ARTHUR ASHE BOULEVARD….it’s time.

Richmond Times Dispatch’s LIVING, Section D: Commemorating Tennis Legend…reunited my attention to the idea of renaming Richmond’s Boulevard.

There was far more to this Richmonder that the fact that over 40 years ago, he won the tennis championship at Wimbledon.

Some years back the Richmond Times Dispatch described Arthur Ashe editorially: “He earned eternal membership in the aristocracy of merit”. For me, it’s the “merit” business that marks his place of honor in Richmond culture. He carried wisdom with “capacity of judging rightly in matters relating to life and conduct”.

One can find it in “Days of Grace”, a life-reflecting autobiography, revealing this man for who he was – what he became. Bypassing his tennis celebrity, I witnessed, in later life, his empowerment of local student achievement by reconciling the almost irreconcilable. His behavioral model: pure integrity, and self-worth.

“Of all my possessions, my reputation means the most to me,” he wrote.

He attempted to live up to rules set by his disciplinarian father, Arthur Ashe, Sr. “Don’t do anything you couldn’t tell your mother about,” dad would chide. Amid the perceived quaintness, hamstrung with an ever coarsening culture, Ashe didn’t flinch – his behavioral code remained rock-strong.

He was forthright about his liberalism….the activist endorsement of abortion rights; his marching in protest movements against South African apartheid, and near-worship of Nelson Mandela. Ashe readily traced black American challenges to slavery and discrimination – but then quickly admonishes: “this history of oppression not be used as excuse for antisocial behavior, black chauvinism or bogus appeals to racial solidarity.”

“Days of Grace” revealed the key. Growing up black in Jim Crow Virginia, barred from playing tennis in segregated public parks, Ashe improvised. Learning to play from Ron Charity at age seven, and then from Dr. Robert “Whirlwind” Johnson at tennis camp in Lynchburg, he plunged into poised citizenship.

Receiving a UCLA tennis scholarship, after graduating from the segregated Maggie Walker, this solemn-eyed adolescent blended his career with a growing personal dignity. Ashe catapulted into national celebrity with tennis achievements (818 wins, 260 losses) until exhaustion indicated a pre-disposition to heart disease in 1979. This Richmond champion endured the early era of open-heart surgery, with abiding strength and faith.

Thirty-three years later it would be my turn.

For Ashe, a tainted blood transfusion intervened, passing on the AIDS virus; this would hound him into an early death sentence, with bitterness purged. Ashe was five years my junior, so any connection was remote.

As a public classroom teacher, I met him twice – for purposes of honoring top high school academic achievers, public and private – at Holiday Inn, 3200 on Broad Street. Obviously ill, ever resilient, Ashe was buoyed by rapturous teen audiences; courageously, shaking hands, autographing automatically, and enduring the energy of adolescent honorees – his mentoring reigned.

Personally, I forced myself to think about an old Frederick Douglass’ quote in the 19^th century concerning “well-meaning “whites. Columnist Thomas Sowell assures that Douglass said, “Everybody has asked me the question, ‘what shall we do with the Negro?’ I have had but one answer from the beginning. Do nothing with us! Your doing with us has already played the mischief with us.” That was over a century before the “Great Society”.

“Days of Grace” was required reading in my Advanced Placement U.S. History classes at Mills Godwin High School. Frankly, it ought to be required reading in the company of “To Kill a Mocking Bird,” and The Great Gatsby; this work alone dictates the validity to rename Richmond’s Boulevard: ARTHUR ASHE BOULEVARD.

Passing frequently by his Monument Ave. statue, I am reminded that Ashe was a godsend to Richmonders. His qualities for soul-enhancement and self-examination continue to be essential for his home community. Our culture is desperately hungry for them.

Death remains mysterious.

At my age, there is not a day that passes that the cessation of one’s life does pass through my thoughts for consideration. I have realized that for the last four decades; my life had passed its half-way point if it remains healthy.

That is what makes the comparison between Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Charles Krauthammer, columnist, fascinating, yet distressing, even disastrous.

