Gov. Lincoln Chafee’s Crusade Against Talk Radio Shows Contempt for Voters
January 15, 2011 at 5:00 pm | Posted in NewsRealBlog | 1 CommentTags: Boycott, First Amendment, Free Speech, Lincoln Chafee, NewsReal Blog, Public Broadcasting, talk radio, The Concession Stand
by Walter Hudson, contributed to NewsReal Blog
Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee is leading a crusade against talk radio. His latest volley is a call for advertisers and consumers to join him in a boycott.
When talk radio hosts use harshly divisive language, “The advertisers should shut them down,” [Chafee] said [Thursday] morning.
Chafee said the solution to the vitriolic rhetoric – which some have linked to the shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords [last] weekend – is for people to stop paying for it, including not buying books from people who use such language(…)
Chafee made national news earlier this week when he announced that he would not go on talk radio and would ban state employees from doing so.
The ban came because talk radio is essentially “ratings-driven, for-profit programming” that was not [an] appropriate use of state employees’ time, Chafee said.
Talk radio is merely a stand in for Chafee’s true bane, his constituents who listen to it.
Spider-Man: Your Friendly Neighborhood Sissy?
January 14, 2011 at 6:00 pm | Posted in NewsRealBlog | Leave a commentTags: Christian Toto, Film, Hollywood, NewsReal Blog, Reboot, spider-man, The Concession Stand, The Feminist Hawks' Nest, Theater
by Walter Hudson, contributed to NewsReal Blog
There are many who bemoan Hollywood’s tendency to cannibalize itself with endless sequels, prequels, and reboots. I am not one of them.
Film is a child of theater. Part of the pleasure in attending a new production of a play you have seen before is considering the take of a fresh group of artists on the same old material. We wouldn’t fault a theater troupe for yet another production of Romeo & Juliet. So why fault filmmakers for remaking an old film? Quality is certainly affected by source material, but not determined by it.
What annoys me isn’t the preponderance of rehashed properties in Hollywood, but the poor execution of so many of them. For every Batman Begins, it seems there are a dozen Superman Returns.
It’s only been four years since Spider-Man 3 hit theaters, and less than 10 years since the original. Yet we’re already about to see a reboot. Unfortunately, the more we learn of the forthcoming Spider-Man film, the less likely it seems to become that rare derivative which will transcend its predecessor.
On Arizona Shooting, Jon Stewart Skirts the Edge of Reason
January 12, 2011 at 3:00 pm | Posted in NewsRealBlog | Leave a commentTags: Arizona Laws, comedy central, Common Law, Freedom of Speech, Gabrielle Giffords, Hollywood, jon stewart, NewsReal Blog, Reasonable Person, sarah palin, The Concession Stand, the daily show, Tucson Shooting
by Walter Hudson, contributed to NewsReal Blog
One question: Who threw the first punch?
Most of us know a disingenuous apology when we hear one. The sincerity of a mea culpa is generally revealed by whether it is focused upon the offended party or the offensive behavior. Saying “I’m sorry you took it that way” does not fully own up to an offense. Likewise, the inclusion of excuses within an apology indicates an offender hasn’t fully accepted responsibility for their behavior.
Even so, a less than sincere apology is perhaps better than none at all. Likewise, in the aftermath of the horrendous shooting spree in Arizona and the stunning witch hunt that has followed in the media, an attempt by some left-wing television commentators to moderate their tone is better than the blatant double-standard employed by many of their colleagues. In particular, Jon Stewart has broken from the leftist herd to concede that political rhetoric cannot be blamed for Jared Loughner’s shooting rampage. Still, Stewart has not completely let go of the “toxic vitriol” meme. He still seems to assert that political rhetoric may have influenced Loughner, even if it did not directly cause him to kill.
Like an insincere apology, this concession leaves us rather cold. Still missing from Stewart’s assessment is the moral distinction between speech and action, and the plain sense which informs the “reasonable person” standard in common law. Stewart’s instincts push him in the right direction. However, he never quite reaches the relevant philosophical destination.
