Cowboys - Eagles Rivalry

Not sure why, but one of the great sports rivalries exist between the Cowboys and the Eagles NFL football teams. 

According to Wikipedia, the Cowboys versus Eagles rivalry is a 63 year long intra-divisional rivalry, with the two teams contained in the same division since 1961. I was only four years old when the rivalry began.

The teams will be facing again next Sunday, and the fans are ready for battle. Every time they play, some sport reporters make it sound like they are waging a war to end all wars between Israel and Palestine. Since I am not a football fan, to me the entire football rivalry thing is a bit silly.

Foto Friday - United States Capitol Building

This picture was taken during a trip to Washington DC on November 2020, two months before the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States.

I remember setting up my camera gear near the grassy triangle on the House side of the Capitol's East Front. This is the location where reporters and politicians hold their press conferences.

The phone rang and it was my sister who lives in Puerto Rico, and knew I was spending the weekend in DC. She was worried about me; afraid that crowds of MAGA supporters would protest, and that it would turn violent.

At that time there was a lot of hateful rhetoric and misinformation about the "Stop the Steal" movement from Trump. To put her at ease, I reassure her that some small pockets of MAGA supporters were marching outside the Capitol building, and chanting peacefully. So I was not concerned.

My visit to DC was two months before Trump and his minions encouraged his followers to march inside the Capitol building, and the riot and chaos that ensued. Every time I look at this selfie of myself photographing the Capitol building, brings back memories of when my sister called from 2,000 miles away, very concerned about my well being.

Throwback Thursday - 1950 United States Army

This is a picture of my then 23-year-old father serving in the Army in 1950. He was fortunate that World War 2 ended six years earlier with the unconditional surrender of Germany in May 1945. 

When the Korean War broke out in 1950, my father was stationed in Panama thanks to his radio repair/maintenance skills and knowledge of communication equipment. For that reason he did not see combat action in Korea. After the war, SEARS offered my father the opportunity to be manager of the Radio/Television department in my home town. My father declined, and opened his own radio and television repair shop, until he retired.

Who Advocates For The Victims Rights?

More information is now pouring in about the mass murderer (Robert Card) that gunned down 18 people in Maine last week.

The sister of the gunman was the person who called police and identified him as the shooter. His brother disclosed to police that a woman ended a relationship with Robert Card in the previous months, and they had previously met at one of the locations where he opened fire. Details have now been disclosed that Robert Card had been under the authorities radar for months.

Robert Card's ex-wife and his son met with authorities last May to share that Robert Card mental health had been declining, that he was paranoid and hearing voices. As per the family, Mr. Card had 10-15 guns. In September, some of his Army reservist friends contacted the sheriff office, and shared that they were concerned Mr. Card was going to snap, and commit a mass shooting. In addition, the sheriff office knew Mr. Card spent time in a psychiatric hospital, but never removed his guns.

Mr. Card killed 18 people and took his own life last week. Yesterday, Joel Merry, the county sheriff still defended the decision not to use Maine's "Yellow Flag" gun law, which removes a person's guns, if they are considered a danger to themselves or others.

The County Sheriff argues that they didn't want to violate the shooter's rights. The question to ask should be, who advocates for the rights of the victims?