Sovereign citizens: No laws, no currency and no government ...

Posted on: 11:07 pm, February 4, 2013, by Web Staff and Mitch Carr, updated on: 11:13am, February 5, 2013

Self-described sovereign citizens take the position that they will only answer to natural law and are not subject to any statutes or proceedings at the federal, states or municipal levels.

?The idea of sovereignty is there?s no jurisdiction. There?s nothing above me,? said Det. Kory Flowers of the Greensboro Police Dept.

Sovereign is defined as ?possessing supreme or ultimate power.? Those that declare themselves sovereign only believe in their authority. Becoming a sovereign citizen starts with a tangible declaration.

?I, James Ronald of the Peggs family, am a natural, free-born sovereign without subjects,? said James Peggs, a sovereign individual.

Peggs is one of 300,000 Americans the FBI classifies as a sovereign citizen. Peggs doesn?t like that term because citizen means ?subject of.?

?I am not in any jurisdiction, for I am not subject status,? said Peggs.

Peggs does not pay taxes and believes currency is worthless. The only laws he observes are those he agrees to follow, discarding those he says are not legitimate.

?No such laws nor their enforcers have any authority over me,? said Peggs. ?This is a way of being very much in tune with our original documents ? the Declaration, the Constitution ? and declaring our rights back. In other words, I?m canceling all false contracts.?

Peggs considers himself a Pacifist, and he or any other sovereign could be your neighbor. However, the FBI considers those that share Peggs? beliefs to be anti-government extremists and potentially domestic terror threats.?

?On a football field there are rules, there are sidelines and there are referees. The only that that keeps it from being a melee or a ruckus, right,? said Det. Flowers. ?If you have a contingent out there that believes that the rule book just doesn?t apply to them, that?s a problem whether it?s in society or a football game. Either way it creates chaos.?

Detectives R.C. Finch and S.K. Flowers, both from Greensboro, have led efforts nationally to train law enforcement and judicial personnel on the sovereign citizen criminal subculture since 2009.

?I wouldn?t call it a cult, because with a cult you have a charismatic leader,? said Det. Flowers.

The most common way police run into sovereign individuals is during traffic stops.

?I believe the government is misusing these officers to raise money, so instead of being a protector of society, they are harassing society,? said Peggs.

In the Guilford County Register of Deeds Office, you?ll find dozens of property liens and lawsuits filed by sovereigns against public figures.

?The Guilford County DA has a $800 million lien filed against him. Our Clerk of Court has an $800 million lien. Two local law firms both have $1 million liens. Bank of America has a $200 billion lien,? said Jeff Thigpen, Guilford County Register of Deeds.

?It?s been coined as paper terrorism,? said Det. Flowers. ?Some officers who just literally aren?t trained up and don?t know better often will derelict their duty because they?re afraid of getting sued and getting liens on their properties.?

While these multi-million dollar lawsuits may seem ridiculous, as Guilford Co. District Court Judge Tom Jarrell found out when he attempted to refinance his home, it?s no joke.

?The phone rings and it?s the closing attorney. He said, ?Judge, I?ve got some good news and some bad news. The good news is you?re locked into that low rate. The bad news is you have a $70 million lien against you,? said Jarrell.

As of December 1, it?s a felony in North Carolina to file a false lien. Peggs sees it as a loss in the battle to be ?truly free.?

?I?m not representing any particular group. I don?t have any axe to grind. I?m just like thousands of people across the country concerned about why things aren?t the way they?re supposed to be,? said Peggs.

Peggs said his ultimate goal is not to convert a person to being a sovereign individual, but rather get people asking questions and looking into things for themselves.

Source: http://myfox8.com/2013/02/04/sovereign-citizens/

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Affleck wins directors award as 'Argo' hurtles to Oscars

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor-turned-filmmaker Ben Affleck won the top honor from his peers at the Directors Guild of America on Saturday for the movie "Argo", cementing the Iran hostage drama's frontrunner status for the Oscars.

The Hollywood directors' recognition for Affleck, however, is an awkward result for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, which failed to nominate him for Best Director in what is considered one of the biggest snubs of this year's Oscars.

Since 1948, there have been only six occasions when the Directors Guild of America (DGA) winner has not gone on to win the Oscar for Best Director.

