Sleepless in Midland

Fake news -- they try to fool reporters for fun, profit and politics

The other day we watched TV reports about the poor balloon boy whose daddy hid him away and released a flying saucer balloon to fool reporters into putting the family on TV. "It was for the show," the kid explained, shining a light on poppa's reality show ambition. But the dad had manipulated government services in this fraud, and cops weren't amused.

How hard is it to fool the reporters? It didn't take them too long to figure out the balloon boy hoax, but apparently it's not too hard to get reporters to go along with a hoax.

A Welsh View points us to Starsuckers celebrity hoax dupes tabloids about some documentary makers who searched through tabloids for stories they could prove were false. That grew tiresome, so they decided to create the fake stories themselves.

They called "Got a story?" phone lines that newspapers advertised and gave them false stories about celebrities, stories outlandish enough that the editors should have checked them out, the pranksters alleged. Exerpt:

A story about singer Amy Winehouse's hair catching fire from a faulty fuse spread across the world after it was printed in the Mirror on 21 March under the headline "Amy Winehouse in hair fire drama". The Starsuckers researcher gave the newspaper fictional details of the story, which she said she had "heard" from an unnamed friend who was at the singer's house. //snip//

Atkins defended his project, saying the onus was on the newspaper to corroborate what it publishes. "Had those fake stories been fact-checked by the newspapers before they were printed, they would have realised – I think within minutes – that they were about to publish complete and utter babble."

Sometimes a story is too juicy to check out. And when they relate to flagrant behavior of a boozing celeb, the stories are entirely believable.

But here's where it gets serious. Another victim of fake news was Sarah Palin. The perpetrator of the fake news is now out hawking his book, I Am Martin Eisenstad. Eisenstadt is the pseudonym of the guy who, after the '08 election, conned MSNBC and L.A. Times, among others, into believing he had been a McCain/Palin campaign staffer who had to expose how terrible a person that stupid Sarah Palin was. That it was all fake probably meant little to the people who would later spout lines from Tina Fey and believe they were quoting Sarah Palin.

The huckster's skill is in tricking people into believing something they want to believe. Anyway, for those wanting to read that particular huckster's book, here's a friendly review, and an excerpt:

What’s consistently funny about the book is that for all that Martin Eisenstadt is an obvious parody, there is a striking similarity between his character and demeanor and those of many of the people you routinely encounter in green rooms and cocktail parties around Washington. This time, like the last time, the joke goes both ways. That’s why I intend it as real praise when I say that I Am Martin Eisenstadt is the best fake memoir of the campaign season.

Be on guard, people. There are prevaricators out there.

We always knew that some music was torture

This has got to be the funniest thing to come out of the war on terror since the mug shot of shoe bomber Richard Reid was released. Most adults would probably agree that too much exposure to certain music is pure torture. So maybe it was easy for Gitmo interrogators to come up with the idea.

The theory was that listening to the music would induce or enhance a feeling of futility among the prisoners with the desired result being cooperation with interrogators. Makes water boarding sound pretty mild.

National Security Archive at GWU has filed a FOIA request with the U.S. government requesting documents "concerning use of loud music during detention and/or as a technique to interrogate detainees at U.S.-operated prison facilities used in its War on Terror ...".

The subject has been addressed in previous reports. See this report PDF, in particular Findings #4 and #13 stating that the music wasn't loud enough to cause any physical injury but with recommendations that specific time limits should be placed on the length of time that a detainee may be subjected to "futility" music.

But here's where it gets funny. There's a long list of musicians who have publicly protested the use of their music for torture, notwithstanding the fact that their music was probably never used. The musicians are probably of mixed mind about this. On one hand they wouldn't want to think listening to their music is torture. On the other hand, here's an opportunity to get some much needed publicity to try to resurrect that flagging career. Meatloaf is still around?

See press release here. And see the FOIA request here (PDF).

Check out this list of musicians from the aforementioned FOIA request, and you'll probably agree listening to many of these musicians is torture. Here's the full list:

AC/DC
Aerosmith
Barney theme song (By Bob Singleton)
The Bee Gees
Britney Spears
Bruce Springsteen
Christina Aguilera
David Gray
Deicide
Don McClean
Dope
Dr. Dre
Drowning Pool
Eminem
Hed P.E.
James Taylor
Limp Bizkit
Marilyn Manson
Matchbox Twenty
Meatloaf
Meow mix jingle
Metallica
Neil Diamond
Nine Inch Nails
Pink
Prince
Queen
Rage against the Machine
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Redman
Saliva
Sesame street theme music (By Christopher Cerf)
Stanley Brothers
The Star Spangled Banner
Tupac Shakur

Noticeably absent: Dixie Chicks.

Woodward and Bernstein at UTPB Thursday

Now this is timely. Authors Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein are scheduled to speak at UTPB on 10/15/09.

President Obama, channeling Richard Nixon, recently singled out Fox News for his enemies list. Maybe someone will ask Woodward and Bernstein, who once topped Mr. Nixon's list, what they think about Mr. Obama's Fox phobia.

Hat tip to Dottie Chavez, the original Odessa Tea Party organizer.

The Permian Basin 9-12 Project

Last Saturday (9/19/09) a group of about 30 people gathered to hear local 9-12 Project planners talk about what it's all about and what to expect. The groups' president, Stefano Rosellini, is an interesting person. He immigrated to the U.S. from Italy 14 years ago, and having lived under the European style of control over individuals he is concerned that it is about to become the American way. You can read a speech he gave at the Odessa Tea Party rally on 9/12/09 here. Excerpt:

. . . I am 44 years old and for the first 30 years of my life I have experienced firsthand the Euro Socialism that the Obama administration and the current liberal Congress are trying to impose on all of us and I can report to you, without any shade of a doubt that you do not want to follow that path.

The main reason I am here today is because I see the healthcare bill being proposed as a tipping point. I have never been involved in politics before and I have never participated in a rally like this, but for the last few years I have witnessed a very alarming trend on American politics and I believe that it is time for me to stand up and give back some of the love that this Country has given me since the first day I arrived. . . .

Read the whole thing to appreciate the important points he made.

The people at the gathering on Saturday were ordinary citizens concerned with the direction the country is going, and and they took time out of their Saturday afternoon to mingle with others who shared that concern.

