Norman Lear -- Why I Have Some Empathy for Balloon Boy's Dad

We've previously noted the Heene family "balloon boy" story and how the dad is the winner in this silly saga.

It seems I am in good company as Norman Lear, creator of "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," holds similar views.

In a short post on Huffingtonpost.com, Lear believes the Heene's put one over the largest media in the country and how the media's actions effectively entraps folks like the Heenes.

Read the full post here.


Well, that's what I have to say.
Stephen M. Flatow

Balloon Boy Hoax - Failure or Success?

You have to wonder -- what was going through the mind of Richard Heene when he went about setting up the hoax of the month? Unless you have been living in an igloo, you know that Heene claimed that his young son, aptly named Falcon [I don't make this up] was aloft in an homemade weather balloon that accidentally took off from its moorings. Fortunately, the son was found hiding in the attic of a garage on the Heene property. None the worse for wear it seems.

Anyhow- Heene is now being charged with arranging the news story as a publicity stunt for one venture or another. So, what's the problem? It seems that he caused the local constabulary to itself spend a lot of time and money and caused others to do the same in connection with the evil plot. And the officials want payback.

I have absolutely no quarrel with the concept. The guy's a little flaky, and he comes up with a great attention getter. And he is getting the attention. That's my problem. The institutions that are griping about him are giving him the publicity he craved.

What to do? No press conferences by government officials, no 2-minute talking head interviews granted to the media by these folks, and, most of all, don't hold a public perp walk. The sooner the media gets this non-story off the air, the better off we'll all be. Who needs a copycat?

So far, Heene is the winner in this story.

Read the full story at 1010 WINS Balloon Boy Hoax


Well, that's what I think.
Stephen M. Flatow

Rush Limbaugh follow-up

It seems that Rush's partners in the purchase of the Rams are now his former partners. They've caved to pressure from the NFL, the player's union, and, I suppose, Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.

It's not that Rush needs the money from such an investment, but the sad fact remains that free speech is, obviously, not exactly free.

Well, that's what I have to say.
Stephen M. Flatow

Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson: Protectors of the World, or at least the NFL

The Rev. Al Sharpton, convicted liar and inciter to riot, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson have weighed in on a story about Russ Limbaugh being part of a group willing to purchase the St. Louis Rams according to this AP report.

The Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson attacked the bid by Rush Limbaugh to buy the St. Louis Rams on Monday, saying the conservative radio host's track record on race should exclude him from owning an NFL team. Sharpton sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, arguing that Limbaugh has been divisive and "anti-NFL" in some of his comments.

Jackson said in a telephone interview that Limbaugh had made his wealth "appealing to the fears of whites" with an unending line of insults against blacks and other minorities.

Ay, ay, ay. Poor Rush. Well, not so poor that he doesn't have the money to buy an interest in the team. Limbaugh says,

"Now, this saddens me as well this disappoints me," he said. "I know Rev. Sharpton. Sharpton is better than this. He knows better than this. You know, I didn't judge Al Sharpton's fitness to be in radio when he wanted to earn an honest living for once, given his well-documented past as the author of the Tawana Brawley hoax. I believe in freedom and I also don't discriminate."

Go for it Rush, take 'em on. What have you got to lose? They don't listen to your broadcasts anyway. And as for the reverends, find something else to talk about.

The story from 1010 WINS is here.

Well, that's what I have to say.
Stephen M. Flatow

A Perfect Nobel Pick

Brett Stephens writing on WSJ.com asks:

"Pop quiz: What do Bertha von Suttner, Henri La Fontaine, Ludwig Quidde, Norman Angell, Arthur Henderson, Eisaku Sato, Alva Myrdal and Joseph Rotblat have in common?

Answer: Barack Obama.

If you're drawing blanks on most of these names, don't be hard on yourself: They're just some of the worthies of yesteryear who were favored with a Nobel Peace Prize before disappearing into the footnotes of history.

On the other hand, if you're among those who think Mr. Obama's Nobel was misjudged and premature, not to say absurd, then you really know nothing about the values and thinking that have informed a century of prize giving. Far from being an aberrant choice, President Obama was the ideal one, Scandinavianally speaking."

Stephens doesn't think that the Obama prize is really that far off the charts judging by past Nobel awards. Yes, he points to awards to Yasser Arafat and others as being "grotesque" and to others as being "inspired" but they are more the exception than the rule.

"most of the prize winners draw from the obscure ranks of the sorts of people the late Oriana Fallaci liked to call "the Goodists."

"Who are the Goodists? They are the people who believe all conflict stems from avoidable misunderstanding. Who think that the world's evils spring from technologies, systems, complexes (as in "military-industrial") and everything else except from the hearts of men, where love abides. Who mistake wishes for possibilities. Who put a higher premium on their own moral intentions than on the efficacy of their actions. Who champion education as the solution, whatever the problem. Above all, the Goodists are the people who like to be seen to be good."

So, Obama is a perfect candidate for an Peace Prize, he's in good company with other folks who, at the end, didn't amount to a hill of beans. But his selection is reflective of their selection and, therefore, quite the norm.

Read the full article, A Perfect Nobel Pick

Well, that's what I have to say.
Stephen M. Flatow

David Letterman gets a free ride.

The Letterman fiasco continues.

NEW YORK (AP/1010 WINS) -- "Turns out David Letterman doesn't just live on a TV show. He also lives in a glass house, where for years he's hurled comedy zingers at misbehaving politicians, even as he brashly engaged in hanky-panky of his own."

What particularly caught my eye was this Letterman comment referring to his call for NY Governor Eliot Spitzer to resign when he got caught playing hooky with his hooker:

"I mean, can you imagine," said Letterman, "if this happened to me how fast they'd have my ... (backside) out of here?"

That's right Mr. Letterman, folks such as you should not throw stones, even if the stones are written by your writers. And, can you imagine what would be happening if a star of "right wing" media got caught with his pants down?

Read the full report here.

Well, that's what I have to say.
Stephen M. Flatow

Cheerios at the bottom of the box

I've been trying to lose weight gradually, you know, a couple of pounds a week if that much. So I have taken to trying to eat cereal, good, healthy kinds, for breakfast in the office.

Today I poured out what appeared to be the last of my Cheerios and, lo and behold, Cheerios dust wound up all over the bowl and my desk.

Is this dust the stuff that settles during shipping? Was it already in the package when first made? If I send it to General Mills, will the General make my dust into a few more Cheerios.

These are questions that demand deep and serious thought.

I know it's a Friday morning, and we are getting ready for the weekend. But, hey, this is important.

Well, that's what I have to say.
Stephen M. Flatow