Here we go again...

While I am not familiar with all 600+ line items in Obama's stimulus plan and I'm sure that there are some things that may bear some legitimate scrutiny, I find it hard to believe that it is so bad that not a single House Republican could see enough merit in it to vote for its passage. Yet, that is just what has happened.

Remember just 8 weeks ago (my, how time has flown) when after the election, Republicans everywhere were doing the bipartisan cooperation dance. Speeches and comments right and left began with "What this country needs is an end to the bipartisan bickering..." House Democrats took out and added some items into the plan to address Republican concerns, but that was still not enough. If the plan was going to be voted for and passed by Democrats alone, no matter what changes were made, then why should the Democrats have made any changes at all? And if House Republicans were not going to vote for the plan anyway, no matter what, why suggest any changes?

If it weren't so important and have such impact, I'd think this behavior was worth a good laugh. I certainly would be laughing if, as I have witnessed many a time, I saw this behavior between my 3 year old nephew and 6 year old niece. But between grown adults it is just pathetic. The Republicans seem to still want to do things their way. The American public spoke loud and clear about what they thought about that way of doing things, but apparently the Republicans chose not to listen. Americans voted for change. Maybe the Republicans on Capitol Hill should listen to the voice of the American people and embrace a policy of change, with their role being the guardians of reason who temper the fire of radical change into something workable and sustainable.

Maybe if they were to handle this delicate time with grace and positive effectiveness, they may have a shot at getting some voters to take a good, fresh look at them again. As it is, since the election, I have seen nothing but the same old petty, vindictive schtick that I was already tired of. I have a few words for the Republican guard : stop whining, stop being negative, and DO SOMETHING! Don't just cross your arms and sulk, with an "if I can't make the rules, I don't wanna play" attitude. Wake up, grow up, and put up. America needs you, as they need all of its servants, to stand up and take action, to inspire and lead, to provide an example of how to take courage and fashion it into a better life for us all.

America has a chance to show what it is made of, to be our highest self. Our representatives should be the first and best reflection of this. If this is how they choose to take up the mantle, then I say throw them out. Which is exactly what I, and other voters, will do this coming November and the ones to follow.

Inspiring stuff

As I listened to President Obama's inauguration speech yesterday, I must admit I was quite moved at points. In many ways, it was the same message I would be delivering if it were me up on that podium. I too believe that government is only part of the puzzle, and should provide the light and example to help us lead ourselves out of this difficult time. I too believe that at the end of the day, our principles should never be compromised for what is profitable or expedient, especially when dealing with other nations. I too believe that the best way to lead, both this country and around the world, is to show that you have earned the right to lead by acting with consistent principle and with the common welfare of all in mind.

Any doubt that Obama was an ambitious man with a vision was erased in my mind yesterday. Most presidents are. I was just happy to find that his vision was mine and that his ambition was not only for himself and his own narrow agenda. My only hope and fear is that he will be forced to compromise too much on that vision or that he will be prevented from fully acting on it.

The American people wanted hope, we wanted change. Well, we got it. It's up to us to help our President to give us what we want and what we need. If we can achieve even half of what was spelled out in yesterday's Inaugural Address, we will have worked hard for a worthy goal, have much to be proud of, and have left a fine legacy and example for our children and for future generations to come.

Let's lift ourselves up, dust ourselves of, and walk boldly into the positive future we are about to create.

Things I learned from the Eagles

I'm an Eagles fan (take the girl out of Philly, but can't take Philly out of the girl). I watched the NFC Championship game yesterday and wondered what team stepped out of the locker room and played for the Eagles during the first half of the game. They may have looked like the Eagles, but they certainly did not play like the Eagles of the last 5 or so games. They got their butts handed to them by a team that was well prepared, if not exactly brilliant. The Cards, to their credit, took advantage of the situation and made the best of the Eagles lack of everything that made them look so good postseason. I don't know what Andy Reid said during half time, but the Eagles that I knew finally stepped out on the field for the second half and made up an 18 point deficit, leading by one until the Cards were able to score their only TD of the second half. The Cards will be going to the Super Bowl and the Eagles will be going home. But that is not the way it it should have been.



For whatever reason- nerves, lack of confidence, lack of focus, poor planning, overconfidence, or any other of a host of reasons- the Eagles were their own worst enemy during the first half of that game. To their credit, they pulled it together when their backs were against the wall, but they never should have been in that position. They were not beat by a superior team, frankly they lost. They beat themselves. How often does that happen to you in your life?



