May 25, 2004 by s.z.

Family Circus Knows All! Inspired by Tbogg's revelation that the Gurdon family was the inspiration for "Family Circus," and by the excellent Punchline entitled "Family Circus of Freaks: Deciphering the Most Unfunny Comic in the History of Unfunny Comics" that Tom pointed us to, we came up with a new daily Wo'C feature: "The Family Circus Prediction of the Day." First, some background.  Like Punchline points out, Family Circus is never funny.   It's never insightful.  It's just faux hearwarming and kind of creepy.  And yet, it's featured in most newspapers in the country? Why should this be?  Well, think about it: what also is featured in most newspapers, usually in the same section as Family Circus?  Yes, the horoscopes.  So, it's my theory that Family Circus is actually a fortune-telling device, like runes, tarot cards, or I Ching.  (The proof of my theory is that the Family Circus characters are no more realized or well-rounded than the images on a deck of cards).  We'll get into what each character symbolizes later, after we've thought of it.  But anyway, once one has identified the purpose of Family Circus, the trick is to properly interpret what each day's panel means.  That's where I come in.   First, examine today's cartoon (If you don't have your daily paper handy, go here).  As you will see, the drawing shows Daddy reading 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to Dolly.  Her mouth is open, indicating that she is the one speaking the caption, which is: "Twenty thousand leaks under the sea? Wow! How many plumbers did they need?" So, what does it mean?  Clearly, it's not just trying to amuse us by showing how a child might confuse "leagues" with "leaks" (because even a moronic five-year-old would realize that if the leaks are under the sea, you wouldn't need a plumber). No, it must be code.  Let's decypher it. What do we think of when when think of "leaks" and "plumbers"?  Watergate!  And who did the Watergate Scandal bring down?  Well, lots of people, but most importantly, President Richard Nixon. Going back to the cartoon, who delivers the line?  Dolly.  And what famous leak is currently being investigated by the DOJ? That of CIA NOC Valerie Plame, of course.   (Dolly.  Valerie.  They sorta sound the same.) So, today's cartoon predicts that an announcment will be made regarding the Plame investigation by the end of the week -- and that it will ultimately put an end to President George Bush's re-election hopes.  I don't think oracle Bill Keane could have made it any clearer. 7:02:16 AM

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ABC Says No To 'Jessica'; Tucker Goes it Alone Per the NY Times: LOS ANGELES, May 23 — Six months ago ABC announced with some hoopla that it had signed a deal with the pop star Jessica Simpson for a new series that would showcase her talents and be, the network hoped, a comedy anchor for its fall schedule. ...The series was developed around Ms. Simpson's flaky persona and cast her as Jessica Sampson, a pop star who becomes a prime-time television newsmagazine interviewer aspiring to the level of Barbara Walters or Diane Sawyer. Ms. Simpson's fictional counterpart tangles with her tough producer but wins the hearts of audiences as she questions athletes, musicians, movie stars and politicians, some of whom play themselves. Hey, we thought of that plotline first!  (Well, I just got the announcement of Jessica's TV show mixed together with Tucker Carslon's, and  Ivan and poetisa did all the real work of thinking up plots and giving Jessica guests to talk to -- someday when I'm not tired I'll link to all their efforts).  Our series was called "I Love Jessica."  The ABC pilot was just called "Jessica," which is probably why nobody liked it. ABC executives and others connected to the show, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the pilot may have had a good concept, but it was poorly executed. But last week ABC's new entertainment chief, Stephen McPherson, on the job for less than a month at a network roiled by turbulence in recent years, unveiled a fall lineup to advertisers in New York that included only two new sitcoms. And Ms. Simpson's show, tentatively called "Jessica," was not one of them. They should have hired Ivan, poetisa, and me to write their pilot.  Anyway, it seems that Jessica's show isn't the only one that didn't get bought: (Other comedies starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and John Stamos also failed to make the grade at ABC.) I believe that a new TV series starring John Stamos was one of the signs of the Apocalypse, so we're lucky ABC turned it down.  A comedy starring both Stamos and Love Hewitt would by itself open the gates of hell. But in other news, Tucker's show "Unfiltered," is still scheduled to debut next month on PBS: Topics for the program will not be limited to politics. Anything that touches Americans and how they live their lives — from the poignant to the absurd — will be fair game for Carlson and his colleagues around the table. Hey, Jessica touches Americans (but only, you know, platonically -- she's not like that slutty Britney Spears), so maybe Tucker can invite her on his show.  I'll get Ivan and Poetisa working on some sample dialogue. Here's more about Tucker and his vision: At a time when American society is driven by partisanship and prevailing opinions on the issues of the day often parrot party lines, original thinkers are a refreshing surprise - they add something new to public discourse as the defy expectations and upend conventional wisdom. Tucker Carlson is an original thinker. A annoying prat, sure, but at least he's original. Journalist, author, college instructor, public speaker, television commentator [fashionista,  nuclear scientist, dog owner, demigod], and now host and managing editor of his own series on PBS, the 34-year old Carlson has experienced a meteoric rise as an observer of American politics and society. Carlson is the focal point of "Tucker Carlson: Unfiltered," debuting on PBS Friday, June 18.  [...] Despite Carlson's passion for travel, he loves home. "Of the many great things about Washington - the cherry blossoms, the fact that people don't honk, the overall loveliness of the city - the greatest thing is that Washington is filled with the most interesting, most accomplished people. It's as if the smartest people from every little town in America moved here." Plus, as we learned from "Washingtonienne," it's home to millions of slutty girls. Tucker Carlson among them. Hey, his publicist said it, not me! 6:19:00 AM