In his diminishing days of life, the Senator from Arizona has issued a number of angry, almost petulant, statements regarding his deep dislike for President Trump. He has never forgiven Trump for comments in the 2015-16 Republican nominating campaign. He certainly has that right.

In a recent statement the Senator indirectly blamed Trump for the chemical weapons attack in Syria, suggesting that Trump’s recent comments about U.S. troops leaving Syria “very soon” would embolden Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. McCain has questioned Trump’s worldview, and mocks his receiving Vietnam War deferments for….bone spurs.

He thoroughly and theatrically enjoyed gigging Trump in his late-night defeating vote on Obamacare. On his death bed, his anger seems marginally worse. Rightly or Wrongly.

Contrastingly, Charles Krauthammer, who has only weeks to live, writes in his heartbreaking message:                                                                                   I leave this life with no regrets…It was a wonderful life – full and complete with the great loves and great endeavors that make it worth living. I am sad to leave, but I leave with the knowledge that I lived the life that I intended.

The comparison is not only rich….but simply opportune.

Both men face the deep mystery – seemingly quite soon, but very differently. Possibly some are more humbled by the death-thing than others; the majority do not have the luxury or benefit of preparation.

Malcomb Forbes wrote a little book years back, They Went That-A- Way: How the Famous, the Infamous, and the Great Died. Tabloid-bordering in its approach, it does reveal differences in the death of the swells of the western world.

I am comforted by an old Matthew Arnold quote about leaving the building:   “In each class, there are born a certain number of natures with a curiosity about their best self, with a bent for seeing things as they are, for disentangling themselves from machinery, for simply concerning themselves with reason and the will of God, and doing their best to make these prevail…and this bent always tends to take them out of their class and to make their distinguishing characteristics their “humanity.’”

In my mind that might be a preferable exit strategy. I’m certainly considering it. Charles Krauthammer clearly showed me how.

I

                           CAVALCADE OF CREEPS

Schadenfreude (SHaden, froide): the German noun….defined as a feeling of enjoyment that comes from seeing or hearing about the troubles of other people – particular those you may dislike – even for total legitimate reasons.

If you have been on the receiving end of such schadenfreude (as I have), one thinks twice before he thrusts such energy in the direction of his worse of enemies – political or otherwise. I am totally watching my schadenfreude as I write this.

Jim Geraghty, The Morning Jolt, has labeled this cultural episode as the “cavalcade of creeps”. The list below, while probably out dated by the time you read this, is going to run its course, and it’ll get worse every day. Revelations in the articles in Variety and the New York Times about former Today host Matt Lauer could make you sick. Lauer confessed that he was “embarrassed” by his actions. Poor baby.

As nasty as Lauer’s story is, he still stands in the shadow of one Harvey Weinstein, chief producer, and deep pockets contributor to the Democratic Party. This film producer is accused by dozens of women of sexual harassment or sexual assaults, including rape. Weinstein denies all allegation of non-consensual sex, but he has apologized for causing “a lot of pain.”

It is hard not to forget the merrymaking of the FNC-haters at the professional demise of Roger Ailes, Bill O’Reilly, even Eric Bolling. Their delight was immeasurable, and all so political. Many on the list below could not celebrate enough over it. Particularly, the Matt Lauer intrusive interview of O’Reilly comes to mind, on the TODAY show only months ago. Talk about karma.

The current Rogues Gallery includes:

Garrison Keillor ( A Prairie Home Companion);  Matt Lauer (TODAY);  Charlie Rose (CBS Morning) ; Rep. John Conyers (D-Detroit); Bill O’Reilly (Fox News);  Glenn Thrush (NY Times);  Jeffre Tambor (‘Transparent’); Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.); Russell Simmons, (prolific music and TV producer); Matt Zimmerman, Sr. (VP –NBC News);  Rep. Joe Barton (R – TX);  Andrew Kreisberg, (producer of the CW shows “Arrow,” “Supergirl” Warner Bros.);  Louis C.K. (comedian/public masturbator); Steven Seagal, actor; Ed Westwick, actor; Brett Ratner, Director; Dustin Hoffman, Academy Award actor; Jeremy Piven, actor; Michael Oreskes, (NPR News chief);   Kevin Spacey, actor;  William J. Clinton, perjurer, former president;   Mark Halpern, (NBC, MSNBC); George H.W. Bush, former president; Terry Richardson, celebrity photographer; Leon Wieseltier, (The Atlantic and New Republic); James Toback, veteran Hollywood writer/director; John Besh, Chef (Bread Basket); Bob Weinstein, brother of the granddaddy of harassment: Harvey Weinstein; Oliver Stone, writer/director;  Roy Price, (Director of Amazon Studios); Ben Affleck, actor; Teddy Davis, CNN Producer; John Hockenberry, public radio Icon; Rep. Blake Farenhold (R-TX).