The groups ultimate goal is to be able to vet candidates running for office in both parties and have enough clout to have some influence in who gets elected. But they are aware that they have a lot of catching up to do to compete with the well funded groups that put President Obama in office. The reason for the meeting Saturday was to get the word out and encourage people to get involved.

They are making their presence known.  In addition to their website they are on Facebook and Twitter.

There was a lot of audience participation at the gathering, and one attendee told about her trip to D.C. for the big 9/12 rally there. She said the police were out in full force -- ready for a riot, presumably -- and she and others went up to some of the officers and acknowledged that the officers probably didn't want to be there and thanked them for their service. The cops were dumbfounded. This was not a typical Capitol Mall demonstration.

The inspiration for the local group is Glenn Beck's 9/12 Project, and while the association with a controversial figure might be a turnoff for some, one must remember that any famous person who goes against the political grain can become controversial with little effort, and there will be those who will work hard to get them out of the limelight. However, people have caught on to the tactic, and the groups using Alinsky's rules for radicals to isolate an individual are having a much harder time. In fact, there appears to be a blowback effect as targets like Sarah Palin withstood the blistering attacks and have become even stronger.

As Rocky Balboa says in the movie, "It ain't about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward -- how much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done." Watch it on Youtube.

Next up for the group is an activist training class on Saturday, September 26. Check their website for details. The original printed material they passed out said there would be a $20 fee, but that seems to have been omitted from their web posting. (I've sent a query, and I'll update when I receive a reply.) Updated: Here's the link for regstering for the class, and the fee is still in place.

Let's give Obama the benefit of the doubt on the Eastern European missile defense reversal

This morning the President issued a press release announcing he is trashing President Bush's plan for an Eastern European missile defense program.

There are plenty of reasons to distrust President Obama, especially in the realm of missile defense which all but the most independent of Democrats have been ridiculing since the '80s. A missile defense program is a weapon that is expected to save lives, and it seems silly to oppose it.

But any defense program has to be adaptable to changing information. And if the press release is truthful, that's what is happening here. Obama says the decision was based on new intelligence information and advances in the missile defense technology. And he says he has the unanimous recommendations of the Secretary of Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff to back him up.

So unless some backroom deal comes to light, then let's give him the benefit of the doubt. Democrats did the country no favors by opposing each and every thing Bush proposed, and Obama's opponents can do better than that.

Acorn got stung - what a hoot!

Did you get a load of the fake pimp's costume?

Most of us have been suspicious of Acorn for a long time, and the few prosecutions against Acorn employees that have come to light in the past several months have cemented those suspicions.

But the funniest thing to hit the net in a long time is the video sting Hannah Giles and James O'Keefe pulled on the community organizers at Acorn. What a hoot! BigGovernment.com is the go-to link for the videos and the story.

But here's what makes me laugh, Mr. O'Keefe's getup. He's dressed like a pimp from Super Fly.  Click on the thumbnail on the right for a larger JPG.

But I don't know, maybe the well dressed pimp is so cool he wears a fur coat on a hot Summer day.

The poor gals at ACORN sure did fall for it. And they fell all over themselves trying to advise the fake pimp and hooker on how to do all sorts of illegal things.  One of them even tells how she shot and killed her husband after laying the groundwork to make her look sympathetic.  Lordy Lordy, it must be hard to get smart help at a taxpayer robbing community organizing hangout these days.

At least some of our Congress people are finally considering cutting off the flow of tax dollars to this motley group.

The Odessa Tea Party 9/12 -- ya shoulda been there

The weather was perfect. The cloud cover made it nice and comfortable at the Odessa College Athletic Track as the Odessa Tea Party had its 9/12 rally. There was food, there was live music, and there was speechifying as hundreds gathered to demonstrate their concerns about an out of control government. Thank goodness we live in a country where people can gather and voice truth to power.

The people were there to help send a message to the people they elected, basically as follows: "You work for us. You are supposed to represent us. Do it, or get out of the way."

Left click on the thumbnails for a larger pop-up.

What brought this all about is the way the Congress, the Senate, and President Obama have seemingly run amok these past six months with government bailouts, government buy-ins, industry take overs, a tax and trade improvised explosive device, and most recently, the ObamaCare plan to take over of the nation's health care industry. Then there's the growing deficit and the mountain of debt that will take generations to pay off. Our foreign creditors are nervous, and citizens are waking up after an election in 2008 in which voters put their brains on hold.

When I wrote about the April Tea Party someone left a comment remarking about the lack of black people in the crowd. I hadn't noticed. But this time I did take a moment to look around for skin colors as that is apparently what critics of the movement want to focus on. There were a few African-Americans, but not many and in a percentage far fewer than in the general population. That means different things to different people. African-Americans supported Obama almost overwhelmingly for reasons having to do with pride of identity not political issues, and I don't blame them. If I were African-American I probably would have too for the same reason. It would take a very independent and confident person to withstand the social pressure to conform.

However, there are inevitably those who will scream "Racism!" Those people apparently don't realize that a far leftist president who tries to force a far leftist agenda onto an unwilling population is going to get some serious opposition that has nothing to do with race. A charge of racism is a sign of desperation.

The rallies yesterday demonstrated that citizens are ready for a change, but not the vague, focus group tested, anti-Bush, feel good, "hope 'n change" Mr. Obama campaigned on. What the Tea Party movement needs now are some candidates with the skill and courage to go to the mat for a knock-down, drag-out political battle for a national elective office representing the citizens who are ready for a change.

Who might that be? Well, there's the popular and effective Citizen Watchdog, Jason Moore. As a private citizen, he has been a fearless advocate for the taxpayer. And maybe someday he'll take the next step and run for office.

Running for office poses all sorts of problems for candidates. Not only do their opponents set out to ruin their reputations, they probably have to quit a good job or be prepared to put their own businesses on automatic pilot while they serve. Little wonder that it's so hard to find good people to run, and once they get elected, get them to quit.

The Tea Party movement itself is spreading like a west Texas wildfire. Dottie Chavez should get credit as the founding mother locally as she organized the first Tea Party in the region on April 15.  But it didn't stop there. As of August 14, 2009, Odessa Tea Party, Inc., is a Texas corporation with Elizabeth Wooldridge serving as the President. They've done a tremendous job so far, and the momentum is on their side. Keep up the good work, y'all!

Here's a local news roundup:
Odessa American
Midland Reporter-Telegram
Channel 9; and
Channel 7.

A record national debt and our leaders want to spend more? A 15 question test for Debtor's Anonymous.