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More About the Naughty D.C. Blogger The Wash Post had a little chat with Wonkette-discovery "Washingtonienne" (who, it seems, was fired by Mike Dewine for "unacceptable use of Senate computers" and "charging Bush appointees for sex instead of doing it for the good of the Party").  First off, her name is Jessica Cutler. She's 24, holds a bachelor's degree in international relations from Syracuse University, once aspired to be a journalist and says she is not ashamed in the least of her behavior. "Everything is true," Cutler told us in an interview. "It's so cliched. It's like, 'There's a slutty girl on the Hill?' There's millions of 'em," she said, laughing. "A lot of my friends are way worse than me." So, guys, if you're looking for slutty girls, now you know where they hang out. A former intern in Sen. Joe Lieberman's office [Aha!  Now we now where slutty girls get their first jobs], Cutler said she had worked in DeWine's office since late February, routing mail and occasionally taking constituent calls. She started her blog May 10, posting such musings as: "Most of my living expenses are thankfully subsidized by a few generous older gentlemen. I'm sure I am not the only one who makes money on the side this way: How can anybody live on $25K/year??" She seemed blase about having six regular partners, telling us: "You know, there's seven days a week." One diary entry described a "married man who pays me for sex" as "chief of staff at one of the gov agencies, appointed by Bush." That man, she claimed, paid her $400 on Tuesday for sex, but she declined to provide his name to The Post, saying, "I'm not trying to ruin his life." (On her blog she identified all the men by initials.) Mr. Married Bush Appointee's initial was reportedly "F."  So, my guess is that he's Doug Feith.  (Okay, maybe she lied about him being a chief of staff.) Slim and 5 feet 2, she primped herself for photos ("I have good cheekbones. . . . I have good teeth") and said she would probably move to New York to find work because of her notoriety in Washington. She's setting her sights on the book publishing industry: "They'll totally hire me if I say I got fired from my job on the Hill because of a sex scandal." You know, I would also like a job in the book publishing industry (a job as an author).  And now that you mention it, I too got fired from my job because of a sex scandal.  Yup, that's what happened, pretty much.  Oh, and I have good teeth. 5:11:01 AM

