Friday, March 29, 2013

Why Good Friday Is Indeed a Good Day

Article first published as Why Good Friday Is Indeed a Good Day on Blogcritics.

All over the world Christians are marking the most solemn day in the liturgical calendar. It is the day we observe the crucifixion of Jesus in Jerusalem at the hands of the Romans. This brutal form of capital punishment employed by Caesar’s minions was meant to be a very public kind of intimidation, and it was employed against enemies of Rome or anyone else, like Jesus, who got in the way.

The Romans used this barbaric means of execution from the 6th century B.C. until 337, when Emperor Constantine banned the practice as he embraced Christianity. Over that time it is impossible to estimate how many people died the slow, excruciatingly painful death on a cross; however, there is the most famous victim, and on this day we honor Jesus and call the day “good” even if he went through a horrific time that defies comprehension.

During the time called Lent we Christians reenact the Way of the Cross. This marks the journey Jesus took from conviction under Pontius Pilate to the moment he dies on the cross. Many images and films have been made over the years of this event, and the Stations of the Cross are performed in various ways in churches, including full action productions that include people playing the parts of Romans, citizens, and Jesus.


Looking in from the outside, some people may question all this. I know over the years I have heard friends who are not Christian ask, “Why would they call this ‘good’ Friday?” The answer is that it is an inherently good day because of what is to come, not due to what happens on the day itself. The death of Jesus on the cross is a solemn event, but one that has to occur. We cry for the death of the man but realize that nothing could destroy his spirit, which is what makes him ultimately victorious in what seems to be the end of things.

Over the years many films have depicted the torture Jesus went through, and none does it more graphically than Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, which chronicles the enormous brutality of the event. Many people protested against the film for its violent nature, but it was far more realistic than many films that show an almost pristine Christ getting nailed to the cross without a hair out of place.

What happened on this day to Jesus was sadistic, barbaric, ugly, and uncivilized. What could we expect from an empire that allowed the gladiators to be the greatest form of entertainment in its capital city? Besides the fact of the cruelty inflicted on Jesus and that he dies in excruciating pain, we Christians still call the day “good” because we know it was not the end but just the beginning. For those who don’t believe, it was just a terrible death of a man and nothing more. Only faith allows us to see the magnificence of the moment.

On Easter Sunday Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead, defeating evil and creating a pathway for everyone to salvation. This is our faith. Otherwise, Easter is just another Sunday: one with a parade of people in silly hats, or maybe it’s a day for finding colorful eggs under the sofa and getting chocolate bunnies for the kids. Like Christmas, Easter can be appropriated for a secular celebration, and there is nothing wrong with that. I am sure Jesus wouldn’t mind, so why should anyone else.

Good Friday is a culmination, one that Christians have been preparing for since they received ashes on their foreheads at the start of the Lenten season. Those ashes are a reminder of our mortality at the start of a time that is haunting in its significance. We are supposed to give up something, help those less fortunate, refrain from eating meat on Fridays, participate in the Stations of the Cross, and go to confession more often. All of this is preparation for Good Friday – a day that changed everything.

So yes, today is a “good” day indeed if you believe. We Christians believe that Good Friday is the day that death no longer had dominion. Death and Satan may have been doing a dance on this day, thinking that they both had won big time; however, we believe on Easter Sunday they both hung their heads and sulked in defeat. Jesus not only defeated them but saved us, and that couldn’t have happened without that Friday that we mark every year as “good.”

Photo credits: crosses - jesuits.org; jesus - spreadjesus.org

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Common Core Wars – The Stakes Keep Getting Higher

Article first published as Common Core Wars – The Stakes Keep Getting Higher on Blogcritics.

In the past year more and more parents and their children have come to hear about the new educational reality – the Common Core State Standards. These standards are supposed to be “robust and relevant” to get students ready for the real world that awaits them down the road; however, as the truth about the new state assessments tied to these standards sinks in, many people will rue the day they ever heard of CCSS. We educators must also face the fact that these “new” standards are like the Hydra of Lerna in Greek mythology, and if we even try cutting off one of its hideous heads only more will grow back.

Thus, faced with the inevitability of having to deal with CCSS (45 states and the District of Columbia have adopted them), what are we all to do? The growing fear is that what the CCSS represent is not an effort to give students better instruction, but rather an easier way for the large testing companies to remain in bed with state education departments. This nefarious relationship is rather cozy, and both parties would like nothing better than to pull the covers up and leave the rest of us out in the cold.

