10.31.12 scoot@wwl.com - The idea that Halloween is an “evil” celebration is alive and well! A group of Catholic bishops in Poland is urging believers not to observe this Halloween. One bishop said in a letter to parishioners that using the fun of Halloween as a guise, this day can be “destroying the spiritual life.” He wrote - the “tricks” hide “diabolical attitudes” by encouraging the willingness to harm others. Another bishop wrote that the message of Halloween defies the teachings of the Catholic Church by promoting the “occult and magic.”
Enough! Regardless of the origin, Halloween in America has become a fun time to experience that unexplained human desire to scare and be scared. Children have always looked forward to dressing up in costumes and “trick or treating.” However, not too many years ago, there were religious zealots who decided Halloween was evil and a time to honor Satan. Nothing could be more ridiculous.
The idea that dressing up like a scary character, even the devil, would somehow draw children into a satanic cult is the obvious manifestation of subconscious insecurity with one’s own religious beliefs. If this day is considered a satanic celebration by anyone, it is only because religious crazies assigned that meaning to Halloween.
When we were kids, we loved Halloween. And now as adults, we love it even more! Over the past few decades, Halloween has become as much fun for adults as for kids. And as an adult, I’m okay with that!
This past weekend the French Quarter and clubs all over the metro area were packed with adults enjoying Halloween and tonight will be a continuation of the celebration. And, when you see some of the costumes adults wear for Halloween, it may be true that Halloween does conjure up “evil” thoughts!
10.29.12 scoot@wwl.com - It’s difficult to express in mortal words how disappointed Saints fans are about the loss to the Broncos on Sunday Night Football. Grant it, the Broncos are a very good team with a great quarterback in Peyton Manning. But on every level the loss was a certified disappointment.
Who do you blame most for the Saints poor performance Sunday and the 2 – 5 start?
A) Coaching
B) The Players
C) Commissioner Roger Goodell
Given that multiple choice, I know many Saints fans will immediately blame Commissioner Goodell. I watched the game and as much as we’d all like to blame Goodell for everything, the burden of the Saints failure so far this season, especially Sunday night, falls on the players.
Roger Goodell hurt the Saints with suspensions following the controversial “bounty scandal” investigation, but Saints players have not lived up to their potential. Roger Goodell didn’t miss tackles in the game against the Broncos and he didn’t commit penalties or drop passes. Even Drew Brees over and under threw. And, if there was a turning point in the game, it was the 4th and 2 situation, when Brees made a poor decision to throw an interception rather than take advantage of what seemed to be an opening to run for the 1st down.
At his press conference following the game, Interim Coach Joe Vitt seemed frustrated and said he needs to “educate” the team about what to do on the field. Educate? You mean they don’t know what to do? The campaign with Coach Payton’s picture with the mantra “Do your job” now seems shallow hype. They are paid to “do their job,” and paid to make tackles and catches and it is their job to at least act like they are as good as we know they are.
Football is played by humans and there will always be human era. Even Drew Brees is human and makes mistakes, as we all do in our jobs. And since we are not robots, we can’t always be expected to do our best, even when it really matters.
Even though there have been some moments of brilliance during this 2 – 5 start, the Saints let the fans down Sunday night against the Broncos. There is a lot of talk from Saints players about how they are “family” and they will come together. Didn’t we hear that before the season began?
One final thought: We don’t know who was to blame for the ridiculous extended negotiations that eventually led to Brees signing his mega-contract, but it seems obvious now that the long period of negotiations, which kept Brees out of early workouts with the team, had a negative impact on everyone – even the fans. We were all right to wonder why “it was taking so long” to sign Brees. I realize football is a business for both sides, but if it weren’t for fans, they wouldn’t be in business. We have been let down….at least, for now.
We worry about our children in the real world. We should never worry about children who are in the safety of their own home.
Today, a 23-yr-old mother admitted to killing her two children. The 3-year-old and 4-year-old were found dead in the family bathtub. The mother of the admitted murderer said her daughter had mental issues and had stopped taking her medication. Who is to blame? The mother, who murdered her children, but also all of those around her who failed to pay attention to the warning signs.
