Sorry, but need to get this off my chest.

[Skinsfansince72]

Sorry folks, but this something that I just need to say. Some of you will not like it......but hopefully will understand where I am coming from.

I have been a redskin fan for (see screen name) 35 years.....longer than some of you have been alive, and Sean Taylors' death is definatly the hardest thing I have ever faced as a Skins fan. Harder than any loss at any time. BUT.......

The reason I am making this post is because there is something that is bothering me personally. I am a Colorado State Trooper, and have been for 13 years. In those 13 years, I have witnessed three brothers die in the line of duty. I have also witnessed several other Troopers injured so bad, that they were not able to continue with their careers as Troopers. One month ago, we had two Troopers get run over while they were parked in the center median assisting a motorist who had lost their load. As traffic backed up, a driver in a pickup truck skidded to avoid traffic, went off the left side of the roadway and ran over both Troopers. One died, and the other is still in a wheel chair.

My question to you folks is how many of you knew about that? My guess is none. How many of you knew that both of these guys had/have a wife and kids? Again...none. Our organization is a 24/7 operation. We cannot take a break to morn our fallen brothers. We cannot stop arresting the felons that we do to show how sorry we are because we have lost one of our family. Yet, all of america knows about Sean because he was a football player. And the part that pisses me off the most, is that fact that there are alot of people who have suggested that we postpone the games. Why? There is nothing that we can do to make the situation any better. There is nothing we can do to change it. I know that we all morn in different ways, and some people handle it better than others......but......as mean as this may sound.....life goes on. It does not stop. We do not stop. And I know, just as all of you know that Sean would want nothing more than for us to go out kick the crap out of the Buffalo Bills today.

I guess I am being just a little selfish here, but the fact remains that I think postponing the game is rediculas.

Sorry, but I just had to get that off my chest. Thank you.

Mark

[Bat~man]

Sorry folks, but this something that I just need to say. Some of you will not like it......but hopefully will understand where I am coming from.

I have been a redskin fan for (see screen name) 35 years.....longer than some of you have been alive, and Sean Taylors' death is definatly the hardest thing I have ever faced as a Skins fan. Harder than any loss at any time. BUT.......

The reason I am making this post is because there is something that is bothering me personally. I am a Colorado State Trooper, and have been for 13 years. In those 13 years, I have witnessed three brothers die in the line of duty. I have also witnessed several other Troopers injured so bad, that they were not able to continue with their careers as Troopers. One month ago, we had two Troopers get run over while they were parked in the center median assisting a motorist who had lost their load. As traffic backed up, a driver in a pickup truck skidded to avoid traffic, went off the left side of the roadway and ran over both Troopers. One died, and the other is still in a wheel chair.

My question to you folks is how many of you knew about that? My guess is none. How many of you knew that both of these guys had/have a wife and kids? Again...none. Our organization is a 24/7 operation. We cannot take a break to morn our fallen brothers. We cannot stop arresting the felons that we do to show how sorry we are because we have lost one of our family. Yet, all of america knows about Sean because he was a football player. And the part that pisses me off the most, is that fact that there are alot of people who have suggested that we postpone the games. Why? There is nothing that we can do to make the situation any better. There is nothing we can do to change it. I know that we all morn in different ways, and some people handle it better than others......but......as mean as this may sound.....life goes on. It does not stop. We do not stop. And I know, just as all of you know that Sean would want nothing more than for us to go out kick the crap out of the Buffalo Bills today.

I guess I am being just a little selfish here, but the fact remains that I think postponing the game is rediculas.

Sorry, but I just had to get that off my chest. Thank you.

Mark

different people deal with things in different ways and when something like this happens to someone like Taylor then you're going ot have SO many people upset and So many people reacting differently, I'm sorry to hear about your loss I know it was equally as tough for their family and friends

[More Complete]

I agree. Don't be sorry. We all morn in different ways but life goes on.

[St_Redskin]

Finally, someone speaks with a sense of reason. I am sorry about your troops bro. Hopefully the State has the resources to properly care for the families in this tragedy.

It is past time people here get over the ST murder. If they have not found the proper place to put it within themselves by now, they need help.

[Pookie]

All of us are/will be touched by devastating loss at some point(s) in out lives. Most outside our individual circles will never know of the other's tragedy. That's just the way it is. It's sad and it's hard as hell.