Wise, sensible, and rather well respected people like Dr. Diane Ravitch have come out against the CCSS, mostly because they see them for what they have always been – a smoke screen – and it is being used by very powerful people like New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo and NY City Mayor Michael Bloomberg not to better schools but to bludgeon teachers, to break the unions, and to reshape schools into smaller but in no way, shape, or form better institutions.

Where did this all start? Well, let’s look back to George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind and at Barack Obama’s current Race to the Top. On the surface, who can argue with every child learning (Bush) or all students doing well in school and teachers teaching more effectively (Obama); however, in reality NCLB and RTTT are the most pernicious educational initiatives ever enacted. Both were setting up almost impossible scenarios, and in the end teachers, students, and parents have and will continue to suffer because of them.

While NCLB was seen as ineffectual by many educators over the years, RTTT is a more dangerous matter because it basically is a grant contest where states vie for big dollars based on meeting certain guidelines, such as performance based evaluations for teachers, making assessments electronic, anid breaking bigger public schools into charters. What is wrong with this picture, you may ask, if it brings in more education dollars to the states? What is wrong with wanting our students to have high standards and rigorous preparation in order to meet them?

Well, for one thing the CCSS were dumped on teachers and students far too quickly. Here in New York, the state education department also made these standards “count” on the fast track by linking them to assessments. This is the biggest hoax of all – basing teacher evaluations on test scores. All over the country experts are recognizing that because of assessments linked to the new CCSS, students scores are going to go down – precipitously! How can any state education department in all good conscience allow teacher evaluations to be linked to these scores? The answer is that they would like nothing better than to give teachers poor ratings, hoping in the end to get to their true desire – ridding themselves of longtime teachers, ending tenure, and ultimately breaking the teacher’s unions. If things keep going this way, they will be getting closer to these goals very soon.

Unfortunately, absolutely none of this has anything to do with bettering education for students. When I say CCSS are “new” that is tongue-in-cheek, for most of what the standards call for are things good teachers have been doing since Plato taught Aristotle. There is no magic formula here that will help students do better, but with the promise that “the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers” is embedded in these standards, people have accepted with wide eyes that all of this is so. Big Brother also loves us all and is watching over each and every one of us too, I suppose.

What is happening now is coming to a crescendo here in New York, where state ELA and Math examinations will be given next month. Guys like Cuomo and Bloomberg are salivating like wolves outside teachers’ houses made of sticks and straw; they cannot wait to pounce and have their day. The teacher’s unions, wise enough to build their houses out of bricks, have stood firm, but we know that there may be a day when Cuomo and Bloomberg forget trying to blow down the houses and come along in bulldozers. It is only a matter of time.

In the coming years we may have what really will be the end of education as people know it. Can you imagine classrooms of one hundred students being taught by one teacher remotely? Can you picture that same teacher’s lesson being broadcast to other school buildings with similarly sized classes? This is the bold future that RTTT is pushing us towards, as well as students taking all assessments electronically. Yes, these tests will be quickly graded and require absolutely not even one teacher to raise a red pencil, but don’t start thinking things are getting better because of this.

So can you imagine an essay being marked by a computer? I can. This computer can recognize grammar mistakes, punctuation, spelling, and other elements of good writing; however, how will a computer ever pick up the intent of the author the way a teacher can? Will a computer recognize tone, style, humor, and creativity? What is being lost is obviously so much more than can ever be gained in this situation.

As a classroom teacher the thing I loved most was getting to know my students. Usually by the time January rolled around, I understood who each student was as a personality. Each student is unique, special, and these human snowflakes sit in those desks and we get to appreciate all their individuality. We also recognize their problems, their strengths, and relate to them as real people. I fear all of this classroom dynamic will be lost one day – and perhaps one day sooner than we can imagine.

The year 2525, as described in the old song of the same name, told of a world of robotic domination, but that year may be too far away for the robotic abomination that is forecast for education. We have CCSS to thank for that, and our state legislators and governors, and the state education departments. The days of chalk and eraser are over, as is the apple on the teacher’s desk. SMART Boards and iPads are already here, but the teacher is still in the mix, but not for long. Electronic education could be coming to a classroom near you before you can say “To Sir, with Love.” What a sad day for education; what a solemn day for us all!

Photo credits: hydra - elfwood.com; CCSS - ptacommoncore.com

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Lost at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City

Article first published as Lost at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City on Blogcritics.

