February 2012
5 posts
18 tags
ESPN, Freedom of Speech and Jeremy Lin
When ESPN suspended Max Bretos and fired Anthony Federico for using the phrase “chink in the armor” in their coverage of Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks’ loss to the New Orleans Hornets last week, righteous indignation about the dwindling First Amendment ensued.  That predictable response is a symptom of the low standard that is set for hosts and pundits.  But the First...
Feb 25th
9 tags
Who Gets the Online Sales Tax Revenue?
While analysts predict that online retail sites like Amazon are expected to enjoy growth rates of as much as 20% per year, bricks and mortar stores, including small businesses, can expect annual growth rates to decline to as little as 2.1%. Those of us who already have access to broadband know what a convenience it is to buy goods online, both in terms of the lower prices offered by online...
Feb 24th
WatchWatch
Bill O’Reilly says the “true causes of poverty” are “poor education, addiction, irresponsible behavior, and laziness.”  But really, what more do we expect from this guy? O’Reilly thinks that not only was Mitt Romney justified in his remark that Romney doesn’t care about the very poor, but the poor are poor for reasons entirely of their own making! 
Feb 3rd
8 tags
In Racially Charged Political Climate, Fairfax...
  Vandals caused $60,000 worth of damage to a mosque under construction in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Chantilly, VA but the Fairfax County Police Department doesn’t think it was a hate crime. They can’t be serious. Amid all the vitriolic speech occurring in the media and on the campaign trail, how could FCPD officials have possibly thought this was a sound conclusion?  The Fairfax County...
Feb 2nd
4 tags
FCC Denies MMTC XM Sirius Petition
Remember when the Sirius-XM merger was approved back in 2008? Part of the deal was that Sirius XM would lease 8% of its channels to “diverse” content programmers.  The FCC thought this was a great idea, but required Sirius XM to ignore race as a factor in determining who should get to program the channels.  The Minority Media and Telecommunications Council (MMTC) petitioned the FCC...
Feb 2nd