Random Notes from a Crank

I've been an avid viewer of Saturday Night Live since I was a kid. 

The sketch about Zelensky's visit to trap in the White House was spot on. And the new agency DOUCHE is strikingly accurate. That's what they're setting out to do: Department of Unmaking Child Healthcare and Education. 

Mike Myers had to have a lot of fun imitating Musk's strange mannerisms. 

I recently watched the Netflix movies about the start of SNL, Saturday Night. If the depiction is true, I never knew Chevy Chase and John Belushi disliked each other so much. 

It's now once again what I call the dead season of sports. I neither watch the NBA nor the NHL. And March Madness hasn't started. Since I quit playing fantasy baseball, I don't watch much MLB. And because Hulu doesn't have the Marquee Network, I don't watch the Cubs. 

Democrats are inviting federal workers who were fired because of the draconian efforts of DOGE to Moscow Don's Congressional address on Tuesday. Many of them are veterans. 

I like this move because it shows how Trump, Musk, and their goons are just indiscriminately firing people. And I like how pissed-off constituents are showing up at town halls. 

Of course, craven Republicans will just stop having town halls if I had to guess. 

Musing of the Moment: The Confederate History of the Gadsden Flag

Laurie Brodie wrote an interesting article in the The Washington Post that reveals the crooked history of the Gadsden flag.

Here's a link to the gifted article: "The Disgraced Confederate History of the 'Don't Tread on Me' Flag"

I dislike the flag because of its association with anti-government nutjobs and the followers of Moscow Don. 

However, I didn't know the history of its use in the Civil War. It makes sense though because Gadsden was from South Carolina. 

Musing of the Moment: Searching for a New Word for T****

 If you've been reading this blog for a long time or for a short time, it's clear I despise the 45th president. 

On a related note, I like to play card games, especially spades and euchre. 

I am on a search for different world to use in place for trump. I don't want to utter Moscow Don's last name because it just makes me angry, among other unhelpful emotions. I'm taking my cue from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in that they use this to present his name: "T****."

So here are some possible replacements for a word that replace t****:

• Stopper
• Closer
• Changer
• Biden
• Putin
• Secret Jewish Laser Satellite
• Antifa

If you have any better suggestions for a replacement word for t****, please provide them in the comments. 

Random Notes from a Crank

The drama of the summer transfer window has been interesting for Tottenham Hotspur. I didn't know there was so much hubbub about transfers until I started following the Premier League. The Spurs have been active in signing a number of players: Hojbjerg, Hart, Doherty, Reguilon, Bale, and now finally a striker in Vinicius. 

Now it's just a matter of days before Rose gets sold and Foyth and Sessengon are put out on loan. 

Moscow Don got Covid-19. Even though he's known for being a germaphobe, it's no surprise he got it. Apparently, they did debate prep without masks. I guess thoughts and prayers are in order to that douche bag. Still, what a bunch of clowns. 

The debate commission has plans to make the next two debates more orderly. The only move that will help is giving the moderator the power to mute the tRump's microphone when Biden is being asked a question or when Biden is talking. 

The article, "How the Virus Won" or "How the Pandemic Defeated America," in the The Atlantic is essential reading for when the next pandemic hits. It's not a matter of if, but it's a matter of when. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I cannot understand how anyone watching the first presidential debate can justify Moscow Don's behavior and justify their support for such a man. 

People will say it was a "shit show," but the reality is that it was a shit show because of Trump with his constant interruptions, lies, and bullshit. 

As Rainn Wilson posted on FB in obvious reference to the 45th president's performance, "My parents taught me that it was rude and disrespectful to interrupt people." 

Regardless, during a presidential debate, the sitting president gave a shout-out to a white nationalist group and advocated for voter suppression. Class act. 

I checked the Real Clear Politics website this morning to check on the Senate races, and much to my pleasant surprise, the South Carolina Senate race has moved to "toss up." I hope Jaime Harrison is running ads that point out Lindsey Graham's multiple levels of hypocrisy. 

I contributed to Theresa Greenfield's campaign. Durbin is likely to easily retain his Senate seat in Illinois, but I'd love to see an Democrat from Iowa in the Senate. 

As the New York Times reported about Moscow Don's tax returns, he's in deep debt. He has loans coming due that amount to 421 million dollars. And the reason he hasn't paid much in taxes over the years because he's a terrible businessman. A person in that much debt holding political office is a serious national security threat. 

