Turning On Their Own

The ship is sinking! The sky is falling! A pox upon our house! Who is to blame - Larry Craig. The senior senator from family friendly Idaho who likes to hang out in airport bathrooms. He is making our party look bad. Why we are the party of real Americana - two parent households, church goers, and upholders of the capitalist dream. But now one of our own has made a mistake. Could he be gay? Did he actually touch shoes with another man? Did he plead to a felony or was it a misdemeanor? Well he has brought shame to our house. Do we care about his family? Do we even care about him? Nah, let's forget about his years of loyalty to our conservative causes. Throw him overboard. There is an election to be won! Loyalty, patience, forgiveness: those are virtues we really don't need. So long Larry!

Signed
Mitt Romney
John McCain
Norm Coleman

Bashing the Gay Bashers

It is too easy and way too tempting to sit here and point fingers at the latest right wing hypocrite - Senator Larry Craig. He has pleaded guilty to some shenanigans at the Minneapolis airport and is now trying to defend his actions. Craig joins a growing list that includes the former mayor of Spokane, a congressman from Florida, and a leading evangelical pastor in Colorado. All of these men have built careers out of pointing fingers at the gay community. So for those who are upset with the rage exhibited by these fallen men and now rejoice at their folly a word of caution would be greatly heeded. No matter how many of these hypocrites are found out, others will come to take their place. Anti-gay views will still be held. The issue is to show that common ground needs to be found so that hatred can give way to tolerance. Many Americans are far away from accepting gay marriage. Some would like the gay population to disappear. Obviously this is not going to happen. But hurling insults and dancing upon the tombs of Craig and his compatriots is not going to bring people around to acceptance. If those who become the new leaders of the right can be pushed to accept civil unions, workplace rights, and endorse anti-hatred legislation then the paradigm will have shifted and lead to a new era where anger and misinformation will give in to dialogue and openness.

Kids' Baseball

It would be easy to think that Little League baseball is no different from those who are producing the Kids' Nation reality show. Take a bunch of minors, put them through stressful situations, and kick back and see what happens. But there is no comparison. The eleven and twelve year old ball players are constantly being supervised by adults. The coaching staff does not have free hand with their young charges. All practices and games are well attended by parents and siblings. The days of an abusive coach yelling or hitting (see the original "Bad New Bears") a player are long gone. Indeed ABC/ESPN has mikes on all the coaches so that any bad or condomning words would be picked up by the millions watching on television. Finally, the old argument against Little League is that children so young should not be subjected to failure and the subsequent tears, etc. But those tears are short lived. The bitter disappointment of not moving on in the tournament is replaced as the players leave the field and go on to their next activity. The players at Williamsport make friends with their counterparts from other parts of the United States and abroad. During the championship game, many of the players who did not make it to the final contest could be seen hanging together having a wonderful time.

Kids' Nation

Forty days without parents. A world run by kids and not adults. Wide open spaces and the clean air of New Mexico. An opportunity to become famous on television. What is not to like about CBS' upcoming reality show - Kids' Nation? First off, who made the decision to allow these children (ages nine to fifteen) to go to New Mexico, leave school, and have no contact with their families for almost six weeks? Even if the kids wanted to be involved there can be no doubt that parents hungering for fame and fortune pressured their children to accept the opportunity to be seen nationally on CBS. There is a growing army of parents who have taken their photogenic offspring and send them to every casting call for movies, TV shows, commercials, etc. The word gets out and parents drop everything, dragging their budding stars to crowded competitions for coveted air time exposure. Kids' Nation is the holy grail of televised stardom; a weekly show starring young talent. To compound the problems with the show was the decision of the producers to limit governmental access to the film site, ban parents, and "work" the young charges for up to sixteen hours each day. On the one hand CBS must be happy as all the pros and cons being argued through the media has raised awareness and is a free publicity campaign. On the other hand, if enough of a negative chorus should rise, the show might not see any time at all on the network and all that sacrifice that parents and children made will have come to naught.

