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OPINION
THE MESA TRIBUNE | SEPTEMBER 18, 2022
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Sarver’s conduct leaves us, team with a question
BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ
Tribune Columnist
After a year-long investigation, the NBA’s allegedly independent investigation into the conduct of Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver was condensed to a tidy 43 pages. It’s a breezy read I can further synopsize into two sentences.
Sarver, per the investigators, is not a racist or a hater of women. He’s merely a tyrant – a terrible boss and a miserable human. Among Sarver’s faults: He “said the Nword at least five times in repeating or purporting to repeat what a Black person said.” Then there’s “unequal treatment of female employees,” indulging in “sex-related statements and conduct” and committing “harsh treatment of employees that on occasion constituted bullying.” For 18 years of such tyranny, the league banned Sarver from running the Suns for one year and fined him $10 million, the maximum allowable under NBA bylaws.
Within a day, players and pundits weighed in, with virtual unanimity that Sarver deserved far worse, like the forced sale of the team levied against Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling in 2014. “I was and am horrified and disappointed by what I read,” tweeted Suns star Chris Paul. “This conduct especially towards women is unacceptable and must never be repeated. … I am of the view that the sanctions fell short in truly addressing what we can all agree was atrocious behavior.”
Lebron James, the most powerful player on the planet, seconded Paul’s disgust, tweeting “our league definitely got this wrong.” James went on: “I said it before and I’m gonna say it again, there is no place in this league for that kind of behavior. I love this league and I deeply respect our leadership. But this isn’t right. There is no place for misogyny, sexism, and racism in any work place.”
As a close observer of Suns hoops for the past quarter century, I was long ago pushed to dislike the team by Sarver’s sour demeanor, horrific roster moves, and sideline narcissism.
Still, it was hard not to pull for this iteration of the Suns squad, led – ironically, given the accusations of racism – by two incredibly talented African American executives, head coach Monty Williams and general manager James Jones.
For two years running, this team has played beautiful basketball. They are unselfish, united, collaborative, and a group that holds one another accountable. In other words, the team on the floor has been everything their owner is not off it.
This leaves every Suns fan with a choice to make, a decision I find most curious at a moment when every aspect of life, from dining at Chick-fil-A to grabbing java at Starbucks, has become a time for choosing. How do you reckon with Robert Sarver, his conduct and his team? Do you continue to give the Suns your passion, your sweat and blood, your cash? Or do you hop off the Suns bandwagon and refuse to enable and enrich its ownership? Me, I long ago made the decision not to put another thin dime in Sarver’s pocket, walking away from season tickets rather than supporting the man’s reign of error. I certainly respect your right to choose otherwise. I even understand it to a degree. Bleeding orange and purple is tough to get over, and quitting Sarver also means quitting solid human beings like Williams and Devin Booker. It’s hard to blame an employee for the conduct of a business owner. It also makes you wonder how long players like Paul and Booker will want to toil in Sarver’s employ, and whether they will remain “all in” to pursue the Suns’ elusive first championship
All of us have worked for a tyrant at some point. Ask yourself, did you really give it everything you had when push came to shove? Yeah, me neither.
Nation sleeps amid disturbing signs of change
BY JD HAYWORTH Tribune Columnist
The “Children of 9/11”—infants who literally entered this world on Sept. 11, 2001—reached the age of “legal majority” this year. As they turned 21 on the most disturbing date in American history, those young adults and the rest of us were reminded to take note of the threatening changes underway to profoundly alter our political process and way of life.
The revisions at hand are truly revolutionary, especially the manipulation of our legal system to criminalize political differences. Yet they are greeted with a collective yawn and deliberate disinterest from a politicized press corps. Instead, the Fourth Estate seems intent on playing up a phantom fifth column in an effort to aid the Biden Administration’s ominous objectives. How else to explain the outrageous content and conduct from former Democrat political operative Chuck Todd and Vice President Kamala Harris on the Sept. 11 telecast of NBC’s “Meet the Press”?
