SAYING IT-IMPRINTING IT AND A BETTER WAY

NIGGERS, FLAGS AND RACISTS

    The words are still shocking, even more so from an 11 year old.

    "They ought to kill all the niggers or send them back to the slave houses. The stupid old niggers are the problem."

     The petulant girl was the daughter of the kleagle of a particularly active and virulent cell of the ku klux klan. Her words were pivotal in a documentary demonstrating how racism is passed through generations. 

      I covered the klan and extremist groups in the mid 60's and years later wrote and produced KLAN to portray how and why racism and racial hatred is so deeply woven into the American fabric. David Brinkley, one of the national Emmy judges, along with Senator Barry Goldwater, called KLAN "One of the most important hours in television." A national Emmy is an honor but little good that program or many other fine journalistic efforts have done to sear the disease of racism from society.

       A friend and Presbyterian pastor was active in the struggle that got the confederate flag removed from atop the Dome at the Statehouse in Columbia South Carolina. That it still flies anywhere is symptomatic of the disease. 

      Despite comments about heritage, legacy, history or any honey tongued justification, the flag is all about racism, white supremacy and slavery. Ta-Nehisi Coates in this Atlantic piece presents the very words of the confederacy and their political leaders. They are convicted by their own uttering. 

     The racist front continues in the existent celebration and heritage of the confederacy in the south; streets, highways, schools bearing the name of confederate leaders along with statues, monuments and cultural icons. We can not afford to forget facts and must seek to understand the pathology of the culture, but we should not elevate the symbols and names of those who sought to keep humans enslaved, denied of their rights, liberties and dignity and made war to do so. 

    The flag belongs in an historical museum, as a nazi swastika or heraldry is kept. It is an object of study. It is a token of a shamed and hateful ideology. The flag itself will not spur a supremacist to violence but its very flying near a seat of government is a nod and wink that condones a perpetuation of the hatred. 

    Whether on license plates, belt buckles, t-shirts, bumper stickers, in media or even tattoos, anything that celebrates slavery should be seen for what it is, evil and a discredited idea banished to the ash bin of history.

    Words carry emotional history. We debated and anguished over inclusion of the girl's words. I debated with myself in telling the story in this post. Such is testament to the sensitivity and respect that is due, but "to each his own," unless it inflicts pain, as does the confederate flag.

    A post script: Hoagland Jr. High School in Ft. Wayne was a mix of Black, Hispanic and Caucasians-almost an equal split with fewer Caucasians. Our basketball team was predominately Black with a few Latinos and a couple of us white guys.  In the final moment of a city tourney game our center, Roosevelt (Rosie) Dodds made an incredible hook shot giving us a win. As we triumphantly moved to the locker room several of my team mates deliriously gave Rosie high fives, cheering "way to go Nigguh."  I lined up behind a black mate and when I got to Rosie's locker I gave him a high five and said "way to go Nigguh."  Rosie smiled, picked up his tennis shoe and whacked me on the face. Still smiling, extending his hand to pick me up he said "but you ain't no Nigguh!" Rosie taught me a lesson, vivid today as it was years ago.

     BTW we aired a 10th Anniversary reprise of KLAN.

The sassy and hateful little girl had grown up. She was still at home but had been banished to a trailer on the families property. She apologized to our viewers saying she had changed her mind and learned real history. She was working with "African Americans" and considered one a good friend. 

A FATHER OF PEACE

      The man on the left is Elias Chacour, thrice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. I recalled the week I spent with Father Chacour as I read of recent Druze violence in the middle east.

       Chacour has done what no one else has. He's brought Druze, Muslim, Orthodox, Arab, Palestinian, Jew and Christian together.

  I shot this assemblage of every middle eastern faction imaginable-Israeli government, Palestinian, Druze, Muslim, Arab, Christian, Melkite Catholic, Orthodox. Chacour had convened them to dedicate a new building at his remarkable Peace school in Ibillin in the hills of Galilee.    

