London in New York

In the News & Opinion & Entertainment Media, the fringe lunacy represented by Beck, O’Reilly, Palin, Limbaugh et. al etc. or America’s Ministry of Disinformation & Propaganda had ONE MAN who was successfully able to cross their signals, get up in their face and get a wide swath of this country not simply to understand how truly ridiculous, dangerous and often manipulative was their rhetoric but also empowered the sleeping to get up and take them on.

That one person with all due respect was not Steven Colbert nor was it Jon Stewart on The Daily Show or even Rachel Maddow. That is no disrespect for Jon Stewart. He makes you laugh at the ministers of disinformation in American Media.  Keith Olbermann on his show Countdown with Keith Olbermann with his combative liberal perspective made you understand the gravity of their disinformation and the depth of the harm being wrought on civil society, and just maybe made you angry enough to want to do something about it.  Rachel Maddow is perhaps one of the most gifted media personalities in America today.  Her intellect, charm and manners bode well for the future character of our media as well as  the future of MSNBC.  Maddow is dignified as she is hip in her simple brilliance and in exposing the hypocrisy of other media personalities.  You become smarter for simply watching her. Maddow makes you understand it all intellectually so just maybe you can impress your friends at cocktail parties with your vivid dissection of the right; and after all wouldn’t a more dignified debate between the left and the right ultimately elevate our society?

Was Keith Olbermann equally over the top as some on the fringe right? Absolutely, but when Paul Revere went on his Midnight Ride and advised us ‘the British are coming’, would it have bothered you if that Midnight Ride took place in 2007 or 2008 and instead of a horse he did it in a PORSCHE 911 Turbo with a loud megaphone mounted atop his speedy vehicle?  Keith Olbermann on MSNBC in the evening hours was a modern day Paul Revere awakening and rallying the masses from their stupefying slumber.  That he ‘needed to go’ makes you realize why he and his anti-establishment rants and perhaps speaking truth to power was perceived as more dangerous to the members of the existing social order than those in the Ministry of Disinformation & Propaganda combined with the distraction culture of the entertainment industry. The combo not only gets America to regularly dine on their own excrement but also each other, rather than their ruling elite, keeping our citizenry disengaged and in a state of cannibalistic and coprophagiac bliss.  Similarly, you can see why they may feel much safer with  David Gregory at the helm on Meet the Press than they did with Tim Russert. You always got the sense that even Tim might deviate from the script and ask a question or share some information that might lead viewers to see the man in the curtained off booth which is why his mysterious death troubled me and others. In America, we no longer want or need you to see ‘The Great Oz’ or even understand the Zeitgeist.

Zeitgeist: The Movie – 2007 by Peter Joseph from ZeitgeistMovie.com on Vimeo.

In America’s media you no longer even need the brain power of Christopher London as much as you may need the butt worshiping skills of a finely trained submissive. Just every once in a while when your master or your mistress looks down on you and asks ‘how does my ass taste’,  look up and say ‘thank you, your ass tastes so good.’ And then after completing said task to further illustrate total and complete subservience to your mistress you may ask ‘may I also kiss your feet ?’

In fairness to NBC, beyond the merger with Comcast, it has a longer standing historical commitment to being perceived as a credible News medium and thus may even feel a greater duty or responsibility than the popular new network, FOX News,  to elevate the debate intellectually;  especially given the revolutionary fervor from the streets of our urban centers into the heartland.  Viewed in that context,  NBC may be more sensitive to having its brand as a leading News outlet defined or undermined for the sake of entertainment ratings garnered by one bombastic persona (who also donated to Democratic candidates) in a contest with right wing talk radio.   Notably, now even Piers Morgan, the rather douchie Englishmen who has replaced Larry King on CNN has apparently banned Olbermann from his show. A bit of advice to the bloke, perhaps you may want to actually get some ratings before banning folks, like Madonna or Keith Olbermann, who have actually accomplished something.

This comment was in reply to Scallywag & Vagabond’s, “The Lynching of American Media and Keith Olbermann.”

SEE ALSO
-Sign the Petition: Bold Progressives say “Thank you Keith”
-Sign the Petition Supporting Keith Olbermann
-Left Action
-Left Action Facebook: Facebook support page for Keith Olbermann
-Left Action Twitter

This blog also mentioned at:
-Scallywag & Vagabond
-Huffington Post: published my comment
-Huffington Post: another comment published
-DailySports News Trends: a blog poking fun at me wondering whether I was in fact serious.
-Free Republic: This blog pokes fun at me and refers to me as an elitist jerk. Gotta love it. Bring it.