Many years ago I had the chance to go to Ireland and trace the steps of famous Irish writers I admired such as James Joyce, W.B. Yeats, Bram Stoker, and Sean O’Casey. Armed with Joyce’s Ulysses, I did seek some sort of intimate connection with Dublin, though not specifically along the path of character Leopold Bloom. I also took courses at the Irish Writers’ Centre, met other writers from all over the world, and spent afternoons in the Garden of Remembrance thinking and writing.

I had a small flat on Upper Rathmines Road in a quiet section of Dublin, and I remember enjoying life there and the chance to get some serious writing done. I began work on what would eventually be my novel, Like a Passing Shadow, and it was a wonderful time in my life. I also got to know the family next door, including ten year old Brendan who was fascinated with the fact that I came from New York City.

“One day I am going to come to visit you and see the St. Patrick’s Day Parade!” he would state rather emphatically. Of course, I told him that if he ever came to the Big Apple that I would take him to see the parade. So eight years later, I was more than a little surprised to receive a letter from Dublin stating that Brendan was coming to New York for a visit. He was staying with his aunt and uncle in Brooklyn, and his arrival couldn’t have been timed more perfectly as it was the day before St. Patrick’s Day.

I took the subway down to Park Slope and met Anna and Patrick, the aunt and uncle, who were in their 70s and kindly folks. They broke out the Jamesons and made me feel right at home. Brendan now was a tall young man with twinkling green eyes and dark red curly hair. He was filled with excitement about being in New York, and reminded me of my promise to take him to the “big parade.”

The next day it was blustery and cold as we came up out of the subway and encountered the crowds of people running through the streets. Everyone seemed to be wearing green: hats, scarves, jewelry, coats, and shoes. Pretty girls ran past us with shamrocks painted on their cheeks, and Brendan grabbed my arm and proclaimed, “Vic, I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.”

We passed a ubiquitous Irish New York bar with an illuminated Budweiser shamrock in the window, and this was the call to whet our whistles. Brendan noticed that customers were drinking green beer, and he had to try this at once. Afterwards, we exited the bar and continued walking toward the sound of pounding drums. Once we reached the parade on Fifth Avenue, a group of men playing bagpipes passed by as if on cue, and Brendan’s eyes widened and he looked at me with a glowing expression that reminded me of the Dublin boy who once said that he would be here to see this.

We continued walking up Fifth Avenue ostensibly following the parade route, stopping in another bar to use the bathroom and have another drink, and then we went out and stood on a street corner and Brendan saw St. Patrick’s Cathedral for the first time. We went inside and, with the sounds of the parade muffled as he walked around with his mouth agape touching the benches and the walls. We stood quietly for a moment until the sound of bagpipes broke the silence, and he looked at the doors as if he remembered why we were here.

We went back outside and made our way through the crowds, pushing northward. Brendan turned and saw everyone clad in green and waving the tri-color Irish flag, and he shook his head and said, “I never knew there were so many Irish folks in New York.”

I patted him on the shoulder. “Everyone’s Irish in New York on this day, even Mayor Koch in his green sweater.”

We kept walking and stopped in another bar, and then we came outside and Brendan got a glimpse of Central Park. He waited until a marching band from New Jersey finished its version of “Stayin’ Alive,” and then he dashed across the street flailing his arms and yelling, “I love New York!” I ran after him and we climbed over the wall and dropped down onto the grass. He was out of breath and laughing like crazy.

As we walked down the hill we saw mounted policemen chasing a group of about one hundred people who were carrying six packs of beer and bota bags slung over their shoulders. As the crowd dispersed, some of the young people came running in our direction. I saw a couple of my friends in the group and I jokingly asked, “Hey Sean, Jimmy, you bothering the horses?”

I soon found out that their bota bags contained whiskey, and I introduced them to Brendan who kept staring as the cops on the horses galloped away with the crowd running in all directions. “It’s like the wild west here!” he exclaimed.

Soon more of my friends’ group had come around the meadow and through the trees and gathered for the party they still intended on having. I hadn’t seen Sean and Jimmy for a while, so we started talking about high school and what had happened since then.

After a time I turned around and realized Brendan was gone. I heard the sound of bagpipes in the distance and realized that the parade was almost over, but people were still swarming all over the streets. I said goodbye to my friends and started a frantic search for Brendan. How was I going to find him amongst all these people? I walked around the park but I couldn’t see him, so I decided to go back over the wall and look along Fifth Avenue.

