Den54
Punk Exterminator
MaxPower said:Just to weigh in (5'11" 195..."ding"):
I'm sure we can relate to both sides of the issue, & for anyone who's gone through tough times because of others' irresponsibility, but we sure are making a lot of assumptions about Ricky. It sounds like he had levels in his system that would indicate 2nd hand smoke..meaning he went clubbing or was hanging out with some NBA guys ( )
It doesn't sound like he's endorsing anything as a way of life - sure we might get that impression based on media reports, but it's far from enough reason to call him "immature" or even question his devotion to team sports...
Any substance can be used or misused and cause great harm to innocent bystanders through such irresponsibility, but is not the fault of the substance itself. Sure the drug can facillitate the moment of destruction, but so does sitting behind a desk at McDonnell-Douglass (ahem, weapons manufacturers)
And (IMHO here) drug use does not equate with immaturity. It might bely a lack of willpower or need to find other ways to cope, but saying it's immature is simplistic. I think most appeal in mind-altering drugs comes in the perspective-altering shift that results from the high - granted, addiction can be close after & that is dangerous...but it can be argued that this change in perspective leads to a greater maturity, even if it comes initially through weakness...
From all other accounts Ricky seems like a quality guy that's nice, respectful, spiritual, and considerate of others. I'm not going to bail on him over this. And it's not like (ok here's where I distract from my commentary by taking a shot) he intentionally misled a powerful nation into razing a small 4th world country all the while professing a deep belief in Christianity...
And there are a lot of tightly-wound people out there that could use a lttle second-hand smoke...(see above)
Thank You for such an open minded response. Hopefully it will knock a few so called fans (who are foaming at the mouth to lynch Ricky) off their soapboxes.