March 2024
Disaster at Key Bridge
26/03/24 07:38
March 26, 2024 (Vol. 18 No. 16) - Bridges are more than traffic infrastructure. They are conveyances of communication, culture and commerce. They are literally lifelines for communities. As one who has written a book about bridges in the state of Maryland, specifically the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, news of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that spans the mouth of Baltimore harbor comes as a shock. At the time of this writing, rescue operations are underway with at least seven people reported missing. Considering how cold the water is and that sonar has indicated that are several automobiles detected under the water, there could be a high human toll. That it be a major economic disaster for the nation's ninth busiest port. Key Bridge, a major component of next of I-695, the Baltimore Beltway, handles 31,000 vehicles daily. This is not just local traffic - much of it is interstate commerce traversing the East Coast. Cross-harbor traffic will now to diverted to the city's two already congested harbor tunnels. A larger consideration is the impact on shipping. Baltimore harbor handled record tonnage last year - a welcome development follow the COVID-related economic slump. It may be weeks or months before ships can enter the port. The Key Bridge is among several water crossings - including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge - made possible by the state's innovative Primary Bridge Program. The PBP is a toll-revenue sharing program that gives the state budgetary flexibility to meet the state's transportation needs. As officials move from rescue to response operations, the first order of business will be to open the shipping channel to keep commerce flowing. Obviously, there will be federal, state and private investigations into what happened. This may result in criminal charges. It most certainly will result in major lawsuits. As for the City of Baltimore and the State of Maryland, the loss of the Key Bridge is a disaster of major proportions. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.Raging Racism in Topeka
22/03/24 09:23
March 22, 2024 (Vol. 18 No. 15) - To virtually no one's surprise, Republicans in the Kansas legislature have put personal pettiness ahead of the needs of its citizens. Despite overwhelming public support and the testimony from 900 Kansas citizens, the legislature has once again blocked Medicaid expansion. Wichita Republican Rep. Brenda Landwehr, chairman of a house committee considering the bill, made the remarkable - and insanely stupid - excuse, "Why would you expand a broken system?" To that I say, "Where's your proof that it's broken?" On the contrary, the Lawrence Journal World reports that it would bring much-needed aid to 150,000 Kansans and would unlock $700 million in federal aid. The apparently dim-witted sheriff of Sedgwick County testified that the cost of paying for inmate health care would be "devastating" - despite the fact that local and state officials are required to deal with inmate health care needs anyway. If anything, the failure to expand Medicaid may actually increase their costs. The equally moronic Republican house and senate leadership says they are opposed to "the expansion of the welfare state." What welfare state are they referring to? The United States ranks near the bottom of industrialized nations in providing support to its less-fortunate citizens. So, why are Republicans dead-set against expanding Medicaid? Hint: It has nothing to do with cost. There are two reasons the Republicans in Topeka refuse to expand Medicaid. First, most of the people who would be served are black and poor - not generally considered a Republican constituency. The second reason is because of the Medicaid expansion's popular nickname, Obamacare. And, boy do Republicans hate Obama. Even eight years after he left office, these Republican hold a deep resentment for the uppity, intelligent and articulate black man with the family from central casting. When you throw away all the rhetoric and obfuscation, it's all about race. And it's all about the racists running the Kansas legislature. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle. Copyrighted photo by David Guth.Radio Days: Hammerin' Hank
18/03/24 04:36
March 18, 2024 (Vol. 18 No. 14) - During the period of my life that I was a broadcast journalist, I was privileged to meet people and experience events that I otherwise would never have. Such an event occurred April 15, 1977, when I was on the field at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium to witness the uniform number retirement ceremony for the greatest (non-steroidal) home run hitter in Major League Baseball history, Henry "Hank" Aaron. I was the news director of WXLX-AM in Milledgeville, Georgia. Along with our sports director Steve Stoddard, we obtained press passes for the Atlanta Braves opening night game against the Houston Astros. The Braves won in front of a crowd of 46,969 by a score of 4-3 on the strength of two-run home runs by Jeff Burroughs and Jerry Royster - both off of the oddly named pitcher Mark Lemongello. But the real draw that night was the "Hammerin' Hank" retirement ceremony. It occured exactly three years and one week after Aaron hit his 715th home run to pass Babe Ruth. My media pass allowed me to be on the field before the game and to take fabulous photos like the one above. That's then-Braves owner and media mogul Ted Turner at the mic, which was situated at home plate during the ceremonies. While on the field, I