Archive for August, 2010

GILLIGAN’S ISLAND

Sunday, August 29th, 2010

“Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale…”.  In this case, the tale would begin about a Presidential campaign that promised “hope” and “change”.  Change from the tired old Washington politics.  But more and more I’m feeling like one of millions of “Gilligan’s”, stranded on an island after what was supposed to be a three-hour cruise.  Vice President Joe Biden as the hapless Skipper, and our own President as Thurston Howell III, the pompous super-wealthy aristocrat played wonderfully by Jim Backus, with the exaggerated, diminutive, nasal drawl.  Removed, always, from the discomforts suffered by the rest of the cast-aways.

Look, I don’t expect the President and First Lady to be staying at a Motel 6 when they vacation, and we have all come to accept the extraordinary cost associated with keeping the couple safe when they travel.  Still, a little humility goes a long way.  At a time when Obama could use a little bump in the popularity poll, what a tremendous gesture it would be for them to scale back a little bit, you know, like the rest of us are having to do.  Not surprisingly, as the public mulls over the latest economic news, the worst month for real estate in 15 years, rising unemployment and foreclosures, news of Michelle Obama flying a $12,000.00 per hour aircraft to Spain and back does not sit well.  The Martha’s Vineyard trip is awash in stories of excess.  Fifty grand for a rental?  Again, whether it is taxpayers money or their own, the emblematic disconnect from the rest of us, from the President who promised “change” and “not to rest” until certain goals were achieved, is palpable.

Even now, Joe Biden, just in New Hampshire, continues to insist we are on “the right track”.  Oh…I think we’re on a track, alright.  Tied to a train track, perhaps.  The Administration continues to refer to the “Summer of Recovery”.  Maybe the rest of us just misread the meaning here.  We were thinking “recovery” in terms of something getting better.  Healing…returning to normal.  Instead, they may be thinking of “recovery” in terms of hauling up the wrecked hull of the USS American Economy from the Marianna Trench.  There’s a difference between a rescue mission and a recovery mission.  We may be past rescue.

Early on I thought it odd how easily the Obama’s settled into the High Life.  It is one thing to carry oneself well in heeled company, but there was always a smarminess about them, at least to me.  All the accoutrements fit too well…too easily.
Even some feigned discomfort would have gone a long way.  A little clumsiness here, a little aloof over there, a signal now and then to the public that you’re a regular guy and you want to keep sight of that.

But there’s an emperor-type vibe that is unsettling.  It would have been good advice to the President, I believe, to make an overt attempt during his tenure over these perilous economic times, to “keep it real”.  An occasional foray into some inner-city neighborhoods, where the plight that the Democrats love to pander to actually lives, would be a good place to start.  Our President likes the speech circuit though and finds it hard to get out of campaign-mode, or blame-mode.  Innovative solutions put forth in comprehensive terms are hard to come by.

The game plan now seems to be to continue to insist that reality is just our imagination,  We’re on the road to recovery, afterall.  Let’s just hope that the road is in better shape than most of the highways and bridges in this country.  Or are we on the “right track”.  Jeez…come to think of it, they don’t even know if we’re in a car or on a train.  Not a comforting sign.

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N. PELOSI: GUMSHOE

Sunday, August 22nd, 2010

I begin by making the unconventional request that as you read this, you imagine the theme to “Dragnet” playing softly in the background.  “I was working the daywatch out of San Bernardino…”.  Except the quirky detective is no longer Joe Friday, but instead House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  The diminutive, insipid, toad of a woman who has interjected herself into our daily lives by means of her position, is at it again.  She better start keeping a tube of Purell handy when she’s standing next to Biden, because she is quickly becoming the first documented example of “Foot-In-Mouth” disease being transferred like an airborne virus.

It would take pages to compile even the most cursory list of her ridiculous statements.  Her recent proclamation that unemployment compensation was one of the best uses of stimulus money because “people went right out and spent it” comes to mind.  Oh yes, they spent.  With government issued debit cards that were accepted in strip joints, casinos and race tracks in California until just recently.  Stimulation.

