NOLA Lives

I have a t-shirt that reads “NOLA LIVES” on the front with the date “August 29, 2005” on the back.

Actually, I have two. I bought them to support the relief efforts in my hometown.

The date marks the worst day in the history of New Orleans, which actually says a lot since it is one of the oldest cities on this continent that has been battered by wars, crime and corruption.

It was the day the rains came that would break the levees from a hurricane rarely ever called by name by the residents of the city. It is simply known as “the storm.”

I cried that day and the days that followed. I shed tears for my hometown as the images of devastation and horror continued to flash across the 24-hour news coverage. I was nearly 1,000 miles away in my apartment in Chicago. But I wanted to be in New Orleans so I could help for I feared my city was dying.

New Orleans didn’t die. No, she has shown her resilience and bounced back. NOLA lives.

Now the city has a new date to remember: January 24, 2010. It is the greatest day in the city’s almost three centuries of existence. It’s the day the Saints became champions of the National Football Conference.

I cried that day too.

It is quite the dichotomy and almost amazing that these two dates occurred less than five years apart. And the Louisiana Superdome figures prominently in both.

I have never seen a community who cares so much about its football team like New Orleans. And I have a lot of experience with football-obsessed towns. I graduated from Jenks.

The apropos team for the fans devotion is “faith” — faith for those heavenly Saints. They often bring joy on Sundays and help us get through the week. They fight on the field to give the city hope for a better day. And the fans pray to them on a regular basis.

In a city tattered by a racial past, the Saints unite New Orleans in such a unique way. It’s no longer about black and white. It’s about black and gold.

The city has literally shut down during the Saints great run through the playoffs. There is nothing better to do except cheer on the hometown team.

The Saints have served as a great allegory for New Orleans. Founded in 1967, the team didn’t have its first winning season until two decades later. The answer to the Cajun-accented question “who dat say gonna beat dem Saints” was anyone and everyone.

It took another 13 years before the first playoff victory. Then nine more until the Saints were no longer on the shortlist of teams never to make the Super Bowl. The Saints, like the city, were always down but never out. The year of the storm, the Saints held the league’s second-worst record. Now they hold the second-best.

I often thought being a Saints fan was akin to being a Cubs fan. The Saints were the lovable losers of the NFL, with the unaffectionate moniker “the Aint’s.” As a kid, I attended games where fans regularly wore paper bags over their heads.

But at least the Cubs have won a world championship, though more than a century ago. Of course, that may soon change.

As Super Bowl XVIV looms, so does another chance for history to be made. If the Saints defeat the Indianapolis Colts, February 7, 2010, will become the greatest day in the history of the city.

I’m sure I’ll cry.

And not a single Saints fan will want to be in Miami, the site of the Super Bowl. Nope. They’d rather be three states west on the banks of the mighty Mississippi for the greatest celebration ever seen in Louisiana.

They’d rather be in the City that Care Forgot, but the Saints did not. They’d rather be in the shadow of the Superdome with its past of joys and sorrows. They’d rather be in the city the champions of the National Football League call home.

They’re rather be in New Orleans, for NOLA will be alive.

And we're back...

First off, do you think Juliet's final words were "it worked?" Shame on you if you do! Shame on you! Shame on you! After all we've been through with Lost, how dare you accept Miles' declaration that Juliet's final words were "it worked" so easily? Sawyer was distraught at losing his love, desperate for condolence in his vulnerable time. He thought he could get that from Miles, which Miles initially said wasn't possible. But Sawyer persisted. Miles felt he had no choice and he produced the words "it worked," words that Sawyer could find comfort in that she did not die in vain. Any friend or loyal coworker would act no differently in a situation like that. Do I believe Miles really heard these words? Not for an instant.

Second, I initially thought Jacob had re-manifested himself in Sayid's body. But then I got to thinking more and that would be a little too obvious. That's when I realized it wasn't Jacob that Hurley was talking to beside the van. It was very clear to me that it was Smokey. Obviously he has the power to take the form of the dead, so Jacob would be fair game now. By the Others' response to the news that Jacob is dead, it seems like that Smokey might be coming to infiltrate the Temple. So, as Jacob, Smokey convinces Hurley to take a dying Sayid into the Temple, where Sayid in fact dies. Now, Smokey is free to take Sayid's form, thus infiltrating the Temple. The lingering question is to what endgame.

