What do you do when there is nothing you can do?

As someone that spends an inordinate amount of time watching, observing, and studying American politics, there are always an abundance of things, for me to both agree and disagree with. But last week when 41 of 42 Republicans voted against the funding for a bill that would provide healthcare benefits to 9-11 First Responders it brought forth anger in me that was so profound, just the thought of the subject caused me to nearly succumb to an anxiety attack.

I have read all the reasons, pro and con, given to justify everyone's votes. I have watched the news channels and the people that I normally watch, express their outrage. Since I tend to associate my news channel watching to MSNBC that is not really a surprise. Then, even The Fox News Channel, the unashamed mouthpiece of the Republican Party, the faux news operation that carries the water for the Republicans, offered criticism of the vote.

Sheppard Smith, Fox main anchor, called it a national disgrace and got at least some agreement from colleague, Chris Wallace. Of course, Fox being Fox, they failed to mention that the 41 Senators that killed the bill by voting no were Republicans. But at least they did bring it up.

So with this blinding anger I feel toward this I find myself coming back to the headline question, “What do you do when there is nothing you can do?”

I've contacted my Senator, who by the way won re-election last month and has nothing to worry about for the next six years. I have posted on my Social Network sites, shared videos, and written here on my own website.

So now what? It is an angry hopeless feeling.

I don't personally know any 9-11 First Responders but I have been to Ground Zero. Even today you get a sense of the enormity of the job that was done and the work preformed there on that day and in the aftermath. The first responders are suffering today, many are dead or dying, and they need our help.

I noticed that one of the Senators voting no stated that he didn't want to vote yea on bills that were not funded or pay for themselves. Oddly two days later he was not concerned about how we are going to pay for the extension of the Bush Tax Cuts.

I have not tried to change people’s minds if they disagree with me; I just post videos and commentaries and let everyone make up their own minds. I try to get the facts out there so that people don't miss news like this. It doesn't seem enough and yet I don't know what else I can do.

When your hands are tied by the inability to effect change or right what you perceive to be a wrong, what can you do? I can't seem to let it go. I don't want to let it go. What can one person do? That is not a rhetorical question. I am looking to you, as someone reading this, to offer any suggestions you might have. I am at a loss.

I heard Senator Kyle of Arizona say it would be disrespectful for the Senate to work on the most holy day on the Christian Calendar and that the Senate just didn't have time to deal with it.

Wonder how Senator Kyle would feel if someone he knew, or his own property needed a First Responder on Christmas and they all said that it would be disrespectful to take the fire trucks out on Christmas.

I don't wish that on him or anyone else but these acts of pure political partisanship at the expense of real life people make me wish that they could get a taste of reality.

I hope they never have to find out and I hope that sooner than later this Congress decides to discover their conscience.

In the meantime I will try and figure out what to do when there is nothing I can do.

Letter to Iowa Senator Charles Grassley

Dear Senator Grassley,

When I moved to Iowa in September 2008 I was aware that from a political policy standpoint we did not see eye to eye. Fact is, my philosophies are closer in line with Senator Harkin or more accurately reflected by soon to be former Senator Feingold of Wisconsin.

I watched how you conducted yourself during your most recent re-election campaign. It was impressive. I respected you for running a campaign that was without distortions, half-truths, accusations, and unflattering photos of your opponent. It was a campaign that was befitting the high office you hold. You simply stated your accomplishments and humbly asked for votes.

The campaign was something for others to aspire to and should be held up as a positive example for every Political Science class. Congratulations on a job well done.

All the good feelings and respect I had for you vanished in one vote yesterday. You and so many other politicians stand ready at every opportunity to wrap yourself in the flag, standing before the cameras with your flag lapel pin and singing the songs of patriotism. I would never presume to question your patriotism. I do not know you and have every reason to believe that you love the country you have honorably served.

Yet yesterday this patriotism took a back seat to old fashion politics. You should be ashamed of yourself for voting no on the 9/11 First Responders bill. A no vote by Republican Senators as a statement. A statement of what, sir? A statement that you will not do the business of the country until such time as you stomp your feet, hold you breathe, have a temper tantrum and get your way. Your way, of course, means keeping tax cuts in place for your fellow millionaires.