I am a New Yorker.  Queens, Brooklyn & Manhattan are where I have spent most of my natural born life except for brief stints in Boston where I attended Boston University and practiced law for 5 years after attending the University of Pennsylvania Law School in Philadelphia.  After law school I commenced my legal career in the legendary Bankruptcy Department led by Harvey Miller at Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP here in New York City, at 767 Fifth Avenue.  During law school, however, I left the ‘City of Brotherly Love’ after completing my second year and took a Summer Associate job in Pittsburgh, trading in Pat’s King of Steaks,  Geno’s Steaks and Jim’s Steaks (cheese-steaks that is)  for Primanti Bros and late nights at “The Dirty O” on Forbes Avenue near University of Pittsburgh.

Rand McNally had just ranked Pittsburgh one of the most livable cities in America. Why did I care about this? I was in my early 20’s and yet I was contemplating how I might best live a full, complete life balancing the interests of career and family and home ownership. I wanted to start in a place that I could  start building the American Dream. The idea of returning to New York City permanently, especially during the Pre-Giuliani era, unless I decided to practice criminal law, seemed quite intimidating. Despite Frank Sinatra’s tag line that ‘if I can make it there you can make it anywhere’, I was not exactly sure I could make it there. Until the Prince of the City took over, crime was high and New York City seemed unlivable in many ways and maybe before I had the opportunity to learn the secrets of my success, hardly worth the challenge; at least until my third year of law school when I blinked.  The lure of the ‘Bright Lights Big City’, which I got a brief taste of at the Surf Club,  Dorrians Red Hand on the Upper East Side and The Odeon in, pre-Tribeca Film Festival, Tribeca in the 1980’s was too much; as was the opportunity to be a player, albeit a mini one, in my hometown and read about the historic matters I worked on in the Wall Street Journal and maybe just maybe to some day be profiled in the New York Times, was too hard to walk away from.

During my first semester second year of law school, I went on a LeBron like tour of America’s top cities, or at least to me it seemed Lebron like.  I was invited to interview in a number of legal markets around the country from Chicago, Dallas, Minneapolis, Miami and L.A., I took one interview with a Pittsburgh law firm, or more correctly, “THE” Pittsburgh Law firm, Reed Smith Shaw & McClay, now known simply as Reed Smith LLP which traces its founding back to the Carnegie, Mellon & Frick families. Many ofthe region’s cultural and educational institutions like the Carnegie Museum of Art and Carnegie Mellon University bear the name of these American families. I received a callback and ultimately a job offer.

Summer of 1986 in Pittsburgh turned out to be one of the more memorable growth experience of my life. I rotated and took assignments from mostly Real Estate, Corporate and their nationally recognized Labor & Employment department, although an assignment from Trust & Estates and a Pete Rose/Ray Fosse like collision at home plate in the Partners vs. Summer Associates Softball game where I leveled a rather important Partner’s son in that department turned out to not be entirely helpful to my cause. If my base running skills were a little more like Roberto Clemente the play might not have been as close, but unfortunately I ran more like my idol Johnny Bench.   My experience at the firm, while mixed (see previous sentence), was challenging and ultimately made me fall in love with the idea of being a lawyer. The assignments were rigorous and educational. I had the guidance of an amazing mentor in a gentleman by the name of Gregory Jordan who is now ironically, but not surprisingly, the Global Managing Partner for the firm. Yes, the firm has truly become a preeminent International law firm. I worked with nationally regarded attorneys like Eugene Connors in Employment & Labor and Ruth Perfido in Real Estate, professionals who took a genuine interest in painting a vivid but accurate picture of what it was like by giving me multiple ‘days in the life.’   Polished and accomplished all of them, but they were also committed, approachable professionals who took their role in tutoring future members of the profession seriously. Long before the tech boom, the firm with a steep tradition in the history of Pittsburgh was truly ahead of its time technologically speaking, in terms of the provision of the necessary amenities to make lawyers more efficient.

