By MICHAEL SCHENKLER

Happy New Year!

CAMPAIGN MAILINGS: We believe that campaign reform must also regulate the use of public funds and staff. However, the guys and gals that make the rules are the guys and gals that benefit from not having any. - July

TIFFANY’S: I don’t judge people on what they wear, where they shop, or the shiny stuff they have on. I often don’t even notice that sort of thing. If I can buy it online, I usually do. If I need something — you know, like the old one has a hole in it — put me in a store, show me my size and I’m done. If, indeed, clothing makes the man, I’m easy.

It’s a commentary on the economy.

Saturday was beautiful. It was pleasant, sunny — you know as good a summer day as you get in New York. Everyone should have been away, or at barbeques, or the beach, or park, or outside breathing super pleasant air for the metro area. The stores should have been emptyish.

We had to stand in line at Tiffany’s.

C’mon, gimme a break. - July

TERM LIMITS: I am not an advocate of term limits. In principle, I oppose them. The people should be bright enough to exercise term limits at the ballot box whenever appropriate. But big money, the advantages of incumbency, paid-for mailings, special interest groups and the lack of real campaign reform have made it near impossible to beat an incumbent.

And so, although this writer opposes term limits in principle, I applaud them in practice. Strange, huh?

The worst thing about changing elected officials is the sorry look on the face of those who can’t accept the fact that the party is over. - July

A PUBLISHER'S JOB
AIN'T EASY: Adult advertising – which was a matter of slight controversy two decades ago – has become an accepted form of promoting adult entertainment. What is advertised in community papers, dailies, alternative weeklies, and on the web is sometimes disturbing to some.

However, with a society saturated with sexual images and innuendos — television airing prime time images and topics once taboo, billboards suggestive to the point of traffic jams, and sex of all kinds as acceptable topics of conversation — the unacceptable of just a couple of decades ago has become the norm.

All the innocent or offended can do is look the other way. - July

GOD HELP THE UNITED STATES: Now, I’m not a religious man. And perhaps, my humor occasionally offends some devote folks, but I believe in your right to worship or not worship whatever god you choose. I couldn’t even name all the religions and gods who dwell in our borough, the land of multiculturalism, but each of us can follow whatever beliefs we choose and the government stays out of religion.

Not so in the great state of Texas.

[On their] web page was a proclamation declaring "Jesus Day" in the State of Texas. It said in part: "Throughout the world, people of all religions recognize Jesus Christ as an example of love, compassion, sacrifice and service . . . I urge all Texans to answer the call to serve those in need. By volunteering their time, energy or resources to helping others, adults and youngsters follow Christ’s message of love and service in thought and deed.

Therefore, I, George W. Bush, Governor of Texas, do hereby proclaim June 10, 2000, Jesus Day in Texas."

The State of Texas website doesn’t introduce a man of inclusion but a bigot of the worst type. No, I’m not accusing the Governor who wants to be President of hatred; I’m accusing him of ignorance and insensitivity. He is ignorant of our country’s marvelous heritage of religious freedom which separates church and state; and he is insensitive to all who are not like him.

What will he do if he becomes President?

Whose rights will be trampled next?

God save us! - Aug.

A GREAT IDEA: Community print journalism is a real quick way to make a difference. Change on a small scale is easier to effect than change on a grand scale. Advocacy journalism is the stuff stars in our industry understand and thrive on.

There is no more meaningful use of space inside a community newspaper than to urge the community to action. There is no more worthy action than to take part in our participatory democracy. - Aug.

A DOG-EAT-DOG WORLD: Shame on you Clearview Gardens! - Sept.

POLITICS AND THE OLYMPIC DREAM: I love sports. I love politics. Sometimes you can’t tell them apart. - Sept.

LATERAL THINKING: A Creative Mental Exercise And A Reporter’s Tool: The reader – our readers – have a right to know the whole story; not just what "they" want to let you know. Therefore, reporters must be trained to think outside the traditional box. They must come up with approaches to problems that are not the norm.

It is my version of "lateral thinking," a term coined by Edward de Bono to denote a problem-solving style that involves looking at the given situation from unexpected angles. Sometimes a problem seems difficult or insoluble because our assumptions about it are wrong.

To me, the best way to visualize lateral thinking is by picturing an optical illusion. There can be two ways to view something. Or perhaps the picture doesn’t make sense. But sometimes, when you look at things one way, you are sure of what you see. With lateral thinking, a different approach may make a different image appear as plain as the nose on one’s face.

Lateral thinking is about moving sideways when working on a problem to try different perceptions, different concepts and different points of entry. The term covers a variety of methods including provocations to get us out of the usual line of thought. - Oct.

FLORIDUH! Chads; Dimples; Anomalies; Ain’t Democracy Wonderful? The issue, to this writer, is clear. To both sides, it is not a question of procedure; it is not a question of sanctity of the process; it is a question of winning or losing. Those aloof elitists citing the nobility of Richard Nixon not going to court against John Kennedy are as absurd as James Baker calling for the Gore folks to stay out of court and then running there himself.

Now don’t get me wrong. I readily admit that the Gore guys are playing by no higher standards than the Bush guys — and where are the women? If the lead shoe were on the Gore foot and not the Bush foot, it would stink there too. Neither side is nobler — should they be?

The process becomes politicized. The courts become involved.

The talk shows continue to spin. The former Secretaries of State continue to spin. The lawyers continue to spin. Our heads continue to spin.

And the process goes on. - Nov.

A BABY NAMED CHAD, A BROTHER NAMED JEB & A GUY NAMED GEORGE: Each year, each election, each political conflict seems to become more and more mean spirited and divisive. Politics is no longer a philosophical process where ideologies battle and balance for the common good. It has become a war where people do battle for power and the spoils.

No wonder we are all skeptical.

Congratulations, Mr. Bush. We look forward to a rich American language for the next
four years.

We wish you well. - Dec.

BEEP, BEEP: Sure, I have my favorites. But above all, I have a job to do: to run a newspaper which advocates for the best for the people of Queens.

You’ll find me here doing my job. - Dec.

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Michael Schenkler can be reached at: MSchenkler@queenspress.com