The Line's Been Crossed

Say what you want about Donald Trump, but nobody can argue with the fact that he has touched a nerve among more Republican voters far more than any other candidate.   Facts themselves are few in most GOP right wing talking points, and Mr. Trump's claims and proposals are more devoid of truth than any other.   When Trump called for a total ban on Muslim immigration, he drew parallels to the darkest aspects of U.S. history.   Does anybody doubt this latest over the top pronouncement is exactly what the ISIS terrorists want?   While GOP rivals and party leadership fail to disassociate themselves from him after this crazy, impractical, uncontitutional and fearmongering idea, Hillary Clinton correctly states that Trump is "no longer funny."   He's now brought us into the danger zone, and unfortunately many Americans are going there willingly.

Whether or not you think a Mexican border wall and Muslim immigration ban would have a snowball's chance in hell of addressing legitimate problems, nobody can truly claim this is what America is all about.   Yet Trump supporters and many other Republicans continue to believe the Trump-inspired myth that President Obama was born in Kenya.   They also hate Obama so intensely that they believe he's a Muslim who hasn't done anything about ISIS  or curbing illegal immigration while trying to confiscate everyone's guns.     When I hear crowds cheering on Trump's self centered, vague and increasingly divisive reactionary rhetoric, my reaction is sadness.   Trump has no clue as to what makes America great.

The Endless Cycle

Mass Shooting Scene (Huffington Post)

Here we go again.   Two well armed nutcases walked into a holiday party in San Bernardino, California and mowed down over a dozen people connected with a group committed to fighting the effects of autism.   It was one of a string of mass shootings making this country unique.   Nowhere in the allegedly civilized world do we see these incidents with such frequency.   Yet the NRA leadership and their cowardly servants in Congress continue to stand in the way of even the most basic common sense background checks while tightening gun show sales loopholes.   The gun manufacturer lobby has blood on their hands when they refuse to acknowledge any role in what is a distinctly American phenomenon as they push the nonsense that the Obama or Malloy administrations are looking to mrid the USA of all private gun ownership.  With a gun for every US citizen - over 300,000,000 - that's not going to happen.   

Longtime host Stu Bryer, who follows me on WICH AM 1310, can generally be called conservative, yet even his moderate views on tightening background checks are met with a "people will get guns anyway" attitude from vocal opponents of including gun control in a national discussion.    You can't cherry pick talking points like the fact that the San Bernardino shooters bought their assault weapons legally while pointing the finger of blame at mental health issues, violent video games... anything but gun access.    EVERYTHING has to be on the table if we ever can hope to address this insane cycle of mass shootings.    

An Apocalyptic View

ISIS

It's like they want us all to get mired in their quagmire.   The ISIS capital of Raqqa is coming under so much bombardment by the United States, Russia, France and others that you wonder how the city hasn't been leveled to parking lot status.   As the ISIS forces get gradually beaten back from key areas of Iraq and Syria, their military situation deteriorates, contrary to early battlefield successes when they filled a power vacuum with ruthless speed. Apparently, they want more punishment as they export terrorism to France, Egypt, Libya and elsewhere.   The fact is that in the warped ISIS view, their only measure of success depends on how close they can bring the world to an apocalypse.   It's not a matter of establishing an Islamist fundamental sharia law caliphate.   It's all about being a part of something that they believe will reward them in the afterlife.   If we thought al-Qaeda was extreme with the whole "70 virgins" concept, ISIS takes end of times prophesy to a whole new level.   With al-Qaeda, where there is at least some intellectual foundation, sick as it may be.  Osama bin Laden's family roots come from assimilation into a wealthy society.   With ISIS, their recruits are often disenfranchised people with nothing left to lose.   

The other afternoon driving home, I heard some radio preacher when my AM scan button landed on WACE 730.   He wasn't talking about what I understand about religion at all.   The message seemed to look forward to some judgement day after humanity had blown itself to bits.   How is that any different from what ISIS espouses?   The Pope is already referring to this ISIS mess as World War III.   Mainstream religion doesn't dwell on some vengeful God.   I have my issues with Catholic church doctrine, but the Pope is right in glorifying good works and condemning this horrible view of a supreme being.   Every civilized nation on this planet has to unite against this ISIS death cult.   You can get on Facebook or talk radio and blame Obama for being "too weak" about this despite conducting over 6,200 bombing raids or carry paranoia over immigration to its most extreme.   The fact is, Obama is not the enemy.   ISIS is.

My Special Guy

To most of the neighbors, I was the one who walked Oreo.   Just 3 months after a miraculous surgery, he took a turn for the worse and we had to face the sad facts today.   He was such an important part of my life since adopting him from the CT Humane Society in 2002.   The little guy was a bundle of joy, but today is heartbreaking.

Birther Baloney

Donald Trump has exploited this lie too far.   Despite all evidence to the contrary, a CNN poll finds 54 per cent of his supporters believe President Obama is a Muslim.   An incredibly ignorant question from some right wing extremist and Trump's response to it at a town hall meeting really does say it all.   Trump is afraid to acknowledge that his doubts about Obama's birthplace and religion are flat out lies.   The reason is simple: his political base refuses to accept facts about our first African-American President.   If the embarassing town meeting forces Trump's hand at finally giving up his bogus allegations, then he knows his campaign is toast.   There are lots of things to dislike about Donald Trump.   Where do we start?   I condemn his leadership role in the totally discredited birther movement, outrageous remarks about military service, childish personal attacks, spreading myths about vaccines' connection with autism, shallow pandering to fundamentalists, insanely expensive plans to build a border wall and misrepresenting Mexico and undocumented workers.   His whole political existence is predicated on fear of "them" taking stuff from "us."    Trump isn't entertaining anymore; he's pathetic and dangerous.