Chorus of Hollywood Tweets Blame Palin & Tea Party for Arizona Shooting
January 10, 2011 at 9:00 am | Posted in NewsRealBlog | Leave a commentTags: arizona, Elizabeth Banks, Gabrielle Giffords, Hollywood, Jane Fonda, Jared Loughner, John Legend, Josh Groban, Michael Moore, NewsReal Blog, Patton Oswald, Roger Ebert, sarah palin, tea party, The Concession Stand, Tucscon Shooting
by Walter Hudson, contributed to NewsReal Blog
Life occasionally provides us with incidents of such stark circumstance that our reaction can define our character. This weekend’s tragedy in Arizona is one such incident. Aside from the universal horror which we all share in response to the shooting, two categories of reaction have emerged. The first and least prominent has been to wait for the facts to come in and examine them objectively in an attempt to accurately understand what has happened and why. The more common reaction has been to assign blame, first without evidence, and then in direct contradiction of the evidence which has emerged.
In the hours immediately following the shooting, when details were scarce, Tucson radio talker Jon Justice candidly expressed the latter mindset, telling a Minneapolis radio audience that he was certain the shooting was politically motivated.
This is one of those situations where you don’t want to speculate. But, given this past election and everything going on– I have no details as far as motive. But then again, in the back of my mind, I also have very little question as far as motive.
Clairvoyance must be a heavy burden. Regardless, claims to know the unknowable take a backseat to claims in direct contradiction of plain evidence. There is now little doubt that suspect Jared Loughner suffers from some form of mental illness, leaving him wholly incapable of maintaining or acting upon a coherent political ideology.
Even so, a chorus of Hollywood tweets (collected over at BigHollywood) have joined the cacophony of blame directed at Sarah Palin and the Tea Party.
AZ Shooting: Suspect in Giffords Shooting Is Out to Lunch, Not Tea
January 8, 2011 at 8:00 pm | Posted in NewsRealBlog | 2 CommentsTags: arizona, Gabrielle Giffords, Jared Loughner, John M. Roll, News, NewsReal Blog, Shooting, tea party, Terrorism (Non-Islamic)
by Walter Hudson, contributed to NewsReal Blog
I’m able to control every belief and religion by being the mind controller!
So asserts Jared Loughner in a posted YouTube video. Loughner is the suspect in a heinous shooting spree which critically wounded Democratic Representative Gabrielle Giffords and killed Federal District Judge John M. Roll and four others, including a 9-year-old girl. A total of 19 people were shot.
Commentators replying to the FOX news story have already set the tone sure to follow, blaming the incident on the Tea Party, conservative pundits, and Republicans. Sarah Palin has been singled out for responsibility. However, what little we learn of Loughner through a cursory examination of his YouTube channel indicates an irrational mind adhering to no particular ideology. In short, he’s out to lunch.
The Political Class and the Dregs From Below Decks
January 8, 2011 at 9:00 am | Posted in NewsRealBlog | Leave a commentTags: Class, Hollywood, james cameron, Mark Dayton, minnesota, NewsReal Blog, ObamaCare, Political Class, Ruling Class, tea party, The Concession Stand, Titanic
by Walter Hudson, contributed to NewsReal Blog
Sometimes, we like to think we’ve moved beyond the overt class distinctions depicted in period films such as James Cameron’s Titanic. In a scene where passengers are being loaded into lifeboats, after it becomes apparent the massive ocean liner is doomed, the heroine’s mother clings to her outmoded sense of social propriety.
Will the lifeboats be seated according to class? I hope they’re not too crowded–
I was reminded of this scene while visiting Minnesota’s state capitol on Wednesday. The freshly inaugurated Governor Mark Dayton was set to sign an executive order opting the state into certain provisions of Obamacare. Dozens of concerned citizens had turned up in protest. What transpired demonstrated that, despite the egalitarian principles enshrined in our founding documents, class distinction remains a palpable aspect of American society.
Joy Behar’s Stupid Question
January 5, 2011 at 9:00 am | Posted in NewsRealBlog | 3 CommentsTags: 112th Congress, Agendas of the Left, Barack Obama, constitution, Defining the Left, Hollywood, Jason Lewis, Joy Behar, NewsReal Blog, NPR, republic, Republicans, The Concession Stand
by Walter Hudson, contributed to NewsReal Blog
It has often been said that there is no such thing as a stupid question. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say it’s never stupid to seek answers, but it’s not hard to come up with examples of inane inquiries.
