Another Corporation Fails To Take A Stand

Stephon Marbury of the NY Knicks decided Michael Vick wasn't such a bad person. I mean, he's a good guy, right? Dog fighting isn't so bad, right? It's no worse than hunting.

Stephon needs to get his head outta his butt.

I have no smooth words when it comes to this issue. There's little profound or poetic that travels from my fingers to the screen.

I am angry.

I'm angry that this country condones such viciousness. I'm angry that innocent creatures can be used in such vile activities. In some ways dog fighting is symptomatic of what's wrong with us as a society. That we think its okay to use licing things and then throw them away or destroy them if they don't live up to our standards says much about the kind of selfish, egotistical, thoughtless, throw away people we are.

We abuse our animals. We abuse our kids, we abuse each other. We are thoughtless, self absorbed and so centered on self gratification that we forget to be thankful for the things that offer us love.

I am angry.

And it breaks my heart to think of the animals that trusted only to be betrayed.

But back to Marbury:

I wrote "Steve and Jerry's" who are the sole distributor of Stephon Marbury's athletic shoe. The reply, their defense of Marbury, was disappointing.

The email I received read:

Hi,

Thank you for your email. Stephon Marbury and his Starbury brand have done great things over the past year for kids and families across the country.

While Mr. Marbury is not a spokesperson or an employee of Steve & Barry's, but rather of his own Starbury brand, and his opinions on all topics are his alone and do not in any way express those of Steve & Barry's, it has been widely reported and clarified (The New York Times, August 24th edition, and other national media) that he does not condone illegal dogfighting, and he has emphasized that Michael Vick was wrong for his participation in this and should be punished.

We appreciate your concern on this matter, and we also share your concerns at the highest level. Thanks once again for sharing your thoughts with us.

Warm Regards,
Valario


Well, Valario, you LIED. He most certainly DID excuse Vick. He most certainly DID defend Vick.

People are tired of this stupidity. I wish more voices would make them hear, make them understand that ANY attempt to rationalize dog fighting is WRONG.

If you ever thought dog fighting wasn't so bad...

http://www.hsus.org/acf/news/vote_video_contest.htm

This is the one that broke my heart
But its graphic so be warned. There are two more at the webpage above




Vick should be made to work with these dogs every day he's in prison. He should be made to go to a shelter, work with a vet as they try to put these animals back together. I hope he gets the max. If THIS doesn't bring an end to this activity then we're doomed to remain an ignorant country. I'm tired of the BS that its cultural.

Vicks has company in the Idjit Box

This one made me cry.


Dog fighting is a brutal activity. It's purpose is simply to watch two creatures inflict great pain and torment as they tear each other apart. No one, and I mean NO ONE in their right mind supports this type of activity.

And no one excuses it.

Stephon Marbury of the New York Knicks has decided poor Michael has been "piled on".
His comments about dog fighting?

"I think it's tough,'' Marbury said, according to Albany TV station Capital News 9. "I think, you know, we don't say anything about people who shoot deer or shoot other animals. You know, from what I hear, dogfighting is a sport. It's just behind closed doors.''

Well, NO Marbury, dog fighting is not a "sport". It's an inhumane activity for low lifes. It's no where near the same as hunting. I know of no real hunter who WANTS to inflict as much suffering as possible. I know of no hunter who makes bets on how and when an animal dies and I know no real hunter who cages an animal and shoots it for "sport".

I called the Knicks office tonight and their main mailbox is full. So I left a message on the voicemail of their VP. (Star A will get you a directory for names)

I also emailed Steve And Barry's http://steveandbarrys.com/ who sell Murbury's shoes and suggested to both organizations that they might want to educate the man. Email address is customerservice@steveandbarrys.com

Dog fighting needs to end.
Perhaps there is now enough public outrage to make it happen.

Knicks emails.
http://www.nba.com/knicks/seasonsubs/index.html#acctexec

Madison Square Garden
Two Pennsylvania Plaza
New York, NY, 10121-0091


Madison Square Garden Training Center
711 Old Saw Mill River Road
Tarrytown, NY 10591

Business: (212) 465-6471
Ticket Information: (877) NYK-DUNK

President & Chief Executive Officer, Cablevision Systems Corporation;
Chairman, Madison Square Garden and NBA Governor James L. Dolan

Vice Chairman, Cablevision Systems Corporation;
Vice Chairman, Madison Square Garden and NBA Alternate Governor Hank J. Ratner

President & Chief Operating Officer, MSG Sports, and NBA Alternate Governor Steve Mills

President, Basketball Operations & Head Coach Isiah Thomas

PLEASE make your voice heard.

