To Borrow A Larry Kudlow Phrase, Fred Thompson Is Right On The Money

Some believe the Second Amendment has different meanings for different places, and that the gun rights of citizens in big cities such as New York City and Chicago can be restricted more than the gun rights of those in Tennessee and Montana.

That, paraphrased, was the question put to FDT at a Friday public speaking engagement.
Thompson in non-politician speak responded as I had hoped.

"Nope. It's never seemed to me to be coincidental that the places that have the highest crime rates tend to be the places that have the most restrictions on gun ownership in America."

FDT, he's my man, if he doesn't do, I may have to move to France where Sarkozy is the next best bet over the current crop of losers running this country.

And as for Pseudo-christian James Dobson, who thinks Thompson is not a good choice for the Republican nomination, Dobson doesn't know enough about the Bible and Christianity to be correct on more than half the political points he comments on.

I don't care if Dobson does draw a radio audience in the millions, that just means he's perpetuating lies to millions of people just like Al Gore is doing with his inaccuracies on global warming.

Dobson is in a cult-like group of people that refer to themselves as Nazarenes, not Christians and claim to be part of a holiness movement. There's not a lot that's holy about James Dobson.

He claims the name Nazarene is an acceptable religious name to be called because Jesus was a Nazarene, referred to in Matthew 2:23. In context, this is in reference to Jesus's "homewtown" as I would be called a Memphian or Dobson would be called a Louisianan. If he can't get something this simple about Biblical context correct, how can his rhetoric be believed?

Dobson is one of a large group of Pseudo-christians in the ultra right wing, facist part of the Republican Party, of which FDT is not part.

Just another reason why I'm with Fred.

The Jack Russells of The Baskervilles

Hello, mon cher. I am Franklin D. Baskerville of the famous French Baskervilles. Shhhh! I listen for the evil one, known to mankind as Mr. Squirrel.


(Sniff, sniff) What is that inoucuous aroma? Is that his musk cologne I smell? Yes, he must be nearby!



What? There is a Mr. Squirrel in his house? I'd love to see how it's decorated.

Oh, I'm Boy George Baskerville in case you didn't know.




Ah, ha!! There he is, in the tree. Come down you, you coward!!

Mr. Squirrel must be French, also!











Does my tail make my butt look big?

Boy Took Beating From Jena 6 Like I Did From The Jr. High 3

There's so much news and misinformation flying around the Jena 6 that it has served in the last few days as a painful reminder of something that happened to me when I was in grade school.

Under court order, the public school system where I grew up was forced to integrate the white and black schools not long after James Meredith was the first man with dark skin to enroll in college at Ole Miss (technically, The University of Mississippi).

Meredith and I have this in common: We view ourselves as individual American citizens with equal rights.

I understood that when I was six (started school when I was barely five, already reading at a fourth-grade level). Meredith had to force the then President of the United States to acknowledge that Meredith had basic rights to go to any college no matter what color he was. He did this by demanding the Kennedy Administration -- wow, figure that out...a Democrat who had to be forced into helping a black man get into a college -- provide that recognition to him in a public way by protecting him as he enrolled at Ole Miss.

Meredith's quote, "And my objective was to force the federal government – the Kennedy administration at that time – into a position where they would have to use the United States military force to enforce my rights as a citizen," has been printed in numerous publications and books.

By the time I was in Jr. High, I was a pretty good athlete, only we'd integrated and a former all-black K-12 in an all-black neighborhood was now a biracial Jr. High. I made the basketball team. Only white girl to do so. Was a good point guard, made first string. Then the attacks started.

Up to that point in my life, I'd been taught that God loves us all. I have light skin and light brown-blonde hair but God did not love me more -- or differently -- than my friend Diane, whose skin was the color of crude oil with hair about that same color. He loved us both equally.

But girls the color of Diane daily hit me, pinched me, tried to knock me down in the halls between classes and jumped me outside one day after school had let out for the day. They beat me up real good.

Mother doctored the cuts and bruises and the dentist capped a broke tooth paid for out of Daddy's pocket because we didn't have dental insurance then. Daddy tried to reason with their parents and the school principal with no luck.

