Category: Guest Authors

By Chris Freind

Don’t look now, but the latest installment of “Dumb and Dumber” just came out on the small screen. Only this time, we have to add “Dumbest.”

Dumb: The only way to describe NBC evening news anchor Brian Williams, who lied on God knows how many stories in his “storied” career, including the now infamous “recollection” of how his helicopter was forced down in Iraq by enemy fire. In fact, no such thing occurred.

Dumber: His ridiculous non-apology for committing the mortal sin of journalism, and thinking that taking himself off the air for a few days will make everything OK.

Dumbest: NBC, for A. allowing Williams himself to issue the statement saying he, as anchor and managing editor, had made the leave-of-absence decision, and B. for not jumping in front of the story by immediately firing Williams.

The questionable behavior of both parties couldn’t be scripted any better if it were a soap opera.

But it’s not. It’s real life, and the damage, not just to NBC and Williams, but the entire media, is growing by the day.

Last night, NBC announced Williams was being suspended for six months without pay.

Let’s break down this controversy, free of the ever-present psycho-babble so many use to explain such things:

1. Question: Why did Brian Williams lie? Answer: Who cares? Totally irrelevant. If he wants to talk about his “mistake in recalling the events” — a convenient, smartly wordsmithed way of saying he lied — perhaps he should see a shrink. But such an egregious error has no place in journalism, especially for one who sits behind a national anchor desk.

2. The magnitude of this firestorm is partly of our own making. Clearly, lying is never acceptable in the media, from the cub reporter to a seasoned anchor. But this is such a huge story because, somewhere along the way, we transformed national television journalists into mega-celebrities with 10-figure salaries, people who just as often “become the news” as much as they report it.

3. Perception is reality. And since the growing perception is that Williams cannot be trusted, he must go, for that type of trust can never — ever — be regained. Williams can certainly be successful in another line of work, and has as much right to be forgiven as anyone. But the fact remains that in journalism, credibility isn’t an important thing, it’s the only thing.

Brian Williams is now suffering the snowball effect. So long as he is still officially an anchor, every story that he has ever filed is fair game for its veracity. More and more reports are calling into question Williams’ ability to tell the truth, from being in an Israeli helicopter where he claimed enemy rockets were flying below him, to seeing floating bodies and contracting dysentery while covering Hurricane Katrina.

Is Williams a pathological liar or part-time deceiver? Or was the Iraq helicopter story a one-and-done deal? Who knows? But the digging and additional accusations — true or not — won’t cease until NBC does what it should have done on Day One.

4. Brian Williams didn’t embellish the story. He made it up. Getting hit by enemy fire is something that would literally be burned into your memory forever, such as witnessing your child’s birth or knowing exactly where you were on 9/11. To say you were hit, when you weren’t remotely close to taking fire, is total fabrication.

So why hasn’t NBC pulled the plug and said, “Anchor aweigh?” It owes nothing to Williams, since he broke his end of the bargain. Keeping him in limbo is getting the network the worst of both worlds: The digging will continue, more negative stories reflecting on the network will surface, and they will end up cutting ties anyway. So why wait?

This isn’t a court of law where innocent until proven guilty applies; it is the court of public opinion, on which rests hundreds of millions in advertising money. And since Williams has already admitted fault, giving him his walking papers would not be a raw deal.

The network also made a colossal mistake in allowing Williams to take himself off the air. Doing so implied that he was in charge — the fox guarding the henhouse — answering to no one. Now, many questions are being raised on how effectively the network is managed, which can only lead to more trouble — the last thing it needs while trying to fix its broken image. Crisis management experts, the NBC executives are not.

Bottom line: If Brian Williams is permanently removed, there is no reason to keep digging through his past. Problem solved. NBC should cut its losses. Immediately.

6. How can anyone, especially Brian Williams’ media colleagues, defend him, as some have, claiming this whole episode is being blown out of proportion? And that firing him would be a punishment that doesn’t fit the crime?

