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The Screaming Moderate

An open letter to Tucker Carlson

2/28/2022

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Dear Tucker Carlson,

First, I must confess that I’ve never watched your show. Of course, I’ve also never watched Fox News. Still, I believe that makes me as qualified to comment as you feel that you’re qualified to talk about international issues.

I have seen clips of your show, and read news accounts when you make news – which I must note you do often by being outrageous.

Oh, and I also learned a lot when I read about Fox lawyers arguing in court that you were nothing but a talking head who makes things up.

Those Fox lawyers, if I recall, argued that nothing you say is to be believed and that anyone who watches you is smart enough to know you don’t deal in facts. As matter of fact, this is what Fox attorney Erin Murphy said about you in court:

“Would a reasonable viewer be coming here (to your show) and thinking, ‘This is where I’m going to be hearing the news of the day?’”

Again, Tuck (if I may call you Tuck) that was one of your employer’s lawyers making a defense of Fox against a slander suit. In which she said you, in effect, don’t know what you’re talking about.

So, to translate legal talk into plain talk: If anyone who watches your show thinks it has anything to do with fact-based news, that viewer just is not too bright, according to Fox lawyers.

But you are – congratulations by the way – Fox’s number one talk show host! And I think the leading cable news host. And, how did you get there? You lied.  And your lawyers admit you lie. And, apparently your viewers don’t know that you lie. They think you speak the Gospel.

What a world. Oh yeah, it’s also kinda like when you won’t answer the question about whether or not you’re vaccinated (but you and  I know the truth. Wink wink). It just wouldn’t fit your image to admit you have protection from a vaccine that guest after guest that you invite on your show says doesn’t work. By the way, they lie too.

It’s important to know, though, that that lawsuit, filed by former Playboy model Karen McDougal was thrown out by the judge. The judge ruled that McDougal’s claims that you defamed her didn’t pass the high bar of being defamatory.

The judge said the remarks: “were rhetorical hyperbole and opinion commentary to frame a political debate and, as such are not actionable as defamation.”

A key moment in the case came when the judge asked “does somebody in Mr. Carlson’s position have a duty of inquirity?” The answer was no.

Translation: you have no responsibility to check the facts before you start broadcasting. No need to check the facts when, well, you don’t use many facts. As such, the judge ruled, you didn't defame Miss McDougal because, well, again according to Fox' lawyers, you  don't tell the truth nor do your employers expect you to. They just want ratings because, well, ratings sell advertising.

Such a job! And you get to soak in the admiration of millions of viewers who actually think you are telling the truth!!

You also made a positive documentary about Viktor Orban, Hungary’s prime minister. During his times in office, Mr. Orban rolled back press freedom, pulled back on judicial independence and undermined multiparty democracy.

But that was just a warmup.

You recently have been talking more positively about Vladimir Putin, a murderer, thief and thug (among other things) who today is invading an independent sovereign country -- and you side with him over not just the Ukrainian people but also over the government. Just like your role model (Donald Trump) who called Putin a genius.

But I’ve rambled on enough (you can understand how that happens, I know). Let’s just say, your own network should be putting warnings up on your show that “this show contains very few facts but many lies. And, it contains few morals.”

I don’t know if this is true or not but I read it on the internet so I assume it is true: you are worth $30 million thanks to books, an inheritance and your multi-million dollar Fox salary.

Not bad for a guy whose bosses’ lawyers admitted in court that you lie on air and no one who watches your show should expect anything more.

I guess you made the right choice though – the truth doesn’t pay as much.

It just feels a whole lot better.


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Don't call me Shirley...or sir

2/17/2022

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One of moviedom's biggest comic contributions came from Airplane! when Ted Striker (Robert Hays) tells Dr. Rumack (Leslie Nielson) "surely, you can't be serious." Rumack replies:

"I am serious - and don't call me Shirley."
 

No one's calling me Shirley but they are calling me "sir."

And I’m not liking it.

When I was younger, I called most everyone over a certain age, "sir". Just seemed appropriate and respectful, especially if I couldn’t remember his name. In fact over the weekend, I saw a fellow who’s older than me who I hadn’t seen in a while and, without thinking about it, I called him “sir.”

Now, I never called women of a certain age “ma’am,” but that’s another story.

It was bad enough when some 20-somethings at the golf course said to me, “Sir, you mind if we play through?” Or, “sir, are you waiting for someone to play with or can we tee off?”

