The real meaning of impeachment

Posted on by

The word impeachment has been in the news a lot, but it seems many Americans don’t really understand what that means (which is not surprising when you realize only 26% of Americans can name all three branches of the government (see “Could you pass this test”)

Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body levels charges against a government official. Impeachment does not in itself remove the official from office; it is the equivalent to an indictment in criminal law, and thus is only the statement of charges against the official.

In the relatively young history of the U.S. (243 years), only two presidents have been impeached. Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998 (Nixon resigned in part to avoid being impeached). Both Johnson and Clinton were acquitted and finished their term in office.

Impeachment by its very nature can be a very politicized event and that seems even more evident in today’s hyper-partisan world. Democrats want to “Dump Trump” while Republicans counter with “You just don’t like that he won”.

So where does that leave us? There really is no road map on how any of this works. For instance, there is a debate on whether or not congress must vote on a resolution to open inquires. No resolution has been voted on and it’s not clear that one would pass at this time (although it does appear the tide is shifting). Others argue having the House Judiciary Committee already engaged in an impeachment investigation by-passes the need for a resolution to open inquires.

Let’s just say for the moment, the House votes on the articles of impeachment with one of the articles passing, the president is officially impeached (the equivalent of being indicted, but not found guilty). The matter than goes to the Senate, were the procedures are even murkier.

You would think something this important would be spelled out in great detail, but you would be wrong; there are no set rules. The Senate could pass a resolution (there’s that word again) to lay out how the trail would proceed making it up as they go along, but there is no legal mechanism in place if the majority leader were to refuse to convene a trail (ala Senator Mitch McConnell refusing to permit a Supreme Court confirmation hearing and vote on Obama’s nominee, Judge Merrick Garland).

So how does this get resolved? There is one solution; let the American people decide in the 2020 presidential election. Then we can argue about the Election College and stop talking about impeachment.

Could you pass this test?

Posted on by

While the immigration debate continues, an interesting study was conducted Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. It found only 1 in 3 Americans would pass the citizenship test which is administered to people interested in becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen.

National polling found only 26 percent of Americans can name all three branches of the government (down from 38 percent in 2011). If you think that’s bad, 33 percent of Americans surveyed were unable to name even one branch of government.

Another poll performed by Lincoln Park Strategies found…

  • Seventy-two percent of respondents either incorrectly identified or were unsure of which states were part of the 13 original states
  • Only 24 percent could correctly identify one thing Benjamin Franklin was famous for, with 37 percent believing he invented the light bulb
  • Only 24 percent knew the correct answer as to why the colonists fought the British
  • Twelve percent incorrectly thought WWII General Dwight Eisenhower led troops in the Civil War; 6 percent thought he was a Vietnam War general

Not surprisingly, the poll found significant gaps depending on age. Those 65 years and older scored the best, with 74 percent answering at least six in 10 questions correctly. For those under the age of 45, only 19 percent passed with the exam, with 81 percent scoring a 59 percent or lower.

Curious on how you would do? You can see the 100 possible questions with the answers by visiting USCIS.gov. The test is given orally with USCIS Officers asking the applicant 10 of the 100 civics questions listed. You’ll need to get six out of ten to pass.

Good luck!

Texas law goes up in smoke

Posted on by

“Marijuana has not been decriminalized in Texas”

So reads the letter, signed by Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, and Attorney General Ken Paxton. It may not be decriminalized, but it sure has taken an interesting turn with the passage of House Bill 1325 this past session.

The so-called “Hemp Bill” took the drug off the list of controlled substances in Texas, as long as products such as CBD oil contain no more than 0.3 percent THC, the psychoactive ingredient that gives users their buzz.

So what’s the problem? It seems measuring the difference between legal (0.3 percent) and illegal (0.4 percent) requires very special equipment which is not readily available and expensive. Some estimates projected the equipment and training for 25 new employees to be around $5.5 million annually. Since no funding was provided, many district attorneys are delaying, or even dropping low-level marijuana cases.

