Jack’s testimony to the Lincoln City Council re: Risk-taking & the arena

The Tim Tebow “Focus on the Family” Commercial

On Friday’s show, I offered my opinion on what has become the most talked about commercial to air on Super Bowl Sunday – the Focus on the Family ad featuring Tim Tebow.

The ad has not been seen yet has drawn fire from pro-choice organizations in a classic example of “shoot the messenger and ignore the message.”  To bottom line my opinion I feel that if this ad is done correctly, pro-choice groups should be concerned because it could mark a change in the political discourse and the current image of the pro-life movement.

My opinion is that the pro-life movement has wandered away from its most inherently positive message (life) and turned its focus on demonizing the pro-choice efforts as “abortionists.”  In my view, this makes the most vocal (public) faction of the pro-life movement look whiney, overly politicized and negative.  Case in point was the recent protests by Nebraska Right To Life over Ben Nelson’s “abortion compromise” in the Senate approved health care reform bill.  Nelson virtually assured with his efforts that public funds will not be used to provide abortions.  It was a compromise that was decried by both right and left.  While that doesn’t make it the right idea, it certainly wasn’t going to open the floodgates to more federally funded abortions as pro-life groups insinuate.

Despite what many on both sides argue, abortion is not a black or white issue.  There are many of us who don’t buy into the extremes who lean pro-life, but believe that abortion is potentially necessary in cases of rape, incest or when the health of the mother is at risk.  And when we see pro-lifers with their pictures of aborted fetuses parading in front of Planned Parenthood, it angers us.  Sure, that is exactly what the protesters want us to feel, but the anger usually is focused on the protesters for showing these sensational pictures and not the anger that babies were aborted.

I’m not suggesting that we should bury our heads in the sand and not acknowledge that “abortion on demand” doesn’t exist – what I am saying is that instead of turning every person that has had an abortion or performs an abortion into a murderer, the pro-life movement should be accentuating their strongest message – life.  Rather than accusing every abortion of being done in malice, the strongest efforts should be focused to preventing the pregnancy in the first place.

And that’s where the Tebow/FOTF commercial comes in.

By all indications, the spot is going to focus solely on the story of Tim and his mother and how she forged ahead with her pregnancy despite the facts that her life was potentially at risk.  As any college football fan will tell you, Tebow is alive and very well and the commercial will bring her story, her life and his to the widest possible TV audience in the U.S..  If my assumptions are correct, the spot will also not focus on the “abortionists” or the “abortion holocaust”, but rather on the positive aspects of LIFE and I’ll bet that you will have people who don’t buy into the extremes who will be moved by the ad.  And that should scare the pro-choicers because the pro-choice movement cannot match a story like the Tebows’.

So why not, pro-life movement, move towards the message of the greatness of life.  Move away from the partisan, divisive labels and move towards your strength.  In the 70’s, it was the pro-choice movement that was deemed the most militant.  Today, the pro-life movement has decided to play in that same court and it’s not taking their message forward.

Perhaps the Tebow ad will represent a move in that direction and remind those who believe so strongly in life that it is “life” that is the loudest message that resonates.

In case you needed another reason to make fun of Colorado Football

Jack “Would Do Anything For Love”

Jack has a hidden talent that he has shared from time to time on the show.  He has an impeccable memory for identifying top 40 songs from the late 80s and early 90s to where he can identify the month and year the song hit the charts.  He also apparently memorized the lyrics to each of these songs.

This “talent” was on display the night of Friday, January 29th at the NRG Media company holiday party at Dueling Pianos in the Haymarket when Jack & John were asked to sing Sonny & Cher’s “I Got You Babe.”  The guys did not know the words, so as they were fumbling through their Blackberry’s to find it, the Dueling Pianos started to pound out the Meatloaf hit “I Would Do Anything For Love.” 

That’s when Jack’s passion got the better of him.  Thanks to our producer Chelsey who shot this video with her camera.

Matthews’ Post-racial America?

So today on the show, John and I spent some time talking about these comments.  We both found them fairly non-controversial, but correctly predicted that the sydicated hosts on KLIN wouldn’t see it the same way.  It also appears that several of our listeners thought we were off-base for our quasi-defense of the comments.  One of the emails said “only a racist would be surprised he ‘forgot he was black’”.  She went on to say, “How ridiculous to point out what he forgot.  Give me a BREAK!!  He WANTED the emphasis to be on his race by even saying this.”