Sean was/IS high profile. Nothing wrong in making a big to-do about it.

As other's have stated, we all mourn and grieve differently, and our differences don't make it right or wrong. It just is what it is.

I'm so sorry for the loss of your colleagues.

[Canadian Hog]

The best way to remember and pay our respects to Sean is to keep on keepin' on.

I don't think Sean would want it any other way.

The pressure on this team is enormous this weekend from a football standpoint. In fact, bigger than any other situation the group has ever faced.

It's not about playoff positioning any more. It's about making a fallen brother proud.

[skinamatic]

I am a Maryland State Trooper and have been for 14 years(counting cadet time). I know of all my lost brothers as I frequently visit the Officer Down Memorial Website, and leave reflections. I have read about Trooper Templeton and although I did not know him, I grieve his loss. Remember this Mark

"A hero need not speak, for when he is gone, the world will speak for him".

Stay safe brother.

[Blondie]

You are correct, life does go on, and no clocks will stop.

Unfortunately, the media has used this tragedgy also as a chance to get ratings.

Unfortunately, there are those people who will use this tragedy to make a profit for themselves.

Unfortunately, some use this tragedy to accuse the victim of bad doings.

BECAUSE he is high profile, we know every minute of every hour what is happening.

The flags were lowered to half mast at Redskin Park. Then they were raised. Only the governor of the state or President can decide when they are lowered.

Along with the story of Sean has been a story of "Baby Grace", a badly decomposed body of a 2 year old girl found in a plastic container in the Galveston Bay, that was murdered by her mother. There was media.......but no media frenzy. This tiny baby deserves to be remembered also.

My thoughts to your organization and the troopers families.

[posse87]

Prominent entertainers, which high profile athletes are, get a lot more media exposure, good and bad, than others. Taylor is getting a lot of exposure because it is the senseless death of an upstanding young man. He also got a lot of negative exposure when he made mistakes. It is not logical to compare famous and more ordinary people. All deaths should be celebrated like this, but there just isn't enough time in the day and people identify more with atheletes because they look to them as heroes

[Mr. S]

did you all mourn and pay respects when your fellow troopers went down? Did the town feel remorse? I'm sure they did, I know that in northern va, I feel remorse for all the DC and Fairfax County troopers that go down. We hear about them they are on the news, etc.... When the funerals are publicized, people go.

I don't expect someone in California to know of a county trooper that went down, they have enough of theirs going down as it is.

With Sean Taylor, he was a bigger profile, more people knew him, so as a result, more people feel remorse. The local community tends to always show support for a fallen favorite, in Sean Taylor's case, the local community is nationwide.

I understand your point, your fellow troopers go down, families are losing loved ones in Iraq, civilians are senselessly dying every day. But in most cases, they are not going down unforgotten, it's just that Taylor was a big figure.

[gibbszgawd]

First of all, thank you for your services to keep the public safe. You don't get the recognition and appreciation you all deserve...

But be thankfull you're not in the same spot light as Sean or any professional athlete. With the spot light comes jealousy and hatred. Please stay safe and keep the peace YOU ARE APPRECIATED

[CarrollsMine99]

Good post, Skinsfansince72! Thank you to you and to your fellow troopers for all that you do, and thank you for your sacrifices. Clearly these don't get nearly as much press or media attention, but rest assured that I - and many others - appreciate all that you guys and gals do for us as a society.

Thank you.

CarrollsMine99.

[fight4oldc]

I guess the part of your post that strikes me is the part where the troopers lost their lives and yet only those in that close community know about it. Sean lost his life and the world knows about it. All I can say is your troopers are unsung heroes due to their lack of celebrity and Taylor is a big story do to his celebrity. It makes his loss no greater than theirs just because it is covered. You guys are underpaid and underappreciated and in a perfect world that would not be the case.

I thought about this too in the aftermath of 911. Those police and firefighters received so much attention, and deservedly so, but police and firefighters lose their lives every day in this country and we rarely here about it unless it's in our community. Not to ramble on and on but it's an interesting balance to ponder.

[Aireskoi]

There is so much unwarranted death going on in the world that unless the person is important to you, it's not going to consume you. These boards are full of people that Sean Taylor was important to. No, most of us never even met him, but the players and coaches of the Redskins are important to us. That's why we're here in the first place.

