Weinergate: What's "Law" got to do with it?

It's been a fascinating couple of weeks following the whole, sordid scandal involving now former Rep. Anthony Weiner of New York. He posted dirty pictures of himself to more than a few women other than his wife on Twitter He then called in the  national news media to his congressional office and lied about it Then, caught with his PR pants down, literally, admitted he lied. He then resigned. Game, set and Tweet.

This comes on the heels of former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger fathering a child with his house keeper, about the same time he did the same with his own wife.Weiner is a Democrat, Schwarzenegger is a Republican. Stupidity apparently knows no political bounds.

I could go on about other recent scandals, but there just isn't enough time or space. More than a few PR pros are weighing in on this, and a myriad of articles are being written about the "lessons learned."

What surprised me most was all the political pundits analyzing all of the above with a constant theme. Were they" breaking the law?"

Excuse me?

To borrow from Tina Turner, "What's law got to do with it?" When you're in the public eye, especially when you make the conscious decision to do so, you don't set the standards for behavior, the public does. There isn't, and never will be a PR professional skilled enough to dig you out of that hole.

To borrow from Nike, "Just don't do it."

Is it fair? Weiner and Scharzenegger aren't the only guys who've done something stupid. What sets them apart is they were elected representatives of "We the people." We may sin ourselves, but we expect a higher standard from those in public office. Which makes the whole concept of "law" laughable.

Years ago, when starting out my career as a news anchor, my wife and I went out to eat on a Friday night. I was done working for the week, over 21 and had a cocktail with dinner. Like about everyone else in the restaurant. My wife drove us home. The following Monday, my boss gets a call complaining I was seen "drinking" in a bar. My first lesson about life in the spotlight. The expectations for my behavior, however legal and responsible were set by someone else, not me.

Perhaps it's old fashioned to expect a certain level of moral and ethical behavior from those who serve us in government; that their personal standards should at least, if not meet, the standards of office where they conduct the people's business. Heck, they swear an oath to do so when they take office.

If, when Anthony Weiner's behavior is excused, at least by some as being "within the law." then this government of the people, by the people and for the people, shall indeed perish from the earth.

Law has nothing to do with it.

What's especially sad is there is life and money to be made after scandal. Look at Elliot Spitzer. He now has his own talk show on CNN.

Brian Olson
Founder/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations

LeBron: It's not the Heat, it's the Stupidity.

I purposely waited a day before posting thoughts about this whole LeBron debacle so I could hear what the coverage of the Dallas Maverick's NBA Championship victory would be. They've barely been mentioned. LeBron sure has though.

There's a simple reason for it. LeBron set the bar very high and couldn't jump over it when it counted. The guy is a remarkable player, and let's be fair, he never had much of a title shot with Cleveland. So he left for greener pastures. I know they're greener because LeBron said they were. With the Heat, the heat would be off him for no championship rings on his fingers.

Still no rings. The Mavericks beat the Heat 4-2. They won because they scored more points than the Heat. They won because they won more games than the Heat. They won because they're a better team because they played as a team.

A concept LeBron James has yet to grasp. Maybe he should have stayed more than one year in college. Maybe he should stop listening to an obvious group of slobbering followers who tell him what he wants to hear, not what he needs to hear. LeBron needs to be reminded that when he goes to the bathroom, he leaves a detectable odor. He's uh, human.

The bar got raised a bunch when, with the aid of a certain 24/7 multi channel sports monolith aka "The Mother Ship" he announced his decision to blow off Cleveland for Miami on national television. Then came the prancing roll-out of the new-look Heat. Lots of high expectations and high fives which raised the bar only further. Start planning that victory parade!

**Update** Parade moved to Dallas!

Then came his Twitter handle; @KingJames. King? All that was left for LeBron was to single-handedly win the NBA Championship, which essentially he guaranteed. Miami fans should have asked for a money back guarantee.

So Sunday night, just about the entire nation rooted for the gritty Mavs to knock LeBron and the Heat down a peg. Mission accomplished.

There not only has to be a morning after, there was a morning after and the talk was all LeBron all the time. About how he failed and the rest of of us we're supposed to get a life.

Crow with humble pie for dessert are not the best of meals. Hopefully LeBron will remember how bad it tasted.  Hopefully kids and the grown-ups that cover sports, will learn that sports, regardless of the level is about team.

Congrats to the Mavs. They won their rings the old fashioned way. They earned them. As a team.

