So, We Meet Again...

As stubborn as I once was about all this cyber-stuff, I guess it's really not all that bad. Obviously I was slow to join the blogging ranks-- and my blog is not near as popular as say, AJ's (though if it weren't for his anti-Husker rants, and the mutants it attracts, he's blog would be a ghost town... kinds like this one). It took me a while to hop into Facebook-- though, there is not a day that goes by that I'm not at least checking in there. And now I'm finally giving in to the peer pressure and updating my MySpace page... when I once believed MySpace was as evil as the Huskers, George Steinbrenner, rap music, and energy drinks combined.

Then again, I also once vowed to never patronize a Starbucks... and that has recently gone out the window.

But to their credit, Facebook and MySpace have opened up a window to the past for me. They have given me an opportunity to reconnect with friends whom I left behind (for whatever reason) more than 10 years ago. And it's not like I was upset with them, it was just that in the journey through life we lost touch.

For me, this is the greatest thing since sliced bread... well, ok... maybe not... this is better than sliced bread, so it's like the greatest thing since unsliced bread... or dirt... or something really really old that was the dawn of a new generation. OK, I'm getting carried away... MySpace is not THAT great, but happening across old friends, people who know me, who understand me, and who don't think I'm a pompous asshole ranks up there somewhere.

You sometimes forget, that despite being nothing more than a benchwarmer in college, when you're an athlete there are evil people who are your friend because of who you are, not who you are (think about that for a moment). I know these friends are true friends, friends I have NEVER had to question my friendship with.

Now, the only question is-- have they found their way here? Either way, just to talk to them again is like making everyday Christmas, and I can't describe how excited I am to catch up with them: I have so much to talk about with them, and I'm sure there is so much they'd like to tell me.

(Haven't I already done a blog on this?)

Have You No Decency?

Contrary to popular belief, I'm not this high-strung, self-centered prick. In fact, when it comes to me, I like to think I'm fairly laid-back (I'm not as laid back as some, but more each day I get closer).

But fuck with my friends, and it is on.

Last week, Specialist Jeremy Jones of Omaha died in Iraq. I wouldn't call Jeremy a close friend, but he is a hockey teammate from my high school days. This weekend, Jeremy was laid to rest here in Omaha, and some asshole bible-beaters protested his funeral.

Have you no respect for the dead? What give you the right to protest the funeral of a soldier? What possible reason could you have to disrupt the final respects of friends and family?

There is no excuse. The worse part is, they weren't even protesting our participation in the conflict of the Middle East. The protesters claim that God hates America because we support homosexuals.

Are you shitting me? First of all, I would make the arguement that the President is doing everything he can to eliminate homosexuality in this country. He tried to ban same-sex marriages, where the hell have you been?

Fuck you. In fact, men step to the right, women to the left-- the men will be serviced by Harvey Fierstein and the cast of Queer Eye For the Straight Guy, and the women will be paid a visit by Ellen DeGeneres and Melissa Etheridge. They're queer, they're here... GET USED TO IT.

If you can't deal with freedom, and the right for people to choose their own life partners... LEAVE. In fact, why don't you go to Iraq and North Korea with the rest of the people who hate America-- you're obviously not happy here, so your best option is to find a place where your moronic beliefs are accepted. That place is not here.

The two concepts are not related in any way. If you truly believe our soldiers are being smited by God, then your God is not worth living for. I do not care to worship a being of any kind who kills other people. Besides, the vengeful God is the Old Testiment (Hebrew) God. Christians believe in the New Testiment and a Loving God.

You expect us to take you seriously when you can't even get your core beliefs right? Pull your heads out of your asses, take a look at the world around you, and accept it for what it is. You're so goddamn hung up on trying to get into heaven that you have failed to realize that we are already there. Heaven isn't a place on Earth... Earth is a part of heaven.

Jeremy Jones has been granted an eternity in heaven. Someplace else awaits those who refuse to let him rest in peace. Your problem is not with Jeremy or any other soldier or citizen of this world, it is with yourself.

R.I.P. J.J.

Why Do You Hate America?

If this place is so bad, then... go back thee from wence thou came. (OK, just setting the tone for this entry strightaway.)

I don't expect everybody to understand where I am coming from to make the following comments. And I know the people who should really take note haven't found this blog... yet. But I know I have a right to speak mymind on this, and so, as you know I love to do-- I speak from experience.

Let Mortal Tongues Awake... I have stayed silent on this topic for way too long, and I think it is only fitting that I speak now. Today, is the second day of July... the day after Canada Day, and two days before Independence Day in the United States (though, it is very possible that by the time I finish, it will be the day before). The significance of noting what day it is, is that I celebrate both holidays. And it should be noted that I am an America, and do not have dual citizenship with Canada. However, I have been a Canadian resident, with all the bells and whistles that come with legal documentation.

I wonder if our Latino "guest workers" understood that.

Oh Canada, Our Home and Native Land... Home. A novel concept. But where is your home? I have called many cities home, including Chicago, Omaha, Ames, Syracuse, Cincinnati, and Winnipeg. And yet, despite currently residing in Omaha, I still consider Winnipeg my home. For two years, there was no question-- that was where I lived. I felt I belonged there. I was welcomed as a guest into the homes of people who barely knew me, and they became family to me. I felt more welcomed in Winnipeg than I ever have in Omaha. And I could never turn my back on people-- on a country-- that opened their arms to welcome me.

Who More Than Self Their Country Loved... National Pride. This is a time to celebrate where you live. Now, why would we love where we live? Freedom. Opportunity. Two things which thrive in both the United States and Canada. Are the two countries identical? No. But they are two of-- if not the two-- least restrictive countries on the planet. Six years ago I was given the opportunity to further my career in hockey. That opportunity took me to Canada, where I lost none of the freedoms I enjoy at home. Where else is that possible? It's not possible anywhere else in the world. What a great situation.

Other Nations May Deem Their Flags The Best And Cheer Them With Fervid Elation, But The Flag Of The North And South And West Is The Flag Of Flags, The Flag Of Freedom's Nation... Yet, our guest workers have an even better situation. They come to this land of opportunity, and gain freedoms they don't have in their native lands. It's the reason most of them are here. But so many of them make it about themselves. They don't understand the gift they are getting-- they're more interested in a better life, and more money-- and then show no respect for their home... this nation. They drive around in cars labled with "Viva Mexico", cheer against the Americans when they play their native lands (OK, that's debatable, but in a sense of pride for both homelands... just hope for an excellent match and be proud no matter who wins), and only wrap themselves in the Stars and Stripes when it is to their benefit. "Ask not what your country can do for you... ask what you can do for your country."

This Land Was Made For You And Me... By no means am I saying that guest workers are not welcomed here. Far from it. Please, move here, join us. That is what this land is about. Since the very beginning, this great nation has become a place where diverse cultures have come together as one, united under a common cry for freedom. But also do not forget that despite the lack of an official language, there is custom. My great-grandfather was a German immigrant, and while he spoke nothing but German in his home, when he went to work-- when he was out in the world-- it was English that he spoke. It wasn't just him. It was the accepted culture of many gernations before him. It's not to much to ask... you could get a lot worse in other countries. In Holland, you must take an oath to uphold the Dutch culture, including language. In Mexico, they've just been outright shooting illegal immigrants when they find them. Be thankful for what you have here, and respect it.

God Keep Our Land, Glorious and Free... Oh Canada, We Stand On Guard For Thee.

While The Storm Clouds Gather Far Across The Sea, Let Us Swear Allegiance To A Land That's Free, Let Us All Be Grateful For A Land So Fair, As We Raise Our Voices In A Solemn Prayer... God Bless America.