Dirty Politics and Children

My husband became a coach, and a commissioner, in order to support our son's fledgling soccer career. In his capacity as commissioner, Larry started noticing things. Things that, if they happened in a business, would be considered criminal. At the least, they were unethical.  The organization's bylaws outline specifically the procedures necessary for the functioning of the group. Yet things were happening without anyone knowing a thing about them.  When my husband raised questions and asked for transparency, he was patted on the head and told to "trust them".  He began to suspect that financial shenanigans were afoot, and when his concerns were not addressed, he did what any normal adult would do.

He decided to run for President of the soccer organization.

Larry didn't want to rule the world, he just wanted to make soccer a more enjoyable experience. He did everything that you're supposed to do for the election. Everything they harp on in the government classes. Everything that they say makes our country great. He made phone calls and sent out emails listing why he was running and where he saw the organization going.  He met with people, and shook hands, and talked with them about soccer. He'd never run for office before, but he did his best.  When my son asked about what his father was doing, we briefly explained the political process and encouraged his interest.

We should have instead explained about cheating, lying, and other forms of political corruption.

The woman he was running against brought in random people to vote, people who were not even actual voting members.  When my husband started to complain, his opponent started an argument with him as a distraction, so he wouldn't notice the ballot box being stuffed.  Larry "lost" the election 43 to 13, which combined is more than the number of coaches AND voting board members in the organization.  One person even voted twice; she told us so.

Politics are part of life. I understand that. There is no interaction between two or more people that does not involve some form of politics. It is the oil that gets the wheels moving in the right direction. At least, they are supposed to do that. Nobody seems to be in the mood for compromise anymore, and nothing seems to get done without a great deal of screaming and name calling.  I get that.  I understand the gridlock that bogs down Washington.  I don't like it, but I get it.

But this? This I don't get.

Let's be clear here: Members of an organization dedicated to building character in children through sports cheated to win an election. A person in charge of referees, who is a referee herself, cheated to win an election. And you wonder why people believe that games are fixed?

This is a youth soccer organization we are talking about.  It is supposed to be all about children, not about alleged kickbacks and unreported income. We should be enjoying the games, not worrying about someone fixing a lousy board election.  But now I'm struggling with the fact that the people who are supposed to have my son's best interests at heart are possibly criminals. I shouldn't be worried that my hard earned registration fee is going to end up in the pockets of the new President, or that a contract with the company that makes our uniforms involves a kickback. But now I am.

How do I protect my child from that and still allow him to play sports? How do I explain to him about the evil that people do to each other without killing that spark that makes him want to excel at sports?

If someone is so very set on grasping power that they corrupt the very ideals that our country is supposed to represent, what does that say about them?  What does that say about us, that we tolerate such behavior, dismissing it as "politics as usual"?

More importantly, what message does that send to our children? That it's okay to cheat to get what you want? That you can call in favors or work out deals under the table with impunity?  That it doesn't matter how hard you try, it matters who you know? 

It doesn't get better if you change organizations, either.  I am not naive enough to believe that someone will suddenly rush in and fix this travesty, or demand a new vote based on those actually able to vote. That ship has sailed. Because I have a strong sense of fair play, however, I've looked into filing a complaint.  But there is no one to complain to.  These youth organizations run with very little oversight from anyone.  They can do whatever they want. There's nobody making sure that a parent's cash payment doesn't end up in someone's pocket, and no one to report it to if it happens. There's nobody making sure that the coaches are not sex offenders.  There's nobody making sure that the rules, whatever they may be, are even followed.  Doesn't that sound wrong to you? People complain about FIFA, but it's not FIFA who are working closely with our children.

Public school sports have oversight, parochial schools have oversight; even college sports have the NCAA. Why not these groups? Why isn't there a National or even a South Texas Youth Sports Organization that is charged with keeping track of complaints against these organizations and making sure that things are done ethically?  An argument may be made that youth sports are small potatoes, but I don't buy that for one minute. If we are ever going to teach our kids about honesty, integrity, and character, it starts at the ground level. Change begins at the roots. Organizations working with children should be above reproach, and any efforts to allow otherwise should be stomped down hard. Shenanigans  or unethical behavior of any sort with any nonprofit organization should result in the loss of nonprofit status.  Any efforts to fix elections at any level should be brought into the light and the perpetrators banned from office, and even from voting. That is how you get the message across, that our children's organizations are not the place for such behavior.

Something must be done.

Rainy Random

Remember how I was complaining that we were in a drought and we needed rain?  My prayers were answered--we've had about ten inches in the past month.  Luckily, there's been periods of sunlight in between, so the rains gets to soak into the ground a bit.  The grass/weeds in the backyard have shot up about a foot, because by the time things have dried out enough to mow, it rains again.  I only hope that the lakes around here are filling up.  I hope that the aquifer, which supplies all of our drinking water in these parts, is filling up too.  

