It's time to keep U.S. dollars at home

During his monologue last night, Tonight Show host Jay Leno joked that jobless Americans should move to Pakistan, where the U.S. just pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in financial aid.

I will be the first to admit that my global perspectives are limited at best. I wouldn't make a good replacement for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

With that said, how is it that the U.S. is giving financial aid to any country? Aren't we presently arguing over providing assistance to our own people, like those who are unemployed? Aren't schools cutting teachers right here in America because of the bad economy? What about that biggest deficit in our country's history? Is that even a consideration when funding foreign governments? American cities are crumbling. Homes are in foreclosure at record rates. Businesses are struggling. And we're sending cash overseas?

Hillary came to Pakistan yesterday with an olive branch. Attached to it was $500 million. It is not clear to me why this was necessary or how a country with massive debt can give that kind of money to other countries. But what is crystal clear is that we have no interest in altering how we do business globally. This is not some Leno joke.

It looks like we are going to continue funding foreign countries indefinitely through writing checks and providing military assistance despite our overwhelming economic woes at home. In the current economic climate, where millions of Americans are suffering and there is no end in sight, it was frustrating to see Hillary Clinton handing over cash to Pakistan just so that people there will hate us a little less.

"Et tu, Brute?"

Betrayal is one of the most difficult things for human beings to deal with. It comes in all forms and levels of intensity. Those who feel betrayed tend to react in a variety of ways. Logic doesn't always play a part in those reactions.

Take the NBC mess involving late-night television hosts Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno. It appears from his comments that O'Brien feels betrayed by the network wanting to move his show to midnight in order to accommodate Leno going back to the 11:35 p.m. slot. Yet, some people might wonder why O'Brien is so upset. He stands to earn millions of dollars in this programming debacle. If O'Brien leaves the network, he's much more likely to land on his feet than the average employee who is shown the door at the factory he or she worked at for two or three decades. Shouldn't the financial safety net and the fact NBC still wants O'Brien to do a show cancel out any sense of pain and betrayal that O'Brien is feeling?

Apparently not. Emotions are boiling over.

When someone is rejected, deceived or betrayed by a person or entity they trusted, the pain can be profound. We think we know people, then suddenly something happens where perceptions are severely altered. Money doesn't seem to take the edge off of the perceived negative actions taken against someone. I am fairly certain wealth didn't ease the anger in the wife of Tiger Woods recently.

Classic movies such as The Godfather II center on the act of betrayal. And in the movies, as in real life at times, betrayal can have devastating consequences. Poor Fredo. Didn't even see it coming.

Not all betrayals start or end with a Michael Corleone-ordered bullet from behind. We are all betrayed in small ways each and every day by friends, employers and the government. The level of malice and intent vary, but the result is disorientating at best. Our sense of the folks we previously thought we knew is shaken to the core by a disturbing revelation. We wonder how we could have been so wrong in our prior assessments of something or someone, or how that person could be so mean or lack empathy. It's not uncommon to then reflect upon ourselves. What red flags didn't we see in a person or situation we got involved with?

Trust in others becomes a bit more difficult as we move along through life, particularly for those who have been betrayed more than a few times. In highly competitive businesses, I am sure betrayal is as common as pink slips. Just the simple act of office gossip can destroy trust, particularly when reputations are ruined. If it goes unchecked, entire office environments can become toxic. The same path to personal and institutional destruction can been found on sports teams, rock 'n' roll bands and families, where inevitably someone has been outed or done wrong.

Knowing who your enemies are can help you navigate away around conflicts and avoid feeling betrayed. Unfortunately, we don't always see the snake in the grass. It appears O'Brien, like millions of other people, got bit and wasn't going to be given the time he thought he should have to succeed. NBC is a major company. Empathy and patience aren't usually traits associated with large corporations. In fact, the lack of empathy, even in individuals, seems to be on the rise.

