One of the more interesting discussions I have had recently was with some young people, about 18-24 years old, and eight of them. We talked a lot about societal influences on people, and ultimately what the "right way to live your life, the right way to think about things" was.
What we came up with was fairly simple, really even mundane. Our "answer" was that we should live our lives and think with "balance". Clearly this is not a new concept, its the "Ying and Yang" of many thought systems, ideologies and established religions. We took the conversation to politics and came to the conclusion that the very best way to take this philosophy of life was to always make sure to vote for the liberal.
How so? Well if you accept the premise, that "the best way to live life and to think is with middle of the road 'balance', and not to live life on the outliers of a bell curve of thought (i.e. progressive, reactionary, or more extreme: communist, fascist) then you have to determine what influences your adult thought, and on what part of the scale, left or right, these major 'influencers' are on.
So we discussed influences. We came up with the following 5 as the dominant ones: media, government, religion, economics-business and the military.
We questioned whether these influences were forces of change or forces of status quo, i.e. liberal or conservative. Clearly the military, and religious institutions (i.e. the Catholic Church et al) were ultra-conservative. Religion especially claims absolute unchanging "truth".
Business and the economic environment were also easily, and unanimously agreed on as a conservative influence. Pin-striped suits, white button-down starched shirts, wing tipped shoes, the "glass ceiling", and a myriad of other symbols show this, but anyone spending five minutes looking over the protections of corporation (legally considered a living entity) the financial campaign contribution histories towards conservative pro-business candidates are well known and accepted. Business=conservative.
We disagreed a little on media. The canard of "liberal media bias" was discussed and the main accepted contention that media was biased towards liberals was the point that most reporters and journalists vote liberal based upon one famous study. We accepted that point without much debate but agreed it was the editors and their bosses, the board, that really set editorial bias, and not the reporters. Only newsppaper columnists (the Maureen Dowds, Tom Friedmans etc.) really have much leeway to push their own personal agendas. We fully agreed that talk radio (the domain of Clear Channel) and cable tv news were largely conservative...certainly Fox, and even CNN with shows with Lou Dobbs, Glenn Beck et al. MSNBC has Keith Olbermann but counters with neo-cons like Scarborough, classic conservatives like Mathews and the absymal Dan Abrams. (How long will that show last?) However in the end, the corporate ownership of TV networks, newspaper conglomerates, talk radio and cable news swung us over. We agreed that modern-day media is mostly conservative, even if a few classic "liberal" sources (like the Boston Globe, NY Times) are hanging on, they are losing 20% readership each of the last 3 years. Only the blogosphere seems to have equal representation between libs and cons.
On the economic marketing side, we agreed that all advertising pushed consuming, i.e. capitalism, and thus as a government approved and business-designed economic system, is by nature a supporter of the status quo, and thus conservative. (Or have you recently heard of any corporation that wants to remove the stock market, the Fed, or even the idea of corporations themselves?)
So that leaves government. Elections, parties, candidates. Since we found that religion, the military, the American business climate, ie. the 'economy' and mass media are all conservative, and since we all agreed that as individuals we were powerless to change the inherent nature of these institutions and system (can you change the Church, the Army, the Stock Market?) ... that leaves only elections and government as a vehicle to provide balance. Remember we did agree that balance is the key to 'good' thought, the 'right or best' way to live or think.
Thus the only way to balance out all the other powerful forces that shape out adult thought is to always, only vote for liberals. Otherwise over time we become more and more conservative and an outlier on the curve of thought.
==============
My recent blog, "A Dark Day", assumed the possible scenario where Al Gore emerges from a brokered convention as the Democratic Party presidential nominee was dead due to Clinton's setbacks in North Carolina and even Indiana. I assumed that once she saw the intent of the people she would graciously step aside for the good of the party.
Talk about naive. She apparently is still pursuing the win at all costs policy. She should win the next two primaries in West Virgina and Kentucky, again hurting Obama and his reputation and continuing this charade...maybe I wrote Gore off too soon? I will keep the faith a little bit more then, thanks Hillary...thanks for considering yourself first.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
A Dark Day
I think that for most Americans, today is a regular day like the one that preceded it and the one that will follow it. But for me it is a dark day, for today is the day I realize the truth that Al Gore will not be the next President of the United States.
