For Me or Agin Me

I’m surprised, James, that out of the whole story, you and Ms. Honrud would nit-pick numbers as your main retort! I could have said that out of the 600 NHL players there are only 31 players listed as African-American or biracial. Let’s see now.... 600 players, 30 teams, 31 minority players equals one-plus-a-tad, player per 20 player team. That’s pretty close to “There aren’t any.” Yeah, yeah, I know. Close only counts in road apples and hand grenades as I’ve heard it.

There are 47 blacks who are listed as “past players” having played in at least one NHL game and I think that’s going back to...forever.

And the other poser was that you picked up my thought that in the interest in equality I would like to see more black women cheerleaders. Aren’t you interested in equality too?

Val James was the first African American to play in an NHL game and his career spanned ten years from 1978 to 1988. He went 187th in the draft. He played his first few seasons to the chants of racial slurs on and off the ice and because of that became prolific in fighting on ice. As one interviewer said (and I paraphrase here) it was that temperament that got him into the NHL. James said he fought to get back at those tormenting him. Being a good fighter as a stepping-stone to getting on an NHL team?? Now there’s a great pro hockey endorsement, black or white.

As to the “straw man” thingie, one of my favorite definitions of that goes like this: “A weak or imaginary opposition....set up only as to be easily refuted.” Another daffynition says “A made-up version of an opponent’s argument that can easily be defeated." To accuse people of “attacking a straw man” is to suggest that they are a person whose importance or function is only nominal, as to cover another’s activities.” Yikes!! I don’t even know what that means!

Mr. Walling...my unedjikated brane cain’t rap itself aroun’ iff’n yore fer me or agin me. (That would be the “straw man" speaking.) I guess it just doesn’t matter. No response needed.

I’ll share this e-mail tidbit I received from a long time listener to Thanks For Listening and then I’ll say no more about race.

“It just annoys the heck out of me when the facts are so blatantly obvious, the correlation 100% but folks will look for another explanation to stay politically correct.” He went on to write “I don’t give a rats A$$ about skin color...right up to the point where someone feels they’re entitled to special treatment over it.”

He echoed my sentiments exactly. I do not like to be forced to do something I don’t want to do. Do you?

I guess there are a couple topics not meant to be discussed openly and with certain opinions. Topics that are considered by some to be divisive. Such as legal marijuana, abortion, immigration -legal and illegal, race, religion, segregation, integration, desegregation, desalination, mayo or salad dressing, Ford or Chevy, birth control, no child left behind, human rights and gay marriage. I put all these topics in the “divisive column. I started a “non-divisive” column but couldn’t think of any topic at all that would fit the category. Chicken or the egg? Red meat or Vegan? Cialis or Viagra? Catholic, Protestant or Muslim? “A” Fork or Association? Rawhide or nylon. I give up.

Sorry for this convoluted mess but I have a lot on my platter, not the least of which will make some of you liberal, politically correct folks elated and some of the more conservative folks dis-elated.

That’s it for now folks. Thanks for listening.