The letter signed by Abbott, Patrick, Bonnen and Paxton went to say…

“Since H.B. 1325 did not repeal the marijuana laws of Texas, as Judicial Branch Members, you should continue to enforce those laws by ‘faithfully executing the duties of the office of the [District or County Attorney], of the State of Texas, and … to the best of [your] ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this State.”

The problem is lawmakers were told before they voted that H.B. 1325 was going to make prosecuting marijuana a lot tougher. The Texas Department of Public Safety testified to state budget officials the bill would need to be funded to work.  Democratic state Rep. Tracy King’s office was told that, without funds for new lab testing, the legislation would “essentially legalize marijuana.”

It’s all part of the “un-funded mandate” game. Austin makes the rules, then wants to local jurisdictions to figure out how to pay for it. Texas lawmakers take great pride passing tax cuts, implementing new laws, then screaming foul when local authorities try to figure out how to make it work, or worse don’t try at all.

With lawmakers approving a $250.7 billion two-year budget, could someone in Austin have listened a little more carefully to the people testifying and come up with $5 million?

Words matter

Posted on by

Racist

A person who shows or feels discrimination or prejudice against people of other races, or who believes that a particular race is superior to another – Dictionary.com

Do not use racially charged or similar terms as euphemisms for racist or racism when the latter terms are truly applicable – AP Stylebook March 29,2019

The word “racist” has been widely used recently following President Trumps recent tweets about four Congresswomen who came under attack…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the past, the AP Stylebook (the holy bible for reporters and editors) urged journalists to not use a derogatory term in a story that has racial overtones unless “it is crucial to the story or the understanding of a news event”. It goes on to suggests to “flag the contents in an editor’s note”.

My how times have changed. The news agency now says terms such as “racism” and “racist” can be used in broad references or in quotations to describe “the hatred of a race, or assertion of the superiority of one race over others.” Journalists are now encouraged to report an incident racist if it is such, rather than tread softly around the word.

One example given by the AP was…

Mississippi has a history of racist lynchings, not a history of racially motivated lynchings.

So why does that matter? You need to understand that making a change to the AP Stylebook is like the Catholic church updating the canon law, it does not happen very often. Still, why should the public care?

If you still believe that not all news is fake and reporters are attempting to accurately describe what is taking place, using the right word is critical to eliminating as much confusion as possible (knowing that nothing is ever 100 percent fool proof) when it comes to telling the story.

The words journalists use can have a profound effect on people and, in today’s world of social media, blogs and other so-called news outlets, accuracy is more important than ever.

Getting the blues in the Alamo City

Posted on by

There are tons of great things to do when visiting San Antonio. Eating, drinking, strolling along the river walk and exploring its deep history of world famous missions would make any trip to the Alamo City worthwhile.

There is however, something off the beaten track that is also worth checking out, especially if you are a fan of the blues. Put on display in the lobby of the Sheraton Gunther hotel is an old 78 and a photo of legendary blues man Robert Johnson.

Johnson was discovered playing in Mississippi by Ernie Ortle who persuaded him to come to San Antonio and record for the American Recording Company’s Vocalion label. On Nov. 23, 1936, Johnson set up in Room 414 and history was made.

In all, Johnson recorded 16 tracks during three sessions at the Gunther including: “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom,” “Sweet Home Chicago,” “Terraplane Blues,” and the legendary “Cross Road Blues” (famously covered by Eric Clapton, along with Cream, Lynyrd Skynyard, Robin Trower, John Mayer and many others).

Eric Clapton called him “the most important blues musician who ever lived”. Johnson was one of the first inductees to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and was later honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Much of Johnson’s life is shrouded in mystery. There are only two verified photos of him and his three grave sites in Mississippi only add to the intrigue. Another part of Johnson’s folklore was his alleged deal with the devil in exchange for musical prowess. Johnson, as the story goes, was an ordinary guitarist who became a master after meeting with the devil (perhaps at the crossroads?).

Like other great artists, Johnson died at age 27 becoming an early member of the “27 Club” which now include the likes of Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse. Johnson’s death has been attributed to a stabbing, a gunshot or poisoning. The truth is nobody really knows how he died.

In 2009, John Mellencamp came to the Gunter to record the track “Right Behind Me” for his album No Better Than This, in the same room where Johnson had recorded in 1936.

