A HODGEPODGE CANESSA COMMENTARY: FROM GUNS TO THE NHL

The Canessa Commentary

By KEVIN CANESSA Jr.

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. —

It’s been a pretty slow news cycle this week, so here’s one of those hodgepodge editions of The Canessa Commentary.

• Former Republican South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, who resigned after an affair, is planning on running for Congress — for a seat he once held. Looks pretty clear the GOP hasn’t really learned from the election of 2012.

• U.S. Rep Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., said recently the comments made by Todd Akin, that a woman rarely gets pregnant from “legitimate rape,” were “partly true.” Gingery is a former OB-GYN. Let’s just say I wouldn’t want my daughter — if I had one — going to this OB-GYN.

Isn’t it bad enough one person believes this? And now there are two?

Hell, what I am thinking — there are probably thousands of RWNJs (Right Wing Nut Jobs) who believe it.

• Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., gave one of the most lackluster State of the State addresses I’ve ever heard. He recapped exactly what we already knew — that New Jersey was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy, and that the federal government continues to be slow in coming through with aid.

What Christie didn’t say was what he’d do to get the funds quicker, how the state would aid cities and people affected by the storm — or anything else for that matter, like lowering one of the nation’s largest unemployment rates.

He’s been great on the national scene. He’s been wonderful standing up for the people who were hurt most by the storm. And quite frankly, I’ve never seen a Republican more willing to stand up to the establishment — John Boehner, that is — than Christie.

But his address was meatless. He offered no specifics. And in a state where people are hurting from the storm and so much more, he truly failed when he had a tremendous opportunity to lead and comfort.

• The NRA recently met with Vice-President Joe Biden, and the NRA says the meeting was “useless.”

I will never understand how, in this nation, an organization that has 4 million members could have as much clout and power as it does. Perhaps I am just naïve here. But in general elections, if every NRA member voted Republican — and let’s face it, they probably do — it still wouldn’t matter.

And yet they’re still seen as all-powerful and almighty.

And it’s not just the NRA. There are tons of special-interested organizations in this country with smaller memberships — the ACLU comes to mind — that just have way too much clout and influence over policy.

Not holding my breath this will change anytime soon.

• I’m a big fan of older TV programs — started watching 1994 “ER” episodes in 2009. So it won’t come as much of a surprise that I just started to watch the old NBC show “Third Watch.” I never realized it back in the day — I did watch the show from time to time when it was new — but the show (some of the same production team) is basically “ER” on the streets. Similar background music. Similar themes. Similar terminology.

Regardless, the show is tremendous — and if you’re ever looking to catch up on old shows, this is one, for sure, to give a try.

• Speaking of TV shows, “The Good Wife,” CBS Sundays, gets better each week. Julianna Margulies is incredible in the lead. But this season has been made even better by guest appearances. First, it was Maura Tierney, who briefly worked with Margulies on “ER.” On-going, Michael J. Fox defies the odds with his Parkinson’s by playing an amazing role on the show. And Nathan “Joe” Lane, who went to the same high school as I did — St. Peter’s Prep (he the class of ’74, I the class of ’92, and yes, his birth name is Joseph — has been nothing short of stellar, as he often is in any role he plays.

Nathan Lane, left, with Christine Baranski, in 'The Good Wife.'

• As much as I was/am angry with the NHL, its players and its owners, I must admit to being excited for the start of the season. Though the schedule isn’t yet out, I’ve read the NJ Devils open on the “road” on Long Island against the Islanders on Jan. 19, and open at home on Jan. 22 against the despised Philadelphia Flyers.

After the first lockout, I was at the first Devils game of the 1994-95 season — in Hartford, Conn., against the Whalers. But it’ll take free tickets for me to step into an NHL arena this year after the third lockout in 17 years.

I’ll watch the games online or on TV for sure — but no in-person games.

I’ll be very curious to see what the attendance numbers are like across the league.

• Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Should be a good Sunday of NFL football. Let me know who wins, eh?

Still Can't Understand the Fuss Over Palin

It's Time for All Americans to Truly Remember What Happened on Sept. 11, 2001

In just a month, America will pause yet again to remember the tragic day that gripped the world on Sept. 11, 2001.

Lest we forget — and sadly, there are many who have already forgotten this — on that fateful day, 2,974 lives were lost, including 343 New York City firefighters, 23 New York City police officers and 37 Port Authority police officers. Lest we forget, we will pause to remember the more than 200 people who decided that rather than burn to their death in fires that some estimate were in the thousands of degrees, it would be a better option to jump more than 1,000 feet to their ultimate death.

Lest we forget, we will pause to remember the more than 650 people from just one company — Cantor Fitzgerald — who lost their lives on that day. We will pause to remember the pilots, flight attendants, innocent children, business travelers, vacationers who boarded planes in Boston, Portland, Maine,  Newark, N.J.  and Washington, D.C., and never returned home to their loved ones, to their jobs, to their daycare centers, to their friends.

Lest we forget, we will pause to remember the brave men and women of Flight 93, who knew they were going to be the missile that launched either into the White House or the Capitol — and who instead decided their own fate by taking over that United Airlines airplane, bringing it down into a field in that small Pennsylvania town whose name we’ll likely never forget, Shanksville.

Lest we forget, we will pause to remember the rescue workers who have since died because of their selfless work, looking to find the remains of those who perished before them.

