Media Manipulation or Fair Reporting? You Decide.

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 13:15:03 -0500

An Open Letter to NY Daily New Writers - Nancy Dillion & Kevin Deutsch

Ms Dillion & Mr. Deutsch,

I am a faithful reader of the daily newspapers. Yes, that makes me part of a dying demographic, but also increases my value to people like you who depend on my wallet and eyeballs to maintain their jobs.

Your story on the Montel Williams legal proceedings in CT Family Court in a tad offensive to me and (imho) slanted from the first sentence. "MONTEL WILLIAMS arrived in a chauffered GMC Denali. . . "

Are you aware that Montel has been fighting MS for a decade? I have watched him walk and it's obvious to many of us with friends and family who also suffer from this horrific disease, Montel is probably not able to drive a car. AND it was not a Bentley or Benz, but an American SUV.

While I am not familiar with the details of the case, you mentioned that Mr. Williams pays his $18,700 / month child support. Is that not enough for the courts? Your article questioned the amount of involvement Montel had in the lives of his children - saying that the children came forward to say that their dad has all but abandoned them emotionally. Isn't that a family issue? Is any of that your business or the courts? Do you want the government to decide how much time you have to spend with your family each week?

In the very same edition of your fine paper there is a story about a new player that the Jets have signed - Antonio Cromartie. Mr. Cromartie is $25,000 behind in his child support for the SEVEN children he has fathered with SIX different women... AND he's named in FIVE additional paternity cases. He’s got enough paternity issues for an entire week of shows for Maury Povich. The story did not really take issue with his personal actions... but then why should it, Cromartie had 10 interceptions in 2007. At 25 yrs old, this guy is going to be paid millions by a professional sports franchise, he'll appear on TV each week and be lauded as a hero to young men and women.

Yes, Montel Williams has had a successful media career, but he also served his country in the US Navy and Marines, spending over 17yrs in uniform. In addition to his military service, Mr. Williams was instrumental in the Partnership for Prescription Assistance - helping MILLIONS get medications that they otherwise could not afford. You should also know that Montel has dedicated a significant part of his life to raising money for the battle against MS. His foundation runs more efficiently than any business, with the lion's share of all donations actually going to the cause and not some bloated infrastructure padded with friends and family. You ought to thank him for his service to the country and the communities he has helped.

We need more responsible people like Montel Williams and fewer Antonio Cromarties... and on a bigger issue - we need to stay out of the personal lives of people - all people. If folks are living up to their obligations, what happens inside a family home, unless it is illegal, is the family's business, not yours or the government's.

Ban The Cursing, Balance The F*cking Budget!

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 19:22:02 -0500

Last week the California State Assembly passed a resolution that would ban swearing in the state for a month. And if the State Senate had approved it, the ban would take place immediately. But California’s proposed ban had no teeth in it... If I was the Gov. I would make the law say - “Get caught swearing in public - get a ticket, pay a fine.”

Sadly, the issue was rejected... and what was hailed by most of the “clever” TV pundits as another example of government gone totally off the rails, was really a great idea that died.

Think about it - giving states like New York and New Jersey the right to fine people for swearing would not only erase the bulging deficits, but likely create a surplus within weeks. Sh*t, just a few cleverly placed officers at sporting events and near school grounds... Booyah! And think of all the folks just itching to work the Swear Patrol!

It’s so f**king simple... of course we’ll never do it.

Feed The Homeless In Miami, Get A Ticket...

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 08:12:20 -0500

We’re still over a month away from April Fools Day, so I know this is a real story.

(From Fox News 2-27-10)

The Miami City Commission is set to consider a proposal next month that would prohibit unauthorized people and groups from feeding the homeless downtown, an ordinance proponents say will cut down on litter and ensure the safety of the food the homeless do eat.

The Miami Downtown Development Authority recently approved the measure, sending it up to the commission.
Though the change could draw objections, David Karsh, spokesman for Development Authority Chairman Marc Sarnoff, said the rule isn't a blanket ban. He said that anybody would be able to feed the homeless, but they would have to go through formal training first -- amateurs couldn't just give up part of their lunch to help someone they meet on the street.
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Plain and simple - The government wants to legislate charity.
This proposed legislation is wrong on so many levels, that it is bound to pass with little or no objection.
Let’s delve a little deeper into the story.
You are leaving a restaurant with a doggie bag that could be tomorrow’s lunch or dinner. After seeing a hungry/homeless person on the street you decide to give the extra food (food that you paid for) to a person less fortunate than you. WAIT JUST A MINUTE, MISTER! The law as it is proposed, would prevent you from giving the food away, unless you had been trained and licensed by the government to do so. And if you are NOT trained and licensed, you face a possible $300 fine. (A fine for charity!)
Is this a “quality of life” issue or a “government control” issue? To me it seems simple - this is about control. How dare you think that you can just giveaway something that is yours to whomever you feel! What if the government thinks someone else would deserve it more? You are not qualified to make such decisions, especially when it comes to your personal property and other human beings.
Justification for this intrusion into our freedom is masked by saying people who give food to the homeless are adding to the litter problem and also could be giving unsafe food to unsuspecting victims! WHAT? The insanity of that reason does not even deserve an answer.
Let’s take this kind of thinking a step further... What about people who walk out on a street in the winter and give a coat or a blanket to a person who is cold? Will Miami start legislating clothing donations as well? Will they enact a law mandating that people need to be trained in color matching to make certain that the recipients of the donations are not clashing or, God forbid, wearing something that is out of fashion?