I had wanted Al as POTUS since Bill Clinton looked me in the eye, waved his finger at me, and said "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky". Well, to be accurate, I fully believed him that day. It was only on later days that I knew he looked me in the eye, and lied to me. That lie cost my support to all Clintons forever. The lie was so unnecessary. He could have been a man about it. He could have told the truth but he sacrificed it in the name of political expediency. You have to wonder if it was sacrified for his political future, or for hers.
All along I wanted Gore of course, and as the candidates faltered and dropped out it seemed we were left with just "the new guy that some whites would never support", and "the manipulative shrew who would step over the bodies of her family in her thirst to be president". I couldn't believe that once again we were left with inferior choices.
Two things happened though. Obama grew as a candidate, while "Billary" did their damnedest to destroy him. While Obama's narrative as a serene visionary became cemented in our consciousness, the Wright elitist vapid lightweight counter grew as we worried not about two wars, a recession, the price of gas, of foods and the loss of value in our homes...but about lapel pins and imaginary 3 am phone calls.
The give and take and the media's obsession with personality led us to the impression that Hillary could not "close the deal" and that Obama also couldn't close the deal. To a Gore fan there was hope that she was too polarizing to win, he was now too damaged. Well, if Clinton had won Indiana strongly (instead of 51-49%) and Obama had narrowly won North Carolina, (instead of 14%) then I'd say Gore still had a shot.
But, it didn't happen. Obama won the most delegates yesterday, and the race is now winding down. Obama has withstood the test, and has prevailed. Today and during the next two weeks the superdelegates will stream to his side. Hillary will run out of money and the race will be over.
I am truly sad. The country deserves a good President like the one I think Gore could be, but for now I am going to get behind Obama. I am going to take my advice, the advice I would give Clinton supporters now: look at the numbers of delegates, and tell how Obama won't get 2,025 ...and won't get our nomination now. Unless Obama has a major meltdown right now, the race is over and Hillary should get out.
I had wanted Al as POTUS since Bill Clinton looked me in the eye, waved his finger at me, and said "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky". Well, to be accurate, I fully believed him that day. It was only on later days that I knew he looked me in the eye, and lied to me. That lie cost my support to all Clintons forever. The lie was so unnecessary. He could have been a man about it. He could have told the truth but he sacrificed it in the name of political expediency. You have to wonder if it was sacrified for his political future, or for hers.
All along I wanted Gore of course, and as the candidates faltered and dropped out it seemed we were left with just "the new guy that some whites would never support", and "the manipulative shrew who would step over the bodies of her family in her thirst to be president". I couldn't believe that once again we were left with inferior choices.
Two things happened though. Obama grew as a candidate, while "Billary" did their damnedest to destroy him. While Obama's narrative as a serene visionary became cemented in our consciousness, the Wright elitist vapid lightweight counter grew as we worried not about two wars, a recession, the price of gas, of foods and the loss of value in our homes...but about lapel pins and imaginary 3 am phone calls.
The give and take and the media's obsession with personality led us to the impression that Hillary could not "close the deal" and that Obama also couldn't close the deal. To a Gore fan there was hope that she was too polarizing to win, he was now too damaged. Well, if Clinton had won Indiana strongly (instead of 51-49%) and Obama had narrowly won North Carolina, (instead of 14%) then I'd say Gore still had a shot.
But, it didn't happen. Obama won the most delegates yesterday, and the race is now winding down. Obama has withstood the test, and has prevailed. Today and during the next two weeks the superdelegates will stream to his side. Hillary will run out of money and the race will be over.
I am truly sad. The country deserves a good President like the one I think Gore could be, but for now I am going to get behind Obama. I am going to take my advice, the advice I would give Clinton supporters now: look at the numbers of delegates, and tell how Obama won't get 2,025 ...and won't get our nomination now. Unless Obama has a major meltdown right now, the race is over and Hillary should get out.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
I am alive again
Well I have been about as sick as I have ever been. This flu or whatever it really was, just knocked me out...bedridden for a week, dizzy, coughing, sneezing, backache...whine whine whine.
