Opinion Archives
These are from my past opinions, feel free to comment or respond to any of them by using the form to the left. I will publish your comment or response if I think it's worthwhile.
My June opinion titled "Cry Baby" generated more feedback than all the other opinions combined - over 5000 email comments. The majority agreed. There were a couple who resorted to name calling which, after 22 years in the wrestling ring, and being called every nasty name in the book, didn't bother me. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
Click on the one you want to read
March 2001:
|
|
April 2001:
|
|
May 2001
|
|
June 2001:
|
|
July 2001:
|
|
August 2001:
|
|
September 2001:
|
|
October 2001:
|
|
November 2001:
|
|
February 2002:
|
|
April 2002:
|
|
May 2002:
|
|
June 2002:
|
|
August 2002:
|
|
October 2002
|
|
 |
|
January, 2003
|
|
February, 2003
|
|
March 2003
|
|
May 2003
|
|
March 2001
THE 'N' WORD
You all know what I'm referring to. I will not spell it out. I have never, nor will I ever use that word, even though it's been a part of my life since day one. What pisses me off to no end is those of you out there who do use it. This isn't just a 'white' thing. This is to my brothers & sisters who use that word in normal conversation in reference to each other.
I'm from the generation of the civil rights movement (as are most of your parents and grandparents), where that word was never spoken in any conversation. That word was put upon us to denigrate and shame us, make us hate who we are. Yet, you throw it around to each other like a term or endearment, particularly you young rappers and actors (some not so young who should know better), screen writers, producers and directors.
I grew up fighting for everything I got. Discrimination and segregation in reality is suppose to be against the law, but we, who have suffered this indignity for generations realize that it alive, and deviously underlying in all walks of life today. The African American was brought to North America in chains and taught to hate all that Africa represented, our names, language, looks, beliefs and our culture. The 'N' word was put upon us not as a compliment or an endearing reference, but as a put down to make us feel less than human.
Less than 30 years ago, we were given the 'right' to be considered as full fledged citizens of this country and to have you, knuckle head rappers believing that to promote your talent and art is to use that word in your lyrics is ludicrous. It shows a lack of respect on your part to yourselves and your ancestors, who, had to struggle and/or die fighting for the rights that you take for granted. You haven't a clue got a clue what you are saying. There is no other race or culture, on the face of this earth, who degrade themselves like my young brothers and sisters of the African American race.
So many young people today have sold their pride for a record contract or movie deal. There are movies featuring (and some written by) African Americans where the 'N' word is used 100 times within the first five minutes. You can't blame the white man for all your problems, they aren't the ones forcing you to use that word, that is your choice.
I feel you are ashamed of what and who you are. I know who I am and proud of it. All the years in this business, knowing there's discrimination against me and my people had not kept me from holding my head high and never allowing anyone black or white, to utter that word in my presence.
Using the 'N' word is not cool. Using the 'N' word just portrays your ignorance.
Bad News Allen
A comment from D.M. in California
I completely agree.
I am biracial. My mother and father met in Biloxi Mississippi during the height of the civil rights movement. To say the least, a white lady and a black man having a child together and being in the public eye was no picnic for them. My dad led the first wade-ins on the white beach only areas in Mississippi. People beat him with chains, and he was hauled off to jail because he was black. He was a part of sit ins. He got hot coffee down his back.
I used to ask my dad why a lot of the black kids I saw called each other the "N" word. To me, it was the most painful thing I've ever been called, yet these kids throw it around like it's a nick name. My dad told me it's because they're ignorant.
All my life, I've been called names because I'm too white, or too black. It's been very painful.
Through the pain, I've seen life through different eyes. I feel that I can see the whole picture that not a lot of people can see clearly. The down side, is that I feel I can't relate to anyone. I feel like I'm my own race.
I feel that all the "gangsta" rappers have taken a huge part in dumbing down a large percentage of pre teen and teen African American males. The message they teach is anything goes.. destroy and plunder. Who ever beats their chest loudest, has all the money and the "bitches" is the king of the world.
As a teenager, people called me a white boy when I didn't want to fight. If I tried to talk my way out of a confrontation. By emulating the idiocy that's in a lot of movies and rap videos, some folks say it's "keeping it real." It's actually spitting on people like my mother and father that had to fight for the right to sit in a restaurant and eat, or use the bathroom. My dad was the only black doctor at his hospital,and he couldn't even eat with he other doctors!!
They disgrace his struggle and all others that went through those times, to give them the freedom they take for granted. They totally screw up the way black people are perceived by the rest of the world. Now, it's in fashion for white kids to call themselves the "N" word. Pure lunacy. I'll never be able to say that word comfortably, and I'll never live up to the description.
April, 2001
W.B.G. (Wanna Be Gangsters)
I've been fortunate in my life, the real sport of Judo and pro-wrestling entertainment, enabled me to travel all over the world many times. I saw how other people in different cultures live. What strikes me the most is how our young brothers and sisters of African decent, in the USA have lost their way and are living day to day in a fog of self hatred and disregard. They have no respect for who they are.
The W.B.G's are running wild with guns of all types, killing each other off left right and center. These W.B.G's have no idea what the word GENOCIDE means. There's no need for the pointed headed, sheet wearing, ride by night cowards that call themselves the Klu Klux Klan or the disgusting, idiotic skin heads & white supremacists, our very own W.B.G's are doing the job for those hate mongers. These W.B.G punks are out here shooting each other over the most trivial things - "you stepped on my shoe", "you dissed me", "you looked at my bitch", "I want your jacket", "your wearing the wrong colors", "you're in the wrong neighborhood", The fight for freedom was to be able to eat anywhere, go to school anywhere, to walk, work and live anywhere. What gives those W.B.G's the right to dictate that a street belongs to them?
What does it take for those knuckle heads, those W.B.G's to wake up and realize what they are doing? There are no decent schools or teachers in W.B.G's neighborhoods, they don't even own businesses in their own neighborhoods, but yet on any street corner they can find any type of weapon you can imagine. Who gets rich off the sales of these weapons? You can bet it's not anyone in the African American communities. Who benefits most from the murder and destruction of our youth? Not anyone in the African American community. There are people out there that are thrilled to see our young brother and sisters killing each other off. Hitler would have embraced them while they killed each other off and once accomplished they too would have been killed. Why not just join a group like the KKK or the Aryan Nation, they want to destroy the Black man just like the W.B.G's.
Those ignorant W.B.G's are trying to emulate what they see in the movies, their heroes are right out of the Godfather Movie where the Mafia would drive by and shoot someone in the most cowardly way imaginable. Why would those idiots want to imitate the very same group of people that in that particular movie, stated how they were going to dump all their drugs in the black neighborhoods, a quote from that very movie "Let them loose their soles they're nothing but animals anyway". So why emulate those morons?
Once you pull that trigger and take somebody's life, not only have you killed another human being you've also helped to destroy our people and your life is destroyed because 99.9% chance is you're gonna get caught and spend your life in prison catering for your new husband and cellmate "Big Bubba", or you're going to have another knuckle head looking to avenge the life you took and take your life from you.
I was brought up in a time when we all looked out for each other, there were no W.B.G's killing each other off. A time when, if you saw the old lady from down the street with a big bag of groceries, you helped her home you didn't steal her groceries or rob her or beat her down or pull a gun on her. How and why did all these guns wind up in our neighborhoods? No other race in the United States has this problem, only the African American race. We have to stop this self hatred and self destruction, that's all W.B.G's represent. Too many people have lost their lives over the immaturity and ignorance of the W.B.G's.
The real "cool dudes" and the real "tough guys" are the ones who get an education and help to build a better life not destroy it. What does it take for you fools to wake up? Are you waiting until there's no one left to kill? Look at the damage you're done to yourselves and your neighborhoods, wake up my young brothers and sisters, the gangster life is a dead end.
The most powerful thing on your body is not big guns or arms or chests, it's your brain and how you develop it.
Bad News Allen
May 2001
DRUGS
This month's opinion is really hard for me. This subject is close to my heart and something that I don't like to think about, but it is unfortunately, a part of life.
One of the worst things a parent can experience in their lifetime is the death of a child. My story isn't much different that thousands of others. I've seen the destruction DRUGS have done to my family and continues to do to other families. I am the father of nine children and the grandfather to 18 grandchildren, as long as I live I will never forget the early morning of May 30, 1998. The phone rang at 2 a.m. and the Doctor's words "I have some bad news Mr. Coage, your daughter Dawn was brought into the hospital a few hours ago for a DRUG overdose and she died". When I hung up the phone my heart was in my throat. One of the hardest things I've ever done was to tell my wife that we lost our daughter, to DRUGS.
