Giving Religion a Bad Name

It is the ninth anniversary of the day when planes were deliberately rammed into two of New York's tallest buildings, and part of the Pentagon.  Collectively, more than three thousand people died.  Most of them were Christians, Jews and Muslims.

In the years since, we have somehow gotten the idea that, just because a few radical Islamists killed a few thousand people and turned an entire country upside down, a whole religion is now considered evil and needs to be stopped.  It has infected politicians, talk show hosts, and anyone else with half a brain who usually votes Republican.

In the past month alone, there has been controversy over a proposed Islamic cultural center in New York, to be built blocks from where those tall buildings once stood.  And polls have come out showing that a good chunk of the American population believes their President is a Muslim, even though he really isn't.

Now we have the reverend of a small church in Florida named Terry Jones, who intended to protest the barbarism committed by radical Islam by committing copies of the Koran to a bonfire on September 11.  Because he is exercising his First Amendment rights, there was nothing anyone could do about it.  And no amount of pleading from generals, presidents and popes was going to stop the pastor from doing what he was about to do.

Well, Pastor Jones was going to do this until he apparently decided to back off on Thursday.  He claimed to have made an agreement to cancel his Koran roast, in exchange for a promise to move the Islamic center to somewhere other than near Ground Zero.  The imam who runs the center said that there's no such deal, and that he has never talked to the pastor.  Now we hear  the burning has been "suspended".

Truth is, we never would have heard of Pastor Terry Jones if General David Petraeus hadn't brought it up.  From his perch in Afghanistan, where the war there nears a second decade, the General sounded the alarm about dire consequences befalling American soldiers if Jones persisted in his idea of free speech.

If the Koran-burning ever takes place, every news organization will be there to witness it, giving Pastor Jones the attention he doesn't really deserve.  But how many of those networks would actually show the holy books going up in smoke, knowing full well that any footage could set off riots around the world (if it hasn't already)?  Even if no network airs the footage, there will always be somebody with a camera phone taking pictures and downloading them to the Internet.

Though religion is responsible for most of the hurt and suffering in the world, it is heartening to see members of all faiths take a stand against the hatred and violence that might take place if Pastor Jones and his flock carries out the desecration of a symbol of Islam, just because he thinks he can.  But actions speak louder than words, and a picture can say so much.

NFL 2010: The Calm Before The Storm

Image via WikipediaAt this time next year, stadiums might be empty, networks might be filling time with cricket and Canadian football, and sports bars might be losing customers.  That's when you know the National Football League and its players union are at odds over a new collective bargaining agreement, resulting in a lockout.

Until then, enjoy this season.  While the negotiations are (presumably) going on, we can entertain ourselves with what else has happened before the season kicks off Thursday night.

• The New Orleans Saints, the feel-good Super Bowl champions, want to keep the party going.
• Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers has been suspended for four games by the NFL for alleged sexual misconduct.  It was originally six games.
• The circus has come to staid Cincinnati with two of the biggest showboats in modern NFL history, Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco, now playing for the Bengals  Let the tweeting begin.
• The Washington Redskins have a new coach in Mike Shanahan, and a new starting quarterback in Donovan McNabb.  They also have Albert Haynesworth, but maybe not for long.  He's apparently become such a pain in the butt that the team is reportedly trying to trade him.
• Pete Carroll is the new coach of the Seattle Seahawks, fleeing USC just before the NCAA posse brought the hammer down on the football program, causing them to vacate a national championship and possibly Reggie Bush's 2005 Heisman Trophy.
• The NFL wants to increase the regular season from 16 to 18 games.  The league may be seeing dollar signs and a mid-February Super Bowl, but the players see fatigue and an increased risk of injuries.  For the fans, it might mean fewer competitive games played in colder and snowier weather.

For the Minnesota Vikings, there are too many injuries, illnesses and question marks to make them the favorites to enter the playoffs as the NFC North champions.  Can Brett Favre make it through his (allegedly) final season without his 40-something body taking too much of a beating?  Will Percy Harvin's bouts with migraine headaches affect his performance?  Did coach Brad Childress make a mistake in choosing Tarvaris Jackson over Sage Rosenfels (who was traded to the New York Giants) as Favre's backup?  This team should be fortunate to earn a wild card berth.

Our division picks plus the wild card:

NFC East  Dallas Cowboys
NFC West  San Francisco 49ers
NFC North  Green Bay Packers
NFC South  New Orleans Saints
Wild Card  Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons

AFC East  New England Patriots
AFC West  San Diego Chargers
AFC North  Baltimore Ravens
AFC South  Indianapolis Colts
Wild Card  New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals

The Opening Day School Assembly

Image via Wikipedia"Welcome to the first day of classes at Springborn Senior High.  I'm your principal, Ms. Armstrong-Grovnor.  Before we send you  to your rooms for the start of the school year, I have a few announcements to make.

