Where Are the Bailouts?

Where Are the Bailouts?

American Airlines

Claim Jumper

Dynergy

El Torito

E-Z Lube

Filene’s Basement

Friendly’s

General Maritime

Grubb & Ellis

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Hostess

Jefferson County, Alabama

Kodak

Los Angeles Dodgers

Luck

Maclaren's Strollers

MF Global

Old Country Buffett

Perkins/Marie Callender’s

Sbarro’s

Steak & Ale

The Love Boat

Uno’s


Why No Second Bailout? Why not double down?

Beacon Power Corp.

Energy Conversion Devices

Ener1

Evergreen Solar

Range Fuels

Solyndra

SpectraWatt

Stirling Energy Systems

Sun Power

Tonopah Solar Energy

The Damnation of Santorum Has Begun

Is Senator Santorum the next Barry Goldwater or Ronald Reagan of the Republican Party?

Barry Goldwater changed the GOP from the east to the west, from Wall Street to Main Street, from the corporation to the entrepreneur, but he led the GOP to a thundering defeat in 1964. He could not restrain his views, which seemed radical at the time.

Ronald Reagan rose out of the ashes of the Goldwater campaign to lead the Republican Party to a great election victory in 1980, preaching economic liberty. Reagan was as conservative as Goldwater, but he moderated his views with an uplifting personality.

Senator Goldwater pointed the way, but he could not cross the divide.

The Senator spoke out against Social security and hinted of dropping the bomb on North Vietnam. President Johnson ran The Daisy Ad, and Goldwater’s campaign imploded.

Senator Santorum is being crucified for his religious beliefs. Maureen Dowd, the sometimes acerbic columnist for the New York Times, calls him “Mullah Rick.” Kimberly A. Strassel of the Wall Street Journal asked if he is the “Moralizer in Chief?”

What is his sin? He is a Christian, a Catholic who believes in the theology of the Church.

He believes in the teachings on the sanctity of human life; he is pro-life. The Senator was the prime proponent of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act.

He is against gay-marriage and is personally opposed to contraception. He questions the loss of spirituality by many Protestant churches.

Most Americans, including Catholics, support contraception. The American public supports a woman’s right to choose.

That does not mean though that Catholics, who do not always agree with the Church's teachings, want the government to tell their Church what to do.

Thus, the Senator is easily pictured as outside the mainstream, to turn him into the Barry Goldwater of 2012. His own words will be used against him. He’s a straight shooter, but attacking President Kennedy’s famous Separation of Church and State Speech is a loser. He said “I don’t believe in an America where the separation of Church and State is absolute.” Neither did the Founding Fathers, but he was pilloried for this statement.

The media was strangely silent on President Obama’s quoting of Scripture to raise taxes. Imagine the outrage if President George W. Bush had quoted Jesus in support of lowering taxes!

Not everyone should go to college, but most parents want their sons and daughters to pursue the American Dream, which includes college.

Senator Santorum had no need to pick the JFK and college fights, but he chose to do so.

Senator Santorum is different from most of the candidates. He is a conviction politician, a rare individual today. He wears his religion on his sleeve.

The public is looking for leadership, an intangible. Walter Mondale’s pollsters kept saying the American people supported his positions over those of President Reagan. Yet the public overwhelmingly voted to reelect the President. They wanted his leadership, especially after the President Carter years.

We are a pluralistic society, a nation which tolerates freedom of religion, all religions, but we are based on the Judeo-Christian tradition.

Of course, the reality is that the President is using social issues, such as contraception, to take the voters’ minds off economic issues. The President’s advisors expect to win as the issue is posed as the freedom of access, emphasis on the word free, of a woman to contraception.

The gender gap has favored Democrats for decades, with the exception of the 2010 Midterm elections. President Obama is trying to grow the gap.

Most Americans favor gun control, but after Vice President Gore lost Tennessee and West Virginia in 2000, the Democratic Presidential candidates have stayed away from the issue. Some voters are one-issue voters.

We may see in November 2012 if pro-life, anti-gay marriage voters outnumber the single issue voters on the other side.

The Oscars Award The French Connection

The Academy Awards celebrated the French Connection.

Last night’s Oscar Ceremony was retro with Billy Crystal hosting for the ninth time, a black and white silent movie winning movie of the year, Woody Allen earning his fourth Oscar, Merle Steep receiving one for the first time since 1982, and Christopher Plummer winning an Oscar at age 82, only two years younger than the academy awards. It was Old Timers Night at the Academy.

Only Angelina Jolie and J Lo distracted from the tastefulness of the actresses, while Nick Nolte displayed the effects of mind altering substances.