This story has played out so many times in North America and it makes me angry that DRUG users don't realize the deadliness of what they are doing to themselves. DRUGS are not cool or hip or a harmless good time. DRUGS are death and destruction, heartache and devastation to the user and everyone who loves that user. We've lost almost an entire generation of young people, taken away before their time because they've lacked the strength and the will power to say no to the evilness of DRUGS.
My heart breaks everyday thinking about Dawn, knowing that she could have had a great future, a long life and perhaps accomplished great thing. Instead, some slick talking asshole came into her life and stuck a needle in her arm, convincing her that it would benefit her. It's a shame that she was the type of person, so willing to please her friends and too weak to say no, to any bad path they led her down. More than anything in this world I wish she had my strength.
When I worked for the WWF a lot of the wrestlers didn't like me because I went my own way. I refused to fall into the snake pit that they were in. Whether they liked me or not didn't matter to me. I saw the damage DRUGS caused and I was not about to let some brainless idiot try to convince me any different. I've heard a thousand times "You don't know until you try it", but I've also never put six bullets in a gun, held it to my head and pulled the trigger, because I know what the outcome would be.
Putting DRUG addicts in jail is not the answer. They have a substance addiction and should be treated foe that no matter how long it takes. That could clean out the prisons for the real scum bags who belong there, the dealers, importers and all who profit from this poison, including the politicians who have a piece of that pie (and protect the scum bags). They are responsible for the DRUG epidemic in North America and should be made to pay for it.
The spineless cock roaches that are peddling the DRUGS in my eyes, are the real enemies of this country, not Russia or China or Cuba. The scum bags on the street corners and the importers that supply them are the ones we should be at war with. I will never change my opinion on this subject. If I had my way, I'd line up all the dealers and suppliers of DRUGS and hang them by the neck with barbed wire until they were dead.
Everyday I look at my grandson Jamal (he was born 2 weeks after, to the day of Dawn's death), so happy and full of life, and it breaks my heart knowing that Dawn will never get to enjoy one second of this beautiful child's life. It tears me up to see the sadness in my wife's eyes at the loss of our beautiful daughter. They say that time heals all wounds, that a load of crap. I will never, for the rest of my life, ever get over the loss.
I hope, that just one DRUG user out there reading this, will wake up and realize the dead end street they are traveling. Life is too precious to be thrown away on DRUGS.
Bad News Brown
To our beautiful daughter Dawn, we love you and miss you so much.
|
Dawn Cherise Coage
April 18, 1974 - May 30, 1998
to read Dawn's story click on her picture
|
June 2001
Vince McMahon:
The New Emperor of Pro wrestling
|
|
During my many years of pro wrestling (and many years in Judo) I've always found, that worldwide competition made you a better competitor. I would think that in business the same principals would apply. The more competition in your field of endeavor, the better the product you turn out in the end because, you are fighting for your place in the market. Just the idea that the spineless coach roach and egotistical maniac Vince McMahon now controlling all the big money and top talent in wrestling should be a nightmare to everyone involved in this business.
Pro wrestling in the WWF, no longer has much to do with actual wrestling. All the new, good talent that comes to the WWF has to be equipped with some stupid gimmick. There are so many young talented guys today that are not given the opportunity to display their wrestling ability and if they don't have a stupid gimmick (or the office can't think of one) they're put on the shelf, if nothing comes up they're let go. When I first started wrestling, there were 33 different territories (all with their own TV & stars), which enabled talent to experience various styles, skills and platforms which was advantageous to honing their craft. Today, without the competition of other promotions, there aren't many places for that new young talent to go.
Vince McMahon has not only told the world that pro wrestling is sports entertainment, but he's shown the world by climbing into the ring with his entire family. Now, in control of both the WWF and the WCW he has an even bigger vehicle to further stroke his inflated ego. Currently in the WWF he is involved in every major angle that requires no acting skills whatsoever, he actually is what you see.
Vince made millions of dollars in this business but unfortunately it didn't filter down to the actual talent that made his company so successful. Japan has a wrestling union, which was set up so that the talent, which helped to make a company successful, would get their equal share of the profit. During my stint with the WWF, it wasn't at all like that. The only ones who had medical/dental plans and profit sharing were the office staff and some of his closest brown nosing lackeys. If a wrestler got injured they didn't get paid, didn't qualify for any benefits and their families starved. There were no guaranteed contracts. When the WCW rose and emerged as aggressive competition, Vince was forced into giving guaranteed contracts (as they did) in order to compete for the best talent. The wrestlers who worked their ass' off traveling from town to town, filling the arenas and wallets of the promoter were finally sharing in the wealth. Now, I'm willing to bet the farm that Vince will go back to his old habits and the talent, along with the fans, will suffer. There will no longer be choices. I fear that now, with Vince in complete control, the days of the million dollar contracts for pro wrestlers will become a thing of the past.
Unfortunately, in pro wrestling, without the protection of a union, nine out of ten wrestlers will accept all his terms in fear of losing their jobs and the accolades that come with it. Already he is trying to cut the contracts that were signed in good faith with the WCW. He's offering chump change compared to what they were previously making. Eventually, I'm sure, that if he stays in control, he will go back to what he considers the good old days (60's) were you were paid $25 per match and responsible for your own expenses. If pro wrestling was a real sport and not sports entertainment, he would not be allowed to have a monopoly. It would be illegal and would wind up in court like Microsoft or Standard Oil.
So, what does the future hold for pro wrestling? Soon the story lines will become redundant, leaving nothing for the fans to look forward to. Without competition there is no longer a need to be creative, original or a better product. Unemployed, gimmick less talent will sit at home and watch Vince put himself (and family) over. It's just a matter of time before Vince becomes the new world champion (something his father never permitted him).
Question: Have you ever known of any other wrestling promoter in history who had his own fan club?
Bad News Allen
A comment from E.M.
I agree with you totally. This buyout, for wrestlers, was a very bad deal. Let's face it, either you do it Vince's way or hit the highway. With no choices left but WWF most guys will have to take pay cuts and the bull along with it just to feed their families. That is if course Vince pays them enough. I know a lot of these guys have other talents to survive in the world after wrestling, but why have their dreams stripped from them from this idiot and force them from what they really love to do. I admit also that this one company deal also hurts the show and the fans, but I'm more concerned for the wrestlers and their families. That is the real issue here and that is as straight forward as I can put it to you.
Thanks for your column and take it easy.
July, 2001
The Money Of Color
|
|
Athletes, salaries & bigotry, those three words fit together in today's society. I have listened to people outside of pro sports bitch and complain about athletes salaries for far too long. From that, I've come to the conclusion that it's the money of color that really piss' everyone off.
The Emancipation Proclamation "That on the 1st day of January, A.D. 1863, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.
Unfortunately, up until a few years ago, pro athletes in football, baseball and basketball were literally slaves until free agency gave them their freedom. Before free agency those athletes had no say in their careers at all. Team owners (all whites at that time) BOUGHT them straight out of college, dictated where they played and for how long before they were SOLD to another team. SOLD with absolutely no say whatsoever in the matter. Free agency changed all of that and with free agency came multi million dollar contracts. Today, in the three above mentioned sports, minorities dominate and because of that fact their salaries have become a topic of negative discussion. Fans, reporters, talk show hosts, etc., bitch and complain about the money of color.
Babe Ruth, who really wasn't the greatest baseball player and definitely not a good role model, was praised and congratulated because he made more money than the President of the United States. Everyone was so happy for Babe Ruth. When Dodgers pitcher Kevin Brown (Caucasian by the way) signed a contract for 100 million dollars, everyone jumped for joy, "how brilliant", "he deserves it", "what a man!" When Shaquille O'Neal signed a 7 year contract for 12 million per year, the negative feedback was disgusting. Shaquille O'Neil plays basketball everyday, Kevin Brown pitches once every 4 days so why does one deserve and not the other? They both deserve it.
