20 things that make me go "Hmm...."

As I go through life, there are things that I encounter that make me stop and think, "Hmm, why is that?" I often vacillate between many different thoughts on a single issue and like to talk about them to people who are willing to have open, non-judgmental conversations.  I'm curious if there are any things that make you stop and go "Hmm."  Let me know.

1. All the anti-Trump Republican supporters will fall in line with Trump and all the anti-Hillary Democrat supporters will fall in line with Hillary in November.  Hmm...

2. You "claim" to be all about "free-speech" and your "freedom of expression", but the second someone posts something that opposes your way of thinking, derogatory labels are flung everywhere.  Hmm...

3. If living in America is so bad, why do 100,000's of people risk their very lives to live here? Hmm...

4. If the U.S. Government can put me in jail for not paying my taxes or for spending money that I will never have, why can't we tell them they need to work under the same parameters? Hmm...

5. If the U.S. Military is so despised around the world, why don't we contract it, bring our troops closer to home, and focus those monies our our deteriorating infrastructure? Hmm...

6. Under our current structure, what is the incentive for someone to ween themselves off of government entitlements?  Hmm..

7. Regardless of one's moral base, religious beliefs, or political stance, should we really be policing what consenting adults do in their own homes?  Hmm...

8. When we have Fox News (Red), MSNBC (Blue), CNN (Blue), Networks (Blue), why can't there be one truly "objective" news source for people to watch? Hmm...

9.  Do we really need political commentary showcased during our sports programming?  Aren't we are already inundated with it enough OUTSIDE of our sports.  Hmm...

10. Does a football player, under the immense, "white hot" glare of the media today, have the right to sue a football league for "damages" occurred by playing the game? Hmm...

11. Have we as a society completely fused the terms "celebrity" and "greatness" to mean the same thing?  Hmm...

12. Do you think the country would be better off if A) Congress got 12 year term limits, B) A President gets one 5-year term, and C) They all (Congress and President) lose their jobs the following year if they do not pass a balanced budget?  Hmm...

13. Shouldn't we really be thinking about desalination plants on the west coast to deal with potential water resource issues, instead of worrying about NIMBY?  Hmm...

14. Shouldn't a politician be forced to resign their position if they are running for another office, other than the one they currently occupy?  Hmm...

15. Why does a screen writer feel the need to change major points of a beloved novel?  They purchased the rights of the novel because the story was already good.  Hmm...

16. Is today's music really as wretched as I "think" it is, or am I just becoming an "old geezer?"  Hmm...

17. Should the tax code be revamped in a way that the average voter could understand it, thus making it easier to be sure "everyone (individual and company alike) is paying 'their fair share'?"  Hmm...

18. Shouldn't owners of sports teams be required to pay for at least 50% of all stadium construction AND share the same split with the local municipality the revenues earned from concessions during those events?  If a team wants it all, they can have it, but they will need to pay for the entire construction cost.  Hmm...

19. If everyone recognizes the value of both physical movement and music, why are they becoming more and more scarce in our schools?  Hmm...

20. Whether you're an atheist, Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, or whatever, would it really hurt for us to follow Jesus' command to "Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another"?  Hmm...

What says you?

Wait a minute here....

The punch!  We've all seen it a hundred times or more since it happened a few days ago.  Rougned Odor absolutely clocked Jose Bautista in what is usually a faux brawl where a player feels "disrespected" by another and they start yelling and cursing at one another until the Calvary arrives "to save the day."  On the surface, no big deal.  Nobody was seriously hurt.  Odor looks "big and bad" because he sucker punched Bautista (yes, it was a suck punch because those confrontations NEVER involve actual punches) and Bautista gets kudos because he has proven a better chin than most boxers and MMA fighters out there.  He took the punch "heard round the world" and was still standing afterwards.

Not the point though.  I personally am NOT happy with the coverage of this punch.  All the accolades that have been given, by players, fans, and media is frankly bothersome to me.  Let me play out a couple of "What If" scenarios here:

1. What if Bautista was truly knocked out (a real possibility with a punch thrown like that) and possibly fractured his skull?  How would the media and players have received this then?  Please keep in mind, this ALL stems from a ridiculous retaliation from a bat flip.  Yes, a stupid bat flip at the end of an emotional playoff game.  How would you all feel then?  Now some of my "tough guy" peeps out there will be like: "I wouldn't feel any different.  Just desserts, blah, blah, blah."  Yup, until it is either A) your player or B) YOU!!!!

2. What if this would have been two NBA players?  What would the narrative have been then?  Is there ANYONE out there that believes the narrative would have been the same?  Stop kidding yourself!!!!  Baseball has long gotten away with things that other sports, in particular, the NBA would NEVER get away with, and frankly, that needs to stop.

Odor needs to be suspended severely, hopefully, sending a message that this type of boorish behavior is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.

What says you?