Supreme Court: Free Speech Wins, Decency Loses

Profound sadness was the overriding emotion as I read about the U.S. Supreme Court’s near unanimous decision today re: the Westboro Baptist Church. All but one of the justices upheld the First Amendment Rights of this hateful group of thugs and cowards who protest near military funerals.

Using the “I hate what you say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it” angle, the high court ruled that even hurtful speech is protected by the Constitution. While on that point I may agree, I will also draw the distinction that a funeral (military or otherwise) is a painful enough occasion and a unique societal event that creates an exception to the rule.

The Supreme Court should be ashamed of itself.

A Topeka, Kansas-based “Christian” church has made a habit of showing up at the military funerals of fallen soldiers—with signs that celebrate the death and make a connection between war casualties and the military’s acceptance of gays. With signs that say “God Hates Fags”, these individuals terrorize a grief-stricken family at their lowest moment.

There is legal and illegal, right and wrong—and this is just plain WRONG. Here is a short newscast clip of a protest:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UMP3AK5jwo


The case is question concerned the picketing at the funeral of Marine Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder, who was killed in Iraq. I don’t believe Snyder was gay—and in the eyes of this church, it doesn’t matter. Their protest against gays in the military cuts across the spectrum—and ALL deaths are “God’s revenge” for the military’s tolerance.

We all know that freedom of speech is not without limits. The commonly used example of shouting “Fire!” in a crowded theatre is not protected, as the incidence of danger and injury to everyone inside overrides the right to utter whatever you choose—at whatever time you choose to.

For instance, how long would my “free speech” rights be upheld if I spoke out about this decision during the Supreme Court proceedings? I would be quickly ushered out the door. Even silently holding a sign would not be tolerated.

I contend that funerals fall into this special class of protected instances.

We need more Justices like Samuel Alito, Jr., the lone dissenter. In his opinion, he wrote: “Our profound national commitment to free and open debate is not a license for the vicious verbal assault that occurred in this case”.

Well said.

The family of Corporal Snyder was awarded more than $10 Million by a Baltimore jury who agreed that the church had violated the family’s privacy, caused emotional distress and violated his rights to exercise his religion and peaceful assembly.

The original award was cut in half by a judge and then overturned by the U.S. Court of Appeals.

The Westboro Baptist Church has triumphantly declared they will now plan on picketing more military funerals---and this may cause future violence that will make screaming “fire” and its aftermath look tame.

I get it.

It’s not illegal, even though I suspect those who hate this church and all it stands for (most of America, I suspect)—will ALSO decide to show up—and the outcome could be bloody.

If ever there were a Constitutional Amendment that Democrats and Republicans would agree on, I suspect it would be one that makes this “type” of free speech illegal.

“There oughta be a law!”

We can push our representatives to pass one if we choose.


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Lindbergh Baby: Kidnapping Still A Mystery

THE FOLLOWING IS AN UPDATED ENCORE TIM MOORE BLOG>

It was on this date—March 1, 1932—that the infant son of aviator Charles Lindbergh was taken from his crib, triggering one of the largest manhunts in history.

Called the “crime of the century”, the nation was completely gripped by the emotional ordeal of someone who was arguably the most famous person on the planet at the time.

I recommend reading A. Scott Berg’s Pulitzer Prize winning biography, “Lindbergh”—it’s a fascinating look at the life of an American icon—and there is obviously a great deal of material on the abduction of the Lindbergh baby.

While one cannot discount the remarkable feat that Lindbergh accomplished with his solo flight from New York to Paris in 1927, it can be said that the fame, adulation and financial windfalls that accrued from that one 36 hour flight were completely out of proportion with the magnitude of the event itself.

Mass media was in its infancy—and Charles Lindbergh became the first true worldwide superstar. The newspaper headlines were a given, but the new medium of radio and sound coupled with film in the form of newsreels catapulted Lindbergh to a level of fame and intrusion of his privacy that had never occurred before.

As such, Lindbergh and his family were prime targets for kidnapping, especially as the Great Depression created economic hardship for millions of Americans.

The Lindbergh baby kidnap case didn’t have a happy ending. Although $50,000 in ransom was paid, the baby was never returned. A corpse was found about a month after the ransom drop—not far from the Lindbergh’s New Jersey home.

For a long time, it appeared the crime would not be solved…..until a marked bill from the ransom money turned up more than two years after the crime. Spent at a gas station, the operator wrote down the license plate of the driver, thinking he looked suspicious. The car belonged to a Bruno Hauptman, a German immigrant. When his home was searched, about $15,000 of the ransom money was found.

