False Staff

Let me start by saying that I was, and continue to be, a devoted fan of "The Sopranos" and James Gandolfini.

We own the entire show and have watched it, in it's entirety, jumping around a bit, several times.

We use some of the dialogue in our everyday conversations and have had the thrill of meeting several of the cast members.

I was very sad to hear of the death, last week, of James Gandolfini.  I had enjoyed his work in other roles but especially as Tony Soprano.  Not as Kevin Finnerty though.  Hated Kevin Finnerty.

I feel very sorry for his family, especially his children and for the many friends that he seems to have had.  Death is a very harsh reality to confront, made even more so when it is as sudden as his was.

But he was on holiday with his family in Rome on his way to a film festival.  It probably was a joyous time, apparently celebrating his son's successes at school and in sports.  He had eaten a delicious meal and, hopefully, died a happy man.

I wanted to say all of the above as a preface to this post lest someone think that I am cold-hearted and have no empathy.

I don't think James Gandolfini's passing warrants the flags in New Jersey be flown at half staff.

When I was a kid flags flew that way when someone of national importance or heroic stature died.

Dwight Eisenhower, The Challenger Astronauts, Thurgood Marshall.

Not an actor.

James Gandolfini delighted us for many years with is on-the-money portrayals of hitmen and gangsters and Mafiosi.  He brought life to roles that would have been flat in another actor's hands.

And Tony Soprano will forever be an icon of modern television with his violent quirks, incredible humor and human frailties.

But remember that the character, Tony Soprano, was created by someone else and his words were written for him.

James Gandolfini memorized the lines and took direction better than most.  We awarded him for his acting, his hard work and loved his character.

But that's what it was.  A character.  Tony Soprano was a figment of the creative imagination of a team of individuals, Gandolfini, among them, that didn't exist in real life or in real time. 

Thanks to modern technology, we will be able to enjoy Gandolfini's work in perpetuity and revisit the experiences that his characters had over and over and over again.

Few of us knew James Gandolfini.  By all accounts he was a very private man.  A nice guy with a generous heart and a good sense of humor.

He did some good things like bringing the stories of Afghanistan War veterans to our attention.

Thank you.

But he did not stop war or discover the cure for cancer or save drowning babies from a flood.

He was a very good, if not great, actor who entertained millions during his professional career.

Governor Christie dishonors the many great Americans who gave their lives and/or brilliance to this country.

He issued the order to fly the flags in New Jersey at half staff as a political move in order to capitalize on Gandolfini's, or rather, if we are truthful here, Tony Soprano's death.

The death of a character known for murder, extortion, philandering, dishonesty and betrayal.

James Gandolfini was none of the above.

He may have been from New Jersey but so are hundreds and thousands of other people who die in the Garden State every year.

We should no more lower the flags for them then for Gandolfini.

Soldiers, Presidents...Heroes. 

Not the men who play them on television.