Culling is described as the killing of surplus animals from an animal population. Officials announced that come May 1, 2008 professional hunters will be allowed to kill, or cull, elephants in South Africa in order to reduce the animals growing population there.
Due to big game hunting in the early 1900′s elephants, like the buffalo in the Mid-West of the United States at the same time, were very close to becoming extinct. As a result, methods were taken to preserve the species and today an estimation of around 270,000 elephants now live in the continent of Africa! It took nearly one hundred years of care to get the elephant population back to a cushioned, yet still endangered, number. Regardless, preservation methods have been working and the species is in the process of being taken off of the endangered species list. Culling, however, does not help to expedite this process. When South African officials first allowed culling in 1967, sharpshooters in helicopters would kill hundreds of elephants in order to control the size of the herds. When culling was finally banned in 1995, more than 14,000 elephants were killed over the 28 year time span. Often, entire families were culled together because wildlife officials knew that survivors would suffer terribly from grief over lost loved ones. Only some of those killed were used for human consumption. Since the culling ban in 1995, the number of elephants in South Africa has grown from 9,000 to over 20,000, but the problem has refocused from too few of the animal to too many.
Many locals are in favor of culling due to how elephants sometimes have an aggressive nature, and the increased numbers have affected their crop growth due to trampling. Also, irrigation routes have been interfered with because the elephants drink the water. A number of the local population would be forced to move if the elephants keep reproducing at their current rate. Most families in Africa do not have the adequate funds to pack up and migrate solely due to a herd of elephants in their area. A region that is largely affected by the increased population of the animal is Kruger National Park. Kruger is located along South Africa’s Eastern Border and currently has an elephant population of 12,500. If left unculled that number is predicted to reach around 34,000 by 2020. Since a single elephant can eat over 300 pounds of vegetation daily, many woodland areas are turned into grasslands. The problem this presents to the locals is obvious.
Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk stated that culling would only be used as a last resort with strict restrictions attached. These restrictions were not mentioned in any media that I could find, and that leads me to question what these said restrictions are. Are they written down as law? Will there be people to enforce them upon the professional hunters who take part in the culling? Are there any repercussions for ignoring the restrictions? These are questions that I would like to see answers to. Marthinus van Schalkwyk said that culling “will be used as a last resort”. Yet, this ‘last resort’ will take effect on May 1 due to other measures such as better management of elephant enclosures, relocation of the animals, and elephant contraception not producing the desired results.
Many animal rights groups, such as Animal Rights Africa, are quick to point out that elephants are one of the few animals (along with humans, great apes, and dolphins) who have a sense of self-awareness. For instance it is a fact that elephants, cry, play, have excellent memories, and even laugh! Elephants are also documented as grievers when a family member or other elephant close to the herd is killed. The fact that elephants emote such human characteristics probably won’t do much in terms of persuading the culling law to be retracted, but it does raises awareness of the elephant consciousness to the public. Animal rights groups are also threatening tourist boycotts to South Africa, and if this threat actually turns into action it could affect the economy there; Elephants are one of the main tourist attractions of the region.
The elephants of South Africa are not being culled due to rampages and high death tolls on the human population, but because their presence is disruptive to the people they co-exist with. It is saddening to think that civilized humans have resorted to killing off entire (endangered) elephant families because they pose as an inconvenience to the local people. Being from Buffalo, NY, I can somewhat relate to a need in controlling a disruptive and harmful animal population. In Western New York, deer are a serious problem to motorists and have resulted in far too many fatal crashes. Because of this, bucks (not does or fawns) are allowed to be hunted at specific times throughout the year in order to keep the population under control. High fines are enforced upon those who shoot a doe or fawn during the specified culling periods. But the elephant situation in South Africa is very different from the deer situation in Western New York; The deer are killing people, the elephants are not. If the balance hangs between an animal life and a human life, the human life is the life to save without a doubt. I can understand the problem in South Africa; The local people need food and water to survive, and cannot afford to move solely for the reason of saving the lives of a few thousand elephants. But there must be a better way than culling. There must be. Perhaps civilizations should begin expanding upward as opposed to outward in order to save space and preserve the environment as much as possible. The deer population in WNY results in the deaths of people. The elephant surplus is not resulting in human lives, but in human inconvenience.