Anyway it is good to be back after such a very short start. I'll be posting regularly again (was this ever regular) starting tomorrow.
Anyway it is good to be back after such a very short start. I'll be posting regularly again (was this ever regular) starting tomorrow.
Monday, April 21, 2008
No News is...
I haven't posted the last week because I have been sick as a dog...more to come as soon as I feel better.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Todd Schnitt
One of the TV shows I watch fairly regularly is Keith Olbermann's. I don't necessarily agree with everything he says, or all of his viewpoints but I really do like his feature "Worst person in the World". If I had no nominate someone locally it would be DJ Todd Schnitt, who actually has two radio shows one for a FM station morning show, (where he is known as MJ Kelli) and one a right wing talk show on an affiliated AM station in the afternoon. This two-for is an example of how far talk radio has declined...there just are no training grounds for these hosts anymore, and to save money the conglomerates have these guys do double-duty, or network them so there are no local hosts anymore. This is an industry that is a shell of its former self, and now largely the purveyance of the angry, white uneducated male. NASCAR dad indeed.
Schnitt uses his last name as a running scatalogical joke...ad nauseum...with many comments like someone is "full of Schnitt", is a "Schnitt-head", etc etc. If you are over the age of four you probably get the double-entendre'. I mean...puh-leaze. Schnitt's web site also has an extensive list of anti-global warming sites, (he is very anti Al Gore.) I plan on reviewing some of his "experts" at a later date.
Schnitt replaced two more successful hosts in his afternoon slot. Glenn Beck parlayed his Tampa stint into a national radio network and runs a poorly-viewed TV show on CNN. Its eminently forgettable and "Glennie" is often on Olbermann's Worst Person list, many times at the top.
One prior host of this slot was Bob "Mad Dog" Lassiter, possibly the finest host ever heard in the Tampa Bay area. Bob was no liberal, conservative nor even a libertarian. He was Bob, and had his thought-out own opinions on everything and did not follow anyone else's thinking. His motto could have been "question everything".
The thing I really liked about Bob was that he would pretend to hold a very controversial position, that would get angry liberal and conservative listeners to both call complaining and then Lassiter would force them to defend their position, which often proved to be defenseless, rooted in bigotry, racism or group-think. Schnitt pretends to do the same (often claiming to be his own man, to not kow-tow to any party platform) but the fact is he is a conservative ideologue, and he doesn't even get his own joke. He's not popular enough to challenge Beck's success, nor is he thoughtful enough to ever challenge a mind like Lassiter's. (Bob died recently btw, and is sorely missed in both Tampa and Chicago the scenes of his two greatest successes. I miss him.)
So if you graded the last three hosts in this station's afternoon I'd give Lassiter an A, Beck a C-, and Schnitt an F-. Its a microcosm of just how far talk radio has fallen as time has passed.
So why talk about Schnitt today? Well he is suing another talk show host in the area, Bubba the Love Sponge for... wait for it... talking bad about him. Are you kidding?
He alleges Bubba (aka Clem) implied he was a child abuser, a liar, called his wife bad names and worst of all made jokes about Schnitt's physical appearance. For the record none of these allegations are proven true and may in fact all be false. Also, for the record, Schnitt is short, overweight and based upon classic stereotypes of beauty: physically unappealing. Lassiter's nickname for him was "The Demented Dwarf".
He apparently compensates for this by buying high powered sports and luxury cars, which he constantly references on his show. He also brings his wife on a lot, and often calls her during the show. In a way then she is part of the "schnitt schtick".
So the lawsuit. What is hysterical is that Schnitt has made a career out of attacking other people for their appearance and their personal missteps. He has mercilessly attacked Madeline Albright and Janet Reno for their appearance, will attack any celebrity who goes to detox as "all liquored up" and attacks any liberal or progressive politician out there. Gore is a liar, Pelosi blinks too much, Reid is a corpse...etc etc. No one on the "Democrat[sic] Party" escapes attack. Those of you who are sharp will recognize the purloined "democrat party" and not the proper "Democratic Party" designated taken from Rush Limbaugh.
