Bush's Vietnam

On this ten year anniversary of the invasion of Saddam Hussein's Iraq, we are at a loss to find any solid benefit from our long presence there.    We were never welcomed as liberators.  Iraqi oil never paid for our invasion.  Democracy has not taken hold.   Basic services still fail to function.   Corruption is rampant.   Violence between Sunnis and Shiites continues.  The Bush administration took the sympathy and support of the international community after 9/11 and squandered it.   We distracted ourselves from focusing on the Afghan War and bringing justice to the real 9/11 terrorists: Al Qaeda and their protectors the Taliban.   Saddam Hussein was not behind 9/11; nor did he possess weapons of mass destruction.    Iran is stronger and emboldened.     Iraq cost a trillion dollars, give or take, and close to 4,000 American lives with many more wounded.   The Iraqi toll is much higher.   What did it get America or the cause of world peace?    While I doubt this war was just an honest mistake, I don't think prosecuting Bush, Cheney and company  as "war criminals" is a way to fix it.   The most reprehensible part is when war supporters paint this as a positive outcome.   If this was Iraq's "liberation", where's the freedom?   

A Groundbreaking Choice

Pope Francis I

There is a new leader for the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, and the choice is Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a cardinal from Argentina and the first non-European Pope since the 8th century.   Taking the name Francis I serves as a powerful symbol of his connection with the impoverished from many of the world's developing nations where disparity between the incomes of rich and poor is staggering.   While this economic gap is also growing here in the USA, Catholics here and in other developed Western countries tend to focus on social issues ranging from abortion, priest celibacy, the role of women in the church, beliefs about homosexuality and the shockwaves from child molestation scandals.   This new Pope, the first from the New World, is likely to share social views of his Old World counterparts.    That may seem very out of step with more progressive Western ideologies, but Francis I represents a potential sea change for Catholics in places like Latin America and Africa where the church is growing rapidly as it declines in the USA and Europe.   After Pope John Paul II was elected in 1978, his conservative church doctrine did not get in the way of the real social change he inspired as his Polish countrymen and others behind the Iron Curtain hastened the fall of the Soviet Union and other totalitarian regimes.    While I may wish the new Pope could be more liberal on social issues, I think he brings a renewed sense of hope to the hundreds of millions who suffer in poverty while the few prosper.

Latin America's Robin Hood?

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez died this week at 58 after a long battle with cancer.   I listened last night to the BBC interviewing people in Argentina and you would have thought he was a hero for standing up for the downtrodden against the world's one remaining superpower.   Many remember his personal attack at the United Nations on President George W. Bush, calling him "the devil."   Such belligerent talk is not worthy of what the UN should be all about.   Add his cozy relationships with some of the world's most repressive dictatorships like Cuba, Iran and Syria along with his efforts to quash internal dissent and Americans may well wonder why anybody would give this crackpot any credibility.  There are many across the globe including some left leaning Americans who actually liked Chavez just because of their intense dislike of the Bush-Cheney administration.    I'm not the only one who did a double take when Joe Kennedy, Jr. appeared in commercials thanking "Citgo, the people of Venezuela and President Hugo Chavez" for heating oil assistance to America's needy.   Kennedy may have a point on how Chavez tried to spread the wealth around while the gap between the haves and have nots grows wider than ever, but the Chavez hero worship is sadly misplaced.   It does show the impact of flawed U.S. foreign policy exemplified by the Iraq invasion and occupation.   Many were so put off by perceived U.S. arrogance abroad that they were willing to look the other way as Chavez did anything he could to antagonize us and our de facto ally Colombia.    The U.S. has new challenges in this post Cold War world.    Authoritarian regimes count on making the United States into Satan.    Yes, there are times for strong military action, but first we have to do whatever we can to prevent them from making their case to those on the fence.   

So Little Time Here

Ashton and Alton Perry

I can't imagine how a grandmother could take the lives of her two grandsons, one just six months and the other two years old, before taking her own life.   That very afternoon I passed through the areas where tragedy would soon unfold following an Amber Alert.    I got the horrible news by seeing a Facebook friend's post.    Cheryl from Stonington is an in-law of the North Stonington Perry family.    There was no way she could make sense out of what just decimated that household, and I challenge anyone to come up with a suitable explanation.   Last night I attended a wake for someone who lived a very full life almost to the ripe old age of 90 only to return home and find out about the shooting deaths of two babies.   We all may be created equal in the eyes of God and the law, but our experiences during our time on this Earth are far from similar.    If there's anything we can do to cut down on sad news like this, it's to make sure we get between mentally ill people and their access to lethal force.    I know several family members close to this tragedy, so my prayers are with them.    Chelsea Groton Bank has set up an account to benefit the family of the Perry children for expenses. Donations for The Perry Family Fund will be accepted at any Chelsea Groton Bank location, or the public can mail checks/letters to: Chelsea Groton Bank, The Perry Family Fund, P.O. Box 11, North Stonington, CT 06359.

The End?

WMOS studio looking out on Mohegan Sun

Yesterday was my last day at 102.3 The Wolf.   Even with part-time hours, it is sad to leave behind a big part of who I am.   Many people think radio is the coolest thing you can do, and who am I to argue?   It is also a crazy business, so let me stress that I was not laid off or fired.   It was my decision. After two years and two months covering Sundays and lots of fill-in slots with little intention of having it work into anything more substantial in local radio, I knew I had to focus on getting more income.     New London County has a lot going for it and is a very competitive radio market, but it's not exactly a goldmine to a weekender as market #177.    It's not all about the money, of course.   While it was great to see familiar faces and loyal listeners pass by our casino studio, I do admit it could get a bit claustrophobic in the booth for five hours. Like many radio shows, it really was a "lone wolf" situation there, and I like working with other people more than that.    I did feel very comfortable with the music and the presentation; feedback was positive.    I've asked this before: "Is this my radio swan song?"    I've never assumed radio would be an uninterrupted source of employment, and I've always approached every show like it would be be my last. 

