(Long Island, NY) The big Long Island news is the underage sex bust conducted by Suffolk police. An undercover operation had adults posing as minors in internet chat rooms to catch adult sex predators. In the wake of the arrests, which include an Army Lieutenant Colonel, many parents are wondering how to better protect their kids.

This isn’t a case of hysteria over foul-mouthed cartoons or racy daytime talk shows. The threat is real. The worries, as evidenced by the arrests, are very well founded. What is a parent to do? It’s impossible to stand over a child’s shoulder the entire time they are online to make sure they aren’t being lured into dangerous territory online. Or is it?

Computer hackers have long known about a little type of program (and more recently, a piece of hardware) called a keystroke logger. This software or hardware device is installed on your computer and will literally record each and every punch on the keyboard. Every website, every email, every web search will be instantly recorded and stored awaiting your examination. These devices are legal, available as both freeware, (sometimes with limited functions) purchased software, and commercial sale hardware. You simply obtain the keystroke logger—sometimes called a key-capture or keyboard monitor—and install it on your machine.

This program, all by itself, will NOT keep your children away from dangerous situations on the internet. Those parents who enforce strict access rules for their computers—specific hours and time limits, for example, will get the most from a keystroke logger. After all, you can check to see what has been done between the allowed hours online, and check to make sure no violations of your access rules have occurred.

The keystroke logger is often simpler to use than it may sound. With many of these programs, you will look at specific times and see lists of computer activity simply displayed in easy-to-read layouts. You won’t be simply pouring over huge strings of text in endless paragraphs. But buyer beware—make sure you know what you are getting in that department. Read product descriptions carefully and gravitate towards products that advertise themselves as being designed for parents and other concerned computer users.

Keystroke logging is only one tool you can use to increase your peace of mind and your child’s online safety. If you are truly worried about the potential for internet predators or inappropriate net viewing, the best solution is a combination of factors. In addition to keystroke logging, have a single computer in a high-traffic area like the living room or dining room for your children to use. It will be more difficult to conceal ‘after-hours’ surfing when the computer is right out in the open for all to see.

You can prevent ‘unauthorized’ net surfing simply by pass-wording your computer at start-up and putting an additional password on screen savers. If you have a single password known only to you that gives access to Windows, you can control when and how your children use the computer. It may be a hassle to be responsible for the kids’ access to the internet each and every time they want it, but those who are truly concerned about internet predators and inappropriate websites will get used to the inconvenience in exchange for the peace of mind.

There are no easy solutions to the problems of web predators, but much like television, the only way to make a difference in your child’s life is to be in control of the box and not the other way around. The more involved you are with your children’s viewing and surfing habits, the more peace of mind you will have. Fortunately, unlike television, there is a wide variety of software and hardware on the market that can help give you that peace of mind, and usually for a reasonable price.

(Long Island, NY) People knew the snow was bad, but when the Long Island Rail Road ground to a halt, people started realizing that this wasn’t just another winter surprise. The snow took just about everyone by surprise, including the pilot of a Turkish Airlines jet, whose plane skidded off the runway at JFK.

The LIRR situation angered many of those who were stranded in railway waiting rooms for ten or more hours. Imagine the conversations that must have been going on as these poor folk waited to get home. “Hasn’t LIRR seen heavy snow before?”

People pacing up and down hoping the situation would change quickly were soon disappointed as the ordeal was dragged out for many hours.

The average rider has too many questions in a situation like the blizzard of 06, questions that may or may not get satisfactory answers. “Airplanes have heating elements on them to melt the snow and ice,” one frustrated passenger probably mused to another, “why can’t the LIRR do the same for the rail system? A little heat, what’s the big deal?”

What is the real problem here? Is it the same as any other big city service; a failure to plan ahead, to ask the probing questions? “What happens if we get a huge snowfall?” Is the LIRR really sitting with its head in the sand refusing to think about the possibilities?

Somehow I doubt it. These weather related questions MUST have come up at some point in the continued development of the railroad. Even so, there are two possibilities that we’ll never get satisfactory answers on. It would be typical corporate cost cutting if LIRR planners thought long and hard about it, and decided that it was worth the risk to have people stranded for a long time because the fix was too expensive. It’s happened before, why should this be any different?

Of course, there’s another possibility, a scenario where LIRR execs thought long and hard about it, did research and studies and in the end simply couldn’t find a realistic solution to the problem. “Just live with it, that’s all we can do.” Who is to say? Maybe heavy snowfalls just aren’t something that can be dealt with until they start melting off the rails.