I passed the review stand where dignitaries were still talking and shaking hands with people, though Mayor Koch and his green sweater were long gone. I kept going, looking at everyone laughing and swigging bottles of beer, but there was no sign of Brendan. When I reached 81st Street, I pictured myself taking the train back to Brooklyn and telling his aunt and uncle that I “lost” Brendan.

Being a cynical New Yorker, I started having the worst thoughts imaginable regarding the young man’s fate. He was kidnapped, mugged, or dragged into an alley somewhere and beaten. How could I have let him out of my sight for even a few seconds? As I walked back to the subway station, dusk started falling over the city. The lights popped on in all the lamps along the avenue, and dark shapes of revelers rippled in the glow of now bright storefronts and illuminated restaurants. I remembered sitting and talking with Brendan when he was a boy in Dublin. He asked so many questions and seemed so determined to come to New York, and now I recalled how his parents treated me like family, and I couldn’t imagine writing that letter to them about what I had let happen to him.

After the long walk back to midtown, I was about to go down the subway steps at 42nd Street and Fifth to get the D train and go see his family, when I saw a transit cop standing there talking to someone who looked like Brendan. I walked over and the cop glanced up at me and I heard, “Oh, Vic, you found me.”

The cop was about to write Brendan a ticket for having an open container of alcohol, but I explained how he had just come off the plane from Dublin and that he had no idea about the rules here in New York. I noticed the cop’s name was Clancy and I asked, “Come on, Officer Clancy, are you really going to give an Irish kid a ticket on St. Patrick’s Day?”

The cop relented and soon Brendan and I were on the D and he was clapping his hands and barely able to contain himself. “What happened to you?” I asked.

He launched into what seemed like a stream of consciousness worthy of Joyce. “I saw this angel floating in the park and I followed her. She had long blonde hair and these large blue eyes and took me by the hand. She brought me to a meadow and then to some lake where the birds floated on the water and the boats were all upside down on its banks. We sat on a bench and kissed and then she said to follow her. We ran through the trees and came to the wall and like in Alice’s mirror she was gone.”

I stared at him. “Really?”

“Well, that’s one way it could have happened.” I laughed and he contnued, “And then I figured I’d get a drink and I remembered where we came out of the train tunnel, and I figured I’d go back there because you had to go back home that way.”

“I’m glad you thought of that,” I said.

Brendan stuck out his hand. “I just want to say thank you, Vic.”

“What for?” I asked as I shook his hand.

“You’re a man of your word. You said I could come here and you didn’t forget it, even after all those years.” He sat back with a silly grin on his face. “I can’t believe I saw the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City! You think I’ll have enough to talk about in the pub when I get home?”

“I imagine you’ll have a tale or two to tell,” I said.

I am happy to say I was able to deliver Brendan safely to his aunt and uncle that night. We got together a few more times before he returned to Dublin, and then I never heard from him again; however, every St. Patrick’s Day since, I have remembered that long day in New York City with the boy I used to know from Dublin. I will hoist a pint of Guinness and toast him as I do every year. Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Brendan, wherever you are!

Photo credits: babble.com; nbcnewyork.com; Guinness.com

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Viva il Papa! Cardinal From Argentina Elected New Pope

Article first published as Viva il Papa! Cardinal From Argentina Elected New Pope on Blogcritics.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, has been elected the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church by the Conclave of Cardinals in Rome. Bergoglio, 76, has chosen the name Francis, thus becoming the first pope to use this name. He is also the first pope from the Americas and from a Latin American country. The choice seems be groundbreaking; after all, this is the first non-European pope in 1,200 years; however, Bergoglio is a traditionalist in every sense of the word, much like his predecessor Benedict XVI.

I suppose this is a case of be careful what you wish for. Many of us had called for the selection of a pope from outside of Europe; we also made clear we wanted a younger man who would be open to taking the Church in a new direction. Unfortunately, this is a case of “Meet the new boss; the same as the old boss!” Also, Bergoglio is yet again an older fellow who has some health issues, so it goes without saying this appointment could be seen as a short-term one by the Cardinals who chose him.

As Francis I addressed the crowd in Rome, he did so with humility in Italian, “Thank you for your embrace.” Bergoglio is known for living a humble life and working to help the poor people of Argentina. Though he is the first pope elected from Latin America, he is of Italian descent (his parents were Italian immigrants) and he was raised in relative austerity in Buenos Aires. While he has clashed with the Argentinian government over the years, it seems that at times this was because he saw actions taken as “a war against God.” These clashes were most notably about things like state sanctioned marriage and adoption by couples of the same gender.

