I used to love the original Star Trek where the Enterprise was incoming to a perilous situation in the galaxy and Captain Kirk sat patiently waiting for the upcoming hits from the Klingons or space garbage.
Calling out commands to the deck...”Up Shields”...”Steady as go”...
I feel the same way as I wait for what will be unleashed by next week on the television airways across Arizona. A billion political ads.
With one week before mail in ballots are distributed, we are about to be unleashed with more attack ads and political rhetoric than ever before. Record television dollars are expected to be spent in the next six weeks.
Research shows that negative ads and mudslinging work. As I pointed out in an earlier commentary, look at the success of Ben Quayle stating that President Obama is the worst President ever in history. It works frighteningly well as he won the Republican nomination in his Congressional district. Can’t wait for what he comes up with next...
So pull back in your armchairs at home and let the game begin. Some of it will be entertaining if you can get through the clutter. All candidates and propositions are part of the space garbage we will face. As with the Enterprise, Kirk had to carefully guide the ship through the crisis.
You will see more “I’m the best and my opponent is the worst” lines and quotes. You’ll despise hearing how this person will cut taxes and this person will raise taxes. Blah Blah SB1070...Blah Blah Obama Care...Blah Blah bailouts...Blah Blah Tarp dollars...Blah Blahh Arizona education is the second worst in the nation. Space garbage for sure.
Just for once, can we address the most significant problem Arizona faces...jobs?
Hopefully after the first ten days of ads running, our shields will be holding up and we will be taking in all the attack ads with a common sense understanding of what the real positions are.
Then again, Spock was quoted as saying “It’s always easier to destroy than create.” In Arizona, we deserve better.
Jeff
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Jeff's Commentary - 9/10 - September 11th, 2001
I’m old enough to know where I was the day that John F. Kennedy was shot. To this day I still vividly remember sitting at the kitchen table with my dad later that week on a Sunday morning when Lee Harvey Oswald was shot and killed as he was getting booked live on TV.
In April of 1968, I remember the night on the fourth that Martin Luther King was shot and then the summer of our cities burning. All on live TV.
But nothing will resonate with me like the events of September 11, 2001. I recall every hour of the event and the impact that that still haunts me and America. That morning, I was driving to work at my normal early morning time. And KTAR broke in with a story that a plane had just crashed into the World Trade Center around 5:48am. It was a big story and I was working at KPNX-TV at the time as General Sales Manager. I called the news desk and they were on the story. Little did we all know that this would be a day to remember similar to December 7th, 1941. And it was all live on TV.
By the time I got into the office and headed to the newsroom, the AP line was on fire that another plane had just struck the second tower. It was 6:06am Phoenix time. With the power of television, I witnessed the plane crashing into the tower within minutes on the Today Show. There was panic in the air. While the first event could still be viewed as a tragic accident, the second sounded an alarm that the U.S. was under attack. I called home and told my wife to keep the kids home.
Again, with all this unfolding now live on TV, there was another attack at 6:37am Phoenix time. This time a plane roared into the Pentagon spreading death there. It was surreal. Everyone wanted to do something to help but there was little to do. The news department began a week of coverage that was some of the best reporting I ever was a part of.
At 7:06 we heard of yet another crash of a plane outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania. What was happening? How many more planes were out there ready to crash? It was incredible to watch. History was being made as four airplanes had now crashed into the U.S. in less than two hours.
Then as the day progressed and we witnessed one, then another World Trade Center fall into the hole of the earth, I knew our life and world as we knew it would be changed forever. I had no idea how to pronounce al Qaeda that day but it became a word now synonymous with evil to most of us.
Since 9/11 we have had nine years of Afghanistan and eight years of Iraq. Only time and history will tell us if we did the right thing in both countries. This ninth anniversary, I will take a moment to pray for all that has happened, and wish that the hatred and anger that came from all of this could one day be erased. I fear though, it will not. It is important to remember, but it is more important to make our world a better place for all of us to live. I pray we can one day get there. I have faith that can still happen. But we need to remember the events of September 11th, 2001 to heal first.
Jeff
In April of 1968, I remember the night on the fourth that Martin Luther King was shot and then the summer of our cities burning. All on live TV.
But nothing will resonate with me like the events of September 11, 2001. I recall every hour of the event and the impact that that still haunts me and America. That morning, I was driving to work at my normal early morning time. And KTAR broke in with a story that a plane had just crashed into the World Trade Center around 5:48am. It was a big story and I was working at KPNX-TV at the time as General Sales Manager. I called the news desk and they were on the story. Little did we all know that this would be a day to remember similar to December 7th, 1941. And it was all live on TV.
By the time I got into the office and headed to the newsroom, the AP line was on fire that another plane had just struck the second tower. It was 6:06am Phoenix time. With the power of television, I witnessed the plane crashing into the tower within minutes on the Today Show. There was panic in the air. While the first event could still be viewed as a tragic accident, the second sounded an alarm that the U.S. was under attack. I called home and told my wife to keep the kids home.
Again, with all this unfolding now live on TV, there was another attack at 6:37am Phoenix time. This time a plane roared into the Pentagon spreading death there. It was surreal. Everyone wanted to do something to help but there was little to do. The news department began a week of coverage that was some of the best reporting I ever was a part of.
