R.I.P. Sean Taylor
I'm not sure if this is news outside the DC urreah, but Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor (pictured above) died this morning after being shot Sunday night in an apparent home invasion. Details of why he was shot are sketchy at the moment, but what is known thus far seems to indicate that this was more than a routine robbery gone bad.
Taylor's home had been broken into twice in the week before the shooting. The telephone lines were severed before this incident. He was shot twice and the intruders, who did not steal anything, fled. Taylor has had some high profile brushes with the law in the past, and many speculate that this killing could be payback of some sort.
In a city chronically obsessed with all things Redskin (you'd really have to live here to understand), this story is being treated like the death of a President. Wall to wall Fox News-style coverage on local news and sports channels is already ongoing. Callers are dialing in condolences, more than a few people have broken down on the radio.
For a guy who has always been portrayed as a shady character with an icy relationship with the media, the coverage is somewhat surprising. Usually athletes of this sort are hardly given the sympathetic treatment when they fall on hard times. When chronic NBA underachievers Eddy Curry and Antoine Walker were similarly home invaded last summer, the media sentiment seemed to be that "they had it coming". If Barry Bonds were in such a predicament, I would expect very few supporters. Of course a guy being in a coma, then subsequently dying is hardly apples and apples, but it's enlightening to say the least.
I don't know Sean Taylor obviously, nor am I really much of a fan of the team, but it's sad to see yet another young black man (24) die in what seems to be a not-so-random act of violence. If there's any silver lining here, it's that Taylor's case will probably be given lots of attention, not necessarily because he's a rich athlete, but because his father is the police chief of a neighboring jurisdiction. I hope the killers are bought to justice quickly.
Pray for the Taylor family.
R.I.P. Trent Lott
No, Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott didn't kick the bucket, although you could argue that his career's been dead since that bizarre ode to Strom Thurmond years ago. Still, he's been subsequently re-elected, and one year into his latest term, has decided to call it quits at year's end. The reason? Because it's time to get paid of course.
Some odd new law requires Senators and Congressmen to wait two years after leaving office before they can legally become lobbyists. By leaving office on December 31st, Lott sidesteps this requirement and can start cashing in far sooner.
What. A. Country.
Does WifeTime Still Wanna Shoot That Cathy Lanier Movie?
A few months back I blogged about just how silly it was that Fox was considering a project based on the ascent of DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier. The premise of the show would be based loosely on Lanier's struggles and successes as the first white female chief of this majority black city.
I didn't have any problems with this concept, I just thought it was pretty silly given the fact that Lanier hadn't even been on the job for 6 months, hardly enough time to consider her time in office a success. This post picked up steam and ended up on 2-3 other sites around the web. Many disagreed with my rationale, and missed the point completely. I don't have any issue with Lanier, and I hope she does well. I just thought that any story about her before she had the time to prove herself was downright silly. Did anyone make a movie about Tony Dungee 2 games into his career as an NFL coach? Of course not.
I surmised that the only premise for such a show would have to be yet another example the of-so-tired "white person saves helpless blacks from themselves" genre of movies like The Substitute, Finding Forrester, Dangerous Minds, Freedom Writers, Take The Lead, etc. Really, what other premise could there be?
I've yet to hear any update on this series, but maybe Fox should consider tabling the idea. Lanier herself wasn't too crazy about it, and with DC murders hitting 170 this past weekend, surpassing the total for all of last year, she already has her hands full anyway.
The FCC Should Have Better Things To Do
So, in the wake of Nipplegate, which believe it or not, these guys were still deliberating just a few months ago, the FCC is now turning it's attention to cleaning up cable TV.
Spare us the trouble, guys.
Reality is, if people pay money for cable (as opposed to simply watching local channels, which are free), they should be able to watch whatever they darn well please and selectively block out the channels (as most receivers allow) they don't. The gubb'ment doesn't need to intervene here.
I swear, if I tune into The Boondocks and they are suddenly bleeping the "N-Word", or if The Shield suddenly looks more like CSI:Farmington, I'm walking downtown and smackin' somebody.
Note to the FCC: find another target.
Hot Links:
Redskins' Taylor dies after shooting [AP]
Sen. Trent Lott Announces Resignation [CBS]
At 170, Homicides Pass Total for Last Year [WP]
FCC Could Extend Reach To Cable TV [WP]
