I love passion. Heart is what makes us more than analytical robots. Dreams, goals, and hopes are necessary for the betterment of human kind, and it's one of the reasons I find myself on the Progressive side of politics. I don't ever want to squelch an individual's enthusiasm, but we have to have a talk.
Last week, an individual, Doug Hughes, landed a gyrocopter on the Capitol grounds in an effort to bring awareness to the toxic nature of excessive money in politics. He wanted to deliver 535 letters to every member of Congress, but his letters won't ever get to the addressees. They instead will go to an evidence locker to be used against Mr. Hughes at his trial. Why? Because regardless of how much you like his message, he picked a horrible way to deliver it, evacuating the Capitol building as fears of a potential terrorist strike were taken seriously. Not exactly harmless fun.
I've come under attack myself for not promoting Mr. Hughes as a true American hero. I won't praise him. Even though his message is one I whole heartedly agree with, the truth is, his reckless and ignorant method of making his point needs to be condemned. He endangered the lives of numerous people and caused a panic. What he did was no better than an expert in world policy explaining his brilliant strategy for peace, while performing a public act of self gratification. The benefits of his peace plan get lost in the insanity surrounding his delivery method.
This is what got James O'Keefe in trouble with members of the far right in this country. Conservatives loved his edited tapes and how he embarrassed left leaning causes, but when he broke into Senator Mary Landrieu's office and tried to bug her phone lines, even they backed away, quickly, from his criminal actions. When it's violating Federal laws, even they had to call him on it. Imagine what Mr. Hughes' champions would be saying if instead of campaign finance reform, he was preaching for more open gun laws, mandatory Christian religion, or trickle down economics. Would they still be applauding his initiative then?
And this doesn't even take into account the fact Mr Hughes has diminished the entirety of the campaign finance reform movement. The people who love the Citizens United ruling want to dismiss, diminish, berate and belittle their opponents and now they can by just using Mr Hughes as an unhinged poster child. And, he has shown people who might want to initiate a terrorist strike on the Capitol building a way to get real close. Good thinking!
Still, even though I'm stating valid negatives, it doesn't stop the fervent left from insisting I'm wrong for not worshipping this guy. With my disagreement, they completely dismiss my opinion, and no longer see me as one of the few left leaning radio voices still on-air. They don't see me agreeing with them 90 to 95% of the time. Nope, I become the instant bad guy, no better than the conservative media in this country because I didn't espouse Doug Hughes as a modern day founding father.
Liberal radio in this country has taken it in the trousers. LA and New York have far larger liberal populations than Minneapolis/St. Paul, but they can't support a liberal talk station? San Francisco, Miami, Houston or Denver can't support one? The truth is they can, but because there is a concerted effort to limit the populations exposure to left leaning opinion, radio stations in those markets opt to carry the fourth or fifth conservative talk or sports network. There's no way possible they're getting better ratings or making more money with such superfluous fare.
As there are fewer and fewer left leaning talkers in the US, a small, passionate element of the far left wants the remaining to become something they dream of, the plucky broadcaster who has their peach crate and old Marconi microphone, setting up shop wherever there's trouble in this world, an electric picket line, with angry fist ready to be waived in whatever direction they feel injustice is coming from. I love a good left leaning, modern day William Jennings Bryan, populist like the next guy, but that political and social landscape doesn't exist anymore. It's an adage of a time gone by, like the guy who wants to save the farm by getting a curtain, cow, and a banjo, putting on a show to stave of the bank from foreclosing.
When you try to tell them it won't work, how you can't sell that stream of outrage as a viable product, or if you just point out their heroes did something foolish on the way to immortality, they double down, accusing you of being no better than Fox News. They become committed to fighting with outlets which closely mimic their beliefs because it's easier to attack the ones willing to give them a podium, as opposed to fight the overwhelming conservative media machine which would never even let them in the door.
Progressives have to 1) understand the political playing field, 2) understand the modern rule book of how the game is played, and 3) be smart. Get rid of your "strongly worded memos' and climactic 'Revenge of the Nerds' speeches. It's Democrats using an antiquated playbook which is one of the main reasons they've fallen so far out of power in the last 40 years. Stand up for what you believe in and don't back down, but if you're reckless, you endanger the issue, movement or remaining few public outlets you have left. Progressives aren't going to regain control by sitting in a reclining chair eating Funyuns and Yoo Hoo, but they surely won't make legitimate gains by buzzing secure Federal government buildings in a homemade flying machine. This is going to take a modern game plan and lot of hard work. Think about the fight in Minnesota to get rid of the anti-gay marriage amendment in 2012, and double it. It's a good starting point.
I stand by my critique. Doug Hughes was a fool and shouldn't be hailed as a conquering hero. If that's what turns you against me, so be it. Meanwhile, I'll hang onto my passion and dreams; of one day seeing a Progressive movement which doesn't get stuck in individual self promotion and fulfills the potential it has always danced around, becoming the party which leads America, as a whole, into a better future.
Monday, April 20, 2015
Friday, April 17, 2015
The Friday Link for 4/17/15
Mel Brooks made the funniest movies. At points they are so offensive to everyone it's unbelievable they were released, and no one else today could EVER get away with trying to remake them. I look at them not only as outrageous comedy, but movies that helped move the country forward.
The Producers, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, some of his earliest movies, are all riots. Another one I like is History of the World Part I, a movie which I remember some people insisted the Monty Python guys ripped off with Meaning of Life. I don't see it, but ironically Brooks took The Producers and, with the help of Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, made a musical for the ages, only to be followed up afterwards by Spamalot from parts of the Monty Python crew.
After History of the World, he started to fall off as far as the bang for the buck he got with his movies. The last one I saw which I thought had any good laughs was the one I am bringing up tonight, Spaceballs. This Star Wars rip off had a lot of laugh free zones, but was saved, single handedly, by Rick Moranis. His Dark Helmet, a Darth Vader inspired character was brilliant. What's funny is his facial expressions throughout the movie, like a janitor who has taken over the battleship and realizes he is woefully outmatched, but it doesn't stop him from trying. Brilliant!
Here is a clip of the movie where Dark Helmet takes the controls. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk7VWcuVOf0
Warning - one bad word for sure.
The Producers, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, some of his earliest movies, are all riots. Another one I like is History of the World Part I, a movie which I remember some people insisted the Monty Python guys ripped off with Meaning of Life. I don't see it, but ironically Brooks took The Producers and, with the help of Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, made a musical for the ages, only to be followed up afterwards by Spamalot from parts of the Monty Python crew.
After History of the World, he started to fall off as far as the bang for the buck he got with his movies. The last one I saw which I thought had any good laughs was the one I am bringing up tonight, Spaceballs. This Star Wars rip off had a lot of laugh free zones, but was saved, single handedly, by Rick Moranis. His Dark Helmet, a Darth Vader inspired character was brilliant. What's funny is his facial expressions throughout the movie, like a janitor who has taken over the battleship and realizes he is woefully outmatched, but it doesn't stop him from trying. Brilliant!
Here is a clip of the movie where Dark Helmet takes the controls. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk7VWcuVOf0
Warning - one bad word for sure.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Tax Day
I'll be honest, it does sting to write out the checks (one Federal, one to Minnesota) on April 15th. In my case, due to my personal circumstances, it's usually four figures, but I do it, and frankly as easy as it is to complain about it, the evidence of my tax dollars being wisely spent are all around me.
It's amazing the bang for the buck you get from your taxes. Mostly everything used for transportation of any kind (roads, sidewalks, bike paths, nature trails, street signs, traffic lights, bridges, rest stops, mass transportation, airports, harbors, trains, ect.), almost all emergency services (police, fire, water rescue, hazmat teams, partial funding for ambulances, air evac, forest fire fighters, military, national guard, ect.), public education (schools, some colleges, libraries, after school programs, some pre-school programs, continuing education, ect.) public entertainment (parks, nature areas, developed lakefronts, public docks and launches, stadiums, community bandshells and stages, public art, public gardens, national monuments, historical areas, ect.), needed services (post office, job training and placement, healthcare, medicare, medicaid, social security, the current inadequate veterans services, food stamps, housing assistance, community advisory programs, ect.) the stuff you take for granted (sewers, water services, mosquito control, plowing, fishery programs, wildlife management, the weather service, ect.). And then there is the safety and security provided by the military, a security most of the world doesn't have, a security many, including the vast majority of our ultra wealthy, take for granted. Plus there are thousands of other government services I'm not mentioning which are covered completely, mostly or partially by these two checks. Yes, I look at the money I spend and realize only a fool would think they don't get an incredible return on investment.
Before you blindly rail against your taxes, stop and think. Are you going to be the guy who demands their taxes back, and then wonders why their street hasn't been repaired. Are you going to be the guy who insists you shouldn't have to pay for education because you don't have any kids, but then complain about how hard it is to find affordable, educated, trained, competent people to provide services for you. Are you the guy who insists government stay out of your life, and then bemoan when the DNR has not stocked your lake with the fish you want to catch. You want to complain about your taxes, fine, but don't be a surprised when I remind you of everything your tax dollars pay for.
It's amazing the bang for the buck you get from your taxes. Mostly everything used for transportation of any kind (roads, sidewalks, bike paths, nature trails, street signs, traffic lights, bridges, rest stops, mass transportation, airports, harbors, trains, ect.), almost all emergency services (police, fire, water rescue, hazmat teams, partial funding for ambulances, air evac, forest fire fighters, military, national guard, ect.), public education (schools, some colleges, libraries, after school programs, some pre-school programs, continuing education, ect.) public entertainment (parks, nature areas, developed lakefronts, public docks and launches, stadiums, community bandshells and stages, public art, public gardens, national monuments, historical areas, ect.), needed services (post office, job training and placement, healthcare, medicare, medicaid, social security, the current inadequate veterans services, food stamps, housing assistance, community advisory programs, ect.) the stuff you take for granted (sewers, water services, mosquito control, plowing, fishery programs, wildlife management, the weather service, ect.). And then there is the safety and security provided by the military, a security most of the world doesn't have, a security many, including the vast majority of our ultra wealthy, take for granted. Plus there are thousands of other government services I'm not mentioning which are covered completely, mostly or partially by these two checks. Yes, I look at the money I spend and realize only a fool would think they don't get an incredible return on investment.
Before you blindly rail against your taxes, stop and think. Are you going to be the guy who demands their taxes back, and then wonders why their street hasn't been repaired. Are you going to be the guy who insists you shouldn't have to pay for education because you don't have any kids, but then complain about how hard it is to find affordable, educated, trained, competent people to provide services for you. Are you the guy who insists government stay out of your life, and then bemoan when the DNR has not stocked your lake with the fish you want to catch. You want to complain about your taxes, fine, but don't be a surprised when I remind you of everything your tax dollars pay for.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Haters Gonna Hate
It was a lot of fun filling in for Mike Malloy on Thursday and Friday night. That was the first time I had hosted a national show. I was a little nervous to begin with, but the two nights flew by. On Friday night, I walked into the station with a bit of trepidation. On Friday, Hillary Clinton announced she was going to officially announce (?!) her run for President on Sunday, something I knew was going to cause a lot of Hillary Clinton haters to howl. My apprehension was well placed.
I spent the final two hours Friday night beating back fringe callers and chat room commentators, all of whom insisted Hillary Clinton was ten times worse than ANY Republican. She would get us into multiple wars, would allow Wall Street to take our houses, money and livelihood, and apparently she's the secret love partner of Henry Kissinger (the last point being made repeatedly by some person in the Mike Malloy chat room). The endgame of all of these complaints was an insistence the Democrats, if Hillary would be nominated, would be no different from whichever troll the Republicans nominate. I had a headache at the end of the show
First, you're an idiot if you really do think there's no difference between the Democrats and Republicans. I'll repeat that, you're an idiot. There's a big difference; just look at my blog to see the multitude of ways I've pointed out. The 2016 election is going to come down to the Republican nominee verses the Democratic nominee. That's it. No third party candidate or plucky independent; D v. R! If Hillary is the Democratic nominee, even if you can't stand her, there are four major points which demand you vote Democrat: 1) 3 to 4 Supreme Court appointments, 2) the right's dream of war with Iran, 3) the future of the Affordable Care Act and 4) GLBT and minority rights. Those four points alone make any person manifesting their temper tantrum about her getting the nod into not voting in 2016 (in my opinion) irrational and foolish.
I believe half of the "anti-Clinton Democrats" are fake. I think they're plants, bought and paid for by Republican supporters. The GOP can't win a fair fight, so they need to outspend the left and fix the system to win. Part of their plan is to discourage Democrats from voting. To do so, they'll disguise themselves as 'concerned Democratic callers' who really have 'major concerns' with Hillary Clinton. They'll call in, stoking the fires of frustration, editorializing with their fake outrage, and then insist the only real option is to, "not vote at all!" These righto lemmings are being encouraged to do this because if a large portion of Democrats stay home, the GOP wins. Mark my word, we'll hear a lot of this made up outrage on the day one of the candidates clinches the Democratic nomination, regardless of whom it is.
The other complaints, the ones from actual Democrats, and people from further to the left on the political spectrum, are wrapped in a lot of frustration. You can dislike Hillary Clinton. This is not about whether a person is allowed to dislike a political candidate. If you really don't like her, more power to you. If the thought of her winning the nomination, and then the Presidency, angers you so much you protest by either not voting or voting for a third party candidate who has no chance, I disagree with you, but that's your right.
That's what happened in 2000. In one state, Florida, anti-Democrat/anti-Gore voters on the left forgot A) we elect Presidents via the electoral college, B) the race between Gore v. Bush was going to be very close in Florida and nationwide, and C) the right was spending a ton of money promoting Ralph Nader, hoping they could swing enough Democratic votes to the fringe candidate. The right succeeded in making the race close enough to where they could use the pro-Republican Supreme Court to award the state of Florida to Bush, and hence the Presidency. This led to 9/11, two wars, torture, the economic collapse, the Katrina response and the US government being used as an tool for Cheney's self gratification.
In Florida in 2000, there were not only people who, in hindsight, foolishly gave their vote to a candidate who had NO CHANCE, but there were also a lot of Democrats in the state who insisted on not voting to, "send a message." You sent one alright, and your misgivings and guilt about what you did have been felt by us all. Even if you did protest with your vote, what did you do to follow it up? Nothing! You didn't formulate a more organized third party or fight for a more progressive Democratic party. Nope, you just went home, hiding from your fraudulent legacy, pouting, insisting in your chat rooms, "if only the rest of world would do exactly what I wanted, how we'd all be so much better." To the protest voters who are revving their engines again, we did it your way and it ended up screwing us all. Pardon me if I don't welcome you with open arms
Clinton haters, left leaning Democratic Party haters, countrymen, lend me your ears. If you want me to take you seriously, then show me something serious. Start by getting true, far left, Wellstonian Progressives on the stage with the rest of the Democratic candidates during the debates, and make those debates a beacon to the country, showing them how good it could be. If you really don't like the Democratic Party, then start cultivating the Occupy sentiment, still alive and well, into a fully functioning, multi faceted political party with a full platform, not a party based on a one trick pony or a "I don't like their candidate so I am taking my toys and going home" pity party. It'll take a hell of a lot of work, but if you are determined and committed, you might be able to field a candidate for president in 2024.
Hillary Clinton is not my first choice for the top of the Democratic ticket, but rest assured, if she does become the nominee, nothing will keep me from voting for her in 2016. I'll even have a proud smile on my face as I cast my vote.
I spent the final two hours Friday night beating back fringe callers and chat room commentators, all of whom insisted Hillary Clinton was ten times worse than ANY Republican. She would get us into multiple wars, would allow Wall Street to take our houses, money and livelihood, and apparently she's the secret love partner of Henry Kissinger (the last point being made repeatedly by some person in the Mike Malloy chat room). The endgame of all of these complaints was an insistence the Democrats, if Hillary would be nominated, would be no different from whichever troll the Republicans nominate. I had a headache at the end of the show
First, you're an idiot if you really do think there's no difference between the Democrats and Republicans. I'll repeat that, you're an idiot. There's a big difference; just look at my blog to see the multitude of ways I've pointed out. The 2016 election is going to come down to the Republican nominee verses the Democratic nominee. That's it. No third party candidate or plucky independent; D v. R! If Hillary is the Democratic nominee, even if you can't stand her, there are four major points which demand you vote Democrat: 1) 3 to 4 Supreme Court appointments, 2) the right's dream of war with Iran, 3) the future of the Affordable Care Act and 4) GLBT and minority rights. Those four points alone make any person manifesting their temper tantrum about her getting the nod into not voting in 2016 (in my opinion) irrational and foolish.
