Grumpy Editor

Reference to ‘legal’ gets mixed up in Bush statement

In the wake of yesterday’s immigration overhaul measure defeat in the Senate, Grumpy Editor finds national media missed a garbled word uttered by President Bush who made this statement (later repeated in a White House news release) after an appearance at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I.:

“Legal immigration is one of the top concerns of the American people and Congress’s failure to act on it is a disappointment.”

While Americans agree that legal immigration is the proper path to follow, the word illegal should have started that immigration sentence from the president.

Illegal immigration is what gets most Americans upset, according to polls that show 80 percent were against the controversial immigration proposal in the Senate that was weeks in the making.

Associated Press noted that “Bush appeared glum as he spoke.”

Meanwhile, in a discussion of the immigration reform measure’s setback a few hours later before TV cameras, Kevin Sullivan, White House communications director, declared “the losers are the American people.”

That was followed a few minutes later by Rep. Tom Tancredo (R., Colo.) who reversed that phrase, labeling the “American president” as the loser, adding “amnesty is not going to fly.”

Stock market ups, downs keep investors nervous

Stock market gyrations of the past few days leading up to the close of the second quarter tomorrow and the Federal Reserve’s interest rate announcement today have caused a lot of uneasiness with investors.  What’s interesting to Grumpy Editor are Wall Street’s reasons for such unusual wild swings.

On Monday, from a Dow Jones industrial average intraday high of almost 129 points, the DJIA nosedived, closing down 8.21 points with “Wall Street firms’ vulnerability to risky mortgage loans” cited as being the trigger.

(Keep in mind risky, or subprime, mortgages have been in the news for several weeks.  Every time subprime is mentioned loudly, the stock market drops.)

Then on Tuesday, more price swings as the DJIA at its intraday high was up more than 100 points before dropping to close down 14.39 points.  This time the months-old standby --- inflation --- was mentioned by analysts along with the possibility of higher interest rates and, of course, “bad bets on risky mortgages.”

Yesterday, as investors awaited today’s word on the Federal Reserve's two-day meeting on interest rates, the DJIA rallied, closing up a solid 90.07 points, lifted by strength in the technology and financial sectors --- with no mentions of risky loans and inflation, both factors that affect those two sectors.

But more zigzagging is expected today just prior to and after the Fed decision on interest rates, to be announced at 2:15 p.m. Eastern.

Raleigh newspaper IDs witness to robbery, shooting

Picture this:  You witness the shooting of a woman during an armed robbery and call 911.  The bad guys involved, described as “armed and dangerous” by the police, are still at large. The local newspaper, in reporting the serious crime, mentions your name in the lead paragraph.

Would you be upset and fearing for your safety?

Dual answer, naturally, is yes.

That happened in Cary, N.C. a few days ago.  The newspaper tipping off the suspects is The News & Observer, Raleigh.

While the witness’s name and telephone number were in the police report, the newspaper decided to identify the person in print.  The N&O’s metro editor said a reporter contacted the witness for further details “to give a fuller account to readers.”

That’s fine.

But Grumpy Editor says common sense --- along with Journalism 101 --- dictates that with “armed and dangerous” suspects on the loose, a reporter does not identify a witness by name in print.

Major U.S. media snub Korean War anniversary

Sadly, "The Forgotten War" remains forgotten --- with most U.S. media.

The 57th anniversary yesterday, marking the start of the Korean War, received scant coverage at a time when media look for excuses to run just about any type of anniversary story, observes Grumpy Editor.

For the U.S., that 1950-1953 war resulted in 36,940 military deaths, 103,000 wounded, 8,142 missing in action and 3,746 prisoners of war.

The war erupted when 135,000 communist North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel into South Korea in pre-dawn hours June 25, 1950.  It ended with a cease fire July 27, 1953.

Two newspapers that did recognize the anniversary: Killeen Daily Herald in Texas and Cadillac News in Michigan.

The Herald, near the Fort Hood military base, reported on a Sunday event at the community's civic and conference center that featured Korean War veterans commemorating the start of the conflict.  The Cadillac News covered a remembrance at Chase community library where seven Korean War veterans contributed artifacts, photos and documents for display.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula continue today with the same (unchanged) North Korea over disarming its nuclear weapons program.

Landing of space shuttle brings ho-hum to most editors

Greeted by yawns in newsrooms was the Friday return of space shuttle Atlantis landing in California after a two-week mission to the international space station coupled with the return of a record-setting woman astronaut, notes Grumpy Editor who surveyed Saturday front pages of key newspapers, including:

The Los Angeles Times (Atlantis landed at nearby Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California), Washington Post, Washington Times, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Miami Herald, Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, Boston Globe, Detroit News, New York Times, Kansas City Star and Dallas Morning News.

Result:  Surprisingly, all skipped mention of the space shuttle on page 1.  Those with “refer” boxes on front pages also bypassed Atlantis.

Some ran a landing photo with caption only on an inside page.

One major newspaper to put Atlantis material on the front page was the Houston Chronicle, mainly because of the nearby Johnson Space Center.  Atop the front page, it ran a photo of Atlantis landing at Edwards, with reference to a story inside the first section.

An overlooked angle with Atlantis was the return of Suni Williams who spent 195 days at the space station, setting an endurance record for the longest single space flight by a woman.  She also set a record for most time spacewalking by a woman.

Now, if she had changed her name to Paris Hilton…

Other firms’ ads featured in AirAsia’s annual report

Imagine reading an annual report and stumbling across an ad (yes, an ad) pitching General Electric aircraft engines.  Far fetched?  Not with Malaysia-based AirAsia, a no-frills, low-fare airline founded in December, 2001.