From Night to Morning

What if sports teams decided to have midnight specials to attract the attention of the twenty somethings? Well an experiment at Detroit's Comerica Park could put this concept into reality. A four hour rain delay on Friday night caused the Tigers-Yankees game to begin at 11:06 eastern (Detroit) time. The eleven inning affair did not end until well past three in the morning Saturday. A surprisingly competitive game ensued and much of the sell out crowd stayed around to make the decision to play the game worthwhile. The visitors did enough stumbling in the late innings to allow the hardy fans to go home happy as the home team prevailed 9 to 6. No doubt sports marketers are going to look closely at this event. In addition, television schedulers (i.e. ESPN) hungry for live events might want to include some late night/early morning contests to expand their programming. Actually with college football being played all the way to Hawaii, games can be seen from as early as eight in the morning (pacific time) on to the wee hours of the next day. But the idea of having live baseball, basketball, and hockey games starting at ten or later might be catchy with young people who populate restaurants, clubs, and cinemas during those very same hours. What of the players and their own need for rest? Who cares-they are paid well to entertain us.

Give Vick a Chance

Obviously the length of Michael Vick's imprisonment will determine if he has any future left in the NFL. If he gets a four to five year term he will be well into his thirties by the time he is released thus dooming any opportunity for playing again in the league. On the other hand, things will become quite interesting if Vick receives the expected twelve to eighteen months behind bars. That would leave the talented and gifted athlete less than two years removed from his prime playing seasons with the Falcons. The debate will then be raised as to whether the NFL will allow him the chance to attempt a comeback. The opinion here is that Vick should be afforded such a chance. He will have served his penalty (which most likely will also include some financial restitution and community work) and now should be treated just like anyone that the penal system has released back to society. He is a high profile quarterback and should be free to pursue that career if he so desires. His crimes were profoundly horrible but the justice system apparently will not call for him to be viewed as a sex offender or a three strikes offender that is barred from certain places and monitored the rest of his life. Michael Vick has been publicly humiliated and has pleaded guilty. He (after much prodding) has been man enough to accept the decision of the federal judge and face whatever punishment is coming his way.

Little Things Matter For the Yankees

Yes, the Yankee pitching has been poor the past two days. Young Phil Hughes had a mediocre start against the Angels on Monday while veteran Mike Mussina was pathetic Tuesday night as he did not get out of the second inning. Obviously pitching is a major factor in winning and losing games. However one play in each game reveals the difference between victory and defeat. Late in Monday's game with the score tied at six, a foul pop was hit and drifted near the end of the Angels dugout next to the photographers' well. All world Alex Rodriguez came over to the stands and became preoccupied with his own safety. He visibly reached for the railing that surrounded the photographers, and with that as his base, half heartedly reached for the very playable ball and let it drop right just outside his grasp. Of course no one wants to see A-Rod get injured but if he had given at least some of his attention to the ball, he could have gone around the railing and caught the ball against the front row of the stands. The Angels got a rally going because of the misplay and even though the Yankees got out of the inning, the momentum of the game had shifted. The Yankees seemed to be just hanging in there and the Angels went full speed ahead to win in the tenth inning. If the Yankees are going to claim a playoff spot they are going to have to give up their cautious spirit and go all out. It is worthy to note that on many occasions, Derek Jeter is just as quick as Rodriguez to get to foul balls.

Tuesday night's game was a real mess but an early turning point was Melky Cabrerra, the young center fielder, who called off veteran right fielder Bobby Abreu, and made a catch going away from the runners on first and second. By catching the ball on a dead run heading towards the first base side of the field, Cabrerra had no chance to get the ball back towards third base and keep the Angels from moving up. Of course, with the runners now on second and third, the next bbatter drove a ball into the outfield plating the now advanced runners and taking the Angels to an early lead. Here it was inexperience that doomed the New Yorkers. Devastating to Yankee fans, these two little plays show the brilliance and beauty of baseball. Just in life, it is the mundane execution of tasks that add up to accomplishment or failure.

Family Values

Elvira Arellano was arrested and will almost definitely be deported from our wonderful country. The soft spoken mother of an American born child will be sent back to Mexico with a full chorus of unloving, racist anti-illegal immigrant cheering this momentous occasion. So many conservatives call for a return to family values and a return to church. Well here is a lady who literally lived in a church (in Chicago due to fear of the feds coming to take her) and who wanted nothing more than to be with her son in the USA (who is here legally) and to work and provide for him and herself. As mentioned in a previous post, Elvira has become the red meat that many want to chew upon. Lost in the rhetoric is any semblance of human decency, compassion, understanding, and love.

