President Obama, you nailed it. From operation to burial, a perfectly thought-out plan. Did anyone notice that this administration did not issue a threat alert, as did the previous administration at the drop of a hat? Maybe this president can govern without fear.
And to those who think the war on terrorism is over, get over it. There have always been and always will be people or groups somewhere in the world who have a gripe with some form of government somewhere. Shall we mention Russia and Georgia, Northern Ireland or Kashmir? Terrorism is not new and has always been around. We attempt to control it as best we can and that is all we can do.
But let me lay out my plan for ending “terrorism” or the war in Afghanistan. Provide free cable/satellite-TV and Internet service — uncensored. First, it would be cheaper to wire every cave and hamlet than continue to finance our current war and, hey, we could give the contract for implementation to American companies. Save us a bundle. I write this not in complete jest, since I believe the western world has lots to offer and, if enemy nations see us for what we really are and have a choice of numerous news sources, the anger they have of a mystical enemy dissipates. So free cable and Internet to win the “war” in Afghanistan.
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Former perennial mayoral candidate Sam Katz has established himself with a new career — documentary filmmaker. His first film, “Philadelphia: The Great Experiment,” is what it sounds like — a history of Philadelphia. The first episode was recently broadcast on ABC6.
I can’t express how impressive it was. As a Philadelphia fan and a lover of history, it captured all that I expected in a first-class look at our past. And it did something I never expected: It didn’t try to preach as it taught us about our past. I, for one, learned from it and love my city more, if even possible.
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Something very nice is popping up in the press: Nongay people are being recognized as gay activists. The one that stands out clearly is the Philadelphia Inquirer endorsement of Councilman-at-Large Jim Kenney for re-election. It read:
“Jim Kenney, 52, of South Philadelphia. Running for his sixth term, Kenney has earned a reputation for working on behalf of progressive causes, from gay rights to sustainability. He doesn’t insert himself into the forefront of some debates as aggressively as he did in past years, but Kenney still has fire in his belly and an unwavering sense of fair play.”
Then, in Philadelphia Weekly, this sub-head: “Gay-rights activist Harriet Lessy discusses the decision to allow the Boy Scouts to retain the use of city property.
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And finally, I want to stress again that neither this columnist nor PGN will endorse any of the candidates in the 1st Councilmanic District race. I am too closely involved in a project in the district, making it problematic. To their credit, all four have voiced major support for the project that, if approved, would bring an LGBT-friendly affordable senior living facility to Philadelphia.
This publication will be making endorsements in all other races as we usually do the Friday before the election, the May 13 issue.
Mark Segal, PGN publisher, is the nation’s most-award-winning commentator in LGBT media. He can be reached at [email protected] .