CommenTerry

Smart Sponsors Aren't Interested in Censorship

In his Richmond Times-Dispatch blog last week, Bart Hinkle had the following to say about advertisers' attitudes toward editorializing done by the newspapers in which their ads appear:

"...smart businessmen care far less about what the newspaper says on a given subject than they do about how many people read the paper -- about, that is, how many eyes will view their promotional material. It's in a company's economic interest to disregard what editorials say. A car dealership that yanks its own ad because it doesn't like an editorial doesn't achieve anything but sending customers to the competition."

He makes an excellent point here, but in the same vein, I don't think sponsors of TV shows are concerned about possible offensive content in those programs. As long as they can get enough members of the targeted demographic group watching their ads, they are quite satisfied. That is, of course, until some group of self-appointed defenders of public morals, like the Parent Television Council (PTC), steps in and starts upbraiding them in an effort to shame them into dropping their sponsorship of shows they (the PTC and the like) find objectionable. If the use of verbal chastisement and guilt trips fails to get the desired results, these groups will often resort to strong-arm tactics like threats to "hold them accountable." We all know what that means, don't we? In most cases, sponsors will eventually relent, despite the success of their ad campaigns on the given program(s).

I don't like much of the filth and sacrilegious tripe that passes for television entertainment nowadays either, but I think the channel zapper and off button are sufficient enough censors.

A Radical Idea for Major League Baseball

Now that another World Series is in the books and a fresh five-year labor agreement has been signed, I think it's time that Major League Baseball owners do something that really shakes things up while appealing to the purists and modernists alike. I have a suggestion for a radical new alignment that would do just that, although it likely won't go over too well with the self-appointed guardians of all things baseball. This new alignment would get rid of divisions and the division series and combine some of the best aspects of the old and the new. I will outline it in the paragraphs below. 

Major League Baseball would be split into four eight-team leagues: the NL Traditional, the NL Contemporary, the AL Traditional, and the AL Contemporary.

The Traditional leagues would consist of the original eight NL franchises and the original eight AL franchises, respectively, that existed before expansion began in the 1960's. In addition, interleague play would be very limited for the teams in the Traditional leagues.

The Brewers would be assigned to the AL Contemporary. The Contemporary leagues would receive one expansion team each.

The leagues would be aligned as follows:

NL Traditional: Dodgers, Reds, Cubs, Phillies, Cardinals, Pirates, Giants, and Braves.

NL Contemporary: Padres, Nationals, Astros, Diamondbacks, Marlins, Mets, Rockies, and one expansion team.

AL Traditional: Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, Indians, Tigers, Athletics, Twins, White Sox.

AL Contemporary: Angels, Rangers, Blue Jays, Mariners, Royals, Devil Rays, Brewers, and one expansion team.

The regular season schedules would be as follows:

NL Traditional teams would play 15-16 games against each other, six games each against NL Contemporary teams, and six interleague games against one designated AL team.

AL Traditional teams would play 15-16 games against each other, six games each against AL Contemporary teams, and six interleague games against one designated NL team.

NL Contemporary teams would play 13-14 games against each other, six games each against NL Traditional teams, six interleague games against one designated AL team, and three interleague games each against four additional AL Contemporary teams.

AL Contemporary teams would play 13-14 games against each other, six games each against AL Traditional teams, six interleague games against one designated NL team, and three interleague games each against four additional NL Contemporary teams.

A team's designated interleague opponent would remain the same each year for teams like the Yankees, who have a natural rival, but would rotate for teams like the Red Sox, who do not. Additional interleague games for Contemporary teams would be against opponents on a rotating basis.

Three All-star games would be played on consecutive nights: NL Traditional vs. NL Contemporary; AL Traditional vs. AL Contemporary; the winner on the first night vs. the winner on the second night.

Regular season ties would be broken with a best-of-three series. All post-season series would be best-of-seven. The NL Traditional champ would face off against the NL Contemporary champ, and the AL Traditional champ would meet the AL Contemporary champ, with the winners squaring off in the World Series.

Another Potentially Disastrous Lawsuit

Here we go again! USA Today is now reporting that the National Federation of the Blind has filed a lawsuit against Target Stores because its website does not contain "certain coding" to activate audio software that allows blind users to hear descriptions of products. Supposedly, many other websites are equipped with this coding. The rationale for the lawsuit is that Target is violating federal equal access laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which protect the disabled.

