Leslie Griffith

Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving

The people's house is imploding! Liars and disillusioned are quitting on their own. Whew, no storming of the winter palace needed. Besides, it's going to take a few months to get off anti-depressants and sleeping pills and start paying attention again. The anti-depressant- pharmaceutical-advertising-blitzkrieg worked during wartime. We were depressed and could not sleep. Imagine that.

Nancy Pelosi has found her footing! Working to get our children, brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers out of Iraq safely and showing the world a woman can be tough and tender makes me thankful. Now, lets hope she can stand her ground, and get the soldiers home safely. Then let's consider giving millions of scholarships to those majoring in conflict resolution.

I am grateful that even though the "R" word is not mentioned in the papers yet, it is clear Americans are about to have to tighten their collective belts. Even if a recession is avoided, I'm thankful I am not terribly attached to anything I own anymore. 9/11 and the subsequent wars cured many Americans of that. The war has left us overspent and ignoring needs here at home. So let it go -- love is really all that matters in this psychopathic environment. In the meantime, what do you think of this eBay advertisement: Anyone out there interested in a few Emmys and Edward R. Murrows? We can put your name on the labels in masking tape. People are getting so use to being lied to -- probably no one will notice.

A big Yee-Hah for my first year out of commercial television where I felt my-sold-out-soul getting sicker everyday as I watched my long-time colleagues work three times harder just to be put on part time status to save the media corporations zillions in health insurance. I watched as a media corporation held its annual party at a hotel, while the housekeepers inside were on strike. The housekeepers who wash the stained sheets of the privileged and wiped the piss from their toilets -- never stopped smiling. The housekeepers had too much class to tell "media" stars to go to hell. Here's to a Thanksgiving full of empathy for our fellow man.

I'm driving cross country now, and I want to thank all those attached to my tail gate for the consistent sign of friendship they wave my way as I drive the speed limit. Many must work in dangerous professions because even with my poor eyesight, I can tell some are missing fingers! On this Thanksgiving I'm thankful for mine and hope theirs grow back.

I'm in Colorado, where one of my former co-workers called to tell me her corporate media boss told her to either fill in her eyebrow frown with Botox, or she could take her human face and leave. "Hey, I asked my friend, trying to change the subject, did you see that ANOTHER White House insider is calling himself a liar? There's also some indication the highest levels of power may have been involved in outing Valerie Plame." She said, "Huh? When did that happen?" She was about to lead her broadcast with news of a storm blowing in. I give thanks -- that's no longer me. I hung up hoping she wasn't frowning.

I'm grateful Americans are angry. I am hopeful they will begin directing that rage in appropriate ways and at appropriate targets. The American military was ordered to invade a sovereign country. American's were humiliated by the bullies who said they spoke in our name. They don't. Most Americans believe in a constitution. That includes Congress. I am grateful for the checks and balances. And I'm not referring to my back account.

I'm happy we can stop yelling at our neighbors, and co-workers and banging out anonymous vitriol over this world-wide conduit of information. I am thankful that Americans are starting to finally understand why there are those who want us dead. This World Wide Web did more to educate us than anything else. I'm grateful I can communicate with those all over the world. (Bullies who yell loud, and have bombs should not be the judge of who else has them, and I'm not talking about Ahmadinejad.)

I am grateful my naiveté has been squelched forever by media corporations who deal in propaganda passed directly from the White House. Poor media corporation moguls, they took one look at the presidential approval ratings after 9/11 and became instant neo-conservatives. When Mr. Bush is gone, will those same moguls become friends with the American people again? And, will they do it by slanting the news the other way? If they do, will we remember their greed and duplicity and demand the FCC make some changes.

I'm grateful that I understand labels don't mean anything anymore. Republicans were supposed to be for less government. But, worshiping at the feet of corporations and doing the right thing are often in conflict. So, the watch-dog- agencies charged with protecting Americans during the Bush administration were often eliminated. Imagine this: The Centers for disease control is worried about a potential pandemic -- don't tell anyone -- the white house will handle it. It reminds me of Moscow during the Cold War. "We don't have prostitution or AIDS or alcoholism," Russian officials would say. Usually these announcements were made when the leaders could barely stand. Stoli, I wish I wasn't thankful for you...