The selection of Bergoglio, while at first seemingly out-or-the-box thinking for an institution seeped in keeping its old ways, is actually a soft choice – and the safest one possible. The Cardinals make it appear as if they are reaching out to what appears to be the future of the Church, the Third World and its non-European majority of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, but in actuality the man is entrenched in keeping things status quo and is not a minority. It is a calculated and yet brilliant selection on the surface; however, Catholics should not be looking for the change they seek anytime soon.

Francis I inherits many difficult things from Benedict, including the priest child abuse and banking scandals, as well as a Church that seems to be losing influence and members worldwide. There is also the issue of how the Vatican deals with people of other faiths and those within the faith whose lifestyles are sometimes radically varied and beyond the influence of Rome. Francis will face tough questions about women in the priesthood, releasing religious from the the vow of celibacy, and bringing the laity into more meaningful roles within the Church.

Of course, Bergoglio may surprise us during his tenure. One has to like a man who cooks for himself, takes the train to work, and sells off the diocese’s mansion to live in a simple apartment. Obviously, Bergoglio made himself a citizen Cardinal in Buenos Aires, and any man who has that affinity for the poor has to be someone thinking in the way of Jesus, who said that it was harder for a rich man to get into heaven than it was for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.

The world’s Catholics rejoice today as the election of the new Pope radiates feelings of good hope right before the celebration of their most solemn and joyous time of the year: Easter. Only time will tell what kind of Pope Francis I will be; however, some of us are applauding from the sidelines with apprehension, knowing the wait for major change in policy is likely to continue until the next time puffs of white smoke appear above the roof of the Sistine Chapel.

Photo credit: Washington Post

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Bloomberg’s Big Bust – His Big Drink Ban Derailed in Court

Article first published as Bloomberg’s Big Bust – His Big Drink Ban Derailed in Court on Blogcritics.

For those of you not from New York City, you should know that we have a mayor, Mike Bloomberg, who thinks this is the Middle Ages. Lord Mike rules from the castle keep and expects his edicts to be obeyed by the peasants and serfs in his fiefdom. His latest commandment, to ban sugary drinks in containers greater than 16 ounces, was overturned by State Supreme Court Justice Milton Tingling, who called the plan “arbitrary and capricious.” This action came after the American Beverage Association sued the city, and now Lord Mike is not a happy little feudal tyrant at all.

The problem with the ban from the beginning is that it made no sense. The large drinks were to be banned from movie theatres, restaurants, coffee houses, and fast food places. This did not affect grocery stores, convenience stores, or street vendors; therefore, large sugary drinks would have still been readily available in the city. This magnifies what Tingling noted as “arbitrary” in his ruling.

This situation has been the fuel for talk radio and comics for weeks now. As if we do not have enough important news to deal with, Bloomberg’s ban seemed to be more an incredible case of ill-conceived hubris, even though Bloomberg repeatedly told everyone that he was worried about the public’s health. Most people realized Lord Mike was really saying, “You don’t know what’s good for you, so I will have to show you!”

Banning sugary drinks and foods high in sodium and fat is great for our schools. I support that because kids need to have more healthy choices, but adults have the right to make a decision for themselves. I personally don’t eat red meat, but I would never think of banning it from city restaurants. Adults should be able to choose what they want to eat and drink because they are capable of making choices, whether they are healthy ones or not.


People have been calling Lord Mike “The Nanny,” which is frightening enough as it conjures an image of Fran Drescher in the TV series, but it also is a microcosm of Lord Mike’s whole tenure in office. He believes he is right basically all of the time, and heaven help the poor sclemeel or schlemazel who begs to differ.

I have never been a fan of Bloomberg, mostly because in this city of millions of regular people we do not need a billionaire mayor. Yes, to me this is like those days of old when the lord in the castle ruled with an iron fist. We need a regular mensch in the office, a guy like Fiorello LaGuardia or Ed Koch. These guys spoke like New Yorkers, acted like them, and came from the streets. Sure, some people hated them but many more loved them, and that’s what New York is all about.

The only way Bloomberg ever got elected for three terms was because he had the money to overspend the competition in his campaigns. He aspired to a legacy, similar to La Guardia and Koch, but the only similarity is that Bloomberg served three terms as did they; otherwise, there is simply no comparison. At this point in time Bloomberg is about as beloved as the Soup Nazi in that Seinfeld episode. Can’t you just picture Lord Mike saying, “No Big Gulp for you” to customers waiting in line?