I think this is a fairly interesting discussion and it also leads into one of my hot-button topics, the ridiculously hopeless state of political dialogue in this country, so I responded as follows:

Sorry, but I completely disagree with you.  If you had told me 20 or even 10 years ago that we’d have a black president, I’d have assumed that, at that time, given our race culture, his race would always be front of mind for me, just because it’s something that was beyond my imagination, given the still existing racial divides in this country, particularly in urban areas (I lived in D.C. for a time).  Maybe I’ve completely misread our society, but I don’t think that statement is far-fetched at all, and probably was the norm.  Perhaps there were people out there 20 years ago or 10 years ago that were so unbelievably color blind and beyond the absolute cultural impact of a black president, that they assumed if and when a black president would be elected, any notation or significance given to his race would just roll off their back like it’s no big deal.  Maybe I’m the only one like this and I’m also a racist, which I guess your comments would imply.    I agree with Matthews that now, in 2009-2010, I don’t think about it anywhere close to as much as I thought I would.  Does that mean I was a bad person in the past for assuming I’d be more aware of race?  I don’t think so, but I guess I’m not above reproach. 

 All that said, he was saying that this way of thinking ISN’T the case anymore, so he was actually making a POSTIVE statement, not criticizing anyone, but instead lauding our collective culture for reaching a point where race is not as important as we thought it might always be in this country, which I think is one thing on which we can almost all agree is a good thing.  Does that imply that we were too racially sensitive during a previous time?  Maybe.  I don’t think he or I think it’s great that we assumed race would be a more front-of-mind issue, but the point is he was saying  that we’re not that way anymore.  Kudos, I guess, to those who were “post-racial” before Chris Matthews and I were.

This is one of the rare times when anything said by any of the ‘talking heads’ on either side of the aisle isn’t done so for the sole purpose of painting their political opponents as evil, corrupt, un-American or mentally ill, so that alone is sadly comforting to me.  The thing that drives me crazy is if this had been said by a conservative pundit, the majority of conservatives would come viciously to his defense and the libs would rip him all day long for being a racist, and probably demand his resignation.  Content doesn’t matter anymore, it’s all about on which side the person who says it sits.  Between you and me, I can hardly even stand to discuss politics anymore I’m so discouraged by the state of division in this country.  I could go on about that forever, but in both of our best interests, I’ll refrain. 

 As always, thanks for listening, and I’ve enjoyed my email conversations with you in the past, and hope I didn’t come across too harsh.  I’m pretty passionate about the state of politics.

What do you all think?  Like I said, I’m one person who’s loves talking politics, philosophy, etc., but I’m also unabashed about the fact that I don’t have all the answers, so I like the discussion.

J&J Video: We’re back!

Had to take down the video stream for technical reasons (like the kind that doesn’t actually involve technology, if you know what I mean.)  Nothing illegal, just internal business stuff.

Annnnnnnny-whooooooo.  We are back streaming LIVE video of the show.  This is still in the testing phase and I know there will be changes down the road, but you’ll get to see us do the show live, what we do during breaks (sans audio, thank God) and the infamous Birthday Game victory dance.  Also, there is a chat feature that you can use to interact with both us and other J&J fans (do we really have any?)  Enjoy it and tell your friends!  The more people use it, the more we can convince The Administration to invest more in this kind of new stuff.

We’ve All Been This Guy

Admit it.  If you are passionate about sports and about your team (Huskers), then you will relate to the pain and anger of this poor Viking fan as he watched the pivital moment of Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.

WARNING:  There is profanity, so content may be unsuitable for children.

I DARE You To See This Basketball Team

Kelsey Griffin and the Huskers are top ten rated and legitimate Final Four contenders

If you haven’t heard by now, there is a pretty good basketball team playing at the Devaney Center.  The Husker women are #7 in the newest AP Top 25 (highest ranking in history) and #4 in the latest RPI projections (the indicator that helps determine NCAA tournament teams and seeds) after their win over Baylor Sunday (the first true road victory over a top ten rated team in Husker history.)

I have had the opportunity to follow a lot of local sports teams in my years here at KLIN.  In that time, you run across a few special teams that just has that “it” feeling.  The 1994 Husker football team and 2001 Husker baseball team are two really good examples along with a handful of Lincoln-area high school teams.  They all had that “it” feeling about them.  That they were special and had a chance to go all the way.

In some cases, those teams did win it all.  In others, like the 2001 College World Series qualifiers, they didn’t go all the way but they left such an indeliable mark that they sparked a popularity that resonates to this day.

The 2009-2010 Nebraska women’s basketball team has “it.”  From their “Ndamukong Suh-like” presence in All American candidate Kelsey Griffin to solid inside-outside threat Cory Montgomery to their athletic guards Dominique Kelley and Vonnie Turner (both products of Nebraska high schools), this team has already put together a fantastic season.  They are legitimate threats to advance to the women’s Final Four in San Antonio as well as claim an outright Big 12 Championship.  And they deserve some recognition and support.