We are eight years removed from that awful day, and yet somehow, many Americans — including some New Yorkers — pass by the site that once held the Twin Towers as though it were any plot of land being “built upon,” and not a sacred space where all those lives were senselessly lost.

We are eight years removed from that terrible day, and yet somehow — this blows the mind — there is not a permanent memorial yet built where the World Trade Center Towers once stood.

We are eight years removed from that day of carnage, and yet somehow, the mastermind of the entire plot, Osama bin Laden, still has not been captured and brought to justice for the lives he took without just cause. Yet still, there are some who fail to remember this. There are some who have completely forgotten about bin Laden and what he did that day.

We are eight years removed from that day of terror, when more than 10,000 people were able to escape the fires, falling debris, broken glass … only to become covered with that grey dust from head to toe — that same dust that turned day into night twice as both towers crumbled into shredded pieces of steel.

We are eight years removed from that day when so many, to save their lives, fled up streets, ducked into doorways and stores, hid underneath cars and inside cars, not knowing if they’d make it out alive — how could they know whether they’d be hit with fallen steel or other debris?

Yes, we are eight years removed from Sept. 11, 2001. And while there hasn’t been a terrorist attack on American soil since that day, we are a nation filled with so many people who forget what that day felt like — for those who lost someone and even for those who didn’t, but who nonetheless lived through the day’s events. So many have forgotten about that car ride or ferry ride home that Tuesday afternoon that took what probably seemed like an eternity. So many have forgotten about that awful smell that surrounded Ground Zero, Lower Manhattan, Jersey City, Hoboken and parts of Brooklyn for months after the attack — a smell which a combination of burning metal, debris, paper, wood, other elements and yes, human flesh.

In just an instant on Sept. 11, 2001, so much changed. Many said the day was one they’d not only never forget, but it was a day they’d grow from. This writer, who was just a few miles away from the World Trade Center that day — in Downtown Jersey City, N.J. — hasn’t forgotten a single detail about that day, down the most minute details of what I was wearing that day, what I had to eat and drink, what I listened to on the radio, what I saw and smelled.

Sadly, though, eight years removed from Sept. 11, 2001, there are those who have completely forgotten about that day and what it meant to this country.

Take a look at the pictures posted around these words — and if you’re one of those people, ask yourself “how?” The pictures don’t lie — nor do the words that recall that day. It’s a day no one should ever forget.

And it’s a day, the likes of which we should never have to face again. Yet the more we forget history, the more we are likely to repeat it, as the old saying goes.

It’s time for everyone, in all walks of life, to truly remember what happened on Sept. 11, 2001.

That time starts now.

Click here to read my reflections on the seventh anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, from 2008.

Think Corzine's Happy Cammarano Resigned?

I'd say so — especially based on his remarks last week about the corruption probe. In case you missed them, here are Corzine's "tough words."

"Good afternoon everyone.  Today I'm joined with our chief law enforcement officer of New Jersey, Attorney General Anne Milgram



"Like all New Jerseyans I was sickened to learn this morning of the agents of the FBI arresting 30 plus some public office holders and private citizens, even spiritual leaders.

"Any corruption is unacceptable, anywhere, anytime by anybody. Whenever an elected or appointed official violates the public trust, he has crossed the bright line of right and wrong.

"NJ citizens have long been outraged by the repeated and deep vein of political corruption in our state, and justifiably so.

"But the corruption that has been unmasked today has been simply beyond any pale. It's outrageous and there is no other word that fits, but outrageous.

"I join with all the people of NJ in conveying my simple disgust. People have a right to know that their elected and appointed officials are honest. They have an absolute right to know that their tax dollars are being put to work for the common good, not for private gain.

"The targets of this investigation will have their day in court but I want the public to know we've set a higher standard for service in my administration and it is not tolerable the kind of things we are seeing unfold today and I will not tolerate even a hint of corruption. I never have and I never will.

"As long as I'm governor anyone who can no longer command the public's trust must step aside. This morning I asked for the resignation of commissioner Joe Doria and he has agreed to resign. It is notable that he has not been arrested or charged with any crime and I also will point out both as Governor and before as a US Senator I have always found Commissioner Doria to be a man of talent and dedication. That said Commissioner Doria would have a very difficult time commanding the public trust and carrying out his duties as a Commissioner of DCA.

"I've also spoken with speaker Joe Roberts. He and I concur that any member of the State Assembly that has been arrested in this probe or any future probe should immediately resign from office. If not, the Speaker will strip these individuals of their leadership positions and committee assignments.

"I also call upon any municipal or county official who's been arrested today to do the right thing by their constituents and resign from office.

"Finally I want to assure the public that I will take all steps necessary to ensure that any office holder or state employee who is convicted of a crime be stripped of his or her pension benefits.

"Now it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the specific details of any of these cases. In fact I don't have many more details than you all have. We need to respect the legal process and let the prosecutors, legal counsel and judges do their jobs, but make no mistake, my administration will not tolerate nor has it tolerated the kind of political corruption unveiled today and we have done more than any administration to combat it.

"In my time in office my Attorney Generals have prosecuted 252 cases of corruption against 326 defendants resulting in 199 convictions. Cases that have many of the characteristics involved in today's sweep. Let me close go by saying that I got into public life because I truly believe and I still believe that Government can play a positive role in people's lives, but our institutions, if they are to function in the way they are intended, to truly help people, and their families and improve the lives of the citizens of NJ, must have people of integrity to lead them. Simply put, there is no place in Government for anyone who violates the public trust."