Of course, as we should have expected, Bloomberg doesn’t take not having his own way very well. He immediately said that he will appeal the judge’s ruling, then no doubt ran into his office, stomped his feet, adjusted the crown on his head, and then counted all his money just to get back to what’s most important. But there is joy in the streets of New York for the rest of us, where the Big Gulp is safe for now.

Photo credits: big gulp – daily news; bloomberg – abcnews

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Senate Wars Episode II: Attack of the Drones

Article first published as Senate Wars Episode II: Attack of the Drones on Blogcritics.


The appearance of Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) on the Senate floor in his marathon filibuster notwithstanding, the subject of Predator Drones is becoming an increasingly hot and debatable topic in Congress, in the media, and on the street corner. We Americans, famous for the “Don’t Tread on Me” attitude, have to be a bit wary about this technological marvel that can spy on us or kill us, depending on its mission. Like that old movie slogan tells you, “Be afraid; be very afraid.”

Only the other day there were reports that the pilot of an Alitalia flight coming into JFK saw what he believed to be a drone flying over Brooklyn. The NYPD and military said that the pilot was mistaken but, just as pilots who report UFOs seem more credible, I wonder if this is just damage control. New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has spoken about using drones for surveillance in the city in the past, so it makes you think twice, doesn’t it?


Whether you see Paul’s recent 12+ hours of fili-bluster in the Senate as the second coming of Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington or Palpatine from Revenge of the Sith (a very bad guy senator in Star Wars films), you have to admit that he has stoked the fires of the public concern over drones. What would constitute the right to utilize drones over the continental United States? I would like someone to address that in a clear and expedient way.

For example, would a terrorist action on our soil warrant the use of a drone response? How about another 9/11 type of attack? As we know from the reports we get of drones being used overseas, there always seems to be collateral damage. Yes, you might take out a terrorist commander, but along with him you kill innocent civilians, including children, as well. How can we ever view this as acceptable policy?

If an airplane were heading toward a target over a major city like New York or Washington, how and when would the drone strike? Would not everyone on the ground be in danger? Do you save a landmark like the Empire State Building only to allow thousands of civilians to die on the streets below?

Although there are valid concerns about the use of drones. Senator John McCain (R-Arizona), in full “maverick” mode, took Rand Paul to task for daring to question drone use; however, that makes the argument even more salient. If drones being used overseas are killing innocents, then it can happen here. If someone like McCain is so gung-ho about drone use, it makes me a little worried. Of course, he would like the unmanned aircraft since it keeps our pilots out of harm’s way, and he no doubt is thinking of his own days as a pilot and how it led to his capture in Vietnam. I know he was a brave and patriotic guy, but the use of drones worries me because we don’t have a trained person in that cockpit. I think that’s why there have been mistakes that have cost lives, innocent ones at that, and how can you ultimately defend that policy or want to extend it in the skies over our homeland?

Also, I can’t help but having thoughts about those science fiction films like Terminator where the machines turn on us. As of now drones are remote controlled, but I have read about “automated” ones as well. If we are setting up killing machines to function on autopilot, we have to wonder when there will be the inevitable mistake. An unintended missile streaking over Brooklyn from a drone and hitting a neighborhood would be catastrophic.

As always, I like to listen to “talk radio” in the car, and this week the callers were talking drones. Among the usual nuts and “experts” who like to get their few minutes of airtime, some have made valid points. Among them, would law enforcement ever use a drone in a situation like the recent shooting incident at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut? While some of the opinions were that this was completely insane, a few callers said they felt it would have saved lives if a drone came in and took out the shooter. Of course, the school building and anyone in it would have been decimated, but who cares as long as we get the shooter, right?

I think the specter of drones hovering over our cities and towns has to be alarming to most people. Besides the armed ones, those surveillance babies are scary in their own right. Will we eventually become a completely monitored society? All of us could end up like Winston Smith from 1984, lost in an Orwellian nightmare where Big Brother loves us and watches over us – 24/7/365 for our own “good,” of course.

Right now I think we all should question the use of drones anywhere. They are killing machines and machines are indiscriminate, and therein is the problem. Machines don’t care or feel or think; they just do. We worry about hurricanes and tornadoes and asteroids from space killing us, but the devastation from one of those drones is just as frightening. Unfortunately, this will not be a natural disaster but a one of our own making.

