The Vicious, Wicked And Callous Attack The Disabled

     The city of Chicago, Illinois will soon have the most expensive parking meters throughout the entire North American continent.  Starting on New Year's Day (January 1st, 2013), meters in "The Windy City's" downtown "Loop" area will begin to cost drivers $6.50 an hour to park their car.  The price is currently $5.75, which reportedly, is already the highest rate in the United States.

     The 75-cents increase is part of a deal that the city of Chicago made with Chicago Parking Meters, LLC while Richard M. Daley was mayor.  In 2008, Mayor Daley was able to convince the City Council to give a green light to the contract.  Chicago was paid about 1.2 billion dollars for a 75-year lease of the meters.  Reportedly, much of that money has already been spent.   

     This is obviously a financial disaster for Chicago; and current Mayor Rahm Emanuel has questions.  The former United States congressman, who served six years representing Illinois and was later chief of staff for President Barack Obama, has ordered an independent audit of the parking meters deal.  Oddly enough, former Mayor Daley is now employed by the same firm that helped negotiate that unpopular arrangement with CPM.

     Although many perceive this to be a municipal boondoggle that stinks of corruption and which is reportedly contributing to the possible bankruptcy of the city of Chicago, the parking meters debacle is not my reason for today's commentary.  It's merely to give you some background and to focus on one part of the deal... BECAUSE...Chicago Parking Meters, who claims their total in lost revenue is 61 million dollars, is now demanding the city pay them even more big bucks and Mayor Emanuel has refused to pay that bill.  Chicago's chief executive says, “I do know the parking meter management team now knows there’s a new sheriff in town.  Don’t send a bill just thinking we’re going to sign it.  And don’t act like you’re in possession of information when the contract calls for something else.  Those days are over.”  Emanuel has talked tough before about parking meters in his city.  But the mayor says he’s doing more now than just talking.

     Meanwhile, Chicago Parking Meters insists they have lost money and are accusing City Hall of taking meters out of service and for providing FREE PARKING TO HANDICAPPED DRIVERS.  As part of the CPM invoice, the company wants to be reimbused for two years of free parking that people with disabled parking placards or license plates have gotten.  But according to Chicago law, those citizens with handicapped placards or plates do not have to pay to park.

     In California - anywhere in the entire state - a disabled person is allowed to park in any metered parking space without being required to pay meter fees.  Besides Chicago...laws in some other major U.S. cities permit vehicles that display a handicapped license plate or mirror placard to park for free at any city parking meter.

     I have been reading ridiculous remarks and hearing horrible criticism from some people - not only who live in Chicago, but from all over the United States - who want to gripe about handicapped individuals in Chicago - and in certain locations elsewhere - who don't have to pay to park their cars.  Their words are vicious and downright wicked.

     One person said he wanted to "see a person's wheelchair before being given permission to park in a handicapped spot."  Disabled parking placards are not only granted to people who cannot walk.  They are given to cancer patients, and others, who have difficulty breathing when walking longer distances.

     Another comment came from someone who said, "What about the rich guy who can pay for the parking?  Why should that person park for free?

     It's true that a more affluent individual could perhaps afford to pay for the parking.  Do you really intend to start asking people for their tax returns in order to give them a handicapped sticker? 

     Another person said, "I've been giving to 'Jerry's Kids' all my life.   That doesn't mean they can park for free." 

     People who make these types of comments make me sick. 

     The amount of money a person donates is not what makes someone charitable.  Charity is not defined by the amount of money you give, but by the love that is included with it when you give it.  A person who gives ten dollars, when he barely has enough money to buy food for himself, is a hell of a lot more charitable than the person who gives one thousand dollars and then bitches that he wants something back.  That's not being charitable.  That's being an ass.

     I am absolutely amazed - in a nation built on its freedoms - that there are people in this country, who can be as cruel as those who are chastising the disabled.  I'm tired of people who want to attack others because someone less fortunate is getting something for free.  What is this country coming to?

     And what about disabled veterans...and the sacrifices they have made for each and everyone of us in our country?  Should they not be given a pass to park free either?  Don't get me started on that one.

     As we come closer to completing the year 2012 - and the entrance in to 2013 - believe me, I know - we all have our troubles.  No matter how poor - or how wealthy - none of us lack problems of one sort or another.  That said, however...persons with disabilities - no matter what kind they are - have disadvantages in their lives that complicate any other problems that the average person may be experiencing.