An Unenviable Job

Gov. Malloy & Lt. Gov. Wyman 

I can't remember a state leader being beset with so much bad news in such a short period.   Say what you want about Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy, but his term as the state's chief executive has been one rocky road with one crisis after another.   After a very nasty campaign and close election, the looming budget nightmare could have been enough of a challenge.   That was not the case.   Thankfully, state Republicans and Democrats seem to be able to work better together than their Washington counterparts.   The past two and a half years have seen five natural disasters plus the Newtown massacre.   Governor Malloy and Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman have been familiar faces in countless news conferences.   Malloy is not the smoothest and most charismatic speaker, but he has improved somewhat and there can be no denying his being on top of so many pressing situations.    New Jersey's Chris Christie has gotten the most national attention, but can there be any doubt that Governor Malloy's administration is just as engaged in getting us through these tough times?    He has managed to avoid taking on the role many of his Republican counterparts brag about: that of public employee union buster.   During this tumultuous time, Connecticut has moved ahead on legalizing gay marriage and eliminating the death penalty.   Agree or disagree, this has been a productive period.   Last but not least, nobody would have wanted to trade places with him while he helped families and neighbors deal with the shock and grief from the Newtown shootings.   No wonder he choked up at his State of the State address.   He apologized, but as one reporter said, "He didn't have to."   

The Check Isn't In The Mail

The US Postal Service just announced the planned elimination of Saturday mail delivery as of August 1, 2013.   Package delivery would continue.   What does that mean for you and me?    At first glance, it may not impact us too much.   It's no secret that the post office has been under severe financial pressure as people go online to pay bills for free while email, Twitter and Facebook have become primary ways to keep in touch.   Online shopping has meant more package deliveries while many billpayers still prefer paper statements, but the trend is a net loss for the USPS since many of us now think twice before affixing a stamp to anything.   A book of stamps can last me six months or more.   The other gorilla (or elephant) in the room is government mandated prepayment of postal worker retirement funding which puts the post office budget billions in the hole.   While the postal service is a quasi-governmental agency, it generates its own revenue while the retirement mandate is unfunded.    Most other businesses don't have that type of requirement.   While we may be able to survive without getting "junk" mail six days a week, does anyone really think this austerity measure won't have the effect of slowing down the American economy at a time we can least afford that?   The federal government seems to have bailouts for profitmaking corporations deemed too big to fail who don't have to follow the same rules as the post office.   If the USPS can't operate more independently, then Uncle Sam should just take it over.   Direct mail advertising, my primary source of income these days, is a primary reason the post office hasn't already gone the way of the dinosaur.   We've supported it through numerous rate increases and are not always able to pass along the costs, but direct mail still works very impressively and I believe its survival affects more than just my business.   The mailbox will certainly outlast the newspaper box.   I hope the powers that be do everything they can to avoid what could be more disastrous than most people think.  

Stuff Only I Would Notice

We can't say the New London County radio market had been lacking a country radio outlet or a female-focused adult contemporary station, but the field just got a bit more crowded.   I wish the new entrants at least as much luck as someone who works for the competition can.    I'm sure some considerable planning and effort went into launching these new station formats, but leave it to this radio geek to ask the silly questions.    With the possible exception of right-wing talk, I can't think of another format that wraps itself more in the American flag than country music.   Hey, Canadian and Australian artists score well on the country charts too.   There's even French Canadian country.   Jazz is about as American as music can get, but even the more widely - and commercially - accepted soul and rock trace their roots to the good ol' USA.   Are country artists or fans more patriotic?   I don't think so.   Radio is also very focused on audience age and gender, but I find much of the adult contemporary playlist more listenable than ten years ago, even though the programmers may not care whether a guy over 55 likes it or not.   Is it really necessary to project such a "women only" image between the songs that I'm made to feel unwelcome setting a button for that station?    I like lots of different types of songs and understand today's competitive need to superserve a demographic, but why tell me I'm not wanted?     

Extraordinary Every Time

Washington's Inauguration, 1789

Did you watch any of the second inauguration of President Obama and Vice President Biden? I know some Americans aren't as happy or impressed with it as I am, given the very polarized atmosphere everywhere. I can't help but wonder how I'd be feeling if this had been Mitt Romney's inauguration. However you voted, this event that happens every four years remains one of the more remarkable success stories in world history. The orderly transition or continuation of power based on the will of the people is gaining momentum thanks in no small part to our own example. Even so, it is still far from a common occurence in many countries across the globe. Through all the years of this messy experiment we call a democratic republic, the move from one Presidential administration to another has never meant a military coup or someone appointing himself dictator. Many people are bemoaning how our President is threatening to take away their constiututional rights or how our republic is supposedly dead or dying. They're just plain wrong. I point to history and to all those times when civil war, depression, scandal, slavery, armed attack and moves to abolish basic rights failed to deny Americans their day to see a new administration peacefully and orderly sworn into office. We've seen worse, yet the process begun in 1789 endures. The result of an election may not always be to our liking, but an inauguration like this one on Martin Luther King Jr. Day is something to celebrate.    

