Feeding Paranoia

When news of the WikiLeaks publication of 250,000 classified documents came out, the story may have seemed unprecedented in scope.  That's not to say we don't try to find historical similarities.  Daniel Ellsberg was on CNN's Larry King Show last night.  He was the guy who leaked the Pentagon Papers in 1971.   There is no doubt that the Pentagon Papers fueled an already high degree of paranoia in the Nixon administration that later culminated in the Watergate scandal and the President's resignation in 1974.   In the end, Nixon's downfall wasn't any leaked document.  It was his own paranoia caught on tape.  These new developments put the Obama administration's pledge of transparency to the ultimate test.  I agree with Secretary of State Clinton that these leaks do not make the WikiLeaks people heroes.  The real tragedy would be the resulting reluctance to share vital information without fear of it falling into hands of those who would kill us.  Rogue regimes like Iran and North Korea feed off the chance to justify their paranoid existence.  The WikiLeaks people never considered that.  The Pentagon Papers gave us information that shed light on the Vietnam War, whether we liked it or not.  The random nature and pure volume of these new leaks may provide more heat than light.

The Politics of Dancing

Jennifer Grey of "Dirty Dancing" fame won this season's celebrity dance-off on ABC's Dancing with the Stars.  Her signature dance in the finale and her touching story of overcoming physical adversity made this decision hard to debate.   While the judges and voting viewers got it right, the season was probably the most controversial thanks to Bristol Palin's placement among the top three finalists.  While Sarah Palin's daughter improved over time, other contestants with higher scores fell by the wayside.  Add this heated political season and her mother's heavy media exposure, and you have the recipe for people on the fringes getting carried away with their irrational reactions to what is basically a massively promoted dance contest.   I wonder what makes some people a "star", but I guess notoriety is the only criterion and that question didn't begin with this season.  There were undoubtedly viewers who were for or against her just because of her mother, but Dancing with the Stars should be about the contestants and nothing else.   There I go again - living in a perfect world.     

Q105 Hits 30

From left, an unidentified fan with Mike Lehman (in costume), 

Franco and co-host Jody Morris. (From The Day)

I never worked at Q105, but I know so many people who did.   They were the competition.  This past weekend, WQGN 105.5 celebrated 30 years as eastern Connecticut's contemporary hit station.   Franco, Jody and many others were reunited on air.  I never actually met Frank "Franco" Carofano, but I feel I know him through his imprint on this legendary station.  Franco's longtime Q Morning Zoo co-host Jody is a good friend from our stays across town at WBMW, and I know how excited she was to be back on the air even if only for a day.  The eighties and nineties were a different time for radio, with less consolidation and automation along with a need for someone in the studio 24/7.  30 years ago, there were about half as many radio stations covering New London County as there are now, and Q105 owned the younger market.  I knew the Q's first couple of program directors - Rick Everett and Neil Sullivan - just enough to know what strong advocates they were for realizing their visions of exciting and successful local hit music radio.  An interactive morning show where the co-hosts have great chemistry is no small part of this success story, and I got the impression both Franco & Jody miss what they shared with their audience.  I miss it too, especially at this holiday time when there are unique ways for a station to serve its community.  This market has no shortage of stations in this area which continue to make that valuable contribution.  Q105 pushes on today with a national morning show and local  information updates which have found  a successful niche.   Whether it's local or national, compelling content, good chemistry and connecting one on one with the listener will always win the day.  

One Less Local Option

The world of fast food just got a little smaller here in Connecticut and Rhode Island.  Canada-based Tim Hortons announced it is shutting down all of its coffee and baked goods shops in the two states.  The company has 3,000 outlets in Canada and 600 in the United States.  I have to say it's not a total shock.  Tim Hortons had already closed numerous stores in this area.  Dunkin Donuts is everywhere here, the way Tim Hortons is established north of the border.  I will miss the alternative to Dunkin; choice is a good thing.   Where will I find a fruit explosion muffin or maple donut now?   In my humble opinion, their baked goods were better and I liked their lunch combos (served on real plates), but Dunkin and McDonald's have them all beat when it comes to coffee.   Also on the fast food front, Wendy's announced it will change the way they make french fries.  Say it ain't so!  They're going to be crisper and less "potato-ey."  To me, Wendy's fries were absolutely the best when they are fresh and hot.   I'm not liking these developments (sigh). 

The Ultimate Penalty

Steven Hayes has been sentenced to death on all six capital felony counts in the 2007 Cheshire home invasion.  My first reaction was how Dr. William Petit Jr. and all the people closest to the three people murdered must feel about this development.  Petit, the lone survivor of the home invasion, favored the death sentence, as did Connecticut governor Jodi Rell.  I can't imagine what it will be like for Dr. Petit and others who will have to go through this process again next year with the trial of Joshua Komisarjevsky, but there is some comfort in knowing justice is being done.  The death penalty has never been proven more effective as a deterrent than other forms of punishment, but some crimes are so abhorrent that the ultimate sentence is the least society can impose.

Issues Take Back Seat In Connecticut Elections

They say we're all winners when we participate in the electoral process, but this year the voters of Connecticut haven't won by much.  There were just 21,000 ballots available for 69,000 registered voters in Connecticut's largest city, the Democratic stronghold of Bridgeport.  This is gross incompetence by election officials.  The most incredibly negative gubernatorial campaign at first appeared to be a win by Republican Tom Foley.  His attack ads were just slightly milder than Democrat Dan Malloy's spots, so I thought the better man won since Foley was the slightly lesser of two evils. Then the extent of the Bridgeport fiasco became apparent.  Then there's the $50 million senatorial campaign waged by World Wrestling Entertainment executive Linda McMahon which relentlessly played up Attorney General Richard Blumenthal's Vietnam blunder, quoting the one occasion he erroneously said he served in the military "in Vietnam" instead of "during the Vietnam era."   Here in eastern Connecticut, Republican Janet Peckinpaugh took a refreshingly high road in her late challenge to Democratic second district congressman Joe Courtney, but she never presented a convincing argument as to how she'd do a better job at fostering job growth in a section of the state too dependent on  a few big employers.  The voters deserve better than attack ads that drag the level of discourse into the gutter.  Thank God it's over for now!    
UPDATE (12:22pm 11/3/10): Maybe it's not over.  NBC Connecticut reports:  Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz declares Dan Malloy the winner of the Governor's Race based on unofficial results.
UPDATE (10:43pm 11/3/10): A new development.  NBC Connecticut reports: The Associated Press has withdrawn its call for Dan Malloy in the race for Governor. New AP numbers show Republican challenger Tom Foley ahead by more than 8,000 votes.
UPDATE (11/5/10): Are we done?  CNN reports: Democrat Dan Malloy has won the tight Connecticut governor's race over Republican Tom Foley, secretary of state Susan Bysiewicz announced by statement Friday.  Figures Friday evening showed Malloy received 566,498 votes and Foley got 560,861 votes.