I write these words in the wake of the news that MSNBC has dropped Don Imus from its lineup. I fully expect that by the time you read these words, CBS Radio will have fired him as well. The raging media controversy over the stupid racial insult Imus threw at the Rutgers women's basketball team - "nappy-headed hos" - has led the usual cast of professional victims, like Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and the NAACP, to deplore the racist underbelly of the broader American culture. But where were these people when the subject was gangsta rap? With these arrogant and... continue reading
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's make-believe Secretary of State routine in Syria has been painted by the press as a sign of emboldened Democrats taking on Team Bush's neocon bumblers. Chris Matthews echoed his colleagues' sentiments when he joyously declared Pelosi would "open the doors to peace." It was, of course, an outrage, a direct slap at the President, an effort to humiliate him on the international stage. President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and White House spokesman Dan Bartlett were quoted decrying Pelosi's diplomatic freelancing. Conservative talk radio was livid. But where, oh where, were the congressional Republicans? More to the... continue reading
For all Christians, Easter is an outbreak of joy, a celebration of the resurrection of the risen Lord, marking the full promise of a savior unfolding like a spring flower. For ABC, it's just another night to sell sex. During a Monday night broadcast of "Dancing with the Stars," ABC promoted its Easter Sunday lineup, starting with an inspirational episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." So far, so good. But that's where the good ended. Then came the plug for a typical episode of "Desperate Housewives," with one catty middle-aged woman saying to another, "I'm this close to seducing my... continue reading
Tom Tancredo has become well-known as the country's most energetic Congressman against illegal immigration. He's now running for president on that issue. National Public Radio also has a deeply ingrained reputation - as a taxpayer-subsidized network of gooey liberals. They speak in tones so sleep-inducing that their programs should be regarded as a potential traffic hazard. On April 1, these two legends met, and sparks flew. The program was Sunday's "All Things Considered" broadcast, hosted by Debbie Elliott. The trouble began at hello: Elliott introduced Tancredo as a man who "gained national prominence with his fierce opposition to allowing illegal... continue reading
The top Washington story on Monday, March 26 came straight from the Sunday morning chat shows: the support for embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was slipping, even among Republicans. Which Republicans? There are conservatives who are not big fans of Gonzales, who would have preferred the President had chosen someone bolder, more confrontational, someone willing to make a case for conservatism. But none of those people were seen on ABC, CBS, or NBC. Viewers saw instead the "even Republicans," the ones who specialize in ratifying the conventional liberal media wisdom, as in "Even Republicans say Gonzales is cooked." If the... continue reading
From time to time we hear about zany professors of popular culture using their academic credentials to elevate the most aggressively offensive and potty-mouthed TV shows into the Great Works of Western Civilization. What causes these bookworms in academe to slither around trying to intellectualize our cultural rubbish? It's like getting a Master's degree in restroom graffiti. Can you really compare "South Park" to Socrates? That's exactly what happens in a new book titled "South Park and Philosophy." I have no idea who would read all the way through this laughable exercise in excuse-making. The first essay is a riot... continue reading
The Hollywood trade publication Variety reports that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the group that makes the movie ratings, is working to "fine-tune" the ratings system. Its chairman, former congressman Dan Glickman, they say, "will face his biggest hurdle yet: trying to make NC-17 respectable." In truth, the MPAA has been trying to make pornography respectable for quite some time. In 1990, the MPAA discontinued its traditional X-rating-for-adults-only system, since the "X" had became almost exclusively associated with pornographic movies. The MPAA website puts it this way: the letter "appeared to have taken on a surly meaning in... continue reading
Today's Internet age is putting an end to the hardcover encyclopedia business. Why spend fortunes on a massive (albeit attractive) World Book set when you can get what you need a mouse click away on the Internet? Any student preparing a research paper and searching Google will probably be handed over quickly to the "Wikipedia" on-line encyclopedia system. What's more - and here's an offer that presumably can't be beat - it's free! Consumer beware. At Wikipedia you won't find a distinguished body of tweedy old professors poring over every paragraph on the Hanseatic League. It's actually on the other... continue reading
As the reputation of cable television has darkened considerably over the last few years with every lurid "Sopranos" whacking and every ghoulish plastic surgery on "Nip/Tuck," public protest and congressional inquiries have led the cable industry to promise change. Change the tone of their TV slop? No, they promised a campaign to sell technological gadgetry to help the adults navigate around their gooey and graphic messes. Two years ago, the National Cable Television Association started a pathetic public-relations campaign suggesting cable was putting the parents "in control" - by just educating them about the V-chip. It's been a decade since... continue reading
The March 13 Washington Post erupted on the front page with the revelation that the White House played a role in the dismissal of eight U.S. Attorneys. "Firings Had Genesis In White House," screamed the headline. Documents showed that back in 2005, White House counsel Harriet Miers recommended the idea to the Justice Department that all 93 U.S. Attorneys be replaced. Instead, the Bush team dismissed only eight. But something quite amazing was omitted by those hard-charging Post reporters Dan Eggen and John Solomon digging through White House E-mails for their scandalized front-page bombshell. Didn't Bill Clinton's brand new Attorney... continue reading