Needless to say, the conviction and execution of Hauptman was a fairly straightforward matter. However, there are those who believe the German was innocent. Here is an interesting show from the Leonard Nimoy’s “In Search Of…” series about the crime—and the allegations that Hauptman was framed:




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbeLVi3IuRI




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW_WpKoqxts

Although the program was interesting, I am still not convinced. Even if Hauptman was not personally involved in the abduction and/or murder of the child, it’s difficult to believe that he was an innocent bystander. Holding 15 grand of the tainted money with no plausible explanation is damning evidence to me.

Either way, it’s a fascinating story—and I highly recommend “Lindbergh” by A. Scott Berg. With exclusive access to the Lindbergh family papers, it is the definitive biography of one of America’s most complex personalities.

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M*A*S*H: Where Are The Important TV Shows?

THIS IS AN UPDATED ENCORE TIM MOORE BLOG:

It was on this date in 1983 that the most-watched TV show in U.S. history at the time aired—the finale of the TV series M*A*S*H. Over 60% of U.S. households were tuned in, representing a 77 share! Nearly 8 out of every 10 TV sets being watched were tuned to “Goodbye, Farewell & Amen”. The new record belongs to this year’s Super Bowl, but this one stood for a quite a few years!

I know the explosion of cable TV channels has probably negated the possibility of THAT record ever being eclipsed, but the larger question is:

Where are the REALLY good/important TV shows?

OK, there is “Grey’s Anatomy”, “CSI”, “House”…maybe a handful of others—but there seems to be no current equivalent to the mini-series “Roots”. TV series’ like “All In The Family”, “Cheers”, “Seinfeld”, “The Cosby Show”, even “Dallas” and “The West Wing” don’t seem to have counter-parts.

The biggest sitcom today is “Three An A Half Men”---good, but Charlie Sheen is doing his best to torpedo that show as we speak—and alienating his fan base at the same time. Besides, as good as it is, “3.5” is not in the same stratosphere as the above-mentioned shows.

Not even close.

So where are all the cutting edge programs?

I blame the GLUT of reality shows. Some are decent, but most are completely forgettable-and the by-product for TV executives is that, unlike the series, reality shows have NO aftermarket for syndication. For whatever reason I never watched “Seinfeld” or “Friends” in prime time. I did, however, become exposed and addicted to both in syndication-while both were still producing primetime episodes.

Enough with reality! I get plenty of it every day—give me good old-fashioned drama, comedy or action!

Below are three clips –the first a tribute montage, the second is an interview with Alan Alda on the taping of that finale show---and the third is amateur video of moments of that final on-set taping-enjoy!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbrZY4mordU&feature=related




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrZbWZ6Y8Jk&feature=related





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSDYNfmm-ew&feature=related



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Obesity: Mountain Dew Is Not To Blame

THE FOLLOWING IS AN ENCORE TIM MOORE BLOG:

I know that sugary, caffeinated soft drinks are not exactly “health food”, but I am amused and simultaneously dismayed by the efforts by some to demonize these beverages as the CAUSE of childhood obesity, tooth decay and over stimulated behavior.

Huh?

In a society where there is ever-growing abdication of responsibility by parents, it is easy to find an enemy. More and more, that enemy is the media---and commercials that supposedly “target” young people.

Soft drinks are joining so-called “junk food”, “fast food”—and other products that are claimed to be harmful to young people (and adults as well). This is rubbish-if only because the food itself is not inherently harmful or dangerous. It is merely the level of intake that causes ANY food product to potentially cause a problem.

For your amusement, I have embedded the very first commercial for Mountain Dew. Seeing the “X-Game” persona of young people living-on-the-edge image that current marketing depicts, the original ad was a tad more…well…down home! Check it out:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xd8fzk8Rlk

It is the job of the media to inform and entertain. That entertainment is funded by corporate America. Companies supporting the media with advertising are in the business of creating demand for their products. It is the nature of our system. Go ahead and shoot the messenger, but until behavior makes an about face, the problem will continue to exist.

Childhood obesity may have a genetic component, but more likely is the result of parental neglect. Moms and Dads who allow excessive TV viewing, computer usage or video game activity (and we use the word “activity” tongue-in-cheek here)—and further allow these pastimes to be combined with unrestricted snacking have only themselves to blame.
Not the media, not corporate America, not “social pressures”, not a “syndrome” to be given a label. Just plain ol’ Mom and Dad. In my house, it’s called “screen time”—and whether it is a Gameboy, Nintendo DS or TV, the amount of sedentary time tethered to the gadget must be regulated—and restricted

Of course, there are real issues of children with too much time on their hands while their parents are working. This may be the source—as the machines have assumed the role of electronic babysitter.

