AFTER Afternoons Live

History Has Been Made

2009-07-27T21:11:00.000-07:00

I have never banned an entire caller before, but after his last two calls, Eddie from Stockton has been weighed in the balances and found to be an asshole.

Worse, he's pretty much a racist asshole who believes that the Towers were an inside job, the Murrah Building was knocked down from the inside and the Jews (who else?) are evil.

From his "Why don't you [Dave!] ally yourself with the idiot Ron Paul, to today's tirade in the middle of a discussion of California that I should completely drop that and talk about HIS looney tune theories about Justice Sotomeyer (whom I dislike as well) because "she's a communist" I have had it with him. Tack on his calling back to bitch at Capt'n Mike and frankly I will no longer tolerate him.

So, for the first time ever, we have a 100% banned caller. Au revior Eddie from Stockton. Never again shall we hear from you...

The Latest State Budget Debacle and the Death of California

2009-07-21T20:45:00.000-07:00

Few things piss me off more than those who claim to want my vote and money because they "ally" with me ideologically (i.e., the CalGOP) who do stupid things and then try to blame me or others for their own obvious failures. Let us take a look at the latest California State Budget proposal as presented to us today by Senator Dennis Hollingsworth, the LEADER of the GOP in the Calisornia Senate.

Understand that Senator Hollingsworth is the LEADER. He negotiated the deal, he agreed to it and then marched out and announced it done. He later released the following statement:

SACRAMENTO - Senate Republican Leader Dennis Hollingsworth (R-Murrieta) issued the following statement regarding the budget agreement reached late Monday:

"We were able to resolve California's 26.3 billion dollar budget deficit without raising taxes. It solves our cash flow issues and saves money by reforming key government programs so they operate more efficiently. By being accountable for every taxpayer dollar we can save billions in future years."

"It will allow us to close the deficit without further increasing taxes on hard-working Californians. It takes steps to reform government to save taxpayers significant sums now and billions in the future."

Putting aside (for the moment anyway) the repeating of the message in slightly different words to reinforce the propaganda message, the fact is this GOP (that's Republican) LEADER is flat out lying and he KNOWS that I KNOW that he is lying and continues to do it anyway.

There are no future savings here, given the theft of local monies from local city and county governments, the "phasing" of State employee payroll by one day (look at the savings in the previous year!) to the next fiscal year, and by the despicable front loading of California State Income Taxes by "adjusting" the withholding tables. Which - of course - is exactly what the President did in reverse, but hey, I never get a refund anyway.

What set me off today is when I called the Senator on the OBVIOUS lies and falsehoods, the response was the typical, "It's the Democrats fault."

No, Senator, it's yours. YOU negotiated this, YOU issued the press release. These are YOUR words and they are lies. I expect much more from Conservatives, certainly from those who claim to want my vote, support and Bully Pulpit.

Insofar as I am concerned, this Budget is a criminal fraud, and any Politician (especially one claiming a Conservative mantle) who votes for it is guilty of fraud.

Tomorrow we'll hold an "Instant Tea Party" at 1010 10th Street in downtown Modesto to let Sacramento know that the theft of the local money is both outrageous, but even more importantly NOT ACCEPTABLE.

I'm So Done With....

2009-07-17T20:38:00.001-07:00

Ron Paul supporters who get upset that ALL conservatives haven't flocked to this nut job and glommed onto "his" message. ALL politics is compromise. I get that, so for all you Paulistas here is my final word on the matter, Ron Paul might have a few good ideas on the economy, but (a) they aren't his original ideas nor his sole purview. I don't need to be a Paulista to have the same ideas; (b) He wants to make nice to Al-quaeda and the PLRI.

Even if I wanted to join with Ron, I could not, would not, and shall not ever compromise my opposition to those who attack us and liberty daily around the globe and who would cut my head off solely for my religious and political beliefs. Ron Pauls' economic ideas are not worth joining him in his cowardice and isolationistic theories that are failures and dangerous.

I don't need Ron Paul to fight excess spending and taxation.

Ron Paul doesn't agree with me. Why should I join him?

Forgot My Own Rules

2009-07-13T20:26:00.000-07:00

Last week I estbalished the new show "Aluminum Hat Theories" Rule and then over the weekend accepted for consideration two (2) new (or at least kinda new) theories.

First was that the medical companines are intentionally jacking up the price of healthy foods and keeping crappy food cheap to keep us obese and diabetic so they can make money. A quick trip to my own local Farmers Market proved this to be untrue, so my advice to that person is that you are shopping in the wrong place. Moreover, it doesn't matter what you eat if you don't excercise.

The second one I haven't gotten to on the air yet - it's yet a new twist on the "Obama Birth Certificate" that at least Rusty hit tonight, although he did qualify it as unverified, which after several hours of research I am unable to find anything that even hints to support it.

As I have said, to not be an AH Theory, it cannot change facts to fit theories. Sadly, this one does. For example it ignores that people with US Passports travel to places all the time (i.e., Cuba) even in the face of embargos. Secondly, it bypasses the fact that has never been (at least no evidence of) any US State Department Policy of a "No Travel List" at least in the sense of banning US Citizens (and passport holders) from traveling to pretty much anywhere they wanted to go (including the USSR!).

Now you ad in the Major in the Army who is refusing to go to Afghanistan until The POTUS "shows" his Birth Certificate and we are quickly reaching the limits of tolerablility. The Major is wrong to issue his demand, and is showing both poor leadership and command skills. If he doesn't want to go to war, then he needs to resign and quit setting a poor example.

But for the moment, the theory is that this lone Major will "force" Obama to show his Birth Certificate - or as the theory hopes - not show it and thus prove that he is illegitimate (as POTUS, not his birth). My question is: will this "Heroic Major" be the first to volunteer to go to Afghanistan if the POTUS does produce a paper that satisfies him (keeping in mind that he already did to satisfy one court)?

