Oahe TV: Pierre depends on it

While attending the 2009 South Dakota State Historical Society History Conference in Pierre last month, I noticed a young man videotaping the various speakers and struck up a conversation with him.

Patrick Callahan is a “one-man show” for Oahe TV, operated by the City of Pierre. It was a serendipitous meeting, since just the evening before – while sequestered in a room at the Kings Inn – I watched a Pierre City Commission meeting on Oahe TV, an “access” channel provided by the cable television franchisee.

What impressed me about the broadcast was its professionalism. This was not a one-camera, high school production (with apologies to high schools and C-SPAN, which can and do produce some outstanding material with a single camera). The City of Pierre contracts with Callahan to run Oahe TV and can be rightfully proud of this service, which provides a close-up view of city government and school board activity in the Pierre and Fort Pierre communities.

Think of it as a local C-SPAN-type service.

Callahan says the city uses part of the cable franchise fee paid by Midcontinent Communications to run Oahe TV. It’s about an $83,000 line item in the city budget, but Oahe TV also contracts out to folks like the State Historical Society convention and other events to help off-set costs.

That’s a small price to pay for the resources delivered by Oahe TV. Not only are their informational programs available on cable television, they’re archived and available on the worldwide web. Take a look at their website at www.oahetv.com. It includes a comprehensive local weather site, too.

From time-to-time, I’ve happened across a “Government Channel” on Knology Cable in Spearfish. I’ve never seen anything but Rapid City meetings televised, and many of those have been poorly produced – bad audio or video, or both. Pierre does it well, and Mayor Laurie Gill says "the community has come to depend on it."

Spearfish Ward 2 councilman Paul Young tells me there's been some discussion about such a service in Spearfish over the years, but nothing has ever come of it. It seems to me it would be a valuable tool in helping make city government more transparent and accessible.

The City of Spearfish is already pretty progressive. It has developed a great City Park, and numerous neighborhood parks provide most neighborhoods with a delightful place to picnic and let the kids play. We’re particularly fond of the five-mile bike/walking path that abuts Spearfish Creek. Perhaps the greatest testament to the wisdom of city fathers in building the path: it is used extensively.

Making city government more accessible and transparent through a service modeled after Oahe TV in Pierre would be another valuable asset for Spearfish. Like the bicycle path, it, too, would be used extensively, and we’d be a better community for it.

Behind Closed Doors

How morbidly fitting that the death knell for an attempt to modernize South Dakota open records laws should be determined days earlier behind closed doors.

Apparently that’s what happened this week in Pierre when the House State Affairs Committee, chaired by Representative Larry Rhoden of Union Center, heard open testimony from six proponents of SB 189. They also listened to a single opponent, Jeff Bloomberg of the Bureau of Administration. The measure had already passed the Senate with bipartisan support.

Bloomberg’s last minute sandbag job in the House committee probably wasn’t even necessary. We’ve been told that a closed caucus of House Republicans – days earlier – allowed lobbyists against the bill to wax eloquent in their opposition. When the Wednesday morning public hearing came, SB 189 was pushed to the back of the committee agenda, allowing Chairman Rhoden to frequently chide proponents to hurry along with their testimony because of the “tight schedule.” Despite crossover Republican support, the bill was stopped cold on a 7-6 vote.

At the end of the hearing, Rep. Rhoden gave an almost gleeful benediction, harkening back to his displeasure – or “heartburn” as he put it – over an incident involving the release of public records some time back by the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.

Black Hills Monitor has often criticized the Rapid City Journal, and we’re not always a big fan of the Argus-Leader. Alas, this seemed to be more of a grudge match between the Argus-Leader and Governor Mike Rounds. The Governor won this round. The media got its ears pinned back.

But the real loser was open government and the people of South Dakota.

While virtually all other states have modernized their laws with a presumption of openness for public documents, South Dakota continues to muddle along with a restrictive and confusing set of laws. SB 189 was a good measure, championed by Senator Nancy Turbak Berry of Watertown. Proponents promise to be bring the issue back next year.

