My Blog

Category: Media

  • Race and the Media

    The number one post (in terms of views) on this blog thus far has been the story about the boy from Kansas City, who happened to be white, and was walking along and set on fire by two other kids, who happen to be black.

    This story came up again in the comments on a story over at CNN about a reporter using the N* word on live TV.  Kudos to “Tom” who today at 5:08 CT posted:

    Why has CNN not reported about the Black on White hate crime in Kansas City?  Two black teenagers gasoline torching a white 13 year old and not  adrop of reporting.

    So that got me thinking and I did some Googling:

    boy kansas city gasoline fire
    11,800,000 results – News Only, 28 results

    kansas city gasoline fire hate crime
    380,000 results – News Only, 16 results

    florida neighborhood watch shoots black unarmed
    522,000 results – News Only, 3,700 results

    florida neighborhood watch shoots black unarmed hate crime
    68,800 results – News Only, 103 results

    Wow!!

    It appears the media has generally ignored the Kansas City story but the blogosphere wrote about it extensively.  It also appears that both the media and the blogosphere are careful, cautious, about labeling a story a hate crime.

    UPDATE:  Changed formatting of the search results to better fit on the page.

  • Ayers Family Put ‘Foreigner’ Obama Through School

    Hulton says that in conversations with Mary Ayers while on his route he learned of the couple’s enthusiasm and support for a black foreign student. One bright, warm Chicagoland day, he recounts, he met the student who fit Mary Ayers’ description in front of the Ayers home in Glen Ellyn, Ill. That young man, Hulton is convinced, was Barack Obama.

    Hulton delivered mail to the Ayers, who are both deceased, when he was stationed at the post office in Glen Ellyn, an upper-middle class suburb 25 miles west of downtown Chicago, from late 1986 to 1997. He was a USPS employee from March 28, 1962, through March 30, 2001.

    via WND.

    Simply amazing.  The MSM… asleep at the wheel.

    Everyone should go read this story and decide from themselves.

  • Bizarre News Day

    Here’s some of the stories on the home page at Fox News this evening:

    Targeted Killing in US? Mueller Mum: FBI Director Robert Mueller, when pressed at agency budget hearing, says he has to check with Justice Department whether Eric Holder’s criteria for targeted killing of Americans can be justified within US.

    Mueller Grilled on FBI’s Release of al-Awlaki in 2002

    ICE Says Some Detainees Can Get Tax-Funded Transgender Treatments

    Wind Farms in Northwest Paid to Not Produce: US agency offers to compensate wind farms for shutting down because it was producing too much energy

    Ex-Sheriff, County Clerk Plead Guilty to Voter Fraud: West Virginia officials admit to plot to steal 2010 Dem primary by stuffing boxes with illegal absentee ballots.

    That pretty much sums it all up doesn’t it?

    The head of our national police force doesn’t even know if it’s allowed to execute U.S. citizens on U.S. soil without a trial.  Of course, this is the same law enforcement organization that once released an accused terrorist and American citizen from custody despite an outstanding warrant only so the same man could later be killed by U.S. forces in a targeted attack.

    While taxpayers money is going to fund the killing of U.S. citizens (apparently including on U.S. soil now) non-citizens get provided gender reassignment treatment at taxpayer expense.

    And while gas passes $5.00 a gallon the taxpayers are subsidizing the building of dubious wind turbines all over the country and then, when the wind turbines actually create energy, the taxpayers pay them not to.

    If anyone has doubts how we got here, we need only to consider that our elected officials, including law enforcement officials, will lie, cheat, and steal in order to keep their phoney baloney taxpayer funded jobs.

    I think it’s safe to say that we’ve reached the event horizon.

  • Limbaugh, Fluke, Maher… now + Romney

    While slamming Mitt Romney for not standing up to the “strident voices” on his side, a top Obama advisor is planning to spend some quality time with one on his own, The Daily has learned.

    David Axelrod, President Obama’s senior campaign strategist, is scheduled to appear on Bill Maher’s late-night talk show within the next few weeks, according to Kelley Carville, an HBO spokesman.

    As the controversy over Rush Limbaugh’s comments about Sandra Fluke continued, a former Obama White House official today joined Republicans in pointing out that Maher, who recently donated $1 million to a pro-Obama super PAC, has a history of his misogynistic slurs.

    Last year, he was rebuked by the National Organization for Women for calling Sarah Palin a “dumb tw*t.”

    via The Daily.

    Hello pot, meet kettle.

  • Limbaugh, Fluke, Maher, & the Media

    Much has been written about the recent dust-up between Limbaugh & Fluke and the former’s inappropriate comments about the latter.  Today Rush spent some time on his show perhaps grandstanding, perhaps clearing the air about the status of his advertisers.

