Today Cedar Hill (Duncanville, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 32, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 17, 2005 Page: 4 of 20
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Page 4 • Cedar Hill Today • Thursday, November 17, 2005
OPINION
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T.O.’s outburst has K.O.’d career
Terrell Owens, the
league’s most arrogant,
petulant and immeasur-
ably sensitive superstar,
appears to have done
what free agency, the
ravages of time and the
entire NFC could not
do: destroy the Phila-
delphia Eagles.
All T.O. had to do to
play in this past Sun-
ALLEN day’s game was to apol-
Today Staff ogize to Donovan Mc-
Skewed World Nabb’ *e team and the
Order Eagles organization.
Imagine how long
you’d last at your job if you went on TV
and called your organization classless, your
co-workers gutless and generally proceeded
to air every closed-door grievance you have.
There isn’t an apology any of us could
issue that would keep us employed after
pulling such a stunt. But pro sports has
always been a different realm of activity.
Owens has of course cited his right to
freedom of speech. But the greater part of
freedom of speech, the part that so few con-
template before shooting off their mouth
and then using freedom of speech as a
defense, is the responsibility to think before
speaking.
As much as this spoiled child of a wide
receiver has a right to blast Donovan
McNabb, the Eagles and the King of Siam
if he chooses, all offended parties have a
right to respond.
There’s a chasm a mile wide between
being a great player and a great teammate
and some might argue the latter is more
important.
Let me just say T.O. is an incredible ath-
lete. There may not be 10 better players in
the league in terms of pure athletic ability.
In coming back from a broken leg to play in
the Super Bowl he showed just how much
he was willing to sacrifice for a champi-
onship.
Still, a good team has the same dynamic
as a family. You can say what you want
about them to other family members but if
anybody else talks about them, there’s
going to be trouble.
But Owens has been ready to tell any
and everyone how wounded he was by the
Eagles statements prior to the Super Bowl.
Anyone who’s followed football for more
than 10 minutes recognized the team’s pre-
Super Bowl comments as typical spin con-
trol.
Any team with an injured superstar will
say they can win without him, whether they
actually believe they can do it or not. It’s
part of the “team” concept. Talking about
your teammates like a dog — not part of
the team concept.
Michael Irvin, Joe Six Pack on his living
room La-Z-Boy and I can talk about
Donovan because we don’t actually have to
play with him. There is arguably no more
important dynamic on a team than the quar-
terback-wide receiver tandem. The most
prolific ones are in the Hall of Fame and
carried a few of their teammates with them.
McNabb to Owens could have been right
near the top of that list.
Prior to Owens, the Eagles were the
team of three straight NFC championships
and a Super Bowl trip. After Owens they’re
fist fighting in the locker room, embroiled
in controversy and in very real danger of
missing the postseason.
Is it all that T.O.’s fault? No, not any-
more than the Eagles going to the Super
Bowl was all his doing. But on Planet Ter-
rell, he’s the victim in this situation.
You know just how much of a cancer
your teammates believe you to be when the
organization is willing to pay you $200,000
See CAREER Page 5
An important question: Are you properly insured?
Who
likes to
talk about
insurance?
Very few
people.
Who needs
adequate
insurance?
Everyone.
DARRYL ,n fact'lf
you re
_ going to
Financial Focus achieve
your long-
term financial goals, you’ll
need to make sure you’ve got
the proper coverage to protect
yourself and your family.
Unfortunately, many people
aren’t doing this, as these
numbers show:
• The average household
requires more than $450,000
in life insurance, yet has only
about $ 126,000 in coverage,
according to a recent report
issued by the Society of Fin-
ancial Service Professionals.
• About 40 percent of adult
Americans have no life insur-
ance, according to insweb.com,
a website devoted to insurance
issues.
If you’re one of those who
are uninsured or underinsured,
you need to take action soon -
because no one can predict the
future.
How much insurance - and
what type?
Your insurance needs will
change throughout your life. If
you’re single, and you rent an
apartment, you may not need
much insurance at all.
But fast forward a few
years - you’re married and you
have a house.
Now, you need at least
enough life insurance to enable
your spouse to pay off your
mortgage should you die early.
Add on a few more years, and
maybe you hav| a couple of
children; at this point, you
need to be able to leave
enough money to help pay for
college.
To determine about how
much insurance you’ll need at
different stages of your life,
consult with a financial ser-
vices professional - someone
who can analyze your family
and financial situations and
help you come up with the
right number.
But you’ll also need to
decide what type of insurance
is appropriate for your situa-
tion. Here are two options:
• Term insurance - When
you’re first starting out in your
career, you may want to con-
sider a term insurance policy.