Prior to this firestorm, the media’s credibility was already impugned. Keeping Brian Williams in the anchor seat is destroying whatever integrity remains. There is a time to circle the wagons when a friend is in trouble, but this isn’t it. The best advice anyone could give Williams would be to step down now, on his terms before they fire him, and try to salvage whatever dignity he has left.

And incredibly, many of Williams’ apologists are invoking a perceived double-standard, where politicians can lie but reporters can’t, asking if it’s right to hold journalists to a higher standard.

If you’re in the media, and you actually ask that question with a straight face, you need to find another profession. Enough said.

We should give Brian Williams the benefit of the doubt that he is sorry. But if he truly respects the anchor desk, NBC News, and most important, the integrity of journalism itself, he should do the right thing and make himself, and this story, go away.

Loyalty above all. Except Honor.

(Note: NBC Tuesday night suspended Brian Williams for six months.)

Brian Williams Shows NBC Cares Not

By Chris Freind

“Samuel chose to be a soldier, and soldiers die. Sent to be slaughtered by the men in the government … I have seen nothing in (government’s) behavior that would persuade me that it has gained either in wisdom, common sense, or humanity.”
— Col William Ludlow (Anthony Hopkins) in “Legends Of The Fall”

These words are as applicable today as they were in the film’s time period of 100 years ago. And nowhere more than America’s suicidal foreign policy in the Middle East.

What was once unthinkable has now become imperative: Parents whose children are thinking about joining the military need to impart full knowledge of what can be expected. And no, we’re not talking about the rigors of boot camp, the toll of military life on families, or even the obvious dangers of traditional warfare.

Instead, it’s the extremely high likelihood that they will be engaged in the Middle East. And specifically, what will happen should they be captured by ISIS or al-Qaeda.

What exactly awaits them should they be forced to eject or, more likely, captured while fighting in a boots-on-the-ground situation? A fate worse than death. Literally. Just ask the Jordanian fighter pilot who was captured. But you can’t, because he’s no longer here. ISIS saw to that.

He drew the short straw, where beheading with a short, dull knife was far too humane. Instead, he was placed in a cage and kept like an animal for his captors’ enjoyment. When they had their fill of torture and interrogation, they doused him with gasoline. Then, Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh watched as ISIS ignited the fuel, knowing he was seconds away from an excruciating death.

Most Americans can’t bring themselves to watch the video. But they should. Repeatedly. And then they should think about what will happen when an American serviceman winds up in a similar position. ISIS got worldwide publicity from the Jordanian pilot’s death, but an American? That would up the stakes a thousand-fold. And since people are becoming desensitized to beheadings, and burnings will become passé, look for ISIS to up the ante — at an American’s expense.

War is hell, but the butchers in the Middle East take it to another level. But while barbaric, ISIS is also extremely calculating. They know that both political parties in Washington will respond to their atrocities with more calls for military action, gullibly taking the bait in the naïve belief that, “this time,” increasing our presence in places we are universally despised will miraculously change how we are viewed.

We are again being drawn into a battle where achieving “success” is impossible because it has yet to be defined. And because our arrogance has blinded us, our fighting men and women will be used as pawns in the politicians’ war — one that simply cannot be won.

When will enough blood and treasure be expended for us to realize what we need to do? Consider:

1. Has it dawned on anyone that this latest episode of Middle East terror has been brought to us, directly and indirectly, by the very people to whom we have sworn allegiance by prostrating ourselves at the altar of Islamic Crude?

Petroleum and natural gas are the most valuable substances on Earth, and the lack of either would collapse our economy. Yet, despite having the world’s largest reserves of both, America continues to ignore much of that godsend (recent drilling efforts are a start, but nowhere near enough). Instead, we make the conscious choice to rely on, and pay top dollar to, some of the very same people with whom we are at odds.

It’s time to stop the greatest transfer of wealth in human history — foreign aid and trillions of American petro dollars to the Middle East — and keep that money at home.

2. Can we all please just admit what is absolute fact? We are only involved in these firestorms because of our dependence on Middle Eastern oil barons to keep the crude spigots open. And since the flow of petroleum must be unimpeded, we are forced to maintain large diplomatic and military presences in that region, making us viewed as occupiers, and swelling Islamic resentment toward America.

