Dangerous Pretense

In the world of the Secret Service, there is little or no room for error.   While the recent security failures at the White House are totally unacceptable, the agency's statements playing down the severity of the incidents are the most shameful part of this disturbing series of events.   When are people going to learn?   Was the Watergate break-in the crime of the century?   No.   Was the cover-up?   It was up there.   Is someone's own job security or self interest so worthy of protecting that we overlook what's most important for our own country?    Potential whistle-blowers should always be heard, whether or not their grievances turn out to be valid.   It is a monumental fail when top administrators do not address problems the rank and file has undoubtedly known about for some time.  Someone at or near the top isn't listening and just protecting their own turf.   Call it a serious issue with "the culture", but this type of Secret Service crisis played out with the Veterans Administration scandal.  

President Obama was roundly criticized by conservatives for mentioning the Ferguson, Missouri troubles in his UN speech or "apologizing for America."   Don't they know that acknowledging problems openly in our messy democracy is what's exceptional about America?   North Korea touts its leaders as divinities and Saddam Hussein once boasted of 99% voter participation in one-sided elections.   All's apparently well there!   Stop trying to act perfect.   Thoughtful and caring criticism should be encouraged.             

Health, Health, Health

It's all about having our health.   That should always be a priority.   Unfortunately, it often takes a backseat to a lot of trivial things in our everyday lives.   A cardiac diagnosis in May (A-fib) served as my wake-up call.   Some medication prevented any further procedures for now.   I'm thankful for that, but symptoms such as sudden blood pressure drops and loss of appetite have really cast a shadow over my way of life and slowed me down.   With cardiac causes ruled out for the moment, my next steps include visits to an endocrinologist tomorrow and a neurologist October 1st.   We need to listen to what our bodies tell us, and I'm not going to accept these symptoms as just getting older.   I'm thankful for still being able to do what I like to make a living while having an excellent support system on a personal level.   I'm hoping to start feeling like my old self again in the next month.   Coping with what's become the new norm at this point is simply unacceptable.    

The Devil We Know

Janay Palmer & Ray Rice

How could she stand by him?   The NFL indefinitely suspended and the Baltimore Ravens fired Ray Rice after more video was released of Rice knocking out his wife, Janay Palmer, in an elevator.    Many people are just as surprised that Palmer said she feels "embarrassed" at the media attention condemning her husband's violent actions.   As astonishing as that reaction may be, the real disgust should be directed at Mr. Rice.   She's standing by her man, and that doesn't make her unique.    We know this happens in lots of dysfunctional relationships.   Many of us cling to some form of the "devil we know" through most of our lives.    We see it on a worldwide scale, as uneasy alliances in the Middle East are driven by the idea that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend."    We witness it in the job market as employees cling to poor working conditions and inadequate pay.    There is this idea that this is as good as it gets or even what we deserve.    We set the bar low in expectations, largely motivated by fear of the unknown.

There is the societal pressure not to "make trouble" when something works against our very rights, dignity and self worth.   While none of us can go around making everyone else miserable over what makes us unhappy, we do have a right to occasionally expect things from people.    Whether it's getting out of an abusive relationship or leaving a job that's not worth the stress anymore, it is OK to dream about something better and create a strategy to get us where we want and need to be.   At the very least, we owe it to ourselves and loved ones to aspire and act before the big decisions are made for us.       

If A Tree Falls In The Woods...

There I was, doing a Labor Day 6-10 morning air shift on WICH AM 1310 in Norwich, CT.   I'm almost totally sleep deprived, but I'm oddly psyched. It's up to me today.   The computer log is lacking any pre-programmed music, and the music format rules are pretty wide open.    All the news people have the day off.   If I want to fill time reading some headlines since I often do news anyway, I guess that's OK too.   It's all no big deal as long as I don't swear and do play all the commercials on air.   In this remote territory of radio lawlessness, what do I do?   I bring my own order into the vast frontier based on what I understand the general format to be.   

First, I get the local and world news, sports, weather, lottery, lighter show prep, birthdays and community calendar together to go at specific breaks in the hour as close to what they'd do most other mornings of the week.   Much of the prep is done the night before, since I hate racing around minutes  before airtime.   Then comes my favorite part: the music.   Sixties would be the core music era, but WICH is not strictly a Baby Boomer oldies station. WICH often mixes in standards that appeal to a listener over 65, so I sprinkle Sinatra, Bennett and Streisand in with the less raucous rock n' roll 50s/60s oldies and the tunes that were adult contemporary hits in the 70s/80s... basically three general eras.   Then I work on getting as much song-to-song contrast with songs I know to be strong during each half hour, realizing people's attention is in limited supply.

Why do I do all this?   Many air personalities wouldn't care.   For one, it shouldn't matter whether there are 10 or 100,000 people listening.   I try not to think of that, and least of all about ratings.   It's all about relating to a listener one on one anyway.   If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound if nobody's around?    Hey, I'm still here, so yes.