Accountability vs. College Athletics

Yesterday, BYU suspended its starting Center of the men's basketball team for the remainder of the season citing an unspecified Honor Code violation. With just two conference games remaining before the conference tourney and then the NCAA Tournament, the 3rd ranked Cougars could not have had this happen at a worse time. Without their starting Center, many observers doubt BYU's ability to go deep into the NCAA's.

When news of the suspension broke the sports message boards became inflammed with hatred towards BYU and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The intolerance, misinformation and pure, disgusting hatred being written simply turned my stomach. To say I was appalled or aghast doesn't even come close. Instead of commenting on the basketball ramifications for BYU, this was turned into an anti-Mormon rant that thousands of people fell into.Well, I didn't read too many posts because of the vitriol being vomited by these supposed sports fans.

I wrote the following response to the Deseret News:

"No one should judge Davies about his Honor Code violation. These athletes are under intense pressure and scrutiny. Non-athletic students would likely fold under the same circumstances.
Also, no one should jump all over BYU for this development. Brandon Davies agreed to abide by the rules when he accepted his scholarship. He infracted the rules, and is being held accountable. It's a tough lesson to learn; but an incredibly valuable one.
Too bad most basketball fans [clearly] have no grasp on the concept of personal accountability. Otherwise, the sports boards yesterday wouldn't have been filled with ridicule and hostility towards BYU and the LDS Church for the decision to suspend Davies just before the start of the NCAA Touney."

There is a lot of money, national prestige and recruiting power on the line for BYU. This move could very well damage their ability to draw national recruits and national TV exposure in the coming years. In enforcing the University Honor Code, BYU has risen above the detritus of the naysayers and is standing by its commitment to prepare its students for a life of success on every level. Sometimes, that preparation comes in terms of mistakes and lessons learned.

We all make mistakes; but no one is above reproach, nor below the ability to learn from a mistake and then rise above that mistake and become a better person for what they have learned. Davies will, if he learns properly, rise out of this dark hour and become a better man not just for his potential career, but for the rest of his life, in all its various aspects.

Truancy Laws Gone Too Far

In Provo, UT a law is being considered that would criminalize truant youth and children should they be caught off campus or away from their schooling during school hours. This law would also require adults to call the city police to report violators. The intent behind the considered law is to confront the growing gang issue in this central Utah city.
All of the reader responses prior to my submission were filled with shock; and many feared the repercussions pertaining to home schooled children and youth, and how ridiculous it would be to arrest six year-olds and give them a police record just for being on the city streets during school hours. Some of the respondents even went into a 'Police State, Socialism' rant that was entirely counterproductive to any serious discussion. Yesterday I wrote the following response to the article in the Deseret News:

"First of all, the city is looking for ways to fight increasing gang activity. This idea isn't the smartest, I'll give you that; but to jump way ahead and feign horror at children being arrested is not only foolish, it's downright ridiculous.
Instead of being offended at the "potential" of this proposal, why don't you form community meetings to brainstorm legitimate ideas to address the issue, present them to the school board (leaving the city govt out of the discussion), then both sides work to find viable solutions.
The answer to this lies not in legislation, but in a cooperative effort between the community and the school district. It seems, after all, that most parents are feeling like their voice is lost--and it has somewhat, because they now complain loudly but never step up and start grassroot efforts to challenge school officials, city leaders etc. So stop complaining and step up! Become a leader who enacts change!
And JMT (a respondent on this board), please leave your "1984" scare tactics out and present an intelligent, thoughtful discussion that goes beyond an 'I'm right, you're wrong' mentality that only seeks to instill fear and remove rational thought. "

Of the eighteen responses after mine, not a single one commented on the merits of my proposal; instead continuing the fear-mongering that all of the earlier posts had provided. Since there was no rational thought amongst the lot, I decided to write another response today.

"RE: JMT "Two kids fighting over a remote; the wishbone from Thanksgiving turkey; candy at Christmas; who saw Lagoon first; playing fetch with the dog; Grandpas attention, etc..."

This type of thinking is irresponsible. It seeks only to create fear and suspicion.
Please, leave the addressing of community and national issues to the adults because clearly, individuals such as this only want to make us afraid without offering any sort of leadership that might help us all to climb off of the slippery slope this nation now finds itself upon.

If you're concerned about issues and law-making, write, call or email your elected representatives at every level! Make sure you take part in the electoral system we all enjoy. Start community efforts to enact change. Do something!--Because doing nothing but complaining gets us nowhere."

So far, I have not gotten any retort.