Responsible Talk Radio

Last night as I was driving home I switched to KFBK which is one of two or three talk radio stations on the Sacramento dial. The host, Marc Williams, was blabbering about the Tookie Williams case. He made two claims that seemed totally outrageous. The first, that Mr. Williams, whose case is being considered by the Governor for clemency, continues to direct killings by the Crips - the gang he helped to found. And second, the Williams (the one on death row) met the Governor and has established some kind of relationship that will eventually result in his pardon (the issue here is clemency not pardon). Neither charge has any basis in fact - but evidently the Williams on the radio is so against the Williams in prison (who seems to have had at least some positive effect on kids and gang members and who probably deserves clemency) that he will say anything.

Today, the pot and pan bangers in LA on KFI made some outrageous claims about the 48 CD race in which an American Independent Party candidate is running against a GOP candidate. John Campbell, who is currently a state senator and running for congress and favored to win, is running against a guy who left the GOP a couple of years ago to join the permanently minority party of the AIP. His single issue is immigration. The pot and panners - John and Ken - have made increasingly silly comments about immigration over the last six months - evidently in a desparate attempt to gain the entire share of xenophobes to their listening audience. Again, claims which are demonstratably false.

Then there comes John Kerry who makes the silly claim that US soldiers are doing "terrorist" activities in Iraq as part of their efforts in the country to find and get insurgents.

I guess we have come to an era where the limits of responsible commentary - based on any standards of decency - are simply ignored.