I cannot stand Bubba the Love Sponge, he's just another example of the decline and near-death of talk radio. But you have to appreciate the irony of a Schnitt lawsuit about ungracious and gross things said. Its too funny. Here's hoping Olbermann learns of this. Perhaps Schnitt will finally claw his way up into neo-con stratosphere and displace Glenn Beck as Olbermann's Worst Person in the World.
...and rightfully so.
Schnitt uses his last name as a running scatalogical joke...ad nauseum...with many comments like someone is "full of Schnitt", is a "Schnitt-head", etc etc. If you are over the age of four you probably get the double-entendre'. I mean...puh-leaze. Schnitt's web site also has an extensive list of anti-global warming sites, (he is very anti Al Gore.) I plan on reviewing some of his "experts" at a later date.
Schnitt replaced two more successful hosts in his afternoon slot. Glenn Beck parlayed his Tampa stint into a national radio network and runs a poorly-viewed TV show on CNN. Its eminently forgettable and "Glennie" is often on Olbermann's Worst Person list, many times at the top.
One prior host of this slot was Bob "Mad Dog" Lassiter, possibly the finest host ever heard in the Tampa Bay area. Bob was no liberal, conservative nor even a libertarian. He was Bob, and had his thought-out own opinions on everything and did not follow anyone else's thinking. His motto could have been "question everything".
The thing I really liked about Bob was that he would pretend to hold a very controversial position, that would get angry liberal and conservative listeners to both call complaining and then Lassiter would force them to defend their position, which often proved to be defenseless, rooted in bigotry, racism or group-think. Schnitt pretends to do the same (often claiming to be his own man, to not kow-tow to any party platform) but the fact is he is a conservative ideologue, and he doesn't even get his own joke. He's not popular enough to challenge Beck's success, nor is he thoughtful enough to ever challenge a mind like Lassiter's. (Bob died recently btw, and is sorely missed in both Tampa and Chicago the scenes of his two greatest successes. I miss him.)
So if you graded the last three hosts in this station's afternoon I'd give Lassiter an A, Beck a C-, and Schnitt an F-. Its a microcosm of just how far talk radio has fallen as time has passed.
So why talk about Schnitt today? Well he is suing another talk show host in the area, Bubba the Love Sponge for... wait for it... talking bad about him. Are you kidding?
He alleges Bubba (aka Clem) implied he was a child abuser, a liar, called his wife bad names and worst of all made jokes about Schnitt's physical appearance. For the record none of these allegations are proven true and may in fact all be false. Also, for the record, Schnitt is short, overweight and based upon classic stereotypes of beauty: physically unappealing. Lassiter's nickname for him was "The Demented Dwarf".
He apparently compensates for this by buying high powered sports and luxury cars, which he constantly references on his show. He also brings his wife on a lot, and often calls her during the show. In a way then she is part of the "schnitt schtick".
So the lawsuit. What is hysterical is that Schnitt has made a career out of attacking other people for their appearance and their personal missteps. He has mercilessly attacked Madeline Albright and Janet Reno for their appearance, will attack any celebrity who goes to detox as "all liquored up" and attacks any liberal or progressive politician out there. Gore is a liar, Pelosi blinks too much, Reid is a corpse...etc etc. No one on the "Democrat[sic] Party" escapes attack. Those of you who are sharp will recognize the purloined "democrat party" and not the proper "Democratic Party" designated taken from Rush Limbaugh.
I cannot stand Bubba the Love Sponge, he's just another example of the decline and near-death of talk radio. But you have to appreciate the irony of a Schnitt lawsuit about ungracious and gross things said. Its too funny. Here's hoping Olbermann learns of this. Perhaps Schnitt will finally claw his way up into neo-con stratosphere and displace Glenn Beck as Olbermann's Worst Person in the World.
...and rightfully so.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Who Are 1-800 Ask Gary 1-800 Ask Koby and 1-800 Ask-Jery?
One of the big issues in my local market, Tampa, Florida apparently is automobile accidents.