I was looking forward to the debates this month, but now I don't even know if I'm going to watch.  This past week, all I've heard from the Romney camp is extremely lowered expectations, like their candidate can't walk and chew gum at the same time. Seems to me that the GOP spends more time making excuses for the candidate that they chose than anything else. Even the VP candidate has been heard making statements like "Oh well, the race won't be decided by one debate".  I hate to break it to Paul "I totally slept through history class" Ryan, but Nixon lost to Kennedy on the basis of one debate, Carter lost to Reagan on the basis of one debate...shall I go on?  All these people want to play the Game of Thrones, and most are sadly unprepared. I'd like some "learned" politicians, please!

This tree is my nemesis.  This tree, and all it's siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles, are going to be throwing out pollen in about a month or so, wreaking all sorts of havoc on immune systems.  I will probably go through a bucket of inhalers, and completely lose my voice again.  Mountain cedar is pure evil.  I can't even touch the sap without breaking out in hives! 

Speaking of Game of Thrones, when is Martin going to publish the next book in the series?  It was supposedly "mostly" written before the last book came out.  Of course, knowing Martin, he likely threw the whole thing out and started over from scratch.  I hate that, because I hate waiting, except that I know that it's his obsessive attention to detail that makes his writing so awesome.  I'll wait, but I may whine about it.  Who am I kidding?  Of COURSE I will whine about it!  Because that just makes authors write so much faster! 

I am sitting here typing, and my cat Pounce is staring at me.  She is right next to the monitor, so she is really difficult to ignore. Normally, it wouldn't bother me, but she has the BIG EYES, like there is something very scary behind my shoulder.  I am determined not to look, but it's starting to creep me out.  What if there is actually something scary behind me?  Animals are sensitive to these things, right?  Sheesh, now I am freaking myself out! 

I am hooking up with the awesome Stacy over at Stacy's Uncorked. Go visit her and meet some new people!

Fundamentalists

I was in the kitchen, fixing my usual cup of coffee, and listening to the news, when it happened.  The announcer at the Capitol described the mayhem caused by the radical behavior, his words tumbling over each other in his rush to speak.  I leaned closer to the little television, curious, staring at the tiny screen as people ran past the cameras.  A crying woman fell, pulled from sight as the crowd rushed past.  I could hear screaming, and the riot police with their megaphones exhorting people to remain calm and exit the building quietly.  The interior of the Capitol, with all the chaos, seemed a bit murky to my tired eyes, and I briefly wondered if someone had released a smoke bomb.  However, I knew that the members of the People for Peace Terrorist Enclave would not have used such scare tactics  We had specifically discussed such things at our last meeting when we were planning today's event.

Carl came stumbling into the kitchen just as the announcer reported that arrests had been made as a result of the incident.  I said a quick prayer for those who were at the Capitol; I hoped that Senator Johnson had remembered to withdraw enough cash for bail.  I sipped at my coffee, enjoying the warmth just as much as the caffeine. Carl didn't react to what he was hearing at first, but slowly his attention was snared by the television.

"I guess the plan worked?" Carl rubbed his chin and poured himself some coffee. 

"At 8:30 am this morning, as the House met to fight to the death over a budget bill, a Democrat and a Republican shook hands, put down their knives,"  I told him, smiling. "Then they hugged each other."


This is my contribution to the Trifecta Writing Challenge, and the word of the day is RADICAL.

Why Being Aware of Pop Culture is a Good Thing

I remember watching The Caine Mutiny with Humphrey Bogart. Part of the film has Bogart walking around rolling steel bearings in his hand while accusing people of taking his strawberries. Five years later Robin Williams did a spoof of Bogart and his strawberries, and I think I was the only one of my friends who 'got it'. I felt a little superior for the next thirty minutes or so. And that's a wonderful feeling, indeed!

Truly, the best thing about knowing your pop culture is the in-jokes that you hear all the time that only people who've seen that movie/heard that song/read that book will get. It's like a secret club; for a second those in the "know" are bonded together as a group so we can lord it over the people who are clueless.

Pop culture changes very quickly these days, so you have to pay attention. One minute Billy Ray and his Achy-Breaky Heart are on top, the next it's his daughter who is drawing the crowds. It's important to pay attention to what is popular and what is not. Why? Because the flavor of the day, whatever it may be, is the perfect icebreaker for conversations.

Think about it a minute, once you stop giggling. If you are like me and are nervous around strangers, then you know perfectly the horror of a mind gone blank. One second you're about to drop the wittiest bon mot ever uttered, the next you're mentally sitting on a sand dune in the Sahara. Nothing but static...unless you know current pop events. If you've heard Katy Perry's newest song, or have watched the Vampire Diaries, or have read the Hunger Games, then you are set. You can talk about those safe topics until you think of something meaningful and profound...which is generally never. But that's okay, because you've got the conversation rolling. As long as you don't bring up religion or politics, everyone will have a great time!