Careful counting yields about 4, maybe 5 Republicans – out of the 35 people listed.

As the solid Brent Bozell recently posted in Townhall: “nowhere is the hypocrisy more notable (and deeper) than at PBS and NPR. These were the entities that made sexual harassment the boiling feminist issue when Anita Hill testified during Clarence Thomas’ confirmation hearing in 1991. Here’s an easy question: Why didn’t this sudden spirit of self-discovery and investigation happen back then? Or in any year since?”

It could have happened when the President Bill Clinton settled with Paula Jones in 1998…or even last year as these networks enjoyed reporting on sexual harassment scandals inside Fox News. One must pose the question: in what way, then, is “public” broadcasting morally superior to corporate broadcasting?  The answer is both PBS and NPR are NOT….and never have been.

The “no snitch” culture is evaporating. Sadly, the allegiances of the media, late-night television, Hollywood, stand-up comedy, professional sports, and universities, continue their leftward homilies. Politically correct vulgarity among celebrities is nothing more than a poor substitute for talent – tied in a knot by sexual harassment scandals and other perversion. Yet, with this nasty cultural cloud, there are positive signs.

The economy is growing. Unemployment is dropping and inflation remains low. Middle class incomes are finally heading up….with expansion of energy production, and a growing security on our southern borders.

For those of us who remain deeply concerned, we must simply hang in there – sans schadenfreude.

Once upon a time, Tappahannock, VA’s Essex Court House clock chimed over the town hourly. Audible for many blocks, the strikes seemed reassuring – always reliable.

As a small boy, I thought nothing about time….tomorrow was a given. Now, some 70 years later, I’ve discovered there is nothing predictable about time and what it brings. There are always moments in your life that you will never be prepared for. Once a moment is spent, maybe wasted, it can never be recovered. It took me forever to learn to not throw time away on supercilious people or issues.

With my decade of medical misbegotten, this latest summer episode comes off as duck soup – my season of agony, pain meds, and suffering (herniated discs) brought positives, with self-inventory and reassessment. Is it just possible that I am comfortable with myself….without apologies to those who take offense on views held?

How do we emerge spiritually, politically, and philosophically? It started with my grandfather, Allen Douglas Latane, a small town newspaper editor, and Essex County clerk. I remember clearly his recollection that Essex County remained loyal to Democratic presidential candidate, Governor Al Smith – in the 1928 presidential election – over Herbert Hoover. One could feel his shared pride, enthusiasm.

Then there was a July 4, 1963, trip to Washington D.C. for a National Draft Goldwater Committee Rally at the D.C. Armory – with sunburned friend, fraternity brother, Hugh Edmunds. We met early at Union Station, Richmond Va.

William Lundigan, movie actor; Paul Fannin, Governor of Arizona; Efrem Zimbalist Jr., TV/ Film personality; plus the show-stealing character actor, Chill Wills, appeared with great endorsement…of the then Hamlet – like Barry Goldwater, who had refused to appear.

Yet, my take-home lesson from the Armory began with standing in line beside two newly married Hungarian couples – new citizens – about my age. They assured me that Americans had no idea what they were about to lose, with the massive growth of the U.S. Federal Government, its intrusions in all aspects of our lives; they were quite knowledgeable, and very serious.

The Humanities of Hampden-Sydney College had profoundly exposed me to serious individual thought – even the individual mind where one’s accomplishments can birth. It further occurred to me that man cannot survive except through his mind. He lands on earth totally unarmed….his brain is his only weapon. But his mind is an attribute of the individual. There is no such thing as a collective brain.

