Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Outrageous: Mother Uses Baby as Taser Shield

In a scenario so bizarre that it wouldn't even make Dog, the Bounty Hunter, a mother tossed her baby in front of her as a human shield for a Taser.

A bounty hunter tracked down a fugitive, who dropped his weapon and bailed out of his car, leaving two women inside. One is a prison escapee.

The other, a mother with baby. When the woman saw the bounty hunter getting out his taser, she put her baby in harm's way to protect herself.

Oklahoma City police say that the baby was hit by a taser barb, causing some bleeding, but was not exposed to the electrical jolt. The loving mother? Arrested for child endangerment.

The Imus Rule: Will Air America Host Be Fired for False Attack on "Right Wing Hate Machine"?

Something happened to Air America talk show personality Randi Rhodes in New York. Before the blood was even dry in her incident--as yet still undefined-- Air American host Jon Elliott issued a blistering attack on "the right wing hate machine" that he said had attacked Rhodes.

That, of course, cranked up the jackals of conspiracy and hate. Before long, the blogosphere was howling for investigations, retribution--you name it. After all, if Rhodes had gotten hurt, fallen, or even mugged in crime-ridden New York City, it had to be a grand scheme by the right wing, right?

Wrong. Elliott, too little and too late, issued an apology. Well, kind of. Here's what he said:
"I shouldn't have speculated based on hearsay that Randi Rhodes had been mugged and that it may have been an attack from a right wing hate machine. I apologize for jumping to conclusions based on an emotional reaction."

Notice how he cleverly worked in the phrase "right wing hate machine"? Nice going, Jon--you managed to package your hate-mongering agenda into a pseudo-apology. Air America did manage to put up a wimpy statement that avoided the important points.

However, Air America did manage to post a flaming attack on radio talk show and shock jock host Don Imus, fired after his infamous "nappy headed ho's" comment. In his pre-pubescent rant, host Lionel "no last name to identify me, please" declared: "NHH's Beware! The I-Man Is Back On Radio After Six Interminably Grueling Months In Exile."

Let's listen in, shall we? (Warning: vitriol ahead. Put on safety wear.)

"Let me get this straight, everyone's favorite cowpoke allegedly libels, blasphemes and intentionally inflicts emotional distress upon the Rutgers ladies' basketball team. You know, the term now forever singed and tattooed on our psyches: NHH's. (I've found parenthetically, hence the parentheses, that abbreviating racist slurs gives them additional severity.) He grovels at the feet of Rev. Al to no avail, goes on said Rev's "radio" show, increasing its listenership to 12, again to no avail. Meets with the team and yet again grovels before them and attempts to expiate his transgressions. Meanwhile unbuckled New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, whilst speeding to Drumthwackett to meet with the I-man et ux., almost loses his life in a collision."


Whew. Lionel manages to tattoo our national psyches forever (I missed that memo, sorry), drag in the Rev. Al Sharpton, and also infer blame on Imus for Corzine's traffic accident, all in one short paragraph. Let's pray this guy doesn't stop to gargle while spewing; the resulting tidal wave of spit and venom could take down an average NASCAR audience.

Lionel has declared that Imus is back on the air, apparently imperiling our entire national fabric. Last I heard, Imus was in talks with WABC in New York and the RFD-TV Network. Yea, that's the "farmer in the dell" folks.

Air America has hop-scotched over something important here: they can issue false reports of conspiracies and "right wing hate machine" crimes and the show goes on. Shock jock Imus, put in the penalty box for an offensive check, may return to the talk show brawl, and that's a show that must be stopped.

Homework assignment for Air America: Shakespeare, "Othello," Iago. Prepare a report on how and why Iago's false tales create bad results. Then write an essay on "Why We Must Not Emulate Iago."

Nah, never mind. Just write "Lying to create hate is bad" 1,000 times on the blackboard. And to show us that your sense of moral outrage is really moral, fire Jon Elliott.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Fox News: Open for Business

Fox News debuted its newest venture, Fox Business Channel (FBC), today.

What's it all about, Alfie? If you listen to Media Matters and other liberal pundits, you'd believe that the new venture is the coming of the Anti-Christ. Fangs out, they've pre-criticized:

"..viewers can expect from the Fox Business Network team: rampant falsehoods, statements praising the Bush administration, suggestive questioning, scantily clad women, and celebrities discussing the news of the day."


This is, of course, in comparison to rampant falsehoods praising liberal leaders, suggestive and combative questioning, scantily clad women, and celebrities now available on other primetime channels. Even before the venture launched, some pots readily clattered about calling a new kettle black--even before it was unwrapped and hung over the stove.

What is the new venture like? I checked out their new website. It's red, gold, and glitzy. And right now, a bit glitchy.

My registration didn't process. One story had open coding in it. The detachable markets tracker didn't detach.

The top of the front page offers three marquee-style headlines. If you choose "more news," the marquee flips to another story. Click "more news" again, and you're back to the first story. Apparently, the three marquee headers are intended to only flip back and forth between two stories in each panel, somewhat like hypertext ping pong paddles.

Other content includes polls, business tools (calculators, etc.), "partner content," and advertising. In short, pretty much like the rest of the pack.

Given that their content so far is pretty much standard, it's obvious that Media Matters and the liberals are really upset about only one thing: Fox Business may deviate from the pack and not offer a liberal bias. And that, of course, would be awful, whereas a liberal stew is godly and good.

Pass me a platter of objectivity, please.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Forcing Students Into Political Actions for Grades: The New Cult of "Social Justice"

Should students be forced to lobby state legislators, work on petition drives, or sign petitions for causes they don't believe in in order to pass college courses?

The National Association of Social Workers, in cahoots with universities and professors, has put students and their careers at risk with forced action and forced indoctrination. The National Association of Scholars has found an alarming trend on college campuses: forcing students to conform to political and ideological beliefs and actions. What is this cult-like activity?

It's the newest secular religion, and it's over-riding freedom of speech, religious beliefs, and a student's right to get an education without compromising their own beliefs. It goes by many aliases: "social justice," "economic justice," "oppression," and "discrimination."

Free thought? Analytical thinking? Perish those ideas, say the wardens of correct political thought and action. They'll tell you what to believe, and what actions to take.

And when their converts graduate, workplaces and communities wind up with workers dedicated not to finding solutions, but instead to assigning societal blame and enabling dysfunction. Read on, America. This is serious and deadly business, masquerading as education and public service.