Newt Gingrich’s Space Quest
In a Newt Gingrich presidency, America would have a colony on the moon by 2020.
“By the end of my second term, we will have the first permanent base on the moon and it will be American.” h/t ABC News
Seriously?
In theory it doesn’t sound wacky. We need something to rally behind, and the space program should be the very thing that could — again — capture our imagination and help answer many of our questions. But shouldn’t there be a reason why, in a time of infinite debt and foreclosures, President Gingrich could justify this?
Of course, Gingrich made his out-of-this-world announcement in Florida, where NASA has its primary base. Had he said the same in Atlanta or Boise or Las Vegas and the audience might not have been so receptive.
If Newt Gingrich is serious about promoting this idea on campaign stops around the country, he should consider its justification.
Gabby Giffords Exits, Stage Left
There aren’t many “good news” items coming out of Washington, D.C. these days. With an economy still on life support, a war still being fought in Afghanistan, an impotent Congress, a presidential race unfolding and the general 1970s-esque malaise plaguing the population, you don’t hear much more than sniping from Capitol Hill.
Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona congresswoman who was nearly assassinated last year, resigned her seat to focus entirely on her recovery. This morning, a tearful Congress sent her off with the kind of celebration sometimes reserved for returning troops from combat.
Rep. Giffords was roundly applauded today by the entire House of Representatives. It was a rare moment of unadulterated joy in the midst of a near-constant political tug-of-war between Democrats and Republicans. It was a feel-good story that made even tough reporters tear.
Tomorrow it will be business as usual in Washington, but today their humanity shined far and above their partisan hackery.
Bye 2011
This will be my final post of 2011. Enjoy this little gem from New York radio icon Harry Harrison.
Death Comes in Three
Someone once said that death comes in three.
First there was al-Qaeda leader Usama bin Laden in the spring. Shortly before Halloween, another treat: Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi met his maker. Now word comes that Kim Jong Il of North Korea has joined the pantheon of evil somewhere in the fog just around the bend.
If only Christopher Hitchens were alive to opine on the end of another lunatic despot. Hitchens’ death last week marked the end of the last great iconoclast of the twentieth century.
Only he could eloquently write and speak on the significance of this moment, where three people who have flirted with the dark side of man’s pursuit ultimately realized their immortality exists only in their own delusions–and the delusions of their disciples.
The Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal
Picture of a convicted murderer. Mumia Abu-Jamal, who a jury found guilty of killing a police officer in Philadelphia named Daniel Faulkner more than twenty years ago. He was sentenced to death.
Yesterday the district attorney in that same city dropped their pursuit of the death penalty. Abu-Jamal will instead remain in prison for the remainder of his life.
Supporters have declared victory, but there aren’t any real winners here. Faulkner is still dead. Abu-Jamal is still a prisoner in a system that no longer makes sense.
His guilt or innocence is of little importance to me. A jury declared he’s a killer, and I’ve never seen a shred of evidence to suggest the verdict is unjust. Abu-Jamal will die in prison. It’s still a death sentence.
Fade to Black, KGO Talk
In an era of conformity, KGO-AM stood out as one of the few AM radio stations where all talk programming was local. As the San Francisco Chronicle reports, that’s now part of radio lore.
KGO is adopting news programming during the day. Most of their hosts were fired. In radio lingo, they’re “on the beach” now. It’s devastating for the talent and for the listeners. Don’t forget, whenever a radio station changes format there are unseen numbers of victims whose names you’ll never know: the audience.
This is a sign of our times, where radio stations coast-to-coast install “cookie cutter formats” in lieu of original and cutting edge programs. It’s cheap for the companies, but terribly disheartening for those in the business. For the listeners, it can be the last straw before switching to satellite radio or the Internet for their programming desires.
Corporations and society-at-large boast of diversity often but radio, I’m afraid, is increasingly becoming vanilla.
Why Do We Watch Television?
But when television is bad, nothing is worse. I invite each of you to sit down in front of your own television set when your station goes on the air and stay there, for a day, without a book, without a magazine, without a newspaper, without a profit and loss sheet or a rating book to distract you. Keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off. I can assure you that what you will observe is a vast wasteland.
The words of Newton Minow — then the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission — in a 1961 speech. Mr. Minow is absolutely correct, at least partially. Television can be a wasteland. A cursory glance at daily TV Guide listings makes a strong argument that the medium has been wasted on vapid programs and networks desperately searching for relevance in this technological world.