    And judging from the reaction of my own brother, who sends me a note last night, “You really lost 28 sponsors?”  No, we have not lost 28 sponsors.  “Well, how can they say it?”  Because they lie and because they don’t understand how it works, and that’s what I want to try and explain.  In fact, folks, we have three brand-new sponsors that will be starting in the next two weeks.  Now, obviously, I’m not gonna tell you who they are today, but we’ve got three brand-new, full-fledged sponsors starting in the next two weeks.  …

    Nobody is losing money here, including us, in all this. And that is key for you to understand. They are not canceling the business on our stations. They’re just saying they don’t want their spots to appear in my show. We don’t get any revenue from ’em anyway. The whole effort is to dispirit you. It’s to make you think the left is being successful in its campaign when it isn’t. In fact, the left is so fed up, they can’t see straight. They thought they had me. They thought I would be off the air by now. They can’t understand why I still am on the air. There is also another rumor going around that I am going to be suspended for a week. It is utter BS.

    via: Rush Limbaugh.

    It’s easy to dismiss Rush’s monologue as self-serving propaganda.  Consider this however, as I write this the 3rd most popular story at CBS News is “Will Limbaugh’s Show Outlast the Firestorm?”  Over at the Chicago Tribune Clarence Page wonders, “Could This be the End of Limbaugh?” So maybe, just maybe, Rush is exactly on point; the Left is trying to keep this issue alive in an effort to drive him off the airwaves.

    Perhaps the greatest evidence to the contrary — that Rush may actually be in some real trouble here — is that none other than Bill Maher is coming to his defense.  Maher tweeted:

    Hate to defend #RushLimbaugh but he apologized, liberals looking bad not accepting. Also hate intimidation by sponsor pullout

    Maher’s tweet is covered at CBS News, the same outlet curious about the continued viability of Rush’s show.  Maher is naturally concerned that his mouth could get the rest of him in trouble.  After having called Sarah Palin several vile things, Maher might consider himself lucky that he’s not already been regulated to Mel Gibson type of treatment.  Self preservation might be driving Maher to come to Limbaugh’s defense.

    What also is interesting is the way that the Left and the Right treat each other.

    Limbaugh’s comments have ignited a firestorm of fury online, sparking “Stop Rush” websites, a “Boycott Rush” Twitter hashtag, an anti-Rush twitter handle and a petition signed by more than 400,000 people calling on advertisers to abandon the show.

    via: ABC News.

    When Bill Maher was calling Sarah Palin a C^#! did 400,000 people call for HBO to drop his show?

    It appears that all freedom of speech may not be equal.

  • Sun Times Editorial Board = Morons

    I came across this while looking for something else:

    Some critics have said this won’t make as much of a dent in pedestrian fatalities as Emanuel suggests, and they may be right. Citing statistics from a city pedestrian study, the Chicago Tribune found that more than half of the city’s 251 fatalities between 2005 and 2009 occurred outside Emanuel’s safety zones.

    This is an argument for more cameras, not fewer. But if installing the cameras is all that’s done, it’s still worth it. Between 2005 and 2009, more than 7,700 pedestrian crashes occurred within one-eighth mile of a school or park, city data shows.

    One life saved, one life-altering injury prevented, is more than enough. Studies clearly show that the lower the speed the more likely a pedestrian is to survive a crash.

    via Editorial @ Chicago Sun-Times.

    Really?  That’s the argument you want to go with?  “One life saved … is more than enough?”  Ok then, follow this dumb-asses.

    If it is true that lower vehicle speed means greater pedestrian survival, then why stop at cameras?  What we should do is change the speed limit on all streets wherever pedestrians may be present to 5 MPH.  After all, one life saved is more than enough.  Effective immediately the speed limit on Michigan Ave, Sheridan Rd,  Roosevelt Rd, Halstead, Western, Harlem, Devon, Broadway, etc will be 5 MPH.  And the fine for speeding will be raised to $10,000.  Just think of the lives we can save.

    Fools.

    If one really wanted to save pedestrian lives what we should do is (1) increase the training requirement for all licensed drivers in the state; (2) stop selling cars to people who cannot prove they have a valid drivers license and proof of insurance; (3) hire more police so that some (at least a few of them) can focus on traffic stops and not just run from 911 call to 911 call; and (4) strictly enforce the jaywalking laws already on the books.  Watch any corner downtown for 5 minutes and count the number of people crossing against the light.  It’s like their just begging to get run over.

    We have to get beyond the notion that every car vs. person accident is the drivers fault.  When some jackass is trying to cross 4 (or more) lanes of Michigan Ave against the light and runs in front of a bus… well… they get what they have coming.  Most of the accidents in the city are not kids chasing a ball into the street.

  • Himalayan Glaciers Lost No Ice in 10 Years

    The authors of the U.N.’s climate policy guide were red-faced two years ago when it was revealed that they had inaccurately forecast that the Himalayan glaciers would melt completely in 25 years, vanishing by the year 2035.