"First, the district made some decisions last spring that will enable us to save some money.  One of them was to close the other high school, so when you go to your classrooms, everyone will be sitting two to a desk.

"Second, your new textbooks haven't arrived yet.  The board decided to change the content a little bit.  For example, science textbooks now discusses how God created the earth in six days.  And history books will include a new interpretation of Christopher Columbus, which says that he did not actually discover America.  Instead, he and his ships fell off the face of the earth because it was flat.

"Third, we've discovered that most of you are overweight.  So we've replaced the soft drinks in the vending machines with bottled water and fruit juices.  We've also hired a new food service director who used to work at the local health food store, and she's in charge of the menu.  Tofu Surprise, anyone?

"Class, I see some of you are sleeping.  It couldn't be that we started at 7:15, is it?

"Moving right along . . . We have a new computer lab in the school next to the library.  We couldn't afford high-speed Internet, so be patient with the dial-up.  And we must thank the people at Roger's Bargain Bin for their generous donation of Atari and Commodore computers.

"We've had to let some fine instructors go this past year.  So the remaining staff will be taking turns teaching one class after another regardless of subject.

"We know that physical exercise is important.  But since the board eliminated gym classes and most of our athletic programs, except for the soccer teams, we encourage you to walk around the halls as much as you can between classes.

"These are challenging times we face here at Springborn High.  But with your help and cooperation, we can get through this school year just fine.  Well, that's all I have to say.  Everyone will quietly go to their rooms now."

The Beginning of the End, or The End of the Beginning?

The war in Iraq is not over.  But the withdrawal of American combat forces from the country, as President Barack Obama announced Tuesday night in an address from the White House, is a major step forward.

Now there will be 50,000 "support troops" to teach Iraqis how to defend their own country.  By the end of 2011, they should be gone.

It's been seven years since the George W. Bush administration abandoned one war to start another.  They told us that Saddam Hussein was responsible for the attacks on 9/11/01, and that he had weapons of mass destruction stashed away someplace.  And we believed it.  Only after Hussein was captured and executed did we learn that neither was true, and that it was about settling a grudge held over from the last war.

This war evolved from 'shock and awe' and 'mission accomplished' to roadside bombs and insurgents.  There's no real government in Iraq, with factions battling for control months after elections were held.  It's still dangerous enough that Vice President Joe Biden had to sneak into the country to visit the remaining American troops.

To date, more than 4400 American soldiers have died in the war, and more than 35,000 have been wounded.

With military operations shifting to the once-neglected (and still dubious) war in Afghanistan, Iraq has become nothing more than a blip on the American consciousness.  We now worry about the economy, where a new Islamic cultural center in New York should be located, and whether or not President Obama is really a Muslim.

In his address, the President praised the soldiers for their performance and sacrifice the last several years under difficult conditions.  As commander-in-chief, he has to say that.  In reality, the soldiers have been deadly pawns in every American conflict since World War II that were not only unpopular, but also had very little to do with national security.

Yes, it is time to "turn the page" (as the President put it) on a misbegotten war.  Eventually, we should be doing the same for Afghanistan.

The Emmys: No Cause for Glee

Image by nasa hq photo via FlickrThe 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards on NBC was held this year on the final Sunday in August, because they wanted to avoid getting swamped in the TV ratings by pro football.  Nice try, but the NFL fought back by scheduling a preseason game between Pittsburgh and Denver on Fox.

You would have been better off with the football game.  The Emmys continued their tradition of putting on a lame show, hosted by the only late-night personality on NBC who WASN'T embroiled in controversy (that would be Jimmy Fallon), then rewarding those actors and shows that have won so many times before with yet another award. 

Falling into that last category were "Mad Men" for its third consecutive Best Drama award, Bryan Cranston winning for the third time as best actor in a drama for "Breaking Bad", and "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" for who knows how many times as best comedy-variety series.  Edie Falco won her fourth Emmy, this time as best actress in a comedy for "Nurse Jackie".

There were first-time winners, to be sure.  "Modern Family" won for best comedy.  Kyra Sedgwick got one as best actress in a drama for "The Closer".  A woman named Archie Panjabi got a supporting actress honor for "The Good Wife".  And "Top Chef" became only the second winner of the Best Reality Show competition, beating out "The Amazing Race".

Other things you should know from watching the Emmys:

• The opening number with the cast of "Glee" performing "Born to Run" makes one wish Bruce Springsteen had done it himself.
• Ricky Gervais, who offered free non-alcoholic beer to the audience, should host the Emmys next year.
• Jewel sang a nice tune during the "In Memoriam" segment, but the mild applause must have been distracting.  Next time, use an orchestra.
• For those of us who don't subscribe to HBO, that woman in the audience dressed as if she were a 1950s country music star was Temple Grandin.  She was the subject of a biography that won Emmys for best TV movie and best actress for Claire Danes, who portrayed Grandin.
• Dr. Jack Kevorkian was also in the audience.  Al Pacino won a best actor Emmy playing him in the HBO movie "You Don't Know Jack".

