Thursday, November 09, 2006

LOL @ Local News

Channel 5 is just horrible. I can't believe how bad its coverage is... it's the TV version of the Herald. Wow. I'm just stunned.

First, we learned how awful it is that we didn't "let the people vote."

Then we learned John DePetro was fired for referring to Grace Ross's sexuality and weight. They didn't mention the fact that he called her a fat lesbian... nah, he was just mentioning her weight. No harm, no foul, right? And WRKO won't even talk to him! Boo hoo.

Dearest readers, stick to the blogs and newspapers. At least with newspapers you can filter out the nonsense on your own.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey there Ryan, I hope you heard the interview Jay Severin did with Grace Ross. She was a good sport and admitted to being a "Fat Lesbian." She just isn't big. It was great!
So, John DePetro, as an interested journalist almost got it right, except for the really interesting parts that he left off. For instance, Grace Ross attended a Hamas support rally, in favor of radical terrorists. That makes her un-American. Her 'wealth redistribution' ideas practically make her a communist.
This means that DePetro could have called her a fat communist lesbian that supports terrorism and been completely accurate. Too bad he had to blow it and call her Big.

Life is funnier than fiction.
I think he should apologize for saying big and be able to get his job back. Kerry could give him lessons. Ha!
Be well, Deke

Anonymous said...

Wow, Deke, if you were about 9 billion times smarter, you'd only be slightly less intelligent than a box of rocks. Does registering at the Bureau of Imbeciles give you any special benefits?

Channel 5 isn't as bad as Channel 4, because Jon Keller is the King of Tools. His broadcast on Election Night spent about 40 minutes relating how he asked Deval a completely inane question about Wilie Horton and furloughs (!!!) not once but twice.

We're blessed with our wonderful media personalities.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the feedback 'Anonymous', except for the drive by personal slam which I won't return. You are missing the humor in all of this. Don't take yourself too seriously.

You are right about John Keller. He's about as useful as wet t.p., not that it had anything at all to do with my comment.

Grace Ross really was funny by the way, and had no problem with the fat lesbian moniker. It was the most entertaining moment in talk radio this week.
Now seriously, she was at the Hamas rally. What do you think of that, and why didn't we hear it from Keller at large? Ha! see the humor there?
you'll laugh at the double irony someday...

Anonymous said...

Yes Deke, Jon Keller has nothing to do with your comment. He has to do with Ryan's blog entry. Which is about local TV. Of which Keller is a part. It's teh great circle of life.

Who cares, Deke? Hamas is an organization that only exists in Isreal and Palestine. It has nothing to do with America or unAmerica. lol Go outside. Are you in the desert? Do you see lots and lots of sand? Probably not, because we live in America. Not the Middle East.

If you want to see guys who are supporting terrorists who kill and threaten Americans, go to Hub Politics where the Margolis brothers have a post up about how great terrorists are and how awful it is for our government to fight terrorists and how we should blame them for doing so. Go tell them how you feel.

Ryan said...

Deke, John DePetro is many things, but "an interested journalist" is not one of them. He was a talk radio host, which is very different than journalists. Journalists find the news, investigate and report it... John DePetro repeats right-wing talking points. I listened to the show when he called Grace Ross "a big fat lesbian" and it was very offensive. Furthermore, it was the second time he slurred someone via saying they were gay or "fag" and meaning it as an insult.

If DePetro never called Matt Amorello a "fag" in the summer, he probably wouldn't have been fired. However, he has an obvious history here and WRKO felt it was time to can him. It's their business and their right - or don't you believe in small government, where businesses can make decisions without burdensome government regulations?

And whether or not Grace Ross went to "a Hamas support rally," has nothing to do with if she's American. Here in America, we get a right to free speech. I don't call Fred Phelps "unAmerican" from holding "God Hates Fags" protests at the funerals of our deceased soldiers, you shouldn't call Grace Ross "unAmerican" for using her free speech either.

