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| October 27, 2006 Editor’s Desk by Aaron Selbig, insurgent49 [Editor's
note: I know I had promised an editorial this week about the Military
Comissions Act of 2006, but events transpired this week to change my
course. Read on. ]
 It’s been a victorious week here at Insurgent Headquarters.Last Sunday, on a muddy field in Eagle River, my ten year-old son’s football team, the Anchorage Eagles, won the 2006 Alaska State Championship. When the final whistle blew with the scoreboard reading Eagles 26 – Jaguars 6, I cried tears of joy. To see your child achieve something that they have worked so hard for, have sacrificed for … there is no feeling like it in the world. It’s a feeling that I am certain is universal for all parents, and it was evidenced on Sunday by a sideline full of relatives and friends of the Eagles players, who were united in pure emotion. Our kids’ team was the team that nobody gave much of a chance. Theirs was a real-life David and Goliath story. They’d had a good season, to be sure, finishing with a 6-2 record and ranked third in the league, but the two teams they faced in the playoffs had beaten them badly earlier in the season. They started out with a vengeful dismantling of the Panthers the first week of the playoffs, but then came the championship game against the Jaguars. The Jaguars were big, fast and well-coached. They were also undefeated. The Jaguars’ parents waved signs from the sidelines and wore matching jackets (there’s nothing more intimidating in PeeWee football than matching jackets). They even had cheerleaders. At halftime, the Eagles led 7-6. My wife and I, already hoarse from screaming “Go Eagles!” and “Defense!” for an hour, nervously discussed what the post-game plan was. We were either going to have an ecstatic or crestfallen little boy on our hands. In the second half, the Eagles scored on their first possession. Then they scored again. And again. By midway through the fourth quarter, it dawned on all of us: all of the running around to practices and games, all of the expense of pads and uniforms, all of the sacrificing of weekends to football … it had all paid off. STATE CHAMPS!!! We rushed the field. We hugged our kids. We hugged the coaches. We whooped and yelled as much as we could after two hours of shouting encouragement from the sidelines. For the team, it was a day that they will remember for the rest of their lives. For the parents, it was heart-swelling pride at watching our children show us the dedication, passion and teamwork that we hope will carry into their adult lives. For me personally, it was also a reminder of what is truly important. And I don’t mean football. The desire to see your children achieve their goals, to realize the rewards of their hard work, is truly universal. It’s a feeling that knows no geography, religion or political stripe. We all want our kids to have the tools necessary to succeed and the strength to see their goals all the way through. Whether it’s on a football field in Alaska, a soccer pitch in Iraq, or a classroom in Africa, all parents everywhere want their children to know the realization of their dreams. As human beings, it’s a desire that binds us and should serve to remind us that we have more in common than we have differences. Something worth remembering. GO EAGLES! Aaron Selbig is an activist and media junkie who resides in an undisclosed location in downtown Anchorage. He is the winner of a 2006 Alaska Press Club award for Best Editorial Writing, host of KUDO 1080 AM's 'The Aaron Selbig Show' and a co-founder of Insurgent49. Aaron may be contacted at editor@insurgent49.com |
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October 13, 2006 October 6, 2006 September 29, 2006 September 22, 2006 September 15, 2006 September 8, 2006 September 1, 2006 August 25, 2006 August 18, 2006 August 11, 2006 August 4, 2006 July 28, 2006 July 21, 2006 July 14, 2006 June 30, 2006 June 23, 2006 June 16, 2006 June 9, 2006 June 2, 2006 May 26, 2006 May 12, 2006 May 5, 2006 April 28, 2006 April 21, 2006 April 14, 2006 April 7, 2006 March 31, 2006 March 24, 2006 March 17, 2006 March 3, 2006 February 24, 2006 February 17, 2006 February 10, 2006 February 3, 2006 January 27, 2006 January 20, 2006 January 13, 2006 January 6, 2006 December 30, 2005 December 23, 2005 December 16, 2005 December 10, 2005 December 2, 2005 November 25, 2005 November 18, 2005 November 11, 2005 November 4, 2005 October 28, 2005 October 21, 2005 October 14, 2005 October 7, 2005 September 30, 2005 September 23, 2005 September 16, 2005 September 9, 2005 September 2, 2005 August 26, 2005 August 19, 2005 August 12, 2005 August 5, 2005 July 29, 2005 July 22, 2005 July 15, 2005 July 8, 2005 July 1, 2005 June 24, 2005 June 17, 2005 June 10, 2005 June 3, 2005 May 27, 2005 May 20, 2005 May 13, 2005 May 6, 2005 April 28, 2005 April 21, 2005 April 14, 2005 April 7, 2005 April 1, 2005 |
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All rights reserved. in-sur-gent (in sur'jent), n. 1. a member of a group which revolts against the policies of its leadership. |
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