Howard Monroe And The Morning Show

Sometimes it's just fun...

The Watchdog Morning Show is usually a place for serious debate, interviews with newsmakers, my political rants, and our on-air conversation about the local, national, or regional news of the day. But on occassion, we just have a little fun. Here are some quick clips from this week's "fun" side of the show.

Can I make more money if I talk in a deeper voice?

05-13-13 Deep Voice gets more money

 
Who puts diapers on a chicken?

05-13-13 Chicken Diapers

 

 A scooter getaway just won't work

05-13-13 Slow speed getaway

 

The Watchdog Morning Show with Howard Monroe
7-10am    AM1600 WKKX     AM1370 WVLY
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"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest"--Benjamin Franklin

I used my years as a student at WVU in the early 70's to learn about all kinds of things. Religion, psychology, criminology, drama, statistics, economics,  geology and more. I took classes in many subjects, and attended lectures and events on all sorts of issues. I improved my writing and research skills and maybe my critical thinking. I majored in communication and minored in journalism because I knew those were the career areas I would probably make my money from one day, but I wanted to know about all kinds of things.

I thought that was what higher education was about. Becoming a well-rounded person. I still think that's what it should be.

But a Rassmussen poll says most American's disagree. To nearly 60% it's just a way to get a job. To 60% it's a "financial investment".

It's a tough job market and I understand the desire to give yourself a leg up by focusing on the career fields in demand and using the money spent on college as a means to an end for a job.

But you miss a lot.

And society is a little worse off with each graduate who is just "looking for a job" and not exploring the world of ideas.

Feedback is a gift

We have become an overly-sensitive, too-easy-to-irritate, take-too-many-things-too-seriously society,

Within the last five days, I've had incidents at work, at church, in my family, and on social media, where very simple comments have been met with pursed lips, clenched fists, red faces, and exclamation points. I have been stunned at some of the responses I get from a mild comment.

I think it's partly because of the angry partisan divide we have in this country. I certainly contribute to that with the political talk I do on the radio. Left-right, I'm-right-you're-wrong diatribes make the world of talk these days.

But not every opinion or suggestion, or even mild criticism is aimed at your soul, at your bedrock convictions.

Sometimes it's just a simple opinion. A mild critique. An offer of help in the form of a suggestion.

Half the time I don't think folks even HEAR what's being said. We're all on edge to be angry and find a way to see fault with the mildest comment.

My friend Charlie Shlagel often reminds me "feedback is a gift". When I was acting at the Towngate Theatre, my wonderful old mentor Hal O'Leary always made it clear he didn't take time to criticize your performance if he didn't believe in you enough to think you could do better.

I don't understand why family, friends, work partners want to see the dark side of every comment.

 

Boston bombings coverage on the WATCHDOG MORNING SHOW

The Tuesday WATCHDOG MORNING SHOW spent most if its time on the afternath of the Boston Marathon bombings. Among my guests, West Liberty University track coach Eric Laughlin who was right at the scene as the bombs went off.

04-16-13 WLU Track Coach on Boston Marathon Bomings

Our Metronews news team talked with Hancock County's Joe and Teresa Delong who were also on scene.

And ABC News provided us with frequent updates.

Continuous coverage of breaking developments all day/night long on THE WATCHDOG AM1600 WKKX, AM1370 WVLY

Lame Duck thinking of flying for another term?

Earl Ray Tomblin was Acting Governor after Joe Manchin moved on to Washington, then was elected in the special election to fill Manchin's unexpired term and finally, last fall, won a full 4-year term of his own. Conventional wisdom is that he can't run again because of the state constituion prohibition on more than 2 consecutive terms.

But when I referred to the Governor as a "lame duck" in an interview this week, there was an interesting exchange.

Chuckling all the while, Tomblin corrected me and said "I wouldn't say I couldn't", and a few seconds later he said "it all depends on what a 'term' is.

It's 3 years before the next gubernatorial election and Tomblin was probably just having a little fun, but I thought it was interesting he felt a need to challenge "lame duck". And that he has at least considered the meaning of that little word "term".

You can listen to the exchange here.

TOMBLIN ON LAME DUCK 4-12-13

Later this weekend, I'll post the entire Tomblin interview as well as some others from "Rotunda Radio" as Teresa Toriseva and I broadcast from the Capitol on the last weekday of the session.

 

Conspiracy theories

We never walked on the moon, green men from space are on ice at an army base, and Sadaam Hussein was involved in the 9/11 attacks. None are factually true but all are believed to one extent or an other by some of our fellow citizens, according to a recent PPP poll.

What is it about conspiracy theories that send so many us into their thrall?

Some, of course, are pure politics--if Sadaam was involved in 9/11, or he was hiding Weapons of Mass Destruction, it makes it easier to accept our long, useless war in Iraq.

Others just reinforce our pre-held beliefs and stereotypes.If Obama is a bad President why not think he's the Anti-Christ, too?

Some are fun (Bigfoot exists), some are foolish (we never walked on the moon).

But I think at the heart of many beliefs in conspiracies is an attempt to make sense of what seems like a senseless world. Or to move responsibility farther away from ourselves.

It's easier to blame a secret "New World Order" for controlling everything than to accept that our democracy is flawed and we need to work at fixing those problems. If the CIA created the crack cocaine epidemic than we don't have to look at the larger problems in society that lead to drug abuse.

Those who believe that "lizard people" are gaining political control are.........well, actually, I don't know what  to say about that....

We've had fun conversations with conspiracy theories over the years on my radio show. Most of them are harmless.

But when a "conspiracy theory" is nothing more than a cover for science denial, we need to be more assertive. When science overwhelmingly tells us that global climate change is happening, to claim it's just a "hoax" is dangerous business. When science tells us the value of vaccines, we shouldn't allow fringe "scientists" to be in positions to dictate public opinion and policy.

Science denial seems to be growing. More than the war between right and left, states rights versus the federal government, capitalism versus communism, this is a war we can't afford to lose.

Because if we allow ignorance to triumph over fact, beliefs over facts, then we won't be able to fight any of those other societal battles.

Now, excuse me.....I must go report to my "lizard masters".