On September 11 of next year this country will mark the 10th anniversary of the worst terrorist attack ever on American soil. Senator when you appear, as you will, at one or more of the memorial services, standing under old glory, wearing your flag lapel pin, don’t you dare insult us by uttering the phrase, “We will never forget” because on December 10, 2010 you forgot or set aside 9/11 for the purposes of political gain and in doing so you surely disgraced the memory of those lost and the honor of the heroes of that horrible day. Your hypocrisy is astonishing.

Mr. President you have let me down for the last time.

Dear Mr. President,

With all due respect sir you have let me down for the last time. I had such high hopes for you and our country. I will never forget where I was when you were declared the victor on Election Day. How proud I was that our country had done something I surely did not think I would see in my lifetime. Hope and Change.

I have spent the better part of two years defending you; I thought that people expected you to reverse the disaster that was the Bush presidency in too short of time. I thought they expected way too much from you too fast. And I was constantly angry at the opposition party for trying to block everything you proposed. I still think that many have been unfair to you, but yesterday you sold those of us in your base down the river.

The Bush Tax cuts. Something that you campaigned so strongly against. Imagine my surprise when you agreed to a two year extension. There has been debate ad nauseam over whether they should be extended or not and both sides have been heard and debated.

Albert Einstein is credited with saying, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome." The Bush tax cuts are part of a failed economic policy that has left this country's economy a global disaster. And this will only make it worse, if for no other reason that the tax cuts are not paid for. We have to fund this by borrowing more money from China or Saudi Arabia, or both.

Extending the tax cuts for two years ensures that this debate will happen again during the next Presidential campaign election cycle. Do you not think that Republicans and Tea Partiers are not already licking their chops at the opportunity to paint you as wanting to raise taxes in an election year? They played you, Mr. President. Just like they have been all along. Why is it that they are so much better at that than we are?

Tax cuts for the wealthy are not proven to create jobs. It is very likely that if you give the rich a tax break they will save it. There is certainty that when you give the unemployed benefits that they will spend them. They have to. There is no opportunity to save it. Meaning their spending keeps the corner business in business.

Aside from the right or wrong and if trickle down economics works or not, the real problem is that you caved again. You let them back you into a corner and you refused to fight. And then you had a press conference and got angry with us, the ones that have been your loyal base. Your answer was as always, "you just don't understand." 

I think we understand all too well. Velma Hart told you in a press conference she was tired of defending you. So am I, sir.

My hopes and dreams for your Hope and Change have been shattered. I am disappointed and let down. I see you as someone more interested in keeping everyone happy and winning re-election than making the tough choices and standing by your principles and beliefs regardless of how it will effect your popularity. In that regard your predecessor was far superior.

You have sprinted to the middle and let us on the left in the wake. 

So much for Hope and Change.

Election Day

Wow am I glad this is nearly over. I should start by saying what is bothering me is something that is actually good for my business but bad for my sanity.

Tomorrow is Election Day. And while people that know me generally know where I stand politically. I am not here to try and persuade anyone to any particular point of view. As I have said over and over for years, doesn’t matter if you are for it or against it, just vote.

The reason I am glad that it is over is the barrage of political ads that we have been bombarded with. Like I said this is a double edge sword for me. I work in broadcasting, an industry that has been hurt especially hard by the economy. Advertising is one of the first things businesses cut in time of economic difficulty. The foolishness of which I can discuss another time. But the influx of political advertising dollars will help many broadcast companies make their fourth quarter.

This advertising cycle has been one of the nastiest I can recall. When I was a kid people used to refer to it as mudslinging. This has gone more into the realm of tossing nuclear bombs at each other. So personal and bitter and angry. I will be glad when it’s over.

So go to the polls tomorrow. Make your vote count. And if you don’t believe that it does just look at some of the close races we have seen in recent years.

