Retweet of the Day - September 11, 2012

Today's retweet content could not have been any easier. Today is the 11th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. I decided to "go homer" although we are all Americans. Today's retweet is from New Orleans Hornets rookie power forward and first overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, Anthony Davis ‏(@AntDavis23).


"I hope We ALL take time out of the day in remembrance of all those lost on 9/11. Can't believe its been 11 years. Thoughts and Prayers #USA"

Image from www.suitcasesandsippycups.com

Free Speech Faux Pas

The first amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America guarantees everyone on our soil the right to free speech. It is possibly the most fundamental right that anyone in this country has. It is probably the most cherished, too, capturing the very definition, for many of us, of what it means to be an American and responsible for shaping our very own personalities, morals, values, and beliefs.

The ultimate government permit...maybe it shouldn't be issued to everyone. 2

Just because it is sacred, cherished, and precious, does not mean it is always good, when exercised, 100% of the time. Everyone enjoys this right. This means that when one person says something controversial or offensive to masses of people, a negative response, those masses have the same freedom to verbally return fire. That return fire should be expected to also be a negative response. While I am happy to live in a country in which I am free to express any opinion I have, even if it is a negative one, I personally get no enjoyment from being in a negative climate. It is not pleasant nor is it fun, to me.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall ignited a small storm of controversy when he made remarks via Twitter questioning the chain of events that led to the collapse of the World Trade Center towers and the culpability of Osama bin Laden in that collapse on September 11, 2001. He has since chosen to delete one of the Tweets, issue a statement of clarification on his comments, and lost an endorsement deal. Free speech did not work very well in Mendenhall’s favor in this instance.

Today, the Hat Trick is going to look back at some other instances in sports history in which a little less freedom with one’s speech could have saved the speaker a considerable amount of trouble and negative press. Free speech: great for America…a potential liability for public reputations.


KOBE BRYANT: THE OTHER “F” WORD

April 12, 2011 – Kobe Bryant has a verbal altercation with referee Bennie Adams after being assessed a technical foul. Bryant sat on the bench and his lips could clearly be read, saying “fucking faggot,” to Adams.

If not being allergic to money makes me “the other F word” then just call me a “queen” honey (snapping finger in a circular motion)! Bryant was quickly fined $100,000 by the league the following day. I know what some of you are thinking: “He makes over $20 million per year! So what?”

I have been acquainted with a few millionaires, as I am sure many of you have. Rich people don’t stay rich by throwing their money away. Sure, they will not hesitate to pay the extra 25¢ for cheese on a Whopper. They will hesitate to toss $100,000 into a black hole like a penny into a wishing well. Notice that Kobe didn’t do it again?


LEBRON JAMES TAKES HIS TALENTS TO SOUTH BEACH

July 8, 2010 – There was no bigger offseason sports story in 2010 than where LeBron James planned to play in the upcoming basketball season. James, previously with the Cleveland Cavaliers, coordinated with ESPN to air a prime time special announcing which team he had chosen to sign with. Advertising proceeds would go to the Boys & Girls Club, a non-profit organization serving children.

My first thought: “If he is announcing this on national television, he must be staying in Cleveland. No way would he go on ESPN and drop THAT kind of a bomb on everyone.” Then LeBron announced he was taking his “talents to South Beach”.

I think they took it well. 1

TIGER WOODS RECEIVES A TEXT MESSAGE ON THANKSGIVING

You would think that with all of the means of electronic communication available, and the relative anonymity made possible by the Internet, a billionaire golfer would not get busted for cheating by his wife because she found a text message on his personal cell phone from his mistress. That, in and of itself, is not very interesting nowadays, as the media gets wind of, seemingly, every aspect of a famous man’s personal life. Even amid speculation that Woods’ “traffic accident” was caused by a domestic disturbance, this story appeared to be one that would fade from public consciousness by the end of the year.

You know how there are some questionable websites that, if visited, will produce a pop up box? Then if you try to close that pop up, another pop up appears? Yeah…my readers are pretty smart; I don’t think I need to connect the dots for you on this one.

Don't text and drive. 3

OZZIE GUILLEN CLARIFIES WHO IS BEST IN THE WINDY CITY

May 4, 2008 – Colorful Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen does not pull many punches. After a loss, Guillen shared his true feeling about the cross town Chicago Cubs.

"We won it a couple of years ago, and we're horse shit. The Cubs haven't won in (100) years and they're the fucking best. Fuck it, we're good. Fuck everybody."

