We care about the Tiger Woods story? Really?

So Tiger Woods got into an accident by running into a fire hydrant outside his home and the innuendo is he and his wife were arguing -- yeah, so what!!

Tell me you've never gotten into a spat with your spouse and didn't feel like just getting out right then and there. You can't because we all have been there -- and if you haven't you are either: 1) not married, 2) engaging in passive aggressive behavior against your spouse, 3) just got married this past weekend, or 4) lying through your teeth.

Leave them alone. It's embarrassing enough that the whole world now knows they got into an argument, but now we want to drag him through the streets hanging from the back of a horse and string him up as some evil-doer of the worst kind.

Let's Get Some Perspective Here... why does this matter?

If they fought, so what.

If he was drunk, so what.

If he is cheating, who cares? His wife that's who, and it's no one else's business.

Why do we care about the lives of celebrities so much? Are our own lives that pathetic and empty? As my grandmother would advise me every so often... keep your nose in your own backyard.

Would you want the world to know you cheat? Drink to excess? Fight with your spouse? I would bet the answer is no.

So let's get some perspective here.

If you're looking for a person deserving of real celebrity go Google "Ross A McGinnis." Do it. This blog will be here when you get back. Or if you suffer from the same chronic ADD-like symptoms similar to most of the people in our celebrity obsessed society I'll just save you the extra step.

Ross A. McGinnis, a native son of Meadville, Pennsylvania, fulfilled his lifelong dream of joining the U.S. Army after graduating from high school in 2005. A little less than 18 months later he died in eastern Baghdad after throwing himself on a grenade to save the lives of four other soldiers inside his Humvee after an Iraqi insurgent threw the grenade through the gunner's hatch opening.

You probably never read that story in your newspaper. It sure wasn't inside People magazine or on TMZ.com -- McGinnis' story isn't sexy. McGinnis wasn't a great golfer. McGinnis doesn't have any celebrity. But he should. Instead he was honored with a much more important standing -- McGinnis is a recipient of our nation's highest military award -- the Medal of Honor.

Do you really think Tiger is going to throw himself on a grenade to save the lives of some other golfers in his little foursome? You already know the answer to that question is a great big fat NO.

So let's get some more perspective here. If McGinnis' story isn't attractive enough for you, go Google "Jared C Monti."

What you'll find is Monti is also a recipient of the Medal of Honor -- that makes him a true American hero.

Monti was an assistant team leader on a 16-man patrol near Gowardesh in the Nuristan Province of Afghanistan on a mission to gather intelligence and act as forward observer for an artillery unit. When the artillery mission was delayed, his team set up a small base camp to await further orders. Eventually the team began to run low on provisions so a helicopter flew in to re-supply the men, giving away the team's exact position in the process.

That night, between 50 and 60 insurgents attacked from two sides. Monti immediately ordered the men to return fire and take cover, while he radioed in artillery and support. The team leader, Staff Sergeant Patrick Lybert, was killed early on in the fighting and leadership fell to Monti.

Another soldier, Specialist Four Brian J. Bradbury was severely wounded and laid on the ground in an exposed position. Sergeant Chris Cunningham yelled out he was going to go out and grab Bradbury to safety, but Monti stopped him and declared Bradbury "my guy. I'm going to get him."

Monti made three attempts to get to Bradbury. On his first attempt he got within three feet of Bradbury before intense machine-gun fire forced him back behind cover.

On the second attempt, Monti got pushed back to cover despite fire support from the other team members.

On his third try to save Bradbury, Monti sprung to his feet to snatch and grab Bradbury but as he made his way across the field a rocket-propelled grenade exploded at his feet killing him.

Moments later, the artillery and air support arrived to kill nearly half the enemy insurgents and pushing back the remainder.

After the smoke cleared, Bradbury was being pulled up into a hovering helicopter with medic Heathe Craig when the cable on the winch snapped and killed the two men.

Bet you never read that story in US magazine or on PerezHilton.com.

You need a celebrity look to Monti, or even Craig. But Tiger Woods is no hero.

So why do we care if Tiger Woods does, did, could, would or might cheat, drink, or argue with his wife?