Arms flung to the heavens in grateful determination to find the truth. The finest man I know sent me this one -- my dad. Suffice it to say, he is a funny, charming truth-seeking-pro-woman- hard-lovin'-man. So to get a recent email from him was disconcerting. It is a story about Denzel Washington and how supportive he is of American troops. It indicated how rare this was. Denzel visited and gave money to Fisher homes built for housing the families of troops in military hospitals. Actress Michelle Pfieffer, David Kelly, John Mellancamp, Cher and Rosie O'Donnell have also visited military hospitals and given money. Rosie (certainly a victim of misdirected anger) was one of the first to do so. After a heartbreaking day of witnessing what roadside bombs do to soldiers, Rosie tried to lighten the darkness with humor. She asked the folks at Fisher Homes, "What did Cher give -- no matter what it was -- I'll match it." "300K" was the answer. The check did not bounce. I'm grateful for the facts, and that I understand when celebrities give without the cameras rolling, they are the real deal. I also am grateful for enough grey matter to understand one can hate the war and love the men and women who fight.

Last and most importantly, I am grateful for every American willing to sign up for a war when called. They did not keep track of the lies coming from Washington because they were too busy avoiding road side bombs. I thank you, dear military men and women. I thank you beyond what I am capable of expressing. I ache for your return and to read the names of the fallen heroes that only you can tell us about. My sweet friend Toby, whose baby girl was just born, I want to thank you for being willing to miss her first Thanksgiving. Thank you all on this Thanksgiving for your bravery and sacrifices.

But, now come home. I want to welcome you back. I want to kiss your mother's cheek and shake your father's hand -- I want to pinch your children and make them smile.

What are you grateful for?

Judith Regan's Story Seems Like a Walk in the Park to Me

It happens everyday in the relatively new world of mega-media-corporations, and it began with the FCC approved media mergers of 1996. That gave those with money the right to buy all the media outlets they could afford, thereby controlling agendas and conversations in a democracy. They are now so powerful they have no fear of retribution and therefore few ethics. The "People's airwaves" are now owned by arch conservatives. You want more proof: Here's my story. I will deliver it in headlines:

2005:

I wrote and produced a story on Ringling Bros. Barnum & Baily Circus and its abuse of the endangered Asian elephants performing around the world. The abuse is well documented by a few brave members of the USDA and Ringling workers as well.

Ringling is owned by Kenneth Feld, who according to documents in two lawsuits against him, is a bad dude indeed with friendly ties to not only the Las Vegas Mafia but just about every conservative media corporation in the country -- including News Corporation. (ala Judith Regan) Kenneth Feld and Michael Eisner own Disney on Ice together. Disney owns ABC.

I won a National award for the elephant abuse story. In that story I used the Circus' OWN video to make my points. Hard to argue with that -- one might say! But that does not stop the Corporate media or corporate Cronyism.

Next thing I knew, high profile Ringling Bros. attorneys flew into The San Francisco Bay Area and complained to my bosses that their eyes were playing tricks on them. What viewers witnessed in my reports did not really happen. In other words, viewers did not really see what they saw. That took a lot of nerve since the video was taken by RINGLING ITSELF and obtained by me through my sources.

This was the head smacking moment when I began to understand what I had blithely stepped into. Lies and deceit so intense it would make Machiavelli blush. I found out about a lawsuit against Kenneth Feld by Jan Pottker who claims Feld ruined her journalistic career by bugging her home, having her followed and interfering with her publishing efforts in unfathomable ways. See: The Greatest Vendetta on Earth by Jeff Stein.

