It was a different time and place

I usually blog when I am angry...pissed, to be more exact. And while there is anger in me today, it is more sadness and heartbreak than anger. Twenty six years ago today, Pelle Lindbergh was, for all intents and purposes, killed in a car accident. He lived long enough, via life support, for his family to come from Sweden and say their good byes. He then was taken off life support, and "officially" was dead. I remember that day as if it were yesterday.

I was a young girl, in love with a team that was just electrifying to watch. While my heart belonged to Rick Tocchet, I don't think there was a fan of the team who didn't just adore Pelle. He had an easy smile, and a grace that was just, well, gracious. He loved his team and his fans and life. All of this you can read elsewhere, and is why I am sad on this day...the loss of such an amazing athlete far too young will do that. Why am I angry? Partly because of that loss, but mainly because of so many comments from fans too young to remember this amazing person. "He was drunk. He killed other people. He was a murderer.". "He drank and drove. He deserved to die." Wow, this from people who are barely old enough to drink today. I have a few years on most of those kids, and drinking and driving was not the issue it has become. M.A.D. D. was in it's infancy, having been founded in 1980. The horrors of drinking and driving were not taught in drivers ed at the time...the emphasis was still on speeding. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act, setting the drinking age in all states at 21, had only been passed one year earlier, in 1984. We have learned, over time, how dangerous that drinking and driving is. Unfortunately, the young fans of the Philadelphia Flyers, along with his team mates, learned that lesson from Pelle Lindbergh. So, for those of you who learned it in school, and not thru the tragic loss of one of the most amazing goal tenders to every play in the NHL, please respect our loss.

Golden Oreo?

Seriously? You are going to refer to a picture of Wayne Simmonds standing between two other Flyers as a Golden (reverse) Oreo???

You racist, ignorant, stupid, bigoted motherfucker. I don't even KNOW the person that posted this, and hate this person like fire. For a couple of reasons. First, I happen to think that Wayne Simmonds is going to develop into an amazing Flyer, regardless of his race. He is a good kid, a hard worker, and an excellent role model for ALL kids looking to get into hockey, and especially so for any African American child. If you would like to read more on Simmonds, please consider this excellent piece by Frank Seravalli:

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sportsweek/20111021_Orange_and_Black.html


He busted his ass to get where he is, he is one of 20 full-time African American NHLers, he is respectful of his Momma, and thankful for the chances he has been given. And you, you bigoted rat bastard, make racist jokes? And the real reason this ass wipe pisses me off? My husband is African American. So, if you are doing the math, my son is "mixed"...God, I hate that fucking word. If you, or any of your slow witted, red necked friends think that racism is gone, or that it is just "jokes", I am here to tell you that you are 100% wrong. My gorgeous son, who is nine, has already tasted it. When he was about 3, he was attending an in-home day care. He came to me, one day, fussing, and asked "Mommy, are you white?". Stunned, I answered "Yes, Mommy is white.". He stewed for a second, and asked "Mommy, is Daddy black?" Again, stunned, I answered "Yes, baby, Daddy is black.". He then said "I told Avis (Travis, one of his daycare mates) that. Avis said his Mommy said "AJ's Mommy is white and his Daddy is black. That is wrong." And I told him it was right". My sweet little boy didn't know that she meant wrong, as in forbidden, or immoral. He just thought it meant that his friend's mother was mistaken. That woman is so lucky that my child needed me NOT in prison, because I would have gladly tried to beat some sense into her; I did realize that it would have been a losing battle. We did move him to another facility, immediately.
That was not the only brush my son has had...when he was in kindergarten, I got an e-mail from his teacher that he had cut his hair. A lot of his hair. The day before he was scheduled for birthday portraits. Naturally, I snapped. And when I saw him, it was only worse...he had given himself a reverse mohawk, down to the skin. There was no fixing it..we had to shave his gorgeous curls all off. I was in tears, that quickly turned to fury when the teacher told me that his classmates had been teasing him...calling him all manner of names...nappy head, porch monkey, you name it, my baby heard it. And the parents of those little bastards heard it, too. My baby cut his hair off to look more like them. So, you asswad, calling Simmonds names...when you do that, when you make those little jokes, you aren't just hurting Wanda Simmonds son, you are hurting MY son, too.