One of the more entertaining aspects of the Presidential campaign so far has been watching the "surrogates" for Donald Trump try to explain what the GOP nominee's platform is. Usually, lower-level politicians like that are provided with key talking points--and a few significant numbers--to memorize and provide in answers to all questions. But because the Trump campaign is distressingly short on facts and details, these poor people (many of them related to Trump himself) are left to fumble through interviews and try to avoid directly answering anything (other than to say that "Hillary is crooked" and "He'll make American great again").
It's one thing when the candidate himself gets on stage and says "I have a plan. It is a very great plan. It will be a successful plan and I will fix that." That's just ego-mania--and it's what we've come to expect from the Trumpster. But when someone else gets in front of a microphone and a camera and says "He has a plan. It's a very great plan. It will be a successful plan and he will fix that" it makes you sound like you are in a cult (which, let's be honest here, isn't that far off in this case). And it's the "surrogates" that get thrown to the more difficult interview situations (i.e. MSNBC) where the questioner tends to be more probative and demanding of actual facts, figures and policy points.
What's more, Trump's surrogates can't always be sure which side of an issue he is taking at any given moment. Take immigration for instance. Is he in favor of deporting 11-million people today? Or is this the day when he is mocking the media for quoting him as saying he supports that? (The campaign would probably have to send out text alerts--if they actually had someone keeping an eye on what their candidate is actually saying). And that may change again today as Trump might fly to meet with Mexico's President just hours before a "major immigration speech" which probably isn't even written yet.
Usually, we here at the Radio Ranch refuse to interview "surrogates" because it's non-informative and repetitive. But given the zig-zag pattern of the Trump campaign so far, we may have to make an exception--if only for the entertainment value.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Ignorance Is Bliss
The Obama Administration is moving into a new phase in the War On Terror: Ignore them and they might go away. In a speech in Bangladesh, Secretary of State John Kerry said the following:
"Remember this: No country is immune from terrorism. It's easy to terrorize. Government and law enforcement have to be correct 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. But if you decide one day you're going to be a terrorist and you're willing to kill yourself, you can go out and kill some people. You can make some noise. Perhaps the media would do us all a service if they didn't cover it quite as much. People wouldn't know what's going on."
Does Kerry realize how stupid he sounds? Which terrorist act should the media "not have covered"? 9/11? The Fort Hood attack? The Benghazi embassy attack? The London double decker Bus and Underground attack? The Paris concert attack? The San Bernardino shootings? The Brussels Airport attack? The Orlando nightclub shootings? I could fill up this entire page with the list of terror attacks in just the last eight years--and we aren't supposed to report on any of those? Could you imagine driving by the scene of any of these incidents and think "What happened here? I didn't hear anything about this in the news. It must be just a training exercise or something!"
A news blackout of terrorism would benefit the Obama Administration by making it "appear" that their "strategy" to contain the menace is effective. "You haven't heard about any attacks have you?" would be a very effective argument for the low-information voter that makes up the majority of Americans nowadays. But it doesn't address the root cause of Islamic terrorism.
Could you imagine if Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association had said the same thing about media coverage of non-terror-related mass shootings? That is all every news network would be talking about today--with huge headlines NRA CHIEF TRIES TO STIFLE MEDIA COVERAGE OF MASS SHOOTINGS!! Yet, one could make the same argument that media coverage of each successive shooting plants a seed in the mind of the next attacker.
We in the media could probably spend more time covering the Obama Administration efforts to combat Islamic terrorism--especially when it comes to making sure that "people don't know what's going on".
Monday, August 29, 2016
Let Him Sit
Why are we so touchy about people who don't show "proper patriotism"? We've heard plenty about American athletes not showing "respect" for their flag or the National Anthem the last couple of weeks. Gymnasts weren't putting their hands over their hearts or singing along to the anthem at the Rio Olympics. And then on Friday, Colin Kaepernick decided he is no longer going to stand for the anthem as a show of support for Black Lives Matter.
In the grand scheme of things--whether it be your life or the security of our nation--what difference does it make if an athlete shows proper respect for the flag or doesn't? 150 other players, plus coaches trainers and officials on the field in San Francisco Friday night did stand for the anthem and faced the flag. From personal experience, I know that reporters in the press box never take their eyes off their smartphones during the anthem--and some of them may be the one's taking Kaepernick to task on their talk shows and on-line blogs.
Did the beer lines at Levi's stadium suddenly empty out and everyone go running back into the seating bowl to "honor America?" How many fans make a bathroom run as soon as the PA announces introduces the musical 'star" or band that is about to play the song--knowing they can still make it back in time for kickoff?
