First the good news

Colin McEnroe will be back on the air, Monday at WNPR, otherwise known as Connecticut Public Radio, and his sidekick will be Chion Wolf, whose inbetweenies, have held weekends at WNPR together for these past many months.

According to all reports, McEnroe's show will be a pastiche of cultural, topical and philosophical issues, all of which he is capable of handling with his hyperdrive wit, and his almost unbelievable grasp of the issues.

We're all hoping for the best as McEnroe settles into an otherwise staid (with the exception of the weekend's Car Talk and Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me) format with his fully-automatic fire humor.

The other bit of good news is that the announcement declares that McEnroe won't be taking calls from the usual cast of shut-ins, a real drag on his former AM show, and that he apparently won't be talking sports, an event which unfortunately coincided with my drive home, and led me to tune to All Things Considered.

The bad news is that McEnroe plans to eschew politics, which is where he is always the most brilliant, and on point. Sure, he is no longer in the thrall of an evil AM giant which broadcasts nothing but right-wing blather, which left him to be the white knight who leaned left on his charging steed, but he is still broadcasting in a state where that AM station is a peculiar power, which needs the balance of good-sense talk from somewhere.

Let's hope the months ahead lead to the abandonment of silly debate sequences about the likes of the Archie-Veronica wedding, for the adoption of sequences on the foibles and failures of politics.

Journalism is expensive, talk is cheap, part 2

Colin McEnroe has been coming up with some good thoughts on the state of journalism.

First there was this thought provoking blogpost (be sure to read the comments.)

And then there was FOX61.

The Jack Bauer of peace and ecology

(One of Susan Forbes Hansen beautiful winter landscapes.)

My friend Susan Forbes Hansen, who often forwards posts that end up here, was name-checked by Colin McEnroe in his column Sunday (yes, I know it's Wednesday).

McEnroe claims to get 11 emails a day from her. I think that's a slight exaggeration, but Susan seems to be connected, as McEnroe indicates, to networks that are determined to make you feel angry, inadequate, guilty and occasionally vindicated. I'm a bit envious that McEnroe receives a few more emails from Susan each day than me.

But mostly I get upset when SF Hansen finds interesting web stories before I do.

I welcome the slightly less than 11 emails I get from Susan each day, if only to be able to answer "read it already."

BTW, I'm plenty interested in the fact that I get the Jack Bauer reference though I've never seen a single minute of a single of 24 or Iron Chef, for that matter. I just know the clock is an important element on each.

Losing faith in political leaders close to home

(State Dem leaders laugh at you.)

Don't let the dreamlike optimism of Barack Obama's impending inauguration lull you into a false sense of complacency that the Democrats who represent you are "the good guys."

There's plenty of evidence right here in Connecticut this week that power and money are the fuels which power our professional political class.

First we learned how new Connecticut State House Speaker Chris Donovan, a man whom the Hartford Courant portrayed as motivated by high ideals and progressive policies, stooped to insider politics immediately by hiring former Speaker James Amann as a $120,000 adviser. Amann, who is running for governor, will have his new salary paid by you and your fellow taxpayers.

Read Colin McEnroe on Donovan's first betrayal of his "ideals."

And today, the Courant reports twice about the ongoing misdeeds of powerful Democratic State Senator Thomas Gaffey. The reports reflect badly on Senate Democrats who refused to take up an investigation of Gaffey. It also indicts Senate leader Don Williams, to whom Gaffey is a trusted adviser, and the Elections Enforcement Commission, which seems to be leaning toward a toothless negotiated settlement.

This has lead Republican Party Chairman Chris Healy to request that Chief State's Attorney Kevin Kane launch a criminal investigation into Gaffey's actions.

If the facts are true, that Gaffey double-dipped for years into his PAC, and state funding for his ongoing political expenses, then the Senate ought to drum Gaffey out. Instead, they seem to be protecting him. Read what Kevin Rennie has to say.

These are the Democrats who will "save" us from Republican Governor Jodi Rell, and the punitive politics of the Bush era.

Right.

