Will the real Maverick stand up?

"Morning, Scott."

"Morning, Wells."

"Ghost Rider, we have an unknown aircraft. Vector 090 for bogey."

"Who's up there?"

"Cougar, Merlin, Maverick and Goose."

"Great. Maverick and Goose."



I don't know about you, but I have heard the word maverick so many times in the past month that I think the word has lost all meaning. I'd like to go back to the root of the word before figuring this mess out. The definition of maverick is: 1: an unbranded range animal; especially a motherless calf 2: an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party. The etymology of the word stems from a man named Samuel A. Maverick. He was a cattleman in the 1800's who intentionally did not brand his calves. He was also a Democrat. Is McCain a maverick? We could argue that till the cows come home (bu-dum ching!), but I think Joe Biden (heart!) summed it up pretty spectacularly. Instead of arguing if McCain is a maverick, let's look at some famous and not so famous mavericks.

1. Maverick, (TV series, 1957-1960) starring James Garner as Bret Maverick, an adventurous gambler who punched the crap out of a lot of villains. He had 2 brothers who were named Beau and Bart.

2. Top Gun (1986), starring Tom Cruise as Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. He was a bad boy who flew amazingly dangerous...and destroyed an expensive military aircraft...and had sex with his government-contract instructor.

3.Maverick (1994), starring Mel Gibson as Bret Maverick in a movie based on the TV show starring James Garner.

4."Maverick" Matt- one of the monikers of a professional wrestler named Matt Bentley, cousin to Shawn Michaels, superstar wrestler. Note: self-proclaimed maverick.

5.Maury Maverick, grandson to Samuel Maverick. A Texas Democrat lawyer, congressman, businessman, who coined the term "gobbledygook" in reference to bureaucrat language, inspired by the sounds of a turkey.

6. Maverick chocolate bar, by Nestle. Had raisins, toffee, bits of biscuit, topped with caramel and dipped in milk chocolate. Discontinued. Some say it was the best candy bar they ever had, some the worst. Up for debate.

7. Maverick, Madonna's record label. (sorry Madge, McCain no likey you, though you are probably a true maverick)

8. Ford Maverick, a compact car, very ugly, made from 1969-1977

9. Maverick, character in X-Men, former member of CIA's Team X, then became known later as Agent Zero who was supposed to kill Wolverine (don't read Hugh Jackman, don't read!)

10.The Dallas Mavericks, an NBA team whose uniforms are designed by Sean "P.Diddy" Combs. Mascot is Champ the Horse who, according to one fan's rant, repeatedly humiliated a fan by pretending to urinate on them at a game for wearing a Warriors shirt.

You know, if you're not a member of the Maverick family, I think that maybe calling oneself a maverick defeats the purpose. It's like those organized groups who call themselves anarchists. Just don't make much sense. It seems the word is a cute phrase now. It's a buzzword with very little meaning anymore. Hopefully after Nov. 4th, the word will be retired from the lips of the media and put to good use at a later time, like say-talking about Samuel Maverick's family.