The World Cup is the most watched sporting event on the planet. Every four years gallons of ink are used printing newspapers that report on all aspects of play.  Entire nations come to a complete stop when their team is playing. Some players have even been known to have been murdered because of their poor play during the tournament.

The question is: Why is the officiating so bad…and why is instant replay on the most important calls not used?

The video below shows a goal scored by England in their match with Germany that wasn’t ruled as a goal.  It is shocking because the ball bounces inside the net by at least two feet.  How is it possible that in a match that is watched by hundreds of millions of people, and had been anticipated for years, could be “ruined” by a referee’s terrible non-call? (Though Germany went on to win the game 4-1 and was clearly the superior team, the game would have been tied at 2-2 and then who knows how play/strategy/tactics would have been altered?)

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I believe that the single most destructive word is “should”.  Sadly, the word “should” prevents far too many of us from enjoying life the way it is….as opposed to the way it “should” be.

Who amongst us hasn’t had any of these thoughts?

I should have more money by now.

I should already have _________.

Why should I have to do _________ when suchabody doesn’t?

It’s not fair. It should be fair.

Try to test yourself.  Listen to when you use the word “should”.  Try to use it less.  It is a very interesting exercise.  I bet you’ll be surprised by what you catch yourself saying and thinking in connection with the word “should”.

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President Barrack Obama is going before the nation tonight on national TV to speak about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  He is going to try and gain momentum for a fix to the leakage and its cleanup….discuss monetary compensation for those economically injured…..contemplate the massive environmental damage….and seek to stop the political bleeding that has captured his administration. He might even use the crisis to trumpet an energy policy that may or may not have much merit. (More on that in another post)

Unfortunately for Mr. Obama, a person can only make an initial impression once.  Likewise, a President only has one shot at his initial response to a crisis.  The judgement is in….and the American people are not pleased with the way the government has thus far handled the crisis. (And make no mistake. This is a crisis of huge proportions) 

While it is certainly possible that the next phase of this crisis, and the one after that, is handled much more adroitly than has thus far been the case…the initial Obama response to the Gulf Oil Spill has been rated UNSATISFACTORY by the American people.  

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An Israeli commando force attacked the six ships, which were carrying supplies that included cement, wheelchairs, paper and water purification systems, in international waters, 70 miles off the Gaza coast. The commandos boarded the Mavi Marmara passenger ferry, one of three ships provided by Insani Yardim Vakfi (IHH), a Turkish aid organization.   Tehran Times 

To watch Al Jazeera TV is to learn that on May 31^st, in the middle of the night, Israeli commandos stormed a humanitarian flotillia that was trying to bring aid to the people of Gaza.  Unprovoked, nine peace loving people were killed by the murderous Israelis.  Immediately Turkey, France, the European Union, Russia, the United Nations Secretary General and many others all express deep outrage.  Why would Israel, a democracy, engage in such an outrageous unlawful act of hateful brutality?

To understand the question is to know the answer.  And to know the answer  is to know some truths. 

The first truth is that from a public relations standpoint, Israel fell into the nightmare trap those hoping for its destruction had set.  That is folly on the behalf of the Israelis.  The second truth is that almost none of the statements mentioned at the top of this blog post have any relationship with reality.

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Cultural norms change.  In 1993, when Democratic President Bill Clinton initiated the “don’t ask, don’t tell” rule regarding homosexuals serving in the military, it was approved by the majority of the American people who thought it “fair”, though disapproved by the majority of those serving in the armed forces. (who thought it tampering with their institution) It was seen as a sort of compromise.  An attempt by the chief executive to not get too far ahead of society’s cultural norms, while recognizing that homosexuals had a “place” in the nation’s military.

When President Harry Truman signed executive order 9981 which integrated the military, you could say that he moved ahead of the nation in terms of what most Americans thought was appropriate. President Abraham Lincoln used black troops during the Civil War so as to strengthen his forces and for various political reasons.

Some argue that the military is not a place for ”social experimentation”.  On the surface that argument has some merit and is used by those opposed to repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell”.  However, I believe Congress, particularly Congressional Democrats, acted correctly to initiate the process by which people will be legally assured they can serve their country regardless of their sexual orientation.

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