The High School and The End

April 17, 2010

I wrote a piece that is appearing in today's Sacramento Bee about why KDND 107.9 The End's license to broadcast should be taken away.  See it here.

I have been reading comments on the SacBee site;  so far, they generally follow the post-trial public opinion that Jennifer Strange was dumb and responsible for her own death.  They miss the fact that Jennifer Strange, with no college education, was earning nearly $60,000 a year in the medical field.  She was no dummy.  And they miss the fact that the jury who actually heard the case unanimously and quickly decided that Mrs. Strange would not have died had it not been for that contest, and that of the twelve jurors, only two thought she had some (not full) responsibility for her death;  ten said she had no responsibility whatsoever.

Somehow, people today seem to think that a corporation which invites (lures?) people into a contest so they can increase their own profits are not to be held responsible when their own contest goes awry, to the point of killing someone.   These people cite personal responsibility; let's not forget, corporations are "persons" too;  where's their personal responsibility?

I am reminded of the Roald Dahl short story "Man from the South."   It's the story of a man who makes a bet with a second man to light a cigarette lighter ten times in a row.  If the second man succeeds, the first will give him his car.  If he fails, the first man will cut off one of the second man's fingers. 


So what if a radio station sponsored a contest like that?  Not too many people know you can die from drinking too much water, but any fool knows what having your finger cut off would mean.   So would it be okay for a radio station to put on a contest like that?  You know it would be a ratings bonanza, and ratings mean advertising dollars.  Why not just allow corporations to prey on stupid people and make a fortune doing it?  After all, they're not killing anybody.


Part of the answer is radio stations are licensed to serve the public interest.  Clearly, a contest like that does not serve the public.  Neither did The End's water drinking contest. 
 

Citizens Rally in El Dorado County

April 16, 2010

Gino and Lori Gallentine thought they'd be the only people present at a public hearing in Placerville yesterday to determine whether their closest neighbor would have "vested" rights for surface mining.  Even though the proposed Big Cut Mine is a mere mile and half from downtown Placerville, official hearing notices only went out to people within 500 feet of the Big Cut property.

Mining Permit Under the Radar Screen in El Dorado County

April 13, 2010

Determination of Proposed Mine 1.5 miles from Downtown Placerville Thursday

Thursday, April 15, the State Mining and Geology Board will hold a little noticed public hearing about determination of vested rights for the Big Cut Mine. Operator Rick Churches proposes to have the mine, located at 2261 Donovan Ranch Road, turned into a rock quarry; the hearing will determine whether the property should be regulated under current environmental rules, or should be vested back to regulations in place January 1, 1976.