As early as grammar school these pro athletes worked hard, trained hard, and made sacrifices to become the best in their field. It takes skill to hit a small hard ball coming toward you at a speed equivalent to 100 miles per hour with a small stick. It takes skill to stand behind the 3 point line and get the ball in the basket. It takes skill to get in front of a line of 11 big guys who want to take your head off for that pigskin. Only the best excel. Not just anyone can do it, certainly not you fat, lazy, bitching, beer drinking, junk food eating, laying on the couch nose picking and ass scratching, beer bellied sharecroppers! Put your money where your mouth is and show me what you can do.
Why aren't you complaining about the money the white owners of these teams are making? The billions of dollars they rake in off of the players talent. They sit in their fancy box seats eating caviar and drinking champagne watching others fill their bank accounts. Yet no one complains about their overstuffed wallets. What about the colleges and high schools? Slave and master. The schools are the masters and the athletes are the slaves. In school, athletes don't get paid. Yet billions of dollars are made off their blood sweat and tears, TV contracts, merchandising, the sale of advertising etc.,. but where's your big mouthed bigoted opinion? It's on the money of color.
In pro football today, on artificial turf, the average career of a football player is three years. The owners don't care that the artificial turf is like falling on cement, the owners are too cheap to pay for the upkeep of grass field that would extend the players careers by years. In basketball and baseball the average career is 9 or 10 years, then the player is discarded, someone new takes their place and the team owners rake in millions off that new player. So what becomes of that discarded player then? Most pro athletes weren't given a proper education, some read and write at a sixth grade level. They were pushed through grades because of their athletic ability, and the mighty dollar that the schools earned off of that ability.
I agree with those who say teaches should be making big money to educate. Nurses, Doctors and caregivers should be making big bucks for healing. Cops (even though I don't like them) should be making big bucks for protecting us, as should firemen who risk their lives for us.
The money of color is not just an issue in pro sports but also in life in general. I hear no one complain about the cofounder of Microsoft, Bill Gates and his 50 billion dollars. Bill Gates has been called the richest man in the world - total lie. The Sultan of Brunei is the richest man in the world but he's never mentioned - the excuse - he's a dictator. Who the hell cares. It doesn't change the fact that he is THE richest man in the world but, he's not white so again it's the money of color.
I've heard complaints about the 15 million the Rock is getting for his movie. I don't hear the same about Stallone, or Travolta, or Willis. Where's your big mouth on Ted Turner, Vince McMahon or Donald Trump? Vince McMahon makes millions promoting sexism, racism, family violence, child abuse, adultery, and sexual harassment and you accept it. You willingly pay for it. You take your small children to the events, you let them watch it on TV and it doesn't even enter your small minds what affect all of it has on your children. But Vince McMahon is a white man so it's okay.
OJ Simpson, black, rich, famous, good looking and accused of committing the "crime of the century" which placed him in the "trial of the century". Just what the hell was Adolf Hitler? Hitler ordered the slaughter of millions of white people, unspeakable atrocities were committed under his rule - should that not be the "crime of the century"? Shouldn't the Nuremberg trial be the "trial of the century"? Again it's the money of color that breeds such contempt.
So, the next time you want to bitch about an athlete's salary, be honest about it. Recognize that your true feeling of outrage is simply bigoted jealously at the money of color.
Bad News Allen
Congratulations to
China
host of the 2008 Olympics
|
August 2001
Hypocrisy
During the bid for the 2008 Olympics, it was stated that "China's human rights record could enter the equation, with memories of the 1989 massacre of student protesters in Tiananmen Square and more recent crackdowns on the Falun Gong spiritual movement."
This of course came from the biggest human rights violators in the world, the United States of America - hypocrisy! The IOC put aside human rights concerns in making their historic decision, hoping to foster further change in the world's most populous country. I was pleased that for once the IOC did not let the US dictate what they (IOC) should or shouldn't do and China was awarded the games. China struggled for many many years to rid themselves of foreign influence and the exploitation by their American and European allies to gain their independence. That piss' off the United States because they no longer have control over that country (which they shouldn't have had in the first place). The US should concentrate on cleaning up their own back yard.
In 1967, Winnipeg, Canada, at the Pan American Games, (the site where I won my first gold medal) all the countries in the western hemisphere were invited to participate including Cuba. Everyone got along well (no politics involved). Two weeks later in Salt Lake City Utah (where I competed in my first world judo championship) the US waving their flag of hypocrisy invited the communist countries, Russia, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, & Poland. Three countries were refused entrance, Cuba, North Korea and Mainland China - talk about double standards. Just what type of communist do you have to be before gaining acceptance by the US???
The US is quick to point an accusatory finger at whomever they happen to disagree with, where was that finger when the Olympics were in Nazi Germany in 1936? There was no fuss made. In 1932 the US held the Olympics, a time when a minority race couldn't even drink from certain fountains, sit in the front of a bus, eat at 99% of the restaurants, or sleep in the majority of hotels. Was there a fuss about human rights violations from other countries? No. The 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta didn't draw human rights protests from other countries. The Amnesty International report cited:
In the USA many of the unarmed suspects shot by police were members of ethnic minority groups, and consistent reports point to a pattern of abuses in which race and ethnicity play a crucial role. Police brutality, deaths in custody and ill-treatment in prisons and jails were reported.
US authorities continued to violate international standards protecting children.
A wide range of human rights concerns including the death penalty, police brutality, prison and jail conditions and the treatment of refugees.
There was widespread concern that many police forces unfairly targeted motorists who were members of minority groups for stops and searches, a practice known as "racial profiling".
Allegations that Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers from Rampart Station beat and shot unarmed suspects, planted evidence and lied to cover up their actions.
The Justice Department sued the Columbus (Ohio) Police Department for tolerating a pattern of civil rights abuses, including excessive use of force, false arrests and improper searches.
An NYPD officer was sentenced to 30 years' imprisonment for the torture of Haitian immigrant Abner Louima in 1997. The officer had beaten and kicked Abner Louima and thrust a broken stick into his rectum, causing serious injuries to his small intestine and bladder. A second police officer found guilty of taking part in the assault was awaiting sentencing at the end of the year. Two other NYPD officers were charged with second degree murder for killing Amadou Diallo, an unarmed West African immigrant who was shot at 41 times outside his home in February after officers apparently mistook him for a criminal suspect.
There were concerns regarding the treatment of asylum-seekers, many of whom were locked up on arrival and detained indefinitely, often together with criminal prisoners and in inhumane conditions, without knowing if or when they would be released. Some (Cubans) have been held for 10 - 15 years without a hearing and/or tria
So what gives the United States of Hypocrisy the right to point a finger at China? I've always believed (and it's been proven countless times) that those who point accusatory fingers are usually guilty of much worse.
Parting Note: Living in Canada I would have loved for Toronto to host the 2008 Olympics until I heard the comment Toronto's Mayor, Mel Lastman made. He took his foot out of his ass to place it firmly in his mouth with his ignorant remark that a diplomatic trip to Africa would end with him "in a pot of boiling water with all these natives dancing around me." He blew their chance - a smart bigot usually keeps his mouth shut.
Bad News Allen
A comment from M.H.
Comments: Hmm, Well your article made me think, and you forgot an incident from my former hometown of Pittsburgh, Pa.A motorist by the name of Johnny Gammage who was the cousin of A former Pittsburgh Steeler Star, you can verify this from the web. Any ways Mr.Gammage was driving home one evening and was stopped for whatever reason, and was brutally beaten and suffocated on the Streets of Pittsburgh, which resulted in much suffering for his family and the Loss of Life for John Gammage.
The Mr. Louima incident was a horrible incident, and in I guess with me anymore I have a hard time trusting those who are to protect and serve. The same guys who stop a person for speeding will be speeding past you as if you would be standing still.
And Yes when you spoke of the 1932 Olympics In Nazi Germany Our country would not allow a boat full of Jewish People in our country, but sent them back through Cuba to Nazi Germany to suffer in the Gas Chambers, so I agree there is Hypocisy there. I guess it is said and I may be quoting this wrong but if you forget the Past you are destined to repeat it.
Our country's history of Prejudice is a sad one and you know something it never starts with legislation or governments but with people simply respecting one another and looking at the Content of a Man''s Character rather than what is on the outside. And few men gave more for our country than the man who spoke of The Content of a Man's Character and that was Martin Luther King Jr.
Bad News great Opinion Page, very interesting..
This month's opinion is dedicated to Shinichi Shinohara.