I believe half of the "anti-Clinton Democrats" are fake. I think they're plants, bought and paid for by Republican supporters. The GOP can't win a fair fight, so they need to outspend the left and fix the system to win. Part of their plan is to discourage Democrats from voting. To do so, they'll disguise themselves as 'concerned Democratic callers' who really have 'major concerns' with Hillary Clinton. They'll call in, stoking the fires of frustration, editorializing with their fake outrage, and then insist the only real option is to, "not vote at all!" These righto lemmings are being encouraged to do this because if a large portion of Democrats stay home, the GOP wins. Mark my word, we'll hear a lot of this made up outrage on the day one of the candidates clinches the Democratic nomination, regardless of whom it is.
The other complaints, the ones from actual Democrats, and people from further to the left on the political spectrum, are wrapped in a lot of frustration. You can dislike Hillary Clinton. This is not about whether a person is allowed to dislike a political candidate. If you really don't like her, more power to you. If the thought of her winning the nomination, and then the Presidency, angers you so much you protest by either not voting or voting for a third party candidate who has no chance, I disagree with you, but that's your right.
That's what happened in 2000. In one state, Florida, anti-Democrat/anti-Gore voters on the left forgot A) we elect Presidents via the electoral college, B) the race between Gore v. Bush was going to be very close in Florida and nationwide, and C) the right was spending a ton of money promoting Ralph Nader, hoping they could swing enough Democratic votes to the fringe candidate. The right succeeded in making the race close enough to where they could use the pro-Republican Supreme Court to award the state of Florida to Bush, and hence the Presidency. This led to 9/11, two wars, torture, the economic collapse, the Katrina response and the US government being used as an tool for Cheney's self gratification.
In Florida in 2000, there were not only people who, in hindsight, foolishly gave their vote to a candidate who had NO CHANCE, but there were also a lot of Democrats in the state who insisted on not voting to, "send a message." You sent one alright, and your misgivings and guilt about what you did have been felt by us all. Even if you did protest with your vote, what did you do to follow it up? Nothing! You didn't formulate a more organized third party or fight for a more progressive Democratic party. Nope, you just went home, hiding from your fraudulent legacy, pouting, insisting in your chat rooms, "if only the rest of world would do exactly what I wanted, how we'd all be so much better." To the protest voters who are revving their engines again, we did it your way and it ended up screwing us all. Pardon me if I don't welcome you with open arms
Clinton haters, left leaning Democratic Party haters, countrymen, lend me your ears. If you want me to take you seriously, then show me something serious. Start by getting true, far left, Wellstonian Progressives on the stage with the rest of the Democratic candidates during the debates, and make those debates a beacon to the country, showing them how good it could be. If you really don't like the Democratic Party, then start cultivating the Occupy sentiment, still alive and well, into a fully functioning, multi faceted political party with a full platform, not a party based on a one trick pony or a "I don't like their candidate so I am taking my toys and going home" pity party. It'll take a hell of a lot of work, but if you are determined and committed, you might be able to field a candidate for president in 2024.
Hillary Clinton is not my first choice for the top of the Democratic ticket, but rest assured, if she does become the nominee, nothing will keep me from voting for her in 2016. I'll even have a proud smile on my face as I cast my vote.
Friday, April 10, 2015
The Friday Link for 4/10/15
I know this blog has been a little sparse this week. Sorry, tremendously busy. I did finish helping a friend proofread her first novel (you'll be hearing more about that later!), I had a good friend ask for a huge last minute favor (hey, I did say a good friend), got my taxes done today and then there's this whole filling in on Mike Malloy's show last night and tonight. A ton of fun, but I'm sleepy. I slept three hours during the middle of the day today, something I usually can't do.
This tiredness does remind me of when I first moved back to Minneapolis and how many "little" jobs I was doing. I remember some weekends where I would wake up on a Friday, go bake all of the food from scratch at the old coffee shop Pekoe and Java in Hopkins, leave there around 9:30 AM, go to Metro Traffic where I was working part time at that point, work noon to 8 PM, then I would go do the overnight shift at Mix 104.1 (the old 80's station). At 6 AM on Saturday, I'd head from the radio station back over to bake at the coffee shop, go home and sleep for a few hours, then go to metro for a noon to 8 PM Saturday shift. Then back to 104 for a Saturday to Sunday morning, midnight to 6 AM shift, back to the coffee shop to bake the Sunday morning goodies, then a noon to 6 PM shift at Metro traffic. How I didn't keel over I'll never know. I remember my very young son being sad his dad was too tired to play with him. I did that schedule four or five weekends. His tears was the reason I stopped doing it.
But this blog demands my attention! It is a Friday, and thanks to the Direct TV ads featuring Rob Lowe being yanked from the air, I've got my link.
First a disclaimer. I personally would not get Direct TV, so this is in no way an endorsement for their product of any kind.
Back around the Super Bowl, I commented about how there were not a lot of good commercials anymore. These Direct TV ads are one of the few exceptions, purely because of Rob Lowe, an extremely underrated performer. His normal Rob Lowe verses strangely off Rob Lowe ads are catchy and funny with creepy, poor decision making and deadbeat Rob Lowe's being my favorite.
The cable companies who protested the Direct TV ads are insisting their problem with the ads stems from the claims the normal Rob Lowe makes, but it seems they're more upset with being associated with the weirder versions of Rob Lowe. At the end of the day, the real problem for them is these ads are clearly working, and that's what has sent the cable companies into a hissy fit.
Here's a compilation of the ads. Enjoy them while you can because I have zero doubt the cable companies will try to get this video yanked from the YouTube as soon as possible. It's your Friday link!
Talk to you tonight on the Mike Malloy Show!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbB9ANVQ1Ws
This tiredness does remind me of when I first moved back to Minneapolis and how many "little" jobs I was doing. I remember some weekends where I would wake up on a Friday, go bake all of the food from scratch at the old coffee shop Pekoe and Java in Hopkins, leave there around 9:30 AM, go to Metro Traffic where I was working part time at that point, work noon to 8 PM, then I would go do the overnight shift at Mix 104.1 (the old 80's station). At 6 AM on Saturday, I'd head from the radio station back over to bake at the coffee shop, go home and sleep for a few hours, then go to metro for a noon to 8 PM Saturday shift. Then back to 104 for a Saturday to Sunday morning, midnight to 6 AM shift, back to the coffee shop to bake the Sunday morning goodies, then a noon to 6 PM shift at Metro traffic. How I didn't keel over I'll never know. I remember my very young son being sad his dad was too tired to play with him. I did that schedule four or five weekends. His tears was the reason I stopped doing it.
But this blog demands my attention! It is a Friday, and thanks to the Direct TV ads featuring Rob Lowe being yanked from the air, I've got my link.
First a disclaimer. I personally would not get Direct TV, so this is in no way an endorsement for their product of any kind.
Back around the Super Bowl, I commented about how there were not a lot of good commercials anymore. These Direct TV ads are one of the few exceptions, purely because of Rob Lowe, an extremely underrated performer. His normal Rob Lowe verses strangely off Rob Lowe ads are catchy and funny with creepy, poor decision making and deadbeat Rob Lowe's being my favorite.
The cable companies who protested the Direct TV ads are insisting their problem with the ads stems from the claims the normal Rob Lowe makes, but it seems they're more upset with being associated with the weirder versions of Rob Lowe. At the end of the day, the real problem for them is these ads are clearly working, and that's what has sent the cable companies into a hissy fit.
Here's a compilation of the ads. Enjoy them while you can because I have zero doubt the cable companies will try to get this video yanked from the YouTube as soon as possible. It's your Friday link!
Talk to you tonight on the Mike Malloy Show!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbB9ANVQ1Ws
Monday, April 6, 2015
Quick Hits - 4/6/15
*** First off, two things about the Faribault Dance line story. Last week we heard two of the schools involved, Lakeville South and Wayzata, had actually punished the coaches involved in the coordinated attack on the Faribault High School Dance Team, which won the state tournament competition at Target Center on Valentine's Day. We know that four of the protesting teams, Wayzata, Eden Prairie, Eastview and Chaska, all wanted to boycott the finals completely, but the fifth school, Lakeville South, wanted to compete because they had never been before. The coaches and parents of those five teams planned ahead of time to shame Faribault for not being disqualified for cheating, something the Minnesota State High School League had investigated and found to not be true. I've heard reports from multiple people of boos and cat calls aimed towards Faribault during the actual competition, and the other teams intentionally blackballed Faribault at state. The five other teams refused to take the floor when Faribault was announced as the winner, ran Faribault off the Target Center floor before they could even snap a photo, apparently bullied and taunted Faribault throughout the arena, bragged about their unbelievably, atrocious behavior on social media, and then frantically hit delete keys like cowards when they realized their actions were disgusting.
The first point I want to make: the coach for Wayzata, and numerous people at Lakeville South, including coaches and an athletic director, received letters of reprimand from the school districts, and the Wayzata coach was suspended for two matches. One of the punishing schools said it best; the crime here is adults using children as weapons against other children because they were upset by the actions of other adults. Amen to that, but I personally feel the coaches should all be fired and not allowed to compete in high school dance team competition again. This was a violation of everything these coaches are supposed to teach and represent. When I brought this up on-air and a caller said you shouldn't call for anyone's job, as that's going too far, I stood firm saying you don't allow someone to hold a position they so clearly failed to fulfill. My position was reaffirmed when I remembered these are the same coaches and parents who took to social media to call for the firing of the Faribault coaches and all of the MSHSL people who didn't disqualify Faribault, the same social media posts they desperately deleted when they realized public opinion was not on their side. They opened the door to this level of "call to action," so once again, I reiterate, "Fire Them All!"
The second point is a lesson: kids, by nature, are good hearted. My son made an excellent comment to me after I explained the whole fiasco. "Dad, maybe instead of spending all of their time before the finals plotting to get Faribault, they could've practiced and worked really hard to try to win the title. Maybe the reason those teams lost was because they weren't really trying to win." He's exactly right. These five coaches were not trying to win; they quit, and pretty much told their teams to quit, setting an even more horrible example for the students they're responsible for. This as well validates my call for firings. The first job of any coach is to try to win, something these coaches didn't seem too concerned about, as they were focused on their primary objective, shaming a bunch of teen age girls from Faribault.
*** There is a significant point about the Indiana gay discrimination law that's being missed. The law supporters insist it was only there to prevent people from being forced to provide a product or service, for an event they don't agree with, due to their religious faith, and tried to validate it by insisting, "shouldn't a gay printer be able to deny having to print anti-gay literature?" First, the Indiana law didn't defend GLBT people from refusing service in that scenario, as the new law specifically talked about religious misgivings being the validation for denying service. Indiana law, if I understand it correctly, wouldn't allow a gay printer from using 'being offended' as an excuse to not print the anti-gay materials, forcing them to keep their personal objections private. But since they could say, "I'm sorry, we're booked. We can't help you," they still have the ability to refuse service.
Which brings up the real purpose of the Indiana gay discrimination law. I'm against discrimination, period. If a gay couple went into a florist, or baker, or pizza shop (???), I would hope the businesses, seeing clients and money come through the door, would be good little capitalists and embrace their own popularity, instead of wallowing in their own bigotry. But in truth, the business could easily say, "A wedding? Great! Who's the groom? And the bride's name? Oh, no bride, a second groom? Okay. What day would you like that for? Oh, I'm sorry, we are completely booked that day. I do have some other florists I recommend who might be able to help you out." This real word example is not something I endorse, but in the end, this is the option, whether truthful or not, which allows these businesses to opt out of providing a service they couldn't, or wouldn't, want to deliver. The Indiana gay discrimination law validates screaming homophobia, legally, directly into the face of the GLBT community. "A wedding? Great! Who's the groom? And the bride's name? Oh, no bride, a second groom? Well you are a sinner, you're going to burn in hell and get out because I won't serve gay people because my interpretation of Jesus says I don't have to!" At the end of the day, that is all this law did.
Racism, bigotry, antisemitism, homophobia, and discrimination are horrible. Trying to validate it behind a thin layer of religion in unconscionable. Having a state write laws which make it legal is the worst kind of evil.
*** The Twins are not going to be good this year. I listened to the opening day game. We lost 4-0 at Detroit. It's the earliest I have ever said this...damn Twins...
On the plus side, my son reminded me we have a lot of talent coming up in the minor leagues...(sigh)...
The first point I want to make: the coach for Wayzata, and numerous people at Lakeville South, including coaches and an athletic director, received letters of reprimand from the school districts, and the Wayzata coach was suspended for two matches. One of the punishing schools said it best; the crime here is adults using children as weapons against other children because they were upset by the actions of other adults. Amen to that, but I personally feel the coaches should all be fired and not allowed to compete in high school dance team competition again. This was a violation of everything these coaches are supposed to teach and represent. When I brought this up on-air and a caller said you shouldn't call for anyone's job, as that's going too far, I stood firm saying you don't allow someone to hold a position they so clearly failed to fulfill. My position was reaffirmed when I remembered these are the same coaches and parents who took to social media to call for the firing of the Faribault coaches and all of the MSHSL people who didn't disqualify Faribault, the same social media posts they desperately deleted when they realized public opinion was not on their side. They opened the door to this level of "call to action," so once again, I reiterate, "Fire Them All!"
The second point is a lesson: kids, by nature, are good hearted. My son made an excellent comment to me after I explained the whole fiasco. "Dad, maybe instead of spending all of their time before the finals plotting to get Faribault, they could've practiced and worked really hard to try to win the title. Maybe the reason those teams lost was because they weren't really trying to win." He's exactly right. These five coaches were not trying to win; they quit, and pretty much told their teams to quit, setting an even more horrible example for the students they're responsible for. This as well validates my call for firings. The first job of any coach is to try to win, something these coaches didn't seem too concerned about, as they were focused on their primary objective, shaming a bunch of teen age girls from Faribault.
*** There is a significant point about the Indiana gay discrimination law that's being missed. The law supporters insist it was only there to prevent people from being forced to provide a product or service, for an event they don't agree with, due to their religious faith, and tried to validate it by insisting, "shouldn't a gay printer be able to deny having to print anti-gay literature?" First, the Indiana law didn't defend GLBT people from refusing service in that scenario, as the new law specifically talked about religious misgivings being the validation for denying service. Indiana law, if I understand it correctly, wouldn't allow a gay printer from using 'being offended' as an excuse to not print the anti-gay materials, forcing them to keep their personal objections private. But since they could say, "I'm sorry, we're booked. We can't help you," they still have the ability to refuse service.
Which brings up the real purpose of the Indiana gay discrimination law. I'm against discrimination, period. If a gay couple went into a florist, or baker, or pizza shop (???), I would hope the businesses, seeing clients and money come through the door, would be good little capitalists and embrace their own popularity, instead of wallowing in their own bigotry. But in truth, the business could easily say, "A wedding? Great! Who's the groom? And the bride's name? Oh, no bride, a second groom? Okay. What day would you like that for? Oh, I'm sorry, we are completely booked that day. I do have some other florists I recommend who might be able to help you out." This real word example is not something I endorse, but in the end, this is the option, whether truthful or not, which allows these businesses to opt out of providing a service they couldn't, or wouldn't, want to deliver. The Indiana gay discrimination law validates screaming homophobia, legally, directly into the face of the GLBT community. "A wedding? Great! Who's the groom? And the bride's name? Oh, no bride, a second groom? Well you are a sinner, you're going to burn in hell and get out because I won't serve gay people because my interpretation of Jesus says I don't have to!" At the end of the day, that is all this law did.
