IN THE GREATER COSMOS

The big news today is A-ROD USED PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUGS.

The economic crisis, the fact the the Obama stimulus plan has been severely compromised by political partisanism ,or that it will be further so by the time the house Democrats get their hands on the reconciliation bill is of little importance. Nor should the fact that it took the votes of two centralist Republicans to produce the Senate version of that the House Republicans voted 100% against the Pelosi version be considered significant. We should disregard that the poor put-upon Gaza Hamas is still blindly launching rockets at purely military targets, the villainous Israeli civilian towns, hospitals and kindergartens. Instead. the overwhelming news story of the day involves A-Rod.

What impact does it have on the cosmic order of things that a baseball star could have been using performance enhancing drugs like over 10% of hie peers during a time when the "industry" and the public permitted them. It is true that he denied to a TV interviewer of ever being involved with such substances. He did not make any such statement while under oath in a legal or Congressional setting which would have been a criminal act.

Why does no one condemn an act of breaching confidentiality and making some still unconfirmed report public in order to (1) embarrass an individual, or (2) to receive financial gain for themselves. This is the true criminal act that should be denounced and punished.

In a similar vein the outcry over a picture of Phelps holding a "pot pipe" and the repercussions from that picture is overblown. Sure he is an idol, and perhaps a role model only to those who would devote almost all their waking hours for years to become perfect in their lifetime goals. He would deserve to be subject to appropriate legal punishment if found guilty of a misdemeanor such as DUI like every other citizen. To be publicly castigated for acting in an irresponsible manner which is probably no worse than 99% of us did at least once in our formative years is the height of asininity. Did whoever posted that cellphone picture on the Internet act honorably?

No, the world goes on despite the fact that OLDDOC might have smoked pot (he never did) as
a college student or bought liquor at a Virginia ABC store while under age (he did). Likewise what some athlete did or did not do is of no importance if it was not illegal. Let us refocus on today's monetary problems both local and nationwide.

If one lives in Plainfield and many other similar communities, the disorganization of local governments including financial controls, sources of assets, a realization of those involved with its daily activities should be their paramount interest, only tempered by what is happening in the state, nationally and internationally.