Thanksgiving Leftovers

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeAfter a week of stuffing your face and cleaning out what's left of your bank account, it's back to reality.  Here's what's happened during that time:

• All the media commotion over new security procedures at the airport, painting employees of the Transportation Safety Administration as taxpayer-funded perverts, fizzled when passengers--who had a choice between being body scanned or being patted down--apparently decided against the more time-consuming method of being publicly fondled so they could get home quicker.  Until somebody comes up with a way to protect passengers without violating their personal space, we have two words:  Just drive.
• A 19-year old Somali-born college student was arrested by federal authorities for allegedly attempting to car-bomb a holiday lighting ceremony in Portland, Oregon.  The Somali community can claim up and down that violence is not part of their culture, having escaped a homeland that's drowning in it.  But had this man been successful in carrying out his alleged plot, no amount of apologies would have been enough for the victims, which would have numbered in the hundreds.  You can bet that, starting now, holiday ceremonies will either have restricted access, or be canceled altogether.
• The end of America's role in the occupation of Afghanistan keeps getting pushed back, with the number of dead soldiers now around 1300.  This time, instead of sometime next year, NATO says its troops will leave the country in 2014.  That's time enough to turn peasants into a Taliban-fighting police force, right?  As military leaders create new excuses to stay in Afghanistan, President Barack Obama's credibility in this area is looking smaller by the minute.
• The recount to see who will be Minnesota's next governor has begun as we speak.  Representatives for Democrat Mark Dayton and Republican Tom Emmer are looking over the shoulders of the ballot-counters, eagerly determining which votes for their men are genuine, and which ones aren't.  Dayton currently has an 8000-vote lead over Emmer, which is considerably more than when Norm Coleman led Al Franken before the 2008 Senate recount.  But that's not going to stop the state GOP from using legal tactics to delay the inevitable.
• Right now, WCCO-TV (Channel 4) is promoting itself as Minnesota's most-watched news station.  The latest ratings for November, which you can find in MinnPost's Braublog (http://www.minnpost.com/), seem to bear that out.  Gee, could it have something to do with Don Shelby anchoring his final week of newscasts?  Or do we even have to ask?

Don Shelby Lifts Anchor. Finally.

Image by Max Sparber via FlickrYou thought Don Shelby would never leave.

After several months of tributes and testimonials, the longtime WCCO-TV news anchor said goodbye to his viewers Monday night.  There was a few minutes of the obligatory headlines with co-anchor Amelia Santaniello, but then the rest of the 10 p.m. broadcast was devoted to Shelby.  The Man.  The Legend.

Not even Dave Moore, the patron saint of WCCO news, got this kind of send-off.

But Shelby deserves it.  In his 32-year career at the station, he's won just about every award in journalism and community service.  He's anchored with the likes of Colleen Needles, Pat Miles and Paul Douglas--all of whom returned last week to read the news with him one more time (never mind the circumstances under which they left WCCO in the first place).  And he's kept Channel 4 at or near the top of the local news ratings.

Shelby also had his detractors, stemming from his "Good to Know" commentaries.  Conservatives have dubbed him "DFL Don" and worse.  And when he talked about energy and climate change, he tended to harp on it a bit too much for anyone's taste.

Now the job falls to Frank Vascellaro, who will co-anchor alongside wife Amelia.  This isn't the first time he's had to replace a local news legend.  Vascellaro was the guy who followed Paul Magers at KARE, Channel 11 when Magers moved west to become news anchor at KCBS-TV in Los Angeles.

The world of local TV news now is vastly different from when Shelby began at WCCO.  Back then, there were prime time specials and "Moore on Sunday".  Within the newscasts, there was "Dimension" and the I-Team.  Now, because of corporate beancounters and networks' insistence on affiliates running their entire prime time schedules, we are left with "Good Question" and "Reality Check".  The news set is just a giant window overlooking a busy downtown Minneapolis street.  And on the 6 p.m. newscast, the anchors stand next to banks of monitors.

To paraphrase General Douglas MacArthur:  Old news anchors never die.  They just fade away.  Don Shelby chose to leave because (A) his contract was ending, and (B) he didn't want to be dragged out of the newsroom.  One question remains, now that he's signed off:  Have we really heard the last of Don Shelby?

Reassessing Our Contribution to Society

Image via WikipediaNow that the election's over (unless your name is Mark Dayton, Tom Emmer or Lisa Murkowski), it's time to take a step back and reassess where we are.