Racism, bigotry, antisemitism, homophobia, and discrimination are horrible. Trying to validate it behind a thin layer of religion in unconscionable. Having a state write laws which make it legal is the worst kind of evil.
*** The Twins are not going to be good this year. I listened to the opening day game. We lost 4-0 at Detroit. It's the earliest I have ever said this...damn Twins...
On the plus side, my son reminded me we have a lot of talent coming up in the minor leagues...(sigh)...
Friday, April 3, 2015
The Friday Link for 4/3/15
Snoopy! I love Snoopy, something enforced by my sister when my kids ask their auntie if she liked the Peanuts characters, and she replied "yes, we all did, but none more than your dad."
Easter is a holiday I love too. It's important for me and my family, but that's because we're Catholic. I do understand many people aren't, but how do I convey a little Good Friday fun without getting too preachy. Snoopy saves the day.
It's the Easter Beagle Charlie Brown is a classic holiday cartoon, which does not have too much religious symbolism in it, or so I thought. Watching it again when I had kids, there is clearly a message being sent when Snoopy is staring sternly at the audience with Woodstock's nest on his head. Watch it yourself and tell me that Schultz isn't making a reference to the crown of thorns.
For the Friday link, let me check the religion at the door. Here is the classic scene where Snoopy is dancing with bunnies. Enjoy and have a great weekend regardless of what you are up too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ANyHZ59KZA
Easter is a holiday I love too. It's important for me and my family, but that's because we're Catholic. I do understand many people aren't, but how do I convey a little Good Friday fun without getting too preachy. Snoopy saves the day.
It's the Easter Beagle Charlie Brown is a classic holiday cartoon, which does not have too much religious symbolism in it, or so I thought. Watching it again when I had kids, there is clearly a message being sent when Snoopy is staring sternly at the audience with Woodstock's nest on his head. Watch it yourself and tell me that Schultz isn't making a reference to the crown of thorns.
For the Friday link, let me check the religion at the door. Here is the classic scene where Snoopy is dancing with bunnies. Enjoy and have a great weekend regardless of what you are up too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ANyHZ59KZA
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Undeniable
Washington US Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican, walked into a rake, a rake she herself left in her political yard. She wanted Obamacare horror stories from her constituents, so she headed to Facebook to beg for juicy negativity. Instead, she got a lot of praise from her eastern Washington district for Obama's health care package, not realizing it actually has helped a lot of people. The rake she walked into was made up of the rhetoric Republicans throw around at their closed pep rallies, rhetoric which has no basis in reality, something McMorris Rodgers is very aware of now. More on that in a sec, but first...
The GOP is at a turning point. After 35 years of cutting taxes and slashing governmental budgets, all in an effort to find money they can shift to the uber-wealthy in their delusional trickle down economic fantasies, they've come to a point where they can't hide their agenda anymore, showing their outright favoritism to the financial endowed, in stunningly grotesque displays.
Chris Christie, Governor of New Jersey, went out of his way to make sure he gave a sweetheart deal to Exxon Mobile, an oil company who had polluted the landscape of the Jersey shore, lost in court repeatedly and we're told to pay up billions in damages, only to have Christie himself slash the penalty to a mere fraction of what they owed. Scott Walker, the Governor of Wisconsin, was caught pretty much red handed awarding favors, and copious amounts of Wisconsinite tax dollars, to a major donor who gave the Walker campaign money through a dark money group, something seemingly coordinated illegally through the governor's office itself. There is no fog on this; this is a direct rewarding of monies to a wealthy donor who helped his campaign; quid pro quo.
And then there is the US House GOP budget. It gives most of the tax breaks and money to the wealthiest in the USA, at least 5% of a millionaire's salary ($50,000), and rewards people who make $75,000 or less with, at most, $10 in tax breaks, enough for Funyuns and Yoohoo!
They can't hide this payoff system anymore. Everything they do is geared towards staying in power, something achieved with insane amounts of money donated to them by a handful of individuals, and the end result, the blatant GOP political money handout back to the wealthy, is becoming something even the most stalwart Republican voter won't be able to gloss over for too much longer.
Let's run the modern GOP system:
1) Promise the wealthy they'll enact the wealthy's legislation and shovel tax payer money back into their coffers once they get elected.
2) Coordinate the donations through legitimate and dark money avenues to give the right an obscene money advantage during elections, at least 15 to 1.
3) Once elected, begin shoveling the money back to the donors, through mutated, hyper-aggressive trickle down economics, destruction of workers rights, the gutting of every budget they can, and then borrowing money recklessly, just so they can hand that loan to wealthy folks, making sure everyone else pays it back with interest.
4) Buy the media, so they can dictate the message the majority of Americans read, see, and hear (this is why they are furious over a free Internet).
5) Find a loyal group of followers (in this case the far right religious, the racists, the homophobes, and the tea party/Nuevo-libertarians) who they can convince to follow them by compromising on one or two issues, or by selling them a bill of goods they'll never deliver on, or by wallowing in the politics of hatred and bigotry, or by honing in on the extreme voter's own disappointments, giving them a fake boogie man they can blame for all of their woes (the Democrats). By giving these people, considered a political laughing stock until the 1990's, a legitimate seat at the table and the ear of the Republican party, these voters were easily won over and it's nearly impossible to change their minds.
6) Fix the election system so it's virtually impossible for them to lose, through gerrymandering, trying to change the electoral college, restricting voter rights, and limiting access to voting for the people likely to vote against them.
This plan has worked well for them, but never forget the main goal of all Republican politicians; stay in power at all costs. This is why we're at where we're at. They need to keep the ultra wealthy happy. If they lose their money advantage, not only will they lose their re-election campaigns, they'll lose the seven figure lobbying gig they're banking on, the real reason they're in politics, a stepping stone to a cushy job representing the individuals they so eagerly strapped on knee pads for while they "served their constituents."
Cliven Bundy, anti-gay legislation, birth certificates, immigrant hate, Hobby Lobby, anti-tax promises, convincing their followers they're the persecuted ones, the never ending litany of name calling they do to make themselves 'righteous'...all of it is window dressing. They need the delusional as their voting base, so they'll say and support almost anything the delusional want to believe. Heck, they even have a few politicians who believe the crazy talk themselves. Anything to keep the Republican lemmings happy. When the rest of the world openly condemns their narrow minded, antiquated and bigoted ideals, the extremists are so incensed the majority doesn't agree with them, they accuse their critics of violating their freedom of speech, something which has never been subdued. Political operatives, who need the fringe, enable them, so they in turn can reward the wealthy people who are holding a place for the politicians in the wealthy's high court.
But here's the right's problem; the voters they need to stay in power not only want a seat at the table, they want to drive the political parties agenda and direction. Since the GOP needs these votes, they pander to them, but when the extreme right's agenda butts up against the agenda of the wealthy, or against reality, it leads to hilarious outcomes. Look at the train wreck which is Indiana. They pandered to the extremist right by trying to make homophobia legal in the state, but when the free market judged their actions, quickly, to be unacceptable, potentially costing their finical supporters a ton, Governor Pence and the Republicans were caught in the middle. In Arkansas, all it took was Walmart telling the Governor to veto their version of the same bill, sending the Arkansas right into a frantic panic. The GOP will always side with money, hence the speed at which they're rushing back to fix these bills they knowingly passed.
Which brings us back to McMorris Rodgers. When she went about her fan fiction search, she forgot it's all a made up facade, a story she herself began to believe, a made up reality to encourage the zealots who vote for her, a narrative which can never be allowed to be engaged freely with the masses, as the fantasy deteriorates when real Americans are asked to speak freely, outside of a hand picked "town hall meeting." She didn't upset her money people, but in turn, she did the 2nd worst thing a Republican can do, compare the real world to the made up one her voters believe.
Imagine where our economy would be if we had Republicans actually caring about the people they represented. Imagine what would've been if they would've tried to work with Obama, instead of their self imposed gridlock. Imagine where this country would be if we didn't have the GOP plotting to undermine the President at every turn, not because they thought he was wrong, but rather because he was right and they didn't want the American people to see the benefit of his leadership and ideas.
How long will it take for the Republican voter to finally say, "we've given the Republicans 35 years and they haven't delivered on anything they've promised; maybe I should rethink my vote"?
The GOP is at a turning point. After 35 years of cutting taxes and slashing governmental budgets, all in an effort to find money they can shift to the uber-wealthy in their delusional trickle down economic fantasies, they've come to a point where they can't hide their agenda anymore, showing their outright favoritism to the financial endowed, in stunningly grotesque displays.
Chris Christie, Governor of New Jersey, went out of his way to make sure he gave a sweetheart deal to Exxon Mobile, an oil company who had polluted the landscape of the Jersey shore, lost in court repeatedly and we're told to pay up billions in damages, only to have Christie himself slash the penalty to a mere fraction of what they owed. Scott Walker, the Governor of Wisconsin, was caught pretty much red handed awarding favors, and copious amounts of Wisconsinite tax dollars, to a major donor who gave the Walker campaign money through a dark money group, something seemingly coordinated illegally through the governor's office itself. There is no fog on this; this is a direct rewarding of monies to a wealthy donor who helped his campaign; quid pro quo.
And then there is the US House GOP budget. It gives most of the tax breaks and money to the wealthiest in the USA, at least 5% of a millionaire's salary ($50,000), and rewards people who make $75,000 or less with, at most, $10 in tax breaks, enough for Funyuns and Yoohoo!
They can't hide this payoff system anymore. Everything they do is geared towards staying in power, something achieved with insane amounts of money donated to them by a handful of individuals, and the end result, the blatant GOP political money handout back to the wealthy, is becoming something even the most stalwart Republican voter won't be able to gloss over for too much longer.
Let's run the modern GOP system:
1) Promise the wealthy they'll enact the wealthy's legislation and shovel tax payer money back into their coffers once they get elected.
2) Coordinate the donations through legitimate and dark money avenues to give the right an obscene money advantage during elections, at least 15 to 1.
3) Once elected, begin shoveling the money back to the donors, through mutated, hyper-aggressive trickle down economics, destruction of workers rights, the gutting of every budget they can, and then borrowing money recklessly, just so they can hand that loan to wealthy folks, making sure everyone else pays it back with interest.
4) Buy the media, so they can dictate the message the majority of Americans read, see, and hear (this is why they are furious over a free Internet).
5) Find a loyal group of followers (in this case the far right religious, the racists, the homophobes, and the tea party/Nuevo-libertarians) who they can convince to follow them by compromising on one or two issues, or by selling them a bill of goods they'll never deliver on, or by wallowing in the politics of hatred and bigotry, or by honing in on the extreme voter's own disappointments, giving them a fake boogie man they can blame for all of their woes (the Democrats). By giving these people, considered a political laughing stock until the 1990's, a legitimate seat at the table and the ear of the Republican party, these voters were easily won over and it's nearly impossible to change their minds.
6) Fix the election system so it's virtually impossible for them to lose, through gerrymandering, trying to change the electoral college, restricting voter rights, and limiting access to voting for the people likely to vote against them.
This plan has worked well for them, but never forget the main goal of all Republican politicians; stay in power at all costs. This is why we're at where we're at. They need to keep the ultra wealthy happy. If they lose their money advantage, not only will they lose their re-election campaigns, they'll lose the seven figure lobbying gig they're banking on, the real reason they're in politics, a stepping stone to a cushy job representing the individuals they so eagerly strapped on knee pads for while they "served their constituents."
Cliven Bundy, anti-gay legislation, birth certificates, immigrant hate, Hobby Lobby, anti-tax promises, convincing their followers they're the persecuted ones, the never ending litany of name calling they do to make themselves 'righteous'...all of it is window dressing. They need the delusional as their voting base, so they'll say and support almost anything the delusional want to believe. Heck, they even have a few politicians who believe the crazy talk themselves. Anything to keep the Republican lemmings happy. When the rest of the world openly condemns their narrow minded, antiquated and bigoted ideals, the extremists are so incensed the majority doesn't agree with them, they accuse their critics of violating their freedom of speech, something which has never been subdued. Political operatives, who need the fringe, enable them, so they in turn can reward the wealthy people who are holding a place for the politicians in the wealthy's high court.
But here's the right's problem; the voters they need to stay in power not only want a seat at the table, they want to drive the political parties agenda and direction. Since the GOP needs these votes, they pander to them, but when the extreme right's agenda butts up against the agenda of the wealthy, or against reality, it leads to hilarious outcomes. Look at the train wreck which is Indiana. They pandered to the extremist right by trying to make homophobia legal in the state, but when the free market judged their actions, quickly, to be unacceptable, potentially costing their finical supporters a ton, Governor Pence and the Republicans were caught in the middle. In Arkansas, all it took was Walmart telling the Governor to veto their version of the same bill, sending the Arkansas right into a frantic panic. The GOP will always side with money, hence the speed at which they're rushing back to fix these bills they knowingly passed.
Which brings us back to McMorris Rodgers. When she went about her fan fiction search, she forgot it's all a made up facade, a story she herself began to believe, a made up reality to encourage the zealots who vote for her, a narrative which can never be allowed to be engaged freely with the masses, as the fantasy deteriorates when real Americans are asked to speak freely, outside of a hand picked "town hall meeting." She didn't upset her money people, but in turn, she did the 2nd worst thing a Republican can do, compare the real world to the made up one her voters believe.
Imagine where our economy would be if we had Republicans actually caring about the people they represented. Imagine what would've been if they would've tried to work with Obama, instead of their self imposed gridlock. Imagine where this country would be if we didn't have the GOP plotting to undermine the President at every turn, not because they thought he was wrong, but rather because he was right and they didn't want the American people to see the benefit of his leadership and ideas.
How long will it take for the Republican voter to finally say, "we've given the Republicans 35 years and they haven't delivered on anything they've promised; maybe I should rethink my vote"?
This Quick Message!
Sorry it's been light this week. My kids are on Spring Break and I'm going to goof off with them, if I can justify it, so...
Friday, March 27, 2015
The Friday Link for 3/27/15
So another one bites the dust. Jason Jones, the racist, misogynistic, arrogant, dim bulb, jerk correspondent from The Daily Show had his official goodbye on Thursday night.
Jones wasn't anything like his character. He is a very genuine, decent and funny guy, married to Samantha Bee, another Daily Show correspondent. His arrogant persona ended up being a real asset to The Daily Show, as it allowed him to infiltrate the far right nut bags and expose them without them realizing it. He'd ramp up his jerk character to 10, and they welcomed him in like he was a long lost brother.
He also highlighted, shockingly, that no matter how extreme to the right his persona was, there always seemed to be someone who would try to outdo him, like some sort of 'I can out tea party you' gauntlet was thrown down.
Jason Jones was incredible with some of his international pieces. He did bits from Iran, opening up that country's citizens to the USA for the first time since the 1980's, got threatened with sanctioned murder by a certain former Soviet leader, and immersed himself in the politics of India, a country the US needs to be far more knowledgable about.
For Jones' best bit, I think it's the one he did about a certain Washington football team. Even he couldn't hold the character any longer at the end, frustrated with the blatant racism of the owner and the NFL. This piece also got The Daily Show some extra criticism, something they themselves addressed before and during the piece, as the female football fan insisted she was ambushed. The Daily Show reviewed her complaint and stood by the bit. Since there was no further legal action, I would presume they were right. Enjoy.
http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/189afv/the-redskins--name---catching-racism
Jones wasn't anything like his character. He is a very genuine, decent and funny guy, married to Samantha Bee, another Daily Show correspondent. His arrogant persona ended up being a real asset to The Daily Show, as it allowed him to infiltrate the far right nut bags and expose them without them realizing it. He'd ramp up his jerk character to 10, and they welcomed him in like he was a long lost brother.
He also highlighted, shockingly, that no matter how extreme to the right his persona was, there always seemed to be someone who would try to outdo him, like some sort of 'I can out tea party you' gauntlet was thrown down.
Jason Jones was incredible with some of his international pieces. He did bits from Iran, opening up that country's citizens to the USA for the first time since the 1980's, got threatened with sanctioned murder by a certain former Soviet leader, and immersed himself in the politics of India, a country the US needs to be far more knowledgable about.
