Role Models

In an Aug. 22 article of the "inexplicable" shooting of 14 people in Edmond, Okla., by a "disgruntled colleague," the Rev. Dale Carter is quoted as wondering whether there is something "wrong" with their community. Really, people who use violence and kill others in order to solve problems are following the role models and leadership of our society. After all, a "disgruntled" President Reagan recommends using violence and killing when he backs the contras in Nicaragua. He used these methods in Grenada.

In the face of it nothing sounds more reasonable than the request - increasingly sounded by students across the academic spectrum - that they be taught by those who will be especially sympathetic to their minority status, and who might thus act as positive role models. While I'm also concerned about the shoddy use of language such as "role modeling" and "empowerment," what gives me the willies are the implications of such demands. Increasingly, students and faculties alike are prone to take the short view.

Concerning Michelle Malkin's 11/17/03 OP/ED piece, entitled "Just Another Dumb-Blonde Joke," about Jessica Simpson and other Hollywood "dummies" as poor role models for our children. Aren't conservatives cute when they're self-righteous? I'll be the first to admit that I have never watched Jessica Simpson's show, nor do I plan to, and all I know about it is what I have read in the paper. But as I read Ms. Malkin's "fair and balanced" rant, I thought of some other Hollywood "dummies" that she neglected to mention . . . perhaps intentionally.

So this is what it's like to be a soccer mom. Hold the minivan. Forget about the pollsters. Never mind the demographic cliches. It's about taking pride in the sheer, sweaty, muscular joy of the go-for-broke winners. It's about taking pleasure in the faces of girls in the stands, faces painted red, white and blue, instead of blush-on pink and mascara black. On Saturday, some 90,000 fans filled the Rose Bowl in the glaring afternoon sun to watch 20 women pass and kick their way up and down a scoreless field.

Miles Mack was gunned down at a basketball tournament that he'd founded to save and serve a community he once referred to as "my people. " In that quick and brutal act, a city starved for role models lost one of its best. And a good man who had stepped up to make a difference was apparently victimized by the same tough guys and "hard-headed" kids he had worked all his life to help. "He was on the front lines," said Rick Young, a friend and the chief executive officer of the Mantua Community Improvement Committee.

Having served their time, convicted drug dealers Daniel Mangini and Steven Roberts, a couple for more than 20 years, were eager to resume their life together. Both had survived a hellish descent into methamphetamine addiction, and had emerged from prison clean and sober. Both were ready to serve their five-year parole, with mandatory weekly drug-testing and counseling. Any dreams of a reunion for the Montgomery County men quickly dissolved, however, when they learned they could not have any contact.

Last October Marie Skertic became a big sister. There were no births or adoptions in her family - she joined Burlington County's Family Companion Program and met Rose, an unwed mother she now visits once a week. "If I have to get something off my chest, she's there to listen," said Rose, who wants to be a veterinarian's assistant. The former Mount Laurel resident thinks of 29-year-old Skertic as her "big sister. " Eighteen volunteers, all of them women, do for the 17 Burlington County families they work with what big sisters, aunts or even mothers often do. The service is part of the Family Companion Program sponsored by the Mental Health Association in New Jersey.

Kudos to the Knight Foundation for becoming a partner in the Open Society Foundation's Campaign for Black Male Achievement. BME (pronounced "Be Me") wants to dispel negative stereotypes by recognizing black men and boys who are trying to improve their communities. "We want to shine a light on the brothers who help others achieve, who involve neighbors, friends, and strangers in things that uplift the community," said Trabian Shorters, a Knight Foundation vice president. The Open Society said the campaign responds to a growing body of research that shows black males lead increasingly threatened lives.

THE ODDEST STORY in sports this past year went from the football field to an Easter Sunday pulpit. Tim Tebow, newly minted New York Jets backup quarterback and previously anointed savior of anything he touches, attracted 15,000 people to an outdoor church service in Georgetown, Texas. "In Christianity, it's the Pope and Tebow right now," pastor Joe Champion said in an Associated Press report. "We didn't have enough room to handle the Pope. " Tebow is deeply religious and doesn't hide it. Quite the opposite.