At 7:06 we heard of yet another crash of a plane outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania. What was happening? How many more planes were out there ready to crash? It was incredible to watch. History was being made as four airplanes had now crashed into the U.S. in less than two hours.
Then as the day progressed and we witnessed one, then another World Trade Center fall into the hole of the earth, I knew our life and world as we knew it would be changed forever. I had no idea how to pronounce al Qaeda that day but it became a word now synonymous with evil to most of us.
Since 9/11 we have had nine years of Afghanistan and eight years of Iraq. Only time and history will tell us if we did the right thing in both countries. This ninth anniversary, I will take a moment to pray for all that has happened, and wish that the hatred and anger that came from all of this could one day be erased. I fear though, it will not. It is important to remember, but it is more important to make our world a better place for all of us to live. I pray we can one day get there. I have faith that can still happen. But we need to remember the events of September 11th, 2001 to heal first.
Jeff
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Jeff's Commentary - 9/7 - Governor Brewer's Falling Star
Two weeks ago Governor Jan Brewer was a political superstar on the rise. She appeared on national media outlets almost nightly, talking about the perils of SB1070 and the wows of immigration on Arizona and the country. The Governor was in demand...a celebrity whose presence to speak was star-like. Then a funny thing happened on the road to her Oscar like status...the truth.
Back in June the Governor declared that there were headless bodies out in the Arizona desert. The Wild Wild West was out of control being run over by the coyotes and drug dealers from Mexico coming across the border. Gather the kids and lock the doors and stay awake all night with your guns to protect the family. Only problem is none of this was true.
During the Great Debate of 2010 on September 1st, the Governor started with her famous 16 seconds of silence. Simon and Garfunkel would have been proud.
Then as the debate continued and the Governor was asked about the headless bodies in the desert, she had no response. After the debate, she was caught by reporters again demanding where the heads were, and her answer was “that it was an interesting debate.” Wow. It reminded me of former President George W. Bush in a debate with Senator John Kerry when asked about the Presidency responded with “It’s hard work. It’s hard work.”
Brewer took back her June statement later in the week. The headless bodies were actually in Mexico along the border regions according to her statement. I get that immigration is a big deal in Arizona. While the claims of illegal immigration were misstated or misspoken, that in no way takes away from the issues on securing the borders.
I just wish we could have a discussion without adding all the lies and fabrications to make people scared. I’d like to see our politicians just once talk openly about what really is happening. The politics of fear is a real drag because people buy into the rhetoric.
As to Governor Brewer, a star is only bright when it is not falling from the sky. I don’t think she will be as much in demand on the national talk shows or as a speaker for others running for office. They need the propaganda to at least be somewhat truthful.
And the sixteen seconds of silence? It is said that dead super stars often turn into black holes. As the star dies, it explodes in a huge explosion called a Super Nova. The Super Nova blasts away most of the star. As we get closer to the November election, we’ll see if Jan Brewer remains in her current position or if her remarks on immigration create a Super Nova. The politics of fear will not keep you burning bright, Governor. Let’s talk about what really will heal the state and bring jobs and housing back. Dead headless bodies in the desert don’t make for a healthy economy, but they make good headlines.
Jeff
Back in June the Governor declared that there were headless bodies out in the Arizona desert. The Wild Wild West was out of control being run over by the coyotes and drug dealers from Mexico coming across the border. Gather the kids and lock the doors and stay awake all night with your guns to protect the family. Only problem is none of this was true.
During the Great Debate of 2010 on September 1st, the Governor started with her famous 16 seconds of silence. Simon and Garfunkel would have been proud.
Then as the debate continued and the Governor was asked about the headless bodies in the desert, she had no response. After the debate, she was caught by reporters again demanding where the heads were, and her answer was “that it was an interesting debate.” Wow. It reminded me of former President George W. Bush in a debate with Senator John Kerry when asked about the Presidency responded with “It’s hard work. It’s hard work.”
Brewer took back her June statement later in the week. The headless bodies were actually in Mexico along the border regions according to her statement. I get that immigration is a big deal in Arizona. While the claims of illegal immigration were misstated or misspoken, that in no way takes away from the issues on securing the borders.
I just wish we could have a discussion without adding all the lies and fabrications to make people scared. I’d like to see our politicians just once talk openly about what really is happening. The politics of fear is a real drag because people buy into the rhetoric.
As to Governor Brewer, a star is only bright when it is not falling from the sky. I don’t think she will be as much in demand on the national talk shows or as a speaker for others running for office. They need the propaganda to at least be somewhat truthful.
And the sixteen seconds of silence? It is said that dead super stars often turn into black holes. As the star dies, it explodes in a huge explosion called a Super Nova. The Super Nova blasts away most of the star. As we get closer to the November election, we’ll see if Jan Brewer remains in her current position or if her remarks on immigration create a Super Nova. The politics of fear will not keep you burning bright, Governor. Let’s talk about what really will heal the state and bring jobs and housing back. Dead headless bodies in the desert don’t make for a healthy economy, but they make good headlines.
Jeff
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