This is our 450th post since we began in 2007.  We have covered just about everything we wanted to cover, and some that we didn't.  Sometimes we strike a nerve with what we say, and other times you just couldn't care less.  That's how it is when you write a blog like this.

Lately we've noticed something.  We've had a flurry of sports-related posts mixed in with the election-related stuff, and that kind of got in the way of what our audience expects (other than very little).  You were expecting a Vikings piece, you got politics, and vice versa.  If you were expecting another picture of Lady Gaga . . . well, you're on your own.

To clear up any confusion, here's what we're going to do.  We just started a new blog called The Owljock Gazette, which has more of the same half-baked insights you've come to expect from The Bludog Chronicle, except it's about sports.  You'll find it at http://theowljockgazette.blogspot.com/.

Now we return you to your regular programming.

Freebies Aren't Free

It's Veterans Day.  Time to salute the troops with free meals from local restaurants, great seats at the stadium, and all the uncritical praise you'll ever want from an adoring government and news media.

There are at least three holidays devoted to the military (Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day).  For some reason, civilian holidays such as Christmas, Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July have been appropriated by the Pentagon to present televised greetings from soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Let's gloss over the fact that the United States is involved in two questionable wars right now, both fought overseas, and both having little to do with the actual defense of the nation.  Though there is a tendency to separate war from the warriors, it's just not possible.  If you support the troops, you're supporting the war whether you agree with it or not.

What does this tell us?  That soldiers are more valued than ordinary citizens whether we're at war or peace, even in a country with high unemployment, a struggling economy and a bloated federal deficit.

Freedom may not be free, as veterans like to remind the rest of us, but they're getting a lot of perks that you and I have no access to.  Do they deserve them?  And can the country afford to do this?

As an example, the Republicans have been hollering about government-run health care.  Well, what about the VA hospitals and all the other medical perks veterans get?  Are they willing to cut those?

If the GOP is serious about cutting the deficit, once they start wielding power in Congress, they should start with the military.  You know they won't do that because they are blinded by patriotism.  It's practically the third rail, along with Social Security, and no politician wants to touch that.

Let's be clear about one thing.  We are not disparaging the men and women who voluntarily defend this country from harm, or to provide humanitarian relief in times of disaster.  We just wish they weren't fighting and dying for the wrong reasons.

But when Johnny (or Janie) comes marching home, they should understand that just because they served their country, that doesn't make them better than anyone else.  The government, the chain restaurants and the rest of us should realize that, too.

The "Countdown" Resumes

Image via WikipediaAfter being suspended "indefinitely" for all of two programs, Keith Olbermann returned to his post as anchor of MSNBC's "Countdown" Tuesday night.

The reason for Olbermann's brief exile had to do with campaign contributions he made to three Democratic candidates, which is a no-no under NBC News policy.  Not unless he asked first.

Yes, MSNBC was justified in suspending Olbermann if you believe everyone who works there are impartial journalists and are supposed to steer clear of partisan politics.  After all, you wouldn't expect this type of behavior from Brian Williams of "NBC Nightly News".  But Olbermann has made his name in the last decade as a news anchor who turned "Countdown" into a forum for his liberal punditry, and has done very well with it.  MSNBC capitalized on that success by surrounding him in prime time with the likes of Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthews, Ed Schultz and Lawrence O'Donnell as the progressive alternative to Fox News Channel.

There's a bit of hypocrisy here because some of FNC's commentators have been known to write checks to Republican candidates, and few care.  They also have possible 2012 presidential contenders Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee on the payroll.  Then again, FNC doesn't have the journalistic standards MSNBC does, even if they get the most viewers.

Now Olbermann can continue his nightly diatribes against the Tea Party, corporate political funding, journalistic lapses by Fox News, and other evils that conservatives do.  At least he won't be accused of not putting his money where his mouth is. 

What's missing is Olbermann's "Worst Person In The World" segment, which he dropped after Jon Stewart's wishful thinking rally to restore political sanity caused him to do some soul searching.  Doesn't he realize that this is what people tune in for?

MSNBC has been struggling to find an identity ever since they first went on the air.  Hosts such as Phil Donahue, Don Imus, Jesse Ventura, Tucker Carlson and Charles Grodin have come and gone without much success. With Comcast coming in (pending government approval), how long will it be before MSNBC re-invents itself yet again and kicks Olbermann, Maddow and company to the curb?