Let's keep in mind that the men and women who have worn the same flag on their uniforms that Colin Kaepernick refuses to honor fought and died for him to have that very freedom. We may "report" on stars who don't show patriotism in the spotlight--but no government officials are coming to "interrogate" them about their allegiance to the country like they do in some other nations. If Colin gets carjacked or attacked at a nightclub, the police officers that wear the flag on their sleeves will still come to his aid--whether he is leading the singing of the anthem--or he's sitting in the locker room from now on. And the government that he accuses of acting against him will continue to print the millions of dollars the 49ers pay him to sit the bench for more than just the National Anthem.
Is the third meaningless game of the pre-season the right place to make a political statement? Not really. Is Colin Kaepernick wrong in his beliefs about this country? I think so. But the very reason that the rest of us do take a few moments to "honor America" before our sporting events is a reminder of why people like Colin Kaepernick can express themselves in the exact opposite way.
In the grand scheme of things--whether it be your life or the security of our nation--what difference does it make if an athlete shows proper respect for the flag or doesn't? 150 other players, plus coaches trainers and officials on the field in San Francisco Friday night did stand for the anthem and faced the flag. From personal experience, I know that reporters in the press box never take their eyes off their smartphones during the anthem--and some of them may be the one's taking Kaepernick to task on their talk shows and on-line blogs.
Did the beer lines at Levi's stadium suddenly empty out and everyone go running back into the seating bowl to "honor America?" How many fans make a bathroom run as soon as the PA announces introduces the musical 'star" or band that is about to play the song--knowing they can still make it back in time for kickoff?
Let's keep in mind that the men and women who have worn the same flag on their uniforms that Colin Kaepernick refuses to honor fought and died for him to have that very freedom. We may "report" on stars who don't show patriotism in the spotlight--but no government officials are coming to "interrogate" them about their allegiance to the country like they do in some other nations. If Colin gets carjacked or attacked at a nightclub, the police officers that wear the flag on their sleeves will still come to his aid--whether he is leading the singing of the anthem--or he's sitting in the locker room from now on. And the government that he accuses of acting against him will continue to print the millions of dollars the 49ers pay him to sit the bench for more than just the National Anthem.
Is the third meaningless game of the pre-season the right place to make a political statement? Not really. Is Colin Kaepernick wrong in his beliefs about this country? I think so. But the very reason that the rest of us do take a few moments to "honor America" before our sporting events is a reminder of why people like Colin Kaepernick can express themselves in the exact opposite way.
Friday, August 26, 2016
A New Low
It didn't seem possible, but we may have hit a new all-time low in the aftermath of the Teresa Halbach murder case. I've debated the last few days whether to address this. We didn't do a news story on it--unlike some other outlets--because the people behind it really don't deserve the coverage. But I think everyone else should know the type of people pushing the "Steven Avery-Brendan Dassey are the real victims" narrative.
This week, an on-line pornography website announced it is sending Dassey and his family to WrestleMania in Orlando next April. Much was made of Dassey's love for pro wrestling in stories about his incarceration and appeals--and how the main thing he missed while behind bars was not being able to watch WrestleMania. An on-line petition was even launched to get World Wrestling Entertainment President Vince McMahon to provide Dassey with a free trip to the show.
But what the website doesn't mention is the role that pornography likely played in the abduction and murder of Halbach. I'm sure Making a Murderer spends little time on Avery and Dassey's affinity for watching porn. There is probably no transcript of Dassey's story told to detectives about the sexual torture that Halbach endured before her death. And even if you think that Dassey just made up all of that in graphic detail to somehow please the police officers, where do you think a 16-year old came up with all of those ideas?
Don't expect Vince McMahon to jump on the "Let's send Brendan Dassey to WrestleMania" bandwagon. We aren't talking about someone who was exonerated by DNA evidence--or a dramatic arrest of "the real killer". He may get out on a technicality--and that doesn't sway many non-conspiracy-theorists in their opinion of Dassey. McMahon will take any publicity he can get--but even this may be a bit too low of a bar--even for him.
This week, an on-line pornography website announced it is sending Dassey and his family to WrestleMania in Orlando next April. Much was made of Dassey's love for pro wrestling in stories about his incarceration and appeals--and how the main thing he missed while behind bars was not being able to watch WrestleMania. An on-line petition was even launched to get World Wrestling Entertainment President Vince McMahon to provide Dassey with a free trip to the show.