An AP article tells us this: "The federal deficit surged higher into record territory in August, hitting $1.38 trillion with one month left in the budget year." The deficit is the difference during the fiscal year in what the government takes in and what it spends. That's not to be confused with the national debt which is the total sum owed which is about $11.8 trillion. Some mighty big numbers those are.

The Tea Parties party participants tried to conduct a remote intervention to convince our elected representatives of the level of concern the voters and taxpayers have over this monster of a debt. But so far, it doesn't seem to have worked as ObamaCare is aimed at building another big entitlement program.

Does the government have a problem that needs addressing? Well, most of us think so. But for the doubters let's look at the Debtors Anonymous 15 question test for compulsive debtors. They were originally written for individuals, so they've been slightly edited to apply to our government officials. Eight "yes" and there's a problem:

1. Are the nation's debts making citizens unhappy?
2. Does the pressure of the national debt distract you from the your daily work?
3. Is the national debt affecting your country's reputation?
4. Does the national debt cause citizens to think less of their country?
5. Have you ever given false information in order to increase the debt?
6. Have you ever made unrealistic promises to the nation's creditors?
7. Does the pressure of the national debts make you careless of the welfare of your country?
8. Do you ever fear that your constituents, supporters or donors will comprehend what the extent of the nation's total indebtedness means?
9. Does the prospect of more borrowing give you an inordinate feeling of relief?
10. Does the pressure of the national debt cause you to have difficulty sleeping?
11. Has the pressure of the national debt ever caused you to consider getting drunk?
12. Have you ever proposed raising the debt without giving adequate consideration to the rate of interest you are required to pay?
13. Do you usually expect a negative response when creditors consider the country's credit worthiness?
14. Have you ever developed a strict regimen for paying off the national debt, only to break it under pressure?
15. Do you justify the national debt by telling yourself that you are superior to other people, and somehow you'll get the nation out of debt overnight?

I count more than eight "yes" answers. Washington, we have a compulsive debtor's problem, and by "we," I mean "you."

Finally, to all the people who want to finance the deficit with higher taxes, you go first. Make your own voluntary donation. For directions on how to do that go to the TreasureyDirect FAQ and scroll down to "How do you make a contribution to reduce the debt?" Better hurry, though. This Debt Clock shows the national debt growing at a rate of roughly $1.5 million per minute. Unless you are thinking in Warren Buffett size numbers your donation will be gobbled up in no time.

Hillary must be secretly hoping for an ObamaCare failure

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama had a knock-down-drag-out fight during the Democratic primaries last year, but Mr. Obama eventually delivered a TKO. Ms. Clinton took defeat graciously and ended up as Secretary of State.

But let's not forget HillaryCare of '93 -- Ms. Clinton's own health care plan that went down in flames. Surely she must be feeling miffed as Mr. Obama is hoping to show the country that he can deliver where she couldn't. Would Hillary take it personally?  She could be feeling somewhat like the Russians do as they watch the Americans in Afghanistan and hope Americans don't succeed where Russia failed.

So far she's been relatively quiet about ObamaCare. On July 26 David Gregory asked her about it and she didn't stray too far from the party line.

When CNN asked her about ObamaCare on August 6 she harked back to the days when she was on the front lines catching heat, and she licked her wounds a little bit saying it's different now as more people realize there are fundamental problems with the existing system. She just hopes that whatever they come up with is going to be meaningful enough to make a difference.

She might never come out publicly with anything so crass as an "I told you so," but she may be secretly hoping for that opportunity. In the meantime, Page Six says she's ticked off because her appointments are taking so long, yet Obama's own selections get whisked in with seemingly no vetting whatsoever.

Finally, to the State Department's credit, that student question in the Congo which drew Ms. Clinton's sassy reply didn't get whitewashed out of the transcript, although the annoyance on display in the video seems drained from the dry print. "Wait, you want me to tell you what my husband thinks?"

Thanks, Barack Obama

One thing that both sides in the battle over ObamaCare agree on is that the current health care delivery system has some serious flaws. Both sides have come up with their solutions, and Republicans have proposed some pretty good ideas. Two, for example, are raising the amount of allowable deposits into Health Savings Accounts and allowing individuals to deduct medical insurance premiums. Those two things alone would help many people. So why haven't they been done already?

The Republicans had plenty of time in the majority to have done this. That these ideas are being proposed now seem reactionary, and we can probably accurately conclude that they would never have come up without Obama's push for health care change.

Now let me be clear, Mr. Obama's plan has some serious flaws, and the country would probably be better off if ObamaCare as we know it doesn't get passed into law. However, he has us talking about health care reform. And he has inspired some good suggestions from his opposition. So here's a begrudging "Thank You" to Mr. Obama for that.

Van Jones calls Republicans A__holes. Can't we all be A__holes?

Watch the video of former Obama Czar Van Jones calling Republicans A-holes, listen to the audience cheer, and it really shines sunlight on the attitude that Mr. Obama brought to the White House. If someone doesn't agree with Mr. Obama then there is something wrong with them.

Stereotyping people, lumping them into a group, and disparaging them with an insulting label is politically correct as long as it isn't racial. But I don't think Mr. Jones really meant to single out Republicans. The question to which he was responding asked why Democrats couldn't get the things they want passed into law. Mr. Jones focused on Republicans, however the problem for Team Obama is much broader than that.

There are independents, libertarians, moderates, TEA Party marchers, Town Hall attendees, Republicans, Democrats and many others who don't like the direction President Obama is trying to lead the country.

So let's share the wealth. Can the rest of us be A-holes, too? I love the way Mike Wallace and others defend themselves when they are tagged with a "liberal" label. If liberal means caring for the little guy, then I'm a liberal, says Wallace. Define the insult your own way and come out smelling like a vat of freshly distilled French perfume.

Let's play the Van Jones game but with Mike Wallace's rules and Jeff Foxworthy's style.

If you think the country should be more like the America of old than the Venezuela of new, then you might be an A-hole.

If you disapprove of the government sticking its thumb in every pie, then you might be an A-hole.

If you need surgery and the government will only give you a pain pill, then you might be an A-hole.

If you wouldn't want Van Jones on your death panel, then you might be an A-hole.

If you think the money you earn is your own, then you might be an A-hole.

If you think government shouldn't be able to take away your land just because they think another owner will bring in more tax revenue, then you might be an A-hole.