Everyone in Judo knows who this man is. For those of you that don't:
In 1999, at the World Championships he won 2 gold medals, the World Heavyweight Championship, and the open weight class
|
|
I finally saw what all the controversy was about regarding Shinohara during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. I'd heard about it and the other day while surfing the net I saw for myself. Shinohara was the favorite to win the Gold medal and unfortunately for him he now joins me on the long list of athletes, who have been Screwed due to bad officiating (you can see for yourself at the end of this opinion). Shinohara's opponent, David Douillet of France, had he been a real man would have refused the win or at least thrown his Gold medal into the river like Muhammad Ali did.
Getting Screwed at the Olympics has been going on for years and not just in the sport of Judo. I was Screwed at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, I just didn't realize how badly I'd been Screwed until much later when I saw a tape of my match. Even my opponent admitted that I should have won the match, but the pea brained moron who referred my match had all the power and he used it to keep me from going for the Gold. The same referee who was thrown out of the Pan American Games the year before because of poor officiating.
Former Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Evander Holyfield
was Screwed at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Holyfield was denied his shot at a gold medal in 1984 when he knocked out New Zealand's Kevin Barry after a command to stop boxing and was disqualified.
|
|
Undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion of the World, Roy Jones Jr., got Screwed at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Deemed one of the worst boxing decisions in Olympic history, Jones' South Korean opponent was awarded the Gold, and Jones the Silver when corrupt judges scored the fight against Jones, 3-2. In an ironic, yet feeble attempt to correct the scoring fiasco, Jones was awarded the Val Barker trophy as the "Outstanding Boxer" of the 1988 Olympic Games.
|
|
At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, boxer Richardo Juarez got Screwed so blatantly that Referee Stanislav Kirsanov was banned from officiating at any international boxing tournaments for 4 years.
In 1996, Russian Judo competitor, David Khakhaleichvili was the defending Olympic Heaveyweight Champ and the favorite to win the Gold in Atlanta. He was told by an official that he was to weigh in (why would a heavyweight have to weigh in?) and given an address to go to. It turned out that he was sent to the wrong building, didn't make the weigh in and was refused the chance to compete. He had to sit in the stands and watch - Screwed!
Judo and Boxing aren't the only sports in the Olympics where the athletes get Screwed. In 1972 Eddie Hart, who was the best 100 meter sprinter in the world, was given the wrong time for the preliminaries by an official and Screwed out of the chance to compete.
It's a shame that you spend years training hard to get to the Olympics, only to have some idiot official, who doesn't know his ass from his elbow Screw you out of what is rightfully yours. Being banned for a few years just doesn't cut it. I'd like the opportunity to deal with these so called officials, just give me 5 minutes alone in a room with them and I guarantee you that they would be cured of Screwing for life.
I love to watch tennis great John McEnroe, and the way he fights and argues with the officials. He trained hard to become the number one tennis player in the world and refuses to be Screwed without voicing his opinion
|
|
Unfortunately in the Olympics, if you voiced your opinion you would never be allowed, (no matter how good you are) to participate in another Olympics.
There is no excuse these days for letting these officials Screw athletes and get away with it. Instant replays should be the deciding factor and not the decision of some idiot who doesn't like the way you look, or the country you represent, or your politics, or any other moronic reason that has absolutely nothing to do with your talent or ability. Those cheating so called officials should be banned for life from ever impersonating "someone who knows what they're doing".
Bad News Allen
Click here
to watch Shinohara's Screwing
|
|
October 2001
Gutless Pig - Osama Bin Loser
|
|
Dedicated to 2000+ innocent people who lost their lives on September 11 in my birth city, New York, the 200+ in Washington DC and the heroes of United Flight 93, all victims of the lowest, most cowardly despicable excuses for human beings on the face of this earth.
September 11th is a day that will forever be embedded in my mind as is the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated, 11 Israeli Olympic athletics were slaughtered by Black September, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X 's murder and the day I received a telephone call to inform me that my beautiful daughter was dead.
I'm happy that the United States has finally opened their eyes and realized that they cannot let a small group of scum push them around. These scum bags are like grammar school bullies, as long as you refuse to fight back they will continue to harass you until you stand up to them, then watch them run, tail between their legs.
It's a shame that so many people had to loose their lives just to wake the sleeping giant. The Christians tell you to "turn the other cheek" that does not work when you're dealing with scum bags like Bin Loser and his murderous followers.
I give credit to George W Bush, (I'm not a fan of his, nor would I have voted for him had I still lived in the US) for having the guts to go after these spineless cockroaches. I'm admire him for not blaming all of Islam, for the small group of Muslims followers of Bin Loser. There should be no rest until these terrorists are wiped off the face of this earth, they should be hunted down like the Israelis did to the group Black September who murdered 11 Israeli athletics at the 1972 Olympics in Germany. There should be no trials, no negotiations, the US must be as ruthless as the terrorists - No Mercy.
The Taliban regime of fanatics should have been stopped years ago when they hijacked the Islamic religion. Those cowardly heroine producers ruthlessly abuse their own people all in the name of religion. They imposed their own sick and oppressive laws into the Muslim religion and corrupted it. This brutal regime must be stomped out by any means necessary. Bin Loser claims to believe that should he die, he will become a martyr - why wasn't he on one of those flights? Why did the gutless pig hide in his cave while his murderous clan went on a rampage?
Unfortunately, innocent people are the brunt of the anger all over the world. Bigots are attacking them for something they had no part of. When the world found out that it was one of their own - Timothy McVeigh, who blew up the building in Oklahoma City they didn't go out and beat up every white guy with a crew cut, they didn't deny them entrance to any building or stop them from renting a vehicle. Those responsible for the gutless attack deserve the anger and hatred, not someone who happen to be of the same religion, race or nationality. There is good and bad in every single race, religion and nationality, all white people are not Klu Klux Klan members, nor are all Muslims followers of the Taliban. Place the anger and the hatred where it should be - on those responsible, Bin Loser and his group of gutless pig killers.
My heart goes out to the thousands of innocent people who lost their lives and vengeance must be carried out for those cowardly cold blooded murdering fanatics who did it. An eye for an eye...
Bad News Allen
November, 2001
Media Deviants
|
|
It amazes me how the media deviants bend over backwards to give a platform to the enemies of America. I feel if it was up to them, they would go straight to Osama bin Laden and give him detailed plans of the Americans attack strategy just to obtain an interview.
Every time the secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld, holds a press conference, the media deviants' only interest is what the Armed Forces are going to do next. It amazes me that these reporters who have a college or university education for 4 - 6 years can ask some of the most idiotic questions and if they don't like the answer, they ask it over and over and over again. All the media deviants seem to be interested in is showing the entire world what kind of weapons the Americans are using, how many troops are on the ground and their location, and how the weapons work. CNN went inside a B52 bomber, recorded it, with information of it's vulnerabilities and played it for the world to see.
They seem to find nothing wrong with forewarning the enemy of the weapons that will be used against them, and when and where it will happen. Media deviants have given all sorts of ideas to terrorists, things they probably never thought of, or knew how to use. One broadcast practically gave the recipe for Anthrax. Another broadcast gave information on other deadly types of germ warfare that would be deadly to Americans, the plague, smallpox, botulism.... Another program showed the world where all the nuclear power plants were located and their weak spots.
The Taliban and al Qaeda are smart enough to know that the US media deviants are so desperate for a story that they would betray their own people and cause hundreds of US soldiers and American civilians to be killed just for the all mighty headline. The media deviants are running all over Afghanistan, filming bombed out homes, reporting on civilian deaths, but they forget about the 6000 plus who lost their lives on Sept. 11.
If they can't get what they want from a story, they sensationalize and outright lie, citing "freedom of the press" and "information from a reliable source..." which is the key phrase for bullshit they made up to get headlines.
Look at the tabloids and you will see what the so called mainstream legitimate publications and news programs are turning into. The public should demand that the media support their fellow American soldiers and not be a stooge for their enemies out of desperation for a story.
Bad News Allen
A comment from Z. R. in Tuscaloosa, AL
Comments: Mr. Coage,
I wanted to write a few lines to support your November commentary railing against the opportunistic gluttons that pass for our news & information media. It has been said before by more articulate individuals than myself, but if the standards for journalistic integrity were as low in the 1930's as they are now, FDR would have never been President because they would have mercilessly exploited his physical enfeeblement.