If we drilled on a wider-scale basis (and no, cheap gas prices do not equate to energy independence), we wouldn’t be bent over the Middle East oil barrel, and therefore, wouldn’t be there. The truth, which no one admits, is that we wouldn’t give a damn about those countries or their people if we didn’t need their oil. Evidence? Where was America when millions were massacred in the 1994 Rwandan genocide? Not in Rwanda, because Rwanda has no oil. Ditto for most conflicts around the globe.

3. America has engaged in armed conflict in no less than 10 Muslim countries in the last 15 years. Until America’s reliance on Middle Eastern oil is eliminated, more Americans will die in foreign lands “protecting” oil interests, albeit under the false monikers of “freedom” and “democracy.” Those deaths are solely because America refuses to drill more, and that is inexcusable.

4. If the U.S. and its European allies hadn’t deposed Moammar Gadhafi and Saddam Hussein, and screwed up the works in Assad’s Syria, ISIS and other fundamentalist groups would never have gained a foothold. Secular strongmen are the only ones capable of maintaining regional stability. That may be tough for some to stomach, but it’s reality. So let’s stop trying to “democratize” the Islamic world. It’s not our job, and it won’t happen.

5. Muslim factions continue to be at odds with each other. Always have been, always will be. Let’s capitalize on that. The U.S. should pull out every last serviceman from the battle zones, bolster its carrier battle groups, and pound people and targets from afar with drones and missiles, keeping pilots out of harm’s way. (It’s only a matter of time before an advanced Chinese- or Russian-made missile takes out one of our planes. At that point, the pilot will have to seriously consider taking himself out before being captured, since ISIS doesn’t subscribe to the Geneva conventions.)

America should fight ISIS and al-Qaeda to the end, but only via our Muslim allies, as we provide them all the logistics, intelligence, training and weapons they need. Their boots need to be on the ground — not ours.

6. As a gesture of goodwill, we should hand over all our ISIS prisoners. To Jordan.

7. It’s time other nations step up, especially those truly reliant on Middle Eastern oil, such as China, Japan and India. America has done the heavy lifting for far too long.

Here at home, it’s time for a civil discussion, free of sound bites and personal attacks, about how to make exploring, drilling, fracking, and the transportation of oil safer and environmentally sound. We can and must work together on these issues because there is no rational alternative.

Otherwise, we will share the same remorse as Col. Ludlow, as he said, “Today, our sons are leaving home to defend a (land) they have never seen.”

Suicidal Foreign Policy In Mideast

By Chris Freind

To say the weather people got it wrong recently is like saying Seahawks coach Pete Carroll simply made a bad call.

As everybody on the planet – including the Seattle players – now knows, Carroll’s inexplicable goof on the last play of the Super Bowl snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in the world’s biggest game.

The difference is that Carroll’s mistake is one-and-done, having no real impact on anyone’s life. But the news media’s constant stream of ultra-hyped stories, combined with its uncanny ability to get so much wrong, is contributing to its demise, which is detrimental to everyone. About the only people who don’t seem to grasp this are those in the media itself.

In what became a massive blunder, the media recently had forecast significant snow with “storm-of-the-century” hype in many areas of the country, including the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. In doing so, they scared the bejesus out of people with “team” storm coverage dominating the news cycle for days. The fact that their predictions turned out to be a huge snow job was bad enough. But it’s how we fell for it that showed how gullible and soft we’ve become.

Consider:

1. First, the media, and weather people in particular (calling them “weather forecasters” is an oxymoron), should have led off the “post-storm” news with a mea culpa: “We were wrong. Dead wrong. Not just in our predictions, but in shamelessly hyping the storm that wasn’t, severely interrupting every facet of your lives, from canceled meetings to closed schools to parents forced to take vacation days. And for that, we apologize.”

But too many news directors spend more time trying to keep their jobs rather than doing them, subscribing to the herd mentality of doing the exact the same thing as their competitors. So good luck waiting for that apology, since they see nothing wrong with how they performed – which they will repeat for the next storm. The fact that ratings continue to decline, and that those left watching do so with palpable disdain, is completely lost on them.