A New Low For The Gun Lobby

NRA Ad: Over The Top?  

Really, I wanted to get away from blogging about the gun control issue for a week, but no.   Did you see the National Rifle Association's shameless ad referring to our "elitist" President's children being under armed guard while everyone else's kids are supposedly denied that kind of protection?   Then the following day the Tea Party, Rush Limbaugh and other right wingers attack President Obama for sharing the stage with school children while presenting his gun control proposals.   The Tea Party's Facebook even equated that with Hitler's, Stalin's or Saddam's use of children in propaganda!   Isn't the Tea Party supposed to be founded and focused on curbing government spending?   A TP spokesperson said on CNN their group "doesn't get involved in social issues."   What a load of crap!   When you have to bring Hitler into the debate, you've given up any moral high ground.   If I hear one more gun control opponent mention how much better Ronald Reagan was for preserving the Second Amendment, I would remind then that Reagan also favored an assault weapons ban.   No, I don't want Obama, a New World Order or any UN black helicopters to come in and take law abiding citizens' shotguns and handguns away (even if I could).   At the same time, the NRA and the even more reactionary Gun Owners of America cannot simply slander our President without bringing anything to the table except a guarantee to have more guns in circulation.   Yes, a school system in Ohio wants to arm all the custodians!   The truth is, the NRA's Wayne LaPierre and the rest of the key lobbyists for gun manufacturers have only managed to spread fear and anger among much of the gun-owning population.   They don't care about anything else, and the ad invoking the Obama children proves that.   They've been drunk with power over our culture and politics for way too long, and I hope you'll join me and other Americans interested in a real discussion on gun violence.    Next week, I'll try to lighten up!

Talk Radio's Shameful Role

Alex Jones

The gun lobby's stranglehood over this country's gun control discussion is nothing new. I recall in the mid 80s when the topic came up on our WLAD/Danbury midday talk show. The unfamiliar voices of well organized gun control opponents armed with rehearsed talking points flooded the phone lines. It was obviously a coordinated "swarm". Their intention was clearly to overwhelm and discourage any real discussion. They succeeded. A few decades later and just a couple of miles away from that WLAD studio, the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown has made the issue of guns and violence impossible for the NRA and others to sweep under the rug. The fact that Walmart, one of the nation's biggest ammunition dealers, and the NRA at least agreed to meet with administration officials is evidence that Newtown is a potential game changer. As with any mass shooting, the news also sets off a gun buying frenzy. Part of that is our own reactive nature, but my own profession also bears a lot of the blame. Right wing hosts dominate talk radio. Just yesterday, Rush Limbaugh erroneously claimed that the Obama Administration could issue an executive order decimating the Second Amendment. CNN called him out on it. Speaking of CNN, did you see the Piers Morgan interview of radio talk host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones? Jones' screaming and threatening tirade against any attempts at gun control served as an eye opener as to how dangerous zealots can be. This nutjob is on 140 radio stations! There are many radio talk show hosts who fanned the unfounded fear that President Obama is out to confiscate everyone's guns and leave private citizens defenseless against an oppressive federal government. By likening Obama to Hitler, they bear a big share of responsibility for trampling over comprehensive talk about guns in society while fanning the flames of fear. Are there ridiculous ideas on the side of gun control? Of course - people are frustrated, but Governor Malloy is right when he says the solution isn't just about posting armed guards at every classroom. Fox News shares some blame, but shame on most of talk radio!

No Big Deal!

Happy New Year!   I don't normally set out to make New Years' resolutions, but this year a few observations on my part seemed to dictate the need.    So much of what we get all worked up about is not even real.   Call it that serenity prayer message if you like.   If it's not relevant to my priorities, then it should be a nonissue.   In all aspects of life, I see so many people getting worked up over the need to be absolutely right about everything.   Some people got so angry over the plans of some whacked out Kansas cult or an outrageous $100 million suit brought by some sleazy publicity hungry lawyer that it actually got in the way of the memory of the victims in the Sandy Hook school massacre and marred the healing process.   The best way to deal with these upsetting distractions is to ignore them as much as possible, since they will eventually pass.    Likewise, there are irritants we are exposed to in our everyday life that may frazzle but quickly fizzle.   I can't control most things other people do in my ever changing personal and professional "news cycle".   Some of it may affect me.   Even less is serious.   So much of what people stress over isn't even real.   That was something I forgot for about five minutes today before counting to ten.   So much of the drama in books, movies and TV is based on what "could" happen.   I resolve not to let it drive my attitude toward life.

A Christmas Surprise

My Facebook page exploded with congratulations this week after I announced my engagement to Linda on Christmas Day.    I had a crush on her back in our North Branford High School Algebra II class, but she had a boyfriend at the time.   Four decades intervened before we saw each other again at our class reunion.   You might think I've been a confirmed bachelor for life, but I never thought of myself as destined to be forever single.    We haven't made any specific wedding plans, since she and her two grown children are still absorbing the shock.   Yes, it was a surprise.   I admit that it still hasn't completely sunk in with me.   Recently when I had dinner with my last college roommate, he mentioned how his wife of thirty years was indispensable in keeping him focused and grounded.   In many ways I've been drifting through life.   We all do that to some extent, but Linda has really added that sense of purpose that has been missing.   It's like a missing piece of a puzzle that's taken until now to find.