I think Ozzie cleared it up nicely.

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls!

To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info.
1) Image from opposingviews.com
2) Image from arb.ca.gov
3) Image from TMZ via leighvalleylive.com

Conspiracy Theories Are BAD! M’kay?

Kids, today we're going to talk about conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories are bad! M'kay? 1

From JFK to the U.S. landing on the moon to Bush v Gore and all points between, before, and after, conspiracy theorists have presented possible alternate explanations some of the most significant news stories in history. The tragedy of the 9/11 terrorist attacks is no exception. Theories that explosives were used in concert with or in lieu of hijacked airliners to destroy the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon and theories that the Unites States government was somehow complicit in the attacks began circulating around the Internet shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

On Sunday, May 1, 2011, Osama bin Laden, the terrorist mastermind that planned and executed the 9/11 attacks, was brought to justice and killed in a raid by United States forces in Pakistan. The media displayed dozens of images throughout the country, including at the White House and at the New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies baseball game, of joyous citizens reacting to the news of bin Laden’s death.

I personally see celebrations of justice and freedom. 3

On Monday, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall posted on his Twitter page, “What kind of person celebrates death? It's amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak. We've only heard one side...” Mendenhall continued, about an hour later, “There is not an ignorant bone in my body. I just encourage you to #think.” Now deleted, Mendenhall also tweeted, “We’ll never know what really happened. I just have a hard time believing a plane could take a skyscraper down demolition style.”

That sure looks like an airplane causing the destruction to me. 2

Naturally, these remarks sparked controversy in the sports world. How could anyone make remarks that have so much as a hint of sympathy for a man that many consider the most evil of the third millennium? Of course we have heard bin Laden speak. He wanted to kill as many innocent Americans, and any other people with whom he did not agree, as possible. We have heard his side and it is reprehensible!

Then I reread one of the comments, the one about not believing an airplane could take down a building. And I thought, “Oh no! Not you, too! Not after all of these years…!”

Whenever a person makes remarks that ignite controversy, I always try to ask myself, “What was that person thinking? What was the intent behind the words?” I think that Mendenhall is no more than either a conspiracy theorist or a person, minimally, open to the possibility of conspiracies. I do not think Mendenhall is a terrorist sympathizer. I do not think he is anti-American. I do, however, think his remarks are monumentally insensitive and insulting to all Americans, especially the friends and families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks.

Reading Mendenhall’s Twitter page, it is clear that he is a person who makes comments for the purpose of garnering attention. Many of his other posts contain pithy one-liners about relationships or are reposts of other Twitter members’ philosophical quotes. People have a right to explore alternative theories to conventional wisdom.

I can't help but wonder if Mendenhall has a conspiracy theory about his costly fumble in the Super Bowl. 4

However, what is often overlooked is that any event that is of enough significance for there to be a conspiracy theory has likely had enough impact on the lives of people for the event to be important enough to develop an alternate theory. When that event is a tragedy that results is a massive loss of life, the feelings of the survivors and loves ones of the victims are paramount to the right of another person to publicly peruse alternate possibilities of that event.

When the person doing the exploring in a public manner is, himself, a public figure, such as a professional athlete, that person should understand, beforehand, that, good, bad, right, or wrong, his words are going to receive more scrutiny that those of any member of the general public. The notion that anything happened on 9/11 other than that 19 al-Qaeda (run by Osama bin Laden) backed terrorists hijacked four American airliners and were responsible for crashing them into the two towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, triggering events that resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people on American soil is preposterous. The mechanism that actually caused the towers to fall or the total damage to the Pentagon, if one even fathoms that the airplanes were not the sole explosives involved in the destruction, is irrelevant.

Call me crazy, but it looks like the airplane that hit the Pentagon caused an awful lot of this damage. Then again, perhaps the building simply wasn't up to code. 5

If Mendenhall wanted to promote and explore alternate theories of 9/11, including who was responsible and which additional parties may have been involved, Monday was not the appropriate time and Twitter was not the appropriate venue. I personally believe that Mendenhall should heed the words of a profound retweet from his own Twitter page, “It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument. Solution, DON'T ARGUE. #islam #wisdom #think”

Don’t forget to vote in the fan polls!

To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info.

1) Image from motifake.com; Mr. Mackey is a trademark of Sout Park Studios and Comedy Central
2) Image from xrlq.com
3) Image from islamizationwatch.blogspot.com
4) Image from espn.com
5) Image from september11news.com