On Turning 50 – Having now lived on this planet for 50 years, and having soaked in as many experiences as I possibly could, I’d like to share some personal reflections: People mean a whole lot more than money. Trust me. They do. Period. Social justice needs to be a priority. Continuing to ignore it will be the death knell of this country. To remain safe and free, it is imperative that we are productive. Less government is better. Always. Everything is temporary. We …
Category: Off the Record
Death of Sex – One of the truly unique things about being human is that we have sex for fun. There are possibly only two other species (pigs and dolphins) that share this trait; every other species has sex simply to procreate. Today, however, in an unprecedented era of trial by newspaper, the whole process of flirting, courting, and casual sex doesn’t seem like much fun anymore. I applaud and support the many women who have had the strength to come forward and call …
John Kominicki – It is with sadness that I write this unexpected tribute to my friend. To me, John was a role model and mentor, and served as an inspiration for me even starting to pen “Off the Record.” Many times, he and I would lament together about how so many people are talking, but no one is really saying anything. John was a warrior, a necessary mouthpiece for Long Island businesses during many critical times, and his voice will certainly be missed. I offer my …
Sexual Harassment – I like to refer to Harvey Weinstein as the Bernie Madoff of sexual harassment. There is, however, a dramatic difference – with Madoff the shock was that no one, including his wife, knew that he was engaged in illegal behavior and therefore didn’t know enough to stop him; with Weinstein, the shock came because seemingly everyone knew he was engaged in that behavior and yet did nothing to stop him. As a man, I’m ashamed that this problem has gotten …
Protecting Kids – As an attorney, my advice to Roy Moore is to drop out of the race for U.S. Senate and immediately start focusing on his criminal defense plan. The allegations against him are credible and should not be confused with the non-stop stream of allegations coming out of Hollywood (understandably the public could choose to distrust some of those particular allegations simply because they involve adults whose business it is to seek the limelight, and arose in a culture in …
Guns – We are all familiar with the saying “guns don’t kill people; people kill people.” I tend to agree with that, but with a small modifier – “people kill people, but guns make it easier.” As a young Marine, I was trained extensively in the use of firearms. For anyone who has seen the movie Full Metal Jacket, it accurately depicts the relationship that a Marine has with his/her rifle – it is an extension of that Marine, it is to be respected, and …
Universities and Free Speech – Kudos to the University of Chicago for taking what I believe is the correct position on a university’s role in society and free speech. The University issued a written statement to its students letting them know where it stands with respect to the ongoing campus culture wars: “Our commitment to academic freedom means we do not support so-called ‘trigger warnings,’ we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation …
October 27, 2017 This week produced a few stories that left my head shaking… Bill O’Reilly – latest development in his never-ending sexual harassment saga is a report that he paid $32 million to settle a sexual harassment claim. According to the report, the individual’s complaints “included allegations of repeated harassment, a non-consensual sexual relationship and the sending of gay pornography and other sexually explicit material to her.” Specific details are not available, but my question is, if true, what the hell did he …