"I have nothing but respect for the Academy," Affleck said after collecting his first DGA award. The Hollywood star, a producer of "Argo", said he was thrilled the film was nominated for the Oscars' Best Picture award.

"You are not entitled to win anything," he said.

"Argo" has picked up the three top awards from the industry's guilds, whose members are also often members of the Academy.

Last weekend, the film was the victor at both the Producers Guild and the Screen Actors Guild awards, leaving Steven Spielberg's Civil War-era epic "Lincoln" in its wake.

Affleck also won Best Director at the Golden Globes while "Argo" won Best Drama. The Oscars will be held on February 24.

On Saturday, Affleck bested four directors who had all previously won the top DGA honor and gone on to win the Best Director Oscar.

It has been a particularly tough awards season for Spielberg, nominated by the DGA for the 11th time with "Lincoln" and a two-time winner for "Schindler's List" in 1994 and "Saving Private Ryan" in 1999.

"What an incredible year for movies," said Spielberg. "Maybe I've had moments when I wished it wasn't such an incredible year."

Affleck also beat out Kathryn Bigelow, nominated for Osama bin Laden-manhunt thriller "Zero Dark Thirty," Ang Lee for his 3D adaptation of the bestselling novel "Life of Pi", and Tom Hooper, for his screen adaptation of the hit musical "Les Miserables".

In "Argo", which is based on a real account, Affleck also plays the lead role of a CIA agent entrusted with extracting six Americans from revolutionary Iran after the U.S. embassy is stormed. The agent, with help from Hollywood, creates a fake film and makes the Americans part of the crew.

"There was a point in my life where I was really down and really confused ... didn't know what was going to happen and I thought 'I could be a director'," Affleck told the high-powered Hollywood crowd on Saturday.

"I don't believe this makes me a real director, but I think I am on my way," he said.

Another young director also collected a top award on Saturday - Lena Dunham for Best Comedy Series for "Girls", the HBO show about four girls in Brooklyn and their travails over sex, work and making it in the big city.

"This is surreal, which I know is an over-used Los Angeles word," said Dunham, who often appears in the show she created wearing little or no clothes.

(Editing by Pravin Char)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/affleck-wins-directors-top-award-argo-hurtles-toward-083401539.html

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Iraq suicide blast hits anti-al-Qaida group; 4 die

BAGHDAD (AP) ? Iraqi police and health officials say a suicide bomber has detonated his explosives belt among a group of anti-al-Qaida fighters, killing at least four of the militiamen and wounding 23.

The police official says the men targeted by the bomber were gathering to collect their salaries on Monday morning outside one of their headquarters in the town of Taji, north of Baghdad, when the blast went off.

A medical official confirmed the casualties. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to release information to the media.

The blast comes a day after several suicide attackers on foot and in two explosives-laden cars hit a provincial police headquarters in Kirkuk, also north of Baghdad, killing at least 15 people and wounding 90.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iraq-suicide-blast-hits-anti-al-qaida-group-091335768.html

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Samsung ATIV Odyssey review: a budget WP8 phone that performs like a flagship

The Windows Phone 8 deluge is slowly starting to taper off. HTC and Nokia have made their presence known with loud, bold statements and even Huawei has gotten in on the action. Meanwhile Samsung has already blessed the market with its flagship ATIV S, a respectable rehash of the Galaxy S III with a Microsoft soul. Nokia and HTC even have their respective mid-range models on the market. Which leaves just one slot to be filled: a budget offering from Sammy. With the debut of the ATIV Odyssey it's safe to assume that the Windows Phone landscape won't be changing too dramatically in the immediate future. (Of course, Mobile World Congress could make a liar out of us in short order.)

The ATIV S simply doesn't have the pomp and flash (though, it has the guts) to run with the Lumia 920 and HTC 8X. But in the mid-range, where gimmicks and style often take a backseat to functionality, perhaps Samsung can carve out a space for itself among the Redmond faithful? Last year's Focus 2 and 2011's Focus Flash struck a winning combination of price and functionality by offering comparable specs to their higher-end competitors. Just over a year later, the question is whether that's still a winning combination in a market that's significantly broadened its horizons.