It would be nice to hear the LIRR side of the story on this one. Not simply what they are planning to do now that everyone’s upset and wanting a fix after the fact, but also what was considered in the past before the huge snowfall. This is called accountability and there doesn’t seem to be enough of it going around these days. Not in local or state government, not in the House or the Senate, and certainly not from the White House where wiretaps and surveillance seem to be going on willy-nilly on U.S. citizens with a nod and a wink from the President. This is a golden opportunity for LIRR to do a far better job than the White House, Congress and the Senate all at once. Will they?

File what follows under the “asking for waaaayy too much” department:

Just once, it would be nice to have an official come on television, take the microphone and tell it like it really is. Imagine the credibility of the LIRR as the representative announced, “Sorry, folks, we looked at it from every angle and there is just nothing we can do. Sometimes a blizzard is going to shut things down the same way it does at the airport and on the highway. It’s a BLIZZARD, what do you expect?”

This will probably never happen. Everybody wants to put spin on these public statements instead of just coming out and telling it like it is. Too bad, we could use some straight talk from SOMEWHERE. Instead we will probably get the usual song and dance about “making customers happy” and “we’re doing everything we can to make LIRR a safe and enjoyable ride”.

Spin or no spin, one thing is for certain; sometimes you are at the mercy of Mother Nature, and no amount of cursing and swearing will help you. In times like these, many of us find ourselves grateful for cell phones, wireless laptops and vending machines. For those who don’t have these niceties, the waiting is far more frustrating. Maybe public transportation facilities in areas with heavy snowfall should look into the option of including a wide variety of public communications kiosks—more pay phones, internet booths and televisions—to make the wait more bearable.

Or they could get some heated rails so the snow doesn’t pile up and shut down the system. Just a suggestion.

(Long Island, NY) For a third day in a row, a group of eleven lawmakers refused to show for a meeting in Nassau on the week of February 6th, which resulted in no work being done. A dispute over the leadership of the Nassau Legislature has resulted in the “no-work” situation since early January.

In an unrelated story, the Islip Supervisor Pete McGowan has had one million dollars worth of campaign funds frozen due to allegations of improper use. In a not-so-unrelated story, 2003 saw the arrest of Fred Towle, Jr, a republican legislator in Shirley who pleaded guilty to accepting bribes. It was the start of a large probe into political corruption, which has brought sixteen convictions so far.

What is it about Long Island, anyway? Scratch that, what is it about politics in general? Look at the amazingly wide range of scandals, from the Tom Delay illegal-contributions-and-casino scandal all the way down to the flap over Nassau Deputy County Executive Peter Sylver, who was convicted of using his county credit card for thousands of dollars in personal spending.

Doubtless there are some honest politicians out there. Wherever they are, they should speak up once in a while. They really should make a noise or wave a flag to let us know they are still breathing. Voters worry about them, as they seem to be seldom heard. Are they dead? On vacation? Hanging out on golf courses with famous televangelists? Where did they go?

There are of course, many varying solutions to the problem of political corruption and inaction. The first of many solutions should be to hold our politicians to the same standards as everybody else. If you don’t show up for work, you get fired. That takes care of the Nassau republicans fairly quickly, eh?

The Pete McGowan problem—allegedly mismanaged or improperly used campaign funds—can be solved by a nationwide cap on campaign coffers for any and all elections. Let’s call it a federal law limiting any campaign funding for public office to half a million dollars. This would force politicians to get creative with the money they have, and maybe even start talking about—gulp—real issues facing the country. They might even start saying things ordinary people would really listen to—and vote for.

Tom Delay’s scandal can be fixed with a nice healthy prison sentence policy for anyone who misuses their campaign money, tax dollars, etc. Call it the elected official version of the “three strikes” policy. We have regular (read: nonelected) people in federal prisons for violating the “three strikes” rule; one guy got a hefty federal sentence for stealing a slice of pizza, because that slice was his third strike. Are we really letting the politicos have a better deal with the punishments because they wear suits and ties? That’s not the spirit of the law, but you can bet it’s the reality. Let all those dirty drug addicts and illegal gamblers get tossed into nasty prison cells—those democrats and republicans who break the law are getting comparative slaps on the hand. After all, they only stole (oops, misappropriated) YOUR tax money. That guy with the slice of pizza doesn’t sound so bad now, does he? He did hard time for that slice, friends. What about YOUR slice?

