Ratings Issue and Football

Rummy: The issue of him not personally signing letters to the families of those who died in the war is coming out a bit late in my opinion. The reason surely has something to do with "piling on" and his now infamous insensitivity in the Q and A session. Let the criticism continue, but basically it doesn't satisfy because it is one step removed from the true culprit. President Bush again confirmed Rumsfeld is doing a fine job and in his mind, Rummy is. So, since firing Bush is not a serious option, his agent is targeted. I understand why, of course, but when Republicans call for Rumsfeld removal, I can only think cynical thoughts. Basically, I feel like telling such people "you made you bed, now you have to lie in it," but I guess the holiday season doesn't go good well with the venom. btw I do wonder why the coverage of the signature issue did not do a better job discussing past practice in the area. It just continues a sad "single shot" vs. complete perspective coverage of the news.

Anyway, Intel Dump has a good discussion on the difficulty many have in backing troop when one feels the mission is so wrong.

Hotel Rwanda is a forthcoming film concerning the Rwanda genocide of 1994 that originally received an 'R' rating for "overall tone." A film about the horrible massacre of perhaps a million people is surely something warranting parental guidance, or arguably more. Thus, it was something of a surprise when the producers decided to challenge the rating without changing the material. They succeeded except for "removal of a certain expletive that cannot be used as a verb in a PG-13 film."

And, given the fact we are dealing with history that serious teens must be allowed to study and discuss, it is quite important. Putting aside that many young teens still somehow watch 'R' rated fare, it is often ridiculous how certain valuable material is theoretically blocked from them by such a rating. A movie that purposedly keeps the violence mostly off screen is especially worthy of the lesser rating.

The importance of basic content, not a few words or a harsh scene or two, should be the touchstone here. Also, the value of promoting serious mature fare, including by realizing the absence of a few key "no nos" does not suddenly make a film worthwhile for teens. In fact, if taken to strictly, much of the canon taught in teen lit classes might need to be suppressed. [This issue has been a long time concern of mine, ever since a letter of mine was printed in a local paper concerning a worthwhile teen flick entitled Pump Up The Volume being rated 'R'.]

Football: Though the first round of Saturday football brought little surprise except for the NY Giants (5-9) offense actually showing up vs. Pittsburgh (not quite enough, though the defense made more miscues), late season football still has some juice. The NFC in particular continues to be interesting given how even the Giants have a mathematical shot of a playoff spot and Arizona (5-9) a chance to win its division! Seriously, the sixth seed is likely to be 7-9 with Carolina probably having the best shot, though even the Saints (deemed dead for weeks) have a shot. Also, Terrence "attitude" Owens is hurt with only an "outside shot" at getting back in time for the Super Bowl.

The AFC actually has some teams in the playoff hunt that know how to play the game fairly well, though at times the Ravens and Denver lead one to wonder. Detroit might have lost a chance for O.T. because of failure to get an extra point (even the Eagles had one blocked), but when was the last time a short field goal attempt was not only blocked but returned to the other side of the fields (the Colts defense basically won their game last night).

The Jets (10-6) seem to be safely on the way, though the QB should be a bit less sensitive: you played lousy in the "gut check" game vs. Pittsburgh -- much worse than the lowly Giants offensively -- so yes, the press won't be too impressed that you beat the likes of Houston and even Seattle (7-7).

Gift Suggestion: An Invitation to Poetry: A New Favorite Poem Project Analogy is a nice Xmas gift, especially with its companion DVD in which various ordinary Americans of all ages talk about and recite a favorite poem. btw The Wall Street Journal had a fun front page story today about the fake tree industry, but it's not available to nonsubscribers.

Winter begins 7:42A.M. EST on Tuesday ... let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! It did last night, but just a sprinkling.