Giving business a bad name

The press conference last week of Utah mine owner, Murray, was bizarre to say the least. Murray took time donated to him for an update on the missing miners and turned it into a twilight zone style of political rant.

His behavior hasn't improved. His claims that seizmic activity keeps the mine unstable is simply a mistruth. He lies.

The ground around the Utah mine has been over worked. Reports have been given to the press that tell of unstable and shifting dirt caused by years of deep mining and retreat mining. It was probably inadvisable to open another shaft in that mountain to begin with.

Still, Murray wants to insist it's God's work and not his incompetence and lack of over sight.

Now it appears what I feared has come to fruition. Even while MSHA officials are saying its too soon to give up home, Murray Energy Group officials are saying the bodies may never be recovered.

I mourn the loss of any jobs, especially when they come after a loss of life, but justice would be done imo if Murray had to liquidate his assets and give them all to the families of the 9 men who lost their lives and to those workers who are now unemployed.

It is men like Murray and his partner who give business a bad name.

For the record, no I don't think they'll be found and their internment won't be the first time the shafts they worked have become the tombs of lost miners.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/19/utah.mine/index.html

"It's likely that these miners may not be found," Rob Moore, vice president of mine operator Murray Energy, said Sunday.

Stickler told reporters he did not believe the time had come to give up. View the miners' profiles »

"People have survived extended periods of time without food," he said. "We have the food, the water, everything available that we can deliver to the miners as soon as we find them alive."

Texas Church Cancels Funeral

This bothers me. Regardless of how you feel about the morality of gays, refusing to host the funeral after offering to do so and making that refusal AFTER the obit appears in the paper is simply wrong. The man was a worker there. He was a church employee. If he was good enough to clean their crap off the pews he was certainly good enough to have his funeral there. Where's their Christian love? Where's their concern for the family. This wasn't about what was RIGHT, it was about APPEARANCES. As a Christian this repulses me. The concern should be for the deceased and his family, not their image. They managed to make a difficult and emotional time for the deceased's family even worse with their callous disregard for the man's passing.


Story Here

ARLINGTON, Texas - A megachurch canceled a memorial service for a Navy veteran 24 hours before it was to start because the deceased was gay.

Officials at the nondenominational High Point Church knew that Cecil Howard Sinclair was gay when they offered to host his service, said his sister, Kathleen Wright. But after his obituary listed his life partner as one of his survivors, she said, it was called off.

"It's a slap in the face. It's like, 'Oh, we're sorry he died, but he's gay so we can't help you,'" she said Friday.

Wright said High Point offered to hold the service for Sinclair because their brother is a janitor there. Sinclair, who served in the first Gulf War, died Monday at age 46 from an infection after surgery to prepare him for a heart transplant.

Michael Vicks Rant

I hope this comes through. It's a pit that was rescued from Vick's place. Notice him licking the face of his rescuer?

I hope I'm wrong

but I suspect the president and co owner of Murray Energy group in Utah may suggest they can't recover the bodies of those trapped miners. And I think he'll claim its too costly and difficult. They were 3 miles back in that tunnel. 3 miles is a tremendous distance when there's no plan in place to recover you if the thing collapses.

Politcal Funnies via Late Night Humor

Compiled by about.com

"Last night President Bush did not call Barry Bonds after he broke Hank Aaron's homerun record, but today, Bush decided to make the call. Bush said, 'I realized I had a rare opportunity to talk to the only guy in the country who is less popular than I am.'" --Conan O'Brien

"Latest on the campaign: It was reported that things are going so badly for Sen John McCain, McCain has to carry his own luggage. Meanwhile, things are going so badly for Dennis Kucinich’s campaign, he has to carry Barack Obama’s luggage." --Conan O'Brien