As a result, he's Putin's lapdog. 

What a con artist. 

Musing of the Moment: The Best Words

tremendous, incredible, not been done before, great, fantastic, absolutely fantastic, pretty quickly, I can tell you, really good job, 100 percent, very successful, faster than people think, the big ones, great meeting, they've been fantastic, trust me, it was an incredible thing, fantastic job, big, I don't think I've ever seen anything like it, important people, going big, that's the way it'll be, great job, very simple, like nobody's ever seen, massive numbers, tremendous amounts, totally

The words above are the verbal filler that Moscow Don uses when he gives a speech. And I compiled these during a highly scripted speech. 

Regardless, this is a worst-case scenario: a pandemic hits the US while the country is being led by a science-averse clown. And it's a pandemic because the country is being led by a science-averse clown.

Random Notes from a Crank

I was in the liquor aisle the other day, and on a whim I decided to buy some single malt Scotch, in particular Glenlivet. 

That was a mistake. It's not that's it's bad, but I just prefer bourbon. I should have spent that kind of money on Eagle Rare, Evan Williams Single Barrel, Four Roses Single Barrel, or some other kind of high-dollar, excellent bourbon like 1792. 

With the cursory research I've done on single malt Scotches, if I'm going to shell out some money for that kind of juice, from the description of them, I should invest my booze dollars on Scotches from the Isle of Isley, specifically Lagavulin and Laphroaig. I like whiskey with a lot of character ~ lots of oak or lots of peat. Isley whiskies sound like the type of Scotch that I might prefer. That and Johnnie Walker Black. The smokier the better. 

Which gets me to the idea that I should get a smoker. But now I'm on to food. 

A few days ago I patched together a soup/stew from some ingredients I need to use before they got too far along. I had a half head of cabbage and some cauliflower, so I cut up the cabbage and cauliflower, dumped in some chicken and beef stock, and added a pound of smoked kielbasa. Add in freshly cracked black pepper, granulated garlic, and some bouquet garni, and it's a decent dinner for this here crank. 

Moscow Don's impeachment is an exercise for the GOP putting party over country. What a murder of clowns. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I am in support of the global movement of the "Fridays for Future" movement. As detailed in this Washington Post article, "School Climate Strikes Draw Thousands to the Streets in Cities Around the Globe," the movement entails this: "students forgo classes each week in favor of something they have said is more important: pleading for action on an issue that will affect every person on the planet, but young people most of all." I find it heartening that people are protesting when many of them can't even vote yet. 

Meanwhile a majority of the GOP and Moscow Don either don't want to do anything about climate change or stupidly describe it as a "hoax." 

Clowns. 

Stupid, stupid clowns. 

Their nonsense reminds me of a great quotation from a fine book by Catherine Nixey: The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World:

• "One can achieve a great deal by the blunt weapons of indifference and sheer stupidity." 

Here in Illinois, the state legislature has passed a law that is going to the new Governor that is making the legal age of buying tobacco products at age 21. I don't know about this bill. If there is any legal age that needs to be changed, the legal age to buy alcohol should move back down to 18. I do see teenagers vaping as a major issue, however. 

Music Friday: "Pure Comedy"

I've heard good things about Father John Misty, but I got intrigued after reading "Here Is the Scandalous Father John Misty Interview You've Been Waiting For" on Pitchfork. 

So yesterday I purchased I Love You, Honeybear. 

I'm looking forward to the new release, Pure Comedy. Here's the title track with lyrics afterward. 



"Pure Comedy"

The comedy of man starts like this.
Our brains are way too big for our mothers' hips.
And so Nature, she divines this alternative.
We emerged half-formed and hope that whoever greets us on the other end
Is kind enough to fill us in.
And, babies, that's pretty much how it's been ever since.

Now the miracle of birth leaves a few issues to address.
Like, say, that half of us are periodically iron deficient.
So somebody's got to go kill something while I look after the kids.
I'd do it myself, but what, are you going to get this thing its milk?
He says as soon as he gets back from the hunt, we can switch.
It's hard not to fall in love with something so helpless.
Ladies, I hope we don't end up regretting this.

Comedy, now that's what I call pure comedy.
Just waiting until the part where they start to believe
They're at the center of everything.
And some all-powerful being endowed this horror show with meaning.

Oh, their religions are the best.
They worship themselves, yet they're totally obsessed
With risen zombies, celestial virgins, magic tricks, these unbelievable outfits.
And they get terribly upset
When you question their sacred texts
Written by woman-hating epileptics.