Even though I am tired of the process I thank God and our founding fathers that we do have the right and privilege to go to the polls. And we can do so without having to have blue ink on our fingers and in most cases we can be fairly confident that the elections will be fair and reflect the will of the people.

So like I said before, whether you are for it or against it….. vote tomorrow and do so proudly because you live in the greatest country in the world.

Old friends - Good Times

It could have gone either way. This weekend we were going to go and see old friends that we had not seen in around 15 years. Much water has gone over the damn since the last time we saw any of them. Of course we are all older, probably had changed physically, and have all had different life experiences since the salad days of 1993.

The build up and anticipation of facing these people lead to a day of thinking maybe we would call it off, but ultimately we decided to go and it was a great decision.

After again nearly backing out the last block before getting there we summoned our courage and went in. It would have been easy to back out since no one knew we were coming anyway.

It was all that we could have hoped for and more. I don’t go to class reunions or team reunions or anything like that. I’m just not normally a fan of that and find it difficult to know what to talk about outside of the, “Hey, what have you been up to the last umpteen years?”

What a nice surprise to be able to pick up conversation like it had been 15 minutes and not 15 years. The conversation, laughter and stories all flowed.

The best part though was when the person we were most looking forward to seeing said that he had spent time in the past three months looking for us on Facebook, Google and elsewhere. It was so nice to know that someone that had meant so much to us and that we had thought of so fondly over the years actually had cared for us as well.

So, we made a promise to not wait another 15 years and I hope that we keep it. I’m not convinced that I will become a fan of reunions or meeting up with people from the past but for one night it was a great time and I am so glad that we had the courage to go.

I'm taking a time out.

I have to take a time out. I don’t really want to but I think that my long term stability is at risk if I do not.

I spend an inordinate amount of time with the day’s news. Not just watching what passes for a local newscast but really doing a deep dive with the news and opinion shows that make up the 24 hour news cycles.

I take it all in, analyze it myself, and pass on what I see as interesting or thought provoking to others via the social networking sites. Then I watch the ones that hit the like button on Facebook and the others that tell me I am an idiot.

So for the past several months I have been following the story of young Kyle Van Nocker. A young boy diagnosed with cancer prior to his fifth birthday. He fought an amazing fight, kept his spirits and those around him up and even wore t-shirts printed with things like, bald is cool.

By all counts his parents insurance company, Health America, spent between 1.6 and 1.8 million dollars on his care. But before you start feeling sorry for Health America they reported a profit last quarter of 79 million dollars. Then Health America decided they had spent enough. They, not Kyle’s doctors, made the decision that he had received enough treatment. They were not going to pay for anymore.

Some actuary had made the decision that a young boys life was worth 1.8 million dollars and no more. They stopped paying. I defy anyone to tell me that this is not a death panel. The Republicans warned that with the new Health care bill we would create death panels. I say they already exist.

What happened to Kyle? If not a death panel, what? They decided what his life was worth. They made the decision that they were not going to pay for anymore treatment. They signed his death sentence and I’ll bet that they did not feel one bit of guilt.

Kyle has passed away. An unimaginable loss for this family and friends. Nothing but a damn statistic for American Health.

This is America. This isn’t supposed to happen here. Republicans say the Health Care Bill will destroy our current system. For once, I pray they are right.

When I watched the news of Kyle’s passing I broke down and cried like a baby. I didn’t know him but having followed his story I felt like I did. I was so upset and angry I spewed out a few choice words about The United States and what it was becoming.

Watching the news and looking at the Internet sites as much as I do has impacted me in a very negative way. I get very angry and feel very helpless. All I can do is vote. Which I do, and I don’t see things getting better.

I see people wanting to burn Korans, death panels killing little boys and people taking someone like Sarah Palin seriously.

So, I have to take a time out. I have to cut back my exposure. I will not stick my head in the sand and I will still continue to fight for what I believe in. I just cannot continue to be exposed to the gotcha debates, the hate from people like Rush Limbaugh, and the utter phoniness of Glenn “Lonesome Rhodes” Beck. I will also swear off Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann.

