American AM - Talk radio for the rest of us

American AM Stars again in the form of a speech by Henry Raines delivered at the Beach HOuse on Longboat Key. Henry shared the mike with Jim McCartney, Columnist from Bradenton Herald Today and an AARP representative who were also eloquent in their presentations.

Henry made the best survey of the history of the middle east situation that I have heard, with a summary of the options we have for dealing with the quagmire we are in. He displayed his usual grasp of all the geopolitical factors in play. He gave a probable scenario of where each option might lead us. None of the options were attractive so we have a narrow range of choices that must be made. I am hopeful that Henry will give some sumary treatment of his remarks on the air in the near futuere so that we may download them to disk for a wide distribution.

Henry also named probable scenarios for the upcoming election. His choice of candidates for Democrats was plausible and attractive. He gave good reasons why he thought it could be a winning ticket. (Edwards, and New Mexico Govener)
I hope he will include this in a summarized version so that it can be downloaded to disk for distribution. Thanks to American AM and Henry Raines for an outstanding talk to the Democratic Club from High Octane Okie.

Friday, April 13, 2007

This is to let the listening public know that my guest for dinner tonight is Julius Kuney (Black Jack). We will meet at the Bonefish Grill at 7456 Cortez Road West in Bradenton at Six PM. Any who drop by our table will be welcome for a conversation with one of the great broadcast pioneers of the last century. He will also have a few of his recently published memoirs, "Woody Allen, Bob Dylan, and me." This is a fascinating stroll down memory lane with Julius, as he describes early television productions with many of the famous political and entertainment personages when he was a CBS television producer and dealt with people like Nixon, Eisenhower, Ralph Nader, and of course CBS president William Paley. Julius produced a series called "In the Public Interest" with Ralph Nader and Beth Meyerson, consumer advocate of New York City. To hear him recount his adventures in broadcasting is a unique experience, and one that you will be glad to remember. Julius is acknowledged by the Association of Broadcast Journalists with a prize...sort of Nobel Prize of Broadcasting.

If Henry Raines finds time to join us, High Octane Okie and Rachel will pick up the tab. But all are welcome for a handshake, and an autographed copy of Black Jack's engaging memoir. Stop by at six PM or join us for coffee and dessert. We will be the old geezers with walkers and canes and loud voices. Regards from High Octane Okie.

PS. Caution: At age eighty, Julius met and married a southern belle named Marge.
As Julius is a Yellow Dog Democrat, and Marge a Republican, this makes for some touchy James Carville/Mary Matlin type moments. When they married, Julius asked Marge what her family would think about her marrying a Jew. Marge replied that there would be no problem...the problem would be that she married a DEMOCRAT."

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

When the Imus story broke I quickly called my nephew, Duel a well known rancher in
northern Oklahoma. He is my main resource for taking the pulse of the heartland, but even more, I wanted his take on this because he had a personal interchange with Imus some time back that had left a bad feeling. Duel, an early riser had watched Imus for years on his four AM television show and thought he made a good show with his ranch type studio and cowboy hat. In those days, Imus was more in the Democratic camp, politically, and Duel appreciated that, plus he admired the fact that Imus maintained a summer camp for underprivileged children on his ranch in New Mexico. It occured to him he would like to make a gift to Imus. Duel, a keen hunter, had a collection of mounted animal head and antlers in the spacious den on his ranch. A prize of his collection was the skull of the famous Texas Longhorn that measured over six feet from horn tip to horn tip. His call to Imus was taken by an aide who told him Imus would be delighted with such a gift. Duel agreed to meet the aid half way at the New Mexico/ Oklahoma border. He made the five hundred mile trip trailering a horse that he was selling to Imus for twenty five hundred dollars. The transfer of the horse and the Long Horn antlers was made in due course and in following mornings,Duel eagerly tuned in to see that his gift had been given a display or a mention on the Imus show. He waited day after day, but no acknowledgement ever came. My nephew also noticed that Imus was begining to side more and more with Republicans. Finally he stopped watching the show in disgust. When I spoked to him this weekend about his view of the Imus story he said: "I would like to tie a rope around that s.o.b.'s balls and hoist him off the floor and let him hang there...and if they stretch and his feet reach the ground, hoist him a little higher." When I suggested that this was perhaps a bit too harsh, he replied emphatically. "No it
ain't..and those girls he insulted up there...they should be allowed to dance around him pounding on tom toms." So there you have it. A harsh judgement from the heartland. And a new perspective on the Imus suspension. This is High Octane Okie signing off. More detail from the Heartland is available on request.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Patriotic Poop!!

Scientists in New Mexico have patented a device that is taken orally and travels to the bowel where it stays for a number of hours before the capsule breaks down and begins releasing non-toxic dye. The slow release of the dye coats the feces and produces colored stools. Mark Bowyers, PhD. began working with single color dyes but last year found a way to disperse several colored dyes at the same time. This breakthrough has led many international companies to order several thousand of the capsules including some private venture companies in the U.S.A. At retail, the capsules cost about $7 but can create a patriotic message that is quite powerful in a number of ways. The military have ordered 20,000 for troops in combat to boost morale. So next time you visit the lavatory, why not go in red, white and blue?

Monday, April 02, 2007

A White Paper on Iran: "The ancient Greek name for Iran was Persis, which was usually spoken with fear-for good reason. At the beginning of the Fifth CenturyBC, the Persian Empire under Darius the Great was the most threatning force on Earth and was poised to conquer the democratic city states of Greece and, perhaps, the embryonic Roman republic beyond. Bukt for a series of unfortunate events (for the Persians) modern study of the classics would be concentrated on Persian language, history and literature, rather than upon Greek and Latin"

I highly recommend this forty page survey of ancient and modern empires. A brief sketch of pre-christian empires is offered follolwed by a parade of empires that followed into the modern era. The history of Persia, the split between Sunni and Shia is given clear exposition. The East/West contest for central asia, the ways that oil started to be the main prize that empires sought to possess, and the resulting wars that came about and that are still raging today, are sketched in with great clarity. This is an essential read for anyone wishing to improve their understanding of how human civilization came to it's present precarious balance between Scylla and Charibdis, or a rock and a hard place, in good old red neck parlance. Give it a read. You'll be glad you did. Hi Octane Oakie