A Firefighter's Life

When a firefighter heads off to work, he seldom gives a second thought to whether he'll ever return home. He's been through this daily routine countless times, and everything has always worked out. And even though it's dangerous job, he feels confident that he'll be reunited with his family at the end of each day.

When the fires start to burn, the firefighter doesn't think about himself. He's too busy focusing on saving everyone else. And while people are rushing out of the burning building, he unselfishly goes in. He will do everything humanly possibly to bring every breathing creature out of that building. While some people might call him crazy, I simply call him brave.

I still fondly remember a photo from years ago. In it, a fireman was cradling a dog that he had just rescued from a burning house. I found it to be symbolic of the kind of people that they are: Tough as nails but at the same time, genuinely compassionate.

Who can ever forget the heroics of the rescue workers on September 11?

Sometimes it seems like they have shoulders of steel. But in reality, a firefighter's life is just as fragile as anyone's. And sadly, sometimes that family reunion at the end of the day never comes.......

There are certain individuals who truly make a difference in this world. And I would definitely put firefighters into that category. For anyone who's ever put on the turnout gear, I thank you.

This story is dedicated to the memory of Mark Falkenhan who tragically lost his life on Wednesday night while bravely trying to save others. His wife and sons lost a loving husband and father. Fellow firefighters lost a brother. And the community lost a hero.

My deepest condolences go out to his entire family.

KW

Grounded Flight of the Ravens

This morning, Baltimore Ravens fans are still feeling the hangover from the game that got away. A season that many thought would end with the Ravens playing in Super Bowl XLV, instead ended in a especially disappointing way yesterday.

Sure, it's easy to point the finger at the referees. In all my years of watching football, I would say it was one of the worst officiated games that I've ever seen. For instance, how do you call a defensive hold at the goal line on a running play? I don't think I've ever seen that. No doubt, the refs were horrible. But although the Ravens got the worst end of the deal, there were plenty of bad calls to go around on both sides.

The Ravens defense played one hell of a game. They set the offense up several times in the first half, and Flacco and the boys took advantage. By halftime, the Ravens had a seemingly comfortable 21-7 lead. And more importantly, the Steelers looked dejected.

All the Ravens had to do was protect the ball in the second half and not turn it over. Seemed simple enough, right? After all, running back Ray Rice hadn't fumbled all year. But as luck would have it, he fumbled it away in the Pittsburgh red zone. A few plays later, the Steelers had pulled within a touchdown at 21-14.

Shortly afterwards, Joe Flacco overthrew a ball to Todd Heap and Pittsburgh was right there there to intercept it. Before long, the score was tied at 21-21. I couldn't believe that the Ravens offense had just handed the game back to the Steelers. It was like deja-vu all over again.

The worst part was not that the score was tied, but that Pittsburgh now had the momentum. Within thirty short minutes, they went from feeling dejected to feeling like they couldn't lose. The worst part for me was watching that stupid smile return to the face of Hines Ward.

Let me say this once again..... the Raven's defense kicked ass. The pass and run defense looked great, but more importantly, they pressured Ben Rothlesberger all day. And more specifically, Terrell Suggs was on Big Ben like white on rice.

But, in my opinion, the reason the Raven's lost the game was that the offense had no heart. At times in the second half, they seemed like they didn't even care. Sometimes, you've got to reach deep inside to find that extra something to get yourself over the hump. Although I think Joe Flacco is a decent quarterback, I don't think he has developed the leadership qualities to "motivate the troops". He should be lighting a fire under the offense's ass. But instead, he just hangs his head and sits alone on the sideline. For God's sake, Joe, show me a little emotion!

The Baltimore defense, on the other hand, plays with high energy and emotion every week. And although people may have varying opinions of Ray Lewis, he is the epitome of a team leader. He fires up and motivates his teammates and most importantly, makes them believe in themselves. He makes everyone around him a better player. Maybe Ray needs to get in the faces of some of the offensive players.

Yes, the Steelers won. And they certainly took advantage of all the Raven's mishaps. I'll admit, they are indeed a very good football team. But don't expect a slobbering lovefest from me. I'm from Baltimore and that's a good enough reason for me to hate the Steelers.

With all of this being said, I think Baltimore fans should hold their heads high. We have a talented team and a perennial playoff contender. As a football fan, that's about the best you can ask for. I can remember what it felt like after the Colts left town. We didn't even have a team to cheer for. I think we can all agree that things are much better now.

Personally, I've had a great time watching the Baltimore Ravens all season. There have been highs and lows but the one thing that remained consistent was the excitement. Congratulations to the Ravens for making it as far as they did. September will be here before you know it and we'll start this party all over again!

KW

Lost In Tucson

Right on cue, the usual media suspects seized the opportunity to politicize another American tragedy. Instead of coming together as a country, it's the same old divisive song and dance from the left. Before any of the details of the recent Arizona shooting were sorted out, liberal news outlets wasted no time in dishing out the blame.

Let's blame Rush Limbaugh! Let's blame Sarah Palin! And last, but not certainly least, let's blame George F*cking Bush!

Hey, here's a crazy idea! How about we blame the guy who pulled the trigger? Just in case you're interested, his name is Jason Loughner.

Lost among all of the finger pointing is the fact that six people were killed and fourteen more were injured by the 22 year-old lunatic. Their only mistake was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Among his victims was nine year old, Christina Green. One of her goals in life was to become the first woman to play baseball in the Major Leagues. Because of Loughner, Christina will never get that chance. This innocent child came into this world on the day of one American tragedy (September 11, 2001) and sadly, went out of it on another. Today, Christina's parents said goodbye to their little girl for the last time. It breaks my heart just to think about it. If I were in charge of the criminal justice system, I would have "Christina" tattooed across Jason Loughner's forehead so he would have to think about her every time he looks in the mirror.