For Jones' best bit, I think it's the one he did about a certain Washington football team. Even he couldn't hold the character any longer at the end, frustrated with the blatant racism of the owner and the NFL. This piece also got The Daily Show some extra criticism, something they themselves addressed before and during the piece, as the female football fan insisted she was ambushed. The Daily Show reviewed her complaint and stood by the bit. Since there was no further legal action, I would presume they were right. Enjoy.
http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/189afv/the-redskins--name---catching-racism
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Bottom Gear
I'm fascinated by the Jeremy Clarkson story out of the BBC in London. For those who don't know, Clarkson is the co-host of the BBC hit show, Top Gear, which can be seen in America on BBC America. It's an entertaining show which I'm a regular viewer of. They bring you vehicle evaluations, vehicle challenges, and a downright entertaining travelogue about the world of automobiles. In the last few years, the criticism of new vehicles has been toned down. Clarkson himself nearly brought Land Rover to it's knees years ago with his spot on breakdown of their problems, but today, you can tell all the hosts are pulling their punches, especially when it's a car they really want to trash. Also, the challenges and travel elements have become more contrived, but it's still a pretty good watch.
Their new found mellow auto reviews are no where near as begging as the ones the American version of Top Gear had, a misguided show, run off the air quickly. The American version was pandering to automobile advertisers so bad, they would've said a concrete block was a perfect vehicle for the modern family if a car logo was on it. It reminded me of the time I was working in Ames, Iowa and we tried to do a movie review segment as part of the show. After our first negative review, the owner of the movie theater complained and so we were told by the station owner to never give a bad review again. We ended up canning the bit.
Clarkson is in hot water, and now has been officially fired by the BBC from Top Gear. Clarkson has always been a fire starter of sorts. He's a British conservative, kind of like a year 2000 version of John McCain, but he also has a real bad streak which permeates a lot of European countries, a racist fueled nationalism which has gotten him in trouble before. He has taunted other countries and nationalities, including the United States, and has said some things which are really unacceptable in describing certain demographic groups. Each time he got into trouble, he became determined to never have to apologize or give in, something which had sowed a loyal following for him, but something which has also fed his ego to the level of prima donna. That's what got him in trouble this time.
Clarkson, while filming a segment for Top Gear, returned to his hotel to find the dinner he wanted was not available. He wanted a steak with french fries, but the hotel's restaurant had stopped serving hot food by that time and had sent up a cold plate with a variety of cold cuts, cheeses, vegetables and fruit. Clarkson, incensed by his lack of a steak, started to verbally abuse a producer, getting nastier and nastier, as he ramped himself up into a fervor. He started swearing horribly at the producer, threatening his job repeatedly, screaming so loud during his diatribe he could be heard throughout the hotel. He then violently attacked the poor guy and apparently punched him for 30 seconds, bloodying him up, before someone finally stepped in to pull him off. The producer, terrified for his job, never once tried to hit back, and just took the beating. He ended up going to the Emergency Room, while Clarkson continued on his screaming, self centered, foul mouthed, wildly inappropriate temper tantrum, all under the listening ears of everyone in the hotel.
Stories vary on this fact, but is sounds like Clarkson, after he calmed down (no word on if he got his steak) called his supervisor and relayed the incident, I imagine from a very innocent point of view. Clarkson must have realized this wasn't going to go away and tried to 'apologize' to the producer in person, and through e-mail and text (really?), but apparently couldn't, or his apology wasn't accepted. The BBC had had enough. They called in an investigation, and other media in London started looking too, and the real story came to light. They had no choice, they had to fire him. If they didn't, Clarkson would think he could do anything, something the BBC is still trying to come to grips with in regards to Jimmy Savile, the BBC DJ and host of Top of the Pops who raped young children for decades under to auspices of his BBC job.
Regardless, there are still Jeremy Clarkson fans who insist this is nothing, that he should be hired back. There's no way he could ever be hired back. Tell me the job (banker, radio host, cook, bus driver) where you could do what he did and get away with it. He should be grateful he isn't being jailed, something which is still a possibility, as local police have asked for a copy of the BBC investigation to determine if charges should be filed. Some have suggested he wanted out of his Top Gear contract, so this was all done on purpose. Well, Mission Accomplished! I don't think this was made up. I think this is the real Clarkson, a guy who became so in love with his own press, he thought he was more important than the rest of the world.
Jeremy Clarkson will get another job. Someone will hire him and he'll act like he's getting the last laugh, until his true persona re-emerges and he does something even worse. Then the advertisers, or rather lack of advertisers, will take care of him. In the end, he'll be unemployed, his bit will be canned, and he'll be looking for any venue he can use to self promote, still insisting he was right and justified in violently attacking a man for not having HIS steak dinner ready as ordered.
Their new found mellow auto reviews are no where near as begging as the ones the American version of Top Gear had, a misguided show, run off the air quickly. The American version was pandering to automobile advertisers so bad, they would've said a concrete block was a perfect vehicle for the modern family if a car logo was on it. It reminded me of the time I was working in Ames, Iowa and we tried to do a movie review segment as part of the show. After our first negative review, the owner of the movie theater complained and so we were told by the station owner to never give a bad review again. We ended up canning the bit.
Clarkson is in hot water, and now has been officially fired by the BBC from Top Gear. Clarkson has always been a fire starter of sorts. He's a British conservative, kind of like a year 2000 version of John McCain, but he also has a real bad streak which permeates a lot of European countries, a racist fueled nationalism which has gotten him in trouble before. He has taunted other countries and nationalities, including the United States, and has said some things which are really unacceptable in describing certain demographic groups. Each time he got into trouble, he became determined to never have to apologize or give in, something which had sowed a loyal following for him, but something which has also fed his ego to the level of prima donna. That's what got him in trouble this time.
Clarkson, while filming a segment for Top Gear, returned to his hotel to find the dinner he wanted was not available. He wanted a steak with french fries, but the hotel's restaurant had stopped serving hot food by that time and had sent up a cold plate with a variety of cold cuts, cheeses, vegetables and fruit. Clarkson, incensed by his lack of a steak, started to verbally abuse a producer, getting nastier and nastier, as he ramped himself up into a fervor. He started swearing horribly at the producer, threatening his job repeatedly, screaming so loud during his diatribe he could be heard throughout the hotel. He then violently attacked the poor guy and apparently punched him for 30 seconds, bloodying him up, before someone finally stepped in to pull him off. The producer, terrified for his job, never once tried to hit back, and just took the beating. He ended up going to the Emergency Room, while Clarkson continued on his screaming, self centered, foul mouthed, wildly inappropriate temper tantrum, all under the listening ears of everyone in the hotel.
Stories vary on this fact, but is sounds like Clarkson, after he calmed down (no word on if he got his steak) called his supervisor and relayed the incident, I imagine from a very innocent point of view. Clarkson must have realized this wasn't going to go away and tried to 'apologize' to the producer in person, and through e-mail and text (really?), but apparently couldn't, or his apology wasn't accepted. The BBC had had enough. They called in an investigation, and other media in London started looking too, and the real story came to light. They had no choice, they had to fire him. If they didn't, Clarkson would think he could do anything, something the BBC is still trying to come to grips with in regards to Jimmy Savile, the BBC DJ and host of Top of the Pops who raped young children for decades under to auspices of his BBC job.
Regardless, there are still Jeremy Clarkson fans who insist this is nothing, that he should be hired back. There's no way he could ever be hired back. Tell me the job (banker, radio host, cook, bus driver) where you could do what he did and get away with it. He should be grateful he isn't being jailed, something which is still a possibility, as local police have asked for a copy of the BBC investigation to determine if charges should be filed. Some have suggested he wanted out of his Top Gear contract, so this was all done on purpose. Well, Mission Accomplished! I don't think this was made up. I think this is the real Clarkson, a guy who became so in love with his own press, he thought he was more important than the rest of the world.
Jeremy Clarkson will get another job. Someone will hire him and he'll act like he's getting the last laugh, until his true persona re-emerges and he does something even worse. Then the advertisers, or rather lack of advertisers, will take care of him. In the end, he'll be unemployed, his bit will be canned, and he'll be looking for any venue he can use to self promote, still insisting he was right and justified in violently attacking a man for not having HIS steak dinner ready as ordered.
Monday, March 23, 2015
Five Years
As of yesterday, I have been on AM 950 for 5 years. That's right, March 22, 2010 is a day that will live in infamy!
I was part of the large bloodletting at KSTP AM-1500 in February of 2010 when they (rightly) flipped the format to ESPN in an effort to keep the Twins on air. When former KSTP Program Director Steve Konrad called me to let me know I was out, I thought I was done in radio. Janet Robert, the owner of AM 950 at that time, called up and asked if I was available. Back in my traffic days, KTNF was one of my regular stations in town, and I would usually let my personal, left leaning comments permeate the traffic reports ("Watch out as the dark lord himself, Vice President Dick Cheney, will be visiting the Twin Cities today. Along with various road closures, the Death Star will be hovering over the metro area, Be advised.")
I started doing the evenings, the 6 PM hour. I'll never forget it; my first caller kept calling me Mark and the previous host called up during the show to tell me I sucked. In 2012, I moved to mornings. I love what I do. I love the listeners, the sponsors, the back and forth. I love not having to hide my politics, embracing what I'm proud of, begin a Democrat. I've had the privilege of working with some great people over the years, and I've had too many great guests to mention. Let me not forget a big salute to the current owner of the station, Chad Larson, who continues to be very good to me.
To the listeners, thank you very much. I appreciate it, I really do. I owe you guys a lot, and I hope to be saying thanks for a long time to come.
I was part of the large bloodletting at KSTP AM-1500 in February of 2010 when they (rightly) flipped the format to ESPN in an effort to keep the Twins on air. When former KSTP Program Director Steve Konrad called me to let me know I was out, I thought I was done in radio. Janet Robert, the owner of AM 950 at that time, called up and asked if I was available. Back in my traffic days, KTNF was one of my regular stations in town, and I would usually let my personal, left leaning comments permeate the traffic reports ("Watch out as the dark lord himself, Vice President Dick Cheney, will be visiting the Twin Cities today. Along with various road closures, the Death Star will be hovering over the metro area, Be advised.")
I started doing the evenings, the 6 PM hour. I'll never forget it; my first caller kept calling me Mark and the previous host called up during the show to tell me I sucked. In 2012, I moved to mornings. I love what I do. I love the listeners, the sponsors, the back and forth. I love not having to hide my politics, embracing what I'm proud of, begin a Democrat. I've had the privilege of working with some great people over the years, and I've had too many great guests to mention. Let me not forget a big salute to the current owner of the station, Chad Larson, who continues to be very good to me.
To the listeners, thank you very much. I appreciate it, I really do. I owe you guys a lot, and I hope to be saying thanks for a long time to come.
All the Single Ladies...and Single Men too...
Every once in awhile, my wife and I ask each other a question: What did we used to do with all of our time? As we have three kids, our schedules are tremendously busy, or so I thought. Then my wife went out of town for 10 days, and I realized how good we had it. Single parents need to get a tremendous amount of respect and acknowledgement for the hectic schedules they lead. In today's world, the schedule they have to maintain is often glossed over and minimized, but after my week, let me salute single parents who do it right.
It's been a long time since I've had to watch all three kids by myself for more than a few hours, and the only times I'd done it prior to last week was for an overnight. I knew this was going to be a challenge, but it was an eye-opener. As I realized I had four hours of work and household things to do every evening and only 15 minutes to get it done, I did a silent salute for all those who do this day in and day out. Some observations:
Twice this last week, I actually forgot what day it was. I was so busy running around, the days had become a blur. I knew it was bad when I got up on Saturday and frantically tried to get ready for the radio show I was convinced I was late for.
The reason the days run together is because the schedule is relentless. When you're alone and having to manage kids, it's constant, a thudding beat in the back of your mind. I needed to start keeping multiple lists: places the kids needed to be, food I was going to make, household tasks needing to get done, work tasks I needed to do, phone calls I needed to make, and shopping lists I needed to fulfill. I'm good at keeping a lot of balls in the air at once, but this was a real challenge, with a lot of scrambling and too many drops.
I'm usually critical when I see kids staring at a glowing rectangle, the modern version of a robotic babysitter. I've often looked down upon those parents (unfairly) for seeming to put a screen in front of their child's face to pacify them and limit any undo interaction. I know there are crappy parents who indeed do that, but I now realize there are many single parents who need a child to entertain themselves for an hour while the parent makes dinner, cleans up, takes a shower or even grabs a nap. I've learned my lesson. Before I get too critical in the future, I'll ask if that kid entertaining themselves is helping a single or stressed parent get basic tasks done.
Same goes for food. My wife and I cook the majority of the food our kids eat, and that usually doesn't mean pre-processed food. Three times, I've had to forgo formalities and pick up fast, convenient food for the kids without worrying about the nutritional value. This wasn't me being lazy. There just wasn't time to do anything else, and to ensure my kids ate something, I got them food to go. I do think there are many parents who become too dependent on pre-made food, but if I don't know the circumstances, then I shouldn't judge their choices either.
Non-work adult interaction gets scarce. I ended up talking to a mom next to me at the Science Museum yesterday and I could even hear the conversation go from friendly to needy. She left quickly. This is what makes social media good and bad. It's good because it allows you to visit friends during the day without it being too disruptive, but it's not a replacement for real face to face human interaction, something mostly absent from my life the last ten days.
Dating, for responsible single parents, has got to be extremely difficult. Single parents want to go out, have fun and party, but rarely do those two worlds mesh. It's got to be a logistical nightmare at times, with the perpetual queries of how much do you bring the child into your dating life, and your dating life to your children, giving you fits.
And this has not even gotten to daily hiccups or long term problems which overwhelm. The last thing a stressed out parent needs is a wrench thrown in the works, and for a single parent, it creates impossible to win choices which you'll never feel good about.
Friday night, for the first time in decades, I had a real bad migraine headache and I was just exhausted. The stress had gotten to me, and it had only been a week, not 18 years. I apologize to single parents. I haven't given you nearly enough credit. I have a new appreciation for anyone who does this on their own and eventually sends off into the world well adjusted young adults. Since this is the society we are going to have, we need to make it one which tries to mold itself to the demands and challenges of single parents, just as much as we do for married couples.
It's been a long time since I've had to watch all three kids by myself for more than a few hours, and the only times I'd done it prior to last week was for an overnight. I knew this was going to be a challenge, but it was an eye-opener. As I realized I had four hours of work and household things to do every evening and only 15 minutes to get it done, I did a silent salute for all those who do this day in and day out. Some observations:
Twice this last week, I actually forgot what day it was. I was so busy running around, the days had become a blur. I knew it was bad when I got up on Saturday and frantically tried to get ready for the radio show I was convinced I was late for.
The reason the days run together is because the schedule is relentless. When you're alone and having to manage kids, it's constant, a thudding beat in the back of your mind. I needed to start keeping multiple lists: places the kids needed to be, food I was going to make, household tasks needing to get done, work tasks I needed to do, phone calls I needed to make, and shopping lists I needed to fulfill. I'm good at keeping a lot of balls in the air at once, but this was a real challenge, with a lot of scrambling and too many drops.
I'm usually critical when I see kids staring at a glowing rectangle, the modern version of a robotic babysitter. I've often looked down upon those parents (unfairly) for seeming to put a screen in front of their child's face to pacify them and limit any undo interaction. I know there are crappy parents who indeed do that, but I now realize there are many single parents who need a child to entertain themselves for an hour while the parent makes dinner, cleans up, takes a shower or even grabs a nap. I've learned my lesson. Before I get too critical in the future, I'll ask if that kid entertaining themselves is helping a single or stressed parent get basic tasks done.
Same goes for food. My wife and I cook the majority of the food our kids eat, and that usually doesn't mean pre-processed food. Three times, I've had to forgo formalities and pick up fast, convenient food for the kids without worrying about the nutritional value. This wasn't me being lazy. There just wasn't time to do anything else, and to ensure my kids ate something, I got them food to go. I do think there are many parents who become too dependent on pre-made food, but if I don't know the circumstances, then I shouldn't judge their choices either.