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O'Reilly Rants Against Stuff On Sunday, Bill O'Reilly, "cable news personailty" and noted crank addressed the Economic Club of Southwestern Michigan.  The Herald-Palladium (what a great name for a paper!) reports: Bill O'Reilly, host of Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor," told the Economic Club of Southwestern Michigan that America is at a secular-traditional cultural dichotomy. It was brought on by gay marriage, legalized medical marijuana and what billionaire liberal George Soros terms "an open society." This "dichotomy" was brought on by gay marriage, medical marijuana, and George Soros's vision of society?  The secessionist evangelicals only blame gay marriage -- so, apparently Bill is crazier than they are. To explain his own stance, O'Reilly told the crowd at Lake Michigan College's Mendel Center an anecdote from his past. As a teenager, he had been a fan of the popular rock band The Doors. Attending one of their concerts, he said he saw standing in front of him a family of four: a mother, father, and two young boys about 10 to 12 years old. Standing in front of them was a man smoking marijuana, and the smoke was drifting into the faces of the family. The mother tapped the man on the shoulder and asked him to put out the joint, but the man refused, uttering an obscenity. O'Reilly - there with a friend, "the Bear, who looked like a biker" - then tapped the man on the shoulder and told him, "you're gonna put it out, or you're gonna swallow it." Amidst laughter and applause from the crowd, O'Reilly squinted his blue eyes and said, "That guy did nothing (without the threat of physical force), because he lived in an 'open society.'" Bill IS a great squinter, it's true. In an open society, O'Reilly said, individuals are allowed to do whatever they feel like doing, without fear of being judged by others. "I don't want these guys," he said. "I don't want quasi-socialism. I don't want to break down structure so these hooligans can do what they want to do when they want to do it." I love these glimpses into Bill's true-life past (He liked The Doors? He was once a teenager?), but I have a few questions about Bill's story.  First, isn't Bill the guy who believes his mission is to protect kids from stuff like rap music and Janet Jackson's breast -- why isn't he railing on the irresponsible parents who would expose their kids to an environment where people would blow marijuana smoke on them?  (I may be wrong, but I don't think a concert by The Doors was considered family friendly, even in the '60s.)  Second, haven't there always been jerks who don't fear society's judgements and only reign in their behavior under threats of some sort?  And third, since when is quasi-socialism "Do whatever you feel like doing" -- I always thought it was, "Sorta share the means of production, and do whatever is in the best interests of the state, more or less."  Among the other "hooligans" he named were the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood. Because they too blow marijuana smoke in kids' faces -- unless you punch them out. He also decried contemporary public education, saying that instead of teaching children civics, American government and U.S. history, "It's teaching them about gay marriage, and how great it is." You know, I was looking at my niece's and nephew's class schedules, and it's true: the schools have replaced 10th grade U.S. History with "Gay Marriage and How Great it Is," and done away with 5th grade social studies to make room for "Buggery is Fun!" lessons. Per the H-P, Bill then launched in to a discussion about the Iraq war. "We cannot baby-sit (the Iraqis)," he said to the applauding crowd. "Give them a chance, give them stability, but we should get out of there as soon as we can get the heck out of there." He explained his position, saying, "The majority of the Iraqi people do not appreciate what we've done for them." For that reason, O'Reilly said the U.S. military should ship out and not let another soldier die for that ungrateful nation. Yeah!  We're gonna take out our troops and go invade a nation that will appreciate us! He concluded the speech with a warning to the audience about the upcoming presidential election. "This terror threat's not going to go away," he said. "Figure out who Osama (bin Laden) wants elected, and vote for the other guy. I figured it out, and it's Ralph (Nader)" that bin Laden wants elected. Nader doesn't have any answers for public security issues, he said. Oooh, we notice that Bill isn't endorsing Bush.  It's a bad sign, Bush-Cheney 2004, when you can't even keep the Bill O'Reillys on your side. 4:35:13 AM

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Oopsie 2 Re: the Mayfield case -- It seems that contrary to what "One law-enforcement official told NEWSWEEK," the Bureau really isn't still confident of its initial analysis. From the Seattle Times: A federal judge yesterday cleared Portland attorney Brandon Mayfield of ties to the Madrid train bombings after the FBI made the stunning admission that it erred when analyzing a copy of fingerprints. [...] Court records released yesterday sketch the outlines of the investigative effort that led to Mayfield's May 6 arrest and two-week detention in the Multnomah County Jail. According to documents, Mayfield's prints were among the best 15 matches found by the FBI fingerprint computer, which holds the prints of some 45 million persons. Those matches were then compared by FBI examiners to the digital image of a partial print sent by Spanish authorities, who concluded the print was a "100 percent identification" with Mayfield. Once the FBI made its erroneous match, it then built up a case against Mayfield based, in part, on his legal work and associations in the Muslim community, records show. The FBI has apologized to Mayfield and his family; we'll see if Little Green Footballs ("But if you really want the full scoop on Mayfield and his pernicious activities, the LGF lizardoids have unearthed a treasure trove of information in this topic") does likewise.  [No link, because we don't want to reward evil with hits.] 3:24:43 AM