Democratic Family Feud

George Stephanopoulos took complete control over the Iowa Democratic Party debate this morning. Instead of having the candidates stress their differences between their party and the GOP, he had them looking inward. About twenty minutes of the debate featured a squabble over how many months it would take to pull the troops out of the Iraqi quagmire. On one hand was Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel who would use their magic wand and have the entire military back in the states within hours. Then there was Governor Richardson who promised an end date of December 31st. The rest of the candidates stressed the need to be more cautious and careful. Joe Biden called for a residual force to be there while Hillary talked about the large army and marine presence, the 100,000 plus civilian contractors, pet dogs, cats, etc. There is little doubt that all of the candidates want out but the difficulties are enormous and one has to wonder if Bush has not suceeded in locking our country in a semi-permanent takeover of the Middle East.

The King of Cable Meets The King

Larry King is a throwback. His schtick is to create an impression that all celebrities are connected and concerned with one another. To Larry it still is the late fifties, early sixties when the original Rat Pack played Vegas, when the Catskills were still a destination place, and talk show host and guest could easily banter and let the audience know that off camera they were palling around. Add to this the typical New York sense of excitement and introspective questioning and you have a successful cable prime time show that has lasted over twenty years. So on the anniversary of Elvis' untimely death, last week Larry went to Graceland. He started the show sitting in a vintage convertible outside Graceland's gates. He was acting like a kid with pumped up enthusiasm as he drove up the driveway and literally knocked on the mansion's front door. Opening the door was his guest for the night, a decidedly downbeat Priscilla Presley. The air was let out of the balloon in a very quick manner as Larry breathlessly asked Priscilla how she had been involved in the decorating of Graceland. Without rising to the occasion and perhaps twisting the truth to appease Larry and his audience, she said she had nothing to do with it. You could almost feel for Larry. His wonderment and amazement that he wanted to transfer to the CNN viewers was taken down many notches. Larry does not try to stir things up by putting his guests on the spot or arguing with them. What he is good at is attempting to make the guests feel like they are friends and that they are important. He asks simple but penetrating questions that try to peel back the views and lives of these guests. It might not have worked at Graceland but hey it's show business and there will be other nights and other guests.

Hysteria!

She is coming. Coming to Washington D.C. Elvira Arellano, the evil face of Hispanic illegal immigration, is coming to pray and fast on the National Mall September 12th to protest her impending sentence of banishment from the USA. The hard working mother is the innocent victim of an anti-Hispanic, anti-illegal immigrant hysteria that is sweeping some sectors of our once open and loving society. No one is immune from this racial hared. Arch conservative Arizona Senator John McCain has recently disclosed that he has received death threats for his stance that illegals could have a long and difficult path to eventual recognition and citizenship. This common sense approach supported by a broad swath of politicians from both parties has become entangled by the need for GOP presidential candidates to go "as far right" as possible as they vie for the nomination of their party. Exploiting this fear and hatred, possible contender, Newt Gingrich has used the horrific shootings in Newark, New Jersey as an example of what happens when the illegals are allowed to run free in our country. Obviously this is pandering of the worst kind. If there was a program to identify illegals then criminals like those who shot four innocent African-Americans in Newark could have been brought to justice look before the horrible incident took place. So that brings us back to Ms. Arellano. She is actually the face of the great majority of illegal immigrants: Spanish speaking and hard working. Elvira is the mother of one son and all she wants to do is work, support her family, and do what she can to survive. She has been living in a Chicago area United Methodist Church where even the feds are fearful of storming to remove her. However, the blood lust of the right knows no bounds and the days are probably numbered when a young innocent woman and child will find sanctuary in God's house.

Baseball As God Intended

Baseball under the sun; God providing natural energy as our nation's heroes battle during the duel heat of August and a maddening pennant race. With all of the money tied into maximizing television ratings by playing as many games as possible at night it was heartwarming to see the two most popular teams hosting Wednesday afternoon games. With the aid of cable's Extra Innings package, those of us who could not soak in the live sun could follow the Yankees and Red Sox's games on TV. Even though both home teams lost, the intensity was felt as the Yanks tied their game with the Orioles with a last chance ninth inning home run (only to give back the runs in the tenth inning in a losing effort) and the Sox kept clawing at the lowly Tampa Bay nine (and also losing by coming up one run short). Announcers from New York and Boston continually kept their viewers abreast of the happenings at the enemy parks. And how amazing that even in midweek both stadiums were packed. In the 1940's and 1950's many teams started their games around 3 pm to take advantage of the beauty of the sun's rays glistening upon the manicured green field that the home boys in crisp whites and the visitors in gray competed upon. (Well we are getting a bit poetic here as there were probably economic reasons for the schedule.) Unfortunately the Wednesday afternoon game and Sunday doubleheader has become a vanishing occurrence. When those in the eastern time zone begin to nod out as playoff and world series games march past 11 pm later this fall, I hope that the those who attended or watched yesterday's games will be thankful that just for a moment money and greed were put aside as baseball titan's played the pastoral game in the environment it was meant to be played in.