The true retro though was the French Connection, or the French Circle. Eleven Oscars went to French movies, 5 to The Artist, 5 to Hugo, and one to Midnight in Paris, the most since the original French Connection in 1971. That great movie won Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director, and two other Oscars, as did The Artist. A French actor for the first time won the Best Actor Oscar.

The Oscars completed the circle of recognizing the French, known for the arts and culture, after a few earlier years of disrespect in America.

The French supported the invasion of Afghanistan in the aftermath of 9/11, but opposed the invasion of Iraq.

An outburst of Francophobia erupted in the United States. The House of Representatives, under the leadership of subsequently convicted Representative Robert Ney, renamed the cafeteria's French fries, “Freedom Fries,” and French Toast “Freedom Toast.” The New York Post printed a picture of the GI graves at Normandy with this caption “They died for France, but France has forgotten.” French military prowess was ridiculed.

Bill O’Reilly called for a boycott of French products. It failed. Americans were unwilling to cut off French wine, cheese, perfume, fashions, and haute couture. Madam Le Guillotine did not await French products in the United States. We were also unwilling to rename “The French Kiss.”

The producers of French Mustard emphasized it was a family name and not the country of origin.

Our relationship with the French has been interesting. George Washington defeated the British at Yorktown because, for one of the few times in its history, a French fleet defeated the British Navy, thereby trapping the British on land in an indefensible position. Americans also celebrated the Marquis de Lafayette, naming cities and counties after him. Thomas Jefferson, a Francophile, purchased the Louisiana Purchase from France, giving us N’Awlins, Creole and Cajun cuisine, and Madri Gras.

We went to war a second time with the British, the War of 1812, but never entered a war with France.

And yet, we soon entered into a special relationship with the British, which persists to this day.

We have often entered into periods of Francophobia, exasperated by the foreign policy independence of France after World War 11. American Motors and Renault as "Franco-American Motors" was a failed merger. James Franco last year was one of the worse hosts in Academy History.

Hollywood is Hollywood, not always connecting with the American public or history.

Indeed, none of these three movies sold many tickets, and all have a heavily American, not French, connection. The Artist was filmed entirely in Los Angeles, while Hugo and Midnight in Paris were written and directed by Americans.

As a final tribute to America, Jean Dujardin swore in French.

Vive Le France!

Have They Learnt?

Many Americans have addiction problems – to drugs and alcohol.

Celebrities, such as actors, athletes, comics, and singers with large disposable incomes, are certainly no exceptions. Politicians can also exhibit such addictions.

This list contains some of the more famous figures, still alive, who have suffered from drug and alcohol problems, often manifested in arrests, such as for DWI.
Explanations and excuses include “youthful indiscretions,” “peer pressure,” pain relief, escapism, relief of boredom, or pleasure.

Many transgressors are in fields or professions where alcohol and drug use are common. Many have learnt from these mistakes, and have successfully completed rehab programs. Several have remained great successes, while others have destroyed their careers and lives.

Here’s a short list of those who have been through rehab, redemption or relapse:

Paula Abdul

Tim Allen

Alice Cooper

Charles Barkley

Halle Barry

Drew Barrymore

Misha Barton

Glenn Beck

Yasmine Bleeth

Ronald Belisario

David Bowie

Bobby Brown

Gary Busey

Gerald Butler

Macauley Culkin

Eric Clapton

David Crosby

David Cross

Jamie Lee Curtis

John Daly

Jeffrey Donovan

Michael Douglas

Gary Doudan

Robert Downing, Jr.

Mick Fleetwood

Mel Gibson

Dwight Gooden

Paris Hilton

Steve Howe

Keith Hernandez

Samuel L. Jackson

Elton John

Angelina Jolie

Wynonna Judd

Shawn Kemp

Adam Kennedy

Patrick Kennedy

Joan Kennedy

Richard Lewis

Lindsay Lohan

Rush Limbaugh

Heather Locklear

Derek Lowe

Maradona

Demi Moore

Brooke Mueller

Joe Nameth

Nick Nolte

Ozzy Osbourne

Haley Joel Osmont

Dave Parker

Scottie Pippen

Jaime Pressly

Daniel Radcliff

Manny Ramirez

Keith Richards

Nicole Ritchie

Michelle Rodriquez

Charlie Sheen

Kiefer Sutherland

Daryl Strawberry

Roy Tarpley

Rip Torn

Steven Tyler

Eddie Van Halen

Hines Ward

Robin Williams

Have They Learnt?