The man, who seriously contemplates, must think – then act on his own. The reasoning mind cannot work under any form of compulsion. It cannot be subordinated to needs, opinions, or wishes of others. Most important, it is not an object of sacrifice. In so many words, it is the individual against the collective – remember “inalienable rights”?

Naturally, this took me to Whittaker Chambers, and his published book, Witness, on his life of Communism – then the final escape. Riding back with Hugh Edmunds on that train to Richmond, I could think of little else. Those young couples had been THERE – with government abuse and a widening socialism; they were deeply affected….that’s why they showed up.

It was much later that Marilynne Robinson, a Pulitzer Prize novelist, essayist, made me wince – in agreement – with her observation: we are willing to disparage any one if “the reward is the pleasure of sharing an attitude one knows is socially approved”. It certainly did endorse what I’d observed.

Often we seek approval over truth – that is, a deep desire for human bonding…over truth-seeking.

Remember Erich Segal’s Love Story with the famous take-home-trash quote: ‘love means you never have to say you’re sorry. The latest: popularization of a Theodore Roosevelt quote: “Comparison is the Thief of Joy.” For me it’s like clanging a stick in a cage. To live in a non-comparison world is to live in one unmeasured….one which refuses to acknowledge goals; discourages accomplishment, and which equalizes everyone into one sloppy category of mindless, dopey weakness.

Then the classic film: The Third Man, 1949, with Orson Wells. The scene was near the Wiener Riesenrad, the large Ferris wheel where Harry Lime uttered: “You know what the fellow said – in Italy. For thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, and murder….but they produced Michelangelo; Da Vinci; and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love; they had 500 years of democracy and peace… and what did that produce: The cuckoo clock.”

The Tappahannock Court House clock still strikes on the hour; and I’ll get up every day until I can’t; if we are wise, we’ll treat time thoughtfully.

TRUMP AND HIS DETRACTORS

The utter damage accomplished within the last decade to American culture borders between silly and grotesque.

Take a letter to the Chicago Tribune, specifically designated to Clarence Page, a columnist there. As it makes its electronic rounds, the letter slams political correctness regarding the nicknames of sports teams.

Right off, it amusingly calls for the dismissal of such names as Redskins, Chiefs, Braves, Indians….and we probably should rid the culture of Browns for obvious reasons. The Carolina Panthers obviously were named to keep the memory of militant Blacks from the 60’s alive – probably because it would be seen as offensive to white folks.

Better yet, don’t forget the Baltimore Ravens and the Jacksonville Jaguars football players who stood for God Save the Queen while taking a knee for the American anthem and pledge….in a foreign country. Amazing examples of total ignorance, yes?

And yes, the New York Yankees offends the Southern population….I don’t remember a team named for the Confederacy. No doubt, it would be offensive to some for the blatant references to the Catholic religion such as the New Orleans Saints, the Los Angeles Angels, or the San Diego Padres.

Then what the heck is this business about glorifying criminality: good grief, the Oakland Raiders, the Minnesota Vikings, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Pittsburg Pirates. The New York Giants and the San Francisco Giants promote obesity – a growing epidemic. Last, but not least the Milwaukee Brewers promotes the wrong message for our children. Yes?

The letter as distributed on the internet grows a little sketchy at this point so we will exit. It does make a serious point: we are showing signs of losing our minds to blatant stupidity, or worse.

Even more troubling is how, we as a nation, are handling the Trump era. It is clear the country is divided. The Trumpsters are devoted, loyal, and comforted with a genuine hope.

The Hate-Trumpsters seem more vitriolic, dug in – even destructive at any cost. They believe everything to do with Trump is ugly. For them he is the absolute epitome of the American Dream turned into a night mare.

Sadly, it has become very clear that those who no make a living out of attacking the President have started to take on some of that same ugliness themselves…Stephen Colbert (a fellow Hampden-Sydney College graduate), for example, with his sycophantic gang of supporting performers, and his hand-picked audience, screaming their delirious approval of every jibe, however tasteless or feeble. That horrible unfunny image of Kathy Griffin hold the sham severed head of the Hateful One is a concise example.