We all sabotage ourselves from time to time; creating self fulfilling prophecies of doom and gloom, inventing insurmountable odds, building up an enemy into something super human, downplaying our abilities and opportunities, and rejecting support. For some of us it becomes such a habit that pessimism is second nature to us. But is it realistic?



We don't always hold all the cards to come out on top in a difficult situation, but a good amount of the time we do or at least we have the ability to come out even. Some realistic assessment of both what you bring to the situation and what you are facing, combined with a dash of hope, a dollop of preparation, and a lot of work is what most situations require. Their is no need for blind faith or unrealistic optimism. If we give ourselves the credit that we give the challenges we face, then it's not too hard to believe that a great deal is possible.



Don't wait until a situation becomes desperate and your back is against the wall to marshal your inner strength and ingenuity. Develop a clear and true vision of who you are and what you are capable of, then make a fair assessment of what you are facing. After you have prepared yourself, be proactive, act decisively and with forethought, and take the best advantage of your momentum. While you will not always be victorious, you will not have beaten yourself and will always be able to walk away knowing that you have given your very best effort. I don't think the Eagles are able to say the same.

A symptom... or a cause?

Just as Michael Milken was the poster child for 80's greed and excess and Enron became a negative benchmark for the 90's, the millennium has found it's new anti-hero in Bernie Madoff. You look at these men and their stories and wonder how they could operate from such a lack of conscience. Why men like this could be so driven by greed and personal wealth that they truly stopped at nothing. I argue that it is not a unique all-consuming preoccupation with gain, but more that it's all a matter of scale.

How many people would stiff a waiter if they though they could get away with it? If you're given too much change at a store, do you give the overage back or do you put it in your pocket and go on your way? If you are undercharged for something, do you bring it to some one's attention and pay what is truly owed? While some do, many don't. How is this any different than what these men did, except in scale? You knew your "victim" just as they did. You had a way to rectify the situation and be honest and fair, but you didn't. So did they.

Whether for billions or cents, the ethical implications were the same. While you condemn their actions, look inside yourself- is there a part of you that is secretly in awe of them and their nerve? A part that admires the sheer guts it took to pull it off in such a grand scale? A part that wonders if you could have gotten away with it too? Madoff was not "caught"; he confessed to family, who then turned him in. Would he have gotten caught eventually? Who knows; there were certainly enough red flags for the regulators and investors to see, but they didn't. He could have taken off and disappeared before anyone would have done anything about it.

When you read about Madoff or his "brothers", take a moment to think. Are the seeds of his actions in you? And when you are placed in a situation that tests your integrity, even if it is small, what will your choice be? The Madoffs of the world have their place- they are a cautionary wake up call to the greed that lives within all of us. It is up to each of us to learn from it.

Disturbing lack of focus

The media and our self serving natures are playing a very scary game of smoke and mirrors. We are all feeding our worst doom and gloom scenarios and focusing almost solely on our own perceived national and personal financial situation and almost ignoring what could very well turn into the next international conflict in Gaza. If that happens, it would affect not only our precious finances, but the lifeblood of our nation and our children.

The vast majority of us, especially now that gas prices have dropped, are really not any worse off than we were this time last year. Our 401k statements may look a lot uglier, but since most of us are not retiring this year, it is all perception. 93% of us still have our jobs, we still have our homes, we still have our lives. But if this situation in the Gaza escalates, we may not have that anymore. At the present time, both sides are ignoring the rest of the world in their calls for peace and reasonable, constructive dialogue. Both the Israelis and Palestinians (through their support of Hamas) are doing nothing but deepening the rift between them. They are each using the actions of the other to justify their continued hostility.

Should this conflict deepen and require or inspire the military involvement of outside parties, we will see open multinational warfare on our hands. The UN, and especially the US, is already spread too thin with the conflicts they are already involved in, besides those that are threatening in Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan/India, and Iran. The Islamic nations and their extremists are already stirred up, feeling defensive, and looking for a justifiable excuse to vent their anger and frustration.

In this country, open multinational conflict (a "world war") would result in huge deficit spending to beef up the military, a draft in order to provide the manpower necessary to fulfill our increasing obligations, the need for rationing in order to supply the war effort, and the death and injury of our sons and daughters . Yes, it may not be happening here, but what is going on in the Gaza has very real and major consequences for us and we should all be more invested in what is going on in that area.