If you think neither the Democrats nor the Republicans in Congress are doing a good job, then you might be an A-hole.

So Mr. Jones, if that's an A-hole, then yes, I'm an A-hole and proud of it.

Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals" for dummies

Couldn't find the book at the library, but there's plenty about it online. It's Saul D. Alinsky's book "Rules for Radicals," the radicals' handbook for taking over the government. It worked, and it would be no small irony if those sames rules were used against them.  In any case it certainly wouldn't hurt anyone to bone up on the tactics. Here's a quick and dirty list of Saul Alinsky's rules for radicals found on the net here, here, and here (pdf), as follows:

RULE 1: "Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have." Power is derived from 2 main sources - money and people. "Have-Nots" must build power from flesh and blood. (These are two things of which there is a plentiful supply. Government and corporations always have a difficult time appealing to people, and usually do so almost exclusively with economic arguments.)

RULE 2: "Never go outside the expertise of your people." It results in confusion, fear and retreat. Feeling secure adds to the backbone of anyone. (Organizations under attack wonder why radicals don't address the "real" issues. This is why. They avoid things with which they have no knowledge.)

RULE 3: "Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy." Look for ways to increase insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty. (This happens all the time. Watch how many organizations under attack are blind-sided by seemingly irrelevant arguments that they are then forced to address.)

RULE 4: "Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules." If the rule is that every letter gets a reply, send 30,000 letters. You can kill them with this because no one can possibly obey all of their own rules. (This is a serious rule. The besieged entity's very credibility and reputation is at stake, because if activists catch it lying or not living up to its commitments, they can continue to chip away at the damage.)

RULE 5: "Ridicule is man's most potent weapon." There is no defense. It's irrational. It's infuriating. It also works as a key pressure point to force the enemy into concessions. (Pretty crude, rude and mean, huh? They want to create anger and fear.)

RULE 6: "A good tactic is one your people enjoy." They'll keep doing it without urging and come back to do more. They're doing their thing, and will even suggest better ones. (Radical activists, in this sense, are no different that any other human being. We all avoid "un-fun" activities, and but we revel at and enjoy the ones that work and bring results.)

RULE 7: "A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag." Don't become old news. (Even radical activists get bored. So to keep them excited and involved, organizers are constantly coming up with new tactics.)

RULE 8: "Keep the pressure on. Never let up." Keep trying new things to keep the opposition off balance. As the opposition masters one approach, hit them from the flank with something new. (Attack, attack, attack from all sides, never giving the reeling organization a chance to rest, regroup, recover and re-strategize.)

RULE 9: "The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself." Imagination and ego can dream up many more consequences than any activist. (Perception is reality. Large organizations always prepare a worst-case scenario, something that may be furthest from the activists' minds. The upshot is that the organization will expend enormous time and energy, creating in its own collective mind the direst of conclusions. The possibilities can easily poison the mind and result in demoralization.)

RULE 10: "If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and become a positive." Violence from the other side can win the public to your side because the public sympathizes with the underdog. (Unions used this tactic. Peaceful [albeit loud] demonstrations during the heyday of unions in the early to mid-20th Century incurred management's wrath, often in the form of violence that eventually brought public sympathy to their side.)

RULE 11: "The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative." Never let the enemy score points because you're caught without a solution to the problem. (Old saw: If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Activist organizations have an agenda, and their strategy is to hold a place at the table, to be given a forum to wield their power. So, they have to have a compromise solution.)

RULE 12: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it." Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions. (This is cruel, but very effective. Direct, personalized criticism and ridicule works.)

Aside. The local library has a copy of Saul Alinsky's book "Rules for Radicals," however the online search engine says it's checked out until October 9, 2009, six weeks from today and seven weeks from when I first checked last week. My library card lets me check out a book for three weeks. Those sneaky radicals, how'd they do that?

The Walter Cronkite and Don Hewitt legacy: a more skeptical audience

Two famous media figures, Walter Cronkite and Don Hewitt passed away recently, and their fans have been providing us with much to ponder. Just last night two TV programs talked about them.

Don Hewitt created "60 Minutes," so if there is a natural place for a Don Hewitt tribute, that's it. I stopped watching "60 Minutes" years ago after reading an article written by someone who had been the subject of one of their hit pieces. It was astonishing to read his accusation about how they used wording that made him appear guilty while excluding exculpatory information he said he provided. Was he telling the truth? I don't know, but he certainly raised a reasonable doubt.

Watching a "60 Minute" piece was a bit like watching the prosecution present its side of a criminal prosecution, then the jury in this court of public opinion got sent out to deliberate guilt or innocence without the defense having had an opportunity to present the other side. The late Dallas D.A. Henry Wade didn't have it so good.

In last night's Don Hewitt tribute there were some interesting and telling stories. Supposedly in an effort to beat a TV news rival to the air on a story about some visiting Russian during the cold war, Mr. Hewitt stole the rival's broadcast truck and hid it in a field. They told it as an amusing anecdote, but damn, they admitted that he was willing to commit a felony for the sake of a story. If felony theft was a tool of his trade, then what could be wrong with a few little white lies so long as they enhanced the story?

For more on this go to the 60 Minutes Wikipedia page and scroll down to "Controversies."

On to Walter Cronkite.

Mr. Cronkite confessed after he retired that he was a Democrat, and now we learn just how seriously involved with Democrat politics he was, even as he enjoyed the status of the most trusted person in journalism. That's not to say that Democrats can't be trusted, but someone who is deeply dedicated to a particular party's politics is inevitably going to let it creep into the reporting in some way.

Last night Q & A with Frank Mankiewicz aired on C-Span with Brian Lamb delivering the Qs. And it was an interesting program. Mr. Mankiewicz had been Bobby Kennedy's press secretary, and in 1972 he was George McGovern's presidential campaign director.

Cronkite has gotten a lot of fawning coverage lately, but after death sometimes people in the know feel freer to talk about them. Those of us who watched Walter Cronkite deliver the news didn't realize at the time how much influence anchor reporters had in shaping opinions about political matters. They convinced us that they were just delivering the facts, but there was much more than that.

Cronkite and CBS pretended to be without bias, but Cronkite was making news as well as reporting it. The famous episode in which Cronkite made public his anti-war sentiments reinforced a popular notion and probably influenced a lot of people. The justification seems to be that if his opinion was the right one, then it was OK.

