Anyone who reads this space on a regular basis knows I'm no fan of the Republican Party. Yea, I know, that's an understatement! Here's another reason why, Texas Congressman Joe Barton.
This brainless twit took aim at the $20 billion relief fund for oil spill victims, a fee that the White House and BP agreed on, during Thursday's hearing. This boob told BP's chief executive, Tony Hayward, "I do not want to live in a country where any time a citizen or a corporation does something that is legitimately wrong is subject to some sort of political pressure that is-again, in my words, amounts to a shakedown, so I apologize."
Why would an American lawmaker apologize to the foreign head of a corporation, a corporation rightfully blamed for causing hardship to millions, in the first place? Oh, I don't know, maybe it had to do with the fact that Barton received $1.4 million in campaign contributions for oil and gas interests since 1990. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, that figure is the most of any House member!
To be fair, he isn't the only Republican saying stuff like this. Other Republicans are echoing his call too.
Senator John Cornyn said he "shares" Barton's concern.
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann said that BP shouldn't agree to be "fleeced." Rush Limbaugh called it a "bailout."
The Republican Study Committee, with its 114 members in the House, called it a "shakedown."
Well, I guess we know who really counts with these folks, don't we? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it best, " while people in the gulf are suffering from the actions of BP, the Republicans in the Congress are apologizing to BP."
By mid-afternoon, Barton was back on the dais with a statement that was something short of what the Republican leadership demanded. He said, "I want the record to be absolutely clear that I think BP is responsible for this accident. If anything I said has been misconstrued, in opposite effect, I want to apologize for that misconstruction." Now I don't know about you, but that didn't sound like he was sorry for saying that he thought the big ole oil company was being wronged to me.
I don't think it sounded that way to panicing Republicans either, because later in the day, the GOP tried to say it was sorry again! This time, House Minority Leader John Boehner's office forwarded a somewhat different written statement. "I apologize for using the term 'shakedown' with regard to (yesterday's) actions at the White House (this morning) and I retract my apology to BP."
It went on to say, "I regret the impact that my statement this morning implied that BP should not pay for the consequences of their decisions and actions in this incident."
President Obama's former campaign manager David Plouffe hit the nail right on the head when he said this fund is a key step toward making the people of the Gulf whole again, "BP has a responsibility to those whose lives and livelihoods have been devastated by the disaster. And BP oil executives don't deserve an apology -- the people of the Gulf do."
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Ted Efaw
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My job as a general assignment reporter means I'm out covering everything from the police beat to stories affecting local, county and statewide government. It's something new everyday, and that's what makes the job so challenging and fun.
Personality Bio
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Since 1980, I've done just about everything in radio. I've been a Program Director, News Director, Sports Director and a Music Director. I've covered Major League Baseball (The Phillies, including the 1993, 2008 and 2009 World Series), Minor League Baseball (The Double-A Trenton Thunder) and the NFL's Eagles. I've broadcast live from the Spectrum, the old Vet, the Inauguration of Barack Obama and from the U.S. House and Senate in Washington, D.C.
Before coming to Delaware, I worked in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
Over the years I've "jocked" at Country, AC, Oldies, and Standards stations. I was a "Talk" show host for a number of years as well. I even co-hosted shows with former Eagles Vice President and General Manager Harry Gamble and former N.J. Governor Jim Florio. I didn't stop there. For a short time I even worked in television. There's no truth to the rumor that the local PBS station hired me despite the fact that I have a "face for radio".
Throughout my career, I've been asking famous people questions. Some of the high profile guests include former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter,former U.S. Senator and astronaut John Glenn, Blues legend B.B. King, Ray Romano, George Carlin and Baseball Hall Of Famers, Harry Kalas, Vin Scully, Nolan Ryan and Tony Gwynn.
Yes, it's been a career that's kept me busier than a one-legged person in a butt kicking contest. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
How I See It
We learned, Monday, that numerous death threats were made against Ted Kennedy over the years. According to FBI documents, more than 2,000 pages of partly redacted documents, from 1961 to 1985, show that Teddy received threats from individuals and organizations including the Ku Klux Klan, the National Socialist White People's Party and Minutemen groups.
This didn't surprise me. 30 years ago, when I was a volunteer on Kennedy's presidential campaign in New Jersey, we received a death threat at our Trenton headquarters. I was in there with one other person that day.
My job was to make "get out the vote" calls. I would get a list of registered Democrats and their phone numbers every day. My job was to call them to see whom they were supporting. If they were for President Carter, I'd ask if I could change their mind. If I could, I'd pitch them on Kennedy. I did the same thing for those on the fence. I'm proud to say I was pretty good at it. A phone, a couple of seats away from me, was ringing one afternoon. I wasn't able to pick it up, so one of the other volunteers answered. I heard him say, "what did you say? Who is this?" He then put the phone down, turned to me and said, "we just got a death threat." I'm not going to tell you his name, because you wouldn't know him. He was, however, someone running as a delegate for Kennedy, and knew whom to call. The call was made to the secret service. I heard him say we had received a threat, repeated what was said and then, after a few minutes of silence said, "yea, there's one other person here. The kid's okay." They did a background check on me anyway.
