Rest In Peace: Ali and the idiot fringe.

I don't get it, my friends.

Muhammed Ali hasn't been dead 48 hours and social media has already turned what started out as touching, respectful tributes from far and wide into venomous, hateful attacks on his character and his beliefs.

It boggles the mind, my friends. 

In the 24+ hours since Ali's death was announced he has been decried as a Muslim, a traitor and a draft dodger. All three of which are fire brands in popular culture these days thanks to varied degrees of ignorance from all sources. It is also yet another division along racial lines on both sides of racism which I won't get into here.

Maybe I'm too old fashioned about respect for the dead.

In my lifetime we've lost many celebrities from the entertainment and sports world and it amazes me how with every passing the level of respect they get from the time the public is informed of that persons death forward.

The first truly famous person's death I remember being informed of via mass media was Elvis Presley in 1977. I was a little more than a month away from turning 9 years old and I learned of his death via a cut-in on our afternoon TV programs.  Years later I came to find out that he was a drug addict and morbidly obese, among other things.

Compare that to Michael Jackson's death in 2009 where he already had a monkey on his back (no pun intended) having beat a child molestation case in 2005 and then coming to find out that he died of and overdose of sleep meds because he was a raging insomniac.  All of that touched of unfair criticisms of him,  some continuing to this day.

Sure, Muhammed Ali is one of my favorite sports figures and this may be coloring my opinion a lot but I am perplexed today about the venom.  Is the ability to trash the memory of someone so overwhelming that people HAVE to rip him before his bones go cold.

My feeling is that since he is deaf and can't defend himself it's much easier for cowards and village idiots to do so.

Perception is reality.

A friend of mine and I determined back in November of last year (2015) that the coming election year would be the most entertaining of our lifetime and indeed, my prediction is coming true with every passing day.

Last weekend, those opposed to the Republican frontrunner (Donald Trump) claimed a victory over him when he canceled an appearance at a rally not unlike the one I attended in January here in Tusla...err...Tulsa. 

His concern for the people in the arena in the face of potential violence was his reason and of course this was interpreted as cowardice by his opposition.

That was Friday night.  On Saturday morning a lunatic decided to jump a barricade and attempted to accost Trump at a campaign stop in an airplane hangar in Ohio. 

All very entertaining,  if you have a sense of humor like mine.

A few things struck me regarding these shenanigans.   As you know, if you are a regular reader of this volume (chuckle...All three of you?), I have not declared support for ANY candidate running for POTUS this year and I don't plan to in any public forum.   That said, it has amazed me in the few days since the events of the weekend how utterly CLUELESS people are about the suppression of the right of free speech that took place last weekend by people who selectively abuse it and then hide behind it.

A former elementary school classmate of mine from WAY back commented that while he doesn't condone what Donald Trump has to say, the fact that he didn't get to say it is a serious usurpation of HIS right of free speech, and that what those who "shut him down" REALLY achieved may do more harm than good on election day for their cause.  I have to agree with that sentiment because the right of free speech applies to EVERYONE, not just people you like.

It's comical to see how people defend the actions of the protesters on Friday night.   They think based on Trump's rhetoric they were perfectly justified in their actions.  That is right, but it's also wrong.  In a free society both sides should be heard...not just the loudest or the greatest in numbers.  So the question has to be asked: why we're the protesters allowed their rights and the Donald was denied his?

From what I observed at the Tulsa rally in January,  I can say that Trump's organizers make it clear in an announcement that free speech would not be suppressed but, the event is a private one paid for by the candidate and he reserved the right to eject anyone.  He makes everyone register on his website and they have to have a ticket to get in, as a a matter of fact.

As for the individual who charged the podium in the hangar, that was just stupid.  Especially with the Secret Service now guarding Trump and the other candidates.   If f*cking with the Secret Service is on your bucket list, take it off...it's not patriotism, it's just stupid.  What's even more stupid is that the assumption that the Secret Service were Trump's "thugs".   I read that over the weekend.  That literally made my right eye face my left. 

The fun continues.   Stay tuned...