The Fox News Obama War gets 'serious' time on Jon Stewart

SACRAMENTO, Calif., USA - Being in (and teaching about) the news business, it's hard to watch what passes for journalism these days on television.

Now that I think about it, since Walter Cronkite left CBS, I have generally thought that television journalist is an oxymoron.

A few minutes of watching the wing nuts on Fox News - or the incredible smugness of MSNBC folks - usually results in a quick click of the TV remote.

As in click off.

But The Daily Show just did a hilarious rant on Fox News and it's declared 'war' with the Obama administration that is worth taking a look at.

It's eleven minutes long, but gawd, it is funny in spots.

For Fox Sake!

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Seeing the inauguration as an 'expat' - quite an experience

LA MANZANILLA, Jalisco, Mexico - Whenever I use the term 'expat' - short for expatriate - it rankles some people who think that those of us who live some - or most - of the months of each year outside the U.S. are somehow, well, unpatriotic.

A roomful of people, many of whom would label themselves 'expat' proved that to be a mentira (a lie) today in La Manzanilla. When the Star-Spangled Banner was sung, everyone was on their feet and there was barely a dry eye in the house. And the cheers as President Obama made his speech rattled the palm fronds in the palapa.

Luckily, there were no scorpions in the rafters to ruin what turned out to be a great party.


A packed Palapa Joe's for the inauguration

I arrived just moments before the speech by our new president and as luck would have it, Jane Gorby, aka Lois Lane, had seats for my amigo Mario and I in the back. Adm. Fox was in Vallarta and caught the whole historic spectacle up there.

The room was as crowded as I have ever seen it. Willie, Palapa Joe's owner and bartender extraordinaire, said he believed there were more than 110 people crammed in. Every seat was taken, including all the perching spots on the steps and planters.

And when the announcer said that Barack Obama was officially El Presidente de Los Estados Unidos, the room erupted into cheers and with a lot of backslapping and shaking of hands. In addition, several people told me they were going to get seriously drunk today to celebrate. Better than four years ago, they said, when they got seriously drunk to drown their sorrows at George W. Bush's inauguration for a second term.

Jane Gorby was there on official business, as a columnist for the Guadalajara Reporter. We talked journalistic strategy briefly over drinks (We are journalists, after all!), and Jane launched from her chair right after the speech to interview a half-dozen or more people to get their reactions.


Jane interviews a group at Palapa Joe's


In search of the perfect quote

The heros of the day - besides the new President and vice president - were Willie and Norma. Willie worked feverishly to keep up with the drink orders as the crowd got more happy and more thirsty. Norma needed roller skates to keep up with the drink orders and the food coming out of the kitchen.


Willie serves 'em up

The only downer of the day for me, was having to listen to the pundits immediately after the ceremony dissect President Obama's performance. A little silence from those folks would have been nice today.

And that is coming from a career journalist.

Be careful what you wish for - a famous saying unheeded

SACRAMENTO, Calif., USA - A hour or so ago, I put the finishing touches on my online application to join President-elect Barack Obama's administration.

What in the holy %$&^*&#$*%()(_*#^!!!!!!!!!!

Well, Saturday I read in the New York Times that Obama is searching for people to help implement the vision(s) articulated during his campaign. And in true Obama, 2008 form, the application is online at 'change.gov.'

As a slight aside, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, I also nominated myself for a Pulitzer Prize several times for stories I had published. Never got one, but I did get some nifty letters thanking me for my interest.


Barack O'bama button

I filled out a transition team short form two days ago and tonight received (and filled out) the full application - which wanted to know a lot of details - and asked for a complete resume and references.

I'm not sure I should have applied to become head of the Central Intelligence Agency, but it was one of the many options I picked, in case you get a reference call. Oh, and they might ask about the Federal Reserve, the State Department (in case they need some help in Mexico) or working in the West Wing giving sage advice.


Online form, thanking me for my application

Unfortunately, when I changed my voter registration just before the recent election, I went from being a Democrat to the Green Party. I thought the poor Greens needed a little cheering up and, well, it will be a couple of years before I vote again in an election with any kind of primary where party registration counts.

I'm not sure the incoming administration will think too much of that party registration as they sift through the thousands and thousands of qualified applicants who have already applied - and the thousands and thousands more expected in the next 70 days or so.

So in the meantime, I'm sticking with my original plan of spending the winter and spring in Arroyo Seco, Jalisco, Mexico, building a little, fishing some, playing the ukulele every day (with the Admiral playing her violin) and writing a lot.

Oh, and also riding my new motorcycle from the village to one of the two surfing beaches.

Wait a minute! What was I thinking when I sent that form in?

Captain's Blog and Four Headlamps have a Wasilla connection

SACRAMENTO, Calif., USA - In my perusing of the site meters on the various websites where I post, I ran across that someone from Wasilla - yes that Wasilla - had taken a peek at the site, looking for, of all things, the lyrics to the song Chunder.

Chunder, if you ever look at the website The Four Headlamps, you know is one of the songs that I think the group will be adding to its repertoire.

The Four Headlamps

Hmm... I might have mentioned that song here already, now that I think about it.

It's doubtful that it was Sarah or Todd Palin who was looking at The Four Headlamps site. They seem to be pretty busy doing other things, bashing about the country right now. Still, considering how few people there are in Wasilla, there could be a Palin connection.

Maybe the whole Palin clan will travel to La Manzanilla for an open mic night at Palapa Joes when we perform Chunder.

They should have a lot of time on their hands after Nov. 4. And I'm sure the State of Alaska will not hesitate to pay for the governor and her family to fly south this winter on some kind of official business.


Sitemeter posting showing Wasilla