Maybe there is a web site that members are mourning fallen police officers that I can go visit to let them know they should get over it and move on to the tragedy of my choosing. Maybe children dying of AIDS in Africa.

I think things will get back to football after today, but why tell people what to feel or care about?

[kwitt]

This is basically the stance Riggins has taken this week. There is a lot of merit here but it is understandable how people react the way the do. It is just human nature.

[Soup]

Its simple we don't them. I didn't know my gradparents so when they died I felt sorry for my mother but I didn't mourn. Look at what's going on in Africa most specifically Rwanda. Its horrible over there with more deaths than the holocaust. Do you see anyone doing anything are you doing something. I sure am not, but we mourn people who are close to us. We cry because it feels like something was taken away that made us happy. People hurt not because of death but because we can no longer feel that happiness the person provided.

[Rskins91]

did you all mourn and pay respects when your fellow troopers went down? Did the town feel remorse? I'm sure they did, I know that in northern va, I feel remorse for all the DC and Fairfax County troopers that go down. We hear about them they are on the news, etc.... When the funerals are publicized, people go.

I don't expect someone in California to know of a county trooper that went down, they have enough of theirs going down as it is.

With Sean Taylor, he was a bigger profile, more people knew him, so as a result, more people feel remorse. The local community tends to always show support for a fallen favorite, in Sean Taylor's case, the local community is nationwide.

I understand your point, your fellow troopers go down, families are losing loved ones in Iraq, civilians are senselessly dying every day. But in most cases, they are not going down unforgotten, it's just that Taylor was a big figure.

This is essentially my feelings on the situation. Since Taylor was a sports figure, an icon that we watched grow and cheered on, we feel greif over his loss. I'm sure the guys on your squad were good men Skinsfansince72. I applaud your line of work and dedication to keeping the streets clean, and really don't have an issue with what you said. In a perfect world, we mourn the loss of public figures just as much as we mourn the soliders in Iraq who have passed, as well as others who have faced tragic deaths.

But in a world with big figures being glorified or villanized by the media, we learn to latch onto them more. Perhaps it isn't right, but it's the nature of the world we live in. We all learned to love to Taylor because of his play on the field, and is thusly why we mourn his loss more so then someone we don't know at all.

[red dot in a sea of blue]

Two things:

1. Sorry for your losss. It hurts when any one we love or know, or like pass away.

2. Who said there's only room in our hearts to mourn or care about one thing at a time? I'm sorry for everyone everywhere ever who is sad or lost someone, or needs help... In addition to your troops that have been lost, there are countless children dying from hungar, or being murdered in front of thier parents by drug lords that our government funds... Why only mention your loss? Is your loss more or less than anyone elses? No. It's horribly sad in all cases for someone. This is a message board for the Washington Redskins, and as such one of our favorite players on our team was murdered. In a forum made specificly for talking about the team that we all love, it seems completely appropriate to come here to greive. I'm sure that when you lose a member of your team, you greive appropriatly when ever you are in a forum to speak or communicate with other people who are greiving the same loss as you are. Did we personally know Sean Taylor the way you knew the Troopers that fell? No. Not most of us anyway. But does that mean that it doesn't hurt us at all, or at least to the point where we feel we want to come to a forum filled with other people that feel the same way we do to talk about it? No.

So please. I'm all for perspective, but you need to have some as well. This is a Washington Redskins Message Board. If we, as fans who live and die by every play (put into proper perspevtive after this weeks events) feel the need to mourn, or greive about a member of OUR team, this seems like a more appropriate place to do it then going to the funeral of a fallen Trooper and trying to tell their friends and family abuot how sad they should be about Sean Taylor....

Thank you for the service you do for your fellow man, and I hope you know that I mean no disrespect to your fallen Brothers, as a culture it seems strage that we celebrate the athleticly gifteted, or the good looking over that of the people that really help us in this world such as yourself or teachers or firemen... But it doesn't mean we shouldn't greive when we lose someone we consider to be in our family. Even if it's just our Football Family....

[Cognizant]

Sorry but your troopers are not natonal names, nor anyone special. We have ALL lost a friend or love one in silent abyss. Beng a tropper in CO is no different than a mine worker in WVa. Both dangerous jobs but chosen occupations. I myself was in a near fatal accident, no one but my family cared. When a pro athlete is murdered it is big news because their occupation should is not considered perilous and they, unlike your tropper, are on a national stage.

