Sleepless in Midland

Is the Daily Caller show prep for Rush Limbaugh?

Rush Limbaugh likes to claim that his show is "show prep" for the main stream media reporters. So it's interesting that show prep for his own show appears to be conservative blogs.

I listened to the first half hour of his show on 7/19/2018 and heard him describe the Democrat Party's new slogan. And it sounded almost identical to the description from a Daily Caller article a day earlier, including the same comparisons. See The Democratic Party’s New Motto Same As A Used Car Dealership, Personal Injury Law Firm. Here's the part that appeared to have been purloined:

House Democrats revealed their new slogan for the upcoming 2018 elections, but whoever was behind it probably forgot to check that it’s identical to the one used by a used car dealership in Texas and a personal injury law firm in Florida.

The motto, “For the People,” debuted at a private meeting with members Wednesday, according to Politico.

Well, Limbaugh is entitled to get ideas from wherever he can. I'm not actually a regular listener, but even as an occasional listener, it seems as though he gets ideas from the popular conservative blogs without giving credit to the source.

------

12:45 PM 7/19/2018

Bad ads -- Viagra on steroids

There's a radio commercial currently in the rotation which touts some sort of male enhancement drug. And the female narrator exclaims that it's like "Viagra on steroids."

Is that really what a guy would want? Steroids don't exactly have a stellar reputation, even if they work for body builders and athletes. But as a descriptor it seems to imply that it adds aggression to the object of the description. In any event, it just doesn't seem to fit in that ad. Taken literally, it's a drug on drugs -- like "amphetamines on meth."

And what about that warning about the damage potential of a four hour erection? Is that still an issue?

Meanwhile, it's too late to nominate "on steroids" to the banished word list. It's been on there since 2014.

------

3:32 PM 5/30/2018

Presidential sheets -- radio ad makes the claim

There's a radio commercial for Boll and Branch in which the announcer says the company's sheets are used by three presidents. Whether that's a reason to buy is debatable since the sheets are quite expensive, and those former presidents probably got them free.

I can imagine what the fine print in the sales contract must have said: "Seller retains the right to use buyer's former profession for advertising purposes without disclosing the buyer's name."

It's not too hard to find out who those presidents are. It's the two Bushes and Bill Clinton. Here's where that info came from: These are the sheets 3 living US Presidents sleep on — here’s why you’ll want to sleep on them too.

We are left to wonder whether Hillary Clinton slept on them.  If so, maybe they could say "three presidents and a wanna-be."

------

12:17 PM 2/25/2018

Hugh Hewitt will be a breath of fresh air to MSNBC watchers

One of the radio stations here in Midland, Texas, used to broadcast late same-day reruns of Hugh Hewitt's radio show. But when he contracted with another outfit, he vanished from local radio.

Now it looks like his fans may get another opportunity. See MSNBC Gives Conservative Radio Host Hugh Hewitt a Show.

Hewitt's self-titled show will air on Saturday mornings at 8 a.m. ET, beginning this week, as part of an expansion of the network's weekend programming in July. TVNewser first reported the news Thursday, which was then announced by the company.

In giving Hewitt his own show, MSNBC is sure to raise eyebrows, considering that it has been doing well mostly on the strength of left-leaning opinion journalists like Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell. NBC News chairman Andy Lack is known to favor hard news and has programmed the network to feature a broader range of editorial opinions in addition to traditional newsmen like Brian Williams.

Saturday mornings at 8 a.m. ET isn't exactly prime time for TV, and the only people watching will be Hewitt's fans and a smattering of Democrats. Democrats should watch it, though, to get an intelligent presentation of conservative views. But if they are searching for validation for their hatred of conservatives they should stick with Maddow.

Dennis Prager boils it down for recent college grad -- it's good vs bad

Dennis Prager has a talent. He can put a concept into words that anyone can understand. Here's a case in point. In A Young College Grad Calls My Show he describes a conversation he had with the caller.

The caller had trouble reconciling the concept of good and evil with the moralistic ambiguity he was exposed to in college. Here's Prager:

What Jeff said is what I was taught at college. It is heartbreaking to hear how effective left-wing college indoctrination continues to be, with its morally obfuscating concepts such as “too complex.”

The morally obvious fact is that the United States is overwhelmingly a force for good both in the world and within its borders, and Syria is overwhelmingly a force for evil both in the world and within its borders. Yet colleges have taught for at least two generations that such judgments are illegitimate.

If you want to judge whether Sweden or Denmark is better, that’s complex. Or whether Iran or Syria is more evil. That, too, is complex. But between Denmark and Syria, there is no moral complexity.

There's evil in the world. A person doesn't have to be religious to understand that there are people in the world who will hurt and kill to get what they want. Putting it in terms of good and evil shouldn't be that difficult of a concept, and Prager does it expertly. He concludes on a funny note by saying there's hope for the kid since he listens to Prager's show. (Heh heh.)

Midland Reporter Telegram confesses code violations on front page

Regular Sleepless in Midland readers know all about the Midland, Texas, city code prohibition against the use of police radio scanner traffic.

So it was interesting to see a front page article in the Midland Reporter Telegram, aka the morning paper, about scanner usage by news media, including themselves. They've been doing it for years in flagrant violation of local code. Meanwhile, their editorial writers serve as public scolds.

To be fair, they say in the article that they're trying to do better and won't actually publish "scanner reports online and in the newspaper." Here's the excerpt:

The Reporter-Telegram’s has a policy against publishing local scanner reports.

“At one time, the Reporter-Telegram was one of the biggest offenders, but this is information that has not been confirmed by law enforcement authorities or journalists, which is why we stopped using scanner reports online and in the newspaper,” said Editor Stewart Doreen.

That doesn't get them off the hook. They seem only concerned with publishing the actual words heard through the scanner. However, if they use the information in any way for their benefit  -- to get a lead, to further a story, to get a jump on the competition, etc. --  they've violated the code.

Here's the actual code language:

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)

We've had fun with this in previous blog posts. It's a pretty good example of an antiquated law that no one has the courage to repeal. But the news media maintain a cozy relationship with government. And just like David Gregory gets away with brandishing an illegal rifle magazine on national TV, they know the government won't touch them. Laws are for the little people.

Editor's note: Could this be a prelude to an announcement that the emergency services are going to hit up city coffers for a high tech radio system that bypasses scanners? Robo-ed. | Hmm. We'll have to keep an eye out for that. Sleepless.

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.