Now, to my biggest and boldest thought from last night. We seemingly have two points in time that we can accept as reality. Point A is 1977 and Point B is 2007. However, how we get from Point A to Point B is not definitive and there are many tracks that could have taken us there, just like you can take a different route to the grocery and back home. I think one course is the events we saw unfold in the first seasons of Lost. I believe another course will be shown during Season 6. These "flash-sideways" are taking place in 2004, but will eventually lead to Point B and the events we are seeing unfold on the Island.

To me, this is a grander scale of the course-correction that we saw unfold with Charlie. "Ya gonna die, Charlie." Though Desmond saw it happen in various flashes, it eventually did happen, something deemed inescapable. Perhaps what we are seeing in 2007 is fate, something that will happen. Now we are seeing how we are getting to that point, one way or another.

I think the seeds are in place for all the castaways to go back to Sydney on a plane together. Jack has to go back to find his father's body. Kate kidnaps Claire and they get on a plane together to escape the law. Hurley must go back to check on his chicken franchises. Jin and Sun are refused entrances in the U.S. And must fly back. Locke, perhaps emboldened by Jack's thought that "nothing is irreversible," flies to Australia to try the walkabout again.

And I think Charlie's suicide attempt might be the biggest wink to this possibility because, in fact, "Ya gonna die, Charlie." Death is already chasing him.

So maybe they all get on a plane again in the "flash-sideways" only to crash land on the island. Perhaps the crash occurs while Widmore is trying to raise the island from the bottom of the ocean, which sucks the plane to the ground with some sort of electromagnetic shenanigans. Whatever happens, I think the "flash-sideways" will simply show that "nothing is reversible" and that this would all happen one way or another. Thus, the original continuity man simply remain intact.

Food for thought. Here's to a great season!

How I feel about today's news...

Peacocks Don’t Fly

A long, long time ago...

I can still remember

How that station used to make me smile.

And I knew if they had their chance

They could show good comedy and romance,

And, maybe, we’d be happy for a while.

But December made me shiver

With every posting they’d deliver.

Bad news on the web site;

I couldn’t take one more sight.

I know that I should have cried

When I read about the Peacock’s slide,

For something touched me deep inside

The day NBC died.

So bye-bye, Peacock’s don’t fly.

Turned my TV to NBC,

But NBC was dry.

And them GE boys were probably all getting’ high

Singin’, "this’ll be the day TV dies.

"this’ll be the day TV dies."

Do you watch the Jay Leno Show,

After he stepped out of the Tonight Show glow,

If the media tells you “no”?

Do you believe that Jimmy Fallon,

Can save “Late Night” with his “talent,”

And can you believe Carson Daly still has a show?

Well, I know that you’re not in love with him

`cause he doesn’t have a studio to film.

A hamster could host “Last Call.”.

Man, I don’t like him at all.

I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buck

When, on TRL, he first pushed his luck,

But even then I knew he’d suck.

Oh, man, I started to cry.

Now I’m singin’,

“Bye-bye, Peacock’s don’t fly.”

Turned my TV to NBC,

But NBC was dry.

And them GE boys were probably all getting’ high

Singin’, "this’ll be the day TV dies.

"this’ll be the day TV dies."

Now for ten years Fox’s been on a roll

Behind the strength of “American Idol”,

But that’s not how it used to be.

When “Seinfeld” was king of Thursday night,

Then “Friends” and “Frasier” followed in their own right

And it was declared “Must See TV”,

Oh, and how the ratings plummeted down,

The Peacock lost the network crown.

That caliber had sojourned;

No quality was returned.

And while CBS ran CSI,

A ratings triumph for the Eye,

They gave “Cupid” another try

The day NBC died.

We were singing,

“Bye-bye, Peacock’s don’t fly.”

Turned my TV to NBC,

But NBC was dry.

And them GE boys were probably all getting’ high

Singin’, "this’ll be the day TV dies.

"this’ll be the day TV dies."

“America’s Got Talent” in the summer season.

Keeps on airing for some reason,

Fourteen share and falling fast.

Perhaps my judgment is a little off.