That summer I got to see first hand why Pittsburgh was one of the most livable cities. It was not just the more affordable housing, scenery or the region’s rich historical tradition dating back to the Industrial Revolution. It was the people of Pittsburgh. Sure, perhaps living in an exclusive zip code for the summer and even more exclusive one when I house sat for a partner in Squirrel Hill and being shepherded to the finest venues in the area might have given me a distorted perspective of reality, or that I roomed that summer with a law school classmate who grew up nearby in Sharon, Pennsylvania and before going on to becoming quite successful himself (Hi Dan O’Meara!) had internal social GPS system for the best bars in Pittsburgh.  That I had cash to burn meant I could take out every girl that I was able to gain the attention of was also not exactly a bad thing either. Dan however did not seem to need the cash…or to even take them out but that is another story. I even went skydiving in Beaver PA. Yes, I really did jump out of a plane, on a bet with a partner, the evening before, after enjoying my first Martini.  But it was the evenings and weekends I mixed it up and made fast friends with locals, including some unforgettable ladies at places like Doc’s Place in Shady Side where my drink of choice was Iron City Light Draft Beer or simply IC Light. Ultimately, however,  my destiny was not in Pittsburgh, a city which I have not returned to again since the glory daze of the Summer of 86.

Fast forward to present.   My hometown New York JETS with their impressive victory over two of the NFL’s elite teams and Quarterbacks in Peyton Manning and the Colts and Tom Brady and the Patriots, have literally lifted this metropolitan region.  From Long Island through all five boroughs of New York City and New Jersey, this region which has been hard hit as any by the current recession is looking with a great sense of optimism pride at the  JETS who are on the verge of their first Super Bowl appearance since Joe Namath predicted and delivered a victory over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. Having attended Joe Namath’s last game as a New York Jet, having met one of my favorite New York Jets of the modern era in legendary receiver,  Guardian Angels honoree and now a member of Morgan Stanley’s Moldaver Chrebet Group, in Wayne Chrebet, being a New York Jets fan has nevertheless  been a tormenting experience for the better part of the more than 30 years since that Super Bowl victory.  Underlying every New York Jets fan’s enthusiasm is a degree of anxiety.

Yes this is absolutely a historic and important game for my beloved New York Jets. This team has been skillfully rebuilt by visionary owner, businessman and philanthropist Woody Johnson. It begins with the management structure with G.M. Mike Tannenbaum at the helm down to Coach Rex Ryan who’s dad is the legendary Buddy Ryan. These folks have created a system and assembled, trained and massaged a uniquely talented squad and given them not just the hope but the tools and confidence to succeed. The Jets are not lacking in energy or enthusiasm.

The AFC Championship game will be held at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. To win this game and get to the Super Bowl my team will have to go through another Super Bowl Champion quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger who many prognosticators believe ultimately poses ‘the biggest problem yet for the New York Jets’, far greater than Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. I will be in New York City. I do not have tickets for the game nor a flight to ‘the burgh.’  I won’t talk smack, however, because I know how much the Pittsburgh Steelers and their legacy, well maintained by the Rooney family, means to the city of Pittsburgh and Steeler nation. The mutual respect these organizations have for one another is real.   I am simply looking forward to a great game between a member of the NFL Elite and my team’s attempt to join the NFL aristocracy, while ignoring the press hype.

Bottom line, if I could not be at Heinz Field, then I wish I could be at DOC’S PLACE in Shadyside drinking IC Light and live blogging the game.  I would toast to the character of two great historic cities and hope that ‘may the best team win.’ The only caveat is that I hope this year that team is my New York Jets. But in my heart I know win or loose, it is an honor for my New York Jets to have the opportunity to pursue their historic quest through one of the NFL’s classiest and legendary franchises in the Steel City.

JON STEWART = the WALTER CRONKITE/LENNY BRUCE of this generation. I know and suspect that many may have a problem with that analogy even as much as it may seem incomprehensible to event make it.  Stewart is one of the few in our media who is legitimately and without question worth every dollar that he is paid and then some.  In an era where most are consumed with the distraction culture, via his medium, The Daily Show, Stewart is able to break through to educate the collective masses, even including those  who are not, will not and maybe even refuse to pay attention to the perversity of what passes for our current national dialogue on issues of import.  Jon Stewart is not a leftist, a liberal, a progressive as much as he is an American who first, foremost and fundamentally has a respect for your mind or the one maybe you ought to focus on developing if you truly hope to be a more engaged citizen. You can even respect Stewart if you do not always agree with the conclusions he might lead you to make; because more than trying to have you do that he forces you to think and re-think your own positions and the process by which you make them.  Your view of  the world we live in is  thereby altered as if you were near sighted and had your ophthamologist fit you with a fresh pair of glasses.    For his relentless civic mindedness, his unwaivering commitment to elevating the national debate and our collective conscience,  and for the reasons mentioned above and so many more,  Jon Stewart is my American Hero of the day.