Walter Cronkite was a serious Democrat. Mr. Mankiewicz tells us in the interview that Bobby Kennedy had sought political advice from Cronkite. And one shouldn't have to ponder long about how being a confidential adviser to the news makers is going to influence an anchorman's reporting.

Then there was the 1972 presidential election, and that's the part of the story where Mr. Mankiewicz dropped the bomb. Mr. Mankiewicz was McGovern's presidential campaign director, and he suggested that McGovern name Walter Cronkite as his running mate. The suggestion didn't get much traction because McGovern didn't think Cronkite would accept. But years later McGovern mentioned it to Cronkite, and here was the exchange as told by Mankiewicz in a Washington Post article:

"On the contrary, George," the senator told me Cronkite replied, "I'd have accepted in a minute; anything to help end that dreadful war." At a later board meeting, Cronkite told a larger group that he would gladly have accepted the invitation to run with McGovern.

Man oh man. Who, aside from the insiders, knew Walter Cronkite was so dedicated to Democratic party politics that he would have run for Vice President? But, I suppose if a person agrees with his political view then that makes everything OK. I just wish he hadn't hidden behind a facade of independence.

Finally, to the people employed in the news business who lament the passing of that era, I hope that instead of adopting Hewitt's "tell me a story" attitude they lean more toward "tell me the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."

Tall City TV should broadcast the City Council meetings

Midland residents who are Suddenlink and Grande cable customers are able to watch "Tall City TV" which is the local government access channel. For the most part, the subject matter shown so far is public relations oriented -- a video about the city, a video about how the city government operates, etc. Not long ago, a video of Mayor Wes Perry's 2009 "State of the City" speech was aired. If you missed it, click to watch it on the city's website.

There's another very good use for that channel, and it's a shame the city isn't taking advantage of it. The other day at the City Council meeting a local kook* mouthed off with a suggestion that the City Council meetings and hearings be recorded on video and broadcast on that government access channel.

The mayor explained that they had thought about it in the past and got a bid from a company that would provide that service for a fee of $80,000 per year. Yikes! Nice pay for part time work. Here we are trying to keep the tax rate from going up, so we sure don't need new expenses.

But there are some alternatives. This project could be done on the cheap. The city owns some video cameras, and surely one of them is available for a few hours a month to record the meetings. It would take someone to press "record," then when the recording is complete, transfer it to the broadcasting system. And that would take a little skill, but it's been done before, so how hard could it be? There are probably city employees who could do it. They've all got regular jobs to do, but to tag them for another eight or so hours a month to record and transfer video doesn't seem like too much of a strain on the system. But let's assume they are all too busy. Recruit volunteers.

Check out this statement from an April '08 city press release:

In 2007, over 120 volunteers contributed a total of 25,469.5 hours. This translates into $497,164.64 for value of time.

So the city is willing to let people work for free. And there are many retired people in the city who have or will do volunteer work. Something as important as assisting with the televising of the City Council meetings would probably draw several qualified volunteers.

It can be done if the Council wants to do it. The only draw back for the Council would be the fear of those dreaded Youtube moments. But those are easily avoided by simply paying attention, voting responsibly and not picking the nose.

Let's put the City Council meetings on Tall City TV.

*(That kook was me. Or if my 8th grade English teacher is reading, that kook was I.)

Conaway town hall 8/10/09

It was standing room only at the Midland Memorial Hospital room in which District 11 Representative Mike Conaway held his town hall meeting this afternoon. The room was packed, and the crowd filled the outer room, too, flowing into the hall.

So, here's a report from the hall. It sounded very quiet. There was no yelling. No one got beaten up. And if there were any swastikas they were extremely well hidden.

But seeing all the concerned young faces in hospital garb makes an observer wonder how many voters around the country might at this very moment be trying to shake off a hangover from the intoxication of the campaign of '08 in which a charismatic charmer cast a hypnotic spell creating a dreamy illusion which, on sober reflection, could not be real.

Rep. Conaway's town hall meetings

District 11's representative, Mike Conaway, has scheduled some town hall meetings. The following is from his website:

8/10: 3:30-5:00 pm: Meet with hospital staff, faculty, physicians, and patients at Midland Memorial Hospital - OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

8/11: 8:30 am: Meet with doctors, nurses, hospital personnel, and the general public at Odessa Regional Medical Center in Odessa (East Campus Auditorium, 515 N. Adams) - OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

The "Open to the public" looks almost like an afterthought since the target groups were already listed. Furthermore, the Reporter-Telegram says space is limited at the one in Odessa, and people wanting to attend need to RSVP. It's noteworthy that they know in advance that the space won't accommodate everyone, but I guess a "town hall" meeting is anything a politician wants it to be.

That aside, these could be interesting meetings. There are plenty of people within the target groups -- faculty, physicians, nurses, hospital personnel, and patients -- who may want to minimize government involvement on one hand but maximize government payouts on the other.

Some TV pundits were ridiculing a town hall attendee somewhere who said, "Keep the government out of Medicare." They yucked it up over what they thought was an ignorant rube not knowing that Medicare was a government run program. But they weren't absorbing his meaning. What he most likely wanted was to keep the current administration out of Medicare. Big difference.

It's going to be tough to satisfy everyone. And our representatives have a hard job. But a rush to sign an unread and misunderstood Obamacare plan seems unwise.

Maybe Kim Jong-il gave Bill Clinton some border control tips

Former President Clinton brought home two women who were being held in North Korea after their capture for allegedly trying to cross a border into N.K. That's great news, and we are happy the two women have come home.

Meanwhile, Iran is holding three Americans who crossed a border into Iran from Iraq last week. And we certainly hope they will be returned home soon.

However, judging by own experience with U.S. borders, the darn things seem to be impossible to control. How did N.K. and Iran manage to catch those people crossing the border? They've done the impossible.

City Council wants to raise our taxes

I'm curious, is there anyone in the private sector in Midland, TX, who has not experienced a decline in income in the past several months?

The city government has had to face a decline in revenue too, but here's where the city government differs from its citizens. If they want, they can extract more money from us. It's a little like the landlord who is losing tenants but doesn't like the income cut, so he raises the rent on the remaining tenants.