Kenneth Feld had the former head of covert operations Claire George on his payroll at the time. Claire George is another bad dude whose worship of money and power makes all things duplicitous possible. Feld's former CFO admitted under oath during a deposition that Kenneth Feld did some horrifying things to Ms. Pottker. Nine year later, and millions of dollars spent to postpone a trial -- Pottker waits for justice and Feld continues to manipulate the press and disregard the first amendment. He can -- he's got the corporate media on his side.

2006:

I found out most of Ringling Bros. endangered Asian elephants traveling the world have been exposed to or have full blown M-Tuberculosis. The same strain of tuberculosis human beings carry and contract. TB in elephants is unheard of in the wild.

I tried to tell my Fox affiliate station of this huge public health issue. I was told "We do not see the story."

I lose my girlish enthusiasm and become completely void of anchor charm.

Meanwhile, in the nation's capitol, Ringling's attorneys are asked to release medical records in Federal court that would later prove my t.b. story to be correct. Patrick Ryan of the Los Angeles County health department says "Elephants exposed to M-TB should never be around the public--because there is no way to tell when they are cured." Don Francis, a world renowned epidemiologist who help discover AIDS and ran the Centers for Disease Control first AIDS division, looked at my evidence and said, "Ringling showed reckless disregard for public health by taking these exposed and infected Asian elephants around the country."

Washington based attorney Katherine Meyer is representing several of the largest animal rights groups in the country and suing Feld for abusing the Asian elephants including knowingly covering up the fact that most of them tested positive or had M-Tuberculosis. That case has been pending for almost eight years. Ringling's attorneys have filed enough delaying motions to make Linda Blair's head spin.

Ringling attorneys claimed in federal court that they should not have to release the medical records of the elephants (which include evidence of horrible beatings) because the information would be miss-used like it was by "The reporter in San Francisco." That would be me.

I am voted best anchor in Oakland magazine.

Shortly after that magazine is published, an anonymous half page defamatory article is written in The Oakland Tribune calling me a "dumb blonde." My recently hired Fox affiliate bosses begin to wonder -- between the Ringling attorneys, the Oakland Tribune article, and my increasing disillusioned attitude, if there's something amiss. They also notice Ringling has not been advertising with the station since my stories began.

As far as I know, the Oakland Tribune article was the first of its kind in any major newspaper.

It was unsigned-outside-an-editorial-section and written by an anonymous source called "The grump." "The Grump" had never written anything negative about anyone before. Previous to the article about me, he wrote mostly about things such as duck poop around our lovely lake Merritt sticking to the shoes of joggers.

Kenneth Feld's M.O. was all over that story like shit on tennis shoes.

A genetically close member of Feld's family called to tell me Kenneth Feld planted the "Oakland Tribune" story. I ask for an investigation by my Fox affiliate. They refused. "Just ignore it," they said. I later found three other reporters, sans Jan Pottker, who have been through similar adventures with Kenneth Feld. See: "The Scary Circus."

One extremely well known reporter had his fiancé stolen away by a muscle bound babe who apparently had a lot of Kenneth Feld's money to throw around as enticement.

2007:

I quit my high-profile-high-paying job now that I understood the propaganda and corporate cronyism and greed involved.

Kenneth Feld, who at first called my stories about M-TB in his elephants a lie, has just sponsored a Ringling Bros. conference on TB in Asian elephants positioning himself as the endangered species savior. He invited the world's experts to Florida and pretended the t.b. was shocking to him. Despite very clear evidence he tried to hide it from the public since 1993.

I got an e-mail from the same Feld family member who said "I had guts" for telling the Ringling Bros. tuberculosis story and Kenneth Feld's subsequent 15 years of covering it up. In other words be careful! Feld would still get me in some nefarious way. As a journalist, I can only say I hope the elephants will now get help. But media corporations with stockpiles to lose in commercials by reporting the truth are rare -- if not gone forever.

When I was just 26, I reported from Moscow. The Cold War was still silently raging. Reporters writing anything negative about the government did so underground. If they were caught, they lost their jobs and their reputations. That's if they were lucky. If they were unlucky, they got thrown in jail. Today, in America, substitute government for corporation then sadly in the land of the "free" add media corporation.

