NBA Commissioner David Stern was right to suspend Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas for bringing guns to the locker room — editorial
By The Plain Dealer Editorial Board
January 12, 2010, 4:01AM
Before he died in November, Abe Pollin was one of Washington, D.C.'s most successful businessmen and philanthropists. In 1997, upset about rising violence in the District and the earlier assassination, in Israel, of his friend Yitzhak Rabin, Pollin decided to give his pro basketball team a new name.
The Washington Bullets, he said, simply sent the wrong message -- especially to young, impressionable inner-city fans. After a contest, the team was rechristened the Wizards.
Too bad Gilbert Arenas, the Wizards' biggest star and recipient of a $111 million contract from Pollin, failed to grasp his late employer's message -- or wisdom.
Arenas has admitted that after a pre-Christmas gambling argument, he put four unloaded guns in the locker of a teammate, along with a note: "Pick one." He says it was just a joke. Prosecutors in Washington aren't laughing; they've launched a criminal investigation.
Though league rules ban weapons in the locker room, NBA Commissioner David Stern initially deferred to law enforcement authorities. But Arenas kept making light of the situation, even pretending to "shoot" his teammates in a pre-game huddle. That was too much for Stern. Before Washington played the Cavs last week, he suspended Arenas indefinitely without pay -- about $147,000 a game.
You can argue whether pro athletes should be role models; the fact is, they are. It's also a fact that some 10,000 Americans a year die from gun violence. Guns aren't funny.
Abe Pollin understood that. Because Arenas did not, his career and freedom are at risk.
Source:cleveland.com/
Showing posts with label Pelosi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pelosi. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Pelosi, Obama, other officials to travel to Detroit for auto show, learn more about industry
WASHINGTON — Months after the government took large ownership stakes in General Motors, Chrysler and auto lender GMAC Financial Services, top lawmakers and members of the Obama administration will be taking a close look at their investment.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and others will meet with company executives, state and local leaders and tour vehicle displays Monday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, one of the auto industry's annual showcases.
Pelosi said they would visit Detroit "to see firsthand the innovative technologies the industry is investing in to create the jobs of the future and to ensure our national competitiveness. We go to Detroit with our commitment to continue to preserve our manufacturing base, which is essential to our economic and national security."
Lawmakers frequently visit the auto show but organizers said they received more interest from Washington this year, only months after the government steered General Motors Co. and Chrysler LLC through bankruptcy helped by billions in federal aid. GMAC, a key lender to GM and Chrysler dealers and customers, recently received its third taxpayer-funded bailout.
"This year we were swamped with additional requests," said Doug Fox, the auto show's chairman. Fox said the auto show created a separate grey-coloured credential because of the large demand from lawmakers and administration officials, distinguishing them from credentials issued to journalists, auto dealers and car company employees and executives.
With steep declines in auto sales and massive job losses, the Obama administration has awarded billions in funding for car companies to retool their auto plants to build more fuel-efficient cars, provided grants to spur the development of advanced batteries and pushed retraining programs for laid-off auto workers.
Pelosi, who was invited to the show by Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., will meet with Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Detroit Mayor Dave Bing and is expected to be joined by members of her House leadership team and members of Michigan and Ohio's congressional delegation. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., who has visited the show in past years, will also visit the exhibits.
LaHood and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis will represent the administration, which will include officials with the Transportation Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The two agencies oversee regulations for the industry involving fuel efficiency, safety and tailpipe emissions.
The auto show will feature 60 vehicle debuts and attract more than 5,000 journalists from 50 countries. The exhibit at Detroit's Cobo Center will include a 37,000-square foot venue called "Electric Avenue," featuring electric vehicles and prototypes from a dozen manufacturers.
Source:AFP
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and others will meet with company executives, state and local leaders and tour vehicle displays Monday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, one of the auto industry's annual showcases.
Pelosi said they would visit Detroit "to see firsthand the innovative technologies the industry is investing in to create the jobs of the future and to ensure our national competitiveness. We go to Detroit with our commitment to continue to preserve our manufacturing base, which is essential to our economic and national security."
Lawmakers frequently visit the auto show but organizers said they received more interest from Washington this year, only months after the government steered General Motors Co. and Chrysler LLC through bankruptcy helped by billions in federal aid. GMAC, a key lender to GM and Chrysler dealers and customers, recently received its third taxpayer-funded bailout.
"This year we were swamped with additional requests," said Doug Fox, the auto show's chairman. Fox said the auto show created a separate grey-coloured credential because of the large demand from lawmakers and administration officials, distinguishing them from credentials issued to journalists, auto dealers and car company employees and executives.
With steep declines in auto sales and massive job losses, the Obama administration has awarded billions in funding for car companies to retool their auto plants to build more fuel-efficient cars, provided grants to spur the development of advanced batteries and pushed retraining programs for laid-off auto workers.
Pelosi, who was invited to the show by Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., will meet with Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Detroit Mayor Dave Bing and is expected to be joined by members of her House leadership team and members of Michigan and Ohio's congressional delegation. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., who has visited the show in past years, will also visit the exhibits.
LaHood and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis will represent the administration, which will include officials with the Transportation Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The two agencies oversee regulations for the industry involving fuel efficiency, safety and tailpipe emissions.
The auto show will feature 60 vehicle debuts and attract more than 5,000 journalists from 50 countries. The exhibit at Detroit's Cobo Center will include a 37,000-square foot venue called "Electric Avenue," featuring electric vehicles and prototypes from a dozen manufacturers.
Source:AFP
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