What On Earth?-Column #23, April 2004

Let me start with a simple definition of April Fool's Day, the first day of the month. If you thought I'd shut down this site, APRIL FOOL'S! Anyway....

Also, this month are the holidays of Palm Sunday, Passover, Good Friday, and of course, Easter, where we celebrate the events leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now, many of you think that the Easter Bunny and Easter Basket, and Easter Eggs and candy, and hunting for them are the things that Easter is all about. They are, but most importantly, it's about our Lord. Remember that.

This month, on the 15th, is Tax Day. Many people file those tax returns early, and that's fine. You get more cash back in your pocket in that way. It may be frustrating, but it's worth it.

Alright, this year marks the 1st anniversary of the fall of Baghdad, the Iraqi capital. By that, this means that we took over the capital, and tore down a huge statue of Saddam Hussein, and even burned the murals and currency that featured his face. That didn't mean we took out the real guy yet, however. That had to take some time. And it also took us some time to get the Iraqis to support a non-Saddam Iraq. We took him and his Baath party regime from power, and that has made some Iraqis unhappy, which explains the constant anti-US insurgency that continues to rise, and it has continued to rise to this day. And remember when President Bush declared "Mission Accomplished" in May of last year? Well, I say, this mission is far from accomplished, even if we tore down the Saddam statue and captured the real guy, and rounded up his cabinet members, supporters, and anti-US attackers. This war is far from over. And he wants to hand over power on June 30. It won't happen, not with the way it's going, it won't.

Anyway, many of us are getting into "The Apprentice," the NBC reality show starring Donald Trump, who, has made a household name to Americans with 2 one-syllable words: "YOU'RE FIRED!" By the time 2 players are left, he will say to one of them, "YOU'RE HIRED!" Obviously, this show is teaching us some very important lessons in businessmanship, 2 of which are: Do a good job, and try to make a good impression. And I say that, when I become a journalist. And that's what's important in journalism.

Anything else worth celebrating this month? Well, if you're a Texas Rangers fan, like I am, you will know that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the opening of The Ballpark In Arlington, replacing Arlington Stadium, which was demolished 2 years after the opening of the new stadium, in 1996. The park opened in 1994, and former Ranger Nolan Ryan was there to throw out the first pitch that year. So far, it's looking good. Also, that year, the Rangers traded in their trademark Blue uniforms and caps, for Red ones. Well, we kept the red, and brought back the blue. Not bad for a ballpark that's celebrating its 10th anniversary after many years at its predecessor, Arlington Stadium.

And one year ago this month, after many months of searching, we found Elizabeth Smart, the Utah teen who was abducted in 2002, alive and well. Not bad. It may have taken us some time to find her, but trust me, that time and patience was worth the effort.

And, Earth Day is also worth celebrating. This Earth Day, we're not only celebrating the environment, but we're sending the Bush administration a message: STOP YOUR MISLEADING ON EVERYTHING, INCLUDING THE ENVIRONMENT, OR WE WON'T RE-ELECT YOU.

Also, on Tax Day, 2 years ago, many Press Your Luck fans waited almost 19 years in the making, as Game Show Network (now just known as GSN, of course), debuted the revival of the classic show, titled "Whammy! The All New Press Your Luck," with Todd Newton as host. It lasted 2 seasons, and a 3rd may be on the way, we just don't know yet.

Well, that's all for now. This is John Lee saying, "Go HOME!"