the role of alcohol vs marijuana re-visited.

The New York Jets announced that it will not be selling beer at its last game of the year and probably the last game at Giants Stadium (why in this economy do we actually need to replace a relatively new stadium-how about low income housing? Sorry another story)
The fear here is that alcohol consumption lowers inhibitions and contributes to s lawless,violent,at risk, dangerous behaviors. There is no evidence that marijuana use contributes to violent behavior. Yet we continue to demonize marijuana and waste incredible resources in the arrest and probition of its use. The real demon is alcohol. The real threat as Jet management has realized that they have to manage the behavior of their customers due to alcohol use. This is once again the absurd influence of money over reason and ultimately public safety. I am glad that Jets managment is putting a small short term economic loss aside for the greater public good.

Madoff and Muslims-there is a connection.

When the scandal of Bernie Madoff came to the surface this year one of the concerns that I had was that the anti-Semites of the would have a field day with this. Here was the stereotypical view of the thieving money hungry Jew. "Yet another Jew playing games with finances. He Jewed me" This perception was there in spite of the fact that many of the people Madoff riped off were other Jews-including Ellie Wiesel. Perception often triumphs over truth.
What this has to do with Muslims-is a similar stereotypical perception based on the news of suicide bombings. It is important to note that most Muslims are not dangerous and are not extremists and that there is nothing in the Koran that perpetuates violence.
Please note as well, that most of the deaths caused by suicide bombers are other Muslims. The uncertainty,fear and threats faced by Americans in Afghanistan and Iraq is shared by non radicalized,non violent Muslims in their own home. It is important for all of us to know that the acts of extremist hurt their own people in many,many ways-murderous and otherwise.

In another political reality...President HIllary Clinton?

I wasn't crazy about Hillary Clinton coming into New York to run in 2000 for Senator Noynihan's seat when he announced his retirement. I was a supporter of Nita Lowey who I felt would have made a great senator and is as native a New Yorker as you can get. But NYS has a history of carpetbaggers-including Robert Kennedy. I was just wondering what history would have been, if Mrs. Clinton had gone back to her home state of Illinois and run for the senate there. If she had, she would have been going after the senate seat of Peter Fitzgerald-a Republican. This was the senate seat that Barack Obama ran for and won in 2004. (Against Alan Keyes? That was a tough battle!) My theory or political irony is, that if Hillary Clinton had gone home to Illinois, instead of New York, there might not have been a Senator Obama to run against for president. Without a senator Obama, there is no President Obama and probably there would be a President Hillary Clinton. Just a though..

As we celebrate the new year let's ring in 1939?

Paul Krugman in today's Times,rightfully calls 2009 "The Big Zero"..where nothing went right,no gains were made financially and no one apparently learned any lessons about bubbles of any kind. It was a year when the curtains were pulled back revealing a corrupt greed filled, delusional financial culture, where people believed in magic. Which brings us to the question, what does this have to do with 1939?
For starters 1939 was the year of The Wizard of Oz (hence pulling the curtain on magic). 1939 brought us probably the best year ever in movies with Gone With The Wind,Good Bye Mr.Chips,The Hunch Back of Notre Dame and Mr.Smith Goes to Washington (In 2009,to quote Howard Ogden, it would be without the happy ending.
1939 was the year in which Batman made his first appearance. It was the year of the World's Fair in New York's Flushing Meadow.La Guguardia Airport was opened. New York saw the completion of The Whitestone Bridge, The Brooklyn Queens Expressway and the Kosciusko Bridge (which New Yorker's pronounce many ways-named for the Polish born military engineer who helped the US during our war for Independence.)Regular television broadcasts started.
So let's bid adieu to 2009 and look forward to the hopes for 1939?

The Church Still Doesn't Get It...

You would figure that after the Crusades,the Inquisition and until Vatican 2 exonerated Jews for the death of Christ (Mel Gibson not withstanding), the Catholic Church would have some sensitivity in its role in the persecuting of Jews throughout history. If you figured this,you would have figured wrong. Of all the Cardinals that could have been chosen as Pope,we have Pope Benedict who was a member (voluntarily or otherwise) of the Hitler youth. A bishop was excommunicated for being a Holocaust denier was ex-excommunicated and seems to be back in the fold. Now Pope Benedict has nominated for sainthood Pope Pius X11-also known as "Hitler's Pope"-as documented by historian John Cornwall in his book "Hitler's Pope"). Pius X11 had a long history of anti-semitism in his works and writings prior to becoming pope. In his role of nuncio in Germany,Pius X11's lack of opposition by the Nazis in the democratic church affairs basically gave the Nazi's free rein in church matters, giving further legitimacy to the Nazi's. During Pius X11's reign the Jews of Rome were rounded up and taken by train to Auschwitz. Pius X11 nomination for sainthood is yet another example of the church still not getting it in its its relationship historically to Jews.

An R rating for "Its Complicated"-another war of distraction

The new Meryl Streep movie "Its Complicated" has been given an R rating. There is no overt sexuality. No nudity. No overt violence of any kind. The movie was given an R rating because there is depiction of marijuana use. For depiction of marijuana use. The fear being if a child sees someone smoking a joint and actually enjoying it, that they might think,"hey good idea-I want to do that too" This is opposed to all the drinking you see in many TV shows at any time,all the scenes in bars or parties where people are drinking; scenes in airports-where people are smiling and drinking (Does the new George Clooney movie have an R rating for drinking? No I don't think so) Would you put an R rating on any O'Neil play? Oops sorry too escoteric an example. Would the movie Days of Wine and Roses get an R rating today?
Its holiday time-bring the champagne, bring the wine, its Miller Time-have fun. Get in the holiday spirit. Everybody smile. Go to the bowl games. Watch the people getting beer in the stands.( I particularly like the shots of men drinking beer and having their shirts of in sub zero temperatures. If that isn't a cultural enhancer...) Sorry Ms.Streep, you smoking a joint is going to corrupt the minds of our young. Especially since we can't cash in on it. This is going to cost your movie millions for no apparent reason but its for the greater good. Sorry, you are yet another innocent victim of our culural wars. Collateral damage for the greater good..our greater good. It is a cultureal war based on fear.
Marijuana is not a drug of empowerment. Alcohol is and its at the root of much violence, of much physical and emotional abuse, let alone its role in auto fatalities. The gallows laughter of alcohol is a far greater danger than someone seen smoking a joint. We have yet again another example of our addictions to distraction enabled by powerful lobbyiest (and rightwing political groups) such as the beer and spirits industry,whose only concern is not for how a child's mind might be corrupted by marijuana., not for the truth,but for their bototm line-especially if it means corrupting a child's mind that will enhance that bottom line.
A final point here is that it not just the influence and money the alcohol industry has, or political groups being afraid of marijuana use, its the influence and money needed by opposing points of view don't have.
Its really isn't complicated. Its once again about money.

An even better reason why we won't win in Afghanistan,,,

Robin Williams had the best explanation why we won't and can't "win" in Afghanistan, If you try to bomb them back to the stone age "it would be an upgrade".