Gallery: Samsung ATIV Odyssey review

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, Microsoft

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/04/samsung-ativ-odyssey-review/

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Obama offers faith groups new birth control rule

FILE - In this May 15, 2012 file photo, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius speaks in Bethesda, Md. The legal challenges over religious freedom and the birth control coverage requirement in President Barack Obama?s health care overhaul appear to be moving toward the U.S. Supreme Court. Dozens of lawsuits have been filed by faith-affiliated charities, hospitals and universities, against the mandate which requires employers to provide insurance that covers contraception for free. However, many for-profit business owners are also suing, claiming a violation of their religious beliefs. The religious lawsuits have largely stalled, as the Department of Health and Human Services tries to develop an accommodation for faith groups. However, no such offer will be made to individual business owners. And their lawsuits are yielding conflicting rulings in appeals courts around the country. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

FILE - In this May 15, 2012 file photo, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius speaks in Bethesda, Md. The legal challenges over religious freedom and the birth control coverage requirement in President Barack Obama?s health care overhaul appear to be moving toward the U.S. Supreme Court. Dozens of lawsuits have been filed by faith-affiliated charities, hospitals and universities, against the mandate which requires employers to provide insurance that covers contraception for free. However, many for-profit business owners are also suing, claiming a violation of their religious beliefs. The religious lawsuits have largely stalled, as the Department of Health and Human Services tries to develop an accommodation for faith groups. However, no such offer will be made to individual business owners. And their lawsuits are yielding conflicting rulings in appeals courts around the country. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Facing a wave of lawsuits over what government can tell religious groups to do, the Obama administration on Friday proposed a compromise for faith-based nonprofits that object to covering birth control in their employee health plans.

Some of the lawsuits appear headed for the Supreme Court, threatening another divisive legal battle over President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law, which requires most employers to cover birth control free of charge to female workers as a preventive service. The law exempted churches and other houses of worship, but religious charities, universities, hospitals and even some for-profit businesses have objected.

The government's new offer, in a proposed regulation, has two parts.

Administration officials said it would more simply define the religious organizations that are exempt from the requirement altogether. For example, a mosque whose food pantry serves the whole community would not have to comply.

For other religious employers, the proposal attempts to create a buffer between them and contraception coverage. Female employees would still have free access through insurers or a third party, but the employer would not have to arrange for the coverage or pay for it. Insurers would be reimbursed for any costs by a credit against fees owed the government.

It wasn't immediately clear whether the plan would satisfy the objections of Roman Catholic charities and other faith-affiliated nonprofits nationwide challenging the requirement.

Neither the Catholic Health Association, a trade group for hospitals, nor the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had an immediate reaction, saying the regulations were still being studied.

But the National Association of Evangelicals, which represents about 40 denominations and works with the administration on immigration and other issues, quickly rejected the rule. It said the change didn't create enough of a buffer between faith groups and birth control coverage.

"The Obama administration should have done the right thing and dropped the contraception mandate, or at least should have exempted all religious organizations," said Leith Anderson, the association's president.

Kyle Duncan, general counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which is representing religious nonprofits and businesses in lawsuits, said many of his clients will still have serious concerns.

"This is a moral decision for them," Duncan said. "Why doesn't the government just exempt them?"

Some women's advocates were pleased.

"The important thing for us is that women employees can count on getting insurance that meets their needs, even if they're working for a religiously affiliated employer," said Cindy Pearson, executive director of the National Women's Health Network.

Policy analyst Sarah Lipton-Lubet of the American Civil Liberties Union said the rule appeared to meet the ACLU's goal of providing "seamless coverage."

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement that the compromise would provide "women across the nation with coverage of recommended preventive care at no cost, while respecting religious concerns."

The birth-control rule, first introduced a year ago, became an election issue, with some advocates for women praising the mandate as a victory but some religious leaders decrying it as an attack on faith groups.

The health care law requires most employers, including faith-affiliated hospitals and nonprofits, to provide preventive care at no charge to employees. Scientific advisers to the government recommended that artificial contraception, including sterilization, be included in a group of services for women. The goal, in part, is to help women space out pregnancies to promote health.