Time To Stand Up

Abraham Lincoln, March 6, 1865

I saw the movie Lincoln the day after the Newtown school massacre.   The movie focused on the drive to get the 13th Amendment to the Constitution passed by the House before the end of the Civil War.   The amendment outlawed slavery.   You might think that after four years of war costing 600,000 American lives with the South in absolute ruins, the abolition of slavery would have sailed through the House after passing the Senate.  Instead, President Lincoln faced daunting obstacles, especially from House Democrats.   There were people close to his own administration who thought his amendment was lost and he couldn't get the votes.   The powerful forces of resistance in the North - as well as the slaveholding border states which did not secede - provided almost as great an impediment to change as the armed uprising of the ten Confederate states of the South.   The permanent nationwide end to slavery was by no means guaranteed.    Lincoln was a shrewd politician, but he was resolute in making sure the end of the Civil War meant slavery anywhere in the United States was gone for good.    If a bloody Civil War couldn't eradicate this shameful institution from our society, what would it take?  There was more than a century of work to be done, but President Lincoln prevailed.
 

We have seen our 2nd Amendment uncompromisingly defended by a powerful gun lobby for decades, led by the leadership and lobbyists of the National Rifle Association.   The NRA typically stays silent immediately after any mass shootings, and that pattern has continued after the Newtown tragedy.   With the murder of twenty innocent young children and six adults, their unfounded fear mongering about the administration attacking 2nd Amendment rights has run its course.   This time, Newtown has changed everything.   Politicians, clergy and other disgusted citizens are not backing down.   Has any rational supporter of gun restrictions advocated outlawing handguns for defending your home or rifles for hunting?   No.   Does anyone think reinstating the assault weapons ban will totally end our problems?   Of course not.   Do we have to look at how we've emphasized the entertainment value of violence throughout our culture?   That's at least as important in addressing the root causes.   We need to rethink our mental health system and focus on personal responsibility.    Addressing our culture of violence should be this generation's call to action.    President Obama is determined to prevail.

One more thought... Does government need to "put God back" in our schools, as some suggest?    Look at the beautiful, innocent victims at Sandy Hook Elementary School along with the heroes who worked to protect them and those who comfort their families.   How can you believe in God and think God ever left because of a 1963 Supreme Court ruling?   God is where you choose to find Him.

What Can We Finally Learn From This?

The tragedy in Newtown brought back memories of 9/11 for me. One difference: Facebook didn't exist eleven years ago. Most Facebook posts have been thoughtful and sensitive. Others upset me to the point where I wonder why I keep checking my page. In the interest of summing up my current feelings and listening to the voices of common sense, I wanted to share these well considered words from Nate Logan, one of my Facebook friends:      In the past few days I've seen and heard arguments for more guns, against more guns, for more religion in school, against more religion in school, the need for more treatment for the mentally ill, better parenting, etc.  Wounds are still open right now, people are still processing what happened. We're dealing with this each in our own way.  It's so easy to cast our own opinions and point fingers, and I'm just as guilty.  But maybe it wouldn't hurt if one of the biggest lessons we learned from this tragedy was that we need to learn to listen to each other, be a little more open to hearing other opinions, and giving a little more space to grieve before we start with all of the arguing. Just a thought.  The solution to a problem this complex will not be simple, and it's not just one problem, but many.  It will take many voices and many ideas to fix it. Keep in mind, action is bigger than a Facebook rant.  It means stepping up and acting.  In a perfect world I suppose...

Radio Pranks

DJs Michael Christian & Mel Greig

As radio prank calls go, this one seems tame by comparison. Australian radio personality Mel Greig pretended to be Queen Elizabeth checking with the hospital on the condition of Prince William's wife Kate Middleton and managed to get answers from a nurse there. After the call was revealed to be a hoax, the nurse later committed suicide. The DJs involved have been suspended and are obviously devastated. The suspension may be appropriate, since their careers are not the number one concern at the moment. Beyond this unintended tragedy, I am reminded of prank radio station phone calls and stunts that have made their unwitting targets look very bad and could have easily led to equally disastrous results. Here in the New London market alone, there was a DJ who made outrageous prank calls and got people extremely upset - all in the name of shock value entertainment. In another instance our WBMW morning show was the target of syndicated shock jocks Opie & Anthony, who had an axe to grind with the owner of our station and decided to take it out on me and my co-host. They'd take audio clips from our show and make fun of us as "whitebread local radio". A couple of their stooges even prank-called us, joking about something personal to do with my co-host. At the time we ignored them and they predictably moved on within two days to trash someone else. As broadcasters, being a target can be a hazard of the occupation, but most are not expecting to be ridiculed in front of a less than sympathetic audience. Radio personalities repeatedly prove there's plenty of money and ratings in making others look bad, but once in a while there are consequences.

The Phony War

From MSNBC

Merry Christmas? Happy Holidays?    I don't really have a preference.   I stick to the "holidays" greeting more because it incorporates the New Year than because of any religious observance.   If someone wishes me a Merry Christmas, they shouldn't have to worry about offending me if by chance I'm not a Christian. Christmas has been the dominant holiday, and our very secular retail landscape guarantees that fact for years to come. Nonetheless, Fox News claims every year that there is a "War on Christmas" led by the crowd Bill O'Reilly calls the "secularists".    Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee found himself on the receiving end of Fox News criticism when he referred to the state "holiday tree".   I agree that this is a bit too politically correct even for my left of center leanings.   It's a Christmas tree, for cryin' out loud!    While Fox and company pounced on the governor with the idea that the state was distancing itself too much from a ceremony based on Christianity, one Providence radio host who said he was Jewish suggested the state should just step aside and let the private sector sponsor whatever religiously connected symbolism they want.   Rhode Island was founded by Roger Williams as a place for religious tolerance.    Maybe the state should separate itself from something the church and private enterprise are perfectly capable of handling.   On Capitol Hill in DC, congressmen can take a break from lighting Christmas trees and stay with the business of giving us all a Christmas present: avoiding the looming fiscal cliff.            

