And an important announcement about this blog.
Sports
Did you watch the Super Bowl this year? Three noteworthy observations seem appropriate to call out.
First, the Half Time entertainment. Naturally, Trumpsters hated it. I thought it was pretty unique and fun to see. A fine reminder of just how diverse America is, and what strength that brings to the nation. I gather the “alternative” Kid Rock show was pretty much a bust. How ironic that they chose just a sleaze ball as their lead act. So much for values based choices.
Second, the game itself. It really was an uneven blowout, which happens quite often with Super Bowl games. Two talented, pretty evenly matched teams. The difference was, more than anything else, experience, especially between the quarter backs. In so many high pressure environments (including politics, war, and more – not just sports) experience is the deal breaker. Give me a leader who has lost a couple and been beat up more than once. Those who rise from that sort of background are more often ready to meet the test.
Third, for what is now a long running trend in my book, the commercials really were not world class. I used to watch the Super Bowl pretty much just for the commercials – it was the Super Bowl of Commercials as well. But the last few years, they have not measured up. Some neat AI in use this year, but I saw nothing that I will remember, that made me really laugh or stood out as really powerful. Too bad. They can do better.
The Olympics
And how about the Olympics? I am not a really dedicated fan, but this sporting environment also left three observations of note.
First, the Open and Close ceremonies were really well done. The opera singer at the opening blew me away. Pavarotti has a successor. In fact, as near as I can tell, Italy did a pretty fine job running this thing.
Second, I had to laugh a bit at the big controversy over cheating in curling – someone touched the sliding stone with his finger, which apparently gives the flight an unfair advantage. All of which once again brings to mind the question I always have: This is an Olympic sport? Really? No doubt I am missing something, as the game is quite popular. I did learn a neat bit of trivia. All the curling stones in the world that are allowed in major competition are made from granite that comes from one small island off the coast of Scotland, with a few also coming from a mine in Wales. Apparently, this granite has special qualities in cold environments that make it the perfect material. Who knew?!
Three, there were some real dramas in these Olympics:
There was anger about judging in the pair ice skating competition. A French judge awarded a team from France points way above what everyone else did, giving them the award by a tiny fraction over an American couple that everyone else thought had one. This judge has done this before. Why do the Olympics let anyone judge a team from their own country? A needless conflict of interest.
Second, a Ukrainian athlete was banned for a uniform violation- he had pictures of Ukrainian athletes that had been killed in the Russian invasion. I get the need to avoid politics in the Olympics, but this is hardly politics. Shame on the Olympic officials making this call.
And third, the Lynsey Vonn drama. She is a remarkable person and a super athlete, but she should not have been in this competition, especially after her last injury. The odds of catastrophic failure were high and her insistence in competing in yet one more international competition denied some up and coming athlete their first opportunity at an Olympic. As Kenny Rogers used to sing, You have to know when to hold them and know when to fold them.
Media Mash Ups
A very solid trend is underway, and we are all the losers because of it. Media consolidation into mouth pieces for propaganda is well underway. This is way beyond the traditional arguments about left or right media. This is increasingly hermetically sealed media readily used for nothing much beyond propaganda. Media diversity in the means people choose to find their news spreads the risk a bit, but not enough. We really need a national focus on who owns media and some ideas on how we keep media much more independent.
We’ve already seen the damage that the Ellison era is doing to CBS News and the now endangered national treasure that has been 60 Minutes. CNN’s fate is likely to follow a similar path. You may argue that CBS is old news and CNN hasn’t really been reporting on the news very well for some time. But the billionaires owning so much media includes new and old media.
The Ellisons will have CBS, CNN, and a huge chunk of the American version of TikTok.
Bezos has ruined and gutted the venerable Washington Post.
Zuckerberg owns Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
Elon Musk owns and abuses X.
The Murdochs own Fox, the Wall Street Journal, and a host of other sources.
Local TV news stations are being bought up by right-leaning conglomerates, mostly Sinclair.
From printed media to technology outlets, America is increasingly fed a steady diet of input by mega-billionaires who have very different political views and goals than you and I likely share. Alternative sources are increasingly diminishing or being eliminated. And if their media machines don’t sway enough people, the Supreme Court has made it exceptionally easy for them to simply buy elections.
The Problem With Candidate Endorsements
The upcoming primaries and a couple of recent special elections remind me of the problem with candidate endorsements. Most organizations have a single focus area and their endorsements go to candidates that are most favorable on their focus issues. That is all well and good, but keep in mind that candidates need to have positions on a very large set of issues, not just the ones that may earn them endorsements. Know where they stand broadly before deciding to support someone solely based on endorsements by organizations you like.
In recent elections, I found candidate endorsements I liked on environmental or separation of church and state issues, but when I looked at other issues, I found enough that I did not like to take a pass on these endorsed candidates. Please take the time to look beyond endorsements. An endorsement from organizations you like and trust can be important, but they are not enough alone.
Valentine’s Day Surprises
I came across a Valentine’s Day discovery this year that I thought was terrific. Apparently around the Victorian era, there was an option to send a card to someone you did not like. Said card had some biting text and reeked of the bitter smell of vinegar. A delightful detour from the sometimes overwhelming nature of Valentines Day. Bring back the vinegar cards. I have a list ready to go….
And just coincidently it happened around Valentines Day that one of the evening talk show commentators shared a good idea. Trump is so obsessed with getting things named after him. All things considered, we should scratch that itch by referring to a certain phenomenon going forward as the Trump-Epstein files. After all, Trump is referenced far more than anyone else, even with vigorous and imaginative redactions. Seems like a fair move to me.
We Mentioned Earlier A Major Change Coming For This Blog. The Time Has Come.
This blog has been provided since it began several years ago on the Word Press platform. I have always liked it a lot – it is beautifully organized, has great capabilities, and an excellent archive system. But it has gotten a bit more complex and expensive than I find useful and sometimes readers find it difficult to leave a comment. So, starting later this month, Agents of Reason is being cross posted on both Word Press and on Substack. In April, the Word Press edition will be retired and only the Substack version will continue.
What does that mean for you?
First of all, I am NOT automatically transferring the subscription list. I leave it to you if you would like to continue as a reader (and I hope you do!). If you would like to stick with this blog, it is very simple to subscribe. Just hit this link and subscribe: https://tinyurl.com/agentsofreason-substack
Second, as always, the blog is free. Substack makes its revenue by taking a small cut of any paid subscription. So to honor their operation, I set up a really small subscription fee that you will see as an option when you sign up for the blog. Do not feel compelled to take a fee based subscription. For any who do wish to that option, thanks; know that any funds that come my way will be donated in equal shares to Common Cause, ACLU, and Humane World for Animals (what used to be known as the Humane Society).
Third, as always, I do not share or sell your email address or any other information with anyone else.
Bear with me a bit as I master the new domain; I think we both will like it better.
Ready to stick with us? Click on the link to sign up for the new outlet.
https://substack.com/@agentsofreason
You will get both the Word Press and Substack editions this month and come April, only on Substack. Thanks for making the move with me.
See You Next Week
By the time you read this blog post, a number of important primary and special elections will be underway. What lessons will we learn? We likely will also talk about some strong similarities in Gaza, Venezuela, and Iran. And probably a bunch more to think about as well. Hang in there, America.
If you find this blog worthy of your time and curiosity, I invite you to do three things:
(1) Join the conversation. Your voice counts here. If you wish to share COMMENTS anonymously, make the last word in your comment “PRIVATE.” I will assure your privacy via anonymity.
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