WHAT NOW?

So this week it will be six years since I stood in the front lobby of NBA City in Orlando, Florida on what was supposed to be the last morning of my honeymoon, wanting to get a picture taken in front of a blue screen where they would then place images of Shaq and Kobe, when on the TV above the gift shop counter I watched as the first World Trade Center tower collapsed to the ground. I remember the place was mostly empty. Just my wife and I and one or two employees watching that little TV and I can't remember anyone saying much of anything.

We waited and paid for my silly little picture and then went back to a bus where we found out we wouldn't be leaving that day and so we hurried back to the hotel we had checked out of to see what we were going to do. In a pointless sidenote just let me say I can not say enough good things about the way Disney handled this situation. A company that to some has become THE example of the capitalist greed Bin Laden rants against, overpricing every item in The Happiest Place on Earth and cranking out crappy straight to video sequels to their films, had hundreds if not thousands of people stranded with no way home. Instead of banking the hundreds of dollars I would have had no choice but to spend they put me up in a room for three more days, unlocked my phone so I could make unlimited long distance calls, and gave me another day of tickets to the theme parks, without charging me a dime.

On the other hand some of my fellow Americans returned to the hotel complaining loudly to the staff about the theme park being closed for the day. This event was going to ruin their vacation. People make me sick.

So six years later I am sitting on my couch having carelessly folded back a NewsWeek I was reading when my three year old says EEEWWWW! What happened to that girl? And I turn the magazine over to see a little Iraqi girl with stitches all over her face and a patch on her eye in front of the rubble that probably used to be her home. And I wish he hadn't seen the picture and I have a question of my own. Why did that happen to that girl? And I wonder how we get from this three year old who showed obvious concern for what to him was just another kid, to my 17 year olds at school, a great number of whose theory on the Middle East is "nuke them all". And I wonder do they even think about what they are saying. And do they know what a nuke does, or that there are little girls there, or are they just worried some international incident will ruin their next vacation.

Meanwhile, we continue a seemingly unending war in a country that has no connection at all to the event that started this whole mess six years ago. Are there any Americans left outside the West Wing that think being in Iraq is in any way making life safer for Americans? The Democrats won control of Congress mostly based on this issue and have made absolutely no progress in resolving it. In fact they have seemed so completely impotent with their new power that they may just allow a Republican to sneak up and take the next election, something that seemed impossible at the time of the mid terms. And they have convinced many like myself that it probably won't make a difference anyway. (Prediction: if Obama doesn't swallow his pride and take the second spot on the ticket with Hilary it could definitely end up Thompson/Another old white guy in 08) Oh and the guy that started it all is safe and sound and released a new video this week. He is apparently hiding out near a drug store where he picked up some Just for Men and combed the gray out of that scraggly beard. He wants us all to embrace Islam. And looking at how this has all gone down over the last six years only one thought comes to mind. EEEWWWWW!

BO KNOWS she is hoping for a big comeback. But my prediction is Britney Spears buries her career for good tonight at the MTV awards show. She had a good run. I hope she saved her money.

BO KNOWS it is probably a useless plea but if you haven't seen the first season of Friday Night Lights it is out on DVD and I believe at a good price of 19.99. I urge you to give it a look if only because I hope you will get hooked and somehow the show will survive through season 2, but I am not getting my hopes up. If any Nielsen families see this if you are going to go out and not watch TV on Friday nights would it be too much to ask you to leave your TV turned on to NBC. It helps scare burglars away.

BO KNOWS that the media is trying to make a big deal about this competition between Kanye and 50 Cent on Tuesday, with 50 claiming he will retire if Kanye outsells him. But is hip hop officially dead when Kenny Chesney outsells them both.

FOOTBALL SUNDAY

The season has begun and it seems a little late to critique draft day but giving it a quick glance just let me say I think Ben may have come out the best. I like that he ended up with an underrated fantasy QB late, two solid wide receivers to start and three starting running backs that probably won't share their carries.

BO KNOWS Addai got them off to a good start and The James Gang's receivers look to be the problem again this year so The Cheese will win in week one.

BO KNOWS I am not sold on Jones and Westbrook at RB but both will score more than Deuce did and I think Young will struggle against the Jags so I go to the dark side and take the Sith this week.

BO KNOWS this pick shouldn't count after Thursday but after Manning and Wayne showed up and Bush didn't I have to go with the Bs this week.

BO KNOWS Ross gets bonus points for returning to his former portliness and for that logo so I will go with the Dullards this week.

BO KNOWS unfortunately for the Bitches her best weapons go against the league's best Ds this week so I will take the Griz based on the match-ups