Party vs. Ideology

Since the election, the news has been dominated by talk of the impending Fiscal Cliff and the Benghazi consulate attack. In both cases, Republicans are increasingly split over how much they should cling to the Grover Norquist no tax pledge and Senator McCain's rejection of UN Ambassador Susan Rice as Secretary of State. In both cases, the Tea Party House freshmen, right wing radio hosts and Fox News maintain the need to remain ideologically pure and that attempts by Mitt Romney and others to at least appear more moderate were what cost Republicans the election. I don't see how that could have been the case when the party ran its most right wing campaign in modern history. This is not even the party of Ronald Reagan these days, much less the centrist party of Dwight Eisenhower. The right wing, embodied in the highly profitable conservative entertainment complex, sees a threat to its own relevance if compromise no longer remains a dirty word. Would you expect talkers like Laura Ingraham to urge their followers to move to the center? The GOP has a fight on their hands, and it's an internal one. Political parties were never founded to unswervingly promote ideology; they were formed to get candidates elected who were closest to representing their priorities. The primary system was focused solely on who could placate the most hardcore conservatives. That doesn't win general elections. The public wants to know what's in it for them, not the fact that you can push 100% of your agenda into law. Running almost exclusively on tearing down the opposition party's record of Obamacare etc. won't get you there either. The speed of change based on a mandate should be a caution to liberals as well. President Obama's first two years saw big accomplishments for left leaning causes, only to produce a strong reaction the other way in 2010. Mandates can be fleeting. Give a little.

Twinkies Will Live On - Will Good Jobs?

It was only a week ago when I stopped at the Hostess thrift store in Uncasville to get a loaf of wheat bread for a buck.   Given those healthy intentions, could I resist the temptation of  mix-and-match ten snack cakes for three dollars?    Of course not.    Had I realized the fate that was about to befall parent company Hostess, I would have included the iconic Twinkie in my assortment.   I actually prefer the Hostess cupcakes with the vanilla cake, chocolate frosting and signature curl on top.   Twinkies cake always had a funny texture without some chocolate coating.   That may be why I've missed the Chocodile, the chocolate covered Twinkie that hasn't been sold here on the East coast since the nineties.   Chocodiles were junk food heaven!   Much like the late night Black Friday shoppers getting on the news annually stampeding each other, it reminds me of how little common sense we continue to display when people start hoarding Twinkies and other Hostess products.   For one thing, I can't imagine some of these brands going away permanently.   Some corporation will buy most of these brand names and the Twinkie legend will live on.   The sad part of the Hostess liquidation is the possible loss of 18,000 jobs nationwide.   The company blames the shutout squarely on the bakers' union strike, but any research reveals a company plagued by problems on many fronts including market changes and big failures in restructuring.   I hope some jobs can be saved and these bakeries and distributors will still serve a purpose under another owner.   The Hostess saga also highlights how even givebacks by 70% of the unions couldn't keep it competitive with non-union shops that keep things cheap while lowering the average worker's standard of living.    I don't begrudge their success, but can we all afford to be working in "Walmart World"?

Setting A Poor Example

OK, call me overreactive. It won't be the first time someone will have done that. I was driving along yesterday listening to the radio. On came this Sears commercial where a woman pretends to call in sick to get out of work. When she hangs up, her husband congratulates her on a convincing act. You see, she wanted to spend the day shopping the early holiday sales. Cute, huh? That is so wrong. What does it say about our society when an ad agency can come up with a radio spot encouraging people to fake illness to go shopping? Did other people find this the least bit disturbing? Kids, I guess it's perfectly cool to lie if it gets you off work so you can go buy stuff. The holiday season gets criticized enough for crass commercialism, but at least I can live with that. We are all capable of lying to some extent, perhaps for some greater good. So many sitcoms feature white lies, but at least the viewer sees the consequences. Telling people to call in sick in order to go shopping isn't very noble. Responsibility is learned in small doses. Someone can start on that path by pulling that Sears ad off the air.

What's Apparent - To Me, Anyway

It was a late night.   That wasn't because the results of Election 2012 took that long to become known.    It was because yours truly decided to stay up and watch Mitt Romney's gracious concession speech and President Obama's inspiring victory speech.    This election has made me more politically aware than any other in my lifetime.   Here are a few observations:

• President Obama is not a radical left socialist - not even close.
• Make Election Day a national holiday.   If we have to cpombine it with Veterans Day, so be it.   Voting should be as accessible as possible.   While we exercise our right, we should take time to recognize our veterans who served to make this happen. 
• Obamacare is essentially Romneycare.   You can run but you can't hide from that.
• Romney never spelled out an original economic plan.  His projections for North American energy independence and adding 12 million new jobs are the same as what many economists expect to happen if we stay with Obama.
• Paul Ryan didn't help the GOP cause.   The VP choice excited many conservatives who weren't going anywhere else anyway.   Romney's debate coach Rob Portman could have helped them win Ohio, while Ryan's home state of Wisconsin has been terribly polarized by its governor's union-busting.
• Mitt Romney's 47% speech video showed his real attitude.  It would have been over after that if it hadn't been for President Obama's lackluster first debate performance. 
• Ethnic demographic trends are working against the Republican party.    Generational changes are hurting them as well.   Go with what resonates with the mainstream and not with what the average right wing talk show listener wants to hear.
• Mainstream Republicans - what's left of them - need to stand up to the Tea Party members.   As Obama found out in 2010, a wide mandate does not last forever.   Achievements through compromise can.
• The primary system has become an ideological litmus test that produces candidates who will say anything to placate their base while dragging more and more big money into a longer and longer political season leaving much of the electorate on the cynical sidelines. 
• Money can't buy enough votes.   Linda McMahon taught that valuable lesson.
• All in all, America still works!