Fame can be a fickle thing. Much like artists like Van Gogh, their greatness was not appreciated till long after they left us. But, even though Johnson’s music wasn’t heard much during his lifetime and few facts are known about his life, he is still widely regarded as the greatest blues man of all time.

Hanging on the telephone

Posted on by

Need more proof people are in love with their phones? Americans will now spend more time on their phones/tablets than they do watching television.

 eMarketer.com published a report that examined estimated media usage in 2019 on various devices and reported for the first time, U.S. consumers will spend more time with a mobile device than they do watching TV. Smartphones account for 70 percent of that mobile time equaling 21 percent of the total time spent with media.

Americans will increase the amount of time they spend on a smartphone by nine minutes this year, for a daily total of two hours and 55 minutes. If you total all devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.) the amount of time goes up three hours and ten minutes a day.

Approximately 90 percent of that time is spent on smartphone apps. The report noted that the word app is becoming less relevant because the distinction between the web and an app are fading.

Most of the apps are being used for digital audio, followed by social media and digital video.

I would be curious to know how much time is spent actually using the phone versus an app.

Remembering Mr. Babe

Posted on by

A friend of mine on Facebook found a video of the Village Boys who played hillbilly/swing music back in the 1940s. The photo used as the thumbnail for the video features several musicians and a very young Edward V. “Babe” Fritsch standing behind a KTRH microphone.

I went to work for KTRH in 1981 as a studio producer/production assistant. Part of my duties included working with the station’s traffic department (the people who schedule the commercials). That was when I first meet Mr. Babe.

At first, Mr. Babe was simply terrifying. He was well into his 70’s and had no patience with anyone and yelled a lot. He was the kind of person you went out of your way to avoid, but then I got to know him through some of the older employees that worked there.

Back in those days, radio was not as volatile as today. Working your whole life at one radio station was very common and many employees developed life-long friendships. One such employee was Mary Vavasour. Mary was the station mom. Needed advice, Mary could help you. Had a little too much to drink at lunch (a common ailment for many sales executives then), Mary would tuck you in your chair behind your desk for a quick cat-nap.

Another gift of Mary’s was telling stories about the old days and the fun they had. There was announcer named Bill Zak who would always tease Mary about this and that. One day, Mary put on black makeup under her eye. When Bill asked what happened, she told him sobbingly that her husband hit her because he thought she was flirting with Bill. According to Mary, Bill’s face hit the floor and she burst out laughing knowing that she finally got even with him.

Mary also shared stories about Mr. Babe and that’s when I learned who the man I worked with and was terrified of, really was.

Back in the day (the 1940s), Mr. Babe was the host of a radio program called “Hillbilly Bandwagon” (Lily Bunyard who was the longtime receptionist for KTRH/KLOL remembered listening to the program as a young girl). The program was only 15 minutes long (quite common back in those days) and would feature various local and national acts.

In addition to being the host, Mr. Babe was also credited with writing several songs including “Baby I Ain’t Satisfied”, “I’m Doin’ a Peach of Job (with a little Peach down in Georgia” and “Honey, Honey, Honey”.

One day, Mr. Babe told me how the local movie theater had someone who played the organ between shows. He son ended up in some band that started with a z (that being Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top). I was also told that Mr. Babe helped bring a very young Elvis Presley to Houston because of his connections.

Mr. Babe was a character to the very end. One day, he was leaving work carrying a brown paper bag. When I asked what was in the bag he said underwear. He was returning them because the person sold him a pair that was too tight. He said every time he farted, his hat came off!

Mr. Babe also used to like to walk through the newsroom asking the young ladies if they wanted to run away to Mexico with him saying you’ll never leave the room (obviously not very PC, but they never seemed offended). They would usually giggle and say Oh Mr. Babe, you are too much!

I remember a female sales executive coming to me crying once because Mr. Babe yelled at her. I explained that Mr. Babe yells at everyone because he’s going deaf!

