
Reflections on Christianity and the Election
Though my thoughts on religious ideology have expanded and evolved immensely as I’ve grown older, this basic fact is what I still believe. We are all imperfect but are tasked with striving to be better every day. I would add that we should strive to leave our fellow humans in a better place when we leave than when we entered.

Reflections in 9/11/01
For weeks after 9/11/01, I smelled the burning embers and flesh. But when I went uptown, it was as if it never happened. Folks went about their lives, eating out, laughing, having a good time. I wondered about how humans can do such everyday things when near so much suffering of neighbors.

A Song for Venezuela, a Lesson for Us All
Roman’s collaborator was tortured by the current Venezuelan regime and escaped to live to tell the horrific tale. He now has a message of hope for all Venezuelans living through unspeakable darkness for so many years. He survived, he is fighting, and is still optimistic, a lesson for us all here in the USA, as we struggle through these dark times in our own country.

Fox News Channel Practices What it Doesn’t Preach
…corporate leaders are making responsible decisions for their employees to keep they and their families safe by ordering non-production staff to work remotely through the end of 2020.

Punk Rock Covid Deniers
Everyone was skeptical and slow to react appropriately at first, but then conspiracy theories lit the internet on fire and gave people an excuse to be ignorant.

Covid 19 Sparks Childish Behavior in the USA
Personal responsibility means taking control of your dignity, character and morality. Stand tall and do the right thing and if you still get sick, you will be mentally strong enough to overcome it. Or if not, at least you can bravely face what God has intended for you.

Fox News and Fake News
This is what the Fox News photo should have looked like.

Journalistic Fact vs. Opinion
For those who scream “fake news” for any info that challenges their ideological world view, and for those who support folks in power who rage “enemy of the people” because the media are doing their job, and even for those who just those take freedom of an independent press for granted, please consider where we’d be if the only news we received were from the government.

The Problem With Oops, Sorry!
I’ve noticed that pandemic downplaying or wild conspiracy theories tend to propagate mainly from right and left extremes and often, from otherwise intelligent people.

Don’t like the USA leave it?
Truth doesn’t know a party or a political leaning. Life is tough for EVERYONE. Don’t like it? Take it up with your Maker, not the other political party. I’ll say it again, YOU ARE WHERE YOU ARE BECAUSE OF WHO YOU ARE. Can you look in the mirror and tell yourself that without flinching? Do you like what you see? If you don’t, see someone, get some help. You tell me that if I don’t like the USA I can leave it… I tell you that If I don’t like the USA I will work to change it.

Saying Goodbye to a Friend of Raw Travel (and me).
When I would get frustrated with the rigors of trying to be an independent media entrepreneur, I’d often call Dan and we’d end up talking for longer than we both probably should have given our respective “to-do” lists. Mainly we’d laugh and complain about how business ethics and “doing the right thing” just didn’t seem to resonate with some folks like it did he and I. We were full of righteous indignation and we loved it and we regaled each other with stories of crooked characters, shady shysters and incompetent, puffed-up, insecure people in a business renowned for them. It got me through a lot of frustrating moments and we never took what we said or ourselves too seriously.

How Did Univision Squander 80% Market Share?
When I worked there, I felt that Univision’s upper echelon of management (Gringos and a few token 1% ruling-class Latinos from wealthy Latin American families with lots of wealth but little talent) was never about anything but the money anyway.

Justice for Colombian Musician, Andres Ocampo
Andres Ocampo is a well-known musician from Medellin Colombia and a friend of mine. He also composed the theme music for the show Raw Travel TV and has contributed other tracks to the sound design over the years. His band, Los Suziox (The Dirty) was the first act I signed for my digital record label Punk Outlaw Records back in 2010.

Why Pick on Charlie Daniels?
I’ve been a little tough on Charlie Daniels of the Charlie Daniels Band as of late and I wanted to explain why. Like Charlie, I grew up in Tennessee and remember hearing his music and thinking “this is different” and I liked it. Now I wasn’t a massive country music fan but “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” was a classic and back then, believe it or not, country musicians rarely used fiddles in their music (they used slide guitars and such). Charlie has always struck me over the years as Johnny Cash-like, in that he seemed to be going his own way, which I respect.

Journalist Are Unsung Heroes
Journalists in the U.S. these days often get a bad rap, some of it perhaps not undeserved. But worldwide, journalists routinely risk prison, harassment or their very lives in order to speak truth to power and shine the light on corruption and criminality of those indulging in mankind’s worst impulses.

Surgeon General on Fox News – Americans Are Dying From Starvation?
U.S. Surgeon Gen. Jerome Adams named a “Power Player” on Fox News with Chris Wallace this morning. Here are his views on Climate Change and

Journalism. A Brave Choice? Increasingly So.
The next time you hear someone complaining about “fake news” consider that for every politically motivated, hatchet-job hack there is probably at least one real,

Lead Singer of The Smithereens Dies
Lead singer of The Smithereens died this week at age 62. It ain’t easy being a moderately successful musician I guess but these guys impacted a lot of music in the late 80s and early 90s.

Verizon Fios Removes Univision. Univision Hints it’s the “R” word?
To my amigos outside of the TV business, this is a standard bearer dispute between two large multi-billion dollar media companies. It is happening more and more because as viewership and ad revenue plummet, broadcasters depend more and more on the “retransmission” revenue stream from cable & satellite companies like Verizon, Direct TV, Spectrum, etc.

60 Minutes Brave Expose on Big Pharma
QUESTION: Why is TV called a medium?
ANSWER: Because when it’s well done, it’s rare.
Old joke but very proud of 60 Minutes tonight who went up against a huge ad category (Big Pharma), when they broadcasted an expose on Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn sponsoring and congress passing a bill that helped Pharma Companies avoid DEA enforcement and ensure the flow of opioids continue to feed an increasingly addicted nation (many in her home state of TN) resulting in over 200K deaths.