When the truth surfaces about a person who we previously thought to be in our corner, the pain can feel like a knife in the back, particularly when livelihoods and relationships are involved. Yet, I think as much as we all are the victims of betrayal at times, we also have been the cause of others feeling slighted. We might not have known we were betraying a trust. Maybe we didn't do it in a direct or malicious way, but the damage is often the same regardless of approach or who exactly was holding the knife. Sometimes we sense regret and can make up for our indiscretions, while other times it's simply too late.

I understand O'Brien's feelings. Just as I think Jim Zorn probably felt betrayed by what was going on in the front office and with his own coaches in his final days as coach of the Washington Redskins, O'Brien probably feels abandoned by his employer and perhaps even some people he considered friends. Sometimes we can't address our disappointments for various reasons, but it doesn't mean the act of betrayal did not occur. O'Brien has a public stage to voice his displeasure but needs to tread carefully as he tries to restore his pride. One of the best ways to confront betrayal is to rise above it.

Dumb and dumber

Jay Leno interviewed people on the street for Thursday night's show. He showed images to mostly young adults. Keep in mind, some of these folks were college students. One young lady could not identify George Washington, even after Leno gave her the hint, "He was the first president..." It's a funny segment Leno does from time to time, but it's also scary as this country seems to be getting dumber at an alarming rate.

Letterman breaks another promise

I am beginning to wonder if David Letterman's ordeal with an alleged extortionist is turning into an opportunity to improve his ratings against Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show.

As I squirmed in my chair last night while listening to his so-called apology to his wife, Regina Lasko, I began to think that Letterman is going to milk this to death the way radio personality Howard Stern used his personal shortcomings to attract listeners. We are a voyeuristic society and this wouldn't be the first time a celebrity used negative publicity to obtain a positive career result.

Letterman last week said he wasn't going to talk anymore about his having sex with staffers or the criminal charges against the man who was going to blow the whistle on the talk show host. That promise didn't last long. As he has done with his apologies to Sarah Palin over some off-color jokes about her daughter, Letterman seems to want to cash in on his indiscretions. One or two passing references to the latest misstep would be understandable, but to turn the entire first part of the show into shtick seems a tad unsavory.

Letterman apparently broke some promises to people in his personal life. He's human. Most folks will give him a pass. He's a comedian, not a priest. But he has already broken another promise by prolonging this tale of sex and alleged extortion publicly on his show. If this drags on too long I will be switching over to Conan, not because I feel righteous about this stuff, but because it just gets boring.

Jay Leno Show has pedal to the metal

The Jay Leno Show is already losing viewers. After premiering with about 18 million viewers on Sept. 14, the show dipped to under 7 million per night in its second week. Of course, the initial high number was mainly due to the novelty and heavy promotion of the former Tonight Show host moving to prime time.

There are a couple things wrong with the Leno show. First, his new show is only 60 minutes as compared with the Tonight Show, which is 90 minutes. Everything seems rushed. There isn't proper spacing between the jokes during the monologue, so it comes across as a list rather than a conversation. Pauses in comedy, like spacing in music, is very important. Lists aren't all that compelling. The interviews with guests are also rushed, but in some cases that's actually a good thing (see Kayne West). The jury is still out on the no-desk set. And I am already quite bored with the Ford green car racing bit. I wonder if Ford quietly agreed to pay the show big bucks for the "free" publicity? Television shows, like newspapers and other media, are looking for new ways to make money as the advertising model is in decline.

Leno now saves classic skits, like "Headlines," for the end of the show. I still like the segment but it seems like a throw-away when butted up against the 11 p.m. news.

Kevin Eubanks still leads the band and has good chemistry with Jay. Sidekicks are an essential ingredient for this genre. He's also a pretty damn good guitarist.

Some might say the show is now tighter and moves faster. Leno goes up against stiffer competition at 10 p.m. than he did at 11:30. I am not a fan of most network dramas, so Leno pretty much has my attention on most nights. Plus, we all need a laugh at the end of the day. But still, I think the show needs a bit of refining if it's going to stop the bleeding.