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Via Common Dreams:
Leaders of the MoveOn.org Voter Fund are urging urging the public to support a one-minute boycott of CBS during halftime at Sunday’s Super Bowl game to protest the network’s refusal to air an issue ad that is critical of the Bush Administration 's handling of the federal deficit.
At the same time, the MoveOn.org Voter Fund announced it will air the ad on CNN all day Sunday, including during the Super Bowl, and throughout the next week. It also will air on broadcast and cable stations in Florida, West Virginia, Ohio, Missouri and Nevada, five states that are expected to be central to the coming presidential campaign. The cost of the new ad buy is approximately $1 million.
Viewers are asked to leave the CBS Super Bowl broadcast for a minute between 8:15 and 8:45 p.m. Sunday night and go to CNN to see the ad that CBS would not run. For the exact time of the one-minute boycott and ad broadcast, go to the website www. Bushin30Seconds.org.
Update: Skippy has more.
Our congrats to Charlize Theron for winning Best Actress at the Golden Globes for her portrayal in the film Monster of serial killer Aileen Wuornos, who was executed in October, 2002 in Florida. From our post at the time of her execution:
Aileen Wuornos, 44, one of the nation's first known female serial killers, was convicted of fatally shooting six middle-aged men along Florida highways in 1989 and 1990.
At the time of the killings, Wuornos was working as a highway prostitute. She said all of the men violentlyattacked her. She was only tried once for the murder of one of the men. Her lawyer had her plead guilty to the other five. Here are details of her case which some believe indicate she acted in self-defense and didn't receive either a fair trial or effective assistance of counsel. Her supporters also say sexism, anti-lesbian and anti-prostitute prejudice were used to condemn her to death.
Aileen wanted to die. In April, 2002 she asked for and received permission from the Court to drop her appeals and fire her lawyers. Her lawyers argued she was incompetent to make the decison. Jeb Bush granted a temporary stay for her to be examined by psychiatrists. She was judged competent to be executed and the stay was lifted.
Our comment on the execution:
The state of Florida should not engage in either state-assisted suicide or the killing of a mentally ill woman. Why are we still sinking to these levels?
We hope this award for Ms. Theron will raise public awareness of and condemnation for the execution of the mentally ill.
To most people he was Mr. Kangaroo. To us, he was also Clarabelle, the clown on the Howdy Doody show. Occasionally, we were lucky enough to be one of the kids in the Howdy Doody Show audience. Once, we even got to cut the cupcake for Buffalo Bob during the Hostess commerical. But what we remember more, is Clarabelle. All the kids, us included, would squeal and scream with delight at his antics. He would run up and down the aisle with a squirt gun. One time he sprayed our brand new dress and we cried and cried. But we still went back.
Skippy and Jeanne D'Arc of Body and Soul share their memories of Captain Kangeroo. And someone who once worked with the Captain has a great obituary at News From Me .
R.I.P. Bob Keeshan
Update: We just read in an update on News From Me that Mr. Keeshan was fired as Clarabelle in 1952. That's way before our time on the show. So the Clarabelle we remember must not have been Mr. Keeshan. Still, Mr. Keeshan was part of an era of children's programming that we remember with great affection and that is gone forever. R.I.P. Captain Kangaroo.
Sunday night on national radio--Hear Atrios in person. And Andrew Sullivan. We've been asked to participate as well. Here are the details.
Sunday January 25 from 9-11 pm EST, from Minnesota Public Radio and airing on public radio stations nationwide...Christopher Lydon will be hosting the first sustained blog conversation on network radio and you’re all invited to join in. The purpose is to air out the internet effects that the political campaign has suddenly made obvious. We want to encompass the new voices and communities, the critique of institutional journalism, the expressive possibilities beyond politics, the doubts, the hype, and the truth.
NORML provides this letter for you to send to CBS to protest their decision to air anti-marijuana ads during the Superbowl, while refusing to air MoveOn's anti-Bush Ad.