Perhaps our biggest disappointment was with Rep. Chuck Turbiville of Deadwood. Our conversations with him led us to believe that he would give the measure a fair hearing. In retrospect, we didn’t know that a “fair hearing” would include a closed GOP caucus meeting with die-hard opponents of the bill.

It was a sad day for open government.

Global Events -- Our Neighborhood, too

How regrettable that it took the death of a charismatic Pakistani leader today to get the U.S. media to pay attention to world events. Beyond coverage of our involvement in the war in Iraq and early campaigning for the U.S. presidency, there really is another world out there.

Continuing strife in Darfur, the growing military might – and pollution – that symbolizes an emerging world power in China, severe human rights violations in much of Latin America…. The list of significant world events seems beyond the reach of American media. Not because they lack the technology, but because the corporate entities that own much of the media lack the will to support coverage beyond their “sales market.” The bottom line reigns supreme.

The circumstances surrounding the suicide bombing that claimed the life of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, 54, will be explored heavily today – and maybe tomorrow – by mainstream U.S. media. Then, short of all-out revolution in Pakistan, the topic will ebb away from media consciousness like the tide rolling back out to sea.

Only with Reuters, Deutsche Welle, BBC, and a few other web sites can we expect much meaningful world news. A few print media in our country – the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal among them – help keep us peripherally informed. Alone among domestic broadcasters, NPR and PBS do a good job of covering the globe. In our neck of the woods, we're thankful for South Dakota Public Broadcasting and Wyoming Public Radio. Their stations provide not only excellent coverage of world events -- they also do the best job of broadcasting state/regional news and features.

Would that we could get others to recognize that we’re a part of global community.

What's in a Name?

A tip of the hat to Lorraine Collins of Spearfish, who has allowed us to use the following column, which originally appeared in the Black Hills Pioneer.

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The recent discussion of whether Hooker Street in Whitewood should be renamed because of unsavory connotations for the term made me think of some other renaming events in our area over the last couple of decades. The first thing that came to mind was the renaming of an elementary school in Belle Fourche a number of years ago. One of the well known, respected, longtime businessmen in Belle Fourche was named Tom Gay. Mr. Gay owned property on the hill in the north part of town and he eventually donated land for a city park, which became Gay Park. When an elementary school was built there, it became Gay Park School.

As time went on and language changed, you can see how a certain uneasiness about the name developed. The school district finally decided to change the name of the school to North Park School. This did, after all, reflect its location and it balanced with the South Park School on the other end of town. But some local citizens were outraged that the name of an honorable man and benefactor was no longer acceptable in that town. Why let other people’s definition of a word take over a respected citizen’s name?

There was a different sort of controversy in Rapid City in the last decade or so, also involving the name of an elementary school, but not because of the change in our language. This was more about the change in the way we perceive our history. The school was named for Annie Tallent, who was “the first white woman in the Black Hills,” coming with the Gordon expedition in 1874. She taught school and was the first superintendent of schools in Pennington County. Annie Tallent also wrote a book called “The Black Hills or the Last Hunting Ground of the Dacotahs.” This is what eventually got her reputation in trouble. In that book, Annie, as a product of her times, had some quite harsh and bigoted things to say about Indians, referring to them as “savages.” She enthusiastically endorsed the prevailing view that “the only good Indian is a dead Indian.”

The question became, was it a good idea to have a school named for a woman who had such racist views? It was decided not, so the name of the school was changed. While I could understand that, I did wonder whether Annie Tallent was being judged more harshly than quite a few other early pioneers. Because she was a teacher, maybe she is held to a higher standard by historians than is, say, a general in the army. Streets, towns, mountains and counties around here are named for men who, if they did not defame Indians, often slaughtered them. We have the towns of Custer, Miles City, Sheridan, Sturgis, Camp Crook and Crook County in Wyoming. We have mountains named for Harney, Terry, Custer. Those who conquer the land get to name the landmarks.

General Joseph Hooker may not be as famous out here in the west as these other fellows, but in terms of naming things for generals, I suppose he deserves at least a street somewhere. (The longstanding rumor that the present connotation of “hooker” came about because of his personal conduct has been debunked several times.) The present controversy does give us a chance to rethink things, though, in terms of what our history is and how we tell it. The monuments we build, the landmarks we name, the stories we tell our school children do influence how we define what’s important to us. So, what’s in a name?