Their languages just serve to confuse them.
Their confusion somehow makes them more sure.
They build fortunes poisoning their offspring
And hand out prizes when someone patents the cure.
Where did they find these goons they elected to rule them?
What makes these clowns they idolize so remarkable?
These mammals are hell-bent on fashioning new gods,
So they can go on being godless animals.

Oh comedy, their illusions they have no choice but to believe
Their horizons that just forever recede.
And how's this for irony, their idea of being free is a prison of beliefs
That they never ever have to leave.

Oh comedy, oh it's like something that a madman would conceive!
The only thing that seems to make them feel alive is the struggle to survive.
But the only thing that they request is something to numb the pain with
Until there's nothing human left.
Just random matter suspended in the dark.
I hate to say it, but each other's all we got.

Random Notes from a Crank

If you're not watching Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, you're missing something. It's too bad the show is only on once a week. 

Here's a greatest hits from the first six weeks of the show posted on sheknows.com: "8 Times Samantha Bee Has Positively Owned Late Night."  

The other day my daughter and I were watching the program, and she said, "I want to be like her," meaning she wants to be someone who does investigative reporting and calls out people on their bullshit. 

This is the same young lady who volunteered to enter a speech contest and won second without any help from her parents. If she does it again next year, I'm going to make sure I consult on the speech. Next time we'll be gunning for first. 

Seth Meyers had a nice piece on the nonsense of trickle-down economics happening in Kansas. Those policies are as dumb as a box of dildos. Literally. 




"Why Donald Trump Is Wrong about Manufacturing Jobs and China" from The New Yorker is an interesting read. I wrote about reshoring in 2012 and 2013. I'd still like to see more jobs come back to the U.S.A. One move both Trump and Sanders have made is tapping into resentment about "free trade." In fact, Trump talks like a protectionist, which among other Trump-based matters, is roiling the GOP establishment.

Unfortunately, Sports Illustrated has predicted that the Cubs will be in the World Series this season. That's bad news because SI is notorious for being horrible at predictions. 

Stay Positive: Kickball

I imagine them now. There are ghost runners hanging out on bases all throughout the land. 

Not until a few days ago I hadn't used the term "ghost runner" since I was a kid. Now I'm using it all the time. 

Besides some typical April rainy weather, it's been quite nice lately, and the kids and I -- well, my son and I mainly -- have been playing kickball in our front yard. 

It's a sweet game. All you need are bases and a ball. It's a mash-up of dodge ball and baseball. Once the ball has been kicked, the runner is fair game unless he or she is on a base.

I look forward to playing this game much more this summer. Game on, clowns. 

Thoughts on the Cubs

Today a reporter from the Chicago Sun-Times related that both the Braves and Nationals have inquired about trading for centerfielder Marlon Byrd. He's under contract this year for $6.5 million but will be a free agent after this season. I doubt the Cubs' brass will be able to get much for Byrd, who is a decent third/fourth outfielder for a club.

However, when he gets dealt this season--and there's really no if related to that prospect--it should be interesting. Do they deal him now and plug in Campana, Mather, and Johnson while Brett Jackson waits to get called up? Or it's possible they wait a while to ship out Byrd, who seems like a stand-up guy by all accounts, later in the season if a contending club is more desperate due to injuries and/or underachievement. They're not going to get much for Byrd right now, I think, so I suspect they'll take their time.

Interestingly, the two teams that have inquired about Byrd is telling. Both of these NL East teams sense significant weakness from the Phillies with Utley having knee problems and Howard still out with his injury.

But back to the Cubs.

I wrote about the team's possible 2012 starting lineup previously.

But here's what I think it'll look like at the end of the season:
Starting Lineup:
1. Brett Jackson (CF)
2. David DeJesus (RF)
3. Starlin Castro (SS)
4. Anthony Rizzo (1B)
5. Geovany Soto (C)
6. Ian Stewart (3B)
7. Alfonso Soriano (LF)
8. Darwin Barney (2B)

Starting Rotation:
1. Matt Garza
2. Ryan Dempster
3. Paul Maholm
4. Chris Volstad
5. Jeff Samardzija


Bullpen:
Closer: Kerry Wood
Set-Up Man: Some Dude
Set-Up Man: Some Dude


The two players who I'm tempted to take out of the lineup are Soriano and Garza. The Cubs openly fielded offers for Garza in the off-season, so it's a strong possibility they'll deal him if the prospects they get in return are worth it. 


