Kevin and the Giant Peach

Jack Bauer (the super agent hero of the hit TV show, “24″) always seemed to have a problem with keeping his job.

This despite saving the President and the people of America a multitude of times.

At the end of season 3, he was even fired! Why? Because his boss felt that his prior heroin addiction made him a “liability” on her team. Never mind that he acquired the addiction as a result of his job. (He needed to use heroin to maintain his cover in attempting to bring down the drug empire of Ramone Salazar.) Or that he saved the people of the U.S. from a deadly virus. Or that he quit the addiction. Policy is policy and Jack had to go.

It got even worse. In season 4, Jack, having found steady employment as the head of security for the secretary of state, found himself having to free the secretary and his daughter from terrorists. Once that task was accomplished, his scope-of-work then shifted to working with his former employer, CTU (Counter Terrorism Unit), to stop the melt-down of multiple nuclear reactors around the U.S.. Jack accomplished this task. Then, the same terrorist, got hold of a nuclear war-head, placed on a rocket and launched it toward L.A.. Jack not only stopped the missile from hitting its target, he was also able to kill the bad guy who was responsible. All this in 24 hours!

There was a hitch, though. You see, in the course of doing his job, Jack, again, violated company policy in saving a city from sure doom in leading a covert operation to snatch a Chinese scientist from the Chinese embassy in Los Angeles. The scientist possibly had information that would lead Jack to the bad guy. The Chinese balked at turning him over. But the missile was on its way – at that point know one knew its destination. So, with no time to waste, Jack and his team needed to go in under the cover of darkness and masks. They were successful but during the operation, the Chinese ambassador was killed by friendly fire – not Jack. But someone had to pay. The Chinese learned that Jack lead the operation and so demanded the President hand him over. One of the President’s advisors, worried that Jack knew too many secrets, ordered the Secret Service to have Jack killed instead. With a little help from his friends, Jack is able to fool the Secret Service agent, sent to kill him, into thinking he’s dead.

As a reward for, again saving the U.S., Jack has to take on a false identity and flee the country.

So, the next time you think you are being unfairly treated after all you do for your boss, company or country,
remember Jack.

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