Serena Williams capped a week of powerful performances with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Lucie Safarova to win the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, S.C., on Sunday. It was Williams' 40th WTA title and first on clay in four years since capturing this championship in 2008. With her 40th title, Williams moved one away from Kim Clijsters among active players on the career list. Venus Williams leads with 43 titles. NFL: New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow drew a crowd of about 15,000 to an outdoor Easter church service in Georgetown, Texas, telling the gathering it's important to be outspoken about faith and admonishing professional athletes about not being better role models.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - He hears the voices now. Maybe they were there before, maybe not. Jimmy Rollins isn't quite sure. He knows only that when he walks down the foul line that leads from the Phillies' spring training clubhouse to the dugout at Bright House Field, the hushed voices of fathers speaking to their sons breaks through, finds his ears. "There goes Jimmy Rollins," he hears them say. "You watch him. " He is 33 now, with a contract that should keep him a Phillie until he is 36. He has been with this team, his only team, since he played a few games when he was 21. We have seen him go from much hair to no hair.

One of the more interesting story lines when the Phillies arrive in spring training next month should be the interaction between Carlos Ruiz and Sebastian Valle. Ruiz, of course, is the Phillies' current catcher, a respected veteran who made an unlikely rise through the minor leagues after leaving Panama and signing with the Phillies for $8,000 in 1998. Valle, 21, is trying to take a similar path to the big leagues. The Mexico native signed with the Phillies for $30,000 in 2006 and has emerged as the organization's best catching prospect, thanks in part to the trade that sent Travis d'Arnaud, among others, to Toronto for Roy Halladay.

EVERY DAY I hear more and more talk about the problems of Philadelphia's inner-city youth, from the summer's "flash mobs" to serious crimes. It seems as if, increasingly, the most common focus of negative media coverage and criticism when it comes to Philly's problems is our youth. Let it be known, I use the word "youth" loosely as a term to encompass anyone under the age of 30 who hasn't necessarily reached full maturity. Now, don't get me wrong - some of this criticism is well-deserved because, quite frankly, many our youth exhibit horrendous behavior.

PHOENIX - When 76ers coach Doug Collins took over as coach of the Detroit Pistons, he had a pretty good idea of what he was getting with second-year forward Grant Hill . Collins' son, Chris, was a teammate of Hill's at Duke, and Collins spent much of his time watching Hill play the point for the Blue Devils. Hill, the No. 3 overall pick in 1994, had been named the rookie of the year - the first Piston to receive that honor since Isiah Thomas won it for the 1981-82 season - and Collins, aware of his versatility, played Hill extensively at the point.

Q: I'm often conflicted as a sports fan. I want to root for my team - or certain players - who are clearly not model citizens. In other words, should I feel bad rooting for a team that has a bunch of players (or a coach) who I think is a jerk? - Conflicted in Cherry Hill   A: Dude, I caught a lot of heat in my playing days when I came out and said, "I am not a role model for your kids. " The point then and the point now is athletes aren't out there to be role models - or model citizens.

IN INTERVIEWING protesters of Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Philadelphia and, yes, Occupy Doylestown, I've been struck not only by the inability of the protesters to state what they want done, but also by the conspiracy theories that they lapse into to explain their problems in a tough economy. While Woodstock united young people who were rallying against America's involvement in the Vietnam War, the Occupy demonstrators seem to be against everything. Their complaints about the Wall Street bailouts are shared by a lot of my listeners, but the younger people have gone from protesting Wall Street to an assault on capitalism and corporations.

Kudos to the Knight Foundation for becoming a partner in the Open Society Foundation's Campaign for Black Male Achievement. BME (pronounced "Be Me") wants to dispel negative stereotypes by recognizing black men and boys who are trying to improve their communities. "We want to shine a light on the brothers who help others achieve, who involve neighbors, friends, and strangers in things that uplift the community," said Trabian Shorters, a Knight Foundation vice president. The Open Society said the campaign responds to a growing body of research that shows black males lead increasingly threatened lives.

Like it or not, Philadelphia school security officers are role models for the students who see them every day in the public schools. So, a new dress and grooming code that bans goatees and soul patches - facial hair just below the lower lip and above the chin - offers reasonable guidelines for professionalism. Some officers are questioning how the new code will have any impact on reducing violence in the schools, and their union has filed a grievance. But considering the likelihood of layoffs as the School District reduces its deficit, the security officers should be more willing to embrace change.