Summer is usually a slow news season. Not this summer. Every day, thousands of barrels of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico, with August or September as a likely end to this ecological nightmare.
What amazes me is that so few people are outraged, even when BP CEO Tony Hayward whined, “I d like to get my life back” and then went yachting. I’ve got an idea, Tony. You can get your “life back” when we get the Gulf back. And next time you go yachting, try sailing through some of your sludge.
In Washington, Elena Kagan is facing serious opposition to her nomination to the Supreme Court. Sure, she’s no legal giant like Harriet Miers. I know, that’s mean. The truth is, when Bush trotted her out I felt sorry for Harriet because she was so woefully unqualified. Whereas Kagan is the U.S. solicitor general, Miers was W’s attorney. Not quite the same.
My theory is that Bush was so insecure that he never appointed anyone who was smarter than he was. This, of course, narrowed the field considerably.
Meanwhile, Gen. Stanley McCrystal resigned as NATO commander of forces in Afghanistan. He did so because in Rolling Stone, he made disparaging remarks about Obama and others. Even worse, he made them into a reporter’s tape recorder! I can’t figure out if Gen. McCrystal is just dumb, or arrogant, or both.
McCrystal also seems to have problems with the truth, at least in regard to the Silver Star awarded to Pat Tillman. He died as a result of “friendly fire” and not in the heroic manner described in the government’s report. McCrystal said that he hadn’t “read the report carefully enough.” Right. The most famous soldier in the entire military gets killed on the battlefield and McCrystal “skimmed” the report?
As for Afghanistan, I’ve got three initials and one word for President Obama: LBJ and Vietnam.
But by far the biggest story these days is the future of LeBron James, aka “King James,” aka “The Chosen One” aka “ He Who Apparently Doesn’t Suffer From Low Self Esteem.” What does it say about a country if where a basketball player plays is more newsworthy than who sits on the Supreme Court? Whatever it says, it can’t be good.
Even President Obama weighed in, saying it would be great if LeBron came to the Bulls. Then an aide must have pointed out that Ohio was a swing state. Obama immediately backpedaled, saying it would be great if LeBron stayed with the Cavs. Apparently, both are great.
NBA franchises all over America are doing cartwheels to get LeBron. Cities have staged parades, musical YouTube videos, and massive Internet campaigns. Judging from some of the videos, they’re probably better off with cartwheels.
New York celebrities, including Donald Trump, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Spike Lee and even Robert DeNiro, have formed a committee to help woo LeBron to the Big Apple. I worry that if LeBron sees Trump’s hair up close it could scare him off.
If LeBron leaves, Cleveland will be so depressed there won’t be nearly enough Cymbalta to go around. Other than LeBron, Cleveland has the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame and the Great Lakes Science Center. (If you don’t believe me, type in your browser “tourist attractions in Cleveland and see that GLSC is at the top of the list.”)
Some experts estimate LeBron’s value to the Cavs’ franchise at a mere $100,000,000. Providing some hope to Cavs’ fans, a week ago LeBron gave a speech saying that he would never leave. Of course, he gave that speech in Akron, not Cleveland.
Some pundits are predicting that LeBron will go to Miami (Vegas favorite), others say Chicago. Some are saying he may go to New Jersey, which is owned by a Russian billionaire and a rapper, i.e. Mikhail Prokhorov and Jay Z, respectively, the latter being a minority owner (no pun intended) and a close friend of LeBron’s. (Because Prokhorov is Russian, some are calling the Nets the New Jersey Nyets.)
Another billionaire possibly in the LeBron sweepstakes is Dallas’ Mark Cuban. It appears that he wants him so badly that he may have purposely incurred a $100,000 anti-tampering fine just to impress LeBron of his commitment.
For pure existing talent, it might make sense for LeBron to come to the Clippers. But no one is predicting that because, well, they’re the Clippers.
As of this past Wednesday at midnight, LeBron is free to negotiate with, and make a verbal commitment to, any team, but the soonest he can sign is on July 8. And he may take weeks to do that. Until then, the circus will continue.
Personally, I hope LeBron stays in Cleveland. If New York is the city that never sleeps, without LeBron, Cleveland may be the city that never wakes. They desperately need their King James. With all due respect, how exciting can it be at the Great Lakes Science Center?
To see how gigantic the BP oil spill is, go to: www.ifitwasmyhome.com. In the meantime, Jack can be reached at Jackneworth@yahoo.com.