One day when Mr. Babe didn’t show up to work, Mary Vavasour went to check on him and found he had passed away. He didn’t have any close family, but before his funeral, one of his nephews came to gather his belongings we collected from his desk which included sheet music of songs Mr. Babe had written. His nephew was amazed to learn about his past. He told me the one thing he remembered about visiting his uncle was that the radio was always on and tuned to KTRH every time. I don’t know if this true, but was told it was in Mr. Jones’s (the person who owned the station) will hat Mr. Babe would be allowed to work at KTRH for as long as he wanted.

Looking back, I wonder what Mr. Babe thought of us. Our sister station (KLOL) was very outrageous and I am sure we all must made his head spin. I wish I would have talked to him more about the old days. Later, Bill Zak, another longtime KTRH employee shared stories with me from when they broadcast from the Rice Hotel which I still savor to this day and cherish those memories of “the good old days”.

Shared experiences

Posted on by

Before I begin, I would like preface this by acknowledging that the world does not stay still and is forever changing. Whether for the good, or bad is up to the beholder to decide, but as the saying goes “the only thing that is consistent is change”.

One big change that has taken place in the past 50 years is the loss of shared experiences. With a limited amount of media outlets, less entertainment options and fewer choices, more people tended to share in the same events.

The Jack Benny Show is just one example. The program made its network television debut back in 1950. At the time, there were only three major television networks (NBC, CBS and ABC), which of course meant there were not a lot of choices.

In the 14 years it aired, The Jack Benny Show averaged a 33 rating (the 2019 Super Bowl achieved a 41 rating). Compare that number to the 7.5 rating NCIS earned the week of April 15, 2019 and you begin to see what huge difference there is in audience share. It’s also important to note The Jack Benny Show was not always the most watched program every week.

What would happen is a very large part of America tuned in to The Jack Benny show every Sunday night and then talked with co-workers, neighbors and friends about the show. It was a shared experience.

Fast forward to today with 100’s of television/cable stations, DVR’s and streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and you can see that type of shared experience is harder to come by. There are still examples of where the nation gathers to witness something in large numbers (the Super Bowl, awards shows, etc.) but those are getting harder and harder to come by.

And it’s not just television. Radio stations and formats have multiplied over the years. Add in satellite radio, Pandora and Spotify and well, you get the picture (nod of the cap to Charles Osgood and “see you on the radio”).

Researchers at Brigham Young University carried out a series of studies that showed those who shared positive experiences with others felt happier, claiming their life was more meaningful, and reported greater life satisfaction.

In study conducted by Harvard, 68 participants were split into 17 groups of four: one participant in each group was randomly assigned to watch what they were told was an ‘interesting’ video, while the remaining three watched a ‘boring’ video.

Afterwards, those who watched the ‘boring’ video felt better than those who had seen the more entertaining offering, but watched it alone.

In his 1943 paper, A Theory of Human Motivation, humanist psychologist Abraham Maslow stated that humans share certain needs, and that these needs can be arranged in a hierarchy, from the most basic ‘deficiency’ needs (those that make us feel anxious until they’re met) to the higher level ‘growth’ needs (those that make us feel happy and fulfilled).

As our lives continue to be more invested online searching for that next offering to keep our attention, the internet that once promised an end to isolation is now forcing people to re-examine the importance of the shared experience.

That has to hurt

Posted on by

I always enjoy the NFL draft with its drama and intrigue. I have to admit, I was a little surprised (all right, shocked would be a better word) when I saw the front sports page of the Houston Chronicle.Now I realize Ed Oliver is a local guy and its a great story, but one wonders what the Houston Texans (who had the 23rd pick) felt about that. The chronicle did include a photo of Tytus Howard (postage size)  and a story by John McClain on the cover. Admittedly, I am a die-hard Buffalo Bills fan, but even I have to say…

Come on man!!!

A job well done

Posted on by

Kudos to the Houston Chronicle for producing original reporting that makes a difference in our community. Their coverage of how the state of Texas funds public education has woken up lawmakers who are taking a serious look the way the school endowment is funded and what can be done to improve it.

When you include their other investigations, You understand the importance of going beyond the headlines and uncovering what is really taking place.

Abuse of Power

Heart Failure

Denied