McEnroe suggests a way to channel your anger

In his blog Sunday, Colin McEnroe writes reluctantly, it seems, about the way agitated listeners might help return his voice to the airwaves. He says:

I can also tell you that your energies would probably be better used contacting public radio and telling them you'd support a show like mine through memberships and donations. There. That's all I have to say.

And for whatever reason, chalk it up to "professionalism," or humility or magnanimity or confidence or unlikely Irish optimism, but he seems to mean it.

So, if you want McEnroe to appear back on the air, a phone call, or an email to WNPR, promising a donation (for $125 you can get a UCONN garden gnome, god help us), might make sense.

You can email WNPR at memberservices@wnpr.org, or call Bree Pelczar, assistant to the CEO at (860) 275-7222. The CEO is Jerry Franklin. Or send an email to John Dankosky (who wrote this) at jdonkosky@wnpr.org.

Not as if Connecticut Public Radio is a model of stability. After decades they recently laid off the voice of continuity at WNPR and CPTV, Bob Henry. We won't get into the problems with public broadcasting in Connecticut, that's meat for another morning, but suffice it to say, it's a case where administrative costs (read salararies), are what drag that station down.

BTW, if you're at McEnroe's blogsite, be sure to read his post on the bittersweet task or removing the Christmas tree. Beautifully written. Touching. McEnroe at his best.

And one silver lining, McEnroe's energy will likely be poured into his blog in the short run, and it will likely be entertaining to read over the next several weeks.

Missing Simpson

I've been told that this Stan Simpson column was in Saturday's Courant. I couldn't find it in my print edition, or online.

The Real Story Behind The Purging At WTIC AM Radio
By Stan Simpson on January 3, 2009 4:52 AM

Just getting back from a Disney vacation, but even in Orlando, Fla. I
heard the news about the latest purging at WTIC NewsTalk 1080, my
former employer.

This is the deal at the CBS-owned station -- and really the only thing
to keep in mind: WTIC is hemorrhaging money and it's up for sale.

So, management is liquidating its assets -- in this case some of its
on-air talent - in order to lighten the financial load for a
prospective buyer. The brass there should be upfront with its loyal
and intelligent listeners about this.

The ousting of Colin McEnroe and Diane Smith was NOT about improving
programming. It was about dumping salaries.

Talk radio has become dominated with right-wing conservative chatter.
Some have noted that the hosts getting canned at WTIC are not
right-wingers.

I don't know to what degree partisan politics is at play with the
purgings. I do know that it was cheaper for the station to expand Jim
Vicevich's 10 a.m. to noon show an additional hour than to retain
McEnroe or Smith. Again, this is about cutting expenses..

I've never really embraced this notion that politically partisan talk
radio is the only genre that sells. There is a mostly untapped market
out there looking to be entertained, but also wanting to hear a
diversity of opinions and perspectives.

The termination of my Saturday show a few weeks ago was disappointing
because we were clearly reaching that audience.

What I've respected about both Smith and McEnroe is their ability to
brand themselves across multi-media platforms. If they still desire a
role in media, they'll find one -- or create one.

As for the other CBS-owned stations in Farmington, my guess is that
the FM side is next for some purging.

Stay tuned.

H/T Susan Forbes Hansen

Salhany responds

The operations manager of WTIC-AM responds to a complaint about the cancellation of Colin McEnroe's show. He didn't respond to my complaint, but to that of the station manager of WHUS-FM (Storrs, UCONN), John Murphy.

According to Murphy: "He thanked me for my opinion and said he appreciated my "civilized" communications style, saying that he has received some dramatic and inflammatory expressions of opinion over the phone. I can imagine that happening too. Steve said the choice was NOT political, in any way, but was due to many internal factors, including ratings and other aspects he did not identify. He said he has been with the station for 20 years and this was the hardest decision he has made. Thought you folks might like to know he called."

H/T Susan Forbes Hansen.