Entertaining Ourselves -- What Shall We Do?

In the spirit of Dr. Seuss let's make a rhyme or two:

Hollywood's writers are quiet and still
Perhaps it's time to pay the democracy bill.

Without them, we may have to think for ourselves
The opiate of the masses sitting silent on our shelves.

Two wars waging in Arab lands
A third is brewing and distracted viewers don't seem to give a damn.

Our children, our brothers our sisters too--just change the channel--pretend it has nothing to do with you. Hey look, American Idol--a dream come true!

No laughs to distract us -- holy cow
Where will we put our denial now?

Football, baseball, basketball too
America, where would she be without you?

What if Americans threw away their remotes and did not care if the writers wrote?
What if the commercials were worthless making the corporations mad?

No money to be made
It would be so sad.

What if Americans quit watching at all?
Our troops would be home for fall.

We Have Mighty Hearts We Just Don't Have the Money and the Power Anymore

Reading my morning paper, I note two things: Mariane Pearl says, "Celebrities are doing the job of journalists," and blogger James Boyce wonders why the American media has deserted us --specifically, in regard to the bloodbaths in Burma.

Where to begin?

I read A Mighty Heart. Thank you Daniel Pearl. I will tell my grandchildren about you someday. Mariane, I reach my arms out to you where ever you are, wanting to hold you close. Danny was a hero-brave until the ruthless-hateful-end, and you dear one are a heroine. You wrote your story without hatred or malice. With that you disarmed the enemy. You obviously have seen enough hate and misunderstanding to last many life times and you clearly know, as Ghandi said, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

It is true celebrities are telling the stories after they are written. Celebrities are not embedded journalists as you and your dear Danny were. You were embedded in the truest sense of the word. The two of you did not act a part, you lived smack in the middle of one of the most dangerous areas of the world after 9/11 and tried to find out who was responsible for it. That is braver than holding any gun and firing.

What Danny Pearl did throughout his career was what all good journalists do. It is what keen intelligence is about. It's making contacts and following leads, and sometimes the lead is a trap. That's just one reason good journalism is dangerous. I still struggle to inhale when I think of Mariane and Danny Pearl together. I feel sick at heart when I think of Danny Pearl's end and the two of them now apart. It seems that Danny was ahead of everyone after 9/11 - certainly the C.I.A. What we all understand now is that Pakistan is a breeding ground for terrorists, and in some respects, the most dangerous country in the world for Americans. Danny Pearl was learning who the terrorists were faster than the C.I.A. That's why embedded journalists are essential to understanding our global politics, and it's another reason he wasn't found soon enough to save his life. He was moving in un-charted territory. His bravery was astounding.

When a journalist is embedded, there is no amount of propaganda in any country that can hold back the bonds of friendships made and walls broken down. That leads to understanding. Who--What--When--Where-- is easy, WHY is hard. Understanding WHY is what leads to peace. Danny Pearl tried to write the WHY stories. Ironically, one reason national and local news have pulled reporters out of hot spots around the world was Daniel Pearl's killing.

After Daniel's death, I was preparing to try, like so many journalists, to get into Afghanistan. My boss at the time was a reporter, not a sales person and he believed living in the Bay Area, with a community of more Afghans outside of Afghanistan than anywhere else in the world, we had an obligation to be there. The insurance company did not agree. We were told by Cox Broadcasting that it would take millions of dollars up front to insure me. I could not go.

In today's Media corporations, it all gets down to money. Can the station still sell commercials without the coverage from Afghanistan? Yep, you bet your chador it can. If you throw in some celebrity news instead of tragic stories around the world, the ratings might even go up.

What about responsibility for informing the public? If the media corporations don't inform but instead create more chaos because there are no first hand accounts--this fragile democracy I fear will become even more uninformed, more fragmented, more racist, more homophobic, more xenophobic and celebrity obsessed.