In several cities, I’ve driven down Martin Luther King Avenue but I’d be interested to know if anybody has ever been on a street called, for instance, Susan B. Anthony Blvd, or Elizabeth Cady Stanton Avenue, or how about Mother Teresa Way? Anne Morrow Lindberg Circle? Or, more historic, Abigail Adams Street? The only landmark I can think of at the moment that’s named for a woman is on the outskirts of Phoenix, AZ. It’s called Piestewa Peak, renamed from “Squaw Peak” after Lori Piestewa was killed in Iraq, the first Native American woman soldier killed in combat. It was a good change, I think.

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Lorraine Collins is a free-lance journalist from Spearfish.

Courage of Your Convictions

Good neighbor Lorraine Collins is a free-lance journalist. She and her husband Keith have lived the world over -- including Singapore and London -- but now they're retired and back home in South Dakota. They live in Spearfish. Lorraine was kind enough to let us use one of her recent columns from the Black Hills Pioneer.

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A while ago I received a phone call from a fellow who had read something I wrote in this paper. He said liked what I had to say, and then he went on to discuss various things in the community that he was unhappy about. “What did you say your name was?” I asked. “I didn’t say,” he answered. Then he said he was writing a letter to the City Council about some of these things but he wasn’t going to sign it because he had some relatives who might get in trouble if he did. He sent me a copy of the letter but there was no return address.

In a sense, this fellow, right-minded person though he may be, is in my opinion just like the guy who arranged to give $750,000 to State Senator Roger Hunt to fight a ballot initiative campaign, but who now is hiding behind what may be a loop hole in the law. He is reported to be afraid of “violence” if anyone knows who he is. The issue he opposed concerned abortion rights, and I watched that campaign closely. I don’t recall that there was ever any violence. Once I did attend a meeting that featured the Rapid City doctor who was supporting abortion rights, and as a precaution the sponsoring group asked that a policeman be nearby, just in case. There was a brief and very discreet police presence, but it wasn’t needed. One man showed up to argue against the doctor, but he was definitely not violent. This doctor had endured weeks of pickets in front of his office, which must have been unpleasant, but he never came to harm because of publicly stating his convictions.

In that same campaign, I also observed an event on the BHSU campus when some anti-abortion people from out of state came in their bus and set up a big display, so people who disagreed with them organized their own group to oppose them. There the two opposing forces stood, a few yards apart. Now and then the local supporters of abortion rights would go over to talk to the people who came on the bus, and there seemed to be vigorous discussion, but there was certainly no violence.

So, I wonder, just what is that anonymous guy with all the money afraid of? And also, what is the fellow who called me afraid of? Believe it or not, I do know how hard it is sometimes to speak one’s mind. It can be scary, and uncomfortable, but after a pretty long time of speaking my mind and sometimes being nervous, I can report that I have never felt in danger of my life, or even my living.

Many years ago I saw a sign in a store that said, “I have to make money from my friends, because my enemies don’t come in here.” This may have been a subtle way of telling us not to ask for a discount just because we knew the owner or belonged to the same church or lodge, but it also accepted the fact that perhaps those who were of a different opinion, religion, political affiliation, might avoid doing business there unless they had to, and the shop owner realized that. He accepted it.

Journalists do get murdered, but not, except for one or two spectacular cases in the last forty years, in the United States. Political leaders and opposition members do get murdered, but not in South Dakota. We in this nation and this state and this county do not have much to fear from those who don’t agree with us. In many countries around the world people do die because of their adherence to their beliefs. We’ve seen the image of the young man standing in front of a tank in Tiananmen Square. We’ve seen people under house arrest in Burma, imprisoned in South America, tortured in many countries because they disagreed with the people in power. Compared to that, just what do we have to fear in South Dakota or Lawrence County? Not much.

My name is Lorraine Collins. I believe in the First Amendment. I encourage all of us to use it, and to have the courage of our convictions.

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Lorraine Collins is a free-lance journalist and lives in Spearfish.