The Midland city government has notified citizens that it plans to vote on raising taxes -- here's the PDF notice. But it's reassuring to see that two of the council members have already voiced "No." Here's the vote tally from the link:

The members of the governing body voted on the proposal to consider the tax increase as follows:
FOR: Dufford, Trost, Morgan
AGAINST: James, Hailey
PRESENT and not voting: None
ABSENT: Perry, Morales

Midland City Council members John James and Vicky Hailey deserve a round of applause for standing up on behalf of taxpayers.

When governments want to raise taxes they threaten the citizens with cutting funds to the services that are the most public and popular. I recall in the summer of 2007 when Jason Moore of CitizenWatchDogs.com appeared before the Midland City Council to oppose a tax hike, one of the council members seemed almost angry that someone would oppose. Mr. Moore wasn't intimidated, and when they tried to throw it back at him and stick him with the task of solving the problem, he politely reminded them that they had been voted into office on the promise or at least the implication that they had the capability to find solutions.

Councilman John James has a solution, and he wrote about it in an op-ed published in the 8/2/09 Midland Reporter-Telegram print edition. Here's a copy in PDF. His solution is to spend money from the reserve fund. And you have to appreciate a politician who says this:

Our community was very fortunate over the past few years. We made a lot of hay. But at a time when our economy is struggling, we have the duty to act responsibly even when it seems no one else is. We should not be voting for tax increases. The message we send to our citizens must be clear and concise. Now is not the time to increase taxes when jobs are being lost, salaries are being cut and business profits are marginal at best. It is with these things in mind that I encourage my colleagues to support the use our fund balance (where possible) to demonstrate prudent leadership in these uncertain times. And for the record, I am confident Midlanders will make hay again... we always do.

More power to you, John James. Thanks for looking out for us.

But if our elected officials can't find ways to live within means then let the citizens have a shot at the budget. Here's a link to the city webpage with links to the proposed budget. It's a big file, and my little computer is struggling to swallow it at this very moment. So if the council members can't find ways to trim it, the citizens will find some.

You know what? The next thing you know they will threaten to eliminate the homestead exemption. Oh wait. They've already started.

When times were good Midlanders were very complacent about tax hikes. But times ain't so good now. Everyone has had to cut back, but the city doesn't want to. Instead, like the bad landlord, it expects the remaining tenants to make up for the shortfall.

Tea Parties are breaking out all over the country where voters are demonstrating their opposition to high taxes. There's a public hearing scheduled on August 4, 2009, at 8:30 a.m. at Midland City Hall, City Council Chambers, 300 N. Loraine. And a second one is scheduled on August 11, 2009, at 11:12 a.m. at Midland City Hall. We need to let our elected officials know what we think.

Updated 8/4/09, 6:48 AM:  Captain Watchdog is asking everyone to wear red or a TEA Party T-shirt to show solidarity at 8:30 AM today at the City Council hearing. See comments, below.

Should White House dinner guests pay for the food they eat? Damn right!

Politico tells us that President Obama sat down with some big wig guests at the White House for dinner, and the guests had to pay for his own food. And that brings out the complainers.

There are plenty of reasons to complain about the Obama administration -- the wasteful spending, the gargantuan debt, the power grab -- but to complain because some guests didn't get a free lunch misses the mark.

Damn right they should pay. Why should taxpayers have to pay for their food? If it's the queen of England and she didn't just pop in uninvited at meal time, then yes, we can feed her. But not just any guest to the WH should get royal treatment. Heck that number could run in the thousands.

So, you might be tempted to ask, what if you got invited, would you be willing to pay? Uh, yes, and I did. Remember A High School Reunion to Beat All High School Reunions? The bill came due for that party to the tune of $49,078.40. Yeah, we stuffed and guzzled, but we paid in full.

     

Click on the invoice and see for yourself.  It's an honor to be invited to the White House. But we're not a socialist society quite yet, and guests shouldn't feel entitled to stick the taxpayers with the tab.

Putney Swope, ahead of his time

Putney Swope was a 1969 cult movie about a black guy who took over a Madison Avenue advertising agency. To make that happen the plot had the CEO drop dead in the middle of a meeting with the executive board so the board members could set about electing a new chairman. Each of the board members wanted the job, but the rules said no one could vote for himself. They thought Putney Swope, the music director and token black dude on the board, couldn't win, so they voted for him. To their surprise and the audiences delight, he won.

The rules were basically cast aside at that point, and Mr. Swope proceeded to fire most of the white people and replace them with guys from the hood, called "militant brothers" back then. And being the progressive that he was, he dropped tobacco companies and toy gun makers as clients. And any work the company did was to be paid for with bags of cash.

All the cash was put into a large glass container which Mr. Swope planned to distribute in equal shares to the employees -- what a guy. But unfortunately, a disgruntled employee blows up the cash. The end.

The movie was really quite lame, but it was a big hit on college campuses as it exemplified the prevailing view that businessmen were bad people. If only some cool black dude could come along and straighten things out, get tough with those mean old bosses and make them share the wealth. Then everyone could live in peace and harmony and make love, not war, in the age of Aquarius.

The attitude still lives. President Obama was an impressionable eight year old when the movie came out although he was probably schooling abroad at the time. But it's obvious that somewhere along the line he was exposed to that philosophy. I don't recall ever hearing what Mr. Obama's favorite movies are, but I would expect to see "Putney Swope" on that list before I would expect to see "High Noon."

The entire movie is in nine parts on Youtube. As of now Part 1 has had 1,724 views, and the last segment, part 9 has had 336 views which suggests it takes some real dedication to watch the whole thing.

Cambridge cops need cap cams and body mics

The dispute between Henry Louis Gates and Cambridge Police Sgt. James Crowley has gotten such wide spread attention that even our esteemed President Barack Obama snapped forth with a judgment on a prime time TV appearance.

Sounded like Mr. Gates dropped the H-bomb, "H" being Harvard. "Do you know who I am?" He allegedly asked, certain that a Harvard professor shouldn't have to deal with a lowly police officer even though he appeared to be a door kicking house burglar.

Sgt. Crowley seems to be holding his own, though. Listen to him explain his side of the story as he called into this radio talk show.

On that tape Sgt. Crowley said the Cambridge doesn't have a recording of the incident. Too bad. What each officer needs is a cap cam and a body mic. Surely it will occur to them after this event that whatever downside they fear doesn't outweigh the positive that could come from having a record other than a police report and "he said," "I said," hearsay.

Updated 7/28/09: Apparently, the only tapes available are the 911 call and Sgt. Crowley's call for backup. Links to recordings can be found here, as well as the transcript of Sgt. Crowley's call. Too bad they didn't have a policy of recording all citizen interactions.

