Gary W. Moore is a humble man, calm and friendly, happy to discuss the life of his father. After all, the tale of his father is larger than life, and a story we can learn from - because it is a tale about second chances, but second chances in a direction that we don't always expect.

Gary's father, Gene Moore, began his journey to the pages of Playing With The Enemy as a 15 year old baseball prodigy that was drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1940. The outbreak of World War II, however, demanded that the young phenom join the military. Gene Moore joined the United States Navy, and his tour began in North Africa where he played for the Navy baseball team to entertain the troops. The duty was not always easy, or away from danger, evidenced by the death of the center fielder when an explosion on the field took the young ballplayer's life. Later, as the war effort concentrated more on the theater in Europe, Gene Moore was sent on a secret mission to guard German POWs in Louisiana. These prisoners were very special, however, and their capture was a secret to the outside world for a tremendous reason. The submarine these German sailors were the crew of was the U-505 (now on display in Chicago, Illinois at the Museum of Science and Industry), inside which the United States procured the Enigma Machine and all of the code books that went with it, enabling us to stay on top of the changes in the code, and therefore assisting us in winning the war against Germany. During this time that Gene Moore guarded these prisoners, primarily out of his desire to play baseball (and perhaps a little boredom), Gene Moore and his fellow military baseball players taught the enemy soldiers how to play America's pastime.

The story does not end there, however. Tragedy, and the storms of life that can crush dreams, and enable the birth of new ones, came to Gene Moore's life. It was then that he learned about second chances, and the importance of the unexpected things in life.

This inspirational true story is being made into a film by Producer Gerald R. Molen via his WhiteLight Entertainment production company. Molen's and White Light Entertainment's credits include Schindler's List, Minority Report, Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Twister, Casper, Rain Man and The Flintstones. White Light Entertainment has to its credit 33 Academy Award nominations, 19 Academy Awards, including two for the best picture and a total box office collection of $4 billion from the 14 movies it has produced so far. The screenplay was written by WhiteLight director of development David Ranes and the author's son, Toby Moore, who's also set to portray his grandfather. The film is in production now and is slated to be released during the first quarter of 2009.

I first met Gary W. Moore, the author of Playing With The Enemy, at a book signing in San Diego on October 1, 2006. A month later we got together in Pasadena, California after another book signing, and it was then that I realized I had made a wonderful friend. Since then, Gary W. Moore has appeared on my Political Pistachio Radio Show a number of times (April 7, 2007; June 16, 2007 with his publisher: Ted Savas; and January 26, 2008).

And honestly, Playing With The Enemy is a great read, and a book that is not about World War II and Baseball as much as it is about the human spirit.

As for the movie? Well, I hear there is going to be some great acting talents in the film, but the producer has not released the names, yet. However, when we know who those actors are that are in the film, you will find out about it on Political Pistachio, and of course at that time we will have Gary W. Moore return to Political Pistachio Radio to discuss the latest news regarding this blockbuster film.

Also see Gary interviewed by CNN here, and the Fox affiliate in Milwaukee here.

The Union of Myanmar, formerly the Union of Burma, has declared disaster zones in five regions following a cyclone, which struck early Saturday.

241 people are reported to be dead from the storm, nearly 222 of them from the country's low-lying Irrawaddy delta.

"The Irrawaddy delta was hit extremely hard not only because of the wind and rain but because of the storm surge," said Chris Kaye, the U.N.'s acting humanitarian coordinator in Yangon. "The villages there have reportedly been completely flattened."

The storm generated 150 mph winds that blew the roofs off hundreds of houses, damaged hotels, schools and hospitals, and cut electricity to many areas.

In the city of Yangon, roads are blocked, water is not available, and there is no electricity. Yangon residents ventured out Sunday to buy construction materials to repair their homes. Some people expressed anger that the military-led government had done little so far to help with the cleanup.

"Where are all those uniformed people who are always ready to beat civilians?" said one man, who refused to be identified for fear of retribution. "They should come out in full force and help clean up the areas and restore electricity."

This crisis comes at a time during which many political changes are hoped for in Myanmar. A referendum is scheduled to be held on May 10 on the country's military-backed draft constitution. A military-managed national convention was held intermittently for 14 years to lay down guidelines for the country's new constitution, but some see it simply as a dog and pony act designed to give the military-led government increased power.

The new constitution is supposed to be followed in 2010 by a general election, an element of a promise for a "road map to democracy" drawn up by the junta, which has been in power for two decades. Critics say the draft constitution is designed to cement military power and have urged citizens to vote no.

Among Conservatives the rumblings are constantly about how the Republican Party has left us, moving toward the left, using "Compassionate Conservatism" as an excuse to inject big government into the party. The Republican Party leadership is hardly conservative, and the current nomination for President of the United States, John McCain, is barely better than his two Democrat Party opponents.

The Republican Party has lost its way, and if it is not salvaged soon, the GOP will go the way of the Whigs.

A handbook for Republicans who feel in their heart that the basics of the Republican Party have been lost is on the bookshelves of bookstores today. Back to Basics for the Republican Party is a handbook for Republicans that explains how we need to return to our roots. The author of the book is Michael Zak.

Back to the Basics for the Republican Party is an acclaimed history of the Grand Ol' Party from the civil rights perspective, as well as recognizing the founding principles of the United States. Michael Zak believes that we can benefit greatly from knowing and appreciating the Republican Party's heritage.