I certainly don’t wish to hassle the Hoff,

But what talent does he bring to the cast?

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume

When the Super Bowl produced a boon.

The suits got up to dance,

Oh, but they never got the chance!

February sweeps, and they still reeled

‘cause Fox and CBS refused to yield.

Do you recall what was revealed

The day NBC died?

We started singing,

“Bye-bye, Peacock’s don’t fly.”

Turned my TV to NBC,

But NBC was dry.

And them GE boys were probably all getting’ high

Singin’, "this’ll be the day TV dies.

"this’ll be the day TV dies."

Oh, and they continued in last place,

Broadcast signals lost in space

With September to start again.

So come on: Jeff, be nimble, Jeff, be quick!

We can’t take much more of this shtick

Or you might be fired in the end.

Now I watch “30 Rock” and try to gauge

With Jack Donaghy and Kenneth the page.

I think to myself, “Hell,

At least they do one thing well.”

But as the ratings fell into the night

We know Emmy doesn’t make it all right,

I saw Comcast laughing with delight

The day NBC died.

They were singing,

“Bye-bye, Peacock’s don’t fly.”

Turned my TV to NBC,

But NBC was dry.

And them GE boys were probably all getting’ high

Singin’, "this’ll be the day TV dies.

"this’ll be the day TV dies."

I met a girl who sang the blues,

For she worked for NBC news,

‘Cause Tom and Katie went away.

Now on cable I can get some more

Hot air, analysis and pundits galore

And wonder how much Chris Matthews weighs.

And in the streets the children screened,

“To Catch A Predator” was on the scene.

But only this was spoken;

“I must have been mistaken.”

To the three men I admire most:

Robert, Les, and Pete, I toast.

They’re all laughing coast to coast

The day NBC died.

And they were singing,

“Bye-bye, Peacock’s don’t fly.”

Turned my TV to NBC,

But NBC was dry.

And them GE boys were probably all getting’ high

Singin’, "this’ll be the day TV dies.

"this’ll be the day TV dies."

They were singing,

“Bye-bye, Peacock’s don’t fly.”

Turned my TV to NBC,

But NBC was dry.

And them GE boys were probably all getting’ high

Singin’, "this’ll be the day TV dies.

"this’ll be the day TV dies."

The Party of Chris

If anyone really knows me (or has read one of my screenplays), they know how much I despise Republican and Democrats. I hate what they have made governing in this country. They are both to blame, but they are busy blaming each other.

We've had politics riddle our government all the way back to Washington (George, not the district). He warned of the ills of party politics. Yet we haven't heeded this warning from his farewell address:

"All obstructions to the execution of the laws, all combinations and associations, under whatever plausible character, with the real design to direct, control, counteract, or awe the regular deliberation and action of the constituted authorities, are destructive of this fundamental principle, and of fatal tendency. They serve to organize faction, to give it an artificial and extraordinary force; to put, in the place of the delegated will of the nation the will of a party, often a small but artful and enterprising minority of the community; and, according to the alternate triumphs of different parties, to make the public administration the mirror of the ill-concerted and incongruous projects of faction, rather than the organ of consistent and wholesome plans digested by common counsels and modified by mutual interests."

Bush did this. Obama wants to do that. He said. She said. Finger pointing. For the love of all that is good in the world, STOP! Stop perpetuating a cycle that is leading to our destruction. All great republics in the past have never been conquered. Their demise came from within.

One of the main problems is that at the end of the day that no party defines the true identity of but a select few. People will say, "I am mostly conservative, but..." or "I am liberal except for this..." At the point you disagree with one aspect of an ideology, REJECT IT!

So though I am seven years removed from the qualifying age of 35, here is what I would do today if I were elected president. It represents me. It does not conform to any party or ideologies. It speaks for me. I encourage anyone reading this to make a similar document to discover what you really believe and profess. I think it would be much better than "25 things you don't know about me" or "state three things about..." These are the exercises we should be encouraging (Mere, Jax...this means you! Start the ball rolling! Let's make this thing happen! I think you can help create a phenomenon!)

* I would place a stay of execution for everyone on death row. Their penalties would be converted to life sentences with no chance of parole. Our judicial system is not flawless. It is run by fallible humans. If there is even the slightest chance of error, we should not be taking life. Dead is dead.