Under the original rule, only those religious groups that primarily employ and serve people of their own faith ? such as churches ? were exempt. But other religiously affiliated groups, such as church-affiliated universities, Catholic Charities and hospitals, were told they had to comply.

Catholic bishops, evangelicals and some religious leaders who have generally been supportive of Obama's policies lobbied fiercely for a broader exemption. The Catholic Church prohibits the use of artificial contraception. Evangelicals generally accept the use of birth control, but some object to specific methods such as the morning-after contraceptive pill, which they argue is tantamount to abortion, and is covered by the policy.

Obama had promised to change the birth control requirement so insurance companies ? and not faith-affiliated employers ? would pay for the coverage, but religious leaders said more changes were needed to make the plan work.

Since then, more than 40 lawsuits have been filed by religious nonprofits and secular for-profit businesses contending the mandate violates their religious beliefs. As expected, this latest regulation does not provide any accommodation for individual business owners who have religious objections to the rule.

Questions remain about how the services ultimately will be funded. The Health and Human Services Department has not tallied an overall cost for the plan, according to Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, an HHS deputy policy director.

However, in its new version of the rule, the department argues that the change won't impose new costs on insurers because it will save them money "from improvements in women's health and fewer child births."

The latest version of the mandate is now subject to a 60-day public comment period. The overall mandate is to take effect for religious nonprofits in August.

___

Zoll reported from New York. Associated Press writer David Crary in New York contributed.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-02-01-Birth%20Control-Religious%20Groups/id-6116bd1a5ffc4a6babc5f5c3744afdf7

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Ala. town mourns for bus driver amid standoff

In this undated photo released by the Dale County Board of Education, bus driver Charles Albert Poland, Jr., is shown. A standoff in rural Alabama went into a second full day Thursday as police surrounded an underground bunker where a retired truck driver was holding a 5-year-old hostage he grabbed off a school bus after shooting Poland, the driver dead. Poland Jr., 66, was hailed by locals as a hero who gave his life to protect the 21 students aboard the bus. (AP Photo/ Dale County Board of Education)

In this undated photo released by the Dale County Board of Education, bus driver Charles Albert Poland, Jr., is shown. A standoff in rural Alabama went into a second full day Thursday as police surrounded an underground bunker where a retired truck driver was holding a 5-year-old hostage he grabbed off a school bus after shooting Poland, the driver dead. Poland Jr., 66, was hailed by locals as a hero who gave his life to protect the 21 students aboard the bus. (AP Photo/ Dale County Board of Education)

People pay their respects to Charles Albert "Chuck" Poland, the 66 year old bus driver who gave his life to save the children on his bus, Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013 in Slocumb, Ala. As the police standoff with an Alabama man accused of holding a 5-year-old boy hostage continued Saturday, a nearby community prepared to bury, Poland, the beloved bus driver who was shot to death trying to protect children on his bus when the episode began days earlier (AP Photo/AL.com, Joe Songer) MAGS OUT

People pay their respects to Charles Albert "Chuck" Poland, the 66 year old bus driver who gave his life to save the children on his bus, Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013 in Slocumb, Ala. As the police standoff with an Alabama man accused of holding a 5-year-old boy hostage continued Saturday, a nearby community prepared to bury, Poland, the beloved bus driver who was shot to death trying to protect children on his bus when the episode began days earlier (AP Photo/AL.com, Joe Songer) MAGS OUT

People pay their respects to Charles Albert "Chuck" Poland, the 66 year old bus driver who gave his life to save the children on his bus, Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013 in Slocumb, Ala. As the police standoff with an Alabama man accused of holding a 5-year-old boy hostage continued Saturday, a nearby community prepared to bury, Poland, the beloved bus driver who was shot to death trying to protect children on his bus when the episode began days earlier (AP Photo/AL.com, Joe Songer) MAGS OUT

Law enforcement personnel wait outside the funeral home as people pay their respects to Charles Albert "Chuck" Poland, the 66 year old bus driver who gave his life to save the children on his bus, Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013 in Slocumb, Ala. As the police standoff with an Alabama man accused of holding a 5-year-old boy hostage continued Saturday, a nearby community prepared to bury, Poland, the beloved bus driver who was shot to death trying to protect children on his bus when the episode began days earlier (AP Photo/AL.com, Joe Songer) MAGS OUT

MIDLAND CITY, Ala. (AP) ? The Alabama bus driver slain at the beginning of a multi-day hostage drama was known for his acts of kindness, from fixing someone's tractor to tilling the garden of a neighbor who had a heart attack.