2. In yet another example how wimpy America has become, numerous politicians fed into the hype by making unprecedented moves based on nothing but fear, such as New York Mayor Bill de Blasio shutting down the subway for the first time in its 110-year history due to a forecast.

Once upon a time, not all that long ago, shutting down any subway – especially New York’s – wouldn’t have been an option. Americans, and their leaders, were tough, and refused to let adverse weather get the best of them. It was a badge of honor to keep things open and moving. But that hardy nature has been replaced by a softness too many readily accept, along with the insane attempt to eliminate risk – all part of the new American way of running away from problems rather than facing them. Turns out that “Stronger Than The Storm” is nothing more than a slick TV slogan after all.

3. “My children’s school was canceled today. Because of, what? Some ice?”

We have now reached the point where many school administrators are ordering delayed openings or cancellations, but not for snow or even the threat of snow. Schools are now routinely closing because slush turns to ice on some roads and sidewalks, and, no exaggeration, because it’s cold. How is that possible?

It’s winter. It gets cold. What part of that is so foreign a concept? Do they have any idea the havoc they wreak on parents who are forced to scramble to make arrangements, and the impact their actions have on jobs and vacations – jobs that ultimately pay their salaries?

And, by the way, the above quote was by President Obama in 2009 as he was dumbfounded that Washington shut down over a little bit of bad weather, unlike his native Chicago, where, at that point, schools hadn’t closed for snow in 10 years. If only he had used more of that gritty determination on other matters.

4. How many Stormtrackers, Weather Authorities, Mobile Weather Labs, Double Scans, and Mega Dopplers do we really need to see? Especially when they can’t even provide a semblance of accuracy when it matters most.

That’s a lot of different ways to say the same thing: Uninformative, irrelevant, and all too often inaccurate forecasts. It’s bad enough to be wrong, but is it really necessary for TV stations to go on the air extra early (4 a.m.) a full day before a “snow event?”

Many of us don’t know, or care, what Alberta Clippers and polar vortexes are. We can’t tell the difference between high and low pressure, and we understand that sleet, ice and freezing rain are all pretty much the same: Bad. Let’s cut to the chase: The only things we need to know are what the weather will be today, tonight, tomorrow, and, while we know it’s subject to change, what it might be over the next few days.

We don’t need “team coverage” reporters bringing us the same old pictures of salt being loaded into trucks, plows being readied, and people saying how cold it is. But most of all, we don’t need the patronizing condescension of weather folks and bureaucrats telling us to “be careful,” “take it easy,” “slow down,” and “stay off the roads.” Gee, thanks. Glad you told us, because we wouldn’t have known any of that had you not shoved it down our throats eight times over the last half hour.

Most people have common sense, and, under threat of snow or ice, will slow down or, if possible, remain indoors. There will always be morons who drive 80 miles an hour in 6 inches of snow because they think SUVs are invincible. No amount of platitudes will prevent that, so let’s stop with nanny-state commands.

5. The larger issue is a media that, instead of providing thorough, even-keeled reporting, thrives on sensationalism, playing on fears and whipping up hysteria. And it’s not just weather, but all aspects of the news.

Not surprisingly, people are tuning out. Viewers, listeners and readers have walked away, and journalists’ reputations now rank alongside those of politicians, trial lawyers and snake oil salesmen.

To be sure, there are still some outstanding news outlets doing the grunt work that makes for great journalism. But while the Internet and an explosion of additional venues have played a role in ratings and revenue declines, they are but symptoms of a greater illness. An increasingly lazy, biased and incompetent Fourth Estate has violated the cardinal rule of the Media’s Field Of Dreams: If you provide content, they will come.

That hasn’t been happening, and fans are exiting the ballpark.

It’s time for the media to reinvent itself and get back to basics, or the storm clouds threatening it will only grow more severe.

Blame Media For America’s Problems

By Chris Freind

Je suis Charlie!

French for “I am Charlie,” it has become the rallying cry du jour to honor those massacred by radical Islamic terrorists at the satirical Charlie Hebdo newspaper in Paris.

