Random Thoughts and Cogitations

Missing persons

I just don’t understand the motivation behind the national media and general public’s absolute insane obsession with a select few missing persons stories that monopolize the headlines each year. I guess my problem is with the apparent propensity of the press to single out a few very young and/or photogenic individuals—usually female (and most recently pregnant)--for attention and publication. At the same time, in the same and other regions of the country, a multitude of other less popular, less photogenic, or socially un-acceptable persons’ plight go un-noticed and un-published.

Once a given missing-person story hits the newspapers and the airwaves, the press micro-reports each and every nuance of speculation and gory detail and, when and if the facts move the story toward the suspicion of murder or other foul play, the developing epic saga is then locked on the front pages of newspapers and in the lead position on the cable TV pseudo-news-talk-shows for what seems an eternity. We are finally relieved of the burden of concern and obligatory angst when the body is found, a suspect is captured, and the jury delivers a verdict-- sometimes many years later.

Here’s a reality check for you. Each year there are nearly 900,000 persons reported missing and entered into the FBI database. Over two-thirds of these individuals are minor children. While many of these cases are often successfully resolved in a matter of days as runaways or as mistakes, as of March 2003, there were nearly 100,000 active missing person cases: http://fomlo.homestead.com/statistics.html . I expect that more recent data will show similar results when it is made available.

It is my assertion that the excessive attention and the resulting sensationalism of these high profile cases act as a sort of media produced “junk food for the mind,” serving to divert our attention away from many much more important issues in life. Why let your mind be distracted and dulled with these overtly sensationalistic media soap operas?

Don’t get me wrong here, I have a great deal of sympathy for each and every one of the victims and their families, but enough is enough on any given circumstance. If you honestly want to worry about missing persons, why not volunteer to help in a case in your local area that is not receiving a high degree of media attention? Actually load up in your SUV with your hiking boots and bandanna and personally, physically help in the search effort. Or, how about supporting a local missing person’s search effort in your area with the provision of logistical services like food and water delivery or by helping man (or woman) a phone bank for information and tips?

What ever you do, don’t just sit on your rear end, vegetating in front of the TV and pontificating about the sentence the perpetrator should receive.


Voters Rights (and Wrongs)

I can’t count the number of spirited (and often mind numbing) conversations I have had recently with ill informed, venom spewing, so-called US citizens who completely disagree with me on everything from minor social issues to major topics affecting our national defense.

After reaching an impasse philosophically, it is frightening how many of these mental giants resort to name calling and insults—unable to offer a rational defense of their position on any given issue. They've heard and they feel, but they don’t think.

The final absurdity usually occurs when my adversary ends the conversation by admitting that they are either not registered to vote or have not voted in years. Say what?

At the risk of canceling my vote and those of my intellectual superiors throughout this great nation, how about registering to vote? Then spend your time reading and otherwise educating yourself in preparation for the local and national elections to be held this November. Lacey Peterson and Lori Hacking would probably have appreciated your efforts.


Dead Celebrities

Blaa, Blaa, Blaa - more later...


Olympic Sized Ego’s and Overpaid Professional Athletes

What’s more important—talent or teamwork? By the looks of the makeup and performance of the current US men’s basketball team, talent is not the answer.

Not that anyone ever asked me, but I have never cottoned much to the idea of allowing professional athletes to form the core of an Olympic team. I know, I know, I know, the Soviet Union used to stack their deck with the equivalent of professional hockey players and professional basketball players in the 1970’s and 1980’s while we were still playing great college seniors from Duke and Georgetown. But, when the rules changed (in 1992, I think,) I somehow knew in the back of my mind that this remedy would most likely accelerate the downfall of the US Olympic basketball effort. I think that the performance to date of this year’s men’s team represents the fruition of my somewhat audacious prediction.

This current bunch of ego-maniacs which we call “The Dream Team” is, in my opinion, more like a “Nightmare on Main Street,” and it is currently well on its way to embarrassing Dr. Naismith (basketball’s inventor,) the team members individually, and the monstrosity of a professional sports program we lovingly (not!) refer to as the National Basketball Association.

There are twelve NBA players that make up the Men’s US Olympic Basketball team. A little research on the Web reveals that the 2003-2004 salary of the top three players equals $39,676,125.00. Players whose salaries could be identified include:

Allen Iverson $13,500,000.00*
Stephon Marbury $13,500,000.00*
Tim Duncan $12,676,125.00*
Lamar Odom $3,557,585.00**
Shawn Marion $2,265,375.00**
Amare Stoudemire $1,767,120.00**
Richard Jefferson $1,482,840.00**
Total $48,749,045.00

*2003-2004 season
**2002-2003 season
source: http://www.insidehoops.com/nbasalaries.shtml

I’d hazard to guess that the 2002-2003 salaries of four players has increased and that the salary of the other five players not included (Carmelo Anthony, Carlos Boozer, LeBron James, Emeka Okafor, Dwyane Wade) has to equal at least another $7M to $10M, especially since LeBron James signed a three year, $12.96M contract straight out of high school last season.

Fifty Five Million Dollars, earned among twelve guys, who can’t even sweep all of their games in a so called amateur event we still laughingly call the Olympics. I guess my point is, if money isn't enough of a motivation for these professionals to put out a quality performance each week during the regular NBA season (attendance is declining in many US cities,) why would a $500 gold metal make any difference?

When will we learn? Why don’t we change? Just wondering…