There are several "ambulance-chaser" type attorneys in the area and other more reputable ones that also do accident law. Morgan and Morgan is a big firm, formerly known as Morgan Collins & Gilbert and does Motorcycle accidents. Morgan left the firm supposedly because of ego issues and decided that a firm just known as John Morgan just wasn't impressive enough. The word I have heard is that he came up with Morgan and Morgan to indicate he had other folks behind him, but in reality its just John and no other senior partners. Reminds me of Ashton Tate the firm that had dbaseII.
Apparently there was no Ashton at all, just Tate and no first version, aka "dbase 1". Both were fabricated names to be more impresive and to make the firm's software seem more stable, see here for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashton-Tate
Anyway Morgan and Morgan seems to be playing the same marketing gambit.
What's far worse in my personal opinion though are the Koby and Gary ads. They purport to offer free legal help after accidents, but really are chiropractors in the main. They do have a lot of trial attorneys that they have business relations with, thus the "lawyer referral" part of their ads.
Gary Kompothecras, who's a Sarasota chiropractor, and runs Physicians Group LLC, 1st Health Inc. and Healthcare Management Enterprises, is the Gary of ASK Gary, and Holiday, Florida chiropractor Leonard "Lenny" Linardos and Linardos' company, West Coast Spine & Injury. Linardos is the 1-877-ASK-KOBY accident referral service, created in October 2004. The 1-800-ASK-JERY hot line, is really St. Petersburg chiropractic clinic Spinal Correction Centers Inc. A fourth hot line, 1-800-ASK-DAVE, is run by Lakeland-based law firm Burnetti P.A.
Is it big business? You bet. According to Red Orbit, there's even a lawsuit over it. http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/360937/1800askgary_asks_court_to_halt_similar_ads/ The commercials urge people to call Gary or "Mr. Gary" to find a lawyer, doctor or even a tow truck. The text below is from Red Orbit.
"In court documents, 1st Health spells out how much advertising it does: more than $4 million per year. The company makes its money largely by treating auto accident victims, many of whom are referred to 1st Health through the 1-800-ASK-GARY commercials.
The company's Web site lists 24 accident clinics, including nine in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties. However, during a brief discussion last month, Kompothecras told the Tribune he has more than 42 facilities across Florida, from Naples to Jacksonville."
What's my complaint here? I think chiropractors have a right to run ads for their medical services, even if in Florida chiropractors are NOT considered medical doctors. See here: http://your-doctor.com/patient_info/alternative_remedies/various_therapy/chiropractic.html and here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiropractic and even here: http://www.sptimes.com/2005/08/21/Columns/They_ve_got_our_back.shtml
But these ads mention legal services as one of the first and most prominent things in the ads, claiming expertise in finding you the right lawyer...and they are chiropractors, NOT a law firm! Isn't that deceptive? IMHO it is. A muscle/joint/bone doctor is not a trial attorney, which is why over the last couple of years they now always have their spokesperson start out with "I am not a lawyer, but..."
Second, most all ads feature either minorities or (and I am being charitable here) actors portrayed as low income, "scared and confused" whites. You can't help but see this approach as predatory and some would say it borders upon targetting uneducated minorities.
The nice thing is that it appears the Florida Bar is finally paying attention, http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20070623/NEWS/706230536/-1/RSS01
and maybe something will be done to stop this type of stuff.
The other problem, the biggest offender is "Gary Kompothecras, a Sarasota chiropractor who is a close friend [and campiagn cntributor] of Gov. Charlie Crist.
There are several "ambulance-chaser" type attorneys in the area and other more reputable ones that also do accident law. Morgan and Morgan is a big firm, formerly known as Morgan Collins & Gilbert and does Motorcycle accidents. Morgan left the firm supposedly because of ego issues and decided that a firm just known as John Morgan just wasn't impressive enough. The word I have heard is that he came up with Morgan and Morgan to indicate he had other folks behind him, but in reality its just John and no other senior partners. Reminds me of Ashton Tate the firm that had dbaseII.
Apparently there was no Ashton at all, just Tate and no first version, aka "dbase 1". Both were fabricated names to be more impresive and to make the firm's software seem more stable, see here for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashton-Tate
Anyway Morgan and Morgan seems to be playing the same marketing gambit.