Ol’ Chuck seldom disappoints powerful Democrats, and sure enough, after the obligatory mention of the 9/11 anniversary, Todd teed up the administration’s theme: “We are now as a nation fighting a threat from within. Is the threat equal or greater than we faced on 9/11?”
Note that the NBC moderator employed no modifier when introducing a dubious assertion as settled fact. Nope, for Chuck Todd and the “news organization” where he is gainfully employed, controversial partisan talking points are presented as the truth and nothing but.
To her credit, Kamala suppressed her customarily reflexive cackle, but that was probably due to prearranged “message management” rather than mere coincidence.
Right on cue, she responded that “there’s an oath we always take, which is to defend and uphold our Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic.” While Harris at least mentioned the Constitution, she and her senior partner in the executive branch seem intent on pursuing the illogical and dangerous notion that they can best preserve our founding document by destroying it.
The Commander-in-Chief said as much 10 days earlier in Philadelphia, snarling that “Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism at threatens the very foundations of our Republic.”
Make no mistake: Joe Biden wasn’t spouting a boilerplate political script; he was priming the rhetorical pump for the actions that followed. Suburban housewife Lisa Gallagher is no “MAGA mastermind.” She is simply an American citizen who supported the 2020 Trump Campaign with posts on social media, a banner in her yard, and, presumably, her vote on Election Day. On Sept. 2, three armed FBI agents arrived at her front door. Gallagher later recounted her experience for Fox News: “I was crying, my knees were shaking. And even though I knew I’d done noth-
Parents can monitor their teens’ social media
BY MICHAEL KLINKNER
AFN Guest Writer
Parents across the country struggle with whether or not they should monitor their child’s social media
accounts. Questions I often hear from parents are things like: “Is it fair to read through my child’s private accounts?” “Should I say something about what they post?” “How often do I need to check my child’s social media?” As a counselor who specializes in teen mental health issues like anxiety and depression, I encourage parents to keep tabs on their child’s phone and social media accounts. While I understand there are some privacy issues, for me the positives greatly outweigh the negatives. Our children are easily influenced. I worry about predators, online games trying to get them to upgrade and unintentionally spend money and also pornography websites doing everything they can to bait children into seeing things their brains aren’t ready to process. Here are four practical things you can do to better monitor your child’s social media:
Friend your kids. One of the biggest things to do when your child creates a new social media account is to “friend” them. You won’t be able to see any private messages, but you will be able to see what they are posting and what their friends are sending to them.
When you friend your child, it gives you a brief look into the lives they live while they are away from you.
Link their accounts to yours. Linking accounts means you will have access to the same information as your child. It also provides an easy way to start having hard conversations, if needed.
There are a lot of free apps that can track things like key-strokes and the minutes your child spends on specific apps, too. They can even shut the phone down if needed. Do a little research and determine what works best for your family.
Keep lines of communication open. Monitoring your child’s social media is not just about what they posted online, but who is contacting them and what they are saying to – and about - your kid.
Your child, their friends and even strangers are going to post questionable things online. In these circumstances, don’t brush it under the rug. Have your child tell you what they thought about the post. Ask what they would do differently. Talk about the worst things they have seen online.
Monitor your child’s history. Take time to look at your child’s web browser and each of their social media accounts. It doesn’t have to be a nightly check, unless your child has done things on the internet that are dangerous, but make a habit of checking where they have been on the world wide web.
Monitoring your child’s social media use is a daunting task at first, but the peace of mind you will gain is worth the effort. Being an involved parent is not an easy task so give yourself grace and trust your gut.
Michael Klinkner is a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy and neurolinguistic programming and is part of Evolve Counseling and Behavioral Health Services in Central Phoenix and Gilbert. Information: evolvecounselingaz.com/ or info@evolvecounsel-
ingAZ.com.
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HAYWORTH from page 30
ing wrong, after Joe Biden’s speech the night before, I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is political.’”
Lending credence to Lisa’s instinctive assessment was the false accusation that prompted the arrival of federal law enforcement officers. The agents told Lisa the FBI had received an anonymous tip that she was at The Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. She wasn’t.