November 10, 2003

"Ann, WTF is wrong with you?," Etc. For a good time, check out TBOGG's coverage of the questions Fark readers suggested posing to Ann Coulter at her appearance at the University of Colorado this week. Ann "Man Hands" Coulter P.S.  Apparently Ann was one of the guests on the pilot for Tucker Carlson's show (PBS Takes Turn to Right With Carlson).  About his new program, Carlson said, "I think this will be the kind of show that will make viewers want to put down the remote for half an hour."  Well, put it down so they can pick up a gun and kill themselves, if he keeps booking guests like Ann. We also loved Mr. BOGG's Newsweek-inspired ruminations on Dick Cheney, especially the part about how Cheney might now be expendable, seeing as George has acquired his own personal gravitas: Since that time, George Bush has become (take your pick) the Steely-Eyed Rocketman/Winston Churchill/FDR/Alexander the Great/Son of God/Ming the Merciless/Flightsuit Messiah/Bullhorn Bonaparte. Outside of having lunch with Cheney every Thursday where they discuss Big Important Stuff over their Lunchables, does Bush really need Cheney, especially if he might become a drag on the ticket in a close election? Mr. BOGG says that Dick could now step aside, thus allowing George to choose a running mate from a large state which didn't vote for him last time around.  But we think that if Dick REALLY wants to help his party, he'll take an Iraqi-terrorist-here-in-our-country bullet for the cause and then opt out of the race as a martyr, thus freeing up George to take on a Boy Wonder to his Caped Crusader, while also proving that the Iraq invasion really was the right thing to do, like Dick always said.  9:28:55 PM

Oh, and we just added I am Eating My Husbands Soul to the blog roll.  It's a new Salon blog that is terribly funny and quite evil, and so of course we loved it.  Check out the new entry about having dinner with the husband's friends Curt and Sarah. 3:29:08 AM

Here's a provocative thought about Bush's "Bring it on" comment: Death By Invitation.  It's from a  blog called Clareified: that was just brought to my attention, and which features an interesting new item about Dennis Kucinich's quest to find a First Lady.  Didn't Jimmy James on "News Radio" already try this stunt?  2:54:22 AM

November 8, 2003 by s.z.