Storm Coverage: How Essential Am I?

Here we go again.   This time 60 million people could be in the crosshairs of Hurricane Sandy or her effects in a storm that is expected to linger longer than most.    I was asked to man the Mohegan Sun studio of 102.3 The Wolf on Monday evening - at the height of it all.    At first I thought I'd have to evacuate where I live anyway, so why not hunker down in a massive complex where I'm hardly likely to even notice the effects of Sandy?    Then I started to hear revised forecasts calling for strong wind and rain to begin even sooner and the increased likelihood of our station simulcasting everything from the Cumulus New London broadcast center anyway.   That begged the question: Why would I want to risk my safety to watch over live coverage from somewhere else?    I remember too well the drive in to the studio during Tropical Storm Irene last year.    Being a hardcore radio guy, I am normally the first to jump in when there's an emergency.   When the cable and internet go out and newspaper delivery often gets disrupted, radio rules!    If they need me to take part in the active coverage out of New London, I'd be open to that.    It's not my first rodeo with this radio storm coverage thing, but if they're covered at broadcast central I'll opt to stay safe by the time things get wild.    We'll see.   I hope you don't go out in this storm unless you absolutely have to.

UPDATE 11/2:   I went in early Monday as the storm was just getting started and pulled a marathon air shift from Mohegan Sun, being there from 2pm to midnight with no regrets.   No doubt I lucked out with the storm winds and rain decreasing by midnight and getting my own power back a day later.   When I see the aftermath of devastation up and down the East coast, I appreciate what I have.

Hooked On House Hunters

"Reality shows" of every stripe have taken over evening television, with the likes of Honey Boo Boo, Real Housewives, Ice Road Truckers and the History Channel's Pickers. It's no wonder the younger generation is no longer getting hooked on the old daytime soap operas.   These not always spontaneous "slices of life" and the story lines that develop on danceoffs and singing competitions now provide enough melodrama in prime time.   Even the Weather Channel is getting in on the act with shows about life in the Arctic.   I can't say I'm too fond of most reality TV, but I've found a couple of cable shows that grab my attention on a Friday night when television can become a truly vast wasteland. Home & Garden TV has House Hunters and International House Hunters back to back.   The premise is simple enough.   A realtor shows a prospective home buyer or buyers three different properties for sale or rent.   There's no host, but an unseen woman is one of my favorite narrators.    As I watch, I learn the popularity of granite kitchen countertops.   I wonder out loud why a couple without kids needs three bathrooms.   Some folks can be so hard to please, while others seem to have no taste at all.   Like any reality show undoubtedly edited to the max, the viewer gets a guided tour of the Househunters' lives as well as the homes.   Unlike many shows, it all gets resolved in thirty minutes with the househunters happy in their newly chosen homes.   It always leaves me more anxious to put in a granite countertop.   

The Best Money Can Buy?

Rep. Chris Murphy & Linda McMahon

It's a good thing Connecticut isn't a swing state in the presidential race.   We already are being bombarded by political ads in the U.S. Senate race between Representative Chris Murphy and WWE CEO Linda McMahon. Last Friday I saw Chris Murphy at a campaign stop in Colchester. The audience posed very thoughtful questions and I thought Murphy gave some reasonable and specific answers. I wished the overall tone of the race could be so civil. While at least one well-funded pro-Murphy PAC has done some serious mud slinging, Murphy's own ads have taken more of a high road.    Linda McMahon has financed her own election bid, presenting a more female-friendly image than her last Senate race.   I don't begrudge her wealth; it can be used for a lot of good.   I'll take her word over her opponent's about being pro-choice on abortion, but I don't believe for a minute McMahon would have any effective voice on that issue amid a national Republican party that is so dominated by the far right.    Some of her statements on job creation, energy policy and deficit reduction are full of - as George W. Bush put it - "fuzzy math" talking points big on cuts and short on revenue that VP Joe Biden rightly called into question last week.    The attacks on Murphy's personal finances from 2003 and the endless negative ads only serve to bring the discourse deeper into mud and Connecticut voters lose.    By financing herself, McMahon could have changed the attack ad strategy.    Instead, she made it worse.

The Region Shudders Again

Mohegan Sun, Uncasville

This hits especially hard right before the holidays.    Perhaps the recent layoffs of 300 workers at Mohegan Sun Casino shouldn't come as a complete surprise.    Nonetheless, it is a big blow to an already struggling eastern Connecticut economy.       Revenue is down as out of state casinos and a shaky recovery take their toll, but I can't help but wonder whether massive layoffs should always be the first option.   There is no doubt this region has historically depended far too much on a few giant companies like EB and Pfizer.   This leaves us susceptible to the decisions of too few.    New London County is not a remote market; it is halfway between New York and Boston with a great harbor and tourist attractions.     There is no reason why this region can't diversify.     If I ran a major financial or tech company, I'd prefer New London and vicinity over the traffic and costs that choke growth in places downstate like Fairfield County.    How big a wakeup call do we need?      I appreciate what our resort casinos offer; They are two of the finest in the world and I hope they can thrive for workers and the tribal owners.    That doesn't mean we should bet everything on them.