She was indignant when questioned about her $1,000.00 per week bill for snacks and booze on her taxpayer-funded flights back and forth across the country.  That’s just the food bill…now imagine the cost of the plane, pilots and staff.  She complained about her Gulfstream not being large enough and routinely booked the plane, and left pilots and military staff waiting, only to cancel at the last minute.  A truly wonderful person.

Still, as only Pelosi can do, she has reached even greater heights in her ascent to clinical insanity.  She has called for an investigation into “those people who are opposing the Mosque” and “where their funding is coming from”.  The “Mosque” she refers to is, of course, the thirteen-story black eye that is planned, and maybe already doomed, for construction in the shadow of Ground Zero in New York City.

An investigation?  Really?  Funding?  If I was going to investigate any funding, I would be wondering who is funding this behemoth Mosque.  Now that would be interesting.  But the folks, the 68% of Americans who oppose the construction of this victory tower, they are the ones who should be scrutinized.  Hey Nancy…we’ll make it easy for you.  We’re right here in front of you.  We are funding our own opinions, with money we earned.  And as is wont for Pelosi and this administration to do, she, and they, look right past us.  We are a nuisance.  Our contrary opinions are silly and racist and rooted in some sort of neo-nostalgic, quasi-Americana fantasy.

But the reality is we are the average work-a-day Americans who are collectively watching in horror as our country morphs into some sort of passive-aggressive continental freak.  If you have to explain to someone why building a Mosque just feet from where thousands of innocent people died at the hands of fanatics bound to the religion that this Mosque promotes, why it is simply bad manners, than there is barely need to continue the conversation.  It is yet another example of the “we’re just a little more enlightened than you” crowd looking down their noses at the rest of us.  It’s irritating enough on it’s own, but when it comes from a woman who could easily pass as a Pixar creation, who admonishes the rest of us to tighten our belts while she flits around like a Princess, it is just too much to bear.  Let’s figure out who is funding Nancy Pelosi.  Oh…wait a minute…it’s you and me.

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LET’S MAKE A DEAL

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

You may be expecting Monty Hall to enter from stage left and the roar of an excited crowd.  If you’re my age, you’ll understand that reference to the once popular game show where contestants chose between items hidden under large boxes or behind curtains.  One might win anything from a new car to a lifetime’s worth of fishsticks, depending on how well you guess, or “make a deal”, as it were.  It was a popular show, as I remember, and innocent entertainment fun.

Deal making has taken on a new, more serious tone in modern America as it has become the number-one tool in meting out justice in our court systems throughout the nation.  Considering the monumental task of handling the chore of administering punishment to the many criminals we have here, at first glance it seems understandable.  But, if you look at the justice system as a business, then why doesn’t the “service department” expand to meet the requirements of the increased “business”?  What we need, it seems, are more courts, more judges and more prisons.  Instead, increasingly the mindset is to reserve prison space for hardened criminals, the truly violent, and to “plea-deal” everyone else back to the street.

If it were that simple, it might not be as dangerous a philosophy as it is turning out to be.  Instead, our prisons are populated by everyone from pot smokers to murderers, and navigating the judicial system turns out to be much more like the old television game show than it is akin to an honest “crime and punishment” scenario.  To me, it is pretty simple.  The punishment should fit the crime.  However, in a society ever-more diverse, by our own design, there is rarely consensus on what is a “serious” crime, and what is not.  Consider the recent case of the Souhegan High School in Amherst deciding that two thrill-killers should have their pictures included in the yearbook.   ‘Nuff said.