WTIC-AM and the end of commercial community radio

I can't say that commercial community radio is gone, because there are still some good, small, community radio stations that serve cities like Middletown and Waterbury, but the 50,000 watt "flamethrower" that is WTIC-AM, our state AM station, has abdicated, once and for all, it's role as a servant, or a partner in the community.

The corporate owners, and the local managers have decided to rid the station of any leavening effect that intelligence, reason, and fairness would bring to the imbalance of right-wing, misinformed, often-wrong, always-wrongheaded radio fare they present. As you likely know, WTIC-AM has canned Diane Smith, who was able to call out the worst instincts of conservative host Ray Dunaway, and they've also fired Colin McEnroe, a moderately liberal alternative to the heavyweight conservatives they regularly schedule.

I've listened to WTIC for as long as I can remember listening to radio. My mom's bakelite, faux Crosley, still sits in my office, a testimony to my love of radio, and its importance in my life. That radio was tuned to WTIC, permanently, and we listened to Bob Steele every morning of my school life.

Radio is important, and it's no coincidence that even in this day of the iPod and the internet, that when a government revolt or coup takes place, among the first places seized by the rebels are the radio station. Because with a broadcast transmitter, you have the power to get the word out to anyone with a handful of capacitors and resitors, and a coil of copper wire.

But corporate ownership, and the simple algorithm of conservative radio's being able to define a marketable audience, has changed it forever. WTIC has gotten rid of its best and brightest, and leaves us with the dull tarnish of announcers like Dunaway and Vicevich.

WTIC is a licensee of public airwaves. You can, and should, visit the station and ask to leave a complaint in their "public file." It's a file the FCC considers important when considering a station's commitment to a community. You can also complain to the managment, but that won't likely get you too far.

I want to thank Colin McEnroe for all the entertainment he's provided, but also for the good work of holding public figures to their word, and to the standards of their jobs. He's called out Joe Lieberman, Chris Dodd, George Bush (and his entire crew), and the police departments of Hartford and Avon. He's made some enemies, and it's likely that it hasn't helped him to keep his job, though it should be the reasons TIC would want him there.

And like hundreds who have left comments on McEnroe's blog, and on the blogs of his colleagues, I vow not to listen to WTIC again. These fifty years have been a good run, but when there's nothing there to please the ear or tease the brain to think, there's nothing worth tuning in for.

One final note, my WWUH radio colleague Doug Maine has a theory that may yet prove true. He writes:

The news about Colin is so depressing. I would view the planned "news bloc" as a placeholder for more syndicated programming in afternoon drive a few months down the road, at best Clark Howard, at worst Sean Hannity.  What's really going on, I think, is that CBS is getting ready to sell or swap its Hartford stations. I had read recently that CBS Radio was looking to get out of small and mid-sized markets and focus only on major markets. Confirming that this afternoon I looked up CBS Radio on Google News and read that earlier this month they agreed to trade five mid-market stations (1 in Seattle, 1 in Baltimore, 2 in Portland, Ore., and 1 in Sacramento) to Clear Channel for two stations in Houston.  If they don't consider Seattle a big enough market, where does that leave Hartford? I think the departures of McEnroe (who was so vital and essential to political/cultural dialogue in these parts) and Smith (who could sometimes keep Dunaway's right-wing snarkiness in check) is part of cutting the bottom line and making the station more attractive to potential buyers, probably with even less of a public-service ethic than CBS. This town's feeling smaller all the time.

Colin McEnroe gone from WTIC

Roger Catlin reports that Diane Smith and Colin McEnroe have been ejected from their roles as show hosts on WTIC AM.

And Jim Vicevich gets more time?

Looks like WTIC is going all conservative, all the time. Or shall we say all shallow, all the time.

Turn your radio on. It may be your last chance to hear smart, liberal talk on Hartford commercial radio.

UPDATE: Colin refuses to discuss this on the air today. I tried, and while I mentioned his departure, he refused to say more. He says he plans a "goodbye" show tomorrow.