In the end, it's one thing to send me a Theory and in this case there were some decent questions, but again, with no answers and no footnotes or sources cited for the "facts" that it did purport to proclaim, which, as it turned out, weren't quite as factual as hoped.

Don't get me wrong, I wish every night that the magic scandal would be found and suddenly Mr. Obama would be out. But I am also smart enough to know that it isn't going to happen. And instead of spending my life and time hoping against hope for a consipracy theory to break, I am going to work on the real issues, like $1trillion deficits and health care highjacking....

Aluminum Hat Theories

2009-07-08T08:01:00.000-07:00

A few years back Bill Mick was talking on his show about the nut jobs who wear aluminum hats to keep the aliens or government or whoever from reading their thoughts and the 9/11 attacks came up. He had a caller who was convinced that the Gov'a'mint had "fired a missile" at the Pentagon and the proof was that no film existed of the plane hitting the building.

Interestingly enough, the next day Barry Bonds completed his cheating and hit a home run that either tied or broke the record (like anybody cares or remembers) and I noticed that nobody had any film of the guy who got the ball actually getting the ball. It might have been the most fun sports news ever.

Anyway, driving home from Tacoma I was listening (for reasons that I will not discuss but involve masochism) to left side Talk Radio when I came to a realization. We make fun of their AH wearing callers, and that is why they make fun of ours. All AHers are nuts, although entertaining. And none of them ever have any actual proof. Just wild theories that always end up with me not believing them and then my being accused of being a "part of" the vast gov'a'mint conspiracy that is there to read their thoughts - as if anybody - especially me - would want to.

So the new rule for Afternoons Live is no more AH theories. If you don't have incontrverable proof, including being present at the secret meetings, don't bother. I simply don't care.

Plus I don't want some left side host driving through the Valley making fun of my callers.

The Great EPA Reprt Suppression Affair

2009-06-30T20:29:00.000-07:00

To listen to most of my compatriots lately you'd think that Alan Carlins EPA report "disproving" global warming is being suppressed and he is also being "reassigned" is the most Earth shaking example of aluminum hat conspiracies on the left side of the world.

Peshaw.

Three things to consider. First, for all it matters Alan Carlin and his magical report could be right - global warming could be a complete and ToTaL hoax. But for all the reports, books, articles and discussions out there already, Alan Carlins' report is meaningless and it will convince no one. If you still believe in Global Warming, Alan Carlin is not going to change your or anybody else in Congress' mind.

Second, although he could be right, Mr. Carlin is NOT a scientist. He's an accountant. So, while it might be an entertaining and correct report of the facts, the idea that it is an accountant presenting the position of the entire anti-Global Warming Movement isn't going to help matters. Don't we have an actual Scientist with the same data, opionions and interpetations? (Yes, we do)

Lastly we pay Mr. Carlin to be an accountant. His supervisor improperly "allowed" him to produce this report on company (taxpayers) time. Again, the report might be correct, but we don't pay him to write global warming reports, we pay him to account. The supervisor was wrong to allow him to produce such a report on our time, and now feels (according to Mr. Carlin) that he (the supervisor) had to "reassign" Mr. Carlin or lose his own job. Well of course he did - he should never have allowed Mr. Carlin to do this "report" on our time to begin with. Now he has to "suppress" an unsolicted, unsupported, unnecessary and un-scientific report in order to cover his own Accounted Department behind.

For all it matters, the report (such as it is) might be absolutely correct, BUT it's not from a person who (a) should be making the report or (b) is paid to make the report or (c) ought to be doing his real job and is poorly supervised.

By this point in time, if you need Alan Carlin to support the anti-Global Warming position then you've been asleep for a decade. In the meantime we've been paying Mr. Carlin to not do his job.

Surreal Day

2009-06-25T18:15:00.000-07:00

I woke up to the news of the death of Farrah Fawcett had passed away after a long battle with cancer. It was somewhat expected but still a little surprising and jolting as an icon of the era that I grew up in, the 1970's was now gone. It's getting harder and harder with each passing day to see my own life's history pass on, it certainly brings into focus my own mortality.

Two hours before I went on the air today, the news broke the Michael Jackson had been rushed to the hospital with cardiac arrest. My first thought was that he had passed away - I know the odds on cardiac arrest survival - but like most people I held on to a little hope. I am not a MJ fan, but my own history as a child of the 1970's was full of listening to the Jackson 5, and of one afternoon calling the local pop station over and over requesting "Back to Indiana" by the Jackson 5.

It's hard. But it's life. The wold is a smaller place again today. I think that tonight I will watch Logan's Run again, and listen to Dancing Machine...

The FDA Takes on Tobacco

2009-06-22T13:25:00.000-07:00

I guess that I am happy that on the same day he announced that we the Tax Payers would increase our debt to pay for more Medi-Care Prescription Drug Coverage (by the by, didn’t President Bush promise us that was solved a few years back?) he also announced that he personally had finally and at long last defeated the evil tobacco companies that kill 400,000 Americans every year. By his actions that now remove the management of Tobacco from the ATF and put it under the FDA, supposedly all will be well and 400,000 Americans will not die next year from smoking.

Peshaw.

First off, is there anybody actually left who doesn’t know that smoking is (a) stupid and (b) will seriously harm your health, (c) kill you and (d) most importantly annoy me?

For all the posturing by the POTUS yesterday you have to ask the standard questions about any Government policy such as just where will all that tobacco lobby money go now? If raising tobacco taxes actually worked to get people to stop smoking why does the government continue to subsidize tobacco farmers? Most importantly if you really want to stop smoking, why not just make it illegal, you know, like owning a gun or keeping your own money?