Consider a recent gem from the cantankerous Joy Behar. In a discussion with leftist radio talker Bill Press, she marveled at the anticipated reading of the entire U.S. Constitution from the House floor.
Do you think this Constitution-loving is getting out of hand?
If ever there were a stupid question, this is it. What does out of hand Constitution-loving look like? Is it possible for elected officials, sworn to uphold the document, to love it too much? Is that really a danger?
“Power Divided Is Power Checked:” NewsReal Interviews Talker and State’s Rights Advocate Jason Lewis
January 4, 2011 at 9:30 am | Posted in NewsRealBlog | 1 CommentTags: Abraham Lincoln, Big Government, Civil War, Conservatism, federalism, Jason Lewis, judicial activism, NewsReal Blog, politics, SCOTUS, states rights, Supreme Court, tea party, The Concession Stand
by Walter Hudson, contributed to NewsReal Blog
Click the image to order "Power Divided Is Power Checked" today
Despite their overall cinematic quality, or lack there of, the Star Wars prequels contain a fair amount of insight into how a free society under a republic can degenerate into a tyrannical empire. There is one line in Attack of the Clones which is particularly apropos. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who in later films becomes the galactic emperor, addresses the concern that separatists will secede from the Republic.
I will not let this republic, which has stood for a thousand years, be split in to.
He will not let. These are words which convey force. They convey that the relationship between the separatists and the Republic is involuntary. Of course, if the relationship is involuntary, than how can it be argued the Republic is a free society?
In the Star Wars films, as the name suggests, the question is settled with violence. In real life, when considering the same question in a far more serious context, we have nonviolent but nonetheless revolutionary alternatives.
One such alternative is articulated by nationally syndicated radio talk show host Jason Lewis in a new book available in stores this week. Power Divided Is Power Checked: The Argument for State’s Rights is a scholarly and concise illumination of the federalism intended by America’s Founding Fathers. In its pages, Lewis demonstrates how the structure of our federal government has been radically transformed from one of limited enumerated powers to one with effectively limitless power. He does so by taking a critical look at one of America’s most revered presidents, along with the long history of judicial activism since tolerated.
In his final chapter, Lewis presents a solution for restoring the federalism of the framers’ intent, a proposed 28th Amendment which would answer the specious interpretation of “penumbras” and “emanations” which has replaced plain meaning. Lewis sat down with NewsReal Blog to discuss his book, the proposed amendment, and the philosophy of liberty.
Of Dogs and Men: How the Tucker Carlson / Michael Vick Flap Reveals the Left’s Moral Degeneracy
January 3, 2011 at 10:00 am | Posted in NewsRealBlog | Leave a commentTags: Agendas of the Left, animal rights, Conservatism, Defining the Left, dog fighting, education, Football, Higher Education, Michael Vick, Moral Agency, Moral Agent, NewsReal Blog, nfl, PETA, politics, Princeton University, The Concession Stand, The Nation, Tucker Carlson
by Walter Hudson, contributed to NewsReal Blog
There are times when the explanation for a misunderstanding reveals an offense much more appalling. The recent controversy regarding Philadelphia Eagle’s quarterback Michael Vick and his cruelty to dogs, for which he was incarcerated, has provided such a moment.
The impetus for controversy was a comment by President Obama in support of the Eagle’s decision to let Vick play football following his incarceration. The presidential attention led commentator Tucker Carlson to assert that Vick ought to have been executed for his crimes. As we might expect, Carlson provoked a hardy response.
Among those chiming in was Professor Melissa Harris-Perry, who joined fill-in host Bill Wolff on The Rachel Maddow Show. Expecting more time to articulate her point, Harris-Perry’s comments were initially perceived as an attempt to justify Vick’s crimes as a product of America’s history of slavery and institutionalized racism. As it turns out, that was not her intended point. Eager to clarify, Harris-Perry crafted a blog post at The Nation to flesh out her argument.
Ironically, her correction is far more alarming than the initial misunderstanding. Along with Nation colleague Dave Zirin, Harris-Perry demonstrates the utter moral depravity which underlies leftist notions of animal rights, race relations, and the criminal justice system. Their worldview, carried to its logical conclusion, would inform a totalitarian state.
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