They're Mad As Hell

And they're "not going to take it anymore."  Glenn Beck has compared himself to the Howard Beale anchor-gone-mad from the seventies movie "Network."  The conservative star does occasionally come unhinged while still appearing more compassionate than the in-your-face rants of eighties talker Morton Downey, Jr.    As with Downey - or even the mythical Beale - when does the entertainment end and we consider the real impact of what they have to say?    There is no doubt our country is in serious persistent economic difficulty and people are angry.  The economy affects everything in our culture.   Tea Party people have a right to vent like the rest of us.    Most people reject the extremes.  I thought Beck lost credibility when he said the President had a deep "hatred for white people."  That should have been a deal breaker, although he retracted it a year later, but no.   This former Connecticut DJ from KC-101 has become his own wildly successful brand, but everytime I hear him I remain totally clueless as to what he is trying to say while he often likens opponents to Nazis.   How do you claim you had no idea your D.C. rally on the site of Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech was on that speech's anniversary while you're calling for "taking back the civil rights movement"?    And to say it's not political?   Give me a break.  As a former Connecticut DJ myself, this Glenn doesn't think there are many radio people prepared to assume the mantle of prophet.   As a student of history, I see the focus on a cult of personality as potentially dangerous.    

Radio Flashback: College Radio Days

From Keene State College Equinox 1975

In the fall of 1974, the Keene, New Hampshire radio dial wasn't nearly as crowded as it is today.  Keene State College Radio, WKNH, was only available at certain times of the year on campus on AM or local FM cable until the station got an FM "free air" license covering the town a year later.   Even with this limited reach, I was impressed with reaction I'd get from college and community listeners from day one of my Friday shows.   It was truly free-form, underground, eclectic, progressive rock.   Some of it was very obscure; some of it became today's classic rock.  When I'd go back home to Connecticut, I'd listen closely to what album rockers like WPLR and WHCN were saying and playing so I could help share a type of alternative radio otherwise unheard in southwestern New Hampshire.  A lot of people I knew at school got involved with the station.  My first roommate, Tony, not only shared his wealth of "prog rock" knowledge with me, but he was also a natural on the air.   He first told me about some unknown from his home state of New Jersey named Bruce Springsteen.  Few from the WKNH crew went on to radio careers.  There was a level of politics I was totally unprepared for as I got more involved in WKNH, but I remember an extraordinary group of people whose names I recall to this day.  I also enjoyed every opportunity to go on the air and put sets of music together that could start with some mellow Joni Mitchell and end with earsplitting Black Sabbath.  Where's Quicksilver Messenger Service now when I need them?  It must have been a labor of love, because when it came time to go in December 1976 I didn't want to leave.  

Majority Rule vs. Minority Rights

Signing of the Constitution of the U.S.

I hear people claiming to be champions of the Constitution protesting how an "activist" judge could singlehandedly strike down the results of a California referendum banning gay marriage.  After all, how could a judge overrule the will of the people?  The attempt to open a Muslim community center less than two blocks from Ground Zero doesn't seem to be winning any popularity contest either.  Isn't majority rule what our democracy is all about?  First, the USA is a republic, not a democracy in the strict sense of the word.  The framers of the Constitution were brilliant in setting up checks and balances designed to protect the rights of groups and individuals even when they clash with the opinion of a majority or plurality.  If we took every decision purely by the electorate, many reforms we take for granted today would never have come to pass.  In the early sixties, southern segregationist governors such as Alabama's George Wallace and Georgia's Lester Maddox had the will of the majority on their side when they tried to block civil rights for African Americans.  Did that make them right?   Perhaps the federal government is a bit ahead of the curve when it goes against what local majorities are ready and willing to accept.  If so, many politicians looking for votes and talking heads seeking ratings will cast their lots with the ones trying to block a lower Manhattan mosque or California gay marriage.   President Obama has been playing a delicate balancing act himself since taking office, and these issues are no exceptions.  The generational shift increasingly accepting gay marriage may eventually make it the will of the majority anyway.  In regard to the proposed mosque, I agree with Mayor Bloomberg that it would be a sad day for America if the community rejects it because of the horrible thing 19 terrorists did on 9/11.

