The Cranky Media Guy

Frank Rich: ‘NY Times’ Will No Longer Attend WHCA Dinner

I’ve been saying for ages now that newspapers and other media organizations should not participate in the White House Correspondents Association dinners, the Gridiron wingding or any other Inside the Beltway circle jerk.  Reporters have been fired for socializing with sources in the past so I’ve never understood why no one seemed to think that laughing at politicians’ lame ass jokes while they’re conducting an illegal, immoral war was way too damn cozy.  You want to suck up to these criminals?  No problem.  You’re fired.  Go hobnob.

The Grey Lady has come out of her coma at long last, it seems.  You thought you were reading some random blog by a fat, middle-aged guy, didn’t you?  Ha!  I’m actually the most influential man in America today.

Stop laughing.  You’re harshing my buzz, Dude.  The point is that I said it and they did it.  Cause and effect.  Simple.

Variety.com - FCC takes aim at TV networks

Have you noticed all the ads on the networks, especially Fox, pushing the V-chip.  I think there’s a website called TVboss.org that they want you to visit.  The friggin’ V-chip has been mandatory in all TV’s sold in the U.S. for about a decade now, so why the big push for using them now?  Read the article I link to above and ye shall have your questions answered, Truth Seeker.

Oh, by the way, after all the bullshit from pressure groups to put the V-chip into TV’s, only about 2% of American parents actually use the things.  Remember that as you read the Variety article.  NO ONE’S KID “HAS” TO WATCH ANY VIOLENT CONTENT THAT THE PARENTS OBJECT TO.

WHCA Prez Defends Dinner Amid Criticism Of ‘Coziness’ and Rich Little

All I can say is that if you cite the appearance of a cancer victim at your event as one of the “highlights,” it was a bomb.

Washington Business Journal: Sales Moves

Yeah, you’ve noticed this trend for restaurants and other businesses to offer either Coke OR Pepsi but not both.  Sucks, doesn’t it?

About five years ago, my wife, daughter and I were living in Boise.  The “little woman” and I took a ride up to Idaho City, a teeny town north of Boise a ways.  There was (and probably still is) a small hot dog stand up there on the road through town.  As I ordered our lunch, I noticed that the place offered both Coke and Pepsi.  I said something about how unusual that was to the lady who took my order, who turned out to be the owner of the establishment.

She told me that the local Coke distributor had offered her incentives to drop Pepsi from her menu.  When she said she thought she should have both for her customers, Mr. Coke Guy informed her that the price for delivering Coke syrup to her was going to be higher than he had told her, since she was so out-of-the-way and all.

She explained to me that she couldn’t pass the higher price along to the customers, as people wouldn’t pay more for one cola than for the other.  I asked her why she continued to offer both sodas.  She told me, “I’ll be damned if I’m going to let someone tell me how I can run my business,” referring to the Coke distributor.

You’ve gotta admire that kind of spirit.  She wasn’t going to take any shit from anyone and good for her.  I hope she’s still there, running the hot dog stand in Idaho City and I hope she’s making a ton of money from it.  Fuck big corporations!

Don’t Mess With Our Chocolate

I said nothing when they blew up Iraq.
I said nothing when they failed to restore New Orleans.
I said nothing when they eviscerated the Constitution.
I’ll be goddamned if I’ll sit by silently as they ruin chocolate!