Twitter update

By Jennifer J. Foster

Hey guys, shameless plug alert! I want to give you an update on things in my Twitterverse.

If you’re a fellow tweeter, please follow me @jefoster. You can check out my tweets at that link, so you’ll get an idea of what you can expect from me. I will do my part to keep you entertained!

I’m now at 98 followers, so I’m pumped about reaching the 100 mark. Who will it be?

Come join the fun!

How to party with the pros

By Jennifer J. Foster

The Los Angeles Lakers won the franchise’s 15th NBA title last night.

To celebrate, unruly Lakers fans participated in a curious but pervasive victory ritual, the performance of which is repeated upon the attainment of all other professional sports titles in America (with the notable, and ironic, exception of NASCAR).

So, to honor the Lakers’ historic achievement, I have compiled this step-by-step list, which details how you, too, can partake in similar special occasions:

1. Cheer team on to title throughout title series.

2. Upon triumph in Game 4, join with other like-minded, similarly intoxicated individuals who may or may not also be fans of your team. If no suitable fans are available, disaffected teens in the area will do.

3. Set fires, destroy stuff and engage in random, inexplicable acts of vandalism and social unrest. Also, if possible, overturn a police cruiser or two.

4. Continue title celebration at county lockup. Ebulliently invite judge at first appearance to join the party.

5. Depending on your success with No. 3, continue title celebration with either: Grumpy traffic violators, litterers and assorted casual drug users during four to eight early-Saturday-morning roadside trash cleanups; or—Junkies and/or prostitutes and/or second- and third-time drug offenders as the guest of your county for 10 or so days. Discuss strengths of team and next year’s prospects over corn meal, ham sandwiches and hot dogs, or whatever else the county serves in the gourmet buffet line.

6. Fondly recollect steps 1 through 5 when reminded of the police record on your job applications for years to come. Share with prospective employer that your record, while it might, on first glance, indicate a problem, actually demonstrates the extent to which you will be an effective, sold-out member of HIS team.

Yeah. Go Lakers.

Blagojevich ... again

By Jennifer J. Foster

Actually, I should have titled this, “Blagojevich ... still,“ because—unfortunately for us—he hasn’t ever really gone away.

From the Associated Press:

Blagojevich got in on the joke Saturday evening, appearing as himself in a comedy show that lampoons the rise and fall of his own political career.

He opened The Second City’s “Rod Blagojevich Superstar,“ a parody of the rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar,“ standing on a chair with his arms raised as if he were being crucified.

The show—which portrays Blagojevich as greedy, tactless and hair-obsessed—opened in February and was supposed to end June 14. But production officials extended it to Aug. 9 due to constant sold-out performances.

A full house cheered as Blagojevich, who was removed from office in January and has pleaded not guilty to wide-ranging federal corruption charges, appeared on stage wearing a suit and tie.
“Where were you when I was impeached?“ he asked the audience.

What is WRONG with this guy?

At times like these, you have to look on the bright side:

It appears that he’s made progress in accepting his new reality: He is now resigned to joining in on the joke he has long since been to everyone else.

He was not wearing a jogging suit.

At least he didn’t quote any poetry.

There are many words you could use to describe Rod Blagojevich. But like those SAT questions from long ago, there is one that is a better fit than the rest:

NAR-CISS-IST.

Dale Jackson’s five-day vay-cay

By Jennifer J. Foster

I wonder what the good folks of Huntsville are listening to on their way to work this morning.

Radio talk show host Dale Jackson may be sleeping in. The early-bird talker, whose show runs from 6 a.m. until 9 a.m. on weekdays, begins serving his five-day suspension today. It’s his punishment from the suits at Cumulus Broadcasting for his stunt last week that involved misappropriation of the state seal of Alabama. (See previous post about it here.)

As you can tell from the official statement, Cumulus didn’t think the stunt was as funny as Jackson did. And as you can see from Jackson’s Twitter feed over the past few days, he’s anything but sorry for what he did (unless you count the remorse involving the seal, which could net him 10 years in the state pen if he’s convicted of the felony).

I’m just interested to see whether Jackson is also suspended from posting on his blog, which is attached to the site for the radio show, and whether he’ll still be active on Twitter. If he is, it will be a lot like being grounded, only getting to keep the TV, your computer and cell phone.

Class, the suspension poses an interesting opportunity for us to examine this issue further in the context of the broader right-wing talk radio universe. Remember back to last year’s primaries, when conservative ubertalker Rush Limbaugh actively encouraged listeners in Texas and Ohio to change their registration and vote in the Democratic presidential primary for Hillary Clinton. Limbaugh’s defense was that he did not encourage anyone to do anything illegal; accordingly, he was not prosecuted for any crime. Now, consider Jackson’s stunt last week. His defense was that if anyone believed that voting would take place over two days, it was “their own fault.“

Compare and contrast the issues and outcomes in the Limbaugh and Jackson cases. Which offense do you believe was more dangerous to the democratic system, and do you believe the outcomes reflected the danger? Considering the size of their audiences, do political talk shows on radio and TV wield disproportionate power and influence over the American political system?

Note: For extra credit, identify Marion S. Barber (this is not an open-Google test).