That was hard enough to get past. But not the hardest. Lately, men in their 50’s and older call me sir. That’s hard to swallow, I have to be honest.

Clearly, you call someone “sir” mostly when you don’t know them or they are, well, of a certain age.

The thing is, and I’m guessing you may be this way, too, when I look in the mirror I don’t see grey hair. Honestly. It does come out grey in photos but I figure that’s just the way these camera phones take a picture.

But, I recently saw my uncle who is about to turn 90, bless him. Now, he didn’t call me sir but I hadn’t seen him in a while and the  first thing he said to me – the very first words out of his mouth – were “you’ve gotten white!” exclamation point not added, it was part of his sentence. And he wasn’t referring to my skin.

Not only do I not see grey hair in the mirror but I don’t feel 71 (soon to be 72). I still think I’m, well, young. Don't we all as we age? But I know that isn’t true.  Aches and pains that never ached or pained before, they’ve become more frequent.

And, the first thing I read every day is the obits in my home town paper, hoping I don’t see another classmate or childhood friend in them. Or me for that matter.

I see classmates passing. Athletes from high school passing. Names I hadn’t thought about in years. Names of people who probably barely noticed my existence in high school but I remember them. Hell, I’m reading about rock stars of my era who are turning 80! And still touring!

I’m the grandfather of six. My oldest daughter made me a granddad at 45. Skip a head 25 years and THAT grandson and his partner had a baby a year ago making me a GREAT-grandfather.

That hit me but what hit harder was it also made me the father of a grandmother.

Yeah, just call me "sir."


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Are Trump's followers standing back and ready again?

2/3/2022

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Former President Donald Trump is beginning to hold rallies and conduct interviews with right-wing media, getting attention primarily with his base. 

In those rallies and interviews, he is calling for pardons for those arrested in the Jan. 6 violence to stop the electoral vote. He is calling for protests in the streets if the various prosecutors investigating him and his businesses are found to be doing “anything illegal.”

I’m not sure what the former president is referring to when he says "illegal” in that context. I’m guessing he means whatever he deems to be illegal but there also is prosecutorial misconduct that occurs when a prosecutor intentionally breaks a law or a code of professional ethics while prosecuting a case. Trump could claim almost anything under that rubric to be “illegal.”

About the arrested rioters, he claims they have been “treated unfairly” and nothing has been done about the “other side.” For the record the more than 700 arrested have been charged with crimes ranging from possessing weapons or committing violence to seditious conspiracy and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. 

Trump didn’t identify who the “other side” is but he could mean Antifa, he could mean the cops – who were fighting the rioters and could be the “other side”-- or he could be referring to that unidentified “they” that in the world of some in the extreme right could mean anyone who opposes his people. “They,” of course, have been the enemy all along to Trump.

Antifa is a decentralized, leaderless movement that vigorously opposes fascism. Antifa, many on the right believe, led the efforts in various street protests in the aftermath of killings of black men by police.  Most protestors at those events were peaceful demonstrators. But when Antifa shows up, the demonstrations often turn violent.

If they broke laws, they should be – and many have been – arrested. They, though, were nowhere to be seen when Trump supporters broke in to Congress and threatened the lives of congressmen and senators in general, and then Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi specifically.

I think what Trump is doing is laying the ground work for the possibility that any of the investigations into him wind up with him being charged with crimes and then we see serious protests and violence in major cities.

He’s proven he can incite a crowd to do his bidding and he does have a strong base of voters in the Republican Party.  Remember when he told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stay ready” during a debate against Joe Biden? And those Proud Boys definitely stood back and were ready for January 6.
 
Trump also, of course, makes everything about himself and no one else. If he’s charged with crimes, the system must still be targeting him in "witch hunts" because they always have, he’ll say. His, followers who do take every word he speaks to heart, likely would follow his direction and take to the streets if he’s accused of a crime, real or imagined.

I hope I’m wrong.


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    B. Jay Cooper

    B. Jay is a former deputy White House press secretary to Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He also headed the communications offices at the Republican National Committee, U.S. Department of Commerce, and Yale University. He is a former reporter and is the retired deputy managing director of APCO Worldwide's Washington, D.C., office.
    He is the father of three daughters and grandfather of five boys and one girl. He lives in Marion, Mass.

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