     Life itself may not be as enjoyable for someone with a handicap. Something as simple - and as routine for most people - such as using a toilet - may be a mission that is nearly impossible - for a person who is disabled.  So big, frigging deal if that person gets to park closer to a store and gets to do so for free.

     If a person with a disability is required to pay for a handicapped parking space, it might take that individual 10, 15, maybe even 20 minutes or more to get from his or her car to the establishment they are trying to reach.  By the time they get started with their shopping or other business activities, they practically have to turn around, walk another 10, 15 or 20 minutes or more back to their vehicle, so they can plop more money in to the parking meter; in order to then make another trek back to the place they need to be, so they can finish what they came there to do nearly an hour before.  Come on world - give these good people a break!

     To top it off - depending on the state - license plates purchased by the handicapped can cost considerably more than regular plates.  The plates themselves are not free.  So a disabled person is already paying more than the average driver - just to tag the car.

     Can we please respect those who need a helping hand?  The lives of people with disabilities are difficult enough.  Are those of you who object to free parking for the handicapped that shallow and that unkind?  Must you be so insensitive, so inconsiderate, so inhumane?

     The next time you go to the mall or elsewhere; and it's necessary for you to park your car at a meter, put on your "I Care" cap...and give those Americans who are less fortunate...a smile...instead of a scowl.

     Some of you who are that callous...have got to grow a heart.  You were born with one.  What happened?

     And that's The Controversy for today.

     I'm Gary B. Duglin.

Copyright 2012 Gary B. Duglin and TheControversy.net. All Rights Reserved.

The Odd Couple Are Back Together; My Tribute To The Gracious And Great, Jack Klugman

     Today's commentary is not going to be controversial by any means.  However, my essay will pay tribute to an outstanding and beloved actor, who starred in two of my favorite television shows and one of my favorite movies.

     Jack Klugman, best known for his perfect portrayal of Oscar Madison in the ABC comedy, The Odd Couple (1970 - 1975) 

and for playing, with extraordinary excellence, a crime fighting medical examiner in the NBC drama, Quincy, M.E. (1976 - 1983),

passed away on Monday, December 24th, 2012.  He was 90 years old.

     I had the great pleasure of meeting Jack, backstage, following a performance in 1998 of the Broadway show, The Sunshine Boys, which Jack starred in with his buddy from The Odd Couple, the terrific Tony Randall.

     I spent two very special years working with Tony on the NBC/Warner Bros. sitcom, Love, Sidney.  Tony and I became good friends during the show's run from 1981 to 1983; and our friendship and fondness for each other lasted for 23 years until he passed away on May 17th, 2004.

     When Tony and Jack starred together in the National Actors Theatre production of The Sunshine Boys at the Lyceum Theatre in New York City, Tony invited me to come see the smash hit show.  He warmly extended the invitation to include my mom (Peg), my sister (Deborah) and my brother-in-law (Jeff). 

     Tony founded the National Actors Theatre in 1991.  It was his dream to create such an organization.  We often talked about his passionate desire to accomplish his goal to conceive and develop a national theatre company.  Tony was chairman until his death in 2004.

     To say the least, Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys with Tony and Jack was fabulous; and it deserved all the outstanding accolades and standing ovations that the show and these two theatre giants received.

     After the play, Tony had welcomed my family and me backstage to visit with him and to meet Jack.  Unfortunately, Tony needed to leave before Jack stopped by and so we were unable to take a picture with both of them together; but photographs were taken with my family, Tony and me plus with my family, Jack and me.  They are pictures that I will always treasure.

     Tony was as wonderful to me that night, as he always was; and Jack was marvelous.  My family and I truly enjoyed their company.  Being a friend, though...having fun with Tony was not anything unusual.  There was no way to not have fun with Tony Randall.  But meeting Jack Klugman that night was an extra special treat.

     I know my family had a grand old time.  My sister has The Sunshine Boys poster, which both Tony and Jack autographed, framed and hanging in my brother-in-law's and her home, with the pictures we took with The Sunshine Boys themselves.

     During our two-year run of Love, Sidney, I once asked Tony why Jack hadn't done our show.  Tony said, "A guest starring appearance by Jack would need to be exactly right for both of us."  Tony told me, "Unless Jack's part is perfect...neither one of us want it."

    

     As Neil Simon's The Odd Couple, Tony and Jack's characters - the fussy photographer Felix Unger and the sloppy sportscaster Oscar Madison - may have battled on screen as roommates; but in real life, Tony Randall and Jack Klugman were the best of friends who loved each other very much. 