A soft drink or two won’t kill you. Neither will a Twinkie. Consuming a case of Dew and a box of Twinkies—and combining with chips, candy and unlimited inactivity---well, that’s another story!

Let’s take our kids back and show them the outdoors again! It is not the media’s issue-it is ours.

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Collective Bargaining: Are Unions Going Away?

I flipped on the TV yesterday—and saw a mob protesting.

I immediately thought it was Libya, Tunisia, Iran or maybe a leftover shot of Egypt, but I was wrong.

It was WISCONSIN.

Things are coming to a head for cheeseheads—and now that unrest has spread to Ohio and other states that are grappling with how to balance their budgets and deal with HUGE deficits that are in large part due to pension and benefit packages for state employees—deals that in some cases are decades old. Although I have none of the in-depth knowledge to expound on this issue, it seems the Governor of Wisconsin is trying to bust the union that represents the state’s workers.

Here is a video of the protestors—mostly state employees in Wisconsin:




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XlUsoM4ruQ

Concessions need to be made—and the reports I have heard indicate that state workers in Wisconsin have at least agreed in principle to do so. At stake now is a bigger issue: the right for workers to engage in collective bargaining.

Seems to me that abolishing the right to collective bargaining is un-American. And that view comes from someone who is no real fan of labor unions.

My simplistic sequence for the emergence of labor unions goes something like this:

1) Big corporations abused workers for years, subjecting them to horrible wages, dangerous work conditions and obscene hours/workload—because they could.

2) The Labor movement reversed this balance of power, using the strength of numbers and the threat of work slowdowns or strikes to extract better wages and benefits. It worked.

3) Labor Unions, fully realizing their power—became the opposite but equivalent of the big corporations they detested---namely, they exhibited a greed and “no compromise” stance that has since driven the costs of labor to a point where American manufacturing has become uncompetitive in the world marketplace, causing the export of jobs overseas.

4) Smart companies have since created working conditions and benefit packages without coercion from labor to essentially negate the need for representation. These companies have adopted a “partnership-based” approach. Consequently, the private sector has seen union membership drastically decline. However, state and municipal employees and teachers unions have not seen such a precipitous reduction in union membership. A state or city is a monopoly of sorts. There is no incentive for productivity—and no consequences for those who fall short of performance expectations. Unions, in fact, abhor the industrious worker. That person makes everyone else look bad by comparison.

Am I leaving anything major out?

Labor unions—sometimes given credit for the American middle class—are now being seen by many Americans as a refuge for mediocre workers—at an ever-increasing cost.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is no fan of the unions. Trying to get agreement on a pay FREEZE, not reduction, in order to offset a huge deficit, he was told by the union(in his words) to “go to hell”. It is this attitude of digging in one’s heels that is turning American sentiment to become increasingly anti-union.

And that’s too bad.

It’s unfortunate that greedy companies forced the emergence of labor unions. Their past abuse of their workforces has now created an “us versus them” environment that inhibits productivity and increases costs. Christie says that up to 70% of the cost of a police officer in some New Jersey counties is made up of BEFEFITS.

Think about it. 70%! If a police officer’s salary is $40,000 (I have no idea what they are-maybe higher), then each officer costs the county government over $93,000 a year!

Health care, vacation and sick days (and their birthdays, which are a paid holiday negotiated by the union), pension and so on-----these are benefit levels that do not exist in the private sector—but are paid for by taxpayers who largely work in that private sector.

Teacher unions that protect ineffective teachers based only on seniority and lay off young, energetic and competent instructors for the same reason are doing our children a massive disservice. Wielding huge political power—usually benefitting Democratic candidates—they are unwilling to make concessions on the unreasonable packages that previous politicians capitulated to.

The chickens are coming home to roost.

No one knows what will happen in Wisconsin, but in all states where the state workers unions have bestowed upon their members a wage/benefit package that is unsustainable, that day of reckoning is fast approaching.

Collective bargaining?

Absolutely. The Governor of Wisconsin is off-base with his “ends justify the means” approach. However, both sides have to look at the private sector in order to offer their employees a package that is comparable and affordable. Changes need to be made to both the system—and to the attitudes of the participants. Operating from the hole can only exist for so long.

I believe that an independent arbitration board—using marketplace-derived formulas for calculating the value of services, cost of living and comparable costs—should be employed and that their decisions should be binding. This system removes political manipulation , plus the wage/benefit levels that are used for arriving at a fair employment package are both nonpartisan and objective. This system is transparent—and suddenly there is no “victim” in the process.

