My Message to Arlen Specter:

Hey...Arlen Specter...

Get off your f*cking "I'm a Steelers Fan, and the Steelers suck right now, so I need to exact some sort of revenge to those teams who are better than my beloved Terrible-Towel Steelers" high horse".

Yes, Arlen, I'm a Patriots fan. But, above that, I'm 2 other things. I'm a Football fan, and a Taxpaying American! As such, I would really like to think that my tax dollars (that happen to pay your salary, dude), are going towards a little bit more than you going on your tirade for independent investigations, or even, as you said it would come to, Congressional Hearings. You even said it recently, "Congress is extraordinarily busy on other matters...". Yeah...like we're in a war, we're in a recession, gas prices are near or above $4/gallon, New Orleans is still in shambles years after Katrina, there's crime, unemployment, homelessness, and oh yeah, there's an upcoming Horse and Pony Show called a Presidential Election. Don't you think there's a few more pressing things on the Senate's plate than investigating something that has already been investigated? Just because you have your panties in a twist doesn't mean that you should be wasting my tax money (ie: your salary) to pursue such ventures!

OK...I'm off my soapbox.

But what I am doing, is watching the Celtics game, with 9 minutes left. I'll finish this posting after the game is over, but so far this game has lived up to it's hype...for me, anyway. I hoped that this would be a nail-biter series, and if tonight's Game 1 is any indication, then it will be. It's been back and forth, and then a little while ago, Paul Pierce gets hurt, and is taken out in a wheelchair. I few minutes later, he comes back out, with a sprained knee, to the immediately rejuvenated Boston Celtics fans, comes into the game, and almost immediately hits back-to-back 3-pointers! One of the ESPN announcers said it tonight, and I agree with him 100%. Both teams deserve, and are worthy of, winning the Championship. And no matter who wins...there will be no upset. They both deserve it. Of course...I hope it's the Celt's, but I digress.

Obviously, I'll take the Bruins (who???) out of the picture...but, could you imagine if the Celtics won the Championship...the Red Sox repeated and won the World Series, and then the Patriots won the Superbowl???

Hey...no matter if ANY of that happens this year or not...these past few, and hopefully next few, years, have been/should be good to be Boston Sports Fans.

OK...while I'm waiting for the game to end, so I can close out this posting...did you read that the Steroids Dealer, that fessed up to selling 'Roids to NFL players (and he named names)...was found shot to death at his home with his girlfriend? Does that not seem a little suspicious??? Hmmmmmmmmm...

2:34 to go in the game...Boston is up 91-85. Go Celtics!

OK...Celtics are up by 10 with 16 seconds left. I think it's pretty safe for me to sign off now, knowing that the Celtics have won game 1! GO CELT'S!!!

It's Prom Time...

And with annual Prom's, come many school districts that set up and perform "Mock Crashes" for the seniors who are about to attend their Senior Prom.

In case you don't know what I'm talking about...many communities, will sponsor and set up a "Mock" car crash, within the week that proceeds the Prom. It will show a couple or more cars that are smashed into each other, smoking, with or without fellow seniors playing as "actors" in this docudrama...and they would be "Moulaged", meaning, they will have blood, bones sticking out of them, etc. Usually, a school would bring the Senior Class out of school to observe the moments immediately following the crash, through watching Police, Fire, EMS arriving on scene, cutting cars open with Jaws of life, removing their injured fellow-students, and putting them into ambulances and seeing those ambulances leave the scene. In the Mock Crashes I've been involved in (including one that I was in charge of), we had at least 1 student (usually a popular student), dead on scene, for everyone to see, and another one to be given a sobriety test, and then hand-cuffed, and put into a Police Cruiser, and taken away. The rest of the "patients" are all screaming and moaning and bleeding and in agony. Oh...don't forget the beer bottles that are spread on the ground, or fall out of the car when a door is opened.

As someone coordinating, or even taking part, in the exercise, will tell you, it's pretty moving. But seriously, what impact, if any, does it have on the students that are watching???

I have made it a point during a number of Mock Crashes that I have participated in, to keep an eye on the audience, to gauge their reactions. And I have grouped the kids into a few categories.

There are those that laugh...because they know it's fake, and they are the ones who party hard, and think "that would never happen to me".

There are those that cry...because they know it's a reality, but those few don't drink and drive, so they feel pity towards those that do.

There are those that talk during the whole thing...because they're just glad that they're outside, instead of being in Math Class. They fall into the drinker and non-drinker category.

There are those who just stand there and watch. And show no emotion. To me...those are the VERY FEW who this Mock Crash is made for. To me, those are the ones that could be "on the fence", or who like to drink, but this is making drinking-and-driving a reality for them. Or, even, some who have dealt with some sort of alcohol related accident in their life, so it makes them relive it.

Do I think these things really "touch" the majority of students? No, not at all.

Does it matter? No, not at all. Because seriously...if setting up this exhibit (which doesn't happen overnight), and getting everything and everyone in place, and pulling it off as was intended...if all of this hard work keeps ONE SINGLE teenager from drinking and driving...then isn't that worth it??? I think it is.

Oh...and, just because I'm morbid and like to make an impact...in the one Mock Crash that I was in charge of...the students got to see the most popular girl in the Senior Class, dead on scene, and then through a little bit of trickery and such, they got to see her wheeled away in a body-bag, and put into a hearse, and driven away (there are some guidelines about putting a LIVE person into a body-bag that we had to follow, but they kids didn't know the difference). That, to me, may have captured one or two more kids that we didn't have before.

I hope all schools have a safe Prom season. I know they won't...but hopefully, the one or two people that are affected by these Mock-Crashes, will think twice before getting behind the wheel if they've been drinking.

What You Can Do To Combat High Gas Prices

A 2006 study found that the average American walks about 900 miles a year.

Another study found that Americans drink an average of 22 gallons of beer a year.

That means, on average, Americans get about 41 miles per gallon."

Not Bad.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto

The Lone Ranger and Tonto went camping in the desert. After they got their tent set up, both men fell sound asleep.

Some hours later, Tonto wakes the Lone Ranger and says, "Kemosabe, look towards the sky; what you see?"

The Lone Ranger replies, "I see millions of stars".

"What that tell you?" asked Tonto.

The Lone Ranger ponders for a minute then says, "Astronomically speaking, it tells me there are millions of galaxies. Time wise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three in the morning. Theologically, the Lord is all powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you, Tonto?"

"You dumber than buffalo shit. Someone stole tent".