Sleepless in Midland

It takes a train wreck to get city council to update the antique city code

Some portions of the city code for Midland, Texas, are as current as the Mayan calendar. Yesterday we addressed a change in the works for an ancient provision regarding parade permits. See New Parade Permit Rule - Minorities Hit Hardest.

But that was not the only outdated code provision. My favorite old timey law is Section 6-1-9 in the aforementioned code. As follows:

6-1-9. - Police radio; interception of communications.

No solicitor, or other person, not being authorized by the City, shall intercept any communication and divulge or publish the existence, contents, substance, purpose, effect or meaning of such intercepted communication, and no solicitor or other person, not being entitled thereto, shall receive or assist in receiving any message emanating through the medium of KKA-662, and use the same or any information therein contained for his own benefit, or for the benefit of another solicitor or person.

(Ord. of 3-24-1953)

So it's illegal to divulge anything overheard on a scanner tuned into the police and fire radio channels. Tell that to the TV news people who make extensive use of it during ongoing news events.

Free the NewsWest Nine! See previously, Free the CBS Seven!

My second favorite ancient code is 6-1-12. - Arsonists, to wit:

There is hereby appropriated from the general fund of the City the sum of $250.00 to be paid to any person procuring the arrest and conviction of any person found guilty of arson, or any attempt to commit arson, within the corporate limits of the City. If and when such fund is exhausted, then additional funds of like amount shall be appropriated so as to keep the fund a continuous one.

(Ord. of 2-16-1928; Ord. of 2-14-1950)

Back in 1928 that $250 reward would have been a princely sum. Today not so much.

I complain about it, but in reality I like it that these ridiculous old rules stay on the books. Overall it's a bad thing for society to have so many ancient rules and no one in government caring enough to update them or get rid of them all together. But for bloggers they are manna from heaven. Our local government is so kind as to hand out the bludgeons and ask to be beaten about the head with them.

That code provision about the radio scanners will have its 60th birthday in a couple of months.  I hope I can remember to help celebrate.

Jason Moore wins Unsung Hero award

Known in these parts as Captain Watchdog, Jason Moore has been an inspiration for frustrated taxpayers for many years. And it's great to see him get a national honor. The announcement appears at AmericansForProsperity.org which tells us he is the recipient of the The Vernon K. Krieble Foundation’s Unsung Hero Award:

The Vernon K. Krieble Foundation will award a $25,000 check to Jason at the State Policy Network’s 20th Anniversary Annual Meeting in Amelia Island, Fla., on Wednesday, November 14. Many excellent candidates from around the country were nominated for the award, but Jason stood out for his efforts as a “citizen watchdog.”

Jason vigilantly attends city, county and school board meetings with his camera in hand to hold public officials accountable on how they are spending tax payer dollars. His latest effort is to educate the public on the large local debt in Texas ($322 billion) and the local bond initiatives on the November ballot.

The $25,000 prize might help provide a cushion for him when we hit the fiscal cliff. But if nothing else, it certainly should move him up to "Sung Hero" status.

Congratulations, Jason! Thanks for all you do!

Racist Advertising - the double standard

It's early AM, the clock radio comes on, and a singing commercial is playing. It consists of female voices singing a song about heart attack awareness, and the chorus goes, "call 9-1-1." But the words are slurred, and it sounds like "caw ny wua wua." An early morning listener can't see the singers but might easily assume from the tone and diction that they are young, inner-city, African Americans. It's racial stereotyping with the black dialect and the Ebonic sound. And there will be hell to pay once the reverends Sharpton and Jackson find out about it.

But wait. A voice-over tells the listener that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was the sponsor and to please visit womens health dot gov. So if it's a product of the U.S. government, over which presides a Democrat president, it can't possibly be racist. And you'll likely never hear about it again.

Contrast that with the Burger King ad sung by African American Mary J. Bilge about Crispy Chicken Snack Warps. That ad raised such a ruckus with its alleged racial stereotyping that Burger King had to pull it and apologize.

Oh well. As the old saying goes, "If it wasn't for double standards, there would be no standards at all." Might as well consider it a bad dream and hit the snooze.

The spirit of Air America is alive and talking

Anyone who listens to talk radio probably has a favorite host or two. And a lucky listener can keep the car radio tuned to the same station to get all of his/her favorites. So a station might be all conservative or all liberal.

Talk radio needs a market willing to pay for it. Rush Limbaugh and a myriad of others have proven that there's a market for conservative talk radio. Air America was a progressive alternative that was welcomed by those who felt the stings from conservative talkers. And Air America proved there was a market for progressive talk radio, just not big enough to support the stars in the life style to which they would like to become accustomed. Air America went silent after a rocky six year stint. See history at wikipedia.

There was much hand wringing on the editorial pages when Air America went mute. And there was talk of a "fairness doctrine" which would hurt the conservative radio talkers and either skew or level the playing field, depending on the viewpoint.

But progressives needn't have worried. Apparently there's still enough demand for progressive talkers to make a market. For example, go to AirAmerica.com, and the site redirects to WCPT, chicagosprogressivetalk.com, which currently touts at the top a video of a recent union rally.

All of this comes to mind as I've just returned from a road trip to Northern New Mexico during which I got an earful of progressive radio, in particular, 1260 KTRC, owned by Hutton Broadcasting LLC of Mount Vernon, IL. Listeners to KTRC can hear Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartman, Randi Rhodes and Ed Schultz, among other liberal talkers. And a conservative listener might conclude that the main objective of progressive talk is to bash well know conservatives. It was Saul Alinsky's rules in play -- attack, attack, attack.

During the time I had the opportunity to listen to KTRC the movie "Atlas Shrugged part 1" was premiering in selected cities. And for some reason progressives felt threatened by Ayn Rand's belief in individualism over collectivism. So she was the target of some vile remarks. Being dead, it might be hard for her to defend herself. But maybe the movie will speak for her.

Fear not for progressive radio. It's available for anyone who wants it. And while Air America is silent, others picked up the banner and are waving it high to rally all of those who feel that conservatives are the enemy and governments can never do too much.