Bernie Sanders has been everything Donald Trump isn't.    That's reason enough to add my name to Bernie's supporters.    

And We're Back

In the WICH studio

It's been a pretty crazy summer.   Much of it has been a working one.   I have had absolutely no time to put my thoughts down in a blog and even less time to take some semblance of a summer vacation. In addition to vacation fill-ins at six different Hall Communications radio stations in eastern Connecticut, there has been the business of keeping afloat the monthly direct mail shopper publications I've been involved with for over thirteen years.   My aging dog Oreo also has been a concern.   We made the decision to have the Lebanon Vet do an operation to remove a huge tumor a month ago, and the results were great!

Add in a music project I was asked to do at WILI-AM in Willimantic that turned out to have more unexpected extenuating complications for my pay grade than practically anything I've ever been involved in.   I admit that part of those complications is based on my own stubbornness, passion and reasonable expertise, which is why I decided not to back out of this longer than anticipated tunnel.   The station's programming is less than 50% music, but it didn't matter.

I am set to start another radio chapter tomorrow.   After 31 years at Hall Radio, WICH AM 1310 morning guy Mark Wayne has retired.   They have asked me to host the show.   I do not expect to make massive changes on day one.   The station's loyal audience looks for a certain continuity, but it would be wrong to just act as if nothing has changed.   Management wants me to "build the brand", so that's what I'll do.   I will still have some occasional morning fill-ins at WILI and will continue to program the music there, but the main focus has to be on WICH.   That will also mean less duties at the other stations, although they did get me to sub for Dan O'Brien (no relation) on 98.7 WNLC afternoons this week.   Hey guys, there's just so much of me to go around!   My ego does appreciate being in such demand for as long as I can stay relevant.  

What's Important, What's Not

A few head scratchers come to mind lately.   First, why do people assume someone should run a government just because they've run a business?   That seems to be the feeling some folks have about Donald Trump.  Should politicians have the same priorities and skill set as a billionaire businessman?   If that's the case, why not just elect the Koch Brothers or George Soros or Warren Buffett?   Who needs the middle man (or woman)?    We still can't get a clear picture of Trump's business success stories, yet many feel like they're so familiar with his management skills and business acumen because they watched "The Apprentice." Trump minimized John McCain's military service to our country while conveniently skipping over his own multiple student deferrments during Vietnam, yet some diehard Trump supporters react by saying he, "tells it like it is."   Being outspoken, off the cuff and unfiltered doesn't automatically mean you have a clue as to what anythying is.

Second, why do TV stations make the first time we get above 90 out to be a big deal?   It's July 20th!   They interview some guy working outside who calls the heat "unbelievable."   The only thing unbelievable is the fact that it didn't happen weeks or months ago.

Finally, the remarkable pictures from Pluto and its moons mark another awesome achievement in the exploration of our solar system.   Pluto was only found 85 years ago, yet in the span of a human lifetime its discoverer had his ashes launched three billion miles into space in a close rendezvous with the dwarf planet.    Unlike the 1969 moon landing, most people seemed to take it for granted.   It makes me wonder how impressive and exciting a live remote radio broadcast on a cell phone can really be.

Business Abhors Controversy

The "General Lee" 

Just as "nature abhors a vacuum", business abhors controversy.   That goes especially for big business.   Supporters of gay marriage and opponents of the Confederate flag on public property got major boosts last week thanks to the Supreme Court.   Why did prominent politicians who opposed these movements just days or weeks ago join the rush to switch their stance?   Simply put, they followed the money.   Both Democrats and Republicans draw heavily on campaign contributions from business and industry, not to mention consumer spending.   

When Arizona and Indiana faced massive boycotts due to their reactionary new homophobic laws, the Republican governors backed off.   South Carolina politicians and their supporters knew they would be feeling major heat if they defended the presence of the Confederate battle flag on the grounds of the state capital building following the massacre of nine at a Charleston black church.   The governor acted to prevent a loss of business.   Whether or not South Carolina state legislators vote to evict a flag displayed by a racist nmass muderer remains to be seen.    When TVLand cancelled reruns of "Dukes of Hazard" because of the Confederate flag on the roof of the General Lee, it became obvious how quickly corporations were moving to cut ties to symbols of segregation.   That's not sanitizing history.   Pretending that the Confederate flag solely stood for Southern pride is, though. 

The process repeats itself over and over.   NBCUniversal cut ties to newly declared Presidential candidate Donald Trump following his comments about immigrants from Mexico.   Macy's fired Trump as a representative for its apparel line faster than sponsors could dump Paula Dean when her racist comments came to light.    Sensitivities are changing, and criticizing it all as "political correctness" is not working.    Even with Obamacare, states that deny the flow of money from expanded Medicaid to its own citizens are playing a cruel game just for the sake of opposing President Obama.    Corporations like stable markets.   They don't generally like unrest.   When the cons of doing business somewhere outweigh the pros, watch how Wall Street reacts in a sometimes progressive way to save its bottom line.   Just ask the former sponsors of conservative talk radio.

Saying No to the "Party of No"

The Supreme Court saved the Obama Administration's signature health care law in a 6-3 decision.   According to CNN, the ruling holds that the Affordable Care Act authorized federal tax credits for eligible Americans living not only in states with their own exchanges but also in the 34 states with federal marketplaces.   This is a big win for Obamacare.  Is this law perfect?   Hardly.   Does this decision save millions from losing health insurance?   Absolutely.   Have Republicans done anything in the way of healthcare alternatives?   Not in the least, as they repeated their futile efforts to repeal Obamacare in Congress fifty times over.   What's their solution?   If they can't articulate it, who can?

If for no other reason, the GOP has earned its reutation as "the party of 'no'".   When will they ever learn?

End of Discussion?

