The most exciting news nowadays is coming from the sports world.

For instance, after weighing all of the info presented, it's easy to come to the conclusion that stellar cyclist Lance Armstrong probably went through more drugs in his career than a Walmart pharmacy.I remember the days when doing one's honest best and winning through fair play was the ultimate goal, and for that reason we celebrated sports heroes. Lance Armstrong is no role model.In another field, you don't need to be a sports fan to become engrossed in the drama of Heisman runner-up Manti Te'o and his imaginary girlfriend. She supposedly passed away. But the truth is, she never even existed.For those unfamiliar, Manti is a Mormon of Samoan ancestry who played football at a Catholic university.He was either duped into believing he had a girlfriend or else was complicit in deceit. In truth, she was only an electronic girlfriend. Not for real. Adding to the confusion, Manti admitted lying that he'd met her when he didn't.I think the jury is still out on this one.But what it boils down to is that Manti supposedly fell in love with someone he never met and then mourned someone who didn't die.A most clever observer asked, "So she's Notyer Dame?"Truth is stranger than fiction. You couldn't possibly make up this stuff.Manti Te'o is the most bizarre sports story of the year. But then, the year is still young.The other news is about perceived threats to the Second Amendment.There is a misguided attempt to blame guns for our violence instead of taking a look at the real culprit - mental illness.There is no reason to remove guns from society. There are, however, some gun control measures being discussed to eliminate mass-assault capabilities. That kind of government involvement might do some good on a level, just maybe.But any talk of gun control makes many citizens nervous. The right to bear arms is extremely important to our sense of freedom and protection. And it just makes sense.As our environment becomes more hostile and aggressive, the importance of guns for protection is magnified.Hunters and gun collectors also figure into the mix.They say gun control by government is not about guns at all, but about control, and they may be right.Some of the best comments on the issue come from the NRA: "A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone," states one of the arguments.When someone is trying to break into your house in the middle of the night, it seems more effective to protect yourself with a gun, not a telephone. In fact, one NRA-related argument says the 9-1-1 system is essentially "government-sponsored Dial-A-Prayer."In a perfect world, nobody would need guns. But, sadly, the time has come to realize that we need to arm ourselves for our own protection. We also need armed and trained individuals in our schools. All children deserve to be protected.In the meantime, some people say the biggest advocates for gun control are the criminals, because gun control makes a criminal's job much safer.