Let The Recount Begin . . . Again.

Image via WikipediaMinnesota is quickly becoming known as The Land of 10,000 Recounts.  Or it seems that way because Democrat Mark Dayton currently leads Republican Tom Emmer by some 8,000 votes, meaning we still don't know who's going to be the state's next governor.

Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, who helped oversee the Norm Coleman-Al Franken Senate recount drama that took several months before Franken was declared the winner, promises us that things will be different this time.  The counting, he says, won't start until after Thanksgiving and may end around mid-December.

If only it were that simple.  Unless either candidate comes to their senses, the loser will almost certainly mount a legal challenge that could take the recount into 2011.    State GOP chair Tony Sutton, sounding like Tony Soprano, declared that his party is "not going to get rolled this time", and that "something doesn't smell right" because the Governorship was the only major statewide office they didn't win in a year which saw them sweep the Legislature.  Aren't we getting just a tad greedy here?

The longer the recount goes, the better it looks for Emmer--and for Governor Tim Pawlenty, who would be obligated by law to serve past his term until a winner is declared and certified.  With a Republican-controlled Legislature, a golden opportunity exists to pass laws trimming the size of government to almost nothing and finding new ways to fund programs without resorting to pesky taxes.  With Pawlenty still in office, he could be the table-setter for Emmer, even if it does put a crimp in his plans to run for President.

As for such issues as abortion rights and same sex marriages, expect the new Legislature to pass state constitutional laws against them.

If Dayton wins the recount, how far he gets with his plans to increase taxes on the wealthy without much help from his fellow DFLers remains to be seen.  He might be Pawlenty in reverse, vetoing bills that cut funding and risking a government shutdown.

Both Dayton and Emmer deserve praise for not declaring themselves the winner.  But whoever prevails in the recount and takes the oath of office sometime in 2011 will not have a mandate, with both candidates getting less than fifty percent of the vote.  The challenge for whoever the new governor is to refrain from governing as if he had one.  That would not serve him well come 2014.

Vikings' Ship of Fools

Image via WikipediaBefore the National Football League season started, most of the so-called football experts believed that the Minnesota Vikings had enough talent to make a run at the Super Bowl after being one game short the previous year.  Most of the principal players were returning, and quarterback Brett Favre was persuaded to give it one more shot.

Now?  Two months into the season, instead of leading the NFC North division, the Vikings are 2-5 and making the playoffs has become a question mark.  One reason is that the defense is not as good, giving up too many yards and points.  Another is the distractions provided by marquee players owner Zygi Wilf paid a pretty penny to get.

Take Favre, whose body is breaking down as he's turning 41.  He was reluctant to play this season because his ankle was slow to heal after surgery.  The first few games showed not only how unprepared he was after skipping training camp, but also becoming an easy target for opponents' defenses.

After injuring the ankle (again), people urged coach Brad Childress to start Tavaris Jackson in last week's game against the New England Patriots.  But when game time arrived, there was Favre taking the snaps.  He played most of the game until he was knocked out in the jaw and required stitches, which looked a lot worse in TV replays than it really was.

No matter how battered and bruised Favre is, he's always ready to play the following week.  That's an admirable trait in a violent sport, but it could land him in an assisted living facility long before his time.

Off the field, Favre's under investigation by the NFL for allegedly sending lewd pictures and messages to sideline reporter Jenn Sterger when he was with the New York Jets.  Favre has never said anything publicly about this, and neither has Sterger.  But the possibility exists that he could be fined and/or suspended under the league's personal conduct policy.

Then there's Randy Moss, whose second tour of duty with the Vikings lasted four games. 

Moss, who was supposed to be the final piece to a championship puzzle, instead set a record for quickly wearing out a welcome.  He didn't play hard, at least not to the coaches' satisfaction.  He's fined for not speaking to the media after a game, then interviews himself after the next one, in which he expressed his loyalty to his former Patriots teammates.  He dissed the food being served by a local caterer during a team meal, saying he wouldn't give it to his dog.  Talented player, yes.  Classy individual, no.

For this, the Vikings gave up a third round pick to the Patriots.  Coach Bill Belichick must have been laughing his hoodie off, playing the Vikings for suckers just like the Dallas Cowboys did two decades ago when they gave up Herschel Walker for draft picks that led to Super Bowl championships.