Charleston prayer service (WLTX)

It's all too uncomfortable to politicians on the right, and even to some in the center.   We see it again in the wake of nine shooting deaths of churchgoers and prominent community members in Charleston, SC.   Ask them about gun control and you'll get a response that just labels the latest massacre as a case of one deranged individual.   Charleston's mayor Joe Riley denies the role or very existence of racism in his fair city.   That wouldn't reflect well on this major tourist draw.   Ask South Carolina Senator Presidential candidate LIndsey Graham about the racist symbolism of the Confederate battle flag and he'll tell you that his state has worked out a compromise over its display to satisfy "both sides to this issue."    Fox News depicts the shooting as an "attack on Christians" instead of blacks clearly singled out for their skin color.   These are issues that make people bankrolled by the NRA leadership and other powerful conservative lobbyists very uncomfortable.    Mention the role of guns in mass shootings and you're met with well organized chants of the false narrative that any discussion of guns means President Obama and liberals are aiming to confiscate every firearm in the hands of private citizens.   

The discussion embargo doesn't end with gun violence and racism.   Even the Pope, a scientist, gets criticized for expressing concern over climate change hastened by human activity by people who preface everything by, "I'm not a scientist, but..."    Senator Elizabeth Warren took issue with our allegedly socialist President Obama over "free trade" with the Tran Pacific Partnership bill being pushed through Congress with no room for open discussion of its particulars.    Newly announced GOP candidate Donald Trump calls people who might disagree with his vague ideas "clowns" and "losers."    There are many people who blame the media for "harping on" things, stirring up trouble.

An open discussion is the American way of life... ideally, anyway.   If the NRA bosses and deniers of all types want to take their marbles and go home when they can't have things 100 per cent their way, that's their problem.   That doesn't mean the rest of us who want everything to be fair game should give up and allow these powerful narrow interests to shut down the exchange of ideas.   

     

Identifying Ourselves

Rachel Dolezal

Spokane, Washington NAACP leader Rachel Dolezal stepped down amid revelations that she had been falsely claiming to be African American.   Her estranged white parents have come forward to deny she is black.   Is this fraud punishable by law?   The legal system can decide that part.    She said to Matt Lauer on NBC's Today Show that she "identified as black" and showed no regret over what she had done.   I think an apology is due at the very least.   She lied.   That is a disservice to the very advocacy group she represented.    There is no reason a white person can't hold a responsible position in the NAACP, but there is no excuse for concealing the fact.   A man leads the UConn women's basketball team year after year.   An Englishman led Arabs in revolt against the Ottoman Empire a century ago.   Gender and ethnic identities don't matter in these cases.   Racial identity shouldn't matter here.   Integrity should.   As Dr. King said, it should not be about "the color of their skin, but the content of their character."   Judge her on that alone.

Bruce (now Caitlyn) Jenner said he "identified as a woman."  Jenner was very open over this aspect of his identity to the point where the news was everywhere.      Dolezal's racial identity should have been more of an open book, too. 

Country Radio's Feminine Side

Singers Amy Grant, Jennifer Nettles, Martina McBride and
Miranda Lambert at the 2014 MusiCares Person Of The
Year awards Jan. 24, 2014, in Los Angeles.
(Photo: Christopher Polk, Getty Images)

One of my many radio gigs for Hall Communications is at longtime country outlet 97.7 WCTY, a leading station in eastern Connecticut that is consulted by Keith Hill.    Keith became the center of some controversy last week when he seemed to recommend playing a higher percentage of male artists than female ones.   Country artists Miranda Lambert and Martina McBride were quick to jump on the backlash bandwagon and take offense with Hill's assessment of successful country formats by saying females are "just not the lettuce in our salad. The lettuce is Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, Keith Urban and artists like that. The tomatoes of our salad are the females."   Cries of radio sexism ensued.    Could this have been expressed in a way that resulted in fewer repercussions?   Absolutely, but he does have a valid point.

Ironically, females have become a much more essential component of country's target audience.  This is more than ever about what female listeners want to hear.   Country used to be a very male-oriented radio format.   That has changed dramatically, with today’s country attracting younger and female fans now more than ever.    What you hear now is the key to getting ratings and revenue.    AT WCTY and many other stations, this is due in no small part to research provided by people like Keith Hill.    As a male over 55 who has slid off the radar of most ad agencies, I actually enjoy female country artists more than I do most male singers.   Then again, as I’ve argued countless times as a voice in the wilderness, this is not about what you or I think “sounds good.”    It’s about what works.    Don’t take my word for it.   Ask your target audience.    

It's How I'm Geared

My brother Gary - the mechanic in the family

I like to think of myself as a reasonably intelligent and capable person.  My wife tells me I should go on Jeopardy!  Go ahead, ask me any state capital, radio station location or historical fact from World War II.   Ask me to fix something that inevitably breaks down in real life and I'm usually stumped.   I admit it; I am not a handy man.   For some reason dating back to my childhood, those types of things never penetrate into my head.   Even when I worked at gas stations, I really didn't get far beyond fixing a flat or, when they were shorthanded, changing somebody's oil.   I was the guy who kept the place spotless and was pretty good at greeting the customers.   On the other hand, my younger brother Gary takes after my father.   Once they changed the engine in my '67 Plymouth Satellite.   When I saw what they went through, I felt guilty putting them through that while it reaffirmed my desire to stay the hell as far away from a wrench as I possibly could.