As for Soriano, they obviously want to deal that albatross of a contract, but whether he leaves depends on how much the organization is willing to eat of the crazy-ass contract that clown Hendry inked him to. 


I'm also thinking the Cubs deal Marmol. 

Angry at a Clown

The MLB trading deadline passed yesterday afternoon.

And I'm even more angry at Cubs GM Jim Hendry. Remember that guy? He's the fellow who signed Alfonso Soriano to a crazy deal and brought the Milton Bradley/Carlos Silva fiasco to the Friendly Confines.

I will credit him with dealing Fukudome to Cleveland for two prospects before the deadline. Of course, the Cubs had to eat a ton of the right fielder's salary, but the deal frees up roster space for younger players to get more experience. Then again, I suspect Quade will platoon Reed Johnson and Tyler Colvin in right field. Sigh.

But there were three guys on the current roster who other teams had interest in: Aramis Ramirez, Marlon Byrd, and Carlos Pena.

With Ramirez, sure, he has a no-trade clasue. But the way his contract is structured is that if he had been traded to a team (such as the Angels who were interested), then his option year (2012) vests. Ramirez would have been guaranteed a one-year contract over his market value even at a position (3B) of limited depth. But ole Hendry signed A-Ram to a deal with a no-trade clause, and he couldn't sell him on waiving it even though he'd be guaranteed a fat contract next year with a different ball club.

But let's look at the guys who the Cubs front office might have had some control over in a deal. That clown Hendry decided that they weren't going to trade either Byrd or Pena. That makes sense, right? The Cubs have been out of the NL Central race for quite some time, but let's not deal any veterans who would have given the current roster and/or farm system a needed boost.

As much as I like Byrd, if there was a decent deal that would have sent him somewhere, it makes sense to deal him and call up Brett Jackson or heck let Campana play there for the rest of season. What do they have to lose except more games?

But Hendry not dealing Pena really pisses me off. Sure, Pena is probably the back-up plan if the Cubs don't sign Prince Fielder in the off-season, but if you deal him for a prospect or two now, it's not like you can't sign him for next season since he has a one-year contract. Jesus H. Christ...

While Pena stays put in Chicago, Baltimore deals Derrek Lee, who has a one-year contract, to the Pirates for prospects.

Knowing my luck as a Cubs fan, Hendry will be retained as GM, and he'll sign Pujols to a ten-year contract, a Soriano-like deal that is good for the first few years but becomes awful later on.

Embrace This

A column by Joe Cowley in the Chicago Sun-Times throws some reasonable thinking on all the "hoopla" that has surrounded the man-hug between Pujols and Hendry last Tuesday that has created subject matter for the sports talk radio circuit. The article is "Believe Albert Pujols will be a Cub? You're Embracing Fantasy."

To mimic Freud, sometimes a hug is just a hug. 

As Cowley relates, "Finally, it’s public knowledge what comes off the books for the Cubs after this season. Kosuke Fukudome ($14.5 million in 2011), Carlos Pena ($10 million), John Grabow ($4.8 million), and of course the dead money that is Carlos Silva ($11.5 million) are all free agents."

Combine those salaries together, and it comes to just about 41 million dollars off the books. 

The Cardinals can keep Pujols if he is really gonna get a ten-year deal. He'd be worth it for about five or six years up until he's allegedly 36/37. Then there will be four to five years of diminishing returns. 

The Chicago National League Ball Club, a team that once was called the Orphans, should use a large hunk of that money to acquire a left-handed power bat and pitching. 

Random Notes from a Crank

This weekend I watched a number of TV programs, and they informed me that having a dog helps prevent heart disease, and the same goes for gardening. Some research out there provides a causal link that says people who garden having less of a chance of heart problems and stress in general.

I can see why someone would try to make that claim since there is a therapeutic aspect of gardening. And you can get some low-impact sort of exercise, I guess. But what about the weeds? They don't create stress. But possibly anger? I look down at my rows of lettuce, spinach, shallots, and carrots, and I think, "I just pulled some of you bastards a little while ago."

Obviously, I should have sprung for a bagged mower, so I could put grass clippings in between the rows. That's a veteran move my dad used in his garden all the time.

But to dogs. I can see how they reduce stress, but then again, these studies don't account for the constant picking up of poop or the barking. I'm a dog lover--don't get me wrong. Darby has been a great dog for us, so I'm not saying I dislike my dog or something.