* I would call for legislation repealing crimes dubbed as "hate crimes." We are not thought police, nor should we be ever tempted to be that way. America is cherished on a rights of freedom of speech and expression. Penalties should already fit the crime. We should not force anyone to believe anything, though we may disagree with a person. That's why we love our freedom of religion.

* I would call for an end of all things barbaric: death penalty, torture, abortion. There is no way that any of these three things cannot be seen as anything but barbaric except by apologetics. How are we to judge who lives and dies? My Christian values have taught me to value every person. Their eternal judgement comes from God; do not deny them life that you can't give back. Torture me for 10 minutes and I'll tell you anything. What value does that express for America? And regardless of what side you fall on, you can't say abortion is not barbaric. It's either the killing of an innocent life or the mutilation of the female body. Either way, it's an act of barbarism.

* I would immediately end "don't ask, don't tell" and call for a equal rights for everyone, including allowing gays to marry. All it takes to end discrimination in the military ranks is an executive order. Truman integrated the military with one. I long for the day I find the girl of my dreams to make a lifelong commitment. God forbid anyone ever tell me I can't marry that woman! Why should we prevent anyone for doing such a thing?

* I would recall all troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. If asked what to do with any sort of equipment or structures that the military has put in place, I would offer this order: either bring it or burn it. If we are attacked on American soil for any reason because of this, I would accept full responsible and resign immediately. But I would continue to push the limits of the defense budget on American soil. This includes making streets safe everywhere for every person to walk down.

* I would call for a 15% reduction of the federal budget across the board and start repaying American foreign debt. What we spend now is wasteful. And it is getting out of control. We are literally screwing ourselves down the road. It can be more efficient. Those who cannot create efficiencies will be fired without remorse.

* I would assemble all 50 governors and say, "It's time you step up and quit relying on the federal government." The federal government has usurped too much power from the states government. In fact, the federal system works best when the state's have most of the power. I would tell them it's now on them to be held accountable. Limited federal government truly is what's best for this country.

* I would make education my number 1 priority. Without it, our future is lost. Education means our children, but also those that lose their jobs and need new skills to make a living. We must foster an environment to continue to better ourselves everyday in every way.

* I would end the embargo with Cuba. It's stupid and arrogant not to now. And the embargo did just as much harm to the United States as it did to Cuba. New Orleans's number one trading partner was Havana. Then the embargo kicked in, devastating the economy of New Orleans. The best thing that could save that city now is opening trade with Cuba.

* I would encourage free trade and stop protectionist practices. The United States has evolved into a tertiary economy. This means letting go of our agrarian past. We do farmers no good be subsidizing them at bay. We need to find ways to advance them with us. It benefits all citizens to do so. Free trade is capitalism at best. And regardless of what Michael Moore might think, free capitalism is a great thing.

* I would tell the Congress to start taking the reins. The presidency has become too much like a monarchy, which is what our founding fathers wanted to prevent. The protection one person receives above other citizens is frankly ridiculous. Let's be honest about this. We have lost many presidents in the past to illness, resignation and death. In none of these cases has the country fallen. We have a built in succession plan to ensure the future of this country. This country is not above any one person! We should not treat it as such. As president, I would be prepared to die for what I believed in, but would not want the country to shed one tear at my passing but press forward.

* Finally, I would act like I was not running for re-election. Politicians have one goal: to get elected. Either initially or to defend a seat, that is their goal. So they do not act as they should. They act so they get re-elected. To serve for four years at the chief executive of this country would be an honor above all. If I was not selected to continue, I would bear no thought of failure or remorse as long as I acted to my own beliefs and with integrity. A very, very, very select few politicians act this way today. Most of them care only about popularity and power.

This is what I profess. No one told me to believe this. I came to it on my own. We should all find our own beliefs and stand up for them. That's why this country was founded! For us. Not for what other people tell us.

Americans need to express more autonomy and not succumb to autocracy. It's okay to disagree as long as their is dialogue. Open your eyes, not follow others blindly.

Why was this is the men's restroom?

God bless the South!

This makes me laugh

I can't discern if the locking in the trunk was intentional to test friendships, but it amuses me nonetheless.