Is there an upside to Miami’s madness? Only if you believe in bigger government and more control over people. After all, we cannot forget the jobs that will be created in the name of training people on food safety and how to give away food to hungry and starving people.

I Love A Parade, Just Not 300 Parades A Year

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:49:58 -0500

NYC is parade-crazy. Parades are (imho) an enormous waste of time and money, while contributing to the "everyone is great and deserves applause and attention" thinking that is the downfall of our city, state, country.

Earlier this week, NYC’s Police Commissioner announced plans to scale back parades in the city. At first I was thrilled, thinking that we were going to eliminate the non-stop salutes to every single cause and ethnic group that has more than 100 people living here. Not so... he’s just capping the time these events can clog the streets. After all, the City of New York charges people for the right to put on their “look-at-me” lovefests.

Call me a curmudgeon (or worse), but I think the only Parade we need every weekend is the one that comes inside the Sunday paper.

Each Spring I feel my sphincter tightening as annual argument over allowing gays in the St Patrick's Day parade begins. That foolish argument (let’em all march - or keep the priests out) signals the start of "Parade Season" - from March 17th to November 20something. During weekends in Parade Season we the sane must live with the attention-seeking needs of every country, ethnicity and special interest group on the planet. You think I am exaggerating? Have you ever looked at the complete list of parades in NYC? Here are a few are just a few on the 2010 schedule;

Brooklyn Dominican Parade (why does Brooklyn need it's own... drive into the city you lazy bums)

Queens Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade (see above - if NYC is having a Gay Pride parade, Queens is still part of the city - get in the game people)

Philippine Independence Day Parade - really? Don't they do that in Manilla?

Evangelical Children's Association Parade - I know the Bible says "And a child shall lead them." But it doesn't say "in a parade!"

There are six plus pages of scheduled parades on the New York City website... from the General Pulaski Memorial Parade (a bridge wasn't enough? he needs a parade too?) to the Captive Nations Parade - (who's there to march if they are all captive?) and the International Immigrants Parade (aren't all immigrants international?) this making me nuts.

There are exceptions to every rule - and I would hold that parades down NYC’s Canyon Of Heroes fit into the exception category. BUT, heroes are people who fight wars and land on the moon... I don’t believe we need a parade every time some group of multi-millionaires wins another trophy.

My idea? One monster-sized parade - 4th of July - let's salute the country... and in that salute we honor all of the diverse elements that make it so wunnerful - the "gorgeous mosaic."

The People Say STOP, DC says GO!

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:06:54 -0500

Today is the big show at Blair House. The President is bowing to pressure to do as he promised and bring transparency to the Health Care Reform debate (by the way, it’s now changed to Insurance Reform... because polls showed that a majority of the American people did not want Health Care Reform).

And why did this happen? Why today? Why the new bill released online Sunday with little or no fanfare?

The President PROMISED to make the Congressional negotiations open and telecast on C-Span. It did not happen and the people noticed and are not happy.

The President PROMISED to post any legislation online for five full days before any vote could take place. That too did not happen and the people noticed and are not happy.

The President PROMISED that PORK and EARMARKS would go away from his administration. Wanna guess what happened here? More pork and more earmarks than ever before. You noticed in a large way.

I could go on and on with the obvious broken campaign promises - these are nothing new from either side of the aisle. The topic du jour is Health Care Reform - and apparently America does not want the current 2000+ pages of “reform” being proposed.

According to the latest CNN poll we as a people do not want this.

25% of those surveyed say the bill should be passed as written. JUST 25%! And that’s what’s moving this forward?

48% agree with Howard Dean - he said the entire thing should be scrapped and we should start over. I have agreed with him BEFORE he made this statement.

So is it a partisan politics thing? Not as much as you might think.

52% of Independent voters wants to start over
54% of Republicans also say “start from scratch”
Nearly 40% of Democrats want a new beginning.

So why is this not happening? Why are the people who work for us NOT listening to what we want?

If you want the full story from the CNN Poll, you can see it here.