Commentary - All

Seldom does a Hollywood heavyweight depart the scene with less pomp and more circumstance than did Paul Newman last week when he succumbed to cancer at age 83. The blue-eyed heart-throb of the 50s and 60s was an instant hit and became a mega star who extended a smoldering rebel personna career throughout a half century of memorable film performances. Starring vehicles such as "Hud", "Cool Hand Luke", "The Verdict", "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", "Somebody Up There Likes Me", "The Hustler", "Sweet Bird of Youth" and "Long Hot Summer" will delight movie goers for decades to come. His elderly turn as a mob kingpin in 2002's "Road to Perdition" was a fitting bow to a storied career that ranked him alongside film legends John Wayne and James Stewart. And, like them, he was able to disassociate his spectacular career from his private life.

A man touched by greatness lost the American Presidency Tuesday just as another man presented with an opportunity to achieve greatness strode confidently to the front door of the White House. And a nation showed the world----and proved to itself----that it had the capability to call upon its truer lights to shed its haunted past in order to forge a brighter tomorrow.
Barack Obama completed his rags to riches personal saga to become President Elect before hundreds of thousands of beguiled supporters and a nation demonstrably eager to bestow upon him the leadership mantle which can lead him to historical heights on a storied governing path. Obama has been presented a mandate for change. He possesses the magnetic charisma to accomplish a new direction so longed for by an electorate thirsting for an end to partisan posturing. If he delivers that change he will climb to the pantheon occupied by the likes of Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson, the Roosevelts and Reagan. Already he has accomplished a feat Americans could scarcely have imagined a generation ago.

On November 4th, millions of Americans cast their secret ballots not only for the President of the United States, but for other federal, state and local officials. Voters also decided many other important referendum issues at the polls.
In the process of making these decisions we exercised free speech, demonstrated peacefully, benefited from a free press and did so without any fear of reprisal by the party in power. Our court system stands ready to resolve any election disputes and the rule of law will prevail.
As imperfect as our system of government may be, November 4th stands as living testimony to the benefits of being Americans. One week later, we all have a chance to thank those whose service in our military has permitted us to maintain and expand these freedoms for more than two hundred years.
At 11 a.m. on Tuesday, November 11th, a color guard made up of representatives of all of our military services will “Present Arms” at the Tomb of the Unknowns, at Arlington National Cemetery. The ceremony includes the laying of a presidential wreath, followed by the playing of “Taps”.

Watching a new Clint Eastwood movie is like listening to an old record for the first time – you expect it to be great, partly because of the pedigree, and partly because it’s withstood the test of time. And indeed what you get is a classically mastered artistic output, laced with grandeur and an aura of importance. But being “classic” unfortunately does not necessarily translate into “great.” Sure, there will be good qualities – the artist/art is classic for a reason. It certainly isn’t guaranteed to live up to your expectations.
Such is the case with Eastwood’s latest Oscar bid, Changeling. Graced with a seasoned, studied hand and emotionally arresting story material, Changeling is sensational in concept but middling in execution. It LOOKS great, of course, and it presents itself as nothing short of masterful. And anyone not made of stone will surely fall victim to the emotional pits and falls of a mother battling police corruption and oppression in a quest for the safe return of her kidnapped son.

The Presidential election which will culminate in a victory for either John McCain of Barack Obama has always been about Obama. The Democratic challenger is an historic figure in American politics. Win or lose, his place in the lore of the nation is firmly established. As the first black candidate to head the ticket of a major party, Obama's quest will be widely viewed as a measure of how far the country has traveled in its determination to erase the images of slavery which have haunted a people since the Civil War.

I am so excited! I mean the day I have been waiting for for so long is finally here. I just seriously can’t believe we are finally here. If I weighed thirty pounds lighter I would do cartwheels and dance in the street. Seriously I just am so thrilled!!!
I have done so much research and really tried to pay attention and just be informed so that on this day the decisions I make are the right ones. I have watched every debate and read all the papers and searched the internet for the answers I haven’t heard yet. Next Tuesday I get to take all that knowledge I have gathered and go to my town hall and I get to vote. How totally amazing is that.

Many commentators call the upcoming election the most critical in a generation. For once, this may not be an exaggeration. War and financial crisis both add to the normal importance of balloting this time.
In four days, the speeches, fund raising, commercials, polls, debates and other campaigning activities will end. Voters will have heard everything from indisputable facts to debatable figures. They will have coped with misrepresentations and lies.
The decisions we make in the privacy of the voting booth will have a huge impact on our common future. Those choices rest with each person that casts their ballot on November 4th. These are the decisions that really count.
For several years, our fearless cat “Charlee” has compiled a solid record for predicting election results. This year we have matched him against twenty volunteers. Their task was to predict the winners of twelve election contests that Henniker voters will help decide at the polls. These are not necessarily their personal choices.

Pride and Glory isn’t really anything to be proud of and definitely isn’t glorious. Like last year’s We Own the Night, it’s a NYC police drama about a family full of cops dirtying in the muck tracked in by the familial black sheep. Only whereas Night emphasized an organic narrative sense, Pride emphasizes fractured grit. Whereas Night danced along on sleek camerawork and directorial knowhow, Pride is clumsy and amateurish. And whereas Night was flawed but occasionally gripping, Pride is really just flawed.
But of course it is. It’s suffered numerous set backs, release date changes and festival booings. It stars a Box Office-allergic Colin Farrell rocking a poorly masked Irish accent, while playing a New York native (I like this guy, I really do…but he’s pretty much a curse at this point). And the final draft was rewritten by Joe Carnahan (Smokin’ Aces), a writer/director who seems just about as overrated as anybody can be.

Regardless of the outcome of the presidential election less than two weeks hence, one likelihood seems to stand out on the political landscape, Sarah Palin may be the leader of the Republican pack in 2012. The Alaska governor has emerged as more than the second banana supporting Sen. John McCain on the underdog GOP ticket. She has taken the country by storm as a natural campaigner who has either wowed or angered the electorate depending on political persuasions.
One gets the feeling Palin is an emerging force who may play well with the electorate for years to come. Hence the ferver with which those on the political left have savaged her at every opportunity. She has been ridiculed by late night comics and attacked by a free press which has abandoned any attempt to project an image of fair coverage.
A confident and comfortable Palin is a dangerous opponent of liberalism, and she has been sliced and diced to an extent which would have destroyed a lesser luminary. The angst she engenders among political opposites is almost palpable. Yet she cheerfully campaigns on with a smiling aplomb which only feeds the bitterness of her foes.

I can remember so clearly ( which believe me these days is no small feat) lying in a hospital bed many, many, many (damn I’m old , look at how many “manys” I had to use to make this historically accurate) years ago. The sun was shining through the window making a cold impersonal hospital room feel somewhat homey. Nicole, who was not quite two at the time, was trying desperately to climb into my bed so she could get a look at the kid who she was now going to have to share Mommy and Daddy with. Funny, she really didn’t seem to mind her at all, at least that day. Their relationship over the last eighteen years has been pretty good, at least it is good for two people who couldn’t be more different if they tried. They are sisters in every sense of the word , they fight with a good deal of zest and they defend each other with the same amount of emotion.