You can register your complaints and dismay by calling CBS radio local VP Suzanne McDonald at 677-6700 x300 or Operations Manger Steve Salhany at extension 291. I've already called. They need to hear what a foolish decision it is to expand conservative programming, deleting moderating factors, and abdicating their responsibility to the community to air all sides of issues.

The slippery slope to the center

I was listening to WTIC's Colin McEnroe on the way home yesterday, as he spoke about the Presidential campaign, and in particular, Barack Obama's obvious sidestep toward the center as he moves into the general campaign. McEnroe, eager as I am to have Obama win (McEnroe says he wants to "pop a cork" in November), claims he understands, and agrees with Obama's tactics, including changing his stance on FISA.

McEnroe scolded a caller who was unhappy with Obama's FISA switch. McEnroe indicated that if the left wants Obama elected, they have to tolerate his move toward the center, even if he is abandoning some of his left-leaning stands. He continued by saying that if you want to make FISA an issue, the people on the left have to talk about it in a way the general voting populace will understand. "That's how the Republicans have won," McEnroe claimed. "They talk about issues in a way people understand."

First of all, let me say how lucky we are in Connecticut to have McEnroe's intelligent daily commentary on issues. He's generally liberal, smart, funny, insightful, fair (in my mind, maybe too fair), and he's got the quickest hair-trigger synapses in the region. And he's somehow successful on an AM radio station that is thick with right-wing liars, chickenhawks and hatemongers.

But on this issue, FISA, I can't agree.

While the Bush administration, most of Congress, and apparently the press, would like the public to view FISA as a highly-complex, highly technical issue that really won't affect most of us in any meaningful way. They'd like you to believe that it's an issue on which the left is aggravated beyond reason. They want you to think that it's an issue that most people don't care, or want to care about. They want you to think that its all about "getting the terrorists."

In fact, it is an important issue, on which Constitutional principles rest. And in that regard, I guess I have to be resigned to the fact that most Americans truly don't care, because we don't care about the Constitution unless we're talking about guns.

FISA is complex and technical, but not beyond comprehension. The newly revised FISA will affect us all because it strips us or constitutional protections against willful and arbitrary invasion of our privacy by the government. The left is concerned, but listen to what Chris Dodd has to say (which is approximately what Barack Obama used to say), about FISA. I don't consider Dodd a lefty, a socialist, or a conspiracy theorist. In fact, it's a issue that lots of sane, decent, smart centrist people care about.

In fact, a discussion group on the Obama campaign blog has recruited 15,000 members (and growing) in a week because they're so concerned. And FISA, the original FISA, was about getting the terrorists. That law had everything the government needed to spy on the bad guys, but it also had checks and balances so that one branch of the government couldn't spy with impunity on anyone they damned well pleased to spy on.

The new FISA allows the executive branch just such a power. It limits judicial oversight. And it protects huge corporations - corporations with many lawyers, corporations which understand the law (in fact one such telecom corporation refused to transgress regulations) - and these corporations knowingly broke the law because the president asked them to (as my mother used to ask me, "Would you jump off a bridge if your friends asked you to?). And it protects the president, and his assistants who asked them to break the law from ever being sued by anyone whose privacy was breached, and who was harmed by such a breach of privacy. And BTW, the opposition to the FISA revision is not so much fashioned by a bunch of shrieking lefties, as the support for it has been fashioned by a group of jackbooted, lockstep, right-wing Republican lawmakers who haven't compromised a whit, and who voted, as a block, for it.

So when Barack Obama says he's going to vote for the FISA revision, he's turning his back on civil liberties, he's advancing a power hungry executive branch, and he's protecting huge telecommunication companies who let the president, NSA, the FBI and the CIA, spy on folks like me and you for no good reason.

And when he says he's going to vote for the FISA revision, he's breaking a promise he made to support a filibuster against a nearly identical revision. He's abandoning a principle for the expedience of gaining a few votes from people who are too willfully stupid to try to understand what's going on. Where do you draw the line on how many principles you shed, how far you compromise, how untrue you become to yourself, so that you can move to the center and get a few more votes so we can all raise our glasses in November and hope our new President doesn't forget what justice really is?