Non-work adult interaction gets scarce. I ended up talking to a mom next to me at the Science Museum yesterday and I could even hear the conversation go from friendly to needy. She left quickly. This is what makes social media good and bad. It's good because it allows you to visit friends during the day without it being too disruptive, but it's not a replacement for real face to face human interaction, something mostly absent from my life the last ten days.
Dating, for responsible single parents, has got to be extremely difficult. Single parents want to go out, have fun and party, but rarely do those two worlds mesh. It's got to be a logistical nightmare at times, with the perpetual queries of how much do you bring the child into your dating life, and your dating life to your children, giving you fits.
And this has not even gotten to daily hiccups or long term problems which overwhelm. The last thing a stressed out parent needs is a wrench thrown in the works, and for a single parent, it creates impossible to win choices which you'll never feel good about.
Friday night, for the first time in decades, I had a real bad migraine headache and I was just exhausted. The stress had gotten to me, and it had only been a week, not 18 years. I apologize to single parents. I haven't given you nearly enough credit. I have a new appreciation for anyone who does this on their own and eventually sends off into the world well adjusted young adults. Since this is the society we are going to have, we need to make it one which tries to mold itself to the demands and challenges of single parents, just as much as we do for married couples.
Friday, March 20, 2015
The Friday Link for 3/20/15
Could there be a better cast movie than Young Frankenstein? Sweet Lord, everyone in it is perfect.
The one who shines most of all in the sensational cast is Marty Feldman. He stole every scene he was in. His gangly I-gor was perfect and could be the greatest comedic movie performance ever.
Here are some outtakes from the movie. To see the amazing talent of Feldman, watch the second try at the scene with Madeline Kahn. Just watch his eyes, and you'll be rolling on the floor too. I think I will throw the movie into the DVD player for the evening.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPDOy75sFhU
The one who shines most of all in the sensational cast is Marty Feldman. He stole every scene he was in. His gangly I-gor was perfect and could be the greatest comedic movie performance ever.
Here are some outtakes from the movie. To see the amazing talent of Feldman, watch the second try at the scene with Madeline Kahn. Just watch his eyes, and you'll be rolling on the floor too. I think I will throw the movie into the DVD player for the evening.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPDOy75sFhU
Protesting and the Mall of America
Let's talk about the Mall of America and the prosecution of the Black Lives Matter protesters who showed up for a rally in December, in an attempt to bring awareness to the treatment of African Americans in Minnesota and the country. Black Lives Matter was passionate, and (for the most part) were reasonably well behaved. Was there some mild civil disobedience? Sure, mild, but (in my opinion) the individuals being prosecuted are being portrayed as far more belligerent and out of control than they really were.
I personally like the Mall of America. I do. It's far more successful than I ever dreamed. The Mall of America got, and still gets, a lot of tax payer money and tax breaks. I think financially, it's been a clear win for the Twin Cities metro, but the Mall doesn't seem to understand citizens feeling a bit of ownership when it comes to tax payer funded venues, and the public wanting to engage in some level of personal freedom in said venues. MOA acts like that's crossing a line, insisting "it's their way or the highway." The Mall's attempt to get Black Lives Matter to protest in a parking lot a block away might have been congenial and straight forward, but it came off as dismissive.
MOA has a problem they need to figure out; what is their definition of protesting? I look at protesting as an expression to bring awareness to an issue, individual, group, business or cause. That's what the Black Lives Matter protesters were doing. Isn't that what many events at the Mall, organized and not, are doing? Isn't that what the Zach Sobiech events were doing? In December of 2013 and 2014, they had estimated crowds of 5000 and 7200 (respectively) singing Zach's song Clouds. It's a very worthwhile and noble cause, but the events, when compared to Black Lives Matter, were much larger and just as disruptive to the stores on the east side of the mall, during the ever important Christmas rush. I had a friend there shopping during this last December's sing-along, and they left because, as they described to me, "a third of the mall was effectively blocked off and it was really loud." The Mall of America needs to explain if that event is encouraged to take place, why not Black Lives Matter?
I know, those events were coordinated, going through the approved channels, and they weren't polarizing events. Fine, then how about the fans of the local and visiting sports teams who tend to go to the Mall after the games, particularly Green Bay Packer, Wisconsin Badger and Iowa Hawkeye fans? Having obnoxious, loud, and (in two personal cases) clearly drunk fans of those teams hooting and hollering throughout MOA, insulting the city and it's people, is probably not something coordinated through the Mall's front office. I've never seen security address them, or even to respectfully ask them to keep their voices down. Why is that okay?
Black Lives Matter was not responsible for the Mall of America's prepared response; the Mall was. They brought in heavy duty security, looking for evil doers, and, is usually the case, they found them. Congratulations! If protesters were getting truly belligerent, then you could have walked them to the door. They were looking to arrest people, so they could make an example of them, and they did!
It would seem proof of your intent to make an example of Black Lives Matter was in the correspondence with the Bloomington City Attorney's office prior to the event, making sure the full extent of the law was ready to be enforced. Also prior to the protest, the Mall infiltrated the protest groups through fake social media pages and undercover individuals. At best, a private business and/or law enforcement were spying on a group of people prior to them doing anything wrong; at worst, you were entrapping the individuals by encouraging the protests to take place while you coordinated the prosecutorial response. The only way you can prove you didn't do the later is to release all the information you have on ALL of the fake social media pages and infiltration operations the Mall of America was participating in, something I think the Mall of America would likely not want to do.
Bloomington City Attorney Sandra Johnson and Mall of America officials, please call off your hounds. Many people in the city feel as if the only reason you are going after Black Lives Matter is the first word in their name. If you let this go now, people are going to forget about it, and you've already sent out the warning. If you intend on continuing the prosecution, then don't act shocked or embarrassed when the defense, and the people of Minnesota, want to see all of the pre-event skeletons stashed away in the closet.
I, and many others in the Twin Cities, are going to be watching the Mall's response to other protests. I would expect the Mall of America, and the Bloomington City Attorney's office, to treat the eventual 2nd Amendment knucklehead, who tries to walk Nickelodeon Universe with a loaded AK-47, with the same serious tone, prosecuting that individual with the same intent.
Here's the biggest kick. If the Mall would have been a lot less militaristic in their response, the protest would have happened and then probably would've dispersed peacefully, with many of them picking up a few holiday gifts on their way out the door.
I personally like the Mall of America. I do. It's far more successful than I ever dreamed. The Mall of America got, and still gets, a lot of tax payer money and tax breaks. I think financially, it's been a clear win for the Twin Cities metro, but the Mall doesn't seem to understand citizens feeling a bit of ownership when it comes to tax payer funded venues, and the public wanting to engage in some level of personal freedom in said venues. MOA acts like that's crossing a line, insisting "it's their way or the highway." The Mall's attempt to get Black Lives Matter to protest in a parking lot a block away might have been congenial and straight forward, but it came off as dismissive.
MOA has a problem they need to figure out; what is their definition of protesting? I look at protesting as an expression to bring awareness to an issue, individual, group, business or cause. That's what the Black Lives Matter protesters were doing. Isn't that what many events at the Mall, organized and not, are doing? Isn't that what the Zach Sobiech events were doing? In December of 2013 and 2014, they had estimated crowds of 5000 and 7200 (respectively) singing Zach's song Clouds. It's a very worthwhile and noble cause, but the events, when compared to Black Lives Matter, were much larger and just as disruptive to the stores on the east side of the mall, during the ever important Christmas rush. I had a friend there shopping during this last December's sing-along, and they left because, as they described to me, "a third of the mall was effectively blocked off and it was really loud." The Mall of America needs to explain if that event is encouraged to take place, why not Black Lives Matter?
I know, those events were coordinated, going through the approved channels, and they weren't polarizing events. Fine, then how about the fans of the local and visiting sports teams who tend to go to the Mall after the games, particularly Green Bay Packer, Wisconsin Badger and Iowa Hawkeye fans? Having obnoxious, loud, and (in two personal cases) clearly drunk fans of those teams hooting and hollering throughout MOA, insulting the city and it's people, is probably not something coordinated through the Mall's front office. I've never seen security address them, or even to respectfully ask them to keep their voices down. Why is that okay?
Black Lives Matter was not responsible for the Mall of America's prepared response; the Mall was. They brought in heavy duty security, looking for evil doers, and, is usually the case, they found them. Congratulations! If protesters were getting truly belligerent, then you could have walked them to the door. They were looking to arrest people, so they could make an example of them, and they did!
It would seem proof of your intent to make an example of Black Lives Matter was in the correspondence with the Bloomington City Attorney's office prior to the event, making sure the full extent of the law was ready to be enforced. Also prior to the protest, the Mall infiltrated the protest groups through fake social media pages and undercover individuals. At best, a private business and/or law enforcement were spying on a group of people prior to them doing anything wrong; at worst, you were entrapping the individuals by encouraging the protests to take place while you coordinated the prosecutorial response. The only way you can prove you didn't do the later is to release all the information you have on ALL of the fake social media pages and infiltration operations the Mall of America was participating in, something I think the Mall of America would likely not want to do.
Bloomington City Attorney Sandra Johnson and Mall of America officials, please call off your hounds. Many people in the city feel as if the only reason you are going after Black Lives Matter is the first word in their name. If you let this go now, people are going to forget about it, and you've already sent out the warning. If you intend on continuing the prosecution, then don't act shocked or embarrassed when the defense, and the people of Minnesota, want to see all of the pre-event skeletons stashed away in the closet.
I, and many others in the Twin Cities, are going to be watching the Mall's response to other protests. I would expect the Mall of America, and the Bloomington City Attorney's office, to treat the eventual 2nd Amendment knucklehead, who tries to walk Nickelodeon Universe with a loaded AK-47, with the same serious tone, prosecuting that individual with the same intent.
Here's the biggest kick. If the Mall would have been a lot less militaristic in their response, the protest would have happened and then probably would've dispersed peacefully, with many of them picking up a few holiday gifts on their way out the door.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
When Irish Eyes are Crying
America is a great country. Being from here, we tend to be
ambivalent to the great mish mash of cultures we are. Our society sifts through the rest of the world and selects
choice parts to make our lives more vibrant and exciting. Go to any grocery store to see what I
mean. It wasn’t that long ago that
the ethnic food aisle consisted only of cans of La Choy and Manwich sauce. Today, I’ll spend ten minutes looking
at a label trying to figure out what’s inside.
The Americanization of Saint Patrick’s Day is a mixed bag. The day in Ireland is a combination of giving thanks, national pride and a few drinks. Saint Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland, holds the country’s focus, as well as a shocking amount of the rest of the world. The translation somehow morphed into a green beer and cheap party favor adorned excuse to drink enough to make John Goodman look like Christina Hendricks. Even corned beef and cabbage has little to do with Irish culture, but has became American Irish, like Lucky Charms. Let’s face it, horribly disfiguring other countries sacred institutions is something we’re great at, but here are some suggestions that might make your March 17th more fun.
The Americanization of Saint Patrick’s Day is a mixed bag. The day in Ireland is a combination of giving thanks, national pride and a few drinks. Saint Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland, holds the country’s focus, as well as a shocking amount of the rest of the world. The translation somehow morphed into a green beer and cheap party favor adorned excuse to drink enough to make John Goodman look like Christina Hendricks. Even corned beef and cabbage has little to do with Irish culture, but has became American Irish, like Lucky Charms. Let’s face it, horribly disfiguring other countries sacred institutions is something we’re great at, but here are some suggestions that might make your March 17th more fun.
If you’re religious at all, going to the Cathedral in St. Paul and viewing the St. Patrick statue is kind of cool, and the guy does look like Gandalf. If that’s what you have to do to get the kids there, tell them you’re going to visit the Shire. For a traditional Irish meal, try seafood or a real Shepard’s Pie. Even better, hunt down a traditional Irish breakfast. It’s fantastic, but you really don’t want to know what’s in half of it (let’s just say the Irish are resourceful). If you’d like something stronger, visit any of the numerous, and very underrated, Irish bars in town. Instead of the green suds, grab a Guinness. Yeah it’s pitch black, but that’s what the Irish drink, and there is something about a beer that doesn’t have a carb-free, diet version. These Irish bars also have great music, more Flogging Molly and less Black Eyed Peas, and try to find one with a live artist playing traditional Irish music and enjoy.
Regardless of fanfare and location, the best thing the Irish do is make friends. Whenever I visit them, most of the time is spent reliving old memories and creating new ones. They are the most social people you’ll ever meet. Americans, regardless of willingness to post their life online, are becoming less social, with a large portion of our population not able to have a ten-minute face-to-face conversation. If you really want to emulate the Irish, turn off the television, computer and cell phone, force yourself to get together with friends and vow that no one will leave the table for at least two hours. There might be a moment or two of awkward silence, but soon you’ll open up. Sharing a few smiles and embracing the human desire for companionship is truly Irish.
I’m
not trying to browbeat anyone into a politically correct, marginal
holiday. I’ll be the first to
admit, I’ve gone the green beer route more than once, but when I started
hanging out with the Irish and really experienced their version of the day, I
never looked back. Use this as a
mere suggestion and celebrate as you wish. If you ever get sick of the American St. Patrick’s day, the
Irish will always welcome you.
Friday, March 13, 2015
The Friday Link for 3/13/15
There was a stretch of Twin Cities morning radio which was so obscenely good, it drove me and hundreds of other Minnesota kids to Brown Tech (now Brown College) to get a broadcasting degree, just so we could plead for a chance to be part of it. It was 1986 and morning radio in Minneapolis/St. Paul was nirvana.
A lot of stations pop to mind from back then, and many are considered legendary in Minnesota and US broadcasting history: WCCO, KQRS (with the sensational early years of Tom Barnard and Dan Culhane), WLOL, KS95 and more. One station lost to time was KJJO, K-JO 104, the last time KQRS had any real competition in the realm of classic rock. The problem the station had was it was always just a little bit behind KQ, and hence was the station you tuned to when 92 was playing a song you didn't like.
Except for one thing. They aired a wildly popular bit, at least at Edina High School, my senior year, Chickenman! Most people my age and older are very well aware of Chickenman, but for you younger pups; Chickenman was a 1960's radio show from the incredible radio mind of Dick Orkin. Out of Chicago, he revolutionized radio advertisement with his creative and innovative commercials. His voice is one of the greatest ever heard, and he began the Chickenman serial as a spoof of comic book superheroes. The series began in 1966 and ran through 1969 and there were revisitings to the series in the 1970's. It was so good, even in 1986 it was still getting young listeners to religiously tune in.
I remember being in the parking lot at Edina High and waiting with most of the other drivers until K-JO 104 aired it in the morning before heading on into class. I love it still today.
Here are two episodes from the series, and yes, most of them had to do with Chickenman going about his mundane life, as Chickenman. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3j7fjzJvnA
A lot of stations pop to mind from back then, and many are considered legendary in Minnesota and US broadcasting history: WCCO, KQRS (with the sensational early years of Tom Barnard and Dan Culhane), WLOL, KS95 and more. One station lost to time was KJJO, K-JO 104, the last time KQRS had any real competition in the realm of classic rock. The problem the station had was it was always just a little bit behind KQ, and hence was the station you tuned to when 92 was playing a song you didn't like.
Except for one thing. They aired a wildly popular bit, at least at Edina High School, my senior year, Chickenman! Most people my age and older are very well aware of Chickenman, but for you younger pups; Chickenman was a 1960's radio show from the incredible radio mind of Dick Orkin. Out of Chicago, he revolutionized radio advertisement with his creative and innovative commercials. His voice is one of the greatest ever heard, and he began the Chickenman serial as a spoof of comic book superheroes. The series began in 1966 and ran through 1969 and there were revisitings to the series in the 1970's. It was so good, even in 1986 it was still getting young listeners to religiously tune in.
I remember being in the parking lot at Edina High and waiting with most of the other drivers until K-JO 104 aired it in the morning before heading on into class. I love it still today.