Killing cannot become a means to solve an inconvenience. People must begin to to live with the creatures and environment around them. If man keeps playing ‘God’ with nature, things are only going to get worse.
Please help spread the word of this story and raise awareness to the elephant culling in South Africa.
The following web sites were used as references to this article:
-http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7262951.stm
-http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article
/2008/02/25/AR2008022500970.html
-http://elephant.elehost.com/About_Elephants
/about_elephants.htm
This unfinished screen play/one act play has a preface attached to it:
After I graduated college in May 2006, I lived in West Seneca, NY with my good buddy Justin. We lived together during the seven poorest months of our lives. We were both flat broke. One late October evening while we were enacting our weeknight ritual of watching Cash Cab on the Discovery Channel, an advertisement snagged our attention; Discovery was holding a contest for the best original amateur video that spoofs one of their programs. The prize was $500 and the winning video would be aired on the show that it spoofs. It had to be between 4 1/2 to 5 minutes in length. At the time, we watched Cash Cab, Dirty Jobs, and Going Tribal. After tossing around ridiculous ideas for spoofing Cash Cab for some time (Such as a scene where an old woman gets 3 X’s, thus losing the game, and Ben Bailey kicks her out of the cab in a terrible neighborhood) we dropped the idea. Nothing great came out of our brain storm for a Dirty Jobs spoof either. But then a few six packs of 16 oz. Miller High Life Light paved the way for the expansion of our minds, which helped to spurn the creative process in the right direction! We decided to spoof Going Tribal. Basically the show is about Englishman Bruce Parry who lives with native tribes throughout the world. These tribes have their own religion, unique language, customs, clothing, nothing even close to electronic technology, and live very simply off of the land. Their weapons usually aren’t more than spears, shields, knives, bows, etc. This Bruce lives with these tribes for a month or so and eats their food, hunts with them, sleeps with them, and adopts their customs (such as tripping on a plant for over a day without food or drink, or when he had to put a stick up his penis and wrap it with another stick in order to prevent infection). He is accompanied by what seems to be a small tech crew; a boom operator, camera guy(s), and perhaps three or four more people. We had watched a few episodes recently and decided to start writing the spoof and see where it led us.
This is what we came up with:
——————————————————
Going Tribal
by Justin Turnblom and Andy Liegl
Day 1
(Extreme close up on Pruce’s face.)
Pruce:
Hello my name is Pruce Berry and each week you the audience watch me as I go “tribal” adopting the customs and social norms of indigenous peoples from all over the world. From the Kanboi Tribe in Indonesia who tested my devotion with cannibalism, to an African vision quest with the Babongo tribe of Ethiopia. I have seen it all and you have been there with me, but now you get to join me on my most daring adventure. For the next few days I will be submerged into a culture that is completely foreign to me; I will engage in various social and religious ceremonies in a brave new world forgotten by society.
(The camera pans back to reveal a very nice house in the suburbs with Pruce standing in the driveway.)
Pruce:
I will be joining the Johnson Tribe of Western New York State, a barren wasteland devoid of any color or joy. I will not need a translator today as the tribe speaks mostly modern English, a rarity among tribes but it is a testament to the people’s intelligence. Let’s go meet the tribal elders.
(The camera follows Pruce up the driveway to the front door where he stands looking into the windows of the house for a moment before the door opens.)
Jim:
Um hello?
Pruce:
(Holding out his hand.)
Mr. Johnson?
Jim:
Ahh. You must be that Spruce Berry fellow. Yes come on in.