My heart goes out to any parent who acts on a moment of mental instability, but that is not an excuse for allowing a mother to kill her two innocent children. Children need their parents until they are old enough to exist in the real world.
I have a difficult time accepting excuses for parents killing their children. I try to understand that some people do have disorders and serious psychological problems, but if there is a mother who said her daughter was not taking her medicine, then why didn’t that mother work with the system to have those children removed from the home?
If we know something is wrong then we are also accountable if we don’t act on what we know. Some people can’t help how disorders affect their lives, but those close to them should understand that they are also responsible for the children who are not being protected by a parent.
I don’t underestimate that the system often fails and we should all anticipate what information is revealed about possible contact with Child Protection Services or the state.
When a 3 and 4-year-old are murdered by the person they trusted most in life, we should all take note that society failed the most innocent among us. Animals have the instinct to care for their offspring – so should we.
10.15.12 scoot@wwl.com - I was awakened this morning by a call from a friend telling me someone we knew killed himself yesterday.
Chris was a very attractive 37-year-old musician from England with a charming British accent. He played in a few local bands and built a successful business here. He always seemed to have women interested in him, but not the right one. Chris was apparently still upset over a past relationship and made the decision that life was not worth living without this person.
FACT: I love women, but NO woman (or man) is worth killing yourself over. I have gone through very difficult times and have thought that I didn’t want to be here anymore, but I never thought about actively committing suicide. It’s selfish and it hurts those you leave behind.
To accentuate the horrific nature of suicide, this weekend a friend of mine got a call from her daughter’s teachers alerting her that her daughter had received a call from a 13-year-old friend who said he was going to kill himself and texted a photo of the gun. The daughter was on a school trip…and teachers, my friend and the young boy’s parents…were all involved in a tense drama.
How can your life be so bad at the age of 13 that you threaten to kill yourself? This is obviously a case of a spoiled teenager, who does not have the skills to deal with reality. Using the threat of suicide to attract attention is appalling and seems to be a symptom of our sick society. A young teenager who contemplates suicide is the product of parents who are NOT paying attention.
Many young people don’t talk about their internal feelings, but parents must recognize that and talk to their kids. It takes effort to communicate, but every parent must be held accountable for communicating with their kids, even if their kids are not prone to openly talk.
The person I knew who killed himself and the 13-year-old threatening suicide have opened wounds that go back to a listener who committed suicide, because she wanted to have a relationship with me. I had never been with her, but she followed me and tried to start a relationship. When she finally realized I was not interested, she wrote a long letter blaming me before killing herself. Her suicide had a lasting impact on me. At first, I was angry. But, later felt badly for someone who thought their life was meaningless without another person.
I have been through my share of relationships that left me feeling totally alone and distraught, but I always realized my life was worth something to me and my son and friends even if I was not with the person I felt I needed in my life.
I know how hurtful and difficult life can be, but suicide is not the answer. I think we owe it to our children, our loved ones and our friends to pay close attention to any behavior that might lead us to believe leaving this life might be an option.
10.11.12 Scoot@wwl.com - If he becomes President, will Mitt Romney try to ban legal abortions in America? That’s a very confusing question.
Today, Romney said he would immediately work toward defunding Planned Parenthood. But yesterday he said, “There is no legislation with regards to abortion that I’m familiar with that would become part of my agenda.” Meaning he would not try to change legal abortion in America. And in January during a debate Romney said he wanted Roe v. Wade overturned. So, which is it?
I know this will seem like harsh criticism to many conservatives, but the political truth is that Romney has continually had to reposition his stance on several issues as he continues to move toward the middle, which is his natural habitat.
During the nomination process Romney said he wanted to show all illegal immigrants the door and advocated “self-deportation.” He urged illegal immigrants to leave the country. Now Romney is saying for the first time that he agrees with President Obama’s executive order and would allow illegal immigrants, who meet certain criteria, to obtain a temporary work permit and remain in the country.