Kunerth: Legislature Has Work To Do!

Good friend Bill Kunerth of Belle Fourche is on a panel that regularly provides viewpoints to the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader on a variety of issues. It's part of what they call Dakota Comments. The Legislature has been studying whether to adopt a code of conduct. Do we need one, in light of Ted Klaudt's actions in the past year? And if we do, what ought to be included in the code? Here's Bill Kunerth's take on the topic.

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The state definitely needs a conduct code for legislators, and more. Some state codes spell out specific conduct prohibitions. e.g. improper sexual activities, alcohol and drug abuse. Others refer to general behavior.

I prefer the latter, such as in the Illinois code (I know, it’s a lousy state to use as an example) which cites “conduct unbecoming to a legislator or which constitutes a breach of the public trust.” Then, allow a bi-partisan ethics committee of legislators and/or an ethics commission of parties outside the legislature to define and enforce the rules.

The South Dakota Legislature does not have a permanent ethics committee but formed an ad hoc group to hear the case against Senator Dan Sutton. It was dissolved after the hearing.

In addition to rules on moral conduct, South Dakota needs to strengthen its accountability and openness laws. Our state ranked 50th in a 2002 Integrity Index of state governments which evaluated these areas. It was conducted by the Better Government Association and the Ford Center for Global Citizenship (check “BGA Integrity Index”) and judged freedom of information laws, whistle blower protection, campaign financing, gifts/honoraria, and conflicts of interest. Not much has changed since the study, except for a commission named by Attorney General Larry Long which is helping close some of the gaping loopholes in the state’s open records law.

South Dakota also received an F in a 2007 study on campaign disclosure by the UCLA Law School and Center for Government Studies. These reports make clear that the South Dakota Legislature has work to do in the areas of ethics, accountability and openness.

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Bill Kunerth is an Iowa State University Emeritus Professor of Journalism.

Amnesia Perhaps?

Although I guess it shouldn’t have surprised me, I was taken aback that Chairman Kevin Martin of the Federal Communications Commission has such bad short-term memory. Martin apparently doesn’t remember the thrashing that then Chairman Michael Powell took just three years ago when he tried to update FCC ownership rules for broadcast stations.

“Update” in this case is a euphemism for tossing out ownership rules that are already skewed against the public interest and offer giant media conglomerates a continuing opportunity to stuff their pockets with profits. This, at the expense of many genuinely local radio and television stations that historically really have operated in the public “interest, convenience, and necessity."

Not surprisingly, the Wall Street Journal has weighed in supporting Martin’s plan. I took issue with their stance by writing this “Letter to the Editor” last week:

The Wall Street Journal’s assertion that media consolidation has “led not to monopolies but to a media landscape that is more diverse than ever” (Oct. 25, 2007) confuses variety with diversity. The growing media empire of Rupert Murdoch may offer a garden variety of pseudo-journalism and info-tainment, but it falls woefully short of truly diverse, local journalism.

Your suggestion that “free-market” consolidation might improve the media landscape ignores the declining, sorry state of local broadcasting in this country – almost as bad as network offerings. Your swipe at public broadcasting, which is often the only vibrant player in local radio and television, is unwarranted. Many of us pine for the days of locally-owned and operated stations that were a part of the fabric of the communities they served, producing content that genuinely strived to meet the needs and interests of the community – not just the corporate bottom line. There are still a few commercial properties that fulfill that role, but increasingly it is public broadcasters who have filled the void of local service.

Chairman Martin and the FCC would do well to further expand their efforts in encouraging more local broadcasting and abandon the numbskull notion that media consolidation will save the day.

Back when Michael Powell tried an end run to further "relax" ownership rules, even he might have been surprised to find media mogul Ted Turner opposed to the proposal. To his credit, Turner simply observed that further consolidation might have been good for big media – but it was bad public policy.

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"When you lose small businesses, you lose big ideas," wrote Turner in the Washinton Monthly in 2004. Admitting that he earlier had tried his own "clean sweep" of vertical media ownership, Turner observed that media companies have grown ever larger and more powerful, and that their dominance has become so detrimental to small, emerging companies, that there's just one alternative -- bust up the big conglomerates.