Could it be that this outpouring of hate inspires the same revulsion. As one recent writer, a Trump non-admirer, reminded us of the mobile-phone footage of Libya’sGaddafi after his capture, broke and bloodied, eventually being sodomized with a bayonet.

You see, those who fight evil with its own weaponry risk turning into the very thing they oppose. If President Trump and what he represents is to be brought down (and I do not think it should), it must be by means that do not damage our faith in democracy, and leave no aftertaste of shame.

We all must be careful – there’s a whole bunch of us….within us.

FOR POSTING ON RAYS RAWS.

FAUX FOX.docx

“Every day she slips further and further away. I don’t know how to call her back. I tell you what I pity: that the sun won’t rise and set for her all her life….”                                  THE MIRACLE WORKER (1962).

“We three, we’re all along; Living in a memory; My echo, my shadow, and me….                         We three, we’re not a crowd; We’re not even company; My echo, my shadow and me;                 I walk with my shadow; I talk with my echo; But where is the one I love……                                                                            THE INK SPOTS.

“The lawn started at the beach and ran toward the front door for a quarter of a mile jumping over sundials and brick walls and burning gardens….the bar is in full swing, and floating rounds of cocktails permeate the garden outside until the air is alive with chatter, and laughter, and casual innuendo, and introductions forgotten on the spot.”                                     THE GREAT GATSBY; F. Scott Fitzgerald.

“Shsss……mom is smoking in the car again…….Jesus is Ok with it.”………but don’t tell dad.  BIG BANG; intoxicated Sheldon to roommate, Leonard.                                                   

“One does not have to spend more than a minute or two in an airport bookstore to be stupefied by the sheer crappiness of today’s popular writing.”                                                                              Terry Teachout.

“Maybe I’m right and maybe I’m wrong; maybe I’m weak and maybe I’m strong; but NEVERTHESESS I’m in love with you; maybe I’ll win and maybe I’ll lose; and maybe I’m in for crying the blues; But NEVERTHELESS I’m in love with youuuu.”                                                 Bert Kalmar, Gregg L. Allman. Harry Ruby.

“I was one of those kids with a grim future. I almost failed out of high school. I nearly gave in to the deep anger and resentment harbored by everyone around me….I want people to understand how upward mobility really feels. And I want people to understand something that I learned only recently: that for those of us lucky enough to live the American Dream, the demons of the life we left behind continue to chase us.”           HILLBILLY ELEGY; J.D. Vance.

…you’re jibber-jabbering about jibber-jabber…                                                     BIG BANG: Penny to Sheldon.

“No creator was prompted by a desire to please his brothers. His brothers hated the gift he offered. His truth was his only motive. His work was his only goal. His work – not those who used it. His creation – not the benefits others derived from it – the creation which gave form to his truth – the creator stands on his own judgment; the parasite follows the opinions of others; the creator thinks – the parasite copies; the creator produces; the parasite loots.                                                  Howard Roark, THE FOUNTAINHEAD.

“Bolt the door, Maria” …  THE HEIRESS (1949); Olivia De Havilland.

JACK BENNY/MEL BLANC: “Oh mister, oh, mister!……Si?……from below the border, eh?……Si……Can you help me with this?……Si……What’s your name?……Cy……Cy?……Si……the pretty girl with you – your sister?……Si……Well, what’s her name?……Conchita Guadalupe Lolita Hernandez Gonzalez Clarita del Prado Romana Rosita Ramirez..….Conchita Guadalupe Lolita Hernandez Gonzalez Clarita del Prado Romana Rosita Ramirez?……Si…….Hmmm, what can I call her?……Sue……Sue?……Si……What does she do for a living?..….Sew……Sew?……Si – Now, cut that out!                                                The Jack Benny Radio and TV Shows.

“The trouble with me is that for a long time I have just been an I person. All people belong to a WE except me. Not to belong to a WE makes you lonesome.” Frankie Addams;                                                                                                                              MEMBER OF THE WEDDING Carson McCullers.                                 

”Bolt the door, Maria.”                         THE HEIRESS (1949); Olivia de Havilland.