Its 140-page annual report features 15 additional ads, including others for G.E., along with a Scottish bank, an investment firm and a U.S.-based airline management company.

“We’re the only company in the world putting ads in our annual report,” says AirAsia’s CEO Tony Fernandes in the latest issue of Forbes magazine.   Furthermore, he reveals those ads brought in $50,000 profit.

With that in mind, Grumpy Editor wonders if this is the start of a trend to add to publicly-held companies’ bottom lines through various other firms’ pitches between covers of annual reports.

AirAsia, with almost 19,000 shareholders, flies to more than 40 destinations in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Macau, China, Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar.

It goes beyond annual reports in touting other companies.  Aircraft tray tables and overhead bins also bear commercial messages.

Iraq discusses major deal with oil-hungry China

Critics of the Iraq war often cite President Bush’s desire for Iraqi oil as being an underlying factor in the long conflict.  But guess what, Communist China is zooming in on Iraqi oil and not much is being said about it in most American media.

Grumpy Editor notes the only coverage of Iraq’s vast oil industry is occasional TV footage or front-page photos of flaming oil pipelines after attacks by insurgents.  Not much else is reported, such as improved oil production, not even the patching of a damaged pipeline.

Thus, those focusing on Iraq and its oil would do well to read yesterday’s Wall Street Journal article (“Iraq to Seek Chinese Help to Reinvigorate Oil Industry”), which points out China’s mounting interest in Iraq’s oil fields.  (A Chinese-backed company already is the biggest oil producer in Sudan, the largest country in Africa.)

WSJ staffer Shai Oster mentions Iraq President Jalal Talabani and his oil minister, among others, are in a week-long visit to China to ask Beijing to revive a $1.2 billion (yes, that’s billion) oil exploration deal established during Saddam Hussein’s rule.

China is targeting the world’s third largest proven oil reserves because the Communist nation’s economic growth and soaring vehicle ownerships have pushed it to the world’s second largest oil consumer, just behind the U.S.

Romantic gestures banned in India, Virginia schools

At a time when “hand holding” and “togetherness” are being promoted among the world’s leaders, two separate stories --- from opposite sides of the earth --- yesterday focusing on fraternization on school campuses caught the eye (actually both eyes) of Grumpy Editor.  One dealt with two high schools in Mumbai, India, the other with a Vienna, Va. middle school.

Both districts banned students’ hand holding and other physical contact.

In Mumbai, students also face disciplinary action if caught kissing.  The principal at one of the schools explained, "Hormones run riot at 16 to 18 years and we need to take disciplinary measures, set limits and put in certain ground rules.”

Authorities in India point to the entertainment industry where these romantic acts, contrary to traditional Indian values, are emulated by students.

Meanwhile, at Kilmer middle school in Virginia’s Fairfax County,  handshakes, arms around the opposite sex and high-fives also are frowned on and can get students to appear before principal Deborah Hernandez.  She defends the rules, pointing to (ready for this?) overcrowding as a factor.  Seems 1,100 students are enrolled in a school built to hold 850 and all need to have their personal space protected, she said.

Looks like next Valentine’s Day will be a busy time for that principal.

Talk radio beams information as print media slumps

With the immigration reform bill coming up for a vote in the U.S. Senate, one of the strangest quotes in the past week comes from Sen. Trent Lott (R., Miss.) who supports the bill, declaring:  “Talk radio is running America. We have to deal with that problem.”

Talk radio isn’t running America.  Talk radio is informing America.

Grumpy Editor feels Sen. Lott and many others in Congress, where approval rating is under 30 percent, would do well to tune in to talk radio.  They would learn what their constituents think and that a recent poll shows 80 percent of Americans are against the amnesty bill.

It used to be that print media would bring balanced information from Washington to the attention of readers.  Unfortunately, and sadly these days, there is a distinct one-sided tilt or distortion.  In some cases there is absolutely no coverage --- few details at best --- of  some bills, especially controversial ones spanning hundreds of pages, in Congress.

Thus, talk radio is picking up from what print media used to do.

This is reflected in mushrooming talk radio audiences while many newspapers and magazines are seeing readership dwindle.

CNN’s Blitzer misses revelation on border fence

Grumpy Editor observed CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Sunday’s Late Edition missed an opportunity to amplify for the viewing audience what guest Rep. Duncan Hunter (R., Calif.) revealed “live” on the program:  despite all the current interest in the immigration reform bill and talk of security along the porous border with Mexico, only one layer of 13 miles of double fence has been built.

Blitzer, unfortunately, was more interested in mid-sentence interruptions of Hunter’s meaty input on foot-dragging at the border where 854 miles of border fence was authorized last October by Congress but never funded.

Separately, Rep. Trent Franks (R., Ariz.) on Friday noted, “With over 4,000 people crossing our southern border illegally every day, our border remains one of our country's most critical national security vulnerabilities. In order to carry out an act of terrorism, a militant Islamist simply needs a porous border and a dangerous weapon.”

Also on Friday, Rep. John A. Boehner (R., Ohio) said, “Securing our borders and reinforcing our Border Patrol agents is critical to reforming our immigration system.”  He and other Republicans said the $1 billion provided in a Homeland Security bill for fencing and tactical support is woefully short of the money needed to build the 854-mile fence.

Meanwhile, Grumpy Editor noted (with near zero U.S. press coverage) Pakistan is moving ahead with building a fence along its porous Afghan border to curb movement of Taliban and Al-Qaeda rebels.  It has already built more than 12 miles with additional fencing planned.