by Mark Morelli

At the Concert for New York City held on October 20 at Madison Square Garden, thousands of firefighters, cops and rescue workers in attendance were honored for their service and sacrifice in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks. They sang, they danced, and they held up pictures of family, friends and colleagues who had perished.

VH-1 broadcast the benefit concert worldwide. Queens firefighter Mike Moran, who’d been at Ground Zero and whose brother died there, offered up a message for Osama bin Laden himself: “You can kiss my royal Irish ass.”

Actor Richard Gere was among the many celebrities who spoke. Gere said, “we needed to be healed and music showed us the way.” When Gere later pleaded for “compassion and understanding” for the terrorists, the audience booed him.

But Gere remained undaunted, buoyed by the assurance that he was privy to the Truth and he responded with a “there-there” and you’ll-understand-some-day follow up.

But will we?

Wouldn’t it be nice if the actor kept public the window to his mind in an extended national tour?

His first stop could perhaps be a private tutoring session in which he helpfully informs Mr. Moran that there is actually no royalty in Ireland and that Ireland is not a kingdom but a republic, unless of course Mr. Moran meant Northern Ireland. In that case, Mr. Gere could personally refer Mr. Moran to a good geography tutor.

The actor could visit troops in the Middle East and assuage their fears and concerns with a few "war" stories of his own. One that seems like it would be a perennial favorite is how he would break up in laughter each time his drill sergeant, Louis Gossett, Jr. told him “don’t eyeball me.” Or how he came face to face with the withering, death-like glare of Debra Winger after the director yelled "cut."

Mr. Gere wouldn’t have to lecture solely on the proper way for people to react to the mass murder of their loved ones and colleagues. He might also visit, say, dental trade shows. A man with the shimmering smile of Richard Gere undoubtedly could give helpful advice to hygienists on how they might cultivate longterm improvements in their chairside manner.

Music fans in cities like Seattle, San Francisco, Austin and other music-centric metropolitan areas would certainly benefit from having Mr. Gere explain to them that they might eschew their obsession with particular niches of pop music in favor of the ever burgeoning talk radio scene on the AM radio band. I am not sure whether he is a big talk radio fan -- but someone should probably give these kids a little talking to, and I can’t think of a smoother, more assured spokesperson than Mr. Gere.

But my cart might be before my horses. He may not even have the time to undergo such a venture. Word is out that Gere has promised to help Eddie Valen Halen improve his fretwork, not to mention he’s on a monthly retainer to review stacks of one-liners to be considered for Alan King’s standup act.

In any case, let’s hope that Gere continues to maintain the strident self-possession that emanates from the fact that he, ultimately, is right. I have a hunch he will.

Richard Gere’s career catapulted after starring in the films “American Gigolo“ and “Officer and a Gentleman.” Both projects had been developed for John Travolta, but after Travolta backed out of both films at the last minute, Gere happily accepted not only the roles but also the deep spiritual philosophy of compassion for all.

Hey, why the hell not?