In the past, I have never considered myself a supporter of military actions against indignant, third world countries but, having seen the horrors of 09/11/01 unfold before my very eyes....I could not come up with any other answer other than focused, disciplined physical retaliation. And I think that, when operating at its most extreme level of headline-grabbing irresponsibility, many members of the American press are guilty of nothing less than treason.
Before I go, I wanted to also take this opportunity to sound off on the talking heads who cling desperately to their modicum of unearned notoriety by using whatever major story as a springboard to get themselves over. I am so tired of watching unqualified gas bags turn issues such as what to do when we find bin Laden, the Condit/Levy fiasco, anthrax contamination, Clinton's legacy and whatever new mutilation Michael Jackson has inflicted on his own face into boilerplate "Here's MY take on the issue" pabulum. Who cares? Why do you deserve a national forum? Why not Stephen Jay Gould or Dr. David Ho? How can these people sleep at night?
respectfully,
Z. R.
Over the holidays, among many other things I was involved in, I helped my wife with her business. What I found, dealing with consumers, was that they act like it cost too much to show even a hint of common courtesy and good manners. Simple words like excuse me, thank you and please were foreign to these people. I found people to be rude and show no respect whatsoever for anyone.
It doesn't cost a single cent and it won't make all your teeth fall out to use good manners. I found that those with more money, prestige and power were definitely the worst. They looked down upon others less fortunate, as if they were nothing more than a speck of dirt. Just because you have a lot of money it doesn't make you better than anyone else. Just because you have more money it doesn't excuse you from using good manners. More money can just buy more material things. What makes you a better person is to have compassion for others, know the difference between right and wrong, and treat others the way you want to be treated.
During the holidays, I found out that I'm am not a good sales person. Had my wife not owned the shop I would have been fired. At one point it was so bad out there that I had to put my temper in check otherwise there would have been bodies all over my wife's shop. I was so disgusted with people that the "Bad News" characteristics took control with one woman in particular.
She took an item off the shelf and brought it to me at the cash register. I saw it coming by the snarly look on her face. She threw the item on the counter and snapped
"How much is this"
I picked it up, turned it over to look at the price and told her. Without another word she turned and walked away. No thank you, nothing. I shook my head and put the item back on the shelf.
About a half hour later she came back, picked the same item off the shelf and brought it back to me. She threw it on the counter and said
"I'll get this"
I picked it up and returned it to the shelf. She stared at me for a minute and then snarled
"You're not gonna sell it to me?"
Very calmly I replied "Nope"
"Why not" she snapped.
I replied "Because you're rude, you're fat, you're ugly and you look like Casper the ghost."
"How can you say that to me?" she whined.
"Because you're rude, you're fat, you're ugly and you look like Casper the ghost."
She was livid, "Where's your manager, I'm going to have you fired!"
I told her what time my wife would be back and invited her to return, she never did.
Now that was not good manners on my part BUT I believe you treat people the way you want to be treated. She choose to be rude and manner-less and that is what she received in return.
Just imagine what the world be like if common courtesy and manners ruled.
Bad News Allen
I started wrestling in 1977, I haven't had any televised matches (in North America) in almost 14 years and I retired in 1999. It was easy for me to retire. My knees were shot from all the bumps I took, and being on the road had lost it's appeal. It was time, after 22 years to hang up the boots. It was time to step aside and let the young and talented take over. It was time to watch my kids and grandchildren grow up.
After nearly 14 years out of the spotlight, I'm still reconized wherever I go. I hear the same thing every single time.
"When are you coming back into the ring?"
"I want the old style back again, the WWF sucks, it's not wrestling anymore"
"I used to watch you when I was 7 years old..."
I am NOT going back into the ring. I am RETIRED. I am a fossil when it comes to wrestling.
Last month, I was asked to sign autographs at a theatre that was showing Wrestlemania XVIII. The best match of that event, I thought, was Hogan vs The Rock. It should have been the main event, but, as the match progressed, Hogan became older and older. He aged right before my eyes, at 49 years old he looked older than me and I'm 10 years older than him. He, in front of millions of viewers, sweated off the make up and showed the world, that he is now a fossil. It's no longer Hollywood Hogan, it's Oldwood Hogan. It's time to put the ego away and step aside. It's time to let the young guys, have their 15 minutes of fame, and damn Hogan cut that hair! It's not going to grow back (what used to be called the bozo ring, bald on top and hair on the side, is now known as the Hogan ring).
He's not the only fossil who can't let go, there are many. But none quite as pitiful as Rick Flair who, is older than dirt. He should be petrified wood by now. Flair, you were in the ring at least 10 years before I was. Give it up man and face the fact that you're a fossil. All the suntanning and plastic surgery in the world does not change reality, you're a senior citizen. Take a good look in the mirror, and at your birth certificate, (which is probably etched in stone because paper wasn't invented yet) you're done, finished, washed up! Shady Pines awaits you.
Terry & Dory Funk, Abdullah the Butcher - fossils. Get out of the ring! You're embarassing to watch. It's over. Get out and let the young talent soar. Your day has passed, accept it. Deflate your egos and step into the real world.
If pro-wrestling was a real sport would any of these fossils still be in the ring? I think not.
Vince McMahon, pay the big bucks to the deserving, Chris Benoit, Edge, Christian, Scott Hall, Saturn and forget about the fossils. Put them back into the past where they belong. Get rid of the crap like that big, over grown, no talent, useless idiot Kevin Nash. Give the money you're paying that waste of human flesh to the ones with talent. Send Stone Cold off to Hollywood, he's lost his fire, he's a much better actor and his injuries won't affect his work there. Vince, you're a a brilliant merchandiser and promoter but you suck as a wrestler and you too are a fossil. Stay out of the ring and do what you do best - make money and screw people.
Bad News Allen
May 2002
Pin Head Politicians
|
|
Do celebrities get preferential treatment? I've heard that questions many times and in a lot of ways I agree that they do. I've never really known to what extent until April 12 of this year.
My wife had to take me to the hospital emergency at around 8 pm. The place was wall to wall packed. There was a long line up at the check in window, behind which, one person manned the computer. My wife stood in line while I found a spot and waited. When it was finally her turn, she produced my health care card and voiced her concerns. The woman behind the glass asked my wife to point me out. Though I am no longer in the spotlight, I was reconized and immediately wheeled into a room. Within seconds four professionals were tending to me.
I found out later, that a majority of the people, in the waiting room, had been there, since 11:00 am. While I appreciated the almost immediate care I was given, I was disgusted at the lack of attention and consideration the others were shown. When they released me at 5 am, I exited down a long hallway, lined wall to wall with occupied stretchers, then through the still packed waiting room where those waiting were told, that there were no beds in the hospital and they would just have to be patient.
I remember a few years ago, a Pin Head Politician boasted, that by the year 2005, Calgary's population would hit the million mark (there are over 800,000 people living here now). So then a group of Pin Head Politicians got together and made this brilliant decision to close down 2 of the 5 hospitals. Makes sense doesn't it? What idiot asylum have those Pin Heads escaped from? Someone round em up and fill those empty straight jackets with their rightful owners. I thought Politicians required some degree of intelligence. I guess you really can't fit much into the Head of a Pin. Their campaign slogan should be 'Vote for me cause I'm a total moron and I'll f*%^ you right up the ass'.
Canada has one of the best health care systems in the world, just as long as you don't need to use it. Some people have to wait a year or more for operations that should be done as soon as possible. It takes months to see a specialist and that's only after waiting months to get in to see your family doctor first, whose recommendation you need, to see the specialist in the first place.
Pin Head Politicians give yourselves a pat on the back for being so true to form. Pin Head Politicians unite, with all of your brains combined we can built one idiot.
If you don't pay taxes you go to jail. Every year our taxes get higher and our return lower. Who benefits from these taxes? Pin Head Politicians! Lock me in a room with those Pin Heads for 5 minutes and you can bet they'll all require immediate medical assistance. Should they be given the care?
HELL NO!
Bad News Allen
I just read ‘Stu Hart, Lord of the Ring’, the biography of one of the greatest wrestling promoters that ever lived. I have a great deal of respect for Stu. I think he's a great guy, he's honest, trustworthy and very modest. His book brought back a lot of memories of when I was working for him in Stampede Wrestling.
His children contributed to the book as Stu is on in years and couldn't remember every detail. Which brings me to this month's opinion.