Pruce:
Uh, yeah, it’s actually Pruce, not Spruce, Spruce is a tree.
Jim:
Whatever. Lisa, Jake, Jill honey, that gentleman from The Discovery Zone is here.
(As Pruce enters the house Jake, holding the family cat, Lisa and Jill come to the door to greet him.)
Jill:
Hello Mr. Berry, welcome to our family. We are going to do everything we can to make you feel right at home. I’m going to have to ask you though to take off your shoes and embrace The Lord. My name is Jill.
Pruce:
What was the second part?
Lisa:
Embrace our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Oh and just so you know we have Holy Water right here by the door for every time you leave or enter the house. Every time. It was blessed by our family Priest.
Jake:
Hi. Mr. Berry, I’m really a huge fan of your show. But don’t you ever worry that someone will rob the Cash Cab?
Pruce:
Um your thinking of a completely different show.
Jake:
Ah your right, it is a dirty job. Come in though make yourself comfortable.
(Pruce follows the camera into the living room, the t.v. is on and the family is getting ready for dinner as Jim dramatically pulls Pruce aside.)
Jim:
So I talked with the network and they assured me that this is somehow a tax right-off. Correct? Because, well, you can read between the lines here.
Pruce:
Yeah anytime you let a t.v. camera into your house it’s a tax right-off, it’s in the Patriot Act.
Jim:
Alrighty. Well. We’re about to have dinner so um go use the bathroom. Wash up. I’ll have Jake put your stuff in your room.
(Cut to Pruce drying his hands and leaving the bathroom, he addresses the camera.)
Pruce:
So I have been here for about an hour now and I have noticed that the Johnson Tribe have an Idol on the wall in every room. It depicts a man lying with his legs crossed on a large ‘T’. I have yet to uncover the purpose of the Idol, perhaps it is to ward off evil spirits or disease. I am about to break bread with the tribe, and that we will in fact be talking about our respective days. I have no idea what to expect.
(Pruce enters the dining room and sits down at the table. There are six places set at the table. Jake is sitting with the cat.)
Jim:
Well.I would like to invite you into our home. After Jake says Grace, we can begin to eat our food. I hope you like the fish.
Jake:
I said Grace last night. Make Lisa say Grace.
Lisa:
I’m not saying Grace I did it two nights ago. It’s Mom’s turn to say Grace.
Jill:
I said Grace every single time when your father was away on business last week. It’s his turn.
Jim:
Well. Since you’re the guest here Percy, how about you say Grace.
(They all hold hands.)
Pruce:
Again, my name is Pruce.
(Pruce inhales to begin talking.)
Jake:
But what does that matter. Dear Lord, it is Lord right? Is that o.k. with you Dad. I do not think anybody could be a better Lord than you. Well maybe Jack Lord from Hawaii Five-O. You are a great Lord though. Really good. You’re good. Well. I just want you to know that I am not just saying this because you are Lord already. Amen.
Jill:
That was great, really moving. And I just love Hawaii Five-O.
(Everyone releases hands awkwardly.)
So tell me Mr. Berry what do you hope to learn here over the next few days?
Pruce:
I’m going to want to become part of your everyday lives, adopt your customs. For example tomorrow I will follow each of you around for part of the day as I will go with you to your religious ceremonies, gathering food, and any social activities. I will start tomorrow with Lisa and Jake, and then I will follow around Mrs. Johnson and then you Mr. Johnson.
Jim:
Well. Lisa is a student at the local Catholic college. She’s studying our religion. She hopes to one day become a religious sister working in the world to improve it.
Jill:
And Jake, well, he’s Jake, and he will, um, show you around town.
Pruce:
So I couldn’t help but notice that there are only five of us yet you have set the table for six. Are we expecting someone.
Jill:
We set an extra place setting every night for Jesus in case he stops by to dine with us.
Pruce:
Is that terribly likely?
Lisa:
It’s more of a ritual, a way to show our respect.