And he's giving the press, and the right wing to use the dreaded "flipflop" label.

And now, because McEnroe requested it, here's my explanation of FISA, the way Republicans might talk about it if they were against it. The way "most people" can understand it:

The new FISA law is just like the spying laws they used to have in Communist Russia. The government could tap the phones, and check the computers of anyone they pleased. In Russia, they threw people in jail just for praying to a Christian god. What if a Muslim leader became president? With this law, he could do the same thing here, right? And FISA lets the President ask for any kind of information about you from any company. So every time you buy ammo, the government will know how many bullets you bought, and what kind of gun you own. And if you own the "wrong" kind of guns, a liberal president might throw you in jail for being a terrorist. And if that happens, watch out, because you don't even get to call your lawyer from a jail cell in Pakistan. And if you're a Republican and you order a porno flick from PayPerView, say something like, "Young Sluts in Uniform," they might leak that info to Drudge so you'll never get elected again - hey, never get a job again. Look what they did to poor Senator Larry "Wide Stance" Craig. You see, FISA is bad, bad, evil bad because it will raise taxes and the price of gas; it will allow the instruction of evolution in schools; it will encourage homosexual sex and heterosexual abortions, and it will inspire many new hip-hop songs and videos.

The amazing shrinking Courant

I don't envy The Hartford Courant's managing editor, Barbara Roessner. As the architect of the "new" Hartford Courant, she is, and will be, the target of scorn from readers and reporters alike. If Roessner pulls off the transformation of the Courant, she will be acclaimed a genius, but the odds are against her. Those who do feel that if anyone has a chance, Roessner, who is reportedly smart, tough, shrewd and creative, likely does.

In her column today about the changes to come, Roessner explains the uphill battle she faces, with a sense of humor, and a sense of what's possible given the resources she'll have at her disposal. In addition, she's sizing up her options, considering an alternative career as a Vermont bartender if the Courant thing doesn't work out. By the way Barbara, it'll be the rare bar in Vermont where you'll be asked to mix a Goombay Smash.

On the positive side, the folks at the Courant likely understand that there will not be an immediate mass exodus of readers since the paper is still considered a daily must by thousands of readers across the state, as the states's paper of record. Still, as the Courant realizes, readership of the print edition continues to shrink. What they need to consider as well, is the fate of The New Haven Register, and it's associated papers, all of which were well-read until a corporate right-sizing reshaped those papers into rags that readers walked away from in droves. On the other hand, the Courant should consider successful independent dailies like Manchester's Journal Inquirer, which has maintained its readership by providing local news and insightful state reporting.

As a longtime reader, I can't say I'm thrilled with some of the other projections of what will happen at the paper.

Right now, the first section, the A section of the paper is the most read piece. The Courant plans to reshape that section, but it's time to ask the question "if it ain't broken, why fix it?" By ridding the section of national and international news the Courant seems to be pandering to a dumbed-down audience, when, in fact, the people who are currently reading are not of the "dumbed-down" variety. The people who are not reading the paper may fit that definition, but it's unlikely that the Courant is going to convince the non-reader to suddenly pick up a paper.

What will happen, of course, is that the Courant will be sending us elsewhere - the New York Times, for example - to read national and international stories. How does it help the Courant to send readers like me elsewhere?

Elsewhere in section A, we'll find the stories which formerly appeared in the "Connecticut" section. As a born skeptic, it leads me to surmise that I'll find more stories in that section about towns which I don't care to read about, and less stories about the town in which I live.

Business news will also move into the A section, though I understand that the Courant will abandon its print version of stock prices and sports scores. It's an old axiom, I know, but it's been said that people pick up a paper for the obituaries and the sports scores. Sure, the online scores, and stock reports, are more current (no pun intended), but the Courant seems to be cutting off its nose, etc.

Another new element of the paper will be shorter stories, more "bulleted" stories, and more charts, grafts and statistics, which will replace full-length stories. For the Courant's information, I come to newspapers for depth. I hate USA Today for it's lack of depth. If I want headlines, and soundbites, I'll turn on the local radio news, or God forbid, the local TV news. Again, the Courant seems to be turning its back on its core readership to try to seduce the non-reader, who, I hate to say, will never darken the door of an honor box.