And I must mention that those idiots at Westboro Baptist Church are at it again. They were planning a protest at Christina Green's funeral. Something has to be done about this nonsense. These sadistic dickheads only backed off after they were promised airtime on a talk radio station. If the whole Westboro congregation got hit with a bolt of lightning (or a baseball bat) tonight, I would sleep sound. They are lower than whale shit......

And let's not forget the focus of this tragedy.  Her name is Gabrielle Giffords. So... who exactly is Gabby? She's just a woman who has the guts to stand up for what she believes. And I couldn't care less if she's a Democrat, Republican or a member of the Whig party. She's a fellow American and she certainly didn't deserve this.  Because of a deranged, scumbag loser named Jason Loughner, she's now fighting for her life in a hospital bed. As an American, this really pisses me off!

The only good news is that Rep. Giffords is showing signs of progress. That's the best we can hope for.

My thoughts go out to all of the victims and their families.

KW

Yesterday's Playgrounds

Lately, I've been reading a lot about child obesity. Not surprising, there's a major push to get kids to eat healthier and to exercise more. The eating part really doesn't surprise me. After all, kids have had a fascination with junk food since the Flintstone's era. And McDonald's Happy Meals are still considered a full course dinner to most five year olds.

However, the push to get kids to "exercise" is really mind boggling to me. In effect, the "exercise" amounts to nothing more than playing. Remember when child's play used to be a main staple of the growing years? On a summer day, local playgrounds were always full of energetic youngsters. But with the introduction of video games and the increase of over-protective parenting, today's playgrounds have become ghost towns.

The National Football League has even started a campaign to get kid's to play at least 60 minutes a day. Can you believe this? We now have to pressure our kids to go out and play. I can remember the days when most of the neighborhood kids would hit the local park in the morning and remain there until the sun went down. I can recall our parents hunting us down on the playground because we forgot to come home for dinner. Yes, the times have indeed changed.

Today's kids rarely leave the house unless it's a trip to the mall to pick up a new video game. Instead of having a variety of neighborhood buddies, the kids now have "virtual friends" from around the world. Whether it's from a Facebook chat, an online game competition or even home-schooling, the social interaction is growing increasingly remote. And it can't be good.

Can you get some exercise from playing Wii Sports? Maybe. But does it really compare to playing a game of hoops at the local court with real kids?

When I was growing up, I can remember kids walking down the street and rounding up everyone they could for a pick-up football game at the local park. When enough players were recruited (and they almost always were), the teams would be picked. It was an adrenaline rush to see one of the tough guys from the neighborhood barreling towards you as you ran behind your blocker. When you eventually scored a touchdown, it really felt like an accomplishment. And although we got some bumps and bruises from time to time, it was still a blast. From these games, we developed social skills and the concept of a team building. And in some cases, we even found friendships that would last a lifetime.

Today's kids don't get bumps and bruises from playing sports. Instead, they get carpal tunnel syndrome. Maybe I'm getting older and just don't understand. Am I the only one who sees something wrong with this picture??

KW

Greetings

During the course of an average day, I cross paths with a variety of individuals. And from my experiences, I would say that mostly all them are friendly and enjoyable to be around. However, there is one thing (actually there's probably more, but let's keep it simple) that really irritates me. It's when people don't know how to greet you.

Let me try to explain.........

For instance, earlier this week, I stopped off at a local wholesale club. On the way out, there was an employee standing near the exit. Although the store says that she's there "for your convenience", she's really there to check your receipt to make sure you didn't steal anything. So, I stroll past the woman and I say to her, "Have a good night". Her response? She stares right past me like I'm Patrick Swayze in "Ghost".

And there's a guy who lives up the street who absolutely refuses to wave to me. For fifteen freggin' years, I've driven past his house. When he's outside, I always throw up a hand as a "I come in peace" gesture. And what do I get in return? A blank stare. And it's not like the guy doesn't see me. He's looking right at me! So now, if I'm driving up the road with Tina, I'll say to her, "Hey, watch me not wave to this guy." Sure, she thinks I'm ridiculous. But somehow, I feel vindicated.

Occasionally, I'll run into the young comatose cashier. You know, the one who hands you your change without words nor expression. For some unknown reason, I always find myself thanking them. And I hate myself immediately afterward. I guess subconsciously, I feel that someone should say something.

And have ever run into this one? You ask someone how they're doing and they ambush you will a tirade of hard luck stories? It's kind of like listening to an old country song. Just because I ask you how you're doing, doesn't mean that I want to be your psychiatrist. I recently bumped into a guy who I hadn't seen in several years. I walk up, extend my hand and say, "Man, it's been a long time. How have you been?" What a mistake that was! I had to spend the next half hour hearing about:

• A chronic back problem that's kept him from working for the past eight years
• A pit bull mix he affectionately referred to as "Numb-Nuts"
• His stripper ex-girlfriend who took him for everything that he had
• The repo man who "stole" his car
• The long lines at the methadone clinic

He went on and on and on. Similar to having the hiccups, I found myself rhythmically saying, "Damn, that really sucks." I couldn't take it any longer. When he eventually got winded, I seized the opportunity to make up a story about having to visit a sick relative in the hospital. I said a lightning quick goodbye and bolted.

I dunno, maybe my neighbor up the street has the right idea after all.......

KW