Violence in video games, violence in talk shows

For some years now people have been talking about violence in video games, and how young people playing those games become inured to the violence and may be led to commit violent acts themselves. Some have insisted on the games being rated to warn parents of violent content. Perhaps we need to see something along the lines of

"Fox wishes to caution viewers that the following program contains gratuitous anti-government and eliminationist rhetoric."

Did Obama give a speech?

I was spinning around the televison channels Thursday night, trying to decide which of the many over-the-air stations had the clearest picture. I was not entirely surprised when I turned to channel 45 (WBFF), a Fox affiliate in Baltimore, that it was not broadcasting Obama's speech. "Those biased bastards," I thought.


But then I dropped back to channel 43 (WPMT), also a Fox affiliate, but broadcasting from York County, Pennsylvania. There was Obama, orating away. So I checked channel 5 (WTTG), another Fox affiliate broadcasting from Washington, DC, and there was Obama again.


Then I remembered. Four years ago, during another campaign. The Sinclair Broadcast Group demanded the stations it owns nationwide preempt regular broadcasting and air a scurrilous video-turd, a deceitful smear agaist Democratic candidate John Kerry. WBFF was one of those stations. Now its master has pulled its leash again, trying to muffle another Democratic candidate.

UPDATE: (4 September 2008) Well, they carried live the first 15 minutes or so of McSame's speech. I guess they don't like the former Maverick as much as they like Moosekiller Palin.

Show the good stuff

Apparently, PBS is doing more begging fund-raising now, showing those old dead people playing music that wasn't all that good forty years ago. If they want to impress me enough to send them more money, they need to run more shows like they just did. Tonight they reran
Nova's Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial, interviews and re-enactment of the Kitzmiller v. Dover trial, presided over by Judge John E. Jones III. That's a damn sight better than bringing on the woomeisters and the experts on the obvious that make up the bulk of fund -raising programming.

My only criticism of the show is that although they interviewed Pastor Ray Mummert, they did not get him to repeat , We've been attacked by the intelligent, educated segment of the culture.