Let’s hope that efforts to quash the plan – and there are many – are successful. Among those leading the charge against further media consolidation is U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota. Killing this proposal won't bust up the big media barons -- not by a long shot -- but it'll be a step in the right direction.

Carole Hillard dies at 71

We were saddened this morning to learn that Carole Hillard had died in Switzerland. According to the Rapid City Journal, Carole died Thursday, October 25, 2007, in a Lausanne hospital of complications following a broken neck suffered in a boating accident the week before. She was 71 years old. Her son Todd was quoted as saying, "She just had a vivacious zeal for life." That was certainly my impression of her last month in Chamberlain, when she was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame. She led a fascinating life and was certainly an "achiever" rather than a spectator. How fortunate we were to have her in our midst while we did. Below is my posting from last month, when Carole was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame.

Talk about a role model for women! Carole Hillard has dedicated her life to public service. A life-long social and political activist, she served on the Rapid City Common Council and two terms in the South Dakota House of Representatives before being elected to two terms as Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota. Her compassion for those less fortunate led her to founding the Rapid City women's shelter and Cornerstone Rescue Mission, as well as long service on the South Dakota Board of Charities and Corrections and the Children's Home Society. Amazingly, she has worked on over 70 democracy-building projects in developing countries around the world for the U. S. State Department and other international organizations.

Born and raised in Deadwood, Carole graduated from the University of Arizona, earned M.A. degrees at both the University of South Dakota and South Dakota State University. In 2005 she received an Honorary Doctorate from Dakota Wesleyan University. Among her favorite places in South Dakota: ghost towns of the Black Hills. In her travels, Carole has fished for piranhas in the Amazon, tracked mountain gorillas in Uganda, and parachuted with the Air Force Golden Knights parachute team. And we have photographic evidence that she also has pursued hang-gliding in Brazil and bungee-jumping in Zambia. What a gal!

Carole and her husband, John, operated Rapid Chevrolet for many years. She dedicated much of her life to public service. She is survived by her five children, 18 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. How proud they can be be of her -- she was truly a wonderful person, who lived life to its fullest.

Go Stand in the Corner!

The Black Hills of South Dakota is a wonderful place to live. We’ve waxed positive on the numerous reasons for our love affair with this region – but there’s a fly in the ointment, and it might be categorized as “politics as usual.”

South Dakota ranks among the worst in the nation in the disclosure of campaign finances for political candidates. You can read the depressing details at the web site “Grading State Disclosure,” a project supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Results were announced October 17, 2007, and South Dakota received a big fat “F”!

While the report acknowledges improvements were made in campaign disclosure laws this year, we’ll likely remain near the bottom of the barrel when they do the survey again next year.

South Dakota is among the 10 states with the weakest public access to campaign finance records. Among deficiencies cited: our state does not have electronic filing; only Oklahoma and South Dakota don’t require the name or identity of campaign expenditures, even though they do require that the amount of expenditures be disclosed; and if you want to get a written copy of disclosure reports from Pierre, you’ll pay $1.00 per page – the highest in the nation. Most states charge between $ .10 and $ .25 per page.

Conditional kudos should be extended to those persons responsible for making some progress on strengthening disclosure laws. And we presume Secretary of State Chris Nelson is among them. If you visit the South Dakota Secretary of State web site, you’ll find a nice-looking template for campaign information, but not a lot of substance that’s easy to find. And when you do find it, you’ll likely have to work at deciphering many of the reports. Handwriting in some of the scans is very hard to read.

South Dakota is improving a bit with campaign disclosure – but it’s too little and too slow. We hope to see further improvement in the near future, but it’s not likely to come easy.

"Field Day" at Spearfish

During the fourth weekend of every June, amateur radio operators take leave of yards that need mowed and fences that need painted in order to participate in "Field Day."

Simulating conditions that often occur during hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters, these "ham" operators crank up gasoline-powered generators, erect temporary antennas, and begin a 24-hour quest to communicate with as many other kindred souls as they can.