A couple of programs the kids and I watched were on Animal Planet. They featured certain breeds, and one of shows focused on my favorite: the English Springer Spaniel. Loyal, smart, obedient, easy to train, great with kids, those dogs are my favorite breed. No contest.

During the program's talk about the breed, they discussed how a Springer is being used in a suburb in Ontario somewhere for harassing geese from public parks and golf courses. It was fabulous. They showed tape of that Springer running all over the place to chase off geese, swimming after 'em, flushing those honkers to somewhere else.

Darby isn't a Springer. She's half beagle and half either Black Lab or German Shepherd, but she has a hatred for birds like that dog in the show. She protects the backyard from any bird landing on the ground. She don't play.

Since I've been taping Looney Toons on Cartoon Network for our viewing pleasure, I've been reliving cartoons from my childhood. There are benefits to this. Today Quinn ate a whole big carrot for a snack while saying on occasion, "What's up Doc?"

But Daffy. I prefer the Duck to the Hare. In particular, I enjoy the old Daffy Duck cartoons before he started getting paired with Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. In the older cartoons, he was more of trickster figure and perhaps slightly lunatic with all the hootin' and hollerin'.

Later on, the Duck got made into a vain, cheap, and self-centered character. To a degree, he compares to the Jack Benny character Benny created for his show.

Take care clowns.

Don't Play That

As a kid I was never fond of clowns. I didn't get what was supposed to be so funny about them. They dressed like morons. And their jokes were hokey. Except for the clown car. I admit it. I liked that schtick at the circus. So clowns, you got me on that one. Well played.

I've just never felt comfortable with clowns, not to the degree of coulrophobia but a general uncomfortableness with their hokum. They are always so fake happy. I would think as a kid, "Give me a break. Everybody knows you're faking all this, 'The world's such a funny place, and I bring comedy into the world.'"

To me, if that guy who Robin Williams played in the one movie, you know that Patch Adams fella, if he came to my hospital room and tried to lighten my mood, I'd be "Get your painted ass out of here, chief. Clowns need not apply for my hospital room. I got standards. Go to the book store and bring me some Camus or Twain or Larry Brown and get the hell out of here. And I want my change back!"

Then things changed.

I became a regular viewer of In Living Color, the sketch comedy series that featured the Wayans brothers, brothers who attempted to rival the Marsalis brothers in artistry.

Well, in my humble opinion the Marsalis brothers would easily beat the Wayans brothers on some grand, arcane scale of artistry, but I digress.

Damon played a clown I can get behind, and to this day I use Homey's catch-phrase (in my head) when someone is telling me something stupid or wrong or silly or obvious bull poo.

I think, "Homey don't play that."

So if you want to be introduced or reintroduced to Homey D. Clown, check out "Introducing Homey D. Clown."

He does a great magic trick.

Stay Positive: Snow Caves, Shoveling, Sledding, and Calling Clowns

A mighty dusting of snow here in East-Central Illinois. And there was a lot of stay positive material for today. I haven't done a Stay Positive feature in quite a while.

As I drove my daughter to gymnastics practice this afternoon, Hannah made a comment about how not that many people were out driving in the "bad weather" today, which led me to waxing moronic on how "when I was a kid" we had much more snow than this place ever gets.

And it is true. It's not just one of those "when I was a kid" stories. Northeastern Iowa, particularly the Cedar Valley, gets its fair share of the white stuff. One of my fraternity brothers opined on the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area and how cold it was (he visited a few times because his sister went to the University of Northern Iowa) by saying, "Waterloo-Cedar Falls, man. God hates that place. It's damn cold."

But anyway, I was talking to the kids about how when plows would move all the snow in one large area in a certain part of the old playground of Kittrell Elementary, a bunch of the older kids created snow caves. You see, the plows would compress all that snow, then we kids of Nordic and Teutonic stock would dig into the great mound of snow and create a cave with tunnels and various rooms. There were only a few winters that the snow caveworks was created and enjoyed in that area of Waterloo, but it was like what I imagine an igloo to be if it was one large flippin' igloo. We're talking about an enormous igloo.

Of course, when I talked all about this, Hanah's eyes got wide in amazement and snowy desire while Quinn, the three old commented, "Yeh, like an igloo!"

