a month ago. At his service they spoke of his fun loving personality, devotion to his family, and respect for his job. He was laid to rest July 13, 2016. Patrick Zamarripa Dallas Police Department, 32 Zamarripa was a veteran, a father, and an avid supporter of law enforcement across the nation. His short life was devoted to service. His time in the U.S. Navy sent him on three tours in Iraq and those that served with him describe him as focused and dependable. Yet he yearned to be closer to home, so he left the Navy and returned to Texas. He told friends and family that he wanted to serve his community and took the steps to become a member of the Dallas Police Department five years ago. Zamarripa was one of the first names of the fallen officers released when his brother posted the news on Twitter. Pictures of him with family and friends have been circulated widely on social media this week. They have depicted his love for his children, partner, fellow officers, and now infamously, his favorite teams, the Texas Rangers and Dallas Cowboys. His services will be held July 16th. Michael Krol Dallas Police Department, 40 By all accounts, Krol wanted to serve as a police officer, but it took some time for him to realize his dream. He spent years as a correctional officer in his home state of Michigan and even time as a home healthcare worker. Finally Dallas answered his call and he was able to become the police officer he always wanted to be. He is survived by his longtime girlfriend, family, and friends who say was he living out the life and duty that called him. His mass will be held on July 15th before being laid to rest in Michigan. Lorne Arhens Dallas Police Department, 48 Arhens started his law enforcement career when he went to work for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. A former semipro football player, Arhens wanted to be a part of something larger, according to his family. He wanted to help his community and eventually joined the Dallas Police force in 2002. His family and friends spoke of his service and character at services on July 13th. Michael Smith Dallas Police Department, 55 Smith was a private man that led by example. A former Army Ranger, he was a fixture in his church community as the security guard always standing watch. He kept his family of faith and his immediate family close and protected. He joined the Dallas Police Department in 1989 and through his devoted service he received the most honorable “Cops’ Cop” Award from the Dallas Police Association. His family honors his most cherished accomplishment, that of his children and beloved wife. Services were held on July 13th. Andrew Lynch Quick, name something that people get crazy about very suddenly, obsessively track stats, trade components, battle each other, declare team allegiances, and talk about to the point of people wanting to duct tape their mouth shut.
Did you say fantasy sports? Oh, you said Pokemon Go? Because the answer I was looking for was fantasy sports. I would have also accepted fantasy football and fantasy baseball. Pokemon is an all ages franchise, why the hate? Pokemon came on the scene in the US very suddenly in 1998 (it was released in Japan in 1996, hence the 20 year anniversary celebrations taking place this year). It quickly became a hit among kids and teenagers and college students all alike, which may surprise many people. You see, Pokemon was released as an all ages game, as many Nintendo franchise games are. The Super Mario franchise is all ages, for example. But due to the pairing of an anime series that was largely geared for children, the entire franchise became viewed as being for children. But was that a worthy idea? Let's review the aspects of a Pokemon game: you wander a virtual landscape capturing "pocket monsters" that are used to battle other trainers. You get stronger the more you win, and you can collect a variety of different kinds. In the games, you have a team of 6. But you have to consider the dynamics of what you carry with you. In the original games, there were 15 "types." Types such as electric, fire, grass, water, ice, etc. Fire could take down grass, grass could beat water, water destroyed fire. Electric could beat water, but was ineffective against grass. Ice could easily beat grass, but would lose to fire. This got very complicated. Much like one needs to consider the dynamics of a sports team, players had to consider what types to include in a limited roster, and what they brought to the table. Because on top of the types, there were only four attacks/moves any Pokemon could know out of quite a few they might learn. Sounds complicated, doesn't it? I won't even touch on the underlying dynamics of their stats and how each one was different and you had to care about "value training.” Is this the kind of strategizing you expect from a kids game? Or is it the dynamic of something that offers fun to younger kids and more challenging dynamics to the older? In the above, is there anything objectively childish about the game? No. There's not. It is perceived as childish due to aesthetics and the fact that it appeals to kids as well. But do we consider Pixar movies childish? Is Wall-E a kids' movie only? Or the Toy Story trilogy? The Incredibles? They all appeal to kids and their aesthetic is for children, but they are for all ages as well. Every football season, millions of adults get involved in a fantasy football. What do they do in fantasy football? Collect players to form a team, battle each other, and try to win to be the best. They obsess over player statistics, the people their players are going against, the teams they are facing. It is the same game as Pokemon, with American Football as the skin instead. Perhaps you may view that as acceptable because children are not playing fantasy football and it is pure strategy. I will suggest that we should reconsider the nation's obsession with college sports as well, then. The majority of college sports fans do not play the sport they are a fan of. They consume it at home or at the stadium. They declare team affiliations and get very involved in the culture, yet it is entirely played by older teenagers and upperclassmen. These people are all vastly younger than many fans of said sports. Pokemon may not be for everyone. And it shouldn't be. You can enjoy what you like. You should enjoy what you like. You should also let people enjoy the things they like, too. Last night I walked out to a nearby college campus to my home. It was 11:30 PM at night and my internet went down, preventing me from watching another episode of Agents of SHIELD. Figured why not some late night Pokemon Go playing. I ran into a diverse group of 100+ people playing the game, hanging out, and having fun. Socializing. Walking. Exercising. Oh, right, you see Pokemon Go requires physical movement and interaction with people in the real world. I guess that's something fantasy sports fans haven't figured out how to do yet. Now if you'll pardon me, I have an egg that needs 10km of walking to be hatched. I'll keep enjoying my thing, maybe you should just enjoy yours. |
MisfitsJust a gaggle of people from all over who have similar interests and loud opinions mixed with a dose of humor. We met on Twitter. Archives
January 2024
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