As for iTowns, the pitful weekly review of town stories (what person, who hasn't read the original story, actually will want to read the encapsulated version, and what person who has already read the original, gives a shit that it's printed again), I say ditch it. As I wrote a few days ago, you want me to write the news and then pay to read it? Not likely.

The Courant's predicament is, unfortunately, a direct result of the Sam Zell deal. He was allowed to broker the future health of the paper (and don't be misled, without the debt saddling the Courant because of the deal, the paper could make millions every year), for his own benefit. I think Zell should have stuck to real estate, then again, there ain't much money to be made there these days.

The Courant cannot afford to continue to shed its best, and only asset, it's knowledgeable, experienced writers, editors and photographers, and expect to keep readers who understand the value of a newspaper.

I'm with Colin McEnroe. I think the best writers and editors should take the early retirement package and severance and start an online state news website that will give the "new" Courant a run for its money.

Good luck Barbara, but rest assured, a shot and a beer are easy to serve up.

When Obama couldn't come to Connecticut

Seems like Barack Obama was between a rock and a hard case during the heated campaign between Ned Lamont and Creepy Joe™ Lieberman.

At the time, Obama and Lieberman were close, with Lieberman giving the freshman Senator guidance in the august house of laws. So, at the desperate behest of Lieberman campaign, Obama gave his endorsement to Creepy Joe™ in the primary race. During the general election, Obama witheld a large scale endorsement to either candidate, instead providing very limited support to the Lamont campaign.

Now, of course, Lieberman is working with all of his heart to elect Obama's opponent. Colin McEnroe has an interesting take on Lieberman's half-hearted denials of slurs against Obama.

The emergence of the real Creepy Joe™ Lieberman

It's about time that Senator Creepy Joe™ Lieberman receives his due.

And he's getting it from all angles.

The NY Times pointed out his sanctimony in an editorial Sunday.

His asshole buddies on the right are wary of his environmental bill to be considered this week.

And, as Colin McEnroe points out, HBO unveils him as a backstabber to his running mate Al Gore in the film, Recount.

McEnroe provides Creepy Joe™ another portal for excretion

This is the kind of blog entry that shows Colin McEnroe at his best. A command of the facts. Personal knowledge of the important person he's critiquing. And a total disbelief in the fact that someone as important as Senator Creepy Joe™ Lieberman could be so stupid.

Mcenroe channels Obama, brilliantly

George you ignorant slut.

I wanna know when McEnroe is going to challenge Buddy Vicevich to a live, on-air debate. If it happened, and if Colin can manage not to be nice, polite and willing to humor even the lamebrained, then Vicevich would have to change his name to mincemeat.

Swallowing the bitter pill

If you read the news, or listen to the radio, or watch TV, you would think that Barack Obama's comments about the bitterness of small town, lower and middleclass Americans was controversial and somehow worth debating.

It's another manufactured controversy and the way the media has swallowed it and spit it out proves again that there is very little thought given to much of what is printed and broadcast. Yesterday, to his credit, Colin McEnroe printed Obama's remarks in context to demonstrate that they have a ring of truth.

Unfortunately, McEnroe had spent an entire hour the previous day discussing the remarks as if they were really worthy of remark. Worse still, he had two political consultants who pretended to have worthwhile things to say, while they said absolutely nothing of worth. And this is exactlty what's wrong with the media's coverage of this campaign. It is without substance. Whether it's Hillary's cackle, McCain's homage to the Beach Boys, or Obama's minister, the press has focused on everything but what is truly important. In the hunt for headlines and ratings, newspeople have focused on slips of the tongue, petty disagreements, bad jokes and minor details, and have ignored the issues of substance - the war, the economy, education, poverty, justice, because none of these things is easy to explain in a soundbite.

I urge you once again to take an hour and watch Elizabeth Edwards address at Harvard. Would that she were running for president.