When it comes to using your government credit card for personal use, pleading guilty shouldn’t help you at all. The U.S. Military can court-martial service members who do just what Peter Sylver did. You get the point; do I really need to ramble on about this one?

My final bit of advice also takes a lesson from the U.S. Military. Instead of electing these officials, who spend gigantic sums of money to convince you “I’m number one, and the other guy is a schmuck,” we should turn this whole political process on its head and end the election system. Instead, why not institute a governmental DRAFT policy where people would be required to register for Selective Service. When your number is called, you must go serve as governor, dog catcher, whatever. Of course, just like the military, you’ll have to go through a boot camp of sorts and then a lengthy training process. It would cost money, but chances are the people who get drafted would do at least as good a job as the pinheads that are currently getting arrested and sentenced for their misdeeds. For all their “qualifications” they aren’t paying as much attention to the business at hand of running the government as they are lining their campaign coffers, arranging reelection campaigns and filling their pockets.

All that’s needed to prove me wrong here is for those honest politicos to speak up and let the rest of us know that the bad men are really in the minority. Oh, and while you’re at it, since you’re up moving around and all, make something happen. Get a road paved or oppose these stupid tort reform laws or end imminent domain or something.

You can speak up any time now.

(Long Island, NY) Ever get an incoming call on your cell phone from a 1-800 number? My first thought when the phone rang was “who is wasting my daytime minutes?” I answered, more out of curiosity about who had obtained my cell phone number than anything else.

“Hello?”

A split second of silence should have had me hanging up instantly, but I wasn’t quite up to speed yet, the second cup of coffee still waiting to kick in.

“Hi, this is Rob from the Dove Foundation. Is the lady of the house available?”

Oh, this was going to be RICH. There IS no lady of the house. Of course, Rob didn’t know that, because he is an annoying telemarketing schmuck.

“Who can I say is calling?”

A pause. I’ve caught Rob off guard for some reason. This annoys me. I have a very short fuse for people calling me asking for the lady of the house. It implies that I have one stashed someplace, or perhaps I myself am the lady of the house. No offense to anyone who WANTS to be the lady of the house. Have at it. Besides, there is no house. Just an apartment with hardwood floors, the smell of the Indian restaurant downstairs and the clatter/bang/thunk of the garbage trucks at seven AM sharp each and every morning.

“Um, well, again, this is Rob from the Dove Foundation. This is not a sales call.”

Could have fooled me, Rob. And you’re getting snippy with me for no reason. This puts me on edge. More specifically, it makes me want to come down to the Dove Foundation with a plastic garbage bag and a baseball bat. I don’t like guys with only one name getting uppity with me because they can’t talk to the lady of the house. And besides which, there IS NO lady of the house.

“What exactly is this call pertaining to?”

Let’s get to the bottom of this Dove Foundation business, eh? And why don’t they want to talk to me, but rather the non-existent lady of the house? Could it be that they are more interested in someone they have pre-stereotyped as being easier to persuade, get money out of or influence somehow? If I HAD a lady of the house, she would most likely be prepared to give Rob an even worse time than I. The Dove Foundation–it sounds like somebody has founded a charity based on chocolate.

“Well, as I said, this is Rob,” he’s gotten VERY snippy now, “Calling from the Dove Foundation. Is the man or lady of the house at home?”

NOW he wants to talk to anybody who will listen. Couldn’t get the lady of the house, so it’s time to move on to anybody who will admit living here. Too bad I don’t like rude people.

“Strike three, pal. You’re out.”

I hang up on pompous ol’ Rob, wait ten minutes and redial the 1-800 number that came up on my cell phone when Rob called. The phone rings for three solid minutes. Hmmmm. I don’t trust anybody who calls from the chocolate bar foundation and doesn’t answer their own phone.

I look up the Dove Foundation on the web, and lo and behold! Rude Rob’s organization has nothing whatsoever to do with that excellent purveyor of fine chocolates, Dove brand. At least as far as I could tell. I tried to call the 1-800 number advertised on the Dove Foundation website to ask, but only got a voice mail for one of their executive-types.

What I did learn from the Dove Foundation web page is that it is yet another one of those self-appointed ‘watchdog’ groups for movies, claiming to yearn for a child-safe environment so that nary an offending burp or rude word manages to tickle the ears of those oh-so-sensitive kiddies. We wouldn’t want to contaminate all those young ears and eyes now, would we?