The fact is that not a single life will be saved by this action, and in fact the Tobacco companies will get richer since they will have to raise their rates to cover the cost of the new packages with the “enhanced visual” warnings on the labels. Just think about that, the warnings now are comic books because the oh-so-successful school system is producing kids who can’t read the current warning labels, not that they would matter if they did.

In the end, this won’t stop a single kid from trying to be cool and fit in with his or her friends because peer pressure is what sells cigarettes, not advertising. And this new FDA managed tobacco policy still won’t stop the stupid wonks – there’s one near you right now – who insist on smoking in their cars but have the window open and the cigarette hanging out the window so that everybody can suffer from their own stupidity.

If it’s so great, why not keep it in the car with the window up? Maybe GM can also deal with smoking after the FDA proves to be ineffective?

Madame Boxer

2009-06-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

So the latest meaningless big flop and twitch in the Conservative world is over Senator Barbara Boxer’s dressing down of a Brig General Michael Walsh who had the fortune of testifying before Congress about some minor issue that nobody will remember in a day and insisting that the General refer to her as “Senator” as opposed to “Ma’am” which is they way Military people are trained and expected to respond to Senior ranked females.

In many cases, Conservatives are blowing a gasket over the perceived slight to the General and the presumptuous snobbery of a Senator who presumes to claim in one sentence that she both has no sense of decorum or manners AND that nobody else ever had to work to become a Senator. By the by, Madame Boxer won her first Senate election when it turned out that her opponent had “gone to a strip club.” She won her second election by 10 points, by all definitions a landslide, her last by 20 percentage points. Barbara Boxer running for US Senate works about as hard as Casey Stengel managing the 1950’s Yankees.

But for the moment, Conservatives are trying to Letterman Madame Boxer for her verbal gaffe, and at the same time, missing the real issue. The fact is that in the Modern world, most etiquette experts define the term “ma’am” as unnecessary and even borderline inappropriate. I didn’t say that I agree with them, just that the people who actually set the rules say that addressing a person by title or name is preferable in 21^st Century America.

The real insult though was in how the rebuke was handed out. Brigadier Generals and Privates all understand what happened there and why Madame Boxer DOES in fact need to apologize, but not for the “ma’am” part. Meanwhile, all you folk who want to Letterman Madame Boxer, let me ask you a simple question, why was General Walsh at the hearing and what was he testifying about?

I submit to you that was far more important than Madame Boxers public nekulturny display.

Grish

2009-06-14T14:54:00.000-07:00

On my first day as a Sophomore I was headed to one of my classes, walking in my typical head down fast paced manner when a hand slammed down on my shoulder and turned me around. Standing suddenly still I found myself face to face with Grish, my French Horn Section Leader. "Dave," he said, "Freshmen run...."

In the Pueblo South High School Band Culture, Sections leaders were powerhouse leaders, expected to be both mentors and encouraging. Grish was a great Section Leader, and being the Number two Chair, it was also my job to learn from him so that when the time came, I would move up. My folks got moved after my Sophomore year and I never had the chance to be the Horns Section Leader, but I did use a lot of Grish in my later Section Leader of the Trombones Sections at Ogden High in Utah.

If you look at the pic of Grish and I from those days, you'd never guess which is which, given that one of us was an All-American Conservative Football player and the other a borderline last of the Hippie movement authority questioner. One looked like a clean cut kid, the other a long shaggy haired freakazoid. And of course, the pics were completly opposite of reality.

Grish was the one who talked me into playing in Orchestras. The School Orchestra was trying to branch out and use more brass, and needed some horns, Grish told me it would be fun and different, and that the Beethoven wrote some really kicking French Horn parts. Which was true, and sitting on stage in a tux playing the Egmont Overture was topped only by our sense of humor that caused us to be late getting on stage to play it int he first place. That's when I discovered that Orchestra people don't have the same sense of humor that Marching and Pep Band people have.

Grish talked me into Music Analysis class, and into taking new challenges and considering new things. He was funny, friendly and a leader who still influences me even today, thirty years later.

When my folks were transferred to Utah after my Sophmore year I never had the chance to talk to Grish or tell him that we were leaving. I never saw him or heard from him again. And this week, I connected again with another of our old French Horn section, April, who told me that Grish had passed away some time ago.

I suppose that she presumed that I already knew, because there were no details, no time frame, no how or why, just that Grish was gone and even thrity years after we last all saw each other with what was the best and most exciting musical time of my life, there is suddenly a huge hole that I cannot explain.

In the back of my mind I always imagined that at some point the three of us would somehow or another run into one another and share the success that our lives had become, and I would have the chance to tell Grish that I still remind myself almost everyday that "Freshmen run...."

My world got a little smaller and sadder, and even the kick-ass French Horn parts of the Egmont Overature seem a little softer and sadder today.

This Jew

2009-06-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

The "Reverend" Jeremiah Wright - a fine example of Christian love and the teaching of Jesus if I ever saw one - told the Hampton Roads Daily Press that "them Jews" won't [him] talk to" Obama.

For my own part, this Jew would be happy to have a sleezebag race whore like Wright talk all he wants to the POTUS. After showing his feet to Netenyahu (don't tell me it was a pic - the WH released it on purpose) it's pretty clear that our PLRI loving POTUS disrespects Jews as much as his mentor Wright hates them. Guess the POTUS learned it somewhere.

Reforming What About Health Care?

2009-06-08T14:27:00.000-07:00

Between the President, Congress and the Media, I am totally confused as to what’s going on with health care. I keep hearing – as I did yesterday – that we “have to do something right now” which strikes me as politician’s logic (i.e. “We have to do something, this is something, and therefore we must do this.”). The fact is that I keep looking at Health Care and while I have my opinion that the morons who run the HMO’s are certainly operating both a monopoly and a heartless one at that, there doesn’t seem to be anything actually wrong with the actual medical care itself. In point of fact, people come from all around the world to see our Docs and nurses, but bypass the HMO and bureaucracy.