Bret CRY BABY Hart let it go already. Enough is enough. I am so sick and tired of the whining and whimpering about losing that WWF world championship belt to Shawn Michael's in 1997. Oh boo hoo! Whining and whimpering about how Vince McMahon screwed you. Man get over it! That was 5 years ago. Shut the hell up already!
Bret is suppose to be an intelligent person, he saw first hand how Vince screwed Stu out of his territory. Yet CRY BABY is still singing his song “Oh poor pitiful me, oh woe is me”
Bret get it through your head - you DID NOT earn it. It was GIVEN to you. It means NOTHING. You didn't have to train hard or defeat anyone for real. You didn't win it because you were the best - you won it because the promoter PICKED YOU. You're not 5 times world champion you're 5 times PROMOTERS champ - NOTHING MORE. If it was a shoot CRY BABY Bret you wouldn't even make it into the ring unless you were on the tear down crew. It's a WORK man- not a shoot! It's ENTERTAINMENT you suck ass. It's show business!! GROW UP!!
We've all had to put people over. I had to put Macho Man over in MY home town, at Madison Square Garden in front of 22,000 people. I didn't give a shit. All I cared about was getting paid. I didn't sulk even though I'm a legitimate Olympic Bronze Medalist in Judo. I put Bret over in the middle of the ring many times. As did many other wrestlers who could have kicked his ass within 3 minutes if it was real. They didn't cry and whine - “oh woe is me”. I've always believed, that if I was a promoter and I gave Bret a choice - 5,000.00 a night to lose every night in the first or second match OR 100.00 a night and he gets to have the Belt - Bret and his ego would pick the latter.
CRY BABY Bret whined in his newspaper column every other week. According to Vince McMahon CRY BABY whined to him at Owen's funeral about being screwed. CRY BABY didn't mention Owen, CRY BABY whined about how Vince destroyed his (Bret's) career, his marriage and his life. Then CRY BABY had to whine in his father's book. The book is Stu’s life story not Bret's. The book is to honor Stu. His kids all contributed in honor of their father. CRY BABY Bret's contribution ruined the book, CRY BABY'S contribution was more whining about the loss of that stupid ass belt.
Look at the opportunities you were GIVEN. You traveled the world, had a toy made in your likeness, you were on the cover of magazines, had appearances on television shows and movies.
You made a lot of money, you never have to worry about where your next meal is coming from like so many unfortunates out there. Your bitterness has no merit, if anyone has the right to be bitter it's Dynamite Kid. He devoted his life to wrestling. He revolutionized wrestling. He was the greatest wrestler to ever hit the mat. He gave everything he had and more to please the fans and the promoters. What was given to him in return? He now sits in a wheelchair and you don't hear him boo hooing. He didn't leave a millionaire like you did. He lost everything and he's not whining “oh poor pitiful me.”
It's a phony meaningless belt, not earned by ANYONE who ever wore it. All the boo hoos and whaa whaa’s aren't gonna change that fact.
There are more important things in life. To be able to watch your children grow, your siblings, your father, good health, to see the sun rise and set...
Bad News Allen
This month I've decided to put on someone else's opinion. I couldn't have said the following better myself.
August, 2002
 By LICIA CORBELLA -- Calgary Sun |
Crooked CEOs throw it all away
After a certain number of millions, how much does a person want or need?
"He's obviously taken too many hits to the head."
That was the rather glib and humourous pronouncement made by one of my colleagues with regard to National Football League player Pat Tillman -- who turned down a three-year, $3.6-million contract with the Arizona Cardinals to make $18,000 a year to join the Rangers -- the Army's elite infantry unit.
On top of that, last year Tillman turned down a $9 million, five-year offer from the Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams so he could stay with the perennially losing Cardinals for less money.
"Maybe he practiced too many years without a helmet," joked another colleague.
Those comments came after I breathlessly declared how wonderful I thought this young man is, (not to mention how handsome). "Isn't it great to see a sports star care about important things like service to country, loyalty to team and striving to achieve a long-held dream rather than just caring about money?" I said.
"I think it just makes him look insane," declared another colleague.
Since the Tillman story broke I've been thinking over what this young man has done and the more I think about it the saner he seems.
Here is a 25-year-old, newly married man with a dream. That dream includes serving his country and trying to make the cut into this elite squad, which is no easy feat since only 35% of all candidates get to wear the coveted black and gold Ranger tab.
How is that insane?
I'll tell you what makes less sense -- a lot less sense. It's these multi-millionaire CEOs throwing away their reputations and once-revered names, and for what? A few more tens of millions of dollars? After a certain point -- and believe me I don't know what it is -- but let's just pick a number like $10 million -- how much more does a person need or want?
Just this Wednesday, John Rigas, the founder of Adelphia Communications, was arrested and led away in handcuffs along with two of his sons on charges they looted the now-bankrupt cable giant and used it as their "personal piggy bank."
Something tells me these fellas won't be on the swanky cocktail party circuit any more. Their names forever will be mud. They may have a few hundred million stashed away but surely a good name and a clear conscience is worth much more than that.
The Rigas are just three out of a now lengthy string of discredited CEOs who defrauded small-fry investors out of, in some cases, their entire life savings.
There's Enron, WorldCom, AOL Time Warner, Xerox, and the list goes on and on.
What are these people after? After all, how many filthy rich people are truly happy anyway? The wealthiest person I know who is distantly related to me had no end of heart-breaking troubles in his life because of his money. Sure it bought him comfort and pleasures. Sure his money was used to do some good for those less fortunate, but one of his sons sued him while he was still alive to take over some of the companies and to get his "inheritance" early, which, in other words meant (hurry up and die, already.) It's a real fine how do you do, that's for sure. When there's lots of money in a family, kids sue parents, siblings sue each other, there are pitched bitter battles over wills. It's just ugly.
As for the CEO scandal that has cratered investor confidence across North America, even when fraud is not the problem the level of unapologetic greed by CEOs -- including here in Canada -- is truly astonishing. For instance, one has to wonder how John Roth, former chief executive of Nortel Networks, can sleep at night. After resigning on Nov. 1, 2001, Roth went on a 12-month leave of absence but he continued to receive his salary -- a whopping $1.5 million US for the year 2002.
Nice non-work if you can get it.
You would think, considering his dismal performance that he would insist on returning that money to investors. But no.
The $1.5 million U.S., of course is nothing. In 2000 just months before the collapse of Nortel stocks, Roth cashed in $91 million US in stock options -- or about $123 million Cdn -- leaving behind the largest corporate losses in Canadian history, including 50,000 lost jobs and share values, which nosedived from $124.50 to below $5 during his watch. Tens of thousands of people saw their retirement savings evaporate like some mirage.
So what about Roth's retirement? Well, it's more like an oasis. Unlike Nortel investors, he made sure he took care of that. The 59-year-old will rake in more than $700,000 US a year for the rest of his life -- which is more than $1 million Cdn every year for the rest of his life. Even if the stock were still up around $124 a share, he's not worth that.
Nobody is.
Frankly, if that kind of "greed" and self interest is sanity, then I suppose I'm insane.
My 2 cents worth:
The mansion under construction on a nearly 4 acre property in Boca Raton, Fla., is being built for former WorldCom chief financial officer Scott Sullivan.
He was taken away in handcuffs the other day. A 5 million dollar lien put on his estate, he was released on 10 million dollar bail.
If found guilty of all charges against him he may find himself living as Big Bubba's cellmate/wife here
Now that's getting screwed - what goes around.....
Bad News Allen
A compliment
I know it's hard to believe but I actually do give a "thumbs up" sometimes. I recently watched 2 of the best wrestling matches I have seen in a VERY long time. They were both from the WWE - one involved Edge & Angle and the other Chris Benoit and Rey Mysterio Jr. Those two matches personify "pro wrestling", not tits and ass, bikini or lingerie contests, diaper matches, sexual harassment, spousal abuse, etc. The roar of the crowd during those two matches said it all. Hopefully that roar didn't fall on deaf ears and more of the same will be forthcoming. There are many pro wrestlers who actually have talent and that should be showcased, that should be the main focus of pro wrestling.
|
October 2002,
Ulterior Motives
|
|
First, I want to say that I agreed with George W. Bush's decision to go after the terrorists of 911. I think he should be relentless in the pursuit to rid the world of terrorists. I do not agree with his insistence to go to war with Iraq. Once again the people of the United States are being steered away from the what's really going on in their own country. Like Father, Like son - go to war - hide the recession. Pull the wool over the countries eyes.