But what the website doesn't mention is the role that pornography likely played in the abduction and murder of Halbach. I'm sure Making a Murderer spends little time on Avery and Dassey's affinity for watching porn. There is probably no transcript of Dassey's story told to detectives about the sexual torture that Halbach endured before her death. And even if you think that Dassey just made up all of that in graphic detail to somehow please the police officers, where do you think a 16-year old came up with all of those ideas?
Don't expect Vince McMahon to jump on the "Let's send Brendan Dassey to WrestleMania" bandwagon. We aren't talking about someone who was exonerated by DNA evidence--or a dramatic arrest of "the real killer". He may get out on a technicality--and that doesn't sway many non-conspiracy-theorists in their opinion of Dassey. McMahon will take any publicity he can get--but even this may be a bit too low of a bar--even for him.
Thursday, August 25, 2016
A Trip Back In Time
I paid a rare visit to the Wittman Regional Airport terminal building here in Oshkosh yesterday. Unless you are renting a car from Hertz, taking the Greyhound bus out of town, or voting, you don't have much reason to go there nowadays. Ironically, my visit was for the unveiling of plans for a building that will replace the terminal as early as next year.
But stepping into the terminal is like taking a trip back in time to when air travel was a much simpler endeavor. The ticket counter is still there--where actual airline employees checked you in--no "self-check in kiosks" that don't read the barcode on the boarding pass you printed at home before heading to the airport or on your smartphone because the screen is smudged--requiring you to find an airline employee to check you in manually--which kind of defeats the purpose of having the self-check-in kiosk. Those counter folks used to tag your bags as well--which flew with you for free I might add. And believe it or not kids, you could actually buy a ticket at that counter to get on the plane right away!!
There are no ropes winding their way through the terminal leading to any TSA checkpoints. No metal detectors or full body scanners. No Pre-Check line for those of us willing to pay extra to have a few of our Constitutional rights honored at the airport. You simply went from the check in counter to "the gate" and waited to walk out to your aircraft.
There was some discussion yesterday about what would happen if some airline actually considered bringing service back to Oshkosh someday--and officials admitted that a new terminal building would have to be added on to the new Business Center--just to house all of the stuff I listed above. (Don't worry, taxpayers--that is never going to happen) But it got me to thinking if we are really any safer flying now than we were when none of those "security measures" were in place. You never hear stories of TSA finding actual bombs on passengers or in luggage. Most incidents involve pro athletes or celebrities forgetting they had loaded guns in their bags. More often you hear about all of the failed tests--where planted explosives and weapons get through with no detection.
Have the billions--or perhaps trillions--we have spent since 9/11 actually thwarted more attacks? Did Al Qaeda have more suicide pilots and muscle men ready to board planes--or was it just a one-time thing? Has it been more effective to fight Islamic terrorists on their own soil? Did killing Osama Bin Laden effectively cut off the head of the operations that could organize and fund co-ordinated attacks like that? The problem is, we can't really be sure--and so we continue to spend the tons of money needed to "keep us safe"--even through we really can't prove it.
But stepping into the terminal is like taking a trip back in time to when air travel was a much simpler endeavor. The ticket counter is still there--where actual airline employees checked you in--no "self-check in kiosks" that don't read the barcode on the boarding pass you printed at home before heading to the airport or on your smartphone because the screen is smudged--requiring you to find an airline employee to check you in manually--which kind of defeats the purpose of having the self-check-in kiosk. Those counter folks used to tag your bags as well--which flew with you for free I might add. And believe it or not kids, you could actually buy a ticket at that counter to get on the plane right away!!
There are no ropes winding their way through the terminal leading to any TSA checkpoints. No metal detectors or full body scanners. No Pre-Check line for those of us willing to pay extra to have a few of our Constitutional rights honored at the airport. You simply went from the check in counter to "the gate" and waited to walk out to your aircraft.
There was some discussion yesterday about what would happen if some airline actually considered bringing service back to Oshkosh someday--and officials admitted that a new terminal building would have to be added on to the new Business Center--just to house all of the stuff I listed above. (Don't worry, taxpayers--that is never going to happen) But it got me to thinking if we are really any safer flying now than we were when none of those "security measures" were in place. You never hear stories of TSA finding actual bombs on passengers or in luggage. Most incidents involve pro athletes or celebrities forgetting they had loaded guns in their bags. More often you hear about all of the failed tests--where planted explosives and weapons get through with no detection.