What she does made her accountable to the voters. Her "practically... a communist" views and maybe even Israeli-Palestinian views turned her off from voters, but she's still an American. She still has a right to the political process. She still deserves the grace to not be slurred against on air by some nitwit wingnut.

Anonymous said...

Wow 'Anonymous', you really have your head in the sand, but you are probably just young and haven't thought this through yet.

Get on a plane - that is, try to get on a plane with a bottle of water and take a trip within the US. You can't do it. 3 ounces of liquid max. It used to be easy.

You see, Hamas and Hezbolah are funded by Saudi Arabia and Iran, who supply cash and weapons, and the training on how to blow one's self up. They are military pawns with two goals, destroy Israel, and take over the world for Islam by force.

They have the same sentiments as the nuts that flew planes into the Trade Center, or that tried to blow up 12 planes from England this fall, or killing as many Christians as possible in Sudan, and on and on. These folks would cap your ignorant little ass in two seconds unless you praised allah. You see, they are tolerant, as long as you agree with them. Here in this country, tolerance doesn't mean violent disagreement right?

You see the problem as an isolationist. It is 'over there.'
Try traveling more often. Try living in Israel with rockets coming over the border aimed at your hospital. Try thinking about Iran with a nuke and a bad attitude towards you.
The problem isn't just over there Anon. Try talking to your local law enforcement, those that have been trained in anti terrorism.

So is this a local issue? you bet. Did John DePetro get fired from WRKO for calling Grace Ross a B.F. lesbian? You bet. Do we deserve to hear what Grace's political views are as she runs for governor (even if we have to choke it down from Keller)? You bet again.

This is about Grace Ross, WRKO, and their outlook on the larger truth that affects us every day. It's about standing in line for hours at Logan while your shoes get a free x-ray.
Relax, take a trip, get on a plane.

Anonymous said...

Dang, all that and I missed the punch line.
There are big issues out there, so why does John DePetro get fired over such a small one?

Anonymous said...

Now Deke, was this rally before or after Mitt Romney performed fellatio on Osama Bin Laden live on Al jazeera while they both chanted We Will Crush America? Not that I doubt your word or anything. Actual evidence is unnecessary.

"You see, Hamas and Hezbolah are funded by Saudi Arabia"

Saudi Arabia! All right! I know they're our best friends because I saw Bush holding hands with their leader on the White House Lawn. They're his business partners as well as makeout buddies, right? Keep up, SA is on the axis of good.

"They have the same sentiments as the nuts that flew planes into the Trade Center"

No kidding. How many of the guys who flew those planes were actually from SA? Too bad we can't do anything about radical Wahhabism while Bush has his tongue down the man's throat. But at least we showed we were serious by killing a whole bunch of completely unrelated people in other countries. That will show them to not be involved in things in the future.

"Do we deserve to hear what Grace's political views are as she runs for governor (even if we have to choke it down from Keller)?"

Um, yeah we do. We'd like to hear more about Grace's views, it would be a good thing all around for democracy to give more attention to all the candidates, but you do realize she lost, right? She got a tiny fraction of the vote. So it's all okay. You're safe. She's not going to hurt you.

Anon, the Margolis brothers don't support terrorism. They only support armed white supremacist militias. They're not terrorists, they're American heroes. Just like the abortion clinic bombers who are being unfairly persecuted.

Anonymous said...

Ryan is right - mostly.
Thanks for the balanced insert Ryan.

Yeah, DePetro is trying to get attention by shock rather than by good journalism, and WRKO has every right to can him.

It is comforting to see the lack of support for Ross as well, since her ideas really are un-american, and yes, there is such a thing.

Just because you are an american with an idea doesn't mean your idea is an 'american' one. Terror and violent intolerance Are un-american for instance, so is racism.

But we, especially in this liberal commonwealth, have been duped by this idea that all ideas stand on equal footing. They all have value, and that somehow we are intolerant if we don't make room for every one of them and give every one of them some creedence.