The problem is, unless you’re a fan of the Viet Cong, “I am Charlie” doesn’t actually mean anything. What should have been a call to action for people, and especially media outlets, around the civilized world is instead, not surprisingly, simply a feel-good, flash-in-the-pan catchphrase. And in a week or two, the righteous indignation of so many leaders railing against heinous acts of terror will go by the wayside. In doing so, they will be handing the enemy yet another victory.

Let’s look at the French attack, and the changes we can expect:

1. Sure, newspapers around the globe printed cartoons in response to the Charlie Hebdo attack, with some knocking radical Islam pretty hard. But how many reprinted the Hebdo cartoons satirically portraying the prophet Mohammed that led to the terror attack in the first place? Almost none.

Every paper on the planet, but especially in Europe, should have done so, whether or not they agreed with the cartoon’s message. That, and only that, would have sent a clear message that the world was unified — unwaveringly — in its fight against radical terrorists. But they didn’t. Instead, most papers wimped out, content in letting someone else do the heavy lifting, an “I’m behind you … way behind you” mentality. The Financial Times typified this attitude when it editorialized that the Hebdo cartoons were “editorial foolishness” and that the paper had “just been stupid” to provoke Muslims with controversial cartoons.

You can clamor about freedom of speech all day long, and sound really good doing it, but it rings hollow if you don’t walk the walk. The irony is that there was no better time for thousands of papers to run the cartoons than right after the attack, since none could have been singled out. Not that true journalistic enterprises should ever need “political cover,” as it is akin to cowardice, but nonetheless cover would have been afforded.

2. That’s not to say there wouldn’t be risk, as there certainly would be, despite precautions. And it would be perfectly acceptable to be afraid. But that’s where courage comes into play. As Mark Twain said, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear — not absence of fear.”

Bottom line: Don’t say you are standing up for freedom of expression and honoring fallen comrades if you don’t put your money where your mouth is. Otherwise, the bad guys win by default. If those in the media allow their fear to trump courage, they need to find a different profession.

3. Charlie Hebdo is a satirical publication. It is neither racist nor bigoted. Satire has been a cornerstone of Western civilization for centuries, and, by its nature, agitates and antagonizes. And it is precisely that approach that has led to significant social change, almost always for the betterment of society.

There is a difference between being satirical and mean-spirited. The latter is counter-productive, the last thing the Hebdo staff wanted. Hebdo isn’t anti-Islam, nor do they dislike Muslims. Quite the opposite, Hebdo believes that the radical elements must be called on the carpet in order to win liberty and freedom of expression for all Muslims. One of the ways it does that is to poke fun at the more ludicrous beliefs of the radicals, which, by the way, are at odds with the true interpretation of Islam. Hebdo has the guts to publicly expose what all civilized people know, but too few have the guts to say.

Satire is supposed to offend; it’s not meant to be taken personally. The fact that radicals attacked Hebdo validates everything Charlie Hebdo has been advocating all these years.

4. Did we know the attack was imminent? If not, why not?

One of two things is true:

A. The National Security Agency (in addition to Europe’s intelligence agencies) missed all the warning signs leading up to the attack. If that’s the case, it once again shows that no amount of technology will protect us in the absence of common sense.

How is it that the NSA sees more value in reading emails and monitoring phone calls of millions who pose zero threat than it does honing in on those with a proven track record of terrorism (or at least terrorist sympathies)? One of the two Hebdo attackers had been convicted of terrorism in France; yes, convicted! And both were well known in intelligence circles (as were the Boston bombers), including being on America’s Terror Watch and No-Fly lists. If those things don’t qualify as red flags, nothing does. So if they weren’t being tracked and closely monitored, why not? If that turns out to be the case, the NSA, given failure after failure, should close up shop.

B. The NSA did know, and pulled a “Pearl Harbor” strategy. History strongly suggests some Allied and even American leaders knew an attack was imminent, and, needing a reason to get a reluctant America into the war, allowed it to occur. It’s the “a thousand may die so that a million may live” mentality. Agree with it or not, it’s happened throughout history.