Which is what I have said for years, the HMOs and idiots who run them are what is driving reasonable people to conclude that our Health Care System is broken and thus demand reform without really thinking about what we mean by demanding that “reform.”

Like most things, there are always the populist ideas that – in this case at least – seem to appeal to leftists and the President which ought to make anybody who thinks about it suspicious to begin with. I ask the question again – what exactly is wrong with the actual health care that we receive – other than the control systems we have to go through to get to that health care and then decide what will and/or will not be paid for as health care?

I noticed yesterday that the latest Supreme Court Nominee, Judge Sonia Sotomayer took a bit of a tumble and ended up breaking her ankle on the way to Washington, D.C. As t turned out, she was able to get it treated and not miss a beat, making her important meetings all day long with Senators. If that had been you or I, we would still be on the phone trying to get a referral to an Orthopedic Doctor or at least an X-Ray.

Which is what is really wrong with the system – the HMO’s have created a functional monopoly. Justice Sotomayer, an apparatchik in the system either paid for it herself or “had it taken care of” while the rest of us are forced by the HMO’s to rely on them to pay for our care. In effect, the HMO’s have hijacked the Free Enterprise system and made us their slaves.

But I am certain that the Government taking over the HMO’s will solve that and make it ever easier to get to the actual health care, which as far as I can tell, doesn’t need to be reformed at all….

Beha'aloscha

2009-06-07T22:15:00.000-07:00

As a general rule I try not to mix my theology and my show topics, but the fact is that that today's Torah reading and the daily Rashi commentary made it pretty hard to ignore the relevance both to my life and to my show.

The lighting of the Menorah both in its initial state and on the regular basis by the Priests and the position of the wicks for each of the branches of the Menorah is juxtaposed by Rashi in such a way as to show the importance of proper preparation for teaching. Granted I am not so much a teacher as a commentator but I am always cognizant of the fact that there are (a) always those who trust my opinion and (b) do in act learn from the subjects and material that we use on the show. I understand the mentality of some former NBA players who didn't want the responsibility of being role models and I am not presumptuous enough to put myself in the position of "role model" but there are those who take my opinions and information to form their own, and so in that manner it is similar to being an Instructor again.

Senior Chief Petry used to tell us that if a student failed it was our (the instructors) fault. We always got mad at him for that because, let's face it, some kids were just rocks and in some ways it was or job to rid the fleet of them. But now it is apparent that even Rashi seemed to have influenced (albeit unknowingly) the good Senior Chief. In essence, Rashi demands that Torah instructors be 100% prepared, and positioned in order to insure proper followup. In the same way Instructors had to be prepared and able to follow up, and presuming that we were the students should have been fine. A student who failed under those circumstances truly was incapable of becoming an FTB.

Interestingly enough the further discussion of the Siddur brought in the Pesukei D'Zimrah for Shabbat, focusing on Psalm 19 - which as you know is my favorite portion of the Tanach. Given the importance of Verse 2 and its effect on my understanding of Einstein and Gerald Shroeder and Rashis' insistence on proper preparation just seemed to be a pretty cool combination.

66% Roman Catholic Supreme Court?

2009-06-03T07:37:00.000-07:00

It would be funny if it wasn't so sad, but once again I get eMails blaming the "liberal Jews" for all the ills of the world and country. On the same day, some anti-religious group is complaining that "if" Judge Sotomayer is approved and seated on the Supreme Court that the religious makeup of the court would be 66% Roman Catholic.

Putting aside the obvious "so what?" response, lets delve a bit deeper. Judge Sotomayer does not belong to any parish or church. She is "Catholic" in name only and since Senator Feinstein thinks that her position on abortion is just dandy, one could conclude that Judge Sotomayer is about as Roman Catholic as I am.

Moreover many of the more liberal Justices have been and indeed are Roman Catholic which flies in the face of logic except that the fact is that most so-called religious people really aren't and don't actually believe the things that they say they believe (which is generally true of Western Christianity in any case). From Nancy (Catholic) Pelosi who supports abortion to Judge Sotomayer whose position on abortion is acceptable to leftist, it is pretty clear that the Roman Catholics in the Judicial branch don't really believe their own religious faith in the first place.

But I equally as certain that I won't get an eMail decring the failure of Catholics on the most powerful liberty smashing bench in the world to live up tho their religious tenents instead of the typical "I hate Jews" eMail that I will get.

If God Told Them To Run, Then Run Away From Them...

2009-06-01T14:00:00.002-07:00

Look I have no monopoly on theological issues, but I do know this, the Deity doesn’t deign to anoint politicians to run. Invariably when there is a public claim that the Deity did tap somebody on the shoulder to run for office they lose which begs the question of whether or not God understands what makes a good politician or if He just is too dumb to pick a winner. I guess the trade off is that if (and that is a huge presumptive if) the Deity does bother to wander down and tap somebody on the shoulder and tell them to run for any given office given His divine track record you have to conclude that it could be a giant practical joke.

Or I suppose, given Occam’s Razor, it is more likely that anytime a political candidate for any given office publically and openly announces that the reason they have decided to run for some office is that God told them to, it’s as good a reason as any to find another candidate to support as that one is clearly at least a touch whacked. I just don’t believe for a minute that people who run for religious reasons make either good candidates and worse, if somehow they manage to get elected, they don’t usually turn out to be all that effective legislators.