Pruce:
Who eats the food on the plate?
Jim:
We throw it out, Prancy. If it’s not good enough for God, it’s not good enough for the homeless we could give it to.
Lisa:
It’s an old tradition in our family; our Grandmother says that Jesus ate with her once.
Jake:
Although I think it’s a ridiculous myth . . .
Jim:
Buster! Watch yourself. Your Grandmother was a Saint.
Jake:
She thought she was a Saint. She was racked with mental disorders!
(Pruce looks at the camera and motions to stop filming. Cut to several hours later as everyone is getting ready for bed.)
Pruce:
I’m bunking down for the evening, I really got an excellent insight into their immediate family. I’m excited however to see how they function in society. After dinner I was a little skeptical that they had truly welcomed me, but I think tomorrow is a new day, and with it new surprises.
(Jill enters the room.)
Jill:
Is there anything you need Honey.
Pruce:
Thank you very much but I am fine for the evening, and thank you again for the meal. And now I shall see you in the morning.
Jill:
Are you sure.
Pruce:
Yes, absolutely, I don’t plan on leaving the Tribe early, the loss of funds would cut into my spending money for ‘Karaoke Night’.
Jill:
No, I meant are you sure you don’t need anything. Are you sure there is nothing I can get for you . . . personally?
(Jill exposes a shoulder.)
Pruce:
Ah, well, lets see. . . Ah . . . I have my pillow, sheets, comforter, p.js., and ‘suggestive’ gnome doll!
(holds up a nearby gnome stuffed doll.)
Er . . . gnome doll.
Jill:
I brought you some warm milk.
Pruce:
No that’s not really….
(caressing his arm, and rubbing his head)
Jill:
Welcome to our home.
Day 2
(Cut to the next morning. Jim is brewing coffee as Pruce enters in a robe. Jim looks at Pruce skeptically.)
Jim:
Coffee?
Pruce:
Please.
Jim:
Spoon?
Pruce:
No, thank you.
Jim:
Sugar?
Pruce:
No, thank you.
Jim:
Milk?
Pruce:
No, thank you.
(Beat.)
Jim:
Cream?
Pruce:
No. Thank you.
(Jim gives Pruce his coffee. Awkward moment. Jake enters with the cat.)
Jake:
Dad. I need five dollars. For lunch.
Jim:
Five dollars. For lunch. I usually only donate four fifty to you.
Jake:
(Petting cat anxiously.)
And that’s all we wrote that eventful evening! I have thought out an ending in outline form, but haven’t written it yet. As soon as I do it will be posted here as Going Tribal B. Something funky happened with the formatting during the Pruce and Jill scene. Oh well. I do own a handy-cam, but we never got around to filming it. Someday we will though.
Someday.
Let it be known that I really enjoy this series! Jeff Parker writes dialogue that has it’s own tone and yet compliments the original stories it is attempting to re-create. The art is spectacular too. Characters and their surroundings are cleanly and clearly drawn, with textured detail one can easily appreciate.
From their first publication in 1963, many of the original X-Men stories can be mind numbing to read. Such as when the X-Men battled The Locust way back in Uncanny X-Men #24. A villain who magnifies grasshoppers to the size of large dogs. He then has the giant grasshoppers munch on crops and magnifies some other bugs as well. A less than exhilarating battle ensues. Yet X-Men First Class Volume 2 takes the original five X-Men (Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Jean Grey) and revives their past as something of the present. This book exists in the modern day and, in a way, rewrites the history of the original team as all the stories take place during their first year as X-Men. Of course, this title is most likely considered to be in an Alternate Universe, like the characters in Ultimate X-Men. Regardless, this book is very well put together.
Now onto the review!
