Time to Think

Another Look    By Hank Silverberg It was groundbreaking television in 1972. Norman Lear’s “All in the Family”looked at many social issues, from menopause to equal rights to racism. Carol O’Conner’s masterful portrayal of Archie Bunker put a comedic edge on some of the nation’s biggest problems. It entertained us while at the same time teaching us all a lesson or two.   One particular episode has remained forever in my mind. Sammy Davis Jr. ends up in a cab that Archie is driving for extra bucks, and Davis leaves his briefcase behind. He then must go to 704 Howser Street, Archie’s house, to pick it up. There is a great deal of good comedy in the episode and a fantastic assessment of Archie's bigotry by Sammy Davis Jr. The scene's ending with Davis kissing Archie on the cheek got the most attention,  but one other part of the exchange stands out.   Here is the dialogue involving Gloria (Sally Struthers), Sammy Davis Jr and Lionel Jeffers...

    R-E-S-P-E-C-T                                              By Hank Silverberg Respect is something you earn. It does not come automatically with a title like President of the United States or White House Correspondent.     Much has already been written and broadcast this week about the confrontation between President Trump and CNN Correspondent Jim Acosta.   Mr. Trump has long expressed his disdain for both Acosta and his network, so the hostility should not come as a surprise to anyone. But the forum, the White House briefing room during a news conference, produced a disgraceful sideshow.  First let me say, having covered events in Washington for two decades, I have been involved in many news briefings where one reporter oversteps the boundaries and dominates the questioning. The general rule is, one quest...

Message from the voters By Hank Silverberg                                      Here we are on the verge of another election. A lot has been written about the message voters will send in Tuesday’s election. Will it be a rebuke to President Trump for his words and actions over the past 18 months?   Will it turn the country away from its tilt to the right? Will it make any difference on major issues like gun control, immigration or health care? Will it matter at all?         No one can answer that right now, nor will they be able to on Wednesday when we know most of the results. (mostly because many close races may take a week or so to play out). But as the results come in, we can look at voter turnout to get some idea where America is going. Participation in this type of mid-term election has been historically low.   People tend to vote more in pr...

No Beautiful Day in This Neighborhood By Hank Silverberg I am writing this on Sunday morning in the social hall at my temple. There is a group of students nearby practicing for their B’Nai Mitzvah. It is a cold fall day with rain in the forecast, and two Stafford County, Virginia, Sheriff’s deputies are sitting in their patrol cars in the parking lot. On the other side of the wall, in the sanctuary, sits a Torah scroll that was rescued from the city of Nymburk, in what was once Czechoslovakia, during the Holocaust.   It has found a safe place at this temple, which is a place where I too feel at home while my wife helps run the congregation kitchen.  My four-year-old grandson is in nearby classroom learning the Hebrew alphabet, and his younger brother is crawling on the floor near his mother's ever-watchful eyes. It is 10 a.m. on Sunday when millions of Americans are at church or temple in what has been labeled as the most segregated hour in America. Yet I must questio...

                                                                                                                                            Politics Wars—A New Hope By Hank Silverberg One thing I continue to hear from many people across the country as we move towards the November mid-term elections is the worry that the Democrats provide no real options for Americans. The voters see no leader in the Democratic Party who can step forward and counter the country’s dramatic slant to the right. They don’t see it in the current leadership, but are more worried that they don’t see any new hope on the horizon, such as someone younger than 50...

True or False By Hank Silverberg 17) True or False: Most mainstream news organizations produce fake news based on a political agenda. (3pts) It seemed like a very easy question for students in my Introduction to Communications class. We had spent an entire session talking about the difference between pundits and reporters, slant and bias and how to detect fake news organizations. (See my blog from 2/2/18). I was dismayed when half the students in the class got it wrong. The answer to the test question is "FALSE."     I have gone over my notes and power-point from that lecture wracking my brain trying to figure out why the reality didn't sink in.  I intend to ask them about it when we go over the exam this week. But I think I already know the reason. Despite all the tips I gave them about how to detect fake news, what constitutes a mainsteam news organization or a news organization in general, and what “slant” and “bias” mean, they are still constantly bomb...

The New Supreme Court By Hank Silverberg Brett Kavanaugh is now a Supreme Court Justice. He was sworn in just a few hours after the Senate gave final approval to his nomination. The media continued to focus on what Maine Senator Susan Collins said, or how Democratic Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia bucked his party and voted in favor of Kavanaugh, or how big of a success the appointment was for Donald Trump. Only a few news organizations, including The Washington Post , reported that the D.C. Appeals court clerk forwarded more than a dozen complaints of “judicial misconduct” against Kavanaugh in recent weeks to Chief Justice John Roberts. Roberts chose not to forward them to a judicial panel for an investigation. (Not surprising, since it was Kavanaugh, as a lawyer in George W. (Chief Justice John Roberts, SCOTUS photo)  Bush’s White House, who recommended Roberts for the high court in 2005. Mr. Bush writes about the recommendation in his  book.) ...