Now before you start lighting the fire to burn me at the stake or launch the Spanish Inquisition, consider a few things and debate from those instead of proprietary doctrine. If God really wanted people in charge that are there solely because He ordained them, wouldn’t some church or other religious organization already be in charge? Moreover, whenever some candidate says that THE reason they are running is to express their faith or because the Deity told them to, what are they really saying to you, the voter?

“God has picked me (I know because He told me) and if you don’t vote for me then you are anti-God and therefore a heathen condemned to the fires of hell” or whatever his or her personal theology happens to believe will become of those who chose not to believe their particular theology.

Moreover, it gives the candidate an easy out on any of the issues, as if you question their position on any given issue it gets twisted into an attack on their religious beliefs.

I am not saying that religious people shouldn’t run for office, I am saying that if the reason that a candidate is running is to express their personal faith or because God told them to, run away. Run as if your hair is on fire.

Monday Start the Week Thoughts

2009-06-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

I am already hearing from what I can only categorize as "gloating" anti-abortionists who are "happy" that Dr. Tiller was gunned down in church. Even as opposed to abortion as I am, I cannot see this as anything other than a crime and a vile one at that. Sorry folks, if you claim Christianity as your faith then you have no choice either. This is a pathetic and despicable act that will HARM the anti-abortion movement.

I am also hearing from those who are angry that the coming Budget cuts are going to "disproportionally effect" the poor. Well, maybe the "poor" should have taken the time to show up and vote to raise taxes and spending. They couldn't be bothered to show up to vote and participate in the process as something other than societal parasites, so I can only conclude that they either don't actually care or they aren't savvy enough to figure out that the producers in society are tired of carrying them.

The PDRK continues to make noise about flinging ICBM's about the North Pacific. Nobody cares.

Am I the only person happy that Susan Boyle not only lst but had a breakdown over it? What a fake!

Oh... and Sasha Baron Cohen and what's-his-name just isn't all that funny.

California State Budget Pandering on the CSU System

2009-05-30T08:27:00.001-07:00

The state budget pandering is quickly reaching incredible heights, from my personal "No" vote of all six of the recent props is going to kill somebody to the hand wringing over the states higher educations system raising fees while cutting student aid, you might have the impression that there is nothing left to cut and that the budgetary sky is falling.

It’s not, and just sitting here you can pretty well see that it is not.

From a purely philosophical standpoint we can ask the question, what is the state Government supposed to be doing versus what we want it to do, and then argue from there.

For my own part, I have always believed that if you want or need a college education, then pay for one. Stop expecting the tax payers to fund it in any way shape or form. Thousands of Americans have done this, and now we are supposed to believe that here in California people today are too stupid to figure out how to go to school and pay for it? Truth is that they probably aren’t going to benefit much from a college education. Moreover, if you are looking for the real educational value of college, consider that while raising your fees, the administrative salaries aren’t getting cut or getting any smaller. So the true educational lesson in economics is a lesson you could have gotten for free from P.T. Barnum.

K-12, fine, but nowhere is there any right to a college education, and anybody dumb enough to not see the waste and largess in the California higher education system probably isn’t going to benefit from the education provided anyway.

Except to tell me how they support it because without it the sky will fall….

State Parks Are NOT Necessary

2009-05-30T06:37:00.001-07:00

I like State Parks and for that matter National Parks, but this mornings Bee screams that the "Governor puts parks on hit lis t" and details that "only" 59 (out of 279) would remain open.

State Parks are nice, but thay are NOT a necessary function of State Government. They SHOULD be cut and the savings that we get from these cuts are around $210million over two years.

Just think about that for a second.

While Parks can serve a purpose, is it a function as envisioned by the Founders and Framers that TAX dollars, taken at the point of a gun would be used to force us to pay for leisure destinations and/or historical preservation? I am all about preserving history, but it should be done at a reasonable cost and with selective consideration.

In the first place, 279 State Parks is waaay too many. Fifty-Nine might still be too many, if you run the math, the cost of running the State Parks is over $1million PER PARK per year.

There aren't very many places in the world that are worth that to begin with, let along the savings being worth that.

Again, State Parks might be nice, but is that what the State Government is SUPPOSED to be doing? Or is it just job creation for State employees?

Googling the PDRK

2009-05-27T20:12:00.000-07:00

So after the show on Wednesday I decided to go to Google Earth and take a mental vacation. For some reason I thought that North Korea might be just the place to go on this trip, but wasn't really expecting to see much given the extreme closed culture and the news that the place is essentially destitute and broke.

I was somewhat surprised as I Google-flew into Pyongyang I was a little taken back at the modern and massive city. I wasn't surprised that there was no Street view as there is in a lot of other cool places on my Google-trips, but I was able to find my way around and even got to an amusement park with a massive looping Roller-coaster!

After traveling about the city for a while I started getting that weird feeling again, and I realized that something is wrong. Okay... two things were wrong.

First, even though it was a daytime shot, there were virtually no cars on any of the roads and no people anywhere. It was weird. Go over to Tokyo or Seoul and you'll see what I mean. I figured that maybe it was just the wrong time of day, so I headed over to the coastal cities figuring that there is always activity there.

There wasn't.

So I started wondering why the people weren't out there. The only reasonable conclusion is the destitution of the PDRK is real.

But one of the ore surprising things is how detailed the Google Earth photos of the PDRK are. Consider, if the Google people can get that detailed in North Korea, what does the CIA know?

It was just a little Google-trip, but I was glad to get back to Modesto.

Anti-Semites

2009-05-26T21:39:00.001-07:00

Look, I get that that there are those among the Conservative movement who like lunatics of years gone by want to blame the Jews for everything from bad weather to economic woes (as opposed to a POTUS/Congress who spend like drunk sailors). But seriously, it's getting old.