     In the delightful book, Tony and Me...Jack writes, "The real gift that Tony's friendship gave me was the capacity to truly trust another human being completely.  And that single act changed my life.  What I didn't get the chance to tell him was that our friendship had made me a better human being."

     Jack was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1974 and lost a vocal cord in 1989.  After losing his voice, Tony was very supportive and encouraging to Jack that he return to acting.  It took several years, but Jack trained himself to speak again.

     Before his stardom in television's The Odd Couple and Quincy, M.E., I became a fan of Jack's when he appeared in an all-star cast, led by the Oscar-winning superstar, Henry Fonda in the classic 1957 motion picture crime drama, 12 Angry Men, which focuses on the deliberations of twelve jurors in a first degree murder trial.  Jack plays Juror #5 

in this brilliantly directed film by Sidney Lumet, which was superbly written by Reginald Rose.  If you've never seen 12 Angry Men, I strongly encourage you to get a copy of this cinematic masterpiece on DVD or in some other digital format.  I recommend it most thoroughly.  It's one of the best movies you will ever see.

     The cause of Jack Klugman's death was not immediately known.  This three-time Emmy Award winner leaves his wife, Peggy, who reportedly was at his bedside when Jack passed away.  My thoughts, sympathies and prayers are with Peggy at this difficult time, as well as with Jack's two sons and two grandchildren.

     It's always sad when someone you know has passed on.  Although I was not friends with Jack Klugman, as I was with Tony Randall, I'm sorry to see this remarkable talent and gracious gentleman go off to the big television and movie studio in the sky.  But now..."The Odd Couple" are back together.

  As for us...we will always have recordings and films to remember Jack Klugman by; and he will, therefore...live on forever.

    
                                    And that's The Controversy for today.

                                    I'm Gary B. Duglin.

Copyright 2012 Gary B. Duglin and TheControversy.net. All Rights Reserved.

 

WHEEL OF UN-FORTUNE

     Throughout my nearly 40-year career in professional broadcasting and entertainment, I have worked as a writer on two nationally syndicated television game shows and as a writer and executive producer of two radio game shows. 

     As a longtime fan of game shows - going all the way back to childhood - I have witnessed on numerous occasions that contestants are asked to return to a show after they have been told they lost the game in an earlier episode. 

     Game show players can't really have an actual "do-over" since that could affect other contestants on the show and that, of course, would be unfair.  However, a game show contestant can be given a "second chance" by being given the opportunity to play the game again in a brand new competition on another day.

     That is what the producers of Wheel Of Fortune need to do for Renee Durette, who, on December 19th, 2012, was ruled incorrect when she failed to pronounce the "G" in the song lyric, "Seven Swans-A-Swimming" from "The 12 Days Of Christmas."

     On this Christmas Day, Califon Productions and Sony Pictures Television need to do the right thing and give Durette the best Christmas present ever by inviting her back.

     By saying, "Swimmin'" instead of "Swimming" cost Durette nearly four thousand dollars.  As a result, she went on to lose the game and a shot at winning up to $100,000 in the bonus round.

     Now I am well aware that Wheel Of Fortune contestants are warned many times, prior to taping the show, that answers to puzzles must be read exactly as they appear on Vanna White's board, in order for the contestant to win the round.  In the case of Renee Durette's puzzle, Wheel Of Fortune producers have stated that the answer given was mispronounced, as it was spoken in vernacular.

     What bothers me is that Durette called the letter "G" before she gave an answer to the puzzle.  She knew the word was "Swimming" and not "Swimmin'" - as it was right up there on the puzzle board.  But this Florida resident, with a southern accent, said, "That's kind of how I speak, you know, being from Florida."  She went on to say, "I asked for the "G" so I knew it was there."

     As I watched the show, it was apparent that host Pat Sajak first thought that Durette had answered the puzzle correctly.  A split second later, it seemed obvious that a producer signaled to Sajak that the answer was wrong, so he had to backtrack; and Pat quickly stated that he could not accept the answer.  The mistake, therefore, cost Renee Durette the $3,850 that she had accumulated in that round; and the producers' decision meant Durette ended up losing the game and a chance at going to the bonus round.  Although the outcome didn't go in her favor, Durette was still very gracious with her comments.  "I had an absolute amazing experience," she said with a smile.  After all, she did take home $8,200 in winnings.  However, it could have been a lot more.