What's far worse in my personal opinion though are the Koby and Gary ads. They purport to offer free legal help after accidents, but really are chiropractors in the main. They do have a lot of trial attorneys that they have business relations with, thus the "lawyer referral" part of their ads.
Gary Kompothecras, who's a Sarasota chiropractor, and runs Physicians Group LLC, 1st Health Inc. and Healthcare Management Enterprises, is the Gary of ASK Gary, and Holiday, Florida chiropractor Leonard "Lenny" Linardos and Linardos' company, West Coast Spine & Injury. Linardos is the 1-877-ASK-KOBY accident referral service, created in October 2004. The 1-800-ASK-JERY hot line, is really St. Petersburg chiropractic clinic Spinal Correction Centers Inc. A fourth hot line, 1-800-ASK-DAVE, is run by Lakeland-based law firm Burnetti P.A.
Is it big business? You bet. According to Red Orbit, there's even a lawsuit over it. http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/360937/1800askgary_asks_court_to_halt_similar_ads/ The commercials urge people to call Gary or "Mr. Gary" to find a lawyer, doctor or even a tow truck. The text below is from Red Orbit.
"In court documents, 1st Health spells out how much advertising it does: more than $4 million per year. The company makes its money largely by treating auto accident victims, many of whom are referred to 1st Health through the 1-800-ASK-GARY commercials.
The company's Web site lists 24 accident clinics, including nine in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties. However, during a brief discussion last month, Kompothecras told the Tribune he has more than 42 facilities across Florida, from Naples to Jacksonville."
What's my complaint here? I think chiropractors have a right to run ads for their medical services, even if in Florida chiropractors are NOT considered medical doctors. See here: http://your-doctor.com/patient_info/alternative_remedies/various_therapy/chiropractic.html and here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiropractic and even here: http://www.sptimes.com/2005/08/21/Columns/They_ve_got_our_back.shtml
But these ads mention legal services as one of the first and most prominent things in the ads, claiming expertise in finding you the right lawyer...and they are chiropractors, NOT a law firm! Isn't that deceptive? IMHO it is. A muscle/joint/bone doctor is not a trial attorney, which is why over the last couple of years they now always have their spokesperson start out with "I am not a lawyer, but..."
Second, most all ads feature either minorities or (and I am being charitable here) actors portrayed as low income, "scared and confused" whites. You can't help but see this approach as predatory and some would say it borders upon targetting uneducated minorities.
The nice thing is that it appears the Florida Bar is finally paying attention, http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20070623/NEWS/706230536/-1/RSS01
and maybe something will be done to stop this type of stuff.
The other problem, the biggest offender is "Gary Kompothecras, a Sarasota chiropractor who is a close friend [and campiagn cntributor] of Gov. Charlie Crist.
Why this new blog?
Frankly I have had it. I am sick to death of "the way the world is today", to paraphrase Blues singer Tommy Castro.
I can't stomach the ignorance, the lack of intellectual curiosity of George Bush, the pablum that passes for news reporting, the superficial journalism and the glorification of mediocrity (are you listening Todd Schnitt, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity?.)
I used to laugh at Limbaugh, to fully "get" the entertainment value of the ridiculousness that pours from his mouth. Surely anyone with a semblance of an education got the joke, right? I mean have you listened to Mark Levin for even five minutes? Are you serious?
Apparently not.
I start writing this blog today not with a liberal or progressive bent, but with some idea of talking about the insane things that exist today, that we accept ...without analysis at all. I guess I'll just vent a bit. Hope this is worthwhile and not some self-indulgence.
We'll see...
I can't stomach the ignorance, the lack of intellectual curiosity of George Bush, the pablum that passes for news reporting, the superficial journalism and the glorification of mediocrity (are you listening Todd Schnitt, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity?.)
I used to laugh at Limbaugh, to fully "get" the entertainment value of the ridiculousness that pours from his mouth. Surely anyone with a semblance of an education got the joke, right? I mean have you listened to Mark Levin for even five minutes? Are you serious?
Apparently not.
I start writing this blog today not with a liberal or progressive bent, but with some idea of talking about the insane things that exist today, that we accept ...without analysis at all. I guess I'll just vent a bit. Hope this is worthwhile and not some self-indulgence.
We'll see...
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