Well, parents certainly should take an active interest in what the kiddies are viewing, to be sure. But I’m not quite convinced that we need a nonprofit organization to do it for us. Remember, folks, the phrase ‘nonprofit’ also means “tax exempt”. It also means “fundraisers like mad” and most often means “highly paid board of directors”. Does it mean so in the case of the Dove Foundation? Who knows? I don’t.

Even so, I think back to the United Way scandal of early 1990s when its national president was convicted of fraud. Remember that one? The United Way director was essentially busted for misusing the organization’s assets in a major way. Not that I’m implying the same thing is going on at the Dove Foundation. Not a bit of it. I have no idea whatsoever how that organization is run. But let’s face it folks, a handful of nonprofit organizations don’t have a very good reputation these days. The potential for abuses is too great to ignore in some sectors.

It would be irresponsible journalism to suggest that the Dove Foundation is involved in dirty dealings. I am not saying anything of the sort. What I would like to make noise about here is what they ARE doing. At the website, the Dove Foundation doesn’t just encourage filmmakers to create more family-friendly fare; they actively seek “re-edited” versions of Hollywood movies suitable for families.

This, friends and neighbors, is what my grandmother would call a “big load of horse puckey.” The Dove Foundation, in a quest to create this essentially sanitized and retooled entertainment, is asking filmmakers to be dishonest about their work. Cutting out what the Dove Foundation would consider inappropriate is tantamount to…well, who cares what it’s TANTAMOUNT to, it’s just plain fraudulent. If you rent a copy of Schindler’s List, you should see ALL of it, just the way the director intended. If you don’t want the kids to see it, DON’T SHOW IT TO THEM. Do we REALLY need yet another non-taxpaying organization to ‘save the children’?

Instead of spending the amounts of money the Dove Foundation may or may not have raised on cleaning up movies, they should redistribute that money to needy families with hungry kids. If the Dove Foundation is so intent on saving the children, they should take more DIRECT ACTION. Cleaning up Hollywood scripts isn’t going to do a bloody thing for inner-city kids who hear all the swear words, see all the drugs and shootings, basically getting all the bad influences they can handle right out there on the street. It’s NOT in the movie theaters for the kids—it’s REAL LIFE. Try cleaning THAT up, Rob-from-the-Dove-Foundation.

And besides, how did he get my CELL number?

(Long Island, NY) A February 28th workshop at the Kermit W. Graf building in Riverhead illustrates a sometimes-overlooked resource new parents have; a community of people just like them, all learning through a difficult time. The workshop, called “Living With Toddlers” is in many ways, a smaller version of something people in the corporate world have benefited from for decades.

In the business world, conventions and workshops are designed to educate, inform and help those ‘in the biz’ make contacts with one another. These conventions are often viewed as “team building” activities and offer ways to work out problems and difficulties. Why shouldn’t parents take advantage of the same thing in the form of parenting workshops? While vastly different from their corporate counterparts in terms of presentation and topic, the basic results are the same.

At the business convention, cards are traded, ideas are shared on how to get the job done more effectively, and friendships are started on the basis of common ground; similar corporations, school connections, common associates, any of the ways people routinely bond. Parents can get the same kind of connections at parenting workshops. A harried, frustrated stay-at-home dad or mom will find many others in the same situation. New parents who learn from the experience of their peers over coffee and donuts find themselves going home with new tools to use “on the job” with their kids.

The convention experience often includes training and literature that can help expand a person’s knowledge base with regard to selling, efficiency and time management. The same goes for a parenting support group or workshop. Even if you don’t purchase any books or opt only to attend the free seminar portion of a support group, you’ll come away with a wealth of information on how to do your parenting job better.

The “Living With Toddlers” workshop itself is advertised as a way to teach new parents how to develop realistic expectations on child development during those critical first years, much like a corporate seminar would instruct new managers on how to groom their new hires in how to properly bring the new employee onto the team as a fully functioning part of the group. Some new parents might balk at the idea that anyone else could teach them something about how to raise their child, but who in the business world honestly thinks they can’t learn something from the experience of tried-and-tested success story? It’s the exact same thing with parenting. Viewed from a corporate standpoint, it makes no sense at all to refuse some ‘insider’ information. Your bottom line at home won’t be dollars and cents, but the results are the same—improved efficiency and better use of the time you have to spend with the family.

