Just slip out the back, Jack!
By SHEILAH PEPPER
The Gazette Staff
Not being a sports fan, outside of the occasional Grand Slam tennis final, I was a little amazed that even the all-news channels dwelt almost 24/7 on where the basketball star, Lebron James, would move. He, it seems, would choose between Cleveland, New York and Miami for gazillions of dollars annually.
Days of hype would be followed by a one-hour special on the sports channel, ESPN. I didn't see it, but apparently, after much talk and many commercials, he came on at the end and announced he would be going to Miami. Good business choice - no state income tax, but his many fans in Cleveland and New York were angered to the point of burning their tee shirts!
We have a terrible oil spill and economic tragedy in the Gulf, a hot war on the point of breaking out along the Texas and Arizona borders, Iran possibly at the edge of acquiring nuclear weapons, and a U.S. unemployment rate as high at 14 to 17 percent in some regions. But thousands of citizens, probably hundreds of thousands, consider the destiny of a basketball player a major focus of their lives. We fiddle and Rome burns.
The matter even hit serious news programs. On FOX's Special Report, I was fascinated when the moderator asked the august and formidable Charles Krauthammer for his take of the whole Lebron James decision. To my great amusement, Krauthammer referred to the interminable TV special, then "sang" portions of the chorus of the old pop hit tune by Paul Simon, called "Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover."
I recall the song from somewhere back in the late 60s or early 70s. Here, just for the fun of it, are the lyrics from the chorus:
"You just slip out the back, Jack
Make a new plan, Stan
You don't need to be coy, Roy
Just get yourself free
Hop on the bus, Gus
You don't need to discuss much
Just drop off the key, Lee
And get yourself free"
Last week, a friend wondered aloud why we so often elect terrible governments and appalling public officials. I think it's partly because they well know that we are distracted and are largely not paying attention. Large segments of voters are either soporific or ignorant, or both. We don't seem to be a nation of serious adults anymore. The kiddies rule.
Copyright©2010SheilahPepper
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