Saturday, August 17, 2002

Sensible Don has updated his website. It had been several months since it was changed. I am glad to see it revised. I hope he keeps it updated more often.
Break-in suspect, facing arrest, stabs himself
How will the boycotters spin this one? How will they blame the white man for this? I would guess that Emmanuel Livingston a producer on 1230 the Buzz would say this man is mentally ill, which was caused by 400 years of "oppression".
Mandatory Pledge?
What purpose does this serve? I find it to be forcing schools and school children to accept the religious belief that the USA is subject to the rule of the Christian "god". I can only assume that this school board member wants a general form of theocracy. It is a violation of freedom of speech to force anyone to say the pledge. I would think that would include teachers and other school employees. This sounds like micromanaging by a politically obsessed school board member. I hope Winifred Clayton of Fairfield takes the freedoms of the students and staff of the school district she represents into consideration before taking action. Mandatory performances of required oaths and pledges is something that should not be taken lightly. We value being under oath in court or the various oaths of office, but if she thinks the forcing schools to say the pledge does not have the purpose of being both political and religious, then I think she is lying to herself.
Black group wants lawsuit dismissed
It is simple. Damon Lynch, if you want the lawsuit dismissed, you first must end the boycott. You think that is extortion???? Look in the mirror. That is what you are doing every day with your boycott, or should I say your shakedown.

Friday, August 16, 2002

It appears that Zee over at Roadsassy is either playing along with the Bill Cunningham hoax on WLW or is a sucker and bought it hook, like and sinker. My earlier post today seems to have an example of fact vs. fiction and the problem WLW has with reality and with truth.
Jay Love doesn't get it

Jay Love, afternoon talk show host on 1230 the Buzz, does not get it. On his 08/15/2002 show, he railed on a letter to the editor of the Enquirer. This letter discussed the Black Family Reunion in town this weekend, and the letter talked about how a "White" Family Reunion would be called racist. The letter writer is correct. A reunion would be called racist by many many blacks if it was called such and celebrated "White History and Culture". I really have no idea what "White History and Culture" is supposed to be. Is it European in basis? Well, parts of my family have been in this country since 1630 when they left England, and that same family only came to England in 1069 from France. I am really French? I don't want to be, but I can't fault My mega-great-grandfather Mr. de la Feld. I however am American. I really don't have any other culture to fall back on. That culture is a mixture of many elements of other cultures, but I don't view myself as needing to celebrate what I know I am. If I were to celebrate being an American, I am sure Jay would not want to attend my reunion and more than I would want to go the Black Family Reunion.

Jay is missing the point on his flawed comparison between having the Black Family Reunion and an Italian Festival or Octoberfest. He seems to equate being Italian or German to being Black. Jay wants to combine his race and his ethnicity into one item and expects others to not get a little miffed when he does it. If Jay were to have a Jamaican Festival or a South African Festival he can compare it to Italians or Germans.

The real problem with the name is what it means to most people. I think Jay views this as a Reunion of Black Families, but the name appears to compare itself to the Smith Family Reunion. The Smith Family Reunion is for Smiths. It is not about promoting being a Smith to the outside world, it is just for the Smiths of the world to get together and share their common lineage. When I hear the term "Black Family Reunion", I think of a get together for blacks together and share their common lineage. This just does not sit right with me. This Black Family Reunion is drawn not on blood relatives, but instead on race. The letter writer's point was valid and a name change would go a long way to draw in "whites".
Bill Cunningham hoax backfires
WLW should not be whining about this. You live by the crass hoax, you die by the crass hoax. Mike McConnell was all up in arms over this column by John Kiesewetter on his WLW radio program today. I think Mike and program director Darryl Parks need to rethink that which they spout off about when talking about their radio station. Mike says the Kiesewetter just "doesn't get it." What does he not get? Does he not get the inside jokes? Does he not get why your station does this kind of programming? I don't get that. I know this kind of programming goes on all the time on WLW, but unless you listen regularly, or know the hosts personally, you have little clue as to when WLW is being honest and reporting information, or when you are making stuff up. I don't mind that they make stuff up, and try to have fun. The problem is, as I have said before, they want to be both a serious radio station with news, and they want to be a sophomoric station where cheap stunts gets you a really "vanilla" audience. In this case it is intellectually simple, instead of being puritanically pure. If WLW wants to be a goof off station, fine, but don't try to be a news station as well. I can't trust anything I hear on that station as being factual. Mike even thought Monty Python's Life of Brian came out in the early 1970's. Damn, I was not born until 1972, but I could tell by the production value it came out later than that. Plus, I new where to look up that it was released in 1979. People do listen to what you say, and when you market your program on 15 minute segments, and when the average person listens for 15 minutes and can not tell that Cunningham is just "pretending", don't be shocked when one of those people act on Willie’s claims of fact. When I hear WLW hosts whine about the truthfulness of politicians or others they don't like, I will be laughing at that host, and I will be posting here their hypocrisy.