“It seem we stood and talked like this before; we looked at each other in the same way then; but I can’t remember where or when; the clothes you’re wearing are the clothes you wore; the smile you are smiling you were smiling then; But I can’t remember where or when…                                                                                                              WHERE OR WHEN; Lyrics by Lorenz Hart, music by Richard Rodgers.

“When I die just let me lie; In the old Churchyard; Under the starlit sky; At peace with God…..When I die let no one weep; For me a single day; Wild flowers will a vigil keep, Until eternity…..When I die I’ll know no fear; But look to him above; And meet Him, face to face, For God is love”       VAGARIES & MEMORIES; Allen Douglas Latane.

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As a life-long Virginian, It’s becoming onerous for me, to keep up with the stream of devolution settling in around Senator Timothy Michael Kaine’s career, and his service in the U.S. Senate.

Citizens of the Old Dominion continue to watch this slide with consternation. In social-media neologisms some have referenced Senator Kaine as “troll.” A troll is someone who deliberately kindles acrimony by making outrageous, offensive or confusing behaviors – his antics becoming implausible.

It came to a crescendo last summer, 2016, when he chased the Democratic Vice –Presidential nomination – with Hilliary Clinton. The public fawning for the job was unseemly; his acceptance of that nomination may have been his crown-jewel of misjudgment – then followed by the October, Farmville, VA appearance at Longwood University. So unpolished.

Kaine’s performance there was exasperating and bewildering. His constant accusations – interruptions – fidgety personae – overwrought body language left him in the dust as loser – on both style and content. Additionally, it was a nationally televised embarrassment for citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Andrew P. Miller, former Attorney General of Virginia, wrote an extensive Richmond Times Dispatch (RTD) column recently making a convincing argument for both Senators Kaine and Mark Warner to take the statesman role of voting “yes” to the confirmation of Senator Jeff Sessions, for the new Attorney General of the United States. Warner has already rejected such a plea, and Kaine is quiet. We eagerly wait.
Kaine “erred” clearly, according to the RTD, by not supporting the nomination of Katherine DeVos…for Secretary of Education. The newspaper reminded him that DeVos was more than qualified.

Probably his saddest performance was in the Tillerson confirmation hearings for Secretary of State. His performance there – even worse, was the embarrassing laughter of his fellow senatorial committee members, as he ridiculously badgered Rex Tillerson, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of EXXON. No gentleman, he.

Our Virginia Senator accomplished something that no other Virginian has: he made GQ’s list of least-influential people of 2016. The magazine touted his place as a member of a ‘comprehensive’, anger-fueled list of everyone, who ruined our year. Additionally, he totally jumped the gun with his tweet regarding Ohio State University as a “senseless act of Gun Violence”….when the attack was performed with a car and knife….so very pedestrian.

Finally, the headline read: Tim Kaine Cheers End of White Majority in Spanish Address, as reported by Julia Hahn, posted 11/6/2016 7:26:14 AM. With his Arizona speech delivered in Spanish, Kaine cheered the demographic transformation for the United States – caused by the nation’s federal immigration policies – telling his Latino audience, “You are the future of America.” By 2050, communities of color will represent the majority of our population,” Kaine said. “So, of course, Latinos will help shape the future of America because you ARE the future of America.”

Furthermore, Virginia’s senator doubled down on his pledge to expand President Obama’s executive amnesty, ruling out any respect for current emigrational law. It is possible the Democratic ticket knew it was in trouble by then, and he was politically frantic.

Benjamin P.A. Warthen, an incumbent on Richmond’s City Council in 1994, lost his reelection bid to Tim Kaine by less than 100 votes. I had the pleasure of knowing Dr. Warthen’s family, including Ben, who didn’t see it coming; Tim Kaine probably was surprised as well.

Kaine, with little solid examination, headed up the Democratic ladder in Richmond circles, as first Council member – then Richmond’s Mayor – followed by Lieutenant Governor of Virginia – then Governor of Virginia, where he totally mislead Virginians twice by attempting tax heights. These were all fairly close elections – cumulating in his close election to the U. S. Senate. Hilliary’s Vice Presidency was waiting.