This is a unique situation because the team must attend a Monday funeral and get prepared to play a Thursday game. That leaves 2 days to prepare, both physically and emotionally. That gives the Bears an unfair advantage. In this unprecedented case, I think a one day postponement is warranted.

[fuji869]

I agree, all death are tragic weather it is a State Trooper in the line of Duty or a Football Player in his house. I use to be in the National Guard and I was thinking last week about the people who were killed in Iraq and might get a mention on the News and that is about it.

[skinsaddict]

moving a game (and it is, just a game) and shutting down the police force are not the same thing.

i'm sorry for your loss, but their are not many similarities in your loss and sean taylor. i'm trying to say this delicatly while being pissed off, but the officers chose to put themselves in that situation by becoming troopers, sean taylor was hunted down and robbed, only to be shot at the same time by some punk ass thugs.

moving the game would have made sense for the whole team to mourn and be on par with other teams in the NFL

[skinsfan080]

Ok, I've heard alot of people like this/military folks saying the same thing. I can clearly see where you're coming from and don't think you're "wrong" for that line of thinking, as someone else said different people deal with things differently.....

However, Sean Taylor had a direct impact on our lives on a personal level. The other people did not, which is why we greive in such a way. Thats NOT (and I wish I could blow that up and bold it bigger than the world) to say that these people dont impact our lives. Cops and the soliders that go over and lose their lives in war, are better men than I am and they have done so much that I have not been "willing" or volunteering to do, and I'm grateful for that...but I just dont have those personal connections with these people....I felt like I did with Sean Taylor...I mean thats just how I can explain it I guess, but I dont think you can get upset with people for greiving like this ya know?

[skinfaninny]

I wasn't going to say anything but I changed my mind. I've kept silent on these boards through the entire Sean Taylor shooting. But I can't any longer. I'll try to be nice with my comments though.

To compare Sean Taylor's death with that of a police officer, or soldiers in Iraq, or anyone else is ludicrous. Sean Taylor was a famous athlete that was known across America. Millions of people have heard about him. Like it or not, a whole lot of people will and did mourn his passing.

I've been reading a LOT of coverage about Taylor's death. He was my favorite Redskin. His rookie jersey was the first jersey I've ever bought, finally upgrading from t-shirts after all these years as a Skins fan. I've read in other places that I should be mourning others that died, that I've never heard about, as much as Sean Taylor. Like I'm less of a person because I didn't mourn someone that died hundreds of miles away and it was only reported on local news. That's a load of BS. I was pissed enough when I read it in the media, but now to have someone posting the same drivel here in the heart of Skins territory on the web, it's just the last straw.

Did any of you mourn my best friend when he died of AIDS a few years ago? Did any of you mourn my next door neighbor that died in June? No. I didn't expect you to. You've never heard of them. You didn't know how much they meant to me and thier other friends and family.

Comparing a celebrity death that is publicized through the media to the death of someone that isn't in the media is crazy. Any two deaths are not the same. All deaths are tragic. Ok, maybe not all deaths, some are well deserved. But the point is, your story is touching. I feel for the deaths and disabilities of your fellow troopers. But they have nothing to do with the way people feel about Sean Taylor. Just like the deaths of my friends have nothing to do with it.

There's so much more I want to say, but I think I've said enough.

[Skinsfansince72]

Thanks for all the kind words from all of you about my profession (Amen skinamatic)

I guess I wrote it wrong. I am not looking for sympathies for my job and what we do. The point I was trying to make (which is football related) is that postponing the game is silly. I was trying to say that life does not and will not stop. The football games should ...... must go on. I was writing this for the people who thought that we should stop football life until we are ok. We will never be ok with this.....it is just something that we will have to deal with.

Once again....thank you for the kind words, but that is not what I was looking for.

[#98QBKiller]

I've read so many people saying:

"What about the kids in Iraq that die?" "What about these policemen that died?" "What about this/that person that died?"

I've lost family members and friends and the rest of the nation didn't know about it, but that's the way the world works. You mourn the losses close to you and move on the best you can.

We all have people close to us that we've lost and not everyone hears about it. This is a Redskins message board and this is a loss that we all share together. Is it wrong to mourn Sean Taylor's death just because we didn't mourn every single person's personal losses together as a whole?

I do agree though, that football can't just stop.