Now is the time for us to say no to Big Brother and also to the danger posed by armed drones. If they are allowed in the skies over our country, it will change forever the freedom and safety we cherish most, and instead of making us safer they will imperil all those things we hold dear. Rand Paul took a stand, and now it is our turn to do so as well. If not then we better look in the mirror when one day fire rains down from the sky or our every movement is monitored. We will have no one to blame but ourselves.

Photo Credits: drone-U.S. airforce; palpatine-comicvine.com; big brother-forbes.com

Monday, March 4, 2013

Why Not Limit The Term of the New Pope?

Article first published as Why Not Limit The Term of the New Pope? on Blogcritics.

Elected officials usually go in knowing they have a limited time to get the job done. In the United States those elected to the House of Representatives get two years, United States Senators get six years, and the President of the United States gets four years. This makes sense because as the years pass, people change as do those they represent. Now, as the College of Cardinals meets to elect a new pope, I think they should consider limiting the time he will stay in office.

Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to resign opens new possibilities for the papacy. As the cardinals contemplate their future leader, and thus the direction of the Catholic Church, they should definitely consider limiting the pope’s term in office. Why not designate a ten-year term or even a shorter one? Being the leader of over 1 billion Catholics worldwide, the pope needs to change with the times. A more fluid process and quicker turnaround would enable the Church to better meet the needs of its people.

Many Catholics respect and admire the papacy, but they often go about their daily lives taking their own direction. If a pope truly wants to be a modern leader and have a significant voice, he has to adapt and bring the Church along with him. A new pope needs to think about empowering the laity and placing them in leadership roles. He must find a way to give women more important roles and contemplate permitting them to enter the priesthood; furthermore, he should definitely rise to the challenge of increasing vocations by allowing all religious the ability to get married.

Yes, these are difficult things and it won’t happen overnight, but the right leader could get it done. That is why it essential that the new pope comes from someplace other than Europe. A person from South America or Africa would bring a fresh and much needed new perspective to the papacy; he would also be more likely to be realistic about taking the Church in a new direction.

By limiting the term of the pope Catholics worldwide would not feel as if they were trapped with a leader who doesn’t hear them or care about what they really need. If a very traditional pope (as was Benedict) is locked in for life, the chances for change are minimal, but with a pope elected for a limited time, there would be hope that the next one to come in would see things differently.

Obviously this will seem radical to traditionalists, but anyone who is realistic knows the church is in trouble. People aren’t rushing into religious life, and perhaps with a new leader with a fresh outlook we will encourage more people to pursue service and ministry. They should also want to bring more people into the church and not alienate those Catholics already onboard. The selection of the new pope is critical in this process.

Hopefully one day (and very soon) the papacy will be regulated as all elected officials should be. Until then, the selection of a pope from the Third World will be a much needed change. Let’s hope that as the College of Cardinals meets in Rome that it will have the capacity for envisioning not what is best for them but for the people that they serve.

Photo credit: nytimes.com

Sunday, March 3, 2013

History Channel’s Ancient Aliens Can Make You Lose Sleep

Article first published as History Channel’s Ancient Aliens Can Make You Lose Sleep on Blogcritics.

Anyone familiar with History Channel’s series Ancient Aliens can understand the double-edged sword that is presented to us: we are set up to believe that beings from other worlds came here and either altered history or actually calculated it for us. On the surface this may not be any more disturbing than thinking, “Okay, so the Egyptains pyramids were built by guys from Orion” ; however, it does, upon deeply thinking about, change the very fabric of what it means to be human beings on this planet.


Let us suppose that these “ancient alien theorists” (as they are constantly referred to on the show) are correct. Long ago aliens came to earth and manipulated our DNA; they let themselves be worshipped as gods; they taught us how to do things like metallurgy and masonry; they gave us language and alphabets; they showed us how to build things (some of them very big things); and basically changed the course of human history. If we accept any or all of these things, then the whole notion that we rose above the beast of the fields on our own is a lie; furthermore, the concept that some of us believe from the Bible (that were chosen by God to be special among the creatures of the earth) is incorrect.


All of this can keep you rather sleepless at night if you start thinking about it. The show is very adept at getting under your skin and making it crawl. They dig up these so-called experts, among them Erich von Daniken (author of the famous book Chariots of the Gods), who is either crazy as a loon or as sly as a fox. He has been promoting his theory of ancient visitations by the aliens for years, and this is the ultimate forum for him and others like him who want to stoke the fires of these theories.