In today's society, mechanical aptitude can earn you a decent living.   I am in awe of the talent some people have working with their hands.   I do like some painting and gardening around the house, but that doesn't require handyman status.   There are urgent times when my limited abilities as Mr. Fix-It are required, but that's a last resort.    With the car, I have peace of mind knowing AAA is a phone call away.   There are instances when I surprise myself.   I have actually put IKEA-type furniture together following the detailed directions... with only a couple of parts left.   A recent plumbing emergency seemed like a quick fix, but after struggling with pipes to no avail I got my brother to come down.   He still gets royally ticked off at plastic parts being made so cheaply, but the third try was the charm.   This past weekend, a grill I actually assembled two years ago was not heating up past 200 degrees.   Our friend Betty said her husband fixed theirs by pounding on it a few times.   That did the trick!    Mechanically challenged prople like yours truly love solutions like this... very satisfying.

Who's Number One?

What hasn't been said about David Letterman ending his run on late night TV?   I agree with most of it.   Leno was OK, but Letterman was one of a kind.    Once Dave was passed over for Johnny Carson's spot I always felt watching Letterman was like rooting for the underdog.   Dave did start out number one in the late night ratings, but Jay's O.J. Simpson jokes ushered in a long period when NBC's Tonight Show could not be caught.   Still, Dave leaves in a sea of accolades while Jay's departure seemed almost after the fact even though Leno was ratings gold.   As with so many things, the numbers don't tell the whole story.   

Dave was certainly not a perfect person.   His embarassing sex scandal revealed that.   On the other hand, his emotional reaction to his heart surgery and 9/11 plus his ability to handle the most difficult guests and take part in the most ridiculous situations only strengthened our connection with this man who only reluctantly shared his private life.   Jay was generally considered a nice guy, yet the tension over the Tonight Show succession left a bad feeling with a lot of people... twice.

This storied late night competition is yet another example of how "the numbers" don't tell the whole story.   Leno may have been the winner to Madison Avenue ad agencies, but on Broadway it was Letterman.   He'll be considered the iconic showman for years to come.   He leaves have a legacy like Carson.  Just ask Jimmy Kimmel or Conan O'Brien.  Something can be a flash in the pan (Leno was bigger than that), but Letterman set a pop culture gold standard.       

In both print and broadcast aspects of my media background, it's not about how much circulation your direct mail publication has or how your radio station shows in the ratings.   It's about what works.   When I worked across town in radio, we were told to often interject that our station was "number one in the ratings."   How does the listener relate to that?   "We've got the most power!"   Who cares?     If a record hit number one for six weeks in 1977, does that mean we ever want to hear it again?   Ratings/rankings are a snapshot of what was... nothing more, nothing less.   Letterman blazed the trail beyond that. 

Various Thoughts...

Our transit infrastructure is woefully inadequate compared with most developed countries, yet House Speaker John Boehner is quick to dismiss a reporter's question about adequate Amtrak funding as "stupid".  He does this while rushing to lay the blame on one engineer's error before all the facts come out as to the cause of the fatal Philadelphia train derailment.   The afternoon after the crash, the Republican House actually cut funding for Amtrak.   Do Republicans really expect big business to come in and update infrastructure without government investment and reasonable profit?   The GOP is clearly tone deaf on this one, to say the least.

The Iraq War threatens to turn the 2016 Presidential election upside down.   Hilary Clinton has at least admitted her mistake in supporting an invasion that came back ruin her 2008 prospects. She still has to be more forthcoming in dealing head on with the Iraq consequences embodied in ISIS.   The money may still be leaning toward Jeb Bush on the Republican side, but I still find it shocking how unprepared he was to consistently answer the inevitable question over whether he would have taken the same action his brother did in 2003 based on faulty intelligence.   On foreign policy, Republicans need to get over their fear of the Dick Cheney unrepentent right wing and come to grips with perhaps our biggest mistake in a century.

It seems like the Patriots Deflategate saga has already taken a break from public awareness for now.   Haters outside New England are gonna hate no matter what, but as a Pats and Tom Brady fan I still have to admit that it does sound like Brady at least had some inside knowledge of the tampering.   That said, does this warrant a stiffer penalty than one to another NFL player caught on video knocking out his wife in an elevator?    Also, is there any doubt that the Patriots played a great season with or without Deflategate?

The death of B.B. King reminds us of how iconic a musician can be even without big hits on the radio.   It also reminds people like me who deal with type II diabetes about the need to take this condition seriously.

They said pollen allergies would be severe this year, and they were right!   When my car stops showing all the yellow stuff I hope my eyes will stop tearing up uncontrollably.   

Pop Culture Back in the Day

Science fiction movies and comics sprang from the early days of nuclear proliferation.   Spy themed television and movies really took off in the sixties as the Cold War intensified.   Much of this seemed to capitalize on certain societal fears.   Even though I wasn't born yet during the Second War War, as a young child I remember countless images and bits of information from this most terrible conflict in history.   I'm not sure if they were always accurate ones, but one thing was universally clear: we Americans really felt righteous in our might.   

I recall two things from getting my haircuts as a kid at Vinnie's Barber Shop in North Branford, CT.   One was the sound of a breed of country music on WFIF-1500 AM out of Milford that seems so far removed from today's country.   The other was the pile of comic books he had that seemed to be always about seemingly superhuman heroes facing down evil Nazis and Japanese in WWII.   It made me wonder even back then whether an American Indian riding on a horse could really shoot down a divebombing Messerschmitt fighter with a pistol.  It didn't matter; we were the good guys.   As the Vietnam War got more controversial and I started forming my own opinions, the roles of good and bad guy seemed to blur as the goal of our mission was never defined. 

As we face one of the most evil forces in decades in the form of ISIS, I don't see the same dichotemy between good and bad portrayed as widely in pop culture.   Perhaps that in itself is a good thing, but I also wonder how much of it is based on a disconnect from the conflict as Americans know more about the Kardashians than the whole Middle East while some distrust our own government so much that they question its constituionality or legitimacy.   We should have a natural reluctance to demonize people not of our group while questioning authority, but some basic allegiance to a greater good shouldn't go the way of WWII comics - or the sound of yesterday's country music.      

