Sometimes it's better not to say anything
By Staff
Scot Beard
One of the things I have learned in my 29 years on this planet is that those old "School House Rock" cartoons were very insightful.
The one I have noticed having the most significance lately is the "Three is a magic number" episode.
There really is something about the number three that is almost magical.
Have you noticed celebrity deaths occur in groups of three?
In the last couple of months Ed McMahon, Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett all died within three days of each other. Less than a week later, a death cycle of seven days killed pitchman Billy Mays, actor Karl Malden and former NFL quarterback Steve McNair.
Look back through history, there have been several instances where a trio of deaths occurred.
In 1970 Janice Joplin, Jimmy Hendrix and Jim Morrison all died within weeks of each other. In 1997 Princess Diana, Mother Theresa and Gianni Versace all died within a two-month span.
Now it seems a new fad of threes is emerging. I call it the open-mouth-insert-foot trifecta.
People falling victim to this phenomenon are President Barack Obama, University of Hawaii football coach Greg McMackin and actor Ryan O'Neal.
Obama joined the club when he rushed to judgment after a Cambridge, Mass. policeman arrested a Harvard professor. Obama is friends with Henry Gates Jr. – the man arrested.
According to the police, they were responding to a robbery call at Gates' home. The police report said Gates was not being cooperative, so James Crowley arrested him for disorderly conduct.
Obama said the police acted "stupidly" in the way they handled the case, implying racial profiling was central to the case.
By the way, Crowley has taught a course about preventing racial profiling for years.
Welcome to the club Obama.
The second member to join the trio was McMackin. During the Western Athletic Conference Media Days, McMackin described Notre Dame's dance at last year's Hawaii Bowl with a homosexual slur.
There was quite a bit of outrage and McMackin has bee reprimanded by both the school and the conference.
The final member of the group is O'Neal, who admitted during the funeral for Fawcett – his long-time companion – he flirted with his daughter.
He said he did not recognize his daughter because of how strained their relationship has been for many years.
That may be true, but it brings two questions to mind. Why is he flirting with a woman at his girlfriend's funeral? Why would he tell anybody he was flirting with his daughter?
Two of the members of this club were simply stating their opinions, while another was being stupid.
All of them spoke without thinking.
It never hurts to stop and think about what you are saying before you run your mouth.
Be careful, once you become a member of the open-mouth-insert-foot trifecta, you can never get out.