Ugly Primary Campaigns

Republican Tom Foley

Democrat Dan Malloy

Over the weekend, I got a call from the Quinnipiac University Poll about who I'll vote for in the Connecticut primaries. My initial reaction was to say how disgusted I was with the campaigns. Turnout was light. No doubt the overwhelmingly negative tone of the campaign had a lot to do with that. Particularly disgusting were the races on both sides for governor. Ned Lamont, Dan Malloy, Mike Fedele and Tom Foley all ran relentless attack ads for weeks. For the first time, it left me with the desire to hold my nose as I cast my ballot in Colchester. Is this what politicians need to do in order to stir up support? The big surprise was the dramatic shift on the Democrats' side as a Ned Lamont-Daniel Malloy race pollsters considered too close to call became a major 58-42 per cent upset for Stamford mayor Malloy. The bad blood was just as obvious on the GOP side, as Lt. Governor Mike Fedele poured on the effort in the stretch to impressively narrow the gap but still wind up short against former ambassador to Ireland Tom Foley. Republican businessman Oz Griebel stayed above the fray - and below the radar - by being off the air and a distant third. For U.S. Senator, I give Republican former second district congressman Rob Simmons high marks for a positive if delayed active campaign. Linda McMahon is poised to give Attorney General Dick Blumenthal a tough fight. We'll see if the AG is ready to beat back this well-financed challenger. It all reminded me of CBS newsman Bob Schieffer's comment that primaries should be abolished. The vocal and active minority tends to set extreme agendas in each party as moderate people not yet fired up stay home and the election season just gets another reason to drag on even longer. Let's hope against hope that the next 13 weeks don't go on like the previous ones did. Do you really want any of these folks who are taking cheap shots on the low road to lead or represent this state? Oh, and can we please avoid using the word "smackdown" to describe Election Night?

The Annoying Orange Goes Viral

Most YouTube videos are juvenile.  Most are a waste of time.  If it weren't for the YouTube app on my Blackberry, I would still be blissfully ignorant of a character that has the most popular YouTube series with over 60 million views: The Annoying Orange.  When I first discovered the wisecracking orange with the eyes and mouth of its human creator Dane Boedigheimer, I have to admit liking these simple yet unique (and yes, annoying) videos.  I figured if many people my age can be entertained by playing Mafia Wars and Farmville on Facebook, I can laugh at this obnoxious fruit that reminds me of a combination of Dennis the Menace, Don Rickles and Gilbert Gottfried.  Don't be surprised if some TV network doesn't pick up this series and try something with it.  Through the vast YouTube wasteland, there are some creative people finding an outlet here.   YouTube content creators like Ray William Johnson and Shane Dawson may be the next wave of mainstream TV.    I'll pass on the YouTube Harry Potter and Katy Perry parodies, but some of what I've seen on that tiny Blackberry screen may be the next primetime ratings winner.   That prospect may be annoying, but I'd bet on it. 

Another Workplace Tragedy

Scene after Manchester Shooting (WVIT)

The death toll climbed every time I checked the news today in this tragedy so close to home.   At last count, nine people were dead and two seriously injured as an employee apparently facing termination came into a beer distributor in Connecticut this morning at 7:30 and began shooting.  Police in Manchester say Omar Thornton, 34, opened fire at Hartford Distributors, killing eight coworkers and then shot himself.   We as a nation have become almost numb to this type of tragedy, with the usual discussions of gun control, workplace stress and the gunman's background to follow.   In recent history, that has resolved little or nothing.  It is time to reflect on the loss to families, friends, co-workers and the community as a whole.  The victims were just people trying to make a living.   So soon after the loss of two Bridgeport firefighters, the state has another occasion to mourn.

I Predict A Sequel

It's been ages since I went to the movies, so when I visited a friend in New Hampshire I had to check out the new cinemas in Hooksett near Manchester.  "Salt", starring Angelina Jolie, certainly filled the bill for anyone looking for nonstop action and intrigue.  It was about a CIA agent planted as a mole and trained as a child by the old Soviet KGB and activated to wreak new havoc in a post Cold War world.   The movie, which was originally supposed to star Tom Cruise in a role similar to his "Mission Impossible" character, got mixed reviews.  I'll give it high marks for Jolie's portrayal.  She even did her own stunts.  I really couldn't tell what side she was working for until two-thirds of the way through the plot.  That alone kept me on the edge of my seat.  By the time the movie's over, you'll think two things: 1.) Who CAN you trust?   2.) The scene has definitely been set for a sequel.