       

AM Radio Changes

Fifty years ago, RKO-owned AM station 93-KHJ in Los Angeles revolutionized a still young Top 40 format as "Boss Radio."   It was a fast-paced, music intensive approach that was emulated in varying degrees by stations across the country and Canada, including WPOP 1410 in Hartford.   WPOP gave rival WDRC a run for its money in an era of music, personalities and promotions most Baby Boomer listeners wouldn't forget.   A generation later, the music had pretty much died on AM with the exception of adult standards nostalgia formats.   Talk and sports in the 80s and 90s gave many traditionally dominant AM's a much needed infusion of Baby Boomer adult listeners, but now sports has migrated successfully to the FM band while syndicated talk's move in that direction has been slowed largely because of an aging audience.   

In Hartford, heritage signal WTIC-AM 1080 has jettisoned political talk in afternoon drive time in favor of local sports talk, but 'TIC is exceptional in several ways.  WTIC's 50,000 watt signal and their lineup of major sports team play-by-play cover the market far better any other local AM or even the one existing FM sports outlet on 97.9.   Hartford, unlike many markets its size, is not over-radioed.   Even so, WPOP now struggles to get a .1 share of total audience with syndicated Fox Sports.    If profitable sports talk has largely abandoned the AM dial, how long can WTIC keep it as their AM cash cow?

Is talk toast in medium and major markets?    I can point to Providence, where Cumulus Media's WPRO beats the Rush Limbaugh affiliate WHJJ three to one with a very live and local approach, but even local celebrities don't come cheap.     CBS Radio shows less interest in hanging on to any radio stations beyond the top markets, which may also explain why they saw sports as an easier route to relatively young male demographics while they let WTIC-AM's longtime news director Dana Whalen go.    As a child of the sixties now in my sixties, I'm really in the last generation to grow up listening mostly to AM radio.   Does anyone under 55 care about AM?     As a lover of AM, I have to wonder where these stations are headed.

Victimization

1968 Baltimore riots - 2015 wasn't the first time

Feel free to correct me if I'm missing something, but three attitudes seem to be common in every human being I've ever come across who has hit rock bottom:

• My situation is totally someone else's fault.
• I'm unfairly getting the short end of the stick.
• I can do whatever I want.

These are very selfish words to live by.   No man is an island.   We all have to depend on others to some extent.   Life is not fair.   Much of it is beyond our control.   That reality is no excuse for sitting idly by in the face of injustice.   There are things we can control.   Sometimes we find people who illustrate magnificently how to make the best out of the hand we've been dealt.

As I watched the ongoing news coverage of the riots in Baltimore, I saw a lot of examples of selfish acts with looting and ignoring the pleas for nonviolence.   One person asked what the difference was between these riots in a major city or wanton destruction after a college basketball game.   There is none.   Thugs are thugs.

The news media gets blamed for fanning the flames of violence.   That is a price for a free press I'm willing to pay.   CNN deserves major kudos when they interviewed a 30-year veteran whose service dates back to Vietnam.   He was standing up to out of control rioters, telling them to go home where they belong and to stop disrespecting the memory of a possible victim of police brutality or neglect.   His bottom line: "I am an American."

When I hear angry voices, I hear people who feel 100 per cent victimized.   It doesn't just apply to young African Americans in big cities.   Fox News is happy to drum up the idea that their target audience has done all it can to look out for others and is now victimized by everything from being white to religious persecution to total gun confiscation.   The urban rioters sadly ignore the fact that they will only make their situation more desperate by burning down their own neighborhood businesses.   My concern is how this will push the disconnect between two segments of America to even greater levels. 

Not So Fast

Last week we learned that Norway would be pulling the plug on what we know as good old FM radio by January 2016 in favor of DAB - digital audio broadcasting, where one broadcast signal can carry multiple stations with higher quality.    Wait, isn't that the same technology that's been tried on a limited number of FM and even AM stations in the USA with less than stellar results?   How could a failed technology "left for free market forces to decide on" in this country be the wave of the future someplace else?   In the United States, the new so-called "HD radio" channels have not been used for their original purpose.   People have not snapped up radios equipped with the HD receivers.   While the main HD station program is available in FM quality sound on AM and offers two or three additional CD quality channels on HD FM, the net effect has been a proliferation of analog low-powered "translator" FM stations fed by an HD-2, HD-3, etc.    Some station operators have taken advantage of this loophole to expand ethnic, religious or other specialty programming previously unavailable from small market broadcasters.   In the process, the FM dial has become crammed with signals that overlap while AM HD disappears as that band faces the bigger problems of a dwindling and aging audience.   

Will digital audio broadcasting be the new force in radio?    The way our communications regulators decide things here, I doubt things will change very rapidly.   So many technologies have been touted as the "savior" of radio.   Remember FM quadrophonic, the addition of more FM signals in the 80s/90s, competing (and failing) AM stereo technologies and allowing more AM stations to stay on at night?    

Instead of approving hundreds of new low power FM applicants that fail to truly serve local communities, why didn't more longtime AM stations get preference on FM positions?  In Canada, most AM stations have gone off completely as many established AM broadcasters were allowed to get preference in a transition to FM.    When there was room, a struggling AM had a better shot for survival.    In the crowded Northeast, it's a shame we didn't have a wider FM frequency range allocated to the local operators who own (or owned) some of the most iconic and distinctive heritage radio stations now facing extinction in AM static and nighttime interference.   

As with digital TV, over the air reception of HD radio doesn't just gradually fade; it cuts out completely.   This is especially a problem because these digital signals don't have the radius of regular analog terrestrial stations.   This issue needs to be addressed.   Will we then have less free access to radio the way we need to subscribe to over-the-air local TV 25 miles from the transmitter?     Noway is a simpler place; the American transition to digital radio will not be as short and sweet.    