"Elizabeth Edwards is speaking out again. She's a little upset. She said the problem with her husband John Edwards' fundraising -- you know, compared to the other candidates -- is she can't make him black and she can't make him a woman. That's the same problem Michael Jackson's people have." –Jay Leno

"The presidential race heating up slowly over the last nine years. ... Potential Republican candidate -- he hasn't declared yet, but a lot of people think he's going to run -- Fred Thompson is now busy defending his much younger wife. In a recent interview, Senator Fred Thompson said that all criticism of his wife should be directed at him. As a result, conservative groups told Thompson he's been showing too much cleavage." --Conan O'Brien

"Anybody watch the Republican candidates debate this weekend? ... The last time I saw that many white guys arguing was the last Republican debate" --Jay Leno

"Actor Sean Penn is currently touring Venezuela with President Hugo Chavez. Penn said that between listening to Chavez attack President Bush and calling us the Great Satan, it was like being back in Malibu." --Jay Leno

"Congratulations to Matt Damon. His movie, 'The Bourne Ultimatum,' had the biggest movie opening ever for the month of August. It made $70 million. Today, Senator John McCain asked Matt Damon to be his running mate." --Jay Leno

"Yesterday at Camp David, President Bush signed a bill into law that expands his wiretapping powers. President Bush said he knew the bill would pass because he had bugs planted in both houses of Congress." --Jay Leno

"Starting today, the New York Times reduced the size of their newspaper. They cut the paper's width by an inch and a half. The move was announced with the headline 'Big Changes At New York Tim.'" --Conan O'Brien

"The big story in Washington D.C. . . . not the war in Iraq, not Alberto Gonzales lying to Congress, not healthcare . . . the big story everyone is talking about, Hillary Clinton showing a little cleavage. It's amazing isn't it? The United States is 231 years old, but apparently the media is only 13." --Jay Leno

"Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said today that he would not use nuclear weapons under any circumstances. I didn't realize his battle with Hillary had escalated to this level. I just thought there was a little friction.' --Jay Leno

Mine Collapse Part 2

They now report that rescuers should reach the miners in the next 4-5 hours. I assume that's an air duct, etc.

The CEO of Murray has been keeping relatives sequestered and asking them not to speak to the media. This coming from CNN. Talk about blackmail. The man who holds your family member's rescue in his hand makes a demand. How do you not comply?

Murray evidently walked out of the meeting with families once, he became angry over their questions:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070809/ap_on_re_us/utah_mine_collapse

Maria Buenrostro, the sister of trapped miner Manuel Sanchez, said Murray got angry with relatives' questions and walked out. She also said there was no interpreter for three Spanish-speaking families.

"We want the truth, that's all we want," said Buenrostro, 40. "If there's nothing that they can do about it, you know, just tell us so we know what to expect when they bring them out."


God be with those miners and their families.

Utah Mine collapse - a CEO's meltdown

This is a subject WVians are well versed in. Mine tradegies. The public focus goes to the families of the trapped miners, for their comfort. All avenues are focused on the rescue or recovery of their loved ones. The respect for the lives in jeopardy are foremost concern.

So I'm sitting here listening to a bizarre press interview of the Murray Group's president who appears intent on absolving his corporation from any responsibility in the cave in. He's making political arguments about the bills passed by congress attempting to block the use of coal. He's using press time given for reports on the miners situation to make a political speak. He's demanding the Sheriff remove the helicopters from overhead and stop all traffic in the area until he's done with his "press" conference. He's blaming the cave ins on an earthquake.

He has taken the time to blast the press for interviewing family members of those trapped or for talking with UMWA officials. I am just totally offended and appalled at his actions. Over and over he calls out the names of the people the press have interviewed, claiming they know nothing of what is going on at the mine.

Regardless of the cause of the collapse, I'm finding this highly offensive. This isn't the time for him to seek to absolve himself of responsibility. He went as far as to say that he didn't know if the men were alive or dead and the tone of his voice...it just seemed not to matter to him. It's almost as if he's having a meltdown.

He claims it will take 2 to 3 days to even be able to get to the miners but smiles as he says the small hole they'll open up after those two or three days will allow them to get air and food to the miners. Um...if they don't have air now....Mister, you've lost it.

Where is his concern for the miners, their friends and family??? He's covering his ass!

This is the most putrid excuse of a CEO I've seen in a LONG time.