     Well, Renee Durette may have still been happy with her appearance on Wheel Of Fortune, but the producers' judgment call sparked outrage on Twitter and on the Internet.  Even the other contestant, who was basically handed the win, couldn't believe it herself.

     So this is my recommendation to veteran executive producer Harry Friedman, and his staff of producers at Wheel Of Fortune.  Make your show's creator - the late great Merv Griffin - proud.  I am quite confident that there have been times since 1975, when Wheel Of Fortune first aired as a daytime show on NBC and throughout it's nearly 30-year reign as the longest running syndicated game show, that there have been gaffes and goof-ups, either because of a technical error or a producer's fault.

     Clearly Renee Durette did not say "Swimming."  She without question said "Swimmin'."  But come on Wheel Of Fortune!  Have a little Christmas spirit and acknowledge the fact that Durette speaks with a southern accent; and in reality, when "The 12 Days Of Christmas" is sung, I have heard individual people - even choirs - sing, "Eight maids-a-milkin', 7 swans-a-swimmin', 6 geese-a-layin'" and so forth.

     So give Renee Durette a break and bring her back to play again.  I'm sure Merv would.

     And that's The Controversy for today.

     I'm Gary B. Duglin.

Copyright 2012 Gary B. Duglin and TheControversy.net. All Rights Reserved.

Is God Gay?

     I hope the title of this commentary has gotten your attention, so that you will read the entire essay.

     When is The Pope going to realize that we live in the 21st century, where gay men and lesbian women are fortunately being accepted - at least by the majority of Americans - as equal human beings?

     On Friday, December 21st, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI continued what has been a cruel campaign against gay marriage.  The Pope used the backdrop of the Vatican and made his opinion quite clear during his Christmas speech that marriage should only be between a man and a woman.  The Pontiff believes the movement to grant rights to gay and lesbian couples to marry and adopt children is an "attack" on the traditional family unit; and that unless that image is of a man, a woman and their kids - it is not a family.

     Despite the fact that the Catholic Church officially considers homosexuality to be an "intrinsically disordered" act, 59% of Catholics in the United States favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry, according to a 2012 poll by the Public Religion Research Institute.

     A November 2012 Gallup poll found that 53% of all Americans favor same-sex marriage.  An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll this year showed that 54% of Americans would support a law in their state making gay marriage legal.  And another 2012 poll, this one conducted by ABC News and The Washington Post documented 53% of Americans feel same-sex marriage should be the law of the land.

     Earlier this year, President Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to express support for gays and lesbians to marry; and that same-sex marriage should be legal.  The President made news on May 9th, 2012 during an interview at The White House with ABC News correspondent Robin Roberts, anchor of "Good Morning America."  Mr. Obama said, “At a certain point, I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married."

     But Pope Benedict still insists that gay marriage destroys the "essence of the human creature;" and The Pope is emphatic that a person's gender identity is God given and unchangeable.  Therefore, The Pontiff envisions gay marriage as a "manipulation of nature." 

     With all due respect to The Pope - and please understand that I do not want anyone to think that I am being disrespectful to The Pontiff, as I do not wish to be disrespectful to a holy man of any religion - but Pope Benedict is Pope - he's NOT God.

     In Genesis, the First Book of Moses in The Old Testament, in 1:27, it is written, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."

     I know what I'm about to write is going to rile the masses - but hey - that's what The Controversy is all about; and thankfully, because of the First Amendment's protection of free speech, I can ask a question that will probably raise more than a few eyebrows.  That being said, my next thoughts, are not intended, in any form, to be blasphemous.

     If God created us in his own image, who's to say that God is not gay...or at the very least...bisexual?  If He (or She) created us in His (or Her) own image, who's to say that God is not totally supportive of same-sex marriage, or for that matter, everything that is gay and lesbian?

     As we all know, it was July 4th, 1776 when the Continental Congress agreed unanimously - with all 13 original states - to adopt and ratify the Declaration of Independence for the United States of America.  When Thomas Jefferson wrote the words, "We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness," I believe he meant everybody - not just heterosexuals.  If ALL men (and of course, ALL women too) are "created equal" then equality should mean that marriage should be not only accepted, but allowed between a man and woman, between a man and a man, and between a woman and a woman.

     It is a misnomer that the phrase "separation of church and state" appears in the U.S. Constitution.  It does not.