I thought it was cool that Jeff Parker chose to revive the Man-Thing into the pages of an X-Men comic. Man-Thing’s appearance in Uncanny X-Men #144 also featured Cyclops and the villain D’Spayre. Cyclops fights them both and wins. When old characters like Man-Thing reappear in comics it is always a treat, especially after they have been missing for awhile. The Man-Thing’s power causes him to burn people who are afraid of him, but will burn himself if he fears his opponent. That is how Cyclops defeated him back in Uncanny X-Men #144; Cyclops conquered his fear of him. In this issue, the Man-Thing is also forced to mimic the emotions of people around him. If the people close to him are aggressive, Man-Thing will be aggressive. If they are calm, Man-Thing will be calm.
The issue begins when an extra-terrestrial is rocketed into space. This is good news for the X-Men because this extra-terrestrial hindered their powers from working while it was within the atmosphere of the Earth. With the E.T. gone, the X-Men’s powers have returned, but with a price. The X-Men are forced to enter the swamp of the Man-Thing and due to the departure of the E.T., a time nexus has been created there. The time nexus pulls living organisms throughout history into the present. This causes the X-Men to have close encounters with a Nazi sub, a group of spear chucking Valkeries, and a fire breathing sea serpent. They make it out o.k., but Iceman turns up missing. This is where things start to get interesting. When Man-Thing shows up, the X-Men believe him to be responsible for the disappearance of Iceman. A fight ensues and Jean Grey is sucked into another reality, as is Beast. Hank McCoy (Beast) then returns as he has been assimilated with a version of himself from an alternate reality. In this reality, Beasts mutation has gone ‘too far’ and he appears as the furry Beast pre-Secondary Mutation with the ferocity of Sabertooth. . . Got all that? . . . Man-Thing then takes hold of him and reverts Beast back to his human form. Angel, Cyclops, and Beast then begin to search for Jean Grey and Bobby Drake (Iceman). Due to the X-Men calming down and ceasing to fight, Man-Thing mimics their calm emotions and helps to locate Jean and Bobby. Luckily for the X-Men, Man-Thing has the power to find people in alternate realities.
First they encounter Jean. She has been assimilated with an alternate version of herself that has become the final incarnation of the Dark Phoenix Force. Dark Phoenix (Jean Grey) has killed all the mutants on Earth in an act of vengeance. She is shocked when she sees her long dead love, Scott Summers (Cyclops). “They killed you! That’s why they all had to die!”, the Dark Phoenix says to him in compulsive disbelief. Before more can happen, Man-Thing helps Jean Grey, like Beast, to separate from her alternate version self of the Dark Phoenix. She is returned to the correct reality and with the Man-Things help once more, the team finds Iceman. Being a huge Iceman fan myself, the two pages featuring his alternate version were kick ass. Bobby Drake became a gigantic ice monster who referred to himself as the ‘Ice Giant’. He is battling Thor one on one, and Thor calls out to him in battle, “You could have been the most powerful hero rather than a frost giant.” Those are pretty impressive props- Especially coming from the God of Thunder. Before all hell breaks loose, Iceman becomes his own entity once more via Man-Thing, and everyone returns to their normal reality. The X-Men learn that Professor Xavier had telepathically connected himself with Man-Thing in order to aid his students in their adventure. The time nexus then closes up, Man-Thing returns to his swamp, and the X-Men return home to the Mansion. This first eight issue arc ends abruptly, but in a good way; the door is left open for many future possibilities.
As I stated before, I really enjoy X-Men First Class Volume 2 as a series and would recommend it to a well read X-Fan and to anyone who has never read a comic book before in their life. It compliments the original stories in that it uses the first class (heh) of X-Men but gives them a modern trend. Still, elements of the first stories are preserved; Such as how Professor Xavier accompanies the X-Men on their missions via his telepathy. More importantly, this book doesn’t feel like it was rushed during the production process. The flow and pace is exciting and clear which makes it easy to follow. Plus, the Mini Marvels stories written and illustrated by Chris Giarrusso are highly entertaining. In this issue the Mini Marvels story featured Iron Man trying to convince the X-Men to don suits of iron. Hilarious! WithX-Men First Class Volume 2 #8, Marvel Comics has supplied the reader with a comic book to look forward to.
