What's Changed?



Trayvon Martin

Have racial tensions eased one bit since the Rodney King incident over twenty years ago?   The fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman and the handling of the case by Sanford, Florida police have made for a national outcry. The story gathers momentum while the polarizing statements of Geraldo Rivera, Al Sharpton and other talk show hosts add fuel to the fire.   The senseless killing of a youngster wearing a hoodie armed with nothing but iced tea and candy hit a nerve in the African American community. Think about it. Would you suspect possible trouble from a young black man in a hoodie more than a white guy wearing one?   Would most people be less likely to help a black man than somebody who is white?   Would you get better service in a store being white? Would an African American have a harder time hailing a cab?   When the answer to these and many related questions is a resounding "no", then we can point to real progress.   When anyone who asks these questions isn't accused of "playing the race card" or "being guilty of reverse racism", then a real dialogue on racial harmony can happen.

Unreal Weather

Daffodil

As we say goodbye to Old Man Winter, it feels as if we hardly got to know him this time around. Last winter the opposite was true. There was no need for those roof rakes just purchased last year as this final full winter's day had the thermometer shooting to 78 degrees in central Connecticut, easily smashing the old record high. People are breaking out the lawn care products and patio furniture as the daffodils pop up well ahead of schedule. One of the biggest harbingers of Spring was last week's unprecedented early opening of Harry's Place hot dog and hamburger stand here in Colchester. While Harry's has never been known for health food, there are plenty of opportunities to walk it off with weather forecasts looking more like California than New England.   Can anyone remember a mild March like this?   I can't. This is usually my least favorite month, but at this rate I'll have to rethink the whole "beware the Ides of March" thing.   It does make me wonder what this summer's heat will bring before I stop myself from being a Gloomy Gus and figure we've somehow earned this.   Don't stop now.

It's In Our Interest

Talk about a social media experience.   My Facebook page yesterday was full of posts about a 29-minute video by director Jason Russell on YouTube called Kony 12.   It was a gripping story of how children in Uganda and other parts of central Africa have been abducted to serve in the army of warlord Joseph Kony.   The video aims to put Kony behind bars by mobilizing international awareness.   It was watched over two million times within its first 48 hours online and has gotten the attention of Hollywood celebrities and Washington policymakers alike, with many spreading the word via Twitter.   Most of Africa has seldom been in the forefront of American foreign policy.   In eastern Africa, our 1992 Somalia intervention under the first President Bush was a noble effort that turned out badly.   President Clinton's biggest stated regret was America's lack of action in the 1990s Rwanda genocide, but there was little domestic price to pay on either side of the political spectrum.   In modern history, the United States has been criticized for acting largely based on our own economic interests.   That often means oil.   Some of that criticism may come from allies who agree to disagree or from the world's most tyrannical dictators.   Perhaps our legitimate overseas interests can play to a more receptive worldwide audience when the American people - not just U.S. politicians - step up and take the initiative.   Yes, we have our own challenges at home, but most humanitarian investments come at a small cost when the world's biggest economy and military power can mobilize international goodwill.   It costs us most dearly when we ignore a region or end up supporting a dictator based purely on strategic interests.   Check out the Kony 12 video and get inspired at www.kony2012.com.

Facing Talk Radio Reality

Boy, did I pick a heck of a time to try my hand at talk radio. This week's Rush Limbaugh controversy underscores how a series of provocative comments on birth control can reverberate from a Florida studio to the halls of Congress to the Presidential race itself. Once again, the real issues of our nation's economic growth and huge deficit take a back seat as outraged opponents respond and Republican leaders feel very uncomfortable. This contentious story shows no signs of heading anywhere positive. Rush is very powerful as an entertainer who has meant big ratings and revenue to hundreds of radio stations. His influence over some 20 million listeners nationwide is also felt by many politicians looking to court this unabashedly conservative audience. You have to acknowledge Rush as the man who has been most instrumental in setting the blueprint for today's politically charged talk radio. It's a different world from the seventies and eighties when mostly local hosts could do a "potpourri" of topics and showcase contrasting points of view in the same forum. Hosting a local morning show on a station with mostly national conservative programming provides a unique set of challenges, especially in my case where I can't genuinely speak to enough of the same right-wing ideology. Most importantly, I concluded that the WXLM morning show needs someone who can spend more time on it; show prep is difficult when I'm also busy with a job in direct mail advertising. While I get set to hand the show over to someone new in a few days, I've appreciated the opportunity, direction and support afforded me by the people at Cumulus New London. I'll be glad to fill in once in awhile at WXLM. That's what I do. I don't have to be the morning star, just a team player who comes through when needed.