  Struggling against unimaginable odds, it seems no one wanted him to succeed, Chacour created a school where Jew, Muslim, Druze, Palestinian and Christian children studied together. I was there as a journalist and was overwhelmed his achievement. I was indelibly impressed by 

by the courage and extraordinary quality of the man. We had hours of conversation driving across Israel, in his garden, at dinners and in his home. We watched him work his efforts at reconciliation. Chacour was born in Galilee and considers himself a Palestinian-Arab-Christian citizen of Israel. He is truly a peace maker, perhaps the hardest job on the planet.

      Role models are important, as are images and symbols.
To what do we owe our attention?

SOMETHING NICE IN PARTING

  With appreciation to my daughter Katherine!

   See you down the trail.

     

MENTORS AND LEADERS-ON THE GRATITUDE TRAIL

OF THE REASONS WE COUNT

    Hasn't there been someone in your life who provided a special motivation or guidance?  A parent, teacher, coach, pastor, counselor, boss, or someone in a position to mentor you who left an imprint? 

    I've been lucky to have several. I think the first time I realized it was as a High School kid attending a statewide journalism workshop when a young teacher got through to me.  His advice was to read, a lot. Then he said pay attention to the pros.  If you read them, try to act like them, try to think like them, then you'll become one of them.  It happened.

    I wrote a letter to David Brinkley in my senior year of high school, asking his advice about a course of study in college.  He suggested history, economics, science, political science and said read, a lot.  He said you also need to learn to write, well. Years later over a lunch with Brinkley we laughed about how seriously I took his word. In an exquisite irony, just a few years before our lunch, Brinkley was on a panel of judges that awarded me a national Emmy Award. At the time his comment was that I had written "one of television's finest programs."  The award was for an investigative documentary on the Ku Klux Klan. 

     An early boss demonstrated a tireless pursuit of a story and a dedication to absolute honesty and an attempt at fairness and balance. 
     Bruce and Judy who demonstrated that a passion for
life and matters of the mind can and will lead you on a life long adventure.

     Earlier, a junior high school basketball coach taught me the power of drilling, over and over to improve a skill. And long before Phil Jackson got accolades for his "zen" coaching, my coach had us do"imaging," picturing or seeing ourselves perform well in individual skills and as a team.

     A little later I was taken into a group that some considered old fashioned or anachronistic. It was dedicated to teaching young men the skills of knighthood-chivalry, fidelity, courage, brotherly love, respect and devotion to learning. Older men, accomplished in many skills, guided us. One of those men, his name was Buddy, had a profound impact on all of us.

     Howard Stone and William Enright, two tall, powerful, intellectual, extraordinarily gifted theologians and pastors demonstrated how to weave intellect, faith, humor and humility into living a life of good.

     As an adult I met, read and studied John Wooden, the extraordinary coach and motivator. Wooden was more than a "Wizard of Westwood," he was a gentleman and teacher for the ages.

     Another true mentor was my father who showed me an absolute dedication to the principles of this democratic republic and fair play. I cannot tell you how many times I heard him invoke the Voltaire line, "I may disagree with what you say but will defend to death your right to say it."

     He was a true egalitarian and a man of a deep and guiding faith. "Make the most of each day," he said so many times, I hear myself saying that to my daughters.

     Mentors, in their own way, shaped, molded and guided.

     And there are others

HE SAVED THE UNION 

IT IS MORE THAN STONE

   Serious historians and just average Americans, in large measure, say Abraham Lincoln was the greatest American President. 

    Dad made sure that on our first trip to Washington, when I was a school boy, we got here after dark. There is a power that is beyond words when you behold this temple setting, washed in light. 

    There is a solemnity and greatness that is palpable.  

    It is fitting that this stone version of a giant of a man

looks toward the monument for another human who seemed to ascend to greatness by his acts to service and devotion to our national cause.  George Washington is paid tribute in another post.
     Count those who have guided you.  It will make you smile.
      See you down the trail.