While it's something of a contest, it's also an important exercise that helps them hone their skill as communicators -- preparing for that next terrible circumstance that will require their help. Amateur radio operators were there to help communcate in the aftermath of 9-11. And they provided vital communications assistance in the wake of hurricane Katrina.

With makeshift antennas, a generator, and a solar panel, a handful of ham operators gathered last Saturday, June 23rd, in a field west of Spearfish on the edge of the Black Hills. With chirps of morse code messages echoing through the surrounding hills, these folks contacted more than 900 other operators before pulling the plug at noon Sunday. I was there for some of it -- and it was fun.

Ham radio has been a hobby of mine for nearly 50 years, but it always took a back seat to family and work. I looked forward to more time in retirement in order to pursue this fascinating hobby, but other activities have encroached upon it. Between computers, digital photography, and genealogy, my old Yaesue radio hasn't seen much action. But joining the activities of Field Day near Spearfish has helped spark a renewed interest in amateur radio.

Take a look at a few Field Day photos.

For folks with an interest in ham radio, a good place to start for getting information is the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). But I reckon just about any amateur radio operator would be willing to help mentor newcomers to this most fascinating hobby. A hobby that can become a vital resource during times of disaster.

73!

He's Got it Right!

Unlike my bride, I am not a huge fan of presidential candidate John Edwards. I was particularly taken aback by his position that we should pay homage to veterans by withdrawing our troops from Iraq. An Associated Press story on May 22 quoted American Legion national commander Paul Morin saying that's as "inappropriate as a political bumper sticker on an Arlington headstone." He’s right. And while I am a veteran, I am not a member of the American Legion – but I think Morin's assessment is on target.

Nonetheless, on a related topic, I believe Edwards got something exactly right.The former North Carolina senator reportedly said we should all be "thinking about" some level of mandatory public service obligation, so that everybody in America has an opportunity to serve their country. This is an idea whose time is long overdue.

Rather than just "thinking" about it, I hope Edwards and other candidates will put their weight behind this noble concept. I'd like to see a two or three-year public service obligation for all able-bodied citizens. Their service could be in the military, the Peace Corps, or a similar domestic public service activity. The Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s was conceived for different purposes, but its impact was positive and lasting.

Universal public service is a good idea. Now we need to move it from a concept to a reality.

Eddie Clay named to Hall of Fame

When Karen and I retired to the beautiful Black Hills, one of the first people I looked forward to visiting with again was Eddie Clay. I first knew Eddie in the 1980s when he was Chairman of the South Dakota Board for Educational Telecommunications and I worked for SDPB in Vermillion. He's one of those remarkable individuals who seems to thrive on activity. I believe the Energizer bunny was modeled after Eddie Clay.

Most people throughout the southern Hills region know Eddie and his delightful wife Clara. Residents of Hot Springs for more than half a century, there is hardly any aspect of positive civic life untouched by Eddie and/or Clara. So it was fitting this week that the South Dakota Hall of Fame should name Eddie Clay as one of 13 inductees for 2007.

I had heard that Eddie was being selected, but I didn't know it was in the Unsung Heroes category. While that certainly fits, he could have been chosen for any one of several categories. Governmental Affairs for his service locally and in the legislature. Communications for his leadership with South Dakota Public Broadcasting. Education & Cultural Affairs for his vision and contribution to the Mammoth Site and Mount Rushmore. Business & Trade for his many years of successful ventures with Fall River Abstract. And the list goes on.

Truth be known -- and Eddie would echo this loudly, I'm sure -- the award is as much for Clara Clay. Her own significant contributions and involvements in the community and across the region merit recognition -- and her steadfast devotion to Eddie and the partnership they've enjoyed through the years serves as a model for many of us. Much more information about Eddie will be posted in the local and statewide media in the days to come. This is a richly-deserved award. I am proud to know Eddie, Clara, and their daughter Bobbi. Those of us who know the Clay family understand why Eddie was chosen, and we offer our warmest congratulations to them all!

Return to Civil Discourse?

The firing of Don Imus was covered extensively by the media – and probably would still be a “front page” item, were it not for the shootings at Virginia Tech.