In the corporate world, there is often no room for mistakes that are easily avoided by listening to advice; so much more so with children. In your busy life, can you afford to spend time on trial and error learning that could be avoided with the help of information gained at a workshop or support group? Often times, parents are too busy to devote the time to attend—but a new stay-at-home parent may find the investment worth the effort. Not all business people have the time to go to seminars, either. Those who can find a way to make the time find themselves headed back to the office with a renewed sense of purpose. Sometimes the most important part of the experience is just the knowledge that there are others out there who have been there, and understand. Other times the information itself is the most valuable part. Either way, that refreshed, ‘ready for the world” feeling is priceless.

Parenting Workshop: “Living With Toddlers” on February 28, 2006 and March 7 7:00PM-9:00PM at the Kermit W. Graf Building, Riverhead, NY.

For more information call 631-727-7850, extension 340 or e-mail to dk232@cornell.edu

(Long Island, NY) Most Americans who grew up in the late 1970s and early 1980s remember the string of movies based on Jay Anson’s book, The Amityville Horror. The novel, released in 1979, was based around true stories regarding Long Island’s most famous house. The tale includes details of a 1974 Long Island murder of six people in the DeFeo family, who were shot to death at 112 Ocean Avenue. One of the surviving family members, Ronald “Butch” DeFeo, was tried and convicted of the murders.

Just over a year later, another family moved in at 112 Ocean Avenue. Twenty-eight days after taking residence, the Lutz family moved out with haste, claiming the house to be haunted. Author Jay Anson later chronicled the experiences of George and Kathleen Lutz in what was billed as a “non-fiction horror novel”. The Amityville Horror was optioned as a film and made into a Hollywood movie starring James Brolin. A 2005 remake brought the story back into the public eye and soon, Anson’s book was also reissued.

Today, 112 Ocean Avenue is a location many Long Island locals are bemused about, while others wish the Amityville stories would fade into the background for good. Local legends about the address are supplemented by old programs such as the1970s supernatural “documentary” TV show, In Search Of; and as recently as the year 2000 with coverage by The History Channel. The Amityville story comes and goes, but one man in particular has a large passion for the stories behind the sensationalism.

More than thirty years after the fact, author Ric Osuna decided to pursue the facts behind the case of the Amityville murders and the story of the Lutz family ordeal that was popularized by Hollywood. Osuna’s website, http://www.amityvillemurders.com, is an exhaustive study of all things related to what most people know today as The Amityville Horror. The Las Vegas based writer uncovered details about the case which cast doubts on the conviction of Butch DeFeo as the sole killer of his family, and managed to obtain interviews with key figures in the Lutz family story, many of whom claim the entire tale is simply a highly fictitious silver screen yarn.

Osuna’s book, The Night the DeFeos Died is said to be the definitive source on the facts and circumstances surrounding the Amityville case. According to Osuna’s website, the author has been unsuccessfully sued by both Butch DeFeo and George Lutz for varying causes, including defamatory statements and trademark infringement. In both cases, the suits were ruled in favor of the author. In the Lutz suit, the website says, none of the facts of The Night the DeFeos Died were called into question.

www.amityvillemurders.com gives a full accounting of all of Osuna’s legal troubles connected with the book, complete with the final decision of the courts in both instances. The site very nearly offers too much information on every aspect of the Amityville story. There are photographs, scans of police records and long timelines offered as early back as the 1600s. According to a quote by the author at the website, “This website simply offers, in my opinion, the most complete side of the Amityville story.” Osuna writes, “Keeping an open mind along with a scientific understanding will help you come to a logical conclusion. I hope this website and my book will help you uncover the truth as you see it.”

The Night the DeFeos Died has gained so much attention that Ric Osuna found himself highlighted on the Travel Channel and A&E. His efforts landed him a spot in the New Criminologist’s Hall of Fame. The book is still for sale, and today Osuna is working on another, non-Amityville related book.

The Amityville story, as evidenced by the 2005 remake of the original movie starring James Brolin, still fascinates many Americans. Sudden violence, ghosts and supernatural warnings to “get out” have always been part of the American literary fabric. What makes the Amityville tale so pervasive is the ‘true story’ claims made by Jay Anson and the filmmakers. Many today see the movie’s ‘true story’ hype for what it is—grist for the box office profit mill. Others take the supernatural aspects of Anson’s book quite seriously. Ric Osuna, however, does not.