If you watch the show even for a few minutes, it is easy to get sucked in. They take you to exotic locations in pursuit of these places where the aliens may have been. It is easy to look at things and think, “Humans could have never done this alone,” which is basically what the show is about in every episode. It also makes us seem ineffectual, that had Zodor and his minions from Orion’s belt not visited the earth, we would still be walking around in loincloths and bopping each over the heads with clubs.

My biggest question as I watch this is why, if they came and were so interested in human affairs, did the aliens leave? Why did they not stay to see the seeds they planted grow? In some episodes (like “Roswell,” “Strange Abductions,” and “Aliens and Cover-Ups”) there are answers to this to some degree. The theory ends up being that aliens may have never left, that they are still watching us, and they may even walk among us.

Ancient Aliens isn’t for everyone, but if you have enjoyed science fiction or movies like Prometheus or Predator, this is probably the show for you. It is a slick production, and the commentators will send a chill down your spine if you listen long enough. I know when I go outside at night, I look up at the stars and think about what they are saying on the show and wonder if the aliens will come back and make themselves known in a significant way. I mean, if they helped the Egyptians build the pyramids, why don’t they help us build spaceships that can go to their planet at the speed of light, or better yet teach us how to end hunger, cancer, and wars. Then they would be seen as benevolent beings who really love us.


The problem is the Prometheus factor. As that film portrays it, the aliens did plant the seeds, go away, and didn’t like what grew here. That scary proposition is in my mind as I look at the stars, making me wonder if they do come back if we will get E.T. or The Thing. No wonder I am losing sleep at night!

Photo credits: pyramids -famouswonders.com, Erich von daniken.com, ET - hollywood.com

Saturday, March 2, 2013

I Am Going to Get Up Today – And Celebrate Dr. Seuss’s Birthday

Article first published as I Am Going to Get Up Today – And Celebrate Dr. Seuss’s Birthday on Blogcritics.

Most lovers of children books don’t have to be told that March 2nd is Dr. Seuss’s (otherwise known as Theodor Seuss Geisel) birthday. For those of you who do not know; you have to get up and go; it is a day to definitely not stay in bed, so get that notion out of your silly head; go out and leave your house to a fiendish cat, or visit an elephant who can hear a gnat. Whatever you do it should be a cinch; just don’t ignore the day like a birthday Grinch.

Most children love Dr. Seuss books because of the sounds. The others fall in love with the illustrations (I still long for green eggs and ham for breakfast). Whatever tickled your fancy regarding Seuss’s books long ago, it is certain that kids are enjoying them that way too today. While no modern technology is evident in these books, the universality of the stories touches a chord with all generations, which is why Seuss’s books are the eternal bastion of childhood – and those who are young at heart.

My favorite Seuss books are as follows, with number 1 being my all-time favorite:

10. Oh, The Places You Will Go
9. The Lorax
8. Horton Hears a Who
7. Fox in Socks
6. There’s No Place Like Space
5. Green Eggs and Ham
4. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
3. The Cat in the Hat
2. The Cat in the Hat Comes Back
1. You’re Only Old Once

Now, it is difficult choosing “favorites” among so many great books, and I think my choices are different now than they would have been when I was 5 or even 25, but that is the beauty of Dr. Seuss. You can read the books again and again, eventually to your own children as I have done countless times, and then you start finding new reasons to like them that are vastly different than they used to be, and I think that is the magic of these literary treasures.

Dr. Seuss books teach children appreciation of poetry, of the fun language can be, and the way conflict can be resolved through creativity, wit, and lots of luck too. Until this day I still get extremely nervous when I see the mother’s foot in the window while reading The Cat in the Hat to my son. How are they ever going to clean up the mess before she walks in that door? It gets me every time.

Perhaps that’s the whole point. Dr. Seuss’s books are a celebration of children and their imaginations. The fantasy worlds established make us believe in them because they are like Santa Claus; only if you believe will you reap the rewards. With Seuss’s books we get to leave the everyday prose world behind and jump head first into a pool of delightful language and imagery. Indeed, they make the case for all the places we will go, and we never have to leave the comfort of our sofas sitting next to our children.

Hopefully, you can celebrate the good doctor’s birthday with a marathon of readings with your kids, or perhaps by watching the TV series or films that have come from them. No matter how you choose to do it, you will have fun and enjoy books that are still a joy for kids of all ages.

Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss (and Aunt Margie and Marina too)!

Photo Credits: Cat in the Hat -vwcs.org; Dr. Seuss - thefw.com