Paying For "Those People"

Dumb Thinking

Another tax deadline comes and goes.   Most of us pay up or get back some money we loaned interest-free to the federal or state governments over the past year.   It's been a way of life in this country for at least a century.    We generally accept it as one of the few sure things in life.   Is that acceptance changing?    With at least one of the presidential contenders, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, calling for the abolition of the Internal Revenue Service.   This plays into a sentiment on the right that increasingly distrusts the federal government and expresses resentment over sending money to "those people" in the form of various programs.   At the same time, those "red states" where the feeling is most pervasive are also the biggest beneficiaries of our federal tax dollars.    The right wing is also tone deaf to the unprecedented tax breaks given to the largest service-oriented businesses that routinely pay their employees poverty wages to the point where many full-time workers get federal assistance.   Who pays for that, McDonald's corporation and Walmart heirs?    The wealthiest one tenth of one per cent of Americans get a huge break by avoiding any inheritance tax.

The poorest in our society often get the blame for bleeding our public coffers dry, yet the savings of weeding out abusers of the welfare system for drug abuse wouldn't even justify the cost of screening aid recipients.   To date, nobody has come up with a better system proven to fairly tax everyone according to their means and needs, including a proposed "flat tax" across the board or more regressive sales taxes.    Libertarian calls for abolition of the income tax do not provide an acceptable alternative.   If you want to reform the system for fairness, we can talk.   If you want to slam the I.R.S. as just another evil arm of our government in your Utopian dreams or polarizing route to a Presidential run, count me out. 

Red With Embarrassment

Indiana Protests (Reuters)

No sooner do I finish railing in my last post against turning back the clock of positive reform when the Indiana governor signs a bill into law paving the way for businesses to refuse service to same sex couples.   Governor Pence's defense of the law was so pitiful that even Republicans who voted for its passage have had to consider scrapping or "clarifying" it.     The resulting political and economic backlash should be enough to deter any other states from passing these discriminatory laws, but along comes Arkansas Governor Hutchinson ready to pander to social reactionaries by signing similar legislation.  Presidential aspirants looking for GOP primary support (even big bucks main-streamer Jeb Bush) see this as a way to enhance their own social and cultural conservative credentials.   Thankfully, most Americans have undergone a remarkable evolution on this issue since the dawn of the 21st century.   Attempts to exclude portions of our society in the name of religious freedom or states' rights go back to the birth of our nation.   The Fox News narrative is false again.   Religious freedom is not under attack in America.   Religious beliefs and customs are taught and learned through life.   Sexual orientation is in our DNA.  

I applaud Governor Malloy's quick action banning Connecticut state government travel to Indiana.   There are also enlightened leaders in Indiana and Arkansas, such as the mayors of their respective state capitals, who oppose these backwards laws and remind us that even the reddest states aren't ready to sacrifice economic stability and social justice to advance narrow, outdated agendas.    

Tantamonut To Surrender

I've heard this mantra on the left before.   Since Democrats and Republicans vying for power are both so married to big business lobbyists and their money, many liberals say we should stay away from the polls on election day.   Yeah, that'll show 'em... not.    As a left of center guy myself, I believe that is seriously messed up thinking.    That passive approach plays right into the hands of right wing activists who have already been trying their utmost to make it more difficult if not impossible for different groups that lean Democratic to cast their ballot.   This liberal call for a ballot boycott also strikes me as a path of least resistance.   Translate that to lazy.   I know 66% of Democratic voters would like Hillary Clinton to have some viable challenger to provide a choice in the primaries.   Wall Street critic and liberal Senator Elizabeth Warren has consistently denied any interest in running, yet many in her party refuse to accept Hillary Clinton as the inevitable candidate.   I've even heard these progressive purists say it would suit us right to have the GOP take the executive branch and make it a clean sweep and teach us all a lesson.    Hmmm, does that sound a bit like the all-or-nothing approach of the Tea Party?    They too are ready to take their mainstream party down in the interest of their ideology.

Conservatives may be on the losing end of the younger and more ethnically diverse demographic shift in the United States, but they still do one thing well.   They vote.   Republican politicians tried their best to prevent access to Florida polling places in 2012, but voters braved the long lines anyway.   Voter participation like this should be encouraging and access should be easier.   You may not agree 100% with the choices, but we can't allow a well financed and orchestrated movement to turn the reform clock back to the "good old days."    That would dishonor the work that has been done, even in this gridlocked government.

Don't Answer

I may be the winner of a free Disney vacation! Microsoft support tells me my computer has been hacked, but they can help me out with a little personal info.   Rachel let me know there are no problems with my credit card account, but if I press something I can get a lower rate.
    

My home phone land line has morphed into a receptacle for an endless stream of scammers who will do anything to empty out my bank account.   This continues to happen several times per day, often repeatedly from the same bogus automated or boiler room callers that may not even be where my caller ID says they are and perhaps even in another country. Unwanted phone calls are an increasing intrusion into my home and privacy.   It's gotten totally out of control.   At least with email phishing schemes I just have to avoid clicking on mysterious looking attachments to avoid malware choking my computer.   With my sometimes very early work hours, I often ward off sleep deprivation by coming home to grab a nap early in the afternoon before going back out to finish up what I have to do.   I always have to wonder whether a phony phone call is going to jolt me out of a refreshing catnap or break my concentration on work I am doing in my home office.   