Term insurance is “pure”
insurance; you get a death ben-
efit, but no build-up of cash
value. You’ll find that term
insurance premiums are gener-
ally quite affordable, although
they become less so as you get
older.
• Permanent insurance - If
you want a death benefit and
an investment component, you
might choose some type of
“permanent” insurance, such
as whole life, universal life or
variable universal life.
Depending on which policy
you choose, you can earn a
fixed or variable rate of return.
Your earnings have the poten-
tial to grow on a tax-deferred
basis, and you can use your
account’s cash value to help
pay for your children’s college
or to help fund your own
retirement.
Beyond life insurance
While life insurance is
See INSURE, Page 5
Fear, as
usual, rules
ballot box
SB
Sr
LOYD
BRUMFIELD
News Editor
When
Texans
went to
the polls
Nov. 8 to
decide
several
state
proposi-
tions,
some 76
percent
of those
who
voted
stood in solidarity with ... the
Ku Klux Klan.
In deciding to ban gay mar-
riage — an institution already
illegal in Texas — and there-
fore enshrine discrimination
into the state constitution, an
overwhelming majority of
Texans took the same position
on the issue as the most repre-
hensible hate group ever to
take root on our soil.
I don’t often deal in abso-
lutes, but if you’re on the same
side of an issue as the Klan,
it’s time to rethink your posi-
tion.
No nation cherishes the
concept of freedom as strongly
as the United States, but when
it comes to gay rights,
Americans have a blind spot.
If freedom isn’t for everyone,
then it isn’t freedom.
Again and again, all over
this country, in red states and
blue states — Americans have
continually bestowed second-
class citizenship upon the gay
and lesbian population. It’s a
status most people usually
think should be conferred only
on criminals.
As a straight, single-but-in-
a-committed relationship Am-
erican male, I just don’t get it.
Will someone please tell me
what the great danger is in let-
ting two people of the same
gender who love each other
get married?
1 guess, for one thing, that’s
a sure-fire way to keep the
divorce rate from growing.
Lord knows we straights don’t
need any help with that.
Poll after poll shows a large
number of Americans don’t
approve of gay marriage,
which is fine, except I haven't
heard anyone come up with a
legitimate reason why.
“It’s not right for the chil-
dren,” many say. But the prob-
lem with that is our society
doesn’t require that people
who get married have children,
or even attempt to have chil-
dren.
If that were the case, then
we would ban marriages
involving sterile couples, and
thousands of senior citizens
who rekindle the flame of love
late in life would not be
allowed to legally exchange
vows.
Plus, gays and lesbians can
have children anyway, through
adoption or fertilization tech-
niques or a number of other
ways.
One of the wackiest reasons
used to justify discrimination
in marriage has to do with the
survival of the species — as if
once gay marriage were legal-
ized, we’d find that we are all
actually closeted homosexuals
and would stop breeding.
Thus, the end of human
kind.
No one has any idea how
many gays and lesbians there
are in this state, in this country
and on this planet, but I think I
can make a healthy stab at it
and say for every gay member
of society, there’s probably at
least 50 heterosexuals, and
probably more.
With those numbers, there’s
just no way we'll go the way
of the dinosaurs.
There’s also this gem:
“Gays and lesbians can marry,
they just have to marry some-
one of the opposite sex.”
So let me get this straight:
Gay nuptials are wrong, but
sham marriages are fine. Nice
family values there.
“It violates God’s com-
mands,” is another common
complaint.
I in no way can speak for
God, so I won't, but I do know
the Bible also tells us not to do
a whole host of things that we
do anyway — some even
under the protection of the
law.
But in America, marriage
legally is a secular institution
that does not require a reli-
gious component. If it did,
then atheists would be aban-
doned at the altar as well.
“We need Proposition 2 to
keep the issue of gay marriage
out of the hands of 'activist
judges,’” is another popular
refrain.
While it’s true that the pas-
sage of the amendment takes
the gay-marriage issue out of
the realm of state court juris-
diction, federal judges can still
find it unconstitutional and
overturn it. And even though
Texas resides in the conserva-
tive Fourth Judicial District,
the matter can be appealed to
the Supreme Court beyond
that.
The Texas constitutional
amendment doesn’t just ban
gay marriage, it also bans civil
unions and other arrangements
“similar” to marriage.
Though a “Section 2” of’
the amendment states gays and
lesbians are free to make their
own arrangements for such
things as survivor benefits and
other family matters through
estate planners and attorneys,
only the first section of the
See GAY, Page 5
“Just Ask” is written by a member
of our staff,who fields questions from
members of the community ranging
from politics to social etiquette and
from sports to better grooming habits.