Truth is that I am not one who gets tremendous pleasure from viewing Hollywood award shows and that is not to say that the industry or the members of the media who cover it do not have a right to reward and honor the professionals/craftsman/artists who make the industry run successfully. So while many Americans were likely glued to their screens last night watching all the celebrity fanfare,  after an early evening workout at Equinox, I found myself home, enjoying some of my own home made Chicken Cacciatore, a glass of wine and watching the post game reports on the New York Jets victory against the New England Patriots and flipped through assorted but otherwise unmemorable programming.

I briefly tuned in to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Golden Globe Awards.  Towards the end of the evening, after the awarding of best picture to The Social Network, the last thing I heard host Ricky Gervais say was that he “thanked God for making him an atheist” and for a moment I just wondered what was the point of that comment given a wide swath of America’s faith based population, many of whom observe Judeo-Christian values? Was that supposed to be funny? I guess it is his right to say whatever he wants but why during family TV time in America on a Sunday night?  My first thought was that there is nothing quite like Hollywood’s smarmy elitist foreign press getting some enjoyment poking a stick in America’s eyes.  This morning I read that Gervais likely won’t be invited back to host the Golden Globes because his pointed zingers throughout the evening insulted a great many Hollywood elite; literally biting the  hand the feeds him.  Robert Downey, Jr. stated that Gervais was ‘hugely mean-spirited’. If you ask me,  these folks may have been more concerned with the impact of Gervais’ comments on their own brands and perceived stature and were probably upset that their individual publicists could not edit in advance, Gervais’ commentary.  None, however,  expressed displeasure at his comment about atheism might be perceived as a slight towards faith based viewers in middle America, but only those which impinged on their individual brands.

We  (or at least my progressive/liberal friends) are  so willing and quick to indict one politician for her “Crosshairs” maps connecting them and her to the Tucson massacre; but we refrain from even considering whether the assault on virtue, character, family, community and Judeo-Christian values has an impact on creating a disconnect between pockets of our citizenry and broader civil society.  If we continue to undermine or denigrate the stature of these institutions, who might broken souls turn to in their dark hours? Ultimately many will not perceive them as credible or even worthy of turning to.  And where might these folks turn but inward and then potentially outward in displays of anti-social conduct which may have a grave impact on our society or at least some of our valuable citizens.

So, how do I know? I know from first hand experience. You see almost a decade ago, shortly after 9/11 many things in my own world collapsed around me. I went through my own journey of the dark night of the soul, an existential crisis combined by financial failure. In the loneliest and desperate hours of my own life, were it not for the church, community, friends, family and the random acts of kindness from strangers, I am not sure if I would even be here now to write this to you. Truth is that I had largely walked away and turned my back on the faith based community, including my own Catholic upbringing and all the summer months that I spent in my youth at Camp Good News on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. I really didn’t think folks in this community could help me, until they actually did.

These were things I largely turned away from during the years that I was in the words of a friend “larger than life” or at least living large in the 1990’s bubble economy.  After the descent and crash, I found myself isolated, alone, desperate, humiliated wondering sort of what was the point of it all and whether I even any longer had a place in our society. Fortunately, for society, during these times I was ultimately a greater danger to myself than I was to anyone else. As I examined the sources of my own failure, with the guidance of the more spiritually inclined,  the kindness of some truly unexpected friends, prayer and a return to some simple hard work, I turned a corner. Though I still felt unsteady, not totally secure or confident, keeping company with those more certain in their spirituality helped me move forward out of the darkness.  When you walk in another man’s shoes you begin to understand. You  are reminded that whatever is that ails or troubles you, maybe it is in the end nothing quite like the challenges others have faced, like my friend artist Janice Cunningham.

Today, I can hardly profess to be a model citizen. I do not claim nor do I even strive so much to be better than anyone else than I do simply to be a better version of myself, than I was the day before. To those who would strip away the foundations of our culture, community and spirituality as you push idol worship (the veritable Golden Calf) I say be careful for that which you denounce in humor today, for it may ultimately be the very thing you require for your own salvation.