Let's get some perspective here... the only reason this is "news" is because he is a celebrity. And we are globally obsessed with celebrity. We are raising our children in the hope they will obtain some amount of celebrity, so we have this bizarro need to gawk at celebrity like a 500-level college course in the final semester of our senior year. Geez, get over it already. If everybody is a celebrity, no one is a celebrity. And no your bizarro kid is not worthy -- probably.

Celebrity is an illusion -- an illusion created by media outlets and public relations agents.

Look. TMZ.com thrives on these types of stories -- it helps them sell advertising.

People magazine loves these types of stories it helps sell advertising.

US magazine and all the other celebrity driven gossip rags love these types of stories because it helps sells advertising.

PerezHilton.com loves these stories because it helps him get hits on his website. Why? So he can sell more advertising.

Celebrity is created to aid in someone's quest for more money. Nothing more. Nothing less.

When Tiger Woods "problems" end up on the front cover of some magazine that you find on the supermarket racks near the cash register, it's helping sell advertising.

Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston and their love triangle sell supermarket tabloids, increases the hits on websites and all the while put money in somebody's pocket. It doesn't affect you in any way, shape or form.

You might not be a regular reader or subscriber to any one of those magazines, but the minute you buy that magazine to feed your impulse to know more dirt about Mr. Woods or any other celebrity, you are helping that magazine or any publication to sell advertising. You are an extra reader for that day, that week, that month, whatever. And an extra reader means they can try to convince advertisers their publication is worthy or higher advertising rates.

Do a Google search for "Tiger Woods", "Brad Pitt", or any other celebrity and you're just another hit on the web page -- another visitor they record for their advertising rate card.

But the more important question is: what is our fascination with celebrity? Are our lives so empty, so meaningless, so unattractive that we need to gawk at other people?

Or maybe we are just simply jealous they have a better life than we think we have in reality?

Let's get some perspective here. All Tiger Woods does is hit a tiny little ball on a great big swath of green grass. Granted he is arguably the best person in the world hitting that tiny ball, but so what.

Let's get some perspective here... there are cops dying trying to protect us, and all we do is bitch and moan because we get a traffic ticket when we break the law.

Let's get some perspective here... there are hundreds of thousands of men and women sitting in harm's way right this very moment, and most of us are bitching about a useless war while pretending to care about supporting the troops.

Let's get some perspective here and stop worrying about meaningless celebrity and start worrying about the reality we are trying to avoid.

That sounds like a tall order. Maybe it's just too hard to pull off for a celebrity-obsessed society hell bent on ignoring our true heroes who deserve some level of celebrity.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today has traditionally been set aside as a day to be thankful for all we have in this world.


As a nation we can be thankful that although we have seen our freedoms eroding for many years, we truly enjoy more freedom than any other citizen of any other nation in the world.


As a resident of the great Garden State we can be thankful for living in a great place with great people.


And on a personal level we can all be thankful for the people in our lives who brighten our days, strengthen our resolve and support us in our daily endeavors.


Let's get some perspective here, most of us have it pretty good, so don't forget those less fortunate.


I recall the advice of a wonderful old woman who reminds every so often to: "Never look up to what other people have, you'll only get disappointed. Look down and you'll appreciate what you have."


Happy Thanksgiving!

Let's Get Some Perspective Here

Media hype, political hype, death, destruction, end of the world scenarios... whatever. I will try to bring some serious perspective to all the craziness in the world today.


So let's start out with this "reaction" (try over reaction) of Adam Lambert's performance at the American Music Awards. Is this really worth a discussion by Bill O'Reilly or anyone else?


Come on people!! The guy is gay! So he kissed a guy!!! That's what gay guys do!!! duh!!!
Why is it okay for Madonna to nearly get laid on stage, but Lambert can't simulate a little head and tongue lashing? Get over yourselves already!


Brittany Spears is practically getting boffed on stage and every guy out there is hoping he gets his turn. Are we so homophobic that we cringe at the sight of gay sexual innuendo?


Oh, wait, when it was Madonna kissing Brittany then it was okay, because girl-on-girl action is hot. If that's what you think you need to do some serious soul searching.


Is that how it is? Let's get some perspective here already!