Saturday, November 08, 2003 Jessica Simpson, Tucker Carlson to do TV ABC has signed a deal with professional dimwit Jessica Simpson to have her star in a sitcom. [snip] ABC Entertainment President Susan Lyne said that Simpson, who once thought a plastic bag on a beach was a jellyfish, "has infectious energy and unmistakable star quality," not to mention that "built-in fan base in both music and television, which is a great jumping-off point for us." Lyne went on to note, "We're looking forward to developing the ideal showcase for her considerable talents," referring to the gal who refused to sample a buffalo wing, because, Simpson said, "I don't eat buffalo," and who finds garage-door openers mentally challenging. Simpson is one of those giddy, blond, tightly toned pop singers who first made it big a million years ago, in the late '90s.  She's like Britney, only without Britney's intellectual depth or self-reflectiveness. Ted Harbert, who was once the president of ABC Entertainment and is now a producer at the Fox production studio, will executive-produce the Simpson project. He said in the statement that she had "clearly become the new 'America's sweetheart.' " Harbert apparently didn't get the memo on Jessica Lynch.   [Note: and apparently the author of this article didn't get the memo from Free Republic/Lucianne readers about Jessica Lynch being an "ungrateful guttersnipe" because she denounced the military for using her.] Joe Simpson is the other executive producer.  He is Jessica Simpson's dad. He's also her manager.  He's also her executive producer on "Newlyweds." Professional conservative Tucker Carlson, who said recently that the ideal president would be someone who felt that "in Washington we know what's best for you and we are going to do it regardless of what you think," has been signed I think Tucker will probably play Jessica's husband, and this will be a "I Love Lucy" or "Dharma and Greg" for today's generation.  Imagine all the wacky adventures that Jessica and Tucker can have, especially when Tucker brings Howard Dean home for dinner and Jessica confuses him with James Dean; hilarity ensues when Dean tries to explain that he's just as cool as he used to be, didn't die in a car accident, and is actually rebelling against the taxpayer-funded presidential campaign system.  Or how about an ep where Tucker schemes to get Mr. Mooney elected to the co-op board, and then continues to back him even when Jessica finds a dozen bodies in Mooney's storeage unit; Tucker laughs indulgently at his scatterbrained wife when she says that this is, like, WRONG, and goodnaturedly explains that of COURSE Mooney isn't really killing people because he's too busy ruling the building for anything like that, and even if he were a serial killer, he's doing it's for the greater good.  Oh, wait.  It seems that I didn't read far enough, as the article continues: by PBS to host a half-hour weekly prime-time public affairs program.  The as-yet-unnamed series will be produced by Washington public TV station WETA and is set to launch in June. It will feature both regular and guest commentators and, PBS promises, will "offer a lively discussion of the weekly news stories from a wide range of perspectives."  Anyway, it still sounds wacky to me. 11:41:42 PM     The President's Speech: Bad News for Farm Implementations  As George Bush continues his fundraising across the South, he continues to read the same basic speech ("I want to thank my supporters; sorry Laura couldn't be here but she hates your state; the economy is good; Iraq is going well; I fixed everything Clinton screwed up; we're all nice in America now; give me money").  However, in the version he delivered Friday in Winston-Salem, he made a significant change.  Instead of the usual bit about "Go to your coffee shops, and your houses of worship, and your farm implementation dealership, and tell them the President is not as stupid as he looks on TV," he said the following: We've got a lot on the agenda, and so when you go to your coffee shops, your houses of worship, or your community centers, please tell them -- Republican, Democrat, or independent alike -- that the President is focused on the people's business and he will keep this nation secure and strong and prosperous and free. What caused this violent shift away from farm implementation dealerships as hot spots for Bush boosting?  I think THIS is the question that the press corps should be asking McClellan instead of "Does anybody ever tell the President that U.S. soldiers are dying in Iraq?"  (Because the answer to that one is always, "The President cares about every life that is lost, but is also very aware of the fact that you must sacrifice many of your men if you are ever going to win a game of Space Invaders.") But in reading over this latest iteration of the speech, I noticed a couple of other noteworthy changes.  When talking about "NoChild Left Behind" (the latest in the popular book series about post-Rapture life) on Monday, the President said: We insist upon high standards and accountability in every public school in America because we believe every child can learn. But Friday he added We believe every child can learn to read and write and add and subtract. We expect every child to learn to read and write and add and subtract.   So, does he have higher expectations for North Carolina children than he did for the Alabama kiddies?  Of did he just try to jazz up the product the speech writers had given him with some examples of stuff HE had learned?  Lending weight to the second theory is that when he was discussing the "frivoulous lawsuit" issue yesterday (no, Don Luskin's name didn't come up), Bush added this new line: It is time for some of the senators to understand that no one has every been healed by a frivolous lawsuit. This was reportedly followed by {applause).  While it didn't get the (laughter) that followed the remark about "Mother" not agreeing that Cheney was our best VP (everyone laughed because they know how much Barbara hates Cheney), it was still probably meant to be funny --  but it wasn't, so I think George wrote it himself.  It's nice that he wants to help. And reading over the speech this time, I noticed a few points which, while unchanged, are still interesting,  Like: Two-and-a-half years ago, our military was not receiving the resources it needed and morale was beginning to suffer. So we increased the defense budgets to prepare for the threats of a new era. And today, no one in the world can doubt or question the skill or the strength or the spirit of the United States military. Okay, so now the world doesn't doubt our military's skill and stuff, but has  the bigger budget made morale gone up?  