Both Democrats and Republicans go through the process of leaning left or right and then moving to the middle for the general election. It should convince all of us that we, the voters, are being manipulated and one can’t help but wonder what any candidate will be like once in office.
Throughout the campaign, Romney has been running on the idea of “vote for me, I’m not the other guy.” That’s not strong enough. At a time when Romney is gaining significantly in the polls following his performance in the first debate, he needs to explain who he is and be more specific about what he stands for.
Making a statement and then repositioning your stance on the issue displays a tentative character. We do not need a president who is tentative. Romney can win this election, but he has to make himself perfectly clear.
Prior to the first debate between President Obama and Governor Romney, the collection of public opinion polls consistently showed that Obama led Romney nationally, as well as in key swing states. Mentioning the polls on our show at night always drew comments from people who didn’t believe the polls from the ‘liberal media’, even though the Fox ews polls were generally congruent with the others, showing (at the time) with Obama with a lead in the race. Yet, there was disbelief among many conservatives that the polls were accurate.
Now that those same polls show Romney either taking the lead or gaining ground on President Obama following Romney’s performance in the debate, those same skeptical conservatives seem to be embracing the *same* polls. What happened to condemning the polls from the ‘liberal media’?
Political hypocrisy is out of control on both sides of the political divide, and that’s something we talk about a lot on “The Scoot Show,” 8:00 p.m. to midnight on WWL. If those who rejected the polls when they showed Romney behind, is it hypocritical for them to now be celebrating the same polls? Many Republicans have, apparently, suddenly become energized behind Romney, even though Romney has not always been the choice of the conservative right.
This will be an election based on turn-out. Republicans are more excited about Romney after the first debate, and that could inspire a stronger turn-out on Election Day. The Democrats now must find a way to energize their base behind President Obama.
Are you planning to vote? Talk about it with us tonight on WWL 870 on “The Skywave.”
The polls remain close on the day of the first presidential debate between President Obama and Mitt Romney. While there is tremendous pressure on both men, Romney should be feeling more pressure than the President.
Tonight, Romney must define a campaign that has not been well defined. The foundation of the Romney campaign seems to be ‘vote for me, I’m not the other guy’. It is true that Romney has the support of many conservatives that are voting more ‘against’ Obama than ‘for’ Romney.
As governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney was more moderate than the strong base of the Republican Party. Those who are shaping Romney have been pushing him to the ‘right’, but that move does not comfortably fit the real Mitt Romney. That is one of the reasons for a few gaffes and a body language that does not always seem natural and genuine.
Romney has been seen as someone who is out-of-touch with voters. Tonight, he has a chance to change that and set a new tone for his campaign. I
don’t know if we have seen a truly relaxed Romney. It would be a welcome change if we do tonight.
President Obama will be under pressure to explain why things haven’t gotten better over the years of his administration. Obama is an effective public speaker and has a calm, but determined, debate style.
Romney must do a better job of explaining his plans for making America better over the next four years.
Both Obama and Romney are decent men, and while they are both passionate about their political and social beliefs, I don’t expect either man to lose his cool. Points will be scored more by what is said and not by the way it’s said.
Tonight, Romney has the opportunity to stand next to the President of the United States and be seen as presidential. This is always a special moment for any challenger.
If you listen to the debate on WWL radio, rather than watch it on TV, you will focus more on the content and not be distracted by body language. The way a candidate carries himself is certainly important, but hearing just the audio of the debate will force the content of each man’s message to be more accentuated.
I would say that Romney has more challenges to face in the debate tonight and must establish a clear message, which he has failed to do. Both Romney and Obama will also have to resist the temptation to come across as being arrogant.
The winner of the debate tonight should be the American people. The political debate in this country has grown incredibly hateful and ugly. Tonight, I expect to see two men present their case to the American people in a way that is both dignified and passionate. I wonder of the tone will spread to everyone after the debate.