That is why I am putting my fate in your hands for this upcoming Saturday game against Kansas State.  It is a “pack the house” promotion put on by Pepsi where all general admission tickets and all 24 oz Pepsi soft drinks are $1.  I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t see a sellout crowd to watch this team.  So here is my dare to you:

If we can get at least 12,000 fans in attendance for this Saturday’s game vs. K-State, I will accept some form of dare as suggested by you.  All this week we will take suggestions on-air or via email  (you can also comment here on the blog) and I will select my “dare” on this Friday morning’s show.  Then, if you can fill Devaney to at least 12,000 Saturday at 11am, I’ll carry out on my end of the bargain.

With or without the enticement of my potential public humiliation, I think you will find this team worthy of your two hour investment.

Where’s the most annoying traffic signal in Lincoln?

During my time working at KLIN I’ve run into a number of people who seem to believe that Lincoln isn’t the most convenient city to navigate by car.  Some blame it on the lack of a bypass, some on the lack of major north/south thoroughfare, others, the quality of the drivers in this town.  Honestly, this has never been something that’s really bothered me all that much, but it’s clear the sentiment is out there.

That said, probably the most complained-about element about the ease of traveling this town has to do, in one way or another, with traffic signals.  It may be that there are too many of them, that they’re not timed correctly, that the green arrows last too short or too long, etc.  In light of this consistent angst, we thought it was time we do something about it, so Jack & John have embarked on a mission to find Lincoln’s most annoying traffic signals.  Whether it’s the one that’s red for 3 minutes every day on your morning commute or the one that’s timed so poorly the left-turn lane has cars backed up a half-mile. 

After we compile our list of suggestions, we’re actually going to go out and scout all of the locations, to determine Lincoln’s most annoying traffic signal(s), and after our analysis, we’re actually going to talk to the folks in traffic operations in the city to find out just why those signals are so annoying, and if anything can be done about them.

We could still use more suggestions, as we’ll be doing our scouting trips this week, so feel free to email them into us at JackandJohn@klin.com  or list them in the comments below. 

In case you were curious, a few we’ve already heard about: 9th/10th & South, 27th & Sheridan, 40th & Yankee Hill, 1st & O and the left turn lane at 84th & Cornhusker.  Now it’s your chance to vent.

More Partisan Poop

Two things that got the collective political dander up this week.  One local, one national.

No doubt you have heard about Rush Limbaugh’s comments on the Obama administration’s response to the Haiti earthquake.  But it depends on where you heard about the story first that might frame your opinion of what was actually said.  The first time I heard about it, it was on Keith Olbermann’s Countdown show on MSNBC.  Now, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Olbermann is going to try to blast Limbaugh into orbit at every possible opportunity.  So I followed up by hitting the Google search.  Each story I found isolated the “we already donate to Haiti, it’s called the U.S. income tax” line and was headlined as “Rush Says Don’t Donate To Haiti.”

Limbaugh has, of course, denied his ever saying not to donate.  I have to admit, I don’t see a message of “don’t donate.”  But the “income tax” line was brought on by a caller that questioned why we should go to www.whitehouse.gov and didn’t trust the Obama administration.  This is sad.  We have become such a divided, partisan nation that we cannot trust our President with anything if he does not hinge to the same political and ideological that we do.

First off, www.whitehouse.gov is not Barack Obama’s website.  It is the President’s website.  14 month ago, it was controlled by George W. Bush.  Three or seven years from now, it will be controlled by someone else’s administration.  If we cannot trust our own President to not turn our donations to an international crisis into a reason to spam us with campaign donations, then we are truly a lost country. 

Naturally, Democrats are patting themselves on the back because their President reacted more swiftly on Haiti than Bush did on Hurricane Katrina while Republicans are crying foul.  First of all, these are not comparable disasters.  What is happening in Haiti has been exaserbated because it took place in a third world country where the infrastructure and government were fractured and in disrepair.  What happened in New Orleans was shocking because it was unimaginable that such devastation and uncoordinated federal response could occur here.  It’s easier to react to foreign disasters than domestic, because at the end of the day we can go to sleep in the comfort of our own warm homes when the ordeal is happening in someone else’s backyard.

Just like with Katrina (when Democrats were barking and moaning), now it’s the GOP’s turn (led by Rush Limbaugh) with Haiti.  Just continuing to prove my point about partisan politics – they are not about what is doing right for country and humanity, they are about what is doing right for party.

Then there is the alleged “booing” of Senator Ben Nelson at an Omaha pizza place last week.  Some say it happened.  Others say it has been overblown.  Seriously, people!?!  Booing somebody at a pizza place?  Do yourself a favor and enjoy the food and enjoy the company of others and check your politics at the door.  You’re at a restaurant, not a football game.  I understand that people will never totally agree on anything, but can we at least try to be civil about our public discourse?