Charles Albert Poland Jr. was mourned by hundreds who gathered at a funeral home not far from the underground bunker where police say an Alabama man was still holding a 5-year-old boy early Sunday. Friends remembered Poland as a humble hero who gave his life to protect the children on the bus ? and someone who went out of his way to help neighbors.

"You don't owe me anything," Poland, of Newton, once told a recipient of his good deed. "You're my neighbor."

The 66-year-old Poland was driving a school bus carrying 21 children last Tuesday when an armed man boarded the bus and demanded two boys between 6 and 8 years old. Poland tried to block his way, so the gunman shot him several times and abducted a 5-year-old boy ? who police say remains in an underground bunker with the suspect, identified as 65-year-old Jim Lee Dykes.

William Lisenby, a school bus driver who also taught Sunday School with Poland, was flanked by other area bus drivers as he arrived at Saturday night's viewing. Lisenby spoke in Biblical terms when referring to Poland, whose funeral is Sunday afternoon.

"If you'll notice the similarities there, of what Chuck did was the same thing that Jesus Christ did. These children, even though they were not Chuck's, he laid down his life to defend those children. My hat's off to him for that," he said.

Dykes is a Vietnam-era veteran described by some neighbors as a menacing figure with anti-government views. Neighbors said Dykes built the bunker on his rural property, and police have been communicating with Dykes through a ventilation pipe into the bunker. On Sunday morning, an unmanned drone was seen flying above Dykes' property.

Dale County Sheriff Wally Olson told reporters Saturday that Dykes has told them he has blankets and an electric heater in the bunker. Authorities have been conferring in a nearby church.

Olson also said Dykes has allowed police to deliver coloring books, medication and toys for the boy.

"I want to thank him for taking care of our boy," Olson said. "That's very important."

The shooting and abduction took place in Midland City, a small town near Dothan, Ala., in the state's southeastern corner.

Newton is about three miles away, a small hamlet with fewer than 2,000 residents. It sits amid cotton farms and rolling hills sprinkled with red earth; most of the residents commute to Dothan or to a nearby Army post. And many knew Poland.

"He's probably the nicest guy you'll ever meet," said Lonnie Daniels, the 69-year-old owner of the NAPA Auto Parts store, one of three establishments in town that was open Saturday.

Daniels said Poland had been married to his wife for 43 years. Poland was from Idaho, but his wife was from Newton. The couple lived there for decades in a small mobile home, and Poland enjoyed gardening and clearing brush from his property.

"I knew that he was always there if I needed," said Daniels, adding that Poland was an excellent mechanic with an array of tools that he lent to people in town.

Skipper said Poland and his wife would often sit on their porch, drinking coffee, praying and reading the Bible.

"They loved to be together," Skipper said.

On Saturday morning, Poland's wife wasn't home. A rack of worn trucker's caps sat on hooks on the porch, and two freshly baked pies were laid atop a cooler.

The victim's son, Aaron Poland, told NBC News that he wasn't surprised by his father's final act, trying to protect a bus full of kids.

"He considered them his children," Poland said, choking back tears. "And I know that's the reason why my dad took those shots, for his children, just like he would do for me and my sister."

As Newton grieves, residents are praying for the safe return of the boy being held hostage.

"The community is real concerned," said Fred McNab, mayor of Pinckard, Ala. "You can tell by the food that's been carried over there to the church. It's just devastating. We want it to come to a resolution. We want to save that little child."

Police have used the pipe for communication and to deliver the boy medication for his emotional disorders. State Rep. Steve Clouse, who visited the boy's mother, said the boy has Asperger's syndrome ? a mild form of autism ? and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.

But police have not revealed how often they are in touch or what the conversations have been about.

Local officials who have spoken to police or the boy's family have described a small room with food, electricity and a TV.

Sheriff Olson would not say Saturday whether Dykes has made any demands. Olson added that he is limited in the details he can release.

Dykes had been scheduled to appear in court Wednesday to answer charges he shot at his neighbors in a dispute last month over a speed bump.