There's talk that this might be the last time the Emmy will be seen on broadcast TV, with the networks' contract coming up for renewal.  Given the fact that most of this year's winners came from cable (and thus unknown to most of the viewers), don't be shocked if the awards end up moving there.

The Great Minnesota Suck-Up

Image via WikipediaIt's time for the Minnesota State Fair again, that celebration of people, animals, and whatever-it-is on a stick.  It also means that every local TV station sets up shop here, telling everyone how wonderful the fair is and wishing you were here.

Before we go too much further, I'd like to recommend an article that's in the August 25 City Pages.  It's a T.D. Mischke column titled "The Banality Bandwagon", which is his take on the media coverage of the State Fair.  What there is of it.  Go to http://www.citypages.com/.

Read it?  Good.  Here's a couple more things I'd like to add.

First, there's the constant promotion for the fair from people with journalism degrees who should know better.  They cover crime, politics and traffic accidents the rest of the year, and now they are asked to shill for an event as if they were that guy selling some gadget on TV at three a.m..  And it's always "The Great Minnesota Get-Together" ad nauseum.  Sometimes it seems as if TV news is promoting the fair rather than covering it.

Second, there's the live news broadcasts that are painful to watch.  Does it bother anyone when a studio audience more suited for a sitcom or a talk show (and likely stuffed with corn dogs or Sweet Martha's cookies) becomes the backdrop for the Frank and Amelia show at five and six?  Granted, if there's breaking news, they'll throw it back to the main studio.  It reminds one of the 1976 movie "Network", where the evening news is treated more like a variety show. (Wonder why Fox News Channel never thought of that?)

Yes, we know.  The news has been edging closer and closer to entertainment for years.  Perhaps it's there already.  But that doesn't mean viewers should be forced to choose between staying informed and being played for suckers.  The Minnesota State Fair is a wonderful event, don't get us wrong.  As long as this fact is shoved in our faces every night until Labor Day, it's hard not to feel like Howard Beale

Let The Sideshow Begin

Image via WikipediaWith the primaries over and the Minnesota State Fair upon us, we can reasonably expect the Governor's race to get a bit more serious, right?  Not so fast.

• Mark Dayton, the DFL candidate, took time out from his 'tax the rich' mantra to complain about the presence of 'trackers' in his campaign.  They're the army of people apparently hired by the GOP to follow Dayton everywhere, using digital video cameras to catch him in an embarrassing moment.  Well, they have one to their credit so far:  Catching Dayton making phone calls to staffers, making sure that his two dogs don't suffocate in a hot car.  This might lose votes for the former U.S. Senator among animal lovers, but at least there's no mistress involved that we know of.  Previously, Dayton asked for a "cease-fire" on all the negative advertising.  This is 2010, Senator.  Like it or not, negative campaigning has become a way of life in politics.
• As Target is taking more hits to its reputation for giving money to an organization that supports Republican candidate Tom Emmer, a candidate who has anti-gay views, MSNBC has rejected a request by the progressive site MoveOn.org to air its ads supporting a boycott of the Minnesota-based retailer.  Why would the network of Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow, do this, you ask?  MSNBC says that the ads violated their policy of not attacking certain companies directly.  Besides, current owner General Electric (until the Comcast-NBC merger is approved) needs a place to sell its light bulbs.  MoveOn did succeed in getting three of the four Twin Cities network affiliates (WCCO, KSTP and KARE) to air their ad.
• Someone with too much time on their hands posted a video on the website for the GOP in Senate District 56, covering Lino Lakes.  On it was a not-too-subtle comparison between Republican and Democratic women.  Can you guess which party's women were considered hot-looking and which ones were not, thanks to the magic of Photoshop?  The video was taken down after officials from both parties complained.  All of which proves that being beautiful is not a job requirement if you want to succeed in politics.  Or is it?
• Of the political ads currently running on TV, they tell us that (A) Dayton is "too risky" to be Minnesota's governor because of his erratic stint in the Senate in which even he gave himself a failing grade, (B) Emmer missed a few votes as a state legislator, and (C) Independence party candidate Tom Horner wants us to know that he isn't as extreme as the other guys.  So his ad features a man whose eyeballs go too far to the left AND right.  Creepy, no?

Unfortunately, all of this sideshow stuff belongs on the State Fair's Midway.  They do nothing to better educate the voters about the person they'd like to see as Minnesota's next governor.  As the weather cools down, that may change.  Or not.