The first causality of war is the truth
When Clinton was president the economy was stronger than it had been for 30 years. After two years of the Bush administration, the economy is once again screwed up. Instead of fixing the problem, Bush has taken on a magicians stance, keep them busy looking at the right hand so they won't notice what the left hand is doing. By going to war Bush believes that his own screw up of the economy can be blamed on Iraq. Of course the gas and oil prices will rise dramatically. Iraq is potentially one of the richest countries in the world. It contains enormous deposits of petroleum and natural gas. So, lets go in there and bomb the shit out of them.
Bush claims he has proof that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, but he won't show it to anyone. Saddam Hussein is not the only world leader with weapons of mass destruction. There are plenty of countries with even more lethal nuclear weapons including the U.S., Russian, the Ukraine, China, France, Britain, South Africa, India, and Pakistan. Most notably, Israel has also undertaken a nuclear program and they certainly have a small arsenal with missiles capable of reaching Iraq. It is arguable that their development of atomic weapons upped the ante in the Middle East Arms race and helped fuel Hussein's development of chemical and biological weapons, the "poor man's nuclear weapon." Yet the United Nations and U.S. Presidents have never proposed bombing Israel or any of the other countries for their weapons of mass destruction. There is very much a double-standard going on with
regards to Iraq.
In the 80's U.S. and Saudi tycoons made billions of dollars a year while Iraq's oil was blocked. Hussein had originally invaded Kuwait because of an oil dispute. President Bush SR made his millions of dollars as an oil man. The politics of the region are the politics of oil and there is big money to be made and lost by the winners and losers of international conflicts there.
In the 1980's The United States gave trade credits to Iraq and supplied the Iraqi armed forces with intelligence information through Saudi Arabia. Equally important, the United States dropped objections to efforts by its allies, especially France, to give weapons and other supplies to Iraq. Iraq also relied heavily on the USSR for military supplies. Just as remarkable, the United States government opened a secret channel for selling arms to Iran in 1985, even as it urged other governments to stop all military sales to the country. Profits from the arms sales were channeled to right-wing guerrillas in Nicaragua, known as contras, to supply arms for use against the leftist Nicaraguan regime. The exposure of the secret policy in 1986 greatly embarrassed the government of U.S. president Ronald Reagan.
So, supply them with weapons then kick their asses for having them.
Americans need to demand the truth, what is the REAL motive for attacking Iraq? Why is the America Government once again sticking their noses where they don't belong? Who died and named Bush God? Bush needs to concentrate on cleaning up his own backyard and dealing with issues that affect the American people, poverty, discrimination, drugs, health care, social security, guns in schools, the economy... Just because he doesn't agree with some foreigners lifestyles or beliefs is no reason to go in guns blazing. He should just be honest and showcase his white supremacist attitude by donning the dress of the KKK. You can believe that if Iraq housed an army like China, the largest land standing army in the world, there would be no thoughts of starting a war.
Truth is indeed the first casualty of war.
Bad New Allen
Lest we forget:
Following the war, Desert Storm, thousands of American soldiers developed mild to debilitating health problems, including abdominal pain, diarrhea, insomnia, short-term memory loss, rashes, headaches, blurred vision, and aching joints. The symptoms became known collectively as Gulf War Syndrome but their cause was unknown. Speculation about the cause centered on exposure to chemical and biological weapons; experimental drugs given to troops to protect against chemical weapons; vaccinations against illness and disease; insecticides sprayed over troop-populated areas; and smoke from burning oil wells ignited by retreating Iraqis. The U.S. Department of Defense originally stated it had no conclusive evidence that troops had been exposed to chemical or biological weapons. However, in 1996 the department acknowledged that more than 20,000 American troops may have been exposed to sarin, a toxic nerve gas.
Come the Millennium month 12, the village idiot
will come forth to be acclaimed the leader.
Nostradamus 1555
Tiger ‘Wuss’ Woods.
I feel compelled to comment on the Augusta Golf Club and the discrimination
in it.
Tiger ‘Wuss’, the number one golf player in the world is lacking some historic education. When he was asked about the recent debate regarding women not
being allowed membership in the Augusta Golf Club his response was - “Well if that’s the rules, there’s nothing I can say about it.”
Excuse Me??
Suppose Rosa Parks, the mother, the flame, of the civil rights movement, did
get up when she was told to? Did give up her seat on the bus to a white man?
Suppose our brothers and sisters didn’t fight for our freedom. Would Tiger
‘Wuss’ be playing in any golf club at all? I think not. Who does he think made it possible for him to compete in that or any other sport? I don’t know if he just chooses to ignore the past, or his African American father sugar coated it, or
if he’s lived in a bubble all of his life. Segregation, and prejudice against anyone
is discrimination! I don’t care if it’s because of the color of a persons skin, their religion or gender. Discrimination is wrong.
Not so many years ago, African Americans who were interested in golf, referred
to the PGA as the ‘Prejudice Golf Association’. Not so long ago, the only minorities
or women who were allowed to enter these ‘boys clubs’ could do it only as domestics. Even today, there are places were, an African American or a woman cannot join a particular club because they are exclusively for white males.
Tiger ‘Wuss’, being an African American, should have stood up and voiced some indignation. Tiger ‘Wuss’ should have been courageous like Medgar Evers,
Malcolm X, Dr Martin Luther King, Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner (who gave
up their lives, fighting for African Americans right to vote. From the revolutionary
war thru WWII, African Americans fought in those wars to keep the United States
a free nation which now enables us the freedom to play in these ‘exclusive clubs’
of our choosing), Tiger ‘Wuss’, being an African American stood on the world’s stage and gave that lame, gutless, impervious response “Well if that’s the rules, there’s nothing I can say about it.”
Tiger ‘Wuss’ get your head up out of the sand. Fuzzy Zoeller isn’t the only racist
pig on the golf circuit, there are more, he was just stupid enough to be exposed.
Tiger ‘Wuss’ you are black to the world, it matters not that your mother isn’t or you chooses to call yourself a rainbow. Just because you’re at the top of your game doesn’t change the color of your skin or the way the Fuzzy Zoellers of this world
feel about you. Tiger ‘Wuss’, as an African American, you should stand up and condemn discrimination.
Tiger ‘Wuss’ wake up, you are the token black man in the pro tours, lengthening
the golf courses was to deter YOU. Step up, be a man, read some history books
and use your other set of balls. ANYONE should be free to join that club, regardless of gender. If that person enjoys the game and can afford to pay the membership
fee then they should be given the opportunity to do so.
Those who choose to ignore history are doomed to repeat it.
Bad News
To read more about these three click on any picture
|
Andrew
Goodman
|
James Earl Chaney
|
Michael Schwerner
|
The dead cannot cry out for justice;
it is a duty of the living to do so for them.
Lois McMaster Bujold
One of the gifts my wife gave me for Christmas was the book Broken Harts, The life and death of Owen Hart written by his wife Martha and Sun columnist Eric Francis.
I recently finished reading it and I highly recommend it to wrestling fans, wrestlers and even those who have no interest in wrestling at all.
There were so many rumors surrounding Owen’s death and reading the book separated fact from fiction. There’s no sugar coating, Martha Hart ‘tells it like it is’.
I was in the hospital when I heard about Owens tragic death. It was unsettling to say the least and I hadn’t felt that way since a close friend, wrestler Bruiser Brody was murdered in the locker room in Puerto Rico. Pro wrestling is not where one is murdered or dies needlessly doing some ridiculous stunt.
What really bothered me, was that immediately following Owens death, the show continued. That had to be the most blatant act of ruthless disrespect I’ve seen in a long time. The fans would certainly have understood had the rest of the show been canceled. It wouldn’t have taken much to ask them to hang onto their ticket stubs and use them the next time the WWE (F) came to town. To go on with the show was a slap in the face to every pro wrestler, past, present or future, employed by the WWE. What bothered me more was that my fellow wrestlers, present at the event, found no balls to protest and refuse to continue. I’ve always believed that we (wrestlers) are our own worst enemies. Promoters treat us badly, they lie, cheat, and steal from us and get away with it because there is no united front. If there was a time when everyone should have stuck together and said “Hell no” it was that night. The next WWE broadcast I saw after that was where all the wrestlers gave tribute to Owen, the greatest tribute would have been not carrying on with the show. Greed and ego, a toxic combination.
