Random Thoughts for the 50th Anniversary of the Tet Offensive

Last week was the 50th anniversary of the publication of the Pulitzer Prize winning photo just before the execution of the Viet Cong soldier as part of the Tet Offensive.  This marked the escalation of the Viet Nam war; the beginning of my dad's tour in country and the end of the Johnson Presidency in 1968.  The escalation of the war that would cost us the lives of over 50,000 Americans who could not find a doctor to sign a medical waiver for bone spurs in the foot.

I love NPR; and it is the background music of my life. It is public radio so really these announcers, reporters and journalists are representing our interests.  They receive some public money and rely on the public donations to stay in business.  There is no doubt that we are well represented by people like Nina Totenberg in the Supreme Court, Pam Fessler on Voting, and Laura Sullivan and her reports with ProPublica.  Each of these three have stories that made a difference from Anita Hill to the scandals at the Red Cross to Gerrymandering and the evils of ID for voting.  They have served the public well. 

One reporter who in my opinion is not pulling her weight is Mara Liasson at the White House.  She asks good questions but she also has many strikes against her. Those good questions do not turn into good stories or they get bogged down in being overly friendly with the administration.  Her biggest issue is that she also works for the biased Trump media outlet of Faux News.  Other issues include the reality that her stories are not memorable.  I can't think of one important story broken by Ms. Liasson, and I have never said, "I need to go back and listen to that Mara Liasson story again."  A quick Google search did not return one news story with her byline in the top 20 searches.  She is so dedicated to the "both sides do it narrative" that it colors her journalism.  What has gone on from the podium of the White House is so abnormal this past year, it is silly to mention previous administrations or the powerless Democrats.  At what point do you get angry and reflect that in your stories?  What do they have to do to get some passion and call out the suspicious and criminal behavior.  The White House communication lies with immunity on the airwaves of NPR.  Liasson is so prone to giving "both sides" of the story that she misses the forest for the fig leaf. Two weeks ago, every news outlet had sources to confirm that the President had ordered the firing of Mueller (even FauxNews), but NPR stated that they could not confirm the story.  What good is Liasson if she could not confirm this bombshell?  It is time to make Liasson a senior correspondent thinking of unique ways to talk about gross Thanksgiving meals and interviewing academics about the marvelous art of ancient Persia.

Speaking of NPR, have you noticed that on the local NPR affiliate WCPN the Friday news roundup show is heavily dominated by white commentators?  Yes, I realize that the host, Rick Jackson is African American and does a fantastic job, but the people who are commenting on the news are overwhelmingly not representative of Cleveland.  I went back six months in the WCPN archive to look at the commentators on the news over the last 25 Friday shows.  From July 2017 to the February 2, 2018 show, there were 75 guests (3 per show) and in all that time only 3 shows featured a member of a minority.  There was one African American in January 2018 and two times Andy Chow was a guest or 96% of the commentators were white.  Nearly every show was pretty white, older, educated, suburban and therefore came from one small segment of our society. 

There were two African Americans competing for Mayor of Cleveland during that span.  There were shooting deaths, the problems associated with charter schools, Medicaid work requirements, federal tax cuts mostly for the wealthy, using public money for improving playgrounds for the rich, and cuts to arts institutions with the cigarette tax that could be better informed with African American or Hispanic individuals who do not live in the suburbs.  I know that the audience is largely white, educated and suburban, but is that a chicken or an egg problem?  They are publicly supported with public money and donations so shouldn't they have to reflect the community they serve?  It is no wonder there is a boiling anger out in the community that white educated folks are talking down to all the rest of the population.  These announcers know nothing about the juvenile justice system for an African American teen.  They have no idea what goes on with the mom trying to figure out what is best for her kids poisoned because the only house they could afford was lead poisoned.  The white commentators cannot give a solid picture of the news if they do not understand poverty, or why kids carry a gun or the desperate hope that someone will come along to lift them out of the drug crisis in their family.  Young people, minorities, non-college educated residents of Glenville have opinions about the news and we should hear them every once in a while.

NPR did carry a story about the withdraw of FEMA food support in Puerto Rico that caused a stir because still one-third of the island does not have power.  It drew immediate condemnation especially from leaders in Puerto Rico.  In the most tone deaf statement of the year so far, the coordinator for FEMA on the island said,

"The reality is that we just need to look around. Supermarkets are open, and things are going back to normal," said Alejandro De La Campa, FEMA's director in Puerto Rico. "If we're giving free water and food, that means that families are not going to supermarkets to buy," De La Campa said. "It is affecting the economy of Puerto Rico. So we need to create a balance. "

FEMA had to back down after all the criticism, but still the idea of cutting off food when the power is out is insane.  How do people keep things cold or go to a job to earn money without electricity?  Just because you seek help from the government does not mean that you are undermining capitalism.  There is very little relationship between the two.  Everything is complicated if an island does not have the infrastructure to meet the basic needs of a population.  If a government cannot offer basic power, they owe the population at least free food and water. 

I have been trying to figure out why Mary Taylor is running for Governor.  In Ohio, Republicans are divided between the Kasich branch and the Trump core of the party.  Every Republican who got into the race at the beginning (Husted, DeWine, Taylor and Rennaci) appeal to the Trump followers of the party.  There have to be Kasich supporters who will vote in the primary.  Why is no one supporting Medicaid expansion or fake bipartisanship?  Why not try to expand the party instead of strictly appealing to the narrow Make America Great crowd?  What is the difference between the Taylor and Dewine ticket?  Why bother?

Now that I tried to get involved in the local Democratic party, I can say with first hand knowledge, they suck.  It is no wonder that people are turned off the party and Cuyahoga County does not have the power down at the Statehouse as they did in the 1970s and 1980s.  How could they not endorse one of the best elected officials in Ohio with Nickie Antonio?  She listens and tries to react.  She cares about her constituents even if they do not agree with her.  She truly tries to represent all her constituents and not just her donors or her fellow progressive Democrats.  This is the opposite of former Council President Marty Sweeney.  Does anyone remember one Marty Sweeney led initiative that benefited his constituency either at Council or at the State House?

Then the Democrats decided to not to give Kenny Yuko the endorsement blocked by John Barnes who got enough support so that the Dems will endorse no one in the State Senate vote. This is an outrage since Barnes is barely a Democrat regularly crossing the line and voting with Republicans when offered crumbs.  Barnes tried to eliminate the Cleveland Housing Court until the Plain Dealer revealed conflicts of interest.  We would be better represented by Michael Moore's Ficus tree over John Barnes.   How many good people are being turned away from participating because the Cuyahoga County Democratic party is so poorly managed?  Why doesn't substance and issues matter to the Cuyahoga County Democrats?

by Brian Davis