Epilogue: In the broader context, Gervais irreverent jabs at the industry in Hollywood and its elite players are hardly my concern.  I do not feel that he necessarily stepped over the line there. As stated by Paul Bond in the Hollywood Reporter: “Nolte, though, likened Gervais’ jabs at various actors and the HFPA as a much-needed “sucker punch” leveled against elite bullies who do likewise to middle America on a routine basis.”
-Hollywood Reporter: Conservatives Rally Behind Ricky Gervais.
-Big Hollywood (John Nolte): Hollywood Still Whining: Looks Like Ricky Gervais Spoke Truth to the Wrong Power
-CNN: Ricky Gervais: Everyone took my jokes well
-IAmROGUE.com: Ricky Gervais Gleefully Hurts Feelings at Golden Globes
-NY Daily News:  Playboy’s Hugh Hefner responds to Ricky Gervais’ hits during Golden Globes about marriage to Crystal

Empire State Building in Jets green & white

The Empire State Building, the city’s 102 year old landmark building, was illuminated in Jets’ green and white on Friday evening. After exiting a business meeting in a building on one of my favorite blocks in midtown Manhattan, West 44th Street between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas), I turned on to Sixth Avenue walking towards Bryant Park to catch the F Train to the Lower East Side, when looking up there I saw it in all its glory. Before descending down into the subway, I held up my blackberry on the corner of West 43rd Street and took a couple of snaps immediately posting them to my Facebook page.

The lighting served to remind me of the significant progress made by the JETS owner Robert Wood Johnson IV (‘Woody Johnson’) since he took over the franchise in 2000. Most knowledgeable  New York JETS football fans, especially this life long Jets fan, appreciate the very careful and deliberate work done by their gentleman owner, to rebuild the foundation of the franchise with a management structure that includes GM Mike Tannenbaum and Head Coach Rex Ryan to position it to contend for the long haul. Woody Johnson has brought the JETS to the doorstep of the NFL elite. Beyond the hype and smack talk, there is an air of legitimacy surrounding the JETS, as well as a realization that their climb to the doorstep of the elite is no fluke, but was a result of going to the school of ‘Hard Knocks.’ That will continue to be the case regardless of whether the JETS are able to get past the NFL juggernaut New England Patriots led by Belchik and Brady.  Make no mistake, the JETS will continue to evolve and be perceived as a credible contender  for the foreseeable future. Fact is that things have not been this exciting for New York Jets fans since the Super Bowl III title days of Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath.

This year was especially tough given some off the field distractions including the scandal involving former interim Jets Quarterback and NFL legend, Brett Favre and Jenn Sterger and some embarrassing details which surfaced regarding Jets coach Rex Ryan’s private life.  Foot fetish videos apparently involving Michelle Ryan, Rex Ryan’s wife, surfaced on the internet. Voice recognition experts postulated that the individual filming said video sounded identical to Rex Ryan.  Notably, however, the videos did not involve any nudity, sexual activity or parties other than Ryan or his wife and were filmed before Ryan was coach of the Jets.  Yet, their disclosure was  a distraction and a cause of personal embarrassment for Rex Ryan, and even now continues to subject him to ridicule.  But it did not impact the character of the man or disable his exuberance in trash talking opponents to fire up his team and allowing him to absorb most of the heat for their falling short in some games.  Sometimes, it left Rex with his own foot in his mouth rather than his wife’s, and it probably did not taste quite as good to the big guy.

According to Wikipedia:  Foot fetishism “is the most common form of sexual preference for otherwise non-sexual objects or body parts.” Foot models are quite prevalent, and some like Jamie Daniels are in quite high demand in the fetish world.  It is the latest rage perhaps in an highly sensual society looking for safer outlets for sexual expression.  Rex Ryan’s alleged fetish is not weird; it is just uncomfortable that  it became public. After 23 years of marriage, at least the woman who he is most obsessed, in love and clearly in lust with is his wife and every aspect of her feminine beauty.  Consider that in some quarters, or at least with some judgmental fools, it is now even  scandalous for a man and his beloved wife to be just so creepily into each other that even after 23 years of marriage, a big teddy bear like Jets Coach  Rex Ryan becomes  good to go officially when ‘It’s Toe Time’ and his wife takes off her shoes.  Even I have to acknowledge that the soleful lady had some mighty fine peds, among other things. Women are beautiful creatures who become even more beautiful when you are in love with and committed to them and they are equally so. Real men come to appreciate everything from their dimples to their subtle curves that drive us mad, and yes maybe even their damn feet. Lick ‘Em? You betcha! Let those who would ridicule a man for having a fetish for his wife be damned.

‘IT’S GO TIME’ has certainly aroused the passion of the faithful but if it will lead to the JETS to victory today, I hope that Rex Ryan will consider should the Jets successfully go toe to toe with the Patriots and some how pull off a victory in today’s game,  ‘It’s Toe Time‘ when he gets home to Mrs. Ryan this evening. May that not only serve as proper motivation for Rex but then also perhaps  some folks will chill out and leave Rex alone.