This is why you can't reason with terrorists and evil people. They don't care about right and wrong. They'd rather hurt or kill you to get their way and they have no respect for you or your rights.

If the majority of news accounts of the Jena story are correct, then:

The student who had asked to sit under the tree should not have asked unless he thought himself to be second class. He should have gone out there and sat down. He had the right to do that, especially if his parents are paying taxes in the community -- AND, without any retaliation from some people whose parents are bad people (because they obviously did not teach their children to be decent human beings rather than act like facist Nazis).

Those students who hung the nooses the next day from the tree should not have been dealt with so lightly. When there is no fear of a difficult punishment, there becomes no fear to make the next act a more heinous one. They should have been expelled from school for the entire year or allow me to pronounce punishment. I would have put them in day-custody of the sheriff's department on clean-up detail of everything and every place in that county and under house arrest at night seven days a week for the remainder of the school year and failed them for that year making them repeat the grade the next year.

Even if Justin Barker (the white boy that took the beating from the Jena 6) was mouthing off, it only showed that his parents had not taught him to be a civilized human being with respect for others and this fact did not give Mychal Bell the right to beat on him. Bell's criminal record prior to his beating of Barker simply shows he was not taught by his parents to be a civilized human being with respect for others, either.

Regarding my plight in Jr. High, I had to follow what I had been taught. This is what my parents taught me and why I did not retaliate that year for the beatings I received from those girls:

I will not strike back because the Bible tells me not to. Romans 12:19.

I will ask God to bless those who treat me unfairly or harshly because the Bible tells me to. Matthew 5:44.

I will forgive those who have hurt me because the Bible tells me to. Luke 23:24.

Too bad Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton don't know enough about the Bible (they claim to be ministers but obviously are not since they don't know the Bible) to tell everyone -- black and white, resident and visitor -- in Jena to do what the Bible says.

Jon, Jon, Jon. You've Got Moxie!

A few blogs back, I wrote about Jon Friedman's coverage of his own industry and some of the known liars that have tainted journalism during the last three or four decades.

I noted that Jon's column is fun and entertaining to read but also that Jon didn't just deliver softballs as if he were in a summer co-ed league. Jon has the chutzpah (we call it guts down South) to take someone to task, if need be.

He has done just that with today's column about Dan Rather's act of hubris in filing a lawsuit against CBS. (Click here for details.)

You might think Jon's criticism of Dan is because Jon's former employer was CBS MarketWatch -- now MarketWatch, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dow Jones & Company -- but if you read his column regularly, and even today's column about the lawsuit, you'll see he is critical of CBS's flagging news efforts.

And they've been declining since, well, since Walter Cronkite retired.


Let's face it, Dan Rather was one of those people who left the basic tenants of journalism long ago in the pursuit of ratings, self-promotion and grandiosity and those should never be in the list of a journalist's attributes.

As poorly as she's doing, CBS is better off with Katie Couric than it was in Dan's last 10 years in the anchor seat.

Why dismiss someone who admitted he knew the reports on Bush's military service were unsubstantiated but reported on them anyway?

For the same reason The Washington Post fired Janet Cooke and The New York Times dismissed Jayson Blair and The New Republic canned Stephen Glass.

They dishonored the craft by (multiple choice, so you can match it with the goat who did it):

1. Committing plagiarism


2. Fabricating all or parts of stories


3. Lying

Journalism ethics and standards apply to all journalists, print and broadcast. Rather checked his set at the door when he and his team (also fired, forced to resign, told to take early retirement, whatever...) went ahead with the unconfirmed story on Bush.

Now retired Editor-In-Chief at CBS, Tony Burman, once said, “Every news organization has only its credibility and reputation to rely on.”

Rather tarnished CBS's rep and now it appears he wants to tank it with his vindictiveness.

In the meantime, I will continue to get my news from people and organizations who appear to be truthful, accurate, objective, impartial and fair. When Jon Friedman stops having these qualities, I'll write a blog entry on what a cad he is.

I have a feeling that blog may never get penned.