___

Follow Tamara Lush on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tamaralush

Associated Press writers Eric Tucker in Washington; Tamara Lush and Phillip Rawls in Midland City; Bob Johnson in Montgomery, Ala., and AP researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-03-School%20Bus%20Driver%20Shot/id-80194b8ab06e41a3b185b03133ebd2c4

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Column: Could football end up killing itself?

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? The dustup over deer-antler spray didn't last long, which is probably just as well. No reason to ruin Ray Lewis' retirement, or the week-long spectacle of everything that is the National Football League in this party town.

On Sunday perhaps the biggest audience ever to see a Super Bowl will gather in front of televisions for parties of their own. The game has become America's unofficial national holiday, its tradition of chip eating, beer drinking and commercial watching as deeply ingrained in the country's fabric as turkey and stuffing.

We celebrate the game even as it takes a brutal toll on those who play it. Football is a hurt business, and the biggest cheers on Sunday will be for those who deliver the biggest hits.

So remember when you jump and down and holler and scream that former players, some of whom entertained us in Super Bowls past, are suffering in the worst possible ways because of the beating their brains took on the playing field.

That the NFL is finally waking up to the crisis is commendable. That it took this long is deplorable.

It's hard to comprehend, and it may be the ultimate paradox. But football itself could be the one thing that kills the NFL.

Baltimore safety Bernard Pollard suggested the other day that it just might, calling the on-field violence "a car accident every play" and expressing fear that one day a player might die on the field. This, from a player who was fined for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Patriots receiver Wes Welker in the AFC championship game and is considered one of the hardest hitters out there.

President Barack Obama, meanwhile, says if he had a son he would "have to think long and hard" about letting him play football.

And if commissioner Roger Goodell didn't get it before, he seems to get it now. In recent months, he floated the idea of eliminating kickoffs to cut down on concussions, and used much of his state of the NFL appearance Friday to talk about improving player safety.

"The No. 1 issue is: Take the head out of the game," Goodell said. "I think we've seen in the last several decades that players are using their head more than they had when you go back several decades."

It's too late for former players, some of whom suffer from debilitating brain damage caused by hits to the head. Some 3,500 of them are suing the NFL for not doing enough to protect them, including the family of star linebacker Junior Seau, who shot himself to death last May. Medical researchers who studied his brain said findings were similar to autopsies of people "with exposure to repetitive head injuries."

While the league celebrates its new Hall of Fame inductees and fetes former stars who can still walk and talk, it fights every inch of the way in court on fears the claims of injured players can hit owners where it hurts the most ? their wallets.

If anything, the game has become more brutal since the first Super Bowl 46 years ago. The players are bigger and faster, and better equipment gives them the false confidence to go head-to-head with each other.

No sport worth playing should need neurologists on the sidelines to protect participants. But that's precisely what the NFL will have next year as it belatedly tries to contain the fallout from the concussion issue.

Count former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison among those who worry. He was fined repeatedly in his long career for helmet-to-helmet hits, and estimates he suffered 20 concussions on the field. Today he works as a television analyst and seems healthy, but said on the "Costas Tonight" Super Bowl special that he gets headaches from bright lights and playing golf and has some anxiety issues he believes were caused by concussions.

"I'm scared to death," he said. "I have four kids, I have a beautiful wife, and I'm scared to death what may happen to me 10, 15 years from now."

The issue was big this week as members of the 49ers and Ravens were asked repeatedly about the safety of the game they make their living from. Most players dismissed fears about their safety, saying they knew what they were in for when they signed up to play football. But, at the same time, the players' union released a survey showing eight out of 10 players don't trust team doctors.

Understandable, when they serve at the pleasure of their employers. Even more understandable if you play in San Diego, where the team doctor lost a malpractice lawsuit last summer and the Medical Board of California wants to revoke his medical license.

These are all serious issues that deserve serious attention. The game will never be totally safe, but it can be safer.

Enjoy the Super Bowl. Celebrate the unofficial national holiday.

And hope that Goodell is as serious as he claims in finding a way to keep players safer than they are today.

_____

Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg(at)ap.org or http://twitter.com/timdahlberg

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/column-could-football-end-killing-itself-235511853--nfl.html

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