Evil

EVIL

Yesterday as I was at my desk, I heard someone yelling for help outside my office. It sounded like a child and didn't sound good. My business partner and myself ran out to investigate, and found two agents with a youth in a hammerlock.

The kid was kicking, screaming, and cussing while the agents did their best to calm him. We, on the other hand, were not buying they were agents. We quickly confronted the two and threatened to intervene unless proper I.D. could be furnished. Even then, we were not completely convinced.

This is a child on the line here, and we were not going to blindly walk away. As we questioned their actions, we called local police and checked I.D. and badge numbers. As it turns out, they were legit.

Kudos to them for their professionalism as we did not make their job easy for them. They were kicked, spit on, and cussed at by a 10 year old who kept screaming that he wanted to kill himself. On top of that, they had two adults ready to get into the mix if they did not check out and we smelled something fishy.

It could have been an ugly recipe. As it turns out it was an eye opener.

I replayed the event over in my head the remainder of the day, and I came out of it with a few thoughts:

There are times in your life when confronted with a clear case of standing up and doing the right thing. In my mind, you fail as a person if you do not.

Now, mind that we did not have to intervene in this case, but we were ready to if need be.

There was no doubt in my mind, that if was two thugs or pervs assaulting this kid, we were going to blows to save the kid. No questions asked. I would do it for any child. Instead, that was not the result as it was two plain clothed officers doing their job.

Which in turn, brings to mind the situation at Penn State. A 60 year old predator was allowed to roam for years as everyone turned a blind eye. Nobody had the balls to come forward. Nobody had the moral strength to do what was right. Everybody just turned their head and said, "not my problem".

They might sing a different tune now that the cat is out of the bag, but the reality is they would have towed the company line all along until now.

In doing so, they all failed as human beings and should be hung. Period. The crimes committed on these young boys is inexcusable. Forget what the law says, there is a MORAL obligation to stop these actions, and silence is tantamount to accomplice.

For those of you with children, ask yourself what you would have done if it was your kid?

Better yet, listen to this.

My high school assistant basketball coach was a sexual predator. He loved teenage boys. It was an open secret among the team. We all knew never to be caught dead alone with him. He took a run at all of us. Would offer alcohol, dirty movies, all the stuff a young guy wanted at that age.

Hell, he wasn't even the only one at our high school. There were two more EXACTLY like him. We all knew them, and always watched our backs when they were around. Why? They always came around after workouts when we were in the showers, or in the trainers room. Loved to take a lookie or pat you on the ass or try to stick a finger in your jock.

Evil fucks.

Well, he never got to me. We all suppose he got to one of our team members, but we can't confirm it. He never said.
(side note--we went to college together, and he had definitely become a different person by then. What comes to mind the most, was his rampant hate of homosexuals. It was something he wore like a badge.)

Still, my high school looked the other way and he resigned before it broke and they swept it under the rug.

My school failed. Penn State failed. Others fail every day.

Myself, I will never fail. Not for my children. Not for my friends kids. Hell, not for any of them if I could help it.

Would you?

-the Cap'n

Time......

"And then one day you find, ten years have got behind you. No one told you when to run, you've missed the starting gun."


-Pink Floyd 1973


Generally, I don't care much for lyrics. Strike that. Generally, I don't care for lyrics or those who try to find too deep a meaning in them. Lyrics have always been an accompaniment for me, just as much a part of the song as the bass, etc. Either they are in tune with the feel of the song, or they stick out as being just not right.


It was the same way with how I lived my life. I had my goals, and everything around it was just white noise. If you were an impediment, or deemed as a roadblock then I removed you from my life.


Many girlfriends met that fate. They wanted more than I was willing to give and would not settle for being number two or three in the pecking order. Same could be said about friends. They became more of a nuisance then a help in most cases, so they were just discarded.


Some probably had it coming, but most did not. All I really cared about at the time was me. My goals, my reputation, my place in this world. That was all that mattered.


Why? Because I hold the belief that to be truly great in anything, you need to be married to it. It must be your all encompassing desire and obsession and you must not compromise that belief.


That belief has not changed. I still believe it to this day. I can back it up with a decade long alcohol tab that would boggle your mind, three trips to the ER and a few longer stays in the hospital from stress related health issues that almost claimed my life twice.


Still, I outran them all. I outran the clingy girlfriends, the hangers on, the fake friends, the bad employees, the scam artists-- all of them.


Except time..


When my wife had our kids, I instantly wished I was 27 and not 37.


I wished for all the time in the world because I wanted to see everything my kids had in store for the upcoming years.

Mind you, I'm not wishing to change how I lived my life. I wouldn't give back any of the experiences over those years (read: hot one night stands /flings /parties /trips...etc). Those aspects all helped shaped my eventual outcome of today, and I dare say I'm a better person for the experiences.


What I am saying though, is everything has it's price and you have to be mature enough to understand that and accept it.

Every morning my son and daughter run around the house looking for their daddy. When they find me, they smile and give me a big hug.

That is what makes my world go round now, and I want to be around it for as long as humanly possible.

I am looking forward to seeing them grow up and grow as individuals, and can't wait to see how they handle success and adversity.


It's a completely new adventure every day, but also one that brings me time to pause and contemplate.....



"Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time. Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines."



-The Cap'n