After Obamacare all future elections to be about level of government services -- Mark Steyn

Mark Steyn, having lived in Britain, Canada and the U.S., is one of those few who has experienced health care delivery in all of those countries. He doesn't like the direction the U.S. is going, and he is a very harsh critic of President Obama's plan to reform the health care industry.

Some people will benefit from Mr. Obama's plan, should it ever become implemented, and some people will suffer under it. The trick for any serious health care reformer is to come up with a plan that will benefit the most people without a radical disruption for the others. Mr. Obama will probably sign any legislation the House and Senate agree to put before him, and we don't know right now what form the eventual bill will take.

There has been severe criticism of the plans currently under consideration, and Mr. Steyn sees a consequence that deserves some notice -- a change in the direction of all future elections. Here's a direct quote:

It alters the equation. If you provide government health care, then suddenly all the elections, they’re not thought about war and foreign policy, or even big economic questions. They’re suddenly fought about government services, and the level of government services, and that’s all they’re about, because once you get government health care, the citizens’ dependency on government as provider is so fundamentally changed that in effect, every election is fought on left wing terms.

(Source: This was from a podcast of the Hugh Hewitt show, a transcript of which can be found here. Listen to the podcast by going here and scrolling down to May 7, Episode 167.)

While most of us thought "hope" and "change" were merely focus group tested campaigning devices, there were those who argued that Mr. Obama hoped to change the U.S. from a country full of people proud of their individuality and brimming with initiative to a country full of government dependents. Mr. Obama rode into office on the backlash of an economic downturn and a dislike for his predecessor. And it's questionable whether those voters who were swept off their feet by him really expected the monumental transformation he is proposing. The U.S. is being tested right now, and we will eventually see whether Mr. Steyn's prediction is correct.

Obamacare in France

President Obama and supporters of his health care plan are pushing like crazy to get the thing passed into law. Meanwhile, most of us out here in flyover country, the people who may benefit or suffer from it but who will definitely pay for it, are wishing they would slow down a bit so we can study the whole thing some more.

It would be nice if supporters could point to a similar system somewhere in the world where it has been tried and actually works. There are people around who will attempt to tell us how great the government run programs are in Britain and Canada -- for example see previously, How bad could the Canadian healthcare system really be? However, there is certainly no shortage of complaints about those systems, and we have to conclude that no system is perfect.

Same with France. HealthcareEconomist.com says, "France has the highest level of satisfaction with their health care among all European countries." However, it didn't take Le Parisien long to find some dissatisfaction. In particular, they found doctors who won't accept patients who are under the government plan. Excerpt (translation from Google translate.):

The two-tier medicine is a reality. Victims, patients receiving universal health coverage (CMU), reserved for people earning less than € 621 per month. They have more and more difficult to seek treatment outside of hospitals. Proof: The test that we conducted among physicians Paris and its suburbs.

Thirty practitioners contacted, eight or 25% refused to grant us an appointment when it was as a patient benefiting from the CMU.

So we have an example of doctors not making enough money treating patients under the government plan, so even though the law says they have to treat them, they don't. C'est la vie.

The Obamacare plan presumably will require people to buy insurance either from a private insurer or the government. And while some of the opponents say the government may squeeze out the private insurer, it's possible the opposite could happen if the government doesn't pay doctors enough. The practical effect would be to put all those people currently without insurance right back where they started.

Obama condoms

YES! YES! YES WE CAN!

From the incomparable Art of Obama we learn that some enterprising entrepreneurs are selling "Obama Condoms." Original photos found at Michael's Film Pix's photostream.

Best check the expiration date.

For STD treatment see your Obamacare provider.

Little wonder government workers voted for Obama

Federal employees are weathering the recession in fine form. While employees in the private sector worry about pay cuts, furloughs and layoffs, the number of federal employees is growing, and the pay checks are getting fatter. Source, and excerpt:

Executive branch employment — 1.98 million in 2009, excluding the Postal Service and the Defense Department — is set to increase by 15.6 percent for the 2010 fiscal year. Most of that is thanks to the Census Bureau hiring 102,000 temporary workers, but not counting them still yields a net increase of 2 percent in one year.

There's little belt-tightening in evidence in Washington, D.C.: Counting benefits, the average pay per federal worker will leap from $72,800 in 2008 to $75,419 next year.

[Emphasis added.]

And Mr. Obama cares about government employees and what they think so much that he will let them influence his budget process. See Employee satisfaction survey will play role in budget process. Excerpt:

The Obama administration plans to use a biennial survey of employee satisfaction and morale to shape the 2011 budget process, according to Peter Orszag, director of the Office of Management and Budget.

True, we want workers at any job to have some degree of satisfaction. But is it asking too much to take a customers' satisfaction survey to determine whether the agency is actually providing the service they are paid to do? And better yet, let's ask taxpayers where to cut and where to spend. Now there's a radical concept.

To get your own federal job, go to USAjobs.gov where it says, "There are 33,112 U.S. Government job opportunities worldwide."

Biden "misread the economy"

Vice President Biden recently claimed that he and everyone else misread the economy when he was questioned on ABC about the rising unemployment numbers. The administration team was talking down the economy for the entire duration of the campaign leading up to the '08 election, so maybe he's admitting to some pre-election hyperbole. Or perhaps he and the President are not cognizant of the effect they themselves have had on the economy. Or more likely, both are true. But so far they've done little to reassure any citizen who has a basic understanding of economics.

For Mr. Biden, it's a case of vision shaped by a lifetime in government. For Mr. Obama, it's the vision of a naive ideologue with a remarkable understanding of how to get people to vote for him but a misguided belief that he can change fundamental human behavior.

There are giant deficit causing spending programs, threats of higher taxes, bank takeovers, auto industry takeovers, threats to credit companies, threats to cut executives' pay, threats to hinder the energy industry, threats to alter the health care profession, union favoritism, and other threats and actions Obama and team have made to the health of the economy. They may relish the power that results from the fear they cause, but everyone else has to suffer because of it.

The same thing happened during the Great Depression. See Great Depression 2.0 and Regime Uncertainty, inside. "Regime Uncertainty" is a phrase coined by Robert Higgs to describe the fear that a government can create in the business world, and that fear inhibits any desire in the private sector to make investments.

