Neff Zone Column -- April 26, 2008

Print Edition: April 26, 2008

THEY SAID IT

I’ll just bet that sometimes when you open the Cadillac News and turn to this column you wonder if I’m ever going to stop flapping my gums and give someone else a chance to get in their two cents. Well, the fact of the matter is that I like to read what other people are saying too, so as I collect information for this column I also collect quotes. Here’s a random sampling of what "they" are saying "out there."

For starters, after the Associated Press, USA Today, the Detroit Free Press and other sources ran stories about the Cadillac Area Visitors Bureau using two tourism photos actually taken in Arkansas on cadillacmichigan.com and in an ad on another website, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette said in an editorial: "Some of those images were shot by the Parks and Tourism people down here. And we’re trying to attract tourists, too. So why don’t you take pictures of your own state – maybe some abandoned malls and auto plants, and maybe some street fighting, OK? Or maybe a six-month blizzard?"

Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts had a good observation about the sub-prime mortgage mess. He observed: "The smart people really screwed this one up." That opinion was seconded by billionaire Warren Buffet who added: "It’s only when the tide goes out that you learn who’s been swimming naked."

Another mess, the airlines and their handling of passengers, drew an apt comment from consumer lawyer Paul Hudson in USA Today after a federal court struck down a New York state law requiring airlines to provide food, water, and working toilets for passengers stranded on planes for hours. He said, "Airline passengers on the ground now have fewer rights to humane or safe treatment than prisoners and even animals."

As you might expect, there are no end to quotes about the war in Iraq. Robert Scheer in the San Francisco Chronicle said: "Consider just how tight the space is between the rocks of our failed Mideast policy and the hard place of our impending financial disaster…What more than doubled the price of petroleum was…the political stability of the region that contains the bulk of the oil was deliberately and recklessly roiled." He went on to note that we entered Iraq spurred by 9/11: "Instead of confronting the royal leaders of a kingdom (Saudi Arabia) that supplied 15 of the 19 hijackers, we invaded a nation that supplied not a single one."

As for where to go in Iraq from here, Ramsay F. Dass, MD, director of the Iraqi-American Endowment Center said in a Detroit Free Press editorial: "In the final analysis, we as Iraqi-Americans still feel optimistic that if Iraqis are left alone and foreign powers leave at a certain early date, the Iraqi people will rise like the phoenix from the ashes."

Perhaps the best quote about the war was stated by Ralph Peters writing in the New York Post: "The only reason our efforts in Iraq have not failed completely has been the sustained valor and commitment of those in uniform. Our military was the only government entity that did its job."

Depressing war quotes are certainly one side of the spectrum, but I have found solace in advice pertaining to my golden years. USA Today columnist Craig Wilson always has sage thoughts. A few weeks ago he made a good point about having friends from all age groups. "Always have younger friends," he said. "They’ll look after you later on."

That "look after" idea came to mind when I read about a nursing home in Copenhagen, Denmark. It seems that this particular facility has been providing, shall we say, "professional female escorts" for its male residents. Observed the home’s director Inger Marie Kristensen, "We offer this to our clients just as we offer them other services that they need as human beings." No word on how long the waiting list is for older gentlemen seeking admission into this home.

Finally, I’m sure Red Wings fans have heard by now that the NHL has decided that the tradition of octopus twirling doesn't fit in with league image. This "image" includes having games on the Versus network, which has about as many viewers as when CSPAN televises a Teddy Kennedy nap.

For those who don’t know, whenever an octopus is thrown onto the ice during a Wings game, Zamboni driver Al Sobotka removes the octopus from the ice and sometimes holds it above his head as he’s leaving. This has been happening for decades. If he does it again, however, the NHL will levy a $10,000 fine. Apparently fun is no longer tolerated as part of the NHL fan’s experience. As veteran Canadian television announcer Don Cherry said: "This is the NHL. When do they ever get it right?"

Lest you think that only Michiganders decry this ruling, how about what California’s Bleacher Report said: "If this is the case then I call for no more mascots at center ice or roaming the crowds trying to get the crowd into the game. I must say this: ‘Mr. and Mrs. Ilitch (Wings’ owners) please cover the fine’ and keep on swinging, Al. We, the fans, love it."

There’s an online petition that seeks to rescind this ruling. It states: "As Red Wing fans, were very discouraged to learn of your threats to fine the Red Wings ice manager Al Sobotka. As you know, this Detroit playoff tradition goes back many years. Why, suddenly, in 2008, is it a problem? As for "inciting the fans", is it not the home team's fans job to cheer and celebrate for their team? As the league branches out to new fans and new markets, please refrain from silencing the long held traditions of older teams and markets." If you agree, you can sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/octopus8.

Jim Neff is a local columnist. Comments to neffzone@gmail.com. Read Neff Zone columns online at www.neffzone.com/cadillacnews.