This career reminds one of his having done nothing but work. Grimly, he has as, Thornton Wilder put it in The Matchmaker – a lot of adventures, but no experience. Kaine’s learning curve has miles to go before his record invites a reelection.

In case you are stumped, FNC means Fox News Channel…”Wherefore art thou” actually means “why.” Thanks to the brutal Election of 2016, the inquiry must remain “why.”

Why Hilliary, why Trump, why Kaine, why Pence…and most of all why can’t this country do better? In temperament, Pence wins hands down. This Presidential election is generating an enormous flow of anger, frustration, hate, and most important: leadership disillusionment. And then there is the television media.

I write of FNC because that is the channel which attempts to be “fair and balanced” while the others are totally unreliable in reporting the massive amount of Clinton material released by Wiki leaks. Instead of reporting and analyzing it…they simply pretend it doesn’t exist.

My viewer relationship with Fox goes back to the earlier days – when it played the new role of actually covering ALL the news. It rendered a huge service to those of us who know we were being had by the main 3 networks, and by NPR, PBS, CNN, and pitiful MSNBC. Fox’s ratings simply reflected the appreciation of its new approach.

Alas, FNC is displaying some eroding cracks in reliability; it’s simply wandering into its land of Nod – thanks to the likes of Megyn Kelly, Shep Smith, Juan Williams; the little flower, Dana (I’m done) Marie Perino, and their hyper-hypocrisy over the sexual allegations against Donald Trump. Personal hypocrisy of these celebrities is rich in pontification…and self-sanctimony.

Poor Shep Smith – in recent days, he finally acknowledged his alternate life-style while praising the brilliant, but flawed Roger Ailes as being a father figure. He has served as their go-to-leftist for years, but his sanctuary is now becoming crowded.

In addition to the Republican Perino, who is morphing into Mugwumpery faster than the shadowy Paul Ryan; our “Miss Megyn”, who really started this business over a year ago in that awful Fox-excuse of a debate – recently opined to Trump media critics: “We’re easy to hate, but what we do is important.” Can one become more self-serving and painful than that?

But Juan Williams is the worse…Juan, who is all over Fox news like a bucket of cheap paint – and about as deep – hangs Trump daily, and defends Clinton instantly.

As Juan Williams chewed up Trump for some groping action he was accused in the 1990s, let us take a look at the accusatory Mr. Williams…and his behavior about the same time:   Executive Editor Leonard Downie, Jr., Washington Post Magazine, in a letter to his staff (about Juan Williams), wrote, the complaints about Juan’s verbal conduct with a number of women in the newsroom were thoroughly investigated. The complaints were found to be serious, and, as Juan acknowledges, was disciplined for his conduct and intends to apologize to women he offended.”

The report continues: “Seven women said in on-the-record interviews yesterday that Williams had repeatedly made hostile and sexually explicit comments to them, in some cases over a period of several years….Jo Ellen Murphy, art director of the Weekend section, said that ‘ he was obsessed with my sex life and that’s all he wanted to talk to me about…I raised my voice at him and said, Just don’t talk to me again’ “ His behavior brought the wrath of about 50 female employees (that’s right FIFTY), who demanded to meet with their Executive Editor over him, and corporatist handling of their dilemma.”

Interestingly, today he sits right across from our FNC’s fragile, Dana Perino, and “guests” on The Kelly File as well. MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL!

It has become exhausting to hear about the accusations from women about being sexually assaulted by Donald Trump. These Fox personalities, like the majority of the Clinton media, keep repeating, repeating them over and over again. Naturally, these claims are made in front of the reporters as press conferences – not formal written complaints in a court of law. NO one is under oath and since Trump is a “public figure”, he can do little about it. Those original indictable Clinton statements were take under oath and corroborated by white house staff, including the secret service.

FNC has some splainin to do if the news channel wishes to re-capture what its mission was once. It seems they are now in re-negotiation with Megyn Kelly for a new contract – they will probably award her a Brian Williams’ pot – too much of course…and keep her. Their FAIR AND BALANCE will suffer further.

Big success often generates loss of mission…and brings greater burden. And we all lose.