Thursday, January 26, 2012

Hockey Salutations, Flying Accusations, Debt Corrections

Hockey Salutations, Flying Accusations, Debt Corrections

Believe it or not, news reports don’t always get stories accurate or complete and sometimes don’t get them at all.

Let’s start with one that received little play in the mainstream media, the commendable story of an NHL player who had the gumption to effectively tell the president of the United States to stick an invitation to the White House in his hat.

The belated invite was extended to the Boston Bruins almost a year late, coincidentally during a presidential election year, ostensibly to honor the team’s 2011 Stanley Cup championship.

Celebrated Bruins’ goalie, Tim Thomas, winner of the Vezina Trophy, opted to pass on the privilige of having the president pat him on the back–and get some much-needed publicity before November 6th.

Not content with the snub and surely causing cringing in the Bruins’ executive offices, Thomas explained the reasons for his protest.

As he said, ”I believe the federal government has grown out of control, threatening the rights, liberties, and property of the people,” although he backtracked slightly by adding that his decision “was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country.”

Thomas is right on all counts.

I wouldn’t even suggest Thomas believes President Barack Hussein Obama is the primary reason “the federal government has grown out of control, threatening the rights, liberties, and property of the people” and I extend him kudos for having the nerve to speak his mind and absent himself from an obviously political campaign appearance.

Another story relates to the historical accuracy of producer George Lucas’ newly-released film “Red Tails.”

Acclaimed by everyone except the people who understand movies, film critics, “Red Tails” is a World War Two action flick featuring a virtually all-black cast and dealing with the exploits of the U.S. Air Corp’s Tuskegee Airmen, an anomoly at the time in a segregated military.

There is no doubt as to the racial segregation in our military prior to President Truman’s abolition of the practice in 1948. Likewise, there is no doubt the Tuskegee black fliers served their nation well in WWII primarily in bomber escort missions with the 332nd Fighter Group.

There is, however, much doubt concerning the Tuskegee Airmens’ claim for tears that they never lost a bomber during those European missions. There are also substantiated reports they sometimes acted less than heroically and less than competently. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=12263.)

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