got a chance to talk briefly with Turner. (I met him a second time seven years later at the Pierre Hotel in New York City when we both won Peabody Awards.) I also had the honor of meeting Georgia native Keith Jackson of ABC Sports, who served as master of ceremonies on this special night. I got great photos of Aaron, but did not talk to him. I gave that honor to Stoddard, who taped an interview with him. After the ceremonies, I covered the game in the press box and went into the Braves locker room after the final out. It was a heady experience for a small town radio guy. One of my strongest memories of that locker room visit was watching MLB players being interviewed while sitting at their lockers completely in the nude. Frankly, I just stood in the back, held out my microphone and kept my mouth shut. I was too intimidated - and embarrassed - to ask questions of naked men headed to or from a shower. That's the only time in my journalism career I gathered soundbites from anyone sans clothes - although there were a few politicians I suspected conducted public business while buck naked. Nevertheless, it's a night I will always remember: Hammerin' Hank and baseball in the buff. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle. Photo copyright David W. Guth, 2024.Game On
08/03/24 06:26
March 8, 2024 (Vol. 18 No. 13) - If anyone doubted that Joe Biden is up to leading our nation, those doubts should have been dispelled last night. President Biden's third State of the Union address was feisty, combative and unusually partisan - exactly what the times called for. He didn't pull any punches when it came to citing the failures of his predecessor, although he didn't mention him by name. (You may have noticed that I go to great lengths to avoid mentioning the name of our Defeated Former President.) And, as he did last year, Biden suckered unruly and undisciplined Republicans into highlighting their own failures. One could not help but feel sorry of House Speaker Mini-Mike Johnson as he sat behind the President in view of the television audience for the entire hour-plus long speech. At times, the Speaker was like a bobblehead doll, unintentionally showing agreement with Biden's statements. It was humorous watching Mini-Mike try to hide his applause of approval for things the President said by putting his hands under the desk. (Was the Speaker adjusting his woofers and tweeters? Just sayin'.) On one occasion, Mini-Mike noticeably sat quietly, refusing to applause Biden's call to defeat Russian aggression in Ukraine. (Ronald Reagan was spinning in his grave.) Many, if not most political commentators gave Biden high marks for his speech. The SOTU was followed by a response from Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama. Sure, Britt gave a youthful face to the Republican Party. However, any advantage the GOP gained from that was lost once she opened her mouth and talked. The Stepford Senator's response was weak, condescending and poorly staged. When she asked the question if America is better off today than it was four years ago, I said to myself a resounding "hell yes!" Britt may be pretty and smart (perhaps Sarah Palin smart), but she parroted the same old lies and choked back phony tears in a pathetic performance. Did Joe Biden give a flawless performance? No. Will the speech force MAGA Maggots to sing another tune? Unlikely. However, early polling suggests that Biden accomplished exactly what he wanted (and needed) to do - energize his base and sway reticent independents. Game On. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.How Old Is Too Old? (Part 2)
05/03/24 07:56
March 5, 2024 (Vol. 18 No. 12) - On this Super Tuesday, a day when the defeated and demented former president is about to sow-up the Republican presidential nomination, it is time once again to ask the question "How old is too old to be President of the United States?" Six months ago in this very space, I asked and answered that question. In that blog post, I said "To me, it is not a question of whether Joe Biden or Donald Trump should win the next election. Donald Trump is the most corrupt, morally deficient and dangerous politician America has known since Huey Long. The question is whether Joe Biden is up to the job. If one judges by the merits of his accomplishments and failures in office - in other words, judging him by his record - I believe the answer is still a resounding 'yes.'" Nothing since has happened to change that point of view. If anything, the bumbles and stumbles of the moron from Mar-a-Lago have reenforced my position. Even if we ignore the evidence that shows that former President Man Child is a seditious and fraudulent sexually abusing grifter - and that's a hell of a lot to ignore - it isn't hard to see that the old fool is losing it. He mistakes President Biden for former President Obama. (Yeah, they look so much alike, don't they?) He has difficulty speaking a complete sentence, rambles incoherently and slurs his words when he talks and shuffles along like the late Tim Conway's "Oldest Man" character on the old Carol Burnett Show. Yes, Joe Biden is showing his age. And am wild about the prospects to two men born in the 1940s running for president? I am not. But let's be clear on this one point: Biden is showing no signs of dementia and his opponent is. That's not a standard I'd like to set for the presidency. But it is what it is. And, as it has been said, would you rather have a president with 81 years behind him or 91 indictments in front of him? That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.