If you have a question you can’t
answer, just ask.
If we don’t know the answer, we’ll
research it and print it once we have
gotten to the bottom of your problem.
Need to know the best way to
make Bermuda grass grow? Just ask.
Ever wonder why the city manager
doesn’t vote or why the mayor does?
Just ask.
Are you just dying to know what
ever happened to (fill in the blank)?
Just ask.
Whether your question is specific
to your community or on a general
topic that can benefit anyone any-
where, all you have to do is ask and
our staff will print your question with
the answer.
Call 972-298-4598, ext. 220 and
leave a message or e-mail
manager@todaynewspapers net
So get those questions coming in.
After all, the old adage still holds
true: The only stupid question is the
one not asked. And if you don’t ask,
who will?
Go ahead. Just ask.
YOUR LETTERS
Send letters to Cedar Hill
Today, c/o News Editor Loyd
Brumfield, 1701 N. Hampton, Suite
C, DeSoto, TX, 75115, or P.O. Box
381029, Duncanville TX 75138.
Fax letters to 972-298-6369 or e-
mail them to cedarhill@todaynews
papers.net.
Include a home address and
daytime phone number for verifica-
tion purposes only. Only your name
and hometown will Jbe published.
Letters may be edited for brevi-
ty, clarity, style, taste, grammar and
libel. Any change that may materi-
ally affect the content of a letter
wiTl be confirmed with the writer
Today Newspapers reserves the
right to accept or reject any letter
without cause.
L-’EDAiR AA1m.j A ODA.Y A INTI* O RINA AT I ON
i , „ 1 *6 * i P i&w ~ •< ■ - H A "W I
Cedar Hilt Today Staff
Richard Collins
Publisher
Robin Gooch
Managing Editor
Kim Petty
Advertising Director
Ron Midkiff
Circulation Coordinator
Loyd Brumfield
News Editor
Brian Allen and Justin Jones
Staff Writers
Chris Hudson and David Goodspeed
Photographers
Wendy Lee
Retail ad sales
Heather Hawkins
Classified ad sales
Tny Peoples
Distribution Coordinator
Betty Bell
Lifestyles Editor
Deadlines
Classifieds:
Display classified ads — 5 p.m.
Tliesday. Line ads — 5 p.m. TUesday.
Retail Advertising:
5 p.m. Monday; 5 p.m. Friday for In
Common. Advertising rates may be
secured upon request.
Editorial:
School news — 5 p.m Friday
Genera] news — noon Monday
Deadlines are subject to change due to holi-
days and will be published in advance.
Subscriptions
Subscription rates - $25 per year in
city, $34 per year elsewhere in Texas All
subscriptionspayableinadvanceandnon-
.Thepubiuher reserves the nght
to change advertising and subscription
rates at any time.
General Information
Today Cedar Hill is an independent
newspaper published weekly in the interest
of Cedar Hill. Any erroneous reflection
upon the integrity or reputation of any indi-
vidual will be corrected if brought to the
attention of the news editor.
Digests run on a space available basis
Letter Policy
The Opinion Page of Today News-
papers is an open forum tor all viewpoints.
Letters to the editor and guest columns are
encouraged
idlinc is noon Monday in person at
1701 N. Hampton in DeSoto, or by mail to
RO. Box 381029, Duncanville, TX 75138.
Letters must have an original signa-
ture, with a home address and daytime
telephone number for verification purpos-
es only.
The content of all letters will be pre-
served within guidelines of clarity, style,
taste, etc. Letters should be of interest to
local readers and should be limited to 300
words. A complete list of editorial policies,
including the submission of guest
columns, is available at the above location.
Call 972-298-4211 for further information.
Publication in one newspaper does not
guarantee a letter will be published in any
other town.
How to Contact Us
LoaMoa:—----
DeSoto Office — 1701 N. Hampton Road,
Suite C, DeSoto, 75115
Postage Information
Today Cedar Hill (USPS 095640,
ISSN 0704-0428) is published every
Thursday by Today Newspapers, 1126
Explorer, Suite A, Duncanville, Texas
75137. Second class postage paid at
Duncanville, Texas 75138-1029. Post-
master. Send address changes to Today
Cedar Hill, RO. Box 381029, Duncanville.
Texas 75138-1029.
Phone: 972-29*4241
Fax: 972-298-6369
E-mail: cedaihill@todaynewspapers.net
l a M Tana /
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Gooch, Robin. Today Cedar Hill (Duncanville, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 32, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 17, 2005, newspaper, November 17, 2005; Duncanville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth623465/m1/4/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Zula B. Wylie Memorial Library.