It shouldn't have been a surprise when Childress finally had enough of Moss and got rid of him on waivers.  Moss has since been picked up by the Tennessee Titans.  Let's see how long it takes him to stir things up in Nashville.

Moss' departure could be the beginning if the Vikings don't make the playoffs.  Wilf could decide to clean house and get rid of Favre, Childress and any other underperforming high-priced player.  Leading the league in off-the-field headlines is not the way to win a championship. 

Election 2010: The Aftermath

Image via WikipediaAlmost from the beginning of Barack Obama's presidency, the Republicans developed a strategy to take back control of the government they had lost in the 2008 elections.

As the minority party in Congress, the GOP would start acting like spoiled children screaming "NO! NO! NO!"  for every program Obama and the Democrats put up, while seldom coming up with a better solution of their own.  The Democrats, like any overwhelmed parent, could do little more than to give the GOP kids what they wanted so peace could be maintained.

Couple that with an angry public dealing with unemployment and bank foreclosures, wondering why the change they had voted for in 2008 was slow in coming.  And a Tea Party movement that wanted less government and no new taxes made itself felt in the candidates that ran for office, even if there were some colorful characters mixed in.

Also, the GOP had a little help from the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that corporations can contribute directly to political campaigns.  Thus the attack ads funded by front organizations with anonymous donors that filled our TV screens, blaming Obama and the Democratic leadership for the mess we're in.

The strategy worked.  Tuesday the Republicans took back control of the House of Representatives.  Democrats regained the Senate, but by a slimmer margin.  John Boehner, the GOP congressman from Ohio, will be taking the gavel as the new Speaker of the House from Nancy Pelosi, Democrat from California.

After all the progress made in this past session of Congress (and there was, believe it or not), things are likely to grind to a halt in the next session.  Despite talk of conciliation between the President and the GOP leadership and the solemn pledges to take the people's wishes seriously, we know there's not going to be any of the sort.  Mitch McConnell, the Senate's minority leader from Kentucky, recently went on record as saying the GOP's top priority is to make Obama a one-term president.

In spite of Jon Stewart's best efforts to lower the temperature of political discourse, we are currently living in the Era of Mean.  And it's only going to get worse because we're two years away from the 2012 presidential election.

***

In Minnesota, the GOP tidal wave washed over the Legislature, with that party in control of both the House and Senate for the first time ever.

They also scored an upset in the Eighth Congressional District with previously unknown Chip Cravaack taking down longtime Democrat Jim Oberstar.  Otherwise, most of the other incumbents were re-elected to their congressional seats.

As for the governor's race, did someone say recount?  We need one again because Democrat Mark Dayton only holds a 9,000-vote lead over his Republican opponent Tom Emmer.  More on this in a future post.

Champions In The City By The Bay

Image via WikipediaThe San Francisco Giants have endured a lot since the franchise moved from New York in 1958.  They've had great players such as Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal and Will Clark pass through there.  They've played in a drafty ballpark called Candlestick, nearly moved out of town to either Toronto or Tampa Bay, and watched Barry Bonds set home run records under a cloud of suspicion.

The Giants have been to the World Series three times since winning their last title at the Polo Grounds in 1954, losing all three times.  Meanwhile, their hated rivals to the south, the Los Angeles Dodgers, have won five world championships in nine appearances since moving to California with the Giants.

But now the city of cable cars and the Golden Gate Bridge have a World Series title to call their own, with the Giants defeating the Texas Rangers in five games behind the pitching of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner and closer Brian Wilson.  The hitting star was Edgar Renteria, who was named the Series' MVP.

Major League Baseball must have been thrilled that the Giants are the ninth different team in the last decade to win a championship.  Not so much for Fox.  With no Yankees to promote, this World Series stands to become one of the least-watched in history.  Even the NFL prime time games drew more viewers than baseball.

With the Series going into November, MLB lucked out weatherwise with games being played in the milder climes of Arlington, Texas and San Francisco.  No parkas were necessary, unless you needed it as a Halloween costume.

One sour note:  Is it really necessary for MLB to jam "God Bless America" down our throats during the seventh-inning stretch?  With the country so divided politically, MLB seems to have sided with Republicans and Tea Partiers in pretending it's still September 11, 2001 somewhere.  We've moved on, and so should they.

Now that San Francisco has a baseball title, who's next?  Seattle?  Washington?  Cleveland?  Maybe even the Chicago Cubs?  One can only dream.