:: The Silver State Chronicles ::

So Long, Skipper

Sad to report that one of my favorite political commentators, the legendary William F. Buckley, Jr., passed away earlier today. He passed away while at work, and I suspect he would have liked to have gone out that way, doing what he loved.

RIP William F. Buckley

1925-2008

Mr. Buckley had a long and wonderful career, with his thoughtful advocacy for conservative principles. He founded National Review in 1955, a political journal that has been at the vanguard of mainstream conservative throught.

A complete account of his long career is beyond the scope of The Silver State Chronicles, so I’ll just direct readers to National Review’s website, which will no doubt have a very thorough analysis of his life.

That being said, there are some real standout moments in his career I will briefly mention. He ran for the mayor’s office of New York City back in 1965. challenging incumbent Republican/Independent John Lindsay along with famed NYC bureaucrat Abe Beame. In one of my favorite moments in American politics, he was asked what he would do first were he to win the race, and he responded “I’d demand a recount!”

But he was ahead of his time in many ways. In that race he proposed charging a fee for autos entering midtown during business hours, and a network of bicycle lanes to ease urban congestion. Both proposals have found their way into the debate in the 21st Century.

Buckley appeared in a series of televised debates with Gore Vidal during the 1968 Democratic Party convention. In their penultimate debate on August 22 of that year, the two disagreed over the actions of the Chicago police and the protesters at the ongoing Democratic Convention in Chicago.

At one point Vidal called Buckley a “proto- or crypto-Nazi”, to which Buckley replied, “Now listen, you queer, stop calling me a crypto-Nazi or I will sock you in your goddamn face, and you will stay plastered.” Haha!

He hosted the excellent television show Firing Line from 1966 until 1999, and penned a nationally syndicated newspaper column into 2008.

Going down William F Buckley, Jr.’s memory lane is indeed a treat! So long, skipper! Thanks for all your contributions to the political discourse over the decades.

You shall be missed.

VV

• RIP Charlton Heston
• Phil Rizzuto, RIP
• William Shatner’s Rocket Man Special Edition
• Del Shannon’s ‘Runaway’ 1986
• Happy Birthday, President Reagan
• RIP Sheriff Harry Lee

Drugs aren’t cool!

Fridays for Friday returns with a vengeance! Today’s clip is from the classic episode, The Big Prophet. It’s a minimalist episode done almost entirely on one set between Joe Friday, Bill Gannon, and Brother William Bentley (Liam Sullivan), a Timothy Leary-type counterculture guru who advocates experimentation of all sorts of mind altering drugs.

Needless to say, Mr. Webb sets him straight! All I have to say is, “Thank God, It’s Friday!”

• Jack Webb on “What is a cop”
• Jack Webb on “A Quirk in the Law”
• The Perils of Blue Boy
• Jack Webb & Harry Morgan: The Bad Guys!
• The Story of Old Glory, by Mr. Jack Webb
• Sgt Joe Friday clips the wings of some liberal punks!

LSD isn’t the Answer

In the mid 1960s, serious cultural changes were in the works. Those with their finger on the pulse of America saw the changes coming. People were becoming more cavalier, and less responsible, with sexuality. And drug use was on the rise - and more problematic, encouraged and glorified by certain segments of the culture.

Mr. Jack Webb noticed, and he didn’t like it one bit.

When the network decided to give him a chance to re-imagine his classic radio drama/1950s tv hit Dragnet, Mr. Webb was enthusiastic. One reason was that he saw the cultural trends that encouraged drug use, and wanted to address those trends.

The tv movie, Dragnet 1966, pleased the network executives so much that they ordered a weekly tv series. And Mr. Webb delivered - 17 episodes of Dragnet 1967, kicking off a successful 4-year run of 98 episodes. Interestingly, the 1966 tv movie didn’t air until 1969!

In any event, the drug issue was important to Mr. Webb and it is prominent in the tv series pilot, The LSD Story, which aired on January 12, 1967. It’s a memorable episode because of the subject matter and the way it is handled. The junkie in the episode, Blue Boy enjoys a well deserved footnote in television history!

A YouTube user edited together the best parts of the episode, and thanks to him I can present selections from The LSD Story as part of our series, Fridays for Friday.

Enjoy!

• Dragnet 1952: The Big Cast
• Dragnet on Radio: The Big Drive
• Jack Webb on “What is a cop”
• The Tonight Show: The Copper Clapper Caper
• Jack Webb Homage: Mr Bookman on Seinfeld
• “Try A Little Tenderness” by Jack Webb

Remember When We Had a Great President? 1860s Style

I’m actually old enough to remember when we celebrated both Washington’s Birthday and Lincoln’s Birthday, rather than the poorly conceived ‘Presidents Day.’ Who wants to honor every president? Not me! I just like to honor the greats!

And ‘Honest’ Abraham Lincoln is one of the true greats! Here’s to you, Sir, and your tireless efforts to keep the Union intact during our great, terrible Civil War.