Here are two episodes from the series, and yes, most of them had to do with Chickenman going about his mundane life, as Chickenman. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3j7fjzJvnA
Quick Hits - 3/13/15
- Mark in Fridley called in to defend himself this morning and it got even more bizarre. Read the Mark in Fridley entry from yesterday for a primer. He started to defend his bashing of Hillary Clinton, insisting Hillary was the horrible candidate, worse than anything the GOP could muster. I asked him two questions: 1) Since Elizabeth Warren is not running, who does he support in the Democratic primary, and 2) are you telling me whomever the Democratic candidate for President is, you think a Republican and their desire for war with Iran is a better option? He decided to 'start' with the second question and immediately leveed the implied allegation, 'if Hillary Clinton became President, it'll be far worse than war with Iran, as she will get us into war with Russia, Syria, and...(wait for it)...Venezuela!' Venezuela?!? VENEZUELA?!?! Okay there is disliking someone, and then there is disliking someone to the point where your wild allegations and conspiracy theories cause me to question whether I should listen to you at all. We'll just skip past the whole (INSANE) war with Russia idea, and ask the question, why, pray-tell, would we be going to war with Venezuela? Don't get me wrong, our relations with them are hardly chummy, but war??? We get it Mark. You hate Clinton with the fire of a million suns. Fine, please move past it before you say anything more outrageous than 'war monger Hillary Clinton.'
- Let's accept the reality about gun guy; they'll always be for more guns and bullets everywhere, not because it makes us safer, but because they equate a six year old with a loaded assault weapon as a symbol of the Founding Father's patriotism (side note: the founding fathers would be aghast by the gun carnage in American streets. They put "well regulated militia" in the Constitution for a reason). When that 6 year old unintentionally guns down their friends, pro gun guy will accuse the media of making it all up, or blame Sponge Bob, not the adult who put the loaded assault weapon in the their hands. Yesterday, in St. Paul, they were debating whether we should allow silencers on guns in Minnesota. From those hearings, we had the second dumbest argument for a bill this year. One pro-gun guy's argument was, "we should allow silencers on guns (something criminals would LOVE) because guns are loud and can hurt the ears of the gun owner." Pathetic. Buy some earplugs!
- By the way, the dumbest argument for a bill this year, and a contender for all time dumbest argument for a bill ever, was the woman who wanted to expand liquor sales to Sunday in Minnesota because her child wanted liquor filled lava cakes for their birthday. Since A) mom apparently didn't plan ahead for her child's birthday, and B) mom apparently has to fulfill juniors booze fix, she was forced to have to drive to Wisconsin for orange liquor to make the lava cakes, hence we need to open up liquor sales in Minnesota on Sunday. I'm neutral on Sunday liquor sales, but lava cakes is one of the dumbest arguments of all time.
- A reminder, we still have not heard what punishment, if any, was dealt down to the coaches of the five dance line teams from Eden Prairie, Wayzata, Lakeville South, Chaska, and Eastview who coordinated a bully attack on the team from Faribault at the State Championship last month, a display oozing with bad sportsmanship and pettiness for which punishment is not a question. The coaches, parents and athletes from the five teams booed the Faribault high school kids, refused to acknowledge the team won, ran Faribault off to prevent them from getting a State Championship photo taken on the Target Center floor, followed them down to the interior of Target Center, taunting and bullying them all the way, and then bragged about it as some 'great victory' on social media (until they realized their ploy backfired and the cowards scrubbed their online media clean). These five teams deserve more than public shame. The coaches deserve to be thrown out of the Minnesota State High School League.
- Finally, I want to revisit what I said in regards to the University of Minnesota Men's Basketball team likely getting an NIT bid now that they were bounced from the Big 10 Tourney by Ohio State. I said they likely will get a bid because they are the kind of team the NIT loves; recognizable name, a somewhat iconic facility, a large market to draw locally. For them to give Minnesota a home game, some very deserving lesser conference team with a 25 and 4 record would have to play a road game here. That would be a travesty. Skip the Gophers, hope they get better next year, but don't give them an NIT bid just because you hope it will spur ticket sales and luke warm interest.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Mark in Fridley
Let me address a few things from today's Mark in Fridley call. For anyone who doesn't know, Mark in Fridley is a passionate, far left progressive with some very interesting takes on politics. He gets bogged down on the details at times and some of his issues are hard for even me to follow. He used to come on 4-5 times a week, for what he felt was his "designated time," @ 7:40 AM. I finally pulled the plug on his daily rants because 1) he was rarely on topic, 2) he would go on for five or six minutes, on multiple, unrelated issues, 3) it felt like most of the time he was just taking a shot at Obama or the Clintons, and 4) the number of people who liked his daily visit was far outnumbered by the amount of listeners who wanted it to stop.
This morning, after I was making a point about WalMart and their anti-American worker policies, Mark called in to chime in on something from earlier in the show, but decided to first poke the Clintons by pointing out the Koch Brothers and WalMart are big funders of the Clinton Foundation. I congratulated him on getting his shot in on the Clintons, a comment which seemed to anger him. He insisted he was only stating the facts, something I'm not necessarily arguing, but what he did say was a loaded comment. It was designed to make the Clintons look as bad as possible, and then for him to run away from it. When I called him on it, he turned it into a Kucinich and Warren promotional endorsement, implying a more progressive candidate would never take dirty money (HA!), and he insisted his not mentioning the GOP gets far more money from Koch and Walmart entities was a harmless omission.
There is an element of the left which HATES the Clintons. That's fine with me, but do not try to use my show as a platform to smear and begrudge what will likely be the Democratic candidate for the 2016 Presidential race. I will not take sides on the air, and I won't sit back while one candidate gets slammed because they haven't passed through the extreme far left organic purity test.
Reality: Hillary Clinton will likely be the Democratic nominee for President in 2016. She was caught off guard by Obama in 2008, but has spent her time getting her ducks in a row. When she does announce, she'll be in full campaign mode, in an intimidating position over the rest of the left leaning pack. If she becomes the Democratic nominee, and you decide to throw a temper tantrum and stay home on election day in protest, you might be helping to elect a Republican who likely will start a war with Iran. Your call.
Elizabeth Warren announced she isn't running. Until she changes her mind, you holding Clinton to a Warren litmus test is unfair. There are going to be progressive candidates running in 2016, trying to catch fire in a bottle like Obama did, but that's a very unlikely scenario. The most likely person to give Hillary a run for her money is the current Vice President, Joe Biden. If you really hate Hillary, you might want to pressure him to run. He's the only other current Democrat who could win the nomination and potentially win the Presidency.
Also, the Clinton Foundation is not a Hillary Clinton PAC. That implication was left hanging out there, a purposeful distortion made by omitting the context and purpose of the organization getting the donation. That's not fair either.
I will not let the left do what the right tried to do when I started on AM 950 five years ago; get on the air, state things that are either outright lies and/or agenda driven, and after getting all of them out say, "but my real reason for calling is...", hoping I let the other things they snuck in go unchallenged. No! I will not let you throw out lies and distortions as facts, and because you used the avalanche method of topic discussion, think I'm just going to skip on past something I know is distorted or dishonest. Be prepared to discuss everything you throw into the arena of my show.
This morning, after I was making a point about WalMart and their anti-American worker policies, Mark called in to chime in on something from earlier in the show, but decided to first poke the Clintons by pointing out the Koch Brothers and WalMart are big funders of the Clinton Foundation. I congratulated him on getting his shot in on the Clintons, a comment which seemed to anger him. He insisted he was only stating the facts, something I'm not necessarily arguing, but what he did say was a loaded comment. It was designed to make the Clintons look as bad as possible, and then for him to run away from it. When I called him on it, he turned it into a Kucinich and Warren promotional endorsement, implying a more progressive candidate would never take dirty money (HA!), and he insisted his not mentioning the GOP gets far more money from Koch and Walmart entities was a harmless omission.
There is an element of the left which HATES the Clintons. That's fine with me, but do not try to use my show as a platform to smear and begrudge what will likely be the Democratic candidate for the 2016 Presidential race. I will not take sides on the air, and I won't sit back while one candidate gets slammed because they haven't passed through the extreme far left organic purity test.
Reality: Hillary Clinton will likely be the Democratic nominee for President in 2016. She was caught off guard by Obama in 2008, but has spent her time getting her ducks in a row. When she does announce, she'll be in full campaign mode, in an intimidating position over the rest of the left leaning pack. If she becomes the Democratic nominee, and you decide to throw a temper tantrum and stay home on election day in protest, you might be helping to elect a Republican who likely will start a war with Iran. Your call.
Elizabeth Warren announced she isn't running. Until she changes her mind, you holding Clinton to a Warren litmus test is unfair. There are going to be progressive candidates running in 2016, trying to catch fire in a bottle like Obama did, but that's a very unlikely scenario. The most likely person to give Hillary a run for her money is the current Vice President, Joe Biden. If you really hate Hillary, you might want to pressure him to run. He's the only other current Democrat who could win the nomination and potentially win the Presidency.
Also, the Clinton Foundation is not a Hillary Clinton PAC. That implication was left hanging out there, a purposeful distortion made by omitting the context and purpose of the organization getting the donation. That's not fair either.
I will not let the left do what the right tried to do when I started on AM 950 five years ago; get on the air, state things that are either outright lies and/or agenda driven, and after getting all of them out say, "but my real reason for calling is...", hoping I let the other things they snuck in go unchallenged. No! I will not let you throw out lies and distortions as facts, and because you used the avalanche method of topic discussion, think I'm just going to skip on past something I know is distorted or dishonest. Be prepared to discuss everything you throw into the arena of my show.
Monday, March 9, 2015
WAY off Target
Gregg Steinhafel is the worst Minnesota CEO I've ever seen. He's the epitome of what is wrong with today's corporate structure; CEO's and senior executives who feel the corporation only exists because of, and for, themselves. This modern conservative business leader is greedy, Machiavellian, self serving, and arrogant, feeling as if the world needs to respect them without having to earn the respect. They want to command people to do things, not because they want to lead, but because they can. In their mind, the company lives for them, first and foremost.
Before I get to Gregg with two "g's," let me start with two disclaimers and a fact. Disclaimer one - as much as we complain about the modern corporation and the modern corporate executive, most corporate executives are very decent people, working very hard to make the business they represent successful, while acting as an advocate for their customers, shareholders, employees and suppliers. For every company which sells a product with toxic amounts of formaldehyde (see an earlier post), there are 20 other companies which will throw out a weasel who suggests they poison their customers for profit. Disclaimer two - Good executives work their asses off. They're at the office at 7 AM and leave at 10 PM. They work a full day on Saturday, and usually six plus hours on many Sundays. They rarely take family vacations. Rather, they take working vacations, in which their families get dragged along, and they're lucky for a few hours of true family time. They do a very difficult job and are required to make decisions which means success or failure for a company. They deserve a decent paycheck.
But now a Fact - The modern senior corporate executive, in many cases, is grossly overpaid. In the 1970's the senior staff of a major corporation could expect to make four to five times more than the middle managers they depended on to carry out their decisions. Back then, if they did a great job, and the company had a record year, they might get a bonus check equal to up to 50% of their salary. Today, depending on the company, they can make 50, 100, 200, or even 400 times their average worker pay (according to payscale.com: http://www.payscale.com/data-packages/ceo-income), and their bonuses and exit buy outs are guaranteed, even if their their own negligence has cost the company dearly. Corporate executives started to put forward the idea in the 1980's that they were more important than the company itself, and they created consulting firms to start touting their own wealth while negotiating contracts. They kept pushing and pushing the envelope to where today (in some cases) the executive will have a 7 million dollar annual salary, all their major personal expenses covered by the company (house, car, most of their monthly bills, private school tuition for kids), a million dollar expense account which covers everything else they need, and bonuses in cash in stock options worth an addition 10 to 20 million, EACH YEAR! That's over paid.
But let's get back to G.
I remember when it all changed. Friends used to talk about how much fun it was to work in Target corporate. They made everyone jealous, causing many people across the country to polish up their resumes when they heard there was an opening. Then, one day, in 2008, almost in unison, I heard the same story over and over. "I hate my job. They have all these new rules. It's no longer a relaxed environment. We now have to wear extremely professional attire. They make us swear allegiance to the executives!" I asked if it wasn't over reacting against the new CEO. They all said no. Target's fun loving, internal corporate structure was gone, Steinhafel's first victim.
Steinhafel was known for some real doozies within the realm of corporate mismanagement and malfeasance. There was turning the Target corporation into an extension of his personal political ideology by funneling Target money to Minnesota Forward, an organization which was supporting Tom Emmer in the gubernatorial race against Mark Dayton in 2010. He forced loyal customers to have to choose between spending money at Target, only to see part of it go to help a political candidate they didn't endorse, or avoiding to the store in it's entirety. They lost a total of $40,000 in sales from my family alone.
Then there was the destruction of Target's gay rights record. You couldn't buy the reputation Target at one time had in regards to GLBT rights, but Steinhafel, through supporting anti-gay rights politicians, and then standing by his anti-gay political ideology, destroyed it. Lady GaGa even refused to do a special Target exclusive CD with them because of the company's new anti-gay rights stance. The message was clear; the executives beliefs were more important than the company making a ton of money. That's broken corporate governance.
Gregg's true lack of competent oversight lead to a massive embarrassment, the data breach of their customers credit card numbers, something which hurt even more because 1) it happened during the ever important holiday shopping season, and 2) seems to have been something they might have been able to nip in the bud a lot sooner if not for the company's executives not paying attention. If only their CIO, CFO, and CEO, or their minions, would have read the urgent bulletins coming from their monitoring service, they might not have had such a clusterf- on their hands. It was the final straw against Steinhafel. He was finally shown the door, but the true impact of his legacy was to be revealed, and it was worthy of a Maury Povich sweeps episode.
The unbelievable scope of Steinhafel's failure in regards to his Canadian expansion endeavor is something business schools will teach for years. This is textbook corporate arrogance. "Those Canadians will be so happy we are finally here!' No they won't! There was mismanagement to the extreme; bad pricing, inconsistent supply chain issues, incompetent execution, and, in the end, a massive failure which will haunt Target for years to come. They lost two billion in two years, 2 BILLION!!! How do you do that? The company's only option was to close it all down and walk away. Target is in survival mode right now, hoping these drastic cuts (20%!!!) will stop the bleeding, and prevent the death of the company as a whole.
He did all of this in six years...
Steinhafel seems to have been a real jackass of a human being outside of the office too. He put pressure to stop the Emily Program, an eating disorder program, from getting a conditional use permit at a former private school near his house. Whenever I do the arrogant wealthy jerk voice on the air (How dare you heathens...) it stems from what I imagine Gregg Steinhafel was like when he found out a treatment facility for individuals in need might be within eyesight of his property.
But the most bizarre and self delusional thing Gregg Steinhafel ever did was to name the largest Target corporate office in Bangalore, India the 'Gregg W. Steinhafel Center.' Who does that (besides Bond villains)? It should have been the companies first real big warning sign that this guy might be more concerned about himself than the well being of the company. The only way that office building deserved that name is if it came crashing down to the earth on its own in 6 years.
Steinhafel gets the last laugh. He got a 61 million dollar severance package for nearly destroying one of the bellwether companies in the United States. The employees he looked down upon are the ones who get punished for his horrible decisions, with layoff notifications being printed freely. In my mind, we should arrest him, or at least run him out of the country.
Corporate America, it's time to wake up. These Gordon Gekko wannabes are not helping you, they are hurting you. If the shareholders mentality is, "as long as they make money, I could care less," let me remind you of something. The business model Steinhafel and his ilk work off of is one geared to using their companies as their personal Bacchanalian palace, and when the reality of their mismanagement starts to show, these same people came up with the concept of vulture capitalism to feast on the carcass of the once profitable company they helped destroy. Good luck with that.