     President Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802 to answer their correspondence about problems with state establishment of religion in Connecticut.  The President's reply did not address any state concerns - only of establishment on the national level.  President Jefferson's response contained the words, "wall of separation between church and state."  The First Amendment's Establishment Clause prohibits the government from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion.”  But it is President Jefferson's words that Americans believe to be fact.  As such, the short-hand phrase

"separation of church and state" is commonly interpreted to mean the government cannot establish support or otherwise involve itself in any religion.

     If government is not to interweave with religion then The Pope, except for his right to have an opinion, should not try to use his powers, as the leader of the Catholic Church, to prevent any gay or lesbian couple to get married.

     Pope Benedict seems to think that he's the "be all and end all" of something that none of us - not doctors, not theologians, not anybody on the planet Earth - are completely certain of an answer.  There are some biologists, however, who believe there is a so-called "gay gene," which, if true, would explain why a person is gay or is not gay.  Since there is nothing conclusive scientifically, we don't know - and The Pope doesn't know - why people have heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual or asexual orientation.  There is no credible evidence to indicate why most people are straight, why some people are gay, why others are sexually attracted to both genders, and why there are some people who lack an interest in sex at all.

     Nobody makes themself gay.  It is the way they were created by God - in His image.  Therefore, if we are indeed created and born in God's image, then I need to again ask the question - is God gay?  Is God straight?  Is God both gay and straight - in that sense, bisexual?

     Now don't misunderstand me.  I am not at all suggesting that God is a sexual being.  All I am saying - is that if we are created in God's image - then that's the way God wants each of us to be - whether straight, gay or bisexual.

     God loves nobody less because of who their partner is in bed.  So why must Pope Benedict - or others for that matter - criticize same-sex marriage?  With celebrities such as Anderson Cooper, Ellen DeGeneres, Neil Patrick Harris, Sir Elton John and dozens more "stars" - and politicians too - "coming out" the last several years, why should

they be any less happy or have any fewer rights than those of us who are straight.

     In the United States - Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, Washington State and Washington, D.C all allow gay marriage.  California recognizes previously performed same-sex marriage; and Rhode Island acknowledges out-of-state gay marriages.

     Other nations around the world that permit same-sex marriage include

The Netherlands - which in 2000 became the first country to legalize gay marriage.  Belgium, Canada, Norway, South Africa, Spain and Sweden have all approved same-sex marriage in their homelands too.

     The Italian gay rights organization, Arcigay has come down hard on The Pope's  comments last Friday, which the group calls, "absurd, dangerous and totally out of sync with reality."  I couldn't agree more.

     Four American Catholic groups have also been critical of Pope Benedict's remarks.  A joint statement from Call To Action, Dignity U.S.A., Fortunate Families and New Ways Ministry says, "Increasingly, Catholics in the United States and around the world see what we see.  Catholics, following their own well-formed consciences, are voting to support equal rights for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) people because in their churches and communities they see a far healthier, godly and realistic vision of the human family than the one offered by The Pope."

     Isn't it time for Pope Benedict to get with the times?  After all - at least for the United States - we are all supposed to be equal under the law.  With only 9 states and the District of Columbia allowing same-sex marriage, hopefully the other 41 states will do so in the not too distant future.  As for The Pope - maybe he'll someday realize that there is a higher authority than any government; and I'm sure - or at least I want to believe - that God wants everyone to have the same equal rights - whether they are straight...or gay.

     And that's The Controversy for today.

     I'm Gary B. Duglin.

Copyright 2012 Gary B. Duglin and TheControversy.net. All Rights Reserved.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words - "NRA Killing Our Kids"

     There's an old saying that "a picture is worth a thousand words."  That adage refers to the notion that an idea can be conveyed with just a single photographic image.

     Hopefully, when we look at a picture, such as a photo with family or friends, it will get us to smile as we recollect about a fond memory.  A picture can be very valuable to each of us in a beautiful and heartwarming way.  But of course - not always.

     At a press conference reflecting on the Friday, December 14th, 2012 tragically sad massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, the National Rifle Association's executive vice president Wayne LaPierre insisted that increased gun laws would not have prevented the horrific and indescribable violence that caused the murders of 20 first grade students and 6 adult educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School.  Instead, as he delivered his remarks on Friday, December 21st at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C., one week after the rampage, LaPierre called on Congress to put armed police officers in every school in the United States of America.  LaPierre emphatically expressed that "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."

     LaPierre's ridiculous remarks were interrupted twice by pro-gun control protestors while LaPierre was adamant with his opinion that stricter gun laws would not have blocked "monsters" like Adam Lanza from committing a mass shooting spree that killed 26 innocent people.  LaPierre wondered why schools, unlike banks, didn't have the protection of armed guards.