More Family - From The Photo Album

These are some of the Alabama slamma members of the family, the honest, upstanding ones.

Cousin Chan and her momma, Cousin Niter (Anita). Anita used to be a head seamstress for Tommy Hilfiger until he shut down his sewing mill in Alabama and moved it overseas for cheap labor. And Niter was a good seamstress and clothing designer.


Cousin Paisley

Mayoral Candidate Debate, Er, Ah Debacle

For outsiders reading in, we have an election looming next month.

It is for mayor of Memphis.

W. W. "Willie" Herenton is the incumbent and has been the mayor since he was sworn in, in 1991, as the first Black to be elected mayor of Memphis. Sixteen years and more than four consecutive terms in office is too much because if you know anything about the city, you know the problems we have here.

So, last Monday night, the really really smart people at News Channel 3 (the CBS affiliate) held the first televised debate opposite the Monday night NFL Football season kickoff double-header.

Thus, I had to record the debate.


After football, I watched.

I have to say these 3 guys did a much better job at talking than the 3 candidates opposing Herenton did in this mayoral debate!

This is Ron Jaworski, Mike Tirico and Tony Kornheiser.

They ask questions of each other and they try and give answers to the questions asked.

Not so with our mayoral candidates.


A few Bon Mots...

This is the illustrious (sic) group opposing incumbent Mayor Herenton, Carol Chumney, Herman Morris and John Willingham.

It seemed they all were coached by some PR idiots who told them, I imagine, not to answer the questions.

I could tell this from having worked on political campaigns, Thad Cochran's senate race in the 1980s, Don Sundquist's governor's race in the 1990s and many, many other state and local campaigns in Mississippi and Tennessee.

I've sat in rooms where higher level PR people coached candidates to ignore questions and get their points across. Only, they coached them explaining and showing how to use "bridging" words.

For example, the question might be posed, "What would you do your first 90 days in office?"

The candidate would have been taught, if he or she had no idea what they'd do in the first 90 days to "bridge" to a point they wanted to get across in this manner:

"I think the bigger question is what will Memphis face in the years to come regarding qualified leadership. I have 10 years of county commission experience and 12 years on the job as budget manager for the city parks and am the most qualified to lead the city in the years to come. Check my record of service and you'll agree."

See how easy it is NOT to answer a question?

Only, the three mayoral candidates didn't even use bridging words and phrases. They simply ignored for the most part the moderators and citizens asking the questions!!

On top of that, Willingham couldn't get out a simple thought in a complete sentence if it saved his life. And Chumney spent most of her time harping on her resume which related to almost none of the questions and Morris kept connecting himself to MLGW and thus connected himself to the fiascoes that happened under his tenure, including the infamous "VIP List".

Alas, incumbent candidate Herenton probably fared the best by not being there at all. No one but Chumney criticized him and only late in the game and ineffectively at that.

I fear for the city, no matter who gets elected.

Jon Friedman's Weavings Of His Media Web

With degrees in journalism, broadcasting, advertising, and public relations, it should come as no surprise that I'm a media junkie.

I also love to read the media that covers the media and one of the best and most interesting writers out there is Jon Friedman with CBS Marketwatch. I'll get back to Jon and some comments on him in a minute.

Now, you might agree that it's a bit oxymoronic to have the media covering itself. But I don't think so. Journalists shouldn't think they are beyond reproach because several have proven they aren't.

Immediately coming to mind are several who tarnished the reputation of "the public watchdog" including Jayson Blair, Jack Kelley and Stephen Glass. One that prompted me to lose heart about my beloved profession was Janet Cooke. People forget about her infraction and in my opinion, it was much more egregious than recent ones.

Cooke was the first perverter of journalistic integrity in my adult life of reading major dailies and picking up writers I fancied I'd be reading for a long time -- or working along side one day.

Cooke tarnished the pages of the famed Washington Post with lies.

BACK STORY:

In 1980, Cooke was hired at the Washington Post after working at the Toledo Blade. She went on to write a gripping story entitled Jimmy's World about an 8-year-old heroin addict. She was nominated and then won the Pulitzer Prize in 1981 for the story.

