Beyond My Pay Grade...

Now I've seen EVERYTHING! Have you heard about the rich people's disease that was recently used to keep a rich kid out of prison? It's called Affluenza, and was successfully used as a defense in a Texas courtroom, to defend this kid who killed 4 others while driving drunk. You can't make this shit up...


I heard about it this morning while watching "Democracy Now!" on TV. From their website... "A wealthy teen who killed four people in a Texas drunk driving accident will not go to jail after a judge ruled this week that instead, he must attend an expensive rehabilitation facility paid for by his parents. The driver was 16-year-old Ethan Couch. He was speeding, with a blood-alcohol level more than three times the legal limit.


 Couch has admitted to his crime, and in a case that went before a Texas judge, prosecutors sought a 20-year sentence. Instead, Couch was sentenced to 10 years’ probation after a psychologist claimed he had "affluenza," and testified that his cushy upbringing prevented him from connecting bad behavior with its consequences." What follows is part of a transcript they played on the show...


"911 DISPATCHER: And how many people need EMS?

CALLER: Ma’am, I’m telling you, it’s dark. There’s four or five kids. There’s kids laying in ditches and street.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: That was a 911 call from last June, when four people were killed by a drunk driver. The driver was 16-year-old Ethan Couch. He was speeding, with a blood-alcohol level more than three times the legal limit. Couch has admitted to his crime, and in a case that went before a Texas judge, prosecutors sought a 20-year sentence. Instead, he was sentenced to 10 years’ probation after a psychologist claimed he suffered from "affluenza," which he described as growing up in a house where the parents were preoccupied with arguments that led to a divorce. On Wednesday, a judge ordered him to go to an expensive rehabilitation facility paid for by his parents."

Am I supposed to actually believe this bullshit? Is this the REAL story of "the poor little rich kid"? I AM DIS GUS  TED!!!

Another Open Letter to the Portland Trailblazers

Dear Blazers,


I wrote an open letter to you back on December 5th, 2013, where I apologized to you for taking your team too lightly. I pointed out the many surprising strengths the team had displayed since the start of the NBA season. I singled out how I felt about individual players, and complimented the team on having a 16-3 record on that date.


Well, here we are, a little more than 1/2 way through the season, and I'm back to writing you yet another open letter. I hadn't planned to do so, but I feel the need to "reconnect" before the upcoming All Star break. Having both Damian and Lamarcus represent your team and our city as players in that game is impressive, but it's looking like that's where all congratulations end.


Your record is now 34-14, which is not disrespectable, if you want to make it to the playoffs in the Western Conference. However, you have begun to lose games you really shouldn't lose. Last night it was the Wizards, a 24-23 team, and after squeaking by Toronto the other night, you were up-ended by Memphis and Golden State. In other words, you've lost 3 of your last 4 games. In fact, since I sent you my original letter, your record is 18-11, which is slightly better than average; around a "B" in letter grades.


Once again, that old feeling in the pit of my stomach is beginning to grumble. There are several important games with good teams coming up in February, and I'm not convinced you're going to sail through the month. In my humble opinion, it's time to take a look at yourselves, and get back to work! When I've watched you lose (many times now), I've taken note that the only player who truly looks pissed off is Wes Matthews. What about the All Stars?


I'm sure that when you see this, you'll likely think; "Who the hell does that dude think he is"? The answer to that question is simple. I'm just someone who lives in Portland, loves basketball, and has followed this team since 1982. That would be 32 years where the Blazers were in the Finals twice, losing both times. I WANT A CHAMPIONSHIP ok?


1 and 1 since I wrote this... jus' sayin'