Brian Olson
Founder/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations.

Hangin' with the Greatest Generation

It was Tom Brokaw who coined the phrase, "The Greatest Generation"  to describe the men and women who won WWII, then went on with the business of building America.

We've all met them. They're family members, friends and neighbors. Thankfully many are still around to share their stories. But we're losing them quickly. I have several favorites, not the least of which is my late father, Flying Officer L. "Hardy" Olson who flew with the RCAF during the war. He flew Wellington Bombers and was set to transition to the Lancaster Bomber for the invasion of Japan. No one was happier than he when Paul Tibbets and the crew of the Enola Gay dropped, as my dad called it, "The Big Cookie" over Hiroshima that led to the end of the war. The most conservative efforts had the invasion costing a million Allied casualties. One mission that saved a million.

In 1996 I had a chance to meet Paul Tibbets along with fellow crew members bombardier Tom Ferebee, navigator "Dutch" Van Kirk and radio operator Richard Nelson. They autographed a poster of the Enola Gay which hangs proudly in my office. Nice guys all, no swagger or bravado, just men who stepped up and carried out the mission that ended the war. I thanked them all on behalf of my dad for what they did. Tibbets died a few years later. He rests in an unmarked grave as it was feared it would be desecrated by some crackpot nut job. Not everyone understands the price of freedom.

My father-in-law George Portz served aboard the USS Missouri and was aboard for the surrender ceremonies in Tokyo Harbor. Ceremonies made possible by the Hiroshima mission. Yep, a great generation.

Some years later, I was doing PR connected with the HBO series "Band of Brothers" and met one of the real soldiers profiled in the production. Carwood Lipton served with the 101st Airborne "Screaming Eagles." He told me he weighed 140 pounds when he jumped behind enemy lines on D-Day carrying 160 pounds of equipment.  I asked him, that if our nation was threatened again, would kids his age today step up like he did. "Absolutely," was his reply.

We shot the interview on September 10, 2001. My nephew just got back from a tour in Afghanistan serving with the 101st Airborne.

At Wings over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, I volunteer with a gentleman named Saul Nova. Saul flew P-38's in the Pacific during WWII. (He was also qualified on the P-51 and B-25) He's 87 and sharp as a tack. A gentle and shy man. Again, no swagger, he just did his job when his country called.

This past Tuesday, I visited with Newell Moy at Centennial Airport where the EAA and Wings Museum are hosting the visit of the B-17 bomber, "Aluminum Overcast." Newell enlisted in 1939 before we got involved in the war. He later flew B-17's over Europe when we did. He's 90 and like Saul, plenty sharp. His favorite story involved him flying American POW's back home to America. His boss was Jimmy Doolittle. 
 
A nice man, part of a great generation. An honor to meet them, an honor to get to know them and we as a nation simply can't honor them enough. Nor ever forget them. Ever.

Brian Olson
Founder/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations

Aluminum Overcast-EXPERIENCE history aboard a B-17 Bomber

We just honored those who made the supreme sacrifice for our freedom this past Memorial Day. Much attention was focused  "The Greatest Generation" who served during World War II on land, sea and air.

This coming week you can both honor those who flew dangerous air missions during the war and at the same time see and feel what it was like for those brave young fliers. Wings over the Rockies Air and Space Museum will be hosting EAA's Aluminum Overcast, restored WWII bomber. Starting next week you'll see it over the skies in and around Centennial Airport. Only a very few remain flying.

It's a magnificent aircraft and while seeing it is incredible, flying inside the aircraft is a truly unique experience. Flights are open to the public and as you climb aboard, imagine what it was like to be an 18 year old kid, going out on a mission with the odds stacked very much against you returning alive. During a mission over Europe, temperatures inside the aircraft could be as cold at 35 below zero. All the way to the target and back, you'd be under attack from enemy fighters, flak or both.

Words can't describe the experience. But flying aboard this B-17 at least gives you an opportunity to sense what it was all about. The best part of the flight is you have access to just about all areas of the plane during your flight including the bomb bay, flight deck, the nose of the aircraft where the view is incredible and several of the air gunner positions.

Aluminum Overcast will only be here a few short days. Take it from me, it's a flight you'll remember the rest of your life.

If I still haven't convinced you, watch this video shot last year.

Hope to see you on a flight!

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant

Conversation Starters Public Relations

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