Sadly, Imus’ characterization of the women who play basketball for Rutgers as “nappy-headed hos,” was not atypical for Imus. A bright and articulate guy, Imus has traded in “edgy” comments for years, apparently emboldened by getting away with ever-increasing gross and/or offensive remarks, More sadly, he is not alone.

The airwaves remain filled with language and topics that perpetrators exchange for tidy paychecks from companies that trade in the business of bad taste. Of course, these same entities – like CBS and MSNBC – have done some good things over the years, too. That’s no excuse for tolerating, even encouraging and nurturing, program content that would never have been broadcast in days gone by.

Last week, I doubt that there was a broadcast market in the country not subjected to a poll asking, “Should Don Imus be fired?” Then later, after he was fired by both MSNBC and CBS, “Should Don Imus have been fired.”

The answer, of course, is yes. But the better question is: Does the firing of Don Imus signal an end to the trashy talk espoused by Imus, Howard Stern, and dozens of wannabe so-called “shock jocks”?

Broadcasting would do well to consider a return to the days when the National Association of Broadcasters issued its “seal of approval” for stations that subscribed to the NAB Code of Conduct. Find out more about the "Code of Conduct."

Some would contend that such a return to yesteryear is absurd, that it would fly in the face of the First Amendment, and that it would be unenforceable. I plead guilty to being a bit nostalgic, but I doubt that our forefathers envisioned the kind of filth being spewed over the airwaves of the 21st century. Enforcing such a code probably is a big stretch, especially in a day when “local” broadcasters responsible to local audiences are nearly impossible to find.

Perhaps we’ll just have to settle for banishing such trash to satellite radio services, which seem to have found a revenue stream from audiences that like such programming. Just as pornography has always had an audience, I suspect such “pay” satellite channels might survive – even thrive.

Better there than on the free over-the-air channels that belong to the public. It would be refreshing to see a return to relative civility by those broadcast media outlets that have spewed trash over our public airwaves in recent years.

Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too!

Is it important that a president have military experience?

An AP analysis caught my attention in the Rapid City Journal yesterday morning (April 10, 2007). “Few candidates have military record,” read the headline. The piece gave a good synopsis of military experience – more accurately, the lack of it – among presidential candidates.

Apart from John McCain, there’s no real breadth or depth of military experience among the many candidates who’ve already announced for 2008. But just how important is it for a president to have served?

While our constitution gives only Congress the power to declare war, the reality is that there are hundreds of examples where the president has directed our forces in “police actions” and “peace-keeping” missions as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.

Of course, the constitution also entrusts the Executive Branch to set foreign policy, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi has demonstrated that the Legislative Branch can also push the envelope in interpreting the constitution. But that’s another issue.

If history is an indication, serving in the military has been a big deal in getting elected over the course of our history – even if it is now falling out of favor.

American Diplomacy editor Henry Mattox cites examples of how most U.S. Presidents have served in the military – but often such service has been fleeting or inconsequential. He points to President James Buchanan, who enlisted as a Pennsylvania volunteer during the War of 1812, but served only a few weeks. Abe Lincoln spent not much more time than that in the Illinois militia during the Black Hawk War of 1832. And Ronald Reagan’s military experience was primarily served in his hometown (Hollywood) assigned to making training films.

Of course, there were the few whose service in uniform is unquestionable, starting with George Washington’s 15 years – all in leadership positions. Fellow professional soldiers who rose to flag rank included Zachary Taylor, Ulysses Grant, and Dwight Eisenhower. Some 20 presidents served during war time, many capitalizing upon that fact in their campaigns. The earliest, perhaps, was William Henry Harrison.

The oldest man ever elected president (he was 68 ), Harrison hearkened back nearly 30 years – when he was a General, and his troops defeated the Shawnee Indians at the Battle of Tippacanoe. The 1840 campaign slogan “Tippacanoe and Tyler, too” was a key factor in his election as president.

Numerous 20th century presidents laid claim to service in war time: Teddy Roosevelt in the Spanish American War, and Harry Truman in World War II. And no fewer than six presidents were able to point to war-time service in the Second World War: Dwight Eisehnower, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and George Bush.

But the question remains; how important is military experience?

