The Gadfly On The Wall

Is It Just Me? As a fan of HGTV, Discovery, A&E, the History Channel and other non-news network channels, I find they provide me some respite from the sadly deficient, tiring reportage I spot regularly on the news channels. But over the past 18 months or so, I've noticed a trend, particularly on HGTV, that begs comment. In years past, HGTV's numerous home and garden shows would, on occasion, feature homosexual homeowners. Now, it seems, it is half of those featured. To find so many gay homeowners to feature, the producers have to go looking for them, my conclusion. And that leads me to another conclusion: There's an agenda at work; if followed, that agenda would result, over time, in the eradication of human life. Some end game.

Debates: Democrats and Republicans who want to be president have now "debated" on television. Ho hum. Eight months from now, there might be more interest.

Noted Quote: This one comes from Don Kates Jr., criminologist, civil liberties lawyer and author, writing in Handguns magazine about "gansta" attitudes towards firearms: "...it is useful to point out that everything that leads to gun-related violence is already against the law. What is needed are not new and more stringent gun laws but rather a concerted effort to rebuild the social structure of inner cities." In other words, Bill Cosby is right.

Noted Quote: Fred Thompson, possible Republican candidate for president, discussing congressional Democrats: "They're as near to investing in defeat of their own country than anything I've ever seen, and I don't think the American people will forgive them for that."

Geography Lesson? Does the Channel 9 graphic artist who did this graphic need a geography lesson? The artwork accompanied a story about drug trafficking that went from Detroit to Chicago to Oklahoma City to Tucson. Problem is, all the cities except Oklahoma City are in the wrong place on the map (and OKC's placement isn't exactly precise). Tucson (60 miles north of Mexico) is placed about where Flagstaff is, Chicago is placed about where St. Louis is (!) and Detroit is located about where Lansing is in the middle of the state. Apparently, the station's reporters and editors didn't catch the misplacements.

Imus Controversy: The Don Imus Affair continues. He's suing, claiming he's owed the $40 million due on his contract. He may have a case to make, since what he said was not obscene; it was, however, thoughtless and crude and coarse and demeaning to a bunch of college kids. He was not fired for violating any FCC regulation. He was fired because he said something stupid and because minority "leaders" raised hell about it and commercial sponsors bailed. Any talk show host faces that same prospect. If I'd been his boss, Imus would have been fired long ago, but what do I know? I also would have tossed Rosie O'Donnell from her TV talk show for being rude and crude and insulting and offensive. Imus says his contract called for him to push the envelope; I haven't read his contract. The problem many have with Affair Imus is that he was canned for saying something that one can hear (and worse) in what passes for "music" in a certain racial group; of course, for a white guy to say it is politically incorrect. A benefit of Affair Imus is the focus by some on the vile and disgusting rap lyrics that have come to define the genre, its performers and the corporations that dispense it. I discuss the Imus case on an upcoming edition of The Verdict with Norman attorney Micheal Salem. Host Kent Meyers struggled to get a word in edgewise.

Any Calls For Knife Control? A teenager in another state boarded a school bus with a hunting knife and stabbed another student more than a dozen times before bystanders could pull him away, police and the victim said. John Moore, 14, was in good condition Friday, two days after the attack. The suspect, also 14, was put in juvenile custody. No motive has been determined.

Did He Say Anything About Sexual Self Control? Former President Bill Clinton said Friday that disasters such as worldwide famine and an obesity epidemic could destroy the U.S. health care system unless politicians begin to look ahead and cooperate.

Tilting Left? Governor Brad Henry's recent vetoes (pro-life bill, tort reform, budget) have some convinced he's tilting to the left on the political spectrum.

Share |