    Rajendra Pachauri, head of the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and director general of the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in New Dehli, India, ultimately issued a statement offering regret for what turned out to be a poorly vetted statement.

    A new report published Thursday, Feb. 9, in the science journal Nature offers the first comprehensive study of the world’s glaciers and ice caps, and one of its conclusions has shocked scientists. Using GRACE, a pair of orbiting satellites racing around the planet at an altitude of 300 miles, it comes to the eye-popping conclusion that the Himalayas have barely melted at all in the past 10 years.  …

    Some previous estimates of ice loss in the high Asia mountains had predicted up to 50 billion tons of melting ice annually, said Wahr, who is also a fellow at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences. Instead, results from GRACE pin the estimated ice loss from those peaks — including ranges like the Himalayas and the nearby Pamir and Tien Shan — at only about 4 billion tons of ice annually.

    Bristol University glaciologist Jonathan Bamber, who was not part of the research team, told the Guardian that such a level of melting was practically insignificant.

    “The very unexpected result was the negligible mass loss from high mountain Asia, which is not significantly different from zero,” he told the Guardian.

    via Fox News.

    What the?!  This is the problem with some (not all) scientists.  There is the whole scientific method which is appropriate; but too many of these global warming folks seem to forget that you must rely on the results of testing (a/k/a observations) to enforce your conclusions.  When the results (i.e. observations) are not in-line with your hypothesis (i.e. conjecture) then your hypothesis WAS WRONG.

    i.e. Why is this guy — who was so clearly wrong years ago — still working at the U.N.?  And how much are we paying him to be wrong all the time?

    The problem with society and the media that they continue to give attention to these “scientists” who are wrong, and then wrong, and then wrong, again and again.  We should not pay any attention to their their kooky ideas.

    How this news story should read is:

    Disgraced scientist, Rajendra Pachauri, once the former head of the U.N.’s IPCC and who was also the director of TERI has officially been proved wrong by actual scientific observations.  Mr. Pachauri, once a prominent raising star in the scientific community is now selling cars in southern Kentucky.  When contacted he stated, “I now realize I was wrong for many years issuing false reports based on bogus data but there can be no doubt that now is the time to get into a new Ford Feista which is both cute and gets great gas mileage.”

  • The Rahm Situation, Part I: Enforce the Law

    The surest way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly.
    — Abraham Lincoln

    While editorial boards, talking heads, and policy wonks from near and far are condemning the recent Appellate Court decision removing Rahm from the ballot based on emotion, there has been little discussion in the media as to what the law actually says.

    It’s time we acknowledge, our city and state governments have passed a lot (a LOT) of poorly worded, half-baked laws.  As someone who’s read a few laws in their day I can tell you that many of our laws as so poorly written that even our best judges struggle to figure out what the law really is.  This leads to more appeals and costs everyone money.

    I read both the majority opinion and the decent of the Appellate Court.  Then I reviewed the actual code.  In the end, I believe the Appellate Court got it right.  There are two requirements to run for office in this city and one of them is residency.  As John Kass wrote his headline today, “The law, at least, doesn’t care who sent ya.”

    Further, I’m against judicial activism.  I believe judges should rule as the law “is” and not what they think the law “should be.”  We should follow Lincoln’s advice and strictly enforce the law as it is written.  And then, we should change the law, so that we don’t have this problem again.

  • Position on TIFs

    Well it took some doing, but I have completed my policy on TIFs.

    This is critically important to the sustainability of the city moving forward.  We cannot survive continuing to go further and further into debt year after year while our schools are failing and the TIF funds are growing bigger and bigger.  We need to assess what it would take to shut-down the TIFs, eliminate all of the overhead, take what is needed for debt service, and give the rest of the money back to the operations and schools budgets where it belongs.

    It’s worth pointing out that currently no one else running for alderman in the Second Ward is advancing such a position.  Alderman Fioretti and all the other candidates are taking the position that TIFs are necessary for development, which I so easily prove false.

    I’m waiting for the media to wake-up to this issue and begin asking the tough questions.  Hopefully someone will start soon… before it’s too late.

  • Media Drops Ball on Taste Proposal

    Chicago aldermen responded coolly Tuesday to a lone bidder’s proposal to charge Taste of Chicago patrons a $20 admission fee — and up to $65 for tickets to a music stage that draws the biggest-name talent to the lakefront festival.

    (Full story here.)

    This is the whole story; $20 admission & $65 concert tickets.  Completely missing is the length of the proposal, the up-front payment to the city, any other details of the deal, and financial records from previous years’ Tastes.  As such, the deal is impossible to evaluate.

    When the media can’t even get the simplest of details out to the public it’s no wonder that public expectations are so low.

    Someone should get the entire proposal and make it available with a nice 150 word executive summary.  That would be some fine journalism.