With burgeoning health care issues, do we look to the medical profession for presidential material? Does it take a teacher to successfully grapple with reforming education? Of course, few things are more important than national security – in which the military plays an integral role.

It seems to me that military service can be helpful, but certainly is not essential. Rather, we should seek intelligent, thoughtful, and decisive individuals to fill the highest office in the land. Those experienced few who have demonstrated their management and leadership capabilities, whether it’s been on the battlefield, in the classroom, or – yes, even on the big screen. Maturity and wisdom will count more than piloting or sharpshooting skills.

But, of course, the military has been a leading arena for developing leadership skills and measuring the worth of a person by his or her abilities and skills. Hundreds of thousands of men and women will attribute their maturity to lesson learned in the service of their country.

Mississippi writer Bill Minor, who served on a Navy destroyer in the South Pacific in World War II, recalled the words of his commanding officer at a reunion of the USS Potter some four decades later.

“I took a group of boys to sea, and they became men.”

To be sure, there are many ways to gain maturity and develop leadership skills, but military experience remains among the best. Military experience can be a plus – but it is not essential – for those who would be president of these United States.

Tune In...Take Drugs...

I take an aspirin a day, so I'm reluctant to be a radical on the the subject of "big drug companies" ruining our lives. But I do believe they've had a profound negative effect on our quality of life. How is that possible you may ask, given the development of life-saving drugs that have also provided healthier lives for millions of Americans?

Let's clearly distinguish between the drugs themselves and their marketers.

A generation or more ago, the corner drugstore was a community gathering place, where you could visit with friends, pick up a prescription, and perhaps enjoy a milk shake at the soda fountain. Clearly, there were pharmaceutical companies -- even large ones, but they were not driven by the fierce market forces of the 21st century.

Some of you will remember the days of Huntley-Brinkley and Walter Cronkite, when the evening network news was replete with commercials for soap, breakfast food, automobiles, beer, and -- yes -- pharmaceuticals. Fast forward 50 years and discover that the Hamm's bears have gone into permanent hibernation from the airwaves, and that drug companies have come to dominate commercial time not just during the evening news -- but throughout the evening television schedule.

The enormity of the economic force wielded by big drug companies is reflected in a bit of research done by the Center for Public Integrity, a non-profit and non-partisan public policy organization in Washington, D.C. They report that big drug company lobbyists in Washington easily outnumber members of Congress, and that those lobbyists spent some $155 million between January 2005 and June 2006. It's little wonder that they were successful in beating back efforts by Congress to revisit a provision in the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 that barred the federal government from negotiating on Medicare drug prices. The Center for Public Integrity further reports that drug lobbyists also worked hard for the protection of lucrative drug patents and the prevention of the importation of lower-priced Canadian drugs.

Three cheers to the Center for Public Integrity for its investigative efforts focusing on this timely issue. A situation that threatens to push costs for health care even farther out of sight......alongside drug company profits. You can read more about it at: http://secure.publicintegrity.org/ It's enough to give a fella a headache. Would you please pass the aspirin?

WHAT'S THIS SITE ALL ABOUT?
This blog was originally designed as a review of media in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming -- with occasional observations about other broadcast and print media. But after some consideration, I decided to include a wider range of topics and events that I find of interest.

I'll occasionally opine on what I view as good (and not so good) about newspaper, radio, television in this region. It's my intent to find GOOD things to say, since it's a common perception that much of the media in this country continue to swirl downward in a never-ending quest to amass ever-larger audiences at any price. Nearly all media play the game, but a few stalwart entities do yeoman work in holding on to good journalistic values. When they shine, they should get a pat on the back. We'll skewer them when appropriate -- and when their work is on our radar screen.

I believe "good journalistic values" includes striving for objectivity and fairness in all reporting. And I also believe there's intrinsic positive value in local ownership of media outlets.

In any event, I hope to have some fun applauding media who do it right -- and chiding those who seem to have less regard for good journalism...and thus the public to whom they're reporting. Of course, there'll also be comments about photography, bicycling, amateur radio, genealogy, and other topics that occupy my time and interest.

Comments are welcome.