I must say it is refreshing to see the Falcons make some cuts about a week ago. The following players were released: Alge Crumpler, Rod Coleman, Wayne Gandy, Byron Leftwich, Marcus Wilkins, Jamin Elliott and Lewis Sanders. This is an injury prone, past their prime group who’s days of helping this franchise are in the past. And I’m glad to see that no player is safe. As I stated in my previous blog ‘The Blame Game is Full of Mularkey!’, the Falcons need to clean house. The more negative emotion Mike Smith and Arthur Blank can remove from that locker room, the better. I’m sure that many people are a little annoyed to see Coleman and Gandy go, and frustrated to see Crumpler go. If this were a year or two ago, I’d agree with those people. However, these three’s days of glory with this franchise are in the past. Especially Alge Crumpler’s. His total catches dropped dramatically this season, as well as his TD’s, and total yards.
Sorry Alge, but when your biggest game comes at the end of a 4-12 season, you’re past your prime. Also, calling out your new head coach early in the season is a punk move. You were a leader on that team and you turned into a fifteen year old throwing a temper tantrum. Instead of trying to cool the inferno of the offseason, you fanned the flames. Fanned them with a gigantic fan. A fan so big, it would appear in Fan Man’s level of a Megaman game! . . . But I digress.
He also missed about a third of practices this season. He usually didn’t practice until Thursday or Friday due to his injuries, thus missing many drills and not helping any chemistry develop between himself and his new QB’s. I hate to say it because they were electrifying together, but #7 and #83 are a thing of the past. While we can appreciate what Alge and Mike have done for this team on the field as undeniably awesome, it’s time to move on. Clean house. Start anew. Everything is impermanent and due to sick twists of fate, this combination is done.
And I’m o.k. with that. What I’m not o.k. with is that Smith didn’t try to wheel and deal. He could have tried to get something for Crumpler by making a trade (a draft pick would have been nice) instead of just handing him over to the free market. But I can get over that. I’m just glad to see this organization making changes . . . except for the change of making Mike Mularkey offensive coordinator . . . Anyway . . .
. . . Who’s next?
*rubs hands evilly*
Softly she came, knocking me off my path.
A path of intentional carelessness,
Of wanting, thoughts, and mindless open fields.
Looking back only once, I followed her.
Through thick weeds and dense fog, her path was near.
Once found, she beckoned me with her full smile.
Racing ahead with nothing on my back,
I anxiously set foot upon her path!
Joyful, I walked this new way without doubt,
Without fear, without hurtful desires.
Finally clasping hands, our auras shared,
She showed me unconquerable mountains,
Soft snow, happy creatures, and clear bright skies.
A new path, all in her spiritful eyes.
Written on October 22, 2007 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Photo taken on top of Snow King across from the Tetons.
This opinion piece is a touch dated, but I still like it:
Two topics are occupying my mind in regards to my beloved team the Atlanta Falcons.
First- While this may now be considered old news, I still need to bring up that it was very disheartening to have Bobby Petrino leave with three games left in the season. Disheartening, frustrating, confusing, the list of adjectives is endless. There is no doubt that what Petrino did was sleazy and cowardly. No head coach should ever walk out on an owner, team, and organization the way Petrino did. These statements are generally accepted by the Atlanta Falcon fan. However, I must play devils advocate. When players, such as Lawyer Milloy, is quoted as saying “He ruined a year of my life,” and when ‘veterans’ like DeAngleo Hall are seen pleading to an opposing teams coach to come play for them during a game (as he did to Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints), and when ‘leaders’ on the team like Alge Crumpler call out the coach before week six of the season, I see Bobby Petrino as all of the aformentioned adjectives- but also as one more; a scapegoat.