As a CBS viewer, I am writing to voice my concern over your network's decision not to accept an ad for the upcoming Super Bowl from MoveOn.org. I understand this decision was based upon the network's policy of not running ads promoting "controversial issues of public importance." While I do not take issue with this policy in general, I assume that CBS will also refuse to run controversial anti-marijuana ads from the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
If your network is to be consistent, then you must also adhere to this policy when it comes to anti-marijuana propaganda ads. Marijuana decriminalization currently enjoys 72% support among the American public, according to the latest CNN/Time polling data. Clearly this is a "controversial issue of public importance" that divides American public opinion, and any public service announcement on the subject that promotes only one side of this issue must be considered an issue ad.
As a viewer of your network, I hope you will reconsider your decision to ban some issue oriented ads while allowing others. A free society relies on the honest debate of controversial issues. For CBS to allow certain points of views to be expressed on it's network while denying others strikes at the heart of democracy and the free flow of ideas. I hope you will either reconsider this network policy or reject the ONDCP's propaganda ads in accordance with CBS policy.
Where to send it?
CBS Television Network
51 W. 52nd St.
New York, NY 10019
Main Number: 212-975-4321
or send it via internet, go here, scroll down and click on "feedback."
CBS is out of line. It told MoveOn they would not accept an anti-Bush ad for the Super Bowl because they don't allow advocacy advertising--but they are going to air those insidious White House anti-drug ads. How can they say the White House ads aren't advocacy? Media Channel has the details:
The nearly 100 million viewers who tune in next month to the Super Bowl on CBS will be served up ads that include everything from beer and bikinis to credit cards and erectile dysfunction. They will also see two spots from the White House. Are these advocacy ads? And if so, why did CBS opt to include the White House spots while cutting MoveOn.org's "Child's Pay" from the program?
Hear the oppression. The Library of Congress has just placed recordings of former U.S. slaves online.
Beginning today people the world over will be able to listen to interviews with ...former slaves through the online presentation "Voices From the Days of Slavery: Former Slaves Tell Their Stories" on the Library of Congress's American Memory web site.
....The newly released digital recordings are raw and fresh, straight from wellspring. The quality is sometimes poor, and here and there words are swallowed or unintelligible. There are transcripts on the site for every recording. The beauty, Taft says, is that the recordings "are the only way you hear how they expressed themselves."
Nearly seven hours of material is available. The recordings were made between 1932 and 1975 in nine Southern states.
Don't forget to vote in the Moveon.org anti-Bush ad campaign, Bush in 30 Seconds. Here's our votes:
"If Parents Acted Like Bush" (Funniest)
"Al Keyda" (Best Youth)
"Brother, Can You Spare A Job?" (Best Animated)
Nice job by all involved.
Via Avedon Carol at Sideshow:
Eric Boehlert was four years old during The greatest week in rock history in the Billboard album charts.... Says Eric: "There's never been another lineup quite like it -- and there will never be again. That's why, for me, Dec. 20, 1969, represents rock's summit."
No. 1, "Abbey Road," the Beatles
No. 2, "Led Zeppelin II," Led Zeppelin
No. 3, "Tom Jones Live in Las Vegas," Tom Jones
No. 4, "Green River," Creedence Clearwater Revival
No. 5, "Let It Bleed," the Rolling Stones
No. 6, "Santana," Santana
No. 7, "Puzzle People," the Temptations
No. 8, "Blood Sweat & Tears," Blood Sweat & Tears
No. 9, "Crosby, Stills & Nash," Crosby, Stills & Nash
No. 10, "Easy Rider" soundtrack (featuring the Byrds, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Steppenwolf)
Mark Glaser for Online Journalism Review takes a look back at online news reporting and weblogs in 2003 and a look at what's ahead for 2004.
We just caught this over at Roger Ailes: What would the legal commentary be like for a televised trial of Saddam?
-- Nancy Grace bragging about how she never lost a war crimes trial in her career as a prosecutor, and pronouncing Saddam guilty by virtue of the fact he grew a beard.
-- Gloria Allred signing up Saddam's second wife as a client.
-- Rita Cosby petitioning Saddam for an exclusive interview, citing the support voiced for her by Uday and Qusay, and expressing her "deep concern about this possible violation of [his] freedom of speech" and her desire make public his "many valuable insights."
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