Another personal insult. I thought we Republicans were better than this.
Look, I do not defend Artest. Instead, I point out the league's poor assessment of Ben Wallace.
Wallace shoved artest (against league rules). He continued to pursue Artest after repeatedly being told to stop (against league rules). He threw a towel at Artes (against league rules)which incited the fans.
Ben Wallace started all of this. The league should have hammered him with at least 25 games. This would have sent a message that the league was not going to tolerate unjustified retaliatory behavior that can lead to a melee.
I can't believe my eyes reading how my fellow freepers believe Wallace should have been penalized more than he was. Don't you people believe in personal responsibility? SO what if Wallace got Artest fired up-- Wallace threw no punches-- Artest and the others did..
It is just real surprising that people on freerepublic.com would think that Wallace should be penalized for the actions of others. For all of you who claim to be libertarians or Objectivists-- what would Ayn Rand think?. It is evil to hold Wallace accountable for the actions of the Fans and the uncontrollable Pacer players. Wallace started a scuffle-- nothing more. if you watch NBA games this happens often.
Ben Wallace's brother just died last Monday. I think that may have played a part in his mental state.
Not excusing him but that's the truth.
He is normally a very low-key person.....keeps his nose clean.