(Long Island, NY) Another phase in the controversial Broadwater Liquid Natural Gas project has begun with the filing of an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. According to a Newsday report, Broadwater’s filing with the FERC brings it a step closer to a proposed 2010 start-up when, if all goes according to plan, the project would supply natural gas to New York and Connecticut residents. Broadwater is a joint operation between TransCanada and Shell.

Part of the controversy involves the “floating terminal” which would operate in waters between Wading River and New Haven, Connecticut. Local residents are concerned over issues including the environmental impact such an operation would have, plus accusations that the floating facility would spoil local scenic views.

According to Newsday, Broadwater consultants have spent the last fifteen months in discussions about such issues, and have agreed to scale down the “visual impact” of the floating facility. Broadwater officials have also taken steps to reassure local residents of the safety of the LNG operation.

As part of that reassurance, a press statement was issued by Broadwater officials to address some of the concerns. According to the Newsday article, those behind Broadwater present a high level of confidence in the floating facility’s ability to withstand natural disasters. “The design of the mooring system” the article states, “will allow it to withstand wind and wave conditions beyond any experienced in Long Island Sound history.”

Such statements are typical in a public relations context, but in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, are they to be taken seriously? The citizens and governing officials in New Orleans may have had the same level of faith in that city’s levee system, but once tested in a critical situation, the people of Louisiana learned that faith was severely misplaced.

If TransCanada and Shell are serious about getting Long Island residents on board with the Broadwater project, a more concerted effort is required to demonstrate the safety of the entire operation. 2010 is not far away. Until Broadwater does more than issue press releases glad-handing its floating platform, it is unrealistic to expect anyone concerned about the safety of Long Island and the surrounding areas to be convinced the LNG project is anything less than a complete liability.

TransCanada and Shell must, at the very least, go public with any contingency planning it may have for the inevitable wreck, spill, accident, fire, explosion or collision which may occur in Long Island Sound. Anything less than full disclosure of such planning should be viewed with suspicion. If TransCanada and Shell expect Long Island residents to believe there are no accidents on the horizon, they should not be allowed to operate in the Sound until they can demonstrate reasonable preparation for such events. The mere availability of such information is NOT enough. A corporate effort should be made to educate people living near the affected areas on safety concerns and preparations.

Accidents WILL happen at both the floating platform and with the pipelines connected with the Broadwater project. If the company is not prepared for them, again, permission should not be granted permission by the federal government to operate in Long Island Sound. If TransCanada and Shell does have contingency plans, it should inform the citizens of Long Island and Connecticut what exactly will be done when the time comes. It can’t be repeated too many times; if Broadwater cannot operate informed by the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina, it should not operate at all. These corporations intend to run a facility that processes hazardous materials within range of sensitive environmental zones and populated areas. Those who live near such facilities have the right to demand a full accounting of what is planned to protect them and the places they live.

(Long Island, NY) Ever watch ESPN’s coverage of the World Series of Poker? Players like Annie Duke, 2004 Tournament Of Champions winner or 2004 World Series of Poker Champion Greg Raymer are becoming household names in some areas, thanks to a growing popularity of games like Texas Hold ‘em. It’s all on cable TV—the thrills of high stakes gambling.

In light of the growing popularity of both ESPN’s poker broadcasts, and games like Texas Hold ‘em, the recent Farmingdale headlines about illegal gambling raised many eyebrows in the Long Island community. The busts come as a surprise to some who didn’t think illegal gambling was happening so close to home, and an even bigger surprise to ESPN fans who wonder what all the big deal is—after all, don’t they do this on TV all the time?

According to a Newsday.com report, Nassau County police staged a raid on what is being called an “illegal Texas Hold ‘Em game”. Six players, said the Newsday.com story, were arrested and released without bond. Let’s see if we’ve got all the facts right here. Six people were rounded up by the police for playing cards for money in a game that was advertised by word of mouth according to the news story. Six hardened criminals (if they are indeed guilty) who endangered public safety and broke with society by playing a game popularized on cable television.

Obviously, all the facts in this story are NOT in, and we don’t really know whether this illegal game was rigged by professional card sharks, or if the gambling money was stolen out of Sunday school coffers or taken out of the hands of little children standing in line to eat lunch at a public school somewhere in the inner city. Maybe the players were sitting around smoking opium out of pipes made out of endangered elephant tusks, who knows?

