- My new screenplay.  This holiday season, I finally had a draft that I was ready to show others.  I’ve already given it to two of my usual readers, one of those being my wife.  I’m not too far from the finish line with this one, and that’s exciting.  It’s a romantic comedy, not at all political, and perhaps that’s for the best, given the current climate.  More on this, to be sure …

- Israel.  I don’t have time to do justice to this subject now, but the recent conflict has certainly been foremost in my thoughts.  Specifically, I continue to be outraged at the double standard the international community applies to Israel’s self-defense. If a European country were under rocket attack from one of its neighbors, nobody would be talking about “proportional” responses.  On the other hand, I continue to be frustrated by Israel’s inability to properly anticipate and shape world opinion.  5.5 million Jews and not a single PR genius?  Why didn’t the world know about these rocket attacks before Israel’s counter-attack?  Why wasn’t Israel screaming bloody murder in the UN and the international media?  The terrorists know how to work the press.  Why not Israel?

- MLK.  If Martin Luther King Jr. were alive today, I have no doubt that he’d want us all to go to work on Monday and skip work Tuesday to watch the inauguration.  Sigh.  The idea of a Tivo-ed inauguration just doesn’t seem as romantic.

- Football.  Is there a more exciting offensive player right now than Larry Fitzgerald?  Is there a more exciting defensive player than Troy Polamalu?  Very much enjoying the playoffs, even though I no longer care who wins at this point.  I’m also looking forward to the end of NFL madness so I’ll be able to be more productive with my Sundays.

- Weather.  Has been wonderful.  Highs in the low 80s in LA all weekend.  This makes me happy.

- Lyrics.  I recently bought Seal’s album “System,” and I really want to like it.  I love his first three albums and much of his fourth, but I’m having trouble with this one.  Part of it is the electronic clubby danciness of it, but a big stumbling block is the lyrics.  Example: “What have we done? One of us came undone. Which one?”  Urg.  And what about the radio track: “I want you to always feel amazing”  Really, Seal?  The word “amazing” is about as lyrically imaginative as the word “great” or “nice.”  Lyrics like these feel phoned in.  And while we’re on the subject of lyrics, I am irked every time I hear that Killers song that asks: “Are we human, or are we dancer?”  What? Is that supposed to be playful like Beck or deep like Radiohead or just specifically designed to annoy me like Howie Mandell?  Perhaps this lyric wouldn’t bother me so much if only I could get it out of my head.

- Slumdog Millionaire.  Finally saw it.  Loved it.  Danny Boyle rocks me.  Great script too. Simon Beaufoy plays two of the most classic story archetypes to perfection: the rags to riches story and the love conquers all story. Add in an electrifying score, the rich canvas of India, and stellar performances, and you have a prescription for a worldwide phenomenon, the sort of movie everyone will tell their friends to go see.  Go see it.

“First off, if you’d read my article yesterday, you’d know that you should always be wary of forwarded e-mail messages.  Now as to as the content of this particular fear-mongering e-mail, here is my response:

I am thrilled that Hamas and Iran and Gaddafi want Barack Obama to be president.  I am thrilled that dangerous Middle Eastern groups see Obama as a potential friend.  This gives us much better leverage in dealing with these groups.  Why?  Several reasons.

1. Problematic Islamic groups are more likely to make concessions or make peace with Obama as a negotiator.  They think he’ll give them the best deal, so they’ll work with him.  It is in their interest to act nice while he’s in office rather than risk dealing with a Republican president whom they distrust.  This gives Obama leverage that McCain will lack.  Now, do you honestly think Obama is going to sell out Israel’s security or our own?  No.  He’s not stupid.  He’s going to work hard for peace and stability according to American terms.  The evil thing about articles like the one you forwarded is that they imply he would do otherwise.  These articles stop short of actually making this accusation because there is NO support for it, but they do everything to imply it, usually with guilt-by-association and flawed enemy-of-my-enemy logic.  Here’s the thing: once you remove this false implication, the “Obama is bad for Israel” naysayers have nothing to stand on.  If he’s not about to sell out Israel or America, then what exactly is this article trying to say?  That he’d be open to the idea of a divided Jerusalem when negotiating peace?  Shouldn’t any U.S. president be open to that option?

2. Obama will weaken terrorist organizations by denying them a recruiting tool.  George W. Bush was Al Qaeda’s dream president. Their goal with 9-11?  It was to provoke an American over-reaction that they could use to grow in strength.  Bin Laden has said as much. Did it work?  You betcha.  GWB played right into Al Qaeda’s hands. Rather than a strategic response that brought the world together united against extremism, he over-reached by invading Iraq, demagoguing about Axes of Evil, and generally being an arrogant bastard.  Islamic extremists (much like Fox news — but that’s another argument) thrive on fear and hate.  They need it to survive.  GWB was so hated by them that he became their dream recruitment tool. Now … if we hand these guys the president they think they want (Obama), what will happen?  Suddenly, recruitment goes down.  How can you stoke the fires of hatred when the U.S. President (a.k.a. “bad guy numero uno”) is suddenly someone you don’t hate as much?
Don’t fool yourself into thinking extremism can be eradicated by dropping the right bomb.  Kill one terrorist and his two brothers join the fight the next day.  It’s about hate*.  Obama can take a little wind out of that sail  McCain, by contrast, has as much or more bluster than GWB, and will fill his role as recruiter-in-chief quite nicely.
(* it’s not just about hate; it’s also about unemployment/poverty/hunger/and lack of economic opportunity, all of which lead citizens to, yes, hate)

3.  Aren’t you appalled by the idea of letting the preferences of our enemies determine who we elect to lead our country?  I am.

4.  Guess who else wants Barack Obama to win this election?  It’s not just dangerous Middle Eastern countries.  It is MOST countries!  Most of the world has figured out what we are too dense to figure out in our own country: that it’s time for a steady, Democratic president who is more prone to diplomacy than bluster.  The rest of the world has watched appalled as GWB has fueled the fires of radicalism and driven our economy into the toilet .  The rest of the world realizes the importance of the U.S. restoring their image internationally.  When Bill Clinton was president, he was one of the most popular leaders in the Middle East and the world.  That was a good thing.  Bush is reviled. That’s a bad thing.  The world loves Obama.  That’s a reason to vote for him.  Not against him.

I hope my ranting did a little to reassure you that a Barack Obama presidency is something to be welcomed and not feared.  I believe strongly that if we let fear drive our decisions, we will only have more things to fear.  That is the history of war and violence.  Fear (both founded and unfounded) is always to blame when man strikes out against his brother.  You may think “hope” is a wishy washy concept, but a candidate who operates from a place of hope is more apt to produce peaceful results than one who operates from a place of fear.

If you find any of what I’ve written to be the least bit persuasive, I hope you’ll forward these words with the same energy you forwarded the ones below.

Happy voting.

Bill