But even if she had been on the Capitol grounds that day, she was well within her constitutional rights. The First Amendment affirms our basic right to freedom of speech and assembly. Yet the fear felt by this everyday American prompted her to show the agents her phone and her personal calendar to “prove” she was nowhere near Washington. Six days later, 35 FBI raids were conducted, aimed at senior MAGA officials.
Five days after that, the feds surrounded successful “My Pillow” entrepreneur and outspoken Trump defender Mike Lindell in the takeout lane of a fast food restaurant, taking away his phone.
Of course, all of this was preceded in August by the unprecedented raid on the home of the 45th President. Don’t be deceived. This isn’t about wrongdoing. It’s about “wrong thinking…” and ultimately, about “wrong voting…” at least in the eyes of the Biden Bunch. The rest of us, including the “Children of 9/11,” can take a cue from today’s infants. Even though “Freedom from Fear” has disappeared, we can all sleep like babies.
We can wake up every two hours and cry.
Or more likely, we’ll sleep with one eye open.
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AZ residents scramble to get State Silver Bank Rolls
ARIZONA - Once Arizona residents got wind that Arizona State Bank Rolls filled with Silver Walking Liberties dating back to the early 1900’s were being handed over, there was a mad dash to get them. That’s because they are the only Bank Rolls known to exist with the exclusive State Restricted Design.
“The phones will be ringing off the hook. That’s because everyone will be trying to get them while they still can,” according to officials at the National Mint and Treasury who say they can barely keep up with all the orders.
In fact, they had to impose a strict limit of 4 Arizona State Bank Rolls. So, if you get the chance to get your hands on these State Bank Rolls you better hurry because hundreds of Arizona residents already have and you don’t want to miss out.
You see, the U.S. Gov’t stopped minting these Silver Walking Liberty Half Dollars in 1947 and there can never be any more which moves them into the collectible coin status.
And here’s the best part. The rolls are unsearched so there’s no telling how much they could be worth in collector value.
That’s why the state minimum set by National Mint and Treasury of just $39 per Silver Walking Liberty, which is just $585 for the full Bank Roll is a deal too good to pass up.
But you better hurry because these Arizona State Bank Rolls themselves have been marked State Restricted by price which means the state minimum set by National Mint and Treasury is restricted to Arizona residents and non-state residents must pay full price if any remain.
That’s because they make amazing gifts for children, grandchildren and loved ones. Just imagine the look on their face when you hand them one of the State Bank Rolls — they’ll tell everyone they know what you did for them.
■ GOT ‘EM: These are the only Walking Liberty Bank Rolls known to exist with the exclusive State Restricted Design. Each Bank Roll is loaded with U.S. Gov’t issued Silver Walking Liberty Half Dollars some dating back to the early 1900’s so everyone who wants them better hurry. Only State Restricted Silver Walking Liberty Bank Rolls go to Arizona residents
Arizona residents get first dibs on Sealed Bank Rolls loaded with U.S. Gov’t issued Silver Walking Liberties dating back to the early 1900’s some worth up to 100 times their face value starting at 7:30 am today
ARIZONA - “Arizona residents get first dibs. That’s why Hotline Operators are bracing for the flood of calls,” said Laura Lynne, U.S. Coin and Currency Director for the National Mint and Treasury.
Beginning at precisely 7:30 am this morning State of Arizona Sealed Bank Rolls loaded with rarely seen U.S. Gov’t issued Silver Walking Liberty Half Dollars are actually being handed over to Arizona residents who call the State Toll-Free Hotlines listed in today’s newspaper publication.
“National Mint and Treasury recently spoke with its Chief Professional Numismatist who said ‘Very few people have ever actually saw one of these rarely seen Silver Walking Liberty Half Dollars issued by the U.S. Gov’t back in the early 1900’s. But to actually find them sealed away in State Bank Rolls is like finding buried treasure. So anyone lucky enough to get their hands on these Bank Rolls had better hold on to them,’” Lynne said.