Last week, an editorial in the Union Leader pointed out yet another horrendous “plea deal”.  In Dover, a young man named John Wentworth had started a brawl with a complete stranger on a walking trail, not far from Central Avenue, and probably in view of other people.  Richard Nolette wasn’t looking for trouble, the two were strangers, and Wentworth was about 80 pounds heavier, not unusual for “tough guys” to pick a fight with an easy target.  Wentworth kicked Nolette in the head and torso, and then slammed his head into the sidewalk.  Nolette was sick with AIDS at the time.  A day later, Wentworth went to  Nolette’s apartment looking to finish the job, but Nolette would not come outside.  A day later, Richard died of head injuries.

It took a full year for Wentworth to be arrested and indicted, a travesty in and of itself.  But the real travesty occurred last week when Superior Court Justice Kenneth Brown accepted a plea deal that would set Wentworth free in 18 months.  Not surprisingly, many of Nolette’s family members, present in court, were outraged.  Others, it is said, were satisfied with the outcome.

As a father of four boys I am confident that if one of their lives were to be taken in such a cavalier, senseless and brutal way, I would be satisfied with nothing less than the perpetrator sacrificing his or her life in exchange.  That is simple and fair.  I lose a son, my son loses his life…the perpetrator should match the deal.  Life in prison.  Yet somehow, as a society, we have come to a place where these sort of life and death negotiations are handed down everyday across the country and we don’t even bat an eye.  I don’t know either family and have no stake in this beyond being astonished that as a culture we continue allow our “legal system” to dole out such mismatched doses of “justice”.  Easy to pass it off when it’s not a loved one, but at some point, as a society, we may want to revisit exactly how the greater good is being served here.

And by the way, if it ever becomes a sure thing that manslaughter gets you 18 months, I expect we’ll all be seeing people being slammed, head-first, into sidewalks on a regular basis.  Afterall, most of us learn as children that there are consequences for our behavior.  That is what kept us from cutting the cat’s tail off with pruning shears.  It will be interesting to see what changes await us as a culture as we slowly remove “consequence” from that equation.

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MOSQUE FOR MEN

Monday, August 9th, 2010

Wait a minute…no…that was “Musk for Men”, that cologne from the 70′s reserved for guys who drove Corvettes.  What we need is a Mosque for men, although that may be a contradiction in terms.  We’re getting a Mosque, ready or not, but it’s not just any old Mosque.  This one will be thirteen stories high and will be built right, plunk in the middle of Ground Zero in New York City.  Yes, the same religion that still holds Osama Bin Laden in good stead has decided to showcase itself exactly in the shadow of the spot where 3,000 innocent men, women and children died at the hands of Islamic extremists.

It barely seems necessary anymore to add the “extremist” at the end of that, because even in the wake of 9/11 there was little or no outcry from Muslims living here denouncing the act.  There has been little or no outcry since, either.  That speaks volumes in my book.  Sure, I’ve heard the lone voice here and there in print or on talk radio claiming that the terrorists are in a league of their own…but are they?

The claim I hear most from those defending the Muslim silence is that they are afraid to speak out.  Imagine being so beholden to a faith that you fear speaking out against the parts of it that are nonsense.  You know…those pesky little paragraphs about killing infidels and Jews.  The part about needing to do that to be allowed your passage to heaven.  African-Americans should be grateful that Martin Luther King did not share those same fears.   See…that is why a Mosque for men would be silly, because there are few real men that adhere to that religion and philosophy.  Cowardice is the badge that these people wear.
How else do you describe flying an aircraft full of innocents into two of the world’s largest office buildings?  How about the beheading of Daniel Pearl? Courageous?  Strapping bombs to women and children and even developmentally disabled acolytes to have them bid the dirty work?  The strategies of brave men?

In a way, I am glad this is happening.  Not for New York, or for the relatives of those lost on that dreadful day.  Not for the families of firefighters and other first responders who died on that day, or since from complications derived from it.  I’m glad that such a simple, black and white statement has been made by the Muslims who call America “home”.  It lays in stark terms, for those who may have missed the message of 9/11, exactly what these people are all about.  Every one of them? No…of course not.  I have met many who seem like fine people.  I have also met some who can barely contain their disdain for Americans, yet they remain here for reasons that are increasingly baffling.