• Happy Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Happy Birthday, President Reagan
• Happy Birthday, Larry Fine
• RIP Sheriff Harry Lee
• George McGovern Abandons Hillary, Endorses Obama
• Happy Birthday, Jerry ‘Curly’ Howard

The Thrilling Days of Yesteryear

Any way you cut it, The Lone Ranger is an American cultural icon. An unmistakable, compelling figure that brought justice to the old west. His exploits were brought to radio, television, and movies.

So sit back and enjoy this great radio drama, Gambler Draws A Blank, originally broadcast on May 5, 1941.

• The Shadow: Dead Men Talk
• Dragnet on Radio: The Big Drive
• The Maltese Falcon
• Old Time Radio: The War of the Worlds
• The Mercury Theater Presents ‘Dracula’

Bringing Civilization to an Uncivilized World II

I noted on January 2nd, 2008 that Scotland Yard was asked to help with the investigation into the assasination of Benazir Bhutto. Well, today we get the word that Scotland Yard corroborates the much maligned (and somewhat ridiculed) conclusion of the Pakistani authorities.

The venerable Associated Press reports…

The British investigators’ report, released Friday after a 2 1/2-week investigation, concluded that Bhutto suffered a fatal head injury when the force of a blast from a suicide bomber hurled her against a lever on the roof of her armored vehicle.

British investigators ruled out that the head injury could have been caused by a bullet. Pakistan’s government announced a similar conclusion shortly after Bhutto’s killing, which occurred Dec. 27 at the end of a political rally in Rawalpindi.

Of course, Bhutto’s disciples and family have their doubts…

Bhutto’s party has insisted that the former prime minister was shot and suspects a government cover-up because she had accused President Pervez Musharraf’s political allies of plotting to kill her.

“We disagree with the finding on the cause of the death,” said Sherry Rehman, spokeswoman for the Pakistan Peoples Party, who escorted Bhutto to hospital after the attack. “She died from a bullet injury. This was and is our position.”

“This gives us all the more reason for a United Nations probe to know the perpetrators, financiers, sponsors and organizers of the this crime,” she said. “We are looking for more than the hand that pulled the trigger.”

As if the UN is a credible body! When they figure out what’s going on in the Sudan, call me…

In any event, realize the Bhutto family, friends, and fans have a big political stake in undermining the existing government in Pakistan. I can’t see what Scotland Yard would shill for the Paki government.

This case is closed, but the Bhutto people can’t seem to grasp the straightforward concept that denial just ain’t a river in Egypt!

• Scotland Yard to help in Bhutto probe
• Simians Fire First Shot in War Against Humans
• WFHS Humanities Teacher Suspended for Cheerleading
• RIP Charlton Heston
• RIP William F. Buckley, Jr.
• Global warming to blame for fires, says Harry Reid

Remember when we had a great President?

Today would have been the 97th birthday of my favorite modern-era President, Ronald Wilson Reagan! It’s times like this that I really miss Ronnie - we could use his wisdom and sure hand to help guide our nation throug the dangerous waters of the 21st Century.

Ronald Wilson Reagan
1911-2004

“We, the members of the New Republican Party, believe that the preservation and enhancement of the values that strengthen and protect individual freedom, family life, communities and neighborhoods and the liberty of our beloved nation should be at the heart of any legislative or political program presented to the American people.”

“We believe that liberty can be measured by how much freedom Americans have to make their own decisions, even their own mistakes.”

“Families must continue to be the foundation of our nation. Families-not government programs-are the best way to make sure our children are properly nurtured, our elderly are cared for, our cultural and spiritual heritages are perpetuated, our laws are observed and our values are preserved… We fear the government may be powerful enough to destroy our families; we know that it is not powerful enough to replace them.”

“Extreme taxation, excessive controls, oppressive government competition with business… frustrated minorities and forgotten Americans are not the products of free enterprise. They are the residue of centralized bureaucracy, of government by a self-anointed elite.”

“We must be ever willing to negotiate differences, but equally mindful that there are American ideals that cannot be compromised. Given that there are other nations with potentially hostile design, we recognize that we can reach our goals only while maintaining a superior national defense, second to none.”

“Our party must be based on the kind of leadership that grows and takes its strength from the people… And our cause must be to rediscover, reassert and reapply America’s spiritual heritage to our national affairs. Then with God’s help we shall indeed be as a city upon a hill with the eyes of all people upon us.”

I could go on and on about President Reagan, but I know if I did, and if he were here, his basic humility would prompt me to not go on at great length. With a smile & a twinkle in his eye, he would say “Vinnie Vegas, there you go again!”

• Happy Birthday, President Lincoln
• NORAD Tracking Santa Claus 2007
• RIP Sheriff Harry Lee
• Clarence Thomas: The Justice Nobody Knows
• RIP William F. Buckley, Jr.
• Golden Girl Hillary Trips at Dem Debate