Before this week, I harbored no innate reason to dislike, abhor, or loath Timothy Richard Tebow. In the two times that this young man took the field against my beloved Tigers, he never saw a victory (2006: AU27 (#3)UF17 & 2007: AU20 (#4)UF17). Indeed, as he was despised by all who wear the red and black, and he had a habit of destroying and embarassing my most reviled arch enemy for the last two years, hell, I kinda grew to like the kid.
What I always found to be even more impressive, though, was the essence of this collegiate athlete. In a sport were superegos and arrogance make mouths and bodies do assenine things both on and off the field of battle, here was a positive archetype we could parade to the youth of America. Dedicated, hard working, passionate, compassionate, magnanimous, and philinthropic are traits found in this young humanitarian. Add to this his willingness to work voluntarily in the Third World, and his desire to genuinely serve his God and his fellow men, damn, I wanted to BE this guy. I REALLY wanted this kid to marry one of my girls.
Unfortunatley, this goldenrod for all that is good became tarnished for me this week with the controversy over his Superbowl advertisement for Focus on the Family:
What I always found to be even more impressive, though, was the essence of this collegiate athlete. In a sport were superegos and arrogance make mouths and bodies do assenine things both on and off the field of battle, here was a positive archetype we could parade to the youth of America. Dedicated, hard working, passionate, compassionate, magnanimous, and philinthropic are traits found in this young humanitarian. Add to this his willingness to work voluntarily in the Third World, and his desire to genuinely serve his God and his fellow men, damn, I wanted to BE this guy. I REALLY wanted this kid to marry one of my girls.
Unfortunatley, this goldenrod for all that is good became tarnished for me this week with the controversy over his Superbowl advertisement for Focus on the Family:
The Heisman Trophy winning quarterback — one of the most celebrated college football players of all time — has cut an ad with his mother Pam, who tells of her decision not to end her 1987 pregnancy in spite of advice from doctors to do so. Pam Tebow and her husband were working as missionaries in the Philippines at the time when doctors there advised her to have an abortion due to health concerns. She did not, and Tim Tebow was born. - Politico
Dude, you are not even in the NFL and now you are going to destroy the very institution that made you what you are? Football was sacred. The Superbowl was apolitical, a place where right and left, east and west, North and South, Christian and everybody else, could put aside all of the innane and useless partisan bickering for just a few hours and come together to consume mass quantities of food and fellowship.
“Some people won’t agree with it, you know, but I think they can at least respect that I stand up for what I believe,” Tebow said. “I'm just standing for something. That's the reason why I'm here because my mom is a very courageous woman.”-- POLITICO
An athlete like yourself is one in a million. I get that. Had your mother followed doctor's advise, you would not be here. Duh!
Just like you, the odds are often one in a million that at child in a troubled pregnancy might also grow up to be healthy, loved, nurtured, and protected without having physical difficulties to overcome and burdens to be placed upon families. In my world, this is referred to as "anecdotal evidence."
Whoa now! Those of you that might want to comment quickly about the sins of abortion can just calm down. I am not supporting the killing of innocent fetuses who have done nothing against the world. I am not advocating the employment of selective eugenics to build a better race. I would not suggest this even be a form of mere birth control.
My problem is that each week in my volunteer work through the juvenile courts, I get to witness firsthand the results of unwanted pregnancies, or challenged children born to parents who can't wipe their own ass, much less care for my dog (who only needs food and water, and to be let in at night and out in the morning -- a trained chimp could do these tasks).
I do, however, object to having the government MANDATE a decision upon a woman, a man and a woman, or a family. That is having a choice. One that can be made by those who are directly effected by its impact, not career politicians living tens, hundreds, or a thousand miles away. More importantly, if you advocate the government's control of reproductive rights, you had better be ready to spend your hard earned money in tax dollars for a support system to give that child a chance, to wit:
If you are going to protect it in the womb, you had better be prepared to provide for it until the tomb. -- My Mom, Shelia O'Brien Govignon (sage woman I tell ya, just took @ 20 years to figure it out -- Hi Mom!)
Timmy, Timmy, Timmy. I respect your rights. I respect your beliefs. Just don't force them down my throat at the Superbowl. Just let me drink my libations, and chew on my chicken wings and nacho chips in peace. Keep the politics out of my game. It's not much to ask. It's only one damn day! Just play football and then do your non-athletic work off the field. That is all I ask, as I don't wish to exercise my "choice" and be forced to watch Fox on Sunday night.
It is all about "choice." Funny that an advocate for life, not choice would be quoted with the following:
“Some people won’t agree with it, you know, but I think they can at least respect that I stand up for what I believe,” Tebow said. “I'm just standing for something. That's the reason why I'm here because my mom is a very courageous woman.”-- POLITICO
An athlete like yourself is one in a million. I get that. Had your mother followed doctor's advise, you would not be here. Duh!
Just like you, the odds are often one in a million that at child in a troubled pregnancy might also grow up to be healthy, loved, nurtured, and protected without having physical difficulties to overcome and burdens to be placed upon families. In my world, this is referred to as "anecdotal evidence."
Whoa now! Those of you that might want to comment quickly about the sins of abortion can just calm down. I am not supporting the killing of innocent fetuses who have done nothing against the world. I am not advocating the employment of selective eugenics to build a better race. I would not suggest this even be a form of mere birth control.
My problem is that each week in my volunteer work through the juvenile courts, I get to witness firsthand the results of unwanted pregnancies, or challenged children born to parents who can't wipe their own ass, much less care for my dog (who only needs food and water, and to be let in at night and out in the morning -- a trained chimp could do these tasks).
I do, however, object to having the government MANDATE a decision upon a woman, a man and a woman, or a family. That is having a choice. One that can be made by those who are directly effected by its impact, not career politicians living tens, hundreds, or a thousand miles away. More importantly, if you advocate the government's control of reproductive rights, you had better be ready to spend your hard earned money in tax dollars for a support system to give that child a chance, to wit:
If you are going to protect it in the womb, you had better be prepared to provide for it until the tomb. -- My Mom, Shelia O'Brien Govignon (sage woman I tell ya, just took @ 20 years to figure it out -- Hi Mom!)
Timmy, Timmy, Timmy. I respect your rights. I respect your beliefs. Just don't force them down my throat at the Superbowl. Just let me drink my libations, and chew on my chicken wings and nacho chips in peace. Keep the politics out of my game. It's not much to ask. It's only one damn day! Just play football and then do your non-athletic work off the field. That is all I ask, as I don't wish to exercise my "choice" and be forced to watch Fox on Sunday night.
It is all about "choice." Funny that an advocate for life, not choice would be quoted with the following:
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, defended CBS’s decision during an interview with POLITICO.
The head of the group opposing abortion rights said that “Women can be trusted with information and they certainly don’t need to be protected from the idea that if they have a crisis pregnancy that they can choose life.”
“What are they protecting people from?” she asked. “It is just so counter to the whole mission which is to provide women choices. This is just the one choice they can’t abide.”
Nicely said, my man. Cogent and clear-cut. Best piece yet on the Internet.
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