Have the billions--or perhaps trillions--we have spent since 9/11 actually thwarted more attacks? Did Al Qaeda have more suicide pilots and muscle men ready to board planes--or was it just a one-time thing? Has it been more effective to fight Islamic terrorists on their own soil? Did killing Osama Bin Laden effectively cut off the head of the operations that could organize and fund co-ordinated attacks like that? The problem is, we can't really be sure--and so we continue to spend the tons of money needed to "keep us safe"--even through we really can't prove it.
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
The End of the Peace Dividend
While I would never endorse Donald Trump's call to end NATO, it would provide a very interesting case study into how long the social democracies of Western Europe could continue to maintain their vast nanny states if they had to pay for their own defense. During the Brexit debate, European Union bureaucrats argued that it was they who had established the peace and prosperity seen in most of the Continent for decades. Actually, it was the broad wings of the US Military that has maintained the peace after World War II.
Who funded the Marshall Plan--allowing war-torn Europe to rebuild? Who stood up to the Soviet aggression of the Cold War? Who quelled ethnic cleansing in the Balkans? It certainly wasn't Greece, Spain or Belgium.
Donald Trump is correct in saying that many NATO members aren't pulling their own weight. When it was formed, the alliance required its European members to commit just two percent of their annual budgets to defense efforts. Today, just five countries are meeting that requirement. The US covers between 70 and 75% of the annual expenses of NATO--to the tune of $650-BILLION out of the $900-BILLION total.
So let's say the US really did take its ball (and missles and warships and soldiers) and went home--how would our allies make up for that? And remember, our European friends also enjoy the quick deployment capabilities of the ENTIRE US Military in the event of a major threat of action. How would the Scandanavian countries--who are already taxed to the max--fund their cradle-to-the-grave entitlement programs when they would have to field much larger armies, develop their own defense technologies, build (or buy) all of those tanks, planes and weapons systems? Would the French, the Spanish and the Italians be able to take entire months off of work if they had to pay for their own systems of spy satellites, surveillance drones, anti-submarine technology and missle defense systems? And imagine if every European country had to establish its own intelligence system to infiltrate not just the threats from Russia and China--but the infiltration of their own societies by Islamic terror groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda.
This may lead you to wonder why the US spends all of this money to protect countries that then enjoy the "peace dividend" we fund? Well it comes from lessons learned in the early 20th Century: we can either pay to maintain the peace in Europe now--or we can pay a lot more--with our lives--to re-establish it later. And the next time you hear a Liberal say we need to be "more like Europe" in pushing for some entitlement program, ask them which superpower is going to protect us--so we can pay for it.
Who funded the Marshall Plan--allowing war-torn Europe to rebuild? Who stood up to the Soviet aggression of the Cold War? Who quelled ethnic cleansing in the Balkans? It certainly wasn't Greece, Spain or Belgium.
Donald Trump is correct in saying that many NATO members aren't pulling their own weight. When it was formed, the alliance required its European members to commit just two percent of their annual budgets to defense efforts. Today, just five countries are meeting that requirement. The US covers between 70 and 75% of the annual expenses of NATO--to the tune of $650-BILLION out of the $900-BILLION total.
So let's say the US really did take its ball (and missles and warships and soldiers) and went home--how would our allies make up for that? And remember, our European friends also enjoy the quick deployment capabilities of the ENTIRE US Military in the event of a major threat of action. How would the Scandanavian countries--who are already taxed to the max--fund their cradle-to-the-grave entitlement programs when they would have to field much larger armies, develop their own defense technologies, build (or buy) all of those tanks, planes and weapons systems? Would the French, the Spanish and the Italians be able to take entire months off of work if they had to pay for their own systems of spy satellites, surveillance drones, anti-submarine technology and missle defense systems? And imagine if every European country had to establish its own intelligence system to infiltrate not just the threats from Russia and China--but the infiltration of their own societies by Islamic terror groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda.
This may lead you to wonder why the US spends all of this money to protect countries that then enjoy the "peace dividend" we fund? Well it comes from lessons learned in the early 20th Century: we can either pay to maintain the peace in Europe now--or we can pay a lot more--with our lives--to re-establish it later. And the next time you hear a Liberal say we need to be "more like Europe" in pushing for some entitlement program, ask them which superpower is going to protect us--so we can pay for it.
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
The Epitome of Customer Non-Service
Allow me to vent about a major retailer for a moment. Nearly two years ago, we purchased an entire office-worth of furniture from the Ikea in Schaumburg, Illinois, with plans to replace our current home office fixtures. The plan was to put in new flooring in the room before construction of the do-it-yourself furniture. Unfortunately, other more pressing home improvement projects came up--and the new flooring got pushed back (because we are on the Dave Ramsey Plan and we weren't about to borrow for the office makeover).
