1. I rarely talk politics, because when I left the Republican Party, I really left politics (for the record, I’m middle of the road, I am not a Republican/Democrat/Independent, I look at both sides of the argument and decipher the middle ground). When I saw my old boss’ name pop up in US News, I knew something was amiss.
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels is cutting funding to Planned Parenthood in a mark to do away with state-funded abortion clinics. Only 3% of the facilities in Indiana use abortion clinics.
While I would have suggested, just tell Planned Parenthood you’re cutting funding if they continue to use abortion clinics, this act leads me to wonder…hmm…going for that presidential seat?
2. Well, if Mitch was going for that presidential seat…Obama just blew any chances that the Republicans could have of stealing his job away from him for a second run.
Osama Bin Laden IS DEAD!
Obama ordered the bullet through the head of Bin Laden…giving the 9/11 widows and their families closure for the first time. From Washington, DC to New York City to college campuses all across America…we celebrated this victory.
I don’t expect any other country in the world to understand why this is so important, because they only felt sympathy for our loss. They didn’t experience it. They didn’t feel our fear. They didn’t watch our family members head to war (and not come home). They didn’t experience our economy collapsing because of 9/11.
9/11 didn’t just kill over 3,000+ people. It crippled America in so many ways. We have been living in post-9/11 trauma for a decade. 9/11 changed what it meant to be an American. Our days of feeling safe and having the American dream all disappeared on that day.
I was in Northern Virginia on 9/11/01. I stood watching the Pentagon on fire for hours. I remember watching the planes hit on TV. Realizing that DC was about to be hit, and then watching it all unfold before my eyes.
We waited in our offices for that plane that was unaccounted for to strike. It was heading for DC…and we did not know whether these were our last few minutes of our lives. We desperately called our loved ones to tell them goodbye…just in case we were the ones who died.
I watched mass chaos all around me. People were evacuating the city. I lived in Washington, DC…and I couldn’t get home.
The irony of the situation…while I watched the Pentagon on fire…waiting for that last plane…I realized that the week before, I had seen those terrorists. They were in my neighborhood. I had passed by their van that was waiting at a stoplight. I was thinking about 50 million other things at the time and then my intuition said, “Terrorists in DC.”
For some strange reason I stopped just a few feet away from the van. I turned around and looked at the men in the van. They were all dressed in white and had the beards we have grown to see in the news that represent al-Qaida.
They saw me turn around and look at them. They panicked and drove straight through the red light.
I thought I was crazy. Why in the world did I say that to myself? I just turned back around, headed to the metro, shaking my head like…why would I think there were terrorists in DC? Why did I turn around like that and look at those men?
A week later I realized I should have called the FBI. But how do you explain a strange intuitive feeling to the FBI?
That morning on the way to work, my intuition kicked in again saying that today was a day that I would never forget. Today was a day that would change my entire world.
True to its feeling…America changed that day, along with everyone in it. We lived in fear for a long time. We’ve lived in fear for a decade.
To take down the leader that destroyed the America I had grown to love…that makes this nation rejoice. Ding dong Osama’s dead.
We all realize the war on terror will worsen, but we are satisfied that the man who laughed at us, was the mastermind behind the murders of so many innocent people around the world…people that don’t know or understand why they are being killed for the sake of….WHAT?
I’m happy that closure can begin…that we can finally move on from that horrific day. Now, we can focus on our new day. Justice, served up by a lucky bullet from the Gods, has been served. Death has finally taken the man that has been keeping Death busy over the years.
We celebrate this death, just like we did when Hitler’s death was announced.
Whether the world agrees with it or not, we needed this kill mission because we have been living in this pain and fear for a decade. We just killed our abuser in an act of self-defense so that we can be free from the pain…free from fear.
3. So hockey…
Brad Richards was at the NHL store today. I wandered over to get some photos and find out what he’s doing in FA. Why everyone kept saying…go ask him, maybe he’ll tell you (this may have something to do with me being able to weasel out information from players and coaches they kind of didn’t want to say). I just let John Giannone give me the scoop.
Basically…Richards likes the new Dallas management. Also sounds like he doesn’t know what exactly he’s going to do. Rangers are expected to pursue Richards. He’s not talking one way or the other if he’s interested in going to the Rangers.
4. While I was over at the NHL store taking photos of Richards, I ran into a few NHL personnel. We got to talking about whether I’m doing any NHL related spring activities.
I said I was on sabbatical until July when I release the Kovalchuk series. Maybe I’ll go to Prague while I’m on my vacation in September – October.
I got back to the office and saw that Orbitz had just tweeted that if you book at one of the MGM resorts in Vegas, they’ll pay for the flight if you’re the first 10 people to book.
So I booked at MGM Grand for the NHL Awards. Looks like the flight may be free too. I’ll find out soon if I get the flight for free. It said the code went through. When I checked the site half an hour later, it said that 10 people had already booked with the code. So I think I’ve got a free flight to Vegas.
Although, in my desperate haste to get the free flight, I may have booked too quickly, not realizing that I could book a suite at the MGM Signature. I may be changing the reservation (I need a kitchen or I’m going to starve in Vegas). [If Buddy Oakes reads that…I know he’s going to say…but we’re dining at In-N-Out. My stomach may not survive this trip.]
5. So Prague…ends up I’ll be in Prague more times than Patrik Elias has been in the last two years. This will mark my third trip to Prague (I love that place) since my hockey writing career began.
While I won’t be in Europe for the NHL regular season games (I’ll be in Africa at that time), I will be running around Europe with the New York Rangers during the pre-season. Dates/cities have yet to be announced to the general public, but I’ll be at all of the games but one.
There may be only one other reporter hitting the road with them at this time as well. That means that there will be special coverage during this time for Inside Hockey. Not only that…but the reviews on the FlipCam have been stellar, so that means…new type of coverage for next season.
We’re going video on this tour of duty.
6. Speaking of video…I decided to do a vlog of my travels next season. I think you guys will enjoy seeing the adventures, just as much as you did reading about it and seeing the photos from Dublin and Praha.
I can’t say yet what cities I’ll be heading to (top secret until NHL announces the schedule), but Morocco is the only place I can say. London got nixed. Paris is still on the itinerary.
So this will be a new take on how we’re changing the format of NHL coverage next season. Vlog in Vegas next month? Maybe.