Is there a state legislature out there will to make this system or something similar a law?

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Senior Moments: Or, Where the Hell Are My Car Keys?

Today’s missive was inspired by faithful blog reader and friend Rick Cooper, who sent me the video posted below (and who has since forgotten he did )

Most people I come across in my general age range suffer the same malady as I do-namely, an ever-increasing incidence of what we call “senior moments”—those lapses in memory that cause embarrassment and inconvenience.

For me, the affliction is just an extension of life in general. I don’t possess a good memory, but then again, I never did. Can’t recall the name of my 3rd grade teacher. Don’t remember what I had for dinner last Tuesday. Don’t ask me where we were last Easter or who visited us two summers ago.

For me, this blanking out has pretty much always been there. Now, of course, as I get older, the frequency increases.

The most embarrassing manifestation is the black hole that occurs when struggling to remember names. I am comforted in knowing that many others wrestle with this as well. Sometimes, it’s not that I don’t KNOW the name—but rather, the name that comes to mind (90% of the time it is correct) also arrives with doubt-and so I hesitate to use it. ‘Tis better to say “Hey there!” instead of “Hi there, Bob” when two seconds later, you realize his name was Clifford.

Oops.

I’ve purchased the memory tapes, read the memory books, but so much of it relies on “linking” similar objects or characteristics. Too much work. The idea is to find a visual characteristic and then link it to the their name. If, for example, a woman with an exceptionally large nose has the name “Ally”, then you would link the name with something that has a large nose---in this case , Ally conjures up the image of an elephant (large “nose”)—and then my memory device becomes “Allyphant”.

Ally may appreciate my remembering her name next time we meet, but would be aghast if she knew that I only accomplished this feat by associating her with a pachyderm.

So, I stumble through life. I walk into rooms and wonder why I am there. I search for my keys until I glance at my HAND. I sometimes cut myself off in mid-sentence, wondering what the hell I was about to say.

If you too have suffered any of the above, then you’ll appreciate the following spoof of “Memories”—enjoy:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzSaoN2LdfU

The most maddening thing about it all is that ALL of the information is in there SOMEWHERE!!! Brain scientists say that we record virtually everything we see, do and hear. It must be that some of us have lousy filing cabinets upstairs.

Someday, there will be a way to access all of the vast information in our cerebral cortexes. What a glorious day that will be---instantly making obsolete the education system that relies on rote memorization. Of course, all excuses about forgetting to do your homework will also vanish.

I can’t wait for the day when….when……
What were we talking about?




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Car Insurance: "Mayhem" Means Money!

I don’t think the average American can go through the day without being exposed to some kind of ad for car insurance.

There must be a lot of money to be made since it seems the airwaves are littered with commercials. I think the first big player was GEICO. It was their “good news” campaign, where the answer to the “I’ve got good news!” statement was: “I just saved $400 on car insurance by switching to GEICO!” It was so effective that most of us used it as a punch line in everyday life.

That’s effective.

GEICO was not content to stay there. Along came the Caveman-those ads can still be seen, but the real star of the GEICO show is the gecko. That little green dude is everywhere. And even though the lizard shares time with another campaign that links mini-vignettes of woodchucks chucking wood and Abe Lincoln being painfully honest, the gecko still reigns supreme.

Of course, there’s the slightly wacko lady selling Progressive Car Insurance in a blindingly white store and others from State Farm and Farmers—and on and on.

My absolute favorite though, is Allstate Insurance—starring actor Dean Winters as the character “Mayhem”. Known for his roles in HBO’s “Oz” and NBC’s “30 Rock”, his greatest exposure has to be in ads for Allstate.

Here’s a compilation of these hilarious commercials—some of which I had never seen—and what I believe is a new one:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R8vG9NJQFY


This one I came across while researching this blog—“Mayhem” as a GPS-enjoy:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZXM_g3mqew&NR=1

After all these spots, I still don’t know which car insurance is the cheapest—or which one is the best, but based solely on their marketing, I rate Allstate #1 and GEICO a close #2!

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Ray Charles: "What'd I Say" Said It All

There are moments when musical “lightning in a bottle” is captured. On this day in 1959, Ray Charles did just that with the recording of “What’d I Say?” for Atlantic Records.

Like the discovery of penicillin, this too was purely by accident.

A song that was born out of necessity—the need to merely fill time. Ray Charles had about 10 minutes to fill at the end of a show in Pittsburgh. He and the band had completely run out of songs to play, so Ray’s genius kicked in. A riff that had been “floating around” in his head suddenly came out.

The crowd went wild.