Perhaps some in the intelligence community felt that the only way to awaken a deep-slumbering Europe being overrun by, and capitulating to, radical fundamentalists was to allow such barbarism to unfold. While Europe’s follow-through remains to be seen, the sight of 3 million French filling the streets of Paris in protest (and similar gatherings throughout the continent) would never have occurred prior to the attacks.

5. The big question is how the West proceeds from here. Will it jettison political correctness and take the necessary steps to combat a ruthless enemy, such as profiling, renunciation of Sharia law in the West, and an aggressive, pull-no-punches approach to rooting out terrorism (while pulling troops out of the Middle East)? Or will the tough rhetoric fall by the wayside as the policy of placation seeps back into the picture?

Once thing is certain. Endless conferences, symposiums, summits and blue-ribbon commissions on combating terrorism are a complete waste of time and resources. Incessant talking won’t solve the problem. What is needed is decisiveness, common sense — and an iron will to see it through.

The solution to effectively fighting terrorism is simple; it’s just not easy. It’s time the West rolls up its sleeves and gets the job done, once and for all.

Only then can we all legitimately say, “Je suis libertie.”

Here is Chris’ article as it ran in the Delaware County Daily Times. What is missing from it?

Je Suis Charlie Hypocrisy

And, Je Suis Charlie Hypocrisy

Yes, Je Suis Charlie Hypocrisy

 

By Chris Freind

It’s time again to reflect on those who made life more interesting over the past year through their incomprehensible actions. In other words, the biggest boneheads of 2014:

–Soon to be Ex-Gov. Tom Corbett: Amount of money wasted trying to (futilely) win re-election after four years of incompetence, inaction, gaffes, and most of all, the Penn State/Jerry Sandusky albatross hanging around his neck? $25 million. Being the only statewide Republican incumbent in the entire nation (yes, the sole loser in America) to fall, despite the largest Republican landslide since 1932? Priceless.

The funniest thing is that Corbett actually believes he went down swinging, but as we all know, he never entered the ring. Let’s hope he golfs better than he governs, though that’s not exactly setting the bar too high.

Related: Pennsylvania consumers: While the rest of the nation is enjoying free-falling gas prices, Pennsylvanians just saw their fuel increase 10 cents per gallon, thanks to the unnecessary Corbett-initiated gas tax. But it’s the gift that keeps on giving, as we have three more years of increases. When it’s all said and done, Pennsylvanians will pay the highest gasoline and diesel prices in the nation (yeah — that’ll help the state’s moribund economy). To stomach prices that high, you definitely need a drink, though at least now there are two reasons to stock up over the border: cheaper gas and liquor. Cheers!

–Airlines and aircraft manufacturers: How is it possible that cellphones and cars can be pinpointed to within three feet using GPS, but we still can’t track massive commercial aircraft costing $300 million? Since it’s certainly not a technology issue, it comes to dollars and sense. The airlines and plane manufacturers don’t want to spend the money for installation and monitoring (showing no common sense) but really, how much could it be? They routinely increase fees and invent new ones, so why the stubborn cost-consciousness on this paramount issue? A one-dollar surcharge would undoubtedly fund the system, so let’s stop flying blind and get it done.

–The NFL: Commissioner Roger Goodell’s handling (actually, nonhandling might be a better description) of numerous domestic assault cases by players left the league with a huge black eye. He should have been sacked, but because he makes team owners a lot of money, they were willing to weather the storm and look the other way, keeping Goodell firmly entrenched in the Good Old Boys Club.

But the league once again looks really bad, for a different reason. An obvious penalty against Dallas in its playoff game against Detroit (which, if it stood, could well have sealed a victory for the Lions) was inexplicably retracted, giving Dallas a blatant gift. (This wasn’t a questionable judgment call, but an absolutely-no-doubt-about-it penalty). The Cowboys went on to win, leading millions to believe the NFL wanted Dallas to advance instead of Detroit, as ratings would be much higher (and thus, millions more for the NFL). But since football is America’s game, and fans will still pay a fortune for tickets and merchandise, nothing will change.

