Games Fever TV: FCC Enabled Theft?

If ever there was a single perfect example of the kind of whorehouse capitalism that has proliferated on television since the onset of the Reaganite counter-revolution against regulation and consumer protection, it is the Games Fever TV phenomenon. Stupid People are lured into tolling up charges on their cell phones by text messaging answers to apparently simple word games in exchange for cash prizes. These shows are duplicitous on every level, but what is most appalling about their existence is that under the pretense of being entertainment, they are painfully repetitive, whining entreaties to the viewers to call in. As is the case with many other such "shows," they actually have the nerve to interrupt with commercial breaks--in effect setting up nesting ways to separate the uneducated from their money. I thought that television had gotten about as low as it could get, but given permission by those who are supposed to be the gatekeepers for decency and against exploitative use of a public trust, the spiral continues to descend. Only the truly scatological and the pornographic await our viewing pleasure.

Kucinich May Be Our Only Hope

Only one Democratic Presidential candidate has spoken out unequivocally on the war in Iraq and therefore warrants the support of all those opposed to the war--Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich. His stand on the war is clear. And he is an attractive candidate as well for the stands he takes on health care and supporting the plight of U.S. workers. The current spin on Kucinich is that he is not a serious candidate. Polls show him way behind Clinton and Obama. Even among those who do not discount his proclaimed policies, who in fact hear in his public statements echoes of their own point of view, there is fear of another McGovern debacle, that is, having a candidate who is politically correct but too far to the left to win a presidential election. I would argue that a buildup in momentum for Kucinich can only advance the cause of those who want to see an end to the war and a change in this country's direction. If nothing else, it would force more mainstream candidates to shift their stated policies more to the left. On the other hand, it is just possible that simply by virtue of its supposed "wackiness," a groundsurge of support for the Kucinich platform would inject some energy into what is already shaping up to be a tired, demoralized campaign by tired, demoralized party regulars.