“But here’s the good news. The Bank Rolls themselves have been marked State Restricted by price which means the state minimum set by National Mint and Treasury is restricted to Arizona residents only and non-state residents must pay full price if any Bank Rolls remain,” Lynne confirmed
This is important to note. “These are the only Arizona State Silver Walking Liberty Bank Rolls known to exist. You can’t get them at banks or credit unions or the Government since they do not produce State Silver Walking Liberty Bank Rolls. In fact, you can only get them bearing the exclusive State Restricted Design and rolled this way directly from National Mint and Treasury,” Lynne explained.
“Now that the State of Arizona Sealed Bank Rolls are being offered up we won’t be surprised if thousands of Arizona residents claim the maximum limit allowed of 4 Bank Rolls per resident while they still can,” said Lynne.
“That’s because after the Bank Rolls were loaded with 15 U.S. Gov’t issued Silver Walking Liberties, each verified to meet a minimum collector grade of very good or above, the dates and mint marks of the Silver Walking Liberty Half Dollars found inside the Bank Rolls have never been searched. But, we do know that some of these coins date clear back to the early 1900’s and are 90% pure silver so Arizona residents who get their hands on them will be glad they did,” Lynne went on to say.
And here’s the best part. If you are a resident of the state of Arizona you cover only the $39 per coin state minimum set by the National Mint and Treasury, that’s 15 U.S. Gov’t issued Silver Walking Liberty Half Dollars worth up to 100 times their face value for just $585 which is a real steal because state residents who miss the deadline and non state residents must pay $118 per coin which totals $1,770 if any coins remain after the 2-day deadline.
“U.S. Gov’t issued coins like these are 90% pure silver and a favorite of dealers, collectors and the like,” Lynne said.
“We know the phones will be ringing off the hook. So the only thing readers need to do is make sure they are a resident of the state of Arizona and call the State Toll-Free Hotlines printed in today’s publication,” Lynne said. ■
SILVER: One of the last Silver coins minted for circulation
LAST MINTED: in Philadelphia, Denver & San Francisco
ENLARGED: Year varies 1916-1947 STATE MINIMUM: Of just $39 per coin set by National Mint and Treasury
RARELY SEEN: Minted by the U.S. mint in the early 1900’s
TO CLAIM THE ARIZONA STATE BANK ROLLS CALL: 1-800-260-7945 EXT. WHH1049
Are these Silver Walking Liberties worth more than other half dollars: Yes. These U.S. Gov’t issued Silver Walking Liberties were minted in the early 1900’s and will never be minted again. That makes them collectible. The vast majority of half dollars minted after 1970 have no silver content at all and these Walking Liberty Half Dollars were one of the last silver coins minted for circulation. So there’s no telling how much they could be worth in collector value someday.
How much are State Restricted Walking Liberty Silver Bank Rolls worth: It’s impossible to say, but some of these U.S Gov’t issued Walking Liberty Half Dollars date back to the early 1900’s and there are 15 in each Bank Roll so you better hurry if you want to get your hands on them. Collector values always fluctuate and there are never any guarantees. But we do know Walking Liberties are collectible so anyone lucky enough to get their hands on these Silver Bank Rolls should hold onto them because there’s no telling how much they could be worth in collector value someday.
How do I get the State Restricted Walking Liberty Silver Bank Rolls: Arizona residents are authorized to claim up to the limit of 4 Arizona State Walking Liberty Silver Bank Rolls by calling the State Toll Free Hotline at 1-800-260-7945 Ext. WHH1049 starting at precisely 7:30 am this morning. Everyone who does is getting the only Arizona State Walking Liberty Silver Bank Rolls known to exist with the exclusive State Restricted Design. That’s a full Bank Roll containing 15 Silver Walking Liberties from the early 1900’s some worth up to 100 times their face value for just the state minimum set by the National Mint and Treasury of just $39 per Silver Walking Liberty, which is just $585 for the full Bank Rolls and that’s a real steal because non state residents must pay $1,770 for each Arizona State Walking Liberty Silver Bank Roll if any remain.