I am not any more enamored of Rahm Emanuel than many of you, but the FACT is that he DID NOT serve in the Israeli Army. Sorry, it it untrue and your telling me that he and Benjamin Netanyahu are "cousins" doesn't make it so. Moreover, making sure that you aren't sending any actual evidence is likely to convince me that nothing other than hateful anti-Semitism is at work as opposed to any actual Conservative values.

Don't we have enought real issues to deal with instead of makingup crap just because a few people hate Jews?

How To Attract Young Conservatives

2009-05-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

I was watching NatGeo (as I often do) the other day . It was a special on American Nazis and how they use music to attract young people. It was pretty shocking and disgusting, but one really can't argue with the overall effectiveness given that the Pop music world does exactly the same thing to attract younger folks to its point of view.

We Conservatives and even the GOPers are constantly complaining about how the left uses both the media and pop culture to influence the younger generations, but somehow or another we seem to miss the obvious lesson.

Which is why I had such a great time Saturday night in Ripon at the Main Street Inn, watching E.A.R.L. release their newest CD. Most stogy old folk aren't going to like them at all. Still, I am telling you, it can be done and it doesn't have to be overt or smashing people over the head with doctrine. The fact is that thought processes are influenced slowly and gently.

Or in this case, with good music and fun people.

Impertinent thoughts for a Friday

2009-05-22T07:24:00.000-07:00

Sheesh, I am so tired of Politicians who are late. If you schedule a speech or press conference for 10am, show up at 0955. This "She's always a little bit late" crap is unprofessional and rude. If you can't be on time, then don't schedule the press availability. Okay, once is an accident, but this is every dang time. From the POTUS who can't seem to get anywhere on time to the Speaker who is "always running a little bit late" it is just pathetically unprofessional. Think classy, you'll be classy. And the number one way of insulting people is wasting their time waiting on you.

Can you guess that I HATE late people?

I am ToTaLly convinced that the State Legislature not only will not solve the Budget problem but is 100% incapable of solving it. The proposed slashing will never happen because the Democrats will scream bloody murder about the "Poor" being hurt so badly. The people with property to protect will never allow fire and police cuts. Impasse city and the Legislature has no clue how to get out of it.

Tim Giethner told us that it will take "an act of congress" to guarantee bonds for a California Bailout. Okay.... that's a little unnerveing. "Hey Congress, you need to pass a law to Bailout California because I am not taking that fall for that one...."

Don't Politicians understand how silly Honorary Degrees are? Nancy Pelosi got hers yesterday and so decided to open her press conference with "Since I got my honorary degree from Johns Hopkins (a medical school) it has been a wonderful week for energy policy....." These honorary degrees are pointless and frankly they ought to embarrass the people who get them for the reasons the get them. "Thanks for showing up, here's a joke degree that you won't get because you can't read Latin...."

Wide Open Redux

2009-05-21T09:15:00.000-07:00

There are some things that just "are." It's hard to explain, but when these things - for some reason, "aren't" then it should immediately indicate a problem and in this case, we blew it.

During yesterdays Wide Open Wednesday Show in which we got into what should have been a hot topic of religious freedom, the phones died.

So we'll make up for it today after we finish up with Adam on the Modesto Budget.

Wide Open Redux....

Memorial Day Show

2009-05-20T14:31:00.000-07:00

Just finished recording the first hour of the Memorial Day show. Usually on a Holiday we do a “Best Of” show - thanks to California Labor Law we literally (or I guess I literally) cannot work on a designated company Holiday, so usually the “Best Of” is the easiest way to go.

But this is Memorial day and it just seemed sad to do that that when I have so much to say on the matter of sacrifice and the military. So I sat down this morning and recorded at least an hour of show content about Memorial Day. I have to tell you it wasn’t as easy as it sounds on listening to the air check. I picked out some music pieces that left me choked up and thinking about stuff in the context of Memorial Day. It’s always a hard day for me as I recall the personal friend I lost in 1990, Chris.

Anyway, at least the first hour of Monday will be “new” content and for me was far more emotional than I thought it would be. Hope I got my point across.

GOP Liberty Caucus

2009-05-19T11:32:00.000-07:00

Got an eMail overnight "telling" me all about the "wonderful liberty loving Republican Liberty Caucus" and how I should be promoting this group.

Okay, fine let's vet the GOP Liberty Caucus:

Barry Goldwater - Up Check
Ronald Regan - Up Check
Ron Paul - Two Down Checks (how did Ron Paul become the face of modern conservatism?)

Platform Items

· Lower and fewer taxes for individuals and businesses - Up Check

· The right of privacy for individuals - Up Check

· The right of law-abiding individuals keep and bear arms - Up Check

· Balanced budgets through spending cuts - Up Check

· Educational choice - No comment - insufficient detail for ruling

· Freedom of speech for individuals - Up Check - as long as it is ALL individuals

· Protection of property rights for individuals and businesses - Up Check

· Market-based health care - Up Check

· Alternatives to the federal War on Drugs - Down check

· All-volunteer armed forces - Up Check

· Sound monetary policies - ? As defined by whom? Ron Paul?

· Deregulation - Up Check

· Phase-out of foreign aid - Down Check

· Phase-out of federal welfare - Down Check

· Private options for Social Security - Unconvinced

· Free trade - Up Check

· Privatization of government functions - Up Check

So all I am left with is a simple question for the GOP Liberty Caucus: Who did you (a) endorse and (b) vote for in November? Did the GOPLC support McCain? Did you support Abel Maldanado? When push comes to shove are you going to vote GOP regardless of the the Candidates position on your issues?

Let me know. Like most things it sounds good, but I am suspicious of deals that sound good.

Using South American Religious Traditions

2009-05-18T21:59:00.000-07:00

Okay, while I adhere to the teachings of Moshe and the Torah, my own personal observation and experience cause me to pay attention when given advice by my best friend who happens to be from a South American Country.