And does Iraq make morale better or worse? And then there's this: And in the new responsibility society, each of us are responsible for loving our neighbor just like we would like to be loved ourself. Which makes me think of this scenario: "Mrs. Johnson, I usually love myself hard, hard, softer, faster, HARD--and now I am responsible for loving you that same way."  But then, I'm probably part of the old, irresponsible society, and not fit to live in the same country as the fine people who are part of the "social entrepreneurship" fabric. Anyway, this has been the World O'Crap update on "The Bush Canned Speech."  We'll continue to bring you all the latest developments as they occur. 1:12:53 AM     Nobody Here But Us Folks Now, here's Bill O'Reilly, using this week's column to warn the media: Don't Mess With the Folks. It is simply astounding that some people are spinning this Reagan movie controversy as a censorship issue. The usual left-wing suspects are screaming the "conservatives" forced CBS to abandon the project. The New York Times editorialized, "It should have come as no surprise that conservatives, protective of Mr. Reagan's image at all times, would launch on the fierce assaults that have become so familiar whenever the right wants to scare the media ... " And Barbra Streisand, an increasingly amusing presence, says "this is censorship pure and simple." One wonders if The Times and La Streisand would react the same way if Bill Clinton, on his deathbed, was mocked in a network docu-drama starring Pamela Anderson as Monica Lewinsky. I think the NYT and Babs would agree that Pamela would make a good Monica, but only if Bill gets on his deathbed soon, since Pamela is already at least a decade too old to play an intern.   But here's Bill's take on the CBS decision not to air the minseries:    CBS, wisely, does not want to be in the "cruelty business," as they say in the bistros of Beverly Hills. But there are two questions in play here. First, how could a hokey, over-the-top film like this get greenlighted in the first place, and second, what about Dr. Laura? Yes, why DOES Dr. Laura want to be in the cruelty business?  Good question, Bill.  But as to your first query, "The Reagans" got greenlighted for the same reasons that every hokey, over-the-top film gets greenlighted.  It's the same reason that a hokey, over-the-top book like Those Who Trespassgot published: because everyone believes the old P.T. Barnum dictum, "No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American people." But actually Bill had a different point to make about Dr. Laura:  Let's take Laura Schlessinger first. You'll remember the radio advice-giver tried to launch a syndicated TV program but was picketed by gay rights activists. They objected to her biblical take on the morality of homosexuality. They threatened to boycott sponsors and implored Paramount to cancel Laura. Her show went down in flames. Maybe I missed the New York Times editorial deploring "politically correct" censorship in this case. As for Babs, well, the silence was deafening. So could this be a case of selective outrage over perceived right-wing "censorship?" Or are we dealing with outright hypocrisy here? You make the call. Or (c) could Bill  have missed the point again?  You make the call. Sure, the gay rights activists picketed Laura's show, but the network continued to air it, and even retooled it twice, hoping to attract more viewers.  The network continued to air it for six months, despite ever-diminishing ratings.  When it was finally cancelled, it was after having given "the folks" every chance to watch it.  They just didn't want to.  (Maybe having seen Dr. Laura's nude photos on the internet put them off her for some reason.)   But in the case of "The Reagans," the network folded to special-interest group pressure before the program had ever aired.  So, they didn't trust "the folks" to either watch or not watch the program, and make up their own minds about it. I have often stated that the media is not looking out for you, because it doesn't understand you, nor does it care about you. The "folks" are seen as ratings points--dollar signs.   And we never would have figured this out without you, Bill.  Thanks. But what would you say about a media source which sued to block distrubution of a book because it claimed that the "folks" were so stupid they would think that the book was a product of their Fair and Balanced news channel, even though the book was titled Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them?  Does this media source REALLY understand us or care about us little people?  But there's something else. Do you think CBS would have financed a movie about the Gores written by Rush Limbaugh? Of course not. Anyone pitching that would have been mocked and scorned. Well, of COURSE they would have been mocked -- because everyone knows that Rush can't write without his blue babies. In the end, this is another victory for the folks, not for the political ideologues. CBS could not care less if a few million conservative zealots object to a program. But when the wind shifts and the fire of indignation starts taking hold in the minds of everyday Americans who value fairness, then CBS and every other media outfit must care. For if they ignore those alarms, they will surely go down in flames. A.  How many conservative zealots actually expressed objections to the program?  Boycott Guy said he got about 100,000 names for his internet petition.  We'll generously assume that there were twice that many more who also expressed objections, either independently or in connection with other boycotts.  That falls WAY short of "a few million." B.  What about the "everyday Americans" who like hokey, over-the-top programs about the rich and famous, and who can't afford Showtime?  What about THEIR rights?  For surely this WAS a victory for the political ideologues over the tastes of the "folks" who enjoy trashy TV. C.  Shouldn't "everyday Americans who value fairness" actually WATCH a movie before denouncing it?  D.  When those fires of indignation about TV unfairness really take hold in the hearts of everyday Americans, then news program hosts who bully and shout down their guests when they don't like the guests' opinions will surely go down in flames.  And then we folks will all roast marshmallows.  At least, that's how it looks to some of us "folks" who aren't actually part of a media outfit. 12:04:01 AM