MSNBC: Try The Decaf

MSNBC's star commentators need to chill out!   By the end of the first Presidential debate, I thought the intense preparation had served Mitt Romney well enough to maintain some traction in his uphill battle to take the White House away from Barack Obama.     I found him changing his tune yet again, forgetting about his party's out of control far right while short on specifics.   He certainly did not hurt his candidacy in this performance.    The President also made his points in a straightforward way.   Neither side delivered any zingers or knockout punches, which is why I was shocked to see how livid the liberal panel was with President Obama for not aggressively ripping apart Romney's twisted logic on Medicare and Obamacare.    You would think Obama had just blown any chance of being reelected. I heard a caller to the liberal Alan Colmes radio show refer to the MSNBC reaction as "alternate reality."    My own political views are much closer to MSNBC than Fox News, but these guys (Rachel Maddow was the adult in the room) need to understand what both candidates already have had to acknowledge.      "Acting Presidential" means trying to stay above the "my way or the highway" fray by showing those undecided centrists they can reach across the aisle and be President of all the people.    While the MSNBC lefties are boiling over Obama not throwing the 47% comment on Romney's face, Obama's failure to aggressively pounce on Romney's shifting vagaries leaves Joe Biden to be the attack dog in the VP debate against a well-rehearsed Paul Ryan.       The debates confirm what we already suspected: it ain't over.    That's more than we can say about the Red Sox.    Go Yanks!

Bitten By The Radio Bug

This ancient image from the late fifties is the first photographic evidence of my interest in playing records.    The idea of playing records on the radio wouldn't come along until I was in junior high school.  After a brief fascination with tape recorders similar to the ones used in the opening scenes of TV's Mission: Impossible, I received my very own GE AM clock radio as a 1966 Christmas gift from my grandmother.   She had a lot to do with my burgeoning broadcasting obsession.   When I felt like getting away from the world, I would explore the sometimes static-filled dial to find stations seldom heard when my parents had control of the radio.   There was some decent radio close by in New Haven, but Hartford had the classic Top 40 battle between WPOP and WDRC.   New York Top 40 station WABC had Dan Ingram, my favorite air personality of all time, but WMCA's "Good Guys" gave them a run for the money.   At night, CKLW  the "Big 8" would boom in from "The Motor City" while WLS and WCFL could also be heard after sunset from Chicago.   Early personality-driven talk radio on stations like WBZ/Boston caught my attention, too.   I eventually knew the call letters of hundreds of stations.   My grandmother influenced my radio interest in another way in 1970 when she arranged a tour of WELI's Radio Towers Park outside New Haven.   She knew the wife of WELI's music director, a wonderful gentleman named Nick Papp.   He showed me around the studios of one of the classier stations in Connecticut.   I was awestruck.   Still, it would be a few more years before I actually take the plunge.   I fell hard for radio, which is why I still try to keep it in my life.

In His Own Words

It is no political first to disparage an opponent.   Attacking an opponent's constituency is disgusting when you're running to be President of the entire United States of America.    After a week of demonstrating an astonishing lack of facts on foreign policy, Mitt Romney took his campaign to a new low. Unaware he was being recorded, Romney unleashed this to a group of wealthy supporters.    His own words speak volumes...

 

There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what…These are people who pay no income tax. My job is is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.

Coach Calhoun Retires

Coach Jim Calhoun

Is it the end of an era?   I doubt it.   That doesn't diminish the mark that UConn Men's Basketball Coach Jim Calhoun leaves on this entire university upon his retirement.   ESPN Radio's Colin Cowherd practically made it sound as if the University of Connecticut - "this cowpath in Storrs" - really had little reason to rise to such heights in the NCAA if not for the toughness of Coach Calhoun.   While there's no denying how indispensable he has been in leading the Huskies to the big time since he was hired in 1986, the culture he embodied was in abundance throughout the university system which saw major investment and expansion in every aspect of UConn.    The university's prestige has been enhanced not only by the extraordinary successes of both men's and women's basketball and the investment in football.   That is a telling testimonial to successive administrations in Storrs and Hartford, and it may be the biggest part of Calhoun's legacy.   Every department at UConn has been a beneficiary of that prestige.    A tour of the main UConn campus will tell the most casual observer that this is - and has been for some time - much more than a "cowpath" in the middle of nowhere.    UConn athletics has generated many celebrities during the Calhoun era.   There have been countless great moments, too.   My favorite was the men's first NCAA title in 1999.   What's yours?

9/11 Plus 11

That fateful September 11th, eleven years ago today, was also a Tuesday without a cloud in the sky. That will make today seem more than a bit eerie to me. Everything changed that day. Despite all efforts, I fall short every time I try to sum up what it all means. Making sense out of such a senseless act is an exercise in futility. All we can do is remember how it brought out the best in America. That, and the victims, are worth always remembering.

Morgan Freeman Not Dead

Morgan Freeman

I have developed a healthy skepticism about anything posted on Facebook.   Earlier today, a post from a Facebook friend directed to my name asking me to click on a photo album turned out to be the work of a hacker.   Now I see a post from another FB friend saying Morgan Freeman had died Thursday of "a artery rupture."   The poor grammar was my first clue that the story was suspect.   The cruel post also asked everyone to click "like" to pay your respects.   When I didn't see any other posts from legitimate news organizations (or Fox News), I Googled Morgan Freeman to learn that this was the latest in a series of online celebrity death hoaxes.   One less credible website did give his date of death as September 12, 2012... That was weird.   We can all breathe a sigh of relief that as of now this talented man is still with us and as productive as ever.   I tend to be a trusting person, but anonymous internet misinformation along with the half truths and outright lies our politicians right say into the camera breed more than a hint of cynicism in the most naive of us.

