The Larry Kane Report

It is, without question, a sea change in the policy toward Iran. Outreach has been replaced by outrage in advance of upcoming negotiations, and for good reason. The Iranians have been caught and exposed as outright sneaks and militarists, and now no one, liberal or conservative can deny it. The admission 0f secret tunnels housing a second enrichment center for uranium came as no shock to American intelligence sources. But it was confirmation of a dangerous regime, run by dangerous people, who must be contained. Therefore, the ultimatum by President Obama. Make no mistake about it -crippling sanctions are coming. If they don’t work, you can expect some form of military action within six months. but not unilateral action. This will be a full allied press. The key for the NATO allies is to get to Iran, with pressure or bullets, before Israel goes it alone. The Iran nuclear chief welcomes an inspection, but no date has been set.

HARRISBURG FOLLIES

New reports indicate that a tax on charity raffles may derail the budget package in Harrisburg. We’ll see about that. But I have a piece of advice for lawmakers: don’t mess with volunteer fire companies. They are the backbone of most of our communities, and many of them are dependent on charity raffles. That also goes for thousands of other non profits in the state. And how will the state enforce such a tax?

COPS ARE US!

The recent crime fighting stats prove a point. With reduced numbers, and frightening challenges, the men and women of the Philadelphia Police Department are as good as they get. The leadership is more practical and the forces are well distributed. The problem is the same as its been since the end of the Rizzo years: not enough police on the street. But the ones  that are there are working their backs off to keep the city safe. That’s something we should not forget as we go about our way every day. I write this on the same weekend of the Hero Scholarship Thrill Show, when we remember those who paid the ultimate price in our police and fire departments by raising money to help send their kids to college. It’s the least we can do.

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It is all the rage . And some of you are part of it. More on that later. Let’s begin with….

Congressman Joe Wilson, Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Kanye West have highlighted a week of American rage.

It began with Congressman Wilson, who by the way, has raised 1.5 million dollars in campaign funds since his outburst that interrupted the President’s speech to Congress on health care. Is there something in the water in South Carolina? Wilson disgraced his state with the weird outburst. But wait a second! This is also the state of Mark Sanford, confessed adulterer who refuses to leave office after constantly embarrassing his wife and family, and probably misusing state funds.

Congressman Wilson was rebuked by Congress. But egotistical politicians never learn. Believe  me,  he’ll screw it up again. I guarantee it.

Serena Williams threatened to shove a tennis ball down the throat of a judge who declared that her feet were in the wrong place when she made a serve. The match was ended but Ms. Williams raged on. She still, at this moment, has not properly apologized. She later said she didn’t threaten to kill the judge, but last I heard shoving a ball in the mouth of another human being can kill them. She was fined $10.000. People forget that a profane and stupid John McEnroe set such a bad example so many years ago that thousands of kids emulated his ugly act. Serena Williams carries on the McEnroe tradition.

Federer was pretty bad, but it was uncharacteristic.  There is still no excuse. But Kanye West’s act on the video awards ceremony was just plain ugly.

Who’s to blame?

We are. We put up with the celebrity thugs who adorn out TV screens and award their behaviors with even more exposure and adoration.  We make excuses for them. We sometimes copy them to perfection.

Remember the driver who is tailing your car with rage. The man in line at a store who angrily shoves his way in front. The bullies? These are all bullies and we have to fight hard not to become like them.

Hate. Ugliness. Unrepentant anger. Thank goodness so many of you are good and decent people. But for a vocal part of the population, whether it’s the drunken maniac outside a football game, or the hate-filled homophobic, or the 12 year old tennis player with the foul mouth, or the bigoted church-going antagonist who professes to love all, but hates many, this behavior in America is all the rage.

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You can bet on it! One of the missing links to America’s startling budget deficit is staring the government in the face. The illegal sports betting operations in this country are taking in billions and are not taxed. Delaware is launching sports betting, but only in combinations of teams, also known as parlays. The NFL and other leagues are waging a legal battle against Delaware’s plan to allow betting on individual games.

Delaware has the right idea. The nation should do one of two things: legalize all forms of sports betting, or simply, run it and pocket the profits. Why are we allowing illegal betting, which is played by millions, when we can legalize it and collect the money?

This is a no brainer. Do you agree?

OBAMA IN SCHOOL

Just read the advance copy of President Obama’s inspirational speech to students across the country. The speech will have no role in indoctrinating our young people into anyone’s political views. Having said that, it would have made much more sense for the White House to work out a special time to broadcast his remarks on the networks, and give the students, not school administrators, the option of watching it.

By the way: Republicans charge that Obama is trying to impose his own values on students. That’s a tough argument since three Republican Presidents in the last 29 years have been telling women what to do with their reproductive systems, imposing so called value systems on all of us, and have even endorsed efforts by their own party members to censor what we see and hear. Lest I remind you that a Republican controlled FCC cared more about a split-second bare nipple on TV than all the indecencies leveled by TV and radio commentators against ethnic groups in this country.

Values???

HARRISBURG SHAME – WE NEED A PART TIME LEGISLATURE

Next year will be a tough year for legislators from both parties in politically paralyzed Harrisburg. The lack of urgency to help Philadelphia in its budget crisis is clearly a case of legislative incompetence. My solution: Cut lawmaker’s pay, make them part-time employees and limit legislative sessions to 60 days a year. Many states are doing this with better results than the Pa. Legislature, which can’t even pass a bill limiting hand held cell phones.  Many of the lawmakers are young, but they act like dinosaurs.

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