Americans, because of our size and our geographic location, have always felt ourselves to be removed from what is going on elsewhere in the world. Unless it directly affects us in a blatant and obvious way, we tell ourselves that it is not our concern. We are at war, but how many of us are really up on what is going on in Iraq or Afghanistan? Does the news even touch on it daily anymore? Do we demand that they do? No... after the number of years we have been at war there, it has become old news, as is any fighting in the Middle East. Our collective response is, "Are they at it again?" We might as well shake our heads and say, "Those crazy kids" for all of our lack of concern. But these are real people who are dying over a long standing cause that arouses a great deal of passion. It will not be resolved easily or without outsiders coming in and giving these two groups a swift karmic kick upside the head to get them to stop for a moment and see reason. The Israelis and Palestinians are so stuck in this pattern of loathing and retribution that they can't see straight. Getting them to look with outside eyes and without the blinders of hatred and bias is the key here, but that can't be done if we all are wearing our own blinders of self interest and self pity.

There is nowhere in the world where we can hide from hostility and conflict- not in our own cocoons or in the false illusions we create for ourselves. The ugliness of the outside world will enter in whether we choose to ignore it or not. Our only hope is to face it head on and proactively do something about it. People here buried their heads in the sand when the world was dealing with the danger posed by Germany and Japan for years and it took the loss of thousands of lives in Pearl Harbor to pull our heads and take action. We can't afford in this age of weapons of mass destruction and atomic weapons available to the highest bidder to let that happen again. It won't be a mere thousands of lives this time around.

We must begin a strong push for dialogue now, with the public resolve of the American people behind it. We truly can't afford not to.

The truth according to whom?

First of all- Happy Birthday to me!

I went to dinner and a movie last night with a friend to celebrate. Dinner was great, but the movie was even better. We saw Frost/Nixon. The acting was tight and very good from everyone in the cast. The story kept moving with great momentum and managed to take what could have been very dry and studious and made it human with moments of humor and candor. Even though he was not exactly a dead ringer, Langella nailed Nixon and gave me some very interesting insight into who he was. My friend and I left the theater in the throws of a great conversation inspired by the movie; something that really doesn't happen after a film much anymore.

My personal feelings about what Nixon did aside, I was struck by the fact that the American public seemed to be waiting for a confession that would never happen. It is not that Nixon did not want to admit he was wrong, or that he was incapable of accepting responsibility for his actions and the dishonor they showed. It is that he simply did not believe he did anything wrong and was shocked that the American people reacted the way they did.

Listening to what was said during the interviews in the filmn, I saw that he was an extremely pragmatic man, which was one of the qualities that allowed him to form the relationships he did with Mao and Brezhnev. He believed that the ends justified the means. I believe that he truly was, in his heart, a true public servant; on who was not able to relinquish control to others because he believed that in order for the necessary result to occur, he had to do as much as possible himself. He was an extremely intelligent, shrewd, and practical man of conviction who had a vision for what he wanted to accomplish. His goal was to see to the higher good of the American people. Because of this, he believed that as long as it was done in hisview of the perceived best interest of the American people, anything he did was right. That was his greatest strength. It was also his greatest weakness and the source of his downfall.

Nixon could never apologize for the break in and subsequent cover up because he believed he was right for doing whatever it took to be reelected; not for personal power, but because I believe he truly believed he was the only man who could do the job and do it right. To him, it was unthinkable that anyone else, especially a liberal, could be President and lead as he saw the situation needed. We will never have the chance to see if he was right. I would not be surprised if he even saw himself as a sort of martyr; one who was uniquely capable to give all in service to his country. This would make him noble in his own eyes, which would make the controversy even less understandable to him and an apology impossible. Once the break in was discovered, he would feel compelled to protect those that helped him; the "unsung heroes" who were being "fed to the lions". This would be the sort of thought pattern he would use to justify his loyalty to men like Haldeman and Ehrlichman and his lack of diligence in bringing them to justice. You have to think; anyone who he trusted enough to act in his behalf would have had to show themselves worthy and able to complete the task as well as Nixon would. This would have been a high hurdle to jump; Nixon would have known that and valued that knowledge with his loyalty.

I don't agree with what he did. I do not believe the ends justify the means, no matter how great or positive the ends. When that happens, you take away the moral authority of the result and taint anything the ends may achieve. I would rather fail with honor and integrity than succeed without it. That said, I do see what Nixon was trying to do and why. I understand why he was unable to give people the confession they so desperately wanted and why he withdrew from the public rather than give it. For him to confess to something he perceived was just would go against everything he personally stood for. I will not call him a bad man, because I don't believe he was. I think he was a man with a lot of admirable and good qualities who utilized them from a faulty sense of perspective. He should not be vilified, but should be a cautionary tale to us all of how even the best of us can be easily led astray to become the which we desire least to be.

What does supposed to be mean?