Sidenote: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a self-proclaimed Cowboys fan, was widely seen whooping it up with Dallas owner Jerry Jones in Jones’ private box. Fine. But could the guv really have been that stupid as to have allowed Jones to pay for his, and his family’s trips, to Dallas, in which they flew on Jones’ private jet? There are already allegations swirling of possible impropriety, which, truth be told, are probably politically motivated. But for a presidential candidate still operating under the cloud of Bridge-gate, doing anything that could generate bad headlines is inexcusably bad judgment. Why couldn’t he just pay for his trip out of his own pocket like most other people? Answer: hubris. Look for Christie’s candidacy to begin and end in New Jersey.

–Florida State football: No, not because they got annihilated, 59-20, by Oregon in college football’s first-ever playoff game. Blowouts happen. It’s how you handle them that show your true character. Flat-out, Florida State quit when they fell behind. And that’s simply inexcusable. Like it or not, they are role models to youngsters, and the lesson ought to be that you never quit. Period!

But even worse, the Seminoles showed their true colors when a whopping 70 percent of the team walked off the field without shaking hands. Responsibility for such horrendous lack of sportsmanship rests with coach Jimbo Fisher, who, like many of his players, apparently doesn’t believe in “class.”

–Kim Khardashian: Beyond the fact that her derriere resembles a place to park a bicycle, does this really need any explanation?

–Race relations: Too many on both sides with ulterior motives rooted in self-interest; not enough with the courage to call them out. Black and white and “read” all over is no longer reserved for newspapers, but is the state of America as more and more blood from blacks and whites is spilled in the streets. Brothers and sisters we are not, as societal colorblindness in now but a pipedream. We have failed to uphold the accomplishments of the Civil Rights Movement, and that is a black – and white – mark on our history. Look for things to get worse before they get better.

–Big Brother: Bad: Closing public schools or opening two hours late because it’s cold. Snow or ice is one thing, but cold? When did we become so mind-chillingly wimpy? What’s next? Outlawing sledding? Why, yes.

Worse: Stupefying as it is, more towns are banning sledding. Part of it stems from the nanny-state mentality of power-hungry, sanitize-everything bureaucrats and politicians, and part of it is fear of standing up to the bloodsucking leeches, also known as trial lawyers. Where has our collective sanity gone?

Worst: Taking the cake is the state of Connecticut forcibly removing a 17-year-old girl with cancer from her home, placing her in the custody of child welfare, and forcing her to undergo chemotherapy, which she and her mother adamantly do not want. The state supreme court is now reviewing the case. More to come on this.

Everybody: We all suffered a huge loss when Robin Williams took his life. The hows and whys still need to be sorted out, but the bottom line is that we lost one of the very best. He made us laugh, cry, think, and laugh some more. He inspired us. He brought out the very best in humanity, dazzling us with a range of performances reserved for the truly elite. From “Good Will Hunting” to “Dead Poet’s Society” to “Patch Adams”, he wasn’t a character, nor even an actor. He was something infinitely more. Many can act, but Williams was an honest-to-God person to whom we could relate. He became part of our lives because his very essence — everything about him — exuded a passion that simply cannot be taught. He will never be forgotten, and there will never, could never, be another Robin Williams. And that is the biggest loss of all.

Boneheads Of Year 2014

By Chris Freind

It took over a half-century, but someone in Washington is finally using common sense regarding America’s relationship with Cuba.

Thank you, Mr. President, for re-establishing ties with our Caribbean neighbor. It’s about time.

Ever since the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion 53 years ago, America’s policy has been to isolate Cuba through a strict embargo, hoping to collapse its socialist government. Given that nothing positive has been achieved — let’s repeat that: There have been absolutely no favorable results — it’s safe to say that not only is our policy flawed, but the die-hard adherents who refuse to acknowledge its obvious failures give new meaning to the term “pigheaded.”

With bold leadership and foresight (along with a little humility), America can gain a huge victory for freedom and free enterprise by befriending Cuba. Yet, many refuse to even try, viciously criticizing those, such as President Obama and Pope Francis, who are attempting something new. Their “my-way-or-no-way” close-mindedness would make even the Castro brothers blush with envy.