It would have been fun to hear the conversation when Charles phoned his label with the request to record this song. A made-up song played on the road was doing the same thing to audiences each and every time. Namely, the beat, the piano and the back-and-forth with the crowd was creating magic night after night.

Here’s a rare clip of the song performed live on the TV show “Shindig” in 1965. Notice how the Righteous Brothers get into the act:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm1iGqecFGo&feature=related


I love that song, but my all-time favorite Ray Charles tune is “Hit The Road Jack”—Here’s a clip of that huge hit:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8Tiz6INF7I&feature=fvwrel


“What’d I Say” became a #1 R&B hit—and went #6 on the pop charts, thus becoming the very first of Ray Charles crossover smashes. It wouldn’t be his last.

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Coke's Secret Formula: It's OUT!

It appears that the closely guarded secret recipe for Coca-Cola, a mystery for 125 years—has now been publicly revealed.

A Chicago radio show, “This American Life” says it stumbled upon the recipe in a photo that was used back in 1979 in an article on Coke in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The picture showed a handwritten recipe by a friend of John Pemberton’s, written in a book of medicines and ointments. All in a leather-bound journal, it has been passed down through the generations, no one realizing that this was the world’s best-kept corporate secret.

Of course, much of the ingredients are known: extract of coca, caramel, caffeine, sugar and vanilla. What was always missing was that “special” ingredient—known as “7X”, which gave Coke its unique flavor…..

(insert drum roll here) And here it is:

The secret 7X flavor (use 2 oz of flavor to 5 gals syrup):
Alcohol: 8 oz
Orange oil: 20 drops
Lemon oil: 30 drops
Nutmeg oil: 10 drops
Coriander: 5 drops
Neroli: 10 drops
Cinnamon: 10 drops

Until now, the secret formula was the stuff of legend. Supposedly, it has been locked up in a safe for over 125 years. Also, there are only two people at any given time who know the secret ingredients—and they must never travel together.

So, is it the…….ahem…”Real Thing”? Coca-Cola says “No!”:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2Q-odr4am0

Here’s an animated and informative quick history of the world’s #1 soft drink:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMa7dM7NHM4&feature=related


And finally, here’s a 1930’s era film on the success of the Coca-Cola Company—even during the Great Depression:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnfpEoN7FCA

I must say that I hope the recipe printed above is NOT the actual secret formula-it’s like knowing how to do a magic trick. You are quickly satisfied—and then a bit disappointed that some of the mystery and magic is gone.

Perhaps we’ll never know…….
I wonder…does DIET Coke have a secret formula?

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Stroke: Act F.A.S.T.!

The video of TV reporter Serene Branson at the Grammys Sunday has gone viral.

Her unintelligible speech and inability to communicate has been more of a topic of conversation than perhaps the awards themselves. She was on site at the Staples Center to report on the ceremony—and what followed both surprised and worried thousands who were watching.

Was she having a stroke?

Perhaps….here is the video in case you haven’t seen it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biTEGZnSofs

Branson reported seeing a doctor on Monday and says she is feeling fine, but the episode was a reminder to everyone that a stroke can hit anyone of any age—and those around the stricken person can literally save their life---or maybe lesson and/or eliminate the specter of permanent disability.

If a stroke victim receives treatment within 3 hours of the attack, the prospects for that person’s recovery are MUCH higher. An acronym has been developed to help non-medical personnel deal with those we suspect may be stroke victims.

The acronym is: F.A.S.T, standing for Facial, Arm, Speech Test.

Any one of the symptoms revealed by F.A.S.T could mean stroke. Watch the following video, produced in England. Keeping in mind the stats are from the UK—and that the emergency number over there is 999 instead of 911, it is nevertheless very well done, informative—and investing ten minutes of your life in watching it could save someone else’s --embedding was disabled, so you'll have to click the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEmR4HaluYw&feature=related

Here is a shorter version of the same general advice:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0EbBADTWXM&feature=related

My mother suffered a massive stroke a half-dozen years ago. Unfortunately, my father, who was suffering with Parkinson’s disease—was severely hampered in summoning help. He finally managed to get to a neighbor, who called an ambulance. By the time she received treatment, the damage had already been done. She lost her ability to speak—and completely lost movement on one side of her body, which eventually led to a leg amputation.

Mom passed away a little over a year ago---and the last five years of her life were a never-ending parade of pain, frustration and inability to communicate to her family or caregivers. I have often wondered what would have happened had the attack occurred in the presence of those who could have acted quickly. Perhaps the outcome would have been the same…but who knows?

If you and I learn the F.A.S.T. response, we can maybe save a life—or at least preserve some form of functioning—should we encounter someone having a stroke.

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