Thursday, October 18, 2007

The Real Meaning of 'Solidarity'

Unions use the term, and the Polish "Solidarnocz" became familiar just before Karol Wojtyla, Ron Reagan, and Maggie Thatcher demonstrated that 'solidarity' was powerful.

Kevin Fisher points to another example, this time involving a former Packer. (Incidentally, this particular Packer was highly respected and loved by Green Bay people. He was (and still is) just a great guy.)

Willie Wood, 70, is paying the steep price for being a football hero.

Two knees and one hip have been replaced. Doctors have performed four major surgeries on his back and fused two vertebrae in his neck. And last year he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

...Yet Wood isn't facing his uncertain future alone. A posse of aging NFL and college teammates is using its financial resources, business savvy and, when possible, their fading football celebrity to ensure that their friend, who came dangerously close to losing his longtime home, isn't stripped of his dignity.

..."It's a brotherhood in its simplest form," Smith said. "It freaks you out at first to hear these big guys saying 'I love you,' and to see them hugging each other. But it's just genuinely that simple.

Brett Favre's help for Koren Robinson is similar--and there are rumors that Favre has been equally helpful and encouraging to other NFL players caught up in addictions.

Solidarity works.

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