Recently upon advice from her and her own religious tradition- a simple act of what I would classify as "witch doctoring" could result in accomplishing what I could not myself.

Not saying that I believe in this stuff, but the last time I went with her to carry out one of these processes the result was pretty impressive. So hopefully this time, the similar things will happen.

Are You "Real?"

2009-05-18T12:31:00.000-07:00

Had an interesting question the other night from a listener at the Angels & Demons premier, which by the by, was pretty good, about me and while at first I didn’t really understand the question reflection helped me see what I think that he was actually asking.

One of the dangers of radio is that one becomes a disembodied voice coming out of a box. It’s a very difficult medium to work in as I have told you before for two big reasons. First there is no immediate “push back” from an audience. Yes, there are calls and eMails, but those come AFTER anything I have to say has already been said. There is no immediate gasp or laugh or sucking in of breath that helps a live speaker gauge how his or her audience is reacting. Calls and eMails take time, and really the HARDEST thing to learn in radio is how to compensate for that loss of “push back.”

The second thing is that there is not the visual element of Television or movies. Radio is live (for the most part) and there are no “second takes.” In TV or films an actor gets multiple chances to get it right, followed by a directors massaging to get the emotional feel of the lighting or soundtrack (or even laugh track) just right to convey a response. I imagine the actual act of the TV or Film is hard but there isn’t the immediate death of no push back. If the audience hates a film, the actor may not know for years.

There is an element of radio that causes people to wonder if what they hear – and consequently see in their minds – is “real.” Which is what I was asked last night, “Are you real?”

The immediate response should show that I am real – I am an innate smartass and so I instantly responded that I was in fact real and made a soft physics joke, but that really wasn’t what the listener was looking for in an answer.

I can only speculate about the past here on KFIV, but it would seem based on this one listener (not the greatest database of observation I grant you) that at some point in the past one or more of my predecessors were not “real.” I asked for clarification and the listener responded that he wanted to know if the person I am on the air is the person I am off the air.

In short, yes.

Yeah, I have a stage name, but as I have explained innumerable times it wasn’t my idea and at one point we had a plan to dump it (before it turned out that sales focus groups liked the stage name). So I presume that what he was asking was about who I am beliefs-wise as it relates to me on the air.

I am pretty sure that I am. I won’t deny that there is an occasional “put-up” to start a discussion or get people thinking, but usually those are pretty obvious. So yes, the beliefs that I espouse on the air are in fact my real everyday world beliefs.

Hannity always says that one has to be real on the air or one won’t last, and I believe that he is right. My all-time favorite chat show host is a guy by the name of Mike Sorce who lived his life on the air – including the tragic death of his beloved wife. He never made a deal of hiding behind his stage name, even though in a lot of ways he was just as much Don Geronimo as he is Mike Sorce. In the same way, Dave! Diamond is just as much me as David Ray Bowman is. We are one and the same, just a different aspect I suppose. By the way - I HATE the name "Dave" and would never use it in my real life. Anytime I have used it is solely to placate someone else and usually by their assigning it to me, not by my choice.

I can act, and I can play a role. I was trained to believe in and accept what the Navy calls “Positional Authority” which means that rank is not as important as position at any given moment. I put that to use the day that the French CNO (Chief of Naval Operations, the #1 French Navy guy) was standing behind me aboard USS Michigan observing a missile test drill. For whatever reason that day, MTRE-6 decided to die, and I – the BSM Supervisor (Launch Director) was attempting to get the system on line. Behind me this guy kept jabbering in French and making a great deal of noise and distraction including his aides and our Naval Attaches who were trying to explain it all. After a few moments I assumed a Command attitude and informed all the visitors that they needed to be quiet and demure (and yes – I did so in a “Navy” way). There was an awkward moment of silence, followed by my resumption of the countdown in casualty mode.

Later my Div-O started chewing on me, but Lt. Dave Fritsch, my WEPS stood up for me, telling the DIV-O that I was my countdown to run, my MCC and my job. That earned Lt. Fritsch my respect and to this day he was the best officer for whom I ever worked.

I am not crazy enough to believe that I (a) know everything or (b) am always right. So here are some issues that I believe show my “reality” but I am also open to others if you want to ask. There are two subjects I will never discuss, so up front those are off limits and out of bounds. Obviously I am bound by my non-disclosure agreements with the Navy on issues that cannot be discussed. I can assure you that based on my experience (I held a TS-SIOP-ESI Clearance with a JSTPS Briefing) that I speak with authority and knowledge about certain issues but that I will not discuss how I know those things. It may not be fair, but it is the law, and in the end, you can trust me or you can trust the New York Times.

The other issue is my family life. I have been burned a couple of times trying to bring my family and close friends into my show, and what I learned is that it isn’t fair to them. Those items are off limits except in the most general of senses.

Let’s head off into the list of “beliefs” that I have talked about on the air. I will add to it as things occur to me, but for starters:

• I am a hard line military hawk conservative. My primary issues are National Security, the military, VA Issues.

• My second issue is Taxes and spending

• I am a Constitutionalist with the understanding that we CAN change it if we decide to, but we have to follow the process, not popular opinion.

• I usually have no real problem admitting when I am wrong, but one of the things that bugs the snot out of me is when people won’t acknowledge when I am right.

• My religious experience and faith could fill hours, but really is not of interest to anybody except theology wonks. In short I am Jewish because I believe – after years as an ordained pastor –that that is “What Jesus Would Do (be).”

• I am convinced that Physics proves that there MUST be a creative force (ADONAI). I need faith to convince me that in 13.7billion years of a universe that I am of any consequence to that Creator.