What we DO know is this—ten thousand dollars got confiscated in the raid. A small fortune to you and me, just handful gambling money for the players who got raided in Farmingdale. If they can afford to play with those stakes, and the game isn’t rigged, what exactly is the problem here?

Gambling is a major source of trouble for many people, hence the proliferation of organizations such as Gamblers Anonymous (http://www.gamblersanonymous.org/). Gambling can take a hold of some people in the same way that drugs control addicts. Clearly, those people should not be playing card games, just as people with diabetes issues shouldn’t be horking down candy bars and ice cream on a regular basis. At last check, nobody proposed making Ben and Jerry’s a controlled substance in spite of the obvious dangers to the diabetic population at large.

While gambling—legal or not—brings with it a particular set of social concerns and problems (much like the once-banned demon rum), the real issue for Long Islanders should be one of priority. The U.S. Department of Justice reported in 2004 that roughly fifty percent of all high school seniors polled said they could easily obtain amphetamines and cocaine. More than twenty five percent of those surveyed said they could easily obtain crystal meth. (Source page http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/dcf/du.htm)

With statistics such as these, does the Nassau County police department have any business at all devoting resources away from interdicting drug sources in the local community? Six bozos in a warehouse playing cards hardly seems like much of a problem compared to the idea that even as you read this, someone out there is bagging up another batch of coke or pills to sell to a teenager someplace.

Yes, gambling is illegal. So is graft, bribery and misappropriation of taxpayer dollars. Until some more attention is paid to these issues, and especially the availability of drugs to Nassau County teens, perhaps the six bozos should be left to play their Texas Hold ‘Em games in peace.

After all, they were only imitating what they saw on TV, anyway.

(Long Island, NY) A political blogger friend of mine dropped me a breathless email today. “Did you see the ABC News piece on Iraq?” he said, “The mission in Iraq is doomed!” I was slightly disturbed by what seemed to be a gloating tone in the email, but I read on as my blogger buddy quoted ABC. “Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, the top commander of U.S. ground forces in Iraq,” the ABC quote stated, “says the current surge of 21,500 troops is not “open-ended” and warned that ‘time is running out’ for the United States to turn things around in Iraq.”

Strong stuff. Especially for a line officer to be saying in a media interview. Generals who value their careers don’t go spouting off in the media without getting clearance ahead of time. I should know, I spent more than 13 years covering military affairs. I can promise you that 99% of everything that comes from the mouth of a high-ranking someone in uniform with regard to military service has been thought about quite a lot.

This little quip all by itself wouldn’t have bothered me as much, except for what I heard on NPR recently about the troops surge. Much has been made about the additional forces going in to Iraq. There has been debate about the “escalation” and other semantics, but one very important fact has been missing from much of this talk.

Most people are aware of the troop surge. Fewer people are aware that UK officials are discussing a major drawdown of its troops in Southern Iraq. The U.S. troop surge could wind up being negated by a British pullout. Critics of this way of thinking point out that the Brits are stationed in the more stable southern regions of the country, but is that really going to make much of a difference? A security hole will be left in the wake of the departing British forces if and when they do leave. Sectarian bombers know how to exploit security holes.

In the event that the UK forces do leave, all this talk of troop surges becomes tricky. The additional forces could be distracted by problems in the south, should the violence spread to those areas. Will they? Are these southern areas less vulnerable to sectarian problems based on the makeup of the tribal influences in the region? I don’t know enough about Iraqi politics and tribal issues to make the call.

Does George Bush? He’s blundered so much of Iraq at this stage where simple matters of war and peace are concerned that we can hardly trust him to make the right call as commander-in-chief on this. To top it all off, we have Iran and Syria complicating the whole mess. Sabre rattling on both sides is creating a high-stakes game of poker, and Bush’s poker face is laughable. “The Decider”? He proclaimed, “mission accomplished” on that aircraft carrier, in case anyone forgot.

For a mission that’s been “accomplished,” Bush has eaten a tremendous amount of crow about recent operations and their lack of effectiveness over there.

At this stage in the debacle, Iraq seems doomed no matter what happens. It’s Viet Nam all over again, and unfortunately the only thing left is a modern day humiliation like we suffered as we fled from ‘Nam by any means available. How will we run away from this one? What happens when the American media finally recognizes a civil war in Iraq, one that America is powerless to stop, short of a full-scale, WW2-style occupation similar to the one we did in Japan?