So the boy and I got back to the house after dropping her off, and we got to shoveling. Well, I got to shoveling while Quinn in his snow get-up jumped into the mound of snow I had created and then finally shoveled a little bit but mostly took his miniature shovel and flung snow at me while laughing. It was the light stuff, not the wet, packing snow that is perfect for snowballs. Or else that kid would have got his.

Well, okay, I admit it. I started the snow flinging.

Sledding ensued followed by Quinn scarfing down a popsicle and then enjoying some hot cocoa. The kid is passionate about his superhero popsicles. What's a dad to do?

After Mrs. Nasty brought back Hannah, we had dinner and settled into our routine for Quinn: the 8pm Berenstain Bears episode watched before reading and bed time.

As cartoons go, the Bears are a good one. But this episode surprised me. The only real "bad guys" in Bear Country are the bully kid bear called "Two Tall" and his two ruffian sidekicks. Two Tall was making up @#$% about third grade and Sister Bear's not-yet-met teacher to plant bad thoughts and apprehension in her mind.

Brother Bear saw right through that nonsense and promptly called them "clowns," which caught me off guard, and all three of us found hilarious because it's a great put-down. First off, that word rolls off the tongue in a wonderfully condescending manner. Just say it out loud, and you'll hear what I'm talking about.

The epithet has a softer impact than one of my other favorite words: chump. Clown is the "softer side" of chump, if you recognize the Sears slogan reference.

Take care, clowns.

Free Mark DeRosa

Dear Cubs Management:

Free Mark DeRosa.

Trade for DeRosa soon. Although we hope that Aramis gets back healthy soon, DeRosa would be a significant improvement at second base at the very least. I like Fontenot, but DeRosa is a big step above him. And DeRosa, when needed, could spell Ramirez or any of the corner outfield spots, especially if Milton Bradley has to be sent home from time to time.

In an interview with the media prior to the Indians series, DeRosa said his two years in Chicago were the best years of his career. And it was obvious to me that he wants to return to Wrigleyville.

Free Mark DeRosa.

Memo to the Cubs

To: Cubs Management

From: Various Cubs Fans

Date: 7-28-08

Subject: Bullpen Relief

Because your closer with a history of injury trouble is on the DL and your next-in-line closer is either a fellow who has been overworked or is a rookie who has a solid fastball but so-so other stuff, you need to make a move for someone to shore up your bullpen.

Be it Fuentes, Street, or another worthy reliever, make a move soon. 

Hell, do it now. 

"Bad Days for Newsrooms--and Democracy"

Linked HERE is an interesting column from TruthDig.com that offers a bleak look at what is happening to journalists and newspapers across the country.

Although I obviously enjoy blogs (heck, I "own" one), the much ballyhooed "new media" does have serious limitations. One problem I and others see is that the number of journalists (people who have actually have degrees in the subject) doing investigative journalism has been declining for decades because of the mass corporatization of the news media (six major conglomerates own over 90% of the news media outlets). 

The new media--blogs, internet filtering sites--is still beholden to the traditional media though because they are simply parasitic. They rely on reports from newspapers and magazines that have editorial staffs, travel funds, and enough time for in-depth reporting from time to time.

Although I disagree with the author's assumption that we had a news media that was non-ideological (the papers from the early Republic to the 1940s were quite and sometimes overtly biased, especially the 18th and 19th centuries), I would contend that back then there were more diverse sources of information out there. Nowadays, unfortunately, if you turn on CNN, NBC Nightly News, Fox News, MSNBC, and others on any given day, you're going to get pretty much the same stories with slightly different spins on them. We have speed and convenience down, but depth is a serious problem.

What's being lost due to media consolidation is that the conglomerates are using vertical integration of news outlets to cut costs and offer little diversity. The cheap news is the infotainment crap (Angelina and Brad's babies, some white girl lost in Aruba or wherever) that is constantly getting shoved down our throats. 

In some respects, perhaps supply creates demand in regard to the "news." If people are constantly being shown what people call "soft news" or "fluff," they come to expect that type of junk as the "news."

I for one want investigative reporting from professionals who have studied the craft of journalism. The "fourth estate" needs to get stronger, vibrant, and much more vigilant, as Bill Moyers' argues in "Is the Fourth Estate a Fifth Column?" (linked HERE) 

Sure, we all can have our blogs, but our little audiences of a dozen or so people isn't moving the national conversation forward about our democracy and how our country can get stronger. A vigilant fourth estate helps with that.

I hope that you still read my humble little blog though.