I was told I couldn't tell anyone about this. I never did until today. Was it for real? Who knows? All I know is, the next week there was a reported scare in Newark, NJ. Someone was seen on top of a building with a gun. He was later identified as a cop.
I often wondered if the call to our headquarters was the reason given for extra security. Now I know that wasn't the case.
The FBI files suggest Kennedy was under constant threat. About four months after Bobby was killed, the Bureau's Seattle office wrote an "urgent" memo to headquarters. It discussed two anonymous letters. One predicted "assassination of Kennedy number three within twenty-four hours of the day October twenty-fifth, 1968." It went on to say all Kennedy residents "are in danger that day."
In 1977 an inmate who had been locked up next to Sirhan Sirhan, (RFK's assassin) said Sirhan had offered him $1-million and a car "in exchange for killing Senator Kennedy." The inmate declined.
Threats persisted, but so did Kennedy. He never talked about them. He just went on fighting the good fight for those who couldn't fight for themselves.
If you've ever been confined to a wheelchair, or had a job that paid minimum wage, or had a child who needed health insurance, Kennedy was a driving force in authoring or vigorously supporting legislation that attempted to drastically improve all of those situations. He did it knowing people were out to kill him. He endured it all, and we are all the better for it.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
How I See It
Say it ain't so! The Flyers dreams, and ours, of parading down Broad Street as Stanley Cup champs came to an end last night.
I know what you're saying. That can't be? They had survived the shootout in the last game of the regular season against the Rangers didn't they? Come on, they survived the 3-0 deficit against the Bruins in the second round of the playoffs, heck they over came a 3-0 deficit in Game 7. They had fallen behind in the finals by losing the first two games in Chicago. They even came back last night to send the game into over-time. I know, I know. In the end, the ice was littered with the sticks and gloves of the Blackhawks and that stinks! Lift your chin back up. Yea they took the Cup, but they can't take away what this Flyers team did or how they made us feel. It was impossible to watch Philly battle Chicago and not be enthralled and energized. The Flyers showed a lot of grit and toughness. They showed a lot of heart too. When a team plays like that, well, there's no quicker way to endear yourself to the fans is there? That's how it went for the '93 Phils. No World Championship, but they are still adored.
As they used to say in Brooklyn, "wait 'til next year!"
The Phillies held a press conference today to introduce their number one draft pick Jesse Biddle. Let me tell you, Phillies brass are telling anyone that will listen that this big lefty has great stuff. He has a fastball in the mid-90s and an outstanding curve and change. How good is he? In the last three games that he pitched in, he struck-out 49 batters, in 17 innings work.
Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, and author of "Friday Night Lights" and "Three Nights in August", Buzz Bissinger wrote a great piece, about him and the school, in the Philadelphia Inquirer. You can read it for yourself by clicking here.
Finally,this thought for the day: You know you're getting old when the bank sends you their calender one month at a time!
I know what you're saying. That can't be? They had survived the shootout in the last game of the regular season against the Rangers didn't they? Come on, they survived the 3-0 deficit against the Bruins in the second round of the playoffs, heck they over came a 3-0 deficit in Game 7. They had fallen behind in the finals by losing the first two games in Chicago. They even came back last night to send the game into over-time. I know, I know. In the end, the ice was littered with the sticks and gloves of the Blackhawks and that stinks! Lift your chin back up. Yea they took the Cup, but they can't take away what this Flyers team did or how they made us feel. It was impossible to watch Philly battle Chicago and not be enthralled and energized. The Flyers showed a lot of grit and toughness. They showed a lot of heart too. When a team plays like that, well, there's no quicker way to endear yourself to the fans is there? That's how it went for the '93 Phils. No World Championship, but they are still adored.
As they used to say in Brooklyn, "wait 'til next year!"
The Phillies held a press conference today to introduce their number one draft pick Jesse Biddle. Let me tell you, Phillies brass are telling anyone that will listen that this big lefty has great stuff. He has a fastball in the mid-90s and an outstanding curve and change. How good is he? In the last three games that he pitched in, he struck-out 49 batters, in 17 innings work.
Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, and author of "Friday Night Lights" and "Three Nights in August", Buzz Bissinger wrote a great piece, about him and the school, in the Philadelphia Inquirer. You can read it for yourself by clicking here.
Finally,this thought for the day: You know you're getting old when the bank sends you their calender one month at a time!
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