When Will They Learn 111: The Athletes

John Matusak

Brian Adams

Len Bias

Christopher Bowman

Ken Caminetti

Josh Hancock

John Kordic

Reggie Lewis

Pelle Lindbergh

Gene Lipscomb

Don Rogers

Eric Show

Chase Tatum

David Waymer

When Will They Learn 11: The Actors and Comedians

Pier Angeli

Matthew Ansara

John Belushi

Charles Boyer

Lenny Bruce

Montgomery Clift

Natasha Collins

Jeff Conaway

Dorothy Dandridge

Chris Farley

W.C. Fields

Jerry Garcia

Corey Haim

Bren Hartman

Margaux Hemingway

Alan Ladd

Heath Ledger

Bruce Lee

Bela Lugosi

Billy Mayes

Marilyn Monroe

Brittany Murphy

Hugh O’Connor

Robert Pastorelli

Chris Penn

River Phoenix

Dana Plato

Freddy Prinze

Brad Renfo

Jean Seburg

Edie Sedgwick

Anna Nicole Smith

Inger Stevens

Chapman Lost Three Stars

Chapman Loses Three Stars

Chapman University has suffered three major losses in the past two months, two esteemed faculty members and a stellar student. Professors Richard Doetkott and Katherine Darmer were standouts at Chapman, a university which emphasizes teaching excellence. Both died unexpectedly, Dick from a heart attack and Katherine from a fall. Professor Doetkott, a youthful 75 year old, led a full life while Katherine was in her personal and professional prime at 47, leaving two young children behind. The third loss was Daniel Ottesen, a outstanding third year law student, who had yet to start his professional career.

Professor Richard Doetkott joined the Chapman Faculty in 1964. He’s one of the last to experience the transition of Chapman from a small college with 300 students, and in danger of missing a payroll, to the impressive university it has become today. Dick’s blood flowed Chapman red. He lived for the students, and was beloved by them in return. He camped out in front of Argyros Forum under a canopy at lunch in his unofficial, self-appointed status as the student’s faculty ombudsmen.

Dick was also a strong fighter for faculty self-governance. He chaired the Chapman Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP).

I was appointed to a faculty committee several years ago to create Chapman’s faculty senate, since the university’s growing size made the existing corporate governance structure unmanageable. We went to the first committee meeting. Dick was sitting there, having already drafted the faculty senate structure and its bylaws. As I quickly learned, my colleagues expected no less from him. They had worked extensively with Dick over the years. The Faculty approved his plan.

One of the highest honors for Chapman faculty is to deliver the annual Aims of Education Speech to the parents of incoming freshmen at fall orientation. Professor Doetkott was so honored 12 years ago. His complete presentation was from memory without notes, cue cards, or a teleprompter. His field was Communications, and his
approach “Old School.”

“The Speech God” taught Communications Studies 101, his speech course teaching his approach to public speaking. The students loved it.

Professor Darmer was a premier law professor as a teacher and scholar. She was educated at Princeton and Columbia Law School. She came from an academic family. Her father is the Chair of the Philosophy Department at Baylor.

She was aggressive, but respectful in her views, as one might expect from a former federal prosecutor. There was nothing philosophical or jurisprudential in her approach.

Katherine co-founded the Orange County Equality Coalition, which advocated for gay rights and gay marriage. She vigorously opposed Professor John Yoo and Gitmo, and co-authored an amicus brief against California’s Proposition 8. Chapman’s

President, Jim Doti, normally does not get involved in public controversies, but he signed onto the brief. President Doti praised Professor Darmer as a "zealot advocate for equal rights for our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters."

Katherine had just witnessed one of the greatest legal victories of her career. The Ninth Circuit had affirmed the unconstitutionality of Prop 8, but she lost her battle, a carefully kept secret, against depression, one of the most insidious diseases of modern civilization.

Katherine and I agreed on some political issues and disagreed on others, but there was always mutual respect.

It’s not so easy to the praises of a bright light who had yet to gain professional recognition. Those who knew Daniel Ottesen recognized him as a rising star. Professors can spot students destined for great success in life.

Dan had already led a full life, as a Mormon missionary, surfer in Hawaii, Mexico, and San Diego, but especially as a benefactor. His promise was for the future. I do not like to make generalizations of people based on their religion. However, Dan epitomized the Mormon - hardworking, energetic, friendly, thoughtful of others, and always optimistic.

His death was totally inexplicable. He died of an anaphylactic reaction to prescription medication. His spirit lives on.

Richard, Katherine, and Dan were integral parts of Chapman University, the intangibles that propel an institution to greatness. They represented the past, present, and future of Chapman. Their spirit is now an eternal part of Chapman.