She had a great pedigree, or so thought HR at the Washington Post . She had on her resume, notation of her degree from Vassar College and that she studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and even that she was an award winner for her writing while at the Toledo Blade.

She was exposed for all of it as lies -- her background and the story on Jimmy -- and the nation was shocked back then. I can attest, the Blair et al scandals died down quite a bit faster than the one that became the vortex that Cooke got sucked into.

Which brings me to Jon Friedman.

FRONT STORY:

Friedman's last few columns have been about people in media positions that are issuing news to an information-obsessed world that are pithy, well angled, fact-filled and ... well, entertaining. Not really exposing or hard-hitting; not overly critical nor fault-finding. Take a look at the headlines and I think you'll agree. It's hardly sensational stuff.

Assessing Maria Bartiromo and Erin Burnett
Commentary: CNBC hopes it can accommodate two star anchors

Fox's Shep Smith takes the work seriously ...
Commentary: ... but doesn't get caught up in a news-star persona

Assessing Couric and Vieira after year one
Commentary: Tale of the tape shows that the winner is ...

Here's the thing.

I WANT Jon to be writing about the things he's writing about and not about media scandals where journalists are caught lying in articles. If there's anything I want to see in today's world, it's journalists that take their craft seriously, not themselves. It's competition among anchors for the better analyst and the one that delivers more complete information. Ones that people are trusting not because their ratings are going up, but through their demonstration of integrity, honesty and a take-no-prisoners-when-reporting-on-stuff-and people attitude -- no sacred cows. Lou Dobbs is a perfect example of what journalists and broadcasters ought to be.

And report cards. I like it when Jon takes a look and grades the media.

I also think that Jon can be tough, that he's willing and able to point out infraction, break a story or write some biting criticism if any journalist makes a misstep.

I believe Jon Friedman to be level-headed, principled and honest, and a good, solid reporter, even if he is a New Yorker. After all, he's from the capital of the news world.

What better credential than those two things to be a watchdog over the bulldogs?

For a slice of Jon Friedman's Media Web,
click here.

Steve Jobs For President

By now, most technology intellects and even tech meddlers know about the recent iPhone price reduction that caused a major brouhaha with Apple loyalists and lovers. Even if you are not a techno geek, or part of tech intelligentsia, or even tech aware – maybe you’re a technophobe – you still know about the Apple price reposition on the iPhone, if you are up on your news and current events.

Apple haters are calling it a gaffe. I don’t think it was a blunder or a mistake or anything Steve Jobs should have apologized for, but the bloody media love to beat up on underdogs like Jobs and Apple and kiss the feet of monolithic monopolies such as Microsoft and its Der Kommissar, Bill Gates.

Still, it made me think about the chain reaction Jobs set off when the company announced the drop in price of the iPhone by $200 just two months after it went on sale.

He and Apple were plastered with hundreds – maybe thousands – of emails from iPhone customers who were upset that they paid the Early Adopter price for an iPhone. I would have told the whiney babies to shut up. That’s what they get for not being able to delay gratification. They think they have run out, as if they were Paris Hilton and got their cha-ching from a family trust fund, and get every trinket and toy that comes along. Only, they don’t get their benjamins from sugar daddies or even off trees, so they’re whining.

It's simple. If you want to run with the big dogs and be an Early Adopter, that's okay. Just don't whine for paying the premium associated with being an Early Adopter. People with common sense can understand this concept. So should techno savvy people who feel the need to impress, pretend to be in the Hilton family, or need to be Early Adopters to keep or get friends.

Still, you must give Jobs a tip of the hat for his public apology (click here to read Jobs’ apology) and efforts to appease those whiney babies with a $100 store credit (I should get a $100 store credit. After pulling out every sales ticket from every Apple purchase I’ve made since 1984, I have spent WELL over $10,000 with Apple).

There are so many high profile people who are in leadership positions and capable of setting examples for how we're supposed to act that really should show humility as Jobs has done and apologize but are too stubborn to. One immediately comes to mind.

His name is George W. Bush.

Poppy and B.B.