I don’t know what my political blogger friend thinks of any of this, (he has yet to reply to the email I sent him on all this) but I have a feeling he’d label me a gloom-and-doomer in spite of the fact that he, too disagrees with Bush.

I hate to say it, folks, but a full-scale occupation is the only way I can see that we’re going to get anything done over there. I don’t condone it, or approve of it, but I do recognize that it’s the only real option with ANY hope of lasting success. It worked for Japan. It could work in Iraq, if properly administered. But America simply does not have the will, and that’s why Iraq will succumb to a civil war as we hurriedly try to escape the mess we created after the fall of Saddam.

(Long Island, NY) Recently I stumbled across an old press release from Long Island University announcing an MFA program in writing featuring a workshop by Kurt Vonnegut. I had been searching for a Long Island connection with Vonnegut, beyond the summer cottage, location settings in his novels, and the other well-known facts.

When I found the LIU press release, I felt envious of those people who could have enjoyed that workshop back in 1997. I was in Texas at the time working as a regional reporter, bouncing from San Antonio to Grand Forks, North Dakota and other freezing cold mountain states with alarming regularity. It’s ironic that at the time Vonnegut would have been giving the workshop, I was just getting acquainted with his fine work.

In 1997, I became addicted to his books Breakfast Of Champions, Cat’s Cradle, and Bluebeard. If I’d only known he was doing college work at LIU that year! I could have dropped everything, made an excuse to get an assignment on Long Island, and had a nice chat. And why not? We’re both veterans, we both have the writing game in our blood, and we’re both convinced that nobody will care much about our work in, say, ten million years.

Of course, some people would get the mistaken idea at this point that I consider myself and Vonnegut to be peers. Don’t you believe it. It’s just not possible for the two of us to walk on a level playing field. The idea the he and I are peers is as absurd as the notion that Britney Spears has something relevant to say. About anything. Well, she might have a few words of wisdom about how to match tube tops with Capri pants, but we won’t hold our breath for a dissertation on the literary merits of James Joyce and Henry Miller, now, will we?

Kurt Vonnegut hasn’t written the most IMPORTANT book ever written, but he has written the BEST, at least in America. Breakfast Of Champions is, in my own opinion, the best American work of fiction available.

I won’t waste time telling you what it’s about. I won’t bother you with details. I’ll just say that I would like to have that book tossed into my coffin before they close the lid.

As I was digging into my Long Island/Vonnegut research, I remembered a recent major interview done on Long Island. A Rolling Stone correspondent had contacted the author at his Long Island summer home to ask about the state of America, our addiction to gasoline, and whether or not it was the end of the world as we know it. Kurt Vonnegut was adamant that gasoline will be our final doom, one way or another. Too true. I wish he would write a full-length non-fiction book with wall-to-wall observations like these.

I’d write one myself, but it would be dismissed as the ravings of a crackpot, and there would be exactly five sales: one to my parents, two to my siblings, and another two would come from those I hold dear outside of family. The rest would wind up remaindered, and my name would go on an FBI watch list for a few years until they decided it wasn’t worth the money to look at me any more.

Vonnegut is probably convinced that such a book coming from him would be dismissed as the ravings of a crackpot, but the major difference here is that people would definitely buy this book, and consider it his most relevant work to date. I, for one, would call it a nice epitaph for the American Century.

There’s some tiny little part of me that hopes the man would somehow stumble across this rambling screed, get inspired enough to write the damn thing and put it out there, but I know writers all too well. We read the praises of our work, smile briefly, then shake our heads. We say to ourselves;

“Wow. Sure fooled ‘em that time.”

It’s the writer’s curse. We’re absolutely driven to get words down on paper, but we have little confidence in them once they are there. Maybe this goes away after you’ve written say, your fourteenth novel. Vonnegut’s was Timequake, what he may or may not have described as his “victory lap” as a novelist. I found it ironic that the book was published in 1997, the same year he did the workshop at LIU, the same year I should have dropped everything and flew out to LI for a chat.

In spite of the 1997 coincidences, wishful thinking, and all the rest of the info I dug up, I had to give up the notion of writing a Long Island article about Kurt Vonnegut. I figured that what was already known is too well known to be of any interest, and the minor stuff was, well, too damn minor. Instead, I find myself here on a rambling screed to encourage anyone and everyone with two brain cells to rub together to go out and find a copy of Breakfast Of Champions. It should be considered a national treasure, though Kurt Vonnegut probably wouldn’t think so.