THE WEEKENDER-YOUR TRAFFIC GUIDE?

THE END OF THE NIGHT WATCH

     People who write and produce morning news programs start their "day" around 11:30 PM, just as the evening crews finish. They are truly the Night Watch of modern civilization.

      Broadcasts are always looking for something to give the program an advantage, a reason to watch and to build loyalty. A hybrid commodity in that mix is the traffic report-personality with helpful information for morning rush hour drivers.  

       As a News Director I made sure our helicopter was up, that traffic cam's were feeding good images, I hired a popular radio personality who sparkled on television, and invested heavily in interactive screens and software that gave Julie a stunning visual display of traffic, maps and the ability to zoom in and out of specific locales and etc. And then you add that to the mix of news, weather, features and other personalities.  

       Well, out of this world comes the lad we offer as our Weekender Video entertainment. I sent this video off to former colleagues and other news executives. Responses were wide ranging and funny.  What do you think?  Would you like this to be part of your Friday morning traffic report?

Enjoy.

       What would Walter Cronkite, or David Brinkley say?

       Have a great first weekend of the new year. 

       See you down the trail.

WHY NOT RELEVANT COVERAGE? & TREES AT SUNSET

IT IS ABOUT MORE THAN A HORSE RACE
Election night was as much fun as Christmas morning. I was always amped up by the prospect of our hours long unscripted coverage, both on radio and for many years on TV. I'm a political junkie, as you might expect after decades of journalism covering campaigns for school boards to the White House. So, with that as prelude--
WHY CAN'T WE GET BETTER COVERAGE?
We don't need more. It seems wall to wall now, but
the focus is almost exclusively on the horse race.
Oh, we have marvelous polls and data sets and awe inspiring graphic displays, but somehow it misses the point.
Ultimately the voter will decide, regardless of how
pollsters handicap or predicatively prophesize.
Don't you think we need better analysis of how
these candidates will behave as Chief Executive and
Commander in Chief?  I'd rather know how they
propose to handle the latest Iranian saber rattling and what will they do, specifically, rather than how much money
they've raised, and what their strategy is to win New Hampshire.
We have a disconnect.  There is the business, and a sleazy one it is, of getting elected.  Then there is governance.
Our media attention is almost exclusively on the  business of
campaigning, which is an important story, but not as
important as understanding who these people are.
What about their personality and beliefs?  How might they affect political decisions?  What is their competence in 
dealing with the Joint Chiefs of Staff?  How much do they know about the American Intelligence Community?
What do they really know of American history?
What do they know of previous Presidents?
Do they understand how government bureaus operate, or Weber's laws of bureaucracy?  How effective are they at managing?  Can they manage a budget?  Do they know how to hold people accountable?
 Can they, measure outcomes or articulate a vision? How do they make decisions? What experience do they have at 
working with varied special interests? Etc, etc.
I'd much rather see a few months of microscopic 
examination of character, decision making, experience, 
personality, philosophy, than canned sound bites
in predictable debate scenarios where everyone, even the panel is playing to the camera, or reportage about 
the horse race that has all the hype and speculation
of a Super Bowl lead up.
Maybe the current crop of reporters have seen too much
American Idol or Dancing with the Stars.
Oh how I miss Tom Petit, Herb Kaplow, Douglas Kiker, David Brinkley, Walter Cronkite,  Bob Clark, John Chancellor, Marvin Kalb, Cassie Mackin, Dan Rather, Lynn Sherr, David Broder, Tom Wicker, Joseph Alsop, Johnny Apple, Richard Reeves, Walter Mears, Adam Clymer, I.F. Stone, Scotty Reston, Bill Bradley, etc, etc, etc. 
DAYBOOK

TREES AT SUNSET

This series captures the texture and

magic of watching the sun dance behind

a tree in wine country.

My English uncle told me, when a boy, this is 

the time of evening of myths, legends, visions,

dreams, fairies and goblins.

See you down the trail.