Dennis Miller said it better than anyone I’ve heard yet.  He wrote that the fact that we would allow this tells you everything you need to know about us.  The fact that Muslims in this country wouldn’t edit this on their own accord, tells you everything you need to know about them.   Really, exactly how far over do we have to bend to convince the world, or maybe ourselves, that we welcome all with open arms?  Will this mosque finally do it?  Will that be enough and then maybe we can go back to having some common sense?

This is an affront to every American, and especially to every New Yorker.  If I had one thing to say to Muslims in this country, assuming you see any good in this country at all, that there is even a shred of you that wants to be, even a little bit…American…please, have some manners.

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LITTLE MORE PULL

Sunday, August 1st, 2010

If you’ve ever seen video of the Air Force Thunderbirds or the Navy Blue Angels, you may have heard the “Air Boss”, the lead plane in demonstration teams, coaxing one of his pilots to give it “a little more pull”.  That is, nose up just a bit to stay tight in formation.

Some things must be seen live to be appreciated in full, and a demonstration by either of these teams is one of those things.
The television screen just doesn’t do it justice, and as more and more military bases close, what used to be rather common and readily available each summer…significant air shows…are becoming far and few between.  It’s been seven or eight years for me, the last one I attended was at Barnes in Springfield, MA.  A long drive home after a long day in the sun looking at and watching, airplanes of every breed.

One need not be a military buff, or even an aviation enthusiast, to appreciate one of these shows.  They are known most as a family event with plenty to do for the kids, typical fair ground food, and lots of airplanes to sit in and see up close.  Aviation is one of the cornerstones of America’s history and at these large shows one is likely to see everything from a true replica of the Wright Brothers flyer, to the most technically advanced military and civilian aircraft.

For those in the vicinity, the opportunity will present itself on August 28th and 29th at the former Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth, NH.  You can learn more at www.newenglandairshow.com and it is well worth the price of admission.  I’ve seen the Blue Angles a handful of times, and it is an awe inspiring experience.  These are the best pilots, male and female, that the country has to offer.  They are flying the most advanced aircraft in the world, and every second, from the initial ceremony as the pilots approach their planes with brisk, military execution, and then throughout the entire flight demonstration, is sure to get your patriotic blood pumping.  Witnessing up close what these planes and pilots are capable of is simply astonishing.

As though a demonstration by the Blues wasn’t enough, this show will also feature a performance by Sean Tucker, former World Aerobatic Champion, who is simply stunning in an airplane.  Also, New Hampshire’s own Rob Holland who is the current World Aerobatic Champion, will perform as well.  Rob has a style all his own, has flown all over the world, and is based at Nashua Airport.  New Hampshire is fortunate to have him.

I remind people often that aviation sometimes seems reserved for “motorheads”, kind of like Nascar with wings, but the world of General Aviation holds a lot more than that.  For most pilots, myself included, though we are inclined to like things that go fast and have motors, it was the beauty of flying that got me into flight school over twenty years ago.  Some of the most beautiful sights I have seen have been from a small airplane.  Even now, every flight is it’s own in every way.  I have memories of sights that are embedded in my memory bank.  Early morning flights with fog laying just above the rivers.  A night flight back from Portland, Maine under a full moon with Boston clearly visible at the end of a string of lights, doting the coastline like spilled diamonds.  The kids were young and snoozing in the back seat, the air was like glass, and the flight like a magic carpet ride.  I could go on and on, but the point is, there is a reason that people are drawn to the air, and the gorgeous New England countryside is one of them.

It’s a secret pilots kind of keep among themselves because we’re not anxious for everyone to know that we all have a “touchy-feely” side.  When you talk to someone who flies, and you talk about flying, you’ll see it in their eyes.  Go to Pease at the end of August and you may well leave with a bit of a flying twinkle in your own eye.

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