But finally this month, the new flooring went in--some paint touchup was done--and I could finally put together the Ikea furniture. After struggling with the no-words-just-generic-illustrations-for-directions, I thought that I had the file cabinet put together--but the middle drawer stuck out farther than the other two drawers--and I knew my "particular" wife would not be cool with that. So I called the "Customer Service Line" to inquire as to how to fix the problem.
After a 45-minute wait on the phone--because they are "experiencing high call volume" (as every business has been for the last ten years)--I finally got a real person on the line--who of course, couldn't help me with my problem. That meant another 20-minutes on hold until "someone with more expertise in assembly" could pickup the phone. After I explained the issue, she called up the very same assembly manual that I already had in front of me (which offered no advice on how to get a drawer to go in farther) and then started "guessing" at what the fix may be. While following her direction to try and pull out the drawer and re-seat it on its rails I pulled up on the assembly ("you may have to pull pretty hard, sir) I ended up actually breaking a couple of plastic clips that are integral to keeping the drawer on the rails--rendering the drawer useless.
After telling my "expert" that the drawer had broken following her recommendations, she expressed no empathy or regret for giving me obviously wrong information and said that I would have to call a different number to get replacement parts sent to me. That meant another 45-minutes on hold (they are experiencing "high call volume" again this decade). After finally getting a "Customer Service Representative" and explaining to her the parts that I would need, I was informed that part cannot be shipped out--because it's "hardware"--and that can only be picked up at the store itself.
Fighting back my growing rage, I accepted her offer to be transferred to the Schaumburg store to inquire about having the parts shipped to me--rather than wasting a day driving down there again. That is when I entered the "Phone Tree of Death"--being told to enter my parties extension number (which I couldn't possibly know) or to "hold for the operator--which just took me back to the top phone menu again.
FINALLY after randomly hitting four digit extensions I got a real person to answer the phone!! She immediately told me that she had nothing to do with floor stock and transferred me to "a person who might know something about that"--where my call immediately went to voice mail. I can flat out guarantee that call will NEVER be returned.
So I guess I know what the wife and I will be doing some weekend in September. And people wonder why I wasn't jumping up and down celebrating that one of these evil hell-holes is opening in Wisconsin.
But finally this month, the new flooring went in--some paint touchup was done--and I could finally put together the Ikea furniture. After struggling with the no-words-just-generic-illustrations-for-directions, I thought that I had the file cabinet put together--but the middle drawer stuck out farther than the other two drawers--and I knew my "particular" wife would not be cool with that. So I called the "Customer Service Line" to inquire as to how to fix the problem.
After a 45-minute wait on the phone--because they are "experiencing high call volume" (as every business has been for the last ten years)--I finally got a real person on the line--who of course, couldn't help me with my problem. That meant another 20-minutes on hold until "someone with more expertise in assembly" could pickup the phone. After I explained the issue, she called up the very same assembly manual that I already had in front of me (which offered no advice on how to get a drawer to go in farther) and then started "guessing" at what the fix may be. While following her direction to try and pull out the drawer and re-seat it on its rails I pulled up on the assembly ("you may have to pull pretty hard, sir) I ended up actually breaking a couple of plastic clips that are integral to keeping the drawer on the rails--rendering the drawer useless.
After telling my "expert" that the drawer had broken following her recommendations, she expressed no empathy or regret for giving me obviously wrong information and said that I would have to call a different number to get replacement parts sent to me. That meant another 45-minutes on hold (they are experiencing "high call volume" again this decade). After finally getting a "Customer Service Representative" and explaining to her the parts that I would need, I was informed that part cannot be shipped out--because it's "hardware"--and that can only be picked up at the store itself.
Fighting back my growing rage, I accepted her offer to be transferred to the Schaumburg store to inquire about having the parts shipped to me--rather than wasting a day driving down there again. That is when I entered the "Phone Tree of Death"--being told to enter my parties extension number (which I couldn't possibly know) or to "hold for the operator--which just took me back to the top phone menu again.
FINALLY after randomly hitting four digit extensions I got a real person to answer the phone!! She immediately told me that she had nothing to do with floor stock and transferred me to "a person who might know something about that"--where my call immediately went to voice mail. I can flat out guarantee that call will NEVER be returned.
So I guess I know what the wife and I will be doing some weekend in September. And people wonder why I wasn't jumping up and down celebrating that one of these evil hell-holes is opening in Wisconsin.
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