I’ll be back. In the meantime I have to take a little sanity break. Maybe a good David Baldacci mystery.

So this is what it has come too?

This is what it has come to? Last night I was watching television and saw an interview with a Minister in Florida that is organizing a rally on September 11th for a mass burning of the Koran. That’s right, a large group of people seem to think it is a good idea to get together and burn the Koran, the Muslim equivalent of the Christian Bible.

The interviewer asked the man, and I am reluctant to call him a Pastor because I cannot believe a man of the cloth would perpetrate such an event, if there was anyone person in the United States that he admired. He answered, “Yes, President Bush.” So the interviewer asked, “So if President Bush called and ask you not to do this would you stop the rally?” His answer was no.

Looking beyond outrage, I was saddened. I can’t believe that this is what I am hearing in the United States. A country symbolized by Lady Liberty standing on Liberty Island. “Give us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses longing to be free.” Just make sure that they are not of the Muslim Faith.

What happened? Why did it take ten years from the 9-11 attack for this rhetoric to be ratcheted up so fiercely?

Some would say it is because of the proposed Islamic Cultural Center in lower Manhattan. A few years back we visited that area in lower Manhattan. I saw some amazing things. I saw people gathered outside of a first responder fire house across the street from the World Trade Center site burst into spontaneous applause when the fire fighters opened the station house door. I saw people lower their voices to a whisper when the crossed the street and walked the side walks by where the twin towers once stood. Speaking in soft tones like one does in a church or holy place. I saw the Church across the street where the rescue workers rested between shifts on those horrible days, the pews forever scratched and scarred from their boots.

That’s not all I saw. I saw shameless hucksters across the street selling souvenirs and trying to make a buck. I saw hotels and a Burger King, a huge retail Century 21 store and even a strip bar. All part of the fabric that makes up New York City.

The other thing that strikes you when you visit this area is how small it really is. The streets are narrow, the green space is non-existent, and the buildings are tall. You cannot see around the corner, let alone down the street.

But because the 9-11 hijackers were Muslims all these things, even the t-shirt vendors are OK on the often referenced scared ground, but not a community center for Muslims. Strip bars yes, Muslim Community Center, no. OK. So how many blocks away is appropriate. Apparently not as far away as Florida or even in Tennessee where in Murfreesboro they are trying to stop a mosque as well. Where then? The warehouse district, out in those industrial areas where they put the adult book stores?

What or who is to say what is appropriate for lower Manhattan. Who is to say what is appropriate for Oklahoma City or anywhere else that some group deems sacred ground? The constitution, that’s what.

The right to religious freedom is the very foundation that this country was built upon. Because some blowhard on the radio or TV or some politician looking to grab a headline or some misguided fool in Florida doesn’t like it, just doesn’t matter.

Is it distasteful? Perhaps. But how can you paint a broad stroke that all Muslims are terrorists? It would be like saying all Catholics are terrorists because Timothy McVeigh was Roman Catholic. It is pure racially motivated hatred and it sickens me.

My next door neighbor on 9-11 was Muslim. He and his family were ashamed and hurting just like the rest of us. He was afraid for his safety. Why? He didn’t do anything. I never thought he was a terrorist nor had anything to do with the World Trade Center coming down. He flew an American flag on his porch like the rest of us.

Everyone has the right to worship or not to worship as they see fit and where they see fit. Trying to stop this Islamic Center is a very slippery slope. What’s next? Regulating in what parts of the city there can be a synagogue? And what about the use of Roman numerals on buildings. Wasn’t Pontius Pilate a Roman? See? How far does it go?

Burning the Koran. Racial hatred, and all this on the eve on Dr. King’s historic march on Washington.

Keep feeding the 24 hour news channels. Keep listening to the hate mongers on TV and Radio. They will be there spewing this nonsense as long as there is an audience for it.

I for one am worried about the direction of my country. I will continue to pray for it, until such time as some politician decides my neighborhood is an inappropriate place to do so.