But were those laws really intended to be enforced in cyberspace? The potential implications of this lawsuit are monumental. If the NFB wins this suit, thousands of websites based in the U.S. would either have to undergo expensive upgrades or be taken down. Thanks to political correctness run amok, we have yet another frivolous, and potentially disastrous, lawsuit that could cripple on-line business in the U.S.

Congress should take action now by amending the ADA and similar laws to exclude Internet businesses. Otherwise, many of them may soon disappear.

Having Second Thoughts About Virginia's Marriage Amendment?

To those who are now having second thoughts about voting for the proposed Marshall-Newman Marriage Amendment, I offer the following words of caution: Would you want Virginia to have the dubious distinction of becoming the only state to reject a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage?

Don't be lured into a false sense of security by those who cynically point to existing state laws that ban gay marriage. Armed with the momentum from having turned back the marriage amendment, those same people would almost certainly go after the existing laws next. Don't think for one minute that they would they would hesitate to do so.

By the way, those laws could be wiped off the books by a single act of the General Assembly, which might misinterpret a defeat of the marriage amendment as show of public support for gay marriage. And don't assume that our esteemed Governor Kaine would step in and veto such legislation, as he would likely be fully complicit in it.

Random Rants and Raves #81

Here's one sure way to test whether you actually eat with your mouth closed: Put a whole cherry tomato in your mouth and start chewing it. If juice squirts out of your mouth, ...         

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Sometimes a ship will stop sinking after all the rats jump out.

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Any fanciful notions that I still harbored about fairness quickly evaporated when I discovered that a cousin if mine, who started work near the same time that I did and is six months younger than I, will be able to retire in three years (at age 48), while I'll have to work until I'm at least 60.

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Some things are just so ridiculous that they don't even merit criticism. They should be ignored. 

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I'm still waiting for someone to invent fat-free and cholesterol-free eggs, bacon, sausage, and biscuits, so I can have a decent breakfast again. 

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At least once a week, some knucklehead driver will do something stupid to cause me to have to put on brakes to keep from hitting them. Most of the time, they will then look at me as if I'm the one who was at fault. I generally respond by smiling at them sarcastically. Most of them ignore my response, but some will flip me the bird. 

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One guaranteed way to make sure a day, week, month, or year goes poorly for you is too look forward to it.

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Anyone who still doesn't understand why they call it plastic surgery hasn't seen Burt Reynolds' face lately.

Media Lemmings Continue to Be Driven by Ratings

Except for a few special features and human interest stories, why are the evening news programs on the broadcast TV networks pretty much identical in content? With thousands of possible news stories every day, why do the 24-hour cable news channels like CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC tend to follow the same 20-25 stories and ignore the rest? Why do they all latch on to the same missing person case when there are probably scores of people reported missing at any given time? Of course, the answer to all of the preceding questions is ratings.

Unfortunately, TV news departments and channels are judged by the same barometer as entertainment departments and channels. That's why, into the foreseeable future, we will continue get only the TV news that its providers believe will hold our interest, regardless of its importance (or lack thereof).

Five Things Children Aren't Taught Anymore

Unfortunately, parents don't seem to be teaching their children some basic rules anymore. Here are five than seem to be lacking these days:

1) Wait your turn.

2) The world is not your playground.

3) Don't speak while adults are speaking, unless it's an emergency.

4) Behave yourself in public.

5) You do not have a "right" to anything other than to be taken of and remain unharmed.

No Sympathy for the "Dog"

Duane Lee "Dog" Chapman is a bounty hunter and bail bondsman whose lifestyle is glamorized in a reality show that airs on the A&E cable network. He first gained notoriety in 2003 when he entered Mexico and captured Max Factor cosmetics heir Andrew Luster and brought him back to the U.S., where he has been imprisoned ever since. Luster, a fugitive from the law at the time, had fled the U.S. during his trial for poisoning and rape and was ultimately convicted in absentia. Chapman was viewed as a hero by many for making this capture.

However, the very thing that brought him fame now has Chapman fleeing from the law himself. When he captured Luster, Mexican police demanded that he immediately turn him over to them. When he refused, Mexican authorities arrested him and charged him with kidnapping and unlawful detainment, felonies in that country, punishable by up to four years in prison. He was released at that time, but was ordered to show up in a Mexican court to face those charges at a later date. After failing to do so, he was declared a fugitive by the Mexican government.

About a month ago, shortly before the statute of limitations would have gotten him off the hook, he was arrested by U.S. marshals near his home in Honolulu and jailed on behalf of the Mexican government. When he appeared in court a day later, Chapman was released on $300,000 bail and ordered to wear an electronic monitoring device, pending his extradition hearing scheduled for November 16.  He is currently fighting extradition.