"That's not how it's supposed to be!" "You're supposed to do this, say that, act like this." "A person in your position just doesn't do that!" How many times have we said this, let alone thought this, whether about ourselves or someone else? And just what does it mean? Does it mean that if we don't look, speak, or act a certain way, there's something wrong with us? Who decides what "supposed to" looks like?

Society sets legitimate standards for legitimate reasons. Standards for conduct help to keep society running smoothly and assist in preventing harm and exploitation of all members of society. But there is a tipping point after which standards create rigid codes which no longer keep people working together in harmony, but instead create discord. This is where prejudices, unnecessary judgement, and hypocrisy occur. Hatred, distrust, and intolerance of anything that deviates from "the norm" push people apart and erode the ties that bind us as human beings. Conformity becomes more important than what is right, just, or honest. The standards lose their meaning, and, consequently, their authority.

I would suggest that rather than ask if something is within the bounds of "normal", we ask a few questions as a kind of litmus test before making judgement. Is the person or thing done with an underlying sense of honesty and good intent? Is it harmful to others? Is it done with integrity and responsibility? What are the effects or results that derive from it? In my mind, if the way something looks, speaks, or acts is done within those parameters, who really cares if it falls within the bounds of what is "normal"? Much of what we do today in modern American society has been considered "abnormal" or "subversive" by some culture somewhere at some point in time. But labeling an something "abnormal" or "bad" does not make it wrong. If someone who is otherwise a happy, positive person who fulfills their responsibilities, takes care of themselves and others, and causes no harm wants to believe they are an alien from another planet, does it really matter? If a woman who is a good person wants to live in an open, loving, committed relationship with another person, male or female, is it wrong? If a young boy wants to take ballet lessons instead of karate because he enjoys it, how is that a bad thing? If a man who is a kind and loving husband, father, and friend likes to secretly and privately dress in women's underwear every once and a while in his own home, where's the harm? The only way these could be categorized as wrong is if you hold that anything that falls outside a narrow band of "appropriate behavior" is wrong.

Indeed, rules exist for a reason and should be respected. However, respect is a far cry from blind obedience without examining a rule's validity and purpose. While I don't believe that "rules were meant to be broken", I do believe that most rules were meant to be bent some times, for some reasons. We shouldn't cripple ourselves and others by holding on to "supposed to". If we all act with honesty, integrity, compassion, and ill will toward none, then we'll all do just fine and our society will too.

Images of another time?

Over the holidays, while I was sick, I watched a lot of movies when I wasn't sleeping. On Christmas Eve, I managed to catch the last hour of a movie I had not seen in a long time and had forgotten about, Frank Capra's Meet John Doe. I was knocked on my back side and immediately got online to find and buy it. It is the story of Ann (Barbara Stanwyck) who loses her newspaper writing job in a ownership change. She is a single woman who is the sole support of her widowed mother and younger sisters, so in a desperate bid to keep her job, as her last story for the paper she makes up an anonymous "John Doe" letter by a man who claims to be so disgusted with society and how men treat each other that he is going to throw himself off the roof of City Hall at midnight on Christmas Eve in protest. The letter creates huge buzz and the paper decides to keep her on and hire a man to pretend to be "John Doe". They choose an ex- baseball pitcher hobo named John (Gary Cooper) and pay him to go along with it, promising him a one way ticket out of town on Christmas Eve. Soon the corrupt and wealthy new owner of the paper, DB Horton, realizes the power John could have, after he has Anne write a radio speech to capitalize on John's popularity. She crafts a speech promoting the values of understanding, kindness and generosity toward your neighbors and the message gets a huge positive reception.



John tours the country, giving more of these speeches and begins to believe he is "John Doe", inspiring common folk to start clubs and movements aimed at acting on those values in his speeches. What began as a publicity stunt to sell newspapers has become a full fledged movement. DB starts manipulating the movement to jockey for the formation of a third party, which he would head and be the presidential candidate for. He and his friends have intentions that are decidedly not on par with John's and the movement's ideals, so DB squelches the movement and tries to silence John after he discovers DB's plans and tries to reveal them publicly. DB's success at turning the public against him leads John to flee, and on Christmas Eve he climbs to the top of City Hall to martyr himself and fan the flames of the movement to resuscitate it. Ann, who has fallen in love with him, as well as some other "John Doe" supporters, come to City Hall to stop him. They convince him not to jump because, in the words of Ann, "If an idea is worth dying for, it's worth living for."



