thank goodness for the second amendment!
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061006/SPORTS04/61006001
Four members of the Indiana Pacers--Stephen Jackson, Jamaal Tinsley, Marquis Daniels, and Jimmy "Snap" Hunter--were involved in a fight at an Indianapolis strip club (Club Rio) early Friday morning. Jackson told police that he was punched in the face and then hit by a car when the fight moved outside at Club Rio. At that point, Jackson fired 5 shots from a 9mm handgun into the air to scare off the attackers. Nobody was hit by the gunfire. No arrests have been made.
Wow! I am a Christian conservative, and a die-hard Pacers fan, and a reformed drunk, and a reformed strip club patron, and a supporter of the NRA, and a Central Indiana resident who is sick and tired of the continuing dysfunction of the Pacer organization. With all of those labels attached to me and shaping my psyche, you can understand that I have a whole lot of mixed emotions about this latest incident with Team Turmoil. Let's see if I can sort it all out.
1. First and formost, I am thankful that we live in a country where we are allowed to arm ourselves for self defense. There isn't a doubt in my mind that Stephen Jackson would be dead today if he had not been armed. As it was, he was injured, but it could have been a whole lot worse. Liberals, take note. When Jackson pulled out his gun and began shooting, he kept himself from becoming the latest Indianapolis homicide victim. Gun ownership makes law-abiding citizens safer. I applaud Jackson for defending himself and his teammates.
2. Having said that---What in the hell were those guys thinking? The Pacer organization, led by Larry Bird, Donnie Walsh and Rick Carlisle, has spent a small fortune on a new media campaign designed to apologize to the fans for past indiscretions, and promising the fans a "new attitude." This was necessary because of the Throwdown in Motown, and the whole twisted Ron Artest saga, and the injuries suffered by Pacer players who were out of shape, and generally because the Pacers have strongly resembled Jack Nicholson's Cuckoo's Nest for most of the last three years. The TV ads have promised, "It's up to us. We will change. Please give us another chance." Knowing all of that, try to get your mind around this scenario: Jackson, Tinsley, Hunter and Daniels thought it would be a real good idea to jump into the car, smoke a little weed (did I mention that a small amount of marijuana was found in the car?), and go to a boobie bar til 3:00 in the morning. In the middle of training camp! A professional athlete can't put himself in that position. It certainly isn't illegal to go to a strip club, and I am ashamed to admit that, in my younger days, I went to a few of those types of establishments, but that isn't the point. The point is that these 4 players put themselves in a situation where bad stuff was bound to happen. What a bunch of knuckleheads!
3. The Pacers must act swiftly to keep this incident from screwing up the team. If I was Larry Bird, I would immediately suspend Tinsley and Jackson for conduct detrimental to the team. I would start the season with both of those guys on the inactive list, and I would trade both for a bent rim and a sack of balls if I had to. I would cut Hunter; he's a marginal CBA-type just trying to make the roster, so that's a no-brainer. I would suspend Daniels without pay for the first game of the season. He's a brand-new Pacer, so he hasn't used up all of his chances like Tinsley and Jackson have. Daniels deserves a second chance, but must be punished. Why so harsh for Tinsley and Jackson? Because they are leaders on this team, and quite obviously negative leaders. Because they, more than most, should understand how little tolerance the local fans are going to have for this kind of garbage. Both guys have been told that they are on their last best chance to be productive members of this team, and they blew it. Not only that, but they influenced two younger players to consort with them. They are cancer and they should be gone!
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061006/SPORTS04/61006001
Four members of the Indiana Pacers--Stephen Jackson, Jamaal Tinsley, Marquis Daniels, and Jimmy "Snap" Hunter--were involved in a fight at an Indianapolis strip club (Club Rio) early Friday morning. Jackson told police that he was punched in the face and then hit by a car when the fight moved outside at Club Rio. At that point, Jackson fired 5 shots from a 9mm handgun into the air to scare off the attackers. Nobody was hit by the gunfire. No arrests have been made.
Wow! I am a Christian conservative, and a die-hard Pacers fan, and a reformed drunk, and a reformed strip club patron, and a supporter of the NRA, and a Central Indiana resident who is sick and tired of the continuing dysfunction of the Pacer organization. With all of those labels attached to me and shaping my psyche, you can understand that I have a whole lot of mixed emotions about this latest incident with Team Turmoil. Let's see if I can sort it all out.
1. First and formost, I am thankful that we live in a country where we are allowed to arm ourselves for self defense. There isn't a doubt in my mind that Stephen Jackson would be dead today if he had not been armed. As it was, he was injured, but it could have been a whole lot worse. Liberals, take note. When Jackson pulled out his gun and began shooting, he kept himself from becoming the latest Indianapolis homicide victim. Gun ownership makes law-abiding citizens safer. I applaud Jackson for defending himself and his teammates.
2. Having said that---What in the hell were those guys thinking? The Pacer organization, led by Larry Bird, Donnie Walsh and Rick Carlisle, has spent a small fortune on a new media campaign designed to apologize to the fans for past indiscretions, and promising the fans a "new attitude." This was necessary because of the Throwdown in Motown, and the whole twisted Ron Artest saga, and the injuries suffered by Pacer players who were out of shape, and generally because the Pacers have strongly resembled Jack Nicholson's Cuckoo's Nest for most of the last three years. The TV ads have promised, "It's up to us. We will change. Please give us another chance." Knowing all of that, try to get your mind around this scenario: Jackson, Tinsley, Hunter and Daniels thought it would be a real good idea to jump into the car, smoke a little weed (did I mention that a small amount of marijuana was found in the car?), and go to a boobie bar til 3:00 in the morning. In the middle of training camp! A professional athlete can't put himself in that position. It certainly isn't illegal to go to a strip club, and I am ashamed to admit that, in my younger days, I went to a few of those types of establishments, but that isn't the point. The point is that these 4 players put themselves in a situation where bad stuff was bound to happen. What a bunch of knuckleheads!
3. The Pacers must act swiftly to keep this incident from screwing up the team. If I was Larry Bird, I would immediately suspend Tinsley and Jackson for conduct detrimental to the team. I would start the season with both of those guys on the inactive list, and I would trade both for a bent rim and a sack of balls if I had to. I would cut Hunter; he's a marginal CBA-type just trying to make the roster, so that's a no-brainer. I would suspend Daniels without pay for the first game of the season. He's a brand-new Pacer, so he hasn't used up all of his chances like Tinsley and Jackson have. Daniels deserves a second chance, but must be punished. Why so harsh for Tinsley and Jackson? Because they are leaders on this team, and quite obviously negative leaders. Because they, more than most, should understand how little tolerance the local fans are going to have for this kind of garbage. Both guys have been told that they are on their last best chance to be productive members of this team, and they blew it. Not only that, but they influenced two younger players to consort with them. They are cancer and they should be gone!
posted by hondo at 9:39 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home