• I oppose abortion, but I am not a militant. I see it as a sad commentary on our society but we will never get rid of the law, so it’s a waste of time to go that route. It’s still not the law to FORCE abortions, so it’s better to change individual minds and stop it that way.

• I am not anti-tax or anti-new taxes. I am anti-wasteful spending. If you need a tax for a specific item, fine, but I oppose “general taxes” that contribute to more wasteful spending that is unaccountable. To refine that a bit, I believe in FUND ACCOUNTING. The General Fund is the worst management idea ever and should be abolished.

• I hate religious Taliban types of any faith or denomination

• I love sports, especially football, hockey and baseball. I can tolerate basketball, and I have passing interest in the minor sports. I wish that I could get into soccer, but after years of trying I simply cannot. I love to play tennis and golf.

• I am a professional musician, although I have more or less gotten out of the business. It never was my livelihood, just something that I do completely for fun.

• I oppose the Death Penalty as it is currently practiced in our country. It is unfairly applied, poorly enforced and costs far too much to implement. If we change the system I will re-evaluate it but I have always believed that if we execute one innocent person the Death Penalty is a failure. In my opinion it’s cheaper and safer to have a life sentence with no parole than to wrongly execute an innocent person. Yes, it’s rare, but it DOES happen.

• I really do like Modesto and the Great Central Valley.

That’s a start, maybe more than you wanted to know, maybe you want to know more. As long as it doesn’t cross into areas that I have designated, feel free to ask.

Nekulturny Callers

2009-05-14T18:09:00.000-07:00

Okay Delta-Sierra, I get that you “don’t like” outgoing Modesto Police Chief Roy Wasden or that the Bee did an article praising him for his almost nine years of service to the City.

Big Whoop.

If you have issues with the Modesto Bee and their stories, write them a letter and explain how much you think the Police Chief sucked and what a better job you would have done in his place.

Or even better, run for City Council and hire somebody better.

If the ToTaL sum of your complaint is that he is leaving (which he announced in December) and you now want to take a chance to dump on the guy because per capita we lead the world in Car Theft rates for three of last five years I would respectfully* submit that you are an ass-hat.

When somebody leaves a job after doing a reasonably good job it is customary to congratulate him or her and wish him or her well, which is what the Bee did. Anything less is nekulturny and best left in your barn.

Chief Wasden did a whale of a job in a difficult place to work. There aren’t very many people who would take the crap he took with the dignity and grace that he did while at the same time doing a reasonably good job.

What says the most is that when a grant deadline was missed he stood up and took the hit. The truth is that it was some low level functionary who actually screwed up, but unlike his predecessor Chief Wasden understands the principles of leadership and stood up for his Department. I am equally certain that the real culprit understands fully and frankly the consequences of the screw up and at the same time is equally impressed and grateful that his or her name never made it into the papers. That is leadership and Roy Wasden has “it.”

Congrats to Chief Wasden and to the City of Turlock.

Dave! Diamond

*respectfully so that I am not accused of cyber-bullying.

Service Joke (Thanks to PocketSized)

2009-05-14T07:04:00.000-07:00

I was confused when I heard the word service used in these expressions:

Internal Revenue Service
U.S. Postal Service
Telephone Service
Cable TV Service
Civil Service
State, City, County & Public Service
Customer Service

This is not what I thought 'service' meant.But today, I overheard two farmers talking,and one of them said he had hired a bull to'service' a few cows, BAM!!! It all came into focus.

Now I understand what all those agencies are doing to us.

Hey Modesto, Wanna Make Some Money?

2009-05-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

If the City of Modesto really wants to make some serious money, all they'd have to do is heavily patrol Pelandale road.

The speed limit is 35 and it's a ToTaL construction zone from Dale to Coffee. So fines are double and since virtually NOBODY is following the speed limit, there would be a whole buttload of money to be made.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy

2009-05-13T17:06:00.000-07:00

I served aboard USS Michigan SSBN-727(G) from 1982 to 1988 out of Bangor, WA. Looking back at it, there were at least three gay guys, including my best friend on the Boat - who I will not name here.

It's pretty clear to me that the only people who care at all about "Gays in the Military" are people who want to be GAY in the military, not Military people who happen to be gay.

It's time to realize two things. First: there have ALWAYS been gay people in the Military, most of whom were far more interested in a military career than a dating flock and second, that under "Don't Ask, don't tell" the ONLY way to get kicked out for being GAY is to announce that one is. So let’s face facts, it's all a political act the goal of which is to make a political and social statement as opposed to showing that gay people can and do serve honorably in the military.

It's time to drop the pretense and the policy and expect people to behave like adults in an adult environment.

Dave! Diamond

"Angels & Demons" -vs- "The Passion"

2009-05-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

It didn't take long before I started getting complaints from some listeners about our "Premiere Party" at 12:01am Friday for Angels & Demons.

"It's offensive."

"It's disrespectful to Roman Catholicism..."

So forth and so on.

Folks... it's FICTION. It's a story setting. While it might make you uncomfortable, where were your "complaints" about art being offensive when "The Passion of the Christ" showed to record crowds?

We are not the PLRI who puts out fatwa’s and jihads for popular artistic expression. If you don't want to read or see "Angels & Demons" then simply vote with your wallet and don't go.

The fact is that any time you touch on religion you are going to offend somebody. For the record, I found “The Passion” to be almost unbelievably offensive, not for its gratuitous violence but for it’s portrayal of unsound doctrine and false depiction of Jewish law and social behavior. In my view “The Passion” was little more than a screen version of Oberammergau.

Now you can be offended by that as I was by the film. But what I did was not go to see “The Passion.” If Angels & Demons offends you, then don’t go. But don’t tell me that I cannot go and enjoy myself at a fiction story about nuclear physics SET in the Vatican.

Dave! Diamond