Racial Profiling

Racial profiling. Two words that have always made me cringe. The thought that in 2010 in the United States an African American could be stopped simply for being in too good of a neighborhood. The thought that he or she surely didn't belong there and therefore had to be up to no good. That kind of thinking was something that I could not comprehend. So imagine how surprised I was when I unwittingly did the same thing to an innocent person.

I was recently on a flight from Las Vegas to Houston. Seated across the aisle from me in the center seat was a man of middle eastern descent. He was clutching a very expensive camera with an equally expensive lens. As the plane taxied and took off the man became extremely agitated. He could not sit still in his seat, was sweating profusely and at times appeared to be crying. Every few minutes he would take the camera apart, look inside and shake it and then put it back together.

My mind started on a roller coaster ride through my head. Was the camera set up as an incendiary device? Was he about to leap out of his seat at any minute and head toward the cockpit? Was the camera going to explode or start a fire. What was he up to?

So I started making a plan. Every since 9-11 I had decided that if I was ever in a situation where terrorists were trying to take over a plane that I would not be one that sat by and let fate dictate my future. In other words I was not going to go down without a fight.

I started looking around to see who might be of help. To the left and behind was a woman traveling with two children under the age of five. No help there. Behind me was what appeared to be her husband with two other small children. Probably nothing there. In front of me was a large man that looked like he would welcome the opportunity to kick anyone's rear end at any time for any reason. Other than that, there wasn't much in the immediate area.

So I sat back and watched. He continued to take the camera apart and put it back together. Fidget in the seat and sweat through his shirt.

Of course, in the end, thankfully he was just a nervous flyer. But it made me think. If that had been a middle aged white man doing that, right away I would have probably just written him off as a nervous flyer. But since he was middle eastern I jumped to the conclusion that he was a terrorist and made plans to try and stop whatever he was planning.

I had unwittingly engaged in racial profiling. I am not proud of it and have tried to rationalize it a million different ways. I was just being cautious, or it is just the way of the world post 9-11. The reality is, it was wrong and no matter how I try and make it seem OK, it isn't.

It's like they told us in Grammar School, you can't judge a book by it's cover.

I wonder what I will do if I am confronted with a situation like that in the future. I am sorry to say that I cannot be sure that I will not do the same thing.

Who would have thought?

So I am sitting here on Sunday evening and thinking about what a difference eight months make. As most people know on April 28th of 2009 my position was eliminated and for the first time in my adult life I was unemployed. What most people don't know is that despite the worries about how I was going to pay our bills, that on the inside I could not have been happier. Rumors of the layoffs had been circulating for months and I was secretly hoping and nearly praying that I would be on the list.

I had been in my current position for six years and going to work had become insufferable. I had been beaten down to the point that radio, an industry I had loved since I first was fascinated by it as a child, was now something I hated.

What I now realize is that radio wasn't the problem at all. Nor was it the company I worked for. It wasn't even the changes that had come about in the industry over the past several years. The problem was the management team that I had been working for. The people that lead by keeping employees in their place, by always looking for something to find fault with and telling you things like you are lucky to have a job.

Sunday nights were the worst. About three in the afternoon I started to feel my mood change. It was all about the dread of going back to work in the morning and facing another week. So when I was dismissed I decided no matter what I had to do, I was done with radio.

Thankfully a good friend of many years made me reconsider that decision. Now jump forward to tonight. It's around 10 pm and I am happily looking forward to another week. I have been back on the air recently filling in here and there and have finally had the chance to do some talk radio and on the legendary WHO no less. Yesterday during the show we heard from callers listening over the air in Wyoming and South Bend, Indiana. The mighty signal of WHO. Radio is fun again and I am having the time of my life.

Why, because I am treated with respect and my co-workers and managers actually care about my thoughts and opinions. I am fortunate to work for the best General Manager in radio and it has made all the difference in the world.

So tomorrow I will go in and prepare for a week that includes station visits from Uncle Kracker and Brandi Carlile. I will do the morning show tomorrow on Capital 106.3 and Saturday morning on WHO. And in between, whatever the week brings, I will be having fun and it will be at work. Life is good again.