So why do we watch it? Why do we rack up hundreds of hours staring vacantly at a screen? Because in its purest form, television provides an escape from our lives. It allows us to travel to other places and other worlds. It gives us a laugh when all we want to do is cry. It has the power to move us, to educate us and to entertain us. Even the hardest workers in our midst require an hour or two of escapism. There’s nothing wrong with that.
When I was growing up, cable was entering the mainstream. The internet was still several years away. Video games that are today considered rudimentary were very much popular among my peers. I recall being entertained by a first generation Game Boy, but my interest in video games never developed beyond fad. Television was my escape. So were books. In sixth grade I was home sick one day. That morning I discovered Dark Shadows, a soap opera that originally aired on ABC from 1966 to 1971. It centered on a 19th century vampire who returns and meets his present day descendents. There were ghosts and ghouls. It was cheesy, bordering on unintentional satire. But it was strongly addicting — nicotine for the mind — and I admit to still watching occasional episodes to this day.
In that same year both of my paternal grandparents died within three months of each other, so one could argue Dark Shadows allowed me to escape such profound sadness into a world of pure fantasy. Sometimes I wish I could purchase a one-way ticket to the shadowland of fantasy, never again to face the cruel melancholy of the real world.
But television will render itself useless if it does not evolve further. Reality shows are cheap to produce and typically score high ratings, but they are robbing a generation of free education. Grammar has already become a casualty of this technological revolution. If those in charge of the networks fail to find a prominent place for documentaries, news programming and the like, then current and future generations are doomed to become drooling, empty-headed vegetables.
* * *
I don’t usually suggest you go read something, but I would push you in the direction of Edward R. Murrow’s speech about television. I’ve made reference here to it in previous writings, but it is especially relevant this time. Highly recommended.
A Trip to the Past
And now, something different. Off the beaten path and away from what I generally post here.
This is a stroll through memory lane, with appropriate commentary.
Hosting one of my first radio talk shows on Long Island's WGBB in 2001.
In 2006 I became News Director for WNYG. Here, Jim Pierce--my first mentor in radio--poses with me one morning in 2007.
As WNYG's News Director, my primary responsibility was to write and anchor news reports on the station's morning show.
It’s easy to get swept up by memories of yesterday, but there remains a life ahead full of mystery and undiscovered wonders. Here’s to starting a new chapter in the new year.
Justice for George Weber
A few years ago a good broadcaster died. It was murder. I wrote about it then. George Weber’s killer was found guilty this week in the horrendous 2009 slaying of the newsman.
Whatever his personal shortcomings, the salacious details of his death should never overshadow George’s remarkable career in radio. Years ago I was an avid listener of WABC, New York City’s talk radio leader. George worked as the newsman on the station’s morning show for years. He twice appeared on my old Sirius radio show as a guest. I didn’t know him well, but we belonged to a dwindling group of radio news anchors that served in the best interest of the public.
George’s savage death is among the more gruesome tales I’ve ever read. The violence and rage demonstrated by his killer is clear, as the above article notes. George didn’t deserve that. No one does.
I’ll remember him for his work and professional guidance, not for how he died.
A Few Minutes About Andy Rooney
What can be said about Andy Rooney? Surely I’m the least qualified writer to artfully and skillfully reminiscence about a man I never knew personally, but whose volume of work I appreciated immensely. When he died on Friday at the age of 92 — only a few weeks after his final essay on CBS’ 60 Minutes — millions of people felt like they lost a member of their extended family. It’s how I felt.
Andy wasn’t a television star. In his own words, he was a writer who read what he wrote on television. He was a no frills journalist, in the mold of Murrow and Cronkite. He was a champion of the common man; the representative to generations of voiceless, pissed off citizens tired of the status quo. He was a curmodgeon who could make you laugh. He was a brilliant defender of our eroding language. He was a writer worthy of every kind word and thought that has been spoken since his death.
Andy Rooney was from the old school. He was professor emeritus at the University of Life. Now he belongs to the ages. His essays and books will be studied by people in search of what made him a national treasure. Chances are, they won’t find it. Andy possessed qualities that can’t be learned about in books, nor can they be taught. His death closes the chapter on one of life’s greatest stories.
I’ll miss him.