It is weak mindedness, and leaves us with the inablility to discriminate good from bad. Some ideas just stink.

As for DePetro, he has a right to disagree with her sexual orientation and voice it as loudly as he likes. Having an idea like that is not so acceptable these days, but it remains un-American to squelch it. Even so, he owes Grace evey common courtesy and doesn't have to be insulting.

Anonymous said...

Oh, Deke. No, my viewpoint is not isolationist. Just pointing out the absurdity of you calling someone "unAmerican" because of something that has nothing to do with our country. It's not that difficult a connection.

I don't believe that Grace Ross attended a Hamas support rally. I do believe that you are distorting and mischaracterizing her views. Yes, we should hear more about her views. I think we can manage that, though, without the imput of a nitwit who refers to her as a fat communist lesbian who supports terrorism. Because just maybe, you're not fair or smart enough to accurately compreheand or present her views? Maybe. So why settle for being her interpreter when it would be just as easy for you to link to her statements supporting the slaughter of civilians?

Sorry, but you are not the arbiter of what and is not American. This is America. No one ever said all ideas are on an equal footing. Some are good, some are bad, some are horrific, but they're all American. Just admitting that doesn't stop anyone from criticizing or judging anyone else's ideas all the want. I don't have the right to determine what is and is not acceptable in the American political process, neither do you, and that's good.

Anonymous said...

It probably shouldn't surprise me to see how the responses from Anonymous decend so quickly into insult.

Actually, Anonymous is more guilty than DePetro - Far more cutting.
She? should be fired from WRKO.

It is also kind of sad to see the blog host rush to post my words on the site in sport, while the discussion is still developing in the background via email.

The art of Argument is lost, where people can exchange ideas, learn, and perhaps even change. No, the art of insult and deception reign.

As for your comments about what is un-American, you have proved my point. If 'everything' is American, then what is left is so watered down that 'American' is meaningless. It's about an ideal. You miss the entire point.

How can you complain about DePetro or Keller now? Look in the mirror.

Biased discussion isn't the problem. Insulting discussion is. You win that prize.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, it's sad Deke. It's great to attack and smear, but when you're being insulted it's all of a sudden not funny and not necessary? Funny how that works out. Is it unAmerican for anyone to insult you, but proAmerican for you to insult?

Try to comprehend this part. It's important. I don't work for RKO. Really. I don't. If I did, I wouldn't use racial or sexual slurs, which is just about the only thing apart from profanity that will get you in trouble. This is the internet, and if you start posting bs you're going to get called on it. If you think anything said here is too cutting for talk radio, you'd better not listen to it because you obviously can't handle it.

The art of Argument is lost, where people can exchange ideas, learn, and perhaps even change. No, the art of insult and deception reign.

Yes, completely. It is very unfortunate that we insulted and deceived people. I apologize for saying, "So, John DePetro, as an interested journalist almost got it right, except for the really interesting parts that he left off. For instance, Grace Ross attended a Hamas support rally, in favor of radical terrorists. That makes her un-American. Her 'wealth redistribution' ideas practically make her a communist.
This means that DePetro could have called her a fat communist lesbian that supports terrorism and been completely accurate. Too bad he had to blow it and call her Big."

That wasn't an argument, that was insane, childish, obnoxious, insulting and deceptive. It really didn't contribute to exchanging ideas, learning, or changing either, because I behaved like such an ass. I'm sorry. But at least I did provide confirmation that Grace Ross did what I said she did, right? Of course.

As for your comments about what is un-American, you have proved my point. If 'everything' is American, then what is left is so watered down that 'American' is meaningless. It's about an ideal. You miss the entire point.