Media sources have reported that 29 Republican Congressmen recently sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Chapman's behalf, requesting that she deny his extradition to Mexico. For the life of me, I can't understand why these lawmakers would take up for a shady character like "Dog" Chapman. He is not a sympathetic character by any stretch of the imagination. He's even ostracized by many of his fellow bounty hunters and bail bondsmen because of his strong-arm tactics that often push the limits of what is legal and ethical.

In fact, the man is a convicted murderer who was sentenced to hard labor in prison before being paroled two years into his sentence. Before his murder conviction, he had been arrested multiple times for armed robbery. Why do officials in the U.S. even recognize his status as a bounty hunter and bail bondsman? We wouldn't have convicted child molesters monitoring sex offenders, would we? 

Chapman should be returned to Mexico to face the music for his offenses. Some would argue that he shouldn't be extradited because the corresponding offenses in the U.S. would only be considered misdemeanors, for which we do not generally extradite people. However, since when did kidnapping and unlawful detainment become misdemeanors? Did Chapman's capture of Andrew Luster make him such a hero in the eyes of some that they are willing to ignore the fact that he broke the laws of another country in the process? If the rule of law is to be upheld, even a duly authorized law enforcement agent - which Chapman is not - cannot be allowed to break the law in order to enforce it. As far as his getting into trouble with the law is concerned, I don't think it could have happened to a better guy.

The Illusiveness of Lost Momentum

When are coaches and players going to learn that they can't turn momentum on and off like a light switch? Momentum, once lost, is not always retrievable at will. In fact, it is quite illusive. Coach Tony Dungy and his Indianapolis Colts discovered that the hard way last season.

To refresh everyone's memory, the Colts had racked up a 13-0 record last season, with only three games remaining on the schedule. Only three prior teams in NFL history had ever seen 13-0, and only one of those, the 1972 Miami Dolphins, had made it all the way through the season unscathed. The Colts had a chance to make history. However, instead of embracing history, Dungy expressed little enthusiasm for going undefeated. Instead, he was more concerned about making sure his team was healthy going into the playoffs. After all, his team had clinched the home field advantage throughout the playoffs with win number 13 and, as far as he was concerned, his team really had nothing else to play for in the regular season.

Although most of the team's starters played in game 14 at home against San Diego, the Colts didn't seem to put forth much of an effort. This resulted in the Chargers pinning their first loss on them. In game 15 on the road against Seattle, with hopes for an undefeated season already dashed, Dungy rested most of his stars and they were drubbed by the Seahawks. In game 16 at home against Arizona, the key starters were rested once again, but the Colts still managed to squeeze past the hapless Cardinals on a late touchdown. After a first-round bye, the Colts came out flat and were upset at home in the divisional playoffs by the sixth-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers, who went on to win Super Bowl XL.

The fact that the Colts stumbled in their first playoff game should not have come as a surprise to anyone. They had snuffed out their own momentum during the last three weeks of the regular season and could not get it back for playoffs. They should have gone for the undefeated season and kept their momentum alive. In my opinion, there is no way Pittsburgh would have beaten them, had they gone into the playoffs 16-0. If they get back to 13-0 this season (which is highly unlikely), it'll be interesting to see if they did actually learn something.

Who Really Controls Oil Prices?

With oil and gasoline prices dropping as the election draws near, we are once again hearing the tired refrain that the U.S. government is somehow manipulating the oil and gas markets to influence the outcome of the election. What a naive thing to believe! When are people finally to going to let go of this foolish notion that our government controls gas and oil prices? Unfortunately, that's one of the more popular conspiracy theories circulating today. The said thing is that millions of people honestly believe it. In a capitalistic economy like we have, market factors like supply and demand, not the government, set prices. Anyone who would like for that to be the other way around might want to consider moving to Venezuela or Cuba.

The main factor in this latest drop in oil prices has been the lack of a major Atlantic hurricane this season, which came much to the surprise of the greenies and so-called experts, who just knew that last year's disastrous season was the beginning of a long-term trend. Rising worldwide inventories along with concerns about slower economic growth also contributed to the recent decline in oil prices. There is, of course, the occasional manipulation by OPEC. However, many OPEC countries "cheat" on the quota agreements, so even its official increases and cuts in production don't affect prices as much as people seem to think. At any rate, rest assured that there's nothing sinister going on between the U.S. government and the major oil companies in regard to oil and gasoline prices. We should just enjoy the low prices while we can.