He that is of the opinion money will do everything
may well be suspected of doing everything for money.
Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)
A few days ago, I saw a program called Celebrity Justice, it was there, that I learned of the lawsuit Vince McMahon has launched against the manufacturer of the quick release gadget that Owen Hart was hooked up to, the last few seconds of his life. In his suit, Vince McMahon calls Martha Hart and her lawyers liars, because they said it wasn’t the manufacturer at fault, it was Vince McMahon. Damn right it was Vince McMahon. The manufacturer didn’t send Owen up to do that meaningless stunt. The manufacturer even warned them that it wasn’t a good idea. It never ceases to astound me, the levels to which Vince McMahon will slither all for greed and ego. Just when I think he can’t get any lower, he does. It disgusted me to learn that he attempted to countersue Martha Hart, after Owen’s death for breech of contract. He took away her husband and the father of her two young children. He shattered the hopes and dreams of a young couple in love, but that just didn’t seem to be enough for him - greed and ego had to be fulfilled. Part of being a man means taking responsibility for your actions. Vince McMahon never takes responsibility.
What goes around, does eventually, come around, and Vince McMahon, I predict that one day you will pay for your evil and greedy deeds.
Bad News Allen
Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms
with the victims he intends to eat
until he eats them.
Samuel Butler (1835-1902)
The louder he talked of his honor,
the faster we counted our spoons.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)
|
March, 2003
Hiding in the Bush
|
|
Today February 28th, 2003, I heard on the news that, should the US go to war with Iraq, the press will go along with them, right to the front line. It's called 'embedding'. Reporters from the US and Britain started training for this 'embedding' a year ago.
Excuse me?
The US wants a visual historic account of modern warfare. As the nation never got to see any of their 'greatest victories' they need to have bragging rights Greatest victories? Afghanistan? Panama? Granada? Haiti? You've gotta be kidding, those defenseless countries could have been defeated by a dozen blind men with no arms. How do you call it a victory when you beat up on someone incapable of defending themselves? I call that a bully.
So now Heir Bush, like his European predecessor Heir Hitler can film the death and destruction of our fellow man. They can stick out their chests and strut like proud peacocks. Do you know the size of a peacock's brain? Hitler had one. Looks like the selected, not elected, Bush sports one too. Village idiot - oh don't be so modest.
6 million people around the world are against this war - Bush doesn't care, why should he? He didn't win the election by a majority vote, he snuck in there before anyone blinked. Protests are going on all over the world but as Bush SR said - "That's what duct tape is for."
Shut your mouth and if you protest against the US you are guilty of treason. SOME DEMOCRACY!
What better way to bombard the world with news concentrated solely on the war and brainwashing the public with propaganda. What's better than hiding in the bush? Can't see what's really going on. Got the war to blame for the lousy economy. Lets steal all their oil under the guise of a war. Bullies and now thieves too.
The politics of the region are the politics of oil
and there is big money to be made and lost
by the winners and losers of international conflicts there.
Why isn't anyone telling the US to give up their weapons of mass destruction?
Why isn't anyone threatening to bomb them if they don't? Fair is fair - isn't it? The US has enough bombs to destroy the world ten times over
And the Media on the front lines - isn't that wonderful - so I don't have to repeat myself go to my November 2001 opinion - Media Deviants to get an idea of what a disaster that will be.
Take Bush and Hussein to a neutral country and make them duke it out.
Can you guess who'll be hiding in the Bush.
I am not Anti American. I was born and raised there. I am against injustice and I believe this war is based on greed and hatred. To hate one man so much that you're willing to wipe out his country and everyone in it. There is something terribly wrong here. Duck! The rednecks are hiding in the Bush!
PT Barnum said “there's a sucker born every minute” - Wake up America -
I believe we're being licked.
Bad News Allen
|
Being so disguisted with Bush and his croonies,
I found it hard to write an opinion on any other subject for April
so I didn't write anything.
Now, with the major battle somewhat over, here we go again...
When I first heard, that there was to be a world court to bring war criminals to trial, and the U.S. was totally against it, I couldn’t understand their reluctance. Today I do. Bush and his cronies, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Uncle Tom ass kisser Powell should be put on trial, charged for crimes against humanity, for what they, along with Bush Sr, have done to Iraq.
With their brown nosing puppets, the UN ( the US owes the UN over a billion dollars in back dues) took a country in the middle east, rich with oil, destroyed the economy with their sanctions over the last 12 years, where over 500,000 children died, and now, slaughtered innocent citizens and destroyed their homes and businesses. What’s that called if not crimes against humanity? Then those white house villains have the unmitigated gull to create a deck of cards of who they want charged with war crimes. Unless I’ve been in a coma forever, I do not remember Iraq ever attacking the U.S. Yes, they defended themselves when the U.S. fought with Kuwait against them during the first Oil War. That war as with this one was not one of defenders against offenders of oppression and humanitarian rights. It was and is about two things only - greed that black gold, Texas tea - OIL. No matter how much propaganda the U.S. Government spews the truth is staring the world in the face. The weapons of mass destruction - invisible. Humanitarian issues - just watch what happens when the dust settles. Where was the U.S. when genesis ruled Rowanda? Did the U.S. come their aid? No they were just as invisible as Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. Why would they involve themselves helping a country that had no oil, diamonds or gold?
What goes around does come around and someday these U.S. war criminals will have to pay for what they’ve done.
Bad News
|
The following is from the Calgary Herald Newspaper:
DO AS I SAY
Harry Sterling
The Calgary Herald
The Bush administration is understandably furious that captured U.S. military have been shown on Iraqi television. President George W. Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld have rightly denounced the Iraqi action as a flagrant violation of the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war, which it is.
However, since Bush has presented himself as a defender of the rights of POWs, he might wish to explain to the international community why his unequivocal position that the rights of American war prisoners must be respected in accordance with internationally recognized conventions has not been followed by his administration in the case of prisoners captured by the U.S. in Afghanistan
Hundreds of those prisoners languish in the stark American prison camp established at the U.S. naval bases at Guantanamo, Cuba. Many, including 16 year old Canadian born Omar al-Khadr, have been held there for close to a year without access granted to families, let alone consular officials from their respective countries. They remain in isolation without any charges being laid against them.
Those prisoners were shown on TV blindfolded and shackled and then held in open metal cages exposed to the elements-causing an international furor and condemnation by human rights organizations. For Bush to condemn the Iraqis for showing U.S. prisoners on television raises serious questions regarding his administration’s self-serving approach. It appears prisoners’ rights are to be respected when they are American, but conveniently ignored when they’re non-Americans.
The Bush Administration passed legislation allowing it to hold closed-door military tribunals to try combatants captured in Afghanistan as alleged terrorists belonging to the Taliban or Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda. This further illustrates Washington’s disregard for international agreements covering prisoners of war, when the agreements do not serve U.S. purposes.
The U.S.’s military tribunals do not have to divulge the evidence used to convict such prisoners. The tribunals can impose the death penalty without any right to appeal, although this is a fundamental right under the rule of law in western nations, including the U.S. and Canada.
The Bush administration has also rounded up more than 1,000 individuals in the U.S. on essentially unproven suspicion of their possible involvement in or support of terrorist activities: almost all of them are from the Middle East or Muslims. They have been denied access to their families and legal counsel. Washington also refused to release the names of the detainees, claiming such information could be helpful to terrorist groups.
This is a flagrant violation of the rule of law, particularly the right of habeas corpus (the right to protection against unlawful detention).
Regrettably, in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, tragedy, even U.S. human rights and civil liberties organizations and the media have muted their criticism of such undermining of the rule of law and constitutional rights in the U.S. Criticism of Bush’s policies is regarded by many Americans as unpatriotic, if not disloyal, in the wake of the attack on Iraq by the U.S. and Britain
Despite antiwar demonstrations in various American cities, those who speak out against the Bush-inspired was against Saddam Hussein do so at some risk. Movie and entertainment personalities and other well-known individuals, including Canadian basketball star Steve Nash, playing for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA, have been roundly criticized or even boycotted for expressing opposition to the war.
Ironically at the present time when Bush is warning Iraq to ensure proper treatment of U.S. military personnel, Washington continues to pressure other governments to exempt U.S. military from the jurisdiction of the recently created International Criminal Court in the Hague, established to try crimes against humanity.
Bush seems to operate on the principle there is one law for Americans, and a lesser one for everyone else.
|