Yes, I have put my number on a national Do Not Call registry.   Criminals are not deterred by that.   I do have a call blocking feature, but that doesn't prevent the first scam call and the phone will still ring once before blocking a repeat scammer.   I often Google the numbers and they invariably contain complaints about the same few scams.  They usually hang up before your voicemail picks up.   If you call the number back, you often get a "no longer in service" message anyway, so don't bother.   Of course, many "legitimate" companies buy or share phone lists based on your giving the most basic information by entering a contest or responding to a survey.   The real hardcore scumbags will target the elderly who may be on fixed incomes.   A few years back, my mother was the target of con artists calling from the 876 Jamaica area code.  Fortunately, they never got access to financial information. ABC News had reported that some Jamaican gang members would actually kill each other to get ahold of these phone lists the same way gangs fight for drug turf.   They were especially unpleasant solicitors who have thankfully gone away.   My mother had a slightly more optimistic view of human nature, thinking they can't all be liars.   In this scammer underworld, I'll stand by my more jaded view.   And no, the IRS won't call you for owed taxes.   Just hang up.          

Winter Whining?

I recently saw a post from a Facebook friend complaining about people complaining.   In this case, he was sick of hearing people acting all upset over the wintry weather, suggesting these malcontents could shut up and relocate to a warmer climate.    After all, it is winter in New England.   What did you expect?    That made sense to me most of my life, when cold temperatures and heavy snowfalls were not unprecedented.   This season, however, brought a nonstop combination of low temps and heavy snow accumulations that I don't remember in all of my not so short lifetime.  

 

A little cabin fever is one thing, but any year when you have to dig yourself out from 100 inches of snow, pay hundreds to some guys to shovel your roof and still get a leak in the den ceiling is not my idea of an average winter.   Maybe this is par for the course 400 miles to our north, but four out of the past five winters have been unrelenting around here.   Sky high fuel bills, commuting in a business where your presence is especially required during storms and a few chance encounters between my car and an icy snow bank all add up to serious business.   This has also been the slowest February/March ever for businesses I call on for our direct mail ad publications.   If you want to gripe a bit, don't let me stop you.   Maybe this will help us all appreciate the arrival of spring... and milder winters ahead.    When people stop complaining, that's really when we need to worry.   Remember, you won't hear too many discouraging words in North Korea.

America's First Diplomatic End-Run

Edmund-Charles Genêt

America's founding fathers set a solid precedent in heading off one of this nation's first foreign policy crises in 1793.   Edmond-Charles Genêt  had been made the French ambassador to the United States during the French Revolution.   Genêt traveled through the new United States taking his government's cause directly to the American people before even presenting his diplomatic credentials to President Washington.  By trying to export the French Revolution, "Citizen Genêt" stirred up a lot of angry emotions from South Carolina north to Pennsylvania, much to the chagrin of a U.S. administration which professed neutrality between warring European nations.    American factions under Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, usually at odds with each other, agreed that Genêt had to go and President Washington asked France to recall Genêt.   Meanwhile, the political situation in Genêt's home country had gotten so volatile during the French "Reign of Terror" that the fiery ambassador had to request asylum here to avoid the guillotine there.   The consensus of Washington's cabinet meant Genet would lose his job but not his head.   The U.S. successfully averted major European entanglements until the War of 1812.    France had been an important ally of the United States during the American Revolution, but Washington wisely recognized the French Revolution as a different phenomenon.

It is no secret that House and Senate Republicans will do anything to derail President Obama, but even the early heated factions of the late 18th century could come together in presenting the United States as one when dealing with other nations.   Like France, Israel has historically been been a strong ally of the United States.   Extending an invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress two weeks before he faces his own very contentious election without discussing this with President Obama is a horrible precedent set by Speaker Boehner.   To pretend that this invitation is anything other than pure partisan politics designed to insult President Obama is a big lie and a mockery of the executive branch itself.   Most Americans share Israel's concerns over Iran's potential nuclear capability, but Netanyahu failed to use his bully pulpit by offering any viable options to the current nuclear negotiations with the Iranian regime.   For all we know, upcoming elections could change Israel's leadership soon.   Where will all this GOP equating Netanyahu with Churchill  and Obama with Chamberlain get us then?

UPDATE 3/9/15:   47 GOP U.S. Senators sent a letter directly to Iran's ayatollahs stating they or the next President could scrap any deal resulting from the current nuclear negotiations made between the U.S. and Iran.   Does the Iranian regime really need an American civics lesson?    Perhaps that course could include the Logan Act of 1799, which these Republicans violated with this latest shameful diplomatic end-run. 

The Crazy Parade Begins

Gov. Scott Walker (nymag.com)

What the hell?   Now we have Wisconsin governor and GOP darling Scott Walker claiming that if he could take on public employees unions then he certainly can take on ISIS.  As prospective Republican Presidential candidates make their cases to the right wing CPAC gathering, we see how far politicians are willing to bend to the will of the Tea Party wing.   It is once again all about winning a contest that fails to reflect the will of most voters: the Iowa caucuses.   In the past, these caucuses have thankfully not been launching pads for successful GOP primary candidates.   Pat Robertson and Michelle Bachmann come to mind.  This early competition for the hearts and minds of the far right has repeatedly overheated to the point where the so-called Republican establishment has stepped in and used its power of the purse to clean up the mess and anoint a candidate that nobody can get too excited about.    

Governor Walker refuses to even acknowledge evolution or weigh in on Putin-loving Rudy Giuliani's outrageous assertions about President Obama's love of America.   This shill for the Koch brothers' billions is yet another distraction in the path to the presidency.   We know we are guaranteed a very regressive period in American history if these clowns who pander to an out of touch minority suck up all the oxygen in the GOP primary process.   

