Does South America have gun control?

Maybe they need it.

Public (Taxpayer-Paid) Radio

I share Doug Fisher's lament about the death of radio news, but I'm not inclined to agree with him that a government-run radio network should pick up the slack. I feel badly for Adam Hochberg that he has to try and cover big news in South Carolina from the state to the north, but not badly enough to say more tax money should go to SCETV. In the end, are there any news consumers in South Carolina who didn't get plenty of coverage of the tragedy in Charleston?

Doug notes that SCETV's radio folks once got in a dustup with the Legislature, which turned around and gutted the radio staff's budget. Doesn't that prove my point? If you have a government-run radio station doing news, at some point it is in danger of being beholden to the political interests of the day. And don't get me started on the "we're-going-to-take-Big-Bird-off the-air-if-you-cut-our-budget" ploys that public television agencies are known to execute.

Doug's a top-notch editor and more journalism big-wigs should listen to what he has to say about the evolving newsroom. And he's a radio guy at heart, I think, so that's the spirit in which I take his lament. And my guess is SCETV disagrees with me more than they disagree with him!

Growing isn't necessarily a pain.

Check out this respectful, fair story about Kirk Cameron of "Growing Pains" and his more important project.

Porking S.C.

I've got virtually no experience this century in writing about the South Carolina General Assembly, but Cindi Scoppe's column today about pork rings familiar. I'm not trying to argue against her overall point -- the Legislature should leave local governing to the local goverments -- but the fault may be in ourselves, so to speak. As constituents complain about local government, the politicians in Columbia want to do something. Yes, it's meddling, but it's also the desire to not have to tell someone, "Sorry, you need to go see your (mayor, county councilman)." In part, Cindi is asking politicians to do something against type. It doesn't make her incorrect, however. The system is archaic -- and as you know, we can't have archaic and eat it too.

God Bless You

Bob McAlister posts Charleston Post and Courier editorial writer Frank Wooten's column on tolerance (or lack thereof) of Christians, in the wake of Christopher Hitchen's book, "God is not great." My favorite quote from the piece:

>>Yet when Rosie O’Donnell proclaimed on ABC’s “The View,” one day after the fifth anniversary of 9/11, that “radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam,” she expressed a sentiment that’s gaining ground in our nation.
Young Americans seem particularly susceptible to that absurd “just as threatening” notion. They should ponder who is more threatening: 1) Christian fundamentalists who reject gay marriage and warn of an eternal inferno if you don’t get right with God, or 2) Muslim fanatics who spark earthly infernos with airliners and bombs?<<

For a thorough criticism of Hitchens' book, I recommend a series by Mark D. Roberts. He points out several factual errors and I think deals with the issue of Hitchens' militant atheism in a respectful manner.

Herald-Examiner to be demolished

Kevin Roderick highlights reports that the old Herald-Examiner building in downtown Los Angeles is going to be demolished. It's been nearly two decades since the paper closed, but what a shame. I worked there as an intern in the fall of 1984. The newsroom was straight out of "Front Page," clacking typewriters and all. It was dingy and romantic at the same time. Earlier reports had the site slated for condos, which would have at least preserved the building's exterior. Kevin's post includes a nice photo of the building.

UPDATE -- Doug Fisher -- always a better editor than I was -- notes in the comment that the building that houses the newsroom apparently will survive. I re-read Kevin's caption and the story, and Doug appears to be correct. I think the word "demo" caught my eye, and running the picture made me think that it was the main building that was coming down. I recall there was some move to make it a landmark, which would probably prohibit its destruction.

A colonscopy?

According to Mark Cuban, it's a gas.

Why be sad?

Jon at Dodger Thoughts pens a requiem for a dying TV set. I doubt I'll feel the same way if and when I can get one of those big HDs. But I'll say they're really for She Who Sighs so she can watch this guy in HD.

Candidates at church

A day later, I'm still steamed at this story by CBN's esteemed David Brody. Not because of anything David did. It's the suggestion made by the story's subject that voters ought to consider how frequently any candidate attends church. The most galling part is from a professor at Harding College, who wants to know if Fred Thompson has :

"Taught a Bible class,
Presided at the Lord's table,
Served as a greeter,
Or led singing. ('If it was 728b and you can prove it, I'll give you $100,' he wagered, referring to the hymn, "Our God, His Is Alive," which is considered an anthem in the Churches of Christ)."

Let me get this straight. He is offering a wager on whether Fred Thompson has led singing in a hymn? It's ironic and absurd at the same time.

I do want to know in general about how faith might guide someone, because I think that's a clue to how someone would make decisions, and whether he or she would be trustworthy. But the people running for President aren't running to be church elders. And if evangelical voters limit their choices to only the people who have the same kind of perfect church attendance and involvement they do (which probably also rules me out!), then their influence will get smaller and smaller. And deservedly so.

Full disclosure: David Brody and I attend the same church -- McLean Bible -- but we've never met.

Liberal WaPo columnist opines on Huckabee

Ruth Marcus of The Washington Post writes today about Gov. Huckabee. She admits that she disagrees with Gov. Huckabee on just about everything -- not exactly a News Alert there -- and admits she would never vote for him. She says, " But a Republican field with candidate Huckabee in it is a more interesting place -- if, that is, anyone pays attention to something besides whether he thinks humans descended from apes."

Most of what drives those questions to Huckabee is the MSM's consistently belief that all evangelical Christians care about it is abortion and evolution. Many voters may indeed care about the issue of evolution vs. creationism, but my guess is that very very very few voters, even those who attend evangelical Christian churches, find that issue to be a driving factor in their decisions.

As for Gov. Huckabee, I hope the next time he gets one of these questions, he can dismiss it as relatively irrelevant for the office he now seeks. "I am not running to be the superintendent of public schools," he could say, "so what my private personal religious viewpoint on how God created the Earth, and whether that view ought to be presented in a public school setting, is is unnecessary to discuss."

Rich Galen

The Washington punditocracy takes itself uber-seriously -- except for Rich Galen.

I wonder if She Who Sighs will let me get one of those

Cheap Shot from Andrew

Andrew Sullivan takes a cheap shot at HHS Secretary Leavitt because some lower-level staffer wasn't aware Sen. Thomas had died. Of course, when it comes to cheap shots at the Bush Administration, it's hard to find a distinction between Andrew and the left's Netroots

Jeff Nelligan speaks about Fred

My successor at CMS offers some interesting insight into Fred Thompson. Hope Jeff gets traffic today, courtesty of The Corner.