Despite a majority of Americans favoring the re-establishment of ties, Republicans (primarily) are threatening to derail the process. Why? One of two reasons:

A. The GOP is the more patient party, believing that the current policy should be given a more appropriate amount of time to work — say, 150 years. Or,

B. Because it was President Obama who initiated the proposal to foster a more open relationship; in other words, pure partisanship. Given that Republicans now control Congress, it’s a good possibility that partisan politics will once again rule the day, to the detriment of both Cubans and Americans.

To be fair, enacting the embargo and restricting access to Cuba during the Cold War, when Castro cozied up to the Soviets, was reasonable. But common sense should have told us that if it didn’t produce results in several years, it would never work. Since, however, political common sense is an oxymoron, the sanctions continue — sanctions that only Congress can end.

Consequently, American products are denied a huge market within close proximity. We lose access to cheap Cuban goods, and the relatives of Cuban-Americans continue to suffer while U.S. law makes family reunions in Cuba all but illegal.

Since it would be beneficial to lift the embargo, why aren’t we? Consider the following:

1. Too many presidential candidates, including Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (along with much of Florida’s congressional delegation) still bow to the demands of a small but highly vocal minority of Cuban-Americans who detest “helping” a Cuba ruled by anyone named Castro. At one time, a candidate opposing this lobby could lose the state (much like opposing ethanol subsidies in Iowa). But the pols have failed to see that the Cuban voting bloc is no longer tied to the embargo issue. Each successive generation not only places less importance on the sanctions, but views closer ties as the path to prosperity.

Being beholden to a special interest is never good, but placating one that doesn’t exist is stupidity.

2. Development in Cuba is on the upswing, fueled by European businesses snatching up prime real estate and business opportunities. The embargo’s objective to collapse the Cuban economy is a train that has already left the station. Time for America to get in the game.

3. Fifty-three years of isolation with nothing to show? We can’t wait for three minutes at the drive-thru without complaining, yet we patiently adhere to a woefully ineffective law that will soon approach six decades of failure. What do we think will miraculously change?

4. The embargo hurts the Cuban people by denying them economic opportunities. The way to winning hearts is through wallets, as a growing middle class produces stability and respect for the law. Yet that lesson continues to be lost on many of our politicians.

5. Embargo defenders love to rattle off conditions Cuba needs to meet: human rights, fair elections and freeing political prisoners. Gee, that’s nice. And it would be great if the world were filled with rainbows and lollipops! Except that it’s not. Making those demands shows a naiveté at best and hypocrisy at worst, since adhering to such prerequisites would see our trading partners shrink to Antarctica and Santa’s workshop.

Take China. It violates human rights, ignores international law, sends toxic products to America, pollutes on a global scale and rapes the land. Oh, and it has nuclear missiles pointed at the U.S. Yet, American dollars have made it an economic powerhouse, so much so that Wal-Mart ranks as China’s seventh-largest trading partner.

So China gets a free pass, but Cuba, on whom we can exert infinitely more economic leverage, must be angelic?

Under the “human rights/democracy” rationale, anyone opposed to Cuban ties should bike to work (since, despite low fuel prices, much of America’s gasoline comes from Middle Eastern nations, not exactly bastions of freedom), and buy virtually nothing from overseas — both ludicrous propositions. Fact is, the best way to expand America’s ideals is through the exchange of trade, culture, and, most of all, ideas.

Looking at the big picture, Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski said it best: “You can’t build a future on top of resentments.”

In lifting the embargo, America would showcase that freedom and capitalism are its biggest exports. China still has a long way to go, but America has transformed that nation in a revolutionary way, guiding it towards liberalism (small “l”). A vibrant middle class has been born, tasting the good life as more freedoms are earned and opportunities realized.

If we can accomplish that with China, doing the same with Cuba should be a walk in the park.

So let’s build a bridge to our neighbor and, as a great American once said, tear down that wall.

Cuba libre!

Lifting Cuban Embargo Is Right