SNL at 40

The 40th anniversary salute to Saturday Night Live was a big ratings hit for NBC.   I can't say I was surprised.   Nor was I surprised by the harsh criticism of the half-live/half-classic clips event.   Yes, I could have done without Kanye West too.  Lorne Michaels said that people generally think most fondly of the SNL they knew from high school.   That didn't apply in my case, seeing as the show didn't even exist until the middle of my college years.    I have always been absolutely fascinated with the history of SNL.   This iconic franchise has had its low points with changes in cast, especially right after the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players were gone in 1980.  However, SNL has consistently proven the naysayers wrong about predictions of its demise.  The first five years set a high bar for future seasons, but my sense of nostalgia has never clouded the fact that talent doesn't die off in a generation.   The up and down cycle will undoubtedly continue.   Despite a  solid format, the live element will always make for some messy, interesting and sometimes controversial moments.    That makes it a very American institution... warts and all.   Given the background of many SNL key people over the years, we could call it a Canadian institution too.

Screw Evening News Ratings

Brian Williams has been suspended for six months without pay from the anchor desk of NBC Nightly News.   This follows his admission of "misremembering" the details of his helicopter ride a decade ago with American forces in Iraq.   Other dubious claims by Williams surrounding other stories have also come into question.   This is different from the faulty Dan Rather story of George W. Bush's military service, Hilary Clinton's recollection of being under fire during a stop in Bosnia and Richard Blumenthal's slip about serving "in Vietnam".    Williams' misstatements were not a one time thing.    He repeated the Iraq exaggeration multiple times and only issued a brief apology after being called out on it by other people there.   Network execs acted so shocked to hear this... I don't buy that.   It should go without saying that trust is a key component of delivering the evening news.   When Walter Cronkite called America's Vietnam involvement into question, President Johnson knew the war's escalation was a futile effort.   How many news anchors can have that effect today?     Where are the corporate edict and culture to do that? 

You don't hear the word "gravitas" being used anymore when talking about news anchor qualifications.   I think the CBS Evening News has the most solid anchor in Scott Pelley, yet his newscast lags behind Williams on NBC and the increasingly tabloid content on ABC's World News Tonight with new anchor David Muir.     There was a time - in my lifetime - when news was not seen as a major revenue generator at the Big Three networks.   It was, well, journalism.   Now with 24-hour so-called news networks geared only to what their respective audiences want to see, an aging viewership, attempts to turn anchors into rock stars and the total advertising domination by pharmaceutical companies, it's easy to see why "dinner hour news" is as relevant to younger viewers as waiting for "film at eleven."   It's also no surprise that satirical news like Comedy Central's Daily Show resonates more with younger folks.   At least Jon Stewart gets to leave on top in what matters.    Screw the ratings for once.   Do real news for 22 minutes each evening.    Aren't there enough other time slots where the networks' corporate owners can make money out of "infotainment"?    Truth in reporting shouldn't be a luxury we can't afford. 

How Business Friendly Is Montville?

The former Best Market, Uncasville

Best Market employees in Uncasville were instantly out of a job.   The Bethpage, Long Island based grocery store chain closed the store a week ago with no advance notice.   The company had opened the former Tri-Town Foods and Beit Brothers store just a few months ago with the intention of buying the entire plaza and renovating it.   Then negotiations with the current landlord broke down and Best wasted no time closing its doors.   In addition to the shock to store employees, the saddest part was that the new business had been well received by local shoppers who gave high marks to the market's value and service.  Best Market was catching on; it was growing in this community.   Town leaders seemed to be equally out of the loop over what happened.

I have worked with direct mail advertising clients in Montville and surrounding towns since 2002.   You don't stay in this line of work without success stories, but I can't help but wonder why a town with Montville's location and population has so many vacant storefronts.   One narrative I get all around town is the difficulty in dealing with longtime landlords.   This often explains why so many small businesses move up and down Route 32 or close completely.   Is old money shutting out new money?    After the disastrous Rand Whitney judgment against the town, I would have hoped that political leaders would have taken a more proactive stance in working with businesses.    While a handful of entrenched local business owners get by with their old ways (including almost no advertising), new entrepreneurs have to think twice before making a commitment to setting up shop here.   From a deserted and blighted convenience store on one highly visible end of town to a relatively new plaza with high turnover and vacancy to a former video store right across from Town Hall, it's becoming obvious that landlords and political leaders (some being both) are not protecting enough of Montville's business interests.    The Best Market fiasco should be examined, since it is clearly not an isolated situation. 

Defending Meteorology

From NBC CT

There must be something about human nature that allows us to remember the bumps in the road more than the overall journey.   Meteorologists are seldom judged by their overall accuracy rate, but rather by the missed calls.    For the New York City metro area, what was billed as an approaching "historic storm" by meteorologists and local leaders failed to deliver much of a punch.   Facebook friends in that area equated meteorology with fortune telling.   A few weather forecasters even apologized.   Is that necessary?    No apologies were needed in my neck of the woods.  This latest winter storm arrived with relatively little advance notice, but it definitely lived up to expectations in eastern Connecticut and points north and east of here.   Several computer models misread the impact on New York City, but a newer type of model was proven more accurate.   Next time they may pay more attention to the new model.   Technology has improved dramatically since the unforeseen monster storms of 1888 and 1938 and continues a rapid advance.   While many lives have been saved, the future is still a tricky proposition.   We are reminded of our limitations in so many realms of scientific progress, but weather predictions have come a long way.   

I recall when media coverage of weather consisted of presenters with next to nothing for a meteorological background.   Some were hired because they could draw cartoon characters on a weather map.   Now the local stations have a real team of actual meteorologists backed by technology.   Still, I wonder if some of the nonstop hype is over the top, especially when they start with gimmicks like naming every storm.   Brag about your accuracy, not about equipment all your competitors also have.  There's a popular myth about meteorologists being unlike the rest of because they actually get paid to be wrong most of the time.   That's just wrong.   I've known enough weather people to know that they are well educated and take their job and our safety very seriously.   They do it with a remarkable batting average.    Judging forecasters' reliability by one storm is about as shortsighted as saying one cold spell disproves global warming.   Don't get me started on that one!