Before I get to Gregg with two "g's," let me start with two disclaimers and a fact. Disclaimer one - as much as we complain about the modern corporation and the modern corporate executive, most corporate executives are very decent people, working very hard to make the business they represent successful, while acting as an advocate for their customers, shareholders, employees and suppliers. For every company which sells a product with toxic amounts of formaldehyde (see an earlier post), there are 20 other companies which will throw out a weasel who suggests they poison their customers for profit. Disclaimer two - Good executives work their asses off. They're at the office at 7 AM and leave at 10 PM. They work a full day on Saturday, and usually six plus hours on many Sundays. They rarely take family vacations. Rather, they take working vacations, in which their families get dragged along, and they're lucky for a few hours of true family time. They do a very difficult job and are required to make decisions which means success or failure for a company. They deserve a decent paycheck.
But now a Fact - The modern senior corporate executive, in many cases, is grossly overpaid. In the 1970's the senior staff of a major corporation could expect to make four to five times more than the middle managers they depended on to carry out their decisions. Back then, if they did a great job, and the company had a record year, they might get a bonus check equal to up to 50% of their salary. Today, depending on the company, they can make 50, 100, 200, or even 400 times their average worker pay (according to payscale.com: http://www.payscale.com/data-packages/ceo-income), and their bonuses and exit buy outs are guaranteed, even if their their own negligence has cost the company dearly. Corporate executives started to put forward the idea in the 1980's that they were more important than the company itself, and they created consulting firms to start touting their own wealth while negotiating contracts. They kept pushing and pushing the envelope to where today (in some cases) the executive will have a 7 million dollar annual salary, all their major personal expenses covered by the company (house, car, most of their monthly bills, private school tuition for kids), a million dollar expense account which covers everything else they need, and bonuses in cash in stock options worth an addition 10 to 20 million, EACH YEAR! That's over paid.
But let's get back to G.
I remember when it all changed. Friends used to talk about how much fun it was to work in Target corporate. They made everyone jealous, causing many people across the country to polish up their resumes when they heard there was an opening. Then, one day, in 2008, almost in unison, I heard the same story over and over. "I hate my job. They have all these new rules. It's no longer a relaxed environment. We now have to wear extremely professional attire. They make us swear allegiance to the executives!" I asked if it wasn't over reacting against the new CEO. They all said no. Target's fun loving, internal corporate structure was gone, Steinhafel's first victim.
Steinhafel was known for some real doozies within the realm of corporate mismanagement and malfeasance. There was turning the Target corporation into an extension of his personal political ideology by funneling Target money to Minnesota Forward, an organization which was supporting Tom Emmer in the gubernatorial race against Mark Dayton in 2010. He forced loyal customers to have to choose between spending money at Target, only to see part of it go to help a political candidate they didn't endorse, or avoiding to the store in it's entirety. They lost a total of $40,000 in sales from my family alone.
Then there was the destruction of Target's gay rights record. You couldn't buy the reputation Target at one time had in regards to GLBT rights, but Steinhafel, through supporting anti-gay rights politicians, and then standing by his anti-gay political ideology, destroyed it. Lady GaGa even refused to do a special Target exclusive CD with them because of the company's new anti-gay rights stance. The message was clear; the executives beliefs were more important than the company making a ton of money. That's broken corporate governance.
Gregg's true lack of competent oversight lead to a massive embarrassment, the data breach of their customers credit card numbers, something which hurt even more because 1) it happened during the ever important holiday shopping season, and 2) seems to have been something they might have been able to nip in the bud a lot sooner if not for the company's executives not paying attention. If only their CIO, CFO, and CEO, or their minions, would have read the urgent bulletins coming from their monitoring service, they might not have had such a clusterf- on their hands. It was the final straw against Steinhafel. He was finally shown the door, but the true impact of his legacy was to be revealed, and it was worthy of a Maury Povich sweeps episode.
The unbelievable scope of Steinhafel's failure in regards to his Canadian expansion endeavor is something business schools will teach for years. This is textbook corporate arrogance. "Those Canadians will be so happy we are finally here!' No they won't! There was mismanagement to the extreme; bad pricing, inconsistent supply chain issues, incompetent execution, and, in the end, a massive failure which will haunt Target for years to come. They lost two billion in two years, 2 BILLION!!! How do you do that? The company's only option was to close it all down and walk away. Target is in survival mode right now, hoping these drastic cuts (20%!!!) will stop the bleeding, and prevent the death of the company as a whole.
He did all of this in six years...
Steinhafel seems to have been a real jackass of a human being outside of the office too. He put pressure to stop the Emily Program, an eating disorder program, from getting a conditional use permit at a former private school near his house. Whenever I do the arrogant wealthy jerk voice on the air (How dare you heathens...) it stems from what I imagine Gregg Steinhafel was like when he found out a treatment facility for individuals in need might be within eyesight of his property.
But the most bizarre and self delusional thing Gregg Steinhafel ever did was to name the largest Target corporate office in Bangalore, India the 'Gregg W. Steinhafel Center.' Who does that (besides Bond villains)? It should have been the companies first real big warning sign that this guy might be more concerned about himself than the well being of the company. The only way that office building deserved that name is if it came crashing down to the earth on its own in 6 years.
Steinhafel gets the last laugh. He got a 61 million dollar severance package for nearly destroying one of the bellwether companies in the United States. The employees he looked down upon are the ones who get punished for his horrible decisions, with layoff notifications being printed freely. In my mind, we should arrest him, or at least run him out of the country.
Corporate America, it's time to wake up. These Gordon Gekko wannabes are not helping you, they are hurting you. If the shareholders mentality is, "as long as they make money, I could care less," let me remind you of something. The business model Steinhafel and his ilk work off of is one geared to using their companies as their personal Bacchanalian palace, and when the reality of their mismanagement starts to show, these same people came up with the concept of vulture capitalism to feast on the carcass of the once profitable company they helped destroy. Good luck with that.
Friday, March 6, 2015
The Friday Link for 3/6/15
I'm on the record as saying we'll look back on the stretch of time from 2010 to 2014 as the Golden Age of Late Night television. Seven of the 8 (or 9 if you count Meyers) regular show hosts during that stretch were iconic.
On CBS you had David Letterman as the host of the Late Show (quick side note: how many years was Letterman the only consistent laugh on any given night? During the five year stretch I mentioned above, he was almost forgotten at times), and although he has weathered, he is still good for a few chuckles every show. A very underrated Craig Ferguson hosted the later show, the Late Late Show, bringing a charismatic Scottish wit to the American shores.
On ABC, Jimmy Kimmel made me ask the question of what was he ever doing slumming it on The Man Show? He's the best LA host on TV right now, and I love his current war with the anti-vaxxers.
On Comedy Central, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert had been drawing a bigger and bigger audience since 2006, and by 2010, they were in prime form, a fearsome duo who presented late night talk shows with a different format, making cable TV at 10 PM a viable option for late night viewing.
On NBC, Jimmy Fallon was in his mid-30's hosting Late Night, and biding his time until he would take over the Tonight Show early in 2014. Jay Leno was the only dud in late night TV during that stretch(in my opinion), a unfunny, washed up host who was doing more bad than good in the once gold standard chair. Fallon has reminded us at how good the Tonight Show can be since he took it over. Seth Meyers who took over Late Night is learning, and will eventually work out the kinks.
Then there is Conan. Conan O'Brien was promoted from Late Night to take over The Tonight Show, and was unceremoniously dumped in early 2010 when Jay Leno decided after he left that he wanted the Tonight Show back (NBC should have never let him return). He eventually landed at TBS and has been his hilarious self ever since. I think he gets too goofy at times, but he is so quick with his spontaneous jokes. On nights I was able to stay up, I flipped between shows constantly.
Conan also understands the culture of the generations that have come after him. He embraces new and upcoming talent better than any other host on television, and almost acts as an introductory course in modern culture for the older generation. One of my favorite things he has done is Clueless Gamer, where he plays video games and then reviews them. Warning, some of the games he reviews have extreme violent content (Super Bowl edition), but this one I'm linking to tonight is one of my favorites, the WWE 2K14 wrestling video game. When he creates his own character, I was in tears.
Remember Conan would have been the Tonight Show host today if not for Leno's greediness, but as opposed to become a footnote in history, he has made lemonade out of lemons. I can't wait to watch his Cuban special. Enjoy the link!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD7Afs6OxnY
On CBS you had David Letterman as the host of the Late Show (quick side note: how many years was Letterman the only consistent laugh on any given night? During the five year stretch I mentioned above, he was almost forgotten at times), and although he has weathered, he is still good for a few chuckles every show. A very underrated Craig Ferguson hosted the later show, the Late Late Show, bringing a charismatic Scottish wit to the American shores.
On ABC, Jimmy Kimmel made me ask the question of what was he ever doing slumming it on The Man Show? He's the best LA host on TV right now, and I love his current war with the anti-vaxxers.
On Comedy Central, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert had been drawing a bigger and bigger audience since 2006, and by 2010, they were in prime form, a fearsome duo who presented late night talk shows with a different format, making cable TV at 10 PM a viable option for late night viewing.
On NBC, Jimmy Fallon was in his mid-30's hosting Late Night, and biding his time until he would take over the Tonight Show early in 2014. Jay Leno was the only dud in late night TV during that stretch(in my opinion), a unfunny, washed up host who was doing more bad than good in the once gold standard chair. Fallon has reminded us at how good the Tonight Show can be since he took it over. Seth Meyers who took over Late Night is learning, and will eventually work out the kinks.
Then there is Conan. Conan O'Brien was promoted from Late Night to take over The Tonight Show, and was unceremoniously dumped in early 2010 when Jay Leno decided after he left that he wanted the Tonight Show back (NBC should have never let him return). He eventually landed at TBS and has been his hilarious self ever since. I think he gets too goofy at times, but he is so quick with his spontaneous jokes. On nights I was able to stay up, I flipped between shows constantly.
Conan also understands the culture of the generations that have come after him. He embraces new and upcoming talent better than any other host on television, and almost acts as an introductory course in modern culture for the older generation. One of my favorite things he has done is Clueless Gamer, where he plays video games and then reviews them. Warning, some of the games he reviews have extreme violent content (Super Bowl edition), but this one I'm linking to tonight is one of my favorites, the WWE 2K14 wrestling video game. When he creates his own character, I was in tears.
Remember Conan would have been the Tonight Show host today if not for Leno's greediness, but as opposed to become a footnote in history, he has made lemonade out of lemons. I can't wait to watch his Cuban special. Enjoy the link!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD7Afs6OxnY
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Passive Aggressive
In regards to the Republicans, I'm starting to feel two things, sorry and scared.
Let's start with sorry. The GOP has hated, HATED, Barack Obama. They hated him back in 2008, when his victory let the air out of their W. balloon. On Inauguration Night in 2009, they planned to derail his entire Presidency, having secret meetings, vowing to make him a one termer. Legislatively, they knew he was inheriting a whopper of a mess from his predecessor, and they determined to fight him before, during and after everything he tried to do, creating a gridlock rarely seen in our government.
In the arena of public opinion, they went out of their way to build the conspiracy that his entire Presidency was illegitimate, pandering to the racists to fuel their outrageous claims. It started with his birth certificate, allegations he wasn't born in the US, and became a word salad of everything the right in this country hates; Muslim, Socialist, Nazi-commie (???), gun hater, druggie, anti-white. It didn't work.
President Obama, seeming to be the only one concerned about the state of the country, rolled up his sleeves and got to work. He started to turn this country around. The economy began to recover, jobs returned, the housing market ended it's free fall, and the American brand started to get its luster back. The GOP screamed it had nothing to do with the President, but the American people knew better. To the right's slack jawed, pea brained disbelief and astonishment, Obama won a second term.
That just made the right more mad. They became desperate to wipe away anything positive associated with President Obama. They've tried to undo his legislation out of spite and bitterness, regardless of benefit to the American people, relying on an agenda driven Supreme Court to occasionally rule in their favor. They fan the flames of the rampant racism within the Republican Party, which was getting more and more outraged Obama was still pushing his own agenda. But what really made the politicians and the intolerant voters furious was something they couldn't deny; President Obama has been successful, a fact which sends them into a whirlwind of outrage.
But then came the election of 2014. After outspending the Democrats at obscene levels, and rigging the system to make it harder for Democrats to win, the Republicans took the Senate, and vowed to turn back the scoundrel! They came out with a game plan to stop him once and for all, but it had one fatal flaw; President Obama was still the president, with a tremendous amount of power, and he was not about the lie down and let the Republicans walk all over him and his legacy. He saw the right had a deep fracture between far right Republicans, and extreme far right, racist, pseudo-Libertarians. He saw the Republicans seemed to have forgotten how to write legislation, as they had spent the last six years just trying to stop someone else's. And he knew the Republicans had an impossible amount of seats to hold in the 2016 election, meaning the Democrats would likely recover the Senate, if not ensure another Democrat in the White House for the next four years. Obama just had a stronger hand, and the GOP, drunk on their November victories, sobered up quickly when they realized how little control they had.
Which brings up to the little passion play we saw played out on Tuesday in the Congress. The GOP purposely went behind the Presidents back, and invited a foreign leader from an close ally who himself HATES Obama, Netanyahu from Israel, to come and try to fan the flames of a trumped up foreign policy issue, Iran and nuclear weapons. They went out of their way to make this as partisan as possible, while insisting politics had nothing to do with such an obvious political move. The GOP got excited, thinking this would be a way to weaken the President in the eyes of the American people and the International community. Their giddiness bubbled over to a point where they fawned over the leader of a foreign country, trying to make the argument "Netanyahu should be our President," and nearly handing over the ability to declare war for America, including dispatching troops, equipment and tax dollars, to the leader of a foreign country, just because they thought it would make the President look bad.
And...it didn't. The American people were not fooled by this clear partisan, anti-American stunt. They did not grab their pitchforks and torches and head over to Pennsylvania Avenue. They at best ignored it, at worst, turned Israel into a partisan issue (imagine if Netanyahu loses!). Determined to still shame the President and make BiBi's speech the greatest one in the history of mankind, right wing social media trolls made post after post on how angels openly weeped Tuesday morning at the word beauty of Netanyahu and how all Democrats who didn't attend should be "arrested" (I got that one TWICE!). It still has not worked.
The GOP is boiling mad, furious their latest ploy has failed. Today they snapped, calling the President anti-American for not bowing down to a foreign leader, a "bitchy high school girl" for not doing everything Netanyahu says, and accused liberals of a plot to eventually "kill everyone."
It's the last one that leads me to my second point. The Republicans scare me. They're so frustrated Obama is still President, they're so mad he's had a tremendous amount of success, even in the face of overwhelming opposition (imagine if the right had tried to work with him at all), and they're getting more and more desperate to try to stop him. I'm worried someone on the right, politician or pundit, will call for violence against the President. They'll come out with a deranged plea, "Obama is going to get away with it! Won't someone stop him? Can't anyone make sure he doesn't get away with it!"
Then someone will snap. There is already a fan fiction element of the Republican party dedicated to encouraging fantasies about causing the President harm. If, God forbid, someone does attack him, the same people who have fanned this irrational behavior will be the ones saying, "I never wanted anything bad to happen to the President. I only said he was going to kill your kids, and your grandmother, as he took away your money, and guns, and that someone should do something about it. Where do you get the idea I ever wanted to see anything bad happen to him?"
Dear Lord, please keep the President and all of his staff safe. Bless the secret service who guards him and may they get through the next two years unscathed. Then, the right can insist they never worked against him, and how even though they had their differences, they were proud to serve at a time of the first non-white President.
Sure they were (Sarcasm!). There aren't enough delete keys and white out in the world to cover up the GOP's shameful legacy in the age of Obama.
Let's start with sorry. The GOP has hated, HATED, Barack Obama. They hated him back in 2008, when his victory let the air out of their W. balloon. On Inauguration Night in 2009, they planned to derail his entire Presidency, having secret meetings, vowing to make him a one termer. Legislatively, they knew he was inheriting a whopper of a mess from his predecessor, and they determined to fight him before, during and after everything he tried to do, creating a gridlock rarely seen in our government.
In the arena of public opinion, they went out of their way to build the conspiracy that his entire Presidency was illegitimate, pandering to the racists to fuel their outrageous claims. It started with his birth certificate, allegations he wasn't born in the US, and became a word salad of everything the right in this country hates; Muslim, Socialist, Nazi-commie (???), gun hater, druggie, anti-white. It didn't work.