     Code Pink, as it's described on their Web site, is "a women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end U.S. funded wars and occupations, to challenge militarism globally, and to redirect our resources into health care, education, green jobs and other life-affirming activities."

     At the NRA news conference, one of the demonstrators from Code Pink held up a banner. As I communicated at the outset of this commentary, a picture is worth a thousand words - or in this case - six words.  There's nothing more I need to say. 

     And that's The Controversy for today.

     I'm Gary B. Duglin.

Copyright 2012 Gary B. Duglin and TheControversy.net. All Rights Reserved.

"The sky is falling. The sky is falling." And The World Is Coming To An End. NOT!

     I guess the world isn't coming to an end today.  Doomsday has come and we're not gone.

     According to legend, the ancient Mayan calendar ended as Friday, December 21st, 2012 crossed over in to Saturday, December 22nd, 2012 at the stroke of midnight, thus we would cease to exist.

     Although my feet are planted firmly on the ground in the United States of America, in an eastern time zone, the clock has already struck 12 in other parts of the globe - the appointed time of doom and gloom - and there was no sign of the apocalypse.

     The social network, Imgur, posted photos of clocks reaching the hour of reckoning in the Asia-Pacific region with one message saying, "The world has not ended.  Sincerely, New Zealand."

     Did any of us really think the planet Earth was going to blow to smithereens?  Despite all the hubbub and hullaballoo, did any of us - any of you - truly believe that the world was going to explode and 7 billion people were going to be killed?

     The fact of the matter is that this entire farce - this sham - is a cash cow. It's a way for people to make big bucks from writing and merchandising books, producing television specials and movies, and even selling souvenirs for something that was never going to happen and never did.

     NASA has gotten in to the act, but in a positive way.  The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has a Web site to help put our minds - (wait a second - your minds; I'm not worried at all) - at ease.  NASA scientists say, "The world will not end in 2012.  Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012."  NASA also states, "Just as the calendar you have on your kitchen wall does not cease to exist after December 31st, the Mayan calendar does not cease to exist on December 21st, 2012.  This date is the end of the Mayan Long-Count Period, but then - just as your calendar begins again on January 1st - another Long-Count Period begins for the Mayan calendar."

     But just for the heck of it, let's have some fun with this.  Who really knows why the Mayan calendar stopped at December 21st, 2012?  Did the guy who printed it, run out of ink?  Did he get bored and say, "Oh boy, am I tired of this?"  And so he went on to another project.  Or were the Mayans a bunch of practical jokers?  Could you imagine a group of Mayans getting together and one of them saying the following?  "Let's not continue the calendar passed December 21st, 2012.  We won't be alive anyway and the people then can scramble around and wonder if the world is coming to an end." 

     Hey, all we can do is laugh and have a good time with all of this craziness.  But do people of the 21st century lack that much sophistication that any person really thought it was possible - even slightly possible - that the world could indeed go bye-bye?

     Well let me tell you - at least 93 people in the People's Republic of China had doubts of us being around after today, as they were all arrested this week for spreading rumors of an apocalyptic event.

     This cosmic catastrophe was initially predicted for May 2003, but when we all lived to tell about it, the doomsday date was moved to December 21st, 2012; and linked to the end of one of the cycles in the ancient Mayan calendar at this year's winter solstice.

     The date, December 21st, 2012, is actually regarded as the last date of a 5,125-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar.  Professional Mayanist scholars have reportedly stated that predictions of impending doom are not found in any of the existing classic Mayan accounts or documents of any kind; and that the mere notion that the Long Count calendar ends on December 21st, 2012, misrepresents Mayan history and culture.

     All of the above said - does anyone really care?  Anybody that honestly believed that the world was ending today is quite frankly a goofball.  The proof of the pudding - so to speak - is that we're still here - and the problems of war, sickness, poverty, hunger and going over the fiscal cliff - (uh-oh... that's a topic for another day) - are still with us; as are many other more pressing and more realistic concerns than the "poof" of our planet.

     So the next time anybody says to you - "The world is coming to an end," remember Chicken Little's hysterical and mistaken belief that disaster was imminent. 

     "The sky is falling.  The sky is falling." 

     Well...don't believe everything you are told.  Or else...who knows?  You just might get eaten by the fox.

     And that's The Controversy for today.

                                                I'm Gary B. Duglin.

Copyright 2012 Gary B. Duglin and TheControversy.net. All Rights Reserved.