Michael Zak is a popular speaker to Republican organizations around the country, and his book has been cited by Clarence Thomas in a Supreme Court decision. Hundreds of articles by Mr. Zak are available on the Grand Old Partison blog each day, celebrating 154 years of Republican heroes and heroics.

Tonight, Michael Zak is my guest on Political Pistachio Radio tonight at 10:00 PM Eastern Time.

Golden Earring's Chorus for The Twilight Zone goes as follows:

Now I'm steppin' into the Twilight Zone
This is a madhouse
Feels like being home
My feet they can't move
Under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I've gone too far

Now why, you may ask, am I bringing up that chorus and The Twilight Zone?

I am a huge Twilight Zone fan, catching old episodes whenever I can on the local independent television station. I will not be so arrogant to say that I have caught every episode in my lifetime, but I have seen a great many of them. A couple of nights ago I caught an episode that sent a chill down my spine. The episode of The Twilight Zone was "The Obsolete Man," with Burgess Meredith (Watch the full episode here). The opening narration is as follows:

You walk into this room at your own risk, because it leads to the future; not a future that will be, but one that might be. This is not a new world: It is simply an extension of what began in the old one. It has patterned itself after every dictator who has ever planted the ripping imprint of a boot on the pages of history since the beginning of time. It has refinements, technological advancements, and a more sophisticated approach to the destruction of human freedom. But like every one of the super states that preceded it, it has one iron rule: Logic is an enemy, and truth is a menace. This is Mr. Romney Wordsworth, in his last forty-eight hours on Earth. He's a citizen of the State, but will soon have to be eliminated, because he's built out of flesh and because he has a mind. Mr. Romney Wordsworth, who will draw his last breaths in the Twilight Zone.

The main character, Romney Wordsworth (Burgess Meredith), is a person that has been found to be "obsolete" by The State because he is not needed by society anymore. And because he is guilty of the crime of being obsolete, he is prosecuted by The Chancellor, and is sentenced to death.

In his daily life Mr. Wordsworth is a carpenter. Secretly, he is a librarian, a practice that is punishable by death. Also, he believes in God, another crime punishable by death.

After his sentencing, Wordsworth is given the choice of method of execution. He requests, also, that he be allowed to not disclose his method of death, and for the execution to be broadcast live on television. The requests are honored, and Wordsworth is sentenced.

Note the name of the main character. Romney Wordsworth. Appropriate considering his hobby as a librarian. Also note this daytime occupation: Carpenter. Considering that Mr. Wordsworth in this episode of The Twilight Zone is a man of faith, the connection is obvious. And Mr. Wordsworth spends a large portion of his final moments reading from a Holy Bible which he retrieves from a hiding place (apparently the Bible is illegal as well).

As the episode proceeds, while Wordsworth's final hours are broadcast live to the nation, the chancellor is invited by Wordsworth to come to his apartment (Wordsworth's choice location for his death) for a short discussion. What the chancellor does not realize is Wordsworth ensures that the chancellor is locked in the room with him. Then Wordsworth reveals his choice method of execution, and this chosen method is by bomb, a device which has been hidden in the room and is set to go off when the clock reaches midnight.

Wordsworth is calm as death approaches, and his intention is to show the nation how a man of God faces death. As he reads verses from his Bible, he points out that the State will risk losing face by trying to rescue a high-ranking chancellor. As the time winds down, Wordsworth’s calm acceptance of death stands in sharp contrast with the chancellor’s increasing panic, and eventual outburst, "In the name of God, let me out!"

Wordsworth immediately obliges, saying, "Yes, chancellor, In the name of God, I will let you out."

Wordsworth knows he is not obsolete as he dies. His personal freedom was not taken away from him by the totalitarian state, his faith was not rubbed out by the humanistic secular government. His faith in what was written in his Bible is what keeps him going, and he never becomes fearful as death approaches. As death approaches the main character remains firm in his convictions, while the chancellor who claimed all along to be protected by The State became fearful, and panicked.

In the final scene the chancellor, now stripped of his rank for his outcry to God, and his inability to hide his fear, is put on trial for none other than the crime of being obsolete.

The closing narration of The Obsolete Man is as follows:

The chancellor, the late chancellor, was only partly correct. He was obsolete, but so is the State, the entity he worshipped. Any state, any entity, any ideology that fails to recognize the worth, the dignity, the rights of man, that state is obsolete. A case to be filed under "M" for mankind—in the Twilight Zone.

How chilling is the parallels to today's society. The liberal left desires that The State (big government) be all things to all people. They encourage dependency upon The State through entitlement programs while squashing faith and self-sufficience. Anything not in agreement with their agenda is suppressed (as Creationism is in academia, how discussions of faith are because the Christian faith refuses to accept homosexuality as a valid lifestyle, Pro-Family books and addresses because they defend the family unit). And as this agenda incrementally advances, eugenics peeks over the horizon, and the liberal left's own green agendas stands in the way of their own supposed advancements and religion of saving the planet from ourselves.

How chilling is it that today's society is hell-bent on eliminating God, eliminating faith, and suppressing scriptural teachings and values. The commonalities between The Obsolete Man and the path our society is on is chilling, indeed.

Also note the following: The Obsolete man aired during the second season of The Twilight Zone in 1961, two years before God/prayer was removed from the public school system by Abington Township School District v. Schempp, June 17, 1963, a case brought about by the activism of Madalyn Murray O'Hair, who founded the group American Atheists in 1963.

Hear commentary about this episode of The Twilight Zone on Political Pistachio Radio.