President Obama, seeming to be the only one concerned about the state of the country, rolled up his sleeves and got to work. He started to turn this country around. The economy began to recover, jobs returned, the housing market ended it's free fall, and the American brand started to get its luster back. The GOP screamed it had nothing to do with the President, but the American people knew better. To the right's slack jawed, pea brained disbelief and astonishment, Obama won a second term.
That just made the right more mad. They became desperate to wipe away anything positive associated with President Obama. They've tried to undo his legislation out of spite and bitterness, regardless of benefit to the American people, relying on an agenda driven Supreme Court to occasionally rule in their favor. They fan the flames of the rampant racism within the Republican Party, which was getting more and more outraged Obama was still pushing his own agenda. But what really made the politicians and the intolerant voters furious was something they couldn't deny; President Obama has been successful, a fact which sends them into a whirlwind of outrage.
But then came the election of 2014. After outspending the Democrats at obscene levels, and rigging the system to make it harder for Democrats to win, the Republicans took the Senate, and vowed to turn back the scoundrel! They came out with a game plan to stop him once and for all, but it had one fatal flaw; President Obama was still the president, with a tremendous amount of power, and he was not about the lie down and let the Republicans walk all over him and his legacy. He saw the right had a deep fracture between far right Republicans, and extreme far right, racist, pseudo-Libertarians. He saw the Republicans seemed to have forgotten how to write legislation, as they had spent the last six years just trying to stop someone else's. And he knew the Republicans had an impossible amount of seats to hold in the 2016 election, meaning the Democrats would likely recover the Senate, if not ensure another Democrat in the White House for the next four years. Obama just had a stronger hand, and the GOP, drunk on their November victories, sobered up quickly when they realized how little control they had.
Which brings up to the little passion play we saw played out on Tuesday in the Congress. The GOP purposely went behind the Presidents back, and invited a foreign leader from an close ally who himself HATES Obama, Netanyahu from Israel, to come and try to fan the flames of a trumped up foreign policy issue, Iran and nuclear weapons. They went out of their way to make this as partisan as possible, while insisting politics had nothing to do with such an obvious political move. The GOP got excited, thinking this would be a way to weaken the President in the eyes of the American people and the International community. Their giddiness bubbled over to a point where they fawned over the leader of a foreign country, trying to make the argument "Netanyahu should be our President," and nearly handing over the ability to declare war for America, including dispatching troops, equipment and tax dollars, to the leader of a foreign country, just because they thought it would make the President look bad.
And...it didn't. The American people were not fooled by this clear partisan, anti-American stunt. They did not grab their pitchforks and torches and head over to Pennsylvania Avenue. They at best ignored it, at worst, turned Israel into a partisan issue (imagine if Netanyahu loses!). Determined to still shame the President and make BiBi's speech the greatest one in the history of mankind, right wing social media trolls made post after post on how angels openly weeped Tuesday morning at the word beauty of Netanyahu and how all Democrats who didn't attend should be "arrested" (I got that one TWICE!). It still has not worked.
The GOP is boiling mad, furious their latest ploy has failed. Today they snapped, calling the President anti-American for not bowing down to a foreign leader, a "bitchy high school girl" for not doing everything Netanyahu says, and accused liberals of a plot to eventually "kill everyone."
It's the last one that leads me to my second point. The Republicans scare me. They're so frustrated Obama is still President, they're so mad he's had a tremendous amount of success, even in the face of overwhelming opposition (imagine if the right had tried to work with him at all), and they're getting more and more desperate to try to stop him. I'm worried someone on the right, politician or pundit, will call for violence against the President. They'll come out with a deranged plea, "Obama is going to get away with it! Won't someone stop him? Can't anyone make sure he doesn't get away with it!"
Then someone will snap. There is already a fan fiction element of the Republican party dedicated to encouraging fantasies about causing the President harm. If, God forbid, someone does attack him, the same people who have fanned this irrational behavior will be the ones saying, "I never wanted anything bad to happen to the President. I only said he was going to kill your kids, and your grandmother, as he took away your money, and guns, and that someone should do something about it. Where do you get the idea I ever wanted to see anything bad happen to him?"
Dear Lord, please keep the President and all of his staff safe. Bless the secret service who guards him and may they get through the next two years unscathed. Then, the right can insist they never worked against him, and how even though they had their differences, they were proud to serve at a time of the first non-white President.
Sure they were (Sarcasm!). There aren't enough delete keys and white out in the world to cover up the GOP's shameful legacy in the age of Obama.
Monday, March 2, 2015
Laminated
If you haven't seen the '60 Minutes' piece on the flooring company Lumber Liquidators, I highly suggest you do so, especially if you are planning on putting flooring in your house. Here's the link for the story. Scroll down the page to get to the video player:
http://www.businessinsider.com/lumber-liquidators-60-minutes-report-2015-3
The piece alleges, with a lot of science and video evidence to back it up, Lumber Liquidators has been using flooring products, manufactured in China, labeled as meeting the standards for safe use in the USA, but in reality selling Americans highly toxic flooring which can cause numerous serious health risks. The company recently had unbelievable profit margins, unseen since the free wheeling days prior to the economic collapse of 2008, numbers which Wall Street investors had been skeptical of for their largess. It was some of the Wall Street investors who started investigating the company and found alarming toxicity levels to the wood flooring, something '60 Minutes' also found in their own independent testing. Undercover cameras caught Chinese flooring product companies, who supply Lumber Liquidators, admitting the products they were producing for the company were not complicit with the safety codes, something that's strongly implied Lumber Liquidators was aware of. It was described as "too expensive" to manufacture the products with safe levels of formaldehyde, a chemical used in the glue holding the wood pulp together, but regardless, the finished product were labeled as being safe.
YIKES!
There is a whole lot of ugly here. Let me break down my biggest problems by starting with...
#1 - The decline of the American manufacturing sector. The story says some of Lumber Liquidators wood flooring is produced in the USA, but most of it comes from China, and most of that comes with the extremely high toxicity levels. It's depressing to see how companies like Lumber Liquidators have shifted most of their manufacturing base to China or some other foreign country. They could manufacture here in America, using trained, hard working Americans, using responsibly managed wood and using safe chemicals in the process, but they don't, not because they can't make a profit, but because they can't make the obscene profits as they can by using near slave labor, questionably attained source materials and toxic chemicals in a foreign country. Which brings up...
#2 - Greedy Bastards! Look at Lumber Liquidators and what you see implied in the '60 Minutes' piece is what American corporate leadership has become at many US companies, profits over all. Why concern yourself with your customers health when there's money to be made, and even if they did get sick, would they ever be able to trace it back to the company? What's even sadder is the profits now have different levels, where the corporate leadership's profits and bonuses trump all else the company does. The answers Tom Sullivan, the Lumber Liquidators Founder, put forward when confronted by such egregious findings sound like a classic case of word play to avoid acknowledging the truth; the company likely knew and encouraged the Chinese manufacturers of their product (there are three separate plants) to use the unsafe levels of formaldehyde in the manufacturing process because it was cheaper. If true, they could make a ton of profit, live like kings with their gold plated jet skis and mistresses covered in caviar, and the only 'negative' was a product which could end up making a lot of people very sick. Which brings up...
#3 - Poisoning the people. Regardless of what test is being done, the flooring Lumber Liquidators is selling is dangerous. The people in the plant in China, the people shipping and delivering the product, the sales people selling it on the floor, and the families who buy it are being subjected to a dangerous level of formaldehyde. The company had to be aware of this on some level. The fact Sullivan immediately fell back to the argument "your testing is bad because it came up with a result which makes us look bad" tells me they have practiced the answer to this argument prior to having to make it. It doesn't matter which test tells me the floor is dangerous to be around, but surely two different groups, doing two different sets of tests, both coming up with the same findings, is not something you can hide behind a 'different strokes' argument. Which brings up....
#4 - Is there no one testing these imported products to make sure we are safe? The answer, most of the time, is no, but this system was degraded by design. Companies like looking like they're safe, but a shocking amount of the time, they're willing to knowingly push safety to the side in the argument for higher profits. Politicians, mainly Republicans, but some Democrats too, are more than eager to take a campaign donation, and in turn introduce more lax regulations or even hog tying the regulating agencies tasked with keeping Americans safe. They hide behind 'big government is evil' and 'overregulation is killing business' arguments to make sure that even though we have standards for safety, no one is actually making sure most companies are having to follow them. Which brings up...
#5 - Who's the good guy?!? Part of Lumber Liquidators problem is they were too profitable, too quickly. Wall Street analysts have a tendency of wanting to try to figure out why a company is doing obscenely well. They do this not only because they might want to jump on the successful company's bandwagon, but also the complete opposite, they might want to gamble against the company, banking their success is all smoke and mirrors. I hate the Vegas concept Wall Street has adopted. They gamble a company will succeed at a certain level, and even if the company is profitable, but not quite as profitable as expected, the company is labeled a failure. It's like asking the casino to pay you back in a game of 21 because you were foolish enough to say "hit me" when you had 20. SuperValu and Best Buy are local companies who have been unfairly abused by this free wheeling financial scheme. But the reality in the case of Lumber Liquidators, in lieu of no real government regulatory agency looking out for the American citizens, Wall Street became the last man standing, the final uncleared hurdle exposing this potential fraud. If not for them, a company could have sold a tainted product for decades, spending money to discredit and fight any citizen who might have become aware something was up, and when the eventual class action lawsuit would've been filed, they would've re-written the laws to make sure they only got a small slap on the wrist for their profit fueled illness and death. Which brings up...
#6 - Death. Not only should anyone who bought Lumber Liquidators product have it immediately tested for safety, but the illnesses 2 and 3 year olds will have in 20 years are the real legacy of the blood money, eagerly gobbled up by the greedy bastards who, more than likely, knowingly went along with this plan. Not only are their customers future health concerns on the line, but considering the ominous statement from Lumber Liquidators about the video footage from the manufacturing plants in the '60 Minutes' piece, my guess is anyone at those plants who was honest about what they were doing are more than likely fired, and possibly in jail or dead. This story, if Lumber Liquidators proves to have had knowledge of the formaldehyde, validates my theory about most of today's major corporations; if any one of our lives would ensure a company's quarterly earnings would rise one cent, you wouldn't make it out the door. Money is the greedy's true God. Blood money indeed.
Here's the worst part of this story: How many other companies are doing the exact same thing but have not been caught yet? Here's hoping they get too profitable, too quickly.
http://www.businessinsider.com/lumber-liquidators-60-minutes-report-2015-3
The piece alleges, with a lot of science and video evidence to back it up, Lumber Liquidators has been using flooring products, manufactured in China, labeled as meeting the standards for safe use in the USA, but in reality selling Americans highly toxic flooring which can cause numerous serious health risks. The company recently had unbelievable profit margins, unseen since the free wheeling days prior to the economic collapse of 2008, numbers which Wall Street investors had been skeptical of for their largess. It was some of the Wall Street investors who started investigating the company and found alarming toxicity levels to the wood flooring, something '60 Minutes' also found in their own independent testing. Undercover cameras caught Chinese flooring product companies, who supply Lumber Liquidators, admitting the products they were producing for the company were not complicit with the safety codes, something that's strongly implied Lumber Liquidators was aware of. It was described as "too expensive" to manufacture the products with safe levels of formaldehyde, a chemical used in the glue holding the wood pulp together, but regardless, the finished product were labeled as being safe.
YIKES!
There is a whole lot of ugly here. Let me break down my biggest problems by starting with...
#1 - The decline of the American manufacturing sector. The story says some of Lumber Liquidators wood flooring is produced in the USA, but most of it comes from China, and most of that comes with the extremely high toxicity levels. It's depressing to see how companies like Lumber Liquidators have shifted most of their manufacturing base to China or some other foreign country. They could manufacture here in America, using trained, hard working Americans, using responsibly managed wood and using safe chemicals in the process, but they don't, not because they can't make a profit, but because they can't make the obscene profits as they can by using near slave labor, questionably attained source materials and toxic chemicals in a foreign country. Which brings up...
#2 - Greedy Bastards! Look at Lumber Liquidators and what you see implied in the '60 Minutes' piece is what American corporate leadership has become at many US companies, profits over all. Why concern yourself with your customers health when there's money to be made, and even if they did get sick, would they ever be able to trace it back to the company? What's even sadder is the profits now have different levels, where the corporate leadership's profits and bonuses trump all else the company does. The answers Tom Sullivan, the Lumber Liquidators Founder, put forward when confronted by such egregious findings sound like a classic case of word play to avoid acknowledging the truth; the company likely knew and encouraged the Chinese manufacturers of their product (there are three separate plants) to use the unsafe levels of formaldehyde in the manufacturing process because it was cheaper. If true, they could make a ton of profit, live like kings with their gold plated jet skis and mistresses covered in caviar, and the only 'negative' was a product which could end up making a lot of people very sick. Which brings up...
#3 - Poisoning the people. Regardless of what test is being done, the flooring Lumber Liquidators is selling is dangerous. The people in the plant in China, the people shipping and delivering the product, the sales people selling it on the floor, and the families who buy it are being subjected to a dangerous level of formaldehyde. The company had to be aware of this on some level. The fact Sullivan immediately fell back to the argument "your testing is bad because it came up with a result which makes us look bad" tells me they have practiced the answer to this argument prior to having to make it. It doesn't matter which test tells me the floor is dangerous to be around, but surely two different groups, doing two different sets of tests, both coming up with the same findings, is not something you can hide behind a 'different strokes' argument. Which brings up....
#4 - Is there no one testing these imported products to make sure we are safe? The answer, most of the time, is no, but this system was degraded by design. Companies like looking like they're safe, but a shocking amount of the time, they're willing to knowingly push safety to the side in the argument for higher profits. Politicians, mainly Republicans, but some Democrats too, are more than eager to take a campaign donation, and in turn introduce more lax regulations or even hog tying the regulating agencies tasked with keeping Americans safe. They hide behind 'big government is evil' and 'overregulation is killing business' arguments to make sure that even though we have standards for safety, no one is actually making sure most companies are having to follow them. Which brings up...
#5 - Who's the good guy?!? Part of Lumber Liquidators problem is they were too profitable, too quickly. Wall Street analysts have a tendency of wanting to try to figure out why a company is doing obscenely well. They do this not only because they might want to jump on the successful company's bandwagon, but also the complete opposite, they might want to gamble against the company, banking their success is all smoke and mirrors. I hate the Vegas concept Wall Street has adopted. They gamble a company will succeed at a certain level, and even if the company is profitable, but not quite as profitable as expected, the company is labeled a failure. It's like asking the casino to pay you back in a game of 21 because you were foolish enough to say "hit me" when you had 20. SuperValu and Best Buy are local companies who have been unfairly abused by this free wheeling financial scheme. But the reality in the case of Lumber Liquidators, in lieu of no real government regulatory agency looking out for the American citizens, Wall Street became the last man standing, the final uncleared hurdle exposing this potential fraud. If not for them, a company could have sold a tainted product for decades, spending money to discredit and fight any citizen who might have become aware something was up, and when the eventual class action lawsuit would've been filed, they would've re-written the laws to make sure they only got a small slap on the wrist for their profit fueled illness and death. Which brings up...
#6 - Death. Not only should anyone who bought Lumber Liquidators product have it immediately tested for safety, but the illnesses 2 and 3 year olds will have in 20 years are the real legacy of the blood money, eagerly gobbled up by the greedy bastards who, more than likely, knowingly went along with this plan. Not only are their customers future health concerns on the line, but considering the ominous statement from Lumber Liquidators about the video footage from the manufacturing plants in the '60 Minutes' piece, my guess is anyone at those plants who was honest about what they were doing are more than likely fired, and possibly in jail or dead. This story, if Lumber Liquidators proves to have had knowledge of the formaldehyde, validates my theory about most of today's major corporations; if any one of our lives would ensure a company's quarterly earnings would rise one cent, you wouldn't make it out the door. Money is the greedy's true God. Blood money indeed.
Here's the worst part of this story: How many other companies are doing the exact same thing but have not been caught yet? Here's hoping they get too profitable, too quickly.
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