No, we get the point. We graduated third grade and your points aren't exactly complicated. The point is, it's not up to you what is and is not American. You are not the Decider. You don't get to misinterpret and smear and force anyone to accept your definition just because you say so. You are not the King of America, and your values are not America's values, necessarily. Your ideal of America isn't universal or universally represented, whether you like it or not it's just one of a million visions of America. Visions that will change over time and through shifts in population whether you or I like it or not. I don't think being an ignorant ass represents America, but you're here and I'm not going to call you unAmerican. You can engage in the political process, you can fight for your definition and try to get it enacted into law. You can even attempt to round up Muslims and have them sent to camps if you want to try. But you can't wholesale write everything you don't like out of the definition or out of the country just because you don't like it and expect that to be the universally agreed upon standard, Joe McCarthy.

How can you complain about DePetro or Keller now?

Great point. That makes sense. I am also part of the media that is responsible for being one of a very limited number of outlets for disseminating information over the public airwaves. It's a grave responsibility and I've let the public down! Also, I insulted America, that's the difference! When Keller and DePetro abuse their position it's far less grave because they're just doing their part against unAmericanism! It's wrong, except when it's right!

Biased discussion isn't the problem. Insulting discussion is. You win that prize.

If you say so. lol I mean, clearly from the perspective of America Walking. lol If this is how you try to start civil discussion, your technique needs work. You might be a little too sensitive to be so confrontational. Maybe.

Ryan said...

We need to get this straight right now: The definition of American is being from America - being an American citizen. No one gets to decide whether Americans are "American" or "unAmerican" - at least based on what they say or think. The only thing that decides whether or not you're an American is if you have a Social Security card or were born in America. That's what makes you American - nothing more, nothing less.

Anything more and McCarthyism is alive and well again. Anything more and suddenly there's a tyrrany of the majority.

Secondly, just to make this clear Deke, I got your email before I read the comments on my blog. Had I read the comments, I probably wouldn't have posted the email (though I probably would have posted a blog about the comments).

One of the things I do on my site - and I don't apologize for it - is poke fun at absurdity. You may not like hearing this Deke, but your views are absurd. Jay Severin's views are often absurd. Joe DePetro's views are always absurd. You said that there are good ideas and bad ideas and implied that there should be some kind of weight to them. I absolutely agree; hence, I poked fun at your email. Your email was filled with lots of bad, laughable ideas. Understand, I'm NOT saying this to be mean, I am saying this to give you some sort of awakening.

At some point you basically said something to the effect of 'when I get older I'll be able to understand.' What I find almost Universally true is that a lot of older people are stuck with their old ideas. Often times it's the older generations with the worst ideas and new generations that have a better understanding of the world and how it works now.

You don't understand how the world works. I'd like to say that I do, but I have a different take on life. I'm always learning and will learn better understandings as I get older. Why? Because I have an open mind, something almost any listener of John DePetro probably lacks (unless they're masochists).

However flawed my viewpoint is, it's much more detailed and broader than your's is. Why? I understand there's always two sides to a story. It's not the big bad evil Muslims in France causing all the problems, the French are to blame too. It's not that Free Speech is a sacred right and should always be observed, it's that businesses have a right to hire and fire talk show hosts that say things that clearly don't represent what the company wants expressed.

The world is a complex place. Have an open mind.

Anonymous said...

Exactly!

Deke, you have this whole thing backwards. You think that not declaring ideas off limits and putting them in flashing red boxes labelled anti-American is weak minded. You're wrong. It's weak minded to be afraid and get hysterical and act like if we open the Pandora's box with the idea and actually enagge with it or analyze it we'll be infected or something.

Sure, some ideas stink. We're telling you we think some of your ideas stink. But we're telling you that because we listened to your ideas and were able to figure out we disagree. We can discriminate between good and bad. We can make judgments. It's not enough to say something is wrong because it hates America. You have to demonstrate why it's wrong.

Life is complicated and there's a lot of uncertainty and nuance, and trying to wish that away by just maintaining that in America, it's black and white and that's it or you're against us and with the terrorists, probably isn't going to actually change reality.

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