These players need to realize that their season did not end with Bobby Petrino leaving in week 13, it ended back in training camp when Mike Vick was accused of dog fighting. No coach could have had a team overcome what the Falcons organization were faced with this pre-season. Especially a college coach in his rookie season with a franchise. Petrino did not ruin the season for the Falcons, Mike Vick did. I will now address the three players I mentioned above:
Lawyer Milloy- Where do you get off saying that Bobby Petrino ruined a year of your life? You should give your buddy Vick a call. You had a few seasons with the Pats, did nothing for the Bills, and aren’t making noise with the Falcons (except verbal noise). You were past your prime when you joined Atlanta- If I were you, I’d be happy Petrino didn’t cut me.
DeAngelo Hall- Grow up. You aren’t T.O. You aren’t Chad Johnson. You’re a better than average inconsistent corner. Good for you. Now shut up.
Alge Crumpler- You really disappointed me this season. Dunn, Brooking, and you are the glue that holds this team together. Well, you were anyway. The first two kept their mouths shut and played the game. Alge, you had to blow your mouth off about Petrino early in the season. This did nothing to help anyone in the locker room and on the coaching staff. You only added more fuel to an already blazing inferno. You should be ashamed of yourself. You had an opportunity to lead at your doorstep and you chose to act like mouthy teenager. Where do you get off questioning Petrino’s offensive coaching abilities when you missed most practices during the season (therefore missing drills and not developing a rhythm with your QB) and had a career high season of dropped balls. Look in the mirror big guy- You didn’t help your team in any aspect this season be it on or off the field. You’re past your prime too. Go somewhere else and give the Falcons a second round draft pick.
Again, I am not defending Petrino, but it seems some Falcons players need to see the bigger picture as to why this year was a waste for Falcons Nation. And look at where Petrino was sitting- He didn’t sign up for what he got. He joined the Falcons to coach Mike Vick. That prospect was slammed in his face months into his job and a few weeks before week 1. Thanks Mike. He didn’t sign up to be verbally assaulted week in and week out by his players. If you were working a job where your co-workers showed you no respect in a company that is in shambles, you’d probably leave too.
Bottom line: Everyone can play the blame game, but the winner this year is Mike Vick.
And now onto my second point; What is Mike Smith thinking hiring Mike Mularkey as the new offensive coordinator? Has he done any research on this guy? That is a rhetorical question because it’s obvious he hasn’t. I am from Buffalo and am a Bills season ticket holder. I went to all 16 Bills home games that Mularkey coached for the Bills in 2004 and in 2005 and they were all dreadful. He made horrible coaching decisions, ruined our prospect rookie quarterback by not giving him consistent coaching (watch out Atlanta!), made head scratching calls (running on 3rd and 7), made hair pulling ‘trick’ plays, and is just an overall moron and media dud.Oh yeah, he also spent the last two seasons with the Dolphins as the offensive coordinator and the tight ends coach. Let me rephrase that: TWO SEASONS WITH THE 1-15 MIAMI DOLPHINS. . . And now he is a Falcon. I’m sure Crumpler is going to love him! And did you notice how on atlantafalcons.com in the picture they have of Mularkey for the article announcing his position, he is wearing his Bills gear? That picture is over two years old. . . It’s obvious the Falcons organization doesn’t want anyone who is only slightly educated in football to associate him with the Dolphins. Educated Falcons fans should write Mr. Blank a letter thanking them for what he has done for the team, but also to inform him to do some research and realize that Mularkey is in no way going to aid this organization. He came from Miami. The 1-15 Dolphins.
In conclusion, I was hoping that the Falcons would pick up some decent leadership this off-season- Smith I’m not sold on yet and Mularkey makes me want to scream till my throat bleeds. Already this is headed in a cloudy direction. Also, I would like Mr. Blank to clean house with their loud mouthed, unproductive, inconsistent, championshipless veterans in exchange for some young talent out of the draft. . . But I’m just a fan.
What do I know.