I was very affected by this film because those values resonate with me too. Did John singlehandedly change the world? No, but he encouraged others to join together and make a difference; to make their world a better place. I was so moved that I bought a collection of Capra films, including Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, You Can't Take It With You, and It's a Wonderful Life. All of these films are appeals to the goodness that lies within men's hearts and aspires to move us to live lives that reflect that goodness. Yes, in today's cynical eye, they may look simplistic, but that is only because we have chosen to make everything so complicated and "sophisticated". However, that doesn't change the fact that when you choose to suspend the jaded notions we hold as true, the ideas in these films are just as powerful today as they were then. They are also just as relevant. If I didn't recognize it myself, seeing the reaction of my 10 year old son to these films would confirm it.



Capra made these films during the Depression, when 25% of the population was unemployed and countless others were under employed or struggling. Everyone was primarily concerned with covering the basics and addressing the simple needs of life. Luxuries were just that and not part of the definition of what constitutes basic survival. That said, you know what the strange thing is? Talk to anyone who lived during that time and they'll tell you, while it was tough, they managed to be happy. They may have daydreamed about the life they saw in movies and magazines, but in reality, they were all in the same boat with their neighbors and found contentment with the overall quality of their lives. The average American toady live a life that only the wealthiest could achieve back then, yet all we do is complain about how tough things are.



Is it that the ideals in Capra's films are quaint, naive notions, or that we have such a skewed sense of what life is about that we can't appreciate them? I believe it is the latter. I highly doubt that a Capra film would ever see the light of day today, much less be a critical and commercial success. But that doesn't mean that we don't need to see these kind of films, hear these kinds of stories, and be affected by them. I will make a point of watching them, and my son with me, when I need to be reminded of what is real and what truly matters in this world.



Do yourself a huge favor. Go to the video store or online and pick up a copy of one of these Frank Capra films. Forget the fact that they are in black and white, are dialogue heavy, and contain no special effects or CGI. I think that, after watching them, you might end up a little sadder and a little wiser, but a lot more hopeful.

In the days things are supposed to change, they stay the same

First of all, Happy New Year everyone! I'm happy to say that I am well and finally back to normal, with just a few sniffles. I hope the holidays and the new year have seen you well.

I am disturbed by what is going on in Israel, even if I am not surprised. The Palestinians started this course by electing Hamas to represent them and by not taking the outrage of Israel in response seriously. When they chose a group to represent them who has the destruction of Israel as one of the tenets in their charter, they made a statement. And by not rising up as a people and holding Hamas accountable and in check, they signalled that they did not disagree with what Hamas was doing. Hamas' leader said over the weekend, as he called for the Palestinian people to rise up, that the actions of Israel in killing Plaestinian children and innocents legitimized the killing of Israeli children and innocents. In this statement, he basically said that the bombing they were conducting and its resulting civilian casualties were not legitimate before, but that now they are because Israel is doing the same thing they have been doing but on a grander scale. Does anyone else see what is wrong with this?

The Palestinians have stood by with their heads in the sand and then as lambs to the slaughter in all this and Israel has done its usual overwrought response which does nothing but create international outrage and reinforces the siege mentality the Palestinians already feel. The actions of both sides are yet another step in the same old dance that has been going on for the last 40 plus years. And yet there is one day supposed to be peace?

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. What we have here in this ongoing conflict can only really be described then as insanity. Someone here, whether it be the Palestinians or the Israelis needs to step up and do something different and unexpected. They need to truly commit to the ideal of peace and then turn the other cheek. If Israel, as the superior military force in this conflict, would take the surprising path of offering an olive branch to those Palestinians that are not fighting and their representatives, they could foster ill will toward Hamas within the Palestinians and take advantage of the frustration that they are already feeling toward the situation. But Israel is too invested in its ego and pride to do this. It's got what I call little man's disease; it feels as if it doesn't come out swinging at every little threat, it makes itself a future victim. The truth is the other way around. Every time it swings out at nothing, it paints itself as the man to beat and isolates itself from more reasonable groups and countries. Do you take a gun out to shoot a bee that has just stung you? On the other hand, the Palestinians could show some maturity as a group and say "enough" to Hamas and the groups that continue to make then little more than victims. They could refuse to be defined by their fringe elements and take responsibility for their actions and destiny by acting as a whole in a reaonable group committed to peace. Drop the rocks and hold out their hands, both hands, and indicate that they are ready to see the situation for what it is and make the best of it. Neither group will ever have sole control and possession of the area again, they they need to learn to work together and find a solutionthat addresses the needs of everyone.

The time for peace is here, but it will take a swallowing of pride and ego on both sides for that to happen. I would think that brokering a lasting peace in the face of such past adversity is something, however, to be far more proud of.