Nearly Two Hundred Die in Northern Iraq Blast

Another series of deadly suicide attacks caused death and turmoil in Northern Iraq. The usual word sent out on TV was that it was just Al Qaeda in Iraq ratcheting up the pressure as General Petraeus prepares his September report to Congress. The approved line is that casualties will increase as September beckons as Al Qaeda wants to prove that the "surge" is not working and will get a weak pacifistic Democratic Congress to call for more troop removals from the war zone. Unfortunately, just like with everything else in this war, leading network correspondents and analysts refuse to dig deeper to find out the truth. The attacks were on a religious group, the Yazidis, that are not Islamic and not Christian. There have been conflicts with the Yazidis and retaliations over a Yazidi woman who was living with a Sunni. Thus, the incident has some history to it and the attack could have come from many different quarters and once again highlighting how complex and dangerous a place Iraq is. But the administration and many of its spokespeople are quite adept at putting out misinformation or simple answers that seem to satisfy many. Therefore no matter how many die in the next few weeks, the surge has been insulated from criticism and will continue well into next year.

Product Chains

Most everyone has been concerned with the food chain. Outbreaks of food poisoning the last few years have been traced back to contaminated water used in spinach and other greens that have been sent to the nation's supermarkets. Dogs and cats were not immune when their foods were causing sickness and death. But it is ironic that our consolidation of production and removal of local manufacturing and control has not infected the most vulnerable of our society: our children. Mattel can not keep up with the defective merchandise that they are sending to the toy aisles. Instead of quality built American toys, the famous product lines such as Fisher-Price, Barbie, and Thomas are being outsourced to China in the name of efficiency and cheapness. China is basically where Japan was in the early 1960's; Out to make quick bucks in the least restrictive manner. Now our children are paying the price. How many toddlers have licked lead off their presents and swallowed small magnets that should not be used. Consumers must do something and do it soon. The current Bush government will only drag its feet over these matters. Salad eaters, lovable pets, and precious little ones are victims in a mad rush for the bottom line so that cut rate stores such as Wal-Mart and Toys R Us, can sell in such large quantities as to make profits on a thin margin. Americans are losing jobs and now people and animals to the new world economy.

Kramer as Merv

How do we say farewell to the ever present Merv Griffin? The producer of Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune will always have his name linked with these two eternal shows. The former singer will also be remembered for his and fellow crooner, Mike Douglas' 1960's/1970's era talk shows. The obits are pouring in. Friend of Nancy Reagan. Confidant of Eva Gabor. The shows featuring Woody Allen, Will Durant, Andy Warhol and a virtual who's who of American celebrities were talkfest background to the turbulent times that they represented. Was Merv a pioneering liberal voice? Was he a mainstream capitalist who became rich and friendly with California's right wing types? Was he a family man or a closet gay? Whatever the answers, Merv was definitely a piece of Americana. So it is to Seinfeld's Kramer that we look to as the fitting and ultimate tribute. Kramer with an empty apartment, who stumbles upon the remnants of Griffin's TV set in a New York trash bin. Dragging the set to his apartment, Kramer employs Newman as his own Arthur Treacher , and goes about making Griffin style banter with his friends. And just as Griffin retooled and had topical shows to boost ratings, Kramer pulls the plug on the friendly talk and comes back with a show that foreshadowed the hostility and craving for viewers that would result in what now passes for entertainment in programs such as Jerry Springer and a host of court room TV shows. The result is a laugh riot of accusations and a confrontation between a hawk and George and his squirrel. Obviously, such bloodshed and contrived bitterness ends Kramer's post Griffin production but it also should hold out a moment of reflection for us as we think back on the days when controversial subjects and guests could be handled in such gentle ways by two such professional and warm hosts - Griffin and Douglas.

Two Irvine Brothers Raise Money for Cancer Research

A heartwarming story with positive results.