Don't Go There

Republicans hit hard at two themes during last week's RNC convention: "We Built It" and "Are You Better Off Now Than 4 Years Ago?" The "We Built It" signs may actually be more in synch with President Obama's points relating to the public sector and individual enterprise. His opponents lie when they take that speech out of context.

 

 

With a stubbornly high 8.2% U.S. unemployment rate, you may think the Democrats would want to avoid the question over how we're doing now versus four years ago. That would be a mistake. Let's meet the question head on and take a snapshot of September 2008. According to the Center for American Progress, the United States lost a total of 605,000 jobs in the first eight months of 2008, including 84,000 in August 2008. In August 2008, the unemployment rate was 6.1%—the highest level since September 2003. Factoring in inflation, hourly wages were only 0.2% higher, and weekly wages were actually 0.8% lower in July 2008 than in March 2001. The share of people with employer-provided health insurance dropped from 64.2% in 2000 to 59.3% in 2007. Household debt averaged 132.4% of disposable income in the first quarter of 2008. New home sales in July 2008 were 35.3% lower than a year earlier. All prices rose by 24.5% from March 2001 to July 2008. One in 11 mortgages was delinquent or in foreclosure. Since March 2001, foreigners had bought 82.6% of all new treasury debt. In the first 11 months of the fiscal year 2008, which runs through September 30, the deficit amounted to $486 billion, up from $212 billion a year earlier. 
    

Keep in mind that this was just the beginning of a downward slide that culminated in the next six months with millions more job losses and massive bailouts aimed at staving off a replay of the Great Depression. I remember some very good times leading up to September 2008, when MGM Grand at Foxwoods opened with great fanfare. Only months later, my radio employer told us cutbacks could be coming and the revenue from my direct mail advertising sales plunged 50%. That radio company is thriving today and I've recouped much of the advertising losses since then. There's plenty of room for improvement as public sector jobs targeted by the Tea Party have inflated today's unemployment numbers, but the GOP really doesn't want to paint 2008 as the good old days. That would NOT make Clint Eastwood's or Mitt Romney's day!

Obama: Moderate Republican?

The orchestrated infomercials that are the Republican and Democratic national conventions are getting set to saturate the news channels while most Americans would rather watch football or "reality" shows.   When I saw the endorsement of President Obama by Florida's former GOP governor Charlie Crist, it struck me how fitting this was. Tea Party first-termers ruling the US House and many statehouses since the 2010 sweep don't know the meaning of the word "compromise."  Now "moderate" has become as much of a dirty word as "liberal" to many right wingers.   Has this intractable stance advanced the agenda of the traditional Republican Party? 

While Mitt Romney pledges North American energy independence by 2020, the Obama administration already has us on that course with an all-of-the-above approach that includes more oil drilling and natural gas exploration. Obamacare is Romneycare, and many Republicans were originally out front on individual mandates. The GOP can trace health care reform efforts back to Nixon.   With the ultra-rich Romney paying 13% in taxes are we really stifling job creation taxes are lower than they've been in decades?  By recent past GOP standards, I’d say no.   Are "Obama's EPA" and other government agencies really strangling us with regulation compared to previous administrations?  No again.   In Afghanistan, the troop surge could have been a page out of the Bush/Cheney playbook. Obama constantly gets pelted with the "socialist" label, yet evidence of that is scant. If we were on such a sharply left-leaning trend, why are some hardline liberals less enthusiastic about him now than in 2008?   On social issues, President Obama did not exactly lead the charge to accept gay marriage any more than Abe Lincoln started out as a fiery abolitionist, but both knew when the time had come. It took the absolutely outrageous claims of the extreme right and a shift in public attitudes for Obama to "evolve" in favor of it. The radical right wing agenda is driving younger generations, minorities and more women away from the mainstream.  Now with pre-election movies slamming his role as commander-in-chief and conspiracy theorists claiming the government is buying up all the bullets to put down its own citizens, President Obama has an even greater opportunity to be the adult in the room.     

Quebec: La Belle Provence

Opposite the Quebec Parliament, Quebec City

Some folks go to the same vacation spots year after year.   I'd rather spend my limited vacation time exploring a different spot each trip, but I made an exception by returning to this beautiful city I last visited back in 1995.  For all its old world European charm, the Quebec City area appeared to have grown considerably.  The heavy traffic and ever present highway construction provided the best evidence of that.   I'm not sure whether or not my attempts at French past "bon jour" made for more confusion than just starting off in English.   In this nerve center of French Canadian culture where Quebec fleur-du-lis flags seem to outnumber Canadian maple leaf ones, it seemed appropriate to at least make the initial attempt.   I never got far in the Francophone world, as they'd hand us English language menus after I said two words.   Most locals will oblige in English.   There's something so high-class about being surrounded by French speakers in even the more moderately priced Quebec chain restaurants like St-Hubert (great chicken and mini desserts!) and Normandin (nice hotels too).   The big attraction is downtown Old (Vieux) Quebec itself, full of cafes, shoppes, live music and historic treasures.   Nightlife in Old Quebec has to be experienced.