Truth and somethin' else

This morning, NPR ran a story about MoveOn.org's ad regarding Rudy Giuliani's decision to quit the Iraq Study Group because he was too busy giving speeches. The overarching topic was MoveOn's use of the phrase "Betrayal of trust" and how it has appeared in a couple other ads recently, one targeting General Petraeus and the other aimed at President Bush.

I am actually a MoveOn member. What does that mean? It means a friend forwarded me an email from MoveOn that encouraged people to sign a petition, probably about Iraq or Global Warming. I signed the petition and joined the organization. So I had seen the Giuliani ad before hearing the NPR spot.

One reason I liked MoveOn is that they do a very good job of presenting sources to back up their claims. Whenever they send me an email, they always list several credible sources. These are also available on their web site. Here are the sources for the Giuliani ad: http://pol.moveon.org/giuliani/

What struck me most about the NPR spot was a counter ad against MoveOn charging them with "name-calling." Basically, the ad said that MoveOn was a naughty organization for daring to run a negative ad, and used mud-slinging tactics. What was glaring was what the ad did not say. The counter-ad did not refute the charges levied by MoveOn against Giuliani. The counter-ad did not try to say that MoveOn's claims were false. The counter-ad did not try to give other reasons for Giuliani quitting the Iraq Study Group.

The counter-ads message: don't give the public reasons to doubt Giuliani because it's not nice. Since when do conservatives worry about not being nice?

September 11 is my brother's birthday

I will always remember September 11. It is a day of major significance to me, and has been for quite some time. For 26 years, to be exact. 26 years ago, September 11 was the day my younger brother was born.

At the school where I teach, the high school principal sent out an email to all teachers asking for their input on how we should remember the attacks of September 11 and outlined what we had done in previous years. My question was, why do we want to remember the attacks? Frankly, the attacks were incredibly horrendous and the thoughts and feelings that I experienced on that day are not ones I want to re-live. What purpose does it serve to remember the attacks? If we continue to remember the attacks, then we perpetuate the fear that the terrorists were trying to instill. We are doing exactly what the terrorists want. They want us to be afraid.

I do not want to be afraid.

Certainly, for those who lost friends or family in the attacks, the day has a completely different significance than it does for those like me who did not. I cannot begin to try to understand how much different their horror was compared to mine. Nor do I want to. If someone I knew wanted my help in celebrating the life of someone who was killed that day, I would naturally be there. Just as I would be there for someone who wanted to remember a mother who died from cancer, or a brother killed in a car accident.

So on September 11, I will call my brother to wish him a happy birthday. And I will remember the good times we've had and look forward to the next time. And I will be thankful that I have such a great brother. And that is how I will remember September 11.

I want Franklin Singer to like me

Today, I bought a book. I walked to a store, perused the available titles, and selected a short story collection by Adam Haslett, You Are Not a Stranger Here, primarily due its prominent location on the bookshelf as well as because it was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. It was a used copy, as were all the books at the store, Open, located in Long Beach. And it was 40% off.

I began reading the book on the walk back to my condo. I don't normally do this, but the book had piqued my curiosity and it was a lazy Sunday, a day ripe for doing things such as walking and reading. About halfway home, the protagonist, Mr. Singer, described how he despised the belongings and proclivities of his niece's family in Scottsdale. "They're spoon-fed Ritalin and private schools." This passage gave me pause. I teach at a private school. I instantly found myself defending my choice of employers. And I tried to convince myself that Mr. Singer would listen to my side and come around and agree that, yes, my school is different from other private schools, and he would approve of it and of me. I put my thoughts aside and returned home.

After finishing the story and reflecting, I felt very foolish thinking these things. Franklin Singer would never have begun to listen my side. Even if his contempt for private schools were only developed yesterday, it would nonetheless be ingrained in his persona and any contrary arguments would be baseless and inane. I also realized that Franklin Singer, while a most interesting character, was annoying and pompous and the not type with which I would want to associate. Beyond that, what does any person's approval really mean? Does it make me a better person?

Most of all, Franklin Singer does not exist except in the pages of Adam Haslett. Why? Why do I ask myself if Franklin Singer would approve of my working at a private school when he is fictional? What does this say about me? Insecure? Thirsty for approval from others? Or do I still have issues with teaching in private schools after attending public schools from kindergarten to twelfth grade? Does some part of me still feel this is a less honorable position?

Who the heck is Stephen Gostkowski?

I actually know the answer to the above question. Since I don't live in New England and since I'm most certainly not a Patriots fan, then there can only be one logical conclusion: I am a Fantasy Footballer.

I haven't been doing this fantasy football thing for very long; this is only my third year. But it has taken up too much of my life in a very short time. Now, I'm no serious addict. I'm sure there are fantasy footballers that spend way more time tweaking their team and poring over news feeds and trying to decide whether they should believe Peter King or Dr. Z , but I'm also no slouch, either. In fact, I am co-commissioner for my primary league. Each week, I write either an outlook previewing the match-ups or a re-cap commenting on how the games played out. And this year, I began doing Power Rankings.

Last year, our league had only six teams, so each team had 3-4 Pro Bowlers and scoring 100 points in a week was not that hard to do. This year, we expanded to 14 teams. Not only did this add greater importance to the draft and one's ability to find diamonds in the rough (yes, I did use that cliche), but it also added a degree of complexity to my duties as commish. For one thing, a Power Ranking is now more interesting. Doing a Power Ranking with 6 teams in one division is pretty easy and non-controversial. With 14 teams in 2 divisions, who's the best and who's the worst is no longer so obvious. So I can give my opinion and then sit back and let the owners sounds off and hopefully makes our message board a bit more lively.

One major side affect of fantasy football-itis is a propensity to watch meaningless NFL games involving teams and players that have no relevance to your life. Jets vs Patriots? Maybe as a playoff game, but in week one? Who cares if you live outside of the Northeast? Or maybe a better question is: why should I care? Well, I do, because of Laurence Maroney, Donte Stallworth, and one Stephen Gostkowski. And because of my fantasy football team, I will follow the season far more closely, not caring if a team wins or loses, cheering for players on teams that I despise, and annoying my wife by sitting hypnotized in front of the TV all day Sundays. So here I sit, watching the Pats return the second half kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown (an NFL record) only because I want to see if Maroney can score a couple TDs.

Oh yeah, if you don't know who Stephen Gostkowski is, don't bother finding out, it's a useless fact that you don't need cluttering your brain and might lead to a fantasy football addiction. You have been warned.