Daniel Pearl complained in one of his emails that a clearly biased story was making news in Pakistan. It was explosive in content and was reported as fact in the Pakistani news. Are we really so far away from the same thing? Without reporters on the scene, there are no objective eyes. There is no objective voice. There is mis-information that could lead to World Wars swirling around our lives in cyberspace and in newspapers and on the mostly corporate owned airwaves. Brave embedded reporters like Danny and Mariane can give us perspective, but they also risk their lives doing it.

Reporters also ask themselves-- if I risk my life to inform the world, will it make a difference? Will the world care or will Americans turn on their computers and read the celebrity news before they read a first hand account of what's happening in Burma, or Pakistan, or Iraq. Perhaps Americans are so overwhelmed they will tune out the news all together. It's work these days to keep a democracy alive. Knowledge and participation takes more and more time. But, what is the alternative?

If it does not contribute to the bottom line, it is not important to most media corporations. When the Rupert Murdoch's of this world own The Wall Street Journal I'm afraid this fragile democracy is screwed. Watch the documentary Out Foxed. 

Then encourage and contribute to non-profit news organizations.

Rosie's Heart

I've heard people either love her or hate her. How can that be? To hate Rosie is to hate the best part of ourselves. The part that is real.

I just finished Rosie O'Donnell's book celebrity detox Like the poet ee cummings, Rosie writes in lower case and speaks the unvarnished truth. She is incapable of being phony. Like the poet ee cummings, she is ridiculed for being unique. In a nation at war, afraid and hated around the world, we hide in groups of conformity. But, not Rosie. ee cummings wrote:

"...here is the deepest secret that nobody knows. Here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud, and the sky of the sky of a tree called life which grows higher than the soul can hope or the mind can hide."

The root--the bud--the sky--the soul--and the mind. The essence of the girl who turned into a woman on her own following her mother's death. How could anyone NOT like Rosie? As long as there are Rosies in America, women will never wear Burkas. If someone tries to make them, at least the offender's DNA will be under her fingernails. She fights back. In a man, this is called courage. In a woman, this is labeled "self destructive."

The Rosie's of this world do not let the world define them, they define the world, and they teach our daughters that being objectified is not the same as being loved. They show our daughters that interesting women come in all sizes and they teach our daughters to think for themselves by displaying intelligence and humor.

She is the kind of woman insecure men both hate and fear. Hers is a voice that will not be silenced by the absurdities of government and corporate ordained lies of our times. In return the worst-kind-of-men vilify her. This is why the best kind of women and men must stand up for her.

Last week I turned on my computer and there on the Comcast home page was another picture of Rosie. My eyes widened, my brows buckled together, yikes it was scary. It was the sort of manipulated picture of Rosie that frightened-little-men like to photoshop into a caricature. Her face was snarled and contorted like a Halloween mask. She was probably caught acting silly, but the video was manipulated and frozen into a still frame that would have scared trick or treaters. She won't conform, so she is defiled.

Comcast, of course, America's largest purveyors of pornography, were the culprits. Objectifying women is one way Comcast makes its billions. What do they do with a woman who refuses to be objectified? They make her ugly. How predictable. Take a "Velveteen" heart and paint on an ugly face. Do we really expect Comcast and the likes of Donald Trump to see Rosie? You have to be real to recognize it in another. Thank God they don't like her. What a relief.

When my niece was a little girl, her father heard the kids outside complaining, "You always get to be the leader," they said accusingly. My niece, eight years old at the time, turned to the kids and said with exhausted impatience, "Okay," pointing at the other kids in the yard, "You're a leader, you're a leader, and you're a leader,-- now all the leaders follow me!" That's Rosie.

Last night my daughter walked in while I was finishing Rosie's book. She said, "Oh Mom, can I read it when you are done?" "Sure," I said. She walked into the other room and yelled, "Rosie is such a beautiful woman with a vision, I love her. How could they put her on a show called The View and then demand she not have one?"   

Bingo.