Hero Society

A friend of mine recently posted on Facebook that she was upset seeing all the news press given to Charlie Sheen and none being given to the soldiers who have died recently.  Unfortunately, it’s true that our press would rather make heroes out of movie stars, sports stars, and music stars than to report on our military people fighting daily.  Wikipedia describes a hero as someone “who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self sacrifice—that is, heroism—for some greater good of all humanity.”

Since Charlie Sheen is in the news, let’s use our definition above and see if he is a hero, I know to some he is since he’s a movie star and “fighting” a drug habit.  Charlie Sheen once played a cowboy who was shot and killed while walking up to a toilet....okay, doesn’t really meet the qualifications.  Let’s see here “in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, displays courage and the will for self sacrifice for some greater good of all humanity”...hmmm, he takes drugs, has his kids being removed, goes to jail and has some terrible mug shots floating around.  Well, he fails, and by definition, he’s not a hero.

Some people love sports stars and music stars and consider them heroes.  Okay, let’s look at the entire Dallas Cowboy football team.  A lot of people enjoy watching football, but do they qualify as heroes?  Well, they throw a ball around, hit each other, dance when they get a touchdown and have huge salaries.  Music stars on the other do much the same, at least the dancing part, and they sing.  Once again, by definition, neither football teams or music stars are heroes.

Now, just for the heck of seeing what a hero really is, let’s take one of the people my friend posted about.   Rudolph Hizon was 21 years old when he died in Afghanistan.  He is hailed by people who knew him as  “good with children,” “a warrior,” and “someone I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”  He was awarded “Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghan Campaign Medal with star device, Global War on Terror Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal and Combat Infantryman Badge” for his service.  This young man went and died for the United States of America.  He died to promote freedom from a war that resulted when were were attacked on September 11 (remember that day?) (http://projects.latimes.com/wardead/name/rudolph-r-hizon/).  Based on our criteria from Wikipedia, we find that Rudolph was someone “who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self sacrifice—that is, heroism—for some greater good of all humanity.”  Ironically, Rudolph told one of his friends that he did not think he would come back from Afghanistan (remember that self-sacrifice thing?). 

So, the next time you watch your favorite movie star, your favorite musician, or even your favorite sports team, remember they are not HEROES.  Heroes are men and women like Rudolph Hizon.  Then, when you sit next to someone that says, “Charlie Sheen is my hero,” point to the American flag and say, “See that red on that strip right there?  That’s the blood of men and women like Rudolph Hizon and he’s my hero.”

I don't Like NASCAR

My hometown, Batesville, Arkansas, is the hometown of NASCAR hero Mark Martin. McDonald's there has Mark Martins stuff in it, the Ford dealership is owned by Martin, he has a museum at the dealership, and the big sign going into Batesville proudly announces "Home of NASCAR's Mark Martin". That's great, but I still don't like NASCAR.

I have to be honest, I've tried to watch it. I have turned it on after hearing about the crashes. Watched when women started becoming popular thanks to NASCAR and Godaddy.com, but I still just can not for the life of me figure out a way to enjoy it. I mean, let's face it folks, in truth I can get the same effect by pouring a bag of M & M's into the toilet and flushing it. Don't believe me? Give it a try sometime. Just pop that little back open, push that handle down and watch them swirl away. I mean, if that isn't the essence of NASCAR, then I don't know what it is then!

Denny Duran: Humble Songwriter

Once in awhile you look back over your past and realize that people are not always whom you thought they were. This is not always a bad thing; rather instead at times it is a good thing, if not a great thing. Take for example an old friend of mine from high school, Denny Duran.

Denny and I were not always hanging out, but we did share some classes, talked from time-to-time, and graduated from the same class. I always thought he was a good guy. A couple of years ago we had a class reunion and Denny was there. I remember he carried a yearbook around that he had found at a garage sale or flea market from the same year we had graduated. Surprisingly the yearbook had remained unsigned through the years. Denny went around and ask each person at the reunion to sign the yearbook. I signed the book, feeling like I was giving out my autograph when little did I realize that I should have sought Denny’s autograph at that time. All through the reunion process, during the reunion and after, I never heard Denny brag or boast about his ability to write songs or play them. I really had no idea what Denny did and to be honest I did not seek him out to ask him. As it turns out, I should have.

Denny is one of those “undiscovered” songwriters. Once I questioned him about the music on his My Space page, I found out that he has written over one hundred songs in the past twenty-five years. A hundred songs would be significant for any current songwriter, so I was a little surprised when he humbly told me about his “hobby”, but that is the sort of guy Denny apparently is. He is not one to blow his own horn. So, I’m using my little place here in the blog world to promote Denny’s music. If you have time, go on over to his My Space page, take a few minutes to listen. You may be surprised to learn that some of his songs posted there have been listened to over four hundred times. And, if by chance you’re a producer or singer looking for a songwriter, it’s time to make Denny famous. Besides, I can always use a few more famous friends around me.

Denny's Music

Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley

The sad news still seems to be racking up hits on all the news feeds from CNN to Fox, but the basic fact remains the same, Michael Jackson is dead. I can’t say that I’ve ever been a huge fan of the Michael’s, but I did like the music. I certainly questioned the man’s habits in private, but the fact is he was the King of Pop. People loved Michael, his style, his music and his passion when he performed. That all combined together with the fact that he took music to a new level (videos, moon walking, gloves – only one, etc) did make him the King of Pop.

Lisa Presley has been quick in pointing out that Michael thought he would die the way Elvis did. Like most people, when I sat down and thought about this, the similarities were simply amazing between the two men. I wanted to list a few from life and death:

Life:
Loved giving to others
Set new music standards
Danced in questionable ways on stage
Made television history (Thriller or Worldwide Broadcast from Hawaii)
Unique style of music
Had strong faith
Lived in fairytale type worlds they created
Created their own stage style of clothing
Loved performing
Gave 100% for all performances
Carried the title King

Death:
found at their homes
called cardiac arrest at start of investigation
alone when found
believed tied to prescription drugs
brought out fans because of death
setting record sales after death
dominating the news media
brought words from President
had police investigating their physicians
carried the title King to the grave
called one of a kind by media

Of all the things that are similar about the two men, one thing will always be the same. They were each loved by fans and they both made huge impacts on the world around them. While I liked Michael’s music, I already admitted I was not a huge fan, but for those huge fans out there, I ‘m truly sorry to see this legend die. On the other hand, can you imagine the concert going on in heaven now?