Jeremiah, Jesus, racism and the "christian" right

I'm happy to see the backlash against the pious critics of Barack Obama and his former pastor Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

Yesterday, Colin McEnroe wrote a great blog, and spoke about the topic at length on his radio show.

In addition, the Courant re-printed a Washington Post story about Obama's congregation and how they are defending Wright, and their freedom to express outrage at the problems of our country.

I have to say that I'd love to attend a sermon by Wright. He's exciting, flamboyant, entertaining, inspiring and controversial - unlike most sermonizers I've ever heard.

In addition, WWUH aired a program about how Dr. Martin Luther King was spied upon by the FBI, and how his opponents questioned his patriotism, his love of country and actually accused him of sedition. A great reminder that a man who changed the course of history, who we celebrate with a Nation Holiday, was once seen as a threat to the status quo.

Meanwhile, the right wing blowhards keep up a relentless drumbeat questioning Wright's creds as a pastor and preacher and man of God (funny they never question George Bush's claims to be a man of god), and against Obama's patriotism (he doesn't wear a flag pin either!!!), his commitment to Jesus and his truthfulness.

And on this last point, the script is out there for the radio zealots. Here in Hartford WTIC's Jim Vicevich (don't try to leave a comment on his blog - the man is too frightened, and likely not confident in his own reporting, to allow comments) repeatedly implied, and sometimes said, that Obama's statement that he had never heard the most inflammatory of Wright's words couldn't be true. Without a shred of evidence to the contrary, he repeated the innuendo again and again. In the following radio slot, Rush Limbaugh did the same. And here's what they're saying on Fox News:



It all comes down to one thing: fear of a black president.

The prescience of Nerissa Nields

Nerissa Nields, who now tours with her sister, was in a rock and roll phase of the Nields when she wrote, Best Black Dress.

As Colin McEnroe points out, life imitates art once again. Elliott Spitzer used the nom de guerre, George Fox. Nerissa wrote his story years ago for the album Gotta Get Over Greta.

Like white on rice

H/T to Colin McEnroe for pointing this out.

I scored terribly on any multiple-choice test I've ever taken, but my vocabulary has obviously improved since high school. I got to 1000 grains of rice pretty quickly.

Free Rice seems to be good way to fight poverty, and learn some new words.

You were wrong, so shut yer yap and listen

(Hartford Courant photo)

Many of Connecticut's brilliant pundits predicted that the presidential candidates would never visit the state before Super Tuesday. Of course, Hillary Clinton was here last week, and again this morning, John McCain was here Sunday, and it would have been difficult to ignore Barack Obama's astonishing visit today with Ted Kennedy and his niece Caroline.

What was unpredictable, except to the prescient Obama campaign workers, was that he could fill the Civic Center (now the XL Center), beyond its capacity with 17,000 ecstatic supporters.

I had hoped to skip out of work early to attend, but it was a hectic day in which phone calls were interrupted by meetings, which were interrupted by deadlines. At 5:20 I hopped into the car and headed downtown. I had been listening to Colin McEnroe on WTIC-AM, who was himself amazed at the turnout and the energy. As I reached the intersection of the Whitehead Conlon Highway, McEnroe announced that the XL Center had reached its capacity and that the doors had been closed. At that moment, a police car, lights flashing, came down the highway, shut down the road, and the Obama motorcade passed.

I got on the highway, headed home, and continued to listen to WTIC. As I arrived home, Obama began to make his stump speech. Inside, I turned on the TV hoping to find the speech broadcast by one of the local TV news stations. Instead I found the low rent TV news reporters speaking over the speech, describing the crowds, and the dignitaries, but ignoring the candidate's words. Neither the local public radio station, nor any of the news stations was broadcasting the event. In the end, I pulled out an AM radio, and listened to the speech on WTIC-AM.

So while it's extremely difficult to listen to the conservative wingnuts on their airwaves, it's appropriate to acknowledge the public duty performed by WTIC-AM during the visits by presidential candidates today.