Here Come The Yankees

George Steinbrenner is rumored to be ill or too tired to oversee the daily operations of his baseball team. Without his menacing (and often caring) presence, the Yankees seem to have been allowed to run pretty much free this season. There were some early season meetings and threats, but Joe Torre and company were given free rein to dig themselves a hole or find a path to glory. With injuries multiplying and high priced stars such as Johnny Damon and Bobby Abreu not earning their keep, things looked bleak for the one hallowed Bronx Bombers. But a stubborn desire to get it right by not purchasing anymore high priced free agents and holding on to top notch young talent like Phil Hughes, Andy Phillips, and Melky Cabrera has paid dividends. The Yanks have been on a tear. They are winning series after series and have just completed a five out of six win road trip against Chicago and Cleveland. With all the hoopla and hysteria over Barry Bonds, the New Yorkers have been able to actually accomplish this all under the media's radar. One has to marvel at the machine the Yankees are. They have an amazing coaching staff, a pitching corps that is starting to become hard to beat, and star players like A-Rod, Jeter, Posada, and Matsui that work in precision type manner. When you see that the team is slowly transitioning to younger talent while maintaining such a high level of success, one must wonder if this Broadway show is ever going to have its lights turned off.

Hammerin' Hank

Time does wonders. In 1974 Hank Aaron was villified by many for attempting to eclipse Babe Ruth's all-time home run record. He had too many at bats to be considered a great homer hitter. He played off broadway in Atlanta. He was a Negro. He was too black. He was too outspoken. If a black man had to take over the great baseball record shouldn't someone like softspoken, friendly Willie Mays be the one who did it. Life was hell for Aaron in those first years of the 70's decade. Death threats and insults made things tough for the player and his family. Now in 2007 it is Barry Bonds who has taken on the collective hatred of so many. He takes steroids. He is a tax cheat. He is surly. He is not approachable. With this comparison Aaron is now considered the "Ruthian" character; one who upholds all that is honest and good about the great American sport. Aaron went through the pressures of breaking the record with grace. In the light of so much cheating in contemporary sports, Aaron is seen as one who played fair and square. So for many who looked back to Ruth in 1974, Aaron is looked at in the same way here in 2007. From villian to hero in thirty-three years. Bonds? He probably is much of what people hold against him. But what will the landscape look like years from now when someone else will break his homer record? Will the sports authorities throw in the towel and allow all types of body and mind altering substances to be used on the playing field? Will the new home run champ be making forty or fifty million dollars and make Bonds' current salary seem puny in comparison? Time changed things for Henry Aaron. Will it be so kind to Barry Bonds?

Dennis Kucinich

The "Far Left" always has to have a knight in shining armor. In past years it was Ralph Nader. This year the mantle has fallen to Congressman Kucinich. This was painfully made aware last night at the LOGO cablecast for six Democrats running for president. Melissa Etheridge could not contain herself when she announced that she was trying not to "fawn" all over the Ohio representative. Kucinich seems to be a sincere fellow and should be applauded for his strong stands on ending the Iraq war and his calling for full legalization of gay marriage. However, the left needs to get things in reality. Kucinich has no chance of winning the Democratic nomination. In a pure world, yes, this would be possible. But our world is not pure. The great majority of Americans are not "progressives". They are concerned about abortion, gayness, gun rights, etc. Thankfully more and more are forming opinions that progressives would applaud. But America is a big country and the president must represent everyone. Candidates like Clinton and now even Obama, realize that change can only come in incremental steps. Civil unions with full rights is a move forward. If people on the left want to see progress than they have to be more realistic as they approach the candidates. By being "too pure" enough abandoned Al Gore for Nader's pie in the sky and got Bush in the White House. Be smart and move towards the center while holding on to the ideals that hopefully will one day be accomplished.

So Long Hal

Active in LA newsrooms since 1965, Hal Fishman came into prominence by taking over the anchor position for a radically new concept - the ten o'clock news. Starting in 1975 at local station channel 5 (KTLA), Fishman remained at the job until just eight days before he was overtaken by colon cancer. A voice of reason, calm, and fatherly advice, Fishman presided over a city that was in transition from a white conservative power structure to one that would become multicultural and spread political power to many bastions of growing ethnicity. Year after year, Fishman with his prominent glasses, rumpled newsroom look, and professorial manner was a fixture for hundreds of thousands who wanted their news straight without any fillers. His young good looking (and often blond) co anchors would come and go but Fishman would remain in the seat of authority that allowed channel 5 to beat all comers in the overly competitive news wars. Along with his long time reporters Stan Chambers and Larry McCormick, KTLA had a simple but powerful lineup that could not be beat. That he worked almost to the last day of his life was a testament to Fishman's professional approach and his obvious loyalty to his many viewers to bring them the news in a way that one could make sense out of confusion and chaos. Thanks Hal and Godspeed.