Listen to a podcast interview with Mr. Higgs at econtalk.org. And read his paper titled Regime Uncertainty (PDF) in which he discussed the years following the crash in which the economy operated substantially below it's capability to produce, and fear of the government prolonged the Great Depression by several years.

We hear talk about not repeating the mistakes of the Great Depression, but when Obama/Biden say it, they are probably not thinking beyond trade tariffs. They seem unwilling to admit to the fear they've created in the investment world and among the people and industries they expect will help lower the unemployment rate.

Odessa Tea Party, July 4, 2009

Rally organizers in Odessa were on top of the Tea Party game last April 15 when they put together a fabulous event. And they did it again yesterday, July 4. The spirits were high, the speakers were eloquent, and the temperature was HOT, HOT, HOT!

The rally got started shortly after noon, and the speakers and audience celebrated the 4th of July with an appreciation of their right to speak freely and express concern about the problems the country faces, problems which resulted in no small part from the actions of our esteemed elected officials.

In fact, it's not just a right, it's a patriotic duty to our friends, neighbors and fellow Americans to speak up about problems that needs addressing. The participants had various concerns; some were religious, but most were political. And one thing on which they all would probably agree is that our government is out of control with the spending. Whether the people in our government know pork when they see it or whether they think all spending is somehow good for the country, the President and Congress have been spending with less caution than a lottery winning cocaine addict.

One noteworthy sign said "OK, we're here. What Now?" She summed up the feeling a lot of the attendees must have felt, a sense of helplessness as our government has spent so much money it will take three generations to pay it back. The Republicans started it, and the Democrats are building it into a Frankenstein monster they won't be able to control, and the citizenry can only watch in astonishment.

When our biggest creditor, which also happens to be a rival super power, is worried about the wisdom of their investments maybe it's time to wake. Perhaps that's role that the Tea Party movement will serve -- a barking guard dog warning that burglars are hauling off our life savings.  We can go back to sleep and let it happen or wake up and take a stand.

Links: Odessa Tea Party website; video; and previously, Odessa Tea Party April 15.

A trillion here, a trillion there ...

"A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon it adds up to real money." That's the famous quote attributed to Everett Dirksen. Now days a billion seems insignificant compared to the trillions of dollars each of the new government proposals are projected to cost.

A friend told me about a recent article describing how Republican pollsters were trying to get people to focus on how much the Obama programs would cost. According to the article, GOP pollsters would ask people to "think of a dollar as one second - one dollar, one brief tick of your watch. A million seconds, the pollster explained, equals eleven days. A billion seconds equals 31 years. And a trillion seconds equals 310 centuries." They must have done some rounding, and math checkers might come up with a few more centuries, but that certainly is a big chunk of time no matter how you add it up.

The number "trillion" really is a big one, and most of us don't encounter it in our daily lives, except when we try to comprehend the government. So let's do the math.

1,000 = one thousand
1,000,000 = one million
1,000,000,000 = one billion, and
1,000,000,000,000 = one trillion.

A trillion is a "one" followed by 12 zeros and four commas. For a visualization of a guy standing next to a trillion dollars in 100 bills check out this image. It's like a "Where's Waldo" with a tiny little Waldo.

Interestingly, the number of votes cast in the 2008 presidential election, 131,257,328, is remarkably close to the total number of taxpayers, 135,719,160 (2006 number). Let's divide the trillion dollars among the taxpayers, and each gets $7,368.16. (It was divided equally so as to satisfy Mr. Obama's share-the-wealth needs even though the burden wasn't shared equally.)

WolframAlpha tells us there are 6.57 billion people on the planet (as of 7/2/09). So each of them could get $152.21.

Breitbart tells us that China is holding $700 billion in U.S. bonds, so we could pay that off and still have $300 billion left over to give each U.S. resident almost a thousand dollars! Or Congress could squander the remainder on pet projects.

If there are any trillionaires out there Forbes doesn't report them. So maybe we should create one. Devise a computer program whereby one form 1040 is selected at random from all the IRS forms filed in 2008, and that person gets the trillion dollars and become the richest person on the planet.

And what if Barack Obama happened to be that winner? We all know he would be so altruistic that he would plow it into a healthcare program for the uninsured. Ya think? George Bush would probably buy land. Bill Clinton or Mark Sanford could afford to make a million indecent proposals to some lucky lady.

In any event, a trillion dollars is one heck of a lot of money. And it's depressing to contemplate the fact that voters are so acquiescent. At least we now know what "hope" and "change" meant.

Obamercial TV ratings

Last night President Obama and ABC teamed up for the prime time ObamaCare show, but the ratings weren't that hot. According to Race for Midweek Overnight Dominance in MediaWeek the ABC show came in third. Here's what they say the ratings were at that time slot:

#1 - CBS, rerun of "CSI: NY" at 5.1/ 9
#2 - NBC, "The Philanthropist" at 4.8/ 9
#3 - ABC, "Primetime – Questions for the President: Prescription for America" at 3.7/ 7

Last night ABC first had on "Wipeout" which scored 4.6/ 9, followed by "I survived a Japanese Game Show" which scored 2.4/ 4, and then the O'mercial with ratings of 3.7/ 7. Obama could have followed "Wipeout" for a bigger lead in, but then viewers might have been tempted to associate the name "Wipeout" with ObamaCare. Oh the decisions a President has to make!

In honor of the ABC Obamacare infomercial

The ABC Obamacare show is supposed to air tonight, and with an "I survived a Japanese Game Show" lead, the ratings should be huge.

There will probably be a few token questions from the opposition, but there's no avoiding the fact that Mr. Obama will be given an amazing opportunity to present his side of the issue in the most favorable fashion.

Pro-Obamacare factions are screaming "hypocrisy" over complaints about the TV show because Fox News did some Bush Administration personality profiles, but there's a big difference. This is a sales job.  No one expected a Fox show to convince a skeptical public to swallow a pill that will drastically change our health care system in the most expensive way. The Obama plan is presented as a way to provide insurance coverage for those people who are currently uninsured, and there's nothing wrong with that concept.  But this grand experiment is sure to affect medical care for everyone in the country. And ABC is helping make the sale. By the way, it's looking less like a pill than a suppository.

A note about the image: In honor of the Obama TV Network connection the old TV with the repetitious picture roll seemed a timely selection. There's a great do-it-yourself special effects page at PhotoFunia. Upload a photo of a face for placement in another photo.